Chapter Twenty-Eight - Professor Rowan's Great Work
The side trip to the Pokemon center to heal Anna's shoulder was maddeningly necessary, but now Rosa was flying, her feet scattering pressed-in dust from the stone walkways into the moonlight as she weaved her way through the city towards the Storyteller's house. Night had long since fallen, as the winter sun still fell early despite the warmer climate, but twinkling walkways allowed Lacunosa to come to life. Residents dressed in formal attire wandered into too-fancy restaurants, while others bustled in and out of local boutiques and shopping centers. Most traveled in groups, laughing and chattering, and a few dedicated trainers even used the sidewalks as battle arenas.
Rosa passed them all, too focused on settling her drumming heart to really see what Lacunosa had to offer. Anna ran beside her, but her Lucario's steps were steadier. There was no trembling in her fingers, nor burning in her lungs from running too far too long. Thanks to the center, Anna was perfect.
"Excuse me." Rosa gasped, finally forcing herself to pause so she could tap an older woman on the shoulder. She'd been following the directions another citizen had given her a few minutes earlier, but it was too easy to get lost in such a huge place. "Could you maybe tell me where the storyteller's house is?"
The lady spooked and pivoted awkwardly because her fingers were still gripped tightly in her husband's, but then a polite smile creased her lips. "A little late to be seeking out ghost stories, don't you think?"
"Please. I'm in a terrible rush."
She reluctantly pointed, and after a breathy "thank you", Rosa was sprinting again. What could Curtis have found out that was so important? Important enough that he cut his work short to fly back to Unova?
It was her desperation that kept her feet moving. He finally had answers. Maybe Curtis knew what Ghetsis was planning, or what Plasma wanted with the guardian, or even where she could find the creature. Anything that useful would be worth the trip.
Again Zinzolin's warning rung in her ears, a loathsome fly that wouldn't leave her. What if Curtis was a traitor? If he worked for Team Plasma, she'd have no way of knowing until it was too late.
Then again, Zolin was a Plasma admin. She had no reason to trust his word, either.
Anna suddenly hit the brakes, and Rosa skid to a stop as well. They'd reached a quieter part of town, away from the main square. The air was still now, the only sound being the chirping of bug Pokémon. It was soothing, and helped quiet Rosa's frantic heartbeat. Her long months traveling hadn't lessened her distaste for crowds.
"Do you think this is it, Anna?" She asked, staring at the gated house in front of them. It was a stupid question – Anna wouldn't have stopped otherwise – but she couldn't help but ask anyway. Why would Curtis ask to meet her here?
The house was small and square, molded from the same gray bricks the city's foot trails were. An array of flowers covered the beds along the sides, spilling vibrant colors over the walls that were visible even in the dim light. Carefully set stones marked the pathway to the door. On the porch was a swing that swayed gently in the breeze.
Rosa exhaled noiselessly. She'd had enough bad news in the last twenty-four hours. Surely Curtis couldn't say anything worse than what she'd already heard.
Squaring her shoulders, she opened the white gate and breezed across the round stepping stones to the porch. Anna must have sensed her anxiety, because she took her hand and joined her trainer in rapping on the door three short times.
One second. Two. Three. Four.
The knob clicked, and carefully, the cedar door opened.
"Rosa?"
Rosa's legs trembled, and then she hurled herself at him. She threw her arms around his neck and settled into his chest, sinking into the familiar warmth his presence always brought her. He was here. Curtis wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, whispering concernedly about the quivering in her limbs, but she didn't answer. She didn't care that she was acting stupid, that he kept his secrets to himself, that he might be the traitor Zinzolin warned her about. He was Curtis. He'd come back to Unova to help her. And for that moment, he was a friend.
"Come inside so I can make you some tea or something. You're burning up."
He released his grip on her shoulders, but quickly retook her hand. Rosa let him, unwilling to let go just yet, and grabbed Anna's paw as well so the chain of them entered the brightly-lit entryway.
Cherry hardwood clicked under their heels. The house glowed under florescent lighting as they walked through the hallway into a modern-style living room. Two fluffy couches faced a wide TV, which hung firmly over a crackling stone-panel fireplace. A worn coffee table lined with magazines stood as the centerpiece, but Curtis swept the journals away and gestured for Rosa to choose a place on one of the cushions.
"Why did you ask to meet me at a storyteller's house?" Rosa asked as she and Anna settled onto a couch. "Do you know the owner or something?"
He nodded. "This place belongs to my grandma. I used to come here a lot as a kid, back when she and my mom were on speaking terms. It was one of the few places I could go, since Mom hated leaving the city. She's already upstairs sleeping though, so we'll have to be quiet."
"Your mother and grandmother don't talk anymore?"
"No. They had an argument a few years ago over whether my brother should be allowed to become a trainer instead of going to school. Mom's never been fond of Pokémon journeys, but Grandma paid for him to go anyways. It turned into quite the family crisis."
Another sibling she hadn't heard of. Rosa stared into the fireplace, silently adding his brother to the growing list of things to ask him about. Now wasn't the time.
Curtis left for a few minutes to put on tea, then returned with a notebook and a mug in his hands. He sunk into the couch cushion beside her as he gave her the cup, which she sipped from hesitantly. It was sweet and tangy at the same time. Honey and lemons.
"Alright," She said, replacing the mug on the table, "Hit me with it. What's so important that you had to fly back to tell me?"
He fingered the notebook. "While I was in Hearthome City, I received a tip off from a trainer who told me Professor Rowan dabbled in the study of legendary Pokémon. Because Sinnoh researchers normally focus on the study of time and space – the masters Dialga and Palkia – I was doubtful Rowan would know anything useful. But as you said, Arceus supposedly originated from the Sinnoh region, so I went ahead and scheduled the interview anyway."
Rosa clasped her hands in front of her, trying to stop their impatient twitching. He'd already told her he was interviewing Rowan, couldn't he just get to the point?
"He was less than enthusiastic about talking to me. I'd only mentioned being curious about his current research, which is why he let me in the door in the first place, but apparently, the Regeneration Effect isn't supposed to be common knowledge." Curtis frowned at his notes. "He tried to kick me out."
"Why are you telling me this, Curtis?"
"Because you need to know that this isn't something to spread around. Arceus is the god of creation, and no one was ever supposed to know about the guardian. Rowan insisted the topic is sacred."
"Ghetsis knows. I'd never ask otherwise."
"I know. Which is why I told Rowan I was trying to find Touko."
Rosa's teeth clenched, and she had to look away. Touko's name burned, a blaring reminder of her failure to save her. It wasn't like she'd even known Plasma at the time – she'd been in school when the champion died – but she still felt responsible. If she'd done something more, been something more at the time of Touko's death instead of fighting her way to graduation, maybe the girl would still be alive.
Curtis continued like he hadn't noticed her internal fit. "When I said that, Rowan just sort of froze. He's an older guy, a bit scary to be honest, but his eyes . . . I dunno. It was like I told him his wife died. He invited me inside his office. And then . . . and then he showed me this."
He opened the silver notebook and pulled out a long sheet folded in half. It was slightly crumpled around the edges, but Curtis flipped the page open and offered the other half for Rosa to hold. Pictures on a timeline were displayed across the page, starting with a black-haired trainer with crimson eyes and a tight smile. He wore a red and white ball cap with a pokeball logo on his head.
Curtis pointed at him. "Do you know who that is?"
Rosa nodded. Everybody who was anybody knew who that was, though he'd died a long time ago. "That's trainer Red."
"Yes."
"Why does it matter?"
His chest lifted and settled, like he was trying to steady himself. Maybe Rowan's warning against sharing information had driven a little too close to home. "Because," Curtis said, eying her carefully for her reaction, "Red was the guardian."
The blood drained from Rosa's face, leaving her skin lifeless and pastel. She frowned and glanced back at the sheet, her gaze dancing between Red's fierce expression and Curtis's cautious one.
"A legendary Pokémon as old as time itself, given the responsibility of defending our world from mankind's threats . . ."
"The guardian is a Pokémon. Rood specifically mentioned it being a Pokémon."
"I don't think Rood knew exactly what he was talking about. Professor Rowan has been studying this since he was a graduate in university. Trust me, Arceus's protector is human."
She watched him for a long moment, her eyes tightening at his challenge. "Prove it."
Curtis flicked a stray hair from his eyes and nodded curtly. "Red was a trainer from the Kanto region. When he started his journey collecting gym badges, he continuously encountered a group of criminals called Team Rocket. Shady bunch. Always terrorizing towns and stealing rare Pokémon. They were known for selling their stolen goods on the black market, and for conducting cruel experiments on Pokemon. They were led by Giovanni, who turned out to be the leader of the Viridian gym. Red dealt with their crap a lot, and finally faced off against Giovanni to drive them out. Guess he really kicked the tar out him, because Giovanni abandoned Team Rocket and disappeared. You know the rest. Red was a Pokémon god and later became champion."
"That doesn't necessarily prove anything."
He didn't respond, and instead pointed to the next trainer down the line. This one also had midnight hair, but it spilled from his black and yellow cap like a spiky bush, magnifying the smug expression on his handsome face.
Rosa recognized him from some of her history textbooks.
"Trainer Gold, born in the Johto region. Less mature than Red, and a bit more personality than people really bargained for, but he was a force to be reckoned with when it came to battling. He also took on Team Rocket, who were at the time searching for Giovanni. Guess they took over the radio station to try and contact him. Anyway, Gold disbanded them and went on to become champion of Johto. He reined for a long time after that."
Rosa frowned and leaned over to take another long drink from her tea. She didn't want to think about this. After stealing a few seconds, she reluctantly placed the mug back on the table. "Rood said the protector can regenerate into a new life after every death. Red and Gold were alive at the same time. It doesn't make sense."
"Actually, Red disappeared. The rumors say he went to Mount Silver to train, but no one ever saw him again."
"Gold said he defeated Red in battle. He climbed Mount Silver, found Red at the summit, and beat him."
Curtis snorted. "Did anyone ever win against Red after he became champion? Name me one time, and I'll believe that Gold didn't just make the whole thing up."
She tugged at the ends of her hair, unwilling to believe his story even as it played out in front of her. Arceus wouldn't force a person to fight an eternity for him. Would he?
Curtis's finger traced down to the next person on the timeline, this one a smiling woman wearing a blue bandanna. "I'm sure you recognize her as well."
Of course she did. "Sapphire." Rosa replied stiffly.
"She lived in the Hoenn region, and stopped Team Aqua from flooding the planet using Kyogre's ability to call rain. They were stupid enough to wake the legendary up, and Sapphire was forced to travel into the cave of Origin to capture Kyogre and stop his rage. I've heard she even teamed up with Rayquaza to do it. If it weren't for her, mankind would have drowned a long time ago. Along with every land Pokémon."
Responsibility of defending the world from mankind's threats . . .
"Trainer Lucas of the Sinnoh region. He's not as famous as the other three, but when I travel to Sinnoh, they never stop talking about him. Apparently, a bunch of crazy people decided it would be a great idea to try and use Dialga to terminate the universe so they could create a new one. Rowan was a bit weird on the details, but I guess Lucas went to a place called the Distortion world to find the legendary Pokémon Giratina. Then he faced off against Team Galactic and stopped them from destroying the entire universe."
Curtis was staring pointedly in her direction now, as if willing her to believe what he was saying. Rosa wouldn't meet his eyes. Instead she rubbed her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. When she still refused to look at him, he went onto the picture she'd pretended not to see.
"Champion Touko." He murmured, his voice lower now. Determined. "She fought a disgusting group of thugs called Team Plasma who used and abused an innocent man so they could take over the Pokémon League. She defeated Ghetsis two years ago, and hasn't been heard from since." Curtis tapped the picture of smiling Touko like doing so would get Rosa to look over. "It's not regeneration. It's reincarnation."
Rosa stopped massaging her forehead, his words ripping through her heart like a well-aimed dagger. Her nails bit savagely into her palms, but the sting calmed her; kept her from fleeing the couch as the pieces of the sickening puzzle clicked into place.
Curtis folded the paper and set it aside on the table. He hung his hands in front of him, waiting for her reaction, though Rosa could see the lines around his eyes fanning out with grim understanding. He'd had a whole plane ride to think about this. And he'd already guessed the truth.
"Touko is dead."
The words spilled from her lips and solidified the truth in her mind, crumbling the wall of doubt she'd carried into jagged pebbles. "A Plasma admin told me she was murdered by Ghetsis two years ago, likely after he found out the truth about Arceus's guardian. He probably wanted rid of her, so he wouldn't have to worry about her ruining his future plans. But now . . . he must think there's another one. Because a few months ago, Team Plasma ransacked Professor Juniper's office, and they stole . . ." Oh, Arceus.
New trainer records.
"Not talking much . . . is fairly sure, compared to the girl . . . won't say a word."
"Not even the Regeneration Effect can save you now."
"You haven't figured it out yet, child? You who escaped the Plasma frigate, chased us like prey, dispelled rallies, ruined plans. The mightiest threat to Team Plasma, and she hasn't figured it out . . ."
"They think it's me. They think I'm Arceus's guardian."
She felt like she'd been punched. Her breathing became labored as she leaned back on the couch, her stomach twisting into uncomfortable knots as she eyed the ceiling. No wonder they'd tried to kidnap her. The Shadow Triad thought they could hand deliver her in a box for Ghetsis. Not to lock her away, or to complete any big plan, but to slit her throat and sent her to a watery grave.
But they were stupid. She'd been alive when Touko became champion. She remembered reading the news, listening to the gossip around the high school, watching the distraught faces of the study body when Touko went away.
Ghetsis and his admins suspected her?
"Or your friend Hugh." Curtis offered, interrupting her thoughts. "You said they stole all the new trainer records."
"Hugh and I were both alive at the time. Every single freaking trainer that could have started this year couldn't be the guardian. It doesn't make sense. If it is reincarnation, as you said, then Arceus's protector would only be two years old."
Curtis didn't look convinced. "But you've been running into them left and right. And you're planning on stopping them now. It does makes sense."
"No, it doesn't. Because Hugh's the one who always finds them. He's better at hunting them than me, and he's the reason I even decided to go after them in the first place. One of them killed his Pidove. But that doesn't even matter, because we're both seventeen years old."
Curtis grimaced and ran a stressed hand through his hair, apparently stumped. He must have contemplated the information for a long time, had convinced himself he was completely correct, before sharing the notes with her. The gloom stole the energetic façade from his eyes, revealing the exhausted blanket underneath.
He'd been awake too long. Just like her.
"So now what?" He asked. "They're not going to give up on you, no matter what the truth is. You know that."
She shrugged. "Same thing I've been doing, I guess. Ghetsis thinks I'm his powerful guardian of the universe, so I'm going to let him. I don't know exactly what he wants with me – probably to fling my blood on the wall – but he'll have to catch me first. In the meantime, I'm going to find out what he's really after in all this."
Curtis shot her a half smile. "Isn't it easier to just go kick his butt? That's what the others did."
"It would be, except if I show up and he's got ten legendaries on his side, I'm sunk."
"You won't be completely sunk. I'll be there, too."
Rosa stiffened and shot him a sharp look, his words sending a chill down her back. Another one of her friends thrown into the crossfire that was Team Plasma? Not a chance. "Don't even joke about that. You're not giving up your job to hunt Plasma."
"Who said it was a joke? I don't see how you're going to stop me."
He had her full attention now. Rosa shot to her feet, unwilling to keep her anxious energy in check anymore. She twisted on her heels to glower at him, and her fiery gaze met his earnest one. "No."
Curtis stood up as well. "I think we've discussed this before. This is my region, too."
"No!"
"You can keep saying that, but it won't change anything."
She stared at him, long and hard, and panic blossomed in her throat. A thousand stabbing images of the Plasma frigate assaulted her mind, scenes filled with blood and chains and starving stomachs. Her Pokémon frantic with distrust, vomit all over her cell floor, her breath a cloud of crystal in front of her. And Hugh, still missing from the incident.
"You can't do this, Curtis. You don't understand who you're facing. Or what they're capable of doing. Ghetsis is a monster, him and all his followers, and you've got better things to do with your life than throw it away. Think about Sophie, and your mom, and your grandma sleeping upstairs. They need you, and I can't lose you. You're not coming. End of discussion."
"Yes I am."
"No, you're not!"
He grabbed her wrist to stop her frantic hand gestures, and Rosa reluctantly allowed him to pull her closer. She was too furious to look him in the eyes, but when she stared pointedly away, Curtis made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat.
"My friend is in trouble." He said acidly. "My family is in trouble. My region is in trouble. So I'm going to help you if I can. And that's the end of the discussion."
Hello my lovely readers! Thank you so much for your patience in waiting for this chapter, I know its taken forever. I hope you're all enjoying being back in school (or not being back in school, depending on your life, I dunno) and that your lives are wonderful. Thank you to all of you who've reached out to me to see how I am, even when I'm busy and can't answer much. Your messages are so appreciated. Anyway, regarding this chapter, I know what you're thinking: "But Crimson, RED IS FREAKING IN SUN AND MOON, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" In answer to that, all I have to say is that this story was already in my head before Sun/Moon came out, and also, it's a fanfiction. So I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoyed anyway. :D Love you all, I'll (maybe) see you next week!