Harmonia | Pokémon Fanfiction

19 | Black Hole Sun

Music in media: Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden

13 January, Thursday, 8 p.m. | Winter

In the midst of wrapping her mind over the fact that she was exploring the ruins of an ancient city over 2500 years old, Rae started to wonder why a Volcarona would inhabit a place invaded by sand and quicksand. The clay walls and pillars were stacked with cobweb cracks and the slightest tremors sent a gust of sand circling around the space. While the sand on the ground was golden brown, the grains billowing about bore a vivid orange, ember-like also in its scent.

"We're almost there," said Lenora upon feeling the rising heat. She, like everyone else, grew indisposed by the minute, as if the Volcarona's presence was akin to a black hole sun, robbing them of vigour yet gifting them accursed heat at the same time. Harsh environments like the desert were nothing new to her, having gone to archaeology sites all around the world, but the basement of Relic Castle took things to another level.

Icosa was the most displeased. It didn't help that Cheren pestered him to trudge ahead despite the boy's sighs. But it made sense because Cheren was nothing but stagnant, a full-grown adult who's past the age of journeying Trainer and so very mature. Icosa wished Cheren could be less serious about life and morals and all that righteous rigid Granbullshit, be a bit like his professor who currently tiptoed and walked barefoot in fear of sand getting into her high heels. Why would someone wear high heels in a desert anyway?

"Almost..." Lenora mumbled in encouragement. She was surprised to see Rae approach the zone with awe and without complaint, brushing her hand across the clay walls, her mouth stuck in the shape of an 'o' which sometimes twitched at the edges to give away to a millisecond smile. Her Pokémon shared her enthusiasm. In fact, Lenora started to think about why only Rae's Pokémon were out of their Poké Balls. She supposed all of them Unovans and their Pokémon were too used to all these sceneries to give a hoot. For that, she envied Rae. Was it too late to rekindle that interest and curiosity for all familiar things and people?

Impoverished fervour hung on her mind restlessly till they reached a set of clay doors with runes and hieroglyphs etched into them, the same ones she saw in Abyssal Ruins. Relic Castle was, after all, said to be the domain of the King of Truth, a once-prosperous village full of creators and gold. Time's relentless ravages whittled it down to the desert sands, leaving only the King's proud castle peeking out into the horizon for eons.

"The king's words will resound from the heights to all below." Icosa swiped his fingers across the dusty doorframe. The doors were unique with their Volcarona-shaped knobs, these tiny carved creatures each bearing a gilded ring (they still retained their lustre) in their mouths. "Truth is thus born in the heavens, and ideals on earth. Foolish ideals spring skyward, only to crumble against truth's word."

"You've grown poetic since we last met," Lenora remarked as she held the rings in her hands and pushed the doors open. A searing sandstorm rushed towards them as if they were fresh prey for the taking.

"Shauntal's words, not mine!" Icosa hollered over the roaring sands. Squinting his eyes, he adjusted to the harsh environment and made out a figure amid the chipped pillars of ascending height from the middle to the sides on which stood ancient vases and oblong bronze mirrors. It appeared to be a silhouette of a flower in bloom.

"That's... Volcarona?" Cheren gritted his teeth. "It's not like Overqwil, I hope!"

"Definitely not," cried Professor Juniper as she crept towards the middle of the room. "But its leaf-like wings and scales are golden with black spots! Emerald eyes! Amethyst abdomen!"

Besides its unique colour palette, it was, thankfully, a Volcarona, still large and moth-like with four small feet. The horn-like structure on each side of its face was rendered golden too, matching its scales. The fuzz on its upper body remained smoky white and tangled.