Chapter 17: Contact
Roku's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City Pokémon Center
I looked at the mysterious name on my P*DA's screen. Who was this Cedric guy, and how did he get my number?
"Who is it?" Reia asked as she walked out from the fitting room. She had changed back into her white-and-blue high-waist dress, and now she was wearing a pair of black tights and black zip-up boots. On her head sat a white felt hat with a black star pin latched to it.
"I don't know," I said. "Some guy named Cedric."
Reia widened her eyes. "Then you'd better answer it quick."
I nodded and answered the call. A slightly built guy in his fifties shimmered into view. I'll admit, he didn't look fifty. He had short brown hair and slight stubble, and he was wearing a leather jacket with a pair of jeans and black lace-up boots. The word "Douchebag" went through my head as soon as I saw him.
"You must be Roku Kimura, am I right?" Cedric said.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied. "That must make you Cedric. How did you get this number?"
"I know a lot about you, Roku," Cedric said. "I know where you were born, where you grew up, and who lived in your town. I even know what your first partner Pokémon was."
"And how do you know so much about me?" I asked. Someone who knew so much about me had to have belonged to a big organization. So, he had to either be of Team Prime, or…
"You're a Legend Keeper," I said. I knew I was assuming a lot just by mentioning the name to a complete stranger. But Reia seemed to know who he was, and I could tell he was a good guy from the gleam in her eyes.
"Very deductive, son," Cedric said with a smile on his face. "I made the right choice to send Reia after you. By the way, where is Reia? I must speak with her."
"So that means you're the head," I said. "Now I know why you've called. You want to know if I've made the decision to join the ranks."
"Damn, I made a GREAT choice in choosing you," Cedric said, laughing. "Yes, that is part of the reason. And now, I think I deserve an answer after being read so flawlessly. Are you willing to join the Legend Keepers?"
"Roku and I have already made the decision," Luna piped up. "We will."
"That's right," I confirmed. "As soon as we get to Ecruteak City, we're heading straight to the dance theater."
"That's good to hear," Cedric said. "I know Latias would be glad to hear that."
I perked up as Cedric said those words. That meant Latias was still in the HQ, waiting for me.
"Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have to speak with Reia alone," Cedric said.
"Oh, OK." I unsnapped my P*DA from my wrist and handed it to Reia before walking out to the waiting room.
Reia's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City Pokémon Center
"So, Reia," Cedric said. "You think Roku is ready?"
"I think he's more than ready to assume the responsibility," Reia said. "Roku's got talent, and that's exactly what we need. Besides, isn't he a legacy?"
"Yes," Cedric said. "His mother, Kyoko Kimura, was a Legend Keeper, but she retired ten years ago. She is the only Legend Keeper said to have come into contact with the Pokémon of the universe."
Reia blanched, her eyes widening. "No way! Those Pokémon are supposed to be locked away in two separate dimensions!"
"Yes…she's the only one who has done it," Cedric said. "Which brings me to my next question: Has Roku been experiencing any odd dreams? Has he fallen asleep and could not be woken up, no matter what you've tried?"
Reia tried to think, and then it hit her. Roku did sleep an unusually long time when they were in Azalea Town. She thought it was a coincidence, but now that Cedric mentioned it, Reia was wondering if one of the Galaxy Pokémon was trying to get into contact with him.
"There was a case of that in Azalea town," Reia said. "I couldn't wake him up at all."
"Hmm…interesting," Cedric said. "If it happens again, don't hesitate to call me."
"Now I have a question for you," Reia said. "Calem. Where did he come from and why was he tailing me?"
Cedric sighed and said, "I knew that you would've been in danger, so I sent him to follow you and make sure nothing happened."
"You were looking out for me," Reia said.
"Calem suggested the idea to me," Cedric said. "I guess your neighbor cares deeply about you."
Reia smiled. She did know that Calem would protect her, no matter the cost or circumstance. He was there on that fateful day when Reia's Pokémon were killed mercilessly in front of her. He was the one who had run them off.
"So he decided to do it again," Reia said softly. "He traveled here all the way from Kalos just to find me."
"I'm afraid I must ask you to go and find Roku," Cedric said. "Latias wants to speak with him."
"OK, I'll go find him," Reia said, standing up. "I'll see you back at HQ."
Roku's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City Pokémon Center
"…Hello?"
I was standing in a glowing area once again; one that was similar to the dream I had in Azalea Town.
"…Can you hear me?"
I jumped as the voice went through my head. The voice was a lot stronger now!
Maybe I should try to communicate with it, I thought to myself.
"Yes, I can hear you!" I said. "Where are you?"
Part of the air in front of me rippled and contorted, and eventually, I was left looking at a strange white creature. It sort of resembled a humanoid dragon, with large wings and horns. Pretty much what you'd see on a normal dragon.
"Who…what are you?" I said.
"My name is Celestrix," the dragon said. "And I have been looking forward to meeting you, Roku."
"That makes two people," I said. "Where are we?"
"This is a dream, of course," Celestrix said. "I am intercepting the path of your dreams to appear before you here. Your body is in a state of sleep in which you will not wake up until I release your mind from mine."
"So, right now, I'm in a coma?" I asked.
"In a sense, yes," she confirmed.
"So…again, what are you?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"I am a Pokémon, as you have called us," Celestrix said. "However, I have existed since long before the entity known as Arceus created your world. In fact, Arceus is the result of the power that we used to create this universe."
I blanched. This Pokémon was saying that she'd created the universe! I didn't really think about who could've created the universe; in my own stupidity, I thought that it was all Arceus.
"Wait, so, you said 'we'," I said. "Does that mean there are two of you?"
"My brother, Shihado," Celestrix said. "He is not what you'd call 'mentally right'. He seeks to plunge this world into darkness, and if your Team Prime gets their hands on the Pokémon needed to complete the Dark Covenant, he will succeed."
"I'm not about to let that happen!" I said. "I didn't join the Legend Keepers for nothing!"
"You will help me?" Celestrix said.
"I don't know what I'll be able to do, but I'll try my best," I said confidently. "What do I have to do to stop Shihado's release?"
"Splendid!" Celestrix said happily. "You'll have to get the Pokémon of the Core Covenant to help me seal the dimension where he resides permanently. These Pokémon have been given the names Celebi, Xerneas, Rayquaza, and Arceus."
I nodded as she listed them off, but once she mentioned the name Arceus, I looked at her like she was insane.
"Arceus?! Are you NUTS?!" I shouted. "How in the hell do you expect me to find a Pokémon like that, when he's supposed to be extinct?!"
"No, Arceus still lives," Celestrix said. "He resides on a plane higher than the world itself. There is an item that can be used to summon a magical staircase to the Plane of Origin, but it has been long gone and forgotten."
"Wonderful…" I said. "But, I never go back on my word. I'll help you, no matter what it takes."
"Wonderful! I knew I could count on you!" Celestrix said happily. "I must go now. I will now return you to your waking life."
That's where the dream cut out.
Roku's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City Pokémon Center
"Roku!"
I screamed and woke up, finding Reia, Zuki, and Calem standing around me. They all had worried looks on their faces.
"What's up?" I asked casually.
"You were asleep, and we tried to wake you, but you just wouldn't wake up," Zuki explained. "It was like you were in a coma."
I didn't believe it at first, but Celestrix was right. She had put my body in a coma like state when she linked her mind to mine. I looked at Reia, who was still talking to Cedric on my P*DA, and eventually, I stood up and joined her.
"You're still talking to him?" I asked Reia.
"Roku! Reia just told me you woke up from a coma-like condition!" Cedric exclaimed. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah, it was just some strange dream," I said. I didn't think that he would believe me for a second, but I figured I'd tell him about it since it involved a Legendary Pokémon. So I proceeded to tell Cedric about what happened while I was in dreamland.
"So, it seems you had an encounter with Celestrix," Cedric said after I had finished.
"Do you know anything about this, Cedric?" I asked.
"Celestrix is an extremely powerful Mythical Pokémon, one who was not thought to have even existed," Cedric explained. "One night, she called out to one of our Legend Keepers. Said something about 'the one you bear will be the one I seek.'"
"'The one you bear will be the one I seek?'" I repeated. "Who was the Keeper who Celestrix contacted?"
"One who was long retired 10 years ago," Cedric said. "Even still, her name escapes me."
"I see…" I said, thoughts and images flooding my head. I couldn't get those words out of my head. The one you bear will be the one I seek. The first possibility was my mother, but I never knew anything about her being a Legend Keeper. Next was my father, but Cedric mentioned that the Keeper was a female.
Gah…too much going through my head, I thought. I'll think about this later.
"So, what does this mean?" I asked.
"It means that you will have to find the Pokémon of the Core Covenant that Celestrix mentioned," Cedric said. "It's a difficult task, so I would encourage you to take your time."
"We already have one in our possession," I said. "Calem managed to rescue a Celebi from the hands of a Team Prime Admin."
"Well, that makes things easier," Cedric said. "Calem! Do you know the status of the remaining Kalosian Legendary Pokémon?"
"As far as I know, Xerneas is also in our possession, but she preferred to stay in Kalos," Calem said. "Zygarde is keeping a firm watch on her."
"Good. Now all we need to worry about is Rayquaza and Arceus," Cedric said, sighing. "Mainly Arceus. We don't even know where He is."
"Exactly," I said. "But Celestrix did tell me about an item that can be used to summon some sort of staircase to a Plane of Origin. The problem is, we don't even know where to find THAT."
"We'll worry about that later," Cedric said. "For now, focus on getting to Ecruteak City so we can talk in person. We still have to see if you're worthy to join our ranks."
"OK. I'm heading out now," I said. I hung up and reattached my P*DA to my wrist.
"C'mon, let's go," I said, heading towards the door.
"Are you sure you're OK to travel?" Reia said worriedly. "You were asleep for a very long time; who's to say you won't drop dead while we're on the road?"
"I'll be fine," I said, smiling. "I've got a friend to look forward to seeing."
With that remark, I headed out the door, Luna at my heels. Later, the rest of the group followed, and we headed north towards Ecruteak. However, we were stopped by a girl who had come out of the local flower shop.
"Hi!" she said as she stopped me. "Is it true that you defeated Whitney?"
"Well, technically, we both had a hand in it," I said, looking back at Reia. "But, yeah, we did."
"Great! Then you should be able to handle yourselves," she said. "You see, my assistant just called, saying that she found out something about that weird tree blocking the road to Ecruteak! It hates water!"
I cocked an eyebrow. "A tree that hates water?"
"I was just about to head out there myself, but since you guys are Trainers, do you think you can look into it for me?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure," I said. "What do we need to do?"
"Well, we think it may be a Pokémon, so I want you to take this Squirtbottle and meet my assistant on Route 37," she explained. "She said that once she threw some water on the tree, it jumped. So I want to see if it really is a Pokémon."
"It may take a while, but I'll call you once we've found out," I said. The girl thanked us again and headed back to her flower shop. And, once again, we headed out onto Route 35, my goal finally within reach.
Author's Note: Finally, introducing a fan-made Pokémon…CELESTRIX! *cue applause* I've been wondering what to do with my two Fakemon for a while now, and this is a perfect place to fit them in.
Anyway, guess I kinda lied on the last note I sent out. This chapter was pretty much a filler for future events, so, there you have it. Roku visits la-la land and meets the head Legend Keeper.
That's all for now. Strato Abyss signing out.
