Choices
A Time for Choice
With such a brief introduction, Celebi and I vanished from the frozen time stream. I had the sensation of floating high above the clouds for a brief instant, and then an even briefer period of total darkness, before Celebi and I appeared in a small, peaceful glade of flowers. In the distance, I could hear the muted rumbling of a waterfall, which seemed to only add to the ambience.
"My home," Celebi offered diffidently. She seemed to shrug, though it was hard to tell. "My apologies for the mess." For the next several minutes, I only stared while Celebi flitted from flower to flower, touching them. Each flower seemed to perk up a bit, and the colors grow even more vibrant, at her touch.
"Much better," she sighed. "Now then." She appeared at my shoulder again. "We need to talk. And then you need to talk to someone else who wants to meet you."
"Who's that?" I asked, curiously. This trip had been somewhat impromptu, and more things just kept making it stranger. Celebi bobbed her head.
"All in good time," was the only response to my question. She seemed to think for a moment, and then turned to face me.
"Do you know what the Triumvirate is?" she asked.
"The who?"
"I'll take that as a no. You see, there are many pokemon that you humans designate as legendary. The definition of a legendary is a little hazy, but essentially, a true legendary is one of a kind and immortal."
I nodded. It was common knowledge that there were a number of pokemon that only a few people ever saw, and that certain pokemon, like Mew, Palkia, and others, appeared in multiple legends over time.
"Well," Celebi continued. "As you may imagine, being immortal tends to become boring after a time, so many of us took an interest in the more ephemeral races on your planet. Specifically, humans and pokemon. There are three factions of immortals. There are those who are definitely on the side of humans and pokemon working together. Those are the followers of Arceus, the Creator of your world."
"I thought Palkia created the world," I objected. I seemed to recall something of the sort being talked about after that trainer had captured the first scientifically proven legendary.
"Oh, no, no. From one, two, from two, three. From Arceus, Palkia and Dialga, and from those two, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf."
"Who?"
"Nevermind," sighed Celebi. "They are just other 'legendaries' like myself. In any case, Arceus is on one side. On the other, the side which wants to eliminate all humans and human-trained pokemon from the planet, is led by Darkrai. I don't need to explain him, I believe."
Not at all. The mention of Darkrai sent my blood boiling again. As I've noted, I have one hell of a temper, and right now it was entirely focused on Darkrai and whoever was on his side.
"The last faction are... neutral, they call themselves. They are sympathetic to Darkrai, being suspicious of the motives of humans towards pokemon, but they don't trust Darkrai, either. So they stay neutral, and watch to see if anything will happen to make them take a side."
"If they're willing to listen to Darkrai," I snarled, "They're not neutral at all."
"Stop that," Celebi commanded. "I understand your anger, but it's making you stupid. If they are to choose a side, they must know and understand both sides. To do anything less would be hasty, and immortals are rarely if ever willing to act without thought."
I nodded curtly, not really agreeing, but unwilling to make an issue of it with someone reputed to have control over time itself!
"Now, essentially," Celebi continued after a pause, "we, those of Arceus, I mean, are outnumbered. Darkrai's followers are powerful and numerous, and we are few. We have held Darkrai in check for several hundred years, as Arceus and his Triumvirate-"
"What's a triumvirate?" I interrupted. The word was not familiar at all to me.
"It's... well, in this case, it means me, Mew, and Jirachi, the three most powerful followers of Arceus." Celebi nodded. "We, with Arceus, were powerful enough to hold back Darkrai almost by ourselves. But recently the balance shifted to Darkrai. Palkia had been a neutral, willing to observe and wait to see what would happen, when he was first summoned against his will by a human, and then captured by another human. He is now annoyed enough to have pledged his support to Darkrai in exchange for his freedom from the human who captured him."
"Oh." There didn't seem to be much to say to that.
"Which is why I brought you here," Celebi finished. "Things are drawing to a climax soon, and we are going to need your help."
"My help?" I asked. "What's so special about me?"
"Nothing, really," Celebi admitted. "But you are human. Both sides have been choosing human representatives for decades, preparing for what would happen. And now it has happened. Arceus and Darkrai have summoned all their forces to meet with the neutrals, and attempt to persuade them once more to join one side or the other. And after that..." Celebi sighed. "Your world will likely be destroyed."
"What?" I was stunned. I mean, I had considered the possibility, but to hear it said bluntly, as though it were already a forgone conclusion, bothered me more than I had realized it would.
"The neutrals are heavily swayed by Darkrai's arguments. But Arceus has managed to give us a chance. He persuaded the neutrals to have each side select human representatives for each legendary, and use those humans to argue the case."
"What sort of humans would argue to destroy their world?"
"Darkrai has promised them a new world, which they will be king of," Celebi replied. Her brow furrowed. "Darkrai can only destroy, however, and not create. So these humans are being fooled. But the sort that Darkrai has chosen are all those with the biggest cases against humanity, the sorts that have experienced the worst your species can do."
"And on Arceus's side?"
"Most of our representatives have been chosen. Some few have not chosen."
"And you?"
"I made my choice many years ago. I shall have to reclaim him from those who currently have him, but I will have my representative."
"So, why am I here?"
A new voice spoke up. "To meet me." It was a voice like the rumble of thunder and a sound of horns blowing at once, full of all the cacophony of life. It nearly brought me to my knees in shock, but I forced myself to stand upright to meet the owner of that voice. I noticed Celebi had disappeared.
I was facing an extremely tall man, several feet taller than myself, wrapped entirely in a white cloak. I could see only a little of his face, but what I could see seemed to be very young in appearance, and yet... it felt old. Timeless, almost.
"I am Arceus," the man said. His voice had become quieter, as though he realized the effect it was having on me. I was slightly relieved to discover that standing was no longer difficult. "And I have chosen you, Zachary, son of Margaret Kincaid and James Winton, as my representative."
There was a long pause.
"What?!" I shouted suddenly. "You drag me all the way here to press gang me?"
Arceus reeled away slightly, his eyes widening in apparent surprise. All the pent-up anger I had been feeling about the entire situation began to evaporate as I looked at him.
"Well, yes," he replied, his voice a pathetic shadow of what it was. "Do you have any objections?"
"Rather a lot of them." High on my list was the fact that, anger at Darkrai or not, I still had trouble reconciling myself to being a follower instead of a leader. I'm used to "me against the universe" odds, and when you follow someone, you're restricting the number of options which let you keep your hide intact. I voiced that objection to him, and was surprised to hear a laugh startled out of Arceus.
"If you were that type of person," he said, "The selfish type, the type to run from danger, you would never have gotten where you are. Responsibility is your guiding focus, responsibility to yourself and to your teammates, which is what makes you perfect for the role I want you for."
"I don't follow," I admitted. He'd pegged me dead-on about responsibility, though, and there was no point in denying it. While I like to pretend to be the self-centered mercenary always looking out for number one... I'm not very good at it. I'm far better at letting myself be guided by my conscience.
"You have a responsibility, one you've avoided for too long, to your entire world, Zachary." Arceus looked every inch the stern and forbidding god. "You owe a duty to the world to protect it, as it has protected you."
"How has the world protected me?" I frowned. "It didn't protect my mother, either."
"Your mother made her choices. You have made different ones, and when the time was right, a perfect partner was thrown directly in your path: Beni, I believe she is called. Then you were taught the joy of caring for another when Cammy was born. The world which shaped you has its flaws, Zachary, but it's better than some." He sighed. "Far better than a few. I would ask you to protect it, because it deserves the chance to grow even better. Just as humans deserve the chance to grow mature and wise."
"If we can," I muttered darkly.
"I am not here to argue with you," Arceus said flatly. "If you do not accept this role, and you are the best for it, then it will go to someone else. Are you willing to refuse the responsibility of protecting yourself, your partners, and your world, and place it in the hands of a complete stranger?"
He had me with that. There was no way, once he'd phrased it that way, that I could possibly refuse. I decided to make the best of it.
"Well, I always have liked a challenge. Sure, lay it on me."
I blacked out.
* * *
I awoke some time later. I don't know how long I lay there, but when I came to, Celebi floated over me, looking down at me strangely. I winced, feeling the back of my head for the knot I was sure had to be there. Something must have hit me really hard to knock me out, I thought, but I couldn't even find a scratch.
"What... happened?" I asked. Celebi looked embarrassed, I decided after consideration.
"Arceus put you to sleep," she explained hesitantly. "It was necessary for the modifications."
"Modific... wait, what?"
"Arceus has marked you with his favor." When I gave no sign of understanding, she shook her head. "You have been granted some of his power in exchange for your service."
"Oh." I swallowed. "What'd he give me?"
"Three gifts. First, the mark." She pointed at the back of my hand. I saw three arcs, two vertical and a horizontal one inside of them, superimposed on an X-shape.
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"It's the Mark of Arceus. All of the representatives have it. If any of Darkrai's creatures attack you, show them that mark and they will recognize that you are under Arceus's protection. They will not fight you after that, until the appointed day, ten months from now. To do so before then would anger even Darkrai, because the neutrals would be certain to side with us."
"Let's hope they do that, then."
"The second is the gift of language. You will understand anything said to you as though it were spoken in your native tongue, though not when it's spoken around you." She gave a grin. "Or hadn't you noticed that I'm not speaking in the human language?"
I hadn't, but when she mentioned it I suddenly realized that her voice had become softer and more relaxed. I also realized that her emotions were becoming easier to recognize as I watched. I mentioned that to Celebi.
"Pokemon frequently use emotions to communicate," she explained. "When I have to use the human language, I have to concentrate harder, which makes the words come out sounding hard and stilted. And the emotions are much harder to recognize as well."
I nodded. It made sense. "You said there were three things Arceus gave me," I pointed out. "You've listed two."
"I..." Celebi looked surprised, and a bit annoyed. "I don't know the third," she admitted. "He wouldn't tell me."
"That normal?"
"There's nothing normal about this entire thing."
"Point." I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "What exactly do we do now?"
"Well, that's up to you, at least the future. At present, I take you back to the point in time that you just left, and then start going to get my representative." Celebi smiled at me. "And then, you prepare for ten months to argue with a bunch of prejudiced immortals for the survival of your species.
"It could be worse," I replied.
"How?"
"At least there's no pressure." I winked at her to show I wasn't serious, but in all honesty, I wasn't as concerned as I could be. Well, actually, I was terrified, but there was also a certain sense of relief: I knew my enemy and I knew how to fight him. With those two details, and a place and time for the confrontation set, the only thing that I needed to worry about was my own strength, and more specifically, the strength of my bond with my partners. I had a suspicion that that would be more important than anything else, to the neutral legendaries who I had to convince.
"No... pressure..." Perhaps she'd missed the wink, but she actually smiled. "I think you really believe that, in a way. So let's get you back so you can get started."
"Okay. When do we start?"
She looked away. "We're already there," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
And we were. The surrounding still felt "grey": everything remained motionless, exactly as we'd left it, and I was standing in the precise place I had been standing when Celebi had... Kidnapped? Abducted? The regular verbs didn't seem to work. In any case, however, for all the difference in the scene before me, I may as well have been daydreaming the whole time. A quick glance at the back of my hand put to rest that particular idea, however.
"Well, that's you dropped off," Celebi said briskly. "In about five minutes, Beni will be returning with the news that a vague feeling told her that she was needed here, and in about ten minutes, your other two partners will have returned from their... bath." She seemed to have a hard time restraining a giggle, and I spared a thought wondering why.
"Okay," I agreed amiably. Now that I was back, I was filled with new energy and zeal. It would take ten months of hard training before I was ready to face the duty I had apparently agreed to, but I was eager to begin.
"I'll be leaving you here, then. I must go and claim my representative, and then return to Arceus for further orders."
"Good luck," I offered. Not that she'd need it, if I had to guess.
* * *
Five minutes later, almost exactly (as far as I could tell), I heard the padding of large paws behind me.
"Welcome back, Beni," I said without looking back.
*I had a feeling I was needed,* Beni told me, somewhat embarrassed.
"More or less accurate," I agreed. It would probably be a long day. "Wait for the others, and I'll brief you all at once."
Cammy, Cynthia and Venus arrived somewhat later, most of half an hour. I took dark glee in the fact that Celebi had been off by so much. By then, the magic, if you will, of Arceus's presence and my trip to Celebi's home had worn of somewhat, and I was returning with relief to my usual cynical nature.
"So, here's the deal," I told them as they walked up. They stopped their chatting instantly at hearing my serious tone.
I gave them as much information as Celebi had given me. I left out the gifts that Arceus had given me. First, because I wanted to wait and see what, precisely, they were. Celebi had told me, but I wasn't convinced that they were real. Hallucinations were possible. The mark on my hand, sure, but I'd been knocked out for who knew how long. Any tattoo parlor could have put that on in half an hour or so, and there was that third gift that Celebi hadn't known about. Or at least, she claimed she didn't know. Instead, I kept my hand in my pocket as I told my story. Beni gave me an odd look when I truncated it just after waking up, but she didn't object. I was grateful for small favors; Beni knew how to keep a secret from the others, and I fully intended to get her advice on the whole thing.
"In essence, then, you're our one hope," Cynthia commented.
"Hey, don't have to sound so worried," I replied. I pointed a thumb at my chest. "I'm Zachary Winton-Kincaid. I'll handle it, no sweat!"
*He means, we'll handle it,* Beni corrected firmly.
"All of us," Cammy chorused.
"Mawile!"
Cynthia seemed unable to resist a smile. "Well," she said, "I guess the rest of us mere mortals will have to trudge along in your wake, then," she murmured. I gave her a sympathetic look and shrugged. Clearly, despite her humor, she would much rather have been Arceus's choice. Truth be told, I'd rather she was Arceus's choice. Destinies make me nervous.
Beni's ears cocked forward suddenly, and I turned to see Lucian walking up behind us.
"Rowan and the others have arrived," he said shortly. He seemed annoyed with something. At his appearance, Cynthia's face drained of all emotion.
"Understood," she replied regally. "I shall await them in my cabin." She strode away, not waiting for a reply, and without a backward glance at any of us. With a snarl, Lucian turned on his heel and returned the way he came.
"Just one big happy family," I muttered.
*Indeed.*
I glanced over at the hole in the ground, for what would be the last time, and shook my head.
"Come on, Beni," I commanded. "We're leaving."
*Aren't we going to talk to Professor Rowan?* she asked. I shook my head again, this time in negation.
"No." I frowned in the direction Cynthia had taken. "The League will handle things the way it wants to, but Arceus didn't ask the League to solve this. Not even the Champion. That pleasure," and I put all the irony I could muster into my tone, "was placed on my. My duty." I laughed dryly. "Well, I know how to deal with duties. We're going to go train, and then..." I met the eyes of Venus, Cammy, and Beni in turn. "And then," I concluded, "We're going to go enter a contest in Lilycove."
"You mean we're going to win a contest in Lilycove," Cammy amended, having caught my tone.
"Burning them the way they've never been burned before," I confirmed.
"Chomp them," a tiny voice added from the background. I almost didn't notice it, and put it down to my nerves. I was hearing voices, now.
To Be Continued
With such a brief introduction, Celebi and I vanished from the frozen time stream. I had the sensation of floating high above the clouds for a brief instant, and then an even briefer period of total darkness, before Celebi and I appeared in a small, peaceful glade of flowers. In the distance, I could hear the muted rumbling of a waterfall, which seemed to only add to the ambience.
"My home," Celebi offered diffidently. She seemed to shrug, though it was hard to tell. "My apologies for the mess." For the next several minutes, I only stared while Celebi flitted from flower to flower, touching them. Each flower seemed to perk up a bit, and the colors grow even more vibrant, at her touch.
"Much better," she sighed. "Now then." She appeared at my shoulder again. "We need to talk. And then you need to talk to someone else who wants to meet you."
"Who's that?" I asked, curiously. This trip had been somewhat impromptu, and more things just kept making it stranger. Celebi bobbed her head.
"All in good time," was the only response to my question. She seemed to think for a moment, and then turned to face me.
"Do you know what the Triumvirate is?" she asked.
"The who?"
"I'll take that as a no. You see, there are many pokemon that you humans designate as legendary. The definition of a legendary is a little hazy, but essentially, a true legendary is one of a kind and immortal."
I nodded. It was common knowledge that there were a number of pokemon that only a few people ever saw, and that certain pokemon, like Mew, Palkia, and others, appeared in multiple legends over time.
"Well," Celebi continued. "As you may imagine, being immortal tends to become boring after a time, so many of us took an interest in the more ephemeral races on your planet. Specifically, humans and pokemon. There are three factions of immortals. There are those who are definitely on the side of humans and pokemon working together. Those are the followers of Arceus, the Creator of your world."
"I thought Palkia created the world," I objected. I seemed to recall something of the sort being talked about after that trainer had captured the first scientifically proven legendary.
"Oh, no, no. From one, two, from two, three. From Arceus, Palkia and Dialga, and from those two, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf."
"Who?"
"Nevermind," sighed Celebi. "They are just other 'legendaries' like myself. In any case, Arceus is on one side. On the other, the side which wants to eliminate all humans and human-trained pokemon from the planet, is led by Darkrai. I don't need to explain him, I believe."
Not at all. The mention of Darkrai sent my blood boiling again. As I've noted, I have one hell of a temper, and right now it was entirely focused on Darkrai and whoever was on his side.
"The last faction are... neutral, they call themselves. They are sympathetic to Darkrai, being suspicious of the motives of humans towards pokemon, but they don't trust Darkrai, either. So they stay neutral, and watch to see if anything will happen to make them take a side."
"If they're willing to listen to Darkrai," I snarled, "They're not neutral at all."
"Stop that," Celebi commanded. "I understand your anger, but it's making you stupid. If they are to choose a side, they must know and understand both sides. To do anything less would be hasty, and immortals are rarely if ever willing to act without thought."
I nodded curtly, not really agreeing, but unwilling to make an issue of it with someone reputed to have control over time itself!
"Now, essentially," Celebi continued after a pause, "we, those of Arceus, I mean, are outnumbered. Darkrai's followers are powerful and numerous, and we are few. We have held Darkrai in check for several hundred years, as Arceus and his Triumvirate-"
"What's a triumvirate?" I interrupted. The word was not familiar at all to me.
"It's... well, in this case, it means me, Mew, and Jirachi, the three most powerful followers of Arceus." Celebi nodded. "We, with Arceus, were powerful enough to hold back Darkrai almost by ourselves. But recently the balance shifted to Darkrai. Palkia had been a neutral, willing to observe and wait to see what would happen, when he was first summoned against his will by a human, and then captured by another human. He is now annoyed enough to have pledged his support to Darkrai in exchange for his freedom from the human who captured him."
"Oh." There didn't seem to be much to say to that.
"Which is why I brought you here," Celebi finished. "Things are drawing to a climax soon, and we are going to need your help."
"My help?" I asked. "What's so special about me?"
"Nothing, really," Celebi admitted. "But you are human. Both sides have been choosing human representatives for decades, preparing for what would happen. And now it has happened. Arceus and Darkrai have summoned all their forces to meet with the neutrals, and attempt to persuade them once more to join one side or the other. And after that..." Celebi sighed. "Your world will likely be destroyed."
"What?" I was stunned. I mean, I had considered the possibility, but to hear it said bluntly, as though it were already a forgone conclusion, bothered me more than I had realized it would.
"The neutrals are heavily swayed by Darkrai's arguments. But Arceus has managed to give us a chance. He persuaded the neutrals to have each side select human representatives for each legendary, and use those humans to argue the case."
"What sort of humans would argue to destroy their world?"
"Darkrai has promised them a new world, which they will be king of," Celebi replied. Her brow furrowed. "Darkrai can only destroy, however, and not create. So these humans are being fooled. But the sort that Darkrai has chosen are all those with the biggest cases against humanity, the sorts that have experienced the worst your species can do."
"And on Arceus's side?"
"Most of our representatives have been chosen. Some few have not chosen."
"And you?"
"I made my choice many years ago. I shall have to reclaim him from those who currently have him, but I will have my representative."
"So, why am I here?"
A new voice spoke up. "To meet me." It was a voice like the rumble of thunder and a sound of horns blowing at once, full of all the cacophony of life. It nearly brought me to my knees in shock, but I forced myself to stand upright to meet the owner of that voice. I noticed Celebi had disappeared.
I was facing an extremely tall man, several feet taller than myself, wrapped entirely in a white cloak. I could see only a little of his face, but what I could see seemed to be very young in appearance, and yet... it felt old. Timeless, almost.
"I am Arceus," the man said. His voice had become quieter, as though he realized the effect it was having on me. I was slightly relieved to discover that standing was no longer difficult. "And I have chosen you, Zachary, son of Margaret Kincaid and James Winton, as my representative."
There was a long pause.
"What?!" I shouted suddenly. "You drag me all the way here to press gang me?"
Arceus reeled away slightly, his eyes widening in apparent surprise. All the pent-up anger I had been feeling about the entire situation began to evaporate as I looked at him.
"Well, yes," he replied, his voice a pathetic shadow of what it was. "Do you have any objections?"
"Rather a lot of them." High on my list was the fact that, anger at Darkrai or not, I still had trouble reconciling myself to being a follower instead of a leader. I'm used to "me against the universe" odds, and when you follow someone, you're restricting the number of options which let you keep your hide intact. I voiced that objection to him, and was surprised to hear a laugh startled out of Arceus.
"If you were that type of person," he said, "The selfish type, the type to run from danger, you would never have gotten where you are. Responsibility is your guiding focus, responsibility to yourself and to your teammates, which is what makes you perfect for the role I want you for."
"I don't follow," I admitted. He'd pegged me dead-on about responsibility, though, and there was no point in denying it. While I like to pretend to be the self-centered mercenary always looking out for number one... I'm not very good at it. I'm far better at letting myself be guided by my conscience.
"You have a responsibility, one you've avoided for too long, to your entire world, Zachary." Arceus looked every inch the stern and forbidding god. "You owe a duty to the world to protect it, as it has protected you."
"How has the world protected me?" I frowned. "It didn't protect my mother, either."
"Your mother made her choices. You have made different ones, and when the time was right, a perfect partner was thrown directly in your path: Beni, I believe she is called. Then you were taught the joy of caring for another when Cammy was born. The world which shaped you has its flaws, Zachary, but it's better than some." He sighed. "Far better than a few. I would ask you to protect it, because it deserves the chance to grow even better. Just as humans deserve the chance to grow mature and wise."
"If we can," I muttered darkly.
"I am not here to argue with you," Arceus said flatly. "If you do not accept this role, and you are the best for it, then it will go to someone else. Are you willing to refuse the responsibility of protecting yourself, your partners, and your world, and place it in the hands of a complete stranger?"
He had me with that. There was no way, once he'd phrased it that way, that I could possibly refuse. I decided to make the best of it.
"Well, I always have liked a challenge. Sure, lay it on me."
I blacked out.
* * *
I awoke some time later. I don't know how long I lay there, but when I came to, Celebi floated over me, looking down at me strangely. I winced, feeling the back of my head for the knot I was sure had to be there. Something must have hit me really hard to knock me out, I thought, but I couldn't even find a scratch.
"What... happened?" I asked. Celebi looked embarrassed, I decided after consideration.
"Arceus put you to sleep," she explained hesitantly. "It was necessary for the modifications."
"Modific... wait, what?"
"Arceus has marked you with his favor." When I gave no sign of understanding, she shook her head. "You have been granted some of his power in exchange for your service."
"Oh." I swallowed. "What'd he give me?"
"Three gifts. First, the mark." She pointed at the back of my hand. I saw three arcs, two vertical and a horizontal one inside of them, superimposed on an X-shape.
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"It's the Mark of Arceus. All of the representatives have it. If any of Darkrai's creatures attack you, show them that mark and they will recognize that you are under Arceus's protection. They will not fight you after that, until the appointed day, ten months from now. To do so before then would anger even Darkrai, because the neutrals would be certain to side with us."
"Let's hope they do that, then."
"The second is the gift of language. You will understand anything said to you as though it were spoken in your native tongue, though not when it's spoken around you." She gave a grin. "Or hadn't you noticed that I'm not speaking in the human language?"
I hadn't, but when she mentioned it I suddenly realized that her voice had become softer and more relaxed. I also realized that her emotions were becoming easier to recognize as I watched. I mentioned that to Celebi.
"Pokemon frequently use emotions to communicate," she explained. "When I have to use the human language, I have to concentrate harder, which makes the words come out sounding hard and stilted. And the emotions are much harder to recognize as well."
I nodded. It made sense. "You said there were three things Arceus gave me," I pointed out. "You've listed two."
"I..." Celebi looked surprised, and a bit annoyed. "I don't know the third," she admitted. "He wouldn't tell me."
"That normal?"
"There's nothing normal about this entire thing."
"Point." I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "What exactly do we do now?"
"Well, that's up to you, at least the future. At present, I take you back to the point in time that you just left, and then start going to get my representative." Celebi smiled at me. "And then, you prepare for ten months to argue with a bunch of prejudiced immortals for the survival of your species.
"It could be worse," I replied.
"How?"
"At least there's no pressure." I winked at her to show I wasn't serious, but in all honesty, I wasn't as concerned as I could be. Well, actually, I was terrified, but there was also a certain sense of relief: I knew my enemy and I knew how to fight him. With those two details, and a place and time for the confrontation set, the only thing that I needed to worry about was my own strength, and more specifically, the strength of my bond with my partners. I had a suspicion that that would be more important than anything else, to the neutral legendaries who I had to convince.
"No... pressure..." Perhaps she'd missed the wink, but she actually smiled. "I think you really believe that, in a way. So let's get you back so you can get started."
"Okay. When do we start?"
She looked away. "We're already there," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
And we were. The surrounding still felt "grey": everything remained motionless, exactly as we'd left it, and I was standing in the precise place I had been standing when Celebi had... Kidnapped? Abducted? The regular verbs didn't seem to work. In any case, however, for all the difference in the scene before me, I may as well have been daydreaming the whole time. A quick glance at the back of my hand put to rest that particular idea, however.
"Well, that's you dropped off," Celebi said briskly. "In about five minutes, Beni will be returning with the news that a vague feeling told her that she was needed here, and in about ten minutes, your other two partners will have returned from their... bath." She seemed to have a hard time restraining a giggle, and I spared a thought wondering why.
"Okay," I agreed amiably. Now that I was back, I was filled with new energy and zeal. It would take ten months of hard training before I was ready to face the duty I had apparently agreed to, but I was eager to begin.
"I'll be leaving you here, then. I must go and claim my representative, and then return to Arceus for further orders."
"Good luck," I offered. Not that she'd need it, if I had to guess.
* * *
Five minutes later, almost exactly (as far as I could tell), I heard the padding of large paws behind me.
"Welcome back, Beni," I said without looking back.
*I had a feeling I was needed,* Beni told me, somewhat embarrassed.
"More or less accurate," I agreed. It would probably be a long day. "Wait for the others, and I'll brief you all at once."
Cammy, Cynthia and Venus arrived somewhat later, most of half an hour. I took dark glee in the fact that Celebi had been off by so much. By then, the magic, if you will, of Arceus's presence and my trip to Celebi's home had worn of somewhat, and I was returning with relief to my usual cynical nature.
"So, here's the deal," I told them as they walked up. They stopped their chatting instantly at hearing my serious tone.
I gave them as much information as Celebi had given me. I left out the gifts that Arceus had given me. First, because I wanted to wait and see what, precisely, they were. Celebi had told me, but I wasn't convinced that they were real. Hallucinations were possible. The mark on my hand, sure, but I'd been knocked out for who knew how long. Any tattoo parlor could have put that on in half an hour or so, and there was that third gift that Celebi hadn't known about. Or at least, she claimed she didn't know. Instead, I kept my hand in my pocket as I told my story. Beni gave me an odd look when I truncated it just after waking up, but she didn't object. I was grateful for small favors; Beni knew how to keep a secret from the others, and I fully intended to get her advice on the whole thing.
"In essence, then, you're our one hope," Cynthia commented.
"Hey, don't have to sound so worried," I replied. I pointed a thumb at my chest. "I'm Zachary Winton-Kincaid. I'll handle it, no sweat!"
*He means, we'll handle it,* Beni corrected firmly.
"All of us," Cammy chorused.
"Mawile!"
Cynthia seemed unable to resist a smile. "Well," she said, "I guess the rest of us mere mortals will have to trudge along in your wake, then," she murmured. I gave her a sympathetic look and shrugged. Clearly, despite her humor, she would much rather have been Arceus's choice. Truth be told, I'd rather she was Arceus's choice. Destinies make me nervous.
Beni's ears cocked forward suddenly, and I turned to see Lucian walking up behind us.
"Rowan and the others have arrived," he said shortly. He seemed annoyed with something. At his appearance, Cynthia's face drained of all emotion.
"Understood," she replied regally. "I shall await them in my cabin." She strode away, not waiting for a reply, and without a backward glance at any of us. With a snarl, Lucian turned on his heel and returned the way he came.
"Just one big happy family," I muttered.
*Indeed.*
I glanced over at the hole in the ground, for what would be the last time, and shook my head.
"Come on, Beni," I commanded. "We're leaving."
*Aren't we going to talk to Professor Rowan?* she asked. I shook my head again, this time in negation.
"No." I frowned in the direction Cynthia had taken. "The League will handle things the way it wants to, but Arceus didn't ask the League to solve this. Not even the Champion. That pleasure," and I put all the irony I could muster into my tone, "was placed on my. My duty." I laughed dryly. "Well, I know how to deal with duties. We're going to go train, and then..." I met the eyes of Venus, Cammy, and Beni in turn. "And then," I concluded, "We're going to go enter a contest in Lilycove."
"You mean we're going to win a contest in Lilycove," Cammy amended, having caught my tone.
"Burning them the way they've never been burned before," I confirmed.
"Chomp them," a tiny voice added from the background. I almost didn't notice it, and put it down to my nerves. I was hearing voices, now.
To Be Continued