The sewer systems
Underneath Ketchum City
Enigma sat in his chamber as usual, locked in some sort of mystical meditating position. His deep breath came out of his nostrils in the form of an icy smoke, created by the increasingly chilly environment of the sewer. Suddenly, the temperature began to dip unusually further, and shiny, glittering ice began to rapidly spread around the walls, slithering across the bricks like snakes, preserving any mold that was attached.
Enigma wasn't daunted by the cold temperatures or the ice that was creeping into the chamber that was his private quarters. His lips twitched into a satisfied grin, and he opened his eyes. "You knocked?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, another cold cloud issuing from his mouth as he spoke.
Hovering in front of him was an army of Cryogonal, led by a Shiny one, which stared at Enigma with its glowing red-orange eyes.
"Our master cannot tolerate your delays any longer," the Shiny Cryogonal said, its voice echoing across the ice-coated chamber. "He has sent us to oversee your progress, and ensure that you and your minions proceed faster as expected. So-"
"Everything is proceeding just as planned," interrupted Enigma calmly, impassively.
"Lies cannot sway us as much as it cannot to our master, human. Our master is wholly aware of the incident that occurred at the Ketchum City Train Tour. Your agent has failed, and she exposed your syndicate, and therefore us, as a result."
"It's all part of the plan. Don't worry. And if I can recall clearly-" Enigma's smirk grew wider. "-your master has bigger problems to worry about, bigger than my progress or the so-called screw-up made by my agent Fox. ...Problems in the form of a certain black dragon that mysteriously turns up at the city's bell tower, according to what my Sky Seven described to me in their report. Your master is wasting his precious time over something as minor as our preparations-"
The Shiny Cryogonal suddenly hovered towards Enigma in a threatening manner, cutting him across. "Don't you DARE criticize our master! Do you believe that you have stood high and mighty, clutching the powers of the gods in your hands?! Don't you forget, human, that you would not have been in this much-coveted position, had our master not approached you and given you the offer of your lifetime, a pact sealed in blood, a deal anyone would sacrifice a limb to Arceus for! He has done much to assist you in restoring the position and power that was your father's! And this is how you REPAY him?!"
"I haven't forgotten the deal we made," Enigma replied calmly. "He helps me fulfill my father's destiny, I help him in becoming whole again. But the deal did not mention absolutely anything about committing my actions in posthaste, only that we prepare, gather enough strength, wait for the perfect moment, like an Arbok about to seize its prey. You tell your master that. And don't bother in threatening me. I know your master needs me in his chessboard, no matter what he says. Your threats are just nothing more than vacant shells, carelessly deflecting from me, like an unstoppable force against an immovable object."
The Cryogonal continued to hover in the air, suspended like puppets, though there seemed to be an air of humility washing over them, since they lowered themselves considerably. Enigma let out a short chuckle, knowing that his bluff has been called. He stood up and walked briskly out of the chamber, the Cryogonal watching him.
"Oh, and please," he piped, "retreat the ice. You can't afford to slow down my workers, or damage our mechanical devices. We're on a tight schedule."
The Rocket Blimp
Near Ketchum City
Nate felt uncomfortable as he sat on the sofa of the living room, the very place where he first found out his true heritage over twelve hours ago. Everyone else looked back at him, their faces etched with expressions of reluctance and empathy as they either sat or stood in other parts of the living room. The only person he truly knew who was with him was Kelly, for Hugh, Rosa, and Hugh's family were forced to stay in another portion of the blimp, for they didn't need to get involved in the situation. However, Nate didn't know why that same fact wouldn't apply to Marina and Jimmy as well, for they had been as shocked as he was when Zekrom first said, and when the others had confirmed, that he was indeed the son of Ash Ketchum, their good friend, the one who fought for their safety.
"Okay..." Hilda said. "Where do we start?..."
"Just a sec," interrupted Cheren. "We have to wait until Gary and Misty get in contact with us. They need to be with us, and they're still on their way here."
Finally, after a few minutes of waiting in immense silence, a beeping sound echoed across the room. James promptly produced a remote and pressed a button towards the television screen, which activated to show the faces of Professor Gary Oak, his assistants Max Maple and Molly Hale, Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty Waterflower, Pokémon Doctor Brock Harrison, and his wife Holly. Gary and Misty, whose faces were the most prominent in their respective split-screens, both became attentive upon spotting Nate; Misty's face in particular practically began to sparkle as she stared into Nate's face.
"He looks much like Ash from up close..." she said longingly, as if Nate was a long-lost friend.
"Mist, let's not do this right now," May said sternly. "Nate wants to know what happened ten years ago. ...He wants to know what happened to his father..."
Misty's eyes widened, as did the eyes of everyone else on the split-screens.
"Are you serious?" cried Brock as he took over Misty's screen, a bit forcefully so. "Please tell me he didn't read those Arceus-damned fairy-tale storybooks first!"
"Unfortunately, I've read him the same book for almost seven years..." Kelly said, bowing her head in shame.
"Why?" Nate asked. "What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with it," Cheren said, "is that what those books informed you, the information that you have relied on to look up to Ash, was completely inaccurate. The things you are about to hear are things you HAVE to remember for the rest of your life. Things that will stay with your mind like the securest of superglue, even in your best dreams and worst nightmares. Things that will BECOME your life. What's wrong with being informed by a storybook, you ask? ...Everything."
Nate put on his best determined expression. "Well, I'm ready," he said. "I'm ready to learn this. I think I can handle it."
Cheren's mouth twitched into a slight smile, although he still appeared concerned, as did everyone else.
"I know you will," he said. He then nodded at May, who reached into her bag and produced a flower-like object that appeared to be made out of crystal. Nate eyed it curiously; just like the Genesect Army and the Lucario, he felt as if he had seen that before somewhere. He then noticed the post-it that read the numeral 1...
"What's that?" the Trainer asked curiously.
"A Time Flower," replied May, looking at it softly. "But don't get fooled by the name; it's not actually a flower. It's a piece of the spiritual energy called Aura."
"Aura?"
"Yes," Dawn said. "It is the spiritual essence that makes up every living thing on this planet. Without Aura, there wouldn't be life. Anyway, Time Flowers have the ability to record certain events and preserve them for viewing in the future as a holographic image, if stimulated by the correct signature of Aura."
"What do you mean 'correct signature of Aura'?"
"Certain people can learn how to use Aura and interact with it," explained Lyra. "There's only a select few of them today, called Aura Guardians. Even in the past were they rare. Your father was one of them, Nate. He was the best." She stepped towards May, who stretched out the arm holding the Time Flower, as if handing it over to her. However, Lyra didn't retrieve it; instead, she looked at Nate, a soft smile on her face. "And so was I."
Nate's eyes widened. "Really?!"
Lyra nodded. "Yeah. I was as surprised as you are right now when I learned that. I grew up in a household that never even heard of the legend of Aura. But I learned to control my abilities, learn how to interact with Aura and use it for my own benefit." She raised her arm towards Nate, and the Trainer watched in shock and awe as a light-blue sphere of pure energy, the same one that was formed by Lucario, appeared, levitating on Lyra's palm. "Anyone who is descended from an Aura Guardian has unanimously inherited their abilities and skills. I am descended from Sir Aaron, a legendary figure from the medieval times, who defended a kingdom called Cameron in the Kanto region. He is considered to be the most powerful Aura Guardian of all time. Ash was also a descendant...and therefore, so are you."
Nate was having a hard time absorbing all of this information, even harder than when he did when it broke that he was Ash's son.
"So..." he said, "we're...we're related?..."
Lyra sighed, but smiled softly. "Yeah. See...I'm your aunt. ...Ash was my brother."
Nate couldn't find the energy to exclaim an utterance of surprise. His lower jaw merely hung open, like the loose jaw of a wooden puppet.
"I know. Everything can be full of surprises." Lyra chuckled shortly, though Nate didn't know if it was out of sadness or out of humor. "That's how I looked when I found out that Ash and I were twin siblings. I mean, we were already familiar with each other by the time the news broke, since Khoury and I briefly traveled with him, Dawn, and Brock over there, in the Sinnoh region, when we were around your age. But I have learned to accept the truth. And soon, you'll learn to accept your truth as well."
She then lowered her outstretched arm, the Aura Sphere disappearing, and then, Lyra lifted her other arm towards the Time Flower that May was holding. As if it were reacting to her mere touch, the Time Flower opened up, a small light-blue sphere of bright energy appearing from inside its apparently-hollow frame.
"What're you doing?" asked Nate.
"Going back into the past..." Lyra replied, but her voice was suddenly echoing loudly across the room, as if they were already standing in some sort of damp cave. "You will learn about the events that happened ten years ago, the very events that have set out today's chain of occurrences that have landed you here today. It is a very complicated explanation, so we have decided to divide everything into several days. This Time Flower has all of the answers."
Nate felt a hand latch onto his; he looked up at Cheren, who was looking down at him.
"Just be calm and watch," he said.
Nate nodded, seconds before the sphere that emerged from the Time Flower exploded, engulfing the entire living room...
The Brass Tower
Ecruteak City
The Johto region
Ten years before the death of Ash Ketchum
Panic. Destruction. Chaos.
Those three words perfectly described the current situation at Ecruteak City. Civilians dashed past the buildings and homes, carelessly abandoning their posts as they followed their natural instinct to survive. Pokémon, both domesticated and wild, also did the same, all the while caught in full despair at the sight of their natural home, now close to obliteration from the fire that burned towards them, approaching with ferocity, the flames like snake-like tongues that turned anything they touched into ash, the sounds of burning wood and grass like the low but menacing growl of a beast only the unknown could conceive.
At the smoldering wreckage of the collapsed tower that was once the subject of worship from the Ecruteak City civilians, the fire rose highest and most furious into the air, the thick, wide column of charcoal-gray smoke giving off the impression of a volcanic eruption. Embers fluttered around the foul-smelling air, resembling fireflies from the glowing reddish-orange ashes that coated it. Two men stood a few feet in front of the ruins, the still form of a phoenix-like bird lying close by, bleeding wounds and bruises decorating its once-majestic frame. It was breathing, although with labor, and the tongues of the flames were licking dangerously close to its tail-feathers. Just a few feet away from the carnage, a Time Flower sat, rooted to the ground, seemingly diverting the flames away from its frame, which glowed as it recorded.
"What in Arceus's name have you DONE, Shane?!" shouted a large, gray-haired, brown-eyed man who wore a light-brown coat, a silver T-shirt, and gray cargo shorts. Dust and bruises decorated his face, and his lip was cut, oozing out a tiny trickle of blood as crimson as the feathers of the phoenix-like bird. The Chikorita stood on his shoulder loyally, growling at the man opposite to them, the one who had started all of this madness that was before them.
"What anyone else would've done, brother," replied the other man as he stretched out his arms dramatically.
The second man had piercing gray eyes and bright-red hair that was cast over one eye, obscuring it; he wore a black shirt, black gloves, and a pair of dark-blue jeans. Like the first man, his face was grimy and bruised, and his cheek also boasted a shallow cut that oozed out some blood, and yet, his lips curved into a grin of triumph. In his hand was a sealed vial that contained a feather with a magnificent, almost shiny color pattern of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
"And I told you," the second man continued, "call me Goldheart."
"I am NOT calling you by that stupid name, Shane," snarled the first man as his Chikorita cried in agreement. "Look at what you've DONE, Shane! All of this destruction, the fire, Ho-Oh lying there, badly hurt, likely to the point of death... You HAVE to give me the Rainbow Wing! Only I can hold it; you know that! And I can fix all of this-"
"NO!" The man named Shane pulled the vial away, holding it tightly to his chest, like a child holding his teddy bear securely. "I WILL NOT LET YOU, FRANK! THIS SHALL RUIN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING FOR, THAT WE'VE SPENT OUR LIFETIMES ON! YOU KNOW THAT!"
"Yes, we've been working on this, planned this out for a long time," Frank replied softly, modestly. "It was our grand scheme...but I realized that there is nothing wrong with the world that we can fix without sacrificing the life of an innocent Pokémon... I've realized that this scheme was all wrong from the start. Now I'm gonna fix it."
"YOU WILL NOT! YOU SHALL NOT!"
"LISTEN TO YOURSELF, SHANE!" roared Frank. "YOU DESIRE TO CURE THE WORLD, RID IT OF ALL THE EVIL THAT PLAGUES IT, AND YET, YOU SOUND JUST LIKE THE ONES WE ARE FIGHTING! LIKE THOSE TEAM ROCKET FELLOWS! YOU FOOLISHLY SET ASIDE CONCERN FOR ALL ELSE, BLINDED, CORRUPTED BY YOUR SELFISH GOALS!"
"My goals aren't selfish," Shane said, more quietly, in a nasty growl. "Unlike Team Rocket, my goals are to destroy them completely, wipe them off the face of the earth, undo their very existence! And the same goes to all of the other evils out there in the world! My goals are to make the world a better place, one people can live in with no fear, no despair, no pain. No, it is YOU who has become blinded and corrupted, Frank! I AM JUST TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD!"
"I AM TOO! LOOK AT HO-OH! LOOK WHAT YOU... WE HAVE DONE TO IT!" He gestured to the fallen mass of the bird. "IF IT DIES, THEN ALL HELL TRULY BREAKS LOOSE! IT WILL OBLITERATE THE ENTIRE WORLD, REMOVE IT FROM EXISTENCE! AND IT WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PLANET, AND THE ONE AFTER THAT, AND THE ONE AFTER THAT, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, UNTIL FINALLY, THE ONLY THING THAT WILL EXIST IS NONEXISTENCE!"
"WHAT IN ARCEUS'S NAME ARE YOU BLABBERING ABOUT, FRANK?!"
"I am talking about Pure Impurity, the complete opposite of the things that Ho-Oh stands for. Ho-Oh stands for happiness, life, purity, good, and courage. Pure Impurity is sadness, death, impurity, evil, and cowardice. If you continue this, Shane, then you will unleash Pure Impurity and it will destroy EVERYTHING!"
Shane smirked. "You think I'm gonna fall for your stupid, foolish jokes, brother. Think again. And for the last time, CALL ME GOLDHEART!"
"I WILL CALL YOU NOTHING OF THE SORT! AND IF YOU WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME, THEN I GUESS I'M GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT YOU! CHIKORITA, GO!"
The Chikorita hopped off of Frank's shoulder, growling at Shane. Shane's smirk merely widened, and he procured a Poké Ball.
"Fine, then," he said. "If this is what you want, brother, then a fight is what you've got. GO, TYPHLOSION!" Shane unleashed the Volcano Pokémon, which shot out red-hot streams of fire from the back of its neck, as means of intimidating Chikorita. "Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel!"
Typhlosion ran toward Chikorita, its body becoming surrounded in flames.
"DODGE, CHIKORITA, THEN USE TACKLE!" commanded Frank.
Chikorita managed to dodge the Flame Wheel attack before tackling Typhlosion. However, Shane cackled maniacally.
"Foolish move, brother," he said. "Typhlosion, flare up your body now!"
Frank's eyes widened; he had just noticed that Chikorita was lying on top of the red spots of Typhlosion's neck, the spots that fired off the streams of flame. "Chikorita, get off of Typhlosion now!" he commanded. Fortunately, Chikorita was able to get off, seconds before the flames exploded from Typhlosion's neck. Shane laughed.
"What're ya gonna do, brother?!" he called tauntingly. "Your favorite Grass-type Pokémon against my powerful Fire-type Pokémon! What are the chances of you being the sole victor of this battle?! Let me guess. Uh...how about ZERO! And NOW, you will learn that our plan was destined to succeed! You WILL regret ever speaking out against our mission! TYPHLOSION, USE ERUPTION NOW! AND MAKE IT EXTRA-POWERFUL!"
Typhlosion charged towards Chikorita, igniting the flames on its neck, which steadily grew larger. It then fired a geyser of fire from its neck at Chikorita.
"DODGE AGAIN, CHIKORITA!" shouted Frank.
The Leaf Pokémon tried to dodge the Eruption attack, but this time, it was too late. Chikorita released a drawn-out cry of pain as it was sent flying in the air, its frame badly burned by Typhlosion's powerful attack. It landed painfully on the ground, just a few feet from the body of the bird called Ho-Oh. It struggled to get up, but then, after a few minutes of laborious trying, the Leaf Pokémon collapsed, on the verge of unconsciousness.
"No, Chikorita!" Frank exclaimed. "No, don't you give up on me now, Chikorita! Chikorita, get up! You can do it, Chikorita! I have faith in you!"
Chikorita's eyes fluttered open, and it tried to stand up again. A cackle escaped Shane's mouth; it echoed across the air, giving an oddly chilly quality to the fiery scene.
"YOU'RE WEAK, FRANK, LIKE YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN!..." he shouted. "ADMIT IT! I WIN!" Shane pointed at Chikorita. "Typhlosion, use ERUPTION AGAIN!"
Typhlosion fired another red-hot geyser of fire at Chikorita, landing the attack successfully and grievously burning the Leaf Pokémon. Frank instantly ran up to his fallen Pokémon, picking it up and cradling it in his arms, looking down at it with concern. No one noticed Ho-Oh's body briefly stirring.
"Gonna give up, Frank?" asked Shane.
Frank looked up at Shane, growling. "Do you even KNOW what the hell's at stake?!" he asked, flames practically shooting out of his mouth as he spoke. "Do you even KNOW whose lives are in grave danger?! Your children's, Shane! Wayne and Riley's lives! Your sons, Shane! You can't turn a blind eye on this, Shane! Your sons' lives depend on it!" He took a step towards Ho-Oh, now looking at its fallen frame. "Billions of humans and Pokémon are at stake, Shane! All because of what you...we want to do to change the world! If this keeps up, everyone will die! Please listen to me on this, Shane!"
"Oh, of COURSE I'll listen to you on this, brother!" Shane exclaimed sarcastically. "Of COURSE I'll listen to your stupid plans!"
Frank let out a roar of anger and annoyance. "WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN?!"
Shane cackled and held out the vial for Frank to see. "So, you want the Rainbow Wing?" He stuffed the vial into his pocket, recalled Typhlosion, and procured a sword that was previously unseen. The hilt was decorated with a single glittering sapphire, which glowed as Shane took a battling pose. "Come and GET IT!"
Frank gritted his teeth, realizing that it had all come down to this ultimate, decisive movement. Setting the gravely wounded Chikorita back down onto the ground as it continued to recuperate, Frank then picked up a stick that was lying next to his feet...but it wasn't a stick; it was some sort of staff, with a sapphire identical to the one at the hilt of Shane's sword, which also glowed brilliantly as he held it. Frank and Shane stared each other down.
"This is your last chance to give up, brother," said Shane, grinning. "You don't wanna leave your wife and children like this, now would you?"
"You've gone mad, Shane," Frank replied. "I don't wanna leave my family like this, sure, and yet, you don't seem to have a degree of concern for your sons..."
"Because I'm gonna WIN! AND FOR THE LAST TIME, CALL ME GOLDHEART, ARCEUS-DAMN IT! YAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Like a fierce warrior headed into the heat of the battle, Shane charged towards Frank, his sword ready to kill. Frank charged as well, raising his staff, preparing himself to fight to the butter death if necessary. As he closed in on his brother, he thought about his wife and the twin children he was about to leave behind...
They were about to make the first strike...
Present day
The holographic images suddenly retracted back inside the Time Flower before it could show in full detail the melee battle between Frank and Shane. Nate actually felt inclined to pursue the recording, to try and see what exactly had become of the two of them. However, he merely sat on the sofa, seemingly plastered to it, in absolute awe of what he had just seen. When the image turned into nothing more than the tiny light-blue sphere that sank back inside the Time Flower, which then closed up, Nate immediately glanced at Lyra, his face etched with an expression of both curiosity and shock.
"What was that?" he asked.
"You just saw your grandfather and your great-uncle," replied Lyra. "Frank and Shane Ketchum. Frank was your grandfather...and my father..."
Nate blinked as he absorbed the information. "What...What happened to them? What happened to Ho-Oh?"
"Well, first thing's first, Frank won the battle. Shane was killed. And yet, there was a price. Ho-Oh was dying, and in the midst of the battle, the Rainbow Wing, the one that Shane had in his possession, was...lost. With the Rainbow Wing, gone, there was only one other way to bring Ho-Oh back to full health, and that was the transfer of Aura from one living being to another, at the cost of the first being's life-force. But Frank had no other choice. He brought Ho-Oh back with his Aura, and he...died."
"But if Frank and Shane are both dead and Ho-Oh was restored, then I don't see how this ties into the events that you say happened to you guys."
"Oh, it ties in," said Dawn. "Everything ties in."
"Which brings us to the next Time Flower," May added.
"You have more than one Time Flower?" asked Nate.
"We've spent the last ten years collecting Time Flowers, seeing what they recorded," Hilbert said. "We knew we'd come across you one day, and we knew that when that time comes, it'd already be at a point where the evil we once fought would rise again."
"Rise again?"
Cheren looked at Nate seriously. "We were informed ten years back that there was still a presence of the forces we fought, still out there, and that they were slowly but surely reconstructing their ranks, re-energizing themselves, regaining the power that they once had for a short time."
"Who informed you?"
"Zekrom."
"But we will get to that some other time," Lyra said as she took out another backpack, marked 2 on a post-it. "For now, we take you to ten years ago."
She activated the Time Flower, and it unleashed its holographic image.
Goldhart Enterprises Headquarters
Goldenrod City
Two years before the death of Ash Ketchum
Wayne Ketchum sat in the comfortable armchair of his office, relishing in the current developments. Things were going in his favor right now. He recently just purchased the Kodai Network, which was put up for sale by its board members immediately following the arrest of its ruthless and ambitious founder and president Grings Kodai, something that was indefinitely because of the major contribution of none other than his cousin Ash. Maybe he had to thank his cousin for his efforts. After all, without him, he wouldn't have access to all of the products created by the Kodai Network, which were precisely what he needed for his master scheme.
He smirked as he turned his armchair around, gazing out of the large window his office boasted, which offered him a good view of the rest of downtown Goldenrod City and the glittering, shiny ocean. "Maybe when I meet up with Ash, I should do that very thing..." he thought.
"Mr. Goldhart?"
Wayne's smirk widened. To the public, he was only known as Goldhart, enigmatic businessman and owner of Goldhart Enterprises, which specialized in creating devices of defense and protection for the Johto region. No one knew of his true heritage, and it must stay that way...until the right moment comes. He twirled his armchair and stared at his faithful secretary, Rowena. She had shiny blonde hair, which was tied in a ponytail by a blue bow, and pretty purple eyes; she wore a brown blouse with a black skirt and a ruby necklace. He could've sworn he heard the name Rowena before, but Wayne decided to dismiss it.
"Yes, Rowena?" he asked.
"Your two o'clock appointment is here," she replied, staring at a clipboard that she held.
Wayne smiled; he knew who it was. "Send them in, Rowena."
The secretary nodded and left the office. A few minutes later, the door opened again, and in stepped a group of seven people, led by a teenage boy with crimson hair.
"Sky Seven," Wayne said.
"Mr. Goldhart," replied the teenage boy.
"Take a chair, everyone. Let the meeting commence..." Wayne stood up and drew in the curtains of the large window, casting the office into shadow. As he did so, the seven all took a chair of their own and seated opposite to Wayne's desk. The businessman sat back down on his armchair, smiling. "So, what's your report?"
"Everything's in place," one of the visitors, a woman with sleek indigo hair, replied. "We've successfully established connections to all Kodai Network-owned television sets and mobile communication devices. Also, construction of the Golden Cage has been completed. We are just making the final touches to it, but we're all done."
"Good. And what of the activities of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune?"
"Nothing out of the usual," a man with bright green eyes replied. "We plan to make our moves very soon. Which one should we go after first, though?"
"Go after Raikou first. We capture it, put it under our control, and use it to capture Suicune, who is weak against Raikou's Electric-type attacks. And then, we repeat the same process, except that we use Suicune against Entei, who is weak against Suicune's Water-type attacks. And once we have all three Legendary Beasts under our possession, then Ho-Oh will respond. As their Master, it cannot let the Beasts be subjugated under human control. And then..." Wayne smirked triumphantly. "...that's when we make our move on Ho-Oh. We will use all three Beasts to capture it, and then, purity shall be ours...and the world's..."
"But what about Ash Ketchum?" the teenage boy asked. "I saw him at Broawin City-"
"Don't worry about him, Felix," replied Wayne. "Just do what I instructed you to do. When he interferes, then I'll take care of it." He stood up. "You're all dismissed."
The seven collectively stood up and left the office. Wayne smiled triumphantly and glanced at the only thing on his desk other than the papers, pen, and small lamp: a single crystalline Time Flower, which had been activated the entire time. He placed a hand on the Time Flower, whispering a single statement as it deactivated.
"Pretty soon, the world will become a better place for everyone..."
Present day
Nate watched as the holographic image retreated back into the Time Flower. "Who were they?" he asked.
"Wayne Ketchum, the son of Shane Ketchum," Cheren explained. "Ash's cousin. And the leader of the Sky Soldiers, the forces that we have fought ten years ago."
"Who are the Sky Soldiers?"
"A criminal syndicate who sought to harness the power of Ho-Oh and, to some extent, the Legendary Beasts Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, to eradicate all traces of evil in the world and usher all of civilization into a new era of peace and harmony. However, no matter how good that goal may seem, to do so, to rid the world of evil and malice, it would instead result in the ultimate destruction of the world, the universe...all of existence... That you know from the first Time Flower."
"Any questions, Nate?" asked Hilda, who had spoken for the first time.
"A lot, and yet...you only answered a few..."
"What questions do you have for us that were left unanswered?" May asked.
A glint passed by Nate's eye. "Who's my mother? My real mother?..."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Kelly suddenly grabbed Nate's hand and held it very tightly that it almost hurt. The vast silence hung in the atmosphere like a thick, gray storm-cloud. The only thing that could be heard was the chirping of Bug-type Pokémon outside. Finally, Hilda closed her eyes solemnly.
"I think we're done here for now."
"But-"
"You heard her," said Cheren sternly. "We're done for today. I believe that you have a big day tomorrow."
"The Ketchum Month Tournament... That's right..."
Knowing that there was no chance to make a good argument, Nate stood up from the sofa and left the living room.
Once Nate had completely fallen asleep, Hilda stood silently at the doorway of the bedroom, watching his sleeping form. She sighed sadly and prepared to leave when she found herself facing Kelly, who was staring back with a determined expression, one that signified that she knew the truth.
"Why didn't you want the truth to be told?" Kelly asked.
"What do you mean?" replied Hilda, confused. "What're you talking about?"
Kelly scoffed. "Trust me, I know that look you had on your face when Nate wanted to know who is real mom was. ...I know it all too well..."
"What're you getting at?!"
"You're Nate's mom, aren't you?"
Hilda was silent. Then, she pursed her lips and nodded.
"...Yes..."
Outside the Rocket Blimp
"So, the boy is starting to learn," Zekrom said.
"Yes, he is," replied Iris. "It's not much right now, but...he'll soon learn his true destiny."
"That is pleasing to hear." Zekrom glanced up to the starry night sky. "I sense him."
"Reshiram?" Iris had a strange feeling that Zekrom might be talking about its polar opposite, who hadn't been seen in ten years following the death of the person who had completely gained its trust... The image of a man with light-green hair flashed through her mind.
Zekrom's answer didn't surprise the Dragon Master, however. "No. Kyurem. He is executing his job perfectly..."
A/N: WHEW! This must be the longest chapter I have ever written for this story! And FINALLY, you all get to know the identity of Nate's true mother! And Lyra is Ash's sister?! WTF?! ...Well, you'll learn more information as everything goes...
I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:
jg13145: NOW you know the true identity of Nate's mom! Hopefully you're satisfied with the answer.
random girlz: Whoa, no aggression here! You'll learn soon!
ThirteenMoney: Yes, it's Hilda. And you'll learn what the prisoner's connection with Ash is... Oh, and here's your cyber cookie! *tosses one*
BlueLightningXD
Alpha B. A. 7
woodland59 (guest reviewer)
Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Actually, you'll find out soon...
Aprotny: Thanks for the review!
Pokemon Trainer White
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!