【 Crystal Treasures – Contents Page 】
Pokemon Scarlet Fanfic – Crystal Treasures: Prologue
【 Prologue: Treasure Hunt 】
Rhyme looks at his beloved Zeraora Zephyr, and thinks that he looks like a brilliant Terastallized Pokémon that’s been blown into a million tiny pieces.
Energy and life permeated the bustling streets, restaurants and commercial centres of Mesagoza, the largest city in the Paldea Region. Flowers, ice cream and balloon stalls were bright splashes of colours along the wide roads and city square, as charming as the sunny smiles of Mesagoza’s citizens themselves. Scanning the streets, one would easily notice the great number of youths in their bright white and orange uniforms, for the city was home to Paldea’s oldest school, Naranja Academy. The castle-like school building towered over the city, its doors open to students from various regions seeking knowledge about Pokémon.
Two boys, Rhyme and Leo, new exchange students who had just arrived from Aeos Island, were at the school grounds, trying to adjust to their new surroundings. Both were seasoned Trainers who participated in Aeos Island’s Unite Battles regularly, but had recently resigned and gone to Paldea in search of new adventures.
“You look great in a school uniform, Leo!” Rhyme laughed.
Battling daily in Aeos Island’s stadiums for a long time, the two usually wore much fancier clothing–bright, fashionable clothes for the stage, for the camera, for the great crowds cheering at them. Wearing something so mundane now actually felt new.
“Thanks for coming along to Paldea. You’re a good friend,” Rhyme continued.
“No worries! Not like I have anything else to do,” Leo replied with a grin. “This is a good change of pace.”
It had been Rhyme’s idea to go to Paldea. The stay was meant to be short–a break to recharge before heading to Kalos. Leo being his best friend, Rhyme had dragged the other boy along, arranging for both of them to enroll in Naranja Academy during the stay. The Academy’s director, Mr. Clavell, had been quite pleased to let them. The boys’ main Pokémon partners, two Zeraora, were rare Mythical Pokémon that weren’t found in Paldea and many other regions, so Naranja’s staff and students would benefit from seeing them.
“You doing okay, Zeph? Neon? Echo?” Rhyme asked, looking at his gentle-eyed Zeraora, Zephyr, Leo’s much larger and muscular Zeraora, Neon, and his Alolan Vulpix, Echo. The three were standing together behind the boys.
Neon replied with an annoyed grunt. Echo made a smug expression. Typical of them. Zephyr returned a happy face but a small meow, something only Rhyme would notice as a cause for worry. As Zephyr’s long-time partner, Rhyme knew that normally, the cat would be crazy excited to be in a new place, being the young and energetic Zeraora he was.
Truth was, Rhyme and Zephyr’s exit from Unite Battles hadn’t been as clean as they had hoped. The pair were quite famous on Aeos Island, so they wanted to aim high during their final battles there. But circumstances hadn’t been so forgiving, and they didn’t make it. Even so, they wanted to stay positive and move forward. Rhyme could tell that Zephyr was doing his best, but it seemed that he wasn’t able to let go very well.
“Zera!” Zephyr, noticing the worry on Rhyme’s brows, made a louder, more energetic meow just for him.
Rhyme chuckled a little at the cat’s attempt to cheer him up. His chest felt heavy. He secretly swore that he’d make things right again and get Zephyr back to his usual cheerful self. It was also one of Rhyme’s major intentions for going on this trip, after all.
“Look out, Zeph. We’ll be doing lots of fun things from tomorrow. Paldea has a lot to offer!” Rhyme assured. He then looked at his phone.
“Oh, look at the time! Mr. Clavell told us to see him, right? Let’s go!”
In the principal’s office, Director Clavell sat at his desk, clad in his tailored orange suit, a deep frown gracing his otherwise kind features. He sifted uncomfortably through the documents and reports in his computer. His expression softened when he heard the door to his office open.
“Ah, Señor Rhyme and Señor Leo,” Clavell greeted as the boys entered with their Pokémon. He brushed his white hair aside to adjust his round glasses. “Been expecting you.”
“Afternoon, Señor Clavell! Hope we didn’t keep you waiting,” Rhyme greeted back. Leo closed the door behind them softly.
“Worry not. You’re on time,” Clavell replied. “A pleasure to have you here. Your Zeraora are the talk of the school! Everyone must be looking at them since they’re such rare Pokémon.”
“Sure did! But everyone’s so friendly and gave them snacks, so it was nice,” Leo laughed. Neon grumbled from behind him, not really enjoying all the attention as a more solitary Zeraora.
“Good to hear that you’re blending in nicely, señors.” Clavell looked pleased. “Now, I’ve summoned you here to talk about what you’ll do during your stay. It’s a short stay, so I’d like to make sure that you have a good and memorable one befitting of Naranja Academy’s standards.”
“That’s very kind!” Rhyme thanked. “We’ll do our best to make it fruitful as Naranja’s students, too!”
“Very well.” Clavell nodded in approval, taking out his phone and pressing a few buttons. Rhyme and Leo’s phones beeped in unison. Clavell proceeded to explain their itinerary.
“I’ve added Paldea’s complete map to your phones. Naranja Academy has an independent study assignment called the Treasure Hunt, where students explore Paldea on their own to get first hand knowledge about Pokémon from experience. I recommend that you participate in this assignment since it’s a quick way to see all of Paldea for yourselves. The school will support you with any difficulty.”
Rhyme listened attentively. The promise of a wonderful adventure ahead sold the idea to him immediately.
“Of course! It would be an honor!” He replied gleefully. Leo nodded along.
“Good. However, there’s something you should look out for,” Clavell suddenly warned, his expression becoming stern.
“Two Koraidon that’s been left in the school’s care broke out of our grounds recently. They’re powerful and ancient dragon Pokémon, and one of them is known to be quite… brutish and dangerous. Civilian safety’s at risk, so we’re working to recover them as quickly as possible.”
“O-Oh…” Rhyme glanced at Leo in surprise, not expecting the sudden danger. Clavell smiled at them reassuringly.
“Well, I’ve heard that you’re both amazing Trainers where you came from, señors. From your applications, I judged that you and your Pokémon are very capable of battling the two Koraidon. If it’s not too much to ask, can you battle and capture the dragons if you happen to run into them on your journey? We’ll think of a good reward for you afterwards.”
“Haha…” Rhyme laughed nervously, a little unsure.
He looked at Zephyr and Neon, then. Echo, capable of understanding the human language, had been translating everything into Pokémon language for the two Zeraora. Neon looked quite pumped at the promise of fighting something strong, much better for him than just sitting around at school as the students’ entertainment. Zephyr, being given a new task, seemed to have a new spark in his eyes, too.
The embers of a dying flame trying to come back to life.
Rhyme wouldn’t let it blow out, so he made up his mind and agreed to Clavell’s invitation. “Leave it to us!”
“Bravo, señors, I knew we can count on you. I’ll add the Koraidon’s data to your phones, too.” Clavell clapped, pleased. He then produced three Poké Balls from his suit pocket and let the Pokémon in them out–a Sprigatito, a Fuecoco, and a Quaxly, all bright-eyed and curious.
“My three lovely assistants,” Clavell explained. “I’ve brought them around on my diplomatic trips across Paldea, so they know the terrain well. I need two of them with me for daily tasks, but one can assist you on your journey. I suppose the two of you would be traveling together? Which of my assistants would you like to come with you?”
“Oh, wow!” Rhyme exclaimed. “What do you think, Leo?”
“Hm? Oh! Well…” Leo scratched his head. “I’m used to Unite Battles, but I’ve never actually gone exploring with a Pokémon team before. You pick what’s easier for you, Rhyme. I’m happy if I have Neon.”
“You’ve never–…?!” Rhyme wanted to ask so many questions about how a healthy boy never had a Pokémon team before, but he decided to save that disbelief for another time. He squatted and studied the three little Pokémon assistants carefully.
“Well, I’ve always picked Fire-type Pokémon to accompany me on my journeys, so I’m most experienced with them,” Rhyme chuckled, remembering his first partner, Apple the Blaziken, who still accompanied him in the Poké Ball in his pocket.
“I’ll go with the Fuecoco, if that’s alright.”
“Ah, splendid choice,” Clavell nodded, ushering the little red crocodile to go with Rhyme. “His name’s Fuego. Be good to the señors, alright, Fuego?”
“Fue~!” Fuego cheered, giving Clavell a hug and running over to Rhyme and Leo eagerly. Rhyme petted his head.
“Haha, look at that. He’s a sweet one. We’ll be sure to take care of him!”
“Please do. And one last thing,” Clavell said, walking over to look out of the window at the vast stretch of the Paldean plains beyond Mesagoza’s walls. “Naranja’s Treasure Hunt is called so because our students explore Paldea in search of themselves, and through their experiences, a ‘treasure’ that they’ll always cherish.”
He then turned to Rhyme and Leo with a gentle smile. “I hope that this assignment will help you understand yourselves, each other, and your Pokémon better. May you have a great journey and may Paldea give you beautiful treasures to bring on your future adventures.”
Clavell’s words brought warmth to Rhyme’s heart. He could see Leo, Neon, Echo and Zephyr brimming with excitement in their own ways, too. They thanked Clavell and waved goodbye, heading for the wilderness.
Their Treasure Hunt had begun.
Trivia
- ‘Fuego’ means ‘fire’ in Spanish.
【 Crystal Treasures – Contents Page 】
