Somewhere near South Sinnoh
"Espeon, Froslass, how many times do I have to tell you?"
The journey from Jubilife City all the way to Sage Town was tiresome but we were making good progress. I could see that everyone was tired out and tensions were running a little high, mostly between the two pokemon before me.
We were gathered in a clearing between a forest and a stream which was running nearby. From our elevated position, we could see Sage Town on the coast below the mountain. Primarina and Altaria were resting by the riverside, just outside of the clearing but within earshot. Both Espeon and Froslass were arguing over a berry tree the two of them stumbled across.
I didn't know the details about who found it first but I didn't think it mattered. Neither of the pokemon looked prepared to back down, wanting first pick of the berries. I let out a deep breath, thinking of the best way to calm everyone down.
Now that I was adventuring across a region with only my pokemon, I thought that I'd be able to relive those same experiences from years ago, when I was travelling across the Kalos region. I was always surrounded by pokemon trainers, very experienced ones at that. People like Aaron and Calem had unbreakable connections with their pokemon, even when they had just met them.
At that time, I didn't appreciate how different that made those two. They would always push each other to new heights, able to excel with the help of their pokemon. As I stood in front of two members of my team arguing over some berries, I now realised how different we were.
"I've got an idea."
As I spoke up, the two pokemon turned away from each other, looking at me curiously. I had a small smile on my face as I reached up to pick two sitrus berries. With a berry in each hand, I asked both pokemon to move back a little. Both pokemon continued to watch me curiously as they moved a few feet back.
Then in one swift motion, I threw both berries straight up into the sky. Both pokemon looked at each other confused before turning back to me. I kept silent, picking two more berries from the tree and throwing them into sky.
"Use your psychic powers to catch the berries! The more you catch, the more you can have!"
Quickly, the two pokemon turned to face each other, their competitive spirits showing again. I let out a short sigh, as the the two began using their psychic moves to catch the berries as I continued to pick them from the tree and throw them into the sky.
Even though the two pokemon were competing against each other, I could see how much they were enjoying themselves. As the three of us enjoyed our time together under the sun, I finally appreciated how much these pokemon meant to me. They were the entire reason I was able to start my journey so I owed everything to them.
And now I realise that. Aaron and Calem must have already known something so simple but with this, I was now able to understand my pokemon better than ever. Now that I was able to get onto the same page as my pokemon, I was sure that we could excel to new heights.
The next time I saw Aaron, I was going to make sure that I was a trainer on his level.
Solaceon Ruins
"See, the ruins are just ahead! I didn't get us lost"
Dawn was a few steps ahead of me, walking with some extra confidence now that we were close to the ruins. We couldn't approach the ruins through the town as Team Galactic were swarming the surrounding area. They were monitoring all of the roads into and out of the town and I was sure Dawn and I were on their most wanted list.
With her 'expert' knowledge of the area, Dawn offered to lead the way, saying that she could get us to the ruins quickly. But five minutes after we diverged from the main route, I could tell that the blunette didn't know how to get us to there. Even with us getting lost, we were able to get back on track, finding the ruins.
"The entrance is unguarded. You think Team Galactic's still here?"
I took the lead, Sceptile joining me by my side. After we scanned the area from out vantage point we came to the conclusion that the ruins were unguarded, to our surprise. Just as I turned to Dawn to say this, screams rang out from the deep within the ruins.
The three of us turned to open cave entrance, two Team Galactic grunts sprinting out at full speed. I guessed the screams must have been theirs as we watched them run off toward the town.
Dawn and I turned to each other, nodding as we understood the situation. Quickly, we made our move, heading straight for the entrance to ruins. As we descended the worn down stairs, we were instantly faced with old, weathered inscriptions on the cave walls. My eyes flared up, as I saw the unfamiliar letters rearrange themselves and become readable.
"Top right... These must be directions."
"Hold up a second, you can read this?"
Dawn's confusion caught my attention. She paused for a moment, turning back to read the inscriptions. Something caught her attention and as she took a step closer to the old writing, she noticed something.
"These inscriptions, they're Unowns." The blunette spelled out the letters that each Unown represented. Sure enough, they formed the words, 'top right.' I could tell Dawn was confused as to how I was able to read the letters so quickly but she didn't mention it as we followed the signs through the ruins.
Eventually, we arrived at the base of the cave. We finally came across the first sign of Team Galactic. One of the grunts had been crushed under a large chunk of rock that must have fallen from the ceiling. I couldn't see the person's face as it had been crushed by the rock, but their aura was completely silent, meaning only one thing.
The wall of the cave at the end of the room had been partly destroyed. A tunnel had been dug through the rock wall but we couldn't see through the other side. As I looked down the dark tunnel, I could feel a great amount of energy pouring out from whatever was at the other end.
Screams echoed down the tunnel and that was the sign Dawn and I took to push on. Typhlosion lead the way, illuminating the dark cave with his flames. After a while, we made our way through the tunnel, finding ourselves in a clearing surrounded by steep mountains. The only way into and out of this enclosed area was through the tunnel which meant that this area likely wasn't documented on any Sinnoh maps.
The opening descended into a shallow valley. At the base, I could see two Team Galactic grunts with the man I assumed to be leading them in front. From where I was stood above, I could see that the mysterious energy I was detecting in the ruins was concentrated at the bottom of this rocky depression but I couldn't see what it was exactly.
"There's our Team Galactic problem. Before we go in, we should be careful about whatever's down there."
"Yeah, whatever it is keeps giving off this weird vibe, like its an energy source or something."
Dawn and I exchanged knowing looks, quickly making our way toward the Team Galactic members below us. As we approached, the leader motioned something to the grunts causing them to run away, leaving him alone with the mysterious object. Slowly, he turned and now that I could see him clearly under the sun, I could read his name. He had short dark blue hair and was waiting patiently for us to come closer.
"First you found Mars. Then Jupiter, and now, me." He raised his hands, giving a sarcastic slow clap as he moved toward us. "But you're too late. We've already got what we came here for so there's nothing left for you."
Even though he was trying to convince us otherwise, I could still detect the constant stream of energy flowing out from behind him.
"You're not getting away Saturn."
Dawn readied her pokeballs, Typhlosion moving to take a battle stance in front of her trainer. Saturn looked dismayed, clearly not wanting to fight.
"Oh wow, a two versus one doesn't seem vary fair." He paused, an evil grin on his face. "How about I even those odds? Deoxys, I summon you!"
Before I could process what Saturn had said, he had already turned to the energy source and now I could see that it was a meteorite. The chunk of rock was glowing a deep blue and as the Team Galactic Commander continued to pour energy into it, the rock started to give off more and more energy.
When the meteorite seemed like it was about to burst, it started to emit a deep blue light. I had to turn away, my eyes strained from the excess energy pouring out from the rock. A loud cry of a pokemon caught my attention and before me I saw Deoxys, floating slightly above the ground.
Saturn was trying to make his escape but Dawn and Typhlosion were keeping him pinned here. The DNA pokemon seemed to have its attention only on me, ignoring the battle behind it. As I tried to focus my eyes on the pokemon, it let out a harsh cry.
Deoxys was not going to go down easily.