Hi everyone! It's been a while, but I finally got another chapter 40 done! Whew, took much longer than I intended. Been really busy with school work, but I finally managed to finish this really big assignment a few days ago. Finally a break from all the school stuff, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Plus, yesterday was my birthday, and I had a really good time.
Well, enough about that! It's finally time to see how things went with Cassandra, Pandora and the others. With that in mind, I guess I'll ask:
Which of the characters from chapters 34-40 do you like the best, and why?
Leave your answer in a comment/review. Also, I'll probably be sharing some trivia regarding my original plans for the town's backstory sometime after this chapter. Hope you'll look forward to that! Also, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 40: W-When did you become this strong!?
"Over the course of the next few days, Pandora made her way through many mystery dungeons on her own, and gathered up certain materials as she went along. She had no idea what kind of chaos Erebos might've been causing in the meantime, and so wanted to gather all the parts she needed as soon as possible. Even though she had told herself that she would do whatever it took, she wasn't entirely sure if she would actually be able to bring herself to do it.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon of Illumine Town had managed to set up a camp somewhere, and were managing pretty well despite everything that was happening. However, before they could go back and begin rebuilding their town, they had to do something about Erebos..."
Cassandra was sitting on a rock while quietly watching the sky. She had been spending the nights seeking answers from the stars, and so had gotten much sleep. She had briefly returned home a few days ago to look for Pandora, but hadn't been able to find her. Cassandra just hoped for a vision to give her a clue about what to do next, whether it was how she could help the Pokémon she had failed, or how to locate Pandora.
"Mother… What should I do…?" Cassandra muttered, staring at the sky. "What can I do at this point?"
Cassandra closed her eyes, feeling the soft breeze blowing against her face.
"Cassandra?"
Cassandra opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder to see Simon approaching her.
"Simon…" Cassandra said, looking away.
"Cassandra, this isn't your fault," Simon said, putting his hand on Cassandra's upper arm.
"Yes, it is," Cassandra responded, sighing. "I'm the worst town oracle ever…"
"Even if Illumine Town was burned down, everyone is still here," Simon said, glancing over at the other Pokémon. "If we all work together, we can rebuild our town."
"I'm sure you can," Cassandra responded, nodding her head slightly. "After all, you guys manage fine on your own, so you'll probably all be fine without me."
"That's not true," Simon replied, looking down. "I… I certainly wouldn't want to live in a town without you in it…"
"… Just what do you see in me, Simon?" Cassandra asked, turning around to face him.
"Uh, what do you mean?" Simon replied, blinking a few times. "You're... inexperienced as a town oracle, but I know your heart is in the right place. What you want most is to be able to help others, right?"
"Well… I suppose…" Cassandra responded, nodding her head slightly.
"Cassandra, look around," Simon said, pointing one of his spoons to the other Pokémon. "Do you see these Pokémon? They need you, Cassandra."
"Me…?" Cassandra responded, pointing to herself.
"Before we can build a new town, we need to do something about Erebos," Simon said, smiling at Cassandra. "However, we don't know where he is, or how he can be stopped."
"But I don't know what to do either," Cassandra responded, looking downwards. "Just how am I supposed to be of any help…?"
"You're the only one who can read the stars," Simon replied. "Surely, they will give you the answers you need eventually."
"… Do you really think so?" Cassandra asked, looking up at Simon. "You… think I can still make things right?"
"I know you can," Simon responded, still smiling at Cassandra. "But you look kind of tired. So, why don't you get some rest, and once the sun goes down, you can continue seeking out answers? It might be easier when you can see the stars clearly, after all."
"I… suppose I should do that," Cassandra replied, yawning.
Cassandra lay down near a tree, while Simon looked around at the other Pokémon that were heading off to gather food and other supplies. Everyone was doing their best at what they could do for now, but they would need a way to track down Erebos before they could do anything else. Surely, Cassandra's visions would help with that, but then there was the issue of what to do once they found him.
"Hmm… I wonder where Pandora disappeared to," Simon said, holding a hand to his chin. "She might be able to do something…"
He thought about it for a few moments, before he had a sudden realization.
"Perhaps… That's why she went off somewhere on her own," Simon said. "She's planning on dealing with her brother all by herself…"
Pandora made her way through a maze-like cave, trying her best to fight off the wild Pokémon on her way. As she finally reached the end of another mystery dungeon, she took a few moments to catch her breath before looking around. Using her Will-o-Wisp move to light up the final room of the cave, she managed to spot several small crystals sticking out from the ceiling. She then charged up and fired a Shadow Ball attack at the ceiling, and made sure to move out of the way as pieces of rock came falling down.
The blue flames formed a circle around the fallen rocks. She could see the crystals glisten among the fallen rocks, and smiled as she gathered them up.
"Good…" Pandora said, as she examined the crystals. "This should be just what I need…"
She put the crystals into a pouch in which she were keeping the items she had picked up on the different floors of the mystery dungeon, before looking back at the rocks and picking up one.
"Better take some of these as well…" Pandora said, putting away some of the rocks. "Just in case…"
Having finished her mission, Pandora retrieved an Escape Orb from the pouch, and used it to exit the mystery dungeon. Reappearing outside of the cave, she floated over to some bushes where she had hidden a basket full of different materials she had retrieved from other mystery dungeons.
"Hopefully, I have enough now…" Pandora muttered to herself, taking a scroll out from the basket and looking over it. "Let's see…"
"While Pandora continued working on a way to stop Erebos, Cassandra kept a close eye on the stars in an attempt to figure out when and where they would have an opportunity to do something about Erebos. Eventually, the Pokémon from the ruined Illumine Town were joined by a few of the Pokémon living near the mystery dungeons nearby, who wanted to help in the battle against Erebos because he had been messing up their homes as well. Since they could use all the help they could get, Cassandra decided to assign them to different teams. They would help gather food, or search mystery dungeons for signs of Erebos.
Eventually, Cassandra finally received a vision that gave her the clue she needed…"
"… So, he'll be headed for the Axis Tower?" Simon asked, looking at Cassandra. "Why would he go there?"
"I'm not sure," Cassandra responded, shaking her head. "All I know is that he will be going there, and we should try to get there first."
"But… when, exactly, will he be going there?" Simon asked. "And what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"Hmm… I don't know," Cassandra responded. "I doubt luring him into a trap will be easy…"
"Even if we manage to lead him into an ambush, what would we do then?" Simon asked.
"I really don't know," Cassandra replied, sighing. "Pandora probably knows more about this than anyone else here, but I don't know where she went off to…"
"About that…" Simon said, looking away. "I… I have a theory as to what Pandora might be up to…"
Cassandra listened as Simon explained what he thought.
"I see…" Cassandra responded, nodding her head slightly. "So, Pandora might be trying to find a way to stop Erebos all on her own…"
"Do you think we should look for her?" Simon asked. "If we combine our power, I'm sure we can track her down."
Cassandra held a hand to her chin as she thought about it for a few moments, before shaking her head.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Cassandra responded, shaking her head. "I have a feeling that she will come find us once she has figured out what to do."
"What makes you think that?" Simon asked.
"I guess you could call it a hunch," Cassandra responded.
"You really believe in her that much?" Simon asked, tilting her head slightly. "Remember, it's her brother that is behind all of this."
"I know…" Cassandra responded, sighing. "It doesn't feel right to rely on her to handle this, but she's the only one who can… She knows that too."
"Even if she knows that… Do you really think she can bring herself to do it?" Simon replied, looking away.
Cassandra didn't answer him. She just turned around and sent out a telepathic message to all the Pokémon that had gathered in the area. Even if she didn't believe it was possible to defeat him without Pandora's help, she still wanted to try to come up with a strategy for confronting Erebos. Since she knew where he would go in the future, she hoped that there was at least something they could do.
"Once again, Cassandra helped with preparations to head over to the mystery dungeons near the Axis Tower, organizing groups of Pokémon into teams, gathering up available items and trying to think of a battle plan. If nothing else, she hoped that they at the very least could keep Erebos from causing any more chaos until Pandora could find a way to stop him for good. Simon did what he could to help, and even though Cassandra kept a smile on her face as she tried to boost the morale of the other Pokémon, he could tell that she still had her doubts.
In the meantime, Pandora was working on building a small dark-gray chest made from stone, decorated with purple gems. A part of her hoped that she wouldn't have to use this magical item, but she knew that she couldn't let her resolve falter. If she didn't have the willpower, there was no way the spell would work. Pandora just kept working, quietly reminding herself that it was for Cassandra's sake.
Once preparations to head for Axis Tower were complete…"
Cassandra quietly watched a few teams head into Meridian Forest, taking a deep breath in order to relax. As she thought about everything that had happened, Simon walked up to her. The two psychic types just quietly observed the other Pokémon, until Cassandra finally turned to Simon and spoke up:
"Simon, what do you think will happen from now on?" Cassandra asked, once again looking at the teams by the entrance to the mystery dungeon. "After all of this is over… We're going to rebuild our town, aren't we?"
"I suppose so," Simon responded, nodding his head.
"And then… we'll all go back to our normal lives?" Cassandra said, holding a hand to her chin. "Well… Maybe normal isn't the right word…"
"You have a point there," Simon replied. "It's not possible for things to go back to exactly how they were before, but with your guidance, I'm sure we'll be able to create something new and wonderful."
"… Thank you, Simon," Cassandra responded, smiling at him. "Although, sometimes I wonder if you might have a bit too much faith in me…"
"Perhaps I do," Simon replied, chuckling a little.
"… Well, I suppose it is about time we get going as well?" Cassandra asked, looking over at the entrance to the mystery dungeon. "Most of the teams are probably already on their way, so we'd better go after them."
"Yes, let's get going," Simon responded, nodding his head. "I'll just go get the items."
While Cassandra waited in front of the mystery dungeon entrance, Simon quickly went over to pick up a set of basic items needed for exploring mystery dungeons that had been prepared for this occasion. As he joined Cassandra by the entrance to the dungeon, something occurred to him.
"Cassandra, wait…" Simon said.
"What is it, Simon?" Cassandra asked, looking over at Simon.
"Well, it's just… this will be a dangerous mission," Simon responded, nervously tapping his spoons together. "And, um… if anything were to happen… I mean, not that anything bad will happen to either of us, but… I have something I want to say anyways…"
"Yes?" Cassandra replied, nodding her head slightly. "Go on, I'm listening."
"C-Cassandra… I have always… I mean, for a long time, I've…" Simon stuttered, blushing slightly. "The way it is… you see… I…"
"Don't worry, Simon," Cassandra said, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just say what it is you want to say."
"I-I'm trying…" Simon responded, nodding his head slightly. "I just… can't quite seem to find the right words…"
"But you know what it is you wanted to say, right?" Cassandra asked.
"Y-Yes, but…" Simon responded, glancing around as if to make sure no one was watching or listening in on their conversation. "I'm sorry, I… I guess I'm just not brave enough…"
"That's not true," Cassandra replied, shaking her head. "Don't you remember how brave you were, when Erebos set our town on fire and you just teleported in there and started evacuating everyone?"
"Ah, I… I did do that, didn't I?" Simon responded, rubbing the back of his head.
"You certainly did," Cassandra replied, smiling at Simon.
"Well, then… I guess I'm a little brave…" Simon said, blushing slightly.
"You're very brave," Cassandra responded.
"Oh… Thank you, Cassandra," Simon replied, smiling back at her.
"No problem," Cassandra responded, nodding her head. "Should we get going, then? If we want to catch up to the others, we should probably head inside the dungeon now."
"I guess you're right," Simon replied, nodding his head slightly.
Cassandra walked over to the entrance to the mystery dungeon in Meridian Forest, and was about to step inside. Simon closed his eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.
"Cassandra, I love you!" Simon suddenly blurted out.
Cassandra was startled by Simon's sudden outburst and turned around, while Simon covered his mouth with his hands upon realizing what he had just said. The two psychic type Pokémon quietly looked at each other, until Simon managed to speak up once more.
"I… I finally said it…" Simon said, sighing in relief.
"Simon…" Cassandra responded, smiling and embracing the Alakazam. "I love you too!"
"… Really!?" Simon replied, looking up at Cassandra.
"Of course I do," Cassandra responded. "You've always been there for me, supporting me, helping me… Even when I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not, you've always believed in me… I can't tell you how happy that makes me."
Simon just quietly stood there in an almost stunned silence for a few moments, before a smile appeared on his face. He grabbed Cassandra's hand, and the two went into the Meridian Forest together.
"Don't worry, Cassandra," Simon said, confidently smiling at her. "I'll protect you from any wild Pokémon that get in our way!"
"Of course," Cassandra responded, nodding her head slightly. "Since you finally found the courage to tell me your true feelings, I'm sure nothing can defeat you now!"
"That's right!" Simon replied, confidently leading Cassandra. After a few moments, he suddenly realized something. "Since I finally found the courage… Wait a minute… Cassandra, did you… already know?"
"Well… Yes, I did," Cassandra responded, smiling sheepishly. "I've known for quite some time, actually, but I didn't say anything because I knew you would tell me when you were ready."
"Ah, I see…" Simon replied, blinking a few times. "But… how did you find out?"
"Simon, I'm a psychic type Pokémon," Cassandra responded, giggling a little. "Keeping secrets from us isn't easy, as I'm sure you know."
"Oh… right," Simon replied, blushing slightly.
"Come on, let's hurry up!" Cassandra said and smiled at Simon.
"Yes, let's pick up the pace," Simon responded, nodding his head.
"Cassandra and Simon followed the different teams of Pokémon headed for Axis Tower. Elsewhere, Pandora was adding the finishing touches to the magical stone chest…"
A purple aura surrounded the chest as Pandora charged it with her own ghost energy. The gems on the chest began to light up one by one, and soon they were all shining brightly while a purple glow remained around the chest even after Pandora stopped charging it. She picked up the box with her sleeve-like arms, and examined it. She smiled as she admired it.
"It's done…" Pandora muttered, putting the stone box into her bag. "Now, I just need to find Erebos…"
Her smile faded a little, and she left the cave she had been hiding in. She floated further away from the cave until she reached a pond, and began chanting a spell. Soon, an image began to show in the water.
"… Is that Axis Tower?" Pandora asked, staring into the water. "Why would my brother want to go there…?"
She stared down into the pond for a few more moments, before her eyes suddenly widened.
"No, he couldn't be after…?" Pandora muttered, before turning around and quickly flying off in the direction of the tower. "I can't let this go on any longer…!"
"Axis Tower is where eight crystals help maintain the balance of our world, and protect this region. At the time, no one knew exactly what Erebos' intentions for coming here were, but now, I think we can all guess what he was probably planning to do. The various teams soon arrived near the tower, and prepared to ambush Erebos the moment his shadowy form appeared. However, Erebos realized what they were doing, and forced them out from their hiding spots with his dark magic.
Cassandra and Simon did their best to lead the various teams in the battle against the evil spirit, but neither side was gaining an advantage. Erebos' shadow form and his dark magic allowed him to resist most of the attacks thrown at him, while the other Pokémon were able to resist the various dark magic assaults by helping out each other."
"What should we do, Cassandra?" Richter asked, glancing over at the Gothitelle while trying to pull off some vines that had tangled themselves around Era's legs.
"At this rate, this might go on forever…" Era's left head commented.
"I… I'm thinking about it…" Cassandra responded, looking up at the shadowy form fighting against the Pokémon on the ground.
"At least we're able to do something," Simon commented. "Although, I wonder how much longer we can keep this up…"
"Cassandra, it's coming this way!" Era's heads shouted in unison, as the large shadow suddenly flew towards them.
Simon quickly moved in front of Cassandra, glaring at the dark spirit as it headed towards them.
"I won't let you hurt her!" Simon exclaimed, stretching out an arm as if to block the path.
Erebos just laughed, swirling around the two psychic types.
"So, you intend to protect her?" Erebos asked mockingly. "Just how do you intend to do that? Do you honestly think you can fight me?"
"If it's for Cassandra, then I certainly won't lose to you!" Simon responded.
"Oh, so that's how it is?" Erebos replied, seeming rather amused. "Willing to fight a foe you can't beat, just to protect your special somebody… For an Alakazam, you're not very bright, are you?"
Erebos suddenly wrapped his shadowy form around Simon, much like a snake, and lifted him up from the ground.
"Simon!" Cassandra called out, reaching out for him.
Erebos just laughed, and watched as Simon struggled to try to free himself.
"Tell me, did you think that the power of love would allow you to do something?" Erebos asked, tightening his grip around the Alakazam slightly. "While love is probably a powerful thing and all, you can't exactly use it to fight evil spirits, now can you?"
"He might not be able to defeat you, but perhaps I can!" a familiar voice called out.
Cassandra smiled, and Erebos seemed surprised as they saw who it was.
"Pandora, I knew you'd come!" Cassandra said, sighing in relief.
"Pandora…?" Erebos said, staring at his sister. "Hmm, what is this…?"
Pandora glared at her brother, before sending a wave of ghostly energy in his direction, forcing him to drop Simon. Cassandra quickly ran over to the Alakazam to make sure he was all right, and Simon gave a quick thumbs-up to show that he was. Erebos shuddered for a moment, before recovering from the attack.
"Pandora, what do you think you're doing?" Erebos asked, snickering a little.
"Erebos, one way or another, I'm putting an end to this now," Pandora responded, setting down the small stone box on the ground. "If you surrender now, and help fix the mess you made, then I won't have to take you down by force."
"… Pandora, I thought you knew this by now," Erebos replied. "But you are the weaker of the two of us, which means you can never defeat me!"
"You underestimate my power, Erebos," Pandora responded. "I do have the power to defeat you, and I will use it unless you surrender now!"
"Ooh, I am so scared," Erebos replied mockingly. "My silly little sister is going to punish me!"
Erebos laughed maniacally as he blocked off an attack by one of the teams on the ground, before using his dark magic to stop their movements. He then turned his attention back to Cassandra and Simon.
"You know, Pandora… I'm glad you came," Erebos said, giggling gleefully as he stared down at Cassandra with glowing red eyes. "Now you can watch as I kill your friend!"
"I already told you I won't let you hurt Cassandra!" Simon shouted as he once again moved to get between Cassandra and Erebos.
"Oh, how rude of me," Erebos responded. "If you want to die first, then that's okay too!"
Simon grabbed Cassandra's arms and teleported out of the way just as a bolt of dark energies were about to hit them. The two reappeared a short distance away.
"Simon…" Cassandra said, embracing the Alakazam.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Simon responded, smiling at Cassandra.
"Ah, teleportation," Erebos commented. "Very clever, but it'll only delay your demise."
Pandora sighed as Erebos fired off a few more bolts of darkness, Simon just barely managing to teleport out of the way with Cassandra. She stared down at the stone box for a few moments.
"… I guess I have no choice," Pandora muttered.
Pandora closed her eyes, and began chanting a spell. One by one, the purple gems on the chest lit up, and the lid opened up. As light started shining from the empty box, Erebos stopped his attacks and turned around.
"What are you doing, Pandora?" Erebos asked.
Pandora did not answer him. She just closed her eyes and continued to chant. Soon, Erebos felt as if he was being pulled towards the box.
"W-What's happening!?" Erebos exclaimed, trying to resist the magical force pulling him in.
"This spell will seal away a dark spirit," Pandora explained, opening her eyes and looking up at Erebos. "You left behind some traces of dark magic near our home, so I used those to make sure that the spell would target you."
"P-Pandora, you… you can't do this!" Erebos shouted, glaring at his sister. "Make it stop!"
"I can't," Pandora replied, solemnly shaking her head. "The spell can't be stopped now, and as long as my magic powers it, you will never escape."
"You…!" Erebos snarled, firing a bolt of dark magic towards Pandora. Pandora simply raised one of her sleeve-like arms, instantly creating a barrier to block it.
"Impossible!" Erebos exclaimed. "W-When did you become this strong!?"
"I… I'm not sure," Pandora responded, looking away. "However, no matter where this power came from, it'll allow me to put an end to this chaos!"
Cassandra, Simon and the other Pokémon watched in awe as Erebos struggled against the power of Pandora's spell. Eventually, Erebos just laughed and stopped fighting it.
"Fine, I'll let you win this time," Erebos said as his smoke-like being was being absorbed by the box.
"Erebos…!" Pandora gasped out, a few tears falling from her eyes.
"But this isn't over," Erebos said, snickering. "Your magic will run out eventually, and when it does…"
As the rest of Erebos' spirit disappeared into the box, the lid slammed shut. Things were quiet for a few moments, before Pandora picked up the box once more. Pandora just stared at the box, while Cassandra carefully approached her.
"Pandora…" Cassandra said, reaching out a hand.
"Cassandra, just…" Pandora choked out, not even turning to look at her friend. "I… I need some time alone…"
Cassandra watched as Pandora floated away, holding onto the box tightly. Soon, Pandora had vanished from sight.
"Pandora…" Cassandra muttered, barely even registering Simon's hand on her shoulder.
"The next few days were rather busy. Cassandra and the others returned home and began building a new town, which they named "Fenix Town". Cassandra motivated and helped the Pokémon with the rebuilding, helping them find good materials. They decided to make most of the new buildings out of stone, since stone doesn't burn as easily. Simon had moved in with Cassandra, and as usual, did what he could to help support her.
Pandora hid the stone chest containing Erebos' spirit somewhere, and after a few days, felt like talking again. Cassandra sent some Pokémon over to Silver Woods to build a new home for Pandora, and allowed Pandora to stay with her and Simon in the meantime…"
"The new town is coming along nicely," Pandora commented, as she and Cassandra were taking a walk.
"It is, isn't it?" Cassandra responded, smiling at Pandora. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here? You, me and Simon… I'm sure the three of us would be happy together!"
"Thanks for the offer," Pandora replied, smiling back at Cassandra. "But… I don't really feel like I'd fit in here that well."
"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked. "There's room for all types of Pokémon here!"
"Even so, my home is in Silver Woods," Pandora responded, shrugging slightly. "That's just how it is."
"Well, if that's where you feel at home, then… I guess that's fine," Cassandra replied, sighing. "Really would've liked it if you'd stay, though…"
"We can send each other letters," Pandora said, smiling at Cassandra. "And you'll come visit me, won't you?"
"Of course I will!" Cassandra replied, nodding her head.
The two Pokémon continued walking, when they noticed Simon, Richter, Era and a few other Pokémon apparently discussing something.
"What's going on over there?" Pandora asked.
"Oh, it's about a new system for dealing with the mystery dungeons," Cassandra responded, looking over at the other Pokémon. "We think it'd be more organized if we had actual teams dedicated to helping out lost Pokémon and such."
"Hmm… That does sound interesting," Pandora replied, holding a hand to her chin.
"We've already been trying out such a system when we've been gathering materials for building our new town," Cassandra explained. "But it needs work."
"If you keep working on it, I'm sure you'll find ways to improve, and keep improving on it," Pandora said, smiling at Cassandra. "Maybe there's something I can contribute as well."
"Really?" Cassandra asked, looking over at Pandora. "Like what?"
"Well… To get out of dungeons quickly, you need Escape Orbs, right?" Pandora said, tilting her head slightly. "However… Escape Orbs can only be used once, meaning they're rather impractical if one intends to explore mystery dungeons on a regular basis."
"Hmm… You have a point there," Cassandra responded, holding a hand to her chin.
"If only we had something that would allow us to escape mystery dungeons quickly, something that could be used over and over again…" Pandora said.
"That would be nice," Cassandra responded, nodding her head. "Can you make such an item?"
"We'll see," Pandora replied, winking at Cassandra.
"Thanks, Pandora!" Cassandra responded, smiling and looking up at the clear blue sky. "Ah, the future is bright, isn't it?"
"… I suppose it is," Pandora replied, nodding her head.
"… I think this is a good place to stop. For those of you wondering what happened afterwards, I can inform you that the new town continued to grow bigger, and while Cassandra had a lot of work to do helping with the development of the town and the rescue teams, she was just happy to be able to help. Cassandra and Simon lived happily together, and eventually had two daughters together. The older of the two daughters eventually became the new town oracle, while the younger decided to leave on a journey to see other regions and how Pokémon in other parts of the world live their lives. She would often send letters to her older sister back home, and supposedly the older sister got a lot of new ideas for the town from the things her younger sister described in her letters.
Pandora wrote down everything that had happened, with her, Erebos and how to recreate the spell she had used to seal him away should it become necessary. She hoped this knowledge would come in handy for future generations. Pandora and Cassandra stayed close friends, and when Cassandra reached the end of her lifespan, Pandora followed her to the next world not long after.
Cassandra's oldest daughter realized that with Pandora gone, the magic she had left behind would gradually fade. This of course meant that the seal on Erebos would eventually weaken as well, and once it had weakened enough, it was very likely that he might escape. Therefore, she decided to look for someone who could study the magic Pandora had left behind, and if Erebos ever escaped, there would be someone who could stop him.
The stars eventually led her to a young Mismagius named Samara, who had the magical potential needed. Samara was looking to improve her skills in magic, and so agreed to the town oracle's request. Samara moved into Pandora's old home in Silver Woods, and regularly sent letters to the town oracle to let her know of the progress she had made.
And she would later also act as sort of an advisor and friend to future town oracles. In fact, Samara and I have been working together to try to figure out how to deal with the current situation…"
"Huh?" Azure suddenly exclaimed.
"What is it?" Stella asked, looking over at Azure.
"Oh, um… Sorry," Azure responded, smiling sheepishly. "Just a little surprised to hear that this Samara is still around, since… you know, she'd have to be really old."
"Well, as you probably already know, Pokémon tend to age at different rates," Stella replied, nodding her head slightly. "And for ghost type Pokémon, it's a little different. It's… difficult to tell when their life spans might end. They claim that they stay in our world for as long as they need to."
"Ah, right," Azure responded, nodding her head.
"Anyways… The story is not over," Stella said, taking a deep breath. "What happened back then was merely the first part of it."
"So, because Pandora left this world a long time ago, her magic weakened over time…" Sera said, looking up at Cassandra. "And Erebos was able to break the seal because of that?"
"Pretty much," Bow responded, nodding her head.
"I suspect that the unfortunate Sigilyph currently being possessed by him may also have unwittingly helped break the seal," Stella added, crossing her arms. "He most likely stumbled upon the place where Pandora hid the chest, and tried to take a closer look at the "treasure" he found."
"Stella, I have a question," Blitz said, raising a paw.
"Yes, Blitz?" Stella responded, looking over at the young Shinx. "What is it?"
"Your friend Samara… Can she reverse the spells Erebos cast on our friends?" Blitz asked, rubbing the yellow rings on his forelegs together. "Can she help Hercules and the others?"
"She can," Stella responded, nodding her head. "She's already working on something that can reverse the effects of the spells Erebos cast. She will send me another letter once she finishes working on them."
"I see," Blitz replied, sighing in relief. "I hope she manages to finish them soon…"
"Same here," Azure said. "I want my water attacks back!"
Chiaki had been paying close attention to Stella's story, and was now in deep thought. He barely even noticed that there were other Pokémon around; talking about what Stella had just told them all. To think that he and his friends were involved in something that began such a long time ago, and that they would probably have a role in finishing it. So much had happened in just a few days. Chiaki hoped that once this was all over, he and his friends could spend some time together and just relax and have fun.
However, before that time could come, there would probably be even more challenges for them to face. They had found four of the crystals, and four more were still hidden somewhere. And like with the four first crystals, Erebos had probably set up his magical traps around the remaining ones as well. They had found ways to get around the previous obstacles Erebos had put in their way, so surely they'd be able to get to the remaining crystals, right?
But there was also the issue of his lost memories… Could Samara perhaps restore his memories? Or would his memories come back once Erebos was defeated? He wondered where Elina was…
"Chiaki, you okay?" Sera asked, poking the Mienfoo with a paw.
"Huh? Oh, sorry," Chiaki responded, shaking his head. "I was just… thinking."
"Oh, I see," Sera replied, nodding her head.
"Maybe we should head home?" Blitz suggested, looking over at Chiaki. "I know the sun hasn't even gone down yet, but… I kind of don't feel like doing any missions today."
"Me neither," Sera said, looking down at the ground.
"Well… See you tomorrow, I guess," Azure responded, shrugging slightly. "I suppose I'll head back to the café or something."
"I'll go with you!" Frederick said, nodding his head.
Azure and Frederick headed off towards the café, while Sera said good-bye to Blitz and Chiaki, before heading home. Blitz and Chiaki began walking back to their house as well.
"I hope Stella hears from Samara soon," Blitz said, staring at the ground as they walked.
"Yeah…" Chiaki replied, nodding his head slightly.
Now everyone finally knew Erebos' true identity, and it had given them some things to think about. However, at least there was one bright side to it, and that was the fact that Stella and her friend Samara were already in the process of thinking up a plan for how to defeat Erebos. Until then, the only thing the other Pokémon of Fenix Town could do was continue to go about their everyday lives.
End of Chapter 40