“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us, Dad?” Levincia’s morning sunshine massaged Arven’s weary shoulders like a hot shower. He and Turo stood in front of the Pokémon Center. A small group of people watched them, but a majority carried on with their morning walks with their Hologram and normal Pokémon.
Turo clasped his hip. He turned his head to Iron Hands and Kenji. They held Joy like a giant teddy bear. Turo powered her off before she could cause any more trouble.
“I’m sure,” he said to Arven. “Your little Mastermind of Deception has a mess to clean up here, but as soon as I do, I’ll come to visit.” His eyes rolled over to a few people observing them. “Besides, Arven, the future is my home. Celebi helped me start a new life here. Without it, I would have never used this abandoned Pokémon Center as a place for robots and humans to mingle.”
Arven rubbed his chin. “Oh, so it was abandoned, and you turned it into a lab?” It was very much like Sada’s cabin in the past. He dropped his hand from his chin when Turo nodded. “Okay, so I have to ask, Dad. Where did you come up with that little Mastermind of Deception title?”
“I was called that a lot when I attended Naranja,” Turo answered. “Don’t do this, Arven, but I was a little troublemaker in school, as well as the class clown. I loved to deceive the teachers and pull pranks on them—hence the Mastermind of Deception. Cheers!” He gave Arven two thumbs up.
Lowering his hands, Turo put his feet together so he could make himself appear taller. “You return to the present, Arven, and go to school. Once you graduate, if you want to return to the future, I’ll have a bed ready for you. But until then, let’s just stick with visits. You have your new Pokémon with you and your friends, so you’ll be okay.”
The second Turo said that, Arven’s Koraidon came out of his pokéball and appeared next to him in his low-power mode.
Turo pointed at him. “Ah, Koraidon, perfect timing. So this is what you’re going to do.” He counted on his fingers. “One: make sure Arven goes to school, two: make sure he gets plenty to eat, and three: make sure he doesn’t forget that I’m here.”
“Dad!” Arven said, blushing. He hid behind his hands. “Don’t be like Mom!”
“Oh, wow!” Turo said, gasping. “Was I a parent there?” Maybe he had it in him after all.
Arven removed his hands. “Eh, we’ll work on it, Dad,” he admitted.
“Aw.” Turo slumped forward.
Celebi flew down to his face and patted it.
Feeling a bit more confident, Turo stood back up. He set his hand down on Arven’s shoulder. “Your mom was a good woman, Arven, and the most beautiful one I ever knew. We just weren’t prepared for kids. I thought I couldn’t handle it, so I left, but I stayed in contact with Sada. Told her I would return when I was ready to be a dad. But… she died before I could tell her.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that, Dad.” Arven rested his hand on Turo’s shoulder. “I’m sure it was scary. But I hope I’m your happy mistake.” A feeble smile crossed across his face.
“Well,” Turo added, “I do have to admit that I’m slightly jealous that you took more after her than me. But I’m considering that a blessing in disguise.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Arven’s nose twitched.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Turo said. “We’ll get through this. You’re a strong, young man, kid. I’m sorry about everything I did—not only to Sada but also to you. If this will help you, I buried her in Area Zero.”
“You did?” Arven thought about the grave he saw. Turo made that? “Wow, Dad, that really helps.”
Scarlet, Penny, and Nemona soon joined him. Each of them gave Arven a quick squeeze.
Turo let Arven’s shoulder go and glanced at Celebi. “Celebi, it’s time.”
“Bi,” Celebi said.
“Dad, wait.” Arven held the Scarlet book, which he picked up on his and Turo’s way out of the control room, out to him. “Take the Scarlet book. It was Mom’s favorite growing up. It only makes sense since I got Koraidon.”
“Thank you, son.” Turo accepted the book. “I’ll come to visit as soon as I can. I promise.” His instincts kicked in. Turo held his arms out to Arven, but he shied away from him. There was no doubt that Arven was still mad at him.
“Well,” Turo said, sniffing, “you should get going. I’m sure Director Clavell’s worried.”
“Yeah,” Arven choked out. He and his friends turned and started to leave him, but Arven stopped before they got too far. He hurried back to Turo and jumped into his arms.
Although he was shocked, Turo returned his hug.
A tear ran down Arven’s cheek, and he tightened his grip on Turo. Eventually, he hopped down from him and rubbed his eye. Arven went to his friends, who waited patiently with Celebi.
One at a time, they hopped onto Koraidon.
Celebi touched the Pokémon’s nose. Its magic outlined him and the kids, and it lifted them into the sky.
“Bye, Dad! Bye, Kenji!” Arven called from Koraidon’s back. “See you soon!”
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Kenji leaned over and picked up Iron Bundle. He held it in one hand and waved at Arven with his other.
“Bye, Arven!” Turo said, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Knock them dead in school!”
“Don’t have too much fun without us,” said Kenji. He winked. “Don’t worry, Arven, I’ll take care of your dad.”
“You better!” Arven flicked his wrist. “Bye!” In a flash of green light, he and his friends disappeared.
***
The bottom of Area Zero had not changed much since Arven and his friends left. It remained quiet, except for the waterfall, and Terastallized. A herd of Great Tusks moved out of the way of the Zero Lab’s entrance when a white spiral appeared over them. They ducked behind a few clusters of Tera crystals.
Arven and his friends fell out of the spiral and dropped from Koraidon’s back. Penny’s phone flew out of her pocket, and Arven toppled on top of it. Nemona and Penny landed on top of each other, but Scarlet broke her fall by grabbing a Tera crystal.
“Bi, bi, bi!” Celebi said, sweating. It checked to make sure everyone was okay. It did not mean to drop them that hard.
Arven freed Penny’s phone from under him. He gulped when he saw he accidentally cracked its screen. “Um, Penny,” he said, showing it to her, “I’m sorry.”
Penny got off Nemona. Coming within reach of Arven, she took the phone out of his hand.
Rotom escaped from it and frantically searched for another machine to fuse with.
Penny studied her broken phone, but then she smiled and tossed it off to the side. “Eh, who needs it? Come here, you big baby.” At once, she hugged Arven to her chest and rubbed her fist on his scalp.
Arven’s Koraidon, Nemona, and Scarlet, once they recovered from the fall, made their way to them.
Nemona poked Penny in the ribs and smiled seductively. “Yo, Penny,” she teased, “how long has this crush on Arven been going on?”
“Nemona!” Penny screeched. Her voice cracked, and her entire face turned red. She quickly let Arven go.
“Oh my gosh,” he laughed. “Is this true, Penny? I thought Scarlet was the one who liked me.”
“I like you as a friend, Arven,” Scarlet explained. “A friend.” She and he chuckled.
Nemona clapped her hands together and kept teasing Penny. “Let me guess, was it when we first came here? I saw the way you looked at Arven after the battle with AI Sada. There was love written all over your face.”
Penny stamped her foot. “Nemona, shut up!”
“But you guys are so cute together!” Nemona complained.
“They certainly are, Nemona,” a deep, gruff voice said from off to the side. Director Clavell stepped out of the shadows, with his hands behind his back. “I thought I’d find you four down here.”
“Director Clavell!” The teens jumped and quickly held up their arms.
“Now, now, no need to get your britches all tied up,” Clavell said. “I’m not mad at you at all. But I am curious.” His attention moved over to Celebi. “What were y’all doing with Celebi?”
“Oh, Director, we just had the most incredible adventure!” Nemona hopped up and down and punched the sky. “We went to the past, saw AI Sada, and then traveled to the future and beat the heck out of a bunch of AI and Hologram Pokémon! I’m gonna write a book about this called Infrared!”
“Infrared, huh?” Clavell inquired. “That’s a very sci-fiy title you’ve got there, Nemona. However, I think you children have had enough adventures for one Treasure Hunt. Come along. The whole academy’s worried sick.”
“Excuse me, Director,” Arven said, “but before we leave, may I do one last thing down here in Area Zero? Please? It’s for my mom.”
Clavell pushed his silver glasses closer to the bridge of his nose. “Of course, Arven.”
“Thank you.” Arven gestured for Koraidon and Celebi to follow him. He pranced around the Zero Lab and picked up bits and pieces of Tera crystals. Before long, he held a small pile of them in his palms.
Arven found his way to Professor Sada’s grave—the one he now knew was built by Turo. He sank to his knees in front of it and laid out the Tera crystals.
Koraidon stood next to him, and Clavell and Arven’s friends watched him from behind.
Celebi hovered behind the headstone and grasped it with both hands.
Arven made a heart of the Tera crystals. It was about the size of a pokédex and glittered just as brightly as AI Sada and her crystals. He leaned forward and hugged the grave. “I love you, Mom,” he whispered, kissing his mom’s name.
Celebi soared out from behind the headstone and gestured at a small group of crystals under Here lies Professor Sada. “Go on, Arven,” it said.
The crystals came off in giant chunks like sheets of ice. Arven set them down next to him. He ran his hand across a new sentence that appeared under the first one and read, “Turo, your loving husband. Wow. He really did love her. Thank you, Celebi.”
Celebi flew forward when Arven fell silent.
“I’m okay,” he told it, “and I’m ready.”
“Bi.” Celebi pecked Arven’s forehead. “Arven, your mom clung to those human emotions until the very end. That’s how much she loved you. Those emotions, Infrared’s only weakness, allowed her to destroy it and save you and your dad.”
“I know,” Arven said. “Penny said only the human emotions could stop it. And I’ll never forget what my mom did.”
“You take care. We’ll see each other again.” Celebi pecked his forehead one more time. “And thank you again for helping me save Turo.” With a smile on its face, it backed away from Arven and vanished. A sprinkle of green sparkles showered over Sada’s grave like misty rain.
Arven didn’t look at him, but he petted Koraidon’s neck. He waited for about a minute, and then he stood and brushed himself down. Arven faced the others. “Well, what are we waiting for?” he questioned, bouncing his knapsack. “Let’s get back to Naranja and make some sandwiches.”
The pokéball for Scarlet’s Koraidon broke open. He soon stood in between the teens and Clavell. “Gias?” the Pokémon asked, turning his head from left to right. “Where are the sandwiches?” He got down in a pouncing position and wagged his tail when he saw Arven’s Koraidon.
He wagged his own tail and shuffled uncomfortably.
Arven patted his rump. “Go play, Mirai—I mean, Koraidon.”
“Agias!” At once, his Koraidon sprinted and tackled Scarlet’s. They playfully rolled around and then got up. The two Pokémon tossed a Tera crystal back and forth from each other.
Mabosstiff was the next Pokémon to come out of his pokéball. He hopped onto his back legs and set his front ones on Arven’s chest. “Ruff, ruff,” he said, giving him several slobbery kisses.
Arven scratched him behind the ear. “Down, boy, down. Don’t worry, you’re going to get a sandwich, too.”
“Woof!” Mabosstiff barked, and he got down. Arven tossed him his pokéball, and Mabosstiff caught it in his powerful jaws. He and his trainer hurried to Arven’s friends.
They ran past Clavell and started to race one another.
Nemona pushed Penny’s shoulder. “Sit tight, Penny. You and Arven will be able to start writing your love letters before you know it.”
“Nemona!” Penny shoved her back. “I don’t have a crush on him!”
“You so do!”
The zipper on Penny’s Eevee backpack came undone when Nemona slapped it. Out dropped the crown Arven made for Sada in the past. It rolled past the group, under Clavell’s legs, and by the herd of Great Tusks from before and came to a halt at her grave.
Here lies Professor Sada, it read. And here she shall—as a Haiman memory.
End of Part 2: The Future
Final Word Count: 53,000
P.S. The meaning of the name Haiman is “Leader/Warrior”, which is just what our dear Sada was. Rest in peace, you beautiful woman.