The Lost Cities of Talas - The Archaeology Zone

[enchantress]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone

Long since buried beneath the desert sands, the lost city of Sobek was discovered after a ferocious sandstorm uncovered part of an ancient abode. When archaeologists heard of the discovery they flocked from all over the world to examine the area, eventually unearthing several more vicinities in which the ruined remains of ancient civilisations have been laying undisturbed for thousands of years. Portions of the strange writings and hieroglyphs discovered in these lost cities have been translated, fuelling speculation that the entire island of Talas is somehow tied in with the heavens. Items, carvings, texts, as well as some rather unsettling discoveries and mysterious events have helped to cement these theories in the minds of some, while others dismiss them as fantasy. Each of the cities are believed to be connected to the others somehow, but there are still missing pieces of a much larger puzzle to be found, leading scholars to believe that there are more cities that have yet to be discovered. Talas has now become a popular archaeological site which attracts scientists, scholars, tourists, and trainers from across the globe.

The Isle of Talas

A desert island so large it's been classified a continent, Talas would be a barren wasteland if not for the Laos River snaking its winding trail from the far north-west corner of the island and throughout the land before rejoining the sea in the south-east province. A mixture of desolate wasteland and tropical jungle, the conditions are so harsh that very few dare to live here. Several nomadic tribes traverse the land, preferring to steer clear of populated areas, though many small villages can be found not too far from the river's edge. Most inhabitants of these villages are quite friendly, but there are the odd settlements whose residents are not at all welcoming, particularly of foreigners. The lost cities aren't the only places of interest in Talas, however, and it's these more isolated locations that have perked the interest of many a curious trainer. Guided tours are offered for those who wish to travel in groups, but the more adventurous trainers prefer to make their own way around.

Areas:
Laos River: A long and winding river lined with tall palm trees snaking its way throughout this vast desert island. Many wild Pokémon can be found basking upon its banks, while families love to sit by the water and watch the barges sailing by.

The Northern Pyramid: A large pyramid built in a massive crater located in the far north of Talas, and seemingly dedicated to the God of Earth. Only a single corridor appears accessible, as it seems a task needs to be performed in order to enter the vast network of halls and chambers within.

The Southern Pyramid: A large pyramid located in one of the most hot and barren parts of the land, and seemingly dedicated to the God of Fire. Only a single corridor appears accessible, as it seems a task needs to be performed in order to enter the vast network of halls and chambers within.

The Eastern Pyramid: A large pyramid standing atop a high cliff on the eastern-most edge of Talas, and seemingly dedicated to the God of Wind. Only a single corridor appears accessible, as it seems a task needs to be performed in order to enter the vast network of halls and chambers within.

The Western Pyramid: A large pyramid located in the sea one hundred metres off the western coast of Talas, and seemingly dedicated to the God of Water. Only a single corridor appears accessible, as it seems a task needs to be performed in order to enter the vast network of halls and chambers within.

The Sphinx: This Sphinx loves riddles so if you don't like them then this isn't the place for you. Answer the Sphinx's riddle and she will allow you entry. Once inside you will be faced with another twelve riddles. Each time you guess the correct answer you advance to the next stage where you will battle for your right to face another riddle. Make it to the end and you will receive great rewards, if you lose a battle or answer a riddle incorrectly you will find yourself back at the beginning.

Sovereign Valley: A vast network of catacombs where only the most revered of ancient kings and queens were buried. Riches beyond your wildest dreams are rumoured to have been buried with them, and judging from what has been found so far this very well may be the case. All objects discovered have been taken to the Atlas Museum, but if you're lucky you may just stumble upon an undiscovered chamber that hasn't yet been emptied by an excavation crew or ransacked by looters.

Atlas City

A bustling city located alongside the Laos River. While there are several small, stray settlements scattered across the land, Atlas's reputation has spread worldwide since the discovery of the lost city of Sobek less than a mile from its shore. The incredibly large influx of scientists, trainers, and tourists has aided in building Atlas from a humble village into a modern and prosperous city. Walking the streets at night isn't recommended, however, as the sudden prosperity of Atlas City has also attracted many thieves.

Areas:
Port Pearl: A large, bustling port developed to handle the large amount of traffic now navigating the Laos River into Atlas City. Cargo ships, fishing trawlers, ferries, small tourist boats, and even five star cruise liners, all dock here. Café's, restaurants, boutiques, a couple of small inns, and a tour company all line the river banks making it a central hub of activity for the thriving metropolis of Atlas City.

Emporium Hotel: A luxurious five star hotel located in the heart of Atlas City, the Emporium Hotel is fit for royalty. Some even say they've seen royalty of the ancient spiritual kind inhabiting rooms on the thirteenth floor. Perhaps these patrons have had a little too much to drink in the elaborate hotel bar?

The Market: A bustling marketplace. Food, clothing, and knick-knacks can be purchased here, but you'd better be careful. Some of the seedier business owners are renowned for advertising fake items as genuine artefacts. If you're lucky, however, you may just find a gem amongst the junk.

The Museum: Many artefacts from the various dig sites of Talas have ended up here, as well as the skeletons of long extinct Pokémon. At night, strange things are rumoured to occur.

The Library: Scholars who have become obsessed with the lost cities have built this library for those who wish to read up on ancient civilisations. Ancient texts from all over the world have been collated here, the most valuable locked away from the public eye. They're always on the lookout for new and exciting discoveries, so if you happen to come across something on your travels it may be worth your while to pay the scholars a visit.

Perona: The residential district of Atlas City, Perona is a working class settlement originally built to accommodate those who work in the city itself. With Atlas City expanding at a rapid rate, however, the families of the ever-growing workforce have moved here as well. Archaeologists, scientists, and tourists have also settled here, falling in love with the city and wanting to make it a more permanent home. Perona has rapidly developed into a family oriented community, its first school opening recently as the demand for a much needed educational system became a priority.

The Lost City of Sobek

The first of the lost cities to have been unearthed, Sobek is the most extensively examined of the five known ancient civilisations. Despite the fact it's surrounded by desert, a thick, healthy layer of the greenest of grass has grown since Sobek was first uncovered. The dig site is extensive, and even though it is believed this city was the main agricultural centre of Ancient Talas, some of its areas raise questions as to what kind of rituals the people who once dwelt here may have performed. Here you will find many places of interest such as the Pokémon Centre, Research Lab and tourist stalls, as well as several interesting excavation sites to explore.

Areas:
Research Lab: Any fossils unearthed can be taken here for examination. Occasionally one of the professors may have a job opening, so if you're looking for something to do it can't hurt to swing by and see what's available.

Farity's Shrine: A shrine built to honour Farity, the Goddess of Fertility. The ancients believed that Farity's tears could create life where there was none, and some who have visited this shrine will swear blind that miracles have occurred. A statue of Farity herself stands on an alter overlooking the shrine, and it's said that if you're pure of heart you may just see her weep.

Farity's Pond: A large freshwater pond in the centre of the city. How it has miraculously filled with water is still a mystery, some saying Farity herself has imbued it with life. A statue of the Goddess rises from its centre, a Feraligatr, Croconaw, and Totodile protectively surrounding their mistress. The fresh, cool water attracts many wild Pokémon, while people visiting or working in the area like to submerge themselves to cool off under the harsh, desert sun.

The Colosseum: An ancient battle arena, the Colosseum has seen many a warrior fight. It is said that one of the most bloodthirsty battles known to man took place here, the details of which have been lost in time. Nowadays, trainers come here to battle with their Pokémon but it's what lays hidden beneath the arena that makes many a man shudder. The dark and dangerous dungeons have become home to some of the strongest and most bloodthirsty Pokémon alive, so only the bravest of trainers dare to enter its dank and brooding halls.

The Caiman Temple: Built thousands of years ago as a burial tomb for the Pharaoh, the Caiman Temple is filled with many secret passages, dangerous traps, and puzzles designed to protect the Pharaoh's resting place from looters. If this place doesn't kill you, it may just drive you insane.

The Lost City of Solaris

An arid city located far from the banks of the Laos River, very little plant life is found in this harsh and uninviting environment. The ancients who dwelt here appear to have worshipped the sun, and have many drawings and inscriptions depicting flames and violence. Their God, Faros, is shown as being a large, muscular man who radiated intense heat. Texts have been translated to say that when Faros was angry, his body ignited in a raging fire, punishing the insolent in ways that defy the very nature of humanity. Many charred and damaged remains of ancient structures can be found in this city, and only the hardiest of wild Pokémon roam the area.

Areas:
The Pit: A large pit where the skeletal remains of hundreds of people and Pokémon are found. Upon closer examination it seems they died an unnatural death, as many of their bones are broken and charred. Scientists are trying to determined what has killed them, as they feel this information will help to shed light on the city's seemingly violent history.

Sun Dial: A large sun dial located in the very centre of Solaris. Under the rays of the midday sun, it radiates an energy that cause most Pokémon who go near it to become quite violent, often resulting in them turning on their trainers.

The Well: A very, very, very deep well tapping into an underground source of fresh water much needed for a city this far away from the river. Wouldn't want to play around near its edge, because there's no way of knowing what's down there, or even if there's a way out.

The Arena: A large arena made of clay with unfamiliar markings which was apparently the scene of many games. Exactly what the native game or its rules entailed, nobody knows, but considering what little is known about this city many wonder what became of those who were unfortunate enough to lose. These days trainers like to battle with their Pokémon, but there is something about this arena that makes them battle more ferociously than ever before. Perhaps a natural survival instinct? But survival of what? It's only a battle after all...

The Sun Temple: A large temple dedicated to Faros, God of the Sun. Steps surround the temple, at the very top of which rests an alter covered in dark stains believed to be blood. Some say that ritualistic sacrifices were performed here, but what met the requirements for one of these sacrifices is anyone's guess. Human, Pokémon, both? Perhaps some more light will be shed on the matter once the inner temple has been fully explored, but few dare to enter as the terrifying screams of those long since departed can be heard echoing throughout its extensive halls.

The Lost City of Lacuna

Located at the bottom of a deep valley laid out in the shape of a crescent moon, the Laos River provides the surrounding area with a rich source of nutrition. Thick jungle surrounds the ancient city whose inhabitants appear to have worshipped cats. Statues and inscriptions depict a very large, very muscular, panther-like feline as tall as a man whilst on all fours, but whether this creature is an extinct Pokémon or something else is anyone's guess. No references have been found in relation to this mythical beast, leaving many to wonder if it actually existed, or was simply a God worshipped by those who inhabited the city.

Areas:
Burial Ground: Where many ancient Talasians and felines were buried. Several crypts contain the mummified remains of the more prominent citizens, but it's the statues surrounding this burial site that has fear entering the hearts of those who lay eyes upon them. Known only as the "Big Cats", these fearsome sentries stand guard over the burial ground, watching the site in eternal vigilance. Roam the area at night, and you may never see the light of day again...

Pool of Illusion: A small pond, its ink black water smooth as silk. No Pokémon drinks from its water, no human sets foot in it, but visit at midnight under the light of a full moon and some pretty strange events are bound to blow your mind.

The Labyrinth: An underground maze where the bravest warriors were sent in order to prove themselves. It's inhabited by strong Pokémon and an unknown mysterious Pokémon that is stronger than them all. If the warriors made it out they were celebrated as heroes, if not... ;-;

Rapa's Temple: About a quarter of a mile from the ruins of Lacuna is a small island surrounded by water. The wooden bridge leading to it has been deliberately sabotaged so that nobody may cross, while large, shadowy forms can be seen lurking beneath the surface of the water. Skeletal remains of humans - or parts of them - who have tried to access the island can be seen scattered along the shore which causes most to think twice before trying to cross the water. An ancient temple sealed centuries ago is built upon the lone island, its entrance inscribed: "Herein reside the Rapa; Death to those who enter". Is it sealed to keep something in, or to keep people out? Hmm, wonder what's inside?

The Moon Temple: A large temple dedicated to Saros, the God of the Moon. It is said that at various times strange events occur, all of which are related to the moon itself, whether that's during a solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, or under the light of a full moon. Quiet and serene, this temple has an almost magical aura about it, leaving many feeling calm and collected even under the most stressful of circumstances.

The Lost City of Axal

Located at the very peak of a high mountain, the city of Axal was built on the outskirts of a large lake, its residents appearing to have been quite advanced for their time. Those who lived here worshipped the stars and appear to have been a peaceful, scientific race of people. Astronomers have discovered an extremely detailed set of parchments depicting maps of galaxies beyond those discovered by present day science, and are eager to learn more to further their own knowledge. The Axalian calendar has raised much curiosity, as well as concern, for even with today's massive amount of technology it is more accurate than any current day super computer. If the Axalian calendar is to be believed, then doomsday is approaching, for their calendar ends less than a year from today...

Areas:
Axal Field: Upon the northern edge of Lampas Lake is a field that was once used for cattle to graze upon, as well as to cultivate fruits and vegetables for those who lived here. Now there are many trees full of various fruits, apricorns, and berries, but the wild Pokémon who dwell here become pretty irate if you try to take any food for yourself. Better watch out if you're feel those hunger pains, because you might be in for more than you'd bargained for if you try to pick any of these fruits.

Axal Village: Spreading from the eastern most point of Axal and down to the northern edge of the lake is the residential district of Axal City. Many small, ancient abodes can be found here, some with rather interesting inscriptions upon the walls. All parchments found have already been taken to either Atlas City's Museum or Library, but that doesn't mean there's nothing left to find. Some vagrants have set up home here, and aren't too friendly if you attempt to 'trespass' upon what they consider to be their property.

Lampas Lake: The very centre of Axal City and the main source of water for those who once dwelt here, Lampas Lake attracts many wild Pokémon who aren't all that used to seeing trainers. As people have been flocking into the ruined city, however, the Pokémon around here have begun to accept the sudden influx of humans, some of them being quite friendly if you have a little treat for them. At night the lake appears to sparkle as the Chinchou who live here talk to one another, their electrical signals making the lake a very pretty sight to behold as it twinkles just like the night sky.

Shrine of Plasius: An underwater shrine erected in honour of Plasius, the God of the Heavens, this wondrous discovery was made when a wild Chinchou was found floating in Lampas Lake, struggling to free itself of a beautiful golden necklace tied around it. Wondering where the necklace had come from, a diving crew was called in who discovered the shrine at the bottom of the lake. Many artefacts have since been recovered, but the shrine is so deep that you can only visit if you have a Pokémon who knows Dive. How it came to be submerged is a mystery scientists are still trying to solve.

The Celestial Temple: A large temple built to honour Celeste, Goddess of the Heavens. Hundreds of chambers lie within, each dedicated to a specific constellation. The prophets of Rebus believe that one may travel great distances when the planets are aligned, but just how far are they talking?

The Lost City of Rebus

An ancient version of the 'Bermuda Triangle', Rebus is a mysterious city located dead centre of the cities of Solaris, Lacuna, and Axal. The city of prophets, Rebus appears to have been inhabited mainly by those who dabbled in various realms of the occult. Texts reveal that while much legitimacy was given to the Prophecies of Rebus by the civilisations of its era, it was shunned by those who lived in Solaris, most likely due to fear. It is believed its location, whether deliberate or not, imbued the area with special mystical qualities resulting in those born here having the natural ability to see into the future. Only a handful of prophecies have been found since the city was first discovered by modern day explorers, all of which accurately depict cataclysmic events that have taken place during past centuries. The most interesting of stories discovered tells of a horrific curse placed upon the Goddess Farity whose death, as the Goddess of Fertility and the one who injects life to the Island of Talas, will result in the complete annihilation of the Talasian race as the curse spreads into the heart of each city. To save their land and their fellow Goddess, the isle's respective Gods united to save Farity, drawing the curse out of her. It was too late, however, as the curse had already spread across the land and into each city, so they each called upon their powers to contain the curse within special objects which were then hidden away in their respective areas. Not ever wanting the objects to be found, and the curse unleashed before it could be destroyed, they united once again, this time to bury all of their civilisations and the curse along with them before it could spread not just across Talas, but into the world beyond. Their work done for the time being, the Gods then fell into slumber until a cure could be found, their dreams intertwined with each other's while they devise a way in which to break the curse and allow their cities to live again. If this story is to believed, then why are these ancient civilisations still buried? Could it be the curse was never broken?

Areas:
Rebus Village: The City of Rebus mostly consisted of temples built for the prophets, or of temples and shines to honour the God and Goddess of Mystery, so the residential area of the city was very small, consisting of less than thirty abodes because families who were not directly descended from the prophets rarely stayed long. Some strange objects have been unearthed here, many of them hidden in cleverly concealed areas within the various abodes. If you're lucky you may just stumble across one of these hiding places, and if you're even luckier may even find a nice little souvenir to take home with you.

The House of Arctosia: A special school where natural born prophets were separated from the other children of Rebus and sent to learn. The details of their education is unknown, though it is said these pupils were very secretive. Is this because they had no wish to share their knowledge, or because they were being trained in various areas of the occult?

The Temple of Oracles: A meeting place of the Prophets of Rebus. It is said they gathered here whenever a cataclysmic event was prophesised. Unable to prevent these events, all they could do was warn of the oncoming disasters, trying to prevent as many casualties as possible.

The Divination Temple: A small temple made of stone with no inscriptions or markings anywhere inside. An incense holder stands at the front centre of the room, while mats woven from vines are spaced evenly throughout the room. It is said that the prophets used to come here when they felt their powers of foresight fading, meditating for days, and sometimes even weeks, at a time.

The Mystic Temple: A temple built to honour Arctosia, the Goddess of Mystery. Nobody knows what's inside, for only one of those who have entered have ever returned. Terrified out of his mind, and afflicted with some kind of unfathomable disease, his words were gibberish leaving him unable to pass along any information as to what had happened to him. He died shortly after leaving more questions than answers, and those who set out to discover what had caused his dire affliction have never been seen again.

[enchantress]

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[JustAnotherUser]

Sovereign Valley: A vast network of catacombs where only the most revered of ancient kings and queens were buried. Riches beyond your wildest dreams are rumoured to have been buried with them, and judging from what has been found so far this very well may be the case. All objects discovered have been taken to the Atlas Museum, but if you're lucky you may just stumble upon an undiscovered chamber that hasn't yet been emptied by an excavation crew or ransacked by looters.

"It is really, really dark down here."

Insightful as ever, Daniel clicks on a flashlight and shines it on the surrounding area. Atop his head is his Joltik partner-in-crime, Zapz (who rolls all four of his eyes), and in his arms is his Turtwig, Terrance (Who is wide-eyed, ready for adventure).

The Sovereign Valley is, normally, available to the public for a small fee of coins. However, after a fair bit of paperwork and patience, he had gotten a "Free Entry and Exploration" pass from the Atluss Museum, and he'd chosen to utilise it this fine morning, in hopes of uncovering a room of shining Gold, glittering Gemstones, ancient Relics and hopefully the lost "Necklace of The Great Queen" he'd heard of.

Of course, any treasure would satisfy him- he just wanted something valuable, so he could send it in to the Museum and make a shedload of coins.

Fifteen minutes in, Daniel has come across nothing but excavated and/or looted chambers. He lets out an irritated sigh. "Why is it I have such a hard time finding treasure?"

Zapz makes a 'meh'-like sound in response, and Terrance frowns slightly.

Not giving up, Dan sets Terrance on the floor and continues to poke around- good things come to those who wait, after all...

[King Ghidorah]

The Lost Cities of Talas

The Lost City of Sobek

The first of the lost cities to have been unearthed, Sobek is the most extensively examined of the five known ancient civilisations. Despite the fact it's surrounded by desert, a thick, healthy layer of the greenest of grass has grown since Sobek was first uncovered. The dig site is extensive, and even though it is believed this city was the main agricultural centre of Ancient Talas, some of its areas raise questions as to what kind of rituals the people who once dwelt here may have performed. Here you will find many places of interest such as the Pokémon Centre, Research Lab and tourist stalls, as well as several interesting excavation sites to explore.


Farity's Pond: A large freshwater pond in the centre of the city. How it has miraculously filled with water is still a mystery, some saying Farity herself has imbued it with life. A statue of the Goddess rises from its centre, a Feraligatr, Croconaw, and Totodile protectively surrounding their mistress. The fresh, cool water attracts many wild Pokémon, while people visiting or working in the area like to submerge themselves to cool off under the harsh, desert sun.

"My GOD, it's so hot," Hugo announces as he stumbles in the hot sun. He falls to his knees and reaches for his backpack, looking for a bottle of water but finds nothing.

"Ugh. I don't think I'm going to make it."

Hugo reaches for the Pokeball at his waist and releases Krabby.

*click...click* says Krabby. The heat has even gotten to the water-type Pokemon, as he pants and sweats in the heat.

"Krabby, let's...let's cool off a bit. Use Icy Wind," Hugo says. Krabby pulls back and takes a deep breath...but collapses to the ground, too hot to produce the move. Hugo lays down next to him.

"Well...looks like this it, buddy," he says to Krabby. "We've had a good run. It's been a pleasure serving with yo--"

Suddenly, a bright glimmer catches Hugo's eye. He wipes the sand from his face and squints to focus. In the distance, he sees a shimmering oasis; Farity's Pond.

He rises up a bit, his heart pounding with excitement.

"Is it...is it real?" he asks. "Krabby, look!"

The crab Pokemon opens his eyes slowly, but perks up when he sees the cool water.

"Water?! Water! It's water! Krabby, let's go!"

The duo jump to their feet and run/scuttle as quickly as they can to the pond. Krabby immediately dives in, submerging himself in the cool waters, while Hugo sits on the side splashing the water over his face and even drinking something. He smiles and laughs along, splashing with Krabby, realizing that they may have been saved from imminent death.

[CyberBlastoise]

The Mystic Temple: A temple built to honour Arctosia, the Goddess of Mystery. Nobody knows what's inside, for only one of those who have entered have ever returned. Terrified out of his mind, and afflicted with some kind of unfathomable disease, his words were gibberish leaving him unable to pass along any information as to what had happened to him. He died shortly after leaving more questions than answers, and those who set out to discover what had caused his dire affliction have never been seen again.

John, I love you for this. No homo.

Bill wandered into the lost cities of Talas, a place that seemed to fit him perfectly. After all, he was aspiring to be an archaeologist, and what better place than this place known as "The Archaeology Zone". The hot, sandy desert was no match for his determination either. The trainer debated over many of the different temples he could explore. At first, the sun temple seemed like a good place to go to, but he decided against it due to the Pokemon going crazy, then he looked at couple of others until he found one that had an interesting rumour. Apparently the only survivor in this temple went mad, and Bill's curiosity got the better of him.

The trainer reached the temple's entrance and grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. He looked at it and said, "Well, buddy, I guess it's time to let you out of there." He threw the Pokeball into the air and a Blastoise appeared out of the Pokeball.

"BLA!" the Blastoise called out.

"All right, Silver. You ready to explore this place?" asked Bill. The Blastoise gave a smile at the trainer before turning toward the entrance. Side by side, the two entered into The Mystic Temple. Bill hoped to get to the bottom of the mystery behind this temple once and for all.

[gmoyes]

The Lost City of Sobek

The first of the lost cities to have been unearthed, Sobek is the most extensively examined of the five known ancient civilisations. Despite the fact it's surrounded by desert, a thick, healthy layer of the greenest of grass has grown since Sobek was first uncovered. The dig site is extensive, and even though it is believed this city was the main agricultural centre of Ancient Talas, some of its areas raise questions as to what kind of rituals the people who once dwelt here may have performed. Here you will find many places of interest such as the Pokémon Centre, Research Lab and tourist stalls, as well as several interesting excavation sites to explore.

Areas:
Research Lab: Any fossils unearthed can be taken here for examination. Occasionally one of the professors may have a job opening, so if you're looking for something to do it can't hurt to swing by and see what's available.

Alex desprately wished that he had caught a water typed pokemon before coming to this island. While his two steel type sidekicks were pretty much uneffected by the heat, he was sweltering in the heat. At least this place was a great center for information. While he didn't have any fossils that needed to be examined, it still seemed to be a good place to learn things, dispite the heat. He even heard there might even be job openings which he would be interested in. And while his own studies were mainly about non-biological pokemon like his own Magnemite and Bronzor, the process of extracting genetic information that is used to make a clone of the ancient pokemon might be similar to how non-biological pokemon reproduce.

Looking around Alex spotted a building that had 'lab' written all over it. Not literally of course, though it did have 'Research Lab' written over the main entrance. With his Magnemite and Bronzor hovering over each shoulder like the usually do, he entered through the main door. The place looked more like a lab on the inside than on the outside. Many different people were hussling about wearing lab coats and carrying papers and notepads. Alex stood by the door feeling a little out of place all the busy people. Not wanting to be in the way of anyone, he akwardly walked away from the door and looked around not sure what to do. He couldn't just barge up to someone and offer his help. He figured that with his two pokemon, the scientists would see that he was a trainer and if there was any group of people that people would ask for help, it would be trainers.

[GalaxyEyes]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone

Pool of Illusion: A small pond, its ink black water smooth as silk. No Pokémon drinks from its water, no human sets foot in it, but visit at midnight under the light of a full moon and some pretty strange events are bound to blow your mind.

It was dark, almost midnight, at a time where the only light was the shine of the full moon. "Now where's that pool?" I asked my nervous Gothita. She didn't really like this place since the minute we got here, and being near pitch-black didn't help either. "I...I don't know. You know I'm scared of the dark."Gothita reminded me telepathically. Speaking mentally to her, as not to disturb anything that is resting here, I told her, "You said you were fine with this earlier." "Yeah, well I didn't know we'd be out this late. You should have told me." Gothita argued back. "Ok, ok. We can't leave now since we're so close, so let's keep going." I finally said, knowing that arguing would get us nowhere. It took about 10 minutes, but we finally reached the black pond. There, we waited, just as it struck midnight.

[FlashFusion]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone
Long since buried beneath the desert sands, the lost city of Sobek was discovered after a ferocious sandstorm uncovered part of an ancient abode. When archaeologists heard of the discovery they flocked from all over the world to examine the area, eventually unearthing several more vicinities in which the ruined remains of ancient civilisations have been laying undisturbed for thousands of years. Portions of the strange writings and hieroglyphs discovered in these lost cities have been translated, fuelling speculation that the entire island of Talas is somehow tied in with the heavens. Items, carvings, texts, as well as some rather unsettling discoveries and mysterious events have helped to cement these theories in the minds of some, while others dismiss them as fantasy. Each of the cities are believed to be connected to the others somehow, but there are still missing pieces of a much larger puzzle to be found, leading scholars to believe that there are more cities that have yet to be discovered. Talas has now become a popular archaeological site which attracts scientists, scholars, tourists, and trainers from across the globe.

The Isle of Talas

A desert island so large it's been classified a continent, Talas would be a barren wasteland if not for the Laos River snaking its winding trail from the far north-west corner of the island and throughout the land before rejoining the sea in the south-east province. A mixture of desolate wasteland and tropical jungle, the conditions are so harsh that very few dare to live here. Several nomadic tribes traverse the land, preferring to steer clear of populated areas, though many small villages can be found not too far from the river's edge. Most inhabitants of these villages are quite friendly, but there are the odd settlements whose residents are not at all welcoming, particularly of foreigners. The lost cities aren't the only places of interest in Talas, however, and it's these more isolated locations that have perked the interest of many a curious trainer. Guided tours are offered for those who wish to travel in groups, but the more adventurous trainers prefer to make their own way around.

The Sphinx: This Sphinx loves riddles so if you don't like them then this isn't the place for you. Answer the Sphinx's riddle and she will allow you entry. Once inside you will be faced with another twelve riddles. Each time you guess the correct answer you advance to the next stage where you will battle for your right to face another riddle. Make it to the end and you will receive great rewards, if you lose a battle or answer a riddle incorrectly you will find yourself back at the beginning.

Cele walked through the seemingly endless desert, with two Pokemon flanking either side of him. One side, was Neptune, an enthusiastic Squirtle, Cele's starter Pokemon, while Boing was on the other side, a confident Spoink, whom he had recently obtained in a trade with an older member of Fizzy Bubbles. Cele had heard tales of the Sphinx, who was spoken about in many myths; she just loved testing young adventurers like Cele by telling them riddles. In turn, Cele loved being tested, as well as riddles, so this area would be perfect for him. However, he had also heard of the dangers of this area, how failing to solve a riddle would get him kicked out, and all his efforts would be rendered redundant. He had also heard that you must fight for your right to answer another riddle.

Putting those negative thoughts out of his head, he decided to focus on the task at hand, finding the Sphinx so he can gain entrance to wherever it is the riddles are told. His shoes quickly filled with sand for about the millionth time. "I hate it when this happens." Cele muttered to himself, emptying his shoes once again. "Where is this Sphinx anyway? I feel like I've been walking for days." Cele complained, holding the map up so he could see it clearly. "I think I'm going the right way." Cele says, not paying attention to where he's going. He majestically stumbles over a loose rock, falling face first into the sand. Spitting sand out whilst he gets up, staring at the great Sphinx in all her strangeness. After a few moments of doing nothing, Cele decides to act. "So, mighty Sphinx, what is your riddle for me?" Cele asks, with determination in his voice. Cele then patiently awaits the riddle, wondering what it will be...

[uhhhhh]

The Market: A bustling marketplace. Food, clothing, and knick-knacks can be purchased here, but you'd better be careful. Some of the seedier business owners are renowned for advertising fake items as genuine artefacts. If you're lucky, however, you may just find a gem amongst the junk.

Connor has been wandering around the Market for the couple of hours now. A few hours ago after signing some adoption papers for a Shuppet, Connor had decided to wander around Atlas City to check things out and do some catalogue-quality photography. After feeling tired and with his camera film full with photos, he decided to go back to the Emporium Hotel to check in and rest for the day but...

"Um, where's the Emporium Hotel again?"

Connor was once again lost. He sighed to Gaspard, his Aipom, whom he approached. His Aipom was looking at all sorts of things that the merchants were selling and was in awe. "Well, I'm lost in the city... again. I knew I should have took that left turn at the Library, sigh... my feet hurts from walking around so much..." he then called out to Gaspard, "Gaspard, please don't cause too much trouble okay? We don't want people to be calling us thieves," he said to his Aipom whom he remembered took his camera when they first met. The Aipom replied, "Ai-Aipom!" Connor had decided to might as well check what the other merchants are selling here.

[John's Knight]

Hello, I'm John's Knight, and I'll be your updater!

Please remember to reply with font size 1, in Dark Orange, and to keep a link to your FB profile in your signature.

There are currently 7 people in this zone, and I'm afraid I'll only be able to update one more, so I'll be capping my group at 8.

That said, it's time to have some fun! I hope you enjoy your adventures >=)


Poke_Hunter (note: your description of the catacombs are a bit self-updating, as you describe the chambers you visit as already looted; please be more careful in the future ^-^)

Deciding to go on an adventure in the Isle of Talas, along with Zapz the Joltik and Terrance the Turtwig, you quickly choose the Sovereign Valley as your destination, an almost never-ending network of catacombs filled with ancient history and mysteries. Many archaeologists have (re)searched its contents, most of which have been transported to the Atlas Museum, its expositions being visited by hundreds of visitors, jaw-dropped at the beauty of its relics. Your contribution to a future exhibition, however, seemed doubtful. Having looked through many chambers, you are disappointed to found them empty, excavations both small and big scattered throughout the maze. What objects had been hidden there, you wonder. Zapz quickly scouts the empty chambers, his eyes mirroring a tad of disappointment. The Turtwig didn’t look too happy as well; as one of your first adventures, it was becoming relatively boring, relatively fast.

Some minutes later you enter a much bigger chamber, pillars adorned with foreign inscriptions at its entrance and guiding you through the room’s corridor. Despite the well-restored pillars, the rest of it had certainly seen better days, security signs regarding rock slides scattered through most of it. You quickly scout it, and unfortunately no objects could be found. But of course, this Valley had been researched for many years, so it would be a miracle if you had found something at plain sight. Indeed, rumor has it smaller chambers were hidden from the plain-minded folks, protecting the royalty of royalty, the most rich and powerful from their days! But alas, nothing for the archaeologists, nothing for you.

With a sigh, you call your pokemon and decide to go look through some of the other chambers, maybe you had missed something. The electric spider quickly follows you, but Terrance stays put. “Terrance, let’s go” you say, but he completely ignores you. Approaching him, you give him a gentle nudge, but his eyes don’t even meet yours, mindlessly looking forward. “Terrance?” you begin to worry, but this time the small Turtwig opens its mouth, firing a quick barrage of Bullet Seeds at the floor. You quickly back down, the seeds almost hitting your feet. Lost for words, you watch your pokemon fire many projectiles at the floor, stopping for a while, then starting again, repeating this several times. However, what troubles you the most is not the attack itself, but what it was meant for: he was writing a message. And its content wasn’t that much reassuring as well, as you slowly read the words on the dusty ground:

HELP ME

Before you could even begin to analyze it, the floor beneath you crumbles, you and your two pokemon going through a quick fall, rapidly hitting the ground. Getting back up, you look up to see the hole in the ceiling: it wasn’t more than two meters apart from where you were before and where you are now, and thankfully no harm was done to either you or your pokemon. As you call out to them, especially Terrance, you are relieved to see that he was back to normal, letting out a confused “Turt?”. Before you could ask him what had just happened, you hear a voice calling out. “Hey, is anyone there?” a man called, waiting for the dust to settle. You pick up your flashlight and search for him, two silhouettes standing out in the new underground chamber, one of a man, and other of a smaller creature, most likely his pokemon.

“Are you alright?” he asked again, walking through the settling dust. His companion was an Excadrill, who thoroughly analyzed the hole in the ceiling, before glaring at you. Before you could answer, you hear another voice nearby, although with a bit of static noise. “Oh, wait a minute.” The man reached for his walky-talky, answering “Found one boy and two pokemon; fell from the upper main chamber. The Excadrill must have accidently caused th-”

“Kill them” a man on the other side coldly said, terminating the conversation.

The man sighed, putting away the device. “I’m sorry it has to be this way” he apologized, before turning to the drill pokemon. “Make sure it looks like an accident. A Rock Slide will do the trick.”

What will you do?


-------------------

King Ghidorah

As you walk through the raging-hot desert, you repeatedly ask yourself “why didn’t I pack more water”, almost collapsing from full dehydration. Even calling out your trusty Krabby, the water pokemon is even more fragile than you in these blazing temperatures. Before reaching the realm of Arceus however, you notice with whatever strength you have an oasis in the distance – could it be your salvation?

Gathering all your strength, you both reach the shimmering water at record speed – a Ninjask would certainly be befuddled. The cooling water cooling your ideas, you start to observe the surroundings: four statues emerged from the center of this pond, the Totodile line pokemon surrounding and protecting the Goddess Farity, her eyes observing this ancient city of Sobek, now filled with several small buildings, including a small pokecenter, and in the distance, the famous Colosseum. You also notice that you were not, in fact, alone – many people were looking at you, probably surprised at your mindless race towards the pond a few minutes ago. Indeed, dehydration generally results in a mild delirium, and it made you ignore that you were surrounded by many tourists such as yourself.

Patting your head in shame, you’re quickly surprised by a hit on the head. Turning around, you notice a small Buizel – he had just fired a water gun at you, the rascal! However, he didn’t seem too happy, glaring both you and your Krabby. It appears he didn’t like your sudden ‘crash’ in his territory, and was prepared to do battle.

What will you do?

-------------------

CyberBlastoise

Wanting to explore the unknown, you decide to set foot in the Mystic Temple, well known and feared for the lack of knowledge of it. Indeed, only one of the initial group of explorers came out of it alive, and yet his mind was long gone, the delirium eventually taking his life. However, you were determined to solve the mysteries that surrounded this ancient temple – or at least, to come out alive of it. Choosing your Blastoise as your on-foot companion, you both enter the temple, its majestic and eerie entrance well estabilished by a couple of pillars, many inscriptions carved on them. Its interior was no less mystic, its walls and pillars also filled with unknown encryptions, carved upon one another. Mysterious indeed.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

The stories of the first exploration team rushing back to your mind, you quickly call for your pokemon, but no answer was obtained. Running around blindly, you were hoping to bump into him – he had to be nearby, he was just three feet away before. However, no matter how much you searched, nothing was to be found but infinite darkness. You could not even see your own arms and body – although you could sense them, so it was just your vision that was impaired. The darkness beings to fade, slowly being replaced by a growingly bright light. Partly covering your eyes from the burning white, you quickly scout the surrounding scene – this time, it was infinite white all around you, your Blastoise nowhere to be seen. You could not actually see any floor beneath you, but you were certainly standing. “Hello?” you shout, but received no answer.

Out of nowhere, a red laser descends from the high heavens, hitting the ‘ground’ about 5 meters away from you, emitting a quiet, yet annoying high pitch. Another one hits the floor, this one just to your right side. Suddenly, two images start to form from the two lasers, the one near you materializing into the Blastoise you well knew, and the other one into a small Petilil, mindlessly looking at you. The lasers disappear as quickly as they appeared, only you and the two pokemon remaining in this white chamber. Your pokemon seemed as confused as you; what had just happened?

-------------------

gmoyes (note: in your replies you can not control your environment, as it is considered self-updating; although the description of the lab says "Occasionally one of the professors may have a job opening", indeed there are probably people in there, but you can't describe it as "busy people" rushing from one place to another; please be more careful about this in the future ^-^)

Repeatedly scolding yourself for not bringing some bottles of water for this heated journey, you eventually reach the Research Lab, the mechanical doors quickly sliding open, the cooler temperatures welcoming you to the science institute. A little bit shy, you don’t really know what you should do there, as several scientists rush from one place to another, such a hectic place!
“Hello there!” You’re suddenly greeted by the young lady at the welcome stand. “Are you a trainer?” she asks, receiving a nod from you. “Well, then, might I interest you in our free tour today? Should you accept, please just wait in that room, and you’ll get your tour in a few minutes” As she handed you a small pamphlet, she pointed to a dark red door on the opposite side, that was the waiting room.

SPECIAL OFFER!
Just for today, the Research Lab will fully open its doors to public, organizing one tour around this institution. Completely free of charge, this is your only chance to see what happens behind the curtain, including recent researches, a fossil exhibition, as well as some other secrets that you’ll find intriguing in the least.

We hope you enjoy!

As you finish reading the pamphlet, your mind started to work excitingly. You couldn’t have been luckier! Just for today, and without any special favour, you could get a free tour around the research facilities. Why not, you ask yourself, as you gladly come into a small chamber, although not empty – indeed, many were gathered, your eyes spotting scientists and trainers alike. Interrupting your thoughts, everyone spots a woman, about 1.65 meters tall, her long black hair curled on her white medical-looking coat, pushing the doors away, walking with a steady pace. “Good morning, everyone!” she says, observing her crowd. “I’m Dr. Foster, one of this laboratory’s archaeologists, and I shall be your tour guide for today.” Her beautiful blue eyes gathering everyone’s attention, she continues. “I know you all must be very excited with what is going to happen. This is a very rare event, and it probably won’t happen in near future, so I hope you enjoy it as much as possible. Since you seem to be ecstatic, I won’t delay the visit anymore. Shall we?”

Turning around, she disappears as she exits the room and passes through another set of doors, and all the visitors, you included, quickly rush in to enter it, some of them acting very competitively and pushing each other away, as to enter the Research Lab first. As all of you enter, you walk down the corridor, following Dr. Foster. In the wall, several photographs were hanged, and in your quick pace you read one’s description “Dr. Kamus and the Archen”, a man who appeared to be in his late 50s pointing to a group of fossils.

“Before I show you history, I must tell you this lab’s history. This Research Lab was founded on 1990 by Dr. Kamus Mespira, a renowned archaeologist who practically lived on this desert, digging every squared meter of sand there was. Years before, he was mocked by his colleagues, as his instinct was certain that there were fossils in a place that no man considered archaeologically valuable. Indeed, he dug, and dug, but found nothing. However, one day he met Dr. Ethos Tomus, the founder of the Paleontological Center of the Sunny Dryland, set in the continent of Fizzytopia, and top archaeological institute in the world at that time – and still today! Dr. Tomus gave him his help, and more importantly, his trust, believing there was certainly something in that spot, something big. And indeed, they were right – in 1988, Dr. Kamus discovered fossils of a large community of never-before-seen pokemon fossils, afterwards baptized as Archen. Quite the instinct he had there! After his discovery, he built this Research Lab, affiliated with the ‘Bones Center’ of Fizzytopia, becoming one of the most talked archaeological centers of this continent!” She states. You start to feel an increase in temperature, and in the far end of this historical tunnel, the light shined upon them, a window separating you from the exterior.

As you get closer to it, you realize that the window is quite long, stretching for about 8 meters to the right. However, you see the windows entrapping that location, forming a square around it. Looking down, you see some archaeologists digging and cleaning some rocks, while three Nidoqueen fire a Blizzard at them, which combined with the intense heat, would create a gentle cooling breeze. “And this is the Crypt, another nickname given by our workers, since they’re in a lower level than ours. If it weren’t for those Nidoqueen, our scientists would probably be dead by now, as the temperatures are extremely elevated. We created a, well you can call it a sub-station, here, as we presume this was the location of a large pokemon community, a fact that justifies the findings of several fossils. Moreover, we presume we are looking at the biggest Lileep fossil ever encountered. But let’s continue our tour, there’s much more to it.”

Turning to her right, she continues walking, and the group follows her, some of them still observing the “Crypt”. “Now you’ll look at our fossil exposition. With high technology, we managed to create faithful replica of the fossilized pokemons.” She states, and as gets near the door, you realize it’s mechanical, as it slides open to her. As you enter it, the hall was greatly large; a community of Snorlax could easily sleep there, and there would be plenty of room left. “I’ll give you some time now to observe the fossils.” Dr.Fosters says, before exiting the room. You start looking around, staring at the fossils. In top of them stood a picture of their appearance, as well as characteristics and other details.

However, you suddenly hear a loud scream, followed by a threatening roar. As you turn around, a large pokemon rushed through the room, the visitors running for their lives. The dinosaur creature, much similar to the ancient Tyrannossaurus, appeared from thin air, as there was no sign of forced entrance in the wall. The Rampardos notices you, and quickly changes his trajectory, rushing towards you.

What will you do?

-------------------

GalaxyEyes

Ignoring your fears, you manage to reach the Pool of Illusion, lost among the lost city of Lacuna. Rumor has it that mysterious events occurred there at midnight, and you just couldn’t wait to see them by yourself. You wait till then, becoming more and more anxious as time went by. What would happen, you ask yourself, although your Gothita didn’t seem that eager to discover.

It was midnight. Now or never, they say, your eyes quickly scouting every inch of the surroundings, looking for something out of the ordinary to happen. As minutes go by, you start to feel disappointed – something was wrong, nothing was happening at all. The pool remained calmly silent, the moonlight reflected upon its eerie waters. Beautiful indeed, but that was not why you had visited this place. Maybe the rumors were false, forged to increase tourism perhaps? Well, you weren’t going to stay there forever to find out…

Suddenly, you hear something. A splash…? Setting your attention into the pool, you notice some ripples in its center, something had moved for sure. It remained quiet afterwards; nothing was heard besides your breath and Gothita’s nerves trembling. Almost as if to satisfy your curiosity, another small splash was heard in the same spot, this time a little louder, although your eyes didn’t notice anything diving into the water. Could it be… underwater?

You have little time to analyze it carefully, as the water suddenly ripples angrily, moving wildly and uncoordinatedly. Even more mysteriously, it begins to create two shapes, one much smaller than the other. As it materializes, you stop your breath as you realize the phantasmagorical image that stands in your front: it was you, your own self, well not your own of course, but an amazingly and frighteningly perfect clone in front of you, standing in the center of the pool, a small Gothita on his right side, both standing on top of the water. You and your pokemon pale at what your eyes see, but you have little time to think, as you hear your twin coldly order: “Gothita, use Confusion.”

What will you do?

-------------------

Celebii 151

Eager to solve puzzles and riddles, what better place to visit than the Sphinx? Indeed, this mythological creature from the ancient times is well known throughout world and time itself, rewarding the bright minded with treasures of unimaginable value, while protecting these riches from the greedy simpletons, flanking the entrances to its inner chambers. The pros and cons are well established – should you desire to enter it, you must solve any and every challenge it throws at you, be it of the mind or of the body. With that in your mind, you reach the mythological creature, and determinately ask “So, mighty Sphinx, what is your riddle for me?”

You obtain no immediate answer, at least from the statue itself; instead, the sand in front of you begins to move in a swirly and coordinated fashion, a pointing cone sticking out of it, spinning at high velocity. You wonder what it meant, but as you approached it carefully, the sand bursts violently, pushing you to the ground. What was once a small cone is now a rapidly spinning creature, its turmoil moving the sand around it at a fascinating speed. The creature appears to slow down; what was once a blurry sand mass reveals itself to be a Baltoy, its eyes fixed on you.

“It is not what it looks like” the Sphinx loudly announces, its words resonating through your mind. The Baltoy levitated slowly towards you, and appeared ready to assault anything that crossed his path.

What will you do?

-------------------

uhhhhh

Feeling a tad lost in this modern metropolis, instead of reaching the Emporium Hotel where you were staying, you instead reach the Atlas Market. An honest mistake, you should have turned left where you turned right, but fate wanted you to visit this bustling marketplace, many items being sold there, both common and rare. It was quite a sight, people from all corners of the world were selling their belongings, potions, secret base items, Lava Cookies, RageCandyBars, you name it. However, as in any other grand bazaar, you were bound to find those mischievous sellers, whose items are anything but real. Caution in this place is absolutely needed if you want to buy quality goods.

As you walk around one of the busiest roads, you and Gaspard couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a couple of other Aipom, rushing through the top of tents, jumping from one to another; what could those little rascals be up to? Well, it wasn’t long before you found out; quickly disappearing from plain sight, you hear someone shout: “Give them back, you damn scoundrels!” An old, slightly overweight man rushes through the crowd, clumsily bumping into everyone. He then stops in front of you, his hands on his knees, heavily panting. “Damn Aipom, give me back what you stole from me!” he yells, pointing at the confused Gaspard.

What will you do?

-------------------

[Rotom310]

I am so snagging that last spot.

Note: This first part is just to explain why I'm here, not any attempts to set my own plot. Well, not for this at least; while it is setting up something, it's just for a possible little story idea for myself.

Drew laid in his apartment, a large upscale flat in Castelia City, staring at the ceiling. He had just returned from his most recent... excursions, and had no desire to return to ghost hunting for some time. Beside him his Ekans, Salazar, had coiled around his second teammate, Zylia, a small pyromaniac Budew, and quickly had fallen into a deep slumber. After much struggling, Zylia too had fallen asleep, exhausted.

*Click*

"Flippity flap, flippity flap, put the pancake on the stack-"

*Click*

"Have you or any of your family ever seen a spook, spector, or ghost-"

*Click*

"Oh look: waffle cat-"

*Click*

Drew could hear someone, probably Stealth, his Weavile, flipping through TV channels out in the main room, which left only Korvéo, his newest Pokémon, a mischievous little Murkrow, unaccounted for. A peck on the window made Drew realize the crow must've gotten outside. Sighing, he got up to let Korvéo back in.

"Kor, didn't you learn as we were coming back here not to go wandering off? I would've thought the three Herdier and five Purrloin chasing you for all their stuff would leave some sort of impression."

The Murkrow just cawed a sort of short laugh.

Drew was about to start scolding, but the high-pitched trill of his cell phone stopped him. "Hello? Drew Guildford speaking."

The voice on the other end was breathy, with an accent Drew couldn't place. "Guildford? As in the photographer? The one who published that article on phantoms? Good, I've got the right person.

"My... employer needs some pictures of a rare tomb. It is found in a series of catacombs within the Isle of Talas. I can pay hansomely for this tasks completion."

"How "handomely"?"

The price the caller said made Drew's eyes widen like dinner plates. "Deal."

"Wonderful. There will be a plane waiting at Castelia Airport within the next half hour. It will take you to Talas free of charge. From there your own form of transportation must be found, but I do hope that our reward will vastly outweigh the costs of travel."

With that the caller hung up. Not once did he give his name, and Drew, focused on the payment, didn't think anything of it.

"Hey guys, better pack your suitcases. We're going on a trip!"

The Isle of Talas

A desert island so large it's been classified a continent, Talas would be a barren wasteland if not for the Laos River snaking its winding trail from the far north-west corner of the island and throughout the land before rejoining the sea in the south-east province. A mixture of desolate wasteland and tropical jungle, the conditions are so harsh that very few dare to live here. Several nomadic tribes traverse the land, preferring to steer clear of populated areas, though many small villages can be found not too far from the river's edge. Most inhabitants of these villages are quite friendly, but there are the odd settlements whose residents are not at all welcoming, particularly of foreigners. The lost cities aren't the only places of interest in Talas, however, and it's these more isolated locations that have perked the interest of many a curious trainer. Guided tours are offered for those who wish to travel in groups, but the more adventurous trainers prefer to make their own way around.

Areas:
Sovereign Valley: A vast network of catacombs where only the most revered of ancient kings and queens were buried. Riches beyond your wildest dreams are rumoured to have been buried with them, and judging from what has been found so far this very well may be the case. All objects discovered have been taken to the Atlas Museum, but if you're lucky you may just stumble upon an undiscovered chamber that hasn't yet been emptied by an excavation crew or ransacked by looters.

Drew shifted into park as he pulled the rented jeep up outside one of the catacomb entrances. He spotted a few other cars around, but no one was in sight. They all must be explorers or something, Drew thought.

The flight had not been all that exciting, nor had the drive out to the valley. Once you escaped the bustle that was Atlas City, it was mostly barren desert.

Grabbing his satchel from the passenger seat, Drew stepped out of the jeep. He opened a Pokéball and soon Korvéo was perched on his left shoulder. "Look, I know we haven't really been off to a great start the past few days, but I hope that you'll warm up to-"

A slight glint in the catacomb entrance caught the Murkrow's eye, and before Drew could even finish talking the crow had flown down into the tunnel.

"-me." Drew sighed starting after the bird. "Why did I just know something like this would happen?"

[Azran Flame]

The Sun Temple: A large temple dedicated to Faros, God of the Sun. Steps surround the temple, at the very top of which rests an alter covered in dark stains believed to be blood. Some say that ritualistic sacrifices were performed here, but what met the requirements for one of these sacrifices is anyone's guess. Human, Pokémon, both? Perhaps some more light will be shed on the matter once the inner temple has been fully explored, but few dare to enter as the terrifying screams of those long since departed can be heard echoing throughout its extensive halls.*

"Sheesh... Scary."

Charlotte stared up with wonder at the gigantic temple looming over her and Flare. Flare was whimpering in her arms, struggling and trying to escape Charlotte's firm grip on her. "Calm down, Flare, it's not like there are real human ghosts in there, anyway," Charlotte told the Fox Pokémon, stroking her head gently.*

"Pix..." Flare whined, but soon settled down after a few more minutes of petting.*

"There," Charlotte said, smiling gently down at Flare. "I can assure, there aren't any ghosts. I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a single sound heard from inside-"

A terrifying, almost unearthly scream echoed through the air from the temple, making both Charlotte and Flare freeze.*

"-the temple," Charlotte finished in a whisper. "...Let's go up, though, I mean, there isn't any going back..." With that, the two of them began climbing the stairs of the temple, trying their best not to let each other know that they were, in fact, terrified.*

EDIT: Damn, over taken by five minutes. How unfair is that.

[King Ghidorah]

-------------------

King Ghidorah

As you walk through the raging-hot desert, you repeatedly ask yourself “why didn’t I pack more water”, almost collapsing from full dehydration. Even calling out your trusty Krabby, the water pokemon is even more fragile than you in these blazing temperatures. Before reaching the realm of Arceus however, you notice with whatever strength you have an oasis in the distance – could it be your salvation?

Gathering all your strength, you both reach the shimmering water at record speed – a Ninjask would certainly be befuddled. The cooling water cooling your ideas, you start to observe the surroundings: four statues emerged from the center of this pond, the Totodile line pokemon surrounding and protecting the Goddess Farity, her eyes observing this ancient city of Sobek, now filled with several small buildings, including a small pokecenter, and in the distance, the famous Colosseum. You also notice that you were not, in fact, alone – many people were looking at you, probably surprised at your mindless race towards the pond a few minutes ago. Indeed, dehydration generally results in a mild delirium, and it made you ignore that you were surrounded by many tourists such as yourself.

Patting your head in shame, you’re quickly surprised by a hit on the head. Turning around, you notice a small Buizel – he had just fired a water gun at you, the rascal! However, he didn’t seem too happy, glaring both you and your Krabby. It appears he didn’t like your sudden ‘crash’ in his territory, and was prepared to do battle.

What will you do?

Hugo, enjoying the cooling sensation of the water, is hit in the back of the head with water gun, sending him tumbling into the pond. He emerges and looks at Krabby quizzically trying to piece together what just happened. Krabby motions his pincer toward the Buizel who sits in the water glaring.

"Hey there, guy. No need for the hostility. We come in peace," says Hugo. The trainer begins to inch toward Buizel as a sign of friendship, but the sea weasel braces itself and bares it's teeth to immediate Hugo.

It works. Hugo begins to back up cautiously.

"Whoa, buddy. Come on now."

Suddenly, Krabby swims in front of Buizel glaring right back at him.

"You wanna take a shot at him, buddy?"

*click click* responds Krabby.

"Alright then, let's do this. Hit Buizel with Bubble and then go for the throat with Vicegrip! Come on, Krabby!"

[uhhhhh]

uhhhhh

Feeling a tad lost in this modern metropolis, instead of reaching the Emporium Hotel where you were staying, you instead reach the Atlas Market. An honest mistake, you should have turned left where you turned right, but fate wanted you to visit this bustling marketplace, many items being sold there, both common and rare. It was quite a sight, people from all corners of the world were selling their belongings, potions, secret base items, Lava Cookies, RageCandyBars, you name it. However, as in any other grand bazaar, you were bound to find those mischievous sellers, whose items are anything but real. Caution in this place is absolutely needed if you want to buy quality goods.

As you walk around one of the busiest roads, you and Gaspard couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a couple of other Aipom, rushing through the top of tents, jumping from one to another; what could those little rascals be up to? Well, it wasn’t long before you found out; quickly disappearing from plain sight, you hear someone shout: “Give them back, you damn scoundrels!” An old, slightly overweight man rushes through the crowd, clumsily bumping into everyone. He then stops in front of you, his hands on his knees, heavily panting. “Damn Aipom, give me back what you stole from me!” he yells, pointing at the confused Gaspard.

What will you do?

-------------------

Connor was looking around the Market now, checking out the stalls that were selling all sorts of items. Ranging from potions to pokeballs even Lava Cookies and RageCandyBars, this market seemingly has it all. There were however, some shadier sellers whose items they were selling wasn't exactly what people would call authentic. Connor could have sworn he saw the exact replica of an ancient artifact being sold at another tent. It didn't matter to him anyway, he wasn't an impulsive shopper and he wasn't planning on buying anything here.

When Connor and Gaspard arrived at one of the busiest roads at the Market, Gaspard was attempting to get Connor's attention by pointing at something, "Gaspard, we're not here to buy thi-" Connor stopped as he saw what the Aipom was pointing. There were other Aipom rushing through the top of the tents. Connor and Gaspard smiled at the sight, "Hehe, you wanna play with them Gaspard?" Gaspard replied to him with a nod but as looked again, the group of Aipom were now gone. Gaspard frowned. "Aw they're gone. Too bad Gaspard. You know, I wonder what those Aipom were up to? They're probably window shopping like us," Connor chuckled at what he said. Just then, he heard someone shout.

“Give them back, you damn scoundrels!”

Connor froze. Could that man be referring to Gaspard? "Gaspard, did you...?" his partner quickly shook his head. "Then could it be those Aipom we saw earlier?" he had no time to contemplate as the man who had shouted appeared in front of him. He was old and slightly overweight man who was currently panting with his hands on his knees.

“Damn Aipom, give me back what you stole from me!” he was pointing at Gaspard. Connor shook his head, "Sir I'm sorry, but you must be mistaking my Gaspard from those Aipom jumping above the tents a while ago. He's with me." Connor calmly said to the man, "Those Aipom you're looking for went that way," Connor pointed past him, hoping the man would listen to reason and believe him.

[GalaxyEyes]

-------------------

GalaxyEyes

Ignoring your fears, you manage to reach the Pool of Illusion, lost among the lost city of Lacuna. Rumor has it that mysterious events occurred there at midnight, and you just couldn’t wait to see them by yourself. You wait till then, becoming more and more anxious as time went by. What would happen, you ask yourself, although your Gothita didn’t seem that eager to discover.

It was midnight. Now or never, they say, your eyes quickly scouting every inch of the surroundings, looking for something out of the ordinary to happen. As minutes go by, you start to feel disappointed – something was wrong, nothing was happening at all. The pool remained calmly silent, the moonlight reflected upon its eerie waters. Beautiful indeed, but that was not why you had visited this place. Maybe the rumors were false, forged to increase tourism perhaps? Well, you weren’t going to stay there forever to find out…

Suddenly, you hear something. A splash…? Setting your attention into the pool, you notice some ripples in its center, something had moved for sure. It remained quiet afterwards; nothing was heard besides your breath and Gothita’s nerves trembling. Almost as if to satisfy your curiosity, another small splash was heard in the same spot, this time a little louder, although your eyes didn’t notice anything diving into the water. Could it be… underwater?

You have little time to analyze it carefully, as the water suddenly ripples angrily, moving wildly and uncoordinatedly. Even more mysteriously, it begins to create two shapes, one much smaller than the other. As it materializes, you stop your breath as you realize the phantasmagorical image that stands in your front: it was you, your own self, well not your own of course, but an amazingly and frighteningly perfect clone in front of you, standing in the center of the pool, a small Gothita on his right side, both standing on top of the water. You and your pokemon pale at what your eyes see, but you have little time to think, as you hear your twin coldly order: “Gothita, use Confusion.”

What will you do?

It was midnight, and after a long night, we finally got to the Pool of Illusions. It was pitch black, and the only light was the full moon. Coming here with the intentions of discovering the mystery of the lake, Galaxy and his less than eager Gothita waited patiently.

"Why did we have to go here?" my irritated Gothita whined. "We are here to see what the mystery is with this lake. We've been over this, haven't we?" I told her. I knew that she would come back with something, something we've both done as children. "Yeah, I know, but it's late, it's cold, and I'm tired. Can't we just go home?" she asked, in an almost pleading tone.

"If you're really that tired, then you can go into your pokeball, can't you?" I replied, knowing full well she hated her pokeball. "Ugh, fine, you win. I'll stay and wait with you." she finally said, although extremely reluctantly. Afterwards, we waited...and waited...and waited. They waited for about 20 minutes after midnight. Just when it seemed nothing would happen, the water rippled.

"Wha...what was that?" Gothita asked me in a voice similar to a girl seeing a ghost. "I, I don't know. I wonder what it was, or even if it was real." I said, wanting to know whether it was real or not, while Gothita just wanted to run and never come back. To answer my question, the water rippled again, seeming to be underwater. Then, the water starts spiraling randomly, appearing to form two shapes. What we saw after the water stopped took our breath. In front of us were water clones of us. "That's it! I don't like it here, lets go now! Please!?"my Gothita screamed, obviously terrified for her life. She became even more so when he commanded his Gothita to use confusion. It happened so fast, I only had time to say,"Gothita, dodge!!!"

[Trainer Andy]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone

The Lost City of Lacuna

Located at the bottom of a deep valley laid out in the shape of a crescent moon, the Laos River provides the surrounding area with a rich source of nutrition. Thick jungle surrounds the ancient city whose inhabitants appear to have worshipped cats. Statues and inscriptions depict a very large, very muscular, panther-like feline as tall as a man whilst on all fours, but whether this creature is an extinct Pokémon or something else is anyone's guess. No references have been found in relation to this mythical beast, leaving many to wonder if it actually existed, or was simply a God worshipped by those who inhabited the city.

Areas:
Rapa's Temple: About a quarter of a mile from the ruins of Lacuna is a small island surrounded by water. The wooden bridge leading to it has been deliberately sabotaged so that nobody may cross, while large, shadowy forms can be seen lurking beneath the surface of the water. Skeletal remains of humans - or parts of them - who have tried to access the island can be seen scattered along the shore which causes most to think twice before trying to cross the water. An ancient temple sealed centuries ago is built upon the lone island, its entrance inscribed: "Herein reside the Rapa; Death to those who enter". Is it sealed to keep something in, or to keep people out? Hmm, wonder what's inside?

"Lost? Again?"

Andy sighed greatly and kicked and the ground, cursing his aversion to maps and guides. He should have known better, he really should have. The valley he was traversing seemed to get deeper, darker and more isolated from civilisation with each step he took. Part of him told him to head back, and try a different route, another part reminded him that he hadn't actually been paying much attention to where he was walking, and therefore probably wouldn't have been able to remember the way back anyway.

"Guess i'll just have to keep going," he said finally, "I'll have to come across something eventually"

Plucking the Pokeball from his belt strap he pressed the button on the front and watched as Sheldon materialised in front of him. The Tiny Leaf Pokemon shook it's head lazily, as if it has just woken from a nap, and looked up at its trainer.

"I hope your sense of direction is better than mine, Sheldon," Andy said with a smile to his Turtwig. "Besides, I could do with the company."

Together they marched onwards. As they headed deeper the terrain seemed to become more treacherous and unstable, as if the very earth itself was trying to stop them going any further. Andy only hoped that if they made it to somewhere, without him breaking his neck first, that it was going to be worth it.
After what seemed and age the ground seemed to level out, and the surrounding jungle seemed to thin. In the distance, Andy was sure he could see some kind of structure. With a knowing nod to Sheldon, the two picked up their pace and headed towards it.

Finally leaving the jungle, the first sight that came to them made both Pokemon and Trainer stop in their tracks. The structure they had seem in the distance was not a building, but a giant statue of an unknown creature. Andy could only stare at it, and mixture of fear and awe swirling inside of him. The statue seemed to be looking right back at him too, ready to pounce on him and shred him to pieces if he took a single step. He had no idea how long he'd been standing there until Sheldon nudging himself against his leg finally brought him back to his senses.
Although he soon wished he hadn't looked around the rest of his surroundings, which seemed to be littered with bones, and other scraps that had obviously been part of some creatures meal.
Andy looked around some more. Not far away was a large lake, and in the centre seemed to be a building of some sort, worn and crumbling from time and the elements. Like the statue, it seemed to both make him want to keep his distance, whilst at the same time drawing him in closer to it.
Unfortunately (Or perhaps luckily), the wooden bridge, which appeared to be the only way of crossing, had been destroyed.

"I'm not really sure I'm liking the feel of this place, Sheldon," Said Andy, "but it'll be getting dark soon. I think we'd best just find the safest spot we can around here and set up camp. We'll figure out our next step tomorrow."

[CyberBlastoise]

CyberBlastoise

Wanting to explore the unknown, you decide to set foot in the Mystic Temple, well known and feared for the lack of knowledge of it. Indeed, only one of the initial group of explorers came out of it alive, and yet his mind was long gone, the delirium eventually taking his life. However, you were determined to solve the mysteries that surrounded this ancient temple – or at least, to come out alive of it. Choosing your Blastoise as your on-foot companion, you both enter the temple, its majestic and eerie entrance well estabilished by a couple of pillars, many inscriptions carved on them. Its interior was no less mystic, its walls and pillars also filled with unknown encryptions, carved upon one another. Mysterious indeed.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

The stories of the first exploration team rushing back to your mind, you quickly call for your pokemon, but no answer was obtained. Running around blindly, you were hoping to bump into him – he had to be nearby, he was just three feet away before. However, no matter how much you searched, nothing was to be found but infinite darkness. You could not even see your own arms and body – although you could sense them, so it was just your vision that was impaired. The darkness beings to fade, slowly being replaced by a growingly bright light. Partly covering your eyes from the burning white, you quickly scout the surrounding scene – this time, it was infinite white all around you, your Blastoise nowhere to be seen. You could not actually see any floor beneath you, but you were certainly standing. “Hello?” you shout, but received no answer.

Out of nowhere, a red laser descends from the high heavens, hitting the ‘ground’ about 5 meters away from you, emitting a quiet, yet annoying high pitch. Another one hits the floor, this one just to your right side. Suddenly, two images start to form from the two lasers, the one near you materializing into the Blastoise you well knew, and the other one into a small Petilil, mindlessly looking at you. The lasers disappear as quickly as they appeared, only you and the two pokemon remaining in this white chamber. Your pokemon seemed as confused as you; what had just happened?

Bill and Silver entered into the temple all ready for adventures. The trainer really admired the architectural beauty this place had to offer. As he was viewing the various symbols on the pillars, Bill sometimes wished that he payed attention in his "Hook on Hieroglyphics" program, but the damage was done. He was ready to take some photos for later study when everything went dark. The mystery of the temple was about to begin.

"Dangit, the temple doors must've closed. Well, we should be okay so long as we keep our heads about us, right Silver?".....there was no answer from his Blastoise partner. "Silver? Hey, Silver, please tell me that you're here..." The fact that the Blastoise was gone was more spooky to him than the darkened room. Bill started to wander around hoping to hit a wall or Silver or something, but he hit nothing at all. "I need some sort of light...I knew I should've brought those torches."

Soon, the trainer's wish was granted and light had indeed filled the room. The inky-black darkness was quickly replaced with bright white, but Bill noticed something, Silver was still nowhere in sight. He looked around hoping for something to happen. That was when two lasers fell from the sky. One of them landed straight beside Bill while the other was across from the trainer. Two Pokemon emerged from the lasers, the one beside Bill was his most trust partner, Silver. The other laser however released a Pokemon that Bill had not seen before. It was a grass-type and that's all he knew about it. The trainer pulled out his pokedex.

Petilil, the Bulb Pokemon. Since they prefer moist, nutrient-rich soil, the areas where Petilil live are known to be good for growing plants.

"Interesting, a grass-type Pokemon," Bill commented. Silver looked suspiciously toward the Petilil, not completely trusting the grass-type Pokemon with good reason. Bill on the other hand got onto his knees and tried talking to the Grass-Pokemon. "Hey there li'l Petilil. Are you lost?" He was hoping for an answer, but truthfully he was also expecting an attack, as well.

[FlashFusion]

Celebii 151

Eager to solve puzzles and riddles, what better place to visit than the Sphinx? Indeed, this mythological creature from the ancient times is well known throughout world and time itself, rewarding the bright minded with treasures of unimaginable value, while protecting these riches from the greedy simpletons, flanking the entrances to its inner chambers. The pros and cons are well established – should you desire to enter it, you must solve any and every challenge it throws at you, be it of the mind or of the body. With that in your mind, you reach the mythological creature, and determinately ask “So, mighty Sphinx, what is your riddle for me?”

You obtain no immediate answer, at least from the statue itself; instead, the sand in front of you begins to move in a swirly and coordinated fashion, a pointing cone sticking out of it, spinning at high velocity. You wonder what it meant, but as you approached it carefully, the sand bursts violently, pushing you to the ground. What was once a small cone is now a rapidly spinning creature, its turmoil moving the sand around it at a fascinating speed. The creature appears to slow down; what was once a blurry sand mass reveals itself to be a Baltoy, its eyes fixed on you.

“It is not what it looks like” the Sphinx loudly announces, its words resonating through your mind. The Baltoy levitated slowly towards you, and appeared ready to assault anything that crossed his path.

What will you do?

Cele still couldn't get over the Sphinx's appearance. Its humanoid face, on that feline body. It just looked abnormal. He stared at the Sphinx for a few more moments, still awaiting the riddle. Being the impatient person he is, Cele turned to leave, deciding it wasn't worth the wait. That's when it happened. The sand beneath Cele's feet began to move. Swirling all around, in a strangely uniform pattern. Curious, Cele cautiously moves towards it, only to have the sand blow up in his face, as he falls to the ground once again. Getting back up, he spots a Baltoy, with its eyes turned towards him.

"It is not what it looks like" the Sphinx's voice bellows, finally deciding to do something. While she is doing that, Baltoy slowly begins to move towards Cele, the look on its face telling that it won't let anything stand in its way. Thinking over the situation, Cele comes across what he thinks the answer is. He had heard of a Pokemon in a distant region, one that liked to impersonate other Pokemon. Turning to the Sphinx, he says, "May this Baltoy be a Zorua or Zoroark, utilizing its Illusion ability?" Cele bites his lip, while he waits for the Sphinx's response, hoping his answer was correct.

[JustAnotherUser]

Poke_Hunter (note: your description of the catacombs are a bit self-updating, as you describe the chambers you visit as already looted; please be more careful in the future ^-^)

Deciding to go on an adventure in the Isle of Talas, along with Zapz the Joltik and Terrance the Turtwig, you quickly choose the Sovereign Valley as your destination, an almost never-ending network of catacombs filled with ancient history and mysteries. Many archaeologists have (re)searched its contents, most of which have been transported to the Atlas Museum, its expositions being visited by hundreds of visitors, jaw-dropped at the beauty of its relics. Your contribution to a future exhibition, however, seemed doubtful. Having looked through many chambers, you are disappointed to found them empty, excavations both small and big scattered throughout the maze. What objects had been hidden there, you wonder. Zapz quickly scouts the empty chambers, his eyes mirroring a tad of disappointment. The Turtwig didn’t look too happy as well; as one of your first adventures, it was becoming relatively boring, relatively fast.

Some minutes later you enter a much bigger chamber, pillars adorned with foreign inscriptions at its entrance and guiding you through the room’s corridor. Despite the well-restored pillars, the rest of it had certainly seen better days, security signs regarding rock slides scattered through most of it. You quickly scout it, and unfortunately no objects could be found. But of course, this Valley had been researched for many years, so it would be a miracle if you had found something at plain sight. Indeed, rumor has it smaller chambers were hidden from the plain-minded folks, protecting the royalty of royalty, the most rich and powerful from their days! But alas, nothing for the archaeologists, nothing for you.

With a sigh, you call your pokemon and decide to go look through some of the other chambers, maybe you had missed something. The electric spider quickly follows you, but Terrance stays put. “Terrance, let’s go” you say, but he completely ignores you. Approaching him, you give him a gentle nudge, but his eyes don’t even meet yours, mindlessly looking forward. “Terrance?” you begin to worry, but this time the small Turtwig opens its mouth, firing a quick barrage of Bullet Seeds at the floor. You quickly back down, the seeds almost hitting your feet. Lost for words, you watch your pokemon fire many projectiles at the floor, stopping for a while, then starting again, repeating this several times. However, what troubles you the most is not the attack itself, but what it was meant for: he was writing a message. And its content wasn’t that much reassuring as well, as you slowly read the words on the dusty ground:

HELP ME

Before you could even begin to analyze it, the floor beneath you crumbles, you and your two pokemon going through a quick fall, rapidly hitting the ground. Getting back up, you look up to see the hole in the ceiling: it wasn’t more than two meters apart from where you were before and where you are now, and thankfully no harm was done to either you or your pokemon. As you call out to them, especially Terrance, you are relieved to see that he was back to normal, letting out a confused “Turt?”. Before you could ask him what had just happened, you hear a voice calling out. “Hey, is anyone there?” a man called, waiting for the dust to settle. You pick up your flashlight and search for him, two silhouettes standing out in the new underground chamber, one of a man, and other of a smaller creature, most likely his pokemon.

“Are you alright?” he asked again, walking through the settling dust. His companion was an Excadrill, who thoroughly analyzed the hole in the ceiling, before glaring at you. Before you could answer, you hear another voice nearby, although with a bit of static noise. “Oh, wait a minute.” The man reached for his walky-talky, answering “Found one boy and two pokemon; fell from the upper main chamber. The Excadrill must have accidently caused th-”

“Kill them” a man on the other side coldly said, terminating the conversation.

The man sighed, putting away the device. “I’m sorry it has to be this way” he apologized, before turning to the drill pokemon. “Make sure it looks like an accident. A Rock Slide will do the trick.”

What will you do?

(Sorry about that, won't happen again.)

"Well, maybe we'll have more luck here... this is a big chamber, maybe it'll have something in it."

The room certainly looked ancient and undiscovered- aside from the pillars, they looked fairly recent- but a quick glance around the room's many warning signs told him otherwise. The symbols on the door were interesting, though... maybe having a bit of a gander wasn't such a bad idea.

A few minutes of searching comes up with no results however- and, understandably, Daniel is getting bored. "I suppose I should have thought this through... What did I think, a chest of gold would just appear in front of me?" He let out a long sigh and motioned to leave, starting to walk out His pokemon shared that feeling of disappointed boredom- Zapz was looking kinda disappointed, and Terrance was slightly frowning earli-

Wait.

Where was Terrance?

He looked around, and he saw his Turtwig was just sorta... standing there, in the chamber they had just been in, staring forward, no discernible expression on his face. Dan and Zapz walked back over to him. "Terrance? Little buddy? Everything OK?" The Grassy Turtle opens his mouth, and Dan expects a response- but instead Terrance fires a spray of Seeds like machine-gun Bullets at the ground. Dan steps back speedily to avoid getting his feet pelted. He stops, then starts again, and repeats the progress several times.

Dan is concerned. "Easy there, buddy, you're gonna tire yourself out- oh my." He looks down at the seeds and figures out what Terrance was doing- warning him. The little pellets weren't just littered all over the floor- they were in the shape of some words.

HELP ME

Dan's expression turns from one of one worried confusion to one of shocked horror. "What the fu-aaaAAAAAAAH!" He never got to finish saying the profanity, as the very ground beneath him cracked, crumbled and finally collapsed in a noisy, dusty crash to the floor below.

He had landed on his rear, and was coughing up a little dust, but the drop was short- no more than two, maybe two and a half meters- and he was unharmed. But what about his team?

"Zapz? Terrance? You guys OK?"

"Jolllt!"

"Twig?"

Dan let out a sigh of relief, they were safe- unharmed, even- and Terrance was back to normal. He got to his feet, brushing dust off of himself. "Thank the stars for that, then. Anyway..." He was cut off there- the dust was still settling, and though it he could see two figures. One tall- probably a person- and one short, which was likely a pokemon. The man was calling out; "Hey, is anybody there?"

Dan squinted, and the two walked towards them, becoming clearer in the (now-settling) dust cloud. The tall figure was indeed a man, and the shorter figure a Pokemon- an Excadrill to be exact. Dan made a note to ask if he could get a scan later. Still, the pokemon itself looked rather like it would be against it- heck, he appeared to be against their very being here, obviously annoyed at the gaping hole in the ceiling.

The man speaks again. "Are you alright?" Dan nods, and is about to speak when there is a burst of static and a voice can be heard. The man looks to his walkie-talkie, and with a quick "Oh, wait a minute-" he pulls it out and speaks into it.

“Found one boy and two pokemon; fell from the upper main chamber. The Excadrill must have accidently caused th-” He was cut off there by a cold, sinister voice, saying just two words;

"Kill them." The line went dead, and with a sigh, the man looked at Dan and his pokemon.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way." Dan stepped back- he was actually going to do it? He had seemed so nice before... The man turned to his sharp-clawed partner. "Make sure it looks like an accident. A Rock Slide should do the trick."

Dan looked around- there were a few sizeable rocks around that could put a very big dent in him. He quickly looked down to his pokemon, knowing that if he didn't think fast he'd be little more than a crushed carcass. "Terrance, throw up a Protect! We'll get it close so we're all safe! Then, use a Rock Slide of your own- see how that sharp-clawed little pest likes it himself! Meanwhile, Zapz, stop his trainer giving him ideas- fire a String Shot at the guy's mouth!"

He stooped in close to his Turtwig, and his Joltik did the same- he crossed his fingers, praying that this would work.

[takkupanda]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone

Long since buried beneath the desert sands, the lost city of Sobek was discovered after a ferocious sandstorm uncovered part of an ancient abode. When archaeologists heard of the discovery they flocked from all over the world to examine the area, eventually unearthing several more vicinities in which the ruined remains of ancient civilisations have been laying undisturbed for thousands of years. Portions of the strange writings and hieroglyphs discovered in these lost cities have been translated, fuelling speculation that the entire island of Talas is somehow tied in with the heavens. Items, carvings, texts, as well as some rather unsettling discoveries and mysterious events have helped to cement these theories in the minds of some, while others dismiss them as fantasy. Each of the cities are believed to be connected to the others somehow, but there are still missing pieces of a much larger puzzle to be found, leading scholars to believe that there are more cities that have yet to be discovered. Talas has now become a popular archaeological site which attracts scientists, scholars, tourists, and trainers from across the globe.

The Lost City of Axal

Located at the very peak of a high mountain, the city of Axal was built on the outskirts of a large lake, its residents appearing to have been quite advanced for their time. Those who lived here worshipped the stars and appear to have been a peaceful, scientific race of people. Astronomers have discovered an extremely detailed set of parchments depicting maps of galaxies beyond those discovered by present day science, and are eager to learn more to further their own knowledge. The Axalian calendar has raised much curiosity, as well as concern, for even with today's massive amount of technology it is more accurate than any current day super computer. If the Axalian calendar is to be believed, then doomsday is approaching, for their calendar ends less than a year from today...

Areas:
Axal Field: Upon the northern edge of Lampas Lake is a field that was once used for cattle to graze upon, as well as to cultivate fruits and vegetables for those who lived here. Now there are many trees full of various fruits, apricorns, and berries, but the wild Pokémon who dwell here become pretty irate if you try to take any food for yourself. Better watch out if you're feel those hunger pains, because you might be in for more than you'd bargained for if you try to pick any of these fruits.

Realizing that they had been lost for a while now, Marcelo and Broly kept going ahead hoping to reach some place where there might be some people who could tell where they were. After having walked for a long time, they came to a place which had an eerie feel to it. Marcelo looked at Broly, who also looked restless, his ears twitching every time he heard the smallest of sounds and he looked very alert about whatever was happening around.

"You okay, Broly?" asked Marcelo looking at the restless pup. Broly nodded but then continued to act weird.

As they made their way along the path with extreme alertness, they came into a field which looked like an orchard... an eerie one. The garden was full with fruits, apricorns, berries and would have been a very pleasing sight under perfectly normal circumstances. But there was something about it that made it look weird... and even after thinking about it a lot, Marcelo couldn't exactly figure out what.

But then another thought struck his mind. As this field looked purposefully set up for a horticultural purpose, they thought maybe they would find someone inside the garden. With that hope, they went inside, ready for whatever was to come ahead of them...