A/N- Yay! New chapter! For those of you who were wondering, I will eventually start telling the story in different POVs, but not yet. I really confused myself while writing the previous chapter, and I made a major error. I won't go back to correct it since most probably won't catch it and I'm lazy, but if you have an idea, PM me and I'll let you know if you were right :)
It's picking up. The story WILL get better, and I'll throw in a lot of my lovely plot twists that you all love for you readers.
Disclaimer: I forgot if I put this in other chapter, but here: I do not own Pokémon. We good here?
Chapter 3
Brother and Sister
Manectric stood and stretched, blinking sleep from her eyes. The small group of Pokémon all slept together in the night, in the large cavern. Manectric liked it. It gave a safe sense of security.
Ellie was already awake, and when she saw Manectric rise, she padded over softly, so as not to disturb the others.
"We will leave as soon as you and Star are ready, is that alright?"
Manectric nodded, looking around. "Where is he anyway?"
"He went to speak with Xatu. This is his first quest. I spoke with Xatu last night; after all of you went to sleep. I'm fairly certain you spoke with her yesterday afternoon."
"Yeah."
"So are you ready? If you need more time to prepare, that's fine, but we should really hurry. I have small water bottles with cords, and a small pack of berries. It isn't that hard to find food out there, but it's always better to prepare, hmm?"
Manectric nodded. "Hey… why are we trying so hard? You were thrown out, weren't you? Yet… you still want to help these others? Save their lives?"
Ellie gave Manectric a look. "Well, if we didn't care to save them, that'd make us no better than they are, right? Besides… if we didn't try to stop Leader, then we too would perish… You know?"
True. Manectric looked up as Star padded in on all fours. "Hey, you guys ready to go?" He looked nervous, but Manectric couldn't exactly blame him for that. She figured they were all a bit nervous. Ellie looked at Manectric with a questioning glance.
"I'm ready," Manectric said.
Ellie began to lead the way out, taking the tunnel to the right. "This tunnel has the most interlocking trails," Ellie said. "The other way we came from led to the Electric, Bug, Psychic, Fire, and a random nature trail in the middle of nowhere. This one leads to most other Regions, excluding Dragon, Water, Flying, Grass, and Ground. We haven't been able to find other passages just yet. This way also leads to the Center and other places as well."
Manectric was silent, listening to the breaths of her companions as they walked on in silence, Star lighting the torches they passed.
Eventually, Ellie took a right, and another right into a curving tunnel. There was a glow at the end.
"Nobody ever really questions these tunnel entrances. They probably just figure it's a flaw in the earth that the Authorities patched up so no one will fall in," Ellie said. "I think Metagross figured it out before he left for the Games. He never told anyone though, at least not to my knowledge."
Manectric sighed. "He was a good Pokémon. He should have lived. By the way, do you have a plan?"
Star shrugged, but Ellie nodded. "We will exit through the Poison Region. And seriously—don't step anywhere, I repeat, anywhere you see random purple things that look like goo." She shivered.
"Wait, are we leaving through the Poison Region? Won't anyone see us?" Star asked, a little troubled.
"And why are we going through a Region anyway? Wouldn't it be safer to exit a different way? Maybe in the middle of nowhere? That nature trail you mentioned sounds nice," Manectric added.
Ellie stared at them. She blinked, then shook her head. "We will have to sneak through the city. I have done it before. But there is another option, to disguise ourselves. That would require a lot of convincing though."
Manectric exchanged a nervous look with Star, and she sighed. "Stealth it is."
They reached the Barrier and Ellie placed her paw on it firmly again. "Manectric, Xatu has your paw print embedded into her memory as well, so you can just as easily access these tunnels as I can," she added.
"When did she do that?" Manectric asked.
"As soon as you set foot into that cavern," Ellie said. She laughed at Manectric's expression. "Don't worry, Xatu won't stalk you or anything."
She might hunt me down if I don't bring you two back alive. She didn't say her thoughts our loud.
Ellie peered through the screen as it fizzed away, then climbed out, her two companions following. It was still dark, with only the slightest rays of light hitting the Region.
"Most Pokémon would still be asleep around now, so it's out best chance. Many of the Poison Pokémon love to stay up through the night, so in the morning, there's not too much early risers," Ellie said, beginning to sneak into the shadow of a building, motioning for them to follow her. "We're already very close to the edge of this Region, so we just have to make sure we aren't spotted. Keep following me."
They travelled in silence, keeping to the shadows and passing by unsuspecting Pokémon. One who actually saw them simply stared at them tiredly and confusedly. Star told him to go back to sleep and he did.
"Wait," Ellie suddenly hissed, causing Star and Manectric to nearly run her over. She froze, her ears twitching, then her eyes widened in panic. "Move faster. We have to get out."
"Wait, what?" Star asked nervously, but as Ellie picked up speed, not even bothering to stay hidden anymore, he hurried to keep up with her. "What is it? What did you hear?"
"Just stay behind me." She turned sharply, ducking into a narrow alleyway and skidding to a stop. Manectric and Star followed, much less gracefully, but keeping up with her nonetheless. They waited there, the only sound they could hear was their own breathing. Several seconds later, a shadow flit past the alley.
"What was that?" Star asked nervously.
Ellie let out a breath. "One of the Authorities, most likely looking for suspicious activity. They don't know about our underground home, or at least, I hope they do not. If they did…" She shook her head. "The important thing is that that one did not catch us."
Yet, Manectric thought darkly. "They'll be searching though, won't they?"
"I have a feeling they will," Ellie said. She poked her head out the alley, looking back and forth. "I think, judging by how they passed us, and the speed that Pokémon had, it was most likely Latias or Latios. But they probably believe that they are doing what is right, hunting down and weeding out the imperfection in the Regions. That's how several of them just are. Now come on."
Ellie stepped out, but suddenly, the shadow from before flew into her, and she was thrown back onto the streets, several stones scattering from the impact.
"Ellie!" Star cried, jumping out. Manectric followed, breathing hard in a panic, but Ellie growled at them to stay back. Latios, the blue Eon Pokémon was over her, his claws pressed tightly over her throat.
"You are the duplicate that should have died," he immediately said, noting her shiny fur. His eyes glowed.
She choked, but Star barreled into Latios, making him lose his grip on her. Ellie staggered to her feet, coughing, but her eyes were trained on Star and Latios. Already, some Poison Pokémon were gathering, murmuring nervously at the sight.
"Get back!" Manectric cried. Star jumped off the Eon Pokémon without hesitation but landed hard on one of his legs, and Manectric landed a perfect Thunder on Latios immediately after. He screeched in pain, but before he could do anything else, two Shadow Balls hit him in the chest from Star and Ellie, who'd recovered somewhat. The Thunder attack dissipated, and Latios fell to the ground in a heap.
"You… fools…" he said, floating into the air again. Then he vanished.
"What—?" Manectric was cut off when something hit her, throwing her back into the wall of the building behind her. One of the Poison types cried out in fear, and scampered away from her, and Manectric felt something stab into her heart. Did these Pokémon not recognize her? Only as a rogue who was attacking one of their beloved Authorities?
She shoved those thoughts down.
Latios did not wait. Still invisible, he slammed into Ellie, but she was prepared. She spread her front paws forward as she was hit, grabbing the Eon Pokémon, and sank her fangs into the air above her, and was rewarded with a cry of pain from Latios just before she fell, hitting the hard cement.
How could things go so wrong so quickly? Manectric thought bitterly. Latios once again appeared, but the continuous effects of being attacked by super-effective moves had greatly weakened him. In one last attempt, a psychic wave of power began to spread from him. Ellie gasped.
"No! Get away, all of you!" she screamed at the Region Pokémon, who stared at her distrustfully like she was crazy. Ellie didn't waste any time trying to convince them, but helped Star to his feet, forcing him to run. Manectric didn't need to be told twice as she too broke into a run beside them, glancing regretfully back at the naïve Poison types. The psychic ring spread further, gaining speed as it grew, and when it finally hit one of the Poison types, they screamed out in pain, and the others immediately began to scream and scatter, trying to get away, scrambling and pushing others out of their way, but none of them dared to follow the same path the three of them had taken.
The trio ran to the edge of the Region, trying to ignore the screams, and into… nothing. Outside of the Region, there appeared to be nothing but endless sand and dirt. None of them seemed to notice this.
Ellie crashed into the ground breathing hard, and Manectric saw her eyes glistening with anger. "I… I should have tried harder… I could have saved them…" She pounded the sand underneath her with one paw repeatedly, gnashing her teeth. "So much death… So pointless…"
Manectric shook her head, feeling the deep guilt she always had felt so often rise up again within her. Star wouldn't meet any of their eyes, being the one who was least used to death, but Manectric could tell that he too grieved.
"It's just… so wrong…" Ellie muttered. "This is my fault for being so careless…"
"It isn't your fault," Star said quietly.
Manectric nodded, but she was unable to find any words to say to comfort the distraught Eevee. She didn't need to.
Ellie straightened, but Manectric could see that she was trying almost too hard. "I have tracked down where Uxie resides a while back, just so we would have the information, but I never thought I would be searching for it again. It's close to here. But…" she trailed off, staring into the sandy area confusedly. "This doesn't seem right…"
"Correct, child. This is not the same. Although, at the same time, it is exactly as it was yesterday, or years back, and it will remain the same tomorrow." They all turned to look at who had spoken.
"Uxie," Ellie breathed.
"Alas, the Regions are growing unstable. And because of it, the illusion we all live in is beginning to break apart."
"Illusion?" Star asked.
"One century ago, Leader cast an everlasting illusion over us all, with the help of Palkia, and I broke it, if only for a second. Now that Palkia is dead, this space is becoming unstable. He was the one who usually took care of these details, but a new Palkia has not risen yet, and it is taking too long. Most of the area outside of each Region is exactly the same, endless sand. If you even look carefully, you might see the remains of destroyed buildings from a century back. Because of what I had seen then, and what I know, Leader cast me out. My sisters, the fools they were, followed me."
Manectric looked confused. "You can see?"
Ellie quickly cut in. "What happened to Palkia?"
"He was killed. Choked to death by Leader after the Ninety-Eighth Games when his power was taken too far."
Ellie took a deep breath, steeling herself, then said, "So you know what is happening around us, and the destruction the Authorities have lain over us."
"Of course I do."
"My name is Ellie. This is Star and Manectric. We… we have come for your aid."
Uxie looked almost amused. "Nicknames. I have not heard one in a century."
Ellie ignored the rogue's words. "Please, I beg of you, help us."
Uxie frowned, and flicked one of her tails almost angrily. "I have sought to have nothing to do with Leader ever again."
"But this place, our world will be destroyed if we don't do anything! Don't you understand the importance of this? Everyone else may die!" Manectric growled. Sand blew over their feet, low to the ground.
Uxie frowned even more deeply, but she looked thoughtful. "Hmm… I may consider it if you prove to me your knowledge and that you are worth helping. Answer my questions—but answer incorrectly, and I shall deem you unworthy and forget you ever were here in front of me."
Star looked a little surprised, but he didn't say anything when Manectric gave him a strange look.
"Now tell me…" Uxie leaned forward as if sharing a deep secret. "…What is my favorite color? One answer each."
Ellie stared.
Manectric stared.
Star stared.
"What?" Manectric asked, positive she'd heard incorrectly.
Uxie sighed impatiently. "What is my favorite color?"
"Royal purple," Star said, blinking.
Uxie looked surprised. "Why yes… how you could know…" She shook herself, then asked, "Who are my sisters?"
"Uxie and Mesprit, but you consider Shaymin a very close friend, enough to be your sister," Star once again answered. The other two Pokémon stared at him. He shot them a look back that clearly said, What?
"Correct… I may have to think of much harder questions…" Uxie muttered. "Alright, who is the victor of the Ninety-Ninth Games?"
"Me," Manectric deadpanned, frowning. Ellie looked like she was ready to burst out laughing.
Uxie made a face. "So fine, you are incredibly knowledgeable. I have no idea of how you are so… but I have several more! Name my favorite distant cousin!"
"You have cousins? But weren't you, Azelf, and Mesprit all lone siblings?" Ellie asked.
"Jirachi," Star said.
"Cor… rect…"
Manectric turned to Star. "How did you know?" He shrugged in response.
Uxie looked slightly disturbed, but continued, "Who do I have a secret crush on?" She smirked, thinking she had them.
"What does this have to do with knowledge?" Manectric demanded, frustrated.
Star once again answered, "You liked Absol last year, when you watched the Games."
Uxie flushed angrily. "How you… how…?"
"You tried to wage a petition to bring back Absol without his lover." He turned to see his companions staring at him. "What, you guys didn't see it? It was all over the news."
"Ahem, I was in the Games? Trying to make sure Gyarados didn't kill me?" Manectric said.
Ellie just shook her head, dumbfounded.
"Fine," Uxie snapped. "One last question: Why do you deem it so necessary to stop the Authorities? What is the reason behind your motives? Why is it that you are trying so hard?"
Manectric shared a nervous look with Ellie. Even Star looked stumped.
"They… they're trying to kill us all. You heard us say that," Manectric argued.
"Yes, but why is it so important?" Uxie examined one of her small hands. "This has nothing to do with you. If you stay put, we're less likely to die sooner."
Ellie stepped towards the rogue, anger lit in her eyes. "I fight to save us all. I want peace. So what if I die sooner than I should? I would have left my mark. These Pokémon might even be saved."
"If we didn't help them… there would be no point in living without anyone or anything else, would there?" Star added.
Now, Uxie smiled, floating back a little. "Truly noble words," she murmured.
"Please, Uxie," Manectric tried once more.
Uxie dipped her head. "I shall aid you, when the time comes. That was truly the one question I wanted answered."
Star frowned. "Then what were those other questions for?"
Uxie hovered in the air, looking amused one again. "Simply because I could. I was just surprised you knew them all." Star shrugged, embarrassed. Uxie's face grew stony again however. "I am much more agreeable with than my sisters. If you really seek their aid, I feel their methods are much more deadly than my own. Especially for Mesprit. She is… hard to understand sometimes."
Ellie looked relieved. "Thank you. We actually seek all the rogues."
Now Uxie looked alarmed. "All? You will die if you even attempt to speak with Rayquaza. Surely, you've watched the Games?"
"I was in the Games," Manectric muttered. The other two nodded almost nervously.
"Rayquaza is much more powerful than your previous adversary, Manectric. Gyarados. Remember him? Rayquaza was proud of him for some reason. Said he was the finest out of all you lot. When Gyarados was killed, Rayquaza was angry, claiming there was no good and powerful Pokémon left."
"What about Arceus?" Star asked.
Uxie paused. "Rayquaza… was a big follower of Arceus. Took his job in the ozone layer very seriously, you see? But when Arceus left, telling them all that this world was not worth saving… Rayquaza began to believe that too… and you see what it did? It's similar to the Game's effects on the mind. Rayquaza lost all sanity, and tried to destroy the Center. After he was sedated, Leader cast him out. Rayquaza never bothered to go back."
There was a silence as Uxie finished. Then the rogue continued—
"You seek my sisters, and I can tell you where they are, point you in the right direction. Azelf. She hides—"
Suddenly, the Psychic type let out a cry of pain, and fell out of the air. She crashed into the sand, and struggled to get back up. Star looked almost horrified.
"Uxie? What is it?" Ellie asked anxiously.
The Knowledge Pokémon looked up, and even with her closed eyes, she radiated a deep sense of despair. "The one you fought… He… he was just killed."
Once again, there was a thick silence.
"What?" Star asked, horrified. "I – I swear, we couldn't have injured him so much that he—!"
"No," Uxie panted, holding up one hand. "This is not your doing." She shook her head sadly. "I do not know who, but someone has just killed Latios. I…" She coughed, crimson staining the sand and blowing away. "Every Legendary Pokémon, Authority or rogue… we are connected through deep roots, those that Arceus set himself. We… always sense death among us. We know exactly who it was, and when they die."
"But… you hate them… don't you…?" Manectric asked.
"Hate them…? Uxie laughed, but it sounded hollow. "No. I hate what they are trying to do, and I hate what they believe is right. But I do not hate them. It's far too late for hate to overcome my kinship with them."
Ellie took a deep breath. "Where can we find your sisters? Please…"
"Azelf lives the closest to me. She made her place near the springs by the Grass Region. Mesprit… it's hard to tell. Mesprit is a bit of a free spirit, similarly to Suicune. But unlike Suicune… Mesprit is… she can be cruel." Uxie lifted back into the sky, although the remorse did not leave her voice.
"But… can you tell us where she would most likely be?"
"Mesprit's home is near the Ice Region, but I cannot guarantee you will find her."
"One more thing…" Manectric padded over to the rogue. "How might you suggest we defeat Leader?"
For once, Uxie did not seem to know. She shook her head solemnly. "Leader cannot be defeated easily. While he or she may not have loyalty anymore, they still control the citizens with fear."
"Fear that should be abolished," Star muttered angrily, his eyes flickering. Ellie pressed against him in warning.
"Yes, true. But say you do defeat them. Then what?"
Manectric already knew the answer. "Then we finally have peace. We'll find a way to bring back the human population. A way to bring back true happiness."
Uxie looked thoughtful. "And if you do not?"
"Then we will all be destroyed." Manectric's claws knead the sand beneath her paws. "And no one will be left to save anyone."
Ellie frowned at her words, but nodded.
Uxie dipped her head. "I wish you good luck. Night is falling, and you can probably take refuge in the Poison Region, as there aren't very many survivors left."
"Latios… killed them all, didn't he…?" Star asked.
Uxie nodded. "Slaughtered them," she confirmed. "And most of them had no idea what was really going on."
"It isn't fair…" Ellie muttered.
"Oh, Manectric can tell you all about fairness, if that is what you want. I know, and more importantly, she knows just how fair the Games and the one who control it can be." Sarcasm literally dripped from Uxie's voice like honey. "Now then, I suggest you go back to where you came from, and hide, before they come back before the other one comes through for the nightly patrol."
"Other one?" Ellie's expression darkened.
"The sister of the one who was killed. Latias. Latios flies through all the Regions in day, and Latias flies through all the Regions in night. She won't be very happy when she finds out about her brother's death."
"But—that wasn't our fault!" Manectric protested.
"Oh, I know," Uxie continued, sounding tired. "But she doesn't, and Leader would be perfectly happy with her suspicions as it would hinder or eliminate threats."
"But—" she tried again.
"Go, quickly, and hide yourselves; pray to Arceus that she will not find you. Only once have I ever witnessed Latias's anger, and I am not willing to witness it again."
Without another word, she vanished.
"Good riddance," Star said quietly. "What should we do?" He looked at Ellie.
Ellie shook her head, but said, her voice heavy with reluctance, "Back to the Poison Region. We will go back through the tunnels."
"But… What if we happen across some of the survivors?" Manectric asked. She was worried. Worried of what might happen if they met one. "What would we do or say?"
"We can't do anything for them…" Ellie murmured. "It's too late. For now, we just need to get back into that tunnel, and we're safe for tonight."
They trekked back into the city quietly. Most of the citizens that had lived there lay dead on the streets, staring out through eyes that would never see again.
"I wish we could've helped them," Manectric murmured.
"There are still some… but…" Star looked pained as he caught sight of a mother Nidoqueen wailing over the death of her child. She whirled around as they came near and saw them, but she made no move towards them. Her eyes reflected horror, hatred, and fear, and she cradled the tiny Nidoran in her arms, backing away, still keeping them locked in her gaze until they were out of sight.
"They hate us," Ellie stated sadly. "They hate us."
Manectric shook her head. Things like this have happened before. But have they ever in reality? Outside of the Games? "We… we just need to get back—"
She froze as she rounded the corner, then shoved Ellie and Star back with her body as fast as she could, ignoring their cries of protest.
"What… what is it?" Ellie whispered.
"Latias. She's here."
XXX
Latias was worried about her brother. She hadn't been able to make a connection with him and ask where he was at the moment. He left in the morning, promising to play with her later on before she had to tend to her own duties at night. But where was he? Liar.
Then again, she had felt that deep stab of pain that marked the death of another Legendary just a few hours ago. She could only hope that it was one of those stupid rogues.
She huffed angrily as she flew out of the Psychic Region. How did she get stuck with the stupid job?
Okay… next… next was Poison, right? She desperately wished that Latios were there, helping her and guiding her as she flew. He would always stay with her at night to help with the patrol.
She hummed to herself until the Poison Region came into view, then ceased her humming as she neared. The Region was typically rowdy and bustling with activity at night. Where was everyone? She puffed her cheeks in annoyance as another thought crossed her mind. Latios better not be playing with them instead of her!
She flew in, still marveling at the silence. There probably wasn't anything wrong. She didn't really get why Leader ordered them to hunt for rogues or rebels that were hiding in the Regions. Nobody stupid enough would do that.
"But that's just what they want us to think," Leader had replied, chuckling. Their voice sent shivers down her spine. She continued replaying the memories of that afternoon in her head until she rounded one building and saw a broken body lying on the pavement. Her happiness evaporated and her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she slowly approached them, praying it was not who she thought it was.
"Brother?" she whispered. She flew down and her worst fears were confirmed. Before her, Latios's still form lay there. "Brother, wake up. You promised to play with me…" She nudged him, but he didn't stir.
"Brother, come on… This isn't funny…" Another nudge. She kept expecting him to pop up suddenly, laughing, and tell her it was just a joke.
Deep dread settled in her, mixing with the worry and anger she was already feeling. "Brother! Brother, please!" Latias shook him and his blank, empty gaze met hers. Tears filled her gaze, and she let out a heart-breaking wail, hugging Latios's body in her arms. "You can't l-leave me!"
Her body shook with horror and disbelief. No! No! No! This isn't happening!
"L-Lady…" a terrified voice met her ears, and she whirled around, dark anger boiling up. A weak Nidoqueen was there.
"Did you do this?" Latias demanded.
Nidoqueen shook her head quickly. "N-no… But there was… there were rebels that were here who fought him, who killed him. They were responsible for the destruction of the Poison Region."
Disbelief and horror washed through the Eon Pokémon, and she let out a scream of fury. "Who?" she wailed. "Who killed my brother? Who committed this crime?"
"There were three, Lady. A Quilava, a Manectric, and a silver Eevee. They were here, and they were the ones who stole your brother from you," Nidoqueen continued.
They stole him from me! They took my brother! They need to die! Latias nodded miserably, but a dark look crossed her face as Nidoqueen ducked away shyly from her gaze. "You may go," she hissed, and Nidoqueen scrambled away.
Latios, why?
XXX
Manectric watched as the Nidoqueen scurried away after telling the obvious lie she did. She was worried now. Latias was angry and worried at her brother's death. Did the Center not tell her of it though? Did they really want to keep it from her? Or did they just not know?
"What now?" Star whispered, so that Latias didn't hear. "We need to pass this road to get back in the tunnels, and Latias is obviously out for our blood now. Ellie, is there another way?"
Ellie shook her head. "No, only through here. There is another way around, but it was destroyed by that psychic ring Latios used earlier. I saw it."
"Oh…" Star looked troubled.
Manectric frowned. "We might be able to wait her out… she's bound to leave eventually, right?"
"Eventually, but by then, Authorities will be swarming the place," Ellie said darkly. "And then we'd be done for."
Latias didn't move, only sobbing at her brother's side.
Manectric tread her claws anxiously. "How long do you think we have?"
"Probably two hours at most. See, Latios patrols all through the day, twice through each Region, and Latias takes over for the third round. The Authorities are probably wondering why Latios isn't back, and will soon send others after Latias. Then again, it's still possible they don't care about what happened here, and will ignore it."
"Did… did they see what happened to the Electric Region?" Star asked nervously.
"They probably ordered it," Manectric growled.
"But do they—Latias, Latios, and others—know it?"
Ellie shook her head sadly. "Probably not. If anything, they've wiped the Electric Region from their minds."
"So they're just going to ignore what really happened?" Manectric burst out. She froze as a sudden eerie silence fell over them. Latias had stopped crying, and had most likely heard her.
"Who's there?" Latias asked, her voice high and shrill. She floated into the air, letting go of her brother's body regretfully. "I heard you, and I hear you now."
Ellie had a look of sheer terror on her face, but her voice was steady as she spoke. "Run."
"What—?" Star was abruptly cut off as Ellie dashed out and tried to make her way past Latias, when the Eon Authority let out a cry of realization.
"YOU!" she shrieked. "You and those other two—!" Manectric and Star made a run for it, following Ellie, but Latias flew in front of them, blocking their path. "You killed him! You killed my brother!" she wailed.
"It wasn't us!" Manectric retorted, but Latias's mind was set. She lunged forward, her claws flashing, and Manectric felt searing pain run across her cheek, and stumbled back. Near her, Star cried out in pain, and she blindly lunged for him, pushing him so that he wasn't in the middle of the fight.
Manectric's eyes darted down to see her left cheek running with blood from three gashes just under her eye. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears as Latias once again struck, attempting to claw her sides out. She dodged the first strike, drawing on past experience, but the second blow caught her in the chest, and sent her flying. She gasped in pain, her vision swaying, as Latias closed in.
"No!" A dark orb pulsing with energy was shot at Latias, nailing her in the back as Manectric got up dizzily, Star running over to help aid her.
"Ellie'll distract her. We need to open up the tunnels and get in," he hissed urgently, "Ellie'll follow."
Manectric nodded, watching with horrified eyes as Ellie leaped onto the Eon Pokémon's back, sinking her teeth into Latias's neck and drawing more blood. Both Pokémon crashed into the ground, screeching, and Manectric realized with a start that Star suddenly wasn't next to her anymore. She whirled around to see Star leap into the fray, and heard Latias's angry scream of protest.
Her coat sparked anxiously, not wanting to join, but not wanting to leave at the same time… but she still felt guilty about just standing there. Tears filled her eyes. It couldn't be like last time. It couldn't. Please Arceus…
But then she remembered something Absol had said to her, just before he leaped into the waters. She hadn't believed him then, and she'd thought she'd never heard what she did. But now, his words seemed more than ever true:
"Arceus has abandoned us!" he sneered. "All of them, Authorities, the Center—they all claim Arceus watches over us, protects us! But they're wrong! He left us to rot in the Games! The day I follow the path of Arceus is the day Leader and the Authorities step down and die!"
Yes. She'd thought it'd been a trick of the wind, that he'd never really said that… but now she clearly remembered every detail. Was it possible she just couldn't accept it until now? Or maybe he was just so upset at the loss of Leafeon…
"Manectric, what are you doing?" Star yelled, and with a start, Manectric noticed Ellie had fallen unconscious and Star was holding Latias back with a Fire Spin. "Get Ellie! The tunnels should be close!"
Manectric stepped towards them, forcing her legs to stop shaking. Why? After all these years… she was still afraid. Manectric grabbed Ellie by the scruff of her neck and swung her onto her back, running before Latias could have another chance to attack.
"The tunnels…" Ellie breathed, her voice weak. Manectric felt weak with relief, but kept running.
She rounded a corner, saw the flash of the screen barrier, and dashed to it. She skipped to a halt, and Ellie rolled off her back, trying to get to the Barrier, her paws clawing desperately for contact, but to no avail. Heart pounding, Manectric set her own paw firmly against the screen, praying that what Ellie had said was true, but a powerful blast of psychic energy hit her square on the back, and she slipped, her body hitting the screen hard. Manectric whirled around, and a thin projectile made of even more psychic energy hit the place where Manectric's neck had just been. Her eyes widened in horror as Latias flew into view, Star limp in her grip. Ellie let out a moan of agony as her friend fell from the Eon Pokémon's grip and tumbled on the broken ground.
Latias had a look of pure fury on her face, and she screamed, "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! ALL OF YOU!"
"N-No, Latias—," Manectric tried. The lower half of her body felt paralyzed, but the Barrier… it was so close… She stretched out her paw towards it, trying to make contact like Ellie had been earlier. The paralysis was wearing off. "Ellie, do you think you can get to Star and force him into the tunnel? Then follow?"
She looked reproachful and glowered angrily at Manectric. "Yes, of course I can—But that could hurt him! Do you think I would really—?"
"Would it kill him?" Manectric shot back, her eyes shooting back and forth between Ellie and Latias, who was charging up a much larger ball of energy that was glowing faintly with white mist. "Because if you can't, we're all dead!"
Ellie bit her lip, but struggled to her feet, defeat evident in her eyes, and stumbled over to Star, weak on one leg. "Fine," she said bitterly.
Manectric lunged towards the barrier, striking it with one paw, and felt loud pounding in her ears as the Barrier flashed and dissipated into nothing. "Now!" Manectric cried, but Ellie didn't throw Star yet. She pressed her forehead against his, whispering something, then grabbed his scruff in her teeth with difficulty, and tossed him into Manectric, sending them both into the tunnels just as the blast from Latias struck where Manectric had just been standing. Annoyance mixed with the fear she was feeling. Did Ellie hit her on purpose? But at the same time, that had just saved Manectric's life. She tumbled into the tunnel, landing awkwardly on her side in pain.
Latias screamed in fury, angered that her powerful attack had missed, and began to fly full speed towards the tunnel entrance.
"Ellie, get over here!" Manectric yelled, willing her to run faster. Smoke and dust swirled over the tunnel entrance, obscuring her vision, and she squinted through to try and see the Eevee. Then there was a silver flash, and Ellie crashed into the tunnel next to Manectric, coughing, her eyes dark and heavy with exhaustion. The Barrier resealed itself, and a split second later, Latias crashed into it, crying out in pain as her speed backfired, rebounding the strength she'd used to fly faster, and she fell back, anger and pain, as well as deep remorse in her eyes. One of her arms hung limp at her side from her collision.
"You'll never get away with this!" Latias cried, her voice trembling. She shot more psychic blasts at the Barrier, but even as it flashed dangerously, it never broke. "Arceus help me, I will hunt you down, all of you, and kill you as you have killed my brother!"
The words were fuzzy in Manectric's mind, and as she blearily watched the enraged Latias fly off, she felt her eyes grow heavy, and her vision swayed as she crashed to the ground by her two companions.
A/N- Been a while since I left off on a chapter with a character blacking out. Last time I did was... two, three years back? I dunno, seems a little cliched. Then again, it's kinda reasonable in my opinion.
More action, murder and destruction ahead! Then again, you should be expecting that by now.
So, thoughts?