Chapter 39

Beyond the Rainbow

Part 2

Although we knew this would happen sooner or later, my friends and I unexpectedly reached the Nebel Plateau, Diancie and Goodra's homeland. Many of their old friends were happy to reunite with them and meet us. The primary exception was Diancie's guardian, a Volcanion affectionately named Pabi who despises humans. Even though we tried many times to earn his trust, his hatred therefore was deeply rooted in his traumatizing experience from his youth.

Late that evening, we came across an even bigger problem… and by an even bigger problem, I mean Yveltal! He had awoken from a mountain nearby, and he looked either angry or hungry… maybe both. Fortunately, most of the valley was evacuated for their safety.

Before any of us could decide what to do, the winged beast spoke to us via Telepathy. 'Attention, mortals!' he began. 'I am Yveltal, deity of death! I have sensed the horror and desolation of war within Kalos! Now, I shall smite this land with my Judgment of Fury!'

"What?!" asked Meowth in disbelief. "Did I hear that right?"

"He's gonna destroy Kalos!" Clemont interpreted. "What're we gonna do?!"

If only I had my Master Ball on me, but I left my stuff back in the cave.

Yveltal then looked down at us and focused on me. 'I hereby challenge you, Legendary Princess, to battle! You and I, one on one! The victor shall decide the fate of this land, and the fallen shall be buried where they stand!'

This was perhaps the most difficult decision of my life. On one hand, millions of people were at risk right at that moment. On the other hand, if I lost, literally everyone would be at risk. I had hoped to reason with it and make it back down. "I don't want to fight you," I told him calmly.

'You have no choice!' he replied. 'You're the reason this war started, and no one leaves until you face me!'

"Me? Giratina started this war, long before I was even born!"

'Indeed, but he did so because he knew you were coming!'

"That may be true, but why must everyone be punished for the deeds of one creature?"

'The longer a conflict rages, the more lives partake! They are all responsible for this discord, and thus they all shall fall!'

"You're welcome to help us end this war," I told him, "but I won't fight you!"

'I beg to differ… Behold!' He then glowed a black aura, and a familiar shape emerged from his center.

Most of us gasped. "A Pure Heart!" I knew I sensed something on my way up.

Pabi looked at us in confusion. 'A what…?'

'Indeed… if you desire it, prove your worth by facing me in battle!'

I sighed. I guess I really have no choice…

"You can do this, Brianna," said Clemont out of reassurance.

'We believe in you!' added Diancie.

I looked at my friends. They all had plenty of faith in me, and I could not, and would not let them down. I focused on Cocoa, and we both nodded in unison.

"Key Stone/Mega Stone, grant us the power we need! Beyond evolution… Mega Evolve!"

"The sincere love in a Trainer's heart, Mega Brianna!"

"The innocent love in a Pokémon's heart, Mega Cocoa!"

"Our hearts are one! Mega Evolution!"

"Everyone, stay back! I have to do this alone…" I told them as I entered the crater. I then focused my energy and summoned the Pure Hearts. Fortunately, according to Dexter, I already had three types that worked to my advantage. "Power of Fairy!" I shouted, and my blue clothes turned pink.

'Yesss… now, face me, Princess of Light!' Yveltal demanded.

"You asked for it, not me!" I stated as the battle began.

Brianna VS Yveltal

Battle BEGIN!

I made the first attack. "Secret Power!" In this form, that move seemed to mimic Power Gem. I put my hands together and a glowing orange ball is formed between them. Its size grew dramatically until I threw it at the opponent.

But the Destruction Pokemon seemed unphased by my incoming attack. His talons turned black as night as it stomped down on my Secret Power move. I think that was Shadow Claw. Then it lunged at and shoved me with the exact same move.

I was thrown to the floor, but I could still fight. I ran up and along the crater wall to move around my opponent. I then charged forward, Sacred Sword at the ready, but Yveltal was quick to evade with a flap of his wings.

Then the red avian Pokemon began to charge his next move. I ran for evasion as his Dark Pulse tore across the crater floor. Luckily, no one came close to direct contact, but the resulting quake did shave me into a rock that stood nearby.

Yveltal then landed on top of me. He charged a Shadow Ball with which to strike me, but I jumped out of the way and made my counterattack. Charging up my Light of Hope attack, I landed a direct hit on Yveltal's head. His talons scraped across the floor from the hit, but he was still standing.

"Way to go, Brianna!" someone shouted from the sidelines. I think it was Serena…

I then tried again with my Sacred Sword, jumped over Yveltal and ready to throw my blade into his side. But he grabbed me with his wing and threw me against the wall. To make matters worse, a large rock fell from the side and trapped my leg underneath.

"Uh-oh…" Clemont muttered. "Could that be it?"

'You'll never defeat me with that power!' Yveltal laughed. He then charged another Dark Pulse for me.

"Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I heard Ash call out. Pikachu started charging a Thunderbolt attack, but I quickly grabbed a small and chucked it at him, startling him out of firing.

Thankfully, I had an idea. Quickly thinking, I launched a Sacred Sword, aiming behind me. My blade cut through the rock like butter. "This battle is far from over! Light of Hope!" I then traced a heart in front of me, and a rainbow-colored beam shot a Yveltal, canceling his attack and throwing him against the wall.

The winged one was quick to recover and attack me with a Shadow Claw - this time with more force than before. It hurt so much, I actually struggled to get back up.

"No! Brianna!" Serena almost jumped down, but Pabi caught her in his arms. "We have to help her!"

'This isn't our battle,' he told them. 'Disrupting it would not only be lacking in honor, but would likely make Yveltal mad enough to terminate us. Nothing could stop him then.'

"He's right," Clemont added. "Like it or not, only Brianna can end this."

Good thing they failed to interrupt. I was able to return to my feet and evade a number of oncoming Shadow Balls. I jumped against the wall and called out my next move. "Light of Hope!" Aiming at the wall, I used that move to launch me like a rocket at Yveltal "Sacred Sword!" I summoned my blade and landed a hit directly into his chest. Yveltal was sent into the opposite wall, and several large rocks fell on top of him.

"She did it!" Everyone cheered from the side of the crater. I was exhausted, but I still felt triumphant. I hope I never have to battle like this again, and I was sure I was going to sleep like the dead tonight.

But the battle still was not over. Yveltal broke out of the rubble that held him down, and he looked furious. He spread his wings and tail widely, and they began to glow a hissing blood red. In front of him, a transparent violet orb formed with blue elecretic-like energy.

"Uh-oh! Oblivion Wing!" Ash remembered that move from his past life. "Brianna, look out!"

"King's Shi-!" was all I could say. The winged one fired off a large violet beam of energy that engulfed me.

*Cocoa's POV*

It all happened so fast… Before Brianna could react, Yveltal had used his signature power on her - Oblivion Wing. When it finally settled, there stood Brianna in the middle of the crater - her body turned to stone, and the area surrounding her turned gray and arid. Yveltal landed in front of her and screeched in victory.

Most of us were shocked. Diancie in particular was furious. 'You're going to regret that!'

"Goodra! Pikachu! Let's take him on!" Ash and Diancie were about to attack Yveltal…

…but I stopped them. "Wait!" I was quick to realize something was off… I had yet to revert to my original form. I then focused on my Trainer. This would not be the first time she seemingly died in front of me, and if I was right, something good was coming. "Come on, Brianna… I know you can do it…" I prayed quietly.

Nothing happened right away… But after maybe ten to fifteen seconds, the petrified Brianna began to shake, growing more and more rapid. Many of us, including Yveltal, were surprised. Cracks began to form on the statue, and a bright light escaped from each crack.

Then with a sudden burst of light, Brianna broke free of her petrification. To make matters even better, she looked exactly like she did back in the Hoenn region. "I can still battle!" she shouted.

Yveltal leered at his opponent, and I think he smiled. 'No human has ever surpassed my Oblivion Wing on their own… Very well, Child of Arceus. Let us finish what we started!'

"Do it, Brianna!" I shouted, and everyone else cheered with me.

Brianna charged toward her opponent and jumped. "Sacred Sword!" A sword formed in her grasp, and she thrust it into Yveltal's chest, shoving him into the wall once again.

Yveltal was quick to recover, though and once again, he charged up another Oblivion Wing. This time, Brianna was quicker on the draw. She summoned her Light of Hope attack. The two beams collided with and deflected each other, each user forcing their attack for as long as they could.

Yveltal seemed to laugh. 'I was waiting for this… your true power!' Their power continued to clash until a resulting explosion forced them both to desist. 'Because you have found your true power, this is now a battle between Legends!'

He then summoned a giant Shadow Ball - largest I've ever seen! Brianna countered with her own Nature Power. However, rather than neutralize one another, they were deflected. Brianna's orb hit the floor and was extinguished, but Yveltal's was caught along the rim of the crater's edge… heading straight for us!

Brianna saw this. As we all shielded each other in fear, Brianna leaped in the Shadow Ball's path. Summoning a Sacred Sword, she swung down and sliced the giant orb in half. The two halves burst, and she was caught in the middle.

The rest of us were nearly blown off the mountain completely. When it settled, we returned to see the aftermath. There was a sizable hole in the floor where Brianna stood. She limped out of the hole, panting in exhaustion. But then, much to our horror, Brianna fell flat on her back, reverting back to her normal self as I de-evolved myself. Yveltal held her down with his giant tail and screeched into her face.

"You…win… I yield…." she panted. I closed my eyes, ready for the worst.

Then, much to our surprise…Yveltal got off. Brianna slowly rose to her feet as he backed away. Understandably, we were all confused.

'Rather than pursue victory, you sacrificed yourself for your friends… You have proven to possess the power and resolve of the Original One. In his name, allow me to bestow this gift upon you…' The runes started to appear beneath Brianna's feet. Yveltal started to glow, and the Pure Heart appeared once again. "Behold, the Obsidian Heart. With this, you possess the power of Darkness." He gently nudged the Pure Heart toward her, and it merged with its new host.

After accepting it, Brianna looked at her opponent and smiled. "This was all just a test, wasn't it? You weren't really going to destroy Kalos."

The Destruction Pokemon nodded his head. It then began to flap its wings and soar around the mountain 'Yes! I feel younger than I have in many an age. I gladly acknowledge your power, as it is that of your father before. I will go my own way… for now. Fare thee well, Child of Arceus!' With that, Yveltal started to fly away, in a different direction.

The rest of us came down to congratulate my Trainer. "Brianna! That was an amazing battle!" Ash commented.

"Yeah! That new Mega Evolved form of yours was incredible!" Jessie added.

Pabi stepped up to us, his head hung low. 'How ironic… after the way I treated you, you risked your life for all of us. Perhaps I was wrong about Beast Hunters-! I mean, about humans.'

'Pabi?' Diancie asked in curiosity

He took a step back and spoke to all of us. 'You know what… I'm going to make you all Honorary Pokémon of the valley! You are free to stay here as long as you desire! For eternity, if you wish!'

"Honorary Pokémon?" Ash asked, a little weirded out.

"I think that sounds really cool!" Serena commented.

As tempting as that sounded, we knew we had something more important to do. Brianna stepped up to Pabi. "I appreciate the offer, Pabi, but we still have…" she fidgeted around with her fingers before continuing. "...six more Pure Hearts we need to find."

Pabi seemed to smile. 'Well… I sure can respect that. Still, you're free to return at any time. My one condition is that you keep our home a secret for the Pokémon's sake.' Brianna was willing to accept. To this day, no one outside of our friend circle knows where Nebel Plateau is.

*Brianna's POV*

Battling a Legendary Pokemon can really take it out of you. I slept like a baby that night. The next day, we decided it was time to return to Kalos.

The sun was well above Yveltal's mountain when we finished packing. All the while, Diancie and Goodra were saying goodbye to their homeland friends. They returned to us with Pabi. 'Okay… we're ready.'

But were they really? I could tell from Diancie's voice that she was not fully happy. I smiled as I kneeled down to her. "Are you ready to continue our journey?" I asked her. "…or would you rather stay here?"

Everyone was surprised to hear that, especially Goodra, Diancie and Pabi. 'You would set them free?' asked the latter.

"This place is their home," added Ash, "and the Pokémon here are their family. This isn't easy for us, but they've become so strong now. Now they can help you to protect your friends. That's what you wanted after all, right?"

Moved by our reasoning and generosity, Goodra grabbed his Trainer in a hug. Diancie did the same with me. We held each other for a good while as the conversation went on.

"I think they're right," Clemont commented. "Maybe it is the best thing for them… and for everyone here…"

I began to cry a little as I spoke up again. "Even if we're far apart, no matter what, we'll always be friends… I'll never forget you…"

"And please, don't forget us!" As Bonnie spoke up, she and Dedenne leaped up and embraced Goodra. "We're forever friends!"

As we finished our hug, Diancie decided to do something special. She held her hands out in front of her, and used the smallest Diamond Storm she could. Two small pink diamonds formed out of thin air, and she placed one in my hands. 'Something to remember us by…'

I wholeheartedly accepted her gift. "I'll keep it with me, always…"

A short while later, we decided it was time to go. Pabi was kind enough to guide us directly to Anistar City as a token of his appreciation. He knew that area better than any of us did. "Take care of yourselves! And all your friends too!" Ash called out.

'We will! That's a promise!' Diancie replied as bid each other farewell for the last time.

Farewells are always bittersweet. They encapsulate both the joy of embarking on a new adventure and the sorrow of leaving cherished memories and loved ones behind. Sometimes, however, it is a necessary part of the rich experiences we have experienced along our way, as the journey continues…