Chapter Twenty Nine – Dialga in Hia Valley!?

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

"N'aaagh!" Alexa screamed as she held her head with both hands and closed her eyes tightly. She, Wendy , Ryder and Staraptor were high up in the Almia Castle, allegedly confronting something. Wendy and Ryder faced Alexa with concern.
"Alexa, what's wrong?" Wendy asked.
"Can't…can't face it!" Alexa cried.

A young blonde girl and a Prussian blue Riolu looked up at two large silhouettes in horror. The bipedal silhouette, Palkia roared furiously. The quadruped silhouette raised its head, revealing its identity; Dialga. Dialga roared wrathfully as it lifted its head.

"I-I just can't!" Alexa cried.
"Come on, Alexa, we have to!" Wendy said worriedly. "Otherwise, it'll-"
"Distort time, I know that, Wendy, but I can't face it!" Alexa yelled.
"It's not like you to be so frightened, Alexa! Come on, you can do this," Wendy encouraged.

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

Alexa winced in terror upon hearing Dialga's agonised roar, but Ryder, Wendy and Staraptor looked towards the Dialga in confusion; Dialga had a large cut on its front left leg, which was bleeding.
"Dialga? What's it-"

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

"Uh oh! I-I think it's-"

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

Dialga, out of agony, fired an indigo beam at Alexa and Wendy. Ryder and Staraptor moved in front of Alexa and Wendy, respectively, to protect them from the dangerous attack.

BOOM!

…

…

…

Alex? Alex! Come on, girl, wake up!

Alexa moaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. She gradually sat up, and found herself on top of a plush bed. She looked around, and found herself in a virtually bare bedroom of sorts.
"Hey, w-where are we?" she asked in confusion.
I dunno, but this is where we ended up, Ryder shrugged. Alexa spotted a large bruise on Ryder's left hip.
"Y-you're hurt…" Ryder looked down at his bruise before he smiled back at Alexa.
Oh, don't worry about it; Steel type Pokémon are resistant to Dragon type attacks, he said cheerfully. He soon frowned. Kinda worried about Staraptor, though.
"Ryder, what happened?" Alexa asked, with fear hinted in her voice. Ryder's ears dropped as he looked at Alexa with concern.
All I can remember is that we were confronting Dialga, he said solemnly. Alexa winced upon hearing Dialga's name and slightly shivered with fright.
"W-we were…?"
With Wendy, yeah, Ryder nodded. Dialga tried to attack you, but Staraptor and I protected you two.
"B-but what're we doing here?" Alexa asked as she looked around the room again. "It looks like Keenan's room, but…bland."
Looks like we're in Chicole Village, Ryder assumed. I suppose the only way to find out is to go outside.
"I-I guess," Alexa nodded. She stood up from the bed and walked down the stairs, with Ryder following closely.

"Hey, down here looks bland too," Alexa observed; the ground floor was deprived of furniture, with only the built-in kitchen sink on the entire floor. Ryder looked around.
Okay, this is starting to creep me out, he said quietly. Where is everybody? Did they move again?
"Yeah, but they would've told me if they were going to sell this place; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken all of the furniture with them," Alexa explained. "They're back in Violet City now, though, but what's with the lack of furniture?"
Something's going on and I don't like it, Ryder said as he and Alexa made their way out of the house.

Outside…

Alexa and Ryder exited the house and instantly spotted an unfamiliar sign posted nearby.
"OI! What do you think you're doing?!" asked an approaching property manager. He confronted Alexa, looking severely unimpressed. "What were you thinking, squatting in a vacant household?"
"Pardon me?" Alexa asked in bewilderment.
"This house has been sold to a nice family, and trespassing on this property will not be tolerated," the manager explained. "Now scram, the pair of you!"
Sounds like someone's severely underpaid, Ryder growled angrily as he gently took Alexa's hand in his paw and walked away from the building.
"But Ryder, doesn't that seem odd to you? My dad bought that house!" Alexa exclaimed quietly. Ryder looked up at her in confusion.
You don't think that-
"You look like an intelligent young man," complimented a strangely familiar voice. Startled after hearing the voice, Ryder and Alexa hid behind the nearest house and observed Ollie having a conversation with a very familiar looking individual. Ryder snarled angrily, yet quietly.
Kincaid…! How did he break out of jail and why don't we know about it!?
"Wait, Ryder, listen," Alexa whispered.
"How would you like to work for me?" Kincaid asked.
"I, um…"
"It's very simple, all you'd have to do is fuel up some machinery," Kincaid added. "Plus, you'd be getting the same salary as an Altru Inc employee."
"Seriously?! The same salary?! As an Altru Inc employee?!" Ollie questioned in astonishment.
"That's right," Kincaid nodded. "Of course, you'd be travelling a lot, so don't count on returning home anytime soon." Alexa and Ryder looked at one another in astonishment.
Kincaid recruited Ollie?!
"That explains how the Vien Forest fire started; Kincaid told Ollie to fuel the Gigaremo units," Alexa said quietly.
I guess the attack that hit us was Dialga's Roar of Time; it sent us back in time, Ryder deduced. He and Alexa made their way towards the pathway leading out of the village. Now all we need to do is find-

"Alexa!" Wendy cried. Ryder and Alexa looked up and found Staraptor, with Wendy mounted on his back, gently descending to the ground in front of them.
Well that saved us some time. Staraptor, are you all right? Ryder asked.
"Star," Staraptor looked towards a bruise on the right side of his underbelly before he looked towards Ryder. "Staraptor."
"That's good to hear," Alexa said with relief. "Wendy, how about you?"
"I'm fine, but we've got to get back to Almia Castle and Dialga," Wendy said quickly. Alexa winced. "I think Dialga-"
Sent us back in time, we know, Ryder said abruptly. We just saw Kincaid talking to Ollie, which was what started the Vien Forest fire.
"Oh. Anyway, Alexa, we have to face Dialga again," Wendy said.
"I-I can't…!" Alexa whimpered. Wendy looked at Alexa in confusion.
"Why? What's the matter?"
"I…I'm scared…!" Alexa replied fearfully. Ryder looked up at Alexa with concern.
"Of Dialga?" Wendy asked gently. Alexa nodded in response.
"I-I can't face it…!" Wendy moved closer to Alexa and carefully placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Alexa, I know you're scared, but if we don't see this mission through, we won't be able to return to our own time," Wendy said softly. "Come on; I know you can pull through. If you can pull through Operation Brighton, you can pull through this." Alexa sighed.
"O-okay…" she agreed reluctantly. "I-I'll try…"
"Attagirl," Wendy smiled. "Oh, that reminds me." Wendy held up Alexa's styler. Alexa and Ryder spotted it.
When did that come off? Ryder asked.
"Presumably when Dialga attacked. Anyway, I think it belongs with you, Alexa," Wendy smiled as she handed Alexa's styler back to her. Alexa clipped it back onto her right arm.
"T-thank you," Alexa thanked shakily.
"No worries. Okay, so, how to get back to Almia Castle…"
Same way we did the first time; you and Alex ride on Staraptor's back and I travel Talon Class, Ryder smirked.
"Fair enough," Wendy shrugged. She and Alexa mounted onto Staraptor's back, with Wendy sitting in front of Alexa. Staraptor ascended from the ground and began to fly off. Ryder grabbed Staraptor's talons and allowed himself to be lifted into the air along with Staraptor.

Eventually…

Staraptor gently descended towards a snowy pathway somewhere in the Almia Castle. Ryder released his grip on Staraptor's talons and dropped onto the snow. He moved out of the way before Staraptor landed on the snow and allowed Wendy and Alexa to dismount from his back.
"Thanks, Staraptor," Wendy said as she patted Staraptor's head.

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

Alexa winced as Dialga's pain-filled roar echoed through the entire castle. Concerned, Wendy looked towards the open doorway.
"That's Dialga's crying…it must be suffering…we have to help it this time, Alexa," she said worriedly.
"O-okay," Alexa said shakily as she reluctantly followed Wendy and Staraptor through the doorway. Ryder followed on.

Alexa, Wendy and the Pokémon entered an indoor corridor. The first door to their left was blocked by a small avalanche of snow, and the second door to their left was blocked by a strange wall with eerie purple markings. Wendy and Alexa approached the door.
"Looks like we'll have to get that Mismagius again," Wendy sighed.
But to do that, we'd need the two Vulpix around here and battle our way around a Haunter and a Weavile just to get the bloody thing! Ryder moaned. Step aside and let me give it a try! Ryder stood in front of the door and held out both of his paws. With his eyes and paws glowing in a cyan blue aura, Ryder glared at the door and focused. Within seconds, the strange wall opened and disappeared. Wendy smiled.
"Well that certainly saved us some time," she complimented. She, Staraptor and Ryder walked through the door. Alexa reluctantly followed.

Inside the door was a large room with an extremely icy floor. On the floor were several large ice structures and some Pokémon wandering around; there were two Swinub, two Walrein, two Glalie, a Piloswine and a Raichu struggling to keep its balance on the ice. Wendy looked towards the large block of ice blocking the doorway at the opposite end of the room.
"Dialga's in there. It must be in pain, but if we capture it, we can treat its wounds." Alexa stared at the icy floor ahead, looking slightly pale.
"Oh, God…" Staraptor lifted himself off of the ground and flew slowly across the room, while Wendy slid along after him. Ryder casually walked on the ice, while Alexa reluctantly followed. She took a few shaky paces before her foot slipped.
"WHOA!" Alexa fell backwards and crash-landed on her backside. "Aaagh…!" Wendy, Staraptor and Ryder went over to Alexa.
"Alexa, are you all right?!" Wendy asked with concern.
"I-I don't…aagh…" Alexa winced in agony, and her response was breathless; her impact with the ground left her winded, and she struggled to breathe. Ryder held out his paw and Alexa managed to help herself onto her feet; as soon as she lifted herself off of the ground, she was breathing more easily. "T-thanks, Ryder…"
Take it easy, Alex, Ryder advised.
"Easy for you to say…you've got padded feet," Alexa said breathlessly. Ryder lifted his left foot off of the ground and looked at his sole from over his shoulder. He faced Alexa sheepishly.
Fair enough, he said timidly.
"Are you okay to keep going?" Wendy asked.
"I-I guess…" Alexa replied with uncertainty. Staraptor flew towards the ice structure in front of the doorway and roosted on top of it. Wendy and Ryder carefully made their way across the ice, but Alexa struggled to keep up.
"W-w-w-whoa-whoa…!" Alexa's feet slipped occasionally, but she managed to maintain her balance. A Walrein eyed her behind her back, and Ryder's ears twitched. He turned around and spotted the Walrein eying Alexa, who struggled to move along the ice without falling again. Ryder growled as his arms shone in a red-white light.
"WALREIN!" The Walrein began sliding towards Alexa. Ryder, a split-second before Walrein even moved, raced towards Walrein.

WHACK-WHACK-WHACK-WHACK!

Using his glowing fists, Ryder rapidly and continually punched Walrein. Alexa and Wendy watched in confusion.
I don't think so, bub! Ryder snarled furiously. Ryder delivered one final punch, which sent Walrein sliding across the room. Walrein crashed into the wall on the opposite end of the room and staggered around out of dizziness.
"Ryder, we're here to help an injured legendary Pokémon, we're not here to hurt anything," Wendy said sternly. Ryder looked at Wendy with frustration.
If anything tries to hurt Alex, I'll hurt it, he growled. So long as it's not a human.
"Look, Ryder, will you just keep to yourself? And can you see if you can get rid of this ice block?" Wendy asked.
If you fancy freezing your feet off, I could keep trying Aura Sphere, Ryder sighed. I think we'll need that Ninetales again.
"But to get to it, we'll need to get to that smaller ice block blocking the right hand door," Alexa said whilst struggling to stand still on the ice.
Ah, now that I could eliminate in one fell swoop! No need to get that Houndoom like we did before because SOMEBODY doubted my strength, Ryder sighed as he glared at Wendy.
"All right, all right, I should've remembered that you're trained for battle, I'm sorry," Wendy moaned as she carefully slid along the ice towards the smaller ice obstruction. Ryder and Staraptor followed on, but Alexa continued to struggle to keep up. Her feet kept slipping, but she didn't even move an inch.
"Um, guys? A-a little help here?" she asked feebly. Ryder looked back at Alexa and walked over to her. He spotted a Swinub dashing towards her. He sighed as he fired a quick, yet unstable, Aura Sphere from his left paw at the Swinub.
Scram, you, Ryder said sternly as the Aura Sphere crashed into the Swinub's forehead. The Swinub shook the attack off, but scurried away out of fright. Alexa looked at Ryder as he gently took her hand in his paw.
"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but thanks, Ryder," Alexa smiled. Ryder smiled back at her as he gently escorted her across the ice. Alexa moved her feet carefully to avoid falling like she did before.
As he and Alexa caught up with Wendy and Staraptor, Ryder created and released a proper Aura Sphere at the icy obstacle. The Aura Sphere disintegrated upon impact with the ice, but the ice shattered completely as a result, clearing the doorway. Wendy, Staraptor, Ryder and Alexa walked through the now clear doorway.

Inside…

I mean, come on, if we did it like we did last time, we'd be confronting those two Weavile again! Ryder complained. He, Staraptor and Wendy watched as Alexa used her capture styler on the single Ninetales in the room. Another Raichu was also in the room, and was also watching Ninetales resisting the capture styler whilst being careful not to accidentally crash into the nearby clothing rail.
"How is she able to control her capture disc after the fall she just had?" Wendy questioned quietly.
You wonder about that yet to don't wonder about how she was able to pull through Operation Brighton? Ryder asked with suspicion.
"Touché," Wendy replied. Alexa recalled her capture disc back into her styler and approached Wendy and Ryder, with Ninetales at her side.
"All done," she smiled.

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

"Waaaaah!" Alexa shrieked with fright as she recoiled upon hearing Dialga's pain-induced roar. Wendy looked towards the doorway with concern.
"If we don't get to Dialga soon, it'll be harder for us to help it," she said worriedly. She looked towards Alexa; she noticed how frightened Alexa looked. "Come on, Alex, we have to pull through this."
"I-I don't know if I can! I-I can't skate and I-I'm terrified!" Alexa cried.
"I don't understand. Dialga's a legendary Pokémon, sure, but it's in pain. If we capture it, we can treat its injury and get ourselves back to our own time," Wendy said reassuringly. "It'll be okay, you'll see."
"I-I dunno…!" Alexa whimpered. "I-I'm scared…!"
"It's okay, it shouldn't be too long now, Alexa. Let's get this over with, okay?"
"O-okay…" Alexa reluctantly followed Wendy and Staraptor out of the room, with Ryder holding onto her hand. The Ninetales followed Alexa.

Ryder gently escorted Alexa, who looked completely terrified, across the ice. The Ninetales' paws slipped on the ice occasionally, but masterfully maintained its balance. Wendy was the first to approach the ice block, closely followed by Staraptor. The Ninetales stepped in front of the ice block and took a deep breath. Ninetales then exhales an enormous Flamethrower from its mouth, and the large burst of flames collided with the large obstruction. The ice melted away quickly as the Flamethrower continued to burn away at it, eventually rendering the mighty ice block to a mere puddle of water, which quickly froze on the already icy floor. Task complete, the Ninetales walked along the ice and away from the two Top Rangers. Alexa stared at the doorway, dreading what lay inside.
"All right, it's clear. Let's go," Wendy said eagerly as she carefully walked across the fresh icy layer and into the large room ahead with Staraptor close behind her. Though petrified with fear, Alexa slowly made her way through the doorway, with Ryder loyally by her side.

Inside…

Wendy, Staraptor, Alexa and Ryder made their way into the room. Wendy looked up at the suffering Dialga with pity.
"There it is. Dialga! We're here to help you!" she cried.

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

Alexa winced and shivered with fright upon hearing Dialga's ear-piercing cry. She held onto her head and failed to look up at the Temporal Pokémon.
"If Dialga suffers too much, it'll be more liable to use the Roar of Time attack again," Wendy said with concern. "The capture has to be quick and painless. When you're ready, Alex, capture Dialga."
"I can't!" Alexa cried. Wendy looked at Alexa, almost in horror. She became concerned when she spotted the tears slowly falling from Alexa's tightly closed eyes.
"Alexa?"
"I can't do it! I-I just can't!" Alexa wept.

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

"Aaaaagh!" Alexa cried out in terror upon hearing Dialga's roar. She held onto her head tighter and collapsed onto her knees as she came dangerously close to breaking into a sob.
"W-why me…!? Why did I have to be the one to be here?! A-and so soon after P-Palkia…!" Alexa wept. Ryder looked up at Wendy with concern.
I guess you'll have to capture Dialga, he said worriedly. Alex's too scared to even look at it; it'll affect her control of her capture disc.
"All right, I'll catch it," Wendy nodded. She readied her styler and approached Dialga, with Staraptor alongside her.

Ryder knelt down next to Alexa and held onto her as he watched Wendy confronting Dialga. At first, Wendy's capture disc seemed to be doing fine, but Dialga released a burst of small spheres of aura around it. None of the spheres hit Wendy's capture disc, for she kept the capture disc away from the trajectories of the spheres, and she resumed spinning it around Dialga instantly after the barrage ceased. After almost a minute, Dialga shone in a white light and Wendy recalled her capture disc.

"Capture complete! Right, let's get that leg seen to, Dialga," Wendy smiled as she and Staraptor approached Dialga's wounded leg. Dialga watched as Wendy applied a bandage to its injury. "But, Dialga, you're a legendary Pokémon, aren't you? Whoever did this to you must be an incredibly tough Pokémon. There we go."

RHEEEEEEHIYEEEEEEEEEH!

With the bandage successfully applied to and protecting Dialga's wound, Dialga roared with gratitude. Alexa, however, was still petrified and winced when Dialga roared. Ryder continued to hold onto Alexa gently, but he watched Dialga as it made its way to the strange portal that was behind it. Before walking through it, Dialga looked back at Wendy and Alexa once more. Dialga faced the front and disappeared into the portal; the portal itself soon disappeared.
It's gone now, it's okay, Ryder said softly to Alexa.

A little later…

"You have terrible balance on ice, don't you, Alexa?" Wendy asked as she escorted Alexa out of the castle. Wendy had placed Alexa's arm around her shoulders, while Alexa's right leg was limp with a bruise on the knee. Staraptor and Ryder followed Wendy and Alexa out of the castle.
"I told you I can't skate!" Alexa huffed. She sighed. "I'm going to be out of commission for a while, aren't I?"
"Just a couple of days at the most, unless your knee's fractured," Wendy said nervously. She then looked around. "Anyway, I'm not sure which time period Dialga returned to. But did we return to our own time?"

RING-RING-RING-RING!

Wendy's styler picked up an incoming voicemail communication. Wendy lifted her arm up and picked up the communication.
"Voicemail, it's Hastings! Wendy, you and Alexa disappeared off of our radar for about ten seconds, is everything all right? Incidentally, you still need to catch Dialga before it causes any damage," Hastings said over the voicemail.
"Actually, Dialga's already been captured," Wendy explained.
"What?! Wow, that must be some sort of record! You'll have to fill me in when you return to the Union!" Hastings exclaimed.
"Oh, but Alexa…she got hurt afterwards," Wendy said worriedly.
"Is that so? I'll make sure Vatona and Nage are on hand to check her over, but please be careful bringing her back here," Hastings cautioned before he ended the communication.
"A record?" Alexa questioned.
"Let's let him believe that," Wendy smiled. A snowflake gently fell and landed on Ryder's nose. Ryder looked at the snowflake and shook it off. He then looked up and found several more snowflakes falling from the sky.
It's snowing again, he said openly. Staraptor, Wendy and Alexa looked up at the snow falling gently towards them.
"I thought it was getting chilly," Wendy smiled.

Later, at the Union…

Alexa lay on Keith's bed with her back against the pillows behind her. She had her boots off of her feet, and she had bandages over her right knee. Ryder lay on the other bed, asleep, with his head against the pillows. Keith entered the room and closed the door behind him. Buizel hopped off of Keith's shoulders and approached Ryder and slept next to him as Keith made his way to Alexa.
"I heard what happened. Are you okay?" he asked with concern.
"I guess so…Vatona and Nage said I'll be out of action for a few days," Alexa sighed. Keith shook his head.
"You know what I mean. Are you okay now that the mission's over?" he asked as he sat on the bed next to Alexa.
"I-I couldn't face it…!" Alexa confessed. "Wendy captured it, not me… Again, I felt so useless…! I could barely move because I was so scared…!"
"And I don't blame you; the first time you saw it scarred you for life," Keith said worriedly as he gently stroked Alexa's hair. "Same goes for the other one too; they represent a traumatic incident in your life."
"I-I just wish I could alter how it all started…!" Alexa whimpered. "I-If I had just kept going, then…then I'd…!" Keith gently pulled Alexa close to him and cuddled her. Alexa nestled comfortably in Keith's soft hold and relaxed as she felt him stroking her hair.
"It's all right, don't worry about it," Keith said quietly. "Besides, it's all over now. I doubt that there's anything else out there that you should be afraid of."
"B-but what if there is?" Alexa asked worriedly.
"If that's the case, you've got me to look after you. And Ryder," Keith smiled. "Trust me, Kitten, I won't let anything or anyone hurt you."

Meanwhile…

Wendy and Sven were in the Operations room, talking with Professor Hastings and Erma.
"Well, it's a relief now that these abnormalities have been taken care of," Hastings smiled. "Along with the added benefit of Kincaid finally under police custody. So, Wendy, what do you have to report about your mission?"
"Professor, I'm really concerned about Alexa," Wendy said worriedly. "For a good majority of the mission, she was scared."
"Scared? How so, dear?" Erma asked with concern.
"I don't understand it myself, but it seemed to me like she was scared of Dialga," Wendy replied.
"Scared of Dialga?" Hastings questioned.
"Hey, now that you mention it, she was really scared when she and I encountered Palkia a few days ago," Sven added. Wendy faced Sven in astonishment.
"She saw Palkia too?"
"Uh huh. It's not like her to be petrified of a Pokémon, so this has me concerned," Sven said. "Come to think of it, I think Ryder looked pale when he saw Palkia too."
"Is that so?" Hastings questioned. "Did Ryder also react when he beheld Dialga, Wendy?"
"He looked rather astonished, but that's about it, I think," Wendy answered. "I paid more attention to Dialga than Ryder, to be honest, though Alexa's reaction was as clear as day; she was frightened."
"Hmm…Sven, Wendy, how did Ryder take to Alexa being so scared?" Hastings asked, with worry about his tone.
"He tried to calm her down as far as I could tell," Sven answered. "While I captured Palkia, Ryder stayed with Alexa."
"That's the same for when I captured Dialga; Ryder stayed with Alexa to make her feel comfortable, even though she wasn't until Dialga actually went back to wherever it was it came from," Wendy added.
"It sounds to me like Ryder knows why Alexa was so terrified of Palkia and Dialga," Erma said worriedly.
"And I wish to get to the bottom of it," Hastings said firmly. Erma looked up at Hastings worriedly.
"Oh, really now, must you? Besides, the odds of her ever seeing Palkia and Dialga a second time are highly unlikely."
"Even so, I'm concerned and curious about why she reacted horribly to seeing them," Hastings explained. "She saw them once, yet she was terrified of both…this doesn't add up…"
"Call me crazy, but what if she's seen them before?" Sven queried. Wendy looked at Sven in frustration.
"That's unlikely!"
"Perhaps, but he has a point," Hastings agreed. "It is a possibility that she might have seen them before…but…what's the connection?"

To be continued…