The path from Midna Town to Suntouched City was clearly marked and ran through grassy plains, rather than forest. This leg of the journey was both easier and harder than the first leg through Shade Woods. Easier because the chance of getting lost was essentially zero. Harder because Vale didn't know it anywhere near as well.
She'd never been farther on foot than Midna and Telnor Town. Her one trip to Helios City with her father had been entirely on dragon-back. Racer was more than strong enough to carry them both.
When Vale said they'd be leaving first thing in the morning, she'd meant it. She and Nora were up and on their way out of town before the sun was even up.
Vale took this opportunity to pick her new friend's brain regarding a few things.
"How did you know so much about the Chosen, anyway?" she asked.
"I worked in the Utira Town library for a year," Nora said, like it wasn't anything impressive. Which it was. Utira Town, located just past Helios City and once home to a Psychic-type Gym themed around knowledge and the mind, was the main center for learning in all of Torren. The library was associated with Utira University, which was known for sponsoring groundbreaking Pokémon-related research. It was also regarded as a landmark case of science and religion working together, as more than one of the members of the original board of directors had been a priest of Uxie. Not a huge deal, considering the nature of the cooperation, but it was the first documented instance of such a thing.
"How did you manage that?" Vale asked, amazed.
"Celebi."
"How?"
"The same way she helped with everything else until I was thirteen. By Psychically suggesting that I'm older than I look."
"And they didn't ask to see a Trainer card?"
"These days someone showing up at the library asking for a job is a rare thing. I honestly think they were too excited to have even one applicant that age didn't even matter."
"Hey, I always had a healthy love of books, even if my friends didn't. Dad had a small library in his study, and I read everything. I've got a couple of books in my backpack right now. Wouldn't leave home without at least one."
"I had unrestricted access to the biggest library in the region for a year."
"Are you two really comparing libraries?" Mew chimed in.
Maybe, Vale thought back.
"So, how much did you find out about the Edict?" Vale asked.
"Why are you asking?"
"I've always been curious."
"Did you ask Mew?"
"He didn't tell me much. He told me the story from a Legendary perspective and why Team Flare was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back, so to speak. But that's it."
"Well, it's not like we can find much out. Everything I read said the same thing. It was passed to punish us."
"Same goes for everything I read."
"Did you ask Celebi?"
"Wouldn't say a word on it."
"Seems like that's a trend. I'm surprised Mew told as much as he did."
"Why do you reckon they're starting to come back now?" Nora asked.
"Come again."
"No one's seen or heard anything from any Legend for two centuries. Now suddenly they're showing up again."
"You heard them in the cave. Mew's here to keep an eye on me, because I've got some kind of destiny, and Celebi's bending the rules."
"For some reason," Nora said, "I just get the feeling it's more than that."
They walked on, sometimes traveling in silence for the better part of an hour before one of the girls came up with something else to talk about. They started seeing herds of Pokémon on the grasslands. Tauros and Donphan mingled with deer. The deer kept a wary distance, while most of the Pokémon didn't seem to care. These were powerful creatures, after all, and safety in numbers applied to Pokémon too.
Nora finally found something to say. "So why do you hate Jaern?" she asked.
"The money. Half the country's starving, and instead of trying to alleviate the real problem, he goes and dumps outlandish amounts of money into unnecessary public works projects disguised as anti-cult initiatives."
"What's the real problem?" Nora asked.
"I hope that's a rhetorical question."
Nora nodded.
"Poverty, of course," Vale went on. "Although the League bailing twenty years ago doesn't help."
"Is there anything he could really do about the League? They won't come back until the cults are dealt with, if at all."
"Not having a League gives kids a lot more incentive to join the cults. It's a spiral."
"So, Miss All-the-Answers, how do we get the League back?"
"We don't. Not the main League. Running a Gym is entirely possible without League backing. A friend of my dad's is doing it right now. And with all the reading you've done, I assume you're aware of the Saffron Gym dispute from about 600 years ago."
"Of course."
"Yeah. Those guys kept running their Gym even though all the League's funding went to Sabrina. My dad's friend charges Trainers who want to challenge him. Not too much money, but it's enough to cover most of the Gym's expenses. And if a Gym circuit was reestablished in Torren, there'd be a lot more challengers, even if the expenses ran higher too."
"Would people be willing to pay to challenge a Gym?"
"East—that's Dad's friend—has never had an issue. Honestly, with the number of influential people in Torren who want the League back, even a not-for-profit Gym circuit dependent on donations wouldn't be entirely implausible at this point."
"I'm assuming, when you said public works projects, you meant the Tower," Nora said, redirecting the conversation slightly.
"More specifically the monstrosity on the roof."
"Yeah."
"Have you noticed that no one seems to have a problem with the expense of that thing?"
"No, actually," Nora said.
"I hope you're joking," Vale said.
"No, I'm not. I have a problem with it, but I've been living in a virtual tenement without much access to the news. I just assumed the press was upset about it same as me."
"They're not. I've been following stories about Jaern for the last year, and the press never has anything bad to say about him at all."
"How is that possible?" Nora interrupted.
"And people just buy it," Vale finished. "I have no idea how it's possible."
"Have you tried asking Mew?"
"I doubt he'd care. Sometimes I don't think any of them care about us anymore."
"Then why am I here?" Celebi chimed in telepathically.
"Just for the record, no. I don't have a clue either," Mew added.
"He says he doesn't know," Vale translated.
Vale let Snivy and Growlithe out around lunchtime. Snivy immediately jumped on her shoulder, while Growlithe tagged along behind. Nora followed suit, letting out Leavanny and Quilava.
"So, training?" Nora asked.
"Mine need a lot more training than yours," Vale pointed out.
"Probably not that much."
"You have a fully evolved Pokémon."
"Who's a friendship-based evolution and whose strongest moves are Bug Bite and Razor Leaf."
"Growlithe's best move is Ember," Vale countered. "And Snivy's…"
"Have you even scanned Snivy yet?"
Vale had realized at exactly that moment that she hadn't. She hurriedly pulled out her Pokédex and lifted it up to scan Snivy. He swiped at it with a Vine Whip, and Vale barely pulled her hand back in time.
"Hey, it's not going to hurt you," she said.
She raised it again, more slowly, and this time Snivy let her scan him.
"Tackle, Leer, and Vine Whip. Pretty much what I thought."
"Well, we need to fix that," Nora said.
"How exactly do I do that?" Vale asked, looking around at the available wild Pokémon. "I don't particularly want to tangle with a full-grown Tauros or Donphan with my current team."
"Hey, we've got Legends watching out for us. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Our Pokémon could get killed," Vale reminded her sternly.
"Do you trust them?"
"I suppose."
"Do you trust yourself?"
"I guess."
"Pokémon die in fights in the wild all the time. Fighting under your command is a lot safer for them."
"But if I send them into a reckless fight and they get killed…"
"Fine," Nora said. "If you want to miss out on all this free experience. Come on Leavanny." Nora and Leavanny took off towards the Donphan.
"At least you have a Pokémon who doubly resists Ground," Vale called after her.
"Quil."
Vale realized Quilava was hanging back. "You're right," she told the Fire-type. "She's going to get one of you killed one day."
"Quiiiil-ava." Quilava shook her head.
"Oh, that's not what you said." Vale turned away. Man, I wish I could understand Pokémon better.
Then she saw Snivy racing across the grasslands toward a mother Donphan. Vale watched as he coiled his Vine Whips around one of her horns and leapt onto her back. She shook her head violently. He retracted his Vine Whips and jumped to the ground before he could be thrown off.
"He's going to get himself killed," Vale cried. "Come on."
She ran onto the grass, Growlithe and Quilava following.
"Hey," Vale called to the Donphan, distracting her. Quilava and Growlithe shot Embers at her. She turned her head and blocked both.
And then Vale realized she was in a bad spot. This was a fully evolved Pokémon. And a mother Pokémon. Vale could see a Phanpy trying to hide behind the Donphan's legs.
Quilava and Growlithe jumped in front of Vale. Snivy jumped in front of them, snapping a Vine Whip across the Donphan's face.
"Don-phaaaaaan!" the Ground-type trumpeted. Vale guessed she'd said something along the lines of "Leave, or I charge."
"Razor Leaf, Leavanny," Nora's voice called. A hail of leaves slammed into the Donphan, and that seemed to be enough to make her reconsider. She backed away.
"Now do you see that our Pokémon are stronger than you give them credit for?" Nora asked.
"I guess," Vale said. "Good job, Snivy." Vale looked down just in time to see Snivy start to glow. "Er…Servine, rather," she added when the glow subsided.
Vale whipped out her Pokédex and scanned Servine on a hunch. "And, you've learned Leaf Tornado."
"You see what battling fully evolved Pokémon can do for your team?" Nora asked.
"I still think it's risky."
"No risk, no reward," Nora countered.
"Fine, but if a single one of my Pokémon gets hurt, we're done."
The news spread like wildfire through the Donphan herd. Friendly battles—as well as not-so-friendly battles to establish dominance—were common among Pokémon that lived in large groups, particularly the males, and several soon showed up to test themselves against Vale's and Nora's teams, along with a few Tauros. Vale's Pokémon picked up new moves at rates she hadn't thought were possible. Of course, they were at quite a disadvantage in strength, and not all the wild Pokémon were content to hold back.
Growlithe in particular had trouble. He was the least experienced member of Vale's team, and, with only Ember and Tackle as offensive moves, could barely touch the Donphan. Still, he picked up two additional moves: Flame Wheel, and, interestingly enough, Reversal, which was a move that only a handful of Growlithe ever learned. Ivysaur picked up the always-useful Double Team. Luxio barely did anything during the series of battles, considering half the opponents were Ground-types. Servine, on the other hand, saw a lot of action, but didn't get any more moves after Leaf Tornado.
And that all happened in less than an hour.
Vale's stomach grumbled. It was 1:00, according to her PokéGear, and she hadn't eaten. She and Nora had also skipped breakfast, both to get on the road more quickly and to save money.
Vale plopped down at the edge of the path and ate an apple and a breakfast bar. She pulled out the last Sitrus Berry and tossed it to Growlithe, who was the lowest on energy of all her Pokémon. She always preferred using natural methods of healing, which were theoretically free, as opposed to Potions, which could get expensive.
Nora joined her after a couple minutes, trailing an exhausted looking Leavanny and Floette.
"That was awesome," Nora pronounced.
"Speak for yourself," Vale said. "I spent the whole time worrying about them."
"Growlithe looks like he had fun."
"Just because I gave him a Sitrus Berry. He didn't two minutes ago."
"I still say you're being overly cautious," Nora said.
"Say what you will."
"Wait, what's going on?" Nora stood up.
Vale looked across the grassland. The herd of Donphan was moving off, but then one disconnected itself and headed back toward the girls. As it got closer, Vale recognized the mother Donphan that Servine had attacked earlier. Her child trailed behind her.
She stopped in front of Vale. "Don-phan. Phan," she said, pushing the Phanpy toward her.
Mew? Vale asked.
"She said, 'Please train my son. Make him strong, a Donphan who can lead the herd one day,'" Mew translated.
"Wow," Vale said. "I…your trust means a lot."
The female Donphan took a step back in surprise. She'd never expected this human girl to be able to understand her.
Vale dropped into a crouch in front of the Phanpy, trying to seem less scary. But once she got up close and could better read his facial expression, she realized that he didn't look scared. Or sad. Or anything. He actually reminded her of Ivysaur, in that regard.
He looked to his mother, who made a slight gesture with her trunk.
Vale pulled out a Pokéball and touched it to Phanpy's forehead. He disappeared inside.
"I'll take care of him," Vale assured his mother. "I promise."
A Donphan trumpeted from just out of sight. The mother turned and moved off in that direction.
"How do you keep doing that?" Nora asked.
"It's because she's Chosen, of course," Mew and Celebi said simultaneously.
Of course, Vale thought. So does that mean I just get everything handed to me? Because it sure hasn't felt that way.
"Not everything, but again, Pokémon will notice that you're special," Mew said.
They stopped for the night at 9:00. Vale and Nora let all their Pokémon out for dinner. Phanpy wandered off a short distance to a clump of scrub where he found something good to eat, although Vale couldn't tell what. Luxio did the same. She found a few berries in a different bush and had quite the feast. Servine disappeared too, although Vale didn't see where he'd gone.
She fed Growlithe and Ivysaur some of the special Pokémon food she'd packed. Nora fed it to all her Pokémon. Quilava and Growlithe got in a fight over food, which ended after Leavanny used String Shot on them both. They easily burned the string away with a pair of Flame Wheels, but Leavanny had gotten her point across, and the two Fire-types didn't bother each other again.
The three Pokémon who had wandered off all came back as Vale was pitching her tent. Phanpy and Servine returned to their Pokéballs, as did Ivysaur and all of Nora's Pokémon except Quilava, who curled up at the entrance to Nora's tent. Having a Fire-type close at hand always helped to deter any overly-curious wild Pokémon who might wander too close to the tent during the night.
Although it was summer, the grasslands could still get chilly at night, so Vale curled up in her sleeping bag, with Growlithe on one side and Luxio on the other.
There is blood on the wall by the front door of the house. More on the carpet, a trail of it leading toward the kitchen. She doesn't want to go any farther in. She does not want to follow the trail. She knows what she will find at the other end. But her feet are moving of their own accord, carrying her forward. She walks down the front hallway, through the living room, and into the kitchen, moving like someone in a daze.
Her father is lying on the tile floor, blood pouring out of his throat. He stares at her; his eyes are glazed over, but she knows he sees her, that he blames her. He reaches a bloody hand towards her, his lips seeming to form the word "why…"
She woke up to Growlithe licking her cheek.
"Grooooowlithe," he said.
She patted him on the head. "Thanks."
Luxio was awake on Vale's other side.
"Lux," she greeted.
"Good morning to you too," Vale said.
Nora poked her head into the tent. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. The sun's already up, and we need to get moving."
"Okay. Be right there." She felt her voice tremble slightly. That nightmare…
Growing up she'd always felt like Darkrai was unusually fond of her. She'd been convinced that only he could conjure up the bizarre and horrifying nightmares she'd periodically had. No simple things like going to school naked or forgetting to study for a major test for her. No doubt he'd jumped at the chance to see how he could use this latest trauma to torment her.
Vale had slept in her clothes, so packing was easy. She clambered out of her sleeping bag and rolled it up, then returned Growlithe and Luxio to their balls.
Once outside, she found Nora hurriedly disassembling her tent, as though she'd wanted to hide that she wasn't quite ready. Vale caught her eye and raised her eyebrows. Nora's cheeks reddened slightly, but then she shook it off and went back to packing.
Vale packed up her own tent and strapped it and the sleeping bag to the top of her backpack. She slipped the two Pokéballs into her satchel.
She swung her backpack over her shoulder and stood up, to find herself face-to-face with Nora, now actually ready.
"Let's go," Nora said.
They walked along. Nora had Quilava out, and Vale had Luxio. After about thirty minutes of walking, Luxio stopped, intently sniffing the air.
"What is it?" Vale asked.
"Lux." Luxio ducked behind a rock beside the path. Vale, trusting the Electric-type's instincts, joined her, pulling Nora behind it as well.
"What's going on?" Nora asked, hurriedly recalling Quilava.
"Shhh. I don't know."
Seconds later, a Riolu ran past.
"Holy crap, that's a rare Pokémon," Nora said.
"Be quiet," Vale whispered frantically. Her own instincts were now screaming "Danger!"
Two men in the blue uniforms of the Abyssal Cult ran by next, clearly chasing the Riolu and followed by a third.
"Oh great," Nora said.
"You wanted to fight cultists," Vale said. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Can you track them, Luxio?" The Electric-type nodded.
Following Luxio's sense of smell, Vale and Nora chased after the three cultists. It wasn't long before they entered a grove of trees, just in time to see the third one disappear into a small cave in the middle.
"It looks man-made," Nora said.
Vale was about to enter when she saw a symbol carved to the right of the doorway: a circle with four lines coming outward.
"Look at this," she said.
"That looks really old," Nora said, coming over.
"And you don't need to be an archeologist to know what it represents."
"The Ring of Creation. But why is it here? It's too lackluster to be a shrine to anything."
"The Ring of Creation wasn't added to the lore until several hundred years after the founding of the Church," Vale said.
"At which point there would have been no reason to build a cave like this as a religious site," Nora finished.
Nora pulled a flashlight out of her backpack, and then she and Vale entered the cave.
They found themselves in a long hallway with a fairly low ceiling that sloped slightly downward. The left wall was covered in carvings.
"Why do you reckon it's just the left wall?" Nora asked.
Vale stepped up to the wall. The first carving was of Reshiram, with what looked like a girl on her back. The next showed a man standing on a ledge watching the building of a temple. The next, another man addressing a crowd.
Something occurred to Vale suddenly. She started running down the hallway, past more images: a man climbing a mountain with a Rhyperior by his side, another man kneeling before Arceus, a woman flying a small plane…
"Yes, I was right!" Vale cried.
"About what?" Nora hissed, catching up.
"They're events from history. That first one's the Revelation, then the building of temples to the Legends, the founding of the League, the discovery that the Hall of Origin isn't on top of Mt. Coronet when that guy finally climbed to the top, the agreement about battling Legends, then the discovery that the Hall isn't above Mt. Coronet either."
"Why isn't the invention of Pokéballs on there?" Nora asked. "That was probably the most pivotal event of the last few centuries."
Vale looked at the last few pictures.
Two Trainers faced off, one with a Rhydon, one with a Lapras.
Rayquaza—no, Mega Rayquaza—flew through the sky, on a collision course with a massive meteor.
Dialga and Palkia stood on the summit of Mt. Coronet, strange patterns in the sky above them, and several people surrounding them.
Five kids, each with a Pokémon beside them, stood against a man with a Mega Gyarados.
And the last…
"Oh my Arceus," Vale gasped.
"It's not just events from history," Nora said. "It's a record of all the Chosen. These are prophecies. I'll bet the other wall is blank so additional ones can be recorded there as they come."
"I don't believe it."
"Look. That's Red's battle with Giovanni, Rayquaza and Brandon destroying the meteor, the Galactic Incident, the Fab Five facing off against Lysandre, and then…"
"Me." Vale finished.
The last image showed a girl with Mew perched on her shoulder standing in a field, with the Jade Tower, complete with roof ornament, in the background.
"This is impossible," Vale said. "I don't believe in destiny."
"Clearly, it's not," Nora said.
"Stop running, Riolu. You're ours now!" yelled a voice from the next room. It echoed a bit, signaling a fairly large room.
Vale and Nora promptly remembered why they were there.
They slipped through the door at the end of the hallway and found themselves in a good-sized cave that was largely featureless aside from a statue of Arceus on a dais positioned against the far wall. The three cultists had cornered the Riolu against the dais. It was standing oddly, as though it had injured its leg.
None of the three men were facing the door, and Vale was about to take advantage of that and start sneaking forward when Nora ruined that plan.
"Don't touch that Pokémon!" she cried.
The three cultists turned.
"Well, well, well," one said. "Couple of kids who think they're heroes."
"Let it go," Vale said, lingering on each word.
"How about we don't, and you leave?" said another.
"Not happening," Vale said.
"Deal with them," said the third, who was clearly the leader.
"Leavanny, go!" Nora called, throwing a Pokéball.
Vale sent out Luxio. "You want a battle?" she said. "That's fine by me."
The cultists sent out a pair of Carvanha. As usual with some Water-types, they floated in the air.
"Nora," Vale said.
"Yeah?"
"Don't hold back."
"No problem. Razor Leaf, Leavanny!" A hail of pointed leaves slammed into the Carvanha on the left, which fainted.
The other Carvanha lunged at Luxio, teeth coated in ice.
"Spark," Vale ordered. Luxio leapt to meet the incoming Water-type, fur crackling with electricity. That Carvanha also fainted.
"Still want to battle us?" Nora asked.
"You girls don't know what you're getting into," said one cultist.
"Time to break out the big guns," said the other.
"Crawdaunt."
"Whiscash."
Well, this matchup sucks, Vale thought as she returned Luxio. "Servine, let's go."
"Razor Leaf," Nora ordered. Another barrage of leaves flew, and this time hit the Whiscash, who took the hit fairly well. Vale hurriedly pulled out her Pokédex and checked its energy. It was a little below half.
"Night Slash, Crawdaunt. On the Leavanny."
Leavanny dodged easily.
"Leaf Tornado on the Crawdaunt," Vale called. A different sort of hail of leaves slammed into the Crawdaunt, dropping its energy by about one third.
"Earthquake!" screamed the cultist with the Whiscash. The cave shook. Vale was nearly knocked off her feet. Nora didn't fair much better.
Neither Leavanny nor Servine budged.
"Grass resists Ground, you moron!" yelled the other cultist.
"Uh…oh, yeah."
"Razor Leaf, again," Nora ordered. A second barrage of Razor Leaf knocked out the Whiscash.
"Night Slash. On the Servine this time."
Servine fainted. Vale was dazed for a second, but recovered quickly and sent out Luxio again. The Crawdaunt glowed blue as its attack power dropped.
"Spark," Vale ordered. Crawdaunt mostly shook off the damage.
This thing is too strong for me, Vale thought.
"Aqua Jet, Crawdaunt."
Crawdaunt formed a bubble of water around itself and launched itself forward
"Oh, no, you don't. String Shot, Leavanny."
Crawdaunt shot right into a blob of sticky silk, where another Spark finished it off.
"We win," Nora pronounced.
"Actually, you don't." The two cultists pulled their guns.
"Didn't think about that," Nora said.
"Run when I say," Vale hissed at Nora.
"What about Riolu?" Nora hissed back.
Before Vale could respond, one of the two cultists seemed to have a revelation.
"I think I recognize this brat," he said, gesturing to Vale.
"Oh, yeah," said the other.
Oh, crap, Vale thought.
"She's the one who got in our way in Telnor Town. The little bitch who got Vince arrested."
"Wait, what?" Nora asked.
The third cultist turned around. He was holding a gun in one hand and had the injured Riolu by its foot with the other.
"So you're the one who saved the Augur's life," he said.
"Did what?" Nora asked.
"Grab them," he ordered.
The other two cultists were suddenly behind Vale and Nora. One grabbed Vale and pinned her arms to her sides. The other shoved Nora to the ground and put his gun to her head. Leavanny and Luxio, who were still out of their Pokéballs, were decidedly uncertain what to do with so many guns around.
"The penalty for crossing the Abyssal Cult is death," the leader said and leveled his gun at Vale's forehead.
A Lucario appeared out of nowhere, sneaking up behind the leader. Vale couldn't exactly miss it facing the direction she was.
I bet that's the mother. These guys are about to seriously regret coming here.
"Any last words?"
"Look behind you," Vale said.
The leader spun. "Well, would you look at that," he said. "The mother Lucario comes to save her child."
He dropped the Riolu onto the stone floor and put his gun away, then pulled out a Pokéball.
"Now, to catch it," he said.
Then the Lucario did something neither Nora or Vale ever could have imagined. A dark pink light surrounded her. It disappeared after a few seconds, revealing a transformed Pokémon. The aura sensors on the back of her head were longer and turned dark pink at the ends. Her tail was bushy, more like an Arcanine's. Her spikes were longer.
Vale gasped. She instantly recognized Mega Evolution, and she knew full well that Mega Lucario was one of the most dangerous things in online competitive battling, and in real battling as well, judging from the videos she'd seen. The problem was that what she'd just witnessed was impossible.
The leader got ready to send out his Pokémon…
…and the Lucario slashed his chest.
He staggered backward, blood coming from his mouth. The other two cultists released the girls and started backing away, their mouths open in shock.
After briefly checking on her child, the Lucario advanced, blood dripping from her claws.
"Recall your Pokémon," hissed Mew's voice in Vale's head. She quickly did, and thankfully Nora caught on and recalled Leavanny.
A flash of light, and then the two of them were standing outside the cave, a tired-looking Mew and Celebi floating in front of them.
A horrible scream sounded within the cave. Vale doubled over and vomited up what little food was in her stomach.
"That is why you never anger a mother Pokémon," Mew said.
"I am never going to be able to forget that," Vale said, wiping vomit off her chin with the back of her hand and then wiping her hand on her shorts.
"But how was that even possible? I thought only caught, trained Pokémon could Mega Evolve," said Nora.
Mew and Celebi exchanged a glance.
"Still no answers?" Nora asked. "Fine."
Vale raised an eyebrow.
"What? I'm not going to press them for secrets if they don't want to share."
"Thank you, Nora," Celebi said.
"Are you okay?" Mew asked Vale.
"I will be. It's just…all that blood. I couldn't help but think of…"
"Say no more. I understand."
"Thanks," Vale said and pulled him into a hug.
"Let go, please," Mew said, scrambling out of it.
Celebi and Nora giggled. Mew glared at them.
Celebi disappeared, jumping into her Pokéball. Mew rolled his eyes and vanished.
"Now," Nora said. "You have some explaining to do. When did you save Jaern's life? And how?"
"The Abyssal Cult tried to assassinate him when he was visiting Telnor Town," Vale explained.
"You should have let them."
"What?"
"Would have saved people like us a lot of trouble."
"I don't want him dead. That'll just cause more turmoil. I want him to step down, or if nothing else, publically acknowledge what he's done to the region."
"Well, anyway, now for the how," Nora said.
"They pulled guns, and I did the first thing that jumped to mind and let out my Pokémon. All I really did was battle them and give security time to show up."
"Apparently, that put you on their hit list."
"Apparently," Vale muttered.
"Are you scared?" Nora asked.
"No." She had just realized that herself. "And even if I was it wouldn't make a difference. As I said to Damien once, I won't let fear keep me from living."
Vale's mind raced as they walked on.
What kind of irony is this? I have always been a believer in free will, and now I find that my life has been completely determined beforehand. It's not fair. Why me?
"Vale," Mew chimed in. "We all have things we're expected to do. That's just a fact of life."
There are so many people that would be better for the job than me. People who actually believe in fate.
"I have always trusted his judgment. You'll just have to do the same."
After seeing that picture, I just feel…trapped.
Mew did not respond.
AN: On the way to Suntouched City, Vale gets a singularly unwelcome revelation regarding her destiny.
I hope this chapter felt a bit tragic. First off, we have the idea that the Edict was passed to punish humanity popping up again. The day people realized that the Legends were gone is considered one of the darkest days in history in this world. See, the areas where Legends tended to show up in the human world (Ecruteak City, the Cave of Origin, Sky Pillar, Mt. Coronet, Dragonspiral Tower) all had healthy build-ups of energy surrounding them. To people who were particularly religious or particularly attuned to that energy, it represented security and the certainty that a higher power was watching out for them. When the Legends left after the passage of the Edict, so did the energy, and that left a lot of people devastated.
Then there's something a little bit more personal: Vale, who doesn't believe in destiny, is now faced with irrefutable proof that her path has already been laid out.
We get to see a bit more of Nora in this chapter. She is a lot like Vale, but goes to a greater extreme. She hates Jaern more and is more devoutly religious. Vale tries to be devout (which is why she initially had a problem with Delta Pokemon), but she's also got a lot of reasons to be angry at Arceus. Nora is more reckless, but she's also been a Trainer longer, so she better knows what her team can handle. Vale can be reckless as well, but she tries to think everything through. Vale is also more politically minded, so she's considered things like the potential backlash if Jaern were killed. Also, regarding Nora's team. The reason they're not all fully evolved is because she's lacked motivation to really train for large chunks of the last few years.
That cave and the battle with the Abyssal Cultists is in the game, but I added a lot to it, like making the cave have prophecies carved on the walls. We'll be coming back here again before the story's over. That supposedly impossible Mega Lucario is also in the game and will also be relevant later. That battle was the first one so far that I've done using a damage calculator. All later battles will work this way. For reference, I set Servine to level 20, Luxio to 18, Leavanny to 28, both Carvanha to 23, and the Whiscash and Crawdaunt to 30.
Also, history. I don't have everything worked out yet regarding the history and lore of my AU, so the pictures on the cave wall may change.
Lastly, Vale's nightmare. I love using dreams as plot devices. This is not the last nightmare she'll have about her parents' deaths or the last time Darkrai will make this sort of appearance.