Five years later,
No, no, please, no! I searched frantically for him; my muscles burned from exhaustion as I swam against the underwater sea currents searching. My lungs were beginning to beg for air; how long have I been looking? Too long, too long, gods too long! Maybe he was able to get out; maybe he's up in the dungeon waiting for me. I wanted to believe that with all my heart, anything but this. The lump in my throat was choking me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to find him.
Despite the pain, I dived deeper towards the ocean floor. The sunlight from up above struggled to provide light for me. It was so dark, and I was so tired. Arceus, please let me find him. I have to find him. I swam as fast I could to try to scan as much of the ocean floor as I possibly could. I fought the urge to double back in case I missed him. I didn't want to waste any more time. What if I did miss him? Was it possible for the currents to pull him this far?
Suddenly, something caught my eye. A little to my right, I saw a bright orange figure on the sandy ocean floor. With hesitation, I darted towards it. As I got closer, I was able to recognize the figure. I didn't feel any relief finding him, just dread. Just as quickly as I grabbed him, I began to try to swim to the surface. He was so heavy, and the sea currents pushed against me. I don't think I'm going to make it.
My lungs were burning, and my aching muscles refused to respond. I slowly stopped struggling; I knew that I wouldn't make it even if I abandoned my partner now. I gently wrapped my arms around his cold, stiff body. As we were pulled back down to the ocean floor, I found myself holding the explorer pack tied to the base of his tail. I could feel myself begin to cry, but the water washed the tears away. The thought of never having the chance to see him in the morning as we got ready for the day crushed me. I'll miss that furrowed brow when he gets annoyed, just like that one night. The kindness and morale he spread amongst his team.
I wish I was able to tell him "I love you," one last time. But despite how carefully he prepared, I guess he couldn't save us this time. As my mind began to go blank and the last of my breath left me the faint memory of this morning flashed through my mind. The Escape Orb!
I remember scoffing at the idea of bringing one to a dungeon because we've never needed one before and it ends up just wasting space. I guess Helios got to save me one last time. With the last bit of energy, I had left I tore open the pack clinging to my partner's tail and watched as the contents floated up. My eyes quickly scanned for the right item. Amongst the food and small wooden wands, I saw the small black orb drifting away. I swung my tail downward giving me just enough distance to reach for the Escape Orb and grasp it. As I squeezed the orb a bright light shone from it, surrounding me and my partner.
There was a flash and it felt as if we were falling, wait we're rising? All I saw was darkness and felt myself rushing towards a light in the distance. Suddenly, I found myself lying at the entrance of a cave surrounded by the ocean. The setting sun barely shining above said cave opening. I cough and heaved as I was finally able to breathe again. My head spun from how disoriented the orb left me. But I didn't stop to recover, I tossed the remnants of the orb aside and looked to my side to see Helios laying perfectly still on his side. "Heli-" I tried to call his name but I couldn't stop hacking. I was exhausted and felt like I was going to be sick. My whole body trembled. I couldn't tell if it was from the fatigue or the creeping realization of what happened.
As I got up I was able to get a better look at him. His right wing was snapped and folded over him. His eyes were only partially closed, leaving the lifeless pupils staring back at me. "I'm sorry…," was all I could say. I crawled towards his lifeless body, "I'm sorry." Tears filled my eyes, my voice cracked as I continued to apologize to no one.
I fell atop of him causing water to spurt out of his open mouth. I started to sob, "Please! Please! I'm sorry!" I'm not sure to who I was begging to, was it to my deceased partner who I couldn't save, or was it to a greater entity to help me? The only answer I got was the sound of the waves crashing into the rocky shore. His body felt so cold. I couldn't feel his comforting warmth or hear the quiet crackle of the flame from his tail.
As the sunlight dwindled so did my pleads. All I could do was sniffle and mourn the death of the only Pokemon I loved.
A/N: I admit that I'm not super happy with this, mainly the length of the chapter. I think it might be because of how inexperienced I am when it comes to serious topics like this. So if anyone has any critiques for this chapter I'd be more than happy to hear them! Oh, and if you want check out the poll I have on my profile!