Aurora's cremation occurred at sunset. Charry composed a fire for Aurora, and Sun remained to feel her spirit flow into her. She gave a contented sigh, but was far from content. Her Altaria looked at her in trepidation.
"You're sneaking out, aren't you?" a girlish voice asked from behind her. Sun turned around, to see Rosa.
"Shouldn't you be with Nate?" Sun asked.
"No, I shouldn't necessarily be with him. Nate's job was to protect me… but this time, I will be protecting you," Rosa said. "Sun, I know even the fiercest Houndooms couldn't keep you sticking to plan, so I'm coming with to make sure Leaf sees you again in one piece."
"You don't have to come with me. You can have a family with Nate. I don't think there's any such hope for me," Sun told her, mounting Altaria, and using telekinesis to grab her Pokémon and Lucas'.
"Sun Ardour, you listen to me right now! I will be following you, and that's that! Nate knows I'm coming with you, and nobody can stop me from coming back to him!" Rosa said.
"…Fine. You can come. Keep in mind, the last person to follow me on a half-baked scheme got killed," Sun said.
"No offence to your sweetheart, but she couldn't do a thing. I can't even get hurt by Dragon Pulse!" Rosa said.
"…Just get going. You may need to use Dawn's Altaria, unless you have a flying Pokémon of your own," Sun said coldly.
Rosa felt the uneasy wingbeat of Altaria underneath her. She had only flown with Nate before, and feeling him under her arms was a tremendous comfort. The unfamiliar Pokémon she rode on wasn't helping.
"Feeling fine?" Sun asked Rosa. She was at ease with her own Altaria, but that was to be expected: she was used to Altaria, and had a tremendous trust in her own Altaria. The fact she could Mega Evolve said partner was proof enough.
"Having the time of my life here!" Rosa said with some annoyance. For the fifth time in the past twenty kilometres, she shuffled further up Altaria's back.
"Almost there…" Sun said. Mt Coronet and its high peak was within sight. Rosa sighed with relief, as the two landed in the Spear Pillar.
"Dawn," Sun said. Dawn jumped, and whatever procedure she was conducting was interrupted. For the first time, Sun noticed a bright red cuff on Dawn's left wrist.
"Should've expected you sooner or later, Ardour. You've been a thorn in my side ever since I took to villainy, and I must admit, you are a worthy opponent. It would be marvellous to capitalise upon my release from this world by defeating you," Dawn said.
"Dawn… I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help you," Sun said.
"A little late for that, wouldn't you say?" Dawn said. "Though now that you mention it… where did that little kid you used to have go?"
"She died. I… Tslye killed her. She…" Sun said, before stopping. Her tears flowed freely.
"Ah. I see. I distinctly recall my Altaria joining your cause. She wouldn't have happened to have told you about Lucas, would she?" Dawn asked.
"She told us… about you… your pain… Dawn… I'm so sorry for what… what you suffered through…" Sun said. She stepped forward tentatively, meaning to embrace her rival. Her own tears thwarted that attempt, as she lost the strength to keep her legs going.
"You… you'd really…? No… it's too late, Sun. I… I have to go forth…" Dawn said.
"No, no you don't. Sun hated you… and with good reason. But now, she is willing to turn a new leaf. Join the good side, Dawn. Lucas will be missed, but he would not have wanted you to do what he died to stop…" Rosa said. Dawn's jaw dropped at the realisation. She turned on the spot, to hear the familiar sounds of Dialga and Palkia appearing on Spear Pillar. What was left of her Red Chain was enough to bring them to the pillar.
"You… you started… you started this…" Sun said. Dawn was equally as dumbfounded.
"…Rosa, your reputation as a Fairy-type heroine precedes you. You've gotta do something about Palkia! Sun, you can still capture Dialga, right?" Dawn suggested.
"And you can do nothing… why?" Rosa asked.
"What can I do?" Dawn asked. Rosa shrugged, and conceded her point.
"Fairy Bow Power, Make Up!"
Rosa raised her hand into the sky, and her body turned a light pink colour. She pulled her arms in close, and gold ribbons surrounded her body. With a poof, a white leotard enclosed her body, with a pink collar billowing around her neck. A sunshine yellow ribbon appeared at her chest. She raised her arms, allowing white gloves with gold trim to appear. At her legs, pink boots with gold trim materialised. Earrings in the shape of fairies appeared with a satisfying ting. Spinning around, a pink skirt appeared at her hips, with another yellow ribbon appearing on her behind. A golden circle surrounded her head, and a tiara draped her hair. She opened her eyes.
I am the warrior of friendship! I stand for love! I stand for loyalty! Qualities my friends here possess in perhaps too large quantities! I am the Adorable Guardian in a Sailor Suit: Fairy Sailor Rosalina! In the name of the Fairy Bow, I will punish you! Rosalina said, before charging at Palkia. Sun sent out her Mew, and felt her body rise up due to Mew's psychic abilities. She pulled out her Capture Styler, and pointed it at Dialga.
"I am the warrior of… the brain? I stand for love, and… I stand for… love… I am the mermaid psychic: Sun Seto Ardour! In the name of the great heroine Leaf, I will… subjugate you?" Sun said, much less confidently. "…Look, I didn't practice a speech to fight deities before this, OK?"
Sun levelled her Capture Styler, and fired. Loops were being created around Dialga with speed. Dialga roared, and fired a few steel balls around the field. Sun managed to avoid the blasts, and continued looping. Palkia shot a web of lasers across the ground, breaking Sun's line. Rosalina jumped into Palkia, striking a Return. She used the flip to get on top of Dialga, and fire an Earth Power. Sun continued to circle Dialga once more, and completed the capture. She made to turn to Palkia, before collapsing at last. Rosalina growled. She tore the ribbon from her chest, and morphed it into an archer's bow. She created an arrow, and threw it into the air.
Fairy Archer Deadeye! Rosalina called, firing the arrow while it was still in the air, and causing Palkia to sink to its knees. The two dragons vanished as suddenly as they came.
"That… was awesome…" Dawn said. She turned to Sun.
What's her condition? Rosalina asked.
"She's exhausted. Take her home…" Dawn said. Rosalina grabbed her, and set her on top of her Altaria.
And you? Rosalina asked.
"There is something I must do…" Dawn said. "I must find atonement for what I have done."
Soaring on the back of Togekiss, Dawn flew to a region she was largely unfamiliar with. She soared to Terminus Cave. If she had her legendaries straight, this was the home of the legendary she wanted.
The darkest dawn has come, pray tell, why are we graced with the presence of scum? Xerneas asked.
"Pardon my intrusion… but would I be correct in assuming the Pokémon of death would be here?" Dawn asked.
Yo. Right up here, my gal! Sorry about Xerny here… he got some good rhymes, but when you only speak in rhyme, sometimes you've gotta make a few odd ones… but nuff bout him. What can I do for ya, gal? Yveltal said, appearing behind Dawn.
"I know… I don't think this is possible, but I must ask anyway… can I bring someone back to life?" Dawn asked, surprised she had never tracked down Yveltal and asked sooner.
Ah, you ask a big question there, missy. Necromancy doesn't make good dinner conversation… but name the price you're willing to pay, and we'll see if you can afford it, Yveltal asked.
"Gold? Wealth? I'm sorry, but I don't have that much currency… do you accept Pokémon Dollars? Because I think Tslye had a stash somewhere…" Dawn said.
Foolish girl, legendaries need not gold, but it is with other currencies that service is sold, Xerneas said.
There, you see, that was a good rhyme, Xerny, Yveltal said. I don't want your gold when I say there's a price. Only humans are stupid enough to want gold. The stuff's ugly and useless. No, the cost of bringing a dead man back to life is… well, a life.
"A life for a life? So, I must offer a sacrifice to bring back someone who's passed?" Dawn asked.
You're getting it now, missy! Though 'passed' ain't a word I'd use: I can't bring back people who were killed by Reaver. Who I can bring back, however, is anyone whose time came too soon, and they will come back to life exactly the same condition as they died: minus any wounds and such, Yveltal said.
"Sound rules. I can certainly get behind them. So, where exactly will this revived one go to?" Dawn asked.
Where their body was last. So, done explaining rules, missy? Do you have a sacrifice to revive someone? Yveltal asked. Dawn took a deep breath.
"I would like to sacrifice myself," Dawn said. Yveltal gasped.
You wanna sacrifice yourself? Then why bother bringing someone back? Yveltal asked.
"Xerneas hit the nail in the head: I'm irredeemable. However, I would like to use my life to revive the girl Aurora Ardour. You recognise her?" Dawn said. Yveltal closed his eyes, obviously analysing the names of the people who had passed.
I've got an Aurora Ardour. However, she was killed by Reaver few hundred years ago. I'm guessing that ain't the girl you want? Yveltal asked.
"Sun had an ancestor called Aurora? …Doubt she'd know it. Let's see… Aurora Laromi? Aurora Amor? Are you at least omniscient enough to recognise who I'm talking about?" Dawn asked. Yveltal scanned his records again.
You mean the Aurora that died sometime yesterday? Yeah, she's under Laromi here… but it looks like both Amor and Ardour were in the cards. Very well… her body was cremated, but her ashes are all there. She should be fine to revive. Reaver! Yveltal said. A Dusknoir appeared in Yveltal's shadow. This Dusknoir had a few more ghoulish patterns than the regular Dusknoir.
Life trade. Dawn Moisell for Aurora Ardour née Laromi. Take her to The Great Beyond, Yveltal said.
Accceptablle, ssire, the Dusknoir, obviously Reaver, said. He approached Dawn, and held out his hands.
Ddawn Mmoisselll, yourr ttime hass ccome… wwellccome tto Ththe Ggreatt Bbeyyondd… Reaver said, grabbing Dawn's shoulders. A grey essence was drained from Dawn, and she collapsed to the group, lifeless.
Rreddeemmabble… ahh, I ssee… annd llife ttrrade? Aurrorra wwilll bbe rrevvivvedd… Reaver noted, returning to Yveltal's shadow.
That vocal tic, I must declare, it sets my teeth on edge, to my despair, Xerneas said.
Can't help ya on that front, Xerneas. Reaver's had that vocal tic since he was hatched. You complainin' 'bout it ain't gonna change it in this life cycle, Yveltal said.
The dragonic form of Tslye Laromi loomed over Sun. He gave a massive roar, and shot a Dragon Pulse at Aurora. Sun cried out, as she saw Aurora fall all over again.
"Sun?" a cute voice said. Sun looked around. It was just her and Tslye, right?
"Sun!" the voice repeated. Sun threw herself awake and bolt upright, panting heavily. She turned to see who was speaking.
"Aurora? …My word, I'm still dreaming… oh, this is so not going to be a fun lifetime…" Sun said, sinking back into bed.
"Dream? What's dream? Why Sun dream?" Aurora asked. Sun's eyes opened once more.
"Aurora, what's going on right now, is that I'm asleep. While I'm sleeping, I can believe, in my head, that I'm doing things awake. However, when I wake up, it'll all have gone away," Sun explained.
"But Sun's wake… Sun not sleeping…" Aurora said.
"You say that now…" Sun said. "Well, might as well see what else is new. You're here, this can't be another nightmare. Unless I'm dead."
Sun grabbed Aurora's hand, and left the room. She recognised her home, and trod the familiar path to the dining room table.
"Morning, Sun! And… is that Aurora?" Rosa asked. She jumped from her breakfast, and hugged the pair of them. Sun looked around. She saw the familiar forms of her parents, her guardians, her godmother, Nate, and the Kalosian trio. With the exception of Nate, they were all still infected by the Pokérus Mark IV.
"…Aurora? I'm not dreaming, aren't I?" Sun asked.
"Sun not sleep. Arora don't think Sun dream," Aurora told her.
Aurora, or whoever it is assuming her shape, is right. You're wide awake, or we're all having a big dream party. Considering we still have Dawn's little disease, I doubt it's the latter. Pancakes? Leaf said. Sun took a few blinks.
"I'm… not dreaming? That… is actually Aurora?" Sun asked. She turned to Aurora.
"Weird things do something. I saw Dawn. She said 'Tell Sun thank you.' What happened?" Aurora asked. Sun smiled, and brought Aurora into a big hug, and kissed her forehead.
"You're alive… thank you, whoever it was," Sun said. She sat down at the table, and accepted the pancakes. Aurora sat beside her, and copied the way Sun was eating.
"Now we just need to find the cure for the Pokérus Mark IV, and we're golden," Sun said. Leaf smiled.
Glad to see you still have a sense of perspective. Any ideas? Leaf asked. Sun burrowed into her belt, and sent out Mew. Mew gave a huge shudder, and sneezed- away from the table, luckily.
"Dang. I was hoping Mew could teach me something about Pokérus Mark IV. I mean, she is older than humanity," Sun said. Leaf leaned over, and scratched Mew's belly. Mew sneezed again, and struck Leaf full in the face.
"The progenitor of every non-legendary race in existence," Sun said, telekinetically pulling Mew back to her side. Leaf wiped away the Mew drool on her face. Aurora tilted her head.
"Sun's mummy look different," Aurora said.
"Of course I do, Aurora. I'm kind of infected by-" Leaf started, before slowing down. She looked at Mew, then back to the Mew drool on her arms. Sun took the time to inspect Mew's fur.
"There are little purple critters crawling over Mew…" Sun said. Leaf noted similar critters on her arm. Quite a few were burrowing into her skin, and Leaf felt the Mew-half of her phase away.
"Could it be…?" Sun started. She held out a small cloth, and held it out in front of Mew. Mew sneezed again, covering it with miscellaneous drool and small purple creatures, much smaller than a Joltik, but still visible to the naked eye. She turned to Serena, and scooped up two of the creatures.
"Don't be too disgusted by this…" Sun said, plopping the creatures on Serena's shoulder. They attached to Serena, and, slowly yet surely, the Gardevoir vanished from Serena's face.
"What are the odds?" Sun asked.
About 21,845 to one, Mew said. Three times rarer than a Shiny Pokémon.
Serena looked at Sun, vaguely pleased. She scooped up the little carriers of Pokérus Mark I, and passed them to Calem. Sun turned back to Mew, and started sneezing her.
"Wow… she look like Arora!" Aurora said, pointing to Serena. Sun looked up, and between them. She smiled briefly.
"Once we've cured Pokérus Mark IV, I guess I owe it to you to explain that," Sun said, turning back to Mew's drool. Psychically lifting the creatures from the drool, she placed them on one of the clean plates.
"Help yourselves," she added, gesturing for the other diners to grab one or two.
Dawn's dark designs had inflicted a large portion of the world. Sun had flown to the Broadcasting Tower in Lavender Town, and took over one of the television stations. Leaf and Red went to the station's roof, and modified the signal to broadcast to a wider audience than normal.
"Listen up, people of Kanto! Listen up, people of the world! Can you hear me? Do not change the channel, for I have wonderful news! I am Sun Seto Ardour, daughter of the great heroine Leaf Ardour-Green, and I have discovered the cure for the dangerous disease that has inflicted you all! Pokérus! The rarer than a shiny disease that affects one in 21,845 Pokémon holds the key to the salvation of the human race! Trainers of the world! Many of you have probably encountered this rare bug on your travels! Many of you have probably kept a Pokémon with the creature! I implore you! Use it! Gather the purple bugs that crawl over your Pokémon's skin. One bite, and those little things can gobble down our affliction faster than you can evolve a Pokémon! For the sake of your family, for the sake of your friends, for the sake of our world… transfer this wonderful, wonderful bug!" Sun said. One of the regular broadcasters made to complain, before Sun gave her some Pokérus.
"Sun sounded great!" Aurora said, running up to Sun. Sun grabbed her, and picked her up. She apologised for disrupting the station, and went back to Celadon.
"Well, that was easy," Red remarked, as the family returned to Celadon City.
"Easy? I was the one doing all the heavy lifting!" Sun said. Aurora grabbed Sun's hand, and cooled her down.
"Easy? Oh no… that means we missed something! Oh, man, this is so going to bite us later… let's see… um…" Leaf started, before mulling over several options in her head.
"Aurora, are you happy?" Sun asked.
"Yes…" Aurora said.
"Then I'm settled," Sun said. "But there is one thing…" Sun continued, turning about. Serena tilted her head.
"So, is there anything I should know about your little girlfriend?" she asked.
"Yes, there is something rather important. Aurora is your daughter," Sun said. Serena looked at the little girl in shock, before running forth to hug her long lost girl.
"My little girl! It is so nice to see you again!" Serena said.
"Sun? Who is this girl?" Aurora asked, looking at Sun with some concern.
"…That would be your mother. You know how Leaf is my mummy? That's yours," Sun said. Aurora looked at Serena, before pushing her off.
"Aurora, that's not how we treat our mothers," Sun said. Aurora ran over to Sun, and jumped on to her, cuddling her tightly.
"…I'm sorry, Serena… but it looks like Aurora's too attached to me," Sun said. Serena looked downcast, and Calem came over to see the conversation.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Aurora is my daughter," Serena said. "And she… she's scared of me, that's for sure." Calem looked at Sun.
"I'm sorry, Calem. But I promise, I will take care of your daughter to the best of my ability," Sun said.
"My daughter?" Calem asked. Sun closed her eyes.
She's Tslye's daughter, all right. I saw it with my own… well, not eyes, but close enough. To be honest, the idea and the man both disgust me, so let's play pretend: she's the daughter of a lovely lady and her deserving husband, Sun transmitted to Calem's mind.
"Of course… you little heroine. Keep her safe for me," Calem said, giving Sun an affectionate tousle before leaving for his home.
"Hey, Sun," Rosa said, coming up behind the pair.
"Rosa! Thanks for what you did before… I guess I needed your help," Sun said.
"Told you nothing would get in my way! Listen, Sun… now that this adventure is over, I want you to learn from it. You may be great, but you are not infallible. I didn't say much due to it being in poor taste, but you made some really dumb decisions in that epidemic! Next time we meet in a state of emergency, I want to see you not make the same mistakes," Rosa said.
"…Lesson learned, Rosa," Sun said. "But I think, before that, I deal with a bit more pressing issue…" Sun squeezed Aurora, drawing Rosa's eye.
"…Of course. Aurora, I was once a little girl who needed protecting, just like you, thank you, Ghetsis. Sun treats you right, and you may just be a great woman. Aurora Ardour, heroine of… well, I'll leave that to whatever you grow up to do to decide," Rosa said. Aurora tilted her head.
"She… huh?" Aurora asked, stepping backwards slightly.
"Oh, right… she was just saying that she was just like you when she was your age. She was wishing you good luck for growing up," Sun said. "One of the first things we'll do is teach you basic Old Tongue. If you want to be a psychic after that, we'll teach that too. Aurora, I want you to know that I will make sure you have a life."
"Thank you… Sun," Aurora said. Sun let Mew out, and Mew circled around Aurora, mewling softly. Aurora reached out for her, and, remembering what Leaf did, rubbed her belly. Mew giggled.
"Yeah, Mew… we have a new friend. You like her?" Sun asked. Mew nodded, and Sun held out Mew's Poké Ball. Aurora held her hand out to touch it.
"Aurora? This is Mew. She is a Pokémon partner: a little creature you befriend, grow close to, and play with. I want you to have Mew with you at all times; I want you to have someone who you can talk to when I can't, someone you can trust when I'm not around… someone to defend you when I'm unable to…" Sun said. Mew looked up, before looking back at Aurora.
"I… take… Mew?" Aurora asked. Sun nodded, and Aurora tightened her grip on Mew's Poké Ball. Sun withdrew her hand, and Aurora looked down in surprise.
Nice to meet you, Aurora! Mew said, nuzzling into Aurora's cheek.
The Next Year
"Focus, Aurora…" Sun said. Aurora nodded, and took in a breath. She looked at the small Mew toy once more, and closed her eyes. Taking another breath, she raised her hands, and the Mew lifted a centimetre from the ground. Aurora's eyes opened, and she smiled. She moved her hands from side to side, but all the Mew toy did was flop onto the ground.
"Practice makes perfect… that's enough for today, Aurora," Sun said. Aurora nodded.
"Anyway, today is a very special day… it's been one year since we first met," Sun said.
"A year? Only a year?" Aurora asked.
"Yes… only a year. I know, it surprises me too. Anyway, remember a few months ago, when Leaf threw a big party for me?" Sun asked.
"Yes, I remember… it was a birthday, wasn't it?" Aurora responded.
"Clever girl. Anyway, Leaf, your mother and I have done some talking, and we have agreed that today will be the day that we call your birthday. So… Happy Birthday!" Sun said, punctuating her last sentence with a kiss on the cheek. Aurora smiled in joy.
"So do I get the big boxes like you did?" Aurora asked.
"Yes, we found a few for you. Would you like to see them?" Sun said. Aurora nodded, and Sun led Aurora down the stairs.
"Wow…" Aurora said. The birthday party was relatively modest, all things considering. However, because it was her first, there was a lot of effort put in by both Sun's parents, Aurora's family and Nate and Rosa.
"Happy birthday, Aurora!" Serena said. Aurora approached her, and gave her a huge hug. Serena beamed, and Sun smiled happily. She looked over at Shauna, who was holding a young baby. Aurora's younger brother.
"How are you going?" Rosa asked, grabbing Sun from behind. Sun beamed, and turned to face Rosa. Nate was standing beside her, holding their daughter.
"Good. Aurora's coming along nicely… she can talk pretty well, she has some skill with psychic abilities, and she's pretty… I couldn't ask for a better little girl," Sun said. Rosa giggled.
"So are you two an item?" she asked.
"Ssh! Not so loud! I don't want to talk about it too much about in front of Serena yet… but yes. I love Aurora," Sun said.
"Glad to see I won't have to knock some sense into you. I am the guardian of friendship, if the nonsense I spout whenever I start kicking butt is any indication," Rosa said.
"Sun!" Aurora called out, beckoning for Sun to come over. She had unwrapped Leaf's present. It was a little plush Sun toy.
"…Mum? How long have I been merchandise?" Sun asked.
"Since you saved the world last year. You've got a little plush of me somewhere, I'm sure of it," Leaf said.
"Yeah, but you're Leaf Green, the greatest trainer in the world! What am I compared to that," Sun asked.
"I don't know, but they also had this little action figure. Look, if you push the button, her legs turn into a mermaid tail!" Leaf said, holding up said action figure, and playing with the legs-tail button. Aurora giggled.
"Leaf funny!" she said. Sun was too busy laughing herself to comment. She simply lay a hand on Aurora's shoulder. Aurora felt her arm, and snuggled into Leaf's shoulder.
"Hey, Sun… look at this!" Nate called out. Sun turned around, disinclined to let Aurora go. She pulled the note Nate held up into her own hand, and read.
Sun;
I don't know when you'll get this letter. I don't even know if you will. But I just wanted to say this: I am sorry for what I did to you. Your little girlfriend is revived thanks to me. Hope this goes some way to making up our little difference.
The Rising Sun.
"Who sent this? Who's the Rising Sun?" Sun asked.
"Oh, er… I got that from Yveltal," Shauna said. "He said, and I quote: 'The gal who gave this to me told me to get it to Sun. She gave her life as a life trade for Aurora Ardour née Laromi.' Yes, he gets weird. I've never met a more odd legendary… except maybe Xerneas."
"Someone gave their life to restore yours… Aurora, we must have a guardian angel," Sun said.
"Rising sun… isn't sun rising called dawn?" Aurora asked. Everyone blinked.
"So that's where she went…" Leaf said. "I can finally get some sleep."
"Kind of clever on her part… Dawn brings rise to the Sun," Sun said. She picked up the Sun plush. "I can certainly see where that came from."
"And… did I hear right… little girlfriend?" Serena asked. Sun silently groaned.
"Well, looks like that secret survived a whole five seconds," Rosa teased. Sun turned around to face Serena.
"I have a crush on Aurora. You heard correctly," Sun said.
"Fine with me," Serena said. Sun raised an eyebrow: she was expecting more rebellion out of that.
"My mum actually disapproved of Calem when they first met. But being with Calem was good for me. I'm going to go with my gut, and say being with you is good for Aurora," Serena said. Sun looked at Aurora.
"What's a crush?" she asked. Sun beamed.
"A crush is when you find someone you feel like you can spend your life with. It's like a girl-friend…" she explained. Aurora nodded, and Sun kissed her on the forehead.
"I've got a birthday gift in the pile somewhere, but consider this a bonus," Sun said.
