[attr="class","juliaw"]
Spot's head appendages rose in alarm as he sensed
Cade Atreides's approach. He turned, growling, toward the man who was supposed to be their enemy, but the sound died, confused, in his throat when he got a better look at the man's aura. Julia stared at the Rocket, gaze as hardened as she could possibly make it in her current state. But when he tossed a first-aid baggie toward her, her expression broke into disbelief.
"I said no hard feelings, right?" [break]Had he said that...? She couldn't remember. No, wait, that wasn't the important part. He didn't want to see her die? This was all just a chore to him? Even if her head were clear, Julia would have struggled to understand any of this. Cade turned back toward the chained Dialga and had his Sableye attack. Right. Dialga was still in trouble.
[break][break]
"Spot," Julia said.
"The Unown. Hurry."[break][break]Spot hesitated, still side-eyeing the man who had attacked them earlier. But all of the Rocket's aggression was going toward the DRK Triad member and his Unown. Very well, then. With the Unown-R slowed, Spot aimed his Shadow Ball at the chain binding the Lord of Time. It was joined by another attack from
Thomas Benoit's Hydreigon, though Julia couldn't see the source of the attack from where she lay. When the smoke from the onslaught cleared, all that remained was a liberated Dialga. Quanto and his Unown-R were gone.
[break][break]Julia gasped when Dialga let out a pained roar and rose its front hooves. Spot growled and held his paws together to prepare another attack, willing to protect his trainer from even a god. But rather than attack, it gave the town a grateful look. It opened its mouth to let loose another Roar of Time. This time, neither Julia nor Spot was afraid of the oncoming noise.
[break][break]
[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1049037683659378760/1049037942338879508/A_Hat_in_Time_OST_-_76_Little_Help_From_My_Friends.mp3[/player]
[break]
🎼 Little Help From My Friends | A Hat in Time
[break][break]The softer, more calculated roar rebuilt buildings and pavement, putting Littleroot back in its original place in time. There was a soft glow from Chester's Poké Ball, and she could tell without even releasing him that Chester was back to being a Dodrio. Dialga's hooves landed softly on the earth, and the deity stood tall and proud, unhindered by its cruel former master.
[break][break]
"Thank you." Julia didn't have the energy to shout out with her usual enthusiasm, so she'd just have to hope her feelings would get across before Dialga vanished.
[break][break]She felt the pulse of energy coming from the theater before she saw it. Some kind of rift had opened beneath the town in the struggle. What on Earth...?
[break][break]Spot let out a soft "ruff" to get Julia's attention. He was holding the first-aid pouch in his paws, unsure of what to do with it but knowing it was supposed to help. Julia smiled and raised a trembling hand to take it.
[break][break]
"Thanks, buddy."[break][break]Wait, there was someone else she needed to thank, too. She looked around to see if
Cade Atreides was still nearby. If he was, she'd flash him a small, grateful smile. At the end of the day, they were still enemies, but he'd spared her and even helped her, so that deserved a little something. She just hoped he wouldn't come looking for a favor or anything.
[break][break]There was a Salamence coming toward her, but Spot seemed calm about it, so Julia knew it was a friend. It touched down next to them and motioned for her to get on. With a grunt, Julia started to sit up, aided by Spot's paws at her back. Then she saw her leg. Specifically, she saw that her prosthesis had been bent out of shape by the explosion. She was surprised it was still attached to her; she definitely wouldn't be walking home on it.
[break][break]
"Oh, jeez," Julia muttered. That was probably an understatement, but shock did weird things to your brain.
[break][break]Luckily, Spot was on the case. He picked Julia up in a bunched-up bridal style and hopped onto the Salamence's back. Julia gratefully stroked the dragon's neck before they took off to find
Kaida Adachi and get the heck home. As they flew over the mostly repaired battleground of Littleroot, Julia applying salves and bandages to her injuries, Julia's comms buzzed to life with the news that the region was safe from the meteoroid.
[break][break]
"We did it, guys," she said, voice still quiet with exhaustion.
[break][break]Yet much still remained unresolved. As she watched the sky, Julia could see sparkling fragments still falling to Earth. They weren't big enough to be region destroyers, but they still raised questions and concerns. Quanto had escaped. There was a pulsing rift beneath Littleroot. And the Megalopolans were back—no, had been back, hiding amongst the people of Hoenn. Too many threats still remained, even after all the hard work they had put into stopping the meteoroid. It seemed the League would be busy in the coming... weeks? Months? Year? Julia didn't know. She just knew that she, too, would have work to do if she wanted to keep her beloved home and its people safe.
[break][break]But for now? For now, Julia needed to rest.
[attr="class","juliatag"]@theend
[attr="class","julianotes"]
notes.
- spot is wary of Cade Atreides's approach but backs down for the sake of cooperation
- the freed dialga turns chester back into a dodrio
- julia thanks dialga, then gives Cade Atreides a grateful look if he's still around
- julia's prosthesis got bent out of shape, so spot hoists her onto Alexei Ivanov's salamence so they can get the heck outta here
- we did it... or did we?