Later that night after taking a well-deserved shower and eating a hearty dinner my dad prepared as thanks for finding Dusty, I finally closed the door to my bedroom behind me. I yawned and stretched out before hopping into bed. Reaching over to take off my glasses, I looked over at Riolu; he was already sound asleep on a bed of old clothes atop the dresser. Dusty on the other hand was in his Poké Ball because my father told me to keep him there while in the house, but he was presumably sleeping soundly too.
I switched on my alarm for early in the morning and placed Riolu and Dusty's Poké Balls on top of the clock. I then quickly took off my Mega Stone Bracelet, placed it next to my glasses, and turned off the table light on my nightstand. Pulling the covers over, I was happy to finally be able to relax.
Tomorrow was a big day for my Pokémon and I. Since my father was at his new girlfriend's house staying the night, I wanted to leave as soon as possible for Kinzua State Park. Usually, my father would stay with her on days that he didn't have me, but something came up and they decided to get together that night. This was extremely fortunate for us, as he wouldn't see me leaving the house. I said my final goodbye to him after dinner and I suddenly came under another emotion spell, but luckily it was after he'd closed the door. Riolu comforted me with open arms until I calmed down; I was just going to have to stay strong and not dwell on leaving home on the road ahead.
I'd already gone into the basement and picked out the supplies that we needed for our trip across the Pennsylvania border. Before I went to sleep, I also made sure to pack another smaller bag with the clothing I'd need for the trip and a small cooler with some food and drinks inside. To top it off, I was going to pack my backpack with all the other odds and ends that I could possibly use on the trip, but I was too tired to do so and figured I could find the time when I woke up the next morning. The last thing I did was set my shoes by my bedroom door just in case.
Back in my bed, I rolled over and stared at the closet door, reminiscing about all the things that had happened that day. I couldn't help but smile as I recollected on Bart's reaction to the arrival of the Garbodor crew. Before I knew it, I quickly ran out of steam and fell into a deep sleep.
"Wake up… Lukas… You need to wake up…" a soft voice called out, pulling me from my sleep.
"Ugh…" I whimpered, unhappy to be awakened. I rolled over and pulled the covers up to my neck. I felt like I just had the soundest sleep in my life, but someone had woken me up in the middle of it. "Five more minutes, okay?" On account of my sleepiness, I didn't fully think through that someone was talking to me.
"We do not have five minutes, human!" the voice replied. I was confused by this statement, and slowly sat up in my bed to see just who was speaking. To my surprise, a familiar gray and yellow fairy was floating in front of me.
"U-Uxie? What are you doing here?" I questioned, rubbing my eyes. My room was still dark, but my eyes had adjusted so I could make everything out clearly.
"There is no time to dawdle, human! Your position has been compromised; the Prismatic Army approaches your dwelling to capture you." The Prismatic Army…? They must be talking about Necrozma, right? The one I saw in my nightmare, I thought then.
"Is… Is this a dream?" I asked naively, glancing over at my clock. It was 2:15 AM.
"Please get up and grab what you need, posthaste. We must leave here at once." I rubbed my eyes again, realizing it couldn't be a dream since I was able to move around freely. I stood up, turned on the lamp, slipped on my glasses, and let out a big yawn. "You must move quicker!" Uxie shouted while staring at the door, her tone getting harsher.
As I grabbed Riolu and Dusty's Poké Balls and slipped on my Key Stone Bracelet, a horrific noise came from outside the house. The noise sounded like a ghostly laugh mixed with a terrible wheeze. I froze in place as shivers ran down my spine.
"Wh-what was that?"
"We must go now, human!" Uxie exclaimed, looking worried for the first time. Now that I knew she wasn't messing around, I hauled myself around the room. I grabbed what I could: an old pocket knife, my bag of clothing, my PokéNav, a pair of earbuds, and my wallet. I also slipped into an old sweatshirt before running over to Riolu.
"Riolu!" I called. "We're heading out early, come on!" But Riolu did not move. Instead, he continued to sleep soundly with a smile on his face. He held his arm with the Lucarionite gauntlet over his chest. "Riolu, snap out of it! We've got to go!" I yelped, shaking him gently; but he still didn't wake up. Something was terribly wrong.
"No use," Uxie added, facing me. "He has been Hypnotized; in fact, you and your Garbodor were Hypnotized too. Goons from the Prismatic Army are already here, trying to hunt you down. I sensed something was wrong and Teleported here to wake you immediately." I shivered at this thought, suddenly realizing how vulnerable we were. I pulled out Riolu's Poké Ball and returned him so he could rest peacefully.
After I slipped Riolu's Poké Ball into my pocket with Dusty's Poké Ball, I nodded at her.
"Alright, let's go!" Uxie nodded back and swung my door open with Telekinesis.
"Follow me," she said, floating down the main hallway of my dad's house; I quickly slipped on my shoes and chased after them.
Uxie turned into the living room and headed towards the front door. I wanted to quickly dash into the kitchen and grab the cooler of food, but when she was about to open the door, a strange knocking came from the other side. Then, the same ghastly laugh sounded from behind it. We both stopped in our tracks, realizing we would need to find another way out. Uxie then turned around, flying past me into the kitchen.
"Stay close, human!" she replied, fluttering towards the sliding glass door. Just then, the glass broke and shattered, scaring both of us. The noise caused me to back away and drop my bag of clothing.
When I looked back, a Gengar with a ghostly purple aura around it was standing in the doorway. It had a huge, menacing smile, and its red eyes bore into my soul. Letting out the same terrible laugh, it started slowly walking towards Uxie and I. Frightened, I began to back up. Suddenly, the front door flew open, and two Haunter levitated in. And to add insult to injury, another Haunter emerged from the floor in front of us.
"We're surrounded!" I shouted, my voice choked by fear. "Uxie?!"
"Grab my hand!" she cried, her voice piercing through all the commotion; I reached behind and clutched it tightly. Gengar and his goons noticed we were about to try something and charged us, continuing to laugh.
"Hold on tight!" Uxie yelled, a bright light suddenly enveloping us. The Gengar and Haunter reacted to the light and stopped dead in their tracks, trying to shield themselves from the brightness. It was so intense, I even had to cover my eyes. And for some reason at that moment, my hair stood up on end too, like it was being affected by static electricity.
"Here we go!" I heard Uxie yelp before I felt a weird sensation across my body. Everything went numb and unresponsive for a second, as if I was frozen in some kind of stasis. Then, not moments after, the feeling and the light disappeared. Rubbing my eyes, I could tell something had definitely changed.
The air was now crisp and refreshing, like the room had been filled with fall air. As Uxie let go of my hand and my senses came to, I looked around at my unfamiliar surroundings. We were certainly not in the house anymore.
"Where… Are we?"
"Far away enough... From there…" she said, sounding exhausted. Trees surrounded us on all sides, and a starry night sky stood idle high above. The leaves blew gently in a slight breeze, filling my ears with a soft rustling noise. Near the edge of the clearing, a flustered-looking group of Deerling and Sawsbuck fled back into the cover of the tall oak trees.
"...Did you teleport us somewhere?"
"Yes, I did… It was the only way to escape." I pulled out my PokéNav and opened the Maps Application.
"According to my PokéNav… We're inside the Indian Fort Nature Preserve… About thirty-five miles away from Fairport!"
"It was unwise of you to delay your departure, human. Let this moment be a stark warning to you and your Pokémon... Had I not stepped in, your fate would have been sealed." She paused for a moment, and I could hear her trying to catch her breath quietly beneath the sounds of the forest. Seeing Uxie in this state filled me with guilt, especially knowing that she'd put her life on the line to save me. I opened my mouth to try and give some kind of apology, but nothing came out.
"Somehow, the Prismatic Army acquired your position; I assume you were being spied on. You must hurry to Kinzua Valley right away before they catch your trail again."
Spy…? Wow, this whole situation is really… Real, I thought quickly, the stress continuing to build on my shoulders. Changing my train of thought back to Uxie, I added,
"B-but Uxie, I'm not prepared enough to go on this journey. We left so fast, I have almost no supplies… I dropped my clothes bag in the living room, forgot to pack my bag, and had no time to grab the cooler of food. All I have is the stuff in my pockets... How are we going to get to Pennsylvania like this?" I said, rummaging through my heavy shorts pockets to find what I did and did not have.
"Now is not the time to be worrying about your belongings. The Prismatic Army is searching for you right this moment, and if you do not move soon, you will most certainly be captured. You will have to scavenge for supplies; your Pokémon can help you in that task."
I was dumbfounded at her response. Sure, I was in the Cub Scouts for a couple years when I was younger, but I had little to no experience with basic survival skills. I was sure Riolu and Dusty could help out a little, but probably not enough to supply each of us with an adequate amount of food, water, and other necessities. How did she expect us to travel so far like this?
"I must go now. I cannot risk helping you again, especially after I used most of my energy to get us here... If the Prismatic Army captures me too, the Pokémon World will most surely be doomed. Please human, make your way to Kinzua Valley at once. There, you will find the portal to the Pokémon World. Now, I must take my leave." Uxie then began to light up like before, getting ready to Teleport again.
"Wait!" I called out. To my surprise, she actually stopped her Teleport and looked at me. Although I could not directly see her reaction, I could sense the anger in the air.
"What is it, human?" she snapped back in a cross voice.
"T-thank you for saving me. It was stupid of me to take so long to get ready… Without you, I would have been a goner. Oh, and thank you for this too." I held up my wrist and presented the Mega Stone Bracelet; the surface of the stone gleamed in the pale moonlight. "Without your test, we wouldn't have these, and I certainly wouldn't have met so many new friends…" I added quietly. Uxie paused for a moment, silently floating in place. She then answered,
"...I predicted you would stay behind for a couple more days; I can understand your hesitation to do so. And although it was a terrible risk to leave you unguarded like that for so long... You have most certainly proved to me that you are worthy of harnessing the great power of Mega Evolution. Consider it nothing." There was a short pause before either of us spoke again.
"L-look, Uxie…" I said quietly, looking down. I was extremely nervous to ask her any of my questions, especially knowing she wasn't in the best of moods. "I know we've both got things to do… But could you please stay a little bit longer? I have so many questions that need to be answered. And, you must be tired from teleporting both of us so far… So... please?" Uxie sighed before turning her gaze upwards towards the stars.
"You humans… Always the same. Demanding answers to all your lengthy questions… Surely, you will find them along the way; but that is beside the point..." Something about her statement really stuck with me. I found it extremely weird that she'd stereotyped humankind as a whole… Just how long had she been working with humans? And were we really that annoying to deal with? However, before I could think about it more, Uxie turned back to me and said,
"Although I do not have time to comment on your questions, there is someone who can."
"Oh? Who might that be?"
"Along your journey, you will meet up with a Pokémon by the name of Slowking... She is an old ally of mine, and one of my eldest portal guides."
"Portal… guides?"
"In an effort to help humans reach the portal to our planet, Legendary Pokémon from across our world banded together to create the Portal Guidance Coalition, or PGC for short. Only a group of gifted Pokémon are taught the ways of helping humans in case of a global emergency. Slowking has proved to be one of the most successful graduates in the recent years of the PGC, and she knows all the information that you seek. They will find you on your way to the portal." Uxie then glanced over her shoulder and glared at me. "I was going to tell you all this information as you got closer to the destination… But I can tell you want answers now." I blushed and looked away in embarrassment.
"Now please, before I lose my voice, you must head to Kinzua Valley without hesitation. This means no personal stops and definitely no turning back; you must treat every second like your last… And may Arceus guide you ever onwards." I faced Uxie and reluctantly nodded yes, to show that I understood. She then stared forwards and began to light up once more, preparing for a Teleport. Suddenly, something popped into my head; I knew if I didn't get this thought off my chest, I'd never be able to forgive myself.
"Uxie! Please, one last thing before you go! Could you tell my parents about my journey? I didn't want to tell them about my trip to save the Pokémon World because I knew they would try to stop me… I know you can give people dreams, so could you do that for me?" Just thinking about what my parents would do when they realized I was missing was not something I wanted to worry about on my journey.
However, Uxie did not respond and continued to prepare her teleport away. My heart dropped as the light became too bright, and I protected my eyes with my arm to not be blinded. After a quick pulse of electricity ruptured through the air, I uncovered my eyes to find that she was gone. In the background, the forest stood still once again, like nothing had even happened.
I was unsure about what to do at that moment. Although I knew I should get going right away, I was very fearful about the journey ahead. For now, I was going to have to bottle up my emotions and questions until the time came to let them out. With a deep breath, I tried to think calmly about the journey ahead.
After pondering on plausible ways to get to our destination without being noticed for a bit, I decided to give up for the moment, as I couldn't come up with any ideas on how to avoid spies on only a couple hours of sleep. Instead, I decided it was time to let Riolu and Dusty out of their Poké Balls so I could check if they were okay and fill them in on everything that'd happened so far. I brought their Poké Balls out of my pockets and held them out in front of me.
"Come on out, guys." Two flashes of light emerged from the Balls as they opened, and both of my partners appeared before me. I scoffed as I realized both were still sound asleep, not a care in the world; I was almost envious that they'd slept through the entire ordeal. As I watched them snooze soundly, my sleepiness caught back up with me, and I let out a yawn. Well… It can't hurt to get a little more sleep… I know Uxie told us to get moving now… But I'm still so tired from yesterday… A couple more hours of rest can't hurt, right?
I pulled up the hood on my hoodie and sat down next to Riolu and Dusty. I laid my head on the back of Dusty and placed my hand next to Riolu. It was kind of hard to get used to, as the ground was hard and uneven, and the grass scratched at my legs. But as soon as I got comfortable, the drowsiness finally overcame me, and I fell asleep almost immediately.
I felt Dusty move and jolted awake. For some reason, my heart was pumping hard. My throat was dry, and I was a bit hungry too, but I had other things to worry about.
By now, the early morning sun streamed through the tree line, revealing the true colors of the forest once more. The different hues of fall leaves blended in with the sunlight, casting shadows and orange light across the lush, grassy floor.
I watched as the Pokémon inhabitants emerged from the underbrush and started the search for food. Pidgeys and Pidoves darted in between the trees, while Rattata and Patrat scoured the ground for a quick bite, and even the same group of Deerling and Sawsbuck from the night before grazed on the short clearing grass, just a couple yards away. They all paid no attention to us, as if we were a part of their community. In the background, cries from various Pokémon echoed through the trees, signaling that the forest was very much alive.
I stood up and turned around to face Riolu and Dusty, who were beginning to stir. As they awoke and sat up, they realized that they were not where they had fallen asleep. Both looked bewildered, unsure what to make of the situation.
"Mornin', guys," I said with a smile. They stared at me, looking as confused as ever. I chuckled and replied, "Seems like I've got an explanation to give, huh? Well, I'll start from the top…"
"And just like that, Uxie vanished… I was too tired to get going last night, so I camped out here." Riolu had his eyes closed, thinking about what I'd said. Dusty still looked confused, his head tilted and his gaze staring off to the side. Obviously, they had some unanswered questions as well. "Hey, don't worry guys. We'll meet up with Slowking eventually and I'm sure she'll help us get to Kinzua Valley in one piece." I made a quick mental note to think of some more questions to ask her when the time came. Riolu and Dusty both nodded yes in reaction, still looking a bit out of it. "Alright, then let's get going… We've got quite a ways even to the state line, and I want to get these miles out of the way as soon as possible."
I then pulled out my PokéNav and opened the Maps app, quickly putting in our destination before clicking on the "Walking" tab, so the app would tell us how long it would take to get there by just walking.
"...About thirty-two hours? Yikes, that's a lot of walking… It's about ninety-five miles from here… And it says the best route is to go directly south from here along the highway, and then take the Southern Tier Expressway to the PA border." I pointed where south was after I was done talking so that they knew exactly which way we were headed.
Dusty looked a bit skeptical, but Riolu smiled confidently and placed his paw over his chest; he was more than ready to conquer the trip. I smiled back, but deep down, I couldn't decide if I was actually ready to face the road ahead myself. I was never the athletic type and walking more than a couple miles at one time definitely intimidated me. Nonetheless, I continued on with fake confidence, replying,
"That's the spirit, Riolu! We'll knock these thirty-two hours out in no time."
"Rio!" He joyfully cried out. Once Dusty saw our determination, he perked up. Mimicking Riolu, he brought his right tendril to the center of his chest before letting out an open mouthed grin. Riolu and I chuckled at him.
"Glad you're with us, Dusty. Now come on you two, it's time to go." They nodded and hopped in front to take the lead. Right as they started walking towards our destination though, a crashing boom of what sounded to be thunder resounded loudly from the sky above; we all jumped a foot at the sudden sound.
Glancing up through the tree line, the sun almost instantly disappeared behind fast-forming cloud cover, until it was almost as dark as nighttime. Then, the sky lit up with a sudden flash of reddish hue as another crack of thunder rang out.
"...What's going on with the weather?" I questioned, a bit mad that I'd been jump scared like that. To my surprise, I found both Riolu and Dusty with absolutely horrified looks on their faces as they nervously stared up at the strange phenomena. "A-are you two alright? Do you know what's happening?" I asked, curious about their sudden emotion change. Looking past them, I watched the Pokémon of the forest quickly flee the area and run back into the cover of the woods, most of them sporting the same frightened looks as Dusty and Riolu.
"G-Gar!" Dusty then yelled suddenly. He was pointing up to the sky with his tendril. Through the gaps in the trees, a huge black and red hole began to open in the sky with another fierce rumble of thunder, this one even louder than before. This hole continued to grow until it was immense, stretching over a large part of the sky, and almost looked like a cloud formation mixed with a black hole. But even as menacing as it was, something about the hole in the sky intrigued me; my fear nearly faded away and the thought of getting a better view of the mysterious cloud formation took over my mind.
"...I've got to get a better look. Come on guys, I think I see a larger field just over there." I beckoned for Riolu and Dusty to follow, but they didn't budge. "What's gotten into you two? You're acting weird..." They once again looked at each other, exchanging distraught looks. "Look, it'll only be a tiny peek; I'm just curious, that's all." Still, they looked uncertain and concerned. Deep inside of me, my senses screamed for me to hide or run away, but with all the unanswered questions already piled up in my head, I really wanted to solve this one. "...If you two are uncomfortable, you can stay here. I'll only be a sec." And with that, I turned around and headed for the open field.
As I quickly reached the outskirts of the forest, I immediately turned my attention up to the huge crater in the sky. It was bigger than I thought after seeing it out of the forest canopy and it pulsated with a red aura. Occasionally, a strip of red lightning would ark across it, briefly lighting everything up with a crimson hue before a billowing thunder clap would rumble out. Turning my head to the left, I could see out far across the Western New York hills. It seemed very far away, but another hole like the one in front of us had formed. Just then I heard a,
"Rio, Ri!" from behind me. Riolu and Dusty ran up next to me, still looking as troubled as ever. I didn't say anything in response, but a smile managed to make its way onto my face. Knowing they had followed after me made me feel safe and appreciated.
"What are these things? And what's causing them to form…?" I questioned aloud so they could hear. But before anyone could respond, a deep, horrible voice suddenly roared from the sky.
"Humans… Hear my voice and tremble in fear! Your world's light belongs to the Prismatic Army now! Surrender to us peacefully, and we will accept your sacrifice without harm… However, if you try to hide or fight back... I will make your demise long and painful. The choice is yours… Ultra Beasts, begin your attack!" The voice stopped, continuing to echo through the air for some time. Riolu and I turned to each other, immediately recognizing who it came from.
"T-that's the voice we heard in our nightmares, Riolu! That was... Necrozma!" Like I'd just sworn, the air became silent and awkward. Suddenly, the hole in the sky began to pulsate more. Then, something inside seemed to burst open, sending a weak wave of energy and a bright red light through the air. Right after, floating specks of all different colors appeared from the hole, spreading all over the sky.
"What… Are those?" I questioned. One of the specks got closer and closer, until I could fully recognize what was flying towards us. My eyes widened in fear once I figured out what was happening. "R-run! We've got to hide, now! Necrozma wasn't joking; he sent his army after us!" Riolu and Dusty immediately dashed back into the forest, with me following close behind. We scampered back through the clearing from before and deep into the woods, not looking back.
Scanning the area as we ran, I watched carefully for some place to hide. I thought I saw things move out of the corners of my eyes but ignored them for the time being until we found a hideout, hoping they weren't pursuing Ultra Beasts. Suddenly, I spotted a nearby ditch with a small alcove inside that could hide us from sight. Riolu and Dusty ran past it, the fear probably clouding their decision making. "In here!" I called ahead, slowing down. Dusty and Riolu skidded to a stop and turned around to run back to me. We all slid down into the ditch and huddled around the back, trying to not be seen.
"Shh!" I spat, holding my index finger to my nose to signal quietness. They got the memo and stayed still, not moving a muscle. I tried to control my breathing and stay quiet, but it was hard to do since my heart was beating at a mile a minute and Dusty's stink was making my eyes water. Within an instant, a figure emerged from off to the left of the ditch. The red figure was bug-like, with a huge proboscis jutting out. It had huge abs and four legs, and it fluttered with its set of wings. No doubt, a Buzzwole stood before us.
The beast scanned the area, obviously searching for us. It turned its attention to the ditch and seemingly looked directly at us, but the dark cloud cover protected us from its seemingly bad eyesight. I was also worried it would detect Dusty's awful smell, but it seemed that it didn't notice that aspect either.
Please don't see us, please don't see us, I repeated over and over in my mind. Fear and adrenaline pumped through my veins, keeping me on high alert. I was ready to run or fight if the beast spotted us.
Buzzwole stayed in place, hovering for some time. I think it knew we were close by, and wanted to try and wait us out, in case we made a slip. Yet all three of us stayed frozen in place like statues.
Finally though, after what seemed to be an eternity, it gave one last look around and fluttered off, continuing to search the perimeter. At that moment, the sky started to become brighter as the dark clouds floated away. I gave out a small and quiet sigh, relieved that it happened right after Buzzwole stopped looking. Riolu stirred a bit, eager to stop standing in one place and being so close to Dusty, but I shushed him again and held him back, in case our pursuer was still nearby.
After a little more time passed, I finally felt comfortable enough to emerge from the ditch. I slowly climbed out, and beckoned Riolu and Dusty to stay down, in case the coast wasn't clear. Poking my head out, I checked the forest from every possible angle twice, just to make completely sure there wasn't an Ultra Beast anywhere in sight.
"...Alright the coast is clear. Let's head out ASAP; I don't want to wait around any longer…" I whispered after a couple seconds. Riolu and Dusty nodded yes and slowly emerged from the hiding spot before standing next to me. I opened the "Maps" app on my PokéNav and immediately headed southeast again towards the highway, Riolu and Dusty following right behind. All the way, we stayed overly cautious, checking our surroundings over and over, in case another Ultra Beast was nearby.