We kept our guards up, watching all angles and checking them twice in case we were being followed. I wished it was just another walk in the woods with my Pokémon, but that reality was far gone. Dusty continued to carry me since I couldn't walk while Sycamore took the front, using his superior sense of smell and hearing to lead us.
As they paved the way, the what-if questions got back in my head, and I began to think about the ambush once more. I suddenly had one more question I needed to ask that I knew I couldn't answer myself.
"Sycamore…?" I asked quietly. He continued to lead us forwards through the brush and did not respond. As I was about to ask again a little louder, I heard his grisly voice in my head.
Yes, Luke?
"How did the end of the ambush go?"
...What do you mean?
"Like… How did you set it up? After Slowking knocked me away from Pheromosa, all of you guys were suddenly standing next to me…"
Oh, that… His voice trailed off. It… It was Slowking's plan. At the beginning of the battle, Slowking let us know her second plan in case anything bad happened. She told us to act like we were fainted… And told me specifically not to use our Mega Evolution.
I suddenly remembered that Slowking stopped us from using our Mega Evolution; it single-handedly caused her demise. If we'd used it, we could've changed the entire outcome of the battle and perhaps even saved her… But there had to be a reason that Slowking didn't want us to use the Mega Stones. Perhaps the sheer power of Mega Evolution could be dangerous if we didn't know how to use it properly? Or maybe she even stopped us on purpose, knowing she would sacrifice herself so we could get away?
I did not listen to her orders at first… I wanted to use my Mega Evolution to save her, but after Greninja pinned me down… Slowking personally contacted me to say that we still could not control its intensity. The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that everything was on the line; I had to back down and listen to Slowking's wishes. So, I stopped resisting when Pheromosa grabbed you… It was then that Slowking gave us the rest of the plan.
"O-Oh…" I started to feel bad for Sycamore and Dusty; it must have been extremely tough knowing what Slowking had in mind all along.
Slowking told us to move as soon as you were out of Pheromosa's grasp. She then said that it was an honor to help, and that was the last thing she told us before she put up the Protect…
I was stunned by his anecdote. It seemed Slowking had truly saved us from disaster during the fight. I couldn't believe that she'd set out a whole plan for the battle just in case things went wrong. I felt bad for questioning her hesitation before, especially knowing that she was just trying to help us.
That reminds me; Slowking gave me something to bestow to you once we were away from trouble. She meant to gift it to you herself, but there was not enough time…
"…Something for me?"
Sycamore stopped our convoy and turned around before untightening his scarf, pulling something out from behind. Walking over, he handed me some kind of amorphous object that felt like some kind of fruit. I could hardly make out what it looked like since there was not enough light under the tree cover, so I guessed using my sense of touch. It was somewhat jagged in areas, but I could feel small pores on the surface that reminded me of an orange.
Slowking told me that it is a very rare berry known as the Starf Berry. She told me that even she did not know all the secrets it held… But she specified that it was dire for you to have just in case.
Still unsure what was so 'dire' about some fruit, I nonetheless knew Slowking wouldn't lead us astray. Slipping the mysterious berry into my front pocket with my mother's letter, I suddenly wondered when Slowking had the chance to give it Sycamore.
A while after we started walking again, we eventually came to an opening in the forest. Sycamore held his left arm out as he came to a stop, signaling for Dusty to do the same. Dusty paused next to him as Sycamore pawed through a bush quietly. He poked his head out to the other side and looked out, taking his time to scan the area. I saw him look left and right three times before he quietly brought his head back from inside the bush.
There is a road here. I think it may be one of the trails Slowking spoke about… And it looks like the coast is clear.
"Is it smart to actually take the road, though? We're out in the open…" I whispered.
"Gar?" Dusty chimed in, equally as quiet as me. There was a pause as Sycamore and I looked up to him. "Garbo, Arb. Gar, Gar, Arbo."
"What did he say?"
He said we really do not have a choice... The woods are slowing us down too much and we could end up getting lost again.
All of us hesitated to agree with the plan right away. Despite what our guts were telling us, Dusty was right. We were going to have to get creative and take risks to get to the portal on time. Knowing we had no other choice, I swallowed my pride and nodded, giving the go ahead.
That settles it. Follow me, Garbodor; quietly and slowly… Sycamore entered the bush again and made his way to the other side with little to no sound. Dusty and I looked at each other with wide eyes, knowing we both had no experience sneaking around. Nonetheless, Dusty headed through the bush as carefully as he could.
Once we reached the other side, I looked around at the narrow dirt road. It seemed that we were atop a small hill, as the rest of the road continued further down and around a blind left corner. The path was shrouded by large, formidable trees and thick underbrush, with a thin canopy overlapping the top of the road. Although it was slightly brighter than in the woods, I had my full trust in Dusty to stick with Sycamore as close as possible.
As we followed Sycamore, I observed his stealthy movements. He tiptoed slowly across the pebbly floor, scanning all directions carefully. Somehow, his footsteps were almost completely silent, which made me wonder where he'd learned how to do all this. It seemed Dusty was trying to copy Sycamore's actions but being so big and having to carry me really did a number on him. No matter how much he tried, rocks crunched and crackled underneath his round feet. To make matters worse, the tree cover on both sides of the road gave no room for him to walk on a different surface. Hopefully no one was within hearing distance of the trail.
Suddenly, Sycamore stopped dead in his tracks and held up his paw again.
Do not move. Not a muscle... There is an enemy straight ahead.
Dusty stopped suddenly and almost ran into him. My heart raced and a nervous sweat dripped off my forehead as I squinted my eyes to see a figure that looked to be a patrolling Buzzwole around fifteen yards ahead of us. It looked to be scanning its surroundings carefully, but only towards the other end of the trail.
As it continued to slowly glance around, nothing stirred; I swear I could hear my heart beating at a mile a minute. If even one of the Ultra Beasts spotted us, it could mean big trouble. Luckily, the Buzzwole quickly gave up its position and headed further down the trail, disappearing once again into the night. We didn't move for another minute or so, before I heard Sycamore's voice say,
Keep moving. We need to pick up the pace, Garbodor.
As we continued walking, we almost ran into two other patrolling Buzzwoles. However, with a little bit of luck and the help of Sycamore's expertise, we were left unnoticed; both Ultra Beasts wandered off within a few minutes or so, heading out to patrol elsewhere. The darkness from the large trees really came into our advantage and cloaked our position, but to be perfectly honest, I could hardly see the Ultra Beasts either.
After not seeing any Ultra Beasts for a while, I decided to ask Sycamore through Telepathy where he learned to be so stealthy. He replied,
It is natural that I am this way. I can see Auras… Every living being has an Aura, and I can see it through obstacles and barricades… So, whenever we get too close to an enemy, I slow down. I was fascinated by Sycamore's strange power and briefly wondered what it was like to be able to basically see through walls.
More time passed as we continued steadily down the path. I shivered inside my coat as we walked; it was pretty cold, account of the wind. By now, the full moon was high in the sky. I could tell because the forest's canopy above us had eventually faded away the longer we walked. It wasn't too near its apex, but I could tell it was getting close. We were running out of time fast, and really needed to pick up the pace if we wanted to get to the bridge on time. Suddenly I heard Sycamore say through Telepathy,
Stop and look up… I looked over to him pointing towards a gate off the main path about thirty yards ahead. Behind it, there seemed to be a grassy clearing that led up to a hill, but it was hard to see beyond that. Unfortunately, in front of the gate, a large and wiggly Xurkitree blocked the path, making the area glow with its bright teal, alien-like light. As far as I could tell, there was no way we could get past it without being noticed.
"That has to be the way to the bridge, why else would they have someone guarding it?"
You are more than right. But how will we get past the guard?
"G-Gar… Arbo." Dusty suddenly spoke up again. Sycamore turned his head around and curiously glared at him.
You would do that, Garbodor? Do you think that will…?
"Garbo, dor."
"What did he say?" Sycamore fully turned around and stared at both of us.
He wants to distract the guard and let us pass by.
"What? No, that's far too dangerous… What if he gets caught or hurt, or–"
"Gar, Gar."
He insists, Luke. I think this is our only chance… We didn't have the time to think of another plan, so we didn't have a choice. This was Dusty's job now.
"...Right. But how is he gonna…?" Sycamore then held out his arms and Dusty transferred me into them. Immediately, I noticed how it was a little more uncomfortable being held by Sycamore, but a lot warmer (and it smelled better too). Dusty then took a deep breath, flashed a quick open mouth grin, and found a way into the thick woods, trying to make as little sound as possible. There was a brief pause before everything returned back to its original quiet state.
Do not fret, Luke– I know Garbodor has this covered. I am going to get ready to run… I apologize in advance if I jostle you or drop you again. I didn't respond and instead put all my hope into Dusty's safety.
A long time went by before anything happened. Sycamore stood prepared to bolt at any second, but it seemed Dusty was really taking his time. Starting to lose my focus, I suddenly looked off to the left of the Xurkitree and noticed something thin and slender slowly heading towards its right arm from above. Although I couldn't exactly make out what the object was, I immediately assumed it was one of Dusty's tendrils.
As it made contact with the Xurkitree's right shoulder, the Xurkitree immediately pulled its arm back and reacted by jumping a foot. Dusty quickly jerked his tendril away, trying to stay unnoticed.
Unable to comprehend what happened, the Xurkitree nervously looked around, on alert. Suddenly, Dusty's other tendril approached from the other side. Making contact once again sent the Xurkitree into a worried frenzy and it spun around in a circle, trying to see what was touching it. After finding no source, the Xurkitree took a second to comprehend its situation before dashing off down the trail to the left, dragging its long arms and pride behind it. Once the coast was clear, Dusty popped out from the woods with a hearty smile.
"Nice going, Dusty!" I whisper-shouted to him as Sycamore dashed over to meet up with him.
This was not the result I had expected, especially for an Ultra Beast… But nonetheless, it is a fortunate gift. Now, let us see what he was guarding… Next to the bridge gate, behind where Xurkitree was standing post, an old, rusty metal sign stood. We walked up to the sign, and I read it aloud softly.
"Path to Kinzua State Park Bridge, Ranger's Entrance Only…! This is where Slowking wanted us to go! We need to hurry!" I felt a bit more hopeful knowing we were actually going the right way as Sycamore and Dusty carefully vaulted over the gate.
The clearing was surrounded by the forest and was covered in small, bounding foothills, with grass that seemed like it was cut recently. At the top of the hill was a large building that was noticeably newly built and looked like an extended log cabin. It had large, tinted windows with balconies below that stretched around the whole building. In the back, there was a garage and a staircase leading up to the exterior balcony and in the front of the building there looked like there was a parking lot of some kind. Sycamore and Dusty dashed with all their might up the slope, all of us hoping we'd finally arrived at our destination.
We promptly arrived in a freshly paved parking lot that looked like it was still closed off to the public. The yellow paint marking parking spots was clear and vivid; in fact, there was still a truck in the parking lot that looked like it was used to carry the paint. A sign on the front of the building lit up by the moonlight read, 'Kinzua State Park Bridge Visitor's Center'. I then turned my gaze to the left to finally see what I'd desired to see for a long time.
"Guys… Look over there." There it stood, the long train bridge we'd all heard so much about. It stretched out into a deep valley and was surprisingly long. But I had no time to admire the structure as I noticed what was happening at the far edge. A group of jellyfish-looking Ultra Beasts were gathered around something rainbow hued, emitting a dark red beam from their tentacles. Upon realizing that they were Nihilego, I knew they were in charge of closing the portal. But now that we knew that it was still there…
"The portal's still open! We've still got time! Come on!" I yelled, excited and relieved to see that the portal was still open. We quickly rejoiced and began the dash towards the hill to the walkway. But right then, a familiar voice came from behind us, halting Dusty and Sycamore in their tracks.
"Stop, stalker! You're not going anywhere!" Hearing Eliza's voice made me fear for the worst, but as Sycamore and Dusty turned around slowly, we only found her and Greninja behind us. Both of them looked ready to fight and were in battle positions. "I saw the gate guard rush by and knew you had something to do with it. We won't let you go any further! You'll have to get through us if you want to get to that portal!"
"Gren!" Greninja replied. A sudden wind blew through the air, scattering some leaves over the pavement. I thought in the distance I thought I could hear a clock tower bell chiming, adding to the scene.
"Eliza… We really don't have time for this." I attempted to say in my most menacing voice, but it was probably lost to the fact that Sycamore was carrying me. "If there's no other way out of this than to fight, then so be it. Just know we're not going to hold back." She snickered, shook her head, and pointed at me.
"Says you, stalker. You're the injured one and have to use your Pokémon as a crutch. There's no way you can reach the portal– not like that!" I heard Sycamore growl under his breath at her response. Just when it seemed like he was going to act some way out of anger, I held up my hand to stop him.
"Let me go, Sycamore," I said, my anger building.
What? You cannot stand, your injury is far too great–
"Sycamore, please… I can handle it." Knowing he would hesitate, I cupped my hand into a fist and smiled. Eventually, Sycamore couldn't resist and smiled back. He then took a deep breath before slowly placing me on the ground, giving me support from the back.
As soon as I put weight on my injury, immediate pain shot through me. I started to crumble but caught myself and put a majority of the weight on my other leg. Slowly pushing up, I regained my balance; I crossed my arms and shot Eliza a triumphant look once I was completely back on my feet. She briefly had a surprised look on her face, but quickly wiped it away.
"Well, well. It seems you have more kick in you than I thought. How... Unfortunately typical of you…" she groaned. "But still, you won't win this. Even though Gengar may have run away, and I don't have any Ultra Beasts to help me, I still have one last trick up my sleeve!" I could see her menacing smile bright as day in the moonlight as she put her index finger and thumb into her mouth and whistled loudly out into the night.
There was a quick pause as I wondered what was happening, but the sound of galloping feet came into earshot as something charged up the hill. A speeding figure soon emerged from behind Eliza, rushing up towards us at breakneck speeds. It slid to a stop just in front of Eliza with perfect form. I winced as I saw who it was. The green eyes, the yellow spots, and the cat-like figure… There was only one Pokémon that fit that profile.
"Z-Zabu? What are you...?" I stammered, feeling an emotion I hadn't felt before emerging inside of me. Eliza laughed again, even more sassily this time.
"You see, stalker, there's no easy way to put this… Zabu has always been a double agent– for me!" Once she was done talking, Zabu let out an audible hiss. I felt the anger peak inside my head as I made the terrible realization. I couldn't believe Slowking was actually right about Zabu. It boiled my blood, and I felt every hair on my body stand up on end. If only I'd listened… I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
"You look like you're at a loss for words, stalker… How did you not see this coming?" She giggled as all of us cringed. "When Ultra Beasts took over our town, they captured everyone. Not a single human was left behind. The Ultra Beasts checked everywhere, finding every human, and sending them to a prison in Ultra Space. Seeing as I had a personal connection to you, Darkrai spared me, and I became his acolyte. In fact, I was with the Ultra Beasts when we stormed into your mom's house… And sent her into the portal to Ultra Space!"
"No... No, that can't be true!" I yelled in disbelief. I unzipped my front pocket and pulled out the letter from my mother. It fluttered in the breeze as the blue ink seemed to gleam in the moonlight. "My mother is safe inside the town library right now! You're making this up!" Eliza chuckled, running her hand through her hair.
"You think I'm lying…? And just who delivered you that letter?" she asked, knowing the answer. I froze, the anger causing me to shudder. Eliza smiled deviously and began to laugh after she saw the color in my face melt away. "I can tell you that letter is actually from your mother… But do you want to know why she wrote it?" She snickered before beginning again. "So you and her precious Blastoise wouldn't get hurt! Ha!" My emotions wanted me to speak out, but even they were getting jumbled up in the words and questions shooting through my mind at that moment.
"Once we told her what to write, and not to hide any hidden meanings in it or whatever, we still sent both of them off to Ultra Space… But Liepard was left behind. Naturally, it fought back, protecting the ideals of its trainer… Yet, it wasn't long before this one fainted." Zabu flinched, obviously rethinking the moment. It must've been quite the disturbing ordeal for her.
"Seeing Liepard's power and knowing her connections, we gave her a deal: fight for Necrozma's Army or be sent to Ultra Space with all the others. She eventually agreed with a little force, and I knew I had my trump card over you. Her mission was to give us your position at all times and to deliver the fake letter to let your guard down. Needless to say, it worked like a charm!"
Staring down at the letter, I knew what had to be down. Looking at my mother's all uppercase signature one last time, I closed my eyes and forcibly let go. I wanted to cry, but all my tears were dried up already. I didn't see the letter fly off, but I knew by the time I opened my eyes again, it would be far away. Taking a deep breath, I tried to control my rage.
"...Why? Why are you doing all of this to me?"
"Because I love the feeling of getting revenge!" She closed her eyes and let out another single laugh. "And to be perfectly honest, being the bad guy really rocks! You know, you should try it out sometime." With my blood beyond boiling, I turned to Zabu who was still in her battle stance. I knew what had to be done. With the rage fueling me, I finally found the words and let all my feelings burst out of me.
"Zabu, you may have been my pet since I was young… But that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you! Just like Eliza, I can't forgive you for what you've done! I know that your actions weren't entirely yours… But you still gave up the person you loved most in a heartbeat! Haven't you ever heard of the saying 'don't bite the hand that feeds you'?!"
As I paused to take a breath, I noticed Sycamore and Dusty looking at each other, each with a look of bewilderment on their faces. They were obviously communicating through Telepathy, wondering what was happening with me. Eliza and Greninja on the other hand looked somewhat confused. The rage took hold of me again and erupted out once more.
"If you're going to get in my way Zabu, so be it! I'm not giving you a freebie just because I knew you. We'll gladly knock you out if I have to! This is for my mother, the rest of my family, and for everyone else who needs our help!" Zabu took a step back and her stance loosened; she looked like she was going to cry. Eliza looked a bit distraught now, too.
"I-I don't understand… Aren't you supposed to be the emotional type, stalker? And I thought you and Zabu were close?" Eliza asked, realizing her master plan starting to fail.
"I don't care if we were close! Zabu should have thought about her relationship with me before going and doing something this awful! If I were her, I would've given up everything for my mother! But it seems we think differently."
"...Hmph. I really thought I'd finally get to see you break down and cry after this bombshell. No matter, though. It's time for you to finally lose!" Eliza yelled.
"You're lying to yourself if you think you'll beat us! I've got a promise to fulfill to a friend right now, and I will stop at nothing to get to the Pokémon World!" Zabu was still guiltily looking away as I finished, but it was an advantage if she felt that way during the battle. "Get ready, you two," I told Sycamore and Dusty. Both of them walked out from next to me and stopped in front. Sycamore then turned quickly to me.
Luke… Are you sure about this…?
"No, Sycamore, I'm not sure about this! Zabu has always been there for me, and I can't believe she would just change sides on us like this! But I can't sit idly if Zabu is going to stop me from saving the Pokémon World... We both have a friend who needs us more than ever… So, just… Get this over with as fast as possible so I don't have a sudden change of heart. Please?" Sycamore didn't hesitate to turn back and stared out front.
As you wish… Eliza still looked a little indecisive, but then snapped out of it.
"Alright, whatever! Liepard and Greninja, get ready! We're not going to let the stalker get to the portal. Here we come!"
"Liepard and Greninja, get in there with Quick Attack!" Eliza called. In a flash, both Pokémon dashed towards Sycamore and Dusty.
"Dodge it!" I yelled in response. Sycamore quickly moved to the side as Greninja flew past him and hit the ground softly. Dusty, however, was not as lucky. Zabu jumped in before he had a chance to react and was hit head on with a powerful Quick Attack. Dusty staggered backwards and caught himself as Zabu rebounded and landed on the ground safely. Zabu kept her head down while doing this, presumably to hide her feelings.
"Focus on Garbodor! Keep using Quick Attack, both of you!" Eliza yelped from across the parking lot. Zabu immediately jumped back in as Greninja dashed over to attack Dusty.
"Oh no you don't! Sycamore, Force Palm! Keep attacking until they back off! Dusty, try to knock them away with your arms!" Sycamore hurdled himself in, preparing to use a Force Palm on Zabu. But Zabu heard my voice and turned around to face Sycamore as he came in. She read the move from a mile away and evaded to the side just as the attack was about to come out. Sycamore's training proved successful though as he controlled the Force Palm and let it fizzle out before it exploded, causing him no harm.
As this was happening, Dusty extended his arms out towards Greninja, who continued dashing in towards them.
"You know what to do, Greninja!" I heard Eliza call from across the parking lot. As Dusty was about to grab Greninja, it disappeared into thin air.
"Gar?" Dusty questioned catching nothing but air. I reacted quickly, suspecting some kind of trickery.
"Dusty, jump up! Greninja is going to appear from somewhere around you!" Without hesitation, Dusty sprang up using his arms as a propulsion device. Just as he cleared the ground, Greninja appeared behind him with a fast Shadow Sneak. Confused since his target was no longer in front of him, Greninja stumbled and hit the ground hard. As Dusty came back down to the ground I called out, "Now, focus on Greninja! Use Force Palm and Body Slam!" Both Dusty and Sycamore turned around and rushed in towards the fallen Greninja while preparing their moves.
"Liepard, get them away!" Zabu turned around and used her sheer speed to get in front of Greninja first. Instead of using a move, she ducked down at the last second, getting under Sycamore and Dusty's feet. Unable to stop, both of them stopped their attacks just in time before tripping over her.
Gliding over Greninja, they both landed carefully and came to a screeching halt, flinching for a moment. Now face to face, all three Pokémon instinctively jumped back away from each other, awaiting another call from their trainer. With plenty of time to play with, Greninja got himself back up and stood up next to Liepard. It seemed both sides were evenly matched.
Just then I looked away from the battle. More Nihilego were arriving at the bridge, each supplying their power to close the portal. Time was not in our favor.
"Gah, we can't battle right now! We've got to get to that portal!" I yelled, making the realization. Dusty and Sycamore then looked back at the increasing number of enemies at the bridge too.
"Hey! There's no running away from a trainer battle, stalker! I won't let you leave until one of us loses!" Quickly pondering my choices, I came up with a blank at first. If I tried to go to the portal, Eliza would just block me. And if I battled her, the portal could still close, or worse, we could lose. But what other options did I have? Suddenly, something popped up in my brain. I remembered Uxie saying that I was the only one who could save the Pokémon World. Just me... A plan emerged in my head.
"Sycamore and Dusty!" Both put their full attention on me. "Hold Eliza and her Pokémon off! I'm going to make a run for it!"
What?! That is far too risky, especially with your injury!
"There's no other choice! I've got to make it to that portal before it closes!" As I was about to turn around, I saw a figure jump over my head and land behind me. I turned to see Greninja standing firm, ready to stop me. "Get out of my way! Can't you see I'm trying to save you and your world?" My anger burst out.
"Don't let him go, Greninja! Grab him if you need to!" Eliza called out. As Greninja reached forward to grab me, a figure suddenly appeared from the shadows and tackled him out of the way. Greninja hit the ground hard and laid there in shock. Turning my gaze to the assailant, I found Zabu standing on all fours, tears streaming down from her eyes. "Liepard, what are you doing?! You're supposed to be on my side!" Eliza screamed from behind me.
"Mrowr!" Zabu called out to me. "Lie, Lie, Lie! Pard, Lie!" she yelled.
Liepard wants you to go. She is sorry for what she did…
"Zabu…" I said softly, looking into her teary eyes. I wanted to thank her, but I knew that I couldn't; she'd done too much wrong against me. But without her help, I wouldn't have made it to Slowking or been able to head towards the portal in the first place. I suddenly felt like I was about to cry too, but I regained my composure. Breaking my eye contact with her, I beckoned for my Pokémon to follow me. "Let's go!" I yelled, as Dusty picked me up again.
"Hey! I'm not done with you yet! Get back here!" I heard Eliza screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Lie! Pard!" Zabu called out to all of us as we dashed off.
Sycamore and Dusty bolted with all their might down the hill and towards the entrance to the path to the bridge. As the bridge got closer and closer, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. This was it; there was no turning back.
To get to the bridge, we traveled up a wooden on-ramp made of a very light wood. It made its way to the height of the bridge and then turned right to connect. Surprisingly, the entrance was left unguarded; I assumed there was some kind of trick behind it, but we had no time to stop.
"Get ready to fight, you guys! We're heading straight for that portal!" As we reached the top of the ramp, I finally saw the bridge up close. It was even larger up close, being obviously wide enough for a train car to run through. Each side had high railings to be safe for pedestrians and a set of uncovered metal tracks ran down the middle. The bridge stretched almost all the way out to the other side of the valley but was fenced off a little past the center. At the far end, the group of Nihilego gathered in a circle, paying no attention to us as they worked to close the portal.
Past that was the other part of the bridge that fell in a storm many years before. The mangled frame was still there, rusting deep in the valley, showing off mother nature's power. At that moment, I briefly remembered back to the day Cian and I talked about Kinzua Bridge. Something in my head told me to worry about my friends and family, but I suppressed the thoughts; now was not the time to think about that.
As I crossed the metal beam that connected the bridge to the walkway, a ghostly voice echoed through the area stopping us in our tracks.
"...You will go no further, human…!" A figure appeared about ten yards ahead, floating in the air. It stood out against the midnight blue sky with its red aura. I winced knowing who was in front of me.
"Darkrai…" I mumbled under my breath. It was hard to imagine how powerful a Pokémon like Darkrai was in the real world compared to his power in my dreams. I shivered, fearing the worst.
"I am greatly surprised you have made it this far… And I will admit that you have greatly surpassed my expectations… But this truly is the end for you now…!"
Suddenly, the bridge started shaking, enough to cause the metal support beams to squeak loudly. Dusty and Sycamore tumbled to the ground, trying to get a grip on something stable, but put most of their effort into holding me still. Just then, all kinds of Ultra Beasts flew over the sides of the bridge and quickly surrounded us. My eyes widened as the numbers rapidly increased. As the ground stopped shaking, I couldn't believe my eyes. An entire army of Buzzwole, Xurkitree, and Kartana now guarded the path to the portal.
How is the bridge holding this much weight, I wondered quickly. Then, Sycamore's ear twitched, and he turned around in reaction.
We have more company, he said with a sense of dread in his voice. As Dusty swiveled around to let me see, a group of Ultra Beasts surrounded us from our back, presumably the ones on lookout. We were sandwiched in with nowhere to run.
"...It will be fun… Tormenting you for eternity…!" Darkrai's menacing voice called out. He finished with a maniacal laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
This looks bad… I stayed silent, trying to think of a way to get around to the portal, but there were just too many Ultra Beasts in the way.
Luke… I turned to Sycamore who was confidently glancing at me. I think it is time to use our power… He held his paw over his Mega Gauntlet, and I could feel the power emanating from it. Sycamore then held his other paw over his chest like usual.
"Gar!" I heard from above. Dusty was ready to fight too, a determined look on his face. But their words and actions didn't get to me; I was too frightened. Even with the power of Mega Evolution on our side, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread. I tried to think about not giving up, and what I had to fight for, but we the realist in me knew we were outnumbered by too much.
"...On my command, beasts…!" Darkrai called out. I watched as all the Ultra Beasts got into a stance, almost like they were preparing to jump on prey.
It is now or never, Luke! Using the Mega Evolution now would be the best way to deal with all these foes! I still didn't respond. Sycamore obviously noticed my hesitation, though. Luke… Do not be afraid, we will protect you, no matter what. Dusty too even let out another affirming,
"Gar." My Pokémon were rooting for me. My friends and family were rooting for me. All the Pokémon were rooting for me. Yet I still couldn't muster enough courage to fight.
"...Attack…!" I then switched my gaze up to Darkrai who moved his arm out towards us. Cringing as the Ultra Beasts lunged to a start, I felt my heart drop. Dusty carefully set me down behind him before getting into a battle stance, protecting me from the front while Sycamore got the back. They were ready to fight until the end. But why did I not feel the same? Could I really give it my all? Was I ready to take on this final challenge? Would I actually save the world?
Suddenly, the ground began shaking again, even harder this time, stopping the Ultra Beasts' charge entirely. Everyone stopped and tumbled down once more, the squeaking sound once again echoing through the area.
"Stop right this instant!" A voice called out into the night, followed by an explosion behind us. I turned just in time to see the flanking Ultra Beasts being thrown upwards and off the sides of the bridge. Behind them, I spotted Uxie fluttering at the forefront of an approaching Pokémon cavalry. She stopped just before us and began hovering in place looking out towards Darkrai.
"...Uxie! You're... You're okay!"
"Naturally. With the help of my PGC subordinates, anything is possible; even escaping Ultra Space!"
"I thought you were gone for good... Slowking said–" I choked on my words and stopped talking as a lump in my throat formed. Uxie hesitated too, obviously hearing the news herself.
"...Do not fret, human. Today is the day you will make it to the Pokémon World!" Just then, all kinds of Pokémon streamed onto the bridge, coming to our aid. The Pokémon ranged from small ones like Rattata and Patrat, to large, formidable Pokémon like Hydreigon and Snorlax. "Stand down, Darkrai! The human will get to the Pokémon World!" Uxie shouted, as more and more Pokémon showed up to help. Once the bridge stopped shaking, Darkrai chortled as he usually did.
"...Well now. I had not predicted to see you here, Being of Knowledge… Last I remember, we sent you to a prison in Ultra Space. But I suppose I should have expected you to escape..."
"Do not try to talk yourself out of this one, Darkrai. We will fight without mercy until the human is safely in the portal!"
"...Oh? You and what army…? We both know at least half of those Pokémon are illusions…" Uxie cringed for a moment, signaling Darkrai's guess was correct. Looking back at the huge group of Pokémon, I could not visibly tell that some of them were fakes. It was also news to me that Uxie could create illusions in the first place.
"Illusion or not, they can still fight back!"
"Hah...! Your 'intimidating' words humor me. You think a well-trained battalion of Lord Necrozma's army run by me will be defeated without real troops…? You are a complete and utter fool to believe that! Now quiver in fear as I show you true darkness! Attack, Ultra Beasts…!" The Ultra Beasts once again started running towards us at full force as Darkrai disappeared into thin air. I flinched, hoping Uxie had something prepared.
"All Psychic types! Shield the human and his partners!" she yelped. Instantly, a huge purple shield formed around me and my Pokémon. Just in time too, as Ultra Beasts crashed into it, surprised by the sudden defense. They began attacking the shield, but with all the Psychic types fortifying it, there was no chance to get through. Attacks bounced off, sending the users flying backwards. Before I had a chance to say anything, Uxie called out,
"All other Pokémon, attack! Defend the human at all costs!" The bridge shook again as Pokémon of all kinds rushed into battle. Dusty, Sycamore, and I couldn't believe our eyes as we watched the Pokémon and Ultra Beasts brawl beside the shield.
Everywhere I looked, I saw complete and utter chaos. Ultra Beasts and Pokémon alike were flung into the air, some even being thrown off the bridge. Battles raged on in the space around the bridge too as Flying Pokémon duked it out with approaching Ultra Beasts, all while dodging explosions of clashing moves. And the sound of it all was so deafening that I couldn't even hear myself think.
I was now even more terrified than before and completely frozen in place. Never in my life had I seen something so utterly frightening right before my eyes. And to think, this whole battle was about me.
Luke… I heard Sycamore say my name in my head, but I couldn't take my attention away from everything that was happening. This… This is not what I wanted… To see warfare… But what must be done, must be done. We need to stand strong and ready ourselves for whenever we get a chance. You can count on us, partner!
Sycamore tried again, but it still wasn't enough to get me out of my trance. My mind went blank, and it was almost like I'd stopped functioning. Suddenly, like a cry for help, his voice pierced through my head, and I truly heard him.
Luke! Ever since we first met, you have been my inspiration! I had my doubts when I came to the Human World, but since then you have completely changed my mind! We all have been through so much together, but if Slowking taught me anything, it is that good things never last forever... If we ever want to do this again; to spend more time together and go on even grander adventures… We have to get you to that portal! Do not give up! Everyone is here for you!
Everything stopped. The ear-splitting battle was silenced. Suddenly, I heard Slowking's voice from a couple hours before.
'You must save the Pokémon World, at all costs. No matter what happens, you must succeed.'
The words echoed in my head for a while before eventually, a picture of a sycamore tree atop a rolling hill popped into my head. Nothing but pure blue sky surrounded it besides the wispy clouds high above and the sun poking through them. There also looked like something was happening at the base of the tree, but I couldn't exactly tell what it was from the angle of the hill. Nonetheless, the familiarities of the scene got me thinking about our journey up to that point; memory after memory, I couldn't help but smile.
As I reached up to the present, I suddenly came back to reality after making the realization of just how far we'd come. All the people and Pokémon we met, all the places we traveled through, all the obstacles we'd overcome… Getting to the bridge in one piece was no easy feat.
Finally remembering what was truly at stake, I finally felt all of those that were rooting for us in my heart. I opened my eyes and shouted aloud,
"Sycamore, Dusty! I-I understand now that this is for everything…! And I know we won't lose! Let's do this!" I yelled, my confidence getting a well needed boost. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief at my response.
Thank you, Luke… Sycamore added quickly with a smile.
"Keep pushing, you must not let up!" Uxie suddenly yelled, bringing us out of the moment. I looked up and saw that the Pokémon claimed over half the bridge. The remaining Ultra Beasts were trying their hardest to stop the Pokémon, but it was no use as they overwhelmed them. This was surprising, especially knowing that some of the Pokémon were illusions. Nonetheless, I noticed the portal in between the gaps of fighting Pokémon and Ultra Beasts getting smaller by the second.
"Psychic types, keep up the shield; Darkrai could attack at any moment! Human and his partners, stay on your toes! The enemy is extremely unpredictable!" I nodded and struggled to stand up.
Here goes, I thought, briefly reflecting on what I'd thought of before and getting myself ready to dash to the portal if needed. Suddenly, I saw something appear in the sky. Looking up, I saw Darkrai floating high above the bridge, forming an energy ball of some kind. It was a dark energy that pulsed with pitch black streaks.
"Pokémon in the front, keep pushing! Those in the back, eyes up! Darkrai is in sight!" Uxie yelled.
"...You ignorant fools...! You will not get the human to that portal… This is the end…!" Suddenly, the ball grew in size, Darkrai putting all his power into the ball.
"Use Hyper Beam on the attack! Before Darkrai releases it!" Uxie cried. I could hear the charging of Hyper Beams as Darkrai's energy ball continued growing. It had to be at least four times his size; my mouth was agape in awe of his attack.
"...Take this…!" Darkrai yelled, pushing the ball forward towards the bridge.
"Now!" The Hyper Beams flew out towards the ball of ghostly energy at mach speeds. When they collided, a huge explosion ruptured, sending a shockwave through the sky. I fell to the ground as the bridge swayed in the might of the moves. I looked up to see the shield around us weakening, due to the Psychic Pokémon losing their focus.
Just then, there was a liquid-y sound as tons of smaller projectiles flew from behind the smoke cloud and towards the Pokémon. One by one, Pokémon were pelted by the energy orbs and trapped inside a spectral sphere of dark aura before being released and put into a nightmarish sleep. I ducked down as the shield disappeared around us and the battlefield was leveled. Within an instant, everything stopped, and I opened my eyes.
Almost every Pokémon was asleep except for some lucky Pokémon in the back and Uxie who was floating above us. I turned to see Sycamore and Dusty safely laying on the ground, both luckily unscathed; thank goodness for that shield.
"Sycamore, Dusty! You guys alright?" They nodded yes, before getting themselves up and coming back to guard me. As the dust cleared and I saw what was left of Uxie's armada, my confidence started to wane. With almost no one left to protect us or a psychic shield, the remaining Ultra Beasts at the other side of the bridge were now more menacing than ever; they could overwhelm us at any moment. And with Darkrai nowhere in sight, I started to fear the worst again.
"Uh, Uxie?!" I called out hoping she had some master plan.
"Human, stay behind me!" Uxie called out, fluttering down in front of us. "I should have figured Darkrai was going to do something like this… I would have never assumed he would want us to counterattack him. In the meantime, I will try my best to defend y–" Uxie was cut off by another voice behind me.
"Hey, stalker! I see you!" Recognizing the voice, I slowly turned with a bit of embarrassment as Eliza plowed through the small amount of awake Pokémon and jumped over those that were sleeping. Uxie, Sycamore, and Dusty all looked back too, distracted by the sudden commotion. "I finally got Greninja to deal with that Liepard of yours… But hey, I wasn't done with you yet! What's your problem, running away from a battle? I didn't realize you were this much of a pussy!" she said as she ran up next to me with a determined look.
I had an expression on my face that I cannot replicate. It was a mix of anger, annoyance, and disbelief. Seeing my reaction and the position she'd gotten herself into, Eliza came out of her confident daze and looked around her.
"...Wait. What in the world is going on here?" She was obviously confused and a bit startled. Right then, Darkrai suddenly appeared right in front of us, preparing another attack.
"Uxie, look out!" I screamed. As Uxie turned back, Darkrai let out a viscous Dark Pulse from his hands at full power. Before anyone had a chance to react, Uxie was hit head on with the attack and flung backwards towards the edge of the bridge. I eventually lost sight of her as she descended behind the back line of remaining Pokémon; there was no way she was going to recover from that quickly. Suddenly, Darkrai turned to me. I felt my heart drop again as he directly stared into my eyes.
"...You are coming with me…!"
He called, forming another ball of ghostly power that was smaller this time, but obviously still very powerful. Sycamore and Dusty lunged forwards to protect me from the blast right as Darkrai thrust his arms forward and let the ball rip towards us. But the orb seemed to pass right through them and slammed directly into my chest.
The hit caught me off guard and knocked the wind out of me. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe; it felt like my energy was getting drained from me. My vision went dark, and I couldn't hear anything. I tried to resist and reach out to my partners, but my body wouldn't let it. My eyes closed and my mind went numb as I succumbed to the strange power.