Chapter 9:
Rise of the Redeemed
Disclaimer: Pokemon and all related themes are copyrighted to Nintendo. Sarah, the Mäyto, and related themes are owned by me.
It wasn't until an hour later that Sarah finally broke the surface. She had to be careful on the climb. One false moved would bring the loose tunnel collapsing in on the others. But luckily, it held long enough for them all to climb out to safety.
The rising sun blinded them all for a moment. Sarah was the first to unshield her eyes and look. Was it her imagination or was the sun getting closer? Suddenly it shot up from the ground to directly over their heads.
For a moment, they all stared between their hands. But then the light faded to show a small floating form. Sarah recognized it from the shrine picture. Mew, messenger of the Spirits was floating before them!
"Sarah, descendent of the Mäyto," the Mew spoke with a soft voice. "For the sake of the world, you disowned your family and destroyed their greatest treasure. The Great Spirits owe you a great thanks." The Mew bowed in midair.
Sarah laughed and shook her head. "It was nothing." Luke put an arm over her shoulder, smiling brightly into her eyes.
"No, it was a great sacrifice. For it, you shall no longer be called a Mäyto. You and your children and your children's children shall be called the Sanyä."
Sarah smiled at it. It literally translated to "Redeemed of the fallen." She gave her own bow. "I am honored."
"But, to prevent such a disaster from happening again, the Spirits have deemed it best that you be stripped of your powers."
Sarah shot up and took a step back in shock. Luke threw a protective arm across her. "You can't!"
"Please. This gift is what makes me me. You can't just take that away."
The Mew closed its eyes, but then drew them up to the sky. Several seconds passed in anxious silence. It brought its gaze back down. "The Spirits are merciful. You may keep you gift."
Sarah breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"However, from here forth, you and your line shall never bear more than one child. Thus will it be till your line shall end."
"We'll take it."
The Mew nodded and slowly floated towards her. "Then go with the Spirit's blessing." The Mew brought its tail around and touched it to Sarah's forehead. With a quick flash, it vanished.
Right then, the real sun peaked over the horizon.
Sarah and Luke fell into each other's arms, glad to be together once again and this whole journey ended. For minutes, they simply watched the sun rise and cast red light across the sky.
"Next time someone comes asking me to take some kind of perilous journey, remind me to say no."
Luke laughed at her sudden comment. He kissed her on the top of her head. "I told you so."
She gave him a smack on the back. But they both knew it was from love.
"Ehhem." Oak broke the silence and they turned back to him. "I don't mean to intrude, but there are a lot of Pokemon waiting for me to get back to the lab."
"And I just want to get back home," Ivysaur added jokingly.
Sarah laughed. "I'll get us home." She released Luke and shifted into an Alakazam. Using a quick Teleport, the group split for their separate ways: Oak back to his lab and the others back to the house.
--
That night, Sarah lay in the moonlight, Luke sleeping soundly next to her. Her mind was still completely awake from all of the events.
There was a low scuffle and a dark form jumped lightly onto the bed. Sarah wasn't worried. It was only Lars. He crept up the bed and stopped around her chest. "So how was the trip?"
Sarah gave a quick shrug of her shoulder. "Ok." She'd tell him all about it later.
"Yeah. Right. Ivysaur already told me everything."
She made a mental note to Vine Whip him later.
"I bet now you're wishing you'd taken my advice."
She thought for a moment before answering. "In a way, I do. But I still think it's better that I did this."
Lars gave a sigh. "Am I the only one that's even half-sane in this house?" He turned tail and jumped off the bed, making scuffles in the carpet on his way out the door.
Sarah tossed the idea in her head. If she could have avoided the whole event with the Mäylong crystal and Millar, would she still have gone through with it?
After a few minutes of debating, she decided she would. Because of what she did, she'd created a slightly brighter future.
Both for her and her child.
And so another adventure of Sarah "Shaiya" Adams comes to a close. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. Let me know in the review. (And no, there won't be another surprise chapter this time, so get all thoughts out now.)
Special thanks to Felix the Eeveetrainer, the beta reader for this story.
P.S. At this time, there are no plans for another sequel. Too many sequels will ruin the specialness of the first pieces of work. (Just look at Pirates of the Caribbean if you don't believe me)
However! I am willing to let people "continue the Mäyto bloodline" as it were. If you'd like to use this as the basis for a story, let me know.