All Alone (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 43: You're Never Alone

My eyes flicker open slowly and I groan as I sit up, rubbing my head softly. My eyes widen when I notice my predicament. Everything around me is white, pure white. There is nothing else in this space, just...light. I slowly get to my feet and glance around before walking forwards a few steps.

"What is this place?" I ask myself, scratching the back of my head in confusion. My hand instinctively goes to my belt, but there is nothing there. I glance down and gasp. My clothes are completely white, no sign of color anywhere. Okay, this must be a dream, right? All I remember is touching Groudon's head, and then extreme pain before passing out. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, muttering to myself to calm me down.

"You really have grown," a voice says behind me. I whip around and trip over my own feet in shock. Standing in front of me is the one person I thought I would never see again.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Dawn?" Johanna asks. I stutter helplessly and move onto my knees, staring up at her. She is absolutely beautiful. Adorning her is a pure white gown, and angel wings rest softly on her back. Her hair, which is now long, flows down her back like a glistening, blue waterfall.

"But...how...who...what," I manage. My thoughts race through my head until I finally come to a reasonable conclusion.

"Wait, am I dead?" I gasp, leaping to my feet and bringing a hand over my heart. Johanna chuckles and shakes her head.

"No. You're not dead, dear," she says softly. "You're just unconscious." I sigh in relief and relax a bit.

"Then why are you here?" I ask her, still dumbfounded at being able to see my mom again. She smiles at me and shakes her head.

"That is something I cannot explain at this time," she says. I tilt my head and stare at her in confusion, but I decide to drop the question. Johanna smiles sadly at me and walks closer, pulling me into a hug.

"You've had a hard few years. I've seen it happen, day by day," she whispers, stroking my hair softly like she used to when I was young. Tears well up in my eyes as all the memories come flooding back and I shake my head.

"It has. Without you, I just felt lost. No one was ever there for me, I didn't have anyone to hold onto, I had no one to trust. It was so hard trying to survive in that living nightmare," I explain, trying to hold back tears. She hugs me tighter and I cry silently into her chest. After a few minutes I calm down and look up at her, one question just waiting to slip off my tongue.

"Why is it that only now you have visited me? Why didn't you come earlier?" She sighs and throws me a weak smile.

"That is what you believe, Dawn. One thing you will learn as you grow is that nothing is at it seems at first glance. You have to trust yourself and your friends, or else shadows and darkness will drag you down a path you cannot escape from," she says, stepping away. I glance up at her and gasp when I see her starting to fade. She can't go yet. She hasn't answered all my questions. I lunge at her and try to grab her gown, but my hand just slips right through, as if the gown isn't even there in the first place. Johanna throws me one last proud smile.

"You have grown so much, Dawn. Stick to what you believe and with it you will conquer all who dare to turn the world to evil." And with that last statement, she fades from my sight. I close my eyes and breathe in slowly. Please come back, please come back. My silent plea echoes in my head, but when I have the courage to open my eyes again I am back in the first cave with the lava bubbling all around me. I shake my head and sit frozen for a moment, sorting out my thoughts. Okay, so I gained primal power, I fell unconscious, I saw my mom again, and now I'm in the room with fake lava. Perfectly normal. My feet tremble slightly, but I manage to get up and swivel around to find Groudon, still in his primal form, standing behind me in the fiery pool. He tilts his head at me, but I shake my head and he decides not to question me.