Desolate [Pokémon Arven x Protagonist]

The Deepest Layer

We headed back inside after our hearts settled down from the moment, the two girls staring at us, poorly acting as if they had no idea what had happened. "The volcarona are gone!" I announced. "Who's ready to knock this last research station out!"

"Let's gooo!" Nemona threw her arms in the air and skipped outside to take a look at the path ahead. The crater tunneled down into what looked to be a cave. It was pitch black, looking towards the bottom. We would likely have to use a Pokémon as a light source. The tunnel was radiating a soft glow, so we'd be able to see the outlines of each other, at least for a little while. Arven paid the third research station a final glance before joining us, all in a line, excitedly, though anxiously, into the dark. The tunnel was wide enough for us all to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. As our clothes darkened to black, I felt our group clump together to avoid any of us getting lost. I felt Arven's hand brush against mine, and I held it tightly. It was too dark for anyone to see us anyway.

The air turned especially cold, and the walkway started to open up. There was a purple glow coming from inside the crater, and we kept pressing forward. The crater lit up with teal blue light that was casted by huge, white crystals that protruded from the walls and ground. It was stunning how the lights danced on the crater walls. We stopped at a fence that ended not far from where we came out. We were finally able to see the bottom of Area Zero. It was still far down below us, but I could see water shimmering on the surface.

"Oh my gosh, look at all these huge, gorgeous crystals!" Nemona leaned over the railing to look deeper. "They go all the way to the bottom!"

Penny pulled her back. "One slip and we can kiss our short lives goodbye."

Nemona steadied herself. "Oh, good call! Watch your step!" Penny rolled her eyes.

Arven brought me next to where Nemona was peeking over and reclined more safely on the barrier. "So the professor's down there somewhere... waiting for us. And that's... fine. Totally fine." He swallowed, nervously. I put an arm around him. We would be meeting his mom today. She was just a few minutes away. I was starting to feel a bit anxious as well. No one had any idea what Professor Sada wanted, and no one in Paldea had heard from her in years.

"Are you ready to go?" I muttered to Arven, not wanting to push him forward when he wasn't ready.

"Yeah... yeah, let's go." Arven put on a confident demeanor that I could see straight through, but he began to lead the way down anyway. There was no longer a railing at the sides, and the ground beneath us was a slippery, moist stone. We all followed in a line as close to the center of the walkway as possible. Pokémon around us were more abundant, but every single one of them were foreign to us. There were altered jigglypuff, volcarona, magneton and the floating pokemon we fought earlier. They had attached themselves to the wall and were surrounded by what looked to be their pre-evolutions. They looked like tiny flower buds that were unopened. Along with all the familiar unfamiliarities, I noticed misdreavus, amoonguss, and a single sighting of a salamence gliding above us. It was strange how only a select few species of Pokémon inhabited the area. Unlike the rest of the island where regional species commonly blended into each other, the crater past the first few research stations were exclusively populated by a countable variety.

"So Koraidon came to our age through the time machine," Nemona pondered. "Then it lived here awhile with the professor? Along with another one of its kind?"

Penny was following behind her, at the tail of our pack. "That seems to be the story."

"So we brought it back home, kind of! Or to its second home, at least!"

"I guess this place should be familiar to it, sure."

"Awww, that's great! A chance to unwind and bask in the familiarity!"