A/N-So I was unable to finish this story by the end of the world... I'm sorry readers, I just entered pharmacy school and it's eating up all my time. The good news is, the world didn't end? Ahaha...

Please enjoy this chapter. Plot is heating up!

Ch. 11

There was an air of maturity around him. Like magic, it appeared when he blew out his eighteen candles on the cake. His friends and family cheered with clinking of champagne glasses. Seph took a sip of his Bluk Berry juice; the deep red liquid looked identical to real wine.

Perhaps it was his shirt and tie, but Seph looked far older than he was. He stood tall and talked with poise. There was assurance in his steps and purpose in his gaze. It seemed to me that he had made up his mind on something that was left too long unmade and the decision gave him strength. I thought about how he quavered in front of Ire's grave yesterday and carefully stored the image away. I probably would not see him like that again for a long time.

"Ah my tie!"

A longtime friend and next-door neighbor of the Aspens, Marta brought along her three-year-old granddaughter who was in a phase where she found a need to tug on everything that seemed tug-able and Seph's tie was no exception. Quickly thinking of ways to keep a toddler happy, Seph suggested some alternative activities but all were aptly rejected with a shrieking 'no!' before she finally agreed to drawing. I escaped upstairs with Seph to fetch a pad of paper and color pencils before the little girl could close her hand on one of my tails.

Despite the fact that I had 'slept' in it last night, this was the first time I've seen Seph's room. It was nicely neat except for the covers thrown aside on the bed. Unsurprisingly, two sides were lined with bookshelves. I recognized many of the titles he had as my own personal favorites. I smiled fondly when I spotted Gulivera's Travels, my utmost favorite book, standing in its proper alphabetical order on the lower shelf.

"It seems I'm no good at understanding girls." Seph commented off-handedly while reaching for a drawing pad. "Mysterious creatures they are, even at such a young age."

He then fell silent, pondering over what seemed to be something so formidable that his brows knitted tightly together. I fell silent, not wanting to disturb his thought process.

All of a sudden he dropped down so he was at my level. Seph held my curious gaze with a serious expression. "There's something I want to ask you."

My heart thumped out of my own guilty conscience. It can't be…

"In Arc Marina, I'm going to take a girl out to dinner. I have no idea what to talk to her about. I need your advice."

I accidently puffed smoke in his face as laughter escaped me unceremoniously. He was worried about that?

"I'm serious Ardelle!" He ruffled his own hair out of frustration. "Before that incident, I was so caught up in my own world that I never ever thought of anything else besides books and Pokémon. I admit that even I think I'm a little pathetic. Asking Ma is embarrassing and Aya would just tease me."

He begged me for input. I turned to the bookshelf and nosed Gulivera's Travels. Seph removed it from its spot and ran his hand over the cover.

"How nostalgic…I used to love this book. But talking about books, isn't it kind of dorky?"

I shook my head and confidently assured him with a bark.

"Okay then. I trust you on this."

I looked over his tall shelves filled to the brim and felt the warmth of anticipation. I want to talk to Seph about books! I want to listen to stories of his favorites and share mine. He was unnecessarily worried because I'd gladly talk to him about anything. In that instant, I was unexpectedly filled with fright. I became painfully aware of how fond I grew of Seph because the thought of leaving him scared me more than Sigma itself.

My afternoon was occupied with rehearsals. Seph's Pokémon gathered to put on a show with their powers as Seph's birthday present. A Grovyle with a particularly artistic touch directed the other Pokémon; Arios said this Grovyle used to belong to a Pokémon Coordinator and won quite a number of awards.

Fal was lazing about a warm patch of sunlit grass while waiting for her turn. I just finished rehearsing for my part so I went to join her. She laid on her back, belly exposed to the sun and looked like she's enjoying every moment of it.

"The sun is great. You'd understand me since you're a fire Pokémon and I'm a sun Pokémon."

"Mmm..." I let my contentment show my agreement. From the corner of my eye I saw Arios napping in the shade of a tree.

"Looks like Arios is not too fond of the sun though."

"He's always like this for as long as I've known him."

"Even as an Eevee?"

"Hm…I'm not too sure about that. I never knew him as an Eevee."

"Oh." It came out sounding dejected. Fal regarded me curiously.

"Well…it's just that how well you get along with him; I assumed you two grew up together."

She laughed. "Oh I wish. I would've loved spending my childhood annoying him as well. I came only a couple of years ago, when I was rescued."

"Rescued?"

"Yep, from an illegal breeding center not too far from here. They were breeding rare Pokémon to sell their eggs."

I was aghast that I didn't know what to say. Fal didn't seem to mind where the conversation turned to. She offered to tell me her story if I'd like to hear.

"Is that alright with you?"

"I'm fine with it; the past is in the past. I was one of the lucky ones, too young to be used so the people there were waiting for my body to mature. I was treated well enough but always kept alone in a dark room ever since I hatched. Then one day, some nice people busted in and cleaned the place out. That was also when I saw sunlight for the first time and I just thought it was the best thing ever. Then I was brought here where I met Seph and Aya and Arios who were my second best-thing-ever. They gave me a home and love and showed me how wonderful this world can be."

I thought about Fal locked away just like how I was. I looked at her; there was not a trace of sadness on her face.

"Do you ever feel…troubled by your past?"

She blinked at me, "Not at all. I chose to forget about it. The moment I saw sunlight, I decided that was when I was truly born. I just told myself the time I was in the breeding center was no different from being in an egg and that I just took a little longer than other Pokémon to hatch."

"That's a good way to think of it."

"Isn't it? Arios helped me come up with it. He told me that the only way the past can tie me down is if I can't move on. So I became a newborn again and made myself anew from all the wonderful memories I created here. It wasn't hard at all. There's so much wonder in the present that I got no room to wallow in the past."

My ears unconsciously drooped. The psychic eon Pokémon easily perceived what I was feeling.

"Do you have a bad past as well Ardie?"

"You can say that."

Fal's ears perked in preparation for a story. When I didn't offer mine, she didn't pry but seemed disappointed.

"If you can't forget, just pretend it was a bad dream. You got Seph and everyone now, let's create a ton of good memories together, okay?"

But I couldn't pretend it was just a dream. The establishment of Fal's past no longer existed to haunt her. Even if I take Sigma down, every time I use my ability or look into the mirror at the golden color of my eye, these are all physical reminders that I can never erase.

Fal peered at me with worry. I smiled at her. She seemed satisfied and went back to sunbathing. The warmness of the sun and Fal next to me easily melted away my troubles. Time seemed to stretch on to infinity. It felt like this bliss would last forever.

The show was a success! We were met with standing ovations from the Aspens and a shower of praises. Afterwards, we had a celebratory barbecue outside where the whole family—humans and Pokémon—feasted until their bellies were bulging. The party died down by nightfall, I took this opportunity to sneak away to do my daily routine. I flew to the other end of Canaltown so that I wouldn't accidently run into Seph by strange whims of chance. Arceus seemed quite fond of that so I took extra precautions.

There was a small park tucked in the corner of the town. Under the moonlight, it was abandoned. Children that frequent here were in their homes and getting ready for bedtime. Suddenly, I recalled the last time I was in a park the night I met Oleander. Despite knowing it was paranoia, I looked around carefully anyway. All was still, only a lone swing rocked gently by the wind.

I became human, quickly donning a dress I borrowed from a nearby clothesline, and walked around the perimeter a couple of times. The moon was full tonight and the night very quiet save the occasional hoots of some Hoothoot. It was the completely opposite atmosphere from the earlier commotions of the party; the moonlight too washed away the residual warmth of the sun and the earlier feeling of never-ending bliss. I plopped myself unto a bench, hoping to wait out this sudden wave of depression.

Quiet footsteps echoed. Like a Sentret, I jumped at the sound and looked to where they were coming from anxiously. A middle-aged man seemingly on an evening stroll approached. I quickly glanced downward, hoping he didn't catch that I was staring.

"Good evening miss. May I sit here?"

The gentlemen stopped in front of my bench with his hand on his hat. He removed it and his face became lit by the moonlight. I jumped; it was Professor Aspen.

"Forgive me to have surprised you but I absolutely have to speak with you alone. I had one of my Pokémon follow you when you left the lab."

His one sentence sent a thousand questions raging through my mind. I was frozen with fear of someone who knew of my identity. I will not let myself captured like this! I met his eyes defiantly, expecting scorn and malice but Professor Aspen's eyes were kind and sad, so sad that my fears were entirely replaced with confusion.

"Please," the professor lowered his head, "will you listen to my story?"

His sincerity put me at ease. I also had the feeling that his words would be very important, like it was going to change something in me. "I…I'd like to hear it, Professor."

He smiled gratefully and sat down on the bench.

"A long time ago, before my son Seph was born, I was a geneticist for Sigma. Theta…I helped Segan create you."

I bolted up, hands flying up to my open gaping mouth. I stepped backwards from him instinctively. The professor reached towards me with one hand, but when he saw the same look of fear in my eyes that I show in front of Father, he dropped it with a look of pain.

"We were in school together, Segan and I. We both aimed to be Pokémon geneticists and we founded Sigma together after graduation. We wanted to advance Pokémon genomics and to contribute something of value to the scientific community. That…was the original purpose of Sigma."

"Segan was a genius and absolutely meticulous with his work. He pursued perfection, obsessed with it even, he saw Pokémon as creatures beloved by Arceus and that was why Pokémon were able to use powers to influence nature. Humans, on the other hand, were weak and evolved to be intelligent out of jealousy and desire to control Pokémon's powers. Segan wanted to see if he could create the ultimate being, the perfect being, by giving humans who already possess unmatched intelligence with the powers of Pokémon. It seemed impossible, but we were both young scientists who sought after the thrill of making the impossible possible. In a few short years, we made enormous progress, but not enough to make our goal a reality. One day, Segan's genius and passion pushed through. That was also the day I left Sigma."

"…Why?"

It was the first world I uttered to him since he started his story. He was surprised, but seemed encouraged that I was listening.

"Segan was dedicated to research, so much so that he had thrown aside ethics or morality to reach his goal. The more I delved myself into this research, the more I questioned if it was the right thing to do. My son was born just around then. As I held him, I was struck by how perfect he was, just the way nature gave him to me."

He sighed deeply, "It is human desire to attain power. I thought about what would happen if a child with Arceus-like powers was created. People would fight over this child, use this child for their own gain, and control this child. I don't want to burden an innocent child with such a fate. Before I left Sigma, I deleted as much research data as possible…but that wasn't enough."

The middle-aged professor glanced at my face with weary eyes as if to gauge my reaction. Even I was not sure what kind of expression I was wearing. He dropped his gaze, "I caused you grief. I cannot apologize enough for that."

Silence followed. I could not think of anything to say to the professor.

"A year and a half ago…" Professor Aspen continued somewhat shakily, "Sigma attacked my home. He didn't pursue me when I left Sigma, so I thought he was letting me go cleanly as a sign of respect of our years of friendship. I was wrong and he became more resentful as the years passed, attacking my children to cause me the greatest pain. Segan waited out of sight as he amassed power, a year and a half ago he was finally ready…so he showed himself."

I breathed out a barely audible reply, "Are you telling me all this just to lighten the burden of your own conscience?"

Professor Aspen's eyebrows knitted together causing the wrinkles around his eyes to run deep. He looked aged and drained.

"Yes. That is part of it."

"And the other part?"

"I want to help you in any way I can. I feel responsible for you, since you're partly my creation as well. When I saw you in my house, a Ninetales with Segan's golden eye, I couldn't believe that Arceus has led you to me. I knew instantly Arceus is asking me make up for my past mistakes."

He rested his head in his open palms, "I-I'm sorry for being selfish. You are right. I am just trying to lighten my own conscience. You must hate me."

"I don't hate you."

He met my eyes with a surprised expression when I said it. I avoided looking into his eyes for some times. Once I felt like I had the strength to say it, I held his gaze steadily.

"Though being born with this power…being locked up by Sigma caused me a lot of pain, I'm glad I got the chance to be alive. I like this world, a lot. Traveling with Seph, meeting Pokémon and other humans, eating good food, seeing beautiful places, I'm very happy to be born into this world, so thank you. Thank you for helping to create me."

The professor's eyes moistened. In truth, I was a bit shocked at my own words. I realized that I grew to really love the world and that was due to this man's son. There was a lot to thank Professor Aspen for—he brought both Seph and I into this world.

"You've become a mature young lady. It sounds like I'm the childish one." Professor Aspen laughed, "Won't you come sit with me?"

I realized that I was still standing from the early outburst. I sat down sheepishly next to the professor who was smiling kindly.

"What are you going to do now Theta? Are you on the run from Sigma? If you need a place to hide, I have friends who can help to change your identity and send you abroad."

I considered his offer only briefly, "No. I want to take Sigma down. I don't want to run away from them anymore."

I started telling the professor of my journey—meeting Seph, running from Sigma, meeting them again at Safari Zone, Oleander's words…

"I see." He looked downtrodden, "I have some ideas of why Segan would let you go."

I perked up eagerly, "Why?"

"You were created from the DNA of Mew, but we couldn't give you all of Mew's powers. We were only able to transfer Mew's power of Transform to you. To use it to its full potential, you are missing something crucial"

"Which is?"

"Mew's DNA is also a vast database of the DNA of every existing Pokémon in this world. You were born with an empty database. This is why you can only use Transform after touching the original Pokémon first; this is the only way to fill your database. Segan must be desperately trying fill it with all the Pokémon, but there are limitations to just letting you in contact with every species of Pokémon. Extinct Pokémon, legendary Pokémon, and even…Arceus, the God Pokémon, they are extremely difficult if not impossible to capture. But, there is a way around it…if you were to touch Mew, the DNA database of every Pokémon in this universe, you can attain it all."

"But…I don't understand what this has to do with letting me go."

"Mew is elusive for the very reason she is valuable. Her powers are essentially unlimited and that's why she keeps herself so well-hidden from mankind. Do you know where is one place you're most likely to find Mew?"

"No. Where?"

"Where Mewtwo is. Mew is responsible for watching over any creations that spawned from her since they're equally dangerous if fallen into the wrong hands."

I gasped; I understood what he was implying. "You're saying…that I am a bait to draw out Mew!"

"She would surely sense you now you're not hidden away from the world. Most likely, she is somewhere near you. And most likely, unfortunately, she is not the only one near you."

Sigma. They must have been watching me closely to see if Mew had appeared. "So Oleander's warning, does that mean they've captured Mew?"

"I'd think you wouldn't be here with me tonight if they've already got her. What I think is that they've finished preparations and is planning to make their move very soon."

That means…I don't have much time. My heart started racing and my resolve failing. I don't know how to bring down an entire organization!

"Theta...you can still reconsider. You can hide indefinitely and live out a normal life. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

Seph and the party taught me so much during my short six months with them. They showed me their resolve to do things that were difficult and to pursue a future they wanted without being held back by their past. I wanted to show them my resolve as well.

Professor Aspen smiled to himself, remembering something. "You are very similar to Seph. When he found out about my past entanglement with Sigma, he was determined to take it upon himself to hunt them down. But I wish both of you wouldn't push yourselves so hard, if anything were to happen to you two, it'd break me apart."

He placed his hand on my shoulder, "Theta, when you succeed, won't you come live with my family? Everyone will welcome you. I want to give you a home, a family."

His hand on my shoulder was very warm. So warm, that it melted the ice wall I built to keep my emotions guarded away. Tears wouldn't stop welling up and leaving wet trails all over my face and arms as I desperately trying to wipe them. Professor Aspen stroked my head slowly for as long as I cried. I imagined having a father who would stroke my head when I was sad, a mother who would hug me close when I had a bad day, and siblings who would keep loneliness at bay. All of a sudden, I could not contain my desire for a loving home and family. I want it, I really really want it.

A/N- And so, another chapter closer to the end. I hoped you readers enjoyed it. Sorry for the lack of action, I need to get a lot of back story done. Next chapter, Ardelle thought her decision is firm, but someone she meets might lead her down another path?

Please leave me reviews! I love it whenever you readers leave sincere messages about what you liked and didn't like about the story. They really do encourage me!