Now we're really getting into the climax with this chapter...Surprising twists...surprising cameo...and surprising changes at the end! Hope you guys are enjoying this part of the story. It's my favorite, at least.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Pluto led the group of teenagers, Mars, and Rowan into the Neo-Team Galactic base. They passed very few agents on the way to the basement. Below stood a line of cells that contained a group of Aquapolians.
“Mom! Dad!” Ashley exclaimed, running to the bars as the McCauleys turned to see their son and daughter enter the room. They stepped forward to where Ashley and David gripped the bars, tears filling their eyes.
“Mom, Dad, you’re safe!” Samantha cried out, stepping forward toward her own parents.
“Grandpa, grandma.” Chichiri stepped forward to his grandparents.
“Michael!” Allison ran to the bars, putting out her hand for Michael to grip in his.
“Who are all these people?” Rowan asked, his eyes widening at the site.
“Hostages,” Pluto said. “In case we had to escape from the authorities or a stand-off occurred.”
Mars turned to him. “How much of a chance is there that the leader will notice if we take them away now?”
“Zero chance. She already has the Daughter of Shadow and Light and what she needs to raise Giratina.”
Mars frowned. “We need to stop her.”
“Leave that to the rest of the Legendary Team. For now, we need to make sure we get all of these people to safety and stop the other commanders from helping Aphrodite.”
“Aphrodite?” Mars’ eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah. I’m entirely sure that’s not her real name,” he said as he opened the cells. “I’ll take you all to the Pokemon Center in Eterna.” He turned back. “Rowan, Mars, you’ll help stop the commanders. Look for three young men with large Galactic symbols on their chests. One of them, however, is on our side. His commander name is Hermes, but his real name is Colin Birch.”
“Wait a minute!” Rowan exclaimed, his eyebrows drawing together as he frowned. “You mean the boy who kidnapped Katharine? This was part of your plan?!” His voice grew louder, causing several of the people in the room, teenagers and adults alike, to flinch. “What if she succeeds in raising Giratina? There is no Chosen One to help us now!”
“Wrong,” Mars said. Everyone turned to look at her. “We have the Dimensional Warrior. She may not be as powerful as the Chosen One, but she contains some of Giratina’s power and is powerful in her own right.”
Rowan relaxed and nodded.
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All four commanders gathered in the Temple of Dimension around Aphrodite, who held a sharp dagger in her hand. She smiled at Katie, who struggled against the chains that held her to the wall. Katie tried to make eye contact with Colin, but he looked away each time.
“Stand back,” Aphrodite motioned to her commanders, who did as she said. Colin and Pluto exchanged glances, and Colin nodded, glancing back toward the table. The Red Chain laid there, spread out amongst the orbs. However, the links on its surface were not fully formed. It was incomplete, but Aphrodite did not notice as she stepped forward, raising the dagger to Katie’s arm, her eyes narrowing.
“Soon, I will bring forth a new universe…and be its goddess.”
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Kirio, Scarlet, and Cyrus were almost to the Temple of Dimension. They wound around several passageways, Kirio in the lead. Thoughts rushed through his head, most of them focused on saving his daughter.
Cyrus and Scarlet’s thoughts were on what had occurred in the Temple of Dimension nearly two decades beforehand. The memory was painful for Cyrus to think of, and Scarlet shivered at the scene the Chosen One had shown her only a year after it had taken place. They had to stop Katie from suffering the same fate.
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The group gathered in the Eterna Pokemon Center was tired and restless. The newest members of the Legendary Team glanced around at each other, unsure of what to do now. Finally, David addressed the crowd.
“We’re going back up Coronet to help save Katie,” he said, his blue eyes flashing.
“What?” Mrs. Lynn spoke up, her eyes widening. “It’s dangerous up there.”
“David,” his father said sternly. “Leave this to the real Legendary Team.”
“We ARE the real Legendary Team, Dad!” Ashley shot back. Her parents were startled by her reaction. She fixed them with her blue gaze. “We traveled with Katie…we faced up against Neo-Team Galactic before. We’re fighting to stop them from taking control of one of the six powers. If I’m not mistaken, that’s more than enough to qualify us to be part of the Legendary Team!”
There was silence. Then, Mars spoke up. “She’s right.” She turned to the newest Legendary Team members. “Rowan and I will go with you.”
Michael reluctantly let go of his sister’s hand. “I’m going, too.” The others turned to him. He sighed. “I owe Katie big time for not turning me in to the police. Besides…these people kidnapped Allison, too. I won’t forgive them for it.”
“It’s decided then,” Samantha said, turning back to her parents. “We’re going to help Katie.”
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The wind whipped through the peaks of Mt. Coronet, stirring my hair up around my head in a blustery cloud of gold. The mountain was just as I had remembered it. My eyes were focused on the Spear Pillar. Right below it was the Temple of Dimension.
I closed my eyes. “I’m already too late.”
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Katie’s eyes widened as Aphrodite slid the knife across her arm, wetting it with blood before drawing away. She turned around, careful not to spill any of Katie’s blood. Katie shook with both anger and terror at what was to come as Aphrodite raised the knife to the altar, sprinkling some of the blood over the Red Chain.
“I hearby sacrifice the blood of the Daughter of Shadow and Light, the daughter of the Chosen One and born to both angel and demon. I give the blood to you, the power of dimension, in exchange for you coming to our dimension and aiding me in my mission to remake this world.”
She held the knife above her head. Somewhere, Katie could hear a clock chiming. What time was it? She counted 12 tolls.
“Arise! Giratina!”
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Something rang through Scarlet’s head, causing her to stop short a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. Cyrus and Kirio skidded to a halt, turning back to see if she was okay. “No,” she said, pressing her hands against her ears. “Go on ahead…I’m fine.”
Kirio nodded and continued down the steps. Cyrus, however, froze where he stood, staring out into empty space. When he noticed Cyrus wasn’t following him, Kirio swung around.
“What’s wrong?”
Cyrus’ shoulders fell. “We’re too late.”
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The air around the cave entrance that led to the Temple of Dimension sparked with power. The new Legendary Team members stopped and stared, unsure what to do.
“She’s done it!” Mars shouted. “She’s raised Giratina!” She stared in horror at the space in front of the cave entrance. “What is this?” She muttered to herself. “Could she have opened up spaces to the Dimensional World?”
“Impossible,” Rowan said, running up to stand by her. “Cyrus himself didn’t accomplish that.”
David turned around. “What do we do now?”
Mars frowned. “Stay together and follow me.” She started to walk toward the entrance, a determined look set on her face.
“Wait…Mars!” Rowan shouted. She didn’t stop. “You don’t know what will happen…”
She looked back, her eyes narrowing. “I know what will happen if Aphrodite succeeds in destroying this world.” She turned back to the entrance and disappeared inside. One by one, the Legendary Team followed after her.
Rowan sighed, glancing up at the peaks above them. His eyes widened in astonishment at the glimpse he caught of flowing golden hair and Aquapolian crystal blue eyes on a cliff in the distance. The figure seemed to spot him and swung around, disappearing behind the cliff face.
“Kris…tal?” Rowan whispered to himself before he stepped into the cave entrance, thoroughly convinced he had just seen the Chosen One for the first time in decades.
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The chains fell away from Katie’s wrists, causing her to pitch forward onto the cold floor. She world spun around her for a few minutes before her eyes focused. She gasped and pushed herself to a sitting position, wincing at the pain rushing through her arm. She glanced down to where Aphrodite’s knife had sliced it. Only a thin red line was left. She gazed back up at the walls around her. They were covered in completely different ruins…and were white marble instead of stone. She was no longer in the Temple of Dimension. And she was alone. She pushed herself to her feet, glancing around with wide, frightened eyes.
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Aphrodite’s eyes traveled up to the ceiling, widening at the figure before her. “Giratina…” She whispered, swinging around to face her commanders. “I did it!” She trailed off when she realized they weren’t there. She frowned. “They’ll be along before I destroy this dimension,” she muttered to herself.
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“Go down that passageway and make sure no one enters the main chamber,” Apollo said to Colin.
Colin frowned. “How do we know if anyone’s going to get in here?”
Apollo sighed. “Anyone who enters the vicinity of the Temple of Dimension will wind up in this place.” He glared at Colin. “Go now.”
Colin glared back and started to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped.
Apollo frowned. “Keep going, Hermes.”
Colin gritted his teeth, his purple eyes sliding to the floor. A rush of psychic energy flew through the air. Apollo barely had enough time to throw up a barrier before he crashed into the space around him.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” He demanded. Poseidon reluctantly stepped forward, his green eyes on Colin. Colin narrowed his own eyes at the black-haired commander.
“Sorry…but this is where our mission ends,” he said, rushing forward to attack Apollo once again.
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“Where are we?” Scarlet muttered, scanning the marble over their heads.
“The Dimensional World,” Cyrus said simply, starting forward down the chamber. Scarlet and Kirio stared after him, not moving to follow him. Neither knew what to do…and then they looked at each other, and Scarlet screamed.
Cyrus whirled around, ready to attack whatever had caused the young Champion to scream in terror, then froze. He had known beforehand that the Dimensional World could effect its inhabitants in strange ways, but he hadn’t expected what he saw in front of him.
Gone were Scarlet and Kirio, the adult Champion and the CEO of Akagi International. In there place were Scarlet and Kirio, the young, sixteen-year-old Pokemon trainers. Unexpectedly, the Dimensional World had turned back time, and transformed the two Aquapolians into the ages they had been when the Great War ended.
Scarlet turned to Cyrus, a helpless and terrified look in her golden eyes. “What’s going on?!” She demanded, then slapped a hand over her mouth, surprised at how young her voice sounded. She slowly pulled it away in horror. “Did I change, too?”
Cyrus nodded, turning away to look back down the corridor. They didn’t have time to stand around and wonder at the odd eccentricities of the Dimensional World. “I would have changed, too,” he said, turning to give them a wry smile. “If I hadn’t died at the end of the war.”