Chapter 1
“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Willow asked, as she looked nervously between her companions. “Last time Giratina was let out of it’s Pokeball it was-”
“Trying to stop us from preventing Agatha from ending the world?” Steven offered, as Willow nodded in agreement.
“I know we have to let Giratina out eventually, but are we sure we aren’t taking too much of a risk doing it now?” Cassandra asked, however instead of Jon answering, it was Dylan.
“There isn’t a better way to do this…” Dylan answered. “It’s already been three months, and the longer Giratina remains in the Pokeball, the higher the chances are that there will be psychological damage, which will make this even harder…”
“Dylan’s right,” Jon added. “We’ve put this off long enough, and won’t get a better shot than this…”
Jon looked up at Rayquaza, who floated in the air behind him.
“Are you ready?”
Rayquaza let out a low growl of assent. Jon nodded.
“The longer we take, the more stressed we will be and the more likely we are to talk ourselves out of it,” Jon explained. “Let’s just do it…”
The five trainers were at Southern Island, having flown across on Latios, Latias, Rayquaza, Flygon and Skarmory, arriving and setting up camp the night before. It was well into October, and the cooler spring weather had well and truly set in. Now, it was morning, and time to do what they had come here to do…
Surrounding the empty space they had nominated to be where Giratina was sent out, was Rayquaza, Latios, Latias, Darkrai and Registeel. Cassandra, having been practising using Shadowcraft non-verbally in all the spare time she had when she wasn’t training under Jon, silently readied a sleeping spell, which alongside Darkrai’s natural ability to put people and Pokemon to sleep, would quickly incapacitate Giratina should the need arise.
“In 3…”
Willow shuddered, before focusing on the space Giratina was about to appear.
“2…”
Dylan readied Metagross’ Pokeball, knowing that if the Pokemon there couldn’t contain Giratina, he needed to be ready.
“1…”
Jon took a breath, before throwing the Pokeball into the space between them. It hit the ground, exploding into a bright flash of light, as a terrifying roar rang through the air.
Before the light had disappeared, Rayquaza had dived toward Giratina, wrapping itself around the Pokemon tight, holding three of its six legs against its body, causing it to collapse under its own body weight. Giratina roared in furious, vengeful anger, before Rayquaza constricted, causing it to wince in pain.
“Giratina!” Jon roared at the Pokemon. “Look at me! Do you know who I am?”
Giratina stopped struggling as much, causing Rayquaza to slacken its tight grip, as Giratina looked around, seeing how outnumbered it was, before fixing its gaze on Jon, the holder of the voice that called out to it.
“You’re Rayquaza’s trainer…” it said through a growl. Jon nodded.
“Latios’ too,'' Jon explained. “But not just them. Yours now as well…”
Giratina roared and began to struggle again, however, Rayquaza, well rested, and now with the upper hand, unlike last time they fought, tightened its grip.
“Let me tell you something Giratina,” Jon called out, as the Pokemon pretended to not listen, and struggled. Jon held out Giratina’s Pokeball. “You see this?”
Giratina, curious as to why Jon would be referring to the Pokeball, looked at its new trainer, with fury evident in its eyes.
“This is no standard Pokeball. This is one I commissioned from the League specifically for you…” Jon explained. “I have implanted a heart monitor in my body that will track my heartbeat. That monitor is linked to your Pokeball…”
Jon fixed his gaze on Giratina, refusing to be intimidated by the Legendary Pokemon, knowing that if he did, it would make this all the more difficult.
“The moment the Pokeball doesn’t sense my heartbeat, it is programmed to use the return function on you,” Jon explained. “So you could kill me if you like, but just know that you will have milliseconds between my heart stopping, and you getting sucked into this Pokeball. And honestly, I am the only hope you have of having a life outside of it. I know plenty of people who would rather me leave you in it, and lock it away somewhere…”
Giratina however, noticed something else. Jon held the Pokeball in his right hand, however his left hung loosely by his side, the black shrivelled flesh visible for all there to see. Jon only ever hid it from his daughter, and those outside the Academy. Giratina realised that Jon had been cursed, however at the thought of that, realised something. A sensation of absence it hadn’t felt in years…
“My master is dead…” Giratina said, sounding shocked, which surprised Jon, Cassandra and Willow, the only people present who could understand it. It looked to Jon. “Did you kill her after you captured me?”
“No,” Cassandra answered, as Giratina looked around towards her, locking her in its gaze. “We had incapacitated Agatha without hurting her, and planned to take her alive. However, she preferred death to becoming a prisoner, so she took her own life…”
Cassandra expected Giratina to begin struggling again, however the Pokemon seemed to calm somewhat.
“Good…”
The reaction to this from Jon, Willow and Cassandra was visible, as Steven and Dylan looked at the trio in confusion. However, Willow realised something wasn’t right.
“How did you know she was dead?” Willow asked Giratina. “She is far from an easy person to kill. Hell, Cassandra got lucky with that non-verbal Shadowcraft. If not for that, we’d be in a very different position…”
Jon realised that Willow raised a good point. Giratina should have no way of knowing what happened to Agatha. It was captured before her suicide, and hadn’t been allowed out of the Pokeball since.
Giratina looked to Jon.
“I was like you. I carried a curse…” Giratina answered. “And for the first time in years, I don’t feel it awakened within me…”
Cassandra’s eyes widened as she realised what Giratina was saying.
“Agatha cursed you?”
“She wanted obedience, so she placed a curse on me that would have no effect unless I were to either use my true power, or disobey her…” Giratina answered bitterly. “She knew that despite her power, I was still stronger, so tricked me, placing a curse on me that would put me through immense pain should I use the full extent of my power, or disobey her. But I don’t feel the curse lurking anymore, which means that she is no longer living…”
Jon and Willow both realised something, albeit two very different things. Willow decided to wait to share her observation until later, however Jon couldn’t wait.
“This true power of yours…” Jon asked. “What is it?”
Giratina made a strange noise, which those who understood realised was laughter.
“You worry that I could use it to escape this fool?” Giratina said, as Rayquaza growled in annoyance. “I am still without it, however, it is now in reach. But yes, if I had it, I would not be your prisoner…”
Giratina focused its gaze on Jon, remaining silent for a few moments, before speaking.
“You, New Master, you wish to control me?”
“It’s not Master, it’s Jon…” Jon answered. “And no, I don’t. Honestly, I’d love for nothing more than to release you, but until I know without a shadow of a doubt that you aren’t going to hurt anyone, you will stay with me. If you behave, I’ll treat you like any of my other Pokemon, until Latios is convinced you’re safe to release…”
Jon nodded towards Latios, who cried out in acknowledgement.
“And Latios is nearly impossible to trick…”
“So I’d have to earn your trust in order to have a remotely normal life, even as one of your Pokemon?” Giratina asked, as Jon nodded.
“And that’s easier said than done…”
“What if you could earn my trust?”
Jon gave Giratina a puzzled look, and the Pokemon continued.
“There is something you could do for me, and in return, to show my gratitude, I would obey without question…” Giratina explained, as Willow gave Jon a nervous glance.
“What exactly would that be?” Jon asked.
“Help me regain my true power…”
“No way,” Willow said angrily. “We risked everything trying to capture you, and you just told us you could escape if you had this true power...”
“I am not asking you…” Giratina said to Willow, before addressing Jon. “Being without it is not my natural state. Agatha tricking me into relinquishing it, and then preventing me from getting it back, would be like someone tricking you into losing your limbs…”
“Jon, this sounds like a bad idea…” Cassandra said, as Jon sighed.
“I’ll think about it…” Jon said to Giratina. “Before we place you back in the Pokeball, was there anything else you wanted to say?”
Giratina shook its head, and remained silent, as Jon pressed the button on the Pokeball, causing Giratina to shift into a white light, before being absorbed by the device.
Chapter 2
“Surely you’re not considering agreeing to this?” Cassandra asked Jon. The sun had already set by the time they ate their dinner, planning to fly back in the morning. Had they had their conversation with Giratina during the summer, when the sun would be setting close to 9pm, they would have left Southern Island immediately, however with the sun setting early, and night bringing its chills, they decided it best to wait until the following morning to leave. As such they sat around a campfire, eating a stew that Steven had reheated over the fire, citing it as a recipe he learnt from his trip to Galar a few years earlier.
“I am…” Jon answered, as he stared at the fire, immersed by the flames, before taking a sip of his beer, which had remained cold enough due to the night chill.
“Jon, I know you’re not that stupid,” Cassandra answered. “Willow hit the nail on the head. Giratina can use that power at any point to escape you…”
“So it says…” Jon answered.
“What, you think it’s bluffing?”
“I don’t know that it’s not.”
“Steven, talk some sense into him!” Cassandra said to the Hoenn Champion, who was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, his own beer in hand. Cassandra had seen them having beers together often, and since moving into the Eon Academy, had wondered exactly how much beer the pair go through.
“It’s not my place,” Steven answered simply, as Cassandra’s jaw dropped.
“If it’s not the place of the Hoenn Champion to tell Jon he is being stupid for even considering this, whose is it?” Cassandra asked, as Jon couldn’t help but grin at the comment about him being stupid.
“Cassandra, you know what one of Jon’s most annoying habits is?” Steven asked, as Jon couldn’t help but laugh at the question. Cassandra shook her head, wondering where Steven was going with this. He took another sip of his beer.
“He always withholds just enough information, for you to think he is being an idiot, or an a**hole, and waits until he absolutely has to, to give the rest…” Steven explained. “I’ve stopped questioning him unless I absolutely have to, because I’m sick of enabling it…”
“So how do you know he isn’t being an idiot, or an a**hole?” Cassandra asked, as Steven grinned.
“You don’t,” Steven answered. “He acts like an idiot and an a**hole just enough that you can’t rule it out completely, which is why this habit is so goddamn annoying…”
“What can I say?” Jon said, before taking a sip of his own beer. “You can read me like a book…”
Cassandra took a deep breath, before looking to Jon, realising Steven was right. If Jon was considering doing this, there had to be something he knew that she didn’t. Unless this was one of the odd occasions where he was being an idiot…
“Okay Jon, what is it?”
“Fact is, that unless Giratina’s power allows it to mess with electronics, the moment my heart stops beating, Giratina will be sucked back into its Pokeball. It would take a hell of a power, whatever this power is, to get around that…” Jon explained, however Dylan was the one to question Jon at this point.
“Giratina said that with this power, it wouldn’t be your prisoner,” Dylan explained, before asking Cassandra’s question again. “Do you think it was bluffing?”
“I don’t think bluffing, per say, but more referring to something else,” Jon answered. “Remember, Giratina was grappled by Rayquaza, and surrounded by Latios, Latias, Darkrai, Registeel and the five of us. And when Giratina made that comment, it was referencing Rayquaza only a few seconds earlier.”
“So you think Giratina meant it would be able to fight off Rayquaza and the other Pokemon with this power?” Steven asked, as Jon shrugged.
“I think it’s more likely than whatever power Giratina has being capable of getting around this failsafe of ours…” Jon answered.
“I disagree…”
Everyone looked at Steven, who now that Jon had revealed more of his cards, was now revealing his own.
“If Pokemon Mythology is anything to go by, I think that Giratina, with this power, is more dangerous than we realise…” Steven explained, as Jon sat up a little straighter, curious.
“Okay, what makes you say that?”
“Most myths of Legendary Pokemon have them grouped based on their origin or role. Take Rayquaza. It is always affiliated with Groudon and Kyogre, and is believed to be just as strong. Or Lugia and Ho-oh. Cresselia and Darkrai…” Steven explained, as Jon nodded, following so far. “Giratina in practically all mythology, is linked heavily with Dialga and Palkia, which are effectively the beings in control of all time and space respectively…”
Dylan’s eyes widened.
“You think that if Giratina got this true power, it would be in a similar ballpark to Dialga and Palkia?” Dylan asked.
“I think it’s worth considering the possibility,” Steven answered. “And I can say for certain that if we tried this Pokeball-Heart Monitor trick on Dialga or Palkia, they could get out of it quite easily…”
“I hadn’t considered that…” Jon muttered, as his brow furrowed. “This complicates things…”
“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t agree to this,” Cassandra said.
“However, if we are using mythology to inform this decision, we need to look from all angles…” Steven explained. “Most myths seem to dictate that Giratina lives in a world away from our own, being banished there by Arceus itself for the destruction it caused. If we believe that Giratina’s true power makes it truly dangerous, by that same logic, we should believe that there will be intervention if Giratina were to be as dangerous as mythology could indicate it may be…”
“Steven, are you seriously suggesting we do this because Arceus will fix it if it goes wrong?” Cassandra asked. “We don’t even know it exists!”
“I’m not,” Steven answered. “I’m saying that if we rely on myths and legends to inform this decision, we shouldn’t rely just on the ones that sell our case, whatever it may be…”
“Cassandra,” Jon said, getting her attention, as he normally just referred to her as Cass. “What do you think happens if I refuse?”
Cassandra went to answer, but realised that it was not going to help her case. She knew if Jon refused, it would put their whole plan back a dozen steps. Jon had bought them time by telling Giratina he’d think about it, but if they refused, Giratina would likely disobey more than it normally would. Any attempts to rehabilitate and train it would likely be fruitless, because Giratina would do all it could to rebel.
“I handled training Rayquaza abysmally. Because being caught with it would ruin my life, I treated it like a liability, and honestly, it was a miracle that Rayquaza was willing to look past that when it counted most. Fact is, that if I hadn't acted based on my own self preservation, Rayquaza would likely be ready to be released by now…” Jon explained. “Instead, I honestly think Rayquaza will need to be with me for another two or three years, even without Giratina in the equation. I don’t want to make the same mistakes with Giratina…”
“So you’ll let it get stronger?”
“I’ll give it the chance to rise to the occasion,” Jon explained. “You know how Steven said I tend to withhold information? There is one thing I hadn’t mentioned yet…”
“And that is?” Steven asked, not at all shocked to hear this.
“Latios was sight sharing with me the whole time, and whilst his emotion sense is far from perfect in picking out lies, Latios believed that Giratina meant what it said, when it told us it would obey if we helped it…” Jon explained.
Cassandra went silent. It was no secret that despite their friendship now, Jon would have simply detained her, Violet and Jarena on the S.S. Wishmaker, if it weren’t for Latios asking him to give them a chance.
“And then, there is the risk of attack…”
Nobody said a word, as they had been trying not to consider the idea.
“We made enemies in Alola, and chances are, one day it will catch up with us,” Jon explained. “On its own, I’d be content without potentially relying on Giratina, but then there’s Blackstone…”
Lance had tipped Jon off about the mercenary group, who may set their sights on Jon and those with Legendary Pokemon at the Eon Academy, and whilst Lance at the time didn’t believe they were being targeted then, they all knew that could change, and they’d be none-the-wiser…
“Honestly, without Agatha, witches don’t scare me as much as Blackstone do…” Jon explained. “And if Giratina is loyal by the time they arrive, with this true power it talks about, we would stand a much better chance…”
“Anything else you’re withholding?” Steven asked. Despite knowing that this was a difficult decision, he was growing tired of the conversation.
“Only one thing…” Jon answered. “Giratina obeyed Agatha, and did the things it did, because Agatha had a curse placed on it, forcing it to obey under threat of pain if it didn’t. If we keep it prisoner, using this Pokeball thing to make it obey us, are we any better? Honestly, I think us taking a chance on it could be the difference between this going smoothly, and it being a long, painful affair…”
Cassandra knew that Jon raised good points, however this didn’t sit right with her. She looked towards Willow, who sat in silence, and realised she hadn’t spoken at all during this conversation.
“Willow, surely you have some thoughts about this?” Cassandra asked, as Willow looked up at her, before looking around at those present, her expression serious and solemn.
“I have some thoughts, based on what Giratina said…” Willow explained. “But it’s not about this deal…”
Jon looked over, curiously at Willow, nodding for her to continue.
“Giratina knew that Agatha was dead, because the curse she placed on it was no longer active…” Willow began. Jon sighed, as he realised what she was getting towards. “Which indicates that these sorts of conditional trigger curses rely on the person who placed the curse remaining alive for them to function…”
“Willow, I appreciate your concern for me,” Jon answered. “But the war is over, and Nicodemus is a hollow shell at this point…”
The head injury that Nicodemus suffered at Jon’s hands was what many considered to be a fate worse than death. Nicodemus lost all awareness, unable to move himself around, unless heavily prompted to, and unable to speak or comprehend his surroundings. Jon didn’t know if he was trapped in his own mind, but tried not to think about it. Regardless, Nicodemus was not a threat to anyone anymore, and would rely on full-time care for the rest of his life.
Cassandra realised what Willow was implying, and felt shock at the fact that deep down, she agreed with Willow. If Nicodemus were to die, Jon could be free of the curse that threatened to kill him at any point. She quickly dismissed the thought.
“Jon, he’d be put out of his misery,” Willow suggested, however Jon shook his head, as the others remained silent, shocked to be hearing this conversation.
“Even if I were okay with this, how would you do it?” Jon asked, his tone sharpening. “Would you just murder him, and hope you didn’t get caught? Or try and convince a judge that he deserves the death penalty? Or appeal for an assisted suicide, because he is not going to have a good life the way he is now?”
Willow remained silent. She hadn’t considered that. She had simply seen it as a way out of the current situation. Trade Nicodemus’ current half-life for the sake of Jon’s. On paper, it seemed like a good deal.
“If we were still in Alola, and I were to end up in a fight against him again, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if that were what was needed to end things with less people getting hurt in that moment,” Jon answered. “But that’s past us now. Now, we just need to accept that this is how things are…”
Jon looked down at his blackened hand, before looking at Willow.
“We will figure out another way out of this,” Jon answered. “End of discussion…”
Before anything else could be said, Jon stood up without a word, tossing his empty beer bottle in the box they had brought for rubbish, which clinked loudly against the other empties in it, before making his way to one of the two large tents, which he shared with Steven and Dylan.
As he climbed into his sleeping bag, he sighed. Fact was, that despite his words earlier, the idea was tempting. Trade Nicodemus’ miserable life, for a guarantee that his despicable curse wouldn’t take him away from Alyssa and Amelia. However, he knew that he couldn’t do that, and didn’t want to set the example that that was okay…
Jon was the second to awaken the following morning, looking around the tent to see that Steven was still asleep, whilst Dylan’s bed was empty. The smell of food cooking on the fire however, indicated what Dylan was doing exactly.
One by one, all five members of the party awoke, and once they were ready, they moved back to their original places, alongside the Pokemon tasked with containing Giratina should it try to fight or escape. However this time, Rayquaza was instructed by Jon to wait until Giratina tried anything hostile before restraining it.
As expected, when Giratina was allowed out of the Pokeball, it remained still. It knew that Rayquaza had subdued it last time, and was trying to convince Jon to help it, so made sure it didn’t hurt its chances.
“Tell me what it is you’re wanting us to do, exactly…” Jon said evenly.
“I normally live in a world parallel to this one, because this world strips me of my power. There, I can be myself, but here, I am trapped in this slow and cumbersome form. Whilst I’d like to return to my home, I know you don’t trust me enough to simply let me return on my word alone. So if I must stay in this world with you, allow me to regain my true, more comfortable form…”
“How do we do that?” Jon asked, as Dylan listened with curiosity, as Latios translated Giratina’s words telepathically. A little over a year ago, he had researched Giratina when trying to figure out what was causing a boy in Canalave City to be trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from. At the time, he had been confused by the sheer lack of information about Giratina, and the huge variance in artists' depictions of the Legendary Pokemon. This however, answered some of that confusion, with Giratina describing having another form.
“A stone, placed somewhere in this world, which is imbued with the energy of my home,” Giratina explained. “If I had the stone, I’d be able to shift between this form and my natural one…”
“And where is this stone?”
“I… I don’t know…” Giratina admitted, seeming almost embarrassed. “I can sense it in this world, and I know that it is somewhere close to myself…”
“Close geographically speaking?” Steven asked, able to understand by way of Latios’ translation.
“In terms of distance, no,” Giratina explained. “Somewhere with ties to myself…”
“And how do you know this?” Cassandra asked, sceptical. Giratina turned an eye towards her.
“How do you know how to breathe?” Giratina asked, without waiting for an answer. “It is knowledge so vital to your survival, that you simply know. Just like how I know of this stone…”
Before Cassandra could respond, Jon interjected, his mind made up.
“I’m willing to oblige your request, but before we make this agreement, there are some things you need to know…” Jon answered, as Cassandra scowled. She didn’t trust Giratina, having seen the carnage first hand of it destroying Section B, regardless of whether it was forced to obey Agatha or not.
“What things?” Giratina asked.
“Firstly, despite it being against my better judgement, I am giving you a chance to have a looser leash, and to cooperate with that. I will keep the auto-lock mechanism on the Pokeball for the time being, just for some peace of mind…” Jon explained. “If we are going on some trek to find this stone, and I die, you will be returned to the Pokeball faster than you can hope to escape, and you will likely never be let out again…”
Giratina nodded in understanding as Jon continued.
“Secondly, if, somehow, you get this power of yours, and manage to get away from me, you will be better off hiding forever in this other world you supposedly prefer, because if you betray me, as long as I draw breath, I will hunt you down…” Jon said coldly, making sure there was no mistaking where he stood on it. “You’re getting this chance because I’m giving it to you. Nobody else here wants to, and it sounds like Agatha refused as well. If you prove my willingness to try and make things work with you to have been a mistake, I will not be as forgiving as I am right now…”
Giratina glared at Jon, angered by the hubris the trainer showed towards a Pokemon of its calibre.
“Are we clear?”
Giratina growled in agitated assent, as Jon nodded in approval.
“Good,” Jon answered. “I’ll see if I can find any leads as to where this stone may be…”
Chapter 3
“I thought you were done going off like this…” Alyssa said, as Jon threw another hoodie into his small travel bag. “You said that the S.S. Wishmaker would be your last job, and then all the stuff during the Spiritwater Festival happened and…”
She trailed off, before sighing. She was right. Jon had said he wouldn’t take on any more League operations after the S.S. Wishmaker. However, when Steven had asked Jon to capture Rayquaza, Alyssa had supported him, given the fact that Steven really had nobody else he could ask. After that, it had been three and a half years before the Diamond Ladies arrived at the Eon Academy, and despite Alyssa being far from happy about Jon going to Alola, she also knew that given the potential consequences of the League failing to stop Agatha, Jon was needed. And surely enough, Rayquaza played a pivotal role in stopping Agatha’s plans. However, he had come home, carrying a curse that could kill him at any moment, and promising to be done. And now, he was wanting to go to Sinnoh, chasing after this lead about Giratina, and she was far from happy about it.
“This is different,” Jon answered, not for the first time in the previous few days. “No military or witches trying to stop me with lethal force. Heck, I would be extremely surprised if I even got into a fight…”
“But the clear difference is you’ll be travelling alone with Giratina, who not even six months ago, was trying to kill you and Rayquaza, so it could help Agatha with that disgusting plan of hers…”
“I’ll have Rayquaza and Latios with me,” Jon tried to reason, however he was interrupted by a voice at the door.
“And he’ll have me…”
Jon and Alyssa both looked to the doorway, where Cassandra stood, a small duffel bag loaded with clothes for travelling, as she leaned against the doorframe, her expression challenging either of them to object. Jon took the challenge.
“No, I won’t,” Jon explained. “If Agatha’s followers show up here-”
“If Agatha’s followers show up here, Violet, Jarena and Willow will cover all bases that Dylan and Steven can’t, which from what I know of the pair of them, won’t be many,” Cassandra interrupted, as Jon opened his mouth to protest, before Cassandra cut him off again. “And if Blackstone show up, which I doubt they will since you will be having three of the Legendary Pokemon with you, I’m sure that between everyone staying back here, they can hold them off until we can get back…”
Jon went to argue, however realised he couldn’t. Cassandra was right. Though her coming would mean one less person to defend the Academy should they be attacked, it was already well defended enough without her there.
“Beyond that, what if this curse triggers while you’re gone?” Cassandra asked. “Depending on what it is, I may be able to slow it down and buy time to stop it before it kills you, if I’m there to do that. But if you’re alone…”
“She’s right, Jon,” Alyssa said, hiding the sigh of relief that he wasn’t going alone. She still was far from pleased about this excursion, and didn’t want to give any indication she was giving ground. “If you must do this, don’t do it by yourself…”
Jon looked between Alyssa and Cassandra, who had now entered the room, before fixing his gaze on Cassandra.
“You’re not worried about the fact that Giratina will likely spend a lot of time out of the Pokeball?” Jon asked. “It’s no secret it makes you nervous…”
“If you need to ask, should you be okay with going alone?” Cassandra pointed out. “Giratina is either safe enough, or isn’t. That doesn’t change based on your agenda.”
“Noted,” Jon remarked as Cassandra continued.
“If you think Giratina will behave itself, I’m coming. Especially seeing as if you’re wrong, you will need all the help you can get, and if you’re not being honest, you shouldn’t be going alone anyway…”
Jon nodded, accepting the fact that Cassandra would be joining him on this trip, before looking to Alyssa.
“You can track my phone, so keep an eye on that. I’ll update you whenever I get the opportunity and keep you in the loop…” Jon said to his wife. “But I have to do this. Compared to other missions, this is pretty safe in terms of risk, and the reward for doing it could be game-changing. And the punishment for not doing so would make things even more difficult than they already are…”
Alyssa sighed, before fixing her gaze on Jon.
“If you have to do this, don’t do anything reckless,” Alyssa said, before nodding to Jon’s hand. “I don’t want you coming home with something like that…”
“I don’t want to come home with something like that,” Jon agreed, before kissing her on the cheek. “But I’ll be careful.”
“And I’ll turn him into a Dunsparce if he tries doing anything stupid,” Cassandra added. “Keep him safe from himself…”
Alyssa nodded her thanks, before Jon left the room Cassandra in tow, wanting to have one more conversation before he left. As he looked for the person he was wanting to talk to, Cassandra spoke.
“So do you have any idea where we are going?” Cassandra asked. Jon nodded as the pair left Jon and Alyssa’s house, walking towards the in-construction lodges being build to house the two hundred attendees for the next summer’s program. Jon had been forced to close registrations at that amount, knowing the Academy simply couldn’t host that many people in a single summer at their current size.
“Sinnoh,” Jon explained. “My flight leaves this afternoon, so I suggest you call the airline and beg for whatever seat they can offer, as soon as possible…”
Cassandra nodded, having not considered that, as Jon explained further.
“Giratina is referenced in numerous regions' mythology, but Sinnoh most prominently,” Jon explained. “And some traditions even place it at Spear Pillar, where Dialga and Palkia were said to have been born…”
“So we are checking out Spear Pillar?”
“It’s our best lead,” Jon explained. “But, Giratina said it can sense this stone, so we may arrive, and Giratina can sense it in the opposite direction. But, Spear Pillar is a start…”
“Sounds like our best option right now,” Cassandra agreed as Jon continued.
“Our flight leaves at 4pm. I was going to have Latios fly me to Lilycove, but if you’re coming, we’ll have to take Rayquaza, so it will take longer,” Jon explained. “Be ready to leave in an hour, flight or no flight…”
“What happens if I can’t get a flight?”
“You’ll take my plane ticket and Latios will fly me to Sinnoh,” Jon explained. “He can keep pace with the plane without trying too hard…”
“What if the curse kicks in during the trip?”
“Well the other option is I am on the plane and you take Latios, so either way I’m boned,” Jon explained. “The curse isn’t going to be delayed by us planning for it in every eventuality. So let’s forget about it, and focus on what’s right in front of us…”
Cassandra sighed, however, knew she had little time to argue with Jon.
“I’ll meet you at the front gate in an hour…”
Cassandra left, making her way to the lodge where she lived, knowing she would struggle to get herself onto Jon’s flight in under an hour, whilst Jon made his way to one of the rooms being built, where he could hear the sound of music being played. It was clearly Dylan’s taste, that was being blasted loud enough that Jon could hear it outside.
Inside the room, Dylan wore old clothes that were now marked with flecks of spilt paint. In his hand, was a brush he was using to paint the walls of the under-construction lodge. The floors were bare, having not been carpeted yet, and whilst lights, switches and outlets were wired in, the building itself wasn’t hooked up to the Eon Academy’s grid yet. Whilst they could afford the work being done, it was simply a matter of time. Painting was something Dylan could do outside of normal working hours, which was one less thing for the professionals to do, allowing the project to be finished quicker.
“It looks good,” Jon called out, as Dylan turned, noticing Jon, and withdrew his phone from his pocket, pressing the volume buttons to turn the music down. “I still can’t believe we are up to lodge five and six…”
“We honestly couldn’t fit another on the property if we tried,” Dylan said. “The only reason we could build these ones was because of the exemption that Steven got from the city council in terms of permits. Technically, these would be illegal if Steven hadn't thrown his weight around with the council…”
Jon nodded in agreement.
“Honestly, I need to see if I can convince some of the owners of the neighbouring properties to sell,” Jon answered. “Difficult thing will be not giving away just how much we need it, and giving them reason to double their asking price…”
Dylan nodded in agreement, as Jon continued.
“Listen, Cass and I are leaving for Sinnoh in an hour,” Jon explained, as Dylan gave him a puzzled look.
“I thought you weren’t leaving until 1?” Dylan asked, looking at his watch. “It’s not even 10am…”
“I was when it was just me, but if Cass is coming, Latios can’t carry both of us, and we are limited by Rayquaza’s top speed,” Jon explained. “So the trip to Lilycove will be longer…”
Dylan considered this for a minute, before looking at Jon.
“I’ll come too,” Dylan said, though Jon shook his head.
“Cassandra is already going to struggle to get onto my flight to Jubilife, and if she can’t, we at least have the option of her taking my place, and I fly there on Latios. But if you come, we don’t have that option,” Jon explained. “Besides, I want you here in case anything happens…”
“Witches?” Dylan asked. Jon nodded.
“Or Blackstone, but they’re less than likely, especially with Charlotte, Abbee, Chris and Justin gone, as well as myself and my three Legendary Pokemon not there,” Jon answered. “I only agreed that Cassandra could come, because I knew that Violet, Jarena, Willow, Steven and yourself would be here. And whilst the others can handle themselves well, I get most peace of mind leaving this place when things may go wrong, knowing you and Steven are here. I mean, you were the reason this place wasn’t a burning pile of rubble when Deoxys attacked…”
Dylan nodded, though wished Jon were wrong. He wanted to be there as well, knowing he could help, but Jon was right. Nobody outside the Academy knew he was gone, though Blackstone would likely know he left Hoenn the moment he entered Jubilife Airport, given what Lance had told Jon a few months earlier of their illicit access to government systems. For Dylan to go, would thin their already thin defences.
“One more thing,” Jon said to Dylan, catching his attention again. “Don’t tell the others what I am doing. I don’t expect you to lie to them, but unless lying to them is the only way to avoid telling them I’m not here, don’t tell them…”
Dylan nodded, knowing what the other interns were like. Charlotte, Chris and Justin had all planned on making their own way to Akala Island to help Jon, Dylan and Abbee, the latter two were there because they wanted to help Jon. He knew that the moment any of them found out, especially Charlotte and Justin who were in Jubilife themselves, they’d join Jon, whether he liked it or not. It was easier to keep it a secret.
“My lips are sealed…”
Chapter 4
“Is this really necessary?” Cassandra asked, as she and Jon, both very rugged up, walked towards the eastern gate leaving the Jubilife City boundary. Both wore thick winter coats with hoods, beanies underneath, covering the top of their heads, as well as scarves piled up to cover the bottom halves of their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed. “We probably attract more attention like this than if we didn’t…”
Cassandra raised a valid point. Whilst the weather was getting colder, as they had passed the halfway mark of autumn, they were dressed for winter in Snowpoint City, which was still a way off. Most people wore a light jacket, and potentially a hoodie. And both trainers were receiving strange looks, despite the heavy hiking packs they carried indicating they were likely going to tackle Mount Coronet.
“We look exactly like people trying to hide their identity, and doing a terrible job of it…” Cassandra added, noticing a couple nearby looking at them curiously.
“I’m okay with that,” Jon explained. “As long as we don’t look like Jon Drake and Cassandra Silvers…”
Jon had explained to Cassandra his desire for secrecy. Especially given it would be easy for Charlotte and Justin to force their way into this trip given they were both likely in Jubilife somewhere.
“I still don’t get why you don’t want Charlotte or Justin knowing you’re here…” Cassandra said. “You said yourself that this isn’t a dangerous mission, compared to previous stunts, and you think Giratina will behave itself. So why would it be a problem if they did want to come?”
“You have your phone on you?” Jon asked, as Cassandra nodded. “Open up Instagram and search for Justin…”
Cassandra opened up Instagram, and quickly found Justin’s profile, having followed him herself after enrolling at the Academy, as she did with Jon’s other students.
“Okay, now what am I looking-” Cassandra said before something stood out to her. “Goddamn…”
“How many now?” Jon asked. “I haven’t checked in a while…”
“3.6 million followers…” Cassandra said in shock. Her old account from her pre S.S. Wishmaker life, which had been left behind and forgotten about, sat on 200 million followers, however her current account sat on five thousand. “Are all your students this famous?”
“Abbee has 2.8 million. She already had lots of followers before enrolling because of her dad and her own competing. Charlotte and Chris have about 2.4. Dylan is sitting on 1.8, though barely uses Instagram himself,” Jon explained. “I have 3 million. Only Steven has him beat, but at this rate, Justin will likely have more than him in six months…”
“So why does Jusin have so many more?” Cassandra asked. “He doesn’t even compete, does he?”
“As a high school student, he played a vital part in discovering a new Legendary Pokemon, and captured it himself. The summer after, when Deoxys attacked, Justin was the one who got the SOS signal out to the mainland, before he and Regieleki helped turn the tides on what was a battle of attrition,” Jon explained. “When it got out that he was in a relationship with Candice, his popularity blew up, seeing as of all the Gym Leaders, the only one with more followers than her was Elesa. Then, if he wasn’t famous enough already, he was the first to battle in our challenge against the College of the North Wind last year, and exceeded all expectations people had of us…”
Hearing this, Cassandra felt a sense of determination in her flare for a moment. What Jon described was a normal kid, who during his first summer, had barely taken the opportunity in front of him seriously, now being one of the most respected trainers on the face of the earth, despite not even competing himself. She wondered if, given time, she could earn a reputation like his, however was pulled from her thoughts when Jon continued.
“You and I already struggle to stay unnoticed, but if Justin and Charlotte were to come, it would draw attention to us. And if we’re going to be working with Giratina, that attention will do more harm than anything else,” Jon continued. “But even if it didn’t, they have their own lives. Charlotte may not even be in Jubilife competing, but if she is here, it is likely for a short break, before another competition, which, if she thought what we were doing was important, she’d pull out of, and if I have come here and kept her in the dark, she’d know it was something big. And Justin is in his final year at Jubilife University, and I don’t want to interfere with that…”
“So keeping the other interns in the dark isn’t because this is too dangerous?” Cassandra asked. Jon shook his head.
“Honestly, I think they could handle this with less risk that I could, seeing as they aren’t carrying a curse like I am,” Jon answered. “But I’m Giratina’s trainer, so this is my responsibility…”
The pair had reached the edge of the city, and were now walking east along Route 203, as the sun was falling towards the horizon behind them. Once clear of the city, they made their way off the main path, into a far more wooded area, walking a few kilometres, before finally, finding a clearing far enough away that nobody would accidentally stumble upon them. Or, which seemed more likely, if Giratina did need to be restrained, they’d have plenty of space for Rayquaza and Latios to fight it, without there being any collateral outside of the trees.
“You ready?” Jon asked Cassandra. Despite this being the third time Jon had let the Pokemon out, and previously, it had seemed calm and reasonable, she wondered, given what she had seen of the Pokemon under Agatha’s orders, whether she ever would be ready. She nodded, albeit uneasily.
Jon pressed the button on Rayquaza’s Pokeball, and the green, serpentine Pokemon flew up into the air above the clearing, poised and ready to attack if Giratina posed any threat. Latios, who remained invisible, watched the path behind them, looking out for any people who may stumble upon their whereabouts, as Mount Coronet loomed not too far from where they gathered. Finally, Jon pressed the button on Giratina’s Pokeball.
The Pokeball exploded into white light, as Giratina materialised, like last time, still and calm, taking up most of the space in the clearing. However, it looked around curiously, realising this was a different place to the last two times it had been called from its Pokeball. It looked towards the silhouette of Mount Coronet, before Rayquaza placed itself between Giratina and the distant mountain, its challenging gaze almost daring Giratina to try something.
“You sense something?” Jon called out, nodding to the peak of Mount Coronet. “Up there?”
Giratina nodded.
“If nothing else, in that direction,” Giratina answered. “I have never been this close to it, so I am unsure how far away it is…”
Jon nodded, before looking at Giratina’s narrow wings, which seemed insufficient to lift its huge body.
“You can fly, correct?”
“I can fly in this form, though more comfortably in my other…”
Jon nodded, before whistling. Latios descended by Cassandra, as Rayquaza flew down towards where Jon was, leaving all in the clearing cramped, as Rayquaza growled at Giratina.
“Let me remind you that if for any reason, my heart stops, the Pokeball will activate, and you will be captured again,” Jon explained. “And if you give me any reason to think you’ll try and escape, or hurt somebody, this trip is over. This is your one and only chance. Am I understood?”
Giratina nodded, as it growled in assent. Jon nodded in agreement, before climbing onto Rayquaza, whilst Cassandra rode on Latios’ back.
“You can sense this thing, and we believe it is at the top of Mount Coronet,” Jon explained. “Lead the way, and behave yourself…”
Giratina gave a triumphant roar, before crouching for a moment on all six legs, and jumping into the air, as its wings began to beat, lifting the large, Legendary Pokemon into the air. Latios and Rayquaza began to follow, keeping their sights focused on Giratina, which was difficult in the half-light of sunset, who ascended towards the peak of Mount Coronet.
Whilst Jon had slept most of the flight to Jubilife, likely because, as much as he tried to hide it from all but Alyssa, he struggled to sleep at night, Cassandra had bought access to the aircraft’s Wifi, and was researching Mount Coronet. She was thankful that the altitude of Spear Pillar wasn’t high enough that they’d struggle with the thinning oxygen, however had been worried that Jon hadn’t looked into that.
The trip to the peak of Mount Coronet itself was short, flying directly to the top, despite being slowed by Giratina leading, which in the air, was the slowest of the three Pokemon. It took twenty minutes for the three Legendary Pokemon to land at the peak of Mount Coronet, Spear Pillar, where behind them, the landscape of the western half of Sinnoh was bathed in a red light from the setting sun falling beneath the western horizon.
“One day, I gotta make it back here on foot,” Cassandra said quietly, as Jon grinned. It was a beautiful view, however he understood Cassandra feeling as though they hadn’t earned the reward that was in front of them. He turned, to see Giratina wandering curiously around the space they were in. Having not paid much attention to it himself, being distracted by the sunset, he only noticed for the first time just how strange it was.
The peak had been flattened, Jon guessing that it would have been a laborious task for the time it was done. The ground itself was paved in surprisingly even and matching stones. Surrounding them were pillars and statues, all of which were broken, and large chunks of stone, which Jon realised was the ceiling that the pillars once held up, littered the area.
“This was a building,” Jon said, as Cassandra nodded in agreement.
“It was a temple, most likely to Arceus itself,” Cassandra explained, having read that online during the flight to Jubilife. “Legend has it that Dialga and Palkia, along with the rest of the world, were formed here…”
Jon nodded in understanding, before looking to Giratina, who had made its way to the northern end of the stone slab, which overlooked Snowpoint, Eterna and Celestic. However, its focus was not on the cities, now lighting up as night fell, but a symbol carved into the ground, reminiscent of a triangle, however inside of it was a large circle, taking up most of the area of the triangle. Superimposed on that circle were three smaller circles, each within the point of each apex of the triangle. He approached the Pokemon cautiously.
“Any of this mean anything to you?”
Giratina turned, fixing its gaze on Jon, before looking back to the symbol.
“I don’t know…” Giratina answered. “I feel closer, but if this is the place, the feeling is underwhelming…”
Jon looked around, realising just how empty it was. Whilst he had been intrigued by the view, and then the history of where they stood, when considering it relative to why they were actually here, he realised why Giratina was disappointed. Honestly, there was nowhere that seemed like it should house a stone, and Giratina seemed to believe this was not the place.
“So where do you think the stone is?”
Giratina looked around, finally settling on looking east of their location.
“Somewhere that way…”
Jon looked, however with the shadow cast by Mount Coronet projected over the landscape, and the sun now past the horizon, he couldn’t make out any details where Giratina seemed to be looking.
After speaking to Cassandra, Jon decided that it would be best to spend the night on Spear Pillar. Despite it being cold, they had packed well, carrying warm sleeping bags and extra layers in their packs, and Jon raised a good point.
“Depending on cloud cover, which Rayquaza can get rid of if need be, we should be able to see as far as Solaceon Town,” Jon explained. “With the sun rising in the east, it should be well lit early so that we can see what’s down there and get a better idea of where we are headed…”
When it was decided, Jon sent Latios down to gather firewood, knowing that unburdened by delicate human passengers, Latios could accelerate and decelerate at ungodly speeds, and would likely be at the base of the mountain in record time. Sure enough, Latios returned within an hour, carrying telekinetically a large amount of firewood, most of which dried out somewhat quickly from the air rushing past it during flight.
Cassandra lit the campfire, as Jon grabbed some food from his own bag. After setting aside enough for himself and Cassandra, he withdrew a generous amount for the three Legendary Pokemon, knowing it would do little to satisfy their appetites, and made a mental note to buy more supplies the next day.
Latios and Rayquaza both accepted the food without hesitation, however Giratina looked between Jon and the meal on offer curiously.
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Jon said casually. “If I really wanted to get rid of you, I’d have just left you in the Pokeball…”
Giratina looked at Jon, before accepting the food, which Jon tossed into the air for the large Pokemon to catch in its mouth.
With the fire lit, and the temperature dropping rapidly, Jon gathered from his own pack, a tarp he had rolled up meticulously, as well as some rope, and began suspending it from whatever pillars were nearby. The covered area underneath it was not large by any means, but would provide where they slept with plenty enough cover from any snow or rain that may fall during the night, and otherwise dampen their spirits as well as their bedding. He figured it was only going to get colder, so it was worth getting it all set up before they were comfortable.
An hour later, Jon and Cassandra sat around the burning fire, with Latios sitting with them, and Giratina sitting in the same place on the northern edge of the ruins, Rayquaza watching intently. Jon didn’t intend on letting Giratina remain out of its Pokeball whilst he and Cassandra slept. Whilst he didn’t think Giratina would sabotage this opportunity it had been given, Jon didn’t want Rayquaza being forced to supervise the Legendary Pokemon all night, especially in the cold. And considering how cold it would get, Jon figured Giratina would be more comfortable in the Pokeball anyway. However, despite this not being the place they were looking for, it did seem to have resonated with Giratina, who continued to look at the carved symbol on the ground.
Jon, Cass and Latios spoke quietly by the fire, as the temperature grew colder, considering what was north east of here that may have a connection to Giratina. However, as Jon felt himself shiver, despite the heat of the fire in front of him, he looked to where Giratina remained, as well as where Rayquaza watched vigilantly. He looked from there to the overly large pile of firewood Latios had brought, which they’d barely make a dent in.
“Latios, can you load up the fire,” Jon asked, as Cassandra looked at him in confusion. “We aren’t going to use it all at this rate, and it’ll likely go to waste if we don’t use it tonight…”
However as he finished, Jon nodded to the two Legendary Pokemon who stood away from the fire, both of whom were trying their best to hide how cold they were.
Latios took the rest of the wood, at Jon’s command, knowing once it burnt out, they’d likely be wanting to sleep, and piled it high, turning what was a medium sized campfire into a large bonfire. Once it was ready, Latios hit the pile of wood with a Dragonbreath attack, causing it to ignite.
Jon looked towards Giratina, before calling out.
“It’s not going to change if you keep staring at it…”
Giratina looked around, realising Jon was addressing it, before growling, feeling as if Jon were mocking it. He raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“Come sit by the fire. You must be freezing…”
“And why would you care?” Giratina asked. “If I froze to death, it would be one less thing for you to worry about…”
“If you froze to death, I’d have come all the way out here for nothing,” Jon joked. “Even if I didn’t care, Rayquaza isn’t going to let you out of its sight, and I don’t want Rayquaza freezing to death either…”
Rayquaza looked at Jon indignantly, as if Jon had somehow tarnished the image it had worked so hard to maintain by alluding to the fact that Rayquaza, like most living beings that weren’t Ice Type Pokemon, didn’t enjoy the cold.
Cassandra watched warily, as Giratina stood to its feet, and slowly walked towards the large bonfire that she, Jon and Latios sat around, albeit further away now from the heat it was producing. Once Giratina was in place, Rayquaza floated over, sitting on the opposite side to Giratina, however keeping its gaze fixed on the Pokemon.
There was silence for a few moments, before Jon addressed Giratina again.
“So what is this place to you?” Jon asked. “It seems as if you have some connection to it…”
Giratina remained silent, causing Jon to continue.
“Were you born here?”
“No,” Giratina answered. “I was born somewhere else, though I do not know where…”
There was silence, before Giratina continued.
“But that carving on the ground… It is like where I was born…”
Cassandra couldn’t help but look at the Pokemon with curiosity. Despite her own apprehensiveness about it, she was intrigued by Pokemon mythology, and now she had one of the Pokemon with the least amount of recorded knowledge by humans, sitting in front of her, speaking of its own creation…
“How do you not know where you were born, if you know it wasn’t here?” Jon asked, as Giratina glared, taking the question as an insult.
“If you found yourself in a room, with no memory of how you got there, and then were teleported to somewhere far away, could you find that room again?” Giratina asked, as Jon shook his head, though understanding.
“Did that happen to you?” Cassandra asked.
Giratina nodded solemnly, before considering whether to answer, and finally deciding.
“The reason that I lived in another world isn’t just because this world strips me of my power… I, like all Giratina before me, was banished there, moments after being born…”
“By Arceus?” Jon asked, as Giratina nodded.
“My true power, the one this world strips me of, is one that if not controlled, can lead to chaos,” Giratina explained. “Arceus has always banished us from this world, as the only way for us to return here is to learn to control our power. And even if we were to find a way out of our forced home, and back here, we are forced into this form, where our power is severely limited, as what you humans call a fail-safe. So once we gain enough control to be able to leave our isolation, we are only given the option of living as half of ourselves here, or remaining whole, but alone…”
“If Arceus doesn’t trust you enough to allow you to live in this world in your natural form, why does this stone exist?” Cassandra asked.
“Arceus does not distrust us!” Giratina roared, as Cassandra recoiled slightly, the sound reminding her of Agatha’s attack on Section B. Rayquaza reared up where it floated
“Calm down,” Jon said firmly, glaring at Giratina, and holding a hand towards Rayquaza, indicating for it to wait. “She just asked a question…”
Giratina glared at Jon and Rayquaza, before fixing its gaze on Cassandra.
“Arceus knows our power is hard to control, and as such, is dangerous. However, just like reaching this world is a feat of control, I believe that getting the stone, allowing use of that power here, is another feat of control. A test…” Giratina explained. “Any of my kind who can get the stone, can only do so because they are so proficient in their abilities that they won’t risk accidentally bringing about untold destruction…”
Cassandra nodded in understanding. Jon however, was thinking about what Giratina had told them earlier.
“Could this stone be in your birthplace?” Jon asked, as Giratina considered the question.
“If it is, I don’t know where that is. I only have this sense, which grows stronger the closer I get…” Giratina explained. “It is nearby, relatively speaking…”
“Do you remember what it was like there?” Cassandra asked. Giratina looked back to the symbol carved into the ground, before answering.
“I remember little of it. It was similar to here, but out of the weather, like a cave,” Giratina explained. “And when I look at that marking, I couldn’t help but remember that place…”
“I wonder what this place is then, if you weren’t born here. Maybe where Dialga and Palkia were born…”
Cassandra had raised the question, however Giratina gave her a puzzled look.
“You talk about the three of us as if we have always existed…” Giratina answered. “We live, and die, just like all beings but Arceus itself…”
“How has time flowed then, if Dialga is capable of aging and dying?” Cassandra asked.
“We don’t reproduce in the way that other Pokemon do. The universe requires myself, Dialga and Palkia to exist, and as such, when we are needed to be born, we are…” Giratina answered. “Should I die here and now, an egg containing another of my kind would appear where I was born. As it would with Dialga and Palkia…”
“Maybe this place is where the first Dialga, Palkia and Giratina were born, as the world came into being, and since then, they were born in this other place?” Jon offered, however, this conversation gave Cassandra a concerning thought, one that Steven had raised on Southern Island, but they couldn’t confirm.
“You refer to yourself alongside Dialga and Palkia as if you’re equal to them,” Cassandra noted. “Are you?”
“In my natural state, yes…” Giratina answered, as Jon listened intently. “I am their equal, created for a purpose by Arceus, just as they were…”
“So if Dialga rules over time, and Palkia rules over space,” Jon began. “What do you rule over?”
”Gravity…”
Chapter 5
“Jon, are we not going to talk about this?”
It was shortly before sunrise the following morning. After the revelation that Giratina was the master of gravity, the conversation had dwindled, with Jon, Cassandra and Latios realising the implication of this, and going rather quiet. They had returned the three Pokemon to their Pokeballs, before going to sleep. Cassandra had not raised it, figuring Jon needed time to process this, however now, when they had to decide where they were going next, it needed to be considered.
“What’s there to talk about?” Jon asked, as he rolled up his bed to place it back in his hiking pack.
“The curse Nicodemus placed on you has a glyph for gravity, and we just learnt that Giratina is the master of gravity,” Cassandra explained. “I’m certain that the trigger which will activate it is Giratina itself…”
“Do we know how?” Jon asked, and Cassandra shook her head.
“Even if we don’t, every moment you spend with Giratina is a moment you risk this curse activating, and me bringing you home in a bodybag…”
Jon looked up from where he was packing, shock evident in the look he gave Cassandra.
“Are you saying we should call this off?”
“I’m saying I don’t want to have to tell Alyssa that the curse activated and I couldn’t save you,” Cassandra replied, raising her voice slightly. “I don’t want to tell Lili her dad is gone…”
Jon went silent hearing this. He knew Cassandra had a point. He continued rolling up the sleeping bag, as he considered her words.
“I know it’s not certain that this curse is linked to Giratina,” Cassandra pleaded. “But we can’t ignore the fact that it was given to you whilst you were trying to capture Agatha’s Giratina. It may be nothing, but we can’t treat it like it is, and pretend nothing has changed…”
“This changes nothing…”
Jon’s words were sharp, shocking Cassandra a little.
“Jon, we have good reason to believe this curse could activate at any moment Giratina is out of its Pokeball, and we have no clue what specifically will activate it!”
“We have good reason to know this curse is dependent on Giratina,” Jon corrected. “As far as I am aware, all my options are equally f**ked…”
“Jon-” Cassandra argued, before Jon interrupted.
“Think about it!” Jon snapped. “The trigger could be Giratina winning a battle under my command! Or the trigger could be me letting Giratina down! No matter what I do, I have the prospect of this curse activating! I can’t run from it because I don’t know where it will strike from, and every move I make to escape it, could put me closer to it!”
Cassandra remained silent as Jon asked her a question, the frustration of the last few months worrying about this curse now bubbling to the surface.
“You’re saying I throw in the towel?” Jon asked. “Well what if the trigger for the curse is me betraying Giratina? I’d be dead, and that’d be on your conscience!”
“Are you trying to guilt trip me?!” Cassandra asked angrily. “I’m not the one who cursed you, Jon!”
“I know you’re not!” Jon answered back. “I’m saying that we know so little that I can’t make any sort of informed decision that actually stands to help! Any decision I make could have the opposite effect of what I intend, and I won’t know until it’s too late!”
“So you pretend nothing’s wrong?!”
“No, I do what I know is right, regardless of my circumstances!” Jon yelled back. “I can’t change what’s happened to me, or safely take any sort of action against it, so the least I can do is keep my word to Giratina, and try and do the right thing if nothing else!”
Spear Pillar was eerily quiet. Wild Pokemon didn’t venture up here, and the only sound present was the wind. Cassandra looked at Jon in shock.
“I’m not disregarding what you have to say because I think you’re wrong. You could well be right,” Jon said, his voice quieter. “Honestly, the thought of leaving Liss and Lili terrifies me. But we just don’t know enough, and if a blind decision has to be made that could kill me, I don’t want that weighing on anyone else's conscience. This decision has to be mine and mine alone…”
Cassandra bitterly realised he was right. There was no way of knowing what action would protect Jon, given there were so many potential triggers for the curse. And if he did listen to her, and that resulted in the curse activating…
“I’ll agree to keep going on two conditions,” Cassandra said firmly, refusing to budge on this. “The first is that you don’t leave my side, and the moment you feel anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, you tell me. That way if this curse activates, I might be able to slow it long enough to buy some time to identify it and try to remove it…”
“And the other?”
“Latios listens to your thoughts at all times. That way if you feel something and try to dismiss it, Latios is aware and can tell me before you let yourself get killed…” Cassandra said, before looking at Jon, her gaze hardening. She knew that Jon, whilst right, was also somewhat stubborn, and that if she wanted to have any chance of convincing him to pull the plug if more information about the curse came to light, she needed him to compromise now, when the stakes were, relatively speaking, lower.
“What if I refuse?” Jon asked.
Before she could answer, Jon felt a wave of fatigue hit him out of nowhere. His knees became weak, as he collapsed to them, and felt his consciousness begin to drift, as the urge to close his eyes and sleep became almost unbearable. At first he thought the curse had activated, until Cassandra spoke.
“I don’t need incantations for basic spells anymore…” Cassandra reminded Jon. “And sleeping spells like this are among the most basic…”
Jon felt the effects leave him, as he suddenly grew more aware.
“If you refuse, I will put you to sleep, and have Latios carry me back to Jubilife, while telekinetically carrying you,” Cassandra explained. “If he knew you were being stupid and refusing, he’d be all for it…”
Jon knew she was right. Latios, even without Cassandra’s demand, would want to be listening in to Jon’s thoughts, though that alone, had little chance of stopping the curse taking effect, should it trigger. He needed Cassandra’s knowledge and abilities in Shadowcraft to have a chance of saving him should it activate.
“Do we have a deal?” Cassandra asked. Jon nodded in agreement.
“Deal…”
With the agreement made, the pair both finished packing their bedding, before Jon allowed all three Legendary Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, Giratina being the last. As the sun rose, Jon and Cassandra stood by Giratina as it looked east, Sunyshore City
“Anything stand out?” Jon asked, not being able to make out anything further than Solaceon Town and its ruins. He gazed around, as Giratina spoke.
“There…”
Whilst Jon couldn’t make out details of where Giratina looked, he saw the shimmer of light reflecting off water, and realised it was a large body of water that Giratina was looking at, past Solaceon town.
“Sinnoh has three lakes, doesn’t it? Each affiliated with a Legendary Pokemon?” Jon asked Cassandra, as he pointed to where Giratina seemed so interested in. She nodded.
“Lake Verity, Acuity and Valor…” Cassandra answered, however as she looked, something seemed to confuse her. “But that’s none of them…”
Jon looked at her puzzled, as she continued.
“Lake Verity and Lake Acuity are in the north and west of Sinnoh respectively, with Lake Valor in the East,” Cassandra explained, before looking in the area around it. “But that’s not Lake Valor. That is…”
Jon looked to where she was pointing, and saw that a decent distance away was a larger lake, which seemed to be far more pronounced among the landscape, compared to the one Giratina had been looking at, which was well hidden by rock walls and trees, only visible from the reflection of the rising sunlight.
“Are you sure it’s not that lake?” Jon asked Giratina, pointing to Lake Valor, however Giratina shook its head.
“I feel nothing from there. But this lake…” Giratina said, looking back to the smaller, hidden lake. “Something is there… I can feel it…”
When the site was packed up, Jon and Cassandra both climbed onto Rayquaza. Whilst she had been flying on Latios, Cassandra argued that if the curse activates during flight, Jon’s chances would be better if she were as close as possible. Tired of arguing with her, Jon relented, as Cassandra climbed onto Rayquaza’s back, behind Jon. The large Pokemon barely noticed the extra weight, before the trio of Pokemon took off, and began their descent eastbound, towards the unknown lake. As they got closer, a cave became visible on the far side of it, protected by rock faces which kept the lake hidden from view from all angles but the air.
“I mean, it won’t take long to search the place,” Jon noted, as he nodded towards the cave. The lake it sat behind was small, but the cave was even smaller. “Unless it goes deep underground or something…”
There was no way that Giratina could fit through the entrance, however if the walls weren’t too thick, Jon figured it would be able to fit inside the cave if the entrance opened up into a large cavern.
“Are you sure it would be there?” Jon called out to Giratina. “I can get you through the door via a Pokeball, but if this place is supposed to be a challenge for you to find, I’m not sure how you’d get in that door on your own…”
“It is part of the challenge,” Giratina answered. “Using the small amount of power this form gives me with enough finesse would grant me passage inside…”
“If you say so..”
Jon however, noticed the look of determination on Giratina’s face, suspecting Giratina could sense something inside the cave.
There was hardly enough space for all of them on the small shore of the lake outside of the cave, so Jon called Giratina back to its Pokeball, before landing and calling Rayquaza back as well.
“I don’t know how both Rayquaza and Giratina will fit in that cave,” Cassandra noted.
“They won’t,” Jon answered. “It’s just too small…”
“So we go in with Giratina and not Rayquaza?”
Jon nodded. He looked to Latios.
“Has Giratina had any concerning emotions yet?” Jon asked, aware that Latios’ sense was far from certain in determining intentions, but the best avenue they had. Latios shook his head, before crying out.
“It seems focused on finding this stone, and doesn’t want to risk losing this chance…” Latios answered. “It was effectively Agatha’s prisoner, and had given up on ever getting this opportunity…”
Satisfied enough, but still far from happy about it, Cassandra nodded, as she followed Jon and Latios into the cave. As they entered, and the light disappeared, Jon jumped in fright as he blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, everything he saw became brighter.
“Sorry, that’s me,” Cassandra said, realising what she had done. Out of the three Diamond Ladies, only she had crossed the threshold of being able to use non-verbal Shadowcraft, and as such, had gotten into the habit of performing it when she needed to use spells, in order to grow more proficient in it. It had been a miracle that she had been able to silence Agatha despite being silenced herself, and now didn’t want to risk being that close to imminent death again. One of the side effects was that her Shadowcraft tended to take people by surprise.
“You did this in Sky Pillar, didn’t you?” Jon asked, now remembering the sensation, as he took in the dark corners of the cave. Whilst it was brighter, it was at the cost of seeing colours. The more the spell did to enhance his vision, the less vibrant colours were, to the point where when Latios floated towards a dark corner of the room they were in, Jon’s vision of it was black and white. “For a second, I thought the curse had just kicked in…”
The room they were in seemed to take up the majority of the cave based on what they saw from outside, however something didn’t add up. The ground was level, and in three directions, they saw tunnels leading into other caverns, however in the centre of this room was a large, ominous stone pillar. Following Giratina’s lead, they made their way deeper into the cave, finding themselves in a cavern the same size as the one they had just left. Jon looked around in shock.
“Something’s not right,” Jon said to Cassandra, who felt the same way. “This place is-”
“Bigger on the inside?” Cassandra asked. Jon nodded, as they continued into another cavern, as he watched the daylight from the entrance behind them grow dim. However as they reached the next cavern, Jon felt his stomach churn at an observation. He looked back to see the daylight visible through the first cavern, just as prominent as it was in the last cavern, despite being physically further from the entrance to the cave.
“This room is identical…” Cassandra said in shock, getting Jon’s attention. “It’s identical to the one we were just in…”
She looked up at Giratina, worry becoming evident in her voice.
“Is this some sort of trap you’re trying to lure us into?” she asked, however Jon answered.
“It’s no trap,” Jon answered. “The tunnel behind us will take us to the room by the entrance, regardless of where we are. It is legitimately impossible to get lost, though I have no clue how…”
“But if one of us goes back, I don’t know that we’d regroup without all of us heading back…” Giratina answered, surprising Jon that it didn’t retaliate to Cassandra thinking this was a trap. “So stay together…”
Giratina was right, Jon and Cassandra realised. If one of them went to the room by the entrance, chances were that they couldn’t simply walk back through the doorway they came and regroup. And if Jon was wrong, and they couldn’t simply walk back the way they came and find themselves instantly by the cave entrance, splitting up could prove fatal.
Giratina led the way, its pace increasing the further into the cave they got, until Giratina stopped mid stride as they entered a room, almost causing Jon and Cassandra to bump into it.
“What’s wrong?”
“This room is different,” Giratina answered. Jon looked past the large Pokemon, and realised it was telling the truth. The last four rooms had been identical however this one looked different. Whilst it had a large pillar in the centre, Jon looked behind him, and with his Shadowcraft enhanced dark-vision, could see the outline of the pillar in the entrance room.
“What do you think it means?” Cassandra asked.
“We’re getting closer,” Giratina answered. “The moment I entered this room, I could feel the stone much closer than it was in the last room…”
They spent another twenty minutes walking, all through rooms that looked identical, whilst Jon wondered how it was possible for so many rooms large enough for Giratina to walk uninhibited to exist in what he knew to be a small cave, without it going deeper underground. However, Giratina seemed to shudder as they entered another room with a pillar.
“You think it’s close?” Jon asked, figuring Giratina had noticed something.
“It’s in the next room…”
“Which way?” Cassandra asked, though Giratina shook its head.
“It doesn’t matter,” Giratina answered, confusing Jon and Cassandra. “It’s in the next room…”
Cautiously, Jon, Cassandra and Latios followed Giratina as it walked towards the nearest tunnel, before they finally found themselves in a room they had never seen before. There were no pillars, and for the first time, the ground changed incline, with the four sides of the room stepping down deeper, with the deepest point of the room at the dead centre. Lining the edge of the room were torches, lit by purple, spectral flames. However, the centre of the room, which seemed like the place to display Giratina’s prize, was empty.
“Maybe it’s the wrong room?”
“It isn’t,” Giratina said, before beginning to growl. Cassandra looked intently at the lowered space in the centre of the room, before noticing a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision. She swung her head around, fixing her gaze on one of the torches, and watched in shock as the flame leapt from the torch, rushing along the ground to the centre of the room. One by one, the others followed, causing Jon, Latios and Giratina to notice, as they pooled on the ground in the room’s centre.
Once the last flame joined its brethren, they stopped flickering simultaneously, with an eerie stillness, before the now large collective flame grew, beginning to take form. It was serpentine, like Rayquaza, however at one end, the tail came to a point, whilst the middle section was thicker. Large spikes erupted from the sides of the bottom half of the body, as tendrils erupted from the top half, which was raised like a serpent ready to strike. Rings of glowing red banded themselves around the rest of the body, which remained purple with its flickering flame light properties, before, where the head seemed like it needed to be, eyelids seemed to open, revealing two menacing red eyes, glowing ferociously.
“What the fu-” Jon began, however Giratina roared, cutting him off.
“This is the challenge…” Giratina said. “How I earn my true form in this world…”
Chapter 6
The shadow darted forward, launching itself at Giratina causing Jon and Cassandra to scatter to avoid being struck, as Giratina took the hit and was launched backwards. Giratina disappeared for a split second, attempting to use Shadow Force, however before it reappeared, the shadow disappeared identically. Giratina appeared behind where the shadow had been, and attacked at the air in front of it, not hearing Jon and Cassandra’s warning before the shadow materialised behind it, slamming into Giratina with an attack. Giratina roared angrily, before using the spikes on its wings to perform a Shadow Claw attack, which the shadow quickly blocked with what looked like a Protect attack. Jon grabbed Scizor’s Pokeball, however Giratina noticed the movement.
“Stop!” Giratina called out to Jon. “This is my fight! I can’t have another Pokemon fight alongside me!”
Despite himself, Jon pocketed the Pokeball, as Giratina took a hit, this time, from what appeared to be a Dragonbreath attack. Giratina roared in pain, as Jon grimaced, before calling out.
“What if a Pokemon isn’t fighting alongside you, but I’m battling with you?” Jon called out, as Giratina’s next attack missed, before the shadow dissolved into the ground, seeming to skate across it between Giratina’s six legs, before emerging underneath it, and knocking its back half into the air. “Is that allowed?!”
Giratina shuddered at the thought of battling under Jon’s command, however as it took a follow up hit from the shadow, in the form of an Earth Power attack, it realised that may be its only option.
“I think it is…”
Cassandra grinned at Jon, as he stepped forward.
“Then follow my lead!” Jon commanded. “Protect, then Will-O-Wisp!”
Giratina raised a Protect barrier in time to block another Shadow Force attack from the shadow creature, before using the moment of surprise it had bought itself to hit the opponent with a breath attack, giving it a burn.
“Latios,” Jon said quietly. “You can’t fight this thing, but I need your help…”
Latios nodded, as Jon explained.
“Try and use your telepathy to find out what it is…”
The shadow hit Giratina with a Dragon Claw attack, as Jon ordered a Breaking Swipe.
“Now Hex!” Jon commanded as the Breaking Swipe struck. Giratina roared, as a spectral light rushed from it, striking the shadow creature.
”This is weird,” Latios said, before Jon felt his vision replaced by Latios. His, Cassandra and Giratina’s emotions were all visible to Latios, but the shadow creature had no aura. ”I’ve never seen anything that had no aura when I’ve looked for one, and it has no thoughts to read…”
”How is that possible?” Jon thought back, not wanting to risk whatever this creature was viewing Jon and Latios tactics as cheating.
”It has no consciousness whatsoever,” Latios answered. ”This isn’t a Pokemon…”
The not-a-Pokemon, hit Giratina with another Dragonbreath, this attack succeeding in paralysing Giratina, and buying itself the opportunity to land another hit, this time with what appeared to be a Shadow Claw. Giratina cried out in pain, as it seemed to struggle to get back to its feet. Jon knew it likely only had one attack left, before it fell, and he had to make it count.
He considered Latios’ observation that this creature was not a Pokemon, but also lacked thoughts, emotions, or even a consciousness. It was not a living creature. As he considered this, a thought, so crazy, that it may just work, struck his mind.
They came to this cave, and entered this cavern looking for a stone, and found this. Giratina was certain the stone was here, and that this was part of the test to earn the stone. And whatever this thing was, it was not a living creature. Therefore, technically, it could be argued that it is an object.
“Giratina, Poltergeist!”
Poltergeist was a Ghost attack that Jon rarely saw used. Standard tournament rules didn’t allow items by default, though trainers could allow their Pokemon to hold items if both agreed prior to the match. However, this was rare, and didn’t happen often. And considering Poltergeist required the target to be holding an item in order for the move to succeed, it was practically never used in tournaments. And whilst Giratina’s opponent wasn’t holding an item, Jon couldn’t help but wonder what the effect would be if it were used on an item.
Normally, the pokemon performing the move would become incorporeal, and possess the item being held by the target, which would have been ripped from whatever held it, be it the Pokemon’s limbs, or apparel designed to hold it in place, and from there, used as a possessed weapon to deal Ghost-type damage. However, in this case, Giratina became intangible, launching itself into the shadow, and seeming to take control of it. The shadow creature was thrown by an invisible force into a wall, causing the cavern to shake, before the ground, and then the opposite wall. Giratina reemerged as the shadow lay still on the ground, and began to shrink.
Giratina watched cautiously, as the shadow began to melt, losing the shape it held, and condensing itself into a small form. After a few seconds, once all the shadow had condensed, the texture began to shift, revealing a small, jagged, pale gold, polished stone, similar in tone to Giratina’s own horns.
“Is this it?” Jon asked the Pokemon nodding to the stone.
“Yes…” Giratina answered. “The Griseous Orb…”
Giratina stepped towards it as Jon spoke.
“Remember, Giratina,” Jon said. “We made a deal…”
Giratina nodded.
“I said I will obey if you help me regain my true form…”
Giratina placed one of its feet on the orb, which seemed to shift, becoming incorporeal and turning to shadow again, before seeming to be absorbed into Giratina. As it did, Giratina glowed, and Jon and Cassandra watched in awe as it began to change shape, into the same shape of the shadow creature it had just fought. When the light disappeared, Giratina floated in front of them, retaining the same colouring as its previous form, though now more serpentine, with the horns now having shifted angles, looking less like a crown and more like a knight's helmet. Instead of black wings, six black tendrils erupted from its back, each with a red spike on its end.
“Thank you, Jon…”
The words seemed to surprise Jon a little. He hadn’t heard Giratina refer to him by name, and was shocked by the sincerity in its voice.
”Giratina meant that…” Latios commented, seeing Giratina’s emotions, as Jon couldn’t help but grin.
“You’re welco-”
Cassandra looked at Jon in alarm, as he wondered what had happened. He had intended to say ’you’re welcome’, and for a split second after, believed he had. He felt his vision begin to blur, and went to step towards Cassandra, however stumbled forward, as his left leg, despite making contact with the ground, offered no feeling of resistance, causing him to lean forward too far. He felt the stinging pain of his face hitting the ground, unable to brace himself for the fall for some reason.
“Jon!”
The words were distant, and whilst Jon recognised the voice, he struggled to pick where from. His vision, although feeling slow, quickly went black, as he fell unconscious.
Giratina watched in horror as Jon collapsed, and Cassandra fell to his side. She fought the urge to rouse him, being almost certain of what this was, and knowing the time she spent doing that would be vital. Not wanting to risk performing the spell incorrectly, Cassandra placed her hands on Jon, who seemed more like a corpse by the second, and began performing the same incantation she had performed on Jarena after she was cursed during the attack on Section B. However, relatively speaking, the curse placed on Jarena was simple, and she had Violet’s help, giving them time to find a solution. This time, she knew nothing of the curse currently ravaging Jon’s body, and didn’t have Violet to help slow it. On her own, she could only guarantee delaying it a minute if the curse was as complex as she feared it was.
“Is this the curse?” Giratina asked, and Latios nodded, not wanting to distract Cassandra, despite panicking himself at the prospect of losing Jon.
Cassandra finished the incantation, knowing she had little time, before non-verbally performing an insight spell on Jon, knowing that now that the curse had activated, it would be on full display.
She closed her eyes, and in her mind’s eye, Cassandra could see a series of glyphs, behind a screen of what appeared to be glass. However, with each passing second, the glass cracked, as her spell to slow the effect continued to be fought back by whatever curse Nicodemus had placed on Jon. She quickly looked at the glyphs trying her best to translate them, until suddenly, the meaning was clear.
”The Thief’s mind will bleed, after winning the loyalty of the Lord of Gravity…”
Cassandra’s eyes shot open as she realised what had happened. Nicodemus didn’t know for sure that the primary effect of the curse would kill Jon, and if it didn’t, that Jon wouldn’t succeed in taking Giratina. And in the event of that, should Giratina’s allegiance ever truly shift…
“He’s having a stroke!” Cassandra exclaimed, as she considered her options. “If Jon captured Giratina, Nicodemus didn’t want Giratina to be loyal to Jon, so placed a curse that would only activate if Giratina’s allegiance shifted!”
Giratina felt a bitter anger rise up at Agatha. Even in her death, and Giratina’s subsequent release from her curse, Giratina was still being manipulated by her.
“Can you stop it?” Latios asked anxiously, looking at Jon who lay unmoving.
“I can only try once the delay-spell I placed on it isn’t in effect, but it takes time, and Jon might not have enough!”
Cursing Agatha for both this curse and its own, Giratina’s eyes widened, as it had a thought. It focused its gaze on Cassandra, who knew that Jon likely had less than thirty seconds before her delay spell failed, and the curse continued.
“I have an idea that may save him…” Giratina said to Cassandra. “There isn’t time to explain, so I need you to trust me…”
Cassandra looked at Giratina in shock, unable to believe this Pokemon, which had been the epitome of the nightmare of the Spiritwater Crisis, was now offering to help Jon. Her suspicions were high, however, she realised that for this curse to activate, Giratina must truly be loyal to Jon. She looked at Latios.
“Do you trust Giratina?” she asked. “Jon’s life depends on it…”
Latios looked at Giratina, and didn’t hesitate before answering, in the form of an instruction.
“Do it…”
Giratina nodded, and in an instant, the cavern became empty…
Chapter 7
Jon woke for a minute before opening his eyes. He had a splitting headache, and could hear muffled voices, which slowly became clearer. However, the trigger point that made him open his eyes was the sudden feeling of nausea. He attempted to sit up, but lacked the strength to do so. Instead, using the little strength he had, he forced himself to roll onto his side, as the contents of his stomach made their way up his throat, and he vomited on the ground beside him, sickened further instantly by the smell.
“Jon!”
Eyes watering from the act of vomiting, the source of the voice was a blur, already hard to see from the dim conditions of the room they were in. However he recognised it as Cassandra, who quickly helped him to crawl onto his hands and knees, before the next wave of vomit struck. He felt a pain in his head, as he emptied the contents of his stomach, however forced himself to ignore it, especially when the vomiting finally ceased, and he didn’t have that distraction. He clumsily sat back down, struggling to sit upright as Cassandra sat next to him, taking his weight so he could sit upright with less of an effort.
“Jon, do you remember who I am?” Cassandra asked, concern evident in her voice.
“Yeah, Cass,” Jon answered groggily, as the headache began to subside. “What happened?”
Jon looked around to see Latios watching him, his eyes red from tears, and Giratina watching from a distant corner of the room, looking as if it felt guilty for something.
“Do you remember Akala Island?” Cassandra asked, as Jon nodded.
“My memory’s fine,” Jon answered. “Did the curse trigger?”
Cassandra nodded.
“The trigger was Giratina becoming loyal to you…” Cassandra explained. “Nicodemus didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of having Giratina as an ally, so placed a curse that would cause a cerebral haemorrhage the moment Giratina’s allegiance truly shifted…”
Jon looked in shock between Giratina and Cassandra, before settling back on Cassandra.
“If I’ve just had a stroke, how am I not dying?” Jon asked. “I mean, I feel like s**t, but honestly, this feels like a bad concussion…”
“Giratina,” Latios explained. “It saved you…”
Jon looked at Giratina, who despite this, still seemed unable to make eye contact with Jon.
”It blames itself for the curse triggering,” Latios explained telepathically.
“Giratina,” Jon said weakly, waiting until the Legendary Pokemon made eye-contact with him to continue. “Thank you…”
The Pokemon nodded awkwardly, as Jon asked the follow up question.
“But what did you do?” Jon asked.
“I broke the link between you and Nicodemus,” Giratina answered evenly. “In the same way that the link between myself and Agatha was broken by her death, and I was freed from her curse, I found a way to break your link…”
“How?” Jon asked, looking to Cassandra.
“I don’t know,” Cassandra admitted. “You were only out for a matter of minutes, and even though Giratina broke the link, that only stopped the haemorrhage from getting worse. We arrived here, and the curse was not activated anymore, but some damage had been done, and you were haemorrhaging. I only finished healing the blood vessel about a minute before you woke. I’m hoping the fact it was stopped in a matter of minutes means there won’t be any lasting damage, but…”
“Arrived here?” Jon asked, before looking around, and realising for the first time that they weren’t in the place where Giratina had battled the shadow. They were somewhere different. Still inside a cave however this one seemed far more natural, with those around him illuminated by light pouring in from a nearby entrance, and in the opposite direction, an eerie glow. “How did we get here?”
“I created a gateway…” Giratina said, though realised that Jon was more confused hearing that.
“A gateway?” Jon asked.
“How would that break the link?” Cassandra asked. Giratina considered the question, before nodding to Jon’s bag.
“Get a sheet of fabric out. Some clothing or something…”
Confused, Cassandra obliged, getting a tee from Jon’s pack, and holding it out.
“Latios, hold it in the air, flat and taut, but don’t grip it too tightly. Be willing to move with it…”
Cassandra watched as the plain white tee rose into the air, and was stretched out.
“If I concentrate the gravity in the centre…” Giratina explained, as despite Latios’ grip, the shirt seemed to fold in half, though with a clear and intentional space between the folded halves. “It forces the centre down, and either side being held in place to now be parallel…”
Jon watched in utter confusion, as Giratina’s example made no sense, though the Pokemon continued.
“Then if I concentrate the gravity heavily on one of the parallel sides towards the other…”
As Giratina said this, gravity seemed to affect a small part of the shirt, but instead of pulling it down towards the ground, it pulled it towards the parallel, folded side, causing it to make contact, and Jon suspected, stretching his shirt.
“Giratina, back up…” Jon said, his head too sore to figure out what Giratina was implying. “What does the shirt represent?”
“Space and time…”
Cassandra’s eyes widened as she understood what Giratina had just displayed.
“I don’t follow…” Jon said, but Cassandra interjected.
“You were able to break the link between Jon and Nicodemus that the curse relied on, by bringing Jon to a time where Nicodemus doesn’t exist?”
Giratina nodded, as Jon’s head snapped around to Cassandra at what she just said.
“We travelled through time?!”
“Yes…” Giratina answered evenly. “Space too…”
“But Dialga and Palkia control time and space!” Jon exclaimed in shock. “How can you control them?”
“I can’t control them, but I control gravity, which can affect them…” Giratina answered. “It’s far from accurate, but if the need is great enough, I can control gravity to force two distinct points in time and space to collide, creating an opening, and travel between them…”
“So then where, and when, are we?” Cassandra asked, knowing that Giratina may have taken them into the future, when Nicodemus had died, or into the past, before he was born. “And if we go back to the present, will the curse just reactivate?”
“Not if you remove it…” Giratina explained.
“But I couldn’t Nox Purge that alone if I tried!” Cassandra protested, as Jon considered Giratina’s words.
“The Nox Purge is a general removal spell, when you don’t know how to remove a curse, or don’t know what curse you’re removing, isn’t it?” Jon asked, as Cassandra nodded. “We only talked about it because he had no idea of what the curse was, and no way of finding out without killing me…”
Cassandra realised the pair were right. A Nox Purge was only being considered because they couldn’t remove the curse with other methods. Even if they were to try and remove the curse that had affected Jon’s hand, they risked triggering the unknown curse. But now they knew.
“Let me take another look at it…” Cassandra explained. “Without the pressure of you coming home in a body bag if I take too long this time…”
Jon nodded as Cassandra closed her eyes, and focused on a nonverbal insight spell, placing her hands on Jon’s forearm, as in her mind, the glyphs began to appear, indicating that the spell, despite having been interrupted and not able to activate, was still present. However, the glyphs were the same she had seen of the spell when it was activated, giving all the information she needed of it.
As she looked through the glyphs, she began to notice the patterns of where the two curses intertwined, and where the conditional dormancy was written throughout the second curse. They were like a series of wires controlling a bomb, spliced in some places, triggering each other in other places, and each posing their own risk. However, she had an idea.
“This curse is too complex to remove with anything but a Nox Purge, and now that I can see it, I am certain it would take more Shadowcraft competent people than we have at our disposal to remove it without the risk of being killed ourselves, even not accounting for the fact that a Nox Purge would require letting the first curse, the one that messed up your hand, run its course, which would likely kill you before we could remove it,” Cassandra explained. “However, Willow taught me something. Something risky, that allows Shadowcraft to be used to do things that no known spells can do…”
Jon wanted to ask a question, like why Willow hadn’t used this method Cassandra had learnt of before, but figured there would be a reason that would be explained.
“The insight spell we use is purely for inspecting curses placed, however there is a spell that when used in conjunction with an insight spell, can make minor changes to the curse. Not remove it completely, but make minor changes…” Cassandra explained. “For example, the curse that turned Jarena into a flower, the most I could change is the colour of the petals…”
“How does that help?”
“Because this curse is complex, as are our circumstances. First up, the curse isn’t a simple curse that will cause you to have a haemorrhage. It relies on an activation trigger. And secondly, you are likely the first person to have survived this curse, and that works in our favour…”
Jon looked at Cassandra, who as she explained her idea, became more and more confident that this would work.
“Curses remain until they are either removed, or the victim is dead. Even in Giratina’s case, with Agatha’s curse, Giratina likely still carries the curse, however it is unable to activate unless Agatha came back to life, or Giratina was to go to a point in time when Agatha was still alive. You, Jon, are no exception,” Cassandra explained. “You still carry that curse, which having activated, should have killed you, and is likely still attempting to now, given Giratina’s allegiance shifting, but without Nicodemus being in this time, it won’t be able to do anything. However, if nothing changes, the moment you return to the present, when Nicodemus is alive, the curse will activate, and all my hard work healing the haemorrhage will have been for nothing. But if I change the activation condition…”
Cassandra grinned, knowing for certain she could save Jon.
“If I change the activation condition to something that will never happen, the curse will never be able to activate,” Cassandra explained. “I don’t know what, but let's say I changed it from ’the Thief’s mind will bleed, after winning the loyalty of the Lord of Gravity,’ to ’the loyalty of the Lord of Cheeseburgers…’”
“Cheeseburgers?” Jon asked.
“I’m hungry,” Cassandra retorted. “But the point remains, the curse should remain inactive until you win the loyalty of the Lord of Cheeseburgers…”
“Okay, but hypothetically, let’s say I start competing again, and I get sponsored by a burger restaurant owner who calls himself the Lord of Cheeseburgers or something…”
“Then you’d have another stroke and likely die,” Cassandra answered. “So we need to be careful with how exactly we do this…”
Jon nodded, having a suspicion that was the case.
“A Lord of something that does not exist,” Jon muttered. His knowledge of Pokemon Mythology wasn’t as intensive as Steven and Cassandra’s, however he knew that there were Legendary Pokemon that ruled over practically anything in different myths and legends, and whilst he knew the likelihood of earning the loyalty of any of them was slim, a year ago, he never would have considered the possibility of capturing Giratina, or earning its loyalty like he had. Suddenly he had a thought.
“What if we went super specific?” Jon asked. “Like the Lord of Seeing-Eye Growlithes to Blind, Deaf and Mute Space Cowboys?”
“That could work if we could make that big of a change, but I can only reliably change a single glyph. That would require adding numerous glyphs, which I can’t do,” Cassandra answered, though realising that the principle was correct. If they could find something simple to change the glyph to, that was extremely specific, it could make the activation condition non triggerable. She began trying to think of extremely specific words that she had come across in online browsing, however was interrupted by Latios, thankful, because she realised she wouldn’t know the glyphs for these oddly specific words.
“What about changing Gravity to Disloyalty?” Latios asked. “If the curse will only activate if Jon were to win the loyalty of the Lord of Disloyalty, he’d be pretty safe…”
“Goddamn…” Jon muttered as he realised that Latios had solved the problem. If some being was the Lord of Disloyalty, such as a Legendary Pokemon, it would be against their nature to be loyal. And to become loyal, would effectively prevent them from being the Lord of Disloyalty. “Latios, you’re a genius…”
Latios grinned, as Cassandra nodded, making a mental note of this. She doubted this would be the last time she found herself face to face with a curse of this nature, and Latios had effectively come up with a solution to neutralise any conditional trigger curses, in the form of a paradox.
Jon, by this point, was feeling normal again, albeit with a slight headache, and slowly stood to his feet. He looked at Cassandra.
“You think this will work?”
“I think that we will never get a better opportunity than this,” Cassandra answered, as Jon nodded, holding out his cursed left hand. She took it in both of hers, before closing her eyes, and starting the incantation, having not used the spell before and not wanting to risk making a mistake. As she did, glyphs appeared before her in her mind again, however something was different. The glyphs, instead of being rigid and unmoving were now flowing, and malleable. She focused on one, and found as she did, a line that emerged from the body of the glyph began to bend slightly under the focus. She quickly stopped, not wanting to accidentally make this curse somehow worse, and realised this is exactly why this method of Shadowcraft was not widely used, instead, looking around for the glyph she was after. Gravity.
As she worked, she realised that Latios’ solution was even more ingenious than she had originally believed. Whilst she could read glyphs in front of her, she was far from fluent in them, and could not reproduce any without seeing them with full certainty. However, the glyph representing loyalty that was present in the curses activation condition, served as a good base to begin her adjustment of the gravity glyph. She spent what felt like hours, but was really only a matter of minutes, focusing on the gravity glyph, forcing and contorting it until it mirrored the loyalty glyph. Once that was done, she began adjusting the new glyph further, contorting it until the meaning had shifted to be the opposite. She inspected the final product numerous times, which was difficult without risking changing it for the worse, until satisfied she could do no better. She opened her eyes, to see Jon, Latios and Giratina watching her expectantly.
“I’ve done everything I can,” Cassandra said. “The trigger has been changed. The only risk is that I got the glyph wrong, and the trigger is now something different entirely, but I am certain I got it right…”
Jon nodded, taking her at her word, out of faith in her abilities, but also not wanting to consider what would happen should she have been incorrect.
“Do you think you have one more in you?” Jon asked, as Cassandra looked at him confused.
“What for?”
“For Giratina,” Jon said, as Giratina looked at him in surprise. “Giratina can travel through time and space using its gravity manipulation, but if you’re right, and Giratina accidentally finds itself in a time where Agatha is still alive…”
“The curse will reactivate and Giratina, now with its full power, will be forced to obey her…” Cassandra realised, knowing that before Agatha even had that opportunity, Giratina would be in immense pain, with its current form being a trigger for it. Jon nodded. The chances of Giratina finding itself in a time when Agatha was alive, and its own curse activating were slim at best. However, Jon knew for certain that Giratina was now loyal to himself, and wanted to make sure the Pokemon knew it had made the right decision.
Cassandra approached Giratina cautiously.
“May I?” she asked, as Giratina nodded in agreement. She placed a hand on the Pokemon, before performing an insight spell. It didn’t take her as long to identify the glyphs, many of them being similar or identical to the ones that made up Jon’s curse.
”The Lord of Gravity will know unspeakable pain, should it use the full extent of its power, or disobey its Mistress…” Cassandra read, as Jon winced at the words that bound Giratina to Agatha during her twilight years. Jon considered how this could be changed to neutralise the curse.
“We can only change one glyph?” Jon asked. “Basically one word?”
Cassandra nodded as she opened her eyes.
“Well it has to be the ’unspeakable pain,’” Jon said, more to himself as he processed this than any other reason. “Anything before, we risk the curse potentially harming somebody else, and anything after, we only neutralise half of the curse…”
“And it’s not just as simple as changing pain to joy,” Cassandra continued. “We don’t want Giratina being forced to feel one thing or another from this curse…”
Jon nodded in agreement, as the pair spent a few minutes in silence, contemplating Giratina’s curse, before Jon had the thought.
“What about Freedom?”
“Freedom?” Cassandra asked. Jon nodded emphatically.
“The Lord of Gravity will know unspeakable freedom…” Jon said, reciting the original curse, with the amendment made. “By definition, this should not affect Giratina’s emotions, because for it to do that, it would be taking away Giratina’s freedom…”
“It makes sense…” Cassandra agreed, albeit cautiously. This was not as clear cut as the solution that Latios proposed for Jon’s curse. She looked to Giratina, surprised at how much more comfortable she was around the Pokemon, considering how apprehensive she was that morning. “Your call. Do you want us to try?”
Giratina considered the proposition, before nodding in agreement.
“I think it’s safe,” Giratina answered. “And if not, there is far worse that could be forced upon me…”
Cassandra considered her own knowledge of glyphs, and whilst she knew the glyph for freedom, like the one for disloyalty she was not completely certain in her ability to reproduce it, however this time had no reference point like she had with disloyalty.
“If I do it now, I am more likely to make a mistake,” Cassandra mentioned. “But if we wait until we get back to the Academy, the others can help me make sure I do it right…”
Giratina however shook its head.
“I have waited long enough to truly be rid of Agatha’s curse, and can’t bear it a moment longer. If there is a risk, so be it…”
Cassandra nodded gravely, hoping she wasn’t going to create a fate worse than what Giratina had already been cursed to by tampering, however, the Pokemon had made up its mind. It wanted her to try, even if there is a risk.
Like before, she spoke the incantation of the spell she had used on Jon, and slowly, but carefully, forced her will on the glyph for pain, condensing lines that didn’t need to be there into the lines that did, and splitting some to create new lines. Again, after what felt like hours, leaving Cassandra exhausted, she finally opened her eyes a few minutes after beginning, and nodding towards Giratina.
“I’d need to double check the change when we get back, but as far as I am aware, if you were to wind up in the same time as Agatha, or by some sick act of fate, she returned from the grave, her curse won’t affect you…”
“Thank you,” Giratina said, feeling gratitude towards the young witch, though also guilt at its role in the conflict against its now-allies back in Alola. “Sincerely…”
Cassandra nodded weakly, before sitting down, however Jon, who was feeling as close to normal as he figured he would be without sleeping his current state off, stood to look around, repeating the question he had not received an answer to yet.
“Where are we?”
Chapter 8
“I don’t know exactly…” Giratina admitted. “I had not manipulated gravity in this way since before I was tricked by Agatha into revealing myself to her, and knew we didn’t have much time, so simply opened a gate that was the most natural and easy for me to open…”
“So we could have wound up in outer space…” Jon said, sounding less than amused.
“I have never been to outer space, so no…”
“But you don’t know this place?” Jon asked, realising Giratina must have been here if it were able to transport them as naturally as it did.
“It doesn’t seem familiar…”
Jon looked from the entrance to the cave, and then behind him to where the eerie glow came from.
“Well, I think whatever is causing that glow is more likely to kill us than whatever might be outside, so let’s make sure we aren’t totally screwed if we need to run,” Jon suggested, as Cassandra chuckled, before slowly rising to her feet.
The pair, followed by Latios and Giratina, made their way towards the large entrance which poured in light from outside. It blinded them for a moment, as they stepped outside, feeling the chill of an icy wind passing over them, and as their eyes adjusted, they found themselves surrounded by sheer cliff faces and mountains. Jon pulled his phone from his pocket and was not surprised to see he had no service. Either they had gone in the future far enough that his phone service had ended, or in the past before he even had the service. Or maybe before phone towers even existed. Despite himself, he grinned.
“Latios,” Jon called out. “Mind getting us a better view?”
Latios cried out in agreement, as Jon, Cassandra and Giratina’s vision was all replaced with Latios’ own, shocking Giratina for a moment. Jon felt his stomach drop, as it always did, as Latios ascended directly upward into the air, gaining in speed as only he could. The sun was low in the sky, and close to a horizon, which on its own, Jon would not have been able to identify whether it was rising or setting. However, the moon was rising from the other horizon, seeming to indicate the sun was close to setting. Realising that must be west, Latios looked to the south, and after a second, Cassandra recognised where they were.
“We’re in Johto, right by the northern border,” Cassandra said, disbelief in her voice. “Maybe even further north…”
Jon was going to ask how she knew, seeing as all he could see to the south was an immense forest, and a large lake. If they were where she said they were, Mahogany Town and Violet City should be visible to their south. However as Latios glanced back towards the west, he saw it. Two large towers pierced the sky, standing taller than all the trees in the area surrounding it. Jon realised that was Ecruteak City, however could not see the city as he knew it around it, but instead a small settlement. He began looking closely to where Mahogany Town should be, and realised it was there. However, it was hidden among the trees, with small, wooden buildings that blended into the forest surrounding them. The lake they had seen directly to their south, between where Latios levitated, and what would become Mahogany Town, was the Lake of Rage.
“How far in the past are we?” Jon asked, not expecting an answer. Cassandra however, had one.
“I’d guess about five hundred years…” Cassandra answered, shocked that she was even saying it. “The towers in Ecruteak City were built seven hundred years ago, and burnt down a hundred and fifty years ago. But they are both there, and there is a town around it, though nothing huge…”
Before Jon could truly appreciate what they were looking at, Giratina’s roar startled him, forcing him to break the telepathic link with Latios, something he had only been able to do after years of practice.
Regaining his own vision, he looked to Giratina who growled menacingly at an elongated shadow that sat unnaturally still on a nearby rocky outcrop.
“What is it?” Jon asked, as Cassandra regained her own sight, and looked to where Jon and Giratina were staring.
“I don’t know, but it isn’t normal…” Giratina answered.
Almost in response, the shadow seemed to consolidate, and take form, like Jon had seen Darkrai do from where it hid in Dylan’s shadow. However, the form it took was much larger, and moments later, Jon was shocked to find himself face to face with another Giratina.
“Is this part of the test?” Jon asked Giratina, as the new Giratina that had appeared in a way Jon didn’t think possible, flew towards it.
“I don’t know!” Giratina answered, as it blocked the attack. “The test should be over!”
Giratina roared, before lashing out at the attacker with an Ancient Power attack. Rocks of various sizes and shapes ripped from the outcrops nearby, slamming into the attacking creature, and as soon as they struck it vanished. Instead, the rocks seemed to strike something else, throwing it back. The Pokemon seemed shocked by what had just happened, not anticipating its prey being able to hit as hard as it did.
“What is that?” Cassandra asked.
The Pokemon stood to its feet, as Jon took in features of it. Its body was light grey, with red accents across it. It had black claws that looked dangerously sharp, and stood a few inches shorter than Cassandra. Its eyes were a menacing yellow, and it stood on its hind legs, with a large white mane that billowed in the winter wind, each long lock of fur tipped with red of varying levels of paleness. The form was familiar, and it wasn’t until Jon realised what they had just seen it do that he realised. He withdrew an empty Pokeball from his pocket, as well as Blaziken’s, knowing he couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“It’s a Zoroark, but a variant that must be extinct in our time!” Jon said excitedly, as he sent out Blaziken. The fire type emerged from the Pokeball, looking around confused, as Cassandra spoke.
“Is it okay to capture it?” Cassandra asked. “Technically we shouldn’t even be here…”
“This is a species of Pokemon that doesn’t exist in our time, which means it is likely extinct,” Jon said. “I’m not just capturing it for battling, but also for Dylan to try and breed. We might be able to save an otherwise doomed species of Pokemon…”
Whilst Cassandra knew that Dylan wanted to breed Pokemon, and Jon was likely capturing it so that Dylan could break into the breeding industry with something completely unique that would likely get him some business and attention, she knew that normally the idea of a Pokemon going extinct saddened her. And Jon was right. This would be resurrecting a species doomed to die out and be forgotten.
“Power-Up Punch!” Jon ordered Blaziken. Blaziken darted forward, however surprisingly, Zoroark was quicker, striking Blaziken with a hard hitting Shadow Claw attack. This was the first indicator that this Zoroark wasn’t a Dark Type like Jon was used to, and as Blaziken struck Zoroark, its fist seemed to pass right through it. However, Blaziken’s speed increased as its Speed Boost ability kicked in, and Jon already knew his next command.
“Shadow Claw!”
Blaziken leapt forward before Zoroark could strike again, however, to Jon’s shock, the attack, like the Power-Up Punch before, still passed through Zoroark, which struck Blaziken again, this time landing a critical hit and knocking Blaziken out.
“Why can’t Blaziken hit it?” Cassandra asked, as Jon couldn’t help but grin.
“It’s a dual-type. Normal and Ghost,” Jon said excited. “No other Pokemon has that typing, and it means that it is immune to both its types, as well as Fighting Type attacks! The only thing that can hit it hard are Dark Type moves…”
Cassandra couldn’t help but be impressed by Jon’s quick assessment of the unknown Pokemon in front of him. This quick analysis, determining what type it is based on the momentum of the battle, was something he was endeavouring to teach her, however knew that Jon’s speed and accuracy only came with experience. He called back Blaziken before sending out Scizor. Absol was a Dark Type, however Scizor knew Dark Type moves, as Cassandra remembered well from her battle against Jon on the S.S. Wishmaker, and Absol was a little too much of a glass cannon for a battle with too many unknowns such as this one.
“Brutal Swing!”
As Zoroark readied a follow-up attack, Scizor struck accurately and hard with a Brutal Swing, knocking Zoroark back, causing it to flinch, as Jon commanded for another. As the second hit, Jon pelted the empty Pokeball, hoping that Zoroark would not resist, seeing it was the only one he had.
What he hadn’t considered was that Pokeballs didn’t exist in this period of time yet, and Zoroark didn’t attempt to evade the Pokeball, not knowing what it was. The Pokeball struck, converting Zoroark into light energy, and sucking it in. The Pokemon didn’t even resist, not knowing what had just happened to it, as the Pokeball clicked, signalling the Pokemon was secured.
He picked up the Pokeball, the satisfaction he felt at capturing the unique Pokemon allowing him to ignore the minor headache and nausea he still felt. Cassandra looked around the rocky landscape around them, considering their options.
“Should we try and find others?” Cassandra asked.
“Depends,” Jon answered. “Did you bring any empty Pokeballs?”
Cassandra shook her head, as Jon continued.
“That was my only one, and I think discovering anything more will be too depressing if we can’t capture it…” Jon answered, as Cassandra nodded in agreement. She looked back to the cave.
“So we see what’s making that creepy glow?”
Jon nodded in agreement as the small group made their way back towards the cave. In the distance, a cold blue light glowed from the end of the tunnel, where they had been previously while Cassandra had neutralised the curses afflicting Jon and Giratina. As they walked closer however, the glow became brighter, until finally, they entered a large cavern, where in the centre of the room, stood a raised, triangular platform. Illuminated by the glow was a pattern that Giratina immediately recognised.
“This is it…” Giratina said, remembering the same pattern etched into the stone floor of Spear Pillar. “This is the place I was born…”
“Guys…” Cassandra said, her voice slightly unnerved. “What’s that…?”
Jon, who had been distracted by Giratina, looked towards Cassandra who was staring at the left hand corner of the triangular platform, on the side closest to them. The source of the glowing was revealed to be a carved circular pattern in the stone, and sitting in the centre of that was a large egg…
The egg itself was larger than any Pokemon egg Jon had ever seen, roughly the size of a small exercise ball, and was dark blue colour, with veins of silver and light blue webbed across its surface. As Cassandra took in the size and colour, as well as considering Giratina’s revelation of this being its birthplace, she found the answer to her own question.
“Dialga…”
Jon looked at her in shock, as he realised that what she had said made sense. If Giratina was born in this place, it made sense that Dialga and Palkia were as well. However…
“I thought Dialga and Palkia were practically gods themselves?” Jon asked, before looking at Giratina. “Actually, if you’re their equal, you too… So how is there an egg? And how were you born here?”
“Only one of each of our kind exists at a given time,” Giratina answered, repeating the explanation from the evening before. “When we die, an egg, like my own, and like this, comes into existence here, and another of our kind is born from it…”
“So Dialga has died?” Cassandra asked. “And another will be born?”
Giratina nodded gravely, as Jon moved closer to the egg, trying to get a better look. Having a thought, he grabbed his phone out, and opened the camera app, before taking a quick photo.
“I’ll likely never see something like this again,” Jon explained, though Cassandra was too focused on her own questions to question Jon.
“I thought Dialga and Palkia remained outside of time and space respectively,” she noted. “Surely the egg would be safer outside of time?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I imagine that the Dialga forming in that egg is too weak to survive outside of time. Or maybe, if it were to be outside of time but not hatched, another would come into being, resulting eventually in multiple Dialga…”
Jon moved closer, kneeling a matter of inches from the egg, inspecting it closely.
“It’s thoughts are strange,” Latios explained. “Barely formed, and not articulate, but simple enough to make out, though not truly understand…”
Jon nodded, as Giratina floated towards the egg, wanting to inspect it itself. However, once Giratina reached the platform, the glowing from the circle etched into the stone surrounding it flared into a bright light, blinding everyone for a moment, before flashing into darkness, with the egg disappearing before their eyes.
“What happened?” Giratina asked.
“I think that was a defence mechanism,” Jon explained. “I’ve heard stories of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina fighting when they happen to be at the same point in space and time. I imagine that given the significance this place has to you three Pokemon, Dialga’s egg will naturally jump through time if it detects you getting close. Just like yours would likely open up a gateway, or Palkia’s would move elsewhere in space, if Dialga were to be here…”
Before Jon could continue, his vision went black, as he felt his legs grow weak. He collapsed to the ground, alarming Cassandra, Latios and Giratina, who rushed to his side. He convulsed violently, the whites of his eyes visible through half opened, as his limbs jerked.
“He’s having a seizure!”
“I thought the spell couldn’t activate anymore?!” Latios asked, as Cassandra performed an insight spell, nonverbally, as the need for it made it happen naturally for her. However she barely needed to use it to answer Latios’ question.
“This isn’t a spell!” Cassandra said, her voice rising in a panic as she rolled him onto his side, so he wouldn’t swallow his tongue, or if he bit it, choke on the blood... “There are no spells causing this!”
Latios forced his way into Jon’s mind, however quickly had to retreat, as Jon’s thoughts were unintelligible, flashing from one to another.
“His mind is like static,” Latios said, as Cassandra began another spell, her eyes closed, which would allow her to see the flow of blood through Jon’s body, and identify whether he was having another stroke. However, she saw that despite his heart beating quickly, circulating the blood at high pressure and faster than normal, there were no bleeds. His circulatory system was functioning as it should. This was good news in one respect, but bad in that it made her fears all the more likely.
“I think the stroke did more damage than we realised…” Cassandra said, her voice going weak. “There is nothing supernatural about this seizure…”
Slowly the convulsions slowed, until Jon lay still, breathing heavily, before groaning with a pained voice.
“My head…” he wept, before letting out a pained breath. Cassandra remained silent, as she couldn’t help but think about how Jon’s life would never be the same as it was that morning. Suddenly however, the resignation turned into panic.
“We need to get out of here,” Cassandra said. “Jon needs a hospital…”
She didn’t know exactly what to make of the seizure, not being a doctor herself. She had a rough idea of anatomy from the amount of healing Shadowcraft she had performed, however this was beyond her limited scope. All she knew was that despite being interrupted, and the affected blood vessel being healed, Nicodemus’ spell had done damage, and she was not qualified to determine the extent of it. She looked at Giratina.
“Can you take us back?”
Chapter 9
The atmosphere of the Eon Academy was at its darkest the week after Cassandra and Jon returned. Giratina had used the same gravity manipulation method to return them to the present in Sinnoh, however had made one error. Given the lack of fine control it had over the destinations of the gateways it opened, they arrived back in at the hidden lake of Sinnoh a week after they had left. Neither Jon nor Cass realised, until they left the cave, and Jon and Cassandra’s phone, upon connecting to a tower and getting service again, exploded with text messages from Alyssa, Violet, Jarena, Dylan, Willow and Steven. Cassandra had been the first to realise what had happened, and given Jon’s memory of what happened prior to his seizure being extremely hazy, and feeling fatigued by the episode, Cassandra was the one to call Alyssa, and tell her what had happened. She winced as she heard Alyssa break down in tears upon hearing of the curse activating, and despite doing her best to stop it and mitigate any damage, it seemed her best was not enough. She felt her stomach sink as through tears, Alyssa thanked her for saving Jon, feeling guilty that what happened to Jon in the cave in Johto, might very well be the first of many…
With Jon too weak to act on his own, Cassandra took his Pokeballs, returning Giratina, and instead sending out Rayquaza. Latios helped Jon onto the serpentine Pokemon’s back, before Cassandra had climbed onto Latios’ and the pair had flown north to Veilstone City, Latios constantly listening to Jon’s thoughts, in the event of another seizure.
The next three days were spent in Veilstone Hospital, where various tests and scans were performed on Jon. Alyssa arrived during the second day, to find Jon feeling much more like himself, to her relief. Further good news was that the scans showed very little tissue damage to Jon’s brain. Cassandra had caught the stroke in time, and with Giratina’s help, stopped it and healed the bleed before it could do more damage, even earning an offer for a job at the hospital, after Jon’s doctor heard the story of how Cassandra had saved him. However, the doctor that had Jon assigned to her care did attribute the seizure he had to the damage, and whilst she couldn’t say for certain that Jon would have more seizures, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he may continue having them, and if he did, likely for the rest of his life…
The return to the Academy wasn’t a celebrated affair, as much as Jon tried to force it. All who had remained behind after Alyssa left for Sinnoh to meet with Jon at Veilstone Hospital, had been kept in the loop by Alyssa of roughly what had happened, and whilst they were thankful Jon had survived the ordeal, despite the odds being stacked massively against him, nobody was willing to celebrate that, given the cost that it came with. Thankfully, Jon hadn’t had a seizure since, meaning that technically, it could have been an isolated incident, simply the aftermath of what had been a violent stroke, despite Cassandra’s work to save Jon. Even the fact that Giratina was now loyal to Jon, and obeying instructions not only from him, but Cassandra as well, was overshadowed by the cloud of concern and despair that overhung the Academy.
A week after Jon had returned to the Academy, Dylan found himself in one of the lodges, continuing painting. There was little left to do, and whilst he had done more in the previous week than he normally would, trying to distract himself from the doom and gloom that was overhanging the Academy, he felt no closer to putting down the brush and finishing up for the day.
“It’s looking good…”
Dylan turned to see Jon standing by the door. Though he knew he shouldn’t be, he was surprised to see Jon acting normal. Physically, Jon had been fine since arriving back in Mossdeep a week earlier, and seemed to not be letting the health scare bother him. That being said, Dylan knew Jon well enough to know that seemed to be was nothing certain.
“I’ve only got one room left,” Dylan said, before having a thought. He quickly made his way towards the window, opening it, allowing fresh air through the room. Jon looked at him, a cynical grin crossing his face.
“Worried the paint fumes will cause another fit?”
Dylan sighed, before nodding.
“Sorry,” Dylan said, as he placed the brush on the tray. “This is all just… a lot…”
“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one,” Jon said, as he looked down at his cursed left hand. “Everyone’s acting weird about this…”
Dylan wasn’t sure how he felt hearing that. Jon sighed.
“Cassandra has cancelled half of our training sessions, though I know she has been in the stadium, just training without me. I think she is worried I will work myself too hard to help train her. Willow has barely left her room, studying all these old tomes, hoping to find some sort of spell that can repair the damaged tissue,” Jon explained. “Alyssa hasn’t let me be alone with Lili…”
Jon didn’t harbour any negative feelings towards his wife about that. Honestly, he admired the fact she was brave enough to make that decision. Should Jon be looking after Amelia, and have another seizure, it would likely terrify the three year-old girl. And if he happened to be holding her and collapsed…
He sighed again.
“Sorry,” Jon said to Dylan. “I know we’re all just trying to do our best, given all of this, and I shouldn’t just pretend that things are normal…”
Jon nodded towards the door outside.
“You got a minute?” Jon asked. “I got something to show you…”
Dylan nodded, and followed Jon outside, curious to see what he had. As they made their way to one of the few clear areas outside, that hadn’t been developed into more lodges, Jon removed a Pokeball from his belt, before nodding to Dylan.
“Darkrai around?”
“After Akala, I don’t feel comfortable without it nearby,” Dylan said, as he nodded down towards his shadow, where he knew Darkrai preferred to remain than its Pokeball.
“I captured it when Giratina took us to Johto, seeing as it attacked us,” Jon said. “Honestly, I don’t think it is likely to be violent, and can be trained out of it, but it doesn’t hurt to have Darkrai ready…”
Unaware that Jon had captured a Pokemon during his trip, Dylan’s eyes widened, as Jon threw the Pokeball a small distance away, giving them space in case the Pokemon attacked. When the Pokemon appeared, Dylan didn’t recognise it, however it didn't take long to figure out what it was.
“Is that a Zoroark?” Dylan asked, as the white Pokemon looked between himself and Jon, apprehension visible.
“It is. An extinct variety,” Jon explained. “I brought it back so that we could revive the species, but I’m not going to let any breeders near it for a little while…”
“Why’s that?”
“I want you to have first dibs,” Jon explained. “This Zoroark is a dual Normal-Ghost type, which means it is only weak to Dark moves. And honestly, I think that once word gets out this exists, competitive battlers will pay top dollar to have one bred for them…”
“Really?” Dylan asked. “There are a fair few Pokemon with three immunities like that, aren’t there?”
Jon couldn’t help but grin. Considering how far Dylan and the others had come, it was rare these days for them to not realise what Jon was implying when it came to tactics, and Dylan especially, despite not being the strongest battler, was hard to sneak something past. He enjoyed feeling like he could still teach them something.
“There are, but what do the vast majority of those Pokemon have in common?”
Dylan was quiet for a few minutes, inspecting Zoroark, having never seen anything like it before, until his eyes widened, and Jon saw visible excitement in them.
“All Pokemon that naturally have three immunities, without considering abilities, are partially Ghost Type,” Dylan realised. “No other type has two type immunities, so almost any Pokemon with three type immunities is going to be disadvantaged against this Zoroark…”
“The only two Pokemon in that list that it would struggle to beat are Sableye and Spiritomb,” Jon explained. “This is going to shift the metagame of the competitive battling scene…”
Dylan looked at the Pokemon in awe, who seemed to realise it was the subject of conversation, before having a thought and looking towards Jon.
“Why me?” Dylan asked. “A lot of breeders of competitive Pokemon would may tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds, to have a limited exclusivity of breeding this Pokemon?”
“Because I believe in your vision,” Jon answered simply. “Fact is that the breeding industry is far from perfect. So many Pokemon are bred, but because they aren’t perfect are neglected. And the standard among trainers is to capture Pokemon from the wild, which we overlook how messed up that actually is, because it is the most convenient. But you want to change that…”
Dylan nodded.
“I want the standard to be that people seek out Pokemon from breeders, that way there isn’t an impact on wild Pokemon, and more of the rejected breeder Pokemon find homes,” Dylan said, as Jon nodded in agreement.
“And that is a hell of a task. But there are some things you will need to be able to make that change,” Jon explained. “Publicity, to get people actually hearing your message and knowing that is an option, enough Pokemon to breed, that if someone wants a certain Pokemon, the option of getting it through you is there, and space and resources to care for all these Pokemon. And all three of those things are limited by one big thing…”
“Money…”
Jon nodded.
“When you leave this place, whenever that may be, and set yourself up, I’ll leave Zoroark in your care for a while, until you can breed enough to get you started,” Jon explained. “With a monopoly on the market, it will effectively be a licence to print money…”
Dylan nodded in understanding, however was hesitant in thinking about this future, and was noticed in this apprehension by Jon.
“Everything alright?” Jon asked. “I thought you’d be ecstatic about this?”
“I am,” Dylan said. “But honestly, I don’t know how soon this is all going to be…”
“You talked about next summer being your last?”
“I did, but maybe I should stay a little longer…”
Jon could tell Dylan wasn’t telling him the whole truth, and didn’t take long to realise what the whole truth was.
“You don’t think I can run this place without you?”
The question wasn’t indignant or hostile, instead, undertoned by sadness.
“I don’t want to leave you hanging, especially if the others might not be coming back after next summer,” Dylan protested. “At the rate the Academy grows, I’d be leaving at a terrible time if I were to leave after next summer…”
“But those circumstances were the same when you first talked about this being your last summer,” Jon answered. “All that has changed is what happened to me in Sinnoh…”
Dylan remained silent, Jon having hit the nail on the head.
“Dylan, I feel fine. It was one seizure, within an hour of me having a stroke…” Jon said evenly, trying to be empathetic towards his student, but not risk being not clear enough. “I might never have another seizure…”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Dylan argued, though Jon shook his head.
“I don’t, but even if I knew for sure I was going to have more, I wouldn’t want you putting your life on hold for my sake,” Jon replied. “Besides, I can always hire more staff, and Steven and Willow will be around…”
“But what if this just gets worse?” Dylan asked. “And eventually you can’t run this place anymore?”
“Then that’s the end. I close up, or sell the property,” Jon said. “But that’s my last resort…”
Dylan grimaced at the words.
“Even if this didn’t happen, I’m not immortal. I couldn’t run this place forever, and honestly, I don’t think I’d want to. I do want to retire one day, you know?”
“I could run it when you decide to retire,” Dylan offered, however Jon saw through it.
“Is that what you really want to do?” Jon asked, knowing the answer. When Dylan didn’t reply, he moved towards Dylan, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“This is my responsibility to shoulder, and even then, we are talking about the worst case scenario,” Jon said. “If things get worse, and I need more help to keep this place running, we will cross that bridge if we reach it. Until then, I don’t want you putting your life on hold for that…”
Realising the time, Jon withdrew his hand, before looking towards he and Alyssa’s house.
“Bring your laptop to the house tonight. We’ll do some research, and see what property prices are like,” Jon said to Dylan. “Time is running out for us to get the gears turning, if next summer is your last here…”
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