Pokemon - Evil Reborn

Chapter 25 - Three Years

"Toby! Are you all right?!" Nelly asked as I rushed to her.

"I'm fine. We need to get out of here." I replied, bending down to lift Jayden.

"You'll pay for this!" Tobi roared, fighting for control of his sword. Just then, it shook violently, throwing him back a few steps. His arms flailed upwards, and he released the purple Soul Emerald. That one was the one I had given him in return for Jayden in the first place. I watched it spin up and over the room, spiralling all the way towards us. I turned and readied my hands for the catch.

"No!" Tobi growled, before swearing. Neira sprang into action, taking off from his side. The hangar was full of old equipment, especially big boxes of junk. Neira jumped up onto a box and sprang to another, taller one, all without losing momentum. Using her strong legs, she put her gymnastic capabilities to good use, launching herself high out over the ground. Her fingers closed around a metal rung — one of many that kept the ceiling up. With her momentum, the bottom half of her body swung forward.

I jumped up to meet the gemstone, but Neira got there first. She trapped it between her feet at the very tip of her swing. I watched on in anger and amazement. Gravity caused her to swing back down, where she released the metal bar and landed silently on her toes. She plucked the Soul Emerald from her feet and ran back to Tobi.

"Good work, Neira." Tobi smirked. "You see, you fool?" He was addressing me now. "You may have survived, but you haven't accomplished anything! I have the emeralds, and that boy is dead! Whatever you did to the Ryuusei Blade doesn't matter! In a few days, I'll have it at full strength, and I will receive power that surpasses that of a God!"

"I won't let that happen!" I gritted my teeth.

"Then you'd better start stopping me." He cackled. The sword smacked into a nearby canister, and smoke hissed out into the room. The screen allowed the two of them to escape, leaving me standing in frustration.

"I'm sorry..." I knelt down beside Nelly, looking at Jayden's body. "It's all my fault..."

"It's not..." She croaked. "None of this is..."

"No... It is..." I interlocked my fingers with the boy's unmoving hand. Then I thought back to a few weeks prior — it could have even been months. When I had seen Jayden on the hill in Fuchsia City... "There's something I haven't told you..." I said. "I saw Jayden a while ago..."

I explained to her what had happened, and what we had talked about. At the end, she just stared at her son. "But... He..."

"I did something differently..." I breathed. "I... Felt something different... Something that didn't happen in the future he came from..." I looked towards the door, where everyone else had escaped.

"...Is it her...? Is she the reason why...?" Nelly shook. "Lydia... She's the reason my baby is dead...?"

I stared at the floor. "...No... It isn't her fault... I told you, it's mine... If I was stronger, Tobi wouldn't have killed him..."

"But... I... Jayden..." She sniffed. I let her have her moment, while I walked over to the cage in the middle of the room. Celebi was still held captive in it. Her face was wet with tears, and her wings were droopy and sad.

"Celebi..." I spoke.

"Jay... He's gone..." She wept.

"I'm sorry... Is there nothing you can do...?" I begged.

"No... Jayden wasn't from this time... I can't reverse time for him here..."

"I see... Stand back, Celebi."