Ascending To Hell In The Heavens  

"Whoa, you're legit heroes!" 

"Think we can get on TV?" 

"Gotta come up with a catchy one-liner."

The long-haired sunglasses-wearing man scratched his head with a pleased look. Then, stretching his arms out, he started waving to the crowd. His exhilaration made it seem like he might float up into the sky at any moment. Not that anyone could blame him for getting carried away in this situation.

And in fact, his body did start floating upwards. The crowd began to stir. Everyone's gaze turned upwards. The same was happening to Shirona's group as well. An invisible force completely restrained their movements, gradually lifting them up towards the sky. Towards the heavens.

None of them seemed able to resist it at all. Right beside her, there was a popping sound as Oka appeared. He must have been cloaked in invisibility the whole time, but he too was unable to prevent this. Of their group, he seemed the most relatively calm, not letting go of his weapon.

"What's happening?" 

"Shit, we're going up!" 

"What if we fall? Can we take it?"

"Don't say that!" 

"Sis..."

Anzu looked to her, but Shirona was powerless to do anything. However, she did recognize this lifting force. It resembled the effects of psychokinesis. But something capable of floating this many people simultaneously would have been difficult even for Mikaruge. The Mikaruge being pulled along let out a pitiful cry. And then, in the air far above, gigantic figures appeared. 

Shirona felt a chill run through her. Both of them easily exceeded five meters in height. Their overall color was a deep blue-like shade. With four legs outstretched in midair, their faces, backs, and chests were covered in armor-like plating. In the center of the chest was a diamond-shaped emblem.

The other one was fixed in the air on two legs. Most of its body was white, with purple streamer-like lines running along its neck, hindquarters, and midsection. Wing-like fins extended from its back, adding to its divine presence.

There was no doubt - these were the real ones, Shirona was convinced. Dialga and Palkia awaited Shirona's group in the skies over Tokyo. It seemed to be Palkia whose mouth was moving. Apparently, it was the one using psychokinesis.

The emotions from just moments ago withered away. Was Gantz really trying to make them fight existences like these? Seeing them in person made it clear. It was impossible, as she had thought. In fact, they had been brought right up to them, powerless to resist. What would happen now? Would they simply be killed off by these beings' power?

Dialga let out an overwhelmingly thunderous roar. Incomparable to the alien's earlier. For a moment, Shirona thought the shock might break their restraints and send them hurtling back to the ground. Even Anzu couldn't let out a scream, her eyes squeezed shut. Shirona made a tremendous effort to at least remain conscious.

Right beside their bodies, a hole opened up. The inside glowed blue, swirling with blackness mixed in. She instinctively knew it was something no other Pokémon could create.

"Isn't this bad? Isn't this bad?" 

"We're, being sucked in!" 

"Hey Gantz, teleport us! Reset this!" 

"This is bad aah!"

The hole possessed a gravitational pull. No one could escape being drawn into it. Watching the ones ahead get swallowed one after another, Shirona too finally closed her eyes. The fear of the unknown forced her to reject reality.

The swirling mass loomed before her. Her Pokémon cried out in distress. And then a crushing sensation squeezed her head, and her consciousness faded into darkness.

...

...

...

...

...

"Kyu..."

The tickling sensation of feathers on her cheek revived her consciousness.

She abruptly sat up halfway. Normally she should have injured her body, but the surging power was controlling her movements. The suit's power worked even in such situations.

While stroking Togekiss's head, Shirona stood up.

"Where the hell is this?"

At the very least, it didn't seem like they had been transported to some other strange world. The sky was properly blue, with clouds scattered about.

A stone ground stretched out before them. It formed a kind of road, leading sideways to a wide set of stairs.

Shirona noticed that the surrounding buildings were different from their earlier location. Unlike there, most of these were wooden structures. There were several thin red pillars running through them, their style bearing a strong resemblance to the architecture she had seen in other regions before.

She recalled the old-fashioned construction of Ecruteak City in the Johto region.

The others had also regained consciousness by now. They seemed just as perplexed by the current situation as Shirona was.

"Looks familiar somehow." Muroya muttered. The others then began agreeing as well.

"Yeah, that's right." 

"What was it called again?" 

"I don't know it."

"Not interested in temples and shit." 

"I think I saw it on the news..." Ah, Anzu spoke up. When all eyes turned to her, she continued somewhat awkwardly:

"Isn't this Rateiin? The one in Bunkyo, Tokyo? I remember the look of that gate and all."

"Rateiin?" 

"Yeah, a temple. No, a shrine? Anyway, it's one of those religious buildings over here."

"I see."

Even in the world Shirona was from, there was a city with a similar atmosphere that worshipped certain Pokémon. Did architectural styles tend to converge when beliefs aligned?

"But..." 

"Isn't it strange?"

As Anzu looked down, George pointed his sword at the gate. He had an expression like he was observing some kind of joke.

"This place was definitely on the news before. But in the footage, it was pretty wrecked. And that news was over a month old."

In the silence that fell, something came flying out from the open gate. Shirona felt a sense of deja vu. She was reminded of the bus incident earlier. It had been the same then too - an unknown man in a black suit, severely injured.

A younger-looking man than the one killed by the horned alien tumbled down the stairs. While no one moved, Shirona ran over. She was already aware of the danger, but the man's condition was dire. One of his legs was shattered, bleeding profusely.

"Togekiss!"

Seeming to understand its cue without being told, it immediately flew over and dripped some Heal Pulses onto the man's wounds. While not enough to fully heal such severe injuries, it at least allowed the man to regain the energy to speak.

"Ugh, shou..." "I'll treat you now."

When Shirona called out to him, the boyish-faced man started groaning weakly. She couldn't help but hold her breath. His expression was awash with anguish. Tears streamed down one after another.

"Everyone, everyone was killed. I was such an idiot... I underestimated it."

"Another one already? Constant battles, huh?"

Reacting to the voice, she looked up to see more things emerging from the gate. Stone statues, one could call them. But their aura shared a commonality in how they were constructed. Though the expressions differed, they clearly followed the same design principles.

Some were just fists, while others wielded trident-like spears at the tip. They were all unmistakably displaying hostile intent towards Shirona's group. If not human, then Shirona processed that these must also be aliens. A different sort of ominousness from the earlier horned alien.

While not letting go of the weapon she had held onto until being swallowed by the hole, Shirona watched as Muroya's group ran out. Gradually moving the injured man to a safer distance from the battle while keeping it in her peripheral vision.

The man's consciousness still seemed hazy. At the very least, Shirona had to keep him from passing out until Togekiss's wish move took effect. In the worst case, he might not come back. So to keep his awareness, Shirona asked him a question.

"Stay strong, okay? We'll take care of this somehow. Listen, what's your name?"

Responding to her voice, he stirred. Sweating profusely from his brow, he opened his eyes slightly. In a hoarse voice, he answered. Yet it still carried a distinct core, she felt.

"Kurono, Kei."