Well, here it is. This is the chapter that had to be delayed because of the Connecticut school shooting. As I've alluded to, this chapter contains a scene of conflict at a school with students in danger, which may in these difficult times be triggering to some people. Please try to enjoy the chapter despite the terrible circumstances marring it.
Jacob Alexison appears from Nothing, Everything by Bay, with the original author's permission.
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CHAPTER 7: Flying to an Unseeable Future
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The low hum of his many machines provided a constant source of quiet sound in Dr. Zager's laboratory. Having used many such devices for decades, he found that he had grown to be comforted by their soft noises. His mind was soothed by the unceasing din.
While Galvantula sat nearby gorging herself on a plate of berries Zager had given her, the doctor himself sat at his computer console, casually clicking through a message board website sporting blue message bubbles against a black background. The red script at the site's top identified it as 'RChannel.'
"How dull," Zager said to himself as he absentmindedly scanned past multiple post threads. Many threads on RChannel talked about Pokémon training and collecting, but there were a vast number that focused on other things, ranging from discussion of television programs to bizarre posts such as a recently popular urban legend about an Aerodactyl in a graveyard.
However, the RChannel website had another purpose. While available to the general public as a message board, the site was actually created and run by Team Rocket; its creator had used the ridiculous but somehow correct logic that an uncontrolled forum would be the perfect cover for exchanging information and intelligence between members via the Internet. That was what Zager was scanning the site for – intelligence – and soon, he finally found it.
The thread's first post, instead of being in a blue bubble, was contained within a red one; this was due to it being posted by "Admin," the creator of RChannel.
"There is something I do not understand," the post read. "Ghetsis Harmonia is a member of Polaris. That is something that anyone who watches television knows. But, he is not the only one from Team Plasma to be connected to Polaris. I saw a member of the Shadow Triad on Route 30 today. Not only that, King N of Team Plasma was there too. So what is going on? What is the true connection between Team Plasma and Polaris?"
"Holy shit, it's Admin!" the next post, by 'Slowpoke Tail,' said. "And she's got another crazy conspiracy theory!"
"Posting in epic mod thread," added an anonymous poster.
"Hey Admin, Asuka or Rei?"
The fourth reply was by the username 'Sam' – Pierce's alias – and was the first to take the topic seriously. "That is an excellent question, Admin. I do not know all of the details of Team Plasma's relationship with Polaris, but I've determined that Ghetsis was likely always working on behalf of Polaris. If he was ever loyal is another question entirely. I'll do more studying and get back to you."
"That's a good idea," Zager spoke out loud to the screen, as if he were speaking directly to Pierce. "To defeat an enemy, you must first understand them."
-:-
A somber tone hung over the group's rented room at Violet City's Pokémon Center. Bunny and Olivia sat and listlessly stared at the television in the room, which was playing a news report on several recent Pokémon Contests, while Nekou sat on her bed and quietly worked on her laptop with the headphones for her music player planted firmly in her ears.
The heavy, aged wooden door of the room produced a loud creak as Matt slowly entered. Almost immediately, Bunny began asking him questions.
"Well?" She wanted to address the subject that was weighing on all of their minds right away. "How is he?"
Feeling utterly exhausted, Matt took his hat off and threw it onto one of the beds, then ran his hand through his hair. "He'll live, but he got messed up pretty bad. The dart that that ninja hit him with was tipped with a poison that caused his body to go into shock."
"That guy was scary," Olivia mumbled into the pillow she was embracing, which muffled her voice. "We're going to be dealing with a lot like him, aren't we?"
"We'll beat them, I'm sure," Matt immediately answered, though he was forced to quietly add, "but you're right, there probably will be…"
"In other news, we will now go to a new address delivered by the spokesman for the Polaris organization."
The pending speech seemed to be timed perfectly to match up with what Matt said, and as they focused on the television, their nerves each tightened to the breaking point. By the time Ghetsis appeared on the screen, Nekou had even taken out her headphones and folded the screen of her laptop down, turning it into a tablet computer.
"People of the Tohjo Continent, I bid you good evening. Tonight I am here to speak to you about traditions. What exactly is tradition, would you say? It is called a tradition for children to be sent out into the world and compete against each other for supremacy. With how long that tradition has stood, should we accept it?" Despite delivering the first part of his address calmly, Ghetsis was soon overcome by his characteristic intensity. "No! We should not accept such a thing! We are a species capable of building a civilized society! Or, at least I thought we were. That we call the practice of sending young people into a lifestyle offering most of them no future just so we can watch their suffering a 'tradition' speaks to how far we have to go to truly reach civilization. That is why I call upon you all, people of this nation! Polaris shall perform a miracle to prove the validity of our drive toward true civilization! Please, support us in our endeavor! With your help, a hopeful future is ensured! Thank you for your time tonight."
"Do you think he even knows how much of a madman he sounds like?" Bunny wondered of Ghetsis.
"That's not even a question. Ghetsis is a man who is fully aware of his own actions, and he delights in what he does to others."
Nekou's words didn't soothe Olivia, who was further shaken after listening to the thundering speech. "What if he has a point, though?" she grumbled into her pillow. "Look what happened to Nikolai, and all he did was help us. Not only him, either. What about Renzo? There really might be something to what he says... I'm scared…"
"Olivia, you can't think like that." Matt tried to put on a strong face, masking his own unsettled emotions over the recent events. "Look, tomorrow you're going for your first Badge, right? Focus on that. You finally made it to your first Gym."
"Matt's saying something smart this time," Nekou added, putting some sarcasm in her words to lighten things up a bit. "I can tell you that Ghetsis is not a man worth listening to. I disgust myself even using the word 'man' to refer to a piece of shit like him."
Olivia sighed and rolled over onto her side. "Maybe I'm just tired, then. Thanks for talking to me, but I want to go to bed."
-:-
By the next day, things had brightened considerably for the group. A good night's sleep turned out to do wonders for easing their minds after the previous day's confrontations. They felt especially better when, once they'd all awoken, Matt went to check on Nikolai only to learn that he was rapidly recovering.
"That sure is a relief to know," Matt said to his companions as they made their way into the lobby of the Pokémon Center. "After how bad a shape he was in last night, to see that he's recovering quickly is great news."
"I wonder what that toxin actually was…" Because she was mumbling to herself, Nekou's musing went unheard.
"So what are we waiting for? Next stop, Violet Gym! It's time for that first Badge!"
However, Olivia's loud declaration attracted the attention of the Pokémon Center nurse, who had been standing nearby at her desk. She stepped over to the group and interrupted, "I'm sorry, but I overheard that you want to go to Violet Gym?"
"Yeah, why?" Olivia questioned.
"With our luck, she's about to say it's…"
"Sorry, but the Gym is closed right now. Nobody can get to it."
"…I fucking knew it," Nekou finished her thought.
With Olivia unable to speak further due to a mix of surprise and extreme disappointment, Matt instead asked the question on their minds. "But why? Has something happened?"
"Come with me, I'll show you."
The nurse stepped out from behind her desk and beckoned the four to follow her, which they did. Together, they went across the lobby, stopping at the lounge area. Once again, many people were gathered around the television there, which Matt quietly noted to himself was becoming a regular occurrence.
On the screen, someone was being interviewed. Both the person taking the interview and the reporter conducting it were standing in front of a large, gray building on a stone road. Around them, a large group of people were gathered, some holding signs.
"So what prompted you to come out today and join the group picketing your hometown Gym?" the reporter asked. Once he was done speaking, he held his microphone up to his female subject.
"Well, the speeches by Polaris have really opened my eyes. I never really considered before just how many people have it bad, even though we all work hard for everything we have. There are those who have it too easy if you ask me, getting Pokémon and medical care for free while others pay for it. I want Falkner to come out here and tell us how he can participate in this. That's why I'm here."
Immediately upon the young woman finishing speaking, the screen shifted back to the news anchor at his desk. "We do not yet have a statement from Violet City Gym Leader Falkner addressing the protests currently taking place outside of his Gym. However, for safety purposes, the Gym has been closed until the tension dissipates."
"Well that just sucks."
"Now, Olivia, look at the silver lining," Bunny encouraged her, "at least this gives you more time to prepare for the battle."
"Eh… I suppose that's true."
"Mister Chiaki? Mister Chiaki, you came to Violet City after all!"
Having just entered the Pokémon Center, Dominic had spotted Matt and his group almost immediately, and now rushed over to meet them with his suitcase still in his hand.
"Oh?" Matt failed to register immediately who he was being approached by, but seeing Dominic's rumpled suit and tie again quickly rang the bell in his mind. "That's right, Dominic was it? Sorry I sort of forgot..."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you actually came to Violet City like we arranged!"
Dominic's overflowing gratitude was a little off-putting to Matt, and even though he didn't know it, Nekou and Olivia were a little nervous themselves. Bunny was the only one who saw him right away as the overly eager but kindhearted man he truly was.
"You do remember, right? I asked you to meet my kids at Earl's Pokémon Academy?"
As soon as the memories of his speaking to Dominic in Cherrygrove City resurfaced in full, Matt brought his hand to his forehead in disbelief. He couldn't understand how he'd forgotten such a simple thing.
"That's right, I do remember now. Olivia, if I might say… with the Gym closed, going to the Academy might be a productive way to spend the day."
"It's better than nothing," replied the girl, her facial features becoming hardened with determination. "Let's do it!"
"And don't forget me," Nekou chimed in, tossing herself over Matt's shoulders, much to his visible discomfort. "Remember what I get there. Books. One of my six basic food groups."
"And what are the other five?"
"Bacon, hamburgers, potato chips, chocolate and beer."
Matt sighed, quickly realizing that asking Nekou such a question was probably a mistake.
"I'm glad that you're all on board, then," Dominic said with a smile. "I think you'll all enjoy visiting there."
-:-
"Now this is truly a surprise!" Stepping away from one of the glass-surfaced tables in the laboratory, the mustachioed scientist spread his arms as he welcomed his guests. "To think Father sent us not one but two of the Sacred Helix's Chromosomes. Today must be an especially important day!"
"Father still hasn't come back, actually," Mercury corrected him. "Right now Finansielle is giving directions, and Archer is holding down Father's seat on the Sacred Helix."
"I see. Well then, let's have a look at that stone you brought."
Standing next to Mercury, Séduire – the Entei-masked Chromosome who wore a school-themed uniform with a skirt and bow tie – wordlessly presented the scientist with the briefcase passed on from Mr. Pokémon. He eagerly accepted it and took it over to one of the tables, where he opened it.
"Be careful with handling the Meteonite," Mercury warned. "If it destabilizes, you might end up like this." As she finished speaking, she gestured down to Meowth, who was listlessly standing next to her.
The scientist took a magnifying lens out of the pocket of his brown suit and leaned in to look at the Meteonite. "This is the real deal, alright. It's beautiful!" Sitting back up, he questioned, "So what's the next step?"
"That small Meteonite is going to lead us to the large one that crashed here several weeks ago. For that, we're going to need your maps of the Ruins so we can navigate to the point it shows us."
"Yeah, that's going to be a problem," the scientist responded, frowning. "Something strange has gone on since the Meteonite landed here. It agitated all the Unown, and they used their reality-warping powers to change the structure of the Ruins of Alph. All the maps we had are obsolete now."
"I guess we'll be going in blindly, then. Thankfully Meteonite will react to itself, so we can use the small amount we have to track down the payload. We've got just the equipment for the job, too."
"What's my assignment in all of this?" Séduire piped up for the first time. "Should I stop Matt from bothering you, Mercury?"
"No, I need you and your henchmen with my team. The Ruins of Alph are a lot more vast than one would expect, and they hold untold dangers, especially now that the Unown rearranged everything. You'll get a chance to see him soon enough."
"Promise me that. Mercury, promise me I'll see Matt again soon… I have to save him…"
"Focus on the task at hand, Séduire. Remember that one day we'll all be saved."
-:-
Dominic led the way, guiding Matt, Nekou, Olivia and Bunny into the lobby of Earl's Pokémon Academy. The lobby was cluttered with cases containing medals and photographs belonging to graduates of the school, many of whom had gone on to high-profile careers as trainers.
"This is the premiere facility for Pokémon training education in the Tohjo Continent," the salesman explained. He gestured to the wall, guiding the others' eyes to the awards lining it. "You can't beat this place as a school."
"I'd beg to differ," Matt contradicted him. "I spent some time working at the Rustboro School with a very generous research grant."
"I wasn't meaning to offend you at all, please forgive me."
"Is that good old Dominic I hear?" The voice echoing down the hall was loud and rich, giving itself such strength that it shook the walls. A large man in a blue suit came bounding out into the lobby with heavy steps; his boisterous demeanor surprised all of Dominic's guests. "Welcome back, my dear Dominic! I see you've brought guests, just as you said earlier!"
"Well, um… yes, Mr. Dervish, sir. Please…" Dominic turned to the others as he continued, "…allow me to introduce you. This is Matt Chiaki, and…"
"Oh!" The rotund man charged right past Dominic, effectively silencing him, and got right in Matt's face. Matt started sweating and his nerves only frayed further when he realized that his hands were being grasped. "Sutter's grandson! Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Earl Dervish, and I'm in charge of this Pokémon academy. It is truly an honor to have the grandson of the world's most legendary archeologist in my school!"
"It would be nice to get credit for some of the things I've done myself once in a while," Matt nervously chuckled in an awkward attempt to inject humor into the situation.
"But of course." Turning his attention to Olivia, Nekou and Bunny, who were all standing by in varying degrees of shock and bemusement, Earl asked, "And who might these three be?"
"This is Olivia. She's my friend's daughter, and I'm mentoring her. That's Bunny, my old colleague, and this is my… well, somehow she ended up being my bodyguard, and her name is Nekou."
"Talk about a spectacle," Nekou mumbled under her breath.
"Well met, Olivia, Bunny, Nekou. Now, please, all of you, come with me! Dominic, your kids are already waiting for us in my office. They ought to be glad to see your friends. And Matt, fate's brought you quite a surprise today, too!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You will see, my friend! Onward!"
-:-
Concordia and Anthea screamed as Chaos's limp body crashed into the forcefield wall of their prison. They'd been snapped out of their usual blank states by the fury Ghetsis had worked himself into.
"You had him right in front of you and YOU LET HIM GO?!" Ghetsis picked Chaos up by the neck again, much like how he had done before throwing him, and slammed him into the barrier a second time. "That warped boy is key to my rise!"
"P-please forgive me, L-Lord Ghetsis…" It was a struggle for Chaos to speak with Ghetsis's hand around his neck. "I was… ambushed. It would have taken all three of us…"
"I'll have none of it!"
Whipping around, Ghetsis flung Chaos across the floor, leaving him in a crumpled heap. He then lurched over to the ninja and pinned the white-haired man's head under the end of his cane.
"Matt Chiaki and his friends… that woman is not natural… I almost had to use the genetic suppressant on her to get her off me…"
"Finally, you say something actually useful," fumed Ghetsis as he removed his cane from Chaos's cheek. Moving toward the door, he said out loud without looking over his shoulder, "I'll have Matt Chiaki dealt with before he ever becomes a problem to me." He then turned the very top of his cane's handle to trigger a mechanism inside, and held the knob up near his mouth. "Zinzolin!"
"Lord Ghetsis!" responded a rough, ragged voice from the other end of the communicator.
"Give me an update on the status of the protest."
"It's progressing nicely. The people of Violet City have taken your words to heart and are demanding answers from Gym Leader Falkner. He hasn't come out yet, in fact, his only response has been to shut down the Gym for the day."
"We'll worry about him later. Listen, I've got a new mission for you. It turns out that our little prince is in the Pokémon Center in Violet City. Before you collect him, though, I want you to find Matt Chiaki and take him out. Do what you must to complete the mission."
"Consider it done, Lord Ghetsis."
-:-
Much like the lobby of his school, Earl's office was a cluttered place. Books and folders were scattered about the office, while still more award certificates lined the walls.
The door of the office groaned heavily as Earl pushed it open to allow himself and his guests inside. Almost immediately, the three students waiting within jumped up, greeting the group as they came in; one of the two girls in the trio had a significantly delayed reaction, as if she failed to notice anything until the others had risen.
"Welcome back, Dad!" the girl who had gotten up immediately exclaimed. "Did you get what you promised us?"
"I always keep my promises, Avril," Dominic cheerfully replied. "I promised a surprise, and here
he is!"
Realizing after a brief moment that Dominic was referring to him as the surprise, Matt shrugged and sighed, "So you promised them you'd convince me to come here, eh?"
"You all get caught up." Earl clapped one of his large hands on Matt's shoulder and the other on Dominic's, then lumbered over to his desk, which was just as messy as the rest of his office. He pressed the button on the desk's intercom system and said into it, "Would the teacher of Class 2-A come to my office, please?"
"So these are your kids, then, Dominic?"
"Indeed, Matt, they are. Please, meet Avril, my youngest…" Dominic gestured first to the girl who had verbally greeted him. Like the others, she was wearing a blue-and-black school uniform, and despite being the youngest of Dominic's three children, she physically looked at least two years older than Olivia.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said to Matt, her voice carrying an innate sound of confidence bordering on arrogance. "Your battle at the Battle Arcade was very entertaining to watch."
"And this is Monroe, the middle of the three…"
The boy was much more timid in nature than his sister. He made little of an attempt to directly engage Matt or anyone else, merely saying in a shaky voice, "H-Hello."
"And finally, my oldest, Helena."
The eldest of the three, Helena, towered over her siblings. She stood calmly by, running her hand through her red hair, not speaking at first.
It was then that Matt finally realized that Monroe was signing rapidly to her, communicating everything going on in a flurry of masterful hand motions.
"She's deaf?" Bunny spoke, putting words to the feeling of surprise the group of four shared.
"Since birth."
Each of Helena's steps was slow and measured, carrying a dignified air. She directly approached Matt and extended a hand to him.
"I am honored to meet you, sir."
The mere fact that Helena was able to speak was enough shock Matt still, but beyond that, her voice was surprisingly smooth and refined, capturing her ladylike demeanor perfectly. Matt eventually did manage to shake her hand, but his surprise didn't wear off, and he directed a puzzled gaze over toward Dominic.
Understanding immediately what Matt was confused by, Dominic beckoned him over and quietly explained, "She didn't want to let her disability stop her from speaking normally, so I got some Psychic-type Pokémon to help me teach her how. It wasn't easy, and either Avril or Monroe signs for her when they can, but I'm very proud of her and all the work she did to overcome it."
Meanwhile, while Matt and Dominic were talking, Helena had turned her attention to Nekou. "I like your necklace," she said, pointing at the piece of jewelry around Nekou's neck.
"What? Oh, this." Nekou briefly flinched, but she quickly recovered and lifted the pendant from her chest to show it off. Its gem was in the shape of an eight-pointed star whose upper diagonal points were colored red, lower diagonal points shaded light blue and four straight points hued in dark purple. "It's very precious to me. I got it in Whitegold City."
Monroe quickly signed to interpret Nekou's words for Helena, and once she understood what was said, she smiled warmly. "It's a Victory Star, then. It's very pretty."
Just then, the sound of something tapping against the office's door interrupted the conversation. Whatever caused the mysterious noise persistently tapped against the door for a few seconds, before abruptly stopping. The handle turned, and the door opened to allow a woman inside. The source of the tapping turned out to be her walking stick, which provided her with the sense of her surroundings that her cloudy eyes could not give her. She had striking blue hair that curled down her back like clouds, and an Arcanine was walking closely by her side for additional support.
"You called me, Earl?"
"Amanda!" Matt instantly gasped, having been overcome by pleasant surprise.
"Big brother!" Amanda's emotions rose in a very similar fashion. She first sharply turned her head in the direction of Matt's voice, then rushed in his direction, crashing into him in a reckless attempt at an embrace.
"See? I told you I had a surprise for you!" Earl said jovially. "A reunion of brother and sister!"
"Miss Chiaki is the little sister of Matt Chiaki after all," Avril said out loud. "Now I believe it."
"Amanda, you're a teacher here now?" This question was the only coherent thing that came to Matt's mind right away. He was so internally consumed by emotions – joy in seeing his sister for the first time in a while, pride in the accomplishments she'd been implied to have made, sadness that she still struggled with her blindness – that he couldn't put many words to those thoughts.
Separating herself from her brother, Amanda gently shook her head. "Not permanently. I'm just taking some time to do something on my own for a while."
"But you didn't tell your students you're Matt's sister?" Olivia suddenly piped up.
"Huh?" Amanda turned her head in confusion, trying to perceive where the voice was coming from. "Olivia?"
"Yeah, it's me. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Several years now," Amanda replied with a smile. "Anyway, I didn't tell Avril and my other students about my brother because I didn't want to live in his shadow. I wanted them to look up to me because they wanted to, not because of who my brother is."
"Aw, come on, Amanda, don't give me that much credit," Matt chuckled in an attempt to sound humble. "All of us know you're far more skilled as a trainer than I am."
"You know what would be inspiring to my students? Let's you and I show them a battle between the two of us! You really are better than you give yourself credit for!"
"That's a great idea!" Earl quickly interrupted. "I'll run ahead and get everything set in the outdoor battlefield!"
Bounding across the office, Earl was gone in a flash, leaving a mass of exasperation in his wake. Even Dominic found himself a bit stunned at the headmaster's enthusiasm.
"I guess my answer is yes," Matt sighed. "It doesn't matter, though. I was going to say yes anyway."
"Matt, you don't stand a chance. Not even my dad could beat Amanda, remember?"
Closing his eyes, Matt thought back to five years earlier. Back then, Amanda had been the champion of a regional competition, and Olivia's father Rich earned the chance to battle her. He failed completely against Amanda, however, at least in no small part because of her tactics throwing him off. She had in her team of Pokémon a Zoroark, a Pokémon with powers of illusion. Those powers made it possible for her to disguise the Dark-type Zoroark as a Hariyama, which drew Rich into attempting repeatedly to damage what he believed was a Fighting-type Pokémon. Amanda ended up winning the match without losing a single one of her Pokémon.
"Well, at least this time I know she has Zoroark," he finally said, slowly reopening his eyes. "Rich had no idea what he was up against."
"Wait, before we go…" Dominic spoke up, "would you be willing to see the Pokémon my kids have as well?"
"I would like to," answered Olivia. "Matt, hold up."
"I see someone hasn't changed much," Amanda said, smiling once again. "Avril, Monroe and Helena have some interesting Pokémon. I think you'll like them."
"May I go first?" Helena volunteered, having stayed fully updated on the situation through Monroe's signing. "Klink, come out!"
Helena took the single Poké Ball she possessed from her waist and opened it, producing a burst of energy. The Pokémon it turned into had the form of two interlocking silver gears with six teeth and a simple face on each gear.
"It looks familiar, but not exactly like what I remember…" Olivia commented as she took out her Pokédex.
"Klink, the Gear Pokémon. Type is Steel. Two bodies comprise a fixed pair. They spin around each other to generate energy."
"I know, it's a previous evolution of Klinklang," Bunny guessed.
"That's correct!" Helena confirmed once she was aware of what Bunny had said. "Do you like my Klink? It's been my friend for a long time now."
"It's cute, and it should be strong once it evolves. I'd like to battle you later on."
"I'll look forward to that day, Olivia."
"I… guess I'm next." Monroe's manner continued to be as timid as ever, even as he opened up his own Poké Ball. "Vanillite, I ask you to come out."
Whereas Klink was fairly straightforward in appearance, Monroe's Vanillite was more unusual, appearing to be a small ice cream cone with a wide-eyed, smiling face on top of a body made of ice and snow.
"Vanillite, the Fresh Snow Pokémon. Type is Ice. Theoretically, this Pokémon formed from icicles bathed in energy from the morning sun. Their breath is -58° F."
Another difference between Vanillite and Klink was that Vanillite was a lot more outgoing, floating right up to Olivia and laughing.
"Aren't you a cute one?" she said to the Ice-type, laughing along with her. "I just love you!"
"Thank you…"
Avril scoffed at the praise Olivia was heaping upon her brother. "If you think that thing is a good Pokémon, wait until you put your eyes on what I've got. Servine, go!"
Much like his trainer, the green, vaguely serpentine Pokémon that emerged from Avril's Poké Ball had a haughty, arrogant air about himself. Balancing on tiny legs, he stretched his body to its full height and cast a scornful look downward upon Klink and Vanillite.
"Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Type is Grass. Evolved form of Snivy, When it gets dirty, its leaves can't be used in photosynthesis, so it always keeps itself clean."
"Wait a minute…" Remembering something, Olivia hesitated. "Snivy was one of the three Pokémon Professor Juniper said she could offer me, but it specifically was missing. Are you the one who got Snivy?"
"The one and only." Putting her hands on her hips, Avril leaned forward and smugly asked, "Did you get stuck with one of those inferior ones that were left?"
"He is not inferior!"
"Then let's see him."
Without a second thought, Olivia pressed the button to open Oshawott's Poké Ball. He materialized looking sleepy and still missing his shell, prompting both Avril and her Servine to laugh.
"Wow, you didn't even take the good one," she taunted, "but then again, someone who's childish in both body and spirit taking a childish Pokémon makes sense!"
"Avril!" Dominic snapped, showing a seriousness that he hadn't before. "Behave yourself!"
"Fine, fine. But let me ask one thing. What happened to its shell?"
"It got broken in a battle with a Gurdurr yesterday."
Avril managed to suppress another outburst of laughing into little more than a snicker, and she walked toward the door with Servine. "You better pay attention outside and learn something, because you're gonna need it."
With that, Avril and Servine left Earl's office, letting the door slam behind them as they departed. Their sudden exit left Olivia seething in silence over the flood of condescending insults she'd just faced.
"Please, accept my apologies," Dominic hurriedly said as he too went for the door. "I'll deal with her."
"Is she always like this?" Matt questioned once Dominic was out the door.
"It wouldn't be proper of me to discuss that in front of so many people," Amanda replied.
"Oh, well, I understand. Let's just go meet up with Earl then."
As the remaining group headed out, Monroe approached Olivia. "I'm sorry about my sister. She gets really mean a lot."
"Yeah, I figured." Though she initially didn't look at him, Olivia did eventually turn to Monroe. "Thanks for that."
-:-
Outside, next to the school building, there was a small battlefield, flanked by a three-tiered bleacher structure. The children comprising Amanda's class filled said bleachers; Avril, Helena and Monroe were all sitting together in the front row, with Klink, Vanillite and Servine nearby, while Olivia, Nekou and Bunny were nearby.
Matt and Amanda, meanwhile, each stood in squares on opposing sides of a battlefield etched in white paint on the grass. Having taken on the role of referee for the match, Dominic positioned himself at a point near the middle of the battleground, while Earl stood, arms crossed, next to the students in the stands.
"This battle will be between Pokémon Academy instructor Amanda and her challenger, Matt!" Dominic announced to the onlookers. "It will be a full six-on-six Double Battle that ends when all of one side's Pokémon have fainted. Begin!"
"I'll take the lead!" Amanda forcefully declared, shedding her quiet demeanor from earlier. "Big brother, see if you can keep up with me! Hariyama, Arcanine, come into the light!"
Amanda, despite her inability to see, had no difficulty taking two Poké Balls from the waist of her gray suit and throwing them. Two large-bodied Pokémon, Hariyama and Arcanine, appeared from them and landed, crashing their immense weight into the ground. Hariyama growled and struck a pose to show off his readiness for battle, and Arcanine simply howled. Both had an air of great discipline.
"Boy, Amanda, you sure aren't going easy on me, are you?"
"Of course not, so don't you go easy on me either!"
Matt took a step back. In the very back of his head, behind how much he admired Amanda's courageous attitude, he actually felt somewhat intimidated by having to face her.
"F-fine, I won't go easy at all!" he sputtered, throwing out a regular Poké Ball alongside a Dusk Ball. "Hethna and Tanya, make your mark!"
Two more large, heavy Pokémon – Matt's Golurk and Heatran – entered the battle to oppose Amanda's pair. Both of them appreciated their opponents on equal footing with themselves, although Hethna – whom Matt had only recently captured, and thus did not know Amanda or her Pokémon – immediately was overcome with an instinct to defend its trainer and allies from what it perceived as threats.
The students in the stands started cheering and talking excitedly over the Pokémon they were seeing, especially Heatran, a minor Legendary Pokémon. From his vantage point next to the bleachers, Earl found himself lost in thought.
"If he were still with us, Sutter would be proud. His grandkids are sure putting on a hell of a show for these kids."
"Arcanine, Close Combat!"
Before Matt could react, Amanda's Arcanine was on top of Tanya, striking her with a flurry of vicious blows. Each hit was fueled by the powerful muscles in Arcanine's legs, lending the assault enough strength to not only shove the nearly half-ton Heatran back significantly, but to also break chips out of her steel armor. All of this came at the price of leaving Arcanine worn out and panting for air, his body weakened against any potential counterattacks.
"Tanya, hold steady!" Having his Heatran put on the defensive so quickly was not the scenario Matt had envisioned at the start of the battle.
"Are you already beaten, big brother?" Amanda taunted him, albeit in her usual endearing way. "Don't tell me it's over already!"
"It's nowhere near over, Amanda. Try this on for size! Tanya, target Arcanine with Earth Power! Hethna, get Hariyama with Shadow Punch!"
"Hurry, Hariyama, use Role Play on Hethna!"
Orange light radiated from Tanya's feet, indicative of the energy that soon surged through the ground and exploded beneath Arcanine, cracking the earth and pitching the imposing Fire-type onto his side.
Amanda could perceive her Pokémon's injury even without seeing it by the howl of pain he let out. "Arcanine, hold firm..." she whispered.
Meanwhile, Hariyama extended one of his arms in Hethna's direction and briefly became enveloped in a Golurk-shaped shadow. The real Golurk struck Hariyama cleanly in the stomach with a blast of shadow shaped like a clenched fist that came from its own arm.
"Hm," Matt grunted, calculating exactly what Amanda was planning. As soon as he realized what she had just done, his mind and heart began to race. "Hurry, both of you!" he called out, gesturing wildly all the while. "Stop Hariyama with Flash Cannon and Shadow Punch!"
"Big brother, don't underestimate me for even a moment!" Amanda shouted while tightening her grip on her walking stick. "Arcanine, strike Hethna with Flare Blitz! Hariyama, take Tanya head-on with DynamicPunch!"
All four Pokémon made their moves nearly simultaneously as chaos broke out on the battlefield. Amanda's Arcanine was the first to land a blow, roaring through the clash in a veil of fire to collide with Hethna, knocking the Golurk onto its back and inadvertently dissipating its Shadow Punch.
While Arcanine collapsed onto Hethna, Tanya managed to take aim at Hariyama and launch a wide beam of bright, shining silver light. Hariyama was undeterred by any possible danger this presented, however, and simply charged right into it with his right arm pulled back. Slowly but surely, he pushed through the continuing assault of Tanya's Flash Cannon, and once she was within his reach, he swung with all his might.
The resulting collision of Hariyama's fist with Tanya's face caused a loud, echoing metallic sound to ring through the area. Despite her immense weight, Tanya ended up getting flung through the air like a ragdoll, ultimately crashing into and crushing a nearby tree. She slumped down onto the ground and stopped moving.
"Heatran is unable to continue battling!" Dominic announced, his voice somewhat drowned out by the excited chatter of the students behind him.
"Amanda just tossed aside a Legendary Pokémon like that..." Bunny said in awe. "She really is strong…"
"I wonder how she got to be so much more powerful than Matt is," Nekou scoffed, taking a bite out of the frosted croissant in her hand.
"Well, I do think he's doing a little better than my dad did against her," Olivia offered in Matt's defense.
"Tanya, return!" As Matt sent Tanya back inside her Dusk Ball and returned the sphere to his bag, Hethna rose back to its feet, its chest covered with a large burn mark. "Amanda, that was… really something. You figured out that Hethna's ability is Iron Fist?"
"I had a hunch. I knew that if I copied Hethna's ability and it turned out to be Iron Fist, defeating Tanya would be no big deal at all."
"I shouldn't have put it past you," he said, smiling. Having come to view Amanda as a true opponent and not just his sister, Matt narrowed his focus off of the spectators and resolved to at least give her a challenge.
Before he could throw the Poké Ball he'd selected, Matt found himself overcome by a sudden blast of cold air. His body immediately began to spasm.
"Wh...what…"
"What's goi…"
Running with only her sight, Helena had already traced the source of the disruption. She pointed into the air and unwittingly interrupted Bunny by yelling, "Up there!"
"Shit!" Nekou spat once she saw the blue blur in the sky above Matt. "Get out of there!"
As Matt was unable to move due to the cold, Nekou sprinted in and dragged him off to the bleachers, where Bunny and Olivia immediately clustered around him. Dominic, meanwhile, climbed to shield his three children in the stands themselves.
Amanda, meanwhile, was lost. Without her ability to see what was going on, she was completely in the dark, as all she could hear was the increasingly loud confusion of her students. "Big brother!" she called out, "what's going on? Earl?!"
"Amanda, shield yourself!" was all Earl could shout back.
The blur had since stopped spinning, revealing itself as a hexagonal snowflake Pokémon with a body of reflective blue ice. Two glowing eyes peered out from inside its body, and chains of ice crystals hung from its mouth.
"Cryo-gonal!" it cried in a voice that sounded as if it were electronically distorted. Setting its eyes on Amanda, the Cryogonal took a deep breath and expelled another gust of icy air. However, Arcanine, Hariyama and Hethna all jumped into action, leaping between Amanda and Cryogonal to protect her from the Frost Breath attack.
Once she appeared safe, Earl hurried to Amanda's side. The students in the stands by this point had all seen Cryogonal and were rapidly becoming more and more unsettled.
"What…?" Matt groaned as he gradually came to. "Where'd that cold air come from?"
"That Cryogonal," Olivia pointed out, breaking from the circle surrounding Matt so she could point to the floating Ice-type Pokémon. "It looks different than the one we saw before, though…"
"What's a wild Cryogonal doing here?" Monroe asked Avril, before signing the same question to Helena.
"I don't think that's a wild Cryogonal," Avril replied almost immediately, pointing off in the direction where the Cryogonal had seemingly come from.
Having breached the fence on the edge of the school's property, the crowd of protesters who had been picketing Violet Gym earlier in the day advanced toward the battlefield. Leading them was a stout, elderly man wrapped in a thick purple coat whose heavy boots left deep footprints behind in the ground. At his side walked a Jynx and a Weavile, and Cryogonal soon joined them.
"Zinzolin…" Nekou quietly seethed, her voice not rising above a whisper.
"H-huh?" Matt's shivering was slowly subsiding, but he was still far from well.
"He's another of Ghetsis's goons." Standing, Nekou stared at Zinzolin and angrily added, "These fucking guys keep coming, and they're clearly involved with Polaris..."
Zinzolin stopped his advance once he was nearly on the battlefield and turned around. In his thickly-gloved hand, he had a megaphone that he raised to his mouth. "Halt!"
The somewhat-civil mob of protesters following him heeded his order and stopped as well. They continued making a significant amount of noise with their attempts to shout over each other, but they remained more or less in line.
"Before you stands a symbol of the system that has so corrupted our way of life," Zinzolin explained to the protesters through his megaphone. "Earl's Pokémon Academy… it is merely a factory to which we supply the raw materials of our children and they are manufactured into the next generation of believers in the ideal of becoming Pokémon masters! Consider how many of them fall by the wayside, forever struggling in the wilderness if they're even lucky enough to survive... that a place like this would even exist to introduce our children into such a system is preposterous!"
While he was not quite as eloquent as Ghetsis, Zinzolin more than held his own as a speaker. His words held the attention of the protesters, whose internal discussion grew in volume as Zinzolin turned slowly to face Matt and the others.
"And look who is pushing these ideas into innocent young minds… two people who have so little regard for the divine grace of life that they have fouled their bodies using modifications of modern technology. Indeed, Matt and Amanda Chiaki have straddled the boundary of life and death!"
"Silence yourself!" At long last, Amanda shot something back at Zinzolin. Even though she wasn't directing her blank eyes directly at him, she clearly had a basic idea of where he was standing. "What you say is false! Because big brother and I have suffered and used what we could to recover does not make us bad people. Ask any of my students, who until you ruined it were having quite a pleasurable class today!"
"I see you have some fighting spirit in you. How curious. But, what good would asking any of your students accomplish? Their minds are already poisoned by your lies."
"We will battle, then…" Amanda growled at the strangely-clothed old man, "…and when I defeat you, you will leave."
"Don't count your Torchic before they hatch, girl." Zinzolin had begun plucking more of his Poké Balls from the black bands wrapping around his coat. "I am not the right hand of Polaris's spokesman for nothing!"
With that, Zinzolin threw the three remaining Poké Balls. One of them was a blue-and-red Great Ball, which released a Glalie. The two others were regular Poké Balls, one containing an Empoleon and the other letting out a Pokémon that looked like a bigger Vanillite.
"He has Vanillish, Miss Chiaki!" Monroe called to Amanda. "Vanillite's evolved form!"
"Those Torchic aren't just already hatched," Amanda sternly reproached her adversary, "they hatched, matured and laid eggs of their own. Take this!"
Amanda called forth her remaining four Pokémon to join Hariyama and Arcanine. A Snorlax appeared, as did a Gothitelle, who was a feminine, humanoid creature who appeared to be wearing a black dress with many conical sections and white bows. She also possessed a Pokémon very similar to Vanillite and Vanillish but with two heads, with a straw-like protrusion coming from one. Her final Pokémon was her Zoroark, who was a fox Pokémon with a lean black body and a thick black-and-red mane.
"We of Polaris stand for the people," Zinzolin declared. "Bring your worst!"
"Gladly! I'll make you regret asking for it! Zoroark, use Flamethrower, and Arcanine, use Wild Charge!"
"Cryogonal, bring in Hail! Glalie, follow with Blizzard!"
Amanda's Arcanine shrouded himself in sparking yellow electricity and forcefully tackled Empoleon, who made no effort to dodge. This was to buy time for Cryogonal, who was flying overhead, to cry out to the sky. That cry caused dark clouds to gather, which in turn soon gave rise to a steady hailstorm.
These conditions made it ideal for Glalie's move, as the hailstorm gave greater range to his icy blast. Zoroark dropped her budding Flamethrower and instead formed a shield of glowing hexagons of light in front of herself. Despite this, Amanda's other Pokémon still were subject to the harsh attack, but they all weathered it well, at least on an immediately apparent level.
Meanwhile, Nekou, Bunny and Olivia clustered even more tightly around Matt, who was shivering and beginning to lapse out of consciousness from the persistent cold.
"Don't you black out on me!" Nekou yelled at him. "You can't just let a little fucking cold stop you!"
"Zoroark, stay over by big brother and use Protect to keep him from getting colder," Amanda said, having heard Nekou's shouting. Zoroark immediately followed this direction, freeing up Amanda's attention so she could once again focus on the battle. "Snorlax, Heavy Slam! Vanilluxe, Signal Beam!"
"Don't get overconfident! Jynx, use Sweet Kiss!"
A glowing light in the shape of a pair of lips emerged from Jynx's face and washed over Amanda's Snorlax as he stood, leaving him wobbling in confusion. He overcame it, though, and managed to leap high into the air. Alongside him, Amanda's ice cream-like Vanilluxe gathered energy at the tip of her straw and fired a rainbow-colored beam from it.
Seeing these two attacks barreling toward his Pokémon, Zinzolin hastily ordered, "Weavile and Empoleon, block those with Blizzard and Drill Peck!"
Weavile opened her mouth and exhaled an icy gale right into the Signal Beam heading her way, while Empoleon leapt into the air while spinning rapidly, hoping to deflect Snorlax away from Jynx. Neither counter worked, however, and both Weavile and Empoleon were struck down. Snorlax then landed squarely on Jynx, crushing her under his immense weight. His weight, combined with the fact that Heavy Slam was a Steel-type move and thus super-effective on the partially Ice-type Jynx, left her completely unconscious when Snorlax rolled over off of her.
Zinzolin grunted, then recalled Jynx while Amanda called Snorlax back herself. "Well played, curious trainer. But, this is not yet over. It's about time I showed you the true power Polar…"
"Gothitelle, attack Empoleon with Thunderbolt!" Amanda called out, interrupting Zinzolin's attempt at a lecture.
"Goth-ii!" Gothitelle shrilled in her deep, womanly voice. Lightning shot out from her body and arced through the air, ultimately making contact with and electrocuting Empoleon. Due to the accidental damage Empoleon had suffered during his attempt at stopping Snorlax, he couldn't weather Thunderbolt, and he collapsed.
"You were saying?" Amanda taunted a moment later.
"You will not stand in the way of progress, abomination!" fumed Zinzolin as he recalled a Pokémon for the second time in less than a minute. "It's time I opened up another front in this battle," he stated, turning his head to Amanda herself. "Cryogonal, Flash Cannon. Weavile, Glalie, use Blizzard. Vanillish, Ice Beam. All of you, target that monster brainwashing these children!"
Amanda immediately gasped in horror; this was what it took to finally cause her to panic. "You won't hurt my students!" she screamed, apparently misunderstanding Zinzolin's intentions and not realizing that he was targeting her. "Arcanine, Hariyama, Gothitelle, Vanilluxe, stop them!"
Amanda's Pokémon, however, were too slow to respond. Zinzolin's four remaining Pokémon all powered up and released their attacks simultaneously in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the combined strength of two Blizzards, a Flash Cannon and an Ice Beam going towards their teacher, some of the students began fleeing while screaming in fear, while others froze up and didn't know what to do. Dominic pulled Avril, Helena and Monroe close, intending to shield them himself if he had to.
Thankfully, it never came to that. Hethna lurched in between Amanda and Zinzolin's assault, taking all the power infused in the four attacks itself. Hethna couldn't stand up any longer after taking so many powerful hits at once, and wobbled back and forth briefly before falling forward, its front completely covered in ice.
Amanda's Pokémon charged forward at their enemies, who were now left wide open. Hariyama attacked first by sending a barrage of jagged stones at Weavile. He then played a second use when Arcanine leaped off his head to gain the altitude necessary to hit Cryogonal with the blazing body slam of Flare Blitz. Glalie ended up the target of both Gothitelle and Vanilluxe, who double-teamed him using Psyshock and a red, pulsing Hyper Beam.
"H-How dare you!" Zinzolin sputtered in indignation, having to recall his fainted Glalie, Weavile and Cryogonal all at once. "I will defeat you! I still have Vanillish!"
"It's over now. Zoroark!"
All too suddenly, Zinzolin realized the critical error he'd made – he had written off Zoroark for participation in the battle even though she was standing on the sidelines, ready to go at a moment's notice. He could only watch as Zoroark landed right in front of Vanillish and hit him with a point-blank Flamethrower, rendering him fainted as well.
"I…I…" For a brief moment, Zinzolin had visibly lost his nerve. His hands were shaking, and he bent over as if he were about to fall. He quickly recovered his composure, though, and took a deep breath before recalling Vanillish. "I have failed, and Lord Ghetsis will not be pleased with me. But do not let it be said that I am not a man of my word."
Turning back to the now-stunned protesters, Zinzolin once again raised his megaphone to his mouth.
"Today's protest is now concluded. Please, return to your homes and your ordinary lives. Polaris will speak to you again soon."
The protesters briefly became paralyzed by a collective sense of confusion as they attempted to understand what had just happened. "What about Falkner?" a man in the crowd called out.
"It may be true that we have not yet obtained a statement from a Gym Leader addressing our concerns," Zinzolin replied, "but we have effectively put our ideals upon a national stage. Be proud of what you accomplished today."
With their concerns largely soothed by Zinzolin's explanation, the protesters slowly dispersed, heading back into the city one by one.
Coming around to a sense of satisfaction with his work, Zinzolin started to leave as well. He was forced to stop, however, when he felt a hand grasping the back of his head.
"You're not going anywhere," Nekou whispered to the old sage, digging her fingernails into his scalp ever so slightly. "At least, not until you tell me what's going on."
"What makes you think I'd ever tell one of you people anything?" Zinzolin didn't even seem slightly afraid. In fact, he looked relaxed. "You people are just common criminals with no larger sense of purpose beyond personal gain. We stand for justice in society."
"We have ways of making life very painful for you if you don't give us the intel we want. Oh, and don't lecture me about taking things for personal gain. The way I live is none of your fucking business." Tightening her grip on his head, she sneered, "Now talk."
"Hah! The suffering that comes through life is what makes me feel alive in the first place. There's nothing one of you street thugs could do that would make me talk. I'd lay down my life in the service of Lord Ghetsis before I would ever help one of you."
"Have it your way."
"I know you haven't got it in you to voluntarily kill me," he said, even while feeling Nekou scratching his head even further, "so let me go now and let's end this farce."
"Nekou, just let him go. He's useless to us anyway."
Matt had approached Nekou without notice, and she struggled with what he said. Finally, she accepted that he was right about Zinzolin's uselessness and released the elderly Polaris member from her grasp.
"I don't know if you're one of them too or not," Zinzolin stated without turning around, "but in our eyes, you are all the same. You best prepare yourself, because this idyllic world you live in will soon be turned inside out."
While Zinzolin walked off, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to alleviate the pain caused by Nekou's attack, Nekou herself immediately shot her attention to Matt.
"Why'd you make me release him?! He could have given us valuable intelligence!"
"There's an even better source of potential information compared to an old man in a winter coat, and it's right under our noses." Matt nodded as he spoke. "Let's make sure all of the students and everyone else are okay, then we'll go to the Academy's library."
-:-
Several hours later, the sun had almost completely set over Johto, leaving Violet City covered by the soft glow of early moonlight and street lamps.
A path on the northern end of the city, consisting of two bridges over a lake, led to a tall pagoda surrounded by trees. Olivia and Avril, who were approaching the structure, stopped on the small island halfway down the path to observe it from the light of the lanterns dotting the road.
"So this is the Sprout Tower?" Olivia asked out loud. "It looks nice, but why bring me here exactly?"
"I shouldn't have expected a kid like you to know," Avril scoffed. "They won't let you challenge the Violet Gym in the first place unless you get approval from the Elder here."
"And I suppose that's why you're here, because you already got permission?" Olivia's sarcastic taunt was said with full realization that Avril actually hadn't done so either.
Briefly at a loss for words, Avril hissed back, "I'm more than you'll ever be, wait and watch. Have your laughs while you can."
"Oh, whatever. Let's go."
Without speaking another word to each other, Olivia and Avril walked the rest of the way to the tower and entered, finding themselves inside an aged chamber constructed nearly entirely of wood. Statues of the Pokémon Bellsprout dotted the room, and a thick, swaying pillar stood at the center, piercing the ceiling to reach into the upper floors.
"Greetings," a bald-headed monk wearing a black robe said to the two young women as they entered the pagoda. "Welcome to Sprout Tower. Please state your purpose."
"I want permission to battle Falkner!" Avril demanded.
"Hey, me too!" Olivia added.
"Very well. If you wish to earn our Elder's permission to battle Falkner, you must reach him on the third floor of our temple. Each of you, take one of the flights of stairs in the back of this chamber. On the above floor you will find a series of chambers where the monks here will test your worthiness for an audience with the Elder. May the gentle luck of the Bellsprout be with you both."
"I'm going to get up there and win before you even come close," Avril boasted, putting her hands on her hips.
"As if! I'll leave you in the dust!"
"You're on, washboard!"
-:-
The many large wooden bookshelves in the school's library made the room rather cramped and difficult to move around in. Bunny and Amanda were sitting together at a table on the far side of the library near a window; they weren't alone for long, as Matt soon returned carrying a thick, heavy book that he dropped on the wooden surface.
"This is the book you mentioned, Amanda," Matt said as he sat down. "The one with information on Reshiram in it."
"Yes, big brother. If you're looking for that Pokémon, there should be a hint in that book, based on what Earl's told me."
"I thought Amanda couldn't walk," Bunny questioned Matt. "Did something change? What did that old man from Polaris mean about 'modifying your bodies' and 'straddling the boundary of life and death?'"
"Well, you see…" Taking a deep breath, Matt looked down at the table. His thoughts were difficult to process into words. "Like how my body was repaired with machinery to restore my mobility, Amanda has a pair of artificial legs now, so she doesn't need her wheelchair anymore. My hope is to one day make a workable cybernetic eye so her sight can also be restored."
"I don't think those Polaris people like it when humans modify themselves with machines," Amanda observed.
"No, it's more than that. Bunny, do you remember what they said in Whitegold City? I don't think it's just humans… they oppose the blending of machinery and DNA, period. It's all organic life."
"That's right!" Bunny exclaimed. "The object of their worship is DNA itself, then."
"Based on what I recall, that would be correct. Something doesn't add up, though… why would they be campaigning against the Pokémon League system, then?"
"It's all very frightening…" Amanda listlessly commented.
"I agree," Bunny concurred.
"There is only one way to cut through all the mystery surrounding everything, and that's to find Reshiram." Opening the oversized volume, Matt quickly flipped through the pages until he found one displaying his target, a majestic, blue-eyed dragon with grand plumage on its white body.
"There it is!"
Nodding to Bunny in acknowledgment of her exclamation, Matt began reading out loud.
"The Vast White Fire of Truth, Reshiram.
Legend states that this creature was wielded by a hero centuries ago in Unova. It was once part of a single Pokémon along with Zekrom, and when they were split up, Kyurem was created. But what is the meaning of this? What brought about the splitting of this single Pokémon into three and how can such a thing even be possible? Modern science is unable to provide a certain answer, but theories exist.
Research by Professor Lenora Hawes, director of the museum of archeology in Nacrene City, Unova, suggests that Reshiram, like Zekrom, does not have normal biology in terms humans ordinarily consider. Professor Hawes's hypothesis states that Reshiram's body is formed from the flames of truth it controls. This amorphous nature grants Reshiram the ability to alter its body structure, which is most well documented when it takes on the dormant form of the Light Stone. However, research on the last known Light Stone led Professor Hawes to a startling hypothesis regarding Reshiram's origin – it may be impossible to locate Reshiram or the Light Stone in the traditional sense. Instead, Reshiram may be drawn to individuals who seek the truth with their entire being, hence why the essences of Reshiram and Zekrom were removed from the original Pokémon they once collectively were."
"It doesn't have a fixed location? Is that possible?"
"No, no, I won't accept this!" Matt slammed his fist on the table, not even bothering to pay attention to Bunny's question. "Reshiram has to be somewhere! I'm no hero, so the idea of finding it by matching the ancient hero's drive for the truth… I can't pull that off!"
"Matt, think back to what Dante said!" Bunny pleaded, unwilling to simply sit by and watch Matt destroy himself with doubt. "Remember what you told me he said to you back on Route 29? 'the Light Stone only appears before an individual who has put in overwhelming effort into finding the truth.' That's consistent with what it says here. We have to keep searching."
Nekou was watching Matt, Amanda and Bunny verbally spar over the Light Stone and Reshiram from a vantage point that mostly obscured her behind a bookcase. She was waiting for when she felt comfortable that they would not notice what she was doing.
Several minutes passed before that feeling finally came. Nekou slid into the narrow aisle defined by the bookcases and removed her glasses, tossing them into a nearby garbage bin with a sharp flick of her wrist. She then took out a new pair that was more rectangular in shape with frames that didn't cover the tops of the lenses, put them on, and tapped the left-hand stem. This activated a computer built into the glasses, and she used them to scan the shelves.
"Where are you…" she uttered to herself. There was one particular book she wanted to find, and all of her attention was focused on locating it. After covering several rows of books, a signal on her computer glasses flashed. "Well, that wasn't so hard."
Nekou switched off her glasses and pulled the book from its place on the shelf. It was not particularly thick, but she knew that it was nevertheless important despite its size.
"A Documentation of Ancient Cultures and Peoples," she read off the book's heavy brown cover, "by Sutter Chiaki and Jacob Alexison."
Opening the book, Nekou skimmed the first page, which revealed that the tome was a collection of writings by Sutter and his then-young assistant, Jacob, centered around the study of its titular subjects. After peering around the bookcase again to confirm that Matt, Bunny and Amanda were still discussing Reshiram and thus not paying attention to her, Nekou thumbed through the book, bypassing several sections until she found the material she sought.
"September 8, 1952 – Jacob and I have begun what we hope will be our most exciting study yet. We wish to find the holy land of the Tenganist people, which may be key to understanding how our world began, as it is said that the Tenganists of this era are descended from the first humans to live on Earth. Most notably, the people of this culture possess a power, Transcendence, with which they can harness powers similar to those of Pokémon. It is documented that they discovered a way to create an object called the Jewel of Life using the elemental Plates occasionally unearthed by archeologists. If we could discover this secret, we may be able to learn ways to help impoverished areas of the world. This is the purpose of our quest.
October 12, 1952 – The original homeland of the Tenganists was near Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, where our world took shape. However, they fanned out across the world. What we seek is the place where the most direct descendants of those original people now live. This is the holy land of the Tenganists and where the truth must lie. Our search will focus first on places in Sinnoh near Mt. Coronet.
December 31, 1952 - We are spending New Years' in Snowpoint City. Spent Christmas here too. This isn't the place we're looking for, although there are plenty of Tenganists here. It's not Eterna or Oreburgh either.
January 4, 1953 - We learned from the shrine maiden guarding Snowpoint Temple that we might be able to learn something in Celestic Town. As soon as this snow ends, we'll be able to make it there.
January 22, 1953 - A breakthrough? The people of Celestic Town seemed to know where what we seek is. We must go south, into the borderlands between Sinnoh and the Tohjo Continent. This may be the last entry for a while.
September 5, 1953 – One year into our quest to find the Tenganist holy land, and we've had our biggest breakthrough yet! While visiting a Tenganist village in the borderland region, we met a young woman named Saeko Oryo. She is an oracle living in another village, whose Transcendence power is to see the past and future. Our previous research has indicated that the powers of prophecy – actual seeing, not merely premonition – are difficult to achieve by anyone other than the most pure-blooded Tenganists. When we asked her to take us to her home, she agreed. Has our work finally paid off?
October 3, 1953 – Here in the snowy wasteland between Sinnoh and the Tohjo Continent, Jacob and I have found the Tenganist holy land! With the help of Saeko Oryo, of course. Without her, we would never have had the big breakthrough we did. This village is literally a time capsule… it's like time doesn't even pass here.
October 31, 1953 – Neither of us wants to leave. We enjoy the company of Miss Oryo and the other Tenganists far too much, and this village is a lovely place, even if it is cold. –Jacob
November 11, 1953 – Something strange is going on. I was spending some time with Saeko and she used her power. I think she saw something unusual in her vision.
November 12, 1953 – The other people of the village are acting strangely around Jacob and I, and Saeko seems to have withdrawn. Something is definitely strange."
When her eyes glanced down to the last entry, Nekou's blood ran cold. It was written in a different style than the others, coming across as panicked and terrified.
"December 8, 1953 – It's a disaster… the village elders decided to exile Jacob and I, and Saeko was sentenced to burn at the stake as a witch. But it's not that simple. She tried to run. She ran, and in her desperation, she swallowed that little stone they hid away in the village, and now it's burning and everyone is dead. Should anyone read this in the future, let it be a warning to you. Stay away from that accursed thing… that Jewel of Life… all it brings is despair! It is cursed! We should never have searched for it in the first place!"
Rattled, Nekou closed the book, tucked it under her arm, and quietly headed to leave the library. "This changes things," she thought to herself. "I have to find out more about what this means..."
-:-
"Ha! I made it here before you!"
"Be quiet, you bottom feeder. I obviously set foot on this floor well before you!"
For all of Olivia's bragging and Avril's insults, their race was too close to call. Both of them had reached the top floor of Sprout Tower at nearly the exact same time.
"I see you have passed the tests posed by my followers."
Olivia and Avril turned themselves in the direction of the ragged voice. It belonged to an old, bald-headed man dressed in purple and gold robes, who was approaching them from his place of meditation in front of a Bellsprout mosaic.
"Are you the Elder?" Olivia questioned.
"I am. My name is Li, and I welcome you to the Sprout Tower! What have you learned from your training here? I would like the two of you to reflect on that. Since you came here, you must wish to challenge Falkner. I'm the final test before Violet Gym for the two of you. Which one of you will go first?"
"I will!" Avril loudly declared, pushing Olivia aside.
"You're clearly very eager. What is your name, girl?"
"Avril! And I'm going to be the Champion!"
Li smiled under his thick white moustache. "Very well, Avril, I accept your challenge. Go, Bellsprout!"
As soon as the Bellsprout emerged from Li's Poké Ball, Avril took out and threw her own, a variant with a green top. The Nest Ball burst open, revealing a small, dinosaur-like Pokémon with a stout blue body and black fur growing on its neck and head.
"That Pokémon is so cute!" Olivia squealed as she scanned the growling creature.
"Deino, the Irate Pokémon. Type is Dark/Dragon. Lacking sight, it's unaware of its surroundings, so it bumps into things and eats anything that moves."
"Yeah, none of your Pokémon can measure up to her," Avril snidely boasted regarding Deino. "Deino, open strong. Use Work Up!"
"A wise tactic. I think I shall copy it. Bellsprout, Growth!"
Dr. Zager was working intently on collecting intelligence from RChannel when he heard the door of his laboratory open. Before he knew it, Jessie was towering over him, holding him up by the collar.
"Why didn't you tell us everything?!" she cried out. Zager needed a moment before he noticed a tear in the corner of her eye.
"What are you talking about?" Dr. Zager was genuinely naïve of what Jessie was so upset over. He tried to pry her hands off of his collar, but failed.
"You didn't warn us about what the Meteonite could really do," James explained as he entered alongside Ariana. "Because of that… Polaris brainwashed Meowth into joining them!"
"What?!"
When Zager started coughing, Ariana ordered, "Jessie, put him down now or I'll have you written up for insubordination."
"Fine."
Jessie didn't let go of Zager as much as she simply dropped him, and he came close to falling down once he landed. She then fumed back over to rejoin James and Ariana. Meanwhile, Galvantula was hiding under the laboratory table.
"Explain what you're saying," the doctor demanded.
"The Team Plasma members who are in Polaris attacked us and we got into a fight with them. During the battle the Meteonite became destabilized, and when Meowth touched it, it changed him. Ariana came to take Jessie and I to you before things got any worse."
"So help us, Doctor!" Jessie added.
"I'm…" It was difficult for Zager to accept what he was being told. Beneath his occasionally gruff demeanor, he did genuinely care about those under his command, so he felt a strong desire to get Meowth back as well. On the other hand, though, he knew far more than Jessie, James or even Ariana just how hard defeating Polaris would be. "I'm afraid I can't do anything right now but contact the boss for help. Do you have the R-Pad?"
"Right here," Jessie said as she held the computer up.
"Then we shall get to the data analysis right away." Zager narrowed his eyes, and his face became darker. "What could Polaris actually be planning?"
-:-
Polaris's Adenosine Base stood in the Johto ocean like a massive iron monolith supported by legs on four small islands. The brisk sea breeze blew over the structure as it sat under the bright moonlight.
On one of the four islands, a vast landing area was set up. Several scientists were there, as was Finansielle, the winds blowing the sheer cape running down from her armor to cover the nightgown she wore underneath.
Soon, a large, military-grade helicopter came from over the surface of the sea and settled into hovering over the ring of lights on the landing pad. Its pilot carefully guided the craft downward, landing with little fuss.
A staircase emerged from the side of the chopper and descended in front of Finansielle and the scientists. The cabin door opened, and a blonde, bespectacled man in a flowing white lab coat stepped out. He walked calmly down the stairs and only stopped once he was face-to-face with Finansielle.
"Dr. Colress Antimony, as I live and breathe," Polaris's financier greeted him. "Welcome to the Adenosine Base. We shall help you finish your work on Pokémon strength here."
"So you're Finansielle, then?" Colress asked, twirling his finger through the long curl of blue hair that wrapped around his head. "I'm looking forward to getting to work. The key of the latent potential of Pokémon…"
"Did you bring those objects I requested?"
"Yes, I did." Upon Finansielle's request, Colress held up the briefcase he'd been carrying and opened it, revealing two sharp pins colored in stripes of blue, black and white preserved in orange fluid.
Immediately upon seeing them, Finansielle breathed heavily. "The DNA Splicers… finally, after so long, the key to Polaris's promised world is finally in our possession…"
"I'll be more than happy to help you reach that world, too. My expertise will be necessary to create the perfect DNA that we both seek."
END of CHAPTER 7