Chapter Eleven
The next day, after getting dressed and eating breakfast, Callie met Wes on the upper deck of the ship, all her pokémon in their pokéballs, Zoro on her shoulder, and Celebi in her arms. Celebi was feeling much better after a good night's rest, but it was still very weak — much weaker than when they left Virbank City. However, it had insisted on going with Callie and Wes on their tour of Liberty Garden.
The sun was making steady progress on its climb into the sky, and the water around them was the most brilliant shade of blue Callie had ever seen in her life. The boat was parked right against a dock, seemingly the only dock on that side of the small island.
"How's everyone feeling today?" said Wes with a smile as Callie, Zoro, and Celebi climbed up their stairs to the deck.
"Celebi's feeling much better today," said Callie happily. "It insisted on coming with us."
"Outside?" Wes said, obviously worried. "I know we can't leave it unattended, but still —"
"No worries," said Celebi softly. "I'm going to be staying in Callie's bag — I know I'll draw a lot of attention. I just wanted to enjoy the scenery for a moment."
Wes nodded, smiling weakly. "Sorry, Celebi, I don't mean to be a killjoy."
Celebi giggled and said nothing before Callie tucked it safely into her bag, leaving the zipper halfway open to Celebi could still see plenty. Callie then looked to Wes and smiled.
"Alright, let's go!"
The two of them headed to the side of the boat that was right up against the dock. Wes helped Callie out of the boat before he climbed over the side, and as soon as they were standing on the dock, Pop Roxie and his Politoed appeared on the deck of the boat.
"Ah! There you two are!" said Pop Roxie. "You two headed into town?"
"Yeah, we're gonna go tour the island," said Wes.
"Sounds like fun!" Pop Roxie said with a smile. "Politoed and I have looked over the boat — just as I thought, there are some minor damages, but nothing too severe. We should be ready to set sail by sunset."
"Poli!" Politoed said happily.
"Well, we'll be sure to be back before then," said Callie. "Would you like us to bring anything back?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Pop Roxie said with a laugh.
"We'll see about that," Wes said with a smile. "We'll be back, Pop Roxie!"
"Stay out of trouble you two!" Pop Roxie called after them as they walked down the dock towards the island.
Zoro jumped off of Callie shoulder and ran ahead of them, obviously excited to be exploring someplace new.
"So, no problems last night?" Callie said curiously as she gave Wes a side glance.
Wes shook his head. "Nope — no sign of Team Plasma."
"Good, maybe they aren't coming after all," said Callie with a shrug. "Maybe they didn't pick up on Celebi's energy."
"Or they're on their way and they just haven't gotten here yet," said Wes. "I don't think we should get too comfortable."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Callie muttered, frowning softly. "But, I think we should try to enjoy Liberty Garden! You're the one who suggested we tour it anyway."
"I know, I know," Wes said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You're right. . . . We need to enjoy ourselves."
"See?" Callie said with a smile. "I read last night that the legendary pokémon Victini is supposed to live here on the island."
"Victini?" Wes said. "Huh, interesting. . . ."
"Do you know anything about it?" said Callie.
"A bit," he said with a shrug. "There are lots of stories about it. It's said that trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. They also said that Victini creates an unlimited supply of energy inside its body, which it shares with those that touch it. People who believe these legends have actually waged war to get their hands on Victini!"
"Wow, all for a pokémon?" said Callie, shaking her head. "People are crazy when it comes to power."
"Yeah, they sure can be," said Wes with a nod.
"Zor!"
Callie and Wes looked towards Zoro, who was standing in front of them, smiling. He was standing in front of the plaza to the lighthouse, which towered into the sky, a small building beside it. There were tourists all over the plaza, taking pictures and smiling, having a good time overall. There were a few vendors there with carts set up, selling different merchandise and memorabilia .
"Look at these keychains!" Callie said excitedly, running towards one of the vendors — it was a small Eevee on a keychain. Zoro jumped up on her shoulder. "Oh, this is Eevee, right? Wes, it's so cute!"
Wes came up beside her, looking over her shoulder at the keychain and smiled softly. "Hmph, I guess you're right, it is kind of cute."
The vendor of the cart was chatting to some other tourists, trying to sell them a set of t-shirts.
"Sir," said Callie, drawing the attention of the vendor to her and Wes, "how much for the keychain?"
The man turned towards Callie and Wes, obviously annoyed that his business pitch had been interrupted, but the moment he set eyes on them, he froze.
"It's. . . . It's you," he whispered, his eyes growing wide. "I can't believe it. . . . You're back!"
"I'm sorry?" Callie said curiously.
"I don't think we've met," Wes said, frowning softly.
The man shook his head. "No, I remember — you saved us! Both of you!"
"Well, it couldn't have been us," said Wes. "I'm really, sorry, but you're mistaking us for someone else."
"No, I'm not," said the man, shaking his head. He then dug around at the register he had sitting in front of him, shifting receipts and other various papers before pulling out a photograph. "Ah ha!"
He held the photo out in front of him, inspecting it closely. After a few moments though, the man's face fell slightly, and a blush spread across his face.
"O-oh, it seems as though I am mistaken," the man muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry to both you two. . . . It's just, you see, our island was attack two years ago by some terrible people trying to take Victini. These people came and took our whole island hostage, using their pokémon to put all of us villagers to sleep. Not much is remembered about what happened while they were here, but when we all woke up, we found out we had been saved by two trainers, and you both look an awful lot like them. We haven't seen then since the day they disappeared, and they never let us properly thank them. . . . I managed to get this picture of them, and then they disappeared."
"That amazing," Callie said with wide eyes.
"Who attacked the island?" said Wes curiously.
"Hm? Oh, some group by the name of. . . . Oh, what was it? Hm. . . . Oh, that's right! It was Team Plasma!" said the man, shaking his head. "Yes, they came here, demanded we tell them where Victini was, and when we wouldn't, well, they used their Gothitelle to put us to sleep."
"Team Plasma, huh?" Wes muttered, frowning.
"Mhmm, some real nasty folks, too, let me tell you," said the man.
"May I see that picture?" said Callie curiously — what could these people have looked like for this man to be so sure that Wes and Callie were them?
The man nodded and handed Callie the picture, and Callie had to do a double take as she looked over the photograph. In the picture was a boy and a girl, and Callie had to admit, the similarities were quite startling. The boy did look an awful lot like Wes, with the shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, though he wore a baseball cap to conceal most of his hair. And the girl had long, curly brown hair, but she kept hers up in a ponytail, and she had bright blue eyes, just like Callie, but she didn't wear any glasses. There were some other differences between the two, but overall, the similarities were uncanny. Callie showed the picture to Wes, and Wes's eyes widened.
"W-wow," Wes said, staring down at the photograph. "I guess you're right, we do look pretty similar."
"See?" said the man, frowning. "Sorry to bother you kids."
"No, no, it's okay," said Callie, looking back to the vendor. "By chance, do you happen to remember their names?"
"Their names? Oh, absolutely, I could never forget those two and everything they did for us here!" said the man with a smile. "Those two right there are Black and White!"
Callie wasn't at all surprised — two people who had defeated Team Plasma here on Liberty Garden? No surprise. But to see what they looked like. . . . They did look an awful lot like them. It was almost scary.
"Do you mind if I keep this?" said Callie curiously, looking at the vendor.
The man smiled and shook his head. "Not at all, not at all — go ahead! I have an extra copy somewhere!"
"Thank you," Callie said with a smile, tucking the picture into her pocket.
She put the Eevee keychain back and she and Wes exchanged a brief goodbye with the vendor before walking off, talking quietly to one another.
"Okay," Callie said slowly, "do we want to talk about what just happened?"
"It's coincidence," Wes said with a shrug.
"Coincidence?" Callie nearly shouted. "Wes, come on. Black mysteriously disappears, just like you're destined too, and White flies away with some boy named N? And apparently, somewhere along the way, they happened to just stop here? It's like we're following in their footsteps or something, and I don't like the sound of that."
"Callie, just clam down," Wes said, shaking his head. "I'm sure there's some sort of explanation for all of this."
"It's too uncanny to be a coincidence," Callie snapped. "I need answers!"
"Well, I think the one who could give us the most answers is sitting in your bag," Wes said pointedly.
Callie paused, remembering Celebi was in her bag. Of course. . . . Celebi would have the answer! She looked around, looking for some place that could be private enough for them to speak to Celebi without fear of another tourist catching sight of them. Callie took off towards the small building to the right of the lighthouse and, making sure no one was looking, she opened the door and slipped inside unnoticed. Once she was inside the small room, she found she was completely alone — it was dark and musty, with a thick layer of dust covering everything. There weren't many items inside the room; an old dust covered chair, a bookcase in the corner of the room, a rug laying in the middle of the floor, just has dirt covered as everything else in the room. There was clutter on the floor, along with a few toys that laid scattered on the floor, but they, surprisingly enough, weren't covered in dust. They definitely looked as if they had been used recently.
Callie, however, didn't want to pay too much attention to that. Zoro jumped to the floor and Callie pulled her bag off her shoulders and was just about to open it when the door to the room suddenly opened. Callie froze and turned, relieved when she saw it was Wes slipping in after her. He shut the door behind him and sighed heavily.
"You really need to give me a heads up if you're just going to run like that," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Sorry," Callie muttered, "but I need answers."
Wes nodded and Callie opened up her bag, revealing a sleeping Celebi inside. When Callie opened the bag fully, Celebi stirred and woke up, staring up at Callie and Wes with curiosity.
"Callie? Wes?" said Celebi softly. "What's going on?"
"Who is this, Celebi?" Callie said, holding the picture of Black and White out towards Celebi. The legendary pokémon looked over the photo, frowning.
"I . . . I don't know," Celebi said, obviously confused.
"That's Black and White," Callie said shortly, scowling down at Celebi.
"They look an awful lot like you two," Celebi muttered, taking the photograph from Callie.
Callie's face softened some — it was obvious Celebi was just as confused as she and Wes were about the entire thing. She sighed some and Celebi held the picture back out to Callie, and Callie took the photograph, tucking it into her bag.
"Celebi. . . . What do you know about Black and White?" said Callie softly.
Celebi stared blankly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that it seems like Wes and I are following in Black and White's footsteps," said Callie. "I mean, Black and White apparently fought Team Plasma here at Liberty Garden two years ago, and Black disappears in his final battle with Team Plasma, just like Wes is supposed to disappear. Black and White are the ones who defeated Team Plasma last time, and now you've sent me back in time so Wes and I can team up and stop them. . . . So, tell me everything you know about Black and White."
"Unfortunately, I don't know much about what happened two years ago," said Celebi, shaking its head. "I wasn't there to witness the events that took place two years ago. I just know that, if you can find N, he'll be able to answer your questions, but —"
"But no one knows where he is," Callie said, finishing its sentence.
"Wait, you want to find N?" said Wes. "The guy who tried to liberate all the pokémon through Team Plasma just two years ago? You want to find him? Why?"
"Because he can help us," said Callie. "He can tell us what happened to Black, and where White is, and he can tell us how to stop Team Plasma."
"Are you insane?" Wes said. "That guy is part of the reason why Team Plasma is a problem now — he helped create them two years ago! And now you want to go to him for help?"
"He can help —"
"He can't help us!" Wes said. "There's no reason to try to find him! He probably doesn't want to stop Team Plasma anyway!"
"I want to try. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Why do you want this so bad, Callie? Why are you so insistent on this?"
"Because we have to do whatever we can to stop them!" Callie shouted, tears brimming her eyes. "Don't you see how lucky you are, Wes? You grew up in a world where pokémon and humans can live side-by-side! You're getting the chance to go on this amazing journey! In my time, if you see a pokémon and don't report it and Team Plasma finds out, you can be put in jail. I had to keep Zoro a secret for years. Right before Celebi took me back in time, I was being chased down by Team Plasma officers who wanted to bring me to Lord Ghetsis and let him decide my punishment. I would have never gotten the chance to go on this adventure with you if it weren't for Celebi, and now that I've started traveling with you, and my pokémon. . . . I don't ever want to go back to that time, Wes. I can't go back."
"Callie," Wes said softly. "I had no idea. . . . I didn't know that how you felt. . . ."
"I've only had my pokémon for a short while, and they already mean the world to me. Oshawott, Riolu, Growlithe, Shinx. . . . I wouldn't give them up for anything. Traveling with them, and training with them, watching them get stronger with each passing day. . . . I can't imagine going back to my time now. The thrill from pokémon battles, the feeling of coming out on top, all thanks to the amazing team work between trainer and pokémon. . . . A few weeks ago, I could never begin to understand that feeling, that rush, but now — well, now I love it," Callie said, shaking her head. "I know you think that trying to find N may be pointless, but I'm going to do whatever I possibly can to stop Team Plasma, because I never want to go back to a time where pokémon and humans can't be together. I'm never going to be without my pokémon, and if that means spending months tracking down N and it all turns out to be a massive waste of time, then so be it. I'll do whatever it takes."
Wes smiled softly, nodding his head. "You're right, Callie, I. . . . I'm sorry. And if you want to find N and see what he says, then so be it — we'll do it." He reached forward and took Callie's hand in his. "I promise you, right here and now, this time is going to be different. We're going to beat Team Plasma, and you'll be able to return to your time with your pokémon and live out the rest of your life with however many pokémon you'd like."
Callie smiled, giggling softly. "Thank you, Wes. I. . . . I appreciate it."
Celebi smiled softly. "I'm so glad to see you two working together like this."
Wes and Callie smiled at each other, laughing softly, and nodded.
"I think we make a pretty okay team," said Wes.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Callie said with a smile.
"Zor, zor — Zoro!"
Callie and Wes both paused, interested in Zoro's sudden outburst. They turned around and saw Zoro standing near the small collection of toys on the ground. Zoro was smiling brightly, his tail wagging, staring in the direction of the wall, chatting happily to . . . nothing?
"Zoro," Callie said with a laugh. "There's nothing there."
Zoro looked over at his shoulder to Callie and nodded. "Zor! Zorua!"
She frowned slightly — was she missing something? She took a harder look, thinking maybe she had somehow overlooked whatever pokémon Zoro thought he was talking to, but there was nothing there.
"Wes," Callie said curiously. "Do you see . . . well, anything?"
"Nope," Wes said, staring at Zoro with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing."
"Okay, so I'm not crazy," Callie said, nodding her head.
They both continued to watch Zoro for another moment when something very strange happened — one of the toys on the floor, a shiny red ball, suddenly floated into the air and was thrown across the room. Zoro went chasing after it without any question, but Callie, however, screamed.
"What was that?" she shouted "Wes, did you see that? That ball just threw itself!"
"Th-there's some explanation, I-I'm sure," Wes said quickly. "I-I mean, there has to be. M-maybe electromagnetic fields, o-or, um. . . ."
"Or ghosts!" Callie snapped.
Just as panic was really about to set in, Callie and Wes heard a small fit of high-pitched laughter come from seemingly nowhere.
"Do you hear that?" said Wes.
"Y-yes," said Callie. "I-it's probably the ghost."
"There's no such thing as ghosts," Wes said.
"That's not what you were thinking ten seconds ago," snapped Callie as the laughter came to a stop.
Wes rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her comment. "I think it's a pokémon — it's coming from over there, where the toys are. . . ."
They watched as Zoro went running back towards the small pile of toys, the red ball in his mouth. He came to a stop and dropped the ball on the ground, nudging it forward with his nose. The ball rolled a few inches before suddenly stopping, once again levitating back into the air. Then, quite suddenly, the ball was no longer just floating in midair — it was sitting in the hand of a pokémon that had appeared as if from no where. It was a small, rabbit-like pokémon with large, pointed ears that formed the letter V. It stared at Callie with its large blue eyes, smiling brightly.
"What pokémon is that?" Callie said, her eyes wide.
"No way," Wes said, mouth agape. "That's Victini!"
"Seriously?" Callie said, pulling out her PokéDex and aiming it at Victini.
"Victini, the Victory Pokémon. This Pokémon brings victory. It is said that Trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. It creates an unlimited supply of energy inside its body, which it shares with those who touch it. When it shares the infinite energy it creates, that being's entire body will be overflowing with power."
"Wow," Callie said softly, putting her PokéDex away. "Amazing."
"Tini!" Victini sang, flying towards Callie and Wes.
It flew around their heads a few times, giggling wildly, and even flew past Celebi, who smiled lightly upon seeing Victini.
"It's so cute," Callie laughed, watching Victini fly.
"Yeah, I guess so," Wes said with a small smile, watching as Zoro chased Victini around the room.
Victini suddenly stopped in front of Callie, a wide smile on its face, and held out the red ball to her.
"For me?" Callie said.
"Vic! Tini!" Victini said happily, nodding eagerly.
Callie smiled and took the ball gently. "Thank you, Victini."
"Tini!" it sang, flying away from her and around the room.
Callie looked down at the ball, smirking softly.
"Zor!" Zoro suddenly barked.
Callie looked up from the ball and gazed down at Zoro, who was staring at her expectantly.
"What, Zoro?" Callie said.
"Zor! Zor!" he exclaimed, motioning to the ball.
She looked from Zoro to the ball, her lips curling into a half smile. "You want me to throw it?"
"Zorua!" Zoro said happily, nodding his head.
"Alright, alright, go get it," Callie laughed, gently tossing the ball.
It bounced across the room and Zoro went bounding after it, tackling the ball excitedly. Callie, Wes, Victini, and even Celebi laughed softly as they watched as Zoro proudly brought the ball back to Callie, dropping it at her feet. Callie knelt down, smiling lightly, and patted Zoro's head.
"I forgot how much you love to play," Callie said with a smile as she stroked Zoro's fur.
"Tini!" Victini suddenly called out.
Callie and Wes both looked up, expecting to see Victini with yet another toy, but instead, Victini was staring at the door with wide eyes, a panicked look across its face.
"What's wrong, Victini?" Wes said.
Suddenly, a scream came from outside, and Callie dropped the ball, but Zoro didn't go bounding after it this time as it slowly rolled away from her feet. Instead he, Callie, and Wes turned in the direction of the door.
"Did you hear that?" said Callie.
"Maybe it was nothing?" said Wes.
But then another scream came, followed by another, and there were several shouts coming from outside the door. Callie watched as Victini suddenly disappeared somewhere in the room, but she didn't have time to figure out where it could have gone to.
"Grab your bag," Wes said sternly, reaching for one of the pokéballs on his belt.
Callie picked up her bag, tucking Celebi inside of it, closing it partially. "You don't think —"
"It's Team Plasma," Wes growled.
Suddenly, the wooden door to the building they were in was blown to smithereens. Splinters flew about the room, and sunlight filled every inch of the small space, illuminating every corner of the dusty building. Callie and Wes shielded their faces from the tiny bits of wood, and Zoro stood behind Callie, peering cautiously around her leg. Once the debris settled, Callie and Wes lowered their arms and looked towards the doorway, where the silhouette of three figures stood.
"Well, well, well," said a sing-song voice. "Look what we've found."
Callie's eyes adjusted as the three figures stepped forward — it was three Team Plasma grunts, none of which she recognized. The one on the left was tall and lanky with blonde hair, the one on the right was just as lanky and lengthy as the other, only with black hair, and the one in the middle was short and plump.
"Team Plasma!" Wes and Callie growled in unison.
"What are you doing here?" said Wes, keeping his hand firmly on the pokéball on his belt.
"I think you already know," said the grunt. "We tracked Celebi's power surge to this exactly location, and we're here to retrieve it! Now, hand it — wait a minute."
The grunt froze and stared incredulously at Wes and Callie, her eyes widening slightly, as if she had seen a ghost.
"It's you," the woman hissed. "But how? I. . . . I was there! I saw you fly away with Lord N," the woman said incredulously looking at Callie. Then she looked to Wes. "And you. . . . It's not possible! I-I saw it! I saw you. . . . And Reshiram!"
"Reshiram?" echoed Wes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You think we're Black and White, don't you?" Callie said, thinking back to the photograph.
"Well, aren't you?" said the woman.
"No," said Wes, shaking his head.
"That must mean you're the two pains that have been interfering with our plans lately. I've heard all about you two — you've really done a number on Lucas and Elias. They can't stand you. And it seems as though Anya and Lexi aren't your biggest fans either."
"Wait, you know Black and White?" said Callie. "What do you know about them?"
"Not much, just that they're two meddling brats that fought us here two years ago — they stopped us from capturing Victini. They foiled our plans and sent me back a failure! Well, today, we shall not fail. Today, I will redeem myself from our actions all those years ago. Whether you're Black and White or not, it doesn't matter — you're in our way now! I will take Celebi, and we'll find Victini while we're here! Gothitelle, come out!"
"Gothorita, come!" exclaimed the two grunts that stood on either side of her.
In moments, Callie and Wes were facing a Gothitelle and two Gothorita. Callie pulled out her PokéDex, aiming it towards the two Gothorita.
"Gothorita, the Manipulate Pokémon and the evolved form of Gothita. Gothorita uses starlight as its power source. It arranges rocks in the same way as the stars, and can use its Psychic powers to control people and Pokémon."
"Callie, stay back, let me handle them!" Wes shouted. "Rufflet, Pignite, let's go!"
"I can help, there's too many to take on alone!" Callie said. She pulled a pokéball from her belt. "Growlithe, come on out!"
Their pokémon appeared before them, all looking ready to battle.
"Gothitelle, let's make this quick — use your psychic energy to create a force field around the island!"
"Gothi. . . . Telle!"
Gothitelle let out a startling cry, its eyes glowing blue. It clapped its hands together, and Callie watch a blue ball of light fly from its hand and expand. The sphere grew and grew, filling the room, and seemingly vanishing through the walls.
"W-what was that?" Callie said with wide eyes.
"Oh, that?" said the grunt with a smile. "Well, that force field will prevent Victini and Celebi from escaping, all the while sucking energy from all the pokémon on this island and giving it straight to my Gothitelle!"
"That means we have to strike hard and fast!" Wes growled. "Pignite, use Flame Charge! Rufflet, Wing Attack!"
"Gothorita!" said the two grunts on either side. "Use Hypnosis!"
"Growlithe, quick, dodge it!" Callie exclaimed, and just in time too.
"Get out of the way!" Wes called to his pokémon.
Gothorita's eyes glowed blue, and a blue orb formed in either of their hands, and at the exact same time, they launched the four orbs at Callie and Wes's pokémon. Growlithe easily dodged out of the way, as did Pignite and Rufflet. Pignite went straight into his Flame Charge attack and Rufflet used his Wing Attack, and they each hit a Gothorita.
"So, you've got some quick pokémon I see," the middle grunt muttered.
"Growlithe, use Bite, go!" Callie directed.
Growlithe ran forward and used Bite on Gothitelle, earning a loud cry from the pokémon. Its trainer didn't seem worried, however — in fact, she looked pleased.
"Gothitelle, use Psyshock!"
Gothitelle summoned an odd, pink ball of psychic energy and shot it at directly at Growlithe, hitting him right in the face and sending him flying.
"Growlithe!" Callie exclaimed, rushing forward. "I've got you!"
She dove and caught Growlithe just in time, grunting under his weight.
"Are you . . . okay, Growlithe?" Callie said through clenched teeth — he wasn't exactly a light pokémon.
"Growl. . . ," Growlithe said weakly — with the combination of the close range, powerful Psyshock attack and Gothitelle's force field draining his energy, it didn't seem like he had any energy left to battle.
"You did a good job," Callie said softly. "Thank you."
"Pathetic," sneered the woman. "Letting your pokémon sacrifice itself for your own selfish benefits. I won't stand for it — Gothitelle, use Zen Headbutt!"
Gothitelle let out yet another cry, and its head began glowing a blinding shade of white. Then, out of no where, it launched itself towards Callie and Growlithe, who laid defenseless on the ground.
"Callie!" Wes shouted, reaching towards Callie.
Callie pushed Growlithe off of her and out of the way of Gothitelle, and she was trying to get to her feet, but she knew it was no use — that pokémon was going to collide with her, whether she liked it or not.
"Enough!"
In the blink of an eye, Celebi was suddenly in front of Callie, floating in midair. It held its hands out in front of it, and a bright green shield appeared before it and Callie — Celebi was using Protect! Gothitelle collided headfirst with Celebi's Protect, and for a moment, Callie thought that the shield wouldn't hold up, that Gothitelle would break through their defense. But Celebi's Protect held strong, and Gothitelle fell to the floor, looking quite dazed from the attack.
"So it's true," said the middle grunt. "Celebi and you do have a strange connection — why else would it protect you?"
"Callie is . . . my friend," Celebi panted weakly — it was obviously not ready for battle, and holding that Protect through a Zen Headbutt attack must have been more than it was ready for. "I will . . . protect her, and she . . . will protect me."
The grunt smirked. "We'll see about that — look at how weak that Celebi is! It'll be easy to capture!"
She pulled a pokéball from her belt — this was a strange ball. It was black and yellow; Callie knew she had seen it. . . . It was an Ultra Ball!
"You're not seriously going to try to catch Celebi!" Callie said incredulously.
"Just watch me!" The woman sneered before she smiled at Celebi. "I'm sure Lord Ghetsis will love to add you to his collection, Celebi!"
With that, the grunt threw the pokéball right towards Celebi. The legendary, having no energy to move, simply sat there, unable to bring itself to dodge it. Callie reached forward, ready to snag Celebi out of the way, but something completely unexpected happened — there was a gray flash as Zoro rushed forward, pushing Celebi out of the way.
It was at that exact moment that the Ultra Ball hit Zoro.
"Zor?" Zoro's eyes widened as he looked to Callie, his face full of fear.
Then he disappeared in a red flash inside the pokéball. The Ultra Ball fell to the ground and began shaking back and forth. Then, the ball fell suddenly still.
Zoro had been caught.
"No, Zoro!" Callie screamed, reaching for the Ultra Ball. "No!"
"Gothitelle, use Telekinesis and stop her!" the grunt laughed.
Gothitelle's eyes flashed blue and it pointed towards Callie, who found herself suddenly frozen, unable to move her body. A blue aura surrounded her body, and she was then lifted into the air haphazardly, the contents of her bag being spilt in the process.
"I've got it!" Wes growled, running forward to grab the pokéball that now contained Zoro.
However, without a word to Gothitelle, the pokémon pointed its other hand towards Wes and his pokémon, freezing them, also lifting them into the air alongside Callie, surrounding them all in the same blue aura.
"Let me go!" Callie growled, trying to move her body even an inch, but to no avail. "Put me down!"
The woman took a few steps forward, chuckling darkly as she did so. Slowly, she bent over, picking up the Ultra Ball in her chubby fingers, smiling happily down at it.
"My, my, my — a Zorua, huh?" she smiled, looking over the pokéball in her hands.
"He's not yours!" Callie shouted. "He's my friend! Let him go! Zoro is mine!"
"If that were true, then how come I was able to catch him?" said the woman with a laugh. "I think that means that this Zorua is mine after all, wouldn't you say?"
"He's — not — yours!"
Suddenly, the blue aura around Callie vanished and she was freed from Gothitelle's Telekinesis, which sent her falling to the ground. She fell face first, hitting her nose very hard against the dust covered ground, but in that moment, Callie didn't feel the pain — all she felt was the burning rage building inside her.
Zoro had been caught.
Her Zoro.
Callie pushed herself to her feet and glared sharply at the woman in front of her.
"H-how did you break Gothitelle's Telekinesis?" she stammered, taking a shaky step backwards. "Th-that shouldn't be possible!"
But Callie didn't care about her questions — she only cared about one thing.
"I'm taking Zoro back!" Callie shouted, running towards her.
"Gothorita, use Psybeam!" the two other grunt directed simultaneously.
Both Gothorita looked towards Callie and held up their hands, shooting out multi-colored rays directly at her. Both rays hit her, sending her flying backwards, crashing into the far wall of the room. She sat there, dazed and out of breath, unable to hold her head up.
"You're definitely a wild one," said the woman with a smile. "I can see why Lucas has had such a problem with you. Oh, he'll be so mad to know I was able to beat you, but he wasn't."
"I. . . . I'm not done yet," Callie grunted, trying to force herself to her feet. But she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. She had reached her limit.
"I like you — you've got a lot of moxie," said the woman. She began to take a few steps towards Callie, but she stopped when she stepped on something — Callie's history book. She paused and bent over, picking the book up in her hands.
"What's this?" she said curiously, beginning to open the cover.
"Leave that alone!" Callie and Wes shouted simultaneously.
Obviously, their protests only raised her interest. She smiled softly and snapped the cover of the book shut, tossing the book to the blonde haired grunt.
"You hold on to this — I'm sure it's of some interest," she mused before letting out a sigh. "But I suppose we're just about done here — I've just got to grab Celebi. Y'know, it's a shame that Victini hasn't shown itself, it'd be nice to redeem myself after that blunder of a mission two years ago. . . ."
The woman and the other two grunts chatted for a few moments, and Callie knew this would be her only opportunity to devise a plan. But what? What could she possibly do? None of her pokémon were strong enough to take on Gothitelle. Growlithe was still lying on the floor, his breathing shallow — he was exhausted from his short battle, and this force field was draining so much from him. He needed to get to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible. . . .
Callie looked around at her surroundings, trying to find something that could help, and that's when she saw it. Something very small caught her eye. She turned her head and saw, cowering behind the chair, a small, rabbit-like pokémon staring at Callie with its big blue eyes.
"V-victini," she whispered softly.
The victory pokémon stared at her, unmoving — it was obviously terrified. If what this woman said was true, then it wasn't Victini's first time dealing with Team Plasma. What had they done to it?
"Victini," Callie said softly, tears brimming her eyes. "Y-you've got to help, please."
Victini looked from Callie to the Team Plasma grunts, who were still talking amongst themselves, and then back to Callie before shaking its head quickly.
"Please, Victini," Callie whispered. "I-if you can't help me, then help Growlithe, o-or Celebi. . . . They're in a lot of trouble. . . . Please. . . ."
Victini stared at Callie for a moment before stealing a glance at Growlithe and Celebi, who were both lying motionless on the ground beside one another. He then looked to Callie, and without any warning, Victini disappeared into thin air.
"Damn it," Callie growled. "I should have known. . . ."
"Alright, it's time for us to go," said the leader of the trio. "Gothitelle, grab Celebi — you can let those fools down."
Gothitelle nodded and released Wes and his pokémon from its Telekinesis, causing the three of them to fall to the ground with a great thud. Gothitelle then began making its way towards Growlithe and Celebi.
"Leave . . . Celebi . . . alone," Callie grunted, using every last bit of energy she had left to stand up, leaning against the wall for much needed support.
"This is just pathetic," the grunt laughed. "Gothitelle, hurry, dear, grab the Celebi, hurry up."
Gothitelle neared Celebi, reaching forward to grab it, but then, appearing out of nowhere between Growlithe and Celebi, was Victini.
"Wh-what?" the woman gasped. "That can't be — Victini?"
"Victini!" Victini said happily before placing a hand on Growlithe.
Growlithe's eyes were suddenly bright and lively, seemingly full of energy. Growlithe quickly got to his feet and stood in front of Celebi, glaring at Gothitelle, a cocky grin on his face. For a moment, Callie couldn't figure out where this energy was coming from, but then she remembered what Wes had told her.
"It's said that trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. They also said that Victini creates an unlimited supply of energy inside its body, which it shares with those that touch it."
"We can win," Callie whispered as the realization set in. "We can win!"
"What?" said the three Team Plasma grunts in unison.
"Growlithe — use Ember!" Callie called out.
Growlithe reared back and used Ember, shooting several large fire balls at Gothitelle, hitting it straight on. The psychic-type pokémon skidded back several feet, and Growlithe stood triumphantly.
"Now, quickly — use Bite!"
"Growl!"
Growlithe lunged forward and latched onto Gothitelle, using a super powered Bite attack. Gothitelle let out a cry and Growlithe let go, jumping backwards just as Gothitelle fell backwards.
"Now, Growlithe, use Ember one more time!" Callie instructed.
Growlithe opened his mouth, ready to use another Ember attack, but this time, something different happened — instead of fire balls, Growlithe shot a stream of red-orange flames directly at the three psychic pokémon.
"What move is that?" Callie said with wide eyes.
"That's Flamethrower!" Wes said with a grin.
"Gothitelle, no!" the woman exclaimed. Growlithe's Flamethrower attack subsided, revealing the Plasma grunt's pokémon all lying on the floor, unconscious.
The lead Plasma grunt frowned, returning her fainted pokémon. She then looked to her two fellow Plasma grunts. "We must retreat."
"But what about Celebi —"
"We can't get it — let's move it!"
The two grunts nodded and returned their Gothorita, and the three of them turned and took off out of the building.
"No!" Callie shouted. "Not with Zoro!"
She tried to run after them, but the moment she took one step forward, the pain in her body proved to be too much, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Wes said, getting up and running to her.
Growlithe began to move towards Callie, but she stopped him.
"No!" Callie snapped at Growlithe and Wes. "I-I'm fine! You need to go after Team Plasma! You need to stop them!"
"Callie, you need medical attention," said Wes. "Your nose is bleeding, and you got hit with two Psybeam attacks."
"I don't care!" Callie shouted. "I need to get Zoro back!"
"Callie —"
"I said I don't care!" Callie growled. "Growlithe, go! Go after Team Plasma!"
"No!" Wes snapped. "Growlithe, you stay here — it's too dangerous for you to go after them by yourself."
"Growl?" Growlithe looked hesitantly from Callie to Wes.
"He's my pokémon, Wes — he listens to me," sneered Callie.
"If he's your pokémon, then how about think about how much danger you'd be putting him in by sending him after Team Plasma alone!" yelled Wes. "Do you want them to steal Growlithe too?"
Callie sat there, wide eyed — she hadn't thought about that possibility. She then looked to Wes, tears brimming her eyes. All her anger had vanished and had been replaced with anguish.
"But, Wes, they. . . . They caught Zoro. . . . They took him. He. . . . He was my best friend," Callie whimpered, the tears falling down her cheeks. "He's gone. . . . My very best friend is gone."
With those words, Callie broke down into hysterical sobs. Wes frowned and quickly took her in his arms, pulling her close against his chest.
"We can still catch them," Callie said. However, despite her hopefully words, her tone said it all; she didn't believe a single word she said.
"You're in no condition to be going chasing after Team Plasma right now," Wes muttered.
"But, Zoro," Callie whimpered. "He's . . . gone. . . ."
Her body began wrenching as she cried even harder, burying her face into Wes's chest. Zoro was gone. How could he be gone?
"Shh, shh, it's okay," he muttered, stroking her hair. "We'll get him back, Callie, I swear. . . . Team Plasma is going to pay for this. We will get Zoro back, I swear."
He loosened his hold on Callie slightly and she pulled back, staring up at Wes, her eyes red and swollen.
"We're going to get Zoro back, okay?" Wes repeated, waiting for Callie to respond.
Slowly, Callie nodded. Despite this, however, the sobs didn't stop. Wes tried to console her for a few more moments before eventually letting her be. Callie sat there, her head in her hands, her body heaving with each gasping breath she took. Slowly, Growlithe walked over, his head hanging low, and he nudged Callie's hands gently, trying to get her attention. Callie's sobs stopped for a moment, and she looked up from her hands, her cheeks stained with tears.
"Growlithe," Callie said softly. "I. . . . I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to send you out there alone."
"Growl. . . ," Growlithe said quietly, nodding softly — it was obvious he felt partially responsible for Zoro's capture.
"It's okay, Growlithe. . . . We're gonna find Zoro, and we're going to get him back, okay?" Callie said gently, patting his head. "Let's try to think of something positive, like you learning a new move!"
Growlithe smiled softly, his tail thumping against the ground happily. Callie gave a very weak smile, wiping away her tears. She then looked to Victini, who was standing beside Celebi.
"Victini. . . . Thank you," Callie said softly, her voice cracking slightly — it was hard trying to fight the urge to break down into tears once more. "I-if it weren't for you, they would have gotten Celebi."
"Tini!" Victini sang happily.
"Yes, thank you . . . Victini," Celebi said weakly before looking to Callie. "We should go back to the boat. . . . We both need rest."
Callie nodded vaguely, and Wes returned his pokémon before putting an arm around her waist, hoisting her to her feet.
"Tini?" Victini looked between Callie and Celebi, realizing that something was definitely wrong. Then it reached out and simply placed one of its small hands on Celebi. In a moment, Celebi went from pale and withered, to bright and lively, all in the blink of an eye. Celebi looked just as animated and energetic as the day they met at the abandoned gym.
"V-victini!" Celebi said, obviously astounded by how it felt. "Th-thank you!"
"Celebi?" Callie said, her eyes widening. "Are you okay?"
"I feel . . . great!" said Celebi, still in shock. "Victini shared some of its energy with me. I feel better than ever!"
Callie smiled weakly. "Well, that's great."
Celebi smiled, floating into the air — Callie hadn't seen it fly since right before it said goodbye when they first arrived in Aspertia City.
"I think it may be best if we part ways here, Callie," Celebi said. "I need to stay out of Team Plasma's way — but don't worry, I'll never be too far should you two need any help along the way."
"Thank you," Callie said softly.
"It was great meeting you, Celebi," said Wes. "Take care of yourself.
Celebi looked at Wes, its eyes bright and glistening. "Yes, and you too, Wes — you as well, Callie."
Then, Celebi became suddenly translucent, and it disappeared. Callie then looked to Victini, who smiled brightly at her and Wes.
"Thanks again, Victini," Callie said.
"Growl!" Growlithe said happily.
"Vic! Victini!" Victini sang happily before flying over to Callie. It hovered in front of her for a brief moment before playfully reaching out and poking the tip of her nose.
"Tini!" Victini giggled.
The moment Victini touched Callie, she suddenly felt a surge of energy that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Any pains she had suddenly vanished, and her exhaustion dissolved away, leaving Callie feeling more alert and energized than ever before. Callie perked up immediately, no longer needing to lean on Wes for support, and she smiled softly as she looked from Wes to Growlithe, chuckling in disbelief — she felt amazing.
"Thank you, Victini," Callie said, her eyes wide.
"Ti! Tini!" Victini said, shaking its head before slowly flying around the room, looking for something.
"What?" said Callie.
"I don't think Victini's done yet," Wes muttered.
The two of them stood silently and watched for a few moments as Victini searched the room for whatever it was it wanted. Then Victini let out a pleased shout, and it flew straight towards Callie, something in its hands. Callie watched curiously as Victini stopped in front of her and held out its hands, and when she saw what it was holding, she could help but smile weakly.
The red ball.
"You want me to take this?" said Callie.
"Tini," Victini said softly, nodding its head.
Callie chuckled lightly and took the ball from Victini.
"Thank you again, Victini. . . . For everything," she said weakly.
"Vic! Victini! Tini!" Victini giggled before making a V sign with its hands and disappearing.
Suddenly alone, Wes looked to Callie, smiling gently.
"How about we all get back to the boat, huh?" said Wes. "I'm sure we could all use some rest."
"Hm? O-oh, yeah, sure," Callie muttered distractedly as she tucked the red ball inside her bag.
However, they didn't make it more than a few steps to the door before a figure appeared in the doorway, staring at them. The two trainers tensed up, expecting it to be another Team Plasma member, but were surprised to see none other than the vendor from earlier in the doorway.
"That. . . . That was Team Plasma, just now!" the man said with wide eyes. "They were looking for Celebi!"
"Yeah, we know," Wes muttered.
"A-and you stopped them?" he said.
"We did what we could," said Wes.
The man's face broke out into a sudden smile and he clapped his hands excitedly.
"Oh, I just knew you two would stop them," said the man. "Just like Black and White did! I almost couldn't believe it when I saw Team Plasma. What are the odds that they would show up here, the same day that you two arrived? They were rambling on about Celebi though. . . . Why would Celebi be here of all places?"
"No idea," Callie said quietly. "But Team Plasma's gone, so we'd best get going."
"No, no, stay!" said the man happily. "Let us at least thank you both, please!"
Callie opened her mouth to protest — she wasn't in any kind of mood to celebrate. However, before she could say anything, Wes spoke up.
"You know, that'd be wonderful, thank you," Wes said with a smile.
The vendor looked very pleased and turned around, running back to his cart to get something. Callie shot Wes a glare.
"I don't want to stay," Callie muttered. "I just want to go back to the boat."
"Well, Pop Roxie and Politoed probably aren't even finished fixing up the boat yet anyway, so why don't we stay a little while longer and enjoy ourselves?" said Wes with a grin.
"I thought you said we could all use some rest?" Callie said doubtfully.
"Right now, I think you need a distraction more than anything," said Wes. "Now, come on — I'm forcing you to have some fun."
And with that, he ushered her out of the building, Growlithe following close behind them.
~ Meanwhile, back at Team Plasma Headquarters ~
A few hours later, the three Plasma Grunts who had infiltrated Liberty Garden were standing in none other than Lord Ghetsis's office. Lord Ghetsis himself sat in a large plush chair, his hands folded on his lap as he stared at the three grunts before him. Beside him stood a man with blonde hair and glasses dressed in black slacks with a long white coat. The man's name was Colress, and he was the head researcher of Team Plasma, as well as Lord Ghetsis's second-in-command.
"Mara, tell me, how did things go at Liberty Garden?" said Lord Ghetsis. "Were you able to capture Celebi? Or Victini?"
Mara — the short, plump woman — stepped forward, bowing to Lord Ghetsis before she spoke.
"U-Unfortunately, Lord Ghetsis, we were unsuccessful in capturing either Celebi or Victini," said Mara, trembling where she stood.
Lord Ghetsis frowned, his hands both balling into fists as he spoke through clenched teeth. "You mean to tell me you went to Liberty Garden to retrieve either pokémon and you've returned empty handed? What happened this time? Were you beaten by some children once again?"
Mara's eyes widened slightly and she frowned.
"W-well, I wouldn't call them children, per say. . . . They were older a few years older than the last ones, a-and their pokémon were fairly strong. Then Celebi protected the girl, a-and Victini touched the Growlithe, and —"
"You saw both of them?" snapped Lord Ghetsis, losing all his patience. "You managed to spot both pokémon, and yet you've returned with nothing? Tell me, how does such a thing happen?"
"B-but, sir!" Mara said quickly, fumbling for the Ultra Ball and the history book she had picked up. "I haven't returned completely empty handed! I-I managed to capture a wild Zorua, a-and I found this book —"
"A Zorua and a book?" Lord Ghetsis said dully. "Why would I have use for either one of those?"
"W-well," Mara stammered. "It's not just any Zorua — it's the girl's Zorua. A-and I took the liberty to look through the book on the way back to headquarters, and I've realized that it's a history book."
"A history book?" Lord Ghetsis echoed. "Wow, enchanting, what will I do with all that useless knowledge?!"
Mara flinched as he yelled, but still she managed to find the courage to speak. "Sir, if you will just listen for one moment. . . . Like I said, this is a history book, but it's not a normal history book. W-what I mean to say is, this book tells of things that haven't even happened yet. Its print date is twenty years from now."
Lord Ghetsis looked at Mara with a raised eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Mara?"
"If I may, sir," said Colress, speaking for the first time since the meeting had started. "What I believe Captain Mara is trying to say is that this book seems to be from the future."
"The future?" said Lord Ghetsis. "But how could that be possible?"
"I-it belongs to the girl — Callie, I think is her name," said Mara quickly. "She's the one who's been protecting Celebi!"
"If it belongs to her, then maybe my predictions were right," said Colress. "When I picked up on the energy of Celebi's time travel, I told you I suspected that Celebi was possibly trying to interfere with our plans somehow. But maybe it's not Celebi we have to worry about — maybe it's this girl — Callie."
"What do you mean?" said Lord Ghetsis.
"I think Celebi brought Callie back here to try to stop our plans," said Colress.
"But how did Celebi know we were up to something? Why would it try to stop us?" said Lord Ghetsis.
Colress thought for a brief moment before his eyes widened ever so slightly.
"If Celebi brought Callie back here to stop us now. . . . It must mean that, in whatever time Callie is from, we succeed in our plans," said Colress.
Lord Ghetsis smiled softly, chuckling.
"Well, Celebi has another thing coming if it thinks a mere child can stop the new Team Plasma," he said with a grin.
"Mara, may I see that book?" said Colress curiously.
Mara nodded, quickly handing the book to her superior. Colress took it and flipped through the pages, stopping every once in a while to scan over the page. It took him a few moments, but he eventually stopped, finding exactly what he was looking for.
"Right here," Colress said quietly. "This entire chapter is devoted to the history of our take over — major dates, events. . . . It's all rather accurate to the time estimate I drew up for us. . . . My, my, what's this?"
"What?" said Lord Ghetsis. "What is it?"
"Well, this book tells of a boy who apparently is going to try to stop us," said Colress with an amused grin. "A boy by the name Weston Gates — it says he was almost successful in defeating us, but in the end, he couldn't quite seal the deal, and then he disappeared."
Lord Ghetsis let out a loud laugh. "Ha! He disappeared because of the sheer embarrassment of his failure! Well, I wonder if he knows how pointless it is — we're going to succeed! Let's see the poor sap, Colress, show us his picture!"
Colress nodded and show Mara and Lord Ghetsis a picture of Wes — it was the picture of him and Emboar outside the Nimbasa City gym.
"I almost pity him," Lord Ghetsis muttered, smiling softly. "Almost. . . ."
"That's him!" said Mara suddenly, pointing at the picture. "That's the boy who was there with Callie!"
"They're traveling together?" said Colress.
Mara nodded. "Yes, they are!"
"So?" Lord Ghetsis said with a laugh. "Remember, Colress, we're successful, we take over Unova!"
"Yes, but that was with this Weston Gates boy acting alone," said Colress, looking troubled. "Celebi brought this girl back itself, so we have to assume Celebi chose to bring her back for a reason. . . . Celebi must think that, together, Weston and Callie can stop us."
Lord Ghetsis stopped smiling as that realization settled in. Then, he looked back towards, Mara, his face stoney.
"Mara," he muttered. "That Zorua. . . . You said it was the girl's?"
"Yes, Lord Ghetsis," said Mara.
"Good," he muttered. "Give it to Colress — we're going to make sure she doesn't get in our way."