Chapter 53 (Patreon)

I had wanted to visit Pacifidlog, just to see how it floats, but not like this.

The sky was dark and covered with storm clouds that let little light in. The best I could see was that it was actually built onto an island with an extensive series of floating wood docks, but I couldn't tell much else. The large expanse of floating wooden paths and houses were moving up and down in the tall, violent waves, and I didn’t see anyone on them. It seemed that everyone fled for safety on the main island before the storm had grown too intense.

As Sky Pillar was located near Pacifidlog, Steven’s Claydol had teleported us here and we would fly there on our Pokémon. Claydol had only memorized the cities of Hoenn, so it couldn't teleport to many places off-route. Steven sent out his Skarmory, Wally sent out Flygon, and I sent out Altaria. Wally set up his saddle while I unfolded the basket from my backpack.

Steven moved to mount his Skarmory, but paused after he looked to the dark, thunder-ridden clouds above, and then to my basket.

"Do you mind if I ride with you, Alex?" He asked. "It seems that Skarmory will need to protect us from the lightning."

I raised my eyebrows at that, and nodded while scooching over to make room for Steven. The three of us and our Pokémon were soon in the sky moving towards Sky Pillar, Skarmory in the lead above us.

Flygon had initially been a bit resistant to following Skarmory around, but a single look from the Steel Type caused Flygon's behavior to shift into that of pure deference. It seemed to understand when it was completely outmatched.

Flying to Sky Pillar was completely and utterly terrifying. We couldn't move too fast, as having to lift two people slowed Altaria down, but it was still impressively fast with a Tailwind from Skarmory boosting our speed.

Skarmory stayed above us and occasionally the clouds crackled with electricity. When that happened, Skarmory would fly into the clouds as the sky would illuminate from a flash of lightning before it returned, only looking ever so slightly charred.

No wonder the Champion is considered to have a 15-star team.

We neared Sky Pillar within about twenty minutes, and as we approached, I started to make out more and more details.

Sky Pillar was a massive stone tower that extended up far past the tallest skyscrapers I had ever seen. Chunks of stone were falling off its side, and the entire thing looked to be in ruins. I could just barely make out the chain-like pattern from Rayquaza's side decorated on the front of the tower, but that wasn't what confirmed Rayquaza's presence.

It was the cylinder of completely clear sky around it that did.

The tower was built onto a rocky island, and we were forced to land as our Pokémon were unable to fly closer without experiencing a sudden, retaliatory wind despite the clear weather. The ocean was perfectly still around the island, increasing how ominous the already ominous tower was. There was a long, stone staircase carved into the island itself, and we were forced to take the time to climb all the way up.

We got about a third of the way up before Steven just sent out Claydol and teleported us to the top, leaving us annoyed at ourselves for wasting so much time climbing.

The stairs led to the base of the tower, where there was a flat area made out of the same dark stone as the rest of the ruins. It was laid out like a plaza in front of a large circular stone slab resting against the building. What caught my eye about the slab was that it had the "delta" symbol on it.

I mean really, there’s “delta,” “alpha,” “omega,” and heck, even the Unown language! Did the Greeks or Romans exist in this world or something? Or did something influence this world as it influenced my old one?

Lost to my musings in the face of that symbol, I hadn't noticed that we weren't alone on this platform.

A woman with graying short, black hair stood next to the stone slab, covered by a long, tan cloak that obscured the rest of her body. The collar of the robe bent outwards, and there were dark dragon scales attached around the neck. The woman didn't look to be that old, middle-aged at most, but she looked extremely ill, with her body barely more than skin and bones.

Her mouth grew into a toothy grin when she saw us.

"Ah, the chosen heroes arrive."

My head turned to face her, and despite the fact that Steven was still trying to look her over first, I couldn't help but to respond.

"Wait, chosen?" I asked. "We were fated or pre-ordained to come here?"

Her grin grew wider.

"No, but you chose to come here, didn't you?"

I immediately rolled my eyes at that ridiculous set up and punch line, as she let out a strained laugh that developed into a hacking cough.

"Aster, Lorekeeper of the Draconid Tribe. Why are you here?," Steven asked.

Despite Steven kindly telling us her name and role, I had no clue who she was. She seemed like an important figure based on how Steven was treating her, but even still, her appearance and name was drawing a blank in my mind.

Isn’t Zinnia supposed to be the Lorekeeper?

"Psh. Why wouldn't I be here?” Aster replied, waving her hand dismissively. “I thought I would need to get Lord Rayquaza, but it seemed you all had it handled.”

She suddenly let loose a hacking cough, that brief movement of her hand supposedly too much for her body to handle.

Steven walked up to her to hand her a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her mouth. I couldn't help but notice the red that was on it when she pulled it away.

He used how close he was to her to lean in and tried to whisper something, but the weather and ocean were so quiet I could easily make out his voice.

"...How long do you have left?" he asked her solemnly.

"I'm just happy to have made it to this year. Thanks for reminding me, huh?" Aster replied, not bothering to lower her voice.

Steven stepped back without saying anything else, and then walked closer to the slab. Wally and I moved in closer as well, causing us to end up next to where Aster was standing. Steven ran his hands over the stone, and knocked on it a few times. He turned back to us, frowning, then glanced at Aster.

"There’s a trick to get in, isn’t there?" he asked.

She grinned mischievously.

"Well, in about two years a large meteor will approach the planet and the next Lorekeeper will enter the tower to plead for Lord Rayquaza to destroy it. Everything would have been fine, but something happened, and now the tower has to be opened a few years early," Aster replied, glancing at me in the middle of her sentences.

Did I somehow make things worse?

Wally became utterly distraught after hearing that.

"What! We can't wait two years! Everyone is going to get hurt! There has to be another way in," he moaned.

Aster cackled at his reply, and was forced to wipe her mouth with Steven's handkerchief again.

"Ah, the compassion of youth. I like you, kid. Tell you what, I'll tell you how to open this door, but you have to answer me a riddle first."

Wally nodded his head and clenched his fist determinedly, while Steven and I sighed. Ignoring us, she began to speak.

"What walks on-"

"Man," I interrupted her, recognizing one of the most famous riddles before she could even say it.

Aster blinked. Steven looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"That's not fair!" she shouted. "The boy was supposed to be the one who-"

"Man," Wally said quickly, recognizing my intention.

Her mouth hung open, and I spoke up before she could continue to complain.

"You never said that he couldn't get help," I said.

She frowned for a moment, then her eyes sparkled with amusement and she laughed again. She didn’t end up coughing this time.

"Ah, how pleasant. ...How pleasant," she said wistfully. "If you want to enter Sky Pillar, you must get a Lorekeeper to open it for you. Alas, that boy Wallace isn't here so-"

"Team Magma is threatening to destroy Mossdeep with the power of Kyogre," Steven said, causing the old woman to be interrupted yet again. "We do not have time for games, Aster. Open the door."

Aster blinked at Steven's serious demeanor, and frowned.

"Fine. But you and only you are permitted to enter the tower, Steven. If you wish for Lord Rayquaza to intervene, you must prove your strength. Prepare yourself for a battle, and not like one you have ever experienced before."

Steven's expression grew even more serious, and Aster moved to the side of the slab. She rested her fingers on the stone, then lightly pressed forward. As if it was just shoved with an incredible force, the stone rumbled and rolled out of the way, revealing a hole that led into the decrepit tower. Steven locked eyes with Wally and I one final time, then entered Sky Pillar.

The stone rolled back into place behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Aster walked back to us and looked at me suspiciously.

"So what's up with you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," I replied a little too quickly.

Aster smacked her lips in thought.

"Is there something wrong with Alex?" Wally asked. "I thought-"

"Yeah, your friend feels wrong,” she replied. “Almost as if they aren’t supposed to be here.”

There was a pregnant pause as everyone took that in. Before I could ask her to explain herself, Aster ended up shrugging her shoulders and grunting half-heartedly before continuing her previous thought.

“Eh, it doesn't really matter. None of this was supposed to happen, anyway.”

I froze.

"This wasn’t supposed to happen?” I asked nervously.

Aster leaned forward and shook her head in annoyance. Her sudden harshness caught me off guard.

“Of course not, you Fairy Type dimwit! Humans aren’t supposed to control Legendary Pokémon, at least not at this level. Of course, those idiots in Team Magma would have done this eventually, but at least if it happened like it was supposed to, Kyogre would have been subdued without Lord Rayquaza’s help!”

My entire body was still, my heart pounding as her words shook me to my core.

So, I ruined everything? The Hoenn season of the anime happened last year, but would the games have happened too? By sharing my information to this world, did I speed everything up? Everything was handled so smoothly in the games and anime, I... I might have changed things enough to let someone bad win.

“Oh don’t look like that,” she said, her voice softening a bit, but still admonishing me. “Free will exists for a reason, you know. Lord Rayquaza just made me aware of a few different possibilities.”

Wally perked up at that. He suddenly seemed a bit more excited than unusual, despite the current tense circumstances.

“You can tell the future?” he said with the same idle curiosity of a young child.

“Hah! Imagine that! Seeing the future!” Aster practically laughed in his face as his expression became downtrodden. “No, boy. Just possibilities, that’s all. Befriending a Legendary Pokémon gets you a better insight on a few things.”

My mouth dropped open at her claim that she had befriended Rayquaza. She saw my reaction and grinned.

“Anyway, boy, you should choose better friends,” she said, facing Wally. “You can never trust a Fairy. They’re filled with so many different lies and deceit you never know where their true motive lies, no matter how friendly they may seem on the surface.” She glanced toward me and suddenly sniffed the air hard. “Your friend reeks like them. They’re the worst Type for a reason, after all.”

Wally looked mad that she would insinuate that I was lying to him, whereas I just felt guilty I hadn’t told Wally my origin. However, I didn’t dwell on that for too long, as she just said something I took particular offense to.

"Fairy Type is not the worst Type," I said, defensively.

She looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

“I’m pretty sure it is.”

“It’s absolutely not.”

“Fairy Types are a perfectly fine Type, and you shouldn’t call any Type at all ‘the worst Type.’” Wally said, chipping in.

She glanced between the two of us, then tilted her head up and smugly spoke with finality in her voice.

"Yes it is, and that's because I work with Dragons."

There was a long pause between us as we stood in the silence of Sky Pillar.

"Oh, so you're one of them," I finally said.

She squinted her eyes at me.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

I waved a hand at her dismissively, giving her the same attitude she had given us this entire time.

“Oh, you know,” I said in a tone that implied I wouldn’t bother explaining further.

Aster looked just as annoyed as I was, and there was another brief pause before Wally spoke up.

"So why are you being so mean to Alex?" he asked.

She carefully eyed me over, then turned to Wally to speak.

"I am a Lorekeeper. I keep the myths and legends of my people, and am responsible for preventing them, or ensuring they come true. I collect knowledge to assist in that endeavor, but your friend is an enigma. They do not belong, and yet, the very fabric of the world finds their existence permissible. The future flows meticulously, carefully, and smoothly, and yet somehow does not account for your friend. I can’t say I fully understand what’s going on, as my knowledge only lets me scratch the surface of the truth of this world, but your friend radiates this sense of being ‘otherworldly.’ ...Ugh, I get the Fairy Types now. They’re just like one."

"...Thank you?" I said, confused.

"I wasn’t talking to you," she snapped at me. “And it wasn’t a compliment.”

Wally and I stood there awkwardly, neither of us wanting to engage with the woman any longer. Meanwhile, my head was spinning. Aster had insinuated that she understood what I’d done, or at least had an idea of my origin. The sheer number of implications in her words practically gave me whiplash several times over and honestly, I didn’t want to think about it.

I just wanted to be a Fairy Type specialist. I wasn’t going to let the words of a sick old woman affect me. I already affirmed my decision to share my knowledge in the past, and even if things got worse because of it, well, at least the League would be more prepared to handle them.

I glanced up at the peak of the tower, where there was yet to be any movement. My frown deepened and Wally, noticing my look, glanced up as well.

"...Do you think Steven's going to be okay?" he asked.

I continued to stare at the still, unmoving skies above us.

"I don't know."

======================================================

Steven stood outside the final staircase, tired from climbing so many stairs. His stamina was much higher than the average man’s, but this tower was still ridiculously tall. He had hoped Skarmory would be able to carry him through the gap that extended through the entire center of Sky Pillar, but the wild Pokémon attacked them when they did that, and were forced to land about three-quarters of the way up.

He had walked past a multitude of different Pokémon resting here. Claydol, Dusclops, Shelgon, even a few different Salamence. He clearly remembered Alex’s grimace in his mind, and understood why this place might have caused that reaction: it was dangerous.

Sky Pillar was filled with numerous rare and powerful wild Pokémon. Steven was lucky that they did not seem to be hostile towards him on the ground, but he could still feel the threat latent in their glares. The floors were crumbling and broke away at several points, forcing him to carefully plan out his paths and run across weakened sections at certain points.

He could not blame the Draconid people for being so insistent that this tower should be off-limits. Sky Pillar was not a place meant for humans.

Thankfully, he had landed far enough up the tower that he didn’t need to ascend for too long to reach the point where he was now. He knew that time was running out before Courtney’s mad deadline, but if he was to face Rayquaza, he needed to properly prepare himself.

Rather than sending out the rest of his team, he only sent out Metagross, his starter, friend, and strongest Pokémon. The floor cracked under Metagross’s weight, but with a quick flex of their power they lifted off the ground, hovering thanks to Magnet Rise.

“This may be the toughest battle we’ve ever faced. I can only rely on you, Metagross. We need to use Mega Evolution.”

Metagross’s still silver face stared at Steven.

“Affirmative. We shall prepare ourself accordingly.” Metagross’s metal voice rang into Steven’s mind.

Steven waited a few moments for Metagross to prepare, using two of its minds to enhance itself with Agility and Iron Defense while the other two went over the battle plan with Steven. Pokémon and trainer considered many options, but settled on the simplest one: an all-out offense. There were too many unknowns to plan something else.

Glancing back over to the hovering Metagross, its silver body darkened thanks to Iron Defense, Steven climbed the final set of stairs with Metagross following, reaching the tower’s peak.

The two of them emerged into the open sky, not a single cloud in sight above them, but a raging storm encircling the tower far off in the distance. Strange, ancient runes decorated the ground around the top of the tower, with four pillars arranged into a square, emphasizing a short, wide, stone plinth in the center of the tower.

Steven glanced up to take in the creature that floated in the air above that plinth. It was an enormous green draconic snake covered with sets of fins across its body and a series of circular yellow runes decorating its emerald-like hide. The light of the afternoon sun illuminated the Legendary Pokémon, and its two clawed hands clenched and opened back up as it stared down at them.

“Rayquaza, we need your help,” Steven called out, barely able to maintain his composure thanks to years of practice with his image. “A terrorist has taken control of Primal Kyogre and is threatening to wipe an entire island off the map. Please, I beseech you to-”

The familiar pressure of Psychic Type energy surrounded Steven and he was thrown off to the side. Metagross zipped through the air next to him as an almost instantaneously-used Hyper Beam scorched the spot the two had previously occupied.

“Do not delay,” Metagross’s voice in his mind rang out.

Steven sent back an affirmative and clutched the stickpin on his lapel. Most tended to overlook it as another stone accessory of his, but the stone that decorated its top was a Key Stone, the smallest one he had found, which he had intentionally chosen to keep it hidden.

Metagross glowed as Steven felt a familiar draining sensation, and the two of them raced over the edge of the tower, narrowly avoiding an endless barrage of Hyper Beams that did not tire Rayquaza out at all.

Soon, Metagross’s form shifted as they underwent the phenomenon known as Mega Evolution.

The first and largest change was that its four legs attached to its underside instead became four arms attached to its sides. On the ends of those arms, its claws ended out and became sharp. The cross on Metagross’s face extended and shifted from its shiny golden color to a deep crystal blue.

While those were effectively the limits of Metagross’s physical changes, the true changes were happening in its minds.

The Mega Evolution caused each mind to split and be empowered, granting Metagross a number of extra thought threads, doubling the number it had active. The power granted to Metagross allowed the subtle static from Magnet Rise to fade as it lifted itself up with pure Psychic power. Mega Metagross was ready to go.

Rayquaza’s focus shifted to be solely on the Mega Pokémon, and Steven was carefully deposited next to one of the four pillars on the roof. Metagross flew up and its eyes glowed blue. Loose chunks of rubble around the area were picked up and tossed at Rayquaza, who easily avoided them by twisting around in the air. Metagross was forced to move out of the way of yet another Hyper Beam, and without hesitating, it retaliated by moving in close with Bullet Punch.

Whipping winds picked up around Metagross to push it back as Rayquaza used the slightest amount of will to conjure them. However, instead of being knocked back in the face of such a powerful Hurricane, Metagross continued forward. Its speed was far too enhanced thanks to both its Agility and Mega Evolution, and it managed to get in close, slamming Rayquaza four times with each of its arms.

Tough Claws at the end of each of Metagross’s four arms dug into the green flesh of Rayquaza, wounding it through its solid hide, and Rayquaza screeched deafeningly.

Unknown to both Steven and Metagross, Aster dropped to her knees reverently below, and Alex and Wally looked at each other nervously.

Before Metagross could unleash another attack, Rayquaza’s head snapped towards the nearby Steel Type and Crunched down on it, pulling Metagross up and attempting to fling it away. Metagross didn't take much damage thanks to how solid its body was after Iron Defense, and easily stalled itself in the air with its Psychic power. It brought the proper energy forth and used Meteor Mash with each of its limbs, but another Hurricane from Rayquaza managed to prevent it from getting closer this time.

The drain on Steven’s vitality increased as Metagross’s minds worked overdrive, and Steven suddenly found it difficult to keep his eyes open. However, he resisted his body telling him to rest. They had trained so long together that Steven trusted Metagross to win with all of his being.

Metagross hovered in place, forcing itself to not be blown back even farther away with Hurricane, and Rayquaza lifted itself up in the air and seemed to look angry. Rayquaza rushed at Metagross, who tried to Protect itself with a thin shield of energy coating its body. While Protect saved Metagross from the initial damage of Rayquaza’s Outrage, the Dragon plucked Metagross out of the air and flew along the outside of the tower, holding Metagross down and dragging it across the stone.

Metagross tried its best to maintain its defense, but Protect was a move that required far too much energy to maintain for long. Steven could feel his vitality draining even faster, so Metagross was forced to drop it. Stones tore into Metagross’s body as Rayquaza’s grip grew tighter, almost taking glee in a battle against such a worthy opponent.

Steven, from his position, saw Rayquaza stop dragging Metagross and lift itself up above the tower, the Steel Type still in its claw. The Legendary Pokémon tilted its head downwards to face Metagross, then unleashed a continuous close-ranged Hyper Beam to faint it.

Metagross could only barely withstand the powerful attack due to the Iron Defense reinforcing its body, and Steven’s eyes drooped.

“You cannot withstand the drain much longer. I shall use my final move,” Steven heard in his head.

Steven desperately wanted to call out for Metagross not to do that, but he stayed quiet. If Metagross thought it had to use its final trump card, there was truly no other way.

A pulse of appreciative emotions was sent to Steven through Metagross’s psychic bond, and Metagross jammed its claws into the arm and body of Rayquaza. The sudden attack caused Rayquaza to stop its Hyper Beam, and Metagross began to glow. Rayquaza realized what was going on, and tried to toss Metagross away, but it had grabbed onto Rayquaza too tightly.

Steven was forced to close his eyes at the bright light that expanded out from Metagross’s body. It released all of its energy at once in a massive Explosion that encompassed the entirety of the Legendary’s body.

Unexpectedly, closing his eyes was a mistake. Steven was already tired, and a wave of exhaustion was sent through Steven’s body after that self-destructive move was used. Neither of them had tested out how an Explosion used by a Mega Pokémon worked, and now they were paying the price.

He collapsed onto one knee and his head bobbed as he tried to stay conscious with all of his willpower. A sudden clunking sound got his attention, and Steven looked over to see the no longer Mega Evolved form of Metagross placed down in front of him. Squinting from a lack of energy, he glanced up to look at the barely charred form of Rayquaza.

The Legendary Pokémon stared down at him regally, and Steven was unable to do much else but look back up to it.

“...Please,” he said, hoarsely forming the words in his mouth. “Please help us.”

There was a tense moment as Steven collapsed onto the ground, breaking eye contact with Rayquaza.  After what felt to be an eternity to him, Rayquaza closed its eyes to lower its head, and shot out and down from the tower.

Steven exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and could barely press the button on Claydol’s ball before he fell unconscious.

======================================================

Wally and I were completely frozen as we watched the battle between Rayquaza and Steven’s Metagross. The sheer number of Hyper Beams that had been fired was insane, and the final explosion had almost blinded us. Aster spent the entire time kneeling on the ground, not necessarily in prayer, but in pure respect.

After the Explosion, Rayquaza made its way back to the top of the tower, looking uninjured from this distance. My heart dropped. Steven had lost.

Neither Wally nor I were able to speak after witnessing that, but Aster, from her position on the ground beside us, spoke up.

“It is finished. Lord Rayquaza approaches.”

What?!

Wally and I weren’t able to react before a gust of wind caused us to stumble, and we glanced up to see Rayquaza floating above us, having reached our position near instantaneously. Its emerald flesh glistened in the sun and it didn’t even spare us a glance. Instead, it lowered itself down to the ground, and held out a hand for Aster to step on it.

She looked up at it and smiled, then stepped into Rayquaza’s claw.

“It was a pleasure meeting the two of you, even with one of you suffering from an intense number of flaws” she called out as Rayquaza sailed into the air. “However, it seems Lord Rayquaza requires my assistance so I am unable to remain behind. If it truly is Primal Kyogre as Steven said, Lord Rayquaza will not be able to handle it alone.”

She cackled and wiped her mouth again.

“Also, tell Steven I’m keeping the handkerchief!” she yelled, disappearing as Rayquaza shot off, creating a Sonic Boom due to its speed. In the distance, the storm parted in its wake, and Wally and I were left alone.

“Do you think they’ll be able to handle it?” Wally asked.

“I hope so,” I responded.

We stood in silence for just a bit longer before there was the sound of cloth ruffling behind us. We turned around and saw Steven and Metagross both unconscious on the floor next to Claydol.

“Steven!” I shouted.

I went to check him over, but as far as I could tell he was just asleep. Metagross was in a worse state considering its battle with Rayquaza, so I patted Steven’s pocket to find its Pokéball to return it. I looked over to where Claydol was floating next to Wally, and spoke up.

“Claydol, we need to get Steven to safety and go to Mossdeep to help protect everyone. Can you help us?”

Claydol spun in place to acknowledge my request, then tilted forward to float closer. I picked up Steven the best I could, and Wally and I pressed our hands to Claydol. With that, we were teleported away.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

After a brief stop in Steven's bedroom, of all places, Wally and I were brought outside his home.

Steven seemed to live in Mossdeep, and his house was actually the one attached to the stone museum here I had visited so long ago. The street was already filled with a few inches of water, and the skies were dark and pouring rain.

From the position on top of the hill Steven’s house was on, Wally and I had a good view of the city.  I couldn't see anyone immediately around us, but I did see a crowd of people at the Mossdeep Space Center in the center of the island. In the opposite direction, the shores of Mossdeep were covered with large, frozen waves that were breaking the even larger ones coming in from behind them, protecting Mossdeep from the full brunt of Kyogre’s storm.

Speaking of Kyogre, in the far distance, resting on the surface of the ocean, was the enormous glowing form of Primal Kyogre. It was far larger than Groudon had been, and I felt like I was drowning just by looking at it.

Rayquaza needs to get here soon.

Wally tapped me on my shoulder to get my attention.

"We need to help people get to safety. We're trainers, so our Pokémon are stronger than most. We have to help."

I nodded determinedly.

"Alright. Let's-"

"People of Mossdeep," a familiar voice echoed out. Some kind of megaphone was broadcasting Courtney's words all the way from where she was on top of the submarine next to Kyogre.

"The League did not submit to our ...demands, and have decided to ...sacrifice you all to demonstrate our ...power.

"We cannot show ...weakness. ...Flee if you can."

I took a step back as I watched the ocean behind Kyogre literally rise. Far off in the distance, it towered above every single building and slowly pushed its way forward.

"...We were too late," Wally whispered.

I went over the options my Pokémon could do in my mind, but couldn't find anything that helpful. Altaria and Flygon were our best bets, and we might be able to take a few people with us to escape.

As I opened up my mouth to share my idea, a swarm of Hyper Beams shot out from above the city, causing the wave to explode before it reached the island. Kyogre roared and I covered my ears in pain. It sounded like a grating whale song.

Above the center of Mossdeep, the sky opened up and Rayquaza flew down, a solid beam of light illuminating its form. It positioned itself above the beach closest to Kyogre, and the two Legendary Pokémon glared at each other. The ocean twisted over itself and multiple Hydro Pumps were sent forth, but Rayquaza created a violent, circling Hurricane around it that tore the attacks apart.

There was a pause and an intense pressure came down over the city. I struggled to breath, not from a lack of air, but from the emotions Rayquaza was emanating.

Rayquaza was mad.

It lifted itself into the clouds at an incredible rate, and its body began to glow. The runic designs on its side turned bright white, and its fins on its side and head grew in length. The runes traveled up its body and onto the fins on Rayquaza's head, and then extended out like long strings waving off its body. Orange gems grew out of the Rayquaza's sides, matching where there were once runic circles, and the other parts of its hide darkened.

A terrifying screech came out of its jaws, and it reached the peak of its Dragon Ascent to dive down at Kyogre, making a whistling sound in the process. Rayquaza had Mega Evolved, presumably with the help of Aster.

The full power of Mega Rayquaza then crashed into Kyogre.

The impact sent out a massive shockwave, which hurtled towards the city. Neither Wally nor I could bring ourselves to move in the presence of two Legendaries, but Ninetales hurriedly let herself out of her Pokéball to use Ice Beam to create a solid-ice wall of cover to protect us. The ice cracked but withstood the blow, and Wally and I let out a breath. We made eye contact, then rushed over to move down the streets, trying to see if we could find anyone still around we could help.

I made sure to pat Ninetales affectionately as we did so.

Behind us, the two Legendary Pokémon continued to battle as a whirl of blue and green shook the world. The sea parted and reformed to make walls around Kyogre, while Rayquaza easily flew straight through them to gouge Dragon Claw’s into Kyogre’s deep blue body.

I felt a sudden extreme chill and looked back to see that Kyogre had opened its mouth to use Ice Beam against Rayquaza, but the Dragon Type countered that with a Flamethrower of its own, heating everything back up.

Suddenly, a harsh wind blew over the city and Wally and I were knocked to the ground. Kyogre seemed stunned as well, as from where Rayquaza was levitating above Kyogre, a hole opened up in the cloud cover and expanded.

Rayquaza’s Delta Stream was finally in effect, and the clouds were blown far off into the distance, making the heavy rain finally cease.

Kyogre grew furious and its entire form glowed blue and exploded outwards with water in a Water Spout attack, but Rayquaza flew up and over, its Mega form enhancing its speed, and easily avoided the move. From its position above, Rayquaza flew down towards Kyogre, intent on finishing the battle.

Wally and I continued forward, half paying attention to the fight, half looking for people in trouble.

======================================================

No, no, no!

Courtney braced herself against the submarine’s top fin, barely holding onto the ship as it was violently pushed away from the unbelievable battle taking place before her eyes. She had expected Groudon at the worst, as she knew the League had hidden it from her, but her back-up plan to control it was now in shambles.

After all, the League had managed to get Rayquaza on their side.

Can’t the League see how they’re holding back humanity? If they would just listen, they'd know Maxie's plan to expand the landmass would help everyone!

Finding new places to live is a struggle, I know they know with all of the regulations they have in place. Fresh land, unclaimed by man and Pokémon could be used for whatever’s needed. They would just need to imagine dedicating that space to farms or wind turbines for one second to be convinced. All of that extra food and energy could save thousands of lives!

Courtney held up her hand to try to command Kyogre, but something about Rayquaza's presence prevented her from doing anything. What filled her with even more cold fury was that Courtney could tell Rayquaza was holding back.

How else could it battle while carrying that woman in its hand?

Kyogre had tried its best to fight back for so long, but at this point, Rayquaza seemed to finally be ready to move in to win. It closed in on Kyogre, then positioned itself just over the floating Water Type's body. Several Hydro Pumps shot towards its position from the sea, but Rayquaza spun in place with a Twister and obliterated the attacks.

Rayquaza  looked down at Kyogre, opened its mouth, and shot out a single, continuous Hyper Beam that was much larger and more powerful than all the others. The attack seared into the center of Kyogre’s head, right where one of the brilliantly glowing runes was, and Kyogre groaned loudly in pain.

To her horror, Courtney watched as Kyogre’s form began to shrink. The Water Type was being forced to expend all of the energy the Blue Orb had provided just to protect itself.

Courtney was mad, and tried to convince herself that everything was okay and they could still recover. The Primal light from Kyogre slowly dimmed, and soon completely faded away as Kyogre returned to its normal form. The rainbow runes that had once decorated its body retreated to their original form and position.

This is fine. Team Magma will locate Groudon, and using the Red and Blue Orbs, it too can undergo Primal Reversion. With Groudon, we will return and-

A red glowing light appeared from Courtney's left hand, and her heart dropped as she looked over to see a similar blue light coming from Kyogre. She pressed her other palm on top of that hand, but the Red Orb still emerged and traveled through her body as if it was not there.

The Colored Orbs were leaving their hosts.

"No!" Courtney shrieked. "I won't let you! We have to free Leader Maxie! You don't understand!"

She jumped to try to grab the Red Orb as it began to float away, but her hand passed through it and it slowly drifted towards Rayquaza. She fell to her knees as she watched them reach their target then drop, inert, into Rayquaza's empty claw.

"Please... No...." Courtney whispered.

As the orbs grayed, Kyogre’s eyes regained their red coloring, shifting back from their white glaze. The Legendary Water Type let loose a deafening yawn, then submerged into the water, presumably to go back to sleep.

After that, the pair of Rayquaza and the strange woman paid Coutney no mind as they took off into the air. They flew to the southwest, and soon they were nothing more than a green speck in the distance.

Courtney stayed where she was sitting on the still submarine, staring blankly ahead underneath the perfectly clear skies. Rage grew in her heart as her complete disbelief about her current situation filled her mind, and it continued to grow until the rest of Team Magma emerged from the submarine and made their way around her.

"So what now?" Her admin asked her after a few more moments of silence.

Absolute fury turned Courtney’s vision red as her last hope to free Maxie was gone. The League had proven themselves to be the true enemies of humanity, and she would not let them persist.

Courtney stood up and faced Mossdeep.

"We have ...lost our weapon, ...but this is ...not the end," she said haltingly.

She took in the damaged buildings, the frozen waves, and collapsed docks. Plans raced through her mind as she considered how best to salvage this situation. A flash of blue and green caught her eye as she saw a pair of Pokémon fly towards the Mossdeep Space Center.

She hummed.

"Mossdeep is ...famous for its space center. Maybe ...it would be fun to visit. ♪"

===================================================
Author Note:

So who’s Aster, exactly?

Aster is technically a character from the games and manga, but she’s only mentioned and not shown. She was the Draconid Lorekeeper before Zinnia, and part of Zinnia’s character arc is getting over Aster’s death. Her befriending Rayquaza isn’t anything new on my part, that’s actually a canon fact. Considering Aster showed up in this chapter, that might give you a hint about how Alex’s presence has sped things up one way or another.

Pokémon mentioned in this chapter:
Claydol
Dusclops
Flygon
Kyogre / Rayquaza
Metagross / Steven’s Metagross
Shelgon / Salamence
Skarmory
Unown

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