Chapter 4
Rival Destinies

(Pokémon Zack's point of view)

"Where are you, Giratina?" I asked out loud. The griseous orb glowed faintly, signaling I was getting closer. I wasn't travelling fast enough, however, because of all the odd dark-type Pok-no, I can't even call them that. These creatures were something different, something unique altogether. The stories said that Giratina was the only Pokémon to live in the Reverse World. They failed to mention the creatures of darkness.

Gravity shifted, something common to this plain of existence. I was now walking on the wall to my right, careful to jump the gaps to avoid falling into the endless void that existed all around me. More of those creatures appeared, some of them different than before- they were clad in a sort of armor, making it more resilient to my sword-arm. They fell all the same.

Gravity resumed its normal state when I crossed onto a large, circular stone platform. It was an odd rock, deep violet in color. Fissures cracked its surface, and boulders dotted around its flat top. That's when he showed up. I didn't know it then, but I wasn't alone in the Reverse World.

An arrow landed by my feet, surprising me. I jumped back, and brought out my blade, ready for a fight. My opponent, however, wasn't a creature. It was a human, no older than myself. He had short, brown hair, and brown eyes. His clothing was gray sneakers, cargo shorts, and a dark, forest-green shirt. His left hand carried a bow, like the people in ancient times used.

"I believe you have something that I need. Is that the Griseous Orb?" he asked, pointing to the tan jewel strapped to my back.

"Yeah, but I kind of need it," I said, "So you're just gonna have to deal without it."

"Sorry, but I need it now, kid," He was barely my age, and he called me the kid? "If you don't hand it over, I'll just have to make you."

"This orb is the only way I can succeed in my mission. The only way you're getting it is if you pry it from my corpse!" I lunged out at him, my sword ricocheting off his bow when he blocked. This gave me enough momentum to strike at him again, my blade sharp enough to cut his bow in two.

"I can arrange that, no matter how much I'd rather not." He said, the other half of his bow teleporting to his other hand, gripping it like a blade. I wasn't sure how he did it, but I know this guy wasn't a normal human. He swung his blades at me, and I countered with my arm. A swift punch to his face with my flesh and blood hand, and that sent him reeling back.

I took out my switchblade, flipping it open in my right hand. If he was using two blades, so would I. I blocked his first swipe with my arm, but the second swipe hit my side, cutting into my flesh. I jumped back, the wound not too serious. Before he could act, I pulled a potion out of my pocket to deal with that.

That's when it happened. The creatures returned, jumping out from the shadows to attack us. "Heartless!" he shouted. He diverted his attention from me to attack the so-called 'Heartless,' and I realized I had to do the same.

An armored one jumped to me, but my arm deflected it into my new ally's arrow. I stabbed one nearby through its chest, and flung it into several others, killing all of them. The other human shouted, "Heads up!" while punting one at me. I caught it with my left hand, and slammed it into the ground.

They kept coming, and we were wearing down. I knew this battle was going to end soon, and I knew it wasn't in our favor unless something drastic happened. A larger version of the smaller shadow also appeared, more aggressive than its counterpart. I was busy parrying the claw slashes of one, while back-to-back with my former opponent.

"GET BACK!" I screamed, acting on instinct. That's when the drastic thing happened. I threw both my arms back behind me, reaching past my right side with both. A large, blue energy sphere appeared, and I threw it. It went through several Heartless, vaporizing them almost instantly.

"What the fuck?" I said, but went with it. I threw another, getting similar results. I believe it was Aura Sphere, but that's impossible, I'm not a Pokémon. Then again, humans of old could use Aura as a power, maybe I'm a descendant. Either way, I had a power, and I'm going to use it.

"Give me strength!" My ally shouted, throwing a red gem to the ground. His clothes turned red, he held a crossbow, and he kicked ass. Both of our powers were enough to repel the hordes, and we enjoyed the calm after the battle.

His form reverted to normal, and he walked up to me, bow in hand. "Now, I know we just helped each other, but I really need that orb."

"And why do you need it?" I asked.

"I need a certain item that Giratina has, and he'll only give it to me if I return his orb to him." I burst out laughing. Not the amused kind of laughtr, but the kind that can only surface at the realization of a huge misunderstanding.

"Then our goals are aligned, my friend. I'm returning the orb to Giratina for my own mission. Let's get the job done, then head over and smooth the trouble between us back in the real world." I reached out my hand as a gesture of peace.

He shook my hand, and replied, "I'd appreciate that." We headed off in the same direction, the Griseous Orb telling us the direction of Giratina. But nothing, not even the discovery of my aura powers, could prepare me for what I found there.