A/N: I just want to say I'm sorry for long delays between chapters, I have a lot of projects going on and just fighting laziness is harder than it seems XD But yes, I can't promise steady updates but I can promise that I do plan on continuing the story. Also for everyone to know I'm most active on Deviantart so if you want to contact me or say hello look me up on there.
I stood there in shock; this Umbreon in front of me right now is none other than Aeon. I'm sure of it.
He smiled at me after hearing his name, "You got it; I knew you would!" Smiling, he walked closer to us and sat down near me, Coal is looking as confused as I am.
"A-Aeon? How are you... but I don't understand..." I stumbled over my words, still trying to wrap my brain around all that I'm seeing.
Coal walks up to him and tilts his head, "So… you're this Aeon Sora keeps seeing?" Aeon nodded, still keeping his happy expression.
"Mhm, sorry if I made him seem crazy," he said with a slight chuckle in his voice. Coal chuckled along with him.
"I will say, he did have me worried for the longest time," Coal glanced over smirking. Spotting this, I crossed my arms and pouted.
"I told you I wasn't crazy!" My rings flared up with a bright yellow glow, annoyed at finding out that Coal still thought I was crazy, but I quickly calmed down since it doesn't matter too much now. Coal and Aeon chuckle together.
"Right~" he went to put a claw on Aeon amused, but as he did, his claw went right through Aeon, passing through the other side. Spooked, Coal took a step away from him. My ear flicked, even more confused than I was before.
Aeon nervously chuckled, "Right, that's a thing."
"A thing?" I replied back, "Can we please get some answers now, what is going on?"
"I can answer your questions," the pink thing smiled as I turned back to it, hopeful for the answers I seek. "I brought Aeon to this world so I can actually talk to him face to face. As soon as you guys leave, he'll go back into your head," it told us, floating past me and towards Aeon. I watched it as it went past, its fur brushing against my arm. My rings give off a faint glow as I smile; that Pokémon's fur is so soft. I turn to face it and Aeon, interested in how they know each other. "Good to see you're not dead"
"Ha!" Aeon smirked and looked away from the pink thing, "Like I would let him win. I can't disappear that easily."
"Yet you did." the Pokémon said, confused, and tilting its head.
Aeon didn't seem amused with the expression he had and he stared back at the Pokémon, "Noooo... I was always here, just… resting, is all."
"Uh huh, whatever you say, Aeon," the Pokémon giggled and floated up a bit more from the ground. "Now this human is here," it said, turning to me. Coal has since returned to my side and we both stare at it confused.
"Okay, you explained why Aeon is here, but… I'm still very confused." I can feel my brain slowly shutting down; just so many unanswered questions in such a small amount of time.
The Pokémon yet again giggled, keeping its smile. "Then ask; I'll answer what I feel like."
"Alright... who are you?" is the first question that I really want answered.
"Sora, that's Mew, the ancestor of all Pokémon," Coal answered for me. I glance down to him, surprised and confused. "All Pokémon know about it," Coal added.
"Well, this is one Pokémon, or at least part Pokémon, that doesn't know." I glance back to Mew, actually feeling disappointed in myself that I didn't know about this. It just giggled at me; it seems to do that often. "Uh… well, how do you know about Aeon?"
"Oh," It sounded surprised as its eyes wandered down to Aeon, who looked concerned. "Well, I know all Pokémon, silly~" it smiled, looking back to me with Aeon looking relieved.
"I know I'm a human and all, but I'm not stupid. How do you really know him?" I want to know the real answer; it could be true that this Mew knows all Pokémon. However, they seem to have a bit more history than they're letting on.
"Boring," the Mew brings one of its paws to his muzzle and yawns. "New question, please."
I stared at it in amazement. "Wow… I save you and this is what I get?" I know this is the ancestor of all Pokémon, but it can at least answer some simple questions after what I just did.
"I did say I would answer what I felt like, and I don't feel like answering that one," it responded. I give a long sigh of annoyance, but give up in defeat.
"Alright… alright, next question. Why were both Team Rocket AND Team Horizon after you?" I crossed my arms, curious to hear the answer.
"Um…" Mew floated upwards, thinking a bit, and trying to come up with the right answer. It brings its paw up to his head and taps it, "Well, they've been after me for a long time now. I guess it's because I have the DNA of every Pokémon, so they might want that."
"What?" I lower my arms, now satisfied and really intrigued with the answer I got. "You have the DNA from every Pokémon?"
It smiles and lowers its paw from his head, "Yep yep~ Well, naturally occurring Pokémon anyway. I don't have your DNA, Sora." I would have found it weird if it did.
"Okay, but that is still really cool," I smiled and walked closer to it, "A Pokémon that has all other Pokémon buried in its DNA, it's so cool!" My scientist side was coming out, which was really rare, but this was so interesting, how could it not show itself?
"Eheheh..." the Mew, getting nervous, floats back a bit, "Right, so please stay back, I'm unique~" it smiles again, "We shouldn't damage the goods."
I shake my head, suddenly remembering something I saw, "Oh, speaking of damage, did they hurt you? I saw… visions of them shooting at you. Did they get you?"
"They really try hard, huh?" he giggles again, "Yeah, they shot a dart in me. I think they took some blood, but at least they'll leave me alone now." It sounds pretty happy about that fact, but I'm not feeling the happiness.
"If they did, then that would be bad, right? Your DNA has that of all Pokémon in it!" The Mew's expression didn't look so happy now as it thought about it.
"Oh, right, hehe… oops..." It gave me a sheepish smile, obviously feeling bad.
"Who knows what they're going to plan next," Coal spoke up, bringing up a good point.
"If we know them right, it isn't going to be something we're going to enjoy," Aeon shook his head while frowning.
I followed Aeon's lead and frowned too. "Last thing we need is more pain from Team Horizon; we need to deal with them sooner or later," I told everyone, crossing my arms once again and looking down to the cave's rocky floor. Whatever they have planned with Mew's blood, it's not going to be good; just look at what they can do without it. It makes me worried just thinking about the possibilities.
Aeon stares at the Mew, seeming just as concerned as I am; I can tell from the expression on his face. I remembered a few questions I wanted to ask for a long time, "Hey, Aeon, since we're asking questions and everything, I wanted to know something."
He stopped concentrating on Mew and glanced up to me, letting out a hum of his curiosity. "Yeah?"
I take in a breath, "Well, since all this happened, and ever since you appeared in my head, I really wanted to know… why are you in my head?" I asked, since out of everything that has happened, this is still one of those questions that doesn't have an answer.
"I can't answer that, but I can answer other questions." He looks back to me with a smile.
With my arms crossed and my foot still tapping, I ask, "What's wrong? Why is that question such a problem?"
Aeon sighs and shakes his head, "Sora if you wish, I will answer that another day... however, for now, you're not ready for it."
"Not ready!?" I huff, ticked off, and lowering my arms, "I have to do so much to try and keep myself and everyone else safe, accepting and learning to have a new life, so how can I not be ready!?" My rings pulse with light as they sense my anger.
Aeon quickly frowns as his rings glow brightly, staying solid. "Don't raise your voice at me, Sora!" he barks with a low growl, "At least you got to have a life," His claws extend out as he huffs and walks away from us. My rings stop pulsing as my tail hangs low, leaving me confused.
"Huh? Life?" I stand there, watching him pace back and forth in his own little area of the cave room. "Aeon what are you-"
Mew flies in front of me, interrupting me, "Best to leave him be for now, Sora~" it smiles happily.
"But..." I stare at it then beyond it to Aeon, he didn't seem in the mood to talk so I slowly nod, "Alright..."
It giggles and pats me on the head. "Good," it purrs and lets out a mew. I bring my hand up and mess with my hair, trying to fix it.
"Heh... yeah," I respond back. This Pokémon seemed so childish and carefree; it makes me happy seeing someone like that. I wish I had more time to talk to this amazing Pokémon, however, time is always ticking away from us.
"For saving me, I can do something for you," It told me still happy as ever. My ears perked up, and my rings start to glow from joy.
"D-Do something for me? Like, anything?" While it is true that I had pretty much given up on finding a cure, and was slowly accepting becoming a Pokémon, if I could turn back, then I might consider it.
Coal smiles, staring up at Mew, "You mean I can get my old buddy back? I do like him less fluffy," he snickers, glancing at me.
I glare down to him and raise my fist, "What does that mean!?" Mew giggles, watching us while clearly amused by our reactions.
"While I would… like to do that, it's something I can't really do with ease. I don't have your DNA, which I need in order to change you back." Coal and I glance back to Mew, both saddened to hear this.
"O-Oh... really?" I softly mumble to it as it gives a nod in confirmation.
"I could stop the changes, but not get rid of them," It added. This Mew, who has enormous power, is offering me a gift. Do I really want to use it to stop these changes?
"He will still be fluffy though," Coal crosses his arms, obviously not impressed. I give him a swift but soft kick as he exclaims, "Ow!" He rubs his side and glares up at me.
"So... you're offering me the chance to stay part human and part Pokémon...?" I asked as it nods, "Then... it wouldn't be worth it..." I think a little bit harder, trying to think of something else I could use. Upon thinking of something, I smile with my tail wagging, "Actually, I have something you could do for me."
The Mew tilts its head curiously, "What is it?"
I cross my arms, keeping my smile, "I'm fine with how I am. However... there are some Pokémon in this mountain that I promised to find a good home. Maybe you can help them get there?" I notice Aeon stop his pacing. Calmed down, he looks over to me, confused.
Coal tugs at my pants as I look down to him, finding him confused as well, "Uh... Sora, wouldn't you prefer to use it for yourself? Like maybe going straight to Team Horizon or getting Mew to find a cure?"
"Heh," I kneel down and pat Coal on the head, "All that can wait, really. I made a promise to those Pikachu and I tend to keep it. Besides, I'd rather settle my own conscience rather than fix my body." I keep smiling and look up to the floating fluff ball, "So, could you help?"
It giggles and does a flip, "Really? That's easy! I would gladly do that!" it exclaims happily with a mew. I chuckle, watching Mew do its thing. If anything, it's a very cute Pokémon.
Aeon walked back over clearly, calmed down from whatever happened from before, "Hey, welcome back. Things better now?" I ask.
"Sora… I may not give you an answer now, but... I think I can give it to you soon." He finally smiles again, and I return with a smile too. Something I said clearly pleased him; maybe it was for helping the Pikachu.
"That's good to know, Aeon, I look forward to knowing all your secrets," I smirk with a slight chuckle, leading him to make a nervous chuckle, clearly not excited to tell anyone.
The Mew pokes my shoulder as I look up to it, "I will help the Pikachu reach a safe place where they can live once you leave the mountain."
I nod, getting up, "Alright, thank you Mew," I bow slightly in respect, taking Coal's ball out. "Thanks buddy, I wouldn't be here without you."
Coal waves his claw at me, having his arms crossed while he looks away, "Ahhh, I'm always getting you out of trouble. You're worthless without me," he smirks, glancing at me. I chuckle and return him to his ball in a beam of red light.
Mew does another flip before teleporting away, "I'll be around~" I hear its voice echo.
"That Pokémon… I wish I could spend more time with it," I said, looking out at the distance of the cave tunnel.
"Meh… it's not that special," Aeon responded. I stare down at him in confusion.
"What do you mean? Mew has the DNA of all Pokémon! That's so cool! I want to know more about it!" I exclaimed excitedly. I really wanted to research more about it to learn its origins and its power. I shake my head to try and rid myself of these scientist thoughts.
"Yeah, I guess it seems cool, I wouldn't really know. I just know Mew's my friend," he said with a nod.
"So, you two have spent time with each other?" I asked curiously, still trying to pry some answers from this tight-lipped Umbreon.
Aeon nods as he stares off down the cave, "Yeah, he came to me from time to time and we talked. He helped me recover and everything".
"...I thought you were created when this happened to me?" I asked with a sly smirk.
His eyes widen and his ears perk up, glaring up at me. "Sora! Stop trying to get answers from me!" He huffs, annoyed from being tricked.
"I'm not prying~ You're the one that answered after all!" I told him, chuckling.
"Umbre..." he rolls his eyes and looks away while pouting. He can be cute when he wants to.
"I'm just kidding! I'm sorry," I smile and go to pat him, but just like Coal's claw, my hand goes right through him. "Ah..." I pull my hand back.
He smiles, looking back at me, "Thank you for wanting to pet me, but it's okay." He starts to walk to the entrance to this chamber. As I watch him walk away, I look at the fallen members of Team Rocket and Team Horizon. So much senseless pain, what are they even doing working for people like that? It really makes you think about how many bad people there are in the world.
"Sora!" I heard Aeon call out to me. I snap out of my thoughts as I look at to him. "Come on!" I start to walk over, walking around the cruel men and women on the ground. When I make it to Aeon, I stop and stand there.
"So, you're going back into my head?" I ask.
"Yeah, as soon as you leave this chamber, I'll go back," he smiles. "Don't worry, once you get stronger I can make myself appear to you again without the help of Mew."
"I would like that," I smile back and glance down at him. "Guess I'll see you in my dreams," He nods happily as I walk out the chamber and into the cavern of the cave, Aeon disappearing behind me as I can suddenly sense him back in my head. "Alright, let's make out way back to those Chu."
"Yes, lets." he responds, it felt good to have his voice echo in my head, it was a sensation I've gotten used to over all this time, I'm sure it wouldn't last forever though.
We walk for a little while through the dark and gloomy cave, encountering a few wild Zubat and Geodude along the way in trying to find the group of pikachu to tell them the good news.
"You impress me more and more everyday, Sora," I hear a familiar-sounding voice from behind me. Not taking any chances I unsheathe my claws from my paw and turn around rapidly, ready to attack.
"Who's there!?" I exclaimed angrily, not in the mood for surprises. A figure comes into view from the darkness; It was Frost. "...Frost?"
He walks closer to me as I take a step back. "Do you suddenly not trust me?"
"Well, after everything that just happened, excuse me for being jumpy," I replied, relaxing a bit. However, I'm still unsure on what Frost's goals are.
"Understandable," he said. As he started to walk around me, we locked eyes, making sure we didn't leave each other's sight. "You left your home as a scared little boy on the run from men that want to kidnap you and use you," he smirks with a small chuckle, "Now, here you are, kicking Echo's butt. That's an impressive feat," he slowly claps as he keeps circling me.
"Sora, I don't like this…" I hear Aeon say in my head. However I didn't need his input to sense something was wrong.
"I get that feeling..." I responded back in my head to not draw attention from Frost. Keeping my eyes on him, I take on a confident stance. "Well, going through what I have, you learn to toughen up and think about what really matters."
"Oh, you have no idea what pain is, Sora, my boy~" He stops walking and stands in front of me, keeping that odd smirk of his, "Not until you have experienced what we've been through." I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out this feeling that Aeon and I have about Frost.
"Yes... you've been through a lot, you were born there right? Raised and tested on since birth… must have been rough," I lied, waiting for him to slip up.
"Oh, yes, it's been hard for as long as I can remember. Day in and day out with tests and no rest. Unlike you, who has been out in the big wide world," he spread his arms out to give more depth to what he said.
"Got ya..." I said as my claws extended out of my paw, "Frost wasn't tested on until he was eight years old!" I slash at him, not taking any chances as he jumps back from my attack, all the while, not losing that smirk.
"Oooh, you're smarter than you look, kid!" The so-called Frost's body shimmered and started to morph, stretching and changing shape.
"What… the…" I backed up in shock and confusion; this is nothing like a transformation I'm used to, this is something completely different. Its body finally stopped morphing as it looks like someone totally different. It was a female with short purple hair, pink eyes, freckles dotting her face, her clothing looked complicated with straps and knifes around the back of her waist, her pants looking more normal, but having some kind of items around it, and her big boots. I have never seen someone like her before, and after my shock of seeing her, I growl softly and lower my shoulders, ready for a fight.
"Hmph, nice to see you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gamma," she said taking a slight bow. Still unsure, I keep an eye on her, but I loosen up a bit.
"Hey Gamma, how did you do that?" I asked, absolutely stumped. She chuckled, seeming pretty happy about herself.
"You like~?" She poses for me with her hands on her hips. "I take it Frost hasn't told you everything, seeing as you don't know who I am~" I tilt my head, confused.
"Huh? Frost hasn't told me too much. Fine then, tell me who you are," I comment as I cross my arms, interested to learn more.
"Hmph, well~" she clears her throat as she prepares herself, "I'm Gamma, one of twenty-six modified humans to fight for Team Horizon and bring this world to perfect harmony."
I frown, not amused, "What harmony do you think would help bring this world together? Pain and suffering?!" I huff as my rings start to pulse.
"Oh no, my dear child~ There won't be any pain in this new world. The pain you have been feeling is only a error in the mutagen's coding. Once it has been worked out, then a global strike will happen, and everyone will be infected," she chuckled as I widen my eyes, feeling myself be dragged out of control as I take a back seat in my own body.
"What?! You monsters!" I hear myself yell loudly at her. It didn't take long to figure out that Aeon has taken over my body, and without my consent, no less.
"Temper, temper~" She wags her finger at me, "We don't want problem children, do we?"
"You want to turn everyone into a Pokémon? What good will that do?!" Aeon throws his fist out to the side, "Everyone will panic, others will kill, and there will be mass murder all over the world!"
Gamma chuckles yet again, pulling out a knife and putting her finger on the end of it, twisting the knife, "Sora, my boy, you really think we'll let everyone keep their minds? The mutagen will wipe their minds clean," she said, pulling her knife away as a droplet of blood appears on the end of her finger.
"W-What?! I.. There's still flaws in your plan!" Aeon yells out, huffing.
"Oh please, do tell me what these flaws are," she asked, falsely begging.
Aeon huffs yet again, "Hmph, for one, that's pretty much just killing everyone and replacing them with Pokémon, which won't even help! Other Pokémon will kill others and there will still be a lot of souls killed!"
Gamma shrugs, not seeming to care, "That's natural selection for you: the strong survive~" She smirks, bringing her finger to her mouth and licks the blood off of it, "Now Sora, are you quite done?"
Aeon growls as our rings glow bright, "No, I'm not! You think I'm just going to let this happen?!"
Gamma starts to laugh, unable to hold it back, "Bwhahaha! Oh, dear me, Sora, my boy. You really think I would have told you all that thinking you had a chance?" She waves her hand towards us looking away, "Please, you have no way of stopping our plans. You're just a kid. Sure, you may have stopped Echo, but he's too hot-headed for his own good. Trust me, you have nothing."
Aeon, finally having enough, charges at her, his claws' glow charging up a Cut attack as he leaps and brings his claws down on her. Keeping her smirk, she quickly dodges to the side, avoiding Aeon's attack. Glancing over to Aeon, she says, "Oh, bad mistake, Sora..." She jumps up and does a roundhouse kick into my back. Aeon lets out a yelp in pain and falls forward onto the ground. I can suddenly feel myself back in control; did she just knock Aeon out?
"Tsk tsk tsk, and I thought you were smart..." She slowly walks up behind me as I try to catch my breath from the kick to my back. "Guess I was wrong." I hear clanging of metal, most likely one of her knifes. In a state of panic, I close my eyes and release a burst of Psychic energy in fear, "Ah-!" I hear her go as she stumbles back, and with the danger gone, I regain myself and get up, turning to her.
"Clearly, you're overconfident," I calmly said not going to take my eyes off her, her smirk has since gone.
"Hmph, little brat..." She straightens herself out and adjusts an object in her hand, which I had thought was the knife; but now, being able to see it, it seems to be a kind of... needle? "I'm not here to kill you... at least, not yet. I just need some blood, then I'll be out of your hair. What do you say~?" Clearly regaining herself from the Psychic push, she starts smirking again.
"No way! You think I will just let you get some? You'll just use it to hurt others!" I yell at her, backing up. I clearly can't fight her; without Aeon around, my move pool is limited and, quite frankly, unstable. Even if I wanted to fight her, I needed to be in the right state of mind, and I just don't have that.
She yawns of boredom, "Fine, I'll take it the hard way." Smirking, her body shimmers and morphs again as she shrinks and changes, and yet again freaking me out. Her body changes into something familiar, something I know all too well, and once I realized what it is, I flinch in shock, standing in front of me was... me.
"H-How... How did you- why are you me!" I stuttered out trying to come to my senses.
"Why, so I can actually use some moves. Knives are fun, but I don't want to damage the goods~" she said in my body and my voice; it's such an odd feeling.
Without having time to process what was happening, she charged at me and jumped into the air, bringing her leg forward and kicking. Having enough time, I raise my right arm to deflect the blow. She kicks me on the side of the head with my arm only protecting me from some of the blow. I stumble to the side while I regain myself, glaring over to her.
Having only just attacked me, she's right on my heels as she has extended her claws and proceeds to swipe at me. Not wanting to let her have the upper hand forever, I lean back and just manage to avoid the claws. I clench my fist and bring it forward with force to her face, making contact as she spins back from the punch. I smirk, finally being able to put her in her place. Suddenly, she leans forward and kicks behind her and into my chest. I stumble back and cough from the blow, "A-Ah..."
She quickly turns back around to face me. It seems my punch didn't really phase her, while her kick has clearly put a strain on me right now. I rub my chest, feeling the pain and still getting no time to relax as she comes at me again, throwing a punch with both her fist and her paw. Ignoring the pain I felt on my chest, I raised my arms to block the attacks, both of them impacting against my forearms. I take this opportunity to strike back, bringing one foot forward for balance and throwing a punch at her. She easily leans out the way and grabs my arm. She twists it and pulls me forward as I stumble to keep my balance as she sends me forward.
Holding my arm as I finally manage to stop myself from going forward, I turn back to her only to receive a punch in the face. It hurts so much, I stumble backwards again, only to be greeted with a sudden force to my chest as I get sent backwards and land on the rocky ground hard on my back. "Why you hitting yourself~?" She jokingly comments.
"...U-Ugh... ow…" I mutter in pain from the blows I took. I sit up, recovering a little, and glare at her. I'm not in the right state of mind to be fighting, and I'm not going to be risking Coal unless I need to. Back when I was fighting Echo, I had so many thoughts flood my head; ways to strike and defend and fighting tactics. Now, I have nothing, and I need to figure out how to do that again before she wins.
"Now, let's see what kind of moves you have, kid," she says. As she raises her paw to me, her rings start to glow, and so do I as she lifts me off the ground with Psychic, "Oh, effective~"
"H-Hey!" I struggle and flail in the air to no avail. She has won if I stay like this; I need to think and figure this out now!
I close my eyes and concentrate on fighting, trying to access information deep inside me. Gamma walks towards my floating body, "Well it's been fun Sora, but I really need that blood sample now." I hear her go through her pockets, no doubt finding the needle.
I keep focusing, hoping to feel something like I did before after my change happened. Maybe I need to think about something else rather than the act of fighting? I change my thought process and think about why I fight. I fight because I don't want to them to win, I fight because I want to stay with my friends and protect them from danger, I fight because I have grown up and I won't mope about the bad things, and I will use my knowledge to my advantage and defeat every challenge.
I feel my rings burning up brightly. "Hm?" I hear Gamma hum as she takes out the needle from her pocket and stares at the rings. "What do you think you're doing?" she asks. I start to get the feeling I got before, but it feels stronger this time, and I smirk as I open my eyes, staring at her.
"Again, you're overconfident." My eyes glow as I counter her Psychic hold and I spin backwards in midair, kicking her in the face.
"Ahh!" she yells in pain and shock at the sudden attack, causing her to stumble back and drop the needle. I land on the ground and run forward, smashing my foot against the needle. Gamma, regaining herself, sees me and growls, "You mutt!"
I stand up straight with confidence. "Did you just call yourself a mutt?" I smirk. This only angers her more as she charges at me and throws a wild punch. I lean out the way and punch her in the stomach. While I know this hurt, she did little to show her pain. She stumbles back slightly before throwing another punch. One after another, she keeps trying, I raise my arms to deflect what I can and dodge what I can't, sneaking a punch or two when she has an opening.
I soon kick her shin, which made her topple forward. I followed this up with a swift kick to the shoulder, which made her lose her balance and fall to her side. "Now, please leave me alone; I won't let you guys do any more harm to me or my friends." I told her calmly, standing there and recovering from the punches she did manage to land before.
Growling, she rolls and gets up glaring at me, but clearly in pain, both physically and to her pride. "You think you've won! I will tear you apart, mutt!" Her rings, glowing in anger as her eyes glow with rocks and boulders floating up all around her. "See how much you're smiling after this!" Using Psychic, she throws the floating earth towards me.
I widen my eyes as I make them slow down and stop mid air, floating between me and her, her eyes still glowing as she continues focusing on them, "You won't win this, kid," she said.
"Says you! This is my move, not yours!" I focus on the rocks, trying to keep them from continuing and slamming into me.
We both go silent, doing our best to push the rocks towards the other person, and while I'm not losing, I'm not winning either. I need to think of something quick, before I give and become a smear on the ground. I stare at the boulders for ideas as I notice them crumbling. Could our Psychic energies be making them fall apart? I think about this and smirk, figuring out a way to win.
"Enough of this, Gamma, you know you won't win!" I yell at her, focusing more and more, trying to put more pressure on the rocks.
"Kid, I've been training for years to be a great soldier, you can't just beat me like that!" she responds, growing angrier and trying harder to throw those rocks at me.
She's doing what I what I wanted, now I just need one final thing, "S-Sora..?" I hear Aeon's aching voice.
"Aeon, great timing! I need to use your moves really badly," I ask him.
"H-Huh? Are we still fighting?" he asked, clearly still recovering.
"Aeon, now please..," I ask and start to beg a little.
"R-Right, of course!" he finally said as I can feel his moves opening up to me.
"Awesome!" I exclaim raising my paw and charging up a Shadow Ball.
"Wait, what? You don't have that move!" I hear Gamma complain.
"No, but a buddy does," I fire the Shadow Ball at the boulders as it makes impact them and explodes, the pressure on the rocks combined with the explosion breaks them apart with rocks and dust flying all over the cave, covering the place in a thick brown cloud of rubble.
"Ahh-! Hey!" I hear Gamma yell out, her rings glowing brightly from anger. I make my rings relax as they go off.
"Sora, what did you just-" I hear Aeon say as he watches.
"Do?" I interrupt him, "The rocks were cracking and falling apart, so I figured I would would use that to my advantage and create a cloak for me to get an advantage," I told him.
"S-Sora, that could have gone in many different ways! You're lucky it went as smoothly as it did," I hear him yell in my head.
"Ow… ah, yet it went my way." Smirking, I turn around and run for it, using the rocky mist as cover. With my rings off, Gamma can't see me like I can see her.
I hear Aeon sigh, "Sora, you can be reckless, you know that?"
"At least it works out in the end, Aeon. I don't think I could have truly beaten her..." I told him as I run away back into the darkness of the cave, leaving the crazed lady behind.
Running and trying to find the Chu family, I stop for a moment to take a break and recover a little bit from my injures that Gamma inflicted, "Man... and she said there's 25 more like her working for Team Horizon… there's no way I can contend against that..." I say out loud while taking a seat and leaning my back against the cave wall.
"I don't know... and their plan for the world is insane," Aeon added, leaving me to sigh as I remember.
"Right, turning everyone into Pokémon, making them forget who they are... what makes them think that's a great idea to help the world?" I said, my ear twitching from hearing something near me.
"Because it isn't." I hear a voice, glaring in that direction, I see someone emerge from the darkness, again it was Frost. I quickly get up, ready to fight again, "Easy, Sora, rest assured it's me," he says.
"Uh huh…" Not believing him and taking a step back.
Frost sighs and crosses his arms. "Fine, you don't have to believe me and I'll leave you in peace, but first I should really give you information." He starts to pace back and forth. It doesn't seem like it's Gamma, as I'm sure she would have attacked by now. Besides, without her needle, she has no use to keep following me. I relax, believing it to be Frost.
"So, you say Gamma told you there are 26 of us? Well, that is all true. However, we're split up between the regions, so there's only about 4 of us in Kanto tending to things. You have met Gamma, Echo and I, but there is another: Omega, but he's currently out doing rounds on the other regions, so you're not likely to meet him," Frost said calmly as he paced while I stood there, taking in all the information and trying to remember all of it.
"Well, that's... simple I guess. I don't have to face 26, only Echo and Gamma," I smile, feeling relieved with Frost nodding.
"Well, yes, but they're not the type to just give up if they can help it," Frost adds. "Also, if you can manage to disrupt and finish off Team Horizon here on Kanto, you'll most likely ruin their plans to change the world as the Kanto branch is the one focused on the mutagen that you've been infected with."
"Really?" I mutter softly as I think to myself.
"Yes, so I wish you luck in that. We'll meet again, Sora" With that, he starts walking into the darkness again. I choose not to go after him, as I really don't have the need to, but this information I just got from him is uplifting. At least I know if I can manage to do this, I will save everyone. Hopefully, I can just manage to do that.
"Well, what do you plan on doing, Sora?" I hear Aeon ask while I keep thinking about the information.
"I think… that I'm still going to do my best to stop them. What they have done to me, Clare and all the others is unforgivable, and if I can still fight back, then I will," I tell him, nodding my head.
"Great to hear, Sora," Aeon tells me, pleased with my answer.
"Sora!" As I hear a voice echo in the cave, I turn around and get tackled by two Plusle as I fall down onto my bottom, getting hugged to bits by them.
"Brother!" They both exclaim together, clearly missing and worrying about me. I chuckle and hold them against my chest.
"Dash, Pulse!" I said as I looked ahead of me with Tom, Tabatha, Luna and Clare running towards me. Smiling I feel happy that these guys are by my side again.
Dash and Pulse stop hugging me and both run up and climb onto my shoulders, allowing me to get up. Tom stomps over to me, stopping in front of me and flicks my nose, "Ow!" I yip as I rub my nose confused.
"Stop running off!" He yells angrily at me, crossing his arms.
"He means that we were worried," Tabatha said stopping by Tom's side. I stop rubbing my nose as I chuckle.
"Oh don't worry, he still loves me~" I smirk as I move closer to him and nudge him.
"Ugh, whatever!" He throws his arms up and backs up a bit as he huffs, "Why did you run off like that?" he asked, trying to calm down.
"Well... I... A Pokémon needed my help, and so I ran off to save it" I told them smiling, "You know me and Pokémon in danger."
Luna giggles as she nods, smiling. "Yep~"
"Why was it in danger?" Tabatha asked.
"Well…" I'm hesitant to tell them about Team Horizon and Team Rocket, but there's no sense in keeping that secret. "I encountered Team Rocket and Team Horizon deeper in this cave. It was an intense fight, but I managed to win over all of them."
"What?!" Tom exclaims. "And you ran off by yourself?!"
"Now, Tom, I know you worry about me, but I'm finem as you can see." I put my hand on his shoulder as Dash runs over onto Tom and rests there. "I'm more than capable of handling myself. Besides, I had Coal with me, and we managed to outdo them all on more than one occasion in here."
"Brother is the strongest ever!" Dash jumps onto Tom's head and raises his arms into the air. I laugh, watching along with Pulse.
"Ahh!" Tom panics. "Get off, please!"
"Awww..." Dash jumps at me as I catch him and allow him to climb back on my shoulder.
"Oh, one more thing... Sim apparently works for Team Rocket and is actually in command, I just fought her," I told them.
"What? But Sim was so sweet and kind! Are you sure it was her?" Tabatha asked confused, as I nod to confirm what I said.
Tom sighs, staring at the ground and crossing his arms again, "No one can be trusted..."
I chuckle at what he said. "What do you mean? Aw, come on Tom!" I slap his back and put my arm around him. "Come on!" I let go of him and start to run out the cave.
"S-Sora!" I hear them call out to me as they run after to me as I laugh.
"Come on, I feel the fresh air this way!" I yell out back to them, chuckling as I run.
"Sora, you seem happy." Aeon mentions.
"Aeon, there's no time to be sad in a time like this, I got my family with me, and we're not going to be in danger for some time. I should enjoy it!" I tell him as I run with my tail wagging furiously.
"I guess that's true, Sora, so I guess you should enjoy your time while Team Horizon regroups," he added as I nod, seeing light up ahead.
"Ah!" I run faster as I burst out of the cave and into the open. The smell of fresh air was grand as I stared out to the horizon as the sun starts to rise. It seems I've been up all night dealing with Team Horizon and Team Rocket. On my shoulders, I can hear Pulse and Dash giggle as the others catch up behind me.
"Sora, you seem happy," Pulse tells me as I bring my hand up and pat him, smiling at both of them.
"How can I not when my little brothers are here with me? You always brighten my day!" They seem to have loved what I said as their paws start to emit sparks from happiness.
"Really brother?!" Dash exclaims as I pat him.
"Ow, yes really! Now please calm down the sparks," I chuckle as they both slowly control themselves.
Tom, panting, comes from behind and stands next to me, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. "...Y-You know, I haven't noticed how fast you can run now."
I look over to Tom curiously, "Really? I guess I haven't noticed."
"You think...?" Tom adds, rolling his eyes and taking another deep breath.
Tabatha giggles as she comes up on my other side. "Since meeting you, I have learned to put on some running shoes.
"For the best, really," I smile back at her, I feel something rub up against my leg. As I look down, I find Luna smiling back up at me. I kneel and pat her. "I hope I didn't worry you too much."
Luna purrs from me patting her. "Oh, I was a bit, but I was confident you were doing the right thing," she said, smiling up at me.
"Hehe, well, I will do my best to at least tell you what's happening next time." She nods as I scratch her behind the ear. I glance behind me and Clare's standing there. Staring at her reminds me of her story and the things that have happened to me, "...Clare, I do promise to get you back home; you have my word on that."
She nods and smiles, "I know, Sora, I trust that you will." I smile back as I give her a quick pat.
"Sora, look, it's a bunch of Pikachu," I hear Tabatha say. Curious, I look up and follow her gaze to the cave's entrance and standing the were the Pikachu I was looking for, Fling's family. I get up and walk over to them, kneeling down in front of the Raichu and Violet.
"Hey, you guys," I mutter to them still not comfortable around Fling's family after what happened.
"...I followed you and watched what happened back in the cave after you ran off." the Raichu said as my ears went back.
"O-Oh, that... Um-" I quickly get interrupted by him.
"I can see why my mate trusted you, with your spirit to fight and desire to keep moving forward. You remind me of Violet here." He pats her and messes up her fur.
"Oh, dad…" she pouts as she tries to fix it. A few other Chu behind them chuckle.
"I... wanted to say again that I'm sorry for attacking you," he added.
I shake my head. "You don't need to be sorry, it was my fault Fling, your mate is dead, and I-" I get shocked on the side of my face by Pulse. "Ow!" I rub my cheek and look to him as he shushes me and points to the Raichu as I look over.
He smirks, finding that amusing, "Interesting friend you have. Well, I don't blame you anymore. Fling trusted you because of your kindness and strength, she listened to you because she believed, and she died doing what she believed in and doing what was right... That's all we need. I know she's at rest now, thanks to you."
"...I..." I didn't know what to say. He has forgiven me for getting his mate killed. I just didn't understand, but his worlds have… calmed my conscience, "...Thank you, sir," I bow my head and smile back down at him, "And I have done what I told you I would. I found you a new home where you guys can live happily."
The Chu seem shocked and looked at each other hopefully. "Is that true?" Violet asked nervously.
I nod at her keeping my smile. "I have met a friend who will take you to a very special place. You can trust this Pokémon, believe me," I added.
"This would be Mew, correct? I overheard," the Raichu chuckled, but soon smiled. "Mew was ready to do pretty much anything for you, but you chose to help us? I… was shocked; not that many people or Pokémon get a gift from Mew".
"Well, I needed to make up for what I did. Besides, I told you guys I would get you a home, and I did. It doesn't matter how I got the home." Smiling, I stared at all the Chu, who all soon started to smile, happy that they were finally going to get a real home where they could be safe.
"Thank you, you have all of our gratitude, Sora," the Raichu said, bowing. The others joined in, but not Violet.
"Does this mean we won't see each other again…?" she said softly and in a sad tone. I thought about it and chuckled lightly.
"What do you mean? We'll always be together. Once friends, always friends. I'll always be there to give you comfort," I said as I put my finger on her chest. "Just stare up at the moon and look deep within your heart, and you'll find me. As long as you don't forget me, I'm never gone," I told her as I take my finger away and pat her.
"Oh... okay, Sora," she smiles, feeling happy again as the Raichu enjoys seeing his little girl happy.
"I haven't seen her smile like that; not since Fling left. Thank you again, Sora." They all looked up at me as I get up off the ground with a nod.
"You're welcome, now, it's time you go to your new home. Be safe." smiling they all wave goodbye to me before they all teleport away before my eyes. Most likely, Mew is nearby, and has finally taken them. I turn around and walk back to the others.
"Sora, where did they just go?" Tom asked, confused at their sudden disappearance.
"They're finally home," I said back to him, standing by their sides again and watching the horizon.
"Home? Alright..." Still confused, Tom just accepts it and turns to face the same direction along with Tabatha.
"So, Cerulean City is next," Tabatha reminds us.
"Yep, and your second badge, Tom" I told him.
"What? Not this again, we're not going for the Gyms anymore!" he loudly explained to me as I chuckled.
"Tom, I've learnt life sucks, but I've also learnt that life is beautiful. From everything I've been through, I just don't want to curl into my shell and withdraw from the world, I want to do the stuff we like and help out everyone I can." I put my arm around him. "Trusting may be hard, sure, but what I want more than anything is for you guys to be around me, you're my strength," I grin happily, "Making new friends will only add to that."
Tom, seeming confused just stares at me and blinks. "Alright... I think, but does it have to involve battling the Gyms?" He asked.
I chuckle and let go of him. "Oh, yes, you better get to training, Tom!" I start to walk along the path as Luna nad Clare follow me.
"What? You can't be serious!" He looks to Tabatha, "Tell me he's kidding."
Tabatha only smiles and starts to walk, "When has Sora ever kidded around since I've met him?" she giggles, starting to walk with Tom just standing there. "You'd better start training~"
"...Guys! That's not funny!" He thinks for a moment before running to catch up. "Can't we talk about this?!"
I laugh and start to run. "Nope! Start training!"
"Sora!" he yells out to me as we run.
These moments in life is what I cherish.
Dear Journal,
Life is a small thing that we take for granted. Some use their life to have power and control others, while some spend their life sitting down doing nothing. What's the point of life where you do nothing for yourself or just hurt others for your own gain?
We should cherish the moments we have with the ones we love, make memories that will last for the rest of our life, share that with the next generation, and live on in the hearts of the ones that love you. I have learnt this recently. Everything that has happened and the things I have learnt, there's no time to be sad or seclusive while we have others that care about us.
Don't push them back, but accept them in and enjoy their company. Go out and explore and live your life. I learned that all our lives might end soon, so it is best to spend our time doing what we love.
What I love is spending time with my family and friends, and that's just what I'm going to do.
~Sora