"But now that you mention it, shouldn't it be that I look like you?" Aya asked, sounding a little troubled.
The question caught Steven off guard.
But that wasn't what he really wanted to know.
"Why didn't you ever come to see me?" That was the question that mattered to him.
"I've always been watching over you." Aya looked up at the sky. "I just couldn't let you see me."
"Why not?"
Aya lowered her head, her eyes serious as she looked into Steven's.
"Because I wanted to be by your side sooner."
"..."
Steven understood that Aya hadn't had a choice. If she could have let him see her, surely she would have.
"Maybe Father already sensed I was near, but he never said anything."
"I'm sorry. Neither your father nor I did our duty as parents." Aya's hand brushed gently against Steven's cheek, her eyes turning red.
So that was it.
Was this why his father's attitude had changed?
No, that still didn't add up.
Aya's disappearance might have affected his father, but that shouldn't have made him neglect Steven's upbringing for the sake of his work. If anything, he should have loved Steven even more.
Why, then?
Steven stayed quiet, caught in a new question he couldn't answer. But things were finally moving in a good direction, so perhaps there was no need to press the matter now. If his father wanted to explain, he would do so in his own time. This question could wait. It was his father's choice when to answer it.
"We won't ask you to understand, because this was our mistake to carry."
"I often wondered whether you ate properly, whether you were growing up strong, whether you had friends you could trust..."
"What dreams you held, and whether the path you chose was a hard one..."
"If I had stayed by your side, would you have become someone different?"
"Every time I saw you standing alone in that big house, watching other children play through the window, I could only curse your father — and curse myself."
"Sadly, your father could never hear me."
"But thankfully, I could hear myself."
Aya glanced over at Latias, then reached for Steven's hand, which hung loosely at his side.
"These Pokémon must have caused you a great deal of trouble."
She didn't know the full story, but she could sense the strange energy inside Steven.
"I'm sorry you had to take risks for my sake."
The hand Steven held trembled slightly, though his eyes were calm with relief. This had been his own choice, so he had no regrets. Still, seeing tears roll down a face that looked so much like his own, Steven felt his chest tighten.
Maybe someday, he and his Pokémon partners, his friends, and Cynthia could live a quieter life together. Searching for rare stones when they had the time. Holding friendly battles now and then. Visiting ancient ruins. Meeting Wallace for a chat. Sharing tea with his father.
An ordinary, peaceful life. It sounded wonderful.
But something would always be missing.
Steven knew exactly how hard those lonely years had been. He had longed for companions — for family. Things only began to change once he met his Beldum. He wasn't the type to give up halfway; he wanted to see things through himself.
Aya's parting words were enough to convince him.
"This was my own choice. No one else is to blame — not even you," Steven said, a faint smile on his face.
Could he really set Aya's warning aside and abandon a Pokémon on the verge of danger, just to protect himself? He was sorry, but he couldn't do that.
"I have companions I can rely on, good friends, and someone I love."
"I also carry responsibilities of my own, even if I've set them aside for now."
Steven slowly told Aya about everything he had been through — the wonder of meeting his Pokémon, the bonds he had formed.
"Please, let me call you this..." Steven's lips curled into a smile. "Mom."
Aya froze at the word, pressing her lips tightly together. In her eyes, Steven suddenly looked like a small child again — a clever little boy with blue hair who could barely walk, calling out "Mommy" in a small voice. It was a scene that had visited her dreams more times than she could count.
That single word had come seventeen years too late for Steven. For her, it had been countless days and nights too late.
"Yes. Moy's here."
Aya wrapped her arms around Steven tightly, afraid that if she let go, he might vanish again.
"Um, Mom, I can't breathe," Steven said with a strained smile.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Aya quickly loosened her grip, like a child caught doing something wrong.
But clearly, it was Steven who was acting like the child now.
"Can you come back with me?" Steven asked.
Gathering the [fragments] was supposed to help those two Legendary Pokémon return to their Origin Formes.
Aya shook her head gently. "Not yet. My task isn't finished."
"I see..." Steven's eyes lowered.
"Don't worry. Mom will be able to come back soon," Aya said with a soft smile. "I'll have to leave shortly, since the fragments from this era and this place have all been gathered."
When she spoke the word "leave," her eyes filled with longing. But the thought of returning home again soon gave her new strength.
"Soon..." Steven hadn't expected it to happen so fast.
Aya smiled gently, reached out, and placed her hand against Steven's chest. Steven felt something shift faintly within his body. It seemed that alongside the [Viridian Power] already inside him, two new forces had appeared.
At the same moment, Aya pulled her hand back, and a small blue shard floated out from Steven's chest.
"What is this?!"
Steven stared at the fragment in surprise. Why did he have a piece of Dialga's Adamant Orb inside him?
"That energy form was created by those two Legendary Pokémon using the power of the Adamant Orb," Aya explained.
She then produced a pink fragment as well and handed both pieces to Steven.
"These hold the power of time and space. Use them to return to your own era first."
"Mom promises she'll be back soon."
Steven accepted the two fragments, trusting fully in Aya's abilities. He nodded, agreeing to her plan.
"Your body isn't in good condition right now, so please, don't rush into battle beside Legendary Pokémon again," Aya warned.
"I understand," Steven replied with a nod.
Aya rose slowly to her feet and smiled down at him.
"I'll make it home safely, so you have to wait safely for Mom too. Okay?"
"Okay." Steven nodded, smiling back.
"Then it's a promise." Aya held out her hand, but only her pinky finger was extended.
"A pinky promise."
Steven raised his own hand, and their little fingers linked together.
A moment later, Aya's body dissolved into shining specks of light and vanished from that space and time. Lucario and Latias disappeared along with her.
Steven leaned back against Metagross's arm, holding the two fragments tightly in his palm.
"I'm exhausted, Metagross."
"Metagross."
"We're not far from our goal now, are we? Let's keep going."
"Metagross!"
...
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