PMD: Fateful Saviors
Chapter 21: Skybound Citadel
"By the way Fiona, what was that object that Erdalla pulled out in Magma Cavern?" I asked the Absol as I jam packed my toolbox full of supplies. Since me and Erdalla were going into Rayquaza's home solo, we needed to be prepared for anything. As such, the others took it upon themselves to find and contribute anything they had, "That tablet thing you slapped aside"
"That was a Mystery Part, Alfrin. It's an ancient artifact that can summon legendary Pokemon," The Absol explained, "When Erdalla held it up to the lava's light, it must've prematurely roused Groudon, which explains the quake"
"How would you know something like that?"
"I foresaw it shortly after we arrived at the rest point. Disasters like that are my forte," Fiona replied with a hint of pride, "In any case, the Mystery Part would be a useful thing to keep around"
"Yeah. Erdalla never found out who the toolbox belonged to after we came home, so finder's keepers," I shrugged as I dumped in an assortment of seeds into my own box, "... Okay, that's probably as much as I can fill. Anymore would just make things cumbersome"
"You still have room for this though," Fiona draped an electric blue scarf around my neck, "I found it in the supply bin. The tag says it's a Detect Band"
"What does it do?" I asked as I touched the azure silk scarf. It felt weightless. I could barely feel it on my neck, yet Fiona knotted it tight still. Convenient.
"Well, I know the move Detect shields you from practically any impact, so this band must be similar," Fiona theorized, "Honestly I gave it to you because it looked nice"
"That's fair. This DOES look pretty fashionable…" I touched the cloth again, feeling it's smooth touch, "I'll ask Erdalla what it does later. She probably knows"
"Yeah…" Fiona replied slowly as I closed my toolbox, preparing to exit the storage room to set it next to my bed, "You're not going to ask?"
"About what?"
"Your quest. Your journey into the clouds," The Absol huffed, "You're not going to ask what might happen up there? Any disasters that I can sense?"
"Why would I? I won't run away from this ordeal, regardless if I die or not. Me and Erdalla stepped up to the task of requesting Rayquaza to destroy the meteor and we'll see it through no matter what," I replied decisively, "Besides, Erdalla told me something when we went to Uproar Forest a few days ago"
"Oh?"
"She told me to not lose sleep over things I can't control," I explained, "Say something were to happen to us in Rayquaza's domain and you alerted me ahead of time. What could I do to stop it? It's the course of fate and meddling with destiny has its consequences. If I avoid one calamity thanks to you, it'll come to bite me back later. Does that make sense?"
"So what you're saying is that we're bound by our pre-determined fate and there's nothing we can do to change it? All we can do is weather the storm and let fate's winds guide us along, through whatever trouble it wants?" Fiona challenged, "That doesn't seem like a very good way to live"
"Can you blame me, Fiona? I've been thrown into this world of trouble for one purpose: to save it," I shrugged, "My destiny was decided the moment I awoke in Tiny Woods. Now it's time to fulfill it by ascending Rayquaza's domain and ending the disasters"
"I sorely hope you lead a life free of that philosophy after you're finished here," Fiona grit her teeth, "To be locked in fate's cruel tides is a restrictive lifestyle indeed. Branch out. Seek new paths to venture and explore. You aren't meant to be bound to one purpose in life"
"One purpose is exactly what I came here for. That's why I think this way," I growled, getting tired of this conversation already, "Now do you mind? I need to drop this off and get some rest before our departure tomorrow"
"Right, right. I'm sorry for agitating you like that," Fiona apologized, "Just… take my words to heart if you have to leave this world and return to your own"
"... I will. Thank you"
…
Me and Erdalla went to bed early that night, intent to get as much rest as possible before our ascension into the clouds. Erdalla noticed my Detect Band and informed me that it increases my speed in dungeons, letting me evade attacks easier.
"Any boost to survivability is welcome. I can't imagine Rayquaza's home being small," Erdalla tugged on the Heal Ribbon laced around her neck. The royal red and gold was a steep contrast to the ebony black eyepatch she still had over her burned eye. After all this time, it still showed no signs of healing, "If it's a mystery dungeon, it's probably equal to Magma Cavern or even longer. Twenty or more floors at least"
"And I heavily doubt any Secret Bazaar is around to boost us forward," I groaned, "What Pokemon do you think we'll find there?"
"Probably plenty of Flying types, which is fine by me," Erdalla smiled, "And with your Ice Beam and Ancient Power backing me up, this should be a cinch. Discharge handles any Monster House troubles"
"Glad to see you're as confident as ever. Especially after… well…"
"What? Especially after what?"
"After what happened in Magma Cavern. You retelling your experience with Gengar," I replied. Erdalla turned away from me, scolding, "Look, I'm sorry that I brought up some bad memories. I was just curious and you never told me how you survived after the fall"
"Alfrin, lesser Pokemon would be broken after all that humiliation, but not me. I'm using my rage and hatred towards Gengar to fuel my fire," The Pikachu replied softly, although her voice was etched with steel, "For the sake of this mission, I'll still be the strong commander that I need to be. But I don't want you bringing up that incident again, understood? Just forget about it"
I frowned. Something worse must've happened to Erdalla when she encountered Gengar. Was the shame of being beaten and paralyzed from fear so great that she's acting this way?
"... Goodnight, Alfrin. Clear your head and keep it centered on our mission. We'll need it once we depart tomorrow," Erdalla said finally, "Sweet dreams"
"... You too"
We both fell asleep soon after. However, I soon found myself in the dream world again. Gardevoir must have wanted to talk to me.
"Urghh… my stomach…" I grumbled as I sat down, awaiting Gardevoir's arrival. I didn't know where the stomachache came from, but it was excruciatingly painful. Just then, I noticed something was very wrong here, "What… what's going on…?"
The dream world around me was a violent shade of deep purple instead of the calming pink and yellow I was used to. The dark light seemed to wrap around me and I felt like I was suffocating, like the shadows themselves were choking my neck. I couldn't die in the dream, right? So why did this pain feel so real?
"Keh heh heh!" I heard from the empty sky. I turned my head up, recognizing the laughter.
"Gengar! Stop this at-" Suddenly, the nightmare slammed its grip over my neck again, silencing me, "Ghurrkk…"
"Who would've thought that you were the Pokemon sent to destroy the meteor. And a former human, no less," Gengar cackled, "You were probably some nobody in your human life, but whatever. Let's expose your heart with Dream Eater"
I felt my mind being pried open as Gengar feasted on my dream, spilling forth information and secrets that battered my brain. I tried to struggle and protest to escape the specter's gaze, but it was to no avail. Whatever Gengar wanted to do, he was succeeding.
"Mm hmm, this is- Huhh?!" Gengar suddenly jumped, sounding startled, "What… what is that light?!"
A miraculous sparkle of light entered the dream world, shining brightly in the gloomy darkness. As it came down to me, the shadows trapping me seemed to dispel and retreat and I heard the sound of shuffling in the sky. Gengar was leaving. Slowly, the dream world around me turned back to its familiar colours.
"Hello Alfrin. Glad to see you're still in one piece," Gardevoir greeted as she blinked into existence in front of me.
"Gardevoir, what was happening to me? I felt like I was in a nightmare," I replied, still feeling uneasy. When the darkness faded, my stomach ache died, but the quasiness didn't, "Gengar was there"
"Yes… he seemed to have infiltrated your house and tried to gain insight on you with Dream Eater," Gardevoir crossed her arms, "But I chased him off, so you're safe now"
"Thank you," I said. There was a brief pause between us before I spoke up again, "Will you finally tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"About my role. My purpose for coming here. Who I really am," I pressed, "Surely you know all of this, right? You said you brought me here in the first place"
"Oh? Do you not already have all your answers?" Gardevoir smiled, "You yourself figured it out. I brought you to this world as a Pokemon to save this world from the disasters. That's your role"
"Then why erase my memory as a human? Will I even be able to go back to my past life? Can I-" I rambled before Gardevoir silenced me by pressing her finger on my mouth, "Hm?"
"I'll tell you all you need to know. Have patience," She replied soothingly, "Let's start from the beginning, shall we? You hail from a world inhabited entirely by humans and our world is one populated by Pokemon. However, some humans managed to bypass the barrier between our worlds and enter ours"
"Like the human from the Ninetales legend," I said and Gardevoir nodded.
"Exactly. Anyways, foretellers of this world learned that a great apocalypse will strike in the distant future. As such we sought out a hero to prevent the calamity," Gardevoir continued, "We searched and searched, but nobody stepped up. Until we found you, by the border separating our worlds"
"M-me? Why of all people would you ask me? I'm nothing special"
"Ha ha, that's exactly what you said when we first met you as a human. You haven't changed a bit," Gardevoir laughed, "You also proclaimed that you weren't strong, but that wasn't what we were looking for. We wanted a hero who had true courage. The power to be brave in the face of danger and display willingness of sacrifice. That's the mark of a true rescuer"
"Both of those traits are prominent in Erdalla. Why not ask her…?"
"For one, Erdalla wasn't born yet. This was in the past, before all these events occurred," Gardevoir replied, "And there was no one more suited to the job, despite your protests"
"Did you really come up to me and ask me to save the world just like that?" I asked, "Because that sounds pretty insane. I mean, I hope you gave human Alfrin a taste on what's to come at least"
"Oh, we did. You yourself requested that we put you to the test first, just to see if you were worthy of the job," Gardevoir smiled, "You asked specifically to have your human memories erased, be transformed into a Pokemon and live alongside the inhabitants of this world so when the time comes, you can step up as their fateful savior and prove yourself. To be clear and free of mind was what you said"
"I did all of that…?" I could barely comprehend it myself. That I would be so self-sacrificial back in my human days. This Alfrin felt like a completely different person to who I was now. He sounded a lot more like Erdalla.
"Yes. We were quite shocked by your proposal, but it sounded reasonable for your test. Additionally, if you lived here as a Pokemon, you could form bonds and friendships to help combat the disasters with you," Gardevoir continued, "Don't you see, Alfrin? You made your own fate. Nobody is controlling you and you aren't a pawn in another's scheme. You put this upon yourself and it's your duty to finish it. Save this world, Alfrin. You've long since proven yourself worthy"
"Then that's it, isn't it? Destroying the meteor will end the disasters and save this world…" I frowned, "What will happen to me after my role is finished?"
"You will return to your world. Ever since the Ninetales incident, the gods have reinforced the barrier between worlds. You won't be able to come back," Gardevoir replied gravely, "That means… parting ways with your team. And Erdalla"
"Erdalla…" I repeated, my head still spinning over this sudden revelation. If I finish this quest, I'll have to leave this world and all my friends behind. Erdalla especially will be heartbroken. Despite her rough and tough exterior, I knew she loved me wholeheartedly. I believed in her ability to move past the pain, but the fact I caused the turmoil in the first place made me sick.
"There is nothing to be done sadly. You'll have to depart from your friends if you wish to save this world," Gardevoir said gently, gazing at my distraught look, "In life, every encounter comes with a farewell. But the journey between those two plains is what really matters. Your presence and impact on their lives is the lifeblood of every bond you make"
I didn't reply. I still needed to sort out my feelings over having to leave Erdalla and the others. Especially with the Pikachu, our time together felt like my whole life and made my experience as a Pokemon a wonderful time to be. It has only been a few months since I first arrived in Tiny Woods, but they were the best in my life and I didn't want to let it go.
"Every encounter comes with a farewell. But the journey between the two plains is what really matters," Gardevoir's words echoed again in my head. But I didn't want this farewell to come so soon. I wanted to be with Erdalla and the others longer. However, I couldn't simply give up on this task to quell the disasters. Why… why must fate be so cruel?
"Once upon a time, I had a friend I cherished beyond value," Gardevoir sighed, noticing my expression, "But they are long gone now. Even now, their parting fills me with sadness. But I must accept it and move on, lest I forever dwell in the pool of regrets. Even the most powerful Pokemon can't alter the course of history"
"Then I have to be brave. Step forward in the face of danger," I murmured before raising my voice, "I must be ready to sacrifice anything. To keep this world and my friends safe. That's the mark of a true rescuer"
"Exactly. Although you may not be able to return to this world after you leave, you may find your friends again on the other side," Gardevoir's eyes gleamed before grimacing, "Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
"I sensed a presence. Someone was looking into this dream," Gardevoir frowned, "But it seems like they're gone now"
"Was it Gengar?"
"I couldn't see it. Whomever ran off crying however," Gardevoir closed her eyes, a solemn expression marking her beautiful face, "... It will be morning soon"
"Thank you, Gardevoir. For everything," I told the embrace Pokemon, "Will I ever be able to see you again once I go home?"
"... Perhaps. I have devoted my time now as your protector," Gardevoir smiled before fading away, along with the dream world, "Farewell and good luck, Alfrin. I know you will succeed"
"Goodbye… Gardevoir," I murmured before the dream world faded and I opened my eyes, hearing the birdsong outside our window. Morning light streamed in through, bathing our room in warm sunshine. Erdalla was already awake, writing in her journal like usual. I never looked at it thoroughly, but it seemed pretty filled up now. Soon it'll be enough to be its own book.
"Oh good, you're awake. Alakazam told me with telepathy that he'll arrive in a few minutes to transport us to the Hill of the Ancients," Erdalla opened her toolbox and tossed an apple at me, "Eat this and fuel up. Because we're going to be in Rayquaza's domain within the next half hour"
I stared at the apple in my hand and Erdalla's face. Suddenly looking at her made my heart pound. She already suffered so much in this journey and I didn't want to hurt her more by having to leave. But what choice did I have?
"...What? What are you looking at?" Erdalla asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. She stared at me, concerned as she nudged the apple closer to my lips, "Come on, Alfrin. Eat up"
"Erdalla, what would happen if I had to leave this world? Like when Moltres killed me," I asked nervously, "How would you feel?"
"Well… upset, naturally. You're my first real friend and someone who was instrumental to the creation of Team Lazulian," Erdalla gestured all around herself, "None of this would have been possible without your team. If you permanently left this world, I… I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I don't want to lose you, Alfrin. Ever"
I lowered my head, staring at my apple. I didn't know how to respond. Should I tell Erdalla the truth or leave her in the dark?
"Why are you bringing it up?"
"O-oh, uhm… just curious," I lied before biting into my apple, feeling the taste wash across my mouth. In my state however, it felt tasteless.
"Alfrin, you can't lie to me. We're partners, remember? We can trust each other with anything," Erdalla bent down to nuzzle my head, "I bared my heart to you. Why can't you do the same?"
"I…"
"Alfrin and Erdalla, are you ready to leave?" Alakazam called from outside, "Me and Xatu are ready to get you to Sky Tower"
"Let's go. We don't have a moment to waste," Erdalla stood up and grabbed her toolbox, throwing the strap over her shoulder, "We're coming, Alakazam!"
Quickly, I snarfed down my apple and grabbed my toolbox as well, leaving the base with Erdalla. Once we were face to face with Alakazam, he raised his spoon and teleported all of us over to the Hill of the Ancients, where the sun still beamed like sunset. The view over the Great Canyon was just as beautiful as before.
"I hope you are prepared. Xatu is just about to finish the Teleport Gem," Alakazam said gravely as he watched the totem bird Pokemon pulse with green light, magical might surrounding him.
"Kwahhhh!" Xatu cried, his voice echoing over the canyon. A sparkling green light began forming in front of us, condensing into the shape of a small gem. With one flick of his magically-imbued wing, it solidified, "It is done. The Teleport Gem. The artifact that will bring you to the world above the clouds. Now then, accept!"
Erdalla took the Teleport Gem out of the air, holding it in the palm of her hand. It was light green and looked relatively simple, yet in its reflection, I saw a towering citadel of clouds in the blue sky.
"It was made with the power of powerful psychics. Me, Alakazam and…" Xatu frowned, looking around himself, "Oh, looks like they left. A Ghost type Pokemon aided us with its creation as well"
"Wonder who it could be," I wondered aloud and Alakazam laughed.
"Must be the bashful type. Let's let them be," Alakazam's voice turned serious, "Now then, I'll ask you one last time. This journey will be fraught with unfamiliar and incredible danger. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Of course. Who else can ask Rayquaza to destroy that meteor?" Erdalla challenged, "No matter what stands in our way, we won't back down. Right Alfrin?"
"... Yes. Of course!" I replied valiantly, although my heart still burned over my conversation with Gardevoir.
"Then it sounds like you're prepared," Alakazam nodded, "Squeeze the gem to get you to Sky Tower. Best of luck. We're all counting on you"
"This will be done before you know it. You have my word," Erdalla turned towards me, her eye burning with determination and bravery, unflinching to everything in the world. I needed to be like her, just until we reached Rayquaza. If she could suffer so much and still stand tall, I could handle my turmoil too, "Alfrin, let's do this!"
"Yes!" I nodded and I got close as the Pikachu squeezed the gem in her palm, generating a field of green light underneath our feet. Instantly, the light wrapped around us in a pillar and whisked us off far into the sky.
…
Less than a moment later, we reappeared at the entrance to what looked like a mystery dungeon. Everywhere from the floor to the walls was made from fluffy clouds. Looking down from the ledge next to us, I could see the entire world in our expanse. So many Pokemon relying on us to succeed today.
"Here we are, Alfrin. Sky Tower," Erdalla pointed upwards. I followed her gaze and gasped. Right in the center of the city in the sky was a tower stretching into the very heavens themselves. It seemed to be constructed of clouds, but looked like a tornado from where we were, "Rayquaza must be at the top. Let's move, for Team Lazulian and everyone down below"
"Yes. Our final adventure together. Just me and you, Erdalla," I nodded decisively and we entered the mystery dungeon. Immediately once we were in, a massive gale sliced through us, whirling around the dungeon.
"Damn! I should have expected this. These strong winds won't make it easy to get through here!" Erdalla groaned as she shielded herself against the strong breezes, "We can't afford to waste time around the floors. How many Luminous Orbs did you bring, Alfrin?"
"Uhm, I brought three. Should I have taken more?" I asked as I opened my toolbox, careful to not let the contents fly away in the winds, "How many did you bring?"
"Six, along with a good handful of Pure Seeds. Our goal is to reach Rayquaza as quick as possible," Erdalla pulled out a Luminous Orb and two Weather Bands, "Howard was good to prepare these"
"What do they do?" I asked as I took off my Detect Band, replacing it with the blue and gold scarf. Suddenly, the winds died around me, "Huh"
"Yeah, it nullifies the effects of weather on the user. Handy," Erdalla shattered the Luminous Orb on the ground, summoning a vision of the entire dungeon layout, "Anyways, the stairs are over here. Let's move"
Despite what we initially thought, Sky Tower was jam packed with wild Pokemon. Stranger still was that most weren't even Flying type. Many of them didn't belong in the skies.
"Hiya!" Erdalla flurry-punched a Scizor with Thunder Punch before throwing a storm of bolts at an incoming Duskull, "Watch out, Alfrin! Some of these Pokemon come out of the walls!"
"I could tell!" I called back as I fought off a Dusclops and Shedinja that emerged from the walls. Dusclops was easy enough to handle, with me pressuring it constantly with Surf and Mud Shot. But Shedinja was a whole other matter, "How do you kill this thing?!"
No matter what attacks I threw at it, all of them passed harmlessly through the ghostly shell. Before I could react, the Shedinja lunged with X-Scissor before following up with Shadow Sneak, battering me hard.
"Alfrin, behind me!" Erdalla pushed herself in front of me, shielding me from the Shedinja's incoming Faint Attack. The Pikachu blasted it full on with lightning, but it had no effect, "Curses!"
"Ancient Power!" I shouted in desperation, tossing a volley of rocks towards the Shedinja. The instant it made contact with the bug, it disintegrated into ashes, "...Oh"
"A bug immune to everything that's not super effective. Interesting," Erdalla muttered as she glanced at her Luminous Orb vision again. The wild Pokemon came in small packs, but they were ferocious. I could scarcely imagine having to fend off a Monster House of them, "Follow me. Keep your wits about you"
"Where did you learn those moves?" I asked as we moved through the fluffy dungeon hallways. I expected breathing to be harder up here, but it didn't seem to be the case thankfully, "You're fighting more like Howard now"
"That's because he taught me. I got in some martial arts practice while we were waiting for Blastoise's team to return," Erdalla replied with a hint of pride, "More diversity in your fighting style is always a good thing"
"True," I nodded before hearing a loud, dinosaur-like screech from the air, "What was that?"
"Aerodactyl. Absolute terrors of the skies," Erdalla glanced up, firing a Thunderbolt at the vicious, rock-clad bird. It swiftly dodged and began swooping down to us, calling Rock Slide, "Always so damn annoying to fight. Avoid this!"
Firing electricity in a shockwave around her body, Erdalla's Shock Wave slammed into Aerodactyl and sent it crashing down. However, that alerted more fliers in the area, including Altarias, Flygons and Tropius. I was about to launch my Ice Beam to combat it when Erdalla stopped me.
"Don't bother. We're at the stairs," Erdalla rushed to the stairs up ahead, ascending to the next floor with me following, "In case we have to fight Rayquaza, we should conserve power points. Your Ice Beam in particular"
"Fair," I nodded before noticing a cluster of Dusclops moving towards us, "I got this one!"
Launching a potent tide with Surf, I swept the three Dusclops off their feet before burying them in Ancient Power. Instantly however, I felt a gut-wrenching hunger feeling. That was weird.
"Urkk… hungry already. How in the world…?" I grumbled as I dug out an apple from my toolbox, munching on it quickly, "These Pokemon aren't normal"
"It must be an ability of those Dusclops," Erdalla frowned, "And I wouldn't call them abnormal. They're just things we haven't seen before"
"Still weird," I decided and Erdalla sighed.
"Stick together and we can handle anything," Erdalla turned her attention back to the Luminous Orb vision before growling in frustration, "Damn, this thing only lasted three floors. Not a good sign"
"You have six," I pointed out.
"You can never be too prepared," Erdalla summoned another vision as she fried a Shuppet and Masquerain, "Come along, stairs are over here"
And so we continued through the dungeon, weathering the storm that was the wild Pokemon. Occasionally we would face trouble with Masquerain and Venomoth's Silver Winds slashing us from far away and Aerodactyl's deadly Rock Slide nearly devastating us both, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Monster Houses were but a Discharge away from being a nuisance.
"I'm really glad you're the one accompanying me here. If it weren't for your talents, I don't think this'll be as easy as it is," I complimented the Pikachu. We made it to the twenty-fifth floor with alarming speed thanks to all the tools we had. From what I could tell, we were close to the crown jewel of Sky Tower, with the continent of white clouds far below us.
"Yeah well, don't get too comfortable. I'm sure there are plenty of surprises waiting for us soon, not to mention Rayquaza himself," Erdalla said cautiously, "You saw how the legendary birds and Groudon were affected by the disasters. Who can say Rayquaza isn't the same?"
"Can disasters even occur up here? You saw how the Flygon's Earthquake was useless thanks to these clouds," I wondered aloud, tapping my foot against the floor, "What could possibly make Rayquaza go mad?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's the same force that's creating all these disasters down here," Erdalla chewed her lip, "Something devious is at work. A meteor doesn't do these things just like that"
"Let's focus on the meteor first. One issue at a time"
"Right," Erdalla raised her hand to Thunderbolt a Tropius before my Ice Beam collided with it, taking it out instantly, "Thanks for that"
"Yeah, those Tropius are trouble. Always casting Sunny Day for their Solarbeams," I chewed my lip, "Speaking of weather, it's super eccentric here, isn't it?"
"Indeed. We've seen harsh sunlight, rain and even hail here. Never dealt with the last one before," Erdalla remarked before tugging on her Weather Band, "Good thing these things protect us"
"How do these weather conditions even happen if Sky Tower is abov-"
"Don't question it, Alfrin," Erdalla replied sternly, "Up ahead are the stairs. We should be reaching the top soon"
With that, we ascended to the Sky Tower Summit…
Our team:
- Alfrin, Mudkip - Chosen Savior
Level 39
Abilities: Torrent
Moves: Surf, Ice Beam, Ancient Power and Mud Shot
- Erdalla, Pikachu - Final Guardian
Level 40
Abilities: Lightning Rod and Static
Moves: Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack and Thunder Wave
