Chapter 52 - The Secrets of the Tower
At the tower's peak, Vascious stood, still clutching at the Scepter. He was silent and motionless, sitting in front of the Seal Star. He appeared to be concentrating, as his eyes were closed, his legs were crossed and his head was bowed down, much like he was engaging in meditation.
"I have been unable to feel Andose's life force for the past few minutes," he spoke to himself. "So, Andose has passed away. ...I believed it would happen."
He reopened his eyes and looked forward.
"And now Susanshi and her company are on their way here. Well, I should be prepared to greet them once they arrive."
He stood back up and walked across to the tower edge.
"You will be most welcome here, Susanshi. If you think you can prevail against me, then I will allow you to at least try. Come! Stand before me!"
"Lord Vascious!" Grandill called to him from behind. "So, is it really true what you're saying? Is Andose really dead?"
"He is, Grandill," Vascious confirmed.
"Well, no big loss for me, personally. I didn't like that guy anyway!"
"Grandill, Andose worked exceptionally hard for me. Show even a little respect for our fallen comrade."
"Why? You certainly don't seem to remorseful yourself!"
"Grandill, I value the help I received. I still have much gratefulne...GRAAAAAAAAH!"
Vascious suddenly fell to his knees. The pain had returned. The Black Stain on his arm was growing in size, soon covering his entire arm. Pieces of blackened fur were now falling off the arm, leaving behind bald patches in places and revealing skin taken over by the Black Stain. It eventually stopped forming after it had stretched out onto his shoulder.
"Lord Vascious!" shouted Grandill, running towards him.
Vascious was breathing heavily, clutching at his right arm, yet still refusing to release the Scepter.
"I am...faring well, Grandill," he panted.
"Lord Vascious, the Black Stain has gotten worse! Surely you cannot carry on like this!" stated Grandill.
"No... Do not tell me what I should not do. I will release Hadreca when the rightful time arrives. I still wish for Susanshi to witness the beginning of the new world."
"Don't leave it too late, Lord Vascious."
"You must not worry for me, I have still been able to live out my destiny."
Leaving through the back of the Ruins of Wyste, Susanshi, Leo, Tokot, Alex and Jon were on their way down the path that was laid out before them. The Tower of Wyste was dead ahead, its doors still open and the markings all along it no longer lit up after the relocation. It had been positioned neatly within the crater, where it originally stood long ago. A cold air was flowing from inside, noticeable by the group as they stood still just outside the doorway.
"Wow, I've never seen the tower up close before," stated Leo.
"Even with the doors wide open, it still gives off this mysterious presence," said Susanshi.
"This could be a big deal for many. No one has seen the inside for centuries..." spoke Alex.
"Hey, I suggest we stop drooling over it and go inside already," insisted Tokot.
"We have no idea what awaits us, but we'll go in," Susanshi said.
She was the first one to take the first step in. After that was Leo, followed by Jon, Tokot and finally Alex. The first thing seen was a wide-yet-short corridor, with the same pale stone material used for the exterior forming the walls and floor. Up ahead was a room in the shape of a semicircle. In the center was a huge egg-shaped stone object that laid atop a hexagonal shape in the floor. Intrigued, Susanshi and Leo approached it together.
"Whoa! It's like some kind of massive egg!" exclaimed Leo.
Susanshi laid a flipper onto its surface.
"It's cold and smooth, but what does it mean?"
Responding to the touch, the egg shape lit up and appeared to become translucent. Another shape could be seen inside, resembling an four-legged entity.
"Oooooooh..." Leo reacted with captivation.
"That's Arceus, also known as the Original One. This entrance foyer is the beginning of the universe," detailed Jon.
Without warning, the room darkened all around, and specks of light appeared everywhere, strongly resembling stars.
"From this one Egg came Arceus, and thus the universe took shape. Stars, planets, galaxies... They were just many of the celestial bodies created in the first day. And among it all, our planet was born. A planet that started out as nothing but endless land. A sphere of landmass floating in space," lectured Jon.
During his explanation, a ball descended down from the ceiling. All brown in color, it hovered among the stars above the egg shape. As well as this, eighteen rectangular shapes, each one a different color, began to orbit around the egg together.
"What you see are the various Plates Arceus could utilize. It was able to take one any of the known eighteen Pokémon types, as long as it possessed the appropriate Plate," continued Jon.
After a little more time of the spectacle, it all faded away swiftly and the room regained normality, along with the egg.
"That...was...amazing!" cheered Leo.
"It sure was, but what was that?" wondered Susanshi.
"It's some creepy magic trick, that's what," responded Tokot.
"It was a projection, triggered by touching the stone egg," explained Jon. "Long ago, before the events of the Wystian battle ever happened, this tower was built as an historic architecture. It was intended to pass down stories of the world. This foyer starts at the very beginning, when nothing existed. It starts with the creation of the universe by Arceus's design. Each floor details following events; the higher you go, the closer to the present day you are. The projection you saw was possible thanks to the Wystian powers that were lost to time. When Vascious activated the tower and moved it, it was able to regain that lost power from the Seal Star and allowed for the projection to happen. It should also allow other stuff to happen further up."
"Awesome!" squealed Leo lightly. "I can't wait to see more! How do we get upstairs?"
"The stairway in the back," Jon pointed out. "We still have a long way to go. Come on."
He became the leader as the party climbed up the stairs that spiraled around the wall. It entered through a wall along the way, continuing on through an ascending hallway and finally ending in a wide open room. In all this empty space were a pair of two plain colored, giant statues that looked upon one another. One resembled a mighty dinosaur with fierce claws, surrounded by jagged stone shapes to represent plates from below the earth's surface, the other much like a whale with two large pectoral fins, appearing to ride on large waves.
"Look at that!" mentioned Leo. "Are those Pokémon?"
"I...know these Pokémon," stated Alex. "Groudon and Kyogre."
"Yes, that's right," confirmed Susanshi. "This room must be detailing how Groudon and Kyogre formed the land and sea respectively."
"Correct," announced Jon. "The planet began as only land, so it was split in two. Kyogre created thousands of miles worth of ocean, while Groudon maintained existence of the earth. Yet, one day, these two lifelong deities were caught in a ferocious battle. They took on Primal Reversion, which unlocked their deepest and most deadly powers. They almost destroyed the very world they set out to build."
"What happened then? Did they stop?" asked Leo.
"They did. I'll show you. Follow me."
Jon escorted the group to the very back of the room, climbing up more steps that hugged around the wall. At the top was a balcony overseeing the floor down below on the west side. Placed in the middle of the empty space was a pathway built on top of a long structure that tilted upward to another balcony further up. It had the form of a giant serpent-like creature, whose head was positioned at the edge of the platform everyone stood on, with thin grooves running across its body horizontally.
"What's this thing?" quizzed Tokot.
"This... Isn't this Rayquaza?" wondered Susanshi.
"That's right, Susanshi. This statue of Rayquaza also serves as a path up to the higher areas of the tower," said Jon. "Rayquaza descended down onto the chaos caused by Groudon and Kyogre's unrest. Rayquaza was able to calm the conflict, and the two went into an eternal slumber in an unknown land, after which Rayquaza returned to the heavens. And that's not all about Rayquaza..."
Jon led the group across the back of the Rayquaza statue.
"Sheesh, didn't those Wystians ever think to put a railing or something here? Falling is quite the hazard, you know!" snapped Tokot.
"Tokot, don't be so disrespectful!" argued Leo. "I still think this is all so cool!"
Halfway along the Rayquaza statue's back, a round slab was placed in the path, on a straight section.
"Mind your step," warned Jon as everyone stepped onto it.
Upon touching it, an unusual symbol inscribed in the slab's middle glowed.
"What's that meant to be then?" asked Tokot.
"It's the insignia of Mega Evolution," replied Jon.
"Hey, I think I remember this symbol," recalled Leo. "...Oh! My dad's Mega Stone!"
It was then that the Rayquaza statue's form began to change slightly. Shapes made from gold light appeared to alter its look, with thin lines running along the length of its body, starting from the head. After this change, a top-down view would reveal that the Rayquaza was now taking on the shape of a triangle: the character for delta, more specifically.
"Indeed. Rayquaza is long believed to be the origin of Mega Evolution," resumed Jon. "It itself had a Mega form that it could take on, but it didn't require a Mega Stone, like with all other known Pokémon capable of the process. Mega Stones and Key Stones always bear this symbol. It represents the will to become stronger and unlock additional power. Mega Evolution dates back to when Rayquaza ceased the war between Groudon and Kyogre, and over time, more and more types of Mega Stones appeared in the world. Currently, there are over forty known Mega Evolutions, and guess what? Four out of five of us can undergo it at our final evolutionary stages. Alex, if you were a Tyranitar, you could Mega Evolve if you possessed a Key Stone and Tyranitarite."
"I knew that, but I never plan to evolve. The thought of such big change scares me," mentioned Alex.
"I see, well I respect your decision. Leo, Tokot and myself could Mega Evolve too."
"So that means... Oh, sorry, Susanshi, looks like you get nothing," remarked Tokot.
"It's not like I care, anyway," responded Susanshi.
"Moving on..." uttered Jon.
Everyone resumed the trek, reaching the end of the Rayquaza statue's body and up another spiraling stairway up to the next floor. Here, a room identical to the last one was present, but with a pair of new tall statues that also faced each other. One stood on four legs while the other was up on only two, along with a long neck and tail.
"It's Dialga and Palkia!" declared Susanshi.
"Yes, the governors of time and space," spoke Jon.
Dangling down above the Dialga statue were lengthy objects that swayed slowly back and forth, very similar to pendulums. Colorful spheres were circling around the Palkia statue, like a series of planets orbiting around.
"I've heard about these two in ancient legends. So, those legends expanded to this region long ago too," mentioned Susanshi.
"Dialga and Palkia maintained the balance of time and space. Time never stops moving forward thanks to Dialga. It has been that way since the beginning of time, when Dialga was born. Palkia has absolute control over space. Space must remain stable, or chaos would ensue," Jon said. "And now, if you would follow me..."
He walked past the statues and to the back.
"Uh, Jon... I don't see any stairs," stated Leo.
"You don't need stairs for this," Jon replied, turning his head back briefly.
A path began at the end of the room, which curved up the wall. Jon walked onto said path and walked right up it.
"What in the...?!" Tokot could not believe this.
"What are you doing standing there? Come on!" Jon called back.
"Oh, uh..." Leo stuttered.
He looked up at the vertical pathway and gulped. Closing his eyes, he began to run across it. He felt gravity press down on his face. He opened his eyes and stopped moving, realizing he was standing sideways.
"Whoa... Hahaha!"
"How is that possible?" wondered Alex.
"...I think I know what it is," mentioned Susanshi.
She casually made her own way up the wall.
"Well, if Jon, Susanshi and freaking Leo can do it, I don't see why I can't," Tokot shrugged, before making his way up the path.
Alex quietly tailed behind everyone up the wall. By the time they all reached the ceiling of the room, the path curved upside-down and on the ceiling.
"Whoa... W-we're on the ceiling!" exclaimed Leo, holding his Explorer bag in his hands, since it was still under the influence of gravity. "Well, this isn't the first time for me, hah!"
"Intriguing... I would question how this is possible, but it's the Wystians," said Susanshi. "Oh, and look at that over here!"
Supported on a multitude of thin pillars from the room's ceiling was a massive statue of a Pokémon with a long body and six tendrils that extended from the back. Its eyes were pointed in the direction of the group as it dangled upside-down.
"Hey, I've seen this Pokémon in books before!" announced Leo. "It's, uh, ooh... Guh-guh..."
"Giratina," declared Jon.
"Um, yeah. The name escaped me," replied Leo.
"Giratina resides within an alternate dimension known as the Distortion World. There, the laws of time and space don't follow. It is a still and silent realm of antimatter, yet it holds balance in our world. The fact that we are standing on the ceiling is an example of the physics-bending properties of the Distortion World. Giratina is actually a pretty violent deity, which resulted in banishment to the Distortion World, where it was forced to guard it and keep it in check. This statue shows it in Origin Forme."
"So our current situation is to emulate the Distortion World..." analyzed Susanshi. "So the Wystians were able to pull this off somehow. Amazing."
"Hey, can we not stand around? This is making me feel sick!" snapped Tokot.
"This way..." responded Jon.
Back on the move, he guided the crew underneath the Giratina and towards the back. A pathway curved vertically downward from their point of view. Traveling down this, it curved again, finally putting the group upright again and inside the next room.
"Whew, it's good to have things normal again," Tokot said in relief.
"Hmm, this place seems different from the others," commented Susanshi.
Even though the room was still wide open and tall, it didn't share the same layout. A single statue, though a fair bit bigger than any from before, was stood solo in the center. A smooth pathway began at its feet and spiraled around it like an extended spring. The statue had an almost feminine design, with arms that barely resembled wings.
"That's Reshiram," spoke Jon. "It's a Pokémon that represents truth."
Upon drawing closer to ascend up the path, sudden streams of fire shot up from the floor all around the statue, though at a safe enough distance. Leo was highly disturbed by the happenings.
"Don't be alarmed, it's only a display," assured Jon, raising his voice over the noise of the ignition. "Reshiram bears fire, representing the truth symbolic of itself. These flames will ease away soon. Let's keep going."
It was a relatively long climb, yet even after reaching the top of the path, they were only halfway up. Here, a stone footing was placed, with yet another Pokémon statue erected directly above the previous one, somewhat similar, but more masculine.
"And here we have Zekrom, the Pokémon of ideals," explained. "It was capable of highly powerful electrical prowess."
A second identical spiral path was laid out around the Zekrom statue. Approaching its beginning resulted in blue electrical bolts shooting upward around the statue.
"Whoa! This is crazy! Now we can't walk two steps without something happening!" shouted Leo.
"Don't worry, the Wystians put safety first," Jon ensured.
"Jon, how can you be so sure? In fact, how do you even know all this stuff?" questioned Susanshi.
Jon refused to answer as they continued up. Finally, with the electric display having ended, the peak of the room was reached. Here was a roof to the spiraling path, with a way leading towards the back and an open archway at the end in the wall.
"Look behind us," requested Jon.
Turning around, a giant mural was visible. It showed the same Pokémon but in three different designs. The center one was slumped over, while on the left and right, it was more upright.
"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Leo.
"It's Kyurem," replied Jon. "Reshiram and Zekrom were formed from Kyurem, resulting in a shell, which is in the middle. However, it could fuse with either Reshiram and Zekrom and gain some of its former power. On the left is Black Kyurem, the result of fusing with Zekrom. On the right, White Kyurem, after fusing with Reshiram."
"After seeing all those statues, it's funny to see something a little more simplistic, like a mural," Susanshi couldn't help but mention.
"Maybe their budget ran out," quipped Tokot.
Everyone looked at him with blank stares.
"Hey, what's the deal? Do I have something stuck to my face? Look, I was only joking! Stop it!" he snapped.
"...Let's move on," uttered Jon.
Everyone quietly walked across the pathway the mural faced, and up yet another spiraling staircase and into a new room. Upon arriving here, a statue of a tall antler-style creature with impressive horns atop its head that faintly glowed in multiple colors was in view. The entire floor was decorated in a giant sky-blue X. Other structures greatly resembling tress were dotted around the statue.
"Oh, there's Xerneas!" announced Susanshi.
"Ah yes, Xerneas, the Pokémon of life," lectured Jon. "Xerneas is quite a remarkable Pokémon; when it dies, it releases its energy into its surroundings, producing entire forests, before it itself turns into a tree for a thousand years naturally. Of course, a polar opposite of Xerneas exists. It should be up above us. Let's go."
He took the party up a set of stairs at the edge of the room, leading to another statue being supported by posts, themselves set upon a deep-red Y shape that acted as footing. This new statue was much like a terrifying beast with avian traits in the shape of the letter Y. Within the Y shape flooring was a circle with structures all around it, looking much like decayed trees.
"Here we have Yveltal, the Pokémon of destruction. Whereas Xerneas creates life, Yveltal absorbs it, killing off the land. Upon death, it takes in every ounce of life force from around it, and transforms into a cocoon for a whole millennium," Jon taught.
"All the life force? Sounds scary. I'm glad we're not up against this thing!" stated Leo.
"Yveltal and Vascious are equally dangerous, Leo. I wouldn't advise thinking you're having it easy," spoke Jon.
"Oh...OK..." sighed Leo.
"If we continue up the tower, we'll see the Wystian history," declared Jon.
Escorting the team across the left side of the Y shape, Jon led them up a staircase that spiraled to the left side, before ending at the start of yet another area. There was a different feel here from in any other previous segment of the tower. Here, a towering statue of Sacreca was stood with his wings spread over his head, with his insignia carved behind him. The two were lined up almost perfectly. A constant golden light was emanating from Sacreca's statue.
"So beautiful, just like the real thing..." spoke Susanshi in awe.
"We've reached the end of the deities that shaped the world and have finally come up to the birth of Sacreca," announced Jon. "A long time ago, this land was underdeveloped, soon taking the attention of Arceus. He set upon a Divine Order here, which started on the small island where we are right now. Sacreca was born from a beam of heavenly light from far above. He had no set goal in mind, but chose to be a progenitor of the Wystians, a race created in his own pure image. They remained here, building the Temple of Wyste, where they would reside. Over time, the tower was slowly built, documenting the history of the world, as well as the Wystians themselves, awaiting the inevitable time when future generations would be given this knowledge. The Wystians left this tower for those who lived in the future. But of course..."
Suddenly stopping, he walked past the Sacreca statue and towards the back of it. Here, it was clear that a Hadreca statue was built with its back to Sacreca's, as well as his own emblem lined up with his back. It was producing a dark and gloomy silver light.
"...The natural balance of the world also resulted in the birth of Hadreca, brought into existence via a portal from the underworld. The embodiment of the darkness, he was Sacreca's contrast, yet they were still of a brotherly connection. Nobody could've predicted just how vile and impenitent he would become, as years of corruption filled his heart and mind. And what started all of it? Jealousy. Sacreca allowed the Wystians to prosper with help from his design. Hadreca, having very little chance to contribute to the civilization, grew to spite his brother. He went on to coax Wystians to his side, and thus the Hadrecans came to be."
"Jealousy? That's Hadreca's true motif?" questioned Susanshi.
"More or less, yes," replied Jon. "The Divine Order gave them supernatural abilities, which the Wystians inherited. Both Sacreca and Hadreca filled in the role as gods in this land, yet even gods aren't invulnerable to misguidance. Hadreca was so furious with his brother that he plotted to destroy him and take his place. Nothing else mattered to him, not even his own followers, which he himself formed. He only wanted to limit Sacreca's chances of successful retaliation. If he won, he would have reshaped the land in his own image, and would rule it on his own. Yes, even Vascious, Hadreca's most loyal follower, would have been betrayed by the very god he swore undying loyalty to. And I fear...it will still happen if Hadreca were to rise again."
"Dad, no..." whispered Susanshi. "...That is just horrible. I knew Hadreca was bad news, but to betray one's own kind..."
"With tremendous power can come arrogance and a wrongful view of the world. Nobody is immune to it. Sacreca was at least wise enough to not fall for it. Even Groudon and Kyogre were consumed at one point, which is why they battled in the first place. They wanted control all to themselves. That's why Hadreca needs to be permanently destroyed. He risks corrupting the Divine Order of the land of Sacreca, and his reign will only spread elsewhere."
"Deep stuff, man. This really is serious stuff," said Tokot.
"But why didn't Sacreca try to stop Hadreca before he did anything?" asked Leo.
"Sacreca had a pure heart, and could sense Hadreca's mind becoming overtaken, but he didn't want to. Sacreca couldn't bring himself up to kill his brother earlier. He also didn't want to make his followers panic. It was already too late when he finally decided to defend all he loved. The attack still couldn't be predicted, but he finally gave in and did what had to be done."
"Wait, so Sacreca knew Hadreca was up to no good, yet did nothing?" quizzed Leo. "That sounds...irresponsible."
"Sacreca may have been a little too pure-hearted. It was his own flaw. Yes, even Sacreca wasn't perfect. But still, he was able to prevent Hadreca's evil designs from becoming reality. Well, for a thousand years, that is. That's where Susanshi comes in. Since Vascious and Susanshi are bound by blood, she shares some of his powers. She may not be as powerful as him, but she'll still have a chance. And with the five of us, we can assist her. We can all combine our strengths."
"I don't need to be told this again, Jon. I'm already ready to stand before Vascious," commented Susanshi.
"Good. Then we shall continue on," responded Jon.
After heading into a doorway at the rear and ascending up one more spiraling stairway, the next room was rather different from the norm, as there was a hallway up ahead. To each side of the beginning were wall murals, the left showed Sacreca surrounded in flames, while the right featured Hadreca encircled in waves.
"Hmm, this is a pretty curious area," mentioned Susanshi. "What's this room about?"
"Ah, this room... The hallway before us shows many major event of the Wystians' history," explained Jon.
"Oh wow, really? I so want to see it!" spoke Leo in excitement.
"And so do I...if only to tell Lisa about it..." mumbled Alex.
"Alex...?" Susanshi spoke. "Your tone sounds a little...off."
"You can tell? Oh, I see... I was just...thinking about everything I've seen in the tower. I feel kind of bad for hating the Wystians. It was all because of my dad, of course. And yet, I think I'm starting to feel...feel sorry for it all. The Wystians put so much effort into this tower, and they sacrificed so much for the present day."
Alex then sighed.
"...I guess I was in the wrong."
"Chin up, Alex. Nobody blames you for your initial opinion," assured Jon. "It sounds like you're finally changing your mind and seeing them in a more positive light. I commend that."
"Y-you do? Thank you...Jon."
"Come, all. Let's inspect this hallway," instructed Jon.
Together, everyone stepped into the hallway. A series of pictures were inscribed into the left wall, while blocks of Unown writing were etched in the right wall, each set placed adjacent to each picture.
"Oh, there's more of that Unown writing here!" stated Leo.
"I'll read this out. Each image is explained in this language," said Jon.
Starting at the first picture, it showed Sacreca looming over a depiction of the Temple of Wyste, with a sun-like image behind him. In front of the temple were a series of figures of differing shapes.
"We are the Wystians, a proud tribe of the light," Jon began to speak, reading from the text. "We were born of the light of His Greatness, Sacreca, and we swore our allegiance to this force. The Temple of Wyste became our home, located on an isolated island off the coast of much bigger and expansive land. We have lived here for more than one hundred years. For all that time, we worshiped Sacreca as our god, continuously receiving his protection and blessing. We were born with mysterious powers of the mind, which His Greatness referred to as PSI. We swore to never use this unique gift for evil purposes, and we stuck by it."
After speaking, Jon moved forward, stopping before the second scene, showing Sacreca's and Hadreca's heads glaring at one another.
"Despite our civilization's purity, darkness emerged along with the light. Hadreca, brother of Sacreca, was born on the same day as the beginning of this land's Divine Order. The two never quarreled, and Hadreca spent the majority of his time away, locked away in his own twisted realm. Without his influence, we were able to thrive and live peacefully. All was well."
After that, the team moved on. Next up came a mural showing the Seal Star in its fullness.
"Our time on the earth resulted in the creation of many artifacts. One such being the Element Star. Infused with incredible power borrowed from His Greatness, the Element Star was composed of five pieces, representing fire, wood, water, earth and metal. Each of these Fragments is made of each element, transformed into a physical crystallized form. When Wystians were of age, they would touch a Fragment to gain its power. Wystians were always born with psychokinesis, while the majority were capable of telepathy. Telepathy bound us all together. We could detect thoughts of others, and sense life force. Using the Element Star, Wystians could gain the abilities of magnokinesis, geokinesis, hydrokinesis, chlorokinesis and pyrokinesis."
Next up was a depiction of the Scepter of Wyste.
"As time went on, we experimented with our powers further. Our ultimate achievement would be known as the Scepter of Wyste. Forged from the purest of known gold, it contained the ultimate power: the power possessed by only a god. One could hold the Scepter in one's hand and simply open their heart to it, realizing one's greatest desire. No wish was rejected, so a countermeasure was mandatory. And so, the Scepter was given the ability to detect wishes full of impurity, selfishness, and hated. If one such wish were made, the owner of the wish would be cursed by the Black Stain. It would bring upon a terrible side effect of the wish. We could not block impure wishes altogether, as even His Greatness's power was limited. Due to its dangerous nature, we swore to never use it under normal circumstances. We kept it within the topmost sanctum of our home."
The fifth image showed Sacreca and Hadreca staring each other down, while a bolt of lightning struck between them.
"We were highly unprepared when Hadreca emerged from his realm one day. Having manipulated Wystians over the years to join him, he awaited a day when he would finally declare war on His Greatness. Using his most loyal follower, one named Vascious, as a ringleader, the two sides were locked into a fierce battle. Many lost their lives when the battle ended. Sacreca and Hadreca were so determined to obliterate the other that their powers collided in such a devastating clash. The clash resulted in the opposite power infesting the two gods, robbing their powers away and ending their lives. All became bleak, yet survivors remained to continue on the future desired by the now deceased Sacreca."
There was one last image at the end of the hallway of history. Seven Pokémon stood in front of a thin and tall building, with the Sacreca emblem behind it and lines representing rays of light streaming from it.
"We paid a heavy loss in the aftermath of that battle. Only seven of us remained. We were given a huge responsibility on behalf of His Greatness. It was left to us to complete the Tower of Wyste, which was to be left to those who would populate the mainland. We had to begin the colonization of the mainland without His Greatness. As time went on, ourselves and our offspring would journey away from this land, which would be named Sacreca in honor of our fallen god, in search of more populated locales. We rose awareness of this land and soon the numbers grew greatly over time. Over the course of this new beginning, we prayed to the one dubbed the Original One to alter the Divine Order to best suit the future in the hope of an ever involving civilization that would not suffer the same fate as us. After the prayer was agreed, things changed. Our children would no longer possess PSI, yet they would still share a connection with us. We finished off the tower, but were forced to change its original purpose. No longer could it house our history for the future public, but would become the hiding place of the Scepter, which Hadreca used to hide his soul. He latched onto its incredible power, robbing it of its use.
However, not all was lost when this came to light. His Greatness, sensing grave peril far in the future, and before his power was completely wiped out, conjured up a vision, a revelation. Vascious, who survived the battle, disappeared from our world, housing a second part of Hadreca's soul. He would return one thousand years in the future, where our tribe would be no more, to resurrect Hadreca and unleash chaos once again. Yet, His Greatness sensed a solution. Vascious would unknowingly bring about his own demise. Somebody with the power to destroy him and maintain the peace. We make it our goal to summon this individual when the time comes, and guide him or her to the Element Star, now renamed Seal Star, as it now acted as a key to the tower, and eventually lead him or her to the Scepter to wish away both Vascious and Hadreca forever."
"So it's all come down to this," said Susanshi. "Hmm, there's another staircase up ahead. Let's go."
"Wait..." Alex's voiced spoke out as he investigated the mural.
"What is it, Alex?" wondered Susanshi.
Taking note of him looking at the mural, she also took a closer look.
"Yes, there's seven Pokémon shown here. That's Rovaela, I'm pretty sure. Oh, and Wuodecus I."
"And that Tyranitar is my ancestor," Alex pointed out.
"Hey, what's that?" asked Leo. "Hey, that one looks just like Jon!"
"Oh yeah, there's a Wartoltle here!" realized Susanshi.
"So, looks like the truth's out at last," stated Jon. "Yes, that's Vellohou. I am a descendant of him."
"Whoa, no way! So that's the Vellohou I overheard Rovaela mentioning in that memory I saw!" exclaimed Susanshi.
"And that is why I want victory against Vascious and Hadreca," added Jon. "I wish to do my ancestor proud. It's what he would've wanted, after all. Come on, let's get back on the move."
Everyone proceeded up one final stairway. Now there was a massive room, almost giving off a feeling that the height was hundreds of feet high. One straight stairway was placed in the middle, leading up to a high landing. The stairs started near the entrance to the bland room.
"Whew... That is one heck of a climb," commented Leo.
"I think I can see a hole in the ceiling at the top," mentioned Susanshi.
"Well then, only one thing to do then. Let's get climbing," said Tokot.
"Oh, but wait. There's something there," Susanshi pointed out.
She made her way towards a lone slab placed next to the stairway.
"Oh, it's more Unown writing."
"Can I read it this time?" requested Alex as he and the others joined up with Susanshi.
"Oh, if you can read it, sure thing," obliged Jon.
Alex stepped forward in began to read out what was written.
"To the one of destiny's choosing, you have done well to finally make it here. Up ahead is the...topmost sanctum of the Tower of Wyste. This room and the sanctum you will soon reach were never intended in the design plans. The sanctum was built to hold the Scepter of Wyste safely before your...arrival. Now go, climb the steps before you and realize your destiny. The destiny...one thousand years in the making. Save this land, the land that we have left for future generations. Let prosperity reign for all eternity."
"That's it," finished Alex.
"Suddenly this room's look makes sense," stated Tokot. "It's all just big buildup for the eventual end."
"Heh, now that you said it, it does give me that feeling!" announced Leo.
"Even though it isn't the intended end," added Susanshi. "We have a battle to fight before this end can happen."
She took lead and escorted the group up the stairs. After the lengthy climb ended, they touched down on the small landing on the wall. They were presented with a circular transportation slab bearing the Sacreca emblem as expected. They stood atop it together, causing the emblem to light up and lift the slab up. It was heading towards the hole in the ceiling high above.
"It's almost time," spoke Jon. "Soon, this crisis will be prevented from reaching irreversible levels."
"Hey, Jon..." uttered Susanshi.
"Yes?"
"...I just wanted to say...thank you for all your help. Now that I know who you truly are, I feel like I can properly thank you for how much of a great help your knowledge has been. I just hope you'll still battle alongside us up there."
"Susanshi, I intend to fight this time. I should no longer hide in the shadows. I won't hold back, not when the land I love so much is under threat."
"Thank you, Jon. And I have something else I want to say. So everything we've seen on our journey up this tower... It's all just amazing. In a sense, I feel sad that nobody got to see it. I think everyone has the right to visit this place and see just how much work went into it."
"I understand, Susanshi. And who knows, maybe that can all change if we win," replied Jon.
"Yeah, just maybe..." Susanshi muttered before appearing to think deeply to herself about something.
