Alec shook the sleep from his eyes. Today was Sunday, the day that he would approach Kleavor and try to quell it with the balms Laventon and he had made. His satchel was light today; he’d emptied almost everything out of it to make room for the dozens of balms he’d made.
The village gates stood as a leap of faith for him. Right now, he could choose to turn around and stay within Jubilife’s walls, or he could go face his mission and confront Kleavor. On one hand, safety, but on the other, no regrets.
His steps never even faltered for a second. He shook his head, clearing his mind.
“Alec, wait up!” someone called from behind him. He turned around to find Rei approaching him. His mouth was curving upward but there was no emotion behind it. It was completely flat. Mask-like.
“So you’re going?” he simply asked.
“Yeah.”
“You don’t have to go. You could … die.” He stared at the ground, shuffling his feet and unwilling to meet Alec’s eyes.
“You think I don’t know that?” Alec said with a dry laugh. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“But this isn’t your fight. You shouldn’t have to do this.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t. But I do.”
Alec knew that if he hadn’t shown up through the distortion, none of this would’ve happened. If Arceus hadn’t chosen him, if he’d been sent to a different time, if he’d never even existed to start with, none of this would be happening.
Kleavor wouldn’t be in agony. The wild Pokemon wouldn’t have lost their homes. The people of Hisui wouldn’t be in danger.
“Okay,” Rei hesitated. “Either way, I can’t stop you, even if I wanted to. Here, take these,” he said, grabbing a bundle from his satchel. “They’re doppel bonnets. For you and your Pokemon. They taste pretty bitter but they strengthen your brain to increase your reaction time.”
Alec gingerly accepted the gift. Something like this would be a great help in his battle. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Alec exhaled deeply, clutching Rei’s gift tightly. “No, seriously. Thank you,” Alec quavered, breaking like a leaky dam. “Thank you for finding me. Thanks for helping me with the Alpha, and for showing me around, and for welcoming me.”
Rei smiled, warmly this time. “You’re welcome. Stay safe, alright?”
“Gotcha,” Alec said with a wave. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
And with that, he left.
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Alec raised his hand to his face and squinted. Since yesterday, the winds had greatly picked up, blowing leaves around and sending chills through his body.
His clock read 12:31. He stared down the woods of Grandtree, or what remained. The half-emptied former forest, now populated mostly by stumps and fallen logs, felt empty and void of life. The dead leaves and trunks rested on the ground, ready to give up their bodies and restart the cycle.
This forest will grow back, hopefully, Alec thought. I’m sure the Pokemon will work together to rebuild.
His conversation with Rei when he left the village had been sparse, an air of tension tying them together. Both of their minds had been overflowing with various thoughts and emotions that made holding their actual conversation a lower priority.
Call it a gut feeling, but Alec thought he’d make it out of this okay. Maybe he was grasping at straws or in denial. Who knows.
Rei and Akari clearly had no one else in their lives. He’d only known them for a few days, barely a handful, but their bond already felt rather strong as far as friends go. He felt like he owed it to them to return, just as he felt that he owed all of Hisui to press on.
The scales weren’t balanced at all. As much as he didn’t want to risk leaving the twins alone again, he also felt indebted to Hisui.
The leaves crunched under his feet as he silently walked toward the mighty tree in the distance, the one tree too big for Kleavor to strike down. However, Alec didn’t hear the crunches at all. His mind was far too occupied, running at the speed of light, focusing on the task at hand.
He felt like an actor peeking out from behind the curtain before entering the stage for their big scene. All of Hisui was in the audience, expectantly watching him. But if he forgot a line or missed a cue, the show wouldn’t go on. His life would end.
But what else could he do? With Arceus' commands chiseled into his soul, he couldn’t live a normal life anymore. Atop his mountain of guilt for causing this problem for the people of Hisui, Alec remembered that this was his only way home.
As he ducked under a low-hanging branch of one of the few remaining trees, he thought of his mom, whose son had been missing for two weeks now.
She was strong. She could survive without him. So he had to be strong and survive, to get back to her.
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“Kleavor!” he shouted, turning around in circles. “Show yourself!”
Auster chirped angrily as he flew circles above him. Tricky rested safely in his ball. They’d decided on the way over that he’d be in reserve for the battle because he wasn’t agile enough to avoid Kleavor’s powerful melee attacks. Auster agreed to help, but Alec asked him to stay high in the air the whole time. If things got dicey, he’d send out Tricky to try to get a lucky Paralysis off.
They’d arrived at Grandtree. The landscape around them seemed to form a bowl shape, with seven-foot-tall walls bordering the tree in a circle shape.
As they walked, Alec had broken bite-sized pieces off the Doppel Bonnets Rei had given him and shared them with Auster. They were very bitter, though Alec forced them down regardless. Auster, however, had eaten them with gusto, clearly enjoying their bitter flavor. He didn’t feel any different at the moment but he figured that it would kick in soon enough.
The nearby landscape was scored with deep gashes from where Kleavor, in its blind frenzy, had swiped its blades around with reckless abandon. As they approached closer to Grandtree, the area looked even more desolate.
It was clear that this area had been lush and green just a few days prior. The grass, beneath the mountains of leaves and the occasional log, was colorful and alive. Some of the trees had remnants of nests or other Pokemon homes in them.
Alec spun in circles, scanning the surrounding area for any movement. The brush rustled threateningly, whispering warnings to him that no matter how fast he turned, his back was always exposed in some direction.
“Kleavor!” he shouted again, staring determined into the brush line. “And you call yourself a Noble! A protector of Hisui! Look at what you’ve done!”
He spread his arms out, gesturing to the surrounding area. “I can help you! I know you’re in pain! Come on!”
He coughed, feeling the dust in his throat. Since the area was so barren, his quick footsteps only riled up the dust into the air. He waved his hands about before his face, trying to clear the air. Hopefully, the wind wouldn’t pick up at all during the confrontation and mess with the dust. The wind moved about around him, rustling the brush with its gentle breeze and making a quiet noise.
The wind stopped blowing. The silence was deafening.
Alec reached into his satchel and grabbed the first balm that Laventon and he had crafted. It reminded him of the bean cakes that he’d been eating for dinner most nights. It had a stickier texture as he rolled it around in his hand. He tossed it up a few times, experimenting and getting used to its weight. It felt exactly like a baseball, meaning that Alec would have no problems throwing it with accuracy.
“I have a way to calm you!” he shouted to the empty forest. “Come out!”
“Rowlet!” Auster shouted, causing Alec’s head to snap up to where he was flying. He was looking at the brush behind Alec.
He turned around, following Auster’s eyes to the edge of the area. His back was against the trunk of Grandtree, allowing him a sense of protection.
Though the wind was completely still, the brush continued to rustle. The sound seemed distant but was growing closer by the second. It seemed to be coming from every direction, moving rapidly and erratically like a soldier evading enemy gunfire.
At Auster’s chirp, Alec saw a shining brown blur running circles around the area. It leaped through the air, spinning wildly, carving thick gashes straight through any objects that dared to stand in its way.
It landed in the arena, panting heavily and ragged. Its breathing sounded more like a feral growl than an attempt to oxygenate. Kleavor stood at a terrifying seven feet tall, even accounting for its heavy slouch due to the weight of its axes. Its entire body was bathed in a radiant aurantian gold light as if it had liquid fire in its blood and its light was piercing through its skin.
Its carapace reminded Alec of a knight’s shining armor, as it covered its entire body in interlocking plates. It was far from shining, being stained by blood, dirt, and grime. Its eyes were aglow with molten gold, shining even brighter than its body.
Its mighty blades were each a little shorter than Alec was tall and they each bore some asymmetrical chips along their edges. They were still clearly razor-sharp, making Alec’s gut feel like someone was crushing it like an aluminum can.
He’d seen what Kleavor would look like from Laventon’s sketch. He’d kept a mental picture of the titan he’d be fighting during his journey over. But nothing compared to actually standing before this almighty Pokemon. Alec’s lungs turned to ice as he forgot how to breathe. Despite his heart rate spiking and blood pumping rapidly, his skin felt like he was being blasted with icy wind. His muscles felt tense and his mouth felt dry. Suddenly the balm in his hand felt heavier than a boulder.
Kleavor simply stared at him with its gold eyes, alight with Arceus’ power, for several seconds. It raised its axes and scraped the blades against each other, creating an earsplitting grinding noise and scattering sparks onto the floor.
The movement was similar to a display of dominance that Alec had seen other Pokemon do. Almost all Pokemon had some method to show off and assert themselves over others. For example, Bidoof tended to puff up their fur and Buizel inflated their flotation sacs to appear bigger and thus more dominant.
If Kleavor’s trying to assert dominance, Alec thought, it must have completely lost its mind. It should be far more intelligent than other Pokemon.
Alec raised the balm in his hand and drew it back, like a pitcher playing baseball. He hurled it with all his might, grunting loudly. Kleavor moved, leaving only a brown blur as it sliced with its axe. Two shallow gashes appeared in the dirt. Cleanly severed, the two halves of the balm fell to the ground unceremoniously.
Alec, already scrambling to grab another balm from his satchel, didn’t notice Kleavor’s stance lowering as it prepared to charge.
He looked up just in time to see Kleavor slam both of its axes into the ground, using them as anchors to pull itself forward. With the gained momentum, it barreled toward him like a speeding truck, flailing its axes as if to slice the air itself. It left behind two more gashes, slicing deep through the earth like an expert chef chopping ingredients.
And Alec’s blood hardened to steel. He found himself unable to move as the dirt beneath his feet turned to concrete. He frantically rummaged through his satchel, only thinking about grabbing the next balm. In his mind, those balms were his only shield against Kleavor’s fury.
As the rampaging Noble only grew closer, Auster cawed out and jolted Alec from his stupor. He quickly dove to the side, not bothering to roll, and landed hard on the dirt. He shot a glance at Auster circling above, who looked worried that Alec had frozen like he did.
A glance toward Kleavor revealed that while it was proficient at swinging its axes, it was not as agile for movement. It had taken it several seconds to slow down once it passed Alec and it slowly turned to face him again.
He’s going to charge at me again! Alec thought. He shot his eyes back up to Auster, who continued to circle above them. He quickly scrambled to his feet, not bothering to check if he’d hurt his shoulder from the dive. Once he was on his feet, he grabbed another balm from his satchel, this time being easier on account of his (relative) lack of panic.
He managed to fling two more at Kleavor while it lowered itself to charge at him again. The balms sailed through the air, smashing into Kleavor’s chest-carapace and breaking apart. The dust and scent particles scattered around, causing Kleavor to shake its head and glare intensely at Alec.
Just like last time, it lowered its stance and drove its axes into the ground to act as a slingshot. This time, Alec was ready, and dove out of the way as soon as Kleavor launched itself forward. He knew that it couldn’t turn very fast once it started charging and he capitalized on it as much as he could.
This time, Kleavor, in its mindless rampage, had charged straight into one of the walls of Grandtree Arena. Its axe was jammed into the dirt and it tugged furiously to remove it.
Alec, seeing his opportunity, grabbed and threw as many balms as he could. Time slowed as he focused entirely on his aim. Just as Kleavor pulled itself free, one lucky balm flew at just the perfect height to smash into its face. It weakly stepped back, disoriented.
Now’s my chance! Alec thought. “Auster!” he called out. “He’s disoriented! Like we practiced, Leafage, Agile Style!”
Auster chirped in agreement, swooping down and flapping its wings fast. Fueled by adrenaline alongside Type-energy, he quickly summoned several razor-sharp leaves and sent them toward Kleavor. They pinged off its armor, leaving small cracks and scratches where they struck. Kleavor’s body still glowed with molten gold, the scratches like sunspots where the glow was muted and discolored. Since this move used the Agile style, it wasn’t very strong but it left Auster mobile enough for a follow-up.
Kleavor still hadn’t fully regained its composure and Alec shouted another command, for Auster to use Leafage again, normally this time. The timing would be tight but Alec trusted his partner and their weeks of training thus far.
Again, the leaves struck Kleavor’s armor, this time being strong enough to splinter off a few small fragments. Now fully ready, it somehow seemed to glow brighter with more rage. It threw its head back and bellowed with rage, reverberating shivers up Alec’s spine. It lunged forward, raising both axes up high.
X-Scissor! Alec thought. He shouted in panic to Auster, who was already flying backward as fast as he could.
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As Kleavor quickly swung its axes down, the sharp tips grazed Auster’s chest, rending off a few feathers that fluttered to the ground. He cried out in pain, making Alec wince.
“No!” Alec shouted, mouth agape and voice cracking with worry. Auster briefly fluttered in the air for a moment, catching his breath and regaining his balance. He quickly righted himself in the air and Alec couldn’t see any blood tainting his white feathers. He’s tough, he thought. “Leafage, Strong this time!” he shouted.
Alec had noticed something about Kleavor’s fighting style. Its axes seemed to be about five sizes too big, especially with its thin arms holding them up. Kleavor seemed to prefer long-ranged sweeping attacks that devastated anyone hit, rather than Auster’s style of quick and precise blows. Every time it attacked, it made itself vulnerable with the follow-through swing of its axes.
If I just stay two steps ahead, he thought, I’ll have no trouble beating it. All of its actions are telegraphed, I just have to focus and anticipate them.
Slowly but surely, Alec’s fear was beginning to ebb. As he fought, he was proving to himself that he was more capable than he thought. He knew that he and his team were somewhat good at battling, definitely able to hold their own against most of the foes they’d fought so far. But actually being here, walking the walk, gave Alec a climactic feeling that he could do anything.
As Auster’s extra-strong Leafage peppered Kleavor with more chips and scrapes, Alec hurled three more balms. None of the leaves drew any blood, though Kleavor’s hardened armor now bore several thick and deep scars.
“Auster, get back!” Alec cautioned once he saw that Kleavor had gained its footing again and was ready to strike. He complied, noiselessly flapping its wings and returning to circling above, where he could call out warnings to Alec.
Alec reached up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Legendaries Above, I need a haircut, he thought. But now isn’t the time for those thoughts.
Before him, Kleavor bent its knees and readied itself for another attack. The molten glow empowering it seemed to be fading, but it could’ve been Alec’s imagination.
Strange, Alec thought. It’s not raising its axes like it does when it charges. A chill ran down his body. Wait a second, it’s going for a different attack!
He scrambled back as quickly as he could, watching in horror as Kleavor’s glow flared and it whirled around like a cyclone, whipping the winds into a localized whirl around it. The dead leaves on the floor around them were picked up and tossed about, creating a scene that was almost beautiful.
Even though he was a safe distance away, the wind still whipped Alec’s hair and clothes furiously and he put a foot back for balance. In his hand, he readied another balm, knowing that it’d be torn to shreds if he threw it now.
It’s shown two attacks so far, he thought. Charging and spinning. When it’s about to attack, it bends its knees. Before it charges, it digs its axes into the dirt. Before it spins, it winds them up over its shoulders. Whether the thoughts stayed contained in his head or leaked out as mutterings, he had no idea. Right now, he could practically feel the adrenaline flowing through his body. Keeping his mouth closed was the least of his concerns.
The leaves in the whirlwind fluttered to the ground as Kleavor’s attack ended. This time, it merely stood ready for its next attack, rather than weakened like after a charge. It still stared at Alec with the same double-barrel eyes.
Springing on the opportunity, Alec flung another balm at it, which smashed into its chest and broke apart. The air around it was still twisting in eddies, meaning the scent was spread all around it.
As it bent down for another charge attack, Alec rolled his shoulder. He didn’t dare stop to check it but he figured he’d be sporting another nasty bruise there for a few days. The armpits of his shirt felt damp with sweat and his feet ached from the walking and running.
He felt confident in his abilities now, having fully analyzed all the attacks Kleavor had shown. And how many more could there be? All signs pointed to those two being all there was.
He decided to try to stay close this time, to increase his window for throwing balms. He knew that the fight couldn’t last too long because he definitely had less stamina than Kleavor. He’d have to take risks to ensure it ended on his terms. Staying close would mean that he’d be in danger of being shredded by Kleavor’s spin attack, but it was a risk he’d have to take.
He panted, his chest heaving up and down. If the fight lasted much longer, he’d surely die.
In time with Auster’s caw, Alec rolled to the side and dodged Kleavor’s advance. Per his plan, he rolled perpendicular to Kleavor’s charge, meaning he was in the closest position.
He landed the roll and ended up crouching on one knee. He grabbed three balms from his satchel, one in his dominant right hand and two in his left, and squared off to throw. By the time Alec had flung the first two, Kleavor had pulled its axes from the dirt and righted itself.
Now Alec could definitely tell that it wasn’t his imagination; Kleavor’s glow was subsiding, and considerably so. If he squinted and looked closely, he could begin to see the texture of its body beneath the blaze.
It spotted Alec, crouched down so close to him, and its molten glow seemed to flare. Its eyes, though its face didn’t change at all, seemed to convey an emotion of smugness and satisfaction.
Oh no, Alec thought. What did I do wrong?
It raised its axes up high, in a maneuver Alec quickly recognized as its spin attack. He’d planned for this; he quickly stood up and moved backward as quickly as he could.
As he backpedaled, he hurled the third balm he was holding.
And it turned out to be his worst mistake.
Because he wasn’t paying attention to his footsteps. Because he’d been walking backward so he could throw the balm. Because he’d even placed himself in that danger in the first place, his right foot stepped into one of the deep gashes in the dirt Kleavor had made. Instead of resting flat on the ground, his ankle twisted at a sickening angle.
A crunch mixed with a squelch reverberated up Alec’s skeleton.
Alec cried out, stumbling to the side. He grit his teeth, feeling the rest of the muscles tense in his body involuntarily as the pain clawed its way up his leg. He stood in a skewed stance, trying to put as little weight on his right side as possible.
And at that moment, Kleavor released its attack and enraged the winds around them into a violent tempest worthy of Tornadus itself. Though previously the winds and the scattered leaves only served to upset Alec’s hair and clothes, this time he was far closer.
The localized winds slammed full force into Alec’s body, sending him tumbling back. Alec’s senses turned cloudy as his vision became consumed by green and brown blurs as he spun backward, landing on his broken ankle. A sudden intense pain surged up from his ankle, through his veins and up his leg. As he landed, he coughed out an agonized scream that manifested as more of a wail than a shout. His voice cracked like glass as he cried out, flecks of spit flying from his mouth and tears forming in his eyes.
Auster’s frantic caws grounded him as he shook his head and looked up. His stomach dropped when he saw Kleavor standing several paces away from him, bending its knees as it prepared itself for a charge attack. He apathetically noticed how the glow was almost completely gone.
He watched as Auster swooped down and hovered a few feet off the ground right before him. He cawed as fearsomely as he could and began to charge a Leafage.
No, Alec thought desperately. Get out of the way! This time, he was certain that his thoughts leaked from his mouth as mutterings. He was frankly surprised they didn’t manifest as frantic shouts, with how disheveled his mind was.
With a mighty caw, Auster released a Strong-style Leafage like he’d previously done, knowing that it was by far his strongest attack at the moment. Like last time, the leaves peppered Kleavor with small fractures.
Auster’s eyes widened as a few small chips splintered off from Kleavor’s carapace from the attack. He’d given the attack everything he had left in him and hoped that it was enough to at least stall Kleavor.
Alec inhaled sharply when he saw Kleavor stumble back a few inches. He didn’t know how but now wasn’t the time to ask questions. His breath deserted him as he tried as hard as he could to crawl away. His foot didn’t even feel like a foot anymore; just an inferno of pain that overwrote everything he was trying to do with his body.
The air seemed to shimmer around him. Was he crying? His mouth was bone-dry and the area was dusty, though. He didn’t feel the warmth of tears on his face. Maybe this was his brain trying to convince him to go calmly instead of panicking.
Then, three things all happened in the span of an instant:
Kleavor righted itself and planted its axes in the dirt, charging forward.
Auster let out an anguished cry, helpless to stop his trainer’s death.
Alec felt his broken ankle somehow burn stronger as he dug his fingers into the dirt and clawed himself away from Kleavor’s path.
Using his good leg, he pushed himself as far forward as he could, in a similar manner to a track runner pushing off from a starting block. The shimmering air around him grew in intensity. Was he seeing stars from the pain?
He twisted his head to the side just in time to see Kleavor pushing off, charging forward. He briefly debated closing his eyes but decided against it. He’d rather meet his death head-on instead of hiding away like a coward.
Normally this would be the time for last words or parting thoughts. The thought of saying anything special didn’t cross his mind.
His shove off from the ground was enough to make Kleavor’s angle slightly off. He knew that even with the little agility that Kleavor had, it still could curve and strike him down. Oh well. It was worth a shot.
But as Kleavor charged forward, he didn’t curve toward Alec. Instead, it seemed to keep charging straight ahead, where Alec had been. Auster cried out, both in desperation and excitement, at seeing Alec’s safety.
He noticed how the glow shrouding Kleavor was almost completely faded. Maybe Kleavor is starting to pull through and recognize what it’s doing, Alec thought. I’m so close, just a little more!
And that meant one important thing. It’s still alive in there! he thought.
It barreled straight into the dirt wall of Grandtree Arena, missing Alec by a considerable margin. Its axes dug into the hardened dirt, restraining it momentarily. As it struggled, Alec, from his position on the ground, sat up with a wince and flung one final balm at Kleavor.
The entire forest held its breath as the concoction of mushrooms and honey flew through the air. The wind stopped blowing, the trees stopped rustling, the Kricketune stopped their melodies. It felt as if the entire earth stopped for a moment to watch in suspense as Alec’s throw sailed through the air.
It smashed into Kleavor’s chest, bursting apart and sending its scent everywhere. Kleavor pulled its axe from the dirt and turned to face Alec, eyes still alight with rage. It bent its knees to charge one final time as the scent dispersed around it.
And instead of charging forward or winding up for a spin, Kleavor stood still.
Slowly, the light faded from its body, like a suffocated candle. A few seconds later, all traces of the embers were fully gone, leaving only Kleavor there. Like a piece of paper absorbing water, but in reverse, the light seemed to bleed out of Kleavor’s body and leave nothing.
Alec watched, mouth agape, as Kleavor rose back up to its full height. All traces of anger and wrath had evaporated from its eyes. He finally allowed himself to exhale, feeling all the tension in his muscles ebb away.
His ankle still burned a bit, though he figured that the intense amount of adrenaline in his blood was making it seem far better than it actually was. He took several deep breaths, trying to convince his body that the danger was over and that it could relax.
From his position sitting on his backside, he slowly climbed to his feet, careful not to put any weight on his broken foot. He stood tall, though skewed to his left side. His right knee was bent and he held his foot just above the ground, carefully not touching it against anything.
All around them, the forest stayed silent in reverence to the battle of champions it had just witnessed. This strange boy who had emerged from the tear in the heavens had somehow bested their mightiest warrior.
Alec looked up from Kleavor in time to see Auster happily gliding toward him. He didn’t land on his shoulder, sensing his trainer’s injury. He instead fluttered near Alec’s head.
Between deep breaths, Alec said, “Nice job, buddy. Thanks for saving me back there.” Auster chirped and Alec raised his pokeball to return him.
Kleavor dipped his head and closed his eyes in respect. Thank you, it seemed to say. Panting and barely able to stand, Alec returned the gesture. He lowered his gaze in reverence and awe of the Noble’s might.
Looking back up, the two shared a moment of eye contact, each one respecting the other’s strength. This was no longer a predator staring down prey; this was two equals that had each proven their strength, attesting their abilities in combat.
Alec relished in the moment, having gained the respect of such a powerful Pokemon. He thought of all the Pokemon who called the area home, who would now be safe to return to their homes. He thought of Irida’s desperation when she asked him to quell Kleavor. He thought of Arceus and his command to seek out all Pokemon.
Both Alec and Kleavor breathed deeply. It still sported several of the cracks and chips on its carapace, though Alec figured they’d heal quickly enough. After a moment, Kleavor slowly turned around and walked away from Alec.
What’s he doing? Alec wondered. He watched in curiosity as Kleavor lumbered over to the great trunk of Grandtree. The trunk itself was very large, roughly five feet in diameter. It bore several gashes and scrapes along it, though most were caused by their fight.
Once Kleavor reached the tree, it squared off and raised its axe. Alec gasped as it swung it down, driving it deep into the wood. Splinters and wood chips fractured off, falling down to the dirt below.
It smoothly pulled the axe from the tree and raised it again for another strike. Twice, three times, then four times, it repeated the swing. Each time the gash deepened. Golden sap dribbled from the hole from somewhere within, seemingly the core of the tree, and the ground was littered with splinters.
After the sixth swing, Kleavor stopped and inspected the hole. Looking deep inside it, it nodded and stepped away from the tree. It turned and looked expectantly at Alec as if inviting him to approach.
Alec was confused as Kleavor seemingly beckoned him closer. Slowly, he limped forward, wincing with each step that put weight on his bad leg. What does it want to show me, he thought.
Once he reached the tree, he leaned up against it to take the weight off his leg. He lowered his head and peered into the gash. The hole was dark and damp, with stray splinters of wood sticking out everywhere.
He pulled his head away and said, “Is there something that I’m supposed to see in there?”
Kleavor waved its axe as if to say, “Go on, keep looking.”
Alec shrugged and looked back into the gash. He squinted, trying to see what Kleavor wanted him to. As he looked closer, he spotted something inside with a faint sheen.
Inside, covered in moss and sap, was a light green colored slab of what appeared to be some kind of metal. It barely glinted in the summer sunlight. It was very deep into the gash, too far in for Alec to discern any major details.
“What is this?” he muttered. Now that he thought about it, it did seem like Kleavor was excavating something from the tree. After all, it did stop after a set amount of swings, like it had found what it was trying to reveal.
“Do you want me to take it?” he asked. Kleavor dipped its head an almost imperceptible distance, seemingly nodding at Alec’s question.
“Alright, I guess,” he muttered. He slowly stuck his hand in the gash and felt around. The wood felt sharp but there was otherwise no danger. Carefully, he reached farther into the gash, until his entire arm was inside, nearly up to his shoulder.
It wasn’t big enough for him to look inside while his hand was inside too, so he resorted to feeling around blindly. The thin splinters didn’t scrape or scratch him. He grimaced as he felt nothing but sticky sap and grime inside.
Then, his fingers brushed up against something cold -
And Alec's eyes flew open.
He gasped, immediately recoiling his hand from the gash in the tree. Several splinters clung to his hand and the tree scratched several faint white lines into his skin. His head suddenly split with a headache, like nothing he had ever known before.
Though his eyes still relayed the same information to his brain, he saw more, somehow. He panted heavily and wildly looked around, confused and terrified.
He saw the great tree before him, Grandtree, from every angle - All sides, above and below. He saw every last splinter of each chunk of bark, woven together to form its trunk and he saw each and every leaf, sewn into the quilt of the tree's canopy. He saw Burmy, Kricketot, and several other Pokemon species, all throughout the forest, and he felt a strange connection to each of them.
Alec clutched his head in his hands and grunted, gritting his teeth. His ears rang and he stumbled around the arena randomly. He felt vomit rise in his throat, feeling like his insides were playing musical chairs.
He felt like he was dying, felt like his head was being nailed with an iron stake, felt like his mind was being torn in two -
And like the moment after the climax of a symphony, the scene descended back into calmness and silence.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around. His heavy breathing was ragged and uneasy, like a car ride on a dirt road. He couldn’t bring his voice to make any sound, let alone scream. The same words kept running through his head: What was that, what just happened, what’s happening to me, ad infinitum.
He turned to look at Kleavor. His chest heaved up and down with each breath weighing more than a boulder. The mighty Noble just looked at him with the same stone-cold expression it had.
Then he unceremoniously collapsed, falling forward onto the dirt.
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“Wake up, young Alec,” a majestic and melodious voice said. Alec instantly snapped awake.
The first thing he noticed was that Grandtree was missing. He felt weightless as he floated in the same black void that Arceus summoned him to two weeks ago.
“Congratulations,” Arceus said, “On quelling Kleavor. You truly exceeded my expectations with your performance.” He chuckled. “And that trick with the mushrooms and honey? Simply ingenious.”
Alec turned with an awkward combination of kicks and pulls to reorient himself toward the voice. He quickly noticed that his ankle didn’t hurt at all. Again, he saw a great ball of light as the source. As he moved, his body felt very weak.
“But I’m sure you’re wondering about what happened. That attack you experienced was the result of the Insect Plate. The Plates are My power given physical form. Each one contains the raw embodiment of Type energy.”
Arceus paused for a second, giving Alec time to take in the information.
“W-What happened to me,” Alec whispered. “What was that? I felt like I was dying.” As he spoke, his voice wavered and cracked.
“The power of the Bug-type.”
“Huh?” Alec breathed. “But that’s crazy. I’m a human, we don’t have Types or anything like that. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, but exposure to that much Type-energy gives humans rather powerful visions. Worry not, you won’t have to worry about any negative effects when you touch it again.”
Alec forced out a laugh. “Why in the name of the Legendaries would I ever want to touch that thing again?”
“Now that your body is acclimated to it, you’ll be able to touch the plate without another attack.”
“Thank goodness,” Alec muttered under his breath.
“The Noble Kleavor was My appointed guardian over it. I tasked it with keeping it safe until you came along. You must take them with you, as they will aid you in your mission.”
“Wait, ‘they’ will aid me? There’s more?” Alec asked dreadfully.
“Yes. You will encounter the remaining ones throughout your journey, one for each Type. Most of them are guarded by the remaining Nobles. The Plates are not entirely bad, though. You will notice some positive lingering effects. Type energy, fundamentally, is the power to alter the world. Much like how gravity wants to attract objects together, each type wants to change reality somehow. Bug, for example, represents the feeling of sensory overload. Bug Pokemon adapted to this by forming hive minds to offload thought. I believe that humans were approaching this discovery around your original time.”
Stunned, Alec couldn’t think of anything to say in response.
“You may notice your senses being rather sharp, and your instinctual sense of direction being stronger. These are all harmless byproducts of how the energy changed your body. But enough about that. You are making great strides in regard to your mission. Keep continuing on the path you are going down, and you will surely find success. Remember your commands.”
And the world went black around Alec and his soul returned to his unconscious body, still lying on the floor of Grandtree Arena. A few hours later, Lian would cautiously return to the area and find his unconscious body.