Mon. Jul 1st, 2024

This is part 2 of the remaster.

For those of you who came late, here’s a summary: I’m remastering an old “PokéBlog”: an old series I made documenting my Pokémon Sword adventure. Why am I remastering it? Because it’s cringe. It had to be two parts because the first part was wayyyyy too long. So…yeah. For context, read the first part, but before that, read the original blog: “PokéBlog: Rose Is My Least Favorite Flower/Finally!”

this is basically two blogs lol

Onto part 2 of this remaster! Enjoy! (Here’s part 1 if you want it: https://oursundayproject.com/pokeblog-resummoned-an-amazing-oneshot-remasterpart-1-2/)

As Hop and I went up Rose Tower, I couldn’t help but look down at the station and feel guilty. We’d been forced to abandon Piers and Marnie there…what could I do?

Hop sighed. “They’ll be okay. Piers is tough-did you see how he fights?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I guess you’re right…”

Suddenly, the elevator stopped. I stumbled and Hop grabbed my arm to keep me from falling.

I shook my head. “Thanks…what was that?”

Macro Cosmos employees ran inside the elevator. “You’re surrounded!” they shouted, “Give in or fight!”

“Fight.” I turned to Hop. “How are you with Multi Battles?”

Hop shrugged. “Guess I’ll find out…”

Once we defeated those members, more kept coming on the long journey up…all defeated easily. When we finally arrived at the top, all my Pokémon were tired except Singe. I sighed. “So…where’s Leon?”

A voice behind us growled, “I thought I told you. You. Cannot. See. Him.”

We turned to see Oleana. Hop sighed. “Mrs. Oleana…I…”

Oleana took out a Pokéball. “Battle me, songbird.”

I looked up. “What? Who’re you calling a songbird?”

Oleana smirked. “If I beat you, the Champion will have no one to battle. He’ll be heartbroken. And in that state…he’ll do anything the Chairman says!”

I stopped and went silent. Hop tapped my shoulder. “Uhhh…Abby…you okay?”

Finally, I snapped, “I hate people like you.”

Oleana raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

I hissed, “I hate people like you-who think they can use whomever they want to get whatever they want. How could you do that to anyone?! To Leon? To BEDE?!”

Hop choked on air. “Bede?! Why’re you defending Bede?!”

I ignored him and snarled, “He’s a kid. Just like us. How could you have wrecked his life-WHEN IT WAS ALREADY BAD?! Why would you DO that to him?! That’s messed up!”

The corner of Oleana’s mouth twitched. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t lie,” I muttered, “You know what I mean.”

I pulled out Singe’s Pokéball. “Forget it. FINE. I’ll battle you. I’ll face Leon either way. Hit me.”

Despite Oleana Gigantamaxing her Garbodor, I was still able to easily pull off a win. I stormed past her, Hop following close behind. We walked into a room and heard a familiar, very annoyed voice.

“You can’t keep me here forever, Rose.”

Leon!

“Leon. The energy crisis is upon us. We must act now.

Rose!

“Listen, Chairman, the energy crisis is one hundred years away. There is no reason to cancel tomorrow’s match. It can wait until after.”

Hop stepped forward. “Lee?”

Leon jumped before turning around. “Hop! And…Abby?! What are you doing here?!”

I gestured to the door. “We were worried about you…you took forever, so we came to find you.”

Leon nodded. A mini explosion came from the monorail station. He gestured to it. “Okay. And I believe you had something to do with that?”

I shrugged. “Uhhhh…maybe?…okay, yes.”

Leon sighed. “That’s my fault. I lost track of time…we can still go out for dinner if you’d like.”

Hop grinned. “Alright, Lee!”

As we walked off, I heard Rose mutter, “Leon…you’ll regret disobeying me…”

The next day, I woke up and headed for the stadium. I’d gotten a call from Marnie saying Piers was okay-and so was she. They’d watch the match. I smiled as I continued walking when news reporters and cameramen suddenly swarmed me. I yelped.

“Young lady, where are you headed?” they asked me, pushing microphones and cameras into my face.

I backed away. “Uh…the stadium?”

The news lady who was talking to me nodded so hard, her head should’ve fallen off. “Alright! Going to watch the match between Leon and Challenger Abby, yes?”

I wondered if this lady knew I was ‘Challenger Abby.’ “Actually,” I said, “I’m-“

A newsman pushed aside the lady and said, “Personally, I don’t think Challenger Abby is good enough to beat Leon. What do you think?”

I paused, anger boiling in the back of my throat. Then I snarled, “Excuse me, but I believe she is good enough, will try her best, has an ace up her sleeve, and is getting VERY ANGRY.”

The mic was pushed further into my face. “How do you know this?”

I pushed it aside. “Because she’s right in front of you.”

I stormed off without another word. But journalism would soon be the least of my worries.

Deep in the basement of Hammerlocke, an evil was stirring…

Once I’d changed into my uniform, I stepped onto the field and saw that Leon was already there. He saw me and smiled. “Hey, Abby! Uh…you okay?”

I must’ve looked furious about earlier because Leon seemed pretty worried. “Yeah,” I muttered, “I’m okay.” Then I grinned. “Get ready to be beaten, Leon.”

He smirked. “Unlikely…I guess I won’t win without a fight.”

Suddenly, the Jumbotron in the stadium turned on and Rose appeared on the screen. Everyone gasped.

Leon looked up and exclaimed, “Chairman?! What-?”

Rose smiled. “Hello, Leon. Abby. I think it’s time I woke up Eternatus and brought about the Darkest Day. For the sake of Galar, of course! But something went wrong…and I need help. I never wanted it to happen this way, but you forced my hand, Leon.”

I stepped forward. “You forced your hand, Rose. Leon’s right. The Galar region won’t run out of energy for some time now.”

Rose’s face twitched into a snarl for a split second before returning to his normally calm face. “You wouldn’t know anything. You’re just a child. This is for the sake of the region.”

A pillar of red Dynamax energy spouted in front of me and I stumbled backward. Leon shouted, “EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE STADIUM! NOW!”

Cue screaming and mass panic as everyone rushed to safety. Leon and I ran back through the tunnel to the warm-up room until, in the middle of it, I stopped.

“Where’s Hop?!” I asked, my voice filled with panic.

Leon gasped. “I…I don’t know! Oh, Arceus…”

I ran back toward the stadium until Leon grabbed the back of my uniform. “Whoa, Abby! You can’t go back there!”

“But Hop-!”

“I’m here! I’m okay!”

Hop clutched my shoulder. “I’m fine.”

I locked him in a bear hug. “I thought you were in there!”

He smiled. “Yeah…so…now what? We have to stop Eternatus!”

Leon nodded. “You stay here and help somehow. I’m going to catch Eternatus and seal it away.”

I nodded. “One sec. Celeste.” My Meowstic came out of her Pokéball. “Activate Pocket Dimension.”

Celeste opened her ears, and about three seconds later, I was out of my Challenger’s Uniform and in a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

Leon was gaping. “How…?”

I smiled. “I knew that would come in handy someday. Thanks, Celeste. Return.” Once she returned to her Pokéball, I motioned Leon and Hop to the exit. “C’mon. The Darkest Day won’t wait.”

Hop and I had no clue what to do, so we thought back to the start of our journey when we encountered what we now assume to be a hero of the Galar region.

“Maybe it’s still there?” I told Hop, “We could ask it…besides, my Pokémon are stronger now…”

Hop nodded. “I guess you’re right. Let’s go.”

I left a note for my mom at the door telling her where I was headed before heading into the Slumbering Weald. Avoiding all the wild Pokémon(or were they avoiding me?…)we finally arrived at a secluded area with sunlight peeking through the thick foliage. There was something that looked oddly like a tombstone in the middle of a pond with a path walking up to it. Hop and I walked up to the stone and realized there was an extremely rusty sword and shield on the tombstone. The sword was broken(the point looked as if it had been snapped off)and the shield was scratched.

I picked up the sword by its hilt. “Huh…what are these?”

Hop shrugged as he picked up the shield. “Maybe they’re the sword and shield from the legend?…”

We put the items in our bags. I took the sword, and Hop took the shield. They would come in handy later.

Once we walked out of the Weald, Marnie ran up to us. “We have to get to Hammerlocke-and hurry! That’s where Rose is keeping Eternatus.”

I asked her, “How do you know?”

She blushed and said, “Well…Morpeko did some snooping in Oleana’s office. He brought me a document saying that exact piece of information.”

I nodded and laughed. “Okay. Well, come with us. Leon said to help somehow…let’s find him and do just that.”

We took a Flying Taxi to Hammerlocke and almost got knocked out of the sky by a Gigantamax Corviknight.

Hop screamed. “What?! How is that Pokémon Gigantamaxed?!”

I thought for a moment. “Rose’s plan…it’s working.”

Hop and Marnie looked at me. “Huh?!”

I thought for a bit longer before saying, “I have a theory of how Rose awakened Eternatus. He took Bede in and had him collect Wishing Stars to power up Eternatus, and the Wishing Stars are causing the Pokémon around us to Gigantamax…Bede didn’t know it. The Chairman just told him to do it, and since Bede doesn’t have a family, he was thrilled at the prospect of having a father figure to be proud of him. Wait…” My eyes widened as I saw the puzzle come together. “I get it now! When Bede destroyed the mural, it was an order from Oleana! When I asked him about it during the Finals…that’s why he said it wasn’t on his own! Oleana had him do it so she could get rid of the competition to be the Chairman’s favorite! It all makes sense! Bede just wanted attention!”

Hop took a deep breath. “How do you know all of this?…”

I shrugged. “Logic. Sir, we can land now.”

The Flying Taxi landed at the door of Hammerlocke Gym. As we stepped out, five pillars of Dynamax energy shot from different places in the town.

No time to deal with that right now…

We walked into the empty lobby when my Rotom Phone began to buzz. I picked up, and Nessa was staring at me with a panicked look on her face.

“Abby! Where are you?”

I responded, “Uh…at Hammerlocke Gym. Why?”

Nessa took a breath. “Dynamax Pokémon are everywhere! The locals are panicking! It’s a mess…”

I asked, “How do I help?”

Nessa sighed. “Give us something to do…Mrs. Strategy.”

Is Nessa jealous?…of me?!

I sighed. “Nessa…okay. Where are you?”

Nessa looked surprised. “Oh…well, the northeastern Dynamax pillar.”

I nodded. “Okay. You, Milo, and Kabu make search parties. But…hey, is Bea there?”

Bea appeared behind Nessa. “Yeah?”

I said, “I need you to stay in Hammerlocke.”

Bea looked genuinely shocked and sad by this. “B-But-!”

I held up my hand. “Listen. I know you wanna fight things, but you need to stay and get the locals to safety. There are the double doors-only Raihan knows how to open them and you’re the strongest person I know-you can help open them and provide defenses. Where’s Bede?”

Bede pushed Bea to the side. “What is it?”

Nessa sighed. “She’s giving us things to do while she tries to stop Eternatus.”

Bede sighed. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
The look on his face said She’ll give me a trash job.

I sighed. “Okay. How much healing do you know?”

Bede looked surprised, then looked away and blushed. “Uh…a bit.”

I nodded. “Okay. What do you know?”

He quickly said, “I know how to splint a broken leg, how to patch up basic wounds, how to treat sickness, how to stop bleeding in pretty much any area, how to do CPR, and a bunch of other stuff. Not as much as Miss Opal can do, though.”

I smiled. “Great. We’ll need all the help we can get. Stay with Opal and treat the wounded. Get everyone inside.”

Bea quickly popped up from the corner. “Thanks, Abby-but listen. Alli-Pi-mis-he-“

Her message at the end glitched and my screen went black.

I looked at Marnie and Hop. “What do you think she wanted to say?”

They shrugged. “No idea. Maybe-“

Suddenly, the entrance collapsed, a rockslide blocking the way. A pained cry resounded from somewhere near it.

Marnie, Hop, and I all exchanged looks before rushing over to the spot of the collapse.

Two figures were huddled near the collapse-one tiny, the other taller.

The taller one was crouched beside the smaller one and said, “Oh geez…you okay, kid?”

The smaller one was trembling. “Y-Yeah…I’m okay…ow…”

As we ran up to them, the taller figure turned around. I gasped as I realized it was…

“Piers?!”

Piers nodded as he saw us. “Hey, sis. Hop. Abby. Glad we found you.”

I looked at the smaller figure. “We? Oh-“

The smaller figure was Allister, who was clutching his wrist. “Allister?!” I yelped, “What are you doing here?”

He was trembling like a wet kitten as he muttered, “Came to find you…I…I want to help…”

Hop looked confused. “Who screamed?”

Allister nodded. “That would be me…I was startled by the collapse…I got cut. I’m fine…ow…”

I checked his wrist. Sure enough, there was a gash on his wrist a few inches long.

I pulled out a roll of bandages from my bag and wordlessly began patching up his cut.

He tried to pull away. “Y-You really don’t have to-“

I sighed. “Yes, I do. The bleeding could get worse.”

He relaxed a bit. Piers chuckled. “I came over here to find Marnie-didn’t realize this little fella was following until he tapped my shoulder. Nearly decked him.”

Allister nodded. “He pulled me away from the collapse. W-When he realized I was following him, I don’t know who was more scared-me or him.”

I tied the knot. “Okay-we’re just going down to the chamber where Eternatus was kept-maybe we can find something. You wanna come?”

Piers nodded. “I deal with a lot of your shenanigans. Sure. This can’t be much different.”

Allister nodded. “S-Sure!”

Hop smiled. “Alright. Does the elevator wor-“

Marnie pressed the ‘down’ button and the doors opened.

I paused. “That’s…convenient…”

Hop sighed. “I thought we’d have to throw a Yamper at the door, but okay…”

We stepped into the elevator and entered the chamber.

Once we entered, Rose was standing there with his back turned to us. Piers moved forward. “Alright, Chairman, how do you-?”

Rose quickly turned around and pulled a gun from his jacket before pressing it’s tip against Piers’s chest. All of us froze.

Rose smiled. “Ah, Piers…one of the Trainers who didn’t follow my orders.”

His fingers whitened on the trigger. “I asked to move your town to a Power Spot. Did you listen? No. You kept your disgrace of a town where it was. Galar deserves to be prosperous.”

Piers snarled. “My death means nothin’. Kill me, Rose. I dare you. Pull that trigger. See what happens.”

Rose only smiled wider. “Ah. How about the death of your sister? Does that mean something to you?”

Piers’s eyes widened before his expression turned cold. “Shoot Marnie and I swear, you’ll have a death wish when I’m done with you.”

Rose’s expression remained the same. “Well, that just means I’ll have to kill you then, doesn’t it?”

Suddenly, a voice yelled, “Gengar, Shadow Ball!”

A Shadow Ball came from somewhere to my left and shattered Rose’s gun. I glanced over and Allister had his hand out while his Gengar returned to it’s Pokéball.

Rose snarled. “Insolent BRAT!” He lunged for Allister before I shouted, “STOP!”

Rose turned to me. “Hm. How about we battle? If you win, I’ll leave your little friends alone.”

I snarled. “You won’t touch them if I win or lose.”

After an easy battle(Singe learned Blaze Kick), Rose smiled. “You are a talented trainer, Abby.”

I snarled. “What would you know?”

Rose gestured toward the elevator. “Go on. Help Leon and save the region!”

An explosion came from the roof. No time to deal with dirtbag Rose now.

I ran for the elevator, everyone followed behind(except Rose).

Once we stepped in, I sighed. “Okay…we just have to help Leon catch Eternatus and this nightmare will be over!”

“We’ve just gotta do a bit of battling and HOOOOOOLY SHELLDER.”

My train of thought came to a dead stop as the doors opened and we found ourselves not on the roof of Wyndon Stadium, but on a floating platform surrounded by other platforms and debris.

Piers stumbled. “What the-?”

Hop sighed. “Maybe Eternatus did this?…”

I nodded. “Most likely. Guess we gotta go through this before we battle Eternatus…”

Marnie stepped forward. “C’mon. The Darkest Day ain’t gonna wait.”

Piers swayed on the spot and clutched his head. We all turned and saw his expression of pain.

“Uh, Piers…” I asked, “You okay?”

He nodded with a bit of difficulty. “Mhm. I’m okay. Let’s go.”

We walked for a bit before a rumbling came from behind us.

Allister twitched. “That’s not-oh, crap-RUN!”

We barely had time to ask what he meant before rocks fell around us. Hop was first to bolt, then Marnie, then me and Allister. Piers took a three-count to register the rocks before running.

Hop dodged the rocks like a maniac and I took the liberty of trying to deflect the rocks with Singe(I mean like, telling him when to kick, not throwing him at the rocks).

Marnie was pulling Piers to bring up his speed and Allister was right behind them. When the rocks stopped falling, Piers rasped, “Rest. Please…”

All of us skidded to a stop. Piers sat down and began wheezing. He looked paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes were more distinct. He was hunched over and looked like he was going to hurl.

Without thinking, I opened my Bag and dug around for berries. “Piers, when did the sickness start?”

He took a deep breath before responding. “When we entered this hellhole. T-That’s when I stumbled. It felt like…felt like a fog had wrapped around me. Made it hard to breathe. Everthin’ got hot…” He broke into a coughing fit.

I pulled out a couple of berries and a vial. “Eternatus must be a Poison type. That’s why you’re sick-it’s poisoning the gathering energy in the air around you. It’s trying to make the biggest threat sick so it doesn’t have to deal with that.”

Piers laughed. “Me?! A threat? I-” He resumed his coughing.

I crushed the berries and mixed them in the vial, turning it a bright yellow before handing it to Piers. “Drink this. It should help, if not cure your sickness.”

Piers took the vial with a trembling hand and slowly drank it while Marnie steadied his hand. When he’d finished the vial, he took three shaky breaths before standing up.

Marnie grabbed his arm. “Bro, I don’t think-“

He shook his head-the first time he’d given a quick response since we entered this region of floating rocks. “I feel okay. What was in that vial anyway?”

I shrugged. “Lum Berries, Jaboca Berries, and Engima Berries.”

Hop made a strangled noise. Piers raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t those berries rare? Especially Engima Berries?”

I shrugged again and put my bag over my shoulder. “Yeah.”

Piers looked genuinely confused and shocked. “But…why would you waste them on me? You’d be better off mixing them in curry or giving them to your Pokémon.”

I looked at Piers. “If something is put to good use, it’s not a waste. You’re my friend! We have each others backs!”

Piers looked shaken. “…Thanks. C’mon. Let’s go.”

That was short lived, because five minutes later, it was an open edge with nowhere to go but down.

Piers sighed. “Hm. I’ll go first.”

Marnie looked at him. “You’re not going down there.”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Listen. I’m the risk taker. I’m the one who makes sure it’s safe. Alright?”

Marnie looked sullen. “Piers…”

He leapt from our platform and landed catlike on the platform below before calling up to us. “It’s fine. C’mon.”

Hop stuck the landing, Marnie landed like a spy, I landed one footed(accidentally), and Allister appeared to float down. Piers smiled. “Nice landing.”

Allister was probably blushing under his mask. “Oh-uh, thanks, Piers…”

Hop motioned us forward. “The next path is narrow. Watch your step.”

We crossed without much difficulty-until disaster.

I was behind everyone, and on my next step, the ground crumbled. I stumbled and fell. I caught a glimpse of Allister turning to see what the noise was before I dropped.

This is it, I thought.

There’s no way out of this.

I closed my eyes, bracing for impact.

But it never came.

My fall suddenly stopped. When I gained enough courage to open my eyes, Allister was gripping my hand and attempting to pull me up.

I realized this and began trying to pull myself up. Allister muttered, “Hold on…just a bit more!”

A few seconds later, all of us were in a heap on the floor. I saw Hop, Marnie, and Piers all panting with exertion. Hop put a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah…what happened?”

Marnie brushed herself off. “Allister saw you fallin’. He grabbed your hand, and the rest of us grabbed onto him to pull you up.”

I looked from person to person. “You guys saved me.”

Piers nodded. “‘Course. We’re friends, right?”

I smiled. “Yeah…what’s that?”

A small purple circle was floating in front of us. Hop tapped it.

“Hop,” I warned, “I don’t think-“

A few seconds later, we were on the roof of the stadium. Allister yelped. “How did we-? Leon!”

We turned and saw Leon standing in front of what must’ve been Eternatus-a big blue and red dragon with scythe-like claws.

Leon’s face was serious. “Guys! Glad you came, but I’ve managed to tire it out! All I need to do now is catch it!”

He pulled out a Pokéball and threw it at Eternatus, trapping the beast inside the Pokéball. It shook for a moment. Leon held out his hand in a “stay back” motion.

Suddenly, the Pokéball began to glow. Leon’s eyes widened as he shouted, “Charizard!”

Piers grabbed Marnie and wrapped himself around her in a shield-like motion, bringing her to the ground. Leon tackled Hop and also brought him to the ground. Charizard shielded all of us with his wings-except Leon.

I barely had time to register anything before the Pokéball exploded in a flash of red light. All of us were thrown back and crashed into a wall.

By the time my vision cleared, Leon lay limp in front of Eternatus, badly bruised and eyes closed with a grimace of pain on his face, Charizard next to him. In front of him was…oh, Arceus.

A monstrous, Gigantamaxed version of Eternatus. I can’t even begin to describe how it looked.

Even Piers looked terrified, bruised up as he was. “Oh, Shellder.”

I looked at the beast. “Is everyone okay?!”

Hop ran to Leon. “LEE! Lee, wake up!” He shook Leon only to be met with no response. “LEE!!!”

I pulled out a Pokéball. “Get him and Charizard to the side. NOW. Everyone. Get out your Pokémon.”

My order was met with a flurry of movement as everyone pulled out a Pokéball and sent out their Pokémon. Piers sent out his Obsatgoon, Marnie sent out her Grimmsnarl, Hop sent out his Dubwool, Allister sent out Gengar, and I sent out Singe.

Allister was trembling. “W-We have to stop it…aim for the center!”

I nodded. “Singe, Pyro Ball!”

With aim you can’t see anywhere else, Singe kicked his pebble and shot it at full force directly in the middle of Eternatus’s face. Piers THREW his mic, which landed after the Pyro Ball. Marnie had False Surrender throw Dubwool at Eternatus(Dubwool was ready)then hit it afterwards. Gengar shot Shadow Ball.

All attacks hit, one after the other in rapid succession. Once the smoke cleared, the damage done was…

nothing?

Piers caught his mic as it came back to him. “How did those do nothing?!”

Hop grimaced. “I don’t know…”

Eternatus screeched as the storm got stronger. Piers snarled. “Keep attackin’! Maybe it’ll let it’s guard down!”

Despite our efforts and amazing Pokémon, nothing happened. It took no damage and only appeared to get stronger.

As it roared, Allister yelled, “I-I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out any longer!”

I commanded Singe to use Blaze Kick. “We have to keep going!”

Allister shook his head. “I mean our P-Pokémon! They…They can’t keep using moves forever!”

Eternatus seemed to bulge. It lunged for Dubwool, who barely managed to parry the attack with Rollout.

Piers snarled. “Crap. It’s going on the offense! Obstagoon, Obstruct!”

Obstagoon put up its barrier just as the pincers hit. “No stat change…great. How are we supposed to defeat this thing?”

Eternatus roared, almost sending Marnie flying off the stadium roof. She dug her heels in and shielded her face with one arm.

Without warning, it opened its pincers and lunged at her. Marnie was still unstable from the onslaught of sound, but had time to register that a big thing was coming to kill her.

For the first time, Piers looked genuinely terrified. “MARNIE!”

He ran toward her, and suddenly-

SLASH.

Piers was in front of Marnie, staring in shock at the bleeding X-shaped cut covering most of his upper body. Eternatus’s pincers had red tips. He wobbled for a moment, his eyes rolled up in his head, and he keeled over.

Marnie cried, “PIERS!”

She ran to him in an act of sheer desperation and cradled him in her arms.

“Piers…PIERS! No…no, no, no…” Tears were streaming down her face, and instead of the stoic face I usually saw on her, she looked completely, utterly broken.

“You’re going to be fine, Piers…you’re going to be just fine! Breathe, bro, breathe!…Please don’t die…PLEASE!”

Marnie sobbed. “I can’t lose anyone again…PIERS!” She cried into his chest as he lay limp.

Finally, she stood. “My bro…NOBODY hurts my bro.”

She glared at Eternatus. “I lost him once…I’M NOT GOING TO LOSE HIM AGAIN! GRIMMSNARL, SPIRIT BREAK!”

Grimmsnarl responded to Marnie’s fury by attacking with such force, Eternatus went dark for a second. Then it screeched and tried to hit back. Grimmsnarl dodged and hit it with False Surrender, followed by Play Rough.

I had never seen Marnie so angry-even when she responded to Team Yell’s shenanigans. She was still crying-from fury, pain, sadness, I didn’t know.

Eternatus seemed to lose a bit of health now. Unfortunately, it only seemed to get angrier. It eventually compressed the pincers of its head into a point and rammed into whomever it was targeting. It missed-somehow. It became faster with each strike-which made me realize that it was going to get ugly from here on out.

Piers still hadn’t moved-neither had Leon. Charizard had twitched and returned to it’s Pokéball. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Piers…would he be okay? Or would he…

“Singe,” I shouted, “Use Blast Burn!”

The ultimate move blazed bright and set the entirety of Eternatus aflame.

Hop yelped. “Where did you learn that?!”

I shrugged. “Some old guy in Wyndon taught me. That doesn’t matter now. Marnie, watch your right!”

She spun out of the way of another potentially deadly attack. Her rage was still going strong.

I risked a glance over at Allister. He was keeping par with the meteors Eternatus was sending at us, countering them with Shadow Ball and Hex. He seemed so absorbed in the fight he wasn’t nervous. I would never expect that from a woobie.

Singe was too tired to move. I cursed myself. Blast Burn tired the pokemon out-Singe wouldn’t move for a while.

I tried calling him back. “Singe, return.”

Nothing. The Pokéball clicked.

I shook it. “Singe, return.

Nothing. I put the Pokéball in my pocket. “Why doesn’t it work? I swear it was working-“

Eternatus whipped its ugly head toward me. My legs tensed. I tried to walk. Nothing. Paralyzed.

Eternatus screeched and pulled its head into a point.

I’m about to be a shish kebab.

It lunged, sending meteors to Hop and Marnie and rendering unable to move unless they managed to dodge all of the falling rocks(impossible)or stayed and blocked them.

I braced myself for impact, unable to do anything.

Nice knowing you, Hop. Marnie. Allister. Piers.

SHUNK.

The sound came…but the impact didn’t. Was I dead already?

I opened one eye. Then the other. Once I realized what I was seeing, a lump gathered in my throat.

Allister-sweet, shy Allister-was standing in front of me. The point of Eternatus’s head had gone straight through the middle of his chest.

The point withdrew. Allister’s mask slipped off his face, revealing an expression of shock, terror, and pain. His eyes rolled up in his head as they closed and he fell forward.

“ALLISTER!”

I ran up to him and caught him before he hit the ground. That stupid point had gone in one end and out the other, leaving a good-sized hole.

“No…” I whispered, “Allister, why?…”

He didn’t respond.

I felt tears well in my eyes. I tried to stop them, but it eventually became too much.

I held the friend I had only known for a bit close to me and cried. Hop and Marnie didn’t say anything but held a respectful silence.

When I finally gained the courage to speak…

“HOW DARE YOU?!”

I snarled at Eternatus, not knowing where the words here coming from. They felt right. Like someone had to say them.

“You’ve hurt my friends, but a CHILD?! THAT’S LOW, EVEN FOR A MONSTER LIKE YOU!”

Like Grimmsnarl, Singe responded to my emotions. I looked at my faithful Cinderace. “Keep that thing busy.”

Singe nodded and kicked a falling rock back at Eternatus. It became a huge Pyro Ball and hit Eternatus in the middle of it’s ugly face.

I threw Pokéballs in the air. “Go, Brawler! Sarina! Spirit! Moonstone! And Sonic!”

Each Pokémon exited their Pokéball in the order I’d called them. First Bewear(Brawler), then Sylveon(Sarina), then Espeon and Umbreon(Spirit and Moonstone), and finally Arcanine(Sonic).

I gestured to Allister. “Brawler, get him to the double doors. Drop him by Bea and Raihan. Sonic, get Piers and Leon. Drop them by the double doors and…be careful with them. Please. Sarina, follow them and help Bede with healing once you get to the double doors. Spirit and Moonstone, you goys have escort duty. Block the rocks and get our friends to safety. I’m counting on you.”

My Pokémon nodded, gathered what they needed, and sped to the edge of the roof. Eternatus took notice and shot meteors in their direction. Spirit blasted the rocks with Psychic and Moonstone with Dark Pulse. They leapt over the side and ran into the darkness.

I could only hope they succeded.

I turned to Eternatus. “I’m going to banish you and seal you away where you belong.” I pulled out the Rusted Sword from my backpack. Eternatus hissed at the sight of it. At first, I thought it was because it was laughing. A Rusted Sword against a giant beast? What would that do?

Then, I realized it was glowing with a strange blue aura. I gasped.

An idea sparked. “Hop, get out the Rusted Shield.”

He looked confused. “What?”

I held up the sword. “Just do it. Please.”

He held up the shield, and it began glowing-only with a red aura. The two weapons glowed and flew into the sky.

It’s okay to feel fear.

What matters is how ya handle that fear.

You can use it to burn bright or shrink down.

Piers was right.

I would use the fear inside me to burn bright. I would become a beacon and guide my friends to victory.

A beacon shot up from between Hop and me as two figures zoomed towards us in the darkness…

Bede’s Perspective

I’m trying my best to heal everyone.

But one thirteen-year old boy can only do so much, even if he is the potential next Fairy-type Gym Leader.

My name is Bede. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

At the moment, I was healing a girl who had cut her leg while coming inside the double doors.

We’d taken refuge in this place to hide the locals from the oncoming attack Eternatus was sending. Orders from Abby.

Honestly, I don’t know what to think of her anymore. She accepted me and offered forgiveness, even giving me the important job of healing the locals.

But she would push me away eventually. Her and the wannabe champion Hop.

I sighed. “Come on, little girl. Please just let me patch up your wound…”

“No!” The little girl shouted. “No, no, no! I don’t wanna!”

I held out the bandages. “I’m trying to help. Please?”

“No!”

I sighed and sent out my Rapidash. The kid stopped bawling.

“You can stroke Rapidash if you let me patch up your leg, alright?”

The kid nodded and began to run her hand along Rapidash’s coat. Once I finished bandagingthe girl’s leg, Raihan came to check on me.

“Hey, Bede. How’s the healing coming?” Raihan had become much more serious after Eternatus had showed up. Hopefully he’d retain some of his brain cells once this was over.

If this was over.

I sighed. “I can’t do much, but it’s coming along okay.”

He nodded. “I think we’ve taken care of the major wounds. You can rest now.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’ll manage.”

As I stood up, a noise came from outside the door.

“Bewe!”

The cry of a Bewear. It sounded…like it was trying to say my name?

I needed some rest. I had to be hearing things.

Bea ran over and opened the doors to reveal an Espeon, an Umbreon, an Arcanine, a Sylveon, and a Bewear all standing outside the door. The Bewear was cradling something in its arms-a child? The Arcanine had two people on it’s back.

“Bewe!”

Yep. The Bewear was trying to say my name. I looked at Bea. “I’m not hearing things, right?”

Bea nodded. “That Bewear is definitely trying to call you. I wonder-? ALLISTER!”

The Bewear set down its cargo and helped Arcanine unload. That revealed a bruised-up Leon, Piers with an X-shaped cut covering his upper body, and Allister-oh, Arceus.

Allister had a good-sized hole going through him. Bea dropped to her knees and cradled Allister while Raihan stared in shock at Piers and Leon.

I thought I knew what would happen. Bea would charge outside and probably get herself killed while Raihan stared in shock at the collapsed bodies of his friends.

At least, I thought I knew.

Bea cradled the friend she loved as a brother and sobbed, “I should’ve been there for him.”

I blinked. Bea was crying. Bea! Who wouldn’t cry if you had a Primal Groudon spew lava on her head!

Mrs. Opal put a hand on her shoulder. “Child, you did everything you could.”

Bea sobbed again. “But it wasn’t enough. He ran off because I didn’t pay attention! How is that not my fault?! I could’ve been there. I could’ve protected him! I…I…”

She held Allister’s limp body closer. “I could’ve saved him.”

“But I failed.”

“I’m a failure.”

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye…”

Her voice cracked as she broke into sobbing again. Mrs. Opal pat her shoulder. “Child, please…maybe someday you’ll see him again.”

Raihan crouched and took Piers’s hand. “Piers?…”

To my surprise, Piers twitched and muttered, “Rai…rai…h-help…” before his hand went slack.

Raihan trembled before getting up and shouting, “YOU!”

He made a bull run for the door-where the Pokémon were still standing. The Espeon tensed as the Umbreon stepped protectively in front of it.

I grabbed Raihan’s arm and pulled him back. “Raihan-“

“WHERE IS ETERNATUS?!” he screamed, tears streaming from his face. “I’LL CRUSH IT INTO A PULP!”

I strained to pull Raihan back. “Raihan! Don’t!”

Raihan glared at me with such dragonlike hatred I flinched. “Don’t what?! THAT THING KILLED PIERS AND LEON! I’m going to-!”

“PLEASE!” I shouted desperately, “Piers needs you!”

That seemed to calm him down. He snarled before sighing. “…I guess you’re right. But…”

I let go of Raihan’s arm and walked over to the victims of Eternatus’s onslaught. I checked each of their pulses and breathing before delivering the news.

“They’re alive.”

Bea looked up. “W-What?”

I nodded. “Allister’s alive-barely. His breathing is unsteady and his pulse is weak, but he’s alive. Piers is okay too-but his breathing is weak. His pulse is okay. Leon’s okay-but in a lot of pain. He’s still better off than Allister and Piers.”

I delivered the final blow. “It’s not too late to save them.”

Bea got up. “W-We can still save them?”

I nodded again. “It’ll take some work, but yes. It’ll be okay.”

Bea and Raihan both said, “Tell me what to do. I can save him.” Then they looked at each other and snarled.

I sighed. “Fine. We won’t be able to do much for them, but Bea, patch up their wounds as best as you can. Raihan, do you know how to make an elixir?”

Suddenly, the shelter rumbled. Bea looked up. “What the-?!”

Raihan threw open the doors as we looked outside.

Two figures were zooming toward the stadium roof at high speed.

I looked at Raihan and Bea. “Do we evacuate?”

Raihan grinned and shook his head. “Nope.”

Bea smiled ever so slightly, still shaken from Allister. “The heroes of the Darkest Day have arrived.”

My Perspective

The two wolves landed in front of Hop and me.

One of them was blue and had a cool sword in its mouth as it fused with the Rusted Sword.

The other was red and had a shield mane as it fused with the Rusted Shield.

Marnie muttered, “Zacian and Zamazenta.”

Zacian and Zamazenta howled as they rammed into Eternatus, causing the beast to roar in pain and fly back.

I smiled. “Singe, Pyro Ball!”

The attack hit!

Hop grinned. “Alright! Our attacks work! Let’s do this thing!”

Marnie smiled. “This one’s for Piers!”

Hop slapped a Pokéball. “Don’t forget Lee!”

I pointed at Eternatus. “And Allister! Singe, Blast Burn!”

“Wooloo, Take Down!”

“Grimmsnarl, False Surrender!”

Our Pokémon cried in delight as they leapt and hit Eternatus at full power.

A few more hits, and Eternatus was weakened.

I pulled out a Premiere Ball. “Time to finish what Leon started! Let’s seal this thing away!”

I threw the Premiere Ball as it enscapulated Eternamax Eternatus. The Premiere Ball hit the ground and shook once.

Twice.

Three times…

Click!

I picked up the Pokéball. “Caught it.”

We were silent for a moment. Then-

“WOOOOOOO!”

Hop pumped his fists. “We did it!”

Marnie smiled. “Great job, Abby.”

Zacian and Zamazenta turned. “Wait,” I shouted.

The two doggos turned to look at me. I smiled. “Thank you.”

The two nodded, then zoomed into the skyline, leaving behind their Rusted Sword and Shield as a sunset came up, starting a new day.

Three Days Later

At Hotel Ionia, Marnie and I had shared a room after the big Eternatus incident. I’d slept like a log for the next few days as Leon, Piers, and Allister healed.

We got a call from Bede saying that they would be okay. However, Allister and Piers were still suffering from the aftereffects of Eternatus’s poison, so they had to rest for a bit longer-especially Allister. However, Leon was ready to go and wanted the match to happen today- so that’s where I was headed.

Marnie had left a note for me on the nightstand which said this:

Hey, Abby,

I won’t be able to watch your match in person. I need to check on my big bro and make sure he’s doin’ okay.

He’s the only family I have left, so I hope you’ll understand if I go visit him instead of coming to the match.

Good luck!

Wishing you well, Marnie

I left for the stadium and arrived at the field where Leon was waiting. He grinned. “Hey, Abby!”

He shook my hand. “I’ve been waiting for you! Get ready for a Champion time!”

I smiled. “Of course. Just because you were thrashed by a stronger Pokémon doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you.”

Leon smiled. “‘Course.”

Marnie’s Perspective

I ran to the hospital and arrived at room 306.

Normally, I’d avoid hospitals because they make me nervous, but today I couldn’t be more excited.

I knocked on the door and to my surprise, someone opened it.

“Oh…hey, Bea.”

The Fighting-type Gym Leader was looking me in the eyes. Her expression softened when she realized who it was.

“Hey, Marnie. Piers is awake.”

I smiled and entered the room.

Two beds were laid next to each other-in one, Allister(maskless-he slept a lot and it saved time so he could rest more)was propped up with some pillows, and in the other, Piers was watching the door, also propped up with pillows. His face brightened when he saw me. “Hey, Marnie!”

I ran up to him and gave him a hug. “Mm! How’re you doin’, big bro?”

He smiled. “I feel a little nauseous and it hurts to sit up, but I’m doin’ okay! How ’bout you?”

I smiled. “Eh, yeah…I miss you a lot.”

Piers ruffled my hair. “I miss you more than you know. Y’wanna watch the Champion’s match together?”

I yelped. “Ah! I completely forgot about that!”

I turned to Allister. “Uh…you’ve been quiet. You okay?”

He weakly nodded and whispered, “I-It just hurts a bit to talk…I’m okay…”

Raihan poked his head through the door. “Knock knock. Can I come in?”

Bea nodded. “Sure. We were just gonna watch Abby’s match.”

Raihan smiled. “Alright. How’re you doing, Piers? Allister?”

Piers smiled. “We’re doing okay!”

I turned on the TV. “She’s already defeated Aegislash, Haxorus, and Seismitoad.”

Bea looked up. “That fast?! Woah.”

Bede came in with a tray of noodles. “Watching the Champion’s match? Hm. I do hope Abby wins.”

I watched as Abby’s Meowstic used Shadow Ball to knock out Dragapult. Allister smiled. “U-Using a Psychic-type Pokémon to have Dragapult let its guard down, only to hit it with a super-effective move…t-that’s classic Abby.”

Bede nodded. “Hm. What does she do with Inteleon? Ah. Leaf Storm with Tsareena. Very good.”

Piers grinned. “Time for the finale. Charizard.”

Abby swapped out for an Octillery.

I looked at Bea. “Since when did Abby have an Octillery?”

Bea shrugged. “I don’t know. She picks up Pokémon. Maybe-uh oh.”

Charizard had used Max Overgrowth and KO’d Octillery. Allister gasped. “O-Of course! Solar Beam!”

Piers nodded grimly. “Mm…she’s in a tough spot now.”

Each of her Pokémon were knocked out until only Golisopod was left. At this point, Charizard was at very low health.

“Oh!” The announcer shouted, “Each trainer down to their last Pokémon. What will happen next?”

Abby threw out her hand. “This move goes out to you, Piers! You and Spikemuth!”

Piers looked alarmed at the sound of his name. “What?!”

She grinned. “Tsunami, use Throat Chop!”

That hit was enough to defeat Charizard, therefore…making Abby the new Champion. Allister pumped a trembling fist in satisfaction.

Bea grinned. “Yes!”

Raihan smiled. “I knew the kid had it in her!”

A news announcer appeared onscreen. “And now, an exclusive interview with our new Champion, Abby!”

Abby looked visibly exhausted, and when the news camera and mic were shoved into her face, she stumbled in alarm. “Abby! What did you think of Leon’s performance?”

She smiled. “It was great…he gave me a run for my money, hehe…”

Another mic was shoved in her face. “Would you like to say anything?”

She took a deep breath. “Alright. Yes, I would.”

“I dedicate today’s match to my mom and my hometown, Postwick.”

Bea nodded. “Solid dedication.”

“But I also dedicate it to my rivals. Hop-you helped me grow. Without you, I don’t think I would’ve been the same.”

“Marnie-“

I looked at the screen, bewildered. Why was my name being called?

“You’re a great rival too-showing me around Spikemuth and showing me that cute does not mean weak-I knew that, but you enforced that with Morpeko. Thank you for helping me at Wyndon.”

I could feel my cheeks turn red.

“Bede-you’re a great rival. I know that you were rude, but to be honest-“

Bede rolled his eyes.

“I was a bit of a jerk too.”

Bede choked on spit.

“We judged based on first impressions-which weren’t exactly amazing. I was mean because I thought you were a jerk for fun-I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“I also dedicate this match to the town of Stow-on-Side and it’s amazing Gym Leaders.”

Allister jumped a bit, and Bea perked up.

“Bea-you’re my inspiration for training. You told me that when things get tough, you YELP FOR HELP-“

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“Bea-you’re my inspiration for training. You told me that when things get tough, you get tougher. They give you fire, you give them lava. Thank you for supporting me.”

“Allister…I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been here for me-good times and bad times. You saved my life on the roof of Hammerlocke Stadium-without you, I literally wouldn’t be here today. Thank you for being my friend.”

“And last but not least…Piers and Raihan. You two are formidable trainers and fun to hang around. Piers-you’re brotherly and want attention to Spikemuth-exactly what it deserves. Keep singing and having fun! Raihan-you put yourself aside to help others during the Darkest Day. That take courage. Amazing work.”

“To the heroes of the Darkest Day-this match is for you.”

“Thanks for reading.”

“I’ll see you all soon!”

THE END

that took forever…

oml I am so tired

I hope you enjoyed this remaster!

Let me know if you want to see more!

Bye!

-Abby

By Abby Subedi

Editor-In-Chief