Pokémon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Path of Valor

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 40: Hardly Ingenious​

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XxX​

The silence was almost as thick as the air above the tar pits. During Gene's tale, he produced a scrapbook. Yuna took it and thumbed through pictures, like Nova nibbling on Gene's cheek while the mewtwo tried to shove him off, or Nova clinking glasses with Zacian and Zamazenta.

Her headache slowly returned. Every picture of Nova made her think of Xeromus. The chains around his legs... looked like the soft anklets around Nova's. And some of Nova's photos showed him in a royal blue cloak, while Xeromus had a black, tattered one with a hood.

Those couldn't be coincidences. Not with everything else Yuna had seen so far. But what was she supposed to say? That she knew where Gene's apparent boyfriend was? That he had become some sort of Eternatus-obsessed whacko?

... No, she couldn't jump to conclusions. Not yet. Not when Gene could rip her to tiny, ectoplasmic shreds if she pissed him off.

"Are we done, then?" Gene's Malice Crystal flashed. The scrapbook dissolved out of Yuna's hands, leaving her grasping at hazy air.

"That's a pretty tall tale," Valkyrie grunted. Squeaking, Yuna shot higher in the air. At some point, the others in the group had moved behind her. Probably to look at the scrapbook, too.

"Well, it's the truth." Gene turned away, snorting.

"Really?" Valkyrie narrowed her eyes. "You expect me to believe you were put in stasis for thousands of years with no issues at all?"

"Hardly," Gene scoffed. "Until recently, time moved much slower in Eternatus than it did outside of it. My only guess is that's related to this Needle nonsense." The mewtwo shook his head. "But that's all tangential."

He turned to Yuna. "You called me callous and uncaring. And I am. Because I was never fully 'deprogrammed.' All those instincts are still there." He put his right hand on his chest and looked at Yuna. "That's what that 'outburst' was."

"Yeah." Yuna already got that. "Then all the sarcastic jokes—"

"Are how I cope." Gene crossed his arms, scowling. "Humor's a healthy defense mechanism. So is directing my anger toward the emperor's flunkies." His Malice Crystal flashed purple. "It's called sublimation. Look it up."

Yuna's gaze fell. She didn't have a retort. Mainly because the stuff about defense mechanisms was beyond her. Noctum stepped to her side, however. "What if you're mistaken about some things?" He rubbed his right temple. "I... I can't see Bahamut—"

"I know what I saw," Gene growled, tail lashing at the air. He looked toward a trio of large gears turning slowly in their sockets. "No one came back from the mission to stop Matriarch but him."

"Then this 'Matriarch' thing is still active?" Seifer wondered.

"No." Gene looked down. "Paradox's sermons and announcements mentioned Matriarch going offline many times. He clearly filled the power void left behind." The mewtwo clenched his fists. "Nova succeeded in his goal... only for that bastard to stab him in the back."

Noctum's tail flame flickered. "But... his own wife and son?"

"That wasn't the last time I fought him," Gene responded. He lifted a clenched fist. "We've crossed paths several times. I've beaten him every time, but he keeps... pulling himself back together when he should have eroded into a Phantom. And he always fled through a checkered portal."

Yuna stayed silent, but she believed Gene. It matched up too well with what the Sages had told her. Razim's tale, too.

But, still, sacrificing an entire planet to Eternatus because he was upset?

Have we really been worshipping a monster? The drakloak shuddered, trying to stuff that thought into the back of her mind.

Fortunately, Nikki offered a convenient distraction. "What about Mew, then? Did you ever try and find her again?"

Any hope Yuna had for a reasonable explanation dissipated the moment Gene cringed. "Mew's gone. They all are."

Nikki shifted about uneasily. "Gone as in—"

"Killed, obviously," Valkyrie snorted.

"That would've been a better fate," Gene whispered, flinching again. "The emperor's troops rounded them all up for experimentation." He turned to Noctum and Seifer. "The people you've seen with all sorts of mutations are the results of Paradox's experiments." He approached the edge of the factory platform and looked out at the bubbling tar. "Every mew… ground up into cells and DNA for Paradox's machinations."

"But they were already dead, weren't they?" Nikki scratched her head. "That's what happens to people who end up here and junk. How can they be killed again?"

"Chompy's being blunt." Gene rolled his eyes. "The mew souls eroded into Phantoms."

Seifer frowned. "But wouldn't that have taken their bodies, too? Or maybe the mew can possess anyone who has a mutation?"

Gene's tail flicked right. "Not if the emperor had a way to purge a soul from a body. Which he does," he ominously declared.

An uneasy silence hung over the group, until Jade managed to say, "And you're sure of this?"

"Cyril got some documents about all this from one of the emperor's data servers," Gene said, shaking his head.

"Oh." Jade looked down guiltily. Yuna worried that the salugia thought she had received some of those mutations. She considered mentioning Jade had been asleep in the Needle the whole time, but she couldn't prove that was completely true.

"Now are we done here?" Gene walked back toward them. The mewtwo rested his hands behind his dark gray head. "I've had enough sob storying to last the next year. There's work to be done, right? Nothing's gonna happen if we stand around staring at each other."

The group exchanged uneasy looks. Yuna caught Leo's attention. His eyes flickered with determination. The cosmic arceus was probably thinking about what Alder had told him.

Planet Chakran. Is that even in our dimension? Yuna wondered, since that was definitely where the drakloak needed to go. Though she shuddered at the thought of dropping the omniverse revelation on everyone's laps after what Gene had told them.

Plus, there was still the matter of the sailors. Yuna couldn't move on from that. It wasn't right. They deserved some sort of closure from this.

"We should start with the sailors," the drakloak said. Gene met her with a look that told her to try again. "I'm serious." Yuna steeled her resolve. "Whether some of them are stuck here or not, they don't deserve to be dumped off somewhere else inside Eternatus and left to fend for themselves." She floated closer to Gene. "I see that ending with them eroding into Phantoms."

"The emperor has intake stations for 'refugees' all over the damn empire." Gene waved Yuna off with his left hand. "It's easier to dump them on his lap."

"Why, so they can get sucked into Paradox's schemes?" Yuna countered. "I'm not leaving them like this."

Rolling his eyes, Gene gestured to his left. "Then by all means, go back to the swamp and talk to them. No one's saying you can't."

"No, but I'm asking you to join me." Yuna tapped her right hand against the Soul Dew. "You know a lot more about all of this than I do. So, help a girl out, will you?"

Again, silence. Gene squinted. "Why do you even care about them? They're strangers."

Nikki snorted. "Probably her inner princess."

"Because, even if I don't know them, Aeons don't leave other Aeons behind," Yuna said, her expression sharpening. She held up her right hand. "Even if they're not Aeons, it's the principle. They didn't do anything to wrong me. We shouldn't wrong them when they're already victims of circumstance."

She looked at the others. Jade applauded with her wings and Leo was positively mesmerized. Noctum wore a proud grin and Yuna thought he might tear up then and there.

"… tch. Fine." Gene floated over to Yuna's side. "Gimme a minute or two to, uh, soften them up for you. Or something." He drifted away, scowling, before opening a rift and disappearing into it. Yuna watched the dark gray mewtwo go with a sigh.

"Now what?" Quetzal tapped the ground with a couple of his toes. "I'd love to help with the sailors, but I think I'll just frighten them looking like this." He glanced at his orange and black-feathered torso.

"I can help," Seifer offered. The keldeo approached Yuna. "Some of the unharmed sailors recognized me back on the ship."

Yuna nodded her thanks. "Uh, I guess everyone else can... do whatever they feel like until we're done?"

"Are you sure?" Noctum tilted his head. He might as well have offered to come with her.

"I'm sure." Yuna looked at the Malice Crystal in his stomach, then got guilty when his violet flame shrank.

"Ah. Fair." The black charizard stepped back, bowing his head. Valkyrie snorted. He turned a frown and slight bearing of his fangs on her. She pivoted left, wiping dried blood from her snout. Yuna wasn't sure what she missed, but something had driven a wedge between them. She made a note to ask Noctum about it later.

In the meantime, she looked at Nikki and beckoned her over with a wave of her right hand. The toxtricity strolled across the platform, hands tucked in her leather jacket pockets. "Look, I ain't the 'There, there, it'll be okay' type. If you want help with those sailors, stick with Horned Wonder." She jerked her head at Seifer.

"No, it's not that." The drakloak floated away from the others, toward a large, green metal tank. Probably full of tar. "I have a question, actually."

"Shoot." Nikki leaned against a wheel welded to the side of the tank.

Yuna's shoulders sagged. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Just... shrug off this kind of stuff?" Yuna wasn't sure she phrased it right. "Like, you don't care what's happening all around you. You go with the flow." She looked down at her feet nubs. "I think?"

Nikki wore an amused smirk. "You mean why do I mouth off at this shit? That's easy." She flicked her right hand dismissively. "When no one has expectations for you — and you don't expect anything from them — you can do whatever without a care in the world."

"No expectations," Yuna repeated in a whisper.

"I mean, I'm a street bum turned musician." The toxtricity shrugged. "You're a freaking princess. You've lived your whole life by hoity-toity rules and honor and shit like that. Me? I learned pretty early on that you're expected to look out for only yourself on the streets." She looked up toward the green, hazy sky. "So, like, I don't have a problem giving people shit.

"That's harder to get away with when people are expecting you to, like, lead 'em." Nikki shook her head. "Them's the breaks of life, I s'pose."

Yuna frowned. Nikki's answer was simultaneously straightforward and confusing. She looked right and a tiny Reshiram materialized on her shoulder. "She sounds truthful to me," he said, tapping his claws together nervously.

"Ringing endorsement," Nikki deadpanned. Reshiram buried his face in his wings out of embarrassment. Yuna recalled him to the Soul Dew, sighing.

"Then can I, like, scream at life?" the drakloak wondered. "Is that something you ever do?"

"Screaming? Probably not." Nikki strummed her gills. "Maybe I'll shred a few cords over life bitching out. But, hey, you do you." She thumped her chest. "Just speak from the heart. It's more impactful that way."

I don't have a heart. It was probably figurative, though.

Yuna took a deep breath and turned left of the tar tank. "I'm so sick of this! I don't want to save the galaxy! I just want to live my life! Why can't this be someone else's problem?!" Her tail undulated back and forth with every word. "Stupid treaty! Stupid Eternatus! And... and stupid, lying Bahamut!"

Yuna quickly threw her hands over her mouth, guilt showering over her.

Yes, she really said that. Out loud. In full view of someone else. And it wasn't even Noctum.

Nikki slowly clapped. "Not bad. How do you feel?"

It took a few seconds for the drakloak to lower her hands. "Better, I think?" Sure, nothing changed about her situation, but at least Yuna let some of anger out. She looked at Nikki. "You know, you don't have to stay after this, right? I understand if you'd rather bow out of this whole..." Her voice trailed off and she gestured out to the tar pits.

"Yeah. That would make sense." Nikki resumed strumming her gills. "But I'm good." She smirked at Yuna. "I ain't some, like, superhero nerd or whatever, but a crazy Eternatus space adventure is way cooler than staying at that dumb academy and stewing over Scarlett." The toxtricity looked down. "She'd want me to do something. Make an impact. Besides..."

Nikki held her hand out. Electricity crackled into the shape of one of her guitars. "I'm just as wrapped up in this now."

Yuna's waist constricted. "O-Oh. Um, that's— is that bad?"

Nikki explained how she saw a Starlene concert on PV that was most likely sabotaged by the Eterna Empire, leading to visions of Paradox and her manifesting her lightning guitar. She dispelled the weapon with a flick of her wrist. "I think it's dynaforce," the toxtricity concluded. "So, I can't sit on the sidelines and let this fester. Gotta put it to use.

"And if it just so happens my heroics put Blightsmuth back on people's radar... then it's an added bonus." Nikki stretched her arms up over her head, chuckling. "Don't care if you think my motive's selfish, either. Perks of not being a princess."

Yuna would've sank to the ground and deflated, but she managed to keep her wits about her. "Well, uh, maybe I can sell the title and job off to someone else?"

Chuckles continuing, Nikki leaned over and smacked her right knee. "Now you're speaking my language."

"... hey, so, if you two are done being all mushy with other, the sailors are ready."

"Eep!" Yuna's tail and torso shot into her rectangular head. She whirled on Gene, who floated in front of a rift with a bored expression. "H-Hey now! It's rude to sneak up on people."

The mewtwo looked around, shrugging. "Middle of a tar plant ain't private."

"Ugh, whatever." Yuna rubbed her temples. "Lead the way."

XxX​

Gene was rather stoic through the whole explanation of the sailors' fates. Yuna got the sense some of the soul and aura stuff went right over their heads. Sure enough, one wartortle raised his hand. "So, like, we're dead, but we're not dead?"

"That's a fine way of thinking about it," Yuna interjected before Gene could mouth off to the wartortle. "You can do all the things you used to back in Venish."

"'cept if we try to leave World Ender's insides, we get turned into Phantoms!" a floatzel said, clutching her head in worry. "What am I supposed to tell my sister? How am I supposed to tell her?!"

"You!" Wartortle whirled on the garbodor in the back. "This is all your fault! You did this to us!"

A few sailors mumbled their agreement. "Whoa, whoa. Time out." Gene Phantom Warped into the middle of them, holding his hands in a T. "Your shipmate's as much a victim as the rest of you. It's Polaris you ought to be mad at." His expression fiercened. "Who was it that was running your ship?"

The sailors fell quiet. Garbodor raised his grubby hand. "Minister Tesla."

"And who was able to get away before any of this happened?" Gene raised a brow, but this time none of the sailors answered.

Floatzel looked at Seifer. "Isn't there anything you can do, Commander? Maybe get the Radiant Guard to pitch in?"

The keldeo looked down guiltily. "I wish I could say there was. But this is on a whole other level than the distortion rescues the Guard conducted." With a heavy sigh, he stepped toward them. "But I am prepared to help you all get in contact with your loved ones." Seifer slung one of his saddle bags onto the ground. It opened to show papers and pens.

Several sailors looked down at the bag like it was but a tiny scrap of meat on a dinner plate.

"What happens when we're done with this?" A sharpedo looked at Gene, eyes full of worry.

"That's—" Gene crossed his arms. His Malice Crystal glowed a dim purple. "It's complicated."

An idea popped into Yuna's head. "You guys can work here." She clapped her hands together. "There's a tar factory not too far from this swamp, run by a bunch of tiny skorupi. I'll bet they could use some extra muscle."

Gene's brows raised. "Huh." He stroked his chin. "Now that you mention, that could lessen the skorps' calling me out here for manual labor."

"And just who's that broad?" A kingler brandished his large pincer in Yuna's direction. "I ain't about to trust some dragon to offer a deal. It's probably a trap!"

Yuna flinched. Her gaze faltered, but then she looked right back at Kingler. "That dragon happens to be princess of the Aeon Kingdom." She floated closer. "And part of the group that saved you all from an even grizzlier fate." Yuna crossed her arms, glimpsing the dark shadows pooling in them. "This isn't some trap. It's a way for you to stay close to Venish and find some semblance of normalcy in all of this."

Smirking, Gene leaned over. "I'd go with her if I were you. You wouldn't like her when she's angy."

Kingler flummoxed. "Y... you mean angry, don't you?"

The mewtwo's grin widened. "Nope."

Kingler hastily skittered back toward several wartortle. They talked in a huddle, then gave thumbs up in unison. "That plan sounds... reasonable," Kingler said, laughing nervously.

A tingle ran down Yuna's back. Gene's assistance or not, it was... refreshing to have people listen to her. She flipped that mental switch briefly and a tiny silhouette of Rayquaza popped up on her right shoulder.

"Jolly good performance, m'lady." He clapped his tiny black hands. "I daresay thine evolution hast filled thou with renewed confidence."

"Thanks," Yuna whispered, sighing in relief while watching Seifer pass out pens and paper to the sailors. She recalled Rayquaza and hovered over to Gene. So long as she had a moment, she figured it best to loop the mewtwo into what happened with Leo and Alder, as well as the new planet she needed to find.

"Gene?" The drakloak pawed at her Soul Dew. "There's something you need to know..."

XxX​

Everyone sat around a tiny, skorupi-sized desk that Skorp had brought out for Gene to place his X-transceiver on. He set it to speaker mode, then failed to contact Cyril. Tail swishing back and forth nervously, Gene next tried calling up some lady named Guzmelda. She sounded sweet and... homely, which made it hard for Yuna to believe she was some sort of giant, tooth-filled alien known as a guzzlord.

"Well? Were you able to find anything?" Seifer asked, pointing his horn at the X-transceiver.

"She can't see you doing that," Nikki scoffed.

"Force of habit," Seifer muttered.

"So' nuff, sugar!" Guzmelda exclaimed. "There's a Chakran in this dimension, all right. In fact, it's the next planet over in this here galaxy."

Yuna looked at Noctum, who shrugged. Then she glanced at Seifer, who squinted. "No one mentioned anything like that in my science classes," he muttered.

"Well, if it's our neighbor, then wouldn't it have gotten sucked up by Ejerknatus?" Jade wondered, tapping her chin with a digit.

"'Fraid not. Cyril's notes say Eternatus skipped Chakran over and went straight to Etherium," Guzmelda responed. "He thinks it's about two hundred million kilometers from here."

Jade squawked in surprise and vented purple vapors from her tail flaps. "T-two hundred million?! Th-that's like—" she counted on her digits "—twice as much as one hundred million!"

Leo tilted his head. Yuna imagined he was trying to envision how big that really was.

"Wow, congrats, you can do basic math." Nikki sarcastically applauded the salugia. "Doesn't help us get there."

"Maybe one of you three can portal over there?" Valkyrie pointed to Gene, Noctum, and Yuna.

"Wouldn't that be nice." Gene shook his head, smirking. "I need to have been to a place to open a rift to it. Same with these two, I imagine." He rubbed his hands together. "No doubt about it... we'll need to take that ship Skorp and Skorp finished up. It'll get us there in, like, thirty or forty minutes."

"What?!"

Rayquaza's black, scaly head popped out of a startled Yuna's Soul Dew. "Balderdash! Even with Dragon Ascent, I couldn't achieve such speeds. Thou wouldst need to fly as fast as light itself to cover that distance!"

"Exactly, Chest Burster." Gene snapped his fingers at Rayquaza. "Thanks for the help, Guzmelda."

"My pleasure, sugar!" The line then went dead.

"Then, we're leaving for Chakran?" Yuna tilted her head. "Can that ship even go out of Eternatus?"

"Thanks to the skorps it can." Gene rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"Sweet! Road trip, but space-flavored." Nikki strummed her gills. "Dibs on being the DJ."

Gene had a retort prepared, but a loud jingle cut him off. "Hmm?"

"And now... a message from your emperor!"

The group turned toward the far corner of the room, where several skorps were gathered in front of a large screen that displayed the Eterna Empire's sigil of a circle surrounded by five diamonds. The feed then cut to what Yuna could only assume was the deoxys that others had previously mentioned. He stood in front of a black desk with several monitors flickering behind him.

"I think it's time we had us another chat. For the sake of dispelling lies, of course." Paradox stepped to his right and a brightly colored drawing of the very same rifts Gene and Yuna could make showed up on a hologram next to the deoxys.

"Many of you have no doubt seen these rifts popping up around your communities," he continued. "And there's been considerable talk of them online." Paradox swiped in front of him with two tentacles. The drawing transitioned to a screenshot of something called "Chatter."

"@BirbWatcher317 says, 'It's the end of the world,'" Paradox growled. "@StillLivesWithHisMother adds, 'We're being sucked into a formless void!' And @JodiMcGee has the gall to post an 'I'm in danger' GIF."

"Psst!" Jade leaned over Yuna's shoulder. "What's a Jif?"

"How should I know?" Yuna hissed. The salugia had the mixed-up mind. If anything, she should've known already!

"It makes me think of peanut butter," Jade said. "And now I'm hungry."

"Well, as your emperor, I'd like to be the first to tell you... these are lies! Fiction! Tall tales!" Paradox swiped at the hologram with each of his tentacles. "And if any other keyboard doomsayers intend to share these imbeciles' sentiments, then you'll be joining them in assimilation to the Eternatus Troopers!"

The hologram shifted to show an animation of three humans turning into unown floating in tanks attached to metal bodies, just like what Noctum had described to Yuna back at the academy.

"These rifts are but mild turbulence... as we enter the end stages of freeing our Benefactor from His long imprisonment," Paradox continued, switching to a new animation that showed a crudely drawn Etherium blowing up while the giant, five-headed form of Eternatus flew off with a big smiley face over its head. "I realize how patient you all have been, and I am pleased to report that patience will soon be rewarded.

"In fact... the Paradigm's newest member just finished a successful raid on one of the prison settlements." Paradox's tentacles coiled into two hands and he tapped his fingers together eagerly. The hologram displayed a headshot of... some sort of suit of armor surrounded by blue frost? All Yuna saw were red, glowing eyes inside a gray, circular helmet. "Soon, our Eternatus Troopers will have the children of the prison's pathetic rulers serving amongst their ranks.

"That's all for now. Nos vera Natus!"

The feed abruptly shut off, returning to what looked like a talk show with two non-mutant skorupi sitting opposite one another.

Seifer reared up, whinnying. "Tell me I didn't just hear that!"

Nikki had her mouth open, but Seifer leveled his horn at her. "Keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you," he growled. The toxtricity closed her mouth and scowled at him. Seifer turned to Gene, eyes wide in alarm. "What was that all about?"

"It sounds like Paradox is going on the offensive," Gene said, brow furrowed. "This changes things. Some of us definitely need to stay behind."

"Of course we do!" Seifer's horn flickered. "If he's telling the truth, then..." The keldeo looked down, horror spread across his face.

Yuna bit her lip. Did this mean Paradox had Shimmer? What about her other classmates?

"Just who was that on the screen?" Valkyrie wondered. "Looked like a bad costume from a horror movie."

Mewtwo's expression sharpened. After a few moments, he took a sharp breath and gave his answer.

"The Paradigm's newest lieutenant: Guile Hideout."

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 41: Fallout: New Venish​

It took every ounce of Yiazmat's willpower not to crush the gemwhatever in her right hand. Every breath she took grew heavier. Her horns were heating up, bathing her onyx throne in red-orange light.

She had to stay calm and composed. For her husband. And for Yunavresca. The dragpult looked into the weird communicator's central gemstone. "Dimitry, did you get all of that?"

Yiazmat focused on the gem. She had to ignore the red creeping into her vision. Deep breaths. She couldn't slip into anger in front of Calcifer.

"I did, ma'am. I'm on my way to fetch Baraz as we speak."

"Good." She pivoted to her left, glaring at the light torch sitting over an archway. "Proceed to Scale City using the waypoint the Ryujin have in Horizon Gardens. I'll meet you there."

"What?" Calcifer gasped. "Dear, you can't be serious. If Radiance is in a crisis and someone catches you in their territory, they'll declare war for sure!"

Yiazmat whirled on the duraludon. "I'm aware of the risks. But this is our daughter we're talking about." Her tail lashed at the air. Flames bristled in her horns. "I am not going to sit by any longer." She held the communicator up to her face. "Sakaki, I understand if you can't join us. Your son—"

"Is, for all intents and purposes, in the custody of the Ministry of Justice." The voice on the other end was deeper than Dimitry's. If Sakaki was as upset about his son as Yiazmat was about her daughter, he was doing a better job hiding it. "He's being airlifted to another hospital due to Venish's current situation. If I try to go to Vellguarde before Healing Wish Hospital has even contacted me, I'll show my hand. Chiaki is on his own."

"I see." Yiazmat shut her eyes. "My condolences."

A loud sigh followed. "He brought this upon himself. I'll see you in Scale City." Then there was a click.

"Captain, are you still there?" Yiazmat asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Make sure no one follows you to the waypoint," Yiazmat ordered. "I'll be taking the underground tunnels, so it will quite some time before I get there. Gather what additional intel you can."

"Understood. Godspeed, Your Highness."

Another click sounded. The metal device's central gem dimmed. Yiazmat turned away from Calcifer, toward the same archway as before. She floated forward, past onyx statues of Bahamut.

Heavy footsteps thudded behind her. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?" Calcifer said.

"No." Yiazmat approached a door with the eight-pointed star of Aeon carved into it. Two kommo-o with the eight-pointed Aeon star painted on their chests stood at attention. "Open my armory."

The kommo-o on her right thumped his chest with a fist, then grabbed a key ring and unlocked the door. It swung into pitch black.

"Then at least let me come with you!" Calcifer caught up to Yiazmat's side.

"Out of the question." Yiazmat took the torch hanging over the doorway and floated inside. The room had various sets of plated armor, designed to fit a dragapult's torso and bulky head. Most of them, however, had the eight-pointed star on their chest plates. They'd be too obvious.

At the back of the room, Yiazmat found what she was looking for: sleek, black plating. Lighter than the other armor, with no insignias to speak of. She set the torch in a slot on the back wall and set the chest plating on.

"Dear, I know you're worried, but—"

Yiazmat fastened the armor into place. "Someone has to look after the rest of the kids." She glanced briefly at the duraludon silhouette opposite her, then returned her attention to the black helmet on the floor. "I gave her leeway to stay at that school because she convinced me she could handle it."

The dragapult adjusted the helmet's chin strap. "But neither of us could have imagined such a… traumatic series of events." She floated back into the air. "As her mother, I won't leave her to fend for herself any longer."

Calcifer poked his metal arms together. "I… suppose." He shuffled back to let Yiazmat float past him. "I just wish there was some way I could help you."

"Oh, sweetie, you are helping." Yiazmat turned and tapped her claws against Calcifer's slender, metal neck. "By staying with the others, you're giving me peace of mind."

"Does that mean Mom's leaving?"

Yiazmat's tail crinkled. Wincing, she turned to find eight dreepy of varying sizes floating in the middle of the throne room. She bit her lip. So, all four sets of twins had snuck down here, huh? She'd have stern words with the guards before departing for Saint Zygardesburg.

"I'm sorry, little ones." Yiazmat bowed her head sadly. "Your big sister is… in trouble. So Mom's going to help her out." She gestured to Calcifer. "But Dad will be here with you the whole time."

One of the smallest dreepy floated forward, clutching a tiny stuffed salandit. His beady eyes glistened. "Mama go bye short or long time?"

Yiazmat leaned over and tussled the dreepy's little gills. "Mama will make it as short as she can."

He seemed satisfied with that. "Mama hug Spicy bye?" The dreepy held up the salandit doll.

A smile slowly crept over the dragapult. "Mama will hug everyone goodbye." She gestured to the other seven dreepy, who all shot forward. Yiazmat wrapped them all up in her long, wispy tail. "Ohhh, I'll miss you all so much, little ones. Behave for your father, okay?"

"Okay!" they chirped in unison. Yiazmat's smile broadened, but the warmth in her chest faded fast.

She had a bad feeling that it would quite some time before she'd get to see them all again.

XxX​

Shimmer's legs burned. His heart pounded in his chest— hell, in his head, too. Every gallop brought fresh, aching pain to his hooves. The ponyta wouldn't consider himself out of shape by any stretch, but running was not his strong suit.

Yet, as he galloped down what was supposed to be a smoothed, paved road, he found himself wishing this was nothing more than a nightmare.

Another purple light rippled past him and the other students attempting to flee the city. "Look out, Shimmy!" Xander cried.

The ground gave way under Shimmer's hooves. He barely had enough time to dive to his right before a part of the street split open. A water geyser erupted from the fissure, drenching several frustrated classmates. Robin held his shield over his head and offered his leek to Shimmer. The ponyta gently bit it and the sirfetch'd hoisted him up so they could press on.

Red swirled in Shimmer's vision. Even as Radiant Guards wearing lights and sirens cleared other panicked civilians aside to make room for them, Shimmer still couldn't believe this was happening. Flyers should have been on standby to evacuate them from the city immediately. But they had all decided to book it the moment these… obscene rifts popped up around Venish.

As soon as Shimmer was safe, he'd be sure to report the entire flyer's guild chapter to his mothers. He'd ensure their charter was voided and the lot of them were out of work.

… No, he couldn't think about that yet. He had to make it to the train station first.

"How… much farther?" Shimmer wheezed. He managed to hop over vines made of pizza dough and pepperonis that spilled out from the remains of what Shimmer assumed was once a pizza shop.

"Not much!" Minister Vincenzo hovered ahead of the students, propelling himself with his windmill-like tail and hydropack. "The station is just past Piazza Lavanda up ahead!"

The ground trembled. Another purple ripple ran past anyone.

"Nonono… help! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllp!"

"BIMMY!"

Slightly ahead of the group, a purple rift split the air open over the canal. A white, glassy tentacle had wrapped up a screaming whimsicott and was dragging him into the rift. A second whimsicott, with a cottonnee in each arm, was running for the canal.

"Get back!" a sharpedo guardsmon in a violet hydropack barked. "I'll handle thi—"

"No! Your job's to protect the students!" Vincenzo hissed. "Press on!"

Sharpedo's eyes widened, as did Shimmer's. The tentacle disappeared into the rift, which closed behind it.

"No, not my Bimmy! Why?!" Whimsicott dropped to her knees while Shimmer and the others ran past her.

"Tell me I didn't just see that!" Xander squeaked.

"You did." Robin bowed his head.

"But that was, like, a freaking kraken!" Xander's ribbons curled up. "From movies and cartoons!"

"Or maybe it was a really big tentacruel," Robin muttered. "Either way, there's nothing we can do about it."

The canal broke off to the left and the street gave way to a giant, lavender square…

Shimmer's ears folded. The shouts and screams were louder than before. There was smashing glass. Loud bangs. Cries begging people to stop.

"What's going on here?" Vincenzo hovered higher in the air. "It's utter bedlam!"

Ahead, flashes of light and plumes of smoke came from wreckages of what must have been the plaza's market.

"Smash and grab, bros!"

Atop a gyarados statue in the middle of the plaza's central fountain, a grapploct stood brandishing a bullhorn in one tentacle and a handful of small seeds in another. He turned and hurled the seeds at one of the market tents still standing. The granbull desperately trying to defend it saw the seeds and fled before explosions burnt away the tent.

"This is our broment! Grab what you can and make with the bromoosing!" Grapploct shouted. His accent was so thick, it was hard to parse what he was saying. "The Medicis will grab this dying city by its horns!"

Uproarious cheers followed, with various pokémon filling burlap sacks with all sorts of goods that had spilled out from the destroyed market stands.

"Everyone keep moving and keep your heads down," Vincenzo ordered.

Shimmer frowned. What about all the chaos in the plaza? There were criminals running around like overflowing sewage. He couldn't even tell who was with Grapploct and who was an ordinary citizen capitalizing on the opportunity.

"But sir… what about the market?" Robin rested his leek on his shoulder. "These people… their livelihoods are getting torched before their eyes."

Vincenzo whirled on Team Excel. Shimmer flinched at the frenzied look in the barraskewda's eyes. "Our lives are more important. Keep your heads down and move!"

The minister had a point. Of course Shimmer didn't want to die. He was the crown prince. His life was worth more than a hundred commoners'!

... Wasn't it?

Just when it seemed like the end of the plaza was in sight, however, gale force winds threatened to sweep a whinnying Shimmer off his feet. The ponyta ducked behind Robin and his shield, then his horn lit up and he caught a screaming Xander with his telekinesis before the sylveon could tumble away.

A loud neigh then echoed across the plaza. At first, Shimmer's heart skipped a beat. Had one of his mothers shown up?

Then he realized that couldn't be the case. The neigh was... intimidating. Cold. An uneasy chill ran down his spine. "Vincenzo, what's going on?" he cried, only to scream and jump back in fright.

A frozen solid Vincenzo lay couple of meters in front of them, alongside three grimmsnarl Radiant Guard. And pacing in front of them was... an unfamiliar rapidash?

Shimmer blinked a few times. "Is that white rapidash... made of ice?"

"That can't be a rapidash. It's too big." Xander shivered. "And cold. Look at those hooves. They're frozen! And so is half of its face!"

"Forget that. Look at what's on that thing." Robin held his leek at his side. His arm trembled slightly. That was bad. Robin always kept his cool.

Shimmer followed the sirfetch'd's gaze to a gray suit of armor. Two legs, two arms, a broad chest, a round helmet, and two red eyes staring him down. "W-We have to go," he squeaked. "Have to get the minister and the others to saf—"

The armored stranger yanked on the ice rapidash's reigns. She reared up on her hind legs, neighing loudly.

"Scatter!"

It was their luxray classmate. Shimmer looked up to see massive Icicle Crash spears forming overhead. The ponyta scrambled backward, tripping over his own hooves and skidding across the cobblestone ground. The icicles shattered on the ground behind him. When Shimmer looked up, he realized the Medicis had taken notice of the newcomer. The grapploct with the megaphone was bringing up the rear as a small crowd fled out the south end of the plaza.

"Shimmy, get up! We have to go!" Xander cried, before his ribbons wrapped around Shimmer and stood him up. "Creepy Armor Guy's capturing people in little ball—"

Red light surrounded Xander. Horror overtook his face. He reached a foreleg out to Shimmer before dissolving away in a red stream. His soft ribbons faded from Shimmer's flanks.

"Xander?" Shimmer blinked, following the stream toward the armored knight, who held several purple spheres in his hand.

The realization finally set in. Tears blurred the corners of Shimmer's eyes and he charged forward with reckless abandon. "Xander, no!" His horn lit up. "Give him back! Give him back!"

He fired a Psybeam ahead of him. The knight produced a glistening sword and slashed the Psybeam. Shimmer failed to realize his attack had rebounded on him until it struck his horn and a psychic shock made his pink mane and tail puff up.

"Get back, my prince!"

Robin lunged ahead of Shimmer, swiping at an incoming purple ball with his leek. However, that merely caused the ball to split open and swallow Robin up in red light. Shimmer's eyes widened further.

"No... no! This can't be happening!" Shimmer shot a Psybeam at the ball to try and break it, but it was effortlessly dispelled by an icicle from the knight's steed.

The ponyta looked around for help. Classmates. Radiant Guard. Somebody.

... But he was the only one left, save for bystanders fleeing the plaza in terror. "H-Hey! Someone help me!" His voice reeked of desperation. It was so unbecoming of a prince. "Your prince needs you!"

The air around Shimmer chilled. He skittered away, whinnying in fright. The ponyta's ears twitched. Something whizzed through the air behind him. Shimmer spun and caught one of the small orbs that captured his friends with his telekinesis and broke it in half.

"Give me back my boyfriend!" Shimmer huffed, horn sparking. "You... don't know who you're dealing with!"

But his legs were trembling. This wasn't some sort of training exercise. This was a real enemy who really wanted to hurt him.

"Pathetic."

The knight's voice was distorted. Was the armor doing that... or something else? Regardless, he lifted his sword high.

"All pokémon exist for the glory of Te—"

He stopped suddenly. His round, gray helmet trembled slightly. Then a circle surrounded by five diamonds appeared on the knight's chest plate.

"All pokémon exist for the glory... of Eternatus."

Shimmer's ears folded back. He had to flee.

But Xander...

No! Boyfriend or not, Shimmer was the crown prince. He had to escape. He had to survive.

The pontya backpedaled, but the knight's white steed reared up, neighing. Icy spears jutted out of the ground, as if the steed was using some sort of ice-infused Stone Edge. Shimmer wasn't fast enough to outrun the ice. A spear struck him between the hind legs and knocked him airborne. He had never experienced such awful pain before.

Shimmer hit the ground hard, tumbling across disrupted cobblestone. Tears glistened in his eyes.

How could this have been happening? Where was the rest of the Radiant Guard? Or his mothers? He couldn't die here! He just couldn't!

"Krrraggh!"

Another whiney reached Shimmer's ears, but this one was far more distressed. Shimmer blew frost and hair out of his eyes to see the knight and steed skidding away from him, with a familiar corviknight and talonflame fluttering in place where the knight had previously stood.

"My eyes ain't playing tricks on me, right, V? That's an honest-to-hell glastrier standing there?" Griffon shook his head in disbelief. "Thought they were gone for good!"

Shimmer looked up. His heart fluttered upon seeing Vegna descending toward his bird allies. It wasn't a full cavalry, but Shimmer would take it!

The knight raised his sword. Glastrier responded with Icicle Spears that dangled over Vegna and the birds. Vegna pointed a hand up and Talonflame destroyed some of them with a Flamethrower. Griffon flew toward the knight, while Vegna drifted toward Talonflame with a Protect shield at the ready, saving them both from falling icicles.

"Even the lousiest present can hold a surprise," Vegna said, holding up his right hand. While the knight kept Griffon at bay with slashes from his sword, Will-O-Wisp embers formed behind him. The knight swung his sword around and caught one, while the remaining two contacted Glastrier's flanks before she could try and stomp on Griffon with her hooves.

Shimmer's eyes widened. The Will-O-Wisp the knight had slashed was right behind the dusknoir. "Behind you, Vegna!" he cried.

Talonflame swooped up and harmlessly absorbed the shadowfire. Vegna's red eye coldly glared at Shimmer.

"This is no place for a clown prince," he scoffed. "Flee with your tail between your legs like the others."

Shimmer flinched. He knew he was out of his league, but Vegna's insult stung even harder this time. "I can't!" Tears glistened in his eyes again. "Xander. He has Xander. And Robin."

"And the rest of the Bratty Bunch!" Griffon sneered, slicing through Icicle Crash spears with his glowing wings. "We already saw it, Dimmer!"

"Then why didn't you stop him?!" Shimmer hissed, vision blurring.

He was ugly crying. In front of Vegna and his stooges. If he wasn't so worked up, this would've humiliated Shimmer.

But he had to get Xander back. He couldn't lose the sylveon. Even if the ponyta was sure a gaggle of guys would line up to court him, none of them would get him like Xander. They wouldn't understand that pressure to be poised. Be elegant. Be perfect.

All things that failed Shimmer in this moment.

Two streams of purple light caught the ponyta's attention. He saw a flash of brown, then dropped to his belly. Pointed stones whizzed over his already-frazzled hair. Shimmer glanced left to see a gray, metallic rhydon revving up the drill on its nose.

Squealing, Shimmer shot a desperate Psybeam, only for sudden pain to strike his rear. Shimmer somehow managed to roll to his right and avoid Rhydon charging him down for a Horn Drill. The ponyta caught a glimpse of a metallic nidoking stomping toward him, poison gathered in its gray hands.

That wasn't Radiant Guard armor. It was more like the mysterious knight Vegna was fighting. Were these flunkies?

Shimmer didn't have time to think any further, because Nidoking hurled the poison in its hands forward. Try as Shimmer might, the Reflect he conjured wasn't strong enough to dispel every bit of Poison Jab. Purple ooze splattered onto his nose, filling his breath with noxious fumes. Shimmer thought he might lose his dinner, but instead his breathing grew ragged and purple splotches appeared in the corners of his vision.

The ponyta tried blinking them away. No good. This... was poisoning. He learned about it in class, but hadn't paid much attention. After all, he had Pastel Veil! This was impossible! So how was it happening to him? Nidoking and rhydon didn't have any ability-suppressing moves.

Shimmer tried standing up again, but the ground trembled beneath his hooves. He collapsed on his belly. Sharp, stabbing pain followed a forceful inhale. Every breath was getting harder. He had to heal himself. He had to flee, like Vegna said.

Rhydon revved up its horn again. Shimmer didn't know what to do. Nidoking could knock him down with Earthquake. And even if he dodged, the poison would do him in soon enough.

He needed Robin and Xander. Why did this have to happen to him? Why couldn't it have happened to that stupid dreepy? Where even was she? She vanished and then all of this happened. It couldn't have been a coincidence!

Though he braced himself for the incoming Horn Drill, nothing happened. Only a loud clang. Shimmer poked an eye open and saw Rhydon and Nidoking in a tangled heap. Griffon flew in place in front of them, though he was shakier than before.

"Yo, V! I hate to be that guy, but I think it's time to bring out the big guns, don't you?" Griffon cawed. He flapped his wings once, hovering out of the way of Stone Edge slabs jutting out from the ground. "Aww, c'mon, can't a guy yell at his boss in peace?" he huffed, slamming into the nearest slab with his metallic body and knocking it back at Rhydon.

"P... please help," Shimmer wheezed. "I... they... poison..."

"Bit busy, Di— yowch!" Lightning zapped Griffon's chest, knocking him to the ground. He dug his talons into the stone to stop his backsliding, then shot metallic feathers forward with flaps of his wings. Nidoking parried them all with electrified fists. Horn spinning, Rhydon charged for Shimmer.

"No! Stop!" the ponyta squealed, meekly covering his face with his forelegs.

"Come on, V!" Vegna cawed.

Shimmer's pelt stood on end. The air around him was charged and a thunderous boom made his skull rattle. He was still awake, however. Growing wearier every second, but awake. His vision was fuzzy, but blue haze filled the plaza when he opened his eyes. Rhydon and Nidoking had stopped their attacks and stared blankly into the distance. A pained neigh reached Shimmer's ears, likely from the knight's horse. He was too tired to look behind him, however. Every breath hurt so much. Poison was truly awful.

Then Rhydon and Nidoking disappeared in streams of purple light. "Yeah, that's right, you better run, torchic!" Griffon cawed. He strutted around, flapping his wings. "Bawk bawk bawk!" He met Shimmer's weary gaze and froze. "Ah, shit. Yo, V! Dimmer needs a li'l pick me up!"

There was a loud, annoyed sigh. Shimmer would've winced, but he lacked the strength. His vision was getting darker. The poison won out.

Xander... I'm sorry.

The ponyta was about to pass out when a sudden jolt of energy surged through his system. Shimmer's squeezing chest pain vanished. He found the strength to sit up, though his limbs trembled. Vegna lowered his right hand. Slight gold wisps faded from the edges of his crimson eye.

"A horse misus'd upon the road calls to heaven for human blood," Vegna said. Silence followed. Shimmer was too petrified to tell the dusknoir he had no idea what that meant. "Are you about done making a fool out of yourself?" He turned away from Shimmer. Talonflame flew onto his right shoulder gauntlet.

"I—" Shimmer looked around. "Wait, where's the knight?"

"Fled once I sent his steed to the Twilight Realm," Vegna responded.

That meant that Vegna and his birds had won, right? Shimmer's legs shook harder. Vegna was intimidating, but he had never truly seen the dusknoir fight. Just what sort of power did he possess that he could emerge triumphant against someone who could effortlessly reflect attacks?

... Wait, had Vegna said the knight fled?

"What?!" The ponyta's tail shot up in alarm. "But... but he captured my classmates! He got Robin! He got Xander!" Shimmer stumbled toward Venga. "D-Don't just stand there! Go after him!"

"... I will not."

"What?!" Tears stung at Shimmer's eyes once again. "No, I won't accept that! You're our professor! It's your job to protect us! And... he committed a crime! He kidnapped them!"

Vegna turned to him, eye glowing ominously. "Do you think me daft, Clown Prince? I'm well aware of that. But the knight teleported away. A fool runs blindly into the night. A learned man takes stock before setting forth." He gestured behind him. "Feel free to run off."

"Or you can just give yourself a pity rubdown in the shower later," Griffon sneered. "Because let's face it, you ain't gonna go after that guy. Not after that lousy performance." He leaned over, guffawing at the ponyta.

"You... you can't say that to me!" The tears were getting worse again. "Where's your empathy? I'm hurt! I lost two people I care deeply about!"

"Pfbt. Yeah, sure." Griffon rose slightly into the air. "I'll be sure to put in a call to the whambulance for ya, Dimmer. Ha ha ha!" He flew to Vegna's side. The dusknoir bonked him on the beak. "Oof! Okay, okay. Message received." He rubbed his face with a wing.

"I'm not here for empathy, sympathy, or anything of the sort," Vegna growled. "You faced real danger and wilted like a fragile flower." The dusknoir began floating away. "If you want your precious boyfriend back so much, steel yourself and act. Otherwise, your words are as empty as Griffon's head."

"Hey!" The corviknight narrowed his eyes. "At least I have ideas!"

"Wait!" Shimmer stumbled trying to catch up with him. "T-Take me with you! I need to get home!"

"I refuse." Vegna didn't even turn back around. "I still have a job to do... and a suspect to interrogate."

A suspect? "You know who the knight is?" Shimmer's voice cracked.

"No. But I caught that stuffy grovyle classmate of yours breaking into Starlene's trailer during her concert," Vegna growled. "And this chaos immediately followed, so I will at least question him on his actions."

The dusknoir grabbed hold of Griffon and flew off before Shimmer could get another word in. Instead, he seethed at the ground.

Chiaki had done something to mess with Starlene, then Venish descended into chaos? It wasn't some coincidence. There was malicious intent. Shimmer was sure of this.

"Team Bastion did this," the ponyta hissed, tears falling down his cheeks. "They took my Xander from me!"

XxX

~Il Paradigma, No. VIII: Guile Hideout~
The Matriarch warned that reunification would be a grueling struggle. One that could stretch for eons. "See this not as war, but as a journey," She exclaimed. "A lifelong test to prove our devotion to the Benefactor. Our devotion to eternity."​

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 42: Life, the Universe, and Everything​

CONFIDENTIAL
Based on the analysis of the damaged chips discovered by my Troopers, I'm issuing a memo to all Paradigm lieutenants. This is a security level omega alert. If you're reading this and you're not of the Paradigm, report to your nearest Tartarus Intake Facility or face erosion. I have personally placed trackers on each of these, so I will know if they leave Eterna City. And the trackers are armed to detonate if you try to disable or remove them. There'll be no funny business.

Although fragmented, data suggests a portion of Matriarch was focused on "The Butterfree Effect." I cannot tell you what this is. Only that there were scattered mentions of four things:

1) Mismatched beast.
2) Missing number.
3) Radiant beauty.
4) Genetic morpho.

Three of these seem to refer to living creatures. I assume the fourth does, too. The Earth Pokédex refers to Mewtwo as the "Genetic Pokémon," so it is likely capturing the rebel Gene will allow me to solve the riddle of the Butterfree Effect. Still, I want everyone to be on the lookout for anyone who could match one of these vague descriptions. They are to be brought to me dead or alive. But preferably alive, so I can get some answers.

Toodles, all. Keep up the good work.
Paradox

XxX​

Chiaki awoke in a fit of coughs thanks to a tube that had been shoved down his throat. Several nurses — at least, he assumed these audino were nurses — funneled into the room and removed the tube, along with a wad of mucus and saliva. The result left the grovyle's throat drier than he ever thought possible.

"Wah... ter," he croaked. Chiaki wanted to reach an arm up, but his limbs didn't respond. There was, however, a white band with a barcode around his left arm... and a silver metal ring above it that was also attached to the bed's side railing. It looked like an element-proofed restraining cuff. The type Stoutland Yard officers slapped on suspects to haul them off to a holding cell.

"Absolutely not," the lone audino who remained in the room replied. "With the amount of smoke inhalation you suffered, you're not even clear for a swallow study. And stop talking. We spent too long controlling the swelling in your throat." She turned and left, shaking her head and muttered about entitled kids.

That was when it all flooded back. The explosion his EMP triggered. Awaking with no sensation below his neck or ability to move. And Vegna showing up with a giant black dragon and hauling him away.

Though, from what Chiaki could tell, the ringing in his ear frills was gone, as were the X-transceiver fragments that had melted into his head. Instead, there was some sort of... metal implant attached to each of his temples. Hearing implants, probably.

It was obvious by now, but the white board hanging across from his bed confirmed he was, indeed, in a hospital. It listed a Sally as his assigned nurse, a Dr. Dwyer as the burn unit attending, a Dr. Francine as the cardiothoracic surgeon, a Dr. O'Boyle as the neurosurgeon, and a Dr. Lobo as the pulmonoligst. The only problem was a shield and blue cross etched into the top right of the white board, with a small "Healing Wish" scrawled beneath it.

Healing Wish? How the hell did I end up in Vellgaurde?

Vegna must have brought Chiaki here. But what for? Chiaki was under arrest. Wouldn't it have been easier for Vegna to keep him in Venish?

Chiaki's throat tightened. Did something bad happen to Venish?

"Finally awake, are we?"

A curtain and glass door to Chiaki's left slid open and the Grim Reaper floated in. Talonflame was surprisingly absent, which Chiaki chalked up to hospital visitor regulations. Vegna's gold inquisitor's badge was pinned on the shawl of his black hood. It reflected a bit of the red from Vegna's eye.

Chiaki said nothing. Partly because he wouldn't give Vegna any ammunition... and partly because his throat was too dry and sore.

"As I'm sure you've already realized, the doctors here are not miracle workers," Vegna said. "Your paralysis could not be fixed. There is a fair amount of scarring in your lungs. And there's a cardiac contusion. They had to restart your heart during surgery. Quite impressive how weak electric attacks can be repurposed to save lives."

Vegna held out his right hand. Black shadows conjured a crimson chalice in the shape of a small blastoise skull. He raised it in Chiaki's direction. "A toast... to the consequences of one's actions." The dusknoir tipped the chalice into his creepy stomach mouth. "Ah, such delectable poetic irony. You wanted so badly to make a name for yourself... and now you are nothing. A withered blade of grass whose consolation prize for dodging the gates of hell is a long stay on Citadark Isle."

Chiaki drew his lips back slightly. This was another tactic to get him talking. It had to be. Yet those words stung, because Chiaki knew Vegna spoke the truth.

"I don't expect you to talk." Vegna downed the chalice's remaining contents, then tossed it into his stomach mouth. "You're too hurt." He approached the foot of Chiaki's bed. "Unfortunately for you, I have ways around that."

The grovyle sucked in a sharp breath. Telepathy?

He blinked. No, of course the dusknoir could do that. And it gave Chiaki an avenue to turn the pressure back on Vegna. "Lemme guess, that was lesson one of necromancy school?"

"Hardly," Vegna scoffed. He pivoted left, chuckling. "Lesson two."

That was a joke. It had to be. "So, the Grim Reaper moniker has truth to it," he mentally scoffed. "I bet you kill those people to take their souls."

"You can sift through every line of Radiance law. You'll find nothing about necromancy." Vegna's tone suggested he'd done exactly that at some point. "But you're wrong, just like the general public. I pick souls to take carefully."

Chiaki didn't believe that. A bigmouthed corviknight and feral talonflame hardly seemed like Vegna's kind of company. "Like that black dragon?"

A brilliant blue overtook Vegna's eye. "You mean Zekrom?"

The grovyle's face tensed. "As in the Luminous Sage?"

Vegna nodded. He held out his right hand and a book materialized in it. Chiaki immediately recognized the eight-pointed star from Yuna's Soul Dew. "You—"

"All one needs for necromancy is an Abyssal Relic." The dusknoir opened the book and absentmindedly thumbed through the pages. "It's a common, everyday item bathed in the sins of an impure soul." He shut the book and it vanished in shadowfire. "This journal was positively rife with sin. Filled to the brim with passages showing a depraved mind warped by loneliness and heartbreak. It was the perfect item to make into a relic. A quick sacrificial ritual and it was ready."

He scratched the side of his tiny head. "I had another relic candidate — the husk of a crimson honedge — but, alas, I lost it when moving from my law school lodgings to the Ministry of Justice."

Chiaki's head pounded. He wasn't interested in diving into such a... morbid explanation. He was still too focused on Zekrom. "But if you control Zekrom, then that proves the Radiance history books are lying. And Aeon's version of events is closer to the truth."

Vegna nodded. "A reasonable deduction."

Chiaki needed several seconds to keep his breathing under control. "Why keep that to yourself? Why not go public?"

"Why do you care?" Vegna braced his hands against the plastic rail at the foot of Chiaki's bed. "You're a citizen here, not Aeon. Or are you, perhaps, hinting at a certain connection? One that would, say, drive you to try and harm the Radiant Diva?"

Shit! He said too much. This was what Chiaki wasn't supposed to do. At the very least, Chiaki had some inkling what Vegna was thinking. And it was, in his opinion, foolish. "Oh, come on. You were there. You saw Minister Charles. Someone else sabotaged her show!"

Vegna's eye shifted from blue to an ominous red. "And yet... it was you I found in the center of the wreckage after the trailer blew up, along with fragments of equipment capable of generating such an explosion."

This was when Chiaki should have gone silent. But Vegna had gotten under his skin. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was trying to stop the sabotage!"

To that, Vegna pivoted toward the far corner of the room. A PV set turned on, showing shaky, static-filled footage of Venish's streets. People running for their lives. Some getting dragged through rifts. Others struck by debris or buried under rubble.

"The immediate aftermath of your accident," Vegna explained. "And why I had you brought to Vellguarde." He shut the PV off and again braced his hands on Chiaki's bed. His eye bathed the Grovyle's blue hospital blanket in red. "Maybe you had no intent to harm, but there was clear intent behind your initial trespassing and what followed. You didn't care about the possible consequences, so your actions meet the criteria for reckless endangerment. Perhaps even criminally negligent homicide."

"What?!" Chiaki would've squirmed in his bed if he could still move. "You've got tunnel vision. Use your head, damn it! Didn't you see who was in the trailer with me? It was the academy student who went missing!" His breathing was quickening enough for the monitors to his right to beep. Chiaki took several seconds to stop himself from wheezing. "You ought to be investigating Polaris. They kidnapped her. I was trying to save her."

Sighing, Vegna floated toward the door. "Then perhaps it's best you hear it from the serpent's mouth. Suffice to say, however, you're the guilty party in this."

"I'm not!" Chiaki growled. "You're not listening to me! This isn't fair!"

Vegna paused with his left hand by the motion sensor to open the door. He bowed his head slightly.

"What is just is not always fair... and what is fair is not always just."

He waved his left hand. The door and its curtain slid open.

"Where are you going?" Chiaki struggled to lift his head.

"To file your charges with the Ministry of Justice," Vegna responded. He began hovering out the door.

"Wait!" Chiaki's head fell back against his pillow. "You can't leave me like this! Don't I at least get a phone call?"

But he got no response. The dusknoir was gone. In his place, Chiaki heard scratches. Scales slithering against a metal floor. Chiaki tilted his head and found dusty dragonair approaching his bedside.

Before the grovyle could raise his eyes in an attempt at a greeting, the blue tip of Scarlett's tail smacked Chiaki's cheek.

"You complete and total ass!"

The bauble on Scarlett's neck glowed. A small projection of Starlene appeared on the dragonair's head. "What the hell were you thinking breaking into my trailer? If someone saw me there... it would have ruined everything!"

Chiaki silently blinked. He was too stunned for anything else. A dragonair shouldn't have been capable of telepathy. But as the meloetta projection showed, she wasn't an ordinary dragonair.

However, what she told Chiaki was even more alarming. "You were in danger. From agents of World Ender!"

"I had it under control!" Starlene huffed, her cheeks puffing out along with Scarlett's. "The transmitter had an emergency psionic shutdown sequence. I was gonna engage it, but nooooooo. You had to try and play the big, brave knight rescuing the helpless damsel."

Scarlett jabbed the side of Chiaki's bed. "I didn't need a rescue," she growled.

She was delusional. She had to be. "Look at yourself." Chiaki would've pointed to Scarlett if he could. "You're emaciated. I found you looking like a pincushion. Polaris is abusing you. They... they clearly did something to—"

Starlene held up her right hand. "Nothing I didn't approve of or ask for."

Chiaki narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

"I figured you wouldn't." Scarlett casually tossed a bag onto Chiaki's bed. He couldn't feel it smack his lap, but the whoompf of the blankets suggested she used more force than necessary. "So, I brought a copy of my contract. That I willingly signed." The dragonair fished out a stack of papers and plopped them down on Chiaki's chest.

Polaris' logo was clear as day, along with two sets of signatures. One was definitely Vortex's.

"Nothing was done without my consent and authorization," Starlene continued. Chiaki was getting sick of the two swapping with one another.

"But that doesn't—"

"Stop." Starlene rolled her eyes. "You're in no position to lecture me." The meloetta crossed her arms. "The fact is that, in my time at Horizon, I quickly learned that, even with an elite education, I was never going to get anywhere in life. No matter how hard I worked, everyone would always see me as another 'filthy dragon' who got handouts from the crown.

"That's when Vortex came to me with an offer to change everything. To cast off these scales and be a gamechanger using Dynaforce." Starlene hopped onto the bed and thrust her right arm up in a pose. "He told me I could make music that would reach every corner of the kingdom and bring smiles to people's faces. I wouldn't be a second-class citizen anymore. I'd be a somebody. And I was getting real close to permanently transforming into my diva form before you loused it all up!"

Chiaki frowned. This couldn't have been the real Scarlett. Too much of what she said went against what Nikki told him.

"What about Nikki?"

"Who do you think got more of the attention when we were a duo?" Scarlett growled. "Wasn't me, that's for sure."

Before Chiaki could object, Scarlett sighed and shook her head. "There's no bad blood with Nikki. Hell, I've sent a lot of the earnings from my concerts and merch sales back to Blightsmuth." She flicked her tail dismissively. "Which makes me the lifeline keeping that city afloat. Something you nearly screwed up.

"If people find out my secret, I'll be ruined." Scarlett narrowed her eyes at the grovyle. "So, bedbound or not, you don't say a word about this to anyone. Not here. Not in Citadark once they haul your ass away."

She turned away from him. Starlene dissolved back into Scarlett's neck bauble. "For both our sakes, this better be the last time I see your ugly, half-burnt face."

The dragonair slithered away, leaving Chiaki staring at the glass door as it slid close.

All Chiaki wanted was to expose the truth. But this? This was worse than he could've imagined.

Everything had gone belly up. Like when he tried to avenge his mother. But now the consequences extended beyond the loss of his right arm.

There was no overcoming this. Even if Cyril could get him walking again, what good would that do? Vegna wanted him carted off to Citadark.

It didn't matter if Chiaki was innocent. If the grovyle somehow bested Vegna in court, he would wake up inside Eternatus... never again able to leave it.

His vision grew blurry. Was the grovyle tired?

... No, these were tears. It was a good thing he was alone. Because Chiaki wasn't supposed to cry. He was the Ryujin heir. He had to be strong.

Except he wasn't. His clansmon were right: he was dead weight.

At least now he looked the part, too.

[Life? Death? ResidentSleeper. The (CHAT) wants (THRILLS), (CHILLS), and (KILLS). It wants (HELIX)!]

Chiaki tried letting out a startled cry and his throat erupted in burning pain. His eyes darted around until he noticed the far corner of the room full of static-filled red squares. The squares quickly disappeared in mismatched blips of black and white light, revealing weird blue and red ovals floating around, twitching and spasming.

[No need to hold your (CLAP EMOJI)s.] The thing was speaking in a disturbingly robotic tone whose pitch switched between low and high without warning. Every word sounded like it was coming out of a radio or an old PV speaker. And it all sent static ripples through the thing's disjointed discs. [I would be (MUTED FOR TEN MINUTES) too if I met (CHAT)'s number two (BIRD JESUS), aaabaaajss Ahsen.]

It looked at the window. [Copyright(C)February2014norightsreserved.]

The grovyle looked around frantically, but couldn't find anything resembling those emergency call buttons hospital rooms were supposed to have. If one was there, it was out of sight, thanks to his severely limited movement. And he couldn't shout for help with his throat in pain like this.

Two discs — Ahsen's arms, maybe? — drooped. [Boy, talk about a tough (A, B, SELECT, UP, DOWN.)] As it shouted directions, Ahsen's body moved as if someone else controlled it, even slamming it into the ceiling and floor.

Ahsen picked itself up, limbs twitching. [What's with the (EYES EMOJI)? This is no OMEGALULing matter. I (EYES EMOJI) you, laying there like a sad sack. Full of FeelsBadMan.]

Chiaki understood very little of what this thing was spewing... which probably meant it was in cahoots with Xeromus. How else could it show up out of nowhere entirely unprompted?

The grovyle took deep breaths. If he could get out one shout, maybe he could get some help.

[Hey, hey, there's no need to (DON'T TOUCH THAT TOTODILE).] Ahsen floated closer to Chiaki's bed, only to abruptly stop and jerk around in different directions. [(DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, UP, LEFT.)]

It regained control of itself. [All I want is to offer you a chance. A chance at some (START9).] Ahsen vibrated excitedly. [A deal as good as (FREE MONTHLY SUBSCRIBER WITH PRIME GAMING.)

[You want the moves? The schmooves? The grooves?] Ahesen pointed its arms at Chiaki's limp body. [(HELIX) can give. (HELIX) can take. A little (START9) is all (HELIX) asks for in return.]

Ahsen waved its limbs around. [Keep them (CLICK)ing. Keep them (STICK)ing. (READ)ing. (WATCH)ing. (TWEET)ing. But not (DELETE)ing.]

The grovyle had enough. He opened his mouth and tried as hard as he could to shout for help. However, white hot pain shot down his throat. Chiaki coughed up red-tinged saliva.

[OMEGALUL.] Ashen's head swiveled around thanks to its lack of anything resembling a neck. [Sometimes it be like that. Kappa.] It drifted closer to Chiaki's bed. [The choices are yours and yours alone. (START, START, B, A, B, UP, UP).]

Ahsen rose up, hitting the ceiling multiple times. When it finally drifted back toward Chiaki's bed, it had something balancing precariously in its discoid arms.

A rusty sword? No, that wasn't right. Chiaki squinted to get the stars out of his vision from his shouting attempt.

... It was a honedge. Rust coated much of its body, but there were bits of red on its blade... and an empty socket where its eye should have been.

Chiaki held his breath. That couldn't have been right. Everything about it matched up with—

[Don't try to 5Head this, (STRIMMER). They are who we thought they were.] Ahsen twitched and jerked about excitedly. [You want (UP, LEFT, LEFT, DOWN) movement. (HELIX) knows it. You can't (GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL DO NOT PASS GO DO NOT COLLECT TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS).] The creep was hovering by Chiaki's head, now. [So, take the (STICK OF TRUTH) and open your retinas. Reclaim your (OW, THE EDGE) now for the low, low price of.]

This thing was talking crazy. Chiaki knew that. It didn't even properly finish that last sentence!

... And yet it sounded like Ahsen was offering him a way to walk again.

It was too good to be true. An obvious deal with the devil. But what did the grovyle really have to lose at this point? He was bedbound, couldn't talk, and on a fast track to Citadark. He knew Ryujin policy well enough by now. If the law caught up with someone, there were no lifelines. That was how the clan kept operating all these years. Chiaki would have no support. And against the likes of the Grim Reaper, the two outcomes were a guilty verdict... or a one-way trip to the Qliphoth.

Chiaki had hit rock bottom. As far as he was concerned, there was nowhere to go but up.

He shakily tilted his head toward Ahsen. Perhaps the glitch recognized the look in his eyes, because it buzzed excitedly. [You will take the (DROP)?]

The grovyle slowly nodded.

Ahsen's limbs twitched. [Warning: if you consent to the terms and agreements of this (END USER LICENSE)—]

Static overtook Ahsen's head. Its body appeared to go limb for a moment and a much deeper, non-robotic voice said, "You accept everything that will happen from now on."

Well, that was ominous as hell.

Still, recklessness had landed Chiaki in this situation. If there was ever a time to double down, this was it.

... Probably. Despite the Ryujin operating casinos, Chiaki knew little about gambling. Regardless, the grovyle nodded at Ahsen once again, a more determined look in his eyes.

Ahsen flailed its limbs around. [PogChamp! I knew you would (PAYMENT SUCCESSFULLY PROCESSED).] It bobbed its head at the sword. [Enjoy the (START9) and don't forget to (HIT THAT FOLLOW BUTTON AND RING THE BELL).]

Static cubes engulfed Ahsen. They all disappeared, leaving Chiaki alone with the empty, rusted honedge. The grovyle stared at it, blinking slowly. Was something supposed to happen? Did he did magic words?

No, if this was Vegna's Abyssal Relic candidate, then there was some sort of ritual he needed to perform. If only he had access to that informa—

It was brief, but Chiaki saw embers flicker around Honedge's empty eye socket. The grovyle held his breath, but one of the monitors started beeping, so he exhaled. More embers lazily drifted out of the eye socket, which now had a faint red glow.

Honedge wasn't inert. There was something there!

The red glow got brighter. It shifted to an orange bubble that expanded several centimeters before popping... and releasing a joltik-sized, luminescent orange butterfree.

What the hell? Chiaki watched the butterfree fly around the honedge husk, which stopped glowing. It had no face, hands, feet, or antennae. Every flap of its tiny wings produced even tinier embers that fizzled out in the air.

Finally, after a few loops around the sword, it fluttered toward Chiaki. The grovyle went cross-eyed watching it come closer and closer and land on his snout.

For a second, Chiaki thought he might sneeze. Then the butterfree glowed brighter and, with a sudden flash, dissolved into orange light that went up his mouth and nostrils.

Chiaki's eyes widened. Warmth spread down his entire body... and he felt it below his neck! At first it was nice and soothing. But it progressively got hotter. Too hot to handle!

With a startled grunt, Chiaki threw the covers off his bed. He wasn't even processing that he could move again, because he was too busy watching in horror as his green skin burnt to a black that brought his stepsiblings to mind. The restraint melted off his arm and plopped onto the floor uselessly. His once pink belly turned the same shade of orange as the tiny butterfree. Bit by bit, his right arm regrew itself, but with the same black skin as the rest of his body. And yellow, flame-like markings traced themselves along his skin.

Chiaki's vision flickered. The hospital room disappeared, replaced by a torrent of fire.

A figure similar to Gene stared directly ahead. Orange, triangular wings and a helmet reminiscent of a volcarona appeared in gouts of fire. It raised its left hand and summoned a blade.

The burning intensified in Chiaki's head and rear. "Ah... graaagh!"

He leaned forward and threw his yellow hands onto his head. The hearing aids popped out of his ear frills. Chiaki's leaf was regrowing, too, but it was happening too fast. And it felt way too long.

The figure slashed at the air with its sword. Flaming crescents descended upon the battered forms of a swampert and a blaziken who each wore a broken gold wristband.

With a pained holler, Chiaki rolled out of bed. Any jubilance he might've had at regaining his movement was gone when he glimpsed what used to be his stubby leaf tails elongating into flaps like Kyoko's.

"Wh... at's happ... ening... to me?"

Chiaki's vision flashed again. He thrashed about, screaming.

The figure thrust its sword into the ground. Giant, fiery tornadoes erupted from the earth, swallowing up Rayquaza and Latias.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Gasping, Chiaki sat up. Scarlett stood slack-jawed in the doorway. Chiaki looked down at his orange belly and black, charred skin. Medical staff were slipping in past the dragonair.

"Hey, where's the patient?" A gardevoir looked around, eyes narrowing. "What's going on here? I'm getting Sir Vegna!"

Chiaki acted without thinking. With a snarl, he spewed fire — freaking fire! — and the gardevoir backpedaled out of the doorway with a shriek. Scarlett dropped to her belly.

"What the hell?" she hissed.

"Call a code gray!" someone shouted from the gathering crowd.

Chiaki lunged for Scarlett and grabbed hold of the dragonair. "H-Hey! Let go of me!" she cried. Her neck bauble glowed, but Chiaki wrapped it and the dragonair's snout up in his arms and sprinted for the far side of the room.

The honedge husk appeared at his side and slashed at the window. It shattered, raining glass down and the husk disappeared. Chiaki felt a weight in the pit of his stomach, but kept running.

"Stop him!" an unfamiliar voice barked.

Scarlett thrashed about in Chiaki's grip to no avail. The charred grovyle leaped through the broken window... and discovered his room was six stories off the ground!

He and Scarlett tumbled through open air for a few seconds. Then Chiaki's back burnt... and the falling stopped. He was moving past the flat and pointed roofs of Vellguarde's buildings. His arms muffled Scarlett's cries.

Chiaki glanced over his shoulder to see flaming volcarona wings flapping effortlessly.

Whatever the husk had done to Chiaki, he didn't have time to think over it. The hospital was sounding the alarm. Stoutland Yard would undoubtedly be after him. He had to keep moving... with his screaming passenger in tow.

Spoiler: The transformation

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 43: Strangled by the Red Tape​

To: Paradox, Deoxys
From: [REDACTED]
Security Level: Sigma
Subject: Update

I must apologize, sir. After some further digging, I do not believe your new acquaintance is some sort of deposed Etherian royalty. In fact, I'm not even sure he's Etherian at all. I saw Lieutenant Hideout's glastrier steed fall in battle and it was absorbed by a dusknoir — the one from the trial you broadcasted to Eterna City, actually — who summoned a zekrom from the heavens like it was nothing! There was a momentary flash of panic in his expression when it happened. Like he had stumbled onto something he wasn't supposed to.

Do I think this changes anything? No. In fact, it might give you additional leverage beyond his other partner. She's still imprisoned, yes? Well, with things unraveling on Radiance, his desire to return to his true home may only grow more desperate. And that desperation may cause him to go all in on a total bluff, if you catch my drift.

I do have one request, though: please allow me to dispose of these idiots. They were a decent enough distraction at the time, but I'm tired of putting them to sleep when I need to get real work done. Radiance's Parliament is convening for an emergency session and you'll no doubt want to hear a full report, but I can't go to Radiance's capital with this pair of deuces.

That's all for now. Nos vera Natus!

XxX​

Dazzels was the brilliant capital emblematic of the Kingdom of Radiance's shining beauty. However, Shimmer had no interest in looking past the marble steps in front of Espace Adelaide toward the sparkling, glass-filled government buildings, museums, and cultural sites marking Grand Place, the bluntly named center of the city.

Instead, all he could do was look down at his scratched hooves and the lilac carpet beneath them. The ponyta hadn't made eye contact with anyone. Not when Demerzel and Justine showed up in Venish to collect him. Not when the latter tried to question him about what happened. Not the entire night, where he lay in bed alone for the first time in a month, gazing into a photo he and Xander had taken together on a private beach. And not when Justine shoved him out of bed the next morning, threw an oversized pink cloak over him, and dragged him out of Radiant Palace so Demerzel could teleport them to Parliament's main building.

Shimmer shuffled through Espace Adelaide's main hall like a zombie in some schlocky action movie he'd only see with Xander for a good laugh about commoners' terrible tastes. He only moved faster when a voice ahead of him growled, "Pick up the pace. You're Crown Prince, not some stoner baked out of their mind."

A flat hallway led to a spiral staircase that Shimmer proceeded down. He could see Justine's legs with their usual black lace stockings and black leather boots. The virizion probably had on her usual tight leather holowear suit, too. If Justine was going to Parliament with Shimmer, then it couldn't be good.

No doubt this was going to be about what happened to Venish. Was Justine going to make him testify to Parliament?

Shimmer's gut squirmed. He couldn't do it. He couldn't recount standing by and letting the Medicis terrorize Piazza Lavenda or failing to do anything to fight against the mysterious knight or... losing Xander and his other classmates.

The ponyta was supposed to be a prodigy who excelled at everything from grades to modeling and acting. The perfect catch for any other noble. Heck, no one even knew Xander was his consort except his mothers and Robin. Sure, the two had gotten caught together in the locker room at school several times, but they always played it off as a casual fling. And no one dared to gossip about it because Shimmer could have made their lives miserable. But if he testified... he'd become a laughingstock. The butt of every late-night comedian's opening monologue. His life would truly be over!

A door creaked open and something firm pressed against Shimmer's side. "Get in there," Justine hissed, shoving the ponyta forward. Shimmer stumbled ahead and found himself behind multiple large, velvet-covered chairs. He glimpsed his other mother's outline in the middle chair and quietly crept in between it and the chair to the right, where he usually sat when observing Parliament sessions.

To his shock, however, the main chamber was entirely silent, with attention squarely focused on the circular room's mounted PV monitors showing a crowd of pokémon cautiously watching some sort of... horrifying helmeted creature with chains around its legs and a tattered black cloak.

"Look around you!" it shouted between cough-filled wheezes. "The sky is painted purple and tears itself open in anguish because this planet is suffering! You are all suffering! The ether chokes two civilizations out and your leaders tell you to avert your eyes from the truth. That Natus — your so-called Word Ender — is its source. That you are fed lies to be complacent!"

Radiant Guard pelted the creature with attacks, but every attempt they made faltered as some sort of vaguely canine shadow sprouted from the ground and swallowed up the attacks.

"Look at this! See how they pour their hatred onto a worthless omen like me," it continued. "But I will gladly accept that animosity if it means you all can find love and salvation in Natus' embrace."

More attacks. This time the shadow dog manifested a red shield that deflected Icy Winds, Thunderbolts, and Earth Powers away.

"Join me in rejecting your crown. Reject the ether and discover a life greater than any you could live here!"

The PVs shifted to shaky shots of some parts of the assembled crowd marching in unison with the helmeted monster, carrying hastily made "Down with Polaris!" and "What are they hiding?" signs.

A few grimmsnarl and bruxish guards wrangled some of the protestors and shoving matches broke out amongst the crowd.

"These are just some of the scenes from a spontaneous demonstration that took place at dawn in Herbrides," a female newscaster explained as the PVs changed to show a trio of scuffed up roselia being shoved into Stoutland Yard transport vehicles.

"Similar demonstrations rose up across the kingdom following the speech given by the helmeted creature, who calls himself Xeromus. While these cities were spared from the calamity that befell Venish last night, there are reports of similar rifts appearing in the sky. They may be far enough away to avoid bringing any harm, but it seems citizens are all asking themselves the same question: how long will they stay safe?"

The PV monitors shut off in unison. It was then that Shimmer realized Vortex was sitting beside Arianna at a table opposite the platform the thrones were on, in front of the MP assembly. There was a smaller podium across from the pale-faced charizard, which held some of the Crowne Ministers. In the middle was an older appearing corsola. Shimmer recognized her from behind as Parliament's Speaker, Leyanne.

She cleared her throat and tapped a rocky horn to her microphone. "Now that we're all up to speed, I simply must know what you have to say for yourself, Vortex."

"It's Chancellor Vortex," Arianna cut in. Shimmer glimpsed a twinge of irritation breaking through her normal indifferent expression. Perhaps the large bags under her eyes made it easier to tell.

"You will not speak out of turn in this chamber, Miss Arianna," Leyanne retorted, thinly veiled contempt behind her words. "We have ample accounts from the Amphitheatre broadcast showing World Ender's sigil displaying while your company-sponsored superstar sang an anarchistic manifesto that previewed the sentiments later expressed by that deranged mutt in Herbrides." The corsola hopped to the edge of her podium. "This body demands an explanation."

The charizard shifted uneasily in his seat. Shimmer had never seen Vortex so uncomfortable. Even his navy blue holowear suit wasn't as neat and tidy as usual.

"We're, erm, still sorting through that," Vortex said. His microphone was too small for his long neck, so he was hunched over like he had back problems.

"Is that so?" Leyanne quirked a brow. "You run the most profitable corporation in the entire kingdom, with multiple Crowne Ministers sitting on your board. How do you not have an answer yet?"

Vortex was about to say something, when the suit-garbed dartrix to his left leaned over and whispered something. With a stoic expression, Vortex replied, "There are multiple matters Polaris needs to address. This is an ongoing investigation."

"Multiple matters." Leyanne rocked back and forth. "So, you admit your corporation failed on several levels."

"That's not what I—" Vortex stopped when Dartrix grabbed his left arm. "No comment," he whispered, tail flame dimming.

"Then, perhaps, we should address this one level at a time," Leyanne retorted. "Starting with the idol, Starlene."

Murmurs rose up from the MPs sitting at their desks behind Vortex. An elderly granbull let out a "Here, here!"

Again, Dartrix whispered into Vortex's ear frill. The charizard mumbled, "You know as well as I there was an explosion backstage at the Amphitheatre. We had nothing to do with that."

"Yes, the Ministry of Justice has a suspect in custody," Leyanne said, rocking back and forth again.

"Point of inquiry, Madame Speaker!" a blaziken called, raising a white placard.

"Go ahead."

"Two individuals were recovered from the wreckage of Starlene's trailer," Blaziken said. "One of which was a dragonair." He held up a document. "The report lists one Grovyle Chiaki as the suspect, so where did this dragonair come from?"

Shimmer sucked in a sharp breath. He remembered hearing about a dragonair upperclassman at Horizon that, like Nikki the Nuisance, was accepted on scholarship. The ponyta had gossiped at length about it with Xander and Robin — heck, he made sure her classmathes threw a fair bit of ire in her direction — but she left the academy and then Nikki showed up in her place.

He wanted to brush it off as a coincidence, but the flash of panic in Vortex's eyes suggested it wasn't.

"That's beyond the scope of this inquiry, I'm afraid," Leyanne said. Shimmer caught the relief washing over Vortex's face, only for it to fade when the corsola added, "Unless there's something you wish to add, Mr. Vortex."

The charizard shook his head. More murmurs followed. Leyanne knocked one of her nubby legs against her podium. "Order. I will have order. We should get back on tr—"

A loud slam jolted Shimmer. He bit his tongue to stop himself from whinnying like a startled colt. The ponyta looked left to see oak double doors wide open and Minister Tesla lying in a crumpled daze, stripped of his goggles and that weird backpack that held his robot limbs. And standing behind him with a determined glint in her eye was Virizion Justine.

"Not so fast, Madame Speaker," she said, strutting into the chamber while a few journalists repositioned their cameras to get shots of the latex-wearing virizion. Justine shoved Tesla further in with a forehoof. "The good MP was onto something with his question."

Leyanne briefly sputtered. "M-Madame High Inquisitor." The corsola rocked back and forth nervously. "This is highly irregular." She turned around and looked toward Shimmer— no, toward his mother.

"We grant Lady Justine permission to address Parliament," Isola said, bobbing her head slowly. As side conversations rose up in the chamber, the rapidash turned to Shimmer and whispered. "Pay attention, dear. It's time you watched how real leaders take charge."

Shimmer wanted to melt into the floor, but meekly nodded instead.

"Get up." Justine shoved Tesla again. The boltund scrambled to his feet, making nervous "zzt" noises the entire time. "Tell Parliament what you told me during questioning. What's the source of the Diva Project?"

Tesla looked at Vortex, whose eyes were wide. Dartrix stood up in his chair. "You questioned him on company matters without counsel present?!"

"On our orders," Isola exclaimed, standing from her throne. "This is a matter of national security and Minister Tesla is, first and foremost, a public servant."

Dartrix puffed out his feathers. "But Your Eminence, due process is essential to a functional judici—"

"Are you questioning our authority on the matter?" Isola narrowed her eyes. Her golden, shield-shaped breast armor glistened under the glow of the chamber's chandeliers.

"O-Of course not." Dartrix obscured more of his face with his large, green, drooping feather. He sat back down and whispered to Vortex.

"No more interruptions," Justine growled. She stomped a forehoof in front of Tesla. "Talk. Now."

"The Diva Project... involved a young lady whose music had Dynaforce powers," Tesla said, staring at the chamber's purple carpet. "The project team treated her with special ether-based formulations to amplify that power and allow her to manifest it as the idol, Meloetta Starlene. The design was based on old historical records of a pokémon that would fight battles using her voice, but sadly succumbed to the Darkest Day."

Several gasps echoed through the chamber. A few MPs even stood up at their desks, shouting about experimentation.

"Order!" Leyanne used her right foot as a gavel once again.

"Where did you get your subject?" Justine asked.

"Well, I— zzrt zzvrt." Tesla robotically swiveled his head around. "She was... a Horizon Academy student."

The shouting resumed from the MPs. Dartrix hurriedly grabbed Vortex's microphone. "I will have you know that this student agreed to everything in writing. We can produce every contract, along with affidavits she was signing them of her own free will!"

"That's supposed to make it better?!" a pinurchin MP called from the back of the circular room.

"Order!" Leyanne struck her podium again. "The High Inquisitor still has the floor!"

Shimmer's gut squirmed. That dragonair commoner who left Horizon was a singer. Even if Nikki didn't shut up about it, he would have remembered. He and Xander thought her songs were catchy, though it was hard to look past a dragon singing them.

Did that mean that Starlene... was actually a dragonair?

"What other effects did these ether treatments have, Minister?" Justine continued, pacing circles around the panicked boltund. Tesla looked at Vortex who shook his head, but Justine stepped in between them.

"I, uh—" Tesla descended into squeaky pretend robot noises.

"Minister," Justine growled.

"I don't remember!" he blurted out.

"You don't remember telling me that Starlene's music exerted suggestive influences on its listeners?" Justine said, raising a brow.

A tense silence fell over the entire chamber. "E-Excuse me?" Leyanne gasped.

"Suggestive influence?" the same blaziken from earlier gawked. "That sounds like brainwashing to me!"

"N-No! Never!" Tesla rapidly shook his head. "It's more comparable to hypnosis, really, and—"

A fresh wave of shouts emerged from the MPs. A couple of morgrem were pointing at Vortex and Tesla.

"O-Order!" Leyanne's call failed to stop the shouting.

However, Justine had no such trouble. "So, in your opinion, it's possible that these ridiculous protests are a result of citizens being exposed to Starlene's hypnotic effects?"

Tesla nodded. Shimmer's ears folded. He did recall moments while the concert played on the hotel suite PV where he and Xander were hallucinating. And that wasn't like the time the ponyta had tried tiny mushrooms, either. There was some sort of blue and orange tentacle creature talking about World Ender.

No. Shimmer shrank down. Polaris was manipulating people? Justine didn't seem to know about it, but what about Isola? How much was shared with her regarding the project?

And how did Team Bastion find all this out? Shimmer wondered, glaring at the floor. Was it the grovyle? His father ran some sham newspaper that constantly slandered the government. Maybe they dug something up for the Aeon princess to put into effect?

At last, the shouts died down. Justine had formed a Sacred Sword and held her head high. "I share your frustrations, everyone. But there are two other points that must be discussed." She dissolved the attack and whirled on Tesla. "What's the source of the ether powering our kingdom?"

The color drained from Tesla's face. Vortex dug his claws into the table. Dartrix lunged for the microphone. "Th... that delves into proprietary technology! We have a right to protect our assets!" He pointed a wing toward the journalists in the front corner of the room. "This line of questioning necessitates a closed meeting with full confidenti—"

"Very well." Isola raised her head. Her horn and the gem in the middle of her Crowne Shield glowed pink. "All press and other visitors are ordered to vacate posthaste."

Rumbles of protest rippled through the chamber, but ultimately everyone standing along the room's circular borders shuffled out. Isola's horn glowed brighter. Pink, heart-shaped locks covered each of the doors. Shimmer looked around at the chamber. Even though it was much quieter, many MPs were still standing. Some, like the morgrem, glared at Tesla.

"Satisfied, counselor?" Justine said.

Dartrix shuffled uneasily. "We still object to these disclosures."

"Noted, and overruled," Isola exclaimed. "The kingdom's security trumps corporate patents."

Again, Justine turned to Tesla. "Well?"

"Zrrrrttttt." Tesla mechanically staggered back. "Ether comes primarily from... World Ender. The Needles are not markers for underground power systems, they are part of the seal on World Ender. Their destruction would, according to our calculations, release World Ender from its imprisonment. It could then proceed to destroy the planet as it attempted in the Darkest Day."

When Tesla's rapid response finished, Justine formed her green Sacred Sword to immediately silence cries from the MPs. "Who created the seal?"

"Powerful pokémon," Tesla whimpered. "My research suggest they are revered by the Aeon Kingdom as so-called 'Luminous Sages.'"

Justine's glowing horn wasn't enough to silence the protests this time. Neither were Leyanne's attempts to restore order.

"Outrageous!" a togekiss shouted.

Blaziken stood up yet again. "So, this entire time we've been lying to the populace, through our schools and history books?!"

"It would appear that way," Justine stoically responded.

Blaziken blinked in bewilderment. "Your Eminence, did you know about this?"

Shimmer's throat constricted. World Ender truly was alive? The very feat that gave his family claim to the throne... was really accomplished by Aeon leaders?

"We did not." Isola cast her gaze down. "This is... truly heartbreaking news to behold."

"What do we tell the public?" Togekiss called.

"Nothing," Isola replied, her voice sickeningly sweet despite the shocking news.

"Excuse me?!" Blaziken flummoxed.

"We cannot give the people any more reason to believe the manipulative words of these World Ender agents," Isola sternly declared. "For the sake of the kingdom's stability, we must ensure this issue is dealt with before telling the public the truth."

The ponyta's head pounded. His ears rang. Yuna... that stupid dreepy must have realized the truth! Or her parents did, and sent her into the kingdom under false pretenses!

Yes, that had to be it! They had no hope of outmuscling Radiance's larger size and better technology, so they wanted to dismantle it from within! And she would totally be able to convince a couple of punks like Chiaki and Nikki to ally with her. Vortex likely fixed her team, except it ended up backfiring spectacularly!

"... disingenuous to withhold the full truth from them?"

Shimmer telekinetically brought his mother's microphone down when Blaziken finished his question. "If I may?"

Abrupt silence fell over the room. Justine's eyes were wide and Leyanne had no idea what to say. Shimmer took that as his cue to continue. "Is it not possible that the Aeon Kingdom arranged for this?" the ponyta wondered. "On a recent trip to the Herbrides Lines, their princess detailed their kingdom's version of the Darkest Day. It sounded awfully close to what Minister Tesla described.

"If they are confident we forced them into the mountains under false pretenses — but had constantly failed to make any progress through war — why not send a saboteur to destabilize us and turn the public against us?" The more he said out loud, the more Shimmer truly believed it. "I think the Aeon Princess is at the root of all of this."

An unseen force grabbed Shimmer's dark cloak. Within a second, he was back beside his mother's throne.

"Thank you for that, dear." Isola's voice was stoic. Shimmer thought she was perturbed. But surely she understood. He was onto something!

"You're sorely mistaken, Your Grace."

The ponyta flinched. He had forgotten about Demerzel! The giant-headed mutant whimsicott floated out to the right of the raised platform and headed for Leyanne's podium. He politely gestured to the microphone and the corsola handed it over.

"The Aeons have no reason to work against us," Demerzel said. "And now that Justine has dragged the truth out, I'm sure you all can understand why." He tapped his bulbous head. "Where does ether come from? World Ender. Our kingdom's channeled World Ender's energy... and we've lost huge swathes of land — entire cities, even — to distortion. Meanwhile, the Aeon Kingdom has no ether and has lost almost no territory to distortion."

"Because they have some sort of technique to stop it!" Shimmer countered.

"Or they're not tampering with World Ender like Polaris clearly is." Demerzel pointed accusingly toward Vortex. The charizard glared back. "Regardless, the point remains unchanged: all Aeon needed to do is wait out the clock. Then Radiance would be overrun by distortion and forced to yield to their terms.

"But they came to the bargaining table... because they knew the truth and wanted to work with us." Demerzel shook his head. "Instead of vilifying them, we should work with them even closer now that the situation is more dire than ever."

Fresh murmurs arose. Vortex slammed his fists on the table and stood up. "Absolutely not!" he hissed. "This is ridiculous!" The charizard ignored Dartrix's attempts to calm him down. "You're accusing my company of driving this kingdom toward ruin? I'm the reason we're prospering! And only Polaris can find a solution to—"

"You mean Icarus?" Justine cut in. She shoved Tesla toward Vortex with her foreleg. "Where were you developing it, Minister?"

"Cita... dark."

Justine's expression darkened. "The same Citadark that Polaris scanners report a strange shockwave radiating out from immediately before rifts started appearing across the kingdom?"

The fire in Vortex's eyes faded as quickly as it appeared. He leaned over his table. "Th-That's—"

"Where is Icarus now, Minister?" Justine asked.

Tesla stiffened. "I, um— I haven't been to Citadark lately, but I imagine it must be—"

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Demerzel calmly folded his arms behind his back and floated away from Leyanne's podium. "Parliament funded this project. You agreed to update it on the project's status."

Several cries of agreement rose up from the MPs. Tesla shrank down with the saddest "zzts" Shimmer had hear.

"Gone," he whimpered.

"Gone?" Justine marched into the boltund's line of sight. "Is it not a machine? Are you implying someone snuck into our maximum security prison and stole a device?"

"No! It's... it's..." Tesla's eyes darted around.

"Also related to World Ender, isn't it?" Demerzel said. "And may have reacted to Starlene's sabotaged song. Like a beckoning siren of sorts."

Tesla practically sprawled out on his belly, then nodded in defeat.

Shimmer shrank back from a wave of shouts and protests. This was all too much. He was still reeling from losing Xander. Now the ponyta had to contend with all of this?

This was supposed to be the best time in his life. Shimmer was going to handily win the Crowne Cup, then announce Xander as his consort to the kingdom by proposing at the trophy ceremony. But now there was no Xander. There would be no Crowne Cup. The popstar he loved was revealed for a fraud, just like his ancestors.

How did everything manage to crash and burn around him so quickly and so spectacularly?

The protests continued. Leyanne couldn't quiet them. Neither could Justine.

Yuna. This is her fault! I know it is! It has to b—

"ORDER!"

A chill ran down Shimmer's spine. He had never heard that tone from Isola before. Sure, Justine could get angry, but his other mother was never one to let such ugly emotions show through. Even in the private comfort of their castle.

The rapidash approached the edge of the platform and braced her right forehoof on the banister. "We've heard enough. This is... a grave situation. One that should not have transpired. We admit that it was foolish of us to grant such a close working relationship to a single company. But that does not excuse the actions that have transpired."

She looked at Justine. "Arrest Mr. Vortex."

"What?!" Dartrix squawked.

Vortex stiffened in his seat. "Me? What for?"

"Fraud. Against Parliament. Against the entire kingdom, actually," Isola exclaimed. "Oh, and arrest Tesla, too."

"Hey!" The boltund jumped to his feet. "It's Minister Doctor—"

"No." Isola's eyes flickered blue, as did her horn and Crowne Shield. "In fact, that goes for the lot of you. In accordance with the Radiant Constitution, we are hereby stripping all Crowne Ministers of their titles. Those of you with known financial ties to Polaris will have your assets frozen until they can be properly investigated by the Ministry of Finance and Stoutland Yard."

"You can't be serious!" Minister Xiao knocked his chair over standing up. The urshifu bared his fangs. "Some of us haven't gone anywhere near that company!"

"We are deadly serious," Isola responded, holding her head high. "If any of you try and oppose us, we shall arrest you and charge you with treason."

"T-TREASON?!" Dartrix's feathers puffed up so much they obscured his face. "This is utterly ridiculous!"

"Would you care to join your client, counselor?" Isola coldly countered while Justine ushered Vortex out of his seat.

"You can't do this to me!" the charizard roared, flaring out his wings. "I brought progress and prosperity to this kingdom!" He whirled on Justine as the virizion tried to shove him toward Tesla. "Get your hooves off me, you latex-wearing hussy!"

Shimmer watched the scene unfold with increasing disbelief. He was getting nauseous and he hadn't even eaten anything since before the attack on Venish.

"See that, Shimmer?" Isola lowered her head into Shimmer's view. "That's how a leader's supposed to act. Understand?"

The ponyta was thankful for his cloak, which hid his trembling hind legs.

"Yes, Mother," he squeaked, but all he could think about was fleeing back to his room and, with Xander gone, hiding under his covers until his frayed nerves calmed down.

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Dazzels is loosely based on Brussels, Belgium, the de facto capital of the European Union. Similarly, Espace Adelaide is based on Espace Léopold, one of the meeting places of the European Parliament. And Corsola Leyanne is based on Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 44: Go Ahead, Mesa My Day​

Entry 1041
It's a strange place. So many weird buildings made from hexagonal tiles and filled with big gears and satellites.

And the inhabitants — these Overseer people — aren't afraid of me. They keep calling me "Necrozma" and saying more of me are out there. Just not in this universe. Which implies there are other universes.

I'm not sure how to feel about that. And after what happened on Earth, I don't know I can trust them. It could be another trick. They might want me to lower my guard so they can hurt me. Just like everyone else.

Why am I even bothering with this place? I should just leave. I can't take any more heartbreaks or betrayals.

XxX​

The spaceship was a repurposed imperial cargo transporter. All the Eterna Empire colors and emblems were still in place, but the inside had extra leather seats and a couple of mewtwo sized bunkbeds built into the rear. Valkyrie immediately grabbed one and wedged her face into the corner of the ship.

After traveling through one of Gene's rifts back to the sea east of Venish, they took off. Yuna had to admit, it was mystifying watching the ground grow further and further away, until the whole of Etherium was a round sphere with its pale moon behind it.

Rayquaza was on the drakloak's shoulder, protesting the "blasphemous bucket of bolts" as some sort of affront to nature. But as the trip went on, his protests died down. Reshiram, on the other hand, was unreachable. He was probably upset Yuna had to leave Jade behind with Seifer, Quetzal, and Artemis.

"This mixtape's not bad." Nikki sat in the passenger seat opposite Gene, tapping her right foot on the dashboard. "Never took you for someone who likes more ambient pieces."

"Nova made this for me," Gene said, tightening his grip on the steering mechanism slightly.

"I can see that." The toxtricity grabbed the cassette case. "Lofi beats to travel the cosmos to." She smirked. "Aww, there are li'l hearts around it, too."

The mewtwo ripped the case out of Nikki's grip while she made a kissy face. "Knock it off," he growled.

Yuna rolled her eyes. She looked down at Leo, who was napping in the drakloak's lap. Yuna absentmindedly ran a hand through his starry fur. It sent a tingle up her arm and Leo's starcloud hair and tail dimly glowed.

"Even in all my years orbiting the planet, I never saw this many stars," Rayquaza said, tiny face pressed firmly to one of the glass windows. His black tail wagged side to side. "Mayhap this is why Sir Bahamut and Lady Chiron would go off on flights together."

Yuna raised a brow at that. If the two frequently flew together in outer space, then wouldn't they have been able to see Eternatus coming and prepare for it?

"Planet Chakran dead ahead."

Yuna's head snapped forward at Gene's announcement, but she tilted her head. There were four gray spheres getting closer. "Hang on. Which one's Chakran?" Her ectoplasm rippled. Leo's eyes opened and he lifted his purple and gold head up.

"The middle one, probably." Nikki shrugged. "It's the biggest."

Indeed, one gray sphere grew faster than the others. Much faster. Too fast, if Yuna was honest.

"Wait." Noctum stood up, Malice Crystal sparking in his chest. "That looks a lot bigger than Planet Etherium!"

"Shocker." Gene waved his right hand dismissively. "Some planets are larger than others. And this one has three moons to Etherium's one."

"Whoop-de-doo." Valkyrie groaned from the back of the ship. "Why am I here, again? I said I'd stay back to take part in... whatever the hell you're planning to do in Eterna City once you've dropped everyone off."

"Not happening, Chompy. You and Zardy need to work through your little spat," Gene said, snickering to himself. "What better place than a monastery?"

Nikki joined the mewtwo's laughter, only for it to die down while she sat up. "Wait a tic. If this planet's massive, how the hell are we gonna find this monastery?"

Silence followed, with everyone slowly looking at Nikki. Leo stood up and hopped onto the ship's dashboard.

"Woah, hey!" Nikki leaned forward. "What do you think you're doing?"

The cosmic arceus' wheel glowed. A thin trail of gold light trickled toward the northern hemisphere of Chakran's ragged, dusty-looking surface.

"Leo?" Yuna leaned over Nikki's seat.

"I think I sense him." Leo's tail wagged. "The nice birdie from before."

"Good enough for me." Chuckling, Gene tilted the steering mechanism forward and the ship sped off in the direction of the golden light.

XxX​

"Son of a— another desert? Are you freaking kidding me?!"

Nikki dropped to her knees and punched the brown dirt with a fist. "What kind of dumbasses put a monastery in the desert?! Why couldn't it be on a tropical isl— hey!"

Gene grabbed Nikki by the neck of her leather jacket and hoisted her back to her feet. "Enough with the theatrics. This ain't a desert."

Yuna agreed with the mewtwo. It wasn't sweltering... or even frigid like Aquardah. Instead of sandy dunes stretching out into the distance, brown, dusty trails ran off in different directions. Bedrock clusters and huge stone spires jutted out of the ground. Several had bits of rusted metal interspersed with them. Some pipes here, a few broken satellite dishes there. The strange mixture of nature and dilapidated machine stretched toward rocky hills in the distance.

In some regards, it reminded Yuna of home... if someone filed off the tops of the volcanoes and cleared all the ash from the air, of course.

"Then what do you call this shit, huh?" Nikki freed herself from Gene's grip and stomped over to a patch of crabby gray grass. "Looks pretty dead to me."

"This is a mesa." Gene tapped his temple. "Makes sense a slacker would mistake it for a desert, I suppose."

Nikki's mohawk crackled. "Gee thanks, professor."

"A mesa?" Noctum walked to Yuna's side. He was transfixed on one of the raised areas in the distance. A large dome sat behind it, reflecting light from the two moons sitting high in the planet's orange sky. "Is that like a plateau?"

"Ehh... close enough." Gene flicked his right hand dismissively. "It's got a lot to do with the composition of the raised ground. Don't need to bother with the details." He turned away from the others, yawning. "Anyway, I should head back. Have fun."

"Wait, what?" Nikki's mohawk sparked again. "You're not seriously dumping us in the middle of freaking nowhere and hightailing it!" She shot Yuna an accusatory look. "Come on, Princess, back me up here."

Yuna was about to do that when Leo hopped up onto her head. He looked at the same dome in the distance. "There." He pointed his forehoof ahead. "It's like it's speaking to me."

"Then send it to voicemail," Nikki scoffed. "The adults are talking."

Gene smirked. "See? You've got better directions than I can offer." The mewtwo's yellow-tipped tail lazily drifted back and forth. "Plus, you got two rift-makers who could portal you back to Etherium at a moment's notice."

Noctum and Yuna exchanged skeptical looks. Their portal abilities weren't that strong, were they? That would be on par with Bahamut himself!

Then again, if Eternatus can produce infinite energy from nothing, Gene might be right. Gulping, Yuna rubbed her Soul Dew. "Just... tell me what you're planning that makes you want to go back to the Qliphoth so quickly."

Gene's expression hardened. "I'm going to attack Eterna City. While I do, Cyril's going to spread the word about the rifts. And hopefully the others can figure out what happened to the people Guile Hideout supposedly abducted."

"Attacking by yourself?" Valkyrie snorted. "Sounds like an idiotic move for a so-called genius psychic ty—"

The spaceship whirred to life behind Team Bastion. Squeaking, Yuna hovered higher in the air. Leo tumbled off her head, but simply floated in front of the drakloak like nothing was wrong. By the time she turned around, the ship was already halfway through a closing rift.

"Kitty didn't say goodbye. Rude!" Leo puffed out his cheeks despite lacking a mouth.

"It's okay, Leo." Yuna pet the cosmic arceus' shoulder. "Let's go and find Alder."

To make things as simple as possible, Yuna summoned Rayquaza to carry Nikki and Valkyrie while whipping up some wind to help the group fly across the plains faster.

Dirt, gray grass, and dry brush passed below Team Bastion as they flew. The further north they went, the more ruined buildings they passed. Rusted pipes and decaying towers with dented remnants of metal structures littered the slopes and hilltops. Some were even built into the bedrock sheets that formed the mesa's raised areas.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Nikki shouted over the wind. "This place is abandoned!"

"Mayhap that is why Eternatus passed it over," Rayquaza thought aloud. "There doth be so little life here, the daemon thought it useless."

But Yuna looked ahead toward the nearest platform, squinting. "Explain that, then." She pointed ahead, where the ruined buildings had multicolored cloth on some of their outer walls. Rope ran between some buildings. Assorted fabrics flapped in the wind.

Nikki shrugged. "I guess they ditched this place so quick they never finished their laundry?"

Yuna rolled her eyes. That had to be sarcasm, right?

"Whoa!"

Rayquaza suddenly corkscrewed through the air, narrowly avoiding three purple fireballs. Yuna looked behind him, blinking.

Yes, they were purple fireballs! What was that about?

The drakloak stopped and looked down. A couple of figures stood at the edge of one of the rock structures, but Yuna couldn't make out any details. "There are people down there!"

Rayquaza was busy looking his black, serpentine body over. "Thou speaketh the obvious." He looked down. "We art under attack! A weird, purple-furred typhlosion and a samurott whose helmet is purple instead of yellow." He coiled the tip of his tail around. "Say the word and I shalt send them flying."

Nikki quirked a brow. "You can see that far? Cripes, you got like luxray vision or something?"

"A good knight always eats his carrots." Rayquaza proudly snorted some dragonfire.

"Uh, how about I deal with it?" Yuna offered, not wanting to create any unnecessary headaches when they hadn't found Alder yet. She encouraged Leo to stay back with the others and started descending.

"Watch out, Princess!"

Noctum swooped by her and blew apart a black beam with a Flamethrower. "Stop!" the black charizard shouted. "We're not your enemies!"

At least, I hope we're not. Nevertheless, Yuna pressed forward. Or down, in this case. And Rayquaza was right. There were some typhlosion in Aeon. Samurott, too. None of the typhlosion had purple back fur... or a collar of purple flames. And this samurott's armor-like shells were lavender with strips of red. His long, wavy beard and whiskers rippled in the wind.

Samurott leveled his horn at Yuna. "Not enemies, eh? There ain't no one livin' on this planet 'side me and me shipmates. So, how did a little scamp like yerself and yer cap'n end up here? And with a frightening fella like that?" He pointed a flipper skyward toward Rayquaza. The large golden anchor he wore around his neck jingled like a line of bells.

Yuna flinched. Atrocious accent aside, she had half a mind to tell Samurott she called the shots, not Noctum. But that wasn't going to accomplish anything. Honesty was the way to go. "We're here to see Alder. It's about, um, a dimensional crisis?"

"Are ye asking me or telling me?" Samurott narrowed his eyes. To Yuna's shock, there was dark energy crackling around his jagged, branch-like horn.

But then Typhlosion stepped forward and put a paw on Samurott's shoulder. "Calm yourself, Archie." He nudged the goggles over his eyes with his other hand. Curiously, they held a similar glowing stone as Archie's anchor. "It sounds to me like this child—"

"I'm not a kid. I'm a princess," Yuna growled, ectoplasmic tail rippling. A pang of self-directed guilt followed. So much for keeping her attitude in check.

Typhlosion smirked in amusement. "Quaint." He took his hand off Archie. "As I was saying, she sounds like one of the people Brother Alder met in the anomaly."

"Yer too trusting, Maxie," Archie growled, horn still trained on Yuna.

"No. I'm simply using my head for more than slashing things." Maxie shook his head disapprovingly. "Forgive my boorish compatriot's attitude. He gets feisty if he doesn't get to fight something."

Archie scowled. "We guard a monastery on an abandoned planet. Ye should be just as jumpy as me when someone be showing up outta the deep blue. Especially when one of 'em got a might cursed looking doubloon in his belly!"

Yuna offered Noctum a sympathetic look, but he wasn't bothered. In fact, the black charizard had a slight grin. Perhaps because this bickering was familiar to him. It certainly reminded Yuna of when she argued with her little siblings.

"Hey! What're you scamps smiling about?" Archie growled.

"Nothing." Noctum shook his head. "But, uh, I think it's probably best we head to the monastery. Don't you?"

Yuna nodded her agreement. "Alder was the one who told us to find him on Planet Chakran."

"He said much the same." Maxie nudged up his goggles. "Very well. Summon your overpowered taxi and we'll take you to Brother Alder."

Noctum and Yuna snickered. Neither of them would let Rayquaza know about that comment.

XxX​

Sticky didn't like having to leave his tablet unattended when in Paradox Tower. Sure, it was behind a naganadel-specific locker with stinger, voice, and claw identification, but the rebel mewtwo was a crafty one. If anyone could find a way to get access to Sticky's files, it would be him.

Nevertheless, his emperor told him to report to the tower's underground facility with absolutely no equipment, so here Sticky was. Floating in the middle of the small room with his head swiveling from security cameras connected to wall-mounted Hidden Power turrets to a giant metal vault door whose latches slowly unfastened.

The gray door slid open to reveal a red door. The red door retracted into the ground to reveal a purple door with the Eterna Empire sigil. The purple door lifted into the ceiling to reveal steel bars, which slid into the ground and left a long glass tunnel stretching ahead of Sticky.

He hovered forward. Lights clicked on underneath the naganadel. Every click echoed all around him. The lights illuminated a black, hazy abyss beneath the glass tunnel. Sticky faintly saw outlines of more turrets swiveling around. Their muzzles trained on him. They must have had aura-seeking sensors on them.

Sticky always knew Paradox Tower was a stroke of architectural brilliance, but this was on another level. The building had to go as deep underground as it rose high above Eterna City's streets.

After several minutes, Sticky finally saw the end of the tunnel. Another metal door with a red "W1-DG3T" welded into it. There were no handles or doorknobs, however. The naganadel approached the door and looked around, before he finally noticed a small doorbell painted to look like a deoxys. He gingerly pressed a claw to the dooroxys' head.

Four pleasant chimes sounded, reverberating down the glass tunnel.

With hydraulic hisses loud enough to make Sticky drift back nervously, the bunker door opened. Paradox stood on the other side.

"Good, you made it." The deoxys' right tentacles coiled into an arm. He beckoned the nagandel forward with his right hand. "Oh, W1-DG3T! Be a good boy and say hello to your father's assistant."

Father? Sticky was fairly certain that if Paradox could reproduce, he would've done it long ago. He hovered through the door cautiously, unsure what to expect.

The massive computer terminal, hive of wires, and Eterna energy tubes sitting in the center brought the poipole hive Sticky was born in to mind. What Sticky wasn't expecting was everything surrounding the terminal and the large glass pod it was connected to.

Comic books — or were they manga? — strewn all over the floor. Posters of buff pokémon like incineroar and hawlucha in brightly colored spandex, masks, and capes haphazardly stuck to the bunker's floor and circular wall. Tiny Eternavision screens showing what appeared to be old reruns of Pokémon Superfriends and Ultra Dragonite Ball. A bizarre juxtaposition, but no doubt the kind of show a kid would like.

Did that mean Paradox truly had a secret child? Who was the mother, then?

"Hello, father's assistant!"

The voice was so high and shrill it startled Sticky. He nearly shot paint out of his needles in surprise, but managed to steady himself and locate the voice's source: an honest-to-life type: full unit loafing next to a cabinet, scribbling with crayon on a piece of paper. But this type: full was littered with dark purple spines along its back and... empty torso.

Sticky couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. Type: Full's red body was glass-like and transparent. There were no organs. Or even mechanics! Only a glowing white sphere that remained suspended inside the unit's torso even as he approached the naganadel. If there was fluid inside, Sticky couldn't tell. Nothing sloshed around.

Spoiler: W1-DG3T

"I am W1-DG3T and I am going to save the universe!" the type: full chirped, his luminescent red fish tail wagging. "Oh, right." He bowed his head respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Assistant. Would you like to engage in the traditional handshake? Or are you more of a 'fist bump' person?"

"I'm... good, thank you." Sticky kept his arms by his sides. He was still in disbelief.

"Oh, have we moved on to exchanging pleasantries already?" W1-DG3T's tail wagged faster. "I will update my protocols to allow for occasional skipping of formal greetings." He turned to Paradox. "I am doing quite well today. Son Golurk and his friends just defeated Golden Mewtwo! It was great! That nasty evildoer tried to destroy their home planet, but they rewound time to stop him. I will stay vigilant for any sneaky planet-busting desperation attacks from evil mewtwo!"

Sticky didn't know which of the two EV shows W1-DG3T referred to, but it wouldn't surprise him that a caricature of Gene would serve as the bad guy. Had to instill in kids from a young age that the resistance was nothing but trouble.

"That's good to hear," Paradox said, coiling his left tentacles into a hand to pat the top of W1-DG3T's navy blue beak.

"So, Father, when will I have the opportunity to bring our enemies to justice?" W1-DG3T wondered, cheek bolts glowing bright red in their purple sockets.

"That's actually why I'm here," the deoxys replied, folding his arms behind his back. "Our Benefactor's captors know all about us. And I believe they're going to mount an attempt at stopping us from freeing Him."

W1-DG3T's eyes lit up. "And you would like me to deliver justice onto their evil plans?"

"Precisely." Paradox snapped his right fingers. "I have the perfect test assignment for you, actually. But first... why don't you give Father's assistant a little demonstration?"

"Hell yeah!" W1-DG3T's tail wagged again. "I will prepare the demonstration immediately." The type: full turned and trotted toward the computer terminal. Sticky couldn't take his eye off the guy.

"Sir, I don't understand," the naganadel whispered. "I thought all type: fulls were indefinitely out of commission."

"Oh, that's still true." Paradox hung his head and shook it. "Try as my science division might, they've remained inert wastes of space since Matriarch went offline. They're collecting dust in a separate bunker."

A loud klaxon sounded. W1-DG3T stepped away from the terminal while a portion of the bunker floor opened.

"Then how do you explain this?" Sticky gestured toward the type: full.

"The culmination of agonizing research using the mew DNA I've harvested and what little information we salvaged from Valhalla before we were completely locked out," Paradox explained. "What you're looking at... is a prototype for a new, mobile Matriarch. W1-DG3T is the codename, but you could consider him the alpha build for Zodiark 2.0!"

Sticky paused for a moment, before realizing the deoxys was using Matriarch's real name. That kind of information was off limits even amongst his Paradigm lieutenants. The naganadel was honored the emperor considered him worthy of knowing it.

"I am ready!" W1-DG3T announced, hopping back from a raggedy mewtwo doll tied to a metal pole. It was covered in bite and claw marks.

"Show the move that Father taught you," Paradox instructed.

"Command acknowledged!" W1-DG3T widened his stance. "Eterna Justice Beam!"

The type: full's torso filled with blinding light. A giant purple and red beam enveloped the doll. A giant "KABLAM!" appeared within the beam.

"Uh, sir... am I seeing things or is that attack displaying an action bubble?" Sticky had his right arm held up slightly to shield his eyes from the intense light.

"Ah, yes. He is, perhaps, a bit too eager." Paradox chuckled. "But it's a harmless little thing that amuses him. Go along with it."

When the attack finally died down, there wasn't a trace of the mewtwo doll left. The pole was vaporized too. Ash and purple sparks drifted aimlessly around the room. W1-DG3T hopped about excitedly. "Hell yeah! I totally schooled him!"

"Well done, W1-DG3T." Paradox golf clapped. "Now, be a good little type: full and clean up the mess you made."

"Understood." W1-DG3T bobbed his head. "I do not deserve to fight crime if I cannot fight grime."

Then his legs and tail vanished in bursts of red and purple light, replaced by hoses that wouldn't look out of place on various vacuum cleaners. Sticky almost hid behind Paradox out of surprise. "Sir?" he squeaked.

The deoxys pat Sticky's circular gut. "Like I said... the mew DNA experiments are finally bearing fruit. A stable, shapeshifting biosynthetic framework that can interface directly with the Benefactor."

Sticky watched W1-DG3T scoot across the floor, sucking up ash and bits of metal debris. "Yes, but why did you need this?" he wondered.

"The seal on Eternatus is releasing... but my efforts to complete the broken Red Chain are stalling." Paradox shook his head, tsking loudly. "That Phantom remnant continues to vex my efforts at taking his fragment. And that's not even accounting for the ones I have no leads on." His arms uncurled into tentacles. "As much as I hate to say it, we have to acknowledge the possibility that Matriarch will remain inert even once the Benefactor is free."

Sticky gulped. "And no Matriarch means—"

"No guiding the Benefactor through the cosmos," Paradox grimly declared. He turned away from the naganadel. "Thus, I'm pursuing a backup. If W1-DG3T continues to show promise, I will iterate on him until we have operational replacements for Matriarch."

The type: full dinged like a vintage toaster. "Grime successfully collected. Proceeding to emptying phase." He turned and hovered further away from Paradox and Sticky, who frowned and clicked his claws together nervously.

"If the goal is to make Zodiark 2.0, then why does this type: full have the mind of a child?" he asked.

"Oh, Sticky, Sticky, Sticky." Paradox chuckled and shook his head like a parent watching their child make a fool of themselves. "Because your brilliant emperor learns from other's mistakes."

"I don't follow."

"The original type: full unit was an AI," Paradox said. "He developed a conscience— a twisted conscience that led him to rebel against Zodiark and lay the groundwork for the traitor, Chiron, to deactivate Matriarch in the first place."

Off in the distance, W1-DG3T connected himself to a nozzle in the wall. All the dirt he sucked up went through the nozzle.

"The type: fulls that came after it were nothing more than programmable machines," Paradox continued. "Unable to think for themselves. And, of course, completely useless after Zodiark went offline." The deoxys leaned forward. "You see where I'm going with this?"

Sticky tapped his chin. "Zodiark wasn't a machine. So, you can't expect a machine to replicate how she interfaced with the Benefactor?"

"Exactly!" Paradox's right tentacles merged into a hand whose fingers snapped. "But I can't risk my creation rebelling against me. So, I thought it better to start from scratch. An infantile, blank slate of a mind that I could cultivate precisely to my liking."

The way Paradox phrased it unsettled Sticky. But he believed in his emperor. The deoxys knew what he was doing.

W1-DG3T dinged again. He disconnected from the nozzle, then his limbs reappeared. "Clean up complete." His fish tail wagged. "What shall we do next, Father?"

"Aren't you worried about sending him out into Etherium?" Sticky whispered. "Couldn't that undo all your, um, hard work?"

"No. He's far enough along that my views are entrenched within his psyche," Paradox whispered back. He cupped his hand around his face. "That's going to be all for now, I'm afraid. Father and his assistant have a very important meeting to attend."

"Okay." W1-DG3T didn't sound bothered. "Then I will return to watching Son Golurk's battle against the evil forces of the universe!" He happily trotted back toward the EVs.

"He fully believes he's a superhero that will save the galaxy by restoring our Benefactor to His former glory," Paradox continued to Sticky in a whisper. "And besides, he's the prototype. If things go awry, I'll simply destroy him and immediately begin building the next model. I have encrypted copies of everything I've done with this project, so it will be much faster."

The deoxys turned toward the door. "Now, come along. I wasn't lying. We have some very important guests to greet."

Right, the Etherians. Sticky took one last look at W1-DG3T before following Paradox toward the bunker door, wondering what the emperor had in store for his captives.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 45: Igniting New Sparks​

No matter the change, the end is the same.
No matter the change, the end is the same.
Stave stagnation. Unite them all.
Stave stagnation. Unite them all.

XxX​

Flying was not natural to Chiaki. He was a grovyle. Birds were bad for grass. Every fiber of his being should have screamed in protest at what he was doing. However, as his new volcarona wings flew him over the pointed roofs and steeples of outer Vellguarde, Chiaki didn't mind one bit. Every flap happened without any thought on his part.

... Which was alarming in its own way. That honedge couldn't have been the same Abyssal Relic that Vegna mentioned. Unless the dusknoir was once another species or something, and the ritual he did with his book transformed him.

But Vegna doesn't look much different from a typical dusknoir, Chiaki figured. The only thing that stood out were his sinister hood and the skull-shaped shoulder pads, which had to be a part of the whole Grim Reaper persona.

And why the hell did the honedge transform him into some salazzle hybrid? If he didn't know any better, Chiaki would assume one of his siblings did this as a prank. He tightened his grip on Scarlett — the dragonair had apparently passed out while freefalling — and pressed on.

The city gave way to railroad tracks streaming out across stone bridges seated over a flowing river. Wild magikarp and basculin hopped out of the water. Chiaki wondered if they even knew about the purple rifts opening and closing at random in the sky. Nothing was going in or coming out of them, but they were still unsettling. Though, if the fish were ferals, they were probably too dumb to realize there were rifts in the first place.

Chiaki did his best to steer clear of all the bridges, aiming instead for a peninsula jutting into the river. The grovyle descended toward rows upon rows of evergreens. He weaved around pine needle branches — Chiaki couldn't believe he was doing this — and did his best to avoid startling some of the feral bidoof and bibarel carving out bits of downed trees.

It only took him a minute of flying to find what he was looking for: a small log cabin perched on a hill. The trees around the cabin stood tall. The tiny brick chimney wore enough pine and sap to suggest no one had used it in ages.

In fact, no one ever used it. Because the cabin was empty. Just a wooden floor, wooden walls, and a brick fireplace that held what Chiaki was looking for: the transporter that would take him to the Ryujin's secret underground city.

When the grovyle landed, his fiery wings disappeared in puffs of smoke. Disturbing, but he could think about it later. Chiaki walked up to the door and threw it open. The cabin was empty and dusty, including the fireplace.

Sighing in relief, Chiaki dragged Scarlett to the fireplace and fit her in, then squished himself beside her. Chiaki felt around until he located a loose brick, which slid right to reveal a keypad. After typing in 8-6-7-5-3-0-9, the keys lit up green and the floor beneath him began to glow. All the burnt grovyle had to do was place himself and Scarlett on the transporter and it would whisk them underground.

Chiaki slid the brick back over the keypad and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what would follow.

XxX​

As a rule of thumb, all Ryujin waypoints deposited their passengers within different tunnels of a large catacomb system deep underneath Radiance. Deep enough to stay off the authorities' radars. After all, when your city was below even the nearest sewer system, the odds were strong no one would ever think to dig down and find you.

Scale City itself wasn't visible from the catacombs. It was hidden behind metal barricades disguised as natural rock formations. Chiaki wasn't sure if his family had Cyril to thank for that, but he wouldn't be surprised. Who else could get electricity working so far underground? Chiaki always assumed ether was pumped down from the surface, but now he wasn't so sure.

What the mutated grovyle did know was that the security checkpoint was an issue. They'd question his appearance and his passenger. Fortunately, the walk to one of the hidden checkpoints had given him enough time to build up a cover story.

Chiaki slipped into his routine, hobbling through a brown tunnel until he reached what looked like a dead end. He tucked his head down, adjusted his grip on Scarlett, and continued forward. The rock wall was nothing but air. On the other side of it was a metal checkpoint with a seviper and a drampa standing guard.

"Halt!" Seviper held out its tail. "Identification."

"I don't got none," Chiaki whispered, shuddering. "B-But you gotta help us! Me and my cousin... we got caught in a distortion blast!"

Seviper eyed him skeptically. His bladed tail glowed purple.

He pointed at his orange belly. "C'mon, mac, look at me! Ain't no grovyle supposed to look like this. Ya gotta let me in! Crummy landlord kicked me outta my place! I got nowhere to go!"

"A likely story," Seviper growled. "I know an illusion when I see one."

Damn it. Chiaki had to think fast. "Salazzle Kyoko told me about the safe house in Guardhenge Forest to get here!" He believed his stepsister's name carried more weight around Scale City than his. "Told me the Ryujin can protect me in exchange for me working for 'em!"

Seviper's tail twitched slightly. Drampa stuck his long neck out from his comically undersized seat. "You got a name?"

"Grovyle Igneous." He looked at his backside and the salazzle-like flaps that were there. "Or, at least, I used to be."

"I can see that," Drampa scoffed, looking at Seviper, who'd gone to a small phone booth beside his desk. Seviper flashed Drampa a panicked look as he hung up the phone.

"Terribly sorry for the trouble, Igneous," Seviper said. "Miss Kyoko has asked to see you at her loft. Let me get you the directions."

Chiaki avoided sighing in relief. The gambit had paid off. Igneous was one of a few codenames he used with his sister back when she was more active in the family business. Specifically, one he defaulted to when he was in trouble. Which he certainly was.

When Seviper finished explaining everything, he handed Chiaki a map of Scale City and opened the metal gate and door that led inside.

The grovyle immediately wrinkled his black snout upon stepping through. It had been a while since he was around Scale City's... pungent odor.

Even though Chiaki kept his head down as he walked through the narrow streets, trying to avoid bumping into people or small stone and wooden street shops, he got the distinct sense people were staring. Yes, the grovyle was hardly a normal sight, but the city took in poor souls mutated with distortion all the time. Yet there was unmistakable scorn behind their looks.

It wasn't until he rounded a few corners, passing crammed apartment buildings where windows were opening one after another that he realized he wasn't who they were staring at: Scarlett was.

Chiaki heard murmurs, too.

"Is it really her?" "Dunno." "Who's the burnt grovyle?" "Bet he's bringing her to Sakaki." "Good riddance!" "She's a disgrace to reptiles everywhere!"

Quickening his pace, Chiaki found the building he was looking for. It was hard to miss, with a neon sign jutting over the street reading "The Naughty Salazzle" in cursive, neon letters. Dingier compared to some of the bright signs on the surface, but Chiaki was sure the club's owner didn't care much. At this hour, it was closed anyway.

He scurried through an alley to the back of the building, where he knocked on a metal door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Kyoko standing there in a pink silk shirt that barely reached her thighs. She blinked once. Twice. A third time.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Chiaki's response was shoving Scarlett into his sister. "Hey!" the salazzle barely kept her balance while managing to grab hold of Scarlett. "What's the big idea, asshole?!"

He rushed right past her, taking grated metal stairs two at a time until he reached another door that he flung open. Chiaki quickly pivoted left and staggered into a bathroom whose door he shut while his stepsister shouted, "Get back here!"

Chiaki shuffled across scuffed, dull gray tiles. He barely managed to grab the shower faucet and turn the hot water on before falling over into the tub.

Whatever energy had powered Chiaki's escape had worn off, leaving him curled up in a ball, shuddering as hot water pelted him. Steam quickly filled the bathroom. Chiaki wasn't sure if that was from the water temperature, or his new inner fire clashing against the shower.

Everything came flooding back. Ahsen, the strange amalgamation of floating discs who spoke in total nonsense. Vegna's missing Abyssal Relic. The tiny orange butterfree and the intense pain it produced when it went inside Chiaki. And those strange visions—

Chiaki's head pounded. With every throb, the burnt grovyle heard the same thing over and over: "Butterfree Effect."

He inadvertently tugged on his head leaf, trying to will the pain away.

What did that thing do to me?

But if he hadn't acted so recklessly at Starlene's concert, Chiaki wouldn't have needed to meet Ahsen in the first place. So, really, this was all just a continued consequence of his actions.

He wanted to prove he wasn't a dead weight, and instead he'd turned himself into a freak. And not the kind who could hide his freakiness, like Cyril or Yuna.

Chiaki continued to lie in the tub, staring at his knees. He lost all sense of time passing around him. In fact, he didn't even realize someone else had shut the shower off until a hand that clearly wasn't his grabbed his head leaf and dragged him out of the tub.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Chiaki swatted his arms, hitting only air. He glimpsed Kyoko's unamused face before she let go and his head fell by her feet.

"Next time, when I tell you to stop, you stop," she hissed, stepping on Chiaki's orange belly and pressing her right foot down.

Chiaki's face scrunched up. His chest glowed. Eyes wide, Kyoko quickly stepped off of him, positioning herself between Chiaki and the door. "Start talking. You show up out of nowhere with Starlene herself in tow, then lock yourself in the bathroom and try to use up all the hot water!" She wrinkled her snout in disgust. "To say nothing of your godawful salazzle cosplay. You think that's funny? I ought to bathe you in pheromones 'til you're twirling around the poles downstairs for ladies' night!"

"I—" Chiaki stopped himself. "Wait, Starlene? No, that's a dragonair named Scarlett."

"Don't try to change the subject." Kyoko jabbed his left thigh with her right foot. "What do you think I was doing before I came up here?"

The grovyle decided that was a rhetorical question.

"It's all over the news." Kyoko leaned over, pink vapor drifting out the corners of her mouth. "Starlene's really an ex-Horizon student who willingly let Vortex's company pump her full of ether so her music brainwashes people."

That was already on the news?! What had Chiaki missed, some sort of Parliamentary inquiry?

To Chiaki's surprise, his sister straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest. "I suppose, in that regard, I owe you an apology."

Chiaki held his breath. There were too many tricks and traps as of late. He said nothing.

"You really were telling the truth. That something was up with Starlene," Kyoko whispered.

The grovyle was pretty sure that was genuine. "Well, I—"

Kyoko then stepped on his groin. "But what the hell were you thinking blowing up her trailer?!"

"Gah!" Pain shot up Chiaki's spine. He scooted back across the floor. "It wasn't me!"

"The Ministry of Justice doesn't feel that way." Kyoko stared him down, hands on her hips. "They're calling you a fugitive. Stoutland Yard has a hundred and fifty thousand radian bounty on your head."

Color drained from Chiaki's face. Was that Vegna's call... or one of his bosses? The grovyle winced. "It was an accident. Think about it." He curled his claws. "Why would I have brought Starlene here if I was out to harm her? World Ender's agents were behind the sabotage. I tried to free her... but Cyril's tech made the already-sabotaged equipment blow up."

Kyoko again crossed her arms, but her expression softened slightly. "So that's why you look like you a sorry salazzle impersonator?"

Chiaki looked down at his orange belly. "No, that's not quite it..."

He lapsed into an explanation about waking up in the hospital, getting accosted by Ahsen, and receiving the corrupted Abyssal Relic that transformed him and allowed him to escape.

Kyoko facepalmed. "God, you really are hopeless." She rubbed her temples, then tugged at the collar of her shirt. "What kind of idiot accepts a gift from someone who's partnered with a World Ender cultist, huh?"

"The kind of idiot who's a quadriplegic and staring at Citadark or death by the Reaper's curse," Chiaki flatly responded.

"And how do you know the creepy cultist didn't plant some sort of seed in you to turn you batshit crazy whenever he wants?" Kyoko leaned forward, vapor trickling out of her nostrils.

Chiaki tensed. He didn't have an answer. How could even prove something like that? A good psychic-type, perhaps. But the only one that sounded strong enough to approach the idea was Gene and Chiaki had no idea what he was currently up to.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Hmm?" Chiaki blinked a few times. Kyoko was looking at her reflection in the slightly grimy mirror, brushing wrinkles out of her shirt.

"You can't stay here when, for all we know, you're a ticking time bomb," the salazzle said, eyes narrowed.

"But I'm a wanted 'mon."

Kyoko side-eyed her stepbrother. "Don't give me that. Like we didn't both learn how to make covers for ourselves."

The grovyle's face scrunched up. "You're right." He lowered his head. "I guess... Igneous has to be more than a codename."

"Damn straight." Kyoko bobbed her head. "Grovlazzle Igneous. Or Salvyle. I dunno. You'll figure something out. Plenty of folks out there messed up by the distortion. You can count yourself amongst their ranks."

It hurt for Chi— no, it hurt for Igneous to hear that. However, the grovlazzle had been similarly blunt to Nikki and Yuna in the past. He couldn't say he didn't deserve it.

"Can I at least... take a bit of time to collect myself before you kick me out?" Igneous hated groveling, but he wasn't ready to leave.

"On one condition." Kyoko turned and put her right hand on the doorknob. "You do something about Miss Diva. She saw the news and went catatonic." The salazzle slowly opened the door. "Either she's got acting chops... or she had no idea Polaris was using her to brainwash people."

Kyoko didn't wait for Igneous to respond. She left him on the bathroom floor. The grovlazzle pondered his stepsister's claims as he sat up. If Kyoko was telling the truth, what would Igneous even say to her? He doubted "Sorry Vortex used you like a tool," would carry any weight.

Not to mention she'll at least know me as the guy who kidnapped her.

Igneous trudged out the bathroom door and down the hallway, wincing with every squeak the floorboards made under his feet. He stayed outside the living room door for a full minute, weighing his options while he looked at the dragonair lying on the black couch with her head and tail draped over each armrest and drooping onto the floor.

Rubbing his right shoulder, Igneous shuffled across the shag carpet. "Uh, hey." He looked at the old CRT PV set sitting in a busted wooden cabinet with stacks of videotapes and discs littering the other shelves. Though muted, it showed footage of a midday lycanroc, swampert, indeedee, and eldegoss sitting at a roundtable. The swampert and eldegoss glared at each other. Igneous recognized it as "Lycanroc Blitzer's Situation Room."

Scarlett was silent. Sighing, Igneous walked toward the PV and hit the button to shut it off. "Look, I'm sure what you saw there was, uh..." His voice trailed off and looked down at his feet. God, why was this so hard?

Maybe if he imagined Nikki in her place?

... No. Over the last couple of days, he managed to make the toxtricity look like the responsible one.

Igneous sat down on the coffee table, facing the PV. "It's me, Scarlett. The guy in the hospital bed you were yelling at yesterday. It's... all my fault." He rested his hands on his lap and kneaded his thighs. "I was selfish. I wanted to... expose you as a fraud to impress my family." His long tails curled like salazzle tail flaps. "No, that's not right. That's what I told myself to justify it. But I think... I was doing it because I believed it could somehow fix the things I've always blamed myself for."

He dug his claws into his scales, avoiding breaking any skin underneath. "It was stupid. I was stupid. And I blew up both our lives because of it. Literally and figuratively." Igneous lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sure it doesn't mean much to you. If I could, I'd try to make it up to you, but I understand if you never want to see me again. Or want to turn me into Stoutland Yard."

The grovlazzle couldn't come up with anything else. He waited for Scarlett to say something. Anything. However, the dragonair stayed silent. Igneous deigned to look at her again. Scarlett hadn't budged an inch. She still stared blankly at the ceiling, the pearl on her neck dimmer than back at the hospital.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Igneous offered, hoping maybe there was a fatigue element at play.

No response.

"Some water, perhaps?"

Still nothing.

Igneous was fighting a losing battle. Better tell Kyoko, I guess.

When the grovlazzle stood up, however, he heard a soft, "I only wanted... people to love me."

He paused, unsure whether to say something or make eye contact. Igneous didn't even move his arms. Did he tell her it was okay? No, no, that was way too corny.

"My classmates hated me," Scarlett continued. She sounded... broken. "I wanted to go back to Blightsmuth... but I couldn't. The people there looked up to me and Nikki. I couldn't go back a failure. So when Vortex offered me a deal, I... I..."

The dragonair's attempts to choke back her crying hurt Igneous. It was so painfully familiar. Because it wasn't much different from his motives.

Love. Respect. The desire for each driving them both to do stupid things.

Only Scarlett's stupid thing lasted a hell of a lot longer than Igneous'. And his stupid thing brought the revelation of her stupid thing to light.

"I'm sorry," Igneous whispered.

More silence followed. The grovlazzle finally got the courage to glance at her. His chest tightened from Scarlett's watery eyes.

"I want to scream," she said. "To wrap you up and squeeze you until your head pops off."

Igneous cringed. He'd had enough serious pain to last a lifetime.

Scarlett laughed bitterly. "I should've caught on sooner. All the songs I came up with were so corny. But Vortex told me that was what the people wanted. So, I listened. Like a big, fat sucker." More laughter.

Igneous figured it was time to excuse himself. "I'll, uh... leave you to your thoughts." Again, however, his attempt to take a step away from the coffee table failed.

"Please don't go."

He hesitated. The doorway was still the more tempting option. "I'd rather not get strangled."

"I just... need some company. For a bit."

More silence, until the desperation got to the grovlazzle. He sat back down on the coffee table, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

"Never got your name, by the way," Scarlett whispered. Igneous heard scratching fabric behind him. The dragonair must have pulled her head off the floor. Igneous waited a few moments before he responded.

"Igneous. I'm... Igneous."

XxX​

"Go away!"

Shimmer glared at his pink bedroom door. He sensed a strong psychic aura on the other side, but not his mother's. Probably Demerzel. Perhaps if he glared at the door long enough, the mutant would get the message and leave.

Instead, more knocks assaulted Shimmer's ears.

"I said go away!" The ponyta levitated a heart-shaped throw pillow and hurled it at the door. It made the saddest whumpf before bouncing onto the floor and showering sparkles onto the violet carpet.

This time, the door handle jiggled and met resistance from the lock. "Get it through your oversized skull!" Shimmer hissed. "I'm not accepting visi—"

The lock clicked. Shimmer scrambled to pull himself out of a pile of blankets before the door swung open to reveal Demerzel floating there. "Rough day?" he said with a polite tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

"I ought to have you disciplined for insubordination," Shimmer growled. He tried to make his horn glow to look intimidating, but it could only fizzle and release a few sad, sorry pink sparks.

Sighing, Demerzel pivoted and leaned against the open door. "I don't blame you for wanting to be alone. You've had quite the last twenty-four hours."

"Then why are you here?" Shimmer growled, slinking down onto his belly and burying his face into his pillow. A psychic force yanked his head back up, however.

"To put a stop to... all of this." Demerzel gestured at Shimmer's bed and the mountain of tissues piling up next to it.

"I'm mourning," Shimmer countered.

"Of course you are." Demerzel folded his arms behind his back. "And that small outburst during Parliament's session was part of your mourning process?"

The ponyta flinched. "Yes?" He looked at his pink blanket.

"You don't sound sure." Demerzel narrowed his eyes. "Do you have any idea how foolish you sounded? Throwing such a libelous accusation out with not a shred of evidence?"

Shimmer squirmed against his bedsheets and blankets. "It made sense in the moment," he mumbled.

"You're not doing yourself any favors." Demerzel shook his head. "Several MPs went up to me, asking if you were drunk or on something. To say nothing of your mothers."

"I don't need you to tell me they're disappointed in me," Shimmer said, smacking a larger pillow with a hind leg. "They're always disappointed. Nothing I do is ever enough for them. Even though I'm top of my class, have done several—"

Psychic energy clamped Shimmer's mouth shut. "Stop." Demerzel held up his right hand. "You really don't know, do you?"

Shimmer blinked. Know what? That his mothers had sticks up their bums? One would have to be blind not to see it.

Demerzel sighed and floated away from the door. "I think there's something you ought to see, then." He reached under his cloak and produced a small crystal that he set on the floor. The mutant's eyes glowed. Before Shimmer knew it, he was looking at footage of his mothers' bedroom. Justine shut the huge oak doors and approached Isola, shaking her head.

"How are you holding up?" the virizion asked, a softer expression on her face than Shimmer had ever seen before.

Isola telekinetically ran a brush through her long, pink hair. "I'm keeping it together. What about you?"

"You know me. I've been waiting to see Vortex get taken down a peg." Justine continued forward, laughing. When she reached Isola's side, she took the brush in her mouth and gently moved it through Isola's hair. "Buh ah'm not thuh one in hah wahtuh."

The rapidash took the brush back from Justine's mouth. "Yes, well, that is— something I'll have to deal with." She lowered her head. "What were my ancestors thinking? And just what did Adelaide do during the Darkest Day?" Isola turned around and approached a white vanity dresser with a large mirror in front of it. She levitated a pink silk cloak off a chair and through it over her back.

"What is this?" Shimmer narrowed his eyes at Demerzel. "Were you spying on my mothers?"

Demerzel's expression remained neutral. "Keep watching, Your Grace."

"Is that a raboot hole you really want to go down?" Justine wondered, approaching the dresser herself.

"I don't have a choice." Isola stared at her reflection in the mirror, then continued, "Well, I do. But one of the choices isn't feasible."

"Yeah, well our 'brilliant' son didn't help matters." Shaking her head, Justine reached the rapidash's side.

"I should've cut him off." Isola looked down at her gold shield. "I had no idea he was going to spew such paranoid bile." She dropped the brush into the top right drawer. "Honestly. That dreepy princess is so sickly. Anyone with half a brain would realize she's not a threat. She couldn't even fight off a feral."

"I wasn't being paranoid!" Shimmer's horn weakly sparked. "It's... perfectly logical. Yuna was missing from the whole Venish debacle. That's suspicious!"

"Then I think it's time we told him the truth." Justine leaned over, expression stern. "Don't you?"

Isola's shoulders sagged. "I don't know. His mind's frayed enough. This could make him snap."

"Good." Justine stomped a forehoof on the ground. "I'm tired of treating him with kiddy gloves. You ordered Horizon's students return home for their safety. His school year is finished." The virizion paced around Isola. "We've been handed a golden opportunity. Better to tell him he has eviolitis now than during some festivity where he tries and fails to evolve."

Evi... olitis?

The word echoed in Shimmer's head over and over and overandoverandoverandover.

... He must have misheard.

Shimmer couldn't have eviolitis. It was impossible, because—

Because if that were true, then...

I can never evolve.

"NO!" Shimmer slammed his hooves against his mattress. "No, no, no! Stop feeding me lies! Eviolitis is... a commoner disease! I'm royalty! I can't— that's not—"

The ponyta descended into rapid, shallow breaths. His vision grew red. Demerzel's expression remained unchanged. The mutant simply resumed the gem's playback.

"I can't imagine he'd react well," Isola whispered. "He'll fly off the handle at us."

"I can take it." Justine squared up her stance. "It is my fault. Given my species, I assumed my half of the family tree was clean of the gene." She hung her head. "Perhaps that bit of guilt was what made me so willing to buy off all his perfect grades." The virizion sighed. "It's a good thing Vegna ignored meeting requests regarding his law class. He would've gotten all the evidence he needed to go public. Could you imagine the scandal? The country's highest law enforcement official bribing a subordinate?"

Shimmer's ears rang. He sucked in a sharp breath. There was no shouting this time. Only a dull, steady ache that ate away at the pit of the ponyta's stomach.

Every grade... bought and paid for. He wasn't the top of his class. Was Shimmer even smart? Vegna and his bird minion treated him like an idiot. Even if they had no evidence, they must have assumed that was the case.

"I do so wish I could fire him," Justine continued. "But you've seen the numbers for yourself. Crime rates have steadily declined since the media branded him the Grim Reaper. The Yakuza are the only ones really causing trouble for us."

Shimmer couldn't care less about their thoughts on Vegna. It paled in comparison to what Justine admitted. The ponyta couldn't stop his mind from racing.

What else had Shimmer's mothers hidden? Was his modeling and acting also a result of backdoor deals? His club leadership positions at school?

... Was the Crowne Cup going to be rigged in his favor?

"Honestly, I'm kind of glad that sylveon got taken." Justine sighed again. "I know that's awful to say, but he was a terrible influence for Shimmer." The virizion shook her head. "I see that look, Izzy. But you know I'm right. That sylveon was squandering what little potential Shimmer had. C'mon, you saw those shoots he was in. How is anyone supposed to take him seriously when he's showing up on the cover of Playpunny in fishnets and a corset?"

The gem abruptly shut off. Demerzel levitated it back into his hand. He tucked it into his cloak. "I'm sorry, Your Grace."

Shimmer's legs trembled. He couldn't stop shaking. "Sorry. You're... sorry?" His right eye twitched. "Haa... aha... 'sorry.'"

The pontya hopped up, nostrils flaring. "Shove your false sympathy up your ass!" His limbs shook harder. Shimmer was amazed he was still standing. "You don't care one bit about me! My boyfriend is gone! My entire life is crumbling around me! I can't evolve! I'm apparently a total fraud!"

With every shout, he stomped a forehoof down, until it broke through the top of the mattress and Shimmer faceplanted with a squeal, hind legs flailing around. Another psychic force pulled him upright and unceremoniously dropped him at the foot of the bed.

"Fine. You're right." Demerzel folded his hands behind his back. "No false sympathy, then. Instead, let me ask you something." The mutant loomed over Shimmer, eyes glowing blue. "Do you intend to just roll over and take this abuse? Or will you actually stand up for yourself?"

How could the ponyta fight for himself? He was nothing but an embarrassment in Venish. Vegna had said as much to Shimmer's face.

"I can't fight," Shimmer whispered meekly. "I'm... I'm nothing, aren't I? Not smart. Not clever. Certainly not strong. I'm—"

"Pathetic? Of course," Demerzel sneered. "But, as you've now heard, there are always shortcuts to be taken."

Shimmer tilted his head, blinking slowly. "What do you mean by that?"

Demerzel's eyes darkened. "I'm saying that you should never underestimate the power of desperation."

For a brief second, the ponyta saw strange purple energy crackle around Demerzel's oversized head. Then an awful, brutal chill ran up Shimmer's legs.

The last thing the ponyta remembered was frost filling up his field of vision.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 46: Running Amonk​

Monasteries were not something Yuna was innately familiar with. Her only frame of reference for comparison's sake was Aeon temples. Brick and cement buildings that gave way to colorful interiors decorated with warm art pieces celebrating Bahamut and the other Sages.

... Boy would the dedicated service attendees hate to hear about what I've learned.

The drakloak shook the sour thoughts from her head, focusing instead on the approaching monastery. Even with no exposure to such places, Yuna was confident Shaftra Monastery wasn't so much built as a place of worship, but rather repurposed from something else.

Large, gray-blue metal spires jutted out of the ground. Huge, gear-shaped machines sat atop the spires, coated in thick layers of rust. Their colors muted from ages of exposure to dust and other elements.

Like some of the rundown buildings she met Archie and Maxie in, the spires had colored blankets and tapestry nailed to their exteriors. Rope crisscrossed the spires, with diamond and crescent-patterned cloth flapping in the dusty wind. Beneath them sat shacks made of stone and wood. Yuna quirked a brow, wondering why anyone would use such sad little huts when there was a massive building right behind them.

"You call this a monastery?" Nikki scoffed from Noctum's back. "Where are all the monks sitting cross-legged and going 'ooooooohm' or whatever?" She cupped a hand over her eyes and scanned the mountaintop.

"Mind your manners," Maxie scolded, pressing his goggles firmly to his face. "It's mid-morning, so acolytes are probably doing some exercises out back with Brother Kora."

Noctum smiled. "Organized exercises, huh? That sounds like fun."

"It ain't about fun, scamp!" Archie brandished one of his jagged seamitars and waved it in Noctum's direction. "It's about discipline. Of mind and body and stuff."

"Right. Sorry." Noctum rubbed the back and laughed nervously. "I guess we should fly around back, then?"

"Yeah!" Leo was already running through the air ahead of the group. "I think Mr. Alder's there, too!"

"Hang on, Leo!" Yuna picked up the pace, ducking underneath one of the ropes. "Don't wander too far ahead. We're guests, remember?"

The cosmic arceus stopped in place, his glow dimming slightly and tail drooping. "Sorry, Mom." He brushed his hooves together sheepishly.

Yuna guiltily winced. Even with no mouth, Leo had a deceptively good apologetic face.

The group weaved through the ropes — Yuna had no idea if they were for decoration or hanging laundry and wasn't inclined to ask — and flew past the last of the metal spires. They didn't have to look hard to find the monks, because they were on a raised bedrock crop fifty meters behind the last spire.

"Wow!" Noctum's tail flame brightened. "Look at all those dragons and lizards! Hakamo-o, kommo-o, goodra, helioptile, shelgon, druddigon." He flapped his wings excitedly. "I think there are a few lucario and mienshao, too."

"Hey, watch the merchandise, dumbass!" Nikki grabbed the back of her leather jacket and hiked it up, eyeing Noctum's tail flame.

"Relax, Nikki." Yuna waved the toxtricity off. "He's just excited. It's been... a while since we've been in a place with so many other reptiles."

"Uh, hello?" Nikki pointed at her head. "What am I, a pretty face?"

Valkyrie snorted and rolled her eyes. "What's up with those green lizards in the middle down there? They look like they have wheels jutting out of their necks."

"Those are cyclizar," Maxie said, tone suggesting disbelief at Valkyrie not knowing that. "That part on their neck is a dewlap."

"Do lap? I hardly know lap!" Nikki sniggered when Yuna and Noctum gave her confused looks.

"Feh. The cyclizar ain't nearly as impressive as Brother Kora," Archie scoffed. The dark samurott pointed to the end of the bedrock. Someone vaguely similar to the cyclizar stood on top of a boulder with his right leg raised and both arms balanced steadily out to the side. This one's scales were mostly red, with a white belly and a head brimming with white and purple feathers that even put Alder's puffy crest to shame. The braviary stood off to the side, looking out over the mesa.

"Hiiiiii Mr. Alder!" Leo shouted, his wheel glowing brightly.

Several of the dragons stumbled out of their poses, a few crashing into each other. Some of them looked up and pointed at Rayquaza with bewildered expressions. Yuna facepalmed. Guess I need to teach him how to greet individuals in a crowd.

Alder looked over his shoulder. His pink forehead feathers stood on end. "Leo! And Yuna, too! You both made it!" The braviary floated into the air and flew toward the group. "And you brought company, I see." He looked around. "Splendid! Oh, if I had known you were coming this soon, I would've readied something for you. I'm sure the trip left you famished."

"We ate before we came." Noctum bobbed his head.

"Yeah. This lug makes decent scrambled eggs," Nikki added, noogieing Noctum's head over the black charizard's protests.

"Mayhap we can talk on the ground?" Rayquaza pointed to his passengers. "Methinks this lot is getting antsy. Also, mine strength is weaning. A result of the princess summoning me for quite some time?"

Yuna looked down at her Soul Dew to find it much dimmer than usual. So, there is a limit on this thing. Good to know.

The group landed. The rows of monks broke away, giving them ample space. While Yuna recalled Rayquaza to let him rest, Nikki hopped off Noctum and idly kicked up some dirt. "Tch. It'd be nicer to be on land again if it wasn't some dusty old plateau."

"It's a mesa," Noctum reminded her.

A vein bulged out of the toxtricity's head. "Whatever!"

Amidst all the commotion, Kora had glided — his coiled feathers apparently unfurled into wings — to the group. His wings folded back up and he dropped onto his tail while sitting cross-legged several centimeters off the ground. How Kora was balancing on that thin tail was beyond Yuna. Was that the kind of discipline Archie referred to?

"Welcome, travelers. I am Koraidon." He clasped his red hands together and slowly bowed. "I oversee the monks of this humble monastery." Koraidon locked eyes with Yuna. "Brother Alder told me about his chance meeting with you and your son."

Yuna was ready to correct Koraidon, but seeing Leo hopping around the braviary and some of the other monks gave her pause. "Err, right." She cleared her throat. "Leo, let's not get into other's personal space without their permission."

"Okie dokie!" The cosmic arceus trotted over and sat obediently in front of Yuna. He looked at Koraidon, starcloud tail swishing against the dirt. "I like your feathers. They're pretty."

"Thank you, little one." Koraidon smiled politely. Yuna swore his dewlap got a bit bigger, though it could've been her imagination. "How about the four of us adjourn somewhere private so we can talk about this in more detail?"

Yuna glanced at Noctum, frowning. "Do we have to?"

"Oh?" Koraidon looked between Noctum and Yuna. "Not at all, miss. I was merely worried about... overwhelming your friends."

"Yeah, I'm not interested in this 'dimensionality' crap." Valkyrie rested her arms behind her head, yawning. "Like I said, it was stupid to drag me here." She arched her back slightly. "Maybe I'll soak up a few rays or something. Sun's much dimmer here than Etherium, but the big moons are good enough. In a creepy way, I suppose."

Noctum huffed scarlet fire. "Would it kill you to decline politely? This concerns us, too."

Valkyrie narrowed her eyes. "Your precious princess wants you to go with. So, go with." She lowered her right arm to wave him off dismissively. "Even if it'll soar right over your head, at least you can pretend you're being useful."

Yuna's chest tightened. Noctum told her about his altercation with Valkyrie, but Yuna figured the garchomp was above taking petty verbal potshots. "Noctum," the drakloak whispered. "It's okay. You can come with—"

The black charizard stepped defiantly toward her. The glow in his Malice Crystal made Yuna uneasy. "Did I wound your pride that much you feel the need to resort to putdowns like some hatchling?" he growled.

"Please." Valkyrie lowered her stance. "So, you sucker punched me. Big deal. If it wasn't for that dumb gem in your gut, you'd never get the drop on me."

"That's enough."

Koraidon coiled his tail and sprang in between the two of them. He held up both his hands. "This sort of tension... is counter to our peaceful way of life."

"Don't blame me." Valkyrie raised her arms innocently. "He started it."

Leo scooted over beside Yuna. "Chompy's being a meanie," he whispered.

The drakloak tried hard not to giggle at that.

"Archie, Maxie." Koraidon beckoned them forward. His dewlap and feathers shimmered with a strange blue energy. Then, to Yuna's utter shock, a rift opened behind Koraidon. It bathed the nearby monks in soft blue, compared to the sinister purple glows Yuna was used to seeing from these rifts.

"Lemme guess: you want 'em to settle their differences like 'mons?" An eager grin spread across Archie's face. The samurott slapped a flipper when Koraidon nodded. "Now we're talking!"

"Settle... what?" Yuna hovered forward worriedly.

"He means having 'em go at it until they've beaten the anger out of each other!" Archie's eyes lit up.

Noctum's tail flame shrank. "E... excuse me?"

"Aww, shit! Round two?" Nikki jogged toward Maxie, rubbing her hands together. "Lemme cop a ticket, dude!"

"Now, hold on a second," Noctum started, only for Maxie to shove him toward the rift. "Battling won't solve anyt—"

He and the ghostly typhlosion disappeared in a blue flash.

"... eh, sure." Vakyrie stomped toward the rift. "I'll bite. Idiot won't know what hit him."

"Wait!" Yuna darted toward Valkyrie. "This isn't necessary! We're supposed to be a team!"

Valkyrie hopped into the rift beside Archie, completely ignoring the drakloak. Her tail and shoulders sagged. "Seriously?" Yuna groaned and turned to Koraidon. "Why'd you do that?"

"I've seen this situation many times." Koraidon casually approached Yuna. "It may seem counterintuitive, but it will be better for them in the long run."

Yuna bit her lip.

I sure hope so...

XxX​

This was beyond stupid. The sort of desperate stunt Noctum would've resorted to back when he was homeless. Why did he have to open his big mouth? The charizard had no desire to fight Valkyrie, especially if she was pissed.

Despite his protests, however, Maxie kept shoving Noctum until he stood opposite Valkyrie on a spacious dirt battlefield.

"I don't suppose you guys keep any soda around here?" Nikki asked a poncho-wearing kommo-o, who looked at a sliggoo in confusion. "Guess not." The toxtricity sighed and sat on a wooden stump.

"All right!" Archie shouted from the sidelines, rubbing his flippers together. "Rules are simple. Fight until one of ya bites it!"

"WHAT?!" Noctum's tail flame grew in alarm.

Maxie cleared his throat. "The big oaf means until someone faints." He nudged his goggles. "And no foul play, like attempts to maim or break limbs. This should still be a clean battle."

Archie's stance slouched. "G'arr, where's the fun in that?" He earned a cold look from Maxie. "Cripes. Ya sure ya ain't supposed to be a sneasel or something?"

"Fine by me." Valkyrie tilted her neck left, then right. Noctum heard the cricks and flinched.

The black charizard tapped his claws together. "Um, do I really need to—"

"Three, two, one... go!" Archie shouted far too quickly for Noctum's liking. Valkyrie wasted no time in shooting a Dragon Pulse at Noctum while moving to close the distance.

"Yipe!" Noctum flew up, watching the blue-purple beam streak past him. "Valkyrie, please! I don't want to fight!"

"Too late." The garchomp stomped the ground. Rock spires shot toward Noctum. He flew even higher, squeaking when Valkyrie blasted straight through them with another Dragon Pulse. Noctum couldn't dodge all the rocky spikes filling the air. A Flamethrower burnt through some, but a few pelted his wings and knees. He hissed from the stinging pain.

"Where's that ferocity from earlier, huh?" Valkyrie had a large rock slab under each arm. "Guess you can talk a big game if you feel like it, but when push comes to shove, you're as pampered as the princess!"

She hurled the rock in her right arm at Noctum. He had enough time to fly right, but found the second rock heading right for him! The charizard's claws lengthened. Metal coated them while he thrust his arms forward. His Metal Claws split the rock in half. Each half landed with a heavy thud, one even rolling a bit before dropping on its side. The monks offered some oohs and ahhs.

Noctum flew higher, biting his lip. His heart ached more than his body. Valkyrie fought beside him. Even with a bit of an attitude, she knew he was good for something. Why was she belittling him so much?

"Look alive, Charizard!"

Archie's call snapped Noctum's gaze down to the ground, where more Stone Edge spires sat... with Valkyrie leaping up them, Dragon Claws at the ready!

Noctum desperately shot a small stream of dragonfire. Too slow! He tried a Dragon Pulse, but Valkyrie spread her arms out and glided right over it. Noctum had no choice but to raise his Metal Claws to meet Valkyrie's Dragon Claws in midair.

The garchomp's attack won out, with Noctum tumbling back through the air. He managed to spread his wings out and catch himself before he hit the ground. However, a sudden malaise washed over his body. His breath hitched in his throat. The charizard looked down to see purple splotches on his black scales.

Poison? Ho—

His eyes widened. This wasn't the first time Noctum had seen this. The snorlax!

"You," Noctum shakily pointed an arm at her, "laced your attack with poison? How? Why?" An aching pain gripped his whole body.

Valkyrie bared her fangs. "Helps a non-poison assassin stay in the shadows."

"Oh snap! Plot twist!" Nikki scooched forward on her tree stump. "Kick his ass, Chompy!"

A wince. Noctum staggered back. "Wha—"

"Did I stutter?" Blue-violet sparks danced around Valkyrie's mouth. Noctum rolled right. A Dragon Pulse swept past him, kicking dust into the air.

"A... an assassin?! B-But that's someone who—"

"Kills people. Yes. Very observant."

Noctum spotted a growing silhouette in the dust. Rather than flying up to dodge Valkyrie, however, he flapped his wings in place. A deluge of Air Slash blades broke through the dust and forced Valkyrie back, arms held up to try and absorb some of the strikes.

The charizard tensed from the poison sinking deeper into his scales. "Why?"

"Because that's what the Ryujin needed," Valkyrie growled. She dropped to all fours. Stone Edge spires shot out of the ground. Noctum learned from last time, however, and stayed low, flying clockwise only a few centimeters off the ground. He spat dragonfire at Valkyrie while he strafed the Stone Edge.

"You think your sob story was gonna tug at my heart strings? Fat chance!" Valkyrie swung her tail at the nearest Stone Edge spire. It toppled over into a makeshift barricade against Noctum's dragonfire. "My parents sold me to the Medici to pay off their gambling debts!"

Noctum's stomach churned. Was it the poison or what Valkyrie told her? He knew she'd try to do something with the rock spires, so he dove down to one of the still-standing slabs and drilled into it with Metal Claws.

"The Medici turned me into a common burglar until— gah!"

The broken boulder tumbled down toward the garchomp. Noctum remained atop the broken rock, rubbing his chest as if he could will the poison away. Even though the broken slab struck Valkyrie, Noctum was too tired to seize on the opening.

"Call it off!" the charizard begged, waving his hands around.

"Fat chance!" Archie wore an eager grin. "It's getting good!"

"Like hell you're doing that!"

The downed boulder split apart and all the rocky debris rumbled. Noctum glided off his perch before the Stone Edge remnants crumbled into dirt clumps. Valkyrie stared him down, wiping spittle from her mouth.

"I don't want to hurt you," Noctum said, cringing from the poison sapping more of his strength.

"It's not about hurting. It's about finishing what you start," Valkyrie growled. She lowered her arms to her sides. "You tried to tug at their heartstrings by selling yourself as a sickly runt. Well, it beats getting dragged off to Citadark!"

Noctum's tail flame flickered. He recognized that name. Radiance's prison was there, right? "Wait, but that doesn't make any sense."

The charizard ducked, yelping. A Dragon Pulse streaked by his right shoulder.

"I was property to the Medici. A few of them turned me over to save their own hides!" Valkyrie snarled. She readied Dragon Claws and charged Noctum down. Still on his rump, the charizard flapped his wings. Air Slash crescents haphazardly littered Valkyrie's path. She stopped her charge to unleash a flurry of her own slashes on the wind blades.

"You know what happens to reptiles who end up on Citadark?" the garchomp shouted amidst the fervent slashing. "Tesla experiments on them!"

Noctum put more distance between himself and Valkyrie. The poison was really taking its toll, however. His legs shook. The charizard could maybe last a couple of more minutes, but one strike from Valkyrie would knock him out for sure.

... Wait, who was Tesla?

Never mind. He had to keep Valkyrie talking. "Experiments?"

The garchomp stared him down. "Things like poisoning a gabite to see if she can lace her own attacks with toxins."

She opened her maw wide. Purple-tinged saliva dripped onto the dirt, sizzling and bubbling at Valkyrie's feet.

Noctum's eyes darted about. "O-Oh." He folded his wings. "I... I had no idea."

"How the hell did you escape then?" Nikki shouted.

Valkyrie spat some more toxins to her right and wiped her mouth. "I reached a point where I knew I could evolve. Then I bided my time until Tesla took me down to his lab for one of his experiments, triggered the evolution, and overpowered him and his dumb machines.

"I thought I could swim back to Venish, but the sea was too harsh." Valkyrie's face scrunched up. "I'd have drowned out there if a Ryujin-controlled ship hadn't picked me up. The sailors smuggled me back into Radiance."

Nikki was off her stump, standing beside Archie and Maxie. "Lemme guess. They said you owed some kinda life debt, so they put you to work for them?"

Valkyrie didn't respond. Instead, another Dragon Pulse charged in her mouth.

A lightbulb went off in Noctum's head just as the garchomp fired the blue-violet beam. He only had the strength to dive to the ground to avoid it.

"That's why I won't let this glorified maid tell me off," Valkyrie said, stomping toward Noctum, ready to claim her victory.

"I get it," he said between wheezes, struggling to prop himself up. Noctum's gaze fell toward the dirt as he hesitated whether to say anything further. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

Valkyrie's approach hesitated for only a moment, but it was long enough for Noctum to tell he was right. And even though his better judgement knew that was the wrong thing to say, he didn't care. Noctum wasn't sure if it was the Malice Crystal or the poison or some sort of deeply rooted dragon instinct bubbling to the surface, but he defiantly got to his feet.

"You hurl... all these insults... toward me." The charizard's arms swayed from side to side. The poison wasn't hurting Noctum anymore. In fact, his arms grew a bit thicker. His claws longer and sharper. "But you don't... think I'm pampered. You just... want what... I have."

Were those blue embers in the corners of his eyes? Noctum wasn't sure. He was poisoned, right? Why did he feel so... invigorated?

Blue spilt over the creamy parts of his belly. With a stronger flap of his wings than he'd experienced before, Noctum closed the distance with Valkyrie in an instant. And his claws were so big! They weren't Metal Claws, they were Dragon Claws!

Yes, Noctum felt it in his blood. Under his scales.

Dragon dragon dragon dragon dragon dragon—

"Well you can't have it!"

Valkyrie was too stunned to react. Noctum's Dragon Claws slammed her flanks. The garchomp violently lurched to her left, then crumpled over. Noctum landed next to Valkyrie. That hit was good. Satisfying, even. He wanted more. Noctum needed more. He was going to beat her! He was going to show her up! One more strike! One more blow and—

Something warm struck Noctum between his shoulder blades. The charizard whirled around and found Maxie firmly pressing his goggles to his face.

"This battle is over."

Over? But Noctum was about to win! Besides, he hadn't felt this good in ages! "Back off," Noctum growled, more blue flames painting the edges of his vision. "You said we fight until someone faints."

Sighing, Maxie shook his head. His purple flame collar pulsated and, next thing Noctum knew, eerie shadowfire orbs surrounded him. Noctum was about to ready his Dragon Claws when the shadowfire closed in. A brief, fiery pain, then the charizard was out cold.

XxX​

"Nngh. What... happened?"

Floaters clouded Noctum's vision. His head throbbed. He instinctively massaged his forehead between his horns. It took a bit of time before Noctum managed to sit up. Maxie knelt next to him, his stoic expression showing the slightest bit of disapproval.

But why? Noctum only did what they wanted. They told him to fight. And he was tired of Valkyrie belittling him, so he fought back. Why had this typhlosion attacked him? And with a ghost attack, of all things? Could typhlosion even use ghost-type moves?

"You'll be fine." Maxie stood up, nudging his goggles. "You're lucky I intervened when I did, though. A few more seconds and you would've lost control of your mega evolution. We don't need a berserk charizard around here."

Noctum blinked. "Mega... evolution?" He'd never heard of it.

"You couldn't tell?" Nikki said, walking up to Maxie with her hands in her jacket pockets. "Your shoulders grew these big spikes and your wings got all segmented. And you had blue fire streaming out the sides of your mouth. Ptoo! Ptoo!" She held her hands up by her lips and wiggled her fingers. "It was freaky shit, dude!"

So, the charizard had transformed? "Wait... I used trance?"

"Sure as hell looked like it," Nikki said. "Though I thought tranced charizard were supposed to have their wings and horns turn into pure fire."

Maxie loudly cleared his throat. "If you two are finished, might I continue?"

Nikki rolled her eyes while Noctum looked down guiltily.

"I imagine we're discussing the same thing. Different worlds refer to mega evolution using different terms." Maxie slowly paced back and forth. "It's nothing more than a temporary transformation that powers up pokémon who are capable of it."

"Capable of it?" Nikki crossed her arms. "So, what, not everyone can do it?"

Maxie nodded, clearly irritated Nikki cut in again.

"That's a raw ass deal," Nikki snorted.

"Yes, well, the issue is that these transformations are difficult to control." Maxie pivoted slightly to show the gemstone in his goggles. "Typically pokémon rely on bonds with humans holding these key stones to stabilize the transformation and stop them from going berserk. But clearly that's not an option here."

"Why don't we just use yours, then?" Nikki asked.

"Do I look human to you?" Maxie narrowed his eyes at the toxtricity.

"No, you look like an egghead," Nikki responded, smirking. "What's so special about humans, anyway? They're, like, squishy people who can't do shit on their own, ain't they?"

"Humans have certain other characteristics," Maxie countered, his purple flames rippling to emphasize his growing irritation. "It's believed they help strengthen pokémon at rates far faster than we can achieve on their own."

"Feh." Nikki waved the typhlosion off. "What's the point of all this, huh? You saying Zardy can't fight or something because he'll go berserk?"

Noctum looked down at the Malice Crystal in his stomach. It was responsible for this. Trance came from Dynaforce, but Dynaforce was simply Malice, right? The charizard was right to fear it, then. What was he supposed to do? What if Noctum started going berserk without battling?

"Only one thing we can do about this."

Archie's voice drew Noctum's attention behind him. The samurott had gotten Valkyrie back on her feet, but she was clearly shaken. Noctum couldn't peg what the look in her eye was. Defeat, maybe? At least she didn't seem as resentful as before.

Too bad Noctum couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

Maxie frowned. "Please tell me you're not suggesting—"

"Oh, I am." Archie grinned eagerly. He unsheathed a seamitar, turned around, and pointed it due north. "We gotta take 'em to Mt. Osohi!"

"Excuse me?" Noctum wasn't sure he could take that name seriously.

Archie laughed. "The key to you scamps mastering your transformations lies on Mt. Osohi!"

"Wait... scamps? Like plural?" Nikki pointed to Noctum. "He's the one that couldn't keep it in his nonexistent pants."

"The key stone doesn't lie!" Archie thumped his golden anchor with his seamitar. "You three all have that power bubbling up inside of you." He hopped forward, nodding at a couple of kommo-o monks. They clasped their hands together and a blue rift appeared in front of Archie.

"Get moving, scamps! The only way we'll get things under control is to have you three pass the Gauntlet of Peril and/or Doom!"

Noctum stared at the open rift, blinking slowly. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"You cannot be serious," Valkyrie growled.

"I'm serious as the salt in the ocean!" Archie laughed again.

Nikki approached the rift, shoulders sagging.

"Man, I hate and/or doom."

XxX​

OSL: Shaftra Mesa, Planet Chakran (Dimension POV-2020)
We established a dimensional outpost for POV-2020 within a temperate mesa on this previously uninhabited planet after tracing a Category A space-time anomaly to this universe. Overseer Zygarde Tromeer and interns Necrozma Shane and Solgaleo Nebulon oversaw supply transportation and construction of our facilities. Resources included copies of the Dimensional Archive and Dimensional Map.

Fifty Overworld cycles after its establishment, a necrozma arrived on the planet and made contact with the outpost's inhabitants. Initial reports indicated it as the source of the space-time anomaly, however its aura was described as "irregular" and "difficult" to accurately assess. Our analyzers could not definitively match it to the space-time anomaly. Furthermore, the necrozma claimed that an eternatus was going around absorbing life-bearing planets.

Subject remained at the outpost for ten Overworld cycles. We attempted to rehabilitate it through various means. Eventually our monitors detected a distant energy signature that matched the space-time anomaly. Subject insisted we provide all available resources to combat it. After thorough discussion, we deemed the operation too high risk to omniversal stability and ordered a covert evacuation of the outpost. The subject attempted to interfere with the evacuation. Numerous pieces of equipment were left behind, but the outpost head is confident the subject will not be able to use them on its own.

Regrettably, a follow up inventory check further revealed one copy of the Dimensional Archive and Dimensional Map unaccounted for. Despite the risk of that information falling into unauthorized hands, POV-2020 was isolated per standard protocol to ensure the anomaly would remain contained in that dimension.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 47: Meeting Minutes​

Entry 486
I hate meditation. It's so boring. I've never wanted to do anything less in my life. This "rehabilitation" they prattle on about is stupid. But I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't play along.

At least I still have you, journal. You don't talk back to me like these damn Overseers. How could a group that claims to know so much ask so many stupid questions? As far as I'm concerned, they're a bunch of idiots.

But maybe if I keep playing along, they'll give me the means to destroy Eternatus for good.

XxX​

Yuna wasn't sure whether to call the circular room Koraidon's rift led her to an office, a bedroom, a den, or something else entirely. She floated in place, eyes darting from one multicolored tapestry to another. Some covered big squares and rectangles. Others were thrown over spherical objects. Koraidon glided toward the only uncovered things in the room: a worn leather chair in front of a bookcase stuffed to the point of pages spilling out onto the floor.

"Forgive the mess." Koraidon waved his right hand. Though he sat on the chair, he again balanced himself on his tail. "It's not often we have visitors."

"In fact, it was never until today," Alder quipped.

The drakloak's attempt at a polite laugh sounded forced. When she realized Leo was looking right at her, she scrambled to find something to say. "So, um, what is this place, then? I doubt this is what you intended your monastery to look like."

"An astute observation." Alder nodded approvingly. Yuna thought he was a bit too complimentary. "This is not our tribe's original home. It's served that purpose for many generations, though."

"Indeed." Koraidon crossed his legs. "Our clan's ancestors once wandered the stars. Nomads, if you would. But a terrible feud broke out amongst the tribe and their starships fired upon one another." He bowed his head solemnly. "Ashamed by their actions, the survivors landed on this planet and disassembled their technology, seeking to repent through simple lives of prayer and meditation."

"Until they found this abandoned outpost." Alder hopped along the metal floor, gesturing with a wing toward a dark corner of the room.

Leo hopped after him. "Oooh, what's that big metal rod thingy? Is it a slide?" He vibrated in place. "Please say it's a slide. Slides are fun!"

"Afraid not. This is a telescope." Alder's pink feathers glowed. A few orbs filled with light, allowing Yuna to see the telescope jutting through the wall. "You can look out into space with it."

"Why would I need to do that?" Leo tilted his head so much the cosmic arceus almost flopped onto his side. "I can just go to space right now!"

Yuna's eyes widened. "Leeeeeet's not do that!" The drakloak shot toward Leo and gripped the sides of his gold wheel. "It's rude to leave when the hosts haven't dismissed us."

"Oh." Leo dimmed. "Sorry, Mr. Alder!"

The braviary pet Leo's head. His starcloud tail wagged slightly, tickling Yuna's belly and forcing her to let go. She didn't think ghosts were meant to be ticklish. Maybe its his, uh, cosmic texture?

"I think we're digressing a bit," Koraidon said, chuckling. "That's okay, though. Diversions are simply speed bumps on the path to knowledge."

"That... sounds like something Bahamut might've said in a sermon. But cornier."

Yuna blinked, not wanting to freak Alder or Koraidon out by acknowledging Reshiram. At least he wasn't giving her the silent treatment anymore.

"What's this outpost from, then?" Yuna wondered. Though tempted to pull up one of the quilts and see what it hid, she managed to restrain herself.

"It belonged to the Overseers," Alder responded. He pulled a book from his forehead. Probably the same book from when they met in the anomaly.

"Oh, I remember that!" Leo hopped up and down again. "They're like the space police, right?"

Yuna wasn't sure where he got that comparison from. "But they left this place behind?"

"Indeed." Alder opened the book. "They left quite hastily though, hence all the abandoned equipment and important materials."

"Like that book?"

"One part of the Dimensional Archive." Koraidon spread his arms out. Yuna had to admit, it was an impressive bookcase behind him. "Some sort of... compendium of information the Overseers must have gathered from observing the many dimensions."

Leo approached the bookcase. He didn't even reach the top of the first shelf. "How many dimensions are there, Mr. Koraidon? A hundred?"

Koraidon shook his head.

"Ten hundred?"

Another shake.

Leo kept naming increasingly large numbers and getting bemused headshakes from Koraidon. The cosmic arceus' eyes widened. "What about... a squijillion?"

Yuna was pretty sure that wasn't a real number.

Koraidon smiled sweetly. "The truth is... I don't actually know."

Leo fell over in disbelief. He hopped back up, puffing out his cheeks. "You played a prank on me, didn't you?"

"Guilty," Koraidon said, raising his hand.

"The truth is that the answer is probably in the Dimensional Map," Alder cut in, walking toward Yuna's side. "But we... don't actually know how to turn it on."

"The Dimensional Map?" Yuna blinked. "You can map dimensions?" The drakloak doubted you could draw a map like you would of a mountain range.

"The Overseers must have," Koraidon replied. "And judging by what's written in the Archives, it's an important piece of equipment. One that absolutely cannot fall into the wrong hands."

Then why did they leave it here? Yuna's face scrunched up in thought. No specific reasons came to mind and that bothered her. She floated up to a large, quilted orb and leaned against it. "Do you think it relates to what you told us about, Alder? A dimensional crisis?"

"I'm afraid so." Alder telekinetically flipped through his book, his talons clicking against the metal floor. "Some of the scattered papers we found said the Overseers planned to seal this dimension to contain a serious threat. Meaning nothing from outside our universe would ever be able to get in... and nothing inside, out."

Yuna's tail crinkled. The drakloak stared at the quilt's overlapping diamond patterns, filling in gaps from Alder's explanation. The threat had to be Eternatus. Maybe Bahamut, but he was dead.

Nothing getting in or out, though... was another story. She gulped. "Then the dimensional anomaly we found..."

"Is a sign that the seal has failed," Koraidon sharply declared. "And, perhaps as a consequence of that failure, space and time are breaking down. Hence, these anomalies."

"That sounds bad," Leo said, shuddering.

"The truth is that there are some who were not born into our tribe," Koraidon admitted, running his webbed fingers through his feathery crest. "Rather, we found them on Chakran, with no memories of how they got here. Only their names."

Yuna's ectoplasm quivered. That sounded quite scary. She noticed Leo turning to Alder with a curious glint in his eyes. Wait, does he think—

The braviary nodded. "I'm one of those people." He raised his right wing. "Archie and Maxie are others. I have... vague recollections of a place where humans and pokémon worked side by side. But it's too fuzzy."

"I see." Yuna braced herself against a covered block to stay steady in the air. Talk about a lot to take in. "And now you're the lorekeeper here."

"All of the monks study dimensionality based on the teachings in these Archives." Koraidon pointed behind him with his tail. "But Alder took to it faster than any acolyte. I thought him a good choice." He scratched his cheek. "Perhaps I also hoped it would jog his memories."

"Can't win 'em all." The braviary shrugged innocently.

"Dimensionality." Yuna tapped the center of one of the diamond patterns. "You opened a rift."

"Correct. We keep the Archives hidden away, just as a precaution," Koraidon replied. He floated off the chair and balanced on his tail. "This outpost is brimming with lustrous ore. A strange mineral that interacts with space itself. Through our training, we attune ourselves to the ore, allowing us to make portals."

The drakloak heard enough. Yuna took a breath to steady herself. She had to rip the bandage off now and end this conversation. "Where do we fit into this, then?"

"It's more about Leo." Alder gestured to the cosmic arceus with a wing. "We need him to repair the larger anomalies before they eat away at our universe."

Yuna bit her lip. She already had a mission with unsealing the Needles. She couldn't afford to turn away from that to escort Leo across the universe. "How can we possibly do that? We barely got to this planet."

"Well, it looked to me like all the rifts are coming from your home planet," Alder said, laughing nervously. "Probably because of Eternatus."

Of course it came back to Eternatus. At this point, why wouldn't it? "Great. So can you make a map of these anomalies for us?"

Alder looked at Koraidon. Both of them shook their head.

"Seriously?!" Yuna rubbed her temples, sorely tempted to drop some dirty language. If only Nikki was here to do it for her. "Okay, but you'll help us some other way, right?"

"As best as we can," Koraidon assured her. He stood up, his feathery coils unfurling into wings. "Now, come, we ought to get you back to your friends so you can rest up."

Yuna doubted she would get much rest after learning all of this. Fortunately, Leo yawning and stretching like a cat eased a bit of her nerves.

"Okay." The drakloak hovered over to Leo. "Lead the way."

XxX​

Seifer didn't like to be kept waiting. He barely managed to hold his tongue when Gene returned to Outpost R3X, only to disappear through another rift without telling any of the others. Instead, he sat atop the main metal platform, looking at the bubbling tar pit and willing the mewtwo to return so he could give him a piece of his mind.

"I don't think you're going to win a staring contest against tar. It doesn't have eyes."

The keldeo looked over his shoulder. Jade squatted beside him, her wings curled into makeshift goggles over her eyes. "Peekaboo!"

"I'm not a colt," Seifer scoffed.

"Aww, c'mon, lighten up." The salugia stuck her tongue out. "Nobody likes a stick in the mud. Or stick in the tar, in this case." Jade winked at him.

The sudden appearance of a jagged purple rift stopped Seifer from retorting. "Finally!" He pushed past Jade. "About time you showed u—"

Seifer almost walked right into Cyril. The zoroark was back to his usual, white-furred appearance. "Aww, were you waiting for me?" Cyril batted his lashes. "How thoughtful. Maybe send some flowers next time."

"I— that— you—" Seifer shuffled back.

"Aww, he's blushing!" Jade pressed her wings to her cheeks. "Kelly's a cute blusher." She whirled on Cyril. "And look at you! Such a fluffy zoro!" Without warning, she flung herself at a yelping Cyril.

"Gah! H-Hey! Personal space!" Cyril shoved Jade's wings to no avail.

"Not as fluffy as my Cece, but still so much fluff!" Jade purred, brushing her cheek against Cyril's red chest fuzz.

"All right, party's over." Gene popped in next to Cyril and telekinetically peeled Jade off with a flick of his wrist. He dropped the salugia on her back.

"Still sore I didn't reach out to you sooner, huh?" Cyril rubbed his shoulder. To his and Seifer's surprise, however, the mewtwo quickly embraced Cyril. "Wha?"

"I'm glad you're okay," Gene said, breaking the hug as quick as he started it. Recognition flickered in Cyril's eyes moments later. He turned to Seifer, smirking.

"Lemme guess, he gave you the 'my boyfriend died after we professed our love to each other' bit?"

Seifer quirked a brow. "You already knew?"

Cyril put his hands on his hips. "How do you think he roped me into his ragtag resistance operation in the first place, complimenting my dashing looks?" He ran his claws through his wild mane while Seifer rolled his eyes.

"Oh, right, and we brought a special guest." Gene motioned behind him, then stepped out of the way to let a familiar orbeetle hover beside him.

"Cid!" Seifer gasped.

"Ah. Hello, Commander." Cid awkwardly waved, his attention still drawn toward the giant tar processing plant.

"I heard about what happened."

The orbeetle's shoulders sagged. "Yes, well, I could say the same to you."

Seifer narrowed his eyes. "It has to be Vortex. He put poisoned thoughts in Her Eminence's head."

"You needn't worry about Vortex anymore." Cid tapped his fingers together nervously. "Parliament subpoenaed him over the Venish fiasco. Her Eminence had him arrested for high treason."

The keldeo whinnied in surprise. "You're kidding!"

"Nope." Cyril stepped between them, lazily twirling his right hand around. "Ether is actually Malice. Starlene was brainwashing Radiance's citizens. Yadda yadda." He clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone's up to speed. Time to get down to business. Boss Kitty?"

Seifer did not feel brought up to speed. Though silent, he frowned in disapproval at the ghostly zoroark, who was too busy fiddling with a small metal cube to notice. Cyril tapped one side with his claw. The cube hovered beside Gene and displayed a holographic screen.

"Huh, neat trick." Jade sat down. "Does it do children's parties?"

"Har, har." Cyril rolled his eyes. "Just stay quiet and listen, okay?"

Jade mimed zipping her beak and tossing the key into the tar pit behind them. Artemis slithered over and coiled up beside the salugia, quirking a brow.

Gene flicked his right index finger. The screen displayed a mewtwo doodle with a spotlight shining on it. "I call it... Operation Follow Me."

"Like the move that attracts attacks in your direction?" Artemis wondered.

With a neutral expression, Gene swiped to an image of a question mark with a big red X flashing over it. "Please hold your questions until the end of the presentation."

The milotic tapped his tail impatiently against the metal platform.

"We have to get the word out to Eterna City about these rifts," Gene explained, showing an image of rift doodles opening and closing with only two frames of animation. Seifer wondered how Cyril or Gene had time to put this together.

"So, here's the plan." Gene transition to a screen showing his doodle and one of Jade running around a crudely drawn rooftop. "Me and Loogi are gonna create a diversion by attacking the Paradox Day Spa in the middle of Eterna Heights." He glanced at Jade.

The salugia bounced in place. Seifer wasn't sure if she was happy or upset about this development.

"The place is swarming with Troopers." Gene showed doodles of Eternatus Troopers firing on him and Jade. "Which we'll have to put up with... because it's also home to this!" He swiped the screen over to show a digital photo of... some giant sphere?

Seifer looked between the picture and Gene.

"It's one of the emperor's propaganda blimps," Cyril explained. "He broadcasts messages from it to Eterna City. The Paradox Day Spa hides one of its refueling stations. We're going to hack the blimp to give the city an important message."

The keldeo couldn't keep quiet. "We?"

"You and me, of course." Cyril winked at Seifer.

"What?!"

"Well, I need some protection. Can't use attacks, remember?" Cyril shrugged. "Who better than an ex-soldier?"

Seifer didn't have a retort. His gaze fell to the metal ground. He's doing this on purpose, isn't he? To mess with me!

"Anyway, while that's happening, Pool Noodle here will deploy this little joltik drone." Gene stuck his hand into a yelping Cyril's mane and produced a small mechanical joltik. "It's programmed to fly to the most likely spots where the emperor will send the captives for processing."

Artemis wasn't impressed. "That's it? I could squash that thing without even knowing it."

"Don't underestimate her." Gene smirked. "She'll provide perfect footage without getting detected."

Seifer didn't share the mewtwo's confidence. This wasn't an organized battleplan. Where were the contingencies? "And what if this blimp isn't where you think it is?" the keldeo asked.

"It will be." Gene lazily swished his tail. "The good thing about the resistance making zero headway against Paradox is that it's making him overconfident."

"I still don't like it." Seifer's gaze drifted toward the tar factory and the huge pipes with bits of steam trickling out of them. "Too many things can go wrong. What if one of us gets captured?"

"Relax." Gene waved the keldeo off. "Loogi and I are the ones sticking our necks out. And I can warp us away through a rift if we get too much heat." He walked over to Cid. "Plus, this egghead will be helping, too. As a sort of mission control and stuff."

"E-Excuse me?" Cid's spots flickered asynchronously. "I'm not qualified for that."

"Sure you are. All you gotta do is look at a screen and tell us what you see." Gene clapped the orbeetle's tiny back. "Any couch potato can do it!"

Cid turned a horrified look on Seifer. The keldeo tried to say something, but Gene stepped between them.

"All right, enough talking." The mewtwo rubbed his dark gray hands together. "Time to get to work!"

XxX​

This was bad. Very, very bad.

Igneous wanted to hang tight until Kyoko was ready to give him the boot. Instead, she walked in on him sitting silently beside Scarlett and tossed cloaks at the two of them.

Sakaki was here. And he had a very important guest.

As the grovlazzle followed his stepsister through Scale City's dingy, dirt-filled streets, he tried to think who it could be. Though Igneous never saw it himself, his mother had mentioned the Ryujin were involved with the Aeon royals in some capacity. That was why he got information about Yuna before meeting her, after all.

Still, there was no way one of them would come to Scale City, right?

Yet when Kyoko led them into an onyx building at the center of the city, his leafy tails curled up in trepidation. The salazzle hurried him and Scarlett into an elevator that blended into the building's brown walls.

"Why am I here, again?" Scarlett asked. "I don't even know a thing about this place."

"Because you're involved in this now, whether you like it or not," Kyoko responded. The elevator lurched to a stop and the doors opened. Igneous' breath hitched.

Sakaki stood at the head of a large oak conference table... beside a dragapult garbed in sleek black armor.

Kyoko took one step out of the elevator and froze. "What is this?"

Placing a hand atop his leather office chair, Sakaki said, "May I introduce Queen Dragapult Yiazmat of the Aeon Kingdom. She's here to see your stepbrother. I trust you brought him?"

Igneous whirled on Kyoko. "What the hell? You ratted me out?!"

The salazzle smacked Igneous' left leg with her tail. "Of course I did. You fled Ministry of Justice custody."

His outburst drew Sakaki's attention toward him. Igneous froze.

How many months had it been since he'd even spoken to his father? And now he was standing right in front of him. Igneous couldn't let the nidoking see what had become of him. All the grovlazzle could manage was eyeing the framed map of Radiance hanging on the wall behind his father.

Kyoko once again intervened. Her taller stature let her easily yank Igneous' cloak off and shove him forward. Igneous snarled at her, only to freeze up. He could practically feel his father's eyes on him.

"I see," was all Sakaki said. "You've been through quite the ordeal, haven't you?"

Igneous clenched his fists. As usual, he couldn't make heads or tails of Sakaki's neutral tone. Was the nidoking offering sympathy? Dismissing him? Belittling him? It pissed Igneous off to no end.

"What do you care?" Igneous growled. "I did what I had to do to survive. Just like you taught me."

Sakaki's professional mask slipped for a second. Igneous saw the hurt in his eye, but the grovlazzle didn't buy it. Sakaki couldn't run the Ryujin without having deceptive tricks up his black sleeves.

The silence lasted until Kyoko cleared her throat. "We also brought the Radiant Diva."

Igneous glanced at Scarlett. He hadn't told the dragonair of his ties to the Ryujin, but the understanding was clear as day in her eyes.

"Y... yo..." Her eyes darted between Igneous and Kyoko. Scarlett tensed up. "Please don't hurt me! I never wanted things to end up like this. I was only trying to make a better life for myself!"

Yiazmat drifted over the conference table. "Your music made my daughter pass out."

Eyes widening, Igneous recalled the Crowne Cup inaugural ball and Starlene's concert. Yes, Yuna did react badly to Starlene's music.

Scarlett must have known about this, too, because she shrank toward the carpeted floor. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I had no idea she was a princess! Vortex told me someone had too much wine!"

The dragapult sighed. "Calm yourself, Dragonair. I'm not here to hold your tail to the fire over this." She hovered down to sit atop the table. Her tail and feet phased through the dark brown oak. "I'm here as a concerned mother." Yiazmat looked at Igneous. "Where is Yuna? How is she?"

Igneous blinked. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since we were back in Horizon Gardens. She was supposed to go to Venish with the rest of the class."

Yiazmat visibly tensed. Her horns flickered with blue-violet light. Igneous stiffened. Had he said something wrong?

"Venish." The dragapult tapped a claw on the table. "Where the Horizon students were captured by an armored assailant. The only student recovered being Radiance's crown prince."

"What?" Igneous' chest tightened. Could it have been someone from Eternatus?

"No," Scarlett whispered. "I— did my music do that?" The dragonair looked at Igneous. "Because of the concert? Because of us?"

"I need to find my daughter," Yiazmat said. She trained her horns on Igneous and Scarlett. "And you two are going to help."

Igneous wanted to protest, but since Kyoko intended to kick him to the curb, anyway, the grovlazzle had no leverage. Especially not against the Aeon queen.

"Me?" Scarlett uncoiled herself slightly to get closer to eye level with the conference table. "I'm not a fighter."

"No, but your music is clearly powerful." Sakaki walked toward them. He stopped beside another leather chair and braced his left hand against its back. "Both you and my son are responsible in some capacity for this latest predicament. You need to take responsibility and work to fix this."

"Us?" Scarlett uncoiled a little more. "What about Radiance's government?"

"They're already making moves that I am... skeptical of," Sakaki said, brow furrowing. "We need to take steps to look out for own, because I doubt Queen Isola will be doing so."

Yiazmat pinched her brow. "I approve of arresting that stuffy charizard, however that's not good enough. Someone has to take direct steps to stop World Ender's awakening."

Igneous remained still. There was no way he'd tell Yiazmat that her daughter was going around pulling the Needles keeping Eternatus sealed. The dragapult would blast him without hesitation for sure!

Instead, he focused on his father. "I'm a fugitive, though." His gaze fell to his bright orange belly. "Even looking like this, the Reaper might figure out who I am. You can't really think it smart for me to gallivant around the kingdom? That's not 'looking out for our own.'"

"I can't speak to the Reaper's ability to look beyond basic outward appearances," Sakaki conceded, sticking his hands into his blazer's pockets. "However, my sources tell me that, after your escape, he's facing pressure from the high inquisitor to 'redeem' himself by tending to Vortex, Tesla, and other high-profile individuals Isola had arrested. So, now is the time for you to act."

"To act." Igneous' frown deepened. "In what way?" He glanced at Yiazmat. "I get you want to find Yuna, but how do we even begin approaching something like that?" The grovlazzle wanted to believe Yuna was fine. However, even if she was, that didn't guarantee they'd find her. She could have been inside Eternatus dealing with Needle-related business.

"As I understand it, many in Venish evacuated to the city of Vellguarde." Yiazmat crossed her arms. "That's where we'll start our search."

Scarlett shot Igneous a nervous look. He figured she feared showing her face in public. If Scale City's residents were upset at her, Igneous could only imagine what people on the surface were thinking now that they knew the truth about Starlene.

"We'll, uh, find a way to keep you hidden?" Igneous rubbed the back of his head. Saying that was one thing. Actually doing it was another.

"You don't sound convinced," Scarlett huffed, her tiny wings drooping.

"As I said before, your music is clearly powerful." Sakaki stared the dragonair down. "If you are remorseful, then you will aim to rectify this situation by using what Polaris gave you to aid us instead."

Igneous did his best not to call his father a hypocrite, still conflicted about his own role in dragging the truth about Starlene to light. And there was the new power he had as well. Could using that power on his own terms let him avoid Xeromus and Ahsen? He certainly hoped so.

Dull thumps of plastic on wood drew Chiaki's attention behind Yiazmat. Three plastic cards sat beside the dragapult's left hip. The bottom part of her tail appeared and pushed two of the cards to the end of the table.

Igneous frowned. The cards were blank. "What's the deal?"

"Your ID cards," Sakaki replied. "Or they will be once we take your photos and print them onto these."

"ID card?" Scarlett looked hesitantly at the plastic. "For what?"

"The Radiant Beacon's newly-established Bureau of Eternatus Investigators." Sakaki turned toward the door in the far corner of the room. "Your assignment starts now. Best of luck."

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 48: Trial by Fire-Type​

The transformation they called mega evolution is possible in my new home, too. I guess it truly is a facet of nature, woven into the universe itself. I had to get involved to stop a few transformed charizard and blastoise from tearing each other apart. They were quite formidable, but even with their transformations I could see the fear in their eyes when I rained a Prismatic Laser on them from above.

It's frustrating. I want to keep this world safe and to do so, I need to keep my power in check. But what else am I supposed to do? Let these berserk pokémon go on rampages?

I guess all those years in isolated meditation couldn't quell my own violent tendencies.

I'll look back through my notes. I think the Overseers had a means of helping pokémon control the transformations.

Oh, right, one other thing. Even when I knocked them out, the charizard stayed the same. Blackened scales, jagged wings, and blue flames trickling out of their mouths. Their souls still brimmed with dragon energy. This is not the same as Earth. Something's definitely wrong.

... Did my light do this? Did I screw this up?

XxX​

When Noctum thought of mountains, he thought of the bulky ones back in Aeon. Some ending in volcanic mouths and others having jagged, ashen peaks that pierced the smog-filled skies. Neither of these applied to Mt. Osohi. With its slender base and rock outcroppings spiraling around it, Noctum thought it closer to a giant paper towel roll than a proper mountain.

Perhaps he focused so hard on it in an attempt at ignoring the massive ravine that surrounded the mountain's base.

"Jeez, how deep does this fissure go?" Nikki was propped against a barren tree, tossing a pebble to herself. "All I see is smoke and dust down there." She tossed the pebble into the abyss, then leaned over, waiting to hear some sort of impact.

Nothing happened. Noctum's wings instinctively opened, as if he needed to take off at a moment's notice. The monks came to such an unsafe place regularly?

"Why do you think this is the Gauntlet of Peril and/or Doom?" Archie laughed as he hopped over to a stone archway with a dusty gemstone in the middle. "If you can't push yourself to get through peril, then you'll meet your doom! Fwahaha!"

Maxie flicked the side of Archie's head. "Can the theatrics."

"Killjoy," Archie grumbled, rubbing the spot Maxie flicked.

"Someone has to keep you in line," the purple typhlosion scoffed. "Anyway, are you three ready to proceed?"

Proceed with what? Noctum hoped Maxie would explain how this worked.

"Are we supposed to scale this thing?" Valkyrie stood beside the mountain base. She tapped the rock with her claw. "I guess it's firm enough for me to climb." She shot Noctum a stink eye. "But that lug's got wings. He'd get up there in a matter of minutes."

A smirk tugged at Maxie's lips. "Yes, you're climbing up the mountain. But scaling it that way won't work." He gestured to the archway behind him. "You have to follow the arches. They'll guide you."

Nikki pushed herself off the tree, scowling. "You mean the arch that leads right into the ravine?" She casually approached it. "Oh, yeah, sure, just walk right off this cliff here. That'll get you up the mountain no problem." She whirled on Maxie, mohawk sparking. "What am I, an idiot?"

The look in Maxie's eyes said he thought so. "Oh ye of little faith." He nudged his goggles up. "The gauntlet asks you to push past your basic instincts to achieve a greater power."

Well, Noctum's instincts told him to stay far away from the arch. The charizard wasn't about to ignore them. He shuffled across the dusty ground.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Gah!" Startled, Noctum's tail flame fwooshed. Archie's jagged horn sat centimeters from his shoulder.

"You're the scamp who needs this the most. Don't go running off on us," the samurott scoffed.

Noctum approached the arch, fidgeting nervously.

"What are you scared about?" Valkyrie scoffed. "You can fly."

True. Yet Noctum had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't that simple.

"Well then? You're burning daylight." Maxie approached the arch. He pressed his right hand on it and the stone in his goggles shimmered with multicolored light. The entire arch glowed turquoise. In the blink of an eye, floating turquoise platforms appeared over the ravine.

"What the—" Noctum's Malice Crystal flickered.

"Kinda freaky." Nikki scratched her head.

"Better get moving. You scamps are on a timer!" Archie declared. Noctum looked up to see a luminescent hourglass hanging over the archway... and it was counting down quickly!

The black charizard spread his wings and took off... only for an unseen weight to firmly press on his back, sending him crashing into the ground with a holler. Noctum rolled across the floating platform, getting a mouthful of dirt for his trouble.

"Oh, did we forget to mention? There's artificial gravity," Archie called. "So, no flying! Fwahaha!"

Anger bubbled in Noctum's belly. He turned toward the samurott, snarling, but composed himself when Nikki and Valkyrie passed him by, both running along the floating platforms. The garchomp leaped a gap between two triangular rocks. So, jumping was fine, but not flying? Noctum knew that wasn't how gravity worked. Maybe it was magic, like the Malice Crystal?

"What are you doing, idiot? Get moving!" Valkyrie shouted.

"R-Right! Sorry!" Noctum scrambled to his feet. Running was not the charizard's forte. He stuck to the biggest floating rocks, hopping from a circular one to a square one, then running forward. The rock path curved around the mountain and its incline steepened. Noctum could stay on his feet, but he had to time his jumps carefully. The fourth gap he jumped was much larger than the others.

"This way!" Nikki waved at Noctum from a second arch that sat on a small plateau. The hourglass hung above it, ticking down. And as it did, the rocks trembled under Noctum's feet. Was time running out? He'd have to make a break for it, then!

Noctum tucked his head down and folded up his wings to lower his drag. The black charizard scrambled across a long, rectangular rock. As he went to jump, the rock shuddered and struck him under his tail. Noctum yipped and jumped forward with more force than he intended. He sailed through the arch and struck a tree branch. He crashed into the base of the tree in a pile of dirt and splinters.

"Oww..." Noctum rubbed his head, whimpering.

"Nice landing, dweeb." Nikki mockingly applauded. "Looks like you're ready for the high dive."

Noctum sat up, shielding the embarrassment on his face with his right wing. Luckily, he didn't feel a welt on his forehead. "Shouldn't you guys be climbing?" he grumbled.

"This is a safe spot," Valkyrie scoffed. "Now get off your ass. You're not really hurt."

Despite the condescension, when Noctum lowered his wing he found Valkyrie extending her right arm to help him up. "Err, how do you know this is a safe spot?" Noctum took the garchomp's arm. She yanked him up, then pointed behind her to an oversized bedsheet with "SAFE ZONE" and several smiley faces painted onto it.

"Oh." Noctum blinked. "That's... something." His tail flame flickered. "I guess some of the monks like doing arts and crafts?"

"The more you think about it, the weirder it gets." Nikki walked away from them, shaking her head. "Let's get the rest of this dumb hike over with quickly." The toxtricity approached a third arch. It glowed like the first one and a new floating rock path built itself in front of her, curving up and around the side of the mountain. She took off running.

Noctum sighed and followed, wishing he could've taken more of a break to massage his feet. Like before, he kept his wings folded. The wind was harsher now than before and giant tree roots wove themselves between the floating rocks, forcing Noctum to hop them like small hurdles.

Every time he landed, a tingle ran to the charizard's belly from his feet. After the fight with Valkyrie, this climb should have exhausted Noctum. But every hop and leap over a large tree root invigorated him. And Noctum had no idea why, but he wasn't complaining.

The stupid floating rocks didn't even get the chance to shake and tremble like last time. Noctum easily cleared the fourth arch, then turned to watch the rocks disappear in streams of multicolored light. "Say, does anyone else feel, um, energized?" He hopped from one foot to another.

Valkyrie scratched her neck. "Guess so."

"Yeah." Nikki rolled her right arm. "'s like I finished chugging a pot of coffee."

Noctum's initial trepidation over this so-called trial faded away. As he approached the fifth arch, he wasn't remotely worried about any peril and/or doom...

... Until the next floating pathway assembled itself and revealing glowing boulders rolling right toward him!

"Aah!" Noctum turned to flee, when Valkyrie skidded in front of him and, shouting, destroyed the boulder with a swipe of her Dragon Claws. The charizard peeked his head over his shoulder to find Valkyrie sprinting forward with her Dragon Claws at the ready.

"Well?" Nikki shoved him forward. "You gonna let her do all the dirty work? Get a move on!"

Noctum scrambled forward without even thinking... but God were those boulders massive! Could his Metal Claws even put a dent into them?

"Pay attention!" Nikki shouted from behind him.

A glowing green boulder bounced toward them. Swallowing his fear, Noctum wound up and thrust his arms forward. His Metal Claws struck the boulder, which vanished in streams of rainbow light. That same spark from the tree roots shot up his arms. Noctum leaped to another floating rock and struck another boulder with his Metal Claws. The shatter sent a satisfying tingle toward his Malice Crystal.

Up ahead, Noctum spotted Valkyrie slashing one boulder after another with her Dragon Claws. Even though she could get rid of them, new ones appeared too quickly for her to continue forward. And the floating rocks shook underneath both of them. Noctum had to hurry!

He leaped forward, closing the distance and striking a boulder before it could blindside Valkyrie. "Come on!" the charizard called. They ran forward side by side, slashing at green boulders in tandem. After the third strike, the strange surge of energy from the fight with Valkyrie bubbled up from Noctum's gut. His Metal Claws grew to shining blue Dragon Claws. Blue embers trickled in the edges of his vision.

He slashed another boulder. It was satisfying, but not overwhelming. Yes, he could do this. Noctum could control this!

The charizard slashed one final boulder and cleared the sixth arch. Nikki sprinted past him, seconds before the rocks dissolved away. The toxtricity hunched over, wheezing. "Man... when do... I get the sick transformation?"

"Hmm?" Noctum looked over shoulder.

"These look ridiculous," Valkyrie said, holding up bladed arms that would make a scyther blush. "Better for cutting things, I guess." She swiped at the air, growling to herself.

Noctum watched, a hand on his chest. He wasn't sure whether to blame the garchomp's added white spikes, her more angular jaw, or both... but something inside him stirred at witnessing Valkyrie's transformation. So, that's tranced garchomp. Or mega garchomp.

"Dude, is your tail wagging?"

"Huh?" Noctum tensed and looked at Nikki. "N-No, of course not! Charizard tails don't wag!"

"Yeah, sure." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Your snout practically grew longer, dude." She walked forward, cracking her knuckles. "Okay, we're pretty high up now. Can't be much further, right?"

The air was even thinner than before. Noctum thought it best not to look off the side of the plateau and see how far the drop was. Mt. Osohi lives up to its name, I guess.

A flash of light caught his attention. Nikki stepped through the next arch. While another floating rock path arranged itself before them, giant, thorny vines immediately grew in to block them off. An ethereal purple liquid dripped from the thorns, sizzling against the glowing rocks.

"That doesn't look good," Nikki said, stepping back through the arch cautiously.

"Move." Valkyrie almost shoved her. "I'll handle this."

However, the nearest vine sucked up the ensuing Dragon Pulse like water through one of those bendy straws Noctum thought were so cool. "Oi, you're the fire-type." Valkyrie pointed a scythe arm at Noctum. "Do something! Clock's ticking!"

"Right." Noctum took a deep breath. He spewed bright blue flames — hotter than any Flamethrower he'd ever used — that struck the nearest vine... and disappeared inside it as pathetically as Valkyrie's Dragon Pulse. The mega charizard blinked. "Uhhhh..."

"Oh, brother." Nikki squished past the two dragons. "I guess this trial is sentient or something. Telling me I gotta pull my weight." The toxtricity held her hands out. Her electric guitar materialized in a yellow and purple flash. "Pull on this, you overgrown garden weeds!"

She swiped at the middle of the nearest vine. Purple and yellow lightning surged through the thorns, which burst apart in showers of purple mist. "I'm the most badass weed whacker you'll ever see!" Nikki moved forward, slicing apart more thorny vines. Every downed vine grew the size of her electric guitar. Noctum shielded his face as he followed behind her.

"Boulder coming at you!" Valkyrie warned. Noctum dropped his arm to his side. One Dragon Claw slash split the boulder and dissolved it into dust.

"Almost there!" Nikki said. Purple mohawks had grown on either side of her yellow one. The rocks trembled beneath the trio. Noctum almost stumbled off but spread his wings to catch himself. He jumped to the next platform right as Nikki broke through the last vine. The backmost spike around her waist had grown to practically look like one of those fancy power lines.

The toxtricity leaped through the archway and tossed her electric guitar to herself. "Ha! Peril and/or doom my ass. That was a breeze." She caught the guitar and dispelled it, looking at the glowing spikes around her wrist. "Hmm." Nikki turned to Noctum and Valkyrie. "So, how do I look?"

Her hollow yellow eyes unnerved Noctum. Though the mega charizard said nothing, the damage was done. Nikki frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

"It's, uh—" Noctum tapped his claws together.

"You look like you got crossed with a low key toxtricity and someone jammed a power line up your ass," Valkyrie bluntly responded, shaking her head.

"Seriously?!" Nikki looked over her right shoulder, then her left. "What the hell? This totally blows! Why do you get badass megas and I'm stuck looking like some B-tier horror movie prop?"

Valkyrie shrugged. "I'm not the biggest fan of this, either. My jaw feels too bulky."

Noctum's familiar ba-dump from earlier returned. He rubbed his chest and pivoted away from the mega garchomp, eager to change the subject. "O-Oh, hey, look! We made it to the peak." Noctum pointed toward the circular mountaintop, which held nothing more than some gray rocks pushed together to vaguely resemble chairs and benches. Like with the break areas, a tarp with "CONGRATULATIONS!" and several smiley faces painted on it flapped in the wind, nailed to the largest rock in the group.

"Wow. Anticlimactic much?" Nikki walked forward, tucking her hands into her jacket pockets. "The could've at least given us a prize or something."

"A prize?" Valkyrie snorted. "What are you, seven?"

"The prize is the control over your transformations, scamps!"

"Gah!" Noctum shot into the air, no longer bound by wonky gravity. Below him, Archie and Maxie appeared through a rift alongside one of the kommo-o monks from earlier.

"Seriously?" Nikki's shoulder sagged. "What was even the point of this if you could warp us up?!"

"Weren't you listening?" The samurott shook his head. "Look at y'all. Standing there, mega evolved and fully in control! You're not ripping each other's faces off!"

Noctum gulped. "That's... something that happens when people can't control their megas?"

"Not literally." Maxie facepalmed. "You already experienced what happened. People lose control of themselves. Become disinhibited."

"Yeah, but ripping faces off sounds cooler," Archie grumbled.

Maxie sighed. "Why do I even bother?" The typhlosion shook his head. "In any case, you should have all felt that sense of control as you went through the course."

Noctum landed beside them. "Uh, right." He scratched his head. "Now how do I turn it off?"

"You've gotta relax your body and spirit," Archie replied. "Like you're meditating, but not."

That was hardly descriptive, but Noctum could give it a try. He took a deep, calming breath. That surge of energy left his body. Noctum turned around and saw his wings were no longer serrated. "Oh. I guess it is that simple."

A couple more orange flashes followed. Nikki and Valkyrie returned to normal as well. The toxtricity approached, resting her hands behind her head. "So, uh, what would've happened if we weren't fast enough?"

"Oh, that? Pfbt!" Laughing, Archie hopped toward the final arch and jumped through it with a loud whoop.

"What the hell?!" Nikki's eyes widened. "Is he crazy?!"

A rift opened up behind Kommo-o and dropped Archie out of it. The samurott was no worse for wear.

"You really think we'd let you fall to your deaths? Ridiculous." Maxie shook his head. "We had monks ready to catch you."

"Then why call it the Trials of Peril and/or Doom?!" Nikki fumed.

"Dramatic effect!" Archie raised his flippers and gave jazz hands. Kommo-o joined in.

Nikki facepalmed. "Why the hell does this thing even exist, then? Do you guys use it?"

"As part of our ascetic training," Kommo-o responded, bowing his scaly head politely. "We did not create it. We merely found it. The Overseers probably used it when they inhabited this outpost."

Blank stares followed. Noctum tilted his head. "Overseers? Are they pokémon?"

Nikki rubbed her forehead. "Why do I get the feeling I don't like what the answer to that will be?"

As if to respond to her rhetorical question, a new rift appeared in the middle of all the chair-like rocks. Koraidon poked his head out. "Ah, so this is where you ran off to." He glanced at Archie and Maxie. "I trust things went well?"

Maxie nodded.

"Splendid." He beckoned everyone toward the rift. "Come along. There's much to discuss and I figure you could all do with a bite to eat."

Noctum glanced at his Malice Crystal. It sparkled as if it understood Koraidon's statement. The charizard shrugged, then approached the rift, thankful he was finally getting the chance to rest.

XxX​

Seifer paced across the concrete rooftop, gaze transfixed on the purple and black sky with colorful smears from Eterna City's bright, colorful lights. Cyril pointed out a skyscraper with a giant, circular platform far in the distance. Something black and metallic floated next to it, displaying footage of a traffic report.

"When Gene told us you were going to hack that thing, I expected we'd need to, y'know, get closer," the keldeo said. He looked over his shoulder at Cyril, who was disguised as a normal zoroark. He sat next to something he called a laptop, which had a few small satellites plugged into it.

"Nah." Cyril waved him off. "Only reason we even came to Eterna City is to throw off the Troopers if they do trace the signal back to me." He smirked at Seifer. "Why, you itchy to get your hooves dirty?"

Seifer frowned. "No. I just— don't understand why I'm here with you." He approached the edge of the building. The people and vehicles down at street level were tiny dots. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to deploy your drone, instead of Artemis?"

"I asked for you," Cyril responded. "And get back from the edge. Don't need anyone down there seeing you."

Seifer held off on retorting that plenty of taller buildings surrounded them. He walked back toward the zoroark, his frown deepening. "Look, if you have a problem with me, then say it to my face. I'm tired of your stupid teasing."

"A problem?" Cyril sounded hurt. "Not at all." He pulled his goggles down around his neck. "I just... wanted you for company."

The keldeo almost rolled his right forehoof and tripped, but managed to catch himself. Cyril was yanking his tail, right? That was what zoroark did.

"Why, so you can belittle me more than your boss already has?" Seifer scoffed, flicking hair out of his eyes. Gosh, when was the last time he had a proper brushing?

"The opposite." Cyril typed away at his laptop. His ears drooped and Seifer bit his lip.

A convincing performance, he told himself.

"I'm sure between that Venish ship's crew and Boss Kitty talking down to everyone... you've seen and heard a few things that's shaken your faith," Cyril whispered.

Seifer's brow furrowed. "Aeons are the ones with religion."

Sighing, the zoroark twirled his pink, heart-covered bandana around. "Look, I'll admit it. I did think you were a bit of a pompous ass at first. But it also sounded like life knocked you down a peg or two."

"So, it's pity, is it?" Seifer looked down at his hooves. Something about a zoroark who couldn't even use any attacks pitying him felt rather pathetic.

"No, I—" Cyril pinched his brow, groaning. "I get where you're coming from, okay?"

Seifer squinted. He wasn't buying that. "Because of the Malice mutating you?"

"More like... getting thrust into all of this." Cyril gestured to the buildings behind him with their glowing signs advertising sports drinks and movies. "You're a proud guy. Raised around honor and virtue and stuff. But I..." His voice trailed off as he looked around. "I've seen the doubt in your eyes. About how you were raised. If you were really on the right side of things. I had a lot of doubts about myself early on."

Cyril chuckled awkwardly. "Hell, even after I agreed to work with Boss Kitty I wondered if we were going about things the wrong way. If maybe there was a less... aggressive way to work toward his goal."

The keldeo shuffled about uneasily. Now this was really reminding him of when Cyril made his prosthetic horn in his workshop. "I wanted to serve my kingdom... as my family did stretching back generations."

"But Boss Kitty is bluntly shoving truths in your face that run counter to those beliefs, am I right?"

Silence. Seifer swallowed hard. "Yes." He sat down, avoiding the zoroark's eyes. "I can't stop going over things in my head. If there were ulterior motives behind everything I did for the Radiant Guard."

He didn't realize Cyril moved from behind his laptop until a fuzzy paw touched his right shoulder. Seifer's tail shot up and his horn sparked. He nearly whacked Cyril with his horn when he turned his head, but the zoroark managed to duck underneath it.

"You're not a bad person," Cyril said.

"You barely know me," Seifer whispered.

Cyril offered a smile. "I know you enough to tell your heart's in the right place."

Seifer pulled away. "You can't be certain of that." He looked down. "Like, when they first assigned me to guard Yuna, I was... silently resentful toward her and Noctum. May have even insulted them a few times." He shook his head. "An honorable soldier shouldn't do that. And in hindsight, it's clear I held that attitude about Aeons and openly shared it with the soldiers serving under me."

"But the fact that you're acknowledging it now shows you want to do the right thing," Cyril countered. He gently nudged Seifer's chin back in his direction. The keldeo stiffened, nearly lashing out on impulse. Why was there a tingle running down his spine?

"I know it hurts to consider it, but you have to try and view this as, uh..." Cyril rested his chin on his wrist. "Oh, right! As the chance to be that valiant defender you always viewed yourself as."

"By becoming a criminal?"

"By stopping the emperor." Cyril scooted back to his laptop, hiking his leggings back up his thighs.

Wait, why am I watching him do that? Seifer quickly turned his attention to a metal grate with smoke trickling out of it.

"Think about it," Cyril continued. "Defeating Paradox doesn't just save Etherium, it saves all the planets suffering under his rule. Even if we have to use some deceptive tactics, isn't that a cause worth fighting for?"

Silence hung in the air. The keldeo had to admit Cyril was right. This was bigger than his kingdom. And certainly bigger than the Radiant Guard. He turned back to the zoroark. "It's just... hard to break old habits," he said. "I'm used to... following the rules to a T. Not straying from the path. That kind of stuff."

"I know." Cyril braced his hands on the rooftop. "I can help you, if you're willing."

Seifer quirked a brow. "Help me?"

"Get past those teachings," Cyril said. "And, y'know, lose control a little."

The keldeo blinked slowly. "Lose... control?" Control of what?

"Yeah. Not be so rigid and uptight and stuff." Cyril sprang up and crouched down in front of Seifer, smirking. "You don't gotta be the life of the party or anything, but I bet we can get you cracking a few jokes now and again with a little practice."

He playfully flicked Seifer's nose. Blood rushed to the keldeo's cheeks. "I— that's—" He rubbed his forehooves together. "Perhaps I can... entertain that notion." Why was he stumbling over his words so badly? "What does it entail, exactly?"

"Well, what's something you've always wanted to try but never gotten the chance to?" Cyril wondered, with a tilt of his head.

Seifer looked at his forehooves. Something he hadn't tried but wanted to? The keldeo had eaten plenty of exotic dishes, so that was out. He'd gone to theater showings, too. Was that what Cyril meant? This was harder than Seifer expected.

"Could be anything," Cyril said. "A holowear outfit, a new hobby, fighting in the arena back at the outpost, smooching a certain zoroark, or— oops, did I say that last part out loud?"

"What?!" Seifer went stiff as a board. That was definitely on purpose. "That's not funny!" he huffed.

"Then why's your face as red as a cherrim?" Cyril wondered, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

"Because I—"

A thunderous rumble echoed in the distance. Seifer looked over his shoulder. Smoke and fire drifted into the sky from the top of the building where the propaganda blimp was.

"Oh, shit, that's the signal." Cyril hopped over his laptop and crouched down behind it. "Watch my six." He cracked his knuckles. "It's showtime."

Seifer was still staring at the distant skyscraper in disbelief.

What kind of signal is that supposed to be?!

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 49: Operation Follow Me​

High above the Eterna City skyline, in the thick, black and purple clouds, Gene turned to Jade and her orange zapdos passenger. "It's going to be quick." The mewtwo snapped his fingers. "Once the rift opens, I shoot a Fire Blast into the fueling console and light the spa up like an oversized candle. Then we go charging in and you'd best be ready for Troopers to swarm us."

Quetzal puffed out his feathers. "I still cannot believe nobody told me we were having a strategy meeting! I didn't even have any time to prepare for this!"

"You were napping. I didn't want to be rude." Jade laughed nervously.

"I just forgot." Gene shrugged.

"You're a powerful psychic!" Quetzal huffed.

"Oh, gee, look at the time." Gene glanced at a wristwatch he didn't have. "Mission's a go." He flicked his right wrist, opening a jagged rift. The mewtwo had looked over images of the place to know exactly where to aim his Fire Blast. The five-pronged flame struck a metal tower. Gene threw up a pink barrier, shielding himself and his allies from a fiery explosion while the sounds of mechanical shouts and cries filled his ears.

"Now!" Gene flew into his rift. Through thick black smoke and tiny red embers he saw a huge crater in what was once some sort of pool. Lounge chairs and the remnants of a rooftop bar lay scattered about like big metal pretzels. The blimp was unharmed, displaying weather footage while a castform meteorologist gestured at the weather map.

"It's the rebel mewtwo!"

Right on cue, Dark Pulses and Signal Beams punched through the wall of smoke. Gene Phantom Warped to his right, the attacks passing harmlessly through numerous mewtwo-shaped afterimages. At least a dozen Eternatus Gunners hovered a few meters away from him and more were floating up from behind.

Gene gathered a large Aura Sphere over his head and... bowled it through midair toward the Gunners in front of him. He quickly Phantom Warped back into the smoke to dodge a fresh volley of Dark Pulses.

"Despicable rebels!" a Gunner shouted. "First they loiter on our rooftops without an approved permit and now they assault our day spa! Is nothing sacred to them?"

Gene surged out from the smoke, flames gathering in his hands. "Sacred? Ha! Do I look like an entei to you?" He tossed a Fire Blast toward several of the Gunners below him. Their Dark Pulses sailed wide of stopping the Fire Blast, which blew five of them up. Their unown pilots careened through the air before disappearing in purple smoke puffs. A pity Gene didn't have a way of stopping that. Then he could keep Paradox from reinforcing his ranks so quickly.

"No, you look like a disobedient cat that needs a good spritzing!" a much larger, gray Eternatus Trooper with giant cannons for arms boasted. Gene couldn't fully Phantom Warm away from two Hydro Cannons. A deluge of water blasted him toward the propaganda blimp, but the mewtwo caught himself, wringing his arms out.

Oh, great. Bombardiers, Gene mentally hissed.

"Now! Freeze the rebel!"

"Hey, where's my backup?!" Gene growled, forming a large pink barrier that barely held against a slew of hail and ice chunks from three Bombardiers.

"Sorry! Sorry! Still getting used to the flying thi—eeeeeeeeeeek!"

Jade crashed into the Bombardier on Gene's left. "Ah, hello!" the salugia chirped. "Come here often?"

"Every Friday, actually," the Bombardier responded, before the unown inside narrowed its eye. "Hey, wait a second!"

Jade's mouth was bright orange. The resulting orange beam effortlessly tore through the Bombardier and both of his companions.

So, that's Aeroblast. Gene had to admit it was even more impressive up close.

No, wait, this wasn't the time for that! Not with ten Gunners trained on both of them! "Duck!" he cried.

"Duck?" Jade blinked. "No, salug— aah!"

Gene used Hurricane. Jade barely got out of the way of the ensuing vortex. It sucked up the Gunners like dirt through a vacuum hose, shredding through their bodies and blowing the unown pilots away.

"Cool trick!" The salugia clapped her feet together. "When can I learn?"

"Later!" Gene growled. More Gunners and Bombardiers had taken to the skies. There must have been teleporters nearby. C'mon, Cyril! How much longer do you need, huh?

As if the zoroark somehow heard Gene, the weather report abruptly cut out replaced with footage of Cyril standing in front of a camera. Gene turned and hurled two dozen Psystrike orbs toward some newly arrived Gunners. They unleashed their own volley of Dark Pulses and Shadow Balls. Though Gene's onslaught won out, none of the Gunners went down. Some of them ejected their UFO-like cockpits and flew after Gene.

"Attention Eterna City! This is the voice of the resistance," Cyril said, the prerecorded message amplified by the blimp's speakers. They were... a lot louder than Gene remembered. Maybe because he was used to hearing the blimp from a distance?

"For the emperor!" a Trooper shouted, her cockpit glowing brightly. Sensing what was coming, Gene summoned his spoon and whacked the Trooper back into several others. Explosions lit up the sky like orange fireworks.

"This is the voice of the truth. And the truth is... we need to talk."

"Guuuuuuys, I could really use some help down here!"

Gene looked down. An orange bolt streaked across the cratered ground, narrowly dodging the spiky maces of a dozen Eternatus Brawlers.

"Hey! Even if it's been blown up, running on a pool deck is hazardous!" one Brawler shouted.

"And illegal!" A second wound up and launched his right mace at Quetzal. Ice swirled around the spikes. Quetzal was running out of room, so Gene dove down and tossed a Fire Blast in the middle of the Brawlers. The five-pronged explosion knocked them off their feet.

"Your so-called emperor is lying to you! First off... those new uPhones you got? They're full of gizmos to hypnotize you whenever Paradox wants! And the rifts you see in the sky are dangerous! They're a sign that space and time are collapsing... in a way that not even Eternatus can protect us from!"

One of the Brawlers leaped back to his feet and pointed a mace skyward. "It's a trick! Attack the blimp! The revolution must not be telivi—"

Quetzal charged forward and delivered a tremendous kick to the Brawler. With a thundering boom, the cockpit dislodged from the robotic torso and skipped across the charred ground, crashing into a second Brawler. Both bots and their unown vanished in a small blue blast.

"Birdbrain, help out Drumstick! I got things up here!" Gene ordered, shooting back up and sniping a pair of Bombardiers' cockpits with well-aimed Psybeams. "Pool Noodle, you read me? We're just about done here! Got anything from the drone yet?"

He Phantom Warped left past three Signal Beams, which bounced off one of the blimp's screens.

"Yeah. Bad news. I, uh, think Paradox might've persuaded his captives to join his cause?"

XxX​

Paradox made Sticky's instructions perfectly clear: stay offstage in the auditorium until the promotional video finished. So the naganadel hid behind a stage right curtain, glancing between the giant projector screen and the rows of dark, unfilled seats.

A sliver of white light appeared at the far end of the room. Sticky adjusted his headset. "Please take your seats. The program will begin momentarily."

It was too dark to make out anything other than silhouettes, but Sticky heard the murmurs of uncertainty. Young adults questioning where they were and what would happen to them and why the elevator that brought them here played smooth jazz. A few kept begging someone called Vincenzo to do something.

Sticky wasn't sure what the emperor saw in this lot. They sounded terrified out of their wits. Why not assimilate them into Eternatus Troopers?

The naganadel shook his head. His Excellency knew what he was doing.

Enough time passed. Sticky drifted toward a control panel in the backstage wall and flicked a switch. He was too far from the rear of the auditorium to hear the projector whirr to life, but he clearly saw the screen light up. And the captives fell quiet. A good start as bright, colorful words appeared on the screen.

Paradox Pictures Presents

An Emperor Paradox Production

Written, Narrated, Produced, and Directed by Emperor Paradox

ETERNATUS AND YOU: LEARNING TO LOVE OUR BENEFACTOR

A tiny dot appeared on screen along with a soft, gentle violin piece. "In the beginning, our universe was a singularity. Unified and in perfect harmony." Hearts and rainbows peppered the singularity on screen. "But those wonderful times sadly wouldn't last."

The color drained from the rainbows and the hearts shattered. The singularity rippled, then an explosion filled the screen with streaks of static and bright colors. Sticky made a mental note to consider a photosensitivity warning for future iterations of this broadcast.

"A cataclysmic event shattered the singularity and flung life and matter to the furthest reaches imaginable! Our universe, it seemed, was doomed to a state of disarray and fragmentation."

Then the camera zoomed in toward purple scales. "But what's this drifting aimlessly where the singularity once sat? Could it be... a remnant of some sort?"

"It's just a big hand!" one captive crooned.

Sticky fought the urge to reveal himself and scold the heckler. The Benefactor only looked like a giant hand to the unenlightened, after all.

"Yes, it is! Behold: Eternatus! Our universe's last hope at reunification!" On the screen, Eternatus began to slowly drift through the cosmos. "This is where you now find yourselves within. And I'm sure that sounds rather frightening."

A few terrified eevee walked across the screen and nodded as if the narrator addressed them directly.

"But worry not, friends. Eternatus is not something to fear." Eternatus drifted over to the eevee and pet them all. Their fluffy tails wagged in unison. "Eternatus, you see, is our Benefactor. He provides us all with a single home and unlimited energy with which we can live our best lives."

In a whoosh of blurry special effects, the footage shifted to a flyover of Eterna City, showcasing all the neon buildings, holographic displays, and flying vehicles moving in organized fashion.

"Impressive, isn't it?" the narrator said. The eevee reappeared in one of the flying cars, all wearing sunglasses. One tilted them down slightly to look at the camera and nod. "Unfortunately, however, our Benefactor is suffering."

The hovercar screeched to a halt as sinister black crystals emerged from the shadows. "Ages ago, Eternatus came to your planet to welcome it back like an old friend... only to find a vicious monster waiting for it."

While the eevee all puffed their fur out in terror, silhouettes of dragons appeared around the crystal creature. "That monster — worshipped blindly by the dragons of your world — sent his minions to seal our beloved Eternatus within your planet."

That earned reactions from the crowd. Sticky dared not peer out from behind the curtain, but there were scattered mentions of things like World Ender, Prince Shimmer, and... a dreepy?

... Right. Cassius had informed Paradox of some sort of dragon exchange student, but the records given by Guile Hideout suggested she wasn't among the captives. Neither was the ponyta prince.

Back on screen, the eevee stood beside their destroyed car, shivering in terror.

"To make matters worse, your people have magnified our suffering by stealing our Benefactor's energy and claiming it as your own." Giant straws emerged from the ground around the eevee, who all scattered in a panic. "Do you want to know what's in the 'ether' you boast of using to power your land?

"Yes, that's right: our citizens." Straws captured two of the eevee and sucked them off screen. "And the souls of those who have passed away here." Straws sucked up the remaining eevee, leaving the streets empty.

"So, what does this mean for you?" the narrator asked as a giant hand pointed its index finger out at the auditorium. "Well, we're not interested in revenge, if that's what you're afraid of. Oh no..."

The camera pulled back toward a building rooftop with an array of different pokémon looking into it. "All we ask is that you consider the wrongs your people have committed... and join us in helping Eternatus claim his freedom. Help us make a better future... for everyone."

With the rooftop crowd smiling and waving at the camera a large THE END scrawled across the screen, followed by rapidly moving credits listing Emperor Paradox under everything... including the "special thanks" section at the end.

The screen shut off and the projector rolled back into the ceiling, signaling Sticky's cue. "And now, please welcome our beloved leader: Emperor Paradox!" The naganadel threw another switch on the control panel and spotlights shined on the middle of the stage, where the deoxys had appeared in a flash of light. A dramatic orchestral piece carried through the auditorium speakers.

"Laaaa laaaaa la la la la la la la la laaaaa laaaaa!"

Paradox confidently strode toward the front of the stage.

"So here you are.
A step from the top.
A better life
Your kingdom has not.
Our lengthy story to achieve success
Is a tiring affair
So I've one request..."

Paradox dropped to one knee and extended his right tentacles like he was ready to propose to the audience.

"Join me at the top
Why don't you?
Join me
Where the worlds align."

The deoxys stood up.

"Yes, join me at top.
Why won't you?
Join me
And let our powers combine!"

He kicked his triangular legs out.

"I'll even dance and sing a ditty!
So, join me.
While I extend you pity.
Cause there's one bit I forgot."

Sticky threw the final switch and the Eterna Empire's sigil appeared behind Paradox. He gestured behind him.

"We're everything you're not!"

The naganadel flew out onstage. "Ha!"

"Aha!" Paradox clapped. "Pretty good, eh?"

"It's wonderful, sir!" Sticky chirped, remembering the script Paradox gave him earlier.

"Then shall I continue?"

"Of course!"

Paradox folded his tentacles behind his back and paced at the front of the stage.

"Forget about your worthless cities.
Streets littered with panic and frenzied screams.
You've all struck great fortune now that you're here!"

Paradox gestured to the gemstone in his chest.

"Guided by your flawless emperor right heeeere."

He again dropped to one knee.

"Join me at the top.
Why don't you?
Join me
Where the worlds align."

Paradox stood up and stomped his right foot down.

"Since I will never stop.
No I won't!
So join me.
Go on, fall in line!

"You've sat and listened to my reason
To stop your kingdom's power seizing
So join me at this spot
Because we're everything you're not!"

Paradox looked at Sticky. "Who are we?"

"Evolved greatness!"

He pointed out to the audience. "And who are they?"

Sticky frowned. "Oof, I'm not going to say it."

Paradox stomped his right food down again. "They're no good without me!"

"Right!"

"How dare they ever doubt me!"

"Yes!"

"Take the final chorus and seal the case!"

Sticky nodded vigorously. "They'll join you at the top!"

"Yes they will!"

Goodness, Sticky thought his singing voice awful. "They'll join you where the worlds align!"

"And boy I'm so freaking hot!"

Sticky laughed nervously. "You're scalding."

Paradox pointed back to the audience. "I should burn them up!"

Sticky shook his head. "But you will not!"

Paradox nodded. "It makes me oh so glad."

"And magnanimous!" Sticky flew right beside Paradox.

"To serve a cause so rad!"

"Great Eternatus!" Sticky slung his arm over Paradox's shoulder.

The deoxys looked back out at the crowd. "So, join me in my plot!"

"Because..." He glanced at Paradox and they proceeded to the final line in unison.

"We're everything you're nooooooot!"

"Eternatus on top!" Sticky added, raising his free arm in celebration.

"Ah, that was even more delightful than when I wrote it out." Paradox's tentacles coiled into hands for him to clap approvingly. "Lights, please." He snapped his right fingers and the auditorium lights finally came on... to reveal a barraskewda charging right for the deoxys!

"Sir!" Sticky aimed his needles forward, but Paradox was on top of it. He held up his right hand and Barraskewda suddenly stopped. The weird metal backpack on his torso compressed around his body.

"What's this?" Paradox tilted his head. "Were you... trying to attack me? And after I rolled out the figurative red carpet for you and your precious students?"

Barraskewda struggled in the emperor's psychic grip, but managed a defiant glare. "Send us... home."

The deoxys sighed. "A pity. I really tried being reasonable." He stepped toward Barraskewda. "But I suppose I shouldn't have expected much from your ilk."

Sticky thought he knew what was coming when Paradox unfurled his blue and orange tentacles unfurled and grabbed hold of Barraskewda. But, no, the deoxys didn't turn Barraskewda into an unown. Instead, his scales pulsated. Brown, crusty masses sprouted up all over his torso, inside his mouth, and across his tail.

The naganadel briefly saw the pain and panic in Barraskewda's eyes before those, too, were crusted over with bloody scar tissue.

"Minister!" A sirfetch'd raised his leek. "What did you do to him?"

"Riddled his body with cancer, of course." Paradox stepped forward once again and released his grip on Barraskewda, who dropped to the carpeted ground in front of the stage, twitching. "His heart should stop beating right around..."

Barraskewda went still.

"... now." Paradox hovered into the air, his tentacles rippling at his sides. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Deoxys Paradox, emperor of Eternatus. I am a pokémon like you... but one forged from a mutated virus."

His right tentacles coiled into an arm that he thumped against his chest. "For organic pokémon, cells are your building blocks. Viruses rewrite your DNA to mutate your cells. Which means that I am the essence of evolution itself!"

"You sound like an absolute nutter!" a weavile spat.

"I suppose you're entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it is," Paradox said, chuckling into his hand. "It doesn't change your situation. Your planet has oppressed Eternatus and His people long enough. We will not sit idly by while you turn us into electricity for your filthy cities."

"It's not like any of us are responsible for that!" a luxray growled.

"Really now?" Paradox folded his tentacles behind his back. "Show of hands, class, how many of you have parents or siblings with important positions in your school chancellor's company?"

At first no one responded. Then an aromatisse's hand shot up, followed by the right leg of the dodrio standing next to her. Soon there were at least a dozen hesitant limbs raised.

"Top marks for honesty," Paradox said. He landed back on the edge of the stage. "So then, your choice is simple. Join the Eterna Empire willingly and help Eternatus reunite our universe. Or resist us... and suffer the same fate as your minister."

Sticky tensed. Barraskewda's tumor-ridden body pulsated with sickly purple energy. Light streamed out of his body, leaving behind a dark husk that quickly became shrouded in shadows. The newly formed Phantom screeched and lunged toward a bug-eyed sylveon. Paradox blasted it with a pink beam and it exploded in a burst of black smoke.

The students all shared panicked expressions and muttered amongst one another. While they did, Sticky's fanny pack buzzed. The naganadel back away from the emperor, whispering an apology. He produced his uPhone and clicked the green button on screen to accept the call. "Sticky here."

"Finally! We've been calling for the last five minutes!" a frenzied voice cried. "The resistance has hijacked the propaganda blimp by the Paradox Day Spa. They spilled the beans on the uPhone project and are linking the emperor to the rifts!"

Sticky stiffened. That was bad. Like, the emperor would assimilate poipole out of anger bad. "What are our Troopers doing?" he whispered.

"The rebel Gene has new allies. Strong allies. They can't get to the blimp. You have to do something!"

"Hang on." Sticky hovered forward, where Paradox was watching Sirfetch'd argue with a sylveon.

"... seriously considering this?!"

"I am!" Sylveon stepped toward the stage. "And I suggest everyone else does the same. I'm not getting turned into some ugly monster!"

"Your Excellency?" Sticky tapped Paradox on the shoulder. "The resistance hijacked one of your propaganda blimps."

"What?" Paradox turned, barely staying composed. Sticky hastily relayed what the poipole analyst on the other end of the line told him. The deoxys' tentacles curled and uncurled. Then he grabbed the uPhone from Sticky's hands.

"S-Sir?"

"Ready the Seekerskorch," he hissed into the phone. "A pilot? Yes, I actually have the perfect one in mind. Just prepare the device." The deoxys hung up and shoved the uPhone into Sticky's chest.

"Oomph!" The naganadel opted not to question Paradox's decision. Because he likely knew the pilot Paradox had in mind: a certain type: full who was itching to prove himself.

XxX​

"Once the sylveon stepped forward, most of the rest of the class joined him," Artemis explained. "There was a sirfetch'd and a weavile who resisted. The emperor decided to have some Troopers arrest them."

Gene weaved around three midair Dark Pulses and sliced the nearest Gunner with his spoon. The unown pilot yelped as he tumbled out of his mechanical body. Gene then flung the empty robot into the other two Gunners, who blew apart in a flurry of pink and blue sparks.

"Anything else?" the mewtwo asked.

"No. The emperor teleported away. I've got the drone back," Artemis responded.

"Then lay low. We'll pick you up shortly." Gene took a moment to scan for Jade and Quetzal's auras. Fortunately, they were close together in the ruined spa. Unfortunately, Brawlers swarmed them from all sides.

"Hey!" Jade blasted one Brawler into several others. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to hit a lady?! I wanna speak to your supervisor!"

"Eternatus Troopers do not discriminate on the basis of species or gender!" a Brawler countered. "We are equal opportunity subjugators!" He wound an electrified mace up and launched it at Jade.

"Ahh!" The salugia took the mace directly to her face... and her body melted into a purple puddle. Gene froze in the midst of readying a Fire Blast.

"The hell?"

The puddle hastily reformed into Jade, who looked around in confusion. "Huh? What happened? Why's everyone looking at me funny?"

"She's cheating!" the Brawler that attacked Jade shouted. "I'll have to punch her harder!"

An orange streak rushed by, knocking the Brawlers back and destroying them in a flurry of loud kicks. Quetzal skidded to a halt beside Jade. "You turned into liquid poison," he squawked.

Jade blinked. "I did what?"

"You didn't intend to do that?!" Quetzal's feathers puffed out.

"No!" Jade looked back at her tail. "I don't wanna be some goopy monster! I can't snuggle with Cece that way!"

"Save the bickering for later," Gene interrupted, pinching his brow. Startling or not, Jade's unwanted skill could prove useful. He'd have to remember it. "Our broadcast is finished, so it's time we took our leave."

"Yes! You need to get out of there right away!"

Gene's tail crinkled. That was Cid's voice. "Something the matter?"

"The scanners are picking up a massive Malice energy signature!" the orbeetle cried. "It was so big it shorted out Cyril's machine!"

"What?! That's impossible!" Cyril growled.

The air above the team brightened. A loud hum reverberated in Gene's ears. The mewtwo looked up in time to see the largest Hyper Beam he had ever laid eyes on utterly decimate the propaganda blimp and bathe the surrounding buildings in blinding white light.

"Shit! Everyone into the rift!" Gene shouted, his Malice Crystal glowing purple as he threw open a rift on the ground. Quetzal shoved a squawking Jade throguh and jumped in after her. Gene quickly followed, glimpsing burning debris raining down on what remained of the day spa.

He stumbled across the rooftop Cyril and Seifer were waiting on. Neither of them acknowledged Gene's return, and the mewtwo quickly figured out why.

A gigantic mechanical mega centiskorch flew over Eterna City, blanking out what little light the purple and black sky overhead offered. It slithered and undulated away from the team's rooftop position.

"Wh... what is that thing?" Quetzal stumbled backward. "It reminds me of a trance centiskorch, but they're not that big!"

"I have zero desire to be squashed by a bug," Jade said, tail flaps curling up in fright. "I'm a flying-type now. I should be doing the squashing!"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Cid said. "Cyril, do you have any idea what that could be?"

The zoroark stood in front of his laptop, slouched over in disbelief. "No," he muttered. "Whatever that is... I have nothing to go off of. We're flying blind."

"And it looks like it's heading away from the city." Seifer hesitantly approached the edge of the rooftop. "What do we do? What can we do?"

Everyone looked expectantly at Gene, but the mewtwo had nothing. The emperor had pulled a giant battleship out of nowhere. He wasn't about to try charging after it.

"Nothing right now," Gene said, gripping his right shoulder. The Malice Crystal pulsated weakly. "Let's get Artemis... and regroup back on Outpost R3X."

He heard no objections, so Gene raised his right hand a threw a rift open in the middle of the group.

XxX​

CDL-201B: Eternatus Gunner
The standard Eternatus Trooper model. Because every evil army needs its grunt-level soldiers, right? Their blasters are augmented through Hidden Power mechanisms, so no matter who they face in battle, they'll always fire off the most effective attacks to harm their opponents. And the blasters have some sort of security mechanism in them, since even when Boss Kitty's made off with one in the past, I haven't gotten it to fire or work. And I can't replicate the technology either.

Sure, they're not terribly powerful on their own, but when you can surround a lawbreaker with two dozen of 'em, they'll fold like a poker player in an unlucky streak.


(reference)

CDL-201C: Eternatus Bombardier
The physical embodiment of "death from above." These units sacrifice Hidden Power augmentation for quad-barreled blasters capable of firing off devastating attacks like Hyper Beam and its various elemental cousins without the need for recharging! It's hard for anyone to think straight when they're trying to dodge Hydro Cannons and Blast Burns raining down on them.

I hoped I could repurpose their blasters and sell them to other lawbreakers, but the recoil is far too strong for any average human or pokémon to deal with. The Bombardiers' arms must have shock absorbers in them.


(reference)

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Paradox's song is spoofing "Join Me at the Top," with music by Mark Mothersbaugh and Wataru Hokoyama, lyrics by Lauren Mee and Nick Folkman, and vocals by Robin Atkin Downes and Armin Shimmerman.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 50: Overseer and Out​

Your flagrant disregard for our protocols cannot go unpunished.

Between letting you live undisturbed in your home dimension for numerous generations of descendants, tending to your type: full compatriot's desire to join his mate in the afterlife, and fixing the countless space-time anomalies your reckless actions generated, we have more than accommodated your wishes.

So, you must understand your actions come as an egregious betrayal of trust. You have served as an Overseer long enough to understand our policies. POV-2020 is far too dangerous. The focus must be on containment until we either figure out how to safely extract the stranded agent or she escapes of her own volition.

Cast aside whatever foolish sentiments you have over POV-2020 and focus on your assignments. You are not an explorer anymore. You have not been one for eons.

Consider this a notice of probation. We will monitor your every action and movement for as long as we feel is necessary.

XxX​

Yuna was initially skeptical over the monks' claims they grew meat in a garden like it was some sort of plant. The sandwiches she had for dinner, however, put that skepticism to rest. At first, the drakloak wondered why sandwiches, in particular, but a couple of monks mentioned they were Koraidon's favorite thing to eat. Yuna wasn't complaining, even though the monks all responded "Yes," when she asked what Koraidon's favorite sandwich was.

It all reminded her of home. Of evenings long past where she lay in her mother's horn while the dragapult leaned over a boiling pot stirring meat and veggies around as a stew boiled on a stovetop.

A yawning Leo asked Yuna if he could get some fresh air, so the drakloak led him out of the metal-walled dining room and out onto the rocky plateau. The cosmic arceus walked up to a mound of dirt and sat down on it, gazing up at the aurora that rippled out between the planet's three moons. A pretty sight, compared to Aeon's ash-choked sky.

"Are you upset, Mom?"

Leo's question caught Yuna off guard. "No?" There wasn't anything for her to be upset over right now.

"About the anomalies." The cosmic arceus looked over his shoulder. "You feel... sad. And I don't want you to be sad."

Yuna winced. Leo could float, so she should've expected he'd have other psychic powers. "Well, um..." She rubbed her right shoulder. "It's not the best news to hear, yeah. But sometimes, like, adults have to do things even when they don't want to."

"Oh." Leo's starcloud mane dimmed. "That sounds bad."

It was. And, for a moment, Yuna was tempted to say that. Instead, she focused on her Soul Dew and a tiny Reshiram materialized at the base of the dirt mound so Yuna could give him a disapproving look.

"It's important, Leo." The drakloak kept her tone as soft as possible. "And you shouldn't have to deal with it on your own."

"But I have Mr. Alder and the monks!" Leo's wheel glowed dimly. "They can help me while you look for your Needle thingies!"

Yuna bit her lip. Although Leo's maturity impressed her, it wasn't so simple. "Leo, you heard Koraidon, right? The monks... don't actually battle. Only Archie and Maxie do." The drakloak shook her head. "It's not safe for you to stay with them while looking for anomalies."

Leo looked down. He poked the dirt with a forehoof. "Right."

Sighing, Yuna floated next to him and gently rubbed his shoulders. "I appreciate you wanting to make things better for me, but I don't think this is something I can avoid." She glanced at Reshiram. "Besides, the state of the Needles won't matter if the omniverse collapses on itself, right?"

"Yeah." Reshiram bobbed his head. His fluffy hair fluttered in the evening breeze. "It's why I didn't say anything. Because it's the truth."

Yuna squinted. "But your truth is that you want to help the other Sages."

Shuffling in place, Reshiram looked down guiltily. "Can you blame me? After what happened to Lugia, I'm afraid for the others." He took a deep breath. "But it won't mean much if Leo doesn't seal the anomalies, will it? We could rescue them from the Needles... but also not rescue them if the omniverse collapses."

He clasped locks of white hair in his claws and tugged. "Ugh, it's so confusing. Why can't the Needles and the anomalies be linked together? We found the first one on Outpost R3X after you yanked the nearby Needle. Maybe that's the key?"

"Then why did nothing happen when I pulled the other two Needles?" Yuna pointed out.

"Because of, y'know, whatever happened out in Venish?" Reshiram was grasping at straws. They both knew it.

... Yet Yuna couldn't deny it sounded plausible. Unlikely, yes, but not impossible.

"Well, Koraidon and Alder said they'd put their heads together and give us a next step." The drakloak lay down on the ground, looking up at the closest and largest of Chakran's moons as it bathed the night sky in faint purple. "So, it's not worth trying to plan for anything."

Reshiram voiced no objections. Silence overtook the trio, save for Leo shuffling closer to Yuna. Though the cosmic arceus tried to lie on his side, the best he could do was digging his wheel slightly into the ground, leaving him several centimeters off the ground with his legs dangling.

Yuna stifled a giggle. Was this what it was like for her mother when she was a hatchling?

"So, this is where you ran off to."

The drakloak tilted her head slightly and saw Nikki approaching with her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets.

"I wouldn't fall asleep out here if I were you." The toxtricity smirked. "Air's pretty dusty here. Can't be good for the little guy." She tilted her head in Leo's direction.

The cosmic arceus sniffed the air. "Oh, is this what dusty smells like? I thought it was a stinky smell." His starcloud tail wagged a bit. "Like your funny jacket!"

"What?!" Nikki's mohawk crackled. "My jacket's not—" Her nostrils twitched. Nikki pulled her right arm out of its sleeve and pulled her jacket back to take a big whiff of it. Scowling, she pulled it back on. "That's just sweat from the impromptu workout. Nothing wrong with it!"

"It's still stinky," Leo chirped. "But I guess poison-types don't mind stinky, huh?"

Nikki cracked her knuckles. "Oi, Princess, tell Squirt to treat us adults with a bit of respect!"

"Um, treat Nikki with respect, Leo," Yuna said, though she knew it wasn't convincing.

"Okay." Leo tapped a forehoof in the dirt. "Sorry I called you stinky."

The toxtricity pinched her brow. "We have to take him with us, don't we?"

"Yes?" Yuna frowned. What sort of question was that?

"What's got your butt chafed?" Reshiram asked. "You seemed like you enjoyed your dinner."

"Pfbt." Nikki flicked her right wrist dismissively. "It was a sandwich. Do you have any idea how many sandwiches I've made in my lifetime?"

Reshiram stroked his chin. "I'm going to guess... a four-digit number."

"I—" Nikki abruptly went silent. She pivoted, muttering, "Stupid truth dragon."

Reshiram puffed his chest out while Leo giggled his approval.

"I guess it was a decent sandwich," Nikki admitted, tugging at her jacket collar. "Usually I just make peanut butter and jelly. Cheap and ready in seconds." The toxtricity scratched her chin. "I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned about how... into sandwich making Koraidon got."

Yuna shrugged. "Is it any weirder than your obsession with your jackets?"

"Totally!" Nikki huffed. "Collecting cool jackets is a genuine thing! Sandwiches are sandwiches!"

"I can't believe you're even having this conversation," Reshiram said, chuckling and shaking his head. "Though maybe it is a welcome reprieve from the more serious subject matter." He twiddled his hair. "Zekky would preach the importance of taking time to appreciate the little things. 'Stop and smell the strawberries!'" Reshiram pretended to sniff at the air... only to break down into a coughing fit.

"Gah!" He threw his wings over his snout. "Dust! In my nose!"

"Zekky?" Smirking, Nikki raised a brow. "Does Jade know you have a pet name for someone else?"

Reshiram's face reddened. "I-It's not a pet name! Zekky's my counterpart, the Sage of Ideals! That's all!"

"Uh-huh. Sure."

A content sigh escaped Yuna. As silly as it was, this made the trip to Chakran feel more like a vacation and less like some sort of important mission.

Too bad it couldn't last. The drakloak kept glancing toward the tall metal building, expecting to see a shadow emerge from it and beckon them back.

"Was there something you wanted from us, Nikki?" Reshiram asked. Yuna kept looking at the building, but no one popped up. The drakloak was hesitant to lower her guard at all.

"Not really," Nikki replied. "You already got the good news about our mega evolutions. If we get into trouble again, I'll really be able to pack a punch."

"Hopefully that won't be necessary, but I'm sure Gene will be happy at least," Yuna said, scratching the side of her rectangular head.

"Ah, there you lot are!"

The drakloak flinched, then sighed at Archie's booming voice. The samurott bounded toward them, waving one of his jagged seamitars around.

"You'd better get inside to Brother Kora! Something wild's happening!"

Yuna resisted the urge to facepalm. It really was too much to ask for a quiet evening.

XxX​

When dinner finished, Noctum offered to help the monks wash their dishes. Although they had large sinks comparable to the kitchens at Horizon Academy, they didn't use the automated soap dispensers or electric power washers, opting to do everything by hand with soap and washcloths. In some ways, Noctum found it therapeutic after the day's exhaustive events. The warm, sudsy water was nice against his dry, black scales.

But with a dozen monks at the charizard's side, dishwashing didn't take more than ten minutes. Noctum returned to the dining room to find it empty. His first instinct was to go find Yuna and see how the drakloak was doing, but he had no idea where she went. Figuring she went outside, Noctum lumbered through the metal hallway until he was outside the repurposed observatory, where he found Valkyrie crouched atop a rock several meters to his left.

Noctum hesitated, figuring the garchomp wanted nothing to do with him right now. Still, his curiosity got the better of him and he slowly approached. "Hey," the charizard said. Valkyrie didn't respond, but by that logic she wasn't shooing him away, so he continued forward until he was beside Valkyrie. "I, uh—" He stopped, scratching the back of his head.

"If you're here to apologize, don't."

He winced. I guess I was considering it. After all, Noctum had lost it. If Maxie hadn't intervened, he would have seriously hurt her. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." Valkyrie avoided looking at Noctum. "Only my pride that's hurt."

Noctum looked down. "I see. Because of what I said?"

"No, idiot." Valkyrie traced her right claw along the rock. "Do you have any idea how hard I've trained under the Ryujin? I had to be ready for anything, after all." She finally looked at him. "So imagine my surprise when, after all the training I've gone through, I get beaten to the mega evolution punch by a butler."

"Ah." Noctum rubbed his shoulder. "Well, uh, you weren't that far behind. Aha ha... ha..."

Valkyrie scooped up some dirt in her right arm and threw it at Noctum. The black charizard raised his arms. "Okay, yeah, I deserved that." He laughed nervously.

"Make whatever bad jokes you want," Valkyrie growled. "It's not going to win me over."

The black charizard shuffled uneasily. "You're right. I had no idea you'd gone through such ordeals. You have every right to be upset."

Valkyrie continued looking out across the mesa. "All throughout dinner, I kept asking myself if you were right."

"About?"

"Wanting what you have," Valkyrie replied. She crossed one leg over the other and braced her arms on either side of her. "If I had found some warm, loving nobles to take me in and treat me like family to some degree, would I be a different person? Brighter? More approachable?"

Noctum wasn't sure whether to answer. He shrugged, knowing Valkyrie wasn't watching, and said nothing.

"Heh." Valkyrie huffed out violet embers. "You kept your trap shut for once. Maybe you are learning."

The black charizard's violet flame dimmed a bit. Did Valkyrie even know how to give genuine compliments?

"Sorry." The garchomp sighed. "Didn't mean for that to sound so backhanded." Vakyrie shook her head, like she was berating herself. "Been a long day. Surprised how beat I am." She held her right arm up and turned it back and forth. "I guess... there's a drawback to mega evolving. The fatigue that follows might make it hard on us."

Noctum looked down and traced a claw around his Malice Crystal. His fatigue was more mental than physical, but he thought it best not to dispute Valkyrie. "Meaning, what?"

"Gotta be judicious with mega evolving." Valkyrie got to her feet, grunting. "Can't just use it every fight."

The two shared a knowing look. "So, we have to keep an eye on Nikki?" Noctum said.

"Maybe." Valkyrie smirked. "Unless you've got a thing for shoulder spikes and blue flames in your mouth all the time." She walked toward him, shrugging. "Seriously. How do you even manage to speak like that? Wouldn't you just douse someone in fire?"

"I figure it's like haxorus' cheeks." Noctum held his hands on either side of his jaw and wiggled his fingers. "They can use those blades to attack, but they can get on fine without 'em."

"Maybe." Valkyrie's brow furrowed. "If some magical being like Bahamut really did create life on Etherium, what were they thinking giving haxorus a giant axe face?"

"The same thing they were thinking when they gave garchomp bladed arms?" Noctum mused.

"I guess Bahamut has a secret spike fetish," Valkyrie said with a snorting laugh. She reached the black charizard's side and crossed her arms.

"Thanks," she said. "For coming to check on me."

Noctum's tail flame brightened. "You're wel—"

"Don't make a big deal of it," Valkyrie growled, jabbing Noctum's Malice Crystal with her claw. "You're still a total dweeb. Just not an insufferable one."

"O-Okay." Noctum nodded politely. Baby steps, I s'pose.

"I'm hitting the hay." The garchomp yawned into her right arm. "I suggest you do the same. That dumb cat could swing by to rope us into something at any moment."

Noctum briefly thought about Gene and the others back in Eternatus. Was everything okay? Hopefully, seeing as no one had reached out to them.

"Ah, good. It wasn't hard to find you at all."

Maxie approached the duo, adjusting his goggles. "I suggest you follow me inside."

Valkyrie raised a brow. "You showing us to the sleeping quarters? I'm bushed."

"No." The typhlosion's purple flames flickered around his neck. "It's Brother Kora. I believe he's... made contact with someone beyond this dimension."

XxX​

Yuna hardly had time to process Koraidon's... bizarre color change when Noctum and Valkyrie burst through the door into the study.

"What the hell?" Valkyrie walked forward, arms at her sides. "What's with the white, orange, and neon purple dye job? Can he mega evolve?"

"There is an extra set of purple horns," Noctum said, scratching his chin. "But even Nikki's mega evolution looks more impressive."

"Hey, screw you!" Nikki growled. "I happen to think that color scheme's pretty boss. He's even got, like, speaker level bars around his big ol' wheel thingy." She cupped her hands in front of her chest gills.

"Dewlap," Leo reminded her.

"Whatever." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Everyone's here, so give us the dumb, monkish explanation already."

"Easy, ladies." Koraidon raised his hands and flashed a toothy grin at Nikki and Yuna. To the drakloak's surprise, his fangs glistened. And did he sound... higher pitched than before? "No need to fight over yours truly. Even if I'm only here in spirit."

Leo tilted his starcloud head. "You're... not Mr. Brother Kora, are you?"

"Hot dang, the kid's the quickest one of the bunch." Not-Koraidon laughed into his right hand. "Guess that tracks. Wouldn't be a mystery dungeon-filled calamity if there wasn't a child stuck in the middle of it."

Nikki's knuckles and mane crackled. "I suggest you start talking or I'm liable to punch that pretty boy face of yours."

Not-Koraidon shook his head. "Sheesh, tough crowd." He took a deep breath. "Junior Overseer Koraidon Vincent, at your service." He thumped his dewlap. "I'm, uh, 'borrowing' my counterpart so I can talk to you guys."

(Art by Sylfeanne.)

Yuna's brow furrowed in thought. That name sounded awfully familiar.

"I see that look in your eyes, Drakloak." Vincent cupped his hands around his eyes, pantomiming goggles. "Lemme guess, you know another Vincent?"

"We do, yeah. An inteleon. Smug jackass," Nikki said, jogging Yuna's memory of the unpleasant lunch Shimmer dragged her to back at Horizon Academy. "You about to tell us that was a disguise?"

"What? No way." Vincent scratched his chin. "I like my guys with a bit more meat on their bones. Like ninetales!"

"Uh-huh." Nikki didn't sound convinced. Yuna's tail crinkled. She thought Vincent was talking about eating, and there certainly weren't any ferals among the group.

"If it's easier, you can call me Vince. Or Vin. Just not Vinnie!"

"N-Now hang on a sec." Noctum waved his arms around to get Vince's attention. "Did you... hijack Brother Kora's body?!"

"What? Noooo! 'Hijack' sounds so uncool." Vince ran his right hand through his white, feathery mane. "It's more like... he's sharing it." He turned to Alder. "You get it, right! When you probe Ginnungagap—"

"Ginnuwhosap?" Leo tilted his head. "Did you sneeze? Should we look for a tissue?"

"Ginnungagap, the cosmic mystery dungeon," Vince elaborated. "It's got a bunch of different names, but it represents the space between dimensions. It's the fabric of reality itself. And it's punching holes into your universe. Which is why I've been a-knocking on your back door for a while, now."

Nikki's sniggers filled the room. Yuna shot the toxtricity a confused look. "I'll tell you later," Nikki said, waving her off.

Alder cleared his throat. "Is this like... how I found Leo and the anomaly on Bogdan?"

"You betcha." Vince snapped his fingers in approval. "I sensed Koraidon's meditation and made contact. Now, I'm borrowing his energy to manifest here." He grinned. "Trust me, it's as cool as it sounds."

Yuna still thought it sounded like bodysnatching, but given she currently housed two big dragons of her own, she wasn't about to play semantics with this newcomer. It was the other stuff that had her attention.

"So, you're an Overseer?" The drakloak crossed her arms. "The group that abandoned this place?" If she remembered Koraidon's explanation correctly, she wasn't keen on trusting this apparent newcomer.

"Ah. You, uh, know about that, huh?" Vince laughed nervously. "That was before my time. And way above my paygrade. It's why I'm here!" He spread his arms out. "Those old idiots thought sealing this dimension off would keep everyone safe, but they're wrong." The purple and white koraidon glanced around nervously. "And, uh, we gotta talk fast. I don't know how much more time I can spend here before Big S gets wind of what I'm doing."

Yuna frowned. "Big S?"

"My boss. Big, bright fella!" Vincent locked eyes with Yuna. "You might recognize the type." He held his index finger up. It sparked with purple energy and the purple and white koraidon traced a familiar eight-pointed star in the air.

"Bahamut?!" Noctum blurted out.

"If that's what you call those big ol' crystal lugs here." Vince waved his hands and the drawing disappeared. "I, uh, might've already gotten Big S torn a new asshole trying to circumvent policy. Which is bad cuz, y'know, their asses are made of light, so—"

Valkyrie stomped toward him. "So, you're making up for that... by doubling down on going behind everyone's backs?" She raised a claw at him. "Do all you so-called Overseers have the common sense of feral magikarp?"

"Oh-ho, ouch!" Vince cringed. "Guess I don't need to be psychic to tell who the resident edgelord is here." He gave Valkyrie a thumbs up. "Way to play up the species stereotypes."

"... I'm taking his head off his shoulders," Valkyrie growled, blue-purple dragon energy gathering around her claws.

"W-wait, wait!" Alder shot between the garchomp and purple koraidon. "That's still our Kora!"

Valkyrie froze in front of the braviary, then slowly lowered her arms. "He's got sixty seconds to say something useful."

While Yuna didn't approve of Valkyrie's death threats, she had to admit she was skeptical of this, too. "You have to look it from our vantage point." The drakloak gestured to the group. "We've already had a lot of craziness shoved down our throats. I have magical Needles I'm looking to pull out of the ground and dimensional anomalies to track down. If you need something done, find someone else or do it yourself."

"Ah, but that's it!" Vince pointed at Yuna. "What if I told you there's a way to deal with both those problems in one fell swoop?"

"I'd say stop beating around the bush and tell us," Nikki scoffed.

"Forty-five seconds," Valkyrie added.

"Man, this is good. Do we have any popcorn?" Archie whispered, to which Maxie shoved the samurott away.

"All you need to do is reassemble the Red Chain," Vince explained. "It's literally a red freaking chain. But it has the power to fix all the dimensional instabilities, including Eternatus!" He grinned broadly. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

Silence greeted Vince's explanation. "Sounds too good to be true," Valkyrie said, shaking her head. "Why should we believe you? Especially if you're part of a group that abandoned this world in the first place!"

"Because I'm sticking my neck out, here." Vince gave them puppy dog eyes. "D'ya know what'll happen if Big S finds out what I'm doing? The higher ups could unmake me with a snap!"

"Big deal." Nikki rolled her eyes. "We've been staring death in the face for a while now."

"No, this is worse than death." Vince's expression finally sharpened. "The higher ups could make it so that I never existed in the first place. Not a soul would even remember me."

Nikki yawned into her hand. "Sounds fake to me. I say we let Chompy kick his teeth in."

"Best idea I've heard all night," Valkyrie said, licking her lips eagerly.

"Wait!" Leo hopped onto Yuna's head. The drakloak flinched. "I... think we should listen to him. He sounds sincere to me."

"Leo." Yuna frowned. She didn't want to chastise him for being too trusting but the cosmic arceus was just a kid. And this was a bit too important to simply leave to blind faith.

"When he mentioned a Red Chain, I... felt something funny in my belly," Leo admitted, gently tapping his forehooves on Yuna's head. "Like it's something I'm supposed to know all about, but don't."

"You cannot be serious." Nikki facepalmed. "No way there's a freaking chain that can fix space and time. That sounds so... stupid!"

"No more stupid than using giant needles to seal away a planet-sized monster shaped like a hand, am I right?" Vince smirked when silence fell over the group.

"Okay, maybe that dolt does know a thing or two," Nikki muttered.

"Ha, yes!" Vince triumphantly fist-pumped, then immediately winced. His whites and purples flickered like static. "Shit! I'm running out of time here." He looked around frantically. "Okay, look. If you want to fix this whole Needle and anomaly issue, then you need to go Centropolis on Quasar Prime."

Yuna raised a brow. "And that's... inside Eternatus?"

Vince nodded. "Once there, find the branch office of the Devon Corporation and look for a man named Sigurd Stone. He'll know what to do."

"Wait, but how?" Noctum's wings fluttered nervously. "If our world is sealed off, no one should know anything about this."

Vince's purple and white flickered again. "There's another Overseer there. She's been trapped in your dimension for a long time." He looked around. "That's all I can give you right now. I'll try to reach out again soon."

Yuna still had questions, but the moment Vince stopped speaking, his colors faded and Koraidon was back, balancing on his tail with his eyes shut. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"That was... quite the out of body experience." He chuckled nervously.

The room fell into silence yet again as Yuna chewed on this. First the Needles, then the anomalies, and now Yuna was supposed to believe there was a way to handle both of those issues... without chasing them directly?

It sounded too good to be true. But Leo believed Vince. And that was going to be enough to get her to go with him to this Quasar Prime place.

Another Overseer. Yuna gently lifted Leo off her head. "So, uh, what's the next step here? Do we call Gene?" Could they even call Gene?

"I, uh, think that's for the best," Noctum said, pulling an X-transceiver out of his satchel. His face lit up when it beeped to life. "Oh, hey! I think I have reception! I— hello?" His purple tail flame doubled. "Wait, Cid? Is that you? H-Hang on, slow down. What's happening to Vellguarde?!"

The black charizard shuffled nervously. "O-Okay, we'll get ready." Noctum nodded quickly. "He's already on his way? G-Got it! We'll be out in a second." He lowered the X-transceiver and looked at Koraidon.

"We, um... have to go. Like... right now." Noctum met Yuna's gaze and added, "Seems the emperor decided to attack Vellguarde. With a giant battleship. That Gene's never seen before."

The drakloak's tail crinkled. Clearly, a quiet night to prepare for Quasar Prime was off the table.

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Ginnungagap ("gaping abyss" is old Norse) is the primordial void described in the Norse creation mythos, the Gylfaginning.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 51: Rubrum Caelum​

Crimson skies marked the start of the Darkest Day. The heavens bled as World Ender set its sights upon our sacred lands, its size without compare. The people, gripped by fear and horror, turned their plights upon Bahamut, our God.

"Save us, please! You must drive the invader back and restore the light!"

Bahamut recognized their pleas. For this land was His home as well. And all were His people, whether they followed His teachings or not. Thus did He summon His Sages and face down the great daemon blotting out the heavens.

But even with the hope of the land behind Him, victory would not be His to take.

From the Book of Aeon

XxX​

Getting back to the surface required taking a different waypoint that would put the newly-established bureau in Vellguarde. Igneous was surprised his father hadn't shut down all the waypoints leading directly into cities in the wake of Venish's ongoing crisis. Was that waypoint in danger? Had Kyoko shut it down when she entered the safe house?

... Feh. Not even worth asking her, Igneous thought, leaning against the glass door of the small building that housed the Ryujin's Vellguarde waypoint. He stared at the wooden desk and cabinets of the rundown lobby across from him, tapping a claw impatiently.

How long did Yiazmat and Scarlett need? They had already watched news footage back at Ryujin HQ showing the baccer stadium in the southeast now served as a temporary staging area for those who fled Venish. And Igneous knew he would have to take them there. The longer they waited, the closer sunrise got.

Finally, he spotted a shadow amidst the dark lobby. Then another, narrower shadow. Yiazmat opened the building's inner door and held it for Scarlett. She had a long, tattered cloak draped over her. It made her look bulkier and hid her facial features, sure, but it didn't exactly hide her entire figure.

"Sorry," Scarlett muttered. "Had trouble finding a good cloak."

"A pity your kind can't learn Minimize," Yiazmat said, shaking her head solemnly. "Then you could shrink down and hide in one of my horns."

"The same horn your kind shoots your offspring out of?" Igneous said, a brow raised.

"Dragapult haven't done that in battle since the days of Bahamut," Yiazmat retorted, narrowing her eyes. "Save the snark for after we find my daughter."

"Fine." Igneous shoved the front door open with his shoulder and held it for the ladies. They headed out onto the smoothly paved street. The grovlazzle shut the door, revealing it was actually one-way glass. "Stay close to me and follow my directions. Got it?"

"As long as you're polite with those directions, dearie," Yiazmat replied, an eerily sweet smile on her face.

A chill ran down Igneous' spine. Is she really Yuna's mom?

XxX​

As it turned out, a quiet walk made it easy for Igneous to give polite directions. Vellguarde's well-paved roads, though cold against his scaly feet, were deserted. None of the stone buildings with their pointed spires had lights on. Sure, people were probably sleeping, but the grovlazzle expected to see something other than streetlights in a supposedly busy city.

Yet the further they went, the more nothing they encountered. Even streetside bars boasting business hours late into the night had their doors locked and their lights off.

"Does this city not have anything for nocturnal pokémon?" Yiazmat looked around. "I was told such accommodations existed the last time I visited."

"It does." Igneous crossed his arms, eyes darting from their sidewalk to the one opposite them. "The baccer stadium's pretty new and there wasn't enough space to build it up in the commercial district. So, they made it near a residential district. Still..."

"Maybe there's a curfew in effect?" Scarlett whispered, a slight tremble to her voice. "Because of what happened in Venish?"

So, the grovlazzle wasn't the only one unnerved. "Where's the Radiant Guard, then?" he said. "Someone would have to enforce the curfew. And they'd have been on us by now."

At that point, Yiazmat stopped floating ahead of them. "Valid points." She backed underneath an awning, clasping her hands together. "As much as I want to find Yuna, walking into some sort of trap accomplishes nothing." She glanced up. "Perhaps a quick bit of aerial surveillance?"

The ground rumbled. Red light flashed in the distance. Igneous tensed, but instead of screams, he heard... applause?

"What was that?" Scarlett squeaked, coiling up under the same awning as Yiazmat.

"It looked like an energy surge," Yiazmat said, narrowing her eyes. "Can you fly?"

"Me?" Scarlett pointed her tail at her face. "I, well, yes, but it's been quite some time." She pulled her cloak back to show her dulled scales. "They gave me some vitamins and minerals, but I'm not sure if that gives me my full strength back."

"I see. One moment." Yiazmat reached into a pocket and produced a few tiny blue gelatin pieces.

"Are those... gummy candies?" Scarlett's rounded snout twitched.

"They're energy gummies," the dragapult explained. "We grow them for times when we have to venture deep into the mountains and can't take food stores with us." She leaned forward. "Open up."

Scarlett tensed. "I'm not so sure I should e—"

Yiazmat shoved the gummies in while Scarlett was speaking. The dragonair's eyes widened incredulously but she chewed and swallowed them. Igneous wanted to give Yiazmat the business for that move, but that desire evaporated the moment Scarlett's tiny wings unfurled to their full sizes and flapped in place.

"I... huh?" Scarlett blinked in surprise. "What the hell's in those gummies?!"

"Aeon secret. Now follow me." The dragapult scooped Igneous up, ignoring his protests, and carried him into the air. They soared over the pointed rooftops in a matter of seconds and headed further south. Wingbeats behind them confirmed that, even out of practice, Scarlett could follow them. Guess there really was something special in those gummies.

"Slow down!" the dragonair pleaded. "This is... harder than it used to be!"

With a large, metal dome looming in front of them, Yiazmat landed on one of the rooftops, dropping Igneous on its stone tiles. The grovlazzle surveyed the baccer stadium. Though it had lights on, they were yellow and blue. The energy came from elsewhere. But where?

A sudden pain gripped his head. "Nngrk." Igneous clutched his right temple. Warm. No, hot! Like back in the hospital?

He kept his eyes open and looked right. There were people. Small specks walking to his left.

"Who's that?"

The grovlazzle turned left. Yiazmat stared at a wooden podium in the distance. Though too far for Igneous to properly make out who was standing atop it, he instinctively tensed up. The hot pain flashed through his head again.

"The ether you believe in will betray you! Rain fury upon your city! But Natus can shield you from it. Accept His love and build something greater as one."

As one.

As one.

AS ONE.

Igneous doubled over in pain. His back burned. The volcarona wings he spawned at the hospital burst out of his back in surges of orange fire.

"It's him."

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Scarlett cried. "What about keeping a low profile?!"

But Igneous had already leapt from the roof, surging forward on his fiery wings. The figure atop the podium came into view with gray, beady eyes sparkling through the heavy, stone helmet encasing them.

Flames shrouded Igneous as he slammed into Xeromus. The grovlazzle continued forward, the momentum of the blow carrying Xeromus as far away from the assembled crowd as possible. When the attack at last fizzled out, Xeromus dropped down in the middle of a barren field while Igneous remained airborne. The burning under his scales hadn't gone away. And that was on purpose.

Now Igneous was sure Xeromus and Ahsen were working together. Why else would the powers he got from the glitch react this way?

"Heh. Keh heh." Xeromus broke down coughing. "Amazing. That you would treat a lowly omen like me to the powers born of your metamorphosis."

"Shut up!" Igneous summoned flaming leaf blades at his sides. "I've had enough of your garbage. I'm not letting you hurt anyone else!"

"Hurt?" Xeromus seemed genuinely shocked. "Think nothing of the sort. I only seek to spread the joy of Natus' love! To let it blanket the world in a protective cloak!"

Igneous lunged for Xeromus in a burst of fiery speed. He stood his ground, however, erupting in a crimson glow. The grovlazzle's leaf blades clanged off something hard.

An espeon's small, pink form melted into a white cloud with a pink figure riding atop it.

The flames died down around Igneous' arms he staggered back, taking in the view of a crimson, shield-shaped canine head. It fixed empty yellow eyes on him before dissolving into chains that wrapped around Xeromus' legs.

"You see the rifts in the sky, don't you? A grand union is upon us!" Xeromus declared, holding his helmeted head up. "Where Natus' love will shower everyone. No matter how big or small. Weak or strong. Poor or rich. Human or pokémon."

Human? Igneous tried to reignite his leef blades to no avail. Had that barrier sapped some of his strength?

"Natus offers the same love for everyone. A love brimming with equality," Xeromus continued. "Yet too many sides want to twist that love into something horrid! I only want people to see the truth with their own eyes and ears!"

"No, you want to poison people with deluded thoughts!" Igneous surprised himself when he spat out a mixture of flames and Bullet Seeds. Bright orbs surrounded Xeromus. Fireballs, ice shards, and small lightning bolts canceled out Igneous' strike. Tri Attack? The grovlazzle hopped back, trying to look for an opening.

"The only poison comes from the ether and those whose minds it has warped," Xeromus countered, thrashing his head back and forth. "That's why I'm not striking back at you, even as you press your attack. Because I'm walking the path set out for me."

"Not striking back?" Igneous spewed more flames and Bullet Seeds. "Then what the hell do you call that stunt back at Herbrides?!"

Xeromus couldn't react fast enough and staggered backward, tucking his head down to take the attack on his helmet. "A regretful, shortsighted attempt... at bestowing choice upon you and your friends."

"Stop speaking in riddles, damn it!" Igneous took to the air again, his volcarona wings quickly carrying him up. He spewed flames at Xeromus' backside, but the chimera's cloak rippled. The crimson shield dog emerged in shadowy ripples and swallowed his flamethrower like a beverage sucked through an oversized straw. It lingered, empty eyes fixed on Igneous as the grovlazzle's arc took him past Xeromus and back onto the ground.

"Return, Guardian!" Xeromus called. The shield dog sank back into Xeromus' cloak. Wheezing, the chimera struggled to turn around and face Igneous. "I bear no ill will. Attacking you serves no purpose. My choices, as those of many others, do not matter."

"Then why bother doing any of this?" Igneous hissed.

Xeromus simply looked up in response. Purple light bathed Igneous. The grovlazzle threw an arm over his head while looking up. A giant rift had opened over the city and out popped... the head of some sort of giant, robotic trance centiskorch?!

"What the—"

[Attention evildoers! I have come to make an announcement!] An unfamiliar robotic voice boomed throughout the sky. [It is time to bring you all to JUSTICE! Hell yeah! Eat my giant justice laser!]

Red streaked across the night sky. The centiskorch mecha's face opened, unleashing a giant blue laser that headed right for the baccer stadium.

"No!" Igneous could only look on in horror as it drew closer and closer...

... And banked off a purple, domed barrier. The laser pierced through the red sky until it had died down into nothing.

XxX​

"Sticky."

Sitting at a computer terminal, the naganadel jumped to attention. He spun his chair around to find Paradox watching a feed from the Seekerskorch's cockpit. "Yes, Your Excellency?"

"Did my eyes deceive me... or did the Max Hyper Beam just get deflected by a barrier?"

The deoxys' chilling tone made Sticky gulped. "That, um, appears to be the case, sir."

[You were right, Father!] W1-DG3T's voice crackled through the office speakers. [Our enemies are truly despicable! Using the Benefactor's power in such an awful way!]

Paradox's upper right tentacle slammed against his desk. "Then charge ahead already!" he barked. "Tear that barrier apart and bring His captors to their knees!"

Sticky hastily turned back to his computer. Even if W1-DG3T was right, there was no way the Etherians could forge a barrier that strong using Eterna energy... right?

XxX​

Igneous stood there, arms and jaw slackened, utterly unsure which was more terrifying: the Hyper Beam to end all Hyper Beams or the shield that appeared out of nowhere and effortlessly parried it. The grovlazzle looked over his shoulder, but only saw Xeromus standing there, a twinkle in his gray eyes.

He couldn't have... could he? Igneous tensed up, ready to strike again.

"Do you understand now?" Xeromus rasped. "Even with the ether sinking its teeth into your planet's hide, Natus still believes in you all. He shields you with his love!"

"Oh, shut up!" Igneous spat. Xeromus made even less sense than before. "If Eternatus wants free of its prison, why the hell would it block an attack from its innards?!" He brought his fiery leaf blades out and sped toward Xeromus. This time, he feinted left, then banked right and swung to strike Xeromus' left foreleg.

But even though Xeromus was too slow to move himself away, the shield dog's red face emerged from his knee and crunched down on Igneous' leaf blades.

The pink cloud rider summoned a tornado full of hearts and sent it toward a small starcloud while a starry, oversized crobat shot toward it, tears streaming from three eyes.

Igneous' flames again died down. He staggered back, trying to get the feeling back in his arms. A thunderous boom sounded behind him. By the time Igneous looked over his shoulder, more light had died down and small specs flew around the giant centiskorch robot.

"What are you playing at?" he said to Xeromus. "Enough riddles. I want answers!"

Xeromus thrashed his helmeted head back and forth, staving off a coughing fit. "I see. So, you don't have a path forward yet. Unfortunate. Perhaps... you need more time."

Igneous spat another mix of bullet seeds and fireballs at Xeromus. The chimera's cloak glowed and, in a blink, he reappears a few yards left of Igneous. "It's as I said before. My choices, like so many others, do not matter." Xeromus wheezed a few times. "All because of the single truth uniting all worlds no matter how far apart.

"But Natus' love can rewrite that truth. The truth of stagnation," Xeromus continued. "My choices are set in stone. A lowly omen like me can only watch and wait. But you... you can lay your own path forward. To forge the new singular truth."

Yeah, I'm done with this. Igneous turned away. "My path forward will be getting rid of you and your stupid floating disc crony. Consider yourself lucky there are bigger fish to fry right now."

"Keh heh." Xeromus staggered backward. "I do look forward to seeing what happens next."

Igneous glanced over his shoulder. Spectral hands emerged from the ground, enveloping Xeromus. He was gone the moment the grovlazzle took to the air again. Igneous hovered there, squinting at the small figures flying around the robot centiskorch.

[I should have known the despicable rebel would show his face!] the voice boomed. [It does not matter how many people you trick into working for you. I will defeat you in the name of JUSTICE!]

Rebels? Oh, shit, it's Gene?! Igneous focused and, sure enough, he could barely make out the mewtwo charging some sort of attack alongside Reshiram. Yes, Igneous would recognize that fuzzball of a dragon anywhere. So, was Yuna here, too? And is Valkyrie with her?

XxX​

"What are we supposed to do against this thing? It's the size of a damn skyscraper!" Nikki shouted from atop Reshiram's back.

Yuna was plenty used to things outsizing her from all her years as a dreepy, sure, but she was so not prepared for this. And all of its red and yellow segments shot fireballs into the air independent of one another. The drakloak stayed out of range of it all, thankfully, but none of her piddly little attacks would make so much as a scratch against the machine.

"I don't get it either." Gene zipped between flaming pillars, tossing strange pink orbs that harmlessly plinked off the metallic exoskeleton. "If this thing's some kinda battleship, there's no way that many blasters could fire independently! Not without a bunch of people working different controls and coordinating in unison. The empire isn't capable of that."

"Then how do you explain this, huh?" Valkyrie snarled as a gout of fire swallowed her and Noctum's tandem Dragon Pulses whole.

"I'd rather not!" Jade squawked, stopping in midair and yanking her tail out of the way of a steam burst. Probably a Heat Wave. "I might've liked it hot back in the day, but this thing's too spicy for the pepper!"

Reshiram paused beside her. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, but I'm confident this is too spicy for the pep— GAH!"

Reshiram shoved Jade aside, taking the brunt of a second Heat Wave. Nikki hollered atop his back, struggling to cling to his neck. "Hey, Crotch Fuzz! Don't forget your very squishy passenger who could fall to her death up here!"

"Sorry! I— back!" Reshiram's tail revved up. A gout of Blue Flare barely managed to hold off a massive fireball.

Yuna bit her lower lip. "Cyril? Professor Cid? Is there anything you can give us? We're in a serious bind here!"

XxX​

"They have to fall back!" Seifer paced nervously in front of multiple monitors, stealing panicked looks at Cyril and Cid. The orbeetle sat on stacked milk crates, with several electrodes connected to his head spots and hooked up to Cyril's monitors. "They're hopelessly outgunned!"

He was conflicted between their wellbeing and that of Vellguarde's, but the mystery barrier made the keldeo's priorities clear. "Tell Gene to retreat! We need an actual plan here!"

Cyril's spots glowed blue. "I think it's coming into focus for me." He pinched his brow. "That thing is called the Seekerskorch. Gene's right about it not being organic." The orbeetle squinted. "But he's wrong about how it's being controlled."

Artemis quirked a brow. "In what way?"

"There's a single pilot."

XxX​

"You're kidding!" Gene flummoxed, then shot in front of Yuna and managed to turn away a spiraling Heat Wave with a burst of pink energy. "No Paradigm lieutenant can handle something like this! Their brains are just little togedemaru running around on tiny rodent wheels!"

[Give up, evil rebel!] the pilot said. Yuna winced from the volume, ectoplasm rippling. Leaving Leo back on Bogdan was the right decision. [Your days of terrorizing the brave souls of Eternatus are over!]

The Seekerskorch's head coiled back toward Team Bastion. Its fiery face split apart, revealing flames and electricity gathering within it.

"Holy shit!" Gene threw his right arm out. A rift appeared in front of him. Yuna darted in behind him. They reappeared beside Reshiram, Jade, and Nikki. Seconds later, plasma surged through the air. The crimson sky briefly lit up as blue as daytime.

What do we do? What do we do? I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Yuna's entire body trembled. Was this what it was like for the Sages when they faced down Eternatus on the Darkest Day?

How was she supposed to help Leo save the omniverse like this?

"Cid! Can your freaky-deaky scan tell us how warm that machine's back is?" Gene wondered.

"What's that supposed to do?" Cid responded.

"Taking potshots at a distance isn't getting us anywhere," Gene growled, tail lashing the air. Seekerskorch's head slowly turned toward him and Yuna. The drakloak opted to fly away, recognizing the mewtwo was the primary target. "I'm thinking we have to try percussive maintenance."

"You can't be serious, Boss Kitty," Cyril said.

Another plasma beam split the air. If Yuna had hair, it would have undoubtedly stood on end. And sure enough, a prickly Reshiram flew toward her, his hair puffed out like a pom-pom oricorio's wings. "That sure sounded like his serious voice to me," Reshiram squeaked.

"The hell you on, Crotch Fuzz? He doesn't have a serious voice!" Nikki huffed.

"If I may interject?" Cid said. "My analysis suggests that the Seekerskorch's cannons are mounted on the edges of its segments, where a normal centiskorch's legs would be. Its exoskeleton is heat resistant, so you should be able to land on it safely."

"Works for me!" Gene shot forward in a pink blur. "Crotch Fuzz, follow me!"

"Stop calling me that! It's a beauty tuft!" Reshiram whined, flying after the mewtwo. Yuna shielded her face from the heat given off by his tail turbine. The drakloak had no idea what Gene wanted, but she needed to give him a better opening, right?

She waved her arms around, hoping Noctum and Jade would pick up on it. Or maybe Valkyrie. Yuna then shouted, "You're wrong! We're not doing anything evil! We're trying to help people!"

The Seekerskorch head paused. [Ha! Funny joke, but I knew you would say something like that. Your mind games will not work on me, captor. I am a paragon of justice!]

Three huge Flamethrowers cut through the air. Yuna was far enough away to weave between them. "You keep using that word, but we don't even know what you mean by it!" she called back.

[Then that makes you stupid!] the pilot countered. [You trapped Eternatus against His will. And now I am going to free Him so everyone living inside Him can be happy.]

Yuna frowned. The pilot spoke with a childishness that reminded her of Leo. It couldn't be an actual child, though. Probably someone whose mind was messed up by the emperor. But he wasn't attacking Gene or Reshiram, so Yuna's distraction was working!

"How is that justice?" Yuna shook her head. "If you free Eternatus, then you destroy our planet!"

[No, Eternatus will absorb you guys. And you will learn to be happy like all of His citizens.]

XxX​

Paradox hunched over the communicator on his desk. "What do you think you're doing, W1-DG3T?! The rebel is on your ship! Attack!" He smacked the desk with his tentacles. "Fire everything!"

XxX​

The Seekerskorch's many cannons crackled with fire and lightning. And the fiery antennae on its metal face darkened with ectoplasm. [That was a mean trick!] the pilot growled. [And I am going to make you all pay for it!]

Yuna braced herself for the worst when the Seekerskorch violently lurched to its left. Its head spewed giant spectral... pieces of furniture? Regardless how stupid it looked, the attack sailed higher into the red sky until it faded away. The drakloak cautiously flew closer and saw Nikki's electric guitar planted squarely into the middle of one of the Seekerskorch's segments. Purple sparks danced around it.

"No tricks or gimmicks here, tin can!" Nikki sneered. "Just a good old fashioned drum line, baby!" She stuck her tongue out and made metal horns with her fingers while a yelping Reshiram flew away. Gene shot down from the air and whacked the lightning guitar as hard as he could with his psychic spoon, driving it fully inside the Seekerskorch's middle segment. Purple sparks spread across the metal exoskeleton.

[What the— that is impossible!]

Smirking, Gene saluted the Seekerskorch's head and hopped back into a rift, transporting him over Yuna's head. Seconds later, the middle segment exploded in a massive cloud of purple, red, and yellow. The segments behind the destroyed one plummeted from the sky. Jade and Noctum flew further from the rest of Team Bastion in tandem.

"Ahh, I love me a good fireworks show," Gene said, applauding his handiwork. "Now if we can just replicate that at the head of what's left, we might have a shot at this."

"Uh, Gene?" Cid interjected. "I think whoever's piloting is in the head. You'll have a much tougher time getting there."

"Got any other ideas, then, Professor?" Gene scoffed.

"I do, actually," Cyril said. "If you can open rifts like that, why not turn its own attacks back on it?"

Yuna's tail crinkled. That sounded difficult to pull off, but potentially effective. Too bad the remaining part of the Seekerskorch had chosen to switch tactics. Instead of Flamethrowers and Heat Waves, it launched bundles of flaming webs... that were homing in on their position!

"Gotta go!" the drakloak squeak, diving toward the ground. No good; the web missile kept giving chase. "You can't be serious!" she groaned. Yuna tried opening her mouth and spewing some dragonfire, but the web missile barreled right through her Dragon Breath.

Do what Cid suggested, dummy! she told herself. Concentrating, Yuna tore a rift open between her and the fireball. It was too small to fully redirect the web missile, but large enough to break the attack. Unfortunately for the drakloak, the missile's remnants rained over her. Strands of fiery webbing covered her rectangular head. Hissing, Yuna frantically rubbed her head, but that spread the flames onto her hands.

With no other recourse, Yuna dove onto the grass and rolled around. That put the flames out, but left the webs — and plenty of grass blades — stuck to her head.

[You really think that was clever, huh?] the pilot sneered. [Well, enjoy your little victory while it lasts, because you will not pull the wool over my eyes again. For great justice! For Eternatus!]

The Seekerskorch unleashed another missile barrage and... either Yuna was crazy or she really did see sound effects like "BAMF" and "KABOOM" project themselves over the Seekerskorch while it fired.

Either way, she figured the ground was the safest spot to stay to deal with this. So, the drakloak prepared herself to dodge... only for a sharp, stabbing pain to grip her head. Yuna sucked in a sharp breath. She had to focus on the fight. On staying in one piece.

Dark, shadowy tendrils wrapped themselves around a golden Needle planted firmly in the ground.

A Needle? No, that didn't make any sense. What was happen— oh, God, her head hurt.

And, wait, why was her Soul Dew glowing brighter? Was Reshiram at his limit or something? He hadn't been out that long!

"Return to me..."

Right as two web missiles homed in on her, the pain grew to be too much. Vision blinded by the Soul Dew's light, Yuna could only muster a single scream.

XxX​

Crystal tendrils sliced through Eternatus Bombardiers, sending their pilots careening off the stone rooftop. Off in the distance, more Bombardiers pressed their advance. Necrozma didn't care, however. His prize was right in front of him. There was nothing these weak, insignificant machines could do to him. No matter how many the dumb, metallic midnight lycanroc standing in front of his Needle summoned, he'd destroy them.

Necrozma strode forward on his large, misshapen crystal legs. The shadows swirling around him gave him a strange, humanoid appearance.

"Don't you dare!" Lycanroc hissed. He dug his hands into the ground, tearing up chunks of the metal roof and hurling them forward.

"Pointless," Necrozma said. He flicked his right wrist. Two orbs of distorted light raced to meet the metal shards, blowing them apart. Necrozma turned and stomped the ground. Electric geysers raced behind him, catching the charging Bombardiers off guard and blowing them apart.

Lycanroc thought Necrozma was distracted. He thought wrong. A crystal tentacle lurched out of Necrozma's shadows and coiled around a charging Lycanroc.

Necrozma turned back around. He hefted Lycanroc up to eye level. "Weak. Pathetic," he growled. "You guard power that isn't yours. Power you don't understand."

Lycanroc squirmed in Necrozma's grasp, but he tightened his grip. Shadows covered Lycanroc's mouth before he could retort.

"No words." Necrozma strode closer to the Needle. To his power. "You only delay the inevitable. I will destroy this realm..."

The tentacle unfurled, whipping Lycanroc back toward more oncoming Eternatus troopers. He hurled a distorted light ball after them, bathing them in a rainbow geyser. Necrozma reached forward with his right arm and grabbed the needle. An emerald flash pushed his shadows apart briefly.

"Return to me... Zygarde."

Necrozma pulled the needle. A burst of emerald light shot up, then a thousand glistening spears rained down all around him. The roof crumbled to dust while Necrozma floated where the Needle once sat. He glimpsed a fresh wave of Eternatus Troopers approaching.

As nice it would be to give them all a taste of the power he just reclaimed, his efforts were better spent elsewhere. He slashed the air in front of him with his left arm and vanished into a jagged rift.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 52: Ordo Totalis​

"I've brought it up before, but in light of those complaints you got yesterday, I think it's worth revisiting."

Chiron sat against a tree, red eyes fixed on the setting sun in the distance. Leo slumbered in the lunala's curled up, crescent moon tail. She gently draped her right wing over the cosmog.

A flicker of gold light drew her attention right, where Bahamut coiled around a large boulder, tapping his right upper wing against it in irritation. "It's about Zygarde, isn't it?"

"Ever the astute psychic," Chiron teased, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Bahamut's rainbow eyes bubbled with red and orange. "His work is instrumental in maintaining order. He's a big reason why Sages can intervene before things escalate."

"It might be important, but it's wrong." Chiron had to keep her voice steady to avoid disturbing Leo's slumber. "Zygarde's power is remarkable, yes, but splitting him into his cells to monitor every corner of the planet is... an invasion of privacy."

"It's a necessary precaution," Bahamut countered. "For the safety of—"

Chiron frowned. "If you really love this world and want it to flourish, then you have to trust the people living here and let them live their lives without wondering if they're being watched." She was dancing around the issue as best she could. The lunala didn't want to compare Zygarde to Matriarch and her type: full army out loud. Her husband had good intentions, but his past experiences clouded them.

"How did you even know to create Zygarde in the first place?" she wondered. Eternatus had absorbed planets with them in the past, but she couldn't recall if Bahamut visited any of them. "Earth was the planet you spent the longest on and it didn't—"

Bahamut tensed. "I can't answer that."

"You can't answer?" Chiron tilted her head. "Or you won't?"

The light dragon dimmed. "I—" His rainbow eyes swirled around like small twisters. After a protracted silence, Bahamut whispered, "It's complicated."

Chiron wanted to float over to him but still had Leo wrapped in her tail. She instead opened a tiny wormhole and stuck her head into it. Her head appeared at Bahamut's side and brushed his gold, crystal cheek. "We made vows, remember? I'll never turn my back on you. If it's a secret... you can trust me with it."

"I want to," Bahamut said. "But what if something happens to you? This secret... can't afford to get out."

Chiron pondered that for a second. Then it clicked. "It's something about Chakran, right? You said you spent a long time there."

Bahamut's light rippled. Chiron knew she hit her mark. He sighed. "Yes. There were numerous zygarde on Chakran. They were part of the Overseers."

"Overseers?" Chiron pulled her head back through the wormhole and cautiously pet Leo's forehead.

"A group that is, essentially, the eyes of all worlds," Bahamut explained. "They watch over the omniverse to maintain its stability."

"Omniverse?" Chiron sucked in a sharp breath. There really were other universes out there, then. She couldn't fault Bahamut's caution. If Matriarch ever learned of that... there was no telling the consequences.

"I actually asked them to deal with Eternatus," Bahamut admitted. "They refused... and abandoned the planet — and our universe — instead."

"I see." Chiron looked down at Leo. The cosmog still slumbered peacefully, his pom-pom arms glowing and dimming with every breath he took. "Why would you use your light to craft zygarde Sages, then? Isn't it just a painful reminder of your time on Chakran?"

"Perhaps. But, again, I saw their zygarde in action," Bahamut replied, lowering his head onto the top of the rock. "Splitting themselves into cells to observe a hundred places at once. A powerful tool."

"Powerful, but unsettling," Chiron countered. She gestured with her left wing. "Try to look at it from a different perspective. How would you feel if you learned that someone was constantly spying on your every move?"

Bahamut didn't respond at first. The rippling through his body and wings told Chiron enough, however. He clenched his jaw and looked away. "I suppose... I'd feel hurt. Upset."

Chiron offered a small smile. "Like some of the sermon attendees, perhaps?"

A loud sigh. Bahamut lowered his head onto the rock again. "Yes, you're right. As usual. I'm too reckless and paranoid."

"I didn't say that," Chiron cut in. "There's no need to beat yourself up over this."

"Then what do you suggest?" Pleading greens and yellows pooled in Bahamut's eyes.

"Perhaps you should scale back Zygarde's duties," Chiron offered. "Gradually, if it will ease your mind. And then, in the future..." Her voice trailed off as she twirled a tiny claw around in the circle.

"... Zygarde should be the last Sage of Order," Bahamut whispered.

"Read my mind again, I see." Chiron chuckled. "I love it when you're in sync with me."

Bahamut's body and eyes reddened. "Yes, well... perhaps it is for the best. After all, I'm getting old." He rolled off the rock and onto the grass, looking up at the sky. "I have to start trusting the world to keep turning without me."

"Wise words." Chiron bobbed her head. "But you'll hang on until Leo's all grown up, right?"

At that, Bahamut laughed. "Which of us called me stubborn to a fault, again?"

XxX​

"... na! Yu... ere?"

The drakloak heard... someone. But the ringing in her ears and the stars in her vision were too loud and too bright. She sucked in a sharp breath, furiously rubbing her eyes and begging the light to fade.

Why a vision now? She hadn't pulled a Needle! Her Soul Dew couldn't have reacted to the Seekerskorch, else she would've conked out right when she saw it.

Did that mean...

"Princess, are you okay? Yuna, please answer me!"

She finally picked up on Noctum's voice. The black charizard picked her up off the ground and cradled her in his arms. Relief flooded his face when Yuna made proper eye contact. "Oh, thank God. Are you hurt?"

Arms trembling, Yuna grabbed his right shoulder. "N... Needle..."

"Hmm?" Noctum frowned. "Do you think a Needle's nearby?"

"No. I—" She took a few breaths to steady herself. "A Needle got pulled. By someone else." Yuna squeezed her eyes shut. "Someone else is pulling Needles!"

"Are you serious?" Valkyrie growled. Yuna couldn't see the garchomp.

"I'm sure." Yuna managed to collect herself enough to float out of Noctum's grasp. "Every Needle I've pulled so far, I've had a... vision from the past about the Sage sealed inside. And I just had one where Bahamut was talking with his wife about Zygarde."

Thunderous explosions rang out. Bright blue fireballs filled up the sky. Meeping, Yuna darted away from Noctum and Valkyrie on reflex.

"Tch." Valkyrie kicked up some grass and dirt. "There's no point discussing this here. Either you rejoin the fight or rift yourself over to Venish and then Bogdan. You're a liability like this."

"Valkyrie," Noctum growled, purple tail flame sparking.

The garchomp bit her lip. "Sorry. Gene's just struggling to redirect any of that bolt bucket's attacks. Even with half the mech trashed, too many things are happening at once."

Yuna looked down guiltily. "I tried to do that... but my rifts are too small to swallow up its attacks." She looked up and saw Reshiram struggling to escape a dozen web missiles. Though he shot bright blue Dragon Pulses and Nikki hurled poisonous globs from her fingers, they weren't enough to stop the missiles.

"I can't leave." The drakloak flew to Noctum's side. "Reshiram would disappear with me. I'm not doing that to Nikki."

"Oh, right. Good point." Valkyrie stomped up to Noctum. "Guess we'd better get back to it." She hopped onto the black charizard's back. "Onward, less-than-noble steed!" Valkyrie shouted, kicking Noctum's rear.

"Yow! Hey!" His Malice Crystal and tail flame sparked. "Rude!"

XxX​

Igneous had opted to fall back and relocate Scarlett and Yiazmat, which didn't prove challenging. The two of them had found their way to the baccer stadium and, apparently, offered to help the Radiant Guard with crowd control as they got people to evacuate. A fairy rapidash officer had proposed summoning flying taxis to get people away from the area, but the constant appearance of the mystery barrier to ward off any attacks was enough to get him to hold off on the order.

Though the grovlazzle had no idea how long the barrier would hold, it soon stopped being an issue. An explosion rocked the sky and half the robot broke apart and plummeted to the ground. After that, it solely focused on its airborne assailants. But that didn't stop the sky from filling with a bevy of orange and blue explosions.

"The brigade captain said everyone's outside the stadium," Scarlett said, gliding in for a landing beside Igneous, whose gaze remained fixed in the distance. "Um, is everything okay?"

"Whoever's fighting that thing isn't making any more progress," Igneous said, arms crossed and right foot tapping the paved ground impatiently. "It's shooting a whole bunch of attacks that can track them."

[You really think I will let you turn my attacks against me? As if!] the pilot said. [I am just getting started!]

More orange cones filled the skies. The grovlazzle could barely make out who was actually fighting the machine anymore, losing them amidst orange explosions and red smoke. "If there's nothing else for me to do here, then I should try to help them."

"Are you crazy?" Scarlett gasped. "Even with whatever creepy powers let you fly and light stuff on fire, you can't stand up to that."

"What would you rather me do?" Igneous growled, whirling on Scarlett. "Stand here gawking like all of them." He gestured behind them both, to the fairy rapidash from before and a much larger granbull whose magenta uniform had several bars and badges on it.

"Only fools charge in when defeat is a certainty," Yiazmat chided, hovering toward the duo. "Warriors know their limits and plan accordingly."

"Tch. That another Aeonism?" Igneous scoffed.

"One of Saint Urshifu's teachings," Yiazmat said. "We all saw half that machine break apart. Whoever's already there is clearly operating with more information than we have. If any of us try to approach, we may become a liability for our unknown allies."

More explosions thundered behind them. Igneous turned around, biting his lower lip. The giant robot wasn't going down. How could it keep firing so many attacks without having to recharge or anything? It was totally ridiculous.

"Igneous," Yiazmat growled. "Do not go charging off again."

The grovlazzle's claws balled into fists. "I think I know who's fighting that battleship and I'm not turning my back on them."

Yiazmat raised a brow, but then her eyes slowly widened. "Wait. What are you implying?"

On the one hand, Igneous was glad the dragpult caught on quickly. On the other hand, Yiazmat catching on meant he had to come clean about Yuna. Something he was pretty sure she wouldn't want anyone to do, least of all to her mother.

Igneous curled and uncurled his claws. "It's Yuna and Noctum. They're part of that group in the sky."

That one got a reaction from Yiazmat. Her tail whipped at the air. Scarlett tensed. "How do you know that?"

"Because she's already fought multiple battles inside of World Ender," Igneous hastily responded. "Some of which I was there for."

"What?" Yiazmat blinked several times. "You... and Yuna... but..." Her eyes darted around. "She can't really defend herself! Why?!" The dragapult looked up in horror. "Oh, God. Yuna!" Yiazmat looked ready to bolt.

"Whoa, hang on." Scarlett waved her tail in front of Yiazmat's face. "What happened to warriors planning accordingly?"

Yiazmat's horns bristled with dragonfire. Scarlett shrank back. "I know what I said," Yiazmat growled. "But if that's really my daughter up there, I can't leave her fending for herself."

"She's not alone," Igneous said, resisting the temptation for a snide remark about her sudden attitude shift. "There are a lot of powerful pokémon with her." He wasn't about to say she was carrying a few Sages around with her. That would really set the dragpult off.

"Still. I want to support her." Yiazmat balled up her fists. "But not even Cosmic Blessing can deal with something that big."

Another flurry of orange explosions lit up the sky.

XxX​

"Agggggh!"

Yuna pinwheeled through the air, covered in even more webbing than before. It was getting hard to move her body the way she wanted. She looked down at her Soul Dew. "C'mon, stupid shadow wing thingies! You've shown up every other time our backs are against the wall. Do something!"

"Princess, from above!" Noctum cried.

The drakloak looked up and shrieked. She shot toward the ground, but the heat behind her grew stronger. Was the attack getting closer? No, it was a second web missile joining the one already giving chase to her.

"I can't get a good opening," Gene hissed, but Yuna wasn't sure from where.

[And it will stay that way until you rebels surrender!] the pilot said.

XxX​

"Well?" Igneous looked at Yiazmat. "Do we have a plan or not?"

Yiazmat turned to Scarlett. "It's up to you."

"Me?" The dragonair pointed her tail at her head. "Oh no. I haven't fought a battle in... in..."

"Not to fight," Yiazmat drifted closer. "That siren song of yours. You have to put it to use to help them." She pointed back toward the battle with her tail.

"H-Huh?" Scarlett shrank back. "I—" She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I've never tried to direct my songs toward specific people. I'm not even sure it would work like that! I could end up powering up the battleship... or whipping the crowd back there into a frenzy!"

More explosions bathed the sky in blue and orange. The crowd several meters away grew more restless.

"Try it anyway," Yiazmat ordered. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Scarlett looked down at the ground. "I can't," she whispered. "Not after last time."

Igneous squinted. In the distance, he saw Nikki clinging to Reshiram for dear life as he flew midair loops to get two fireballs to crash into each other.

"Then don't do it for our sakes," the grovlazzle said. "Do it for Nikki's."

The dragonair stiffened. "What did you just say?"

"Nikki's up there, too!" Igneous jerked his head in the machine's direction. "Fighting for her life... because she wants to see you again." He pointed a claw at Scarlett's cloak-covered torso. "She doesn't know the truth yet. She still believes you're like a sister to her."

He let those words hang in the air. Scarlett's eyes darted around. She opened and closed her mouth several times. Whatever Igneous thought she'd say, she couldn't muster it.

The grovlazzle was going to continue when Scarlett finally whispered, "She really said that?"

"Yes." Igneous stepped toward Scarlett. "The whole reason she came to Horizon was because she was worried about you. She knows you're a good person at heart. Now you have a chance to prove her right. And show your Dynamuse can be used for good."

Scarlett trembled underneath her tattered cloak. More explosions thundered in the distance. Wincing, the dragonair slithered forward.

"Okay! I... I'll try."

She looked over her shoulder again. "Um... I can move farther away from them, right? I don't want anyone to see."

Igneous nodded. He and Yiazmat formed a wall of sorts, blocking Scarlett from seeing the crowd. They moved forward cautiously. Most of the attacks remained in the air, but a few stray fireballs struck trees and dirt mounds in the distance, setting them ablaze.

"Do it for Nikki. Do it for Nikki."

Igneous didn't respond to Scarlett's whispers. She was trying to psych herself up. They were asking a lot of her. Unfairly so, now that Igneous chewed on it longer. Scarlett had been through a lot. Maybe I should say something different to her?

The grovlazzle hesitantly stepped toward Scarlett, whose head was bowed. Before Igneous could say anything, however, the dragonair's neck bauble glowed bright pink. A burst of pink light erupted from Scarlett. Igneous stumbled back in a daze, eyes screwed shut.

"What the... you summoned Starlene?!"

"Starlene?" Yiazmat's voice was full of awe. "No. It's... it's Saint Latias!"

XxX​

"Reshiram!" Yuna cried, corkscrewing away from a web missile that blew up not too far behind her. "Get Nikki to Jade!" She brushed her hand over the Soul Dew, whose glow had faded. "Someone cover them!"

Gene zipped over, whipping up a Hurricane. The intense winds proved enough to turn away a pair of web missiles and let Nikki hop safely onto Gene's back. However, the salugia squawked and suddenly lost altitude. Gene pointed his right hand down and caught her.

"It's no good. Birdbrain ain't used to having a passenger," Gene called back. "I'm grounding you two."

"What?! But we need the extra help!" Valkyrie growled.

"This isn't up for debate," Gene hissed, opening a rift underneath him and dropping Jade and Nikki straight through it.

"Then we need a new plan," Valkyrie hissed. She and Noctum rolled right. A web missile sailed past and Gene vaporized it with a burst of psychic energy before it could loop around and follow them.

The garchomp was right, though. Making the Seekerskorch smaller made it harder to get close and try anything. They couldn't keep dodging these seemingly endless volleys.

[How is this for a plan? You give up now, and your evil flunkies can get rehabilitated!] the pilot declared, before another volley of fireballs lit up the sky.

XxX​

Paradox almost slammed his headset down on his desk. "What are you blabbering about, fool?! There's no rehabilitation. They're monsters. Destroy them!"

Sticky winced. How was calling his son a fool supposed to keep him following orders?

XxX​

"Gene, this is hopeless!" Yuna flew after the mewtwo to stay clear of all the homing fireballs. "I'm tapped out. Your redirecting plan failed. We can't get close to the Seekerskorch." Her shoulders sagged. "How are we supposed to get out of this?"

"I'm thinking!" Gene hissed. "You eggheads are welcome to butt in anytime, by the way!"

"I wish I had something, but I'm lost, too," Cid said. "The Seekerskorch must have some sort of mechanism to prevent overheating. It's the only explanation I can think of for why it can unleash so many attacks without that happening."

"Delightful!" Gene's voice brimmed with mock enthusiasm.

Yuna was ready to give the mewtwo another earful when a bright crimson light erupted in the distance. "Oh, now what?!" She gripped the sides of her rectangular head.

"Dost thou not hear it?" Rayquaza asked. "Music! Of the, err, guitar variety, I believe? That is what Miss Nikki called it, correct?"

"What?" Yuna looked around. "I don't hear any—"

"Let my song... give you strength!"

"Eek!" Yuna's torso retreated into her head. That voice wasn't familiar, but it was in her head like the Sages'. "What's going on?" She looked at Gene, but the mewtwo was fixated on the crimson light in the distance.

"You hear it too, don't you?" he mumbled.

"Don't ignore the writing on the wall, yeaaaah
It's up to you, you can't let it fall
We've come too far
We're on the cusp
So don't back down
Keep the pressure on!"

Up ahead, the Seekerskorch unleashed a fresh volley of flaming web missiles. This time, however, it brought its head around to charge up another monstrous Hyper Beam in its open mouth.

"Gene! Move!" Yuna shouted. When she flew away, it was faster than she thought possible as a drakloak. It didn't make sense, wasn't she supposed to be exhausted?

"We're not gonna fade away and
Become a footnote in history.
Our hearts beating together as one
Fangs and claws ready and waiting to take you down!"

The Hyper Beam filled the crimson sky with brilliant blue... only for surging purple to split right through it.

Yuna blinked and rubbed her eyes.

No, she wasn't imagining it. A bulkier Gene with longer limbs and a Malice Crystal in each shoulder surged through the Hyper Beam, a barrier of psychic energy in front of him.

[Huh?! What the—]

"To take— to take you down!
To take— to take you dooooo-oooooo-oooown!
To take you down!"

The transformed mewtwo kept up his charge until he forced the Hyper Beam back on its attacker. The Seekerskorch flailed about in midair. Huge chunks of its face plates burst off, tumbling to the ground as flaming debris.

XxX​

"Whoa!" Jade's jaw slackened. "Did you see that?! The weird kitty got big! And grew another crystal!" She had her hands cupped over her eyes.

Nikki wasn't paying attention, however. She stared at red and white light in the distance, blinking slowly.

Spoiler

Nikki by @Chibi Pika, gifted by @Virgil134 and @Spiteful Murkrow

"That song," she whispered, looking down at her gills.

"Time ticks away like grains of sand
Our lives sealed, cruel fate slips right through our hands"

"I... I know this song!" Nikki instinctively thrust her hands out. Her lightning guitar appeared in a burst of yellow and pink. "Scarlett and I made it! She'd sing it during battle clubs in Blightsmuth while I played guitar!"

"We'll stare fate back in its ugly face, screaming our creed:
'You won't forget me! You won't forget me!'"

Before Nikki even realized it, she was moving her hands across her lightning guitar as if she was playing a real one.

She wasn't standing in a field anymore, but sitting on a stack of cardboard boxes against a grimy brick wall. Nikki held a small pink guitar in her tiny toxel hands, slowly strumming chords while an obstagoon deflected an attack from an scrafty with an X-shaped barrier. Several other dark-types whooped and thumped their limbs, cheering the name Shredder.

Beside Nikki, a dratini wriggled in delight, belting out lyrics while waving a tattered, black and white flag with her tiny tail.

Snapping back to the present, Nikki spoke without realizing it. "We're gonna be strong like him one day, right, sis?"

XxX​

"What is the meaning of this?!" Paradox darted back and forth in front of his monitor array. "Where's the footage? Why have we lost our signals?!" He whirled on Sticky. "Answer me!"

The nagandel looked down at his own console, which was a mess of static. "I... I don't know, sir. There appears to be some sort of interference."

"I can see that, you blithering numbskull!" Paradox gripped his headset tightly with his right tentacles. "W1-DG3T, status report... now!"

XxX​

Gene was a purple bullet darting around the Seekerskorch, leaving smoldering dents behind on its metallic exoskeleton.

[No! Stop! This is impossible!] Every attempt the pilot made at striking Gene with an attack from one of the remaining cannons ended with the cannon cleaved off the Seekerskorch by Gene's psychic spoon. [Y... you are the bad guy! You are not allowed to win! I have to stop you! I have to save the universe!]

Yuna's gut squirmed, but it wasn't a bad feeling. More like... something or someone calling out to her from within.

"We're not gonna fade away and
Become a footnote in history.
All this spite grows inside of us
These memories we'll throw back at you—"

The drakloak darted toward the Seekeskorch as it coiled around Gene. Its body glowed. It was clearly up to something and she needed to stop it. Even if a small voice was telling her to turn back. Even though her rational self knew that was a bad idea.

She could do this! She could make a difference!

"Cuz we are the ones
Who shape our destiny
Fighting to be free
We'll claim victory!"

Yuna punched the air with her right arm. A giant gray leg appeared in front of her and stamped the Seekerskorch. Mechanical screeching filled the air.

She punched again. Another giant gray leg appeared, denting one of the Seekerskorch's segments.

With a loud roar, Yuna kept punching. More and more gray legs pummeled the Seekerskorch's exoskeleton... until its segments began to break apart.

[No... no! I cannot— I must not— I— Father!]

XxX​

"Still no response. Still no signal," Sticky reported, frantically typing at his keyboard. The console monitor suddenly sparked. Yelping, the nagandel barely managed to duck in time to avoid shrapnel as his monitor shattered and a flurry of sparks raced across the room.

"That's enough!" Paradox removed his headset and held it in front of his face like it was a living thing he intended to strangle. "Computer, execute Type: Zodiark 0.0.1 self-destruct sequence!"

[Command acknowledged,] a feminine voice responded. [Password?]

Paradox's right eye twitched. He gripped the headset even tighter. "Why do I need a password? I'm the emperor! How about I just obliterate you instead?!"

[Password accepted. Initializing self-destruct sequence.]

XxX​

"Something's happening, Gene!" Yuna cried, noticing the Seekerskorch's head segment glowing while the rest of them fell to the ground in a massive, flaming wreckage.

"Way ahead of you!" the mewtwo responded, surging in front of the Seekerskorch's head. "Sorry, kid, but the real good guys are coming out on top this time."

He pointed his arm forward and a giant pink energy beam. It shattered the top of the Seekerskorch.

"I see the pilot!" Cid cried. "It's... Xeromus?!"

"What?!" Yuna shot forward. A purple and red blur fell toward the ground, faster than she could fly.

"No, wait, it's not quite the same. There's no mask or cloak," Cid said. "But whoever they are, they're falling fast!"

"I can see that!" Sucking in a sharp breath, Yuna instinctively stuck her right hand out. A giant, shadowy wing appeared and caught the falling pilot between three red spikes.

XxX​

"Okay, stop! Stop!" Igneous sprinted toward Scarlett and the spectral latias hovering above her. "It's over! You can stop!"

Scarlett and Latias turned to Igneous in unison. The latter evaporated in red and white mist. Igneous saw Scarlett's eyes rolling back in her head and dove forward, barely catching her before she would've struck the ground.

The dragonair blinked blearily. "D... did I do good?" she whispered.

"More than good." Igneous nodded slowly. "You did great."

As her eyes closed, a smile spread over Scarlett's face.

A sudden gust brushed the grovlazzle's backside. By the time he turned around, Yiazmat was already halfway toward the wreckage.

XxX​

Paradox stared at his static-filled monitors, still gripping the headset. "Well? What happened? Sticky, give me something!"

The naganadel had nothing. His computer was a smoldering wreck. "Sir, my terminal is—"

"I don't want excuses," the deoxys hissed. Paradox looked at the ceiling. "Computer? Status on the self-destruct sequence?"

[Loading. Loading. Please stand by.]

Paradox was ready to throw his headset at the ceiling.

[Self-destruct sequence completed successfully, Your Excellency.]

Silence. After a solid minute, Paradox turned and placed the headset on his desk. His tentacles coiled into hands that he braced on either side of his headset.

"Sticky. Call Uroboros," he said. "I want the Paradigm fully mobilized."

Without hesitation, Sticky vigorously nodded and sped toward the door.

XxX​

As the drakloak gently lowered the creature to the ground, she acknowledged its body shape was a lot like Xeromus'. But its entire torso was red and translucent, like it was made of glass.

Gene landed at the same time Yuna placed the pilot on the ground, then turned back to normal in a flash of orange and blue light. Noctum and Valkyrie landed beside him.

"What the hell was that?" Valkyrie rubbed her head. "You guys heard a rock song, too, right? It was like... if Starlene turned punk."

"I don't feel tired at all." Noctum tapped the top of his Malice Crystal. "And you!" He pointed to Gene. "I didn't know you could mega evolve!"

Gene's tail swished back and forth. "Uh, neither could I." He held his right hand up and turned it back and forth. "I wish I had an explanation, but I don't." The mewtwo shook his head. "We can talk about it later. How's that pilot?"

When he looked left, his tail abruptly stiffened. The panic was clear in his eyes. "Impossible," he whispered.

"What's impossible?" Valkyrie said, quirking a brow.

"Nothing." Gene waved her off. He knelt beside the pilot.

"Is it dead?" the garchomp wondered.

"No. Just unconscious." Gene ran a hand across the pilot's red torso. His Malice Crystal sparked and he pulled his hand back. "Yeah, we're gonna have to dig deeper into this."

"Let's gather up, first," Noctum suggested, slowly flapping his wings in place. "We need to get Jade and Nik—"

"Yuna? Yunavresca!"

The drakloak stiffened. She glanced over her shoulder.

A dragapult in sleek black armor surged toward her, a mix of shock and worry on her face.

"The hell?" Valkyrie tugged Noctum's wing. "Is that—"

Yuna managed to find her voice.

"Mom?!"

XxX​

CDL347: Giga Pursuit Unit, Seekerskorch
A prototype flying battleship for the Eternatus Troopers, fashioned to appear like a mega evolved centiskorch. With a psorexium exoskeleton and dozens of side-mounted cannons, it can unleash a devastating rain of destruction on its target. The only issue is that the battleship is presently designed for a single pilot. Controlling all the weapons has proven to be too difficult for any Eternatus Troopers, so the prototype was shelved.

Why did the emperor suddenly deploy it now? And who did he scrounge up to pilot it? Its appearance is seriously concerning...

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Scarlett's battle song spoofs GH()ST (pronounced "ghost"), the battle theme of Viola from Bayonetta 3, with music by Tomoki Kameyama and vocals by Mikaila Delgado.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 53: Queenly Majesties​

It is unfortunate to hear about Beowolf's defeat at Necrozma's hands. But let's face it, sir, he's far from the most productive Paradigm lieutenant of the bunch. He's a five or a six in a hand where you have royals, after all. Maybe you can come up with something unimportant for him to do when he finishes regenerating.

That aside, I've done some digging based on the reports you passed along to me. I believe I can draw two conclusions. The first is rather simple: there are no records of any "Zacian" present on Etherium prior to our Benefactor's arrival. The so-called Luminous Sages did not have a Zacian in their ranks. Yet Radiant history is full of mentions of one who co-founded the kingdom and served alongside a rapidash as its first queen... and continued to serve as a figurehead for countless generations, far exceeding any realistic pokémon lifespan.

The second conclusion deals with the aforementioned Sages. Comparing the reports you provided me with Aeon scriptures and this foolish minister's knowledge of certain... legendary species returning to Etherium despite sacrificing themselves to seal our Benefactor, the math doesn't add up.

Between the original number of seals and the Sage descendants living in Etherium, one is unaccounted for. And I think it's a fairy-type, to boot.

Could it be possible the so-called Zacian these Radiants speak of is actually the missing Sage? I'll have to keep digging, but I suspect our Benefactor's energy is involved in this.

XxX​

Things passed by in a blur for Yuna. One moment her mother had her wrapped up in a hug filling the drakloak's ear frills with murmurs of "big" and "proud" and other things Yuna couldn't recall. Then the next thing she knew, she sat on a leather office chair far too big for her wispy body. A few small circular tables littered the carpeted floor in front of her. One had small water bottles. Another had a plate of berries. A third bore bars wrapped in silver foil.

Where am I? Yuna looked around, finding landscape paintings staring at her... and two more office chairs occupied by a dragapult and a black charizard. The former stared intently at the latter's belly.

"Did you black out?" Reshiram whispered in the back of her head.

Yeah. Seeing Mom... I guess it shocked me so much I blanked.

"Gene gathered everyone up and said he needed to bring the pilot we captured to Cyril right away," Reshiram explained. "Nikki was holding a dragonair — I think the one she was looking for all this time? — and your edgy grovyle friend is now half-salzzle, too. Noctum suggested we go somewhere to recuperate, and your mother demanded we be sent to a specific building in Scale City. So, that's where we are."

Yuna stared at the floor, blinking slowly. She supposed that made sense. But Scale City? The name was... vaguely familiar. Her mother had mentioned it before, back when she lived at home. Did that mean they were in Aeon?

"The group kinda split up after that," Reshiram continued. "Valkyrie went off on her own, Nikki took the dragonair away, and Noctum brought you here. Which just about covers everything."

The drakloak silently thanked Reshiram for the recap. She remained slouched in her chair, unsure of what to say to her mother. It hadn't been that long since she bid the dragapult farewell, and yet it felt like an eternity had passed.

"Noctum told me what happened."

Squeaking, Yuna squirmed in her chair, struggling to sit upright. Her bulkier, rectangular head was harder to prop up than she was used to. "W-What do you mean?"

"That you were both sucked inside World Ender— sorry, Eternatus." Yiazmat slowly sat up in her seat. "That you are releasing Sages from their seals and gathering them in our family heirloom." She locked eyes with the Soul Dew. Yuna couldn't tell if she was upset.

"Ah." Yuna subconsciously pawed at the Soul Dew. "It's... complicated."

"I can tell." Yiazmat looked away, biting her lower lip. "Though that explains one thing."

Noctum leaned forward. "Which is?"

"When your grandmother gave that to me, she told me, 'One day, its purpose will become clear.'" Yiazmat rose from her chair and floated toward the cabinet on Yuna's left. "She said she heard it from her mother who heard it from her mother who heard it from her mother." She put her hands on the top of the cabinet, sighing. "That one line percolated through our family for God only knows how long. Certainly long before we assumed control of Aeon."

"Wait, so you knew this was important?" Yuna's Soul Dew had regained some of its luster, but it was still recharging from its prolonged use.

"I honestly thought your grandmother was being superstitious," Yiazmat admitted. She opened the cabinet's glass door and pulled out a tray with a couple of glasses and a green bottle. It hissed when she opened it. The dragapult poured herself a glass of fizzy water. She paused with her right hand wrapped around the glass. "Can you summon Saint Reshiram right now?"

"Uhh... not exactly?" Yuna ran her left hand across the gem's cool glass. "It has a limit. And that battle kinda reached it. Maybe I can... do a tiny version." Her face scrunched up in concentration. That fiery blaze in the back of her mind was as slippery as boiling noodles. She managed to latch on and tug.

A small, translucent Reshiram formed on the arm of her office chair. He looked around. "Hello." Reshiram waved awkwardly. "I, uh, guess you're Yuna's mom?"

A croak got caught in Yiazmat's throat. She put a hand to her mouth, then hastily sipped some sparkling water. "Goodness. Is that nasally voice... because of his size?"

"No? I always sound like this." Reshiram puffed his cheeks out.

"I see." Yiazmat set the glass down. "Very well. I want you and Yuna to listen carefully to me."

The drakloak tensed. This didn't sound good.

"Your father and I went back and forth on whether to share this... but it's too pressing to discuss this matter with him." Sighing, Yiazmat tucked her head down. "Yuna, you're not my daughter by blood."

It didn't sink in for Yuna at first. She saw Noctum slump back in his chair, jaw open in disbelief, but didn't acknowledge him. Yuna shook her head. "No. You told me my twin was a bad egg. Which was probably related to why I was so sick when I was younger."

"We lied," Yiazmat flatly said. She took another sip of sparkling water. "Your father... found you while leading a construction team building a trench to divert magma flow from one of the volcanoes. You were not an egg... but rather a silhouette encased in a crystal." The dragapult hesitantly glanced over her shoulder. "Much like the one in Noctum's gut."

Yuna glanced at Noctum, who stared at his Malice Crystal in disbelief. He didn't know either. No way the black charizard could put on such a convincing act for all these years. She met Reshiram's gaze. He didn't have to say anything to her. The look in his eyes made it clear: Yiazmat spoke the truth.

It had to be the truth. Why else would she say that? It made no sense for her to craft such a bizarre lie. So, why did Yiazmat lie about it all these years? Did she really have that little faith in Yuna's ability to handle the truth? Why make her believe she had a twin sibling she would never meet?

Too many thoughts twisted themselves around in Yuna's head. It didn't make sense to her. "Why?" was all the drakloak could manage.

"You'd already had such a rough time of things," Yiazmat whispered, tracing a claw along the rim of her glass. "With how sick you had been... I thought it would just hurt you more to hear that we weren't your real parents." She shut her eyes. "Your father disagreed with me, but ultimately ceded the subject."

Of course he did. Her parents were good partners, but Calcifer often deferred to Yiazmat. Yuna wished he had tried asserting himself more on this subject. "I don't... understand," the drakloak muttered. "Avoid hurting me? You had me convinced my sibling died before they could hatch! How is that—"

She gripped the sides of her head. That same feeling from the battle was back. Something— no, someone trying to push themselves through her ectoplasm. It wasn't a Sage, that was for sure. Yuna ignored Reshiram's concerned look and turned away from them.

"In hindsight... I made the wrong decision," Yiazmat said. "And I am deeply sorry for that, Yunavresca."

The dragapult sounded sincere. But sorry was just a word. It didn't change anything. Yuna curled her hands into the leather armrest. "What about the throne?" she said. "Everyone thinks I'm next in line. That's why you sent me here." Yuna dug her hands deeper into the leather. "Is that a lie, too?"

"No."

"What?" That made even less sense. Why would Yuna ascend to the throne if she wasn't truly the queen's daughter?

"I couldn't care less about a bloodline," Yiazmat said. "You remember your history lessons, yes? Our family has only ruled Aeon for five generations. You're still my eldest daughter. The throne is yours."

Was that supposed to comfort Yuna? She glanced over her shoulder. Her mother stared remorsefully at the autumn hill landscape hanging above the drink cabinet.

"I completely understand if you need time and space," the dragapult said. She finished the glass of sparkling water. "As Bahamut says: 'time may not heal all wounds, but it can at least begin to close them.'"

Yuna smacked her hands against the armrest without realizing it. Noctum sat up straight in his chair, Malice Crystal flickering nervously.

"Don't drag him into this," Yuna growled.

Yiazmat blinked slowly. "What?"

"Don't fall back on those worthless, two-faced platitudes," Yuna hissed. A tiny, rational voice in the back of her head told her this wasn't worth getting upset over, but Yuna ignored it. After all, Yiazmat piled on another lie, even if she wasn't aware of it. "Guess Noctum didn't give you the whole story."

The dragapult turned away from the cabinet, tilting her large, triangular head. "Come again? What whole story?"

"Bahamut's a sham!" Yuna smacked the armrest and floated off her chair. "Aeonism is a sham. A bunch of lies and half-truths cobbled together with paste and rope!" She saw her mother ready to retort and her tail lashed at the air. That inky black bubbled in her leg nubs. "Every Needle I've pulled... has shown me visions of the past. When Bahamut and the Sages were alive.

"They're not gods. They were average pokémon like you and me who took jobs working for Bahamut," Yuna continued while the darkness spread to her torso. "And when they were tired of it, Bahamut found replacements and passed on their powers. There is no Saint Reshiram... because there's been a bunch of 'em!"

Yiazmat looked down. Reshiram shrank even smaller. "G... guilty," he said, laughing nervously.

"And Bahamut himself? He was a terrible person! Spiteful, temperamental, and paranoid." Yuna gripped the sides of her rectangular head and shook it. "Those other worlds the Book of Aeon mentions? He ravaged cities! Sank islands!"

The drakloak's breathing finally slowed. Her body trembled. "We... we worship a lie. We worship a monster." She sank back onto the chair and turned on her side.

Silence permeated the room. Slowly, the darkness retreated down her torso and leg nubs, like water draining out of a bathtub. Yuna expected Yiazmat to say something. Anything. But she stayed quiet. So did Noctum and Reshiram.

The tiny voice from before told her she blew up over nothing. Yiazmat still loved her and she was trying to show her that.

Yuna pushed those thoughts away. She didn't want to acknowledge them. She wanted... privacy. Privacy she couldn't get because of that infernal Soul Dew binding two souls to her.

... Maybe it was a good thing someone else was pulling Needles. She wouldn't have to deal with any other voices in her head that could pop out of her chest at a moment's notice.

And what about Leo? Yuna still had him to worry about. What was he even doing, stuck waiting on Bogdan with the others? She wasn't really going to introduce him as her son to Yiazmat, was she?

"Go," Yuna whispered.

"Princess?" Noctum leaned forward.

"Just go. Both of you." Yuna curled up tighter. "I can't. Not right now."

She couldn't see them with her face pressed firmly against the corner of the giant leather chair. But she heard shuffling, then a door creaking open.

"I'm sorry I hid the truth from you, Yuna. I still love you, though. That will never change."

Yuna picked her head up. Yiazmat looked back at her, tail crinkled with worry. She smiled weakly at the drakloak, but Yuna lowered her head back on the arm rest and closed her eyes.

Deep down, Yuna believed her mother loved her. But it didn't leave her feeling any less empty inside.

XxX​

Vortex knew Dazzels had holding cells. Rarely used holding cells, judging by the dust clinging to the walls of the sterile gray interrogation room the charizard found himself in. He squirmed in his cold, metal chair. Vortex's gray jumpsuit itched something fierce and the shackles around his wrists and ankles were no better.

"You should count your blessings," the dusknoir floating toward the opposite end of the gray table said. Vegna turned a file over repeatedly in his hand. "Under normal circumstances, we'd jam a fire ring in that snout of yours to stop any funny business. I've heard it described as uncomfortable. Suffocating, even."

Vortex curled his fingers — the Radiant Guard applied adhesive padding to his claws before tossing him in his cell — around the jumpsuit's rough fabric. Vegna was saying that to get under his scales. Because he knew the reason why Vortex didn't need a fire ring. He wouldn't suffer the indignity of getting toyed with. "We both know what you want to say, so say it."

"Very well." Vegna opened the file, his red eye flickering in amusement. "A genuine case of imprisonerre. Never thought I'd live to see the day." He paused to chuckle. "Or unlive, depending on your definition of ghost-types." The dusknoir set the file on the table. "It certainly explains a few things.

"Forgive the discourtesy of my attempts at playing armchair psychologist." Vegna drifted down until he was right next to the table's edge. "Your drive to build Polaris into what it is today... I'm quite sure you were compensating for your inability to use attacks. To succeed in business where you failed at the elements. To have society see you as a success. After all... it wouldn't matter if you were influential enough, would it? Money can make the world go 'round, and all that jazz."

There. Vegna put it out in the open. Vortex drew his lips back in a snarl. "Trying to dig up a motive for my 'crimes,' I see." The charizard leaned forward. "We both know it's pointless. This is a farce. Her Em— Isola is scapegoating me for all of this. Conjuring up charges out of thin air to suit her narrative."

He placed his shackled hands on the table. "You're an intelligent 'mon. Surely you realize that if I'm truly guilty of high treason, High Inquisitor Justine would handle the case." Vortex's own words echoed in his head. He had plenty of time to draw his conclusions. Even if they terrified him, it did Vortex no good to keep them to himself. "The only reason you're here... is because you're the Grim Reaper."

Vegna stayed silent. His eye pulsated with red light. Another intimidation tactic.

"She wants me dead," Vortex said, a bitterness to his words. "And while she could easily find me guilty and drag me off to get the needle, that takes time. Time I could use to talk." He tapped his fingers against the table. "It would be far easier for her if I were to... suddenly suffer an unfortunate accident. Just like Benedict. Just like every defendant who steps foot in the Reaper's court. That's the real reason you're here, isn't it?"

The dusknoir's expression didn't change. He eventually pivoted to his right. "Rage, fury, intense indignation in cataracts of fire, blood and gall. In whirlwinds of sulfurous smoke and enormous forms of energy; all the seven deadly sins of the soul."

Vortex rolled his eyes. He knew Vegna's fondness for strange crypticisms. Supposedly they were poem stanzas, but they read like nothing one could find on Etherium. The charizard wasn't outwardly impressed, but his heart was hammering. It sure sounded like the Reaper was here to kill him. There were no cameras. Vortex hadn't seen any Radiant Guard in what felt like hours.

"You truly have no remorse for your actions, do you?" Vegna said, still looking at the dust-covered wall to his right.

"I did nothing wrong," Vortex growled. His tail flame would have sparked, but it was covered by a special cone. "You said it yourself: what good is a charizard that can't breathe fire? Or curry the wind to their favor?" He leaned forward further. "I built myself up from nothing using my wits and cunning. There's nothing criminal about that. I saw a way to make Radiance better and I seized the opportunity. The wealth and notoriety that came with it were what I deserved."

"Nothing criminal." Vegna turned back to the table, flipping through pages. "Even as the pollution from your energy production wiped entire cities off the map, you knowingly hid the true source of ether from Parliament, the public, and the crown."

"No. No, you stop right there." Vortex held up his shackled hands. "Who do you think it was who told me about World Ender still being inside the planet in the first place?" His nostrils flared. "Why, Her Eminence, Queen Isola, of course."

"Really?" Vegna crossed his arms. "That's your defense?"

"It's the truth," Vortex countered. "The original ether plants used supplies of crystals I had gathered. Isola took notice. I saw an opportunity to spread my ideas to all of Radiance. She recognized the potential... and then assured me there would be ways to counter any repercussions from tapping into the distortion."

"And when this wasn't the case?" Vegna's red eye crackled. "You chose to stay silent?"

"When it wasn't the case... the idea for Icarus came about," Vortex said, tensing up. Vegna was losing his patience. The end was coming, so the charizard had to finish saying his piece quickly. "A promise of unlimited energy... and an end to the distortion. Isola was the one who discovered the Icarus specimen and had Tesla locate it. We were confident in its capabilities."

He sat up straight in his chair. "It all goes back to Isola. I'm sure of it. I chose to sit on that information as my insurance policy. You need to have a good insurance policy to succeed in business. I can't expect a lawyer to understand that." Vortex gripped the edge of the table with his padded fingers. "But it's the truth! I combed through Horizon Academy's records after becoming Chancellor. Isola... is not the same person she was as a student.

"Princess Isola loved painting and gardening... a-and she braided her hair and her tail in the most childish way one could think of." Vortex could hear his nerves showing through. Vegna's stoicism had finally cracked his facade. "But most importantly... she was due to get engaged to a male primarina. It was going to happen at the conclusion of the Crowne Cup. The previous chancellor was helping to plan the engagement with Isola in secret."

Vortex looked down and shook his head. "But it never happened. Instead, she dumps the primarina and, a few weeks later, all the tabloids are reporting she's taken Justine as a consort and offered her the position of High Inquisitor when she'd never shown the slightest interest in ladies! And those hobbies I mentioned? Tell me, have you ever heard of her engaging in them at all?" The charizard scooched himself to the edge of his seat. "No! They're not even mentioned in media interviews! Doesn't that strike you as the least bit suspicious?"

He had nearly slid off his seat. Vortex propped himself against the edge of the table. "It's not just her, either. Don't you find it strange Radiance has only ever had queens sit upon the throne? Not a single king in the entire lineage!" He would've thrown his arms apart in exaggeration if they weren't shackled.

"You're an inquisitor, for pity's sake!" Vortex exclaimed. "You can't seriously believe Shimmer is the first male to be born in the royal family's history, can you? You have no idea how much I've had to bend over backwards for him at his mothers' orders." He began counting on his fingers. "Fixing grades. Sweeping misconduct allegations under the rug thanks to his... poor choice of behavior in public settings with and without that sylveon by his side. Rigging the Crowne Cup challenges to ensure his team would cruise to victory. But I went through with it all because I believed in my vision for the future of this kingdom— no, the future of the planet! And Isola returns that favor by stabbing me in the back?!"

Vortex slouched over, panting heavily. Somehow, he'd gotten his entire spiel out there. Vegna had not once interrupted him. The dusknoir merely floated there, bathing Vortex in red light from his eye. The charizard slid himself back into his seat. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he muttered. "The wealthiest 'mon in all of Radiance ranting like a raving mad lunatic before the Grim Reaper."

More silence.

"Say something, damn it!" Vortex stomped his shackled feet against the metal floor.

"In fierce anguish and qunchless flames, to the deserts and rocks He ran raging to hide, but He could not."

Vortex tensed. Vegna's eye... had shifted blue as the spoke. The dusknoir closed up his folder. "Before you conspired with the crown to open Citadark Isle, I worked my way up the penal ranks to become an executioner." He picked the folder up and returned to turning it over and back in his right hand. "But after learning about the... changing political landscape, I chose to attend law school and later join the Ministry of Justice. Tell me... why do you think that is?"

The charizard tensed up. He... he knows? He knows there's something wrong? But then why would he willingly work for a broken system? Unless... he was benefitting from that broken system, too! Just like Vortex!

He had to make one last plea. One final attempt to sway the Reaper to his side and—

The interrogation room door slammed open. "That will be enough, Mister Vegna."

Vegna and Vortex looked over in unison. Demerzel floated in the doorway, but that wasn't his voice they'd heard. No, instead he floated to the side... and an icy chill entered the room. Vegna's eye sparked. "What manner of trickery is this, Clown Prince?"

Vortex tilted his head. That can't be right. Vegna addressed someone that looked vaguely like Shimmer, but too many things were wrong. His horn was far longer, with streaks of icy white along it. He had a flowing, sparkling white mane and several glittery white tails where his puffy pink one was supposed to be.

(Art by Zoeoie)

"That's Prince Shimmer, Inquisitor." The ponyta narrowed his eyes. "I suggest you address me as such if you value your job."

He never spoke with such conviction. And Shimmer was practically at eye level with Vortex's standing height! What had happened to him?

"You're dismissed, Vegna." Demerzel gestured to the open doorway.

Vegna's eye darkened. He tensed up and Vortex noticed a sudden ripple in his ectoplasm. "I'm not finished questioning the accused."

"You are now." Shimmer leveled his long horn at Vegna. The room grew even colder. "On my authority."

The dusknoir floated in silence, then tucked his folder underneath his right arm. A right arm that Vortex swore look different than it did a mere minute ago. The charizard squinted. Were those faint white lines in his ectoplasm? Almost like tiny fissures Vortex would get between his scales when they got chafed after a night of entertainment.

... No, Vortex had to be seeing things. A ghost couldn't have anything like that.

"Am I to be escorted out, then?" Vegna asked.

"You are." Shimmer walked behind Vegna, keeping his horn levied. "Move. Now." He followed Vegna out of the room. The door slammed shut behind the two. Demerzel folded his nubby arms under his robe and turned to Vortex.

"Here to gloat, are you?" the charizard growled. "You did something to Shimmer, didn't you?" There was no way someone could undergo a change like that.

"Actually, you did." A slight smile tugged at Demerzel's lips. "Your company and its lovely pollution." He crossed his lanky legs. "The good prince, distraught over the loss of his dear friends and having learned that he, like you, is nothing but a runt, chose to subject himself to a full course of World Ender's distortion." Demerzel shook his obnoxiously large head. "I figured you, of all people, would admire such conviction."

Vortex wasn't believing that for a second. "I don't know if you're some sleeper agent for Aeon... or you have your own agenda. Whatever it is, you'll never achieve it." He raised his shaking, shackled hands and rested them on his chest. "Look at me. I'm the proof. You've risen political ranks quickly because you did something to curry Isola's favor... and now she's just stringing you along. And when she has no further use for you," he dropped his hands onto his lap, wincing from the heavy shackles, "she'll get rid of you. Like she's doing to me."

Demerzel stroked his chin with his right hand. "I suppose that's not an... unreasonable conclusion to draw from this. But really now..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head, sighing. "If you are truly such a skilled entrepreneur, you should have planned for such an occurrence." He floated back and forth at the other end of the table. "You were playing the long game. Introducing all these 'conveniences' into the world designed to make your company and, by extension, you beloved by the people. To the point where the crown could never do anything to touch you lest they risk massive public outcry."

The charizard looked down at his lap, blinking slowly. He gripped the fabric of his jumpsuit again, brow furrowing. Demerzel repeatedly claimed he was a mutant whimsicott. Exposed to the distortion. Did that mean...

"You're working for them," he whispered, unable to look back up at Demerzel. "You're not an agent for Aeon, you're an agent for World Ender!"

Demerzel sighed again. "You're entitled to think whatever you want. But I'm not interested in power or public admiration. I truly believe it's long past time for Radiance and Aeon to bury the hatchet. Unite against a shared enemy. Consider it... a parting gift for this sad, sorry little rock."

Parting gift? What did Demerzel even mean by that?

"Your friend Tesla had some positively fascinating memories rattling around in that swollen head of his," Demerzel continued. "These genesect you two planned to replace the Radiant Guard with? Quite interesting. I do hope you don't mind if I activate them."

Vortex's eyes barely had time to widen before an invisible force gripped his head and pulled it up to look Demerzel in the eyes.

"In fact, I hope you don't mind if I comb over all of Tesla's... facilities," he said, a cheerful smile on his face. "There's a lot of value sitting there, after all. I'd hate for it to waste away because Isola decided to throw you both under the bus."

This was bad. The charizard struggled to even get his mouth open an issue a retort. Demerzel's psychic grasp was too strong. Had the mutant... really gone through Tesla's memories and seen all the boltund's projects? There had to be ones Vortex knew nothing about! But why bother admitting that out loud?

Did... did Demerzel know the Reaper was coming for Vortex? Is that why he was here? To make sure he could get his paws on Vortex before the Reaper could claim him as his next victim?!

"Now then." Demerzel cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?"

The pressure on Vortex's head intensified. Even without any attacks, Vortex could tolerate heat. But this pressure quickly turned to an unbearable burning pain. The charizard couldn't even scream. Demerzel had complete control of his whole head.

The burning pain grew and receded in waves. No doubt from Demerzel delving deeper into the recesses of Vortex's mind. His vision grew blurry. There was nothing the charizard could do. No way to fight back or cry for help.

Then, for a few brief seconds, the blurriness gave way to something else entirely.

A golden dragon of light looked around at multiple smaller brown and emerald creatures that looked like they were made entirely of hexagons. They trained arm cannons and strips of multicolored hexagonal scales on the dragon. All the while, a few riolu and lucario with white and gold fur looked at him. Some with tears in their eyes. Others with fangs bared as they hurled their frustrations at him. Begging them to see all the good their grandfather had done for them. That he had made a mistake calling in these zygarde.

With a sharp gasp, Vortex fell forward. His head smacked against the cold metal of the interrogation room's table. Vortex's heart hammered in his chest, his breath ragged.

"Y... you..." Vortex struggled to blink away his double vision. Get two Demerzels back into one. "Wh... o are..."

"Shhh." Demerzel leaned in and pressed a nubby paw to Vortex's snout. "I have what I need." A pleasant smile spread across his face. "And since you were so cooperative, I'll leave you with a special gift. I know how frustrated your impresonerre makes you. I did just sift through your memories, after all. So, how about... I give you that fire you've so desperately desired?"

Vortex's eyes suddenly widened. A psychic grip forced his head up once again. Demerzel placed a strange red square against his snout. Vortex crossed his eyes and, for a brief second, saw a message carved into it.

The power of defeated giants infuses this Plate.

Then the square disappeared in a flicker of orange light. Vortex's nostrils tingled, like he'd huffed some bright powder. His head slammed back on the desk as Demerzel released his psychic grip.

"The changes won't happen instantaneously. But when they do begin, you'll know." Demerzel turned to the door, opening it with a flick of his wrist. "In the meantime, I would advise you not to think too hard on, well, anything. Your mind's in a fragile place right now. And I'd hate to see you end up a vegetable like the good doctor."

Vortex heard hoofbeats.

"We're leaving," Shimmer said.

"And Vegna?"

"I saw something interesting," Shimmer replied. "When he thought he was safely away from me... he braced himself against the side of the front staircase, talking about being on a timer and having to 'find that mewtwo.'"

"Oh? Did something happen?" Demerzel's voice grew distant, but Vortex could make out one final thing.

"Part of his body dissolved away... leaving holes in his arms and hands."

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 54: Somber Musings​

Diva Project first phase was successful. The subject took the maximum allotted dose of proto-ether with no visible adverse effects. Energy readings remained persistently elevated compared to her pre-treatment tests.

The next step will remain confidential, even to Vortex. Proto-ether alone is not enough to produce the results Vortex wants. A dragonair does not have the kind of psychic energy required for such an undertaking. But there is something that does have that power: the Needles scattered around the kingdom.

It's risky, of course. There are many writings that describe people's bodies breaking down simply from coming into contact with a Needle. But Dragonair has proto-ether flowing through her veins. No one else can make such a claim. In addition, the Needle I've selected has traces of dragon energy in it. I believe this shared typing will synergize with Dragonair, increasing the odds of phase two's success.

XxX​

Everyone had somewhere to be except Igneous. Yuna's mother shepherded her off, while Nikki ran to find a place to lay Scarlett down. Even Valkyrie seemed to avoid the grovlazzle at first, saying she needed to find Sakaki and running off without another word. Gene took the rest of the ragtag group back with him, which left Igneous standing in a rather empty kitchen, staring at a rarely used stove and microwave. Only the hum of the lights and refrigerator broke the silence.

The grovlazzle silently approached the fridge and opened it up. If he remembered correctly— yep, his father still kept dehydrated berries in there. Igneous thought they sucked, but they weren't for him. They were for Scarlett. He grabbed a couple of leppas, took them out of their foil packaging, and brought them to the sink. It wheezed to life. Igneous yanked his hands back and scrutinized the water running from the faucet for several seconds before deciding it was clear and clean.

When he ran the leppas under the water, they expanded and assumed their normal red and yellow colors. Satisfied, Igneous shut the faucet off.

"Hey."

"Shit!" Igneous nearly threw the berries away in surprise. He looked over his shoulder, where Valkyrie stood propped in the doorway, pivoted to make room for her dorsal fin.

"You know I hate it when you do that," the grovlazzle hissed. He headed for the doorway. "You made it clear you wanted to avoid me, so... lemme pass and I'll be out of your scales."

"It wasn't—" Valkyrie looked away, brow furrowing. "I was shocked. We found freaking Lugia got fuzed with salazzle, so to see the same thing happen to you was..." Her voice trailed off. "I don't really know what happened, but I should've been there for you."

Igneous couldn't fault her. He never told the garchomp his plans in Venish, nor could either of them have foreseen what actually happened. Despite that, her demeanor was... different than when he'd last seen her. "Something happened to you as well," Igneous said with conviction.

Valkyrie pivoted further from him. "I might've... blown up a little at the butler dweeb." She rubbed the back of her head. "It's complicated. All of this shit's complicated. Makes me wish I could go back to taking contracts from you and your father. Just a place to be and a target to kill."

Igneous' back prickled, giving off a few embers. "I've gotta go check on Scarlett." He held up the berries, then hastily pushed past the garchomp and headed into the carpeted hallway, checking open doorways for any signs of Nikki or Scarlett.

He found them in a small room at the end of the hallway, empty except for haphazardly stacked cardboard boxes and an unfolded cot with a thin mattress. Nikki sat on its edge, eyes fixed on Scarlett. She tapped her right foot rapidly.

"C'mon, sis," the toxtricity whispered. "Wake up. Please."

Igneous knocked on the open door. "I brought a couple of leppas."

Nikki looked up and scrutinized the grovlazzle's appearance. "The hell's with the body paint? Pretty sure there are sluttier holowear outfits."

"You're a riot," Igneous deadpanned.

"Did you get messed up by Eterna junk?" Nikki raised a brow like she already knew the answer.

"Yeah." Lying was easier at this point.

"Damn." Nikki dug her fingers into the mattress' plastic cover. "I, uh—"

Igneous stayed silent. If he told Nikki he went to Starlene's concert, she'd no doubt press him for details. It wasn't his place to tell her what learned about Scarlett. Not when the toxtricity had finally reunited with her.

"Got careless," the grovlazzle said, shaking his head. "And that freak Xeromus got the jump on me."

The name sent a wave of recognition crashing over Nikki. "I see." The toxtricity's mane crackled. "Was he in Vellguarde, too?"

"Yeah. I tried fighting him, but then that giant robot showed up and he fled." At least that was the truth.

"Well, next time we better get his ass," Nikki growled. "Why can't you call in your yakuza buddies you apparently have?" She shook her head in disbelief. "That 'family business' bit you dropped back in Horizon? Hell of a double meaning."

Igneous scowled. "You think I was going to talk about the Ryujin when Vegna could have been listening?"

Nikki's mohawk sparked again. "I think you should've brought it up at some poin—"

"Mrrgggh..."

The dragonair squirmed on the bed. Nikki scooched closer. "Sis? Sis, can you hear me?"

Scarlett blinked several times. "Ni... kki?"

"Give her some space, will ya?" Igneous growled. Nikki relented, but not without frowning at the grovlazzle. He ignored her disapproval and knelt down by the side of the bed. "Heya." Igneous held up the leppas. "Thought you might be hungry."

Scarlett's snout twitched. "Where are we?"

"Back in Scale City," Igneous replied. "You passed out after finishing your song."

"Ah." Scarlett grabbed each leppa with her mouth and set them next to her. She bit into a quarter of one. Red juice dribbled on the mattress and trickled down her blue scales. "But the big robot's gone, right?"

Igneous nodded. "I think your song gave the people fighting it the boost they needed." He sat down and scooted back to give the dragonair some more space. "Though that apparition you summoned... why Latias?"

Scarlett almost choked on her bite of leppa. "L... Latiwhonow?"

Nikki's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I'm with her. The hell's a latias?"

"A red and white dragon with pointy wings and a long neck." Igneous wasn't sure how else he could describe it. Maybe a comparison? "Kinda resembles a dragapult's head, actually." He shook his head. "It's one of the Sages in Aeon scriptures. Has a twin brother that's blue and white. Latios."

"Wow. Real creative naming." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Lemme guess, the Sages of Brotherhood and Sisterhood?"

Igneous blinked a few times. "Pretty sure that's actually right."

Scarlett stiffened. She proceeded to eat the second leppa much faster than the first.

"So, wait, you summoned Latias?" Nikki looked at Scarlett. "Like how Yuna summons Crotch Fuzz and Space Noodle?"

Igneous had to admit, it sure looked similar, but he preferred to keep that to himself. "Hard to say." The more he chewed on it, however, the more Igneous wondered if his bringing up Nikki to Scarlett somehow led to the dragonair summoning Latias.

The toxtricity squinted at him, then looked at Scarlett. "Did you get tossed into the distortion or something?"

Scarlett tensed. Her tiny wings folded tightly against her head. "No," she whispered.

"Then what happened?" Nikki leaned over. "I've been so damn worried about you. I went to Horizon after you disappeared and I kept searching for you. I was so sure Vortex did something to you."

This was bad. Igneous needed to say something. "Nikki—"

She didn't hear him. "So, spill, sis." Nikki's mohawk frazzled. "Why did you disappear?"

"I... I..." Scarlett's eyes darted around.

Nikki leaned closer. "What's the matter? It's... it's me, sis. You can tell me what happened."

Igneous reached to grab Nikki by her leather jacket when Scarlett's neck bauble glowed. The grovlazzle shrank back from the light, as did Nikki.

The toxtricity gasped. "The hell?"

"Can she really tell you?"

Igneous sucked in a sharp breath. That voice...

The light faded. Starlene stood in front of Scarlett on the mattress, looking down at Nikki with a stern expression.

Silence hung over the room as confusion spread over Nikki's face. She opened and closed her mouth several times. Igneous debated whether or not to feign shock, but couldn't figure out what was going through Nikki's head. Neither could Scarlett, judging by the dragonair's unwillingness to stop looking at the corner of the bed.

Nikki held her right hand up, then lowered it. She leaned left, trying to look past Starlene. The meloetta hovered right, arms crossed. "Let me make it simple for you," she said. "It's exactly what you think it is."

More silence followed. Igneous figured Nikki was at a loss for words, because when she finally spoke up, all she could manage was a meek, "Why?"

Scarlett glanced at Nikki and saw the hurt on her face. Her neck bauble flickered and Starlene sighed. "She did it for herself."

Again, Nikki didn't immediately respond. Igneous thought it quite uncharacteristic of her to choose her words, or lack of them, so carefully. Scarlett must have meant even more to the toxtricity than Igneous realized.

"That doesn't tell me anything." Nikki fought to avoid sounding confrontational. She tugged uneasily at her jacket sleeves.

Igneous hated this painfully uncomfortable silence, but the grovlazzle was torn between telling Nikki the full truth and respecting Scarlett's privacy. He looked at the shaggy brown carpet, silently willing Scarlett to find her voice... or at least have Starlene say more on her behalf.

"She couldn't put up with all the harassment at Horizon," the meloetta finally said. "But she didn't want to return to Blightsmuth a failure. So, when Vortex approached her with an offer to become a pop sensation, she took it." Starlene glanced at Scarlett, who still avoided everyone else's eye contact. "I'm what resulted. A part of Scarlett, yet not." She put her hand to her chest. "In essence... I'm the ideal version of Scarlett that she wishes she could be."

I guess that's one way to put it, Igneous figured. However, a sudden flurry of sparks quickly told the grovlazzle it was not what Nikki wanted to hear. He scooted back across the floor and hopped to his feet.

"Ideal self?" Nikki stood up, mohawk turning red. "What's ideal about working for Vortex?!"

"Nikki." Igneous hesitantly stepped toward the toxtricity, then jumped back a second later, narrowly dodging a swipe from her electrified right hand.

"Don't 'Nikki' me, Twiggy!" she hissed, not taking her eyes off Scarlett. "I went through the same shit when I went to Horizon to try and find you! But I refused to take it, just like Shredder taught us!" Nikki stomped her right foot down. Her mohawk flared. "Why didn't you say something? We're sisters, we—"

"Because of our dream, Nikki!"

Starlene rippled with static. She glanced at Scarlett, who still faced the corner of the room despite being the one who shouted. The meloetta's eyes flickered blue.

Igneous again tried to step between them. "Maybe we should all just take a minute or two?"

This time, Nikki and Starlene glared at him. "Butt out!" they said in unison. The grovlazzle stepped back, biting down on the inside of his cheek, as silence took over the room once more. Nikki and Starlene stared each other down until the toxtricity spoke up.

"Our dream?"

"Of superstardom," Starlene responded, crossing her arms. "Even when your old act found some success, there was always this doubt Scarlett had about her own role in that."

"What are you talking about?" Nikki's mohawk slowly faded back to its normal yellow. "They loved your voice!"

"But they didn't love her looks," Starlene quickly countered. "And a year at Horizon made it abundantly clear to her: as long as she looked the way she did, she'd never reach that dream."

So, it was more than the bullying getting to her? Igneous couldn't tell if Scarlett was tweaking her explanation for Nikki's sake or not.

"That doesn't change anything." Anger simmered behind Nikki's words, muted compared to earlier. "You should've talked to me. Talked to Shredder." She dug her hands into her jacket pockets. "Instead you went to Vortex?"

"Yes, she did. I already explained it," Starlene said. "She thought that, with Vortex's help, you two could still reach your dreams."

"But I wanted to reach it with you, Scarlett!" Nikki tried to push past Starlene, but the meloetta blocked her off. "Are you even listening to this? Why can't you say it directly to my face?" Her mohawk darkened. "I deserve better than this... this glorified mouthpiece!"

Grimacing, Scarlett finally made eye contact with the toxtricity. "It's not like I knew Vortex was gonna give me kooky hypno powers!"

"Forget that shit!" Nikki stomped her right foot down. "What about the lyrics you wrote? Stupid bubbly, suck up nonsense!"

"I know that!" Scarlett tensed up further. "But I put up with it because it was a stepping stone. I knew if I could just ride things out enough, I could tell you the truth and we could link up properly as a new, better act."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn't want a new act?" Nikki's mohawk got even more jagged. Igneous didn't dare step toward her. "I liked what we had. I wanted more of that."

"But you would never get more of that," Starlene countered, crossing her arms. "Not as long as Scarlett remained a dragon."

Igneous reacted a moment too late. Nikki's mohawk erupted into a mix of red and purple as she shouted, "Shut up!" and her lightning guitar appeared in her right hand. Starlene's body rippled and she threw an arm over her face to shield herself from all the sparks. Scarlett shrank back further, coiling toward the far corner of the bed.

"Cool it, Nikki," Igneous said. The grovlazzle hesitantly stepped forward, only to jump back when Nikki whirled on him.

"You knew... didn't you?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Knew what?"

"About all of this!" The toxtricity gestured at Scarlett and Starlene.

Igneous wasn't sure whether the truth or a lie would make things any worse, so he opted for the former. "I knew some of it. Because I was at the Starlene concert that got sabotaged. I found her in a trailer and... took her away, in a manner of speaking."

A tense silence emerged while Nikki looked back and forth between everyone else. Her mohawk and lightning guitar continued to send a shower of sparks onto the shaggy floor and plastic-coated mattress.

Eventually, the guitar evaporated and her mohawk faded back to yellow. The toxtricity jammed her hands into her pockets. "Move aside, Twiggy," she said.

"You're leaving?"

"No, I'm going to walk into the damn wall." Nikki glared at him. "Of course I'm leaving. Now, move or I'll make you move."

Sighing, Igneous stepped aside. Nikki stormed past him. Her footsteps quickly grew more distant. Right when Igneous looked to move toward the bed, however, a loud thud echoed from the hallway. The grovlazzle quickly darted out the door and looked to his right.

He found a jagged, fist-shaped hole in the wall by the staircase door. Tiny bits of poison trickled down from the hole, eating away at the dull gray wallpaper.

XxX​

Yuna finished wiping away the last tears from her damp eyes. She had no idea how long she cried for after telling her mother to leave. Rhythmic ticking told her a clock was somewhere in the small room, but she didn't care to find it. Instead, the drakloak remained on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Its rough texture brought the sand of the desert city Team Bastion helped to mind.

Who am I? Yuna ran her right hand over the Soul Dew. Why am I even here?

The more she thought about it, the more jumbled her situation got. A Soul Dew possibly belonging to Bahamut's dead mate had bonded with her, yet she could open rifts between places like Gene and Noctum with their Malice powers. She kept seeing visions of the dead mate's time with Bahamut, but then she summoned daemonic ghost wings when she got angry.

... And none of that even considered how Leo fit into this messy picture.

Yuna threw her hands over her face and shouted, "Arrrgh! I hate this! I hate it so much!" She smacked her right hand against the floor. "I want to go back!"

Back to simpler times living in the castle in Drasbraznav and getting annoyed at her many siblings' antics. Hell, she would even take being bedridden with sickness again!

Maybe being broken out of a crystal is why I was so sick to begin with.

The drakloak grabbed her Soul Dew and tugged. Her ectoplasm jiggled uncomfortably. Yuna relented, groaning. She forced Rayquaza and Reshiram's presences away... for, like, the tenth time since her mother had left. Even if they had good intentions, Yuna didn't want to hear from them. She just wanted to be alone.

"Oh, hey, is this the room where we lie around and feel like garbage?"

Yuna tilted her head back slightly to find Nikki's upside-down form in the doorway. She held her swollen right hand in her left.

"Uhh..."

The toxtricity's shoulders sagged. "Never mind. If anyone asks, you didn't see me." She turned to leave.

Yuna rolled onto her stomach. "No, w-wait! I—" She reached her right arm out even though it wouldn't do anything. "You just surprised me, that's all."

"So, you do feel like garbage?" Nikki looked back over her shoulder.

The drakloak deflated. "I think garbage actually feels better than me right now."

Nikki walked inside the room, heading right past Yuna. "That's a mood." She stopped by the same cabinet Yiazmat had pulled the sparkling water out of earlier. It was still open. Nikki crouched down and, judging by all the clinking glass Yuna heard, rummaged around. "What happened to you? Mom get on your case?"

Yuna inched her way across the floor, phased through the same chair she sat in earlier, and popped up on it. She lay her rectangular head on the armrest closest to Nikki. "If 'get on your case' means 'admitted she lied to you your whole life,' then yes."

The toxtricity paused with her left arm still wedged into the cabinet. "Sounds serious."

"Turns out I'm adopted. An orphan found in a crystal, not an egg." Yuna didn't realize she admitted it so casually until it was already out in the open.

"... oh."

Nikki slowly pulled her left arm out and thrust a clear bottle at Yuna. "Here. Think you need this more than I do."

Yuna stared at the blue label with little wingull stickers outlining it. "Sack-eee?"

"It's, like, made from rice. Label says it's sweet." Nikki uncorked the bottle and filled a small glass. She placed it on the armrest by Yuna's head.

The drakloak snout twitched. "Is this, like, wine or something?" She didn't think it was the best idea to drink that when she already felt crummy.

"It's got an alcohol measurement." Nikki twisted the bottle for Yuna to better see the "twenty percent alcohol by volume" on the label. "Nature's painkiller." She lifted the bottle up and took a swig directly from it. Her mohawk frazzled. "Eeegh. Yeah, that's sweet. Not my preferred thing, but beggars can't be choosers."

Yuna stared at the cup Nikki poured her. Nature's painkiller, huh?

Technically, she had a headache from... all of this nonsense.

To hell with it.

Yuna threw back the entire glass. A chill ran down her back. The drakloak's ectoplasm rippled. She smacked her lips and blinked a few times. Was her headache dulling already?

"Huh. Not so bad, I guess."

"Want some more?" Nikki tilted the bottle toward her. Its contents swished inside.

"Uhh, you just drank right out of that," Yuna said, frowning. It was one thing to share a glass with a family member she lived around. This felt a bit different.

"Fine then." The toxtricity shrugged. "More for me."

"No, wait." Yuna almost slid over the armrest and onto the floor. She managed to wrap her left hand around the glass and hold it up. "Give."

"That's the spirit." Nikki poured the drakloak another glass. "Heh. Didn't mean for the pun."

"Pardon?" Yuna took the glass back with a look of confusion.

"Spirits are a kind of booze, too." Nikki shook her head. "The kind of stuff even poison-types like me can get woozy from."

"Oh." Yuna looked down at her glass. "You, uh, know a bit about that, huh?"

"Only what I've heard the snobs at the academy say," Nikki scoffed. She held the bottle up. "So here's to... shitty birth parents who abandoned us. May they get eaten by Eternatus if they're not already dead."

Yuna winced. That was a bit harsh to say about people neither of them knew. Nevertheless, the drakloak held up her glass and Nikki clinked the bottle against it. She took another swig and Yuna, likewise, down her glass. Her ectoplasm rippled even more.

"Mmm. Another." Yuna held the glass further out. Sake splooshed into it. Yuna downed it just as quickly.

Had the room gotten brighter? Eh, Yuna didn't care. Her inner ectoplasm was warmer. And not the kind of warmth Reshiram's fire made. This warmth was nice. She deflated a bit, brushing her nubby feet against the chair's leather.

"Sounds like a hum of approval to me." Chuckling, Nikki drank more from the bottle. She ran her right arm across her lips. "What did I tell ya? Nature's painkiller."

"Yeah." Yuna's gaze fell toward Nikki's right hand. "What about you? That's not from the fight with the... big robo thingy, right?" Yuna didn't realize her words had a bit of slurring to them.

"Nah." Nikki held up her right hand, then took another sip of sake. "I punched a hole in a wall."

"Whaaa?" Yuna inched forward on her chair. "Why? What did the wall do to you?"

"Erm, Princess, perhaps thou shouldst consider drinking some water instead?"

Shut up, Noodle. Yuna willed Rayquaza's presence away.

The toxtricity shook her head. "You're not the only one who had family lying to your face."

"Family?" Yuna stared blankly at the sake bottle for a bit before the dots connected. "Oh, you mean the other noodle. Airy." She tilted her head slightly, giggling and pushing her glass toward Nikki for another round. "She looked kinda cute. From a distance, anyway."

Nikki snorted, nearly spilling the sake she poured for Yuna. "Not so cute when you realize she's Starlene," the toxtricity grumbled.

Yuna almost spat out the sake, but managed to swallow it. "Whaaaaaaaat? But she doesn't look like Starlene!"

"It's some kind of psychic shit," Nikki growled. She took another swig of sake. "Point is that Scarlett lied to me. She couldn't even tell the truth to my face. Had to summon Starlene to get all huffy at me." She drank more sake. "Like we hadn't spent our entire lives together or anything! She kept throwing excuses in my face!"

"Oh. That's, um, not good." Yuna traced her right hand around the rim of her glass. "No wonder you said you felt like garbage."

A bitter laugh followed. Nikki poured Yuna more sake then took another sip for herself. "That's not even the best part! Wanna know the best part?" She leaned over, gesturing with her swollen right hand.

"What?"

"Twiggy knew!" Nikki laughed again, then drank more sake. "And he was going to keep his mouth shut if I hadn't pried the truth out of Scarlett."

Yuna flinched. "I see." She slowly drank the glass Nikki poured her. That warmth spread even further through her ectoplasm. "So, you punched the wall instead of him?"

Nikki blinked a few times. "Damn, I should've punched his stupid sunburnt snout." She drank more from the bottle, then dropped it onto the carpeted floor where it landed with a muffled thud. "You're pretty smart. Maybe I ought to call you Blockhead, since you're not a princess anymore."

Yuna let out something between a laugh and a squeak at that. She knocked her glass over and it plinked off the empty bottle. The drakloak burst into further laughter, rapping her right hand against the armrest. She had no idea why she was laughing. Nothing was funny about this. Yuna couldn't help herself.

"Okay, okay." Nikki waved her left hand in front of her face, fighting off her own snickers. "I'm putting you down as a giggling drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Yuna said. "I've had mead before!"

But when the drakloak attempted to float up to demonstrate that she was okay, she wound up sliding over the armrest and faceplanting onto the floor next to the empty glass and sake bottle. "See?" Yuna raised her right arm to save face. "Totally fine."

Both girls stared at each other silently for a few seconds, before they both burst into laughter. Nikki slouched over in her chair slightly and wiped a couple of tears from her eyes. "Man, I needed that more than I thought. Still want to throttle Twiggy, but I feel a bit better."

Yuna did, too. This didn't change anything about her current predicament, but at least a bit of the weight had lifted from her tiny, ectoplasmic shoulders.

... Or maybe that was the sake. Hard to tell with all the warmth inside her.

"Hey, Princess?"

"Yeah?" Yuna looked up at Nikki.

"Let's save the universe, okay?"

Nikki stuck her left arm out. Yuna stared at her closed fist, blinking. "Okay?"

"I mean it. This is our chance to show up these dolts who brush us off and lie to our faces. You feel me?"

Yuna stared at Nikki's fist for a little while longer, before she reached her own hand out and bumped it. "Let's save the universe."

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 55: Type: Full of It​

All personnel, please be advised of an uptick in Ruinous Whispers in the realms neighboring POV-2020.

As a reminder, worlds plagued by instabilities will find souls leaking into Ginnungagap. These spirits are shackled by the chaotic space-time energy of the cosmic mystery dungeon, transforming into vicious beasts we've dubbed "Ruinous Whispers." The Whispers will mutate into distorted versions of pokémon classically associated with destructive myths permeating the omniverse.

Those who have dealt with dimensions containing incarnations of Cipher suggest this process bears similarity to the "shadowfication" of pokémon in those universes. Thus, if you can pacify a Whisper, you should try to. However, if the situation is too dangerous, defeating a Whisper in battle will eject it back out into Ginnungagap or, if you're already there, will temporarily destroy it until it reforms in a random location a quarter-cycle later.

XxX​

Seifer never thought he'd miss Bogdan's sticky, tar-filled atmosphere, yet somehow all the dirt carried by Chakran gusts and breezes had him longing to return to the humid factory. Dust coated his pelt and mane, both badly disheveled and in need of a good shower and brushing. By Calliope's sword, he yearned to have his uniform back, shielding his tan fur from the elements.

But no, he got fired. And it turned out the cause he'd dedicated all his life to wasn't so noble after all.

This was all the keldeo could chew on while he sat atop the mesa, watching the resistance's two real members gesticulate wildly at one another, the strange, Xeromus-like creature lying on the ground, and the smoldering remnants of one of Cyril's laptops.

Apparently, this "type: full" creature had security measures the likes of which Cyril had never seen before. Because the moment he tried to access its so-called databanks — which Seifer found disturbing since the thing sure looked alive, but apparently it was actually a machine? — his laptop went up in flames, forcing Artemis to douse it with water. Gene sent himself away through a rift and returned several minutes later with a new laptop... and the two descended into their current argument.

"... you expect me to do here. Paradox took the term firewall a bit too literally," Cyril growled, throwing up his white-furred arms in exasperation.

"Then let me do a little psychic probing." Gene tapped his right temple. "I bet I can put a stop to it."

Cyril rolled his eyes and lightly shoved Gene's left shoulder. "Whatever copium you're huffing, gimme some, Boss Kitty. Psionics don't translate to hard code." He paused. "Okay, maybe they do in video games or movies, but this is real life."

"Well, we gotta do something." Gene crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the dusty ground. "I can't leave him asleep indefinitely."

Quetzal stuck his right leg out and cleared his throat. "Can't we just, y'know, destroy him?"

"No!" Gene hissed, tail lashing at the air.

"But he tried to kill you with a giant centiskorch robot!" Quetzal's feathers puffed out. "He's clearly not on our side! I say we disassemble him and—"

"Not happening!" Gene's eyes and Malice Crystal flickered purple. The orange zapdos shrank back.

"Sheesh, it was just a suggestion."

One that a part of Seifer agreed with. When someone threatened the lives of Radiant Guardsmon, the keldeo could use any means to stop them. Even if it meant ending the enemy's life.

But that thing is our prisoner now. Seifer looked at the type: full's weird, empty red and purple body and bit his lip.

"How much of this is because you look at this guy and see Nova?" Cyril wondered, raising a brow.

Gene's tail twitched. "That's— he has nothing to do with this."

Seifer swore he saw the mewtwo's dark gray cheeks redden. He sighed and turned around, figuring he had nothing to contribute.

"How long have they been going at it?" Jade wondered, waddling over with Leo at her side.

"Too long." Seifer slouched over, sighing. "They're getting nowhere." He stared at the ground, blinking a few times. "Wait, how are you even here, anyway? And how did you leave to fight the Seekerskorch?" The keldeo thought Jade had to stay in Eternatus for her own safety.

"Oh, that? Cyril gave me a quick fix. Check it!" Jade spun around and lifted up her tail.

"What are you doing?!" Seifer turned away, eyes squeezed shut. "I didn't ask you to accost me!"

"Aww, don't be such a stiff!" Jade giggled. "Just a little crystal strapped to my tail."

Seifer poked an eye open. As Jade implied, a tiny Malice Crystal sat in the middle of a harness wrapped around the base of her tail.

Leo had a better view and tilted his head curiously. "So, it's a butt harness?"

"What? Nonono!" The salugia lowered her tail and waved her wings in front of her face.

"It totally is!" Leo snorted with laughter.

"No, it's a tail harness!" Jade puffed her cheeks out. "People with big tails use them for saddlebags and stuff!"

"And your tail grows out of your butt!" The cosmic arceus turned around and wagged his small starcloud tail at Jade.

"Oi, pipe down, children!" Gene growled. "The adults are trying to think over here!"

Leo's starcloud pelt dimmed and he lowered his head guiltily. Jade pouted at the mewtwo and Seifer rolled his eyes. "You can't blame Leo. We're all sitting around while you two argue about technologic jargon." The keldeo brushed his right forehoof across the ground. "Why don't you both take a step back and cool off?"

"This is time-sensitive, Pony-boy," Gene countered, jerking his head at his slumbering captive.

"Why won't you let him wake up?" Leo wondered, having approached the type: full with a curious glint in his eyes.

Gene pinched his brow. "Because he'll try to hurt us if we do. That's why I need Cyril to look into his..." His voice trailed off. "Cyril can look at his mind and figure out what Paradox did to make it all mean and nasty. But the emperor has protected his mind, so it's dangerous for us to try."

Leo looked between Gene and the pilot. "Listen, Leo." Jade extended her left wing in front of him. "Let's leave the grumps to grump it out with each other."

"... I can't."

Seifer's horn flickered. "Kid, this doesn't concern you."

"It does."

A sudden chill ran down the keldeo's spine. Leo had a seriousness to his voice Seifer had never heard from the cosmic arceus.

"He feels... familiar." Leo stepped forward again. "I have to help him." His starcloud mane glowed a bit brighter. "No, I need to."

"Whoa, time out." Gene held his hands up in a T. "Weren't you listening to me? This guy's dangerous. I'm not letting some kid do any whacky voodoo to this type: full."

A massive weight pressed down on Seifer's shoulders. Neighing in surprise, his legs buckled.

"The hell?!" Cyril gasped as he suddenly faceplanted. Jade, Gene, and Quetzal also dropped to their knees.

"We're connected," Leo said. His eyes brimmed with strange golden light. The same energy surrounded his wheel and the tips of his hooves. Leo stepped up to the pilot's side, but Seifer couldn't so much as move a muscle to stop him. It was like someone had piled dumbbells on his back... or turned gravity up so high it would crush him into a keldeo pancake!

Leo took a deep breath and lifted his right forehoof.

(Art by @Dragonfree)

"Bediyaan tod do!"

The intense weight lifted from Seifer's body. He sucked in a sharp breath while a golden pulse rippled through the pilot's body. Black, wispy fur filled the once-empty red and purple torso, brightening to a cosmic purple along his hind legs. Gold crescents, much like the ones around Leo's neck, protruded from his hind legs. Gold trimming encased the pilot's forelegs, tail, beak, and headcrest.

(Art by Inku.)

While Leo stepped back, a blue and purple nebula swirled around the pilot's neck, matching the ones in the arceus' head and tail.

"You idiot!" Gene hopped to his feet, Malice Crystal flaring red. "What did you do?!"

Loud beeping drew Seifer's attention left. Cyril spun around and stared at his laptop screen, which had a new window with a rapidly filling progress bar.

"What in the—" The ghostly zoroark practically lunged for his laptop. "I'm in?" He knelt down by the laptop as windows flooded the screen, bathing Cyril in gray and white light. "I don't believe it! Databank uploading!" He looked over his shoulder at Leo, utterly bewildered. "What did you do, kid?"

Leo looked between the pilot and Cyril. "His soul was wrapped up in heavy chains. I broke them."

Seifer tilted his head. What was that supposed to mean? Well, whatever it was left Gene staring dumbly at the pilot, mouth agape. He silently raised his right arm and pushed his jaw shut.

"You have it too, Mr. Zoroark," Leo said, lowering his head sadly. "It feels different, but I can hear your soul crying under the chains."

"Eh?" Cyril's red-tipped hair crinkled. "Look, kid, I'm not interested in any of your fancy light shows. I'm fine the way things are." He held his arms out.

"You're not, though." Leo spoke with surprising conviction again. "You can't use moves or anything, can you? I can sense it. Strange energy wrapping itself around your soul."

Seifer caught the longing in Cyril's eyes for the briefest second. The white zoroark hastily regained a neutral expression, but the damage was done. His white fur flickered. Leo's expression sharpened.

"Please let me help," he whispered.

Cyril looked at his right hand. Flexed his red claws. Then he stuck his right arm out. "Just make it quick," he mumbled.

Seifer stepped forward. "Hang on, Cyril. Are you sure about this?"

But Leo acted quicker than Cyril could respond. He placed his right forehoof in Cyril's hand and, once again, a golden pulse rippled through Cyril's body.

"Gah!" The zoroark was unprepared for the bright light, which turned his white fur black as night and his mane the same blue-purple as Leo's. Cyril held his arms up and stared at their yellow claws and red gemstones. "What did you do?! I didn't ask for a makeover!"

Leo winced. "I, um... I unchained your soul, but it was crying out for so long it didn't have a lot of power of its own. So, I shared some of mine?"

(Art by JungaBeast.)

"Seriously?" Cyril turned around, looking at the constellation-like yellow markings on his fur. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

It was Seifer's turn to gawk now, utterly transfixed by the now-cosmic zoroark standing there and brushing Leo off with a flick of his left hand before turning back and sitting by his laptop with a determined look on his face.

"Dude, is your horn glowing?"

Seifer's tail bristled. He shuffled away from Jade. "Don't be ridiculous! It... it's a prosthetic!"

"It was totally glowing!" the salugia chirped. "It's okay if you're jealous. I won't tell." She elbowed the air next to the keldeo, winking. Seifer stomped away from her in a huff.

"Well, what's in these files or memories or whatever?" Seifer asked Cyril.

"Seriously? I need time to parse through all this shit." Cyril threw his arms up in exasperation.

"We don't have that," Gene said. "The pilot's waking up."

"What?" Cyril's black-furred body flickered red for a moment. Seifer raised his brows. "Put him back to sleep, then!"

"Can't." Gene flicked his right wrist out. Nothing happened. "Whatever Boy Wonder did to him is stopping my Hypnosis."

"But you can restrain him, right?" Quetzal crouched down, ready to spring into action if things took a turn for the worst. Seifer, however, bit his lip. Maybe they needed to not default to violence here?

The pilot's eyes opened. "What... happened?" He stretched his legs out, joints popping. His voice sounded significantly less mechanical than when he piloted the Seekerskorch.

Everyone stood in silence, waiting to see what the pilot would do. To Seifer's surprise, Gene knelt down by him. "Hey," he said.

"You!" the pilot squawked. His attempts at scrambling to his feet only led to him tumbling back from the mewtwo, legs flailing. The pilot stared at his golden forelegs and his gold beak went agape. "What did you do to me?" His starcloud swirled rapidly around his neck. "Back off or I'll... I'll..."

"Okay."

Gene held his hands up and stepped back from the pilot. Seifer wondered if Gene had somehow read his mind about taking a gentler approach. He glanced at the others and found them all shuffling further away from the pilot, save for Leo. The cosmic arceus sat down, eyeing the type: full with interest while his starcloud tail swished against the dusty ground.

The pilot finally got to his feet. "Whatever you're trying, it's not gonna work!" he huffed. "Father will come and get me. And he'll toss you in prison where you belong!"

Gene looked up at the sky. The sun had nearly set, leaving a sprawling purple-red sky filled with stars and two of Chakran's moons. "Yeah, you're free to believe that, but it's not happening," the mewtwo said, tail lazily drifting back and forth.

"Like I care what a filthy rebel thinks!" the type: full spat. His cheek bolts revved in their sockets.

Chuckling, Gene lifted his left arm and sniffed. "Guess it has been a bit since my last shower. But filth or not, it's more than a thought." He scratched the side of his face, glancing at the others. "You guys must realize it too, right? What the emperor did... or, rather, didn't do?"

Seifer frowned. What point was there in acting cryptic?

Then it hit the keldeo.

"Paradox never sent any backup," Seifer said. "Even when things turned in our favor."

"Oh yeah." Jade clapped her wings together, then held up her left index digit. "And after we broke your big robo-thingy and were all tired and stuff, he didn't even try to send reinforcements to jump us or rescue you."

The pilot didn't flinch at Seifer's statement, but Jade's explanation gave him pause. His eyes darted around frantically, like he was grasping for an excuse just out of reach.

"That's... because I'm... a hero." The pilot's starcloud dimmed, along with his eyes. "Father sent me on my own... so no one else would have to get hurt!"

"No one else getting hurt?" Emboldened, Seifer stepped forward. "Do you even know what you shot at with your machine?"

"People imprisoning Eternatus," the type: full said, trying to sound confident.

The keldeo forced himself to stay calm and avoid shouting his counterargument. "No. They were refugees. People who lost their homes because your father attacked their city."

"Because you all are keeping our home trapped in your planet!" the pilot said, though he kept glancing around nervously.

"That happened a very long time ago," Jade said, trying to make her voice gentle. She waddled up to Seifer's side. "All of the people on Etherium right now? They have nothing to do with Eternatus." She placed her left wing against her chest. "I know... because I'm one of the ones who sealed it. Me and my friends."

Seifer couldn't help quirking a brow. Hadn't Jade forgotten her time as a Sage? I guess she doesn't need to remember the details to say that.

"You're lying." The pilot's voice trembled. "Father taught me not to trust outworlders. He knew you'd try to sway me with twisted words!"

"We're not lying." Seifer shook his head. "My kingdom — the one you attacked unprovoked — lied to us about Eternatus for generations. I was taught that Eternatus was defeated, not sealed. All the people you tried to attack were taught the same."

Wincing, the pilot stepped back. "No. That's not right. Because I'm a hero! I'm... Eternatus' protector!" He shook his black-furred head. "Heroes don't hurt the innocent! You guys have to be guilty. Father is—"

"If your father really cares that much about you, why did he include a remote self-destruct sequence only he could trigger?"

Seifer pivoted left, flashing Cyril a worried look. The cosmic zoroark held his laptop in his right hand, having disconnected it from its crystalline charger. That's a heck of a bluff to make, Seifer thought. Cyril had an impressive poker face.

"Don't you badmouth my father like that!" the pilot snarled. His nebula trickled toward his head crest and tail, almost like they were actually conduits for whatever power Leo had foolishly given the pilot. "He's doing what he can to keep Eternatus afloat!"

"Then why, on top of the self-destruct program, are there a bunch of restricted files detailing a 'battle mode?'" Cyril asked, again holding out his laptop. "He planned to use you as nothing more than a template for mass producing type: fulls... which would help him conquer the entire universe in the name of Eternatus." He put the laptop down and tilted the screen for the pilot to have a better look. "That sound heroic to you?"

Gene stiffened at the mention of mass production. No doubt reminiscing about Nova and his fate. Seifer wondered if Gene was considering the possibility the emperor found Nova's body and... repurposed it to create this type: full. It probably wasn't the case, but Seifer wasn't going to drag Xeromus into this conversation.

The pilot's eyes poured over Cyril's laptop screen. His gold talons dug into the dirt. "This is a trick. You wrote fake things," he muttered. "That's... what zoroark do. They trick and deceive and lie."

Cyril's ears folded against his head. Seifer stomped a forehoof down. "What about the rest of us, huh? You think we'd all lie to you? I'm far from a convincing liar. Cyril and Gene can read me like an open book."

It stung to admit that out loud, but if it meant getting somewhere with this stubborn type: full, Seifer would swallow his pride.

"No. That's..." The pilot shook his head and pawed at the ground. "You have to be lying. If you're not, then... then..."

Small water droplets peppered the dirt under the type: full. Was he crying?

"Tears?" the pilot whispered. "That can't be right. I don't make tears! Heroes don't cry! I—"

The ground trembled. Dirt clumps bounced and pebbles rolled around. "Earthquake!" Jade squawked, hopping into the air with a flap of her wings. "Ladies first!"

Seifer stood at attention, only to shudder as distorted purple light washed across the mesa. The nearby buildings vanished behind fragmented purple light resembling broken glass. "What's going on?" The keldeo whirled on Gene. "What did you do?"

"Me? This ain't me!" Gene raised his right hand, channeling energy from his Malice Crystal. "Nngh. It's not working!"

"Behind you, Boss Kitty!"

The mewtwo looked over his shoulder then, gasping, Phantom Warped up seconds before a blue-purple bolt would have struck him square between the shoulder blades. Seifer backpedaled as the beam swept across the ground. "Jade, protect Leo!" he cried.

"On it!" the salugia replied, swooping down and grabbing hold of the bewildered arceus. Seifer looked toward where he believed the Dragon Pulse came from... and found some sort of floating orb inside what looked like a giant dragon's head.

"That's... a regidrago?" Cyril's mane frazzled. "What's it doing here?"

"Forget that!" Ice swirled around Gene's hands. "Who dunked it in lemon-lime soda?"

"Ajagar!"

The dragon head's empty eye sockets glowed and, within seconds, blue-purple fireballs littered the sky. "Shit!" Gene shot his Ice Beam at Regidrago, who pivoted the dragon head so the snout acted like a shield, deflecting the mewtwo's attack. He Phantom Warped away from the dragonfireballs.

Seifer rolled on his back and blasted water from all four hooves to keep him safe. "Someone want to tell me what a regidrago is?!"

"Isn't it self explanatory?" Jade squawked, setting Leo down a fair distance away from the others. "It's a big ol' dragon head!" Orange energy gathered in her beak.

"Ajagaaaaaar!" The dots in Regidrago's sphere flickered asynchronously. Blue-violet energy gathered around its core.

"I can see that!" Seifer hissed. "But why is this a thing?!" The keldeo rolled back onto his feet and shot an Aura Sphere toward Regidrago. Jade added her orange, conical Aeroblast and Gene shot out another Ice Beam. Regidrago unleashed a large Dragon Pulse and swept it through the air, carving through the trio's attacks and sending Gene flying up to dodge the beam.

"Look around you!" Gene's tail whipped at the air. His eyes glowed pink. Psystrike orbs materialized around Regidrago, whose dragon head eyes glowed yet again. Psychic energy clashed with dragonfire as pink and blue explosions surrounded Regidrago.

Seifer used the opening to launch another Aura Sphere through the smoke. He sorely missed his Secret Sword, but this was the best he could manage with Cyril's prosthetic. "Yeah, it looks like we're surrounded by rifts! What of it?"

Regidrago surged out of the smoke, making a beeline for Gene. The mewtwo summoned his psychic spoon and swiped. Regidrago met the slash with the chin of its dragon head. However, Gene was faster to follow up, striking from another angle to hit Regidrago's core. He unleashed a flurry of spoon slashes, ending with a kick from his ice-encrusted leg straight in the center of Regidrago's dots. It tumbled back through the air with a distorted wail.

"I bet it's some byproduct of the dimensions breaking down," Cyril said, gathering up all his equipment and stuffing it into his blue-purple mane. "Hey, robo-mutt! Do you believe us now?"

Seifer glanced at the pilot, who could only stare dumbfounded at Regidrago. Gene surrounded it with more Psystrike orbs, but a Dragon Pulse emerged from Regidrago's core and swept through most of them. Its eye sockets flickered and dragonfireballs peppered the skies above everyone.

Groaning, Seifer fell onto his back again, but the dragonfireballs were much faster this time. He couldn't Hydro Pump away the ones heading for him and the dragonfire seared his messy flanks. Gritting his teeth, Seifer spun back up to his feet and whipped dirty, sweaty hair out of his eyes.

He filled the air with Icy Wind to try and slow down the frantic thing. Regidrago was too preoccupied meeting Gene's Ice Beam with a Dragon Pulse to pay attention to Seifer's attack. It didn't do much, but Regidrago momentarily lost some of its altitude. Gene's Ice Beam overpowered his Dragon Pulse, covering the dots on its core in a thin sheet of ice.

Gene darted forward, psychic spoon at the ready. He jammed the thing into Regidrago's icy core, which shattered with an audible crash. The mewtwo kicked Regidrago away, letting it fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

Seifer kept his horn trained on it. "Is it dead?" He had no idea how Regidrago worked, but that sure looked like a killing blow.

Gene floated above it, Malice Crystal sparking. "I think it's taken care— damn it!"

The mewtwo opened a rift and reached his right hand into it. Seifer saw a second rift pop up next to the still-stunned type: full. Gene grabbed the pilot and yanked him through the rift mere seconds before Regidrago exploded in a flurry of yellow and violet light. The detonation whipped up enough wind to knock Seifer onto his rump with a startled whinny.

"Yeesh! Talk about a sore loser!" Jade said, having wrapped Leo up with her wings to shield him from the harsh gusts.

Seifer again whipped hair out of his face. With Regidrago's detonation, the strange dome that encased the group faded away, returning Chakran's calming purple and orange sky.

It only stayed calm for a few seconds, however, as shouts quickly followed.

"Good gracious! What happened?!" Cid's buzzing filled Seifer's ears. The orbeetle flew toward the group, with Alder, Artemis, and Kora not far behind him.

"We got attacked, that's what," Quetzal huffed, shaking dust from his feathers.

"Attacked?" Alder raised a brow. "We saw you all vanish into an anomaly!" The braviary glanced at Leo. "Did you save them from it?"

The cosmic arceus shook his head.

"I thought this place was supposed to be safe," Quetzal said, pacing back and forth. "What's going on here?" He looked to Alder and Kora for answers.

"I'm afraid... the dimensional instabilities are getting worse," Kora said, wings curling back up into antennae. "That's the only reasonable explanation."

"Then we have to regroup with the others and come up with a plan!" Quetzal looked at Seifer for support. "Right, Commander?"

But the keldeo was only half paying attention to them. He was more focused on Gene and the pilot. The former set the latter down on the ground.

"You saved me," the type: full whispered.

"I did."

"And you saved me... after destroying the Seekerskorch." His triangular ears folded slightly. "Why?"

Gene's tail crinkled and his malice crystal flickered. "Because you're not my enemy. I'd rather have you as a friend." He stuck his right hand out. "You saw all of that. If someone doesn't put a stop to your father, stuff like that will happen to everyone. Including the people you swore to protect. And I need all the help I can get to prevent it."

The pilot silently looked at Gene's outstretched hand. Seifer held his breath, waiting to see if the mewtwo could actually win this type: full over.

"... I still don't fully trust you," he mumbled, pivoting away slightly. "But I don't want to disappear, either. So, I guess I'm stuck with you for now."

Sighing, Gene pulled his hand back. "Fair enough. You got a name?"

"I am serial number W1-DG3T."

"So, Widget, then. Got it."

Widget narrowed his eyes. "Is that supposed to be clever? I—"

"Aggggggggh!"

Seifer's tail shot up in alarm. He whirled on Jade, who had knelt down next to Leo. "Leo?" The salugia nudged his side. "Leo, what's wrong?" She nudged him harder.

The cosmic arceus locked eyes with Jade and Seifer for a second, before his pelt and wheel dimmed and he fell over on his side.

That was quickly followed by another thump and a, "Damn it! Gimme a hand, Cyril," from Gene.

When Seifer turned around, he found Cyril running over to Gene, who knelt beside an unconscious Widget.

XxX​

OSL: Mawrauder of Ruin, Rakman
Whispers taking the form of off-colored regidrago. Though ferocious and fervent attackers, they are single-minded, almost exclusively sticking to dragon-type attacks even when their opponent is a fairy. Do not underestimate them, however. Their Dragon Pulses can carve through mountains with ease.

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Rakman comes from "samyag karman," the factor of "right action" from the Buddhist Eightfold Path.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 56: Cosmogeny​

Hey Vincent,

Sorry for the cloak and dagger routine, but I need to use the analog method for this one.

Overseers are mobilizing, but it's to keep nearby worlds from getting dragged closer to POV-2020. It's real bad. I'm hearing reports of Whisper sightings. They want me around in case there's any spirit guidance that has to happen.

But I don't plan on sitting on my haunches. If things are that bad, the seal on POV-2020 is getting looser. Could probably go there physically if I try hard enough. The only issue is getting these prying eyes off my back. I'm hoping the fact that I sense Jaeger might give me more wiggle room, but it's hard to say.

Sorry you can't come along, but I'm not in a position to cover for you.

All I ask is that if you're going to stick your neck out, don't do anything stupider than I did in my early Horizon days. Things are unraveling pretty fast, but I think fixing it's more of a marathon than a sprint.

... Hopefully. Never was good with metaphors.

Oh, and make sure you burn this note when you're done with it. Can't have it falling into the wrong hands. ;P

The purple and white koraidon folded the note up, sighing.

Perhaps this was the "darkest night" his teacher's old team motto spoke of...

XxX​

Shimmer no longer cared about cold steel beneath his hooves. The floor couldn't scuff his immaculate hooves anymore. Not with the icy air swirling around them. He paced across the top of a metallic staircase, gazing out at the rows of purple machines with saucer-like heads bearing heavy gray cannons.

Just how did Tesla come up with this design? And how did the boltund make so many of them? The ponyta figured Demerzel was facetious when he said he'd provide Shimmer an army. Yet here Shimmer was, eating his words like humble pie.

"You really think these things can replace the Radiant Guard?" Shimmer wondered. He kept his distance, unnerved by the glassy red spheres meant to pass as eyes.

"They are stronger and faster," Demerzel responded. He floated next to a large switchboard, scrutinizing it intently. "And they have disks that change the element they can fire from the cannons on their heads."

Shimmer rolled his eyes. "Big deal. Pokémon use attacks of different types all the time."

"It's a big deal because it's a big cannon." Demerzel chuckled. "If you want to swing the public's favor in your direction, you need to make a big splash. And this is the biggest splash I can think of." He glanced over his shoulder. "The next time World Ender's forces mount an assault, the genesect will repel them. And you, as their commander, will get the credit."

The ponyta's heart fluttered. He liked the sound of that. Of people seeing him as more than just a pretty face. And after his blunder in front of Parliament, he needed to prove he was a competent leader. Someone who could step in where his mother had failed.

"Perhaps, with enough victories, they'll even compare you to Adelaide," Demerzel continued. He floated back from the switch board. "Based on Tesla's memories, I've set everything up. All I need to do is throw the activation switch and they'll come online. You remember the authorization code I told you, yes?"

Sighing, Shimmer nodded. He wished he could forget it.

"Then shall we begin?"

Shimmer paused for a moment, before remembering his helplessness against the mysterious knight. Watching as he lost Xander. As Vegna belittled him. As his mothers called him a failure behind his back.

"Do it."

Demerzel raised his left hand... and the underground bunker shook. The bright white ceiling lights flickered. Shimmer's nine tails curled up. "What's going on?"

"Some sort of tremor, perhaps?" Demerzel turned around. "Give me a moment. I'll investigate, Your Grace." He bowed to the ponyta and vanished in a flash of green light.

Shimmer resumed pacing. Tesla was supposed to be smart. No way he built this bunker by a fault line. Which meant it was either a strong quake... or something else entirely.

Fortunately, Shimmer would get a quick answer. Demerzel reappeared, a grim expression on his face. "It's as I feared. Not a tremor, but World Ender further destabilizing the planet."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Shimmer asked.

Demerzel's eyes glowed blue. He projected an image of the night sky into Shimmer's mind. Only a large, jagged rift tore right through it.

"What is this?" Shimmer growled, frost swirling around his icy mane and tails.

The mental image faded and Demerzel turned back to the switchboard. "A sign of why you need this army, Your Grace." He raised his right hand. Blue light encased a large lever beside the switchboard. An unseen force pulled the lever down. Loud whirrs and hums filled the bunker, followed by the scrapes of metal on metal.

Shimmer turned to the genesect. Row by row, they stood up. They aimed their cannons forward.

[Input authorization code,] a mechanical voice declared. It belonged to the genesect in the middle of the front row; red, unlike the others. Perhaps it was supposed to be the leader?

Shimmer cleared his throat. "Minister Doctor Tesla is the greatest genius of our generation."

Red's eyes flickered green. [Access approved. Welcome, system administrator. Please issue your commands.]

A grin slowly spread across Shimmer's face. He turned to Demerzel. "Figure out where World Ender's forces intend to strike. We'll be ready for them this time."

Demerzel curtsied to the ponyta. "As you wish."

XxX​

Igneous was at a loss for words. In the blink of an eye, he went from sitting beside Scarlett, telling her that Nikki simply needed time to cool off, to floating weightless above a field of dead, gray grass. Only occasional pieces of stone covered in equally gray moss stuck out. Well, that and the familiar helmeted figure standing a few meters away from him.

The grovlazzle tried to form Leaf Blades at his elbows, but he couldn't. He looked down to find his body practically see-through.

And he wasn't alone, either. First an apparition of some blue-purple, four-legged critter with a wheel around his belly appeared on his right. Then came... some sort of black-furred mishmash creature with a starcloud around its neck that resembled Wheel Kid's. The two of them locked eyes with each other. It looked to Igneous like they were trying to speak with one another, but no words came out.

Igneous couldn't move toward them. His legs, weightless and transparent, wouldn't move. He opened his mouth and tried to call them.

... Nothing.

Nothing until Xeromus' coughing fit broke the silence.

"You can see it, can't you, Natus?" Xeromus rasped. "The first rungs on the ladder you must climb. To become the new truth of all worlds."

Natus? Igneous frowned. They were surrounded by distortion, sure, but was Xeromus really talking to it thinking it was Eternatus?

[He is still getting set up for the (Big Stream)! The (Pre-Stream Bangers) haven't faded out yet!]

Igneous' snout wrinkled in disgust. He scanned the field for signs of Ahsen, yet he couldn't find that accursed cluster of floating discs. Perhaps he was in front of Xeromus? A pity Igneous couldn't walk around. Or attack.

Why was he here? And why was Wheel Kid here? He glanced at the little cosmic fuzzball, who shrank away from Xeromus, ethereal glow dimming.

Xeromus hacked and coughed until he shook his head back and forth. His helmet and chains rattled. "I know. The struggle you face is great. And though I am a mere omen, I will walk the path laid out for me, so you may envelope all worlds in your love!" He took several heavy, wheezing breaths. "So, rise! Rise so you may begin your climb toward the grand union! Toward Ragnarok!"

A small purple beam shot up from the ground, piercing through the distortion. Then another. And another. Soon there were ten— no, twenty!

The ground trembled, like it had before Igneous ended up here. Dirt and pebbles tumbled through the dead grass. Wheel Kid looked around in a panic, rubbing his forehooves together. The other mutt had its gaze locked on Xeromus.

Igneous tried to shoot Bullet Seeds at Xeromus. Nothing came out. Was this some sort of out of body experience? The power he took from Ahsen must have caused this to happen. Igneous silently cursed the two creeps as the purple beams faded.

[Are my (Eyes Emoji) deceiving me?] Ahsen buzzed excitedly. [He's moving! (PogChamp)s in the (CHAT). (HELIX)'s (Body Is Ready)!]

What the hell are they going on about? Igneous couldn't move around to see what caused the purple beams. He didn't need to, however, because the answer quickly made itself apparent in the form of a brown, gaseous blob with a wispy stalk of a head and neck and tiny, beady red eyes that slowly looked down at Xeromus.



"Still too fragmented," he said between deep, raspy breaths. "But do not worry. I shall bear the burden of piecing you back together. In fact..."

He slowly turned around and locked eyes with Igneous.

"I believe a reunion will be upon us sooner than you think."

An invisible force grabbed hold of Igneous and yanked him away from Xeromus and the creepy cloud monster. He had only seconds to see the same thing happen to Wheel Kid and his strange friend before he found himself back in the Ryujin base, staring up at a white, granular ceiling.

"Igneous?" A dragonair snout peeked into his field of view. "Igneous, can you hear me?"

The grovlazzle sat up, nearly headbutting Scarlett, who managed to back away in the nick of time. A shudder ran down his body.

"Where's Valkyrie? I have to... I have to..."

"I already called Gene."

Igneous looked over his shoulder.

Valkyrie stood in the doorway, brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"Something bad," the grovlazzle whispered. "Something real bad."

XxX​

Accounting for everyone Gene brought with him from Chakran, Sakaki's boardroom didn't have enough space. Not unless they planned for half the group to stand on the table or float awkwardly near the walls and ceiling. So, the nidoking directed everyone to a large, empty room in the base's cellar. Igneous had never been in it, but it was well-stocked with various supplies neatly organized on shelves. Perhaps it was some sort of emergency bunker, in case Radiant authorities ever breached Scale City.

Once everyone got settled, Gene explained what had happened with Wheel Kid, whose name was Leo, Cyril, and Widget, the captured pilot. Or that was what Gene called the type: full, anyway. Throughout the mewtwo's explanation, Cyril kept looking at his arms and legs and shifting uncomfortably, while Seifer stole glances at the now-cosmic flavored zoroark.

He wasn't the only one acting funny, either. Yuna lay draped over Nikki's shoulder and the two of them kept their distance from Noctum, Scarlett, and Yiazmat. The drakloak kept throwing her hands over her mouth, but Igneous swore he heard Yuna on the brink of multiple giggle fits.

"... then Thicc Bird screamed and, next thing any of us knew, Junior and Widget were out like lights." Gene crossed his arms. His Malice Crystal pulsated slowly. "Any questions?"

"T... Thicc Bird?" Jade looked over her shoulder, frowning. Igneous still found her appearance unsettling given his own circumstances, but at least he had advance warning about her from Valkyrie. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so many of Kora's sandwiches..."

Gene rolled his eyes. "Any important questions?"

"Yeah, I got one." Nikki raised her right hand up, but she was looking at Widget. "So, we kicked his ass and now he has to be our friend?"

"No." Gene pinched his brow. "We got him to recognize the gravity of the situation and agree to work with us."

"Pfbt. Sure. What kinda stupid cartoon shit is this?" Nikki waved her right arm dismissively. Yuna stifled another giggled. "You just want him around cuz he looks like Nova."

Igneous raised a brow. "Who's Nova?"

"His boooooyfriiiiiend." Nikki sounded like a grade schooler talking about cooties on the playground. "He was a type: full, too, until he bit the big one thanks to everyone's favorite asshole lightbulb."

The grovlazzle tensed up. Between Nikki and Yuna's incessant stifled giggling, he could only conclude the two had gotten their hands on something fermented. Igneous quickly sideyed Sakaki. Judging by the dumbfounded look on the nidoking's face, he'd reached the same conclusion. And here I thought he kept all his sake in his personal office.

Gene's eyes flickered blue. "She means Bahamut, for the record." The mewtwo looked at Yiazmat, who tapped her index claws together.

"I see," the dragapult whispered. "My daughter... suggested that, perhaps, Bahamut was not as benevolent as we teach our people."

Nikki snorted loudly. "That's putting it mildly. The spooky evil gem in Boss Kitty's shoulder? It was part of the asshole lightbulb's face."

Igneous, Sakaki, and Yiazmat all glanced at Gene in surprise. Wasn't that a Malice Crystal? How could it have come from Bahamut?

"Look, this isn't productive." Gene held up his hands. "I'll give you the full story another time. We need to focus on the here and now."

"I think that's a bit difficult for some of us to do right now," Yiazmat said, stealing glances at her daughter. "Yunavresca, what's gotten into you?"

"Me?" Yuna stiffened on Nikki's shoulder. "Nothing. I'm fiiiiiiine." She waved her right hand dismissively.

"... she's drunk."

Several heads turned in Cyril's direction. The cosmic zoroark shook his head. "Look, I run a bar and grill. I know a drunk 'mon when I see one." He pointed at Nikki. "She's buzzed at best, since poison-types resist alcohol."

"Well, someone help me snap her out of it," Yiazmat said, her tail undulating rapidly. "I don't have the means to whip up the drink that counters alcohol in ghosts."

"Think it's a bit late for that one," Cyril deadpanned. "Maybe we ought to put her on a cot so she can sleep it off?"

However, Leo cautiously approached Nikki and Yuna, tilting his head. "Mom, are you okay?"

Yuna looked down at Leo, blinking. Igneous hastily coughed into his arm. 'Mom?' Just how much did I miss after I went rogue?

"Mommy's fiiiiine." Yuna tried leaning over to pet Leo's head. She ended up sliding off Nikki's shoulder and falling to the floor with a splat.

Leo's eyes widened in alarm. He quickly lifted his right forehoof and his wheel shimmered with green light. A soft green aura enveloped Yuna. The drakloak floated back into the air. "Huh?" She blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes. "What's everyone looking at me for?"

"Mr. Cyril called you drunk," Leo said, sticking a hind leg back in the cosmic zoroark's direction. "So, I tried to fix it." He wagged his starcloud tail. "Do you feel any better?"

"I, uh... guess so?" Yuna rubbed the back of her neck. Yiazmat hadn't taken her eyes off the drakloak. Igneous couldn't blame her, given the early part of their exchange. Yuna must have realized it, too, because she glanced at Yiazmat. "Something wrong?"

"He called you 'mother." The dragapult narrowed her eyes. "Is this some practical joke because of what I said earlier?"

"No." Yuna sucked in a breath. "I rescued his egg, which hatched not long after. Do the math."

Thank the stars. Igneous found that explanation better than the alternative.

"And now he sees you as his mother?" Yiazmat looked at the cosmic arceus, befuddled. Leo's mane and tail sparkled.

"So, you're our grandma?" His tail swished back and forth. "Wow! Are we going to get to meet Grandpa, too?"

Yuna frowned. "We?" She tilted her head. "Leo, there's only one of you. You didn't strain yourself healing me, right?"

Leo shook his head and again stretched his right hind leg back. "I'm talking about Widget, of course. He's my big brother!"

"What?!"

Widget and Yuna blurted it out simultaneously. They stared at each other, then Leo, then each other again.

"Leo, sweetie." Yuna sighed and put her hand on his head. "You can't go calling random people your sibling." She frowned. "Even if they do look a bit like you."

"I guess you were too drunk to pay attention to Gene's explanation," Valkyrie scoffed. "Leo senses a connection with Widget." The garchomp smirked. "So, congrats on a second kid. And you didn't even have to hold hands. Or whatever you ghosts do to make eggs."

Yuna took one look at her flabbergasted mother and her torso shot up into her rectangular head. Igneous thought it best to interject before things got even worse. "Okay, I think everyone's said their pieces on the matter. Yuna's healed up, so we can get back to business." He looked at Gene. "Isn't that right?"

"Well said, Four Twenty." Gene nodded approvingly at Igneous.

"The hell did you call me?"

"Nothing." Gene flicked his tail dismissively. "You were the one who reached out to me originally, weren't you? You got something to tell the group beyond what happened to our intrepid starkids?"

"I do, actually." Igneous crossed his arms. "I know what happened to them when they passed out, because I ended up where they did. We all had... well, I guess you could call it an out of body experience."

"Care to elaborate?" Valkyrie raised a brow.

Igneous hastily recounted what he saw in the strange clearing, with Xeromus speaking into the distortion and summoning some strange, wispy creature from it.

"Hmm." Artemis scratched his chin. "So, I think it's safe to say the quakes and the giant rift that popped up in the sky are a direct result of what you saw."

"It would appear fate is dragging us toward a second Darkest Day whether we like it or not," Yiazmat ominously declared.

"I don't get it." Cid shook his massive head. "I thought Natus referred to Eternatus, which is less of a living creature and more a cosmologic entity." He paused and looked at Cyril, Leo, and Widget. "Err, a different kind of cosmology."

"We get it," Cyril deadpanned. "But, yeah, the orbeetle's got a point. Plus Eternatus still isn't actually free yet. Otherwise this planet would've broken apart already."

"I mean... Xeromus has a few dozen screws loose." Nikki did a cuckoo gesture. "Nobody should take anything he says seriously."

"And what about the cloud creature he summoned?" Igneous immediately countered. He had kept his gaze fixed on Gene, whose face remained scrunched up in confusion.

"Sounds like an ass that needs kicking to me." Nikki punched her right hand with her left.

"Time out." Gene stepped into the middle of the circle of bodies. "Someone wanna tell me who Xeromus is? I can see half of you avoiding eye contact with me. Doesn't take a genius to tell it's got something to do with me."

Silence at first. No one wanted to speak up, though Igneous wasn't entirely sure what answer Gene was looking for. Was it a detail he missed learning about the mewtwo?

A sigh from Yuna indicated the drakloak chose to take one for the team. "Xeromus is a helmet-wearing type: full with chains around his legs and a creepy black cloak covering most of his body." She rubbed her right shoulder. "And, well, your photo album showed pictures of Nova in a turquoise cloak and anklets, so—"

"—So you think he's Nova?"

Gene's gaze fell to the floor. His Malice Crystal pulsated wildly on his shoulder. Igneous held his breath, unsure if Gene planned to blow up at them or not.

Instead, the mewtwo took a deep breath. "Well, if we don't know where exactly he is, we shouldn't throw our resources into finding him. Not when there are more pressing matters to consider." He pivoted toward Alder and Cid. The braviary sat perched on the orbeetle's massive head. "Isn't that right?"

Igneous exhaled in relief. A small part of the grovlazzle thought he could learn a bit from Gene, since he definitely wanted to find Ahsen and Xeromus to dish out some revenge.

"Yes." Alder bowed his head. "Kora and I are in agreement, the stability of our dimension is worsening. I agree with Milotic's assessment that whatever Xeromus did brought us that much closer to a dimensional cataclysm."

He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. "And given how Eternatus itself doesn't seem bound by the laws of nature, I believe it's serving as the focal point for the breakdown of space and time." The braviary lifted his gray and white wing. "A beacon drawing in instabilities and turning them into full-blown anomalies."

Nikki scratched her right horn. "I only followed, like, half of that, but I'm gonna assume it's bad. Cuz Afro Bird sounds all ominous and shit."

Cid's spots glowed blue. "I think Alder's right. My Dynascan's gotten progressively stronger since Starlene's sabotaged concert. And when Leo and Widget went unconscious, I swear I could sense places within Eternatus getting sucked into dimensional anomalies."

"Pulled into Ginnungagap, the mystery dungeon between worlds," Alder elaborated, his head feathers glowing pink in time with Cid's spots.

"Seriously?" Cyril whistled. "That's some impressive range."

The orbeetle shifted about uncomfortably. "Perhaps, but I'm worried what it might mean for my own health and safety the longer this goes on."

"We'll keep an eye on it, then," Gene said with a dismissive wave. "Alder, you got something else for us?"

The psychic braviary nodded. "Based on my readings, it seems like we'd have to seal the anomalies from their other sides to stop them from expanding in our universe."

"Which means, what, going to different dimensions?" Nikki dusted the sides of her leather jacket. "Man, from Eternatus, to outer space, to dimension hopping. Hell of a road trip."

"There's a plus side to this, though," Cyril cut in. The cosmic zoroark nonchalantly kicked his right leg back and forth. "The emperor must not realize what's going on. His interplanetary network has had disruptions since that concert. And even if he does put two and two together... he's in no position to actually fix anything."

Gene snapped his fingers. "Which is precisely where we come in. This is how we turn the tides against the empire."

"Oh, and hopefully learn more about this Red Chain that Vince told us about," Alder chirped. When Yuna and Nikki tilted their heads in confusion, he added, "Quasar Prime is one of the areas that got trapped within an anomaly."

It was then that Sakaki finally decided to make his presence known by clearing his throat. He tucked a small crystal into his blazer pocket.

"That's all well and good, Mr. Gene, but I'm not in a position to offer the Bureau of Eternatus Investigators to your little rebellion." The nidoking folded his hands behind his back. "We have issues within Radiance that need addressing. Someone has to work to keep the people here safe, because the Isola regime certainly won't.

"Case in point, some of my spies report seeing strange, almost robotic bug pokémon emerging from the outskirts of Casaroja." Sakaki's brow furrowed. "They're heading in the direction of an anti-Parliament protest by Centrado Station."

"So?" Nikki threw her arms up. "Bout time people woke up and saw the queen and her dumb playboy son for the idiots they are."

Yiazmat's tail crinkled. "You don't think... they're calling in machines to attack protestors, do you?"

"I don't have enough information to answer that," Sakaki said. "But the timing is suspicious in the wake of all these Eternatus-related revelations that came out of Parliament."

Igneous stole a quick glance at Scarlett. The dragonair had slithered back away from the circle, curling up in the corner with a guilty expression on her face. He shot her an apologetic look, but she didn't see it.

"That so?" Gene had a mixture of curiosity and thinly veiled contempt on his face. Did he know Sakaki from somewhere?

... No, that wasn't right. Sakaki initially seemed quite surprised with the mewtwo's arrival, and he was usually good at hiding his emotions.

"Sure, whatever." Gene waved his right arm dismissively. "Divide and conquer. How's this for an arrangement, then?" The mewtwo pointed to Igneous and Yiazmat. "You can keep your son and your ally." He then pointed at Noctum and Valkyrie. "And I'll give you Zardy and Chompy, too."

"H-Hey!" Noctum's Malice Crystal flickered. He looked at Yiazmat and winced. "Err, not that I wouldn't mind working with you, Your Highness. It's just... I'm supposed to look after Yuna."

"Hasn't really worked out for you, though," Gene pointed out, to which the black charizard wilted. "And Team Bureau needs someone who can open rifts. Meaning you." He smirked. "I'm giving you Chompy, at least. You two work well together." He jerked his head at Igneous. "And she can be back with her charge after all the griping."

Igneous thought that rather belittling, but let it slide. Because it would be nice to work with Valkyrie again. He did feel the need to advocate for someone else, though. "Scarlett stays with us, too."

"Who?" Gene looked over his shoulder. "Oh, right, the singing noodle. Yeah, sure, go nuts." He hastily pivoted to point at Yuna, Nikki, Jade, Seifer, and Widget. "You guys are heading to Quasar Prime with me. We'll keep the Team Bastion moniker for ease of communication."

"What about Leo?" Jade asked.

"He's coming too." Gene snapped his right fingers. Cyril reached into his mane and produced a metal collar.

"The Morph-O-Tron. Figured it makes sense to disguise him as a dreepy," Cyril explained. "He can ride on Yuna's head."

"Cool!" Leo's eyes sparkled. "Hear that, Widget? Family mission!" He hopped in place excitedly.

Igneous resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Alder will head back to Chakran and work with Kora on their meditative whatever," Gene continued. "The rest of you will support Cid and Cyril. You guys are Team Copter. Our proverbial eyes in the sky."

The cosmic zoroark bobbed his head. "Cid's able to sync his Dynascan up with my X-transceivers. We should be able to keep in touch that way, though I'm not sure if it'll hold up when you guys cross through a rift."

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Gene exclaimed. He stepped into the middle of the group, "So, is everyone good with this plan? Any objections?"

Quetzal stuck his right leg out. "Why am I stuck on the sidelines?"

"Team Copter needs some muscle," Gene replied. "Maybe we'll rotate around later. Any other questions? Comments? Concerns?"

Total silence. Igneous wanted to rest more, but it wasn't like this situation was going to stop escalating.

"Good." Gene clapped his hands. "Then, let's get to work on our final preparations and move out."

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 57: Getting Hot in the Kitchen​

Eternatus' insides looked identical to outer space. Blackness filled with occasional colorful spots denoting other planets it had absorbed. Yuna expected something more... horrifying, given everything Eternatus-related she'd experienced up to this point. The drakloak took the small victory and pulled her head away from the window. She lay down on the cot in the back of the spaceship. Leo, now disguised as a dreepy, snuggled up against her.

"So, we're looking for a guy who's part of a company that exists on this planet in name only?" Nikki scooched back on her own cot, leaning against the ship's wall. "Sounds like a fantastic way to run around like torchic with our heads cut off."

"And that's not even accounting for whatever the dimensional anomaly's done to the place," Seifer said, anxiously tapping a forehoof on his leather seat. "We could use the ship to cover ground faster, I suppose, but that doesn't drastically improve the situation."

"At least we have a photo," Gene said from the pilot's seat. The mewtwo flicked his right wrist, levitating up a color photo of a man with very pale skin and thin, silver hair. Even though she'd never seen a human face to face, Yuna found him sickly.

"Personal experiences can cloud one's gut impressions," Reshiram piped up. "You were sick for a while. Now you might be more sensitive to such things."

Gee, thanks, Yuna mentally growled.

"S-Sorry," Reshiram squeaked.

The X-transceiver speaker crackled. Yuna flinched. Though she hated the thought of more voices rattling around her head, she couldn't afford not to take an X-transceiver and constantly be in the dark.

"We've finished gathering up the data," Cyril announced.

"Go ahead." Gene returned his attention to the ship's dashboard. Yuna spotted a blue and purple fissure in the distance. Their destination, probably.

"Right. So, like Nikki said, the Devon Corporation branch you're looking for is little more than a shell outfit," Cyril explained. "Only a PO Box and a single employee."

"That being this Sigurd Stone fellow?" Seifer asked. He, too, couldn't take his eyes off the fissure. Yuna wondered how nervous he was.

"Correct," Cyril replied. "Originally, Devon manufactured electronic devices, but after Eternatus absorbed Earth, the company took a contract with the Matriarch to mass produce type: full units based on schematics from something called the Aether Foundation."

A squeaking mattress made Yuna's tail crinkle. She looked up at the cot above hers, expecting Widget to say something. But the cosmic type: full stayed silent.

"One of the last missions I did with Nova involved raiding Devon's headquarters and remove all traces of type: full data from their servers," Gene added, a twinge of nostalgia in his voice. "And, well, once Matriarch went offline they couldn't do business as usual."

"Right. So, they pivoted to architecture and civil engineering," Cyril continued. "They still take contracts for the empire. The current president, Stephanie Stone, isn't shy about her support for Paradox. You should see her Chatter page."

"I'd rather take your word for it," Gene scoffed.

They were at the fissure. Purple and blue expanded around the ship, as if some ethereal hand was grabbing hold and pulling it in. Yuna resisted the urge to squirm and disturb Leo. Instinct told her to flee the rift, yet she couldn't control the ship. She had to go through it. Too much was at stake.

"From what I can tell, Sigurd is Stephanie's son. Spends his time researching Centroviner Volcano's geothermal energy," Cyril said.

"A volcano?" Nikki glanced nervously at her leather jacket. "It's on Earth, right?"

"No, it's on Quasar Prime," Gene responded.

"Greeeeeat." The toxtricity took her jacket off and threw it onto the nearby pillow. "I bet you're happy, huh, Princess?"

Yuna had to admit, the prospect of a volcanic landscape offered reminders of home. It was a nice, if strange, comfort. "But what does the volcano matter?" the drakloak wondered.

"Sigurd thinks the volcano houses a slumbering, mutant zygarde," Cyril said. "He writes about all his findings on his blog, because it sounds like he's blacklisted from academic journals. Probably his mother's handiwork, if I had to guess."

"Heh." Nikki snickered her hand. "Hear that, Princess? You're not the only one estranged from a parent. He'll fit right in with us!"

Yuna got stuck on the mention of a mutant zygarde. She recalled brief parts of the vision where an unknown force pulled out a Needle and called for Saint Zygarde.

After blinking a few times, the drakloak shook her head. "I... I'm not estranged from Mom," Yuna mumbled, tapping her right hand against her blanket. "I just... need a bit more time before I talk to her again."

The ship lurched. Yuna bounced into the air with a squeak, nearly bonking the bottom of Widget's top bunk. "Hey! A little warning next time!" she growled.

"Sorry." Gene now held the steering wheel tightly. "We're inside the rift. I think the ship's having some trouble with the gravity. Maybe you guys should head for the seats and buckle up?" He flipped a switch beside him. Red seatbelt icons came to life near the top of the ship's walls.

"This is Ginnwhatever?" Nikki hopped out of her bed and plopped down in one of the nearby chairs. Rather than fastening her seatbelt, she simply gripped the arm rests. "Looks like the pictures in those dumb biology textbooks that'd put me to sleep in a wink. At least the neon aesthetic's pretty cool."

Clutching Leo in her arms, Yuna floated into the seat opposite Nikki's, wondering what the toxtricity meant. She saw shimmering, multicolored shards that brought broken glass to mind. In some ways, it resembled the rifts she made, but on a massive scale.

"I don't get it," the drakloak admitted, making sure the seatbelt secured both her and Leo. "What's sciency about this?"

"Crystals and light motes connected together to look like neural networks or DNA," Widget replied. He hesitantly climbed into the seat opposite Seifer, brow furrowing. "If you look closely, you can see light streaming across the shards. Like neuronal signals charging down axons and leaping across synapses."

Yuna had no idea what the cosmic type: full was talking about. She instead focused on the small, luminescent islands in the distance. Some were sideways. Others upside down. Crystal coils sprouted from the islands. Otherworldly tree equivalents, perhaps?

Then again, maybe the drakloak was better off not focusing too hard on any of it. Vincent called this place the space-time mystery dungeon, didn't he? So, of course it hurt her head trying to think about it. Mystery dungeons didn't make a lick of sense!

A bright blue flash enveloped the ship windows. It shuddered again. Squealing, Yuna tried not to squeeze Leo too tight. "Gene?" she whispered.

"We're fine!" the mewtwo insisted. "Just a little, uh, transdimensional lightning storm?" He scratched his head. "Sure, yeah, let's go with that."

"That doesn't sound remotely fine!" Reshiram squawked, nearly forcing himself out of Yuna's Soul Dew to make his protests known to everyone else. She didn't blame him when Gene sounded like he was grasping at straws.

More blue light streaked by the ship's windshield. Yuna opted to close her eyes. She imagined one of Drasbraznav's nearby volcanoes. The drakloak visualized the huge plumes of smoke and sulfur drifting into the sky. Tiny embers floated around her while she hovered through the castle courtyard, bobbing her head at the gummy bushes a couple of vibrava groundskeepers tended to.

"Can you guys hear me?"

Yuna kept her eyes closed, only silently acknowledging Cid's voice. Guess the X-transeivers could work inside an anomaly. She had no idea just how much Cid's powers had grown, but at least she had a connection to home through all this madness.

And to think, minutes ago she mentally complained about having the X-transceiver.

"Sheesh! That bright light's killer!" Nikki cried, before the ship jostled once again.

We're okay. We're okay. We're—

"Wh... what? This can't be right!"

Widget's cry was enough to get Yuna to open her eyes. They'd left the strange shattered glass behind, entering a purple and red sky full of ash and fireballs. And it was easy to see why.

"Is that the volcano?" Yuna said, resisting the urge to get out of her seat and fly to the front of the ship. At first she wondered if she was still daydreaming. But a quick pinch of her cheek told her otherwise.

Well, that and the fact that it easily dwarfed the volcanoes back home.

"No." Gene gripped the steering wheel tight. "This is far bigger than Centroviner."

"... that sounds bad," the drakloak squeaked.

"Thou tellest me! The volcanoes I remember doth not hold a candle to this behemoth!" Rayquaza exclaimed. "Tis a blade of sulfur and brimstone piercing the heavens!"

"It might be part of the anomaly. Look at the fireballs." Seifer leaned forward, frowning.

Lava, fireballs, and sulfur clouds sat frozen in midair, casting distorted shadows down the volcanic mountain.

Yuna blinked a few times, then rubbed her eyes to confirm she wasn't imagining things. Her breath grew shaky. "That's... not how eruptions work."

"No duh." Nikki held her fingers in front of her face in the shape of a rectangle. "Someone hit a literal pause button. Talk about a hell of a view."

"None of this makes any sense!" Widget curled gold talons around the edge of his seat. "How can a giant volcano just... appear from the ether? And what about the people of Centropolis?"

"Wait, there's a city here?" Nikki got out of her seat and squished her face up against the nearby window. "Oh, damn, Jigsaw Puppy's right! Look at all those little dots scurrying down there!"

Yuna didn't have to press herself to any windows. She glimpsed multicolored dots far below the ship. She had no idea if they represented humans, pokémon, or a mix of the two. All she knew was that they could see the danger clear as day and were trying to flee.

Nikki's mohawk frazzled. "What idiot builds a city next to a damn volcano?"

Yuna's torso shriveled. "Uh..."

The toxtricity facepalmed. "Ah. Right. Forget I said anything."

"No, hang on." Gene stopped moving the ship forward. He rested his arm against the dashboard. "This isn't right, either. Centropolis isn't this close to Centroviner."

"If the volcano is the anomaly, then that would explain the contradiction," Cid piped up. "It spawned beside the city, and now it's in the process of erupting. Perhaps a volcano from another dimension was drawn to Centropolis because of the similarities?"

"Then all the movement we're seeing must be an evacuation attempt," Seifer concluded. He gazed out the window. "I don't know how we'd even begin searching for Mr. Stone in such conditions."

Widget nearly hopped out of his chair. "Forget about that! If they're in an anomaly, there's nowhere for them to evacuate to!" The cosmic type: full looked around nervously. "And who knows how long the lava and fire will remain frozen in midair. We have to do something!"

"Got any bright ideas, then?" Nikki crossed her arms. Widget went silent. "Yeah, didn't think so. Frozen in time or not, lava's still lava. It's not like we can just... push it somewhere else."

"But he's a powerful psychic." Widget pointed a gold talon at Gene. "If anyone could do that, it's him."

The mewtwo rolled his eyes. "Much as I appreciate getting gassed up, psychic powers don't trump time stasis magic."

"How would you know?!" Widget countered, blue-purple light swirling around his cheek bolts.

"Basic techniques like Trick Room have messed with the speed of my telekinesis," Gene admitted, nearly slouching over the steering wheel.

"Guys?" Leo said. The fake dreepy squirmed in Yuna's gasp, but she was too deep in thought herself.

She pressed her hand against the Soul Dew and out popped a small Rayquaza. "What about you?" the drakloak said.

"Me?" Rayquaza's red eyes blinked. "What dost thou expect me to do?"

"Guuuuuuys?" Leo freed himself and floated into the middle of the group, waving his arms around.

"I don't know." Yuna rubbed her right shoulder. "But the legends say your transformed state could create wind so powerful it could shield an entire city from any sort of weather!"

Seifer raised a brow. "So, what, you want him to blow the lava away?"

Yuna flinched. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."

Rayquaza frowned. "But Princess, I hath not used mega evolution since I forged my part of Eternatus' seal." He clicked his index claws together. "I doth not know if I'm capable of it in this state."

"Guys!"

"Eep!" Yuna's torso schlurped into her rectangular head. "Something wrong, Leo?" The fake dreepy was surprisingly loud given his tiny body.

"Yes." He puffed out his ectoplasmic cheeks. "Everyone's talking about saving Centropolis, but we're not in Centropolis!"

That was enough to get Widget out of his seat. "What are you talking about? We know Quasar Prime got swallowed by an anomaly. That's why we're here."

Still frowning, Leo floated onto Yuna's head and pointed to the window behind her. "Then explain that."

Everyone in the ship turned in the direction Leo was pointing. Smoke and fire filled the air, with tall buildings lining the ground and tiny dots all trying to move in the same direction. But what really caught Yuna's attention was a group of pelipper flying several meters away, carrying some sort of electronic sign.

EMERGENCY ALERT: ALL MALIE CITY RESIDENTS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!

XxX​

Noctum had never gone into a safe house before. He didn't exactly understand what made it safe to begin with. By all accounts, the house the waypoint had taken Team Bureau to lacked any strong fortifications. Apparently, that was the point, though? "Safe" meant unassuming. And that unassuming nature allowed it to provide safety to its inhabitants... from the Radiant Guard and Stoutland Yard.

That didn't detract from the living room's coziness, though. Pictures of trains and the supposedly-famed Centrado Station sat on soft blue and pink-striped wallpaper. Bookshelves housed pieces covering the history of Radiance's railway system, along with engineering textbooks, and some unassuming nature photography collections. Model train sets sat on tables and the carpeted floor. The black charizard even flipped a switch on one and the tiny train began chugging along the tiny track.

"Why is this place so train-themed, anyway?" Yiazmat wondered, floating somewhere behind Noctum. He sat on the floor, still watching the model train set in action. The rhythmic rattling of the train on the tracks brought a smile to his face. He had no idea why he found it soothing. It was a lot more... involved than his stamp collection, that was for sure.

"This is the type of place an elderly couple would inhabit," Valkyrie responded. She stopped pacing near Noctum. He looked up and saw the incredulous expression on the garchomp's face.

"What? I think this is pretty cool." Noctum beamed at her.

"... tch. Dork." Valkyrie rolled her eyes and resumed pacing. "It's easy for cops to leave an elderly couple alone. And a place full of keepsakes from someone's glory days as a civil engineer is a good enough cover to stash our waypoint."

"Casaroja is the birthplace of Radiance's railway system," Igneous added. He sat on one side of an old sofa, leaning on its armrest. "Plenty of people who live here work there or have worked there."

Noctum nodded. That lined up with the goal of making this place as unassuming as possible. "So, how long do we stay here, exactly?"

"Just waiting to hear from our eyes on the ground," Igneous said, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat. "You trust this Dimitri guy, right?"

Yiazmat looked insulted at the question. "Of course. I'd have sent Baraz with him, but I'm afraid he'd draw a bit too much attention." She lowered her head glumly. "For obvious reasons, of course."

"Seems like it was a pretty stupid idea to even bring him to Radiance in the first place."

Noctum was sorely tempted to stand up and issue a retort to Valkyrie, but Yiazmat responded first. "That's a fair, if blunt, point. Yuna likes him, though. I wanted her to be as happy as she could, given the circumstances."

Valkyrie shrugged. "Whatever. Guess it's all moot anyway thanks to all this shit."

Noctum sighed in relief at Valkyrie dropping the subject. Maybe she was getting better at reigning in her attitude after all. The black charizard returned his attention to the model train, which had fallen off the track. He gingerly picked it up and placed it back on the track, where it immediately resumed moving. His tail flame grew a bit.

"Oh, that reminds me, Noctum. I had Gene go retrieve something for you."

Yiazmat floated over and dropped a circular armor plate beside him. Noctum looked at it and quickly realized it would cover his belly. "Ah." He glanced at the dragapult. "You don't want people to see this in public." Noctum pointed a finger at the Malice Crystal in his belly.

"Would you?" Valkyrie piped up. "Scarlett doesn't even want to go out in the city thanks to her mug getting plastered all over the news. That belly gem of yours may as well be an 'I'm suspicious' sign."

The black charizard sighed. "I know." He nudged the armor piece with his left hand. "Just sucks I have to deal with it."

"Welcome to the club," Igneous said, lazily raising his right arm and waving it around.

Noctum managed to stop himself from countering that the grovlazzle consciously chose his present situation. He returned his attention to the train, which had finished another lap across the tracks.

"Sorry for the delay. The scouts finally reported back to me."

Sakaki's voice crackled through Noctum's X-transceiver. Everyone else in the room perked up in attention.

"What can you tell us?" Yiazmat floated toward the doorway that led out of the living room.

"Things remain peaceful so far," Sakaki reported. "A crowd is parading around the entrance to Centrado Station. It seems that a grapploct and a conkeldurr in red sweat suits are leading the crowd in chants of some... choice words."

Valkyrie kicked her leg back against the wall she leaned on. "Medicis? Figured they'd try to twist this into free publicity. Doesn't concern us."

"It does," Igneous growled. His tails smoldered with embers.

Noctum raised his right hand. "In what way?"

"When I crashed Starlene's backstage area at the Venish concert, there were Medici thugs guarding it." Igneous grimaced. "Including this nickit and greedent duo guarding her trailer alongside the Mr. Rime I'm pretty sure is Minister Charles, but brainwashed to work for Eternatus."

The black charizard chewed on that for a moment, then hopped to his feet with an, "Ahh!" He flinched when his tail knocked over a portion of the model train track. "I, uh— Yuna mentioned those two." Noctum bent down to try and tidy up the mess. "They're the ones who attacked her that morning at the academy."

"A rival syndicate went after my daughter?" Yiazmat sounded ready to fly out the door and challenge the Medicis herself. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Perhaps this protest is the work of Eternatus' forces, then?"

"... tch. I bet the Medicis would hitch their wagon to Paradox's to save their sorry asses." Valkyrie huffed out blue-purple embers. "What do you think?"

Noctum finished putting the broken train track pieces together and stood up. "Um, what about the robo bugs? Are they here, too?"

"They're not at the protest," Sakaki said. "In fact, we believe one was sighted going into the train station."

"So, they're going to ride a train?" Noctum wondered, scratching his head. That seemed stupid. They could fly, right? Why would they need a train?

"Cyril, you there?" Igneous said, tapping his right foot on the carpet. "Any chance you can get any information on Centrado's rail schedule?"

"Pfbt. 'Any chance,' he says." Cyril's chuckling filled Noctum's ear frills. "Yeah, I looked into it when I spotted the bugs on a camera feed. They're genesect, by the way. Old fossils the emperor tried bringing to life and outfitting with giant cannons. When they proved no match for Boss Kitty, he scrapped the project."

"So how the hell did Isola get a hold of them?" Valkyrie growled.

"Beats me," Cyril replied. "I'm just here to be the schedule lookup guy, apparently." He laughed again while Valkyrie rolled her eyes and huffed more dragonfire embers. "And it looks as though Centrado station is closed to commuter rail transit today."

"What?" Igneous tensed up. The grovlazzle's tails curled. "That's impossible. Centrado's the biggest station in the country. It never shutters."

"I don't know what to tell ya, kid," Cyril said. "I only see authorization details for one train: a heavily armored freighter. Other details are redacted."

Valkyrie pushed herself off the wall. "A freight train? Those don't usually run through there. Where's it heading?"

Cyril sighed. "Redacted."

Noctum frowned. "Freight trains carry supplies?"

Igneous and Valkyrie nodded.

"Maybe they're bringing stuff to help Venish?" the black charizard said. "We're, uh, not that far from it. And if they're worried about something bad happening to the supplies, they'd want to keep it a secret, right?"

"You really expect me to believe Isola would activate a swarm of these genesect thingies for a supply run?" Valkyrie scoffed. "Nah." She paced in the doorway. "Something stinks to high heaven about this. I want a closer look."

Yiazmat's tail crinkled. "I'm still worried about this protest, but that does sound concerning."

Noctum stretched out his wings. "Then let's fly over and—"

"Idiot. We can't fly to a place crawling with guards," Valkyrie said. "We gotta go on foot."

Igneous quirked a brow. "And what should we do when we actually get there? There'll be Radiant Guard on the ground, too."

A toothy grin spread over the garchomp's mouth. "We rile up the protesters a bit. And when the Radiant Guard jumps in to quash it, we sneak into the station."

Yiazmat shook her head. "I'm not looking to cause a scene."

"Then leave it to me." Valkyrie thumped her chest with her right arm. "I know how to get under Medici skin."

"No, I mean in general." The dragapult crossed her arms. "There has to be a way to get there that doesn't involve whipping a peaceful protest into a frenzy."

"We still don't know how legit this protest actually is, though," Igneous said, frowning. "If the empire's got a plan, maybe Val crashing the party will unknowingly disrupt it?"

"It's reckless," Yiazmat countered. "I don't like it."

The grovlazzle flinched at her first comment. He turned away from Yiazmat, scowling. "Got any better ideas?"

"If I may?"

That was Cid.

Valkyrie sighed. "Oh, great, the egghead."

"Casaroja's sewer system includes the rail station. You might be able to get in that way."

"Hell no!" The garchomp wrinkled her snout in disgust. "I ain't wading through sewage. I'll take my chances with my idea."

"You will not."

Valkyrie stiffened at Sakaki's voice. The fight immediately drained from her face. "Sir?" she whispered.

"You are valuable assets and I will not see you risk yourselves unnecessarily," the nidoking said. "Try the sewer method first. If there are guards down there, then Valkyrie can enact her plan. Is that a deal?"

Noctum wondered whether Igneous or Valkyrie had to agree. The grovlazzle bowed his head. "Yes, sir," he said, his tone neutral.

"Good. Keep us updated."

Igneous sucked in a sharp breath. "Will do."

Noctum swallowed hard. So, this was the kind of authority a Yakuza boss wielded? It made his neck scales prickle. And the queen cooperates with him willingly?

The black charizard pushed those thoughts aside as he lumbered toward the doorway.

XxX​

"Madame Archbishop."

Sticky saluted the oversized serperior propelling herself across the cold steel floor with her thorny vines. Dozens of poipole and xurkitree workers similarly stood at attention, a few of the former shifting about nervously. The naganadel floated after her, making for the giant, mechanical hydreigon hanging from harnesses on the other side of the room.

Uroboros' serperior head split apart, revealing the seviper inside. She scrutinized the machine. "This is it, then?"

"Yes." Sticky glanced down at his tablet. "An autonomous combat unit made with multiple parts of the hydreigon evolution line and Eterna energy, running off data from the defunct Type: Zodiark alpha model. We call it the Iron Jugulis."

"I don't care what it's called," Uroboros scoffed. She yawned into a thorny vine. "We both know the emperor only cares that it gets results."

"Right." Sticky returned his attention to his tablet. "This was, um, cobbled together quite quickly, so it may—"

"Bring it online."

"I beg your pardon?"

The seviper head stared Sticky down. "Bring it online. Cassius just informed His Excellency the Benefactor's prisoners are sending their pathetic aid shipment to the city we ransacked. We can't allow that to happen."

"Could we not send some Eternatus Troopers, instead?" Sticky asked. This seemed like a bad idea hot on the heels of losing both the Seekerskorch and its pilot.

"We will. But His Excellency wants bigger fire power, as well."

"I understand." Sticky looked over his shoulder and nodded at some poipole. They floated away in a hurry. "The team will get right on that."

"Very good." The seviper retreated back inside the serperior head, which closed itself back up.

As Uroboros turned to leave the room, the Iron Jugulis whirred to life. Bright purple light from its LED heads spilled over Sticky.

For the Benefactor.

XxX​

OSL: Ginnungagap, the Cosmic Mystery Dungeon
Also known as the bridge between worlds. This constantly shifting realm of space-time is the threads holding the omniverse together. The deeper one travels through it, the more it changes to reflect the states of nearby dimensions. However, any living soul that spends too long inside of it will find themselves blown away to a distant corner of the omniverse. This can lead a soul to corrode into a Whisper.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 58: City Slicking​

I'd say I'm pretty new to this journaling thing. Don't even remember who suggested it. The group leader? Maybe one of the Diyems? Guess my memory is getting fuzzier, but when you were once mortal, some things stick. I bet some gods have every memory filed away neatly like papers in a cabinet.

I start my "assignment" tomorrow. It's not that strict or well-defined, really. I'm traveling to other worlds and cataloging them. Like the people watching I'd sometimes do when I visited my grandparents in the Big Apple. When I go to another world, I'll be bound by whatever rules govern it, so I won't be nearly as powerful. It's kind of relieving to hear that, to be honest. Even though I've had plenty of time to practice with my powers, I'm always worried about overdoing it. Especially now that I've got a new body for my core.

I'm glad that, if I find spirits I need to guide or encounter something serious, there are people I can reach out to for advice. I've done enough "leading." I'm content to watch the days go by.

XxX​

After realizing this wasn't the city the team expected to find, no one protested Gene's decision to quickly land the ship on the outskirts. Apparently, it had something called a "cloaking device," that would keep it hidden. The mewtwo parked it on a large grassy knoll overlooking the city and its strange buildings with roofs of wavy tiles. Like an ocean of tiles if oceans were brown instead of blue.

The moment Yuna floated out of the ship, her body shriveled. Sirens blared. People's cries and the rhythmic thumping of footsteps on gravel filled the air. So did a rainbow assortment of different flying pokémon. The drakloak spotted a flygon carrying what must have been a human family, while multiple pelipper held several tiny humans — children, probably — in their giant orange beaks. They kept stealing glances at the lava suspended overhead. No doubt fearful the time freeze would stop.

But some of the flying pokémon weren't heading toward the ocean in the distance. Yuna spotted magnezone and metang ridden by humans in blue uniforms. It reminded her a bit of what Seifer wore before he got fired. She glanced at the keldeo who himself was looking at his flanks with a wistful longing in his eyes.

"It looks like there's a police force trying to lead an evacuation," Seifer said, sighing.

"This isn't the time to get nostalgic!" Widget's cheek bolts revved up in their sockets. "This is the time to take action! To save people!"

Yuna squinted. She thought Widget's behavior was a bit silly, but he had a point. They couldn't sit around.

"Hey, Mom?"

Leo poked his fake dreepy head into Yuna's line of sight. "Do you think any of these people are from our dimension?"

That was what she originally assumed. Since the city name didn't match what the team expected, however, all bets were off. The drakloak shrugged and nudged Leo's head. "Whatever the case, I think we need to help."

"Help how?" Nikki scratched her head. "I've never talked to a human. Would they even understand us?"

"Well, you do have a super powerful, telepathy-equipped psychic on your side." Gene swam on his back through midair, tapping his temple. "If anyone can get the message across, it's me."

"Then why not find someone who looks like they're in charge so we can get to the bottom of this?" Seifer said, squinting at the mewtwo.

Gene stopped swimming and winked at Seifer. "Of course. Shouldn't be too hard." He jerked his head behind him. "One of those officers has to be calling the shots. I'll pick 'em out quick as a flash."

He took off for the nearest metang-riding policewoman, leaving the rest of Team Bastion behind. "What do we do in the meantime?" Widget paced around, his starcloud swirling around his neck. "Maybe get a better sense of what's going on with the volcano?"

"You wanna walk up to a bunch of lava suspended in midair?" Nikki slowly bowed. "Sure thing, be my guest. It's your funeral."

"We shouldn't stand around waiting for Gene," the cosmic type: full countered. "Not when a whole city's in danger!"

"A volcano's too much for some of us to handle." The toxtricity crossed her arms. "I bet the heat alone will fry your circuits or some shit."

Widget opened his beak, then closed it. He shuffled away from Nikki, brushing his gold forelegs together and looking around nervously. "What about Drakloak?" Widget looked at Yuna. "You said something about that chocolate noodle that burst out of your pendant earlier."

Before Yuna could respond, her Soul Dew glistened. Rayquaza's small, black head poked out of it. "Now, see here! Tis Sir Noodle!" He blinked several times. "No, wait, I meant Rayquaza! At least have the decency to address me by name."

"Okay, Sir Noodle Rayquaza." Widget stepped toward Yuna. "Isn't there some way you can help?"

"I said my piece back on the ship." Rayquaza looked down glumly. "Mayhaps my mega evolution could allow it, but I doth not know if I can achieve it anymore."

Widget's ears and head crest drooped. Yuna believe Rayquaza, but could tell Widget wouldn't except that answer.

"Look, Widget—"

"Yo."

"Meep!"

Yuna shriveled up at Gene's surprise return, inadvertently sucking Rayquaza back into the Soul Dew. "Cripes! A little warning next time!" she hissed over Leo's giggling.

"I love it when your body does that," the fake dreepy chirped, clapping his hands.

Gene landed on the grass, smirking. "That was the warning." He snapped his fingers and pointed his right hand up. "Meet Lieutenant Molayne."

A particularly pale human rode toward them on a magnezone. His blue helmet didn't fully hide his blonde hair and, even though he wore goggles over his eyes, Yuna spotted bags. Given the circumstances, she didn't blame the guy for being exhausted.

"This is your vaunted team?" Molyane sounded as tired as Yuna thought he looked. "Good grief. First Lanakila Volcano and now Mewtwo shows up out of the blue with some random pack of kiddos?" He practically leaned over the strange guard rail surrounding Magnezone's head. "I'd tell Magnezone to give me a jolt to make sure I'm not dreaming, but I did that already."

"Oi, who you calling a kid?" Nikki's mohawk sparked.

"Bulu's horns!" Molayne tightly gripped Magnezone's guardrail. "She can talk?!"

"I can do a lot more than that." Nikki cracked her knuckles. "We're here to fix stuff, so give us stuff that needs fixing!"

Yuna glanced at Gene, who appeared just as surprised as Molayne. She figured he used his psychic powers to translate. Guess not. Weird.

"Is it?" Reshiram hummed in her mind. "We could all read that emergency sign before, right? Why wouldn't we be able to understand the people here?

It's the "why" I'm concerned with. Though Yuna knew Reshiram wouldn't have an explanation. She'd have to keep this thought in mind for later.

Molayne pinched his brow, nearling cupping a finger underneath his goggles. "This has gotta be some sort of Plasma Society shenanigans. I mean, Team Plasma made Mewtwo. There's a dozen movies and counting on it. Why wouldn't that N guy come up with pokémon-to-human translators?"

"No idea what the hell a Team Plasma is," Gene said, nonchalantly waving Molayne off. "Did I not mention we're from another dimension? Because we're from another dimension."

Silence. Molayne rubbed his temples, groaning. "You could've led with that."

"Wait, you're not surprised?" Yuna raised a brow.

Something on Molayne's right chest crackled to life. A radio, if Yuna had to guess. He grabbed the black square and pressed the button. "What's the situation?"

"It's terrible, sir! Turtonator stampede!" a panicked female voice cried.

"What?"

Yuna didn't think a single word could sound that exhausting. How sleep deprived was this guy?

"Turtonator don't stampede," Molayne said.

"They do when a rock slide's carrying them right in the direction of one of our city evacuation paths!"

"Perfect." Gene snapped his fingers. "I can handle a rock-and-turtonator slide no problem. And it'll give us a closer look at the volcano."

"I can't just have civilians throwing themselves in like that—" Molayne stopped himself. "Wait, what am I saying? This isn't the time for semantics." He tapped Magnezone with his right foot. "Gimme the keldeo. People see a Sword of Justice helping with evacuation and maybe it'll ease some of the panic."

"You can have him and the bird." Gene jerked his head in Jade's direction.

"Yes, sir." Jade saluted, but smacked her face with her right wing. "Ow! Stupid big yaoi lugia wings."

Seifer didn't acknowledge the order, however. Yuna saw him mouthing "Sword of Justice" to himself repeatedly, until Molayne blew a whistle and he jumped to attention with a whinny.

"Get your acts together and follow me," Molayne said, turning toward the city atop Magnezone. "The rest of you, get to the northwest on the double."

He zoomed off. Jade flapped after him with Seifer on her back.

"You heard him." Gene cracked his knuckles. "I'll play turtonator wrangler while you guys try and get a closer look at the volcano."

Yuna glanced at the lava frozen in time. Well, it's some semblance of a plan...

XxX​

Noctum assumed sewers were similar to damp caves: dark, cramped, and panic-inducing for pokémon with crippling rock weaknesses like charizard. Instead, Igneous and Valkyrie led Team Bureau into a spacious area with large, arched ceilings of gray and red stone. Heck, Noctum could have flown alongside Yiazmat if he really wanted.

The black charizard stared at the water streaming between two large stone walkways littered with random metal tiles. Some of them had these machines with levers and wheels and colorful buttons that Noctum had to resist the urge to press. He followed tubing to metal sheets in the waterway. Darker water headed toward the metal sheets, and lighter water flowed away from them.

"It's like magic," Noctum muttered, scratching his chin while he walked beside Igneous.

"They're treatment and filtration systems," Igneous scoffed. "Dirty sewer water goes in, the dirt and grime gets filtered, chemicals purify what's left, and cleaner water goes out."

Noctum scrutinized one of the metal sheets. He couldn't see any of the stuff the grovlazzle described, so as far as the charizard was concerned, it was magic.

"It's a lot cleaner than I expected," Valkyrie said. The garchomp kept at the front of the group, eyes darting around. Noctum wondered if she expected some sort of ambush.

The genesect wouldn't go into the sewers, would they?

"What were you expecting, exactly?" Yiazmat wondered. Unlike the others, the dragapult flew over the water, eyes trained in front of her.

"Muk and grimer," Valkyrie replied. "There are rainbow-colored ones here in Radiance that can clean up pollution. Thought cities employed them to work in sewers like these."

"Don't forget weezing," Igneous added. "Though I guess they're better suited for filtering air."

"If I had to guess, Polaris automated all this stuff. Put those muk and grimer out of jobs," Valkyrie said.

Noctum didn't think it was that simple. "Don't they need someone to, like, check on the equipment?" He figured workers had to be around somewhere. Would they try to chase the team away?

"There are totally some engineers who maintain this stuff," Cyril chimed in through the X-transceiver. "My guess is they make rounds at specific times and otherwise keep tabs from a more... pleasant location."

"Wait." Noctum froze, grabbing his tail and bringing it close to his body. "Does that mean... there are cameras here? Are we being watched?"

"Of course there are cameras. How else are they supposed to keep watch of this place?"

Noctum stiffened and gripped his tail tighter. "W-Why didn't anyone say so in the first place?!" The black charizard looked around in a panic. "How is this any better than taking our chances with the crowd?"

Igneous silently raised his right hand, producing some sort of rod. It flickered with light not unlike Noctum's tail flame.

"What does a stick have to do with this?" Noctum said.

"It's a jammer, you dolt," Valkyrie scoffed.

Noctum stumbled. His wings unfolded to stop him from taking a plunge into the sewer water. "Jam, like for eating? Are you magically covering the cameras in jam?" He looked down at his armor-covered belly and mumbled, "I could go for some jam. Grape jam and toast."

Valkyrie facepalmed.

Cyril's chuckles crackled through Noctum's X-transceiver. "That rod emits a signal to block nearby cameras. And only cameras. Can't have the sewer system going offline on us, after all."

"That still means we can be tracked, doesn't it?" Yiazmat said, eyes darting left and right as she rounded a corner in the sewer next to Valkyrie. "Whoever's watching could trace the path of blocked cameras to find us."

Valkyrie clapped her arm fins together. "Which is why we need to stop dawdling to answer questions from dense charizard and start picking up the pace." The garchomp leaned forward, walking faster over the stone and metal corridor. Igneous jogged after her.

Noctum's tail flame shrank slightly. With weak flaps of his wings, he took to the air to avoid holding up the group with his stubbier legs.

"Do you always get like this on your assignments?" he wondered.

"No. Because I usually work alone." Valkyrie stopped at a sewer intersection. "And I don't have to go very far to take out a target. We done playing twenty questions?"

Noctum's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. Still not up to speed on all this stuff."

"Neither is your queen, but she's kept quiet," Valkyrie huffed.

Yiazmat tapped her index fingers together. "Admittedly I have more experience from prior trips here."

And correspondence with Sakaki, Noctum silently added.

"Okay, head right and then the third corridor on the right side should get you into the station," Cyril instructed.

With a running start, Valkyrie glided over the sewer water onto the opposite metal platform so she could proceed. Igneous followed after her, manifesting fiery volcarona wings to cross the gap. Noctum and Yiazmat exchanged a look, then flew after them.

"You fly well for someone meant to be grounded," Yiazmat said to Igneous. The grovlazzle didn't respond, but the slight wince told Noctum he wasn't pleased with the compliment.

"Found the spot." Valkyrie waved the others over while pointing at the wall with her other arm.

When Noctum reached the garchomp, he saw the metal corridor that gave way to a grated ramp ending at a cold, gray door with both a Polaris logo and an icon of a train car. Plainly obvious, but the strange black square on the right side of the door gave Noctum pause.

"Wait." The black charizard crossed his arms and squinted. "This door is locked, isn't it?"

"Yup." Valkyrie walked toward it anyway.

Eyes widening, Noctum flew after her. "Hang on. You're not about to try and bust it down, are you?"

Valkyrie paused to smirk at Noctum. "Please. We have better ways of dealing with that."

Noctum blinked. "We do?"

"Well, I do." Cyril chuckled through the X-transceiver.

A few seconds passed and the black box suddenly lit up green. Hisses and whirrs echoed down the corridor as the floor magically swallowed up the steel door.

"... oh," Noctum whispered. Cyril must have used some of his magical machine hacking.

"You coming or not?" Valkyrie called, already halfway up the ramp alongside Igneous and Yiazmat.

"Yeah!" Noctum flapped his wings, but stopped short when loud rumbling filled his ears. He looked down. Definitely not my belly.

The rumbling got louder, accompanied by the whining of metal grinding against metal. Instinctual fear of a cave in gripped Noctum. His tail flame shrank. His heart thundered in his chest. "What's going on?" His pupils narrowed. "We have to get out of here!"

"Relax." Valkyrie held up her arms and waved them. "The train's leaving. Don't you remember the noise from when you went to Herbrides?"

Noctum's heart rate steadied. "It's... much different underground." He tapped his claws together nervously.

"Wait, but we're trying to catch that train, are we not?" Yiazmat said. The dragapult shot toward the door. "Quickly!"

Igneous and Valkyrie exchanged concerned looks, then dashed after her. Noctum again brought up the rear, entering a red and brown stairwell with a visible elevator shaft next to it. The elevator platform was on the ground level, so the black charizard chose to fly up and make up ground with the others.

"Oi, Cyril, what gives?" Valkyrie growled, taking the stairs two or three at a time. "I thought you said the train was scheduled to leave in forty minutes. We couldn't have been down there that long."

"Yeah, I know," the cosmic zoroark responded. "They must've given an incorrect departure time. Whatever's on that train, they really don't want anyone finding out about it."

"Well, it's a freight train," Igneous said. He was the first to reach the top of the staircase, with Noctum emerging through a gap in the elevator shaft not long after. The brown door in front of the grovlazzle didn't have a lock. "It can't move that fast, but I have no idea how we'd catch it."

Igneous gestured to the door and Valkyrie rammed her shoulder against it, opening it. A dimly lit hallway stretched out in front of Team Bureau. Yellow lights lined the ceiling and floor, some shaped like arrows pointing in different directions.

"Which way to the tracks?" Yiazmat wondered, hovering into the hallway. Noctum could barely see her under the lights. "Perhaps they left some loading equipment around that we can use to get a better idea of what happened."

"Head for the fourth intersection, go left, and take that hallway to the second door," Cyril responded. "That'll put you at the track the train left from. I've got the camera footage."

"Got it." Yiazmat nodded to the others. "Let's work in teams of two. Igneous, you're with me. Valkyrie and Noctum, bring up the rear."

The garchomp looked ready to protest, but Yiazmat appeared in the doorway, grabbed a startled igneous, and shot off down the hallway.

"Fine." Valkyrie licked her lips. "Keep up with me, dork." Then she took off running.

Sighing, Noctum flew after her, wings beating hard to keep pace. The black charizard had no idea why they were rushing if the train had already left. They had lost the point of coming to the station in the first place. Why skulk around and risk getting caught by Radiant Guard just for a chance at finding some boxes or machinery?

"We're almost at the railyard door," Igneous announced. "Cyril, are you looking at the video footage at all?"

Noctum flapped his wings faster. Even with a passenger, Yiazmat was as fast as ever. He and Valkyrie had only passed the third intersection, with nothing but red and brown stones and tiny yellow lights surrounding them. Noctum wasn't surprised no one was around. There was nothing here worth guarding, from what he could tell.

"Yeah. The genesect follow the train as it leaves the station," Cyril reported. "I guess they did show up to offer an armored escort and— wait, hold on. The hell is that yellow cloud by the middle car?"

Valkyrie tucked her head down, increasing her speed. Noctum's tail flame flickered. Though he kept flapping his wings, Valkyrie was faster on the ground than he was in the air. He had a pretty good idea of why she was running faster, though.

"Is the cloud still there?" Noctum asked.

"No. It went inside the train," Cyril said. "Nobody even seemed to notice it. Let me change to a different cam—"

"Xeromus!"

Noctum sucked in a sharp breath. Of all the things Cid could have blurted out through the X-transceiver, that was arguably the worst option. A metallic slam sounded ahead of the black charizard. He guessed Igneous or Yiazmat had opened the door into the railyard. He still had sight of Valkyrie after making the turn at the fourth intersection.

"How can you be sure of that?" Cyril asked. "The footage isn't that great."

"I recognize the cloak of the monster who's attacked me multiple times," Cid responded.

Valkyrie went through the railyard door. Noctum reached it before it fully shut and thrust it open with his right arm. Bright daylight forced him to throw an arm up to shield his face. He landed on cold, stone ground, blinking rapidly until he finally adjusted to the daylight.

If the sewer's ceilings had high arches, the railyard's were massive. Large red arches with glass panels in between that tinted the daylight slightly orange. Red train tracks ran in neat parallel lines, alternating with red brick platforms for passengers to board.

In fact, red was the dominant theme. Red benches. Red railings. Red ramps and stairs leading down to the boarding platforms. Blank screens with red borders that probably showed rail schedules under normal circumstances. Even the garbage cans were red!

It was a bit much, in Noctum's opinion. But this wasn't the time to critique the interior design. "Anyone see Xeromus?" The black charizard looked around, but outside of his teammates he didn't see anyone in the railyard.

"No." Igneous hovered in the air with his fiery wings, Leaf Blades at the ready. "We must have missed him.

"So what are those things flying in the distance, then?" Yiazmat wondered, hovering back and forth the closest to where the railyard opened to the outside, with train tracks running in different directions to exit the city. "They remind me of metallic beheeyem."

Noctum's tail sparked. Oh no. He flew toward Yiazmat, following the dragapult's gaze. Sure enough, he saw Eternatus Gunners flying away from the city. Noctum looked over his shoulder. "Eternatus Troopers! I bet they're going after the train!"

"Seriously?" Valkyrie jogged toward them. "Okay, there's got to be something going on with that train. Why send a bunch of troops to attack if it's just a simple supply run?"

Yiazmat crossed her arms. "To demoralize the enemy, perhaps? It could be seen as a wartime tactic. Deprive civilians of supplies to entice the enemy to surrender."

Noctum resisted the urge to point out how concerning it was Yiazmat immediately jumped to such a thought. No trains existed in Aeon until after Yiazmat became queen, meaning she must have come up with the idea herself in case the treaty went south.

"Is it worth getting involved, though?" Valkyrie crossed her arms and squinted. "Let the empire and the genesect blast each other apart. Makes our lives easier. Besides, our assignment was to investigate what the genesect are up to. We know they're not disrupting the protests, so we're done here."

The garchomp was right. Plus, they were four pokémon and only Yiazmat had a chance of catching up to the Troopers and genesect. It sounded like the safest thing to do was go back and plan their next move from the safety house.

... At least, Noctum thought that until Igneous abruptly whirled around, Leaf Blades igniting and snarled, "I know you're there, Xeromus! Show yourself!"

Wheezing laughter emerged behind Noctum. He flew away from it, but spun around in midair and remained on guard. Black, inky tendrils twisted and coiled around one another, settling into the tattered cloak draped over Xeromus' large body. His gray, beady eyes focused on Igneous.

"Isn't it funny? How the ether spawns such clashing forces?" Xeromus' helmeted head swayed from side to side. "It says conflicting things, yet those words all point toward the same truth."

"Shut up!" Igneous spewed flaming bullet seeds at Xeromus, but he vanished in a puff of dark smoke, reappearing beside Valkyrie.

"Don't chase them. Retreat," he rasped. "Because your choices don't matter."

Valkyrie tried to slash him with dragon claws, but he again disappeared. Xeromus reappeared upside-down in midair. Noctum wondered if he should try and attack, but thought it useless. Even with that bulky helmet and heavy chains, Xeromus effortlessly teleported circles around them.

"Why are you here?" Noctum growled. At least, keeping him babbling would stop him from attacking... right?

"I was seeing off a friend." Xeromus sounded jovial. He locked eyes with Igneous again. "I'm sure you're familiar with him."

The grovlazzle's eyes widened. His tails curled up and smoldered. "Damn it! That yellow cloud Cyril saw... it was the monster I saw him summon when I passed out!"

"A monster? I see. So, that is how you would view our savior." Xeromus shook his head, coughs rattling his helmet. "Then the ether still digs its claws into you. Just as it sends two opposing sides at one another, knowing the only outcome is that of stagnation."

Noctum had... no idea what Xeromus was talking about, but it got a reaction out of Igneous. Leaf blades fizzling out, he gripped his head and shook it. "You put... a daemon on that train! You want it to attack Venish!"

"A worthless omen like me has no real desires," Xeromus replied, shaking his head amidst another coughing fit. "This is about Natus offering his Love to those who have suffered enough. Saving them from the ether's steady march toward stagnation. Turning back," he glanced at Valkyrie, "is what the ether wants. It continues that march."

There was one thing Noctum could try. Based on a hunch Yuna had. He clenched his fists. "Why are you doing this, Nova? You still have a real desire! Gene is still here... hoping for your return!"

Xeromus didn't even acknowledge Noctum. He vanished in another puff of smoke and reappeared where the railyard opened to the outside. "I can't influence you, because nothing I do matters. Nothing I say matters. The ether will continue marching on its path regardless what happens. Natus will try to fight it through sharing His love, but who he gets to share it with falls on a choice only you can make." Xeromus looked at Igneous again, before another coughing fit overtook him.

"The train route to Venish... it crosses a bridge, yes?" he continued, turning his back to the group. "An old, stone bridge over a quaint little lake with a quaint little village beside it."

Yiazmat blasted fireballs from her horns at Xeromus, but spectral chains emerged from his cloak and strangled them, snuffing out the flames.

"If the ether's forces clash for too long, they may destroy the bridge. Keh heh..." Wheezing stifled Xeromus' excitement. "And then the train shall fall. And the quaint little lake with its quaint little village will welcome Natus' embrace with open arms.

"Or, perhaps, the train makes it across... but the fighting continues into Venish." Xeromus slowly turned around. "The paths look different, but the ending is the same. Unless, that is, you choose to act." He looked at Igneous again.

The grovlazzle responded by summoning... a crimson honedge? He hurled it at Xeromus and, for the first time, Noctum saw genuine alarm in the beast's eyes. He didn't teleport or parry, but lunged out of the way.

"Keh heh. Such fiery defiance." Xeromus wheezed heavily. "I'm glad... Natus chose you, to accept His special gift."

He shuffled away from Team Bureau. "I can't wait... to see... what you choose. I'm sure... it will be interesting."

Igneous dove toward the sword, but Xeromus vanished in a cloud of shadowy chains before he could grab it. "Damn it!" Embers smoldered on the grovlazzle's tail.

"He's bluffing," Valkyrie growled. "He has to be, right?"

"He's not." Cid tittered in Noctum's ear frill. "There is a rather long bridge on the route to Venish. It never got renovated because it's a historical spot for the nearby town."

Noctum swallowed hard. "Then... do we try and chase after them? Only the queen is fast enough to make up ground."

"I think Cyril has an idea. He ran off," Cid said.

"Hell yeah I do." Cyril's shout startled Noctum, who nearly pulled off the X-transceiver. "Noctum, open a rift to the entrance of my outpost."

"Uh... okay." The black charizard was skeptical, but he figured that Cyril might have had a ship for the team to use. He flew outside and concentrated on the Malice Crystal in his stomach. The jagged purple rift splintered open in front of him. An engine's roar followed and Noctum had seconds to fly out of the way before a rounded vehicle painted to look like a piplup drifted out of the rift and skidded to a halt on the boundary between the railyard and the outside tracks.

"What the hell?" Valkyrie's jaw slackened. "Is that... a freaking pizza truck?"

The truck had a piplup head, complete with an orange beak that sported black spokes on either side, and eyes representing windows. One of them rolled down and the cosmic zoroark stuck his head out. He wore a pokebase cap resembling a piplup's head.

"A modified pizza truck, thank you very much!" Cyril said. "That old clunker hovership we drove around Eterna City in can't catch up to the train with the head start it has. This baby's got some... special features. Now, hop in. We've got a train to catch."

The piplup's torso, which had a picture of a piplup with a comical mustache, chef's hat, and white apron holding a pizza box reading "Pippino's Pizza," opened up on the same side as Cyril. Instead of any sort of oven or kitchen area like a food truck supposedly had, the black charizard saw strange monitors and black leather seats.

He took a step forward, but Cyril thumped his right arm against the side of the truck. "Not you. I need you and the queen covering our six. Got it?"

Noctum spread his wings out and looked skeptically at them. "Are you sure? I'm not nearly as fast a flier."

"I'm sure," Cyril said. Igneous and Valkyrie had climbed aboard. Both looked at Noctum and shrugged.

"This better work, Cyril," the grovlazzle growled.

Cyril smirked. "Trust me. If I can get a pizza across Eterna City in thirty minutes or less, I can catch a train." He ducked his head back inside and rolled up the window. The rear door also closed as the engine roared to life once again.

"And we're off!" Cyril declared. The truck weaved into a spot between two sets of train tracks and took off across the dirt.

Startled, Noctum scrambled into the air and flew after the truck. Yiazmat passed him almost immediately.

The black charizard gulped. I sure hope this works.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 59: Fist of the Warmth Star​

"Everyone, please! Stay in line! We're getting you onto the ships as fast as we can!"

Despite a human policewoman talking into a megaphone from atop a hovering metang, Seifer saw people pushing and shoving. Some humans had smaller humans in their arms. Others carried pokémon. A few rode larger pokémon like mudsdale that were unnerved by all the activity.

"What exactly is the problem that we can help with?" Seifer asked, clinging to Jade's back as best he could. He wasn't even sure if the salugia could use any psychic powers like Gene. Not that he knew what good ESP would do in this situation.

"Getting people on the boats," Molayne responded. He pointed far ahead, where more police officers directed scared humans of different shapes and sizes down two wooden docks toward a couple of gray boats. "We have boats in the harbor on standby, but we only have two docks. It's not quick enough."

Seifer looked over his shoulder. A couple of pelipper flew in the opposite direction from him and Jade. "Couldn't you... fly people out to the other boats?"

"With what pokémon?" Molayne sighed and rubbed his temples. "The pelipper mail carriers are the best we've got and they can fit, at best, two adults in their beaks."

"With me!" Jade chirped, holding her head high. "I can fit a bunch of people on my back. I bet I can lift more with some psychic energy, too."

Seifer blinked. "You actually have those powers?" he whispered. "I thought you lost them and became poison."

In response, an unseen force lifted the whinnying keldeo off Jade's back, only to plop him back on a second later. "Okay, okay. You still have them," he said.

"Yeah, sure. Great idea." Molayne hardly sounded enthused. "Let's make your big entrance, then. Maybe it'll calm people down." He tapped Magnezone lightly with his foot and drifted down closer to the ground. Jade glanced back at Seifer, who shrugged, assuming Molayne wanted them to follow. The salugia descended. It didn't take long for them both to hear the gasps and see the humans pointing at them, shock and awe sprawled across their faces.

"Please remain calm! Keldeo of the Swords of Justice is here and brought a friend to help you all onto the boats!" Even Molayne's megaphone shouting sounded tired. "His friend will fly waves of you to one of the other boats in the harbor, all right? No pushing or shoving! We're working as fast as we can!"

Molayne gestured toward an open area between the two docks where Jade could safely land. Seifer hopped onto the stone ground. There were a lot of human eyes on him, some pleading, others filled with intrigue. He'd experienced this before when he showed up with the Radiant Guard, but this time felt... different.

He knew Molayne understood them earlier, but Seifer feared a talking pokémon would spook the crowd even more. So, he simply raised up on his hindlegs and funneled some energy into his prosthetic horn. It lit up and he pointed it to Jade, who seemed to pick up on the gesture, because she lowered herself to her belly and folded up her wings to let people climb aboard.

Seifer pointed his horn at the closest people and they ambled their way toward the salugia. No pushing or shoving. Most were dumbstruck by Jade's presence, though for all Seifer knew the salazzle traits could have been the reason.

"Good, good. Now, you lot over there, you're heading on the next ship," Molayne said through the speakerphone. Magnezone lifted its two magnet hands and formed a glistening light screen in an attempt at making a proper divide.

Boat horns blared behind Seifer. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the ship to his right backing away from the dock. Another ship moved in, but left enough room for the departing ship to keep backing up. The keldeo briefly recalled Widget's concerns. Would this boat even be able to get anywhere?

A glance up at the sky told him it didn't matter. The lava only hung over parts of the city. As long as everyone got onto the water, they would be okay.

"Everyone hanging on to something?" Jade said, looking back at the humans and pokémon who had climbed aboard.

"You can talk?!" exclaimed one dark-skinned human with shoulder-length black hair. The togetic in his arms gazed at Jade in awe.

"Of course I can. I'm a lugia!" Jade grinned at them. "Now, let's just get some of your, uh, citymates along for the lift." She glanced at Molayne, who scratched his head, then pointed in front of the salugia.

Magnezone hovered in front of them. "Lugia's going to levitate this group over to one of the ships," he announced. "I want you all to relax so she can concentrate."

Nodding, Jade's eyes lit up blue. A blue outline surrounded about a dozen people, lifting them up. Jade flapped her wings to join them in the air, and it wasn't long before she was off toward the ocean. At the same time, the new ship had docked and lowered entry ramps. Two policemen tapped their arcanine companions, who both howled loudly.

Molayne jolted. "Okay, Group A, please board the boat. Single file. No pushing," he ordered, with Magnezone shifting the Light Screen to keep the cordoned off part of the crowd in order.

Seifer couldn't make any barriers of his own, but he could at least try to help with dividing the crowd between the other dock and Jade. The keldeo lit up his horn and approached a point to his left.

Fortunately, Molayne caught the gesture. He said something into his radio and, within seconds, two policewomen on metang had hovered over. The metang put up light screens of their own.

The keldeo nodded his approval and stepped back, while Molayne hovered toward him atop Magnezone. "Quick thinking," he said, hardly sounding appreciative.

Seifer bit his lip. Crisis situation or not, Molayne's attitude irked him in a way he was struggling to put into words. But that half hearted attempt at a compliment finally got Seifer's thoughts together.

"Are you okay?" Seifer said, raising a brow. "I understand this is a delicate situation and all, but people are looking to you to reassure them and ease their fears. Even if you're tired, you have to try and keep up a positive appearance, or else their faith in you will waver."

Molayne pressed the bridge of his goggles, sighing. "Seriously? Is my sense of justice not pure enough for the great Keldeo? Look, I'm just trying to get through this thing in one piece, okay?" He glanced up at the static volcano in the distance. "None of this makes any sense. Lanakila Volcano has been dormant as far back as recorded history. Why is it erupting now? Groudon couldn't—"

Seifer tilted his head. "Groudon?" He didn't recognize that name.

"One of the super-ancient pokémon?" Molayne's words dripped with disbelief. "Waged an endless war with its water-loving equal, Kyogre, until the mighty Lord Rayquaza quelled them both, spreading out Kyogre into the world's oceans and putting Groudon's body to rest as Lanakila Volcano while both their souls slumbered within the core of the planet?"

The only one that stuck out was Rayquaza, having a title showing reverence for him like what the Aeons did.

"C'mon, man, don't they teach you about this in legend school?" Molayne scratched his head. "Whatever. Lugia's back. Let's get the next set of passengers ready."

The second loading process went much faster. And the boat on the second dock backed away for a new one to take its place. Thanks to the metang and their light screens, loading more people from the newly-dubbed Group C onto the next boat didn't prove much of an issue, especially with Seifer keeping an eye on them to make sure they stayed calm.

That left them another moment of respite. "Why join the police then?" Seifer asked, scanning the crowd to make sure people stayed under control. It had thinned out a bit thanks to their efforts and the lava remained frozen in midair, to the keldeo's relief.

"Why does it matter to you?" Molayne fired back. "Your justice sense gonna keep you up at night if you don't get an answer?"

Seifer frowned at the Nikki-like response. Hardly the kind of attitude an officer should display. Though Seifer wanted to stand his ground, he realized that wouldn't make any headway. "Because it sounds like our situations are reversed."

"What's that supposed to— never mind, back to work." Molayne pointed toward a returning Jade, as well as the ship loading Group A backing away from the dock.

"How we looking back there, Rola?" Molayne asked into his radio.

"Getting smaller by the minute," a female voice chirped. "We got extra fliers from Akala and Poni and the whole Poké Ride Fleet came out in force!"

Seifer glanced up while Jade loaded her next pack of people. Sure enough, the sky was full of assorted flying types. Some tropius here, some talonflame there, and lots of charizard. Even some birds with giant, striped beaks that Seifer never saw before. Pokémon that didn't exist on Etherium, perhaps?

After helping Jade, Seifer turned back to Molayne. "I know this will sound crazy, but we're from another dimension."

He paused, awaiting Molayne's disbelief, but he merely yawned into his elbow. "And?"

"You're not surprised?"

"Clearly they didn't teach you about Ultra Wormholes in legends school, either," Molayne mused. "What's your point?"

"I was the head of my country's military in my own dimension," Seifer explained. "Until the queen had me take the fall for something that wasn't even my fault." The keldeo lowered his head. "And I loved that job. Or at least I thought I did. So, seeing someone who has what I lost..." Seifer tensed up. "I feel like my sense of right and wrong is all messed up. So, I thought that seeing you in action and talking to you might remind me of what it means to fight to protect people."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first person I've disappointed," Molayne said, slouching against Magnezone's railing. After an awkward silence, he continued, "My parents wanted me to be a police officer because most of my family is on the force. But I wanted to be an astronomer."

"Yet it sounds like you followed their orders," Seifer said. Much like he did with his own family's history of the Radiant Guard. He never considered other occupations because he was sure that was where he'd end up.

"No." Molayne gripped Magnezone's railing tightly. "The problem is I couldn't get accepted to any university with an astronomy program. I kept screwing up the college admissions test, because I'd fall asleep studying. I never wanted to join the force, but I needed money to get my own place, so my folks made some calls and here I am."

"But you're a lieutenant now," Seifer pointed out. If he was that disinterested, he'd never get promoted, right? "And besides, couldn't you find another job?"

Molayne sighed. "That takes effort. It's easier to stay where I am. It's family connections that have gotten me promoted in rank. Besides... sometimes there are moments where the job's worth it. When people thank me for helping them or pokémon are happy I helped them with a problem. Almost makes me feel like I made the right decision."

He looked up. Jade was on her way back. "Almost," he whispered.

Seifer looked at Molayne, then Jade, then up at the sky. "Well, I'm just a stranger to you, but for what it's worth, if you can make it through this crisis, I think you can make it through anything." The keldeo tapped a forehoof on the ground. "Including this university entrance exam."

Jade landed behind the two. "How many more trips am I making?" She lifted her right wing. "I'm doing okay. But I might need to do a few stretches."

Molayne quickly glanced at Seifer. "Tell you what. If we get through this... I'll think about it."

Seifer nodded his approval and Molayne hovered back up on Magnezone to direct more of Group B to board Jade. He focused his attention on the people from Group C heading toward the nearest ship. Seifer was about to direct them to stop when an emerald gleam caught the corner of his eye.

He turned left and saw an emerald streak charging right through the lava like a knife cutting butter. "What the— who's doing that?"

XxX​

There was no smell of sulfur. No orange embers drifting through the air. Ash didn't choke the sky and cloud the bright red and orange hanging over Yuna's head. Yet thunderous booms sounded from atop the mountain, suggesting something was going on.

To say nothing of the rumbling ground. Rocks ranging from the drakloak's size to larger than a mamoswine tumbled down, only to run into a pink wall a meter in front of Gene. The mewtwo held both hands up, concentrating intently as he plucked out panicked turtonator one by one and suspended them higher in the air.

He'd already sent the officer watching over the area away and ordered Widget to go find somewhere he could safely deliver everyone without an issue.

"I still can't believe he could transform like that!" Leo chirped, flying in excited circles in front of Yuna. "He was all blue and shiny." The fake dreepy clapped his hands together. "He kinda looked like that Miraidon guy from Mr. Gene's scrapbook, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Nikki said, scratching her head. "Which is a can of wurmple I don't want to open right now when there's freaking lava suspended over us!" The toxtricity tapped her right foot on the grass. "Now that we're here, can we let Space Noodle out to take a closer look?"

Yuna silently agreed. Particularly because the atmosphere around the volcano struck her as... off. Maybe it was the time anomaly. Or the fact that, according to the police lady Gene shooed away, the volcano was supposedly the dormant body of some super duper old pokémon god. She glanced at her Soul Dew. Are you okay with lending us a hand?

"I can at least take this requested look," Rayquaza declared. Nodding, Yuna focused on that glimmering spark of light within the jewel and mentally tugged on it. Rayquaza emerged at full size, corkscrewing his way into the air to a chorus of surprised turtantor noises.

"Found a place for the turtanator!" Widget shouted, zooming through the air. His Miraidon-esque form replaced his hind legs with jet boosters similar to Gene's ship, letting him effortlessly close the distance with the others. "There's an empty beach to the south. We can drop everything off there!"

"We?" Gene grunted, arms shaking slightly. "I don't... see you... carrying anything."

"Then cut the quips and follow me!" the type: full said, reversing the direction of his jet boosters to fly away from Gene. With a strained grunt, the mewtwo took to the air, dragging all the rocks and turtonator with him.

"They make a great couple," Nikki quipped, earning a stink eye from Yuna. The toxtricity raised her hands. "It's the nerves, Princess. Trying to do whatever I can to not think about the lava."

"Right." The drakloak wrung her hands together. She didn't blame Nikki, because she was doing the same thing. Albeit for different reasons. Why didn't this volcano sit right with her? No matter how much Yuna tried not to think about it, she kept looking up.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Leo waved a fake dreepy hand in front of her.

"I'm... thinking," Yuna responded, gently pushing Leo's hand away with her rectangular head. "I can't shake the feeling we're missing something here."

"Because the lava has a weird aura?" Leo said, tilting his head.

"Huh?" Yuna blinked. "How do you know that?"

"Dunno." Leo tilted his head up. "I just don't get a real lava-y sense from the stuff up there."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Nikki's mohawk crackled. "You saying it's not lava? If it ain't lava, then what the hell is it?!"

"FISTS!"

A black streak charged toward them, then abruptly stopped. Rayquaza coiled his serpentine body around nervously. "Tis not flames hanging above our heads, but fists! Giant fists of red and orange!"

"What." Nikki stared blankly at Rayquaza. "Say psyche right now."

"Nay. Tis not psionics, but fighting energy." Rayquaza punched the air with his tiny black hands. "Something is making literal fisticuffs."

The mountainside rumbled yet again. Nikki struggled to stay on her feet. Everyone looked up to see a sudden burst of red-orange light. What looked like another fireball sat frozen high in the sky.

"Okay, fine, whatever." Nikki waved her hands in front of her face. "Let's say Space Noodle's telling the truth. Then he can do something about it. Flying trumps fighting."

Leo and Yuna looked hopefully at Rayquaza. "I... still fear my base form is not enough to help," he said, looking down guiltily.

"Seriously?!" Nikki smacked her forehead. "What, do you have performance anxiety? Can't get it going? I hear they make pills for that."

Rayquaza had a response ready, but Yuna didn't hear it. All the drakloak heard was ringing in her head as she slowly looked up from her bickering teammates toward the fighting energy blanketing the sky.

If it wasn't lava, then was it actually frozen in time? Or was someone or something putting it there deliberately? If only she could get Rayquaza to power up. Then he could charge right at the strange energy!

Trance. Mega evolution. Powering up.

Powering... up...

Rock spires surrounded Chiron. A tomb that would collapse on her any second. She had caught a brief glimpse of Matriarch's form — a one-eyed lucario — before having to contort her slender form to avoid the Stone Edge spears shredding her delicate wing membranes apart. The lunala recognized the boisterous laughter on the other side. He had such a penchant for showing off.

And her psionics were currently failing her. Likely Matriarch's doing. So, Chiron had no ESP. No wormholes to throw the Stone Edges back at their creator.

But that was fine. This was what that training was about. She never bonded with her Soul Dew, but she had watched the Sages carefully. And by digging into her Eterna energy, maybe she could...

She could...

Yuna hadn't realized the inky blackness had pooled into her hands until she thrust them in the still-arguing Rayquaza's direction and shouted, "Vgeg zong!"

Rayquaza suddenly stiffened. Shadows briefly draped across his serpentine body, hidden well by his black scales. Then orange light engulfed Rayquaza. "Ye gads!" he cried, voice deepening. He shot out of the orange light, holden tassels fluttering and an emerald sheen lighting up the ground below him.

"Whoooa!" Leo's eyes sparkled. "Is that Uncle Ray's mega evolution? It's so long! He's a super noodle, now!" He shook his head. "No, wait, mega noodle!"

Nikki shot Yuna a suspicious look. "What did you do to him, Princess?"

"I, uh— I don't know?" the drakloak squeaked. She quickly tried to save face. "Do you think you're up to dealing with the magic fists now?"

"But of course!" Rayquaza's tail lashed with eagerness. "I hath not felt this alive in years!" He coiled around and gestured for Yuna to climb aboard. "Or, more accurately, centuries!"

Yuna flew forward and grabbed onto one of Rayquaza's black fins. Leo positioned himself on Yuna's head once again.

"Right, then. Tally ho!" Rayquaza declared.

"The hell?!" Nikki scrambled across the ground. "Don't leave without mee-eee-ahhhhhh!"

The toxtricity managed to grab the fins on Rayquaza's tail seconds before he shot into the air. His golden tassels straightened out on either side of his torso. Brilliant emerald light spilled over his body from his golden horns. Truly, Rayquaza was an emerald arrow surging up through the sky.

"Now, foul energy, taste the true might of Dragon Ascent!"

The intense winds whipping up around Rayquaza drowned out Nikki's screams and the emerald light blotted out Yuna's view of the strange orange fists. She focused on keeping hold of Rayquaza's fin through bouts of turbulence. Nothing she couldn't handle, but a bit of jostling. As if two dragons were headbutting one another in a contest of strength. Hopefully that meant Dragon Ascent was doing something...

That turbulence continued. Yuna's attention remained on the fin. Leo said... something. Yuna didn't hear him. She thought her X-transceiver might've gone off but it was hard for her to tell with the constant howling and whistling all around her.

Reshiram, do you see anything?

"Rayquaza's back and some emerald light," he responded. "I don't have a magically increased line of sight compared to you."

Yuna wondered how fast they were going. The Aeon scriptures described Mega Rayquaza orbiting the planet in only an hour or two. She doubted it was that fast. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to hold on. But she still felt like Rayquaza was covering a great distance. Was he effortlessly carving through the fighting energy? How much of it was left behind?

The drakloak soon got a concrete answer when Rayquaza abruptly stopped and fired a Dragon Pulse straight toward the mouth of the volcano. Yuna quickly looked around her and found clear skies.

... Well, mostly clear. Some orange still remained closer to the volcano. And, now that the sky was clearer, Yuna spotted a swirling vortex of distortion hanging above it. How much you want to bet that's the source of our anomaly?

"Nothing." After a beat, Reshiram added, "I don't have any money, remember?"

"Can we puh-lease land somewhere?!" Nikki hollered, clinging to one of Rayquaza's tailfins and kicking at the air with her legs. "My arms are cramping up!"

"Tis not safe atop the volcano!" Rayquaza declared. "A foul beast doth tried to knock me out of the sky!"

"You're damn straight I did!" a loud, booming voice shot back. "No one turns out the lights on Chernabog without Chernabog's say so!"

It was tough to make out at first, but Yuna soon spotted a large machamp standing on the rim of the volcano. He pointed accusingly at them with an upper right hand that looked more like volcanic rock than the bluish-gray Yuna was used to seeing. Another mega evolution? It didn't look that impressive compared to Rayquaza's.

"Hey! I'm talking to you chumps!" Chernabog shook his upper right fist at them. His other three arms... flexed, with the lower ones pointing to a belt that had a red, fist-shaped crystal inside it. "No one gives the champ the quiet treatment!"

Even at a distance, Yuna got that same sinking feeling in her ectoplasm that she got when staring down Runerigus, Baptiste, and Exodes. Which could only mean one thing...

"Um, Gene?" Yuna squeaked. "I think one of Paradox's goons is here. Does the name Chernabog mean anything to you?"

"Oh, that blowhard?" Gene groaned. "Give us a minute. We're almost done here. Just keep him talking."

Yuna frowned. Nikki was better suited to that idea, but was too busy clinging to Rayquaza for dear life. "Can you fly around to the other side of the volcano?" she said, before blinking and shaking her head. "No, wait. I have a better idea."

But first, she had to distract the machamp. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" Yuna shouted. "We're just trying to keep the people in this city safe!"

The drakloak immediately focused on the other side of the volcano from Chernabog. She opened a rift in front of her and tapped Rayquaza's back. He hastily flew through it, dropping Nikki onto jagged, rocky ground. The toxtricity stumbled forward, relief flooding her face.

"Oh, sweet, glorious land!" Nikki dropped to her knees. "I'd kiss you but I've no idea where you've—"

"DOWN!"

A furious twister whipped up, deflecting a giant orange energy blast into the mouth of the volcano. Rayquaza flew in front of Nikki, assuming the closest thing to a protective stance a serpent could muster.

"Chernabog thought something stank!" The machamp slowly stomped toward the group. "The kind of stink that only a dirty traitor could make!" He flexed his large pecs, then pointed directly at Yuna. "That's right, Chiron! Maybe your noodle friend let you outmuscle Baptiste and Exodes, but now you've got the champ to contend with! Hoo-hah!" Chernabog punched the air with his lower arms and flexed with his upper ones.

Yuna didn't flinch. It wasn't the first time she'd heard one of Paradox's thugs throw Chiron's name around. And, given the strange visions, it probably wouldn't be the last. Just another punch the drakloak had to roll with.

The difference this time was that Leo was around, so she had to keep a safe distance from Chernabog.

"I don't like him, Mom," the fake dreepy whispered. "He's the real stinky one."

"I know. Let's stay on our toes," Yuna whispered back.

"Uh, technically neither of you have toes," Reshiram interjected.

Not now!

"S-Sorry. Couldn't help it."

"The hell are you ranting about?" Nikki said, shrugging at the oversized machamp. "You're the one who sent an entire city into a panic, aren't you? Doesn't seem very champ-like to me."

"It ain't the champ's fault if they're a bunch of haters!" Chernabog countered, flexing all four arms. "Chernabog was in the middle of getting ready to wow his Chernamaniacs back home, when suddenly he appeared up here." He glared at Yuna. "He bets the traitor's behind this! But you can't take Chernabog to the mat! Not when he feels stronger than ever! Oh yeah!"

Half the things Chernabog said went right over Yuna's head, but his belt crackled with orange energy at that last statement. She also noticed Leo looking intently at Chernabog's belt. Yuna doubted it was a coincidence, but it wasn't safe to look any deeper into the matter.

"First, Chernabog will smash ya! Hoo ha!" The machamp punched the air with his lower hands. "Then he'll punch a hole right back home to where his adoring crowd of Chernamaniacs is waiting!"

So that was it. It wasn't a volcanic eruption. This meathead seriously thought he could punch his way out of the dimensional anomaly!

"Now then," Chernabog cracked his knuckles. "It's time for dirty traitors to smell what the champ is cooking! Ohhhh yeeeeee—"

Several bursts of pink energy slammed into Chernabog's pecs. He staggered backward, waving his arms around. Yuna looked up to see Gene and Widget emerging from a rift. The mewtwo slowly clapped.

"Nice makeover there, chumpion." Gene flashed a toothy grin. "But I think you're a bit turned around. The children's party in need of a clown is on the next island over."

"You!" Chernabog thumped his chest. "Of course, it all makes sense! The traitor and the rebel teaming up. History repeating itself with the ultimate heel combination!"

The machamp jogged in place, his belt sparking with orange energy. "The champ's got only one thing to say to you, kitty cat."

Gene tilted his head in amusement. "And that is?"

Chernabog took a deep breath and bellowed, "Where ya gonna be... when Chernamania comes for thee!"

The sky above Team Bastion suddenly darkened. Yuna looked up and yelped in surprise.

Dozens of giant orange fists threatened to smash them into the volcano.

XxX​

GL Exploration Log: Malie City, Alola (Dimension POV-2409)
I've gone to a few Alolas already and always found them a bit unsettling with their dedication to solgaleo, lunala, and necrozma. I knew this one would be quite different from the start, since history-related stuff I found in Hoenn didn't talk much about this world's Groudon and Kyogre. It turns out that the two super-ancient pokémon waged a great war early on in the planet's history. Their clashes led to the formation of various continents, but eventually Rayquaza swooped in and ended their fighting. Kyogre's spirit dispersed into the oceans while its body sank into the dark underwater abyss. Groudon settled in what became Ula'ula Island, its body becoming the massive, but perpetually dormant Lanakila Volcano.

A bunch of Johto and Kanto immigrants filled out the island, though I'm not sure why they built their city so close to the volcano. Maybe its height lets them be closer to Rayquaza? Like draconids and Sky Pillars in dimensions where those are present.

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
Yuna's cry of "Vgeg zong" is a rough Enochian translation of "strong winds." Enochian is an occult language from sixteenth-century England that, according to creators John Dee and Edward Kelley, was constructed based on messages received from angels.

Chernobog is an alleged Polabian Slavic deity that is classically known for being portrayed as a god of misfortune in Helmod's Chronicle. A variation of him appears in several Disney productions — most notably Fantasia, its sequel, and Kingdom Hearts — as a large, winged demon.