Well here you go, the next chapter of my Pokémon Rejuvenation fic, all nice and tidy for your liking. It'll have the battle I promised you at the end of the previous chapter, as well as some extra content for your liking. A shorter note than usual, but I don't wanna leave you all hanging.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Rejuvenation, nor do I own Pokémon Uranium. They are the property of their respective creators.
Somewhere very distant…
A group of three people were sitting back on their plush sofas pondering on what their next move would be, following the news of the destruction of the Mt Carotos base. Two of them, the purple-haired woman and the man with the black trench coat from the S.S Oceana incident had quiet, tranquil looks on their faces, but the third member was absolutely livid, his fists shaking with rage.
"What the hell is going on here, Nastasia?!" He snapped, leaping out of his seat and slamming his fist on the table, glaring at the purple-haired woman. The young man wore a neatly made, fancy red and black suit; his short black hair done up in a cowlick style and had a few red highlights in it. "We've been losing important assets left and right ever since the attack on the S.S. Oceana, one of them being Melia, the most important of them all! What are we supposed to do now that we've lost something so vital to our operations?! Furthermore, that buffoon Zetta has been captured by Crescent! Need I remind you he's the only one capable of creating the Dimensional Rifts?"
"Compose yourself, Geara." The man with the trench coat replied, his hand in the air. "There's no need to shout, we can hear you just fine."
"Don't shout?! Given our situation, I think I'm damn well entitled to shout as loud as I want, Neved! That complete mongoloid Madelis failed her mission as well. How are you two so calm about this?!" Geara hissed at the man, leaning over the table as the door opened and a fourth person entered the room, that being Madelis herself. "Speak of the devil…"
"Oh, sod off Gearea! I'm in no mood to deal with you right now." Madelis retorted, crossing her arms in frustration.
"Like you have any right to tell me to shut up!" Geara rebutted, eyeing the redhead dangerously.
"Geara, shut up, now." Nastasia sighed in annoyance, with the young obeying the order, gritting his teeth in frustration. Nastasia soon redirected her attention back at Madelis, the latter gulping quietly in fear of what could happen next. "It's great to see that you finally showed up after that embarrassing defeat you were dealt. Mind giving us a little insight?"
"Ugh. I need a drink. There, that's your insight." Madelis retorted coolly.
"Madelis, I think it would be beneficial for all of us if you answered Nastasia's enquiry." Neved suggested, with Madelis sighing heavily to herself before beginning her explanation.
"Very well…long story short, I got caught up with a traitor." She began, piquing the purple-haired woman's attention.
"A traitor you say? Who are they?" Nastasia inquired.
"Keta; he tried retaliating against me in the lab, but I disposed of him." Madelis answered, with Geara chuckling lightly to himself.
"Pffft, you let an old man get the best of you? Pathetic…" he snarked, a twisted, arrogant smirk on his face.
"Obviously not." Madelis retorted. "Anyway, after I dealt with him, I went after the children, but they inflicted too much damage to the system by the time I arrived at their location."
"…Are you telling me that children, CHILDREN are responsible for your failure?" Nastasia leant in closer, her tranquil face hiding a serious anger, with Geara laughing like a lunatic at the news, before a glare from the former shut the man up.
"No, not completely. Crescent showed up after I was about to get rid of them." Madelis concluded.
"Crescent…" Nastasia muttered, pondering what to do about Team Xen's most troublesome foe. "But what of the children? They must be rather powerful if they were able to take out a Dimensional Rift."
"Their names were Julius and Aelita, the former of which was responsible for interfering with Zetta's plan in Goldenwood Forest." Madelis answered.
"If that's the case, then we should dispose of them accordingly, preferably as soon as possible." Nastasia replied.
"They're troublesome foes; we should plot their movements—" Madelis began.
"Screw that!" Geara interrupted the redhead, causing her to huff in annoyance. "Nastasia, let me handle them! I'm bored being stuck in this room all the time."
"Very well, you may do as you wish." The purple-haired woman agreed, with the young man pumping his fist in victory.
"Agreed, we can't afford to anger Madame X any further." Neved agreed as well.
"Yeah, that'd be—" Geara began, before being cut off by the sudden appearance of a bright light, hovering right above the table. Once it died down, the four Xen admins were surprised to see Julius standing there, the young man looking all around him. "What the?!"
"Hey, I'm just as surprised to see you as well. Not that it matters, I'm just thankful to you all for being here. Saves me the trouble of searching this place to kick your asses." Julius chimed in, winking at Geara.
"T-That's him! That's Julius!" Madelis cried out, pointing directly at the young man.
"Oh, it's you, decided to cower back to you boss after getting your precious Mewtwo defeated?" Julius smirked, with the redhead gritting her teeth in anger.
"Geara, apprehend this man immediately!" Nastasia ordered, with the black-haired man rolling up his sleeves.
"Don't worry, I'll get him!" Geara replied, walking back before running towards the table. Julius soon warped right out of the room catching Geara off guard, as he proceeded to slide on the table and crash land on the floor, with the other admins surprised by the young man's sudden appearance and disappearance. "Fuck!" Geara roared, slamming his fist on the ground in anger.
Sheridan Village:
The place was as serene as it usually was, as if there hadn't been a secret base hiding nearby the whole time, with the eldest keeping an eye on the young trainers practicing. Just then, Aelita ran up to her, a tired and confused look in her eyes. "Still nothing from Julius?" The eldest inquired.
"No…It's been a week since the incident, yet I haven't seen or heard from Julius." Aelita confided.
"I'm sure they'll turn up eventually—" The eldest began, before a bright light appeared over the arena, surprising Aelita as she moved closer to investigate it. When the light died, it revealed itself to be Julius, who looked around and sighed in relief upon being in familiar territory.
"Julius!" Aelita cried out, running up to the man and gave him a brief hug before backing off. "Where have you been? You were gone for a week…I was worried sick, you know?"
"M-My bad…I didn't intend for you to worry about me." Julius apologized, scratching the back of his head, before realizing what she just said. "Wait, did you just say I was gone for a week?!"
"Yeah, you were completely gone for a week, not a single word or sighting of you." Aelita answered.
"T-That can't be right…I remember warping to what appeared to be Team Xen's base of operations, before being warped right here, all in the space of a few minutes." Julius exclaimed, scratching his hair in confusion. "Ah what does it matter? I'm back here safe and sound, and that's all that matters right now. By the way, how are you coping with the loss of your father? Is there anything you need to get off your chest?"
"…I'm coping just fine, thank you very much." Aelita's voice took on a more somber tone. "I know he's done some terrible things, but I don't think he wanted to do them in the first place. Besides, if it weren't for him, I don't know what would've happened to us."
"Yeah, I owe him my thanks as well." Julius replied, a small smile on his face.
"Since he's not here anymore, I'll be strong and carry his legacy for him. I'm sure it's what he would've wanted." Aelita continued, her voice now coursing with renewed vigor. "That aside, I've spent the last week helping the Eldest find a way to purify Shadow Pokémon, and I think we found a solution!"
"Really? Well then lead the way." Julius replied, as the duo made their way to where the eldest was waiting. Granted, he wouldn't be able to capture them, since Melia had the Snag Machine and she…wasn't here so to speak. Still, it wouldn't hurt to see what they were talking about, just in case he finds an alternate way to capture them. A short while later, they arrived at the front of the village, at a small inlet of land where a statue of Celebi rested, with the eldest focusing her attention on the young duo.
"It was once said that Sheridan Village had the power to open one's heart and mind. Indeed, it is hidden somewhere in Sheridan, away from those who would seek to exploit it." The eldest began her gaze focusing on the Celebi statue.
"Ironic, a place meant to open oneself has been closed off." Aelita commented.
"I think I see where you're going with this; you believe that this power can open a Shadow Pokémon's heart, purifying them." Julius deduced.
"Precisely…" The eldest replied, gesturing the young trainers to come closer to the statue and touch the head. Upon doing so, the trio were warped to what looked like an isolated spring, a thin layer of fog in the air. To the sides were a few trees and other assorted plants, all withered with age. There was a path straight ahead, with several ruined columns lining the path, one of them having already fallen over to the ground, with another Celebi statue at the end.
"Woah…who would've thought a place like this was hidden somewhere in Sheridan?" Aelita cooed in awe, eying up the tranquil location with rapt attention.
"Considering how we've spent who knows how long in a stuffy volcano, this is a welcome relief." Julius added, his mind now at ease, possibly as a result from the air in this spring.
"I see you two are rather fond of this place…" The eldest smiled at them, before clearing her throat. "Welcome to the Spring of Purification. This is the sacred grove Sheridan Village has protected for hundreds of years. The spring may not be as powerful as it once was many years ago, however it should be capable of purifying Shadow Pokémon."
"Nice." Julius smiled back. "Is there anything we need to do before hand?"
"We'll need to bless this area by calling the Voice of the Forest, otherwise known as Celebi." The eldest answered. "It's a temporal being that shares its power to purify evil beings."
"How fascinating." Aelita chimed in. "So what do we have to do to call it?"
"Allow me to show you." The eldest replied, turning to face the Celebi statue and kneeled before it, praying quietly. The air grew eerily silent, yet still retained its welcoming aura as everyone waited for the Mythical Pokémon to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, yet it remained elusive. Eventually, a small light shone in the area, as Celebi appeared before the trio.
"I-It's here!" Aelita exclaimed in shock, her eyes focusing on the small being before them. Julius was also surprised to see the small being, despite his encounters in Tandor all those years ago.
"Celebi, mighty Voice of the Forest. Please bless this shrine so that we may purify Shadow Pokemon." The eldest requested. Celebi took a few seconds to make its decision before chirping happily, its small body glowing brightly as the area was blessed with its powers, the withered plants restored to their full glory. "Thank you for your hard work and kindness, Celebi."
Celebi chirped happily once more, gazing momentarily at the young trainers before flying off to who knows where. "I-It's leaving just like that?" Aelita asked, a little confused.
"Celebi cannot stay in one place for too long. After all, it looks over all of Aevium and the other regions with its time-traveling powers." The eldest explained, turning to face Aelita once more. "Now Shadow Pokémon can be purified here, once their heart is completely open."
"Excellent!" Julius chimed in. "Of course, it'll be tricky getting them since my friend had the Snag Machine when she disappeared."
"Not to worry, there's a solution to your predicament." The eldest reassured the young man. "Seek out the next heir to the Blakeory Corporation, a young girl named Saki. From what I've heard she's a genius when it comes to designing and creating machines. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to help you out; she's visiting Akuwa Town for a few weeks."
"I see…in that case I'll have to make a detour to wherever she's residing." Julius replied.
"So, I guess that means you'll be leaving here and continuing your journey." Aelita turned to face Julius, the young man detecting a hint of sadness, before the young woman brushed it aside. "I just wanted to wish you the best, okay?" She beamed, a warm smile on her face.
"Not to worry Aelita, you're more than welcome to leave the village if you desire." The eldest informed her, noticing her brief moment of sadness as the lavender-haired maiden's ears perked upon hearing the news.
"Really?! Do you mean it?" Aelita cried out in joy, her eyes sparkling as the eldest gave her a slow nod. "Yay! Thank you eldest!"
"You're welcome; don't worry about Sheridan, I'll take care of it while you're gone." The eldest replied. "However, I must warn you two; to get to Akuwa Town, you must go through Goldenleaf Town. The people there are not too keen on visitors, which I'm sure Julius can attest to."
"Yeah, as a citizen of the town, I can't say I approve of their attitude towards outsiders." Julius admitted, crossing his arms under his chest. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nobody hurts Aelita."
"Thanks for the offer, but I can handle myself; I'll just have to plan my movements carefully. Anyway, gotta get ready for my trip, see you later!" Aelita smiled, waving at the duo before proceeding to leave the Spring.
"You're free to leave here as well, I feel like spending some time here on my own." The eldest informed Julius, who bowed in respect before proceeding to follow Aelita out the Spring. Shortly after exiting the spring, he walked off the small inlet, only to be confronted by a familiar figure.
"Impressive, you've done well so far, Julius. I wish to talk to you in Amethyst Grotto." Keta's soul commented, outstretching his arm towards the young man. "I can take you there if you wish."
"Well I don't have much planned for the rest of the day, so I guess it couldn't hurt." Julius accepted the offer, taking his hand as they soon warped back to the grotto. When they arrived, the first thing Julius noticed was that the altar was glowing faintly for some reason, though the stone pedestals were still bare as the day he first saw them.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Keta's soul quipped. "Though you couldn't see me, I was able to see what you were able to accomplish. Unfortunately, Keta was not able to walk out alive as you and Aelita did."
"I-I'm sorry, I tried to rescue him, but—" Julius began, with the spirits raising his hand to cut the young man off.
"No need to apologize, we were prepared for this outcome." He replied. "Having said that, his death means you cannot receive a badge from him, correct?"
"A badge—oh yeah, I completely forgot about that!" Julius exclaimed, mentally hitting himself for forgetting all about it, though given the circumstances, it was kinda understandable.
"I too wish to leave the realm of the living; if you can put my soul to rest with a battle, I shall create a new badge for you." Keta's soul offered. It was a most perplexing offer; after all, how would the badge be legally verified by the standards of the Aevium League? Still, it wouldn't hurt to try it out, just to see if it would work.
"Very well, I accept your challenge." Julius agreed, moving to the other side of the altar. "How does 4-on-4 sound?"
"I was just about to suggest that." Keta's soul replied, materializing a Pokéball out of thin air. "Hitmontop, stand by for battle!"
"Pajay, I choose you!" The young man called out, both trainers sending out their Pokémon. The Pajay was a large bird covered in red feathers, that had green and yellow plumes stemming from the white facial mask. Additionally, its feathers were coated in a flame-resistant substance that prevented the fire streamers trailing its body from burning it. It rested on a nearby branch and preened itself, as it watched the Hitmontop spin in place before hopping up onto its legs.
"Hitmontop, kick things off with a Rock Tomb!" Keta's spirit called out. The Handstand Pokemon picked up a nearby rock and threw it in the air, before proceeding to spin on its head at rapid speeds. The force of its legs shattered the rock, breaking it into dozens of smaller rocks that were picked up by the centrifugal force, before being launched towards the Pajay, who flew off the branch in time to avoid the rocks, though was scraped by a couple of the smaller ones. Once it took flight, the Pajay slashed the air with its wings, creating a blade of wind that struck the spinning Pokémon, causing it to lose concentration and stagger on the spot, with the Phoenix Pokémon diving straight towards it, crashing into the smaller Pokémon. The Hitmontop cried out in pain as it was flung back a few feet, but was able to pick itself off the ground and brushed the dust off its body.
"Impressive, but I'll take more than that to best me. Mach Punch, Hitmontop." Keta's soul ordered, with the Handstand Pokémon snapping back to focus, before launching a series of blindingly quick punches to the large bird, squawking in pain as its body was assaulted with several consistent, albeit weak punches. However, it soon brushed the punches aside and flew into the air, flapping its wings in a frantic enough manner to generate a stream of potent flames and directed them at the Hitmontop, landing a direct hit with the smaller Pokémon shielding its face from the flames. Shortly afterwards, the Pajay took flight, performing a quick loop before charging at the Hitmontop at impressive speeds, striking it head on as it crashed into a nearby boulder, the Handstand Pokémon knocked out from the one-two combo.
"Yeah, how'd you like that?" Julius grinned, with Keta's soul replied via a small smile.
"That was but the first of my Pokémon, but the second shall be your demise. Pangoro, ready yourself for battle!" Keta's soul retorted, recalling his fainted Pokémon, before sending out his next option, the bulky panda cracking its knuckles and started glaring at the large bird.
"Heh, this'll be easy. Pajay, use Air Slash once more!" Julius called out, with the large bird taking to the skies once more and swung its wings down in order to create a blade of wind, only for the Pangoro to predict the attack and deliver a swift but powerful punch, sending the Pajay hurtling towards the ground, crashing into a nearby flowerbed and got knocked out to the young man's surprise. "B-But how?"
"Caught you off guard, didn't I?" Keta's soul smirked casually, as a shocked Julius recalled his fainted Pokémon. "Normally, a Pangoro can't learn Sucker Punch. But as this is the Aevium League, a trainer must be able to expect the unexpected, if they are to succeed in their endeavors."
"Is that so? In that case, I guess I better repay the favor. Luxelong, I choose you!" The young man retorted, sending out his second Pokémon for this battle. It was a rather unique specimen, with a predominantly green and white body that ended in a curly tail. Its face and body resembled that of a small dog, a pair of yellow wings resting right above its forelegs, though they only served an aesthetic purpose. Its most notable features were the large green and yellow ears it had, that were able to pick up even the most minute of sounds. Keta's soul raised an eyebrow at the sight of the creature; while it looked gentle and peaceful, it probably has plenty of power under its visage. "Why don't we start things off with a Calm Mind?"
The Luxelong nodded slowly and closed its eyes, dispelling all troublesome thoughts from its mind. Pangoro knew that it'll be dangerous to let the enemy set up and opted to retaliate with a Karate Chop in order to break its focus. The attack landed, causing the Luxelong to wince momentarily, before shaking its head and getting right back to clearing its mind. This had got the Pangoro thinking on what exactly its typing was and what to do next, when a brilliant idea formed in its mind. It soon reared it's fist, which was now cloaked in a shiny silver aura, and punched the Fortune Pokémon at speeds faster than a speeding bullet, causing the small Pokémon to cry out in pain as it was flung back a few feet, before slowly getting back up on its feet.
"Not bad, you figured out Luxelong's typing. Too bad it won't do you any good, use Moonblast!" Julius called out, with the Fortune Pokémon standing on its hindlegs in response, the small dragon using its impressive ears to draw in lunar energy. The Pangoro panicked momentarily at the sight, charging up another Bullet Punch in the hopes of interrupting its attack. However, all that mental recuperation the Luxelong did paid off in the end, as it fired a blast of lunar energy from its mouth, striking Pangoro head on, the large panda roaring in pain as it was flung back several feet, crashing into a nearby tree and got knocked out as a result. "Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about."
"It seems I was right when I said you were a capable trainer. But how will you fare against my Hawlucha?" Keta's soul replied, recalling his fainted Pokémon and sending out his next combatant, the masked bird stretching its wings and getting into a combative stance. "Kick things off with a Flying Press!"
The Wrestling Pokémon agreed, quickly scrambling up the nearby tree and began running off the branch towards its opponent, leaping off of it and diving towards Luxelong. The small dragon dodged the attack in the nick of time, only for Hawlucha to rebound off a nearby rock and dive towards it once more, landing the attack this time as the Fortune Pokémon was pressed into the soft earth, barely managing to roll out from underneath its opponent. Upon regaining its footing, it stared directly at its foe and opted to go for a Dragon Pulse, arching its back to make itself look larger than it really was. The Hawlucha got up off the ground and shielded its body with its wings in an attempt to reduce the damage from the incoming attack, a tactic which was somewhat effective. Shortly afterwards, Luxelong took a moment to catch its breath, giving Hawlucha an opportunity to make a comeback, the nimble bird bolting towards it and delivering a powerful Aerial Ace, causing the small dragon to cry out as it was flung back a few feet, before barely managing to get back on its feet.
"Luxelong, use Moonblast to finish this fight!" Julius called out, knowing full well that it couldn't last longer and wanted to finish it as quickly as possible so that he can sub it out to give it a rest. Agreeing with the idea, it once more stood on its hindlegs and began drawing in lunar energy, albeit slower than last time. Hawlucha, knowing that a direct hit from a Moonblast would be devastating, opted to charge towards it, its wings glowing in a silver aura. The Wrestling Pokémon had gotten right up to Luxelong and was about to strike, when the latter finished charging its attack and fired it at the opponent, creating a large explosion that ensnared both Pokémon, sending them flying in opposite directions. They struggled to get up, shooting each other once last glance before collapsing to the floor, ending in a draw. "You went above and beyond in this battle, you've earnt a nice rest." The young man consoled his companion, with Keta's soul doing the same to his Hawlucha with the both of them recalling their Pokémon, the young man noticing that the spirit was starting to fade from reality, as if he was on the cusp of passing into the next life.
"I-I can feel it, I'm close to reuniting with her!" Keta soul chimed in, his voice filled with elation as he reached for his last Pokéball. "Come on Sawk, we can do this!"
The feisty blue Pokémon popped out its Pokéball, locking eyes with Julius and got into a combative stance, much like Hawlucha did. The young man knew that the best option would be to go tit for tat and send out a Fighting-type Pokémon, and he knew just the one for the job. "Luchabra, time to wrap things up!" Julius called out, the bulky Chupacabra emerging from its Pokéball and staring down the Karate Pokémon, eager for a good fight.
The Luchabra flexed its muscles, bulking itself up to boost the power of its attacks, with the Sawk standing there and biding its energy, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Once it has sufficiently bulked up, the Luchabra barreled towards its opponent, delivering a swift Poison Jab to the Sawk with the Karate Pokémon flinching in pain while keeping its ground. Shortly afterwards, the Sawk retaliated, grabbing Luchabra's arm and hoisting it into the air before throwing it to the ground, the large Pokémon hissing in pain before getting back on its feet. Letting out an enraged roar, the Chupacabra Pokémon tackled the Sawk, pinning it to the ground and punched it a few times, with the Karate Pokémon kicking its opponent off its body and retaliated with a sweeping kick, sending the large Pokémon staggering back a few feet.
"Follow up with a Thunder Punch!" Keta's soul suggested, the Karate Pokémon agreeing to the idea, cloaking its fists with static electricity and delivering a swift punch to its foe, damaging it but wasn't able to paralyze it, with Luchabra smirked in response. Picking up the Sawk with relative ease, the Chupacabra Pokémon ran for a short while before leaping into the air and slamming the slender combatant into the ground, creating a sizable impact crater with a cloud of dust blanketing the air. When the dust settled, it revealed to everyone present that the Sawk was knocked out, yet Keta's soul wasn't sad; in fact, he was pleased with the outcome. "I see…so this is how it would be." He smiled, recalling his fainted Pokémon.
"Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about!" Julius cheered, with Luchabra posing proudly in a victorious manner.
"Heh…finally, I can see the light, a warm light that engulfs my soul." Keta's soul commented, his spirit fading at a quicker pace than before. "I no longer have any regrets in this world, as a thank you for granting me my last wish, I shall give you this."
A small light briefly emanated from Julius' closed fist, before dying down a few seconds later. The young man opened his hand and saw a metal badge in the design of a crystal-clear diamond, adorned with a few orange streams at the bottom. "T-Thank you." Julius replied.
"No need to thank me; I am eternally grateful for all that you've done for me. However, the world is in peril; Team Xen must be stopped." Keta's soul informed the young man, the spirit disappearing from sight, with the wind carrying his last few words. "Because if you don't…everything will cease to exist."
"Don't worry Keta, I'll put a stop to them." Julius promised, walking away from the arena alongside his Luchabra, before a quick rumbling halted them in their spot. They turned around and noticed that a statue of Keta appeared out of nowhere, resting atop one of the empty pedestals. Additionally, one of the five orbs on the center altar was now glowing a vivid green. The duo gazed at the odd sight, stepping a few feet closer to get a better look; however, a sudden chill in the air gave them the idea that it was best left alone and opted to head back to Sheridan Village for a well-earned rest.
And that's two gym badges acquired thus far; a nice milestone for my fic. I will say that I am looking forward to the upcoming chapters, as it's one of my favorite parts in the game, so you know you're in for a treat. I'll catch you all next time, everyone.