Chapter 586: Delta Episode (1)
~Azure S. POV~
[Kanto Region, Weeks Later, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab]
The sun over the Kanto Region was particularly generous today, bathing Professor Oak's sprawling ranch in a golden hue that made the rolling green hills look like something out of a dream. It was the kind of peace I had worked hard to earn, a fleeting stasis between the storms of my life.
I sat on a wooden bench near the shoreline of the ranch's central pond, watching the ripples. In my lap, Manaphy was blowing bubbles, its oversized blue eyes reflecting the sky. Floating just above the water's surface, its sibling, a Phione, mimicked the action, letting out a soft, melodic trill.
The little Prince of the Sea chirped, reaching up with its tiny appendages to poke my nose, "Mana! Manna-fee!"
I chuckled, gently booping it back, "I know, I know. You're hungry again. You've got a bottomless pit for a stomach, don't you?"
A voice called out, "They certainly have your spirit, Azure."
I looked up to see Crystal, Professor Oak's star apprentice and the Johto Dex Holder, walking toward me with a tablet in hand. Her signature pigtails bounced with every step. Behind her, the Professor himself followed, shielding his eyes from the sun.
Crystal said casually, tapping the screen, "The data is looking consistent. Their heart-swap abilities are stabilizing, and their cellular growth since hatching is phenomenal. It's hard to believe they've only been out of their eggs for a few weeks."
Oak added, his voice warm with pride, "It's thanks to the environment here. And your care, Azure. Most trainers would be overwhelmed by a Mythical newborn, let alone two of different species simultaneously."
I shifted slightly, feeling the familiar weight of my companions. Pikachu was draped over my right shoulder, snoozing soundly, while Eevee had claimed the top of my head as a personal nest. Tucked inside the breast pocket of my jacket, a pink tail flicked out—Mew, currently transformed into a Pichu to avoid prying eyes, was snoring rhythmically.
I replied, my shadow lengthening on the grass, "I've had plenty of practice with high-maintenance types."
In that shadow, I felt a slight ripple. A raspy, playful voice echoed in my mind. It was Gengar, her voice dripping with mock offense, 'You're talking about us, aren't you? Honestly, the nerve!'
Darkrai's stoic telepathic voice rumbled from the deeper darkness of the shade, 'Quiet, Gengar. Master is focused.'
*WHOOOSH*
*THUD*
A sudden, sharp whoosh of air punctured the peaceful atmosphere. The grass flattened as two massive shadows descended from the sky. I squinted as a Charizard, its orange scales gleaming like polished copper, landed with a heavy thud, followed closely by a prehistoric screech as an Aerodactyl touched down.
Blue Oak jumped down from Charizard's back, his expression uncharacteristically grim. Red followed, sliding off Aero with a silent, focused nod toward us. Blue greeted us, his eyes locking onto mine, "Grandpa. Crys. Azure."
Oak stepped forward, looking concerned, and asked, "Blue? Red? I wasn't expecting you back from your training session for another few days."
Blue said, his voice clipped, "The training is over."
He turned to me and bluntly asked, "Azure, we need you. Now. Inside the lab."
I raised an eyebrow, shifting Manaphy into Crystal's surprised arms. I asked, confused by their sudden shift in tone, "That's a hell of a greeting, Blue. What's going on? Did Team Rocket decide to have a reunion tour?"
Red didn't speak, but he placed a hand on his belt, his gaze toward the sky. That was all I needed to see.
If Red were this tense, the world would be about to catch fire.
Blue urged, "Just come."
I followed with no jokes, seeing their serious expressions.
That's not a good sign.
The interior of Professor Oak's lab was usually a place of quiet study, smelling of ozone, old paper, and antiseptic. Today, it felt like a war room. Blue led us to the primary command console. He tapped a sequence of keys, and the massive wall-mounted monitor flickered to life…
*Tmp-tmp-tmp*
My breath hitched. This wasn't just a local call.
*BEEP*
The screen was divided into a grid of high-definition video feeds, and the faces staring back were the heavy hitters of the entire Pokémon world. In one frame, Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn, stood tall in his steel-grey suit, his face serious. Next to him stood Zinnia, the Draconid Lorekeeper and assistant to Steven, her arms crossed and a defiant, wild look in her eyes, but she shot a heated glare at me.
*BEEP*
Another frame showed Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, her long blonde hair framing a face of cold, calculated concern. Behind her, the Unova Champion Alder sat with his Elite Four, including Caitlin, who caught my eye.
Caitlin murmured through the speakers, "Azure..."
I remembered our last encounter at the Sinnoh Frontier—I had swept her team using Darkrai Tobias style, and she had practically hissed at me for an hour afterward while throwing a psychic tantrum. She still looked like she wanted to throw a psychic tantrum, but the gravity of the meeting held her back.
*BEEP*
Then there was Diantha from Kalos, looking every bit the movie star even in a crisis, and Leon from Galar, standing beside Chairman Rose and his assistant, Oleana. They were a surprise to see in this meeting.
*BEEP*
Finally, the Paldean contingent: Geeta, the Top Champion, and her Elite Four. Nemona caught sight of me and waved frantically at the camera, her eyes sparkling, and exclaimed, "Azure! It's been too long! We need to battle after this!"
Geeta whispered, though she gave me a respectful nod, "Focus, Nemona."
Geeta and I had worked together during the early development of the Rotom Phone—she was one of the few who knew the full extent of my technical contributions. Nemona pouted but listened.
All eyes were on Steven. Steven said calmly, his voice booming through the lab's speakers, "Everyone is here. Azure, thank you for joining us on such short notice. We don't have time for a full briefing, so I'll be blunt."
I stood between Red and Blue, feeling the weight of the room. Rotom buzzed from within my Arc Phone, which I had placed on the console: "Something feels wrong. The energy readings coming from Steven's feed are off the charts, zzt!"
I asked, crossing my arms, "What's the situation, Steven?"
*Click*
Steven hit a button, and a live astronomical feed replaced the image of the Champions. In the center of the black void was a jagged, glowing mass of rock and crystallized energy. It was beautiful, in a terrifying, world-ending sort of way.
I froze, seeing it as did everyone else. Steven explained, "This is the Grand Meteor Delta… It was detected 48 hours ago entering our solar system. Its trajectory is locked. It isn't passing us by. It's a direct hit."
Red asked, "How long?"
Steven replied with a grim expression in an honest voice, "10 days. Upon impact, the world's ecosystem will collapse. Extinction-level event."
The lab went silent.
I could hear the faint humming of the cooling fans in the computers. 10 days. My mind raced. I knew this. I remembered the Delta Episode from the games back on Earth. But there was a massive discrepancy.
Wait, I thought, my brow furrowing...
The Delta Episode was supposed to happen years ago in this timeline, right around the time of the Heartgold and Soul Silver Arc. But that can't be right…
I fought Deoxys back then. The one that caused this…
I captured both. I thought I had averted this.
Why is the meteor coming now?
The 'plot' had shifted...
Whether it was because of my presence in this world or some other cosmic butterfly effect, the disaster had been delayed and amplified. Steven continued, snapping me out of my thoughts, "We have a plan. Two. First, my father, Mr. Stone, has spent years and a fortune developing the Dimensional Shifter. It's a device capable of opening a warp hole. We plan to attach it to a rocket, launch it at the meteor, and warp the threat into another dimension. But we'll need the life force energy converted into infinite energy."
Zinnia let out a loud, theatrical groan, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck, chiming in, "Your 'science' is a joke, Stone. You're talking about firing a loaded gun into a dark room. You have no idea where that meteor will end up. You could be destroying another world to save your own."
Chairman Rose asked, his voice smooth but edged with impatience, "Then what is your alternative, Lorekeeper?"
Zinnia stepped forward, her eyes burning with a zealot's fire. She looked directly at the camera, her gaze piercing through the monitor and landing on me. She explained, "The Draconids have known of this disaster for a thousand years. The murals in Granite Cave tell the truth. There is only one power capable of shattering the Star Eater. The Dragon Lord, Rayquaza. But it cannot do it alone. It requires a partner, a Lorekeeper or a chosen one, to invoke the Great Evolution—Mega Evolution."
She paused, her lip curling into a smirk, adding, "But as we all know, Azure here decided to be greedy during his Hoenn journey. He 'thwarted' my attempt to commune with the Dragon Lord at Sky Pillar and took Rayquaza for himself."
The gaze of every Champion and Elite Four member shifted onto me. The pressure was physical, but I dismissed it.
Zinnia continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "To save the world, Azure would have to use Rayquaza to ascend to the vacuum of space. He would need to perform Dragon Ascent and Mega Evolve the Dragon Lord to pierce the heart of the meteor. But the murals are clear... the cost of such a feat, the strain of the vacuum and the energy required... the user would not survive the re-entry. It is a suicide mission."
A heavy silence followed. I saw Malva of the Kalos Elite Four smirk behind her hand. I knew her game—she was Team Flare. If I died, one of the biggest obstacles to her organization's goals would be gone.
Caitlin from Unova noticed Malva's expression and narrowed her eyes, but she didn't say a word. I felt a tug on my pant leg.
I looked down. Gengar had partially emerged from my shadow, her red eyes glowing with a rare seriousness, and whispered, 'Boss... don't listen to the crazy dragon lady. We can just hide in the Reverse World with Giratina until this blows over.'
I whispered back, "We are not hiding, Gengar."
I looked at Steven, asking, "You mentioned the Dimensional Shifter is powered by Pokémon life force. Infinity Energy."
Steven nodded solemnly as he continued explaining, "Yes. It converts the bio-energy of Pokémon into a concentrated warp-source. It's efficient, but Zinnia is right about the lack of control over the exit point."
I stepped closer to the monitor, my voice steady, chiming in with my idea, "Here's how we're going to do this. I agree with Zinnia. If I can get close enough, I can destroy the core of the meteor without risking another dimension."
Crystal cried out from behind me, "Azure, you can't be serious! Did you hear her? You'd be going into space! You'll freeze, or suffocate, or burn up!"
I said calmly, turning to look at her, "I don't plan on dying, Crys."
Then I looked back at Steven, continuing, "Steven, if I'm going into the vacuum, I'm not doing it in a t-shirt. I need a suit. Something that can withstand the g-force of Rayquaza's flight and the thermal radiation of re-entry. Can the Devon Corp build it?"
Steven's eyes widened, and then a look of grim determination crossed his face. He replied as he rambled with a sly grin, "We have the blueprints for a high-altitude pressure suit. Originally it was used for deep volcanic or underwater exploration by our scientists Shelly and Tabitha, but... Yes, it could work. With our resources and the help of the data collected… yes. We could have a prototype ready in forty-eight hours."
I nodded in relief, hearing that. But just in case, I said calmly, "Do it. And Steven? Keep the Dimensional Shifter as a last Resort. If I fail, or if I can't break the core, use the rocket. We don't have the luxury of being moral if the alternative is total extinction."
Zinnia pouted, crossing her arms, and exclaimed heatedly, "You think you're so special, don't you? You think you can just command the Dragon Lord and survive where my ancestors couldn't?"
I rolled my eyes, ignoring her envy as I said coldly in a determined tone, "I don't think I'm special, Zinnia; I just have a better track record than your ancestors. I've beaten Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic. I've stared down Kyogre and Groudon, capturing them in the end. Thwart Giovanni's plans and capture Deoxys. And most recently, halting a madman destroying the world, facing off against the Forces of Nature with some help, and winning. I'm not losing to damn a space rock."
Leon shouted from the Galar feed, punching his fist into his palm with a grin, "Spoken like a true Champion! That's the spirit!"
Geeta nodded in agreement and announced, her voice authoritative, "The meeting is adjourned. Steven, coordinate with Azure on the suit specs. Everyone else, begin emergency protocols in your respective regions. Keep the public calm. Do not mention the meteor until we have no other choice. Understood?"
"Understood!"
A chorus of "Understood" echoed across the line before the feeds began to cut out one by one. Nemona blew a kiss to the camera before her screen went black. When the monitor finally went dark, the lab felt smaller, heavier.
Professor Oak sighed, leaning against a desk, and said grimly, "Azure... this is a lot to ask of anyone. Even you."
I said calmly, picking up my Arc Phone, "I'm the only one who can do it, Professor. And besides… I've faced the worst."
Rotom chirped, its digital eyes spinning, "Zzzt! I've already started drafting the life-support requirements for the suit! I'll need to interface with the Devon Corp servers to ensure the integrity of the oxygen scrubbers! No one is suffocating on my watch!"
I smiled, replying, "Thanks, Rotom."
Red walked up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He didn't say a word, but the intensity in his eyes said everything. He was ready to back me up, even if it meant fighting a meteor with his bare hands.
I said calmly, heading for the door with a heavy weight over my shoulders, "I'm going to go make some calls. I need to check in on some friends. If I'm going to space, I need to make sure my team is at their peak."
As I stepped out into the afternoon sun, the world looked the same as it had thirty minutes ago. The Pidgey were still singing, and the grass was still green.
But the clock was ticking.
Gengar popped her head out, looking up at me. She asked, "Hey, Boss?"
I replied, watching her, "Yeah?"
Gengar looked at me sheepishly, putting her hands behind her before asking, "If we do die... can I have your hat?"
I snorted, walking toward the fields where my Rayquaza was coming, answering, "In your dreams, Gengar. In your dreams."
Gengar clicked her tongue, grunting, "Tch. Bet you jinxed it..."
Tch. I can't even argue that fuck...
/////
A/N: Hope you like the chapter! And why I added the Delta Episode is merely to add the new Mega Evolution into the story.