Ch 42. Underground city

(A/N: The updates won't be regular, as I need to write a lot more chapters before that to get the regular schedule back, but here is a rather long chapter to start with.)

With Lucario in front to scout the surroundings for any danger and Umbreon at his side for extra protection, Ares made his way upstream. Along the way he encountered various fossil Pokemon, mostly being Kabuto and Omanyte, as they were procurring water for themselves. These pokemon gathered in large groups, their eyes following any newcomer with high caution.

Making his way around them, Ares made sure to note down any information about them, pictures and film material included, for professor Oak. He would surely love to see this place.

Letting his Rotom phone record on its own, Ares was called over by Lucario, who had already moved further up ahead.

Running to catch up, what greeted him was a relatively large lake. Many a species of pokemon colonies were gathered there, not all of them being from known fossil restorations. The Aggron evolutionary line was present, as were the Golem-line and Steelix-line. Sitting on a ridge were about a dozen Aerodactyl. They peered down at those moving on the ground but didn't make a move.

Ares "It is amazing to see these pokemon living so peacefully amongst each other."

Ares mused out loud, slowly walking along the walls as he observed the many pokemon present before him.

The Aron and his evolutionary counterparts were muching on rocks, digging deep into the ground or walls. The Aggron, the leader of the group, looked around vigilantly. It kept a firm look out on its surroundings, his eyes fixated on pokemon that would get too close. It was surprising to see how docile it was, sharing its territory with the pokemon from other species.

Not wanting to be the one to set the big bomb off, Ares continued on his way, trekking up one of the many passageways, the pokemon around him became scarcer and scarcer. The few pokemon he did see, seemed to be hurrying away towards the lake.

Curious as to what the cause might be, Ares moved further up, only to be met with ruins.

There in the clearing, was a gigantic underground city, at least the ruins of a city. Some of the buildings were crumbling, while others were kept whole by roots reaching up from the ground to the ceilling. Above the city a massive hole was gaping at those below like a maw ready to swallow the city whole. Streaks of light were radiating from that hole, which might indicate a way out of the tunnels.

For now, he wanted to have a look around the ruins. Looking for a way out would come later.

Walking down cracked tiles, Ares and Lucario spread out in the city. The city was old, very old. Murals on the walls had descriptions of pokemon and humans, yet it seemed like the times then were far more dangerous than they were now.

The murals depicted a war between pokemon and humans, with only a few humans fighting alongside pokemon. The most common feature in this were the mass graves left behind each clash.

Letting his hands trail along the faded carvings, a single pokemon stood out from among the rest. A pokemon that appeared humanoid in form. The colors it was showed in were green and black, towering above the other pokemon and people in the story.

A single attack from that pokemon had wiped out the city, burrying it deep below the ground.

A single frame remained, showing a city in ruins as the Pokémon left.

Nothing else was shown, leaving Ares to ponder what kind of pokemon this creature was. He definitely didn't want to meet it, not when he wasn't strong enough to face it, let alone survive a single attack.

Following the still feasible pathways, they led him to a rather big building, one that seemed a lot like a church from the current time period.

Walking in, he stood face to face with multiple graves. Not of few of them as well, as they spread farther into the distance than the eye could see.

The building must have been connected to the cave, likely when the city was sunken.

Looking around, he spotted parts that were customized, going from crafted stone and wood, to the material scheme of the cave walls.

Stopping a few times in front of the graves, he wasn't surprised the language was unknown to him. The only thing he could recognize were the forms of the pokemon on the grave stones or the figures of humans engraved on the stone.

Not long after, Lucario returned, not much wiser than Ares himself after this trip. He was still unsure as to why some if not all pokemon avoided this place.

Leaving the graveyard behind, Ares moved towards the middle of the city, assuming something like a city square would still be present there. What he found however, gave him the answer to his previous question.

Why were the pokemon fleeing from this place?

In the town square, a rather large group of pokemon had gathered. They were strong looking pokemon, their attacks leaving shockwaves behind with every clash. Two pokemon were fighting each other, a Tyranitar was fighting against a Metagross.

The Pokémon watching from the side weren't any weaker than those fighting, as pokemon like Swampert, Bastiodon and Rampardos were standing there as well.

The few exceptions were the younger pokemon, who were looking at the fight in yearning.

The battle continued until Tyranitar sagged to its knees, crowning the Metagross as the victor. Metagross roared deafeningly to claim its victory, asserting its dominance over the others.

The pokemon on the side reeled back, intimidated by the Metagross. The Metagross passed through the crowd and overlooked the situation from a higher point of view, urging the rest to continue.

The crowd parted a bit as two small pokemon stepped forward, a Beldum and a Bronzor. They continued to stare at the other before they made their move. As both were steel and psychic types, the battle went both physical and mental. Attacks clashed, psychic powers were battering against the other, both sides getting injured.

It didn't take long for the Beldum to be overwhelmed, as he had limited attacks it could use. Eventually it was knocked out, the Bronzor humming in delight at having won.

The Metagross from before looked down at the fainted Beldum and roared in anger, agitating the Pokémon around him as well. A stampede ocurred as all of the Pokémon rushed forward, bumping into the other as they all rushed towards the fallen Beldum.

Ares watched on as this brutal scene happened, wondering if he should step in or not. He wasn't strong enough to fight all of these pokemon, let alone that Metagross. If he stepped in, he would disrupt the unique environment these pokemon had been living in for centuries.

So all he could do for no was wait and hope for the best.

After the chaos settled, the Pokémon group had moved on further into the city, leaving dead and injured pokemon behind. Most of the dead pokemon were the younger ones, while a few injured pokemon were limping after the group.

Surprisingly, the Beldum from before hadn't died yet, though it was in a rather bad shape.

Ares "Let's take him with us."

He had decided so after seeing the little guy battle, fighting tooth and nail for a chance, even if it had limited options.

Lucario grunted in agreement and smoothly crossed through littering piled of dead bodies, stopping from time to time near injured pokemon to leave some healing berries, skidding to a halt in front of the unconcious Beldum.

Grunting a bit from the weight, Lucario dragged the Beldum out of the city square. Arriving in front of his trainer, Lucario placed Beldum down and stood on guard to survey the surroundings with his aura for any dangers.

Getting a pokeball out of his bag, Ares pressed it gently to the Beldum. Beldum disappeared inside the ball, rolling thrice and capturing it without any problems.

Ares "Let's get out of here Lucario. We need to find a safe spot above ground to help this little friend."

Lucario nodded, taking of towards an elevated platform, one closest to the hole in the ceiling. Running along swiftly, Ares followed. They both used their aura to scan the area in front of them, avoiding any pokemon they were about to run into.

At last they arrived on the platform. A rugged wall on the side provided enough grip to climb up. Ares didn't want to take out Pidgeot, as the pokemon here might be alarmed and shoot him down, so he had no choice but take the old fashioned way.

The way up was long and dangerous, as the amount of Aerodactyl and Archeops was larger than expected. Increasing their pace, they barely made their way through the small openings, having been attacked by the fossil pokemon more than once. Each time, Lucario would blast them down with and aura sphere or deflect the attack.

So when they finally made their way back to the surface, they were covered in sweat and dust, yet only smiles were seen on their faces.

The surroundings had changed from the underground city ruins, into a vibrant forest in the mountains. A bit away from them, a mansion could be seen, just within a days walk.

Getting out his Rotom phone, he marked the location he was at now, making sure he would sent the info to professor Oak.

Ares "Now for our little friend."

Ares let Beldum out of its pokeball, being slightly surprised the Beldum was already up and about, even with the injuries it still had.

The Beldum kept a clear distance from him and Lucario, but didn't run away. It observed its surroundings, not able to stand still when it was surrounded by things unknown to it.

Ares "Calm down."

Ares spoke with a soft and gentle tone, not saying anything more. The thing Beldum needed the most right now was a chance to calm down. The rest would come later.

Beldum was starting to panic, but calmed down a little when Ares spoke to him. It was a first seeing a human, let alone the pokemon at the human's side, Beldum was confused by the situation he had found himself in. One moment he was fighting, trying to prove his worth to his parent, the next he was abandonned for being weak, an outcast, deemed unworthy as his parent decided he was better of dead.

Now he was in a place filled with light, greenery and a breeze he had never felt in his home before. Everything was too much for him to take in.

Ares "Just... just lay down. Stop thinking about anything and just... feel."

Ares sat down, patting the ground besides him as Lucario took a seat as well.

Ares "The world above the ground is so much bigger than the place you just were. There are so many places still unknown, for you even more than for me."

Beldum soon calmed down as he landed on the ground, feeling the warmth of the sun warming up his steel body. A bit farther away, he spotted flying pokemon, Butterfree, which were more beautifull than anything he had ever seen before. Their vividly colored wings reflected the sun, showing a spectrum of different colors.

When the world below the ground was dark and grey, the world above ground was so colorful and lively.

Closing his eye, Beldum dozed off, too tired and injured to even move.

Coming closer, ever so slowly, Ares began to treat Beldum's wounds. His body had been covered in greyish black grime, which were getting into the cracks that had formed in Beldum's steel body.

Wiping it carefully, a shining silver color was revealed.