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New Divide
Chapter 25: Crystal's Return
"Um… Surprise?"
Cotton's sheepish voice shatters the silence. Zoroark blinks and shakes his head. He looks at the Grovyle in his arms before he forces himself to smile. "Um…" He gently lets Crystal go to give her some space. "Are you feeling all right?"
Crystal blinks before she forces herself to smile up at her savior. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a little time to adjust to my body. Would it be OK if I walk around for a bit outside?"
Zoroark shakes his head and smiles. "Of course not." He carefully wraps an arm around the lizard's waist and helps her stand up. He helps her walk towards the cave and stops at the entrance after he places the Azure Flute back into his hair. Crystal frowns when she sees the wasteland and looks at Zoroark questioningly. Zoroark smiles. "I should have told you that we are in a parallel dimension from your world. We will send you back home after you regain your strength."
Crystal just stares at Zoroark and wonders furiously about why he seems familiar. His eyes have set her off; they are enthralling but mysterious. Then Crystal forces herself to smile up at him when she realizes who he is. "You must be Zoroark."
"Yes, I am." Zoroark feels his heart pounding when Crystal smiles at him. When she holds out her hand, he grabs it and holds it up to his lips to kiss it. "You mother has told me a lot about you."
Crystal flushes a bit. She is somewhat surprised when Zoroark kisses her hand but pushes it aside since he is only trying to be polite. Then Zoroark turns to introduce his friends. "These are my friends. We make up a team called Team Illusion. The small fox is Zorua, my younger brother. The Cacturne is Logan. The Lopunny is Cotton. And the Absol is Midnight."
The Pokémon nod to Crystal and Crystal smiles at them. Then she looks at Zoroark. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I just need to walk around for a bit."
Zoroark clears his throat. "Of course… Take your time, Ma'am…"
Suddenly Crystal takes Zoroark's hand. She doesn't notice him inhaling sharply. "Please just call me Crystal. I don't like the formalities much."
Zoroark hesitates before he relaxes and squeezes Crystal's hand. "If you wish, Crystal."
The fox and lizard stare at each other for a long time before they look at their joined hands. They hastily pull away and blush slightly. Crystal nods before she turns and leaves the cave entrance. She glances at the fox from outside before she disappears behind the dead foliage. As soon as Crystal is gone, Zoroark spins around to glare at his friends. The Pokémon flinch when they notice the glowing red in Zoroark's eyes. Zorua glares at the trio expectantly.
"Explain yourselves," Zoroark demands hoarsely. "Do you think that this is some sort of a joke?"
"Z, we-" Logan is cut off by Zorua. "Why would you do this? You know how much Crystal meant to Zoroark! What kind of team members would pull this kind of cruel prank on their friends?"
The Pokémon are silent as they hang their heads in shame and guilt. Suddenly Cotton looks up. "Z, we know that you're mad at us. We only did this for your own good. We were horrified when we found out that Crystal is the reincarnation of your girlfriend. We didn't know how you would react; you would have most likely not be able to play the Song of Life if you saw her. We had to complete our mission no matter what happens, even if that means hiding her body from you."
Zoroark seems to calm down as he breathes raggedly. Seeing Cotton oxymoronically guilty automatically tells the fox that she is being truthful. But the situation is no less confusing and painful for him.
"Reincarnation?" Zorua asks as he raises a brow. Zoroark closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his snout as Midnight speaks. "I sensed her soul pieces and found out that it is the same aura that belongs to your lover. The only explanation of how this is possible is that Arceus' daughter is the reincarnation of the Crystal that we know of."
Zorua gulps as he glances at his brother. "Does she… Remember…?"
Midnight shakes her head sadly. "No. No one remembers anything from their past lives. It goes against the balance of life."
Zoroark's ears droop as he looks down at his feet. Suddenly Midnight looks thoughtful. "However… When that girl saw you, she looks as if she has recognized you from somewhere…"
"Does that mean that she remembers me…?" Zoroark asks hopefully. Midnight smiles a bit and nods. "It's possible, but it depends on how strong her emotions were in her past life. If she really has any emotional ties with you from deep in her soul, then the memories might come back the more you spend time with her." Suddenly she frowns. "But Zoroark, remember that this is Arceus' child that we are dealing with right now. Even if Crystal remembers you, she is an entirely different person in this lifetime. It will be up to her on how she will accept it."
Zoroark's smile fades when he realizes that Midnight is right. Even if Crystal does remember him, she was raised differently in this lifetime and is now a different person from the one that he has fallen in love with centuries ago. Plus, there is the issue that she has friends and family. He isn't sure of how Zekrom and Reshiram will accept the thought of their old friend with their granddaughter…
Zoroark sighs and leans against the cave wall as he watches Crystal running around the wasteland happily. He crosses his arms and smiles sadly and lovingly at the lizard. "All I can do is just hope…"
-ooo-
Crystal cheers happily as she skips around the wasteland. She doesn't care about the fact that she is in an unhappy area; she was back! But as she begins to slow down and relax, she wonders why Zoroark is so familiar. A serious sense of déjà vu hits her every time she sees Zoroark. She notices the uneasy sadness that the fox's eyes held but hasn't given it much thought. But why does she keep feeling awkward and uneasy around Zoroark? He would never hurt her; he practically brought her back to life!
Crystal decides that it's only an effect from just being revived. Right now, she has more serious matters to worry about. She needs to call her friends and let them know that she's OK and on her way home. Crystal smiles as she sits against a dead tree; she'll call Darkrai, Ash, and Raikou first. She closes her eyes and concentrates. She looks around the world for the boys' minds until she finds them in the Hall of Legends. She is surprised when she senses their distress and confusion. She reads their current thoughts.
'Who could have taken Crystal away? Ribo said that Darkstar couldn't have done it. It doesn't help that Arceus was hit on the head so hard that he doesn't even remember his own attackers.'
Crystal frowns. Zoroark and his men have taken her body away without giving her allies a warning? It's no wonder why everyone in the Hall of Legends is panicking. But it doesn't sound like Zoroark to just knock people down to get what he wants. Regardless, Crystal decides to end the boys' unease. 'Guys, if you can hear me, then say something…'
Crystal waits in silence until three loud voices start screaming. Crystal grimaces as the voices create a migraine. 'CRYSTAL OH MY ARCEUS IS THAT YOU WHERE ARE YOU ARE YOU OK WE WERE WORRIED THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU IF TEROTREY HAS YOU WE PROMISE THAT WE'LL FIND A WAY TO SAVE YOU JUST TELL US WHERE YOU ARE AND WE'LL BE RIGHT THERE!' The boys speak so fast that Crystal couldn't catch up with their words. She groans. 'Boys, just calm down. You're making this sound like a very big deal.'
'It isa big deal! It's a very big deal! You just disappeared from the face of the Earth!" Darkrai snaps. Crystal rolls her eyes. 'OK, fine. It is a big deal. Big whoop. Just know that I am revived and safe-'
'Revived?' Raikou asks. Suddenly realization hits him. 'You mean that the person that took you is the person that knows the song…?' There is heavy silence before the boys feel sheepish. '… Oopsie. Darkstar didn't take you after all.'
Crystal shakes her head impatiently. 'No, he didn't. Now will you boys shut up and let me talk?' When the boys don't say anything, she sighs. 'Thank you. Just know that I'm safe. You guys can't find me because I'm at my savior's hideout in a different dimension. I'll ask what happened with my father. But all you boys need to do is gather everyone at the Garden of Eden. I'll meet you there in about ten minutes. Can you handle that?'
After silence, Darkrai answers. 'We're on it Crystal. We'll see you at the base in a few minutes.' With that said, Crystal smiles and ends the telepathic call. Then she opens her eyes and sees several pair of feet before her. Startled, she glances up and sees Zoroark and his friends looking down at her with amused looks. Crystal jumps up and smacks her head against a branch. She groans and rubs her head as she looks at the Pokémon. "How long have you guys been standing there?"
"Zorua and I overheard everything with our telepathy." Zoroark answers as he helps Crystal stand up. "I must admit that it's quite amusing to see your friends getting worked up."
Crystal stops rubbing her head and looks up at Zoroark expectantly. "So what happened with you and my father? Why did you knock him out?"
Zoroark and Zorua blink before they turn to look at their other teammates with meaningful looks. Crystal realizes that the foxes probably weren't with the trio at the time judging by how skeptical they look. Logan looks almost sheepish.
"We were going to tell you about that later." Midnight starts. "But while we were grabbing Crystal, Arceus was in the way. He wouldn't let us take her-"
"Until Logan picked up a pole and knocked him down multiple times." Cotton snickers behind her hand as the memory returns to her. Logan and Midnight glare at her while Zoroark, Zorua, and Crystal look incredulous. Midnight quickly eases the tension. "But I checked on him; the worst damage it can do is make him forget about his attacker." Then Midnight glances at Crystal and decides to end the conversation. "I'm guessing that you're ready to go home and see your allies again?"
Crystal blinks before she smiles. "I would like that." Zoroark smiles as well and wraps an arm around her shoulder as he huddles the group close together. Midnight picks up her ruby pendant and gives it to Crystal.
"Crystal, you know the basics about warping through another dimension. This pendant is enchanted and it will send its holder to any place that he or she wishes to go to. All you need to do is think about your desired place carefully and the pendant will warp you there. My team and I will hold onto you so we can warp with you. Any questions?"
Crystal blinks. "Nope. That is actually very specific enough. I told the boys that I'd meet everyone back at the Garden of Eden."
"Eden? The secret birthplace of all Legendaries?" Logan asks curiously. Crystal smirks. "How can it be a secret if other people know about it?"
Logan pauses before he grins. "Good point."
Crystal chuckles before she looks at everyone. "Ready?"
"Whenever you are." Zoroark replies. He holds Zorua with one arm and wraps his free hand around Crystal's waist. Logan, Cotton, and Midnight hold onto Crystal and Zoroark while Crystal closes her eyes and concentrates. Once she memorizes her birthplace, a bright flash of red light enshrouds them and the Pokémon disappear.
-ooo-
"SHE'S SAFE! SHE'S SAFE!" Raikou and Ash bellow as they jump up and down on the pedestal. Their shouts shatter the silence and everyone looks at them in bewilderment and annoyance. Darkrai's eyes glow as he watches his teammates jumping around excitedly.
"What in Arceus' name are you-" Mewtwo begins to interrogate but stops when Raikou and Ash hug him tightly. Then they continue jump up and down as they scream excitedly around the room. "SHE'S SAFE! SHE'S SAFE!" They continue to shout.
Violet is about to let out a long string of swear words until the boys hug her and leave her breathless. Then the boys start dancing excitedly. Jeff joins the dance even though he has no idea of what is going on.
SA-AFE, SA-AFE
SAFE SAFE, SAFE SAFE,
SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE!
SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE,
SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE,
SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE,
SHE IS SA-AFE!
Raikou and Ash sway their hips dorkishly and shake their fists as they sing. They ignore the baffled looks that their friends give them. Then everyone looks at Darkrai as he calms down the duo. "Easy, you two. You're going to stress yourselves."
"But we need to go!" Raikou struggles against Darkrai's hold. "We gotta go see Crystal!"
"What is that boy yelling about now?" Violet snaps irritably as she floats over to the Pokémon. Darkrai smiles at her. "Crystal's back. She just called us and told us that she'd meet us at the Garden of Eden."
There is stunned silence as everyone gapes at Darkrai. Raikou and Ash twitch anxiously as they wait to leave. Suddenly everyone starts talking at once. The boys are overwhelmed by the questions until Arceus' eyes glow. Everyone turns silent after the flash of light and look up at him. Arceus' eyes dim before he glares at everyone. Then he looks down at the boys. The Pokémon notice a small bandage wrapped around his bruise on his temple.
"When have you found out about this?" Arceus asks calmly.
"Just now. Crystal used her telepathy to call us." Darkrai answers.
"And you're sure that it's her?"
"Absolutely positive. She told us that she'd meet us there. I think that her savior will be there too."
"Savior?" Suicune blinks. Raikou finally relaxes and looks a bit sheepish. "It turns out that it was her savior that knocked Arceus down. It wasn't Darkstar after all."
The Pokémon begin to mutter amongst themselves until Arceus silences everyone. He looks down at the Jewel of Life that hangs on a chain necklace around his neck. His eyes glow when he notices that the crack on the orb is gone. "The Jewel of Life is completely healed. That means that Crystal must be revived. Our fate is saved."
Everyone lets out cheers and the boys smile until Arceus silences everyone. He looks at the trio. "You said that she'd meet us at the island? When?"
"At about ten minutes." Ash replies.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Eclipso barks. Before he could fly out the door, Ribo and Violet hold him back. "Just wait a moment, Eclipso." Arceus states patiently. "I will warp us all there. Everyone just relax and we'll be in the island in less than three minutes."
Then the Pokémon stand up as Arceus closes his eyes and concentrates. Soon the whole courtroom glows and everyone levitates above the ground before a flash of light blinds them. Once the flash disappears, everyone is gone.
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