PMD: Fateful Saviors

Finale: Fateful Savior

"Damn, these Pokemon pack a punch!" Erdalla growled as she dueled fists with a mighty Metagross. The Metagross's Meteor Mashes might be resisted by Erdalla, but she still took a beating. And her Thunder Punches weren't doing a whole lot back, "Grr, away with you!"

Slamming an X-Eye Seed into the Metagross's face, it stumbled around blind before I took it down with Mud Shot, freeing Erdalla up to support with Thunder Wave. The Pikachu wasn't kidding with the tower growing harder as we ascended it. Now we were facing down hordes of powerful dragons and Ground types immune to Erdalla's attacks.

"Focus your Ice Beam on the Salamence and Flygon! They're the biggest threats here!" Erdalla stood back to back with me as enemies closed in, "I'll handle the rest. HaAAA!"

A loud crackle of thunder roared across the space above us and a great thunderbolt struck the incoming Metagross and Aerodactyl approaching us, frying the latter to ash. I shot down as many dragons and Claydols as I could with Ice Beam, but they were quickly overwhelming me. One Salamence even fired Flamethrower to nullify my Ice Beam.

"Duck!" I pushed Erdalla to the ground to avoid the plume of fire, letting it roast an incoming Metagross. However, that let a Flygon come in and rake its claws across my body with Dragon Claw, bringing me to the ground, "Gah!"

"Damn, we can't go on like this!" Erdalla produced a Foe Stun Orb out of her toolbox, "Stand aside!"

Shattering the orb, it erupted in a great blinding flash, paralyzing all the nearby enemy Pokemon in their tracks.

"It's over!" Erdalla shouted and slammed her hand on the ground, bursting in a dazzling flare of Discharge, burning away all the Pokemon except for the Ground types, "Now Alfrin!"

"Take this!" I spat my Ice Beam at the remnants of the Monster House, killing them all. I panted, feeling the burning wounds on my chest sting with every breath. I needed an Oran Berry.

"Seven floors of this craziness. It's incredible we survived," Erdalla breathed, sounding winded, "Surely we're close to Rayquaza now"

"Hopefully so," I replied as I ate an Oran Berry, healing the injuries on my chest, "I just had a thought, Erdalla"

"Oh?"

"If we were to persuade Rayquaza to destroy the meteor, how can we get off here? The Teleport Gem disappeared after we arrived," I said, "We can't just hitch a ride on Rayquaza, right?"

"I guess it would be above his dignity to do that. Plus, if he destroyed the meteor so close to us, we might get caught in the aftermath," Erdalla gritted her teeth as we sat down next to the dungeon wall to rest, "We might even die thanks to that"

"No point in turning back though"

"Absolutely. We're already here, so we're going to see it though, regardless if we live or die," Erdalla stood up, "I already lived and suffered long enough. I wouldn't mind sleeping for eternity"

"Hey now, let's think optimistically. We're getting back to our friends, right? The team still needs their leader after all," I smiled, trying to lift morale, "And you're still young. Plenty of life to experience still"

"Heh. Tell that to yourself. Your life is nearing its end," Erdalla said dryly and I stepped back in shock.

"... What? What did you say?"

"Do you think I don't know? You were originally human and were transformed into a Pokemon to save the world," The Pikachu explained, "After your quest here is finished, you'll be returning back to the human world, right? That's the logical course of action"

"I…" I was speechless. I didn't tell Erdalla anything about my conversation with Gardevoir and she figured it all out by herself, "Yes… that's right. After the meteor is destroyed, I'm going back to the human world. Gardevoir said so"

"Is there really no chance of you staying here as a Pokemon?"

"Not that I know of. I can't stay because I wasn't originally from here," I replied sadly, "That means leaving behind everyone in the square, Team Lazulian and… you"

Erdalla didn't say a word, although I noticed a small sparkle of tears in her one good eye. However, that was quickly wiped away and she stood up.

"We rested long enough. Let's move before more wild Pokemon find us," The Pikachu said flatly and we ascended the nearby stairs to the next floor. However, instead of a dungeon layout, it was a singular room with two massive doors up ahead constructed out of clouds.

"This must be it. The top of Sky Tower. Rayquaza's domain," Erdalla turned to me, "Are you ready, Alfrin? Be prepared for a fight if necessary"

"... I'm ready. Let's finish this," I nodded as I downed a Max Elixir, restoring all my power points. Erdalla did the same and we approached the doors. Swinging them open, I heard the winds howling as we entered an open-air platform made of a stormcloud. All around us was empty sky and space, with no Rayquaza in sight.

"Well… here we are. The top floor," Erdalla glanced up in the endless space above, where a shining yellow star was burning in the distance. It seemed to be hurtling towards us, "There's the meteor. But where is-"

"Who goes there?! Who dares trespass onto the sky god's airspace?!" A godly, booming voice resounded through the air. It was loud and clear, despite the raging winds, "This is my domain. Depart at once!"

"Wait! We came here to request your help!" Erdalla cried, "We need you to-"

"Never! A god doesn't help worthless mortals like you!" Rayquaza cried before descending out of the empty space itself, roaring loud and proud as it landed in front of us. His emerald green serpentine form was lined with rings of gold and he oozed of ozone, "I am a being of the sky and you are but denizens of the ground. To each there are worlds of their own!"

"You don't understand! The meteor is-" I protested, but Rayquaza cut me off.

"For hundreds of millions of years, I have never descended to the ground," Rayquaza continued. Thunder began roaring across the various clouds around us, "And the opposite should hold true!"

"Yes, we understand, but-"

"ENOUGH! There will be no mercy for those who defy the laws of nature!" Rayquaza roared, "Prepare for the end! Delta Stream, COME FORTH!"

"Here he comes, Alfrin! Prepare for battle!" Erdalla cried as an absolute monsoon of grey winds buffeted the battlefield, cloaking the area in a dusty tornado. Rayquaza acted first by swiping his claws downwards towards us with Dragon Claw, forcing us backwards. Erdalla countered with Thunder Wave, intent to slow down the powerful legendary while I shot Ice Beam, but Rayquaza evaded both easily.

"The Delta Stream protects me! Just how much can you handle?!" Rayquaza whipped around in the sky in a vigorous routine with Dragon Dance, augmenting his power and speed, "Try this!"

Moving at the speed of light, Rayquaza lunged downwards with Extreme Speed, battering Erdalla to the ground. Before I could even react, Rayquaza's tail met my face and I crumbled to the ground too, barely able to stand. How could we even stand up to such power?

"Ghurkk… strike me again! You were too weak to finish me the first time!" Erdalla stood up as she ate an Oran Berry, healing her wounds, "Come on, Rayquaza. Attack me again!"

"Erdalla…! What are you doing?!" I groaned as I struggled to open my toolbox. The Delta Stream's extreme winds made everything harder.

"Hm, I don't know what your game is, but you're a defiant one. Very well!" Rayquaza whipped down and ripped Erdalla's chest open with Dragon Claw. Yet again, she lived and restored herself with an Oran Berry, "Hm? Enough with this foolishness!

"This is no game. We're intruders of the ground and you're the lord of the sky. You can kill me for my crimes," Erdalla glared at Rayquaza, "So why aren't you? Strike me again!"

"Grr… don't taunt me!" Rayquaza surrounded himself with an array of swords with Swords Dance, boosting his power even more, "You will die for your transgressions!"

"Then what's the matter? Hit me!" The Pikachu taunted and as quick as lightning, Rayquaza slammed into her with Outage, brutalizing her again and again.

"Come… on…! Just a little more…!" Erdalla growled through gritted teeth as bones broke and blood spilled over and over again as she was devastated against the dungeon wall. It was horrible to watch yet still, she kept a constant flow of healing going to keep herself alive. All for what?, "Gotcha!"

"Huh?!" Rayquaza suddenly fell back, electricity running down his body from head to toe, "What is this?!"

"Static! Now Alfrin!" Erdalla shattered a Rainy Orb on the ground, calling forth a rainstorm that cancelled Rayquaza's Delta Stream, "Ice Beam!"

"No… NO!" Rayquaza tried to move, but paralysis kept him down and my Ice Beam hit him square on, making him roar in agony, "GROOHHHH!"

"THUNDER!" Erdalla yelled, thrusting her bloodsoaked hand into the air. Loud thunder roared across the clouds around us and a massive thunderbolt struck Rayquaza hard, sending him reeling. I followed it up with another Ice Beam, bringing the god down to critical condition.

"GRRORR… THIS… THIS WON'T STOP ME!" Rayquaza roared, shaking off the paralysis before ascending higher into space, surrounding himself with green light, "MY ULTIMATE MOVE! DRAGON ASCENT!"

Transforming himself into a battering ram of green light augmented by Dragon Dance and Swords Dance, Rayquaza rocketed down towards us, threatening to destroy the arena we were standing on and rend our very bodies asunder. Hastily, I put on my Detect Band, preparing to rush back into the dungeon for cover.

"Erdalla! We need to get out of here!" I shouted over the Delta Stream Rayquaza re-summoned, "We can't survive something like this. Come on!"

However, the Pikachu didn't move. Instead, she reached into her toolbox for one final gambit.

"What are you doing?!"

"GRROOOO!" Rayquaza came within throwing distance of us, his very aura making clouds explode around us as Dragon Ascent threatened to careen us down the atmosphere. I locked eyes with Erdalla and prepared to move. She simply flashed me a light smile.

"Checkmate," Erdalla slammed a Stun Seed into Rayquaza's face just as Dragon Ascent reached us, sending the dragon reeling in paralyzed fury, "VOLT TACKLE!"

Surrounding herself in a force field of yellow and black electricity, Erdalla rammed into Rayquaza full force, sundering the legendary in endless electricity. Soaring above Rayquaza in her sphere of lightning, Erdalla yelled a loud cry of fury before slamming him into the cloudy ground in an apocalyptic thunderbolt.

"GRROROOORRR!" Rayquaza roared in agony before collapsing into a smoky heap, unable to fight anymore. When the smoke cleared, I saw the Pikachu stagger away from the carnage before collapsing into me, coughing up blood.

"It's… over… Rayquaza can't fight now…" Erdalla wheezed before falling forward, nearly flattening me. I rolled her over onto her back, searching frantically for an Oran Berry, "Now… we can talk some… sense into him…"

"Erdalla, you… you were incredible," I told the Pikachu, still in awe from her display, "You… you took down Rayquaza by-"

"Shh. You helped too. More than you realize," Erdalla gave me a cracked smile as I fished out an Oran Berry, giving it to the crippled Pikachu, "Without your Ice Beams, we wouldn't have…"

"Don't talk. Just eat this," I fed Erdalla the Oran Berry, healing the wounds and recoil all over her body, "Please, please, stay alive. You still…"

"I still have your offspring inside me. Of course…" Erdalla replied softly, "Funny that I'm fighting like this while technically pregnant. Maybe I should… just retire after this"

"Whatever makes you comfortable. I think you deserve a long rest after this," I helped Erdalla to her feet as Rayquaza rose, still alive.

"Grr… an impressive feat. But not enough to topple me…!" Rayquaza growled. His body was still covered in scars and burns from Erdalla's Volt Tackle and his sway was unsteady, "You will need more… more than that…!"

"Rayquaza, stop! We didn't come here to intrude on your territory!" I shouted as clear as I could, "We came to ask you to-"

Suddenly, a powerful quake rocked the clouds we were on, shaking both me and Erdalla off balance. I fell to the ground, struggling to get my footing.

"W-what?! A quake?" Erdalla was as shocked as I am, "How can that happen?! We're in the clouds!"

"This isn't an earthquake! These are shockwaves!" Rayquaza realized, "Big ones too! Where are they coming from?!"

"The meteor! Look up, Rayquaza!" I screamed and the dragon turned his head upwards, where the star was approaching us faster and faster. I could finally make out the behemoth of the asteroid now. I knew that if it collided with the earth, the impact will be enough to wipe this world off the map.

"What is that?!" Rayquaza cried, shocked.

"It's a shooting star! And it will destroy the world if it continues on its path!" Erdalla shouted, "Please, Lord Rayquaza! Destroy it! Destroy the meteor!"

"I will! But before I do…" Rayquaza stared at us long and hard, "I need to know your resolve. The star is already too close. If I fire my Hyper Beam at this range, the explosion from the meteor will certainly kill you!"

"So what?! We were prepared for that from the start!" I shouted, "Just do it now!"

"Ha! Well said!" Rayquaza opened his mouth, yellow light gathering in the center rapidly. In a short time, the energy sphere grew to be bigger than Rayquaza's head. I felt absolute power rippling off of it, "Take charge of your destiny! HYPER BEAM!"

A massive beam of yellow light shot out of Rayquaza's mouth like a cannon shot, colliding with the gigantic meteor and smashing it through. Still, it continued on its path and wasn't stopping. Rayquaza needed to obliterate it completely.

"More power!" Erdalla screamed and Rayquaza growled in response, amplifying his Hyper Beam to an even bigger red ray. The beam enveloped the entire meteor and just like that, it exploded, sending calamitous shockwaves ripping through the sky. Before I could react, I was blasted off my feet and flying down Sky Tower. Falling out of the sky with the winds whistling beside me, I couldn't even call out for Erdalla before I began to black out.

"I'm dead. This is the end," I told myself as unconsciousness filled my vision, "At least the world… is… safe…"

When I awoke, I was in a world of grey. There was nothing around me, just like in the dream world. Yet this had no colour like that or the nightmare. Just an endless world of monochrome grey, nothing to see from any edge of the universe.

"I'm dead. This is the underworld," I thought to myself. I tried to get up, but I couldn't move my body. I was permanently stuck in this stasis of lying down, "The star's explosion took me out. Now I'm adrift… as a spirit"

Suddenly, a purple light warped in beside me. I recognized the shadow that covered my broken corpse: Gengar.

"Keh heh heh! Didn't take much to bring you down, Alfrin. I'm surprised," Gengar cackled. I realized that I couldn't even move my mouth, much less respond, "Now what to do with you…?"

"Oh, I know! I'll drag you into the dark side of hell. You've murdered plenty of Pokemon on your quest. It should suit you," Gengar grinned and grabbed hold of my foot, dragging me with him through the endless gloom and mist. I couldn't move. I couldn't even lift my arms out of this position. All I could do was watch as Gengar took me into the twisted world with him.

"Hm… hmm…" Gengar mumbled before looking around himself, looking puzzled, "Aw, damn it. Took the wrong path"

"How can there even be a right path here?" I wondered, "There nothing but the same thing in all directions"

Gengar let go of my leg, stepping forward to look around himself again, "Ugh, this isn't like me. I can't tell which way is which here anymore…"

Gengar then stared down at me, contemplating what to do, "Keh, you know what? Screw this. I'll just ditch you here"

"What?!"

"Yep. That's it," Gengar noticed the shock on my face, "Goodbye"

With that, Gengar vanished into a door of shining light up ahead. I tried to raise my head to see where he was going before my vision clouded again.

"Guess I'm… truly dying now…" I thought as inky darkness covered my eyes, "Erdalla…"

"... lfrin? Erdalla?!" I blinked my eyes open to hear Natalie's voice crying frantically as she rushed between us two, shaking our shoulders, "Come on, please wake up!"

"Be healed by these words…" I heard Erina mutter and a soft golden light washed over both of us with Softboiled, healing the last remains of our injuries, "... This is all I can do"

"You did your best. It's all up to the will of the gods now," I heard Howard say to comfort, "... Grant them mercy please"

"Urkk… ughhh…" Erdalla rose from the ground, unsteady. She took a moment to look at the Pokemon surrounding us before gasping, "We're… we're alive?!"

"By some miracle, yes!" Natalie cheered as she embraced Erdalla tightly, laughing with joy, "We saw the explosion all the way from down here and thought you were a goner!"

"We were goners. Someone… someone saved us," I stood up, my body sore from the effort in Sky Tower, "Gengar did it"

"Gengar?!"

"I hate to admit it, but that seems to be true. He… he dragged me into the light. Back into the world of the living," Erdalla realized, "Why he did that, I don't know but…"

"Why does it matter? You two are alive!" Salazar laughed, doing his best to hug us both. We returned it with equal affection as our teammates swarmed us, laughing and crying with joy. I smiled and closed my eyes, taking it all in and letting happy tears shed. These were my last moments with my beloved team. Before long, I would have to return to the human world.

"Alright, now that you guys are back, let's head home!" Salazar cried, "We've got a party to throw for your victory!"

"BZZT! LET'S DO IT! BZZT!" Zeplin sparked with excitement, "BZZT! I LOVE PARTIES! BZZT!"

"Come on everyone!" Erina tried lifting Erdalla with great difficulty, so Howard did it for her, hoisting Erdalla up in a parade-like carry, "A feast for our saviors!"

"YEAH!"

"Uhh, if you guys don't mind, I'd like to stay here for a little bit. Get my bearings and enjoy the scenery," I asked meekly, "I'll join up with you guys back home later"

"Well… alright. Whatever you need to do, Alfrin," Salazar nodded before glancing at Erdalla, "In the meantime, Erdalla can tell us what happened in Sky Tower"

As my team carried Erdalla off, I sat nearby the cliff edge, overlooking the entire Great Canyon. Only Xatu was nearby, motionless as usual as he stared into the burning sunset. I glanced at him and then stared at myself, wondering when it was my time to leave. I didn't feel like life or essence ebbing away yet.

"Alfrin…" I heard Gardevoir's voice behind me and turned, seeing the beautiful Pokemon flicker like a mirage. Even so, her voice was as clear as ever, "We owe everything to you and your friends. Thanks to you, this world is safe"

"Does… that mean my time here is over?"

"Yes. Your role as a Pokemon is done. Soon you will return to your world," Gardevoir looked aside solemnly, "And now it is time to bid farewell"

Before I could respond, a yellow wisp of light floated off my body and quickly disappeared into the sky. Bit by bit, I felt my essence blowing away in the canyon winds. The time has come.

"Alfrin, I am so sorry for this. For everyone in the square and your team…" Gardevoir began to fade away, "But now is it time to say… goodbye…"

"Gardevoir…" I murmured as she disappeared, leaving me alone with more yellow wisps flying off my body. I looked down at my legs. Piece by piece, my skin and flesh was growing transparent and flying away, never to be seen again. I felt myself getting more anchored, preparing to ascend back home. It was time to… say goodbye…

"Alfrin, what's holding you up?" Erdalla walked up to me and noticed the enigmatic wisps, "... Oh. I was…"

"Hoping I'd stay longer? Yeah, me too," I looked Erdalla right in the eye, making sure to show all the love and affection I had for her. She was truly my world and now I was getting swept off into the winds. If I could get one last look from Erdalla, I wanted her to smile, "But now… my time has come"

"Alfrin…" Erdalla crashed into me with a hug. I felt faint tears rolling down her eyes and onto my back as she let her emotions run free, "I'm going to miss you. You… you made my life so, so wonderful. Words just can't describe how much you mean to me and-"

"Shh, shh, enough of that Erdalla. You don't need to say it," I embraced the Pikachu back, crying myself. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave Erdalla and the others behind. I wanted to stay and live. But I couldn't and I had to accept that. Gardevoir said that the journey between the encounter and farewell was the most important and I intended to make this the most wonderful one yet, "Before I go, I just want one more thing…"

"Anything Alfrin. Anything for you," Erdalla whispered.

"Smile for me"

"... What?"

"Smile for me, one last time. I always loved seeing that smile, so filled with gentleness, love and adoration. The side of the stoic commander I want to see," I let go of Erdalla, looking her right in the face. The yellow wisps reached up to my neck now as more and more pieces flew off. I felt myself getting heavier and heavier, "S-smile for me… please…"

"Alfrin…" Erdalla cracked one last smile despite the stream of tears rolling down her cheek.

"Yes… that's the one. That's…" My breath fell short as the last remnants of my essence melted and I felt myself floating into the sky, "The smile I wanted…"

"Alfrin, I'll never… ever forget you…" Erdalla whispered as I felt myself flying higher, "Farewell, my friend. May we meet again… on the other side"

"Goodbye… Erdalla… Thank…" I rose higher into the evening sky, my consciousness ebbing away, "... you for… everything…"

"Alfrin…" Erdalla repeated again before feeling her stomach, "Thank you for everything too…"

"Hey Erdalla, what happened to you?" Salazar asked when she went back down the Hill of the Ancients to join up with her team, "And what happened to Alfrin?"

"BZZT! I DON'T SEE HIM ANYMORE. WHERE IS HE? BZZT!" Zeplin asked. Erdalla wouldn't look him in the eye, "ERDALLA? BZZT!"

"Alfrin... passed on. He had to go home, to his own world," Erdalla replied gravely, "He's gone now…"

"Oh Erdalla, I'm so, so sorry…" Erina's mouth shook and tears welled up in her eyes too, "We'll leave you alone if you n-need to mourn…"

"No. I've shed enough tears today. Let's go home," Erdalla replied decisively, "Tomorrow, we begin Team Lazulian anew. It's… what Alfrin would of wanted"

"... Right. Let's go, everyone" Salazar nodded and led the others out of the Hill of the Ancients. Before she joined her team, Erdalla took one last look at the sky, where Alfrin ascended back to the human world in a ball of white light.

"Alfrin, I swear I will carry on Team Lazulian in your stead. I will continue rescuing Pokemon and exploring dungeons. You were the one who made it happen and I will never forget it," Erdalla tapped her stomach again, "And I will raise your legacy to be a rescuer as great as you were. I promise you"

"For you, my fateful savior, I will do anything"