Guest: Thank you for your comment, I'm looking forward to the bad future arc just as much as you are!
Welcome to the new year everyone and boy do I have a treat for you all today. It's the start of one of my favorite episodes of Rejuvenation and I'm glad I'm finally able to write about it. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I will.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Rejuvenation, nor do I own Pokémon Uranium. They are the property of their respective creators.
Julius had spent the last half hour wandering around the Rose Theater, his mind going over the news report he had heard earlier. Against all odds, he and his friends were all signed up for the Festival Tournament despite the fact there weren't any vacancies left; just what was going on behind the scenes? His mind then began to wander back to another odd occurrence that happened recently, the duo masquerading as him and his mother. Could they be the ones that signed him and his friends up to the tournament? While that could explain his position at the very least, it didn't make as much sense for the other people; surely, they would have to sign in themselves in order to be accepted into the tournament. No, there had to be someone in a position of power who purposely signed them up for the event, but for what reason was unknown to him at this moment. While he was wandering around the theater, the young teen happened to catch Aelita pacing up and down the hallway, a glum look on her face.
"Argh, I can't believe I've been that horrible of a person, and I didn't even know it!" she sighed to herself, turning her head and saw Julius nearby. "Ah, sorry I distracted you from your chain of thought."
"No need to apologize, for both the distraction and for what you've done earlier. You weren't in complete control over your body back then." He attempted to cheer her up.
"I suppose your right…" The magenta-haired girl replied, sighing quietly under her breath. "Look, I understand why the others kept an eye on me, but I still had the right to a little privacy and a right to know why they did what they did. I'm not an unreasonable person, I would've understood their intentions. And that's not even mentioning this damn tournament that I've been signed up to; I didn't even know it existed until now!"
"I can't blame you for feeling uncomfortable about this whole tournament deal; it's got to be a trap by whoever's pulling the strings in Grand Dream City." Julius chimed in, a set of approaching footsteps putting the duo on edge.
"Settle down, it's just me making my way." Souta reassured them calmly, shooting a gaze at Aelita. "While I understand your grievances, there is no need to be so fierce."
"O-Oh, y-you heard us?" Aelita inquired wearily, the old man letting out a quick chuckle.
"I heard all of it, but that's no a problem at all. In fact, I understand your situation, but please understand that we had no ill-intentions towards you. We only wanted to protect everyone around us, including you." He replied, the magenta-haired girl letting out a insincere laugh in response.
"Guess that's the story of my life; I'm surrounded by people who seek to protect me like I'm some relic at a museum or something. Well you know what, I don't need anyone's protection. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself!" She declared boldly.
"Oh I'm more than confident that you can handle yourself, Aelita. I've heard many tales about your strength and bravery. But this is no ordinary situation you're in; there are things that cannot be explained prop—" Souta began.
"Oh, and why can't it be explained? Why can't anything be explained to me?!" Aelita shot back, causing Julius to think to himself momentarily. That story Erin told them about what Aelita went through sounded like a more extreme version of what he went through during his time as Angie's captive. Perhaps there was some secret magic behind that Garufan curse that infected her, magic that could be identical to the energy powering up the Dimensional Rifts. The young teen then turned to face Souta, a thoughtful expression on the old mans' face as he began to ponder Aelita's request in his mind.
"So you wish to know the truth then? Is that what you truly want?" He double-checked with her.
"Yes, it's what I truly want right now. More than I can put it into words." She confirmed it, the old man looking down at the ground momentarily before looking back up at her.
"I see…then it seems like it's time for my purpose in life to finally be fulfilled." Souta replied, an odd mixture of sadness and happiness etched on his wrinkled face. Julius initially thought that the older gentleman was being a little over dramatic…but considering what he's been through during his time in Aevium, there could be more to this than he initially expected. "Yes, I believe that you are ready to learn the truth. However, you will need help from your friends. Do any of you two know where Erin went off to?"
"Well I do remember her making a comment about settling this whole tournament business in Grand Dream City." Julius chimed in.
"Yes, I have heard about that particular business from the Eldest. If I remember correctly, further inquiries are handled at Axis High University. Go get Erin, and Melia while you're at it, she should be at the Hospital of Hope." The older gentleman informed them.
"I knew where Melia was, sir. Rest assured, we'll return once everyone's been gathered." Julius promised his elder.
"Good…I expect you two to be back as soon as possible. Now make haste, we do not have all day to stand here and chat." Souta told them, with Aelita quickly expressing her thanks as the duo quickly made their way out of the theater to gather the others.
0000
"Lavender has been assigned to the ER on the ground floor; direct orders from Dr. Isha himself." A nurse informed her two colleagues, the trio wheeling the stretcher with the weakened Lavender lying on top out of the ambulance.
"Of course she'd go there; where else would she have gone?" A second nurse commented, watching the duo wheel her into the hospital before making her way to the ambulance. "Ma'am, do you require any assistance?"
"No, I can take care of myself, thank you." Madelis replied, hopping out of the vehicle while clutching her wound. "It's just a small wound that needs attending, I don't need to be pushed around on a cart. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way then." She continued, making her way past the front door and into the vast hospital and towards the receptionist's desk.
"Welcome to the Hospital of Hope, how can I help you today?" the receptionist chimed happily at the redhead.
"Listen, it's nothing too serious. I just need a small wound looked at and treated. I believe Cassandra made an appointment for me or something?" Madelis replied, causing the receptionist to raise an eyebrow before checking the hospital's database for proof.
"Hmm, let's see…this should take a few minutes." She replied, directing her focus on the computer as the redhead waited patiently. But only a few seconds later, a familiar figure made his way down the hospital halls and towards the main lobby.
"Ah yes, I've been expecting you, Madelis. You were the one Cassandra sent here, right?" Dr. Isha called out to her, turning to the receptionist. "No need to look up the appointment, I've got this one covered."
"Y-yes sir!" The receptionist blurted, watching the duo make their ways down the pristine halls. But instead of going towards one of the usual rooms, the doctor took a swift turn right and led Madelis down to the depths of the hospital, towards a private room kept hidden away from the public eye.
"So this is where you always bring your patients; some creepy underground room?" Madelis inquired, watching Isha retrieve some rubbing alcohol and a few bandages.
"Do you always speak nonsense whenever you speak?" The man retorted, pouring a bit of alcohol on a rubbing pad and began disinfecting her wound with the pad.
"Touché, it's just a little weird." The redhead replied, wincing slightly in pain from the alcohol making contact with her wound.
"To answer your question, no. I do not bring anyone down here period. But given that this is a special circumstance, I'm willing to make an exception this time." Isha answered, rubbing the wound dry before beginning the process of wrapping bandages around it.
"A special circumstance? By any chance, are you a member of…" Madelis began.
"Team Xen? No, I couldn't be bothered to take part in a disorganized organization. However, I am affiliated with Cassandra, and she is part of Team Xen, so I guess we're co-workers in a sense." The doctor answered bluntly.
"A mutual partnership I see." The redhead replied, watching Isha finish wrapping the bandages before snipping the excess parts off.
"To some extent, yes. I couldn't care less about what she does. All I care about is my research." He replied back, putting the bandages and alcohol away. "I must say that was quite the wound you had. How did you get that?"
"I…I fell on a knife." Madelis lied, not wanting to tell him that she had displeased Madame X for the last time. "Yeah, that's it. I was making myself something in the kitchen when I slipped and fell on a knife, leaving me with this wound."
"I see…anyway I've finished patching you up. Try not to move around too much or else you'll reopen it." Isha informed her, not fully buying the story she just told him. "I assume you can see your own way out?"
"Yeah, I can see myself out. Thank you for checking up on me." Madelis told him, promptly exiting his underground office and made her way through the underground tunnels. But as she was about to make her way to the ground floor, something had caught her eye; a seemingly lone door leading to another room. Curiosity got the better of her as she made her way to the secret room, opening the door and stepped inside, only for her eyes to widen at the sight. There was a young blonde girl lying in the bed, her eyes fixated on the redhead before her. She didn't know who exactly she was but there was something about her that felt…familiar. Whatever the case, Madelis knew she wasn't supposed to be here and promptly exited the small room.
0000
Julius had made his way to Axis High University to begin searching for Erin, with Aelita having gone off on her own for a bit of quiet time to herself. Though he was a little concerned that she might break down and start attacking people again, he was confident that she'll be able to recover quickly before anyone got seriously injured. Arriving at the front of the prestigious academy, he was surprised to see around a dozen or so stalls lined up around the place, selling various items and confectionery and well as even a few minigames.
"Must be a celebration to herald the tournaments debut." He mused to himself, his eyes scanning the nearby area for Erin only to lock onto a stall selling ice-cream. Slowly approaching it, he saw that the stall sold over twenty different flavors of ice-cream…including the fabled Blue Moon ice-cream. The young teen heard tales about the stuff and how it's taste is out of this world, hence the extreme price tag on it. Figuring that it could help cheer Melia up a bit, he opted to purchase a small tub for her, the purchase using up over half the money in his wallet. Placing the sealed tub in his bag to keep it cold, he continued to explore the area until stumbling upon Erin standing by another stall, engaging in what sounded like a heated argument.
"You mean to tell me that I can't do anything about it, making this trip a complete waste?!" Erin expressed her frustrations at the receptionist.
"I'm sorry, but our policies are incredibly strict. You were told all of this when you went to sign up, there's no excuse." The receptionist replied calmly.
"I already told you that I never signed up in the first place! Someone else must've put down my name as a joke!" The white-haired girl continued to press her case.
"I find that extremely hard to believe. Each client requires their ID and an interview before being accepted. I can assure you that signing other people up for the tournament is an impossibility." The receptionist defended herself, bringing up a sheet of paper that listed off the terms and conditions for the teenager to read.
"Well then, that's it?" Erin asked, with the older woman nodding in confirmation. "Thanks for nothing, Ma'am." She sighed, walking off in a huff with Julius following beside her.
"I take it that you weren't able to pull out?" He inquired.
"Yeah, that was a complete bust. Looks like we have no choice but to participate in this tournament." She told him, a voice calling out to them as they saw Aelita approaching them.
"Hey, did you two managed to pull out of this tournament?" Aelita inquired, oblivious to the glare Erin was shooting back at her.
"Aelita, what did we just talk about? You aren't supposed to be out here by yourself!" The white-haired girl yelled at her.
"Ugh…yell at me later, okay. I don't give a damn right now. Did you get the situation taken care of, or not?" The magenta-haired girl brushed her friends comment off and pressed her question further.
"Unfortunately, Erin wasn't able to pull us out of the tournament. We have no choice but to participate in it. The only way we can get out of this is by paying them off, but that'll cost us our Trainer Cards as well, and I don't have any intention of letting all my efforts go to waste." Julius broke the bad news.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad, can it?" A voice called out to the trio, attracting their attention as they saw…what appeared to be a tall man making his way to them. He had short black hair and wore a set of tinted sunglasses over his eyes, his outfit consisting of a blue jacket and a matching pair of jeans, the jacket wide open and revealed his well-built torso.
"I'm sorry, did you forget your shirt today, or are you always this disgusting?" Erin retorted, narrowing her eyes at the older gentleman.
"Hey ma'am, that's not cool! I wasn't even planning on making a move. I just overheard your conver—" The man began.
"You mean eavesdropping?" The white-haired girl corrected him.
"Well yeah, I may have been eavesdropping just a little bit, but could you blame me? Whatever you were going on about sounded really juicy to me." He defended himself, albeit poorly as Aelita took a closer look at him.
"Hmmm…have we met before? You look like someone I know." The magenta-haired girl asked him.
"Ah, you've probably seen me in a poster or something! The name's Adam Might; hard as rock and—" He began to introduce himself, only for Aelita to jump back in shock.
"A-Adam?! Is that really you?!" She exclaimed, catching Julius off-guard as he began to take a closer look at the man before him. And though he couldn't get a clear look at his eyes, he was able to connect the dots by admiring his well-built figure.
"My goodness, it really is you, Adam. I'm Julius; you remember me and Aelita, right?" The young teen inquired, with the now named Adam taking a closer look at the duo.
"Nope, I can't say I recognize you two at all. But I admire your enthuse—" Adam began, only for the doors to the university to open wide as Risa Raider and an older woman stepped out of the massive building. The second woman had short blonde hair and blue eyes, her outfit consisting of a black and yellow dress that reached her shins.
"We were wondering what the noise was, and it seems we've stepped into a party! Looks like THE Adam Might is the star of the show tonight, what are you doing tonight?" Risa called out, attracting the groups' attention.
"Nothing much, just hanging out and chatting to a few fans of mine." Adam replied casually.
"Hahahahaha, that's so cool of you. You're quite the charmer, you know that? Perhaps one night we can go on a date or something." The model proposed, with the muscular man contemplating it.
"As tempting as your offer is…I find the company of men to be more comforting; men like this handsome gentleman over here." He knocked her offer back, pointing directly at Julius. "Yes, he's quite the looker isn't he? Not too muscular, has that air of mystery around him, it's no wonder I've heard so many good things about him."
"Well I can't fault you for eyeing off the fabled Xen Destroyer himself; after all I'm tempted myself to take him out on a date." Risa replied, shooting a quick smirk at Julius. "Good thing I ran into you; I was just talking to my good friend Volta about you."
"Ah yes, I've heard of her; the widely popular news reporter from Gearen City." The young teen chimed in, making his way to shake hands with the blonde woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Volta."
"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well!" Volta smiled back at him.
"Yeah, yeah, formalities and whatever. I was just telling her about how Julius and co broke into the tournament system and got their names registered even though it was full. So Julius…how'd you guys do it?" Risa inquired, her focus directly onto the young teen and his friends. "We met right before I signed up for the tournament myself, and I was the one who took the last position. There's no way you guys could've all signed up if you could have only done it after I did."
"That's the thing; none of us sighed up for the tournament at all. Heck I didn't even know it existed until a while ago." Erin attempted to explain their situation.
"Say what you will, but the proof is in the pudding, dear. But it's no big deal; all it means is that we're rivals now. I won't keep you here any longer Volta, after all you have that meeting with your reporters." The model turned to face her close friend.
"Yeah, I did ditch them by mistake a while back. I gotta go make sure they're okay. It was nice meeting you all, though. See you next time; Volta's out!" The blonde chimed in, leaving the nearby area as quickly as she can.
"I gotta go too. Jean's probably mad at me for keeping him waiting for so long. Catch you all later!" Risa chimed in, blowing the group of four a kiss before making her way out the area as well.
"I gotta go prepare for the tournament as well. See you all when the time comes; I'll show you all just how rock hard my team can be!" Adam called out, the tall man making his leave as well as the trio were left to their own devices.
"Ugh…now I have a headache…" Erin complained, raising a hand to her head.
"I don't blame you; that entire affair was exhausting." Aelita expressed her sympathies.
"Whatever, I won't let this rigged system beat me; I have a plan to deal with it, but I'll keep it to myself for now. That aside, I never did ask why you two were looking for me."
"Long story short, Souta was the three of us to talk to him about Aelita, alongside Melia. Once the four of us are present, he will tell Aelita the truth about her." Julius answered. "And on that note, I'm going to check up on her. It's my duty as her loyal follower after all." He continued, the young teen promptly making his way to the Hospital of Hope.
"A little ominous, but slightly fascinating. Very well, I'll wait at the theater; it's not like I can do all that much out here." Erin agreed, beginning her journey back home but stopped right beside Aelita. "Stick by Julius, and don't wander off. I've marked the location of the Hospital of Hope in your CyberNav."
"Yeah, yeah. I know…" Aelita sighed in annoyance, the duo going off in separate directions as the magenta-haired girl followed Julius to their destination.
Hospital of Hope
Having made his way to the 38th floor, Julius was about to make his way to the room where Venam was being kept when one of the nurses noticed him and walked on over to him. She informed him that Venam had been moved to a restoration pod in one of the rooms on the right and gave him the directions to said room. Giving her a nod of appreciation, the young teen made his way to the room she mentioned and knocked briskly, a voice from the other end granting him permission to enter. Upon entering, he saw Melia, Kanon and an older woman with purple hair observing one of the pods and made his way over to them.
"Hey Jules…" Melia greeted him a little sadly, gesturing him to look at the pod before her, which was housing the petrified Venam inside its firm steel case. "Look at what they put her in, a simple pod to just sit in there…how could I have let this happen to her? Why can't I be good enough to do anything…"
"Don't beat yourself up over it; it wasn't your fault that she got petrified. Besides, I'm sure that we'll save her soon, I promise that." Julius pledged, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"Your friend raises a point; if I know Veronica well as I do, then she'll be up and ready to go within a short amount of time." The older woman commented, turning to face Julius. "Which reminds me, I'm Chasity; Veronica's mother, or Venam as you call her. It's nice to meet you."
"Despite the circumstances being as grim as they are, it's nice to meet you as well, ma'am." The young teen replied. "I've heard a few stories about you."
"I'm sure they weren't the most flattering tales either…" The older woman chuckled halfheartedly. "It's funny…when I got the letter saying that Veronica would be temporarily replaced as Gym Leader, I wished for an excuse to leave and not look back. And when I got the call about what had happened to her, I…" She began, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. "Well as they say, be careful what you wish for."
"I just wish there was something we can do about this; Julius braved the City of Nightmares for an answer but got nothing in return." Melia spoke out loud, taking another gaze at the pod with her friend in it.
"Unfortunately, that'll be easier said than done." A familiar voice called out, the group of four turning to see Dr. Isha walking up to them and the pod. "Venam's state is a very tricky one; something I've never dealt with before. How does one reform someone from stone back into organic human flesh?"
"I-I thought you would know, you're the doctor after all. I may have heard some of the nurses talk about your 100% success rate, so surely you can do it." The young teen chimed in slight fear, remembering that first impression the doctor left on him.
"Well yes, I do pride myself on overcoming the impossible and achieving a perfect success rate. However, there isn't much that can be done at the moment but rest assured, I will try my absolute best to save Miss Venam—" He began, only for the door to the room to slam open as a familiar redhead stormed into the room and confronted the group.
"What the hell happened to her?! I was about to get my Charizard back, when I see—" Amber began ranting, only to turn and see Chasity gazing quietly at her. "O-Oh…Ms. Vasile. It's been a long time."
"Forget about the reunion, when did you get here Amber?" Melia inquired.
"That's not important, I'm trying to ask how my friend was turned to stone!" The redhead knocked the question back.
"Thing is, we don't know ourselves. It's been happening for a few weeks now, and Venam was just the latest victim of this epidemic." Julius answered calmly, a look of grief soon overcoming the redhead.
"Argh, Y-You stupid idiot…I told you one day you'll get yourself in a lot of trouble. S-Stupid bitch!" Amber vented, punching the nearby wall shivering slightly to herself as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "S-Surely there's something that can be done about this?"
"As I just told the others, there's nothing we can do at the moment. In fact there's nothing anyone can do, and that's just the reality. I'm working as hard as I can to achieve a miracle, but you only get so many." Isha told her firmly.
"So that's it then, we're to sit on the sidelines and pray to whichever legendary we can for a miracle?! That's bullshit! I refuse to sit around and do nothing while we wait for a miracle." The redhead shot back at him.
"That's the only thing we can do at the moment, so we don't have a choice." Kanon chimed in, with Amber huffing in annoyance as she made her way to leave the room but stopped by a second pod that had someone laying inside it.
"Hmm, did this guy get hit as well?" Amber inquired.
"Precisely; that's the Dark type Gym Leader, Damian—" The doctor began.
"Really? Give me a break; there is no Dark type Gym Leader in Aevium at the moment. The last leader resigned to go travel the world or something, I should know this, they were my dad. He didn't resign to travel the world; he resigned because he wanted nothing to do with me or my mom. So that's why I know that this guy isn't the Dark type Gym Leader." The redhead answered back, a hint of bitterness in her tone.
"Heh, clever girl. Perhaps you should take her advice, doc." A voice called out to him, the group directing their attention to a man entering the room. He had dark brown skin, spiky black hair and brown eyes. His outfit consisted of a black jacket with a grey undershirt and matching black trousers. But what was most unsettling was that the man in the pod…looked exactly the same as him.
"W-Wait, are you—" Julius began.
"The person left in this pod? I mean he sure does look like me, but he isn't. The name's Damien, the Dragon type Gym Leader." The man introduced himself.
"The Dragon type Leader? I-I don't understand, why—" Melia began was well, only to get cut off.
"Why I'm simultaneously in this pod and out here talking to you. It's because the one inside the pod is just a sculpture, one I made myself." He explained.
"But why pull a stunt like this? Do you realize how many people you've caused unnecessary worry upon?" Kanon inquired, eyeing up the man suspiciously. "How did you even get people to mistake you for the Dark type Leader?"
"It's really easy to trick people into believing a lie, kid. I created a fake persona that involved me being a Dark type Leader. All I had to do was prove to that Amanda girl that I was capable of having the role, and that was it. turns out she's been travelling the whole region to find a replacement for the longest time. I jumped on that opportunity as soon as I could. As for why I did it, it was all to find Alexandra. You may have unexpectedly met her; she's created tons of aliases to ensure her safety." The older man explained his plan to them, as the young teen mulled over his last statement. Creating tons of aliases…this Alexandra woman sounds a lot like…that Krystal woman he and the others met on the Dream Express a week or so ago.
"Mr Damien…I believe I may have an idea on who this Alexandra woman is, but unless I can make sure that you have no intentions of harming her, I can't divulge her identity just yet." Julius told him.
"Understandable; we just met today and you haven't gotten to know me all that well. I assure you, I mean no harm." Damien reassured the young teen. "I've spent so much time searching for her, longer than I can even remember. She's far to crafty for me; if I couldn't find her myself, I had to make her come to me, hence why I did what I did. She knew that I've always wanted to be a Dark type trainer over a Dragon type trainer but was forced to take up the latter. I figured that if she heard that a Dark type Leader going by the name of Damian was turned to stone…her curiosity would consume her and she'd make her way to investigate it herself. It came so close to working, but I revealed myself too early and she ran off. I must tell you all this now; Alexandra will bring upon the end of the world if I don't find her."
"W-Well…I'll confess; I did speak to this Alexandra person before. She was a really nice person and didn't do anything that made me feel unsafe. Not even when she asked me to do the Dragon's Trial." Kanon chimed in, catching the older man off guard.
"The Dragon's Trial?!" Damien exclaimed, pausing momentarily before opting to correct the group on something. "Well it's not Alexandra that I'm worried about; she wouldn't harm a fly. It's the thing she was travelling with; something that she stole from our tribe."
"Travelling with…but she was alone." The white-haired youth replied, as a look of fear now grew on Damien's face.
"A-Alone?! Did she not…did she not have a female being travelling with her? You know, dark hair, dark skin like mine, ponytails and incredible psychic abilities?" He inquired, the heroes mulling over his last words as Julius came to a startling conclusion. That description…it sounded almost identical to Nim.
"Th-That's Nim you're talking about!" The young teen exclaimed, with Melia's eyes widening in shock as she came to the same conclusion as him.
"Yeah, that does sound like Nim. But how can she be responsible for destroying the world; she's one of the friendliest people that…that we knew." The blonde added, her mind recalling Nim's tragic death at Mount Valor.
"So that was the name it picked for itself? Only it would name itself Nim…" Damien muttered under his breath, gazing directly at the blonde. "Where was the last time you've seen Nim?"
"A-At Mount Valor; we tried to rescue her from Team Xen's clutches, but she was dropped into the volcano before we were able to…" Melia answered solemnly, the older man mulling over her answer.
"I'll be blunt here; don't be fooled by its appearance. It's not the innocent girl you tried to rescue back then. Its very existence is what's causing everything to go wrong in the first place. if she isn't taken care of, the entire world—" He began.
"I told you, she's dead. I should know, I was there when it happened." The blonde interrupted him.
"Impossible, if it were dead then—" Damien began once more.
"For the love of, she's was a fucking person you moron! Stop referring to her as an "it"!" Amber shot back at the older man.
"She was more than a person; she was a friend of ours. We failed to save her from Team Xen, and I won't have you disrespecting her memory by branding her as some doomsday weapon!" Julius snapped as well, with Damien chuckling lightly at them.
"Ahahahah…forgive me, but I find your ignorance amusing. Its cannot die from methods like that! I'll grant you the notion that it fell into a pit of lava, but it wouldn't have killed it. Its body must've reformed somewhere else. That's just its demonic nature; you can't kill it through normal means." He chuckled, a small glimmer of hope appearing in Melia's eyes.
"Y-You think Nim's still alive…somewhere?" She inquired.
"Most definitely. Now that I have this new information, I must make haste elsewhere." Damien turned to leave, but not before shooting a glance at Kanon. "As for you, if you're who I think you are…then perhaps things won't be so bad after all. But if you don't remember quickly, then we're going to have some problems. Now that I've said that, I must find…Nim as soon as possible. And should any of you find Alexandra, tell her than she can't run from her problems forever. Because one way or another, they will catch up with her."
With those closing words, Damien quickly walked out of the room as the heroes mulled over his words to themselves. In particular, Kanon was pondering on what he meant when he implied that there was something special about him. Was he the hero of some hidden prophecy, one where his powers could only activate if he remembered what exactly it was?
"Pffft, that guy was a weirdo. A weirdo and a jerk." Amber broke the ice in an attempt to get the others to laugh, but it didn't seem to work.
"I'm sorry, but I'm still going over all the information we were just given. There's a possibility that Nim's alive, and I won't rest until I find out for myself!" Melia chimed in, with Dr. Isha clearing his throat to catch their attention.
"I'm sure you're all overjoyed, but visiting hours are now over. You have to leave this room for the time being. I must attend to that Lavender girl, once I remove that decoy Damien had set up."
"Understood; we'll leave right now." The blonde replied, with the heroes quietly making their way out of the room as Isha locked the doors behind them. While going through the corridor, they began to quietly chat among themselves. "Well where do we even begin with all that?"
"I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to think right now. Anyway, I'm here for the Festival of Dreams, and this year's a special one; I was asked by Cassandra to be a commentator and a referee!" Amber told them, unable to hide her pride from them.
"That's great to hear Amber!" Julius complimented her.
"I know right?! I took the job and came here as fast as I can, but I soon heard about Venam getting into some sort of accident. So I made my way here to get the news, and I found out that she was turned into stone. I had to leave my mom behind, but I'll make it up to her once I reunite with her. Still working on the spoiled brat thing, but it's a process. Anyway, I gotta go look for her, I'm sure she's worried about me."
"Give my regards to Tesla when you see her!" Melia called out, with Julius nodding in confirmation as the redhead waved goodbye at them before quietly leaving the hospital. "I guess we should all get going now." She told the others.
"Wait Melia!" Julius called out, attracting her attention. "Look…I know this isn't the right place to do so, but when we found Venam in her…current state, I saw something of hers and picked it up. I realized what it was and kept it safe for the time being, but now I feel that it's the right time to give it to you."
Digging into his bag, he handed the blonde a small box that read 'To Melia: From Venam' on the front. Opening it gently, she saw that it contained a multi-color ribbon in pristine condition, with a small card that read 'Happy Birthday, Melia! Love, Venam!' "I…I see. Thanks Julius…" The blonde grew quiet all of a sudden before briskly making her way out of the hospital, her mind racing with various emotions as Julius and Kanon followed right behind her. Upon exiting the hospital, the trio soon found Aelita waiting there.
"There you are Melia! I've been waiting for you!" Aelita called out to her.
"Um…I'm sorry but do I know you?" The blonde inquired.
"That's Aelita; as I may have mentioned, she looks a little different. Which reminds me, I need you to come with us to the Rose Theater on Route 9." The young teen told her.
"Route 9, for what reason?" Melia pressed further.
"Long story short, I'm close to finding out the truth about myself, but I need you there with me, Erin and Julius." The magenta-haired girl stated, locking eyes with the blonde. "Are you coming with me or not, Melia?"
"Well what if I don't want to? what then, Aelita? I don't really appreciate the attitude you're giving me right now." The blonde retorted, with Kanon about to step in only for Julius to rest his hand on his shoulder.
"I recommend staying out of this; things might take a turn for the worst soon." He warned the white-haired youth, only for things to go surprisingly well all things considered.
"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you, but as you can see, I'm not my normal self. I've been given the opportunity to learn everything about myself. You know Erin, right? Her grandfather got me out of my coma, but the curse still lingers within me. If you can just come with me, maybe all of this can be fixed and we can all move on." Aelita plead her case, with Melia mulling it over before coming to a conclusion.
"In that case, I'll be happy to help you out. But watch your tone next time, as you can tell I'm in no mood for any back sass today." She agreed, with Aelita letting out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank goodness, I'll promise to control myself." The magenta-haired girl replied, turning to face Kanon. "As for you…well you can come with us, just as long as you keep quiet."
"O-Ok then…" He replied, the trio watching her make her leave for the train to Route 9. "You two were friends with her?"
"Yes, we were very close friends to her. But something happened that changed her personality, and I want to get to the bottom of it." Melia replied, holding the multi-color ribbon firmly in her hand. "And with this ribbon Venam gave me, I'm going to make a promise; I will save her and Aelita from their troubles!" She pledged, tying the ribbon into her lovely blonde hair.
"In that case, I'll make my way to the theater. See you there, you two!" Kanon smiled at them, making his way back to their temporary base of operations. But just as Melia was about to leave, Julius halted her once more.
"I know this may not be as good a gift as the ribbon, but I figured that I'd pick you up a quick snack to cheer you up." He told her, bringing out the small tub of Blue Moon ice cream from his bag and handed it to her.
"Thanks Julius; it's been a while since I last ate, so this should perk me up!" The blonde smiled, inspecting the small tub. "But isn't this stuff really expensive?"
"Nothing's too expensive for you, my love." The young teen shot her a warm smile. "Now then, let us make haste to the Rose Theater."
"Yes, let us make haste my love." Melia agreed, the duo beginning their trip towards their next destination, where they should finally get some answers to one of the many questions that have plagued them since the beginning.
Rose Theater
Having arrived at the theater, the duo made their way to the back room where Souta was waiting for the group to assemble, with Melia promptly putting the empty tub in a nearby bin. The rich, creamy ice cream had done wonders for her morale; which in combination with her solemn promise made her ready to get things done today. Soon enough, the duo entered the room and saw their friends sitting on the ground before Souta and joined up with them, the old man calmly gazing at the duo before beginning his speech.
"Now that everyone is here, I shall now begin telling Aelita everything there is about her; no more lies or misdirection, just the honest truth. However, I won't be directly telling you everything; instead you will be learning who you really are. But you will live it, not learn it." He began, causing the group to murmur among themselves quietly.
"L-Live through it; what are you talking about?" Aelita inquired, a look of genuine confusion on her face as the older gentleman made his way to a closet on the back wall of the room.
"I was ordered by higher powers to present this to you all when the time came, something that would allow you all to live through the painful events that happened many years ago." He continued rummaging through it before taking out a large crystal and placed it on the floor before them.
"A Timesplicer stone!" Melia exclaimed in surprise, with Julius eyeing it up cautiously. Sure, he was no stranger to travelling back in time, but he recalled that each stone has a unique connection to another stone in a different period of time. Who knows where this exact stone will take the group; furthermore, how did Souta get his hands on one in the first place? He did mention something about higher powers ordering him around, so could he be a part of the same group that Melia and Kanon were in?
"Indeed, Melia. This Timesplicer stone can allow someone to travel back in time, right before the calamity known as Storm-9 tore the region apart." Souta informed everyone, with Aelita narrowing her eyes at the stone.
"You expect me to believe that something like that is possible?" She asked suspiciously.
"I'd like to agree with Aelita, the entire thing seems a bit too far-fetched." Erin agreed with her. "However, stranger things have happened, so there could be some truth to it after all."
"Well if you want the truth, I can safely say that it does work. Melia, Kanon and I all traveled through time with this stone. Trust me, I wouldn't lie to any of you." Julius reassured them, with Melia and Kanon backing him up on this.
"Well if you three are saying it's true, then I guess it does work after all…but I just don't understand what this has to do with anything." The magenta-haired girl called out.
"You will see the truth for yourself. Use the Timesplicer stone to go back and find Sheridan Village." Souta told her with a reassuring smile on his face.
"Sheridan Village in the past…? Very well, if the answer is there, then I will go with no questions asked." Aelita consented to the idea.
"I guess you want me to keep an eye on Aelita like always? I guess my job spans across multiple points of time." Erin assumed, a calm look from her grandfather giving her the answer she expected.
"Look on the plus side, it'll look good on your resume." Melia joked, managing to make Erin chuckle a little.
"Indeed, this journey will require you and Aelita, but it'll also require Melia and Julius as well. But I was surprised to see that Kanon has arrived in this period of time as well. Unfortunately, I cannot allow him to participate in this task." Souta confirmed Erin's suspicions, only for Kanon to be taken aback by this.
"Y-You mean I'm not even allowed to help out?!" The white-haired youth exclaimed in surprise.
"I mean no ill will by this, but—" The old man began.
"What does it matter? I'm not even from this time period! You're saying that you're not letting me go back home? Why can't I even come with them anyway?!" Kanon demanded an answer urgently.
"You've already served your purpose in the past. The events that unfold in Sheridan can only be done by your four friends. Should you interrupt this, the consequences will be disastrous." Souta explained his reason for excluding the young man.
"No, it's fine. I totally get it; no one wants me around…" Kanon sighed dejectedly.
"Look Kanon, it's not like that. We all care about you—" Aelita began.
"No! it's pretty damn clear how you all think of me. Lately you've all been interrupting me and I'm growing tire—" He began ranting.
"Look, you're not coming and that's that." Erin retorted bluntly, her tone not exactly helping out the situation. but instead of throwing a biting retort at her, the white-haired youth merely sighed to himself.
"Alexandra was right; I don't belong here at all. You all have fun without me, I'm leaving." Kanon said to the group, making his way to leave the room.
"Wait Kanon, where do you plan on going?" Melia asked him, causing him to turn briefly to face her.
"To find Alexandra, I know exactly where she is. Don't try and look for me." He answered, promptly leaving the room and slammed the door behind him.
"Kanon…" The blonde muttered sadly to herself.
"Let him be, the journey he will take to find Alexandra will change him. a much-needed change that will be beneficial to us later." Souta reassured the group of four.
"What's up with you lately, old man? You've been talking like you know a lot more than you put on." Erin eyed him up suspiciously.
"As much as I want to tell you, it's not important right now. At the moment, the four of you must travel through time." He replied, stepping back so that the group of four can move closer to the Timesplicer stone. Both Aelita and Erin touched the stone at first, their bodies glowing a vivid green as they soon disappeared from this time period.
"I hope Kanon will be alright on his own…" Melia expressed her worries over her friend, making her way to the stone alongside Julius.
"I'm a little worried about him as well, but I'm confident that whatever trial he must endure, he'll pass with flying colors." Julius chimed in, the duo touching the stone as they glowed with a vivid green aura as well, before promptly disappearing from this time period as well. However unbeknownst to the duo, their actions would soon cause them to encounter a place that only the worst of nightmares could produce, pushing them to the brink of insanity.
A bit of a slower chapter that the previous two, but that's just setting up the next couple of chapters for you all to enjoy. A Happy New Year to all my wonderful readers and may your year be blessed with wonderful luck!