Chapter Text
The night was calm as it usually was. By the time you clocked in for work at the Museum any stray people trying to hide overnight had been taken care of by previous shifts and it was just you and history. Quite literally a dead silence. That was part of the appeal though, open space not swarming with people and din all while surrounded by the exhibits. Stories and places of the past, relics and excerpts of myths from across the regions. Great Pokémon who wielded the strength of storms, from the vast sky to the great oceans, creatures that people believed moved the crust of the earth and even more obscure legends that spoke of the beginning of everything.
Of course stories were simply stories, how true they were a blurry line to say the absolute least, though they were fascinating nonetheless. They were chock-full of whimsy and adventures no longer found much. Of course gym challenges persisted, champions and elite four, but becoming a serious trainer became more obsolete. Towns became cities and people grew up, Pokémon worked in the task force just like people, though some still roamed the preserved wilds and there were areas untouched and buzzing with possible mystery.
Your flashlight clicked to life with the flick of a switch, pale light illuminating halls of legends and stretching shadows through the dark corridors. Technically you were on patrol, though it was more like a leisurely stroll through the exhibits. Making sure everything was safe and that nothing was disturbed, reporting any damages and straightening up where you could. You were by the Sinnoh Wing — you could tell from memory as the layout of the museum was more familiar to you than the back of your hand, it was a second home — when you heard movement and a slight clatter.
Hurrying you rushed to the noise, although you were quiet even in your hurry. A ball on your hip bounced, a Pokémon you were supplied from work in case of emergency. It was a canid that was suited to your hours much like you were. Turning through the hall and entering a room you shined your light, announcing your presence.
“The museum’s closed, make this easy and come on out.”
Old texts were spread, the walls depicting murals and art preserved from this era in Sinnoh’s history. It was one of the many major regions that your museum had large exhibits on. Skeletons of Pokémon of the past loomed, model bones shining as light swept over and through them. As you swept the room you reached the back, roped off was a replica of an ancient statue, six legs being all that remained. Something small danced through the air, fluttering into your field of view as it twinkled in the light and fell to the ground.
A feather, silky and white. ‘Did a stray flying type get in?’ You looked around, the light spinning through the dark before going upwards. A Togekiss was perched by the roof, though it wasn’t alone. What sat atop it was partially obscured by the rotund body, but what caught the light revealed it was less of a something and more of a some one . Peering down at you a single slate eye caught the light. It was surprising and rather eerie given the hour so you couldn’t help but jolt, a crude exclamation of surprise escaping you.
You didn't expect to see a person, the hand not on your light shifting to the ball on your hip as you caught your breath after the shock.
“Museum’s closed.” You sighed, Togekiss weren’t known for being violent, they hated unnecessary conflict. “Come on down, or did you get stuck up there?”
There was a moment of silence, then a strong woosh as the Togekiss descended, the trainer accompanying it sliding off and oh wow . The stranger was tall and blond, though despite his height he wasn’t lanky or spindly — instead balanced and graceful even with his height, a hard to read poker face coated the elegant features that weren’t obscured by the fringe that covered one of his eyes. Seeing a Togekiss was considered good luck, even now they were still sparse. ‘Is he a trainer?’
“Well sir if you follow me I’ll take you to the exit, next time come during opening hours.”
“I’m just here to study the exhibits, no reason to escort me out.”
“Al- Excuse me?”
“I’m simply here to do some research without interruptions, I wouldn’t call that criminal.”
You were a bit taken aback by the strangely familiar pretty boy’s boldness. He spoke matter-of-factly, like he was stating something plain and simple and not saying ‘oh yeah you shouldn’t kick me out I just don’t like people’. Most sane people would’ve kicked him out, but you had an inkling of understanding of the strange person already. You couldn’t say you liked the crowds yourself, and the presence of the Togekiss made you hesitate to view him like a vandal or thief. With a soft sigh you checked the time then looked over the man once more. His Togekiss trilled, wings fluttering.
“One hour, then you leave.”
He smiled at you, though you didn’t walk away.
“You’re going to be supervised. No touching any of the exhibits.”
‘I could lose my job for this.’ You weren’t entirely sure why you were allowing this. Maybe it was the fact that you trusted his Pokémon, maybe it was the fact that he- ‘wait.’
“How did you get in?”
There wasn’t any sign of forced entry here, and you hadn’t heard anything loud enough to imply he’d broken in. The man had been staring at the statue behind him when you asked, he gestured to a window overhead.
“I let myself in.”
Then he turned back to the statue and you would do the same after glancing up to the shut window above. There was a silence, almost solemn as he stared at the replica. Abruptly he would turn away, looking at the other pieces of history in the room. Paintings, there were even old photographs preserved from a time long since passed.
“I take it you’re interested in Ancient Sinnohan history?”
“You could say that.”
He mused with his back to you as he studied the displays. The man took his time with the exhibits, though something about it seemed different. He had almost an air of mystery to him, though you couldn’t place why. ‘He did drop in on a Togekiss just to look at a museum exhibit alone.’ That was admittedly pretty weird.
“Are you a Pokémon trainer?”
His attention turned from a photograph of a pair of teenagers — the two of them smiling and an excerpt of a legend about them beside it — to you for a moment. You finally got to see his face again, glints of emotions you couldn’t make out in the low light reflected in his eyes.
“Of a certain manner, yes.”
There was a pause, the cryptic man not making much attempt to keep the conversation going, leaving you to pick up the slack if you wanted it to continue.
“So why’re you interested in Old Sinnohan history?”
He paused, looking away and back to the picture. You shined your light on the excerpt beside it. “Ancient stories said that a stranger fell from the sky. Legend goes they were incredibly gifted with Pokémon handling and taming for the era.”
‘Fell from the sky, huh?’ You glanced at the man and his Togekiss, in a way it paralleled how you met him, the charming coincidence not lost on you as you kept reading. “...Many records share rather similar depictions of both the fallen hero’s appearance and the events on how they managed to calm frenzied Pokémon across the region, as well as unite the rivaling major clans of the time. It’s because of this that historians are inclined to believe the stories are true, although the true details are lost time and the stories are widely agreed to be exaggerated due to the period’s less widespread understanding of Pokémon.”
“Pretty interesting story,” your light moved from the words to the two smiling faces once more. “Do you believe it, someone falling from the sky and doing all that?”
“I do.”
He answered immediately and you were a bit surprised he actually answered this question considering how reserved he was when you’d asked about his interest prior. Shifting your weight idly you paused to think, gather your words and thoughts. He wasn’t joking, serious and almost grim in his tone. It was weirdly intense for something like a story of a person falling from the sky.
“You a scholar or something? You said you were researching this stuff.”
He finally turned from the picture, his Togekiss nudging his leg and murmuring to him. You felt like an outsider looking in, there had to be more context that you were missing here. The tall man tilted his head towards you, watching with his one visible eye.
“It’s a hobby of mine, that’s all.”
“Oh, I can understand that. That’s why I work here,” the beacon of light in your hand tracing over the elaborate room, “Even if it’s missing details, the past has some really interesting mysteries.”
You looked at it all, the big displays and various plaques of information. You’d learned a lot working here, some of the relevant information coming to mind. If history was a shared interest then maybe you could start a conversation from that.
“Sinnoh is the home of the myth of a Pokémon that created the universe. They called it Arceus, did you know that the… myth… has…”
That hope for a pleasant conversation built on mutual interest quickly soured though as your sentence died off when you saw the intense look on his face, gray eye swirling with a maelstrom of emotions. An entire cold front ran down your spine at the sight and unconsciously you took a step back, grabbing the pokeball on your hip roughly. It felt warm in your palm, the partner inside responding to your stress. The intensity felt even worse when it was suddenly all on you.
“Tell me more.”
The words were sharp, menacing. The sudden darkness akin to a suffocating miasma or a build up of sweltering hot air trapped around you. Your heart rate sped up and you felt like you were facing down a ferocious wild Pokémon, although it was simply a man. A taller, broad shouldered man, but a mortal man nonetheless.
“It spread to Al-Alola, they tried to recreate it. Then it’s said that even Galar made a copy of it.”
“How?! Did it work!?”
“I don’t know! What’s up with you!?”
You didn’t like how scary he’d gotten as he stared you down with that unyielding blaze, the look was starved and voracious. Suddenly even the Togekiss wasn’t comforting. Just as spontaneously as he’d all but pinned you down with his eyes — despite only seeing one you could feel both burning into you — he’d turned away, his Togekiss making a worried chirp. You felt a weight lifted off your chest as his focus wasn’t on you, air rushing into your lungs as if you’d been strangled. Then he began to briskly leave the room.
“Wh-where are you going?”
“To investigate what you mentioned.”
“H-huh?”
“I am going to seek out the details of the replica of Arceus.”
“Are- are you insane? Do you know how far away that is?! Or even where to start?”
“No, but you mentioned Alola… and Galar.”
His gaze was back on you again, although the fire was reigned in you still felt unnerved.
“What do you say about a trip?”