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mercurialmechanisms · 5 years ago

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A TALE OF TWO TOWERS

It’s finally here!

So a while back I posted a sneak peek of the piece I did for the @pokemythsguidebook zine. Now that the zines are out in the world, I can post the whole piece! A huge shout-out to everyone that worked on the zine: it was a great experience, and the zine itself is amazing! We should have extra copies going on sale soon!

A TALE OF TWO TOWERS

The following is a compilation of quotes taken from various first-hand accounts on the history, geography, and legends of the city of Ecruteak, mainly in regards to the Tin and Brass Towers and the great Pokémon that once called them home. It is my hope that in gathering all these different accounts together, we might someday piece together the truth about what happened on that fateful day over one hundred years ago, and bring the great birds back to their rightful roosts.

Morty, gym leader of Ecruteak

When people arrive in Ecruteak City for the first time, there are three questions they always ask.

Is the gym leader in?

Where is the Dance Theater of the Kimono Girls?

What is the giant tower in the distance?

Many people know, of course, of the Tin Tower. But it is one thing to know of it, and another thing to see it rising, gleaming and proud, above the city. Any local you talk to will tell you that you must stay in the city for at least one whole day, so that you can see the sun rise and set against the silver walls.

The remains of the Brass Tower sit to the west of the Tin Tower, a shadow of its once golden splendor. Few wish to step through its charred entrance, for fear of falling prey to a curse or for fear of falling through the floor. Those that have walked through the ruins say that they feel as though they are always being watched, and some even claim to have seen three beasts through the holes in the floor, lying in wait.

Nurse Joy of Ecruteak, A Nurse’s Guide to Johto

The Tin Tower and the Brass Tower were once roosts for two powerful birds. Ho-Oh, Guardian of the Skies, rested atop the Tin Tower. Brilliant feathers of seven different colors shone in the sun, a beacon against the Tin Tower’s silvery walls. At sunrise, it would appear as if the roof was on fire, Ho-Oh’s feathers turning crimson and gold. At noon, its feathers were as blue as the clearest sky, and at twilight the deepest indigo. Ho-Oh would freely fly to and from the tower, though what it was doing while it was away no one knows. A rainbow was always left in its wake, shimmering against the sky for hours until it faded away.

Lugia, Guardian of the Seas, sat across from Ho-Oh atop the Brass Tower. Pale as the stars and powerful as the storms, Lugia was easy to spot against the shining tower, watching over the city with sharp eyes. It rarely ever moved from its spot, its great wings never twitching in any way that might indicate a desire to take flight. Sometimes three other large birds could be seen circling above its head, squabbling with each other for hours, sometimes days, until finally coming to rest at Lugia’s side. No one is quite certain what three Pokémon these were, as they flew away as soon as anyone approached the tower.

Not just any person was allowed in the towers, of course. The towers and the two birds were attended to by a group of sages, ancestors of the current Ecruteak gym leader Morty, and creators of the dance practiced by the Kimono Girls. They communed regularly with the birds, especially Lugia, whose psychic abilities allowed it to easily converse with them. Though they did not often share what it was they spoke of with the birds, they did occasionally pass on messages, usually reminding the people of the city to be kind and respectful, both to each other and to Pokémon. Others were occasionally allowed into the towers, trainers that showed great strength and great heart. The many floors of the towers formed a maze as a further challenge for those that wished to see the birds. Of the few that were allowed to enter the tower, even fewer made it to the top.

For the citizens of Ecruteak there was no greater joy, no greater source of pride than seeing both birds on their roofs. It was common for the people of Ecruteak to wake up before the sun so that they could watch the two call to each other in the early morning light. The song of Ho-Oh and Lugia, they said, was so beautiful that it could make one weep upon hearing it for the first time. Special bells were crafted that mimicked the sound of each Pokémon, though most of them have been lost to time and greed. People would hang these bells above their doors or carry them while traveling as a token of good fortune. It became tradition for any trainer, having beaten the Ecruteak gym, to seek a pair of these bells before moving on to the next city. Some gym leaders even began to give out the bells instead of a formal badge.

One morning, however, everything changed. As all of the people of Ecruteak were waking up a great boom sounded above the city, driving them all from their homes. Lugia, for the first time in history, was taking flight from its perch. It flapped its great wings again, splitting the air with a second boom as it rose into clouds lit up with fire and lightning. The three birds that came to Lugia were fighting with a greater fury than ever before seen. The three circled around Lugia as it flew between them, trying to separate them with its massive wings. Below them, the people of Ecruteak watched, waiting with baited breath to see who would win.

Whether it was caused by one of the Pokémon or by the storm they had created, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly split the sky. It blinded those watching and created a thunderclap so loud it could be heard as far as Mt. Silver. When the people’s vision had cleared, the Brass Tower was completely engulfed in flames. A few people immediately rushed to call out what water Pokémon they had, but it was no use. No Pokémon or person could approach the inferno. Above them, Lugia finally put an end to the three birds’ fighting, sending them flying in three different directions. It watched for several hours as its tower burned, before rising into the clouds and disappearing.

This was the last the city would see of Lugia.

For three days the fire burned, never showing any sign of slowing down. The sages that cared for the towers prayed for the fire to stop, for the city to be unharmed. On the morning of the fourth day the skies opened with rain, a downpour so great that it made it impossible to see. It rained for the whole day, and the next morning the fire was gone. In its place was the charred shell of the once mighty Brass Tower.

The people of Ecruteak were unsure what to do. Did they begin to rebuild the tower, so that Lugia would return? Was it even safe to enter the tower? Would Ho-Oh, who had left the city days before the fire, return to them?

Days passed, days that turned into weeks, and finally Ho-Oh appeared in the sky. It landed at the top of the Tin Tower, and for several days stared at the burned remains. The people began to grow restless, and their restlessness turned to anger. Would the great Pokémon, who they let rest in their city and had attended to for centuries, not aid them in some way? Did it think the destruction was their fault? The sages tried to assure them that the Pokémon simply needed time to mourn the loss of its partner, but this only served to make the people angrier. They decided to storm the Tin Tower and force the bird to help them.

Before they could defeat the sages guarding the entrance to the tower, Ho-Oh took flight from its roost, circling the city once before stopping above the burned tower. It opened its beak and a brilliant blue fireball shot one, two, three times into the tower. The people of Ecruteak panicked, worrying that their city was once more at risk of being burned. Instead, the flames engulfed three Pokémon that had been trapped in the tower and killed by the blaze, their bodies burnt beyond recognition. As they watched the Pokémon began to rise, their forms shifting as they changed in size and shape. After several minutes the flames disappeared, leaving three Pokémon standing where three had once lain.

The three beasts took one look at the city, at the people around them and the burned tower behind them, and immediately began to run. The first, bright yellow with teeth the size of a man’s arm, left with sparks marking its trail. The second, deep brown with a crown of red and yellow, left with fire in its wake. The third, icy blue with a crest like a jewel, stayed for a moment longer, crying out to Ho-Oh flying above it before leaving, puddles forming wherever it stepped.

The citizens, awed and terrified by what they had just witnessed, doubled their efforts to capture the mystical bird. If it could do that – could bring the dead back to life with so little effort – what else could it do? Ho-Oh, sensing the darkness in the people’s hearts and knowing it was in danger, let out a shrill cry and took flight, leaving the city behind.

The Wise Sages of the Barrier Station, A Complete History of Ecruteak

It’s been one hundred and fifty years since then.

Many people have tried to bring back the birds, climbing to the top of the Tin Tower with good and bad intentions alike. Morty, our current gym leader, has tried on multiple occasions, staying at the top of the tower for days at a time. Eusine, a mysterious man who seems more interested in the beasts Ho-Oh resurrected than the bird itself, has made the climb several times as well. Even Lance of the Elite Four and Professor Oak have each journeyed to Ecruteak to make the climb. A few attempts have been made to start rebuilding the Brass Tower, though none have been successful. Gathered materials will disappear overnight, and builders will become so frightened they leave with barely any notice.

Many people have claimed to see Ho-Oh flying through the sky across Johto, and even occasionally in Kanto. Lugia, however, has only been seen once, flying above the Whirl Islands. Many people believe that it lives within the caves hidden below the islands, no longer trusting people. The three beasts that were resurrected by Ho-Oh have been sighted throughout Johto, though they are all known to flee the moment they realize they have been spotted.

What will it take to bring them all back home?

Zuki of the Ecruteak Dance Theater, A History of Dance

#pokemon #pokemon myths and legends #pokemon zine #writers of tumblr #my writing

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