Jackson had blown his nose and wiped away the tears in his eyes. The thought about who was it that guided them the rest of the way in that story, who had such care and compassion, and who was given a sad reward as a result for guiding them till they could go home, brought tears to his eyes. Still, he sat down, and continued to write.
"We certainly came a long way since that day we started off. We ended up fighting not only Zapdos, but also Moltres and Articuno while on the run from being framed as the ones responsible for the calamity. But even so, we were not planning to turn around and face the ones pursuing us. Not until we learned the truth of what was going on."
"Now with Absol in our team, we continued north, going through harsh snowy weather as we did so. We felt like we were going nowhere fast, but we put faith within ourselves to keep moving forward. That was when Leafeon and I suddenly witnessed something; Gardevoir appeared, as an illusion outside our dreams, one that Absol and Squirtle couldn't see. However, she told us to go to Mt. Freeze, where Ninetails, the one who cursed both her and her trainer, resided. Finally, with genuine joy, we had learned of our true destination. We must seek out Ninetails, and learn the truth, at long last."
(Insert 'Storyteller' by TRUE, TV Size)
Opening
(Camera goes through a swirling rainbow mist, before reappearing flying along the open blue sky on an open plain. Leafeon appears, running along the open plains, followed by Squirtle,racing as fast as he can. Finally, Jackson the Torchic joins them, leading them in the center of the group. A Pelipper flies in from behind, before dropping a Rescue Team badge, with the logo 'Jackson in Johto: Mystery Dungeon arc')
Give a name to that nameless flower
(Jackson opens his eyes as he wakes up in the home base, with Leafeon waking up with him.)
So you can bear the coldness of being alone
(The pair walk out of the house to be greeted by Squirtle as he ushered them with him to the Pokémon Square.)
The more beautiful something is,
The easier it is to break
(In Pokémon Square, Jackson and Squirtle are talking to the Kecleon brothers on buying supplies, while Leafeon speaks with the town residents for information.)
So it's no longer fragile
(The trio stare at the bulletin board to see all the rescue requests, before Squirtle grabs one to start.)
Like adding a color to a clear body
(Showing off the groups of Caterpie and his family and friends, to the Magnemite, to Diglett and Dugtrio, to Absol.)
Beyond the pages I have read
You were smiling and welcoming me
(Showing off the teams introduced, such as Shiftry's team, Team A.C.T, and Team Meanies ending with Gengar's sinister grin, followed by Xatu spreading his wings out over the sunset peak.)
No matter when, no matter how often
Let's start a new world
We are the Storyteller
(Jackson leads the team through a rocky mystery dungeon, unleashing flames from his mouth, with Squirtle coming in and shooting a jet of water forward, ending with Leafeon finishing a Solarbeam at wild Pokémon, creating a dust cloud. The cloud vanishes, revealing the trio together, determined and pressing onward.)
Love, hope, envy and even the despair of today
(A group of weakened Pokémon in the dark saw the light come in, as Jackson and his team appeared, smiling as they come to rescue them.)
They will be fuel
Let them push you to be stronger
(The Rescue Team Badge shifts from Rookie level, to Normal, then Bronze, then Silver, and finally Gold, which shines brightly.)
Saving someone always comes at the cost of someone else's tears
That's so sad
(Inside the rainbow environment, Jackson is standing there, looking up at the floating Gardevoir, who smiles gently at him, while he looks back with a sad look.)
Ideal and fantasy
Will be mixed with a young instinct
(A dark scene with the images of Skarmory, followed by Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, then Groudon, and finishing with Rayquaza flying underneath a falling meteor, all large before the trio of heroes.)
True me, reborn
Now
(The trio, fearless about the enemies before them, leapt in to fight them. The screen goes white, before the desk in Jackson's room in Cianwood Pokémon Center appears at daybreak, the light breeze gently flipping Jackson's journal of this adventure.)
Mt. Freeze Peak
The quartet of heroes had struggled hard through the freezing caves of Mt. Freeze, but they finally made their way to the top, where the snow was blowing hard all around, making it hard to see. The four endured as they looked about.
"We've finally arrived." Squirtle grimaced, "This is the summit. Isn't it?"
"Now to see where Ninetails is at." Leafeon muttered, looking about.
Suddenly, Jackson felt something. Another presence was approaching. A familiar one. A second later, he heard, "There they are! I've spotted Jackson!" All four turned as another shouted, "All right! I see them!" It was the group they dreaded facing again, Team A.C.T.
"Alakazam?! Really?!" Jackson questioned.
'No… not after coming so far!' Leafeon mentally argued.
"It's about time. We finally caught up to you." Tyranitar stated, looking irritable, "Your fugitive act dragged us all the way out here…"
"Pipe down, Tyranitar." Charizard argued, "We can finally settle things here. I can barely contain myself. I'm itching for a fight." He then looked to the Turtle Pokémon, saying, "Squirtle. Don't think badly of me. I don't know how to show mercy."
"Jackson… Leafeon…" Alakazam spoke up, "I didn't wish for this conclusion… But this, too, is fate. The role of a rescue team is to help bring peace." He lifted himself up with psychic energy, while Charizard breathed out flames, and Tyranitar stomped the ground with one foot, causing the ground to shake. "We will…crush you with every shred of our power!" He finished.
Jackson growled as he stated, "I get it. We're a rescue team, too. That's why we came here; to find a solution to the calamity. We were guided here to do just that. But if you try to stop us after we came all this way…" He got ready to fight, as Squirtle, Leafeon, and Absol prepared themselves, "…we won't hesitate to fight back with everything we have!" He finished.
"Get them!" Alakazam shouted, and the two teams charged at one another; Squirtle went for Charizard, Leafeon and Absol went to Tyranitar, and Jackson went after Alakazam.
"Flamethrower!" Charizard shouted, blasting flames from his mouth at Squirtle, who leapt up to evade.
"Water Pulse!" Squirtle shouted, firing a ball of compressed water at Charizard, who redirected his flames up at him. The two attacks collided, and there was an explosion of steam.
Charizard took this chance, and launched forward, readying a Dragon Claw. He dropped his energy-encased claw down on Squirtle, but saw he had tucked his head in, and took the attack. He was hit hard, but endured as he gathered himself up, and threw himself into a Skull Bash into Charizard's gut, causing him to gasp out in pain, and get sent flying. Squirtle landed on his feet, seeing the damage he had done, until the snow about him started to turn into a raging sandstorm, which blinded him.
The sandstorm was coming from Tyranitar, who activated his Sand Stream ability, causing Leafeon and Absol to endure the storm. "Dark Pulse!" He roared, sending a tunnel of dark rings from his mouth at the pair.
"Night Slash!" Absol roared, creating an energy blade from his horn, slashing the Dark Pulse, minimizing the damage done towards them. He skidded back next to Leafeon, who said, "Get in close quick! Double Quick Attack!" Absol nodded, and they charged in together at Tyranitar.
"Rock Slide!" Tyranitar roared, summoning rocks from above, caving down onto the pair of quadrupeds, who dodged as best as they could, but Absol got caught off guard, and had to back off. Leafeon, on the other hand, charged forward, and leapt at Tyranitar, switching to Leaf Blade, and turning her speed into an added bonus of damage to the Rock/Dark-type, causing him to get knocked back.
She sighed in relief, before seeing that Jackson was struggling against Alakazam, who pinned him down with Psychic, making him unable to move. "Jackson!" She cried, "Here's some aid. Sunny Day!" She shot energy into the sky, turning the sandstorm into a clear, bright sunny atmosphere.
"She dismissed Tyranitar's sandstorm." Alakazam noted, "But that won't help you in this moment, Jackson. You cannot escape my Psychic attack when I pin you down, and you cannot strike me with your flames."
"It's…not about the flames…" Jackson grimaced, "It's…about how you breath them!" He then flopped his head into the ground, and unleashed a Fire Spin, which shot down into the snow, causing steam to rise up from the melting of the snow. The Fire Spin then began firing upwards, spreading out, and burning wide enough to throw Alakazam off his guard, dismissing his Psychic attack.
"He made me lose focus!" Alakazam gasped.
"Now here's something I had saved up in case we should ever meet in battle!" Jackson shouted, leaping high into the air, before diving down and going into a front roll so fast, he turned it into a spindash. One of his feet suddenly became encased in a shadowy energy, and he shouted, "Shadow Claw!", and brought down the Ghost-type move onto the Psychic-type, damaging him greatly from the increase in damage from the rotational force and super-effective damage. He was sent flying back, crashing to the ground, where he ended up rising up with Charizard and Tyranitar at his side.
Jackson, Squirtle, Leafeon, and Absol were panting from exhaustion, worn from the battle, but still able to fight. Team A.C.T was equally as tired, taking heavy damage from the Pokémon.
"You are indeed a powerful team." Alakazam stated, raising his spoons, "However, I cannot allow you to live. If you are the one who will bring the destruction of the world, you must perish." The four heroes prepared to continue fighting, ready to defend themselves.
"Cease this at once!" shouted a voice. Suddenly, a swirling vortex of energy consumed the field, separating the two parties. The energy dissipated as a Pokémon stood there in the center of the battlefield. A beautiful nine-tailed fox.
"Wah! Ninetales?!" Alakazam gasped.
"Whaa?! That's Ninetales?!" Squirtle questioned in amazement.
"Indeed. That is the mystical Pokémon herself from the legends." Absol answered. Jackson and Leafeon were entranced at the beauty of the Pokémon, and how gracefully she landed into their fight.
"Cease fighting at once, Alakazam." Ninetales ordered the leader of A.C.T, turning to Jackson and Leafeon, "They are my guests. Besides, you should clearly see how much power both of them possess."
Alakazam lowered his spoons almost immediately after her orders, then asked, "Tell us, Ninetales. Who was the human that appeared in your legend? No, even before that, was the legend itself a true event? Depending on your reply…" He raised his spoons agains, pointing them at Jackson and Leafeon, "I may have no choice but to eliminate them!"
"Be at peace, Alakazam." Ninetales halted him, turning to Jackson, "The legend was true. I did curse a human long ago. But then, Gardevoir stepped in and took the curse upon herself, saving him, even though he ran away like a coward afterwards. Tell me, do you see any cowardice in Jackson? No, I should think not. He is not the one I cursed."
There was a brief pause, as team A.C.T looked incredulously at Ninetails, then at Jackson and Leafeon, the initial sighing in relief, while the latter smiled. Squirtle was about to cry tears of joy, and he did, pouncing on Jackson, saying a mixture of words of how happy he was. Absol smiled and nodded, almost like he knew.
"Now do you bladin' believe me?!" Jackson demanded to Alakazam, pushing Squirtle off of him, "You put me and my team through hilt all this time! We ended up having to come all the way out here to prove my innocence!"
"W-We're sorry…" Alakazam sheepishly apologized.
"Indeed. We were so worked up by Gengar's words." Tyranitar muttered.
"Haha! I knew Gengar was a fraud all along!" Charizard laughed.
"Oh, yeah, right!" Squirtle barked back, silencing Charizard's laughter.
"So who's the guy who you really cursed?" Leafeon asked Ninetales.
"You just spoke his name. It was Gengar." she answered, shocking the crew, "He was the true cursed human. And now, he's using the advantages of the natural disasters to go and reawaken the Pokémon that is partially responsible for the disasters in the first place; the might creator of the earth, Groudon." The heroes all looked shocked and concerned at what she just said. Clearly, this was a much bigger disaster than they thought.
"However, I will tell you this; The calamities and the curse I brought upon the human, transforming them into a Pokémon… they are not linked in any way." Ninetails continued, "The cause of the natural calamities… It exists elsewhere."
"You mean… could it be connected to this Pokémon, Groudon?" Jackson asked.
"It might… or perhaps, it might not." Ninetails noted.
"Though I must say, you are to be commended for prevailing through this cruel journey and discovering the truth" Alakazam acknowledged Team Blade, "Impressive, Jackson, Leafeon." The pair looked proud of themselves.
"Hold on!" Squirtle stopped, "If Gengar really was the cursed human, then why did Jackson get turned into a Pokémon?"
"I am unsure." Jackson replied, thinking it over, "I was brought here to this land as a Pokémon, with Leafeon at my side. However, I am unsure as to why. There are so many uncertainties here."
"I agree. We'll have to still find out that very reason." Leafeon agreed.
Just then, the ground began to shake, causing the group to look startled. "Now what?!" Squirtle questioned.
"The world's crust is shifting." Ninetails noted, "The calamities are getting worse, and the shifting of the ground, it is the sign of Groudon's awakening."
"Don't tell me Gengar is on his way to get to it!" Jackson exclaimed.
"We'll stop it." Alakazam told Team Blade, "You and the rest of your team should return home once more, and recover. We'll send word of your innocence." With that, Team A.C.T took off, leaving Team Blade and Ninetails to watch them leave, looking worried.
(Jackson writing) "True to their word, they sent a message to Pokémon Square and all other places we were framed for causing the calamities. That Gengar was the cursed human, yet he wasn't the one causing the calamities, nor was I. The rest of Team Meanies was chased out of town, while Gengar had already vanished beforehand. This left things with a mediocre amount of peace, apart from the quakes and the calamities. We returned to our duties as a Rescue Team, doing so much of it, we reached the legendary ranking of Platinum. We even improving our house a bit. Though I have to wonder they designed it by my face as a Torchic?"
"Leafeon and I even met Gardevoir in our dreams again. As it turns out, she was an agent of spirits, guided by Arceus himself after she was cursed by Ninetails. She stated that I had a role in this world as a Pokémon, and that my bond with not only Leafeon, but Squirtle would aid me in that role. She also spoke about her trainer, who while was mean, conniving, and a complete coward, she could never hate her trainer. We could not understand it. What did she find in such a person that she would sacrifice herself for Gengar?"
"I felt bad for her. She said she didn't mind that she was in such a state of being, but I wanted to do something. She was in this because her trainer was too cowardly to do anything. So I made a vow; once I fulfill my role, I would go and save Gardevoir, and bring her back to her physical form again."
"However, we got word that things were not looking good deep underground. The tremors were getting worse, and no sign of Gengar or Team A.C.T to be found. Even other rescue teams couldn't brave the underground due to the power of the wild Pokémon underneath being beyond their capabilities. However, thanks to Squirtle and the rest of us, we managed to inspire everyone to keep trying, with us in the lead to go down and stop Groudon. So me, Squirtle, Leafeon, and Absol ventured down to go confront Groudon…"
Magma Cavern
The dungeon was incredibly grueling. Had it not been for all of their training at Makuhita's Dojo, it would've been near impossible. However, the team was able to make it down near the endpoint.
"I knew Groudon would be tough to reach, but still, what was with all those swarms of Pokémon at once?!" Leafeon grimaced.
"Monster Houses are no joke, but we still managed to get closer than everyone else." Absol mentioned.
"And we can't give up now!" Squirtle declared, "We aren't even close to being done!"
"Well said, Squirtle." Jackson agreed. However, he heard a familiar cackle, and turned to the path ahead. He narrowed his eyes, and saw, much to his surprise, the sight of a wounded Gengar on the path. "It's Gengar!" Jackson gasped, running towards him, with everyone else behind.
Gengar winced as he looked up, before seeing Jackson and the others arriving. "What are you fools doing here?" He questioned, "I thought I set it up so you guys would be hunted down by everyone else?"
"Yeah, and it almost worked, too!" Leafeon growled.
"You absolute jerk! You made everyone believe Jackson was the one who is causing the calamity, but it was you! YOU were the cursed human, aren't you?!"
"Kekekeh… What makes you think that?" Gengar questioned.
"Simple. Ninetails told us." Jackson answered. The name rather surprised Ghost/Poison-type.
"Ninetails?! You met her?!" He asked.
"She explained everything, including what you were attempting to do." Leafeon stated, "But it looks like you didn't get far!"
Gengar paused, before closing his eyes, cackling weakly again. "Jackson, Leafeon, and Squirtle, was it? Nah. I'd prefer to call you Jackie, Leafy, and Squirt." The trio glared at him for the nicknames he gave them.
"You are too rich, you know that?" He continued, "You get freed from suspicion, only to throw yourself headlong into this situation? Why? You fools know that fighting Groudon is impossible! Even I, the one cursed to destroy this world, could not tame the natural disaster! What makes you any better?"
"We don't know, but we still plan to put a stop to these disasters once and for all!" Squirtle growled, "We'll go find Team A.C.T, defeat Groudon, and save this world! And nothing you say is gonna stop us!"
Gengar looked perplexed, before he shakily got to his feet, asking, "Don't you see it's all pointless?! Just let the world end, why don't you?! It's better to not try and live this life instead of throwing yourself into a battle, fail, and feel the guilt that you couldn't do a thing! You guys just can't help play the damn little heroes, do you? Why do you stick to your guns and keep going, anyway?! There's nothing you can do!"
There was a pause as the four heard Gengar's speech, until Jackson spoke up. "Because we have the ability to do something."
"What?" Gengar asked.
Jackson stepped toward Gengar, glaring straight into his face. "Gengar, you were a human who was too much of a coward to step forward and protect Gardevoir when she stepped in and took the curse intended for you. She sacrificed herself for a trainer she cared for, and you fled, even though you could've done something! But Team Blade will cut through any endeavor that comes our way. We won't run. We won't coward. We plan to throw all that we can do and will do at Groudon, until he stops this whole mess! Someone like you doesn't understand this, because you threw away your pride and courage a long time ago. So you can stay here and do nothing. We'll step up, and use the power we have been given to do something. And we will do it!"
Jackson turned to his team, declaring, "You guys ready to blade things up a notch?!"
"Gladly." Absol answered.
"As your Pokémon, you know I will stand by you, no matter the danger." Leafeon answered.
"Jackson…you are so cool!" Squirtle stated with glee, "I am so glad I met you all the way back in that forest! I know we will defeat Groudon!"
"Then let's go!" Jackson declared, and they raced down the path, leaving Gengar watching them leave. He looked down at his hands, seeing the Pokémon he was. Finally, he huffed, before hobbling away, not saying a word more to them.
It took some more running, but the team eventually made it to a straight path ahead. "We came really far deep within this underground." Leafeon noted.
"Careful guys." Absol warned the team, "We don't exactly know where Groudon will pop out."
Suddenly, there was quite a bit of shaking all about them, with Squirtle shouting, "Waaaah! Qu-Quake!" Once the shaking died down, he gave a sigh of relief.
Jackson led the team forward before stopping and seeing someone up ahead. It was Charizard and Tyranitar of Team A.C.T, both of which looked like they took a major beating. "Charizard! Tyranitar!" Jackson shouted, racing towards them with his team behind him, "Are you guys okay?!" He heard groans from the pair, which showed they were still okay.
"What happened here?!" Leafeon asked.
"We challenged…Groudon…and got wiped out…" Charizard explained.
"Groudon?!" Squirtle gasped, the team shocked.
"We… It crushed us…" Tyranitar grimaced.
"Wait, what about Alakazam?" Jackson asked, looking about, "He's nowhere to be seen!"
"Alakazam is… still battling Groudon…" Tyranitar explained, "I wish I could help… But my body just won't cooperate."
"Jackson! We've got to hurry!" Squirtle told Jackson.
"I know. Let's go!" Jackson told the team, and they rushed onto the path ahead.
"Be careful!" Charizard called out, "We'll be there as soon as we've recovered!"
They rushed on ahead, before stopping in a room filled with walls of magma lines. There, they encountered Alakazam, all by himself, and looking worse for wear, but still standing.
"Alakazam, we're here to assist!" Leafeon called out as they rushed in.
"So it's you!" Alakazam stated, looking surprised to see them, "Stay back! This opponent…is no laughing matter!" Just then, the team heard a roar that echoed all about them loudly. "H-Here it comes!" The Psychic-type called out.
"Coming? Wh-where?!" Squirtle asked, looking about.
Jackson concentrated, before seeing the rocks flying along the ground, shooting up like spikes from below. "Alakazam, your left!" Jackson shouted. The Psychic-type looked to see the attack come at him, and tried to use his psychic powers to stop it, but it was too late. They heard him cry as he became surrounded by the rocks, before they fell about, with him vanished from sight.
"Alakazam!" Jackson, Leafeon, and Squirtle cried out.
"He's gone!" Absol noticed.
"Maybe… Was he defeated?!" Squirtle asked.
Just then, there was rocks still spiking out of the ground, this time coming towards them. "Guys, it seems like we're next on the list!" Jackson called out, the four ready to fight, "We are not gonna get intimidated by this! Be on your guard!"
Just then, something gigantic came out of the ground, greatly towering over them. It was red and stone gray, bipedal, and almost dinosaur-like. It had yellow eyes coming out of the cracks of his crowned head, white spikes going along the sides of its body, all the way down to its flat and thick tail, large white claws, short legs with talon claws, and hooked claws on the end of its tail.
"Holy hilt, he's a big guy!" Jackson exclaimed, looking up at its face.
"He is the creator of the land, so he would be as big as a continent!" Leafeon added.
"Jackson! Leafeon! Absol! Let's do our best!" Squirtle shouted.
It did not speak, but instead roared at the group, swiping its claws. Suddenly, despite being in a cavern, sun bursted down from above, shining the field. "I've heard of this!" Absol recalled, "Groudon can summon the power of the sun should it fight anyone!"
"So an automatic Sunny Day!" Jackson understood, "Too bad! It doesn't realize how big of a mistake that is when dealing with Leafeon and I!"
Leafeon felt the warmth of the sun, activating her Chlorophyll ability, dashing in fast as she could, before making her tail glow, and she unleashed Leaf Blade at it. Groudon took the hit, and roared in pain from the attack, since it was super-effective.
It then flashed its eyes, and roared as it dispersed the ground, causing everyone to hold on for dear life. They ended up split up with one another, with Leafeon being the furthest in the back, Squirtle to the back-right side of the beast, Jackson being at the front-left side, and Absol being in the front-right side.
"It's splitting us up!" Jackson called out. He then notice Groudon leer at him, before roaring as it unleashed powerful stalagmites from the ground, going towards Jackson. He panicked, and leapt about the attack, but got caught by one spike, and was sent flying in pain.
"Jackson!" Squirtle cried out.
"That was his Precipice Blade, a move unique to Groudon!" Absol noticed.
"Jackson, are you okay?!" Leafeon cried out, racing to Groudon passed Absol, who followed after her.
Jackson was able to get back up, before seeing the ground before him crack open, revealing the magma below. "Careful, guys! Groudon's creating magma flooring all over!" He called out, "Good thing I…can deal with it!" Jackson raced on it, skipping over the magma-heated ground. There were benefits to being a Fire-type. Sure, he couldn't completely stand on it, but just quickly running on the magma wasn't a problem.
"You're gonna pay for hurting Jackson! Hydro Pump!" Squirtle shouted, unleashing a powerful gush of water from his mouth, hitting the backside of the giant Pokémon. Despite the powerful attack, it didn't do much due to the weather working against him. This did end up getting his attention, as it turned, its arm glowing as it slammed it down as a Hammer Arm onto Squirtle.
"Squirtle!" Jackson and Leafeon cried out, fearing he took a major hit. However, when Groudon lifted its claws, they saw that Squirtle had retracted into his shell, using Iron Defense to harden himself. He came out of his shell, swaying a bit, but still stood up.
"That was too close…" Squirtle sighed, "Even with my Iron Defense, that still hurt!"
"Hey, you're okay, and that's what matters!" Jackson called out, running to Groudon. He started to come around, going to its tail, and hopping onto it, running up it to his face. Absol and Leafeon worked together, unleashing Night Slash and Leaf Blade together in front of it. The attack did some damage to distract it, turning to the pair, ignoring Jackson racing up it.
However, this was when it unleashed Lava Plume. It sent an eruption of lava and flaming rocks from it's body, before it rained down all over. Leafeon, Absol, and Squirtle all fled and darted about, trying to evade the attack as best as they could, with Leafeon using her Chlorophyll and Quick Attack to expertly evade, Absol trying to predict the attacks coming at him, and Squirtle basically panicking as he ran, using a Rapid Spin to spin to try and repel the attacks when he could. While the latter two did get hit to cause some damage to them, it was Jackson who was, in better terms, at Ground Zero of the attack. He endured as best as he could from the attack, before getting sent down back his back a bit. Before catching his talons on the grooves in its body.
"That looked like it hurt…" Leafeon grimaced, seeing Absol get up, burned by the attack. She tossed him a Rawst Berry, healing him of his burn.
Squirtle had it rough, but got back up as he looked up to see if Jackson was okay. He didn't see any movement for a moment, but then looked happy to see Jackson running like hell up the back of the Pokémon, covered in burns and wounds, but still running.
"That hurt, you overgrown landmass!" Jackson roared, "Take this, Rock Slide!" He summoned out a series of boulder from the sky, landing down on top of Groudon, not doing effectively, but that wasn't what he was aiming for. He was actually aiming for extra footholds in the form of the rocks as he leapt from each of them, before the final one got him to where he needed.
"You wanna get hot?! Let's try this!" Jackson shouted, reaching the head of the Ground-type. His body glowed as he was at low stamina, meaning his Blaze ability was activated. He then got in its face and shot an Overheat at point-blank range against the giant Pokémon. The closeness, plus the Blaze ability, caused insurmountable damage to Groudon, who ended up taking steps back from the attack. Jackson fell from the sky, but was caught by Leafeon, who leapt up to catch him before he crashed.
"He's on his last legs!" she noted, seeing the beast look exhausted, "One final attack should do it!" She landed on the ground next to Absol, with Jackson hopping off, and Squirtle joining their side.
Absol then sensed something, and looked around, saying, "Oh, no!" They looked about, and noticed what he was seeing; the ground surrounding them was now consumed in magma flooring. They were trapped. Plus, Groudon looked like he was ready to attack them again. It roared as it unleashed its Precipice Blades attack, sending rising spikes from the ground towards the group.
"We can't dodge it!" Squirtle exclaimed.
"No, but we can counter it!" Jackson growled, weakened from his low stamina, but readying himself, "Let's hope this works… Mirror Move!" He glowed as he slammed his claws on the ground, and unleashed the same Precipice Blades technique as Groudon. The two mirror attacks collided, and canceled each other out.
"Now's our chance! Together!" Squirtle shouted, unleashing Hydro Pump. Leafeon used the sun to quickly charge up and unleash Solarbeam. Absol created a Shadow Ball from his mouth, before firing it forward. All three attacks collided on Groudon's face, causing it to roar in pain, before it fumbled and fell forward, unable to move. The final attack finished the job.
Jackson panted, before falling on his butt, exhausted. "That was… extremely tough…" he sighed.
"But…we did it." Leafeon added, looking to him, "We managed to put down Groudon!"
Just then, out of nowhere, the members of Team A.C.T appeared, still weakened by their battle with the beast, unconscious. "Look! It's Alakazam!" Squirtle exclaimed, running to them, "Charizard and Tyranitar, too!"
The three grimaced, before rising to their feet. Once they gathered up their situation, they turned and saw the defeated Groudon. "Did you do it? Groudon?" Charizard asked, shocked to see the state it was in.
"You okay?" Jackson asked, approaching Alakazam.
"Yes, fine." He answered, "We will be fine. But we must get out immediately."
"What about Groudon?" Squirtle asked, looking to it, "Will it be okay?"
"You worried about the thing causing so much trouble in the world?" Absol asked, "You are very curious."
"Your concern is unneeded." Alakazam assured him, "It will awaken soon enough. It had lost control only because it was enraged from having its sleep disturbed. It should calm down."
Just then, the ground shook once more, causing the heroes to get startled. "Let's go, everyone!" Leafeon cried, and the team raced out of the cavern.
(Jackson Writing) "We calmed down Groudon, somehow. We thought things would be over thanks to our endeavors. However, we couldn't be further from the truth. Despite the warm welcome from Pokémon Square, we ended up getting an alert from Xatu via telepathy. He explained the real reason why the natural disasters were happening; a star was falling from the sky down towards the world. In order to stop it, there was only one solution; Ask Rayquaza, the Pokémon who never goes beneath the ozone layer, to destroy it."
"So it was out of one frying pan, and literally tossing into the fire, and unfortunately, we were the only ones who could do the job. Alakazam could only send Squirtle, Leafeon and I up alone, so we had to take care of it, just us three. We didn't mind, and told Magnemite, Larvitar, and Absol to hold down the fort while we took on the enemy."
"That night, Leafeon and I had some uncomfortable nightmares. However, it was thanks to Gardevoir that we were alleviated by them. Someone, and we assumed Gengar, was the one who tried to harm us in our sleep. He also tried to peep into my dream, but left with only sadness. Did Gengar see Gardevoir? Maybe he really did care for her."
"But that aside, Gardevoir finally told us the real reason why we were sent here, and it was to be expected; Arceus himself sent us here to be the heroes to save the world. It was, in truth, a trial to see if we were prepared for the future. The future that we were told about in the Ruins of Alph. The one we witnessed from Celebi. Arceus saw this alternate Pokémon world nearing its end, and found it perfect to send me and Leafeon to see if this world could be saved or not. Talk about a trial by fire, or near extinction of a world for that matter."
"However, despite no knowledge of this before, we chose to throw ourselves headlong into the mission, proving our hearts were kind, selfless, and courageous. Once the meteor is stopped, we could return to the other Pokémon world again. That also meant we would part ways with Squirtle and the others, and while that was painful, we had to accept it. I didn't mind, though I mentally wondered what would happen to Gardevoir. If she accomplished this mission, would she be freed from the curse? We didn't know, nor did we ask."
"The morning came, and we set out to save the world, not telling Squirtle about the dream we had the night before. We went to meet Xatu and Alakazam at the Hill of the Ancients, where they had a Teleport Gem ready for us, made by the two of them, plus a Ghost-type Pokémon. Five guesses to who that was. The question was why? We didn't have time to question that, as we went up to the land in the clouds, to the Sky Tower."
Climbing it wasn't easy, despite our preparations. Like, really not easy. There were Pokémon that lived in the clouds, and none of them were pulling back any punches. Nevertheless, we made it up to where we needed to go, and finally, after a long climb, we finally reached the top of the Sky Tower…"
Sky Tower Summit
Jackson, Leafeon, and Squirtle reached the final set of stairs, and climbed to the very top of the tower. They were easily worn down from the trip, but considering what was at stake, they shrugged that aside so they could continue on. This was the final hurdle.
"Is this… the top floor?" Squirtle asked, looking about.
"Is anyone having a difficult time breathing?" Leafeon questioned the group.
"Nah. I'm good." Jackson replied. Not the first time he had to deal with extremely high elevations.
Just then, there was a booming voice coming from above. "Who goes there?!" It demanded, "Who dares to trespass upon my airspace?!"
The team looked about, with Squirtle asking, "That voice… Could it be Rayquaza?"
"Indeed it is." The voice answered, "The sky is my domain. Depart at once!"
"Sorry, but we can't do that." Jackson replied, "Actually, we came here because we need your help, Rayquaza."
"Never!" Rayquaza barked back. Suddenly, they turned to see something long and green shooting down at them, and they leapt to one side. It twisted itself up, curled around, and floated before the group. It was clearly a serpent dragon with sharp yellow eyes, yellow designs going down the sides of its body and head, an X-shaped mane around its head, red lips and red-tipped wingtips going down its body, and three-clawed hands. This was Rayquaza.
"I am a being of the sky, and you are but denizens of the ground." Rayquaza growled at them, "To each there is a world destined as their own! For hundreds of millions of years, never once have I descended to the ground! And the opposite shall also hold true! Let there be no mercy for those that defy the laws of nature! Prepare for the end!"
Rayquaza flew at the main trio of heroes with Extremespeed, and they all got hit hard, sending them crashing to the sides. Squirtle got back up as he begged, "Please, listen to us! We don't have time for this!"
"Either you leave my domain and never return, or I shall destroy you all!" roared Rayquaza, charging up energy in his mouth, "Dragon Pulse!" He fired off his blast of dragon energy, aiming at Squirtle.
"Flamethrower!" Jackson got in front of Squirtle unleashed a powerful blast of flames from his beak, countering the attack with a powerful explosion. Both he and Squirtle nearly got sent flying off the cloud from the shockwaves, but Squirtle managed to hold the two of them together.
"Look, I know we're in trouble, but he doesn't seem to notice that!" Jackson warned his ally, "We have to beat him up enough to see reason! Are you with me, partner?"
Squirtle looked back at Jackson's determinate expression. He was absolutely positive on winning the day. With the resolve reflecting back into him, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"Solarbeam!" Leafeon shouted, charging up the solar energy, and blasting it skyward. Rayquaza, however, spiraled around the attack, then came at her with an Extremespeed attack that knocked her backwards again.
"If only if it weren't for his Air Lock ability, I could use Sunny Day to gain the advantage here!" Leafeon grimaced.
"You ground-dwellers are far out of your league!" roared Rayquaza, "Dragon Pulse!" He fired off another blast of dragon energy, aiming this time for Leafeon.
"Jackson!" Squirtle called out to him, who knew what to do. Squirtle backflipped onto Jackson's head, and he launched him forward, aiming in between the Dragon Pulse and Leafeon. As soon as he got in between, Squirtle used Iron Defense, and blocked the attack with his hardened shell, though there was an explosion of smoke that blocked Rayquaza's view.
The Dragon/Flying type narrowed his eyes, wondering what became of Squirtle. Suddenly, the said Pokémon flew out into a Rapid Spin, slamming headlong into Rayquaza, causing him damage. He recovered easily as he roared, "Do you think that would stop me?!", and he unleashed another Extremespeed, hammering Squirtle into the clouds next to Leafeon.
"Two can play at that game!" Jackson declared, "Mirror Move!" He mimicked Rayquaza, and entered into Extremespeed, dashing at mad speeds at Rayquaza, striking him hard. He glared at Jackson, then pursued him with his own Extremespeed as well. The two began clashing at such high speeds, they could not be clearly seen by Leafeon or Squirtle, no matter how hard they try.
"You…may be the master of the air…" Jackson growled, clashing over and over with Rayquaza, "But I'm…the master of speed!" Suddenly, he began evading and striking Rayquaza, moving about the air with such speed and skill, he began overwhelming the Legendary Pokémon, until one final hit to his head made him falter and fall back.
Growling, he sneered, "Then how do you feel about this! Air Slash!" He started spinning, sending discs of razor-sharp air at the midair Jackson. Fortunately, Leafeon made a tremendous leap and unleashed her Leaf Blade in such blinding speed, slashing all the Air Slash attacks before they came near. "What?!" gasped the Sky High Pokémon.
"That's my Pokémon." Jackson stated with a grin.
"I learn from the best." the Verdant Pokémon replied, giving him a wink.
Down below, Squirtle looked up at the relieving sight of his friends stopping the attack, then glared up at Rayquaza as he growled, "Time to put you on ice. Ice Beam!" He fired off a blast of icy blue energy up at Rayquaza, who couldn't dodge in time, and got blasted full on with it. He roared in pain, and felt his body freezing up from the tip of his tail upwards.
He then glared fiercely at Squirtle as he bellowed, "Now you've crossed the line! Time for my Hyper Beam!" He started to charge up a ball of black energy into his mouth, ready to fire upon the group.
"If that thing hits, we're done!" Leafeon called out to Jackson.
"Then hold nothing back!" he replied, "Everyone, fire at him!"
Leafeon charged up and fired a Solarbeam. Squirtle created a void of water in front of him, firing a Hydro Pump from it. Jackson glowed red, and he unleashed a powerful Overheat from his mouth. All three attacks collided on Rayquaza's lower jowl, causing him to struggle to hold his head straight while charging the attack. The trio roared as one, and together, they closed Rayquaza's mouth, causing his gathered energy to explode in his mouth. He roared in agony as smoke fumed from his mouth, and he fell to the cloud ground in front of Squirtle, while Leafeon and Jackson landed right next to him.
For a moment, they watched as Rayquaza groaned from his attack being backfired on him. They were panting heavily from exhaustion. Getting up to the top of the clouds was tough enough, but facing the Legendary Pokémon of the sky was even tougher. If Rayquaza were to continue fighting, the trio wouldn't stand a chance.
Their hopes were dashed as they saw Rayquaza's eyes flash open, and he raised himself up, roaring at the trio that made tremendous shockwaves. "Oh, no!" Squirtle exclaimed, "He still wants to fight!"
"We gave everything we had against him, and it still wasn't enough!" Jackson growled.
Leafeon started to sense something from all of this. The shockwaves they were feeling were not from Rayquaza's roar, but from something else. Something massive. She looked up, and her pupil's shrunk. "Oh my gosh…" she muttered, "Look up!" Everyone, including Rayquaza, looked upwards, and were shocked. The giant shooting star that Xatu told of was falling towards them, a large dome of white-hot flames encasing the belly of it as it entered the atmosphere.
"Is that…a meteor?!" Rayquaza gasped. "It's the shooting star!" Squirtle responded, "It too huge!"
"It will destroy the world if it continues on its path!" Leafeon exclaimed.
"That's why we came, Rayquaza. Please, destroy the falling star!" Jackson begged.
The Sky High Pokémon looked down at the trio of exhausted heroes, finally realizing why they came. "…I see. So that's why…" he muttered, then after a second pause, he asked, "Before I try, I need to know your resolve." The trio looked surprised at the fact he wanted to know this, now of all times. "The star has come too close." he warned them, "If I were to loose my Hyper Beam here, you would not escape unscathed!"
"So what?!" Jackson questioned.
"We accepted that from the start!" Squirtle responded.
"We're not afraid!" Leafeon finished.
"Well said!" Rayquaza told them, and he gathered up more powerful energy into his mouth, aiming to the meteor, "Take charge of your destiny!" And with that, he fired off the Hyper Beam skyward, aiming directly in the center of the falling meteor. The trio could hear the rumbling of it as it started to crack and break before their eyes. Then, the shooting star exploded with a tremendous force. The trio of heroes held their ground as the explosion encompassed them. They could feel the heat burning them and the shockwaves nearly push them through the cloud ground. They all whited out from the powerful force of the attack.
Jackson was barely conscience. He could move. He couldn't see. He was just there, and yet not there. 'Is this… a dream?' Jackson asked, trying to comprehend his situation. Compared to the dreams before, he realized, 'No… This is no dream. The star's explosion consumed us… Did this mean… I died? Am I… a spirit? But what's gonna happen to me?'
Suddenly, he felt a presence, though he could not see it. But he could make up the shadow of the presence. 'Is this… Gengar?' He asked himself.
"Kekekeh! Jackie! Didn't take much to put you down! Serves you right!" Gengar cackled, "Kekeh! Now, what do with you? I know! I'll drag you into the dark world. That'll do it." He came to one side, and used psychic energy on Jackson, making him helplessly be pulled along by him.
'Gengar is dragging me…into the dark world?' Jackson repeated what he said, 'Is that the opposite of heaven or something? Either way, I don't like the sound of it. I can't give up now. Come on, body. Move, darn it!'
Just then, they came to a halt, as Gengar looked up and about, seeing where they were at. "Darn it. I took the wrong path." Gengar huffed, "This isn't like me. I can't tell which way is which." He turned to Jackson. "Keh! Forget it. I'll just ditch you here. That's it. Good-bye to you." With that, he walked away, just as a bright light consumed the scene.
It almost felt like hours when Jackson was starting to come around. He was hearing the sound of many voices around him, though their echoes were hard to comprehend. Finally, Jackson heard Alakazam shouting, "Snap out of it!"
Jackson's eyes snapped open. He looked upwards at the group of rescue team Pokémon and townsfolk that surrounded him. The sun was setting, so the sky was orange. He slowly got to his feet as he heard the groans of Leafeon and Squirtle, both of which were coming around as well.
"You finally regained consciousness!" Alakazam noted, followed by the relieved looks on everyone's faces.
The trio looked about, then at one another. "You two okay?" Jackson asked.
"I'm fine. But still…" Leafeon stated, shaking her head.
"It was weird. I swore I dreamt that Gengar saved my life." Squirtle mumbled, looking confused.
Jackson and Leafeon looked to him surprised. "That's strange. I did, too!" the human Pokémon stated, with the latter nodding in agreement. Was it really a dream? Did Gengar really just save their lives?
The group of Pokémon gathered around, saying their praises for their efforts, their dear friend Caterpie crying from worry.
"Thanks everyone…" Squirtle answered, then he gasped as he realized, "But what about the star?!"
There was a cry, and everyone turned to see Xatu standing on the cliff edge of the canyon. "Fear not! The star is no more." he told them, "Though it will not be right away, the disasters shall soon be calmed."
"Really?!" Squirtle asked, beaming with joy, then turning to Jackson and Leafeon, "We did it, guys! Everything worked! We won peace!" The two beamed back at him. Clearly this was a joyous victory for all of them. They managed to save the world from certain doom. They could feel the whole world rejoice for being saved from certain destruction. Now, it was time to celebrate.
While everyone was distracted by Lombre panicking when Blastoise was about to fire off his turrets in victory, Jackson and Leafeon watched the group from afar.
"Quite an amazing experience, huh?" Leafeon asked her trainer.
"Yeah…" he replied, smiling back, "Reminds me of the good ol' days. Back in my world, saving the world was kind of my thing."
Leafeon looked to him, watching his smile slightly falter as he recalled why he left his world in the first place. "Do you miss it?" she asked him.
"I do, but I'm also comfortable with you." Jackson answered, turning to her, "This experience is really awesome!" Leafeon smiled happily back at him, agreeing whole-heartedly.
"Jackson…Leafeon…" muttered a soft, familiar voice. The two who were the only ones who heard turned around behind them, and saw the ghostly silhouette of Gardevoir standing there, looking at the two.
"Gardevoir!" Jackson stated, softly so that the others didn't hear.
"We owe everything to the two of you, and your friends." Gardevoir told them, "Peace has returned to our world. Thank you for everything."
"It was our pleasure." Leafeon answered, bowing her head to her.
"But now, Jackson, Leafeon, your role here has ended." she told them, "Soon, you must return to your own world. It is time to bid farewell."
The two were surprised for a moment, then they calmed themselves as the trainer muttered, "I understand. We aren't of this world anyway, right?"
"Plus, we were sent here only to save it." Leafeon pointed out, "And now that the world's end has been avoided, we have to return…" As she said this, both she and Jackson could feel themselves glitter, their bodies starting to glow slightly.
"I am so sorry for this…" Gardevoir apologized, "You have to say farewell to them. Please, take this moment…"
"But, what about you?" Jackson asked, worried, "Your role has ended. What will happen to you?"
"I must return to the stars." the Embrace Pokémon stated, "My duty to guide you has been fulfilled. I must go."
"But, that's not fair!" Jackson stated, stepping towards her, "We know your story, but this isn't a fair ending for you! Your trainer left you after you protected him. You guided me all this time, and you still can't return?"
"I appreciate your sediment, but this is how it's suppose to be." Gardevoir muttered, looking down at him, "Please, don't be concerned about me. Say farewell to all your friends." She started to sparkle, and she disappeared from the two's sight.
"Gardevoir!" Jackson called out, seeing her leave. His voice raised loud enough to get the other's attention.
"Jackson! Leafeon!" Squirtle gasped, seeing the two, "Your bodies… What's happening to you two?!"
Jackson was too distracted by Gardevoir's leaving, so Leafeon turned to them. "It's time for us to leave. We must return to our world."
The Pokémon were shocked at this statement. "What do you mean?!" Squirtle asked, "Leave? Why?"
"We were sent here to stop the world from being destroyed." Leafeon explained, "Because our role has been fulfilled, we have to return home. To our world."
"Unbelievable!" Alakazam gasped. "Go back…to your world?!" Tyranitar echoed.
"But why?!" Squirtle exclaimed, "Why do you have to leave?! I don't understand!" He started to tear up as he asked, "Didn't we… Aren't we friends?"
The words caught Jackson's attention. Deciding to let go of Gardevoir for a moment, he turned to his partner as he answered, "Of course we're friends. No matter how far away we are from one another, or how long it has been, we're still friends. But…" he looked to Leafeon, then back at her as he continued, "There are so many things we must do in our world. So many adventures I haven't conquered yet. So many friends that I must return to. The rest of my Pokémon team is still waiting. Weavile, Dewott, Quilava, Scyther. They're all waiting."
The two's body began to glow brighter as Squirtle sobbed, "Please, don't go. What will I do without you two?"
Jackson smiled as his body started to sparkle even brighter. Suddenly, a ghostly silhouette of his human form stood right above his Pokémon form. He smiled down at Squirtle, who was wide-eyed at the sight of him. The others behind him were in shock, seeing his human form for the first time.
Jackson's human form knelt down, and patted Squirtle's head. "Sorry, buddy. I know goodbyes aren't easy." he told him, "Believe me, I know. But don't forget that you, me and Leafeon will always be friends, and the leaders of Team Blade. And don't forget Magnemite and Absol are also there, as well. You lead them with the same courage and heart that I have seen so far."
"Jackson…" Squirtle sobbed, closing his eyes as tears fell down his face. Jackson stood back up as Leafeon hopped onto his shoulders. He waved his hand goodbye as the light encased him, and he soared into the sky, leaving the others crying out to him, watching him leave.
"We'll see each other again, one day…" Jackson's voice echoed the last words, and they disappeared from view as they flew into the light in the sky.
Once again, Jackson felt like it was hours before he woke up again. This time, he could feel the sounds of the ocean waves. He felt the sand beneath his body. He opened his eyes up, slowly, to see the beaming sunlight shine upon him. This time, it was the middle of the day. Slowly coming around, he sat up, looking about. Leafeon was right next to him. They were on the shoreline of the beach, as if they had just been washed ashore. Yet, for some reason, Jackson's clothes were dry. And that was another thing; He was human again.
Jackson looked down at his hand, flexing it. It was a long time since he felt his normal hands, instead of stubby wings. He then heard Leafeon groan as she woke up, and looked about.
"Where are we?" she asked, then looked to Jackson and noticed, "You're back to normal!"
Jackson looked to her, then up at the sky. "Looks like we're back." he stated, "Or…did we even leave at all?"
"Hard to tell…" Leafeon muttered, sitting right next to him. She shook her fur a bit, then felt something fall off her. She looked down, and was surprised as she gasped, "Jackson, look!"
The trainer looked down and was surprised. What fell off her was her Rescue Team Badge. She and Jackson looked at one another, then Jackson dug into his pockets. Finally, he found what he was looking for, and pulled out his own badge. The two looked at it, realizing what this meant; It wasn't a dream.
"So…it all really happened." Jackson muttered, raising his badge into the sky.
"Squirtle…Gardevoir…they were really there." Leafeon added, looking down at her badge, which glittered in the sunlight.
Jackson paused for a bit, then smiled. It was a great adventure they were on. He knew Squirtle would be okay, and that he would continue on as the team leader. For now, he and Leafeon had their own adventures to continue, starting with helping Jasmine's friend. As for Gardevoir…well, he wished for a happier ending for her, but he prayed to see her again, one day.
He picked up Leafeon's badge, as well as his badge, and pinned them to his bag. He then saddled it on his shoulders as he declared, "Come on, Leafeon! Let's see what island we're on!" The Verdant Pokémon nodded in agreement, and they dashed along the beachside, towards a town off in the distance, which was Cianwood City.
It was nighttime. Jackson had finished writing the story of what took place with him in the other world. He closed the book, and stretched his arms up high, loosening his body. He then looked outside and saw the sun starting to rise up again. "Geez, I was up all night?" He asked himself, "Well, not the first time that's happen."
He dug into his pocket, and pulled out his rescue team badge. Jackson smiled at it. He knew Squirtle was gonna be just fine, with Magnemite, Larvitar, and Absol by his side. He knew their adventures were only gonna get better from here on out. And one day, should Arceus choose it, they would see each other again.
"I need a cup of coffee…" Jackson muttered, rubbing his eyes, "Heh. Haven't had that for a long time. Need to get back to my normal time here again." He wrote down on the journal the title of the story he had been through, before placing it away. He gathered the minor things he needed for today, before going to the front desk of the Pokémon Center to pick up his Pokémon. He closed his door, with the journal on the table, now with the label 'Team Blade's Mystery Dungeon" on the cover. A journey he wouldn't forget any time soon.