Agatha rested for the rest of yesterday, but today was the last day before school would start for her. She waited until it was around nine to head out to the library on her own, wearing her white cloak and a new pair of large, fake glasses to help get eyes off of her.
There weren't any carriages or pokemon on the sidewalk, so she cut in front of the group using the road and continued ahead. Their conversation moved on without them taking much notice.
After a short walk past the main street's line of two-story shops, the library stood out on its own, surrounded by a small, unkempt lawn. The two, small bushes in front of the building had a dull green color as if they were dying.
When the Audino walked up the concrete stairs, she brought her feet up a little extra still trying to adjust.
When she pushed open the doors, the inside was completely dark until she stepped in. The light made huge dust appear in the air as it turned on.
The wood floors creaked as she only took a few steps up to the empty front desk. Agatha knew libraries weren't too popular with the internet being around, but was still a bit surprising.
"Hello?" Audino called.
"Just a moment!" a voice called back.
The Audino's eyes followed the different noises happening on the floor above past the railing. The directions they were happening in were different from moment to moment, and surprisingly loud. She even heard a small glass breaking sound followed by a sigh before someone came.
A female Meowstic floated over the railing and landed just behind the desk. Her eyes just barely reached over the top of it. Agatha was surprised by how young she appeared to be.
"Hello. Can I help you find anything today?" she asked.
"Uhm, a question for you," Audino said. "Do you know the Pharaoh family?"
"The... Oh!"
The Meowstic floated onto the table and smiled looking at Audino's face. "Little Agatha! You changed your look so much! Oh, but you probably don't remember me. How's your family?"
"Mmmm."
Audino's tone made the Meowstic's expression fall slightly.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"My family's not around anymore. I just came to ask you things."
Agatha's quick deliverance threw off the Meowstic. She blinked and looked at Audino as if she didn't understand.
"What?" Meowstic asked.
"There was an accident, and they're not here anymore," Agatha said.
The Meowstic paused taking in what Audino was saying. She stared at Agatha without blinking.
"How could that happen?"
"I need to ask you something," Audino said.
"Okay...?" she answered.
"I need you to tell me about Legendary pokemon," Audino said.
"Wh...What." Meowstic asked. "What is this for?"
"You look like you know something specific, and I want to know," Agatha said.
"What happened with... I need to know what you know and think happened."
"You know about my parents' device?" Audino asked.
"I knew what they wanted it to do," she said.
"The generator overloaded it and caused an explosion. I fixed it, and saw things."
"You repaired it by yourself?" Meowstic asked.
"Yes."
Meowstic looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with Audino. When she finally made it, she had a decision in her eyes.
"Come upstairs with me. So no one else is listening," Meowstic said.
Audino nodded and took the spiral ramp to the second floor as Meowstic floated up. The carpet on the stairs felt a little strange for her to walk on, but Agatha was used to most surfaces now. After taking some time, she could see the bottom half of the Meowstic through bookcases.
Audino walked up to the other side of the bookcase, standing with her arms folded under her white cloak.
"Is this something my family didn't tell me yet?" Agatha asked.
"They never knew any of what I'm going to describe," Meowstic said. "I never told them anything other than that I was a researcher. I'm going to explain things that only a single digit number of pokemon in the world know right now. You are free to ask questions or deny wanting to know this information."
"Right," Agatha said.
"Legendary pokemon that assisted in the creation of the world don't exist- or at least shouldn't exist in physical bodies anymore. Once they left, there existence stopped their bend on reality that caused the age of mystery dungeons. There was also less risk attached overall."
"So what do they do now?" Audino asked.
"Minor Legendary pokemon exist as normal pokemon do, except that there is only one alive at a time. The closest one to us now is a Latios in Valor. Legendary pokemon that assisted in the world's creation operate differently."
Meowstic walked down to another hall of books. Audino followed staying on the other side of another bookcase, walking with her in step.
"They wanted to keep history from darker turns, so they interacted with the world through pokemon called Scions," she explained. "They're normal pokemon that connect with Legendary pokemon, and become capable of using their supernatural powers for our kind's benefit."
"Powers?" Audino asked.
"Yes. Different kinds in different ways."
"And I'm guessing you're one of the few that knows all of this because you're a Scion?"
"Yes," Meowstic said. Her voice fell flat.
"Has anything happened recently that's been weird?" Audino asked.
"The Royal Parade. You were keeping track, yes?"
Agatha hadn't paid too much attention to it, even though it was a big deal.
The Royal Parade this year revealed the identities of princes from Maroon, Valor, and Verity all at once to the public. It was held in Valor's innermost city with only a day's warning ahead of time. It was an old tradition.
"I didn't keep track enough to know what you mean, exactly," Agatha said.
"There was this person nicknamed the Lodestar that had a vision during the ceremony," Meowstic explained. "There was a strange Cinccino in her dream, who called herself a Scion. It was likely a vision given to her with some ability."
"So there's a Scion. What does that mean?"
The Meowstic floated over the bookcase behind her as Audino circled around on the side of the railing. She faced her through the bookcase again, her face still not visible.
"Two centuries can pass by peacefully with no Scions. They only appear alongside trouble. We're like bad omens. We only appear when there's a need for us. Legendary pokemon breaking the rules and creating bodies, at least like that, is even worse."
"I think Palkia did something worse."
The tension in the air built when Agatha implied what happened. The Meowstic somehow didn't react as much as she thought.
"Fair," she said.
"Do you know anything helpful about that place?" Audino asked. "The one the device takes me to?"
"It's called the Distortion World, the old domain of a Creator Legendary pokemon called Giratina. It's enormous, but I have no clue what's in it now. Nothing should be in it."
"There was a strange Girafarig with Palkia there," Audino said.
"Very unnatural. Well... When your parents visited my library, I gave them some of my 'beginner's luck' so they could discover what they were looking for."
"Why help them?" Audino asked.
"I could sense your bloodline is special, somehow. I felt it was for the greater good. Strongly."
"So, what are you thinking of doing? Your plan," Audino said.
"I'll help you research what's going on, of course. Just rest for today, and I'll look into details about it all."
Agatha agreed, and followed the Meowstic back to the first floor. Agatha gave her phone number and nearly turned around to walk out before realizing to ask a question.
"I never got your name," Audino said.
"My name is Alondra."
The Audino's eyes widened a bit from their usual stupor. She was able to see the tears shaking in the Meowstic's eyes, a blink away from running down her face.
"I'll call you after I do some research. Get some rest."
Audino just nodded as the Meowstic's flat voice was starting to break down. She quickly shut the doors behind her.
Agatha's sensitive ears were still able to pick up the Meowstic's quiet cry as she went down the street. She looked down at her prosthetic feet, focusing on the information she shared on her way home.
She took out her phone from under her cloak as she walked. Agatha didn't have to look long to find the news reports that caught her eye.