Author's Note:

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! With this Chapter I was hoping to bring new flavor into the story with fonts that looks like Unown, but alas Fanfic is very... uncreative when it comes to recognizing custom fonts. Believe me, I tried for several weeks to get that bloody thing to work, but other than this boring default font, nothing else seems to display properly. =(

Oh, on the other note, due to the amount of dialogue in this chapter, I have decided to drop Noctowl's accent after his first few lines for quality of life purposes. But Winston still talks with his Goldenrod accent, you just have to use a little bit more imagination =p

If you think that was a terrible idea to drop Winston's accent after his first few lines, or if you think it was a brilliant idea, please leave a comment about that. Similarly, if you think introducing regional accents/dialects were terrible or good idea; whether or not to keep/stop doing it, comment about that too! Ever one of them help me improve the story's quality. Thanks!

Empire under the Mountain

Latias remained on the ground. The shock which she had receive from her night's adventure was just too much for her mind and body to cope. In fact, she could not even determine if the strange Noctowl who had just appeared before her was a friend or foe. Instead, all the red Eon Pokémon could do was stare dumbly at the over-groomed Owl Pokémon in front of her. The two Pokémon stared at each other in silence for an extended period time until Winston the Noctowl tilted his head to the side in amusement.

(You, one's old bean, aaare surprisingly quiet for someone whoh had lashed out at myself eaaarliah.) said Noctowl, smiling at the sharp intake of breath Latias took as the silence of the night was once more broken.

"Wi…Win..Winston…!" stammered Latias, struggling to remember voice, "Are you… by any chance"

(Ah, 'eaaars,) interrupted Winston, (I believe we share a certain… mutual friend…)

"So, you are… Tudor's Pokémon?" asked Latias hesitantly

(Oh, is that what he calls himself now?" replied Winston the Noctowl with a twitch of his left eyebrow, (I am actually more familiar with calling him- Ah, never mind.)

Latias cooed slightly at the sudden odd behavior from Noctowl, but she decided to dismiss her curiosity as the large Owl Pokémon did not provide any more follow-up. Take the chance in the lull of the conversation, Latias studied her new acquaintance even more closely. Aside from his unusual coloring and personal vanity, Latias did not notice any noteworthy features on the Owl Pokémon. Unlike Tudor's Skarmory, this Winston did not show any sign that he had underwent any special training or had participated in numerous battle. To Latias and any other observer, Winston the Noctowl is just another common, middle-aged Pokémon that can be found in abundance around the Johto region. Latias, however, was not fooled. She knew that under those over-preened feathers is a dangerous Psychic type, for he was successful at not only sneaking up on her, but was also able to invade her mind and disappear without a trace afterwards. Latias promised herself that she would not let herself be caught with her guard down, no, her humiliating defeats by Tudor's Skarmory were more than enough of a lesson. Even though Latias felt somewhat confident that she would be able to defend herself now that she had acquired Ice Beam, but the truth is she wasn't sure if she had actually learned it. The event that happened on that fateful day at the top of Mount Silver felt more like a nightmare to Latias than reality. All the event that led to her escape from the blizzard felt so unbelievable that Latias herself found it hard to believe they actually happened. Two sharp clicks from Noctowl's beak brought Latias back to the present once more.

(Are you feeling alright, my dear?) asked Noctowl in concern, (You look a little… unfocused.)

"Oh I am sorry," apologized Latias, shaking herself out of revelry, "I am just a bit tired that is all."

(Can't say I blame you,) replied the Owl Pokémon, nodding understandingly, (After all, you have been traveling in the wrong direction for the whole time!)

"That not my fault!" retorted Latias angrily, "I was given incorrect direction!"

Latias finished by pulling a well-battered piece of paper from under her feathers and shoved it under Noctowl's beak. The Owl Pokémon leaned forward and peered at the paper. After a moment of puzzled silence, Winston the Noctowl burst into a hysterical hooting laughter that shook the little pebbles on the bed of the little creek.

"Hey! What is so funny?!" demanded Latias, angry that there was someone heartless enough to find her toil and hardship entertaining.

(Oh pardon me!) coughed Noctowl, as he struggled to choke in his laughter, (It's just… it's just… WAHHAAHAA- Ahem, err… did it ever occurred to you… that you had been holding the map upside-down FOR THE ENTIRE TIME?)

Noctowl's last four words were near incomprehensible as he once more burst into a fresh bout of laughter. Meanwhile, Latias was stunned beyond words, for it did NOT occur to her that she was holding the map upside-down, nor had she thought to turn it over to check. Wordlessly, the red Eon Pokémon rotated the little piece of paper and let out a whimpering coo. Everything is so clear now! Even not knowing how to read, Latias understood that the little triangle shapes represented the mountain, while the odd lumps looking things on sticks were probably Tudor's way to depicting trees. Without warning, Latias' eyes began to be blurred by tears, her nose started to sniffle and she let out a muffled sob. Oh, what will Ash say about her now!

(There, there,) soothed Noctowl comfortingly, taking the battered map from Latias with his beak and threw it down the creek, (It's unsightly for such a lovely Pokémon like you to show tears so easily! Look, you did find your objective in the end, right? It's the result that matters so cheer up! There you go, that's the ticket!)

While the whole time Noctowl was comforting Latias, he was projecting calming images and sensation into Latias' consciousness. Although the red Eon Pokémon did not like the fact that her mind could be entered so easily by a stranger, she was appreciative of her new mentor's effort. At least, this Winston seemed much more approachable than the other one.

(Well, then,) said Noctowl, nodding with approval at Latias' recovery, (Now that we've gotten ourselves sorted out, shall we relocated to my humble abode? The night is getting quite chilly)

Latias nodded silently in agreement, for she was still too mollified to speak. The two Pokémon took flight and began to fly towards face of Mount Silver. While on the way, Winston the Noctowl pointed out through telepathy about the various points of interest, but Latias was barely paying any attention, for now she was hopelessly mired in doubts about herself. Was she really that short sighted? How is it that she did not even think that she was at fault from the start? When she was living in Altomare, neither Bianca, Lorenzo nor Latios really faulted her for anything. Was her life spent in Altomare made her to be excessively selfish? Latias could not help but ponder over such difficult questions while Noctowl continued to drone on about how the local population of Larvitar were causing Mount Silver to shrink in height over time.

(Ah, here we are,) announced Noctowl eventually, landing in front of a mid-sized cave entrance.

Latias peered curiously into the inky black abyss that yawned in front of her.

"You live in a cave?" she asked incredulously

(Why yes!) replied Noctowl cheerfully, (And I can't wait to show you the rest of it!)

So the two Pokémon entered the cave and immediately Latias felt uncomfortable. The overall flatness of the darkness caused the red Eon Pokémon to be disorientated as she lost her depth perception, thus making Latias wonder whether or not she was even moving forward or how far into the cave she had entered. The only thing she could sense with her mind was the steady presence of Noctowl in front of her. A creeping sense of fear seeped into Latias' core as she felt boxed in by her surroundings. She felt like she was falling into an endless void with no other directions to go but down. The doubts and fears began to play tricks with Latias' mind, causing her heart to race and her mind to conjure up unwanted ideas of horrors waiting to be unleashed. So it can't be helped when Latias let out a muffled yell of panic when a pair of red glowing eyes suddenly materialized in front of her.

(You might want to close your eyes,) said the eyes, revealing them to be Noctowl's, (It will be less painful that way)

Naturally, Latias who was all hyped up on fear and adrenaline did not heed Noctowl's warning. She was NOT going to close her eyes alone in a strange place and in front of a stranger! Shortly, after Noctowl's advice, Latias heard a whoosh followed by a series of flaring noise as torches on either side of the cave wall came to life in a serial order. Only then did Latias realized the meaning Noctowl's previous warning. Although the light from the torches were dim compared to any modern lights, they were bright enough to blind and stun Latias as her darkness accustomed eyes were suddenly assaulted. When the dancing spots and stars finally cleared, Latias let out a breath of amazement. Just to be sure, she rubbed her eyes a few times to check if she was seeing things.

What Latias saw was a marvel. The cave which she and Noctowl had entered was actually a long tunnel which acted like a main artery straight into the depths of Mount Silver. There were countless tributary caverns connected to the main tunnel, with most of them hidden from Latias' view. Parts of the cavern network were lit by torches, with the main tunnel going so far that the light from the torches lining both side of its walls disappeared into the distance. The most amazing part, however, was the fact that the main tunnel and its tributaries were too neat and well cut to be natural. If Latias didn't know any better, she would have said the entire place was built rather than formed by nature.

"What is this place?" whispered Latias in awe, "Did you build this, Winston?"

(No, of course not!) chuckled Noctowl, (I am nobody, but a guest to this fantastic place.)

Latias looked quizzically at the Owl Pokémon, and Noctowl answered her silent question with a motion with his beak for her to follow him further into the cavern system. As the two Pokémon proceeded through the maze-like network, Noctowl began to explain the nature of the cavern network with well-practiced fluency of a veteran tour guide.

(What you are now looking at, my dear, is a series of mysterious ruins scattered around Johto,) said Noctowl, (This particular one remained undiscovered until recently.)

"So, you made the discovery?" asked Latias

(By Ho-oh's feathers, no!) answered Noctowl with a peal of hooting laughter, (This ruin was actually discovered by some Professor…) here, Noctowl quickly mumbled a series of incomprehensible words, ( Well, anyway, when the site was proposed for cataloging and excavation,) here the Owl Pokémon's voice suddenly dripped with contempt and heavy sarcasm, ('the wise and all knowing' Board of Directors at the Pokémon Institution of Archeology deemed this site too 'environmentally hazardous' and 'cost ineffective' to send a proper research team!)

"So… how did you end you here?" asked Latias, confused about where the entire situation was going, "Why am I here, for that matter?"

(Ah, you see, that's where the fun part begins!) exclaimed Noctowl excitedly, (Somehow, the Board of Directors managed to dig up an old and dusty member of the Institution and decided to make him less dusty and old. So that is how I ended up here. The rest of story went like how you would image; while working on the site, I met a young Pokémon Moveset Specialist out doing research. We bonded as fellow academics, and I guess over time I just decided to stay with him.) Noctowl ended his narration with a shrug.

"Wait, you were sent to this place by this… this… Pokémon-whatever," asked Latias disbelievingly, "Alone?!"

(Why yes,) replied Noctowl nonchalantly, (The Pokémon Institution of Archeology has many Pokémon as full members of our excavation team. In fact, one of our senior coordinator is a Dunsparce! A good chap, but blind as a Zubat though!)

Abruptly, the Owl Pokémon stopped in mid-air and spread his wings wide, blocking Latias' line of sight to what is ahead.

(Well, in case you haven't figured it out by now, my dear,) said Noctowl, his voice seemed to twinkle with pride, (I… am an Archeologist!)

As if on cue, Noctowl landed and revealed to Latias what was hidden to her just a moment ago. Latias' journey of adventure and wonder continued as a rectangular chamber of some sort was revealed to her. Here and there, various tool for archeology littered the floor along with occasional bars of glow-sticks scattered throughout the chamber to supplement the light given off by the torches along the walls. Like the rest of the cavern system, the entire chamber seemed to be precisely built. Judging by the presence of several supplies and Item Balls crammed into a distant corner, Latias deduced that this chamber must be what Noctowl was currently examining. With Noctowl's encouragement, Latias moved forward to explore the chamber. It was rather hard for the red Eon Pokémon to determine the actual size of the mysterious chamber as the congestion of tools and supplies made it look much smaller than it actually was. With a curious coo, Latias craned her neck forward to examine the markings on the walls that were highlighted by the torchlights.

Sikios Charalengar

Or, at least that's what the markings would read if either of the Pokémon in the chamber could recognize them. Strangely enough, the markings are very similar to the letters used by humans in the modern day Universal, however, with these markings all of the "letters" were bisected with large round discs somewhere within them. Without knowing why, Latias felt strangely attracted to these strange markings. It was as if they were calling out to her, the subtle whispering of wind in her mind that were gone before she can grasp what was being said to her. Feeling ever so curious, Latias closed her eyes in effort to grasp the fleeting whispers. To her amazement, when her eyelids slid shut, the markings on the wall were glowing bright golden yellow, like letterings of red hot iron being branded into her mind. Mesmerized by her mind image, Latias reached her mind forward to touch these mysterious markings. The red Eon Pokémon ever so slowly and cautiously extended her consciousness forward until…

"WAHH!" yelled Latias, recoiling backwards as if she had been shocked by a Thunderbolt.

After shaking herself like an Eevee getting out of water to clear her head, Latias refocus on markings on the wall to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Unfortunately for Latias, it appeared she was hallucinating; for the markings on the wall remain just as ordinary and unremarkable as before, which was nothing like what she had seen in her mind's eye.

"They… they're alive!" exclaimed Latias, shakily pointing at the marking which shaped like an "E", "The disc… it was… it was an eye! It just snapped open! I saw it! I saw it! I know saw it!"

(Yes, in a sense they are alive,) replied Noctowl, surprising Latias by agreeing with her, (However, it seems they are in some sort of dormant state. I cannot explain why, or how long they have been in such condition.)

"Are they Pokémon?" asked Latias fearfully.

(That's an interesting question,) summoning his field journal from a pile of nearby equipment to his talons, Noctowl, browse through the pages for references, (According to various Pokémon Researchers, these… 'creatures' do exhibit physiology similar to Pokémon; namely the possibility of storing one of these inside a Pokeball.)

Here, Noctowl closed his journal and continued his explanation to Latias who was now edging away from the walls.

(However, all the Pokémon Professors in the world have come to a consensus that whatever they are, these creatures are not found in nature except for a few ancient ruins such as this one, and the few live specimens that were recovered failed to yield any information for conclusive classifications or categorization.)

"I… uh… I don't get it," said Latias.

(Simply put, the world knows nothings about these creatures,) smiled Noctowl, flipping through the pages of his field journals once more until reaching a page with some symbols on it, (Look! Even their Pokedex entry has them as 'Unown'!)

Noctowl continued to hold the page under Latias' nose as if he was expecting some sort of reaction from her.

"Winston, I… can't read," said Latias, ashamed.

(Oh dear, how unfortunate!) gasped the Owl Pokémon, (Never mind, then! Come, there is something else I wish to show you.)

Quickly stowing away his journal, Noctowl beckoned Latias out of the rectangular chamber and ducked down one of the many branching passage ways. Latias quickly followed, feeling apprehensive about what Winston the Noctowl would show her this time.

"So about those… Unown in that chamber," began Latias curiously, "Were they forming a word?"

(Yes, indeed they were!) answered Noctowl enthusiastically, (Two, in fact. And I believe they read "Sikios Charalengar"). For the strange reading of the ancient language, Noctowl used his telepathy to project the pronunciation directly into Latias' mind, for it was impossible for his hooting to produce the same result.

"How did you know that?" asked Latias in amazement.

(Oh, you know,) gushed Noctowl in false modesty, (It only took me a few decades of studying and excavating to learn a handful of ancient language… It's not much, really!)

"So what does that mean?"

(Hmm… That one is a bit harder to answer,) said Noctowl pensively, (Referring to other mentions of "Sikios" in this ruin and other places, I have deduced that it should be something like 'city' in modern Universal. There are no references for "Charalengar". According to the language's structuring, however, "Charalengar" must be some sort of description for the city… or, even be the city's name.)

"You mean, this place is a city?" breathed Latias in astonishment.

(Now, I didn't say that,) replied Noctowl, (In your hurry, you must not have noticed, but there are other writing that are not Unown on the walls. They are unique and may even pre-date the Unown! Judging by how the runes and Unown are arranged and compartmented into different chambers…)

"A library!" interrupted Latias excitedly, "You mean to say this place is a library!"

(Precisely!) agreed Noctowl with a twinkle in his eyes, (You are catching on quick!)

"So who created this library?"

(That, my dear, is what you need to see for yourself!)

Again, as if on cue, the two Pokémon stopped at the end of the passageway, except this time the sight that greeted the Pokémon was a thousand times more astounding than the last.

"Impossible…!" muttered Latias softly in wonder.

Instead of a single chamber or network of passageways, Latias was looking at what appeared to be an entire hollowed out interior of Mount Silver itself! Majestic stone pillars extended proudly skywards, solemnly guarding secrets that are as old as time itself. The Grand Hall was lit by a system of cleverly placed mirrors reflecting torchlights which basked the place in a soft reddish glow. Supplementing the artificial lights were countless clusters of bio-luminescent fungi growing on the ceiling, pillars and walls, like stars in the galaxy. The jet-black obsidian floor contrasted sharply against the gilded white marble ceiling high above. There were decorations, carvings, runes, even a collection of Unown were found everywhere throughout the Grand Hall. Threads of delicately thin gold traced patterns and shapes into the obsidian floor, which Latias thought to have some meaning to them. Flying into mid-air, Latias looked directly down at the floor. She gasped with mixture of amazement and delight when she found out the threads of gold were actually tracing out a map of the known ancient world of Pokémon!

With a peal of delighted laughter, Latias flew higher still, this time towards the gilded white marble ceiling. As the red Eon Pokémon approached the vast creamy expanse, she came to realize that amongst the light-giving fungi, were gems, precious gems: Rubies, Sapphires, Emeralds, Diamonds and Pearls dotted the marble ceiling to represent various constellations, stars and planets in the universe. There were even clusters of dormant Unown found near some of the gems; presumably serving as labels for the heavenly objects.

"Winston, this… this is so wonderful!" exclaimed Latias, calling down towards the Owl Pokémon in delight

(You still haven't seen the most incredible part yet!) shouted Noctowl, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness of Grand Hall.

Overflowing with excitement, Latias zoomed towards a pillar which Noctowl was indicating. After coming to a screeching halt, Latias fixed her eyes upon the pillar with great expectation to find even more artwork of unworldly detail. But instead, she stared that the carvings on the pillar with great puzzlement. Time and erosion seemed to have little effect on the carvings, for they mysteriously remained as fresh and detailed as the day they were created, but that was not what puzzled Latias. There were dragon-like figures, hundreds of them on the particular pillar, each of them encased in what appeared to Latias as steel carapace, all doing different activities. A few groups of them were flying through the air, some of them where lined-up in formations and Latias even found one or two of the dragon-like figures sleeping under a tree. Each of the figures could not have been much longer than Latias' claw length but the level of detail of each figures was so fine that every one of them was unique.

"Who are these Pokémon," asked Latias after tearing her eyes away from the pillar with great difficulty.

(Why don't you look more closely,) prompted Noctowl, (Particularly, this one over here.)

Latias peered closely at the figure indicated. The dragon-figure was flying through the air with grace that was obvious even being depicted as a craving on a stone. Latias squinted with great concentration, willing herself to make sense of what she was looking at. The roundish body… the jet-like wings… two short and stubby arms, one of them was tuck into its body… at the end of long, slender neck was…

"LATIOS!" cried Latias, half coughed, half choked as her breath was abruptly caught in her throat, "But... But…"

(Well, one of them at least,) said Noctowl, (Hey, look! Here is one that looks like you!)

Latias shifted her attention to the spot Noctowl was indicating, and sure enough it turned out to be a Latias sleeping under a tree. In fact, now that Latias had finally figured out what she was looking at, the "steel carapace" she thought she was seeing were actually beautifully crafted armor that were designed to fit each Latios and Latias' form perfectly.

"No… No way," stammered Latias in shocked disbelief, "There is no way…"

Latias then zoomed from one pillar to the next, each time feverishly scanning the carvings on each pillar. As Latias progress through the hall, each pillar showed her different sceneries, featuring different images, different time, different Pokémon, and some even had humans as part of the carvings. But one thing remained unchanged, and that was all cravings no matter their scale were predominantly about the Eon Pokémon.

"But this means… this means…!" panted Latias, partly from exhilaration and partly from exhaustion from zooming through the Grand Hall.

(Quite right, my dear, now imagine how excited and surprised I was when I first saw you,) beamed Noctowl as he proudly spread his wings wide, (Allow me to present to you, Latias, the Legacy of Eon, creation of your ancestors!)

"Tell me more!" insisted Latias at once, "Where did all come from? Where did they all live? How did they even build this place? How-"

(Now, now,) chuckled Noctowl softly, (That is enough for our introduction night, don't you think? It's time for you to get some rest.)

"Aww… But I don't wanna!" whined Latias, letting out a disappointed coo.

(It's 'But I don't want to,' young lady,) lectured Noctowl with a scowl, (Come on, don't pout. Even from here I can see you are exhausted beyond your limits. Now be a good Pokémon and get some rest, there is plenty of time tomorrow for more!)

Reluctantly, Latias agreed and flew towards Noctowl. In her hurry to leave, Latias failed to notice a series of Unown attached to the central pillar as she flew past them.

Yakalios Geohotau

Pyrys'kaal Almiuna Emperio

Which roughly translate into modern Universal as,

Welcome to Great Archives of Johto-

Crown Jewel of the Alchemist Empire

Author's Note:

I highly recommend for you to download the Annon font and Copy&Paste the chapter into Word Document. Then change the appropriate parts in the chapter into Unown. I guarantee you, the immersion factor will increase ten fold!

And once again, please remember to comment about my new method of doing Winston's Goldenrod accent. Like it? Disliked it? Have no idea? Whatever it is, please comment! Thanks!