For several long moments, nobody said anything, because the appearance of the second pair of crimson eyes had completely shattered whatever fragile sense of security Alex and the others had managed to maintain inside the cavern, and although the ancient Pokémon standing before them was already large enough to make even Damian look uneasy, the enormous eyes that had opened somewhere beyond the darkness were so impossibly massive that Alex couldn't even comprehend the size of whatever creature they belonged to.
The cavern seemed to breathe around them.
A deep vibration traveled through the stone beneath their feet, causing tiny fragments of rock to loosen from the ceiling and tumble onto the ground, while the distant sound of something enormous shifting beneath the earth echoed through the tunnels like thunder trapped inside the mountain.
Charmander pressed itself against Alex's leg.
Its tail flame flickered violently.
"Char…"
Alex slowly reached down and placed a reassuring hand against Charmander's head.
"It's okay."
But even as he said those words, Alex knew they weren't true.
Nothing about this situation was okay.
The ancient Pokémon standing before them had already survived for an unimaginable amount of time, had apparently endured attacks from humans who had attempted to control its power, and had remained hidden beneath the forest until Alex and his companions unknowingly awakened it.
Yet this creature was afraid.
Not nervous.
Not cautious.
Afraid.
And if something powerful enough to frighten an ancient Pokémon was sleeping beneath the earth…
Alex didn't want to discover what it was.
Damian slowly turned toward the enormous red eyes.
"What is that?"
The ancient Pokémon didn't answer.
Its gaze remained fixed upon the darkness.
"Answer me," Damian said, his voice slightly louder this time. "What is down there?"
The creature finally spoke.
"Something that should never have awakened."
Yellow stared at it.
"That's not exactly an explanation."
The ancient Pokémon's eyes narrowed.
"You seek explanations as though understanding something will make it less dangerous."
Yellow opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Alex glanced toward her.
For once, she had no sarcastic response.
Another tremendous vibration passed through the cavern.
BOOOOOOM.
The floor shook so violently that Alex nearly lost his balance.
Damian grabbed the nearby wall.
Yellow dropped to one knee.
Charmander cried out as several pieces of stone fell from the ceiling.
The ancient Pokémon remained completely motionless.
Its enormous claws dug into the ground.
Alex noticed something strange.
The creature wasn't preparing to attack them.
It was preparing for something else.
Something coming from below.
"You're scared," Alex whispered.
The ancient Pokémon slowly looked at him.
"Yes."
Alex's heart sank.
That single word was more frightening than another roar could have been.
The ancient Pokémon had admitted that it was afraid.
"Then tell us what we're dealing with," Alex said.
The creature stared at him for several seconds before finally lowering its head.
"Long before your people recorded history, before the first Pokédex was created, before the ancient civilizations that now lie buried beneath the earth had risen from the soil, there were Pokémon whose existence was never meant to become part of your world's natural order."
Alex listened carefully.
Damian's expression became increasingly serious.
Yellow slowly stood back up.
The ancient Pokémon continued.
"They were not gods."
"They were not spirits."
"And they were not monsters."
Its enormous red eyes shifted toward the darkness.
"They were forces."
Alex frowned.
"Forces?"
"Living forces capable of influencing the elements, the land, the seas, the skies, and even the boundaries between time and space."
Alex's eyes widened.
That sounded dangerously familiar.
He had heard stories about legendary Pokémon with unimaginable abilities, but the creature wasn't describing a single legendary Pokémon.
It was describing something far older.
Something that existed before the legends themselves.
Damian stepped forward.
"How many were there?"
The ancient Pokémon's expression darkened.
"Few."
"How few?"
"Four."
The word echoed through the cavern.
Alex stared at it.
"Four ancient Pokémon?"
The creature nodded.
"Four beings were born during the earliest age of this world, when the balance between nature and power had not yet been established."
Yellow looked toward the enormous darkness.
"And the thing underneath us is one of them?"
The ancient Pokémon slowly closed its eyes.
"No."
Alex felt his stomach drop.
"Then what is it?"
The creature opened its eyes again.
"It is what the four were created to prevent."
Silence followed.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Alex's mind struggled to understand what he had just heard.
"What does that mean?"
The ancient Pokémon turned its head toward him.
"Ragnarok."
The word echoed once again.
This time, however, the cavern itself seemed to react.
A deep rumble traveled through the walls.
Dust fell from above.
The distant red eyes disappeared.
For one brief moment, everything became completely silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The cavern erupted with sound.
A tremendous shockwave raced through the underground chamber, throwing Alex backward and sending Yellow crashing against the rocky wall.
"Alex!"
Damian reached toward him.
Alex rolled across the ground and stopped beside a large stone.
His vision blurred.
His ears rang.
For several seconds, he couldn't hear anything except a high-pitched ringing.
Then he noticed Charmander.
The little Pokémon had been thrown several feet away.
"Charmander!"
Alex immediately pushed himself upright.
Charmander slowly raised its head.
"Char…"
Alex rushed toward it and scooped it into his arms.
"Are you okay?"
Charmander nodded weakly.
Alex held it tightly against his chest.
Then he looked toward Damian and Yellow.
Both were still standing.
Barely.
But standing.
Yellow rubbed the side of her head.
"I officially hate this cave."
Damian didn't respond.
His eyes were fixed on the ancient Pokémon.
"What's happening?"
The ancient Pokémon stared toward the darkness.
"The seal is breaking."
Damian's expression changed.
"What seal?"
"The one that has kept Ragnarok asleep."
Alex slowly stood.
"Then we have to stop it."
The ancient Pokémon turned toward him.
"You cannot."
Alex frowned.
"You don't know what we can do."
"I know exactly what you can do."
The creature's voice became deeper.
"You are young."
Its eyes moved toward Damian.
"You possess knowledge."
Then toward Yellow.
"You possess determination."
Finally, it looked directly at Alex.
"And you possess something far more dangerous."
Alex frowned.
"What?"
The ancient Pokémon stared at him.
"Potential."
Alex didn't know how to respond.
Before he could ask another question, the entire cavern suddenly went dark.
Charmander's flame disappeared.
Yellow gasped.
"Where did the light go?"
Alex looked down.
Charmander's tail was still burning.
But the flame had become nearly invisible.
Not extinguished.
Suppressed.
Something was absorbing the light.
Then a low sound emerged from beneath them.
Not a roar.
Not a growl.
A whisper.
A voice so deep that Alex could barely understand the words.
"Awaken…"
Alex froze.
The voice wasn't coming from the ancient Pokémon.
It was coming from beneath the ground.
Another whisper followed.
"Awaken…"
Damian slowly backed away.
"No."
The ancient Pokémon suddenly roared.
"RUN!"
The command was so powerful that Alex didn't question it.
He grabbed Yellow's arm.
"Move!"
They sprinted toward the cavern entrance.
Behind them, the ground began splitting apart.
Cracks raced across the stone floor like lightning.
Rocks collapsed from the ceiling.
Dust filled the air.
The ancient Pokémon remained behind them, turning toward the darkness as something enormous began forcing its way upward from beneath the cavern.
Alex glanced backward.
The sight nearly stopped his heart.
A gigantic claw had emerged from the earth.
It was black.
Not dark gray.
Not shadowed.
Black.
Its surface seemed to absorb the faint light around it, while strange crimson markings pulsed beneath its skin like veins filled with burning energy.
The ancient Pokémon charged toward it.
The two enormous creatures collided.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave threw Alex, Yellow, and Damian forward.
Alex hit the ground hard.
His vision blurred again.
But before he could stand, he heard the ancient Pokémon scream.
Not roar.
Scream.
A sound filled with pain.
Alex slowly lifted his head.
The ancient Pokémon had been thrown across the cavern.
It crashed into the stone wall with enough force to create a massive crater.
Alex stared in horror.
"No…"
Damian grabbed his shoulder.
"Alex, we have to go!"
Alex looked toward the cavern entrance.
Then back at the ancient Pokémon.
"We can't leave it!"
"If we stay, we'll die!"
Another roar shook the cavern.
The enormous creature beneath the earth finally began pulling itself free.
Alex stared at its silhouette.
It was enormous.
Far larger than the ancient Pokémon.
Far larger than anything Alex had ever seen.
Its head slowly rose from the darkness.
Two gigantic crimson eyes opened.
Then a third.
Alex's breathing stopped.
Damian whispered:
"That's impossible."
Yellow stared upward.
"What… is that thing?"
Alex didn't answer.
Because deep inside his mind, a single thought had already begun forming.
The ancient Pokémon had called it Ragnarok.
And if that name was correct…
Then the legends had never been warnings about something that might happen someday.
They had been warnings about something that had already happened once.
Something that had nearly destroyed the ancient world.
And now…
It was happening again.
The enormous creature opened its mouth.
A deep, unnatural energy began gathering inside its throat.
The ancient Pokémon struggled to stand.
It looked directly toward Alex.
"Run."
Alex tightened his grip around Charmander.
For the first time since entering the forest, he understood something with absolute certainty.
They weren't exploring a mystery anymore.
They were standing at the beginning of a catastrophe.
And somewhere beneath the ancient forest…
Ragnarok had awakened.
To Be Continued… 🐉🌑🔥
Next Chapter: "Ragnarok Awakens"