The emergency alarms shut off and all the doors in the compound became unlocked.
"Is it over...?" I blinked, still shaken up.
Just then, Azelf warped back into the room.
"We're safe for now." He said, floating over.
"What happened?" Nelly asked.
"Well, I went to help but by the time I got there, it was under control. But you might want to keep the lights on, because it's gotten pretty dark outside."
He went on to explain how we were now completely underground.
*
"That ought to do it." Midorima said as he and the others made their way back inside, looking out at the darkness while Kiria rushed off to make sure everyone else in the complex was all right.
"Fair play. I wouldn't have thought of pulling us underground." Caleb nodded.
"But what happens next?" Hikaru asked, Virizion standing beside her. "Do we just hide down here from now on? It's pitch-black out there."
"Well, I believe we should maintain this plan until the military forces cease their search." Uxie said. "It may take a day or two, but the likelihood is that they won't find any trace of us and leave empty-handed."
"Damn idiots..." Megan sighed. "That big shot kept saying that they wanted our tech to protect people, but I have a hard time believing that if he storms up to our doors with a whole army when he's told 'no'."
"I don't know..." Hikaru looked around. "Their methods were off, sure, but I think he had some kind of point. The tech that you guys have – wouldn't it be better to share it?"
"That's the issue." Megan shook her head. "Of course, ideally, we'd want to deploy our shield technology as far as we could, but we just can't trust that everyone would use it for its intended purpose. The tech is new, and full of possibility – but not every outcome of experimentation is passive. I won't risk letting it fall into the hands of people who would turn it into a weapon to hurt others."
"I understand that your outlook on this is for the long-term..." Midorima nodded slowly. "But, to be blunt for a moment – we may not have a long-term future if we aren't able to stop Bedlam."
"You sayin' you don't think we can win?" Caleb crossed his arms.
"Not necessarily." The Korean replied. "Rather... We're close, but we're not quite there yet."
"Indeed." Uxie nodded. "Our power now is not at a level that can rival the beast. Myself, Terrakion, Meloetta, Azelf and now, Virizion, too, are not strong enough."
"You say that," Hikaru looked at her new partner. "But I find it hard to believe, y'know? When I felt Virizion's power flowing through me, it felt like I could do anything..."
"I would say that that feeling is only natural." Virizion said. "After all, from a base human state, adding our power to yours will feel immense – but even then, I imagine it must pale in comparison to this creature who skulks in the shadows."
"Precisely." Uxie agreed. "Not to mention the fact that it gets stronger each day as it incites conflict across the globe."
"So we're in a race to get stronger before Bedlam does, that right?" Caleb asked.
"In simple terms, yes." Terrakion affirmed.
"Well, geniuses, how much more power do we need?"
"That's not so easy to figure out." Midorima admitted. "Right now, I'd say we're fairly able to take on and wipe out Bedlam's army of shadows when they appear – but..."
"Those shadows are but a fraction of a fraction of its real strength." Uxie took over.
"So we're not even close to winning?" Yu asked sadly.
"Not yet, I'm afraid." Midorima sighed.
"Damn..." Hikaru gritted her teeth.
"What more will it take?" Megan asked.
"A fair few more of us." Uxie said, referring to him and his legendary allies.
"Any ideas how we're doing on time?" Caleb looked over. "That Janus guy said we had about a month and a half, right?
"He did, but I don't think he could've anticipated all these attacks Bedlam has launched on people around the world that would definitely boost its strength faster." Megan frowned.
"What are we, like, two weeks on from when this all started?" Hikaru said, then immediately felt a shiver down her spine. Everyone in the room fell silent and looked at the ground, the reality that the clock was ticking hitting them hard.
"Sh*t..." Caleb blinked. "What do we do...?"
"There is no way to force allies to arrive sooner." Uxie sighed. "We just have to trust that there are more humans here who share your strength of heart and are able to bond with legendary Pokemon."
"Damn... You're asking for a lot of trust right there..." Hikaru swallowed. "If more people don't link up like we have, then... It'll all be for nothing...?"
"Gh..." Uxie wouldn't answer that, but by looking away, he answered it anyway.
"No..." Yu held his head and looked around at his friends who were standing with legendary partners and felt useless. "I don't wanna die...! I don't... Aaahh..." He fell to his knees.
"Yu!" Hikaru knelt down beside him.
"I'm scared..." He sobbed, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, come on..." Caleb stood over him.
"You'll be ok." Hikaru put her hand on his shoulder.
"I hate this..." Yu sniffed. "I hate it..."
"Ah..." Megan shook her head. "I forget that you're still a child... Listen, Yu, you don't have to stay here. We can send you and your mother home safely with shields if you'd prefer."
"Aaahh... N-no..." Yu shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I-I should help...!"
"Oh, Yu, nobody expects you to pitch in if you don't want to – you can leave it to us."
"Yeah, little man." Caleb put his hand on Yu's other shoulder. "...!" Something startled him and he glanced over at Hikaru, who was looking back at him, as if she had just felt the same thing.
"No!" Yu jumped up, and the two of them staggered away from him. "I don't wanna just sit here...! I...! I...!" He looked around at all the faces looking down on him and gritted his teeth. "I don't... I don't know what to do...!"
"Yu..." Megan reached out towards him.
"I'm not useless! I can do something!" He screamed. "I have to be able to do something...!" He ran away down the hall, the lights illuminating his path.
"Yu!" Megan called after him, but he was gone. "Nobody said you were useless..."
"Mm..." Caleb straightened up and looked at his hand, while Hikaru did the same. "Definitely not..."
"Poor kid... He had to be rescued twice in a row. No wonder he feels down..." Hikaru sighed, closing her fist.
"Hey, do you guys think the kid might have the potential to be like us?" Caleb asked the Pokemon.
"The young one?" Virizion seemed surprised.
"Anything is possible, I suppose." Terrakion shrugged.
"Well?" Caleb looked over at Midorima and Uxie.
"I would have to touch him to know for sure." Midorima said, concerning how his knowledge worked. Just saying that seemed to remind him of something though, and his eyes widened. "Ah, forgive me, I have to go!"
"Huh?!" Caleb watched him run off in the opposite direction.
*
"We're safe..." Nelly breathed a sigh of relief when Azelf finished explaining what had happened.
"But I didn't do anything to help..." I gritted my teeth. "Damn..."
"It's all right – Hikaru and Caleb managed to handle it." Azelf said.
"But still, I... I was a coward. I should've helped – I have these powers. If someone had gotten hurt, it would've been my fault for not being there..."
"That's not true." Nelly disagreed. "Besides, nobody was injured, so you don't have to worry."
"But that's not it!" I shook my head. "Agh... Damn it..." I stared at the ground for a moment, thoughts racing through my head.
"Toby...?"
"Azelf." I looked up.
"Yes?" He looked back.
"I think you're better off finding another human to bond with. Someone who actually has a spine."
"What? But..." He was at a loss for words.
"Toby, what are you talking about?" Nelly stepped forward.
"No – someone like me shouldn't be in this position – I shouldn't have this power at all. I'm sorry I let you down..."
"But..." Azelf reached out.
"I'll be back later." I sighed, turning around and opening the door.
"Where are you going? I'll come with you!" Nelly said, starting to follow.
"It's fine. I just... Need a walk." I looked back at her and smiled.
"Oh... Ok..." She stopped in her tracks. "Uh... I love you."
"Love you too." I shut the door behind me on the way out and put my hands in my pockets.
The corridor was quiet but for the low hum of the lights, which were our only source of light now that we were below the surface. I didn't know where I would go, or really why I was going, but it just felt like I needed to take a moment and think on my own. With a sigh, I began to stroll through the building.
*
"Is he ok...?" Azelf turned to Nelly.
"...I hope so..." She wasn't sure. "You won't leave him after he said that, though, will you...?"
"No." He shook his head. "I have more faith in him than that. You do too, right?"
"Right..." She nodded. "It just sucks that it always seems to come down to this... He's got no self-belief, so whenever he feels like he makes a mistake, he sees it as something that's way bigger than it actually is..."
"And that makes you upset?"
"Of course it does... I don't want him to be sad all the time... But all this is so stressful, and I understand how he feels. I can't just tell him to suck it up, because that would only hurt him. I wouldn't even say that anyway, because I don't think it's true. But I wish I knew how to help..." She looked down.
"Me too..." Azelf flew over to her. "But I think that's pretty special."
"Huh...?"
"Having someone as positive as you around, I mean." He smiled. "I bet he knows that. I'm sure if you weren't around he would be suffering much more."
"Hah... That's sweet, but really, I'd rather he didn't suffer at all." Nelly sighed. Then, she seemed to have an idea.
"Oh, maybe..." She went over to her bag and rummaged around, before pulling out a golden PokeBall.
"Oh?"
"Jirachi!" She held the ball up and the Wish Pokemon appeared, his face bright with a smile.
"Hi, Lady Nelly!" He beamed.
"Hi Jirachi." She smiled back. "I told you, just Nelly is fine."
"Ok! Oh, hello!" He saw Azelf.
"Hello there." The Wisdom Pokemon waved.
"Is there something you wanted?" Jirachi asked Nelly.
"Yeah, actually, um..." She looked at him hopefully. "I... I wish that Toby didn't feel so low anymore. Please..."
"Oh, I... I don't think I can do that, sorry..." Jirachi sulked, Nelly's tone informing him that her wish was sincere.
"Really?" She looked up at him with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Ok... I... I wish he didn't have anxiety anymore... I wish he wasn't scared... I wish he could be happy...?" She asked, hopeful.
"I..." Jirachi looked away. "I can't do that... I'm sorry."
"Oh... That's ok..." She looked away as her lips started to quiver. "Don't worry about it."
"Nelly, are you ok?"
"Yeah, yeah..." A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffed. "I'm just at a loss." She sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help him...?"
"...Mmf..." Azelf felt bad seeing her cry. "Jirachi, if I may..." He floated over to him. "I wish for a tissue."
"Right... Sure." He nodded, and the blue tags on his head lit up. A single tissue materialised out of thin air and fluttered into Azelf's hands.
"Thank you." He said, before taking the tissue over to Nelly and holding it out to her. "Here."
"Thank you..." She smiled and took it, wiping her face. "Ah... Sorry, sorry... I'm fine."
"I'll talk to him." Azelf said, slowly floating back.
"You will?"
"Yes. I can see where he's coming from, but he's got it all wrong. I'll set him straight."
"Thank you, Azelf."
"I'll be back with him." Azelf backed away into a portal and disappeared.
Nelly sat down on the bed and sighed.
Jirachi floated down slowly and sat beside her, reaching out and putting his tiny hand over hers.
"Sorry I couldn't grant your wishes..." He said solemnly.
"It's all right." Nelly smiled down at him. "It was silly of me to ask, anyway. He will be happy. I know it. I didn't need to wish for it, but seeing him hurting like that made me want it to happen sooner."
"I understand." The Pokemon nodded. "You're a good person."
"Thanks." She said with a laugh.
*
Chloe was sat out in the courtyard, but where the Sun had once been, there was now only darkness up above. The only light she had came through the glass of the doors and windows around the edge of the courtyard, her faint shadow stretching out in front of her as she sat on a low step.
She was just staring out into the pathway, barely visible in the faint light, making it impossible to tell what time it actually was. For all anyone knew it could be the middle of the day or the dead of night, but you wouldn't be able to tell unless you looked at a clock.
Her thoughts were occupied, though, and the chaos of the past few hours had seemingly passed her by as she sat there in silence, oblivious to the people milling around in the building around her.
She was periodically looking down at her phone and looking away as if it pained her to gaze for too long.
The screen was showing a picture of Felicia. The girl was smiling nervously in front of a statue the two had come across while on Liocott Island. Chloe swiped. Another picture, this time of the two of them sat together in the sunset, looking out over the sea, hand-in-hand. Felicia's head was resting on Chloe's shoulder.
The Australian gritted her teeth and swiped again. Part of her wished she hadn't.
A picture of the two of them on Christmas day, sharing a kiss underneath the mistletoe.
"Urk..." Chloe closed her eyes in pain as tears trickled out past her eyelashes. "Aaahaaahh...!" She let out a breathless cry as she pulled her phone close to her chest and squeezed it, as if it could somehow simulate the feeling of holding her dearest.
"Fliss..." She sobbed, rocking ever so gently back and forth. "Feliciaaaa...!" She breathed in and groaned. "Why...? Why, why, WHY?!" She screamed. "Why did it have to get you?! Why?! AaaaaaAAAARGH! And I couldn't do a damn thing...!" Her fist slammed down on the cold concrete step.
Chloe sat and cried for a minute or two, before wiping her eyes with a sniffle. "I'll kill it... I'll f*cking kill that bastard... It'll regret the day it took you from me...!" Her eyes narrowed with anger, her whole being consumed by it.
"Channel that feeling." A voice spoke to her. "Don't let it control you. Mould it to make yourself stronger."
"This... This hate, it... It's all I have left..." Chloe growled, looking at her phone again, her heart screaming.
"Your heart burns – the pain sears your soul like a lightning strike ripping through the clouds. But you can't lose sight of the bigger picture."
"There is no bigger picture..." Chloe gritted her teeth so hard they might crack. "She was the bigger picture... She was everything to me...!"
She put her phone down and her fists started to tremble, shaking violently as she brought her arms up.
"Easy... Don't go overboard."
"Give me your power... I'll crush that bastard into dust...!" Chloe hissed.
"...In this state, you can't hope to control it."
"I don't care! If I die trying, then at least I can see her again..." She swallowed.
Just like that, there was a spark – a crackling flash of light from below, and suddenly her fingertips were crackling with lightning.
"Now harness it – don't let it drive you. Become one with the lightning."
"Rrrgh...!" Chloe growled as the sparks of electricity snapped around her wrists, zapping the darkness around her hands. "Aaaah!" She winced, her concentration clouded by her anger.
"That's enough."
"No, I can do it!" She roared. "For her! I have to! AAAAGH!"
The electricity crackled around her fingertips, and when she closed her hands into fits, they became like electrified balls of light. "Aaah... Aaa-aaahh!" She cried out.
A door behind her opened and Nelly stood in the opening, watching the scene unfold in shock.
She had decided to go for a walk of her own, and had spotted Chloe sitting alone. She had planned on saying hello when she had begun writhing.
"Chloe?" She called, but the girl couldn't hear her.
Nelly took a step closer, saw the lightning pulsing around her arms and froze. "Ah..." She was rooted to the spot, the dancing light reminding her of a lightning strike and triggering her astraphobia. She watched as Chloe hunched over, her face twisted in a type of pain that went far beyond the physical.
"A-are you ok...?" Nelly asked nervously, slowly approaching. She didn't respond, instead groaning, fighting the phenomena occurring in her hands.
"This is pointless. You must clear your head."
"I can do it..." Chloe wailed. "I have to..."
"She's putting herself through this..." Nelly gasped. "It looks like it hurts... Chloe! Hey!" Nelly began to walk forward, her heart racing as she heard the crackling electricity. She was scared, but her friend was in trouble. "Chloe...! Chloe!"
Nelly reached out, and, jamming her eyes shut, wrapped her arms around the girl from behind in an attempt to snap her out of her trance.
"Ah...!" Chloe's eyes opened and the sparks fizzled out, fading into the darkness. "Fliss...?" She looked up slowly and turned back.
"Sorry... It's me." Nelly let go slowly, looking her over. "Are you ok...?"
"Oh, Nelly... Sorry..." Chloe put her hand on her head. "I was kinda losing it there, huh...?"
"What was that?"
"I was just... Well..." Chloe explained what had happened.
"Oh... I'm sorry..." Nelly looked down at Chloe's phone, which was still on and showing the picture of Chloe and Felicia locked in an embrace.
"Nah, it's fine... I should've kept my cool... If I get reckless, I could die..." Chloe frowned. "Though... Sometimes I wonder if that would be the worst fate..."
"Hey, don't say that!" Nelly shook her head. "There's always something to live for, I promise."
"...I get what you're trying to say, but... Honestly I don't know if I believe it." She sighed.
"No, it's true, I swear!"
"...Hah... Felicia was my everything... Without her, I... I just..." She started to well up again. "Gah... Fliss..."
"You have to live for her." Nelly said. "Keep her memory alive. She must have loved you so much. Don't you think you at least owe her that?"
"...Yeah... Yeah, I know... You're right. Again. Sorry..."
"No need to apologise – just don't throw your life away, ok?"
"Yeah... I have to clear my head... Then maybe that voice can give me its powers for real..."
"You heard a voice?"
"It gave me that lightning." Chloe nodded.
"It looked like it was hurting you though." Nelly was concerned.
"Nah, that was... That was me being dumb. I tried to force myself to handle it in the wrong way... Hopefully it hasn't turned its back on me, though..."
"No, I'm still here. When you're ready, we can try again."
"Oh..."
"Do you need someone to stay with you?" Nelly asked.
"I'm all right." Chloe shook her head. "Thanks, though."
"All right... Don't suffer in silence though, ok? Like I said before, you can always talk to me if you want. I know it must be annoying when a stranger like me butts in and acts like she can help, but... I do care, ok?"
"Thank you." Chloe smiled a little. "I appreciate it. I do."
*
"It seems I've lost again." Midorima sat back, observing the shogi board between him and Shu-ling.
"You've gotten really good." Shu said, lifting his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He had had to focus really hard to beat Midorima lately, who had learnt and mastered the game incredibly quickly.
"Thank you, but you continue to prove why you're the professional." The Korean smiled.
"Thank you for the game." Shu bowed, before collecting the pieces up.
"Play again tomorrow?"
"You still want to?" Shu seemed almost surprised.
"Of course. I know I can beat you eventually."
"Haha, ok." The Taiwanese boy nodded, his shogi equipment all packed away. "All right, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ah, Shu-ling." Midorima stood up. "One more thing." He reached out and touched his arm. Evoking Uxie's powers, Midorima was able to get a second glimpse at the knowledge in Shu's head.
"What is it...?" Shu looked back at him.
"Shu-ling... You're carrying some trauma."
"I..." The boy backed away.
"I won't force you to share, but know this: I'm here for you if you want to talk."
"..." Shu looked down.
"And you don't have to hide that Pokemon." Midorima straightened up.
"...Huh...? How did you...?" Shu stared in disbelief.
"You've already bonded with a legendary Pokemon." Midorima revealed. "But you're afraid to admit it, because you fear you aren't good enough."
"...I-I..."
"It's all right, Shu. You're not alone." Midorima put his hand on his shoulder – without his powers this time. "I know you're hurting, but you don't have to hide it. If nothing else, I can listen to you. I can be your wall to talk at and let it all out."
"...Mm..." Shu wasn't sure, as he shrunk in on himself.
"Please, show me the Pokemon who has made you its ally. Perhaps then I will be able to help you further."
"...Oof... A-all right... S-sh... Shaymin..." Shu swallowed.
A portal opened up down by his ankle, and a tiny white hedgehog-like creature cautiously wandered out, its bushy green back adorned with beautiful pink flowers, two of which appeared on either side of its head.
"Um, hello..." Shaymin's tiny voice said nervously, almost hiding behind Shu-ling.
"Fascinating..." Midorima nodded slowly, seeing the resemblance. "Do you want to talk further...? No pressure, of course. I won't invade your privacy."
"Well..." Shu looked down at Shaymin, who looked up at him and slowly nodded, its little legs trembling. "...Ok... But not here." He looked around, pushing his glasses up.
"Of course. Wherever you're most comfortable." Midorima nodded. "Lead the way."