Note: Sorry for late update... I haven't been feeling well lately... I forced myself out of bed today to get this done so I hope you guys check this out...
Rose's POV:
"So... We're the ones... who have to stop this XD002?" Blade questioned, to which Darkrai and Cresselia simply nodded.
"W-wait... Us? No! Seriously?" I quickly shot, how could that nonsense be possible?
This has to be a joke, right?
...
... Nope, I guess not.
"Yeah, Rose... You're destined to be one of our two heroes..." Cresselia calmly answered.
"Wait... Look at me! I'm a thief! I can't be a hero! You're seriously kidding me!" I scowled, not wanting to take part in such a mess.
"Hmm... Does that mean you'll help us?" Darkrai mused.
"Nope, I'm not part of this mess, it's not supposed to be our responsibility," I coldly replied, not bothering to sugarcoat my words.
"But, Rose-" Cresselia started, only to be interrupted by me.
"No, I've been through a lot already! I say I want to rest now! You can't just throw down this responsibility to normal Pokémon like us. It's about time we spoke up, right Blade?" I scowled, turning my eyes to Blade.
All eyes shifted to Blade, who began to hesitate. He bit his lips as if our gaze was strong enough to drill a hole into him.
"I'm sorry, Rose," he softly replied,Mai's voice gradually becoming more stern, "But, as you already know, life is unfair. You may choose to achieve this equality by pulling down others, but you must remember that I choose to do the opposite. Since the whole world is at stake, I see no reason to reject Darkrai and Cresselia's ideals."
My eyes began to sting. That insolent Blade, he knew the way I thought yet he still decides to stubbornly go against it?
"So, Rose... What is your choice? Will you shrink back to your previous self?" Blade asked.
His words began to sink into me. Was I really changing? Was I really going to learn nothing from Blade? Was I really that selfish?
"No, Rose... You are better than that! I've come to respect you after all these times," I remembered him telling me that.
My distressed face changed to a small smile. Blade was right. I remembered respecting him for all he had done. Respecting him without giving his suggestions any consideration, I would be a hypocrite if I did so.
"All right, Blade," I gently replied, "If it is you who wills it, then I accept this gift of destiny."
Blade's face began to redden, but Darkrai and Cresselia intervened by floating before us, nodding in agreement.
"Excellent, Blade," Darkrai bowed.
"Thank you, Rose," Cresselia smiled at me.
The two solemnly floated towards us. Darkrai stopping in front of Blade and Cresselia stopping in front of me. Our eyes met with theirs and from then k , we knew that there would be no turning back.
"I claim thee! Come under thy wing as the hero chosen by destiny!" Cresselia and Darkrai chanted to their respective heroes.
Blade slowly walked towards Darkrai while I walked towards Cresselia.
I saw Blade close his eyes under Darkrai's arm, so I did the same, albeit under Cresselia's wing.
The moment my eyes closed, I felt Cresselia's presence merging with mine. It was as if she was bestowing some sort of Psychic link between the two of us.
"Rose," I heard her mind speak, "Do you accept me, Cresselia, as your mentor for achieving the goal of your destiny?"
"Yes, Cresselia," I replied back.
"Then so be it! From this day on, allow me to guide you through your training!" Cresselia's mind echoed rather loudly.
I opened my eyes to see that my Divine Crescent had floated out of my bag. The half-crescent feather floated up to my face until it was just floating between Cresselia and me. I quickly looked aside to see that the same thing was happening with Blade.
Cresselia proceeded to chant something, allowing my half of the Divine Crescent to start glowing pink.
The same thing was happening with Blade, except that his half was glowing black.
When Cresselia stopped chanting, she opened her eyes, making my half of the Divine Crescent fly over to Blade's half, joining the two together, forming a gemmed medallion. At the center was an engraving of some ancient text. There were also two silhouettes drawn there, I could recognize the black one as a crudely shaped Gallade and the pink one as a crudely shaped Gardevoir.
"This is proof!" Darkrai stated.
"Proof," Cresselia continued, "that you are our chosen heroes."
Blade looked at me, his eyes filled with determination. Knowing that he was burning with determination, I nodded knowing that I should probably do the same.
"Now, Rose..." Cresselia gently called, "I have to start training you... For your future trial."
"Yes..." I responded.
"Good luck on your student, Dakrai!" Cresselia called out to Darkrai as she began to lead me away.
"Sure will, Cressie!" Darkrai winked as he gestured Blade to follow him.
"W-wait... I'll be training without Blade?" I groaned in disappointment.
"Oh... my bad... I forgot that you were interested in him..." Cresselia smiled as she floated beside me.
My face immediately burned red.
"N-no! I meant that... We operate as a pair!" I corrected her.
"Isn't that sweet... You don't need to hide it, Rose," Cresselia giggled, "Besides, I'm also not able to see Darkrai during our training so I guess we're even."
"Hey!" I snapped, "My relationship with Blade is not in the least bit similar with your adoration for Darkrai!"
Cresselia merely chuckled as she led me to the other side of the gear. We both stepped on a tile in that corner, making a white light engulf us both.
When the light had faded, I now saw myself at an odd place. It was similar to the floating gear we had just come from, but it seemed to be a structure this time. It seemed to be a floating structure made of gears, metal, and glass.
I looked down and saw through the glass floor that we were still suspended in the space-like area.
"Where are we now?" I asked Cresselia.
"Well," she smiled, "welcome to my maze... I crafted this Mystery Dungeon to suit your training purposes."
A Mystery Dungeon? I clenched my leather Explorer Kit.
"Am I supposed to clear this?" I asked, putting my game face on.
"Please do so... This dungeon will prove to me if you truly are capable of becoming the hero destined to save the world," she politely bowed, "See you then, Rose... I'll be waiting for you at the deepest floor. I wish you good luck as you enter The Test."
Cresselia vanished, allowing me to proceed through The Test's first floor. As I threaded through the mechanical labyrinth, I noticed that most of my opponent's were Gastly and Haunter.
I worked my way through and entered the second floor. The second floor appeared to be an enclosed rectangular room.
"Did you miss me?" a voice that I knew too well called looked forward and saw the Gengar that I recalled from the time I was a Kirlia.
I smiled, my suspicions were confirmed. Cresselia was merely using my memories to create an escalating challenge throughout the whole dungeon.
I charged headlong into battle, knowing that I was stronger compared to my past self.
The Gengar launched a Shadow Ball, which I gracefully dodged. I countered with a strong Psychic, knowing that my present experience would knock out the past memory.
When the Gengar disappeared, the stairs appeared behind him as I descended to the third floor.
I fought my way through the floors, noticing that each floor adapted to suit different stages of my past. I also noticed that the deeper I went, the more difficult my enemies became.
I relived moments in one-room battles. I remembered my past battles, such as the one with the Vespiquen and the one against Claire, back when she was a shadow.
They weren't as hard as they were though... For my present self was more experienced to deal with these recorded memories from the past.
I found the dungeon easy... until... I stopped at Floor 11...
My panting decreased when I saw the opponent before me. I had always wished to relive my past blunders... But that battle, I knew that this opponent was the one that I had always found difficult.
I made it this far, my memories won't stop me.
I charged it I battle against the one opponent that I had mixed feelings for.
Before I could attack, Blade turned around to launch a Psycho Cut.
"Rose..." Blade calmly began, "It'd time that I stopped your undisciplinary law-breaking!"
Note: Thanks for taking the time to check this out... I haven't been able to write much lately, due to my condition... But I promise I'll try to get the next chappie out soon enough... Thanks for understanding, don't forget to leave a review... Bye~