Revival Chapter Five:

Max studied Blaidd for a moment, head cocked to one side as he studied the stranger with keen interest. He seemed familiar, like he knew him from somewhere else. It nagged at him, and frankly right now, Max wasn't in the mood so he pushed that feeling aside. "You want to see Ash?" he finally asked.

Blaidd nodded. "Yes, I would very much like too."

"Alright, I'll get him for you." Max was gone in a flash, sticking his head out the sliding door and shouting, "Ash! Someone wants to see you!"

Blaidd cast a furtive glance skywards, taking note of some clouds that were building up forming towering thunderheads. "May I come in? I think it might rain soon."

"Um, yeah. Just sit right there in that chair. I'll try to get Ash for you."

"Thank you Ma—never mind." Blaidd corrected himself; the last thing he needed was to show any signs that he knew them. It would give too much away.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just a slip of the tongue."

"Um, alright then." Max turned away from Blaidd and shouted outside again. "Ash! I said that there was someone to see you!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Ash had just wandered back to where the others were sitting, Misty following a few moments. May threw Misty a sly wink, who blushed and mouthed something along the lines of 'nothing happened'. May shrugged, but was determined to ask Misty about it later. Brock noticed the looming clouds, which took on a darker shade as they grew, bringing the portents of rain.

"Well, we better pack it up," Ms. Ketchum said. "We can just take it inside."

Blaidd stepped out from the foyer area. "I can help if you would like."

Ms. Ketchum jumped in surprise. "Sorry, may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Blaidd Wilson and I wish to speak with Ash Ketchum. You friend here," Blaidd gestured to Max. "Let me in."

"You're the guy from the Pokecenter!" Dawn blurted out.

"I don't remember a guy from the Pokecenter," Ash mentioned.

"That's because you were too busy hogging down a bag of potato chips to even notice."

Misty rolled her eyes. "That would be Ash."

Blaidd chuckled. "Yes, that would be me, although I can assure you that I'm not a reporter."

"You aren't? Oh! I'm so sorry about closing the door on you then!" Dawn apologized, mortified.

"It's alright. I understand."

"So," Gary started, crossing his arms. "What do you want anyways?" Gary was a little suspicious of Blaidd.

"It's not what I want, but what Lady Ilene wants," which wasn't exactly a lie; she was somewhat involved, but not much.

Ash looked dumbfounded for a moment, until May spoke up. "Wait, she was the woman who ran that castle, right?"

"Correct. I am an emissary to the Lady and she wishes for your presence." Blaidd wondered for a moment if it was always this easy to lie, but tried to shake off the feeling. The lying was necessary, at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

"Really?" Ash ran a hand through his hair, tipping back his hat. "I wonder what for."

"I'm not quite sure either, but all I know is that she would like you there."

Misty frowned. "That's really helpful."

"I know and I'm truly sorry. I wish I knew too." Blaidd shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, feeling incredibly guilty about the pile of lies he had accumulated. He prayed that he would get redeemed through his actions and not his words.

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. I think we should go." Ash proclaimed, and leaned back in his chair.

"What makes you the leader?" Misty asked.

"Aw come on Mist, when was the last time you've done something exciting ? It'll be fun."

"Plus, it is up in northern Kanto, so you technically won't be leaving the region." Brock pointed out.

"Way in northern Kanto if you recall correctly." May mentioned. "We ended up there in the first place because you got lost, even though we had Max's PokeNav."

"Wish we had that when we were traveling," Misty muttered.

Max turned to May. "Please can we go? Pretty please?" he pleaded.

May exhaled gustily. "Oh alright. Only if Ash lets us."

"Please Ash, can we come too?"

"I don't see a problem with it."

"Alright! Thanks Ash!"

"Which means that by default, I have to come too," Drew huffed.

"Well, not technically by 'default'," May playfully nudged Drew. "Don't be such a party pooper."

"I'm not a party pooper," Drew defended.

"Then come along."

"Fine. I'll come too."

"Count me in too." Brock interjected. "Besides, I'm the only one that can cook and read the maps." he joked; it was very true. What about you Dawn?"

Dawn shook her head. "As much as I like to come, I told my mom I'd visit for a while, then I was going to travel through Hoenn after that. Sorry guys"

"You're going to the Hoenn region too? So am I!" Gary exclaimed. Misty and May exchanged significant glances and snickered.

Ash did a tally on his hands. "So that will be me, May, Max, Drew, and Brock. Come on Misty, you gotta come! It'll only be for a little while. I'm sure that your sisters can handle the gym by themselves."

"You don't know my sisters."

" Ash's right. It's been a while since you've traveled. I'm sure you'll have fun." Brock said.

"Well, I guess since you guys won't stop badgering me about it, I guess I'll go." Misty caved in, though she had to admit, she had been feeling restless lately at the gym, being cooped up all the time. An adventure like this would release some steam so to speak.

"Sweet! Then we'll head out tomorrow morning then!"

"Whoa there mister, hold your ponytas." Misty put a halt to Ash's plan. "I need to let my sisters know, plus we got to get ready, in case you haven't forgotten. Food, medical supplies,..."

"Okay Mist, you win. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

"Not much of a reprieve there huh, Ash."

"What?"

"Misty does have a point," Professor Oak pointed out. "There aren't a lot of people living in northern Kanto, except for a few towns dotted here and there. It's very isolated and mountainous. You might not always have a Pokecenter to pop into. So you'll have to pack thoroughly ."

"It sounds awfully dangerous," Ms. Ketchum remarked.

Blaidd spoke up. "You have my word that they'll be safe."

Ms. Ketchum stood up and straightened up her clothes and glimpsed at the clock on the wall, unsure of Blaidd's promise. "It's getting late, so I think it time we headed back to the house." As she said that, the rain had begun fall, soft patters on the window panes. " And bring some umbrellas too."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The rain softly tapped against the large stained glass windows. Lady Ilene watched the rain fall in small rivulets down the ornate panes of colored glass, occasionally tracing her finger down a path or two of the raindrop. It was raining all over Kanto in patches that night, including Rota and Cameran Palace. Lady Ilene broke away from the window and headed up a spiral staircase, her shoes clacking on the pale stone, her hand gently resting on the iron wrought banister. She wound her way up one of the towers that connected to the castle's main hall, a thin slender building whose spire yearned towards the stormy sky.

At the top of the staircase was a thick oak door, one that required a key. Lady Ilene produced an old iron key and turned it in the pidgeot shaped brass lock. There was an audible click and Lady Ilene shoved the heavy door open. The brass hinges creaked, from little use. Lady Ilene entered the small chamber, shutting the door behind her. This room was one of the many secrets that Cameran Palace held. She had no idea why she came up here, only that she had the feeling that it called to her.

Darkness permeated every inch of the room, making it impossible to see what exactly laid in the chamber. Lady Ilene lit a torch found in a nearby wall sconce and the room was filled with a ruddy warm light, banishing the gloom. The room was void of any furniture or decoration, save for a few, sparse wall sconces and a podium resting in the center of the room. The podium was four feet high from the ground, constructed of black marble, white veins shot through the ebony rock. She advanced towards the podium, torch in hand. Her fingers swept across the top of the dais, the stone frigid under her fair skin.

A glass orb rested in the center of the dais, the color of a tarnished silver. A small spark danced in the depths of the otherwise lifeless ball. Runes stretched outward in concentric rings from the glass. Lady Ilene couldn't decipher the runes, for they were the language of a dead language, no longer read except for a few experts. Lady Ilene studied the podium for a few beats, wondering what its purpose was. As a teen, her mother had divulged many of the castle's secrets to Ilene, including the chamber and podium. Her mother had told her that this was the key to Sir Aaron's tomb, yet no one knew how to operate it.

"It isn't like any map I've ever seen," she said. She took a few more moments to try and deduce the meaning of the podium, but gave up and walked away, realizing that she wasn't meant to unravel it, someone else was. She shut the stout door behind her as she left the room, wondering why she had gone up there in the first place.