#lorekeeperdigo

[lorekeeperdigo]

New Home, Goldenrod City

I just moved all my stuff to this new place I found in the middle of Goldenrod City. I’m not too far from the seaside, I’m not too close to the forest. Right now I’m sitting at my desk in front of the window, I can see the Radio Tower and the big boats from the ocean. It feels pretty small compared to where I lived before, my hometown, but that’s the big city life… I guess.

I can’t complain. My university chose to fund my project and now I’m about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: travelling the world to preserve the hidden stories of our story. Since I was a child, I was deeply interested in the Pokémon world. I remember, before bedtime, my grandmother telling fairy tales that kept me company during the night, in the scary darkness. One of my favourites was The Brave Little Caterpie, that’s how I remember it:

Once upon a time, in the green forests of Kanto, there was a small Caterpie that couldn’t wait to be a Butterfree. The little green Pokémon was hiding all day long in the low bushes, scared to cross the mighty strong Pidgeotto.

All of his friends were already becoming Metapod, thanks to their silky strings developed through training… something he couldn’t do, he was too scared! Every time he heard the wing stroke of a bird, he hid in fear, the poor little creature. He was so scared that he always slept near Ekans’ den, the archnemesis of the flying Pokémon.

One day, unfortunately, he couldn’t hide no more. He went up a tree, to say goodbye to all his Butterfree friends migrating to warmer regions. Up there alone, closer to the clouds, nobody could defend him from the Pidgeotto, and that’s exactly when he arrived. Caterpie looked up and down, left and right: there was nowhere to go! He squeezed his eyes and, for the first time, he shot the silk strings to Pidgeotto’s face. The little Caterpie surprised himself, Pidgeotto’s view was weakened: he had to think fast, to take advantage of the situation.

Instinctively, he focused and pushed the osmeterium, the big red antennas on his forehead. They became bigger and they started to vibrate, just like Ekans’ tongue. Pidgeotto, still blinded from the silk strings, got scared and flew away, thinking he was about to get attacked by the snake Pokémon.

The small green Caterpie couldn’t believe his own power: he didn’t need to wait to become a Butterfree, his strength was already hidden within. When he came down the tree, he felt a strong energy from inside his heart. Without even thinking, he started to spit silk in the air, creating his own evolving cocoon… and that’s the story of how the brave little Caterpie became the strong Metapod.

In my comfy bed, my childish mind wondered a lot. If even the smallest Caterpie had his own adventure, how many stories were told around the world? And silly little me wanted to know them all. This might be the reason why I do the type of research that I do, just to make my inner child’s wishes come true… Thank you grandma!

Now that I’m in central Johto, it will be so much easier to reach all the different spots I planned to visit. Last time I called my tutor, he told me to write down my experience, he said it will be easier to write my report when I’ll be back in a few months. Well, what does my future hold for me? Only Dialga will tell.

[lorekeeperdigo]

The Ilex Forest Shrine

Note 1

It’s probably 2 p.m. but I can’t tell, the trees are so tall and thick and the sunlight can’t cross the green leaves to illuminate the ground. How do the flowers grow in this forest?

I left Azalea Town this morning. I arrived yesterday night but I didn't have much time to visit the city. Roselia is so happy about this adventure. Her flowers shine a bit brighter every time we visit forests and gardens, she feels the natural energy and the vibrations boost her spirit, probably. Now we are sitting down after two hours of walk in the glittery darkness of the forest, we need to rest. Roselia is napping under one of the rare rays of light peeking through the trees, she feels the warmth of the sun through the red and blue hand-flowers. The perfume of her body is calming all of the wild Pokémon around us, I can see them sleeping on the trees or between the bushes, this place is packed with wild creatures!

Yesterday night I met Kurt, the famous Pokéball maker. My professor told me to trust everything he would have said (note for myself : I need to write a letter and thank him again). He’s one of the last artisans that still keeps alive the old tradition of hand-made pokéballs. It’s truly fascinating. When I think about the Hisuian Museum in Sinnoh, or the massive factories in Kalos… we came so far, today technology is baffling!

Kurt showed me his library and some old books about the history of the Ilex Forest and the secrets of the wooden shrine. The sightings of Celebi are pretty rare: legends say that he appears only during peaceful times and, as we know, today's world climate isn’t one of the best… I don’t know if I’m going to meet them today, I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed but I think it’s pretty impossible.

I do have my photo scanner with me: I want to perfectly map the inscriptions written inside the shrine and study them back at university. I might be able to unlock some hidden secrets, who knows. All the books I found back in my University’s library show photos where the moss is growing all around the shrine, inside and outside, I’ll gently scrape it off and finally get a complete version of the inscriptions.

Kurt gifted me a small token of fortune for my small adventure, a rare GS-ball. Yes! When he gave it to me, I gasped. It wasn’t my first time handling one of those special pokéballs but, normally, they are always stored in museums and they are broken or just consumed by time. This one is actually working!

Also, when I named it the gold-silver ball, he corrected me immediately. In my books back home, that’s the name for this celebratory poké ball, but Kurt told me I was wrong. The eastern world thinks that the G stands for gold, and the S for silver. This is a common mistake. The Alolans call it the “greatest smith’s ball”, but also this tale is wrong. Dramatically, while he dropped the ball in my hand he said to take care of the generation sympathy ball, the GS ball, that’s the right name! The one thing that could actually bring me closer to Celebi. Kurt told me about the myth surrounding the GS-ball, an old tale I heard before once or twice, but never in such detail. Let’s write it down:

In ancient times, the friendship between the Azalea Village and Goldenrod was ruined by the rivalry of the people in power. While Azalea was thriving via the commercial routes with Kanto, Goldenrod was achieving glory through the sea: in the middle, suffering from the dispute, the Pokémon of the Ilex Forest were in danger.

While the animosity became stronger, Mother Nature punished the region with the strongest storm humans ever lived: after that it was impossible to travel via water for Golderod, or cross the mountains to Kanto for Azalea. The crisis broke the spirit of the two towns. The people were now obliged to exchange goods between them to raise themselves back up from the ashes, like Ho-oh. A new sense of friendship was born and peace became the new way of living. During the signing ceremony of the agreement, a Celebi appeared playing with the people of Azalea and Goldenrod. People of both parties celebrated that day, looking at the time travelling Pokémon as an omen of good luck.

The same day one GS-ball was forged and left inside the shrine of the Ilex Forest. During the celebration, people heard a voice singing and a flute playing, and just like that the GS-ball disappeared. At that moment they knew Celebi appreciated the shiny gift.

I’m going to stop writing for now, there is a Hoothoot looking at me in a funny way, just over a tree, next to me. Is it already night time? It isn’t possible! It might be because the forest is so thick that night-time creatures come out during the day, I read something like this somewhere…

[lorekeeperdigo]

Farming Valley, Ecruteak-Olivine Routes

During the King’s Rock Festival, Morty suggested that I visit the Farming Valley. West to Ecruteak City there is a long countryside road that takes to Olivine City. The area is a famous tourist destination: the sun on the hills, the light breeze and the calm sounds are the protagonists of those idyllic routes. He told me about three beloved stop-overs: the Sunflora Lodge, the Moomoo Farm and the Wool House.

My first stop was the Sunflora Lodge, on Route 38. The farm was built by a couple of lovers that had the cutest tradition: every year, the day of their anniversary, they gathered all the Sunflora they could find to take a celebratory photo. Today the Sunflora Lodge is managed by their daughter. The walls are covered by the gigantic photos of her lovely parents, surrounded by “oceans” of yellow flowers. In the middle of the spacious rooms there are interesting (and sometimes a bit scary) statues made by the contemporary Paldean artist Brassius, the famous Artazon gym leader. The owner of the lodge told me that he comes often during the summer to re-energize his “art” battery. I couldn’t not stop at the gift shop, I took myself a bottle of Sunflora virgin oil, perfect to boost Pokémon’s food: it could help develop Roselia’s melanin (that’s what this oil is mostly used for) and my Pokémon spends entire days soaking the sunlight, at least she will be protected!

The morning after I left for the world famous Moomoo Farm, on Route 39. When I arrived I saw the big white sign at the entrance, Enjoy Our Fresh and Tasty Milk, just like in the photos! I’m actually having the time of my life here in Johto, I feel like I’m home, in places that I’ve never been before. The old farmer gave me a tour of the farm: Miltank were roaming free as far as the eye could see, truly majestic. He gave me a glass of moomoo milk, with his characteristic pale baby pink colour, it was delicious. Roselia got scared when we came back to the paddock closest to the farm: two strong Tauros were fighting, maybe over a lucky Miltank? The farmer told me that it wasn’t the case… the two Tauros are Whitney’s, Goldenrod gym leader, and they are just training.

Our last stop was the Wool House, closer to Olivine City. The big white ranch is built close to a gorge. At the limits, you can see the beautiful panorama: the ocean, Olivine City and its famous lighthouse. The Wool House is also a bed and breakfast, where I booked the night. The main hall’s walls were decorated with beautiful graffiti showing the cultural heritage of Olivine City. The matron of the Wool House told me it was a gift by Jasmine, the Olivine gym leader. She comes often with her Amphy, she loves to run away from her busy schedules in the city and peacefully rest (that’s what the lady said… but I can’t confirm). At the end of the day I watched the sunset surrounded by tired Mareep and Fluffy, so relaxing. The morning after the matron gave me the cutest souvenir: she noticed how Roselia spent the evening playing with Muffy, one of her Mareep. She took a bit of wool and knitted a cute yellow bow. Roselia took it and put it on the back of her neck. She danced for us showing off her new gift, what a cute little surprise!

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the weekend was over, and we had to go back to Golderod City. My luggage was so much heavier than the day I left for Ecruteak City! I’m happy about my little trip in North West Johto, I met so many people and I feel energized. I can’t wait to be home to plan my next destination: I want to have more adventures, I want to visit more places, I want to see more Pokémon with my own eyes. Let’s see what the future holds… only Dialga will tell.

[lorekeeperdigo]

King’s Rock Festival, Ecruteak City

I will spend a week in Ecruteak City. Since my first year of uni I’ve been studying the legends that made this historic town: the traditional kimono dance, the towers, the tragedy of the beasts… finally I’m here. I had to rush making the luggage and coming over: Morty, the Ecruteak gym leader, invited me to enjoy the King’s Rock Festival, a small celebration that happens once per year around the Ecruteak Northern Lake. I left my stuff at the gym’s visitors rooms and we headed in the direction of the Bell Tower.

While we were walking around the city, Morty’s Mismagius was playing around with my Roselia. She played along but she was more interested in the old city center decorations. So many people dressed up in fancy kimonos and traditional clothing. The market was selling everything: from street-food, toys, little fans, tea bags from Sinnoh, chocolate from Kalos… but it was clear that the most popular item was the famous poli-umbrella. It felt like everybody had to have one. Morty already had one for me (he has five in his house), but I couldn’t resist getting a Pokémon-size one for Roselia, she felt like a true queen. She was so cute dancing with it, while the black swirl pattern on the fabric moved just like a Poliwag’s belly. If I stared at it for too long, I could have hypnotized myself. While walking, Morty told me the story behind King’s Rock Festival, which was truly fascinating.

Once upon a time, Ecruteak City went through a terrible drought: the sun was shining all day every day and not even one cloud of rain was in sight. The guardians of the storm and the rainbow prayed continuously outside of the Brass Tower and the Tin Tower, but nothing felt like it was working.

One day a young artisan walked near the northern lake and witnessed a scene that broke his heart: a family of small Poliwag suffered the intense heat, the water was too warm to chill inside the pond, the air was too dry to rest outside. He saw how they were tirely bubbling on each other to keep the moist but it wasn’t enough… that’s when he had an idea.

He jumped on his Ponyta and went to talk to the guardians of the towers, he shared his crazy plan, they had to believe in him, it was their last chance. They gave him a small bag of money, hoping that he could keep his promise. The young boy left the city and disappeared. Nobody knew what he was doing, was he dead? His family was saddened by this terrible thought.

After a month, legend says that the city of Ecruteak trembled under the strength of the strongest gallop they ever heard. It was him, the young artisan on a fiery Rapidash (his old friend evolved during the adventure). They ran to the pond, he took his bag and emptied it into the lake: he spent the month roaming Johto looking for water stones. The Poliwhirl interacted with them and they started to evolve. A clan of Poliwrath came out of the lake and fight-dance, calling for rainy clouds.

What the young artisan didn’t notice is that, between the water stones, he also dropped a King’s Rock, a peculiar stone a strange lady gifted him during his travels. One of the oldest and strongest Poliwhirl saw the yellow rock and touched it, evolving into an elegant and wise Politoed. The green Pokémon jumped on the rock in the middle of the lake and started to croak to the newly formed clouds.

The cleanest drops of rain started to fall on the dry land of Ecruteak and finally, after a long season of drought, the suffering of people and Pokémon was over.

I was so deeply absorbed by Morty’s story that I didn’t notice when we arrived at the lake. The entire school of the Ecruteak Dance Theatre was dancing around it, singing a song dedicated to the mysterious young artisan and his Rapidash. All of the kimono girls had one water stone each, and while singing, they threw them in the pond. One by one, Poliwhirl evolved into Poliwrath. After the evolution, they ran into the forests: Morty told me that Poliwrath can’t contain their strength in small places so they prefer to leave and train elsewhere.

At the end of the song, the oldest Kimono girl came forward and dropped a King’s Rock into the lake. A shiny light came from deep waters and, after a minute of suspense, a Politoad jumped out, landing on the central rock formation. All the Poliwag and the few Poliwhirl left started to croak together, following the stronger voice of their new chief Politoed. A light rain started to fall, everybody took out their poli-umbrellas, trying to not get wet. Once again the King’s Rock festival was a success!

[lorekeeperdigo]

Dragon’s Den, Blackthorn City

Note 2

Well, that wasn’t easy. They asked me so many questions about why I am here. What studies are you doing? Who sent you? How many Pokémon do you have? How many pokéball? Don’t take anything that you find in this place! If you catch a Pokémon here, you will need to tell us! And more and more and more… The three guardians read Lance’s letter twice each and still, it wasn’t enough. We spent fifteen minutes looking for a phone connection and then they wanted to call Lance himself to make sure the letter was truly his.

Now that I’m finally inside, I’m taking a rest. We’ve been walking for hours through the rocks. Hoothoot is amazing: he’s flashing the way with his big nocturnal eyes while Roselia, always looking for the freshest and purest source of water, can smell where the biggest pond is hidden deep inside the cave, where the Dragon’s Den shrine should be hidden (Roselia is been extremely helpful lately!).

Officially there isn’t a map of this place. The road to the holy temple must be kept secret and only those who truly wish to visit it need to have the temperance to discover their own path (that’s what the guardians told me).

The grotto feels pretty empty. We met some Zubat flying around and a lot of Magikarp calmly swimming in the rivers. What I didn’t see are probably the creatures I definitely heard. I’m so bad at identifying Pokémon’s cry but I think I recognize something: Dratini, Horsea and Bagon. In the distance I’m pretty sure I heard the unique sounds of two Hakamo-o fighting… it’s strange but they are not supposed to be found in Johto. Anyway, let’s go back on track!

[lorekeeperdigo]

Dragon’s Den, Blackthorn City

Note 1

I’ve been waiting in front of the Dragon’s Den for an hour now, nobody seems to be around and the entrance is locked by a beautiful metal gate. The ancient doors are shaped like an enchanting Dragonair dancing around the sky and, in the center, a shield in the shape of a generic dragon face, similar to the Blackthorn Gym Badge. I printed Lance’s presentation letter, it should be fine to let me go through the door guardians, but then, to enter the last section of the cave, where the shrine is, I will have to answer those questions that are stressing me a bit. I revised a bit the books Lance suggested to me, but who knows what will happen.

It looks like people are coming. Oh! I know them already. They’re the three elder guardians I saw at the tourist office in Blackthorn City, with their long violet and white kimono-like cloaks. Let’s see if I get in…

[lorekeeperdigo]

Pokémon University, Ecruteak City

Ecruteak is just an incredible city, there is no other way to say it. You can perceive the history of the world pulsing from the walls and the streets. Up north there is my favourite district: the Ecruteak viewpoint, where the Bell Tower is.

Morty, the local gym leader, is such a nice and cool guy. He’s been showing me around the old town (and most of all, the traditional restaurants that aren’t overflowing with tourists). I met him at the university of Ecruteak, at the faculty of Type Studies. He was researching a strange Pokémon I never heard of before, the “Flutter Mane”.

I came up north because there is another shrine I want to visit but, unfortunately, access to this temple isn’t simple at all. The Dragon’s Den, underneath Blackthorn City, is a sacred place to the Draconid people and a commoner like me can’t get in it without permission. Morty is helping me to find a solution. He asked Lance for a special admission letter to access the cave but still, I will need to answer a lot of specific questions when I arrive there (some type of interrogation supervised by Draconid priests).

Deep inside the Dragon’s Den there is the Dragon Shrine, and there is something intriguing about this holy monument that I want to investigate, something that even Morty can’t answer properly (and he’s one of the best scholars from here): the different descriptions I have of the place are inconsistent. Most of my documents describe a big wooden temple “floating” in the middle of an underground lake but, and that’s the mystery, I found a few instances that describe a sunny open field, a secret garden filled with wild Pokémon… in a cave, how is it possible?

[lorekeeperdigo]

The Ilex Forest Shrine

Note 5

It’s been a few days since my adventure. Right now I’m in a bus travelling north of Johto. Hoothoot is still with me, he loves to play with Roselia but they rarely meet. Roselia loves to sunbathe, Hoothoot is awake all night long. Should I tell my friends at Uni about this story? Do they think I’m about to go crazy? I wonder if I'm ever going to hear the voice of the forest again. I don’t know why, but I feel like I do. See you soon, Celebi.

[lorekeeperdigo]

The Ilex Forest Shrine

Note 4

To myself: did Celebi take me to Orre? I checked the books in the library about the legends of Johto, and I couldn’t believe it! The monument we saw: it was the Relic Stone, (also called the Sacred Forest’s Shrine). Did we travel shrine to shrine? And the sound we heard, the old librarian told me that it’s common to hear the Time Flute while time travelling with Celebi. Is that what I heard? The legendary flute? Nobody is going to believe my report when I’ll be back home!

[lorekeeperdigo]

The Ilex Forest Shrine

Note 3

What happened? I’m so tired I can’t even move my body. I don’t know how to explain but… did we travel through time? All of my questions from this morning: the answer is yes, yes, yes! We met Celebi.

A few hours ago, what was I doing? We arrived at the peaceful shrine, one of the few areas in the forest where the sunlight shone through with all of its heat. Roselia was sunbathing, charging her body through chlorophyll. I sat down in front of the shrine taking out from my bag some gifts I took for the time traveller. Some candied fruits, a rose incense (Roselia’s favourite) and a small bouquet of fresh flowers. While I was arranging the gifts on a cloth, the GS-ball popped out and dropped on the rocks, resonating with a metallic sound.

After a little bit, an unusual sound came from inside the small wooden shrine. Roselia stopped dancing and came closer to me, a bit scared of that unusual music. Even the curious Hoothoot sat on my shoulder, he was looking at me moving his head to the left and the right.

We got closer to the shrine, the gentle sound of a flute came from within the sacred monument. I lit up the incense and the smoke whirlpooled around us magically. The music was getting louder and with my shaky hand I gently opened the shrine’s door. The GS-ball floated in the air, like if something was playing with it. The ball landed into the shrine and we heard a gentle laugh. The shape of Celebi appeared from the darkness, playing with their power of invisibility. Celebi jumped out and touched my nose, Roselia’s rose hand and Hoothoot’s beak. We started to float. Even if we were all scared, I could see the Celebi was just trying to play with us, hiding their small smile with their tiny hands.

With a blink of an eye, a bright violet and yellow light flashed around us. We catapulted in a twist of wind and we felt in a completely different place: a flower garden, on top of a wider hill. In the middle a monumental rock, probably a stony shrine that I couldn’t recognise. It was so much colder and the sun was already setting down (dawn at 4 p.m., impossible!).

I looked around, Roselia was safe on my belly and Hoothoot was flying over my head, coming towards me. I couldn’t move much, the gusts of wind were so strong that I had to keep an arm around my face and my two little friends near my chest. Next to us, the laughing Celebi turned back visible, unbothered by the strength of the wind. I tried to focus on the architectural piece away from us: a large rocky column, covered in moss.

The wind blew away the dusty clouds. I couldn’t believe my eyes: around the ancient structure, a hooded Pokémon trainer was fighting against a creature I never saw before, a greenish gray tangle of vines, branches and mud… a monster made of dying nature.

The shape of the decaying monster was beating their wings creating the blasts of wind all around us. I could smell old leaves and freshly cut grass. The hooded trainer punched the sky with their fist, he probably screamed something. In the moment a glowing azul beam surrounded the Pokémon in front of him: a strong and feary Noctowl. The flying Pokémon's body got covered in a light blue crystal skin and a giant stained-glass pair of wings appeared floating above them… was it the terastal phenomenon that my Paldean friends always talk about?

Celebi flyed near the unknown trainer and whispered something in their ear. The trainer turned toward me and I saw, under the cloak, the uniform of my university, maybe he’s someone I know, anyway he was too far away for me to be able to recognize him.

I tried to scream but my voice was lost in the wind. The trainer gave Celebi a little shiny something and turned his back to me, facing the giant plant monster. Celebi came toward me and gave me the small crystal he took from the stranger: a purple tera shard.

When I took it in my hand the strangest thing happened. I did study before the Paldean terastal phenomenon, but I never witnessed something like that: the blueish diamond skin of Noctowl turned transparent dark purple and the winged tera jewel shattered, dissolving in sparkles. A new tera jewel appeared, a ghosty phantom surrounded by shiny purple must. I finally heard the man scream to his Pokémon to attack, « Night Shade, c’mon ! ». Something in his voice, it was familiar but still strange. The boosted Noctowl was surrounded by a dark energy cloud and attacked the mossy monster. Instant change of tera type, is it possible?

I wanted to help, but I couldn’t. The wind was so strong that Hoothoot was taken away. I had to think fast. Celebi, smiling, pointed at the GS-ball. My motion was automatic, I had to save that poor creature. While the fight was evolving in the background, I captured Hoothoot with the precious ball. Safe in my hand, Celebi looked at me and it took us back to the Ilex Forest, travelling through the light beam portal.

While travelling through the portal (maybe a time portal?), we could hear a gentle flute but, unfortunately, I can’t remember much of the melody. We felt on the leafy ground of the Ilex Forest, and the doors of the shrine shut immediately… Celebi was gone.

[lorekeeperdigo]

The Ilex Forest Shrine

Note 2

Roselia is guiding the way to the small lake deep in the forest, she can smell the fresh water from far away. Next to the lake we should find the Forest Shrine. It’s been one hour of walking since our last break, that funny Hoothoot is still following us, he isn’t bothering us.