Pokémon Legacy 2: Beyond Good and Evil

Chapter 2 - Return to Kanto

"Professor! We just received word! Sam and his friends have just arrived in Kanto!" A female scientist shouted, turning away from a computer screen.

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Professor Oak turned around, and smiled. "The heroes of Kanto have returned."

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It had been nearly a year since I had last seen Professor Oak.  As much as it saddened me that our reunion together had been brought together by disaster once again inflicting Kanto, I was looking forward to seeing him again. Both he and Headmaster Rowan had been like father figures to me after my real father had died many years ago. They had looked after me when my mother couldn't do so. 

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Stepping off the boat, it felt strange to once again press my feet on Kanto soil once more. I could tell that my friends felt the same way from their facial expressions alone. However, it became apparent that we all felt quite homely again as we strolled towards the taxi that would take us back to Pallet Town – mine and Toby's home. The place where our adventure had started one whole year ago.

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It took a mere twenty minutes to reach Pallet Town. Along the way, we enjoyed seeing the beautiful sights that Kanto offered – the long, never-ending, patches of green, the Pokémon playing together in the sun, and the expansive blue sky that stretched out across the cities. It was a beautiful day. The weather reminded me slightly of the day me and Toby first set out on our Pokémon Journey after graduating from the Pokémon Academy.

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Before heading to the Pokémon Lab to see Professor Oak, I made a quick stop by my house. I was saddened to learn that my Mum was away from home, having gone to Hoenn for two weeks because of her job as a Pokémon Researcher. I scribbled down a quick letter, saying that I was alive and well, and placed it on the kitchen table for her to see when she returned home.

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Finally, my group of friends and I walked towards the Pokémon Lab. As we reached the doorway, I took a quick breath of air, and stepped inside the Lab.

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"Sam! Toby! Sarah and Steven, too. How good it is to see all of you!" Professor Oak bellowed from within the Lab as we walked inside.

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"It's good to see you again, Professor." I smiled as we shook hands.

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"Has it honestly been a year since I last saw you?" The Pokémon Professor laughed. "Feels like just yesterday that I was setting you and young Toby here off on your travels!"

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"I hate to be the stick in the mud here, but you do remember why you summoned us here, right?" Steven asked the Professor sternly.

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The Professor nodded. "Of course. I am sure you're all curious as to what these energy cracks are about, and why they pose a threat to not only our region, but the whole World."

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"The whole World?!" I gasped.

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"Yes. Sadly this is no longer a region specific matter – it is greatly affecting the entire World." Professor Oak solemnly nodded.

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He turned around and pressed a few buttons on a computer keyboard, and suddenly a hologram screen appeared above it. The Professor used his hands to move different boxes around on the screen, and I noticed that it showed a map of the Kanto region. Different sections of it were covered in purple.

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"The purple sections are areas in which the energy cracks have appeared. We have no idea where they originally came from, or how they appeared, as every time we try to go near one to investigate it, it destroys the machines we take to research the cracks. We cannot go within thirty metres of the cracks unless we want to fry every bit of technology we carry on us." The Professor said, pointing to the purple sections on the map.

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"However, we have learned a few things from extensive research into the cracks." Professor Oak continued. "Firstly, the cracks are not natural. They are the work of man, or more specifically machine. Someone, somewhere, has built a machine that can both create a new crack in any location, and stop them altogether."

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The screen changed to show a picture of one of the cracks in Kanto.

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"Secondly, the cracks are seriously affecting wild Pokémon. We have noticed that Pokémon who go near the crack suddenly go berserk. They completely lose control of their minds, and attack anyone or anything. I believe this is what happened with Kyogre when it attacked you."

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"So a energy crack appeared underwater, causing Kyogre to lose its senses and attack us?" Toby asked.

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"Precisely." Professor Oak. "Finally, we noticed something else. When we worked it out, it immediately confirmed our beliefs that the energy cracks were not natural."

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"What did you find out?" Steven asked.

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Professor Oak took a deep breath. "The cracks were placed specifically to spell something. A name."

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The Professor pushed a few more buttons, and the screen changed again to show a map of the whole world.

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"More specifically, Sam, they spell your name."

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Professor Oak pushed another button, and suddenly purple sections to show where the energy cracks were lit up the map. There, in clear writing, was my name, in bright purple.