“Tell me why we agreed to this again.”
Aidan looked over at Tia and smiled. “Morty heard about our project to research and capture the Legendary Beasts – he actually called it a ‘quest’ – and volunteered to give us all the information he knows about them.”
“But inside a burned-out building at night?” Tia looked up at the ruined hulk of the Burned Tower and shivered in the cool, autumn air, as late afternoon turned to evening.
Aidan smirked. “I’m sure it’s because he wants to set the scene.” He looked up at the ruined tower in awe. “There are so many old legends about the Burned Tower, and according to Morty, so many stories of kids holding tests of courage in the tower at night. It adds to the local flavor.”
Tia sighed. “I suppose so.”
The two Trainers were alerted by footsteps approaching them. They looked toward the footsteps and saw Morty emerge from the shadows.
“Hey,” Morty said in greeting, “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”
Aidan shook his head. “No problem. We just got here ourselves.”
Morty nodded. “So you two are looking to track down the Legendary Beasts,” he said, looking the two of them up and down. “I had a feeling you would, ever since you faced off against the Legendary Birds and Mewtwo.”
“Does everyone know?” Tia asked, eyebrows raised.
Morty chuckled. “Word gets around.”
Tia shook her head. “So much for being discreet.”
“All right,” Aidan spoke up, “Let’s get started.”
The three of them walked carefully through the Burned Tower, Morty leading them through twists and turns with the confidence of knowing them like the back of his hand.
“The Burned Tower was built over 700 years ago,” Morty began, “At first, it was known as the Brass Tower, for its golden brass panels that matched the silvery tin panels of its sister, the Tin Tower. Both towers were built to foster friendship between people and Pokemon.”
As the three of them continued to walk, Tia looked around at the ruined walls and the holes in the ceiling and floor, and imagined how the Tower had once looked like in all its glory.
Morty reached a large hole in the floor, with a ladder leading down to the basement of the Burned Tower. As the three of them climbed down, Morty continued his narrative.
“About 150 years ago, there was a great thunderstorm, and a bolt of lightning hit the Brass Tower, setting it on fire. The fire raged for three days, until a large downpour finally put out the flames. No people were hurt, but it’s said that three Pokemon perished in the fire.”
Morty stopped and looked around the basement, then walked toward the center of the structure.
“The Legendary Bird that roosted at the top of the Brass Tower, Lugia, flew away to parts unknown. The Pokemon that roosted at the top of the Tin Tower, Ho-Oh, fled as well, but not before granting new life to the three Pokemon that died.”
Morty stopped at a flat, stone slab in the center of the room. “Those three Pokemon were thereafter known as the Legendary Beasts: Raikou, Entei and Suicune. They are said to represent three powers: the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned it, and the rain that finally extinguished the fire.”
Aidan looked around the stone slab, looking thoughtful. “So this is where the Beasts slept,” he said.
Morty nodded. “At least, until about 10 years ago. A kind-hearted Trainer – or a very stupid one, take your pick – stumbled upon this basement room, waking the three Beasts and setting them free to roam all of Johto.”
“Have they ever returned to this place?” Tia asked.
Morty shook his head. “Not as far as I know. There have been sightings of Raikou and Entei on nearly every Johto route within the past 10 years. Suicune, however, is a bit of an anomaly. It follows its own trajectory, apart from Raikou and Entei.”
“So looking for Raikou and Entei may be just as simple as planting ourselves between two routes and searching every patch of grass?” Tia asked.
Aidan laughed. “Be careful what you sign yourself up for. We might end up doing just that!”
Tia shrugged. “Maybe Mira could patch something into the Pokedex to help us track them.”
“Let’s hope so,” Aidan replied.
Tia stared at the empty stone slab, imagining the Legendary Beasts as they slept in the form of majestic stone statues. They must have been magnificent to see, and terrifying to witness firsthand as they awoke from their slumber.
“Ready to go?” Morty asked.
Tia and Aidan nodded, and they made their way out of the Burned Tower, leaving its melancholy ruins in silence.