(The next day…)
Thanks to Luke's efforts in the flight race, the PokeDestined obtained the necessary money to stock up on supplies like apples, cookies, water, and of course, to pay for a ride on a Wailord in Portual's Bay. When the time came, they paid the Ludicollo in charge and approached the huge Pokemon.
"Okay, passengers" the Wailord told them while looking at them with only one eye (because it's impossible for him to see them with both at the same time), "Get on top of my head. And don't think of doing any harm. If we enter a danger zone, you should get into my mouth to protect themselves, understood?"
They all agreed. So, mounted on the enormous being, they set sail from the bay of Portual and headed for the open sea.
"Well... let's recap" Mina suggested, "We have come here because we are the chosen ones of that supposed prophecy, we can evolve and return to the base form when we fight..."
"Right," Dylan continued, "That's a question that's still on my mind. Now, there is the most worrying. Luke, can you tell us again about that kind of dark atom?"
Luke recounted their entire aerial battle with details of how that atom of darkness looked and behaved. While they were trying to think if there were more of these things, the sound of Wingulls flying south was heard in the distance.
"I'm hungry from thinking so much," Rex announced, "I think it would be a little thinking while we eat."
"I feel the same way," Rose commented as she went through her groceries in the backpack, "Well, time to eat!"
What is it like to eat on top of a whale while crossing the sea? The feeling is strange, perhaps stranger than eating for the first time while sailing on a boat. Fortunately, none of them presented dizziness while they calmly ate their provisions. But, at one point, the huge Wailord was hungry too, and his stomach growl was not imperceptible to the boys.
"Sorry kids" the Pokemon said to them, "I forgot to eat before I left on my trip, won't you have some berries for me?"
"Yes, of course, Mr. Wailord" Rose answered as she brought a few berries to him with her vines.
"It's a fortune we bought quite a few," Zack commented, "How long would it take for our guide's stomach to fill, though?"
"I'd say a couple of days," Luke replied.
"Don't worry" the Wailord told them, "These you gave me are enough to get to Azurview. By the way, there is something that caught my attention: did you say that you turned into Pokemon? So what were they before?"
"Well...humans" Rex replied.
For a moment, they thought Wailord would be shocked by this revelation, but what caught their attention was what he said next:
"Then our world is on the brink of disaster again"
"That?!" all the boys said.
"Mr. Wailord," Rose asked, "why do you say that?"
"When I was a little Wailmer," the Pokemon related, "My grandfather told me that in his youth the Pokemon world went through various crises. Sometimes the legendaries had to intervene to fix these disasters. But some were so catastrophic that humans had to help us…"
"Are there humans in this world too?" Mina asked.
"No, they also came from your world, but they transformed into Pokemon just like you..."
"Are they still here?" Zach asked.
"Who knows. They helped us three times and after accomplishing their great mission, their feats continued to diminish until they were just old stories... My grandfather didn't know anything about what happened next either... Ha! And now, it seems that history is destined to repeat itself and... with 6 humans! It will be a story worth telling... don't you think?
"Yeah, I guess..." Rex commented.
Zack had noticed something strange that he hadn't seen until now: Rex had some kind of mark, like a claw-shaped tattoo.
"Hey Rex" he said to his friend, "How long have you got this tattoo?"
"What?" he asked puzzled looking at the part of his shoulder, "Do I still have it? Woah, I didn't think it would last if we've transformed... It's not a tattoo, I've had this mark since I was a baby. I think it's from birth. I had it all this time on my shoulder, but I didn't give it that much importance since we became Pokemon… I thought it had disappeared"
"Well, it's very strange that it has been preserved..." Mina commented, "For example, I had a little injury from a football game the day before we came, but it disappeared when we transformed"
While they were talking, without realizing it, time began to slowly change. It was kind of sunny when they started the chat, but now it was clouding over and starting to get cold. The Wailord sensed that change of cold and trembled, which the kids on his body also detected.
"What happens to the weather?" Rose asked, "Is it a storm?"
"That's not possible" replied Wailord, "These areas are free of storms, the greatest probability of them happening is near the Silver Island, located more than 100 kilometers to the west of our route"
"Guys…" Luke deduced, "The same thing happened earlier in my fight against Fearrow…"
Everyone turned pale at those words, and just as he had announced it, something leaped out of the water and almost bit Mina, who had missed it by an inch.
"A Remoraid!" Rex yelled at the realization. But then four or five more jumped out and almost got the others. On them, there was that kind of dark aura that Luke had seen before.
"A shoal of them!" Wailord yelled, trying to move to get rid of those piling up below him, "They're holding me!"
The chosen kid realized that they had to do it.
"Time to evolution!" they yelled as they took out their cell device and raised them in the air.
With just those words, the devices react by emanating their signature glow. Then, with their power, each one evolved: Charmander, Frogadier, Bayleef, Nidorina, Luxio, and Tranquill returned.
A Remoraid tried to attack from around a corner, but Rex hurled it back into the water with a Flame thrower. Above him, another Remoraid tried to attack him, though Rose defended him with a Vine Whip.
"Thunder shock!"
Zack attacked a dozen Remoraids that were flying towards them, while Mina defended herself with all her claws and her strong body. For his part, Luke flew around the Wailord to attack each Remoraid that jumped out of the water.
"They are still below!" the Wailord yelled.
"I got this!" Dylan yelled, diving into the water.
His swimming skills were so-so when he was a human, but the ability to breathe underwater and that body of his gave him a greater advantage now. With a swift swim, he took down several Remoraid that had accumulated below Wailord. Noticing the intruder, they brushed aside the giant and swam toward him like a shoal of pesky piranhas.
Dylan had greater speed than they and, leaping back to the surface, he rose as high as he could, where Luke held him in his claws. As the Remoraid jumped out following their enemy, Zack took advantage of that opportunity to give them a good volley. Then, the fish Pokemon fell like a shower of fish back into the water, but their bodies began to release that dark aura and take the form of atoms.
"Are those!" Luke yelled.
But the worst was yet to come: a roar of great fury made them jump in fright... something big was getting closer. And when they least expected it, a large sea serpent burst to the surface with a mouth of sharp fangs.
"Gyarados?" Wailord asked in shock, "There shouldn't be any in this area!"
And not just one, but several Gyarados surfaced, beginning to surround them like a pride of lions around their prey. The chosen kids doubted if they could face them all. However, a whirlpool began to form around them... it wasn't the Gyarados' thing, because they had stopped circling around them and seemed somewhat scared.
"Come into my mouth!" Waylord yelled, opening it open and sticking his tongue out of it.
Having no choice (mainly because Rex was a fire type, susceptible to water), they all fell onto Wailord's tongue and he shoved them down his throat. Just in time, as the whirlpool had gotten so big that it swallowed the huge Pokemon to some unknown part. Inside, the movement also affected the PokeDestined: it was worse than an extreme roller coaster. Soon, everyone was unconscious.
(Hours later…)
"Rex... Rex..." a voice said to the Charmander boy. The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't one of his friends.
"Rex!" said Rose, waking him up in his stomach.
"Ow! That hurts!" he yelled, sitting up.
"Sorry, it was for you to wake up"
Everyone around them was waking up. They were in a kind of cave, perhaps under the sea and fortunately there was oxygen and it was not completely flooded. They were near a lake of water, which they had accidentally used to enter and, therefore, would lead to the exit. Wailord lay asleep and unconscious after such a trip, but he had opened his mouth letting out the boys, who were also recovering.
"And I thought the roller coaster looked scary" Zack said quite dizzy, "I wouldn't want to try a real one"
"Now I feel what Pinocchio felt when he was swallowed" laughed Rex, trying to put the team in a good mood. At first, he seemed funny, but the next second everyone noticed his surroundings and got a little worried.
"I've heard of sea caves, but I've never seen or been in a real one," Mina commented.
"Um... I think this is more than a sea cave," Luke warned, "Look over there."
They did not believe what they saw: in front of them, there was a kind of waterfall that led to another gigantic pool of water. In the middle of it, there was a kind of solid stone island and a stone temple with six pillars around it; in the middle, there was a silver bell with a shine that, it seemed, made the whole cave shine. Also, there was a stone path to the island. They did not hesitate to approach.
"It doesn't look very old," Dylan commented, amazed by the structure, "The rocks don't seem affected by water. There are no traces of moss or fissures. Seems pretty recent"
Rex tried to scratch the surface of the pillars, but the rocks were so hard that no sign of damage showed.
"Or maybe it's a thing of the rocks" said Rex, "They are very hard"
"Well, I feel something strange..." Rose said, "As if I sense something in this place, but I can't explain it..."
Saying so, she approached the small altar where a strange crystal sphere was embedded in the statue of what looked like a winged beast. The sphere was impossible to extract. When they tried, something huge emerged from the pool in front of the temple: a Gyarados had followed them down there.
The Gyarados attacked them furiously, but they all dodged. Rose and Luke counterattacked.
"Razor Leaves!"
"Tornado!"
Luke's wind propelled Rose's razor-blades, allowing her to gain speed. However, they broke as if they were made of paper because the scales of the Gyarados were too hard. Zack continued the counterattack.
"Thunder shock!"
The electric attack seemed to work better, but the Gyarados countered with an attack of blue flames while enduring the last attack. Fortunately, the Luxio managed to dodge it. Meanwhile, Mina had climbed on a rock.
Dylan! I need a boost!" she yelled at her.
"OK…! Hydro pump!"
Dylan shot a powerful stream of water towards the rock where Mina was and she flew towards the head of the huge snake. Then, within a meter of reaching it, he delivered a good double kick to her head. However, although this had stunned the Gyarados a bit, it had also made him angrier, his roar echoing through the cave and bothering the boys' ears.
"Awful!" thought Rex avoiding the noise, but then he fell into the Gyarados's mouth, "Wait, maybe… That's it! Guys, let's aim in his mouth!"
They all heard that, and they listened to Rex, who also fired a Flame thrower with the full force of it. That attack was followed by Dylan's Hydro Pump, Rose's Razor Leaves, Zack's Thunder shock, Luke's Wind Slash, and Mina's Poison Sting. That combination impacted squarely into the Gyarados's mouth, instantly exploding and knocking him over on impact. When they thought they had defeated it, the same dark atom revealed itself, left the Pokemon's body and disintegrated.
But it was not over: the Gyarados rose again. The boys thought it would be fine, but this ferocious Pokemon attacked them in anger, as if he was still possessed.
"Don't we take away that dark atom?" Rose asked, covering herself with a slap of its tail.
"I thought so!" Rex yelled, covering himself from the rocks that his tail lashed up, "What bug bit him now?"
"If I'm not mistaken" Luke yelled trying to dodge from the air, "Gyarados are already bad tempered..."
However, when they thought of attacking the Gyarados again, a tremor happened. Everyone froze, even the angry Pokemon. The next second, the devices of the chosen kids flashed and each glow shot out in the form of a ray of light towards each pillar of the small temple, making the sphere in the center shine. As the movement did not stop, even Gyarados was afraid and escaped through the water.
The kids had to return to Wailord to avoid dying there, but the curious thing was that not a stone in the place moved because of that tremor. Suddenly, the sphere of the temple sent a ray of light in the direction of the waterfall. For a few more seconds, it kept shining until the huge silhouette (even bigger than Gyarados) of a Pokemon began to be noticed. Then, out of the waterfall, this incredible being came out.
It looked like a dragon, although it was more in the form of a white bird with a light blue belly, and dark blue plates on its back and tail. It didn't look upset at all, its appearance was calm and cool, but serious at the same time. When it saw Wailord, it seemed to hesitate, but then its gaze fell on the Poke-Destined. Its mere presence made them freeze, but they were ready for anything. Rex, blinked for a moment and then recognized it:
"Lu…Lugia!"
Everyone was shocked and froze: a Legendary? If he was under the control of the black atoms, how were they going to fight against a legendary?
"Did you wake me up?" asked Lugia's voice in telepathy, "did you activate the pillars?"
The kids seemed scared by that question that they were afraid to answer. However, Rex seemed to see Lugia speaking calmly. Then he told it:
"Sorry, Lugia... We didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry," Lugia reassured everyone, "I won't do you any harm. It's just that I am amazed at this great feat. No power can activate the pillars except… that of the chosen kids"
The kids looked at each other. At that moment, they lost their first transformation and reverted to their base forms.
"I understand" Lugia told them, "So you are the new chosen kids. It's an honor to meet you"
"Excuse me, Lugia…" Rose told it, "Can you tell us why we are the chosen kids? There are... several questions that we would like to know…"
"In an adventure, everything is revealed in its own time… What I can tell you is that every time the Pokemon world enters a serious crisis, we need help from beings with great potential and pure hearts. Not all humans are like this, of course, so we carefully chose one of them…"
"One? not six? Zack asked.
"Only one" confirmed Lugia, "Only one human was needed in the old days to stop great disasters in this world: the fall of a gigantic meteor, the destruction of the tower of time, the warping of space, the blowing of the wind of despair, the invasion of dark matter... those disasters could only be solved by a human transformed into Pokemon. But the threat facing the Pokemon world today requires more than one, that's why 6 have been chosen: you."
"What is the threat?" Mina asked, "Is it to do with those dark atoms?
"It's almost certain, though I'm afraid you won't be able to deal with it all the time with the power you have now. You must awaken your hidden powers: your Pokephones have more power than they think they already have "
"Wait a second…" Dylan said looking at his device, "This thing?"
"That's right, they are objects that unite both worlds and give them powers from ours. Until now, you have used them according to the need in the face of danger. But, to go beyond that point, you must overcome your weaknesses, your fears. Once facing them, you will be able to gain more power than before. Now, you must go: other Pokemon are waiting for you to share their wisdom after your visit to Azurview"
"How do you know we're going to Azurview?" Zack asked.
"Even though I sleep, I know everything that happens in the sea and on the land: it is part of my telepathic power…" then, Lugia saw that the glow of the sphere and the pillars began to run out, "Time is running out. Continue your journey and good luck, chosen children."
Saying that last, Lugia folded its wings and plunged back into the waterfall, the glow of the pillars fading away. Having no choice, the kids woke up Wailord (who got a huge start) and climbed out of the underwater cave inside the whale Pokemon's throat. Later, they told him what happened in the cave.
Now the mission was a little clearer.