Jubilife, past

Hajime: "Uh, maybe. I didn't really get it, but it was impressive regardless."

Oreburgh Gym

-And with that Iron Head, the Aerodactyl likewise faints-

Roark: "One Pokemon left for each of us. Think you can take down Rampardos before he takes you down?"

-Roark sends out said Rampardos-

Iri Manor

Verax: -He frowns at Kirsten's next verse- ".... Yeesh. Things be heatin' up. How'd you handle that?"

-Then there was TV!Paula- "..."

-He's kind of frozen at the sight-

"..." -He looks at Rose-

"You've always been amazing. Even without being past you.You're amazing." -He smiles and pulls her into a kiss-

Iri Manor

-Rose smiles back-

Rose: ...Thanks.

-She kisses back, and smirks-

Rose: You know I totally could have won even without the past me's help.

Jubilife, Pokécenter, Battlegrounds - Past

Sergey gulped

Sergey: "O-Okay, I hope we will do alright then."

Mireille: ~You don't seem to confident, but I think you only need a good motivation.~

Mireille: *Grin* <Hajime, how about you make him promise to win the contest, maybe that'll give him some confidence.>

Oreburge Gym

Jason:Hah! No problem!

-He holds up a Pokeball and his Mega Buckler-

No mercy!

-His eyes flash-

I have chosen the Mega Evolution for this battle!

-He rotates the buckler-

The type that governs dwellers of the forest...Bug!

-Then the Pokeball, allowing it to begin to open-

The type that governs foul toxin...Poison!

-He throws it out-

And the stone to unite them! Beedrillite!

-Chamo bursts from his ball as Jason slams his Key Stone-

Come forth! Chamo! Mega Evolution!

-The cocoon forms and shatters, leaving a Mega Beedrill in it's wake-

Swords Dance!

-Chamo buzzes in a circle, clashing his spear-like stingers together-

Phosphora Story Zone, Pyrite City, Orre

-Anyway, back to what I saw...-

-The roof blasts open and Helen jumps up out of the train. A nearby hovertruck swings by, nearly hitting Phosphora in the hovercar, and catches Helen in it's back door.-

Dune: Why do you always do that?!

Helen: Because I don't play fair, Mr. Galvani-Morton!

-She pulls her hand out of her robes/dress and twiddles a glowing pinkish-red vial at Dune, still in the train.-

Helen: Thank you for the fuel sample, however!

-She let's out a hearty laugh before the truck suddenly gives a violent lurch as Phosphora slams her hovercar into the side of the truck. The vial flies out of her hand.-

Helen: NO!

Dune: NO!

Phosphora: Woops!

-As the vial filled with volatile Volatite flies through the air, a brilliant white flash snatches the vial out of the sky with a single leap. The flash comes to rest further up the train, revealing a certain bronze boot-wearing superhero.-

White Liepard: Ha HA! Your machinations are once again detenido, Dr. Narbon!

Helen: Oh, blast it all! Grendel! Get us out of here!

-The truck doors slam shut and the truck's exhaust lets out a noxious, thick, black smokescreen. The truck is gone, after the smoke clears.-

Dune: I have to figure out how she keeps doing that...

-Dune swings back into the hovercar as White Liepard talks to the police pulling up to the now-stopped train.-

Dune: Now, let's get you to school.

Manny: Hi, Mr. GM!

-Dune nearly jumps out of his skin as Manny pops his head out of the storage trunk.-

Dune: Gah!

Phosphora: I offered Manny a ride, since it's a big walk to school from here.

-Dune sighs.-

Dune: Alright. Hold on, Manny.

Phosphora: Woohoo!

Manny: Woohoo!

Jubilife City, Phosphora's Room

Seeth: <Wait... where were your mom and Ludmilla during all of this?>

Phosphora: Well, Mom was dealing with business proposals, and Scarecrow was with the twins.

-Cragalance raises a hand.-

Phosphora: Yes, Crag?

Cragalanche: <How come this is the first time we're hearing about your mother's sister?>

-Phosphora opens her mouth.-

...

-Phosphora closes her mouth.-

Jubilife, past

Hajime: "Uh, I mean I could, but I feel like that might be a bit much pressure."

"Though I can say..."

-to Sergey- "Zaku, I know you'll do well. You've been practicing for this and it's turned out impressive, so... this might be hypocrticial of me to say, but try and be more confident? It seems like things will go better if you are."

Oreburgh Gym

Roark: "...Interesting choice. Especially with the Stealth Rock out."

"But if you want to make this a contest of power... Rampardos!"

-The Rampardos rushes forth to try and hit Chamo with a Head Smash-

Oreburgh Gym

-The Stealth Rock and Head Smash knock Chamo around to low Yellow-

Chamo:<Ngh...you sure this was smart?>

Jason:100%. Chain! Swords Dance, Brick Break! Dancing Break!

-Chamo nods and dashes forward, sharpening his stingers further as he barrels into the Ramparados.-

Jubilife, Pokécenter, Battlegrounds - Past

Sergey: "You really think so? Well if you say so, I can try."

He gave a light smile (unconvincing)

Mireille: ~Okay, if there's one thing you lack, then its self confidence - something a certain Gallade we know...~

She gave a look in Magnus' direction

Mireille: ~has more than enough of I might add.~

Mreille: -to Hajime- <Arceus, those two can get tricky. Pretty hard to manage them sometimes. Don't worry about pressure. I know him, it'll help. If he has someone else to work for he'll generally is more motivated.>

Jubilife, past

Hajime: "Ah, I understand, but... would it be weird if you asked Magnus to do it? He seems like he's got more confidence than me."

Oreburgh Gym

-The Rampardos is unable to take the attack and faints-

-Roark recalls him-

Roark: "Hm... Seems this time you were strong and we were weak. It's rough, but that's all there is."

"According to Pokémon League rules, I have to give you our Gym Badge since you've beaten me, the Leader. And take this TM for Stealth Rock too."

-He offers the two to Jason-

Oreburgh Gym

-Jason accepts them-

Jason:Heh. Thanks, Roark.

Jubilife, Pokécenter, Battlegrounds - Past

Mireille: <Hm... that maybe would give him somthing to work for to, yes that seems certainly doable, don't worry, I'll manage those two, they'll win, and even if not they will at least give their very best - the last thing is something I can promise you *Giggle* I'll make sure of that.>

She turned to Magnus

Mireille: <Now you - you make him promise to win the contest, if for nothing else then for you.>

Magnus: <Not that I would ne->

Mireille: (ಠ_ಠ) <...>

Magnus: <Fine.>

Mirielle: (^-^) <See? All better now.>

She turned to Sergey

Mireille: ~Look, maybe that'll get you fired up. If nothing else then try to win for Magnus' sake, c'mon, promise him that you two'll win.~

Sergey: "B-But wha-"

Mireille: (ಠ_ಠ) ~Promise him you two will win~

Sergey: "Alright alright, you win."

Mirielle: (^-^) ~Very good, that's my little boy.~

Sergey: "Alright then Magnus, I'll promise that we'll win this contest."

He gave another smile, this time earnest

Mireille: <Now, you do the same.>

Magnus: <Bu- okay, tell him I'll do the same.>

Mireille: <Very good.>

Mireille: ~Magnus also promised he'll win for you.~

Sergey: "Thanks. Lets give it our best then."

Jubilife, past

Hajime: "Yeah, like I said, I'm sure you two will do well."

Jubilife, Pokécenter, Battlegrounds - Past

Sergey: "Thanks."

He gave Magnus a potion bottle of normal water to restore his health.

Magnus: <Thanks.>

Mireille: <Could they...>

Sergey: "Magnus, thanks you did great."

Magnus: <Of course, that's what I always do.>

Mireille: <Nope we're back to normal.>

Wayward Cave - Past

Huh... I guess you're right.

- Smiles -

That... wasn't so bad.

Sprite: <So, now we just wait?>

Route 203, earlier

-And now back to that battle between Haru and the Seedot-

Seedot: <Hah, see how you handle this!>

-He proceeds to use Bide-

Haru: <Hm, how about this?>

-She tries spraying a Sleep Powder at the Seedot, only for it to vanish-

Seedot: <Ha, such things will not work on me!>

Haru: <Mm...>

Hajime: "Uh, try Solar Beam?"

Haru: <Excellent suggestion.>

-She starts gathering sunlight-

Seedot: <Nngh!>

-He tries to release energy, but fails-

-Then is struck by Haru's Solar Beam, losing a bit of health-

Seedot: <Well, let's see if you can stand after another!>

-He proceeds to Bide again-

Hajime: "Not yet..."

Haru: <Wasn't planning on it.>

-She proceeds to use Growth, then starts charging up for another Solar Beam-

Seedot: <Gah!>

-The Seedot attempts to release energy, but once again fails-

-Haru then releases another Solar Beam-

-The Seedot is struck harder, but manages to stay at higher health-

Seedot: <Ha! Is that it...?>

Hajime: "Hold on..."

-He takes out a Great Ball and throws it at the Seedot-

Seedot: <Wha->

-The Seedot is sucked in-

-The ball shakes once-

-Twice-

-Click-

-Hajime goes to pick the ball up-

Hajime: "And there we are."

Haru: <He'll be a handful.>

Hajime: "Probably..."

???: <Hajime!>

-Buddy and Rumba then catch up with him-

Buddy: <How did it go?>

Rumba: <Didja get 'em?>

-Hajime nods and shows the ball-

Rumba: <Whoo, awesome!>

Hajime: "Name-wise... I think I'll go with Haycorn."

"Anyway, let's get back to the road..."

Haru: <Agreed.>

-And the four of them do so-

Mahogany Town

-Dr. Kraus is playing a game of Mario Kart when he hears a bell ring as his front door slides open.-

Zeal: Pardon me!

-He pauses the game, sets the controller aside, and steps toward the front of the house, where he sees Zeal and Gui standing just inside.-

Kraus: Zeal. This is unexpected.

-He looks at Gui.-

Gui, right?

Gui: Yep! I'm surprised you remembered.

-Kraus smiles-

Kraus: You spelled it out for me. It left quite an impression.

-Gui beams.-

Kraus: Please, come in.

-He returns to the living room, turns off the TV, and takes a seat. Zeal and Gui sit down as well.-

Kraus: So, what brings you here?

Zeal: There's something I need to ask you.

Kraus: Oh? I should have expected. What might that be?

Zeal: What can you tell me about the Salvai family?

-Kraus flinches. Zeal blinks.-

Zeal: I'm guessing this isn't going to be an easy story to tell.

Kraus: It won't be.

Zeal: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I'll—

Kraus: No, I'm willing.

-He frowns.-

But where to begin...?

Oreburgh Gym

-Maggie and Tide enter the Gym, the latter looking nervous-

Maggie: "C'mon, it'll be fine."

Tide: <Mm...>

Mahogany Town, Dr. Kraus's House

Kraus: What do you already know?

Zeal: Well... I ran into Xylia back in Orre. But I wasn't myself during most of that, and... well...

Kraus: She was one of the confirmed deaths in the underground lab.

Zeal: Yeah...

-He swallows.-

Gui: We've run into Silvio a bunch of times, too. He scares me.

Zeal: And... well, all we really know is that you're their uncle.

-He pauses.-

Oh, and that there's another sibling.

Kraus: In that case, there's a lot to explain... let's see...

-He clears his throat.-

I come from an old money family. After generations and generations... well, when it came to me and Alexandra—my sister, that is—the fortune was substantially less magnificent than it once was. But it was still enough that I could get through life without working a single day.

The Salvai family was in a similar position. Their wealth was diminishing, but very slowly. My sister married the only Salvai of our generation, and together they had two daughters, Xylia and Tatiana.

Zeal: What about Silvio?

Kraus: He was adopted by Xylia, after her parents had died.

-He shakes his head.-

My apologies, I'm skipping ahead... Where was I...? Right...

Now, Tatiana, she acted normal enough. If you would've told the me back then what she'd go on to do I wouldn't have believed you. But one day...

-He wipes his eyes.-

One day she killed my sister and her husband. Her own parents.

Zeal: No...

-Kraus shakes his head again, not even bothering to hide his tears anymore.-

Kraus: As if that wasn't enough, she went on to kill my wife. She would have killed me, too, had I not been away at the time. She took both the Kraus and Salvai fortunes for herself and vanished. She hasn't been seen since.

It broke me, and it broke Leander. But it broke Xylia most of all. No... maybe that's not quite true. She told me Tatiana's best friend was never the same after that. She locked herself away, feeling she couldn't trust anyone on the planet. I can't say I blame her... But I don't remember her name, I don't know what became of her.

But when Xylia found Silvio lost in the Orren desert and took him in, well, that helped her start to move past it. That and her Ditto training.

Not terribly long after, Leander convinced her to join Cipher, and... you know the rest.

-Zeal nods.-

Kraus: As for Silvio... he seemed nice whenever I met him. A little shy, maybe. But certainly not frightening.

Are you going to tell me anything about that?

Zeal: I don't—

Kraus: Zeal... I can help you. There's a lot you're still in the dark about, isn't there? I might be able to give you some answers. I just want to know what you've been doing these past few years.

-Zeal glances over at Gui, then looks back at Dr. Kraus. He sighs.-

Zeal: ...Okay. I'll tell you what I've been up to.

But there's someone else I'd like to be here. Would you mind...?

Kraus: No, not at all.

Zeal: Right, thanks.

-He leaves to make a call.-

Oreburgh Gym

Roark:Hm?

-Roark sets down the stone he was observing-

well, it seems I'm quite popular these days! Are you a challenger?

Mahogany Town, outside

-A certain Pokémon breeder flies in on the back of his Staraptor. He glances at Zeal, who's been waiting outside for him.-

Isaac: Sooo, what am I here for? Thought you said you wouldn't need me.

Zeal: Nah, you said to do my best not to need you and I said I'd try. I tried, but I need your help again!

Besides, I'm finally explaining what's going on. Aren't you a even little—

Isaac: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why didn't you tell me sooner? I'm all ears.

Zeal: Did I really forget to mention that?

Staraptor: <Yes. Yes, you did.>

Zeal: ...Huh. Well then.

-Zeal and Isaac chat a bit more as the former leads the latter to Dr. Kraus' house. Isaac nods to his Staraptor.-

Isaac: Go do whatever, I'll call you when I need you.

Staraptor: <Gladly. I'll be ready.>

-He flies off, and Zeal and Isaac head inside.-

Zeal: I'm back!

-He heads to the living room and takes a seat. Kraus looks at Isaac, confused. Zeal jumps up.-

Zeal: Oh, right! This is Isaac.

-He turns to Isaac.-

Isaac, this is Dr. Kraus.

-Isaac holds out his hand.-

Isaac: Nice to meet you, sir.

-Kraus shakes it.-

Kraus: Nice to meet you. Your name has come up a few times in Zeal's stories.

Isaac: Oh no, what've you told him?

-He sees the look of confusion on Kraus' face and shakes his head.-

I'm joking.

-He sits down and turns to Gui.-

Nice to see you again, Gui.

Gui: You too!

Isaac: Hey, you've still gotta let me meet your team sometime. You train flying-types, right?

Gui: Er... yeah, about that...

-She tilts her head at Zeal.-

Zeal: Yeah, we might as well start there...

-Gui smiles and drops her human disguise. Kraus and Isaac stare wide-eyed.-

Kraus: She's a Latias...?!

Isaac: Arceus, what am I getting myself into?

Oreburgh Gym

Maggie: "Yeah, we're here for the League challenge."

Mahogany Town, Dr. Kraus's House

-Gui glances around at the others.-

Gui: ~Now that that's out of the way...~

-She turns to Zeal.-

Zeal: Oh, right. Let's see... I guess we should start a few years back. I met the J-Team—you know who they are, right?

Anyway, I met the J-Team when I was in Olivine and I've been traveling with them pretty much ever since.

When I first ran into them, I was really down, since my search for Fajro had gone nowhere for so long.

Isaac: Hang on, when was this?

Zeal: Umm... three years ago, now. Give or take a few days.

Isaac: Right around the time you stopped contacting me, then.

Zeal: I figured if you found any leads you'd let me know!

Isaac: I'm starting to think you just see me as a tool to search for Fajro for you.

Zeal: Actually... I thought I was asking too much of you and wanted to give you some distance. Sorry it came off opposite as intended.

Isaac: Nah, my bad. I was joking again. Go on.

Zeal: Well... not too long after, Crow—or Sholto now, isn't it?

Anyway, a J-Team member gave me the tip to try looking for something that belonged to Fajro. And by pure luck when we were in Blackthorn I found Fajro's old necklace in the Dragon's Den.

Gui: ~The one that was stolen recently, right?~

Zeal: Right.

Kraus: Stolen?

Zeal: I'll get to that. This'll probably be confusing enough without any skipping ahead. Though, since we're stopped...

-He pulls his own necklace shaped like half of a Cyndaquil egg out from beneath his sweatshirt.-

That necklace looks kinda like this one. And it's the only lead I've found in all this time. So if you see one like it, let me know!

-Zeal glances around.-

Right, anyway, found the necklace, then... nothing much important happened the rest of my time in Johto and Kanto. The J-Team moved on to Unova a little while later, and things quickly got out of hand for me there.

-He stops to think for a moment.-

Actually, maybe it'd be better to skip that mess. It's not relevant now, anyway, Zach's gone.

Kraus: Zach is gone?

Isaac: Wait, wait, hold up. Aren't you Zach?

-Zeal blinks.-

Zeal: Right, guess this will take some explaining, then...

Oreburgh Gym

Roark:-smirks-Then I'll gladly oblige! I am Roark! Me and my Rock type pokemon will gauge your abilities!

-He sends out a Gravler-

Mahogany Town, Dr. Kraus's House

Zeal: So...

I'm not Zach, exactly. Well, I kind of am, but not really. Okay, so, my eyes are green, see? And Zach's were blue. But I'm a piece of Zach, kind of! But—

Isaac: Okay, when is this explanation going to start to make sense?

Kraus: I... er...

-Zeal turns to look at him.-

Kraus: I can try to explain, if you'd like. This mess is my fault to begin with.

Zeal: You said that before, and I still don't have a clue what you meant by it.

Kraus: Right... I really must explain, then. You don't mind?

Gui: ~Nope!~

Zeal: Of course not.

Isaac: As long as it makes more sense than that did.

Kraus: I'll try my best.

Though I suppose a bit of background information might be needed first. There's something we call a mindscape, which—

Isaac: You can skip the explanation. I know how mindscapes work.

Kraus: Ah, of course.

-He adjusts his glasses.-

Back before the time of Zeal's story, I was studying exactly how these mental worlds work. I thought I'd made a good deal of progress on my research and wanted to put it into practice.

So I had an experiment planned out, to determine if it would be possible to add an artificially-created aspect to the mindscape from nothing. To add another layer to an individual's personality from whole cloth in an instant. I was sure I'd figured it out... and then, Zach and Chase stopped by to visit me as they were passing through. I explained my goals to the two of them, along with my findings so far, and they agreed to act as my test subjects.

The aspect to be created would simply represent dedication. Unwavering commitment to their deepest, most heartfelt goals. It would be simple, I imagined. I thought I'd planned for everything. But of course...

Isaac: You failed?

-Kraus shakes his head.-

Kraus: I wish it were that simple. I succeeded in the most horrible way.

-Zeal's eye widens in realization.-

Kraus: That was your red-eyed aspect. Certainly, he cared about whatever it was that motivated Zach most, but—

Zeal: Everyone he cared about.

Kraus: Sorry?

Zeal: That's what motivated Zach— What motivates me the most. The people and Pokémon I care most about... I want to do anything in my power to make sure they're safe.

...And RedEyes wanted that, too, didn't he? His goal was control over time... so he'd be able to go back and prevent a lot of bad things from happening. He honestly believed he'd succeed, and that his actions didn't matter because he'd be able to undo them later on.

Isaac: I think you've lost me.

Gui: ~Want me to explain?~

Zeal: No, sorry, I got ahead of myself. I'll come back to this a bit later.

Gui: ~'Kay.~

-Zeal looks at Kraus.-

Zeal: And what about Chase?

Kraus: I don't know what drove him. But his red-eyed aspect consumed every other part of him and took over entirely. His actions were unpredictable. And Zach... Zach took matters into his own hands, which culminated in his murder of Chase.

Isaac: Whoa, wait, what?!

Zeal: Sorry...

Isaac: Arceus, what the hell am I getting myself into?

Zeal: If you don't want to hear more, I can—

Isaac: Are you kidding?! I'm more curious than ever.

-He looks at Kraus.-

Go on, keep talking. I need explanations.

...Please.

Kraus: Right, I'll continue. Around that time, Zach came to me. He needed a way to prevent his own red-eyed aspect from taking over. He needed to stop himself from becoming like Chase. So we devised a plan. We found a way to force another of Zach's aspects to consume the others. To put that piece of him in control instead of RedEyes.

-Zeal raises a hand.-

Zeal: That's me... right?

-Kraus nods.-

Kraus: I'm so sorry... For everything.

It's all my fault.