Heart Of Crystal!

[TheSilentBang]

Welcome, one and all, to Heart of Crystal, a fictionalized version of a nuzlocke challenge of Pokemon: Crystal. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of the nuzlocke challenge, they are quite simple. 1. You may only catch the first pokemon you encounter in a route or area. 2. If a pokemon faints, it is considered dead and must be released or permanently boxed. 3. All pokemon must be nicknamed. Even if you are unfamiliar with the nuzlocke challenge, I still hope that you enjoy this story, and I appreciate the time you took to read it. With that, welcome once again to Heart of Crystal.​

Two towers stood: one golden as the sun, the other silver as the moon, or so the legend went. But only the silver tower still stood. The golden tower gleamed too brightly, and its brilliance was finally melted away until only ruins were left. Or so the legend went.

But something was stirring. Eddies formed in sea and wind, unnoticed and soon forgotten. Something was happening, and the restless earth seemed to sense it.

Archer cared not for legends and stories. At the moment, he cared only for three things. The first was the glass of wine in his hand. The second were the three others sitting at the table, waiting for him to speak. The third…he gave a tiny smile and set his glass down on the table. The third was what he had called his former cohorts here for. The third would bring him everything he deserved, and restore everything he had lost.

"What's this all about, Archer?" Proton grumbled, sounding slightly irritated as he ran his thumb over the blade of an elegantly crafted knife Archer had imported especially for him. He had used it as incentive for Proton to actually show up this time, and he was pleased to see that it had worked. A Seviper's tail blade was a rare and expensive prize, and Archer preferred to waste as little money as possible. "None of us have heard from you in over three years."

"Patience, my friend." Archer said, raising a hand. "Did I not promise I would explain everything to you once you were all here?"

"Well, by my count, no one's missin'." Petrel interjected. "So what's the deal?"

Archer folded his hands together and leaned forward. "Gentlemen, lady," he said, giving a polite nod to Ariana, "I have a proposal for you."

##########

"Kris! Get out of bed this instant! It's one thirty in the afternoon!"

Kris groaned and rolled over in her bed, pulling her blankets closer around her. The harsh winter light streamed in as her mom threw the curtains open. She continued to pace about the room, picking up clothes as she went and scolding Kris for never doing anything but sleeping as Kris slowly oozed out from under the blankets and rubbed her eyes until they stayed open.

"You'd better get ready quickly. Mrs. Lowe is coming over in a few minutes, and Professor Elm called for you about an hour ago."

"Huh?" Kris muttered sleepily, blinking in the light. "What does Professor Elm want with me?"

"He didn't say, and if you'd been awake at a reasonable hour, you'd know for yourself." her mother snapped, tossing a pile of clothes at her. "Now, get dressed, and if I don't see you downstairs in five minutes –"

"I'll be down, mom." Kris answered, giving a jaw-cracking yawn and stretching her arms over her head. "Promise."The doorbell rang, and Kris' mom ran downstairs to answer it. Kris gave another yawn, then pulled the clothes over and began to get dressed. She could hear her mother happily greeting Mrs. Lowe downstairs and rolled her eyes slightly. Maybe she did have a bad habit of sleeping in, but so what? It's not like there was anything better to do in New Bark Town. Kris had planned on going to Cherrygrove that day to do some shopping, but apparently that was going to have to wait. What could someone like Professor Elm want with her?

She sighed, rubbing her temples slowly in an effort to get rid of her throbbing headache. She knew it would be in vain –she'd had it for the past couple months –but today it seemed especially sore. Kris shook her head, trying to get her mind off of it, and went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. A few minutes later, she made her way downstairs, hopping down two at a time. Bits of the conversation between her mother and Mrs. Lowe began to drift into focus.

"…absolutely terrible. Who knew Sentrets could be so violent?"

"Such a shame. I'm glad he managed to get away!"

"Me too. But he told me that this isn't the first time this has happened. Apparently, pokémon all over Johto are becoming more – oh, good afternoon, Kris!"

Kris smiled politely, pausing for only the briefest of moments. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Lowe." she said before disappearing into the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled as she rummaged through the refrigerator and gathered the necessary ingredients for a sandwich.

"Oh, Kris!" her mom called. "Your pokegear came back from the shop today! Do you need me to read the instructions to you?"

"Thanks, mom, I'm good!" Kris called back as she put the food back into the refrigerator.

Her mother, interpreting Kris' response as affirmation, continued to read anyway. Kris gave a tiny sigh, ignoring her and knowing that her mother couldn't see her in the kitchen. It didn't take long for her to finish, and Kris walked back out into the living room, holding her sandwich in one hand and chewing the first bite. "Did you get all that, hon?"

Kris swallowed and smiled. "Yep. I'm going to head over to the professor's when I'm done, okay?"

"All right, dear. And be careful if he sends you out, all right? Mrs. Lowe was just telling me that her son Ethan was attacked by a wild Sentret the other day. His Marill is in Cherrygrove Pokémon Center's urgent care, but we don't know if he'll make it."

Kris winced, her appetite suddenly gone. She'd heard stories about pokémon becoming more violent recently, but she'd never quite believed it. "I'll be careful, mom. I promise." she said, nodding and setting her sandwich down on the table. She'd finish it when she got back.

Her mother nodded as well. "All right. If you're going to be back after dark, call me, okay?"

"Will do. Bye mom!"

Kris shivered as she stepped outside. It was always windy in New Bark Town, and most houses had windmills on their roofs to capitalize on it, but the wind today was especially strong, and it bit into Kris' skin even through her coat. So much for winter nearly being over. She bent her head down against the cold hurried and in the direction of Elm's pokémon lab near the entrance to town.

A sharp gust of wind blew her cap off her head, and Kris chased after it with a cry. It blew around the corner of Elm's lab and she rushed to grab it.

"Hey, watch it."

Kris fell backwards with a small grunt, clutching her hat in one hand and rubbing her head with her other. She looked up and saw something she rarely saw in New Bark Town – someone she'd never seen before. Behind him, a small crate sat under one of the windows. Was he spying on the lab? "Sorry." she muttered as she got to her feet. "Who're you?"

"None of your business."

"No need to bite my head off." Kris grumbled. "Its not often there's a new face in town, that's all."

"Well, I don't like people staring at my face." he said angrily. "So go away."

Kris scowled. "What are you doing back here, anyway?"

"I said go away!" the boy snapped, stepping forward and shoving Kris back.

Kris stumbled back out onto the main street. Outraged, she glared at the boy and placed her hat defiantly back onto her head. Without a word, she turned up her nose and marched inside the lab.

Inside, the professor's assistant was scrambling around, climbing up and down ladders to put books back on shelves or take them off according to what Professor Elm called out. The professor himself was sitting at his computer at the back of the lab, occasionally calling out the name of a file or book he wanted his assistant to get for him. When the door opened, he looked up and clumsily shoved his glasses back to their proper place on his nose. "Kris? Is that you?"

Kris pushed the door shut and turned back around. "Yes, professor, it's me!"

Professor Elm smiled and stood up. "Mr. Lowe, could you fetch that thing we were talking about?" His assistant set down his tower of books and rushed into the back room, and Professor Elm turned to Kris. "I'm glad that you could come over on such short notice, Kris. I have a favor to ask of you. You see, I just got an email from my friend, Mr. Pokémon. He says he's made a serious discovery, and I think he really means it this time. The problem is that, well…" he trailed off, waving a hand around at the chaos that the walls of the lab barely seemed able to contain. "As you can see, with just the two of us here, it's rather busy. I'd like you to pop over to Mr. Pokémon's house and see what all the fuss is about."

Kris glanced back outside, then pulled her jacket a little tighter around her. "But Professor, what about the wild pokémon?"

"Well, of course I wouldn't send you out there by yourself." Professor Elm said, leading Kris over to a table with three pokéballs on it. "Not with the wild pokémon becoming so violent. Here are three pokémon you may pick from to accompany you on your journey. You'll be their first partner, but I assure you, any of them will be fine protection."

Kris looked curiously at the balls, each with a little picture on the table in front of them showing what the ball contained. "A pokémon? For me?"

"That's right," Professor Elm answered, smiling. "for you. I know you're responsible enough to care for it, and… well, to be honest, I just have a good feeling about it."

Kris looked over the pictures thoughtfully. A good feeling, huh? Well, she supposed worse decisions had been made on less. She ran her fingers gently over the pokéballs, wondering which one she should choose. The grass type was cute, but with winter not yet over, Kris worried about keeping it healthy. She didn't much like the look of the water type, either. That just left one more choice.

"Ahh, Cyndaquil! Excellent choice!" Professor Elm exclaimed. "Would you like to release him from his ball and say hello?"

Kris was already in the process of doing just that. As her new Cyndaquil emerged from his ball, Kris knelt down and offered her hand to him. "Hey there little guy…I'm your new trainer. My name's Kris."

The Cyndaquil looked up at her for a moment, then smiled and nuzzled into her hand. Professor Elm also smiled and Mr. Lowe came up to them. "Here, Kris – a Potion for your trip." he said, offering the small purple bottle to her. "In case things get a little hairy."

"Oh! That reminds me." Professor Elm said, digging through his pockets. "Here, let me give you my phone number. If anything happens, call me, all right?"

"All right, Professor." Kris said, handing him her pokégear. As the professor entered in his number, she turned back to her new Cyndaquil and gently patted his head. "Now, what should I name you? Hm…what about Teddy? Do you like that name?" The Cyndaquil grinned happily and nodded, and Kris pulled him into her arms. As he snuggled into her chest, Kris could feel the warmth radiating from his tiny body and couldn't help but grin. She finally had a pokémon of her very own! "Teddy it is, then."

"Here's your pokégear back, Kris." Professor Elm told her, handing it back. "Now, be careful, all right? If anything happens, you can come back here and heal up Teddy on this machine."

"I'll be careful, Professor." Kris promised, heading towards the door. "And I'll be back soon, don't worry!"

As she left the lab, she shivered again and held Teddy closer to her. "Burr…it's getting really cold. You okay to stay out of your ball, Teddy?"

"I'm fine."

Kris nearly dropped the tiny pokémon out of sheer shock. "Did…you just talk?"

"I've always been able to talk. You're just the only human who's ever talked back." Teddy said frankly, tilting his head at her.

"Wait, so does this mean you actually have a name? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I like the name you gave me better."

"Well, I mean…how come I've never heard any pokémon talk before? Can you all talk? Do you just not talk around people? Is there some great advanced society of pokémon that you keep secret from us? How come no one has ever been able to understand any pokémon speech and now – "

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we get going?" Teddy interjected. "It sounded like we were going a long way away."

"Well, not terribly far." Kris said, attempting to calm down. Her brain was having a difficult time wrapping itself around what was going on, but she didn't want to sound like an idiot and make a bad impression on Teddy. "But it will take us a while. Do you want to ignite your flame?"

"No, I'm fine. I like it better up here." Teddy answered, snuggling deeper into Kris' coat. "Really, I have no idea why you can understand me and other humans can't. Maybe you're just special."

"I doubt it." Kris sighed, rubbing her forehead again. She'd never been able to understand any pokémon before, and it didn't look like she would get any answers as to why she could now. Either way, it was probably best for her to keep it a secret for now. Professor Elm was nice and all, but who knows what kind of experiments she'd have to go through once he got word out to the scientific community? She smiled back at Teddy, relieved at the warmth the small pokémon was giving out, and decided not to worry about it any further. It was kind of cool, being able to understand her pokémon like this.

"Well, you can understand me. That makes you special to me."

Kris' frown faded into a gentle smile. "Thanks, Teddy. And for the record, I think you're pretty special too."

 

[TheSilentBang]

Cherrygrove City was a little less than an hour's walk from New Bark Town, but Kris had never minded the distance. It gave her an excuse to get outside and exercise, and there was always something more interesting to do Cherrygrove City than there was in New Bark Town. Though the day was still chilly and Teddy had settled in for a nap, the warmth radiating from his small body kept her comfortable as she strolled along the road.

The walk was uneventful; though she'd had to skirt through some tall grass a few times, she'd thankfully avoided any encounters with wild pokémon. Teddy's nose twitched as they entered the small city, and he awoke with a small cry of excitement. "It's so big! Where are we?"

"We're in Cherrygrove City." Kris answered. "But we won't be staying here for very long. Professor Elm said that the friend he wants me to go see lives on Route 30."

"Oh…"

Kris made her way through the streets of the city, her pace slowing as she passed the Pokémon Center. Her thoughts turned to Mrs. Lowe's son Ethan, and a small shiver raced up her spine as she remembered his Marill.

"Are you all right?"

Kris shook her head, dismissing the thoughts from her head as she approached Route 30. "I'm fine." she said, glancing at the branching paths ahead of her. "Um…"

"Don't you know which way to go?"

Kris bit her lip, picking her way through a small patch of grass. "I've never been this way before…"

Suddenly, a flock of Pidgey erupted from the grass immediately in front of her, causing Kris to jump and cry out with shock. They flew off as quickly as they'd appeared, and Kris let out a long, slow breath. In her arms, Teddy was trembling like a leaf, and she petted his head softly to soothe him.

He quickly calmed down, but still seemed shaken. "Let's go that way." he said, pointing towards the left path. Kris didn't argue; it looked like that way was more well-traveled, and it seemed more sensible that an associate of Professor Elm's would live in an easily accessible area. She quickly set on her way down Teddy's chosen path. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Teddy let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry…" he said meekly. "I…I got scared."

Kris paused, confused. "Why should you be sorry? They startled me too."

"No, I mean…I was scared you were going to make me battle."

Kris took in a slow breath as the realization of what Teddy was actually confessing washed over her. "You're scared to battle?" Teddy lowered his head shamefully, and Kris gently cuddled him closer.

"Well, not exactly scared, but…you're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because you're a trainer, and I'm your pokémon."

Kris smiled down at him. "Yeah, but I can understand you, remember? If you don't want to tell me why you don't like battling, you don't have to, but I'll always be here to listen to you. I promise."

Teddy gave a tiny smile in return, his face shining with gratitude. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do." Kris said as she began walking again. "After all, we are partners." The route ahead of her widened a bit, and Kris could see a few trainers up ahead. She could feel Teddy tense up in her arms, but she Kris carefully managed to sneak around them for about twenty minutes, until she happened to glance over toward the lower path.

"What is it?" Teddy asked when he heard Kris give a small groan.

"We went the wrong way." Kris answered glumly as she stared down the steep hillside at a small house.

Teddy grumbled, but said nothing as Kris turned around and retraced her steps. The sun was starting to sink in the sky as Kris finally approached the house she'd seen earlier, and Teddy was fidgeting with impatience.

"Sorry, Teddy – I'll try and make this quick." Kris apologized as she rang the bell. A tall elderly man opened the door and started at her for a moment, then smiled and opened it wider.

"Ah, you must be Kris! Professor Elm emailed me about you. Come in, come in!"

Kris gladly took the man up on his offer, hurrying into his home with Teddy hot on her heels. She rubbed her arms, trying to get some feeling back in her fingers as she looked around. It was a tiny home, and another old man was sitting nearby, looking over some notes. She smiled at him when he looked at her, but she was interrupted by the first man, who she could only assume was Mr. Pokémon himself. "This is what I wanted to show to Professor Elm – I think it's a pokémon egg!" he exclaimed, thrusting the egg into Kris' arms. "Please, have him take a look at it!"

Kris looked at the thing in her arms, completely puzzled. She'd never seen an egg this big, nor one with such strange patterns on it. Small red and blue triangles were all over the shell, and the egg itself was warm to the touch. Somehow it just felt alive, even though Kris knew the statement was redundant.

"Young lady…Kris, was it?"

Kris turned, seeing the other man had made friends with Teddy. "Yes?"

"This is your Cyndaquil, correct?"

"Yup! His name's Teddy. I just got him this afternoon from Professor Elm."

"Just this afternoon?" the man repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's rather surprising; he seems to be very close to you already."

Kris blushed and put a hand behind her head. "Oh, thank you, Mr…"

"Oh my, how rude of me." the man said, walked up to her and extending his hand. "My name is Oak. I'm a professor from Kanto."

Kris shook his hand firmly. "I've heard of you…you're the one who developed the Pokédex!"

"Yes, that is correct." Professor Oak said, nodding. "Actually, I would like to speak to you about that."

"What? Why?"

"Y'see young lady," Mr. Pokémon cut in, "Professor Oak is a great judge of character when it comes to potential trainers. Every kid he's handpicked to give a pokédex to has gone on to do great things."

"I'm not some sort of clairvoyant, Mr. Pokémon." Oak protested. "I just recognize when trainers care about and have bonded with their pokémon. And I can tell, Kris," he continued, turning to her, "that your Cyndaquil is already very close to you. And for having only received him this afternoon, that's quite impressive."

Kris put a hand behind her head and blushed. "I haven't done anything special." she protested.

"Regardless, I think that you have a lot of potential as a trainer, Kris." Oak said, holding out a small red device. "I would like to give you a Pokédex."

Kris hesitantly took the small device. She'd heard tales of the device and its owners, but until now had never really believed them. After all, a handheld computer couldn't possibly have the capacity to give two boys from Professor Oak's hometown the things it took to become Champions; there had to have been something more to them, and Kris was certain that, whatever it was, she lacked it. And yet, here she was, staring down at the thing itself. It shook slightly in her hands as she stared at it in awe, and she glanced back up at Professor Oak. "A P-Pokédex?" she stammered. "For me?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes, Kris. For you." He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it will be useful to you. Now, if you both will excuse me, I must go to Goldenrod City. They've put me on a radio show, and it's not much good if I'm not there for it."

"Right, then." Mr. Pokémon said, getting up. "I'll show you out. Kris, thank you very much for stopping by."

Kris nodded, carefully placing the egg in her bag and making sure it was padded. "I'm sure that Professor Elm will be really interested in this." she said, smiling. "I'll get it back to him now. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, my dear. And don't hesitate to stop by any time you like!" Mr. Pokémon offered. "A friend of Professor Elm's is a friend of mine!"

Kris smiled again. "Thank you very much." she said. "And thank you too, Professor Oak."

"It was my pleasure." Oak assured her. "Now, I really must dash." With that, he pulled a pokéball out of his coat. He released an Abra from it, then took its hand. "Teleport, please, Abra," he said, "to Goldenrod City." And just like that, they were gone.

Kris looked down at Teddy. "Well, we'd better get back too." Teddy nodded, but they hadn't taken a single step before Kris' phone began to ring. "It's Professor Elm. I hope I didn't take too long getting here." She quickly flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. "Sorry I took so long, Professor, but –"

"There's no time for buts!" the professor nearly shouted. He sounded positively frantic. "You must come back to the lab immediately! A pokémon has been stolen!"

"What?" Kris yelped. "Stolen?"

"Yes! There's no time to explain any further – please, just get back here as soon as you possibly can!"

"Yes sir!" Kris hung up and scooped Teddy up in her arms. "Sorry, Teddy, but we have to hurry! A pokémon has been stolen from the lab!"

Teddy looked worried, but he nodded. "I understand – let's go!"

 

[TheSilentBang]

Can someone review please? Otherwise im/mods will lock it...

 

[CharMaster482]

I really have enjoyed this so far, it's close enough to the plot of Pokemon Crystal that I feel comfortable with it, but it has enough twists
( such as the talking Cyndaquill ) that it feels different enough to be worth reading. I did not find any spelling or grammar errors ( I did not look very extensively) and it is very well written. I hope to see the next chapter soon.

 

[Janice Quatlane]

I like it! . I will definitely try to keep up-to-date!