Pokemon Legends Beyond

Sinnoh Part 10

"That cave down there is where Azelf is," Cynthia called over to Vilnis as they flew over Lake Valor. She nudged her Garchomp who began to descend. Vilnis and Dragonite followed close behind. After they landed in front of the cave, Cynthia returned Garchomp to its Pokeball. "Azelf will recognize me, but I'm not sure how it will react to seeing you."

"I'll be ready," Vilnis said. He turned to Umbreon, his faithful partner. "Be ready for battle." Umbreon nodded in understanding. Vilnis then followed Cynthia into the cave.

In the center of the cave was a shallow pool of sparkling water, but no sign of Azelf or the Adamant Orb.

"It's empty," Vilnis said.

"Not quite," Cynthia replied. "Azelf, show yourself!" The pool of water began to shimmer with a bright light that filled the cave. After the light faded away, Azelf was there, staring at Vilnis. "It looks like Azelf is curious about you. You will need to be the one to ask for the Adamant Orb."

"Right," Vilnis nodded. "Azelf, please listen to me. A group of really bad people summoned Giratina to open a portal to Arceus's dimension. They're trying to take Arceus's power and oppress all of the people and Pokemon that live here in the Sinnoh region. They took my friend as a hostage and I'm afraid that they'll hurt him if we don't stop them. That's why we came here to ask you to grant us the Adamant Orb so we can summon Dialga and go after those people."

Azelf didn't move for a moment after hearing Vilnis's plea. It then floated upwards and radiated a light that temporarily blinded Vilnis and Cynthia. They were no longer in the cave. They were on some kind of battlefield that looked somehow familiar.

"That's me!" Vilnis said, surprised. He saw himself standing at the battlefield next to Professor Sycamore and his brother Ezra. "Could this be after I defeated Ezra?"

"I believe Azelf is showing us one of your memories," Cynthia theorized.

Back on the battlefield, Vilnis was taking the Infinity Badge from Ezra. He had a cold look on his face as he turned away and walked to the locker rooms.

"I remember this," Vilnis said. "This is when my brother confronted me." The memory changed to when Ezra joined Vilnis in the locker room.

"Vilnis, can I speak with you?" Ezra said.

"You want to speak with me?" Vilnis replied in an angered voice. "So now, after seven years you want to talk!? You left me! You never even once called or visited me to see how I was! You didn't care to speak until you knew that I was your opponent! So, no, we can't talk. You aren't even worth five minutes of my time!"

"That's not right," Vilnis said, confused at the memory. He turned to Cynthia. "I never said any of that. How could this be a projection of my memory if I never said any of that."

The memory changed again. This time, it was at Spear Pillar. Commander V had just stepped through the portal with Akito as her hostage. They were gone in an instant as the portal closed. Vilnis and Cynthia saw the memory of Vilnis screaming out and slamming his fist on the ground and Ashley trying to comfort him after seeing their friend taken.

"Get off me!" Vilnis shouted, pushing Ashley off of him. "I can't believe they took Akito!" Vilnis began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself in a panic.

"Vilnis, Stop!" Marco shouted. He had a serious look on his face. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down!?" Vilnis said angrily. "You're telling me to calm down after they took Akito!?" Vilnis ran at Marco with his fist pulled back. "Don't tell me to calm down!" He slammed his fist into Marco's face out of rage.

"But that never happened!" Vilnis called out. He turned to Cynthia again. "You were there, Cynthia. That never happened. Why is Azelf showing us false memories?"

"I think Azelf is projecting a visual of what you feel in your heart," Cynthia said. "You may not have said or done these things, but you have felt them at some point, isn't that right?"

"Oh," Vilnis said. He gripped his fist at his chest. "I suppose you're right. Maybe I did have these feelings of anger and rage before. But that's not who I am. That's not who I want to be."

"Then maybe you should show Azelf who you really are," Cynthia smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Right," Vilnis closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts back to a very specific memory. Suddenly, the scene around them changed. They were outside of Prism Tower, standing in a crowd of civilians and reporters. Up on the stage, stood Vilnis.

"It wasn't too long ago when I actually became a Pokemon Trainer. I was unsure of myself and the skills it took to be a trainer. But along the way, I met some wonderful people who taught me how to believe in myself and how to believe in my Pokemon. They pushed me to break through my limits and inspired me every day. I would not have been able to make it to the finals in the Infinity Cup. I would not have been able to win the Infinity Badge. I would not have been able to become the Champion without all of these people. They are my very best friends and my family. So I swear to you, Kalos region, that I will do whatever it takes to inspire, lead, and protect everyone here as your new Champion!"

"I am the Champion of Kalos!" Vilnis proudly stated. "I made a vow to do all I could to protect people and Pokemon. Azelf, the people and Pokemon of Sinnoh are in danger and we need to do all we can! Please lend us the Adamant Orb!"

The memory faded and Vilnis and Cynthia were back in the cave. Azelf then began to circle around Vilnis. A vibrant blue orb materialized in front of Vilnis and he reached out and grabbed it.

"Thank you, Azelf," Vilnis said. "Thank you for seeing what's in my heart. I promise I will do all that I can to help protect Sinnoh." Vilnis and Cynthia exited the cave and called out Dragonite and Garchomp once again, preparing to fly back to Spear Pillar.

"Vilnis," Cynthia said. "It takes a skilled person to become a Champion. But even more, they have to learn to grow and adapt. You showed Azelf that you once had anger and malice in your heart, but you overcame that. I'm glad to see that you are proud to call yourself a Champion."

"Thank you, Cynthia," Vilnis said, mounting Dragonite. "Now, let's go save Akito!"