The color drained from my face. "W-what?"
"The curator went to check on it this morning, and there's no evidence of it anywhere. There's not even anything for it being stolen." He closed in eyes in frustration. "No fingerprints, electronical holes or of that sort. It's like it disappeared into thin air."
"That can't be..." Ash said. "It's locked up tight, I remember seeing it!"
I was using everything I had to not panic. I would have felt better if they knew it was stolen, because it wouldn't have taken long at all to find the thief. But it just plain disappeared... "Thank you, Professor." I shut off the screen before he could reply.
I turned around with my arms crossed on my chest. "...Ellie?" Lucy asked in worry. I knew that I would break into tears if I said anything back to her.
"What do we do now?" Wendy asked in sadness.
It felt like two minutes before Natsu said something. "We find that orb."
"How?" Serena asked. "I don't think Palkia wants us to leave Fiore until Arceus is put back to rest."
"It's here," he replied.
I looked at him. He stared at the horizon in front of him with a glare and his arms crossed. His scarf twisted in the wind. My face flustered at his features again.
"You can't automatically assume that since it's disappeared there that it would be here, fire head!"
"Gray!" Lucy hissed.
I kept staring at Natsu. For once, he didn't pick a fight with Gray. That's when I stood up. "Where?" I asked. I could feel everyone widen their eyes.
"I'm not sure," he answered. "But I know it's in Fiore."
My head was whirling with questions, but somehow I knew he was right. "Then maybe..." I lowered my head in confusion. Did Palkia bring it here? I shot my head back up. "We have to find it!"
"Ellie, Fiore is hundreds of miles all around! Where the heck are we supposed to look?"
"Who cares?" I heard Ash say. We all looked at him, and he pumped his fists in the air. "It'll be fun just looking! We may even find more Pokémon."
I smiled at him. "Are you always this fired up?"
"Sure he is!" I could hear Natsu's huge grin.
"Pika!" Pikachu gave a peace sign.
~~~
Eevee ran ahead when we got back to the guild hall. "Papa! Guild meeting, now!"
"What for?" he asked. "A party?"
I stopped in my tracks and scowled at him. "Yeah, we're having a giant party when all of Fiore is in this much danger!" I moved my arms in sarcasm.
"Sweet!"
"NO!!" I yelled at him. "It's for saving Fiore, you dope!" Even I couldn't believe I called him that, but the way he said it made me sick. "Seriously? After everything we've been through so far..." I grumbled furiously as I headed towards the stage. "Natsu, Lucy! Get up here! Ash, you too!" They were next to me in two seconds.
"Everyone!" The guild focused on me in an instant. Eevee and Pikachu both made sure everyone was quiet by sitting in front of us. "We have another mission. This time the whole guild needs to help with it."
"What is it?" Levy asked.
"It's called the Adamant Orb," Ash answered. "And it's something we need to find fast."
"What for?" Mira asked.
I lowered my head with my eyes closed. "We're going back in time." Everyone gasped as I said it. "And we need the orb to call Dialga."
"Dialga..." Levy said in thought. "Isn't that one of the legendaries you were talking about before?"
I nodded. "The Adamant Orb is part of Dialga itself, as the Lustrous Orb is to Palkia. They both come from our world." I saw Lucy glare at me in the corner of my eye. I hated being ignorant about my time in Fiore, but it was the best way to explain it. "Natsu believes it's here in Fiore. That's why we need everyone to look for it."
"What does it look like, Ellie?" Papa asked with his arms crossed.
I pulled out my Pokèdex and opened it up. Ash stared in wonder at what i was doing. I connected to the lacrima, and finally pressed the button that pulled the picture of the orb up on the screen. "See how it has diamond shaped surfaces?" I could hear the murmuring of understanding. "Now that you all know what it looks like, we need every wizard to be looking for it."
"Hold on," Levy interrupted. "Why do you need to go back in time?"
Levy was so observant, I grinned a little from her smarts. "We have to find a Pokémon," I answered. "One that can travel through time."
"Isn't that Dialga though?"
"No, this is a different one." Ash answered this time. "It's one I've personally met before." I turned my head to look at him at this. Even Celebi? "Celebi can travel through time and bring others along with it. Dialga actually controls it." He grinned as he quoted my words from before.
I grinned back. "And the only way we can get in contact with him is with that orb. That's why we need to find it."
"How do you know it's here?" Levy put in. I glanced at Lucy, knowing she asked too.
"What we do know is it's missing in Ellie's other world," Lucy answered. I felt a warm rush as she said my 'other world' like it was somewhere I didn't belong. "But Natsu believes it is here in Fiore somewhere."
Gray humphed in annoyance. "I'll believe that when it happens."
"Let's start with seeing if we have any leads," Wendy said. "Has anyone seen or hear anyone say anything about finding a giant jewel?"
Everyone shook their heads. I sighed. "Well, maybe we can start with some peddlers. Every team needs to go to each town and see if anyone has found it or bought it from anyone. Erza, would you do the honor of sending the teams?" I looked down at her in hope.
She smiled. "Of course, Ellie. Leave it to me."
Erza went along with it, and in no time flat we had over twenty teams out searching for the orb. I decided to go somewhere else though instead of searching. I wanted to take Natsu and Lucy as well as the other trainers with me. I went up to Makarov. "Papa, Fiore is a kingdom, right?"
"Yes, that's right," he answered. "Why?"
"I want to meet the king, then. I need to let him know what is happening to this land, and maybe he can even help us." I turned to Natsu and Lucy. "Will you come with me?"
Natsu grinned his usual grin. "Duh!" he replied.
"Yeah, we will." Lucy looked annoyed at Natsu's reply, but it may have been something else too. When was she going to forgive me already?
"Good." I turned to the trainers. "I need you guys to come, too. You'll need to back me up in showing your Pokemon if we need it."
Ash and Serena nodded simultaneously. "When do we go?"
I grinned. "Now, of course. Let's go."
Natsu was scared of the train of course, so I gave him some more of Leafeon's Magical Leaves. He gladly drank the tea, and was feeling fine the whole train ride to the capital of Fiore Kingdom. I was staring out the window in worry, and didn't talk at all the whole time while the others introduced themselves. I responded to their questions sometimes with small answers, but kept my focus on what we needed to do in the next few hours for the king. I could feel Lucy's eyes on me the entire time.
When we arrived at the station and got off, I widened my eyes at how big the whole town was. "Wow!" Ash exclaimed, reading my mind. "This place is huge!"
"Well, it is where the king and princess of Fiore live. They also have the Grand Magic Games here every year." Lucy went into her information voice mode, which made me grin in contentment. I always like when she explained stuff. Eevee sat on her shoulder too, which made me feel even better.
"Grand Magic Games?" Serena asked.
"It's an event that happens where all the guilds come together and compete to see who's the strongest in the kingdom." Natsu pumped his fists. "And we're definitely going to win this year!"
"When does it happen?" I asked. That is, if it does happen.
"In a month," Lucy answered. "You should compete for our guild when we do have them." She stared at me like she was expecting me to. I was really getting tired of her criticism with me leaving.
I just smiled at her, though. "Maybe I will."
"That would be awesome!" Ash said. "I wonder if I can compete too?"
"You have to be a member of the guild to compete." Lucy sweat-dropped. "I don't know if Master would allow it or not if you aren't."
"Well, we can talk about it to him later." I looked up at the capital, which the gate to it was now only a few feet away. "We should focus on the task at hand right now."
"Yeah, you're right." We all walked up to the guards that were standing at the gate. "Excuse us. We need to see the king right away."
"I'm sorry, but there no visitations to the king and princess," One of them said sharply.
"We have information about the strange creatures that have been appearing," I said. "Please let us see him."
"What did I just say?" he snapped, making me flinch backwards.
"Why you-" Natsu started to summon his fire, but I put a hand up to stop him.
"Eevee, Pikachu?" I turned around, and they both perked up their ears. "Can you show yourselves to them, please?"
They both nodded, and leaped off their persons' shoulders onto the ground. They both walked up towards the guards, and they both gasped as the little Pokémon sat down in front of them. "What are they?!" One of them asked in shock.
"They're the creatures I know you know about." I crossed my arms. "Now do you have proof from us?"
They both looked at each other, and exchanged a few whispers. They then looked back at us after a while. "Okay, come with us."
We followed the guards into the capital grounds, and I looked around at the beautiful scenery. Giant golden statues and fountains that spouted water shimmered in the sunlight, and I was almost convinced that some Pokemon had made it here because of such a home they would have. But I couldn't find any, which either meant they chased them out already or they were lucky and just never made it into the garden.
I turned my head back to the guards when I noticed we were walking into the main hallway, and my head moved almost into a 180-degree rotation as I saw how big it was. This was definitely a ballroom too, that was for certain. I heard the guards speak as we finally stepped up to the thrones that were a few steps up in the room. "Your Majesty, we have brought some people with news."
"You may go." They both scurried off back to their post when the king dismissed them. I looked at the king, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. He literally had to be only three feet tall, and had a giant crown on top of his head, which made him look even smaller. His mustache was big and green, with a couple of sideburns going down the sides of his head. "What is the meaning of your intrusion?" he asked suddenly.
"Father, be kind." I turned and saw the princess stepping forward from her throne. She also had long green hair, and wore a long white cape with her green and white dress. "Forgive my father. My name is Hisui. You have news about the strange creatures?"
I bowed, and the others followed. "Yes, Your Highness." I stood upright again. "But first, we need to show you our relationship with them."
"Relationship?" she asked.
I nodded. "Guys?" Eevee and Pikachu came forward again, and she gasped with surprise along with the king just as the guards did. "We come in peace, don't worry. They are friends to us."
"And what about the ones who don't have people as friends?" Princess Hisui asked.
I lowered my head. "They...are scared more than anything. They need someone to take them back home where they belong."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They are not from this world." She let out a breath in surprise again, and I looked up. "As am I and my friends." I motioned to the trainers, and they all stepped up next to me with confidence in their eyes. "We mean to make sure that Fiore is safe from them...but we need your help."
I looked at her again, and she gave me a look. "You say that like Fiore is in danger."
I gulped, lowering my head again. "Well...it is. Unless you help us trainers find them. They're called Pokémon, and they have powers like the wizards do here. Certain ones have stronger power over others, and there are also ones that have ultimate power."
I could feel the princess's stare onto my head. "And what do you expect of us?"
"To save Fiore from destructive power of Arceus." I looked up at her with determination. "He will destroy this world if we can't achieve our goal."