When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar place. It was dark, but just bright enough to make out the basics of my surroundings. I seemed to be under a high-sloped dirt roof littered with little dangling roots. Small cracks of natural light filled the area, like something with holes was covering out the light. The ground I was laying on was hard but smooth, and my head was resting comfortably upon a pillow of some kind. I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't allow it; I was too weak to move. Suddenly, I felt how sore I was and let out a painful groan. It was then that I noticed that there was something wet and hot on my forehead. I reached up to take it off when I heard a voice quietly say,
"So, you have finally awoken..." I turned my head to the side to see a large pink Pokémon with a pale-yellow mouth standing by my feet. I tried to make out more of the creature, but I couldn't see straight and there just wasn't enough light; I didn't have my glasses on either, so everything was all blurry. However, I made out some of its characteristics. Atop its head was a gray crown of sorts, and around its neck was a red and white ruff of some kind.
"Who… Who are…?" I muttered. It was hard to even talk.
"Shh…" the creature hushed me and held one of its hands up to its mouth; it had one singular nail on it. "Quiet, human. You must rest." The creature talked quietly and had a wonderfully sweet voice that reminded me of my grandmother's.
"But… What about Riolu… Dusty… And Zabu?" The figure in front of me hesitated for a short moment.
"They are all resting too. You are the first one to wake up, but you must rest more." It continued to whisper for some reason.
"Are they… Okay?"
"I have tended to their wounds, and there is nothing for you to worry about. But please, you must go back to sleep. You have not fully recovered yet." It was right; I was too tired to move, let alone talk. I took its advice and quickly closed my eyes once again. Surprisingly, I fell right back asleep. Usually, I would be up for a while, troubling thoughts fueling my thinking, but I was still exhausted from all the running (and falling).
I woke up again sometime later feeling a bit better, but the soreness hadn't faded, and it was still very hard to move. Also, I was slightly cold, and the hot and wet object on my head was gone. My arms and legs seemed to be covered in some kind of homemade thatch bandages too; they were quite itchy, but seemed to be covering my injuries, so I resisted the urge to peel them off. Carefully sitting up and peering around, I realized I was still in the dirt cave, the walls now lit up only by the dancing flames of an open campfire.
Rubbing my eyes, I reached around to find my glasses. Feeling them to my left, I grabbed them and slipped them on. Noticing immediately that the right lens was cracked presumably from tumbling down the hill, I groaned, my eye now obscured by the chip. Then suddenly remembering my Mega Bracelet, I looked off to my other side to find it lying face up. Inspecting it closely, it seemed to be fortunately undamaged. With a sigh of relief, I wiped some dust off with the side of my arm and slipped it back on.
Staring forward once I was situated, I found the cave's entrance to be uncovered and the darkness outside extended as far out as I could see. Above the fire perched on two sticks, a kettle was boiling, just getting to the point where it was about to whistle. The pink creature from before was sitting next to the pit, staring out into the unknown. It then suddenly turned its gaze to me, like it knew I'd looked up at it just then.
"You are the first one awake again, human. You look to be feeling better," it said aloud this time, standing up and walking over to greet me.
"Uh, a little bit, thanks. Now let me ask again… Who are you?"
"Ah, I guess I do owe you some answers... Very well. My name is Slowking. I was sent by Uxie to aid you on your journey." Cogs began to turn inside my head, and I pieced the puzzle together.
"...You're the Slowking that Uxie told us to find? Well, you couldn't have come at a better time. We were–" I suddenly paused, realizing we weren't somewhere in Ultra Space. Something or someone must've saved my Pokémon and I from the army of Ultra Beasts chasing after us, but it couldn't have been done by Slowking alone… Right?
"I left my temporary residence to come here and aid your travels at Uxie's request. They informed me you were in grave danger and told me to head here at once. It was quite reckless of you to head directly into a town filled with Ultra Beasts, human." I was surprised by Slowking's sudden transition, but I continued with her thought anyway.
"Yeah, I know… But I was just so worried about my family, I couldn't think straight." Slowking turned around to face the blaze, watching its sporadic dance. I then noticed the pitter-patter of rain outside, quiet, and intermittent between the pops of the campfire inside. I shivered as a sudden fall breeze ran through the cave, blowing the flames and smoke in the direction of the wind.
"I am quite surprised that your Pokémon allowed you to even do such a thing, but I digress… Family is not what you should be worrying about right now, human. Your top, utmost priority is to get to the Pokémon World, and I am here to help you achieve that task."
For some reason, it seemed that all the Pokémon helping me only cared about getting me to save the world. No one ever cared about me or how I felt, and it was starting to get under my skin. It was a sensitive topic, but I decided to say something about it.
"H-hold on! I couldn't just drop everything and come to save the Pokémon World… I've got responsibilities and a family I care about. Wouldn't you worry about the people you love most if you suddenly had to leave home?"
"I never knew my family," Slowking said immediately, turning back around to face me with an intense look on her face. "And although I will admit it was difficult to give up my livelihood, it is beyond foolish to put the lives of a few over the lives of many." She paused for a second and looked back outside for a moment; I wished I hadn't opened my mouth. "Think about your partners; they too were forced to leave their home to come here. They had no time to find their family members or even say goodbye... In fact, no Pokémon had any time to figure out anything. Necrozma's blight was too strong and so quick..."
It went quiet as she left me thinking about what to say next. Somewhat inspired by her outburst, I began thinking differently. She was right in a weird way; I was only thinking about myself. I could see why she thought it was irresponsible to go to Hornell and risk myself and my Pokémon just to see if my family was okay. Not to mention the fate of an entire world was hanging on me and taking any more risks than I needed could mean big trouble. Still, was it really that bad of me to check on my family? I was obviously worried about them, like any person would be during an apocalyptic event of this size.
As my thoughts turned back to Riolu, Dusty, and Zabu, a new thought suddenly rushed into my head. If I couldn't make it to the Pokémon World, not only would an entire planet be taken over, but the families and friends of all Pokémon would disappear. No one would be able to see or be with their loved ones ever again if I didn't act… And that thought scared me more than I could imagine. Finally coming to my senses, I spoke my mind.
"Y-you're right, Slowking... It was stupid of me to go to Hornell; I put too much at stake… Not only just me, but all the Pokémon that worked together to get me this far… But I think I understand now. I've got to just forget about my past and help out all the displaced people and Pokémon out there! We've already gotten this far, so I can't just let everyone down!" Slowking looked over and smiled at my response.
"I did not expect you to realize the consequences of your task yet… Many humans do not recognize the fact that the only way they will be able to go back to their previous life or see their loved ones again is to take the plunge into the Pokémon World."
"Many... humans? You mean I'm not the only one?"
"That is correct; a plethora of humans are given the task of saving the Pokémon World. We cannot have just one, or else our plan would surely fail. I have helped a large number of humans cross over into the Pokémon World before, and because of this, I have become one of Uxie's eldest allies and the President of the Portal Guidance Coalition."
That's right, I thought then. Uxie filled me in on the basics of the PGC after she teleported us to the Nature Preserve. It sure is nice knowing there are other people like me, too... But speaking of Uxie…!
"Hey, Slowking– is Uxie okay? I heard that they were, uh… Y'know…" Slowking let out a small sigh and frowned.
"I am afraid so… I can confirm that Uxie has been captured by The Prismatic King and his army."
"Oh no…" I whispered under my breath.
"Yes, it truly is a disaster. Most, if not all the Pokémon that came to the Human World to help portal-going humans are now attempting to find and release Uxie, so we are truly expended on assistance out here. Hopefully I will suffice as your lone guide to the portal. But do not fret, for I have full confidence in my allies to free her."
As I was going to ask Slowking for more info, I heard a groan off to my right. I looked over to see Riolu sitting up and stretching out. His scratches and bruises were covered in the same crude bandages made of leaves that I was wearing. Nonetheless, I was more than overjoyed to see him.
"Riolu! You're okay!" I cried, trying to stand up and get over to him. As soon as I put weight on my right leg, I crumbled back down to the ground.
"Careful, human," Slowking said, speedily walking over to help me. "You are not fully recovered yet. It is a miracle you did not break anything tumbling down that hill. You must rest more before you can walk again."
"R-right," I added quietly as Slowking helped me sit back down.
"Rio?" Riolu asked once he came to, looking around at the unfamiliar sights.
"How are you feeling, buddy?" Riolu looked at me, smiled, and came over to my side; it made me surprisingly happy to see that he was healthy enough to get up and come over to me on his own. I patted him on the head before adjusting his scarf and Mega Bracer. He then placed his paw over his chest, and I balled my hand into a fist at the same time.
Then to my left, I heard someone else stirring and waking up. I looked over to see Dusty picking himself up off the ground. He sat up, and looked confused at his surroundings as well, covered in a different material of bandages.
"Dusty! You're okay too?" He looked at me and gave his signature open mouth grin. But right as he looked like he was about to come over and give me a hug, I think Slowking shot him a look because he hesitated and stopped moving towards me.
I was more than relieved to know that Slowking had taken care of both of my partners while I was blacked out, but now that I knew the two of them were okay, I had something more important that I needed to get off my chest.
"Look, you two... I just wanted to say sorry for my actions before. I should've known Eliza was going to pull a fast one on us… And I should have reacted sooner when Pheromosa outplayed us in the dust. All my decisions the past couple days have done nothing but hurt us…"
"Ri!"
"Gar!" they replied at the same time, continuing to smile and nodding.
"They say that they forgive you, human," Slowking replied with no hesitation from across the room. I blushed and grinned back at them, suddenly realizing Slowking could interpret both Pokémon language and English.
Taking another quick look around the cave, I then turned back to her.
"Where's Zabu?"
"Liepard ran off, human. I was the one who brought you here." I was surprised by this answer and was very curious as to how I was saved.
"Oh? So, what exactly happened after I passed out?"
"I rushed in to protect you from those Ultra Beasts. While I was heading towards the battle, I heard a loud thumping noise nearby and decided to investigate the source. Lone and behold, you were lying unconscious underneath a tree. At that moment, those Ultra Beasts crested the hill, and I knew it was time to get serious. I may be old, but these bones hold up well in battle!" My mouth nearly dropped in awe as she said this; how could such a sweet old Pokémon like Slowking defend me against an onslaught of extremely powerful Ultra Beasts? All I knew for the time being was to not get on Slowking's bad side.
"Nevertheless, I ran back to my base camp with you in hand as soon as I could get away and covered the entrance to hide. That is where you and your Pokémon are now." I was at a loss for words.
"Wow, I guess I have more to thank you for than I thought."
"Oh, please– the pleasure is all mine."
"...When and where did Zabu run off to?"
"After I brought all your Pokémon out of their capsules, Liepard ran off into the woods. I did not stop her, but she was in a hurry to get somewhere."
"Huh. That's odd," I said, briefly hoping she would be alright by herself. Continuing the conversation, I added, "Are you sure it's safe to leave the front door uncovered like that?"
"Oh, of course. Almost two full days have passed since I brought all of you here."
"H-hold on, we've been asleep for two full days?" It seemed to me like it had only been a couple of hours.
"About thirty-five and a half hours, to be exact. But no need to worry, the Ultra Beasts are long gone by now… I presume they are searching the forests farther down the expressway. In the meantime however, I have bandaged your wounds, cleaned and mended your clothes, as well as kept watch." Slowking then cleared her throat and reached down to pick up a straw satchel bag at her side. "Now that all three of you are awake, I have prepared some food for you. Please, eat as much as you can; it will help you get better. If you are thirsty, the water should be ready in just a moment." Right then, the whistling sound of steam escaping from the kettle filled the cave. Slowking went over and pulled it from atop the sticks, placing it on the cool floor; the kettle quieted down as soon as it was away from the heat of the fire.
"Thank you, Slowking…" I said, overwhelmed by her kindness. Then, my stomach rumbled and then I realized that I was pretty hungry. Not eating for two days can really do that to you.
Slowking dropped the satchel back on the floor and it tumbled over, some berries rolling out. Dusty and Riolu's eyes glittered as they rushed over to the bag to get something to eat; they were obviously hungry too. Once they both reached the bag, they stopped before reaching in. Dusty and Riolu stared at each other and nodded, picking up the bag and bringing it to me.
"You're letting me pick first? You guys…" They smiled at me gleefully and handed me the berry bag.
"Well now," Slowking said, admiring their generosity. "Uxie told me you three have a very good relationship, but it seems it surpasses what I assumed. That is very good to see; teamwork is necessary for the road ahead."
My cheeks still red, I awkwardly nodded and grabbed my share from the bag before handing it to Dusty. I was about to bite into the berry when I thought about what Uxie'd told me at the start of our journey.
"Slowking, Uxie promised me that you would answer my questions."
"Of course, human. I will try to answer any question you give me to the best of my knowledge."
"I've got a lot to ask… Can you hear me out?"
"Yes, ask me anything. You still need time to recover, so this will be a good way to pass our down time."
"First off, can you fill me in on what happened in the Pokémon World and why it needs my help?"
"Ah, a good question indeed. Hmm… Where is a good place to begin?" She questioned before taking a quick second to herself. "...I guess I will start by giving you a history of the Pentas and our enemy, The Prismatic King."
"The story starts with a legend passed down from the land where the PGC resides, the Penta Islands. Many, many years ago, during the time our current day continents were still forming, an underwater volcanic eruption in one of the world's sprawling seas gave birth to a set of islands near the equator of our world. The four tropical islands in total were made in between the Water Continent and the Grass Continent, respectively. These islands were uninhabited for many years as life began to develop across the new land."
"Adversely, sometime in a dimension very different from ours, a being known as Necrozma was born. An entity of massive power, Necrozma could manipulate natural light at his will. From this dimension, formally known as Ultra Space in the PGC, Necrozma experimented with his immense power, and eventually discovered how to use wormholes to travel between time and space. Although we do not know much about this Ultra Space, we have always assumed that Necrozma was the creator of this dimension; how he came to be is still a mystery."
"Now, in the early life of the islands, Necrozma traveled through one of these wormholes from Ultra Space to the Pokémon World and arrived at the islands. After a quick survey of the land, Necrozma made the islands a home base for the Ultra Beasts when they came to and from the Pokémon World. The Prismatic King's goal at the time was to completely chart the new land and bring back any exotic plunder to his home world. However, after exploring the area, it was found to be practically barren and entirely surrounded by water. Necrozma decided to give up his plans for the time being and headed back home. However, before he left, The Prismatic King created four beings from himself and sent one to each of the islands to protect the land for when the Ultra Beasts would one day return."
"Centuries later, after Necrozma and the Ultra Beasts had since long left, the first Pokémon arrived and coined the island chain the Quadra Islands. By then, each island was lush and teeming with fruit, timber, and other helpful natural resources. To the surprise of many, they were met by the guardians of the islands as they arrived, or the so called 'deities' Necrozma placed there. They allowed Pokémon to stay on the islands, so long as they promised to give back and not destroy the land. And so, the first Pokémon did just that, creating a thriving civilization off of recycling, reusing, and never overharvesting."
"It was not long before a piece of the islands' past was found. Deep in the center of the island chain shrouded by a dense fog, a new island was discovered. This island created by Necrozma was flat and empty, except for a large stone-lined portal that the Ultra Beasts had used to harness a wormhole."
"The unknowing group of explorer Pokémon approached the alien structure, unsure what its purpose was. At that exact moment, the portal roared to life and two beasts from inside leaped out: one as bright as the sun, and the other as dark as the moon. The two beasts cried out into the air, summoning the deities for a challenge of strength. The guardians came as fast as they could, and the battle began."
"The Pokémon who discovered the secret island were scared for their lives, as they were trapped inside the middle of the fierce fight. However, the beast of sun and the beast of moon had no quarrel with the bystanders and made sure no one was injured. Hours passed before a true victor was crowned, but in the end, the two beasts from Ultra Space defeated the deities. The Pokémon once again feared for their lives, worrisome that the dueling beasts would take their home away from them. However, neither beast had any intention of taking over the Pokémon World; in fact, it was quite the opposite. They were simply testing the power of the guardian deities."
"In the years since, Necrozma had become a tyrannical leader of Ultra Space. The Prismatic King decided to use his powers for self-benefit only, causing a civil war with the beast of sun and of moon at the forefront of the rebellion. However, Necrozma was eventually defeated and sent to a special lightless prison, but the beast of sun and moon feared there would be terrible repercussions if he ever got loose. With the guardians on the rebellion's side, they could protect the islands and the Pokémon World in case that ever happened. However, the Guardians needed to be more powerful than ever if they were going to stop their foe. Forcing the deities to switch sides, each was given a Tapunium-Z, or a type of Z-Crystal. Z-Crystals are mysterious stones, allowing the user to unlock the full potential of a move by imbuing the raw power of Necrozma."
"Before the beast of sun and moon returned to their domain, they left a pair of flutes for the by standing Pokémon. They told them that only a pair of acutely trusted partners could play the 'Ballad of Dusklight' to open the portal to Ultra Space if ever needed. But there was a small catch; one of those who played the flutes needed to be a human, as a sort of failsafe so there were not any false alarms."
"Quickly teaching the Pokémon the song, the beasts turned around to re-enter the portal. As the stranded Pokémon gave their thanks to their saviors, as well as to the guardian deities for looking over them, they created names for them. The beast of sun was declared to be Solgaleo, and the beast of moon was titled Lunala, respectively."
"And so, as the beasts and guardians returned to their homes, the Pokémon decided to create an altar as a place to keep the flutes safe and to worship the beings who were generous enough to protect them. Then, from that day onwards, the Quadra islands were renamed to the Penta Islands."
Slowking stopped and looked outside at the darkness. By now, Dusty and Riolu had finished with their meals and were listening intently, but I was too focused to even begin eating.
"Wow..." I mumbled, completely fascinated by her tale.
"For now, I will pause the story there. Although there is more to tell, I insist that you take some time to eat your helping of berries. You need all the strength possible for the roads ahead." She turned back to me and pointed at the Oran Berry in my hand.
"Aw, I'm not hungry yet. Besides, I just really want to hear the rest of the story." My stomach growled again at that moment, to which I nervously smiled at Slowking. She glared at me before saying,
"...I will only answer other questions after you finish eating." I sarcastically frowned at her before wolfing down the berry. As soon as there was nothing left but the core, I tossed it to my side and immediately asked,
"Why was I chosen to go to the Pokémon World?" Slowking quickly sighed before continuing.
"The PGC has certain criteria that we use to judge all kinds of humans, but the way it is done is kept in secrecy due to security reasons. However, I can tell you this. There are multiple tests that we put humans through, many of which go unnoticed. Only a certain few gifted humans pass all these tests, until we have a small group of prime candidates. However, we couldn't run most of the usual tests this time around, for obvious reasons. Luckily, we still had scouts in this world just in case of emergency, so PGC certified Pokémon were given out to the people they were watching. Then, as more tests were able to be run, high ranking and legendary Pokémon were assigned to those who came out in the highest percentile; this is how Uxie became your 'benefactor'. I myself was supposed to be given a human to protect, but I got entangled in other PGC dirty work, which eventually landed me here."
I definitely should've been more concerned about the fact that Slowking openly admitted someone was spying on me, but it was hidden behind the fact that I was considered one of the top candidates for helping the Pokémon World.
"Uh, what else… Oh yeah, do you know anything about how we were saved the other day? It seemed like quite the fluke an entire group of Raticate and Rattata would suddenly intervene."
"That was actually Uxie's idea. You see, she knew you would probably head into Hornell, and chances were that you would run into trouble. Uxie also knew that she was running out of time before being captured, so she let the group of Raticate know when you would be in danger."
"But why a group of Raticate?"
"I believe you helped a Rattata when you stayed inside a barn outside of Dansville. Uxie let that Rattata know via a dream what was going to happen, and it went around telling its peers about you."
I guess I'm going to have to help out Pokémon more often, I thought enthusiastically.
"Do you have any more questions, human?" Slowking asked; I paused for a second to work some out. Even though I was always thinking of things to ask, my brain was currently drawing a blank.
"Uh… How about… Oh, why do Pokémon always rely on humans for help when things are looking bad?" Slowking slightly blushed at my response.
"Humans are very different from Pokémon, and can assist in ways that Pokémon cannot, hence why they are only brought in during dire times. Also, some humans receive a special power as they pass through the portal to the Pokémon World, which aids them on their journey, although it is still unknown as to why this happens." Expecting more, I awkwardly stared at Slowking until I realized she had nothing more to say. That's it? She seriously has nothing else to say? I guess that must be a sensitive topic or something...
"Anything else?" Slowking added suddenly, snapping back into conversation. I opened my mouth to say something, but I closed it immediately after. I almost asked Slowking if she knew anything about the whereabouts of my friends and family, but I didn't want to go back on all that from earlier.
"Go on, human, I am listening."
"...How about what happened to all the people? I haven't seen a single soul since I started my journey, except for Eliza… Were they all taken?"
"Not everyone. Much like the Pokémon world, the Ultra Beasts are overly persistent, and certainly won't stop until all humans have been captured. However, it seems that once Ultra Beasts go back through their portals though, they cannot return to this world. So, because humans are still in hiding, some Ultra Beasts still remain. Unfortunately, from what I have heard, a majority of the living beings on this planet have been abducted… Be grateful Uxie looks out for you."
"I'm definitely grateful, that's for sure. She's saved me multiple times, and without you two, I'd probably be stuck somewhere in Ultra Space." I paused, unable to think of more questions. Come on, there's got to be something else I can ask…
"Is that everything?" Slowking finally inquired. I thought for another moment and came up with one more question.
"One last thing. How did you become the Dean of the PGC, and could you tell me more about the PGC in general?" Slowking hesitated for a moment but then added,
"I would be glad to fill you in with more info on the PGC another time, but I'm afraid that it is too long of a story. It is getting late, and you must eat more."
"...Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks again for telling me what I needed to know… It feels nice finally getting everything I could think of answered." I was slightly disappointed, knowing that I could come up with some more questions to ask, but I was still pretty hungry.
"Again, the pleasure is mine, human. Here, let me grab you some water to drink..." As Slowking stood up, I tore into the rest of my berries, which I'd been patiently waiting to eat. In the background, Riolu and Dusty quietly convened with each other, presumably talking about the story or Slowking's answers to my questions. Picking up the kettle, Slowking came over to me and said,
"Hold out your hands." I did as she told me, and Slowking poured the lukewarm water out. It splashed onto my hands, some sloshing over the sides of my palms and splashing onto the dirt floor. I nodded to say thanks and took a sip, slurping all the liquid down in one gulp. The water may have been warm, but it still felt extremely good going down my parched throat. Slowking then visited Riolu and Dusty, giving them each a little of the water too; both thanked her before sipping it up.
Slowking made her way back to the center of the room and sat back down, placing the water pot back next to the fire. Seeing her do that suddenly reminded me of all the supplies we'd left back on the highway in our hurry to get away. Noticing Slowking traveled light, I thought about asking about it, but figured I'd requested enough info already.
"Nightfall has just come, and daylight will not be here for some time. Please, relax until dawn. Tomorrow, we will decide if we need more time to breathe, or if we can head out. I will stay guard for the night."
"Don't you need some sleep too, Slowking? I'd be happy to take over watch duty."
"Like I said earlier, you are still too weak, human. Keeping you in this state would jeopardize our chances to get you to the portal unharmed. I strongly insist you get some sleep for the time being." I turned to Riolu and Dusty, who were both nodding in agreement with Slowking. Nonetheless, I still felt obligated to help out Slowking in some way, but I knew that she was right. I needed much more time to recuperate, and I certainly wasn't going to help standing watch overnight.
"Okay… Thank you again for all your help, Slowking." She nodded and turned around to face the fire again. "Goodnight, everyone," I said, waving goodnight to Riolu and Dusty before laying back down on the hard stone floor. As I heard them all quietly conversing in the background, I quickly fell back to sleep, thanking Slowking again in my head for everything she'd done before I passed out.