Sidestory 3: Last Resort
"So no, I haven't found anything of that nature here in Johto, and not for lack of trying either."
Dawn held back a despondent sigh as the researcher, one Spencer Hale, finished his report. She barely acknowledged Cynthia thanking him for his help from her end of the call before the man hung up, leaving them and her in the conference call.
"I was optimistic," Cynthia sighed, letting her own disappointment show. "Did you have any luck with the Tanoby Ruins?"
"Luxray and Togekiss were leading the charge, they didn't let us go without checking a single place. But all seven chambers were quiet; a ruins maniac said that they had been sealed, whatever that means," Dawn said.
"We did some looking around and managed to find the trainer who got lost in Alola, some wanderer named Radmere," Barry sighed. "With how close he was to his Unown, I thought he'd have some advice for us. But it came up short, the same way it has every other time."
"Nobody has any idea how we're supposed to create a way back if there are no Pokémon on the other side to help set it up," Dawn concluded.
A depressed silence fell for almost a minute before Barry spoke again.
"I've only got one idea left. It was one of the first things I thought of, and I was hoping we'd find another way. But we've tried everything else and it hasn't helped, so this may be the only way to get Lucas back." He closed his eyes, shivering slightly, before finishing his thought:
"We need to go to Turnback Cave."
Dawn's eyes widened, and she turned to give her friend an incredulous look. "You mean that place that spat Lucas and Cynthia out from the Distortion World? You want to go there?"
Turnback Cave had always had a shadowy reputation. It was the most noteworthy feature of Sendoff Spring, Sinnoh's unofficial "Fourth Lake," and was home to Pokémon that were notably stronger than those on the adjacent Route 214, almost supernaturally so. Add in the omnipresent eerie fog and labyrinthine nature of the cave itself, along with the not-quite-hidden list of travelers and explorers that had been lost within it, and the League barely needed to post a watch to keep people away from the area.
Lucas's tale regarding the events of Spear Pillar and the Distortion World had only reinforced Dawn's desire to stay far, far away from the place.
"The only Pokémon we know of that can cross dimensions are Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina," Barry explained, despite how pale his face had become at the prospect. "And getting through Turnback Cave is the only way I can think of to get any of their attention, outside of replicating the Spear Pillar incident." And, he didn't need to add, there were much, much easier ways to get oneself vaporized, even if the Lake Trio were helping them willingly.
Cynthia, however, only nodded grimly. "I had come to the same conclusion. That's why I called in for backup."
On cue, another person stepped into view: A man in a kimono with black hair and a familiar red cap on his head. Some people would know him first as the Sinnoh region's Kalos ambassador. Others would know him as the newest (temporary) member of the Kalos region's Elite Four, a specialist in Ghost-type Pokémon.
But the wide-eyed Barry knew him best as Lucas's father.
"Uncle Rei?" he gasped. Dawn's head snapped to the side, gazing at Barry in shock, before turning her gaze back to the call.
The man nodded, a twisted smile on his face. "He promised me that this wouldn't happen again. Last time we spoke, I made him promise me that he wouldn't disappear into another dimension while I was gone. And look how well that turned out"
Most present managed to smirk or grin despite the situation, and Dawn forced down her shock to focus on what Cynthia was saying.
"Rei was able to get some time away from Kalos long enough for at least this mission," Cynthia explained. "I'd have preferred to have Shauntal and Agatha on board too, but Unova hasn't stabilized since its promotion of several new Gym Leaders and Agatha is too old for this kind of mission."
"Don't let her hear you say that," Rei deadpanned. "But she's officially retired now, completely off the grid. The only one who could feasibly contact her on this short notice is Professor Oak, who's been incommunicado for the past few days in the Orange Islands."
"Hey, I'll take one more top-level fighter to help get Lucas back over none," Barry grinned.
"Excellent. We'll meet up at the entrance to Sendoff Spring."
The call disconnected, and Dawn was already calling out her Kadabra. "Let's go, then," she said, determination unmistakable in her tone of voice. "Kadabra, take us to Veilstone City." This was their last chance at finding a way to help Lucas. As they Teleported away, she sent a prayer to Arceus that this time, they'd get him a way back.
-o-
"Since when are you actually related to Lucas?" Dawn asked as they pedaled south down Route 214.
"He started it," Barry chuckled. "When we met my dad at the Battle Tower, he started calling him Uncle Palmer by saying I was, and I quote, 'the hotheaded reckless cousin he never had.' When I first met Rei, I returned the teasing. Then, at some point, it started feeling more genuine. Our parents don't mind." He trailed off with a shrug, and Dawn smiled.
"With how you two have been friends since childhood, you're basically cousins already," she commented happily. Barry only laughed in response.
As they reached the entrance to the Spring Path, Rei and Cynthia were already there. As was Johanna, in conversation with her husband. They all looked over to see them, and Cynthia and Johanna held out a pair of well-sized backpacks.
"We've got all of the supplies for the care package. Letters, medicines, food, clothes, the works," Johanna explained. "Sized for Togekiss and Luxray to wear, of course."
The two materialized at once, obediently sitting still while Dawn and Johanna helped them secure the bulky bags to their backs. Cynthia took the opportunity to brief everyone on what they were getting into.
"Alright. I've been through Turnback Cave a couple of times for training and research. It's a bit of a puzzle to navigate, but I should be able to lead us to the depths. I'm not certain what we'll find there, but we'll worry about that later."
"I'll wait for you back in Veilstone," Johanna said. "I can take care of myself that far."
"I'm aware, but I'm not taking any chances with one of my family already missing," Rei said. "Vessa, keep her safe."
A flash came from within his kimono, which quickly solidified into a small stone from which a ghastly cloud of smoke materialized. Cynthia raised her eyebrows while Barry and Dawn recoiled in shock. Johanna, though, gave the Spiritomb a soft smile.
"Good to see you again, dear," she said politely, to which the ghost gave a shockingly affectionate smile. And after a few seconds, Dawn realized that the malicious Pressure that all Spiritombs should have given off was almost completely absent.
"Vessa's learned to control her Pressure," Rei explained at her questioning glance. "And she prefers to keep it to almost unnoticeable levels around Johanna. She's her favorite, after all."
Lucas's mother waved her hand dismissively. "You just say that because she knew better than to let her Pressure out around Lucas when he was younger."
"That's because you came down on her like the wrath of Arceus the one time she did," Rei shot back good-naturedly. "I think that's the only time I've ever seen a Spiritomb be afraid of something."
Dawn couldn't quite hold back a giggle at Johanna's flush of embarrassment, while Luxray and Togekiss, their bags secured, wore identical smirks as they started asking for details. Rei allowed the gossip to go on for what was probably longer than strictly necessary before speaking up again.
"Now, now, there'll still be time to embarrass Johanna to death when Lucas is here to enjoy it," he said, causing a more solemn air to come upon everyone. "If we're ready, then let's get going."
Johanna and Vessa waved them off as they headed down the Spring Path.
-o-
Luxray, Togekiss, Infernape, Empoleon, Garchomp, and Dusknoir flanked the four trainers as they moved through chamber after chamber. Empoleon wiped away the fog, and the resident bats, bells, and ghosts quickly wised up enough to stay out of their way as they navigated the foggy cave. Cynthia led the way, pausing each time they found a pillar in one of the rooms and noting that the Pokémon would be stronger from that point forward. But at the third pillar they found, she nodded in satisfaction, looking back at them.
"We've reached the depths. The next room will be where we find what we need."
Luxray and Togekiss darted ahead, leaving no chance for consideration or preparation as the rest of the group ran after them. As they crossed the threshold, however, they paused.
The room was much like the entrance chamber, a depression in the center of the room in which a stone platform lay. Here, though, stairs led up a smaller platform with a larger hill of stone behind it, almost like an altar.
And even though an eerie haze remained over the entire room despite Empoleon's efforts, everyone could tell that it was empty.
"OK. So what now?" Barry asked. "Do we need to look around and find some way to call one of them?"
"You won't need to worry about that," Rei interrupted, eyes fixed on the platform. "After all, our presence has been noticed."
Luxray and Togekiss tensed, and Barry's eyes widened as the atmosphere of the cave, which was oppressive enough already, intensified even further.
Just like at Spear Pillar, it began with a pit forming in the middle of the plinth. A pit of darkness from which a serpentine form emerged, pitch black except for the glowing red of its eyes and the red spikes ribbing its front. Unlike back then, however, when the shadow spread its wings, the darkness melted away like ink, revealing the Draconic, multi-legged Legendary in all of its glory.
"Giratina," Cynthia breathed.
Barry was left speechless under the Legendary's gaze. This wasn't like at Spear Pillar, where Giratina's rage had almost suffused the air like a thick miasma. That didn't make him any less intimidated, though. This was the Legendary that Lucas fought on the other side of that horrible shadowy portal? His friend didn't give himself enough credit…
Giratina regarded the assembled humans and Pokémon wordlessly, and Barry tensed even more as the Pressure it was giving off shifted.
Curiosity.
"Giratina." Cynthia stepped forward, hands raised in a disarming gesture. "You remember me. I was one of the two humans who aided you."
Recognition. Wariness.
"And as for why we're here," she continued as Giratina's aura changed again, "The other human, Lucas, was trapped in another dimension by the Unown."
The massive Legendary cocked its head to one side. It would have been almost comical, if not for the Pressure it was exerting.
Confusion.
"We need your help, Giratina," Cynthia said. "Your ability to traverse dimensions is exactly what we need, because wherever Lucas has gone, none of our other avenues have been able to reach him."
Barry didn't know what exactly it was, but Cynthia must have said the wrong thing, because Giratina snarled. Its wings flared outwards, buffeting everyone with a blast of wind as its Pressure intensified.
Indignation.
Garchomp moved before Cynthia protectively as she tried again. "You are upset that we came here only to ask you for something? If there is something we can do in return—"
"Enough, Cynthia."
Rei stepped forward in front of her, even in front of Garchomp and Dusknoir. His expression was one of determination and understanding.
Recognition. Shock.
And everyone was surprised when Giratina reared back, shaken by his presence.
"This isn't like you're thinking, Giratina. We didn't come here to try using your power for our own ends. And least of all to try reshaping the world again."
Acknowledgement was the slow change as it waited for him to continue.
"But those four," Rei said, gesturing to Dawn, Barry, and Lucas's Pokémon, "have been traveling the world for weeks to try to find a way to bring him back. But wherever he is, is a world beyond Arceus's domain. A world without Pokémon."
Surprise. Interest.
At that point, Rei looked back at the others. And though he was still shaking, Barry forced himself to step forward.
"We came here to ask for your help. Because you're one of the only ones powerful enough to save him and bring him home. I don't know what we can do to repay you if anything. But I'm willing to try, so please."
Barry knelt and bowed to the dragon, and a moment later, Infernape did the same. Dawn swallowed, but mirrored the actions, prompting Empoleon to follow her example.
"I'll try whatever I have to, to bring him home," she echoed.
Luxray and Togekiss voiced their own petitions as they bowed, their desires to accompany the dragon clearly conveyed.
Consideration, the dragon conveyed, but turned his attention back to Rei. Curiosity.
"Why, after all this time?" Rei interpreted. "Because he's my son, Giratina."
Realization. Surprise.
The change in Giratina's emotional state barely registered before Rei too knelt and bowed his head to the floor, Dusknoir as well as Cynthia and Garchomp following.
"Please. You're our last chance at finding him."
Almost immediately, the Pressure abated.
Agreement. Stipulation.
Rei's eyes widened at that second instance of… Barry couldn't think of a good name for whatever it was. But Giratina had already turned away, its gaze fixed on a point off to the side. Its wings flexed, and a portal opened.
Eagerness.
Luxray and Togekiss saw the chance and seized it, the Electric-type leaping onto the Fairy-type's back as she flew alongside Giratina. The dragon regarded them briefly before lifting off the ground and flying into the portal. Togekiss, Luxray, and everything they carried for Lucas disappeared after him an instant before the portal disappeared.
For a long moment, there was silence as the assembled trainers adjusted to the sudden lack of presence that Giratina's departure had caused. Rei was the first to get to his feet, seeming resigned but satisfied.
"We've done all we could. All we can do now is wait and leave it in Lucas's hands when Giratina finds him."
"What… What did it mean, 'stipulation?'" Dawn asked slowly, hands trembling as she grasped at her bag like it was a lifeline. Out of everyone present, she'd taken Giratina's presence the worst.
"It means," Rei said solemnly, "That Giratina won't bring Lucas home of its own good will. It wants something from him in exchange. And when you consider the emotion it was emitting at the end, there, I'm sure we can figure out exactly what he'll have to do to earn Giratina's aid."
Dawn closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her head. "That explains everything. From that vision Tapu Lele showed us in the mists, Lucas isn't going to win."
"But he'll get something that he can potentially use to come back," Barry said, then blinked. "'If not, then I'll have to wait for next time. And I have a plan.' This won't be the last time Giratina challenges him."
"He'll be able to come back to us when his team can satisfy Giratina," Cynthia realized, closing her eyes in exhausted acceptance.
"It's just a matter of time, then," Rei said with complete confidence. "Giratina is powerful, but at Lucas's level, he should be able to manage it soon enough."
"Rei," Cynthia began cautiously. "How familiar are you with Giratina, exactly?"
The man shook his head.
"We met in the past. But that's a very long story that I'm not at liberty to share."
He said no more, and with a mood of cautious optimism and tired anxiety, the four humans began making their way back toward Sendoff Spring.
They had done all that they could. Now it was up to Lucas himself.
I'm sure this won't have any repercussions at all to the main story. It definitely hasn't been something we had planned for a long time.
And as for Rei, there's a reason that Giratina found him familiar. There's also a reason that as Malva's temporary replacement in the Kalos Elite Four, his team is considered one of the trickiest to prepare for. Almost like he's got team members that haven't been seen by humans in a long time.
(And here's The Patient One removing all subtlety: to anyone who has not played Pokémon Legends: Arceus? It's a spectacular game worth every bit of hype; as soon as you can, get it and play it. And that means you too, Teammate.)