Welcome to Gaia! ::

▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉ ☆ ★ ☆ Steven

There were a large number of tests Steven had to be put through that afternoon. He was sent to one area for a vision test, then another area for a hearing test. One of the head nurses gave him a basic skills test; there, he could tell that his handwriting was back to normal. Then he was sent to the doctor who had been in charge of his care, to be given balance and coordination tests.

While he was on the balance beam, a man who didn’t seem to be a part of the hospital staff came into the physical therapy area. “Doctor, I was advised that you might need some help with this patient,” he said. “I’m a psychic.”

Steven glanced over (thankfully his balance seemed to be normal and he could do that without falling off the beam; it was only a foot off the floor, but still). He saw the doctor clench his clipboard. “Please, no. I can’t accept your offer.”

“But it’s,” the psychic started to look over at him. Steven felt a sharp ache in his head.

And it dulled promptly when the doctor forced the psychic to look away. “It would be detrimental to his recovery,” he said. “Sam has suffered head trauma and using psychic abilities on him could induce greater damage.”

Rusty and Shaman wouldn’t like to hear that, he thought as he considered his two Psychic Pokémon. But then, they’d probably just be happy to be with him again. They’d listen when he told them no telepathy.

Once all the physical tests were done, the doctor brought him back into his office and offered some drugs for his headache. “Avoid aspirin; stick with acetaminophen and what else I may prescribe you. Oh yes, and this…” he shut the door, then shifted a panel next to it. There were some switches inside.

“Is that a privacy shield?” Steven asked. It was a technology he knew, something that was used to avoid eavesdroppers, psychics, and spirit form Pokémon that could pass through walls.

“Yes,” the doctor said, flipping two switches. “This whole case has been touchy.”

“Has it?” He could guess why, but didn’t hint at it. He took a seat on one side of the desk.

“The guards and girl who came in with you said you’d slipped on some rocks in the Whirlwind Islands,” he said, absentmindedly brushing his hand over a small statue on his desk. It was of Lugia; Steven noticed some markings on the base that indicated this may have been a religious piece. A subtle stand against Omega? “On examination of you, I could only conclude that that your injury was three days old and that you’d been out at sea the whole time.”

“Three days…” he couldn’t quite recall where the ships had been in relation to the Johto coast, but it sounded about right.

The doctor sat down at the desk and gave him a look. “Exposure to the elements was shown by the condition of your skin, the timing was apparent by the bruising on the back of your head and the poor state of healing. Taking that into consideration, you’ve recovered quite well. And you’re lucky to have gotten to the islands in the first place. Even if the concussion didn’t kill you directly, it could have easily led to your death by drowning. I think you had help out there.”

Steven didn’t say anything to that. But in his mind, he made a note that he’d have to thank his Pokémon somehow for that. Morgan too, if he had Wallace’s Empoleon. He still wasn’t too sure about it, but he seemed to recall seeing him.

“They wanted me to keep you here as long as possible,” the doctor said. “But when it comes down to it, I decided I couldn’t pass on my professional integrity if I had no medical reason to do so. In that case, I just want a simple answer to this question: do you remember who you are?”

Even if he answered simply, Steven still had to consider it. If the doctor was lying about integrity, or even the shields, he could end up dead for the wrong answer. But two things stood out to him. One, he had refused to allow a psychic to examine him; not only would that have been painful, but it would have been difficult to keep the amnesia excuse up. And two, there was that icon of Lugia as a silent protest.

“Yes,” he said.

The doctor nodded. “Then I won’t ask any further on that.” He started writing on a form; Steven noticed that he seemed to have two separate copies. “As I said, your recovery is good. However, when it comes to head injuries, some symptoms and problems may not be immediately apparent. It could be a month before everything clears up; you may have headaches and dizzy spells during this time. For that, I’ll write out a prescription for you for something heavier than over the counter medications. Use it as you need it for this first week, but cut back after that. I’m also going to give you a separate copy of scans and records for your stay here. If you need to see another doctor wherever you go, make sure they see it.”

That accounted for having two copies. And from what he could see, the one that was staying here did have false information on his memory. “I will, thank you.”

He kept writing. “Keep an eye on yourself, or have a friend do so. If your behavior changes significantly, don’t hesitate to see a doctor. Also, if you happen to work with Pokémon, try to avoid battles for at least two weeks. There are too many moves that can inadvertently cause you pain if you’re near the Pokémon that uses them while you’re recovering, not just the Psychic ones. If it can’t be avoided, keep further away than usual or have a Pokémon near you that can use Magic Coat, Reflect, Detect, or something of that nature to block such moves from having an affect on you.”

That might not be easy, especially if Omega started to come after him. Steven nodded.

“I’ve got one of the older information sheets that I’ll give you that has more of that advice on it,” the doctor said, finishing off one copy, transferring it into a small storage drive, then handing that over. “You’re free to go; your bills have been taken care of through Omega and the Kimono Girls. Oh, and don’t overexert yourself either. Stop your work and take a break if you get dizzy or get a headache.”

Steven got up, smiling. He shook the doctor’s hand. “I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks for your integrity.”

The doctor smiled back. “I just want some common sense back in the world, all right? Until then, my oath requires me to keep quiet so I can help those who are suffering.”

▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉ ☆ ★ ☆SILVER

She was absolutely infuriating. She knew just as well as he did that something was wrong about that trainers disappearance. He kicked the wall in frustration but all that achieved was an ache in his toe. He couldn't help but feel responsible. He didn't even know the guy's name...

He kicked open the door to his cabin and began to stuff a few shirts into his bag. Sobek released himself from his Pokeball and snorted in Silver's direction.

“What?” he spat, rummaging through the paperwork in one of the drawers.

The Feraligatr shot a burst of water in Silver's direction that he ducked to avoid. “Oi, don't make me put you back in your Pokeball!” Sobek sniggered and sat on the floor. “I've already had one argument today, I didn't want another one,” he said, throwing a shirt at the Pokemon.

“Taar?”

“That girl!” he shouted, returning to his papers. “And where the hell is that ******** map?”

The Feraligatr got to his feet and wrapped his large arms around Silver. “Taaar,” he said, patting Silver's head gently.

“I know, I know. I'm breathing, I'm calm.” He hugged the Pokemon back. He heaved a great sigh and pulled away from Sobek. “Do you remember where I put my father's maps?”

Sobek gave a swift nod and tapped the front of the next drawer down. Silver opened it and quickly found what he was looking for. “Suppose that means we can now get off this bloody boat.” Silver plucked Sobek's pokeball from his belt and gave it a little shake. “Any chance of you playing nicely and letting me carry you in this?” he asked hopefully. Sobek nodded again and complied to return to the ball in a blast of red light.

By the time he reached the gangplank, this ship was almost deserted. He could easily spot Wallace in amongst the congregation of redheads that were in conversation. He held back after reaching the docks, trying to attach names to the faces. Both Wallace and Lance were there, as well as the guy with the Pikachu that never said a word to anyone.

The woman could only be Lorelei. He'd often heard talk of her amongst the people of Blackthorn. The Ice Mistress that had been on the team of Elite Four before Lance took the role as Champion. The ice wall had been impressive, he had to admit and if she was as strong an attacker as defender, Silver was exceptionally glad she was on their side.

His eyes fell on the other red headed man stood next to Lance. That was the Unova Champion. Their meeting had been brief, right in the depths of Chargestone Cave whilst he searched for Idra. He hadn't really been too sure who he was until he'd got to Mistralton and a local had eagerly informed him he'd met... damn. What was his name?

“Fred!” he called and Silver couldn't help but smirk. That was apparently the thing about the Unova Champion. Never bothered to learn your name and just assigned you something he thought fitted. “Come join us. Plenty of cocoa for everyone.”

Silver shifted on his feet awkwardly and then followed them. He heard Lance correct the other Champion on his name but that was met with a wave of a hand. "Nothing silver about him. He could be another Red, if we didn't have two already.” He turned his attention toward Silver and added, “We're just up the hill. We could use another redhead to balance out Phil here."

Phil? Silver was at a loss but followed on all the same. Perhaps he meant Wallace? But what was so wrong with Wallace's name? And where on earth had he got Phil from?

He tuned out the conversation as they wandered through the small village. Lance looked worse for his flight earlier and he was drained of the little colour he had managed to regain. It felt weird walking into the home of someone he'd not even said hello to.

Lorelei looked around awkwardly and smiled in his direction. “Sorry about the mess,” she said and Silver's eyes bugged as he looked around the room. Everywhere he turned, there were Pokedolls. It was a little overwhelming.

"No, no, it's fine," he found himself saying as he perched himself beside a Togepi doll. He still wasn't sure he should be here... they were all champions and members of the E4... he was just Giovanni Hermes Silvan De Luca the Fourth... he shifted uncomfortably, squashing the Togepi dolls head. He looked around quickly, wondering if Lorelei had noticed which she hadn't. He pushed it over and tried to sit still. "So, what exactly can we do about rebelling from the islands?" he asked, surprising even himself. He felt like he should've just kept quiet by the way they had all turned to look at him, but he just ploughed on. "It's not exactly like we've got numbers on our side. And you heard that broadcast, in the eyes of the public, we're nothing more than cold-blooded murderers and terrorists. So, any plans?"

It was turning into a nice afternoon: a little cloudy for now, but warm and breezy. Leah walked along a small footpath; it was usually missed as the entrance from Ecruteak was partly covered by a large bush. Because of that, it wasn’t long before the noise of the city vanished, to be replaced by the rustle of trees and the calls of Pokemon. It was always a nice place, a secret path in the woods.

At the end of this path, there was an old rotted fence, its wooden beams fallen onto the ground. At one time, there had been a ranch here that raised Pokemon. But that was apparently years ago, well before she had been born. The fact that nobody owned this place and almost nobody came out here anymore meant that it was a good place to leave the Pokemon of her and the other Kimono Girls. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, as they traditionally only kept Eevees and their evolutions. But Cynthia was keeping her old Pokemon here, and they were housing Steven's here as well. It was a large amount of owned Pokemon that could be discovered, but they were clever and could hide in the overgrowth if a stranger happened across this place.

The first Pokemon to greet her came running through the thick grass, for a moment only showing a white forked tail. “Hi Amber!” Leah said, stopping to pet her Espeon when she came close. “I got something exciting to do today with some of you, but I have to take care of the chores first. Come on!” Then she hurried on to the ranch house.

It was a partly dilapidated building. Apparently when the old matron had decided to use this to pretend compliance with Omega, she had the main room fixed up to stay a sturdy structure, but all other parts of the old house were allowed to fall into rubble. The Pokemon seemed to like this, as they had both a sturdy shelter from storms and interesting ruins to play in. While there, Leah checked on the stored Pokeballs, to make sure the Pokemon were okay. They were all allowed to roam the ranch, but these were here just in case. She thought things back over, and decided to take one. After that, she checked on the house supplies and firewood; Cynthia had asked for that specifically today.

Since many of the Pokemon here were okay with foraging or hunting for food, they didn’t need to feed them much. Not that it was feed day anyhow, but when checking supplies, she needed to know how much food was stored there. Then Leah went to meet with the Pokemon themselves. They were out all over the field: the Spiritomb was lurking among the house ruins while the Togekiss, Archen, and Vaporeon were lounging in the sun. Over by a pile of rocks, the Garchomp and the Armaldo seemed to be having a shoving match, while a few others playfully sparred. This included some of Steven’s Pokemon like the Armaldo, which was good. They’d been so worried at first that they didn’t want to do much.

Well that would change. Leah climbed up on one of the rocks, accompanied by her Espeon and now her Umbreon too. The Cradily was nearby, swaying in the breeze; he shifted his head-flower towards her, as if curious. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Leah called out, “Hey, you guys! I got something to tell you! Come here!”

The ones who were fighting nearby stopped and waited to hear what she would say. Some others came running or flying from wherever they had been. Mia complained a lot that most of the Pokemon would ignore her, but Leah didn’t have that problem. Sure, some of the big and fierce ones were scary, but she usually found that after a day or two of being treated nicely, the Pokemon would chill out some and at least acknowledge her. Although Omega’s Pokemon seemed unlike that.

As the last of the land Pokemon appeared in the grass, the Archen landed from a glide onto a rock. Ritz squawked, pleased with herself, so Leah patted her head. “Okay, listen up. We got a call a little bit ago from Mia. They’ve let Steven out of the hospital because he’s gotten better and he’s going to be coming here soon.”

That got all of his Pokemon excited. The other Pokemon cheered in support or felt it was something they could now ignore. But it was clear his were happy to hear that; both the Cradily and the Archen bopped their heads at that news, while the Metagross shifted through the grass to come closer.

She grinned at them. “And I asked Cynthia, and she said that it was okay if I took you guys out to go meet him. We need to head out now, though.” She pulled out the one Pokeball. “See, I even got your ball, Dill, cause you can’t walk that fast on land and I knew you’d want to come too.”

They were glad to agree to that, enough so that Scarab the Armaldo picked her up off the rock and hugged her. Leah giggled at that. Then she got surprised when she put her down onto the Metagross’ back.

“Huh, are you sure it’s okay to ride you out there, Rusty?” Leah asked. His body was tough and hard, but there were places she could put her hands to steady herself.

He kept still, but sent a telepathic thought to her. He liked her and he was okay with letting her do this. In fact, he’d asked Scarab to do this.

“Great, thanks!” Leah said, excited herself now. She shifted her kimono so she could get to a better position. “Okay, let’s go to the south gate, and then we go west from there. I know the way!”

The Archen fluttered down to land on Rusty’s back too, while Leah called the Cradily into its Pokeball. Then the rest of them followed. For a moment, it didn’t seem like the Empoleon was going to follow. But then he met them at the south gate and came too.

-+-

Most of the things he had brought with him while working on the rebel ships were probably now sunk along with the ship, at least as far as Steven could figure. He didn’t even have any money on him, only the things he had been wearing or carrying at the time he left the ship. Thankfully, whoever this Siki was, she was a generous person and had passed along some money so he could at least get new clothes. He had to stretch that amount, though, as some of his waterlogged things were ruined.

He ended up with a more, well, cheap appearance than he was used to, something that bugged him but there wasn’t much use in complaining. Some thick soled fake-leather sandals, a pair of blue jeans, and a brown, yellow, and tan plaid shirt were what he ended up wearing as he left Olivine. He also had a pair of secondhand sunglasses, some pale brown-tinted ones that showed his eyes but might be a small enough shift that he wouldn’t be readily recognized. It was all secondhand so that he could afford a shoulder bag and a few other things he felt uncomfortable in getting caught without: pens, a notebook, a clip bookmark, a water canteen, things like that, plus the medications he’d picked up.

After getting something to eat, he and Mia started up Route 39 to reach Ecruteak. It was a long slope upwards, not steep but the foot trail heading north had a bad habit of not being in a straight line up all the ledges, greatly increasing the time it took to travel that way. Even though they were going at a walking pace, it was tiring to be going after all that time spent drugged up in the hospital. “Why did you even try to say we were getting married?” he asked Mia when they were safely enough away from Olivine to talk openly like that. “I hear they’ve gotten rather strict on things like that.”

“I kind of panicked then, I guess,” she said, with the pink on her ears the only sign that she was blushing; the white foundation covered it that well. “I knew one of the guys that was there, and I figured he’d be lenient on that kind of thing. Some of them are so uptight, but others are okay. Why, are you married?”

He shook his head. “No. I have horrible luck when it comes to dating.”

She giggled. “Oh really? That’s weird, cause you’re like famous and rich, and all that. You shouldn’t have any problems with attracting women.”

No matter how it was, he had to smile at that. “You’d think so. Actually, I have no trouble attracting them. It’s keeping them that I haven’t got the knack for yet. But that’s not really important now.” He stopped in the middle of one of the levels, far enough above Olivine that they could easily see the sea past it. “Mind letting me rest a moment? I’ve been inactive much too long.”

“I didn’t think it was that long, but okay,” she said, looking around the area.

Steven sat down near the next ledge up. “More than three days of not doing much is too much for me,” he said. “I’d better get back into gear by the time we get back; my friends would make fun of me.”

They had to be alive. Steven kept silently telling himself that in order to keep a calm, even slightly cheerful, facade. In checking over the news, he had found the report from Joesph about the incident. It was probably spun far from the truth, but it suggested that at least one ship had gotten away. Know that the worst could happen, but hope for the best.

It didn’t take away how alone he felt right now, but holding onto that hope of seeing everyone again took some edge off it.

Off in the nearby woods, he heard a call that was somewhat familiar. Some Pokemon… he looked over in time to see a few Pokemon burst out from the cover. His Pokemon. Quickly, he got back onto his feet, though they still reached him first. “You guys couldn’t wait either, could you?” he said, really smiling this time. Scarab soon had him in a hug. “I missed you too.”

“We could have been followed,” Mia said, slightly annoyed but more concerned.

“It’s okay,” another one of the Kimono Girls said. She was still a child unlike Mia; she slipped off Rusty’s back, with an Espeon and an Umbreon that were soon at her feet. A Flareon made its way over to Mia’s side. “I had them check first. Oh, and I brought him too.” She pulled out a Pokeball from the bow in her obi, releasing his Cradily.

“That’s wonderful,” Steven said, gripping the sides of the Cradily’s flower head and bumping his forehead lightly into his petals. It was weird, but that was the way Dill greeted other Pokemon; Steven adapted to it. “Good to see you too. They treating you well?”

“Huss siff fu,” the Cradily whispered, swaying his flower head in a way to show that he was pleased.

He patted the Cradily. “Good. And Rusty, you trying to make me jealous there? Letting someone else ride you.” He chuckled and patted the Metagross on one of its four heads. Rusty made a chirp kind of sound in response, a rare noise out of him. “But no telepathy still, sorry.” He then turned to the two girls; the younger one was smiling, while Mia raised an eyebrow. “These Pokemon, they’re with me so much they’re practically my family.”

Nearby, the Empoleon in the group clucked his beak, shaking his head.

“Yes, except for you Morgan,” he replied, half-teasing as he went over to the tall penguin Pokemon. Morgan gave him a look, but Steven ignored it and bowed to him. “And I know you helped keep me alive out there too. Thank you.” Then he winked. “I’m going to have to find a way to spoil all of you before we get back.”

“They’re just glad to be back with you, Rusty says,” the girl said. “Um, they did miss you a lot, but we tried our best to keep them company.”

“This is Leah here,” Mia said. “She seemed to be spending the most time around them.”

“Well good to meet another one of you lovely girls,” Steven said, briefly leaving off his reunion with his Pokemon to go shake Leah’s hand. She got a little timid at that, but did take the handshake. “How did you get them here without being seen?”

“Oh, there’s paths in the forest I followed,” she said. “It’s real pretty.”

“It’s also mostly overgrown, with lots of little paths that are hard to navigate,” Mia said, trying to avoid using them.

However, that statement completely backfired on her. “That sounds nice,” Steven said. “Besides, it’d be more fun to walk back with the Pokemon. Mind leading the way?”

While the Pokemon cheered that idea, Leah smiled a little. “Um, sure! I know all the right paths to take, and we’ll get back just as quick.”

▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉ ☆ ★ ☆ RED

indent.Red looked to Alder when the hand was placed on his shoulder, a questioning look adorned his features. Why would Lance - or rather, anyone, pretend that someone else was 'real' just for the sake of a nickname? How strange. His brow furrowed slightly, though it went unnoticed under the shadowing darkness of the cap that was always on his head. Red looked in Lorelei's direction next when she spoke up. She was also defending his existence, it seemed. His eyes went half-lidded as he glanced in her direction. His memory wasn't the best, actually. The raven turned his head slightly and looked straight forward this time, simply looking ahead of where they stood.

Pikachu moved into the carress and nuzzled Alder's hand as he did so, a squeak of happiness sounding from the yellow mouse-like Pokémon. Pikachu listened intently as Alder introduced himself - the Pokémon was quite fond of new friends and such. The yellow Pokémon took the time to answer Alder's statement for Red's sake, jumping back up onto the Raven's shoulder and happily nodding his head along. " Pi! Pika pika! " This being Pikachu's own way of saying, ' Of course we'll go to this meeting!' Red on the other hand stood silent in wait as the others talked, happily? Oh, how nice.

Red's head turned slightly as he looked in Wallace's direction next. The aqua male was quite noticable, in his opinion. He watched the happy situation - as they all spoke of cocoa. Quiet as he may be, this didn't mean Red didn't like cocoa. Oh no. When he was on top of Mt.Silver, that was definitely a very helpful liquid. It kept him warm, along with the help of Matchbox, of course.

When Alder spoke of the 'coloring' of everyone that stood there, he questioned the statement. '. . . Red's head? ' Was Lance nicknamed Red? How strange. Lance looked a lot like a Lance to Red. The young man couldn't fathom what Alder meant, but he did notice that everyone else, excluding himself and Wallace had red hair. It was a nice color, though he was reluctant to say it out loud. Red also didn't understand the nicknames that Alder was giving to everyone. As in, where were the names deriving from and how were they getting them? Was he going to give one to Red too? Alder was strange.

But of course, Red made no hesitation to follow the others to the house. He looked at the shelves that lined the walls and the Pokédolls that sat on them. Blinking, at the sight, he wondered just how many of the dolls were in here. He wasn't planning on counting them, but if things got awkward he would do that instead of dealing with the atmosphere. Strange that he made plans for such a thing. Oh. Maybe he was planning, then.

Red stood silently, finding it easier than finding a place to sit. He didn't want to sit somewhere where he wasn't supposed to.

The raven glanced at Silver when he boldly spoke up, he was pretty sure he knew his name though he could not recollect it as of late. Rebelling from the islands? Though Red wasn't very sure he knew what that was about, he too wanted to know the answer to the question. He couldn't help but wonder what the situation had become - he never spoke to anyone so he didn't have an update or anything of the sort of the situation. He blinked in confusion as he heard the next statement. ' Murderers. . . since when? ' Red couldn't help but think.

He'd always gotten into Pokébattles with other people, yet it was beneath him to hurt someone. He treated his Pokémon with as much respect as anyone else, and tried his best to avoid making them fight when they didn't need to. Calling him a murderer was just like calling an apple, an orange. It was just redundant, as it stood.

The murderer topic lay upon the same bed as the topic of Blue, in his opinion. Not that Blue was dead, or anything. It was just the same topic. Blue was strong enough to survive, so Red couldn't quite see why he was so worried about the situation. He knew that Blue was alive. He was just sure of it. So, because this topic reminded the trainer of his rival, an uneasy feeling approached the trainer. He felt a knot at the pit of his belly, as well as a burning sensation. His hands went to the pockets of the short sleeved vest he wore practically 24-7, his palms against his stomach, yet out of sight. He refrained from making any noticable expressions, and kept his stoic façade.

The raven silently shuffled in a restless manner, leaning on one of the shelves - carefully, so that he wouldn't ruin any of the pokédolls.

In the silence that stood after Silver's question, was the sound of a Pokéball opening up. Muse slithered its way on over to Red's leg where it constricted the young mans leg 'affectionately'. Red looked downwards, his hat shadowing over his eyes as he felt the Pokémons familiar clench against the limb. He shook his leg slightly, but to no avail, Muse wanted to be there. With a sigh, Red figured the Pokémon just needed some time out of its Pokéball. And as a newer Pokémon in Red's team, Muse certainly got a little bit of favoritism on its little pedestal. The nicer he was to the Pokémon, the more willing it was to battle for him, Right?

Pikachu, on the other hand went from Red's left shoulder to his right as he looked down at Muse in annoyance. Red was his pedestal, Muse couldn't just cling to him to his hearts content like this. The yellow Pokémon frowned in disapproval down at the serpent, yet made no complaint vocally. " Pi.... " Though it was obvious that Pikachu was rather reluctant to share the young man - his trainer.

The serpent's tongue slithered out here and there as it circled Red's leg.

Red of course, just stood there as if his two Pokémon weren't having the silent dispute. He found it much easier that way.


" . . . "

Arthur stood on the deck of the ship Sinister Gray had procured, with two small islands about a mile’s distance on the portside. Beyond those, snow tipped peaks lined the northern coast of Sinnoh, stretching hundreds of miles south, merging into tall pine forests. This was the land of the ancient gods, of Grays one God that spewed creation. Supposedly. He’d ignored the Aqua’s and Magma’s power struggle over their beliefs. It was barely credible that two beings had battled for aeons over elemental superiority. But years of Hoenn’s myths passed down from generation to generation had imprinted a faint layer of faith on his understanding of the machine of the cosmos. Gray’s own faith was blind. One God gave birth to other gods that gave birth to others, and on a whim? It had no reason or logic.

Yet standing on the deck of the ship, gazing at the raw power of those mountains, the impenetrable snow clouds, the pine forests spurring the sky- the sheer force of nature- he could see why Gray believed what he did. The first Eden, a test for the divines, a canvas painted with the remnants of Sinnoh’s volatile past. It was overwhelming, yet Arthur felt lifted. Only the gods could design this beauty, and he was comforted that such entities had been here once, had seen what he saw now. All these conflicting thoughts spiralled into one conclusion: he felt small. Possibly insignificant. Humbled?

Yes. He was humbled. God created many gods, in turn they created the heavens, the land and the seas, and then life. From the Beginning, Arthur’s own creation had been predetermined as a part of the design of everything and anything that had been, that was, and that would be. And if the many-armed God was a joke, and all Arthur saw before him was there by chance, he’d been chosen by Sinister Gray to give hope to others. Saved to serve the greater good. And the blood on his hands was a token of the sacrifice he’d made for his Pokémon. He’d go to Celestic Town for Gray and himself, to save the world for humans and Pokémon alike. He took his Pokéball from a pocket.

“It was for you, Bagon.”

A cabin door behind him opened and an Omega appeared.

“Sir, Lord Gray wishes to speak to you on the videophone.”

He pocketed the ball and turned to the Omega. The soldier embodied the Samaritan who’d reconstruct this broken world. Obedient to the will of his betters, to spread the word of salvation. It didn’t matter what the truth behind the story was, as long as it would light the fires of hope and love in the soul, bringing all together in a golden age of prosperity. He followed the Omega down into his own quarters.

The Omega opened the door and stood to one side.

“Sir, if there’s anything else I can assist you with, please ask.”

Arthur smiled at the young man.

“Thank you.”

The Omega was unphased by sentiment. Arthur passed through the doorway, and the Omega closed it. Alone again, he walked over to the videophone placed on a desk, sat himself, and picked up the receiver. Gray appeared on the screen.

“Hello Sinister.”

“Hello Arthur. I trust you’re enjoying the boat?”

“Yes. Everything is of a high standard, and your men are exceedingly hospitable.”

Gray’s sickly thin lips spread a smile across his pallid expression.

“The Captain tells me you’re in Sinnoh’s waters.”

"We’ll be in Canalave City by nightfall.”

“Arthur. Have you seen the mountains? What do you feel when you see them?”

He was lost for words, couldn’t seem to find a fitting descriptive.

“I... would say-”

“Awestruck? Sinnoh was the first land that our Lord Arceus breathed life into. From His throne upon the summit of Mount Coronet, He sees all.”

Arthur smiled at Gray, half respectfully, half disguising his questioning beliefs.

“The town you’re going to is the oldest in the known world. It holds a cavern with paintings which depict the Creation recorded by the ancients. When you arrive in Celestic, talk to the elder. Tell her you’re a historian wishing to learn of their religion. She’ll be more than happy to assist you. I want you to make notes of what you see.”

Arthur nodded.

"Report back to me once you're done. Now, I must be going."

The screen flickered and Gray was gone.

▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉ ☆ ★ ☆ ZEEZEE

Zee ran a hand across the Pokeballs at her belt, one of which were already empty. Oscar, obviously, was still sitting in with the boy. She plucked Max's Pokeball off the belt and released the Emolga in a burst of light.

He hopped from foot to foot on the railings. “Hey little man, I thought you might like to see the Islands,” she said, scratching him behind the ears with a single finger. He shrilled in delight and lept up onto her shoulder and started tugging at her curls in a playful manner. “Look behind us,” she said. “You'll see the wall of ice that Lorelei created.”

He began climbing up through her hair until he reached the top of her head – a better vantage point than her shoulder by far – and let out a few quick shrill shrieks of delight. The sudden light shock of electricity that burnt at her scalp caused her to cry out in pain. “Oi, don't do that!”

Holding onto her hair with his feet, Max flipped down to look Zee in the eye. His little hands touched at the creases in her forehead and he tried his best to look concerned. “No electric attacks whilst you're still tangled in my head in future, yeah?” she said, trying to look at Max but going cross-eyed instead.

“Emol,” he said and jumped back up to sit on top of her head.

She giggled and tugged at the shoulder strap of her bag. It was about time she got her feet back on solid ground. There was only so much her seafaring legs could take.

Someone was sleeping on the deck.

Zee racked her brain, trying to place the name to the face. Similar age to herself, brunette too, glasses that had gotten a little skew-if. Erm... erm... why did she have sudden images of the Turtwig evolutionary line in mind?

“Atera!” Zee shouted out triumphantly before clapping a hand over her mouth. Great Zee, just wake the poor girl up...

▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉ ☆ ★ ☆ Judge

The old woman accompanied Arthur inside the Celestic ruins, eager to tutor the false scholar in the town’s history. He’d told her what Gray had instructed and she’d fallen for it, hook, line and sinker. He was surprised that he didn’t feel any remorse for lying. But in all honesty the lie itself was a half-truth; he was curious as to how different Sinnoh’s mythology was to Hoenn’s. This land had provoked a strange feeling within him. He wanted to see things from all perspectives. Walking down some steps leading to the main chamber, Arthur noticed from afar that a small square portion of the far wall was missing.

“Removed for carbon dating?”

The old woman smiled and removed her glasses.

“Yes. Professor Rowan in Sandgem sent off the sample to one of his friends in Unova, about two months ago.”

She breathed condensation on the lenses then polished them on the corner of a sleeve. He reciprocated the smile.

“What were the findings, madam?”

“Do you know the professor, Mr…uhh…?”

He didn’t know whether she was losing her hearing, but he could see her insistent probing wouldn’t go unanswered, and he needed to keep the façade, so every twitch needed to be controlled.

“Gottlieb. Henry Gottlieb. Madam, did the professor get back to you about the results of the carbon dating?”

She re-adjusted her glasses.

“Ah yes. Well Mr. Gottlieb, I received a letter from the professor last Tuesday. He seemed anxious to let me know the news. But that’s Rowan for you. Always so busy. Such an enthusiastic chap. He was handsome back in the day…”

Arthur cleared his throat. The woman broke away from her senior daydream, chuckling.

“Madam..?”

“Ah yes. Well… in the letter, he seemed like he wanted to explain how old the wall painting is, but he couldn’t.”

Why Sinister Grey had required him to ask this senile fool for a tour was beyond him.

“I don’t follow, madam. Do you mean to say the professor doesn’t know?”

The old woman’s face dropped, sullen.

“Mr. Gottlieb, no one does. The test results were inconclusive.”

They arrived at the wall. The painting was partially eroded, but he could make out a faint triangle, at each corner a Pokémon. Inside the triangle was another, again with a Pokémon at each corner. But at the centre was what grabbed his attention. Mythical Creator of everything he’d ever known and would know, the cosmic veil in the heavens, conscious thought, the membrane of existence. He struggled to speak, his voice cracked, choked.

“Inconclusive?”

The old woman nodded.

“The professor believes it could be the oldest artefact discovered. Mr. Gottlieb, are you alright?”

His cheek tickled. Dabbing at his face, he realised he was crying. Everything he’d believed to be everything, wasn’t. Only a cog in the machine. From the chaos, perfection. So Gray was right. He’d saved Arthur to be his judge, to serve the people, to serve Arceus. Killing the Magma wasn't a sacrifice. It was a necessity.

“Madam, may I be alone for a while?”

She left the cave. For the next few hours he knelt at the painting, a mass of thoughts whirling through his mind. When he emerged, the Omega guard saluted.

“Sir, did you find what you were looking for?”

Arthur looked him dead in the eye.

“Take me back to Hoenn. I wish to speak with Lord Gray.”