6/13/2013 Route 103, Hoenn Region, 8:14 AM (19 Months After First Visit to Equestria)
Orion had been jogging with Alex for the good whole of 2 hours. They made it to the edge of the river that separated Route 103 and Route 110. They then headed off to get some breakfast at a family run diner in Odale Town. Alex liked dining in independent restaurants like that, because if there’s anything he’s learned from all of the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives episodes that he’s seen, that mom and pop places like that always served the best food. Alex walked in with Orion and they both grabbed a booth. Alex took a quick glance at the menu and put it down, already certain with what he wanted to order. Orion took his time however.
“Hello Alex and Orion, my two favorite customers,” said a woman in her mid-50’s with a pot of coffee in traditional waitress garb.
“Hiya Maybelline,” greeted Alex and Orion simultaneously.
She poured them both a mug of piping hot coffee. “I’m guessing you want the usual mushroom, swiss, and bacon skillet and a glass of grepa berry juice, right Alex?” asked Maybelline.
“You know best,” he said smiling, giving her the menu.
Orion decided on two poached eggs on toast with a fruit salad on the side and that he’d be fine with coffee. She took his menu and placed their orders.
“So how is Twilight?” asked Alex to Orion.
“What are you talking about?” asked Orion.
“You have the ability to travel to Equestria right? Don’t you visit her or something?”
“No,” replied Orion, “I write letters, and I just found out how to use my magic to send them off to Twilight. It’s kind of similar to how Spike would do it.”
“How does she respond?” asked Alex.
“Wouldn’t she require a large amount of energy to send a letter off to our world?”
“Princess Celestia just forwards her mail; she’s powerful enough to send letters to our house.”
“Okay,” said Alex.
“So I go back to my original question: How is Twilight?”
“Oh, she’s fine.” said Orion. “Also, you'll like this, Rainbow Dash made the Wonderbolts.”
“Really,” said Alex. “Good for her.”
Once Orion, mentioned her name, Alex remembered how much he missed her.
“And,” continued Orion “Gilda was released from Canterlot on the count of good behavior last fall. Rainbow Dash then got her a spot in the Wonderbolts.”
“Fantastic,” said Alex.
Maybelline came around to refill Orion’s mug. Orion and Alex kept quiet around others when talking about their adventures in Equestria, so as to avoid looking crazy.
Once Maybelline was out of earshot, Orion continued. “Fluttershy says that the pidgey she took in turned into a Pidgeot.”
“Already?” said Alex surprised. “Damn, she’s good.”
“Haven’t heard much about Rarity, but Twilight says she’s fine as well. Pinkie Pie’s ‘parents’ Mr. and Mrs. Cake had babies.”
“Aww, good for them,” said Alex.
“Applejack says that something called zap apple harvest was underway, and that they wish they could send us some of the famous jam that they make with it. But as you, know we’re a little too busy to tour to stop by and chit chat. For as powerful as my wand has become, I can’t just zip into both worlds any time; it still drains a large amount of energy. We only get these couple of days off before we get back on the road.”
Maybelline stopped at their table to drop off their food. The rest of the conversation would have to wait until after breakfast.
6/13/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 8:55 AM
Alex and Orion lived in a large mansion with the rest of their Lamss members east of Petalburg in the northern part of Route 102. They had just eaten and were sore from their jog, so they did not want do anything faster than a leisurely walk. Which made them perfect prey for a stalker hiding in a nearby tree. The two friends were about a half a mile from their home when Orion saw something from the corner of his eye. He instinctively tackled Alex down.
“Orion, what the hell?” asked Alex.
Orion pointed at the ground about a foot from Alex’s face. There was a white, metallic feather with a green end that stuck in the ground. The feather then disappeared in a flash of white light. Orion got out his wand and began looking in all directions to see where his enemy would strike next. He then saw a long skinny leg on a tree branch. The rest of the body that it belonged to was covered in shadows. It was enough for Orion, as he casted a well aimed spell at the branch. The creature that was standing on the branch fell under it when it broke. However, the assailant landed nimbly on the ground, standing up in an offensive stance.
Orion could then see that the assailant was a Gardevoir, almost the same size as him. What was different about this particular gardevoir was that she had a strange device on her arm. Her forearm had a silver gauntlet on it. On the gauntlet was an ellipse shaped silver pod with an orange center with five large white and green feathers that stemmed outwards towards the same direction as the gardevoir's elbow as she held her left arm in front of her with her fist aimed to her right, like one would hold a duel disk. Come to think of it, it looked like a duel disk from the way it formed at a 90° angle from the top of the forearm. These suspicions were confirmed when they found that the gauntlet had its own wrist dealer. Orion looked surprised at discovering what this was.
“What is that thing you’re wearing?” asked Orion genuinely interested.
“That’s none of your concern,” said the gardevoir coldly in English.
“You can speak English too?” asked Orion.
“Enough questions!” she barked.
She then pointed at Alex, who looked a bit frightened at her dominating personality. “I know you,” she said. “You’re that guitarist from that one rock band. I looks like I’ve hit the jackpot tonight. Alex Morrison, I challenge you to a duel! If you lose, I take all of your cards and all of your money.”
Orion then stepped forward. “He doesn’t have his deck on him,” he said, “but I do.”
He then turned his wand into his duel disk. Although new to this, the gardevoir remained stoic and firm.
“Impressive,” she said. “Let’s change the wager then. If I win, you give me your neat little wand and your deck.”
“And if I win, you have to assist me.”
“Assist you?” asked the gardevoir amused at his seemingly light wager. “What kind of a bet is that?”
“Something worth more than both of our artifacts combined.”
Seeming like an easy win for her, the gardevoir said, “You’re on!”
“Hold on,” said Orion. “I don’t even know your name.”
“Why are you so interested in me?” asked the gardevoir annoyed.
“It’s a sign of respect to know my enemies’ names.”
“Helena,” she relented quietly. “My name is Helena.”
“Orion,” said Orion.
“Now that we got that out of the way, shall we do this?”
“Yes,” replied Helena. “Let’s.”
“DUEL!” they both cried.
Helena vs. Orion
Helena’s Turn: Helena activates Polymerization, sending Photon Lizard and Photon Sabre Tiger from her hand to the graveyard to fusion summon Twin Photon Lizard (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1000). Next, Helena activates Twin Photon Lizard’s effect, sending it to the graveyard to special summon the fusion material monsters from her graveyard, choosing Photon Lizard (ATK: 900 DEF: 1200) and Photon Saber Tiger (ATK: 2000 DEF: 300). Helena overlays Photon Lizard and Photon Sabre Tiger to xyz summon Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction (ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000).
Helena places 2 cards face down and ends her turn.
Status: Hand-1 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2
Orion’s Turn: Orion summons Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki (ATK: 200 DEF: 2000). When Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki is summoned, Orion can special summon a Six Samurai monster from his hand, choosing Legendary Six Samurai – Shinai (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500). When Orion controls a Legendary Six Samurai – Shinai, he can special summon Legendary Six Samurai – Mizuho from his hand (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1000). Orion overlays Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki, Legendary Six Samurai – Shinai, and Legendary Six Samurai – Mizuho to xyz summon Number 111: Tricky Imp (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1500). Orion activates Number 111: Tricky Imp’s effect. By removing one xyz material from it, Orion can remove an xyz material from an xyz monster his opponent controls and special summon it to his side of the field, choosing Helena’s Photon Lizard in defense position.
Orion places 2 cards face down and ends his turn.
Status: Hand-1 Life-4000 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-2
Helena’s Turn: During each of her standby phases, Helena must remove an xyz material from Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction or take 2000 damage. Helena removes an xyz material. Next, she summons Photon Crusher (ATK: 2000 DEF: 0). Since both monsters she controls have 2000 or more ATK, Helena tributes Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction and Photon Crusher to special summon Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon from her hand (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500). Helena attacks Number 111: Tricky Imp, but then activates Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon’s effect. During the battle step, she can banish Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon and the monster it attacks. At the end of the battle phase, both monsters return to the field. Also, if the card removed was an xyz monster, Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon gains 500 attack for every xyz material attached to it (2) (ATK: 3000 -> 4000).
Helena ends her turn.
Status: Hand-0 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2
Orion’s Turn: Orion activates Pot of Greed drawing 2 cards.
Orion ends his turn.
Status: Hand-3 Life-4000 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-2
Helena’s Turn: Helena activates Xyz Reborn, special summoning an xyz monster in her graveyard and attaching Xyz Reborn to it as Xyz material, choosing Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction. Next, Helena activates Burning Strike, giving Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon the effect of piercing damage. Helena attacks Number 111: Tricky Imp with Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction.
Orion’s Life Points: 4000 -> 3000
Orion activates Card of Last Will, drawing 5 cards if a monster he controls is destroyed. Helena attacks Photon Lizard with Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon.
Orion’s Life Points: 3000 -> 200
Helena places 1 card face down and ends her turn. Orion is 2 cards over the hand limit, so he discards 2 cards.
Status: Hand-1 Life-4000 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-1
Orion’s Turn: Orion summons Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi (ATK: 1700 DEF: 700). Next, Orion special summons Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan from his hand as he controls another Six Samurai monster (ATK: 1800 DEF: 500). When Orion controls a Six Samurai monster with a different name on the field, he can activate Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi’s effect. By removing from play 2 Six Samurai monsters in his graveyard, he can choose on monster on the field and return it to the owner’s hand, choosing Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. Orion overlays Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi with Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan to xyz summon Number 39: Utopia (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000).
Next, Orion overlays Number 39: Utopia to chaos xyz summon Number C39: Utopia Ray (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000). Orion activates the effect of Number C39: Utopia Ray. By removing 1 xyz material from it, Number C39: Utopia Ray’s ATK raises by 500 while a monster his opponent controls loses 1000. Orion activates this effect 3 times, raising Number C39: Utopia Ray’s ATK by 1500 and decreasing Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction’s ATK by 3000 (ATK: 2500 -> 4000) (ATK: 3000 -> 0). Orion attacks Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction. Helena attempts to activate Magic Cylinder, but Orion activates Trap Jammer, negating the activation of Magic Cylinder and destroying it. The attack goes through.
Helena’s Life Points: 4000 -> 0
Orion wins.
“Impossible,” groaned Helena after the attack. “Chaos xyz… how did you…”
“If you want to know, I’ll teach you,” said Orion.
He then extended his hand out to the gardevoir, but she slapped it away.
“Get off,” she said coldly. “I can get up myself.” She did so.
“Alright then,” said Orion trying to be polite as possible.
“Okay fine,” said Helena slightly ashamed. “You beat me, and I’m a woman of my word. What do you need me to… assist you with?”
“Our house is about a half mile ahead,” replied Orion. “We can explain more up there.”
Helena’s gauntlet then glowed brightly and disappeared, revealing her bare arm.
“Hm,” commented Orion.
6/13/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 9:25 AM
Upon arriving at the house, even Helena was surprised at the grandeur of the mansion.
“It certainly looks big enough for a rock band,” joked Helena dryly.
No one laughed. They entered inside. Lucas was dusting the large staircase that greeted the 3 that entered.
“Hey guys,” said Lucas. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Helena. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Oh, okay,” said Lucas extending his hand to Helena for a handshake. “Hi, I’m-”
“Lucas de Silva, I know,” said Helena, accepting the handshake.
“I know all about you and your band. Are the others here?”
“Sammy and Maddie went to get some groceries, and Scott is still sleeping in his room,” answered Lucas.
“Oh, okay,” said Helena. “Now, what is this all about?”
“What’s what all about?” asked Lucas, who didn’t know what happened to them.
Orion answered him. “Well, she tried mugging us about half a mile from here in a duel against me, and as punishment for losing she’s going to be living with us.”
“Wait, so you brought a mugger in our house?” asked Lucas surprised at Orion’s apparent stupidity. “She could rob us all blind tonight! Are you insane?”
“Don’t worry,” said Orion with no emotion. “If she steals as much as a butter knife and tries to run away, I’ll kill her myself.” That statement made Helena uneasy. “Plus… show him,” said Orion to Helena. “Your gauntlet.”
She then held her left arm as if she was dueling with a duel disk. Her right forearm then glowed a bright white and formed into the shape of her gauntlet. However, the silver and orange pod was perched on top of the wrist dealer and the feathers wrapped around the entire pod, the ends of the feathers now pointed out in the opposite direction as it was when in its dueling mode. Lucas was in awe.
Orion then cleared his throat to signal to Helena to turn it into her duel disk. The orange pod then levitated about two inches off of the wrist dealer. An arced silver arm on the right side of Helena’s wrist extended up and caught the pod on the bottom of it. The feathers then unfolded out and away from Helena's body, which almost slapped Lucas across the face, as he was looking a little too closely and intently. The unfolding of her feathers revealed the silver and orange pod. Now the gauntlet resembled the duel disk on Helena’s arm when she dueled Orion.
“Woah,” said Lucas still in awe. “And you think she is the one?”
“I know she’s the one,” said Orion.
“When she dueled me, she even possessed a Number. There’s no mistaking it. She is the wielder of Celestia’s Wing.”
“Who’s Celestia?” asked Helena confused. “And what’s this about me being the one?”
“Let’s go into the lounge,” said Orion.
____________________________________
As they sat down in the comfy looking room, Orion offered Helena a drink. She asked for some water with ice, which Lucas served her with a thin slice of cucumber. She graciously accepted the water. Orion then told Helena their story of their landing in Equestria, the inhabitants that they met and befriended, and the legend surrounding Inverz, the Numbers, Celestia’s Wing, and his Luna’s Horn.
He even provided photographs of their time in Equestria as to prove that he wasn’t making this up. She examined the pictures closely to look for any masking and cropping done to see any signs of doctoring. She was surprised to find the pictures were perfectly genuine.
“Impossible,” said Helena looking at the pictures. “These… ponies are real?”
“As you or I,” said Orion. “And they are soon to be in very big danger, and we need your help into brining peace back to their world when Inverz returns.”
Helena was unsure of herself. The assistance he needed wasn’t being asked to do something like painting a house or something simple like she expected. He was asking her to be the savior of an entire world.
“I never noticed that necklace before,” said Alex. Helena looked at the gold locket around her neck and quickly pulled it away.
“You should have never meddled with me,” she spat.
She then ran away from the house.
“Wait!” called Alex.
“No,” said Orion holding him back. “Let her go. She deserves to try and take this all in.”
6/13/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 9:03 PM
Thunder crashed as Helena sat in a tree observing and awaiting more prey to rob from. She considered pillaging a more modest and safer living than saving a whole world that she never knew even existed. Suddenly, the chain that held her locket snapped and came undone. It fell to the ground, opening up on impact. She jumped down from the tree and picked it up. Before she closed it, she looked at the picture. In it was a kirlia being hugged by a young woman in large circle framed glasses at what looked like a carnival. They both looked very happy. Helena shed a single tear from that memory.
6/13/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 9:07 AM
It started to rain hard in the Lamss manor. Orion was reading a book by John Le Carré in the lounge. After his time in Equestria, he had grown tired of endlessly reading fantasy books and novels. After knowing that a world with real life unicorns, pegasi, and other fantastic creatures existed and was in his reach, the joy and exhileration of the escape wasn't as potent anymore.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. He went to the door and answered it. Helena was standing on the other side drenched in rain. Orion quickly stepped aside and held his arm out to welcome her inside. She walked in dripping water on the floor. Orion ran upstairs and found a towel. He ran back down and wrapped it around her.
“Thank you,” she said drying herself. “Listen, I may have been rude to you back there but, it’s just…”
Orion remembered the locket. “I bet whatever is in that locket means a whole lot to you.”
“Yes,” she said.
“What is it?” asked Orion.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” she said. “I understand,” said Orion.
“You can tell me whenever you feel comfortable. But right now, you look cold from the rain. How about a bath?”
Helena gave a slight but noticeable smile.
____________________________________
Orion drew warm water into the bathtub, and allowed Helena in. He closed the door behind her, giving her her privacy. Helena stepped into the tub and immersed herself into the water, letting the warmth envelop her. She then heard a noise, but assumed it was coming from downstairs. She paid no mind. After soaking comfortably for 15 minutes, she dried herself with another towel. Suddenly she noticed something. The locket she had wasn’t on the sink like she left it. She then ran out of the room and bumped into Orion.
“Orion, have you seen my-”
Before she could speak, Orion tied a beautiful gold chain around Helena’s neck. She then looked at it and saw her locket hung to it.
“My locket,” she whispered. “What did you-”
“Maddie lent me one of hers. I noticed that the chain was broken, so I replaced it. I hope you like it.”
Helena was heartbroken. The gallade that she tried to rob all but 12 hours ago was treating her with the most love and affection since… her.
“Are you tired?” asked Orion.
“Yes.” Said Helena yawning slightly.
“Come on, he said. “I’ll show you the guest bedroom.”
____________________________________
Orion let her in. There was a beautiful bed standing in front of a large window. There was a dresser and closet on the right side of the room.
“You can sleep here,” said Orion.
He then turned to return to the lounge. Before he closed the door he heard her call him.
“Orion,” she said. He turned to acknowledge her. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled and closed the door. Helena walked to the bed and laid down. The sheets were so soft and the covers were very warm. Her head then hit the downy pillow and she got the best sleep she had gotten in 2 years.
6/14/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 8:01 AM
Helena awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside. She was awake, but she didn’t want to leave the comfort of the bed she was laying on. She opened the door to her bedroom. And found Orion holding a tray with a plate holding an egg on toast with hash browns and a glass of oran berry juice.
“Is this always going to happen when I open up a door?” asked Helena jokingly.
“I just thought I’d serve you breakfast,” said Orion holding the trey out to her.
“That’s okay,” said Helena. “I’d rather have breakfast with your friends and get to meet them if that’s alright with you.”
“Umm… that’s just fine,” said Orion. “I’ll just bring the trey back downstairs.”
Helena followed him.
____________________________________
Sitting at the dining room table were all of the band members just finishing with their breakfasts.
“So this is who you were talking about,” said Scott to Orion enthusiastically.
He then jumped up from his chair and offered a handshake to Helena, who accepted it.
“I’m Scott Freeman,” he said, “but enough about me.”
“Scott, let the woman eat,” said Sammy.
Helena sat down with her breakfast on the table in front of her.
“Yes, I know very well who you all are,” said Helena pointing to each member when she called their names. “Maddie Rivers, the drummer. Sammy Morrison, bassist. Scott, keyboardist, Lucas, singer/flautist/rhythm guitarist, and Alex Morrison, guitarist.”
“Well done,” complimented Alex.
“Yes,” continued Helena. “Melanie and I used to-” she then realized she spoke her name aloud.
She then left the room in a huff.
Orion followed her. “Helena, please. I know that you may have a tragic past, but you can’t run from it forever. In fact, the only way to chaos xyz summon is to confront any such past.”
“I don’t think I can do it,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.
“Please, tell me about it. Nobody else has to know. They say the best way to get over something is just to let it all out.” We need to go somewhere private,” said Helena.
____________________________________
They both went to the guest bedroom and locked the door, with Orion explicitly telling everyone not to come near the room.
“Okay, tell me about her,” said Orion.
Helena took off her locket and showed Orion the picture. “This is Melanie Rose. She was my partner since I was a Ralts. I was the first pokémon she ever caught, and since then we were inseparable. She taught me English through the cartoons we used to watch together, and through the music and lyrics your band played and sung.”
“You mean Lamss?”
“Yes. She had a big crush on Scott, the keyboardist to Lamss, which is why I know as much as I do about Lamss. She would listen to their music all day and night, and being like her, I loved it too.”
“How about the gauntlet, if you can forgive me running off topic?”
“We were at a recreational fossil excavating quarry, and I found the gauntlet hidden in one of the rocks. When I examined it when we got home, it disappeared, and then I felt a sharp pain in my left arm as I saw the gauntlet slowly appearing on my arm, as if it was being grafted on. I’ve always had the gauntlet since then. I never knew its purpose, but I was able to make it appear and reappear through my psychic powers, which is how I assume you work your wand.”
Orion confirmed with a nod.
“Then, she discovered Duel Monsters. When we just started to learn how to play, my gauntlet transformed into the duel disk form you see now.”
Orion was shocked at how similarly her life reflected his.
“We were a magnificent team together, winning many regional titles.”
“What happened to her?” Helena sighed at this point.
“One night, we were coming home from dinner, and we were attacked by a rival dueling doubles pair who claimed we cheated them out of a win in a past tournament. They challenged us to a game of death, where the losers would be killed. They challenged us to 4000 life points per player. They sadistically beat her down to her last life points. When they finally hit 0, they shot her in the chest.
“The sorrow and longing to try and save her is what actually got me to summon the Numbers for the first time. With them, I mercilessly defeated the both of them. When I got her to the hospital however, she had bled too much to be saved. After losing her, I felt like there was no kindness in this world to rely on. So I took her deck and I went to spend the rest of my days up until this point robbing people all over Hoenn for sustenance.
“It wasn’t until I looked at my locket yesterday for the first time in 2 years since the incident happened that I realized how kind you were being to me and how much Melanie would disapprove my actions if she saw what I was doing. So thank you for saving me.” She then hugged Orion, who returned her embrace. “How did you discover YOUR Numbers?” she asked.
Orion told her about the tournament they won in Equestria 1½ years ago and how his fear of Trixie called the Numbers to him. They spent the rest of the evening telling their own stories.
6/14/2013 Rustboro City, Hoenn Region, 7:29 PM
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m backstage at a Lamss show,” said Helena looking at everything. She then had a sorrowful sigh. “Melanie would have loved this.”
“Then cheer twice as hard for the both of you,” said Orion.
“Why?” asked Helena.
Orion then shut off all of the house lights. The crowd went wild. The members of Lamss rushed onstage masked by the darkness. Then after a while the music started. The crowd instantly recognized it as the intro to Bridges in the Sky by Dream Theater, screaming and cheering each time a bout of throat singing was heard. Helena hadn’t listened to Lamss since her tragic day, nor has she heard this song, but her spine was tingling at the intro. As soon as Alex’s guitar came on, the crowd was relentless. Even Helena backstage was cheering and moshing. It was honestly the most fun she’s had in a long time.
6/14/2013 Rustboro City, Hoenn Region, 9:34 PM
Lamss had just a couple more songs until the end of their set. But Orion wanted something special here. Scott began playing the intro to Faithfully by Journey. Helena remembered this song especially as Melanie called it her secret love theme between her and Scott, but Helena knew Orion didn’t know that, so she couldn’t blame him. Orion then offered his hand to Helena for a dance. Helena felt like that for giving her a safe bed to sleep in and a roof over her head, it was the least she could do for him.
As they danced to Lucas’ sweet voice and Scott's piano, they unwittingly danced onstage, but only noticed when the crowd began cheering them on. Orion and Helena didn’t want to spoil the moment, so they just continued as if it was part of the act. At the song's end, Helena couldn’t pent up the feeling anymore. She then kissed Orion on the lips, surprising him, but then returned the kiss, having developed some feelings for her too in the past day. Orion and Helena then ran backstage. They knew they were equally to blame for any embarrassment caused to themselves, so they didn’t say anything. Instead, they shared another kiss.
8/29/2013 Lilycove City, Hoenn Region, 1:37 PM
Lamss was very busy with their tour as they were to play in Lilycove City that night, but Helena had to make a personal stop. This was the town where Melanie was slain, and she had to make some amends. She went to the Lilycove cemetery and bought a nice bouquet of flowers to lay at her grave. She apologized for all of the hurt that was caused to her that night, and how much pain she caused others through her thieving. She then talked about how she’s touring with Lamss and how it pains her most that she doesn’t get to live her dream with her. She then kissed her fingers and then touched them on her headstone, leaving the flowers there. She then walked back to the car Orion escorted her in with a couple of tears dripping down her face.
10/1/2013 Sunyshore City, Sinnoh Region, 12:30 PM
Lamss was to be meeting a friend at a café in the town. As they approached, they saw a young woman wearing all black drinking a cup of coffee. Her hair was as black as her clothes which was very short for a girl except for the flap that went over her right eye. She noticed the group walking towards them and stood up to introduce herself.
“Guys, this is Zelda Crowley, my roommate back in music school.” She wordlessly shook everyone’s hand. “She’ll be helping us with the last month of the tour.”
“So you work more with industrial music, right?” asked Alex.
“Yeah,” said Zelda. “That’s cool,” said Alex, “that will come in handy for our Halloween styled shows.”
“Okay,” said Zelda.
“Don’t worry,” said Scott she’s nervous around new people. Just give her some time to open up.”
10/31/2013 Petalburg City, Hoenn Region, 7:29 PM
It was the final show of their long tour and, just like they did every Halloween, they played the Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory album in its entirety. Zelda was backstage adding more electronic elements to certain parts of the songs. They were slight, but noticeable, and they didn’t hinder the show's power. As they finished Finally Free they then performed a second set of darker themed music, such as Toccata and the entire Karn Evil 9 by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and finishing with In the Presence of Enemies by Dream Theater. After the show, they all rode back to the Lamss manor, anticipating their next trip to Equestria for their lengthened hiatus.
11/1/2013 Route 102, Hoenn Region, 1:35 PM
Alex and Orion were almost done packing up their belongings. Suddenly a car rode up to the manor. A woman with long straight black hair walked out of it. She was wearing a blue blouse with golden-khaki pants. Lucas was packing his car when he saw her.
“Charley,” he said, walking over and hugging her.
“Lucas,” she said.
“How’s the water show going?” asked Lucas.
Since Charley came to Ponyville and witnessed Fluttershy’s companionship towards animals, she opted to do the same, so she began working in a dewgong and walrein show at an aquarium in Goldenrod.
“Lovely,” said Charley. “It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to the pokémon, but I’m happy knowing I’m going to meet Fluttershy again.”
“Well, we’re leaving in about a half hour for the airport, so put your bags in my car.”
Charley did as she was told and went in to say hi to everyone else.
Scott was helping Zelda pack her bags, as she decided stay with Lamss after the tour to visit this place Scott was raving about.
“Now remember, Zelda,” said Scott. “When we get there, you might feel a little uncomfortable with the inhabitants there.”
“Come on Scott,” complained Zelda. “You act like we’re going to a whole ‘nother planet or something. I highly doubt wherever we’re going is going to be a horrible shock.”
“If you say so,” said Scott.
Orion and Helena were finished packing, ready to return to the world Orion raved about for 5 months.
“Ready?” asked Orion.
“Come what may, right?” replied Helena.
They both walked to the car to pack their luggage.
11/1/2013 Petalburg City Airport, Hoenn Region, 2:20 PM
Orion and Lucas were finished loading and fueling the plane. They were also the last ones to get on. Orion made his way towards the cockpit.
“Hello, this is your captain Orion speaking. We are currently about to begin the flight from Petalburg, Hoenn to Ponyville, Equestria. We will hopefully arrive there within 15 minutes. Today is blue skies from here on out, let’s do this.”
He then started up the airplane and flew it out towards the western ocean. When he felt like they were far enough from view, he took out his wand, and made it glow brightly. The brightness enveloped the plane, and then when the brightness subsided, the plane was gone.