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All Pokémon that lived in and around Ecruteak City knew about the Burned Tower and the five legendary Pokémon connected to it. There were lots of stories about it. Some where legends about the five legendary Pokémon and some were ghost stories that the older pre-evolutions loved to tell the younger ones to scare them. Their parents were always telling them to stay away from the Burned Tower and, if they wanted to play in a tower, they should go to the Tin Tower. But that didn't stop the younger ones from telling stories and some were so elaborate and intertwined with legends that it was hard to tell fact from fiction.
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"You know what's in the Burned Tower, don't you?" a Quilava said.
The little Pokémon shook their heads.
"The ghosts of the Pokémon that were trapped inside when it was struck by lighting and caught fire."
"Scorch!" came a voice and he turned to see a Typhlosion, his mother. "Stop trying to scare your sister and her friends."
The little Cyndaquil looked at the Typhlosion.
"It's okay, Mommy," she said. "We know that there's no such thing as ghosts; only Ghost-Type Pokémon."
"Be that as it may, your brother still shouldn't try to scare you. Now go play with your friends."
"Yes, Mommy."
The Cyndaquil and her friends hurried off. The Typhlosion turned to Scorch, fixing him with a gaze that had intimidated many opponents in battle.
"Be back home before dark. With your sister," she said.
"Yes, Mom," Scorch said.
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The Typhlosion, blind in one eye and scared from many battles, looked up as his children entered.
"Your mother told me you were causing trouble," he said to Scorch.
"I was just telling Cinder a story, Dad," Scorch said.
"About the Burned Tower?"
Scorch looked away.
"Do you even know the story of the tower?"
Scorch and Cinder shook their heads.
"Tell them, Torch," his mate said. "It may teach Scorch to respect the place and not try to scare Cinder with stories."
"Before it burned down and the Tin Tower was built, it was a sacred place in town," Torch said. "Trainers and Pokémon would come from all over to see it and it was rumored to be home to the legendary Pokémon of Jhoto."
"Entei, Raikou, and Suicune," Cinder said excitedly.
"And Ho-oh," Torch said. "And sometimes Lugia."
Scorch snorted. He'd heard stories of Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Ho-oh, and Lugia since he'd been a Cyndaquil as well as Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres from Kanto; Latias, Latios, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza from Hoenn; Unie, Mesprit, Azelf, Dialga, and Palkia from Sinnoh; and Reshiram and Zekrom from Unova but, because no one had seen them in generations, he didn't believe that they existed. He was too old to believe in fairytails. Torch ignored his son and continued.
"Everyone who came to the tower showed it and the legendary Pokémon that lived there respect. Then, one day, lighting struck the tower and, because it was made of wood, it burned to the ground. Some say that the spirits of the trainers and Pokémon trapped in the tower when it burned are still there."
"That's why Morty uses Ghost-Type Pokémon, right Daddy?" Cinder said.
"That's right, princess."
"What happened to the legendary Pokémon?"
"They managed to escape. Ho-oh hasn't been seen since but, to this day, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune have been reported in the basement of the tower."
"Where they have tea with all the other legendary Pokémon," Scorch said sarcastically.
"Scorch!" his mother said. "Show some respect."
"But, Mom," Scorch said. "No one has seen a legendry Pokémon in centuries. How do you know they even exist anymore?"
"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't real."
"Only babies believe in things that aren't real"
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"I'm worried about Scorch," the female Typhlosion said after she and her mate put their children to bed. "He used to love hearing the stories about the legendary Pokémon. And he never used to behave like this."
"I wouldn't worry too much, Ember," Torch said. "He's young and trying to find his place. Once he does, he'll settle down. I was a lot like him at that age."
His mate looked at him and then shook her head.
"He needs to have some kind of extracurricular activity," she said. "Maybe we could get him involved in training classes at the gym."
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"Have a good day," Ember said as she sent her children off to school. "And remember Scorch you have your first training class at the gym."
"Do I have to go? I'd rather hang out with River and Forest after school," Scorch said.
"It will be fun, Scorch," Ember said. "You'll learn how to battle, make new friends, and get stronger. One day, you might get strong enough to partner with a trainer, battle at the gyms, compete in the League, and maybe even challenge the Elite Four just like you father and I did."
"I want to go to training class," Cinder said.
Ember smiled.
"You'll get your chance when you have a little more experience. Training classes are hard and you're only just learning how to battle."
"Come on, Cinder," Scorch said. "We'll be late for school."
The morning was warm and the walk to school a pleasant one. Because he was almost a teenager and their classes were held in nearly the same place, Scorch always walked Cinder to school.
"Hey, Scorch!" someone called.
He turned to see his two best friends River the Croconaw and Forest the Bayleef.
"Hi, guys," Scorch said.
"We're still hanging out after school, right?" River asked as he and Forest joined the siblings.
"I can't," Scorch said. "I have my first training class after school."
"Skip it," Forest said.
"I can't. You've seen how strong my parents are. And you know as well as I do that my dad can have a temper."
"Mommy said that Scorch will get stronger and battle at the gyms, fight in the League, and take on the Elite Four like she and Daddy did," Cinder said.
River and Forest laughed.
"Is that what you want, Scorch?" River asked.
"I don't know," Scorch said. "It might be cool. I mean my mom and dad both did it and they talk about it all the time."
"Who wants to be partnered with a human?" Forest said. "Wild Pokémon can do whatever they want."
"Look who you're talking to," said a Houndour. "Scorch's parents are sell outs a real Pokémon would never let a human command them."
"My parents aren't sell outs. They took on the Elite Four. That's more than your parents did," Scorch said.
"What's going on here?" asked an Espeon coming up to them.
"Nothing, Miss Sunshine," all five said together.
"Then it's time to get to class," she said.
"Have fun at training class," the Houndour said.
"I plan on it," Scorch said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
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Forest, River, and Cinder were waiting for Scorch when he left his first training class.
"How was training class?" Forest asked.
"It was fun," Scorch said. "I met some other Fire-Types and the teacher. We're going to start training battles tomorrow and hopefully by the end of the month we can start having mock battles with the other types."
The four friends stopped in front of the Burned Tower (or what was left of it).
"Ho-oh, Lugia, Entie, Rouku, and Sucioun used to live there," Scorch said. "Dad told us the story last week."
"Do you think the stories are true and Entie, Rouku, and Sucioun sometimes appear in the basement?" River asked.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"I do," said Cinder.
"You would," said Forest. "You're still a baby."
Scorch fixed his friend with a hard look.
"Only I can say that to my sister," he said.
The wind picked up and, with the setting sun, what was left of the tower was starting to look spooky.
"We should get going," Scorch said. "Mom will be real mad if Cinder and I are late for dinner."
As the friends headed for home, something watched them from the tower.
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With training class after school and the days growing shorter, Scorch didn't have as much time with his friends. Fortunately, his weekends were free even if he had to bring Cinder along when he hung out with River and Forest. The four had a lot of fun hanging out and playing together.
Just as Torch and Ember hoped, the training classes helped Scorch find his place and he began to settle down. While he still didn't believe in the legendary Pokémon, he was starting to act like his old self again. Torch and Ember even over heard him telling Cinder a story about Mew once.
"...and Mew lead them to the valley where they remain to this day," Scorch said.
"What happened to the others?" Cinder asked.
"Mew Two erased all memory of the event from their minds. He felt it would be best that way. But he, Mew, and the clones all remember what had occurred on the island."
"Do you think we'll ever she a legendary Pokémon?"
"I don't know. Mom and Dad said that the legendary Pokémon are extremely rare and hardly every seen."
"I hope we do...even if it's just for a second."
"Alright, kids," Ember said. "Time for bed."
"But, Mom, we're not tired," Scorch said. "Can't we stay up a little longer?"
"You know the rules, Scorch. Now off to bed."
Brother and sister reluctantly obeyed their mother. After all, tomorrow was a big day. Torch and Ember were going on a day trip with their trainer and Scorch and Cinder were going to play in the nearby field and have a picnic.
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Cinder and Scorch spent the morning playing in the field. They hadn't done that since Scorch evolved into a Quilava.
"I'm Suicune," Cinder said happily.
"Oh, yeah?" Scorch said. "Well, I'm Entei."
Laughing, the two chased each other through the field. Suddenly a crack of lighting split the sky followed by a loud boom of thunder. Scorch looked up as Cinder huddled next to him. She hatted thunder, it scared her.
"I don't like thunder, Scorch," Cinder said.
"Come on. Let's go home," Scorch said hoping they could beat the storm.
But no sooner were they halfway home did the rain start coming down in sheets.
"We need to find shelter," Scorch said. "Follow me."
Through the blinding rain, the siblings managed to make it to the closest shelter: the Burned Tower.
"I don't like it her," Cinder said huddling close to Scorch. "It's scary."
"It's just until the storm passes," Scorch said.
The Burned Tower (or what was left of it) certainly looked like it had been through a fire. Burnt wood was everywhere and there were holes in the floor. Scorch knew that he would have to keep a close eye on Cinder. The stone floor was still somewhat in tact, with the exception of a few holes where the beams had fallen. Scorch now understood why their parents never wanted them to come here. The place was falling apart and dangerous. As soon as there was a break in the storm, he was going to get Cinder and himself out off there.
"What's down there?" Cinder asked looking down one of the holes.
"Don't get too close," Scorch said. "It might not be very stable."
Cinder backed up, not wanting to fall. She looked around.
"This is where Entie, Rouku, and Suicune are said to appear," she said.
"I think that's just a story, Cin," Scorch said. "I don't see how any Pokémon as big as them could come in here without falling through the floor."
"But they're legendary Pokémon."
Lighting flashed again followed by a crack of thunder. Cinder ran back to Scorch.
"How ling is the storm going to last?" she asked.
"I don't know. We just need to wait it out," Scorch said.
"I want Mommy."
I know. She'll be back with Dad once the storm is gone."
Scorch had thought that the storm would be over quickly be he was wrong. The storm lasted long into the night. Scorch and Cinder cuddled close together for warmth and support. With any luck, the storm would break by morning and they could go home. The siblings would just have to wait it out. They had been sleeping for a few hours when a faint glow woke them up. it was coming from one of the holes. The siblings moved closer to investigate.
"What do you think it is?" Cinder asked after they stopped a safe distance away.
Suddenly, the floor gave way causing the siblings to fall. They landed in the basement of the tower. Shaking the dust from their fur, they got up . It was dark, so dark they could hardly see.
"I don't like it here," Cinder said. "It's scary."
Before Scorch could say anything, he noticed a faint glow. As the siblings watched, it began to grow. Soon they could make out a silhouette.
"Suicune?" Cinder said when the silhouette began taking on more details.
And there stood the legendary Pokémon. The stories didn't so it justice. Suicune was far more amazing in person. It's fur was bluer than the siblings imagined and a beautiful purple main flowed behind it. And, when Suicune walked, it moved like a dancer.
"Wow. The stories were true," Scorch said not taking his eyes off the legendary Pokémon.
The siblings were speechless as they watched Suicune come closer. They had never seen anything as beautiful as the Pokémon before them and knew they never would again. The legendary Pokémon stopped a foot from them and looked at them, it's main flowing behind it. The siblings looked at it, unable to avert their gaze. Suicune looked at them as if it had seen a Cyndaquil and Quilava as many times as they had seen a legendary Pokémon. The siblings didn't know what to do. In normal Pokémon social meeting, the lesser evolved Pokémon showed respect to the more evolved Pokémon. When two Pokémon of the same evolution stage met, the one that was more powerful gave the other respect. This was what the siblings chose to do. Adopting submissive poses, they tried to show as much respect to Suicune as they could.
What are you little ones doing down here? came a voice.
The siblings looked up. No one was there but them and Suicune.
"Did you just talk to us?" Scorch asked.
Of course, I did. Now back to my question. How did you two get here? And what were you doing in the tower?
"We came into the tower to get out of the storm. As for how we got down here, we fell when the floor gave way."
Suicune looked up at the hole.
You fell a long way. You're lucky you didn't get hurt.
The Legendary Pokémon looked back at the siblings.
I can get you back up...if you trust me.
The siblings looked at each other. What did Suicune mean? The legendary Pokémon knelt before them. Did Suicune want them to get on it's back?
It's alright, Suicune said as if it read their minds; maybe it had.
Carefully, the siblings climbed on to Suicune's back.
Hold on, Suicune said before jumping from pillar to pillar.
The legendary Pokémon was extremely graceful; like a dancer. In no time they were back on the main floor.
You're safe now, Suicune said as the siblings go off its back. The storm has stopped, too.
"We should probably get home then," Scorch said.
"Thank you for helping us," Cinder said.
Suicune watched as the siblings left for home. It had been a long time since anyone came to the Burned Tower (even if this time was by chance) and the siblings definitely knew the stories of the legendary Pokémon. Wait until Entie and Rouku heard about this! Turning, Suicune ran into the nearby forest. Tonight was a good night for a run. If Suicune was lucky, Mew and/or Celibi would be about; maybe even Jarachi. They were always up for a game of chase and Suicune was in a playful mood tonight.
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"Mom, did that really happen?" asked one of three Cyndaquils gathered around the Typhlosion.
"It is. Just ask your uncle," she said.
"Ask me what?" said another Typhlosion.
"The story about Suicune and the Burned Tower," said the second Cyndaquil.
"Is it true, Uncle Five-Alarm?" asked the third.
"It might be true," Five-Alarm said. "Only Suicune can answer that."
"Okay, children," their mother said. "Time for bed."
As the Cyndaquils went into the den, the two Typhlosions looked towards the Burned Tower.
"Five-Alarm, do you think Suicune is still out there?" the female asked.
"I'm sure of if, Flame," Five-Alarm said. "It and all the other legendary Pokémon."
Hello, Flame. Five-Alarm, came a voice.
The siblings turned and there stood Suicune.
Or should I say "Cinder" and "Scorch"?