Paragon

Origin Child [9]

PARAGON

Origin Child Arc [9]

Chapter 9 : Encounter

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The flight to the Sinnoh mainland was not long at all, and about an hour after takeoff, the private jet touched down at Oreburgh Airport. Its only two passengers, Ash and N, exited the plane, and were immediately assailed by the pungent smell of coal, and a dusty haze that clung to their skin and clothes. Ash tugged on the brim of his cap, and N rested his hand on a satchel slung over his shoulders.

Ash had flipped through the dossier on the flight over, but there wasn't much in it. The Plates of Arceus were among the most sought after artifacts in the world, by museums and miscreants alike. Shards of the Plates were common enough, if one knew where to look, and with large enough shards, one could elicit great power from them. But the true Plates of Arceus made only rare appearances in ancient records, popping up at seemingly random locations and times, with little detail as to what became of them afterward.

This time was no different.

A limousine awaited them, but they declined the ride, electing to make the trek to Mount Coronet on their own. Despite Ash's celebrity, a limousine driving through the sparse and rocky Route 207 that led to Mount Coronet would certainly draw even more attention. Luckily, it was the middle of the Conference season, and most trainers challenged Oreburgh's gym early in the circuit, so they wouldn't run into too many trainers on the way, theoretically.

Indeed, Oreburgh wasn't nearly as bustling as usual, and they crossed to the north of the city unmolested. However, once they were a ways away from the city limits, they stopped.

Ash pulled out a pokéball and released Garchomp beside the road. The dragon knelt down and allowed both men to climb onto his back, before he growled and shot into the sky.

Although most trainers had dispersed throughout Sinnoh, Mount Coronet saw travelers within its labyrinthine caves year round, so they'd be entering the mountain from one of the secret entrances that the rangers created and used to access certain parts of the mountain quicker.

Mount Coronet loomed before them as Garchomp sliced through the sky. The primeval mountain stuck out among all the fantastical places Ash had visited throughout his travels. As they flew closer and closer, it seemed like it could pitch forward at any moment and devour them, the tiny specks that they were, next to such an imposing beast of rock. "The Spine of Sinnoh," as it was sometimes called, bisected the region almost perfectly, as if nature itself had conspired to make it the most dominating landmark on the continent.

Although with the madness Team Galactic had unleashed on the summit several years ago, and the creatures beyond comprehension they'd managed to summon there, it may have been more fitting to say it was the single most dominating landmark in the entire world.

Just the thought of that ordeal made Ash shudder beneath the warm sun. Legend swirled at the summit like wind, and fell like snow upon the mountain, seeping its magic into the very stone. Perhaps the whole mountain was cursed with miracle.

Luckily, they were headed down, not up, this time. The Plate they were looking for lay in some lower, untraveled vein of the mountain. As described in the dossier, a massive energy spike, unlike the usual anomalies that were customary within Mount Coronet's eldritch confines, had alerted Cynthia to the Plate's appearance. The dossier provided a general location, but it'd be up to them to find it.

Ten minutes later, Garchomp landed on a rocky outcropping, almost like a balcony, that jutted out from the mountain. A yawning entrance lay before them, and after Ash and N dismounted, Ash kept Garchomp out. Even with Pikachu on his shoulder, after he'd started his new training regime two years ago, he never traveled without at least one more partner at his side.