Chapter 20
IRON ISLAND- A few days later
The five women were in a maligned daze. Riley's loss was felt heavily on the shoulders of all but Azula and the littlest of them. Azula didn't know the man personally but knew he meant something to her wife, not to mention the workers who disappeared before Riley showed up around the same moment the girls returned as well. They were a bit confused but altogether perfectly healthy.
Harmony on the other hand immediately came to attention when they adults appeared through the portal that Giratina opened for them. She could sense the sadness emanating from them all and she couldn't bring herself to add to their torment. They were on autopilot after some time of grieving. Selene and Lillie asked the girls if they wanted to stay for some time, at least to finish getting the resort up to a good place for them.
"Yeah, I think we can, we need a few days," Miracle sighed, "Right ladies?"
Saki leaned her head on Miracle's shoulder, "Some more decompression could be needed."
"Ay men, my girls want some time so who am I to keep that from them," Azula smiled as she held a sleeping, Harmony.
"What should we do first?" Sakinah asked.
"I need to call my father first," Miracle said, "They are really close to one another."
"None of Riley's pokemon came back with us. So how do we explain something like this?" Serena asked.
Lillie stood up, "Riley was a man outside of time. He was torn out of his time and forced to live life here. But if my studies with ultra wormholes have given me any insights it's that we humans don't last forever outside of our own timelines... Then you said he took a deal with Giratina because he knew his time was all but forfeit by now." The trio who were in the distortion world nodded with Lillie's assessment so far, "Giratina's world is said to live in a bubble, outside of but parallel to space and time, since it is the brother of Dialga and Palkia..."
"Oh, so Giratina can watch the timelines and probably place Riley's pokemon back into their proper time.," Sakinah spoke excitedly.
"Thats easy enough baby, but how the hell do we explain the so-called death of the man Pokemon Magazine stated on their front pages multiple times was in fact a man from the past?" Serena grunted angrily.
Miracle spoke up this time, "We won't have to... But my father, once I tell him, will probably have to shoulder that burden. Like you said, he was a man known for being time displaced, so we just explain it in far fewer words. People may not fully understand, but they will get the gist of it all." They looked at one another with knowing glances, "I'll go give my father a call then."
Selene hesitated for a second and then looked from her wife to Miracle, "How did you come into possession of the Ultra Beast Miracle?"
Lillie's eyes went as big as saucers, she had found no readings of a wormhole opening since they were kids, "What are you talking about?" She turned her head to Miracle and a wave of anger washed around her.
Miracle raised her eyebrow while Sakinah sighed, and Azula chuckled, "We want to do this right now?"
"Those creatures are insanely dangerous, and all are supposed to be returned to Ultra Space if and when they appear in our world!" Lillie spoke through gritted teeth.
Miracle sat her face into a don't fuck with me stare, "You two know my parentage I'm assuming? And I don't mean the ones who raised me."
Lillie didn't know much, but Selene was well read in on the exploits of this group. The backstory of this trio was not overlooked by her one bit, "Look, the why is important Miracle. Our worlds are cancerous to one another if in the opposite for too long." Selene then paused for a moment, she knows the powerset of Pheramosa, it's a fighting type bug pokemon. And it found its way to the one being in the non-pantheon of pokemon that has an affinity for bug types.
"I see you have worked something out Selene," Azula smiled, "I think your wife would like to be filled in before she does or says something she cannot take back."
Selene put her arm around a shaking Lillie to calm her, "You are all mutant hybrids. Created by an evil shadow organization that has been seemingly running things around our world for centuries, or at least funding things."
"You are one for one Selene." Sakinah spoke, her old monotone making an appearance, "The leader of this organization has a special designation for Miracle, do you know it?"
Selene took a deep breath, "Daughter. This mysterious benefactor is your biological mother, and you also have a twin. But I want my question answered, even if I think I know it, I want to hear the reason... How do you have an Ultra Beast, especially since we have not recorded a breach in ten years."
"Not since the cleanup of the islands after my mother tried to use them to take over the world," Lillie spoke, "There have not been wormhole openings since Selene, and I were teenagers."
Miracle's stance softened, "You know my powers Selene, you have seen them up close. You have also never seen my mother's ability to mask things from prying eyes. Ultra Beasts are powerful creatures as you well know and knowing my mother, she probably did spearhead Aether Foundations research and development of the portals. This creature came to me, not as an Ultra Beast, but as a friend in need of my family's power. The inverse timelines that the wormholes connect to allow them to observe those of us powerful enough to project or imprint ourselves into the ether."
"That is stuff we already know," Lillie added, "I want to know why it chose to break into our world now, and why in the Arceus it chose to run to you of all people?"
Azula cocked her head, "Blondie, the answer is in front of you. It's practically motorboating you."
"Lil', it's a Pheramosa." Selene sighed, "The bug queen of the other world bowed down to the DeFacto bug queen of ours. There is an exchange of services going on, we just don't know for what?" Her tone was sharp, but not accusatory, yet.
"How about this. Let me inform my father of Riley, and we will meet up a little later in a safe spot, and you can both talk to her yourselves?! Sound good?"
Selene hugged Lillie and they both nodded in agreement, "That sounds perfectly reasonable. I will make some dinner, let's say we meet up in two hours." Lillie spoke and turned away, Selene falling next to her in stride.
It took no time for Miracle to call and notify her dad of Riley's untimely demise. They briefly consoled one another, and Ash did say he would notify all that needed to be.
"I hope the four of you are doing, okay?" Ash inquired.
"We are doing fine dad. We did meet a couple from Alola, Selene and Lillie." Miracle said, "I remember stories of Lillie if I'm not mistaken."
"We did go to school in Alola together, at least for the brief time I was over there. Selene on the other hand... She was a hell of a challenger; three times she challenged me before she won. But I was happy because I was no longer forced to fly back there every week or two to take on challengers."
"Didn't you stay with Kukui and help him and his soon to be wife?"
"Yeah, I even became a surrogate brother to their son Lei... But when I left Alola permanently, I lost touch of Lei and Kukui. Especially when Burnett ended up in the coma after they lost the second baby just before my last match with Selene. Shes been catatonic for twenty-some-odd years sadly. I don't know anything about Kukui and Lei anymore... But we can talk about that at a later date... But if I am to assume something, since I've met her in person, Lillie and Selene are nervous over a recent acquisition you made?"
"Yeah, apparently Pheramosa came through a wormhole under the light of the moon and not even sensors picked up the time distortion." Miracle smiled; I don't want to fight with them, but I will if it's necessary." She sighed deeply, "I should get going, the sooner we deal with this, the sooner I know whose teeth will need to be fixed... I love you, mom and the kids to the moon, and I will get ahold of you in a month or so dad."
"I love you to my little queen bee," Ash smiled, "I'll tell your mother you called, today is her last day at the Cerulean Gym before we officially close it down for renovations for the year. She is not happy, but she has been looking for a reason to move on from that gym and take over partial duties in our Viridian City Gym. We have had a kid on standby all year just in case she had decided to retire. "
"Don't lie you dirty old man, you just want more chances to canoodle her. Especially since the last baby came."
"Hey! Canoodling with my wife is not a crime." Ash said jokingly
Miracle smiled mischievously, "It is during open hours!" and she immediately shut off the monitor with a chuckle. Miracle then sighed and looked to the pokeball holding her extra planner pokemon, "Okay big girl, time to talk to the firing squad."
Main Building – Riley's Home
After an hour or so, the quintet of women all finally got back together. Harmony had been put down for a nap immediately after Miracle took off to talk to her dad, just so the girls could not scare her if things got out of hand. Sakinah was keeping her defenses on high, and Azula was looking on with a hoity indifference.
Food was eaten quietly as to lighten the tension, but as soon as things were cleared the high-tension blonde couldn't hold it back any longer.
"Okay it's time to talk," Lillie spoke.
"Lillie!" Selene spoke up, "The wormholes and ultra beasts are our expertise, but this happened behind our back. It's been explained that she was probably in a hidden breech brought forth by Alpha and her agenda."
"Selene, something like the Ultra Beasts should not be in our world, they cannot survive in our world at all!"
"Ahem," Azula smiled, "Are you mad that the lady-bug came to Miracle in particular, or are you just mad she made it through without you finding out for about a month or two?" Her chuckles could barely be contained.
"This is serious child, if one wormhole opens then there are probably dozens more that opened as well. And we don't know how many came through either." Lillie growled back.
Miracle was done with this and just popped the ball with Pheramosa off her belt and released the large skinny insect like pokemon. The large luminescent creature appeared and took a knee in front of Miracle, "Mistress, how may I be of service?" Miracle peeked at the pair of Alolan trainers. Selene was just in awe at seeing her again, while Lillie was bubbling with anger and contempt.
Lillie was about to speak but Selene stopped her so Miracle could address her pokemon first, "Pheramosa, the two behind you are trainers from the Alola region and highly regarded scientists in the field of Ultra Wormholes," the tall bug looked over her shoulder and noticed a buff woman she had seen before, and a more petite but still fit girl she had never seen in person. But she did recognize her, "They are constantly observing and watching for wormholes to open and usually catch and release pokemon from your dimension."
"But there hasn't been a breach in some time," Sakinah spoke to her, "And they are fearful of your existence in our reality, and how you breached without being noticed."
"Not to mention how the hell you were able to get from wherever you breached all the way to us here in Sinnoh, and why did you choose Mira in the first place," Azula added in a zesty tone, looking directly at Lillie.
"And before you answer in full, I know you haven't divulged everything to us yet. But this is as good a time as any." Miracle stated. Pheramosa looked on in a bit of fear but took a deep breath. She rotated from her knee to a sitting positionto be able to look them all in the face.
"I know of you small one, you're the child of the intoxicated one. The human that was drunk on the power of a Nihilego. And you, large human, are the Ender of the Endless Light, you are well known in our world. I was chosen by our pantheon to find and locate the Insect Queen of the reversed world, to help end the constant tunneling into our world by the one known as Alpha." Pheramosa spoke. The girls knew this was just the opening salvo but needed to get some questions out of the way.
"How often has this woman tunneled into your world, and what has she been doing it for?" Selene asked. The others all nodded; those were the questions with the most need for answers.
"This has been decades for us, but I believe it's about three of your years. She is popping in and out of time and its beginning to break down the fabric of our world. As for the why... We believe she is siphoning materials and energy that our world has that this one does not."
"What type of materials?" Sakinah asked.
"Our world is rich in materials that are immune to damage dealt by pokemon, and some areeven able to hold that energy and use it as explosives. The pokemon and people are dying, and this woman is mining our planet, our world for weapons."
"How did you make it over here then?" Miracle asked.
"We all waited for the next time the wormhole opened, and I used my speed to pass through their security and sped myself back to this side of the wormhole. My size and speed caused the right amount of energy to collapse the wormhole upon itself and shut off my world for forever." Pheramosa was on the verge of tears.
"So, then you are the only pokemon from your world to be in ours now? Lillie asked, her demeanor a bit softer.
"I don't believe so," Pheramosa said, "During the years the wormholes first started to show up in your world, a ton of what you call ultra beasts slipped into this world... You know this because you," She pointed to Selene and Lillie, "And my mistress' father before that, beat and released them back into our world. But... beside the SUN and MOON, and your fathers Naganadel, which were bestowed upon this world. A handful of us didn't make the proper exit and were properly lost to time."
"What the... there are living ultra beasts in this world that have been here possibly for millennia?" Lillie freaked out.
"Kartana, Celesteela, Buzzwole, Blacephalon, Stakataka, and Nihilego." Pheramosa added.
"These things are hidden in our world, like Riley, lost somewhere in time." Azula said.
"They are lying dormant, powerful creatures on par with our legendary pokemon," Sakinah said, "How come Mew or the others never told us about this?"
"I don't know," Miracle said, "But if things weren't teetering on an edge already... The fact that even more ultra beasts actually exist here means there are even more weapons my mother and her organization have a chance to get their hands on."
tbc