Chapter 28 Kepler City
After the incident with Malde kidnapping Lillie and the fact that they all disappear out of their sight, Ash and his friends are now sitting at the Sonata Pokemon Center. They are using the phone, and the other side of the phone is no other than Serena's father Arata.
"So you say that Lillie has been kidnapped by a mutated Deoxy and human hybrid?" Arata asks as he hasn't heard of this thing happened before.
"That's right. We want to save her no matter what, the reason we called you is that there must be a Chosen of Deoxys, right? Maybe he or she can tell us how to save her." Gladion says.
"I am the chosen of Deoxys." Then a boy walks towards the screen, Ash recognizes the boy and the Plusle and Minun beside him. He says, "It has been a while, Ash."
"Tory, nice to see you as well." Ash says as Pikachu waves hello to the Pulse and Minun. "You are the Chosen of Deoxys? How did it happen?"
Tory says, "After the incident back in Larrouse City, I was asked by Deoxys to join in the Timeless. And my parents also agree to give me this chance."
"I know that friends would like to chat about their times, but the situation is not right for now. Do you know how to make them back to normal?" Gladion asks.
"Well...if we have to take her back to normal, what we have to do is to extract the tainted DNA from her body. But it is not an easy process, since the DNA might infect her to resist." Tory says, and it causes them to get worry.
"I have a plan, maybe it will be useful as well." Just then, they see Taen walks towards them. Arata is surprised to see him again as he is the Chosen of Kyurem. He is trembling and he asks, "Ash, why is the traitor with you?"
"Master Arata." Ash says. "Please calm down, he just fakes to betray us. Even though he is a member of the Perfection Cult, he is still on our side."
After explaining his reasons for the betrayal to Tory and Arata. Arata says, "I see...so it is Adam that wants you to betray us...I understand now. So what are you planning?"
"I will call my father and let Tory go to his side to help with the cure. With the knowledge passing down from Tory, it will be quicker to make the viral for the cure." Taen says.
"What? But he is a cult leader!" Emily says as the others are also suspicious. "How can we trust him?"
"Believe me, Dad also wants to save my grandfather, I am sure that he won't hurt him." Taen retorts back at first, but then he calms down and says. "Just trust me, please."
Arata says, "It is true that Reukra is a cult leader, but this is a bet we must take. Tory, can I trust you to go to the Perfection Cult to help Reukra?"
"You can count on me." Tory says as he leaves.
After the call ends, Taen goes to call his father. As Taen tells him about the news, Reukra asks, "I want to ask you a question: Why are you keen to help Malde? He might be nothing to you, but why are you doing this?"
"I-" Taen doesn't know how to reply. Reukra says, "Taen. Do you know the true reason I let you go with Ash and his friends? Because I can't let my stress inflict on you."
"What do you mean Boss?" Taen asks in confusion, but Reukra just lowers his head.
"Don't call me boss." Reukra says. "Instead...call me Dad, or father, or whatever you like since we are related."
Taen is shocked that his father knows he is his son, he asks, "You knew this the whole time? You knew I was your son? Why didn't you tell me about this? Do you know it is hard not to tell you about this truth?"
Reukra says, "I am sorry to hide this from you, but ever since you showed up in my cult with your Kyruem, I have been investigating you until recently, I realized that you were my son. Instead of leaving me as your mom did, I am grateful that you stood by my side for this whole time."
"Dad..." Taen says with a tear in his eye.
"We will be meeting again...in Kepler City. I hope you will be there." Then they end the call.
Harmony then walks towards Taen, she asks, "So what did Reukra tell you?"
Taen says, "He knew... he knew I was his son...and he was grateful for me to come into his life again..."
Ash and his friends are happy for him, then Taen says, "Dad told me that he is going to meet the Kepler City Gym Leader, Anastasia."
"Anastasia..." Harmony says, "She probably doesn't know that Reukra is a cult leader...I will have to warn her as well."
"So you know the next gym leader?" Ash asks, and Harmony says, "Along with Professor Sylvan, the four of us are best friends in university."
Gladion says, "I don't know what his reason is, but we have to go there as well."
Harmony nods and says, "And the other thing is Malde and Lillie, if you guys see them again, you have to let me know."
The others nod as they leave the city and bid farewell to Harmony and head over to Route 10.
They then race the Sonata Tracks, then they get to Route 10, it starts to rain, so they all get an umbrella to keep themselves dry. Damian feels bad about making Lillie get caught and seemingly mutated as well, so he decides to tag along with the others for a while. After passing Route 10, they get to the Maelstrom 9, a peaceful sea with nothing in it.
"This place seems quite fishy..." Gladion says as he senses an uneasy feeling.
"Yeah, there are no fish here." Ash says. "Why?"
"I don't know." Alice says as she is also confused as well. "But Kepler City is up ahead, I don't think we should worry much about this place."
Then they swim towards the city and then get off their Pokemon, they then head towards the gym to find Anastasia. But as they get inside the gym, they see nobody there.
"Where will she go?" Nora asks.
"I don't know, maybe her secret lab?" Damian asks. "I heard that she might be doing some inventing in the secret labs."
"I don't think she is in there as well..." Taen says, "I have to guess...it may be the Observation Center over there."
As they go inside, they see two scientists are working, but when they walk forward, a woman bumps into Ash.
"Oof! Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. One moment please." The woman then goes to talk to a scientist.
Alice says, "If I am correct, that woman over there is Anastasia."
"She?" Emily says.
"The telescope is completely fine. I don't know what you're talking about." Anastasia says.
"But there's a white glare in the middle of the image. It's clearly broken somehow!" The scientist says.
"In the astronomy world, right, we call that a star." Anastasia says.
"That's not what that-"
"We'll talk about this later. If you spent less time on that project of yours and more on actually researc- Rights. I said later. And don't forget that that "project" of mine is what's funding us in the first place. Anyways."
Anastasia turns to Ash and his group. "How can I help you?"
Nora says, "So you are Ms. Anastasia, the gym leader of Kepler City, right?"
"Oh, so you're challengers. Nice to meet you! That is me and I sure run the gym here. My gym is based around machines. I specialize in both Electric and Steel types. I'd be glad to take you on!"
"But we just want to warn you about the Perfection Cult." Ash says.
"The Perfection Cult? Are you meaning that one of the lackeys might be coming after me...? I see. Thanks for letting me know, but you don't need to worry. Let's just get going. I'm pretty busy at the moment. The sooner we can get this battle done the better." Then she heads outside.
"Now what?" Damian asks.
"We'll follow her." Taen says as they catch up to her. But when they go outside, the rain starts to pour.
"What?" Anastasia looks around and says, "The weather wasn't like this when I went into the building. This can't possibly be natural...But...what kind of machine could have created this?"
"Not a machine, Anastasia. A Pokemon." Just then. they see Audrey and Lugia above them. What surprises the most is Damian, he can't believe that his mother is still alive, let alone being a cult leader."
"Audrey..." Ash says, as he can't believe he would be meeting the Cult Leader so soon.
"How have you been, Anastasia?" Audrey asks.
"Alive." Anastasia says simply.
"The world is changing, our plan has officially been put into action. The storm is only the beginning. Soon, my Lugia's storms will flood the entire world."
"I thought your group worshipped Kyogre." Anastasia says.
"Oh, we do, believe me...but Kyogre's true value is only revealed in specific circumstances. Those conditions are being created as we speak. And since leaders like you will be too busy trying to save citizens, we can't be stopped. Tell me, Anastasia. Have you ever heard of thalassophobia? It describes mankind's innate fear of the deep, deep ocean. And soon-very soon- we'll be reminded of where it came from."
Then Audrey says, "And don't think I didn't notice you and your group here, Ash Ketchum, though it seems like you have a person missing."
"It is not your business." Ash says. "She isn't dead, and we will save her."
"Oh, save her? Huh? Believe me, it is useless to save anyone who is gone in your life forever." Audrey says. "I will be waiting for you and this time we will settle the score." Then she leaves.
"Wait, Mom!" Damian tries to yell at her but fails. Anastasia says, "Well, that is fantastic. The worst part is, she's right. I can't stop her. I need to protect people from the floods. But you... I am not going to ask you to fight her. I can't ask something like that of a kid."
"Don't worry." Gladion says, "He has won against her before, he can do it twice."
"Is that so?" Anastasia says. "If she has a Kyogre, then she must be in a deep part of the ocean, and the only place like that around here is Maelstrom 9. If the Abyssal Cult is putting their plan into action, then now is the best time to end them."
"That's how it works in the movies, right?" Emily asks. "I mean...defeating them in their own game, right?"
"It is no time for joking." Nora says. "Alice you were spying on them, right? You know how to go there, right?"
Alice says, "Well, my memories are coming back to me, follow me." Then they go to the Maelstrom 9 with the diving suits on.
Now I have been thinking to let Perfection Cult be the good guys, but for the game, I still have to write down their evil sides since it is one of the five cults. And in this chapter, I wrote down Reukra's good side. I hope you like it, the next chapter will settle the Abyssal Cult.
