CHAPTER 277

Ramon was an okay guy, when not trying to destroy my career. Really, he was kind of fun, save for the fact that his sarcasm grew to obnoxious levels sometimes, but I'd seen far worse in people, and he was content to just talk about battling our entire time together, along with potential countermeasures against Aubri. I hadn't actually gotten much out of this lunch, save for getting closer to a new ally, but I would have lied if I said it hadn't taken the edge off. I should have expected for people to act in their self-interest instead of just being content to have me at the helm, but what was done was done. All of the other paths would have been needlessly risky and would have needed me to stall for time until Craig came back, and even then, I wasn't sure everything would have gone in my favor and I wouldn't have ended up in a weaker position than I was now.

Really, all this lunch did was make me miss my friends more. I'd wanted to swing by Hearthome to see Emi before going to the Lost Tower, but now that my schedule was growing tight, I wouldn't be able to. Mira was already gone from the city, unfortunately, and I doubted our schedules would sync up to meet anyway. She was acting a little strange in texts, but then again, who wasn't, at this point? I'd grown more vocal in our group chat these days, chatting with anyone who was available whenever I could, but things still didn't feel as they had before.

After lunch with Ramon, I bid him farewell and left the city on Princess' back. Reaching Celestic would take a while, with the detour we were taking to avoid Mount Coronet's highest slopes, but it'd be worth it not to get attacked. By the time we'd made it over, the sun had set and Princess was incredibly tired. Celestic Town was difficult to spot, with how foggy the place was, but the dim lights peered through the fog, signaling us we'd made it over the city itself. What I found strange about Celestic was that it had been built on the mountain's flank, having been settled in what looked like some kind of ancient crater that dwarfed any structure in the city. This place was actually bigger than they made it sound when talking about it, especially when compared to Twinleaf. While it only had a single Pokemon Center, at least it had one, and it was probably home to a few thousand people. There was a network of bricked streets going around the massive crater, and no one here drove cars, from what I could see. Inside the crater appeared to be some kind of huge temple— or maybe a shrine would be a better word. It was what I'd expect to see from Johto, not Celestic. Sinnoh was usually a place of churches, not shrines. What I knew from my reading with Buddy, however, was that Celestic was among the oldest cities remaining in Sinnoh, and it had retained much of the culture from the early Johtoan settlers.

"Princess, I—"

My words caught in my throat. Why was it, that I felt the tug here like I'd felt in Verity? By the time Princess landed next to the Pokemon Center with a worried chirp, I understood that it was the shrine that was pulling me inward… or no, not the shrine itself. The cave behind the shrine. With a curious frown, I entered the Center, booking myself a room for the night. I wasn't going to spend any time here, since I had decided to check on Solaceon and how the city was doing instead of spending any time in Celestic. There were actually far more trainers than Chase had described to me earlier in the year, but I knew that was because of the late-Circuit rush to challenge Candice now that temperatures up north had risen to a manageable level.

Obviously, it still always snowed up there, though. Even during the summer. Either way, it actually took them a while to assign me a room because of how busy they were here. Celestic's Pokemon Center was smaller than the norm and ridiculously understaffed.

Chase hadn't described this feeling of a pull from when he'd told me about visiting his grandparents here, but back then, none of our gifts had been developed in full, and we hadn't visited our lakes yet. I tried to contact him, but he went straight to voice mail, as did Cecilia. Their trip to the Iron Islands still wasn't done. I hope they're safe, I thought to myself as I entered my room. It was smaller than usual, with barely enough space for two of my Pokemon, but it'd have to do. I set the dinner I'd grabbed from the cafeteria on my desk and dropped on my bed with a heavy sigh.

"I want to see Cece…" I muttered, staring at the ceiling.

There wasn't much I could do about that, though. So instead of moping around all night about missing my girlfriend, I stood back up and decided it was time to throw myself into studying Byron. Time was going by fast, and even if I'd be slower to learn than I had been, I at least needed to start the process. All I was doing right now was procrastinating, and that was a surefire way to lose in a terrible manner. Dragging myself to my desk, I grabbed my laptop and began to browse Canalave City's Gym website and realized the wifi here was horrifyingly slow— even slower than it had been in Snowpoint. I chewed on my cold sandwich and groaned, parsing through Byron's personal team and jotting each Pokemon in my notes. Bastiodon, Steelix, Skarmory, Magnezone, Aggron, Bronzong, Forretress, Excadrill. One of these, I was going to have to face and beat.

This was going to be a long night.

—

I woke up in a cold sweat at five in the morning.

It hadn't been a nightmare— not that I could tell. Unless I'd already forgotten all of it despite just having woken up? I bit my lip, scrounging through my memories to try to recall what I'd dreamed, but all I was left with was a feeling of numbness in my chest. Why was it that not remembering felt creepier than the opposite? And now my sheets were all drenched, Arceus damn it. With a heavy breath, I went about my morning routine, sending birthday wishes to Denzel, though I doubted he'd see them until he made it to Canalave with Pauline. My best friend was turning seventeen today, and it was a shame we wouldn't be able to have a party or anything. I hobbled out of the Pokemon Center, happy to see that my ankle was feeling better by the day, though still a while from healing.

Celestic had been… pretty alright, but it was time to leave. There weren't many days to waste, and I wanted to reach Solaceon by tonight. We'd have to fly high above the fog and deal with the cold, but I'd have to deal. Though maybe it would be smart to locate the ancient city, even if I wouldn't actually go inside quite yet, given the fact that I wanted to get as much training done as possible beforehand. Chase had told me its approximate location, but my friend had been rather light on the details.

Are you sure you want to leave yet?

I cursed, flinching and nearly falling over as Mesprit's voice rang out in my head. I ignored the confused and concerned looks from the few passersby who were out this early and bit my lip. They could speak to me? I'd heard Mesprit's mocking laughs when contemplating about using their gift, but never actual words. I waited, holding my breath to see if Mesprit was going to speak again, but no voice came, and suddenly my thoughts felt so silent. Like when I'd sneak toward the fridge late at night to steal ice cream while Dad was sleeping, and all I could hear was my breath. I clenched a fist around my jeans and slowed down my breathing. Mesprit was trying to get me to stick around, and the reason why was obvious. The shrine, or what was behind the shrine. I took a few hesitant steps toward the railing, which wrapped around all of Celestic to keep people from falling over. Even this early, people were out and about down in the crater, though none approached the shrine. Those who prayed did so at a distance, staying at least a hundred feet away.

The shrine was mostly stone slabs— pillars, that supported the structure itself, which was made of more stone and a wooden red roof that was perfectly smooth. Surrounding the shrine were four walls, though as I had noticed, the entire courtyard was empty. There was a smaller shrine near the cave's entrance, with intricate carvings on the walls that I was too far away to make out. I gulped as my knuckles went white from holding onto the railing so tightly. How was I supposed to go inside of there if no one was allowed to? I waited for answers from Mesprit, but none came.

"Aren't you just so helpful," I growled under my breath.

Instead of going down the winding path spiraling around the crater, I took a shortcut and hopped on Princess who flew me down in seconds. I'd been too lazy to strap in my saddle, but I had gotten good at flying without one, these days. Not that I would ever do so during our long travels, but a short descent downward like this was fine. Plus, Togekiss could always catch me if I fell over, which I did not.

This might have been a crater, but it was lusher than any other area in Celestic I'd seen, with well-trimmed Birch trees and bushes lining the paths. From down here, the sheer scale of the impact took on another shape. Such a huge meteor would have destroyed this entire area— and shrouded the entire continent of Shinwa in darkness for who knew how long. Maybe the entire planet, even. There were myths of such an event in Unova, which Cecilia had explained to me why old civilizations here had used to worship Volcarona, one of which had acted as a second sun so people wouldn't starve from crop failures. There must have been nuances to this story, but I was not against believing in myths such as these. I recalled Princess, opting to have Honey accompany me for this instead, given the fact that he was probably the only one who'd be respectful about this.

The carvings on the shrine itself were… strange. Like letters, but not. A language I felt like I should have been able to read, but that still eluded me. Like a word on the tip of my tongue, a memory I couldn't recall, just out of reach. I angrily squinted at the walls like they owed me money, desperately wanting to understand what was written, but I failed time and time again.

"Many have tried to read the inscriptions before," a voice sounded behind me. "They all have failed."

I turned toward the older voice— frizzy white hair and a beard so thick I couldn't see his mouth. He walked in robes and barefoot, even outside of the shrine. Honey had reflexively placed a hand on my shoulder, ready to drag me close if a Protect was needed.

"I mean you no harm," he said with a hidden smile.

"I know," I said. I had, after all, activated my empathy to tell as naturally as I breathed, though I was subtly tuning it out again. "What's your name?"

"Ailwin Lowthe. The shrine's custodian," he introduced himself, dipping his head. "You'll forgive me for being curious. Flying down the crater instead of walking the Crescent Path is a great offense."

"Oh— I'm so sorry, I didn't know," I stammered. "I'm not too well-versed in Celestian culture at all, so I thought…"

"At least you are more polite about it than most of the trainers currently passing through our town," Ailwin said, pausing for a few seconds. "The shrine. It interests you."

I turned back toward the monument, watching as nearly a hundred people, all barefoot, kneeled with their hands clasped as they sang Arceus' name with a hymn as they faced the shrine. Their voices were in complete unison, as if they'd practiced this thousands of time before.

"...let your thousand arms unfold, each one tender, a guiding hand to lead us or to strike our enemies asunder…"

"Pretty brutal for a prayer," I hummed. "Oh, shit, sorry."

Ailwin laughed. "You are not the first to notice, nor will you be the last. It is a remnant of how life used to be for our ancestors. Celestic is among the oldest cities in Sinnoh, and it has almost fallen more times than we can count, both to humans and Pokemon. It is thanks to His grace and protection, that we still remain."

His, huh? It was the first time I'd heard someone refer to Arceus as Mesprit did, and I'm sure they were pleased with themselves. From the way they'd spoken about Arceus, He apparently loved humans, but I didn't think He had directly intervened in anything other than our creation, aside from all the rules he'd put in place to stop his maniacal Gods from murdering us all. Granted, maybe I was wrong.

"Mister Ailwin… could I maybe gain access to the cave at the back of the shrine, or…?" I tried.

"That would depend on why," he answered. "It is barred, save for extraordinary circumstance."

Just tinker with him and get him to allow you in already!

My head buzzed with activity, and then felt the same emptiness that it had before. I wasn't as taken aback this time as I was the last, however, so I carried on as if nothing had happened.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"If I'm being honest, I feel like it holds the key to something I seek," I said. "I feel it calling to me, I guess, but if you don't want to, it's alright."

The shrine custodian stroked his beard. "You are known here."

I frowned. "Am I?"

"You are one of Cynthia's protégées," he continued, taking a few steps forward. "She was a blessed one, that child. Hardened by a childhood spent in isolation, but a blessed child nonetheless, who changed this place for the better. Anyone would know about her apparent successors."

I read about this in her autobiography, I remembered. She'd spent her childhood obsessed with training in a time where Celestic despised 'trainers'. It was strange, because they hadn't considered the people and the old war veterans who defended the city trainers because they were Celestians— so due to xenophobia and bias— but Cynthia hadn't been shy about wanting to leave the town and becoming one. Plus, with how she and her twin sister had been born out of wedlock… people back then talked.

Today, though? She was loved, and had been the first Champion to ever come from Celestic. Being Cynthia's hometown, I guessed that Celestic might be the only remaining area where Cynthia enjoyed unconditional support. This place had been decades behind the rest of the region, before she ascended to the position of Champion. They had mistreated her for her entire childhood, and she had given them nothing but kindness in return. Maybe it was because her sister and grandmother lived here, or maybe it was due to some sense of obligation.

"Did she ever come here?" I asked.

"Little Cynthia? Oh no, she was too busy out on the routes, training with her Gible day and night," he said. "She started heading out to Mount Coronet at the age of twelve. Truly a miracle, that she lived through all of it."

Henced, blessed, I understood. Still, going into that hellhole at that age, with only a Gible? She really was insane.

"As an adult, however, she's accessed the Halls of Creation plenty of times during her short trips here. History and ruins are her second passion, after all, despite not having the time to attend to them these days."

"Halls of Creation? I thought it had another name… uh… Celestic Ruins, right?"

The old man snorted behind his beard. "That is what outsiders call it, yes."

A light silence settled in, though I filled it with a sigh as Honey peered at the custodian over my head, suggesting that we try convince him by using Cynthia's name. I didn't like it, but… she had so much pull here that there wasn't really much of a choice, was there?

"I don't know how I can convince you, but this is really important, Mr. Ailwin," I muttered. "I don't have enough time to go through the entire process— whatever it is, even if I wished I did. If I called Cynthia and she gave you the go-ahead, would you let me through?"

He stood still as the prayer from his fellow Celestians finished, almost like he had expected me to say this. "I will reluctantly have to accept, as I did whenever Cynthia asked for permission to go through."

I sighed in relief, ignoring that feeling at the back of my head that hated getting indebted to Sinnoh's Champion. There was unfortunately a limit to my influence, and I couldn't just force myself everywhere I wanted, especially not religious grounds. I scrolled through my contact, a finger hesitantly hovering over Cynthia's number. It's not a big deal, just click on it, I chided myself. I didn't have to wait long for her to answer.

"Grace. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Cynthia said. I could hear the clacking of a keyboard in the background, along with Garchomp's snoring, which sounded like a dull growl.

"I'm in Celestic Town, and I need access to the Halls of Creation," I said, getting straight to the point. "Ailwin said he'd let me through if you accepted. I'm feeling… a pull."

"Ah, a wonderful place, those ruins," she cheerfully said. "Pass Ailwin the phone. I am expecting a report of whatever you see, either to your ACE Trainers or Aliyah."

"Sure."

They didn't talk for long, though there was a fondness in Ailwin's eyes that hadn't been there before we'd been speaking. After a minute or so, he wished her well and reiterated that all of Celestic stood behind her before handing me back my phone. Even here, people played politics. Honey smiled, giving me a discreet thumbs up— which wasn't so discreet, with the size of his hands, but he was trying his best.

"I suppose I can let you in, then," Ailwin said. "Follow."

—

The second shrine was much smaller than the first, but it also had those same carvings, both on it and the walls of the cave. Knowledge that felt like it should have been mine, but wasn't, like a long-lost friend I'd never be able to get back. There was, however, some kind of ancient painting of Dialga and Palkia on the cave along with the letters. They called them by name, here, and worshipped them as well, though they stood below Arceus in importance. They did look like a child had done their best to draw them, but for Pokemon we had no idea of, they'd made a nice shape for them, with Dialga standing on all fours, its body clad in blue and outlined in white and a comically elongated head while Palkia stood on its hind legs with the same white outline and sprouting wings behind its back.

"How did they decide how to paint them?" I asked as we approached the cave's entrance. "We don't know what they look like, do we?"

"It is unknown," he said with a disappointed sigh. "We live better lives, these days, but so much knowledge eludes us, still. We are like children, flailing in the dark and trying to understand our betters. Perhaps one day, we will."

I bit the inside of my lip. "Do you also feel nostalgic, when you look at the carvings?"

"We all do. Our scriptures say that it was a common tongue, uniting all of us when we were created, though our writing diverged. It is why much of the world speaks the same language today." He stopped to grunt as he went up the stone steps, and Honey helped him up with Angel's gentleness in order not to break anything. Ailwin was old, and he was frail. "Thank you. Here we are."

The entrance loomed eerily, cloaked in what seemed to be perpetual twilight that shrouded the passage in an unsettling gloom. It was supported by a stone archway, weathered and worn with moss and shrubs growing in between the cracks. Wind perpetually blew out of the cave, blowing my hair and shirt all over the place and carrying what sounded like whispers which I couldn't make out. Even with the glow, I could not peer through the inside.

"On you go, then," Ailwin said. "I must not go further than this."

"Thank you for guiding me here," I warily said.

Why was this scarier than the first time I had stepped into the maw of Mount Coronet? I steeled myself and steadied my breaths, letting Honey's soft hums reassure me. The electric type took the first step forward, as if he was trying to lead the way. They grow up so fast, I thought as my heart filled with pride.

"You're right," I said. "We can do this."

He reiterated that I was the scared one, and that there was no 'we' involved. I rolled my eyes at him.

I entered the Halls of Creation.

Inside the cave, an oppressive stillness enveloped the air, broken only by the distant drip of water continuously falling and creating small puddles. The walls were adorned with the same faded carvings, but these had been drawn with fanaticism the ones on the outside had not been. The carvings had clearly been etched with haste in frenzied, feverish strokes that grew more nonsensical the deeper I went, as if someone had gone mad creating them. The floor here was a dull grey and strangely even— far too smooth for what was supposed to be a naturally formed cave, save for the occasional boulder we came across. It was like I was walking on tiled floors and not stone. Eventually, I hobbled deep enough to reach what looked like a massive chamber with seven other hallways linking directly to it. Where did those lead? That wasn't where I felt the pull from, so I wasn't counting on finding out. This place gave me the creeps. The chamber itself was circular, though not a perfect circle, which was less unsettling than if it had been. The pull here was stronger than it had ever been since I had left Lake Verity. I waited for Mesprit to say something, but they were silent, now.

"Well, let's head deeper, I guess," I said. "Be ready to use Protect."

Electivire nodded, his tails anxiously writhing behind him. It took two minutes to make it through the chamber, and I noticed that a part of the wall was actually not a natural rock formation, but a wall. Ancient bricks of what looked to be clay, laid out until they blended perfectly with the surrounding stone. At the wall's heart was a painting that I instantly recognized. The three Lake Guardians, drawn horribly wrong, but still in recognizable fashion and surrounding some kind of red… gem. Breathless, I approached the art, instinctively holding out a hand as my vision went blurry at its edges—

A man— possibly in his late twenties or early thirties— sits in contemplation in front of the Lake Guardians. His hair is well-kept, though it is a peculiar blue. He is accompanied by a few people, though they do not yet don the uniform I have learned to despise. Cyrus looks up at the wall, and a woman who appears to be Jupiter flanks him, yawning like she's bored out of this world with a Tangrowth by her side.

"Is this what you wanted to see, Cyrus?" she deadpans. "Some boring art on a wall? It took a lot of effort to sneak in here. I expect a promotion by the end of the month."

Cyrus ignores her, placing a hand on the wall and tracing the contour of the red gem at its center.

"Tell, me Adrianna," Cyrus finally speaks. His voice is disturbingly still, and his hands sit behind his back. "Do you believe that Man should strive to improve his current condition at all costs?"

"Sure, that sounds dandy," Jupiter answers. "Not like you haven't been trying to do it so far."

He continues. "What do you think, then, about the current state of the world?"

"Not much," Jupiter says. "It just is, really. People are born, they live out their days and they die. It's fun, sometimes, though. You know that feeling you get, when you get off a shift early? Or when your favorite show comes on, and it's an episode you've been waiting for? Or when you eat your favorite food—"

"I do not. Though I understand the implications all of those scenarios bring," Cyrus says. "Do you not think that the world could be more? This planet is imperfect, and so are we. These Gods spit on us while they watch us crawl through ash and mud." He stops, staring up at the Lake Guardians with a blank look.

"It'd be a whole lot better if there was any passion in your voice, Cy," Jupiter snorts.

He ignores the nickname as if he hadn't heard it. "It is just a fact, is it not? Do not confuse a want for yearning. The keys to a better world are gated behind rules established by a God that does not interact with us," he continues. "It is our birthright, as people, to gain the tools to improve ourselves. We are all incomplete beings, Adrianna. Both people, and Pokemon. There is something missing within us, and that absence causes meaningless fights, wars, and strife. We could be so much more."

"You've droned on about it for years, now, but all we've done is travel the country, read ancient texts, and visit old ruins. Well, so long as I get paid…"

"Such a lack of vision," Cyrus acknowledges. "But I suppose that is why you are a good tool, Adrianna."

"Gee, thanks. Maybe I really should quit," she chides, wrinkling her nose.

"Then I will kill you," he simply says. "You know too much."

She pales slightly, though her face returns to a slight smile after a moment. "Always have to do a double take, when you say things like that."

"It is nothing personal," Cyrus says. "Either way, I know you will not betray me. It was you, after all, who sought me out. Enough with the games. These three," he passes another hand on the wall of the cave, "are the key to creating a new world. Through control of space and time, we can bring about the birth of a new universe," he says. It appears to be his goal— his life's work, even, but his tone does not rise, nor does his face change.

"Do you think we'll make it?"

"I will either make it, or die trying," he declares. "But first, we must find more like-minded individuals."

I pulled my hand back with a gasp as I returned to the present. It took a minute, to realize what I'd just seen. Cyrus and Jupiter— or Adrianna— had come here before Team Galactic had been a thing. From the way he had looked compared to how he looked now, this must have been at least ten years ago. Jupiter had known him for that long? I couldn't confirm anything, but it seemed like she'd known him the longest among the Commanders. I tried placing a hand on the cave painting again, but nothing else happened. If I could see more… damn it. Honey let out a curious grunt, wondering what had happened.

"A vision of the past," I muttered. "Of what Cyrus is like. I think I just witnessed the official birth of Team Galactic…"

Because that was what this had been about, hadn't it? I already knew Cyrus' goal to end the world, but I hadn't known about his motivations. With the context I had after speaking about him to Roland Hunter, the picture was clear, now. He believed that something was wrong with the world, instead of something being wrong with him, and he was willing to do anything to get his way. Willpower and Knowledge, but not Emotion. He was an empty shell, driven by a purpose, knowledgable, but there was clearly something missing when you heard him talk. It was like seeing a puppet being strung along instead of an actual man speaking.

A question remained, however. Mars was in love with the man, Saturn… well, Saturn was extremely loyal to Team Galactic as an organization, from how much of a fanatic he was. Charon wanted his sister back at all costs, even if he had to destroy the world for it, but what did Jupiter want? The way she'd watched Cyrus drone on about committing omnicide like it had just been another day disturbed me as much as the other two Commanders did, if not more, because while I could parse through what they were like, she was a complete enigma. And even then, what kind of person followed a man threatening to kill you after years of knowing each other? Since it had been a vision, I hadn't been able to use my empathy to tell what she was really thinking.

"Cyrus owns Pokemon," I told Honey. "Six of them."

They'd been on his belt, during the vision. How powerful he was remained to be seen, though I figured he must have been strong to hold control of such a large organization. Maybe he had more, these days. This had been years ago, after all, though I couldn't do anything but estimate.

"Mesprit? Any help here?!" I hissed. "Are you just going to guide me here and say nothing afterward?!"

Communicating takes power, and I remain dormant. You have seen what was needed. The other Shards will not need to come… here…

The voice faded into the background, but I'd made out the important bits. I assumed that if Mira or the others came here, they'd see the same thing I saw— though upon reflection, I wasn't sure about Mira, given the fact that she hadn't touched her lake yet. I limped back toward the cave's exit and immediately reported what I'd seen, first to Cynthia, and then to the other Shards and Denzel. The Champion thanked me, saying that she'd suspected a reason like this, but knowing it in detail and straight from the source helped. Ailwin had been waiting for me at the bottom of the massive staircase, but I didn't stay long. I needed to be alone with my thoughts, and for that, I needed to be in the air.

I racked my brain the entire flight, and even asked Aliyah about it, but I couldn't find a motivation for Jupiter's actions. Was what she wanted just a New World? She didn't seem to think the current one was wrong, maybe just boring. Was that all she needed? To think that the world was boring? That sounded more like Mars than her, but then again, I didn't know her at all. There was just no way to figure it out with the information I had at my disposal.

By the time evening had come, I had made it to Solaceon.