Chapter 27: Though it may seem
Solga smirked as he swung deep past the forest, eventually landing upon the rooftops of Camphrier. Looking down upon the people down below and holding out his prize in front of him. He then saw a mixture of people all starting to form a small mob around the local police station, making him chuckled.
“This ought to send a message, right Sewaddle?” asked Solga. Sewaddle nodded deviously. “Bout time those royalists take me seriously.” He squeezed Marie’s beanie, only to then feel something cold and lumpy. “What the? Did that chick like to keep ice in her hair-” Looking inside, a wave of dread washed through both of their bodies. Inside was Snom sleeping lopsidedly.
“By Arceus, we stole a Pokémon!” he exclaimed quietly, his air not catching in his throat. “What do we do? Do we give it back? No, that’s too risky. I don’t have the time to plan that out. Then do we leave it here?” Solga looked at the slumbering Snom, then looked at the busy streets of Camphrier. “We can’t do that either. We’ll never know if it finds its trainer.” Solga stamped his foot in frustration. “Damn this uncertainty!” He then eyed the palace that stood on a hill a little outside of the town.
“You remember why we’re here, right Sewaddle?” Sewaddle nodded. “It’s time we found out what the future has in store for us.” The two then heard something clear its throat. They looked down to see Snom had awoken, and it was displeased. “Oh, hello. You’re probably wondering how you got here. Well lemme tell you-” Snom glowed green preparing to attack. “Oh crap-!”
An explosion rang across town along with a small dust cloud above the roofs. Ceailean, Marie, and Crisis hardly noticed it however, continuing to rush towards the nearest pokemon center. Once they got there, they rushed to Nurse Joy.
“Nurse Joy, some guy just blew a bunch of stun spores on us and all of our pokemon! Can you help?” asked Marie urgently.
“Oh no, you guys too?”
“Us too?” asked Crisis.
“Yes, you guys weren’t first to some in here with that same story and symptoms. There were quite a few people, because of that we’re currently running low on paralyze heals. So if you guys want your pokemon to be treated, we’ll have to take them in directly. It’ll take a while as well.”
“Whatever it takes,” said Marie.
Nurse Joy nodded. After a moment, Decidueye, Fennekin, and Scorbunny were carried away on roller beds. Before Nurse Joy left, Crisis grabbed her by the shoulder and asked, “What else can you tell me about the people getting paralyzed around town?”
She sighed, “It’s better for you to see what the news has to say about it.” As she passed the desk, she used a remote to project the news on the TV’s in the lobby before going in the back for treatment. The group sat down to watch.
A newswoman spoke, “-back to the ongoing story of the past two weeks, a biological menace is still roaming the streets of Camphrier. The fugitive has been reported to be wearing a mask along with full white apparel and brown hair, swiftly evading crime scenes and authorities with the use of a Sewaddle like a swing shot. The town’s population has grown into unrest as the all clamor in front of the Camphrier police department calling for the criminals immediate incarceration. We have Marco Belin coming to us live from the front Camphrier police department to fill us in on the current details. Marco?”
“Brown hair?” asked Marie, “and a mask? Don’t remember that part.”
“Keep watching,” said Ceailean.
“Thanks Darcie. As you know these incidents have been happening for the better part of two weeks, right around the time of the battle of Tuviere. As you see behind me here, an angry mob calling for the arrest of this criminal formed once again outside of the Camphrier police department. It has been reported that there are an estimated 74 cases involving the stun spore menace as of yesterday evening. It is currently unknown what the motivation is, but some have speculated that it may be related to the coming royal delegation happening today. Though there isn’t much evidence to support this, the royals still say ‘it’s better to play it safe than sorry’. We’ll take it back to the studio for all the current information we have at this moment.”
As the slide show started, Ceailean looked on his pokedex to search up the story. Frantically flipping the news app he never used, he came across more articles talking about Tuviere. At first he ignored it, thinking the media were still talking about the Battle of Tuviere so long after. But then a headline caught his eye. “Utter Devastation: Tuviere Now The Victim Of A Second Incident. Leaving The Entire Town In Ruins Amongst The Jagged Earth”
“Second?” mouthed Ceailean. He tapped the link and skipped all the text to get straight to the pictures. What he saw shocked him beyond belief. Flattened buildings, gigantic trenches of destruction, scorched earth, the docks turned to rubble, and half the town folded over itself. This wasn’t anywhere close to the amount of destruction that Tuviere was in when they were there. He screenshotted the article and quickly put it away before Marie or Crisis could see.
“A general pest, with an extremely strange motive and calling card. This is what most people describe the Camphrier criminal as, which of whom has been most prominent within the last two weeks.”
“Me and my kids don’t feel safe going outside anymore. He could just swoop in and steal somethin’-”
“The person has been pestering all those who had been coming in and out of Camphrier. His current motivation remains a mystery, as their calling card has left authorities scratching their heads. What is this calling card? Every incident reported to the Camphrier police department all had one thing in common, each individual had their head wear stolen.”
“He just took my hat and ran off. He tricked us into thinking we caught him also before throwing stun spores that he had in his pocket at us-”
“Just why would this person only steal the head wear of others? The chief of the Camphrier police department had this to say:
For all we know, this individual could be a delinquent teen. The crimes aren’t serious and never left anyone injured. These acts of petty theft will not deter our force however. Regardless of the reason, we will find this individual and make him stand trial.
Some, though, are left unsatisfied.”
“-I walk around the outskirts of town all the time and I’ve never seen one officer out there. This man could strike at any moment and no one would be out there to save them-.”
“The criminal has been cited to mostly target those who’re currently participating in the Kalos pokemon league. According to the local forensics officer:
They would make the perfect targets as they would most likely have not heard of the local advisories surrounding the incidents. It also happened when Tuviere was still widely covered amongst all news outlets, letting the crimes fly under the radar for a while. We’re trying to spread awareness of these crimes as much as we can in order to warn the general public. But it has been difficult due to the recent events.
The chief of police has officially put out a declaration, saying that any trainer will have the right to defend themselves. Urging any and all to engage in a battle in hopes of catching this criminal. This has been Henry Derrick reporting.”
It cut back to Darcie, “The actions of this thief have left some speculative of the royal delegation happening nearby. Have they brought something valuable that the thief wants or was it just a coincidence? We’ll talk more about that when we come back at 1:00. I’m Darcie Sana.” The TV cut to commercial.
Marie grabbed the hem of her skirt. “Petty crime? That guy stole Snom and they call that a petty crime?”
“Your case is most likely unique.” said Crisis, “Shall we inform the police department?”
Marie stood up and gestured to the TV, “Tell the police?! You saw that mob out there, we’d never be able to get inside!” she said angrily, “How about Team Harmonious huh? Can’t you call them? Can’t you do anything?”
Crisis tsked, “They requested that I remain radio silent during my travels with you two”
“Why? This is an exception isn’t it? Snom is missing for Arceus’s sake!”
Ceailean put his hand on Marie’s shoulder, “We have to remain calm in a situation like this. Getting angry will make us make bad decisions.”
Marie moved out of Ceailean’s reach, “Calm down? You want me to calm down?!”
“I know Snom is gone, and that really is affecting you a lot. But this is a time where we can’t rely on others. We’re all we have. No one is coming to save us this time. So we have to approach it cautiously. Many things can go wrong.”
Marie grit her teeth, “No you’re wrong!”
“Wha-”
“I know what I’ve been through, what we’ve all been through. Tuviere was much worse than what is happening now! So yeah actually, maybe you’re right in that regard. We’ll do this ourselves!”
Crisis rose up to speak, but Ceailean took the words right out his mouth. “That’s a dangerous way of thinking, Marie. He may not be those guys from Tuviere, but for all we know he could be just as dangerous.”
“I don’t think so, C! Those guys were major criminals, even killers! And we beat them!” she started walking to the door, “So I’m gonna give that guy a piece of my mind! And I’ll do it alone if I have to!”
“Dang it Marie!” Ceailean ran ahead and blocked the open slide doors.
“Get out of my way C!” Marie demanded.
“No.”
“Now!”
“No! You’re thinking irrationally! We can’t charge straight into this!”
A man standing behind Ceailean tapped his shoulder and asked, “Am I interrupting something important?”
“Just who is this bozo?!” asked Marie angrily.
“Marie!?”
The man pulled on his glove, slightly irritated, “This bozo is named Kaust, my lady.”
Crisis rushed over, “What is this about? I doubt you meeting us again is a coincidence.”
“You’d be quite right. His majesty Vertant has requested an audience with you, Crisis, admin of Team Harmonious.”
“If you’re hoping to receive help from other Team Harmonious members, you’re out of luck. I am currently on discharge and have no say in operations that my brothers and sisters partake in.”
“Quite a shame to hear that, but still I insist. His majesty would still like a presence with someone who had been able to find those criminals at Tuviere.”
Crisis looked to Ceailean and Marie, “Do you two mind?”
“I don’t, not really.” responded Ceailean.
“As long as he keeps it a secret,” said Marie irritably.
“Hm. Well, as it would turn out, Mr. Kaust, I also happen to be on a training journey with the two that had discovered them before me.”
Kaust grew a little excited, “You couldn’t possibly mean more than half of those heavily involved at Tuviere are standing right in front of me, could you?”
“That is exactly what I am insisting.”
“By Arceus, to be claimed straight from the mouth of the Team Harmonious admin that was also involved, it must be true. You two must be the Lil’ Scouts.”
“These ‘Lil’ Scouts’ have names you know,” said Marie sarcastically.
“Marie please.” Ceailean turned around and offered his hand, “I’m Ceailean and this is Marie. We were there at Tuviere when it happened.”
Kaust shook his hand, “Pleasure to meet you. His majesty would be ecstatic to meet the three of you. Please if you would all follow me-”
“I didn’t agree to attend anything.” said Marie. “You see, some freak just stole a precious heirloom of mine. And inside of it was a great friend of mine, Snom. So frankly, we don’t have the time to be entertaining some majesty all day. I have to find him!”
“Marie, wait just a second before you try to make enemies with everyone you can!” pleaded Ceailean.
“Please do attend my lady.” asked Kaust in a slight panic. “I assure you that we can provide the best living services we can in order to satisfy your needs. I am also confident that his majesty will lend his aid in your endeavors. After all, I believe we are facing the same enemy.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you not remember Marie?” asked Crisis, “This is the man that had come to warn us about a criminal that was targeting their heirloom of sorts as well.”
“Oh yeah.”
“And due to recent events, I believe this criminal to be quite serious.” said Kaust.
“It starts to make sense if you think about it.” explained Crisis. “The recent reports around here have all had something in common. Head wear was stolen from individuals that had encountered the same criminal all over Camphrier for some inexplicable reason. From what it seems like, you haven’t made the announcement public.”
“You would be quite right. His majesty has seen it fit to not inform the authorities, believing he himself should handle it himself to deter others from trying it again.”
“Still though, how do we know we’re facing the same guy?” asked Marie.
“I get it now,” said Ceailean.
“What is it?”
“Remember, their heirloom is a crown. A very special crown that is able to give the wearer the ability to see the future. That crown also happens to be a head piece-”
Marie was struck with realization, “So that means-”
“This criminal was sending a message. He's coming to get that crown and is trying to show that he can do it.”
“Correct, master Ceailean. Quite the astute observation you have.” complemented Kaust. Ceailean laughed nervously.
“Alright then, let’s get going.” said Marie, “Where are you going to take us?”
Before Kaust could speak, Ceailean jumped in and scolded her. “Marie, Marie, Marie! Slow down for just a second! Don’t you remember that we’re waiting for our pokemon to be healed from their paralysis!?”
Marie gasped. She looked back at the closed medical room door. How could she forget about Fennekin? It was her pokemon too. She didn’t want to make favorites but in her anger, all she could think about was Snom. She turned to Ceailean and sadly said, “O-Okay, yeah, you’re right. We have to wait for Fennekin and the others.”
“Good. Try to remember your friends next time, okay?” This punched Marie in the gut full of guilt.
“Very well.” said Kaust, “There is no rush at the moment. His majesty is a very patient person.” They all took a seat and waited for their pokemon to be healed.
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() Along the open road were open rolling fields of grass with little patches of flowers where small Flabébé would mingle. On said road drove a really fancy black car. Ceailean riding shotgun with Marie and Crisis in the back.
“Look there everyone, Culdaver Palace.” pointed out Kaust.
“Culdaver? I thought Vertant would have named it after himself.” said Marie.
“This was named after his father, it is still much too early for the young majesty to own his own palace.”
“Young? Forgive me for asking but I had envisioned this Vertant as… an older individual, I should say.” asked Crisis.
“Oh yes, I had never considered that you all haven’t heard of his majesty. To my knowledge, he should be around your age. I’m sure you all would get along.”
They arrived at the front gate. Inside they rode around a roundabout with a beautiful garden as its centerpiece. The palace stood so tall that the group couldn’t see the top of it from inside the car. They pulled up to long stairs tightly covered by sleek red carpet with golden edges. The entrance it led to had three grand doors with the largest one being in the middle. Stained glass depicting a woman holding some sort of object surrounded with mysterious light looked down upon the entire scenery.
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Kaust turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt, “Shall we?” They all left the car and followed Kaust up the steps.
Another man with similar attire to Kaust came down, “Who be all this then?”
“Zyne, this is the admin of Team Harmonious I had met just coming into Camphrier.” answered Kaust.
“Is that right? I was just on me way outta here. Who are the other’s?”
“These two are what the media had dubbed the lil’ scouts.” Ceailean and Marie waved awkwardly.
“Seriously? Heh, Vertant’s gonna have a field day. Maybe we’ll even get a few days off as a bonus. I’ll owe you a drink if you can pull that off.”
“Not a chance.”
“Ah, well. At least I tried.”
“Since you’re heading out anyway, put the car in with the rest will you?”
“Alright then, boss.”
The group entered through the massive middle doors, opened on the other side by two housemaids. Inside was a huge room, easily two stories tall minimum with a grand staircase that led up to the second floor. Red carpet lined the whole floor with red violet walls and polished dark wood accenting it. Above were intricate designs of gold and crystal chandeliers hanging far down.
“Whoa.” said both Ceailean and Marie in awe.
“Impressive isn’t it?” said Kaust.
“Do you mind if we let our Pokémon out inside?” asked Marie.
“By all means.”
“Cool.” She let out Fennekin with a sparkle. It looked around with the same awe Marie had.
“Do we have to let our Pokémon out everywhere we go?” asked Ceailean. “What if we lose track of them?”
“I’ll make sure that something like that won’t ever happen again. But it almost feels selfish to me to have my Pokémon be in their pokéballs while we experience these spectacles.”
“Who’s to say that they can’t see it from inside their pokéballs?”
“We just don’t know. But right now, I ain’t particularly faithful. So what do you think, Fennekin?” Fennekin looked around, but didn’t show much enthusiasm. The housemaids noticed its unique black fur and were squealing silently at its cuteness. This made it somewhat uncomfortable with the extra attention it's getting. “Fennekin? You alright?” Fennekin snapped out of it and nodded with the best smile it could muster. “Cool! Now you C.”
“Alright I guess.” Ceailean let out Scorbunny and Noibat. Scorbunny was immediately taken aback with the room. After looking around a bit, It noticed the carpet below and took a deep breath, held its arms up, and flopped face down onto it, beginning to roll back and forth enjoying its softness. It bumped into Noibat and noticed that it was sleeping. “Noibat? You’re still tired?” Noibat kept sleeping. “Man, return.” Ceailean recalled Noibat.
“May I suggest we head to where the main festivities are being held?” asked Kaust. “Vertant would like to meet all of you I'm sure.”
“This has made me curious as to why he would request an audience with us,” said Crisis. “Yes we may have been involved, but I would say we haven’t got much to say other than that. I’m sure our stories have been told anonymously through the mainstream media already.”
“He had not told me his purpose for doing so. Perhaps it is just for a chance to meet you all, nothing more. Now, if you would please follow me this way.”
----------------------------------------
() Kaust opened the door to the terrace on the top of the palace. The group saw people all around enjoying exotic foods and drinks. Small patches of grass surrounded a fountain in the center. Plastic tables and white tents were set up holding buffets and shade. The outer perimeter was surrounded with dark stone and four towers on each of the corners. Another bigger and taller tower stood above them, which was the one the group had come in from.
Ceailean and Marie looked around at the people in the delegation. “Don’t you think we’re a little under dressed?” asked Ceailean.
Marie crossed her arms, “Yeah, ever since I lost Snom and my beanie.”
“We’ll find it soon, I’ll promise you that.”
“Thanks C.”
Fennekin had wandered on with Scorbunny getting only a little farther ahead before the crowd noticed them. “Oh look, is that a Fennekin? It’s fur is quite unusual.”
“It’s a shiny! I’ve never seen one before! I must take a look!”
The crowd began to gather around Fennekin. Scorbunny got out by jumping onto people's heads and landing on Ceailean’s shoulders. Fennekin however was left to face the crowd alone. Many phones were held in front of it with flashes and hands looking to get touchy. It got too overwhelming and it fled behind Marie’s feet.
“Oh, little girl, is this your Pokémon? You must let me see it, maybe even hold it.”
“Come on, no need to be shy little Fennekin. Just let me get a peek at those red eyes.”
“Look at that black fur! I bet it would feel so soft.”
Marie started to back away, “Back away! Can’t you see you’re scaring it?!” The crowd persisted. Crisis and Ceailean tried their best to keep everyone at bay, but they were soon overwhelmed. Then, Noibat came out of its pokeball and immediately exploded into dragon rush. The crowd dispersed in fear from the dense purple aura. Noibat looked around, seeing all the focus was on it. It shrieked as loud as its raspy little voice could, causing everyone to fall over covering their ears. Once it finished, it huffed and continued to stare down the crowd still shrouding itself in volatile dragon rush energy.
“By Arceus, what in the world was that?!” shouted someone from behind the crowd.
Kaust recognized who it was. “Your majesty, it would seem that the crowd had gotten into quite a ruckus over a Pokémon.”
“Over such a small thing? Gimme a break.” The crowd parted and a boy walked up. He was at least 17, wore a designer shirt, cargo shorts, and crocs with socks. Over it all he wore a black and gold cape with its edges full of fluff. His hair was a messy black and he had a thin pubescent mustache and beard. He looked at Crisis. “Is that the one I asked you to bring to me?”
“Yes it is, your majesty.” answer Kaust.
Vertant smiled, “Very good! I commend you! You may have the rest of the day off if you would like.”
“Thank you, your majesty.” He turned around to the group and said quietly, “Good luck, I hope he isn’t too much to handle.” He walked off back towards the tower.
Crisis walked up to Vertant and offered his hand. “Greetings, I am Crisis. Third admin of Team Harmonious.”
Vertant used both hands and shook Crisis’s graciously. “No need to be so formal, bro. I know very well who you are. But who might these other two?”
“They’re what the media dubbed the little scouts. I am currently on a training journey along with them.”
Vertant grew silent. He looked at Ceailean and Marie. “You’re serious?”
“As serious as I can be.”
Vertant started chuckling. He backed up and pointed rapidly at the group. “Ohoho, this’ll be great. Instead of having one test subject, I’ll have three!”
Marie grew concerned, “What do you mean by that?”
“Well-” Vertant looked back to see that the crowd had started to gather round again despite Noibat’s presence. “Hey!” The crowd jittered. “These are our guests of honor today! Should I find out that you have been pestering them I shall see to it that you’re evicted from the palace!” The crowd quickly dispersed across the Terrace. He turned to the group, “Hm, sorry about that. How about we walk around while I discuss why I have asked Crisis to come along for the delegation, and by extension you two.”
Vertant began walking to the left of the Terrace. Crisis followed. Ceailean walked over to Noibat, “You did great Noibat. You saved Fennekin.” Noibat dissipated its energy and took a sigh of relief. It rose its wings wanting to be picked up. Ceailean did so and Noibat immediately curled up its wings and fell asleep on his chest. Ceailean blushed slightly, “Oh Noibat..”
“C, let’s go,” said Marie.
“Right! Sorry Noibat.” Ceailean returned Noibat to its pokeball and followed the group.
Vertant grabbed a glass of a drink from the table and asked, “Y'all want a drink?” He looked at Ceailean and Marie. “Erm, probably not you two, too young and all.” He gestured to Crisis, “You?”
“I don’t drink,” said Crisis.
“Hm, me neither.” He then proceeded to down the whole glass and toss it behind him into the wall, shattering it. “Got the recipe for these from someone and their Pokémon who catered a train from Cyllage to Camphrier. Heard they opened their own restaurant somewhere. I’ll have to visit one day.”
The group immediately knew who it was. “You don’t say.” said Ceailean and Marie.
“Yeah, but the drinks they gave me were all this gray sludge so I had to get my chefs to-”
“That’s nice and all Vertant, but it would seem that you have caught us in the middle of a predicament for our friend Marie. We would like to know what you need us here for so we can get back to addressing it.” said Crisis.
Vertant gasped, “Is it that time of the month?”
“Huh?” asked Ceailean confused as Crisis sighed disgustedly.
Marie grew beat red with embarrassment, “Ugh! My Pokémon was stolen, dingus!”
Vertant grew serious, “By Arceus, that is quite a serious predicament.” He took a quick look around. “I don’t want to tell you out here, follow me to a more secluded place. Do what I ask, I promise to help you find the person who did this all I can. Follow me.” The group walked fast back to the tower.
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() Vertant forcefully pushed open the doors to what seemed like a gigantic storage closet. The group followed him in. “Here. Dim the lights and clear an area!” he shouted into the room.
Marie misinterpreted this, “You want us to-” Suddenly, the curtains closed themselves and the boxes began to shift around, startling Fennekin and leaving a large circle of space.
Ceailean, with Scorbunny laying down across his head, noticed a throne in front of them, draped in old shower curtains. “Uh, just what is this place?”
“This used to be the throne room for those of royal past. Nowadays there isn’t much use for such things, not many visitors and all. So we use it as a storage room now. Candles please and bring it down!”
Candles around the edges gave an ambient light, letting the rest of the room fall into darkness. “Is there any need to rush this much?” asked Marie, “What’re we doing anyway?”
“Shh, hold on.” Vertant held his hands out as if to gracefully accept a gift. Then something fell down from the dark, making him juggle it around before catching it with one hand. “Hey! Be a bit more graceful next time!”
“Who are you speaking to?” asked Crisis.
“Yeah yeah um, that’s just Musharna. A little people shy, nothing to worry about. Now give me a second.” Vertant began to continuously wave his hand over the object, mumbling up a storm.
Forever grateful for what we have
Forever in debt for our gift of life
Forever wanting for something more
Forever looking for what’s past our mortal strife
As Vertant mumbled on, Ceailean looked at the object he was holding. The candles did no favors in revealing what it was. All he could see was a rough shadow of a circle. Then it began to emit green particles. They spun around like embers and Marie moved her hand through them, spiraling them around like they were in water. Scorbunny swatted at them while one got into Fennekin's nose causing it to sneeze.
Faint green runes flashed around the edge of the object, making Vertant stop mid chant. “Musharna, if you would please finish it. Hurry!” Pink psychic energy accelerated the particles even further, creating somewhat of a pink spiraling mirror inside the object. The light it emitted revealed what it was. A bundle of white vines wrapping around each other, creating a headpiece with eight evenly pointed thorns at the top, each holding a pristinely green leaf.
“The crown.” pointed out Marie.
“You know?” asked Vertant.
“Kaust told us about it. We thought it was something that made you well known.”
“I’d like to not be known for it, perhaps even fall into obscurity. Too much attention. I’m sure you understand the situation we’re in right now.”
“We’ve heard.” said Crisis.
“Yes. But I understand the responsibility I hold when I have this in my possession. By no means shall I have this fall into… incapable hands. It is only through myself I can trust to figure out the secrets to the crown.”
“Figure them out? You mean you can’t use it?” asked Marie.
“Somewhat. You know how Olympia is also able to see into the future?”
“Yeah.”
“How do I explain it? Think of history and fate as this endless, expansive wasteland of practically illegible text explaining what has and will happen. Olympia’s method and that of her apprentices is like… simply reading through all that text one sentence at a time. Sometimes you find sentences that connect together, make sense, tells you the story. But the problem with this is that it's inefficient. Often spending days sifting through meaningless information. You’d have to rely on outside sources to bring such text to you in order to even get a hint, a glimpse. This crown is different. More direct, more clear. It would bring together the text from that wasteland and reveal their possible future… and their past.”
Ceailean grew unnerved.
“It’s hard though, really hard for you to see through the mirror. If what my father told me was right, I’ve only figured out a fourth of the chant needed to fully release its power. Even then, he tells me I lack the understanding of what it means. In a way, I agree. Just what is it we’re looking for and past what mortal strife?
That’s enough from me though. The power I can get out of the crown as of now won’t last for long. So uh, how about you?” Vertant pointed to Marie.
“M-Me?” asked Marie.
“Yes, who else would I be pointing to.” Vertant kicked his crocs off to the side, causing various items to fall over. He kneeled down and held the crown towards Marie. “Grab on and we’ll go for a ride.”
“Okay, but what will we find out?”
“Let’s keep it simple, let’s find out if you find Snom.”
Marie nodded and sat with crossed legs across from Vertant, grasping the opposite side of the crown. Fennekin stood close to her side wanting to see as well. Vertant forced her movement by having them stare at each other through the pink crystalline mirror spinning in the center of the crown.
“Your goals are clear, priorities are in check, are they not?” asked Vertant.
“I want to find Snom.” assured Marie.
“The focus is clear, now look deep inside and tell me what you see.”
“I thought you’d tell me?”
“At this point it’s interpretive. I’ll see it too but you may see it differently.”
Marie exhaled and focused on the spiraling pink mirror. At first she didn’t see anything, but sudden shifts and movements made her sure there was something there.
“I see something. Silhouettes maybe?”
“They will blend into the color of the mirror. Look closer.”
He was right. The silhouettes seemed to resemble Pokémon and even people, but they were blurry making it hard to see defining features. “I see something falling.”
“What?” asked Ceailean curious.
“Something, someone, me? So hard to tell. It just seems like it’s repeating itself.”
“Very interesting,” said Vertant.
Marie let go of the crown, dissipating the silhouettes. “This isn’t helping.
“Such a shame for one to lose faith so fast. How about you, Crisis? We still have some time.”
“I suppose. It does not particularly interest me what my future holds but perhaps I shall receive some amusement.” Crisis traded places with Marie and grasped the crown.
“What is it you wish to know?” asked Vertant.
“When does Team Harmonious truly complete its goal?”
“Hm, that’s quite broad.”
“Is that a problem?”
“I should’ve mentioned that this crown usually only delves into personal experience. What I mean by that is if you cease perception before what you ask could be achieved, you’ll see nothing.”
“What does that even mean?” asked Marie.
“It means if he dies.” answered Ceailean. Marie gulped and continued to watch.
Crisis looked into the mirror. “I see black dots. They are all coming together to form one big one?” The scene changed. “What is this? One embracing another in a sea of fire?” While Crisis remained laser focused, Vertant noticed that the runes on the crown began to glow orange. “It’s the black dot again, it’s… ripping itself apart.” Crisis grew angry. “Others are antagonizing it, making it self-destruct! This is full of conflict, full of hate and aggression! You cannot seriously believe that our infinite will is going to be torn down!”
Vertant tried calming him, “Please, this is-”
Crisis then received a nasty burn, making him throw the crown on the ground out of Vertant’s hands. Each time it hit the ground it pulsed with energy, eventually settling down and becoming green again. Crisis looked at his hand, now with a burn mark across the palm.
“Are you alright?” asked Marie.
Crisis ripped the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around his hand, “I’m fine.”
“I saw the black dots,” stated Ceailean, “But I didn't see anything about that sea of fire.”
“Yeah um, I didn’t either.” said Marie.
“Tch, it’s hardly a concern. I refuse to believe what this crown has shown me.” said Crisis, irritably.
“Like I said before, it simply means that neither Ceailean nor Marie will be there to witness whatever happened. Now let’s hurry, last one. Ceailean.”
“I-” Ceailean thought quickly. If he said no, maybe the other would think he is hiding something. The past part was still bothering him. Grabbing the crown could expose what he had done in the past, that would be devastating. On a whim, he said, “Okay.”
Vertant and Ceailean looked at each other through the crown. Scorbunny held its head up higher to see over Ceailean’s thick wavy hair. “Now, what is it you’d like to know?”
“How about, who do I become?”
He looked into the mirror for what seemed like a long time. “Quite strange. Usually something happens.”
Unbeknownst to them, Marie could see something. There was an eye, and it was staring right at her. “What the heck-” Before she could point it out, the mirror began to spin violently. Vertant and Ceailean couldn’t hold on and the centripetal force made it fly out of their hands into the air. Once it hit the ground, red sparks exploded out with the sound of a firework. It made wind strong enough to reopen the curtains and blow out the candles, letting the sun light the room.
As the group recovered from their startle, red sparks were still sparkling down from the air. Vertant stamped his foot on one to put it out. “Well that’s new.” he said surprised. Then they heard a thud from above. “By Arceus! Musharna, are you alright?!” No response.
“Dammit all,” This made Marie wince. Vertant grabbed a random pole and threw it at a ceiling hatch, quickly opening it and lowering a ladder. Vertant climbed up and came back down with a twitching Musharna, barely fitting in between his arms.
“What happened?” asked Crisis.
“To power that crown takes an immense amount of psychic energy. Every time I try it out, Musharna tends to over exert itself even when I tell it to stop if it ever gets hard. I’m thankful for it trying so hard just for me.”
“Where are you gonna go?” asked Ceailean.
“Where else? The Pokémon center.” Vertant walked past them to the door.
“What about us?” asked Marie.
“Uum, I’ll have my house maids make you accommodations. Ask them anything, I’ll have them bring it to you. There are lots of rooms so pick your favorite.”
Marie got an idea. “I’m gonna get the best one! See ya!” She rushed off for Vertant, Fennekin following close behind.
“Hey wait a minute!” shouted Ceailean, going after her while Scorbunny struggled to stay on his shoulders.
Crisis looked back and noticed the crown on the ground. “Such a mystical item left to lay on the floor.” He picked it up and held it on his forearm. “I’ll be it’s caretaker for now.” He took another look at the crown. “Just what was it that enticed you to show me such things?” Ignoring the question, he followed the rest of the group.
Unbeknownst to the lot of them, someone with peering eyes had been watching the entire time. Hung on the side was Solga, this time sporting brown hair and a mask that covered his eyes.
“There’s no going back now, Sewaddle.” Sewaddle had a hard time talking as it was the one hanging up the both of them. “Full tilt. We’re bonafide criminals now. We stole a Pokémon, and now it’s time we get that crown. We’ll wait for now and strike once the time is right.”