Pokémon XYZ: Life, Death, Order, and Chaos (book 2 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 21: A Wall to Climb

I sighed. "Today sucked."

"I concur," Alex said from the bed she was laying in. 

"Sucks that Lunatone disappeared," Robert said from the sink. "Wonder why he left."

I shrugged. I had told them about the girl, which was most likely the reason he left. I could understand that he didn't want a new trainer, but I was worried.

I could hear faint sirens from outside the hotel we were in inside of Cyllage City. "What's going on out there?"

"Officer Jenny arrested some guy who was selling these things called O-Powers," Robert explained. "I think it's some kind of drug consumable by Humans and Pokemon."

"First I heard of it," I said, getting up from the floor. "Alright, we should talk now. It's been driving me crazy."

Alex sat up, straightening her hair with her hands. "Finally. I know it's supposed to be a traumatic experience, but we need to talk."

Robert nodded as I started. "We know that Team Radiance hasn't been doing anything, so that leaves the suspects down to Team Flare and this Cult of Chaos."

"Who were the ones to cause Garchomp to go wild?" Alex mused. "Maybe Team Flare? They were experimenting with fossil Pokemon. Why not with a Garchomp?"

Robert nodded. "That would make sense. So who do you think were messing with the stones on Route 10? The cult?"

"But what would the cult want with some stones?" I wondered. "If only we knew what they were and what significance they held. We'll have to find out more once we get to Geosenge Town. That's our next stop, right?"

Robert pulled out his Holo Caster. "Yep. So once we know more, we can maybe discover more."

"Back to the cult," Alex said. "You said they were trying to raise this 'Chaos'?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and they need sacrifices to do it. One of them said something about it not being time for me to be sacrificed. I assume they'll be doing more of what they've done. We have to stop that from happening."

"The question is how though," Robert shook his head. "We don't exactly have a timetable of when they'll have sacrifices."

"There's something else," Alex studied me for a second. "You already knew about this Chaos, didn't you."

It wasn't a question. I nodded. "How'd you know?"

"The way you say it," Alex said. "It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into that word."

I sighed. "Yeah, I have actually. Six months worth of it. During the Alolan League, I dreamt of her. Chaos."

I knew I should probably mention the Shadow, but he wasn't really tied to all of this. This was about Chaos, not him. So I withheld that information.

"She said she would meet me on the field of chaos, whatever that means," I continued. "Then when we were in Vaniville Town, I dreamed again. That's when she mentioned she would rise and how she was nothing like the Shadow."

"That's comforting," Robert groaned. "Anything else?"

I thought about it, then nodded. "During that same dream, I saw several things. A cocoon that vibed death, some sort of Pokemon trapped in a tank, and a lake of green water. That's when I heard another voice."

I closed my eyes and tried to sink myself back into that moment, a sense of calm and order washing over me. "We will wait and watch to see if humanity is worthy. Troubling times are ahead. Know that you are not enough, not like last time. You are but one human. You cannot hope to stand against Chaos itself."