//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: The emergency of a past // Story: Mystery Dungeons: Through Realms and worlds // by Navanastra //------------------------------// Chapter 8: The emergence of a Past Edited by: The Great Khan “Azelf, AZELF!” Somebody called out, breaking the serene peace of a long lost and forgotten ruin within a long lost and forgotten place of an equally forgotten past. A Pokémon perked up at that, not because of someone calling its name, but more because of the fact that something didn’t felt quite right just now. Something suddenly went amiss within this Pokémon’s mind, no matter how faint it was just a few moments ago. He already could tell that something was wrong. And he guessed the outcry from one of his colleges was proof of that. He turned himself around, watching as a frantic looking pink headed Pokémon was flying towards him in a frantic manner, looking quite distressed and worried, something Azelf shared as the aforementioned Pokémon stopped in front of him, looking quite exhausted. No surprise, her domain is actually quite a ways off as far as Azelf was concerned. He guessed that she must have physically flown herself over here instead of just teleporting to his lake like how she and Uxie would normally do. Guess the sense of urgency and panic clouded her common sense in some form. Understandable, especially given her reaction. “Mesprit, what’s wrong? Why do you look so distressed?” Azelf asked his fellow college, flying closer to her and giving her a rather concerned look. Mesprit took a couple of moments to collect herself before gazing back up to meet Azelf’s eyes. “Uxie has… Uxie has just informed me of some very terrible news. He…” She paused to gulp.  “He just informed me that the prison barrier within the Nulvoid has been broken, and that the Pokémon who used to be imprisoned inside of it is no longer there. It was Uxie’s turn to travel to the Nulvoid to both guard the barrier and to strengthen it once more with his psychic powers. But when he arrived, the was already breached, with its main inhabitant long gone. This is a disaster!” Mesprit shouted, clutching her head as she mentally panicked. Azelf wasn’t so far off from feeling the same as well. As the news fully rocked him to his very core, and filled him both with dread and shock at this terrible reality. He knew which Pokémon they were all referring too. His escape alone was bad news enough- no, disastrous news as far as he was concerned. “WHAT!?” He eventually exclaimed in both shock and anger. Mesprit nods. “Yes…well, that’s what Uxie told me. He also told me to come and inform you of this incident and lead you to the Nulvoid so that we can make our own picture of this terrible incident. He is currently waiting for us at Balencore Island in the heart of the Nulvoid dimension. We should hurry and see this for ourselves.” Mesprit added and getting a determined nod from Azelf in return almost immediately. At least know he knew that what he suddenly felt earlier wasn’t a fluke. If only it were. Both Mesprit and Azelf began to concentrate their psychic powers on the lake, causing the water within the center of the lake to glow; a small vortex appearing around its epicenter, opening a portal to the dark and twisted parallel reality of the Nulvoid dimension. Both Mesprit and Azelf didn’t waste any time as they both flew directly through the swirling portal at the center of the lake. Once past its fresh holds, both Mesprit and Azelf quickly found themselves in the shadowy world of the Nulvoid, where the void reigns supreme and where copy sections of their world floated around within the dark and purple clouded space as independent islands. The only light that existed in this realm was an ominous looking yellow light shining from the horizon, splitting the top layer of endless clouds, from the bottom layer of this surreal reality. Overall, it was a very lonely and depressing looking realm; a perfect prison for those who are deemed too dangerous to roam the Pokémon world. Especially when there was only one psychically existing entrance point onto and off of this surreal world. “No matter how many times I’ve been here, this dimension is still creepy as all heck, let me tell you that.” Azelf openly commented, to which Mesprit could only agree. “Anyway, we should be pretty close to the island itself now. Let’s fly, Uxie is waiting for us as we speak.” She stated, before looking around. “There.” She suddenly stated before flying in the designated direction. Azelf of course followed, seeing the large floating landmass himself in front of him. The bottom half of this landmass was facing off the void below, and was covered in far-reaching, massive rock spikes and crevasses. Though the top portion didn’t look that much better, either. A dead wasteland was all that greeted the two as they got closer to its surface, alongside ruins of long perished Pokémon that had been banished to this realm eons ago. Perhaps the Nulvoid once used to be a bright, lively and fertile looking world just as theirs. Though if that was the case, any legitimate records or traces of such a past has long since evaporated to the ever moving presence of time. Only a few actual things life here, which are generally known to be highly poisonous or dangerous for any Pokémon or living thing from their world. Either way, these glaring issues were, of course, not their main concern as they eventually reached the ruins themselves, nestled in between some mountains at the edge of the Isle. They could immediately tell that something was wrong; the barrier which normally surrounds the Ruins was no longer present. An alarming sight on its own, but even more so when the two spotted the carnage that assaulted the ruins themselves A massive crater was at the center of this ancient place, a telltale sign that something more must have gone through here besides just the escape of its only inhabitant. Both Azelf and Mesprit eventually spotted Uxie hovering above the crater. He quickly noticed them as they came up beside him. “Uxie, what happened?” Azelf naturally asked, even though he pretty much knew the answer already. Uxie frowned. “Well, it’s pretty clear isn’t it? The prison barrier around this place is gone, and the Pokémon it was supposed to contain is no longer here, either. Or at least, nowhere nearby.” Uxie answered, tapping his chin a bit in thought at the last sentence. This caught both Mesprit and Azelf’s attention. “Wait…then that means that HE must still be here, roaming about within the Nulvoid.” Azelf perked up as the realization hit him. He sported a determined look. “Right, in that case we better start searching for him then, quickly. His powers couldn’t possibly have been restored to their fullest yet, which means that the three of us could easily confront him on our own, weaken him and create a new prison space to contain him.” He suggested, before looking in between his two colleges. “Uxie, your psychic pulse is the strongest and farthest reaching of the three of us. Can you use it to detect his psychic signature?” Azelf requested. Uxie nodded. “Sure thing.” He responded, before Azelf turned his attention to Mesprit. Or rather, he would have loved too, if it wasn’t for Uxie’s sudden outcry. “Oh dear Arceus, no!” He shouted in shock. “The Gate…Mesprit the GATE!” Uxie shouted in panic while pointing at the black dashing figure way up in the sky. But it was too late, whatever it was, it was clearly making a direct beeline for the still-open portal in the air space where both Azelf and Mesprit just entered from. Mesprit on the other end was too shocked to really do or say anything, while Azelf on the other hand was not so content just sitting by and watching the figure fly away, as he immediately jumped into action and gave chase to the dashing object. “I am NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE!” He screamed at the top of his lungs as his forehead gem started to glow. He started to focus his mind for a shadow ball attack, causing an orb of negative energy to form in front of his forehead before firing it towards his target, racing forward faster than Azelf could fly. Though unfortunately, it still wasn’t fast enough to catch the fleeing Pokémon as it jumped into the vortex before the attack could hit it. The ball instead shattered on the surface of the vortex and caused Azelf to curse mentally. He stopped, crunching his teeth in anger as he glared at the portal. It didn’t take long for the two remaining Spirit Guardians to catch up with him though, with Mesprit looking quite distressed. “I am so…so sorry. If I had closed the portal beforehand none of this would have happen. This is a disaster.” She exclaimed, pulling on her pink head protrusions in panic. Uxie rested a hand on Mesprit’s shoulder to calm her. “It’s okay, you didn’t see this possibility coming. In fact, I should have been the one to know this ahead of time when I saw that the barrier was gone, and not too long ago as well. But just like you, I was too shocked and surprised to even think clearly at the time.” He tried comfort her. Azelf shook his head. “Either way, there is nothing for us here. One of the most dangerous Pokémon from the distant past is now free and roaming the Pokémon world once again. We should jump through the portal ourselves and continue with the pursuit. We cannot allow him to regain his strength while he is still weak enough for us three to take him on and detain him. We gotta go after him.” He suggested, looking over his shoulder at the two before focusing back at the vortex with a frown. He was about to jump in before Uxie caught him. “Wait, such a plan would already be a lost cause. I doubt that Gallade is going to be stupid enough to stay around for any lengthy period of time for us to recapture him. I am positive that he teleported himself far away from the lake, the moment he exited the portal.” Uxie stated, getting a simple groan of frustration in return from his fellow guardian. “I would prefer to just hunt him down himself, and drag him back here if I have to.” He muttered. “I know, but we are going to be needing a lot more help than just the three of us. It’s too bad that the Isle’s and its inhabitants have not yet returned. Otherwise getting help would be a lot more…” Uxie tried to say, before Mesprit suddenly butted in after the mentioning of the mysterious Isles. “Actually, the Mysterious Isles have returned to our world for some time now. A couple of months back, in fact, if the gossip of some traveling Pokémon I spied close to my domain are to be believed.” Mesprit laid out, getting the immediate attention of the other two guardians. “Well, that changes everything then.” Uxie stated. “In that case, we know what to do now. What better way to deal with this possible threat than to ask for the help of those who were able to stop him in the first place? I am sure both Victini and Pericles should still be there. Time doesn’t function the same way on the Isles as they do anywhere else, after all.” He suggested. The two Pokémon nodded. “Indeed, better hurry too before he allows himself to be introduce to the world. Which at that point, would mean that he has already gained most of his strength and allies. With haste, then.” Azelf announced, before jumping through the portal first, followed by Mesprit and lastly Uxie. The portal then eventually closed behind them. Leaving the Nulvoid dimension as quiet and lonely as it has always been. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. “Ugh…everything hurts…I barely slept last night too…thanks to everyone here.” I muttered to myself as I got up from my pile of hay to greet the morning of this new day. Well, a good morning this was certainly not to be. Reminiscent to the facts I have just muttered out. It was if I was sleeping inside a workshop or something, because the sawing that took place all night was just ridiculous. Ampharos, Victini, and heck, even Jirachi to some extent were some of the loudest carpenters I’ve ever meant. Nava though, in comparison, was just fine with this, but that was only because of the fact that he covered up his ears with some of his cloudy fluff growing on his neck to dampen the noise. If only I had personally realized this sooner, otherwise I would have asked for some of it myself while he was still awake. I personally just found it rude to wake him up afterwards. “Seem that I am the only one awake. well again, no surprise, judging on how difficult it was for me to stay asleep in the first place.” I muttered again before forcing myself off my bed and stretching a bit to get the stiffness out. Once my morning exercises were done, I began to look around. Nava was of course sleeping on his own pile of hay next to me to my left, without a care in the world and with his ears stuffed with his own fluff. Victini in comparison was occupying his full fledged bed on the right middle wall of the room with Jirachi just casually floating close to him, also still sleeping. Ampharos on the other hand was occupying the left upper corner of the room with his own massive pile of hay. Generously sawing away for a building project I wasn’t even aware he undertook. Funny thinking about him though. As expected, letting him wandering off all on his own yesterday was just a recipe for him getting lost once more. I don’t know how Ampharos does it, but he somehow managed to wobble himself to a completely new area outside the village. A new forest in fact, which was actually quite a ways off from the village itself and also serving as both a local fuel source and building material for the villagers. It actually took us quite some time to locate and lead the poor chief back to the village, with the help of Jirachi of course. If it wasn’t for him actively asking around the village for the chief’s whereabouts, then he might have actually gotten himself even more lost than he could have. And without Dedenne or Espurr nearby, finding him would have been very, very difficult. Especially in a new world like this. But anyway, we found him and that’s what counts. I think Jirachi even made it his personal mission now to stay close to the chief at all times to not repeat such an incident ever again, much to Ampharos’ slight despair and protest. I sighed, scratching my head with one hand while rubbing my eyes with the other. “I guess it’s time for breakfast then.” I mumbled to myself before casually making my way over to the baskets of mangoes and apples at the far left corner and helping myself to one of them. Or at least, I would have if a faint noise coming from upstairs didn’t stop me from doing so. I turned my head towards the basement stairs, looking upwards towards the exit before realizing that one of the cellar hatches was actually open. Giving me both a wonderful view of the bright morning sky but also the image of a curious looking pony. A child, if I had to guess given its size. I knew who she was. “Oh, hey there.” I called out, quietly of course as I didn’t want to wake up the rest of the Snoring Brigade. I quickly grabbed a pair of apples from the basket before promptly making my way upwards towards the somewhat creaky sounding staircase. The little child was somewhat surprised by that of course, but otherwise stood her ground as I approached her. I smiled, offering her one of the apples as a friendly gesture, which she accepted with her own smile before taking the apple with that weird horn of hers. Not sure what type of power that is, but Jirachi firmly stated that it was somewhat related to psychic abilities. How, I am not sure, but that is kind of understandable for a grass-type like me. Either way it’s good for her, as hooves don’t look particularly useful in anything other than walking and perhaps hitting something. The large number of hornless ponies I see living in the town usually do everything with their mouths, which doesn’t seem particularly effective. But again, what do I know? I’ve only been here for like 3 days without having done much exploring or learning on my own. Something I should fix… if my future schedules remains distraction free of course. Either way, besides my never-ending thoughts keeping my brain occupied, both me and the little green pony in front of me simply enjoyed our apples without much talk. I mean, it's kinda hard to do so otherwise when you are too busy munching down on these apples as fast as you possibly can. Apparently, she was thinking that too as she was also eating it rather quickly. Not sure how much these apples cost or if they are considered to be an expensive food item or not, but thanks to Jirachi’s overuse of gold bars, I will probably never know as long as he is around. “Oh, hey Glade, you didn’t tell me that you already woke up. Already munching on those apples I see.” I suddenly heard Nava’s voice behind me as he came up the stairs while still rubbing his eyes. I gave him a smile. “Well yeah, I just didn’t want to wake you up as you looked so peaceful. I am not so sure about you, but I didn’t exactly sleep like a rock last night, all thanks to Ampharos and Victini respectively. These two can seriously snore if they want to, especially when they are having a subconscious competition on who snores the loudest.” I answered, giving off a long yawn at the end. Nava tilted his head. “Really? Why didn’t you tell me that before I nicked off after having stuffed my ears? I would have easily giving you some of my cloud wool if you just woke me up.” He stated. I sighed. “Well, yeah but…I wasn’t going to wake you up just for that. Just seems kinda rude to wake someone up like that.” I answered, rubbing the back of my neck. Nava just shrugged, before finally noticing the little kid standing right in front of us with a confused but still very curious look plastered on her features. “Oh, hey there.” Nava greeted her with a smile. “You must be the daughter of the nice pair of ponies that allowed us to use their basement as a temporary shelter. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” Nava greeted, which in turn made the little thing smile as well, despite the fact that she most likely has no idea what he just said to her. Well, a good smile is affectionate after all. She started to say something, though again in that completely foreign language that none of us can understand, sounding more like gibberish to us than actual words. So with that problem, it was then our turn to look at her confused and curious at the same time. I was personally wondering when we would be able to get Mawile to this world to start working on a more proper study and translation of the pony language, because having to rely on Jirachi alone is obviously not the most efficient way of doing things. I have nothing against that, of course, but having the chance to actually learn the language ourselves would be cool. So until then, all we can simply do now is just stare at the little green pony with a sense of loss. Minus her body language of course, but the only thing she was doing right now was smiling and pointing her hoof at a general direction, which of course doesn’t help much. “She is saying that a merchant caravan has arrived in the village, and that they have temporarily opened up their wares for sale to the villagers.” Jirachi’s voice suddenly chimed in, as he came floating over above us. I looked up. “Really? Well, that’s great. You pretty much told us that you were hoping for a caravan to pass by so that you can have a much better chance of finding what you were looking for. Though…why is she telling us this?” I asked at the end. Jirachi smiled. “Simple; I asked her mother and father yesterday if they could perhaps inform us when such a caravan does arrive as long we are casually pitching tents inside their basement, so to say. I wasn’t particularly expecting one to come by so soon, given how uncommon these caravan passing are according to the others. But hey, I take my luck with selfish pride if and when it presents itself to me, and lucky this certainly is.” He answered before smiling down to the little child and most likely giving her his thanks telepathically. She smiled back, saying a few words in her native tongue before running off and disappearing around the corner of the house, leaving the two of us perplexed. “Well, time to check this caravan out then. You two can easily come along if you want to.” He offered. I nod. “Sure thing. Both Ampharos and Victini are probably still asleep anyway, and sitting around all day is something I’m not very known for doing well. Plus…” I paused for a bit in thought. “…I’m kinda curious to see what a pony caravan looks like and what they might have in term of wares. Plus, who knows; we might actually be coming across a brand new species too. Even more reason to come along and have a look at it ourselves.” I answered before turning my attention to Nava. “How about you? Do you want to come along too, Nava?” I asked, to which he simply nodded. “Well, it seems we’re coming along then.” I announced with a smile. “Great! The more the merrier, or at least that’s what Ampharos always likes to say. I bet the only reason he keeps saying that is to keep himself safe from the possibility of getting lost when others aren’t around to navigate. The chief does have his ways in keeping his attention subtle after all. Well…if he wants to, that is. ” He joked with a grin before leading the way. I was about to follow when Nava suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I turned myself around to face him with confusion. “What is it?” He scratched his head. “Actually, I changed my mind. Now that I think about it, I would say that it would be better if one of us stays behind to both keep Ampharos and Victini company while they are still out. Not to mention holding down the fort as well. And furthermore…” He stopped when his stomach suddenly started to growl, which made him blush. “…hehe well…I…also haven’t even eaten yet, so…I guess I’ll see you two later then.” He added. I nodded, though a bit sadly. “Well ok, I guess that would be the most responsible thing to do. Well then, I guess I will see you later then.” I responded before waving to him goodbye and quickly dashing after Jirachi. Catch up with him rather quickly before he could get too far ahead. Say what you want, but I am still feeling a bit out of place personally when wandering around this village all by myself. Which is saying a lot for a person who is normally all about getting as much attention as she possibly could. But either way it doesn’t matter, as I could already see a large gathering of ponies ahead of us, occupying most of what is known to be the main crossroad of this whole village. “I would say that THAT is the caravan.” Jirachi stated as we got closer. I was slightly surprised to say the least. Mostly because of the fact that the caravan as a whole was not just hosting ponies; but in fact, a large portion of creatures I have not yet seen before. Most of them weren’t even ponies to begin with. A large portion of them were actually more of these bird-like quadruples. Gryphons, I think they were called. Or at least that’s what Jirachi managed to figure out by asking a few villagers prior to this. It’s already pretty interesting to see just how diverse these gryphons also looked in comparisons to each other. Similar to these ponies. Sporting completely different colored feathers and furs, and even completely different beaks for some. Not sure how this is a thing for a species, especially at the sheer variety presented here. But then again, what do I know. Though what I do know is that besides the majority of bird-like natives looking to be part of this caravan, there were also a couple of brand new creatures I have never seen before. Like these tall, hulking bipedal with horns. Certainly, a race I have yet to meet, even though doing so is most likely going to be just as problematic as trying to converse with either the ponies or the gryphons. I should really ask Jirachi what their species name is after I am done staring at the caravan like a dumb tourist. Well, I kinda am, but that’s besides the point. Especially now that some of the caravan folks have finally noticed us, and their reaction was pretty predictable. “Well, they seemed to be fairly surprised.” Jirachi casually commented. “You think?” I responded with a flinch as one of them started to draw a weapon from its holster. It was one of these horned once, and the giant axe he suddenly pulled out wasn’t showing much intended hospitality either. But then again, even if push comes to shove. Jirachi will most likely just use his telekinetic powers to rip the giant weapon away from the equally giant looking native if need to be. I just hope it wouldn’t have to come to that as our plan here is still building trust and understanding with the natives here. And thankfully, it didn’t, as a couple of village quickly tried to intercept the hulking titan…with…little success as he still pushed through. This pretty much caused both me and Jirachi to stop on our tracks as we watched this big armored looking bull approach us. I would guess that it is a bull, giving his overall physic and stands. Which was pretty much confirmed when he started to speak in a deep and fairly masculine sounding voice. Hurray for more gibberish. “Here, let me handle this.” Jirachi stated as he floated forward. I nod. “By all means, Jirachi, please do. You ARE the only one capable of interacting with these natives somewhat properly, after all. I have nothing against your offer.” I added while keeping my distance. To be fair, I was feeling a tad bit intimidated by this super hulking native with an axe. The guy was actually so tall, that he was literally casting a shadow on me from where he stood. The guy was almost as tall as a Tyranitar. Maybe just a couple of centimeters shorter if not counting the horns. But still pretty tall. Either way, besides that, the tension was on. Both Jirachi and the axe-wielding titan in front of us were simply staring at each other as this point, while the rest of the village was watching on with baited looks. Even the ponies and gryphons of the caravan where looking at these two silently. The only ones that didn’t looked particularly interested or even nervous of a possible incoming fight were of course, the rest of these tall horned creatures standing at the far back of the of the established wall of carts. In fact, they looked pretty chilled and even pumped for something to happen by the looks of it. I think they were anticipating a fight, and judging by how long these two have been glaring off to one another, I am slowly starting to feel that this possibility might be true. I was getting nervous to say the least. Especially when I haven’t seen Jirachi eyes glow even once this entire time. Imagine my surprise and utter dumbfoundedness when the big hulking dude suddenly started to laugh and throwing his axe away. Quite literally in fact, and very close at my direction, too, which caused me to slightly go pale when the razor sharp killing tool just casually sailed past me and imbedded itself into a house wall behind me. He then started to embrace Jirachi which he of course returned. “Wha…what?” I asked, completely confused. Jirachi smiled. “Oh nothing much, just that I mentally told him that I am going to buy off ANY map and astrology equipment that he might have with gold bars. I guess both money and gold in this world are elevated with a very high value with these natives. A good thing to know to, as I am practically loaded with the stuff.” He stated after the two finally departed from their embrace. I just continued to stare. “Uh huh…good to know that you are suddenly into the concept of bribing your way through this, like how a lot of crooks tend to do.” I commented while crossing my arms. “Hey, I like to call it, ‘investing into good and peaceful relationships.’ And besides, we kinda need these maps. Not to mention giving me access to its stars as well with all the astrology-based equipment he might have. I can’t wait to finally start charting the stars tonight.” He announced with a gleeful smile, doing a little loop-the-loop afterwards. With that, Jirachi wasted no time as he short teleported his way over to the closest caravan stall much to everyone’s shock. The few ponies and gryphons closest to him even jumped and yelped out of the way with some of them trying to reach for their weapons out of instinct. Jirachi of course didn’t seem to care, as he was more focused on the large display of usual looking craftsmanship and art being offered at one of the wagons. I on the other hand just shrugged. Making my way to the closest cart as well and casually staring over a few glass panels in display. What I saw in some of them was pretty interesting if I had to be honest. All of them containing what looks like very well-crafted jewelry or accessories for these natives to wear, all made of gold and silver respectively, and certainly something valuable or expensive if the thick-looking glass cases were anything to go by. Well, not expensive for Jirachi of course if he is going to really stay true to his gold rush. Though besides that, one very out-of-place item on this stall was eventually catching my eye. Not because of its out-of-place shape, but…well ok it’s mainly because of its out-of-place shape in this sea of well-crafted jewelry and well-polished gemstones. It was a pink stone. Just a stone. No glitter, no glimmer, no shine, no nothing on it. Just a rather smooth and pink colored stone. Why something as simple, strange and out of place looking as this stone was being displayed in a stall filled with nothing but jewelry is quite curious to say the least. Especially when you consider that it was also incased it its own glass made display as the rest of the stuff here. I wonder what makes this pebble so special. “Hey, Jirachi.” I called out, getting his attention. “Yeah, what is it Glade?” He responded after once again handing a large sack of gold coins to a pony, said pony seeming to be the map vendor of this gang, judging by his assortment of scrolls, and other paper-based work. Actually, this gave me an idea, but I wanted to first show Jirachi this rock before making anything else clear. Let’s not confuse ourselves here with every member of the caravan watching us. Especially for…obvious reasons. I pointed at the strangely colored rock after he floated his way towards me. “That rock over there. Don’t you think it looks rather strange? Especially alongside all the jewelry being sold here?” I asked, looking at the rock again. Jirachi tilted his head. “Well, yeah, this rock does seem rather out-of-place doesn’t it? The rather unnatural color of it is enough of an oddity as it is. I don’t even know any gemstones or minerals that are this pink naturally.” He commented, rubbing his chin in thought as he floated closer to it. “You know what. I’m going to buy it.” Jirachi suddenly stated. “Wait, really?” I asked while looking up at him. “It could also be just a rock you know. Maybe just painted pink, even?” I argued, to which he shook his head. “Doubt it. I mean, I may not be a geologist, that would normally be Mawile’s thing. But I did read a couple of books regarding geology a few years back and practice this knowledge during a few expeditions I took part in, so I can say that I have at least some form of foresight to tell if the rock’s coloration is real or not from the surface. And it kinda is on first-glance. Its looks…too good to be painted on, and too…rough and detailed as well.” Jirachi explained as he peered his head closer to the display case where the rock was sitting. I was confused, but I at least accepted his words for what they were. He is a genius, after all, not just in words but more importantly in craft, too. Being the only one within the expedition society who has an understanding of both astrology and technology. He eventually turned his attention to the one hulking titan from before and waved the guy over to us. The big guy came over, which allowed Jirachi to point at the rock inside the display case and most likely ask him about it telepathically. I am not sure when or how, but I could have sworn that his eyes usually start glowing ever so slightly whenever he is engaging with someone telepathically. Maybe it doesn’t work here? But then again, this notion couldn’t possibly be true either, because I have seen his eye take on an ethereal glow when he first conversed with the natives that tried to ambush us at the beginning. Maybe it could be because of the level of light? Back inside the woods, the overall atmosphere and mood was fairly muddy in term of lighting, while out here it’s pretty much as bright as can be thanks to the cloudless sky and screaming sun up above. Maybe I’m just thinking too much about it? That’s certainly a silly thing to focus on. Especially when Jirachi suddenly pulled out another sack of PokéBucks from his bag and gave it to the big guy. With that, the big dude simply smiled before pulling out a key from one of his many pouches attached to his armor and unlocking the glass case with it, retrieving the strangely colored rock out of its housing before presenting it to Jirachi. Another oddity I’m feeling here is just how easily this guy seems to take the fact that Jirachi is talking to him inside his head. Another thing that just makes me curious. “Here, see, a natural pink rock. Well…as natural as a pink rock could possibly be, that is.” Jirachi stated, before showing the unusually-colored rock he probably paid too much for. I gave it a closer look. Seeing nothing much out of the ordinary, as I have very little knowledge when it comes to rocks or anything else earthbound. “Okay, but why did you suddenly decided to buy this in the first place? And furthermore, why was this rock in the display case to begin with, besides just being pink?” I asked, before taking the rock out of Jirachi’s hands and feeling its texture. I was immediately surprised. The rock was surprisingly warm to the touch. Like really so. Normal looking pink rock my tail, I know for a fact that rocks normally don’t do that, even those from volcanic origins. Those volcanic stones usually cool down pretty quickly after having left its point of origin. Jirachi on the other hand seemed to agree with my surprise as he hummed. “Well yeah, now you see that this rock is certainly without its mysteries. The big Minotaur guy, which is what their race is called by the way, actually informed me that he once found this rock in a desert. He just casually took this stone from an old buried altar next to an Oasis, and also personally commented on the strange color and warmth it radiated. So out of interest, and a little bit of a business incentive, he simply took the stone with him. Marking it as a type of “luxury good” as well thanks to its unnatural color and unique touch, which is why it was next to all the jewelry and gemstones respectively. Hoping to find someone who might be interested in it, which of course happened with us.” He lengthily explained, causing me to nod a few times along his long response before looking back down at the lukewarm stone cupped inside my hands. This little story about a buried altar where the stone was found was enough to really spark my interest in seeing more of this new world for myself. Being a member of the expeditions society, it is our duty to explore the mysteries of the world and make new and never-before-seen discoveries for all, even if it’s on a completely different world. Speaking of different worlds, that reminded me. “Hey Jirachi, could you maybe also ask the guy from whom you bought the maps from if he maybe has any informative scrolls or books on him as well? Something like that could be very useful for us, especially when we give it to Mawile so that she can also work on a possibly translation of their language.” I suggested. Jirachi hummed. “Well sure, no problem. I can easily do that.” He responded before floating off towards the wagon he was previously at. After a few moments, Jirachi quickly returned with a couple of old looking books and scrolls floating next to him. He smiled, before handing the pile of tomes and scrolls to me without even giving me a warning. Thank the heavens for my good reflexes, or maybe not as I quickly found out how heavy this stuff was. My legs and arms almost buckled at the sudden increase of weight. “Once more, better get all of this stuff back with the chief and Victini down in the cellar for safe keeping. You go ahead with that though, I am going to pick up my promised astrology gear and follow you shortly. I won’t take too long, I promise.” He explained before swiftly floating off somewhere and leaving me with most of the heavy burden to carry back to base. Talk about getting ditched with a lot of responsibility. But then again, this was MY idea to begin with. But that still doesn’t excuse the fact that this crap was really heavy, and quite wobbly to start. I am not sure how valuable and old these tomes are, but judging by the weathering they have on their covers, I would guess that they are pretty old, which in turn would make them very valuable for those with an eye for literature and knowledge. Basically: Mawile, Jirachi, and Ampharos to some extent, AND judging by the damp mud all around me I would say dropping these onto the ground would be a massive problem. Especially given Jirachi’s nature of overpaying things here. “Jirachi please…can you…can you maybe…” I tried to say in-between my strained breath while keeping both my balance and hold of this tower above me. The wind blowing from behind me wasn’t exactly helping with that either. If this is going to keep up, then I’ll surely drop all of these ancient-looking tomes and ruin them for pretty much everyone. “Here, let me help you with that.” Victini’s voice suddenly rang out before a large portion of the weight resting on my arms suddenly disappeared, giving me a bit of a respite. I turned my head. “Oh, hey Victini…uhm…aren’t you supposed to be in bed to get some rest?” I asked, feeling a little sense of worry for this Pokémon’s health. Victini nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry, I’m fine now. Even so, I was planning to return to our world today, as there is something very important I have to check on. Plus…” He trailed off a bit in thought. “…I wanted to talk with Pericles about something. Something regarding our past and what-not.” He explained. I was curious about this, but still nodded. To be fair, returning momentarily back to our world might not be such a bad idea to begin with. At least it would give us the chance to get the rest of the gang on board with this and to also give these books and tomes to Mawile so that she can study them. Plus, I am personally wondering if Espurr might wants to come along, too. It's still quite surreal to think that she asked to be Jirachi’s student and assistant at the Expedition Society HQ. Well, then again, she really had nothing better to do after the whole Dark Matter debacle was beaten and done for. Being without a real family or parents and all. Kinda sad when you think about it. “Anyway, where the heck is Jirach…oh…” He stopped, looked over at the direction where Jirachi most likely was. I followed his gaze and was equally perplexed at what I saw coming at us. Like literally, it was something, something fairly big in fact. “Watch out, big telescope coming through!” I heard Jirachi voice say behind the BIG telescope floating in front of him as he came over to join us. A few ponies close by where staring at the spectacle as well with curious or dumbfounded eyes. “So…this is the telescope you were looking for? Isn’t it a bit too big for your size?” Victini asked while tilting his head. “No, but is was pretty much the only one they had back in one of their wagons. The guy said that some old wizard sold it to him after he had to abandon his so-called ‘Wizard Tower’ or whatever. Said something about a Unicorn Queen having sent out a detention order to arrest him or whatever…sorry, but I was too busy staring at this beauty the whole time to really pay any attention to what the guy had to say about how he got it. I just…I was just entranced by this beauty over here.” He explained while caressing the mid-section of the telescope at the end…rather strangely. “Jirachi, we have kids, here you know.” Victini suddenly stated with a frown. Jirachi stopped before laughing awkwardly. “Oh yeah…you’re right, uh…sorry. I…I just like to blame some of the dreams I’ve been having lately. Yeah, nothing too strange at all.” He smiled before looking at all the extra stuff levitating behind him. “Hmm…well yeah we better head back down into the cellar to deposit all of this stuff for the time being and setup my new portable telescope for tonight. I’ll have a lot of star gazing to do once the sun finally sinks into the horizon, which is why I am planning to hit the hay as early as possible when we get back so that I can stay up all night to do what I do best: star gazing.” He openly announced with a lot of hype in his voice, which I couldn’t help but smile at. Though Victini again didn’t seem to be too enthusiastic, as he just rose an eyebrow at him. If he had any. “Your new portable telescope?” He asked before looking up and down its brass length. “Are you sure this thing is made to be portable? It even seems to be a bit to large for these ponies.” He stated while nudging his head at the closest pony to us. Jirachi shrugged. “Hey, size doesn’t matter if you have as big of a passion as I have when it comes to doing my job. Also, you seem to forget that I can just levitate this thing easily wherever I go. So for me, it truly is portable, certainly a lot more portable then the huge dome mounted telescope I have back at HQ.” He answered, before finally hovering0 past us with all of his stuff following. “Well, whatever you say. But I still have a feeling that you have no idea how to handle money, even if you have a crap ton of it.” Victini added before following him. “Come on, Glade, let’s get this stuff back with the rest. Then, after that, I need to make them collect the necessary psychic energy to re-open the portal back in the forest to reconnect with the Void Orb on the other side.” He stated. I just looked around myself for a moment before shrugging. “I wonder when I’ll finally get the chance to explore this place closer instead of just wandering around aimlessly? I hope that after the little trip back home it’s going to be a lot easier to do that.” I muttered before following the two mythic Pokémon back to our temporary hold out. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that re-opening of the portal is going to set something in motion that none of us could have possible predicted.