I couldn't move. I stood frozen with the fear that I would have to move backwards, into the water, or risk getting burned. I held up my arms defensively but I never felt the burn. Slowly my eyes opened and Greninja, I saw, stood in its path, taking the burn meant for me.
"Greninja!" He looked at me, his eyes burning with the anticipation of battle. He wanted me to give him a command. This was the first time I felt something stir in my pocket. I took it out to see that it was the mega stone that Weavile gave to me. "Alright, I understand," I closed my hand around the blue marble-like stone. "Greninja, use Hydro pump!"
On the cliff I saw the Pyroar, I was all too familiar with it. Greninja looked more than pleased about a rematch and jumped into the air. The jump was so high, I was amazed but soon I snapped out of it and turned to Xerneas. "We're going to go to higher ground." I followed the trail back up. The whole forest looked like a forest of dead trees. Greninja's jump brought him to the top and he was dodging one of Pyroar's attacks. Behind Pyroar stood Lysandre and he held something wrapped in a pink blanket.
Greninja stopped dodging when Pyroar stopped attacking on Lysandre's command. "I see you and Greninja have become more of a team," Lysandre snickered. "But will it be enough?"
"What are you doing here, Lysandre? There's nothing for you here!"
This only made him laugh. "Isn't there, though? Because of your meddling this baby girl might not live very long."
I flinched back from his words.
He continued, "You drained enough of the fluid that kept her alive that my scientists couldn't undo what was done. She's only a few days old and already she's becoming weaker. If she dies it'll be blood on your hands."
I flinched again, the disappointment and horror I felt wash over me must've shown in my face as grief. I wasn't able to save her. I wasn't able to convince Xerneas to save her and now the forest here was dying, the pokemon that had been trapped in the toxic smog were choking still, the ones that escaped had no safe place to call home anymore. Scizor was still missing in the forest. Decidueye and Treecko were still trying to escort the pokemon to safety, or at least this was my hope. Greninja and I were here, though, and Yveltal wasn't awake yet.
The horror replaced itself with a hot anger that I've never felt before. The pulsing in my pocket grew stronger. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled it out. It was glowing, and the chain it was attached to reflected the colors brilliantly. "Okay, Greninja," I murmured. "Let's give it everything we've got. It's just you and me!"
"Pyroar, stop them with Dark Pulse!"
Pyroar obeyed its trainer, firing the blast from its mouth.
"Quick, dodge it!"
Greninja jumped high into the air. Everything seemed to slow so suddenly, I wondered for a moment if this was some move I didn't know about. Greninja was wrapped in a blinding light. Even Lysandre had to turn away for a moment but I stared in awe. When the stone stopped glowing, it appeared to shatter off Greninja. He looked different. On his back was a giant water shuriken, some parts of his face was black, his knees gleamed in the light like steel knee guards, and red rings wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Was this a mega evolution?
Lysandre snapped out of his daze before I could. I didn't hear him shout a command but Greninja must've. He acted without me having to tell him. "Greninja, use water pulse!" I yelled just as he released the bubbling water that he held in his hand. At that same time Pyroar let out what sounded like a loud screech but it was worse than that. I covered my ears to vainly block out the sound. It gave me such a headache that I felt sick. I fell to my knees and laid my head in the grass.
The forest is dying. I heard Arceus' voice in my head.
The forest is dying, I thought. Behind my eyelids I saw myself standing in front of Arceus. I looked down at my hands and then up at it.
I see now that you were not the cause of this, human. Arceus spoke through telepathy again. Again I was amazed. And for that I am sorry.
"Arceus, please help us. We need your help. The pokemon need your help."
Arceus nodded. I agree. Its eyes flashed a pink color. I felt my body stand but I didn't know what was going on. When I spoke I heard my voice but I heard Arceus' as well.
"I will warn you only once, leave this place," the voice said.
"What's going on?" I demanded of Arceus.
It is only a form of telepathy. I am using you as a medium, its voice sounded so calm and factual.
Lysandre, not knowing whom he was really speaking to, laughed. Only Greninja looked uneasy. "Do you think I'll give up so easily, Alessandra?"
"Very well," the voice spoke one last time before my body was released. Being released from telepathy like that made my body feel like jelly. My legs gave in and I suddenly felt very tired. Greninja caught my body, relieved that he had my presence back.
"I'm okay," I assured as he helped me up.
Lysandre shook his head and called Pyroar back. "Mienshao, use High Jump Kick!" Mienshao came from its pokeball and wasted no time in obeying.
Greninja picked me up and jumped back. I instinctively put my arms around his neck to feel a bit more stable. He set me down shortly after Mienshao stopped attacking.
"Greninja, water shuriken!" I forced out the command with as much power as I could muster, which wasn't much.
Greninja grabbed the shuriken on his back and flung it toward Mienshao. It connected with the pokemon but it wasn't the only shuriken Mienshao had to worry about. With each shuriken that was tossed another one formed. How it formed I still have no idea but it worked and that's all I needed to know.
Lysandre barked a command the same time I did.
"Use Acrobatics!"
"Greninja, use Hydro Pump!"
Mienshao was able to dodge but it went straight passed Greninja. What was Mienshao doing? Lysandre's mouth twitched upward in a pleased smirk. My eyes widened when I realized what his plan was but it was too late now. I could do nothing but brace myself. Everything slowed down, like in a dream when you try to run but you can't and you try to scream but no sound comes out, that's what this situation felt like.
It slammed into my belly, sending me flying back into a half dead tree. It tackled me again before I was ready for it, this time on my right side and it stood over me. The breath had been knocked out of my lungs. My head pounded painfully.
I stared at Greninja, his eyes wide with what looked like fear. Was it really fear? I didn't know. I smiled and nodded to let him know that I was okay. I was alive anyway. As if reading my mind, Greninja shot a Hydro Pump at the Mienshao.
Mienshao went down like a brick and it didn't get up. I, on the other hand, could finally move even though my chest felt like it was heavy and the breath hadn't quite returned yet. My arm lifted and wrapped around something warm, feathery, and familiar. Decidueye held me now, his eyes full of fire, like Greninja's.
"Where's Scizor?" I croaked.
Decidueye explained that Scizor was investigating something big that had just been set up in the forest. It was big, black, and a timer counted down from 10:30…this was 10 minutes ago.
"It's another bomb!" I yelled the realization.
Lysandre laughed. "Maybe not exactly not like the ones you've just witness. This one will be the biggest the world's ever seen."
As if waiting for some cue the rockets of the bomb echoed through the trees, scattering the pidgey that had remained for one reason or another. Decidueye wasn't exaggerating when he said it was big but maybe he under estimated the size of this bomb!
"We have to stop the bomb," I told Decidueye and Greninja, who only answered with puzzling looks. Even I didn't know how to stop the bomb.
A small, red, insect flew toward the bomb, however, and used hyper beam. I knew that pokemon to be Scizor. "Decidueye, I want you to make sure Treecko stays away."
Decidueye's eyes lowered, as if I were getting rid of them both.
"Hey, don't give me that look. We'll be fine. Promise." It was a false promise and we both knew it but Decidueye let go of me and ran the direction he knew the pokemon went.