EoS: This chapter, we bring back an old character for a short time.

Lauren: This ought to be good.

LexiconHuka:

EoS: Yes, it is very similar.

Amalgam24:

Lauren: Definitely.

Moemon Ranger: Memories of Oblivia Revoir

Chapter 44

"Hey, Lori!" Rin said, she, Kanone, and Sammy walking into Lori's room. "I heard you've almost completely recovered!"

"Yup." Lori said, nodding. He was standing on his own power, now, at least. "Thanks to Tsubasa."

"Why?" Rin asked, confused.

"Never mind." Lori said, shaking his head. "Anyways, Kanone, you aren't assisting the rangers?"

"It's not my place right now." Kanone said, shaking his head. "But I'll loan them my help when the time comes."

"When the time comes, you say…" A voice said from behind them. "The time will come soon enough, you realize…"

"Who are you?" Kanone asked, turning to face the man, frowning.

The man wore a grey turtleneck shirt and black jeans. He had short black hair with bangs covering his face, and piercing black eyes. He had a look that seemed to be a cross between cynicism and despair, and a solemn frown.

"You would come…" Lori said, chuckling. "The last one…"

"Lori…" Aoshi said, frowning. "I've come to ask you about Longinus."

Kanone twitched at this, staring at the man.

"Longinus…" Lori breathed, chuckling. "I see…"

"Who are you?" Kanone demanded. "How do you know about Longinus?"

"I'm a nobody." The man said, frowning. "My name... I've forsaken it. You may call me Dr. Jones…"

"I don't know how you know what Longinus is…" Kanone said, frowning. "But you're not getting out of here without a fight."

Sammy drew her swords in preparation.

"You want to fight me?" Dr. Jones asked, frowning. "Fine…" He held his hand up, and released a Charizard from her moeball.

"Cara, take care of this." Dr. Jones said, frowning.

"With pleasure." The Charizard, Cara, said, grinning. She held her hand up, flames dancing in them.

What… Is this pressure? Sammy asked herself, a bead of sweat running down her temple. Am I… Sweating? This sensation, this overwhelming pressure… Is this fear?

Sammy slowly smiled, in spite of the feat surging through her body.

To think that there are opponents this strong left to face… I can't believe it… Sammy collapsed to the ground, the mental strain incapacitating her.

"Back to business." Dr. Jones said, turning to Lori.

"You don't need to stand on ceremony with me, Aoshi." Lori said, frowning. "You wanted to know what Longinus was, is that correct?"

"Yes." Aoshi said, nodding. "It seems to be the only thing that Purple Eyes is afraid of. However, I'm not sure if it's an organization, an individual, or a weapon of some sort. Or perhaps even some lost moemon species or an ancient deity."

"You're very thorough." Lori said, nodding. "However, Longinus is a very carefully guarded secret. Don't expect me to reveal it to you just yet."

"Well, it's funny you should say that." Aoshi said, smiling. "Because I happen to know another secret of yours, a secret you've kept for a very long time. And a secret even more carefully guarded than the existence of Longinus."

"Really?" Lori asked, frowning.

"Yes." Aoshi said, nodding. "And it's a secret that I would even say that no one else other than the two of us, on this entire planet, knows of it."

"Well now…" Lori said, frowning. "That is quite a secret… Still, I doubt that it will be anything that I need to concern myself with."

"Yes…" Aoshi said, nodding. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to know that there is another-"

"Silence." Lori said, frowning. "Kanone, Rin, leave us."

"But…" The two said.

"Leave us." Lori said, frowning. He turned back to Aoshi.

"Oh?" Aoshi asked, frowning. "I thought you doubted the need to concern yourself with it."

"How did you know? How did you figure it out?"

"Very simple." Aoshi said, smiling. "I asked Alaude."

"Your brother doesn't know either." Lori said, frowning. "Which means…"

"That's right…" Aoshi said, nodding. "I asked a different Alaude. Two people, entirely identical. I wonder why that would be such an important problem…"

"So, you wanted to know about Longinus…" Lori said, frowning. "You wanted to know this badly…"

"Secret societies and organizations like the Reinhart Family and the countermeasures created to fight them are relics of a dying age." Aoshi said, frowning. "This era of peace we live in has no use for such things."

"You say that, and yet you still allied yourself with the Reinhart Family to create the Genesis Crystal." Lori said, frowning.

"You really do know everything." Aoshi said, laughing. "I'm impressed. However, this secret is my trump card. Tell me what I need to know about Longinus."

"Why would you want to know about it?" Lori asked, frowning.

"Because the one thing that I know about it is that it's a contingency plan to the existence of the Reinhart Family." Aoshi said, frowning. "I have need for the resources of the Reinhart Family, as I'm sure you know."

"I know." Lori said, nodding. "Remember, I was the one who told you what will happen to Dawn."

"To reverse that, I need the Genesis Crystal." Aoshi said, frowning. "And to create that, I need funds. The Reinhart Family is willing to fund me, for now, and I can't allow it to stop."

"You don't need to worry." Lori said, shaking his head, sitting down at the table next to his bed. "Longinus isn't what you think. It's simply a countermeasure, a subterfuge."

"Countermeasure to what?" Aoshi asked, frowning.

"The Reinhart Family itself." Lori said, frowning. "Should the Reinhart Family fall into darkness, Longinus exists to guide it back into the light. However, it exists for two other purposes."

"I want to know the other purposes." Aoshi said, frowning.

"The first is to become the seal that prevents the Reinhart Family from seizing control over a certain set of deities." Lori said slowly. "The Celestials. Longinus exists as the only means of defense to protect the Seven Celestials."

"And the other purpose?" Aoshi asked, after a long pause.

"Just as you have a trump card, Aoshi, I have a trump card of my own." Lori said, holding up his phone.

"What?" Aoshi asked, frowning.

"I'm sure you realize the extent of my information network." Lori said, frowning. "I always know where you are. Out of courtesy to you, I have refrained from revealing that information to others."

Lori sighed. "If you tell anyone about this secret of mine that you hold, that courtesy will be revoked. And if that happens, I'm sure you can be expecting a visit from an old friend of yours, one you happen to be married to."

Aoshi's face turned slightly pallid, then he glared at Lori.

"One phone call from me, and she'll be here in seconds." Lori said, frowning. "Now then, how fast do you think you can run, Aoshi?"

EoS: It seems that Lori still has all the cards.

Lauren: I am intrigued by his secret, though…

EoS: On a separate note, the Fairy Type has been confirmed as the Eighteenth Pokemon Type!

Lauren: I KNEW they were going to make a new type!