…
Chapter 11
Scarface
Giselle stares into the distance, shading her eyes from the incredible light. Blonde hair flows and black fur sparkles, and a face glows nearly completely white. She stands there in total shock, not knowing what to say or do.
"Welcome, Gravelpot," a taunting voice calls to her.
Finally, Cynthia steps into full view of Giselle, who nearly shakes with fear. This is the woman who ruined my life, she thinks, as she shivers.
"Kneel before me, Gravelpot," Cynthia says.
Mesmerized, Giselle begins to drop her right knee, before she gathers herself and regains poise.
"I'll never kneel before you!" she shouts. "This is all your fault!"
"Oh, is it?" Cynthia replies. "From my point of view, this is all your fault."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Giselle says.
"I was locked away in the Distortion World by Giratina," Cynthia says. "I was one with Arceus. But I needed someone to open the distortion to enter your universe again."
"One with Arceus?" Giselle says. "That's what that bitch Roxanne says! She was one with Arceus, who, by the way, I don't believe in."
"Who do you believe in, then?"
"That's another subject altogether! How many of you people are going to claim the power of this mythical Pokémon?"
Cynthia chuckles. "You know what happened on Judgment Day, don't you?"
"Of course, I do! We all do!"
"And what was that?"
"Arceus poured out all his Judgment out on you and caused the entire world to be turned to rubble! The atmosphere was ruined, radiation made it impossible for anyone to breathe outside, and all Pokémon were destroyed!"
Cynthia smirks. "What if I told you that you're wrong?"
"Oh, sure, gaslight me some!" Giselle responds, with her hands on her hips. "What the hell do you mean?"
"When Arceus brought down Judgment, it was not on me. Rather, I was the one bringing down the Judgment."
Giselle's eyes grow wide, and she finds herself unable to respond.
"That's right. Arceus and I are one and the same," Cynthia says. "We always have been and we always will be. My goal was to destroy everything in this world and create a brand new one. A world where every person would serve me as my slave. A world where my slaves would rebuild this land from the ground up. They'd build beautiful castles, fantastic skyscrapers, and brilliant bridges. There'd be no need for Pokémon anymore. All of humanity would all be in service to me."
Giselle shakes her head worriedly. "I'm still not getting this."
"Don't you get it, Gravelpot?" Cynthia says. "The sacrifice of your daughter was the catalyst to bring me back into this world. Giratina had me locked away, stuck in the Distortion World and unable to fulfill my goal. But I planted seeds in Sabrina's mind while I was torturing her, shortly before Judgment Day. It was I who allowed her to escape being killed. My plan all along was to wait ten years for your daughter to be old enough for me to be brought back into this world. I knew that then Sabrina would use her powers to sacrifice your offspring in order to bring me out of the Distortion World. And now, I'm back."
At this point, Giselle is having a hard time to keep her composure. She wants to cry, but she doesn't want to show weakness to Cynthia. She shakes her head once more and gives Cynthia an angry stare.
"So, you are the reason my daughter is gone," she says. "It's all your fault."
"Indeed, it is."
"You BITCH!"
Giselle grabs two Poké Balls and throws them toward Cynthia. "Cubone, go! Graveler, you too! Go crush her!"
The Pokémon appear out of their Poké Balls, but as soon as they see Cynthia, both pause dead in their tracks. Cubone bows his head before Cynthia, and Graveler puts his hands over his eyes.
"What the hell?" Giselle yells. "Come on, guys, you gotta fight her!"
"Cu-cu!" Cubone says.
"I'm not getting it," Giselle says.
"Fool," Cynthia states. "You still don't get it. I am one with Arceus, the maker of all Pokémon. Any Pokémon that comes into contact with Arceus cannot fight his or her own creator. Instead, they bow."
Giselle calls back both Cubone and Graveler. "I won't let my Pokémon be your slaves. And I certainly won't be your slave either."
Cynthia laughs. "Oh, don't worry. You'll never get that chance."
"And why not?"
"Because you will be killed."
"Killed? Oh, so you're about to kill me?" Giselle says. "Fine, go ahead. I lost my daughter, I don't know where Joe's head is, and most of all, I lost one of my Pokémon League championships. You might as well go ahead and finish me off."
Cynthia pauses. The silence is deafening to Giselle, who begins thinking that Cynthia is thinking up a brutal way to kill her. "Try to go easy on me," she says. "No cruel and unusual punishment."
But Cynthia shakes her head. "I cannot."
"And why not?"
Cynthia sighs. "I may not kill the pure-hearted chosen ones," she says. "I have power to kill and destroy any other human being in existence. But I am not allowed to lay a finger on the pure-hearted."
"And who made up that rule?"
"Arceus," Cynthia says.
Giselle laughs. "Yeah, I don't believe it for a minute," she says. "There's got to be some other reason you're holding back. You want me to do something for you, don't you? And then you'll go and kill me later, after I've done your bidding."
Cynthia shakes her head again. "No, I cannot. There is only one who can kill the pure-hearted."
"And who is that?"
"It is someone you know," Cynthia says. "Only that individual may hurt or kill you. You are impervious to all others."
"Who is it?" Giselle begins to beg angrily. "Is it that bitch Roxanne? Is she the one?"
"I must go," Cynthia replies, ignoring Giselle's pleas. "We will meet again."
A large light engulfs Cynthia's body again, and slowly Cynthia disappears into the light. Once she is completely gone, the pit that she fell into turns dark.
"How the hell am I going to get out of here?" Giselle says. "Pidgeot is knocked out. Maybe…"
She sends out her Cubone and Graveler again. Graveler helps Cubone up his head, and Giselle climbs up and over Cubone. She finds herself able to barely reach the ground level again. As she calls back her Pokémon into their Poké Balls, she suddenly realizes that something isn't right.
"Wait a minute," she says. "I fell three stories, and it only took climbing about one to get out of here. How does that work?"
She stumbles on out of the castle, trying to find Joe. Eventually, she does see Joe standing next to Roxanne.
"Break it up, you two!" Giselle yells.
She rushes over to Joe and grabs him by the collar.
"Is that lipstick I see there?" she asks.
Joe laughs. "Relax, Giselle," he says. "We weren't getting romantic. I would never do such a thing right in front of Brawly, anyway. He'd smash me to pieces."
"Then what the hell were you guys doing together like this?"
"Honestly, Giselle," Roxanne says, "we were just talking about how long you were taking in there while remaining so silent."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Giselle," Joe says, "we thought you had gone nuts cause you weren't speaking at all. We didn't know why you shut up like that."
"We thought we'd hear you complaining or something," Roxanne says.
"Why?" Giselle asks. "Because you think I'm a loudmouth?"
"No, no, no," Joe says. "We are just curious. What took you so long?"
Giselle looks startled. "You mean, you didn't hear me in there? Cause I didn't just talk in there, I screamed!"
"We were standing close enough to the castle that we would have heard you," Joe says.
"Yeah, and Brawly was over there moving some of the ruins," Roxanne says. "He saw you and couldn't figure out what the hell you were doing just kind of stumbling around."
Giselle puts on a face as if to say "Huh?" She then bites her lip. "So, you guys never heard a word I said in there?"
"Nope," Joe says.
"Well, that's funny, because all I did was talk in there. Maybe I was too low in the pit."
"What pit?" Roxanne asks. "We never saw you step down. You just kind of wandered around looking at stuff."
Giselle starts to get angry. "I fell in a pit! And you didn't come to save me, Joe!"
"But there was no pit," Joe replies. "You didn't fall into anything."
"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Giselle yells. "You didn't see all that bright light?"
"Bright light?" Joe says.
"It was quite dark in there," Roxanne says. "We could make you out, and we didn't see you fall anywhere. We didn't see any bright light."
Giselle slaps herself on the forehead. "What the hell is going on out here? I talked with Queen Cynthia herself! And you guys missed it? It was impossible to miss. You must be lying to me!"
"No, we're telling the truth," Joe says. "We never saw anyone, let alone Queen Cynthia. We never heard anyone, not even you. And we certainly didn't see you fall in a pit."
"Giselle, I think I know what's wrong," Roxanne says in a loving way. "You hit your head on the ground when we crash-landed on Pidgeot. I bet you just got a concussion, and you aren't thinking right. It's common, really. Why don't you just lay down and rest for a while?"
Giselle shakes her head. "I am completely lucid," she claims. "I had a conversation with Queen Cynthia herself. And now I know everything there is to know. But since you guys don't want to believe me, I'm not going to tell you a word of it. You don't deserve it."
"I'm interested in hearing it," Brawly calls, walking over from the ruins. "It'd be truly gnarly."
"Yeah, we'll hear it," Roxanne says. "We'd listen."
Giselle then turns to Joe. "Joe, I don't know if I should tell these people what I'm about to say."
"And why not?" Joe replies.
"Because one of them may kill me."
Roxanne bursts out laughing. "Oh, come on, Gravelpot!" she says. "I know Arceus would really frown on me if I killed a pure-hearted one. I have no intention of hurting you. Relax!"
"Okay, then," Giselle says. "Here goes…"
Sabrina and Liza start shooting the Master Balls down at the Pokémon below them in Goldenrod City. The Master Balls work as planned, but there's just one problem.
"We don't have enough!" Liza cries.
"Crap!" Sabrina says, tossing out the last of her Master Balls to encase as many Pokémon as possible. "Luckily, I know someone who could help."
"You said so before, but you didn't take us to them," Liza says. "Why don't you tell me now?"
"Fine, then," Sabrina says. "But we have to head to Four Island in the Sevii Archipelago."
Liza looks thoughtful. "Oh, I know now!"
The two of them teleport away, even as Pokémon tear down the city gates and begin to head south of Goldenrod City.
"Where-ere are we-ee? And why-y am I so-o cold?"
With his teeth chattering, Falkner pulls his body up off the ground and looks around him. He finds himself in a winter wonderland, with snow built up on the ground and flurries falling right on him. He then sees his Pidgeot, lying there motionless. But he quickly moves his eyes off Pidgeot when he sees someone else passed out.
"Janine!"
Falkner rushes over and picks up Janine from the ground. She slowly gets up, completely dazed from the fall that she just took.
"Ja-Janine!" Falkner says. "Talk-alk to me-e!"
"I'm cold," she replies.
Falkner puts his arms around her, trying to keep her warm. That's when he sees a couple of figures far off in the distance waving to them.
"Look!" he tells Janine. "There are pe-people here who ca-an help us!"
He and Janine walk together and push their way through the snow over to the people in the distance.
"Welcome!"
Janine finds herself wrapped in a warm blanket, and she sees Falkner in one as well. She then turns to the girl who spoke to her.
"Candice?" she asks.
"That's right!" Candice replies. "With my boyfriend Volkner! In beautiful Snowpoint City!"
"Wow, you got pretty bruised up," Falkner says to Candice, pointing at her face.
"Oh, these scars?" Candice says, pointing at her face. "Yeah, Cynthia did that to me with her Garchomp. I'm permanently scarred with these two long scars across my face."
"Oh…" Falkner says. "I shouldn't have asked."
"It's all fair game here," Volkner says. "We talk about the evil one frequently."
"The 'evil one' being Cynthia, right?" Janine asks.
"Exactly," Volkner replies. "This is the basement of Candice's house, which is in ruins up above. She and I escaped here before Judgment Day."
"Queen Cynthia wanted to kill me," Candice adds. "She never got her wish, because Arceus rained down his Judgment before she was able to find me. We had hidden in this basement and locked ourselves away. Volkner's Pokémon provide us electricity and heat. We survived for ten years down here, but we've never had visitors."
"So…" Janine says, "why did you come outside just now?"
"It wasn't a coincidence," Falkner says. "I don't believe in those."
"You're right that it wasn't a coincidence!" Candice says. "We heard something loud crash, and we went out to see what it was. Turns out, it was your Pidgeot, which is now healing under Volkner's care."
"He's going to be just fine," Volkner says. "I was more worried about the two of you."
Janine smiles. "We've been through worse. Anyway, would you like to help us on the search for Queen Cynthia?"
Candice and Volkner both go silent.
"I'm sorry, should I not have said that?"
"No, it's okay," Candice says. "We've been hiding from her for so long, that we have no interest in ever seeing her again."
"Yeah, she vowed to kill Candice, and I heard it with my own ears," Volkner says. "We had hoped that she'd never return."
Janine bites her lip. "But you know she's back, don't you?"
"I can feel it," Candice replies. "The scars on my face sometimes give off heat, which they always did when I was in Queen Cynthia's presence. They went back to normal for ten years, before something happened recently that caused my scars to start swelling again."
"It's very painful for her," Volkner says. "She decided that she was going to live here where her face could cool off. I followed her, because, well, I love her. And-"
"And I love you too, sweetie!" Candice breaks in.
"Of course," Volkner says. "Anyway, we know Queen Cynthia is back in our world, and Candice has so much trauma from her that she doesn't ever want to see her again."
"Here's the problem with that," Falkner says. "The only way to escape Queen Cynthia is by defeating her, not by running away. All you do when you run away is delay the inevitable. We've got to find her and defeat her."
"And we've got to do it before the wild Pokémon take over all of Johto," Janine adds.
Volkner looks shocked. "Wild Pokémon?" he says. "But I thought there were no more Pokémon."
"There weren't, until there were," Janine replies. "Apparently Team Rocket survived Judgment Day and came into possession of millions of Pokémon. Now they're running loose in Goldenrod City, and they soon will infest every nook and cranny in Johto. And then Kanto is next. We are trying to both fight the Pokémon and hunt down Queen Cynthia to defeat her for good."
"Well, we don't mean to keep you waiting," Volkner says. "Your Pidgeot should be better by now. You may go."
"Wait!" Candice yells.
Volkner turns over to his girlfriend. "Yeeeesssss?" he says.
"I'm going with them," she says.
"What? Did I hear that correctly?"
"I said, I am going with them."
"Candice, your scars! Your life! Don't throw away everything!"
"I'm not," Candice responds. "Because you're coming with me, and you're my everything. We are going to end Queen Cynthia's reign, and put an end to Team Rocket's schemes."
Volkner rolls his eyes, but then kisses Candice warmly. "Fine, then," he says. "Falkner, your Pidgeot should be back to full health."
"Good," Falkner says. "But my question is, how can we find her?"
"It's quite simple, actually!" Candice replies. "Just follow my scars."
"Your scars?"
"I told you, they become warmer when I am in Queen Cynthia's presence. There's some sort of psychic attraction that causes this. We need to just start flying. If my scars grow warmer, I will let you know."
"Okay, then," a frustrated Falkner says. "This doesn't make much sense, but-"
"But we're going to do it, for her," Janine breaks in. "I hope that there's a day your face will be healed."
"Don't worry about me," Candice says. "Let's concentrate on stopping Queen Cynthia from doing anything further."
The four of them then board Falkner's Pidgeot, and take off.
"You talked with Queen Cynthia?"
Roxanne looks incredulous at Giselle, who had just finished telling her story of meeting Cynthia in the castle.
"That's right," Giselle says. "The one responsible for every last bit of this nonsense – she spoke to me. And we had a pretty nice conversation. I told her to screw off."
"Really?" Joe asks.
"No," Giselle sighs. "But I tried to attack her with my Pokémon. It's no use. She's one with Arceus and apparently invincible to any Pokémon attacks. In fact, Pokémon serve her."
"So, if all those wild Pokémon just released get into contact with her, they'll..." Joe says, with his voice trailing off.
"That's right, they'll take her side," Giselle says. "Which means we're totally screwed."
"But I thought I was one with Arceus…" Roxanne says sadly.
"Too bad!" Giselle exclaims. "Just another lie you're believing, like the one that says I have no daughter. Or the lie that I haven't been-"
"Pokémon League champion three years running," Brawly finishes her sentence. "We get it."
"Let her go," Roxanne says. "She's obviously in some sort of brain fog."
Giselle sits down on the ground, looking completely despondent. "Look, I don't know what to do. I know I have a daughter. I also know none of you believe me when I tell you that I saw that bitch in the flesh. There's nothing left I can do. Joe, let's go die together."
Joe gives Giselle a look of sympathy. "No, Giselle, I know you too well," he says. "Daughter or no daughter, I believe you. I know you are the strongest, most intelligent, most outstanding person I've ever met. We aren't going to go commit suicide. No, we're going to solve this puzzle if it takes going across the whole Pokémon world."
"It's just a shame we can't find anyone who can understand our situation," Brawly says.
"But what if there is?" a voice says.
The four trainers look all around them, before looking up and seeing a Staraptor flying in. On its back are three people, one of which everyone recognizes at once.
"Lucian!" Roxanne shouts.
"Oh, crap," Giselle says. "If he's here, then that means trouble."
"Nonsense," a woman says.
The Staraptor lands, and the woman gets off the back of it. She appears to be very old, in her eighties. With her are Lucian and a twenty-something year-old woman with brown hair.
"Who the hell are you?" Giselle asks.
"Let me first apologize," the woman says. "I am Cynthia's grandmother, Professor Carolina Celestic."
Everyone freezes for a moment, unable to process this information right away. Giselle then breaks the silence with a question.
"Have you come here to help us?"
Carolina chuckles, before clearing her throat. The twenty-something woman and Lucian both stand behind her with stern faces.
"Actually, I need you to help us."
