Chapter 36: Primal Clash Pt.2

We approached to an entrance were the currents of water were very powerful. Maybe that was the place Kyogre was looking for, the place where he would return to his primal form. And I was there to help him to not make a bigger disaster, I was determined to catch Kyogre and let him join my team. "Woooooo!" I exclaimed as we went through the tunnel. I could see a bluish light at the end. "You better take me to a beautiful place!" Yes, I dared to joke with a pokémon who was probably very pissed off despite not showing it.

The current was extremely powerful. Aside from the fact that Kyogre was swimming with determination to the hole, there was a strange force that drew us towards it. "It looks like it has to be this way" I said quietly to myself.

And indeed, he took me to a beautiful place. It was like a cave, the walls were covered by greenish rocks and there were lots of little waterfalls. Also, there were light blue shining rocks. I know Steven would have loved them… And there were like some claws made of a darker blue kind of rocks, which were suspended from the ceiling. Quickly, I got off from Kyogre; there was a small patch of firm ground. Then I faced the beast again.

"Is this were you are going to regain your power?" Kyogre made a low sound. I took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "Do it. Show your real you to me. I won't harm you because of it, I promise!"

After I finished that sentence, a column of energy coming from the "claws" in the ceiling enveloped the enormous pokémon.

"Krrraaaaaawrrr!" Kyogre roared looking right into my eyes. His roar sounded angry and pained at the same time. Maybe the transformation caused him some kind of physical pain.

Right at that moment, I felt Trevor's pokéball shaking in my pocket. I grabbed it and I threw it to the floor. Trevor knew what was going on.

"Trevor, don't do anything until I tell you to, alright?" Trevor nodded as he stared at the legendary pokémon, whose transformation was advancing quickly.

Despite of the light surrounding him, I saw how Kyogre became twice as big. His eyes changed his color, going from yellow to a stunning orange color, now his sclera was a soft yellow instead of black. And then, a very strong dark blue light enveloped him. Just like in Seafloor Cavern, only that this time was much more intense. Oh, and I swear I saw an alpha symbol during a very brief moment! Then, a huge tremor shock the chamber and the light "broke". Kyogre already completed his transformation.

If Kyogre looked imposing before, now he looked twice as imposing! New patterns appeared all over his body, his eyes looked more ferocious than they did before and as I already mentioned, he became a real colossus. And just like his appearance changed, his attitude changed too… He went from acting somewhat calm to being very aggressive. He was clearly very angry and upset and now, calming him was my duty.

"Kyogre, I'm so very sorry for everything you have been through today." I started talking in a soft tone.

"KRRRAAAAAAAAAWRRR!" The super-ancient pokémon screamed before baring his teeth, which made Trevor to get into an attack position.

"I understand that you feel so furious, but I'm not going to hurt you… I'm not the one who caused your pain. That people is outside there and they regret disturbing you. They even asked me to help you!

And guess which was Kyogre's response? After dedicating to me an ear shattering roar, he jumped into the air as multiple blue orbs appeared around him. He was going to…

"NO, KYOGRE! NO!" I yelled as he continued to execute the attack. I couldn't understand why he tried to kill me when all I wanted was to help him and make him feel safe.

And then, Trevor jumped in front of me, getting ready to shield me from Primal Kyogre's attack. I didn't even need to tell him, Trevor already knew I was in danger. I closed my eyes as I felt tears forming again. I had no idea if Trevor would survive the attack. If something happened to him, I would feel awful, because it would be my fault…

…but surprisingly, he endured it. Of course, he got injured because that attack is very powerful, but he made it. Trevor could still stand up, and that was very good. "I don't know what I would do without you." I muttered as I patted his head affectionately. Then I returned my attention to the angry legendary pokémon.

"Kyogre, I will repeat it once more: I don't want to hurt you! I came here to help you, I'm your friend!" I dared to approach him a bit more. "Don't be scared of us, we only want to make you feel better. I know you are suffering, I know how it feels, believe me. We mean no harm." I got a lump on my throat once more. "I have a family outside waiting for me, as well as a couple of friends… and one of them holds a very special place in my heart. And of course, there's also my other pokémon, I don't want to leave them orphaned!" I sighed as I looked into his eyes. "And if you want to… You can join me too. I will take good care of you. If you come with me, I swear to Arceus that nobody will try to use you anymore." I was vomiting words, and they came straight from my heart. I know it sounds corny, but… eh.

After finishing my little speech, I sighed and I smiled at the primal pokémon. He looked calmer and I approached him a bit more. But that was a bad choice…

"KRRRAAAAAAAAAAAWRRRR!" He delivered the most terrifying roar he made until that moment and he approached me as he raised half of his body from the water. He was going to crush me…

As Kyogre raised his body, the twenty years I lived flashed before my eyes. I could already feel the pain of my bones breaking one by one and my innards exploding and he wasn't even on top of me yet. I thought about all the people waiting for me outside, and my pokémon, who wouldn't see their trainer anymore. I started to cry as I felt how my life reached his last seconds. I swear I could even see a pair of light blue eyes staring at me with sorrow. But then…

…someone pushed me very hard, making me fall on my left side, which hurt a lot since I had an enormous bruise in my arm. But I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt as much as being crushed by a 948 lbs pokémon!

I opened my eyes to find out who was my savior… It was Trevor. He saved my life once more. I bursted into tears as I hugged him.

"Trevor, I'm so thankful to have you! Thanks for everything…" He even helped me to get up.

I looked at Kyogre a bit warily, he still seemed very upset. That's why I decided to change my tactic. I kneeled in front of him and I lowered my head to avoid any eye contact with Kyogre.

"Kyogre…" I said softly. "There's a time and a place to die, but this ain't. Neither for me nor for you. I have a future and you have it too, and that future has you belonging to my team. I want to be your friend and I'm not going to take you for granted!" I established eye contact with Kyogre very slowly and I noticed something: he seemed to be at peace.

I kept looking at him. He made a low sound, it almost sounded like a sigh to me. Maybe he was already getting the message? If so, these were great news! In a fit of confidence, I reached for the Master Ball in my pocket, making sure Kyogre didn't see it. That could have made feel him upset again, and I didn't want that. I got up and I approached him very slowly. Once I was close enough, I placed my hand on his forehead.

"Everything is alright now." I said as I smiled in a friendly manner. The super-ancient pokémon made a sound that reminded me of a purr. Kyogre was content at last!

Then, I took two steps back and I got ready to throw the Master Ball at him. "It's time." I whispered as I took my arm forward. That moment played in slow motion for me: the ball separating from my hand and then impacting on Kyogre, Kyogre getting absorbed into the Master Ball, the Master Ball shaking three times… and making a clicking sound.

After that, I slowly walked towards the Master Ball and I put it into my pocket. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT, AT LAST!" I cheered as I hugged Trevor. Then, I began to cry again. But this time, they weren't tears of despair… They were tears of happiness and relief, the tears that only come in moments when hope shines again.

The hug lasted like, a couple of minutes. I felt so happy; there are not enough words to describe it! I was anxious to get outside again; I wanted to see everyone, even Archie!

And suddenly, the whole cave began to tremble. A very powerful current of energy was surrounding everything. Umm, what if I did something wrong…?

As I returned Trevor to his pokéball, I remembered I needed to surf my way out of the cave. There was only a pokémon able help me…

"Kyogre… Err, Cataegis…" Yes, that's his nickname. Of course I nicknamed him; I nickname each and every one of my pokémon! Even if that pokémon is the titan who shaped the sea! "Sorry to bother you, but we have to get out of here!"

And as I did half an hour before, I jumped on his back. Cataegis took me outside of the cavern and in no time, I was already in firm ground. I thanked him before returning him to his pokéball. I still couldn't believe it!

The way across the Cave of Origin made me feel even more anxious. Only several meters separated me from the outside world. I got to a point where I began to run, I couldn't wait anymore!

And finally, I reached the doors. I knocked on them as hard as I could. And finally, after several seconds, the doors opened very slowly. And what I saw when I stepped out of the Cave of Origin made me realize that nothing bad was happening, not at all. The situation was very different from the situation there was when I entered. The black clouds were slowly fading away, making way for sunset's orange sky. And then, a rain of green sparkles began to fall. That was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. That's another moment I will never forget.

But as I stared in awe at the sparkly rain, I remembered about the people waiting for me. Slowly, my eyes looked in a certain direction. I removed my helmet and I threw it without looking where I was throwing it.

"Owie!" A female voice complained.

"Sorry Shelly!" I said before running towards a certain someone. I bet you all know who I'm talking about…

"You're back…" Steven murmured before hugging me once more. I hugged him back with all my remaining strength.

That was the most heartfelt hug I've ever given or received. I heard him sobbing softly… I never saw him cry… And he was crying for me.

"It's okay, everything is over now." I said as I caressed his back. After a long while, I separated a bit from him. "You can give me my pokéballs now." I smiled.

"Oh, of course!" He responded as he handed them to me, one by one. I went and I put them inside my bag along with Trevor's pokéball. But before placing in the bag Categis's pokéball, I wanted to boast a bit. "See this? This is where Kyogre rests now. He's now my new buddy!" I chuckled before finally putting it into my bag.

"The power, which had been pooling within the Cave of Origin, is now flowing back into our world…"

"Like it must be!" I exclaimed happily as I got the suit off.

"It feels so… warm… Just now my heart felt like it was about to be crushed by uncertainty and terror, but now it feels like it's been softly set at ease…"

"Everybody makes mistakes." I said as I approached Archie. "Big, small… But it doesn't matter. Most of the time, there's room for a second chance."

"Bwahahaha scamp, you sound like a philosopher!" Archie answered in an unusually friendly manner. I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"The land… or the sea…" Maxie spoke again. "Humans… or pokémon… When we sought to bring happiness to only one… we nearly destroyed both. Now the world's balance is restored to its natural state. Perhaps this is the time we must reconsider our ideals…"

"Do it!" I murmured as low as possible so he couldn't hear me.

"Don't you agree, Archie?" Team Magma's leader asked to his rival.

"Yeah… You're right." I never imagined I would hear Archie saying that. "What you're saying is only natural. I know that. But still… I can't just change… The world I believed to be ideal… The kind of world I dreamed of making, where I could live alongside my beloved pokémon… That hasn't changed." I sighed in an exasperated tone as I heard that. "I know I've got nothing to stand on, after causing this much hurt, but…"

"That's right." Shelly interrupted him. "You caused a big fuss there when you almost brought about the downfall of the world, you big dolt! No matter how much you beg, no one can forgive that! But… Do you really need their forgiveness, though?"

"I FORGIVE HIM!" I exclaimed all of sudden. "There's no use in being angry over something that has already been solved!" Archie looked shocked after I said that.

"See, the girl has a point! And even if no one wanted to forgive you… I'll… I'll stay with you! I'll stay with you forever! So, please… Stop going out on your own and acting crazy. You're… our… Team Aqua's leader, and we're your friends, after all."

"Shelly…" Archie was feeling emotional. "Sorry… and thanks." Then he looked at me. "And thanks to you as well, scamp." I nodded as a signal of approval.

Then Maxie approached me.

"We adults have a duty to pass this world along to the next generation. A world worth passing along. What is it we truly need to do to create such a world? Take each other's hand in friendship? Or fight for the right of supremacy? I think it is time we consider this again with our team members and break down the wall between us."

And then, it was Archie who wanted to talk to me.

"All right, ya little scamp. You managed to use that red orb, so now let's see you try this on for size. If you give it to Kyogre, you should be able to control its primal reversion."

"Do you mean I will be able to choose whether if he reverts to his primal form or not? But thought he had the blue orb with him!"

"Exactly! And no, his primal reversion was possible thanks to the energy he absorbed from the orb at Seafloor Cavern and the energy from the Cave of Origin." And then, he handed the blue orb to me. The two orbs were together at last, like it must be. "Farewell… See ya."

"Wait, this is the last time I'm seeing you?"

"Maybe yes, maybe not. Nobody knows." Archie answered.

"Well, if so… I hope everything goes well for you, wherever you go." I was really feeling what I said.

"Thank you, scamp."

"Oh, and… Shelly, I'm sorry for the incident with the helmet." I said as I chuckled nervously.

"Eh, don't worry. I will survive!" Shelly said as she smiled slightly.

Then Archie and Shelly left. After that, Maxie did a courteous gesture towards me and left as well. I was left alone with Steven, which made me feel nervous… in a good way.

"Team Magma and Team Aqua have totally different ideals, but they just reached an agreement." He said calmly.

"True. Being able to get along with someone who disagrees with you is something wonderful, in my opinion." I stated as my cheeks began to burn, a sensation I was already missing… and which I thought I would never experience again.

And this is how this tale ends. The tale of how the world was about to get destroyed and how I managed to save it. But this isn't the end of the story. And that wasn't the end of the day either…