Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I only own the characters and story, unless otherwise stated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Update: Due to a small change in plans, this chapter, which was originally supposed to be split in two, has been fused into one. Please, nonetheless, enjoy this chapter. If you wish to see more tournaments, please inform me. Thank you, and enjoy your read.
Kira yawned loudly as she walked across the pitch black ground of the stadium. By now, the sun had risen to its highest point, heating up the world to the point where it was possible to see little heat waves. Kira didn't mind, as it helped her focus a little more on the battle than on the roaring crowd. This would be her first ever opponent, and she felt so excited to be able to fight for both Duke and Sage, as well as herself.
Her first opponent was a blue-furred canine with black ears, two bone-like bumps on the back of its hands, black fur on its legs and torso, and an odd mask that made it look like some sort of bandit. The Pokémon was called Riolu, an Emanation Pokémon according to the referee. It looked rather powerful, especially with that smug look on its face, but Kira knew she could at least put up a fight before stopping. Riolu weren't all that powerful, even if they were given the reputation for being so.
"If both sides are ready, please raise your hands!" the referee, Zorua, cried out, to which they both then did. "Round one of the Intermediate section will take place between Kira of Esperanza Village and Lucas of Fissure Forest. At the sound of the whistle, the battle will begin! Push past your limits and let's see who comes out on top!"
Kira took a deep breath before holding it while waiting for the whistle to sound out. Upon it echoing to her ears, she took off, an explosion following where she had been mere moments before. She had been caught off guard by that, but she knew what it was from. She turned just as a powerful sphere of orange energy flew past her head, barely missing her face.
'He's fast, but he sure has low accuracy,' Kira thought as she started to move in a circle, closing in on Lucas. 'If I take a hit from him, I doubt I'll be able to even get up after it. He's acting so calm, and yet I can tell he's just waiting for something. Nonetheless, what's the point of fighting if you're scared?"
Kira heard a light chuckle before hearing a footstep behind her. She quickly spun, using her right foot to flip herself over as she unleashed Vine whip, which slammed into Lucas' chest and pushed her into the ground. She used them to correct herself, landing on her feet once again. This was an amazing practice round for sure! The adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her a rush she had never experienced before. It was almost like she had been destined to fight!
"You're quite fast for a little snake," Lucas chuckled as he landed, whipping dust off his fur. "But reaction and response time isn't what you'll need if you want to beat me. This battle will go on until one of us is knocked out or surrenders. So, if you want to win, well, just try me."
"That was only just my first attack," Kira reminded him as she stood proudly, smirking lightly as he growled at her boldness. "So, let us continue this song and dance, shall we? I hope you aren't already thinking of quitting."
Lucas smirked before rocketing forward, a silver streak following close behind as he did so. Kira reacted like she had during the Skarmory battle, then jumping up and wrapping her vines around his shoulders. He wasn't as fast, so he wasn't as likely to be hurt as much as she'd have liked, but she then pushed down, forcing him to slam into the ground by the hands of his own attack.
She landed as he stood, chuckling to herself as she noticed rage in his eyes. He had already given away two of his attacks, and here she was just playing with him. Then again, she knew she wouldn't be able to do much against him with her own attacks. She'd have to wear him down by using her own attacks as counters to make him hurt himself. If she could keep that up, he'd eventually give up, hopefully.
Kira shook her head and quickly shot forward, leaning forward before slamming into Lucas before he could properly stand once more. They were both sent to ground, him from her attack and her from some sort of counter-attack he had likely launched at the last second. They both stopped after a moment, then standing and facing each other.
"I've never felt such anger and adrenaline coursing through me, even when my father was pushing me to break my limits!" Lucas snarled, a blue sphere beginning to form in his paws. "Because you're only a Snivy! You're kind are pathetic compared to us! You were wiped out for that reason, and I'll make sure your kind never come back after this!"
Kira sighed and clenched her fist. His anger was reaching her, but she could remain calm through the overwhelming amounts of hatred. "I don't care," she responded as she focused energy into her tail, recalling some training from earlier this morning. "If I were as weak as them, then I would have died before defeating my first Infected. Maybe you should check your facts before you point something out."
Lucas snarled, slamming the spheres between his paws together. There was a moment of hesitation before he threw it at her, rage filling him as she simply side-stepped the attack, which then slammed into the wall. That was the first time his Aura Sphere had missed its intended target, which filled him with even more rage.
Kira knew she couldn't keep playing for very long, then rushed forward. "Watch where you're aiming next time," she whispered under her breath as she appeared beneath him. She dug her foot into the ground, which then allowed her to turn and kick up, slamming her hardened tail into Lucas and sent him straight into the air. "Game over."
Lucas landed with a loud thud. After a few moments, a loud whistle rang throughout the sky, followed by cheers from almost every single Pokémon in the stadium. Kira collapsed to her hands and knees, gasping for air she didn't even realize she had lost. The battle felt like it had last hours, even though it was really only about fifteen minutes at the most. Geez, adrenaline really made time seem to fly by!
As Kira was leaving the arena, she was met by Duke at the exit. She sighed lightly, rubbing the back of her neck before chuckling. "I guess I won my first match!" she began. "I know I shouldn't be bragging, but I feel like I get to because of how fun that was! I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, Duke. I know you want to go home, but I-"
Duke raised a wing, silencing her with a shake of his head. "I don't want to return to the forest," he told her as he lowered his wing, turning and hopping away. "This is all about you, Kira. I'm just here to make sure you don't die before you save your world. Just... don't lose the next round, okay? You have some time before your next match, so go get your wounds checked." He then left, leaving her both stunned and embarrassed.
"Well, that was an odd chat between two friends," Zorua sighed as she sat beside Kira. "Your battle was a weird one, even I must say. I've never seen Lucas become so angry that he almost knocked himself out. I'm glad you managed to land that Leaf blade before he broke any bones. He's stubborn, but, well, you know how he can react to being angered. By the way, how'd you dodge his Aura sphere? That attack never misses!"
"I... don't even know," Kira responded as she yawned loudly. "Listen, while I'd love to stay and chat with you, I really want to take a nap, Zorua. I have a while until my next battle, so healing up is all I really want to do, apart from taking a small nap anyways."
"Well, you can do those both in your room, young one," Zorua said, standing once more. "I better get back to my post. I expect to see you absolutely shred through this tournament. If you came alongside Sage, then you must be even more powerful than he's admitting. Prove me right, and I might just be able to get you something you might need~"
"... You're still a freaky fox," Kira said before Zorua giggled and headed back to the arena. She let out a loud sigh and headed to the tent where she could relax for a little while. Inside, she was the only one to be there. "Perhaps the others want to watch the rest of the matches," she mumbled as she pushed her way into her room, shaking her head. "Well, might as well rest up. I wonder where that healer or whatever is."
The rest of the tournament passed in what seemed like no time at all. Kira defeated Sawyer the Lairon, Akiko the Minun and Akisa the Plusle, and Misimari the Malamar. Each of the battles had been an extremely lucky victory, especially her battle against that teaming Akiko and Akisa. At the moment, she was resting up in the tent, looking at the other Pokémon who had made it to the finals of her section, Nina the Rhydon. Kira knew she stood no chance against the bulkier and tougher Pokémon, but making it this far gave her a reason to suspect she could. Now that she thought about it, they'd been waiting her for quite a while. What was going on out there?
"So you're the newbie everyone's talking about in the stands?" Nina asked; Kira nodded in response. "You know, to see a Snivy competing in this tournament was always a dream of mine, but the year I enter is the year you decide to come out and challenge us. You know, seeing you battle has been enough for me, so I'll fight you with my full strength, Kira. I hope you do the same."
"I'd say I wouldn't try, but I've been putting my full power into each and every fight," Kira responded as she looked at the floor. Each battle had pushed her to her limit, although none of them had been like what Lucas had done to her. "I think Lucas was the one who set that limit to break. Not even my fight against Skarmory pushed me that far."
"Nonetheless, let's hope you don't get knocked out too early in." Nina stood and started to walk away, the ground quaking with her steps. "Why don't we go and watch the free-for-all battle between the Beginners? I heard they wanted to give us a break to rest before the finale, so they brought in the finalists and semi-finalists for an all-out duke."
Nina seemed pretty nice, so Kira nodded as she stood. She silently walked after the much larger Pokémon. While she had to admit that Nina terrified her, as long as they weren't battling, she didn't feel the need to fear her. But pushing that all aside, there was something a bit too familiar about Nina. Kira couldn't quite place her tongue on the familiarity, but she was sure it was probably something from her world. She shook her head and chased after Nina, who had pulled ahead while she was thinking.
At the stadium, Kira and Nina took seats near the exit. From there, she could see why it had taken so long for the Beginners to really even finish the match. There were several teamed Pokémon, including Gastly and Cubchoo, Pikachu and Riolu, Mime Jr. and Deino and Mienfoo, and Oshawott and Vulpix, as well as other solo Pokémon, such as Medicham, Arbok, and Kirlia. The arena had been practically destroyed by the Pokémon still standing, but Kira was unsure of how much longer this would last. Eventually, the Pokémon would need to leave and repairs would have to be made.
Kira shook her head and sighed lightly, leaning back to watch the battle alongside Nina. The battle itself reminded her of her battle against Lucas, although there were a lot more explosions and destructive waves of attacks. She thought she would have really only seen this during the higher rank matches, but it did seem likely this would happen with so many Pokémon on the field.
Kira suddenly shot up as the loudest explosion she had heard that day sounded out. Screams erupted as Pokémon began to rush from the seats and to the exit, some flying or digging their way out in an odd rush of fear. Kira stood and looked to the arena were a cloud of dust was beginning to thin. Her eyes widened as she saw silver wings through the dust, panic gripping her heart as she recognized the distinct look of those wings.
"PATHETIC!" a voice screamed as the dust was blown away in a flurry of wind. "I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO FIND SOME SORT OF RESISTANCE HERE, AND YET THIS IS WHAT I GET?! SQUAWK!"
Kira growled and used her vines to lift and pull herself into the stadium. She glared at the Skarmory before standing and chuckling. "So you're still looking for a challenge, huh, Skarmory? Well, here I am. Come and get me!" Kira smirked as she stood, ready for battle against the bird once more.
"You're still alive," it growled as it turned and faced her, spreading its wings wide. "I had thought that little storm I had sent after you would have been enough, but I guess not. Oh well. I might as well finish the job here."
Kira was a little worried by how calm it was, but she couldn't panic now out of all times. As Skarmory rocketed at her, she jumped up as she had during their last fight. She spun quickly, slamming her tail into Skarmory's head and knocking it to the ground. If it was expecting her to fight the same way she had a week ago, then it was badly mistaken.
As she landed, it stood and glared at her. "You're learning," it pointed out, screeching to the sky. "That's good. It makes my duty of turning you against all these PATHETIC Pokémon easier!" It screeched again before rocketing at her at a speed that almost shattered the sound barrier.
Kira barely had time to react, using her vines to grab its wings as it slammed into her. She screamed in pain, knowing it had broken more bones than last time. She dug her feet into the ground before using her vines to flip them over which slammed Skarmory and her into the ground at a speed almost as fast as sound.
"You're stronger than last time," Skarmory groaned, slowly standing as Kira pushed herself to her feet. "I was just holding back when we first met, but I get the feeling that letting loose will be so much more fun than turning to over to the Dark One."
"You'll have to kill me first," Kira groaned, only to collapse to her knees as pain coursed through her. Even the adrenaline in her veins wasn't enough to force the pain away, but she knew she could still fight. "Why do you do this, Skarmory? Why allow this Dark One to control you? Don't you like free will?"
Skarmory froze, a distinct look of fear shining through its eyes. Hurriedly, it shook its head, trying to throw away the thought that was distracting it. Using that as a distraction, Kira shot forward, her fist becoming encased in green as she punched Skarmory back; she could feel her strength come back as Skarmory skid across the ground.
"Mega drain," she pointed out, shaking her hand as bit of pain coursed through her. "While usually a special attack, Sage taught me how to alternate between physical and special moves. I wasn't really one for physical contact, but my move-set and stats push me to be more physical."
"Since when has that ever mattered?" a familiar voice chuckled behind her. She hurriedly turned, only to be knocked flying as someone punched her. "Your reaction time gets slower when you're talking, doesn't it? Well, might as well keep you talking."
As Kira landed, she used her vines to push herself to her feet and glare at the Pokémon that had teamed up with Skarmory. "Lucas!" she cried out in shock as she recognized the Riolu, only to notice a red aura around him. "So, you're an Infected as well, huh? Too bad that I now have to kick your butt alongside Skarmory's. I was hoping we could be friends."
Lucas chuckled as Skarmory landed beside him. Kira could tell that something here was off, but she didn't let that bother her. The two shot forward at breakneck paces, to which Kira then sighed.
To Kira, it felt like time had frozen. She took a deep breath as the heat of the moment came to her. She could feel her body pushing itself to heal from the previous hits, but also to prepare itself for the next attack. However, Kira knew what she had to do. Whether she liked it or not, it was her only shot.
"I'm sorry," she told herself as she jumped up. She glanced at them once before her vines shot forward, pushing their necks and slamming them into the ground. A sickening crunch from both Pokémon sounded out as they hit. "Arceus, don't make me do this again. I'm already in too far. I don't want to like this."
Kira landed with a thud, hitting the ground due to her failure to really care about hurting herself or not. Lucas and Skarmory didn't stand again, and the sound of footsteps slowly reached her ears. Kira sat up as a shadow stood over her. She turned and looked at Kiminari, tears forming at the edges of her eyes.
"There was nothing you could do otherwise," he reminded her as he walked past, looking at the bodies that had once been breathing. "Infected can pass on their powers through an exchange of blood or DNA. Lucas has been acting strange since last year, as well. I should have seen this coming when he exchanged attacks with Lairon... I'm sorry."
Kira slowly stood, wiping away her tears before she shook her head. "It's my fault as well. I didn't alert you that Lucas was acting violent beyond normal. I was told that he was just stubborn, and I thought that was what had happened to him. It's my fault this happened! It's no one else's."
"Actually, you shouldn't put the blame on anyone but this Dark One," Duke screeched as he hopped over to them. "I heard what Skarmory told you, Kira. I have reason to suspect that the Dark One is the one we're chasing down!"
"Necrozma?" Kira laughed lightly, only to flinch as the aftermath of the battle reached her. "C-can we talk about this later, please? My body hurts beyond hell at the moment. I think I might lose my insides if we keep talking about all this stuff."
Duke nodded, setting a wing on her back as her body began to heal at an exceptional rate, filling her with pain, but also the feeling that she would be just fine. The battle still rung in her ears, and the faint looks of glee as the two Pokémon had lunged at her filled her with terror. She wondered what other Pokémon around her were possibly Infected, but she didn't let that bother her for long. As much as she wanted to focus on them, her mind told her to focus on healing, which she eventually began to do.
After several hours of rest and conversation, the tournament was up and running again. The crowd had been severely thinned out, mainly due to the attack, but at least the stadium was filled with over half the Pokémon that had been there before. It wasn't loud, nor was it very special, but to see that some Pokémon had gotten over the attack rather quickly made Kira feel that interfering with the two Infected had been rather worth it.
At the moment, Kira was awaiting the arrival of Nina, who had taken off as soon as Skarmory had made its appearance. Kira hadn't known that Nina would be so scared of the bird, but she was sure Nina had her reasons. Shaking her head, Kira yawned and stretched widely, listening to the familiar chirps of bird Pokémon and the excited chatter of the crowd above her. It was pleasing to hear, and she hope Nina would agree.
As Nina stepped onto the field, the roar of the crowd became louder than before, echoing to the sky in a fashion Kira could only describe as energetic. The two walked up to each other, shaking hands before chuckling lightly to each other.
"Just because you defeated those two without any problem is no reason for you to hold back against me," Nina said, fear evident in her voice. "In fact, it means you should only try harder to win. I won't be holding back just because of what you did."
"I agree," Kira responded as she pulled her hand away, clenching her fist. "I expect the best from you, Nina. You made it this far, so give me a reason to continue training on the journey that I've been pushed through."
Nina nodded in response, before they then moved their separate directions to the opposite side of the field. Kira could hear the chants of the Pokémon telling her to fight and give them a show, and that was what she was going to give them. As much as she was happy with where she was, this was no reason to hold back and lose it all. She had to do this for herself. For Duke. For her world.
A whistle sounded out, signaling the beginning of the battle. Kira took off as quick as she could, which, while slower than Skarmory, was rather quick for a Pokémon like her. She reached Nina in an instant, turning and slamming her hardened tail into the Rhydon before using the force being pushed back (Newton's Third Law) to kick herself away before Nina could get a hit in.
"You're fast," Nina chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the attack. "I wish you would try harder, Kira. I know you can do so much more when you put your back into it!" Nina growled and slammed her fist into the ground, stones quickly rocketing up and towards Kira. "Stone Edge!"
Kira yipped as the stones slammed into her, sending her high into the air. She looked down, panicking as she realized she was well above the stadium by this point. Rhydon's attack, while it hadn't broken any of her bones, had been incredibly powerful! She could barely get any air due to having been winded by the single stone that hit her.
"Well, here goes nothing," Kira whispered as she began to fall back to the ground. She felt as her tail hardened once more, before looking down and noticing the ground. "Meteor strike!" she screamed as she turned, slamming her tail into the ground right before she hit.
Kira could feel as the ground suddenly caved in, forming a large crater around where she had landed. Most of the stadium had been brought into the crater, but at least the stands were completely untouched by the attack. She slowly stood, looking up to Nina, who had been thrown off-balance by the sudden change in environment.
"How was that?" Kira chuckled, catching her breath from the attack and fall. It had taken quite a lot from her, even if it wasn't a normal attack. "Your attacks can be used against you, Nina. I just want you to know I have enough strength to keep doing this over and over and over."
Nina chuckled lightly as she finally got a foothold. She slammed her foot into the ground, which sent shockwaves through the ground, making Kira stumble. "Yeah, I know you can, Kira. I was hoping you wouldn't fall from one of my weaker attacks, so I guess I can go all-out without hurting you too much."
Kira looked at her confused before she noticed the drill on Nina's head beginning to spin. She had a faint idea of what that would do to her, and she was more than terrified of being struck by such an attack. Nina then began to charge, lowering her head to slam into Kira.
"I won't allow it," Kira whispered as she quickly jumped, a tactic she was getting used to. "I may not be able to do to you what I did to the Infected, but I can more than knock you out with this." Her vines suddenly reached out, grabbing Nina's shoulders before Kira used them to drag herself on top of Nina. "Leaf blade," she whispered slamming down onto Nina with a force she had experienced only once before.
As Kira hit the ground, she was aware of one thing: darkness. Her vision had grown dark, and her body was struggling to even move. She could feel the earth shaking, and slowly closed her eyes. She felt as she was picked up, only to then hit the ground again as whoever was holding her sighed.
"I thought you'd have put up more of a fight, but I see now you're more dependent on your opponent being faster than you," Nina's voice echoed as the crowd began to cheer. "You put up a cute struggle, but it was nonetheless futile. But don't worry. Be proud you even put up a fight against a champion of the highest level."
Kira slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Nina, who was waving to the crowd in pride. Kira knew she stood no chance, but it hurt her pride to hear that her fight was useless. She forced herself to her feet, even through the excruciating pain it took to move. She noticed Nina looking at her, to which she then chuckled.
"It's not over until I black out," Kira growled as she clenched her fist. "It doesn't matter what you say or do. I'm gonna beat you straight to Hell! And whether you think I can or can't, I'll show you I'm no pushover!"
Nina looked at Kira worried before then being sent flying as Kira spun and slammed her tail into the Rhydon's chest. Both of them flinched as they came to a stop, glaring at each other in anger. They suddenly shot at each other, only for Kira to appear behind Nina and slam her into the ground. She could feel rage and energy coursing through her, pushing her well beyond the limits she had when she was above this state.
"Ability: Overgrow," Sage had told her before the tournament had begun. "When your hit-points are low, your body will do whatever it must to get you out of that situation alive, even if it hurts you. Just be glad you're so young. The more you use it, the more you'll learn to control it. Just be careful, okay? You may be more powerful, but you're still low on how many hits you can hit."
Kira raised her head and clenched her fist. "Even if I'm low on hit-points, I have an attack that I can use to recover it. Mega drain!" She punched Nina as hard as she could, which sent them both flying away from each other.
Kira gasped as she regained her senses, rolling on the ground and pushing herself to her feet hurriedly. She could hear gasps of shock coming from the crowd, but Kira wasn't exactly sure why. She then saw Nina lying in the crater, unmoving. Kira felt fear course through her, up until the point that Nina had clenched her fist and forced herself up.
Kira, having expected another attack, tensed to continue the battle, only to notice Nina was dazed. Nina raised a hand before she then collapsed, falling unconscious in front of the shocked crowd of Pokémon.
"And that's it!" Kiminari cried out, shock and fear gripping his voice. "Nina is no longer able to battle, meaning that Kira has taken the crown for the Intermediate section of out tournament! Everyone, let's hear it for our new champion!"
Kira panted heavily as cries rang out from the Pokémon around her. She smiled faintly before she collapsed to the ground, holding a hand over her gut. She felt sick to her stomach from the victory, but she knew it wasn't her fault that it had happened. Nina had gotten cocky before making sure Kira was unconscious, which allowed her to get the chance to win. Then again, how had she even been knocked back? She shook her head as she felt a familiar arm around her waist.
"You did it!" Sage cried out as he spun, shaking quite a lot out of her. "You managed to defeat Nina and take the crown, Kira! That's amazing to see from a beginner!" He laughed happily before he raised her up. "You fucked her up real good, ya see?"
"Thanks, Sage," she chuckled as she looked down at him and the few Pokémon who had come down to congratulate her. She then felt as Sage set her down, rubbing her head once more. "It's only because of you that I managed to even create a strategy to defeat her. And I guess it's because she got cocky that I managed to even knock her down. She gets really prideful with the opponent on the ground."
"Well, she is the leader of Team Ex," Kiminari said as he focused on her. "She and her team absolutely obliterated in the team battles last year, and she often participates in the Intermediate Tournament to find suitable Pokémon for her team. However, with how you kicked her down, I think she might make you a rival to beat instead of a teammate. With that said, it's time for you to receive your prize: a wish from our very special guest, Jirachi."
"Is it really that time again?" a voice yawned within their heads. "I know it's your annual tournament and all, but why must I leave Star Cave just to answer the few wishes of a couple lucky Pokémon. None of them ask for anything special, anyways. Just stuff about being famous and rich and junk."
"I hate how that's immediately assumed about someone who's world is gonna die if she doesn't find the Pokémon responsible for taking away its life," Kira mumbled under her breath, knowing that the Pokémon that had been in her head had heard her. "I mean, seriously! I'm trying to save a world here and you're assuming that kind of stuff!"
"I don't like your attitude!" A puff of smoke obscured their vision as Jirachi, a star-shaped Pokémon with a yellow/white body and odd tags hanging from each of the points, appeared. "I can tell you aren't lying, but did you really have to say it like that, Kira? You're just lucky you won that match!"
"Or so I've been thinking to myself," Kira responded, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry about insulting you, Jirachi, but you just assumed that wanted to make a wish about money or something. All I want is to know where to find Necrozma - my Necrozma - and have time to fight him to save my world."
Everyone fell silent as she stopped talking. Kira knew this would happen, and yet she had said it anyways. She lowered her head in shame, holding it in her hands so to avoid the gaze of the many Pokémon around her. She knew she was making a mistake the moment she had said anything about it to Jirachi, but she hadn't expected it to lead to this of all things.
After a long moment of silence, Jirachi moved forward and placed a hand upon Kira's head. "While I may not be able to directly grant your wish, I will give you the knowledge of the one who stole away your light. Necrozma, a Pokémon who can steal light and bend it to his will, resides upon the tallest tower in the Hall of Legendries. To reach him, you will have to battle your way through the zones of Steel, Ghost, and Psychic Pokémon. Only upon defeating them will you be able to reach him. He is waiting, keeping your world in unending stasis until you arrive, so be sure you are ready to face him before challenging his full strength. You will find more upon your journey ahead, but for now, that is all I can tell you. Kira, save your world, even if you don't want to return home."
Kira pulled away as Jirachi stopped speaking, finding her breathing to be heavy and her heartbeat to be quick. It was like a rush of adrenaline rocking her body, but she knew there was no adrenaline pumping through her. As she calmed down, she looked up and nodded happily.
"Thank you, Jirachi," Kira whispered, joy filling her as she knew her world would survive through her journey to find Necrozma. "I'm grateful that everyone's pulled me this far to help save my world. And then there's you, Jirachi. Sorry about insulting you, anyways."
"You've already said it too many times," Jirachi mumbled, yawning loudly as it moved away from her. "Now, if you excuse me, I must take a very long nap while the last of those Expert Pokémon take on this tournament. In the meantime, you should probably go and rest. You're barely standing, even if your body heals faster than any Snivy I've ever seen before." Jirachi then disappeared into a puff of smoke, once again leaving them.
Kira sighed lightly as the Wish-maker Pokémon disappeared, then looked around to the Pokémon still staring at her. In a state of panic and fear, she turned and rushed away from them. She had been trying only to tell those who she trusted about her mission, but now everyone in Treasure Town knew her goal. She wondered where this would lead from here, but she badly didn't want to find out about it.
As Kira came to a stop, she became aware of where she had retreated to. She was on the edge of Sharpedo Bluff, a location well known for its view and odd shape. She sighed lightly and sat down, looking down at the water in shame for herself. As much as she wished she could tell them all that she hadn't meant it, lying just wasn't her style. She hurriedly shook her head and fell back, groaning loudly as she tried to think.
"You know, making sounds won't really help your cause for hiding," Sage chuckled as he walked up behind her. "I'm sorry that everyone had to hear that, especially since I know how hard you were trying to hide that from everyone. But, hey, it'll pass eventually. We had an Exploration Team from here not too long ago that defeated Dialga and Darkrai to save us, so it won't be too farfetched for them to believe you and want to help you." He looked down at her, then noticing tears. "Don't start crying now, Kira. We want to save as many people as possible in our lifetimes as well, ya know. We're just helping."
"I don't want your help!" Kira snapped, wiping away the tears and sitting up. "I want to save my world and smile knowing I did it with those I know and trust, Sage! I don't want the help of some random Pokémon I know next to nothing about! Why can't you see that, Sage? I don't need your help!"
Sage sighed lightly and moved away, turning and starting to walk away. Before he got out of earshot, he turned and looked at her. "You think you know so much about Pokémon, but you're just like the rest of us, Kira. Eventually, you'll find that even you need the help of the occasional passerby or stranger. That's how Duke started, right? That's how Swanna and that Lapras started, right? We're all strangers until you open up, Kira. You must understand that if you're ever gonna win a fight against anyone stronger than you."
"Screw you," Kira whispered, closing her eyes and wiping away even more tears. She didn't want to believe such things, even if they were true. She had managed to win her fights alone so far, so why couldn't she do so in the future. "Besides, it wasn't like I had much of a choice. I was scared, and he was the only one there for me. You'll never understand fear, Sage. You're so powerful, so what have you got to fear?"
No one responded to her question, which she knew would happen. She watched the waves of the ocean as they continued to slam into the wall. She knew she was being irrational, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone, alone to fight the one she had been sent to find and defeat. She lowered her head and glanced over the edge. Terror gripped her, but she couldn't let it hold her back. For now, she had to fight her way to the top. Perhaps there was a dojo somewhere in town; she could use the practice.
Input: Hello. If you are reading this, then it means you have finished Chapter 4: Tournament of Darkness. I hope this chapter will fill in for the excitement the last few left out. Also, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If you notice any errors, please inform me and I will fix them as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please ask me and I will try to explain them to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading.