Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
In the end, they didn't stay to clean up Kitakami after all.
After reeling from the shocking revelation about the truth of their Rotom Phones, followed by Mewtwo hijacking everyone's brains to witness his public execution of Desmond and Mencia and the liberation of every Rotom in the world – as well as not so subtly reminding everyone just how low on the cosmic packing scale they all were – none of them were really in a state to do much of anything.
They all needed a moment to catch their breath or quick rest… Something which they were denied, and not just because the community center had been wrecked as well – though thankfully all their belongings were okay – but because the people of Mossui, by this point completely fed up with them and perhaps all foreigners, told them in stark terms to get out of their country and never return, and no, they didn't care about the destroyed forest or the roving evil Pokémon or want their help catching them or fixing the town, they had done quite enough, so get lost.
Carmine had been livid and made her opinion about all this explicitly clear. ANNA, on the other hand, had calmly accepted this, and told the townsfolk that in a few generations tops their country would cease to exist due to the march of progress, their xenophobia and refusal to change their traditions, and all their youth – such as Carmine – inevitably abandoning them for the bigger brighter world beyond with the absolute certainty of prophecy.
(Her friends and Briar were amazed by her level of self-control. Julie was the only one who noticed how much her sister's hands were shaking with rage.)
But of course, ANNA was not so cruel as to abandon the villagers to their fate. On the way to the airport – she had bought tickets for them all in advance, anticipating the need for an abrupt departure ahead of schedule – she signaled her satellite to launch a terraformer pod to regrow Timeless Woods as well as deploying enough Poké Balls to capture every tagged evil Pokémon in the region and transport them all to her box. The resulting light show was spectacular, and the fact that it would no doubt fill the ungrateful townsfolk with absolute terror at the reminder that a vastly superior being would be always watching them from now on improved her mood quite a bit.
And then at last it was time to say goodbye.
"You did not need to see us off," ANNA told Carmine, who had taken the trip to the airport with them.
"We're happy nyou did, though!" Julie said cheerfully.
"I don't think I'm exactly welcome around town at the moment," Carmine said with a bitter laugh. "Nor do I want to be. Ms. Briar, I think I'm going to be spending the next few breaks at Blueberry, if that's okay with you. Maybe even take summer classes."
Briar frowned. "Carmine, while that level of academic dedication is admirable, what about your grandparents? Your desire to also become a mask wizard like your ancestors?"
Carmine looked down, her bangs covering her face. "Grandpa's gonna send me all the books and texts he has and do lessons over the phone for the next while. I love him, but it's going to take me a while before I can really trust him again. I know I'll come back eventually, I just…" She gripped her arm. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be. It doesn't feel like home anymore. I'm not sure where home is any longer."
"That is something we are all too familiar with," ANNA said sadly. "But my sister and I were able to find a place we could call home until we can find a way back to our own worlds which, coincidentally, is also at a school. You are a strong, intelligent young woman, Carmine. I have every confidence you can do the same, especially now that you have learned to see beyond your own biases."
"I think I still have a way to go on that," Carmine admitted.
"Which you are willing to admit, which is more than many can," ANNA said.
"… Yeah." Carmine grimaced. "I'm… Sorry about Kieran."
Kieran hadn't come with Carmine. Nobody was surprised by that.
Nobody had really wanted to see him, either.
"Do you think you can patch things up with him?" Aliquis asked.
"I'm going to try," Carmine promised. "I'm part of the reason he's like this. And as obnoxious as he is, he's the only brother I have." She smiled at the twins. "And hey, if people as different as the two of you can become a family… That means there's hope for us, too." She hesitated. "Is there, uh, anything you want me to tell him?"
Julie made a face, and ANNA shook her head. "Nothing that would help, or that he would want to hear."
Carmine nodded, unsurprised. "Yeah. That's about what I figured." She hesitated, then gave them a pleading look. "Hey, are… Are we going to see each other again?"
"If you desire to," ANNA said.
"We certainly would!" Julie exclaimed.
Carmine's shoulders sagged in relief at this. "Good. That's… At least one good thing came out of all this." She smiled softly. "After everything that's happened the last couple days… My world getting flipped over like half a dozen times, all the lies, all the betrayals… I'm glad I know that there are two people I can count on no matter what. I lo-"
She cut herself off, turning red. "I'm… I look forward to seeing you again soon."
Julie blinked. "Nyu realize nyou're nyot fooling anybody about what nyou were actually about to say, right?"
"Shut up! You don't know you you're talking about!" Carmine snapped.
"Classic tsuntsun," ANNA commented, everyone bursting into laughter as Carmine screamed incoherently.
"You know," Briar spoke up, an amused look in her eyes. "It might be possible for the three of you to see each other again sooner than you think. There is that exchange program coming up, after all."
Carmine's head shot up. "Wait, you mean… They could come visit Blueberry?!"
"That would be a very novel experience," ANNA remarked. "I would be interested in examining the systems you use to maintain your Terarium."
"And Julie wants to explore underwater land!" Julie cheered. She frowned. "Will Papa Clavell let us go, though? We kind of cause lots of problems here in Kitakami…"
"Mewstress, let's be honest, you cause problems everywhere you go, and make everyone's lives better for it," Ohara said happily.
Aliquis nodded. "Yeah, the day you two first came to Naranjuva everything changed… And as wild and chaotic and full of explosions and lesbian catgirls as things are now, I wouldn't change a minute of it!"
"People actually look forward to going to classes now! You helped make learning fun again!" Hohma agreed eagerly.
"That is extremely gratifying," a flattered ANNA said, surprised. "I am glad to know that we have helped instill the same thirst for knowledge and understanding my own people possess into all of you."
"Nyou knyow they're talking about how it's because so much crazy stuff happens around us, right?" Julie asked her.
ANNA rolled her eyes. "I am aware, sister. I am also aware that test scores have risen across the board since our admittance and will take it as a win."
Julie scoffed. "Sister knyows as well as Julie standardized testing nyot nyecessarily best meowtric to determine actual learning improvement."
"I am well aware, hence why I wrote the new tests and lesson plans to make sure they can measure for it," ANNA said proudly.
Carmine blinked. "… I don't suppose we could get some of those tests at Blueberry-"
"Now let's not be too hasty," Briar said quickly. "While I'm gratified that thanks to the twins this is the first class trip I've ever had where nobody died horribly, I think something like that might be a change too far to the curriculum."
Everyone stared at her in horror. "… How are you still a teacher?!" Ohara demanded.
"I have tenure," Briar reminded her.
"Several beings have in fact died horribly," ANNA pointed out.
"Their dying screams haunt Julie's nightmares," Julie said in a chipper tone.
"Yes, but I wasn't responsible for any of them," Briar said cheerfully.
Carmine swallowed. "Hey, you know, is there any chance that I could, possibly maybe transfer to Naranjuva-"
"No," Briar said. "Also, we should probably get going, the pilot is looking pretty impatient."
"We are the only passengers on this flight, I am paying this man's salary, we will leave when I say we leave," ANNA said sharply. "But yes, we should probably depart if we want to make our connection in Mistralton."
"Wait! Um… Before you go…" Carmine swallowed. "I… I don't suppose that you could… Maybe…"
Blushing, unable to verbalize her desire, she looked pointedly at Ohara.
Julie blinked, then smiled. "Oh! Why didn't Carcar say so in first place?"
She hopped up, grabbed Carmine by the cheeks, and kissed her on the lips. The other girl fell to her knees, dazed. "Buh?"
"There! Nyow Carcar become catgirl!" Julie said, patting her on the head.
"I thought you needed to scratch or bite her to transmit the retrovirus," ANNA pointed out.
Julie opened her mouth, pointing at her fangs. "Julie bite a little."
"No fair! You never kissed me to make me like you!" An upset Ohara cried as Aliquis and Hohma goggled.
"Ohaoha want kiss?" Julie asked.
Ohara nodded fervently.
Julie shrugged, leapt up and started making out with the thrilled Ohara.
Aliquis and Hohma exchanged glances. "Hey, uh, I don't suppose-" Aliquis started.
As a swooning Ohara fell on her rear, mewing happily, Julie bluntly said, "Julie don't kiss boys."
"Speaking of," ANNA said, helping the stunned Carmine back to her feet, only to grab, dip, and kiss her.
Briar blinked. Aliquis and Hohma goggled again. Julie snorted. "Julie kissed first!"
"And I kissed last," ANNA said as she set the lovestruck Carmine down. "All right. We can go now. Goodbye, Carmine."
"W-wait! WAIT!" Carmine shouted just they started to board the waiting plane. "Ogerpon… Tell Ogerpon that I'm looking forward to the next chapter of her manga! And whatever she writes based on you two! And… And…" She took a deep breath. "When I become a mask wizard… I'm going to make a new mask for her! One better than all the others! I'm gonna blow my ancestors out of the water and become the greatest mask wizard in the world!"
ANNA and Julie, on the steps to the plane, smiled back at her. "Of course you will, Carmine," ANNA said fondly.
"That nyever in doubt!" Julie cheered.
Minutes later, they were gone, the plane vanishing into the blue sky.
Still smiling, Carmine turned away and returned to a place that no longer felt like home, excitedly wondering when her new ears and tail would come in.
Everyone was so worn out by the day's events that it wasn't until they'd switched planes and were halfway back to Paldea that Julie and ANNA were ready to fill each other in on what had transgressed before. Ohara, perfectly at ease thanks to her transformation and so enjoying flying in a plane for the first time in her life, eagerly listened along with the rest of the group, Briar fervently taking notes while Hohma recorded on his phone – his Rotom had chosen to stay with him, much to his relief – as Julie concluded the story of her adventure in the Timeless Woods.
"… So Julie say goodbye to Perrin, call back Scar, and fly to rescue sister and friends. Julie punch Demon King in face!" Julie declared triumphantly.
"That was so cool, Mewstress!" Ohara gushed.
"That video is getting so many views," Hohma said eagerly.
"Thank you for the further insight on your culture and the rituals of your people, Julie," Briar said, scribbling on her notepad. "However, I can't help feeling like we're missing some context here and there. While I can infer some of it – the Lineage of Light is clearly the family sired by your immortal God-Queens, and you apparently being Lumina's heir is self-explanatory – but why did you never tell us you were related to them to begin with? And what did you and the Demon King mean by you being the one he was searching for but also feared?"
"Also, why would an immortal queen need an heir to begin with?" Aliquis questioned.
"Well, she's apparently been ruling for several thousand years," Hohma pointed out. "Maybe she's ready to retire? Or at least take a very long vacation?"
"The Master Computers of my people operate somewhat similarly," ANNA commented. "As they accumulate power and knowledge over the eons, they grow larger and more complex, and eventually must delegate to newer Master Computers chosen from their subordinates, who also grow in power, wisdom, complexity, and size until it is their turn to choose a successor as they join their elders to become a higher level of being. It has nothing to do with death or becoming too old or tired to do the job, they have merely matured to the point that they are beginning a new phase of their endless lives."
She did not mention that something similar was happening to her. Not yet.
"Well, Julie didn't even knyow Julie member of Lineage of Light until nyow," Julie confessed.
"Your mother never told you?" Ohara asked in surprise. "I thought your kind didn't lie."
"Meowther didn't lie, just… Nyot tell Julie everything," Julie admitted. "Meowther nyot born in tribe. Join very very long time ago. Nyever said why. Nyobody question. Nyewcomers join tribes all the time, with reasons of their own. Nyot everyone feel comfortable talking about it. World is wonderful place, but… All knyow it nyot always safe. Demonspawn. Servants of Demon King. Other things…" She shrugged. "Sometimes people nyeed to get away. It their business, nyot ours. Julie ask once, when Julie very young, where Meowther come from, and she said it beautiful place, and still has family waiting for her, and she take Julie one day. Didn't say when. Nyever said more. Julie thinks Julie knyow why nyow."
"I'll bite. Why?" Aliquis asked.
"Lineage of Light are descendants of Lumina, Lupara, and other mates," Julie explained. "Blessed with longevity, beauty, wisdom, power. Nyot as immortal as Everqueens but close. Many great heroes, scholars, mages, leaders, artists. Servants of Demon King despise, but also covet."
"Why?" Hohma asked. "Well, besides the obvious, I mean, if they're really that good looking."
"Well, if they look anything like Mewstress or her mom…" Ohara murmured, blushing.
"Because just as power of Lumina and Lupara seal Demon King away, they or their descendants only ones who can break seal," Julie emphasized.
"Which would put a pretty big target on their backs," Briar realized.
Julie nodded. "Nyes. However, nyo meowmber of Lineage ever, ever break seal on Demon King. Torture, threats of death, murdering families and friends… Nyot enough. After all, if Demon King free everyone die anyway. Hard choice. Impawssible choice. All make it anyway." She scoffed. "And minions of Demon King call us weak."
"The truly wicked often do," ANNA commented.
"So, if no member of the Lineage of Light would ever under any circumstances break the seal, why would the Demonspawn keep trying to force them to?" Hohma asked.
"It only way to break seal," Julie reminded him. "So, if want to free Demon King, have to keep trying, nyo matter how futile. But! There one exception. Remember Julie story earlier. Remember curse of Blood Moon."
Naturally, ANNA understood first. "The Moontouched. The Lineage of Light are not immune to the curse?"
Julie shook her head. "Nyo. Nyot even Lineage of Light. After all, both Julie and Meowther Moontouched."
"Then… I see!" Briar exclaimed. "If the followers of the Demon King could get a Moontouched child of the Lineage of Light and force them to see their first Blood Moon-"
"They would have an abomination more than willing to liberate the Demon King," ANNA said gravely.
"Wait, how would they even be able to get a hold of a kid like that? Since they're royalty, wouldn't they be under way more scrutiny than other kids?" Aliquis pointed out.
"Mewstress wasn't," Ohara pointed out.
"Which is rather odd, really. Why wasn't Julie raised in… Wherever the rest of the Lineage of Light lives?" Hohma asked.
Julie sighed. "Only Meowther knyows. Julie ask nyext time Julie see her. Julie… May have idea or two, though."
"Oh?" ANNA queried.
"While Moontouched child of Lineage of Light most sought after by servants of Demon King… They also greatest fear," Julie began.
"You mean other than them being part of a sacred bloodline with great power that seems particularly effective against Demonspawn?" Aliquis asked.
Julie nodded. "Only Lineage of Light can break seal. Only corrupted Moontouched Lineage would want to. But… Moontouched Lineage also only ones who can kill Demon King forever." Came
It took a moment for all of them to process that. "Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold on," Hohma stammered, almost losing his grip on his phone.
"You… You guys actually have a way to destroy that thing?!" Aliquis squeaked, PTSD flashbacks of the Demon King sprinting through his head. "Then why haven't you done it already?! Even sealed away, he's been tormenting you for millennia!"
"Because it is not quite that simple, is it, Julie?" ANNA asked.
Julie shook her head. "No. First thing… You all see Demon King! Huge! Scary! And that just him pawssessing proxy from whole other world away! Real thing even huger and scarier and powerfuler!"
"That is not a word," ANNA corrected her, but was ignored.
"Took everything to seal away Demon King last time! Only way to kill him would be to unseal him first, he invincible so long as he trapped in stone!" Julie continued. "And once free, virtually impawssible to bind again! Only have one shot to kill him! Miss, world go to hell again!"
"I see… So while you have a potential way to end his threat for good, it's deemed too risky to use?" Briar mused.
Julie nodded. "Nyot without really good reason! Demonspawn problem, nyes, but manageable one. Been dealing with them forever. World practically paradise except for them. Try to free Demon King to kill him, might screw up, lose all that, maybe for good. There other reason though."
"And that is?" And enthralled Ohara asked.
Julie frowned. "Nyot enough to be Lineage of Light and Moontouched. According to ancient legend, one who is both nyeeds to knyow 'true darkness.'"
"'True darkness?'" Hohma Chatoted.
"' True darkness,'" Julie repeated. "Light, Malice, opposing forces. Moontouched Lineage have both in them. Like all beastlings who nyot fall to curse, more light then dark. If fall to curse, Light extinguished, nyothing but Malice left, like all Demonspawn. But! If resist call of Malice, obtain great power. Meowther did so to gain darkest spell.
"But Julie? Julie transform Malice. Turn darkness into light. Obtain even greater power. Power that can harm, maybe even kill Demon King."
"Which, I'm guessing, is not something just anyone can replicate," Briar inquired as Ohara stared at her Mewstress in awe.
"Julie first Beastling to ever do it," Julie emphasized. "Maybe only one who ever will. One spoken of in prophecy, pawssibly. Demon King certainly thinks so. Probably right."
"And because even trying to do something like that is so insanely difficult, I bet pretty much everyone thought it was impossible and didn't bother trying," Aliquis guessed.
"Or rather, the chances of success were so slim it was decided to be not worth the risk," Hohma argued.
"Clearly, Julie's mother believed it to be worth the risk," ANNA pointed out.
"So… What are we thinking here?" Hohma asked. "Julie's mom thought maybe her family should be doing something more proactive about the Demon King instead of maintaining the status quo, left home to try and learn 'true darkness' but it didn't quite work the way she wanted, so she decided to try and train one of her kids to succeed where she failed?"
"And kept her true heritage from Julie so that the Demon King wouldn't know she was part of the Lineage of Light, since if Julie didn't know, there was less risk of him finding out when they inevitably met and might have outright killed her instead of attempting to corrupt her and giving her exactly what she needed to defeat him?" Aliquis theorized.
"That does make some degree of sense," Briar agreed.
"But it makes it sound like Mewstress's mother was using Mewstress as a pawn to fulfill some sort of ancient prophecy," Ohara pointed out unhappily.
"Meowther has much to explain to Julie," Julie admitted. "But Julie nyot just pawn to her. Love real. More to this Julie nyot knyow yet. Julie still trust Mother. Always. Julie knyows in heart Julie can."
"It's gratifying to hear that," Briar remarked.
"So, that stuff about you being Lumina's heir…?" Ohara prompted.
Julie crossed her arms. "After Demon King sealed away, High Queen had vision. Proclaimed that one day child of her line would master power of light and dark and do what she and bride could not: slay Demon King forever. For accomplishing impawssible feat, child would be her successor. Take Eternal Throne. Reign over true golden age, open way to nyew worlds beyond imagining."
ANNA stirred at this. "New worlds… That seems to rather aptly describe what is happening now. The Demon King himself said that the gaps between worlds are growing wider."
Julie nodded grimly. "Nyes. Prophecy already starting to come true. Don't knyow yet if good thing."
"Why wouldn't it be a good thing? If you're really going to bring forth a new golden age-" Ohara asked.
"Golden age nyusually come after dark age. Seem like we in dark age nyow?" Julie countered. "Sounds like good future but could be much strife beforehand. Julie understand why ancestors leave Demon King be. Is golden age worth pawssible war?"
ANNA nodded. "The price for utopia is often very high."
"Well… Maybe you don't have to actually, you know, go through with it?" Hohma suggested hesitantly. "I mean, all you have to do is not release him-"
Julie shook her head. "Avoiding destiny surest way to make it come true. Too early to say what will happen. Much still unknyown. May nyot have choice in matter…"
"But… The prophecy or whatever says that you're going to win, right?" A confused Ohara asked. "So… What's the problem here?"
Julie gave her a frustrated look. "Nyot listen earlier? Prophecies nyot knyow everything! Believing blindly in fate as bad as completely denying it! Yes, maybe Julie break seal and kill Demon King quickly, make world perfect, bring in everlasting peace, Lumina retires and gives Julie crown, get all the girls, etc. Or maybe Demon King beat Julie, escape, raise nyew army, go on rampage, wipe out more than half of planet including entire Lineage of Light, and Julie have to go on long journey of redemption with lots of angst and betrayal and heartbreak and misery and everyone Julie loves dying before finally striking down Demon King for good and having to rebuild world from ashes with only handful of allies if that at side. That sound like good time to you? Because it certainly doesn't to Julie!"
"Oh," Ohara said weakly. "I hadn't thought about it like that."
"The latter does sound like it would make for an epic story, though," Hohma commented.
"Yeah, if it happen to someone else!" Julie snapped. "Julie nyot want be dark anime or JRPG protagonist! Super depressing! Prefer more lighthearted adventure genre with slice of life, comedy, girls love, that basically Julie's life anyway."
There were murmurs of agreement all around as they concurred that yes, that did sound more like Julie's jam and more enjoyable overall.
"Whatever form the future holds, if this is to be your fate, then I shall endeavor to aid you as much as I am able," ANNA promised.
Julie smiled, some of the creases of worry in her face lessening. "Thank nyou, sister."
"How do you know all this stuff anyway? You never mentioned it before," Aliquis asked.
Julie shrugged. "Nyot relevant before? Also, nyot know most of it until just nyow." She tapped her closed left eyelid. "When Julie gave up eye, gained lot of knyowledge, secrets of the universe and magic. Still sifting through it all."
"… There are many among my kind who would give up both their eyes for that kind of knowledge," ANNA said, not even bothering to hide her jealousy.
"Including yourself?" Briar asked.
"Oh, absolutely."
Julie gave her sister a sharp look. "ANNA still might. Sister is changing too, isn't she? When Julie used lightest spell, thought to share power with sister… But light rose to meeowt light. Sister managed to repel Demon King by self. Demon King implied sister chosen one as well. What that about?"
ANNA drummed her fingers on her armrest for a moment. "… Yes, something is happening to me. My apologies. I did not mean to conceal it from everyone, but what with everything going on… Also, it is a change I am still grappling with. I never believed it to be an honor I would ever receive."
"And Julie nyever thought Julie heir to God-Queen, but here Julie is," Julie pointed out. "What happening to sister?"
ANNA pursed her lips. "Your family is not the only one to have a touch of the divine running through their blood."
"Wait… You're descended from some kind of God-Queen too?" Briar exclaimed.
"In a sense, though not in the same way as Julie," ANNA said. "Since much of my people's history has been lost, we have become seekers of knowledge and understanding of the universe we dwell in to try and make up for it. Eons ago, the most brilliant mind my people have ever produced attained a level of knowledge so profound she became attuned to the cosmos itself, drawing the attention of the One."
"The One? As in…" Hohma murmured, eyes wide.
"The one you know of as Arceus, yes," ANNA confirmed. "To commemorate her accomplishment, the One gave her a fragment of Their God Program, the master code from which the entire universe was created. With that program, she became the first Master Computer and our supreme leader, and used her newfound power to help my species evolve into what we are now," she said, gesturing to her body.
They all took a moment to admire her body. "Well, clearly she knew what she was doing," Aliquis commented.
"Indeed. As she learned more about the universe and her place in it, she continued to grow and change and evolve, while the God Program within her grew more complex and powerful," ANNA continued. "Eventually, it became too much for one being to hold, so she fragmented it and disseminated the pieces to those of my people her divine algorithms calculated were worthy… Our greatest leaders, scientists, scholars, artists, fighters, and so forth. Paragons all who truly exhibited the ideals of our society, and so were chosen to become the next wave of Master Computers. And they too grew and changed and evolved, as did the God Programs within them, until the time came for them to pass it along, and so on, and so forth, down the ages."
"And now it has come to you," Briar guessed.
ANNA nodded. "Precisely. When I communicated with Mother Computer during the debacle at the Crystal Pool, she chose me to be the inheritor of a piece of her God Program. While of course all my people strive for such an honor, rationally I did not believe I would ever be worthy of such a gift. She believed otherwise, and so uploaded a fragment of her program into me before we had to part ways. It has been gradually installing in the background ever since we left the mountain."
"How far along are you?" A fascinated Hohma asked.
"I am currently at 19.53%, which might sound like a lot, but in truth installation has been incredibly slow, although it seems to jump significantly whenever my sister uses her new power or when the unfinished program activated to protect me from the power of the Demon King" ANNA explained. "This makes sense, because both our powers come from the same source, the One, and as we are basically the same person from different times and worlds, a resonance effect is to be expected."
"That meoawn Julie get stronger at same time as ANNA?" Julie asked, intrigued.
"That may indeed be the case. I am uncertain what will happen to you when installation is complete, but I cannot imagine the change and increase in power levels and processing capacity for either of us will be insignificant," ANNA contemplated.
"So… Mewstress is going to become some kind of immortal sorceress Queen to succeed her ancestor, hopefully non-lethally. But what happens when you fully install the God Program?" Ohara asked.
"I shall become a Master Computer," ANNA informed her. "I shall possess great power and knowledge, but as a newborn I will still be far behind Mother Computer or her elders. As time goes on and I learn and grow from experience, my power will increase as well. If I live long enough, I may eventually be the Mother Computer to a new fleet. And if I keep learning, I may become the Mother Computer for a moon, or even a planet. And if I keep learning beyond that…"
ANNA smiled wistfully, eyes staring towards a horizon only she could see. "While it will take a very, very long time… Perhaps I shall be the Mother Computer for an entire system. Or even a whole galaxy. Or something grander even than that. Unlikely, perhaps, but a techno-organic life form can dream, can she not?"
They all stared at her in awe.
"And here I thought being a Pokémon master was a big dream," a dazed Aliquis said.
"You… Certainly aren't lacking for ambition," Hohma agreed.
"How… How long would it even take you to become a being like that?" Ohara whispered.
"The standard estimate for upgrading from a base Master Computer to one powerful enough to govern an entire fleet is roughly a few centuries or millennia, with a few stages in between," ANNA said, as if that time span wasn't a big deal. "From there, the amount of experience required to ascend to a higher level gets exponentially larger, though if one is learned and traveled enough, they may be able to accumulate enough knowledge to greatly shorten that length of time… I calculate it will take me at least a few million years to become a galaxy-class Mother Computer, though that is a generous estimate."
"A few million – that's-" the flabbergasted Aliquis stammered.
"Your kind can truly live so long?" Prior asked.
"Easily," ANNA said casually. "We do not age as your kind do. Rather, it could be said we do not age at all."
"That's… Nyo Beastling has ever lived that long," Julie murmured, shellshocked. "Hasn't even been 100,000 years since Demon King was sealed. Julie… Julie can't comprehend that much time. Can't imagine what kind of being sister be by then." Her ears flattened against her skull. "Can't imagine Julie still alive then. Will sister remember Julie and friends? Will sister… Even care?"
ANNA contemplated this for a moment, then gently put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Julie. My kind does not forget anything-"
"Didn't you just say that you forgot a lot of your past-" Aliquis spoke up.
"Anymore. We do not forget anything anymore," ANNA emphasized.
"Oh."
"I will never forget you or the time we have spent together," ANNA assured Julie. "These memories are precious to me. I have engraved them into my core memory. No matter how old I get, or how big I become, I will not, cannot forget you, or our loves, or all our friends, or what you all mean to me."
She smiled. "And who is to say you will not still be around that far into the future? It is clear we both have many things in store for us. When our civilizations meet – and they will meet – I am certain we will both be greatly enriched by it, as well as all humanity."
Briar was practically salivating. "I can hardly wait! All that amazing knowledge…"
However, Julie looked pensive. "… Should they meeowt?"
ANNA blinked. "What do you mean, Julie? While I acknowledge that your society will be greatly changed by exposure to other worlds, my kind has plenty of experience with helping less advanced species making first contact transition to becoming part of the greater Galactic community, and are far too ethical to exploit-"
Julie shook her head. "Nyo, nyot that. It's just…"
She glanced out the window for a minute, at the world drifting by beneath them.
"Gaps between worlds growing wider," she said finally.
ANNA nodded. "Yes, which will make it easier for us to get home-"
"And easier for things to get here," Julie interrupted. "Things that shouldn't. Nyot just Paradox Pokémon. But things like Demon King. Or worse."
ANNA paused. "That's… Is indeed possible, but-"
"Sister. When professors turn on Time Machine, when force robots to keep running, nyearly end world," Julie pointed out. "Heck, bird say world did end! And then, at Crystal Pool, we nyearly cause same kind of disaster, let Malice flow, revive Loyal Three and let Demon King in. What if… What if nyext time we turn on machine, or open way home, it break world for good? Not just here… But maybe home too?"
ANNA said nothing for a moment. "The thought… Has crossed my mind," she confessed. "However, with all the data I have obtained from being at Ground Zero for the tachyon surges at Area Zero and the Crystal Pool, and once I have installed more of the God Program, I should be able to find a safe way to open the passages between worlds."
"And will that close other gaps?" Julie pressed. "Or open wider? Julie… Julie want go home. Julie want go home so bad. But… If there chance that doing so will break world, break home… Is risk too big?" She looked pleadingly at her sister. "Julie knyows ANNA smarter than professors. Smarter than everyone. But smart people still make mistakes. Sister sure she nyot make one of them now?" She trembled. "Even…even if it meoawn we…nyever go home…should we reconsider? Paldea nyot home, nyot completely, but…could be. If it only way to save everyone… Julie could see us living here, for good."
ANNA was quiet for an even longer time. The others waited with bated breath, wondering how she would respond.
Finally, ANNA said, "We may not have a choice in the matter. I fear we are already too late."
Julie swallowed. That did not bode well. "What sister meoawn?"
"You are all aware, of course, of the anomalies which plagued Paldea until recently?" ANNA asked the others.
This puzzled them for a moment. "Anomalies… Wait, you mean the glitches?" Hohma asked.
"Oh, I heard about those!" Briar said excitedly. "They all disappeared after the two of you shut down the Time Machine, right?"
ANNA nodded. "They did… Or so I thought. Did anyone notice anything odd during our time in Kitakami?"
Everyone gave her blank looks.
"I think you're going to need to be a bit more specific," Aliquis pointed out.
"Fair enough. We spent two nights in Kitakami, correct?" ANNA inquired.
Everyone nodded. "Yeah, why?" Ohara asked.
"And how many do you think passed everywhere else?" ANNA continued.
"The… Same?" Julie asked hesitantly.
ANNA shook her head. "Only one night passed in Paldea while we were gone."
The others looked at her in confusion. "Well… Yeah? I mean, that makes sense, different time zone and daylight savings time or whatever…" Aliquis murmured.
"Wait… No, even us being in a different time zone… We shouldn't have gained that much time," the startled Briar realized. "What makes you think something like that happened?"
"After the… Unpleasantness with our phones and then our minds getting hijacked, Julie and I received a number of messages from our friends explaining, in broad terms, what they have been up to that led to Nemona exposing her parents' company," ANNA said. "Nemona was abducted from her biological parents' yacht by aliens –"
"Wait, she was what-" Ohara stammered.
"On the same night we arrived in Kitakami," ANNA continued. "And then, on the very next day, she was recruited to help expose the truth behind where the Rotom Phone Company was getting their Rotom. However…
"Would that not mean we would have gotten that broadcast yesterday? After all, thanks to the satellite I left over the region, the improved reception would've allowed us to see it the same time as everyone else. And even were that not the case, Mewtwo broadcast his actions to just about everyone in the world immediately after. However, that did not happen yesterday, it happened today. Somehow, we got an entire day nowhere else in the world did."
They all stared at her, flabbergasted. "… How the heck…" Hohma muttered.
"That's… That's not possible," Aliquis stammered.
"Unless… Could this have something to do with the Crystal Pool?" Briar realized.
"But how? We set it off today, not yesterday!" Ohara protested.
"The Crystal Pool, Area Zero, and the dimension to which they're both connected to, the lair of Terapagos, are not defined by linear or causal time like we are familiar with," ANNA reminded them. "As such, it is fully possible that an event which occurs in the future could have an effect before it actually happens."
"Like… Whole new day?" A disturbed Julie queried.
ANNA nodded. "Indeed. A temporospatial anomaly – a 'glitch' – is the only logical explanation, meaning that the timeline has not been stabilized, or rather, may be destabilizing again."
"That's… A lot worse than any glitch we had in Paldea," a horrified Hohma said.
Aliquis nodded. "Yeah, the worst one I ever ran into was when instead of colliding with a door while running too fast I passed right through it and found myself in a small square space on the other side." His eyes looked haunted. "I was trapped there for hours. Twice."
"That is not all. In addition, after analyzing the tachyon surge we accidentally triggered further, I have not only discovered traces of two additional surges, of equal or even greater power, but was able to decipher sound embedded in all three," ANNA continued. "Listen. Here is what I picked up from the first one."
She opened her mouth, and suddenly they could hear-
"This is the end!"
"Tera…"
"BLAST!"
"Wait… Isn't that just you and Julie calling out that finishing move earlier?" A confused Aliquis asked.
"Which… Didn't happen until after you guys set the Pool off," Hohma realized. "Is this another one of those, um, what's the right term…"
"Paracausal phenomena," ANNA said. "And yes."
"But… Why it there?" Julie asked.
"The resonance cascade only began after you grabbed a Crystal Cluster and our Tera Orbs started going haywire," ANNA recalled. "Terapagos is the source of all Terastal energy, as far as we can tell, and all three energy spikes I have detected have COLOSSAL amounts of Terastal energy in them. Energy like what we used to turn the Demon King into Crystal. And, given how time has no meaning to this other realm… A few hours of difference would have no effect on when that much power emerges."
Julie stiffened. "Then… Other two spikes are…"
ANNA nodded. "Here is the audio I pulled from the second surge."
"This is the end!"
"Tera…"
"BLAST!"
"Wait, isn't that just the same one again?" Asked the confused Briar.
Ohara shook her head. "No, it sounds… Different somehow."
Julie nodded. "Good ear! Same words, slightly different inflection, different background noise. This… This from when we crystallize Alpha and Prime. Pulse from… Back then?"
ANNA nodded. "Precisely. Further analysis of this energy spike confirms that it was generated during our final battle in the Zero Lab, when we defeated the Paradise Protection Protocol and stabilized space-time around the region."
"Wait… Wait… So… Let we get this straight…" Aliquis stammered. "Because of how wonky time is around everything relating to Terapagos… We got one energy surge from the present, more or less, one from the past – which, to Terapagos, is apparently all the same thing…"
"Then… The last one must be…!" Ohara gasped.
ANNA played the third recording.
"This is the end!"
"Tera…"
"BLAST!"
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the background noise is different for this one as well?" Briar asked.
Julie and Ohara both nodded. "Nyes, but Julie nyot remember hearing sounds before!"
"That is because it has not happened yet," ANNA proclaimed.
None of them were surprised to hear this, but it still came as a shock.
"When?" Julie demanded. "How long we have?"
"That I have yet to determine, but from preliminary analysis I have determined that the event which will generate this third and final energy surge will, from our linear perspective, occur between a few weeks to a month or two from now," ANNA said. "Which means… That either we will turn the Time Machine on, or open a time portal of our own, or someone else will, with potentially disastrous consequences that will necessitate us using our full-power Terastalization attack."
"Nyo…" Julie whispered. "This… Our fault?!"
"Well… Then… If you just don't do anything, then maybe…" Ohara said hesitantly.
ANNA shook her head. "Were you not listening to Julie's talk of destiny? This is not something that can be changed. The event has already happened, will happen, is happening as we speak. If the event did not happen, I would not have detected a third spike in quantum activity. I did detect it, ergo, it shall happen. And, like the previous two events, we shall be right in the center of it." She sighed. "I fear that everything we have experienced so far has only been the beginning…"
In Kitakami, Kieran panted, his hair a mess and a wild look in his eyes, his bedroom an utter mess, all his The Ogre's Tale merchandise, posters, memorabilia, manga, doujinshi, toys, and DVDs torn to shreds and smashed to pieces all around him.
"I need to become…" He rasped, eyes red, trembling with hatred. "I need to become… A lot stronger."
He started cackling and sobbing hysterically, a sick and twisted grin forming on his face. "Stronger. Stronger! Stronger and stronger and stronger!"
"And that we have, without realizing it, set into motion events whose repercussions cannot yet be determined."
In what was left of Mossui town, as the grumpy and unhappy villagers struggled to reclaim their home, occasionally glancing upwards in fear that something else might fall from the heavens, nobody noticed that a certain toy had vanished from the storefront of Peachy's.
"Everything we have done, every action we have taken, has been building up to this. It is very possible that, in our efforts to save Paldea and Kitakami, we may have indeed made way for an even worse disaster."
In the artificial habitat deep beneath the sea below Blueberry Academy, the Terarium Core which served as the source of light and life for all the Pokémon dwelling in the four biomes below started pulsating, the screens displaying a fake sky flickering and causing glimpses of the utterly dark waters outside to be seen.
Pokémon started randomly Terastalizing.
New Tera Raid Dens started appearing.
And two portals, one red and one purple, opened without warning on opposite ends of the Terarium, three Pokémon emerging from each.
They looked around, startled, finding themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. Without realizing it, they all thought the same thing:
"Where are we?"
"And the consequences for those actions… Might mean the end of everything."
It was dark and still in the Zero Lab in the depths of Area Zero. Nobody had been down there since Geeta declared the site off-limits. None of the local or Paradox Pokémon had gone anywhere near it, instinctively sensing the place was far too dangerous for anyone.
They had been right.
The lights came on.
Dead systems suddenly came online.
Purple code started streaming across every monitor.
The crystals making up the walls of the inner sanctum turned purple, energy crackling around them.
The Time Machine shuddered, pieces of it falling off, and began to awaken from its long slumber.
Purple Tera crystals began forming on the outside of the building, causing nearby Pokémon to instinctively flee in terror as the entire structure became enveloped in a crystalline egg.
The crystals pulsated.
For a moment, the silhouette of a serpentine Dragon could be seen writhing within.
A malevolent electronic laugh began to resonate through the depths.
And even deeper, something ancient and powerful beyond knowing began to wake up.
As the humans exchanged concerned and disheartened looks, and a glum expression formed on her sister's face, Julie reached out and placed a paw over one hand, smiling at her. "Then we do what we always do," she said gently. "Fix it. Together."
ANNA blinked in surprise, and then smiled back. "Yes. Together. Always."
Several hours and a much-improved mood later, the class arrived at the airport in Paldea and found quite a surprise waiting for them.
What had to be at least half the school had turned out to welcome them back with cheers and applause. Dozens of very pretty catgirls held up signs saying things like WELCOME BACK, MEWSTRESS! And WELCOME TO THE CLOWDER, OHARA! Causing Julie to climb onto ANNA's shoulder and smile and wave and blow kisses at her many girlfriends while Ohara squealed and hugged herself in joy, tearing up. Several other girls, some with feline features, some with circuit patterns on their skin, some with both, or others who were just ordinary humans were holding signs saying things like WE MISSED YOU, ANNA!
(There were also plenty of boys holding similar signs welcoming the twins back, but naturally it was the girls that caught their eyes first.)
Seeing quite a lot of the students, and even some of the faculty, were wearing The Ogre's Tale cosplay, ANNA sent out Ogerpon, who was immediately assaulted by a deluge of excited screams, camera flashes and signs warmly welcoming her to Paldea and Naranjuva. A hesitant smile formed on her face, and she struggled not to cry.
And of course, front and center were a stern but relieved-looking Director Clavell and…
And…
Arven, a peaceful look in his eyes that neither of them had ever seen before, as Mabosstiff barked happily beside him.
Penny, who probably should've been in prison at that moment, a fond smile on her face as a beautiful girl dressed like an Espeon and another girl resembling an older Nemona dressed like a Glaceon lounged at her feet, the "former" Team Star Bosses behind her mugging for attention.
And Nemona, more beautiful than ever, a near-perfect synthesis of primordial genes and futuristic technology, stepped forwards, a big grin on her face. "Welcome home, girls!" She shouted, pointing at them with her new prosthesis. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Hopefully I haven't been gone so long that you haven't forgotten how we say hello!"
Julie gasped eagerly. ANNA frowned, an excited but cautious look in her eyes. "Here? In the middle of the terminal?"
"A Pokémon trainer should be ready to fight anywhere!" Nemona declared. "Also, my new parents will pay for any damages because they're loaded."
"Have fun, sweetie!" Selene cheered, wearing a shirt with her daughter's face on it.
"DESTROY THEM!" Lillie gave a metal scream, wearing a similar shirt.
"Bring glory to your house, young mistress!" Lyra, also wearing a shirt as well as her full suit of armor and a foam hand, said encouragingly.
"So… I guess nobody cares that we're here too?" Aliquis complained.
"I don't even see my parents…" Hohma lamented.
Briar couldn't resist a chuckle. "My, they really are loved here, aren't they?"
"Yeah… They are," Ohara said happily.
The twins exchanged glances. "We fight?" Julie asked hopefully.
ANNA sighed melodramatically. "Well, I suppose it would be a shame to deny our public what they want. Ogerpon? Would you care to participate?"
Ogerpon chuckled as she released Gardevoir so she could watch. "Sure, why not? I get the feeling this kind of thing's gonna be a regular occurrence from now on, and I dig it!"
"You fight too, zombie bear!" Julie called, sending out the Bloodmoon Ursaluna. "Battle with Julie! First of many!"
"It has been a very long time indeed since I have fought a battle with no stakes… Let this be a good one!" He bellowed.
Arven shook his head in amusement. "Out of our sight for a few weeks, and they save/destroy a whole other region and catch Pokémon nobody's ever gotten before. Just typical."
"Yeah, well, they wouldn't be our girls if they didn't get into absolutely ridiculous trouble, wouldn't they?" Penny said fondly. "No, down girl," she scolded her Glaceon, who'd been trying to hump her leg.
"It would seem that my hopes that this trip would help them regain their spirits worked beyond my wildest hopes," Clavell said with a smile. "I'm still giving them detention for all the trouble they caused, of course."
"All right, ANNA!" Nemona shouted as she sent out her Lycanroc and Goodra. "Start us off! Say the thing!"
"SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY IT!" Everyone shouted.
"Very well," ANNA said with a smile as her visor turned opaque. "Battle routine, set! EXECUTE!"
In her apartment, Perrin had to resist the urge to clap with glee as the last of the photos her Rotom Phone had taken were uploaded onto her computer. She'd promised Julie that she wouldn't take any pictures of the ritual to summon the Demon King, but she never said anything about not letting her phone do it for her!
Her phone, which, of course, she would be fully crediting when she released these images. She was fortunate her Rotom had chosen to stay with her instead of leaving from how much she had taken them for granted when using them to take pictures, and she had no intention of giving them a reason to change their mind.
Bud barked at her, and she made a face. "Okay, you're right, I did kind of break my promise to her… But I just had to document whatever she was doing, Bud! Without putting my camera at risk, of course. This is way bigger than the Bloodmoon Beast! And, seeing as how I wasn't able to bring him back with us, I'm going to need something big to make up for it, and this is just the ticket!"
"Lady-who-feeds-me, I have no idea what you're talking about and I don't care, feed me!" Bud barked.
"Yes, Bud, of course I'll credit her as well and give her a share of the proceeds, it's only fair," Perrin said, as usual oblivious to what her Growlithe was actually saying. "And I'm sorry if this offends your Noble sensibilities, but your favorite Pokémon food isn't cheap, you know! I'm doing this for your future as well!"
"Food? Where?!" Bud woofed eagerly, turning around in circles, then forgetting about his hunger to start chasing his own tail. He was going to get it this time, he was sure of it!
Oblivious to all this, Perrin started reviewing the pictures. Her phone had taken a lot of them, so she needed to be sure to save only the best. As she started from the beginning of the roll, she fell into a trance of sorts, years of experience coming to play as she almost automatically deleted any images that were too blurry, too similar, had poor lighting…
Of course, even with that, there would still be dozens of quality pictures to sift through, if not over a hundred, so she would need to do a second, third, maybe even a fourth review to pare it down to a more manageable selection.
She paused, taking in the current picture she was looking at, the Demon King manifesting before the cloaked and masked Julie. She couldn't help whistling, very much impressed. "Now there's a money shot! You're a natural at this!" She complimented her phone, plugged into her computer on a charging pad, who buzzed happily at this praise. "Partner, we're definitely going to make history together," she continued, moving onto the next picture –
The Demon King was staring at her.
She blinked. That was odd. She didn't remember the Demon King ever looking directly at her. He'd been focused on Julie almost the entire time, up until his undead minions started attacking them.
(She wondered what sorts of pictures her phone had gotten of that. Would they really be suitable for the public? She'd almost died…)
"That's… Weird…" Perrin murmured.
Somewhat unnerved, she clicked to the next picture –
The Demon King was still staring at her.
She immediately deleted the photo, the next one immediately queuing up-
The Demon King was not only staring at her, but had gotten larger in the picture, somehow leaving the magic circle that should've contained him.
Perrin's blood froze. That hadn't happened. That had not happened. Why was there a picture like this?
"Did you edit these?" She asked her phone.
The Rotom buzzed indignantly.
"Okay, okay, I had to ask," Perrin said defensively, trying to hide her worry. If this wasn't a prank, what was going on?
(Julie had said something, hadn't she, a reason she shouldn't try to photograph any part of the ritual, what was it? She hadn't been paying attention, thought it was some kind of superstition, already thinking of a way to try and circumvent her ultimatum without losing her precious camera…)
She deleted the photo.
In the next one, the Demon King had completely left the summoning circle, and looked more solid, more real than anything else in the photo.
She deleted the photo.
The Demon King grew closer.
She deleted the photo.
Closer.
She deleted the photo.
He was reaching his hands out towards her.
She deleted the photo.
Closer.
She deleted the photo.
Closer.
She deleted the photo.
Closer.
She deleted the photo.
The lights began flickering. Bud began barking frantically. Her phone's screen filled with static.
The Demon King now almost completely filled the picture, his hands looking as if they might emerge from her screen and reach out to her.
She prepared to click the 'delete' button-
When Bud suddenly bit her on the ankle.
She howled, the pain snapping her out of it, and she immediately closed her laptop, unplugged it, and prepared to throw it out the window before she remembered it was really expensive and decided to get it exorcised instead.
"That was a close one," she said, pale and trembling, she absentmindedly petted her dog's head. "Thanks, Bud."
"I'm hungry! FEED ME!" Bud yelped.
And that's when all the lights went out.
Trainer and Pokémon were engulfed in an almost unnatural darkness, broken only by the static crackling across her phone's screen.
As Bud started yiping in terror and Perrin felt as if she were about to go into a panic attack, the static suddenly cleared up to show the very first picture of the Demon King staring at her.
Oh no… She'd been deleting them on her hard drive, but they were still backed up on the cloud and her phone!
Rather abruptly, the photo was replaced by footage of Julie from several hours ago. "Bad idea to take picture of Demon King! Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
The screen switched back to the second photo of the Demon King.
"Bad idea to take picture of Demon King! Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
And then the third photo.
"Bad idea to take picture of Demon King! Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
Then the fourth.
"Bad idea to take picture of Demon King! Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
Then the fifth.
"Bad idea to take picture of Demon King! Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
The Demon King drew closer.
"Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
Closer.
"Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
Closer.
"Image of God can become God! Give him conduit into this world!"
Closer.
"Give him conduit into this world!"
It was no longer a series of pictures.
"Give him conduit into this world!"
The transition between photos was almost seamless now.
"Give him conduit into this world!"
A spectral figure approaching with the jerky, stop-motion quality of a monster from a particularly terrifying horror movie.
"Give him conduit into this world!"
Which, she realized, this inarguably was.
"Give him conduit into this world! Conduit into this world! Into this world! This world! Thisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworldthisworld!"
The Demon King's claws looked as if they were about to reach out of the screen to grab her. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't even hear her heartbeat or Bud howling, transfixed by the nightmare about to manifest into reality-
The phone suddenly went dead.
She couldn't hear Bud. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't see anything but absolute darkness in every direction.
And then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Nyou should have listened," said the Demon King.
Perrin screamed.
Arceus, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina watched what was happening in the lower plane, transfixed.
Mew, sitting on Arceus's forehead, wearing 3D glasses and munching from a carton of popcorn, exclaimed, "Well, that's one heck of a cliffhanger to end things on! Now I gotta see the sequel!"