Chapter 3:A Hero is Born
XXXX
Mesprit guided us through the large underground city, the two of us gaping at the colossal place as she spoke of the importance of certain buildings. There were so many buildings around, it was hard to believe she knew where she was going.
"And over there is the mess hall, as you humans would call it,"Mesprit continued her speech."After meetings, we head over there to eat and catch up over the last couple of months."
"Have you ever had any food fights?"Anubis asked. Mesprit chuckled.
"A better question would be 'When was the last time we ate in peace?'"she told us."The last time we ate together, Palkia nearly destroyed the mess hall because of a stray oran berry that Groudon had thrown. He was aiming for Kyogre, but Palkia's head got in the way, and well, let's just say the Unown, silly little rascals they are, were thoroughly enjoying the insanity that ensued after that."I raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, I didn't know the Unown were Legendary pokemon,"I said.
"Individually, they're really not that powerful,"Mesprit admitted."But when they're together, you can only imagine the chaos they can create. And I mean that literally."
"Pardon?"
"I'll explain later."
She continued to walk us through the apparently very old city, telling us about many different things, including the fact that this place was actually UNDER Mt. Coronet. If that's the case, how'd we get here so fast from Lake Verity? Anubis voiced my question to Mesprit, and she had told us that the wall we had seen was actually the entrance to a portal that lead here instantly. She said that there were portals like this in every region for the Legendaries who couldn't teleport.
"And speaking of the Legendaries, they should be here within the hour. Though I'm sure some of them are already here."
"Wait, are you telling us that you've already told them to come here?"I asked.
"That's right,"Mesprit said with a nod.
"When and how did you do that?"Anubis asked.
"Well, I'm not a Legendary psychic for nothing,"she said with a smile and a wink.
"Hmm."I mumbled, looking forward. Then, I heard the faint sound of music, clicking, and someone singing. I looked around curiously, wondering where it was coming from."Do you hear that?"
"Yeah, where's that music coming from?"Anubis asked.
"Ah, that must be some of the others in the entertainment house,"Mesprit said, tilting her head to hear. She motioned with a paw."Follow me."She then lead us into a building that was somewhat smaller than most, the music getting somewhat louder upon entry. The contents of the building are what got my attention. The first room looked like a hotel lobby. There were many couches and chairs strewn about in front of a large plasma screen TV. The only thing missing was a front desk. Mesprit lead us through a doorway to a sight we weren't expecting. There were 4 humans; at least, I think they were, standing in front of a TV, playing a video game I recognized as Guitar Hero:World Tour, playing the song Heartbreaker. Well, that explained the previous sounds. There were also three others watching them. I looked at Mesprit with a raised eyebrow.
"Guitar Hero?"I questioned.
"You humans have made some very entertaining devices."
Playing the drums was a man with flaming red hair and yellow eyes (which I found to be rather strange) who looked to be in his late twenties, wearing a red jacket with black stripes over a dark grey undershirt. He wore a pair of black jeans with reddish orange veins that looked like lava running down the legs. The guy was going pretty crazy on those drums, but I had to admit, he was good. The guitarist; I could tell because they were in the middle of a solo, and the other guy wasn't doing anything, looked to be in his early twenties, wore mostly black clothes, with the exception being a red scarf around his neck. His eyes were blue and his long hair was as white as a cloud. And he was tearing that solo to shreds!
The bassist was wearing a pair of fancy, dark blue sunglasses with pointed tips, along with mostly white clothes, two rows of blue spots lining the back of his shirt. He looked to be around thirty something and was also doing well. Finally, there was the singer. I had to say, she was rather cute. She wore a simple pink shirt and shorts. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen. She had a heck of singing voice, though. As for the audience, the first one to catch my attention was a tall person wearing a cloak that covered most of their body, so I couldn't really make out any details other than their height. Next to this person was a girl who looked just a little older than the singer. She wore dark green jeans and a light green shirt. She had short brown hair and blue eyes. The final one was a woman in her early twenties as well. She wore a blue jacket with pink undershirt, as well as blue jeans that were lighter than her jacket. She also wore a yellow scarf, which made me wonder if she had any connection to the guitarist. As the four of them finished the song, the singer and the green clothed girl cheered.
"Yeah! 100 percent!"the pink girl said happily, punching the air above her. Had I known how to whistle, I would have. None of them got anything below 97, which was pretty impressive.
"Very nicely done,"the woman with the yellow scarf said as the two younger girls high fived.
"I can't believe I missed that one hammer-on, though,"the black clothed man said, putting his guitar against the wall.
"Yeah, well, at least you didn't miss the final note,"the man with the sunglasses said, doing the same.
"Didn't you just have to strum once?"the green girl asked.
"That's what stinks about it,"he said flatly. The drummer bellowed out a laugh.
"Aw, don't feel too bad, buddy,"he said as stood up from his chair."We all make mistakes. Even us Legendaries."Wait, what!?
"If you all are done chatting, we have new visitors,"the hooded person said in a male's voice. When they all turned to look at us, I felt Anubis shift on my shoulder, indicating his discomfort. The young girl wearing pink smiled and ran up to Mesprit, hugging her tightly.
"Good to see you, Mesprit!"she said cheerfully, then looked at me curiously.
I smiled mareepishly and waved."Um...hi?"She released Mesprit and walked up to me, standing on her toes for whatever reason. I assumed she just wanted a better look at me. I blinked at her through my goggles.
"You look funny. Who are you?"she asked after an uncomfortable moment of silence.
"Uh, my name is--"I was cut off.
"Ken Woods. Eighteen years old. Born and raised in Twinleaf Town,"the hooded man spoke calmly."And your Riolu's name is Anubis."My jaw dropped. He just read me like the friggin' newspaper! The girl looked back at him, apparently annoyed.
"Haven't I taught you not to read people's minds all the time?"she asked. The man shrugged, or at least, it looked like it. Hard to tell with that cloak he wore.
"It's not like I can help it,"he said, remaining calm."I can hear thoughts just as easily as I can hear voices."
"Then why not let them speak for themselves?"she asked. I could have sworn I saw a smirk under that hood.
"Because watching their reactions is very amusing,"he said with a slight chuckle. The girl paused at that.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I can't help but agree with you on that one,"she said, smiling a bit. Anubis and I looked at each other. Good to know they were so considerate...
"So, why are they, or us for that matter, here?"the green clothed girl asked, addressing Mesprit."You said it was urgent. Were you attacked?"The Lake Spirit nodded, then looked at the hooded man."May I?"He held his arms out and bowed his head slightly.
"Please do,"he said. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention to the others.
"Yes, I was attacked by the Chrome Syndicate,"she said. Many of them, save the hooded man, gasped.
"What happened?"they echoed, instantly worried. Wow, were these guys that bad?
"One of them came into my lake with a giant robot,"she said."He scared away the other Pokemon and humans around and started wrecking everything. Needless to say, I got angry at what he was doing and came out of my lake. Obviously, that was a bad idea. He would have captured me if these two hadn't come along."She motioned to us, earning us interested looks from them."Come to think of it, how did you come across my lake?"
I shrugged."We were just walking through the forest when we heard all the booming and shaking. So, we ran to see it what it was. And well, the rest is history."Mesprit shook her head.
"Hardly,"she told us."You saved my life. You have no idea how cruel the Chrome Syndicate can be. After draining my power, they most likely would have tortured me to death."I blinked in surprise. I wasn't expecting that.
"So, what exactly did you do?"the fire themed man asked us."How did the two of you stop a giant robot on your own?"I scratched my head.
"Well, Anubis here did most of the work,"I said, jabbing a thumb at the little guy on my shoulder."I just freed Mesprit from the net."
"But you did knock the guy out after he tried to hit you a bunch of times, remember?"Anubis asked me. I nodded.
"True, true,"I said in agreement. When I looked back at the group, they were staring with wide eyes. Even the cloaked man seemed to pause in surprise.
"Did...did you just understand what he said?"the man wearing sunglasses asked hesitantly. I nodded. They all looked at Mesprit instantly. She nodded, as if to answer an unspoken question.
"I believe so,"she said softly. They looked back at me. Then, without warning, all but the red haired man and the one with sunglasses began to glow with light. I would have shielded my eyes if I weren't wearing goggles; plus I was pretty much frozen in place with shock. When the glowing stopped, my jaw dropped a mile and I felt Anubis fall from my shoulder. Standing, or rather, floating, in front of us were 5 pokemon. Two of them I recognized instantly as the Lunar Pokemon, Cresselia and Darkria, previously the scarf wearing people. Green clothed girl had transformed into a small, green fairy like creature. I believed this was Celebi, the Guardian of the forest. The pink wearing girl had turned into a small, pink, cat-like creature, with a tail that was actually a bit longer than it's actual body. Wow, I was looking at Mew! Finally, the cloaked man had turned into one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen. It had a slight resemblance to Mew. It's mostly white body had a long, purple tail, a tube going from in between its shoulders to the back of it's head, and three ball-like fingers on each hand. I had no idea who this guy was. I pulled my goggles down, squinting my eyes as I did so. I breathed into both lenses and wiped them with my shirt, then put them back over my eyes, seeing that they were still the Legendaries I thought I had imagined.
I looked at the remaining two who hadn't transformed.
After a moment, I found my voice."A-and...who are you...?"
"I am Lugia, Guardian of the Sea,"the man with sunglasses said.
"And I'm the continent Pokemon, Groudon,"the red man said, jabbing a thumb at his chest.
"Huh,"I breathed, still shocked at what I had just seen. I held my head."I need to sit down."Groudon then grabbed the chair he had been using for drumming and brought it over to me. I quickly dropped into the chair, not caring that I nearly fell off. I spared a glance at Anubis, who was staring at Mew. She floated down and sat in front of him.
"Hi,"she said.
"...Hello,"he said hesitantly.
"Wanna see something cool?"
"...Okay."Mew closed her eyes and glowed. When it stopped, our jaws dropped again. She had just turned into another Riolu!
"Whaddaya think?"she asked with a grin.
"Cool..."Anubis awed.
"Told ya,"she said, then transformed back in an instant.
"What else can you do?"Anubis asked. Mew's grin widened.
"I'm glad you asked!"she said cheerily. Suddenly, a pink bubble of energy formed behind her. She flew back and started bouncing up and down on it. Anubis stared with interest.
"Can I try?"he asked hopefully. Another bubble formed next to the original.
"Knock yourself out!"Mew said, still bouncing.
"Awesome!"Anubis cheered, jumping onto the bubble and bouncing as well."Woohoo!"I couldn't help but smile, then I looked at the TV. They had forgotten to turn the game off. I shrugged and stood up, walking over to where the guitars were, picking one up and slinging the strap over my shoulder.
"What are you doing?"Darkria asked.
"If he's found a way to cope with what's going on, I might as well do the same,"I said, adjusting the strap. When I was satisfied with it, I turned the guitar on, looking through the list of songs. Finally, I decided on Livin' on a Prayer, one of my favorite songs for this game. I chose the song and hit the bass option, then expert.
"You prefer bass to guitar?"Lugia asked, to which I nodded.
"I'm not sure why,"I admitted as the loading screen disappeared."I'm a decent singer, too. But I can't sing this because my voice is too deep."The song started, my fingers started moving across the buttons quickly. I absolutely loved this bass intro. When I heard the drums start up, I closed my eyes, continuing to play. As the lyrics started, I heard someone whistle.
"He's playing with his eyes closed,"one of the girls said. Maybe Celebi...
"He must have already played this song quite a bit,"another commented, sounded like Darkria.
"I have,"I told them, then scowled as I heard a weird twang, indicating I had missed a note."Da--Blast it..."I quickly censored myself, thinking that they might frown upon cursing.
I heard a deep laugh. Was that Groudon?"Kid, just because we're Legendary pokemon, it doesn't mean we don't swear like sailors sometimes."
"True, even the most subdued of us have cursed from time to time,"I heard Mesprit say.
"I see."I growled as I heard another twang.
"We'll be quiet, now,"Cresselia said. I continued to play the song. Halfway in, I heard the sound of someone either leaving or entering the room. It was verified to be someone entering when a new voice spoke up.
"Hey, guys! What's going--?"
"Ssshhh!"I heard the others shush. I heard the distinct sound of whispering after that, but didn't bother deciphering any of it, too focused on the song. Finally, I finished and opened my eyes, smirking at the very nice 95 percent on the screen. I blushed slightly when I heard applause. I turned around to see a new pokemon in the room. It had light blue skin, and the top of it's head was a darker blue, along with a two tails and yellow eyes. If my studies were correct, this was Azelf, the being of willpower. He stared back at me with a raised eyebrow.
"So, you think this guy might be the one?"he asked the others, who nodded. Anubis jumped onto my shoulder as I tilted my head. That was the second person who's called me that. Before I could question him, the building suddenly shook.
"Uhh, yeah, most of the others are here,"Azelf said."And it sounds like some of them have met."
"Oh, dear,"Cresselia said, sounding worried.
"Are the Unown here, yet?"Mesprit asked. Then, as if on cue, we heard many child-like voices singing in unison.
"Uuuuuuunoooooooooooowwwwwnn!"
"Does that answer your question?"Darkria asked. They started filing out of the room quickly, practically leaving the two of us in the dust.
"Hey, wait up!"I shouted, running after them. When we reached them outside the building, we were greeted with a peculiar sight. Two dragon like creatures were floating high in the air, not too far away from where we were, staring each other down. Flying around them erratically were strange, small black and white creatures. I assumed these were the Unown, and that the dragons were the dieties of space and time, Palkia and Dialga. There were also a number of other Legendary Pokemon, from Jirachi to Ho-oh, the Bird Trio, the Beast Trio, the Regis, and even Rayquaza and Deoxys! They were all around us! Granted, I didn't recognize all of them, but I didn't have to to know I was surrounded by powerful beings.
"This is not good,"Darkria muttered, referring to the two feuding dragons.
"Darkria, you've fought them before, can't you do something?"Mew asked.
"The last time the three of us fought, I was nearly killed,"Darkria said flatly. I stared up at the two dragons, deep in thought.
"How about you, Mewtwo?"Mew asked the strange creature I didn't recognize. So, that was his name."I mean, next to Arceus, you're one of the most powerful of all of us."
Mewtwo shook his head."I may be powerful enough to defeat them, but if I tried, we could destroy the entire city, if not all of Mount Coronet. I can't fight them and protect the city at the same time. Besides, the last thing I need is those two hounding me for revenge."My eyes widened. This guy was more powerful than those two combined!?
Shaking my head, I looked back up."I don't suppose there's a Milotic hanging around, eh?"I asked, earning myself strange looks. I shrugged."I've heard somewhere that a Milotic's singing is relaxing enough to calm down a raging Gyarados. Maybe it could calm them down as well?"They looked amongst themselves, apparently finding the idea interesting.
"It doesn't matter, anyway,"another voice spoke. We turned around to see yet another Legendary Pokemon. Uxie, the Being of Knowledge. For whatever reason, his eyes were closed as he floated up to us. If the school books were any indication, he could wipe people's memories clean by looking at their eyes, so it would make sense that he would keep them closed. He turned his head to me, nodded, and looked back up.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter?"Mew asked, eyebrow raised as the two dragons flew back.
"They will calm in less than a moment,"Uxie said as they charged their attacks."3...2...1..."
"Stop,"said a voice so powerful, it nearly dropped me to my knees. The two dragons froze in place, their attacks vanishing in an instant. The Unown flying around them froze as well. We all looked to the source, and standing in the gate of the largest tower was...
Arceus. The Alpha Pokemon and God of our world.
My heart skipped a beat upon seeing the great being.
"H-holy..."I muttered.
"That would be the word for it,"Mesprit said quietly. The white being flew up to the two of them, the two dragons bowing their head instantly.
"Tell me, my sons,"Arceus started."Do you know why we're here?"They seemed to look at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
"No, sir,"they said in unison.
"Come,"Arceus said simply, flying straight towards us. The dragons followed instantly. They landed in front of us, staring directly at me. At that moment, I felt like less than a Caterpie."We are here because of this human and his young friend."The dragons gave me strange looks. I smiled nervously. Arceus raised his head."Everyone. Come to the meeting tower."He smiled back down at me."That includes you."
"Y-y-yes, sir,"I stuttered. He flew off, the dragons flanking his sides. I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Don't worry, kid. You get used to it after a while,"Groudon informed me, now back in his actual form.
"I hope so,"I muttered."I'm surprised I didn't pass out..."
"C'mon, let's get going,"Cresselia said. We began to move along with the crowd of Legendary Pokemon, all of them giving me interested looks, some going so far as to introduce themselves. I just kept my hood over my head, muttering replies as politely as I could, still somewhat overwhelmed by all the attention. I HATED being the center of attention. Though I had to admit, this was exciting. I mean, who else got to meet the Legendaries like this? Well, sure, there was that one kid from Kanto who kept popping up in the news a few years back, but this was different.
"Ken. Ken Woods,"I told the latest Pokemon who had asked for my name. Anubis was currently talking with Mew just a few feet ahead of us.
"I'm Latios,"the blue and white dragon told me. He motioned to a red dragon that looked surprisingly like him."This is my sister, Latias."I nodded at her.
"H-hi,"she said somewhat nervously."So...you can really understand us?"I nodded again.
"That's right,"I said."When I was young, I figured everyone could understand pokemon since I could."I looked towards the large tower."You can only imagine my surprise when I learned otherwise. Most kids never really liked me. Always thought I was a freak. Heh. The only friends I've ever had were Pokemon, and my mom. But she's family, so I guess she doesn't necessarily count."Latios patted my back.
"Well, I hope we can be friends in the future,"he said with a smile. Latias nodded fervently in agreement.
"M-me too!"she said.
"Probably,"I agreed."I have to admit, I really trust pokemon more than I trust my own race."Their eyes widened as they looked at each other. Obviously, I had caught them by surprise."Sad, ain't it?"They said nothing in response. I decided to change the subject."So, I heard you two can become invisible at will. Is that true?"They smiled and nodded, then disappeared on the spot. I blinked."Nice."They reappeared."How exactly do you do that?"
"Our downs can refract light away from us whenever we want,"Latios said. I raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting...I guess that means you can't make others invisible,"I muttered, stroking my chin.
"Nope,"Latios said.
"Most others ask us if we can make them invisible,"Latias told me."How did you know we can't?"
"Well, I figured at first that you used your psychic powers to perform photokinesis,"I told them. Their eyes widened; I guess at my slight show of knowledge."But since you're using your coats to do it, you can't refract light away from other people, so..."I shrugged, figuring they understood what I meant.
"How did you figure that out?"Latios asked, his surprise out in the open.
"You must've gotten really good grades in your human school,"Latias guessed. I shook my head.
"Eh, I just passed like any other student,"I said, surprising them again."I just never found the motivation to try that hard since no one respects me anyway."They blinked."I'll tell you more later. Cause, uh, here we are."They looked around in surprise, seeing that we were already inside the massive tower. They looked at me strangely."So, where am I supposed to go?"Latios shook his head, then pointed to the center of the room, where a large circle of runes were formed. Anubis was already sitting right outside of it, having just said good bye to Mew. They both flew up to a higher balcony, and I joined Anubis at the circle, sitting in it rather than next to it. Arceus was just above the other Legendaries--damn, he looked big from here--and staring down at us.
"Please stand, Ken,"he said. I did so immediately."Now, have you been told of our situation?"
"Well, not entirely,"I admitted, surprising myself with how calm I sounded in the face of a god."But from what I've gathered, you're fighting some evil organization called the Chrome Syndicate, who're trying to capture you all for whatever reason. And as for me, I'm guessing I'm some sort of...ancient, prophesized hero or something who's supposed to help you take them down because I can understand Pokemon. Do I have it down or did I just read everything completely wrong?"There were a few chuckles at that.
"You are correct,"Arceus said with a nod."Can you guess what they are after?"
"Ah, I'm going to guess the average thing evil organizations try to do, which is take over the world with your powers,"I deduced. He nodded again. I chuckled."I'm on a roll, here."
"But that is not the only thing they wish for,"Arceus said."They intend on irradicating all pokemon from the planet."I heard Anubis gasp behind me, and made no joke at this revelation. I stared, having some futile hope that he was joking.
After a moment, I shook my head and frowned deeply, holding a hand to my forehead."Just when I thought people couldn't get any stupider."Why was I a member of such a stupid race? I looked back up."I'm going to guess that they want to do this because they think you'll do it to us first, right?"Arceus nodded once more. I sighed."Sometimes, it's sucks to be this smart..."
"This is why we need your help,"Arceus said."Because of your ability, you are the bridge in the gap between our races. You are meant to save the world from destruction. Will you help us?"I hesitated at this.
"...Are you absolutely sure I'm the one you want?"I asked."I mean, look at this."I pulled my coat sleeve up, showing my rather skinny arms."These aren't muscles. These are bones with sleeves."Another round of laughs followed that. I rolled my sleeve back up."I mean, sure my IQ's in the triple digits, but I don't really think I'm hero material."
"You're humility certainly seems to be worthy of a hero,"he said. I shrugged.
"What you call humility, I call a lack of self-confidence mixed in with a tiny smidge of self-loathing,"I remarked, holding my fingers together for emphasis. Then I held a hand to my chin, thinking."Then again, that might just be coming from all the insults I've gone through, and I'm most likely just thinking this way simply because I've never felt myself worthy of too much. I wonder if perhaps--"I shook my head, snapping myself to attention."That's another thing. I think too much, never really act. Most hero's think on their feet, which I'm not to sure that I'm good at."I looked down in thought again."Though, I suppose most hero's probably just learn that particular ability. I mean, nobody's really born--I'M DOING IT AGAIN!"I sighed loudly and slapped my forehead, exasperated at myself. I looked up, seeing them look like they were about to burst into laughing fits at my display. I rolled my eyes."Go ahead and laugh. I'm used to it."Surprisingly, none did. I looked back up at Arceus.
"If you can realize your own faults that easily, then believe me when I say that it's humility. Nothing more, nothing less,"he said."So...what is your answer?"
I crossed my arms and looked over my shoulder, looking at Anubis, who nodded fervently, a determined look in his eyes like I had never seen before. Nodding back, I looked back up at Arceus, smirking slightly.
"Well, this sure as hell beats a video game any day of the week."I said, cracking my neck in ways most people would have to see a doctor about. I pulled my goggles off my eyes, letting them rest on my forehead."You've got yourself a deal."The Legendaries cheered at this. Arceus smiled and nodded.
"Thank you,"he said, then looked amongst the other Legendaries, who nodded at him. They all closed their eyes and began to give off a faint glow. I looked through them curiously, then back at Arceus.
"Uh, what's going on?"
"Don't worry,"Arceus told me."We will be granting you a powerful gift. Anubis, please back away from the circle."I looked over my shoulder at the little blue fighter, who quickly did as he was told. Suddenly, many different colored metal plates started appearing around me in a circle over the now glowing runes. I counted seventeen in all. The plates themselves then began to glow in their respective colors. When they got just a little too bright for me, I put my goggles back on. Then I couldn't help but ask.
"This is gonna hurt, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so."
The lights shot out of the plates and into me. I couldn't help but let out a shout of pain as the different energies surged through me. Pain wracked every nerve ending of my body. Knowledge began to form in my brain that I had never known before. Then I felt...something began to form over my body. My eyes were clenched shut, so I couldn't tell what it was. Then, just like that, the pain stopped. It was over just as fast as it had started.
"Ken...You look awesome!"I heard Anubis say ecstatically. I looked down at myself, seeing that I was covered in strange, skin tight armor that was completely white. I could feel a helmet on my head, and I assumed it was to hide my face. The armor almost felt like a second skin. I waved my fingers a bit, then clenched my fists. The armor didn't seem to hinder my movement in the slightest. I opened my hand again, seeing that there was now a small fire ball in it!
"HOLY CRAP!!"I shouted, frantically tossing the fire ball from hand to hand while shouting "HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!" But then I stopped. It...didn't burn. I could feel the heat through the gauntlets on my hand, but it didn't hurt like it should have. I stared at it, incredibly confused by the fact that I was now holding something well above two thousand degrees like it was just a ball...
I heard laughter above me, and looked up to see many of the Legendaries were now laughing at me. I couldn't help but feel more than a little annoyed at this, but at least some of them were nice enough to hold it in. A few of them were actually somewhat worried about me, thinking that I might be hurt. Wait, how did I know that!?
I looked up at Arceus, clapping the fire ball between my hands to put it out, he was one of the few who weren't laughing.
"Can you please explain what just happened?"I asked as calmly as I could.
"The plates you saw were infused with the power of the elements,"he explained."I created them back when I had first created this very planet. The power of those plates are now yours to help you fight our enemies. Use it wisely."I nodded as he spoke, then looked through the powerful creatures again.
"Does this mean I have a small bit of power from each of you?"Arceus shook his head.
"No, they simply used their power to transfer the power of the plates to you. That's it."Arceus explained.
"So, basically, I've become a natural disaster waiting to happen?"I asked as Anubis hopped back on my shoulder. He nodded.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it,"he said."But don't worry. You'll learn to control these powers soon. Just as long you don't abuse them. Too much."We both smirked a bit at that. I was starting like him more and more.
"So, what do I do, now?"I asked.
"First, I want you to return home for the moment, to tell your mother of these events,"he said. I hesitated at that.
"You want me to tell her what just happened?"I asked, not understanding."Whatever happened to a hero's secret identity?"
"You are about to embark on a journey to save the planet, your mother must understand why,"he told me."She must be the only person to know of this. You are not to tell another human being."I nodded in agreement.
"That's understandable,"I said."But what about telling other pokemon?"Arceus smiled at my question.
"You won't really have to,"he informed me."Any pokemon will be able to sense the power within you. Just ask Anubis."I looked at the Riolu on my shoulder, who shrugged.
"Well, yeah, I can feel something coming from you, but I figured that was just my Aura sense acting up,"he told me.
"Interesting,"I remarked.
"Mesprit will accompany you home,"Arceus said."After which, you are to return here to start some training."He looked at Mesprit."Is that acceptable?"The Lake Spirit nodded.
"Of course,"she said.
"Okay, one more question,"I said, gathering their attention."...Can I fly?"
"Of course,"he said."You've been infused with the power of the Sky Plate, but--Hmm?"I was already running to the entrance, Anubis having jumped off my shoulder in surprise. When I reached the stairs, I jumped up as high as I could. Gravity's hold broke, and I took off into the air.
"YEAH, BABY!!"I shouted, flying around as fast as I could. I saw Anubis and the Legendaries gather around the door. How they all fitted around that doorway, I'll never know. I flew by to greet them, but instead of stopping like I had intended, I just shot right past them."What the--? HOW DO I STOP?!?"I was worried now, I obviously hadn't thought about this.
"I tried to warn you,"Arceus' voice echoed in my head."You need to train before you can fully control your new abilities. Also, look out for that building."I quickly turned to avoid crashing headfirst into a wall. It was then that Mew and Celebi flew next to me, flanking my sides. While Celebi was twirling around gracefully, Mew was upside down as she kicked her big feet like she was swimming. Both of them smiled playfully as I ducked and weaved through the buildings, desperately trying not to crash and severely injure myself.
"I don't suppose-whoa!-either of you-Yeesh!-know how I can stop!? OH CRUD!!"I quickly pulled a u-turn before crashing into a rock wall. They easily followed my every move.
"It couldn't be any easier!"Mew said cheerily."Just imagine yourself on the ground. That's it!"I looked down and did so without thinking.
"Wait, you have to-!!"Celebi started, but was too late. Gravity took effect immediately, and I fell to the ground with a painful thud, landing flat on my face. I turned onto my back and watched, dazed, as they flew down to me, the pretty starries floating around them.
"Are you okay?"Mew asked. Slowly, and painfully, I raised my head.
"Owchies,"I muttered, then let my head hit the ground again, staring up at the incredibly high ceiling of the city. This should've hurt much worse than it did, but for whatever reason, the pain was already starting to go away. Maybe it was my new powers at work, but I didn't really care at the moment. I heard what sounded like a stampede heading our way, assuming that it was the Legendaries. I stood up as they reached us and the pain left my body numb. I grinned mareepishly as they stared."Well, any crash you can walk away from is a good one, right?"Many eyes were rolled. Anubis then poked out of the crowd and ran up to me. I held my arm out and let him jump on my shoulder.
"You okay?"he asked.
"Sure, the ground broke my fall,"I remarked sarcastically, actually managing some laughs from the Legendaries.
XXXX
Later, I had arrived back at my house. Mesprit was now invisible, though I could still detect where she was, most likely because of my new psychic powers. The armor I was wearing was gone now, and I was back in my regular clothes.
"Mom! I'm home!"I shouted, closing the door behind me after making sure Mesprit was inside. My mom came into the room with a smile.
"Well, that was a long walk,"she said as Anubis jumped down from my shoulder. I raised an eyebrow.
"How long was I gone?"
"Honey, it's 12 o'clock."
"SAY WHAT!?"I asked, my eyes darting to the clock to see that it was in fact, 12:00 on the dot."Dang, that took longer than I thought..."I rubbed my head.
"What did?"Mom asked curiously. I took a deep breath.
"I, uh, I got...sidetracked..."I muttered, earning a raised eyebrow from her."Mom, I'd like you to meet someone."
"Did you save another pokemon?"
"...Yes. Yes, I did."I looked to where Mesprit was floating and nodded. She slowly became visible, causing Mom to gasp."Mom, say hello to Mesprit."
"Oh my goodness!"she shouted, obviously shocked."The Legendary Spirit of Lake Verity!?"I nodded.
"You might want to sit down..."I muttered."I've got a heck of a story to tell you."
XXXX
After I had gotten done explaining the situation, Mom was in a state of shock, dazed on the couch.
"I...This...this is incredible,"she said after a moment.
"You took the words right out of my mouth,"I told her, my head rested on my chin as she processed everything I had just told her. I didn't need psychic powers to tell how amazed she was. She sighed deeply, trying to regain her composure.
"I always knew you were special, son,"she said, standing up."But I never suspected something like this."
"Tsk, who would?"I asked rhetorically, standing up myself.
"Well, I guess you should get going,"she said quietly."I'll miss you."Anubis hopped from my shoulder and into her arms, nuzzling her neck."Of course, I'll miss you, too, Anubis."She hugged him tightly. I kept silent.
"We should go,"Mesprit said softly. I nodded in agreement.
XXXX
End of chapter
Wow, this is absolutely, without a doubt, the longest chapter I have ever written.