Chapter 53: The Mysterious Wild Bird

The sound grew louder and louder, and the Pokémon was getting closer. Soon, he could make out what it was—a Poochyena. This Poochyena was about the same size as a Mightyena, making it a fairly dangerous Pokémon. The creature advanced slowly toward Cheng Cheng, who watched it warily, retreating step by step. Suddenly, the Poochyena sprang at him, and Cheng Cheng immediately turned to flee. But how could he possibly outrun a Poochyena? In no time, it caught up to him.

The trees here were enormous, making it difficult for Cheng Cheng to climb them. The Poochyena stood before him, ready to pounce at any moment. As if reading his thoughts, it lunged at him. Realizing he couldn't escape, Cheng Cheng braced himself to fight. He charged forward, only to discover that the leaping Poochyena had frozen in midair. Unable to stop in time, Cheng Cheng collided with it in a fierce embrace.

He noticed the Poochyena's body had gone rigid, and he sensed a wave of psychic energy—some force was manipulating psychic powers. That was when he spotted a green Pokémon standing on a nearby tree.

When Cheng Cheng turned his head again, the Poochyena had vanished. The Pokémon from the tree suddenly leaped down, landing right in front of him. Cheng Cheng recognized it at once—it was a Xatu.

This Xatu was as tall as Cheng Cheng himself and was now staring intently at him.

"Hello, thank you for saving me," Cheng Cheng said, communicating telepathically.

"You do not belong to this world," replied Xatu, startling Cheng Cheng. He hadn't expected Xatu to realize he was not of this world. He wasn't sure if humans existed in this world, but surely no one like him did.

"Do you know why I came here?" Cheng Cheng asked.

"Yes. You must have followed the Unown here," Xatu answered.

"How do you know that?"

"Prophecy," Xatu said, its eyes suddenly glowing blue.

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Cheng Cheng was very curious as to what prophecy could be connected to him.

"Come with me," Xatu said, abruptly turning and heading deeper into the forest. Cheng Cheng had no choice but to follow; he still needed Xatu's help to get out, and he also wanted to see what prophecy might concern him.

Xatu didn't fly but walked ahead, step by step. With Xatu leading the way, Cheng Cheng encountered no other Pokémon on the journey.

Soon, Xatu brought him to a cave. The cave was pitch black inside; nothing could be seen. Cheng Cheng accidentally kicked something and fell to the ground. But Xatu continued forward, undaunted. Strangely, despite the darkness, Cheng Cheng could still see Xatu.

As he proceeded into the cave, his vision suddenly brightened. Before him lay a vast chamber.

This chamber was even larger than the previously visited Ruins of Randomness. Around the perimeter stood four stone walls, each adorned with illustrations. In the center of the chamber was a stone stele, radiating an unusual light.

"Come with me," Xatu repeated, descending the steps to stand before the stele. Cheng Cheng followed and saw the inscriptions on the stele, which were composed of Unown symbols he couldn't decipher.

"What does it mean? Is this a prophecy? What does the prophecy say?"

"The prophecy states that one day, someone not of this world will come here—someone who can communicate with Pokémon. Because of the Unown, he arrives, and he will take something from here. This thing may bring disaster or it may bring peace."

"Is there more?" Cheng Cheng noticed many inscriptions on the stele; it couldn't be just that.

"There is more, but that is all you can know. The rest is not for you."

Cheng Cheng was momentarily stunned. Was that even possible?

"Can't you tell me everything? From the inscription, I must be the person mentioned in the prophecy. Shouldn't you be able to share the rest with me?"

"Sorry, I cannot. The latter part of the inscription can only be revealed to the second person to come here."

"The second person? There will be another?"

"Yes. You are the first, so you learn only the first part. The rest will be told to the next one who arrives."

"Alright, then. The prophecy says I must take something. What is it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Then do you know how I can leave this place?"

"I don't know."

"You seem not to know anything."

"There are some things I know, some things I don't. The two questions you asked—I don't know the answers to either," Xatu replied.

Cheng Cheng felt exasperated.

"Is it that you just don't want to tell me?"

Xatu burst into a shrill laugh. "Just joking with you. The item is over here; follow me!"

It was a poor joke, Cheng Cheng thought, but he knew he couldn't afford to be upset—he still needed Xatu's help to get back. He followed Xatu to one of the stone walls. Xatu pecked lightly at the wall, and to Cheng Cheng's surprise, it swung open.

A long corridor was revealed behind the wall. Cheng Cheng followed Xatu through the passage and entered another stone chamber. In the center stood a massive stone pedestal, engraved with runes he couldn't understand.

"Where is the item?" he asked.

"In the pedestal," Xatu replied.

"What should I do?"

"Place your hand on it and then... I don't know."

"Really?"

"This time, I really don't know."

Cheng Cheng was speechless. Since Xatu didn't know, he'd have to try for himself.

He examined the pedestal but found no indentations or obvious mechanisms. The patterns were completely unfamiliar. Did he need to offer blood? No, that couldn't be—it wasn't something he'd ever heard of in the Pokémon world.

Wait—psychic power!

Cheng Cheng placed his hand on the pedestal and released his psychic energy. He felt his power being drawn into the pedestal, draining rapidly and soon spiraling out of his control. The tremendous outflow left him nearly faint with exhaustion. At that moment, the Mind Plate at his side began to glow purple, restoring some of his power, but it was a mere drop in the bucket. Soon, he was completely drained, and the pedestal ceased to absorb his energy.

Suddenly, the pedestal split open, revealing a colorful orb the size of a fist. Cheng Cheng reached out and touched it; it felt solid, like stone.

He prepared to take it.

"Wait, are you sure you want to take it?" Xatu spoke up suddenly.

"Why not? Aren't you the one who told me to take it?"

"Remember the prophecy on the stele. The thing you take could destroy the world, or it could bring peace. Are you sure you want to remove it?"

"Do you have a way for me to leave otherwise?"

"No."

"Then I have no choice. It's a fifty-fifty chance between destruction and peace. I’ll take the gamble."

With that, Cheng Cheng took the orb. As soon as it fell into his hands, it emitted a blinding light that forced his eyes shut. Abruptly, everything around him went dark. When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed completely.

Looking around carefully, he realized he was lying on the ground, inside his sleeping bag. He was still in the Ruins of Randomness.

He checked his hands—there was nothing in them. He let out a sigh of relief. So it had all been a dream. He didn't know why the dream felt so real, but as long as it was a dream, that was fine.

He patted his waist; all his Poké Balls were there. He called out to the system—present and accounted for.

Relief flooded him. It really had just been a dream.

Then he noticed something: at the center of the ruins, in the spot where the key had previously been taken, there now sat a round orb—the very same one he'd obtained in ancient times. Panic rose within him.

Could it have not been a dream?

Step by step, Cheng Cheng approached the orb and picked it up. The feel was identical—it had to be the same gemstone as before. So everything that had happened was not a dream, or perhaps it was both dream and reality. Cheng Cheng felt confused.

Either way, he was back now. Whether the world would be destroyed or saved was something for the future, and who could say what that would be?

He put the gemstone in his backpack and gathered his things. Glancing at the stone wall, he saw that all the Unown symbols had vanished, replaced by ordinary writing. The whole chamber was now empty once more.

After a final look, he left. Emerging from the ruins, he saw the sky was bright—it must have been afternoon. He checked his communicator for the time. Yes, it was three o'clock. But wait—he rubbed his eyes and looked again. Three o'clock, yes, but the date seemed wrong.

Counting the days, he realized nearly a month had passed. Could the flow of time be different in the two worlds?

After a moment's thought, Cheng Cheng decided not to worry about it. He was out now, and the past could remain in the past.

He went to the Pokémon Center in Random Town, where Nurse Joy checked over his Pokémon. He didn't rest—after all, from a certain point of view, he'd just slept for nearly a month and was now feeling quite refreshed.

By his reckoning, Ash and his friends should be about to encounter the Three Mushrooms soon, and Cheng Cheng had not forgotten he wanted to meet them.

And so, Cheng Cheng left Random Town and set out for Veilstone City.