Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

His brain now a pile of mush, Lucas raised his head towards the voice. Floating above him and slowly descending was the weirdest Pokemon he'd ever seen. It looked like a giant blue bell with two flat arms coming out of its sides. Two red protrusions came out of the lower part of its body, what appeared to be its eyes. But strangest of all was the hole under it, which revealed its body to be completely hollow.

A person stood on top of it. A tall, slim man with blue hair which went up in a crescent shape. Something about his white and black uniform looked so familiar to Lucas, though he had trouble identifying it in the state he was in, halfway into a panic attack.

The man jumped from his Pokemon and landed in front of him. His deep blue eyes reflected clear worry.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. His voice was low and melodious. "When your beacon appeared in my Pokétch and I saw where you were… I came here as fast as I could!"

Lucas had trouble responding, partly due to the state of shock he was still in and also because he was somewhat drawn in by the man's handsome features. He couldn't be much older than him, a couple years at most. His face was round and his cheeks somewhat rosy, and the nervous smile across his face made the boy blush. At least until his gaze averted from him and fell on the unconscious body of his Noctowl.

"T-Tiresias!" he yelled, pushing the man aside as he ran towards his Pokemon. "She's hurt! That thing bit her and... and…"

The man stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. Without saying a word he knelt in front of Tiresias, touching her side and inspecting the dark spots on her body.

"Wh…" Lucas whispered, lower lip trembling. "What are you doing?"

He didn't respond. His fingers grazed the stained feathers while he took a closer look at the wound. After a few seconds he sighed in relief and smiled.

"That Drapion used Fire Fang, didn't she?"

Lucas was caught off guard by the question, but he nodded slowly.

"Thought so. You were lucky." He put a hand over his knee and pushed himself to his feet. "The fire that coated her fangs not only momentarily killed the venom but it also cauterized the wound shut. Your Noctowl will be okay, though you'll need to take her to a Pokemon Center."

A sound halfway between a sob and a sigh of relief fell from Lucas' lips. He lowered his head as he tried to hide his tears and took Tiresias' Pokeball in his hand, returning her to it.

"T-thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done if…" He gulped, the words getting caught in his throat. "Also… sorry for the trouble and um… not introducing myself. I'm Lucas."

The stranger let out a sweet, gentle laugh. "Don't worry about it. You were understandably worried about your Pokemon, and to me that makes you worth saving already." He extended one of his hands forward, which Lucas shook a bit too enthusiastically. "You can call me Saturn. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Another flash of familiarity crossed his mind. Something about the man's name and his outfit… it was somewhat familiar and filled his chest with an uncomfortable feeling that he couldn't place. Though he didn't have much time to think about it as Saturn addressed him again.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I…?" He pointed at the unconscious body of the Drapion, and took out a Pokeball from his pocket. "Were you planning on catching her? Because if not, I could really use someone this powerful in my team."

Lucas shook his head weakly, taking a few steps back from the sleeping beast.

"I don't want anything to do with that thing," he said. "You can have it."

He smiled brightly and threw the device at the Drapion's chest, which enveloped her in a red glow and turned her body into light, trapping her inside. The Pokeball shook three times before closing with an electronic beep. With grace, the man knelt to grab it and hung it from his belt before walking towards Lucas again.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing here?" He looked around, taking in the remnants of the battle. "Didn't you hear that strange things have been happening around the lake lately?"

"I came to study just that," he replied as he returned Archimedes and Sierpinski to their Pokeballs. "I wanted to come up with a theory as to why the lake turned so cold, but…" He sighed and looked at the broken piece of frozen ground where the Drapion stood a few seconds before. "I never expected to run into… that."

"Well, they're certainly not native to Lake Valor," nodded Saturn. "This Drapion probably came here from the Great Marsh down south. There have been unusual Pokemon sightings around the place in the last few months."

"Yeah, that's what I heard too. But it doesn't make sense… what could cause such a drastic change in the enviroment?"

There was a heavy pause. Saturn stared at him for a few seconds, a puzzling look shadowing his face. Lucas felt the weight of his stare and couldn't help but take a careful step back. Saturn tapped his feet against the ground rhythmically, arms crossed and eyebrows knit together. He seemed to be deliberating something, and judging by the seriousness of his expression it looked to be a matter of life and death.

"Lucas…" he finally said, his tone startling the boy. "Tell me, have you heard of the legend of the Lake Guardians?"

The question caught him more than a little off guard. Out of all the things he expected to hear from Saturn, a question about legends wasn't one of them, especially since it really didn't seem like his style. It wasn't like Lucas wasn't accustomed to or interested in myths, but he simply didn't care about them as much as cold, concrete facts.

"I… think so, yes." He nodded weakly. "Azelf, Mesprit and… Uxie, right?"

"Yes, exactly. Do you know their story?"

"Their story…" He deliberated for a second, trying to remember what he'd read long ago. "If I remember correctly… it was said that they were created by Arceus when the world came into being, and each of them holds one of the pieces to the human spirit… or something like that. And for thousands of years they've been bonding with humans... or so the stories say," he chuckled, not really believing a word of it. "There's plenty of tales about that, but no recent examples."

Saturn's eyes brightened, as if he couldn't be more delighted he remembered the myth correctly. The sight of such a smile forced the boy to lower his head, cheeks flushed.

"And you know what happened after?" he prompted, raising his hand palm up.

"I…" Lucas bit his lip, drawing a blank. "N-no, I don't think so."

He saw the man clap his hands together, as if he had received the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Once the guardians gave their gifts to humanity, they were ordered by Arceus to rest, until their power were needed once more," he explained. "Mesprit settled west of what one day would become Twinleaf Town, and with its incredible power it carved a gigantic crater in the middle of the forest and made the humans build a temple for it to sleep in. Azelf and Uxie followed their sibling's example, choosing northeast of Pastoria and west of Snowpoint respectively for their new homes."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. Those giant craters… he couldn't possibly mean…

Saturn couldn't help but smile at the dumbfounded expression of the boy. It wasn't just any day he got to impress someone with this information.

"That's right; as the centuries passed rain and storm filled the craters until they became Lake Verity, Lake Valor and Lake Acuity. It also eroded the temples built in the guardians' honor, turning them into the mysterious caves that lay at their center."

Lucas was entranced by his story, even if part of his mind doubted the veracity of it. Still, the clear passion behind his words, the way his eyebrows knit together and his fingers curled into fists as he spoke… he couldn't help but feel moved by it.

"That's amazing…" he whispered. "But… what does that have to do with what we were talking about?"

Saturn looked left and right, a scowl forming on his face as if he were wary of someone listening in on them. After a few seconds he got close to Lucas -a bit too close for his liking- and looked at him with the most serious expression he could muster.

"Can you keep a secret, Lucas?" He put a hand on his shoulder, squishing it lightly. "I'm not supposed to talk about this, but after meeting you here today…" He smiled. "I feel like I can trust you."

Lucas let out a faded gasp of excitement. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"I'm part of… well, you could call it a nonprofit organization," he said, thinking over his words carefully. "We work all over Sinnoh with the express purpose of making this world a better place."

Lucas raised an eyebrow unconsciously, and Saturn couldn't help but laugh.

"I know it sounds… inane," he admitted. "But I can assure you we and our objectives are serious. For years we've been doing everything in our power to right the wrongs done to this region."

Lucas' fingers twirled as he listened carefully, eyes opened like plates.

"I didn't mean to insult you." Shame crept up his body as he spoke. "I just… didn't know a group like that existed in Sinnoh."

Saturn's chest puffed with pride at the kid's words, and a somewhat smug expression landed on his face.

"We only want what's best for everyone," he said. "If you had the chance to change this world for the better, wouldn't you grab the opportunity by the horns like a Bouffalant?"

Lucas stood quiet, unsure of how to respond. He'd never thought about his dreams in the same vein as trying to make things better for people, even if his actions would lead to something like that. The pursuit of his own desires had always come first, which sounded really bad now that he had stopped to think about it.

He remembered Inyssa and Barry, and the way they had inspired him to begin his journey, even if they didn't mean to. He smiled, pressing a hand against his chest.

"I feel like I should try to help people by doing what I like," he told Saturn, voice firm and determined. "Most of the bad things that happen around the world are caused by lack of information. People make terrible decisions because they don't have enough data to guide their actions, and everyone around them ends up suffering because of that…"

Saturn listened to him carefully, somewhat taken aback by his elaborate response.

"I started working for Rowan because I wanted to learn the secrets of this world…" He looked down to his palm, a sad smile across his face. "If I can just learn everything I can and explore to my heart's content… then the information I gather might prevent bad things from happening in the future. That's the way I want to help this world."

A long silence swept across the shore, lasting long enough that Lucas started to fear he'd given the wrong answer. But Saturn simply looked down and smiled wistfully, as if his response had reminded him or something.

"I knew I could trust you…" he whispered to himself. "Very well, I'll share with you what I know. Are you sure you want to learn this information?"

Lucas nodded strongly, and felt the man's heavy gaze on him. He opened his mouth and spoke slowly, barely above a whisper.

"The reason the lake is in such a condition… the reason the Pokemon around here have been acting so aggressively…" Saturn furrowed his brow, his expression turning serious. "That's because Azelf isn't here anymore. It's been stolen."

"Wh-what!?" Lucas' eyes opened wide and his beret fell slightly to the side. "What do you mean stolen? Who could…?"

He stopped when he set his eyes on Saturn. The man's lips were pale and thin and his eyebrows were knit together so strongly he could see all the wrinkles covering his forehead. A shadow of something hidden and dangerous flashed across his face, and for the first time Lucas felt somewhat scared of him.

"One of our former members." He spit the words like they were poison. "She betrayed us and took the guardian for herself, even going as far as killing her friends to escape." He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if what he was saying were causing him pain. "If it weren't for her the bridge leading to Eterna City wouldn't have been destroyed, either."

Lucas' mouth hung slightly opened. He couldn't believe Saturn's words; to think someone would be willing to do something so horrible…

"I'm… so sorry." He lowered his head, avoiding the man's gaze. "That's detestable. That woman… I hope someone catches her soon."

"It's not your fault," he said. "In any case, there's your reason. Azelf exuded power even through its sleeping body, keeping the lake and the forest around it alive. Without it… Well, you can see it yourself." He gestured all around, from the frozen shore to the twisted and dry trees surrounding them. "Everything becomes cold and lifeless."

Lifeless was a good way to describe it, Lucas thought. From the first moment he set foot on the forest leading towards the lake he could feel his energy and enthusiasm being sapped from him. Despair clung to the leaves and ground, happy to eat alive whatever came in unprepared.

Rage flared inside his stomach. He couldn't help but hate the unknown woman which turned such a beautiful place into… this.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud ringing noise, which also managed to startle Saturn. The man looked at the custom Pokétch on his wrist, and narrowed his eyes at the name of the person currently calling him.

"It's from one of my coworkers," he sighed. "I hope you don't mind, it will be just a second."

Lucas stammered around three different responses into a garbled mess of words. Saturn seemed to understand as he nodded and took out a small earphone from the side of the Pokétch, connecting it to his ear.

The woman stood in the middle of the dark room, Pokétch raised to her lips. A devious smile adorned her face.

"Commander Saturn here," the voice at the other side of the device spoke. "What is it, Mars?"

She allowed herself a second of silence, while she reached for a photo frame atop the dinner table and looked at it. Three people were depicted in the picture; two young kids and a tall, old man with silver hair.

"Always so professional…" she whispered, her voice sending chills down the spine of the two Galactic grunts standing behind her. "Aren't you happy to hear my voice again?"

Saturn let out a frustrated sigh.

"Can you please get to the point? I'm in the middle of something here."

"You're seriously no fun."

"The point, please."

She set the frame on the table again, shifting her feet over the sticky dark red covering the floor beneath her. The outline of a body could be seen lying next to them.

"Doctor Willow has been taken care of," she said matter of factly. "He won't do anything else to hinder our plans."

"...I see. In that case, we can start a search for Ursa and those documents tod-"

"That's not all."

Saturn's voice came to a halt, and Mars couldn't help but smile at the sound of it.

"One of my grunts found the girl. Inyssa," she said. "Turns out she really is in Veilstone after all."

There was a short silence before Saturn spoke again.

"…Understood. I will arrange a team to her location."

"No," she cut him off, voice sharp and rough. "She's mine. I'll take care of it."

Another sigh reached her ears, this one just a tad more exaggerated than the last.

"Very well, I will leave that to you. Report back to base once you're done, and no further transmissions unless necessary."

"Have a nice day," she whispered as she finished the call.

She threw her arms backwards and put them behind her head, a satisfied smile showing on her lips. After a few seconds she turned around, and her dark red eyes met Pyxis and Orion's.

"It's time to move out," she said. "We have some scores to settle."

Saturn took the earphone out and sighed, his shoulders dropping.

"Is… is there something wrong?" Lucas asked behind him.

He turned around and formed a gentle smile. "Nothing to worry about, just work-related stuff. My coworker can be such a pain sometimes." He took a hand to his hair, ruffling it. "I should probably get back soon, I'm sure I'll have to file a mountain of paperwork due to her recklessness soon."

Disappointment set on the pit of Lucas' stomach, turning his mouth sour.

"I… I understand," he nodded, trying not to sound too disheartened. "I hope she doesn't make you work that much this time."

"We can all hope." He laughed. "But before I go, I wanted to ask. How are you planning to get back to Pastoria? It's getting late."

Panic filled him as he realized the situation he was in. Both Tiresias and Archimedes were hurt by their fight, and Sierpinski couldn't handle very well on ground. He had no way of getting back safely.

Saturn seemed to understand, and without doubt he looked for something inside his pocket. He took out a black and gold Pokeball, caressing it with his fingers.

"You really should have a Pokemon for this kind of situation," he advised. "Someone who can either teleport or fly you out of trouble."

Lucas lowered his head, ashamed. "I… haven't been able to catch a psychic Pokemon yet, and my Noctowl isn't strong enough to carry me for l-"

"Here, catch."

Saturn threw the Pokeball upwards at his face, and Lucas desperately tried to catch it, flailing his arms spastically. His fingers grazed the edges of it and he barely managed to grab it before it fell to the ground.

"Since you let me have that Drapion, I thought it'd be fitting for me to give you something in return," Saturn explained. "That Pokemon will be able to get you safely back to Pastoria. And don't be intimidated by how he looks. He's a total softie."

"W-what!?" he stammered, his heart beating like drums inside his chest. "I can't… I can't accept…"

Saturn raised a hand to cut him off, sporting an amused smile. "It's okay, he was caught very recently and I already had six members in my team. He'll obey you as if you were his original trainer."

Lucas wanted to protest, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. After a few heartbeats he simply lowered his head and nodded.

"Thank you so much," he said. "I'll treasure it dearly."

With that settled Saturn turned towards his odd metallic Pokemon, putting a hand over its sleek body. He looked at Lucas one last time before leaving.

"I'm very glad I got to meet you, Lucas," he said, turning the boy's face completely red. "I'm sure we'll run into each other again."

Lucas nodded so strongly he almost hurt his neck. "Y-yes! I hope we… I mean, I'm sure that will happen, yes!"

The man laughed at his endearing tangling of words, and just before his Pokemon teleported them out of the lake he winked at him.

"Until next time, friend."