Chapter 37: Riley's Final Lesson

I watch the sun set. Saturn has explained everything. The blizzard hasn't let up the whole time. Fire-types and Pokémon Rangers are working around the clock to prevent the snow from getting out of control. There's an area for cars to drive above the routes. An elevated highway for fast travel, but most people prefer to walk or bike their way around. Almost no one has a car anyway. The highway has a path to every city, so businessmen, Pokémon League officials, and now Team Galactic can get to anywhere they need to. Dawn squeezes on my hand. "What's wrong?" I ask, not turning from the window.

"What do you think will happen once we attack?"

Saturn looks in the rear-view mirror. "I can tell you that."

"I know, but I want to hear it from Chris."
"I understand. You want to hear the answer from the one you love and trust."

"How do you understand though?"
"Samantha is my wife, Dawn. There was no one else I could trust to keep an eye on you guys, besides Cyrus."
I turn to Dawn. "I'll tell you what will happen. We'll go right to the lab and arrest Charon."
"There are grunts and admins that support Charon more than Cyrus. They will surely defend him," Saturn states.

"You know that grunts and admins are much weaker than me."
"I'm well aware."

I take a deep breath and look out the window again.

[Noon, the Next Day]

I wake up when the car comes to a stop. The car behind us stops as well. Roark, Riley, Barry, and Samantha get out of it. Dawn is lying her head on my shoulder. I gently shake her awake. She opens her eyes and smiles at me. "What is it?"

"We're here."
Saturn gets out and closes the door. Dawn and I follow suit. Saturn looks at me. "Sam and I are going to head back to the base. You're going to have to attack us when I call you. The entrance to the base is on the north side of the lake north of Jubilife City. Under a rock on the cliffside, there is a keypad. The code is 2791. It will lead you to an elevator. Take it to the lowest level and step into the teleporter. I will be waiting for you on the other side."

We nod. "We will see you then," Roark says.

"Good luck," Samantha says.

They get back into the cars and drive away. We start walking towards Jubilife City. As we walk, I dial Professor Rowan on my Pokétch. He picks up. "Hello, Chris. We haven't talked in awhile."

"Where are you right now? I want to talk with you about something."

"I'm in Jubilife City right now, actually."
"Where in Jubilife?"
"I'm at the Pokémon Center."

"I'll see you there."
"Okay…"
I hang up. "Let's run," Dawn says.
Barry makes it to the Pokémon Center first, not surprisingly. Roark and Riley arrive next, then Dawn and I open the door. I walk in and look around. Rowan is in the cafeteria. I run into it. "Professor Rowan!"

He looks up. "My Arceus! You're actually here!"
I nod. He looks at me. "You've really grown since I've last seen you, Chris."
I smile. "I guess I have."
Dawn walks to the side of me. "Hi, Professor," she says cheerfully.

Rowan smiles. "You've grown into a fine woman, Dawn."

She blushes. "Thank you, Professor."
Barry sits down next to where I'm standing. "I see Barry's still the same as ever."
Roark and Riley sit at the same table as Barry. "I see Roark is still with you, but I'm afraid I don't recognize you, young man."
Riley looks up. "My name is Riley. I'm Chris' mentor."
"Mentor? For battles?"

"I guess you can say that."
"Pokémon battles… I would think Chris would need the least amount of training in that area."
I clear my throat. "Professor, we need to go somewhere private."

He nods.

A few minutes later, we're in a field to the west of Jubilife City. Rowan nods, telling me to talk. I take a deep breath. "Have you heard of Aura?"

"You would need to be more specific. Pokémon or human Aura?"
"Human."
"I know it existed back before the Great War, but besides that, I know almost nothing about it."
"You've got one thing wrong about that statement."

I nod to Riley. He nods back. We both flare up our Aura. "Aura still exists. I'm an Aura user. Riley is my mentor in wielding Aura."

Riley closes his eyes and his Aura dissipates. "Professor Rowan, we came here with one intention. To put a stop to Team Galactic, but we've learned much more than that."
"What do you mean?"
Riley looks at me. "Show him all of your current pokémon."

He looks at Dawn and Barry. "You guys should, too."

I grab all of my pokéballs and throw them into the air. Luxray, Darkrai, Eve, Lucario, Empoleon, and Rotom appear. Dawn throws hers. Lopunny, Infernape, Gardevoir, Buizel, and Pachirisu appear. Barry throws his. Torterra, Combusken, Rapidash, and Staraptor appear. Rowan stares at all of our pokémon. "Where are Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf?"

I look down. "Team Galactic got them. A while ago."
Rowan hangs his head. "No. They're our only hope."
"Not anymore."
Rowan looks at me. "What do you mean?"
"Not everyone in Team Galactic is evil. Cyrus and Commander Saturn are a few examples."
"Isn't Cyrus the leader?"
"Yes and no. He's being blackmailed by the head scientist and co-founder, Charon. He's our true target."

"Cyrus is also an Aura user. Poison. Chris and I have Fighting," Riley butts in.

Rowan turns around. "Defeat him. Whatever it takes. I'm proud of all of you. You've come so far and haven't given up. I believe in you. Everyone's counting on you all."
I smile. "Thank you."
"Good luck to you all."

Rowan walks away. As he disappears from sight, Riley turns to me. "I have one last task for you. If you succeed, your training is over."

"What is it?"

"You must defeat me in battle."
I nod and back up. Eve gets in front of me, ready to fight. "He doesn't mean a pokémon battle, Eve."

Eve looks back at me. "Oh… sorry."
She walks away and lies down. Dawn sits by her and pets her. Eve smiles. Riley's Lucario sits down under a tree and watches us. Riley stares me down and gets into a fighting stance. I copy him. "3…"

He drags his right foot back. "2…"

He plants his left foot firmly on the ground in front of him. "1."

He blinks. His Aura flares around him. I let mine do the same. "Go."