Desolate [Pokémon Arven x Protagonist]

And She Talked to Me

Our vision went white, gliding through the thick layer of cloudy fog. It was humid, and I felt condensation droplets forming on my skin. Falling so far, I began to wonder how Arven got down there originally. It was a long drop, and we all eventually stopped making noise though I still felt Arven tense behind me. We descended in loud silence and I watched the clouds flow around me. The fear was gone. Crazy quests and surprises were the norm. This was my life now. A stunning lime green started to fade in, and the fog dissipated, revealing a gorgeously winding field of grass that shimmered from the sunlight peeking through. There were trees and waterfalls, an amazing landscape all around, inhabited by Pokémon. The path sloped downwards into the bowl, getting darker and less saturated until it reached an unsettling black void that seemed to tunnel down forever. The deepest part of Area Zero. I could only imagine what would be all the way down there.

Koraidon circled around until he found a flat surface to land beside an unused lab that was slightly overgrown with the environment. It looked cold and abandoned as if the professor hadn't entered it in years. We all hopped off. "Haha... I think I might've died once or twice there," Penny said, dizzily.

"And now I'm back here again," Arven sighed. I put my hand on his back to comfort him, but he pulled away and stretched into a tall, confident stance to come off unfazed. He didn't want the rest of the crew to know how much this place hurt him. His rotom phone buzzed angrily. He took it out of his pocket, and it flew out of his hand, overtaken by a third party.

"Biometric identification in progress..." it hummed. It was Professor Sada's voice. "Four humans identified. Condition satisfactory. Vital signs all within normal range." We were all confused. Did she say... humans? Her dialect was so awkward and alien. Why did she feel the need to point out we were... human? "It appears you were able to make the descent without being harmed."

Arven scoffed, angry at his absent mother. "Ha, yeah, sure! Smooth sailing! Who could possibly complain about a landing like that?" He hissed.

"That is good," Sada overlooked her son's tone. "I had concerns you might fail, given the crudeness of the only available access method."

Arven snarled at her negligence, and Penny pointed it out, "I think your moms sarcasm detector needs fixing."

Nemona, ever the more ignorant, ignored Arven's agitation to instead swoon over one of her idols. "Aw, you were worried about us? That's so sweet!" Arven didn't seem to be listening anymore.

"You should now make your way to me at the Zero Lab, in the deepest part of Area Zero," the professor explained. "However, the entrance to the lab is barred by four locks, installed on the exterior, which I cannot unlock."

"If she got into your phone and did all this, why can't she unlock them for us?" Penny asked, skeptically.

Sada, habitually, ignored her. "On your way to me, you must visit four research stations that were constructed inside the crater. At each station, you will be able to disable one of the locks. Do so as you make your way down. I hope you succeed." The phone faded to black, and Arven caught it as the rotom fell.

Nemona turned to the building beside us. "I guess this is one of them. Let's disable the locks and get into that lab!" She riled, already making her way over to the door. "Sounds kinda video-gamey when you say it out loud, huh? Come on!" Nemona dashed away, and Penny followed in suit. I took a look at the pit, spotting two other stations far below among the dispersing foliage, then I glanced up at my reserved boyfriend.