Chapter 25:

'There's so much more to this world than any of us realize,' I thought to myself as I flipped through the warn pages of the book Yellow had given to me to study while he was away with the Pokemon Masters. Each chapter contained a story of not only the Celestas, but other tribes scattered throughout the Regions like the Draconids in the Hoenn Region who worshipped Rayquaza, tribes in the Sevii Islands that served either Lugia or Ho-Oh or the aura guardians in the Sinnoh Region. I never really considered Unova having anything strange or unusual, but the book mentioned places like the Abundant Shrine where people to this day payed homage to the weather trio gods. There were lengthy descriptions and history revolving around the Relic Castle and Abyssal Ruins, mainly because it had been the Celestas who had lived there when they were over the Unova Region, and it even had legends of famous dragon tamers.

Each god from every Region was given a lengthy description and even ranked by power, intelligence, and how dangerous they were. I wasn't surprised to see that all the patron gods of the Regions were among the highest ranking, but I wasn't expecting to see that some minor gods, like Jirachi, were ranked higher than a few of them. Some of the descriptions also caught me off guard like when I read that the Celestas consider Victini dangerous because he's a bit of a warmonger since he relishes in victory and sometimes causes conflicts just so that he could support a victor.

There were diagrams in here about how all the gods were interconnected with each other with Arceus at the head while Palkia, Dialga and even Giratina were over the physical world while Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie governed the spiritual one. There were subcategories as well such as Darkrai and Cresselia having power over the dream realm or Solgaleo and Lunala regulating the access to alternate dimensions. What was strange was that the Celestas had decided to list their royalty under the Legendary category. They listed them as being an 'omega' type and that their power was connecting and influencing the hearts of the gods and Pokemon while at the same time having the ability to direct their power to other creatures outside of themselves. I wasn't very surprised by how high they were ranked in terms of both power and danger since several of them had caused the destruction of an entire Region before. Their biggest weakness was said to be their mortality since it often caused short-sightedness and recklessness, but apparently Arceus wanted to keep them like that so it could instill compassion for other mortal creatures. An attribute many of the other gods lacked.

My hand slid across a page depicting an image of a Guardian which had the explanation off to the side that they were humans tied to their wards by the purest form of love. This connection not only gave them power and a sense of loyalty and duty towards their ward, it helped the wards themselves feel more connected with the rest of humanity.

I sighed and closed the book before stretching a little and looking out to where Nightstar was still practicing his different moves with Eichi, a Gallade that Yellow had said wanted to help us with our training, who was busily teleporting around Nightstar to teach him how to anticipate a move when the enemy could disappear at any moment. I watched as Nightstar swiveled about in the large open field before lunging at Eichi's figure whenever he appeared. He hadn't had any success yet, and I could tell he was getting a little frustrated at continually missing. I studied the Gallade's movements for a moment before practicing what Yellow had taught me about projecting my thoughts to Nightstar and said, 'He appears behind you whenever you lunge forward. Next time, go forward and then jump back and try to land a crunch.'

Nightstar looked up at me and smiled a little before immediately following through the steps I'd told him. Nightstar lunged toward Eichi, and as he teleported, Nightstar pivoted his feet and leapt powerfully backwards, flipping in the air, so that he faced Eichi who had suddenly reappeared behind him and landed a crunch. The Gallade stumbled back a little which gave Nightstar the opportunity to discharge a blast of stored blue electricity onto Eichi. Nightstar landed to the ground triumphantly, and happily bounded over to me to thank me for helping. "How long do you want to keep training?" I asked him. "You've already been training for an extra hour after the training session you and I had together."

Nightstar flicked his tail in a way that I felt meant, 'As long as it takes before I'm strong enough to help attack neo Team Plasma.'

I gently rubbed his ears and said, "Well by this rate you'll be able to take all of them down single-handedly before Arceus' Day this winter solstice."

Nightstar nuzzled my hand and I felt as if he said, 'Oh no! You found out the gift I was planning on giving you. The entire Plasma organization destroyed with you and N reunited. It was supposed to be a surprise!'

I laughed and said, "Well, one day it'll happen. Maybe you won't overthrow them by yourself, but Black's told me that they're working with the Celestas as well. Not to mention Yellow leaving to work with the Pokemon Masters to investigate a possible Plasma base, so there's hope that this nightmare will be over soon."

Nightstar sparked his fur in slight agitation and I felt he was saying, 'I know, but I wish there was something we could do now. I hate waiting for something to happen.'

"Me too," I agreed. "Too bad no one accepts the help of a sixteen-year-old. They all expect you to keep your head down, go to school, and 'stay safe.' I mean, how can they expect us to solve a bunch of algebra equations when the Unovas Region's on the brink of invasion? If neo Team Plasma were to take over, I can't see Ghetsis asking me to find x when he's about to blast me with his Hydreigon."

Nightstar flicked his tail, 'I wouldn't let that happen, and neither would the Celestas. You're forgetting that we're not alone this time; there are people out there helping us.'

"Yeah… I just wish I was the one helping as well," I said quietly. At that point Eichi had walked over and bowed respectfully to us, and I felt like he was saying some words of wisdom or something before disappearing. I glanced down and whispered to Nightstar, "What did he say?"

I had a feeling Nightstar laughed a little and said, 'I'm kind of surprised you don't know. You've gotten really good at listening to me with all of Yellow's training that I'm surprised you can't understand a Celesta Pokemon. They communicate a lot more distinctly than most wild Pokemon.'

"Working on it, but for now the only one I can really understand is you. So spill it," I insisted.

Nightstar shrugged and said, 'Not much other than to be patient with yourself and your training. He said that we've been learning at an impressive rate and that he thinks we'll be able to join the fight soon. He then said he had to leave to talk with a Celesta named Riley.'

"That's the same one Black's working with. Yellow said he's the best aura tracker of all the Celestas," I sighed and leaned against the old tree I was sitting next to and looked up at the clear blue sky and limply hanging leaves. A slight breeze blew which snatched quite a few of them from their branches and sent them flying in the wind. "I just wish we could help. I want to fix everything we did."

"Ivory?" I heard a voice call out next to me. I looked over to the old white picket fence bordering the field and saw Bianca standing there next to it.

"Bianca?" I asked as I got up and sprinted across the field and through a pile of leaves over to where she was. I hugged her across the fence and said, "What are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but I thought you were busy with college."

Bianca happily returned the hug and laughed, but when we pulled apart, I could see a tinge of sadness and worry lining her normally carefree face. She shrugged slightly, "Oh, well I just decided to only be there for a half a semester and then come back home to finish my coursework here. I'll be going back after the winter solstice holidays, but um… I just needed some time back in Nuvema Town."

"Are you okay? Really?" I asked anxiously, "Whenever we talk on the phone you kind of seem distant, and all you ever talk about was whatever experiment your class was running. I still remember when you gave me an entire anatomy lesson on a Patrat but then didn't say anything about your day."

Bianca looked down at the ground for a while, and said, "… Honestly Ivory, I haven't been doing all that great. I've talked to my mom about it, but then my dad always catches on that I'm going through a hard time and he freaks out. I just ended up burying myself into schoolwork and studies, but… I… I don't really know how to describe it, but I can't stand being with all those strangers anymore."

"Wh-What?" I asked in shock, "Bianca, you love meeting new people and making new friends…" that was when I noticed Bianca hastily rubbing her eyes to avoid showing me that she had started to cry. "Um… is this… about Rosa?"

Bianca covered her face with her hands before nodding, "I've been avoiding your phone calls and trying to focus only on school because I feel so awful about everything that happened. I was the one that asked her to join us with her research. I let her stay in my apartment, I told her secrets about myself, and I trusted her. It's… it's horrible being around a bunch of people I don't know because all I can think about is whether they're a part of neo Team Plasma or not." I immediately reached out and hugged her which only made her cry even more, "I'll never understand how you can still be so nice to me when you've been through more than I have. I can't imagine what you've been going through this entire time, and I've been such a horrible friend for not being there for you."

I pulled back and gently said, "Bianca, we both needed space to get through everything that happened, and even though what I went through was… awful… and honestly, it still is, but that doesn't mean what you went through was any less painful. You're my friend, and I care about you being really okay, not you trying to be okay for me."

Bianca squeezed my hand tightly and said, "Thanks." She confidently stood taller much like she had back at the raid in Driftveil and said determinedly, "But I still need to be strong. If not for my friends, then for myself. Ivory, I'm tired of being a victim of Team Plasma time and time again. They stole my Pokemon, they've tried to kill me on multiple occasions, they nearly took over the Unova Region, they kidnapped my best friend's boyfriend who happens to be my friend as well, and worst of all, they've ruined pictures for me! I want to help stop them in any way I can."

I smiled a little and said, "You and me both, Bianca."

Nightstar jumped onto the picket fence and said, "Shinx!" or 'Don't forget me.'

"And Nightstar of course," I said with a slight laugh. Eichi suddenly appeared right next to me which made me jump slightly while Bianca screamed and toppled down to the dirt ground. Eichi immediately leapt over the fence and politely offered Bianca his hand to help her back up. She gaped at him for a moment before hesitantly taking his hand. "Um… so Bianca, this is my friend Eichi. He's been helping me and Nightstar train."

Bianca smiled hesitantly before saying brightly, "I've never met a Gallade before! He's so cool looking! Do you know what moves he knows? I hear they're great fighters and very intelligent."

I felt kind of awkward and embarrassed that Bianca was talking about Eichi that way even though it's how most people talk around Pokemon. It was strange since Yellow had told me Eichi was one of the lead fighters for the Celestas while another Pokemon, a Lucario named Luke, was in charge of all their fighters and that Yellow reported to him rather than the other way around. Eichi didn't appear to mind though and allowed Bianca to scan him with her pokedex.

When she was finished, Eichi turned to me and said something which Nightstar quickly translated to, 'He said that he spoke with Riley and he wants to meet you.'

"What really!?" I asked excitedly which earned me a confused look from Bianca, but I continued, "I want to meet him as well, when do we leave!?"

Eichi nodded, and Bianca interjected, "Wait, where are you going? Did you talk to a Pokemon just now? What's happening?"

I glanced over at Eichi, unsure how to continue, but to my complete shock, it was Eichi who said, "My apologies, young one. I am with an ancient tribe known as the Celestas, and we have recruited your friend, Ivory Greystorm, to assist in demolishing the neo Team Plasma organization."

Bianca's eyes widened, and she stared slack jawed at Eichi before she finally squeaked, "You… you talk! How!? What!?" Bianca's face then flooded with a cheri red as she stuttered, "Oh-oh Arceus I didn't mean to be rude to you before."

"You can talk!" I nearly shouted. "You could have talked to me this entire time and I had no idea!" Nightstar at this point had broken down laughing. I felt as if my entire body had turned bright red at this, and I pulled down my cap to cover how embarrassed I was.

Eichi calmly said, "Well, I am not a Pokemon in the sense that you understand. I have chosen not to follow a Pokemon's lifestyle and have instead chosen to become a Celesta. Becoming a Celesta has granted me the ability to understand and speak with humans just as humans receive the same vise versa. My apologies for deceiving you, Ivory, but it was better for you to learn to rely on your partner to communicate rather than me speaking directly with you."

"That's incredible," Bianca said excitedly. "So, you like have to change to be able to talk." Her eyes then brightened, and she said, "And you're going to stop neo Team Plasma!"

"You're surprisingly calm about this," I noted. "I mean I had a million questions when I found out about the Celestas."

"Oh I'm kind of freaked out and confused, but honestly Ivory, we've seen a million crazy things, this isn't all that weird from that. Just think, we've seen Zekrom and Reshiram summoned, three dudes that can teleport, a device that can control Pokemon like a Whisperer and people that can talk to Pokemon. A Pokemon that can talk to people or an entire society that's different from humans really isn't that weird."

I thought about that for a moment and said, "Fair point." I turned eagerly to Eichi and said, "So, Riley wants to talk to me. Does Yellow know?"

"He is well informed of the situation, and he is in fact the one that suggested it in the first place after he had gotten to know you more," Eichi said simply. "The counsel wasn't sure of your involvement, but recent events have made them think your inclusion might be necessary."

"Does that mean you're going to fight neo Team Plasma?" Bianca asked me. I nodded, and she turned to Eichi and said determinedly, "Then I want to come as well. I don't want my friends to risk everything while I stand back and do nothing. I don't care how dangerous it is."

Eichi studied Bianca for a moment before saying, "I cannot guarantee your protection. If you encounter neo Team Plasma, they will be attacking with the intentions of killing you. You may very well die from this."

Bianca paled a little and I saw her body shake a little. She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes where she drew little circles. I thought she was going to back out, but she said, "I'm going. I'm terrified, but I guess that's the thing about being brave, you do the right thing even when you're scared."

Eichi nodded and said, "I cannot deny the strange coincidence of you coming to Nuvema Town at this exact time. It is a common belief amongst Celestas that there are no coincidences rather a designed series of events meant to rectify certain wrongs. You may come young one."

With that, Nightstar jumped onto my shoulder and Eichi grabbed my wrist as well as Bianca's. When he did, I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of weightlessness fill me as we were whisked away from our small hometown.

"This is the place where Team Plasma has set up some sort of base of operations," Iris said as she looked at the dark island in the middle of the calm lake not too far from Nuvema Town. There were tall trees covering nearly the entirety of the island with wild bushes growing along the edge which effectively obstructed any view of anything that lay deeper within the island.

"How did we find out about this place," Pearl asked as she looked through her binoculars to try and make out anything through the thick vegetation, but completely failed. "I mean, it doesn't look like the most inviting place to go to."

"This is where it gets interesting," Iris said. "You see, there have been several research groups that have gone out there to see if there's any unusual Pokemon that live out there, but each group came back saying that it was only full of Patrats and there was nothing else there. It was actually a group of fishermen who got caught up in some bad currents who came close to the island who had reportedly seen a group of neo Team Plasma members. They took one look at them and got out of there as quickly as possible before reporting it to the League."

"It seems strange to me that no one's noticed anything before this point," Pearl added. "Unless Team Plasma was there to catch a bunch of Patrat, none of those research reports make sense."

"What makes it even stranger is that Skyla had sent several flying-type Pokemon over the island with cameras attached and there's definitely a large structure hidden in the middle. It's not totally obvious since there are still so many trees, but there's definitely something there."

Iris then pulled out her pokeball and released Drake, her Druddigon, and said, "We'll have to attack quickly. Red, I want you and your Charizard with me covering the air. If there is a lab of some sort as Alice had reported to Hugh, then I want to cut off their power and attack it as fast as possible to stop them from destroying all their data of whatever experiments they're doing. Yellow, since Storm's the perfect size for breaking into the lab, he's the one that will be cutting off power."

"Pika could help with that as well," Red added as he released his own small Pikachu. "Pika likes to play dirty, and I'm sure he'd love to go on a mission that requires him to stealthily wreck all his enemies. What do you say Pika?"

The small Pikachu bounced up and down while enthusiastically reaching his paw up into the air while saying "Pikaka, Pikaka!"

"I take that as a yes," Iris said with a slight smile. "Okay, it'll be three of us that come by air, and we'll have the Pikachus attack the facility first before we come. There'll probably be heavy security around the lab which means we three will be on point to stop most of them. Pearl and Black, I want the two of you to cover the waters. Circle the island and fight any fleeing or attacking Plasma member. Ruby, I want you to be on the ground for this attack. Your Sceptile should have the advantage since you're surrounded by pretty thick growth which is something he'd be used to. Is everyone clear on what we're doing?"

"Yes sir," they all said as they each got on their respective Pokemon to head to the island.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I really did drop the ball with this one because I realized that I had an entire plot set up with the one problem of not properly transitioning Ivory and Bianca (primarily Bianca) back into the conflict. I wasn't sure how to fix it so I kind of went with 'And then it happened.' Oh well! I'm still learning how to write properly and next time I won't make the same mistake! Hopefully it isn't too messy!