AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. The day of posting this is the Pokemon anniversary, I decided to sit down a power it out since this was a simple chapter. This one is more an epilogue of this ark before leading into the next section of the story for this group. In it, Ruby and Roman have a big conversation about a lot of things. I really liked the dialogue here and the reveals. Also, I could have waited until next time I came back to this group for the ending part. However, I had this idea and wanted to show it off in this section of the series. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
See the most recent Save State Chapter for Cover Art details.
Chapter 35 – Learning the Truth
Ruby's eyes twitched before suddenly opening. She gasped while moving into a sitting position, discovering she was on a red leather bench. The red hooded trainer soon realized she was in a room she had not seen before. It appeared like an open area office with two desks and a small kitchen in the corner, "What? Where am I?" She said before hearing a voice.
"Looker's office," Ruby turned to discover the Pokemon detective was speaking to her standing next to Roman, who was sitting in a red chair in front of a small table, "My name is Anabel." She spoke with a slight smile, "You really do look like Summer."
"You know my mom?" Ruby spoke in shock, then stood up, "Where is she?" She spoke with tears in her eyes, "Is…Is she still alive?"
"…Summer, the mother you knew, died in Remnant." Anabel spoke with her eyes closed, "But, the Summer I know is still alive."
"What does that mean?" Ruby pleaded, "Please, tell me what's going on?
"I'll take over," Roman spoke to Anabel, "Can you give us a minute?" he asked with her nodding, walking out the front door. Roman and Ruby remained silent for a second before he got up, "Wonder if that guy has some whisky in his desk?"
"Hey!" Ruby called out, seeing Roman walk over to the deep wooden deck, searching the drawers, "I thought you were going to tell me what's going on!?"
"After a drink, the liquor at that bar was so weak I could barely taste it," Roman said before discovering a bottle, "Now this looks like the good stuff." He said while a smile before moving over to the cabinet for a glass, "You want a swig?"
"I'm fifteen!" Ruby responded in anger, "And stop ignoring me!"
"Suit yourself," Roman said as he got one glass, "You'll probably want one after I tell you the truth." He said before pouring the liquor into a glass, "So, your mother died in Remnant?"
"…Y-yes," Ruby spoke with her anger lessening, turning into sorrow at the memory, "It was when I was young, but I still remember her." She spoke with a smile forming, "She was everything I wanted to be when I grew up. The Huntress I hoped to be one day." Suddenly, the smile faded, "But one day, she didn't come back."
"She died on a mission, killed by a Grimm that ate her alive." Roman said before taking a swig of his drink, "At least, that's what Anabel told me that she told her." He said with Ruby looking back at him.
"So, she got here the same way we did?" Ruby responded, "And, my mom has been in this world for over a decade."
"Closer to two decades," Roman commented.
"Eh?" Ruby responded, "How is that possible?"
"Time and space between these worlds are about as about as messy as it gets." Roman responded, moving over to the desk, "She may have died when you were a toddler, but that doesn't mean she was sent to this world at the same moment in time. For her, about twenty years have passed since her death in Remnant and being sent to the Pokemon world." He said before kicking his boots up on the desk as he leaned back in the chair.
"W-why?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know, I didn't go to school for this science crap," Roman responded, "But as Ana speculated as to some reason why." He said before taking a drink. "She says it has to do with fate."
"Fate?" Ruby said in confusion, "You mean, she was destined to come here when she died?"
"More like her new life's starting point was made specifically for her." Roman said, "It was so she would meet who she needed to get an understanding of the new world and start her new life right." He said before sighing, "Basically, reincarnation takes pity on suckers from our world when it puts them here."
"I guess that makes sense," Ruby before gasping, "Wait, what about Yang and the others, are they-"
"Luckily, they are in our timeline in the same moment." Roman responded, "And I mean really lucky. We may have seen them eaten together, but they very well could have been sent here decades before or after our arrival."
"...My head is starting to hurt," Ruby responded, her left hand on her forehead.
"Why do you think I'm drinking?" Roman commented, then saw Ruby fall to her knees, "What now?"
"I…I…" Ruby said in shock, "Why didn't she try and come back to us." She said as her mind flashed to her family, "Did…did she forget about me?" she said as tears formed in her eyes, "Does she hate me?"
"Oh, come on, not everything is about you," Roman responded, seeing Ruby look back at him. "As far as Ana can think of, there is only one way back home for people like us." He said before looking at his glass, "If you can make a rip in space and time between worlds, you can pass through to get back to when you left. Easy as that." He said before taking a big sip of his drink, "Did I say easy, I meant impossible. We're stuck here for good, Red: so are your friends, so is Neo, and so is your mother."
"I… but she still wouldn't give up though, that's not her." Ruby responded, "And she has a family back home!"
"Red," Roman said as he placed the glass on the desk, "She has a family in this world too." He said as Ruby's eyes widened, "Apparently, she fell in love with a man, and they have a son together."
"Oh…" Ruby responded, her head lower as she looked down in remorse.
"You want that drink now?" Roman asked.
"I just need to sit down," Ruby said as she went over to a chair, but in feeling her sides, she realized something. "Wait, where are my Pokemon?"
"Rosa took them to the center to get healed and pick up your bird." Roman responded, then turned to her with a serious gaze, "Which reminds me, if we did got back to Remnant, you know you can't take your Pokemon with you?"
"What do you mean?" Ruby said with slight resentment, "Why can't I? They're my friends and would do great in Remnant by my side."
"Think, Red!" Roman slightly shouted, "These worlds change our biological makeup to suit the one we're in and make us the closest thing to that world's equivalent." He then looked to Ruby with a serious gaze, "Now tell me, what are the closest things to Pokemon in Remnant?"
"Gah!?" Ruby responded as her mind foresaw the answer. She gazed down Grimm Hound of massive size. As it approached, she backed up in dread but soon was against a wall. In looking down, she saw her Crescent Rose in hand and aimed it. However, through the lens, she saw the Pokemon she befriended. Arcanine, the panting with joy on her face. As she hesitated, causing the massive Grimm Hound to pounce on her, its fangs biting into her weapon. Ruby struggled to hold it back but then turned to see more Grimm approach. But as each did, all she could see were the Pokemon they resembled, "No, that can't be the truth. It has to be something else?"
"The only other thing would be a faunus." Roman responded, "However, that would have meant your friend Cat is literally a Cat Pokemon here. Making her effectively lost for good now." He said before recalling the photo Anabel showed off her the other girls, "But it seems that it only took her feline ears. I wonder if she's deaf now, I never knew if those human ears were just for show on Faunus."
"No, please don't say that!" Ruby asked.
"I'm only saying the things your too naïve to admit." Roman responded, standing up, "You need to grow up and stop thinking of the world as a fairytale that has to have a happy ending otherwise, you'll be sad!" He said before shouting, "News flash, life in Remnant sucks! You can fight it to make the world better, but all you will do is wind up dead if you picked the wrong side." The orange-haired criminal turned back to the desk to pick up his drink, "Just like your mother did."
Just as Roman was about to take a sip of his drink, Ruby knocked the glass out of his hand. He saw it shatter against the ground as the liquor spilled into the floor, "Don't. ever." Ruby spoke in a rage-filled voice as Roman scowled at her, "Talk about my mom that way."
"Hehehehe, Oh Red," Roman said with a chuckle. Suddenly, he grabbed the top of Ruby's head, gripping her hair before kneeing her in the stomach, "I do whatever I want." He spoke with a serious gaze as she gasped for air, then tossed her body aside. Ruby gritted her teeth as she dashed in with a wild punch, but Roman caught it, "Take away your weapons and powers. What is left of you expect a girl too stupid to know when to quit!" he said before picking Ruby up and tossing her body across the room and into the decorative wooden wall near the bench. Ruby broke through the wall before landing on the bench. Before she could get up, Roman had already moved over to choke her with one hand, "Here's an idea, you want to test that if I kill you, that will send you back to Remnant? That might work, or it could send you to some other world to be someone else's problem!"
"Tsk…Tsk!" Ruby struggled to breathe, unable to loosen his grip. Despite her teeth grit, her eyes slowly started to close as she was running out of air. However, Roman let go of her neck, "GAH!" the red hooded trainer gasped for air, coughing as Roman stood nearby.
"You need to work with what life has dealt you, not try to make it what you think it can be." Roman responded, "The more you try to hope for something better, the greater your disappointment at all your failures."
"…You're the one that doesn't get it," Ruby responded, her hand rubbing her throat, "If I gave up on my dreams of making Remnant safe for everyone. Then they would only be dreams." She glared at Roman, "No matter what I face, no matter how hard the goal may seem to others, I will keep fighting!"
"You little!" Roman said before going for a straight punch into Ruby's face. However, Ruby dodged as crashed her forehead into Roman's face. The orange-haired criminal was knocked over the small table and landed into the chair he sat in before, breaking it on impact. He looked up with a bleeding nose to see Ruby standing with her fists clenched.
"And I already told you," Ruby responded, her forehead slightly bleeding, "I will always stop you!"
"…Tsk," Roman responded before standing up, his stance relaxed, "You really are a brat. You know that right?" he said before reaching into his pocket for a handkerchief, wiping the blood off his face, "So, what are you going to do now?"
"I still want to find my friends," Ruby responded, slowly lowering her arms, "And even Neo." She said with Roman taking a slight pause before continuing his cleanup.
"In that case, we still need you to get that last badge." Roman responded, "The others are in the league too, so we should run into them once you get all four."
"Really!?" Ruby said with joy returning to her voice, "So, I just need to head for my last gym?" however her voice went to sorrow for a moment, "But, can we make a stop somewhere first."
"You want to see your mom again?" Roman responded, then smirked, "Lucky for us, we can kill two birds with one stone."
"Huh?" Ruby inquired, then realized the answer, "You mean-"
"She's a gym leader," Roman responded, "One in a region called Kanto for Viridian City."
"So, we can go right there? Right now!?" Ruby asked in an energic voice.
"If you're that excited, why not let Ana call her up?" Roman offered, causing Ruby to gasp.
"…No," Ruby responded, then smile, "I want to see her in person."
"Suit yourself," Roman responded before shrugging, "I'll let Ana know the situation." He said before walking away.
"Roman, wait." Ruby said as he stopped at the door, "Can I ask you a question?"
"What," Roman responded, picking up his cane he left at the coatrack.
"What was your mom like?" Ruby asked, "I'm just curious?"
"…Let's say this, the moment your mother had you, she was probably happy." Roman responded, but the smile on his face faded, "But for mine, it was when she was the angriest. She said that was when her life ended, which she loved to remind me of all the time." He spoke while gripping the handle of the door, "Now Red, I'll ask you something." The orange-haired criminal said with Ruby bracing herself for a tough question, "Can you clean up this mess?"
"What?" Ruby said before turning around, seeing all the broken glass and furniture, "How am I supposed to clean this my-" she was saying as she turned back around, but the door had already closed behind Roman. Ruby remained in shock for a second before pouting.
Roman walked down the alleyway with a smile forming on his face again, "Heh, the kid's got guts. I'll give her that."
A while later.
Outside the Pokemon Center, the gang of four gathered with Rosa handing Ruby back her pokeballs, "Here you are, all healed up."
"Thank you," Ruby said as placed them all around her belt.
"So, off to see your mom." Rosa responded, her hand on her chin, "Can't wait to meet her." She said before seeing Roman calling over a Corviknight Taxi. The two girls then looked over to see Anabel walking up, "Are you going to be coming with us?"
"Yes, if you are okay with that. It's been a while since I have seen Summer as well." She said Anabel responded, then turned to Ruby, "I'm sorry for dodging the question before, but I met your mother through Looker's agency. She had been asking for a way back to her home for a long time." She said with a smile forming, "Even when she started her family here, she always mentioned wishing to see her daughter again."
"It's okay," Ruby responded, a matching smile, "I'm glad she found someone like you here as well." Then turned to an approaching Roman, "Can that taxi take all of us?"
"He says it can, but it might stress out the big bird." Roman responded, "But we can use some of our flying types to lessen the work it has to do."
"Okay then," Ruby said as she took out a Pokeball, "Staravia, come on out!"
In tossing the ball into the air, the starling Pokemon emerged, "Staravia!" he said before landing on top of the taxi next to Corviknight.
"He said at least two additions would be fine," Roman commented, "Now, Gol-" in trying to throw out the Pokeball of the blue bat Pokemon, another one opened with Murkrow emerging.
"Murkrow!" the blackbird Pokemon said while sitting on the other end of the taxi, grinning at Staravia, "Mur."
"Star," Staravia responded with a similar grin.
"…" the Corviknight remained quiet between the two.
"Okay, suit yourself." Roman responded as he walked towards the taxi, "Let's get going." He said before getting in. Rosa and Anabel followed with Ruby entering last. The driver began to ascend with all the bird Pokemon flapping their wings. Murkrow and Staravia were already breathing heavily, while Corviknight remained steadfast. Ruby looked out the window at Lumiose City one last time before her eyes closed.
"Is she sleeping?" Anabel asked.
"I think she tired herself out cleaning that office." Roman asked, then sighed, "I still don't know how that wild Pokemon got in there."
"You mean the one that also opened Looker's drawer to drink his whisky?" Anabel said with her eyes half-open, and arms crossed.
"Hey, it must have been thirsty," Roman responded with shrug.
"Doubt that," Rosa responded, then looked to Ruby, "We can wake her when we get close."
Sometime later.
"Ruby… Ruby…" Rosa spoke as she nudged the red hooded trainer, "Wake up, we're here."
"Huh?" Ruby said as she yawns; then had a look of shock, "Wait, already!?"
"Red, you been out for hours?" Roman said as he yawned, "Now, I'm the one that needs sleep."
"We just touched down," Anabel responded, "The Gym is right out-" before she could finish her sentence, Ruby bolted out the door. She passed by Murkrow and Staravia, both of which were laying on their back while breathing heavily, but the Corviknight remained steadfast.
Ruby looked at all the houses, then saw one she assumed was the gym. She ran up to the door, but discovered it was locked, "Darn it, how do I-" she was saying until her eyes widened. She sniffed the air, recognizing a familiar scent. The red hooded trainer followed her nose to a nearby house. She placed her hand on the handle.
Inside, a woman was seen taking a batch of chocolate chip cookies out of an oven. She wore a white apron that matched her hood. The aroma radiated off the treats as she smiled at her creation, not even noticing that an open breeze had entered her home. In turning to the door, she gasped at the sight of the red hooded trainer, who matched her in near all features, including the silver eyes. Both remained speechless towards the other, but the white hooded woman broke the silence with a question, "…Cookie?" Summer said, causing Ruby's eyes to fill with tears as she rushed over, hugging her mother while nuzzling in her apron. Summer had a soft smile on her face as placed the tray on a nearby counter, then petted her daughter on the head, "It's okay." She spoke with a smile and closed eyes, tears still ran down her face as well, "I've missed you too, Ruby."
AN: There you go, mother and daughter reunite. This was a lot of fun to make and show how Ruby and Roman learn to read one another, fitting in a non-Pokemon battle as well. As for a lot of the reveals, you learn that Summer has been here for longer than Ruby has been alive because time-space theory is weird like that. Still, we get to meet Summer in a touching moment. The scent of the cookies was a last-minute idea, but it was too perfect not to pass up. Now, we will transition to the LYN group on their journey, who I am excited to show who they will meet along the way. However, I will take a short break to do a couple of other series chapters before jumping back in here. (Also, since Gen nine was shown off, I will say right now that none of the gyms and Pokemon will be used in this series. I made this back in gen eight and want to keep it limited as much as I can). That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.