Chapter 15: Rise of the Mastermind

    The Tagtree Thicket started to settle down for the night. Pokémon returned to their dens and burrows to sleep, but Arven's party remained awake a little longer. 7:00 was a little too early for them to go to bed.

    Nemona built a fire and started to cook chorizos.

    In the meantime, Arven and Sada sat in utter silence after Sada's memory faded, but eventually, Sada explained, "Miraidon and I escaped, but just barely, and we came here. Miraidon told me it was safer."

    Arven grasped her hand. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Mom, but... maybe this is a good thing."

    "A good thing?" Sada glared. "How could you say that? I'm supposed to laugh after seeing so many Pokémon die like that?"

    "No, of course not," Arven stated. "What I'm saying, Mom, is that was your first taste of what it means to be human." He gestured for Mabosstiff to go to her. "We live in an unpredictable world. Pokémon have powers, yes, but they can't stop natural disasters. There was nothing you or them could do. The world thinks and acts on its own."

    "I could've saved them," Sada argued. "I'm an AI. I have a power. I could've saved them."

    Arven moved closer to her. "Mom—"

    "I could've saved them!" Sada's breathing intensified. "But I ran." She collapsed into Arven's arms.

    He patted the back of her head. "Shh, shh, it's okay. It's not your fault, Mom. We're going to get you through this. You're going to be human before you know it." He stayed with her until she calmed down, and then he helped her lie back. "As soon as dawn breaks, we'll get you back to your cabin, but for now, I want you to try to rest your arm." He noticed that Miraidon had lifted his head, and he stared at him, intrigued. "What are you looking at, Miraidon?" That was the first time he didn't try to pull Arven away from Sada.

***

    At the sight of Arven approaching her, Penny hopped off the log she sat on, which was next to the fire.

    Nemona, Scarlet, Celebi, and Koraidon warmed themselves up by it.

    "Well?" Penny asked Arven. "What did you learn?"

    Arven inhaled. "It was an earthquake."

    "An earthquake? Really?" Penny scratched the top of her head. "I didn't expect that."

    Arven nodded. "Evidentially, she and Miraidon recently received the power to travel through time, so they went to Koraidon's. Mom was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Something still doesn't add up, though." He glanced at Sada. "If she and Miraidon already have the power to time travel and bring us here, then what's the point of Celebi?" Next, he looked at Celebi, who flew in circles around Koraidon's head.

    Arven and Penny fell silent for a few minutes.

    Penny then gasped. "Her mastermind."

    "Mastermind?" Arven said. "Penny, I don't think now's the time to—"

    "No, no, hear me out." Penny freed her phone from her pocket and turned it on. "All computers have some sort of mastermind behind them. My guess is that Celebi is their Pokémon, and they gave Sada and Miraidon the power to time travel via Infrared."

    "But... that doesn't make sense." Arven folded his arms. "I mean, Mom came to the past."

    "Celebi probably took her to the future," Penny continued. "What's happening right now, Arven, has something to do with its trainer—her mastermind."

    "So, we find the mastermind, we find answers," Arven concluded.

    "And our first step is trying to figure out why that Pokémon attacked Sada," said Penny. "You talk to her, Arven, and I'll talk to Celebi."

    "Right." Arven knew he and Penny fought a lot, but she was a good friend. It was times like these when he was relieved she knew so much about machines. Now he just had to take what she taught him and apply it to Sada.

    Arven and Penny broke apart from one another. Penny went to Celebi, and Arven returned to Sada. He smiled slightly. "Hey, Mom."

    "Oh, thank goodness." She closed the Violet Book and set it down, sitting up again. "I thought you left me."

    "Oh no," Arven said. "I was just checking on the others. Dinner should be ready soon." He plopped down in front of Sada and bent his knees. Arven crossed his arms across them. "Until then, why don't we hang out?"

    "Hang out?"

    Gosh, Arven already screwed up. Sada's bewildered expression said it all. He quickly redeemed himself. "It's just, this is the first time in eleven years that I've had a mom. Granted, I didn't expect her to be a robot, but at the same time, it's pretty cool. I'm curious to learn more about AI culture, if you don't mind."

    Miraidon growled at Arven, but Sada held her arm up to him. "I've got this, Miraidon." She drummed the fingers of her good hand on the book. "Okay, Arven, what's going on? Whatever you're trying to pull here isn't working."

    "What?" Arven said, shrugging. "Is it a crime for mothers and sons to catch up?"

    Sada gave him a knowing look.

    "Okay, you got me," Arven admitted. "I'm not very good at this, and I'm sorry. It's not easy when you never have a mom to talk to. I'm just trying to figure out why that Pokémon attacked you."

    Sada scoffed and lowered her arm. "It's no big deal."

    "Uh, yes it is." Arven gestured at her arm. "That thing fried you. Made you feel pain for the first time. It probably would've killed you if you were human. I just want to help."

    "I think I've told you enough for one night," Sada argued. "Next time you want to interrogate me, make sure to practice first." She started to lie down again, but Arven stopped her.

    "I know there's some kind of mastermind behind Infrared. Penny said that every computer has one. Did they send that Pokémon after you? Was it punishment for traveling to the far past? You're obviously scared of them."

    "Don't give me that," Sada sternly stated. "I trust this man with my life. He told me Infrared's going to make me human."

    "I think he deceived you." Arven felt things heating up. He removed Mabosstiff's pokéball from his belt and recalled him. The fight wasn't his. Arven clipped the ball to his belt.

    He tried to stay calm. "Don't you see, Mom? Your mastermind is abusing you—through Infrared."

    "He is not!" Sada hugged Miraidon's neck. "Even if he was, I have Miraidon, and he's all I need." She crossed the line there.

    Arven looked like he was about to explode, but he kept his voice steady. "Of course, he is. After all, even as an AI, you still care more about a Pokémon than your son. I saw the memory. You were given that power to bring me to you, but the first thing you did with it was travel to the time of Koraidon. I'm glad you experienced that earthquake. That's what selfishness does, Mom."

    "Arven..." Sada's voice trailed. A lump formed in her throat. "I'm sorry."

    "Don't turn all pity wity on me," Arven said. "It's been eleven years, Mom. Sorry isn't gonna cut it. I want to help you, I do, but I can't if you keep up this selfish attitude. If you want to be human, if you want to be my mother, something's gotta change, and it's gotta change fast. You can start by telling me who your mastermind is."

    "That's none of your business," Sada growled. "Miraidon saved me—you didn't—and I owe him my life for that."

    Arven opened his mouth to fight back, but Scarlet shouting from the campfire cut him off. "Ah, moths! They're all over the place!"

    Arven jumped when he heard loud screeching, but Sada didn't.

    Five of the familiar, futuristic Slither Wings hopped out of the woods. The giant moths roared at the party and kicked up dust and dirt from their flapping wings, which knocked out the fire.

    Nemona, Scarlet, Penny, and the Pokémon moved out of their way.

    "Oh, are you serious?" Arven shouted. He pulled Sada behind him and sneered. "Don't worry, Mom, we'll finish this conversation later."

    "Oh, I can't wait." The sarcasm was too strong in Sada's voice.

    Scarlet, Nemona, and Penny climbed on top of Koraidon.

    "Get on Miraidon!" Penny ordered. She sat between Scarlet and Nemona.

    Miraidon did not have to be asked twice. That was the only time he was willing to work with Koraidon and Arven. He hopped to his feet and tossed Arven and Sada on top of him.

    Sada scooped up the Violet Book and slipped it into her coat.

    Koraidon and Miraidon dashed toward the exit of the Tagtree Thicket, but Arven soon realized something.

    "Wait, we need to get the Scarlet Book." It was still in his backpack at Sada's cabin.

    Sada looked over her shoulder. "Not now, Arven. We first need to lose these Pokémon."

    Next to them, Nemona grinned. "Oh yeah! You know what this means?" She reached into the pocket of her shorts and drew a pokéball. "It's time for a Saddle Battle!"

    Nemona tossed her pokéball at the perfect angle. It curved through the air like a Frisbee. "Let's go, Meowscarada!"

    Soon after Nemona tossed her pokéball, a deep, male voice rose from Sada's system like an undead man. It was not robotic. It sounded like a human. "Infrared is your code. If you want to be the mom Arven never had, you must listen to it, or else I will have no choice but to punish you again."