Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

The battle between Ho-Oh and Giratina escalated in its intensity, creating chaos within the alien dimension outside their own. The fabric of space itself was thrown into disarray from the force of their conflict.

Aoki and Suicune exchanged a silent greeting, an unspoken acknowledgment that left neither sure of what to say. To avoid an awkward silence, both chose to remain quiet, their attention instead focused on the tumultuous scene before them.

There was a shared, desperate hope that the spatial rifts could be mended quickly, to prevent the invasive energy from another dimension from causing irreversible damage to the entire local space. However, despite their efforts, the final repairs remained just out of reach. The ongoing battle between the two Legendary Pokémon continued to send shockwaves through the spatial walls, trapping the area in a relentless cycle of destruction and attempted regeneration.

Furthermore, when Giratina had initially shattered the space, it seemed to have infused the fractures with a peculiar, lingering energy that drastically slowed the natural healing process of the spatial wall. In terms of pure control over spatial energies, Giratina's power far surpassed that of Ho-Oh.

Realizing the futility of his efforts while the battle raged on, Aoki ceased his attempts to repair the rifts. He knew the task was impossible until the clash between Ho-Oh and Giratina concluded.

The three Legendary beasts—Raikou, Entei, and Suicune—positioned themselves at the largest spatial gap, using their combined power to block the turbulent energies from flooding in. Behind them, Aoki rested on a conjured sofa, his injured feet not yet fully healed, and watched the epic battle unfold.

He had never witnessed a confrontation of this magnitude. Had it occurred within the stable space of the Pokémon world, the entire area would likely have been utterly obliterated. It was no wonder that in the wider world of Pokémon, these supremely powerful, first-tier Legendaries rarely engaged in direct combat. Even the inherent stability of their home dimension could not withstand their full power, and Arceus itself was said to prevent such catastrophic battles from occurring.

Gradually, as both combatants realized they could not gain a decisive advantage over the other, Ho-Oh began to slow its assault. Similarly bored with the stalemate, Giratina also halted its attacks.

As it had stated earlier, Giratina had merely been out for a stroll through the alien dimensions when it came across a group of Unown. It had begun chasing them on a whim; otherwise, given Giratina's immense power, no matter how mysterious the Unown were, how could they have possibly escaped its grasp? It was at that precise moment that Aoki had torn open a spatial rift, and the Unown, sensing the summons, had fled into his care.

Driven by curiosity, Giratina had squeezed its way through the opening into this new space. The moment it entered, it detected a faint trace of its own energy emanating from Aoki. Before it could investigate this curious fact, Ho-Oh had appeared.

As a first-tier Legendary, the Renegade Pokémon Giratina was not one to back down from a challenge. Even if it was the one who had technically intruded, it felt justified. If Ho-Oh could travel to the Pokémon world whenever it wished, why couldn't Giratina visit Ho-Oh's home?

However, Giratina quickly pinpointed the source of its energy: a Gengar hiding within Aoki's shadow. Before it could examine this further, Ho-Oh's aggressive posture interrupted once more.

Enough was enough. If Ho-Oh wanted to threaten it, a fight was inevitable.

But the battle had ultimately proven tedious. Ho-Oh's phenomenal regenerative abilities meant any injury it sustained healed within mere seconds. It was boring.

"Giratina, enough! Leave now! I can choose to overlook this transgression!" Ho-Oh declared coldly.

Giratina merely curled its lips in a silent, dismissive gesture. Its gaze turned toward the spatial rift, seeming to pierce through the barrier, past the three Legendary beasts, to lock onto Aoki behind them. Or more specifically, onto the Gengar within his shadow.

"I wish to enter," Giratina stated, its tone utterly calm and devoid of emotion.

Its placid demeanor was somehow more infuriating to Ho-Oh than any outburst could have been. This maddening creature! Every encounter was the same—Giratina remained perfectly composed, its words emotionless, as if their previous battle had been utterly insignificant. Its voice was a flat, calm monotone.

"No!" Ho-Oh refused immediately. Allowing Giratina entry risked the destruction of the home it had worked so hard to preserve.

"I wish to enter," Giratina repeated, its voice unchanged.

Just as the flames around Ho-Oh began to flare with renewed anger, Giratina spoke again.

"If you do not permit me entry, I will travel to the Pokémon world and hunt down your three little pets. I will roast them and eat them." As it said this, it cast a meaningful glance toward the three beasts guarding the rift.

Suddenly, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune felt as if they were being stared down by a primordial predator; a chill ran down their spines, and goosebumps prickled their skin.

Ho-Oh stared at Giratina, utterly astounded. What kind of lunatic was this?

The two Legendary Pokémon locked eyes, Ho-Oh's gaze burning with fury while Giratina's remained completely placid. After a tense ten-second standoff, Ho-Oh was the one to relent.

This madman was entirely capable of carrying out its threat. Even Arceus could not truly control Giratina; the most it could ever do was banish it to the Distortion World. But the fiend simply treated that chaotic dimension as its personal residence, coming and going as it pleased. Any seal placed upon it lasted only a few years at most before it broke free.

"No damage is to be caused," Ho-Oh finally conceded, its voice heavy with reluctance. It could guess Giratina's reason for insisting on entry, but by saving the Gengar, it had already staked a claim. Ho-Oh had to pick its battles.

Giratina was silent for three seconds, then gave a slow, single nod.

Standing near the spatial gap, Aoki watched Ho-Oh and Giratina communicating. The distance was too great to hear their words, but he saw the three Legendary beasts suddenly tense up, as if struck by a wave of pure fear.

"Oh my god! How did you get here?!" Aoki exclaimed without thinking, instinctively recoiling and pulling his Slowking back to stand with the rest of his Pokémon team.

Giratina and Ho-Oh had entered the space together. This time, Giratina had completely suppressed its aura, ensuring its presence did not adversely affect the stability of the local dimension.

Immediately, Giratina's attention fixed on Aoki and the Gengar beside him. A dark light flickered in its eyes, and a powerful force froze them in place. Aoki's own psychic powers were utterly neutralized, rendered useless against such overwhelming might.

They were drawn forward, floating helplessly until they were suspended before Giratina and Ho-Oh. In the presence of the two colossal Legendaries, Aoki's form seemed petite and insignificant. Gengar was at his side, while his other Pokémon remained completely paralyzed, unable to move a muscle.

"Do not be alarmed," Ho-Oh's voice echoed calmly within Aoki and Gengar's minds.

Hearing this, Aoki let out a sigh of relief. He had feared that Ho-Oh might have compromised and sacrificed him to preserve the integrity of this space.

Giratina looked from Aoki to Gengar.

"This little one carries my scent and has absorbed a portion of my energy. Where did it come from?" Giratina asked, its tone as calm and even as still water.

Internally, Aoki cursed the grandparents of Phoebe, for getting him into this mess. The sudden, immense pressure was genuinely frightening. If they were going to use an artifact tied to a Legendary, they could have at least warned him! A little preparation would have been nice, rather than being thrust into a heart-pounding situation like this with no warning.

"I found it at Mt. Pyre," Aoki answered obediently, seeing no point in deception.

"Mt. Pyre... that individual? Tsk. How very meticulous of them. But it is of no consequence..." Giratina seemed to recall something and muttered to itself, lost in thought for a moment.

Then, without any warning, a sphere of grey-black energy erupted from its body and shot toward Gengar. The energy merged into Gengar's form before Ho-Oh could even react or intervene.