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Chapter 13
Julius Caesar
Giselle and Joe show up at a burned-out building in Geosenge Town in Kalos.
"I guess this is it…?" Joe says, taking a step toward the building, then stepping back quickly.
"Of course this is it!" Giselle exclaims. "There's no other buildings standing, this has to be it!"
She charges inside the building, with Joe trying to hold her back.
"Don't be too risky!" he calls to her, as she runs ahead of him.
"I'm finding my daughter if it's the last thing I do!" Giselle says. "And that might be literal!"
Giselle disappears far inside the building, with Joe unable to catch her. He goes to turn back, but he is suddenly surrounded in deep darkness. He looks around everywhere in sheer panic, but he can't see a thing. He starts screaming, but he gets no response.
"Giselle, I think we've got to get out of here!" he yells. "Giselle?"
Meanwhile, Giselle has run deep into the basement of the building, finding all kinds of destroyed computers and machinery. She goes at full speed, not caring what she is touching with her legs as she runs through. Finally, she gets tripped up by a wire, that causes her to faceplant.
"Welcome, Gravelpot," a voice says.
Giselle starts getting up. "I know that voice," she says. "It's you."
"That's right."
Out of the darkness steps Cynthia, holding two Master Balls in her hands, with extremely bright light coming from behind her.
"It's too late, Gravelpot," Cynthia says. "I have both of the legendary Pokémon I need to start this world back at square one."
"Oh, you do?" Giselle says. "Well, that's too bad, I guess I'll just go home now."
She turns away from Cynthia, before turning right back at her and unleashing her Poké Balls.
"Cubone, Graveler, go!"
But neither Pokémon comes out of its Poké Ball.
"What's the matter, are you two chicken?" Giselle shouts.
"Indeed they are," Cynthia says.
"Huh?"
"You see, I am one with Arceus," Cynthia says. "I thought you would remember that from last time."
"I didn't believe it!"
"Well, it's too bad," Cynthia says. "No Pokémon will dare to fight against me."
"Oh, okay," Giselle replies. "That's good to know. Everything is hopeless then."
"Not quite," Cynthia says. "I have something to show you… or, rather, someone."
She steps aside, and a small girl appears from behind her.
"Is that… is that…" Giselle begins to say.
The girl comes closer to Giselle, and Giselle realizes who she is.
"It's you!" Giselle exclaims. "Synneva!"
Synneva runs into her mother's arms, and the two share a warm embrace.
"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Giselle exclaims, crying tears of joy. "Where's Joe? He needs to experience this too!"
"He's taken care of," Synneva replies.
Giselle looks weirdly at her daughter. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Suddenly…
"AAAAHHHH!"
Giselle screams as extreme pain comes from her stomach. She looks down, seeing blood flying out of her body. She then looks over at Synneva, who has a smile on her face.
"What the…"
Giselle pushes Synneva away, then realizes that there is nothing in Synneva's hands.
"Oh, okay. That didn't come from you. Then it must have come from…"
She turns in Cynthia's direction and points at her.
"…From you!"
"Nope!" Synneva replies.
Giselle looks stunned at her daughter, who reaches out and grabs Giselle's outstretched hand. Immediately, Giselle's wrist weakens, and she drops her arm. As she does, her right hand falls off her arm, and blood goes flying out.
"But, but… I thought no one could hurt me!" Giselle cries. "I am the chosen one!"
"Nope!" Synneva responds again. "Iam the chosen one. And I am the only one who can hurt you – not Cynthia, not anyone else… only me."
Giselle is in total shock, and she falls to her knees in utter despair.
"I… I… no! It can't be…"
She coughs up blood, while Synneva walks over to Cynthia and drops to one knee in front of her.
"My loyalty is to Queen Cynthia, who shall soon rule the Pokémon world again," Synneva says. "I am her humble servant, the chosen one who has the power to destroy. Queen Cynthia shall rule for 20 years, after which time she will turn over her kingdom to me as promised in our contract. In turn, I will protect her from all outside threats."
"But… but…" Giselle cries. "You're my daughter!"
"I was your daughter," Synneva says. "But now I serve Queen Cynthia. You are but a pawn."
"No, no!"
"I will show mercy on you and allow you to die here in solitude," Cynthia says. "Soon your former daughter and I will create the new world."
"Why kill me if you're going to create a new world?" Giselle coughs, with blood spilling out.
"All the humans in this world will remain," Cynthia says. "But they will be placed in new roles once the new world is created. Those roles will be to serve me. But you have no use for me."
"Then – then – then, why not just kill me now?"
"I want to see you suffer," Cynthia replies.
"Get the hell out!" Giselle yells at her. "What's wrong with you?"
Cynthia laughs. "It ought to take you two days to die. So, three days from now, we will create a new world. Your former daughter and I are headed to the Lily of the Valley in Sinnoh to set up where we will rule. I'll be nice to you and leave you in complete darkness so you can't see your body disintegrate."
Cynthia and Synneva disappear from Giselle's sight, and Giselle is plunged into deep darkness.
"Well, at least I can say I won the last Pokémon League championship…" Giselle says, as her body begins to shut down. "I… won… seven… times…"
Back at Carolina's house, the Trainers are all standing around when suddenly Sabrina teleports into their sight, along with Liza.
"Where is Gravelpot?" Sabrina demands.
"Huh?" Roxanne says.
"Giselle. Where did she go?"
"We sent her to Geosenge Town," Carolina says. "There she will try to-"
"We've got to get her the hell out of there now!" Sabrina yells.
"Why?" Candice shouts.
"Because I had a premonition," Sabrina says. "My dream was of her dying. And she's the last hope we have to save the Pokémon world from being destroyed. We've got to find her pronto!"
"I'm going with Sabrina," Liza says. "See you!"
The two of them disappear, leaving everyone else in other shock.
"Well, get going!" Brawly shouts.
"That's right!" Roxanne says. "I'm not going to let Gravelpot die on my watch! Let's split up and use our Pokémon to fly to Geosenge Town!"
An hour later, Roxanne, Brawly, and the rest of the group who was at Carolina's house show up in Geosenge Town. There they see Sabrina dragging out the lifeless body of Giselle, while Liza pulls out Joe.
"Are they… dead?" Volkner asks.
"No, thankfully," Sabrina says. "They look dead, but they're not. Carolina, I need your help."
Carolina nods. "Sabrina, my granddaughter has put you through hell and back. I will do whatever I can to help you."
Sabrina smiles for a moment. "If we had time, I'd hug you right now," she says. "But right now, we need every second we can get. Please, Carolina, bring these two back to your bunker, because I know you have a Blissey and Chansey there who could heal these two."
"Let me help," Lucian says.
He picks up Giselle's body, while Diane picks up Joe's.
"Man, he is so light!" Diane says.
"Come on, there's no time to waste," Carolina says. "Get them on Joe's Pidgeot and let's get the hell out of here. I was able to get his Pidgeot out of its Poké Ball."
Carolina, Lucian, and Diane take the two bodies and hop on the Pidgeot, which then flies them away.
"What happened here?" Roxanne demands Sabrina.
"It's the worst-case scenario," Sabrina says. "Liza and I saw Cynthia and a girl escape from here just when we arrived. We couldn't do anything to stop them. We haven't found either rare Pokémon, which tells me that Cynthia already has them. Giselle is missing a hand, and she has a near-fatal wound to her stomach. Joe was knocked out cold as well. It's all we could do to just get them out here."
"So, are we doomed?" Volkner asked. "Or is there still hope?"
"We have got to find Cynthia and stop her, somehow," Sabrina says. "I don't even know how. But if she got out of here, then she's got to have the Pokémon necessary to create a new world and wipe out the one we're in."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Brawly says. "At least if we're all dead, we don't have to worry about Cynthia anymore."
"You're wrong," Sabrina says. "If Cynthia creates the new world, all of us humans who are alive will remain in the new world – but there is no telling what that new world may look like. We may all be enslaved to Cynthia or tortured. Basically all we can possibly do is try to stop Cynthia ourselves."
"But where is she going?" Janine asks.
"Follow my scars," Candice says. "I can sense Cynthia's pressure through the scars on my face."
"Let's get going, then," Falkner says.
Sabrina and Liza teleport away, while the rest of the Trainers board Flying Pokémon to leave. Meanwhile, back at Carolina's bunker, Giselle and Joe lie on a Pokémon Center machine, with a Blissey and a Chansey taking care of them. As they heal them, Diane and Lucian put together an object made of brass metal, with wires sticking out of it.
"Are you sure this'll work?" Lucian asks.
"We don't have much choice," Diane replies. "We have to try."
The two of them continue putting the object together, while Carolina watches over Joe and Giselle as they continue to heal.
"My scars!" Candice exclaims. "They're leading me to Sinnoh!"
"Well, of course they'd lead you to Sinnoh," Falkner says. "That's where Cynthis is from."
"Come on, this way!" Candice says, directing Falkner's Pokémon to fly in the direction of the Lily in the Valley.
Sabrina and Liza, who were able to sense Cynthia's presence after teleporting away, arrive at the burnt-out Lily of the Valley building. They march in, at which point, a sudden strong force causes both of them to fall to their knees. They each look up and see long blonde hair.
"It's you," Sabrina says with contempt.
"Welcome, Sabrina," Cynthia replies.
"What have you done?" Sabrina yells. "You've done everything but destroy the world – and you're going to do even that!"
"Allow me to explain," a voice calls out behind Cynthia.
Sabrina and Liza are shocked to see an 11-year-old, short, auburn-haired girl show up.
"Who are you?" Liza asks.
"That's – that's Giselle's daughter!" Sabrina exclaims. "She does exist!"
"That's right," Synneva says.
She takes a knee in front of Cynthia.
"Queen Cynthia, I ask for your permission to do what I like with these two," Synneva says.
"I'll give you one of them," Cynthia says, as she walks out of the room.
Synneva stands up and looks at Sabrina and Liza, whose knees are shaking as they kneel before her.
"Let me explain everything to you," Synneva says. "You thought Giselle was the chosen one. You were wrong. I am the chosen one."
"Just great," Liza mumbles under her breath.
"I joined forces with Queen Cynthia after being sent into the Distortion World," Synneva continues. "Had you not experimented with me in your underground bunker, Sabrina, none of this would have happened."
Sabrina looks miserable as she sighs.
"Anyway, I made a contract with Queen Cynthia," Synneva says. "We create a new world, with all you pawns to serve her. After 20 years, Cynthia retires from her throne, and I become Queen of the Pokémon world. And you two will watch it happen."
"Well, that's nice," Liza says.
"So, Queen Cynthia allows me to have one of you two," Synneva says. "Liza, you have no use to me, you may go."
She reaches toward Liza, and suddenly Liza is freed from the force that was holding her down.
"Please teleport away before I kill you," Synneva says.
"No! I'm not leaving here without Sabrina!" Liza exclaims.
"Just go!" Sabrina calls. "If you die too, we gain nothing!"
Liza shakes her head, then teleports away.
"Now, as for you," Synneva says.
She reaches out her hand and touches Sabrina in between her breasts. Sabrina cries out in pain, then looks down.
"I have branded you," Synneva states. "That's the letter 'S,' so you know who owns you."
"Stop this, please!" Sabrina calls. "Your mother loves you!"
"My only mother is Queen Cynthia now," Synneva states. "Now, what else should I do with you? I know! Come with me!"
She reaches out her finger, and Sabrina is dragged through the burnt-out building on her knees, off to a place Synneva has ideas to use her.
Carolina stands over Joe and Giselle, noticing them gaining warmth. Suddenly, Joe pops his head up, seeing where he is.
"Oh, Giselle!" he cries. "Are you okay?"
Giselle lies their motionless, and Joe looks over at her frantically.
"Giselle, Giselle, wake up!" he calls. "You're going to lose the Pokémon League!"
Giselle mumbles something under her breath, then sits up in bed.
"Stupid… Princess… Iris…" she complains.
"You're alive!" Joe exclaims. "I'm so happy!"
He pushes his way off the bed and walks over to Giselle, warmly hugging her. As he does, he notices something metal touching his back.
"What's that?" he asks.
Giselle pulls her arms back, then looks at her right hand in absolute shock. She sees a metallic hand with brass fingers. As she uses her brain, she can get them to work perfectly.
"No! No!" she cries.
"I'm sorry, Giselle," Carolina says. "You lost your hand, and we were too late to save it. Lucian and Diane built you a metallic one that is hooked up to some of our greatest technology. We enable you to be able to still use your hand… but your real one is gone forever."
Giselle looks shocked, before looking down at her hand again and begins to cry.
"My daughter… my Pokémon League trophies… and now my hand," she cries. "I've lost everything. What's the point of-"
"Don't finish that sentence," Joe breaks in, standing by her bed. "There is plenty to live for. We've got to stop Cynthia before it's too late."
"No, they're not fully healed yet!" Diane calls.
"It doesn't matter," Joe replies. "Let's go."
He reaches down and grabs Giselle's metallic hand. Giselle is able to pull herself up, just as if she was using her real hand.
"We've got no choice," he tells her. "This is our last chance to save the world – and our daughter."
"Fine, then, whatevs," Giselle says. "Got any advice for us?" she asks Lucian and Diane.
"Do not die," Lucian says.
"Keep breathing," Diane adds.
"How about you?" Giselle says, turning to Carolina.
"Believe," Carolina replies. "That's the only word I have for you – believe. If you believe, you'll have a chance."
"Believe in what? The playoff chances of the Electabuzz baseball team?"
"You'll know when you get there," Carolina replies.
"Whatever," Giselle replies.
"You ready to go?" Joe asks.
"Yeah, sure," Giselle says. "But you only get two hands, you know."
Joe smiles at Giselle, and the two begin once more on a quest to save their daughter.