Yagami Kuzuki: That is an interesting idea, but if I were to make Julius bisexual, then it'll most likely be with Ren instead of Huey. I have no problems with Yaoi myself, but since I have no experience with writing it save for a paragraph here and there, I don't feel that I can do the concept proper justice. Still, I do like the idea so when I do get better with writing about it, I'll see if I'm able to implement it into my story. Thank you for the suggestion.
When we last left off, our heroes travelled back in time to discover the truth about the curse plaguing Aelita. In this chapter, they begin their quest to discover the truth only to get more than they bargained for.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Rejuvenation, nor do I own Pokémon Uranium. They are the property of their respective creators.
Aevium: 30 years ago
The group of four had just emerged from a small cave that housed the Timesplicer stone and surveyed their immediate surroundings, finding themselves on a rocky outcropping that was surrounded by thick woods that had a few small creeks running through it. Both Aelita and Erin were amazed at what they were seeing, given that this was their first trip back through time.
"So, this is Aevium in the past? Not gonna lie, it's kinda cool." Aelita chimed in.
"Indeed, the air has a different scent to the area I'm used to. Given my knowledge on Timesplicer stones and how they're linked to one another, I'd say that we're close to a place called Kugearen City." Melia told her, a realization forming in Erin's mind.
"So we're essentially near Gearen City, at least what it was before the catastrophe." The white-haired girl deduced, the blonde nodding in confirmation. "I guess that means we're supposed to find Sheridan Village without a guide of sorts."
"As much as I want to help you, I'm unable to do so. Sure, I may have lived here for a few years, but all I did was stay at the house I was given and work at Kugearen Café." The blonde replied, only for Aelita to wave at the trio.
"E-Everyone, look at the sky!" She called out urgently, attracting their attention as they turned to look up at the sky. What had caught the magenta-haired girls' attention was a solar eclipse, rooted firmly in the sky. An unusual occurrence sure, but nothing to get worked up about, or so they thought.
"A solar eclipse? That's pretty neat…wait, didn't you say something about an eclipse during the first time I came here?" Julius turned to face Melia.
"Yes; if there's an eclipse in the sky, then that means Spacea and Tiempa should be here." She told him, attracting the attention of the other two. "Spacea and Tiempa are two beings who have control over space and time; they can only appear in this time whenever there's an eclipse in the sky. Perhaps they might be willing to show us where Sheridan is and how we can get there."
"Sounds good to me. Do you know where they are?" Erin agreed to the plan.
"Amberette Town, north of Kugearen. It's where I lived during my time here. And if my calculations are right, this place should be Route 4 and there was a news story about an upcoming meteor shower—" Melia began to explain.
"So we're essentially standing in a place that's about to get showered on by falling meteorites?" Aelita cut her off.
"Well…yeah, I suppose that would be the jist of it." The blonde replied, chuckling uneasily while scratching the back of her head.
"Better get a move on then, I don't want to get struck on the head by some falling space rock, and I doubt any of you want that fate as well." Julius suggested that the group gets a move on.
"I don't know; if Aelita was crushed by one and turned into a human pancake, perhaps she'd be a little sweeter." Erin snarked, shooting a smug grin at the magenta-haired girl.
"H-Hey! They make savory pancakes as well!" She retorted quickly. "Forget about the pancakes, let's get moving already!"
On her cue, Melia began the quick trek to Kugearen City with Erin following right behind her. But just as Julius was about to get going, he noticed that Aelita has a somewhat nervous look in her eye, as if she was scared of something. "I-Is everything alright?" He inquired.
"Y-Yeah, I don't know what brought it up, but for some reason I'm kinda scared to visit Sheridan. Don't get me wrong, I'm more excited than scared, but for some reason I have this feeling that things would go downhill terribly fast. Almost as if the Earth itself is trying to warn me about something." She confided to him, the young teen mulling to himself.
"I understand your concerns 100%, but given how we've faced numerous adversities together, I'm confident that we can secure a victory this time as well." He began, only for the duo to get caught off-guard by what sounded like someone's cries for help.
"Anastasia, Anastasia! Where are you, darling?!" A voice called out, with the duo watching an older woman quickly make her way through the route. Julius immediately recognized her from his previous trip here as Katsu, the talented yet cold mother of Anastasia, Maria's childhood friend. Whatever thoughts he may have had of the young girl he doted on as his sister were quickly dashed aside; if Anastasia was on this route, then her life was in potential danger.
"Forgive me for this Aelita, but we'll have to catch up with the other two later!" Julius told her, quickly running off in the same direction as Katsu.
"H-Hey, wait for me!" She called out, quickly following after him. luckily for her, she didn't have to run for long as the other two were in a small clearing, beside a small crater that held a few small meteorites inside. "D-Do you know that this place is dangerous? T-There's a meteor shower scheduled to happen soon!" The magenta-haired girl panted lightly.
"I know that, young lady, but I can't leave yet. My daughter ran off this way and I can't find her for the life of me." Katsu answered back quickly.
"Don't worry ma'am; we'll find her. I'm sure of it." Julius pledged, causing the older woman to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Given your…rough attitude back then, I'd normally knock back your offer for help. But as you may know, now's not the time to be rejecting any form of help, no matter the source." She replied, causing Julius to raise an eyebrow back. Seems that she did remember the minor altercation between them right when Anastasia ran away.
"Understandable, it'll give me an opportunity to make it up to you for my actions back then. But you can't keep treating your daughter like that; otherwise things won't end up well for the two of you."
"I know; I shouldn't have yelled at her for something that wasn't even her fault. My mind was stressed from my workload and concern for her safety, but that still isn't an excuse for raising my voice at her. And now she's ran onto a route teeming with hostile Pokémon and incoming meteor showers, so you'll have to forgive me if I choose not to come back yet." Katsu replied quietly, promptly making her way deeper into the route as the two teens looked at each other.
"While I will admit that this isn't our problem, I don't think I can live with myself if our inaction leads to her daughter's death—W-Woah!" Aelita cried out, the ground beneath them quaking slightly. "W-Was that an earthquake?"
"F-Felt like it. In any case, we can't just leave those two out there on their own!" The young teen chimed in, the duo running further into the route, oblivious to the incoming meteor hurtling towards the route. Further in the route, Katsu was calling out to Anastasia to come back to her, unaware that her daughter was hiding behind a tree near the older woman.
"Anastasia, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I didn't mean to push your buttons…I was just worried about your future; about our future. All I wanted was for you to be successful; for you to live a life of comfort and luxury. But I was too hard on you…I can only ask you for your forgiveness. I know it's hard for you to talk to me because of how I acted, but this isn't the place to quarrel. Very soon, a meteor will hit this place, and I can't have you…my god." Katsu began her apology, only to quieten up over watching the incoming meteor hurtling towards the area, a massive explosion soon rocking the area as a large blanket of smoke billowed through the surrounding area.
"W-What just happened?!" The young teen called out, covering his mouth to ensure he didn't breathe in the smoke.
"I don't know, but we better check it out." Aelita called out, the duo running towards the source of the smoke and wound up in another small clearing, this one marked by a much larger crater that had a car-sized meteorite inside it, smoke emanating from the area surrounding the rock. But what caught them off-guard was the fact that a shaken Katsu had her arm around a second woman, this one with short purple hair and matching eyes. Her outfit consisted of a silver suit that had a few specks of dirt and dust that must've came from the impact site.
"Th-Thank you for saving me, I thought I was a goner." Katsu panted lightly in a mixture of shock and weariness, the second woman helping her to her feet.
"No need to thank me; the name's Vivian. But hold your thanks for now; the worst is yet to come." The purple-haired woman told her, a startled expression forming on Aelita's face. she had heard that name from somewhere, but where exactly was something that was nestled firmly on the tip of her tongue. "After all, this meteorite brought a friend with it…"
Just as she said that, a mysterious light shone from within the meteorite, a multi-color orb emerging from it before it began to warp and transform into the air. With an otherworldly groan, the orb materialized into its original form, taking on a form that sent shivers down the backs of the two teens. It was a Deoxys; not a clone produced by Team Xen, but an actual Deoxys, and this one looked hostile.
"W-What is that horrid thing?!" Katsu recoiled in shock at the sight of the Deoxys.
"I understand that you're terrified, but I don't exactly appreciate your choice of words directed at it. No matter where it came from, it's still a living creature. That said, it looks like it's willing to harm us; I don't exactly like the idea of attacking it back, but at the very least I know I'm not alone should I have to resort to such a tactic." Vivian commented, turning to face Aelita and Julius. "Hey, you two. Do you think you can handle this thing? I'd appreciate it greatly."
"As much as I want to help, I feel that Julius would be best suited for this battle." Aelita replied back. "Sorry for dumping this problem onto your lap, pal."
"No worries, I've got the perfect plan to deal with such a thing." Julius replied, a plan formulating in his mind. Quickly reaching for a Pokéball, he promptly sent out his Gellin and requested that it use Thunderbolt, the Amoeba Pokémon letting out a cheerful gurgle as it emitted a bolt of lightning from the "horns" on its head, striking the Deoxys head on as it let out a low groan of pain. The DNA Pokémon opted to retaliate by charging up a beam of energy from its core before firing it at the Gellin, who was able to dodge it effortlessly before retaliating with a weak bolt of electricity that paralyzed the Deoxys, rendering it unable to move. "Perfect…now for the finishing touch."
With a confident smirk on his face, the young teen got an empty Pokéball from his bag and threw it at the Deoxys, hoping to capture it easily. The device snagged the DNA Pokémon and sucked it up, before closing and began shaking violently. With a Deoxys on his side, he'll have a powerful companion that can effortlessly deal Team Xen a sufficient amount of karmatic justice. It may even be able to contribute to finding a cure for Ve—
'POP!' The Pokéball broke open, with Deoxys emerging out of it, outstretching its tentacles and let out an invigorated groan as it broke free of the paralysis before retreating into its orb form, rendering it immune to any further capture attempts. "I'm sorry Deoxys, but I couldn't risk having you harm anyone." Vivian whispered an apology, gazing at the small orb lying in the crater as the young teen congratulated his Gellin before recalling it to its ball..
"Julius, Aelita!" A familiar voice called out, the young teens turning around and saw Melia and Erin running up towards them.
"Melia, Erin. I thought you two were at—" Julius began, only for the blonde to deliver him a harsh slap across the cheek. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Y-You fool! Why were you and Aelita still here when I just told you two about the incoming meteor shower?! Erin and I saw the incoming meteor and found out that you weren't following us; f-for a moment I thought the worst had happened upon hearing that explosion. I-I already failed to keep Venam safe and I was worried that I failed to keep you safe as well." The blonde chewed him out, on the verge of tears before managing to regain composure. "At the very least, I want to know why you two were still here."
"My apologies, we were about to get going when we saw Katsu searching for her daughter. We couldn't just leave her to her plight, so we opted to help her in her search. That was when we saw Vivian rescue her from the incoming meteor; that's her over there." Julius began his explanation, gesturing to the purple-haired woman beside the duo. "Anyway, we were soon confronted by a Deoxys that emerged from the meteorite and I attempted to catch it. However, it broke out and retracted into its orb, which was just before you came here."
"Well…your cause was noble so I can't stay angry at you. Just don't go pulling a stunt like that again, not without me at least." Melia accepted his apology, turning to face Vivian. "Thanks for keeping an eye on our friends."
"No worries, but I can't help but wonder why Katsu's daughter ran away from her?" The purple-haired woman chimed in, turning her head to face the other woman for an explanation.
"I…I was a terrible mother; forcing my ideals upon her too much. I yelled at her for something that wasn't even her fault, which caused her to run away. I know you might think lowly of me upon hearing this, but I do plan to atone for my transgressions." She admitted, with Vivian thinking to herself.
"I may not be a parent but forcing your ideals upon them is one of the most surefire ways to get a child to hate you; they aren't simple pawns to control. They are living beings of this universe. True, it is bust to guide them onto the right path as a parent, but you must let them make their own decisions." The purple-haired woman scolded her, thought not as harshly as one might've expected.
"I-I understand. All I wanted was for Anastasia to take over Rejuvenation Co. when she was older, ensuring her a lifetime of comfort and luxury." Katsu admitted, looks of confusion appearing on the faces of the four teenagers. "I am the president of Rejuvenation Co. and our main goal is to restore the Miera Region to its former glory. Once the region has been restored, then all of us could repopulate it and rebuild its economy, bolstering Aevium's international power to unimaginable levels."
"The Miera region? What is that place exactly?" Erin inquired, a look of surprise appearing on Katsu's face.
"Wh-What, you don't know of the Miera region? Did you recently emigrate to Aevium?" She inquired back.
"While it would be good to educate her on Aevium's history, now isn't the time to do so. We all have to get out of here right now." Vivian broke up the conversation.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just leave here. I still need to find Anastasia—" Katsu began, only for the purple-haired woman to rest her hands on her shoulders.
"Relax; your daughter will come home when she's ready." Vivian replied, turning to face Erin. "Do you have a problem returning this woman home?"
"I have no problem with it, it gives me a chance to learn about my surroundings a little more." The white-haired girl agreed, gesturing Katsu to follow her back to Kugearen City, the older woman following her lead albeit it hesitantly.
"Forgive me for not introducing ourselves earlier, but I'm Melia. The one who just left was Erin, Aelita's the one with Magenta hair, and the one who I just slapped was Julius." The blonde introduced herself and her friends to Vivian.
"I see…it was nice to meet you all. I must say that Julius battled incredibly well, even going so far as to try and capture Deoxys. Of course, it didn't work, but you can't fault him for trying." The older woman complimented his skills. "Many meteorites have been falling into this area lately, each one containing a Deoxys. It shames me to admit this, but I had to destroy each one before they got out of hand. It's barbaric, but it was the only choice I had…"
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but you said your name was Vivian, right?" Aelita called out.
"Yes, that is my name. why do you ask?" Vivian replied.
"I knew it…you must be the Sensei of Sheridan Village! I…heard about you from travelers that came from the area." The magenta-haired girl formed a quick lie, not wanting to reveal that she came from the future to the older woman.
"So you've heard of me? Most impressive I'll admit; yes, I am the Sensei of Sheridan Village. thought to be honest, I'm not much of a Sensei anymore…" She mumbled the last part to herself, before getting back on track. "In case you want to visit it, it's to the east of Kugearen Woods it's not that difficult to find. But why would you want to go there anyway? It's not exactly a tourist hotspot."
"I heard about the peaceful culture of the village from those travelers and it interested me. So I told my friends about it and they were all interested in visiting it as well." Aelita told her, with Melia and Julius nodding in confirmation.
"If that's the case, then you're more than welcome to visit us. But I've got other duties to attend to, so I have to go now. See you soon!" Vivian told them, waving farewell at them before making her way back to Kugearen City.
"Quick question Aelita; how did you know she was the Sensei of Sheridan Village?" Melia inquired.
"As a citizen of the village, I was taught that fact at a very young age. She's the very first Sensei in fact. Given that this was the past, I just made an assumption that she was the Vivian and it payed off this time." Aelita answered.
"Well that was very convenient of us that the first Vivian we met was the one who founded Sheridan Village?" Julius commented lightly, turning to face Melia. "Shall we go there right now, Melia?"
"Not quite, there's still one place I have to visit before we make our way to Sheridan Village. it's recommended that you come along as well, given their interest in you…" The blonde informed him,
"Interest…ah, I get it. You wish to meet up with Spacea and Tiempa." He managed to deduce correctly.
"Correct. The solar eclipse is about to end, so we better make our way there as soon as possible." Melia replied, the trio quickly making their way towards Amberette Town, unaware of the rustling bush nearby. Once the coast was clear, a terrified Anastasia stepped out of the bush and stepped closer towards the crater, where the Deoxys orb laid still. Slowly climbing down the crater, she made her way towards the orb and crouched beside it as if tending to the injured Pokémon.
"Are…are you okay?" She asked, a light twinkling inside the orb upon hearing her question. "I'm not scary, I'll be your friend if you want. Do you know what a friend is?"
A low groan came from within the orb, the Deoxys rematerializing into is original form as it gazed at her, not out of anger, but of curiosity and even…friendliness. A small smile formed on Anastasia's face upon seeing her new friend emerge, knowing that the two of them have a bright future ahead of them.
Amberette Town
Having arrived at Amberette Town, a small wave of nostalgia overcame the young teen; the place hasn't changed all that much since he last visited the place. Though given that this was the past, it was to be expected in some way. However, he was at a loss as to where Spacea and Tiempa could be; the solar eclipse wasn't over yet so he knew they hadn't left this world yet, but he didn't know where to begin looking. It wasn't until Melia whispered into Aelita's ear and pointed to a small, two-story house in the south that Julius was able to connect the dots. Opting to follow the duo, he stepped into the small house, only to be taken aback by how lavish it was. Instead of the simple design he had anticipated, the carpet was a regal purple that felt soft to the touch, a series of tall candelabrums lined up on either side of the red carpet. Additionally, there were a pair of thrones at the back of the room, one pink and one blue. Though Spacea and Tiempa may not come here all that often, at the very least they're treated to a most comfortable stay…or they would be if they were there.
"I don't get it…why aren't they here?" Melia asked out loud, observing the empty thrones as Aelita quickly poked her head out one of the windows.
"The eclipse had just ended, Melia. Perhaps we're simply too late—" She informed the blonde.
"It is true that they can only appear during an eclipse, but I remember Tiempa saying that they can linger around for at least a few more days after it ends." The blonde rebutted, only for the trio to get caught off-guard by the arrival of an all-too familiar fog, the chilling air causing them to shiver slightly.
"Correct you are, Melia. But have you heard of the term, fashionably late?" A mysterious voice echoed throughout the room, with Julius now on high alert.
"Well they've been waiting to see me for who knows how long. Let's just hope that I don't disappoint them…" He muttered to himself, the trio watching a pair of twinkling lights descend onto the thrones before quickly forming into the beings known as Spacea and Tiempa.
"We're not on time, yes, but to us time is a simple social construct anyway." Tiempa concluded her earlier statement, with Melia breathing a sigh of relief.
"Phew…for a moment I thought you two weren't going to be here." The blonde sighed in relief, the omniscient duo surveying the trio before them.
"Well my, my, Melia. You look a lot different from the last time we saw you…and I see you were kind enough to bring Julius and Aelita with you." The silver-haired deity chimed in. "I guess that means your mission at Blacksteeple Castle was a success, in some degree."
"Yeah, it was successful…" Julius replied quietly, his mind flashing back to that horrid day once more. "Anyway, I've heard stories about you two wishing to see me, so what is it you wanted?"
"As eager as we are to tell you of your role in this, that can be discussed at a later time." Spacea told him, turning her head to face Melia. "I assume a lot has happened since that day?"
"Yes, we've been through a whole lot since the escape at Blacksteeple. However, I didn't come here to bring up the past…" Melia began, slowly approaching the duo. "Is there anything you two can do for my friend, Venam?"
"As we expected you to ask; there is a way we can revive your friend and everyone else affected by the petrification…but we won't." Tiempa replied curtly, shocking the trio to their core.
"E-Excuse me?!" The young teen called out, a hint of aggressiveness in his tone of voice. "In case you didn't realize, Melia has gone through a living hell these last few weeks, and she sure as hell don't need either of you to toy with her like that!"
"Normally we'd punish you for your attitude, but we'll let it slide…for now. Besides, given your role in the grand scheme of things, a bit of feistiness would be highly recommended." Spacea told him firmly.
"I don't understand…why won't you revive her?" The blonde asked, begging for an answer.
"Truth be told, that's not really our job, nor our problem. We were simply told to save the world from Storm-9, and that was it." The pink-haired deity answered. "We don't interfere with the lives of mortals."
"Yet you decided to interfere with mine…" Melia retorted snidely, shooting a glare at the duo. "I know it was you who teleported us to Terajuma Shore after we escaped the castle. You two saved me from Team Xen in Amethyst Cave all that time ago!"
"You must understand one thing, Melia. We don't interfere with the lives of mortals unless we are directly told otherwise." Spacea told her, as a look of confusion appeared on Aelita's face.
"C-Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this little organization of yours lead by you two?" The magenta-haired girl inquired.
"To some degree, yes. But think of us as admins of the organization. We simply do what Her Majesty tells us to do." Tiempa answered the question.
"H-Her Majesty?" Melia asked. "Who is Her Majesty?"
"You will all learn soon enough." The silver-haired deity replied, with Aelita narrowing her gaze at the duo.
"Forgive me for saying this, but this is starting to become a complete waste of time…" She commented, with Tiempa opting to ignore her comment before turning to face Melia.
"Can I ask you a question? What's more important; the fate of a single life, or the fate of the majority?" She asked.
"W-What…?" The blonde began, not even knowing where to even begin with such a question.
"What if the fate of the world is decided on two outcomes; Veronica dies but the world is saved, and Veronica lives but there are millions of casualties." Spacea chimed in, joining in on the question. "What would you do in a situation like this?"
"What kind of question is that?! Y-You can't make her answer that!" Julius rebutted.
"Exactly; I refuse to answer your question!" Melia rebutted as well, the eldritch gazing calmly at her.
"But what if you must answer it? What if everything is up to you in the end?" The pink-haired deity pressed her further.
"This isn't a fair question to ask; would anyone be able to answer it in the heat of the moment?" Aelita chimed in to support her friends.
"It may be hard for you, but it's a no-brainer for us. If it were up to us, Veronica would die in an instant for the lives of the majority." Tiempa answered casually, as the duo soon received a most vicious glare from Melia.
"Such anger…this is something new indeed." Spacea commented, amused at the sight before her. "Melia, you can't save everyone. People are destined to perish in this world. Whether it be for themselves, or for the greater good…it's something that cannot be avoided."
"You know what? I'm done listening. You two can ramble on about your ideals, but I'm done listening. We have somewhere the three of us want to be; thanks for wasting our time—" Melia began, on the verge of storming out of the house.
"Wait, before you go. There's something we have for you three…" Tiempa called out, outstretching her hand and channeled her power as a small amulet appeared in the hands of the three teenagers, the amulet resembling a blue Time Gear. "This is no ordinary amulet; it was crafted with one of my Time Gears. Time gears are objects that allow the flow of time to be controlled, but they have many other side effects, some of which you'll discover very soon."
"Thanks…I appreciate it, I guess. Goodbye." The blonde replied halfheartedly, making her way out of the building with Julius and Aelita following right behind her.
"One day you'll learn, Melia…one day." Spacea spoke softly to the retreating figure, the fog in the room intensifying as the two deities soon disappeared from the room. Outside the house, Melia was frantically pacing in front of the building, a low cry of frustration escaping her mouth as she soon kicked the sign beside it.
"I thought I could trust those two, but after hearing that…from the way they put it, they would throw us three under the bus if it meant their success." She commented bitterly, with Julius resting his hand on her shoulder to ease her spirits.
"Forget about them; they can dance their morsel of hope right in front of our eyes only to take it away from us, but we'll find another way to save Venam. I'm sure we will." He reassured her.
"Besides, it's not worth going crazy over. They have that moral ambiguity to them. That's just the way they see things, and I don't think we can change it at all." Aelita chimed in, only for the trio to get caught off by an abrupt "hey!". Turning to face the source, they saw an annoyed Erin making her way towards them.
"Thanks for forgetting about me, I really appreciate that." Erin replied sarcastically. "You're lucky the path to Amberette Town is pretty straightforward."
"Sorry about that Erin, but as you can see, we were in the middle of an important meeting." The magenta-haired girl defended herself.
"Don't sorry me, just don't pull a stunt like that again." The white-haired teen replied, sighing quickly to herself. "So did you talk to those two you mentioned earlier?"
"Yeah, and it was a waste of time, to be honest." Melia replied, locking eyes with her. "May I ask you a question? What would you do if you were put into a situation that required you to choose between the greater good and the one you loved?"
"…that's a pretty deep question. Anyway, I'd sacrifice the one I loved." Erin answered, catching the trio off-guard.
"Y-You would sacrifice them?!" The blonde exclaimed in surprise.
"Truth be told, both options suck, but I think it would be better for me if I didn't have the blood of millions of my hands. But if you think about it, the blood of one can stain your hands just as bad as the blood of many. Is there any clear answer for a question like that? Probably not." The white-haired girl explained her reasoning for her decision.
"Somehow, I figured you'd answer the question with a long explanation. But enough about that, we better head to Sheridan Village; it's to the east of Kugearen Woods." Aelita began, promptly making her way to her destination with Erin opting to whisper something into Julius' ear.
"Melia's naivety is cute, but her sense of heroism isn't realistic and will bite her one of this days. But who are we to judge? It wouldn't hurt to use your imagination at least once in a while. Anyway, it's best if you keep this between us, okay?" She told him, promptly making her way out of the town as Melia walked up to the young teen.
"What was that about?" She inquired.
"She wanted me to keep it a secret, so I apologize for not being able to tell you." Julius replied, an understanding expression forming on the blonde's face.
"I see…anyway, I'll ask you the same question I asked her; who would you be willing to sacrifice in that situation, the life of one you loved, or the lives of millions?" Melia asked him, with the young teen mulling it over to himself. On one hand, it seemed like a no-brainer to save the lives of millions, but could he really handle the loss of another loved one? He had already been through to much pain and misery for one to endure, and he don't think he could do it again.
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I can answer that right now; I don't want to ever be in a situation where I'm forced to make that decision." He admitted.
"It's okay…I feel the same way as well. Anyway, let's not keep the other two waiting." The blonde shot him a small smile as the duo began to catch up to the others, the question still racing in Julius' mind. Surely, there was a third way to answer that question; one that wouldn't be as painful to him or to Melia. It may take a bit of time, but he was confident that he will find the answer he is looking for.
Sheridan Village: 1 hour later
The trek was fairly long and arduous, the group having had to go through the vast Kugearen Woods in order to find their way to Sheridan Village. But their efforts were not in vain as Aelita quickly ran off ahead of the group and stopped abruptly at a small sign standing firmly in the clearing, taking the time to read it to herself.
"At last…we've arrived at Sheridan Village." She spoke to the trio, who were barely able to catch up to her.
"I get that you're eager…but mind slowing down for us? We weren't born with your infinite endurance…" Julius panted in exhaustion, resting his hands on his knees.
"The Village looks a lot different than I had expected it to be…has Sheridan really changed this much throughout the years." The magenta-haired girl mused to herself, with Erin slowly making her way towards her to see what she was talking about.
"The calamity ripped Aevium apart, Aelita. It doesn't surprise me that this place looks entirely different." The white-haired girl chimed in, looking around the place briefly. "So what do we do now? The Old Man said that the answer would be here somewhere, so I guess the best thing to do is to look around."
"And when the world quakes, the land shall reshape. When one chooses to defy their fate, they may find themselves with a destiny too great. A prison of ice, should that suffice? If one should wait, it may be too late~…" A woman's voice sang out loud, attracting the groups' attention as they began searching for the source. Eventually, they made their way to the small waterfall nestled in the center of town, where they saw a woman with long blue hair singing to herself, her outfit consisting of a black dress with an ice-blue apron over it. A slight chill went down Julius spine; this woman atop the waterfall was none other than Angie; the crazed woman who attempted to imprison him and his friends in her twisted dimension. However, she seemed far less hostile than her future incarnation, for now at least.
"Oh…so the poor old village finally sees some newcomers?" The woman spotted the group, a look of intrigue on her face as she slowly floated down towards the four teens who stepped back in surprise.
"Y-You're Angie, aren't you?!" Melia exclaimed in fear, as she and Julius backed away from her, an amused chuckle escaping from the older woman.
"Close, but not quite. My name is Anju, but I'm a little surprised that you know me by that name." She introduced herself, gazing calmly at the duo. "Angie isn't my real name, but the name that the people of Kristiline have given me. It means angel, or messenger of God; fitting because of my profession as a prophet of Arceus."
"I have heard tales of how devoted you are to spreading the word of Arceus." Julius jested uneasily, not wanting to invoke her wrath once more.
"Devoted or not, I'm not in the mood for a preacher right now." Erin shot a quick retort at him, causing the young teen to jump in fear of Anju's potential retribution…only she didn't seem fazed by Erin's comment at all.
"Skeptic or not, you are free to believe what you want to believe, just as how I'm free to spread Arceus' love throughout Aevium." Anju smiled at the white-haired girl.
"This peaceful attitude; you're nothing like…" Melia began, attracting the older woman's attention.
"Hmmm? Who is this other person I remind you of?" She inquired, with the blonde promptly shaking her head in response.
"I-It's nothing, I was just talking to myself." She quickly replied, a second voice calling out to Anju.
"Hey, I see you made some new friends, Anju!" Vivian called out to her, walking up towards the group alongside a young woman with short black hair, her outfit consisting of a grey long-sleeve shirt, and matching trousers. "Wow…I didn't expect you four to be here so quickly."
"You know these people, Vivian?" The woman inquired.
"Yes, they were the ones who helped me out on Route 4. But before I go on, allow me to introduce you to my assistant, Cella." She introduced her friend to the group, with Cella waving politely at them. "Now that you're here, did you find what you were looking for?"
"We're not exactly looking for something, we're just visiting." Aelita answered her query.
"I see…my apologies for assuming you wanted something. Will you be staying here for the night? If so, I can arrange a place for you all to stay. Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to get back to my run. Enjoy your stay here!" Vivian informed the group, before opting to job towards the entrance of Sheridan Village.
"Sigh…Vivian was never one to sit still for a moment. She invited me all the way down from Kristiline and she doesn't even take the time to talk to me." Anju sighed to herself.
"She's always been like that ever since we were kids; she just run off because that's what she loved." Cella replied, turning to face the group of four. "I'm sorry if this place isn't what you had expected; it's dwindled quite a bit in numbers. But that's a discussion for another time, for now let me show you where you'll be staying for the night." She called out, gesturing the four teens to follow her, which they did. Soon enough, they found a quaint house resting idly beside the rivers edge, with Cella quickly unlocking the front door. "This is where you'll be living for the night. The people who lived here moved away recently, so this place is completely empty."
"Vivian said that was plenty of room a few moments ago, was she referring to the fact that there's almost no one here?" Erin inquired, with the older woman staring blankly at her.
"Anyway, this is where you'll be sleeping and all that. I hope you enjoy your stay." The black-haired woman ignored the question, making her leave towards her own house. "May I ask you all a small favor? Once you get settled in and all, could you meet me at my place? There's something I need to talk to you about."
"Sure thing, Cella. We'll be there soon." Melia smiled at her, the older woman nodding in appreciation before continuing the walk to her home. "What was that about? She totally dodged the question before."
"Beats me, but she's definitely hiding something. But I'm sure she'll tell us when we visit the house; for now, let's just regroup inside for a moment." Erin replied, the group of four making their way inside the home and took a quick seat around the table. "A quaint little shack, but it's to be expected I suppose."
"Melia, I noticed that you and Julius freaked out at Anju, named her Angie before. Wasn't she the one who caused you so much grief in Kristiline Town before?" Aelita inquired.
"Yes, there's no doubt about it; she's definitely the Angie we encountered before. But she seemed…a lot more peaceful than before. Almost as if she was a completely different person than the Angie we met back then." Melia answered quickly.
"Believe it or not, but I've been through a similar situation the last time I was in the past. I'm sure I told this to Melia, but I'll fill you two in on the scoop." Julius chimed in, turning to face Aelita and Erin. "Early into my journey, I met a man named Indriad, and he was one of the least pleasant people I had ever met. Well it turns out that I met Indriad in the past after Venam and I saved his wife, only this time he went by the name, Vitus. He was a lot more amicable than the man I had met before and seemed like a genuinely nice guy. However, a series of unfortunate events had changed him, turning him into the twisted man I knew and feared. I believe that a similar series of events will turn Anju into the Angie that me and Melia know all to well, though when that'll happen is a complete mystery."
"I just hope that she doesn't drag us down with her once she falls from grace…" The blonde commented, shivering in fear with Julius wrapping his arm around her to comfort her.
"An interesting tale, Julius, but I wouldn't worry about it; this Anju seems like a very nice woman and I don't see her attacking you two over anything." Aelita attempted to lighten up the mood.
"Still, I can't judge Melia for acting so cautiously; whatever this Angie person did to her must've traumatized her greatly." Erin shot the blonde a sympathetic look.
"Everytime I think about Angie, I can't help but shiver at the thought. Those horrible memories of what happened; the pain that I, Venam and Julius went through will never leave me…" Melia spoke quietly, her eyes darting side-to-side. "I don't really want to stay here any longer…but I promised Aelita I'd help her so I'll tough it out for her."
"Thanks Melia…I know you're terrified of this Angie woman, but the fact that you'll stay here for my sake means the world to me." The magenta-haired girl shot her a warm smile.
"Besides, you're not alone. You've got me, you've got Aelita, and you've got Erin. Should Angie cause us any trouble, we'll ensure she doesn't harm you!" Julius pledged, noticing that Erin was thinking to herself. "Is everything alright?"
"Sorry, it's just that something Katsu told me earlier has been bothering me. She mentioned how as the President of the Rejuvenation Corporation, her duty was to restore the Miera Region that had been devastated by a large disaster. The problem? I've read many history books, and not one of them mentioned such an event happening. From what she told me, a nuclear power plant had exploded and forced everyone to leave the region."
"A nuclear power—wait, didn't you experience something like this, Julius?" Melia asked the young teen, who nodded firmly in response. "D-Do you think the incidents are connected?"
"Highly unlikely; The CURIE Incident was restricted to the three power plants in Tandor; besides, the timing of these events doesn't line up. This supposed incident in Miera happened over 30 years ago from our current time, while the CURIE Incident only happened a couple years ago. These two events are not connected, whatsoever." Julius answered, removing his arm from around the blonde as he sensed that she was feeling a bit better than before. "But my apologies for cutting you off Erin, do continue."
"Right, anyway the people of Miera found their way to Aevium, with Katsu and her corporation pledging themselves to restoring the Miera region to it's former glory. But have any of you three heard of the event ever happening?" The white-haired girl continued. The trio quickly talking it over to themselves before shaking their heads in unison, indicating that they hadn't heard of the incident before. "In that case, how is it that an event that catastrophic isn't widely know about in our present time. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"Yes, it does seem very odd indeed. I've read my fair share of books as well but haven't ever stumbled upon an incident like that in any of them." Melia replied.
"I see…I don't need an answer now, but it's something to think about while we're here." Erin told them, quietly looking outside the window. "Anyway, Cella wanted to see us at her house, so let's not keep her waiting any longer."
"Agreed, I think we've rested our legs for enough time." Aelita chimed in, the group of four hopping of their seats and exited the house, making the short trek to Cella's house. Upon entering it, the group were greeted by the black-haired woman, who gestured at them to take a seat. Soon enough, the door opened once more as Anju stepped inside, with Melia and Julius quickly shuffling their seats away from her as the blue-haired woman took a seat next to Cella.
"Good, you're all here now. Listen, there's something I need your help with. Specifically, I think there's something wrong with her." The black-haired woman began.
"Something wrong with Vivian? What could be troubling her?" Anju inquired, her friend growing quiet all of a sudden.
"…about four months ago, my fiancée died suddenly. But that's not the problem though, after my loss, Vivian contacted me and invited me to stay in Sheridan to be her assistant. Given that we were childhood friends and I was in a bad spot, I accepted her offer, even going so far as to quit my job as a lawyer. Things were fine for the first few months, but Vivian grew depressed all of a sudden. I asked her what was bothering her so I could help, but she wouldn't tell me, stating that she didn't want to scare me." The black-haired woman began.
"Vivian? Depressed? I'm not sure those two things could even be associated." The blue-haired woman commented.
"That's what I thought too, but now I'm not so sure that's the case." Cella continued, turning to face the four teenagers. "I'm sure you know this already, but nobody lives in Sheridan anymore. All of Vivian's followers left her because she started to neglect them, but I must confess something to Anju before I continue; Vivian wasn't the one who invited you to Sheridan, it was me who called you here."
Anju grew quiet all of a sudden, a little taken aback by this revelation, but didn't seem too phased by it. "Ah…well that makes sense considering Vivian hasn't really been paying attention to me at all."
"She told me you were part of some group, the Protectors of Aevium, I believe." Cella said, causing the teens to raise a few eyebrows.
"T-The Protectors of Aevium?" Melia asked a little hesitantly.
"Correct. It's a group of people native to Aevium who strive to keep the region safe from evil. It consists of me, Vivian, a woman named Hazuki, and our leader, Nymiera." Anju answered the question, causing Erin to think quietly to herself for a moment.
"I couldn't get in contact with Hazuki, and I was confident that Nymeria was busy, so I figured I'd get your help. I need you all to help me figure out what's wrong with Vivian before something bad happens." The black-haired woman requested.
"I'm not sure about the newcomers, but I'm more than willing to help in any way I can." Anju pledged her services.
"I wish to help as well!" Aelita joined in.
"Sure, why not?" Erin added.
"I'll be more than happy to help you out; after all you were kind enough to offer us a place to stay for the night." Julius agreed as well.
"Based on our answers, I'm sure you can tell that we're willing to help you out any way we can, Cella." Melia stated, a look of surprise appearing on the black-haired woman's face.
"R-Really?!" She double-checked, the four teenagers nodding firmly in response. "T-Thank you, that makes me so happy." The older woman replied gratefully.
"The four of you can go relax for the day, as for Cella and I, we'll be planning out where to begin." Anju told them, gesturing at the group to leave with Melia and Julius more than willing to do so.
0000
The young teen found it a little tricky to fall asleep, his mind abuzz with various questions that needed answers. Given that he was the only male of the group, he opted to take the couch downstairs so that the girls can get some privacy. He began pondering about the various things he heard today, ranging from the moral question Spacea and Tiempa presented Melia, to the mystery surrounding the Miera region that Erin brought up, to even Cella's request for help regarding Vivian. Figuring a bit of fresh air would help him fall asleep, he put his jacket back on and quietly exited the house, only to catch glimpse of what looked like…Vivian?
"Wonder what she could be up to tonight." He pondered to himself, quietly following her throughout the village. Julius knew that such an action was not acceptable, but if it could shed some light on what was bothering her, then it would be beneficial in the end. Around a minute later, he saw Vivian enter her house and crept up to the door, where he saw her step on a small stone in the center of a raised platform, causing a stone door at the back to open slowly. Looking to her sides, the purple-haired woman stepped beyond the opening, with Julius quietly entering her house and making his way past the opening. The young teen soon found himself inside what appeared to be a small ruin that lead to a hidden spring, an all-too familiar Celebi statue standing in the center, with Vivian standing within the water as she began chanting a prayer to herself.
"…and on the 100th night, I purify my body for the 100th time. I give my body, I give my soul, I give my mind to you. my Arceus' guiding light shine upon me." Vivian chanted, a golden light glowing throughout the room briefly before fading away, the purple-haired woman growing quiet all of a sudden. "I've prayed here for 100 days and 100 nights. You have blessed me with this Spring of Purification, and you have given me the ability to hear the Earth. With that ability, I've heard the Earth warn me about the future; this planet…the Pokémon…and nature itself, something unspeakably terrible is about to unfold, and we all feel it. and we reach out to you, Lord Arceus…but you ignore our call? Everyone I could ever hope to love are in danger and there is no sign from you whatsoever. I can feel someone watching me, but…I know it's not you."
'Uh-oh…' Julius thought to himself, fearing the worst should he get caught. However, whatever potential anger Vivian could hurl at him wouldn't be direct at him, but an entirely different target entirely.
"Damn you…" She whispered lowly to herself, a few tears falling down her cheeks. "I suppose there's no longer any point to my devotion to you. You've blessed me, Anju. Hazuki and Nymiera with all these gifts, but…we're in a world that God has abandoned. N-Not even my tears can ease the pain this time. Fine then, I know what I must do. What I must do to save this world."
Seeing this as an opportunity to leave, Julius quietly tip-toed from behind the pillar and towards the exit, only to hear the last words he had wanted to hear at this point in time.
"I know…that you were listening to me, Julius…please, come here for a moment." Vivian requested calmly, the young teen gulping to himself as he accepted his fate and made his way to the older woman, stopping on the stone stairs that lead down into the spring.
"I-I'm sorry for eavesdropping, b-but I only wanted to know if you were alright." He apologized profusely, only for the purple-haired woman to brush it aside.
"No need to apologize, I appreciate your concern. However, I would like to ask you a few questions. Tell me, what's the one thing that's the most important to you?" Vivian asked him, the young teen thinking to himself for a moment.
"What matters the most to me? Easy, my friends and the ones I love with all my heart." He answered honestly.
"Your friends…Friendship is important indeed, as are the ones you love. My friends, Cella, Anju, Hazuki and Nymeria…they're all I have in this life." The older woman responded to his answer, mulling it over in her head. "Next question; if you were forced to do so, would you sacrifice your life for the sake of the ones you love, or the lives of other people?"
"Yes, I would give up my life a thousand times over if it meant Melia and Venam can live in peace." Julius answered honestly once more.
"A most noble answer, Julius. There's something that I can't explain fully to you; I can sense the very presence of every living being around me. For a couple of years now, I've felt new presences pop up suddenly around Kugearen and Amberette Town. And most recently, I felt the presence of four people appear suddenly on Route 4. When I went to investigate, what would I find but you and your friends? Which consists of four members…a strange coincidence, isn't it?" Vivian explained to him, a look of curiosity on her face as the young teen feared the worst
"A-About that, W-We…" Julius began, only for the older woman to hush him.
"It's late, you should head back to your friends and rest. A word of advice for you; once tomorrow comes, you and your friends should leave. Wherever you all came from…return to it. This region's days are numbered." She warned him, the young man nodding in confirmation as he made his way out of her house, a lone thought stuck in his mind.
'Sacrificing myself for others…perhaps that dilemma isn't as hard to answer as I initially thought…' He pondered to himself, quietly entering the house he and his friends were borrowing to catch some much-needed sleep.
The next morning
The bright sun shining through the window had woken Julius up, the young teen hopping off his bed and promptly got himself ready for the morning. However, he didn't hear any of the others getting themselves ready, so he assumed that they had already done so but opted to let him sleep in. Once he finished getting ready, he made his way into the main room where he saw his friends seated at the table alongside Cella and Anju, with Melia keeping her distance from the blue haired woman. Taking a seat next to the blonde, the older woman noticed his arrival and shot him a small smile.
"Ah, you're finally awake Julius. How was your night?" Cella inquired, with the young man remembering his conversation with Vivian.
"I-I couldn't get to sleep at the start, so I opted to go on a quick stroll, which was when I saw Vivian walking to her house. I followed her for a bit and overheard her talking to herself, but I wasn't able to make much sense of it." He informed her, the black-haired woman raising a hand to her chin.
"I see…in that case we'll have to find out for ourselves." She stated, with Erin promptly raising her hand.
"So what's your plan today? Weren't you and Anju thinking up one the other day?" Erin asked.
"As a matter of fact, we have. A long time ago, a boy with white hair visited the village, supposedly he was an acquaintance of Vivian." Cella began, with Melia raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"A white-haired boy…I'm sorry, but did you catch his name?" The blonde requested.
"I'm sorry, but though I did hear it, I don't remember it that well. I think it was something like Keith, or maybe Ken…" The older woman began.
"T-That's Kanon?! It has to be him." Melia exclaimed.
"Yes, that was it. His name was Kanon. Anyway, when Kanon visited Vivian, he gave her this cryptic book of sorts. Ever since she got that book, she's been acting very weird, I'm sure of it!" Cella continued, the pieces starting to fall together.
"I assume you want us to take this book away from her?" Aelita suspected, the two older women nodding in confirmation.
"We'll need someone to go into Vivian's house when she's not there and retrieve the book." Anju confirmed Aelita's statement, as a weird look grew on Erin's face.
"So you essentially want to break into her house and steal something?" The white-haired girl double-checked with them, but the duo stood firmly with their plan.
"On paper, it sounds like a terrible thing to do…but it's essentially what we must do." Cella told them, with Erin, Aelita and Julius growing a little uncomfortable over the plan.
"If Vivian is in trouble, then we have to do our best to help her. If it turns out that she's fine and we broke into her house for nothing, then I will take full responsibility for this." Melia pledged to her friends, catching them off-guard.
"I-I can't let you shoulder all the blame; I'll bear as much of it as you're willing to part with." Julius joined in, only for the older woman to stop them in their tracks.
"It's sweet that you two are willing to accept responsibility for the plan, but this idea is mine and Anju's alone. If things go south, we'll take the blame." Cella offered, only for a small chuckle to escape the blonde's mouth.
"Don't worry about it, you can count on me, Cella." She replied.
"Truth be told, I'm not overly keen on this plan, but if Vivian is indeed in danger than I'm willing to do anything to help her." Anju pledged to the group. "Anyway, we'll need to lure her out of her house and keep her occupied for a small amount of time."
"Luckily, I have the perfect way to do so. I'll make a stink bomb and smoke her out the house." The black-haired woman began, the group raising a few eyebrows at her idea. "Vivian and I used to make them when we were younger, usually for pranking people with. The main material we used to make them with are…Heracross droppings. They usually live in the woods east of Sheridan Village."
"Wonderful…" Erin commented sarcastically. "Talk about a really shitty job."
"I know it sounds foul, but it's really easy to gather; I'll even supply gloves and a jar to put it in." Cella offered, the four teens taking in a deep breath before accepting the task at hand.
"Fine, we'll do it. But I sure as hell am not handling the stuff, even with gloves on." Aelita chimed in.
"I suppose I'll do it then." Julius accepted what he assumed was an inevitability. "Just…don't tell Saki about this; who knows what wisecracks she'll lobby my way should word of this reach her ears."
"Then it's settled; Anju and I will construct the actual bomb while you four collect the materials. Don't dally, we don't exactly have that much time on our hands." The black-haired woman handed Julius the necessary tools, the two groups making their way to their respective destination so they can begin working on the plan.
0000
"Ugh, what's with that smell? Don't tell me that it's mating season for them already…" Julius winced, holding his nose shut as the four teens explored the rough forest before them. If the smell of the male's musk was pungent enough to make him recoil in shock, then just how bad were the droppings going to smell like?
"The quicker we can get this done, the sooner we can get out of here, alright?" Melia reassured the young teen, the group soon arriving at a rocky outcropping, only for a small group of agitated Heracross to confront them. "I don't think they're happy with us for interrupting their mating season."
"Yeah, well they better get over it. We're here for something and we're going to get it, whether they like it or not." Aelita shot back, the angry Bug Pokémon letting out loud chirps in an attempt to scare them away.
"I think that one's looking at me funny…you think it's too shy to say hi?" Erin commented.
"Seriously you two, now's not the time for making jokes!" The blonde told them firmly.
*Sigh…* "Will it make you feel better if we knock them out?" Aelita asked her.
"I think that's what we're gonna have to do, so it's not like we have a choice now." Julius replied, the Heracross slowly advancing towards the trainers as they each got out a Pokéball and threw it to the ground, sending out their Hawlucha, Absol, Togekiss and Vilucard.
The first Heracross lowered its horn and lunged at the Hawlucha, the bipedal bird dodging the attack before grabbing it by its horn and used its strength to fling it towards another Heracross, sending the two crashing into a rocky wall. A third Heracross used its horn to lift up a large rock before hurling it towards the Absol, with the Disaster Pokémon using its sharp horn to break the rock before lunging at the Heracross and slashed at it, the Singlehorn Pokémon letting out a groan of pain as it crashed into a small rock. Meanwhile, a fourth Heracross flew into the air and attempted to knock Togekiss down, with the Jubilee Pokémon dodging the attack and flew back a bit, conjuring up sharp blades of wind with its wings before pushing them towards the Heracross, the attack knocking it out of the air as the Singlehorn Pokémon hurtled down into a nearby tree. The final Heracross was squaring off against Vilucard, the cat-bat making a mocking gesture towards it in order to infuriate the bug. This ploy worked as the infuriated Heracross lunged recklessly at the Vilucard, enabling the cat-bat to trip it off the nearby ledge and onto the hard rock floor beneath the edge. Once the Heracross realized they were outmatched, they promptly fled the area as the four teens sighed in relief, thanking their Pokémon before recalling them.
"Well look at that…they're no longer itching for a fight. Now we just have to collect the droppings; you know what to do, Julius." Melia commented lightly, the young teen sighing to himself as he promptly put the gloves on his hands.
"As you wish…" He replied, spending the next five minutes combing the area for the droppings and putting them inside the jar as the others shot him a small look of sympathy. But soon enough, he was able to complete the task, promptly closing the jar so he didn't have to smell the droppings any longer. "That was without a doubt, the least pleasant thing I had ever done. Half of them were still warm—"
"Please, don't talk about it. Let's just hope and pray that this sordid affair actually helps Vivian in the end." Aelita interrupted him, raising a hand to her chin. "And to think that Kanon might have been behind this entire disaster. That kid can be a troublemaker at times…"
"I don't know if I asked you this before, but what made you want to help out Vivian so badly?" Erin asked Melia.
"Is it so wrong of me that I want to help those around me?" The blonde replied.
"No, there's nothing wrong with that. But you seem…obsessive in helping her out. What did Spacea and Tiempa say to you anyway? What could they have possibly said that would—Urgh…" Erin began, only to fall on one knee before slowly picking herself up.
"E-Erin, are you okay?" Melia inquired, the white-haired girl raising a hand to her head.
"I-I don't feel well all of a sudden, how odd." She replied, wincing under her breath.
"Given how bad this place smells, I don't blame you for not feeling well. Let's just get out of here already—look out!" Julius began, attracting the groups' attention as a Heracross launched a surprise attack on the group, who all attempted to dodge only for Aelita to get struck on her side by the Heracross' horn, before it promptly flew away.
"Aelita!" Melia called out, running over to her friend's side to check up on her.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It didn't scratch me or anything…H-Huh, where's my amulet?" The magenta-haired girl began, desperately searching her pockets for the Time Gear Amulet. "T-The Time Gear Amulet that Spacea and Tiempa gave me is gone!"
"What?!" The young teen called out, quickly getting back up on his feet to check up on her. "Why would it even take the amulet anyway?"
"Don't worry about it; if they're both still here, then we could always ask them for another." Melia told them, gesturing the group to follow her out of the wood, unaware that they were being watched by a mysterious figure.
"You've done well, Heracross. Thank you for snatching that amulet back for me~" Spacea cooed at the Singlehorn Pokémon, taking the amulet from it as she began petting its head. "And now we wait…"
0000
Upon arriving back at the village, Erin promptly excused herself, saying that she wished to rest up at the house they were borrowing before making her way there. Melia asked if she had wanted anything, but the white-haired girl knocked the offer back, leaving the trio to themselves.
"I'm sure Erin will be fine. Anyway, let's deliver these dropping to Cella already." Aelita reassured the other two, the trio promptly making their way to Cella's house. Upon arriving inside, Julius quickly handed her the jar before making a mad dash to the kitchen sink, binning the gloves before spending a bit of time washing his hands, a few low winces escaping from his mouth.
"I see that your friend didn't enjoy the outing all that much?" Cella joked to Melia and Aelita, with Anju applying the finishing touches to the bomb itself.
"Obviously. Now, is this enough for you, because it better be enough." Aelita asked a little curtly, with the older woman eyeing up the jar carefully.
"Yes, this looks to be more than enough. I'll just take it and begin the process of constructing the bomb." The black-haired woman replied, taking the jar of dropping and began the process of constructing the bomb. It took around a couple or so minutes, with Julius having finished washing his hands to see Cella present the finished bomb to the group.
"Now that you have your bomb, what do we do now?" The young teen inquired.
"Right, allow me to go over the plan. I'll ignite this bomb and then throw it down Vivian's chimney. She'll come running out the house where Anju will be conveniently waiting, where you'll bring her back to my place where I'll be waiting to help her out. While that's happening, somebody will sneak into her house and take the book that's in her cabinet upstairs, which I'll leave to Julius. As for the others…your job is to act normally, understand?" She explained the plan to them, with Julius accepting his role in it.
"Very well…I'll do it. At the very least, I'm not gathering her droppings for another stink bomb." He replied in a snide manner.
"In that case, I'll be waiting outside Vivian's house. Speak to me when you're ready." Cella called out to Julius, as she and Anju exited her house with the young teen following them outside. Soon enough, the trio arrived at Vivian's house, with the black-haired woman gesturing Julius to hide behind a small rock. Finding the ideal location to throw the bomb from, Cella took aim and lit the fuse before throwing it into the chimney of Vivian's house. A few moments later, a loud 'crack!' could be heard from within the house, a pungent odor escaping from the building as the purple-haired woman abruptly exited her house, covering her face and eyes with her hands.
"Augh…oh my god, what was that smell?" Vivian complained, coughing slightly as Anju moved from her position towards her friend.
"Oh dear, what happened Vivian?" The blue-haired woman inquired.
"I-I don't know! Something fell down my chimney and exploded, releasing this horrible odor. It smells so bad they my eyes feel like a Beedrill stung them…" The purple-haired woman continued, rubbing her eyes frantically.
"Come on, let's see if Cella has anything in her house that can fix you up" Anju suggested, the duo quickly making their way to Cella's place. Once the coast was clear, the black-haired woman gestured at Julius to quickly dive in and grab the book. Entering her house, he made his way up the stairs into the second floor and found the cabinet the older woman mentioned, and immediately spotted a Garufan Spellbook. Tucking it into his bag, he arranged the scene so that it looked like nothing happened before closing the cabinet door. Afterwards, he quietly exited the house and made his way back to Cella's house, where he saw Anju wash Vivian's eyes out with a wet cloth.
"Hey Cella, how's it—what happened to Vivian?" The young teen asked, quickly forming his cover story.
"Some hooligan threw a bomb in her house that stunk up the place, irritating her eyes. Luckily, Anju was nearby to find her, so she brought her here to wash her eyes out." Cella began, as she and Julius made some distance away from the other do. "I assume you have 'something' to give me?"
"Yeah…here it is." He whispered back to her, discreetly handing the spellbook over to her.
"Thank you, now to—" The older woman began, her eyes widening in surprise upon taking a closer look at the book. "No…I knew it, I knew it!"
"Thanks for the help, Cella. I don't know—" Vivian began, entering the room where she was, only to see her friend holding the book. "Wha…What are you holding?"
"Vivian…explain this to me. Explain this to me right now!" Cella demanded, showing the spellbook to her as Julius back off a few feet. The last thing he wanted to happen was to get pinned to the crime, and the older woman's demands put him at great risk. "Why is this page about a Self-Sacrificial Protection Spell bookmarked?!"
"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about." The purple-haired woman tried to cover for herself.
"It says it right here; you've made notes. This is your handwriting!" The black-haired woman raised her voice in anger, pointing to a specific page that had a few scribbles down the side. "You were planning on killing yourself for some protection spell without telling me?!"
"It was better if you didn't know." Vivian retorted, turning to face Cella. "You were the one who used the stink bomb, didn't you? I remember how we used to make them when we were younger, remember?"
"I knew something was up with you. I knew you didn't want to tell me, but I had to find out what!" Cella shot back, as the purple-haired woman came to a realization.
"So…this was all a plan, and all of you were involved? To steal the book Kanon gave to me?" She spoke, a look of hurt and betrayal evident in her eyes.
"It was to protect you, Vivian. We care about your well-being more than anything." Anju replied, with Vivian shooting a glare at Cella before snatching the spellbook away from her hands and promptly running out of the house.
"Vivian, wait!" Cella called out to her, but she didn't listen. "W-We must chase her before she does something rash."
"She must've ran to the Spring of Purification. That's the only place she'd go!" Anju replied, the two women quickly following after her, leaving Julius to himself for a moment.
"This plan was doomed to fail from the beginning…" He muttered to himself before quickly exiting the house. Upon leaving the place, he saw Melia and Aelita quickly talking to each other, looks of confusion on their faces.
"Hey Jules, what happened back there?" Melia inquired.
"The plan got compromised; Vivian snatched the book from Cella and made a mad dash to the Spring of Purification located inside her home." Julius informed them.
"Guess that explains why everyone's in such a hurry. We can't just stand here and do nothing, we must help them in any way we can!" Aelita told them firmly, the magenta-haired girl making her way to Vivian's house.
"Agreed, let's go after—ow!" The blonde cried out, holding her head as she was struck by a small pebble that landed before her feet.
"Melia! Are you okay?!" Julius ran up to her, quickly scanning the area to see where it came from, only to find nothing.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little surprised, that's all. Anyway, we don't have time to stand here, let's get a move on!" Melia called out to him, the duo quickly making their way to Vivian's house and entered it. Upon entering it, they saw Aelita, Cella and Anju standing before an open hole in the middle of the floor that lead downstairs to some hidden basement.
"The normal entrance to the Spring is closed off, Vivian must've made her way down these stairs. Seems that this is the only way to go on, after all only Vivian and her bloodline can open the door." Cella told the two newcomers. "Seems she wants us to go down these stairs to follow her."
"Then that's what we're going to do…if we don't who knows what will happen." Melia said out loud, the group of five descending the staircase into the dark depths below. They soon found themselves in a linear corridor lined up by stone columns, the place illuminated by several candles. The group quickly made their way to the end of the corridor, where they saw Vivian standing atop a ledge which had what looked like a small teleport pad.
"I thought I could trust you, Cella. I thought I could trust all of you. But you all just don't understand…you haven't felt what I have. In a way, I can't hold you accountable for your ignorance; after all, you all just wanted to help me." The purple-haired woman discarded her animosity towards the group, lowering her gaze to the ground. "But I am beyond anyone's help now. And unfortunately, you all forced my hand. I won't hold back any longer I'll eliminate anyone who stands in my way! Rise, my golem! Fight for me!"
Channeling her inner power, Vivian merged the broken rocks lying around the place as they rose in the air and merged into one, causing a bright light to emanate throughout the area. Once the light died down, the group bear witness to the legendary Regirock standing before them, the large golem letting out a groan as it moved closer towards them. "Please Regirock, buy me just a few moments, okay?" The purple-haired woman requested, watching her companion approach the group before quietly hopping onto the portal and teleported away from the area.
"So…this is so important to you that you would summon your golem to stop us." Anju mused to herself, turning to face the others. "Leave this to me. All of you need to stop Vivian this instant!"
"A-Are you sure…?" Cella asked, with the blue-haired woman nodding firmly in response. "Thank you so much, Anju. We won't let you down!"
Anju watched as the group of four quickly made their way to the portal that Vivian stepped onto, before promptly approaching the Regirock. "You know, it's honestly a shame that you are being used for something like this, Regirock. To be blessed with such a gift from Lady Nymeria…for this purpose? It's just sad…do you even know what you're fighting for, Regirock? That, I truly wonder. However, I have a golem of my own; one that is equal to you in power!" She spoke softly to the tall golem.
Standing back a few feet, Anju used her power to conjure up a large chunk of ice in the air as it slowly began to take form. "An elegant shape. When one's soul and mind are unstable, it would produce an ugly shape. Blessed with the power of ice, I call to you, my golem!" She called out, the chunk of ice hurtling towards the blue-haired woman and pieced her chest, poking out from her back as she was able to endure the intense pain. Soon afterwards, it phased out of her chest and landed on the ground, quickly taking the form of the legendary Regice, as the two golems stared each other down.
0000
While that was happening, Cella and the three teens arrived at the Spring of Purification and quickly followed after her, only for Aelita to collapse on one knee and clutch her stomach in pain.
"Ahhh…" She winced in pain. "I-I don't know why, but I feel very weak all of a sudden. J-Just go on without me you two, don't wait your time on me!"
"I-If you say so…" Julius replied hesitantly, as he and Melia followed Cella to the spring where she and Melia were standing a few feet before Vivian, who was in the midst of preparing the ritual.
"I-I don't understand…why are you still following me?!" The purple-haired woman demanded an answer from the trio.
"Because we don't want you to do anything crazy!" Melia answered out loud.
"We're here for you, Vivian! I don't want to lose you like I lost my fiancée! You're my best friend and you always will be! It hurts me to see you like this." Cella called out as well, only for Vivian to chuckle to herself.
"Well I'm not your friend! I never was your friend to begin with!" She retorted bitterly, glaring at the trio before her. "And like I said before, I WILL eliminate ANYONE who gets in my way. And if that means killing you three for the sake of the world, then so be it. if you plan on being the thorn in my side, then I'll be the knife in your back—"
"Wait!" Julius called out to her, halting her advance. "Before you do this, ask yourself; do you really want to do this?"
"I…I do." Vivian began slowly.
"Is that the honest truth? Are you 100% certain you want to give up your life like this?" Cella asked her firmly, the purple-haired woman backing away slowly before she fell to her knees and began crying.
"Why…why won't you just let me go? All I wanted to do was protect the ones I love from…from…" She sobbed, with Cella making her way to her and held her hands firmly.
"Nothing you say will ever make me let go of you, Vivian. No amount of natural disasters, or calamities will allow yourself to be alone. We're inseparable, Vivian. I'll always be there for you…no matter what trouble we may face." The black-haired woman reassured her friend.
"I-I'm sorry, Cella…to all of you…I didn't mean what I said. I didn't mean…" Vivian continued to sob, as her friend began to gently rub her shoulder.
"It's okay, Vivian. It's okay. Let's go back to my house, okay? This time we'll get you cleaned up for real." Cella suggested, with Vivian nodding slowly as the black-haired woman helped her friend get up off the ground and slowly make their way out of the springs, leaving Melia and Julius to themselves.
"It looks like…we were able to save Vivian after all." Melia smiled, a little touched by the scene between Cella and Vivian. "At last, we were able to save at least one person!"
"It was all thanks to your determination, Melia. I'm sure Venam would be most proud of you." Julius chimed in.
"Yeah…I'm sure she is." The blonde replied quietly. "Don't worry Venam, I will save you. no matter what I must go through."
"Forgive me for being a little rude, but will you confess your love to her once we save her?" The young teen inquired, with Melia nodding in confirmation.
"Yes, I will. And once that happens, we can hopefully begin the process of building a happy future for the three of—" The blonde began, only for a groan of pain to come from down the hall. "Aelita! Quick, we need to check up on her."
Quickly running down the hall, the duo soon found Aelita pacing up and down the area, holding her hands to her head as she began muttering to herself frantically. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't supposed to be this way." She muttered, with Melia slowly approaching the magenta-haired girl, only for the latter to turn around abruptly. "No…you can't have me…no…you can't have me… no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!"
All of a sudden, she was encased into a pitch-black stone statue, an eerie red glow emanating from it before promptly shattering into thousands of tiny pieces, a lock of shock plastered on the duo's faces.
"Wh-What did we just see…? What happened to Aelita?" Julius inquired, fear evident in his tone of voice. All of a sudden, the duo was encased by a mysterious blue aura that lifted them into the air, their Time Gear Amulet's glowing profusely before they disappeared from the area, getting teleported to a place that neither of them would've ever expected.
Talk about a way to end the chapter; I know some readers may be a little disappointed that I didn't write in the battle against Vivian, but I figured I'd save all my creative juices for the next chapter. As I plan on covering the entirety of the bad future in one chapter, it may come out a little later than usually, but I hope it will be worth the wait. Anyway, thank you all for reading, I'll see you in the next chapter.