Words couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. My baby brother, the one whom I failed to protect, was used as a life source to revive a legendary Pokémon. What the fuck had my dad been up to since the disappearance? Why would he pull Adam into this? I was furious, scared, hurt, and so much more that I didn't know if my brain could handle processing it.
I suddenly dropped to my knees as I stared up at my unconscious brother with tears trailing down my face. How the hell was he going to survive this? Was he even able to survive if we got him out of here? He's alive, but for how long? What was I supposed to do?!
"Talk to us, Emilia," Calem call out as he knelt down next to me. "What happened?"
"H-He's alive," I mumbled in disbelief. I felt myself beginning to grow hysterical. "This whole time... I thought Adam had died. M-My dad... had him here this whole time... He made Mom and I go through such a horrible depression because of that... D-Dad betrayed us. He fucking betrayed us!"
At that moment, the mental barricade I created to block out the memories of the past had finally crumbled down.
I suddenly found it difficult to breath and my heartbeat was through the roof when those memories flashed before my eyes. It became so overwhelming that I lost my sense of balance. Calem caught me as I pinched my eyes shut and clutched my chest tightly.
"Emi!" Shauna exclaimed worriedly.
My vision became blurry and my hearing went muffled. The world around me faded as I slipped into unconsciousness.
"Savior..."
Huh? That voice...
I lazily opened my eyes when her familiar voice called out to me. My back was against something firm yet soft. I didn't have the strength to get up; I felt tired, weak, and unable to move without fatigue holding me back.
"Haven't you done enough, Xerneas?" I mumbled in a low and raspy voice as I blankly stared at the white sky.
The sound of soft spatter echoed through the white abyss of nothingness. I felt the ripples forming with someone's footsteps. She was near, but I didn't bother moving one bit. Why even bother anymore.
I was suddenly greeted with the sight of a blue and black Pokémon watching me carefully. My tired eyes slowly widened when they landed on the large colorful antlers. It was like seeing mosaic art come to life. No matter how I felt at the moment, I couldn't deny the beauty before me.
"Wow..." I sighed.
"Allow me to give you some of my strength, my savior." Xerneas gently tapped my forehead with her nose.
I closed my eyes when I felt the soothing energy make its way throughout my body. For a moment, it felt like bliss; the soothing embrace from her power made me wish I could feel it forever. Unfortunately, that feeling wouldn't last for much longer.
It vanished once I was completely healed. I carefully sat up and placed a hand on my forehead. Everything that ached no longer hurt. Most importantly, where was I? I wasn't conscious, but it didn't explain how I wound up here or why I could finally see Xerneas in her true form.
"You suffered a panic attack," Xerneas explained. "Once you encountered your younger brother in such a state, those blocked memories resurfaced all at once that you became overwhelmed."
I dropped my gaze to my lap, shame crawling from the pit of my stomach. "Then it's all real. Adam was never dead. My dad set the whole thing up so we wouldn't look for him while he uses Adam for Team Flare's ambitions..."
"They used his life force to revive me," she concluded sadly. "My life is feeding off of his energy, but... there is still a chance for him."
My eyes widened as I snapped my head up to Xerneas, a spark of hope igniting. "Adam can still survive?!"
"Yes." She nodded. "You must tame me before my powers are restored at full potential within my physical form."
"Do you mean like I have to capture you in a PokéBall?" I questioned, a puzzled expression crossing my face.
"Correct," Xerneas confirmed. "You have the power to render my powers as you wish while I am under your control. The machines that hold me and the human captive will be useless."
I was at a loss for words at the sudden revelation. Adam still had a chance at survival despite Xerneas having the ability to drain the life force out of anyone nearby. If he could survive, I'd have him back for good. We'd be together once again.
It's all I wanted these passed few years. Everything I've gone through up until now made me who I was now. I was foolish enough to throw my past away to avoid drowning myself in my overwhelming emotions. While it had helped me for a short while, the suppressed memories would always chain me down. There was only so much distance I could go until that chain held me back from going further.
However, seeing my little brother alive since the incident lifted so much weight from my shoulders. There was no longer a reason to be burdened. My brother was back, and that's all that mattered.
"There's no need to keep running from the past, my child." Xerneas's colorful antlers glowed, causing the area around us to morph into a blank white canvas of nothingness.
All of my memories that had been suppressed for so long had finally come into light around me. I looked around in awe, taking in everything. Unwanted tears filled my eyes as I relived everything leading up to the incident. It was a strange sensation witnessing them after all these years.
I saw the day I first held Adam in my arms when Mom brought him home.
I saw the day our uncle visited us the moment Dad told him about the newest member of the family.
I saw all of the times Adam and I spent together, especially the day he watched as I signed my last piece of art before he disappeared.
Along with the good memories came the bad ones as well. Many of them were the ones that followed me to the present no matter how hard I tried to stop them; the argument between Mom and Dad, Dad walking out on the family, Adam and Dad having a conversation, the police telling us about the supposed death of my little brother, they were all here. I couldn't help but let my lips turn upwards into a melancholic smile.
"The past cannot harm you any longer," Xerneas spoke with a soft voice. "Embrace it."
"You're right." I looked up at the beautiful Pokémon. "I won't run anymore. My past doesn't define who I am or who I'll become. I won't let it hold me back anymore."
"The string that ties the past and present will change the course of the future depending on you." Xerneas's antlers glowed once more, making the memories slowly fade into the white abyss.
"What does that mean?" I gave her a puzzled expression.
"I shall leave that up to you to decide," Xerneas assured me. "Time is running out. Remember what you must do."
With that, she faded away. Everything around me became impossibly brighter.
My eyes slowly opened, revealing that I was now back in reality. As my vision started clearing up, I found myself resting against someone's chest. I looked up and found a concerned Calem and Shauna looking at me. Their concern washed away with relief upon noticing that I was awake.
I sat up, but before I could utter a word, the white fossil suddenly began to glow. Rays of blue light flashed from it, causing a blue aura to surround it. Small blue particles circled the white fossil. A small tremor followed when the fossil absorbed the blue energy, which burst out much brighter and extended to a larger radius.
Next thing I knew, the entire fossil burst from the overwhelming amount of energy. An incredulous gasp left my lips as we all got on our feet and stared at the fantastical being in front of us. Xerneas appeared here just as she had in my psyche. With that being said, there was something I needed to do.
I quickly fished out the Master Ball from my bag and ran toward Xerneas. Neither Calem and Shauna could question me on time. My eyes lit up when they fell upon the mosaic pattern on Xerneas's antlers glowed every color of the rainbow. She looked like something straight out of an old fairy tale. I stared in awe as she hopped off the machine and approached me carefully.
"Hurry," Xerneas urged. "Before it is too late!"
I didn't hesitate to enlarge the Master Ball and toss it toward her. She was the only thing that stood in the way between life or death of my little brother; I wouldn't let him slip away from me again. Once the Master Ball made contact with Xerneas, a bright light surrounded her enormous body before she was sucked into the capsule. A few shakes were all it took before it completely locked.
I picked up the Master Ball and sighed with relief; Lysandre couldn't gain control of her if she's with me. I had done what she asked of me: to tame her. Xerneas released herself from the Master Ball afterward. All she needed was for me to tame her, so she didn't have to stay in the capsule after all. Calem and Shauna caught up to me while calling my name.
"You did it, Emi!" Shauna cheered gleefully.
"Team Flare can't activate the Ultimate Weapon if you have Xerneas under your control," Calem chimed in. I couldn't help but allow a cheeky smile to form on my lips.
With Xerneas tamed, my little brother would live after all! Calem, Shauna, and I took in our small victory. Everything was going great that it couldn't ruin our mood.
Or so we thought.
"What a startling development!"
Our small celebration was brought to an abrupt end when Lysandre's voice rang in the air. I turned around to face the red-haired man, only to be taken aback by the strange device on his back. Three bionic flies buzzed around him. He wore a pair of tech glasses and a device was attached to his wrist, which awfully resembled my Mega Ring.
"So, that was the mighty Xerneas?!" Lysandre spat with distaste. "I expected more from a Pokémon called a legend!"
"You shall not speak ill of my resurrection," Xerneas threatened. "It was your selfish ambitions that brought me here to begin with, especially since you compromised the life of a young boy to do so!"
"You needed the help to come back!" Lysandre argued.
"I never wanted to be revived, you foolish human!" Xerneas roared.
"Do you have any idea the lengths I went to for your resurrection?!" he snapped nastily at Xerneas. "I had to betray my brother's wishes after his death and used his son as your vital life source!"
Wait... did that mean-
"What's going on with that outfit! Is that really you, Lysandre?" Shauna's eyebrows furrowed with disappointment. "Emi already beat you. What are you still doing here?"
"For me, victory is using the Ultimate Weapon." Lysandre wickedly smirked that he resembled a mad man. "In order to do that, I need to reclaim the legendary Pokémon now!"
I sighed as I put away the now empty Master Ball. After what he revealed, his selfish actions of betraying Dad and willingly sacrificing Adam, I wouldn't allow him to take control of Xerneas. I glared at the man as I stood protectively in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Lysandre." I shook my head and di my best to ignore the strange looks I got from my friends. "My dad and I may have had our differences, but betraying him in death was a low blow. You're going to pay!"
"So you've finally remembered me, huh kiddo?" He laughed humorlessly. "It's about time. There's no way you could run from the past forever."
"What happened to my dad?" I questioned.
"Kaz passed away a little over a year ago from an experiment gone wrong," he revealed, causing my eyes to widen. "We tried to find a way to bring Xerneas back to life without bringing Adam any harm, but it was all futile. He was a dedicated man who contributed many great things to my research ever since he left you and your mother all that time ago. That fool trusted me with your brother's life, the very same one he tried to keep away from all of this."
Even in the end... Dad couldn't bring himself to sacrifice Adam.
He was his son, his flesh and blood. How could any parent do that to their child? I guess it was best that Dad figured it out on time.
But the real villain here was our uncle, who was the cause of all of this.
"I'll never forgive you for doing all of this to them!" I hissed with fury.
Lysandre scowled as he took out a PokéBall from his coat's pocket and tossed it in the air. If he wanted a battle, then so be it. No way was I going easy on him just because he's family!
"This time, I won't lose!" he promised while pointing at me. "I too shall use the Mega Ring and the Mega Stone that you researched during your travels!"
I unclipped a PokéBall from my belt and tossed it in the air, releasing a powerful Venusaur. My Pokémon growled threateningly at my uncle as he released his Gyarados, taking everyone by surprise. Despite the Gyarados's vicious face, something about the opponent made it seem hesitant. That's when I noticed a Mega Stone attached to it in the form of a collar.
Without a bond present in during the Mega Evolution process, it would be painful for them to transform. For someone who claimed to adore Pokémon, it sure was cruel of him to force one to fight without bonding.
Lysandre proceeded to press the Mega Ring, causing the Mega Stone on the Gyarados to glow. As its entire body became covered in light, a loud pained screech broke throughout the air around us. I covered my ears with my hands, unable to stand hearing a Pokémon suffer like this. Gyarados's body shape morphed differently as the light was burst back, revealing its Mega Evolution form.
The large blue Pokémon roared ferociously as it bared its fangs at Venusaur and I. I could've sworn I saw the pupils had dilated some from the transformation. Since Lysandre wanted to play it that way, I decided to Mega Evolve Venusaur as well. Venusaur's new form looked just as threatening as Gyarados.
Now, the battle could begin.
"Gyarados use Aqua Tail!" Lysandre ordered.
The opponent roared once again as a stream of water formed on its tail. Once it was strongly built up, it dashed toward Venusaur and flung its tail at my Pokémon. I smirked when Venusaur remained still as it was hit with the attack. Venusaur blinked as he gave the Gyarados an unimpressed look. I looked over at my uncle, finding it even more amusing seeing Lysandre's eyes widen when he noticed how his Pokémon's attack didn't even leave a scratch.
"Venusaur use Toxic!" I commanded.
Venusaur pointed his tree-like appendage at the Gyarados, who braced itself for the attack. A large ball of oozing purple goo formed on the top of the tree before it was launched toward the opponent. I heard Lysandre order for his Pokémon to dodge it, which it did. However, little were they expecting just how much more Toxic attacks were being launched at the Gyarados.
More and more balls of purple sludge were formed and thrown at the opponent. After the fifth try, the Toxic attack hit Gyarados from the side. Lysandre scowled from where he stood when his Pokémon stumble slightly as a faint purple flush formed on its face.
"Now use Venoshock!" I demanded.
As the Gyarados was starting to get up, Venusaur focused his eyes on the poisoned opponent. A magenta aura surrounded the opponent before purple volts of lightning shocked the Atrocious Pokémon. The Gyarados shrieked in pain as it felt the venom inside, leaving a burning sensation.
Once it stopped, small volts of magenta lightning lingered until the Gyarados shook it off. It glared at Venusaur as it tried to remain tough, but it wasn't really working.
"Use Ice Fang!" Lysandre yelled at his Gyarados.
Its large fangs became misty with cold air as shards of ice formed around it. Without warning, the Gyarados launched at Venusaur in the blink of an eye. My eyes widened when it appeared right next to my Pokémon, chomping down its icy fangs on Venusaur's back. He cried out in pain as the ice began to spread around its wound. The Gyarados pulled away and went back with its trainer.
I couldn't help but send Venusaur a concerned look as I glanced at the small patch of ice on his back. Venusaur merely used his vines to scrape off as much of it as he could. Meanwhile, the Gyarados seemed to have felt a little woozy. No doubt that the poison was beginning to take effect, but the stubborn opponent refused to give up. Although, I had a feeling it wasn't a choice.
"Don't falter yet, Gyarados!" Lysandre barked at the Atrocious Pokémon. "Use Aerial Ace!"
"Quickly blind it with Solar Beam!" I called out.
Venusaur was able to gather as much light as he could into the tree on his back. The Gyarados appeared before my Pokémon having wind gathered all around its body. With a loud roar, Venusaur released the intense solar energy at the opponent.
The Gyarados was thrown back with a screech of pain, sliding down near its trainer's feet. I saw Lysandre scowl down at his injured Pokémon, also seeing how weak it became due to the poison. The red-haired man looked up at me and Venusaur with an intense look in his eyes that I didn't like.
Wiping the worry from my face, I looked at my opponent with a glare. There was no doubt that his Gyarados was suffering from the poison. I just needed for Venusaur to drag the battle long enough for the poison to take over and weaken it further, as cruel as it sounded.
"Gyarados use Dragon Rage!"
The opponent shakily produced powerful indigo flames and blasted a large pillar toward Venusaur. A cold sweat broke out against its forehead, slowly dropping down from the side of its face. Just like I had hoped, the poison was slowly doing damage to the Gyarados. If the bad aim of the Dragon Rage attack didn't make it obvious, then I didn't know what did.
Seeing that the opponent's attack was of no worries, Venusaur simply leaned to the side to further avoid the hot breath of indigo fire. Even he began to notice the poisonous effect of his Toxic attack.
"Venusaur use Petal Blizzard!" I demanded.
"Dodge it Gyarados!" Lysandre barked, a nervous sweat breaking out on his temple.
The Gyarados was struggling to stay awake. It tried to fight back the poison, but it was hard to stay focused on the battle. Meanwhile, Venusaur gathered a storm of deadly sharp cherry blossom petals before sending them toward the opponent with full force. The Gyarados couldn't dodge them all and ended up getting hit.
Lysandre growled as his Pokémon swayed dizzily from side to side. There was nothing he could do something about that poison. It was over for him.
"Wrap this battle up with one last Petal Blizzard!" I demanded.
With one last roar, Venusaur sent another wave of cherry blossom petals at the Gyarados. My uncle didn't have the chance to tell his Pokémon to dodge it, letting it get hit once again. The Gyarados screeched in pain as it hit the floor and fainted before going back to its normal evolution stage.
Venusaur also went back to his normal evolution stage from the exhaustion of that battle. A wide smile made its way onto my face as I ran up to my Pokémon and hugged him as best as I could. My uncle bitterly returned his fainted Gyarados and threw his glasses onto the floor in sheer frustration.
