Ch 11
Caterpie huddled in a ball, staring up at Raykyoudon as the young man stood in the clearing. The winds swirled around him, tearing up the grass and lashing at the trees around them. Raykyoudon had his eyes closed, focusing on something, then suddenly opened them and gazed out at the forest.
"Fallen spirit long since gone, lift your eyes up to the sun. Reveal to all your history. Walk this earth once more in me!" he whispered. The clouds above them rushed to hide the sun as he repeated the words, calling out to some unknown entity.
"Raykyoudon! Knock it off! You're messing with something you don't know how to control!" the Caterpie cried and shimmied away as mist began to creep into the clearing. The sun was blocked and the winds blew harder as Raykyoudon lifted his voice to louder and louder volumes.
"Fallen spirit long since gone! Lift your eyes up to the sun! Reveal to all your history! Walk this earth once more in me!" he shouted, ignoring the wind whipping his coattails and hair around. The mist began to form a shape before him. "Chosen Master of Broken Time! Tell me the Beginning! Tell us all!" Raykyoudon yelled.
"No! Raykyoudon! You have no idea what you're asking for! Send it back! This is wrong!" Caterpie wailed, eyes wide with shock and terror. The young man merely stood his ground, watching the ghostly form that stood before him.
"Pokémon who walks as Man; here I made my final stand. Give my soul peace overdue; lest I live again in you!" the specter murmured as soft as the mist around it. Without another word, it rushed forward and vanished into Raykyoudon's body. The young man arced back with a half-strangled cry, eyes wide as control of his body was ripped away. The winds ceased blowing as he bent forward, gasping for air, hands clutching his throat.
"Raykyoudon! Are you okay?!" Caterpie exclaimed and froze as he turned to look at him strangely. Instead of the golden eyes it had been used to seeing, deep blue ones stared back.
"I... I'm alive..." the young man whispered in awe.
"Dammit, if he's dead, how can he help us?!" Silver demanded of Red, who stared at the obituary displayed on the MasterDex. He blinked and read it once more.
"It says he was loved by Anca Fleur of Neon Town. It's Neon City now. Let me run a scan on her name and see if she's still there and still alive." he remarked as Rui gazed at the sky, tears running down her cheeks.
"How sad; Evice's son died so young. Is that why he wanted Seth to be created? Sera called him her brother, so maybe Evice wanted his son back?" she whispered to herself and rubbed at her eyes.
"She's still there! C'mon, pack up and let's move! This is our best and last chance to find Seth!" Red exclaimed as he grabbed the laptop and shoved it into his pack. "Move it!"
The group scrambled to assemble their things and climbed onto HeartSong and Charizard. The two Pokémon took to the sky, racing towards the bright city in the distance, completely unaware of the fleet of choppers already halfway there. Rui removed the sunglasses that rested on her head and studied them.
"Seth, we're coming for you. Do you want to see me like this?" she murmured, "Will you love me more if I was a Snagger like you?" She released the sunglasses, watching them flit away on the wind towards the unknown. "Seth! Come back to me!" Red glanced back at her as they flew faster.
"Neon City hasn't had problems with gangs or thugs before, not even when Team Rocket still had power. It would be best if you returned to your original clothes when we reach the city." he told her. Rui nodded, still gazing back at the sky. Yes, it would be best to return to her old ways. Seth wouldn't know her from another enemy Snagger without her cute pigtails and bright clothes. Would he?
Rezrik winced as he read the e-mail that had been sent to him. Amid the bright lights and hot beauties of Neon City, he could feel his blood run cold. The sound of oncoming air traffic was of little comfort as he lifted his gaze to the sky. Dark clouds whirled above the city as the people screamed and scattered while a fleet of choppers descended upon the streets.
Dozens of peons raced out onto streets, scouring the area for signs of Seth as Nascour emerged and looked around, tapping his foot impatiently. Rezrik sighed and jogged up to meet with him, hoping he would survive this encounter as well.
"Rezrik! I'm surprised to see you here so quickly! Have you found Seth's whereabouts yet?" the Admin rambled quickly, eyes shifting nervously, "The party is starting soon and we can't afford to lose time."
"We searched Cinnabar Island and found nothing, and I'm not sure if he's in the city. We saw no signs of Seth anywhere here." Rezrik lied carefully, wondering what he meant by a party. Nascour waved him off and looked towards the forest outside the city.
"Fine, fine. The article said Wesley been found dead in the forests, so let's gather the troops and investigate that area. I need for you to find Anca Fleur and get additional information on where he may be." he murmured and climbed back into the chopper, "And hurry!"
"The flower shop lady? What the hell would Wesley have to do with a flower shop chick?" Rezrik muttered as he ran back to the casinos to deliver the news.
Caterpie watched as the spirit in Raykyoudon's body walked around in a slow circle, gazing at himself in confusion. It had seen helicopters flying past overhead and felt a sense of dread wash over it. Raykyoudon was oblivious, studying his hands with a careful eye, trying to puzzle something out.
"What are you doing, Raykyoudon?! What have you brought down on yourself?!" the Caterpie yelled. The young man shot it a startled look before stepping back from it.
"Wh-what?! I can understand you?!" he cried and shook his head, "I don't understand what's happened, but I'm not Ray-whatever. My name is Wesley Evice and I was on a search to find a wild Pokémon." He paused and looked around in confusion. "But something went wrong... and I died here... didn't I?" Caterpie was about to respond when Wes yelped and his hands flew to his head. "Yow! I have to go back to Neon Town! Anca must be worried sick!"
"You can't leave this place! This is The Beginning!" the little Pokémon shouted. Wes glared back at it, a PokéBall in one hand.
"And you're beginning to annoy me! Go!" he yelled, throwing the ball at the Caterpie. With a squeal of shock, it vanished into the sphere and struggled to get loose. Eventually it tired out and Wes grabbed the newly acquired Pokémon. "Strange Apricorn... oh well. Now, to find Anca!"
He raced for the edge of the clearing, intent on getting back to his old life. However, the moment he reached the limit of The Beginning, a surge of pain and feelings of loss and despair rushed into him, knocking him back into the boundary of the meadow. Stunned, Wes sat up and stared at the forest. Something out there was bound and determined to make sure he did not return to civilization.
"What's happening to the world?" he murmured.
Anca plucked the last of the vines from Wesley's headstone and stood up, gazing at the helicopters starting their sweeps across the forest. With a sigh of resignation, she turned and headed back to her old shop, unaware of the two groups of people searching frantically for her.
She arrived at her shop to see a group of trainers peering into the windows. Blinking, she paused and took in the auras surrounding each one. One shone so brilliantly with pure light, it made her wonder if she was related to herself. The others had fainter auras, still pure, still good, but one made her curious. The last aura was dark, almost evil, but it was a mask, covering a brighter aura that hummed softly with a trained power.
"Why do you hide yourself?" Anca asked, startling the group as they spun to face her. She looked directly at Red. "Why do you hide your kind and gentle soul?" Red looked faintly surprised as the others looked up at him in confusion. He smirked and shook his head.
"To protect those who could lose their own to darkness. In this world, I have no need for a soul like that." he answered. Anca mused over it, then looked at Rui. Her eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth as she stepped back in shock.
"It can't be!" she whispered. Rui blinked, her cute pigtails back in order, her old outfit snug and comfortable on her once more. The Snag Machine rested on her arm, ready and waiting for use. "You! You are from the same pool as I am!"
"'Scuse us?" May asked, eyeing her warily, "Are you all up in the noggin?" Anca shook her head.
"I'm sorry. Let's go inside. We'll introduce ourselves when we are away from eyes and ears." she explained and opened the shop, letting the group in and then locking up once more.
--
"My name is Anca Fleur." Anca finally introduced herself, "And I think... no, I believe, you are the people I have been waiting thirty years to meet."
"I'm Red, this is May Thorne, Brendan Birch, Silver Summers, Rui Roane and Pikachu. We've been searching for a close friend named Seth, and we've come to you for help locating him." the mercenary introduced the group vaguely.
"Yeah, so what's with the sudden yelp at Rui?" Silver asked, "You act like you saw a ghost!" Anca pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed.
"Rui, correct?" she asked, looking at the redhead. Rui nodded. "You have the ability to see and sense auras, right?" Again a nod. "I am the same way." Anca placed her bag on the counter as the others found places for themselves around the shop to listen. "I have the ability to see the auras of people around me. I can't see them very well, but my vision becomes very clear if I touch a person. It is a trait that is passed down to certain girls from an old lineage." She waved her hand in dismissal, "It is from another country, but that's besides the point. You're here to find Seth? What assures you that I can be of help?"
"We will tell you what we know, but then you tell us what you have in the way of info. Deal?" Brendan pointed out. Anca nodded. "Right then. Uh, Red? You know this better than any of us." The older man sighed in irritation and rolled his eyes.
"I remember being that way once. I almost wish I shot myself then." he sighed and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Let me begin with what we have learned. You may fill in any gaps I have."
"Thirty years ago, Garik Evice's only son, Wesley, left the region of Orre for Kanto to begin his Pokémon journey. His last known stop was here in Neon City, at the time known as Neon Town. He then died due to unknown causes. In the days following his death, the Realgam Tower that was the focal point of the Orre restoration and terra-forming project was torn down and the blueprints redrawn for building last year. In conjunction to the destruction of the project, Garik also ordered his company to begin experiments on DNA restructuring and genetic manipulation. Gathering the DNA samples of Groudon and Kyogre, he strove to create the world's most powerful legendary Pokémon. After failing time and again, a third strand of DNA was added, that of a human. The resulting efforts of combining man and Pokémon, along with manipulating the genes, created the super-legendary Pokémon known as Raykyoudon.
"Raykyoudon was in human form, but not human born. The experimental project to create him was called Project: WSLY, in honor of Wesley Evice. The final result was Seth Evice. However, Seth was not truly complete, needing one final piece of DNA, that of Rayquaza, the Sky Dragon. Once he had all the pieces, he became the Weather's Master. Upon his death in the Indigo Stadium, Seth was recreated and placed at The Beginning. Now here is the question we've tried to answer for the past couple of weeks." Red finished and looked at Anca. "Where is The Beginning?"
Anca straightened and turned to her cabinet, opening it and gazing at the photo within. Carefully, she reached in and picked it up, holding it tenderly to her before turning back to the group and placing it down for them to see. The trainers leaned forward and gaped in shock at the photo.
At first glance it looked like a picture of Seth and Rui having a blast at a parade, but the picture was faded, and Seth's eyes were blue. Rui had her hair tied in a single ponytail that and had green eyes, the same green Anca had. This picture, no matter how disturbingly accurate it was to the current couple, was not recent.
"This is what I looked like thirty years ago. The young man beside me is Wesley, before his death. This was taken the night before he died." Anca told them, completely serious in her tone and expression. Rui gasped.
"He looks like Seth!" she cried.
"Project: WSLY was never an attempt to create a super-legendary Pokémon." Anca went on darkly, arms folded over her chest. "It was an attempt by a madman to bring back the dead."
Neon Town, June 2, 2140-
Jirachi and Celebi appeared over a funeral as the rain drizzled down. Anca knelt by the open grave as a black casket descended slowly into it, clutching herself in a hug as she sobbed loudly.
"Nooo! Wesley! Why?! We were going to be married! We were going to be together! Why did that... monster... take you away from me?!" she screamed, tears pouring from her eyes as the rain soaked her hair and clothes. Jirachi pressed his hands to his mouth, eyes tearing up at the sight.
"Celebi, we saw in the past she had the book. Why are we here?" he whispered in sorrow. Celebi sobbed as she held a tiny bead of black in her hands.
"To punish myself! Time and again, I must punish myself for what I have done." she replied between sobs. Evice stood on the other side of the grave, staring with dead eyes as he watched the casket lower itself into the final resting ground. Anca covered her face briefly, then erupted in another shriek of agony as the portly man tossed in the first handful of soil, still in a state of shock and disbelief, sorrow and numbing pain. Sera looked sadly at the grave as the earth was shoveled in to complete Wesley's burial.
"Celebi, why? What are you talking about?" Jirachi pressed as Celebi flew down and held up the black bead of energy. "What are you doing?!"
"Jirachi, remember my wish! If I fail to repair this timeline, erase me from existence!" she yelled and hurled the glowing bead at Evice's heart, "Darkness of all that corrupts the soul! Take this man as my offering! My punishment for my crime must be equal! Distort the balances of nature, Evice! Twist the rules and boundaries of life and creation! Do what you must!"
Anca watched in horror as the protective man who fathered a kind son suddenly lost the faint shine of a clean aura, eyes taking on a maddened gleam as it turned so black it drained the light from around him. She scooted back, eyes wide as Evice began to laugh insanely.
"No, this will not be true! NO! I will not lose my son to death!" he declared, "My son shall rise again, more powerful than before! I shall instill in those that dared to take my son with the darkness of this wretched day! They will be my army as I take from this world the freedom and life that was taken from my Wesley!"
"CELEBI?!" Jirachi screamed in horror as realization finally dawned on him. The Forest Guardian brought herself into the man's view for a brief moment, then cloaked herself once more.
"Celebi, the legendary Pokémon, you can not stop what has begun!" Evice crowed, "My goals are clear! I will resurrect Wesley and dominate this twisted world! The rain and the wind and the shining sun shall bow to the glory of my son!"
"By the grace of the Weather's Master, Celebi, you gave Evice the idea of creating Shadow Pokémon?!" Jirachi shrieked as she grabbed his hand.
"Yes. And each time I come here, I must do it again. Until I die, this will be my punishment, for a crime I should have known better than to commit." she told him and took him into time again, back to the present day and present events, leaving Anca to stare in terror at the raving madman as the world wept the death of the Chosen Master.
