The Edge of Tomorrow: Chapter 5 – The Chosen One
Jade's arm began to hurt as her mother pulled her further up the stairs. She had never seen her mother act like this. It worried her. Something about the glowing of the Soul of Celebi had caused to become this way. Did it have some sort of effect on her?
Jade grabbed hold of her necklace and examined it carefully as her mother finally let go of her. Jade looked up to see her mother reaching for the string that pulled down a panel in the ceiling. The panel fell, revealing a stairway to the attic.
"Mom, what's going on?" Jade asked.
"No time to explain!" Mrs. McCloud said as she hurried up the stairs. Jade stood at the bottom step, still confused. Curiosity getting the best of her, she stepped onto the stairs and followed her mother up to the attic.
Jade's head poked up into the attic as she stood at the top of the steps. The young girl watched as her mother frantically dug through old trunks, piles of junk, and other assorted things that were housed in their attic. Jade walked over towards where her mother was currently searching for, well, whatever she was looking for.
"What are you looking for, Mom?" she asked. Mrs. McCloud didn't respond, only searched. Jade watched, still puzzled, for a few more minutes, wondering just what in the world her mother could be looking for.
"Found it!" Mrs. McCloud exclaimed. She knelt to the floor, placing what she had found on the ground before her. Jade sat nearby, looking at the item she had pulled out. It was a small, wooden chest. It appeared sealed shut, as Jade could not see any locks attached to it that would allow it to be opened. The only thing of interest on the outside of it was an indentation on the front. The shape of it looked familiar. Then it came to her. The indentation was shaped like the Soul of Celebi. She lifted the glowing jewel up to eye-level. Indeed, it was the exact same shape.
"Mom, what is all of this?" Jade asked.
"I guess we'll soon find out," Mrs. McCloud responded.
"You mean you don't know?"
"Afraid not. However, when my mother gave me the necklace you wear right now, she said that if it ever glowed, bring it to this chest. When it never did, I stashed the chest up here, forgetting about it until today."
"So what do I have to do?"
"I think you just place it right there, and we'll see what happens."
Jade slowly nodded. She moved the Soul of Celebi into place on the front of the chest. It continued to shine as it locked into place. Slowly, the top of the chest began to open on its own. Jade and her mother eagerly peered inside wondering what great mystery lay within in it.
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Glen West sat back comfortable in his office chair. A smug smile came across his face. He felt like he was almost home free. His plans were coming together nicely. He had everything needed to act on Project Exodus. Everything except the one thing that would finally allow him access to the place he had spent his entire life dreaming about. But, he knew who had that missing piece of the puzzle. All that was left was to locate her. West decided to leave that until the morning. He felt he had better get a move on anyway. It wouldn't be too long before Lorenzo stumbled on to what he had done, if he hadn't already.
Still, as he examined a copy of the picture he had taken of Jade at the museum, one thing intrigued him. How had this one little girl managed to get a hold of a piece of the jewel that had eluded him for so long? He had launched expedition after expedition to find the Soul of Celebi, but one after another they came up negative. If the legends were true, that sparkling green piece of rock was the only thing that could open up the gates to the Edge of Tomorrow. He had to get his hands on it.
The question of this one girl still bothered him. There was something more to her than met the eye. He was certain of it. But what? West racked his brain trying to come up with an answer. There was something strangely familiar about her, as if he had seen her somewhere before. Her face, her flowing green hair, they seemed unmistakable. But where had he seen her? Examining the photo further, he hoped the answer would come to him.
And then it did.
West leapt from his seat and rushed towards a bookshelf to his right. Tossing one book after another from the shelf, he scrambled to find the one that would confirm his suspicions. "It just has to be her," he thought. How could he have not seen it before? He had spent his entire life obsessing about the Edge of Tomorrow, and yet he had been so oblivious to her when she entered the museum that fateful day.
There it was. He checked the cover to be sure. It was a children's book, one Glen West himself had read every night as a child. The cover read "The Legend of the Edge of Tomorrow." Quickly he flipped through the book, searching for one specific page. He found it. A smile lighting up his face, he pressed his index finger against the picture, thinking to himself "that's it."
West read aloud the passage underneath the picture.
"And one day, as the legend goes, a beautiful young girl will come along. She will be known as the Chosen One, and will bring with her the key to save the Pokémon. They will once again walk the Earth, all thanks to the Chosen One."
West continued to smile as he looked at the picture. Illustrated there was a young girl with Pokémon surrounding her on all sides. Her long, emerald green hair flowed in the wind as she held a glowing jewel high into the sky.
Chuckling to himself, West closed the book and placed it on his desk. One thing after another was falling into place. He turned off the lights and left his office to make ready everything for tomorrow.
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Jade pulled out the contents of the chest. Carefully she lay them on the floor of the attic. One of the objects that were in the chest was a letter. Another was what looked like a map. The final object was a plastic device, which Jade barely recognized as a tape recorder. Technology had advanced well beyond the point where such electronic devices were needed; an EPA had all the functions of one and them some. It appeared rather peculiar to Jade in that respect. She figured she had better read the letter before fooling around with it.
Mrs. McCloud handed Jade the old letter and asked her to read it aloud. Jade was careful with it, as the paper was so old it appeared ready to crumble to pieces with the slightest movement.
"Dear ancestor," she read. "If you are reading this, it means you have opened this chest and are indeed the Chosen One. I have been instructed to leave this letter behind for you to find."
"Chosen One?" Jade thought to herself. "Chosen for what?"
"Accompanying this letter is a map and a tape recorder," she continued to read. "The map will lead you to a land beyond your wildest imagination. You are the one foretold to free it and its inhabitants, the Pokémon. Please accept this responsibility with great honor and courage."
Jade stopped reading for a second. This was all too overwhelming for her. Mysterious land? Pokémon?
"Could it really be?" she wondered aloud. "But, this doesn't make any sense. I'm no Chosen One."
"Keep reading," her mother encouraged.
"Also, please bring the tape recorder with you on your journey to this land. You will know what to do with it when you reach your destination. Do not play it until then. I regret not being able to go with you, but no doubt, by the time this chest is opened, I have long since left this world. Good luck. An entire species, and maybe more, is counting on you."
Jade glanced at the bottom of the letter. It was signed "Ashton David Ketchum."
"Whoa," was all she could say. It didn't seem right to her, but there it was, in paper, right there in her own hands. She knew what it meant, and she finally realized what those dreams were trying to tell her.
"What is it, honey?" Mrs. McCloud asked, seeing the bewildered look on her daughter's face.
"It all makes sense now," Jade said. "I'm supposed to go to the Edge of Tomorrow. Somehow, I've been chosen to bring back Pokémon to this world."
"What?" Mrs. McCloud said. "You can't be serious, Jade. It must be some kind of mistake."
"There's no mistake, Mom. It's all right here in this letter."
Jade handed over the letter for her mother to read over as she stood to her feet and tried to collect her thoughts. Was this really happening? She almost couldn't believe it, but…it was all true. It had to be. Everything seemed to be coming to her now. It all felt right, like this was her destiny. Smiling, she knew it to be true. Her dreams were about to become realized. A sense of what needed to be done swept over her.
"Mom, I have to go," she said.
"I…I can't let you," Mrs. McCloud. "Even if this is true, it'll be too dangerous."
"I have to do this, Mom. It's what I was meant to do. You have to understand that."
"But how? How will you get there?" Mrs. McCloud looked at the map. "It's such a long way. I can't let you go on your own."
"Don't worry, Mom. I think I know of someone who can help me."