Sun flew on the back of her Altaria, a few wingbeats behind Dawn. She had to find Dawn, and put a stop to her plans. As her glide took her past quite a few regions, including Dawn's home of Sinnoh, Sun began to wonder where exactly she was going. Dawn went to land on a ruined building somewhere in a secluded mountain range, before soaring back up and away. Sun landed in this building.
"Where is this?" she asked. She looked around. The building looked like someone was desperate to set it on fire. The sorts of scorch marks one would expect to see when one shoots a fireball marked the field. It looked like no one would survive. Except…
"Help… me…" an old sounding woman asked. Sun turned on the spot, to see a dark-haired woman in a lab coat struggling under a slab of concrete. She sent out Lopunny, and got her to use a High Jump Kick on the slab. Target Clear.
"Thank you…" the scientist said, looking around.
"Who are you?" Sun asked, a tad rudely.
"My name is Kaiah Sofé. I am the head scientist of Team Surge, and the true creator of the Pokérus Mark IV," the scientist asked.
"Pokérus Mark IV? I've… what is that?" Sun asked curiously.
"…Way before you were born, child, a scientist by the name of Tslye Laromi wondered if it were possible to give a human the powers of the beasts known as Pokémon. He studied the rare virus known as Pokérus, and developed Pokérus Mark II. This gave the wielder the power of a Pokémon, but little else…" Kaiah said.
"So that's what Wes got?" Sun asked.
"Yes, the Pokérus Mark II was used on a boy in the Orre region. But Tslye was still not satisfied. He left Cipher, and hired me. Together, we worked on Pokérus Mark III. This was-" Kaiah began.
"Used on Rosa… you heartless…." Sun interrupted, seething.
"Yes, the young Grassside Girl with the power over fairies. I should have seen the signs then… but Tslye was still not satisfied. He developed the Pokérus Mark IV, or rather, pinned the development on me and took the credit. Pokérus Mark IV, rather than enhancing the skills of the victim, merges them with the physical appearance and talents of a Pokémon that represents them," Kaiah explained.
"And that's what my parents got!" Sun cried out. She threw a punch in Kaiah's direction, which Kaiah blocked.
"I understand your anger, and after all that I have done, after all the pain and suffering the Pokérus has caused, I deserve that. But please… I know of the way to save everyone you know and love!" Kaiah said. Sun's second punch stopped, and fell to her side.
"You do?" she asked.
"Yes… in addition to the Pokérus Mark IV, Tslye also had me develop a special tablet to counteract it, so he could safely touch an Infected One. That is a Capture Styler, correct?" Kaiah asked.
"Correct…" Sun said.
"The technology used to create the tablet is not permanent. Just taking a tablet is not enough. Once a Pokémon has been infected by the original Pokérus, they cannot become infected again. Similarly, once a human has been infected by Pokérus Mark IV… they can no longer be infected. The change in humans appears to be permanent, though, so I neglected to tell Laromi any of this," Kaiah explained. Sun nodded, thinking she understood.
"So… if I merge the technology of that cure with the Capture Styler… and use it to befriend an Infected One… I can cure the Pokérus?" Sun asked, hoping that she had heard correctly.
"Yes. Not just Pokérus Mark IV… you could possibly heal even the earlier outbreaks!" Kaiah said. Sun gasped. Wes, Rosa… if what Kaiah said could happen was carried out, Tslye's Pokérus strains could be stamped out for good!
"Can you do it? The faster, the better!" Sun said, holding out the Styler. Kaiah nodded, and took the Styler from her grasp, and grabbed something from her pouch. Before she could do anything to the Styler, she suddenly began to convulse, grasping her chest.
"Kaiah? Are you all right? Right, stupid question… what's happening?" Sun said. Kaiah grasped at her chest, and pulled open her coat. A small gadget appeared on her chest, glowing. Sun hurriedly grabbed her Styler and the other item Kaiah had grabbed, as Kaiah began convulsing nervously. She grew a purple hat, her legs vanished in a puff of ghost, and her coat turned into a much scarier witch's robe.
"Sun… Sun…" Kaiah said, her arms pointing to the tablet Sun held. She looked at it nervously. This could stave off the Pokérus Mark IV… but its power would be needed for the Styler.
"Sunny? I don't mean to alarm you, but I hear someone buried under our feet," Lopunny said from beside Sun. She looked at her Capture Styler: there was no way she'd be able to fire it up before Kaiah took her. Her parent's faces flickered briefly in her eyes.
Sorry, Mum… but I have no choice! Sun thought, ingesting the tablet, and feeling a power flow down her body. Kaiah grabbed Sun's shoulders, not affecting her beyond the normal ghostly effects.
"Sun…" Lopunny said.
"I am so, so sorry for that… but it had to be done. Lopunny, dig. Find that voice," Sun said. Lopunny did so, smashing ruins beneath Sun's feet. Sun put her Capture Styler on her wrist, and quickly captured Kaiah. Kaiah shook herself, and the steel device locked to her waist fell from her body.
"Thank you, Sun… but you may have just doomed humanity," Kaiah said, looking at Sun in horror.
"I did what I had to do. Your turn at the hands of, uh…" Sun said, gesturing to the belt.
"Oh… I was wandering what Dawn meant when she gave that to me…" Kaiah said. "Obviously, she saw my betrayal a mile away…"
"OK, your turn at Dawn's hands just about infected me. And I am the last person left that has even a half-decent chance of taking down Dawn… so we were doomed either way," Sun said. Kaiah looked down at her hands.
"You're right… I doomed the human race. …Serves us right, but still," Kaiah said. Sun rolled her eyes, and looked down the hole Lopunny had made. Just as she did so, Lopunny jumped out of the hole, and lay down the girl she had heard.
The girl was pretty young, but not too young: Sun estimated her age at about her own. She had long, ash-blond hair, like Serena, and a very shrunken, underfed appearance. She was only lightly breathing.
"She's alive… but not by much. Altaria…" Sun said, sending out her Altaria. She scooped up the young girl, and hopped on Altaria's back.
"But where can you hide her? And also, who was she?" Kaiah asked.
"Who she is, I do not know. I can't go home, the Ranger Union is unsafe, really… but I think I know of someone who should be safe," Sun said. Altaria looked over her shoulder at Sun.
"That's right, Altaria… take me to Rosa," Sun said. Altaria began her flight, Sun keeping a really good grip on the girl.
Sun was flying to Unova. She remembered Rosa, and realised that she had an ally that was harmless to the girl. There was even a chance that Nate was still uninfected, though how useful this would be was up to interpretation.
"Found you, girl," Dawn said from behind her. Sun turned around. Dawn was standing tall on top of her Staraptor, an Altaria and a Togekiss by her sides. A woman-cross-Talonflame and a male-cross-Noivern appeared opposite Dawn.
"How do you have this sort of time?" Sun asked.
"I got a lot of experience working under Professor Rowan multitasking. Now… I saw Kaiah give you that tablet… thanks for telling me that it is only temporary… and an extra thanks for taking Katherine's! Now the world is completely and utterly doomed!" Dawn said. "Now, I wonder what shapes we're going to take… could you be a delicate Delcatty? I a topsy-turvy Malamar? I've already got Laromi pegged as a Hydreigon…"
"I will not bow to you, Dawn. I will find a cure for the Pokérus Mark IV! And I will bring you to justice!" Sun said, holding out her left hand, and raising her ring finger.
Altaria's Altarianite is reacting to Sun's Mega Ring!
Altaria groaned softly, and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to lay an egg. Instead, her cloudy wings exploded, and produced much more cloud, including on her head and neck. A large cloud on her back held Sun and the other girl. Sun hurriedly wrapped her legs around Altaria, and grabbed the new girl and held her tight.
Altaria has Mega Evolved into Mega Altaria!
"Sweet mother of Mankey milk, a Mega Evolution? No fair!" Dawn exclaimed. Altaria focused, and fired a Moonblast at the Noivern-man, followed by an Ice Beam that froze the Talonflame-woman. Sun peeked up from her seat in Altaria's cotton tail, and smirked cheekily. Dawn looked down at the ground.
"Dragon-Fairy, huh?" Dawn asked. Sun looked down, realising the logic in Dawn's sentence. She began to drop like a stone, only for Altaria to revert and fly back up. Sun had only a loose grip with her legs, and she couldn't let go of the girl.
"Tee-hee. That was easier than I dared hope. Togekiss, Air Slash," Dawn said. Togekiss prepared an attack…
Only to have it blocked by a Skarmory. A Swellow appeared beneath Altaria, and Sun and the other girl dropped onto the Swellow. Altaria flew down, and Sun hopped back on her familiar mount.
"Thanks for the help…" Sun said, looking around. A delicate looking girl with a brunette ponytail fashioned like a jaw and a nightmarish beast of a man smiled at her.
"Ethan? Jasmine?" Sun asked.
The one and the same, girl, Ethan said, winking one golden eye.
"Did you get Infected, Ethan?" Sun asked. Ethan shook his head.
Shadow defended me, as he has always done. Whitney and Jasmine weren't so lucky… speaking of which, give me back my Whitney! Ethan said, aiming his last roar at Dawn.
"You mean that ugly old cow? She works for us now. Gotta have a lot of Moomoo Milk in the foreseeable future, now don't we?" Dawn asked. Ethan roared again.
Ethan, no! This isn't the time! You'll get your chance another day!" Jasmine said. Ethan nodded, beginning to cool down.
"Come with me," Sun said. Altaria launched a Dragon Pulse at Dawn, and before she could resume her bearings, the Altaria, Swellow and Skarmory had vanished.
The group landed in front of the Lostfinders' house, and Jasmine knocked at the door delicately. Hilda answered the door, her long, flowing sleeves, whiskers and tail marking her as a Mienshao. Hilda delicately let the group in, sure to stay away from Sun and the new girl. Sun nodded politely at the Reshiram-Hilbert, before bolting up the stairs, and knocking on Rosa's door. She entered, and Rosa jumped at her. Sun flicked out her Styler, and pointed it at Rosa. She fired, and began circling. The circles zoomed around swiftly, and Rosa found herself befriended. Rosa looked at Sun, and jumped at her again, smiling.
"Thank you, Sun! I don't know what came over me… it was a nightmare. I could see what I was doing, but I couldn't stop it, no matter what I wanted!" Rosa said. Sun looked down nervously. Now that the threat to her and the girl were gone, she had noticed Rosa had dispensed with her clothes, as had Nate.
"Sorry, Sun…" Rosa said. They hurriedly went to go resume their clothes, while Sun lay down the girl on a bed at long last, and sat beside her, stroking the girl's hair.
"Did you sleep through all that?" Sun asked. The girl stirred, and a rumbling noise echoed around the room.
"I think she's hungry," Nate said.
"Then get some food prepared. Nate, fair warning: don't touch Hilda, Hilbert or Jasmine," Sun said. "World-wide epidemic, very dangerous."
Within only a few short hours, a banquet for kings had been prepared by the still adept cooks that the Lostfinders had become. Jasmine lent a hand as well, being the homemaker of her family. They laid out the table, and Sun brought the new girl to sit beside her. Her nose dilated, and she awoke. She looked around at the table, confused.
"For you," Sun said, grabbing some Farfetch'd wing, and put it in front of the girl. The girl looked up at Sun, still confused.
"You told me she was hungry!" Sun said, turning to Nate.
"I have a hypothesis… but even I don't want to believe it. Sun… you might need to show her how to eat," Nate responded. Hilda gasped in shock, and looked to the pair. Sun grabbed the other Farfetch'd wing. She looked up at Hilda.
"I assure you, that Farfetch'd was quite the jerk. And also not a human," Hilda said. Sun nodded, and turned to the girl. She took a bite out of the wing. The girl smiled, and copied her action. She began to choke, and Sun hurriedly demonstrated how to chew and swallow. The girl nodded, and began to take a few more bites out of the wing, and quite a few more of the foods on the table. It was only when she tried to eat a plate that she was stopped.
"Now, little girl… what is your name?" Sun asked. The girl tilted her head to one side. Sun shed a few tears at the sight.
"Read her mind. It's the only way," Rosa said.
"Now come on, Rosa… surely we don't have to resort to that," Hilda said. Sun shook her head.
"Dawn could come at any moment. I want to protect this girl at all costs. I will find out who she is," Sun said. She closed her eyes, and reopened them. Her eyes had become like diamonds in sheen, and the young girl was entranced by them. Sun granted herself access to the young girl's mind.
She saw the girl, locked in a basement. The door opened, and she saw a man she assumed to be Tslye come down the stairs, a small plate in his hands. He threw it in the girl's general direction, and left. The girl looked around the floor nervously for it, only to be held back by a chain attached to her waist. She groaned, and resumed a comfortable position to sleep.
"What? No…" Sun said. She didn't move her head, for fear of breaking her connection. Everyone around the table glanced between each other.
Who am I, you ask, intruder? I am no one. The man you saw was my father. I remember him telling me, only once, about my mother… she described her as a beautiful young girl that left him for a teenage boy. That was a few years ago, now… I do not know how I survived those years without this 'food' stuff. I assume it's related to what he gave me…
"No… no… NO!" Sun said, breaking the connection. The young girl looked downcast.
"What happened?" Nate asked, concerned.
"No name. Unfamiliar with food: this is her first proper meal. Her father was Tslye, I believe… same as Serena. And her mother… did I hear that right? A few years ago, her mother left her father for a teenage boy…" Sun said. Silence surrounded the table, as everyone ceased moving. Ceased breathing.
"You're not telling me…" Nate said, backing away.
Sometime earlier
You will let Serena go. Now, Calem said, his blade pressing into Tslye's neck.
Calem… I can't! Serena cried out. She shattered the chains encircling her, and ran up to Calem's side.
Why not? This… monster has done nothing but make your life a living nightmare. Why should I let him live? Give me one good reason! Calem said, his blade still pressing into Tslye's neck. Tslye was starting to screech, and began reaching in vain for Calem's blade.
Because… because he's got my daughter! Serena said. Calem dropped both Tslye and his jaw, while Shauna's similarly fell.
You… you have a daughter? Calem asked. Ours won't be the first?
Wait, you two have… already…? Shauna asked, looking between the two.
Not yet… Serena said. That bastard's the only one who's done that. A little over ten years ago, I think it was… he got me pregnant. Since then, he's locked her in the basement, and told me that if I didn't agree to his demands, she would take it… I've barely seen her, and she means the world to me.
"Damn right she does, little Gardevoir. That girl of ours is here, locked in the lowest levels of Pokémon Tech. And if you don't call off this madman right now, she's going to get it!" Tslye said, realising his upper hand. Calem, Serena and Shauna looked between each other. Calem and Shauna's eyes locked, and they nodded. Calem reached under Serena, and grabbed her. He jumped from the window he had smashed through, and left the building. Shauna exploded in a burst of flames, launching Sacred Fire left and right. Tslye hurriedly made his escape aboard his Gliscor.
Calem and Serena finally stopped in their quaint home in the Winding Wood, where Calem set Serena down. With a magnificent caw, Shauna flew to land beside the pair. Serena looked on Shauna's back, before falling back, disappointed. There was no one astride her.
Couldn't find the child. Tore down the entire building to try. To be honest, she probably got killed in one of my blasts… Shauna said. Serena looked downcast at that news.
On the other wing, my body is not suited for digging at a building's foundations. She may still be alive, but it's up to someone else to find her, Shauna said. Serena lit up a little at that news.
"I don't believe it… I can't believe it…" Sun said, tears in her eyes.
"Her parents were Tslye and… Serena? How horrid!" Rosa said.
"I wouldn't even go that far!" Shadow said.
"The incest part, or the rape part? Because I'm pretty sure you had the rape part down with Whitney. Well, tried to," Jasmine said. The Shadow part of Ethan assumed a cheeky expression.
"This is serious, you two! We have to… uh…" Sun said, slowing down as she made a crippling realisation.
"We have to what? Say the word and I'll do it!" Rosa said.
"That's the thing… where do we go from here?" Sun asked. The girl looked up at Sun.
"You know what, first thing's first: we've gotta give her a name," Sun said. Everyone nodded reasonably.
Now that we've established that… who's got a name? Hilbert asked.
"Stop pressuring me! I've got more than just her to deal with: I've also gotta fix you guys before the world descends into malevolent anarchy!" Sun lashed out.
"Sun, Sun… it's not just you in this. We'll help you every step of the way. The Champions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Orre, Unova and Kalos will use their might to aid you," Rosa said. Sun nodded, fanning herself a little.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence… but first, we need to get my parents and the other Champions. You guys organise that, and I'll figure out something for her," Sun said. Everyone nodded, and left the room to find a room for battle planning and tactics. Sun was left with the girl.
"Now what to call you? First of all, do you even have a name to begin with? Did Tslye ever give you one? Mum?" Sun asked. The girl simply stared ahead vacantly.
"…Ah, what's the point? The Pokérus Mark IV's just going to swallow us all and I won't be able to stop it and I'll just be left with a-" Sun started.
"Girl," the girl said. Sun stopped, and looked at the girl.
"Are you talking to me?" Sun asked. The girl nodded.
"Suppose I… my name is Sun. Can you say that? Sun?" Sun asked.
"Sun," the girl said. Sun smiled, and gave the girl a short embrace.
"Sun!" the girl said again.
"Indeed, I am Sun Seto Ardour, the saviour of the human race. And you are… well… I'd call you Dawn, but she's kinda out to get me and…" Sun said. "Wait… Aurora. It's a beautiful, delicate light that shines in night time. I think. So what do you say? Aurora Amor, daughter of Serena?"
"Arora… Arora…" the girl said, thinking it over.
"Well, Serena probably gets naming rights on you in the end, but to me, you'll be Aurora. Now that we've got that settled… let's go and see the others," Sun said. "You'd be better off out and about than cooped up again."
"What do you mean, you got nothing done?" Sun asked. She looked at the crew she had assembled at that moment.
"We were watching you and… Aurora, did you name her?" Rosa said meekly.
"You gotta admit, it was cute," Nate said.
"…Yeah, it probably was. But Aurora is my business. You guys are adults… well, most of you. Why am I the one stuck with keeping you on track?" Sun asked.
"Sun," Aurora said from behind Sun.
"You're right… gotta cool down…" Sun whispered to herself.
"Little miss sunshine… We will work towards defeating that Dawn Moisell. I promise you," Shadow said. Sun beamed.
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way… we need to find the other Champions, and lead our charge," Sun said. Everyone nodded, and prepared their own methods of flight.
"Aurora… would you like to meet my parents?" Sun asked. "I promise they're better than your father."
"Arora… see Sun's mummy and daddy…" Aurora said.
"You're learning," Sun said, beaming.
Hilbert was amazed by his new talent. He had flown atop Reshiram before, but he had never flown on his own. It was an amazing feeling, having free flight. Hilda smirked from atop him. She had a fondness for flight, too. But she was taking pains to ensure that the group's mission was going off smoothly.
To fight Dawn and Tslye, Sun decided that there was no such thing as too many Champions, and called the team to call the other Champions to action. For that end, they had split into four teams of two, each bound for a different region. Luckily, they had a way to contact the other teams in case of an emergency.
Hilbert and Hilda, chosen because they were siblings and had experience with each other, were going to find Wes and his family. The Snaggs, plus Ashley, were a hardy bunch, and Wes himself had Pokérus Mark II in his veins. Hilda highly doubted any had turned. Sadly, in this climate, Hilda was starting to believe being infected by the Mark IV was a benefit, rather than a detriment.
We're approaching the HQ Lab. Can you see anything? Hilbert asked. Hilda peered over Hilbert's head.
"No…" Hilda said. Hilbert swooped down, and landed outside the lab. Hilda peered in, and saw that the Snaggs had been taken over. Wes was accompanied by Rui with cat ears and a mink trim, a Michael with a massive fur coat, a very dovey Ashley, and another girl who appeared to be mostly blob.
"Rui is a Delcatty, Michael is a… Stoutland, Ashley is probably an Unfezant or a prevolution, and that… she's a Goodra, I'm sure. I just don't recognise the human," Hilda said. Hilbert nodded.
"You two, it's rude to linger on a doorstep. Come in or get lost," Wes said in a surly tone.
That's rude, Snagg, Hilbert said, entering the room tentatively.
"So who's the Goodra?" Hilda asked, pointing at the girl as well.
"That's Megg. She's a close friend to the family, and were it not for Lovrina's rebellion, she'd probably be in Ashley's place," Michael said. "We didn't think of polygyny, like Ethan did, and to be honest, we prefer it that way."
"Wes, we come with a request for the house of Snagg. Megg can come too, if she's any good with battling. We need to-" Hilda started.
"We cannot leave our posts. Ardos has risen up again, along with that odd Miror B. fellow. We cannot afford to leave, and yet, Moisell's attack turned everyone but me into monsters who can barely fight him. Please understand," Wes said. Hilda thought to herself.
"If we can help you take down Ardos and Mirror Bee, will you aid us in taking down Dawn Moisell and Serena's father?" Hilda asked.
"…Wait, you guys are working on the cure for this? You should've led with that! We fly to your aid at once!" Wes said.
Ethan and his second wife Jasmine were sent to find the Hoenn Champions. Like Sun and Erika, they had come to tame some of the most powerful creatures of the world. Ethan and Jasmine landed beside said legends, easily identifiable by their glowing spirit. Brendan and Courtney Skye, as well as May, were observing a massive battle. A Groudon-Tabitha and a Kyogre-Archie were locked in vicious combat, with smaller scale battles between other Infected Ones echoing around their feet.
"What's going on around here?" Ethan asked.
"It's horrible…" May said. She was a Floatzel-cross.
"The battle between Magma and Aqua has been reignited," Courtney said. She was a Delphox-cross.
"If we could cure this transformation… could we tear you away from this to help out?" Jasmine asked. Ethan looked at her.
"…Sure. We tried waking up Rayquaza already. I'm sure we've got no better option that I can think of," Brendan said. No matter how hard anyone looked, they couldn't quite figure out what he was supposed to be a cross of.
Nate and Rosa had set off to Kalos, in hopes that they'd find Calem, Serena and Shauna. There were considerable doubts that they were there, so there was certainly a pleasant surprise to see the three in that quaint home. Well, the one.
Nate? Rosa? What are you doing here? Nate, you need to run away! Far away! Take Rosa, look for an obscure hidey-hole, and live the rest of your life! You are quite possibly- Shauna said, upon seeing the pair.
"Nowhere near the last uninfected in the world. Sun's one, Aurora's one, Team Surge definitely has a few…" Nate started, listing names he knew were still normal off memory.
Aurora? Who's she? Shauna asked.
"…She's Serena's… *urk* it still pains me to say it," Nate said. Rosa put a hand on Nate's back, letting out a soft cooing noise.
"There, there, Nate…" she said softly.
…Would I be correct in saying Aurora is the name you gave to Serena's daughter? Shauna asked. Nate nodded squeamishly. Rosa kissed him on the cheek, and continued to rub his back.
…Calem and Serena will be delighted to hear that news, Shauna said.
"Great. But first, we've kind of have to take on Dawn and hope for a cure for your condition," Rosa said.
Oh, that? We're going sometime in the near future. Before the day is out, probably. But right now, Calem and Serena are having a little… experimentation, if you will. We'll tell you when we're ready to soar, Shauna said. Rosa nodded.
Sun disembarked Altaria swiftly, before turning to help Aurora off. They looked around the city of Celadon.
"No one…" Aurora said. "Sun… I scared…"
"Don't be, Aurora. You have Sun to protect you…" Sun said, setting up her Capture Styler. She turned on the spot, to see Erika and Sabrina, turned to a Roserade and Gothitelle respectively.
"Erika! Sabrina! Where are mum and dad?" Sun called.
"They're… taken… by her…" Erika said.
The Sinnoh trainer with the dead boyfriend… Dawn, I believe her name was… she took them, Sabrina said. Sun sniffed.
"Sun… Dawn bad?" Aurora asked.
"Yes… Dawn is bad. We're going to stop her. Now," Sun said. She grabbed Aurora, and plopped her onto Altaria's back.
"Sun… meet Rosa, meet…" Aurora said.
Your little tagalong is correct. It would be unwise to charge in unprepared, Sabrina said.
"You wouldn't say that if it were your parents kidnapped. You can plan if you want, come after me if you want… but I'm going to go bust some heads. Aurora, do you want to tag along?" Sun asked.
"Arora… help… Sun…" Aurora said.
"Good. I will see you when I have saved my parents, my teachers," Sun said. She soared off, leaving behind a small device.
