Back on the other end of the portal, three figures were deciding what to do.
"Those guys just jumped into that thing and they disappeared. I have a bad feeling on whatever's on the other side of it," Rita the longneck said as she felt a chilled sensation.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've had my share of portal dangers. I went through one that looked just like an ordinary door only to find an all powerful magician with four elemental crystals that would not go down easily whatsoever."
"Uh, door? Magician? Elemental crystals?" Rita asked, totally lost.
"Sorry. Nevermind about that," Mallow said, looking at the portal. "Dark energy- I mean bad things- are definately on the other side of this."
"You're positive?" Rita asked.
"Yeah. I sent a Psychopath spell through it. I knew that it would hit someone random since I couldn't focus on a target. But whoever or whatever I hit would only think, 'Kill, kill, kill!' So yeah, there is a problem. I have no doubt."
"What should we do?" Rita asked nervously. She wanted to help wherever there was trouble, but Mallow had seen so much of it that she usually asked him about it.
"Well, it will be extremely dangerous, and I don't have Mario- I mean an old friend of mine- to rely on like last time, so I must admit that I am a bit unsure myself," Mallow admitted.
"Jig Jig Jiggly Jig Jigglypuff!" the white puff ball sitting on Rita finally said. If you could call it talking anyway.
"Psychpath!" Mallow shouted, looking at her. "Do you realize what you're getting into?" he asked Jigglypuff.
"What did she say?" Rita asked curiously.
"She wants to fight," Mallow said. "But I don't think she would do so well there. She has fought other pokemon on her world, but on there, battles resulted in fainting, not death, so she didn't have much to worry about. She has even fought in this tournament before, but again, no killing here, just knock outs. Whatever is on the other side means business; there are no rules to protect her or any of us if we go."
Jigglypuff looked upset and jumped off Rita's back. She jumps over to Mallow and uses her Pound attack and knocks Mallow several feet into the air. "Jiggly Jig Jig," she said angrily.
"Oomph!" he exclaimed from the impact. When he landed on the ground, he slowly and gently got to his feet and said, "Psychopath. Alright, you've made your point. I'll go too."
"What was that all about?" Rita wondered aloud.
"She said that if she can take down a guy who helped save a world, she is more than suited to fight whatever comes in her way," Mallow answered, still rubbing the spot she made contact with.
"Well, I'm not the best fighter either, but if we work together, we will be fine. If you two go in there, count me in," Rita said with confidence.
"Psychopath," Mallow whispered, focused on her. He smiled at what he saw in her mind, then said, "Alright gang, we might be way over our heads here, but we just can't ignore it when we know that there is danger. Jigglypuff's confidence reminded me that. We each have our fighting styles: weather and psychic, agility and sleep spells, and physical and transformation. If we use these effectively, we still might not overpower everything we encounter, but strategy is also on our side. If you two are so willing, I won't abandon my friends or anyone in trouble. Alright, here we go!" he shouted, jumping into the portal.
Jigglypuff jumped back on Rita's back and Rita in turn jumped into the portal as well. As they were being transported through into the Great Valley, Mallow recalled what he saw in Rita's mind. "She's more afraid than she'll admit, but she has faith that she'll make it through this if her friends are there for her. After fighting with my four old friends long ago and feeling the same way, it seems that Rita and I have more in common than we thought. Don't worry Rita. I may not be the hero Mario was, but I will do everything in my power to keep us and whoever we meet safe." And with that, they arrived on to the battlefield, underneath an unusually dark sky.
