A lengthy, special bonus chapter I like to call the 'cameo episode'. It's a special chapter featuring the surprise appearance of characters from my other fanfics!
In this special, we get to see Ruby (Heroica Legends) and Leos (Astral Genealogy)!
There are no spoilers for either of those books in this chapter.
…
Cameo Episode: Weird and Proud
“So what you’re telling me is that it’s a sort of compromise between your original role and what you want to do now?” Lute summarised. He and Sophitia were walking back into town from the new school that was being built. They took a scenic route that ran along the seaside. This coastal road was a little longer of a way home, but it was a great way to appreciate Aseria’s returned weather.
It was peaceful. Nothing but cool summer breezes and the sound of waves washing up over the rocks to their left, with the occasional chirp from Wingull and other water-loving birds. Lute swayed his head and hummed with it all, refreshed by the salt in the air.
“It’s something like that. It’s better to think of it as like… I’m here to stay now. I just don’t have my shield or sword, and I look like a normal Sylveon,” Sophitia said with a happy sigh. “I’m technically Diancie’s champion, too. I’ll live for way longer than everyone else, and if something like Lassic ever happens again, I’ll be there to put a stop to it.”
“That’s so cool Sophitia! You’re like, a true heroine now and stuff,” Lute bounced up and down with sparkly eyes.
“Oh you, always looking at the bright side. Don’t you think it’s kinda sad? You guys aren’t gonna be around forever, but I’m still gonna look the same. It’s like I don’t age anymore,” she said.
“Well it’ll be decades before that happens, won’t it? That’s plenty of time to enjoy having us around. And plenty of time for us to keep our promises to each other, too.” He dashed in front of her. His feather dangled out of place a bit, so he patted it back. “Plus, I have been thinking about that whole age thing, too. Since I’m a V-Pocket and I’m unaffected by the Ancient Flowers, does that mean I’ll live forever, too? I don’t think I’ve ever actually gotten taller or anything.”
That set her off giggling again. “Oh Lute, that’s because you’re an Eevee, silly. If you got any bigger, it’d be because you’re eating too much.”
“Is that really how it works?” he replied, flat faced. “I’m sure loads of Pokémon still don’t take me seriously because I look like a kid. If eating more will do that, then I guess it’s the next thing to focus on.”
“Erm,” she said, eyes widened. “Okay. Where the heck did that one come from?”
“It’s been a thing since forever.” He rolled his eyes.
“Lute, you’re not gonna get taller or something if you start eating more. You’ll just get… rounder. If anything, that’ll make you even cuter,” she giggled. “But you’re fine the way you are, you know? When it came right down to it, everyone we know took you very seriously. Even Kuri.”
“No he doesn’t, he only doesn’t talk down to me because of my powers,” he said, looking away. “And he can beat me anyway, so that doesn’t even matter.”
“You really think a guy like him would hang out with us if he didn’t have any respect for you? I mean, he’s still in Everend, but Gen’s in Angard, right? He has to like it here,” she reasoned. “Seriously. It’s not like you to be worried about your appearance.”
“I’ve always been worried about it. I’ve just never had the time to,” he admitted. “You sure I won’t grow taller if I start eating more?”
“No, you’ll just end up looking like me! Do you really wanna look like me, all pudgy and bubbly?” she said, and laughed as she prodded herself. That made him look away to blush, and he grumbled to himself. “Come to think of it, how did I even maintain this look? I walked around as much as you did, but I still feel like a marshmallow. Not that I’m complaining.”
“What did you eat this morning?” He rolled his eyes.
“The same thing as you: Marina’s waffles. She had those berry compote with them. Super good,” she said, drooling as she thought about it.
“… How many did you eat?” he said, going half lidded.
“Twenty-eight. Pretty sure that’s a new record, too!”
“It’s a miracle you maintain that look,” he stated.
The homes of Everend had started to come into view, where it was clear there was some sort of commotion going on. A crowd of Pokémon were gathered in the town centre. The duo exchanged glances and then took off.
It turned out to be a number of King’s Shield agents and Marina in a discussion, as well as a rambling crowd of locals. It was nothing violent or aggressive, but it was loud, so the duo pushed their way to the front.
“Mum, is everything alright?” Lute called out on top of everyone’s voices.
“Does it look like it’s—” she replied before she turned around and realised it was Lute. She was surprised, but rather than correcting herself, she and the other agents took a step aside to reveal what was between them. A large puddle of murky brown sludge, with Infia and Esther crouched by it.
“What’s… wait, is that what I think it is?” Lute gasped.
“Oh hiya Lute. You guys just missed a battle,” Esther said. “I thought those Risen things were done for good after Spirle went down, but one went and wandered over here.”
“Geez, is everybody alright? You two took it down?” Sophitia gasped.
“Yeah, it was only one of the lesser familiars. It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Infia assured. “I just can’t work out why it was here.”
“I might be able to shed some light on that. In fact… Look, I know you guys just got back and stuff, but you might even be able to help us resolve this. How about you take on a mission for us?” Marina proposed.
“A mission? For King’s Shield, you mean? I don’t actually mind, but,” Lute said, and glanced at Sophitia. She shrugged.
“It’s kinda my lifelong job now, so why not?” Sophitia agreed.
“Meet me at the house.” Marina walked off. She tossed an orb to one of the agents and they barely caught it, surprised by her abruptness.
…
When Sophitia returned, everyone had decided to stay at Infia’s house – the one originally owned by Victoria. Being a mansion, it was the perfect place to wind down and relax, while doubling as a proper base for Sophitia’s group. A lot of work needed to be done to it to change Victoria’s self-centred décor, and get rid of the V-Wave tech still inside, but it was roomy enough.
Marina had everyone gathered in the main room just like she did in the past, only there weren’t any agents around this time. Without all the computers and security too, Lute wasn’t surprised to see everyone taking it easy anyway. It looked less like a work meeting and more like a casual family gathering.
“When the temples activated and Balunercc appeared, there was a lot more that changed about Aseria. Well, things began to change, anyway,” Marina began. “With all the extra light and wind, King Shield’s been able to send out mid-air scouts that can fly all over the world. They’ve reported seeing some new terrain that was never there before. Ocean currents moving to unveil previously underwater islands, regions of fog clearing up to make their lands traversable, things like that.”
“Mystery dungeons,” Lute said. Marina nodded. I’m guessing that underwater forest me and Sophitia found might be something, too.
“The main thing we were doing was cleaning up the rest of Spirle’s mess. Taking care of their old bases, detaining the remaining criminals they have, that kind of thing. Risen showed up occasionally, but since Balunercc appeared, apparently the Risen have been gathering in one location,” Marina explained. “It’s a new island between Obire and Pokétopia. Some mass gathering of Risen that’s too dangerous for our air scouts to approach.”
“If it’s too dangerous for them, what makes you think we can handle it?” Esther asked. Everyone looked at her. “I’m not sayin’ I don’t wanna go, it just seems kinda convenient, y’know?”
“Our scouts aren’t fighters, so without gondolas or teleportals, our fighters can’t get there. But you guys have Angel,” Marina clarified.
“I’ll pass. I already have my hands full remodelling this place for ya,” Kuri said. He was leaned against the wall. “If you guys all go out for the day, me and Phoenix can get a lot done.”
“Of course. You’re not obligated to. But if there is something major going on with those Risen, don’t come crying to us, okay?” Marina said.
“That’s fair. Then I won’t,” he replied.
“Suit yourself. Thank you for understanding.”
“You’re welcome.”
“A pleasure discussing business with you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, ma’am.”
“… For the record, I do not mind either way,” Phoenix came between them.
“I guess we should go now. We’re not doing anything else today,” Sophitia suggested. “This could get dicey though, so you girls make sure you’ve got everything you need.”
“You say that like we didn’t have any plans today.” Infia rubbed her face. She left the room to go and get ready anyway, Esther skipping not far behind her.
Lute was given his usual fretting from Marina, but it didn’t take too long for the group to get ready. A few minutes of supply checks, and he was all prepped, so he met everyone outside. Sophitia promptly called Angel, and then they were on their way.
The first thing Lute noticed was how right Marina was when it came to Aseria changing. Originally, there were only five islands: four in the compass directions, and Pokétopia in the enormous central region. Now, Pokétopia was gone, replaced by the giant crystal tree that held up Balunercc. It cast a cybernetic shadow over much of that region. It was a disturbing change from the grassy prairie of the central region into the stony, gemstone lands that surrounded the tree. His face tensed at the clear sight of it. He would have to go back there to face Artemis again, soon.
That wasn’t why he was here in the sky again, though. Where there would normally be giant stretches of ocean between the islands, it was now dotted with archipelagos. Islands of all different shapes, sizes, and heights, and all with different terrain, too. Many were green, but he could still make out deserts, mountains, and even one that had a volcano on it. Amongst it all was the island that had been described to them, a larger, circular island surrounded by risen sludge.
“Yuck. It’s like a bunch of Snorlax decided to take an almighty dump at the same time,” Sophitia complained. Angel made a noise and descended. As they got closer, they managed to make out more on the direct surface. A huge group of Risen were gathered by a sandy edge of the island, but they were in battle. Angel let out a cry as a Flamethrower just about missed her.
“Guys, hold on!” Esther cried out.
“Wait no, look! Someone’s there fighting them.” Infia pointed. A couple of Pokémon were surrounded by the Risen, and it was their attacks that caused the crossfire.
“Go towards them, Angel,” Sophitia commanded.
Angel gave another cry and swooped over the battle to whip up a strong tailwind. The two Pokémon saw her coming and clutched the ground appropriately, but the Risen were blown over to one side. Lute and company jumped off and fired their attacks at the floored enemies to keep them down.
“Infia, Rain Dance please!” Esther sung.
“Already on it,” Infia said cheerfully as she released her prayer into the sky. A small bundle of dark clouds surrounded the group, and a moment later, it was raining hard. The Risen groaned and roared as many of them diluted back into sludgy puddles, while others slid away deeper into the island. Lute and the others watched them escape, but kept their focus on the two Pokémon.
“Ra-rain? Why did it have to be rain?” screamed a chubby Cyndaquil. She hopped up and danced on her toes as she squealed out load.
“Calm down, it’s only a little water! It’s not going to kill you,” the other Pokémon cried on top of her. He tried to pull her back to the floor, but she ripped away from him.
“Don’t touch me! Nobody gave you permission to do that.” She said.
“I’m only trying to- forget it. Look, the water is melting those monsters. We’re safe,” he said.
Lute stopped, unable to recognise this one’s species. The Pokémon was about Infia’s height, with a round, turquoise body. His head had white fur on it, more than it looked like he was able to deal with. It had been styled into something of a curly mess, and there was still enough to half-hide his dark blue, triangular ears. A scalchop rested on his belly, and was probably his most defining feature besides his posh, young adult voice.
“Oh how gentlemanly. You’re telling a fire type to just, chill out in the rain. Wonderful, I totally want to do that,” Cyndaquil said.
“Ugh, I’d take it over continuing to fight those things,” the other Pokémon said. He noticed Lute and the others. “That rain was sudden. By any chance, was that you?”
Sophitia put her feelers in front of her group and stepped forward. “That was. We’ve dealt with those things before.”
“Couldn’t you have accounted for me and chosen a better way? I’m soaked! And I’m still getting soaked!” Cyndaquil cried, even though the rain was easing up. She had a glowing necklace around her neck that dangled freely loosely.
“I think they’re a rescue team. No need to be so ungrateful,” the Pokémon said.
“Hey, you’re not the leader here. Just remember, I’m the one who had to bust my butt off and rescue you, so don’t start trying to act smart,” Cyndaquil said. She stomped toward Lute, but stopped a few paces away. “And Angel, what the heck is going on? Where are we, and what’re you doing with this random lot? I thought you were back with the Shining Warrior’s sword?”
“Um, excuse me,” Sophitia said, not expecting to be ignored like so. Angel cocked her head.
“What?” Cyndaquil said.
“Who are you? Why were you getting attacked by the Risen?” Sophitia inquired.
“That’s my question. But if Angel thinks you’re so important, then you must know who I am. So out with it! What’s the big idea? Don’t keep us in the dark!” Cyndaquil snapped. Angel didn’t answer. She just stared at her with her usual peppy smile. Cyndaquil started sweating, and scratched her face. “Um… is everything okay? What’s with the silence?”
“We don’t know where we are or why those things attacked us, I’m afraid. Well, I don’t know why they attacked me,” the other Pokémon said as he came beside her. “I am Prince Leos Aska, son of Prince Rune and Queen Ariala of Eris and Faernia.”
“Oh so you’re royalty. No wonder you think you’re a big cheese,” Cyndaquil commented.
“I was scouting a dungeon with a few friends, but I must have triggered a trap of some sort. First thing I saw was a big, blinding light. The next thing I know, I’m falling into the polluted water over there. I swam over here, and then those monstrosities started attacking me,” Leos said. He laid a hand on his chest. “I’m not much of a fighter due to health reasons, but this young lady helped me. And then your group arrived.”
“’Scuse me but, what Pokémon even are you? You’re kinda cute, but I’ve never seen you before,” Esther asked.
“Wait a second, Esther too? What the hell’s going on?” Cyndaquil cried, stomping over to the Pikachu. “Stop playing around! The hell’s going on here?”
“Sorry, you’ve gotta be mistaken. If you’re a fan, I’ve never met ya before.” Esther shook her head.
“Yes you have. You hit on Shelly and everything. Stop pretending you don’t know us!” she raised her voice.
“Seriously, I’ve never seen that Pokémon or you before in my life. Considering how rude you are, I probably have no reason to remember, too,” Esther said, paws on her hips. Cyndaquil grabbed her head again.
“I’m not going nuts here. I can’t be going nuts. Nope, na-uh, we’re not playing this game,” she said. To everyone’s surprise, she opened her eyes wide, revealing their beautiful blue colour. Everyone gasped and shifted away, even Leos.
“It’s me, Ruby! The weird fat kid with the open eyes. I know you’ve seen me before, and if you still don’t remember, then I’m outta here. I’m not playing you and Angel’s stupid little game,” Ruby said. No one could close their mouths, and she realised. She slowly shifted away, and then her face started to go red. “O-oh… oh gods, y-you really don’t recognise me? Like, at all?”
“Th-this is the first time we’ve met. But that’s like, holy moly that’s so awesome!” Esther cheered.
“Pardon me back there. I’ve never seen a Cyndaquil with open eyes before. Th-that took me by surprise,” Sophitia gasped.
“Nor have I. That’s incredible, are you perhaps some kind of hybrid?” Leos gasped. Ruby moaned and scrunched up to close her eyes again.
“Urgh, forget it! I have to be in some kinda illusion, but I hate it. I want out!” Ruby cried. “Please stop staring at me!”
“Aww, she’s shy now,” Esther teased, paws together.
“Ahem. To answer your original question, I am an Oshawott,” Leos said, putting everyone in shock again. “There are some technical things about it, though. Biologically speaking, I am a hybrid of an Oshawott and a Clefable, so many of my abilities are underdeveloped. Your rescue was greatly appreciated.”
“An Oshawott? For real?” Infia screeched.
Leos raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Is there something special about that?”
Lute and Infia exchanged glances, and then Lute leapt forward. “This is unbelievable! An Oshawott showed up, and a male one, at that. They weren’t extinct after all!”
“Extinct?” Leos raised an eyebrow.
“Oshawott don’t exist, they were supposed to be extinct. They’re spoken of in history books and stuff. I-I never thought I’d get to meet a real one,” Infia said. “Pardon me, I’m so sorry for getting excited. I just, this is really, really incredible. Have you been living underwater all this time? Are there more of you? I would love to meet you all.”
“Infia? Brave enough to meet others? Whoa, you’re really excited about this stuff,” Esther said with a snicker.
“Alarming. And a lot more of a predicament than I anticipated.” Leos folded his arms. He started rubbing his chin. “Oshawott being extinct. A girl meeting Pokémon she believes she should know. And she’s a Cyndaquil with open eyes, no less. As absurd as it sounds, I feel like I’ve stepped into another world.”
“Another world?” Ruby cried.
“Well, you as well, actually. It’s very sudden and it makes no sense, but if these Pokémon aren’t lying, then there’s a lot to learn. It’s time to study,” Leos said, and smacked one hand on top of the other. “Might I ask what your names are? And if we might be able to settle down and regain our bearings?”
“Hmm. I’m Sophitia, and these are my friends. We’re a team of sorts,” Sophitia introduced.
“I’m Lute. Nice to meet you,” Lute smiled and nodded.
“You recognised me as Esther already, but this is my girlfriend, Infia,” Esther joined in, while Infia gave a little wave.
“Girlfriend… wait, shoot! I can’t suddenly be in another world. I have a boyfriend to get back to! And he’s useless on his own. Grr no, I’ve just gotta be dreaming,” Ruby cried. “Angel please stop playing around if you’re playing. It’s not funny anymore. You’re the only giant Togekiss in the whole world, right?”
Angel finally stopped tilting her head, but she never lost her dopey smile. She barely moved, but after a moment, a voice began to speak into everyone’s minds. “Do you really know a giant Togekiss called Angel?”
“Wah, it’s telepathy!” Ruby cried.
“Angel… you can talk?” Sophitia screeched.
“Er… y-yeah, I’ve been journeying with a giant Togekiss for a while. Really big girl, loves some guy called Theria…” Ruby rubbed her face.
“We ancient Togekiss are a special breed. To know one tells me that you are a legendary hero. But I am afraid that the Angel that you know and the Angel that is me are two different Pokémon,” Angel explained. Her voice was expectedly serene and calming. “We ancient Togekiss, the ‘Angel’ are servants and guides to legends and fate. If the two of you have found yourselves here from other worlds, then perhaps your powers are required here.”
“I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I was thinking something of the sort. I do have to wonder why me, though. I’m not exactly powerful on my own,” Leos admitted.
“I’m more surprised to hear Angel talking. I’m sorry, I didn’t think you could,” Infia admitted.
“Yeah! You’re always so quiet and happy. Like some kinda tamed feral Pokémon,” Esther added. Angel’s voice giggled.
“I prefer to keep quiet. My words or comments offer not much in the way of guidance; besides the things you already know. I hope I have cleared up the confusion about there being two Angels, though,” Angel confessed.
“I really am in another world,” Ruby whispered.
“It seems so. But that puts us as emissaries to whatever conflict ails this world. I imagine if we deal with that, we can return to our own,” Leos stated. “It’s unrealistic to think so, but I hope this can be dealt with soon. Prem and Griselle are going to kill themselves with worry.”
“Yeah. Uh, excuse me a min’,” Ruby said. The group watched her walk off toward the sea, and then collectively freaked out when she dove in, leaving nothing behind but a wake of bubbles.
“U-um, what is she? Somebody get her outta there!” Lute cried. Sophitia was the first to react, followed by Leos. Ruby hadn’t sunk far, but she was screaming and ranting beneath the surface. All her curses came out as muffled bubbling that couldn’t be understood. She fought with them for a little while, and then gave in once she realised that two of them had come down to grab her.
“Are you alright? What’re you thinking?” Sophitia cried once they were back on land. Ruby sat back with a miserable frown, cheeks puffed and grumbling. To her surprise, the Cyndaquil didn’t look like she was catching her breath or anything. “Wait, you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m okay. Just, ugh…” She stood up. “Alright, fine. If that’s what I’ve gotta do, then I’ll do it. Where do we go to deal with your little crisis?”
“I think she means in regards to the water. You were so upset about the rain earlier, then you went and dunked yourself into the sea,” Leos said with a weird smile.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m Watermarked, I’m sorta in tune with water and stuff,” Ruby explained. “I can’t breathe underwater or anything, but I can hold my breath really long and talk underwater and… it’s kinda long and weird to explain, so just think of me as part water type.”
“You as well? Sophitia can talk underwater, too.” Lute cocked his head. “You’re going to have to teach me how you do that, you know.”
“Hmm? You’re a Watermarked Sylveon?” Ruby asked.
“No, I’ve never heard that term before. I just have… features. Ahem. But more importantly,” Sophitia said, turning to the scenery. The island before them boasted wide open hills which lead into a dense forest. “The Risen went over that way. If you guys are here to help us out, I imagine we’ll find what we’re looking for in there.”
“You guys lead the way. As much as I hate that,” Ruby said. Lute and Sophitia exchanged glances and shrugged, and then they were on their way. Angel departed too, but only to the airspace above the island.
The group walked quickly and kept close together, though they kept a formation that had Lute and Sophitia at the front. The duo appeared totally focused on what was directly ahead of them, and habitually hopped over the little humps and potholes that were all over the ground. On the other hand, Infia had to jump and climb some of them, requiring Esther to slow down for her and help. Ruby watched the duo with interest and a frown, while Leos seemed curious more than anything.
“You seem like something’s really bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?” Infia huffed as she climbed up another step. Everybody else could easily jump right up it.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s not important,” Ruby said.
“Oh come on. It is if you’re dunking yourself in the ocean over it. Even I’m not that wild,” Esther joked. “And I’m pretty wild.”
“Please don’t ask her what she means,” Infia said quickly.
“We just met. I’m not about to dump all my problems on you. And besides, you’re just a kid. You probably wouldn’t understand anyway,” Ruby turned away.
“I’m sixteen…” Infia laughed lightly. Ruby froze.
“Wait, for real? But… uh, er, you’re wearing, um—”
“A nappy, I know. It’s a physical condition,” she said, half-lidded. Ruby opened her eyes. “A bit like those eyes of yours.”
“I… something like that’s real? A-actually, don’t tell me. It’s probably TMI,” Ruby said. She rubbed her face to hide her eyes.
“That’s a neat observation, though. Me and you both have conditions and wound up here with other Pokémon who have conditions or special abilities. The more I learn, the more it seems like we really are all brought together for a reason,” Leos commented.
“But you can’t fight, right? What good could you be in this situation?” Ruby said.
“I have techniques and powers; they just aren’t convenient for the situation you found me in. If we get surrounded by those monsters again, I’m going to have to ask for your help,” Leos explained.
“So er, I’m not gonna ask about the condition, but… you don’t think you should cover that up or anything?” Ruby asked.
“It’s not bothering you, is it?” Infia came to a stop. Ruby climbed past her.
“You’re wearing a tutu. It’s basically on show! Wouldn’t it be better if nobody could see it at least?” Ruby said.
“That’s inconvenient to me. A tutu is easier to move around in. It helps on days like these.” Infia smiled.
“Yeah but it’s… you might as well not wear clothes at all if you’re an adventurer, save for an accessory. I totally get that you’ve gotta wear it, but you’re also wearing stuff that draws eyes to it, ya’know?” Ruby reasoned. She hopped over the edge at the top of the hill where the others were waiting for them. “The Esther from my world was the same. Wore panties for some reason.”
“Hey this is kinda rich comin’ from someone with a belly so big they can’t see their own feet. Pokémon can wear what they want. It’s not like it’s offending anyone,” Esther said as she helped to pull Infia up. “Is it offending you? Do you get mad every time you see something wearing a nappy? Nappyphobia?”
“Hey hey I don’t mean to be rude or anythin’, honest. I just… don’t get it,” Ruby grumbled. “And it’s not my fault I’m this big, ‘kay? Comes with being Watermarked.”
“Yeah, sure it does,” Esther said, folding her arms and looking away. “Then you’re gonna tell me you have big round bones.”
“Esther,” Infia said with a sigh, and held out a paw. The Pikachu didn’t respond right away, but moaned a little.
“You sure?” she said. Infia nodded, and she groaned again. The duo linked paws and rubbed cheeks, and then promptly fused into Esthia.
“Wait a sec, what is- what the?” Ruby squeaked.
“Wooo, okay. Let’s see what we’ve got here, shall we?” Esthia said, landing with a peppy spin. She leaned ahead and scouted while humming to herself. “Huh. I really got called out for this?”
“Wa-wait a minute, is nobody gonna question this? Am I going nuts?” Ruby cried, glancing back and forth. “Those girls, they really just… what are you?”
“It’s a hybrid of the next level. They physically fused!” Leos gasped.
“You guys aren’t fighting, are you? That’s normally what I get called for,” Esthia asked. She scratched her face.
Ruby started growling at everyone’s casual reaction, and flared her back. “You gotta be kiddin’ me. Somethin’s really not right here”
“What is it? The fact that you’re mad for no reason, or the Risen that’s sneaking up on ya?” Esthia pointed blankly.
“This whole thing’s weird. The lot of you are weird. Even their fusion is weird. Heck, the fact that they can fuse is weird. And they’re still wearing a nappy!” Ruby cried. She flinched when Esthia shot out a ball of electricity from the palm of her paw, which just about missed the Cyndaquil by a few furs. The attack hit not far behind, earning the groan of a Risen. “What the?”
“They’re all over the island. Good eyes, Esthia,” Lute said. Sophitia had his back, facing the trees in the opposite direction. Groups of Risen emerged from the woodland ahead, but not nearly as many as was on the beach before.
“So they headed further into the island. There’s probably way more where that came from,” Sophitia warned. She got ready for battle and posed with her feelers.
“Um, Sophitia? No sword and shield, remember?” Lute warned. She cringed and blushed at him.
“I remember I remember! It’s all special attacks from here, huh?” she laughed.
“How can you guys laugh? Like, what even are those things? They’re not Pokémon, that’s for damn sure!” Ruby cried while everyone else prepared for battle. “Stop ignoring me, this is serious! This is literally some kinda messed up dream or something!”
“Are you still talking? I think we ought to pay attention,” Leos said as he twirled his scalchop. He formed a double-sided Razor Shell and held the weapon like a staff.
“Don’t tell me to stop talking. I’m losing my mind here! My stomach hurts, my head’s gonna explode and—” Ruby said, going quiet when she realised that no one was paying her any mind. She growled, opened her eyes, and shoved Lute and Sophitia aside. “Alright just get outta the way, I’ll handle this.”
“There’s a lot of them. Be careful,” Lute held a paw out.
“Shut up!” she snapped.
The Cyndaquil glared at the Risen with what could only be described as obsessive focus, and shifted side to side while her head darted back and forth. As the monsters slinked through the trees, she positioned herself to take the enemy horde head on. Almost as if they had acknowledged that, the Risen let out roars and charged at her.
The moment they sped towards her, clumping together into one blurry crowd of goop, Ruby planted her feet and flared her back harder than before. She breathed in deeply, rearing back as she did so, and then exhaled a powerful streak of fire larger than herself. She shot a wave of flames from her mouth, engulfing the crowd of Risen in an explosion from where her attack hit the ground. The others were pushed back a bit from her output, and had to shield themselves from the intense heat they felt from the flames on her back.
“Did that do it?” Sophitia said, watching the cloud of smoke in disbelief.
“Of course that did. No one ever survives my Overheat,” Ruby boasted and stood tall. The others still stared in silence, even more surprised to find that her flames didn’t linger despite hitting the grassy ground. No enemies were left, only their sludge.
“That attack was even stronger than Phoenix. And it left behind no debris,” Sophitia said, turning back to Ruby. “Hmm. Looks like you’re more than a moany kid after all.”
“Me? Wait, I’m the moany kid?” she squeaked.
“Is it just me or did that attack deflate her tummy, too?” Esthia said, half lidded and rubbing her chin.
Ruby flinched and looked down at herself. “I-it’s just your imagination.”
“Na-uh, I’m pretty sure. You’re still kinda chunky and cute, but you’re definitely smaller!” Esthia pointed. Ruby grumbled.
“I’m even more curious, now. What’s Watermarked? Does it have something to do with what just happened?” Leos asked. He took note of Lute and the others continuing their trek into the forest, and followed slowly.
“It’s super weird, okay? Never mind it. It’s long to explain, too. If you guys are gonna go with the flow and ignore all your weird stuff, then you should ignore my weird stuff, too,” Ruby said.
“Oh I think I get why the girls called me, now. You said stuff about Infia’s nappy, didn’t you?” Esthia said in a sing-song tone. Ruby made a face, setting off Esthia’s giggling. “Yep. See, they’re not the best with that stuff yet. But lemme ask you. You’re still going on, getting as powerful as you just showed us, despite having a weight you can’t control, right?”
“Wha-what kinda question is that? I can control my weight just fine. I just… haven’t gotten the chance to exercise properly. Yeah, that’s it.” Ruby blushed.
“Therefore, you face comments about your belly every single time you meet somebody new. Or if they’re not questioning you on it, they’re looking at you funny, or they’re expecting you to order a hundred plates at a restaurant or something,” Esthia explained. She tucked her paws behind her head. “Ew, why do you wear a nappy? Isn’t that for babies? You didn’t graduate from pull-ups? It’s so easy to go to the bathroom. Ya’know, the usual comments.”
Ruby went quiet, while Leos slowed down.
“I’m sure all of us know that stuff. Like, just how hard it is to keep going and doing the stuff you wanna do in life, knowing that everybody you ever meet is gonna ask those questions. And most of them don’t mean it, really. But it gets super embarrassing either way,” she continued. “But at some point, you just gotta embrace it and keep on living. Get on with what we all wanna do in whatever ways we can.”
“Alright I get it, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to make her feel awkward and stuff,” Ruby said, and turned away.
“Infia wants to be a cheerleader and a dancer, and that means wearing all kindsa dancer clothing. Ballet tutus are one of those things. Judging by how strong you are, I bet you wanna be a powerful fighter or something, too,” Esthia said. “Now the way I see it, it isn’t that you should get used to other Pokémon poking fun at your stomach. Other Pokémon need to know and get used to you looking the way you do. It’s not your fault after all, right?”
Ruby went quiet again, but she did slow down to rub her belly. Just her light touch and it wobbled like a plate of jelly, bringing another blush to her face.
“Somehow being proud of yourself even though we’re weird, huh?” Leos said. “I only did all the stuff I had to do because I had no choice. I can’t imagine living normally as myself.”
“Grr, I get it, I get it already. I didn’t come here to think about this crap,” Ruby cried and ruffled her head fur.
“Pretty sure we didn’t come here wilfully at all,” Leos commented.
“Exactly! So stop getting all wizardy on me. We were brought here to beat stuff up, so let’s find the stuff we’re meant to beat up already!” she cried.
“Guys, everything alright?” Lute called back, making the trio pay attention. There was a gap between the group, so they jogged to catch up.
Turns out Lute and Sophitia had stopped at top of the forested hill, where they were looking down at a gorge in the middle. The woodland stopped dead here, completely replaced by red hues, scattered embers, and a rigid rock. The gorge ran deep, but was rendered in shadow by the unusual way the trees leaned over the cliff, keeping it covered by a roof of leaves miles in the sky.
The majority of the gorge was taken up by an old-styled castle. Perfectly cuboid blocks of stone were layered together to build up this mighty fortress, which seemed to belch out an endless wave of heat and embers from a fire raging deep within. Just looking at it brought up a sickening lump that could only be kept down thanks to the heat.
“What’s this?” Sophitia said, fangs showing in disgust. “There’s no way this was below the ocean.”
“But could someone have built it all in like, the three days the ocean started changing? I have a really bad feeling about this,” Lute wondered.
“Guys, check this out,” Esthia called from a distance. She was by a path that looked like it sloped its way down to the castle. “The Risen are going inside. So that’s our destination.”
“Just what I didn’t want to hear.” Lute hung his head.
“What do you mean? This is exactly the adventure we wanted,” Sophitia patted him on the head.
“I don’t know. Just looking at this place gives me a really bad feeling,” he said, looking down at the Risen. They looked like insects from this distance, a fidgety swarm of murky brown that brought him to cringe hard. “Why are they gathering here?”
“I got a better question,” Esthia said. Everyone turned to her. “If the Risen get washed away by Rain Dance, how did they even make it here?”
There was complete silence for a long moment, and then Sophitia raised a feeler. “Esthia darling, some questions are best left unanswered. Let’s get a move on.”
“Not the worst dungeon I’ve had the misfortune of having to visit,” Leos said.
The path leading to the entrance was a lot longer and maze-like than anticipated, as it curled back into the forest and through a few mountain paths before heading straight to the castle moat. The group had to stop and hide behind a few boulders to avoid detection, where they had a good view of activities going on within.
Now that they were close, the heat was almost unbearable. Embers constantly stung and singed the group. Said embers ate away at the rickety excuse for a moat bridge, too. The army of Risen didn’t seem to be affected by any of it though, and slowly slid into the castle like Magcargo in a stream of lava. They barely made a sound, and from their slumped posture, it was almost as though they were hypnotised.
“They’re disgusting. These things really run rampant in your world?” Ruby world.
“Not really. It’s a long story, but we had a dictator that was cultivating them.” Sophitia said.
“That’s what’s irking me,” Lute turned away. “All of these things were once ordinary Pokémon. And even after the many that we and King’s Shield took care of, look how many are here. Just how many lives was Lassic responsible for taking?”
“The best thing we can do is put those lives at ease. If someone’s trying to harness the power of these Risen, then we need to put a stop to that twisted legacy once and for all,” Sophitia stated. She stepped out in the open. “Doesn’t look like there’s an alternate path at all, so we’re—”
“Stop, what’re you doing?” Leos hissed and pulled her back into hiding. “We’re more than likely taking on a powerful enemy we do not know much about. If we’re to take this on, we do it with a strategy.”
“You never heard of offense is the best defence?” Ruby asked.
“Of course I have. But taking on a seemingly endless army of those monsters sounds foolish, even for powers like yours. I’m coming up with a plan, just give me a few more minutes,” Leos stated. He climbed up the wall beside them to look over the top. “Do any of you have some form of grapple hook?”
“I guess we technically have one,” Esthia said, revealing her baton. “I’ve never used it as a proper hook, though.”
“We can sneak into the castle from here if we can swing or tightrope across the gorge. From there, we can continue to sneak and assess the situation, likely taking our foe by surprise. We’ll strike them with a critical hit,” he said.
“Yeah I don’t think my baton’s gonna work that way. Neither is Electroweb,” Esthia said, half lidded. She whipped her baton to reveal its flashy blue crackle and shimmering strand. She revealed a second baton that had the same kind of ribbon, but red.
“Why are they so fancy?” Leos slumped.
“I’m a showgirl! Gotta have fancy shit. They’re not exactly built for holding up all you guys, though,” she said as she slipped them back into her shirt.
“Then what do we do? We need to get across without them seeing us somehow,” he said, going back to thinking.
“You sure? They don’t seem to notice me,” Sophitia called out.
“Sophitia!” the group hissed, finding her stood out in plain sight. Despite being right next to the line of Risen, they completely ignored her. The group slowed to a halt, and then warily joined her.
“Yeah I think these ones are brainwashed or something. We can just slip right in amongst them,” Sophitia explained. “Oh and by the way. Leos, remember that you’re not the leader, here.”
“You got told already,” Ruby snickered.
“I… just thought… a strategy would be best,” Leos laughed awkwardly. Sophitia went half-lidded. “Okay, okay. I got it. I’m following.”
They had to wait until there was enough of a space between the Risen for them to slip in without disturbing them, and the moment they did, there was total regret. Lute was small enough to be totally invisible between them, and cringed with every step he took. Everything around him was cold, damp, and soggy, as if he was walking through a swamp of waterlogged, melted clothes. The sloppy noises coming from them all didn’t help, either. To his surprise, Esthia’s laughing brought him to pay attention.
“What the hell is so funny?” Ruby cried, her fur stood on end.
“This is super fun, that’s what!” Esthia cheered. She was hugged up super close to some of the monsters.
“How is this fun? It’s gross!” Leos cried. “I don’t know what I was expecting. And they leave sludge with every step, it’s all over my feet and—”
“Silly boys, that’s the best part! We’re about to get down and dirty here,” Esthia giggled.
“Wha… seriously? Wears nappies, can fuse, and now likes getting muddy? The hell kinda Pikachu are you?” Ruby cried.
“You’re better off not arguing with her,” Sophitia sighed
The group went quiet once they made it into the fortress, where the Risen all gathered around a large hole in the centre of the room. This fortress was a singular room with a pit in the centre where all the Risen seemed to be jumping in. The group scuttled off to a corner once they realised this, and searched for any other clues.
“Not what I was expecting. They’re killing themselves?” Ruby whispered in horror.
“I really don’t like the look of this now,” Lute said, and stretched his feet out.
The room began to darken and the Risen came to a stop. A few of them groaned quietly as their heads turned upwards. Lute instinctively followed their gaze, expecting to see something descend in the centre of the room.
“Well now. This is an interesting surprise,” a voice echoed from afar. “I was already infuriated by how long this plan was taking to work, but I didn’t think it would take so long that you heroes could find your way here.”
“Who are you? And what’re you doing with all these Risen?” Sophitia said.
“Are you really asking those questions and expecting honest answers?” the voice replied. Sophitia frowned. “Well then. I guess today is your lucky day. For the first time, I’m going to play along and actually do just that.”
A single light shone down from above, fitting the diameter of the pit perfectly. From above, a very small Pokémon began to descend, soon clear enough to be recognised as a Klefki. He sparkled with shininess and his keys floated around him rather than being on his keyring.
“Tetralocke,” Lute said quietly.
“Good. So you know him,” Leos folded his arms. “Quick. How did you defeat him in the past?”
“We didn’t. He has infinite restorative powers. Any damage he takes, even if it dismantles or pierces him, he heals it effortlessly,” Sophitia explained. It took a second for the fact to settle in.
“What?” Leos choked and shifted back. “That’s impossible. He’s got to have a weakness.”
“You know, it’s rude to talk over Pokémon, especially when you’ve asked them a question. I said I would answer, and you didn’t even wait for an answer!” Tetra shook with annoyance. “If you don’t want one, then keep talking, I guess. We can do this whichever way you want.”
The group stayed quiet.
“Good. You children know your place. Now sit tight and listen well, because it’s a long one,” Tetra announced, sharpening a key. He flinched aside a Flamethrower, eyes widened.
“Don’t push your luck, kid. Your voice is annoying, so get to the good parts,” Ruby shouted.
“Oh my, what’s this? I didn’t see you there. You got new teammates. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway. As long as you’re all inferior, ordinary Pokémon, you can’t stop me,” Tetra said, going back to sharpening his key. “So, you know how Lassic’s been the head of Spirle for like, twenty odd years? Made a lot of Risen in that time and his only idea to getting rid of them all was dumping them in the ocean.”
“Yeah, about that. Don’t Risen die in water? Rain Dance gets rid of them,” Esthia wondered.
“Oh you poor peasant. Water doesn’t get rid of Risen. It’s true, their bodies aren’t solid enough to stay standing when they get wet. But they still function perfectly, even when underwater. Twenty years’ worth of Risen incubating in the ocean mean that there’s a colossal army beyond our imagination just waiting to be unleashed. All these Risen here are a fraction of what’s at my disposal! I had hoped to get all of them for this, but that might take years before they all gathered here in my Deadly Pot,” Tetra explained.
“You’re going to take over the world with an army of Risen?” Sophitia said. That set Tetra off laughing, which angered her.
“Heck no! I would never succeed. These things are far too weak and worthless on their own. Even pathetic, ordinary Pokémon like yourselves can take them down,” he said, and then he suddenly froze. He floated to just above their height, and glared down at the group. With the light above him and the shadow below, he just about appeared intimidating. “It was you who gave me the idea, you know. Who reminded me of what Risen are capable of. The one way they can actually be strong on their own.”
“What?” Lute whispered while the others glanced around in confusion.
“Oh gods, he means fusion. Right, Risen can fuse together, and that- oh gods, you wouldn’t!” Esthia cried, flinching back hard.
“Oh baby I would. On my personal island, the Deadly Pot, I’ve been drawing all the Risen to this spot. And I am going to combine them all into a big thing that can crush the whole world with a pinch of its little fingers,” Tetra announced playfully. He turned around. “But that would be boring. Being unkillable, it’s just boring watching that happen. Especially since I don’t really have control over the thing. But that’s when I remembered, I’m part Risen, too!”
“You’re part Risen?” Lute said.
“Every single V-Wave boosted Pokémon Spirle ever created is capable of degrading into a Risen. I wouldn’t be surprised if even Lute is capable. They degrade without noticing it, almost like a machine that rusts until it’s unusable,” Tetra explained. Lute looked at the ground. “But my point is, that means I actually have similar enough programming and makeup to fuse as well. If my giant Risen monster were to have a genius like myself at its core, then I could have the world bowing to me with zero risk.”
“So in actuality, you just need these Risen to continue living,” Lute said.
“I just explained it. Were you not listening, peasant?” Tetra raised his voice. Lute looked up at him.
“You just revealed more than you thought. With V-Waves reserved for the Ancient Flowers, these Risen and other V-Wave powered Pokémon now have a timer. We’re all going to turn into Risen someday, possibly soon,” Lute explained. Tetra gasped. “You desperately started gathering the Risen here because you realised how short your time is, didn’t you?”
“Stop it! Don’t spout illogical words like that. Why would what I’m telling you be a lie?” Tetra cried.
“What do you mean? You’re the villain here. You’re the most likely to lie to us about stuff,” Esthia said. “But is that really true, Lute? Could Tetra really just turn into a Risen?”
Lute didn’t answer.
“… Could you and Infia turn into a Risen, too?” she asked.
“Aww, isn’t that just depressing. The little girl doesn’t want her friend to transform. Too bad it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. Whether you believe me or not, I’m going to fuse with these Risen. And you’re going to try and stop me, so I’m going to have to do it right now!” Tetra said.
“Yeah. I was thinkin’ it was about time you stopped yammerin’ and challenged us,” Ruby said.
“Why would you want to fight him like that?” Leos cried. Tetra laughed at them and then dove into the pit.
“’Cos I’m not afraid of some snotty little kid’s threatening story. Whatever’s gettin’ him to talk big, I’ll burn it down to the ground!” Ruby cried.
“Have you considered anything that’s been happening right now? That perhaps this is a crisis bigger than anything we might have faced?” Leos shouted. The area began to shake and the Risen were starting to chant and melt. “I mean, we were brought here from another world to deal with this. He can’t be all talk.”
“Just like he says, whether it’s talk or not, we’re going to fight. And ‘cos we’re going to fight, I’m going to fight back at my full strength,” Ruby argued.
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be cautious and play things in our favour. We had the chance to make a strategy out of this. We could have tactically retreated and regained our bearings, come up with a plan to—”
“You’re not getting it, Leos! I don’t care how big or strong or whatever my foe looks. No matter who they are, if they’re a villain, I’m gonna take ‘em down by burning ‘em to the ground. I don’t let fear or whatever other petty feelings drive me,” she shouted and flared her back. Leos and the others were surprised, but the Oshawott composed himself with a tug at his bubbly collar.
“This isn’t about letting fear or hesitation drive you, this is about smarts! We have no idea what kind of enemy we’re going up against, so we should—”
“We should focus, that’s what!” Sophitia shouted above them, looking back. Her intense look and tone silenced them both.
The pit in the middle of the room welled up with Risen sludge until it overflowed. The remaining Risen kept up their chants as they were swept up by it, while the group had to plant their feet to stand their ground. Still, the nasty substance swamped over the smaller members of the group, going as high as Esthia’s neck.
“Okay that’s a bit too much!” Esthia cried, doing her best to keep her arms out of it. Lute, Ruby and Leos had to grab her to avoid getting swept away, but their sudden grips made her lose her balance and she fell straight into Sophitia.
It couldn’t have been a nastier experience. Headfirst below a river of thick, muddy sludge that was getting sucked into the hole in the centre of the room. Sophitia let out a noise of effort as she stretched all four of her feelers out at random. She hoped to grab something that could pull her and her friends up. The two attached to her chest ribbon found something and pulled, but the effort and strain on top of holding her breath hurt right away. It earnt a groan and a shiver of effort, but it was too much. She quickly lost her grip and went spiralling toward the pit.
Right before they would be sucked in, a heavy grip yanked the group away and they were flung out of the sludge. All they could do was gasp for breath before they landed in a heap, Ruby and Leos being the first to get up and shake themselves off.
“Ugh, not even being Watermarked saves me from this! Pah, this is so nasty, it’s all over my fur and everything,” Ruby cried.
“Not even being water type can save from that. It’s gonna take forever to get my white fur back if this stains,” Leos cried, brushing his head crazily.
“So much for being into it. You’re both whining like babies!” Sophitia shouted and pinched them both. A flinch and an embarrassed pout later and the duo realised where they were. Angel had swept them out of the sludge and was rising out of the forest. She had a concentrated frown for once.
As she circled the Deadly Pit from above, the group had a full view of the rising sludge as Tetralocke’s ritual took place. The sludge rose out of the pit and overflowed out of the fortress, creating waterfalls of the stuff that went down into the crater below. The vibrations from whatever was coming could be felt from their distance, and soon, a pair of golden eyes gleamed from the centre.
Angel let out a cry of angst and sped up to gain distance, but still she was knocked off-balance by the heavy gush of wind the monster created as it popped out of the world below. Everyone managed to stay latched to her back, and was equally as speechless at the thing Tetra had become.
Colossal was an understatement. Tetra’s Monster went from the depths of the pit to nearly touching the clouds above. It was humanoid with bulky arms that bulged with veins and unidentifiable organs shaping it out, each organ bigger than the group put together. Its general shape was rounded, while Risen sludge made up most of its texture. Said sludge was much darker than the average Risen, as well as being hardened – the sludge didn’t drip or flow, and resembled dried, half-melted wax.
The only parts of its body that weren’t sludge were its face, which had become a giant mask resembling a Klefki’s face, and a scar marking on its chest that looked like stitching. Its eyes gleamed a gold as bright as the sun, whilst its keyhole-shaped mouth had a red glow deep inside. Giant keys of various kinds orbited its head like a detached necklace.
“Regretting anything yet?” Leos said. “This thing makes Zygarde look wimpy.”
“It’s something, I’ll give it that. But if it’s just a combination of all those little zombie thingies, then it makes no difference,” Ruby said as she positioned herself at the front of Angel’s tuft. She launched a Flamethrower attack from there, but the attack made a speck of an explosion on the monster’s surface. Her face drooped.
“And you honestly thought that would work,” Leos said, half-lidded.
“Hey you never know until you try. I could’ve melted it or something,” she replied casually.
“Don’t start again you two. Be serious about this!” Lute shouted. “If we don’t do something, that monster is going to destroy most of Aseria!”
“What do we do, though? I doubt even Diancie or Artemis can do something about that thing. It’s so big,” Sophitia replied.
“Everyone, please hold on tight!” Angel cried.
“What?” Esthia said, and then felt herself get yanked by force as Angel changed direction.
The giant keys broke away from their orbit of the monster and swarmed towards Angel with their blades pointed right at them. Angel could out-speed them, but her attempt to lose their chase was in vain. Every time she twisted and turned sharply through the air, the keys would reposition, never far from their threat of slicing the group to bits if she slowed down.
Lute groaned and growled from the roughness of the flight, but eventually managed to glance back at what was going on. With a shout, he brought up his Swift attack and threw it as hard as he could. The stars homed in on the gold key and surrounded it in blasts and smoke, which seemed to stop it in place.
“Good idea, Lute,” Sophitia cried and twisted her body. She held on with her paws while her feelers formed a Moonblast in front of her mouth. It took three shots, but she managed to hit the bronze key and brought it down. Four keys were left, which were brought down by the group’s combined efforts of attacks.
The whole time, Angel had gotten as far away from the Deadly Pit as she could. Once the keys had stopped chasing, she halted in the air and turned to face the island, still frowning. Tetra’s Monster had taken entire chunks of the island with its rise, so its back and parts of its arms were covered with woodland and greenery.
“Seriously though, we’re gonna need like a hell of a miracle to take this thing down,” Esthia said. “Think a concentration of attacks at a weak point would do the trick?”
“Wishful thinking. We don’t even know where its weak point is, if it has one. Easy guess is the red bit in its mouth, or the scar. But that’s a wild risk, even for me,” Sophitia reasoned. Silence followed.
“Well we’ve gotta do something,” Esthia cried, glancing at everyone’s unsure looks. They tried not to look at her or the monster.
“I might be able to do it. But I’m going to need everyone’s help,” Leos stated. “I’m hoping your world has aura, otherwise this won’t work.”
“Aura? I guess. Just summarize. What’ve we gotta do?” Ruby asked.
“Oh so now you want to listen.” He rolled his eyes.
“Even I know the time when not to be an ass!” she cried.
“There’s an attack I can do, it’s called a Z-Move. It can instantly destroy any target,” he said. He looked at Tetra’s monster with an uncertain frown. “But in order to do it, I need our hearts to be in sync, and a pose has to be performed.”
“Well that doesn’t sound too hard. We’re only all involved in the same thing right now,” Ruby reasoned.
“I wonder if it will work seeing as we just met today,” he said, facing them again. “And of course, we have to brave getting close.”
“Well that’s not a problem. What’s the pose?” Lute said.
Leos gave a groan and then made space on Angel’s back. He crossed his arms and tensed up, unfurled them, stretched them forward while keeping them crossed, and then unfurled as he crouched. He span as he rose back, curling his arms up in an arch shape, and ended in a pose resembling the Aries star sign. “Like this. You have to do the motions exactly as I did and in perfect sync. Doing that channels the aura and forms the move.”
There was a long pause and Leos kept the pose the whole time, unbothered by the sceptical looks he was got. Sophitia soon laughed a bit, and came forward. “Okay. I’m guessing there’s a ton more to it, but we don’t really have time to explain right now, do we?”
“I only have the strength to do the move once. It’s incredibly tiring,” Leos warned, looking at his hands. “I’m sorry about that.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? One shot to get everything right, huh? We’ve never had the stakes so high,” Sophitia said with an eager smile. “Okay you guys, you know how it’s done. Esthia, you’re the best at this sort of thing, so we’ll leave the pose to you. Angel, we’re counting on you to stay balanced and keep us outta trouble. Lute and Ruby, us three have gotta keep projectiles off our tails. We got this?”
“We’ve got this,” Lute nodded. “Leos. You trust us, don’t you?”
“I don’t really have a choice.” He looked away.
“Na-uh, we can’t have that attitude. If what I’m getting about your special move is right, then we need to be in the same mindset as we do this. I’m putting my trust in you, so are you putting your trust in us?” Sophitia explained.
Leos looked down and mumbled a little. “I’m used to having to rely on Pokémon I’ve just met, but a situation like this is something else. When I say I have no choice, I mean I’m ready to put my life in your paws.”
“You kinda make it’s sound like it’s a bad thing, relying on me. Do I seem like the kinda Pokémon that’d let you down?” Ruby replied. All eyes turned to her, but no one said anything, making her blush a bit. “Oh geez, thanks guys. Did I say something wrong?”
“Ahaha, I’m gonna miss you two,” Sophitia said.
Angel let out an eager cry and soared forward with a brush of her wings. The group positioned themselves at her front, and glared at Tetra’s Monster with eager intent on their faces, though Leos retained focus. Once back in the vicinity of the island, an incredibly low rumble of a voice began to echo through the air, bringing them all to cringe and their pulses to increase.
“Back already?” the voice began. Tetra’s Monster pointed a palm at them to bring Angel to a stop. “I did not take you for the type to commit suicide.”
“Don’t let him intimidate you. We’ve got this,” Sophitia said. They nodded to her. “It ain’t suicide if we come out the victors, hun. And we do not plan on dying anytime soon.”
“You would dare challenge a foe such as me, even seeing what I am. You have not even seen what I am capable of,” he said, lowering that palm. “A foolish mistake and your last. Perhaps it is because you think of yourselves as heroes. But even you cannot elude death. You may have defeated Lassic, but I will not fall to the same mistakes.”
“Let’s do it.” Leos positioned himself in the middle. The others nodded and Angel took off. She circled Tetra’s Monster, and although he struggled to turn face her, his orbiting keys gave chase for him.
“One by one, the Spirle High Points fell to their personal emotions on the matters. They had power, but they tarnished it. Their inability to seize full control over Aseria was their undoing,” Tetra stated. The entire time he spoke, Angel had to curl around him to avoid the keys. Everyone kept firing their attacks to slow down the keys, as well as directly at the monster’s surface. Nothing had any effect.
“Their hesitation allowed the world to grow hardy Pokémon like yourselves. Pokémon who feel nothing but fortune in their idealistic actions. But in reality, you are ordinary Pokémon. Children. Weak life forms who survived on nothing but words.”
Angel cried out and violently jerked downwards. She barely avoided a swipe of the monster’s arm. A heavy wind still struck the group, taking them off their feet and sending Angel flipping through the air. She caught everyone and promptly took off, but was once again assaulted by the orbiting keys.
“I will not make the same mistake as them. I have unfathomable power. Godly wit. The capability of doing anything I want to. The fate of this entire world is within my grasp, and I will ensure every living thing knows it. Those who disobey like yourselves, they will perish.”
Tetra’s Monster raised both its arms to its sides, and as it did so, an incredible force picked up around it, stalling Angel in place. The earth broke apart and rose with its movements, filling the sky with huge bubbles of seawater and chunks of ground.
“Angel, move it!” Sophitia shouted.
The Togekiss gave an anxious cry as it flapped its wings and took off again. They now had to weave between the floating obstacles, the chunks of earth and seawater. The obstacles orbited the monster the same way the keys did, but it almost looked as they were changing altitude just to ram into Angel. To make matters worse, Tetra’s Monster could still move, and tried swing its arm at them again.
“Angel, go up!” Lute cried, patting her back.
She took his warning without a second of thought, and gave her wings a great flap to ascend straight upward and just about avoid the monster again. From here, Ruby shot out a few quick blasts of Flamethrower to destroy a few chunks of earth they nearly ran into, shrouding a bit of the sky in sooty smoke. Sophitia stretched her feelers out to wrap them around a tree to force Angel to swerve and quickly change direction. A few keys stabbed into a piece of ground they were heading to. It looked like they would’ve hit if they hadn’t changed direction.
“Struggle all you will. You cannot harm me. And I will not give you a chance to find a way. You had your chance and you threw it away by challenging me now. I will never allow you so-called heroes to live another day. Soon the world will know my wrath, forever and ever,” Tetra’s Monster said as it pointed a palm at the group. A powerful gush of wind came out from the palm, sending the group flying along with a portion of the earth and water. Right afterwards, it leaned forward and the red glow in its mouth began to intensify.
By the time Angel had righted herself, she was facing the red glow head on, which resembled a sun in size and brightness. All she could do was gasp and cross her wings in front of herself to desperately guard as a huge beam fired out and engulfed her entirely. She used Protect right before getting hit, but there was still an intense wave of fire that burnt away at everyone the whole time. Harsh grunts and gritted fangs were all that everyone did to resist the urge to scream.
When it was over, Angel and the group flopped forward and staggered, left sizzling and short of breath. The instant switch to the cold air of the sky hardened their bodies. Still, Angel remained afloat, and slowly raised her head. She and the group were covered with marks of burns and light embers, but they were able to stand up again.
“Everyone okay?” Leos asked.
“You don’t need to worry about us. We’ve got this,” Sophitia said with an eager smile.
Leos was surprised. “What’re you made of?”
“I’ve been hit by worse. Better question is, you’re gonna do that move soon, aren’t ya?” Ruby flared her back. Leos tugged at his collar and got a hold of himself.
“Yes. I’ve got this. Drop me off on one of the platforms. Esthia, you go on another one,” Leos instructed. This is just like that time… back in that golden sky…
“Angel, we’re counting on you,” Lute said, and she took off again.
“You cannot resist for ever. Submit to me,” Tetra’s Monster said as he rekindled his attacks.
With a raise of his arms, more of the earth lifted up. He went right back to trying to swipe the party with his arms while his keys slashed through the air toward them. Angel dodged it all, and then headed toward the monster’s chest where the scar was. Leos hopped off there, but stumbled a bit as he landed on a small patch of rock. Esthia wasn’t far behind him, landing in a different spot with a twirl and a bow.
“You know, you’re doing an awful lot of talking for someone who’s missing all their attacks,” Sophitia commented.
“There is nothing you can do. Your attempts to struggle are being observed. You will not escape forever—”
“Yeah yeah, you don’t know when to shut up, do you? As much as I’d love to have a bad guy chat with you, you overstayed your welcome, big time,” Sophitia said. She crossed her feelers and charged up a Moonblast, while Lute and Ruby prepared their Swift and Flamethrower as well.
Angel took off directly towards the monster’s centre, swerving side to side to avoid the islands and sharp keys. She raised a wing up high and a large blue orb swelled at the tip. She threw her attack with everyone else’s to combine her Air Slash with the flames and light to make one giant beam attack.
The resulting blast recoiled against the group with loud wind and heated smoke, but Tetra’s Monster let out a horrifying roar of pain as well, and shifted backwards ever so slightly. The stitches holding its scar together had torn apart, revealing fleshy innards that radiated with a fiery red glow, similar to the one in its mouth.
Right there and then, Leos and Esthia began their act, crossing their arms. The instant they did, the sky darkened and their bodies began to gleam with golden energy. Particles of light swarmed into them from everywhere.
“Y-you. You think you’re clever, don’t you?” Tetra’s Monster glared down at them.
“We need to keep that wound open. And keep the overs free,” Sophitia said.
“Then let’s go all the way!” Ruby said, leaping off Angel’s back. She looked as though she mistimed her jump and went sailing through the air, but it didn’t deter her from shooting her flames all over the place. Meanwhile, Lute, Sophitia, and Angel kept their work up on stopping the keys.
The battle had become focused on one spot, turning into a minefield of blasts and energy everywhere. Tetra’s Monster had become stiff while its scar was open, so all it seemed to be able to do was control its keys and the islands of rock. That did make its attacks more violent and tougher to deal with. One of the keys even managed to cut into Angel.
Before they knew it, the glow had grown blinding even without them staring at it. All eyes went to Leos, who was surrounded by a huge sphere of golden, glittery light. His scalchop had grown into a giant Razor Shell in the shape of a scythe, and he glared up at Tetra’s Monster with a tired fury. He met the monster’s eyes perfectly.
“I’m giving you ten seconds,” was all Leos said. There was a pause.
“Is this a joke? Are you threatening me? Has the damage of this battle been lost on you so far? The likes of you cannot harm me!” Tetra’s Monster replied.
Leos sighed. “Didn’t even use the ten seconds.”
With a stomp of his foot, countless copies of himself appeared, each one holding double-sided Razor Shell attacks like lances. They flew into the air at high speed, where they stabbed and slashed at the monster all over its body. What was expected to be a miniscule attack that wouldn’t harm it at all, turned out to hurt enough to earn grunts and flinches. Every Razor Shell that hit remained in its body as well, stabbing it right through until the blade pointed out the opposite end. Within seconds, the scar was surrounded by blue beams of light from lingering blades, and Tetra’s Monster had leaned back in agony.
That wasn’t the end of the attack, either. Still clothed in a golden glow, Leos’ aura spiked into a fiery burst as he span his scythe around in his arms. When he grasped it, the weapon grew to absurd length, and he thrust it straight into the scar. A wicked roar split the sky, which was silenced when he drew the weapon straight up. He cut clean up the centre of the monster and sliced it in two. White light gushed from the space between the cut, trailing from head to toe.
“I-Impossible… where… how did you get this much power?” Tetra’s Monster staggered. “No… after everything I did… what I became… who… who are you?”
Leos took a moment to respond, still surrounded by aura as his weapon vanished. “I’m Leos. Leos Aska, pioneer of light.”
Tetra’s Monster stopped cringing and returned to its original pose even though the light still gushed from its cut. The glow of its eyes and mouth had dimmed to nothing. “I have seen power. Power that none of you can comprehend. And it does not belong to me.”
Leos raised an eyebrow, while Sophitia focused.
“Yes… I became an ‘archfiend’. I am but the first of many archfiends. My reign did not even begin, but in the future, perhaps many generations after you are gone… what will you do then? Will you travel through space and time as you have now?”
“Or will you allow darkness to reign?”
An incredible rumble began to take over the area, shockwaves powerful enough to pin everyone back and stop them in place. The platforms, orbs of water, and the orbiting keys lost whatever magic held them up and began to fall into the world below, soon followed by Tetra’s Monster splitting in two. All that was between its two halves was light rather than the expected flesh or organs, and those halves began to evaporate into dust.
And then, in a blinding flash and brief gush of light particles, Tetra’s Monster was gone. The island was left in unfathomable ruin, with chunks of earth littered all over the place to make broken terrain. Parts of the island were drowned too, while giant keys of various kinds were left poking out of the sea. Up in the sky remained two golden glows, portals sat in front of Angel.
“More archfiends,” Sophitia mumbled.
“You’re not worried, are you?” Lute asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be? If we face more foes like that, I don’t know if we’ll get something like Leos to help us deal with it again,” she reasoned. She turned to the Oshawott who was panting like he’d run a marathon, floored on one paw. “Speaking of, awesome work out there! What was that move?”
“The Z-Move?” Leos huffed as he tried to stand. He nearly stumbled off Angel’s back, but Ruby caught him.
“Keep it together, will ya? Wouldn’t do to have ya kicking the bucket now,” Ruby commented.
“It’s a special technique discovered by… Constellars… who channel the power of the stars to use their powers. But it’s normally reserved… for Constellar Lords… or other high positions like myself,” Leos panted. “The attack I use has the specific effect of felling any foe without fail… so long as it hits directly. That’s why they’re so exclusive.”
“It’s amazing. Glad I was able to see it in action,” Sophitia said, and bowed. “We have a lot to thank you two for, but it doesn’t look like we’ll get the chance to do it.”
“Sophitia?” Lute said. She pointed to the two portals.
“Looks like our hunch was right on the money. Beating that guy got you two a ticket back home. I doubt those are gonna stick around forever though, so you better get going,” Esthia suggested. “Oh, wait a minute! Before you go!”
“We have to go… already?” Ruby said. Esthia squeezed the bow on her chest and turned into a ball of light. She separated back into Esther and Infia. “Ah, really? You’re doing this now?”
“She probably wants them to see you off properly.” Sophitia smiled. “I know I’m gonna miss you guys, though. If you could’ve stayed here, I would’ve invited you to join the team, you know.”
“That’s an honour. Thank you,” Leos said, and bowed.
“We didn’t even get to eat anything… or see anything outside of that island… or the stuff in the sky… geez, being a heroine sucks sometimes,” Ruby groaned.
“Oh. She brought us back when you were leaving,” Esther said. “That sucks even more. I didn’t even get to chat to you properly.”
“Or get to know an Oshawott,” Infia hung her head.
“Hey don’t worry about that. You’re not missing much. This guy’s pretty nerdy,” Ruby joked.
“A nerd that saved all your lives instead of whining all the time,” Leos said.
“Ohoho. We’re brave, aren’t we? Wanna square down, right here?” Ruby said.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend to get back to? You did say he was useless on his own.” He folded his arms.
“Grrk. He can wait a little while for me to kick your ass,” she said.
“Urf. Maybe it’s better you come from different worlds. You two don’t get along well at all,” Lute groaned, and the others set off giggling. “For real, though. We owe you two a lot. It’s a real shame you have to go so soon. But if we somehow do meet again… well, hopefully we can show you around.”
“It would be my pleasure, Lute. The same goes for if you find your way to Etheria. Hopefully we can meet on happier circumstances,” Leos said, shaking Lute’s paw.
“Urgh, he’s so fancy about it all. But I guess you’re not too bad or anything. I’d hang out, but I’d kinda wanna look around your world for myself. I prefer exploring like that.” Ruby rubbed her face. She moaned a little, and struggled to look at Infia. “And uh, erm… look, sorry about earlier, okay?”
Infia waved a paw. “It’s okay. I overreacted, too. But you put your money where your mouth is, so you’re fine.”
“Well uh… You do too, you know. Even though you have to wear that and stuff… I’m not gonna lie… y-you’re pretty cute and stuff?” Ruby said, going bright red. Infia’s eyes widened and everyone else went quiet. “I dunno if that was the right thing to say or anything, just saying what I’m thinking, okay? Don’t look at me like that!”
“Ruby… okay,” Infia said, and smiled.
“Grr, yeah alright! Whatever. Enough of the sappy stuff, I’m outta here! Come find me if you’re serious about that exploration stuff,” Ruby cried, turning around. She jumped into one of the portals at random, and it vanished soon after.
“Geez, she didn’t even wait to check if it was the right one,” Leos said with a sigh.
“She probably makes her boyfriend very happy though, don’t you think?” Esther said. Leos tilted his head. “Never mind. You stay cool out there too, okay?”
Leos bowed. “Thank you very much. And good luck to all of you.”
He didn’t wave as jumped into his own portal, and just like that, he was gone. The others couldn’t help but sit there for a little while, and sat back to relax.
“An Oshawott hero. He called himself a hybrid. And Ruby, a Watermarked Pokémon,” Lute said quietly. He started smiling brightly. “There’s all sorts of amazing stuff out there that we haven’t seen yet. I can’t believe they were here so suddenly, and just like that; they’re gone.”
“It’s totally the stuff outta those super cool fantasy legends, ain’t it? I know what I’m doing for my next performance, that’s for sure. Or maybe like, the next five or ten!” Esther cheered. “Now I dunno about you guys, but Esthia kinda burned out all my strength. I could eat a Ponyta.”
“That’s a good call. I imagine everyone saw what happened here, too,” Sophitia said. “Let’s go home! And get something to eat. Heh. Kuri’s gonna be so mad he missed all this.”
“Mum’s not gonna stop asking questions once she learns an Oshawott was here, though,” Lute grumbled.
“So we’re heading off to another big battle? We never stop, do we?” Infia moaned, and fell flat on her back.
“Hey, we don’t back down from a challenge. We can beat this,” Lute said.
As Angel turned to Everend to take off, Sophitia couldn’t help but look back at the Deadly Pit and where the portals were. The sky was silent.
The Archfiends, huh? Maybe that’s a tale for another generation. So that’s my duty, now. To prepare for the Archfiends…
