The Tyranitar, Lord Krush, led the first offensive, his enormous green form charging ahead of his rock-type warriors. He crashed into the Forces of Destruction with a mighty roar, scattering everything in his path. His battle cry shook the air and was taken up by each rock-type in his ranks even as the first wave of red-eyed monsters poured over them. The Tyrantrum, Lord Chompy, led four hundred dragons from the side of the central atrium to support his friend. As his forces crashed into the enemy he stood alone in the battle, his brutal jaws tearing at everything in sight as he forced his way through the front gates of the palace courtyard and out into the streets. The Scizor, Lady Suzuki, had taken a different approach and had chosen to lead a force of her bug-types straight to the heart of the enormous, swirling vortex in the city's central hub. More bug-types fell in line with their mistress as she carved a path through the gathering hordes of undead Pokémon until her swarm was three thousand strong.

As the bug-types reached the vortex seven spinning pillars of black fire erupted from the portal. Suzuki pulled her troops back just in time to avoid massive casualties as she was greeted by lines of red-eyed Pokémon of all types. In their front charged four enormous Rapidash, their black manes raging as their burning bodies crashed into the bug-type line. Cries of pain and anger filled the air as Suzuki's forces struggled against their burning foes. Many fell, but Suzuki refused to buckle under the horrible flames. Following her example, the bug-types of the central city stood their ground. The Metagross, Lord Hal, soon joined her along with one thousand of his steel-types. The two leaders engaged the Rapidash, ignoring their disadvantage and fighting through the pain of the fire. Together, bug-types and steel-types pushed back against the nightmarish army. Normal-type reinforcements led by Lady Harmony poured forth from the city and the largest vortex was blocked off as the two sides came to a desperate stalemate.

"What in the world is that thing doing?" Lady Rose yelled as she gathered her poison-type warriors to her side near the palace doors. The orb of Dark Arceus was pushing the remaining council members back, opening portals as it went. Despite their combined might they could only slow its movement as more and more red-eyed monsters marched into the city.

"We must go with Lord Gallah and the fighting-types to reinforce the others, my love," said a tall, burly Nidoking.

"I know that," Rose growled. "But this thing…"

"We have it under control," said a Meowstic next to Rose, her eyes focused angrily on the giant ball of darkness as she pushed against it with all of her psychic might.

"Lady Dorris is right," Joan said. "Take my fairy-types and charge the enemy! Those things cannot be allowed to rally around Dark Arceus."

"Fine!" the Nidoqueen yelled as she turned to her mate. "Thorn, poison-types, fairy-types with me. To battle!"

"To battle!" the Nidoking roared as he followed his queen into the heart of the enemy. The poison-types and fairy-types in the palace courtyard joined in the cry and together they charged through the reforming lines of undead that had appeared beyond the palace gates.

Roars of pain and anger echoed through the city as the citizens of normally quiet districts rose in defense of their homes. Millions of Pokémon fought through the rising smoke and dust of a battle the likes of which God's Breath had never seen. Joan struggled alongside her peers as they fought the ball of darkness. It had begun to pulsate with more intensity, its hatred pouring forth through its angry, pale light. The orb floated high above the battle and the ranks of undead Pokémon fought more furiously to reach their master. But Dark Arceus made no attempt to flee for one of the portals, and as Joan began to fight the half-sealed evil with the depths of her newfound power she began to wonder what it's goal was.

"It wants to see us die," Lord Ra said simply, reading her thoughts through the psychic link that still connected the High Council. "Lady Sasha, I need the power of your dark-types. Lady Dorris, I would like you, Lady Joan and all of your psychics to construct a barrier around Dark Arceus. Make it as tight and as strong as possible."

"Of course," Dorris said through gritted teeth.

"Lady Lorna, call the legends. We need Uxie, Mespirit, and Azelf here immediately."

"Those three have been lethargic and depressed since they arrived, but I will force them to aid us if I must."

The great Articuno let out a brilliant, clear, commanding call that rose above the din of battle. It echoed across the forty square miles of God's Breath, through the four zones of nature to the peaks of the Twin Mountains of ice and fire. Many of the legendary species of God's Breath had taken a human name, following the example of their non-legendary friends. Though each species was represented by only a handful of members within the city, their presence in the battle was immediately felt. With cries of encouragement for their allies, the legends of God's Breath wasted no time in answering their mistress's call.

A flaming Moltres soared down from a volcanic aerie west of the city to crash into the enemy lines. Lightning struck the forces of the underworld as a furious Zapdos descended from the power plant near the southern lakes. A brave Keldeo charged into the enemy lines, coming to fight next to Lord Gallah as he tore through the foe. The evil Pokémon vanished in clouds of smoke and ash as they were defeated, but for each one that fell three more came through the portals to take its place. As the legends entered the fray they were met by dark doppelgangers whose eyes burned with the hatred of their god. A Zekrom and a Reshiram fought evil versions of themselves high above the battlefield, their attacks scorching the sky in fire and lightning. A Mewtwo hovered in the air, watching the council with a hard, calculating glare until he was forced to confront his own dark clone. With ferocious cries they mega evolved simultaneously and clashed high above the city.

"This battle is endless as it is now!" Joan yelled. "I hope you have some idea to win us the day, Lord Ra."

"Of course I do! Now everyone. With me! We will use our power to seal this ball of energy before…"

Ra stopped mid-sentence as the city shuddered beneath them. They all felt it, and for a moment shock tore through the ranks of the Pokémon warriors. The forces of the underworld rejoiced as their enemies halted their advance, taking advantage of the pause as they crashed recklessly into the defender's lines.

"Blast it all, they're being forced back too quickly!" Lady Potpourri yelled as she took to the air. "All flying-types, assault the enemy lines! We must hold them off long enough for Ra's plan to succeed. Push them back!"

The tiny Talonflame engulfed her body in a raging inferno that burned even brighter than that of the mighty Moltres as she lead her flyers deep into the heart of the dark forces. A moment later they were gone, surrounded by their enemies, only flame, wind gusts and falling pieces of undead testifying to their continued struggle. Gallah gave a mighty shout and his fighters took up the battle once more, their strikes more focused and desperate than ever before.

Lord Bartholomew and eight of his Gyarados surrounded the council members remaining in the palace courtyard. The Swampert's hulking mega form pounded his foes to dust as they charged through the gates. He had sent the majority of his water-types to reinforce the back gates of the palace under the leadership of the Darmanitan, Lord Son.

"What's going on now?" he yelled, struggling to be heard above the din. "I feel nauseous and terribly anxious."

"Our city has been torn from its plane of existence and we are traveling though time and space," Joan said, her voice half-panicked. "I… I saw a vision of this."

"There is no time to think of that now, Joan," Ra said as he began speaking through the psychic link. "We must focus our power on stopping the darkness. All council members, attack Dark Arceus. We shall seal it, and then we shall come to a stop."

"Of course," Joan said as she shook off her fears and focused on barricading the darkness with her considerable might.

"Son is being pushed back!" said the Raichu, Lord Gil as he glanced beyond the palace wall. "My electric-types have already engaged the enemy within the palace. Welshi, send a team of your grass-types to aid him."

"Torri already left for that!" said the tiny Whimsicott as she charged up another solar beam to fire at Dark Arceus. "I've sent him all I can spare. Most of my grass-types were standing in the gardens when this mess began, anyway. They were the first line of defense back there."

"Torri left for the desert region with a large force of ground-types shortly after the battle began," Joan said. "There was word from a single Diglett that the enemy is amassing the bulk of their number there."

"Only a single Diglett? Things must be bad if that's all they could send. Knowing her, she's already engaging the enemy on the sand dunes."

"We need her here!" Ra said angrily. "Lorna, where are the Sinnoh Lake Guardians? They must attack Dark Arceus with us if we are to seal it."

"They are here," Lorna said as she arrived above the ghost-type leader. "I've even brought Torri with me."

"Sorry, but things aren't good in the desert region," said the Excadrill, Lady Torri as she popped out of the ground and added her own power to the barrage. Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf appeared next to their mistress, their faces forlorn but determined as they, too, attacked the prison of Dark Arceus.

The Pokémon throughout the city closed ranks around their leaders as every council member withdrew from their battles to attack the hateful prison. When the massive beams of power struck the dark orb the psychic-types began to meld the different type attacks together. Injured Pokémon from the battlefield took up the call to attack the orb as well, while their healthier comrades defended them. The battle continued to rage, and the orb continued to pulsate, but slowly, ever so slowly it came to a stop. Dark Arceus was frozen in a prison of ice and steel, fire and spirit, darkness and fairy light. It ceased to pulsate and the portals to the underworld closed. The undead Pokémon charged recklessly into the defenders ranks only to be crushed. God's Breath shuddered one final time as it came to rest in a wide, open field just past the western border fencing of an apple orchard. The battle had ended. The city of God's Breath had arrived in Equestria.