FWOOOOOOMMM!! The boat horn bellowed through the sky loudly once more. Landon, May, and Zeru gazed off the side of the boat. Slowly, but surely, Northside Island pulled into their view. A light breeze blew against their hair lightly. The clear blue sky above was decorated with valiant, but thin purple streaks. Even though they looked like claw marks, they still added to the island’s attraction. Toya, Phanpy, and Phealine stared at them from their trainer’s shoulders. The other Poke’mon from before had been recalled to their poke’balls. “Karrrp!” A group of red-scaled fish known as Magikarp leapt above the surface of the water, over the boat, and splashed down. The closer they got to the island, the more of it they were able to see; they could hear the loud noises of the city. Now, more ships and freighters passed by them as they closed in on the docks. “There it is, guys—Northside Island.” May pointed out towards the jewel of an island before them in the distance. Zeru let out a sigh and leaned on the railing. “I still don’t see what’s so great about this island besides a bunch of freaky sky coloring.” He said. May gave a grin; she had a feeling that Zeru would change his mind soon. The4 boat pulled into the busy ports of Northside Island slowly. From the docks, the passengers could see a more vast variety of ships. “Hooo!” A bunch of fishermen on an old wooden boat pulled heavily on a fishing net. The sun gleamed off their tanned bodies; every time they brought the net up, drops of water flew up into Zeru’s face. Market traders bargained with the boat owners for their cargo loudly. The port lay just at the edge of Hero City, which was just as busy. The cruise liner came to a stop at its proper docking point and let the step bridge out off the side. Toya, Phealine, and Phanpy stayed on their trainer’s shoulders to avoid being lost in the excited crowd.

 

       “Yeah! So glad to be off that dinky boat!” Landon and Zeru stretched as they stepped into the busy city. The sun gleamed off the yellow-bricked paths and crystal blue sidewalks. Luscious fountains spewed purple water from and back into their marble forms. Almost immediatly, the smell of sizzling food caught the boys’ noses. Everywhere around the city, people were selling food. From large restaurant buildings to little side stands, the air was inviting on the stomach. May was more interested in gazing at the mall in the distance. She fumbled into her pocket to check her wallet eagerly. Landon took a big whiff of the air and grinned, “Oh, wow—I can smell sea food! I am soooo lovin’ this place!” Without warning, Landon dashed across the street towards one of the carts. “Hey, Lan; wait for me!” Zeru called after his best friend, chasing him. May just followed behind in a walk. Unlike those two, her choices weren’t dictated by her stomach. Landon was the first to reach the corner food cart. He and Toya pressed their faces against the glass to watch the flat steel stove behind it cook a few oysters and noodles. Zeru and Phanpy did the same. The more they stared at the food, the more their mouths watered. “I don’t know what to get first…” “Me neither…” “Say,” The cart owner leaned towards them from behind his cart. The sun gleamed off the towering man’s bald head. He wore a white apron over his white shirt and jeans. The expression on his faced looked somewhat like a forced smile. “Are you gonna’ by something, OR GET YOUR FACES OFF THE WINDOW I JUST CLEANED!?” “Dah!” Landon and Zeru fell back. The man’s eyebrow twitched with a bit of inpatients and irritation. May sweated anime style and Phealine shook her head. “Sorry about that. I’ll take some of those…” Landon and Zeru started pointing out the items they wanted from the window. “As a matter of fact, I’ll take everything from here to here.” Landon pointed from the top of the menu all thee way down to its mid section. “Ah! Are you serious?” The man blinked at him. Landon put his finger to his cheek, “Actually, I’m not all that hungry, but this snack’ll do for now, thanks.” The man couldn’t believe it—that much amongst the three of them? Where did they put it all? He was almost afraid to even take Zeru’s order. “And….what can I get you?” He asked hesitantly. “Same thing,” “Same thing?! Oh, lord!” He gasped. “Well, yeah; you don’t expect me to starve, do ya?” “Hey, May, do you want anything?” Landon called back to his friend. May forced a smile and shook her head. Even though she had been with them ever since they were all little, she never really had gotten used to their bizarre eating habits. “Ahh!! You mean, this isn’t for all of you together—that they’re individual orders?” The cart owner looked at the boys skeptically. “Why wouldn’t they be?” Landon gave him a seriously questioned look. “I give up,” The man just let out a sigh and carried out the orders.

 

       “Oh—yum!” Landon slurped some Chanpon noodles from a bowl with a pair of black chopsticks. In one hand, he was holding the noodle bowl and a white plastic bag concealing Jubako boxes, which held the rest of his food (A Jubako is a lacquered Japanese box used to carry meals). Toya sat atop her trainer’s head and chewed on a bar of milk chocolate. While Landon’s eating was fast and vigorous, Zeru’s was calmer. The three kids walked along the sidewalk of Hero City. Other trainers and their Poke’mon traveled through the streets, enjoying the tourist attractions. “Ooh, can I have one, mommy?” A little girl pulled on her mother’s arm as she pointed to the window of a store at the doll of a round, pink Poke’mon with big blue eyes and a tuft of hair.  May looked through the Northside Island brochure. There were so many thins to do, that there was no way they were going to fit it all in one weekend. She couldn’t even figure out what to do first. Unbeknownst to the three, the sound of quick footsteps beat against the bricks of the sidewalk. Landon was so busy eating, he didn’t notice the people way ahead of the sidewalk were being forced out of the way. The steps grew closer and neither one of them paid any attention to it. BANG!! “Whaaa!” May and Zeru jumped to the side as Landon fell face first onto the ground. Both his food and Toya flew up high into the air. “Mudkiiiiip!!” She cried. Landon looked up to see them just starting to fall towards him. The thought of his precious Poke’mon and food hitting the ground raced through his mind. Toya blinked as she braced herself for impact. His reaction speed was amazing; like lightning, he pulled the sheath of his sword from his belt and jumped to his feet. With the Sakaba-tou drawn, he snagged the bag of Jubako boxes with the blade tip. In just a split second after, he held the sword sheath to the side to deftly catch his bowl of noodles. And as for Toya, he just moved back to let her land on his head. “Whew! That was a close one.” “Mud-mudkip,” He and Toya let out a relieved sigh. Suddenly, there was an uproar of clapping—the people who just happened to pass by saw what he did and thought it was simply amazing. Landon smiled and blushed a little bit. “Er…thanks, I guess.” “What a piece of work!” May frowned, sweating anime style in disapproval. If he was just paying attention in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened. The trick was great, but it wasn’t that great. May and Zeru turned to whoever it was that ran into Landon. She was a tiny little girl with long blue hair and green eyes. She stood up and dusted her pink overalls off. “Are you all right, little girl?” May asked, concerned. Landon snapped back to reality and turned to her too. He had re-sheathed his sword and held his food in his hands again. Just as fast as they had come, the group of witnesses started to leave. “I’m sorry I bumped into you.” Landon bowed respectfully. “Actually, I’m sorry for running into you.” The girl did the same and was quick to run off. Landon looked in her direction, blinking. “Hey, Himura!” Someone called out his name, which made the three friends avert their gazes. The crowd before them once again started parting out of the way of someone coming through. The girl who came out had horizon orange hair and crimson eyes. She wore a white and yellow cloak over her black shirt and blue jeans. Around her neck was a bell that looked identical to Landon’s, only it was amber in coloring. The girl gave Landon a smile and a wink. “Yo—long time, no see, Little Lan.” A smile spread on Landon’s face too, “Tsuname! Hi!” “And how are you, Toya?” Tsuname stroked Toya’s back and her tailfin started wagging. “It’s been a while!” “Dah!” Tsuname patted Landon’s back and almost made him drop his food again. “What are you doing all the way out here, Tsuname? Weren’t you on your way to Littleroot Town?” May asked, stopping Phealine from pulling at her pigtail by holding her in her arms. “Don’t’ tell me you went out of your way just to come to Northside Island?” Zeru folded his arms. “Actually,” Tsuname reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out a beach purple slip of paper. On it was a sand-colored shadow of a palm tree and the words “Northside Island Passport” in Japanese Hiragana and Katakana. “…A ticket?” “Yeah; totally free, too.” Tsuname told Zeru. May couldn’t help, but be a little jealous. After all, they had to pay for their tickets.

 

       “Hmmm…” A short old man hummed to himself as he walked along the sidewalk. His graying hair was long and well kept for his age. His eyes flashed with a little wisdom, but also another form of thinking that couldn’t be made out by looking alone. He wore gray and black robes and used a cane to help him walk. He walked towards the corner that Landon and his friends were on. “Hm?” He stopped his singing to look up at the kids. He gave his long beard a scratch to show he was thinking. “…..Ahem….AHHAAAHHH!!” “Whaaaa!” The four kids jumped. Their hearts beat rapidly against their chests from the shock of the man’s yell. “There, glad to see I’ve got you youngsters’ attention.” He started as if nothing was wrong. Zeru growled and clenched his fists, “Grrr! Old man—what in the heck was that for!?” “You four must be Poke’mon trainers.” “What was your first guess?” Tsuname asked in an annoyed tone of voice. The old man continued, pointing his finger towards the sky, “As such, you must have a great thirst for adventure, yes? And that must mean you have a thirst for hidden treasure—” “Treasure!?” Without warning, Tsuname pushed Landon out of the way and jumped forward, grinning greedily. Treasure hunting and collecting bounties was what she lived for. If it could fill her pockets in any way, she would be the first to jump. This was a problem because she sometimes got mixed up with the some really crummy people. “I’m sorry, did you say treasure?” She asked. “Yeah; this island has been around for centuries and some say that there’s a buried treasure around here.” The old man averted his gaze to the Amber Bell around the girl’s neck. “Don’t you think it would be grand if you found it? You would be a multi-millionaire!” Then, the old man used his hand to block his conversation form eavesdroppers, “And just between you and me, we’re the only ones who know about it. That means there’s no competition whatsoever.” “None? Me, a millionaire!?” Tsuname started to drool over the though of new riches. Landon got to his feet again. Now that he feared for his food actually hitting the ground, he slurped the rest of his noodles up in one take. He would’ve scolded Tsuname, but she seem to be in her own world at the time. “And you,” The old man pointed to Landon. He let his eyes wander to his Crystal Bell before regaining eye contact. May and Zeru sweated from the man’s abrupt weirdness. “I have something important to tell you.” “To tell me?” Landon blinked. “Yes; remember what I say, son. When you feel as if your loved one is lost forever, recall that from loss, only strength can come to take its place.” “What are you getting at, old man?” Zeru leaned down to the old timer’s height level. “……huh?!” Tsuname suddenly snapped back to reality. She rounded on the old man with a suspicious frown. “Hey, why are you telling us this stuff anyway? You don’t even know us!” She stated. The old man gave the kids a shocked look. They all seemed to stare holes through him in patience of their answer. He took a step back and started to sweat. Landon noticed that the man’s breathing stuttered, giving him a sense of foreboding. “Duh….dah!” BANG!! Suddenly, the man tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face. “Ohhhh….” He moaned. “Old man!” Landon, Zeru, and Tsuname exclaimed, sweating anime style. “Here, sir,” May reached out her hand. The man grasped hers and pulled himself up. On his face was a red mark in the shape of the pavement. “There, you shouldn’t….dah?” A shiver of disgust traveled through May’s body. She felt something crawl over her hand like a spider. “Heh….so soft….” The old man mumbled. May closed her eyes and clenched her fist. She let out a dangerous growl as her temple beat anime style. “Grrr….YOU LECHEROUS OLD FART!” WHAAA-BOOOOM!! “Whawhawhawhaaaaaa!” Landon, Zeru, and Tsuname watched May high-karate kick the old man right in his chest; he screamed as he spiraled high into the sky, disappearing in a speck of light. “Hmph!” May dusted herself off and stood back up. “Whoa…” Landon gazed into the distance where the old man had flown. “That….was weird.” Tsuname blinked. “Really; anyone who thinks May is a looker must be desperate or something.” At Zeru’s comment, May shot a sharp look to him. CLACK!! “Oouch!” Zeru crouched and rubbed his hair vigorously, for may had struck him harshly with a Japanese fan on the head. “Awww, I didn’t mean it, May—you know I didn’t!” “Stop whining and let’s just go.” May started down the sidewalk, leaving her friends muddled and a little quail. Nevertheless, they followed her down the sidewalk at a distance.

 

       “There they go again.” From one of the food carts at the edge of Hero City, Yoshimari and Tsubimi watched Landon and his friends walk on. Yoshimari and Tsubimi were the infamous brother-sister treasure hunters of Team Darkhorn. Yoshimari had smooth light tan skin, green eyes, and white hair. His sister, Tsubimi, presented beautiful mahogany skin as well as chocolate-dyed hair. Her valiant purple eyes complimented her well. As a team, Yoshimari and Tsubimi complimented each other; Yoshimari was serious while Tsubimi kept him from being too serious with her humor. As members of Team Darkhorn, their goal was to use the power of EX Poke’mon—Poke’mon who’s abilities abnormally surpass its species—to rule the world. They normally followed Landon around, for he already held six of these special Poke’mon. Yoshimari and Tsubimi often dressed the same simply because they liked to show the entire world they were related. They were wearing black no-sleeve shirts and khaki pants. Over their outfits, they wore a white apron. The stove before them was sizzling hot as Yoshimari prepared it for cooking. The sun gleamed off the cart’s red coloring. Tsubimi let out a yawn and scratched her head. “This is so boring. I’d much rather be out shopping or at least looking through the museum. Heck, I’d rather chase Landon around then suffer this torture.” She put her hands on the back of her head and frowned, glancing to the side from the corner of her eye, “It’s not fair they get to have all the fun.” “Tsubimi, I wanna’ enjoy the island just as much as you do, but we’re stuck with this job.” Yoshimari started tossing various ingredients such as peppers and spicy sauces into the noodles he was frying with a pair of metallic chopsticks. “Since we have no treasure to hunt, we have to make money the old-fashioned way.” He didn’t cease to add more flavor to his mix. The scent of whatever he was making got carried away into the air. “…huh?” Tsubimi gave the wind a sniff and smiled. “Hey, bro, what’re ya’ makin’ over there?” She asked. “I’m not really sure, but it smells awesome!” Yoshimari beamed with pride at his cooking. The alluring smell drifted into the nostrils of a blue-suited man. He crossed the street and came to a halt in front of the food cart. “I say, young man, how much for some of those noodles you’re cooking?” He asked. “Fifteen zenny,” Yoshimari answered. “Okay, I’ll have some of those, then.” The man reached into his pocket for his wallet. Tsubimi handed her brother a bowl and Yoshimari scooped some of the orange noodles into it. As soon as the man paid, he received his food. “You should find the taste irresistible.” Yoshimari smiled with pride again. The man plunged his fork into the bowl and slurped up the food. Yoshimari grinned in eagerness as he watched. He couldn’t wait to receive his compliment for his ‘superb’ culinary skills. “….hmm….bleh!” The man spat. “Dah!” Yoshimari took a step back, quite taken by his statement. The man frowned and chucked his food down to the ground. The look of revolt was enough, yet he continued to express his disgust in a verbal assault. “This is the worse tasting food I have ever had! I want a refund.” “I’ll give you refund! I’ll refund your head, old man!” “Yoshi, stop!” Tsubimi had to hold Yoshimari to keep him from jumping over the cart and striking the man with a frying pan. “Well, I never!” The man frowned and walked away arrogantly. Yoshimari fumed as his sister slowly pulled him back behind the corner. He let the frying pan drop to the ground with a clang. “Just take a breath, Yoshi. He obviously had no taste.” Tsubimi told him. “Grrr! I’ll show that guy!” Yoshimari reached into his belt and pulled two poke’balls from it. “We’ll all have a taste of the brilliance. Loudred, Chansey, come out now!” The two poke’balls burst open in a flash of bright light. One Poke’mon that came out was a purple creature with an incredibly big mouth. Its ears were like two round speakers and its short tail was like a sound hole. The Poke’mon flexed its muscles and stomped the ground. “Loudred!” The second Poke’mon, Chansey, was an egg-shaped Poke’mon. Its body gleamed a bubblegum pink and its pouch concealed a pearly white egg. The tip of its pink dreadlocks were red and it had a short tail. “Chansey!” It blinked its black eyes. “We’ll try too, Yoshi. Release, Tailow!” Tsubimi only tossed one of the two poke’balls in her possession. It burst open to reveal her sparrow-like Poke’mon. Tailow stretched its long, black wings. Its underbody feathers were white and its tail was forked. Its forehead and crest were red, and its eyes were a chocolate brown. Tailow fluttered onto its trainer’s shoulder. Yoshimari scooped some of the noodles into their bowls and passed them out to his friends. At the same time, they plunged their forks at the food and slurped some up. There was a moment of silence as Team Darkhorn chewed their food. “….gulp!” Suddenly, the friends’ eyes snapped open; their facial color turned blue in disgust. “Bleh!” They spat, “This tastes terrible!” Team Darkhorn tossed their bowls high into the air. The dishes spiraled so far and fast that they flew over the buildings, off the island, and splashed down into the ocean. Yoshimari and Tsubimi brushed the foul taste from their tongues. “Oh—I think I’m gonna’ die!” “My taste buds are already dead—” “Heeeey!” From out of nowhere, an old man in an apron popped up at them. Team Darkhorn gave a shocked jump of slight fright. “You jokers had better get back ta’ work or ya’ fired!” The man spat.

 

       Landon and Tsuname lead the way through the streets of Hero City. Toya trotted closely to her trainer’s ankles to avoid getting lost. Tsuname gave a giddy grin as she lightly chewed on a lollipop. Zeru shook his head, “She’s like a little kid—all too easy to make happy.” He thought to himself. Landon had put the Jubako boxes in his bag for more convenience as he walked. They really didn’t have any idea where they were going; they just went wherever their legs took them. Near the end of the sidewalk, there was a clearing of grass. Instead of a building being here, the space was taken up by a large towering pillar of stone. The crystal-dyed rock wall was elegantly decorated with ancient symbols and markings. The characters of the wall were way too difficult for an average Joe to read. But Landon, who was one of the few exceptions, could understand and read the ancient text just as well as he spoke. Still, reading Poke’tilonian characters was something he never was too keen on revealing. Standing in front of the stone wall was a woman with long, brown hair. She was wearing a blue suit and red tie. Landon, May, Zeru, and Tsuname came to a stop at the ancient relic and gazed at it. Even if it was selectively legible, it was still a splendorous sight to behold. “Wowwww….” “Phanpy…” Zeru and Phanpy marveled. Tsuname stopped eating her candy to focus her attention. “Hi, I see you’re admiring the Hero stone.” The lady smiled to them sweetly. “Uh…yeah—we are.” Landon smiled back. “I’m the tour guide for this wall. Would you like to hear a little history?” The lady never broke her smile. Landon and May nodded, but their two friends just folded their arms. They weren’t really in the mood to sit and listen to some long story. As a matter of fact, they preferred to go find another place to eat. The tour guide cleared her throat before she began to speak. “This wall—the hero stone—explains the origin of our island. It’s a constant reminder of where we came from and the hard work it took to get to our current state of peace.

       “Centuries ago, this island used to be full of vast fields of lush green grass.” (flashback starts), “The tons of flowers made it look as if the rainbow had fallen from the sky. The crystal sea added to the island’s glorious splendor. Both humans and Poke’mon enjoyed Northside Island’s beauty and magnificence. They supported each other—made up for the other side’s weaknesses. However, it didn’t take long for greed to strike up discord among them. To make a long story short, the deception and lust for power and authority forced the two sides into a war. The once powerful group of island dwellers had transformed into constant fighting armies.” (flashback pauses for a second) The tour guide closed her eyes for a second and fell silent. She looked as if she was about to cry or something. Landon and May looked at her with a bit of concern. “Sorry; allow me to continue,” (flashback continues), “Chaos reigned over the island, human verses Poke’mon. Their fighting fed off their bitterness, anger, sorrow, and hatred. Soon, the darkness inside their hearts was able to assume a physical form and became known as the somber shroud. This dark shadow stretched over the island, consuming everything it touched. Those living who were seduced to its touch became its loyal servant. Chaos spread across Northside island; the beauty, the splendor—rubbled by only one force. It is said that there was only one on this island who was not controlled by this dreaded darkness. This boy was the only one who could wield a light to summon two legendary Poke’mon, Suicune, and Ho-oh. Together, they were able to disperse the Darkness and banish it from our islands.” (flashback ends) “Do you see those claw marks in the sky?” The tour guide pointed up at the sky. Landon and his friends looked up as well. The purple marks in the sky gleamed lively as if it were a part of the night sky that never seemed to die out. “Those marks represent the struggle we had to go through to get to the peaceful state we’re in now. They are the scars of this island.” She finished.

       Phealine’s and Phanpy’s ears twitched before their humans actually realized what was going on. Landon turned around first at the sound of rapid footsteps crossing their direction. May, Tsuname, and Zeru glanced back as well. Across the street, the people who were once busy shopping and eating now flocked through the streets like insects drawn to the light. They practically covered the streets as they moved frantically. “Hey, what’s going on?” Landon blinked curiously. “Oh—you don’t know?” The tour guide started, “It’s only the biggest event on the island; the Poke’mon Treasure-Hunting contest is about to begin—” “A Poke’mon Treasure-Hunting contest? C’mon, Himura!” “Right behind you, Tsuname!” Landon skated after his friend, blending in with the crowd. May and Zeru looked to each other and blinked. “I think you may wanna’ catch your friends before you lose them.” The tour guide pointed out. “Right,” May and Zeru nodded and started off down the street as well. Landon led the way through the large crowd. Toya stayed on his head to keep herself form getting lost. Landon slowly skated behind Tsuname using a special adaptor that turned his shoes into roller blades. With that kind of transportation, he didn’t have to put much effort to keep up with the crowd. Occasionally, he would see a police officer on the side walk that patrolled the streets, possibly to keep everyone from getting too rowdy. The funny thing about the police officers, not only in the Hoenn region, but everywhere in the world, was that each town had its own Officer Jenny. Their was some kind of weird gene in their family that made them all look exactly alike. It was even worse that they were all named the same. Officer Jenny all had sea-green hair to match their red eyes. But there was something weird with Officer Jenny; Landon could sense it, but couldn’t quite place it. His pang of pessimism made him stare at her for a while before he brushed it off. May and Zeru followed their friends from the back as best as they could. Tsuname, who lead the way, had no idea where they were going; she just followed the crowd in hopes that they would lead her in the right direction. The tons of buildings faded away in a circular shape at the end of the road. There was a large building that everyone was flocking to lively. It was large and dome-like; its crimson roof glistened in the sunlight and its silver pillars did the same. A grand set of stairs lead up to the buildings four golden doors. Atop the roof were two silver and gold Poke’mon statues, one of which Landon quickly recognized as Suicune. But the other was designed like a magnificent bird. Its powerful talons were sculpted to grip onto the roof as it watched the town with its wings folded. The sun gleamed off its curly, crown-resembling crest. Behind the building, four train tracks were concealed by the glass corridors, each one leading out into a different part of the island. “What is this place?” Landon asked when he finally caught up with Tsuname. He gave a clueless glance at the gathering crowd. “It looks like a train station or something.” Tsuname returned his expression with one of her own. They, along with the crowd, started to slow down in their pace. The two could hear a pair of panting sounds and recognized that it was May and Zeru catching up to them. They used each other as support to stay up on their feet for a while. “….No more running, please!” Zeru managed to breath. May didn’t even bother to say anything; she knew perfectly well that neither Landon or Tsuname would slow down when it came to Poke’mon.



THIS IS THE END OF PART 3. SEE YA' IN PART 4!!