Pendragon Chronicles Book 2: Lost Onyx.

Yep. Pokémon. U happy, bro?

If you haven't read Pendragon Chronicles: Guerra Y Paz, then I highly recommend you do. This is the story following that one. This one is looking like it won't be as long as Guerra Y Paz, but it will still be a pretty epic story and stuff. Anyway, onward!

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CHAPTER 1

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SECOND EARTH

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Mark and Courtney went along with their lives since they had last saw Bobby and Press. They eventually delivered Second Earth clothes to the Flume, happy to discover that the quigs had not made a return. No journals came for the next week, and they instead turned to focusing on schoolwork. The journals even slipped their minds for a while as they took some exams and studied for future ones. It was a night five months later that the journals started coming.

Mark quickly picked up a pile of papers decorated with some sort of animal in the corner and hurried to a phone. "Courtney?" He stuttered as soon as the other end of the phone line connected. "We got another journal!"

"I'll be over in ten minutes!" Was the reply. "Don't read without me!"

Mark sat in his room, staring at the first page. He couldn't help it. He began to read.

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ALTH

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This Territory is amazing. I'm not exaggerating. Sure, Press and I were nearly killed by ghosts the second we arrived, but hey…it's all good. I suppose I should start at the beginning, though…

We flew through the Flume after meeting you guys, toward this odd Territory known as Alth. I had no idea what lay ahead…only that Uncle Press said I would like this one. I sure hoped he was right. I watched faint shapes float through the Flume with us, sort of like ghosts. I think I saw a cat. And an alien or something. The music was pretty nice too…at least this time I wasn't freaking out.

We were deposited in this foggy…place. It looked like we were outside, but I saw brick walls and even a roof over us. The fog hung over small, curved stones stretching from one wall to another. I realized with horror that these were small gravestones…almost the perfect size for a child's gravesite. I think I paled, because Press put a hand to my shoulder and pushed me forward slightly. I turned to see where the Flume was.

It was a huge, smooth brick. The star was carved crudely above it, and my ring was still glowing. We walked over dewy grass, an eerie silence covering the entire place.

"This is the scariest part of the Territory," Press said. "It's actually quite pleasant once you get past this place." His voice slightly echoed.

"I'll have to see it to believe it." I said in a voice close to a whisper. I felt as if I so much as spoke in a normal voice, we would be greeted by this Territory's version of Hell.

I suddenly realized something. "Um…Uncle Press…? Where are the quigs…?"

He chuckled slightly. "That's why this is the worst part of the Territory."

I heard a sound behind me…almost like laughter. It echoed around the gravesite, coming from all directions. I stared wildly around the room, seeing shapes fade in and out of existence. Press pushed me along. "Don't worry about them. They're just here to scare us away…they're not like Second Earth quigs."

I backed up sharply and gave a small squeak of surprise as a faint shape shot up from the ground in front of me. It was murky purple, with two black, angry looking shapes on what I assumed was its head. It swiped at me with ghostly claws, passing easily through me. I felt no pain, and I wasn't dying from a huge gash. It was a ghost…it couldn't hurt me…could it?

"Keep going, Bobby. The stairs are over there." Press encouraged.

I ran in the general direction he pointed, eyes shut tightly. I actually felt a ghost drift past my face. It was cold, almost like a draft.

I was suddenly out of ground. My eyes shot open and I discovered I was taking a tumble down a flight of stone stairs. I tried to protect my head and turn sideways. My arms absorbed most of the impact, and I felt as though I had been smashed with some sort of hammer over and over. I eventually stopped tumbling, rolling to a stop on the floor below the graveyard. This floor was made of stone, not grass and dirt like the one above. I didn't move for a few seconds. I hoped those ghosts wouldn't follow us.

I heard Press hurry down the stone stairs and stoop next to me. "Bobby? Are you all right?"

I nodded and stood, my knees shaking violently. My head really hurt. "I'm f-fine…"

He grinned and laughed, which really took me by surprise. "I had a similar reaction when I first set foot on this Territory. Although, I didn't take the stairs quite so fast."

"Very funny." I muttered. I glanced around the room we were currently in. More gravestones lined the ground, in neat little rows. I spotted someone sitting in the far corner, back to us. She had long black hair that came almost halfway down her back and she was wearing a long, dark purple dress of some sort.

"Who's that?" I pointed to the girl.

"Just someone here to pay their respects." Press said. "We should go."

Something about his voice seemed rushed.

"What are these gravestones here for, anyway? Is this some sort of…children's cemetery?" I motioned to a group of nearby headstones. "Look at these! They're so small. What's buried here?"

"Those who have given their lives in the War."

I jumped at the cold, feminine voice behind me. I spun around, shocked to see the girl with the long black hair standing directly behind me. She was pale, and my first thought was, 'Vampire'.

"Many have died." She continued, keeping her eyes on the ground. Something was strange about her voice…sometimes it would echo, sometimes sound sharp and harsh, as though angry. "Died in this pointless, preventable war." She began walking toward us, eyes still glued to the ground.

I glanced at Press, surprised to see him backing up quickly toward another staircase heading down. I hurried to his side, not taking my eyes off the girl.

"What war? What's happened here?" I asked.

"This Territory is very fragile now," Press said. "It just survived a war. It was previously a Lost Territory…now we are here to set it straight for the rest of time."

"Do not meddle with its fate!" The girl screeched. She lunged at us and I dove to the side, heart pounding. She turned her sights on me, glowing yellow eyes staring into my very soul. I've seen those eyes before…

"Is…is she a quig?!" I shouted.

Press nodded.

"The ghosts? We are all that remain of the souls that have stayed behind!" The girl's voice was overlapping something else…a lower voice. "We take hosts and guard the Flume from monsters like you!"

She took something from a pocket, a little red and white ball. She pressed a button in the middle of it and it grew to the size of a softball. She drew back her arm and threw it at my head.

I ducked, and the ball sailed into the wall, where it popped open. A flash of light exited it, forming on the stone floor. I was staring at some sort of yellow creature about half as tall as me. It had catlike ears and white fur around its neck, and it was holding something in its hand…a little circular rock on a string. It swayed back and fourth in front of its face as it stared at me with dark eyes.

"What is that thing?" I stumbled backward.

"Hypno! Hypnosis!" the girl commanded.

Press grabbed my arm and began pulling me toward the stairs ahead. I turned to stare back at the girl and that strange creature. The creature's eyes had changed to a bright purple and the pendulum it was swinging began to speed up. I felt extremely tired.

We made it to the stairs alive. Press nearly pushed me down them, but we made it to the lower level of the strange place we were in. I was turning out not to like Alth that much right now.

"What now?" I yawned.

"We need to find the exit." Press stared around the room that appeared to be the exact duplicate of the last. The only difference was there were more people milling about, all of them dressed in dark purple dresses or suits. "Brilliant. More Channelers."

I blinked away the tired feeling and forced myself to focus. "I don't like these quigs."

"They're scary as hell and they can do damage. They're some of the best." Press gave me a grin. "Now, I need you to run for the middle of the room, just past those gravestones. There's an open space there. Wait there for a few seconds while I keep these guys busy. Ready?"

"No," I said truthfully.

"Go!" Press gave me a push and I tumbled over a headstone, catching some of the Channelers' attention. I hurriedly scrambled up and locked my eyes on the center of the room, trying to ignore the people closing in on me. I felt a hand wrap tightly around my wrist.

"Let me go!" I screamed, kicking out at the Channeler, a frail looking woman. She didn't release me and instead smiled an unnaturally large smile, lips stretching far back to her cheeks. She leaned close to my ear as more Channelers gripped my arms, my clothes…

"Give…me…blood!" she screeched.

I kicked a few of the people away from me and struggled to escape the three that held my arms in a death grip. I could see the center of the room…maybe I had enough strength to lug them there with me…? I hoped Press knew what he was doing my sending me to the middle of the place…

I struggled to pull the three Channelers along. They were strong; stronger than normal people. And they seemed to be fighting with themselves…for control over their own bodies. The ghosts possessing them must not be as strong as I had thought.

"No! Do not go to the Purified Zone! No!" one of them screamed.

I could see a little red and white ball sitting in the exact middle of the room now. I freed one arm from the Channelers and used it to attempt to pry the others off. The frail woman from before smacked my hand away and cried an unearthly sound that set my teeth on edge. I was reminded quite suddenly of zombies.

I was close to the little ball now. I reached for it, still struggling with two Channelers with my other arm. I was winning, though. I was pulling them closer and closer to my destination…

Blue designs lit up the floor and a faint azure glow sprung up from the ground. The Channelers screeched and cried, letting go of my arm immediately and turning back. I was left to catch my breath, the blue glow surrounding me. I hoped I was safe.

I picked up the little red and white ball and pressed the button in the middle of it. It popped open and clothes shot out of it, wrapping around my face. I pulled them off and stared in awe at the little ball, wondering how the heck someone could stuff two pairs of shirts and pants along with a hat, two belts, and two pairs of shoes into it. This Territory was advanced.

I had to ignore the Channelers outside the Purified Zone as I quickly pulled off my First Earth uniform and put on the Alth clothes. I hooked the belt around my waist, finding six small groups of three hooks. They were the exact size to fit the white and red ball. I clipped it into the first one as I pulled on a hat.

Press jumped into the Zone a few seconds later, looking thrilled. "This place is amazing, isn't it?"

I threw a pair of pants at his head. "Well, I was nearly turned into a vampire or something. So yeah, amazing!" I said sarcastically.

"Sorry about the Channelers. I never had much of a problem with them…Saint Dane must have done something." Press shrugged.

"It's ok." I turned to watch a few of the Channelers as Press changed.

This Territory was horrifying, to say the least. I really hoped it would get better. I didn't want to be running from possessed Channelers the entire time.

"We look like Trainers, don't we?" Press grinned.

I turned around to face him again. He was wearing something similar to me, only my shirt was green and his was a dark purple. He had the belt on, too. "And look! You've already got something there." He pointed to the red and white ball at my side.

"It's empty." I shrugged.

"I'm sure we can change that later." Press turned in a full circle, trying to plan our escape. "I suppose we can leap over the tombstones to get to the next flight of stairs." He pointed.

"Are we almost out of here yet?" I groaned. "I hate this Fume's location."

"Everyone does. The Traveler and Acolyte here despise it."

"I don't doubt it."

"When I say go, go. And don't stop until you make it to the next floor." Press said. "Ready…go!"

We took off running, at least four Channelers behind us. I didn't dare look back. I felt a hand swipe at my belt, but it missed and I wasn't yanked to the floor.

"Don't slow down!" Press shouted at me. "The stairway's just ahead!"

I felt my Alth shoes slam into the stone stairs. I nearly fell down them again as I quickly stumbled down. The Channelers let out a loud shrieking sound and went silent.

Press jogged up to me. "You can relax now. The Channelers can't follow us down the stairs. We're safe."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because the spirits live on that floor and that floor only. They can't go far from their graves."

"Oh," I muttered.

We were on a floor just like the others, only this one was occupied by a few people, all of them either standing around or kneeling at graves. I walked up to an older guy. "Hey…what's this place?"

"Did you come to pay respects to your departed Pokémon?" He asked. "This is the Pokémon Tower. Their final resting place."

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I dunno about you guys, but this is really cheesy. Sorry. But I freaking love Lavender Town and the Tower.

And this will get serious really quick.

Up next: Battles and more stuff. Stay tuned!

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28