Chapter 39
Farin stood in place, watching as the group of young trainers and human Pokémon fled in terror from his power. Both of his own Pokémon had fallen asleep after the Jumpluff's unexpected appearance. Still, if he really wanted them he could've defeated them with ease. He still commanded two more human Pokémon that were just as powerful. But why waste the energy?
"The kid's upstairs," Cal emerged through the group of subordinates that Farin had assembled, "he still thinks you're going to kill him."
"So nice of you to join us, Cal," Farin turned to his top Hunter, grinning widely.
"Hey, it's not like you needed me," Cal defended his actions, "I figure the fewer of them that know my face, the better."
"Of course," Farin nodded, "I'm sure that's the reason." Cal felt a sudden urge to punch Farin in his fat face, but he held back. Everything that he believed Team Deus needed to be was changing right in front of him.
Cal was convinced that what Team Deus needed to do to survive was operate in the shadows. The famous Team Rocket had been successful for years by doing exactly that. Only once they started to operate in the open and display their power on a grander scale did things start to go wrong. They left themselves open to defeat after embarrassing defeat at the hands of a little kid.
Now Team Deus was going to walk that very same road and Cal couldn't stop them. This was going to be the beginning of the end. How much longer would it be?
"Did everything go according to your plan?" Cal asked.
"Of course," Farin acknowledged, "let them spread the word and bring back their best. Once one of the Four is brought before us, we can begin the real test."
"Wait, what?" Cal drew back in shock, "you want to fight one of the Four?"
"Why else would I let them go?" Farin asked, "This way they can search for help and bring back someone more worthy of our attention."
"That's your plan!" Cal couldn't believe it, "you're tempting fate, you moron! We spend half of our time working to avoid them and now you want to bring one of them here?"
"Don't act so shocked, Cal," Farin retorted, "we both know that the Four are the only real obstacle for Team Deus. If they're gone, we can do whatever we like."
"Well, maybe…" Cal decided to humor Farin and considered the idea. It was true that the Four commanded the strongest human Pokémon in existence. But what kind of power would it take for Team Deus to be able to defeat even one of them? Farin's current group might be on par with them, but Cal seriously doubted it. The Four had always been in a class of their own.
"I told you before, Cal," Farin continued, "we already possess strength beyond anything you've seen. Strength that makes these creatures look like harmless pets." He waved his hand, gesturing to his still sleeping human Pokémon.
But Cal shook his head, "you're playing with fire, Farin. Unless you're careful everything is going to burn down around you. When that happens, don't expect me to save you."
"Spoken like a man who only watches after himself," Farin scoffed, "but don't worry, Cal. You'll see that power soon enough."
The sun had already set when the defeated group emerged to the surface. Silver, Lily, Aroma, Kim, Eric, Fernelia, Mark, Maple and the nameless Charmander-girl didn't stop running until they had reached Himitsu Island's Main Street that ran through the town square. With the docks and the Team Deus base well behind them, they each collapsed against the nearest building to catch their breath.
"What…the hell…was that?" Kim panted.
"I don't know…" Silver shook his head, "but he's powerful, all right. Thank Arceus that Cotton came through."
"Yeah…" Kim agreed. She almost hadn't and they would've been killed. The timid Jumpluff-girl was at best a mixed blessing. What if she failed next time?
"He let us go," Mark pointed out to them, "I don't know why, but he could've chased us down if he wanted to."
"Yeah…" Silver agreed. He stood up straighter as he managed to catch his breath.
"What I want to know," Kim began, "is how in God's name did they manage to build something like that without anybody knowing? Who paid for all that crap?"
But none of them had an answer and they all shook their heads.
"But, still," Lily spoke up, "we got back Aroma and…" she had to pause to recall Fernelia's name, "Fernelia! We succeeded…didn't we?" As she looked around the forlorn group, she wasn't so sure.
But the two women smiled at her.
"Yes," Fernelia nodded, "you did. If it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't be standing here with my son." She put her hands on Eric's shoulders. The boy was already returning to his normal self. He was no longer the shaken, broken person he had been just half an hour ago.
"Yeah," Eric agreed, "we did it. Thanks, guys. There's no way we could've done it without you."
"Hey," Silver smirked despite the lingering pain from his previous battle, "what're friends for?"
"So…" Mark didn't want to bring it up, but he had to, "what do we do now?"
"What do you mean?" Silver asked.
"Well," Mark sighed as he came up with the words, "they're experimenting on human Pokémon. We are going to put a stop to that…right?"
He looked around at each of them, but no one besides Maple and the Charmander-girl met his gaze. Even with Aroma and Fernelia back among them, they all felt too defeated. They each had risked a lot, even more than what they thought they were risking. Was he really asking them to do it all again?
"I'd like to say yes," Silver admitted, "but we can't. We're just not strong enough."
"You're giving up?"
"Not because I want to," Silver countered, "I'm just as pissed off as you, but we can't do anything here. They're way too strong. We only got out because we got lucky."
"What if we get help?" Maple asked, "I'm sure somebody will help us."
"The only people that have that kind of power is one of the Four," Kim explained, "if we can convince one of them to help us…I guess it's worth a shot."
"One of the Four…" Mark thought about it. Aurum, RiverofTears, EdgeoftheEarth and PureBlueSky, if one of them helped fight Team Deus, then it just might be possible to defeat them. He only knew Aurum, but the tired old man wasn't likely to help them. The Golden Trainer probably wouldn't care about their plight at all. Still, what other choice did they have?
"They're all recluses," Kim added, "getting one of them to help us won't be easy."
"Right…" Mark agreed. He didn't like walking away, but there was no other option, this time. They were all too weak to do anything on their own.
Mark sank down onto the ground, sliding his back along the building they had picked, facing towards the city. He felt weak and exhausted and defeated. They had rescued Fernelia, Aroma and the Charmander-girl, but it felt like they had lost more than what they had gained from their attack against Team Deus. They had been devastated in a battle and all Farin had been doing was warning them. It wasn't a serious fight. The next time, they wouldn't be so lucky.
As he sat there, the Charmander-girl edged closer to him, clinging to his arm. She had taken an unexpectedly strong shine to him. He had no idea why.
Maple sat down next to him, on the opposite side and leaned her head against his shoulder. She had healed herself with Synthesis and her arm no longer bled, but a dull pain still throbbed where Farin's Mightyena had bit her. Mark sighed at their comforting presence and leaned his head back.
As he did so, he felt a small droplet of water hit the middle of his forehead forcing him to wince and blink in annoyance.
"Well, let's get home, guys," Silver stood up to leave, "we survived. That's what matters. Let's just go home and lick our wounds."
The others slowly got up to follow him, but Mark, Maple and the Charmander-girl remained where they were. He was still too tired to move, just yet. Another few droplets hit his forehead.
"Hey, guys," he called the attention of the others, "was it supposed to rain tonight?"
"No," Kim said, shaking her head, but as she opened her palm and felt for it, she discovered that he was right.
"And what the hell's that?" Mark pointed over top of Mount Totetsu.
It was much too low to be a cloud, but Mark had no idea what else it could've been. A ring of golden smoke was floating around the tip of the mountain. Lightning arced from it down to the mountain itself. The cloud glowed brightly in the dark, night sky.
A few moments later, it started pouring.
The distortion around the peak of Mount Totetsu was a necessary side-effect of the forces that gathered together at its peak. Lightning and thunder shook the area as the storm created by the rip in space-time began to gain strength. The storm heralded the coming of Dialga and Palkia.
At the westernmost point of the cloud-ring, a blue-green light shone through the golden ring. A moment after the light's first appearance, a man came through. He descended, light as a feather, down onto the rocky side of Mount Totetsu. He was dressed in a dark blue robe that flowed down to his shins, tied off with a light-blue sash around his waist. Underneath it he wore a white shirt and dark blue pants that fit loose to allow for added mobility. His black boots as well as his gloves were adorned with pointed steel-grey armor. His hair was long and colored a similar shade of dark blue. Two pointed, steel horns extended from his head.
On the opposite easternmost point, a similar light shone through the clouds. This one was a deep shade of purple. The woman that descended was dressed in an ornately decorated purple and white kimono. Her shoulders were bare and a slit extended up the side of the kimono to the knee. Her deep violet hair reached down past her shoulder-blades. Like the man, her wrists and ankles were armored. However, the horns extending through her hair were less prominent and more stream-lined against her head.
Dialga and Palkia each strode forward in their human forms towards the other. They met in the center of the peak of Mount Totetsu, a small plateau that was only three square yards.
They hated each other. It was a hate that dated back millennia. But the circumstances were becoming too dire.
"I see that you still favor that form, Palkia," the man greeted the woman with no indication of its true intentions.
"As do you, Dialga," the woman returned, equally standoffish. The two spoke in an ancient form of the same language that humans used. They had learned it for the sole purpose of using it in their human forms, which they donned no more often than necessary.
The two stared at each other in stubborn hatred. Lightning and thunder sounded out in anger as the storm built up energy around them. But the two remained as they were, staring unflinchingly at each other. They would have remained that way if it weren't for the arrival of the third member of their council.
Racing up the side of the mountain, Suicune appeared, still in its Pokémon form. It bounded up to the two with both grace and beauty. As it arrived at the peak, it transformed into its human form to help ease the anguish of the other two. Dialga and Palkia despised their human forms, but it was necessary to avoid disturbing the human world that was so close by. If the two legends appeared simultaneously over a human settlement, the results would be total chaos. Even creatures as powerful as Dialga and Palkia had some sympathy for the lowly humans.
"Finally, you've arrived," Dialga glared at the much weaker newcomer.
"Yes, at last," Palkia mirrored Dialga and sneered at Suicune.
"Yes, lords," Suicune nodded and kneeled before the other two, "I apologize. I should have been present when you arrived." Suicune had no choice but to obey the laws imposed on it. Dialga and Palkia were far stronger Pokémon than it. Therefore, it was required to acknowledge that dominance. Suicune was just a servant of Ho-oh and the two legendary dragons were just as powerful as Ho-oh. Suicune spoke for Ho-oh, but the dragons would refuse to show it respect.
"Then let's begin," Dialga re-directed its scowl back at Palkia.
"Let's," Palkia agreed with a condescending smile at the corner of its lips.
"The situation grows dire," Dialga began, "It seems that Giratina intends to betray us."
"Agreed," Palkia nodded, "his blind partnership with the abomination known as Mewtwo is frustrating and pathetic."
There was nothing that either Dialga or Palkia knew that the other didn't. Discussing what they already knew was more of a formality than a necessity. But their deep hatred for each other prevented them from acting quickly on anything.
"The disturbances in the world increase as Mewtwo interferes with greater power than himself," Dialga continued, "powerful storms and climate shifts come about from his meddling."
"He thinks naught of the consequences of his action," Palkia added, "he only seeks power, no matter what the cost. He is a misguided fool."
"What do you intend to do, lords?" Suicune asked the two dragons.
They turned and glared down at Suicune as if it were a revolting insect, one that wasn't even a Pokémon. Ho-oh's emissary or not, it needed to show its superiors respect. But the two decided not to waste their energies and instead turned back to glare at each other anew.
"If Giratina truly intends to break our covenant of peace, then we will act accordingly," Dialga explained.
"Such treachery cannot be forgiven," Palkia confirmed.
"And what of Mewtwo?" Suicune added urgently, "if his intention is truly to destroy Arceus, then what will you do?"
Both dragons turned bodily towards Suicune and stared at it viciously.
"Mewtwo is nothing more than an abomination created by humans!" Dialga and Palkia screamed the words at Suicune in unison, "he is no threat to our power! Giratina is a fool and a disgrace to follow him!"
Suicune cringed and bowed forward. It placed its forehead against the ground and frantically apologized for disrespecting the two. Satisfied, the two dragons permitted Suicune to kneel again.
But Suicune no longer understood what was being discussed. This was not a council to organize against Mewtwo. In their pride and arrogance, the two dragons were ignoring the real threat. They were much more concerned with settling their grudge against Giratina than with Mewtwo's ghastly plans to destroy Arceus. Mewtwo was becoming too powerful to ignore, but they were doing exactly that.
"What of Ho-oh's position in this matter?" Dialga asked the emissary.
"Ho-oh remains neutral," Suicune confirmed, "no action will be taken in this affair. My only instructions are to observe and report what I see."
"And what of the others?" Palkia inquired.
Suicune humbly shook its head. "Lugia, Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem remain dormant. They each look after their own territories and do not wish to become involved. They view this as a matter solely between the two of you, Arceus, Giratina and Mewtwo."
"Typical," Dialga said with disdain. However, it selectively ignored the fact that it would have done the same.
"Useless," Palkia echoed with no less of a hypocritical attitude.
"Mewtwo is of no consequence," Dialga resumed the discussion, "However, Giratina has shamed himself and become a dog for that abomination."
"The dog will obey the master," Palkia once again continued Dialga's train of thought, "for now, we will wait and watch the master's movements."
"He still recovers from venturing into the Reverse World," Dialga added, "he is weak and will not move."
"Yes," Palkia confirmed, "it will take a minimum of nine more days for him to fully recover his strength."
"Nine days?" Suicune asked, "Such a long time…"
"The Reverse World is unfit for anything other than Giratina," Dialga explained.
"Mewtwo was fortunate to have even survived," Palkia finished.
"But if he has grown powerful enough to survive the Reverse World," Suicune couldn't help itself, "then what else is he capable of?" Realizing its error, Suicune immediately threw its face towards the ground and began asking for forgiveness.
"We are not underestimating Mewtwo," Dialga deduced Suicune's intentions.
"He is of little consequence," Palkia added, "our power far exceeds his own."
"It is Giratina who is the real threat."
"And we will prepare accordingly."
"We will wait until the proper time."
"When Mewtwo summons the dog here."
"Dismissed," the dragons concluded in unison.
Suicune lifted its head and watched as Dialga and Palkia ascended back into the golden cloud-ring. With their disappearance, the storm came to an abrupt stop and the cloud faded into nothingness. Suicune shifted back to its Pokémon form and left at a slow trot, heading back towards Kieru Forest and away from Mount Totetsu.
Nine days. Mewtwo would arrive in nine days.
The two dragons were blinded by their arrogance. They didn't want to believe that humans could create something that could challenge their authority. But that was exactly what Mewtwo was. And he wasn't the only symbol of the human's power over Pokémon. Their very name was a symbol of that subservience. Dialga and Palkia were old, blind fools to underestimate power like that.
However, Suicune had been watching humans for a very long time. It believed in them. They were capable of more than seeking destruction and domination. They were also kind and compassionate. Ho-oh believed in them as well.
But throughout the council, Dialga and Palkia had ignored the one thing that none of them could control. They had ignored the very reason Mewtwo was coming to this island.
Mount Totetsu itself was a barrier against intruders. Like Palkia's Woods, it had a different name. It was called Mount Dialga, where time did not always flow in one direction. Dialga and Palkia each had their own measures of defense in place to guard the secrets that Himitsu Island held.
But when Mewtwo came, he would brush those defenses aside and seek out the power that would give him the strength to challenge Arceus.
For it was deep within Mount Dialga that Jirachi slept.
That was the true nature of Mewtwo's schemes. He planned to force Jirachi awake and grant his wish for power over Arceus. If he accomplished that, he would be unstoppable.
On its way down the mountainside, Suicune paused. It considered everything that happened and everything that might still come to pass. It looked out over the lights coming from the town. The evolution of the human Pokémon on Himitsu Island had been no accident. The closeness to Jirachi made the transition easier. Because even as Jirachi slept, it could still grant wishes to its children.
The Children of Jirachi were so close to their creator and none of them had any idea.
AN: so, this week starts off with the conclusion of the first Team Deus story arc and an epic meeting between Dialga, Palkia and Suicune. It's nice to get back to the legendary plotline. It's time to reveal exactly what's going on. Nine days is going to be a long time, though. I'm thinking of doing a short chapter dedicated to Mewtwo's rest period. I have an idea that could be cool, but I'm not fully sure when I'm going to do it, yet.
Thanks for reading!