Flareon Light felt warm and dizzy waking up. When his eyes cracked open, they were greeted with darkness. A small, warm weight traveled down the length of his arm all the way to his paw. He shifted around.
"Shhhh," a voice whispered. "Go back to sleep."
Light glanced up. The rock ceiling grew darker when Sky Shaymin Ariel's head came into view.
"Where am I?" Light asked.
"You need rest. I'm so sorry, I... Here."
Ariel pulled back a soft blanket from over Light's back. She rested a paw on the center of his spine, then shifted to the right.
Light had warmed up his muscles to push himself up, but they melted. Every touch made his body warm and relax. He forgot what he wanted to stand up for.
"I didn't mean to hit you, but you're almost better. You just need your sleep."
Green, powdered light popped out from Ariel's paw. As it dusted over Light's body, his cheek sunk into the pillow and mattress below him.
"Good night."
Ariel kissed Light's cheek. Gentle green bulbs of light gathered around his face as his eyes closed.
________________________________________________________________________________
Cinccino Hannah's eyes cracked open.
"You're not going to try and kill me, right? Hey?"
Sunlight turned green as it poured through thick, green leaves. Pale blue eyes bore down on her forehead. Hannah pulled her arm up to her forehead to shield her eyes.
Meowstic Markus stared down at her. He pulled his head back and stood up straight looking down at her. A gentle flame lit up in Hannah's chest from the Valorian blessing.
"Bruise your brain or something?" he asked.
"No," Hannah answered. "Where is Light?"
"Yah... You don't happen to know, would you? Kind of hard to look around the mountain right now."
Hannah lifted her head and sat up slowly. "Why?"
"Well, there's this fog, and everyone that walks in just kinda walks out," Markus explained. "Kind of a classic deal. Reminds me of a few crappy movies."
"It's because she's not a normal Scion."
"Who's she?"
"That Shaymin."
Markus' eyes popped open wider. "Oooooooh. Oh. Is this kind of the same thing?"
"It's not even close to being as simply out of her mind, if that's what you are wondering."
Hannah took a better look around, first at herself. Some of the edges of her fur had been seared pitch black. Her whole body ached and groaned as she stood up against the tree she had been under. With patches of charred grass, it was easy to see where the attack happened. The side of the steep, rock wall was covered in new gashes.
"Alright," Markus said. "Let's go for a walk. Lay it on me."
"Lay what on you?" Hannah asked suspiciously.
Markus' head vibrated as he blinked. The left half of his mouth hung open. "Tell me what happened?"
"How is that related to 'laying it on you'?"
"What the fuq..." Markus grumbled to himself. "Just tell me what happened. That's what laying it on me means."
"Okay..." she said. "But what is this 'fuq'?"
"Just tell me what happened already. Damn."
"What about a dam?"
Markus groaned.
Hannah followed behind him as she explained what happened. To her, it seemed like a poor tactical choice if he thought she would kill him. She explained the conversation she heard and what happened after in a brief minute. Markus only spoke when she finished.
"Okay," he said. "A 'love curse', huh?"
"What about it?" Hannah asked.
"I know Scions have powers and whatnot, given that you blasted wind in my face, but I can't wrap my head around how a power like this actually exists. Like magic."
"Not every Scion has physical abilities. Some are much more... focused I could say?"
"Then why do you look like you got blasted with lightning?"
"Oh, well, I was blasted with lightning."
Markus stopped walking and turned around. His plain face became a shade darker. "So, what are we dealing with? Physical abilities or some kind of mental ones?"
"Could I try and bring it into perspective if I referred to her as a sort of witch?"
Markus folded his arms. "Okay, I'm listening. So what can she do?"
"For starters, she seems to be able to manipulate wind instead of just firing it like I do, and that weird lightning bolt. Then, there's the more dangerous mental powers. Spells, curses..."
"Give me some examples."
"Scions change the course of history, right?" Hannah asked.
"Okay," Markus nodded.
"She would be like a witch in the old stories. Manipulating from the background."
"Why can't you do any of those things?"
"My abilities are just for fighting," she said. "I doubt her actual fighting abilities as a Scion would match up to mine, but some Scions are just stronger than others. Scions like her aren't that common."
"Okay," Markus said. "Say we were in front of Ariel and trying to get Light back. Could you take her?"
"My powers would be stronger in combat," she answered. "But I don't have any experience."
"Is there anyone around that actually can?"
"A well-trained Scion is worth more than an army. I doubt she'd even let anyone get close."
"So... This 'Rayquaza' is scared of Reshiram and Light, so it wants Light dead," Markus recited. "So Ariel made a deal to keep him alive by locking him up here?"
"Right."
"How much of a pain is this thing, anyways?"
"Enough to scare Ariel into mistreating someone she loves," Hannah said. "Even if she does release him, Rayquaza will turn on her and kill them both. And as for fending it off, I don't even know what it looks like."
"I've never even heard of it before." Markus turned around. "Shit... And I used to look into old stories a ton, too."
"Whar's 'shit'?"
"Stop saying words out loud that you don't understand. You're gonna get yourself killed."
"Okay?"
Markus continued to lead. Before Hannah followed, she stole a suspicious glance at the trees around them. She relaxed and continued to follow.
Behind a tree, Audino Agatha twirled the strand of her ear. She pushed off of the tree bark, careful to keep her black leather jacket from making too much noise. She waited until they were a good distance away.
Lopunny Luke strutted out from behind another tree and looked in her direction. Agatha poked her head out from behind the tree and took slow steps out. Luke covered the distance and walked beside her, keeping his head turned towards the direction they left in.
"What do you think?" Agatha asked quietly.
"We can't do much," Luke answered under his breath. "Hannah got beaten straight on, and fast since there's barely any other signs of attacks. And considering that Hannah is up on me two to zero, we can't do much."
"We can't just leave the White Star up there as a hostage."
"First things first. We need to figure out what these 'new powers' are, and we need to ask Alondra what kind of Scion she is. Then, I need to try and find out information about this 'Rayquaza' from Chingyang."
"I'll ask Alondra," Agatha said. "How are you going to get close to Chingyang? She's with the Wayfarers. Only Markus and Hannah would recognize you."
"She knows about me. Besides, it's to rescue her sister. She'll talk."
"Wait..." Agatha's brain stopped. "Chingyang is sisters with Ariel?"
"Uhhh... Yeah," Luke squeaked, staring at a tree trunk.
"What, is she a Shaymin too?"
"Yeah... Just forget I said anything, alright? Kinda sorta almost might be considered international espionage."
Agatha's heart fell. "What."
"Don't worry about it," he smiled with grit teeth. "Just, uh, don't worry about it. At all."
"O-okay..."
Agatha got turned around. She spun around in a circle, but all of the trees looked the same.
"Which way did we make camp again?" she asked.
"That way," Luke said, pointing past her head. "Try and dodge the fog. It's bound to be filled with whatever power we're up against."
"Which would be useful to see what we're up against."
"Don't be reckless..." Luke said. "This is dangerous stuff. Even with Scions, a 'love curse' is freaky."
"I don't get why we came," Agatha kicked her foot against the ground and made a small cloud of soil. "We can't even get close. What are we supposed to do about this?"
"And don't get so down, either," Luke grew a small smile. "Don't you remember? Light's up there. He can snap her out of it."
"You don't snap someone out of fear or losing someone."
"Oh, yeah you can," he reasoned. "Love does some crazy crap to people."
"Crap," Agatha groaned. "I can't believe you're this mushy at a time like this."
Lopunny Luke scratched the top of his ear. "Eh, it's pretty real."
Agatha folded her arm and swayed back and forth on her feet.
"What?" Luke asked.
"Just get going."
"Ah, right."
Audino Agatha watched Luke turn and walk away for a few seconds, then turned around herself.
When she first ended up here, they didn't find anything to clue them in to who it was. Agatha kept to herself before, and everyone seemed strange to her for different reasons. Between different colored eyes, shiny genes, and royal blessings, Ariel stuck out the least until Luke blundered.
Agatha stared down at the grass as she walked. She tried to jump over the pit of thinking about her own parents and cousins and second cousins and aunts and uncles then stopped walking.
Hannah followed Markus to a more rocky area. The grass and trees thinned out into weeds as they made their way up gritty slopes of deep brown rock covered in a layer of dirt. Between them and a thick cloud of fog higher on the mountain, Hannah saw a group of pokemon waiting near it's edge. Her steps slowed as Markus took the last few steps closer to them.
A Pachirisu pushed through the group and threw her arms around Markus. He returned the hug.
"Stop leaving out without me now, okay?" she asked.
"Sure," he said.
Pachirisu's eyes drifted back to Hannah. As Hannah waved, rage burst open from her body. Pachirisu pulled back from the hug and stepped closer.
"Who's your friend?" she asked, faking a smile.
"This is Hannah," Markus said. "She's actually really near and dear to me, Susan."
Susan's eyes glimmered as she turned back around. Markus scratched the back of his head.
"It pains me to say this, Susan..." Markus mumbled. "I'm sorry, but..."
"No..."
"She's kind of like my sister."
A second passed. Markus' face burst open into a smile. Hannah felt Susan's anxiety boil into rage as she shot an electric bolt straight into Markus' chest. Markus shivered as he fell on his back. The rage faded from Susan's body as she turned back around.
"Wow," she said, growing a smile. "I've never even heard Markus talk much about his family. To meet you is... wow."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Hannah said. "Me and Markus haven't really talked for a long time, but I came to help."
"We'll take any we can get."
Markus rolled over on his front and stood up behind Susan. He brushed off a few dark specks off of the fur on his chest. "Hey," he said. "Any progress trying to get through up there?"
Susan turned and looked up at him. "No. Chad tried going through, but even he couldn't make it through. We're thinking of waiting until the fog leaves, but we haven't heard from Guildmaster."
"Don't worry. He's got Ariel with him. It's like being protected by an army of mountain lions armed with bricks."
"Yeah, but still... He's just a kid, and so's she."
"So are we," Markus said. "They'll be alright. Hannah," he stared right at her face. "Nice of your friend Luke to come, too."
Hannah turned around. A Lopunny with hazel eyes and sharp, messy fur froze in his steps. Fear exploded out from his eyes.
"Yup," he squeaked. "No prob."
Hannah glared at him. She only noticed a Land Shaymin walking when she went past her. Her eyes looked tired, but Hannah could sense how anxious she was through them.
"Luke, Hannah," Shaymin said. "Let's talk."
________________________________________________________________________________
For Agatha, "camp" was just a small area surrounded by trees that blended in with everywhere else. Mightyena Claire and Espeon Selina seemed to be inching close to taking a nap leaning against different trees. Luxray Imani, Torracat Bao, and Lucario Annette stared off into space until they heard Audino Agatha's rattling footsteps.
"Hey Alondra," Agatha said. "I need to know about this type of Scion."
Alondra's eyes brightened along with everyone else's. "What is it? I mean, who is it?"
"It's that Shaymin. Ariel."
"Oh. Well, I already predicted that one," Alondra's face settled back down. "Staying in Sky Forme even at night is just the kind of thing that would happen to a Scion."
"I need to know what kind she is. She's able to, like, make 'love curses' or something like that."
"Then she's not a kind that I know of. That sounds completely new to me."
"What do you mean?" Agatha asked in confusion. "Why would it be new to you?"
"There are some Scions with only one instance of appearing in history. She could be a new Scion, so I'd need to study her myself. A 'love curse' sounds impossible, so she is most definitely a new type."
"Wait," Claire said. "What about this love curse? Who did it hit?"
"No one," Agatha said. "But I was really hoping we could get something, Alondra."
"Is there any other detail?" she asked. "Anything at all that might help me?"
"Just a name. Rayquaza?"
Everyone stared at Alondra for her reaction. She didn't give one.
"Never heard of it," she answered.
"How is this not in your library somewhere?" asked Agatha.
"I only collected those books from areas around Verity and Valor. A Lao Shen legend wouldn't be likely to make it into stories in it. Is Luke looking for information?"
"He has a lead, but..."
"Then just be patient. Get some rest while you can. That's the best preparation we can do. We could be up all night or even longer."
"Fine," she groaned.
Agatha lied back against a tree. Once she got off of her legs, she realized they felt like pudding. She took in the clean, cool night air, closed her head, and rested her head back with a sigh.
________________________________________________________________________________
Flareon Light's eyes opened again. He wriggled his body against the mattress he laid on. The fabric felt pleasant against his fur, but his lack of energy stuck him to it.
"Awake again?" Ariel's voice asked. "C'mon, Light. I just want you to feel better."
"I want to talk," Light said with a hoarse voice. "I already feel better, thanks to you."
Light felt Sky Shaymin Ariel's arms go around his shoulders. She pulled him up into sitting and sat next to him. His head leaned on her shoulder, along with most of his body weight. Sitting up, he could see the mouth of the small cave they were in. Small, distant stars dotted the sky. Clouds drifted along with the bright moon. Ariel faced out towards it with droopy, downtrodden eyes.
"You've healed me before like this, haven't you?" Light asked.
"Yeah," she said, looking away from his gaze.
"What else did you do?"
"Well, the first night we met, I did healing like this. And I did it again after those pirates," she explained quietly. "I've kept you from feeling pain after evolving."
"How?"
"I can manipulate chi flow in a person's body. Temporarily stop it, or enhance it. Affect them physically and mentally. I can make people feel how I want them to feel."
Ariel dragged her paw down Light's back. A warm, shaking feeling erupted in his body. Ariel kept him sitting upright with her arm around his side as it shook him to the core. He took deep breaths trying to regain his composure.
"What... have you done so far with it?" Light huffed.
"You're the only person I've used it on," she said. "Reshiram was telling the truth, but I also locked your chi to make you weaker. I was told to, so you'd rely on me more."
"Is that what you did when you kissed me before I used Ember for the first time? Unlock a bit of it?"
"Yeah. And that time in the cave, I accidentally unlocked a good portion when you, uh... exploded. To be honest, I was pretty impressed with how strong you really are."
"Airy," he said. "I understand you're trying to protect me. I'm not angry."
Light's words sat still in the air for a few seconds. The feeling in his back started to fade back to normalcy along with his breath.
"I don't get how," Ariel muttered. "I thought you'd hate me. I mean, after everything I just told you I did."
"I just understand," he said. "But this isn't the best way. We could protect each other instead."
"I want to protect you more than me."
"Me too," he argued. "And you can't stop me."
Ariel placed a paw on Light's head. She rolled Light's gray on his head fur around through her paw.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I let my parents make their decision. I was young then."
The warm feeling erupted in Light's body again, ten times stronger than before. His mind slipped in an instant. As he fell back, Ariel lowered him back down on the mattress. He couldn't make out the words she whispered. As his vision grew darker, he felt another kiss on his cheek.
________________________________________________________________________________
The songs of crickets and owls leaked in through a shattered window. Moonlight dusted over a white Eevee's body. He lied back on top of a newspaper on cold, hard, dented cement.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Eevee Light's eyes shifted to a Heliolisk lying back next to him. "What?" he asked.
"You're not the type to be a thief for the rest of your life," Heliolisk said, staring up. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I don't know what I want to do."
"Not like that. I mean, what kind of person do you want to be."
"I want to be a saint."
Heliolisk turned his neck over. "Awful fast answer."
Light stared back up at the ceiling. "I want to be everything that I'm not right now. Strong, selfless. Impervious to temptation."
"That's impossible."
"You asked, I answered."
"Fair enough. I guess I've heard worse dreams. Just so weird. Why would you want to be a saint? Would that really make you happy?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"So you're a perfect person. Then what? That doesn't make you happier than the worst bastard."
"Life isn't about being happy."
Heliolisk sat up. "Then what else should you want, Light?"
"I want to better myself until I'm perfect. Starting with not having to steal cold fries."
"Light, do me a favor."
"Yah?" he turned to Heliolisk's face.
"My father wasn't happy. I'm not happy. Please try. I'm not going to get much of a legacy out of this life other than you."
"Okay. Fine."
________________________________________________________________________________
Flareon Light pushed up to his feet. Sky Shaymin Ariel had turned around to the cave entrance, but she turned around as he whimpered. Green light arced and curled around his paws. A warm, pleasant tingling weighed down on his body. He looked at Ariel through a veil of light around his eyes.
"It doesn't matter how good you make me feel or how much you protect me," Light growled. "The life I want now isn't on your back. It's right next to you. Because..." he huffed, "you're my partner now. Like in those old stories. That makes me... happy."
Light stayed standing as Ariel took slow steps closer. She accelerated until she threw her arms around him in a hug. The oppressive, warm tingling vanished.
"We're not strong enough," she whispered. "I wish that we were."
"We're not alone. Down there, our friends and family are coming up ready for anything." Light shifted his eyes up. "I've always admired how strong you are. I just need you to struggle this one time with us. I promise we'll be there for you."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to talk to it," he said. "Maybe there's some kind of reason for all of this I don't understand yet. There's not a guarantee all of this is the same as Reshiram."
"I'm trying to protect you from it, I don't want you to talk to it. If it comes down to it, I can't even use my abilities to protect you."
"Then unlock my chi." Light stared up at her apprehensive eyes. "Let's do it together."
Ariel seemed to consider it. She stared off at Light's paws.
"Okay," she said finally. "But, the moment I finish, Rayquaza will know. It'll probably come down to the top of the mountain, or even here. If there's anything you can think of to prepare, we should do it now."
"Are the others close by?" he asked.
"I put up a wall of fog, and they can't get through. If I take it down, the same thing will happen."
"Can you do both at the same time?"
"Yeah."
Light didn't want to hint to the others that the fog was Ariel's doing. They'd probably come up by themselves when it went down, so he wouldn't have to send a message.
"Hey, Airy," Light said. "Why did you save me?"
"If I don't save a good person from something they don't deserve when I can, I just... I wouldn't be able to find a reason to go on."
"That's why I trust you. It's why you should trust yourself, too. That you're making the right decision."
"Thank you, Light."
Silence fell for a few seconds. Light wondered if she would stare out of the cave for hours with the intensity she did.
"Can I steal just a little while longer with you?" asked Ariel. "I'm scared. It'd make me feel better."
"Of course. Whatever you need."
"Thank you," she breathed.
Ariel's right paw moved down and grabbed Light's right. Her left arm reached down the length of his back as she hoisted him close to her face. Her eyes shone with a serious glimmer. At a loss for words, Light nodded.
"Right after I got you, though," she whispered. "I noticed you were beautiful. And after that, I noticed I liked you. And after that, I panicked."
"I think I panicked at that part, too."
Ariel nuzzled her forehead against Light's. He relaxed and warmed up in her embrace for a while. He wanted to count out five minutes in his head, but plenty more passed until they were both ready. He could feel it in her breath when she was.
"How is this going to work?" Light asked.
"I blocked your chi in your back," Ariel said. "When I release it, you'll feel a lot better. It'll be in a split second, so you should brace."
"Will it hurt?"
"It'll feel like a big weight off your shoulders. It won't hurt. I'm ready when you are."
"Okay. Let's do it."
Sky Shaymin Ariel shifted behind Flareon Light. Green light showered the walls for a short moment. Pressure that Light didn't realize weighed down on him lifted, then flew away. As the cave dimmed back down, Light rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms by reaching in front of him. Stretching made him yawn.
You good?" Ariel asked.
"Yah," Light answered at the end of his yawn. He turned around. "Are you...?"
Yellow veins stretched across Ariel's body. A web of them encroached further on the right side of her face. She felt her cheek, then stared down as more creeped down her arm.
"Ydui Siulsc, L rlyy pdyi kd kpz vliz dm ylqpk."
The yellow light drowned Ariel's body. Light covered his eyes and peered to try and watch her through all of it. He called out her name, but didn't get an answer.
"Kplv wdrzu lv hlcz. Qlxz lk ostg."
The light shrunk, then dissipated. Light stared down at the green mass of fur that was left as it shifted and rose.
Ariel's deep, green eyes poked out from a new face. Light's eyes scattered around the Land Forme Shaymin in front of him.
"What happened?" her high, squeaky voice asked. "Wait, what the-" she held out white paws up to her face. "Oh no."
"Airy," Light said firmly. "Calm down. It's okay..."
"This is not okay! I can't even see my legs!"
Ariel grunted and fell back trying to look down at her legs. She squirmed around in place as if she was trying to swim.
"I can't get off my back," she groaned. "A little help?"
"Uh, right."
Light grabbed her paws and yanked back. She landed on her front with her arms spread out at her sides.
"This blows," she said. "I can't walk. It's like I'm on tiny stilts. Dammit."
A gentle, sharp wind blew into the cave. Light stared as trails of dirt fell from the cave ceiling.
"Okay," he said, turning back around to Ariel. "I'm going to put you on my back for now."
"No way," she spat. "That's embarrassing."
"But you did it for me all the time?"
"U-uh, that's different..."
"You've never been in Land Forme before right?"
Ariel's eyes shifted down to the ground. "Well, not since before I can remember..."
"Then let me help for now. You won't be able to walk in that form if you never even learned how to. Let me just spot you for now. We need to see what's going on outside."
Light lowered down his back. After rebalancing the backpack strapped over her shoulder, Ariel grabbed the edge of his gray mane and pulled herself up onto his back. As he lifted back up to standing, his new extra strength let him get up with ease. Ariel buried her face in his fur as he walked towards the night sky.
"This isn't what I thought would happen..." Ariel said quietly.
"Being a Scion is why you were in Sky Forme all the time, right?" Light asked. "It makes sense to me."
"No it doesn't. This is bullshit."
Light stepped out of the cave and looked up. Other than the stars, clouds of green fire swirled in the air and descended closer to the mountain.
"You wouldn't happen to know what those are, right?" he asked.
"I think... Fuck! Run! Now!"
Light bolted. Given the lights swirled down from somewhere in the sky, his feet pounded against the rock on a slant going down. He put his full effort into an all-out sprint.
"We're not going to make it!" Ariel screamed. "Find some cover! On your left!"
Ariel pulled Light's fur in the direction of a rock wall. He changed course and ran down a slope on the side of it.
As rumbling shook Light's feet, he hoisted Ariel off her back and set her down against the wall. He leaned on the wall with one of his arms and loomed over her to keep any falling debris from hitting her. He stared up the side of the wall as the dull rumble grew. Pebbles fell onto his back, but the rumble faded before anything heavier ever would. It felt like wherever it came from was farther away.
"You okay?" Flareon Light asked.
Shaymin Ariel's green eyes trembled as she stared up at him. The shadow of Light's arm streaked across her red face. Pink flowers bloomed out of the green fur on her back. Light lowered his arm.
"Airy," he said. "What was that just now?"
"O-oh..." she lowered her eyes. "I think it was some sort of attack?"
A roar boomed. Light's arms flew around Ariel. It came from far away, but left a dull sting on his ears.
It faded as fast as it came. Light gazed out as far as he could as he pulled back from Ariel.
"The others are probably moving towards it," he said. "I think we should..."
Light trailed off looking at Ariel. Her face had been tinged a red intense enough to pass as a burn. The green fur on her back drowned in pink flowers, and her eyes trembled staring up at his face.
"You feeling okay?" Light asked.
"Y-yes," she squeaked.
"Are you ready for this? It's going to be a fight. Going to need you here."
"U-uh... Oh," Ariel's eyes clicked onto Light's face and stopped trembling. "Yeah. I'll cover you, however I can."
Light lowered down, and Ariel pulled up onto his back again. When he rose back to standing, a lot more weight pushed down on his shoulders.
________________________________________________________________________________
"Wait a minute. This one isn't the one I signed up for."
Markus stared up at the sky with a paw on his hip. Just a single step ahead of him, a sheer cliff opened down to a maze of trees far below him.
In the night sky, storm clouds swirled as a green serpent flew down through them. Markus squinted, but it was too far away to see any details. He turned back around and shrugged to the others.
Slowking Chad looked out with an arm shading his eyes, but he couldn't see any better. Out of the crowd behind him, Land Shaymin Mei stepped forward and in front of Markus. She turned around to face them.
"This is a Legendary pokemon in a state like the Glass Reshiram. We have to stop it here. Any questions?"
"Oh, nice speech," Markus mumbled.
"Over here!"
The crowd parted around a Galarian Ponyta.
"I have a question," she said.
"Alright, what is it?" Mei asked.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Markus blinked as a blue blur crossed his vision. It darted next to Chad and stood idle, letting him see it as a young Manaphy.
"Hey dad?" she asked. "What's-"
"Jewel," Chad said firmly. "I'll... we'll have to talk later."
"I also have a question," an Arcanine's head raised over a Talonflame sitting in front of him. "Why am I just hearing about this now? I haven't even had coffee."
"Me neither," an older Roserade groaned.
"You came up here expecting a fight, right?" Mei asked. "What difference does it make?"
"We came prepared for a giant dragon that stabs things with glass," a Mienfoo pointed out. "We didn't know anything about whatever that 'Rayquaza' is. What does it do?"
"Will you shut up?" Mei shouted. "They both just shoot fireballs and giant laser beams and stab things. Just shoot at it!"
"Okay," a young, relaxed Drizzile said. "We understand. But, is there anything we should know about? Like, will it eat our attacks and shoot them back at us or something?"
"I don't know. Just figure it out."
"Hey guys," Markus called, staring up at the sky. "I think it's gonna', like, charge. Like, tackle us. Pretty sure we're all gonna' die. What do we do?"
Everyone looked where Markus pointed up to in the sky.
"What makes you say it'll tackle us?" Mei asked.
"It's getting bigger exponentially," Markus said. "Prolly' got a good... ten seconds. No, nine. Eight."
Green light started to pour down on Markus's face. The light burned his eyes into tearing up.
"I have an idea," he continued. "Everyone jump off the cliff with me."
Slowking Chad grabbed the Manaphy in his right arm, ran, and jumped. There were only a few seconds left to take it in, and they took one until stampeding off the cliff.
As species big and small zipped past Markus and fell off the cliff, Pachirisu grabbed his arm.
"What are we doing?" she screamed. "That's a big fall!"
"Yeah, might be a few broken bones, but we're about to get blown up."
Markus wrapped an arm around her, gripped her tight, and jumped on his own. As he fell, he used his psychic power to turn himself around in the air and glanced up.
The green comet slammed over his head like a meteor hit. A cloud of dust and huge boulders shot out of the cliff and started their descent. Markus eyed them, thinking about everyone under them.
"Susan?" he asked.
"Ready," she said.
Markus threw Susan up in the air. Electricity cracked, sparked, and grew around her body until it shot out in a huge web. The rocks shattered into smaller pieces that wouldn't cause much injury. Markus slowed himself in the air to catch Susan.
Susan landed right in Markus' arms. Markus continued to move down to avoid any hits from the falling debris. When they came to the ground, Markus set Susan down on the grass and leaned over her to protect from the shower of falling pebbles. The hail of pebbles stung his back, but it wore off when he stood back up.
On the wall of the cliff, a Zangoose and Arcanine slid down the side with their claws as grapples. Shaymin Mei clung onto the Arcanine's fur. Slowking Chad landed on a thick, soft patch of grass on his side with Jewel safe in his arms. A Talonflame and Emolga drifted down to the ground with a Dewgong on the Talonflame's back. Looking up at the side of the cliff, Markus saw Roserade working his way down slowly by lowering himself down with vines extending from his arms.
A scream snagged Markus' attention. Paces away in front of him and Susan, a Mienfoo landed and bent her knees. The vibration shook Markus' legs, but Mienfoo's didn't even flinch. She raised her arms and caught a falling Drizzile, cutting his scream short. She turned him around and set him on his feet.
A sharp, cry of pain pierced Markus' chest. Everyone's eyes turned to a Galarian Ponyta lying on her side and a Ribombee hovering over her. They all kept their distance, but inched closer, bringing her pained face into view.
"We've got a broken leg," Ribombee announced, looking up.
"How long can she go without treatment?" Chad asked.
"Nothing immediate."
Markus turned to the Arcanine. He noticed and caught his stare.
"Carry her," Markus said. "Have her follow for medical support. Everyone keep quiet and split up. We'll be overpowered in a straight fight in seconds. Try and get some info on it somehow. Keep eyes on it."
No one added another word. Communication shot through the group with small gestures and eye contact. Even the Galarian Ponyta managed to quiet down, taking in deep breaths. It only took seconds for Arcanine to pick her up and for groups to disperse in pairs or trios. Markus nodded down towards Susan before they set out.
________________________________________________________________________________
"What's that up ahead?"
"I don't know. Let's see."
Flareon Light jogged down towards a scar on the mountainside; a black burn mark on the brown rock with ridges like an explosion went off. A trail of dark smoke rose in the air from it right at the edge of a cliff overlooking a maze of trees and slopes leading further down. On his back, Land Shaymin Ariel gazed down at the ground. He stared out at the expansive area in awe. The rock below felt warm on his feet.
"Looks like an attack," Light said.
"It was?" Ariel exclaimed. "There weren't..."
"Probably jumped off and landed before it hit, then went to observe from the woods for the time being. The rocks down there are broken up from attacks, too."
"Oh... Okay," she sighed in relief.
"But this means we can't communicate with it if it attacks unprovoked," Light turned an eye back to her. "You know about Rayquaza more than anyone. How do we beat it?"
"It didn't even let me know what kinds of abilities it had. I don't know."
"Okay... Well, for starters, you were always in Sky Forme because of flying type energy, right?"
"Right."
"So it's probably a flying type. And given this kind of mark, this was a dragon type attack. It's probably a dragon and flying type. What exactly does that green orb do?"
"It amplifies its powers in me when I use it."
A chill rammed through Light's chest. "So, you're carrying something that could end up killing us all. Okay."
"Mei brought it!" she yelled. "I just took it from her so she wouldn't be stupid!"
"I'm not complaining."
Light's ears rose higher. He turned himself around until he saw where footsteps were coming from.
Behind a boulder with a black trail underneath it, an Audino's head poked out. Wrapped in the sleeves of a black leather jacket, her arms stayed in place at her sides as she stepped out. Light automatically glanced down at her feet, finding they were covered in pink and black striped socks. On the strand of her ear, a hold hoop earring bounced up and down as she moved.
"Sounds like it's good bait to me," she projected her voice to them. "We just need a trap to spring."
"I, uh, didn't think I'd see you again," Light called back.
Light's eyes widened. His body took a step back as another figure walked from behind the rocks.
A Cinccino with dark, blue eyes holding a black staff walked out beside a Lopunny.
"Oh," Light breathed, "Hannah."
"Ariel," Hannah said. "You seem tame all of a sudden."
"Shut up!" Ariel yelled. "I'll kick your ass! You get what that means now, right?"
"Not really. But I doubt you can do that considering it looks like you can't even walk."
"Shut up, the both of you," Agatha spat. "I'll kick both of your asses all the way to the ocean from here if you don't can it. Now come up with a plan so I can go home."
"I've got it," Lopunny Luke said, smiling. "Okay everyone. Bring it in."
At a slow, nervous speed, Light inched closer to the forming circle. Luke stood with the same bravado he did before everything went wrong last time, hands on his hips and an unwavering smile. Audino Agatha folded her arms while Cinccino Hannah stood idle, keeping part of her glare on Ariel. Light felt Ariel's head pointing back in her direction.
"Okay, so get this," Luke said. "Agatha's right when she says the Jade Orb is great bait. Ten outta' ten. So, Rayqauza's body is shaped like a snake. I carry the orb in front of its face in a certain pattern, and then it's body gets tangled up. Then, we deliver a last blow on the head."
"Okay," Light said. "Next plan. Hannah?"
"I carry the orb and draw it under a cliff," she said. "We'll attack the cliff and crush underneath the boulders."
"Okay," he said. "Next plan. Agatha?"
"Don't feel like making a stupid plan. You do it."
"Okay... Luke, does Rayquaza have a mystery dungeon?"
"Yes," Luke said, pointing at him and nodding. "Yes, we can bait it there and, uh... Uh, how does that help?"
"I don't know," Light's voice cracked. "I don't have any ideas. It just blasted my entire Guild down the mountain."
"If we fight it straight on without the orb as bait, it's just a weight we have to carry around," Agatha said. "We have to use it for something. Just think. Is there anything here that could help?"
"There's something I could try, but it'd be bad if it failed," Hannah said. "It would take a while, but I could create a sort of air current to ensnare it. We could land a few extra attacks."
"Nothing else we planned would have much effect," Light agreed. "Who should hold it? They'll have to lead it to Hannah."
"Me," Agatha said, raising an arm. "Luke's an idiot, and you need to carry Ariel. Besides, I'm the fastest here."
Light remembered her prosthetic feet from before. From what he remembered, they have boosters that sent her entire body flying.
"Alright," said Light. "I just need to get back in contact with my Guild to tell them the plan. Then we need to find Rayquaza."
"Where should I set up?" Hannah asked.
"Right at the top of the mountain, That way, we can hit it from all sides, maybe even send it tumbling down."
"You sure we have enough power for that?" Luke asked.
"Probably," Light replied. "Lots of my Guild brought weapons, and they all hit pretty hard."
"Okay. I brought my phone, so I can text for them to gather at the top. Agatha, go look for it, then lead it up. You're fast enough, right?"
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I am."
________________________________________________________________________________
Agatha hadn't been sure how she managed to sound so confident. She might've been at the time she said it, but not now. Luke also called everyone Agatha came with to move towards the top, albeit they might not arrive in time to set up any trap of their own.
That left Audino Agatha alone by herself in the woods, looking for the danger everyone else prepared for. Nothing inside a brown bag over her shoulder would help; it only carried the bait.
After a few minutes, she settled into a pattern of following where the strongest wind came from. She put her socks into the pockets of her leather jacket along with her phone and zipped them up. The sound of movements and shifting in the air grew stronger, but she couldn't see any more past the curtain of leaves over her head.
Eventually, Agatha got a sense it started to circle her and stopped walking. The breeze pushed at her body from forward, right, back, left, and forward again three times over. Convinced, she stayed still.
The unsettling feeling came from the silence. Agatha would have been ready for an attack, but she didn't expect for it to take this long. Her nerves told her fur to crawl at a stare that might or might not have been on her. She glanced around at the trees as if it could be hiding behind one of them.
A glint of light struck Agatha's eye. She glanced up and saw what looked like sunlight start to leak through the leaves. She took the liberty of jogging from under it.
A huge explosion went off behind her. She reacted, burst off the ground and soared through the veil of trees.
Agatha couldn't afford to look back at its face; its long, snake-like, green body blocked her path ahead. Her trajectory landed her on top of a yellow, ring pattern on its body. She ran on it for a few steps and jumped again before she could lose her footing on the slick, moving surface.
The second jump gave her enough height to reach the rocky slopes that led to the top. She sped up the hill, lifting her legs further up with the help of small boosts with every step she took. She had to turn her head back to make sure it continued to follow, or watch out for attacks.
She caught a glimpse of its face. Rayquaza's huge mouth hung open and appeared like a smile. After snagging a glimpse of its dark yellow eyes, Agatha ran a little faster with a small burst of adrenaline added on to what already burned through her arms and legs. Her feet pounding against the hard rock and soil underneath her started to echo in her head.
The hot swirl of a fire started to chase behind her. As the fur on her back heated up, Agatha jumped over a small rock wall.
The impact of the fire drilling into the cliff made Agatha stumble when she landed. She forced herself to keep swinging her legs under her body. They started to burn as she glanced up at the top. Her heavy breathing turned to wheezing as she had to sidestep falling orange flames and keep the same pace. The plumes of dirt from the craters they left coated her fur in speckled black dirt and ash.
Wind from above pulled hard on Agatha's body as she reached the end of the slope. She fell forward on her knees when she finally reached the top.
No one from her group was there yet. An older Roserade ran to her and helped her stand up with an arm under her shoulder.
Cinccino Hannah stood with her paws clasped together in front of her face. Flareon Light stood next to her with a paw on her back. Other pokemon stood along the edges of the mountaintop in a circle. Roserade walked her back to his part of the edge.
"Can you attack?" Roserade asked her in a graveled voice.
"Yeah," she said. "Let's do it."
Rayquaza soared overhead. Loud groans vibrated Agatha's ears, but they were soon drowned out by the screams and lashes of strong winds. Rayquaza's huge, long body coiled into a ball. As flying dirt made the wind visible, Agatha realized a small hole in the plan.
The wind acted as a trap, and a shield. The attacks from the outside would have to hit hard enough to pierce straight through. As a stream of fire from a Talonflame and shining blue ice beam from a Dewgong hit it, neither of them pierced the bubble.
Others seemed to realize and charged their attacks. Roserade held the pulsing orb of a Solarbeam in between his flower bouquets. Agatha joined them by preparing the power of a Hyper Beam in her fingers and arms. Hannah's face contorted in discomfort.
"Wdlckyzvv."
Audino Agatha didn't have time to worry about the voice that she could have imagined. The wind bubble popped open and slashed at her face. She stayed strong and fired a beam of white, flaming energy up in the sky.
Her attack paled in comparison to the others. Rapid fire explosions were set off in the air. From below, Flareon Light lit them all up further with a large plume of hot, orange fire from his mouth. It continued while Agatha kneeled over and tried to catch her breath.
In seconds, Light's flame fell as the last attack. Rayquaza's unfurled body floated over their heads without a scratch on it. With one if its beady, yellow eyes on her, her focus wandered to running away. Everyone fell quiet from trying to inhale air as quickly as possible. Hannah fell forward and lied right underneath it.
"You've got to put your back into it."
Agatha staggered back to the side. The force behind her shook the ground. The night sky lit up with a fiery, white Hyper Beam. An avalanche of raw power slammed into Rayquaza and pushed it out of the sky. It fell down the slope and rumbled down the mountainside.
The last person Agatha expected the attack to be from stood next to her: Mightyena Claire. She exhaled hot steam out of her mouth, but her breathing returned to normal.
"I could've taught you that, you know," Claire said, exhaling.
"Claire!"
A Slowking walked forward. Agatha noticed Flareon Light helping Cinccino Hannah stand up as he did. Slowking's face glowed with shock. Claire's matched it.
"Chad," Claire breathed. "Hi..."
As Chad sped closer, Claire froze up in anticipation. Agatha shifted away as Chad rushed closer. She wanted to see how they knew each other.
Agatha jolted and stepped back three times. Chad threw his arms around her and engulfed her face in a kiss. Claire's claws on his back pulled him in closer. Bewildered, Agatha turned away. Espeon Selina stood on her other side.
"That took longer than I expected," said Selina. "Are you holding up, Agatha? We need to finish this."
"Y-yeah," she said. "I'm holding up."
"Light!"
Slowking Chad's voice rose and reached Flareon Light. He turned away from Claire.
"We're taking the front lines!" Chad said. "Stay up here and provide support with the others!"
"Okay!" Light called back.
Chad's eyes turned back down to Claire. His arm rubbed down the side of her face.
"Let's do something like old times," Chad whispered.
"Will it be just as violent?" Claire asked quietly.
"A little more, it looks like."
"Good. I'll let you call it, if you're not too rusty. Otherwise..."
Claire's paws pulled up to the back of Chad's head. She yanked his head down.
"I'll take control."
Agatha looked towards where the Rayquaza fell instead. The rumbling from its fall had stopped, and not long after getting hit. Slowking Chad ran over towards the edge with Mightyena Claire next to him. From behind Agatha, Lucario Annette, Torracat Bao, and Espeon Selina with him. Roserade Storm followed behind with a slow walk. Over Annette's shoulder, Agatha noticed the black sheath of some sort of katana.
"Everyone, just like we used to!" Chad said. "I'll take vanguard!"
"No, I'll take vanguard."
Lopunny Luke joined the group. In the corner of Agatha's eye, she noticed Meowstic Alondra and Luxray Imani sweating as they came up the slope behind her.
"Let's do it together," Chad said. "Could use a bit more vigor."
"Right," said Luke. "On your mark."
"Let's move!"
As they charged, Agatha ran to provide support. Her legs stopped cold when she saw Hannah nearly drop back to the ground. She shifted her weight and changed course to see what she could do to help.
After slowing to a stop, Audino Agatha bent down to get a look at Hannah's face. Her eyes dropped as she gasped for breath.
"I knew I felt it!"
Alondra's voice came out in spurts. She swayed back and forth on her last few steps closer to Cinccino Hannah, then stopped with her paws on her legs as she caught her breath. Flareon Light stared.
"Okay," Alondra huffed. "Don't try to recover your strength, draw more in."
"Agatha," Light said. "Who are these people?"
"They used to be Wayfarers," she said. "and a few friends. I, uhm," she cleared her throat, "didn't know about the details. I should go help."
Agatha lifted to her legs. She grimaced and pushed in on her lower back.
"I'll go," Light said quickly. "Could you watch Ariel for me? Please, keep her safe."
A loud bang highlighted Light's words. Agatha nodded as she heard battle commands being shouted out over sounds of explosions and impacts down the slope.
"Wait!" Land Shaymin Ariel protested as Agatha walked around to Light's side. "I can fight! C'mon."
"Airy, you can't even walk in this form," Light said. "Agatha's fast."
"You don't get it," Ariel frowned as she clung onto Light's back. "I'm stronger. I just have to figure out... things."
"Just suck it up." Agatha scoffed.
"Try and have a little empathy, Agatha," Alondra said. "You know how hard it is not being able to walk all of a sudden."
"Yeah, yeah..."
Agatha picked up Ariel from Light's back and stared at her face with her paws under her shoulders. Ariel's frown grew a few sizes. Agatha felt something possess her to pull her up to her chest and pat her on the back.
"Yeah, okay," Agatha groaned. "I get it. Just relax."
"I'll join you in a second," Hannah said.
"Okay," said Light. "I'm going in."
Light turned and ran over towards the edge of the hill. He stopped and used it as a vantage point to get a clearer view.
The explosions would've formed a rainbow if they were any brighter. As Rayquaza's head rose, Lopunny Luke flew into its head with an outstretched leg and shoved it back into the rock below. From what he could tell, Rayquaza hadn't even been able to take flight; meaning it was a one-sided slaughter. The other Wayfarers only stood back from it all, standing still in a row.
An idea shot through Light's mind. It first formed as a thought, then rose to a top priority. He breathed in deep to roar over all of the noise.
"Capture it!"
Light's voice managed to sneak in a slight lull in the onslaught. Although they continued, he knew they heard him.
Based on what Luke told them, they freed Lugia's spirit from whatever happened to it by destroying its body. If Light had to guess, that also meant its memories were gone along with its body. If they had its memories, they would have something to go off of if it came willing to help them through Hannah.
If they captured it, Light could use Candor and try to force out its memories to get to the bottom of it, here and now. Every time the humongous green serpent shifted or moved, it took a vicious, fiery blow at whatever part of its body that did. Light doubted they could overpower its stamina, but it had stopped moving. He might need every second he could get.
Light bolted down the slope. Wind pushed his ears back. He ran between Zangoose Fernand and Dewgong Nathan.
"Hey!" Nathan shouted. "Light?"
Light ducked under a Hydro Pump from Slowking Chad aimed right at Rayquaza's long face. On the final paces, he braced himself. He might not even have a minute to find the truth.
"Keep it down!" Light yelled.
Light didn't know where Lopunny Luke flew in from. He flipped around in the air and nailed Rayquaza with a kick on top of its head.
The attacks paused for an instant. That meant it wasn't moving. Light leaped for its snout and landed on it.
Light had never strained himself using Candor before now. He closed his eyes to get rid of his blurring vision. The muscle in his head flexed hard to pick something up for him to peer at what lied underneath. Silence drowned every breath he took.
The sky didn't seem very different when Light opened his eyes again, but he could tell. The patterns of stars in the sky were a little off. The air fell on his fur like a heavy blanket. He turned around in a circle. Instead of a green, rough surface, his feet were on top of damp grass.
Another Flareon stared him down. Unlike himself, it had normal, red and yellow fur and two brown eyes. It frowned at him.
"You were this close to having a happy life," Flareon said. "I mean why not? All you had to do was sit up here and be happy. You know you could have. It's not like you can stop everything bad from happening."
"I have to do something," Light said. "I couldn't be happy here unless I was selfish."
"You don't get it. You can't do anything. I mean, did you really think I'd let you just see all the answers here?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm still trying."
"No, no," Flareon's voice trembled up and down. "You don't get it! Reshiram will keep getting stronger. Lugia would have kept getting stronger. The only reason your Guild isn't dead is because I'm trying to protect you from a path of pain that you don't deserve. I don't want to have to give you a taste of what will happen down the road just because you want to play hero."
"I'm not 'playing' anything. I don't get what you're trying to do, but it's hurt people and it looks like it won't stop anytime soon."
"I'll let it run over your friends, your Guild, and your partner if you don't accept."
"Accept what?" Light asked.
"Stay on Mount Ài with Ariel," he pleaded. "Let the Glass Reshiram fix the world. Rayquaza will come with gifts and take you to beautiful places, and you'll see how much better the world gets."
"If people have to die for me to live in a dream, then I'll stay wide awake."
"Dammit."
"Light!"
Light's eyes snapped open. A strong arm wrapped around his chest and squeezed tight. The rough, green surface flew away from his paws as he raced in the air. Lopunny Luke's ears whipped back and forth in the wind as he jumped away.
Rayquaza's head rose. Attacks fired in response didn't cause it to flinch back anymore. A white, flaming Hyper Beam that pushed it back before slammed into its face. The gleam from its yellow eyes didn't go away.
Luke landed past the wall of Wayfarers starting to lash out with ranged attacks.
"What did you find!?" Luke screamed in Light's ear so he could hear over the outburst of noise.
"I couldn't find anything!"
Rayquaza soared overhead. Light stared for a second. He sprinted up the hill.
Audino Agatha still had the Jade Orb in her bag, and Land Shaymin Ariel was still in her arms. Luxray Imani put herself in between them and Rayquaza as it descended close in front of them. Cinccino Hannah and Meowstic Alondra both stood on Imani's sides.
Light was still running when Rayquaza's gaping maw opened. The blast blinded him and knocked the air out of his lungs as he fell.
Agatha sturdied herself as much as she could. She didn't manage to stay standing. The blast ripped Ariel out of her arms and forced her down on the ground. Her prosthetic feet splintered around her body. A few pieces were smeared with red.
"You can still save her. It is time for you to accept your destiny. Accept me. Be my Scion."
A green light shot up to the sky. Rayquaza turned its head up and chased after it with an open mouth. Light scratched at the soil trying to stand.
"You love her, don't you? I thought you did."
Orange lights fell down the length of the hill. They overshot Light. The Wayfarers running up the hill drowned in the fires and explosions behind him.
Rayquaza ate the green light that rose into the night sky. Rainbow light stretched down the length of its body. Light pushed himself as hard as he could to try standing up as the light of mega evolution stung his eyes.
"Show her you love her. If you can't do it now, you never will."
Footsteps rumbled past Light's ear. He breathed and dragged his paw under his chin.
"All you want is for her to love you. Then sacrifice."
A bright, white light bore down an Agatha's body. She tried to crawl with her arms. No matter how much she pleaded with them, they didn't drag her body anywhere. Her heat convulsed as though she were back.
"Okay!" a voice yelled. "I will! Just stop!"
The white light softened, then disappeared. Cold, piercing wind poured down on Agatha's back. She turned her head down and saw it; the green back of a Land Shaymin standing with her arms raised in front of them.
Light stared up at Mei's form. She gazed up towards Rayquaza's face with tears in her eyes.
"I'll make a deal!" Mei yelled. "I'll do it!"
Light's heart fell at the silence behind him. He only heard whimpering groans and fires fizzling out on the rock. His limbs didn't cooperate with him.
He had to watch on as Rayquaza's body circled around Mei. He couldn't scream loud enough to stop Ariel from crawling into the circle. When he tried to solve the problem of why he couldn't move, his brain realized the pain shooting through his body and lost consciousness.