Pokémon Mars

Chapter 67: The Recovered Memories

It was a long time since Volo last commanded that Lunala. Ultra Space was vast and hostile. Balls of crackling energy halted and weakened all who failed to avoid them. Lunala was sucked into a random warp hole. Volo and Venera were hurled off its back and into shallow water. Waterfalls crashed around them. An angry Floatzel, woken from its nap, charged at them. Nihilego knocked it out with Thunderbolt.

As Venera fell, she curled up to protect the Poké Locator machine. She was still curled up. Volo gently shook her.

'Don't worry. The Floatzel is gone.'

'I... I think the machine is safe...'

'How close – or far away – are we?'

Venera showed the screen to Volo, but all the numbers and moving dots went over his head.

'We're about 2,100 light years away...'

Volo frowned. 'How far have we come?'

'About 500 light years from Mars...'

'So that would be around 2,600 light years in total... that doesn't seem very far for the home of a legendary Pokémon... but I suppose we'll only know if we look!'

'Grandpa... please try to avoid those balls of... whatever they are... if we keep falling, our helmets will break...'

'I know, I know...'

Lunala was ready to fly again after its brief rest. It was determined to stop the people who used it as a test subject and, of course, to help its old friend. Wind rushed around them until they shot out of the watery world into the starry tunnel of Ultra Space. Venera yelled directions to Volo. Sound didn't carry in Ultra Space, but they had their headsets. Volo remembered that there were two types of balls of energy in Ultra Space: those that hindered Lunala and those that fueled it. He swerved Lunala into several helpful orbs. They still hit too many crackling balls of electricity. They were sucked into another warp hole. Lunala was ready this time. It lifted its wings to stop its passengers flying off its back as they crash-landed.

They found themselves in a dim, cold cave. Venera froze. Even she recognised the Pokémon towering over them: Palkia, the lord of space. She feared Volo would forget why he was there at the sight of one of Arceus' three children. His wide, unblinking eyes were indeed fixed on it. Then he blinked and turned.

'Palkia, barely 1,000 light years from where we set off?'

Venera got the impression that Volo wasn't really talking to her, or himself, or even Palkia.

'If you are testing me... I don't have time for this. And it is rather – in fact, it is incredibly rude to suggest I'd give in! Kindly fuck off!'

Venera smiled. She sprayed Lunala's grazes with her homemade Potions to ensure it was up to another flight. Then they took off. When she glanced back, Palkia was gone. A sleeping Crustle was in its place, as if it had never been there at all. Venera blinked. It was still a Crustle. Then the cave world was far behind her as if that, too, had never been. She wondered if she imagined the entire thing.

Vibrantly glowing warp holes sped by. Lunala dodged balls of electricity and absorbed the energy it needed to fly. Its speed increased. The distant stars were a glittering blur.

'Here! Here, Grandpa! The white one!'

'...Are you sure?'

'I'm certain! Quickly! It's the white one!'

Volo was sure that white warp holes were portals to the worlds of Ultra Beasts. No Rayquaza would be found there. Venera shook him. He still considered flying on. She kicked Lunala in the chest to steer it towards an orb of electricity. It was knocked off course. Volo tried to swerve around another orb, but Venera kicked Lunala into it. She could apologise to it later. They were sucked into the white warp hole. Lunala crashed into the disturbed sand of a usually serene zen garden. Sunlight filtered through a leafy roof to fall gently over mossy rocks and blooming yellow flowers. Light mist painted the forested horizon in fading layers.