Short update! Sorry ya'll, I know I promised this was going to be the conclusion to First Dawn, but I just didn't have time to write the rest of Part 3 yesterday, so I'm splitting it up and posting this today, so you all have something to read. Hopefully I'll have time to finish First Dawn soon!

First Dawn: Part 3

I was drowning.

At least, that's what it felt like as we traversed the strange in-between that Koveon was now moving us through. I don't know what I expected when she launched us into the portal that saved us from the raging Giratina, but it wasn't this. A tunnel of colors swirled around us in flashes. I sometimes thought I could make out strange shapes in the whirling chaos, but Koveon was moving too swiftly for me to make any of them out. The most pressing matter emerged when I discovered I couldn't breathe.

Or more accurately, I could breathe but whatever substance I was inhaling wasn't air. I didn't notice at first, but the longer Koveon raced through this bizarre tunnel I began to get light-headed. At first, I thought I was just overwhelmed by everything I had recently experienced; almost dying again, but this time escaping. However, as the seconds ticked on, I realized something was wrong.

I started to pant, desperately trying to give my lungs what they were craving, but I just grew dizzier, and my mind grew foggier. Heat flushed into my cheeks and ears, reminding me terribly of the warmth I felt that night during the blizzard right before I….

No, this could not be happening again!

The thought flashed across my mind in a rush, as I began to panic as my light-headedness morphed into drowsiness. I flailed around in defiance of this lethargy, no longer caring if Koveon dropped me. When I was at the mercy of Giratina, with no hope of escape, the situation was different. I gave up then because I knew there was no chance I could survive, but I had help now, and I refused to give in.

Hang on kid, we're almost out. You can make it!

Koveon's encouragement fueled the fire of rebellion inside me. She promised we were almost out, and I held onto that promise like a light in the darkness. Seconds later, the promise came true. I barely registered the second swirling golden portal we were approaching until we soared through it. The moment my vision filled with that golden luminescence again, life surged back into me as my lungs registered the oxygen in the air surrounding us. For several minutes, all I could concentrate on was the act of breathing in and out.

Koveon sat silently beside me as I slowly recovered. She had brought me back to where I had been just before being kidnapped by Giratina. Everything in all directions was saturated in that heavenly radiance. The wolf pokémon watched me with concerned silver eyes when I finally stood up.

Sorry, I would've warned you if there had been time. Interdimensional travel is ridiculously uncomfortable.

Her remorse and sheepishness flooded me while I took in her apology. I didn't respond, at first, and instead studied my companion more closely. Her canine face was covered in that same lavender substance that covered her body. Luckily, none of her facial bones seemed to be glowing from inside her body, like those in her legs and torso. Her "fur" almost seemed to be made of a gaseous substance that misted off her in delicate tendrils. She looked like… like a ghost.

"Thank you for saving me back there," I finally spoke in a solemn voice, looking her in the eyes.

Huh, you aren't like most kids. I expected more… hyperactivity?

Koveon cocked her head to the side as I felt her answer summon foreign memories of what I assumed to be other young pokémon she had previously interacted with. Many of them were smiling excitedly and playing with each other. I seemed to feel their excitement for a brief moment as she remembered them, but then the feeling drained away as her expression grew pensive.

I shook my head grimly, "I've never met another pokémon my age."

You mean… you've been all alone?

I registered her surprise, now long used to the invasive sensation of foreign emotions grazing against my consciousness. Her eyebrows furrowed as her expression grew troubled.

"No, not completely, there just hasn't been any other ruas around," I sighed despondently.

Koveon's head tilted to the other side while she listened. I suspected she took in the word 'ruas' and understood its meaning in the same way I could feel her own emotional responses. The two-way connection formed by the first language was as strong as it was mysterious.

Not a single friend?

The overwhelming ocean of pity that suddenly flooded me made me uncomfortable, and I tried to brush her compassion off by grimacing, "I've had bigger problems to deal with, ok?"

I didn't need the first language to read the emotion on Koveon's face, and I frowned. She stood up and walked over to me. As she lowered her head down to my height and peered into my face, I could really admire the beauty in her silvery eyes. They almost seemed to shine with their own light.

You've got a friend now.

Her honest sincerity broke through my pitiful defenses, and I found myself smiling, "Thanks, I guess."

She grinned the moment I said this, and I felt her mirth return in abundance as her ponytail tail wagged happily. It made the corner of my mouth twitch. However, this quiet moment only lasted until I remembered why we were here.

I asked her curiously, "What happens now?"

I think it's about time for you to go home. You've got folks waitin' for you.

"Are you coming with me?" I frowned at the wolf pokémon. She shook her head almost as soon as I asked the question.

You have to walk this last part of the journey alone.

"I thought we were friends?" I asked unhappily. The pale wolf smiled at me kindly and I felt her calm reassurances envelope me.

We are, and we will see each other again someday, but for now, it's time we go our separate ways.

My eyes widened in alarm as Koveon looked off into the distance and took a step away from me. I exclaimed, "Wait! How do I—"

Kid! What's wrong?!

I sank to the ground as a shuddering tremor rocketed through my limbs. All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed by a strange illness I had no name for. Koveon's alarm would have made me smile if my expression wasn't contorted with pain.

"Don't know…," I winced. Then I remembered what happened in the Distortion World and added, "Before you arrived, Giratina struck me with… some kind of attack."

As suddenly as the tremors started, they subsided. After my limbs finally stilled, I stayed lying on the ground panting as Koveon rushed back to me. Her eyes grew wide as she examined my prone form. Then she leaned her head back and glanced down at her own chest. Lying at the base of her neck, was a silver chain necklace that I hadn't noticed before. There appeared to be an array of different colored gemstones hanging down from it.

She spotted the one she was looking for — a bright green gem with a leaf indented into its surface — and made to bite down on it. Before her teeth made contact with the stone however, she looked up suddenly, gazing at something in the horizon that I could not see. It was almost as if she had heard something, but there was no sound in this shining golden place. Her eyes grew distant, as if she were listening intently to someone speaking before she finally frowned as she focused back on me.

You'll be ok. When you're ready, just keep walking and you'll find your family before you know it.

Dishonesty was a difficult thing to hide when using the first language. I remembered back to my confrontation with Giratina after I asked if it would stop the desolation. Instead of replying with words, it had simply nodded. I suspected now that it did that in order to hide its true intentions from me. I did not know if Koveon was lying as she spoke these words, but there was tension rolling off her and I sensed that she was unhappy as she projected them to me.

I decided to put on a brave face and forced myself to stand up, "Alright, I should go then."

Akane?

It was the first time I felt her use my name. I never realized she knew it, but I looked at her questioningly and was surprised to find her grinning at me.

Stay out of trouble from now on.

This made me laugh, "With the luck I've been having? I'll try."

See you, kid.

With this final goodbye, I watched her run off into the golden glow of the horizon. I felt a hollow ache inside me as she disappeared. Everything in my life had been, aside from the comforting moments spent inside my parents' den, dark, treacherous, and terrifying. Koveon was the first real source of optimism, kindness, and unbridled joy that I had experienced from another pokémon that wasn't a member of my own family. With her gone, I felt the grim pull of my destiny waiting for me back on earth.

It was time for me to go and meet it.

Index

Koveon:

The only "fakémon" in my version of the games' canon. There is an explanation for why she is not mentioned in the games, and why no NPCs ever speak about her. It will eventually be explored in future stories.

The First Language:

It's said to be the original form of communication and was first spoken by the being in "Stairway to Heaven: Part 4". It's a language spoken with one's emotions — translated to text because this is a written medium — that are sent to the recipient, forming a connection between the two correspondents. It is thought to be the primary form of communication for many of the legendary pokémon in the pokémon world. The First Language will also be explored further in future stories.

Music that helped me write this chapter:

(YouTube Search)

Relaxing Sleep Music + Insomnia - Relaxing Music, Ocean Waves, Deep Sleeping Music — The Soul of Wind