“Hello and welcome to the wide world of Poke’mon”. Just a little disclaimer here: while Poke’mon, Ruroni Kenshin, and their characters aren’t copyrighted to me, characters such as “Landon” and “Zeru” are. In this story, you’ll join our young hero, Landon, in his epic and unusual journey in the world of Poke’mon. Equipped with a magical bell, he and his friends must stare down the face of evil, win every challenge, make new friends, and claw their way to the top. But can they stop the ultimate evil that threatens their world? There are many twists and surprises, so you have to keep reading if you really want to “Catch ‘em all!” in:

 

                                      Poke’mon X

 

 

       The S.S. Peeko sailed smoothly on the mild ocean waves The sun of a new day beamed down, allowing the water of his ferry boat. Peeko fluttered around with Sogen while he cleaned up around the ship. As for the three heroes; they were enjoying a relaxing cruise across Zinrai Sea. On the deck, May and Zeru were laying on a couple of stretch chairs, wearing their bathing suits and soaking up some sun rays. Their Poke’mon, Treecko and Torchic, were chilling at the foot of the beach chairs. Landon and Toya, However, were sitting along the railing on the side of the boat, watching the water splash by. “Mudkip!” Toya clambered up to her trainer’s shoulder and belly-flopped onto him. A gentle breeze blew up from the sea and smacked him in the face. “Landon, you should be careful not to fall off.” May glanced over, lifting her sunglasses for a second. “Whatever; I’m not a little kid.” Landon’s hair swayed slightly in the wind. He glanced down and peered into the water again. A school of Mudkip swam by followed by a couple of other Poke’mon—their parents. They looked like a larger, buffer version of Mudkip with a large, black tailfin, two black fins on their heads, and yellow gills. Its skin was darker in blue and it had yellow spots on its arms. “Check it out, Toya.” Landon pointed and pulled out his Poke’dex. Click-ick!! “Swampert, the Mud Fish Poke’mon. Swampert predicts storms by sensing subtle differences in the sounds of waves and tidal winds with its fins. If a storm is approaching, it piles up boulders to protect itself.” The machine spoke. “That could be you in a while, Toya. Wouldn’t you like to become a strong Swampert one day?” Landon asked his Poke’partner. “Mudkip-mud-mudkip!!” Toya scowled at him and slapped him lightly on the cheek. “You know, you’re right; I like you the way you are tool.” The two smiled to each other. “Maybe you two should concentrate more on your next gym match. Brawly isn’t going to be easy to fight.” Sogen said. He wrapped up a long rope and walked over to Landon, “Brawly uses fighting-type Poke’mon. If you’re not careful, he could crush your little Mudkip.” “You underestimate Toya’s power; she’s a lot stronger than she looks.” “Mudkip,” Landon said and Toya blushed. (Today, our heroes find themselves sailing across the sea. What adventures await them once they get to Dewford Island?)

 

Theme Song: Pocket Monsters X(treme)

Running at

The speed of sound

What adventures can be found?

Traveling the world all around

As fate just spins it upside-down

Little monsters

Everywhere

Find a knew one and I’m there

Victory is just for fun

There’s no stoppin’ till I’m number one

 
Crys-tal,

Clear, and Shadow

Three lights—

That fight the way

Protect those legendary

Is my destiny!



Poke’--mon X

(Poke’--mon X)

Leading the way

Is my sweet victory

Poke’--mon X

(Poke’--mon X)

A mystery

Behind each one we see

 

<Poke’—mon X

(Ex—Ex)

This journey I’ll run

 

                           Episode 14: Taken For Granite

 

       FWOOOOMM!!! The ferry whistle bellowed through the air and caused a flock of Wingull that were resting on it to flutter away. Slowly, a sandy island with a thick forest came into view in the distance. If Landon and Sogen looked closely, they could see a town at the far edge. “This is your captain speaking,” Mr. Briney’s voice came from the loud-speaker, “We have arrived at Dewford Island. Please, for your own sakes, do not attempt to jump from the boat until we’ve come to a complete stop. Thanks for riding.” “Geeez, the way he’s talking, you’d think we were on a plane or something.” Sogen sweated anime style and Landon chuckled a little. May and Zeru left immediately into the cabin to go change back into their field clothes.

 

       The S.S. Peeko pulled into the wharf on the beach of the island and let down its staircase on the side. Landon stood atop the rail as if it were flat ground and glanced down at the deck. “Where are those two, anyway? No one said this was going to be a long trip; they didn’t have to change.” He folded his arms. He started pacing across the rail while he waited for his two friends. “Landon, I guess I should tell you now that getting to Dewford Town won’t be easy.” “Sogen said, “You’ll have to go through the beach forest in order to actually get to the town.” “Another forest?” Landon sighed. “Don’t worry about it. If you stick to the dirt path, you’ll be in Dewford Town in no time.” “Just stick to the dirt path, eh?” He leapt down onto the floor. There were two clicks and May and Zeru emerged from separate cabins back in their normal clothes. Their Poke’mon were recalled to their Poke’balls. “Well, I’m certainly glad you two took your time.” Landon complained. “Oh, come of, Lan; it’s not going to kill you.” Zeru said. “No, what’s killing me is the fact that you two didn’t bark at each other this whole boat ride.” Landon folded his arm again and walked down the ship steps. May and Zeru followed, mumbling and blushing. They stepped onto the soft sand of the beach and off the boat. “Himura!” Mr. Briney called from atop his ship. The kids turned to gaze at the boat’s wheel. “Once you get to Dewford Town, go to the Poke’mon Center. I’ve arranged a boat for you to take to Slateport City. Nurse Joy will have your tickets; just make sure you’re not late for it.” “Don’t worry; we won’t.” Zeru agreed. “Goodbye!” Sogen waved. “And Himura, don’t get over-confident. Once we get to the Hoenn League, I’ll eat you.” “I’m sorry to say, Sogen, but I’ll be the winner of that match.” Landon grinned. With the three waving goodbye, the S.S. Peeko sailed away, bellowing its horn along the waves.

       “Zeru, May, it’s time to go.” Landon flashed a thumbs-up to them. “Awwwww….can’t we stay and enjoy the beach? It’s so beautiful.” May asked, sifting some sand through her fingers. “Oh, we can enjoy the beach any ol’ day. If we stop now, we’ll never get to Dewford Town.” Landon said and started walking towards the forest. He didn’t get far when a strong grip took hold of his pony tail, immobilizing him. “You rushed us to Rustborro City,” May said through clenched teeth, “Don’t rush us away from here as well.” “Fine, just lemme’ go, please!” Landon’s eyes were close to tears. Why did May have to grab his hair anyway? Why couldn’t she have grabbed his arm or something  along those lines? “Don’t sweat it, May. According to the Poke’gear, Dewford Town has one of the best beaches in the entire Hoenn region.” Zeru stated as he and Landon started into the beach forrest. May folded her arms and frowned, “Fine, have it your way. Stupid boys—I hope we get another girl on this team.” She stomped in front of them. The way she saw it, it was their turn to be rushed. Not ones to complain about speed, the boys followed silently.

 

       The light breeze had carried the ocean smell all the way through the forest. This made it impossible for May to forget about the beach. She gave a sigh while trying to keep her pace.“Sometimes, I feel so out-numbered. I mean, I like Lan and Zeru, but it would be nice if there were more feminine influence in this group--?” CHWASH!! Suddenly, May felt the ground collapse from underneath her feet and she looked down. A dark hole had replaced the dirt floor she was once standing on. “Uh….uh-oh!” A rush of wind smacked against her body as she dropped down into the pit. “Umph!” THUD!! She landed onto the cold hard ground harshly. “May? Hey, May, are you okay?” Landon shouted down into the hole. “Yeah, I’m just fine.” May rubbed her bottom gingerly. Landon placed Toya on top of his head, following his first instinct to go and get his fallen friend. And since there was no argument, he took it that Zeru was thinking the same way. “Hang on; we’re coming down to help.” “No, wait—” Both of the boys jumped down into the dirt pit. Fortunate for them, their landing was a lot more pleasant than May’s. “Here, let us help you up.” Zeru held out his hand to May. “Hmph!” She snorted, her eyebrow twitching in an irritated motion. May let him help her up before delivering a sharp blow to Zeru’s head. “Geeezee!” Zeru frantically rubbed his hair in an effort to sooth the pain. “Such a violent girl! So what’d I do this time?” “Now how’re we supposed to get back up with the both of you down here?” May asked simply. Landon, however, wasn’t paying attention to their conversation at all. Instead, he was too busy gazing down the long dark tunnel that was a part of the pit. “Landon, are you listen to us?” May and Zeru asked. “There’s a tunnel down here.” He pointed. It was as if their words didn’t even make their way to his ears. Without another word, he started to walk down the tunnel curiously. May and Zeru sweated anime style. They sometimes couldn’t stand that one-tracked mind of his.

 

       The deeper the three went into the tunnel, the darker it got. Their footsteps were the only noises echoing in the cave. Soon, it was so dark that they couldn’t see a thing. “hey, Zeru, how about some light in here?” Landon asked. “Light?.....oh—right,” Zeru pulled a poke’ball from his belt and pressed the button in the middle twice. “Go, Charmander!” The ball flashed open and Charmander appeared, scratching itself with its foot. “Charmander,” It shook it fiery tail. With Charmander in the lead, the three continued down the tunnel. Its tail crackled in their silence. Landon got a good look at the walls, now in the light, and noticed that there were some sort of weird symbols and Unown. “Hmmmm…..” He edged closer to the wall and placed a hand on it. It felt rough and ancient—he could’ve wore it out if he touched too long. “So, can you read it?” May suddenly asked him. “Yeah, I can read it a little.” “Really?” She came to a stop. “I was just joking, you know—” “But if you can really read it, read it to us.” Zeru asked. Landon nodded and moved over to the wall again. He had read it once before, so it didn’t seem so hard to do now. “Hmmm….this tunnel used to be used as a direct route to Dewford Town….I think. Whoever created it made it with many paths to confuse an enemy or something like that.” “These tunnels may also—” In a shock, Landon swiftly drew back his hand. He could’ve sworn that one of the Unown symbols started moving. “What’s wrong?” Zeru asked. “Erm….it’s nothing; my eyes must be playing tricks on me.” Landon rubbed his eyes, careful not to knock his contact lenses out. SCWEEEEEE!! EWEEEECH!!! An echo of shrill shrieks and flapping bounced around the tunnel behind them. “What’s that?!” “Mudkip—” “Char!” The five took a glance back. The Poke’mon fluttered at them through the darkness and came into Charmander’s tail light. They were blue bat-like Poke’mon with purple wings and big ears. They were sightless, having no eyes, and had razor-sharp fangs. “Oh-no! Zubat!!” The group turned tail and ran for their lives down the dark tunnel. “I didn’t know those things were down here!” May shouted. “This tunnel is cave-like; it’s no surprise the Zubat made their home here. We just have to keep away from them!” Zeru answered her.

       They panted heavily as the floor they were running on went from dirt to stone. “Hmmm….” Landon looked to the side at the wall. “This tunnel is supposed to have many corridors. Maybe…there!” “Go this way!” He skidded a bit and flashed down the left corridor with Toya clinging to his hair. “Hey, wait for us!” May and Zeru scrambled off into the corridor. “Char-char!” Charmander waved its arms frantically. It had lagged terribly behind and called out to its trainer quite loudly. “Charmander, get back here!” Zeru reached out and snatched his Poke’mon up. The Zubat swarm shook pass the corridor in a blind fury. As long as the gang kept quiet, the Zubat would zoom right by. “Ah…oh-no,” Zeru held his hand to his face. “Ssshh! Keep your voice down.” Landon hissed. “But Lan—” Zeru started to rock a little as he held his nose. “Be quiet!” May snapped. “Ah…Ah-ACHOO!” He let out a lout sneeze. The tail-end of the Zubat swarm twitched an ear before turning their way. “Zubbaaaaat!!” They screeched. “I’ll take care of this.” Landon grabbed a Poke’ball from his belt. “Noctowl, I choose you!” From out of nowhere, a poke’ball came flying overhead and landed in front of them. It burst open with a bright light and a bird Poke’mon came out. The owl Poke’mon’s feathers were dark brown except for its tan underside. Its belly was patterned with brown triangles. Noctowl’s eyes were a penetrating red and it had a v-shaped crest of feathers on its forhead. Running up to the group, a boy in a black outfit ordered his Poke’mon, “Noctowl, use Gust attack!” “Hoooo-hooooo!” Noctowl flapped its wings mightily and sent a strong whirlwind spiraling against the walls. A few Zubat were blown away in a wicked screech, causing their comrade’s to make a hasty retreat for fear of another attack. Landon, May, and Zeru let out a sigh of relief.

       “Good job, Noctowl.” The kid held up his arm and Noctowl landed on it. He had short sea-blue hair and blue eyes. His shirt, which had purple streaks running up the front, was completed with a white dress shirt underneath and red tie. Around his arms and middle finger were three silver rings. “What’re you three doing down here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be roaming the ruins of Granite Cave?” The kid asked them. “Sorry, we kinda’ got lost.” Zeru said. “Well……these corridors are very confusing, so I guess your story checks out. Hi, I’m Steven—Steven the treasure hunter.” “And I’m Landon Himura, a Poke’mon Trainer. These are my friends, Zeru and May, and this is my pal, Toya.” Landon pointed to Toya and she let out a happy yelp. “Can I ask what you’re doing down here, Steven?” May asked curiously. “Treasure hunting, of course,” Steven turned and started walking down the corridor he had appeared from, motioning for the group to follow. Charmander trotted up to the front to shine its light. In order to help out even further, Steven clicked on a flashlight and aimed it into the darkness. “These ruins have been down here for centuries,” Steven continued, “Hardly anyone travels them because they’re afraid of getting lost. So, they just stick to the normal cave path. I’ve been reading the ancient symbols on the wall and they tell of a secret room of evolution stones. It’s my pride as treasure hunter to find such a room. The only problem is that there is a certain corridor split where I can’t read the ancient writings.” At this, Landon reached into his bag and rummaged through the contents. “Did it look anything like this?” He flipped open the Poke’sphere and held it up to Steven. “It’s that book again.” May mumbled. “Where’d you get this treasure from?” Steven asked, stopping to take a good look. “It’s…em…a family thing.” Landon sweated anime style. Already, he was running out of lies to tell about his secret. “Anyway, is this what you saw?” “Yeah, it is.” Landon grinned and slammed the dusty book shut. “Then consider me your interrupter. I can read it with no problem.” He raised a fist. “Excellent, then follow me; I’ll lead you to the corridor split with the writing on it.” Steven started down the tunnel again with the others following him.

 

Fast Fact Quiz: Who is Landon’s greatest, but silent rival? If you can’t guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!



This is the end of Episode 14, part 1