Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I only own the characters and story, unless otherwise stated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Kira sighed as she docked with Jamie. The walk through Esperanza Village had been a rough one, and so she had come to Treasure Town a lot later than she had liked. Apparently, there had been some sort of eruption from a volcano near Killari, which had then forced Pokémon to the mainland in order to find shelter. While she hadn't minded enough to scream at them, she was kind of in a rush to save billions from eternal darkness/death.
Kira quickly shook her head and jumped from Jamie's shell, then turning to face the Lapras. "Thank you for agreeing to take me back before schedule," she told her, smiling lightly. "The fate of my world rests in how fast I can do this, so it's great to know some people still agree to assist even fools like me."
"You really shouldn't say things like that," Jamie responded, laughing as she shook her head. "You may be silly, and you may be in a rush, but you aren't a fool, Kira. You've done a lot more than some Pokémon can claim in their lives. You're still a child as well, so be proud. Besides, you shouldn't look back and wonder what could be better. Just look forward and see what you can do to make sure you get where you need to be. I'm behind you the entire way, Kira, even if someone says you're wrong."
"Thanks, but it's too early for encouraging words," Kira laughed. She then shook her head and looked towards her destination. "But nonetheless, thank you for everything, Jamie. You've been a great companion. I'm gonna miss you when this is all over."
"As will I." Jamie smiled and started to move back to the ocean. "I better get back to Esperanza Village now. I have a family I need to deliver to Lively Town before noon, and that's one long swim for a Lapras." As she turned away, she waved a flipper. "Goodbye, Kira. Maybe one day we can meet again. That is, if fate doesn't hate us."
Kira nodded and watched as Jamie once again left for her destination. She remained there for a while until she was finally bored and decided to head off to Mount Travail. Something about going there filled her with dread, but if Xatu really was one of the beasts that she would have to face in order to return home, then she was willing to do such a thing. No matter how bad it may have ended, she didn't want to give Necrozma the satisfaction of her world without even a struggle.
As she was traveling the trail to the mountain, a feeling of familiarity began to creep through her. This was the same place that she had accessed Ragnarök's power for the first ever time. And it was also the place she had received that feeling that she was being watched. She didn't know why, but those feelings began to creep through her as though they were new. Here, it felt like she had grown so much. From her first ever day with Xatu to now, she had become even more powerful than she could have ever dreamed.
"From here, it almost feels like a beginning is coming to a close, is it not?" Xatu's voice rang out, filling Kira with dread. Xatu simply chuckled, still not revealing himself to her eyes. "From the day I met you, your future had become cloudy, but I can now see why it was so. I await your arrival upon Mount Travail's peak. If you can reach me, then I will battle you with my full strength. I hope you do not hate me for my decision to take on the name of Guardian, Kira. In fact, I hope you can take from that training and show me a new creature. Come, Kira. Come and fight."
His message ended in a deep chuckle that sent a chill through Kira. She knew that this would have come, even if it wasn't her mission. He had called her to battle only once before, and it was the first time that they had ever met. She grit her teeth and began to hurry towards Mount Travail. The longer she thought and tried to think up a strategy, the more time Xatu had to look into her strategy.
"It's time to take down this bird," she hissed lightly, her eyes flashing red before returning to normal. "I'm trusting you, Ragnarök. This is where you began, and this is where we will end the same being who allowed me to access you. Let's do this together; only me and you, partner."
Kira smiled to herself as she heard a light chuckle within her head, grinning faintly as she picked up the pace. Before long, she arrived at the base of the mountain, but something about being here felt different from all those other times. Something about being here made her feel sick to her stomach, but she pushed past it and entered the main entrance. As sick as she felt, it was no excuse to quit. It was either lose both worlds, or find her way back to the one she had loved first and foremost.
Each step through the cavern tore at Kira's heart more and more until she felt like there was nothing left to fight forward for. No matter how much she reminded herself it was for her world and the lives of many, something kept dragging it away over and over again. Something about it was all too familiar, and so she closed her eyes, shutting out the physical world and entering the darkened state of her mind.
"I know you're here, Xatu," she whispered, her voice echoing in her own darkness. "You've done this to me too many times for me to not know your tricks anymore. You can try over and over again, but I'll be able to stop you even at your best."
Xatu smirked to himself as he moved from the darkness and to her vision. "Good, but I don't have to try to tear you apart." He raised a wing, revealing several feather-like blades under them. "I may be a mental projection, but I can still tear you apart. I just have to fight you from here, and you can't ever touch me, pathetic Snivy."
"How rude," a second voice chuckled. Xatu turned and faced the second Snivy that had formed. "Calling my host pathetic is like calling me and Leaf insignificant in her life. I wonder what you've done apart from starve her and try to kill her over and over again. But, well, it's not like it matters. This is a battle between you and me, Xatu. Kira doesn't even need to raise a finger in this world of hers."
Xatu was silent before he chuckled and shook his head. There was a moment of silence before he rushed forward. He lashed out to attack Ragnarök, but the red-eyes Snivy was already behind him, slamming down upon the psychic bird with a force Kira could never match without him or with her own special Meteor Strike.
Xatu groaned and slowly stood, looking around as a stadium began to form around them. To him, it looked like some sort of ring where people would wrestle, but why? Even if this place had anything, it should have matched up to the one who ruled its mind. How was it forming this when Kira was so sweet and nice to everyone? How was this violent place forming with how she was?
"Questioning the logic of your own statement, are you?" Ragnarök said, jumping from foot-to-foot from across the ring. "This body contains my personality as well, Xatu. I like to fight without bars, so of course I would be able to rule this part of the mind." Ragnarök then noticed that Xatu was sweating, almost as though having already been trying. "Are you really that scared? It's no wonder we came after you first! You're even more pathetic than Skarmory! How can you call yourself a Guardian if you can't stand up to one of the Flame Guard?"
"Flame... Guard?" Xatu asked, almost as though stumped by the words. Even with his vision, he couldn't see a single move that Kira or Ragnarök was planning, but why couldn't he? He knew everything about her, and yet her future and past were still dark and hidden from him. "How are you hiding so much information from me? Who are you?!"
Ragnarök simply shrugged and smirked evilly. "I'm the demon that filled every human and Pokémon in our universe with fear," he responded, his eyes becoming darker. "My name is Ragnarök, and I am the beast that will destroy the world bit by bit until nothing remains. I am the Norse event that all humans and gods fear! I am Death itself!"
Ragnarök then shot forward, slamming into Xatu with a force comparable to a nuclear warhead at terminal velocity (the highest possible speed while falling through liquid, often times air). Xatu let out a ear-piercing squawk as he was hit in the gut by a Leaf blade, which sent him flying.
"I can't see anything. He's... He's changing his path in the future too fast for me to even get a glimpse at him." Xatu's eyes widened in fear as he then slammed into the ground. The sound of shattering bones then followed. Even in this battle of the mind, Xatu could feel pain tearing through him every bit of the way. "Why? How are you so powerful? How can I not predict your moves?"
"Because I have no future here," Ragnarök whispered in Xatu's ear. He simply smirked and grabbed the bird's throat, lifting it up to where he was using his tail as the only counterweight. "I already happened, Xatu. I was never meant to come to life and live the life I did. But because Kira needed friends and someone who could care for her, I was brought back to life. But now, if I kill you here, I'll be free and Kira will be stronger than before." He smirked as his grip began to tighten. "I thought a Guardian would be stronger, but I guess not. You're as pathetic as I was before I woke up and killed the gods. Maybe you should try and wake up too."
Xatu growled as the pressure began to get to him. His vision started to become dark, but he wouldn't allow himself to be defeated quite so easily. As his vision went dark, Fear rushed through him, forcing Ragnarök to let go and back off as the powerful "Flame" began to consume Xatu. Xatu hit the ground with a thud, his head lowered until the Fear had started to lower itself. He then raise a head, his eyes a golden color and feathers darker than in his previous form.
"Now you've really ticked me off," Xatu hissed, his tone sour and full of hatred. "I'll show you why I'm a Guardian, Ragnarök. I'll show you why Fear is stronger than Flame ever will be. I'll kill you, and then I'll strangle Kira with your own hands." Xatu suddenly moved to the side as rocks shot up from the ground beneath him.
"What a loudmouth," Ragnarök yawned, fanning over his mouth as his Flame suddenly erupted, consuming the stadium as well as most of the surrounding area in the powerful aura. "You think your Fear can consume my Flame? Xatu, I am an event that murdered beings even stronger than a million Arceus at once. I'm pretty sure I've experienced more Fear than you can ever hold. Actually, I've already seen through your façade." Ragnarök chuckled and looked at Xatu before licking his lips. "You're scared of seeing someone who's mentality is stronger than your own, so you try and weaken them before eliminating them. I guess you failed, though. Kira is already awake, and I have full access to my Flames now."
Xatu growled as his Fear began to expand, but it could never match Ragnarök's. Even at their full blast, Ragnarök was still yawning and putting no effort into his own Flame. Xatu knew that Ragnarök was telling the truth as well, but why would he want to believe that he was so weak? That a spirit that was dead could beat him? He didn't want to accept it, and yet he knew he stood no chance against the beast.
As he was debating stopping at all, pain tore across his chest and back. His eyes widened as the feeling of blood dripping down both sides and from his mouth reached his senses. He looked down and noticed several long marks across his chest, but... How could they have been caused from within this place? Sure he may have been able to die here, but none of these injuries should have been real, right?
"Looks like you're suffering from my own mental powers," Ragnarök said, making Xatu look at him. "You know, I'm not just a mental figure either, Xatu. I have a way into the real world, and, while I may not do so very often, I am more than capable of murdering whatever stands in the way of my goals. So now, I recommend you just surrender whatever key it is we need to Kira before I take it from you myself."
"The key... can only be torn from my dead body," Xatu hissed, collapsing to his knees in pain and holding a wing to his chest. "I... I didn't think I'd ever lose, and so I shoved the Promise all the way into my spirit, which would become free and leave upon death. I... I... You'll have to kill me before you can have my key."
"I can work with that." Ragnarök smirked and walked over, grabbing the bird's neck and beginning to squeeze. As he squeezed, he could see a bright light leaving Xatu's body - the key! "This is that Promise you hide, huh? Too bad a life had to be lost for it." He shrugged before a crack sounded out and Xatu went limp. "Burn in Hell, forbidden Guardian."
As the light began to float around, Kira walked up from behind Ragnarök. He turned and faced her, giving her a thumbs up with his bloody hand. She reacted to it calmly, almost as though she knew he was going to do it from the beginning. It was still likely due to the adrenaline that she was acting so calm, but Ragnarök knew she would begin to panic in realization soon enough. That was when he kicked her from the darkness and back to the waking world. Back to the cave where she had forced herself to pass out in.
Upon waking up, Kira was met with the familiar face of Sage, who was holding an odd ball of what seemed to be pure light in his hands. She quickly stood, looking at his bloody claws with fear, but calmed as she realized they reeked of barbeque sauce.
"I believe this orb thing belongs to you," Sage grunted, lobbing it to her. She fumbled to catch it before then doing so. "I found it at the top of the mountain where Xatu used to live. That bird's gone now, so I think he might have left this behind for you in case you came after him or something. I don't know. There's no letter up there or anything. Just a few feathers and mostly missing possessions he had hidden behind some rocks."
"R-right," Kira responded, looking at the orb before tilting her head. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, but now was not the time to worry about it. "Say, Sage. You're a great explorer and all, but do you know of any insanely powerful Pokémon near some place known as Sky Tower? Or somewhere in a cave that stretches to the mantle? It's really important that I find them. They're my keys to returning home."
"If I did, then they would have been destroyed and cut into bits by now," Sage responded, flexing his claws as he turned away. "But I can look into caves for you if it'll really make you happy. I don't need anyone messing up my career, so getting you out of here would be best for all of us." As he was starting to walk away, Kira grabbed his arm with her vines.
"Sage, I don't know how to tell you this without letting you down or without you wanting to kill me," she whispered, lowing her head. "You know, when I go home... When I go back to where I came from... this world... This world will-"
"I already know," Sage said, pulling from her weak grip. "This world will die when you go back home, Kira. It was written on the walls of fate, which have always come true in the past. I'm not sure if it's true or not this time, but don't bother saving this world. We'll come back eventually, just like Aaron did. He was thought dead, but then he suddenly came back. We'll find a way to live on, even if not here. Kira, go back home to the human realm. Don't worry about something you can find back in your own realm."
Kira wasn't sure why, but his words brought tears to her eyes. She rushed forward, hugging him tightly and feeling an odd warmth coming from him as he held her back. It was silent, but Kira could feel as he wished her luck, almost as though he was wanting her to succeed and return home. No matter what, her decision had finally been solidified. She was going to return home and live the life she had been given first and before this all.
"I don't see why you would ever want to stay here anyways," Sage said as he then pulled from the hug. For the first time, she saw him smiling in sympathy and what seemed to be joy. "You're a human, not a Snivy. You were meant to save your world, not live in this world as this creature. Besides, you don't have anything here to look forward to. It gets repetitive after a while." As he was speaking, a clawed hand pulled the black opal from around her neck. "As for this? It's worthless now." He then crushed the gem, filling Kira with a sense of dread. "After all, it held back Ragnarök's full power, didn't it? Maybe it's best the royal family dies out anyways. Pokémon don't need to be in castles filled with gold. That's what Duke told me anyways."
Kira nodded lightly and rubbed the back of her neck, lowering her head as she tried to make sense of this all. So this was the first step to her returning home, right? If this was what it took, and if this was all she needed to do to get to Necrozma, then she was willing to do whatever. Even as Sage had said it, this world held nothing for her but a life she had never been meant for. Maybe... Maybe this was what was best. She smiled and chuckled as she turned and looked to the exit, the faint light of sunrise reaching it.
"It's only just begun," she whispered, clenching her fist as the orb began to crack and flow into her body. "I'm coming for you, Necrozma. I won't quit until I've finally won!"
Necrozma smirked as he looked down at the dark Espeon below him. This Pokémon had come to him, looking for some sort of adventure, and so that was what Necrozma had given him. But now, things were starting to kick off for their armies. The Western Guardian had fallen some time before, and they both knew the time for invasion was soon. There was only one problem.
"Without the Western Guardian, I don't believe we'll be successful in eradicating that filthy pest," Kyofu snarled, the smell of rotten flesh on his breath as his blood-red eyes glared at Necrozma. "The Eastern and Northern Guardians are panicked enough with how fast Xatu fell, and they're trying to set up their own defenses against Kira and her group of freaks. I don't care what it takes, Necrozma. I'm going there whether you like it or not."
"Listen to me, Kyofu," Necrozma whispered, his eyes glancing around before closing. "I agree that you should go, but I don't want to leave the castle unprotected and open to Kira once she finds out how to access the Promise's full power. Every shard she gets brings her closer and closer, and I know that she'll be here sooner than we could ever expect her to be. For now, infect as many Pokémon as possible, but when the second Guardian falls, immediately retreat and come back here, Kyofu."
Kyofu was silent before he licked his lips and shook his head. "Nah. I think I'll do things my own way." He smirked and took a few steps forward, which greatly confused Necrozma. "I know you're scared of her, Necrozma, so I'll just be taking that throne for myself."
Necrozma stood, only to collapse to his knees as blood began to flow from a wound that had suddenly formed in his gut. He looked down, panic surfacing as he realized what Kyofu was doing. He... Why was he doing this now of all times?
"I would say I'm sorry, but fools like you don't deserve sympathy," Kyofu whispered, the walls becoming cracked and the roof starting to collapse around them. "When Kira gets the third key, I'll kill her myself. After all, I can't die. We all know Shinko failed because she was scared of harming her pathetic partner, so I'm sure Kira won't be any harder to take down. Kira'll be scared of destroying the world, so I'll take great care of this world." He licked his lips and began to walk away. "Now sit there and bleed as the walls fall in on you, monster."
Necrozma growled and closed his eyes. If this was his end, then what was the point? Light began to escape his body and form into three separate orbs. "Kira, I regret nothing but the fact that I didn't try harder to make this challenging for you." One of the orbs then faded, while the other two rocketed away. "With the last bits of my power, find the final two Promises and save your world. Don't let Kyofu win this... Please. That monster can't be allowed to win this war."
Necrozma then closed his eyes, smiling faintly as darkness consumed him, the sound of crashing rocks filling his head as everything began to fade away. He wished to have foreseen this, but it was always his own greed and lust for power that had blinded him from the power of others. Now, he was at the end, but it was only the beginning of a new world. A beginning... that would be decided by a battle soon enough.
Input: Hello. If you are reading this, then it means you have finished Chapter 11: Dawn. Well, I guess Kyofu's alive and ready to kill, but Kira and her friends have grown stronger, right? We'll see in the future. 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.