"Oh, sweet Arceus... You guys were right!" Lapras mutters in restrained terror. "That storm will tear the tower apart!"
"That's why we're here. To stop this before it happens." I say. "How close can you get us?"
"Not very. I'll drop you off at the shore. You should cut through the ruins of the palace to save time." Her eyes point towards the unstable looking structure standing between us and the tower.
"That does not look very safe..." Thunder comments.
"Safety isn't a luxury we can afford right now. Take us in, Lapras." Grovyle says. She nods and she moves in closer. The air grows warmer and more humid the closer we get. The wind howls through the empty ruins like a ghost type trying to ward off trespassers. And punctuating the unsettling ambiance are the flashes of red lightning, booming with an unnatural warped thunderclap. It certainly gives off an end of days vibe.
Lapras pulls up alongside the "shore" of the island, gesturing for us to disembark. One after another we jump off, careful not to plummet who knows how many miles down to the ocean below.
"Could you stay here, Lapras? When all this is over we'll need a way to get back."
"May as well. I've got nothing better to do. May Ho-Oh look kindly upon you."
I nod to her in response before turning back to the team. "Alright. We need to hurry. I'll lead the way."
"We've got your back, Alex." Thunder replies. Without another word we press on, following what's left of the stone walkways up to the palace. As it turns out these ruins are much larger than I first thought. They tower over us, almost begging for some reckless treasure hunter to go and explore. Explorers like us. Another time, perhaps.
We walk through what was once the front door, leading into what looks to be a main hall. Remains of ornate, beautiful stonework murals and designs line the walls. It's almost sad to see such artistry brought low by age. Work that pokemon must have put their heart and soul into lay broken and forgotten.
"Imagine what this looked like back in it's prime." I comment.
"This stuff is some of the oldest I've ever seen... Like first civilization old. I wish we had time to look around." Thunder adds.
"Perhaps on the return trip. Once everything settles down." As we press onward I continue to look at the old, ruined images. Most of it is impossible to make out. The colors are faded and the walls crumbled. However a chunk of it is intact enough for me to just barely make it out. As near as I can tell, it is a picture of a mountain with a black portal in the sky. Black creatures outlined in blue seem to spill out from this portal, engulfing the mountain. And at the base of the mountain is an army of pokemon, all standing ready. Four pokemon stand at the front, leaders, I assume.
At this distance I can't make them out, but they look familiar to me. Two green ones, one yellow, one grey. I stare for a short while longer before returning my attention to the task at hand.
"Question," I say to Grovyle. "Will Dialga cooperate with us when we get there?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the tower's collapse is what sent him primal, right? What if that's already started?" Grovyle is silent for a moment.
"If that's the case then we have to fight."
"Against a legendary pokemon powerful enough to literally control time? That sound like suicide."
"What about my time slowing power? Couldn't that even the odds?"
"A little. It would give us a slim chance of winning." Grovyle says. "Though I would prefer it not come to that."
"You and me both." A particularly loud lightning bolt catches out attention as it flashes into being. It connects with one of the prongs of the tower, sending stone chunks flying. The entire prong comes loose, sheering off the tower and falling onto the ruins below. Above the swirling vortex storm grows, the winds whipping around faster and faster. It roars like an angry Exploud, almost proclaiming the horrifying future it shall bring upon the world. An involuntary chill runs down my spine at the thought.
"Keep moving." Grovyle says, bringing me back to attention.
"Right, sorry." I press onward without another word. But doubt sticks in the back of my mind. What if we fail? What if the tower falls before we can get to it? All our blood, sweat and tears for nothing. Pokemar will become a world of death and suffering. All this just because we were too slow...
"I know that look, Alex." Thunder says to me, rolling right up beside me. "And don't worry. We can do this. We've been through worse and come out alive."
"I... I'm just afraid. Afraid of what will happen if-"
"You know what being with you has taught me? Courage is about making your fear work for you. I've done things that a few months ago I would have never believed I could do in my wildest dreams. All because you showed me what I could do.
"Alex, whatever happens next, we will face it bravely. We always have." A moment of silence falls between us as I run his words through my head. I let a smirk creep over my face.
"Look at you, telling me to be brave. We've come a long way, haven't we?" He nods with a smile. "You're right. All we can do is our-" A flash of purple streaks past the corner of my eye. I glance towards it just as it vanishes behind a stone wall.
"Alex?" Thunder asks.
"I saw something. I think it might have been a Sableye.
"Dusknoir..." Grovyle growls.
"Must have been waiting for us." I ready my leaf blade, keeping a watchful eye out for movement.
"Dusknoir! If you're out there, stop hiding like a coward! Come out and face us!"
"Backs against each other, everyone. I don't want them flanking us." I turn away, facing outward with my blade at the ready, If they're coming at us, we'll see them.
I see movement in the brush. They're trying to stay hidden. Apparently waiting on something.
"Get down!" Grovyle yells. Immediately I crouch as low as I can, narrowly avoiding a shadow ball as it screams past me overhead. That's when the Sableye leap into action. A quick glance behind me reveals that Grovyle is keeping Dusknoir busy, for now. That leaves us with the with the darkness pokemon. I bring my blade to bear, bracing myself as one of them lunges at my face.