Chapter 13: Saviors

Roku's P.O.V.

Ilex Forest

"So, Calem," I asked around the fire that night. "Where are you from?"

We had set up camp somewhere near the center of the forest (at least, I think so), and Calem's sudden appearance and amazing Pokémon really baffled me.

"I'm from the Kalos region, raised in Vaniville Town," Calem said. "Reia and I actually went on a journey together, alongside three other kids."

"Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor," Reia listed off. "I actually really miss those guys. How are they doing?"

"They're fine," Calem said. "Trevor's on the brink of completing the Pokedex because of the data supplied from the Legend Keeper database, Tierno's in Unova, performing professionally in Pokémon Musicals, and Shauna is still in Kalos, thinking about what she wants to do with the rest of her life."

"Wow," I said. From the data I received from the Pokedex, I knew that there were approximately 721 Pokémon that have been discovered. However, I knew that there were countless Pokémon out there that we had never seen before.

"I'm guessing you're also a Legend Keeper?" I asked.

"Calem is one of the few Legend Keepers who can use Mega Evolution," Zuki said.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Mega Evolution?"

"It's a form of evolution that brings out a Pokémon's unseen power," Reia explained. "Mega Evolution is a temporary evolution for certain Pokémon who were thought to be unable to evolve any further. Charizard, Gengar, and Lucario are a few examples of Pokémon who are capable of Mega Evolution."

"Really?" I said, thinking about Riolu. I gathered data from the Pokedex about Riolu and found its evolution, a Fighting- and Steel-type Pokémon called Lucario. But there wasn't anything in the Pokedex about it having a second evolution.

"How do you use Mega Evolution?" I asked.

"You need two things: a Mega item for the Trainer, and a Mega Stone for the Pokémon," Calem said. "Here, Reia, let's demonstrate, shall we? I'll let you use either my Lucario or my Absol. Take your pick."

"Hold on," I said, standing up. "I want to see if I can handle Mega Evolution."

Calem looked at Reia, who unsnapped her bracelet, and handed it to me.

"You'll need this," Reia said.

I looked at the bracelet. It was made of metal, with some intricate designs surrounding an odd rainbow-colored stone.

"That's a Mega Ring," Reia explained. "It's one of five Mega items that allows for Mega Evolution."

"Then take your pick: Lucario or Absol," Calem said.

"I'll choose Lucario, since I have experience with its descendant," I said. Calem tossed the Poke Ball to me, and we took our places.

"Go, Lucario!" I shouted.

"Go, Absol!" Calem yelled.

The Pokémon exploded out of their respective Poke Balls and took up battle stances.

"Mega Evolution requires a strong bond with Pokémon," Calem said. "The aura that we Legend Keepers control lets us Mega Evolve Pokémon without even owning them. Let's see if you can do the same."

Calem pumped his arm and touched the stone embedded in his Mega Ring, causing it and the Mega Stone Absol was holding to glow. Calem then thrust his arm upward, causing an explosion of light to shoot out of the ring and the Pokémon. I watched in awe as Absol was wrapped in a ball of light, and soon exploded, revealing a totally different Absol than the one that entered battle.

"What the-?!" I said, astounded. I fumbled for my P*DA to look at Absol's data.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon," the entry said. "Absol senses impending disasters and appears before humans to warn them. As a result, this Pokémon was mistaken as a harbinger of doom."

I flipped to the forms page and located Mega Absol. Calem's Absol originally had the ability Super Luck, but now it had Magic Bounce, as well as an increase in Attack, and major increases in Special Attack and Speed. It was truly a formidable Pokémon.

"You're not going to lose your nerve, are you, Trainer?" Calem's Lucario said as if he read my mind.

"Of course not!" I said, pumping my arm. "Let's do this!"

I touched the stone, which glowed brightly. I felt a huge power fall over me, and I thrust my arm up, causing Lucario to become enveloped in the same ball of light, exploding into Mega Lucario.

"Impressive," Calem said, smiling. "I think you've got what it takes to be a good Legend Keeper. But…it'd be a shame if we didn't finish this match."

"I hear you loud and clear, Calem," I said. "Lucario! Let's end this guy!"


Latias' P.O.V.

Legend Keeper HQ

Latias looked at Cedric in horror. "Th-those Pokémon actually exist?!"

"Correct," Cedric said. "But they are not with us in this world. Their power was so great that the Light dragon banished the both of them to separate dimensions, only to emerge if one of them were to come back to this world."

Latias sat back, astonished. Why would Team Prime want to release an evil like that? She couldn't even fathom how much power they could have if they were successful. She shuddered to even think of what could happen.

"That's why I need you here, Latias," Cedric said. "You are our only hope. The only missing link is your brother, who we still have yet to find."

"Then let me go with Roku if he makes it in!" Latias shouted. "He's the only one who really understands me! Please, you have to let me!"

"I understand the bond you share with Roku," Cedric said. "And I respect it. But it's too risky to let you out there. If Roku can prove his strength to me, then I'll consider it."

"I didn't think you had any authority over who a Pokémon chooses as its partner," said a voice behind Cedric.

Cedric smiled and said, "Miki. What can I do for you?"

A Kimono Girl stormed into the den and said, "If Latias wants to be with this Roku character, then Arceus damn it, let her go! You're treating her like she's some sort of precious artifact, when she's really a living being like the rest of us! Are you really that thick?!"

Latias put a hand on her mouth. Miki literally just called the chief of the Legend Keepers stupid, and without even hesitating! From what Latias saw around the HQ, no one mouthed off to Cedric, not even the Champions!

Miki must not have got the memo, she thought to herself.

Latias could see that Cedric was seeing red. But he calmed himself down and said, "You're right. I'm not helping her by keeping her locked up in here. But I can't just let her run free; she could get captured. So, until Roku gets here and passes initiation, she stays here. Only then will I let her go with Roku."

Miki nodded and said, "Thank you." She did a polite curtsy and exited the room.

"Arceus damn that woman," Cedric cursed to himself. "She really knows how to persuade someone."

Cedric turned to Latias and said, "You heard the deal. Until Roku becomes a Legend Keeper, you stay here. However, you are free to roam the HQ as long as you don't wander into any restricted areas."

"I'll take that deal," Latias said happily, holding out a hand. Cedric was hesitant due to the experience he had with that hand's deadlier side, but he grabbed it and gave it a firm shake.

"Good," Latias said, moving past Cedric to go out of her room and check out the rest of the HQ.

More like go off and gab with the rest of the Legendary Pokémon, Cedric thought to himself.


Roku's P.O.V.

Ilex Forest

"OK, Lucario! Finish him with Aura Sphere!" I shouted.

Lucario flared up his aura and launched a blue ball of energy that honed in on Calem's Absol, striking her viciously and knocking her out indefinitely.

"Aw, yeah!" I shouted victoriously. "That's how we do it!"

Absol's Mega energy flowed back into Calem's Mega Ring, returning her to her original state. Calem returned her to the Poke Ball and, after I devolved Lucario, returned him to his ball.

"You seem to be a Trainer with considerable skill, even for one who started not even two weeks ago," Calem commended. "Not bad, considering you haven't been taught anything about what it means to be a Legend Keeper."

"Thanks!" I said. "I think…"

"We should get moving," Calem said, gathering his pack and telling Greninja to put out the fire. "The forest gets pretty dangerous at night. Wouldn't want to be attacked while we're sleeping."

Suddenly, we heard a very high-pitched scream. I looked in the direction it came from, sensing that it came from somewhere on the path.

"C'mon! Let's go check it out!" I said, gathering my belongings and running towards the source of the scream.


Jay's P.O.V.

Ilex Forest

Jay opened his eyes and looked around, not remembering what had happened. He felt for his Poke Balls, which he found on his belt, but only one presided there.

"Oh, shit…" he said to himself.

Jay stood up quickly and tossed the Poke Ball, releasing his exhausted Hydreigon.

"Arceus DAMN IT!" he shouted, so loudly that he scared a flock of Pidgey out of a nearby tree. It wasn't like Jay wasn't happy to see his partner; he was actually relieved to see that he was still here. He WAS pissed, however, that he lost the boss' gift to him. A very powerful Ghost- and Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon going by the name of Giratina. Right then, everything that had happened came flowing back to him. How that Trainer and his Greninja stole not one, but TWO of his Pokémon.

"Oh, man…Zareis' gonna be really sore about this…" he said, sitting on the ground with his head between his knees.

"Well, look who it is," he heard a very dark voice say behind him.

Jay shuddered, knowing who the voice belonged to. He could only manage the word "Dark" before he fell through the ground into darkness.


Roku's P.O.V.

Ilex Forest

"Espeon! NO!"

We had reached the source of the scream. It was a Kimono Girl, trying to defend herself from a herd of angry Galvantula. Beside her, an Espeon lay there on the ground, gashes in her flank dripping blood.

"Galvantula?" Calem said. "But they're not usually found here. That's odd."

I pulled out my P*DA and looked up Galvantula in the Pokedex.

"Galvantula, the EleSpider Pokémon, and the evolved form of Joltik," the entry said. "Galvantula create an electrically charged barrier by spitting out multiple electric threads. This is used for defense, as well as trapping prey so that they can consume it at their leisure."

"Yecch…I always hated spiders," Reia said, shuddering. Zuki, on the other hand, was already beside her sister, trying to defend the injured Espeon.

"Naoko, are you OK?" Zuki said, trying to calm her down.

"Please! Get rid of these beasts!" Naoko said.

I threw out a Poke Ball, releasing Braixen from his virtual area.

"OK, Braixen! Use Ember!" I shouted.

Braixen drew the twig from the back of his tail and shot the fiery attack at the swarm, scorching the unsuspecting Galvantula. A few of them left at this notion. The remaining Galvantula shot their Electro Web attacks at Braixen, trapping him and dropping him to the ground.

"Nngh! Help me!" Braixen said, struggling. "I'm wrapped up like a Christmas present!"

"Use Flame Charge!" I said, knowing that Braixen could light himself on fire.

"If I could reach my twig, I could!" Braixen said desperately, reaching for his twig, which was just out of his reach. The Galvantula were closing in.

"Lyra, use Ember and get him out of there!" Reia shouted, sending her partner into the fray.

The Vulpix fired off many embers at the spider Pokémon, sending them scuttling back far enough to burn the web off of Braixen.

"Thanks," Braixen said, rolling over and retrieving his twig.

"No problem," Lyra said.

"Oh, no. Take cover!" Braixen said, tackling Lyra out of the way of a deadly Thunderbolt attack. They rolled away from the Galvantula, eventually stopping with Braixen on top of Lyra.

For a few minutes, Lyra and Braixen were staring at each other.

"Thanks…" Lyra said quietly, a starstruck look in her eyes.

"No problem," Braixen replied. "Just repaying the favor."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Hey, Braixen! Get your head in the game! We've got spiders to roast!"

"'Scuse me," Braixen said cockily, rolling off of Lyra and blasting off with a Flame Charge, bowling through the remaining Galvantula and sending them scurrying back to their hidey holes.

"Aw, yeah! Strike!" Braixen shouted, spinning his twig before shoving it back into his tail.

I ran over to Naoko, who was holding her Espeon and crying softly. Her breathing was very shallow, and a purple ooze coming from the three gashes on her flank suggested that she had also been poisoned.

"We need an Antidote, now!" I said. Reia dug around in her bag until she found one and handed it to me. Not wasting any time, I uncapped it and applied it to the wound.

"This should help a little bit, but we'll need to get to the Pokémon Center," I suggested. I looked over at Naoko and said, "Are you OK to move?"

"I-I'm fine," she said, slowly getting to her feet. "We have to move."

I nodded and picked Espeon up off the ground as gently as I could and marched forward. Luckily, after a few minutes of trudging along the path, I began to see the light coming from the gate to the road leading to Goldenrod City.

"Great! We're nearly there!" I said. "Keep moving!"

"Hold on," Calem said, his P*DA map pulled up. "There's a Day Care located near the edge of the city. It'll be much closer."

"Then let's go!" I said, continuing my march.

Luna stepped up and kept pace with me, trying to keep Espeon comforted. It was amazing that she was even still conscious.

"Don't worry, Espeon," Luna said softly. "We'll get you patched up good as new. It'll be OK."

Espeon opened her eyes, even struggling to do that. She said, in a barely audible whisper, "Thank you…" before she passed out.

Noticing that Espeon had become dead weight, I sped up my pace and didn't stop until I had reached the Day Care. I sent out Pidgey and told him to fly in through their bedroom window, which was conveniently open, and rouse them so we could get help. Pidgey nodded and flew into their bedroom.

Soon, I heard the sound of glass breaking and the muffled cursing of an old man. Pidgey came flying out of their door, with the old man carrying a baseball bat.

"Get back here, you annoying little shit!" he cursed. Then he saw us and put the bat behind his back.

"Sorry about my little friend, but we needed your help," I said, returning a very amused Pidgey to his Poke Ball. 'This lady's Espeon got into it with a swarm of Galvantula, and was seriously injured."

The man took one look at the injured Espeon, then rushed us inside, saying, "Set her on the table!"

I nodded and lay Espeon on the dinner table. The man brought out his emergency kit and told us to leave while he worked. As much as I didn't want to, I headed into their living room and took a seat on their couch.

"I hope she's OK," Naoko said worriedly, the tears streaming down her face.

"Don't worry, Naoko," Zuki said, trying to comfort her distraught sister. "Espeon will be fine."

I knew how Naoko felt. If one of my partners was in danger, I'd be crying as well. I looked at Luna, who was asleep on my lap, rings glowing softly in the dim light, and I thought, I hope we don't get in a situation like this, partner. I hugged her softly and thought, I don't know what I would do…


Author's Note: I think that was the longest chapter I've ever written. It may be because I used a different font and size this time, but it felt like a long time.

Anyway, finally got the names of the Kimono Girls! YAAAAAY! Now I just gotta remember where they appear so I can at least keep that part of the story intact. That means I'll have to progress through HeartGold to the part where you fight all five of them in a row. I remember that they reveal the locations you saw them at, so I'll have to record those as well.

That's it for this chapter. Strato Abyss signing out.