he does not know whether bringing these strangers in was good or not. entei is a neutral force whose curiosity is sated by involvement itself-- or at least, it's by someone else's influence that shifted it to a stance of keeping the most units alive for the final boss.

there is no reason for it to align itself with people who had attempted to kill the image of itself, nor does it evoke any emotion of any kind when it does these acts. an ancient creature that lived for more than most, nostalgia evokes little when most events connect to each other.

still, to lead the shepherd and her flock to a destination that pushes them to the direction of involvement with the region's cacophony of chaos gives it enough to carry on the legacy.

kyle lopez.

the late champion of the league and the representative of ho-oh would have had bridged those outside of the playing area and help them get the traction to stay on course with the ever so moving storyline.

having sariel and verona tag along in its own personal investigation leads to nothing, but it was fine. kyle would not have cared for the results, and it's more so the journey that incentivizes the late champion to keep on prying to the world's secrets.

if this can spark the same inquisitiveness in them, it would be enough to mirror the same inclusivity from the refracted memory.

entei leads them deeper into the cave, guiding them to the special chamber it has sensed since coming in.

one woman deludes herself into thinking of accomplishing while another was keen on giving up without a shred of hope. equal forces equate to the realization of fantasy in front of them and it only takes a small disparity to tip the scales to one side.

mechanics of such machinations have yet to be truly understood by those in this realm. it is where what is perceived can become the truth, and opposing ideals only turn such ideas to chaos.

a tiebreaker was needed to reach the conclusion of this story.

no blood came when the blade cuts through skin. what seemed to be fire bursts out from the wound instead, filling the enclosed area with soot and smoke. visibility lowers, and when darkness threatens to consume all, warmth fills the damp cave once more.

it differs this time. flames flood the cavern floors, its blue light using the ashes on the ground as fuel. sacred fire consumes the entei until it turns to cinders, though the effect differs when they reach sariel, verona and their pokemon.

the fire cauterizes wounds and the heat eases up bruises. it was hot to touch, yet welcomes them altogether.

the source looms at the end of the tunnel, its eyes glistening against the refracted lights of the crystalline growths. it would catch the eyes of both sariel and verona before turning tail.

it walks rather than runs, offering an invitation either are welcome to accept or deny.

regardless of what it was called, entei was a pokemon at the end of the day. vulnerabilities exists as long as the one that brought it to life intended it to be.

eyes flicker between sariel and her pokemon when they surround it. not long after, verona's dragalge joins the equation. each fraction of a second lent to watch each individual was a fraction of indecisiveness on who to go for first.

entei is met with a combination of water and shock.

the smell of wet animal fur permeate through the enclosed area. entei stands strong against the barrage of moves, with the ends of its fur that tingle with static.

it becomes resolute with its response, quickly shifting its attention to the person who separated herself with her pokemon.

its large form rushes towards sariel. it's only fair for verona's test to be shared with the other participant, eager to show that anything less would besmirch its legacy.

if it was the creature of death that both audience to its exerted pressure perceive it to be, then it will be the harbinger that they believe it is.

the entei's growing aggression is a testament to the imagination of sariel and verona both. assumptions often result to disappointment, but the nature of the crystalline caverns prompt the opposite.

likened to a mirror to a nightmare of their own psyche's creation, the entei appears to follow the script they left for him.

lightning strikes the beast, but a stomp of its foot breaks its trajectory with a shake of the bulldozed ground. fur rises to its ends from the residual static, but the glare from the entei suggests that even if it had hit, lilith's wish will come true with its paws.

"i fight to die."

it knows when eyes are trained on it, and it knows when the intent behind those stares is something to be bothered with.

the contradiction lies with its next move. crystals reflect what is needed to progress the story and push the narrative to a more meaningful climax in accordance to the entei's inherited will.

a flash of brown appears on the tera crystal's reflection. it appears with a blur, barreling from behind both lost souls and pushing them aside.

entei halts its sprint before them, blocking the path onward. large claws grip against the ground to decelerate, leaving behind a trail of sacred fire on its wake.

different messages can be interpreted from its action. does it want them to stop following him, or does it want to test out their strengths before they go deeper? other explanations exist, but a pokemon will never be able to clearly provide an exchange beyond its aggressive front.

cave of origin...

the way it mirrors the history of his birthplace makes the trip nostalgic for the being that came forth from the burnt tower, where it was said to awaken pokemon. instead of the fire that swallowed it whole, however, it would be the calamity that would soon befall the region that threatens the place.

it finds itself inside, using the chaos of the upcoming disaster as a means to enter the cave without notice.

a trail from area zero leads to sootopolis' heart. tera crystals have covered the walls, nonchalantly showing the volcano pokemon the harbinger of the fall. he senses danger that originates from deep inside, urging him to proceed with caution.

the caution, however, was directed towards something that concerns him more than two other residents of hoenn.

heavy fogs settle where the image of kyle was. wisps of spirits inhabit the blanket of white, dispersing as the voice calls out the champion.

seemingly distracted, kyle doesn't appear to notice both ollie and thomas when they approached, only turning once his name was uttered in the complete silence of border's barren wastelands.

he blinks, then waves.

"oi!" he calls back. "what are you guys doing here?!"

he doesn't move to approach and remains on his spot for them to approach. whether it was him being unable to move through the border as freely as others were or kyle simply not willing to be bothered to move can't be ascertained.

"i think you should be asking him instead of me," he tells noah.

terrakion doesn't react and simply shifts his face away from the two. indifference in these scenarios was one thing both of kyle and the sword of justice seemingly share.

"as long as he gets someone to partner up with-- someone he doesn't mind-- then i'm alright with it."

kyle turns to noah.

"are you scared?" he teases. "have you bullied someone and you're not confident with someone watching over your actions?"

he's pretty sure the lucario and riolu at home have already judged the gym leader for his idle thoughts whenever both of them are at home.

he smiles.

"that's one way to describe me."

he leans back to his chair and balances it on its two hind legs. his head stares up to the ceiling as he gets lost in thought.

"i guess that means i really do belong back there."

on hoenn.

"as much as i'd love to stay here at the border and keep wallowing in negativity, i don't think i'll be allowed to do so by the world order."

without turning to gabe, kyle addresses him.

"i'm not the best candidate for this job, but i'm the one they got. you'll help me find a way back, right?"

"who knows?" he answers

the mist moves with him. the land of the dead wanted kyle even before he had expired, and it shows with how it accommodated the previous champion in its home.

"even if i say yes, the chances of me being an illusion won't really change, right?"

cause that's what apparitions with consciousness would say.

"just imagine the one in front of you is the real deal. that'll make things easier for you."

as cold as the words appear, the suggestion was genuine as nonchalant as kyle can be.