~ Chapter 88 ~
Battle at the Spear Pillar
"Atop the Spear Pillar, we fought many things. The Legendary Pokémon were but some of the dangers we faced—once we exited the caverns and reached the Spear Pillar we were faced with the Galactic Leadership, and Cyrus. We battled them, trying to stop Cyrus's plans, his ritual to summon the Legendary Creator Pokémon. If we could prevent them from being summoned all together…alas…we don't always get what we wish for. In fact, most times, we get just the opposite, so we can learn to face our fears."
As the group exited the cave and stepped out into the Spear Pillar, they realized how the ancient holy ground got its name.
The entire place was a flat landscape, with stone tiled floors of brownstone. Several pillars that once supported a massive roof and giant carved archways reached up to the sky.
Broken and shattered, chunks of roof and more pillars littering the ground, these spear like, pointed pillars looked as if they pierced the very heavens themselves.
In the far back of the ruined temple were a massive, ruined altar and a carved mural behind it.
In the centre, however, was the pillar that gave this temple its name. It was a giant pointed pillar that seemed like it was as tall as the mountain itself. It went right up into the heavens and ended in a needle-thin point.
If it wasn't for the urgency of the situation, it would be beautiful.
Looking at the floor, Sam could see the entire floor was a larger version of the murals he had seen throughout all of Sinnoh.
The two sets of triangles, the carves stones, and in the centre…the Spear Pillar.
But something else too, as the base of the pillar sat atop a star-shaped, polished gem pattern.
The whole floor was a map of Sinnoh.
The outer triangle reprensented the Lakes and the Lake Guardians.
Three red gems sat within the floor, floating above them in Cyrus's grand ritual were three more red gems, likely stolen forcibly from the Lake Guardians.
They radiated a malicious power that connected with the floating red chain atop the altar.
The second triangle that sat inverse from the Lake Guardians' triangle represented the trio of Creator Dragons created by Arceus.
The floor was adorned with massive spheres of diamond in the top left corner, a pearl on the right, and at the bottom was a yellow citrine gem in the floor.
Above each of the three gems that represented the Dragon Gods stood another offering to complete the ritual.
A diamond for Dialga, a pearl for Palkia, but not a citrine for Giratina…what was that shiny metal sphere?
"Platinum," responded Jupiter as she and Mars appeared before the group.
Charon was there as well behind them—how he escaped the siege of the HQ in Veilstone was beyond any of the teens. They were certain he had been captured…no one was quite sure how he made it here, or why.
"The sphere is platinum," continued Jupiter as she noticed the puzzled looks on the children's faces.
"It was said," called Cyrus above the crackling of red lightning, as he stood within the glowing patterns of the effigy on the floor, "That to call upon the Legendary Creators, one needed a gem from the Lake Guardians, or their presence. You required the relics, as offerings to the Creator Gods. And you needed something known as the Azure Flute."
The teens kept a straight face.
They didn't need Cyrus knowing the easy path to getting what he wanted sat within their bags.
"The Solaceon Tribe, knowing they'd never get ahold of these relics, found alternative methods of summoning the gods if they needed to," explained Cyrus, not even turning back to face his attackers, "That was what their war was all about after all. Claiming the gods for themselves and ruling over all the other tribes—the Red Chain and this ritual was created for that purpose."
"Now everything is going according to plan," sneered Mars, "We've put a lot of work and time in to get here and you're not going to fuck this up for us."
Charon, Jupiter and Mars stepped forward, Poké Balls drawn and ready to battle.
Sam looked at his friends.
There was a silent exchange of words, and with the help of Lucario, they burst through the three admins.
Places were changed, and the three teens and a sparking Pikachu stood between the angry, flustered admins.
While Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra engaged in battle against the admins, Sam charged after Cyrus.
He charged through the glowing circular light that surrounded the glowing, sparking ritual, and found himself face to face with the silent, guant leader of Team Galactic.
The two looked at each other.
There was a connection, wordless, soundless.
The only sound over the crackling ritual was the sharp inhale and slow exhale of Cyrus.
"Very well," he stated simply, tossing a Poké Ball in the air, "Show me how strong your flawed spirit is."
Sam sent out his Lucario.
The battle had begun.
The battle for the fate of the universe.
Sam sent his Lucario in first.
Cyrus started with his Weavile, though, in hindsight, perhaps not a good match up against a Lucario, being at a double disadvantage.
Sam sent Lucario in for a Force Palm, but Weavile was faster than Sam had expected and was able to get behind Lucario with its speed and slash at Sam's Pokémon.
Weavile had gotten stronger and faster since he had last battled the Pokémon.
"You must hit my Pokémon to defeat it," smirked Cyrus.
Sam kept a level head, as his training told him.
His grandfather stood behind him but said nothing. He knew this fight was Sam's and Sam's alone.
No one could help him; only Sam could win this battle alone.
Sam wasn't going to let Weavile get to his head.
Smirking, Sam silently communicated with Lucario through their mental link.
Lucario half laughed half snarled as he charged up an Aura Sphere attack.
It was clear that Cyrus had no idea what was coming, because he didn't even flinch as the sphere of aura energy shot towards Weavile.
Cyrus expected the Pokémon to dodge.
He did not expect the aura ball to chase Weavile about the Spear Pillar until it collided with the small Pokémon and knocked it unconscious.
Silently, with a look bordering on disgust and surprise, he swapped out his Weavile for a Houndoom.
Sam, too, swapped out of his Pokémon, subbing in Empoleon for his Lucario.
The Houndoom let loose a blast of flame from its mouth that Empoleon quenched with Brine.
Empoleon proceeded to soak Houndoom in a torrent of Surf, sweeping the Pokémon about the Spear Pillar and slamming it into a post.
Houndoom was down for the count.
Still, Cyrus kept his emotions hidden, though they briefly flashed to the surface.
Sam smiled and met Cyrus's Honckrow with Rampardos.
Cyrus looked worried now.
Before Honchkrow could even attack or dodge, Rampardos had hit it with an Ice Beam—something Cyrus was not expecting from a massive, head-bashing, Rock Pokémon.
Sam kept his Rampardos out to battle the coming Crobat.
Crobat tried to attack the slower Rampardos, but a combination of Ancient Power to weaken the Pokemon, Ice Beam to inacapitated its second set of wings, and finally a Zen Headbutt to exploit its Poison type's weakness finished of Cyrus's favourite Pokémon.
Gritting his teeth by now, Cyrus sent out his final Pokémon.
The wind picked up, and lightning crackled on the seal behind Cyrus.
Everyone needed to hurry.
Sam could hear his friends struggling against the Galactic Admins.
Things were getting close for the ritual, but not this battle before Sam.
He smiled as he subbed in Luxray to take down Cyrus's final gambit.
Gyarados.
Smiling, Sam had Luxray go wild with its Eletric attacks.
It punctured its teeth into the side of the giant dragon-fish, sending coursing electricity through the Pokémon.
The Pokémon wouldn't go down so easily, however, and Sam was forced to down the Pokémon forcibly with a continuous, full-force Thunder attack.
Gyarados fell with a massive thud, shaking the whole of the Spear Pillar.
Sam smiled. "Looks like the flawed human spirit wins out, in the end."
Cyrus snorted. "You've won, nothing!"
He wasn't wrong.
There was a massive crack.
Thunder split the heavens and struck the giant pillar that gave the Spear Pillar temple its name.
Everyone froze.
The Galactic Admins.
Sam's friends.
The Pokémon.
Cyrus.
Sam.
Sam's grandfather.
Even those who had stayed behind to hold off the Galactic grunts had finally caught up in time to witness the ritual come to fruition.
The sky literally split open, more thunder and wind shot through the Spear Pillar as everyone witnessed the very fabric of Space and Time rip open.
Two rifts appeared in the sky…and from it…the massive Creator Gods of Space and Time.
Dialga.
Palkia.
The blue dragon and the pink-white dragon from the statues in Eterna City.
The two creatures roared, sending mysterious, one-eyed black creatures to go flying about in and out of the rift.
These mysterious creatures fawned towards the rifts and seemed to be eating away at them, zealously trying to seal it up and repair the fabric of reality that had been torn apart with the summoning of these great gods.
Sam froze in his spot, and didn't see Cyrus pull a gun out and shoot him.
Sam felt pain shoot through him, and he fell over, blood leaking from his wound.
In Cyrus's haste, he had missed anything vital, but he had still struck Sam in the gut.
Gritting his teeth through the pain as his friends cried out, Sam saw the world swim before him.
He looked up and saw Dialga and Palkia.
Cyrus's plan had worked, his ritual had worked. He had summoned the creators, and with the two of them, he would unmake the world, and remake it as he saw fit.
They had failed.
Sam felt himself falling over, he felt himself sitting the ground.
His grandfather cried out.
Alyssandra screamed.
Jeremy and Niya.
Pikachu.
Nilama and Cynthia.
Rowan.
Cyrus laughing maniacally.
Then it went black.
This was it.
The end.
The end of Sam.
The end of the world.
The end of everything.
Cyrus had won.
