Chapter 5
Sometimes, the truth can hurt

Laresa had no need to visit the Pokemon Center in Canalave, so she went straight to the library. Okay, let's see if I can figure anything out. All right, then. First step is finding the right section. She checked the directory and found that the old legends had a section on the top floor. She went up, found the section, and began to browse the shelves. Okay, this looks good. This one... this one...

After grabing several texts, Laresa took them to the nearest table and sat down. Okay, let's start with this one. The first one she opened was a compilation of the legends of Ho-oh, which Laresa thought to be a very good starting point. After all, she knew Ho-oh was involved in what she was trying to figure out. She didn't simply read through the book; there were simply too many stories contained within for that to be practical. Instead, the browsed the contents and index. The index in particular gave her multiple pages to check; symbols especially were mentioned fairly often. None of them matched the symbol on the object, however, although the sunburst symbol on its own made frequent appearances.

The next book was a general reference text on various legends, a different one than the one Laresa carried with her. In particular, it was a good deal larger, and thus had a larger amount of content; in fact, it was merely the first volume of three, and this particular volume focused on the symbolic angle. Of particular use were the pages listing and picturing the symbols associated with the various Pokemon of legend. Sunburst variations were all over on Ho-oh's symbol page, but there was nothing that matched the symbol she was looking for. But there was no guarantee that Ho-oh was the only legendary beast involved in whatever was going on, so Laresa then checked the other symbol pages. And one on Giratina's page caught her eye. It was a connected pair of circles, one large and one small. That's the circle pattern the symbol on the object has. Is it just coincidence, or is Giratina involved in all this? Hmm... well, it's a lead, so I guess it's time to find stories about Giratina. After checking the rest of these symbol pages; there's still one more piece of the symbol I haven't seen, and it may very well be a symbol of one of these others. And it was; the interlocking circle pattern was shown as one of the symbols of Lugia.

Okay, Laresa thought, it looks like I'm getting somewhere. Hmm... well, I guess a Ho-oh/Lugia connection isn't that odd, given the number of stories that involve the both of them. Giratina's an odd one, though. What connection could it have to the two birds? Hmm... okay, so it looks like I'm dealing with a composite symbol. Does its composition matter? Ho-oh's symbol is in the small circle of Giratina's, and Lugia's is in the large circle. Is that important? And the object's got a separate sunburst, too. That's probably because of whatever link there is that allows it to call Ho-oh. But what's the connection between Ho-oh, Lugia, and Giratina? What-

"Hello, there."

The voice snapped Laresa out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see a young man walk over. "Um, hello."

"I see you've got an interesting collection of books here."

"I'm looking into various legends. I've got a symbol I'm trying to find the meaning of."

"The one on your belt?"

Laresa nodded. "Yes. The symbol has personal significance, which is why I have it on a custom plate, but I do want to know what it means."

"A custom plate, huh?"

Laresa nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out...

Okay, this just got interesting.

He pulled out an object like Laresa's. "Because that's not how I got mine."

He sat down next to Laresa. "My name's Cain. You?"

"Laresa. Let me see yours."

Cain handed his object to Laresa. Yes, definitely like mine, she thought as she examined it. There were, however, a couple differences. The coloring was different; Laresa's was red on black, but this one was silver on black. And its jewel had a silver tint as opposed to the red tint of Laresa's. In addition, although both had the same composite symbol, the mark centered on the jewel was different. Laresa's had the sunburst of Ho-oh, but Cain's had the interlocking circle design Laresa had identified as a symbol of Lugia.

"Yeah, I definitely think this is like mine," she said as she handed it back. "However, although yours probably has the same effect as mine, there is, I think, one difference. First of all, can you confirm that pressing the jewel only has an effect when the object is folded around a Pokeball?"

Cain nodded. "Yes, that's right. Any idea why that is?"

"I'd assume it's because the object requires a power source."

"Um... yeah, that's fairly obvious, isn't it? And yours does the same thing mine does? It calls..."

Laresa nodded. "Yes. A different one, though, I believe. Would I be correct in assuming that yours calls Lugia?"

"Um, yes. How-"

"The interlocking circle design is a symbol of Lugia. Your object has that design on its own where mine has the sunburst, a symbol of Ho-oh."

"Yours calls Ho-oh, then?"

Laresa nodded. "Yes. I came here to try and figure out just what the thing is. Are you here for the same reason?"

"Yeah. Have you made any progress?"

"I think so. I've been examining this symbol here. It's a composite. You can see the circle and sunburst designs, representing Lugia and Ho-oh. The large and small connected circle design is something different. It's that one that I think is the key. Ho-oh and Lugia are often shown to be connected in some way, but the third symbol is the odd one out. It, too, is the mark of a Pokemon of legend, but not one with a known connection to the other two. The connected circle design is a symbol of Giratina."

"Giratina?"

Laresa nodded. "Here, see for yourself." She showed him the symbols in the book. "Giratina doesn't fit with Ho-oh and Lugia, but that's definitely one of its symbols."

"What does Giratina have to do with this?"

"Hm... well, how much do you know about Giratina?"

"Just the name, really. How about you?"

"I know some things," Laresa said. "I've actually got a book on these legends in my pack. Not a very... in-depth one, though. Useful as a quick reference, but now that I seem to have become involved in one of those legends, I'm thinking I'll add this one to it. All three volumes of it, I think."

"Um, right," Cain said "Well, I don't know anything about Giratina."

"Then I guess step one is to educate you. Giratina is... well, Giratina is not."

"Huh?"

"Giratina is the opposite of existence," Laresa said. "What we are, Giratina is not. What we are not, Giratina is. Giratina is opposition. It dwells in a realm that likewise exists in opposition, a realm known as the 'Distortion World'."

"Distortion World?"

"Yes. Descriptions of it are... vague, unclear. Not surprisingly, I guess, given what the place is supposed to be. It's a place existing as a distorted mirror of our world, which is where the name comes from. Common elements attributed to the place include chaotic, unpredictable changes to the natural laws; you might find yourself standing on the ceiling, or see land floating in midair. You might..." It hit her as she spoke. "...might instantly find yourself in a different spot. Hear things. See things. Disorientation. Things appearing and disappearing. This is making me feel dumb. Although I guess that I had no reason to think Giratina was connected to this until now, but it still should have occurred to me as a possibility. Especially given how many possibilities I've considered."

"You clearly know something I don't," Cain said. "Care to enlighten me?"

"Doesn't any of what I just listed sound familiar? Disorientation. Objects appearing and disappearing. People ending up somewhere else. Any of this ringing a bell? Because apparently things like that have been happening all over, and with increasing frequency."

"I have heard about that, yes. I thought it might be connected to these objects."

"I'm thinking it is, but the direct connection is with Giratina." She ran to the shelves and returned with a text on the legends of Giratina. She opened it as she sat down, and began scanning the index. "It's the Distortion World. The things that have been happening in this world are the normal state of affairs in the Distortion World. And these distortions are increasing in frequency. As if our world is becoming more like the Distortion World. Ah, this looks promising."

"You're leaving me behind," Cain said.

Laresa didn't pay attention. She was going over a section in the text. "Yes, that makes sense. Cain, Giratina exists as the third in a trio, the other two being Dialga and Palkia, those said to embody time and space."

"Yeah, I know a little about those two."

"Well, that was the mystery. Why Ho-oh and Lugia instead of Dialga and Palkia? But here, look at this. See here?" She indicated a passage of text. "A combination of the energies of Dialga and Palkia draws Giratina to it. Even if Giratina doesn't particularly want it too, it says. That's what's going on here. It couldn't be those two; that's why it's Ho-oh and Lugia."

"Um, could you explain just what the hell you're talking about?"

Laresa went back to the index. "I still need to confirm something. I'm wrong on everything if-ah, here we go." She flipped to another section. "Hmm... yes, this says there is one. Comes up in multiple legends. Yes, that's what I thought. Hm, it says it's usually attributed to Dialga and Palkia, but that could just be because they and Giratina are seen as a trio. It's not actually them. And... yes, as I thought. Mt. Coronet."

"What's Mt. Coronet have to do with anything?"

"You really don't know much at all about the legends, do you? In the legends, Mt. Coronet is the location of Dialga and Palkia. They may not actually reside there, but it's where they appear. One might expect their energies to be concentrated there as a result. And if their combined energies act as a draw for Giratina and the Distortion World, then it's only natural the the strongest connection between the two worlds would be at the point of the highest concentration of Dialga's and Palkia's energies."

"Wait, isn't it dangerous if the worlds are connected if they're opposed the way you say? What if something from this Distortion World got... through... to this... oh."

"You seem to be getting the idea," Laresa said.

Cain nodded. "Yes, I think so. There's like a leak, isn't there? From the Distortion World to this one. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Here, look at this. Some sort of seal separating this world and the Distortion World is common in these legends. But a seal using the energies of Dialga and Palkia wouldn't work, as Giratina and the Distortion World are drawn to that combination. Some other energies would need to be used. That's where Ho-oh and Lugia come in, it has to be. Their energies form the seal. That's how they're involved in this. A bit cliched, really." Unless... well, that's interesting. Is this...

"Okay, well, what about us?" Cain said. "What does this have to do with you and me?"

"We were chosen for something," Laresa said. "If the seal's breaking, then it presumably needs to be reestablished. Humans may be required for that. It's common in the legends for human action to be required."

"Why? Why are humans needed? What are we supposed to do?"

"It usually involves human blood," Laresa said. "In the legends, human blood often serves as a catalyst."

"Why would it be set up like that?" Cain asked.

"I don't know. It's common in the legends, maybe because people wanted stories where humans had a role. Why something like this would really be set up that way, I don't know. I can't imagine human blood having any special properties that would be useful for that sort of thing. Hmm... maybe humans are required because Giratina is a Pokemon. Perhaps some non-Pokemon influence is required for a proper seal. Hmm... well, the reason probably doesn't matter. We are involved in this. There's something we are needed to do. Grab a book and help me look for just what that is."

After much work, Laresa and Cain were able to identify four locations. One legend in particular seemed relevant, a legend describing the sealing off of the Distortion World. It mentioned four 'focus points' throughout Sinnoh. Apparently, the seal required anchorings at four points, and these anchorings were termed 'focus points'.

"So," Cain said, "we're supposed to go to these four locations, find these focus points, do... something at them, then go to Mt. Coronet to fix the seal?"

"It's not quite as simple as visiting all four points, I'd think. First of all, they're not going to be obvious. Just look at their locations. The legends aren't using their current names, but matching them tells us what they are: Iron Island, Ravaged Path, Wayward Cave, and Solaceon Ruins. All for of those have been rather thoroughly explored."

"So you're saying we have the wrong locations?"

Laresa shook her head. "No. I think these objects are required to actually find the focus points. So we should be able to locate them even if nobody else has. But there's more. Didn't the colors mean anything to you?"

"Um, not really."

Laresa sighed. "Okay, you are not putting enough thought into this. Look as the descriptions of the focus points. The colors matter. The Iron Island and Wayward Cave points are described as marked in gold, and the Ravaged Path and Solaceon Ruins points in silver. That one in particular should stand out for you, seeing as how your object's symbol is in silver. The silver points need to be... activated, I guess. The silver points need to be activated by Lugia's object, and the gold ones by Ho-oh's."

"Um... your object's symbol is red. Not gold."

"Both are colors of Ho-oh, and you shouldn't expect legends to be 100 percent accurate."

"Whatever. Okay, so you're saying I have to activate Ravaged Path and Solaceon Ruins, and you have to activate Iron Island and Wayward Cave."

Laresa nodded. "I believe so, yes."

"And just how do we activate them?"

"Most likely by finding whatever mark marks them and getting some blood on it. There's probably something to do with the objects, too, likely making contact with the mark. Something simple like that. Ho-oh and Lugia will probably need to be called, too. And after activating them, we head to the peak of Mt. Coronet and the place known as the Spear Pillar. Both objects, connections complete, will no doubt be required. So we should split up, each hit our two locations, then meet at... Oreburgh's a good place. We'll meet at the Oreburgh Pokemon Center and proceed to the Spear Pillar."

"Um, slow down, Laresa. I never said I'd do anything like that. I mean, yeah, I don't like the idea of the seal breaking, but- but I just don't know. I just came here to find out what this object was. I don't know if I want to do something like that."

Oh, really? Like you're really going to just walk away from this. I can tell. You're not about to leave, are you? "And do you really know what these objects are? We've- well, you didn't contribute much. I've determined that the objects are used to connect the spear Pillar seal to the focus points. They also call Ho-oh and Lugia, presumably because some action on their part is required, which it would be, since the seal is formed with their energies. Can you really say you know what they are?"

"Well, no, I guess not," Cain admitted. "I still didn't sign on for anything like this, though."

That's just the surprise talking, isn't it? You'd have to be blind to miss your desire to see this through. Still, if I'm wrong... "Then give me your object, and I'll do it all myself."

"Why? Why the hell would you do that?"

"I could give several reasons," Laresa said. "I could say that it's for the good of the world. I could say that I want to truly discover what these objects are. I could say that I owe Ho-oh for saving my life when I ended up in the middle of a wild Pokemon frenzy. But although those things would all seem to be true, none of them are my reason."

"Then what is?"

What is? The images, the memories. The event she was trying desperately not to think about. "I have a reason." Wandering aimlessly after leaving Goldenrod, not thinking about or truly caring where she went. "You want to know what it is." Not caring about what might happen to an inattentive person in the wild. "There's just one thing." Fear, horror, disgust, shock, everything she'd felt that night. "I have no intention of telling you what it is."

"Um... what?"

"I only met you about an hour ago. I'm not about to share personal secrets with you. Just know that I will be seeing this through. As for you, make your choice. Either you see this through as well, or you hand me your object and I'll take care of it on my own. Make your choice." But I think you've already made it, haven't you? I don't know your motive, and I don't care, but anyone can see your interest in this.

And sure enough, he took hold of his object. "I'll do it, then, I think."

As I thought. "Then as I just said, you've got the Ravaged Path and Solaceon Ruins, and I've got Iron Island and Wayward Cave. We'll split up and hit our locations separately, then meet in Oreburgh before heading to Mt. Coronet."

"You don't want to go together?"

"No, I do not."

"Why not?"

Because I don't fucking want to. "Because it's personal, and I'm not going to say any more than that." Because I don't want to spend too much time with you or any other human. Not so soon after the- after it. "Just accept it, because I'm not changing my mind." Because if we travel together, it will end badly. "And if you want to travel together, well, tough shit, because I'm not doing it."

"Um, well, okay then. Obviously there's something more going on here."

"It's personal."

"All right, then. We'll do it your way. Let's register contact information, then."

Laresa pulled her Pokedex out of her pocket. "I was about to say the same thing." She navigated to the registration menu and hit the direct registration command. Cain did the same thing, and the two of them linked their Pokedexes for the brief time the registration required.

After registering, Cain pocketed his Pokedex and got to his feet. "Well, then, let's put these books back and get a move on."

"You just get going," Laresa said as she pocketed her own Pokedex. "I'll put the books back."

"Okay, if that's not a problem. Well, then, I guess I'll see you in Oreburgh. Good luck, I suppose."

"Same to you," Laresa said as Cain exited down the stairs. Once he was gone, she got up and took several of the books back, but she kept the bog volume one text out, and she returned to it when she was done putting the other books back, with an additional text, one on the legends of Giratine. Okay, let's see here.

It took a little time, but Laresa eventually found what she was looking for. So that is it, then. A seal and an insane world, huh? Interesting. Complicates things, though. Cain won't like this; waiting until he was gone to confirm it was definitely the right choice. Well, sometimes the truth can hurt. There's always a chance he'd accept it, but something tells me he probably won't. Better to let him remain ignorant. I'll need a plan for the event that he figures it out, though. Well, I can work that out on the move.

Laresa returned the two remaining books to the shelves, then exited the library. Okay, now I need to find the ferry to Iron Island. Then I'll hit Wayward Cave, then it's on to Oreburgh. And then...

And then to Mt. Coronet. I've got a seal to break.