Pokémon Mars

Chapter 73: The New World

Hera's knife drew blood. Volo punched her in the face. He tried to yank her off Nyx, but he also relaxed. There was no more adrenaline to fuel him. Hera's eyes met her niece's as the knife began to sink into her throat. Her wild grin faltered. In the moment she hesitated, Firmino threw his body weight at her. She was hurled off Nyx into the dust. Hadron pinned her down and handcuffed her. Abram rushed to bandage Nyx's wound, but it was surprisingly shallow. The Poké Ball rolled from Hera's pocket. Volo snatched it back. He was about to snap that she was no granddaughter of his, but he too hesitated. What stopped her? She had never faltered when killing anyone before. She killed like a machine.

'It goes without saying that you're under arrest for multiple murders, attempted world destruction and aiding an evil team, Hera Lucine Harmonia.'

'Whatever, mate... hahahahaha! Even me! Even me. Wow. Whatever...'

Volo was sure that if Nyx's life was ever truly at risk, Arceus would have intervened. It would never have let Hera steal that part of it. She provided the answer herself as Hadron marched her off.

'Oi, Nyx. Do tell your mum to enjoy her nauseatingly pure, not-wasted little life. Love, the best mate you never had. Hessie.'

Nyx couldn't immediately unravel that bizarre proclamation, but Volo knew what it meant. Hera spared Nyx because she saw her mother in her. Karot was supposedly her best friend, but it was hardly a true friendship. It was a back-scratching exchange. She only ever befriended Heather to spy on her and use her – under the fake name Hessie – but Heather believed she was her first true friend. She treated her as such. Muirne truly believed that although it didn't diminish Hera's evilness, she did come to care for Heather. She believed that she would have taken up Heather's offers of a home on the ranch and studying in Orre to become a Pokémon Professor, instead of pursuing Arceus, but it was too late. She had already killed people and Pokémon. Muirne's loved ones thought she was delusional for believing that, but perhaps it was true after all. Volo certainly thought it was.

Kazuki stared at Groudon's Ultra Ball. He would have loved nothing more than to keep it to terraform Mars there and then, but... he held it out to Arceus.

'This Groudon doesn't belong here. Almighty Arceus, please return it to its own world.'

Firmino joined him with Kyogre's Poké Ball.

'And Kyogre. Sorry. I almost forgot.'

They could have sworn they saw a flicker of a smile on Arceus' face.

'Halt.'

Hadron's back was to Arceus, but he somehow knew it was speaking to him.

'Thou cannot survive outside my realm without thine helmet. In honour of the sacrifice of the Split Hero, I bestow upon this new world the Forces of Nature.'

The Poké Balls disappeared from Kazuki's and Firmino's hands. From the dust of the cannon, a blur of orange emerged. Landorus flew over their heads before disappearing into the distance. Despite Kyogre's disappearance, rain clouds gathered. Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. With it came Thundurus. Mt. Coronet was far higher than the clouds usually sat. As Thundurus flew off, its rain clouds formed a dreary blanket over the Martian landscape. Next came vicious wind. The clouds were disturbed as Tornadus flew over them. Finally came the personification of the seemingly endless Martian winter: Enamorus. It flew off in a blur of pink, like the first blossoms of spring.

The full power of their arrival couldn't be felt at the peak of Mt. Coronet. It was, however, noted at every lab on Mars. Labs as well as Ironville's bubble depressurised automatically. The residents of the Birch Lab screamed when they saw the pressure gauges drop suddenly to zero, yet they were breathing. Their equipment said the air outside was perfectly breathable. Betty ran to the airlock. There was no need to pressurise it. The pressure inside was exactly the same as it was outside. Betty opened the door to feel rain on her face.

Arceus protected those who lost their helmets atop Mt. Coronet until they descended to breathable air. Before anyone could turn for one last look at Arceus, it disappeared.

Outside Delta Lab 3, Thalassa and Callerya pulled their helmets off. They glanced at each other as if to check they weren't suffocating. It was hard to believe until they caught a glimpse of a blue sky through the clouds as the sun rose. Three trails streaked across the dawn: gold, pink and blue. Before the lake guardians returned to their reinvigorated homes to guard their respective lakes once again, Uxie appeared briefly before Thalassa. Mesprit flew low over Nyx's head. Returning to its lake in the Olivine Canyon, Azelf smiled at Jin marvelling over the stream that flowed through the canyon as it did billions of years ago.

The Palossand that Callerya befriended frantically pressed the panic button that she left for them. She was startled when she saw the alert on her phone, but Palossand turned the camera to a glorious sight: a tiny, elegant Pokémon that left blossoming flowers and lush grass wherever it stepped.

'Shaymin... thank you, Arceus! Thank you!'

Peering over her shoulder, Nyx nudged Volo.

'Bet you didn't think your new world would look like this.'

'No... the world I imagined was, frankly, empty and miserable. This is much better! But let's not call it "my" world. I never intended to make Mars habitable, of all things...'

'No, Gramps. It is your world. The world you didn't know was the world you needed to make. Without destroying a thing.'

'Maybe so. But it's our world. This was made possible by the knowledge, love and willpower of everyone here. Well, everyone who wasn't in Team Genesis or Cipher.'

'Yeah. I'll let you have that.'

Delta Lab 3 became a temporary prison. Before Natsumi followed her friends to the Team Aqua bus that was half repainted in Team Genesis colours, she paused by the room where Wish was held. Then she knocked. Praise peered around the door and uncertainly let her in. Wish was no longer handcuffed, but he didn't try to escape. Natsumi expected to be terrified by him. He looked like a lost child.

'Look... I don't know you. I don't want to make assumptions about what you want to hear, but... I know what my great-grandma would want me to tell you. She loved you with all her heart. She didn't want to give you up. And I don't think your dad did, either. I think that's partly why he became... the way he was. He lost the only happiness he ever had...'

'I know.'

'...Do you?'

'I consider my adoptive parents my parents. But I'm psychic. I've been haunted by visions of my biological parents since I was a small child. I assume they're both dead by now, so they will never know... but I named my daughter Kyra. I wanted to find my father as much as I wanted to conquer Arceus, if not more so... and I took Karot in because he is my mother's great-grandson. I couldn't bring myself to kill Volo because he looks like her. I doubt anyone will believe me, but I did not become the Seri League Champion to use my title for wrongdoing. Team Genesis didn't exist then. I had no intention of forming a villainous team. I fought for that title because I wanted to be like my mother. I wanted her to be proud of me. And until I die, I will regret throwing away my life instead of approaching her. If that's of any consolation to her descendants... it was proved today that there will always be spirit... emotion, knowledge and willpower. There's no point in cowering behind foolish pride. If my actions have harmed you or your loved ones in any way, I apologise...'

'Forget it... I probably couldn't forgive you if I was Daeng, but I'm angrier with Karot. Oh – and Rudolph and his pals.'

'That man is revolting. As is his accomplice, that excuse for a mother...'

'Well, they're locked up now.'

'Are you sure?'

'...Huh? Yeah... of course they are. Why...?'

'I'm psychic.'

'You... mean you, like, know... they escaped or something...?'

'My mind is clouded. But I would advise caution. Assume they are free and watch your back.'