~ Chapter 90 ~

The Third Power

"The voice was correct. Soon after my return from whatever veil I had crossed, the three Lake Guardians arrived. They amplified the powers of the orbs in helping break the Red Chain, but it wasn't enough. Not without a third power there, the third dragon, the third creator…the being of chaos that was banished from our world. A voice once told me that chaos was a pendulum, and so was order. The two were the same pendulum, with the universe being the part that swings back and forth between the two extremes. That was the secret of life, the meaning of it all—there was no secret, everything was chaotic, everything was ordered. That's just what balance was."

Cyrus glared at the devilish shadow entity as it slowly emerged from the portal it had created.

It remained as dark and inky as the portal from whence it came, and nothing but it's glowing red eyes, sharp jagged teeth and creepy smile were revealed.

Then suddenly, wings sprouted from its back, shadowy and formless otherwise, these wings showed off red, spiked protrusions from the bottom.

The beast stared hungrily down at Cyrus, practically water at the mouth at the thought of devouring the man.

Then, it let out a roar that made the hair on the neck of each of the teens stand on end.

It was a familiar cry—they had heard it before.

But it had once come out of the mouth of a Chatot…until a mysterious black figure flew above them at the Sendoff Spring and let out the same roar.

This had to be the same mysterious creature.

Without anyone having to say anything, Sam knew what it was.

"Giratina," he whispered in disbelief.

Cyrus snarled. "I have worked too hard! Your parlour tricks will not scare me! You will not stop me! Feel the power of the Red Chain, beast!"

Cyrus clearly knew what this creature was. He raised the Red Chain before the creature and watched gleefully as a third branch of chain shot forth from the Red Chain to capture Giratina, attempting to wrap itself around the shadow Pokémon.

But Giratina would not budge.

Nilama chuckled as she witnessed Giratina catch the Red Chain within its beak-like mouth.

"What the Solaceon Tribe never knew, Cyrus is about to learn," she laughed.

Everyone looked to her in confusion.

"The Red Chain does not work on Giratina," laughed Nilama, "Cyrus's arrogance will be his undoing."

Everyone watched as Giratina, with a roar, yanked on the Red Chain, wrenching it from Cyrus's hand.

Cyrus stared helplessly as the Red Chain flew from his grasp and was shattered between Giratina's jaws.

The Red Chain crackled with energy as the ritual was disappated, rippling through the air as the energy shot everywhere.

The chain shattered into tiny pieces as Dialga and Palkia roared, turning on Cyrus as they were free from his grasp.

"No!" cried Cyrus, falling to his knees, "No! All my hard work…destroyed by…by some monster! No, I refuse to give in! I refuse to accept defeat!"

Giratina chortled as a dark tendril reached from the portal and grabbed Cyrus, who was dragged screaming into the portal, disappearing as soon as he touched the inky, black darkness.

"Now!" cried Nilama.

Everyone understood.

The teens, Niya included, raised their gems high above their heads, and with the help of the now glowing Lake Guardians, shot beams of coloured light towards the three dragons.

Alyssandra's pink beam struck and engulfed Palkia.

Jeremy's blue beam struck and enveloped Dialga.

Niya's yellow beam encroached around Giratina, causing the Pokémon to look at her, guile in its eyes and smile, and reach out to her with a dark tendril.

Dialga roared, and suddenly, Jeremy and it were gone.

Palkia let out a cry and it and Alyssandra were gone through a portal in a flash.

Finally, the tendril around Niya dragged her deep into the portal, which slammed shut behind her and Giratina as they disappeared.

Everyone looked worried, dumbstruck, but Nilama remained calm and smiled.

Sam looked at Nilama. "And what am I to do?" he asked.

Nilama chuckled. "Listen."

Sam stopped, and through the howling wind and silence he heard it.

Faint, from within his bag, the sound of wind whistling a tune through the Azue Flute.

Sam removed the flute from his bag, and looked at it.

Cynthia let out a gasp as she realized what Sam was holding.

"What do I do with it?" asked Sam as he examined the flute.

The thing looked like a sky-blue shell that had been carved out to make a flute and been affixed with a bone mouthpiece.

Nilama closed her eyes and hummed along with the tune coming through the flute.

"If you are the chosen, you will know," said Cynthia, trying to be more of a help than her grandmother.

Sam paused, and then something clicked in his head. He listened carefully to the tune.

Then, turning the flute and placing the mouthpiece to his lips, he let the sound of the flute lead his fingers.

He blew air through the flute, playing a dulcet, mournful tune that hummed and whistled, vibrating through the air.

The three gems within the giant mural on the ground glowed, shooting beams of energy straight to the massive spire.

The spire pulsed with energy, and everyone covered their eyes as the winds whipped up, and the spire gave off a blinding light.

Sam, his eyes shut, noticed nothing as he continued to play, harder and harder, louder, and louder.

Nilama went from humming along to straight out singing, vocalizing in a hauntingly beautiful matter.

Cynthia joined her voice with her grandmother, understanding the importance of the ritual.

The Hiker Brothers joined in next adding in deeper tones and a two-part harmony to the song.

Rowan joined the Hiker Brothers, trying to keep pace with their tone, following along with their notes as he tried to keep up.

Then, as the song slowly started to reach its climax, the flute cut all sound, the winds blew around Sam and…

…He opened his eyes to view nothing but the white.

The white place he had been before, when he had been shot.

But this time, instead of nothingness and pure white, he could see himself…and before him, he could see a a clear staircase.

It shone with light, light that seemed to be coming from within, though no light source was visible.

Sam looked around.

There was no other way, and the stairs seemed to be calling him.

Putting the flute away, he walked towards the stairs.

The moment he cleared the first few steps, the white around him fell away, and Sam saw where he truly was.

He looked down to see the stars and space above.

And below….many thousands of miles below, Sinnoh, the surrounding sea…and the Spear Pillar, poking through the clouds, the pillar a shining beacon from Sam's ritual, marking the place where Sam's friends had been moments ago…where Sam had been moments ago.

Sam let out a low whistle.

He had not been expecting this when he woke up this morning…but for as terrifying as these heights were, there was something beautiful about it.

Sam braved the stairs, going forward towards his destiny.

No one had told him, but something in him knew what was awaiting him at the end of these stairs.

He had a feeling—something in his gut—something told to him by the flute and the song it had made.

It had filled him with power and filled him with hope.

Now, with this new resolve, he pressed forward towards his destiny, trusting his friends to face rightfully and bravely their own destinies with the other Legendary Pokémon.

Besides, in a way, Sam knew they had the easier time of it.

They weren't alone.

They had the Lake Guardians with them…Sam was alone.

He had once had Nilama and Cynthia, even his grandfather, but here, he had just himself, his thoughts, and his resolve.

Very well, the thought.

That would have to be enough—there wasn't much choice there.