Hope from Above
Kyogre swam around the area for a while, building up a storm that could easily be stronger than a category five hurricane, before going northwest, which would put it on a direct collision course with Groudon in Sootopolis. It would be a clash on the level of gods when they met, and everybody in the submarine knew absolutely nothing good would come of something that destructive.
"What the hell can we do now?" Brendan said. "We have two Pokémon on the loose, each one holding the strength to destroy the planet, and there's no way to stop them."
Gwen perked up just as Brendan said that. Steven Stone is approaching in his boat, and he has somebody else with him. I just don't recognize the other person. Brendan looked a bit more hopeful.
"Maybe Steven has a solution," Brendan said, but his tone didn't seem to contain any optimism.
May, however, looked out the window as the boat approached and seemed very interested. "Brendan, I think I recognize the other person. It's Lisia's uncle, and the Hoenn Champion: Wallace Rain. He was also big in Pokémon contests. He wound up winning ten consecutive Grand Festivals before retiring."
Brendan and Gwen both looked up. "Wait, seriously? We should go out to meet them."
"No need. They're already coming aboard," as she said that, the hatch opened again, and the silver-haired gentleman entered, followed by a man who looked much like Lisia, or maybe it was really that Lisia looked like him. Most of his hair was covered in a white hat, except for his sideburns, which looked like two lightning bolts, and his bangs which swooped to the left and looked like sails. He was quite eccentrically dressed, with a tasseled suit, a purple undershirt that showed off his midriff, and pants that had a green belt-like addition that covered his belly button and wrapped around his hips. On his feet were white shoes that looked more like closed-toe sandals. On his back was a long, white cape with had two clasps that each draped a slightly transparent green cloth over his shoulders, reaching almost to his knees. He even had three white bracelets on each wrist, and there was a crystal that looked slightly like a keystone, but it had a different shape to it. Just from his outfit, it was now very clear where Lisia got her eccentric nature.
"May, I'm happy to see you safe," Steven said with a smile before turning to Brendan as well. "So, it seems our worst fears came true. Which is why I'm glad I took precautions and went to get a good friend of mine from Sootopolis. Wallace, if you will." Steven gestured to his friend then stepped aside.
When Wallace spoke, his deep and commanding voice gained the attention of all in the room. "So, you three are May, Gwen, and Brendan. My niece has spoken quite highly of you three." He took May's hand and gave it a kiss. She seemed more flattered by the gesture than Brendan was expecting, but he couldn't exactly blame her considering who was kissing her hand. "I am honored to meet you both…but we have more important business to discuss at the moment," he said solemnly.
"You mean Kyogre and Groudon. I'm not sure what else we can do. We don't have the strength as trainers to beat either of them, and I don't think we'll be able to catch them, even with the Master Balls I got from Shelly," Brendan said.
"Well, the Master Balls may be the only human-made item capable of containing them, so we should keep them as a fail-safe. But, there is another option: the third super ancient Pokémon, Rayquaza. It almost never leaves the ozone layer, but in the past, it was the Pokémon that stopped the conflict between Kyogre and Groudon," Wallace seemed to be speaking matter-of-factly, but Brendan could hear some slight worry in his voice. After all, what he was suggesting was a shaky plan at best. It all depended on whether Rayquaza even cared yet about Kyogre and Groudon being awake and ready to fight.
"May and I can both go find Rayquaza now. Just tell us where to look," Brendan said.
Wallace smiled. "Just the type of fearlessness I was expecting. Thankfully, you won't need to look that hard. When Rayquaza does appear before humans, it only does so at the top of Sky Pillar, a shrine near Pacifidlog that was built by a now deceased clan of humans who practically worshipped the dragon, but now only I, the region's champion, holds the key to open the tower." His face then turned back to solemn. "I should warn you, though, the other Pokémon that took residence there are far stronger than what most trainers can handle. Knowing that, will you continue?"
May looked just as determined as Brendan when she stepped forward. "We came this far, and there isn't much else we can do. Besides, I hate being in a terrible situation when I can't do anything to help with it."
Wallace nodded. "Well, I certainly understand. If you two have faster transportation than this submarine, then we should get moving to the area near Pacifidlog Town. You won't be able to miss the Sky Pillar."
Brendan and May both looked at Shelly, who still hadn't even registered that there were two more people in the submarine now, and felt guilty about leaving her like this. One of the grunts stepped forward. "Don't worry. We can take care of our lieutenant. We'll go to Sootopolis and meet you there. You three try to get whatever chance at salvation we may have."
Reluctantly, Brendan nodded and went with Wallace to the top of the submarine, followed closely by May, then Gwen. The instant they stepped out, they were assaulted by the heaviest rain they had ever seen. Many of the drops even hurt on impact. "Damn, can we really put Avery and Drake through this rain?" Brendan asked loudly, to be heard over the crashing waves.
Do we have any other choice? They're our best chances at making it to Sky Pillar before this mess gets worse, Gwen said.
"Unfortunately, I think she's right," Wallace said. A Latios and Latias may be the only Pokémon other than Rayquaza and the Pokémon of Creation that can get there fast enough," Wallace said.
While Brendan didn't like putting his Pokémon through pain like this, Wallace was right. They had no choice. He sent out Avery at the same time as May sent out Drake. Neither of them seemed too pleased with being out in this rain, but they could sense the danger and weight of the situation, so they decided to endure it.
"Drake, and Avery, we need to get to Sky Pillar as fast as possible. Can you two manage it?" May said. Avery nodded then nudged Brendan's Keystone.
"I see, you'll need to be in your mega forms. Then let's do it," Brendan said, but May beat him to it, mega-evolving Drake. Brendan followed quickly, getting Avery into her mega evolution. When both Eon Pokémon took their new forms, Brendan and Gwen got on Avery's back, while May and Wallace got on Drake's. Just as all four riders got comfortable, Avery and Drake shot off to the south, going at breakneck pace, first going south until the storm was behind them, then heading west. Brendan could already see that there was an incredibly tall building extending into the sky, but he could also see that both the storm clouds, and multiple rays of intense sunlight were expanding; the sunlight was coming from the west, and the storm from the east, and both were approaching what looked like a single volcano. Brendan looked at his PokéNav map and saw that that volcano was the location of Sootopolis City. It made Brendan curious about why that city was the location those two creatures had chosen for their clash, but it was something he'd consider later. After all, they were already about to land at Sky Pillar, and both Avery and Drake were returned to their Pokéball.
The island the massive shrine stood on was mostly barren, with sand covering most of it. The tower itself had two massive doors of stone that were sealed with what looked like a gold chain. But that chain wasn't bound by a lock. Wallace looked at both Brendan and May. "Now, this will be the tough part. While I have the key, only a descendent of the dragon clan can use it…except for a chosen trainer every generation. I am not of the dragon clan…" he pulled out what looked like a gold dragon statuette. "And the key doesn't work in my hands. Luckily, I know the only two trainers who could possibly be that chosen trainer. Brendan, May, you two are the only possible trainers who fit that description."
"W-wait, what?" May said. "How do you even know that?"
"It's because you two can achieve Mega-Evolution with your respective Eon Pokémon. That is a strong indication that you have been chosen. So, I want each of you to hold this key up to the chain. If you are the chosen trainer, it will be made clear when you do."
Brendan looked at May. "You can go first. You've earned it," he said, kissing her cheek as he said that. She nodded, then smiled at him as she walked forward and took the key in her hand. She then held up the little statue and aimed it toward the door. They waited for three minutes with nothing happening. She shook her head. "I don't feel anything, and nothing is happening," her tone sounding disappointed as she held the statuette out for Brendan. Brendan stepped forward, and he took it in his hand, then held it up to the door.
Immediately, there was an intense glowing and Brendan felt a surge of energy go through his body to the figurine. Then a focused beam of golden light extended from the key to the chain on the door. The energy began to make the chain nearly vanish into thin air. Gwen rolled her eyes. Great, another thing that you can lord over us, Gwen teased.
Brendan just chuckled at her joke, but his main focus was the door as it seemed to be disappearing just like the chain did, and a loud roar of could be heard from high above them. While Brendan wanted to keep May with him for this next part, it seemed fate had other plans, as the rain from Kyogre's storm began to fall on the small island.
Wallace seemed to be nervous at this sight. "Shit, I was hoping we'd have more time to get to the top. Brendan, May, I need to get back to Sootopolis and help in whatever way I can…but I don't have a Pokémon who can get me there fast enough."
Brendan looked to May, already knowing where this was going, and he didn't like it. "You want May to go with you while Gwen and I stay here and get Rayquaza, don't you?"
Wallace looked very sympathetic, almost to the point of regretting that he needed to ask them to separate so soon after reuniting. "I wouldn't ask this if there was another way and it wasn't of the utmost importance," he said.
May turned Brendan toward her and hugged him tightly. "It's okay. I'll be safe, and I know we will see each other soon," she kissed him softly, then began to whisper. "Besides, I'd prefer to have our full reunion celebration when the world isn't being destroyed."
Brendan laughed slightly, knowing she was right. They had a job that took priority, and they could truly celebrate when that was finished. Now, they needed to make sure there would be a world to celebrate in. "May, I love you more than you'll ever know. Please don't do anything dangerous until I'm with you." She smiled and hugged a little tighter, resting her head on his chest, feeling thankful that she was shorter than Brendan by just enough so she could do this without hunching over.
As much as they wanted to stay like that, destiny was calling, so they both let go of the other. May took out Drake's Pokéball again, sending out her Eon Pokémon and Mega-Evolving him again. She and Wallace both got on and the Latios took off, rocketing north toward the titanic clash.
They'll be alright. We just need to do our job and hopefully Rayquaza will decide to help us. If not, then we will just need to deal with the problem ourselves, Gwen said as she began to pull Brendan into the tower to begin their long ascent.
When May and Wallace began to fly over the city, they could already see that the two monstrous Pokémon had done major damage to the cliffs. Thankfully, none of those cliffs appeared to have any residencies. But the real sight was the two massive Pokémon and the definitive line splitting the intense sunlight, which was causing the water around Groudon to evaporate, and the hurricane-force rain, which was keeping the water around Kyogre maintaining the water on his side of the conflict. Both the Pokémon had what looked like a very intense hatred and anger toward their counterpart.
"Wallace, what exactly are we going to do here?" May asked.
"We need to get citizens out of the main city and to the evacuation shelter. I know it won't do us much good, but it's worth a try to keep them where they'll at least feel safer," Wallace said.
May nodded. "Alright, where should we start?"
"The residential areas," Wallace made a mark on May's PokéNav map as he said that. "That's the evacuation shelter. Get people there as you find them. If you can't convince them to come, tell them Wallace is issuing the order. If it doesn't work, just move on. Don't risk your life for the stubborn."
May nodded. "I'll take the hot side of the island," she said.
"Agreed. My Pokémon thrive in water, so I'm better suited for the rainy side," Wallace said as they landed at what appeared to be the line directly between the effects of the two titanic Pokémon clashing repeatedly, which was the only spot where the rain was falling at a soothing rate, and the sunlight made it comfortable to stay outside. Under normal circumstances, May might be pulling out an umbrella, some rain gear, and a pair of tap dancing shoes so she could start acting out the famous movie scene. Now, however, there was a much more important task she needed to get done. She recalled Drake and both she and Wallace went to their separate sides of the city she could hope for now was that Brendan could get help from Rayquaza in time.
Just as May and Wallace were starting to get the citizens of Sootopolis to the evacuation shelter, Brendan and Gwen were taking a breather on one of the few floors that seemed devoid of wild Pokémon. They had already climbed sixty flights of stairs, but it seemed they still had another fifty to go. "Why the hell are there so many stairs?"
It's called Sky Pillar, and it was built before there was such a thing as an elevator. This is probably just as much of a test as the key to the entrance, Gwen said as she levitated a stone in front of her face in a circle, trying to calm her nerves with the simple practice.
"Do you think Rayquaza will even care about what Kyogre and Groudon?" Brendan said. "From what I remember hearing, those two fought for almost a millennium before the dragon did anything about it."
But that was when the world was still being formed. I guess the world needed it then. This was caused by two people trying to upset the balance of nature. I think Rayquaza will help us once we get to the top of this tower.
Brendan nodded and stood up, his legs feeling rested enough to continue the long climb. "I hope you're right, but we just need to find out for ourselves when we get to the top." With that, they both continued their climb, moving at a quick pace, hoping to put an end to the crisis as soon as possible.
After nearly another hour of climbing, Brendan was crawling up the last of the steps to the roof of the tower, his exhaustion evident after both climbing and battling extremely powerful wild Pokémon. "Gwen, do me a favor," he said as his Gardevoir floated up to his side.
What is it? she asked.
"Never let me climb that many stairs again…for any reason," he said.
Well, I can't really promise that, since I hear there are a lot of stairs in the Pokémon League's headquarters.
"Ah damn it," he said under his breath. He took his time getting to his feet, his body thoroughly hating him for climbing so many stairs at once. Just as he got to his feet, Brendan and Gwen both heard one of the most powerful roars either had ever heard, and they saw a gigantic, serpentine creature circling the tower above them. Brendan stood in awe of the creature, whose raw power could be felt from this distance, and it was already as strong as either Kyogre or Groudon. The difference was that this power felt more comforting in a way, whereas Kyogre and Groudon both had an aura that screamed the Pokémon were dangerous. "Rayquaza," was all Brendan could whisper, but even with the lowest volume he could speak, his voice still caught the attention of the green serpent.
Within a second, the legendary Pokémon had come to the triangular stand at the very peak of the tower, and its intense gaze was focused on Brendan and Gwen. It gave a low growl, making every fiber of Brendan's being vibrate in response. Gwen nodded and looked to Brendan.
Rayquaza knows why we're here, and he said he will help. He just needs your help with one thing. In his current state, he won't be able to even intimidate Kyogre or Groudon in their primal forms.
Brendan looked directly at the Pokémon, whose piercing yellow eyes made him feel very small. "What do you need me to do?" Rayquaza's gaze turned to Brendan's Keystone, and Brendan understood what the legendary Pokémon wanted. "Don't you need a Mega stone to do that?" Rayquaza growled lowly again.
He said that he is the only Pokémon who doesn't need one. Just touch the keystone and we will get to Sootopolis in no time. Gwen said.
Without another question, Brendan lifted his arm and touched the Keystone, and immediately Rayquaza began to glow brightly. The transformation began with the four extensions at the back of Rayquaza's lower jaw and those on top of his head all extended forward so his head looked like an arrowhead. His arms both got slightly longer and thicker, and the small wings along his body extended out. Next, the yellow line and ring patterns on the sides of his body began to glow and attach to his lower jaw extensions as they began to float off his body, looking almost like contrails, and where they used to be were now black. Finally, the tips of the upper fins on his head and the wings at the end of his tail both grew their own energy contrails. When his body stopped glowing and his form became visible, an intense wind picked up, forcing Brendan to put his hat in his pocket or risk losing it altogether. With a single look from Rayquaza's now red eyes, Brendan and Gwen both walked up to the massive dragon and they started climbing onto his back, directly in front of the sky dragon's arms. Just as Rayquaza was taking off, he reached forward and grabbed both Brendan and Gwen by their legs. Immediately after grabbing them, the dragon shot off like a rocket toward Sootopolis, the incredible wind carrying them even faster than Avery and Drake could have.
Gwen, I think we may have just saved the entire world, Brendan said.
Maybe, we just need to see how Kyogre and Groudon react, Gwen said.
"Get inside, everybody!" May said as she ushered the last of the citizens of Sootopolis into the evacuation shelter, all of them either completely soaked or badly dehydrated. Thankfully, nobody had been stubborn enough to stay in their houses any longer than they needed to grab essentials. Now, even though they were all inside the safest place in the city, May wasn't sure that it would be safe enough. By now, the buildings along the white cliffs of Sootopolis were being severely damaged, some already having been destroyed completely. The two monsters, which was now the only word that May could really use to describe the two Pokémon in the center of the city's lake, seemed to be taking some time to catch their breath after their last bout, but May could tell they were about to start again. She was terrified, and she knew she couldn't do anything about it without sending her Pokémon to their deaths.
She continued to watch as she stood under the small canopy that hung over the entrance to the shelter, her fear rising as both Kyogre and Groudon began to straighten up and charge their attacks. The power from them was so great that May could feel it, and she thought that they were causing the wind to speed up. At least, that's what she thought until she sensed Gwen's presence suddenly, followed by a roar that caused Kyogre and Groudon to both stop their onslaughts altogether. She looked up and saw the clouds parting to reveal a serpentine creature that looked almost like an arrow flying at a target. The only things that ruined the nearly perfect streamline form of the Pokémon were two figures on its back. Brendan, Gwen, you did it, she thought in awe, not knowing that Gwen heard her thoughts clearly. Rayquaza took up a powerful-looking posture as a massive wind made Kyogre's storm dissipate and Groudon's drought cease completely, and he let loose a single, powerful roar. The instant the sound was heard, Kyogre and Groudon both retreated, vanishing into a cave in the center of the island. Rayquaza then descended toward the evacuation shelter, letting Brendan and Gwen get off on solid ground.
"Thank you Rayquaza. We owe you, and I hope we meet again," Brendan said as he gave the dragon a light pet on the snout. Rayquaza growled contentedly, then pulled away, flying back into the upper atmosphere.
The wind died down as the sky Pokémon vanished from sight, but May couldn't have cared less. She immediately sprinted over to Brendan and knocked him to the ground with the force of her hug. "I love you so much, Brendan," she said through tears of joy.
"I love you too May," he kissed her cheek and pet her hair softly, while Gwen just smiled. She decided not to tell them that everybody in the evacuation shelter was at the windows with a video camera recording every second of what they were doing. After all, they'd see it when it went viral the next day.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Before you ask, yes I intend to have both Brendan and May battle Kyogre and Groudon in the Cave of Origin. You'll see how in the next chapter.
As always, please review and give constructive criticism if you want, it will be greatly appreciated.
Until next time – jmoul18.
