He can only hope
luka chêne took her Pokémon and heeded his words before leaving. Because what follows next is unlike anything he'd ever faced before.
After seeing the entity endure that onslaught with little more than a few scratches, his mind inadvertently freefalls into a former self. Into the foolish teenager he used to be, and the worst memory that came along with it:
FEAR embraces him first, and Zekrom feels it. The seed of it had been planted with the idea of losing Luka, but now it sprouts to life stronger than before. After such a long time mastering control over his fear, the loss of that control only serves to amplify the feeling.
DREAD and
HOPELESSNESS come next.
When the sky above them turns black, shifting their reality into a dark and empty void, the royal hurriedly pulls two luxury balls from his belt, nearly spilling them across Zekrom's back. He manages to summon two Pokémon for what comes next instead: a
KADABRA and a
MEDICHAM. They almost immediately shudder to feel such an uncharacteristic emotion from their master.
His eyes, once frozen in a stare, now can't seem to hold still any longer. They dart to and fro in search of friends or allies who may need help. Perhaps being in service of others would help stem the panic, he thinks.
But, in the end, the one he should have been worried about was himself.
"You two! SHIELD US, N—"
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
The Medicham and the Kadabra are barely given enough time to erect barriers, the latter through use of its
TELEKINESIS as it pulls broken branches and debris in front of them as a shield. Unfortunately, this proves to be useless in the face of the
PRISMATIC LASERs heading their way. Both of their barriers are almost immediately shattered, and their now
LIFELESS bodies blown backwards in the resulting explosion.
ZEKROM and Remiel are blasted backward themselves. They manage to survive, though the prince is lucky not to be crushed by the former when they land in a heap. Even so, the nightmare of his past comes true again as he slowly opens his eyes. The dragon groans as it moves, and the sound of it echoes hauntingly through Remiel's mind, embedding itself as a core memory.
Was this a premonition come true? Was this the end? He struggles to crawl up on all fours. His ears ring and his vision blurs, but they both settle before long. It is only then that he realizes he is upon Zekrom's hand. In the split-second of time it had, the legendary had cupped him in its winged hands and shielded him from the worst of it.
Though, even still, Remiel had emerged bloodied and burnt, his long coat now tattered and frayed.
The dragon, on the other hand, had sustained worse
WOUNDS. It was no stranger to torture thanks to the efforts of
GENERAL PHILOMERA, prior to the
MEGALOPOLAN WAR. Even so, the Necrozma's lasers, were far more painful than it might have expected.
Patches of black-green scales here and there had been burnt to a crisp. Exposed flesh emitted wisps of smoke. Specks of blood stained the areas around those wounds, though there was a notable
lack of blood besides that. Perhaps, the lasers had cauterized them. Or, perhaps, Zekrom's very own plasma helped to do so.
Regardless of the reason, the legendary spurs its turbine to life once more as a draconic power surges through its veins (
DRAGON DANCE). Using this stored energy, it staggers back up onto both feet with Remiel in hand. It peers down at its master once it has steadied itself. And, in that instant, the prince understands.
Whether he was worthy or not, only his actions moving forward truly mattered. The two had chosen each other for a reason... and it was only right for Remiel to have as much faith in himself as Zekrom had in him. Even when the scales tipped towards insecurities and worry.
Only the light surrounding the
CHARM HOLDERS is enough to tear the moment away from this newfound connection and understanding between the legendary and his avatar. Remiel watches with fascination as
AZELF,
UXIE, and
MESPRIT emerge. He'd heard of them, of course. But he'd only ever
seen them etched into ancient hieroglyphics and rendered in old artworks.
TAKE YOUR POKEMON... AND MAKE THE CORRECT CHOICE
The voice that has called out to him, he thinks, may be a result of the
LAKE GUARDIANS presence here. It might even be
ARCEUS itself. Regardless, Remiel has Zekrom place him on its shoulder once more before flying off towards
bryan delarosa and
XERNEAS.
His correct choice was here... by Zekrom's side... helping protect an ally. Helping protect Sootopolis. Helping protect the
world. Just as his father would do.
They pass by
skyler dross and
KYOGRE on the way, showered by a
LIFE DEW from
Eris Halla 's
HATTERENE that provides some relief both avatar and legendary. Once they reach Bryan,
Remiel Calcifet summons his
ILLUMINA TYRANTRUM onto the field once more. She stomps the ground with a single foot, roaring at the possessed tree as her scales harden and grow (
IRON DEFENSE).
"The tree is lost..." Remiel calls out from above, shedding his long coat and allowing the wind to take it.
"But I stand with you. Sootopolis may yet be saved."
📝
TL;DR
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