Chapter 6 : the crystal onix
It was night. Pikachu and I were staying at a hotel provided by the competition hosts for our accommodation. It was time for dinner, but my larger Pokémon couldn't be released inside the cramped hotel room. Consequently, I left my room and walked down the hall to the elevator.
I pressed the call button, and with a soft ding, the doors slid open. I stepped inside.
"Take me down to the ground floor," I commanded aloud.
This elevator was equipped with automatic voice recognition; acknowledging the order, it began its descent with a low hum.
Ting.
"You have arrived at the ground floor," a mechanical voice announced from the elevator speakers. The doors opened automatically, and I stepped into the lobby and headed outside.
Once I reached the grassy grounds of the hotel gardens, I grabbed two Poké Balls from my belt.
"Come on out, Charizard, Crystal Onix! It's dinner time!"
Pop! Pop! With two distinct bursts of light, Charizard and the Crystal Onix emerged onto the lawn. The Crystal Onix's entire body was composed of shimmering, translucent crystal.
It originated from a small island in the Orange Archipelago, specifically from within a cavern made entirely of crystal that housed an underground river.
Many might assume this Onix was born normal and turned into crystal after living there for a few years due to environmental adaptation,
I thought, observing the magnificent creature. If you believe that, then in my opinion, you are mistaken. I'm not claiming I'm definitively right, but hear me out.
When an environment changes, Pokémon do adapt their elemental powers accordingly, but this process takes thousands,
if not tens of thousands, of years to complete. Only then do they fully adapt physically to their surroundings.
However, this Crystal Onix doesn't look more than ten years old to me.
That means it hatched from its egg only a few years ago and has been living there since. As I said before, true adaptation takes millennia.
So, how was the Crystal Onix created, and how did it obtain its crystalline body?
According to my theory, the Crystal Onix's parents must have been living in that cave. Their age would likely be over five hundred years, as Onix and Steelix have very long lifespans.
Living there for so long must have caused some minor mutations in their genes due to the environment, even if their outward appearance remained unchanged.
Then, they produced an egg.
Just as human children inherit superior genes from their father and mother potentially making the child better than the parents—something similar must have happened here.
The baby Onix likely inherited those latent mutant genes from its parents in a concentrated form, and upon birth, its entire structure was formed from crystal instead of rock.
My memories further confirm this logic.
When Ash caught this Crystal Onix in the crystal cave in the original show, there were no other Onix present besides this solitary one.This clears up a significant doubt I held. When the Crystal Onix was born,
its parents must not have accepted it because its body was made entirely of crystal completely different from theirs. Therefore, the Onix parents abandoned it there and left.
It's a common occurrence for groups to ostracize shiny Pokémon when they are born simply because they look different; this Crystal Onix was entirely unique, making rejection even more likely.
Abandoned, the Onix spent its time living there alone. As a result, the Crystal Onix knew nothing of the outside world and accepted that cavern as its home and its entire universe.
In my past life, when I watched this event unfold in the Pokémon anime, I always wondered why the Crystal Onix lived in that specific cave and never went outside.
This theory seems to be the correct answer to my lingering doubts..As the massive crystalline Pokémon loomed in the garden, reflecting the moonlight, I activated my system to view its status. A holographic interface only visible to me appeared.
[ Pokémon : Crystal Onix ]
[ Type : Ice / Dragon ]
[ Skills : Block, Dragon Tail, Dragon Breath, Head Smash, Tackle, Bond, Dig, Crystal Throw, Iron Tail, Sandstorm, Crystal Edge, Energy Storage, Ice Beam ]
[ Carry Item : Crystal Rock ]
Seeing this left me astonished. The Crystal Onix's typing was Ice and Dragon—two diametrically opposed elements.
The Dragon type is vulnerable to Ice, while Ice-type moves are super effective against Dragons. This contradictory combination is the mark of only one thing: a natural-born Dragon Slayer.
Furthermore, I noticed that all of its usual Rock-type attacks had transformed into specialized "Crystal" attacks, unique only to it.
Why am I realizing this only now? I should have deduced this earlier from Ash's memories, when Ash originally caught the Crystal Onix, he transferred it to Professor Oak almost immediately.
A question naturally arises: Why did Ash entrust such a rare Pokémon to Professor Oak instead of keeping it for his own team?
The answer lies in Ash's specific skill set. While he possessed significant intuition and talent for Pokémon battles,
his knowledge regarding specialized biology or exotic diet requirements was limited. He simply didn't know how to properly raise or train a unique mutation like the Crystal Onix.
Consequently, he had contacted Professor Oak. When the Professor heard that Ash had captured a living Crystal Onix,
his eyes must have lit up with scientific curiosity, prompting him to request the Pokémon for research purposes. Ash agreed, likely reasoning that his journey through the Orange Islands would conclude in a few months, and he would be returning home soon anyway.
Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I turned my attention to the hungry group in front of me. I reached into my backpack to retrieve their dinner.
Speaking of backpacks, the travel bags in the Pokémon world are marvels of spatial engineering. You can stuff an endless amount of supplies inside—tents, cooking gear, food—yet the bag never feels heavy. It defies the laws of weight and space, making travel infinitely easier.
Rustle.
As I pulled the containers out, I saw the eyes of all three Pokémon light up. They stared intently at the food, practically vibrating with anticipation, unable to wait another second.
"Hold on, hold on, I'm serving it now. No need to get so impatient," I said with a warm smile.
Clatter, clatter.
One by one, I placed high-quality Energy Blocks onto their plates. Since the Crystal Onix was the largest by far, I measured out a massive portion appropriate for his bulk, ensuring he received enough fuel for his crystal body.
We all ate to our hearts' content, enjoying a hearty meal while basking in the gentle breeze and the beautiful night scenery of Fula City.
"Return, Charizard! Return, Crystal Onix!"
Zwoop! Zwoop!
I held out the two Poké Balls, and with beams of red light, I recalled the massive Pokémon back into their spheres. Once they were safely inside, Pikachu hopped nimbly onto my shoulder.
Tap.
I made my way back into the hotel. A short while later, I opened the door to my room and headed straight for the bed, exhausted. I climbed in, and Pikachu curled up comfortably right beside me.
"Goodnight, Pikachu."
"Pika pika."
With those final words, we both drifted off to sleep. The window had been left ajar, and a soothing, gentle breeze flowed through the room, carrying the fresh scent of the night.