The Order of Arceus Book One: The Spears of Power

by QueenPalkia

Amber is reborn in a future when an evil dictator rules. A legend tells only Arceus can stop his rule. So Amber is determined to collect the Plates to awaken Arceus. But can she with all the confusion, enemies, traitors, and pressure?

14. Aftermath of Betrayal

The Order of Arceus

Chapter Thirteen

Aftermath of Betrayal

Michael

She was having nightmares again. When she'd been told she was the Chosen One, Amber had passed out. At first, we'd been worried, but eventually she began to snore and we'd concluded she was asleep. She was curled up in front of me, breathing steadily, sweat running down her face. I'd tied my scarf around her neck before she'd been told earlier, because I'd had a feeling she'd end up like this, even though the news were a surprise for me too.

"She is in pain." Anton suddenly said. Ho-oh, Anton, and I were the only ones awake. Ho-oh nodded. "But why?" I muttered. "It is the pressure. The news was a bombshell on her." Anton said grimly. "This reaction was anticipated." Ho-oh cut in with her godly voice. The divinity flapped her wings in a peaceful pace, making her way through the night sky. The full moon shone down on us. "That's not all. A friend betrayed her today. She kept denying it until she saw he had the Plates." I said. I brought my knees up to my chest and sighed. "The feeling is horrible, to be betrayed. I have also felt it. You see, I was still young when Biomegas turned on my aunt, Arceus. Biomegas had been like a father to pokémon. Lugia and I were devastated, but we assisted the battle, and we were on Arceus's side. When Zekrom and Reshiram sacrificed themselves to stop the battle, Arceus won." Ho-oh explained. I was a little confused. "But, mistress, I've heard recent stories about Zekrom and Reshiram that involve them not being dead." I said. Ho-oh chuckled. "Of course, child. When the two went to interfere, they'd already been parents. Reshiram had a daughter and Zekrom had a son, although they had not yet hatched. The rest of us legendaries raised them to become the Zekrom and Reshiram known today." She explained.

"Tell me, Ho-oh, how it was like when Biomegas wasn't evil." I said. Ho-oh sighed happily. "You may call me Bells. That is how my family calls me." She said. "Alright, Bells." I said. "Very well. When Biomegas was not evil, he liked to take care of Mew's youngest children. He taught them how to battle. It's safe to say that, Biomegas is the father of battling. He invented and mastered hundreds of attacks and passed them on. He was smart, although he always refused to accept being corrected. He taught my mother how to use Sacred Fire and she taught it to me." She said. Anton coughed roughly. "So what about you? You sound as old as Bells." I asked him raising an eyebrow. He laughed hoarsely. "No, not even close to the Mighty Ho-oh's age. I am in my glorious eighties, and I am slowly awaiting my last breath." He said with a sigh. The number glued to my mind. How could the eighties be glorious? I could understand why he hadn't fought back at the Bell Tower. "Alright, then Sasuka could be around forty." I assumed. "No, not nearly. You see, my wife appeared to be unable to bear my children. No matter how hard we tried, she would not conceive. Then, she prayed to the Mighty Ho-oh, and nine months after, Sasuka's egg was laid." He said, teary eyed. "I remember that prayer," Ho-oh said. "Your wife was a wonderful woman. I had to work an arrangement with Mother in order to grant her a baby." She added. I grinned slightly as Anton contemplated Sasuka's sleeping form. "Thank you, thank you again, oh Mighty Ho-oh." He muttered.

We were all silent for a few minutes, taking in the peace and tranquility of the night. Suddenly, Amber began to murmur in her sleep. She said something like "Get out…" and it was all it took for me to decide to do something. "She's had enough." I muttered. I placed my paw lightly on her forehead and the other on her bundle of tails, where she got most of her strength from. I closed my eyes and focused deeply. Eventually I felt my energy slowly transmit through my arms. The aura and energy finally went into Amber. I drained all of my thoughts and stayed perfectly still, the process almost complete.

"What is he doing?" Ho-oh whispered. "I am impressed. The young boy is Dream Weaving." Anton gasped. I tried to ignore them the best I could, and, at last, I lost consciousness.

When I reopened my eyes I was in a pitch black area. As I stood up, the place became lit and I could hear voices. Once I was fully conscious and regained mobility, everything was clear. I was standing on a humid cave floor. There were crystals and stones sprawled all around the area. The cave walls were of a cerulean tint, while others were a light tone of fuchsia. The sound of the underground river's strong currents was almost drowned out by some harsh yelling. My nose caught the most horrid of smells: blood. I ran to the source, only to freeze at the scene.

"Kill me, but leave my pokémon alone!" Shouted a beautiful young woman with curly red hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her forehead was drenched in sweat and she had open cuts all over her face. She breathed rapidly. She was standing beside a beaten and tattered Ninetales, whom was unable to even stand up. "I do not take orders from mortals, girl. You're pokémon go first!" A loud cruel voice said. I recognized it as Mewtwo, and I turned my head to see him standing a few feet in front of the twosome readying an attack. In his hands was a glowing, golden sphere of energy, like a mini sun. It kept growing in size and once it was finished charging, Mewtwo raised his arms above his head, aiming at the beaten Ninetales, and a beam of the same coloring shot from the sphere. The wide beam made a horrible screeching sound as it extended and shot at great speed. My eyes were wide with horror. I thought that the Ninetales was a goner, until…

"NO!" The woman screeched, echoing, as she threw herself in front of Ninetales and shielded the pokémon, her body taking the whole attack. I gasped and my mouth fell open when the smoke cleared, and revealed the woman lying on the cold cave floor. She was lying on a pool of red, blood sliding from the corner of her mouth. She was bleeding from deep cuts all over her body and her clothes were already stained. It made me a little nauseous; I'd never seen anything similar. The Ninetales broke into tears and ran to the human. Weakly, the girl unstrapped her belt and the Ninetales took it into its mouth. She whispered something inaudible to Ninetales, and the weeping fire type ran away as fast as its legs could carry it. Mewtwo stared in amazement as the human coughed up blood and stopped breathing, closing her amber eyes.

Suddenly the image faded and I found myself in a dark place. I could hear voices, voices I'd never heard before. My surroundings became clear, and I was standing inside some sort of ship in front of a large window. I looked outside and my mouth fell open. There, in all its wonderful glory, was Earth. I was up in outer space. A loud alarm rang through the entire place and the lights strobe red.

"The Omegans have infiltrated! Quick Blayze, the escape pod!" A feminine voice shouted. "Got it!" A male voice replied. A red pokémon raced by me, but I couldn't identify it. It wasn't that I didn't know the specie; it was that it was a blur, a complete and total blur. I could identify it was carrying a round object; an orange egg with red zigzag designs. It placed the egg inside a metal pod with cushiony insides. The pokémon pressed a button and the pod slid out of the ground. I watched through the window as it began to descend to Earth like a meteor. Then my vision faded, but I could still hear. "You will never get my baby!" The female shouted over hundreds of agonized screams. "Arcanine, Ninetales, surrender!" A robot voice yelled. "NEVER!"

My surroundings changed again. But this time, I was in the middle of a cavern. Pink, purple, and blue crystals poked out from the walls, roof, and floor, illuminating the cave. An eerie wind blew by. "Get out of my head." Amber's voice demanded weakly. I jerked my head left, thinking she'd discovered my intrusion into her dream. But her back was turned to me. She was sitting back on her hind legs inside an underground hot spring. Steam filled the whole room. The water reached only her belly. I walked closer, touching the hot waters. It felt so warm, so incredibly real. There was a silent waterfall in the distance, pouring silvery water into the cave. I dared not touch Amber, for she'd most likely wake up. I stood beside her and looked into her eyes. They were hollow, almost lifeless. Her tails were uncurled and lying limply in the water.

I looked in the direction she was looking. A silvery bubble floated above the water, and inside was a shadow of a creature. It had a long, black tail, small, frail body, and pointy ears. It was a mere silhouette. It had no eyes, no mouth, and no face. The creature was entirely blackened, so much I thought it was only an immobile shadow. It proved me wrong when it wiggled its tail. "I'm afraid I can't do that, dear. I'll linger to guide you." It spoke in an ancient, raspy, female voice, even though it had no mouth. "I don't need guidance! Stop screwing with my mind!" Amber shouted. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead. I've been watching over you since even before you were born." The shadow retorted. "Who are you? What do you want with me? Why won't you let me be!" Amber screamed. The shadow giggled. "I can't answer the first one. But, I want you to survive. All I'm doing is watching over you. If I'd left when you'd wanted me to, you'd never acquired two Plates, never would've given Red Knight his rightful eternal rest, never would've gotten strong, never would've even met your friend Michael." The shadow said, giggling. Amber hung her head. I became confused when it'd mentioned me. What did I have to do with Amber's dream? Oh, right…I was in it.

"All I want is peace of mind. I'll do whatever you want. Just, get out of my head!" Amber demanded. "You've been through enough. Please, don't mourn over what you've lost. Forget the past. I have also suffered betrayal and pain. When you are able to move on, you will be at peace, and you'll understand what being reborn really means." The shadow replied softly.

Then it ended. Reality came back to me abruptly, shattering everything around me as my vision blurred and everything became inaudible and intangible.

I could barely understand anything. The conversation I understood, but what about the other two? The first one…that woman…her eyes and voice were so, so familiar…was she…? Could she have been…? That woman in Amber's dream…was none other than Amber herself. And I'd experienced her foul memory. I knew now the kind of grudge she held against Mewtwo, and the kind of love she had for pokémon.

When I opened my eyes, I was sitting beside Amber with my paws on her forehead and tails. I panted heavily. That had taken a lot from me. "So, child, what did you see?" The Great Absol asked. "I'm not sure. First, I saw Mewtwo kill a girl. Then I was inside a spaceship in outer space watching an egg head to Earth." I said. I decided to leave out the conversation between Amber and the shadow. I wanted to keep it a secret, probably until I could confront her about it. She'd probably get mad at me for eavesdropping on her dream, but oh well, I had to do it. Now that I knew what was bugging her, I could replace her dream. After all, I was a Dream Weaver. "What should I make her dream about?" I inquired lowly. Anton looked down in thought. "How about her familiars? Surely, she has someone whom she misses. It would make her happy." He suggested. "What do you think, Bells?" I asked Ho-oh. She nodded. "Sounds good. Although, I have no idea how you can do that. Dreams are not my field of expertise. If you need rainbows, sunshine, and fire, I'm your bird. Oh! Put rainbows in her dream." Ho-oh suggested. I sweat-dropped. "Alright." I said.

If you've ever wondered how Dream Weavers make dreams, don't ask me. I'd never been able to know how it happened. All I knew was that it required concentration and a few other criteria. I kept my paws where they were, but I pressed them a little more. Amber's body felt delightfully warm.

I began to think about everyone I'd met that day after the black jet had landed in the forest. I thought back to when I'd met Amber (and I realized I'd acted like a total ass…). I started to create sceneries in my mind, placing those who were important to Amber, like the leader of her home colony, her adoptive father, her friend Nicole when she'd been a Skitty, and even put that Static guy in. I wasn't sure if he would make her happy or sad, but I did know they'd been having a lot of fun back at the river weeks ago. After the whole dream had been created in my mind I conveyed it to her, focusing greatly.

After I removed my paws, the pained expression on her sleeping face disappeared. She curled up more comfortably and sighed heavily. She was finally peaceful, which also gave me peace of mind. "That was an excellent performance for such a young pokémon." Anton said, breaking the silence. "Huff, what do you mean?" I said as I leaned back and rested my back on Ho-oh, placing my paws behind my head. "It took me years to learn to fully form a dream alone, but you have done it marvelously, yet you are young. Now that I am old I can weave whatever I want, on whoever I desire." Anton stated. I looked at him in shock. "You're a Dream Weaver, too?" I inquired. He chuckled. "Yes, child. I do not know if you recall the dream you had on the night of the 24th of this month, do you?" He asked. I thought back to the night I'd had that weird dream, where I'd first heard Sasuka's name. "Yeah, I remember." I assured. "Well, it was I who sent it to you. It was about the conversation I had with my daughter the day I'd received the glorious news that the Chosen One had been born." He said, looking at Amber happily before coughing lightly. "So, it was a memory." I said. It was more of a statement than a question. "Yes. I conserved it. I found strange that the Chosen One was yet to arrive to hear my words, so I knew I had to hurry things." He said. "But, why did you send it to me and not Amber?" I asked. "Because, young one, you were the only one asleep at the time." He said simply. "Oh." I sighed.

"Sleep, dear. I shall awaken you when the time comes." Ho-oh said. I closed my eyes and obliged, quickly falling asleep.

Amber

I was sitting in the middle of the classroom on my red cushion listening to how Mrs. Katty explained type matchups. Static sat beside me taking notes with his holographic notebook in which he wrote with his claws. He leaned to my side and whispered: "Check it out, Nicole's asleep." I looked to my left and snickered as a bubble blew up and down from Nicole's nose. It would've been hard to tell she was sleeping because of her naturally shut eyes that all Skitty had, but that bubble gave her away. Static and I chuckled. "Miss Salvador! Is there something you wish to share with the class?" Mrs. Katty demanded. I felt as small as a Caterpie. "Erm, no, ma'am. Sorry." I said shyly as I hid my face with my holographic notebook. Mrs. Katty went back to explaining and I saw Static trying to hold down a laugh. He failed epically and burst into laughter. The Delcatty didn't like that. She turned to him and scowled. "Mister McCloud! I am fed up with your attitude. I want you and your group of friends out of my classroom for the rest of today!" She demanded. Hesitantly, Static and I started to pick up our things.

"And you, Miss Katty, WAKE UP! You're not at home! Please, go with your friends and stay out, honey." The teacher told Nicole softly, swaying her tail back and forth, using Heal Bell to wake up Nicole. It wasn't fair, because normally she'd use Wake-Up Slap to awaken anyone who fell asleep during class.

Nicole grumpily stood up and picked up her things, following us out. As soon as we were in the hallway and the door slid shut behind us, we burst into laughter. "So…what now?" Nicole asked. "Let's go back to my place; Morty said he was making special lunch!" I chirped. "Okay, it depends. By special, do you mean 'something rarely made', or 'something that will burn my tongue off'?" Static joked. "Because we know how you like spice." Nicole added. I stuck my tongue out at them. "Fine! Reject my invitation. I'll just invite Hoja and Shadow." I said as I began to walk out. "That jerk! No way! Wait for me!" Nicole shouted as she ran to catch up with me. One more to go. "The nerd? No! I'm much cooler and awesomer!" Static protested as he used Quick Attack to catch up. "Is that even a word?" Nicole asked. "Don't know, don't care." Static said. We all laughed.

I suddenly looked back at my friends, and was shocked at what I saw. The Skitty I once knew had suddenly turned into a Delcatty. Her pancake brown eyes contained some kind of maturity and power. My best friend Elekid had disappeared. In his place ran a Riolu, smiling widely at me. His blue eyes were filled with honesty and loyalty, something Static's purple ones had never contained. The walls of the training school turned into vast trees and we were running toward the end of the forest, where bright sunlight shone. "We're in this together!" Nicole whispered. "You can count on us." Michael said.

I finally understood. None of this was real. It was a dream; a dream that made me realize that it had been Michael who had changed us. Static would've never been the one to travel, to defend, to support, to comfort us. If we'd stayed with Static, we would've never moved forward. Michael was the one who did those things. That was what reflected in his eyes. He dragged us out of darkness, and we cooperated to achieve what everyone wanted: freedom, the end of the dark prison we were racing across.

I could learn to forget about Static, the traitor. Now he meant nothing to me. I had better friends, loyal ones. The ones I'd happily give my life for.

D'WAAAA WASN'T THAT SWEET? Don't you just love little pokemons?

Hey guys! I'm sorry for the short chapter. Originally, this was 14 pages long, but I decided to make it short and sweet so that the content would match the chapter title. I split this chapter and made the other half into chapter fourteen, which shall be posted shortly after I finish it.

Alright, as promised on chapter twelve, here is a special character profile.

Name: Static

Species: Elekid

Ability: Static (WOW)

Nature: Impish

Current Level: 35

Current Moves: Shock Wave, Thunder Punch, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Captivate (omitted).

Food preference: Sour

Age: +4 months

Feel free to make profile requests. I'll do anyone's, even minor characters.

So, you all noticed the outer space part. Well, that was a little bonus. I'll give you a little something special if you can figure it out, but don't say it via review, send me a PM so we may discuss.