Chapter 18;
.............invasion

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“Zanna, give us a sign,” Rye murmured quietly to himself. “Where are you?” His paw gently traced the contours of the sandstone wall. It still hurt from when he’d punched the stone, but was healing fast. Only a thin, red line remained now where a scar once would have been.

A slight rumble shook the earth below and the Elekid had to grasp the wall so he wouldn’t fall down. He pressed his back to it firmly and raised a paw out in front of him, extending two claws. They shook gently in the air and then instantly snapped back. “Ah! It shocked me!” Rye’s hiss was drowned in his throat as another earthquake coursed underneath him. He quickly withdrew his hurt paw and peered at the ground. “What on earth…?” His eyes widened in fear and curiosity. Something was going on down there, and he was sure it wasn’t good.

As soon as the ground stopped shaking, he ran out into the hall and eyed a set of stairs to the right. “Hmph. Time to get serious. Whatever’s going on, they won’t get away with it.” The Elekid bolted for the stairs and put a paw on the railing, swinging himself up and over the side. He sailed through the air and quickly pulled back to absorb the force of the landing. In no more than a few seconds, only a blur could tell that someone had been there.

***

Jarre’s beak gaped open at the looming shadow in front of him that seemed to be growing larger every second. His wings quivered slightly as it spoke.

“Your friend,” a low voice growled, “The Pikachu…that is the one you wish me to save?” The Torchic only blinked in response, words far from his reach. The voice came again and so did another quake. “Well, is it her or not?!”

“Yes!” Jarre shouted back in surprise. His feathers stood on end and his legs quivered. What stood before him could surely not be natural. The beast was monstrously tall and it glared at him savagely. Large, curved claws arched out from its two front paws and strange black marks covered its body. The beast itself was a dark crimson colour; it stood on two legs and its tail swung about threateningly. The dinosaur held Jarre in its icy gaze, a low rumble echoing throughout the room.

“Hmm…you are sure then?” It paused and closed its eyes. Jarre blinked twice and rubbed his own with his wings. Huh? Was that Pokemon…thinking? Nonetheless, he could see it was true. The beasts jaw twitched slightly and its razor sharp teeth glinted in the low key lighting. Before Jarre could even react, its eyes snapped open again, causing the small bird to recoil in fear. “It is her,” he whispered, “This one is different from the others…she carries a gift; a light. It burns brightly within her, etched on her tail…” The beast trailed off and glanced down at the Torchic.
“The one with the light is in trouble…I will help you.” It paused for a moment before widening its eyes in a friendly gesture. “I am the Pokemon of the land, Groudon. I have resided here for many years, unscathed by time, yet you have sought me out…and then the light is here…yes,” it rumbled gently. “This, too, is fate.”

Without warning, the Groudon let off a savage roar that would have made even the bravest Pokemon cringe. “Let the others know I am here,” it commanded in a sharp growl. “By my entire being, the light shall be free!”

***

Where am I? Is this…a dream? No…this is different. I’m in…darkness…I could feel my eyelids fluttering; I knew this wasn’t a dream. It was more of a nightmare! But though my mind was in the nightmare, my body was still intact with the physical world. I felt my teeth grit in pain, my small fangs scratching my fur until they drew blood. My paws were clenched into fists, my fur stood on end, and I was shaking. Always constantly shaking, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part was the intense agony that bore a hole right through my stomach. “ARRGGHHH!” I screamed in pain as the hole twisted and something within it clenched. “NOO!”

“Aww, what’s wrong? Can’t take the heat?” A cold, sinister voice entered my mind. Large red eyes narrowed until they were just tiny slits. Only the pupils could be seen in my mind, glaring like a monster.

“No!” I writhed in agony and I could feel the strain it took me to move my paws around within the chains. My wrists were already red and raw. The sticky, oozing blood that now trickled down them meant nothing to me. My other pain meant nothing. All that concerned me now was the ripping hole in my stomach. But I couldn’t do anything. My eyes wouldn’t open no matter how hard I tried. I might as well have given up; I was stuck in this nightmare. As long as it took for Gengar to extract my soul, I would be in here; trapped and lifeless.

My jaw trembled again as the salty taste of blood flowed on my lips. What was left of my stomach retracted in a sudden convulsion; my own blood made me sick. I writhed again and opened my mouth wide, spluttering for air. Though I couldn’t see, I knew my body must be in tattered ruins by now. I was even beyond the point of crying; I’d probably already exhausted my supply. So this is what it’s like, I thought sullenly, to die…

NO!

“Huh?” I jerked my head up in surprise. That voice…who was it?

Don’t you dare give up! Never!

A rough snarl issued from the telepathic link before it snapped off. Even though my eyes were shut, I could feel them narrowing. It said…don’t give up…“Arrgh!” I opened my eyes in an instant and glared at the Gengar in front of me savagely.

“Keke! What?!”

I peered down at my stomach, and though it hurt, tensed my muscles. Gengar had punched his paw right into it! That was the source of my nightmare! The hole that was there, the intense pain, was from him! I opened my mouth weakly to speak. “Gen…Gengar!”

“Keke?” The purple Pokemon glared at me in utter fascination. “You! You should be asleep! How?!”

I composed my face as best I could in a grin. “I guess…I guess I had a wake-up call.” While I tried to make my voice fierce, the best I could do barely came out in a whisper. Gengar merely smiled and clenched his paw again. “Arrgh!” The agony came back with double force. “Please,” I begged, “Don’t.”

“Why?” the Gengar hissed savagely. “Look at you! You’re pathetic! You’re worse than pathetic even; you’re a waste! It sneered and twisted its paw slowly while I could do nothing but scream. “See? You’re worthless…a leech. And no one will miss you at all. Give up…”

My eyes widened slowly as Gengar’s manic laugh came from a distance. Don’t…give…up! “NEVER!” My scream echoed throughout the large, desolate ruin. I could see that Gengar had frozen. He was almost deathly still now. I must have caught him off guard with my scream. Then I realised that it had nothing to do with my scream. His eyes were wide with shock, and they were staring at my face! It was only then that I became aware of a slight prickling in my cheeks.

“I can see…” Gengar muttered in surprise. “I can see…your aura! It’s white!”

I twisted my head around me and almost reeled if the chains hadn’t been stopping me. My body was turning…white! My tail, I remembered, which was unchained, I swung out in front of me. The circle on my tail, which was always a mystery to me and was always slightly glowing, was now almost as bright as a dazzling light. In the end, I had to look away because it was blinding me. What else was different about me, and how? Why was I turning white? But it didn’t matter to me that much, anyway. What shocked me now was the huge feeling of calm that was spreading over me; making me feel elated. The pain, I noticed, was distant now. It was second nature to this good, irresistible feeling.

I smiled, narrowing my eyes as Gengar withdrew his paw from my stomach and began to back away. I caught his movements and noticed that he was edging towards the soul extractor. Apparently, he’d had enough of the ‘torture’ scenario. “Oh, no you don’t!” The crackling within my cheeks grew until it pulsed through my veins.

“Keke!” Gengar cried out. “No!”

“Yes! Pii…kaaa…chhuuu!” My cry rang out and the white hot lightning flew from my body and engulfed the Gengar.

“Arrghh!” His scream sounded almost glorious to my ears; I felt like laughing. The calm that surrounded me made me feel happy.

“Gah!” Something hard struck the side of my face, making me see stars. “Wha-what?” I shook my head quickly and glanced around the room. Where I should have seen an ashen black Pokemon, I could only see empty air. Gengar had evaded my attack! The feeling of calm was beginning to wash away and the white colour of my body was receding. I felt dizzy again. “No…” A few feet away, Gengar was sneering with a rock in his paw.

“I’m not that easy to get!” he growled. “You rat! How DARE you!” He aimed another rock at me and I felt it skim against my chest. I flinched back instantly. “This’ll be your last breath, Pikachu!” he warned me. “You will never see the light of day again!” He threw the last rock and it hit me straight in the forehead. My eyes drooped as my head spun wildly. This is it…that voice didn’t matter now. I was going to give up. I couldn’t survive; not like this. I closed my eyes and my head lolled as I waited for the final blow.

Then I heard a loud crash and a scream. I tried to open my eyes, but I was too far under to do anything now. Another loud crash sounded and I heard something whizz past my ears. Within a moment, I felt myself falling through the air; something had hacked my chains apart. Any moment I knew I’d hit the ground. But to my utter amazement, something soft curled around me and softened my fall.

“That’s it,” a gentle voice whispered. “I told you, never give up.” Whoever held me tightened its grip and groaned softly as it landed on the ground. “I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” I sighed at that moment, knowing that I was safe, and faded out the cool voice that was the only thing keeping me awake.

***

It was hard for Rye to see into the ruins without being spotted, but he did it anyway. A slight movement from behind made him instantly jerk his paw out. “Stay there!” he hissed. “It’s too early to be caught now!” The Dragonite made to retort, but thought better of it and sighed, moving slowly back into the shadows.

Quite by chance, as soon as Rye had reached the ruins entrance, Codan had appeared. In the brief greeting they’d exchanged, he’d learnt that the Dragonite had also heard Zanna’s call. She must have called out to all of us then, Rye concluded, the Torchic as well. But he pushed his hatred aside; it wouldn’t help in this situation. His eyes narrowed instinctively upon seeing the Gengar. I’d know him anywhere…that’s Arc! That means…oh, no…Rye winced and clutched his stomach with a paw.

“What is it?” Codan whispered frantically.

“The Gengar,” Rye muttered. “That’s Arc. He works for Deoxys,” The Elekid noted the sharp intake of breath from Codan. “But he’s also part of a team, and on that team are Raze and Scythe.” He glared at the Gengar again and growled. “If Arc’s here, you can bet that Raze and Scythe aren’t far behind.” He turned his head sharply to the Dragonite. “Well, are you…” His voice trailed off as he saw Codan. The dragon was bent double and grasping the wall to steady himself.

“Deoxys…” he hissed.

Rye was stunned. What could that monster have done to upset him so much? For a moment, the Elekid was consumed by pity, then he remembered the task at hand. “Codan, snap out of it! We need to focus on getting Zanna out of here! Worry later.” He saw the Dragonite gulp and nod weakly. It took some effort, he could see, but Codan was soon standing upright again. Rye inclined his head. “Are you ready?”

“Let’s do this,” Codan replied, clenching his paws. “No more mercy.”

A slight smile spread across Rye’s face. “Well said,” He turned back towards Arc and glared. “Alright, on my signal, you hit Arc with dragon rage. It shouldn’t keep him at bay for long, but just long enough for me to get to Zanna. Understand?” He assumed the growl Codan issued meant yes. “Alright, now we wait.” He crouched down by the corner again and peered around. What he saw instantly shocked him. “What the?! Zanna! She’s white!”

“What?!” Codan’s rough paw pushed Rye out of the way and he ignored when he growled in protest. “What is that?”

Rye glared, but edged around the other side of the Dragonite. Zanna was…smiling! He gasped and drew back. What was happening to her? “Ah!” Something had clicked for him then. When Scythe got angry, she turned black. Could the same thing be happening to Zanna? He peered around again and sighed. No, that couldn’t be it. She was white, not black, and the force that was radiating from her was peaceful. It was very faint, considering they were far away, but he could still sense the calm aura flowing from her. “Hmm…” But he instantly became aware again as something hit her; a rock.

Rye gritted his teeth and felt a rumble rise within him. Another two rocks flew at the Pikachu and every time they hit, Rye’s anger rose. That’s it, he thought, eyeing the almost unconscious Pikachu, “Now!” he hissed to Codan.

Without a moments delay, the Dragonite sprung forth and shot an energy ball straight at the Gengar. It hit its target, leaving Arc staggering and gasping for air. Rye was racing along, already halfway to his mark. Within a second, he leapt up off the ground and reached within his fur, pulling out a silver shuriken. He arched back and threw it swiftly towards the chains that bound Zanna. It sliced through them effortlessly and curled back towards Rye, who caught it and placed it deep in his fur before shooting off in the direction of the Pikachu.

I’m not going to make it, he thought. I need more speed! He strained his mind and instantly teleported underneath Zanna. He grasped her gently, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

“Huh…?” the Pikachu groaned uneasily into his fur.

Rye’s forehead creased slightly. “That’s it. I told you, never give up. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” He saw Zanna sigh and drift off. The Elekid then turned around in mid-air and landed lightly on the rough ground, never for a moment relaxing his grip. He stood up swiftly, cradling the Pikachu gently within his arms. “Codan!” he shouted, “Let’s go!”

As was their plan, they intended to get as far away as possible and draw the intruders to the main hall. It was the largest, and seemingly the best place for a fight if one should occur. He saw the Dragonite nod hastily and leave a parting punch for Arc before dashing out into the dark hallway. Rye followed instantly, but caught Arc’s gaze before he left. At first, the Gengar glared, then it smiled.

“I know your secret, Rye. You will not escape this alive.”

The Elekid stopped at the crumbling archway and growled savagely. “I already have. You, however, have not.”

Arc just laughed. “Ke! What do you mean? I’m standing, aren’t I?”

Rye gave a slight smile as his eyes traced the path of the silent shuriken. It sliced through the still laughing Gengar and sailed back towards Rye, who had to hold Zanna with one paw to catch it. His nose crinkled at the rusty stench of the blood, and he glanced back to Arc once more.

The Gengar stood deathly still and was beginning to pale. He looked down at his chest with a strained expression. The shuriken had pierced him straight through the heart. With a gurgling groan, the Gengar fell to the ground, surrounded by his own foul-smelling, tainted blood.

“I told you,” Rye glared, “That you wouldn’t survive.” He tore his eyes away from Arc and heaved Zanna up close to him. Anyone who tried to mess with him or his friends was history. He shook his head once and followed Codan up and out into the hall.

***

The PRA was now bustling with activity. Pokemon everywhere were fleeing in a desperate attempt to survive. The Entrance hall was no better. Codan sighed as he spotted a bolting Arcanine and pulled it to the side by the scruff of its collar. “Why are you fleeing?! Don’t you realise that we need everyone to band together to win this?” He shook the Arcanine by the cuff when it neglected to look at him. “Answer me!” he hissed.

“No-no!” the dog stammered nervously. “W-we can’t win!”

Codan frowned. “What do you mean? Of course we can! It’s only a couple of intruders, we can—”

“NO!” the Arcanine barked back savagely as it turned to Codan. The Dragonite was shocked beyond words. The dog’s face was scarred and wounded, fresh blood dripping down slowly. But its eyes attracted the most attention. The eyes, which were usually very fierce for an Arcanine, now looked as dull and lifeless as a rock. The pupils were contracted so far that they were almost invisible. “Not a few,” it muttered, taking in a sharp breath, “Tonnes! They come in numbers far greater than our own! We can’t win!” With a final heave, the Arcanine pulled away and dashed off whimpering.

Rye walked up silently behind Codan and raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that it’s spooked. Really good.” The Elekid’s gaze followed the trail of the Arcanine that had knocked over several other Pokemon in an attempt to flee.

Codan shook his head wearily. “Never mind that, how’s Zanna doing?” he turned to Rye who’s face flitted with concern almost immediately.

“She’s holding on…but barely. I’ve never seen her so worn out and tattered before.” He glanced down anxiously at the small Pikachu cradled within his arms. And I hate to admit it, but…it scares me…why? He shook his head abruptly and turned to the Dragonite instead. “What did the dog say?”

Codan stiffened. “She…she said that we can’t win. The numbers they come in are greater than our own.”

“What?!” Rye started. “Where? I don’t see anything!” As if in answer to his question, the back wall burst into rubble, sending him, Codan, and Zanna flying. The Pikachu rolled across the floor like a leaf and stopped only when a boulder barred her path. Rye cringed and climbed onto all fours, scrambling to get a hold of the dirt beneath him. What…what was that? “Ah!” His eyes widened instantly as they searched the ground in front of him. “Zanna!” He rose to his feet shakily, using a paw to steady himself as a dizzy spell hit. “No…” he groaned. “There’s no time!” But he winced as he tried to walk, collapsing effortlessly onto the ground again. The explosion had knocked all the wind out of him!

“Well, well, fancy seeing you here, old friend.”

“Huh?” Rye placed his paws in front of him and looked up. The dark face was blurred in double vision for a moment before it cleared. Then, as he recognised the features, he recoiled and hissed. “Scythe! Leave! You don’t belong here!” He studied her for a moment before speaking again. Wait… “I saw you this afternoon!” he shouted. “You were almost dead! How—”

The Absol cut him off quickly with a sly grin. “I guess I really should thank you for saving my hide. I was lucky the master got there as soon as he did, really.”

“Grrr…” Rye growled and bared his teeth at her, clenching his paws as hard as he could. “I should have LET you die! Just like I killed your team-mate!”

“What did you do?” Scythe’s voice was almost a low hiss now. The black Absol seemed to be shaking with fury. Rye wasn’t interested in games, though. There were more pressing matters at hand. Zanna was lying unprotected who knows where, and he could see that Codan was alright, though it did seem to take most of his strength to stand up again.

The Elekid turned back to Scythe and growled. “I’m not in the mood for games, Absol. Let me go!” But when he tried to get up, he soon found Scythe barring his way.

“Tell me what happened…to Arc!” she hissed.

Rye sighed. I don’t have time for this! All the same though, he grinned slyly up at her. “He was no match for me,” he crowed. “See this?” Rye took out the small, silver shuriken that was still stained with Arc’s blood. “It pierced him,” he continued lightly, swirling the blade on the palm of his paw. “Pierced him straight through the heart…” He trailed off, almost snickering, when Scythe brought a paw forward. Rye tensed; that was just the moment he’d been waiting for. He leapt up agilely onto the paw and used the forward momentum to flip up onto a large boulder that had been blown free of the wall.

He landed lightly on his feet and crouched down, pressing low to the cool, rough surface of the rock. His breaths now came out in ragged gasps. I don’t know…how much longer…I can keep this up. He tried to move slightly and then cringed back, whipping a paw around to the left side of his chest. When he drew it back, fresh blood clung to his fur, leaving it all matted. “Arggh…” Scythe’s paw must have still caught him at the last minute. He wasn’t as fast as he could be, either.

He winced again as he pushed himself back against the rock. Wait for it…Just as he’d predicted, the overly-tensed and psychotic Absol had lunged upwards towards him. Rye rolled over at the last second, leaving Scythe to dig her fangs into solid rock.

The Absol recoiled in pain and hissed again. “You have a death wish, Elekid! Just you wait!”

But Rye wasn’t dumb enough to wait for Scythe to regain her senses. By the time the Absol could stand again, he’d already bolted off halfway across the room, ignoring the intense pain that shot through his side every time he took a step. He met up with Codan who deftly punched a Mightyena before using his wings to spear its stomach. “Wow,” Rye murmured. “You have some moves.”

The Dragonite flashed a quick smile before dispersing the dog. “Nothing compared to yours, I see. I’ve never met anyone who moves so fast. It’s like you teleport pretty much instantly.”

Rye shook his head brusquely. “I only wish that were the case. Where’s Zanna?”

“What?!” Codan glanced briefly around the room. “You lost her?!”

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Rye snapped back. “She was knocked away by the explosion! Speaking of which, we have more trouble. Raze and Scythe are here.”

Codan’s eyes narrowed and a puff of smoke was snorted from his nostrils. “You find Zanna. I’ll take care of them.”

“But—” Rye tried to argue, but Codan had already swept off from the ground, leaving the faintest cloud of dust behind him. “Grrr…” he growled again and turned away swiftly. Never mind that, where was Zanna? He jumped on top of another boulder to get a good view of the surrounding area, and almost fainted.

Hundreds of corpses lay on the battlefield, both good and evil. Rye cast a glance to the large hole that gaped in the far wall. Tonnes of Pokemon rushed in; swiftly dealing blows to anyone that got in their way. One in particular, however, caught Rye’s gaze. The smirking Weavile held up a walkie-talkie and cocked its head to the side. With its left paw, it signalled to another Weavile who merely nodded and raced off so fast that Rye couldn’t see where it’d gone.

I know that Weavile, he glared. They’re the Hunters! But why would they be here? His thoughts strayed back to Zanna chained to the wall. He gritted his teeth and raised a paw to his aching side again. He knew. They were after Zanna. And hadn’t he been warned that there’d be competition? Whatever had that Pikachu done? “Arrggh!” He shook his head in frustration again and ignored all the mayhem around him. “I need to find her!” he hissed. Then his eyes widened. There she was, just inches below him, swept against the side of the boulder.

He dropped down instantly and raised a paw to the unmoving figure. “Zanna,” he murmured. “Zanna, can you hear me?” No response came from the body; she was knocked out cold. And no wonder. Who knows what she’s been through, Rye thought. Ignoring the protesting stab of pain, he bent down and gently picked up the limp Pikachu. It suddenly struck him right then exactly how fragile she was. She weighed little much as a rock in Rye’s grasp. How could this creature be what Deoxys was after?

But he couldn’t think for long; a jagged paw smacked into the side of his head, sending him off balance and flying through the air. No! Protect Zanna! With his paws grasping the Pikachu tightly, he rolled over in mid-air and braced himself for the rough landing. As soon as his back hit the gravel, he cried out in pain. It seemed like he was on fire! It took ages for the relentless ground to slow him, but once it did, he found that he was unable to move. His back was red and raw now, the sharp rocks below digging into it painfully. Rye gritted his teeth and tried to keep the room in focus, but he could feel his consciousness slipping.

A dark shadow loomed over him, sneering and reaching out towards Zanna. “I’ll take that!” But Rye was ready.

“Over my dead body.” When the paw was close enough, he bit into it savagely, tasting the rusty blood in his mouth.

The figure roared in pain and snatched its paw back, cursing. “You little brat!”

The Elekid spat the blood out of his mouth, and though it almost made him faint, rolled over so that he was bent over Zanna, protecting her. “You…won’t get her!” he replied slowly, his body shaking with the effort to remain upright.

“Try me!” the figure retorted, slamming another paw into Rye’s back. The Elekid screamed. He could see the blood dripping down around him, swirling and mixing into the ground. His teeth hurting now, he narrowed his eyes in vain as the blows came again and again. The darkness was drawing closer and closer until it threatened to swallow him.

I won’t die for a lost cause, he thought fiercely. If I die, it’ll be for a friend. His blurred eyes peered down at the Pikachu in front of him. They were dull and lifeless now, none of the emerald fire they once held visible within them. The blows were growing distant and he was beginning to get closer to the ground, when something made his eyes focus. He took a sharp breath as he saw Zanna wearily open her eyes. He noted that they were dull too, but hadn’t lost any of the intensity or fierce determination that always shone within them. “Zanna!” he whispered lightly, a slight smile on his face.

“Hmm?” The Pikachu groaned and tried to move, but instantly fell backwards again, instead clutching her stomach.

Rye peered down at the blood stained fur and felt a rumble rise within him. “Don’t move, Zanna,” he managed to force out. “I’ve got you covered.”

Zanna’s pained face relaxed as she opened her eyes again and spotted Rye. However, her expression immediately changed into shock as she eyed the Elekid more closely. “Rye…move! You’re hurt!” The words didn’t come out nearly as impressive as she’d hoped. It was more of a soft gurgle.

Rye grinned as she attempted feebly to push him away. But she couldn’t budge him any more than she could fly. “No,” he assured her. “I’ll be alright.”

“You don’t look it…” Zanna replied, doing her best to glare at him.

Rye gave a soft chuckle. “I will be…if you’re safe…” He trailed off in that instant, and as his back was dealt a final blow, collapsed beside Zanna, uttering a silent scream.

***

It was hard to focus my eyes, but they managed to see everything. Rye collapsed beside me in an instant, leaving only a sneering, wicked Weavile looming above me. “You’ve run out of luck, Pikachu,” it cackled. “Who is there to protect you now?”

“Me!” The Weavile’s shocked expression was engulfed in flames that killed it almost instantly. The charred Pokemon fell to the ground beside me in a crumpled heap. A small laugh came from behind it and a red figure leapt across to me agilely. “Well Zanna, I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, but business called.”

I managed to prop myself up against the boulder and eye Jarre curiously. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

The Torchic frowned, glancing beside me. “Oh, come on. The time for mercy has passed! I mean, if he didn’t…he would have…” He trailed off uselessly and then spotted Rye. “What happened to him?” he uttered in amazement.

I saw that Rye’s back was red and raw, blood was gathering in dried scabs everywhere, and he really looked like a mess. “I’m not sure,” I replied slowly, a crease forming in my forehead. “But I think he was protecting me.”

“Hmm…” Jarre eyed him a moment longer before turning away. “You’ll have to look after him for now, I have something to do. But I’ll be back soon!” he added, glancing at the worried expression on my face.

I turned to Rye. “I can barely look after myself, how am I meant to look after him, too?” I shook my head slowly, ignoring the sudden rush of dizzy spells. I remembered when I’d tried to move him how little he’d budged, if he’d even moved at all. “Rye…move! You’re hurt!”

He’d only smiled then, mocking me. “No, I’ll be alright…I will be…if you’re safe…”

That glint in his eyes had shocked me. He’d used the last of his strength to protect me…did I even deserve it? And why? Why would he risk his life for me? I sighed. This was all too confusing. “Ah!” I fell backwards against the rock as a sudden earthquake hit; but it wasn’t normal. A loud, ripping sound erupted from the earth beneath me and steadily grew. “What is that?!” I gasped. In one, sudden movement, the ground burst open and gravel flew everywhere. I shielded my eyes with a paw and grasped Rye with the other, hoping to Arceus that I’d at least live through this. Hundreds of Pokemon were knocked back as a deep rumble issued from the dust cloud in front of me.

“Get away from the light!” It hissed savagely.

I peered into the fog slowly and froze, meeting a single, ruby-red eye.