Chapter 143: Choice
“Jason…!” Ren barked, startling and freeing Jason from the momentary stupor he had fallen into.
“R-Right! Let’s do this…!” Jason responded, gathering his wits, taking a step forward with his left foot, and raising his left hand as a clenched fist. To his surprise, Ren mirrored the motion, both confusing and motivating him to shout, “Ren! Terra Forme…!”
“Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaagh—!!!!”
Lurching forward, Ren’s body discharged a tremendous amount of dark purple and gold energy that swirled around her, crackling like the heart of a thunderstorm. Then…
BOOM
After instinctively shielding his face from the pressure wave produced by Ren’s transformation, Jason lowered his hand and angled his body like he was standing against a headwind. Due to Tapu Koko saturating the forest with Electric Terrain, Ren’s muscular but agile-looking body was crackling with significantly more electricity than the last time she transformed—so much so that Jason felt like he was standing behind a transformer on the fritz.
“Ren is ready…!” Ren shouted, lowering herself into a pouncing posture that reminded Jason of when she was just a Riolu. At the same time, he could feel her emotions and intentions through their Pactio—causing his heart to race and anticipation to balloon within Jason’s very being as he struck a pointing pose and shouted…
“Ren! Use Terra Volt Crash…!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!!!”
Feeling Jason’s expectations and emotions mixing with her own, filling her with power, Ren gnashed her teeth, flexed the muscles in her arms and legs, and then disappeared—at least from Jason’s perspective. All he saw was a flash of blinding yellow-white light, accompanied by a wave of heat and ozone-smelling pressure that slammed into him with the rigidity of a brick wall. Then, darkness…
But only briefly…
As his shoulders and the back of his head struck the ground, Jason found himself recalling his combat training with Maeve, compelling him to tuck in his arms and legs so they wouldn’t get caught on anything. Then, as he felt his center of gravity dropping, he pushed out with his feet and shot his arms forward, causing him to look a bit like a frog flying backward but killing his rotational momentum.
Though it was far from a pretty or flawlessly executed maneuver, Jason managed to slap his hands and forearms down as Maeve had shown him, just as he impacted the ground. Doing so helped to break his fall, and by staying low to the ground, he was able to resist the continuous stream of pressure discharging out from where Ren met the retracted arms of Tapu Koko, resembling the bird-like head of a totem pole.
‘I owe Maeve an apology…’ Jason thought, his body throbbing with heat and pain, but his mind focused. Before, he had thought Maeve’s realistic training was excessive. But if she hadn’t literally dislocated his joints and beaten techniques into him, he wouldn’t have been able to recover as he had. And in the worst-case scenario, he could have been severely injured after colliding with a tree or landing badly or sliding over a sharp root…
As Ren’s momentum waned and the effects of gravity began to pull her toward the ground, Tapu Koko parted its arms and sent her flying back to just in front of Jason’s prone figure. It was a clearly calculated move, and it demonstrated that, as powerful as Ren’s Terra Forme was, she was still far from the level of a Legendary Pokémon that had lived for hundreds of years, possibly even millennia.
‘So, this is the power you’ve obtained…’ Tapu Koko remarked, sounding neither impressed nor disappointed. Instead, he simply observed Ren for several seconds, as if he were waiting to see if she had anything else she could employ against him.
Sensing Ren’s desire to meet Tapu Koko’s expectations, Jason clenched his hands into fists and forced himself to a knee with a determined glare. Being sent flying left him looking worse for wear, but with a pained groan, he managed to rise to his full height and pant, “Alright…raw power didn’t work…let’s try shifting gears…”
“Ren is ready…!” Ren affirmed, waiting for Jason to shout, “Ren! Sky Forme! Go…!” before pushing the front of her body up from the ground and rising into the air, veiled by swirling pink energy.
‘So you do have more to show us…’ Tapu Koko acknowledged, sounding marginally more pleased as he struck a pose with his left arm and shield forward.
“Ren and Jason are strongest when we fight together…” Ren responded, the pink energy swirling around her body receding inward, appearing to form the fluffier parts of her dress-like fur.
‘You have acquired the power of the spirits…’ Tapu Koko noted, piquing Jason’s interest and compelling him to ask, “What do you mean—power of the spirits?”
Shifting his piercing gaze to Jason, Tapu Koko appeared to choose his words carefully before answering, ‘The power of spirits is what humans from this world call Fairy-type Energy. It is emotion given material form. And in rare cases, purpose…’
Returning his gaze to Ren, Tapu Koko, referencing her previous response regarding her desires, questioned, ‘Tell us, selfless one…what does this form mean to you? What purpose have you given yourself?’
“Ren will protect Jason…but Ren will also walk her own path…” Ren responded, clasping her hands together before spreading them toward Tapu Koko, prompting him to fly backward with extreme speed as she unleashed a torrent of swirling pink flower petals that formed a spiraling column through the air. They didn’t appear particularly dangerous at a glance, but as they struck a tree that had been behind Tapu Koko’s body, they stuck to its surface and abruptly set it ablaze, enveloping it in bright pink flames.
Hearing Ren assert that she would walk her own path, Jason experienced a mental stall. He definitely wanted her to be able to choose and walk her own path. But she had been so attached to him, and he to her, that he had stopped considering that she might.
“Ren will never leave Jason…” Ren asserted, glancing back at Jason over her left shoulder and giving him a narrow-eyed smile as she stated, “Ren will walk her own path beside him…”
“I see…” Jason responded, unable to suppress a smile, even as every exposed part of his body felt as if it were covered in a severe sunburn.
“Ren will return soon…” Ren expressed, offering a curt nod before she turned to face Tapu Koko, her figure blurring into the form of a hot pink phantom as she kept pace and chased the fabled Legendary between trees.
‘So, it’s not just her Terra Forme that grants her speed…’ Jason noted, taking a knee. The last time Ren had exhibited her Sky Forme, she just pranced and danced around for a bit, placing no noticeable strain on his body. Now, as his body leaked heat as if it were water flowing out of him, Jason extrapolated that her Terra Forme granted her increased physical prowess while her Sky form boosted her special attack. Either way, both forms granted her a significant increase in mobility—albeit at the cost of his stamina, and, presumably, his mana…
…
..
.
‘Rise, Jason Springfield…’
Feeling a gentle, telepathic pressure against his mind, Jason awoke to find his head and shoulders cradled by the still-transformed Ren’s left paw and forearm, her pink eyes gazing down at him, and something very thick and fluffy supporting his upper back.
“Jason feels better…?” Ren asked, giving his chest a comforting and very warm pat with her right paw. Jason couldn’t help but notice it was veiled in pale pink flames. But as they weren’t actively burning him, he inferred they must possess healing, not just destructive, properties.
“Much better…” Jason confirmed, forcing himself to a seated position despite his body and limbs still feeling heavy. He could have waited for Ren to heal him fully, but he had come to associate pain with progress. And since other types of healing used by Pokémon invalidated training by reversing, as opposed to repairing damage, there were benefits to healing naturally.
‘You are weak…’ Tapu Koko stated for the umpteenth time, an observation that was seriously beginning to annoy Jason. Fortunately, that wasn’t all the Legendary Pokémon had to say…
‘But you possess heart, the will to endure, and the will to overcome—not just the obstacles that appear before you, but yourselves…’
Floating closer to Jason, Tapu Koko extended its right hand and opened the beak at its end. From within, a cobalt-blue, diamond-shaped crystal with a pattern that resembled a pale white skull and crossbones fell into Jason’s open palm. A cursory, closer inspection revealed the pattern to be the simplified visage of a Lucario.
‘Take pride. The two of you are one of only three pairs of Trainer and Pokémon to receive that Z-Crystal—Lucarium Z…’ Tapu Koko revealed, returning to its previous position before testifying, ‘We have witnessed your capabilities and character and determined you will not misuse this power for wicked ends. May it aid you in the trials to come…’
“Thank you…we will do our best not to betray the trust you have given us…” Jason expressed, his expression and tone solemn as he bowed his head and closed his hand around the tiny but significant crystal. Not even Korrina and Luca had received a Lucarium Z. And while that was likely due to Luca simply not accompanying her to Alola, Jason couldn’t help feeling as if he and Ren had distinguished themselves from the more experienced duo…
“Ren will continue to grow stronger…” Ren asserted, wrapping her arms around Jason’s shoulders from behind. Fortunately, she had returned to her original form, which included the rubber cap that prevented her chest spike from digging into his back or spine.
“I have—”
Before Jason could finish his response, Tapu Koko interrupted his and Ren’s moment to state, ‘There is one additional matter before we grant you leave…”
Confused, Jason and Ren watched as Tapu Koko glanced to his right, their left, and said, ‘Come forth, young tyrant…’
shftsshshft
Leaving Jason at an even greater loss, Tapu Koko’s words prompted a Pokémon he didn’t recognize to emerge from a bush. At a glance, it had an appearance similar to a Midday Lycanroc, but it was smaller, stockier, and the colors were all wrong. The shiny version of Midday Lycanroc did possess a blue coat and a white mane, but it didn’t have horns, scales, or a spine-tipped tail.
‘Why does it look familiar…?’ Jason asked himself, his brows creasing in suspicion as Tapu Koko went on to explain, ‘This one is like you. It does not belong to this world…’
Turning his gaze to Jason, Tapu Koko added, ‘And, just like you, it was driven from its world against its will. Now, it seeks strength…strength to return, and strength to vanquish those who forced it from its home…’
“Could you be referring to Team Rainbow Rocket…?” Jason questioned, prompting the holographic image of a Dalamadur to appear in his mind. He didn’t understand why at first, but everything clicked, as the moment he inquired about Team Rainbow Rocket, the strange, scale-covered pup raised its spiny hackles and began to emit bright blue electricity…
‘Holy fucking shit…it’s a Zinogre…’ Jason realized, his eyes widening to their absolute limit. He had never seen a baby Zinogre before, but even if it looked like an adorable puppy, he recognized the monster before him as the iconic Thunder Wolf Wyvern of the Monster Hunter franchise…
‘Good. If you know what it is, you should be able to recognize the world it comes from,’ Tapu Koko remarked, pointing to Jason with its beaked right hand and practically sentencing him as it revealed, ‘That will be your first trial. Help this one obtain the strength to return and reclaim the home he was forced from. Do this, and you will prove yourself a trustworthy ally—not just to this world, but to all worlds that have been linked by those you call Constellations…’
[The Great Sage Who Peers Under Skirts leans forward at the mention of itself and its kin.]
[The Dragon Who Slumbers Beside a Hearth raises its right brow, curious to see what path the Aspirant will choose.]
With Tapu Koko mentioning the Constellations directly, Jason was taken aback but unsurprised by the sudden influx of notifications that appeared along the periphery of his vision. Suddenly being asked to help a Zinogre pup become stronger had also left him feeling disjointed, but since it was an opportunity for him to prove himself and possibly get in on traveling to other worlds, he formed his resolve and met Ren’s gaze…
Seeing Jason look to her for her input, as he often did with Lillie, a broad smile blossomed across Ren’s face. As far as she was concerned, having more friends to play with and train alongside was a good thing. Thus, with paws clenched in excitement, she and Jason directed their gazes to Tapu Koko at the same time and affirmed, “We accept,” as a single, overlapping voice…