Pokémon The Divine Truth: The Fight for What Matters

Chapter 13

*WARNING* THIS CHAPTER HAS DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE, BLOOD, AND/OR DEATH

The following morning, atop the roof of the Pokémon Center, the four of them met Ceres, handing her a sack of pearls they had collected the previous night.

"Will this be enough?" Kori asked.

Ceres opened the small sack, revealing thirteen luxurious pearls. She picked up one of them and squinted at it for a minute before putting it back in the sack.

"Damn, I wasn't expecting y'all to find something actually worth anything so soon. Good job," Ceres congratulated.

"So does this mean you'll take us to awaken blessings? That's what you called it, right?" Kori asked.

"Blessing. Blessed. Touched by the divine. They all mean the same thing, so call it whatever. And yes, we'll be heading to the Ruins of Atum right now!" Ceres exclaimed.

"Wait now!?" Hiro said in surprise.

"Of course, we may as well get this over with, plus the weather is meant to be clear out that way for the next few days. Getting caught in a storm out in that jungle is no joke, so I say we strike while the iron's hot," Ceres explained.

From the Pokémon Center, they followed Ceres south, heading towards the ruins of Atum. It didn't take them long to reach the jungle, which they had to traverse to get to the ruins. The trees were densely packed together, each attempting to reach higher than the other for sunlight. The sky was narrowly visible through the canopy, and what was once dry heat now reeked of intense humidity. Various sounds reverberated from all directions, including Pokémon calls and chirps, as well as the rustling of leaves, making the jungle appear alive. After only a few minutes of traversing the jungle, Hiro began to sneeze, and his eyes became watery.

"What the hell, why is no one else sneezing?" Hiro said in a nasally voice.

"What's with your voice?" Leo laughed.

"He's most likely allergic to the pollen emitted by a specific Pokémon; there are numerous grass-type Pokémon that do this around here. After a day or so, you should get used to it," Ceres explained.

"If I'm still like this tomorrow, I'll be pissed."

Kori was walking behind everyone else, looking in all directions, wanting to see what kind of Pokémon this jungle housed. He wandered off alone for a bit, looking around, until he noticed a strange smell. He saw a large yellow, bulbous-looking plant that had a delightful aroma. It looked like an enormous pitcher with two leaves sticking out on both sides of it and a leaf covering the plant's opening. Kori walked up to the plant, lured by its enchanting smell, trying to get a closer look. He was within arms reach of the plant, and before he could touch it, he was violently yanked backward, causing him to jump. He looked behind him to see who it was, and it was none other than Ceres.

"Well, I see who I can't leave by themselves now," Ceres snickered.

Hiro, Leo, and Haru quickly caught up to Ceres and stood behind her.

"Is this common for him?" Leo sighed.

Hiro nodded, then said, "It's a coin flip every time we're somewhere new. Why'd you run off this time, Kori?"

"I smelled something really sweet, and it led me to that weird-lookin' plant," Kori said, pointing towards it.

"Oh, that's no plant; that's a Pokémon known as Victreebel. It lures in other Pokémon with a sweet aroma, then swallows them whole, melting them with powerful stomach acids." Ceres explained.

Ceres picked up a stick off the ground and poked the Victreebel. Its eyes suddenly opened and let out an ear-piercing scream, then suddenly went up into the canopy, disappearing from view.