Story Notes:
It was a quiet night when Deoxys descended from the heavens.
Believed to not be of this world, it went on a rampage, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
Finally defeated by an unknown force, the tragedy of unparalleled magnitude it created remains in the heart of every human.
To make sure that something like this will never happen again, every wild Pokèmon powerful enough to cause such mayhem must be captured, controlled or killed.
Needless to say, this year has been a bad year for Legendaries. This year has also been a bad year for Champion Trainers.
But my year... Has been... THE WORST!
Author's Chapter Notes:
Epilogue of Year 10
"… And then, I spun around and kicked the lizard RIGHT in the head! Or at least where I assumed his head to be, kind of hard to tell when your whole body's a tai-"
"Please, stop for a moment!"
"What? I'll eventually get to your parts, Mew."
"Not that, Lucario. I must say, this story is simply magnificent! I wish to record it!"
"... You've... You've got a recorder?"
"Well, no... But you do!"
"I... What!?"
"Your aura sensing abilities should remember the appearance and attributes of the many people and Pokemon you have encountered thus far."
"Uh... I can sense them, yeah, but... How does that help? You're gonna read my mind, or something?"
"No, but I can channel the impressions of your aura into something else! See, the DNA that lies within every cell in our bodies contains genetic information regarding-"
"Ugh, whatever. Skip the explanation and just do it."
"If you say so... In that case, let us begin!"
"..."
"...!"
"Whoa! What the hell just happened to the cave's wall!?"
"I needed a platform to transport the memory into. Can you see?"
"... If you disregard all the cracks... Hey, yeah... It's me!"
"This is your default aura sensor setting, where you only sense yourself!"
"But, uh… In this picture, I've got spikes sticking out of my hands and chest."
"That is because this is your original form, Lucario. The aura cannot sense wounds, and only sees you pristine."
"… Bah, they should've regrown, then… Imagine how much butt I would've kicked with spikes on my hands!"
"But you would have been unable to hug anyone."
"Yeah, that too! Man, I got totally ripped off!"
"Lucario, the Lonesome Wanderer... In any case, now I want you to think of someone else's aura."
"What do you mean?"
"For instance... That small penguin you said you met in a cave."
"... Hmm... So, like, I just focus on her aura...?"
"... Looks more intimidating than I had imagined."
"That's Suicune. Sorry, I guess that aura left a bigger impression on me."
"Yes, I do recognize the legendary dog... I only met him once before he became captured, however..."
"Oh? What was he like, back then?"
"Intelligent. Serene. Quiet."
"No kidding. He didn't talk even once when I met him."
"Perhaps that was his way of carrying out his orders without hesitation?"
"You mean his orders to hunt down an innocent... Pokemon... Guy... Who's me?"
"Suicune, the Serene Chaser... I wonder how your meeting would have turned out if not for the human commanding him?"
"... That guy... Alright, I've got a new aura, get ready for another picture!"
"Is that Brendan?"
"Whoa, he looks young! He's like a little kid!"
"Seems like that is how his own aura recognizes him. A child at heart, perhaps?"
"Like hell! He's a bloodthirsty, sadistic piece of crap! Hunted me down for no reason!"
"..."
"What?"
"Just thinking... Perhaps Ethan and Brendan were bitter rivals?"
"I... I mean, that's possible, but he doesn't know I'm Ethan!"
"I am not sure... They say that true rivalry surpasses everything..."
"Well, 'they' are retarded. If not for Zerobi, he would've killed me without any hesitation!"
"Zerobi? I do wish to see what she looks like, would you mind imagining her aura?"
"... No, I can't. She doesn't have one."
"... Indeed. What species did you say she was, again?"
"A Weavile."
"In that case... Maybe something like this...?"
"Yeah! Yeah, that's it! How did you do that?"
"I used my own memory. Hmm, it is not Zerobi, but at least it is a Weavile."
"You kidding? I can't tell the difference!"
"How cold."
"Huh? Whatever, she likes the cold. Man, I still remember where she lived, before it got wrecked by..."
"... This man?"
"Huh? No, who the hell is that?"
"Perhaps it is a younger version of the trainer you met?"
"... Red? No way! Raikou's the one who... But maybe Red left a bigger impression...?"
"Look at the picture. There is no 'maybe' about it!"
"That old coot sees himself like a little kid? That's... Kind of creepy."
"It is subconscious, something beyond his own control."
"Still... Eh, he was troublesome. We fled to a nearby town, just to avoid running into him again."
"You and Zerobi?"
"Yeah, can't really remember why she tagged with me. All I remember is that lizard she ran into in town..."
"A Snivy?"
"That's the one. Way short for a police officer if you ask me, but... Uh, not that there's anything wrong with being short!"
"..."
"A-Anyway! He got Zerobi crying and then tried to kill her, so I kicked the crap out of him."
"He... Made Zerobi cry? Did he fight her first?"
"No, he just talked to her. I think they knew each other from before."
"Old acquaintances?"
"Probably. She seemed more than happy to see him rendered unconscious, and didn't want to talk about it later."
"Hmm..."
"Anyway, that's unimportant. What's important is who arrived next!"
"Oh, forgive me! I must have made four copies by mistake!"
"No, that's quite right! These four so-called fighters appeared, and I totally OWNED them!"
"You mean... You gained possession of them? But I thought you did not remember being a trai-"
"OWNED."
"..."
"... Uh, anyway, so, then, like, this female Lucario came out of nowhere, and, like..."
"Oh my. A shiny?"
"... Really? That's the first thing you noticed about her?"
"Well... Shinys are different from us. Their skin and fur has different colors."
"... That's a very bad way of thinking, Mew. You need to be more understanding."
"Wh-What? What did I do?"
"See, despite being a Shiny, Rukario just happened to be just like you and me, with a heart, a mind and-"
"I did not mean that as a bad thing!"
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, she was n... C... Honestly, back then she was a real pain in the butt, calling me 'Cyon' and claiming to be her husband right in front of Zerobi."
"Cyon? Wait, why would you care if it was in front of Zerobi or not?"
"BECAUSE... It makes me look bad or something, I don't know."
"... Hmm... Cyon... And this female Lucario claimed to know him from before?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing... Maybe Cyon was the name of the Lucario Deoxys killed?"
"... And whose body you are currently residing within..."
"Ugh, don't remind me. No offense to this Cyon character, but this is now my body, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with it."
"You should be more respectful to the dead."
"... Said the racist..."
"What?"
"Nothing! So after that, Zerobi and I wandered for the longest time until we came across a trio of weirdoes..."
"..."
"... Picture?"
"Sorry, but you are mixing up the aura of all three of them at once. Could you focus solely on one of them, instead?"
"... Fine. I guess I'll go with..."
"I recognize this aura... Kabuta, was it?"
"Yeah. Foulest mouth on this side of the earth."
"Foul mouth? Preposterous! She was always so well behaved around me and Celebi!"
"Oh man, are you kidding? The things that came out of that brown shellfish made my toes curl!"
"... Impossible... Celebi cannot stand foul language..."
"Seems like you're not so hot about it, either. You think yourself superior for not using them, or something?"
"No... It is, just... Remember what I told you about death by childbirth?"
"... No?"
"How I will die if I ever give birth?"
"Ah, you mean that? What about it?"
"Well, simply thinking about terms like those... It puts my life in danger, and so I avoid it as much as possible."
"..."
"... I know, it is stupid, but-"
"No, I'm just sorry for being so inconsiderate. I didn't know it was that bad."
"You should not have to censor yourself on my account, so feel free to say what you would like. I will tolerate it."
"Hey, come on! It's not like I'll implode if I don't say dirty words! Heh, unlike Kabuta..."
"Speaking of which, the other two that were with her... I hardly even need to ask..."
"Eh, at least you'll get a nice picture out of it."
"... Scratch that, seems that we get this guy instead."
"This one... Tell me, did he give you his name?"
"Yeah, sure. 'The Gallade', I think."
"No, that is just the name of his species. Did he give you his own name?"
"No."
"He withholds his own name from everyone, it seems... I wonder what it really is?"
"Who gives a sh- I mean, who cares? It's not like his name will unlock the secrets of the universe."
"... Just curious..."
"Flamboyant. Annoying. Surprisingly good at fighting. I already told you all this, right?"
"Indeed. Now, do continue, I am very excited to hear the rest!"
"First, you've got to give me a picture of that gigantic airborne snake..."
"This... This is Rayquaza!"
"Yelling his name seems to be the only proper pronunciation..."
"This is one of the legendary Weather trio! He was under control by a trainer!?"
"Him and Celebi both. Although, to be fair, he was less reluctant when it came to killing us."
"... Rayquaza lost his mind long ago. The entire Weather trio did."
"... Went crazy? Did they try visiting a psychiatrist?"
"It is complicated, but many centuries ago there existed a Weather trio. Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza."
"Great, more names for me to remember."
"They were extremely powerful and took up the role of protecting the earth, but after a visit from Darkrai-"
"Oh hey, even more names! Yay!"
"... I take it this story does not interest you?"
"Exactly. Let's finish my story first, shall we? Also, Rayquaza wasn't all that strong, honestly..."
"The original Rayquaza is dead. The one you encountered must be his son."
"Rayquaza Jr? Wait, if that's so, why was HE crazy, too?"
"... Do you want to hear the whole story, or should we go on with yours?"
"Mine! Mine! It's about to really pick up, the whole fight against Lucas is filled with all sorts of twists and turns!"
"He actually was this young when we met him. I was... Half expecting the picture of an old man, to be honest."
"Lucas... The trainer that dared capture Celebi... I shall remember his face."
"If you're looking for revenge - Been there, done that."
"How did you manage to defeat Rayquaza?"
"... Uh... Well... I mostly just took care of the others, I guess... That yellow dude is the one that defeated Rayquaza."
"But! I totally tackled Lucas off of Rayquaza, and everyone was, like, 'Oh man! That was awesome!'"
"... Pikablu... Hmpf."
"What, you don't like him?"
"Not very much, no. He is a bad influence when it comes to Celebi, as well as... Well..."
"... Doesn't surprise me that much, I suppose. You two are like opposites."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're soft spoken, refined and cute. He's not."
"..."
"O-Objectively speaking, of course! I couldn't care less, you're all just animals to me!"
"..."
"I, uh, didn't mean that... I mean..."
"You would do well in thinking before speaking."
"No kidding. I rarely do, though. Speaking should be a free action."
"I personally do not mind. I have seen first hand what kind of person you really are, ignoring what words might leave your mouth."
"That's an awfully odd way of saying... Oh wait, thinking... Thinking..."
"..."
"... You know, I see where you're coming from. People you know and like might sometimes do and say weird things by mistake, and it's your duty as a friend to forgive them for it."
"A-Amazing! Such enlightenment just from thinking before speaking!?"
"Eh, took too long. At any rate, it plays in with what happened at the end of the battle..."
"Oh, really?"
"See, Zerobi suddenly went mad and cut my throat."
"!"
"Yeah, I know, luckily Celebi was there to patch me back together."
"Wh-Why would she do something like that!?"
"... Well, she's apparently a great healer, and-"
"Not her, Zerobi!"
"Huh? Oh, she said something about losing control whenever doused with blood, which she was... Totally saved our asses, though."
"Blood... Just like her father... But..."
"She got really scary, though. That previous picture doesn't describe it very well. Could you make a new one, where she looks scary?"
"..."
"Oh, wow. What the hell?"
"Wait, so you say she went mad after becoming doused with blood..."
"Yes, that is indeed what I just said."
"... And she tried to kill you!?"
"Indeed, continuing with what I just said."
"Oh, forget it. I will talk to Celebi about this later."
"Don't worry, she knows. We all forgave her, and everything's nice and dandy."
"You are surprisingly trusting."
"Oh, am I, Ms. Super-Shy-Legendary?"
"Speaking of which, would you mind thinking about Celebi for a moment?"
"Yeah, that's her... Could've sworn you two already knew each other."
"Silly Lucario! We have been best friends all our lives! I simply wished to see your impression of her!"
"Why? Is there a difference?"
"Look closely."
"... Hey... The image is warped, somehow..."
"Her aura would be quite intense for someone like you, I am certain."
"Aura? Oh yeah, any chance of you recreating her happiness aura? I loved that one!"
"Her... What?"
"You know, that thing that made you all joyful inside when near her!"
"... You mean... L-Love?"
"WHAT!? NO! She had this radiance of happiness around her, I heard the others talking about it, too!"
"I... So have I, but I have yet to experience it, myself. It might just be the impact her powers have on less powerful beings."
"Bah, less powerful... So, can you recreate it?"
"Probably not."
"Aw... Damn it! It felt so great, I even slept with her to feel it all night..."
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-"
"Th-That came out wrong! Sorry! She was having a bad dream, and I just helped her get back to sleep!"
"... What manner of bad dream?"
"Huh? No idea. She went through a lot, trying to rescue that shellfish alone."
"Shellfish?"
"Yeah! Kabuta's father! We don't need an image of that one, he looked just like his daughter!"
"Hmm? No... Not from what I remember. There were distinct differences between them, for sure."
"Like what?"
"Their gender, for starters?"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I'm bad at telling the differences between Pokemon of the same species. Uh, by the way, what species were they?"
"Kabutops, extinct since many centuries back... And recently having reemerged, as you have seen firsthand."
"I don't think that's how extinction works..."
"I KNOW that is not how extinction works, but such is the case. Personally, I am glad for him and his family!"
"... That skeleton... Looks just like some kind of urban legend."
"Funny. That was the only scientific fact remaining from them. Claiming to have seen one alive would be the urban legend!"
"Not that funny, in other words. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would call YOU an urban legend!"
"And so they do. If only they all would, so I could get some peace and quiet."
"Anyway, after I left everyone to go off on my own, I ran into a hotheaded trainer..."
"Hold on. You left them?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"To find you, of course!"
"... To become human, again?"
"Precisely. That's a later part of the story, though!"
"..."
"So, as you can see, he was surrounded by a bunch of Zubat, and I met this one Zubat right before who was all class, wish I could've spent more time with her but then this trainer comes out of nowhere and coldcocks me with some flying kid!"
"... How confusing! Mind explaining it again?"
"... Eh, wasn't that important, anyway... Long story short, I was captured."
"C-Captured!? By the trainer!?"
"Yeah. Pokeballs have no effect on me, so they threw me in some kind of prison while I was unconscious."
"Pokeballs have no effect on you? I should have known..."
"Why's that? I'm not too sure ab- Wait, it's because I'm human, right?"
"Well, rather that your mind is. Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves... Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, including humans."
"Whoa, they can do that?"
"Yes, which is why an unconscious Pokemon cannot be captured."
"By a Pokeball, anyway... So, I was thrown in jail, where I met another Pokemon..."
"A Dragonair?"
"Yes. She... I can't remember why, but she had been imprisoned there with me, and badly wanted to get out."
"What happened?"
"... They performed some kind of experiment on her... And made her go insane."
"...!"
"... In the end I got my revenge on the guy that did it, I suppose, but it still feels bad..."
"... My single greatest fear..."
"Pardon?"
"Every human wishes me captured, for fame and glory... But mostly to be able to conduct experiments on my body and mind."
"Hmm... Guess I should've asked, but I suppose you hate humanity because of it?"
"I... Cannot. Their curiosity is one I can understand quite well... I just wish I could give them what they need and still be allowed to roam free."
"And with your chest cavity intact... Trust me, you do NOT want to be involved with these guys, especially not the one I had to deal with..."
"... How peculiar..."
"What?"
"This one does not recognize himself as a child."
"Peculiar? More like, normal! Who'd have thought this would be the only sane human around?"
"Peculiar is when something differs from the norm, which in this case-"
"Yeah, yeah, spare me the lesson. You're right, you know - There was something strange about him... But I didn't find out until we had escaped."
"How did you escape?"
"... Oh yeah. Things were looking pretty bad when I got rescued by another Pokemon. He didn't have an aura, so... Dark type, maybe?"
"What kind of Pokemon was he?"
"A, uh... Zoroark?"
"Zoroark? You must have only heard his name, for there is no Pokemon like that. What did he look like?"
"Like me, but less rugged. Red fur, and a really large red hairdo that he hid stuff in."
"Sorry, this was as clear as I could make the picture..."
"Don't worry. He was a jerk, so I don't really care much for seeing him again."
"He... Hid objects within his own hair?"
"Yeah. Vials with paralysis coating for his claws and who knows what else. Probably like fifty combs."
"How on earth did he manage to break into a human installment undetected?"
"Hah! Undetected... No, he had a few others with him, including a muscle-head that snapped the chains holding me with his bare hands."
"An Urasing?"
"Huh?"
"You said... Bear hands?"
"Yeah, maybe. I think his name was Connor, but let's stick to Zoroark, shall we? It's not like the others mattered in the long run."
"But you told me this happened right before you met me. That means the long run has yet to be decided."
"Listen, I don't care about the others that came to rescue me and I didn't have time to worry about them, because Zoroark's strange antics were keeping my full attention."
"Apart from launching an assault against a human installation solely to rescue you, what strange antics?"
"I'll have you know he rescued plenty others, but... See, I'm pretty good at judging people, which is how I knew Zerobi was to be trusted when I first met her and that annoying lizard wasn't. Thing is... I never really got a good idea of who Zoroark really was. Like he was acting the whole time, switching between different personalities whenever necessary."
"A politician, then?"
"Ha ha ha! Hey, I guess you can be pretty funny wh-"
"Funny? But I have heard commoners throughout the ages describing politicians in such manner! I was simply-"
"OK, OK, no need to explain the joke. So, anyway, they busted me out, and we kicked ludicrous amounts of butt. Seriously, I was, like, 'Too bad you only have one head, because that's less for me to kick!'"
"..."
"He had four arms."
"What happened after the fighting?"
"We ran into some of Zoroark's allies, as well as... Wait..."
"What?"
"There was... One of the allies were... Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about Ivy!"
"Yeah, that's her. Heh, been a while since I saw her..."
"Hold on... This aura... It seems familiar!"
"Huh? No way!"
"Yes! She was the one who approached me after... After I had buried you."
"I woke up that soon, huh? See, she was the one who pulled me out of the grave in the first place!"
"What!?"
"Yeah!"
"You mean, if I had waited just a few minutes longer, you would have come back to life and I would not have had to lament over my failure all this time!?"
"... Uhh... No, of course not... She, uh... It must've taken longer than that..."
"Of all the bad luck... And after all I did... How unfair..."
"... Anyway! She dug me out of the grave, I was confused about not being human, she let me live with her for a while and then she tried to kill me."
"Slow down! Why would she do that?"
"... Sorry, but I really don't want to linger on this part. There was some kind of hoax prophecy regarding me that she needed to prevent, and I got chased out of the village."
"Prophecies... Such fabrications. What was it about?"
"Something... Like, if there should ever be a creature that was both human and Pokémon, it would destroy the world."
"So silly. Commoners sure like to make things up about things they do not understand!"
"Well-"
"You should hear the things they say about me! They say that my body contains the DNA of every single Pokémon!"
"…"
"It does not!"
"I know! I mean, no kidding, but… Goddamn, that's a pretty nasty rumor to be spreading."
"What?"
"… Since you have to ask, I'll just assume there was a misunderstanding somewhere, and leave it at that."
"No, what do you mean?"
"No! We said we weren't going to talk about that stuff! Why are we even on this part of the story, let's go back to where we left off… The staircase!"
"…"
"I mean, what was coming down it. It was that scientist from earlier…"
"... Who was being controlled by this thing."
"Controlled? What do you mean?"
"Like, he controlled him using psychic powers, or something."
"But... But that is physically impossible!"
"I think Zoroark said something like that, too. Or, uh was it Pikablu...? Anyway, he said something about the scientist being guided like a puppet. Willingly, too."
"But... Why?"
"I don't know. To help him remember that he is, in fact, an adult instead of some snotty kid?"
"I have told you time and time again, that is a completely natural-"
"Yeah, yeah. Just shocked about it, that's all. So, we kicked his butt, ran into the woods to hide at an underground base... Or cavern, more like it."
"There are many of those in the world. I have never seen one from the inside, as they always seem to be occupied."
"You're not missing much. Normal cavern, with plants that glow. Hmm, well, I guess Astrid liked it, might just be me."
"Astrid?"
"Picture-time? Hey, could you make it so that he is wearing a cloak over his entire body?"
"Why?"
"... Otherwise, we'll be here all night. I don't feel like wasting time on this guy."
"An Eeveelution?"
"Yeah. He was with us when Zoroark rescued me, but he was a total coward, so I told him to toughen up."
"Cowardice is not necessarily a bad attribute."
"Maybe not, but he was so easy to convince I just couldn't let up. Tricked him into getting me a ride over to your place, too."
"Oh? So that is when our stories converge?"
"... Well, not really. I ran into Rukario again."
"Yes, that's her. Again."
"Sorry, I wish to keep some manner of consistency."
"For who? Who's going to be looking at these?"
"Do go on, I am curious to her as to what happened next."
"If you say so... She got up my grill about a few things and I... Anyway, we got ambushed by another champion, Blue."
"... Seen here as a juvenile instead of the old coot he was. Actually, this I can buy, he wasn't acting his age, that's for sure."
"This is very useful to me. I will be able to identify the most dangerous trainers more easily by recognizing their aura."
"Don't bother with this one, he was a total pushover. Rukario and I beat up four of his Pokemon all by ourselves, without any problem."
"Trainers usually carry six, however..."
"... Yeah. This were going swell until he brought out the Espy-on and Uber-on."
"Espeon and Umbreon?"
"Whatever. They were using cheap tactics, and if not for Rukario's Aura Storm I wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"... I see. Forgive me for not having come to the mountain earlier, I might have been able to help."
"Would you have helped? You didn't know who we were, after all..."
"..."
"Don't worry, it's not like I was expecting divine intervention, anyway."
"D-Divine!?"
"Yeah! You swooping down and rearranging the laws of physics to defeat our enemies, what else would you call that?"
"Not 'divine', certainly!"
"What? You've got a problem with that term?"
"Well... Yes! There is nothing divine about me, I am simply a Pokemon like all other!"
"So? What's wrong with being divine?"
"Because that implies that I am almighty and possess a duty to preserve the world!"
"Sounds like you, all right..."
"No, it does not! I choose to protect the world out of my own free will, and struggle with it as much as anyone would! Seeing me as a manner of goddess that could perform any manner of feat with a flick of her finger belittles all of my hard work!"
"Whoa, clam down! Sorry, I didn't think you'd take such offense to it!"
"... For as long as I can remember, every commoner has called me divine... Will they not realize the truth until I am already dead...?"
"..."
"..."
"... That's... Where my story ends... Or where our stories 'converge', as you said."
"..."
"I know it's difficult, but... Could you show me Deoxys? I cannot remember what he looks like."
"..."
"... This was his original form. The aura cannot show you the other forms he took on."
"Then why can't you, like with all the others?"
"..."
"… I see. You the whole ordeal made you traumatized."
"H-How dare you!? I was not traumatized by it!"
"Hey, that's OK, anyone'd be traumatized by something like-"
"I said, I was not traumatized!"
"Whoa, fine! Calm down! Man, you really hate talking about that!"
"It is the worst thing I have ever experienced by far. I had thought at least one other being would remember the same hellish situation I went through, but it seems he does not remember..."
"..."
"..."
"... So, after defeating Blue, something very interesting happened..."
"...?"
"... I came across a reeeeeal beauty. Out of this world! I would describe her as 'divine', but apparently that's an insult!"
"... Stop it."
"Yeah, that's right, juuuust like that she couldn't stop smiling when she saw me. It was then that I knew without a doubt, it had to be love at first-"
"Lucario!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, just thinking out loud!"
"Hi hi... You... Stop teasing me! Can you not see that I am supposed to be depressed?"
"Ha ha! Kind of hard when you're giggling all over the place, isn't it?"
"Hi hi! You think you are the only one capable of teasing!?"
"Ha ha! In this cave, yeah! Come on, give me your best shot!"
"Hi hi! All right! Here is the imprint from your aura back when you were human!"
"AW, GODDAMN IT! Are you kidding me!?"
"Looking a little young there, are you not, Mr. Champion?"
"Now, see, that's not funny! If mom ever finds out about this...!"
"Oh, I am certain she would be pleased. It seems you were rather cute as a child!"
"Stop it! Seriously, I'll never live this down! I'll be good, I promise!"
"Of course you will, or else-"
"I'll get a spanking? Yeah, real creative, let's drop this whole thing before it gets any worse."
"... Hmm. Well, it seems that we are almost done with these imprints."
"Almost? We've reached present date, right?"
"Yes, but simply placing your human form here will not do. We should include the other part of you as well."
"Cyon? Won't he look just like I did?"
"Let me try again, from what I remember when he was still alive..."
"No spikes. Nice."
"No eyes, either. Strange..."
"Nah, it looks like that when I've got them closed... I think? It'd be impossible for me to see."
"Now that Cyon has been included, I do believe we are done with this."
"What? But... You forgot the most important one!"
"You mean... Oh!"
"Simply divine."
"Oh, give it a break. It looks the same as the one Celebi showed me many years ago."
"You did this with Celebi?"
"Yes. She was the one who came up with the idea for this. Did I not tell you?"
"No... You didn't. Hmpf."
"What is wrong?"
"It's just that... I was kind of hoping this would be our special thing."
"It is! Celebi's travels were nowhere near as rich in people or exciting as this!"
"Yeah, sure, but... It'll still just be a ripoff of something else, instead of something original."
"... How about if I add one final thing to it?"
"Go ahead, not that there's anything left to tell..."
"..."
"...! Oh wow...!"
"Like it?"
"Perfect! Hah, our thinking's got the same wavelength, that's for sure!"
"Then we are truly finished. Shall we be going, then?"
"But..."
"What?"
"Are you sure you want to be leaving this? What if someone finds it?"
"In that case, someone may partake of a piece of your incredible journey. Do you mind?"
"Of course not! But... It might lead people to you...?"
"It will not. They are simply imprints on a cavern wall."
"But... That last one? Won't it reveal your, uh, current status to the public?"
"... Well, I am fine with that."
"Perhaps it will serve as the beginning for another adventure?"
"For sure! When we come back, we'll have an even greater story to tell!"
"Indeed. Grab our manner of transportation, and let us start with it!"
"Let's!"
"Good day."
"'Sup. Where's Blue?"
"… Training a new team. Said he had figured out the ultimate combination..."
"A NEW team!? Hah! That old bag of bones doesn't know when to quit!"
"…"
"The complete opposite of you, might I add. When you were off rotting somewhere, I actually went to make sure our target would still be active!"
"... You mean... You were the one who-"
"No, no. He broke out of his own. Sure as hell didn't see that coming, he was strung up like a broken marionette when I saw him."
"…"
"Go on, work on your requiem, pray I succeed and give you enough time to finish it."
"…"
"… Nothing? No witty retort? No ‘you’re wrong and I’m right, now here’s why?’ You really are bygone."
"… Fine."
"…?"
"I will not kill him… But I will find a way to stop him."
"Hah! Go ahead and try! Just don’t think you’re going to beat me to it!"
"Welcome, gentlemen. I hope you had a safe journey."
"..."
"..."
"As you know, Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves. Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, and even unconscious Pokemon could be c-"
"Get to the point!"
"Ah, yes. After much research and hard work, we have managed to manufacture a type of Pokeball that is tuned to one specific species' brainwaves."
"... What?"
"In other words, Pokeballs customarily designed to catch exactly one kind of Pokemon. It should work exactly like a Master Ball for this particular species, but will not function against any other."
"... Interesting..."
"Here are the ones we have created thus far..."
"...!"
"T-That many!?"
"One for each assigned target. Here's the one for Latios, here's the one for Celebi..."
"And how do you suppose we use them, besides shoving them up your behind!?"
"Brendan has a point. No rucksack can hold that large amount of Pokeballs."
"Of course not. You will have to pick out which targets your will be pursuing, and collect the Pokeball designed for their capture."
"Like hell we will! You told me you could mass produce Master Balls if I tested your idiotic prototype! I lost my chance at capturing many valuable Pokemon with that useless purple pokeball!"
"... This... This pink one..."
"Hey, Red, wake up! You're not gonna take this, are you!?"
"... Is this the Pokeball designed for Mew?"
"Yes. Very astute of you."
"... I will take this one."
"Red... Was that a flicker of life I just saw in your aging husk...?"
"... I still have unfinished business. Now, I have the means to finish them, it seems."
"You mean... A hunt for the Legendaries? Now, that... That's what I call a hunt!"
"Would you also like a Speci-ball designed for Mew?"
"Nah, we'll split them up and... Wait... Speci-ball?"
"Yes. Special balls, created for capturing Specific Species."
"..."
"... Just show me which is which."
"Of course. One more thing, however... Regarding your previous target..."
"Speak."
"Sir, if I may ask-"
"You may not. Do as I say."
"We already have several tissue samples of the spikeless Lucario, there is absolutely no reason for us to capture him again."
"But there is."
"…?"
"I am telling you to."
"… I-I understand, sir…"
"Leave."
"As you wish, sir…"
"… Hmpf. No reason? If only they knew, Ethan…"
"Please, stop for a moment!"
"What? I'll eventually get to your parts, Mew."
"Not that, Lucario. I must say, this story is simply magnificent! I wish to record it!"
"... You've... You've got a recorder?"
"Well, no... But you do!"
"I... What!?"
"Your aura sensing abilities should remember the appearance and attributes of the many people and Pokemon you have encountered thus far."
"Uh... I can sense them, yeah, but... How does that help? You're gonna read my mind, or something?"
"No, but I can channel the impressions of your aura into something else! See, the DNA that lies within every cell in our bodies contains genetic information regarding-"
"Ugh, whatever. Skip the explanation and just do it."
"If you say so... In that case, let us begin!"
"..."
"...!"
"Whoa! What the hell just happened to the cave's wall!?"
"I needed a platform to transport the memory into. Can you see?"
"... If you disregard all the cracks... Hey, yeah... It's me!"
"This is your default aura sensor setting, where you only sense yourself!"
"But, uh… In this picture, I've got spikes sticking out of my hands and chest."
"That is because this is your original form, Lucario. The aura cannot sense wounds, and only sees you pristine."
"… Bah, they should've regrown, then… Imagine how much butt I would've kicked with spikes on my hands!"
"But you would have been unable to hug anyone."
"Yeah, that too! Man, I got totally ripped off!"
"Lucario, the Lonesome Wanderer... In any case, now I want you to think of someone else's aura."
"What do you mean?"
"For instance... That small penguin you said you met in a cave."
"... Hmm... So, like, I just focus on her aura...?"
"... Looks more intimidating than I had imagined."
"That's Suicune. Sorry, I guess that aura left a bigger impression on me."
"Yes, I do recognize the legendary dog... I only met him once before he became captured, however..."
"Oh? What was he like, back then?"
"Intelligent. Serene. Quiet."
"No kidding. He didn't talk even once when I met him."
"Perhaps that was his way of carrying out his orders without hesitation?"
"You mean his orders to hunt down an innocent... Pokemon... Guy... Who's me?"
"Suicune, the Serene Chaser... I wonder how your meeting would have turned out if not for the human commanding him?"
"... That guy... Alright, I've got a new aura, get ready for another picture!"
"Is that Brendan?"
"Whoa, he looks young! He's like a little kid!"
"Seems like that is how his own aura recognizes him. A child at heart, perhaps?"
"Like hell! He's a bloodthirsty, sadistic piece of crap! Hunted me down for no reason!"
"..."
"What?"
"Just thinking... Perhaps Ethan and Brendan were bitter rivals?"
"I... I mean, that's possible, but he doesn't know I'm Ethan!"
"I am not sure... They say that true rivalry surpasses everything..."
"Well, 'they' are retarded. If not for Zerobi, he would've killed me without any hesitation!"
"Zerobi? I do wish to see what she looks like, would you mind imagining her aura?"
"... No, I can't. She doesn't have one."
"... Indeed. What species did you say she was, again?"
"A Weavile."
"In that case... Maybe something like this...?"
"Yeah! Yeah, that's it! How did you do that?"
"I used my own memory. Hmm, it is not Zerobi, but at least it is a Weavile."
"You kidding? I can't tell the difference!"
"How cold."
"Huh? Whatever, she likes the cold. Man, I still remember where she lived, before it got wrecked by..."
"... This man?"
"Huh? No, who the hell is that?"
"Perhaps it is a younger version of the trainer you met?"
"... Red? No way! Raikou's the one who... But maybe Red left a bigger impression...?"
"Look at the picture. There is no 'maybe' about it!"
"That old coot sees himself like a little kid? That's... Kind of creepy."
"It is subconscious, something beyond his own control."
"Still... Eh, he was troublesome. We fled to a nearby town, just to avoid running into him again."
"You and Zerobi?"
"Yeah, can't really remember why she tagged with me. All I remember is that lizard she ran into in town..."
"A Snivy?"
"That's the one. Way short for a police officer if you ask me, but... Uh, not that there's anything wrong with being short!"
"..."
"A-Anyway! He got Zerobi crying and then tried to kill her, so I kicked the crap out of him."
"He... Made Zerobi cry? Did he fight her first?"
"No, he just talked to her. I think they knew each other from before."
"Old acquaintances?"
"Probably. She seemed more than happy to see him rendered unconscious, and didn't want to talk about it later."
"Hmm..."
"Anyway, that's unimportant. What's important is who arrived next!"
"Oh, forgive me! I must have made four copies by mistake!"
"No, that's quite right! These four so-called fighters appeared, and I totally OWNED them!"
"You mean... You gained possession of them? But I thought you did not remember being a trai-"
"OWNED."
"..."
"... Uh, anyway, so, then, like, this female Lucario came out of nowhere, and, like..."
"Oh my. A shiny?"
"... Really? That's the first thing you noticed about her?"
"Well... Shinys are different from us. Their skin and fur has different colors."
"... That's a very bad way of thinking, Mew. You need to be more understanding."
"Wh-What? What did I do?"
"See, despite being a Shiny, Rukario just happened to be just like you and me, with a heart, a mind and-"
"I did not mean that as a bad thing!"
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, she was n... C... Honestly, back then she was a real pain in the butt, calling me 'Cyon' and claiming to be her husband right in front of Zerobi."
"Cyon? Wait, why would you care if it was in front of Zerobi or not?"
"BECAUSE... It makes me look bad or something, I don't know."
"... Hmm... Cyon... And this female Lucario claimed to know him from before?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing... Maybe Cyon was the name of the Lucario Deoxys killed?"
"... And whose body you are currently residing within..."
"Ugh, don't remind me. No offense to this Cyon character, but this is now my body, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with it."
"You should be more respectful to the dead."
"... Said the racist..."
"What?"
"Nothing! So after that, Zerobi and I wandered for the longest time until we came across a trio of weirdoes..."
"..."
"... Picture?"
"Sorry, but you are mixing up the aura of all three of them at once. Could you focus solely on one of them, instead?"
"... Fine. I guess I'll go with..."
"I recognize this aura... Kabuta, was it?"
"Yeah. Foulest mouth on this side of the earth."
"Foul mouth? Preposterous! She was always so well behaved around me and Celebi!"
"Oh man, are you kidding? The things that came out of that brown shellfish made my toes curl!"
"... Impossible... Celebi cannot stand foul language..."
"Seems like you're not so hot about it, either. You think yourself superior for not using them, or something?"
"No... It is, just... Remember what I told you about death by childbirth?"
"... No?"
"How I will die if I ever give birth?"
"Ah, you mean that? What about it?"
"Well, simply thinking about terms like those... It puts my life in danger, and so I avoid it as much as possible."
"..."
"... I know, it is stupid, but-"
"No, I'm just sorry for being so inconsiderate. I didn't know it was that bad."
"You should not have to censor yourself on my account, so feel free to say what you would like. I will tolerate it."
"Hey, come on! It's not like I'll implode if I don't say dirty words! Heh, unlike Kabuta..."
"Speaking of which, the other two that were with her... I hardly even need to ask..."
"Eh, at least you'll get a nice picture out of it."
"... Scratch that, seems that we get this guy instead."
"This one... Tell me, did he give you his name?"
"Yeah, sure. 'The Gallade', I think."
"No, that is just the name of his species. Did he give you his own name?"
"No."
"He withholds his own name from everyone, it seems... I wonder what it really is?"
"Who gives a sh- I mean, who cares? It's not like his name will unlock the secrets of the universe."
"... Just curious..."
"Flamboyant. Annoying. Surprisingly good at fighting. I already told you all this, right?"
"Indeed. Now, do continue, I am very excited to hear the rest!"
"First, you've got to give me a picture of that gigantic airborne snake..."
"This... This is Rayquaza!"
"Yelling his name seems to be the only proper pronunciation..."
"This is one of the legendary Weather trio! He was under control by a trainer!?"
"Him and Celebi both. Although, to be fair, he was less reluctant when it came to killing us."
"... Rayquaza lost his mind long ago. The entire Weather trio did."
"... Went crazy? Did they try visiting a psychiatrist?"
"It is complicated, but many centuries ago there existed a Weather trio. Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza."
"Great, more names for me to remember."
"They were extremely powerful and took up the role of protecting the earth, but after a visit from Darkrai-"
"Oh hey, even more names! Yay!"
"... I take it this story does not interest you?"
"Exactly. Let's finish my story first, shall we? Also, Rayquaza wasn't all that strong, honestly..."
"The original Rayquaza is dead. The one you encountered must be his son."
"Rayquaza Jr? Wait, if that's so, why was HE crazy, too?"
"... Do you want to hear the whole story, or should we go on with yours?"
"Mine! Mine! It's about to really pick up, the whole fight against Lucas is filled with all sorts of twists and turns!"
"He actually was this young when we met him. I was... Half expecting the picture of an old man, to be honest."
"Lucas... The trainer that dared capture Celebi... I shall remember his face."
"If you're looking for revenge - Been there, done that."
"How did you manage to defeat Rayquaza?"
"... Uh... Well... I mostly just took care of the others, I guess... That yellow dude is the one that defeated Rayquaza."
"But! I totally tackled Lucas off of Rayquaza, and everyone was, like, 'Oh man! That was awesome!'"
"... Pikablu... Hmpf."
"What, you don't like him?"
"Not very much, no. He is a bad influence when it comes to Celebi, as well as... Well..."
"... Doesn't surprise me that much, I suppose. You two are like opposites."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're soft spoken, refined and cute. He's not."
"..."
"O-Objectively speaking, of course! I couldn't care less, you're all just animals to me!"
"..."
"I, uh, didn't mean that... I mean..."
"You would do well in thinking before speaking."
"No kidding. I rarely do, though. Speaking should be a free action."
"I personally do not mind. I have seen first hand what kind of person you really are, ignoring what words might leave your mouth."
"That's an awfully odd way of saying... Oh wait, thinking... Thinking..."
"..."
"... You know, I see where you're coming from. People you know and like might sometimes do and say weird things by mistake, and it's your duty as a friend to forgive them for it."
"A-Amazing! Such enlightenment just from thinking before speaking!?"
"Eh, took too long. At any rate, it plays in with what happened at the end of the battle..."
"Oh, really?"
"See, Zerobi suddenly went mad and cut my throat."
"!"
"Yeah, I know, luckily Celebi was there to patch me back together."
"Wh-Why would she do something like that!?"
"... Well, she's apparently a great healer, and-"
"Not her, Zerobi!"
"Huh? Oh, she said something about losing control whenever doused with blood, which she was... Totally saved our asses, though."
"Blood... Just like her father... But..."
"She got really scary, though. That previous picture doesn't describe it very well. Could you make a new one, where she looks scary?"
"..."
"Oh, wow. What the hell?"
"Wait, so you say she went mad after becoming doused with blood..."
"Yes, that is indeed what I just said."
"... And she tried to kill you!?"
"Indeed, continuing with what I just said."
"Oh, forget it. I will talk to Celebi about this later."
"Don't worry, she knows. We all forgave her, and everything's nice and dandy."
"You are surprisingly trusting."
"Oh, am I, Ms. Super-Shy-Legendary?"
"Speaking of which, would you mind thinking about Celebi for a moment?"
"Yeah, that's her... Could've sworn you two already knew each other."
"Silly Lucario! We have been best friends all our lives! I simply wished to see your impression of her!"
"Why? Is there a difference?"
"Look closely."
"... Hey... The image is warped, somehow..."
"Her aura would be quite intense for someone like you, I am certain."
"Aura? Oh yeah, any chance of you recreating her happiness aura? I loved that one!"
"Her... What?"
"You know, that thing that made you all joyful inside when near her!"
"... You mean... L-Love?"
"WHAT!? NO! She had this radiance of happiness around her, I heard the others talking about it, too!"
"I... So have I, but I have yet to experience it, myself. It might just be the impact her powers have on less powerful beings."
"Bah, less powerful... So, can you recreate it?"
"Probably not."
"Aw... Damn it! It felt so great, I even slept with her to feel it all night..."
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-"
"Th-That came out wrong! Sorry! She was having a bad dream, and I just helped her get back to sleep!"
"... What manner of bad dream?"
"Huh? No idea. She went through a lot, trying to rescue that shellfish alone."
"Shellfish?"
"Yeah! Kabuta's father! We don't need an image of that one, he looked just like his daughter!"
"Hmm? No... Not from what I remember. There were distinct differences between them, for sure."
"Like what?"
"Their gender, for starters?"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I'm bad at telling the differences between Pokemon of the same species. Uh, by the way, what species were they?"
"Kabutops, extinct since many centuries back... And recently having reemerged, as you have seen firsthand."
"I don't think that's how extinction works..."
"I KNOW that is not how extinction works, but such is the case. Personally, I am glad for him and his family!"
"... That skeleton... Looks just like some kind of urban legend."
"Funny. That was the only scientific fact remaining from them. Claiming to have seen one alive would be the urban legend!"
"Not that funny, in other words. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would call YOU an urban legend!"
"And so they do. If only they all would, so I could get some peace and quiet."
"Anyway, after I left everyone to go off on my own, I ran into a hotheaded trainer..."
"Hold on. You left them?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"To find you, of course!"
"... To become human, again?"
"Precisely. That's a later part of the story, though!"
"..."
"So, as you can see, he was surrounded by a bunch of Zubat, and I met this one Zubat right before who was all class, wish I could've spent more time with her but then this trainer comes out of nowhere and coldcocks me with some flying kid!"
"... How confusing! Mind explaining it again?"
"... Eh, wasn't that important, anyway... Long story short, I was captured."
"C-Captured!? By the trainer!?"
"Yeah. Pokeballs have no effect on me, so they threw me in some kind of prison while I was unconscious."
"Pokeballs have no effect on you? I should have known..."
"Why's that? I'm not too sure ab- Wait, it's because I'm human, right?"
"Well, rather that your mind is. Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves... Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, including humans."
"Whoa, they can do that?"
"Yes, which is why an unconscious Pokemon cannot be captured."
"By a Pokeball, anyway... So, I was thrown in jail, where I met another Pokemon..."
"A Dragonair?"
"Yes. She... I can't remember why, but she had been imprisoned there with me, and badly wanted to get out."
"What happened?"
"... They performed some kind of experiment on her... And made her go insane."
"...!"
"... In the end I got my revenge on the guy that did it, I suppose, but it still feels bad..."
"... My single greatest fear..."
"Pardon?"
"Every human wishes me captured, for fame and glory... But mostly to be able to conduct experiments on my body and mind."
"Hmm... Guess I should've asked, but I suppose you hate humanity because of it?"
"I... Cannot. Their curiosity is one I can understand quite well... I just wish I could give them what they need and still be allowed to roam free."
"And with your chest cavity intact... Trust me, you do NOT want to be involved with these guys, especially not the one I had to deal with..."
"... How peculiar..."
"What?"
"This one does not recognize himself as a child."
"Peculiar? More like, normal! Who'd have thought this would be the only sane human around?"
"Peculiar is when something differs from the norm, which in this case-"
"Yeah, yeah, spare me the lesson. You're right, you know - There was something strange about him... But I didn't find out until we had escaped."
"How did you escape?"
"... Oh yeah. Things were looking pretty bad when I got rescued by another Pokemon. He didn't have an aura, so... Dark type, maybe?"
"What kind of Pokemon was he?"
"A, uh... Zoroark?"
"Zoroark? You must have only heard his name, for there is no Pokemon like that. What did he look like?"
"Like me, but less rugged. Red fur, and a really large red hairdo that he hid stuff in."
"Sorry, this was as clear as I could make the picture..."
"Don't worry. He was a jerk, so I don't really care much for seeing him again."
"He... Hid objects within his own hair?"
"Yeah. Vials with paralysis coating for his claws and who knows what else. Probably like fifty combs."
"How on earth did he manage to break into a human installment undetected?"
"Hah! Undetected... No, he had a few others with him, including a muscle-head that snapped the chains holding me with his bare hands."
"An Urasing?"
"Huh?"
"You said... Bear hands?"
"Yeah, maybe. I think his name was Connor, but let's stick to Zoroark, shall we? It's not like the others mattered in the long run."
"But you told me this happened right before you met me. That means the long run has yet to be decided."
"Listen, I don't care about the others that came to rescue me and I didn't have time to worry about them, because Zoroark's strange antics were keeping my full attention."
"Apart from launching an assault against a human installation solely to rescue you, what strange antics?"
"I'll have you know he rescued plenty others, but... See, I'm pretty good at judging people, which is how I knew Zerobi was to be trusted when I first met her and that annoying lizard wasn't. Thing is... I never really got a good idea of who Zoroark really was. Like he was acting the whole time, switching between different personalities whenever necessary."
"A politician, then?"
"Ha ha ha! Hey, I guess you can be pretty funny wh-"
"Funny? But I have heard commoners throughout the ages describing politicians in such manner! I was simply-"
"OK, OK, no need to explain the joke. So, anyway, they busted me out, and we kicked ludicrous amounts of butt. Seriously, I was, like, 'Too bad you only have one head, because that's less for me to kick!'"
"..."
"He had four arms."
"What happened after the fighting?"
"We ran into some of Zoroark's allies, as well as... Wait..."
"What?"
"There was... One of the allies were... Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about Ivy!"
"Yeah, that's her. Heh, been a while since I saw her..."
"Hold on... This aura... It seems familiar!"
"Huh? No way!"
"Yes! She was the one who approached me after... After I had buried you."
"I woke up that soon, huh? See, she was the one who pulled me out of the grave in the first place!"
"What!?"
"Yeah!"
"You mean, if I had waited just a few minutes longer, you would have come back to life and I would not have had to lament over my failure all this time!?"
"... Uhh... No, of course not... She, uh... It must've taken longer than that..."
"Of all the bad luck... And after all I did... How unfair..."
"... Anyway! She dug me out of the grave, I was confused about not being human, she let me live with her for a while and then she tried to kill me."
"Slow down! Why would she do that?"
"... Sorry, but I really don't want to linger on this part. There was some kind of hoax prophecy regarding me that she needed to prevent, and I got chased out of the village."
"Prophecies... Such fabrications. What was it about?"
"Something... Like, if there should ever be a creature that was both human and Pokémon, it would destroy the world."
"So silly. Commoners sure like to make things up about things they do not understand!"
"Well-"
"You should hear the things they say about me! They say that my body contains the DNA of every single Pokémon!"
"…"
"It does not!"
"I know! I mean, no kidding, but… Goddamn, that's a pretty nasty rumor to be spreading."
"What?"
"… Since you have to ask, I'll just assume there was a misunderstanding somewhere, and leave it at that."
"No, what do you mean?"
"No! We said we weren't going to talk about that stuff! Why are we even on this part of the story, let's go back to where we left off… The staircase!"
"…"
"I mean, what was coming down it. It was that scientist from earlier…"
"... Who was being controlled by this thing."
"Controlled? What do you mean?"
"Like, he controlled him using psychic powers, or something."
"But... But that is physically impossible!"
"I think Zoroark said something like that, too. Or, uh was it Pikablu...? Anyway, he said something about the scientist being guided like a puppet. Willingly, too."
"But... Why?"
"I don't know. To help him remember that he is, in fact, an adult instead of some snotty kid?"
"I have told you time and time again, that is a completely natural-"
"Yeah, yeah. Just shocked about it, that's all. So, we kicked his butt, ran into the woods to hide at an underground base... Or cavern, more like it."
"There are many of those in the world. I have never seen one from the inside, as they always seem to be occupied."
"You're not missing much. Normal cavern, with plants that glow. Hmm, well, I guess Astrid liked it, might just be me."
"Astrid?"
"Picture-time? Hey, could you make it so that he is wearing a cloak over his entire body?"
"Why?"
"... Otherwise, we'll be here all night. I don't feel like wasting time on this guy."
"An Eeveelution?"
"Yeah. He was with us when Zoroark rescued me, but he was a total coward, so I told him to toughen up."
"Cowardice is not necessarily a bad attribute."
"Maybe not, but he was so easy to convince I just couldn't let up. Tricked him into getting me a ride over to your place, too."
"Oh? So that is when our stories converge?"
"... Well, not really. I ran into Rukario again."
"Yes, that's her. Again."
"Sorry, I wish to keep some manner of consistency."
"For who? Who's going to be looking at these?"
"Do go on, I am curious to her as to what happened next."
"If you say so... She got up my grill about a few things and I... Anyway, we got ambushed by another champion, Blue."
"... Seen here as a juvenile instead of the old coot he was. Actually, this I can buy, he wasn't acting his age, that's for sure."
"This is very useful to me. I will be able to identify the most dangerous trainers more easily by recognizing their aura."
"Don't bother with this one, he was a total pushover. Rukario and I beat up four of his Pokemon all by ourselves, without any problem."
"Trainers usually carry six, however..."
"... Yeah. This were going swell until he brought out the Espy-on and Uber-on."
"Espeon and Umbreon?"
"Whatever. They were using cheap tactics, and if not for Rukario's Aura Storm I wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"... I see. Forgive me for not having come to the mountain earlier, I might have been able to help."
"Would you have helped? You didn't know who we were, after all..."
"..."
"Don't worry, it's not like I was expecting divine intervention, anyway."
"D-Divine!?"
"Yeah! You swooping down and rearranging the laws of physics to defeat our enemies, what else would you call that?"
"Not 'divine', certainly!"
"What? You've got a problem with that term?"
"Well... Yes! There is nothing divine about me, I am simply a Pokemon like all other!"
"So? What's wrong with being divine?"
"Because that implies that I am almighty and possess a duty to preserve the world!"
"Sounds like you, all right..."
"No, it does not! I choose to protect the world out of my own free will, and struggle with it as much as anyone would! Seeing me as a manner of goddess that could perform any manner of feat with a flick of her finger belittles all of my hard work!"
"Whoa, clam down! Sorry, I didn't think you'd take such offense to it!"
"... For as long as I can remember, every commoner has called me divine... Will they not realize the truth until I am already dead...?"
"..."
"..."
"... That's... Where my story ends... Or where our stories 'converge', as you said."
"..."
"I know it's difficult, but... Could you show me Deoxys? I cannot remember what he looks like."
"..."
"... This was his original form. The aura cannot show you the other forms he took on."
"Then why can't you, like with all the others?"
"..."
"… I see. You the whole ordeal made you traumatized."
"H-How dare you!? I was not traumatized by it!"
"Hey, that's OK, anyone'd be traumatized by something like-"
"I said, I was not traumatized!"
"Whoa, fine! Calm down! Man, you really hate talking about that!"
"It is the worst thing I have ever experienced by far. I had thought at least one other being would remember the same hellish situation I went through, but it seems he does not remember..."
"..."
"..."
"... So, after defeating Blue, something very interesting happened..."
"...?"
"... I came across a reeeeeal beauty. Out of this world! I would describe her as 'divine', but apparently that's an insult!"
"... Stop it."
"Yeah, that's right, juuuust like that she couldn't stop smiling when she saw me. It was then that I knew without a doubt, it had to be love at first-"
"Lucario!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, just thinking out loud!"
"Hi hi... You... Stop teasing me! Can you not see that I am supposed to be depressed?"
"Ha ha! Kind of hard when you're giggling all over the place, isn't it?"
"Hi hi! You think you are the only one capable of teasing!?"
"Ha ha! In this cave, yeah! Come on, give me your best shot!"
"Hi hi! All right! Here is the imprint from your aura back when you were human!"
"AW, GODDAMN IT! Are you kidding me!?"
"Looking a little young there, are you not, Mr. Champion?"
"Now, see, that's not funny! If mom ever finds out about this...!"
"Oh, I am certain she would be pleased. It seems you were rather cute as a child!"
"Stop it! Seriously, I'll never live this down! I'll be good, I promise!"
"Of course you will, or else-"
"I'll get a spanking? Yeah, real creative, let's drop this whole thing before it gets any worse."
"... Hmm. Well, it seems that we are almost done with these imprints."
"Almost? We've reached present date, right?"
"Yes, but simply placing your human form here will not do. We should include the other part of you as well."
"Cyon? Won't he look just like I did?"
"Let me try again, from what I remember when he was still alive..."
"No spikes. Nice."
"No eyes, either. Strange..."
"Nah, it looks like that when I've got them closed... I think? It'd be impossible for me to see."
"Now that Cyon has been included, I do believe we are done with this."
"What? But... You forgot the most important one!"
"You mean... Oh!"
"Simply divine."
"Oh, give it a break. It looks the same as the one Celebi showed me many years ago."
"You did this with Celebi?"
"Yes. She was the one who came up with the idea for this. Did I not tell you?"
"No... You didn't. Hmpf."
"What is wrong?"
"It's just that... I was kind of hoping this would be our special thing."
"It is! Celebi's travels were nowhere near as rich in people or exciting as this!"
"Yeah, sure, but... It'll still just be a ripoff of something else, instead of something original."
"... How about if I add one final thing to it?"
"Go ahead, not that there's anything left to tell..."
"..."
"...! Oh wow...!"
"Like it?"
"Perfect! Hah, our thinking's got the same wavelength, that's for sure!"
"Then we are truly finished. Shall we be going, then?"
"But..."
"What?"
"Are you sure you want to be leaving this? What if someone finds it?"
"In that case, someone may partake of a piece of your incredible journey. Do you mind?"
"Of course not! But... It might lead people to you...?"
"It will not. They are simply imprints on a cavern wall."
"But... That last one? Won't it reveal your, uh, current status to the public?"
"... Well, I am fine with that."
"Perhaps it will serve as the beginning for another adventure?"
"For sure! When we come back, we'll have an even greater story to tell!"
"Indeed. Grab our manner of transportation, and let us start with it!"
"Let's!"
"Good day."
"'Sup. Where's Blue?"
"… Training a new team. Said he had figured out the ultimate combination..."
"A NEW team!? Hah! That old bag of bones doesn't know when to quit!"
"…"
"The complete opposite of you, might I add. When you were off rotting somewhere, I actually went to make sure our target would still be active!"
"... You mean... You were the one who-"
"No, no. He broke out of his own. Sure as hell didn't see that coming, he was strung up like a broken marionette when I saw him."
"…"
"Go on, work on your requiem, pray I succeed and give you enough time to finish it."
"…"
"… Nothing? No witty retort? No ‘you’re wrong and I’m right, now here’s why?’ You really are bygone."
"… Fine."
"…?"
"I will not kill him… But I will find a way to stop him."
"Hah! Go ahead and try! Just don’t think you’re going to beat me to it!"
"Welcome, gentlemen. I hope you had a safe journey."
"..."
"..."
"As you know, Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves. Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, and even unconscious Pokemon could be c-"
"Get to the point!"
"Ah, yes. After much research and hard work, we have managed to manufacture a type of Pokeball that is tuned to one specific species' brainwaves."
"... What?"
"In other words, Pokeballs customarily designed to catch exactly one kind of Pokemon. It should work exactly like a Master Ball for this particular species, but will not function against any other."
"... Interesting..."
"Here are the ones we have created thus far..."
"...!"
"T-That many!?"
"One for each assigned target. Here's the one for Latios, here's the one for Celebi..."
"And how do you suppose we use them, besides shoving them up your behind!?"
"Brendan has a point. No rucksack can hold that large amount of Pokeballs."
"Of course not. You will have to pick out which targets your will be pursuing, and collect the Pokeball designed for their capture."
"Like hell we will! You told me you could mass produce Master Balls if I tested your idiotic prototype! I lost my chance at capturing many valuable Pokemon with that useless purple pokeball!"
"... This... This pink one..."
"Hey, Red, wake up! You're not gonna take this, are you!?"
"... Is this the Pokeball designed for Mew?"
"Yes. Very astute of you."
"... I will take this one."
"Red... Was that a flicker of life I just saw in your aging husk...?"
"... I still have unfinished business. Now, I have the means to finish them, it seems."
"You mean... A hunt for the Legendaries? Now, that... That's what I call a hunt!"
"Would you also like a Speci-ball designed for Mew?"
"Nah, we'll split them up and... Wait... Speci-ball?"
"Yes. Special balls, created for capturing Specific Species."
"..."
"... Just show me which is which."
"Of course. One more thing, however... Regarding your previous target..."
"Speak."
"Sir, if I may ask-"
"You may not. Do as I say."
"We already have several tissue samples of the spikeless Lucario, there is absolutely no reason for us to capture him again."
"But there is."
"…?"
"I am telling you to."
"… I-I understand, sir…"
"Leave."
"As you wish, sir…"
"… Hmpf. No reason? If only they knew, Ethan…"