"Why did you choose to follow my example?" Mistress Ceto said as she finished wiping away the blood and ink from her daughter's shoulder with a clean towel. Medusa now had a new tattoo depicting her battle in Gotham. It was the beginning of a new tapestry similar to the one on her mother's skin. Four little Pokémon figures were surrounded by a wave of black humanoid figures, with Medusa in the middle, her flippers raised high above her head as if to rally her troops. "We went too far in our revenge seeking. Now the one we were going to kill has turned a one-eighty. He's fighting for us, and seeking redemption. I just thought that we'd given him enough chances. After I saw what he did to Welshi, I believed he couldn't change. That he wasn't worth the effort anymore. I was wrong. I feel so foolish."
"You're my mother," Medusa said, softly and a bit shyly. "It's only natural for me to look up to you. I failed to talk that woman down in Gotham, and a full-scale battle erupted. It was bloody and horrible. I know that I will have to send my children out to battle someday soon. I hate that fact, but I can't help it. They want to go, and as servants of God's Breath it is their right to. I need to be stronger, for their sake. So… I chose to follow the example of the strongest, bravest Pokémon I know."
"I see," Ceto said, pride and love filling her as she hugged her daughter around the neck, careful to avoid pressing against her new tattoo. "You can't be blamed for your inexperience, and from the sound of it they probably would have attacked you no matter what. But we went out seeking revenge on a Pokémon that had seen the error of his ways. Though he must still prove himself and many are still skeptical, his return has given great hope to our people. Dorris' recent visions have been troubling. Such hope is desperately needed, and we were prepared to snuff it out without a second thought."
"I… haven't heard of Lady Dorris' visions."
"No one below the High Council has, but they will have to be revealed sooner or later. I'll tell you about it on our way to the Shrine of the Moon."
"I don't think we were wrong to want revenge on Charles," Medusa said as she followed her mother out of the large drawing room of their suit and into the living room. The other Primarina were outside, watching over the children and discussing the recent news from God's Breath. "He tried to kill Lady Welshi. He summoned the Forces of Destruction, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of our soldiers and the majority of the humans in that compound! He fought us in the other world, didn't he? The professors at the Slowking College say so. They even claim he was a host for Dark Arceus for a short while, and he set the Forces of Destruction against us."
"Yet we were motivated by the same emotion he was. We were driven by it just like him."
"But our purpose was pure. Our reason for wanting him dead was justified by the blood on his hands. We couldn't have known he was willing to turn himself around before talking to him."
"Would it have mattered to us when we faced him, though?" Mistress Ceto said, as she paused in the living room, her head bowed in thought as she spoke. "Would we have listened? I can't honestly say I wouldn't have killed him anyway. Most likely, I would have. I would have taken his life and used my rank to force the rest of you to help me if you had tried to back out. That was my mindset then. What was yours?"
Medusa looked uncomfortable and fidgeted under her mother's gaze as she considered the question. She had often wondered what she would do if she had met her husband's killers. According to the accounts compiled by the Slowking College, he had been driven into a corner by the Forces of Destruction moments before they had turned in her city's favor. They hadn't killed him, but some nameless horror from a different reality had. The shades had, in fact, come to Perseus' aid and slaughtered the monsters that had set upon him. Not for his sake, but because the will of Arceus had taken control of them. He had lived just long enough to be carried to Lord Bartholomew and impart his words of farewell.
She had fantasized of what might have happened had she been at his side during that battle many times, rather than fighting atop Doom's palace for her lady's sake. More often than not, she saw herself killing those wretched monsters with a fury that made her blush, tearing through them with water and song until she was finally cut down. She would always die at her husband's side, overjoyed to be with him to the end. Those fantasies were juvenile and she knew it. She had children to live for. Dreaming about death was irresponsible, but she did it all the same.
"I've seen much more than you have, sweetie," Mistress Ceto said as she kissed her daughter on the head and went into the nearby kitchen to prepare them both a glass of lemonade. "I have always sought revenge for those killed under me. I sought revenge for each of your brothers and sisters when they were slain in battle, as well as your father, though you don't remember it. This tendency of mine has caused me grief on more than one occasion. It's a part of my nature I've never been able to overcome. I hope you don't make those same mistakes. I love you, Medusa."
"I love you too, mother," Medusa said as she took her glass of lemonade and hugged her mother.
A knock came at the door and the Primarina turned to see Bartholomew walk through.
"Miss Lillie is ready," he said. He was a gentle giant when not in a fighting mindset, and easily approachable. Lillie had taken a liking to him, though the other humans still weren't sure what to make of his position as a general in a Pokémon army. This made them a bit wary around all of the Pokémon from God's Breath, though they remained friendly. Leon sat on his shoulder, where he had been since Pinkie Pie had left. He and his friends had been extremely distraught when the girls had been taken away be Arceus, but the adults had calmed them down. They had assured the young Pokémon that the girls would return once they had helped decide the strategy going forward. For now, they were being mentored by the council members aboard the ship and the Primarina of Ceto's colony.
"Lillie seemed quite concerned about what we're asking of her friends," Bartholomew continued. "I tried to assure her that they would be fine. I'm not sure how successful I was."
"Her friends are legends, my lord," Medusa said, casually. "Of course they'll be fine."
"Yes, but humans often come to see their Pokémon companions as family. Lillie is no exception."
"This is true," Mistress Ceto said. "It is also true that her friends are legends. If they aren't capable of taking care of themselves, no one is. Lead the way, Bartholomew."
Bartholomew nodded his head and the Primarina followed him out onto the deck of the cruise ship while Leon looked on excitedly from his shoulder.
"Are… are you sure?" Lillie said as she stared at the Pokémon standing before her, a deeply worried look on her face. They were sailing off the coast of Poni Island, coming around to dock at Seafolk Villiage. "These are my friends. I wouldn't be here if not for them. They helped me save my mother, you know. You're asking me to… send them to war?"
"They will be joined by others of their kind," Mistress Ceto said, gently. She put a calming flipper on Lillie's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Besides, they are among the most powerful species of Pokémon in existence. They are more than capable of fighting."
"I know, but…" Lillie said, tears welling up in her eyes. "This has all been so sudden and confusing. I'm still not sure I understand. Arceus was defeated by those girls I met before? How? Our world is safe, but you're still fighting. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you have to fight."
"To keep our world safe," Lord Bartholomew said, simply. "In trying to appease Arceus, we crossed into other universes. This was one of Arceus' specific requests, and so we couldn't deny it. As a consequence, our forces have been targeted by evil gods from another reality where Pokémon don't exist. We must face them in this other universe so they don't come here. To do that, we will have to wage a prolonged campaign against the darkness."
"That's why we want to enlist the help of the Ultra Beasts," Medusa said, her children playing with their friends in the pool on the deck below them. Their joyful laughs were a sharp contrast to the fear in Lillie's eyes. "We know little about our foe, and we need all the help we can get. As for Arceus, those girls chose to seal the god when it declared its intentions for genocide. Their Rainbow Power appealed to the god's goodness, which had been overshadowed by its evil. They lulled it to sleep and imprisoned it in a cocoon of magic that is foreign to our world. We believe this will keep Arceus imprisoned while the magic balances out the nature of the god."
"I once called them 'Nebby 1' and 'Nebby 2'," Lillie said as she looked down at the pokéballs in her hands. "Now I call them Phobos and Cephei. They seemed to like those names. Please, take care of my precious friends."
She threw the pokéballs and released their occupants. A blood red Solgaleo and Lunala appeared on the deck, their size barely accommodated by the lounging area they were in.
"Greetings," Mistress Ceto said, as she looked the legends over approvingly. Though young and inexperienced, they were every bit as imposing as the Solgaleo and Lunala she had met in the past. "Phobos. Cephei. It is an honor to meet you. We ask you to join with us. Please, open a portal to Ultra Space and help us recruit your kin. We will need their power soon, just as we need yours. A meeting has already been arranged. All you must do is create the wormhole to invite our guests through."
"We will open the wormhole for you," Phobos said, as she looked Ceto over carefully, her wings flapping gently as she hovered above the deck. The legend's shadow cast through the tempered glass floor upon the swimming pool below. The laughing had stopped, and the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard as the children made their way to the top deck to see the legends for themselves. "We haven't had many experiences with others of our species. We were lost here when we were very young, and have been held captive by the Aether Foundation for a year before we were saved."
"Now the Foundation couldn't hold you even if they tried. Will you help us?"
"You have been kind to Lillie," Cephei said, as he nuzzled his human partner. "She has been like an older sister to us. We will help you, for her sake."
"Thank you," the Pokémon from God's Breath said as they bowed their heads.
"I have one more thing to give you, then," Lillie said as she walked past the Pokémon. "We weren't sure what to do with these poor fellows. They need a home, but they were made for the sole purpose of battle. In my mother's eyes, they exist to kill or capture Ultra Beasts. To my brother and I, they are living creatures that need good friends to help them learn self-control."
"We know of your experiments," Lord Bartholomew said, sadly. "And the Type: Null your organization created. We didn't plan to leave without them, honestly."
"So you will accept them into your… armies?" Lillie said, her mouth still having trouble forming the word, as if she couldn't quite believe that a city full of Pokémon could exist in the way God's Breath did.
"We will gladly accept them as our brothers and sisters in arms. We will give them a home, and the purpose they so desperately need. They will be accepted as family, and will serve a force of great good."
"Thank you," Gladion said as he walked out of the shadows of the stairway that led below decks, a tall, proud Silvally walking at his side. He had been picked up from Aether Paradise the day before, but had been rather reclusive. This was the first time the group had seen him smile since his arrival. "We've been keeping them on a secluded island off the northern coast of Poni ever since we took over the foundation for our mother. Their numbers have increased quite a bit. They'll be overjoyed to have a new place to call home for their families. I'll introduce you to them."
"So these are the Type: Null?" Master Zhulong said as he looked over the four creatures marching alongside Gladion and his Silvally as they trekked through the Vast Poni Canyon. These were the leaders among their new species, chosen according to their battle performance in the secret laboratories of Aether Paradise. Several hundred Type: Null had already been sent to the city to be greeted and integrated into the normal-type army by Lady Harmony's mate, Roll. "They are… interesting."
"We were made to kill," one of the Type: Null growled dangerously. He stared angrily at Zhulong as if threatening. The elder Drampa just smiled and nodded his head.
"Good, good. There will be much need for killing in the future, child. So long as you learn when to use that talent and when not to, there will be no trouble."
"We have suffered. Compassion and self-control do not come easily to us."
"We have all suffered, my boy," Zhulong said as he lifted the thick hair on the side of his body to reveal a criss-crossing network of scars on his skin. "You are in good company now. Though we haven't suffered by the same hands, we have all suffered."
He nodded in the direction of Mistress Ceto, whose own scars were barely visible underneath the tapestry of ink on her skin. The Type: Null looked around at the Pokémon from God's Breath as if realizing for the first time that they all carried scars. Some were visible; some were faded. Some were hidden under mounds of fur like Lady Harmony, or behind an article of clothing depicting the Pokémon's type-affiliation within the city's armies. Some were hidden deep in their hearts. The Type: Null fell into silent thought and remained that way, even after the group had arrived at the Altar of the Moon.
The group stood atop the altar, looking out over the canyon from to the top of the stairs. Phobos and Cephei roared together, and a wormhole to Ultra Space opened before them. Behind them, another hole in space opened and Joan nodded as if finishing a conversation. She turned toward the portal to Equestria and welcomed their guest through. The tall, impossibly muscular form of a Buzzwole flew through the hole to Ultra Space. Opposite the Ultra Beast, from the second portal, flew the slender, pink form of Princess Cadance dressed in an elaborately decorated battle dress with many clear crystals hemmed around the edges. The Buzzwole sized up the pony as the two came to face each other in the center of the deck.
"Greetings, Lord Ajatasatru," Mistress Ceto said, bowing her head cordially. "Princess Cadance, thank you for coming to represent Equestria."
"It's my pleasure," Cadance said as she extended a hoof to the Buzzwole lord. Ajatasatru looked at Ceto and shook his head.
"You expect me to exchange greetings with this lowly creature?"
"Lowly?" Cadance said, the flawless crystals of her dress shining in the sunlight as she withdrew her hoof and frowned. "I wish to be your friend, not your rival. There's no call for insults unless you're trying to start a fight."
"You are beneath me, just as this world is," Ajatasatru said, angrily. He bent down to stare the pony in the eyes, his bulk imposing and threatening. Cadance sized him up, unsure of what to make of him but wary of the threat in his posture. "Fighting with you or against you is a waste of my time. I might as well return home if this is the best that God's Breath's allies have to offer."
"We'll greet you as a friend!" Lillie said, hurrying forward to bow to the alicorn. Her brother came with her, his Silvally and the four Type: Null eyeing the Buzzwole eagerly. Gladion glared at them for a moment, and they turned their gaze down to the ground. Ajatasatru didn't even seem to notice. "My name is Lillie, and this is my brother Gladion. We are the only humans here. The others in our party had important business to attend to but on their behalf we welcome you to the Temple of the Moon, and our adopted homeland of the Alola Region."
"Thank you," Cadance said, returning the twin's bow. "I wish I could stay and explore this beautiful world of yours, but there is so much to do. We need the Ultra Beasts by our side in the battles to come. We need the entirety of Ultra Space behind our war efforts."
Mistress Ceto watched the princess curiously as the Buzzwole lord turned to walk back through the wormhole he had been summoned through.
"We are not God's Breath," Ajatasatru said, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "We are not your friends, nor are we in debt to you. Even if you have two of our kind with you, I refuse your request."
Two more wormholes opened from Ultra Space, their arrival stopping Ajatasatru in his tracks. He gripped his hands into angry fists as a Solgaleo came out of the wormhole on his right, his mane bristling in excitement at the sight of the warriors from God's Breath. A red sash was wrapped around his middle, with golden tassels that trailed behind him as he moved. A massive Guzzlord emerged from the wormhole on his left, his feet covered in exotic rubies and sapphires that seemed to shimmer with movement even when they were completely still.
"Are… are those time crystals?" Princess Cadance asked as she watched the Guzzlord walk through the wormhole.
"They are, princess," the Guzzlord replied, bowing his head respectfully. "They were formed in the heart of these gems by natural processes in our world. I'm sure you know why I'm here, though. I proudly declare my people in favor of God's Breath and Equestria! We are here to serve, your majesty."
"You don't speak for all of us, Brutus," Ajatasatru said, angrily.
"I've got equal say here. You're just mad that I ate your favorite punching bag."
"You ate my last three favorite punching bags!"
"He also ate your bed just before we left," the Solgaleo said with a hearty laugh as Brutus burped loudly. Phobos and Cephei watched the exchange eagerly, marveling at the dynamic between their fellow Ultra Beasts.
"What good will involving us in this fight do?" Ajatasatru asked, pointing his finger at the Solgaleo angrily. "This war between foreign gods is not ours to fight. I know you sent seven Kartana to aid that princess on Arceus' golden chain, and four other beasts fought in Equestria when the enemy made landfall there. I questioned them myself, and received some small insight into their exploits. We've helped these 'ponies' enough. We are not indebted to God's Breath! There is no reason to help them further!"
"Are you angry because you don't want to help us?" Mistress Ceto said, softly. She eyed the Ultra Beast with some curiosity as she spoke. "Or are you angry because you know that if you help us, we will require you to return the power you stole from the titans after that last… incident? Are you more concerned for your people, or for yourself?"
"You dare!" Ajatasatru shouted, stomping forward angrily, his fists clenched at his sides.
"He keeps that energy in a large vial in his palace," Brutus said, with a chuckle. "It's his pride and joy!"
Ajatasatru turned to stare at the Guzzlord. Though his face was hard to read, he was clearly enraged but he did nothing more than stand and stare.
"Your concerns are noted and respected, by the way," the Solgoleo said, as he put a friendly paw on one of the Buzzwole's arms. "However, you're outvoted Ajatasatru, even if that means you must return the power you stole to Gyara and the great Steelix lords. I give my full support to God's Breath and Equestria. Our people will march in support of your endeavors, whatever they may be."
"I thank you," Princess Cadance said with a bow that the Ultra Beast leaders returned. Ajatasatru stood stiffly for a moment, grumbling to himself before he bowed as well. "I wasn't aware that you knew of our situation, though. I was told that I would need to fill you in."
"I filled them in for you, your majesty," said a small Mimikyu that had walked through the Ultra Wormholes with the beasts. She was so small next to her companions that she was barely visible but the Council all bowed to her with the exception of Mistress Ceto and the little Mimikyu that served Joan.
"Mama!" Hwan said as he darted forward to hug his mother. The elder Mimikyu lifted him up and hugged him close.
"Ah, Minerva!" Mistress Ceto said as she took the Mimikyu's claws in her flippers. "It's so good to see you again. Thank you for doing this."
"It wasn't hard at all," Mistress Minerva said, her tattered, grey costume swaying back and forth a bit as she moved. "I just took a few books from one of those cranky, old Oranguru at the Slowking College. They were filled with accounts of Battleworld and Octaria. Such tales of glory and triumph were enough to bring most of the Pokémon in Ultra Space around to our side. Though I felt a bit bad scaring those poor, little Cosmog in the nursery. I'll have to bring them some toys later and apologize."
"Cosmog?" the great, jewel-incrusted Guzzlord asked curiously. "How on earth did you get Cosmog in your nursery?"
"I sweet-talked a Hoopa and he saved them from an alternate universe for me. Now, let's head to the city and talk more about our strategy. You've yet to meet the new leaders of God's Breath, afterall. And the other pony princesses would love to meet you, as well."
The group began making their way back down the steps of the temple. Even the mighty Buzzwole lord sighed and followed. For all their talk of war, and the promise of violence on the horizon, the gathering was friendly and jovial.