Kalos Quest Vol 3: Trapped

76. Anistar Sundial: Prophecy

Axel stumbled off Kace's car, his face pale as a sheet.

Kace was a dangerous driver. He did indeed have skill, but that doesn't change the fact that the way he drove nearly gave Axel a heart attack. After the ride, Axel was on the verge of throwing up from motion sickness—he held it back in fear of dirtying Kace's expensive looking car.

Ash's Greninja, who was sitting beside Axel in the backseat, got off after him, holding Squishy and Hexa in its arms.

Anistar City was a place filled with mystery. Unlike the elegant design of Laverre City, Anistar City had an artistic and somewhat modern style to it. Most buildings were either dome shaped or plated with solar panels. The Anistar Gym stood near a coast surrounded by greenery, recognized by the three golden arcs around the glass panelled dome shaped structure. It somehow reminded Axel of an astronomy center.

But what stood out the most was the city's landmark— a giant pink crystal standing tall in the middle of the ocean, connected to the city through a bridge. Also called the Anistar Sundial, its origin was highly discussed by researchers.

"That way," Kace said, leading them to the Sundial. The Anistar Sundial looked even more astounding up close, glimmering as the sunlight reflected off its surface. Above the golden circle shape on it were two arcs of the same colour and design.

Bonnie, her long blonde hair now tied up in a ponytail, stood beneath the sundial with her Dedenne perched on her shoulder. Beside her was a woman with purple hair styled up in curls, silver star shaped earrings dangling from her ears. She wore a long silver cloak with a steel coloured ring hovering slightly beneath her shoulders.

Bonnie turned around with a beam on her face, pouncing onto Luna excitedly with an affectionate hug, "Luna! I haven't seen you in ages! How's my favorite performer doing? You should join another Pokémon Showcase! I watched your last one on live broadcast! It was amazing!"

Before Luna can say anything, Bonnie had her focus turned towards Axel, firing off greetings and questions like a machine gun, "Are you okay, Axel? I heard you got into trouble! I got so worried! I'm glad you made it back alive after all that! Geez! You should learn to depend on others as well!"

Axel scratched his neck in embarrassment, looking at the ground, "Yeah, I guess."

"If you're ever upset, come talk to me! I'm always free online! Just send me a text," she winked, then gave Kace a friendly nudge, "oh right! Thanks for driving them over so quickly, Kace! You can be dependable when it counts, huh?"

"No problem," Kace tipped his head lightly, glancing at the ground as he spoke.

Bonnie proceeded to hug Ash's Greninja tightly, "haven't seen you in a long time! How've you been?" Being one of Ash's travelling companions when he was in Kalos, Bonnie had witnessed Ash's Greninja's growth from a Froakie. She was also Squishy's caretaker, being the one who discovered and named it. Her Dedenne waved at Squishy cheerfully, jumping into Bonnie's pouch and moving over so Squishy can fit in as well.

Squishy dived in and wiggled into a comfortable position, looking up at Bonnie with a smile. Bonnie rubbed its smooth head, "glad to have you back, Squishy!"

"So, what about Olympia's vision?" Axel asked, "what is it about?" Kace had briefed him about the situation in the car, but Axel didn't really focus on his words since he was feeling nauseous. What he did know however, was that Olympia, the gym leader of Anistar City, was also a prophet with psychic powers.

Olympia spoke up, her eyes glowing white as she hovered above ground.

"Beware the beginning and the end,
Beware the darkness sealed within.
Talons of destruction spread across the land,
To purge humanity's unforgivable sin.