Zypher: Hello, I'm still working with edits [currently working with Lovers' Collection] and at the same time working on the chapters for this new gem so I decided to at least post not the official chapter one but one of the many side stories that will be posted in between certain points of the story. As for the story itself, it will have a mix of the elements from the game, manga and anime to make a more feasible and enjoyable story compared to Fighting Contest. More notes will appear in the official chapter but for now, enjoy this small installment.

0

Book of Hoenn Origin Story: Zinluta

0

It was a good few years ago before the story that partakes, when Ryou and Diamond used to live further away and beginning their start as trainers. With one pokemon each, Diamond with her Nidoran and Ryou with Aron, they lived in the small town of Fallarbor. Aged 12, Ryou smile as he ran outside with Ari right behind him. "Come on, Ari! Let's head over to the nearby route and train a little!" Ari made a soft sound as he followed behind the eager boy. Diamond walked out just in time to catch sight of him.

"Ryou! Be careful on that route! There have been reports of rockslides and people are still working to secure the ground there!" she called.

"I know! I have Ari with me!"

She sighed softly as a woman came up beside her. "He knows better. He'll be alright."

"I know, mom. I know." she murmured.

0

Once they landed on the route, Ryou pouted at the rain of volcanic ash. "A shame Mt. Chimney is always sending soot this way. But at least the soot can prove to make real helpful things at the glass shop." he hummed, bringing out a soot sack of his own and went into the grasses nearby to collect some soot. Ari followed behind him, watching the surroundings carefully for any wild pokemon. A few Spinda stumbled by but none actively out to attack the smaller boy. But it didn't take long before the angry squawk of a Skarmory was heard from above, circling about them. Ryou looked up and gasped, ducking out of the way of the incoming Steel Wing aimed for him. It missed him by the barest inch and he yelped as he hit the ground. Ari nudged him, trying to get him up again. The Skarmory swung around and came for them again. Ari growled before jumping forward, turning about and flung mud and dirt up into the eyes of the Skarmory, causing it to let out a fierce cry.

"Aritriel!" Ryou cried.

Ari cried out as the steel bird landed, irater than before. Ryou sat up quickly. "Ari! Metal Claw and fast!" Ari nodded before charging forward, claws at the ready. The bird gave a sharp gaze before flinging out its wings, releasing a wave of caltrops in front of Ari. Even for a steel type, Ari wailed at the spikes before him, sliding to a stop before he ran into them. Skarmory paced before them, a victorious gleam in its eyes as it stepped forward and flared its wings. Opening its beak, it let out a piercing Metal Sound at them. Ryou and Ari cringed, Ryou covering his ears from the grating noise that echoed even louder in the empty route. But this proved to be terribly bad with the unstable mountain formation. After the sound faded away, things were silent and Ryou looked up. The sharp crack of stone sliding against stone permeated the air and Ryou looked up in shock. Ash and dust began to collect in the air as the start of a rockslide rained down onto the route. The Skarmory in all its previous bravado flew off in fear and Ryou stood quickly once it was gone.

"The unstable cliff! Come on, Ari!"

Ari ran over to him and he collected him into his arms before running back towards town but his small legs couldn't get him to the town border fast enough as gravity took its toll. Looking up, he could see his life flashing before his eyes. Ari made a cry of his own as the rockslide closed in on them. Another cry, however, was heard as Ryou huddled down into a scared little ball with a sob. The rocks fell, burying the boy and his pokemon but quickly enough, Ari pulled up Protect to save them from the worse of the rockslide but still being a young pokemon, the power of his Protect didn't last for long as weight continued to stack on top of them. Ari whined softly, compact beside Ryou who was unconscious. He nudged Ryou softly but he was unresponsive. From outside, the mysterious pokemon dug at the stone as people from Fallarbor ran from the town after hearing the first crack of the rockslide echo into town, Diamond the first to push ahead.

"Excuse me! Please let me through! Let me through!"

Diamond made it through the crowd, someone shouting orders to help clear out the rocks on the path. She looked around, hoping Ryou was safe and sound somewhere far from the rockslide. "Ryou! Ryou!" she cried but she heard nothing. Putting a hand over her mouth, she looked to the pile of rubble. "Ryou..." she whispered, Reino coming up beside her. But a flash of white caught her eye. "What's that...?" she murmured.

"It's an Absol!"

"It probably caused the rockslide!"

"Get it away from there!"

Diamond blinked as a few of the townspeople ran over to the rubble to try and chase off the disaster pokemon but when she looked closer, she saw what the pokemon was actually doing. "No wait! Stop! Don't hurt it!" she cried, running ahead with Reino and stood before the people. A man stepped forth. "Move out the way, Diamond." he said. "We have to chase it off before anything else can happen here." She shook her head. "No. The Absol is trying to save Ryou. It's concerned for him." They blinked for a moment but didn't bother to challenge her words. They had seen it first hand before of her innate ability to handle pokemon, always mentioning of her becoming a breeder sometime down the road as she got older. The Absol barked, claws hooking around loose rock and pulled it aside, trying to get to the boy underneath. It had sensed the oncoming disaster and tried so hard to get there before it happened. But by the time it arrived, it was too late as it watched the rockslide bury Ryou. It had to rectify its failure. It had to save the boy. Digging furiously, the Absol didn't care for the damage it was doing to itself as it unearthed more rocks from the pile. It barked again, lowering its head close to the hole it made.

Ari from inside whined back, causing the Absol to work even harder. Honing its claws, it continued to dig, even going as far as using the horn on the side of its head to move the larger stones out of the way. The people continued to watch as the Absol worked to unbury Ryou. Diamond wrung her hands, begging the Absol to get Ryou out. It was nearing an hour when the Absol finally got the opening big enough and ducked inside. Diamond gasped as the Absol got it, soon pulling out the unconscious boy and the people began to cheer. Ari followed behind them and Diamond ran over with Reino behind her. "Ryou! Ari!" she cried as the Absol laid Ryou down and laid beside him. It softly licked Ryou's cheek with a whine before looking up as Diamond ran over. It snarled softly, curling around the smaller boy more. "It's ok...I'm Diamond. This is Ryou, my sibling. I thank you so much for saving him. Can we get him home so he can get some proper rest?" Absol watched her for a moment before standing and stepped back. She smiled before moving down to sling his arm over her shoulders and helped him up. "Thank you again for helping him, Absol." she said, looking up when their mother ran over and took Ryou into her arms. She left with Diamond and the pokemon followed. The man from before led some of the others to gather the rocks and clear the trodden road. One looked around quizzically.

"Hey...did anyone see that Absol leave?"

0

A few days later, Ryou with a bandage on his forehead finally woke to find himself back at home. "How long was I out..." he murmured softly. "Four days. A rockslide occurred on 113 and you got caught in it. Luckily you weren't crushed since you had Ari with you." Diamond replied, walking in with a mug. Handing him the mug, he sipped the tea quietly. "How'd I get free? Ari couldn't have done it on his own." he murmured. "You won't believe it but a wild Absol came and got you out. The townspeople was trying to get it away but I saw what it was trying to accomplish and stopped them before they could hurt it." she explained. "People said it ran off though."

"Oh, I wanted to thank it too." he murmured softly. "I'm sure it was grateful enough that it managed to help you before you really did get crushed." Diamond replied with a smile. Ryou nodded as he continued to sip his tea. Another couple days went by, Ryou eventually explaining how the rockslide came to occur, before he was allowed to go outside again. Since 113 was still blocked off to be cleared and secured, he headed over to 114 instead. Ari tagging along as usual, Ryou decided to use this time to train. "We can't let that happen again." he said as a Nuzleaf appeared and he sent Ari out to fight it. The battle was going smoothly under a Seviper slithered along towards him. Unaware, he only cheered as Ari fought tooth and nail, following his commands, until the hiss of the Seviper made him turn.

"Ah! Ari!"

Ari turned in time after securing victory with Iron Head but before he could move to attack the Seviper, who was already poised to attack with Poison Tail, a blade of psychic energy came out of nowhere, hitting the Seviper and easily knocking it out. Ryou, already armed with a pokeball in case he found something, tossed it at the unconscious Seviper, catching it with ease. "But...what attacked it though...?" Ari glanced up before crying out as he saw something standing on the cliff next to the waterfall. There stood the Absol from before, watching him. "Are...you the same Absol...from before...?" he asked. Said Absol bounded from the waterfall, landing on the lower ground before walking over to him. He stood still as the Absol walked towards him, Ari ready to attack if necessary. Stopping before him, it sniffed him carefully. Ryou waited a moment longer and seeing the Absol wasn't threatening, he relaxed and told Ari to do the same. "It's ok. Absol is harmless. And to come up to me, it must be the same one Diamond said came to help us." The Absol nodded as it sat before him. Seeing the cut on his forehead, it gave a bark.

"Oh this? It's healed but it must've happened during the rockslide."

The Absol stood and barked again, nudging him. "Ah...you...want to come with me?" he questioned. It nodded and he smiled. "Then it was you who attacked that Seviper, huh?" It nodded again. "Thank you. For that and before..." he said, bending down to stroke the Absol's head. Absol barked again, closing its eyes. "Now you must have a specific gender...raiser your left paw if you're a male, right if you're a female." Absol raised its right paw and he smiled. "A girl, huh? Then I'll name you Zinluta. Welcome to the team." he said and she nodded.

"And now for you..." He tossed out his newly caught Seviper and when it was released, it looked around before turning to Ryou and hissed. Zinluta growled, stepping forward. Seviper hissed again and Zinluta leered at it, standing her ground. Staring on, eventually the Seviper backed down. "Seviper...no...Shindao. We can work together. You'll see." Shindao looked to him before slithering to him. Ryou raised a hand and the snake pokemon pressed his nose against his palm.

"Two new pokemon in one day. Never thought I'd be so lucky."

Zinluta closed her eyes and nodded, silently making a promise to herself to always protect Ryou. Being a disaster pokemon, she vowed to not let such disasters befall him when she knew they would come to pass.