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 ground was like a sea of golden sand, sparkling from the sunlight. The air was dry and warm—as a desert should be. However, the splendor could not be enjoyed as much as it should have been. A vicious sandstorm raged across Regal Desert’s entire landscape. Sand brewed in a mighty torrent of wind that spiraled and twisted wildly. The wind blew against Landon’s hair as he, May, and Zeru walked through Regal Desert. Toya was inside Landon’s backpack and May wrapped the Poke’mon egg in a towel. Phanpy, however, didn’t seem to mind the harsh desert winds. The kids were wearing the Go-goggles that Landon’s grandpa sent them to protect their eyes from and actually see through the whirling storm. Zeru was trying to eat a rice star, but was finding it a bit difficult. With their feet ankle-deep in the sand, they couldn’t help but get some in their shoes. “….hey!” There was a sudden violent rush of wind and the rice star was blown right from Zeru’s hands. “Geeze! That makes three rice stars—and that was my last one!” He exclaimed. “Zeru, do you have any idea where we are?” May asked. Zeru held up the poke’gear and clicked the map icon. “Well…” “We’re lost, aren’t we?” She blinked, sweating anime style. “Yeah, pretty much,” Zeru smiled, sweating anime style as well. Landon adjusted his blue goggles on his eyes and looked out into the distance. Ever since he got the last piece of the Fang Sword, his body had been feeling weird. It was as if some kind of new power was radiating through his body, begging to be released. And to make it even weirder, no kind of sword even appeared. Maybe he was doing something wrong—perhaps he wasn’t ready to use it. It could even be a possibility that he had to recreate the sword himself. He held up his hand and unclenched his fist. Even through his black glove, he could see the components glowing in a respective orange, blue, and silver. “Landon, are you okay up there? You’re kinda’ quiet.” May asked out of concern. “I’m fine—just fine,” Landon answered, though he still sounded deep in thought. He pushed his bangs from his face, which was hopeless because the wind just blew them back. “Phanpy-phan!” Phanpy used her trunk to point out in the distance. Zeru blinked and stared off as well. Four shady figures were heading their way through the desert of gusty sand. While the two in the middle were tall, the ones on the outside were short. “What’s—er—who’s that?” Zeru stated. Landon and May blinked as they averted their attention to the distance. The closer the figures came, the more distinct their forms became. The two men in the middle were wearing a police uniform consisting of a blue, long-sleeved shirt marked with a few badges. Their pants were snow-white and stuck out clearly in the desert sand. On their heads were fancy turbans, and at their sides were two sharp scimitars. The vicious sandstorm didn’t seem to bother the black sunglasses on their eyes. The green Poke’mon at their sides marched with their pointy arms folded—a couple of Cacnea. “Hey, maybe those guys know a way to Fallarbor town!” Landon perked up. “Or at least out of this desert!” Zeru smiled. “Yeah, I can’t wait to get all this sand out my shoes.” May thrust her fists into the air. Landon was the first to start racing towards the men with his friends following. Toya moved around a bit as she enjoyed the cool and safety of her trainer’s backpack. Landon figured his running motions must have awakened her. “Cacnea-cacnea!” The Cacnea on the left pulled on its trainer’s pant leg. “Yes, I see them, Cacnea. And this time, they won’t get away.” The guard grinned.

 

                 
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 new 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

Has only begun!!

 

                
Episode 29: “A Thousand and One Arabian Tales”

     
  Landon, May, and Zeru caught up to the guards, panting. Now, their shoes bulged with sand. “Hi, nice storm we’re having.” May started. The two guards remained silent and straight-faced. The one with the mustache folded his arms. “Excuse me, but we’re lost and want to know how we can get to the next town from here.” Landon asked them very politely. Still, the guards and their Poke’mon didn’t say a word. Instead, they drew their scimitars swiftly at the kids. “….!” Landon gulped as the sword stood stiffly at his nose. May and Zeru were frozen stiff in their spots. “You’re under arrest for high treason against the prince of Dune City.” The guard on the left finally said. Landon’s eyes wandered back to his other friends, who gave him the same questioned expression. “Eh-heh,” He forced a smile, sweating anime style, “Look, there must be some mistake. We just got to this desert and—” CLINK! “HEY!” Landon frowned as a pair of metal handcuffs were slapped on his wrists. The guards did the same to May and Zeru with the same amount of mercy. “What’s the big idea—we didn’t do anything wrong!” Zeru growled angrily, pulling at the chains. “Explain it to his majesty in Dune City. Now MARCH!” The guards pointed their swords at the kids. Zeru was reaching the peak of anger—he could’ve started fighting right there and then if Landon hadn’t shook his head. Landon did his best to remained calm, through his friends wanted to argue. After all, if he panicked, everyone else would, too. “Don’t worry, guys; I’m sure everything will be fine.” He said as they started walking, “All we have to do is explain ourselves and we’ll be home free and in another town as well.

 

       “Let me outta’ here—let me out, now! You can’t keep me locked up in here—I am the son of the Petalburg Gym Leader! I’m perfectly capable of cutting through these bars!” Landon’s shouts echoed against the wall of a dark, stone dungeon. Hardly any light was allowed inside the prison—a few windows permitted the sun to flow through. As vast as it was, it was quite empty. Any sound that was created would carry on for a little while. The prison portion remained on the sub-level and a stone staircase lead up to the exit. May and Zeru sweated anime style as Landon wrestled with the bars. “So much for our ‘calm’ friend.” “I know that’s right.” They said. “Excuse me, Mr. Guard.” Landon called up to the single guard at the top of the steps. The guard, who was still in a turban and sunglasses, didn’t make a move. Landon frowned, reached up, and pulled the Go—goggles from his head. He ran them across the bars back and forth loudly. Now, he was just being plain annoying. Even Toya was looking at her trainer with the slight of embarrassment. “You could at least look at me—I’m making enough noise!” Landon stated. “Landon, just stop; it’s obvious that he doesn’t want to answer back.” May let out a sigh. Landon turned to her. His senses came back about him and he nodded. While dropping to the floor and replacing his goggles on his head, Toya crawled into his lap to comfort him. “Some things just never change, do they?” A female voice sounded from the cell across from the kids. Landon, May, Zeru, Phanpy, and Toya averted their gazes. The shadows kept her hidden, so she had to come close to her bars to be seen. Her eyes were red like amber and her long hair was the same carrot shade as Landon’s dad. She looked just a little bit older than Landon—just about starting her teen years—and wore a yellow, no-sleeve blouse, blue pants, and black shoes. Around her neck was a bell that was deep amber in color. “Yo’, Lan; it’s been quite a while, right?” She winked at him. “….?” Landon blinked at her, examining her face. At first, she was a mystery to him. However, another close look made something in his memory click.

       “….Tsuname? Tsuname Kashu, is that really you?” Landon blinked. The girl grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. “TSUNE! I haven’t seen you since I moved!” A smile spread on his face. “Landon, who is this girl?” May asked. “Yeah, I wanna’ know too.” Zeru added. “This is my best friend—”(Zeru’s eyebrow twitched) “—from Newbark Town, Tsuname Kashu. We used to do everything together—” (“Everything?” Zeru’s eyebrow twitched again.) “—we both wanted to be Poke’mon doctors when we grew up, so we started a contest to see who’d reach that goal faster.” “It’s nice to see you too, Landon.” Tsuname smiled to her friend. “It’s Tsuname, right?” May asked and she nodded, “What are you doing in here anyway?” “I’m just as about as clueless as you. I was walking through the desert and two goons caught me.” Tsuname told them, folding her arms calmly. Landon was thrilled to see his friend, but didn’t fail to notice the bell around her neck. Pretty strange how it looked just like his own bell. “Wow, Lan, is that your Poke’mon?” Tsuname marveled at Toya who, as soon as she was addressed, walked up to the prison bars. “Mudkip-mudkip!” She smiled. “Yup, this is Toya.” Landon said proudly. Tsuname started to examine Toya from her cell. “….she looks pretty healthy—you’ve done a great job with her, Landon.” She said and Landon smiled.

       There was a sudden creaking sound that caused all of them to avert their gaze. The door to the dungeon swung open slowly beside the guard and a small kid stepped into the dark cell. He had long, sand-colored hair and blue eyes. Despite his small size, he was dressed in a royal white cloak and robes. He looked down to the prisoners and started down the steps. “I’m so sorry about this, you guys.” He said, “I didn’t mean to have you locked up like that.” He ran to Tsuname’s cell and reached into his pocket. The kids looked at the boy with an air of uncertainty and confusion. First, they were being treated like a bunch of criminals, and now some kid was trying to apologize to them. The boy pulled a key from his pocket and started to work the lock loose. “Alright, I’m finally gonna’ be outta’ here.” Tsuname said in relief. The boy undid Landon’s cell lock and they all stepped out into the stone aisle. “Please, come with me.” He bowed politely to them and started towards the stairway. Tsuname and Landon blinked at each other; it was nice to see a familiar face of a friend Landon never forgot. They nodded to each other and walked after the young boy. “Wow, it really is a small world after all.” May said, hugging the Poke’mon egg. “C’mon, May; don’t go all Walt Disney on me.” Zeru folded his arms a bit irritably. He wasn’t as chipper as he was earlier, that was for sure. When they got up to the guard at the top, Landon bowed politely to him as Toya climbed to his shoulder. “I’m sorry, sir, for annoying you earlier.” “Uh…” The boy in the robes forced a smile, sweating anime style. The guard’s eyebrow twitched and he clenched his teeth. Landon sweated anime style at his irritability. “Kid…” He shook, “I’m only gonna say this once,” He reached up and pulled his turban and sunglasses off. That long black hair, those sparkling green eyes and long eyelashes—it could only mean one thing. “I’m a woman, not a man!” “Dah!” Landon, May, Zeru, and Tsuname jumped up in shock. “Oh, leave it to Lan.” The two girls put their hands on their heads and sighted. “I’m sorry, miss—so sorry—!” Landon kept bowing to the female guard, who looked ready to choke him. That would explain why she never answered him.
      
       The four friends and the boy walked away form a splendid Arabic-style palace and into the street of a beautiful desert city. Every building—including the palace—was constructed with snow-whiten bricks and magenta roof tops. Grand balconies of the palace reminded the kids of something like the Tahj Mahal. The sun shone down on the white-brick sidewalks and yellow-brick roads. Landon marveled at he different stores and shops that people flocked in and out of. The most amazing thing was how the sandstorm they traveled through earlier was simply a light breeze in the city. People walked through the streets with their various desert Poke’mon that were use to desert climate. Toya was back inside Landon’s cool backpack, sucking on her trainer’s water bottle. “Please allow me to apologize again.” The boy started as his guards walked beside him, “My name is Prince Ishtar. What’s yours?” “I’m Tsuname,” “May,” “My name’s Zeru,” “And I’m Landon—Lan Himura.” The kids answered him. “Nice to meet you all. I guess you’re probably wondering why I captured you. ‘Nothing personal, it’s just that lately, Dune City has been spotting a bunch of thieves. The Oracle Museum has been broken-into twice yesterday. The odd thing is that both times, thy didn’t take anything. It’s probably because they’re looking for something specific.” He turned around and walked backwards to not only look at them, but to keep going as well. “As an apology form me, I want you four to spend the night at the Oasis Suite—at leas, until the sandstorm dies down a bit.” The four looked at each other with excited grins. A fancy hotel was definitely a step up from a murky dungeon cell. And the fact that it was free made it even more exciting. One of the guards bent down to whisper to the little boy prince. “…..now? They do?....oh, fine.” Ishtar nodded in hushed ones. Then, he looked back at the four kids, “I’m sorry, but I have something important I must do. Please excuse me.” Ishtar gave a respectful bow. With a turn, he stepped off to the side and started back toward the palace with his guards following him.

       Tsuname stretched out her arms and slapped Landon’s shoulder. She was much taller than him and, the way she hit him, made her look like his older sister. “So, Lan, what’ve you been up to lately?” She asked him casually. “You wouldn’t believe some of it.” Landon glanced down at his crystal bell, “But my friends and I have had tons of great adventures together. I’m doing my best to keep our promise.” “What about you, Tsuname? Don’t you get lonely traveling all by yourself?” May asked, polishing the egg with a hand cloth. “Yeah, but then, I do have my Poke’mon. So, I guess I’m not really alone at all.” Tsuname smiled, “Judging by the way you take care of that egg, you must treat it every single day.” She observed the egg. “When you hang around with those two guys every day, they start to rub off on you.” May complimented, smiling. “And what about you? You’re such a quiet person.” Tsuname glanced at Zeru. “Oh, no he’s not.” “Hey!” Zeru growled at May and the two girls giggled. Landon reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge case, “Look, Tsune; I’ve won three gym badges since I’ve left Littleroot Town.” He flipped it open to reveal the small number of gym badges he and his Poke’mon earned. “Still have quite a way to go, little Lan.” Tsuname told him. They stepped at the corner of the sidewalk at the edge of the intersection. The smell of food suddenly caught the kids’ noses. “Phan-an…” Phanpy sniffed the air with her nose. Even Toya popped her head out of Landon’s backpack to whiff the air. “Hey, that smells pretty good.” Landon’s stomach growled and he sweated anime style. “Looks like you still have that speaks-for-itself stomach. How about lunch on me, guys?” Tsuname offered. “Sure—what a great idea!” May smiled. “Really, Tsuname? You know my eating habits just as well as these two.” Landon blinked at her. Tsuname grinned and shook her finger.

 

       Everyone inside the restaurant sweated anime style in shock. A few fans overhead spun slowly, swishing the warm air around. The waitress behind the counter let her wooden tray drop to the ground with a clatter. In the corner booth, May and Zeru sat back in a bit of embarrassment; the entire table was spread with tons of food. It looked as if the entire menu had been thrown into a single booth. Landon and Tsuname scarfed down meal after meal with little hesitation. It was as if they were in a race to see who could get finished first. Even though they were eating wildly, they didn’t spill a drop of soup or a single noodle. With all that food, May was happy Tsuname was the one paying for both their stomach. “…Hun?” “Huh?” Landon and Tsuname drove their forks into the same chicken roll. The sharp look of competition glared in both their eyes. Immediately, they both started to pay a tug-of-war with the food. “Hands off, Tsune!” “Yeah, right, Lan!” As they pulled back and forth, Tsuname grinned to herself.

       (Flashback) “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Raven-haired little Koryushima ran across a grassy bank beside a river. He was so carefree and wasn’t’ really paying much attention. The sun gleamed down form the bright sun gleamed down from the bright blue sky and onto the ground. “Yay! I can’t wait to get to Tsune’s house—dah!” Suddenly, Landon’s foot slipped and he tumbled into the water with a giant splash. He coughed as the rapids carried him down. There was no way he could swim out—he wasn’t’ anywhere near strong enough. “Helllpp! Help! Someone—anyone!” Landon cried. The tall grass along the bank rustled and parted; a little girl with long carrot hair looked around frantically. A worried look was expressed on her face. “Little Lan, where are you?” She called. “Tsune? Tsune, help me!” Landon shouted back. Tsuname glanced down the river just in time to see him go under for a brief moment. A wave of panic forced her to sprint across the wet grass. “Hang on, Lan!” She cried. Landon bobbed above the water with a cough. His ears picked up a powerful crashing sound—there was a small waterfall coming up. “TSUNE—!” “Gotcha!” There was a quick jerk of the back of his shirt as Tsuname stopped him form drifting any further. (Flashback ends)

 

       Tsuname grinned as she and her friend let the chicken roll break in half. “Hey, Lan; I wanna’ see how good you are. Let’s have a Poke’mon battle—one-on-one!” She suggested. Landon swallowed his food and nodded. “I thought you’d never ask. I’ll show you how strong we are!”

 

       Some bystanders gathered around in the street, some who were n the restaurant, and some who just happened to pass by. May and Zeru stood beside the door of the restaurant, finishing off the last of their meal. Tsuname and Landon stood across form each other in the street. A light breeze blew some sand through the air to give the setting a sort of old western theme. “Are you ready, Lan?” Tsuname stood with her arms folded. “Yeah, let’s do this.” Landon pulled off his backpack and held it out in front of himself; Toya crawled out onto the ground. She clenched her teeth and allowed her tailfin to stand up straight. Tsuname reached into her backpack and pulled out a poke’ball. “Go, Starmie!” She threw it and it burst open in a bright flash of light. The Poke’mon was shaped like a ten-point star; the gold-bordered ruby in the middle of its body made it look more appealing. “Kuuuu,” It bounced lightly. “Wadda’ ya’ think? A star for a star?” Tsuname winked. “We’ll show you some stars. Toya, use your Water Gun!” Mudki-i-iiiipp!” Toya made a gurgling sound as she spat out a jet-stream of water. “Not likely, Lan. Use Water Gun, Starmie!” “Kuuu!” The top middle point of Starmie’s body bent forward and blasted a burst of water. The two hydro blasts went crashing into each other, exploding in a widespread of suddy bubbles. “Aahaaaaa!” The audience marveled. Tsuname and Landon gave each other competitive grins through the air of popping bubbles. “Not bad, Lan.” “Same to you, Tsune.” Toya stared at her reflection in the middle of Starmie’s core. She used that as a focus point to try to use against the starfish Poke’mon. “Starmie, go into a Rapid Spin!” Tsuname exclaimed. “Kuuuu-kuuuu!” Starmie hopped up, turning its body sideways; it started to spin like a Frisbee. It cut through the wind and struck Toya in the side. “Muuuuud!” She sprawled onto the ground, rubbing her side with her tail. Starmie spun around in the air to come spiraling back towards her. “Toya, try to counter with your tail!” Landon suggested. “Mudkip! Mudkip!” Toya rose her tail and swung it like a baseball bat. “Kuuuu!” Starmie crashed into the ground heavily, making it shake lightly “good job; now use a Bubble attack!” Landon stated. Toya sucked in a stomach full of air, holding it in for a second before shooting out an explosive array of bubbles. “Starmie, counter with a sideways Rapid Spin!” Tsuname shouted. Starmie got up and started to spin like a wheel towards Toya. A trail of dust followed behind its attack. Starmie plowed though the tiny exploding bubbles as if they weren’t a big deal. “Now, use Psybeam!” “Kuuu!!” The star-shaped Poke’mon bounced into the air and spun to face Toya. Its core lit up brightly, bursting with a prism-colored beam of energy. “Dah!” Toya rolled to the side; the attack stung the ground so hard that it cracked. “Whoa…” A drop of sweat fell from Landon’s face. If Toya wee hit by that, it would’ve been real bad. Judging by the look on her face, Toya was thinking the same thing as well. “Toya, are you okay?” Landon called to her. “Mudkip, Mudkip,” Toya nodded, still sweating anime style. “Your little Mudkip looks scared. Maybe you should call her back.” Tsuname said with a triumphant expression. “Not a chance!” “Kip-kip!” Both Poke’mon and trainer stated. “Then let’s wrap this up. Starmie, use Water Gun—full blast!” “Kuuuuuu!” Starmie’s top point erupted with a strong burst of water. “Toya, fight back with the same!” Landon exclaimed. Toya stepped forward to spit out a jet-stream of hydro power from her mouth. The audience watched as the two collide once more, shaking the area a bit. Millions and millions of bubbles swirled through the air. Toya pressed her paws closer to the ground to stop herself from sliding back. Neither Poke’mon was willing to give up the power struggle. “Keep going, Starmie!” “Hang in there, Toya!” The trainers cheered on their partners. Starmie’s body trembled form the pressure of the attack it tried to ward off. Landon and Tsuname let a drop of sweat roll down the sides of their cheeks nervously. “Heellllp! We’ve been robbed!” “Huh?” BANG! The two water attacks exploded in a furious burst of bubbles. Someone came bursting through the crowd, saying, “Hey, someone just broke into the Oracle Museum again. This time, it looks like they really did some damage!”

 

       There was a loud commotion from a mass crowd of people as Officer Jenny and her other officers wrapped police tape around the tall, stone museum. The sinking afternoon sun melted behind the horizon and dyed the sky yellow, orange, and red. Landon, May, Zeru, and Tsuname pushed through the crowd as they made their way to the front. In their arms, they held their Poke’mon to keep them from being stepped on. Once again, Toya was sipping water form Landon’s water bottle. They pushed to the front at the edge of the police tape, marveling at the grand stairway. Prince Ishtar stood in front of the museum with his arms folded. The royal guards stood close as usual to protect him. “Prince Ishtar?” Tsuname blinked. “What happened?” May asked him. “Don’t mind her; she’s a lost cause.” Zeru stated, sweating anime style. “Hu!” CLACK!! “Owwww!” Zeru crouched, rubbing his head as tears flew from his eyes. May’s temple beat anime style; she stood over Zeru with a Japanese fan clutched in her free fist. “I’m a lost what?” She growled. “I take it back—I take it back!” Zeru cried. “There was obviously a break-in by those thieves again. This time, they’ve made it apparent of what they’re after.” Prince Ishtar, who was looking very serious, unfolded his arms to reveal a golden jewel clutched in his hand. What really caught Landon’s attention was that he had seen that item before. It was a golden ring with a ruby sun on one side and a Sapphire Moon on the other. “That object!” He thought to himself, “That’s the same object Emily ha a while back! But what’s it doing here?” He could remember it clearly; Emily had used that item to unlock the ruins of where he first learned about the Fang Sword. “This is what the thieves wanted—the Cielo Drive. It’s worth a lot of money, so they could be trying to get rich quick. As our newest attraction, they should know that it’s our most guarded.” “Hmmmm…” Tsuname scratched her cheek. He didn’t know what it was, but something made Landon glance at her. That’s when he saw the bell around her neck glowing slightly.

 

Fast Fact Quiz: The name of Landon’s new attack appears later on in this chapter. What does the Japanese name translate to? If you can’t guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!

 THIS IS THE END OF PART 1.