I sat under the single tree on the island, and waited. It had been Absol's suggestion to take a more secluded meeting spot-no sense in leaving myself open for trouble. And Avocado had found this place, a little secret islet. Of course, how secret it was now was debatable, considering I had sent its location to the entire infecteds' network.

The branches above me rustled, and Astra dropped to the ground, taking a look around. "Okay, I think I've sweet-talked every Pokemon in range. If any hostiles show up, we should be able to handle them. How are we looking, Fran?"

"I don't see anyone nearby yet," her voice called from above. "Oh, wait, here comes Avocado."

He landed neatly next to the tree, shaking some loose sea spray off his wings. "No sign of anyone nearby, which is both good and bad, I think. You think anyone will really come?"

"I hope so."

"They definitely will," Fran said from her perch in the tree. "I'm certain I'm not the only one who feels this way."

"Sure, but that's not all there is to it. They may not feel safe in coming." Avocado rolled onto his back, twisting in the sand. "Is that the thing the Professor gave you?"

"Oh, yes." I held out the small red device. "She said it is not complete, but it would help me identify the other Pokemon Formes I have the DNA of. Since maybe not everyone will want to be human."

"Who wouldn't want to be human?" Astra said.

"Well, me, for one," Avocado replied. "You can't even fly."

"I totally can, as long as I'm on your back. You do all the hard work and I get the fun part."

"Remind me why I tolerate you again?" Avocado grumped.

"I can understand it," Fran said. "Some Pokemon are just majestic. Like the Wailord you brought here, Astra. She's so beautiful."

"Well, there's no accounting for taste. I still think wings are better."

"Hey, I think I see something approaching," Fran called.

"Pokemon?" Astra asked her.

"No, it looks like a boat."

I stood up, dusting the spare sand off my body, then Shifted to my human Forme. Then some of them were coming-Pokemon could not drive boats, at least not easily, anyway. Hopefully, these were the people I was waiting for.

The boat came to rest some distance from the shore, unable to come closer in the shallow sand. Maybe I should have put more thought into the tides. "Toss me a line!" Astra called. One was flung out from the rope, and Astra pulled on it, looking around for something to anchor it to. The only solid item of note was the tree. "Hm. I should've planned for boats a bit better, I suppose. Can you give them a push, Sharpedo?"

Behind the boat, the Pokemon let out a call in affirmation, giving it a nudge carefully with its nose. The boat rooted itself firmly in the sand. Astra tossed the rope back up onto the boat. "We'll have to give Lorry a call when you're ready to go, I guess. Can you get down all right?"

"We're fine." A man with dark blue hair similar to Astra's, but flat and firm, popped his head over the side, then dropped to the ground. He was followed by a woman in a black leather jacket that folded her arms around herself in a human gesture of discomfort and hostility. After them, two younger humans, a girl in a blue and white uniform and a boy with roller skates hung around his neck. The first man looked at me. "You're the one that sent that message?"

"That is me." I walked over to the human man, looking up at him. "You came because of my message? I am glad."

"You're just a kid," the black-jacket woman said.

"Yes? Is my age at issue?"

"That 'kid' is Two," Fran called from the tree. "You might have heard of it."

"You're Two?" Black-jacket looked at me in a gesture I interpreted as skepticism. "Wasn't Two more... yellow?"

"I am indeed called Two within your internal data, but I need to use this Forme in order to assist you," I said. "You came because you wanted a Forme of your own, correct?"

None of them looked directly at me, eyes averted, radiating nervousness. Well, that made sense. I was asking them to put a lot of trust in me. "Can you actually do that?" the blue and white uniform girl spoke up.

"It can," Fran said. "I'm proof. I used to be one of you."

"You mean you used to be a host?" the blue-haired man said.

"Nope. That was me," Astra said cheerfully.

They looked at each other. I could feel some of their skepticism fading, their suspicions lowering. "Do any of you have a Forme in mind?" I asked. "I can give you Pokemon Formes, or human Formes, though my human DNA is somewhat small in variety." Oh. Why not acquire the DNA of the humans in front of me? It wasn't like I was going to use all of any one strand.

The roller blade boy spoke up first. "I... I want to be a bird."

"A bird?" the black jacket girl asked him. "But humans are more useful, don't you think? They have hands. And their accessories are better."

"I don't want to be involved with humans any further," the roller blade boy muttered. "I just want to be able to fly away."

"I understand." I opened the Professor's red device, setting the filter so that only Flying-types would show. "Here, take a look. Is there any particular Forme you would like?"

He took the device in his hands, scrolling through it. "Oh, this!" he said, holding out a picture of one labeled a Skarmory. "This looks really cool. Can I become this?"

I closed my eyes, looking for that particular piece of Mew's DNA. Finding particular Pokemon within her DNA was not an easy task; none of them came with labels. "Yes, I found it. Are you ready?" I held out my hands.

His hands shook as he touched mine. A sign of emotion from the virus, or the human? Possibly both. "Now I need you to move into my body," I told it. "I will complete the process from there."

"Don't do it," the blue-haired man said. "It's a trap."

"Who cares if it is?" the black jacket woman said. "What have we got to lose at this point? You want to keep hanging around inside a foreign body forever?"

They talked as themselves, not even pretending to be their hosts. It was an honesty I was not used to. No doubt the Professor and Xerosic would have found the conversation as fascinating as I did. "She's right," the roller blade boy said, squeezing my hands. "I'll go first. If it's going to kill us, it can only do it to one of us, right?"

"I am not going to kill you," I told it. "I understand that death is a sad and unpleasant thing. I do not like sadness or unpleasantness."

The roller blade boy took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes. I could feel it as the virus moved between our skin, slipping inbetween my cells, its consciousness hovering around mine. The roller blade boy sagged, and Astra caught him in her arms, setting him down on the sands. Now separated from its human host, it felt even more human. Stay right there, I instructed it. It will be easier if you don't move.

I had been 'winging it' as the humans said, the first time with Fran. Now, having achieved it, I understood what I was doing. I located each of its cells within my body, injecting the DNA sequence, forcing a Forme Shift. Its cells within my hands glowed with the Forme Shifting energy, and then a Skarmory burst from my hands, knocking me over with its weight. I needed a better way to handle their larger mass, I thought as I lay underneath the bird.

The blue haired man blurted out some words I understood to be unfit for speaking in public. Well, this wasn't very public, so I supposed it was all right. "Hey, is that... Is that you? I can't sense you anymore."

"Ah, this Pokemon's Forme does not have psychic capabilities," I explained from the ground. "So it will not register on your neural network."

The Skarmory shook itself, stretching its wings testingly. "I'm a bird?" he questioned slowly. Giving his wings a flap, it said, "I'm a bird!"

"What's it saying?" the uniform girl said.

"It's saying 'I'm a bird'," Astra said with a smile. "And yes, you are. Why don't you give your wings a try?"

Its head turned to look at her, and I got the impression that it did not really like having humans that could still understand it. "I was going to do that anyway. I'm leaving here while I have the chance."

"Do be careful!" I called after it as it took off. "I do not know the limits of stamina for that particular Forme, so be careful you do not fall in the ocean!"

"I'll send one of the kids to keep an eye on it," Astra said, going over to the shoreline and giving a whistle.

In the sand, the roller blade boy sat up, putting a hand to his head. "It's gone?" he murmured. "That thing is really gone?"

"Watch your tone, brat," the black jacket woman snapped at him.

He looked up at her, then scampered away, taking refuge behind Avocado. "Help! They're going to get me again."

"By Arceus, how obnoxious," the black jacket woman grumbled as Astra went to soothe the former host. "No wonder it wanted rid of him."

"Who would like to be next?" I asked the rest of the group.

"I'll go," the black jacket woman spoke up firmly. "Kid, I want to be human. But I don't want to look like this one."

"I understand. Do you have a sex preference?"

She thought about it. "I want to be a man."

"Are you sure?" the blue haired man said. "I mean, we don't know for sure what happened. They could've just let any Skarmory out."

"Well, if I become human, then we'll know, right?" She held out her hand, unafraid.

I took her hand in both of mine. "Like with the other one, please move into my body, but do not go far."

"I just realized something," Astra said as the virus began to move. "We didn't bring any clothes. This could get awkward fast."

"Do not worry," I said. "I believe I have figured out how to provide a minimum to avoid human embarrassment."

"Then why'd you leave me naked?" Fran asked.

"I did not realize it would be an issue at first." Again, I felt the virus collect in my hands. Think about the kind of human you want to become, I told it. I will see what I can do.

The image that it held onto in its mind reminded me a bit of Avocado, so I started there, taking bits and pieces from the other male DNA I had in me, building a unique profile. Then, as before, I pushed the DNA through its-his-cells, forming a new human.

The blue haired man and the uniform girl both took a step back in surprise as the new human tumbled from my hands. "I can't believe it," he muttered.

I grinned at Fran, proud of myself, as I pointed. This time, I had managed to cover the sensitive human parts with the skintight suit that Avocado wore while in human Forme. I did not quite understand how a non-DNA component transferred, either, but what worked worked. "See? There will be no need for further human embarrassment."

"Hey, is that you?" the blue haired man asked.

"It's me, so it seems." The new human looked down at his hand, tears coming to his eyes. "If this is a dream, don't wake me."

"I'm plenty awake for both of us, pal."

The black jacket woman opened her eyes, looking up at the human man. "Wow," she said, "you turned out hot."

I blinked. "Is there something wrong with his tempera-you are not talking about temperature," I realized as I skimmed her surface thoughts.

"Of course I did," the man said. "If I'm going to be human, I may as well be an attractive one."

"How should we refer to you now?" the blue-haired man said.

"Ooh! Are we naming people? Pick me, I know lots of good names!" Astra said.

Avocado shifted, bringing his rear down on her and pinning her to the ground. "Denied."

The attractive man's head snapped around. "That Pokemon just spoke!"

I blinked. Right-I'd started with Avocado's DNA, which had a good part based in Astra's. "Oh. Yes. Some humans have a genetic disposition to understanding Pokemon speech."

"That is so cool." The attractive man stood up, looking himself over. "I think I'm going to like this."

"You know," the black jacket woman said, "Fabio is a pretty nice name."

"...I'll come up with my own name, thanks."

"Are you satisfied that I am not going to betray you?" I said to the blue haired man.

"...Sorry. It's just hard to trust someone that isn't one of us. We can't even trust those that are one of us," he said. "If you're tired of this fighting and conquest Tauros crap, you're not exactly popular among our community. I didn't even know that there were others out there that thought like me until I saw your message."

The attractive man nodded agreement. "We all sort of met up last minute and just made a run for it. Good thing someone," he gestured to the blue haired man, "knows how to drive a boat."

"Can... can I go next?" the uniform girl spoke up. "I... I want to be human. I want to look like her," she said, placing a hand against her chest. "But not exactly."

I nodded, took her hands, and repeated the process, the virus changing into a human that closely resembled, but not exactly, the other human girl. The original host, once she was recovered, clung to the other girl and cried. "Becca! Becca, I'm so glad."

"Me too," the not in uniform girl whimpered as she returned the hug. "Me too, Rachelle."

I looked over at the blue haired man after I had finished. "Have you made a decision?"

"Can I see your device thingie?" he asked. "I think I'd rather be a Pokemon, but I don't want to lose my neural capabilities. That seems a bit too... scary and lonely."

"Ah, so you want to be a psychic-type, then. I understand. The world is a bit unsettling when you cannot hear as well," I agreed, filtering the options. "Oh, what about this one? I know one like this. He is quite amazing. He can even Mega Evolve."

"Mmm..." The blue haired man pointed to one next to it. "I like this one a bit better, though. It looks more peaceful."

"All right, I understand." I went searching for the appropriate piece of DNA, then held out my hands. As I did, I felt something prick at the back of my neck, a familiar feeling. "Avocado."

He was in the air without me having to say anything further. "There's something coming," Fran said, pointing. "It looks like a Pokemon."

"It's Three!" Avocado shot toward the incoming enemy.

"Astra, please guard me," I told her, feeling tenseness enter my voice. How good I was getting at human emotions. "It is best that I not be interrupted while I do this."

"Leave it to me, kid." She let out a whistle, tossing the end of her Styler in the air. I heard the flapping of wings around me, emerging from the tree, and wondered when they had all shown up. Now wasn't the time. I focused on the virus that was entering my body, finding all its cells, pushing the DNA change.

The last virus had just finished its change into Gardevoir when the sand exploded near us. The attractive man let out another of the words unfit for public company. "Amrita, grab the kids and put them on the boat!"

The black jacket woman nodded, taking both of the girls by the hand. The blue-haired man grabbed the roller-blade boy, tossing him unceremoniously into the boat. "But we'll be sitting ducks on the water!" the attractive man yelled.

"We're sitting ducks either way!"

"It will not pursue you," I told the attractive man. "I am its target, so you should escape."

You go, Gardevoir said to the attractive man. I'll cover your retreat.

"No, you go with them," I told it. "You can protect them on the boat."

Are you sure? If you're in trouble, I want to lend you my new strength.

"I will be fine. I have my own friends." I smiled.

"Astra, Avocado! Move back!" Both of them leapt back at Fran's voice. She jumped from the tree above, and Shifted mid-jump, into a Wailord that slammed down onto the beach, pinning Three beneath it. "I knew I liked this shape."

"Go, I'll send you some support," Astra said to Gardevoir and the attractive man. "Good luck." She gestured for some of the bird and water Pokemon to follow their boat.

"Deoxys, did you mean to do that?" Avocado muttered to me. "With Fran?"

"Uh... not really. I am still learning how to do this. Well, since it is her, it will be all right, yes?"

You traitor! Three snarled from underneath her. Fran's Wailord body glowed with psychic power, and then Three tossed her back into the ocean with a colossal splash. I've come for you, Two!

"I am not Two," I told it simply. "I am called Deoxys. When I am in this human Forme, my nickname is Dee. I do not mind if you use either one."

Oh, shut up! You're Two and you're a traitor, so I'm going to deal with you at last, this time!

I frowned at it. Something felt unusual, different about the aura coming off it. Confusion? "Three... What did you come here for?"

I could ask you the same question. What's the point of siphoning off our traitors, making them into weird shapes?

"Each of them seems to have reached a different conclusion," I said with a shrug. "If you ask them politely, they may be able to tell you why they have decided to take my offer."

"I can tell you why," Fran said as she hauled herself from the water, now human and dripping wet. "Because I hate the kill or be killed attitude that you all have. Maybe not all of us want to enslave humans just so we can have our own bodies like you do. Where do you get off, being so spoiled? Why are you allowed to have a body and we can't?"

I didn't ask you! It threw out power at her, knocking her back, and one of Astra's Sharpedos grabbed her, helping to absorb the blow. I'm asking you, Two. What made you decide to go through such a ridiculous thing? Did you think we wouldn't find you?

"No, I expected you would find me," I said to it. "That is why I asked Astra and Avocado to come help me. But you were not my objective here."

Then what was your objective? If not to lure me out, then what?

"Because I don't hate the virus," I said. "We are still brethren, in a way. I am not part of your neural network, but we were born from the same origins. I have other things in common with Fran and the others that have gathered here. And the others that will come. We all want to feel joy and happiness on our own merits, not through the bodies and experiences of others. This makes me happy, Three. Does coming after me and fighting me make you happy? Or are you just doing it because you know no other options?"

You shut up! It threw power at me. In human Forme, I was at a disadvantage, and I was knocked back into the tree easily. What do you know? If I get rid of you, I'll be the only one. I'll be the one everyone looks at.

"So you want to fight me because you want attention? Three, I may not be very mature, but that seems quite silly to me."

It's not about you and your opinions! I don't care what you think! More power thrown against me. This was starting to hurt.

"Well, then," I replied, "I do not care about you and your opinions, either. I do not like to fight, Three. So I am not going to fight you anymore. I am not a thing to serve your own self-satisfaction. I am going to continue my work here, so please do not disturb me any longer."

We're not done yet!

"I think we are," Avocado said. "If Deoxys says it doesn't want to fight you any more, then it doesn't have to."

Astra nodded agreement, her Styler top coming to her hand with a snap. "Time to sit down and calm your tits, son."

Get OUT of my WAY you damned HUMANS! I turned my back, tuning Three out as Avocado and Astra engaged it, forcibly calming its tits. Instead, I expanded my senses, checking for anyone else who might be coming. The only other human around that I sensed was Fran. "Fran, are you unhurt?"

"Somehow. You? How are you holding up after doing all those... whatever you call it?"

Hm, that was an issue. "My energy levels are still adequate. But you are correct. I need to figure out what to call i-"

Thunder cut off the end of my sentence, and both of us looked up. Thick, dark clouds were rolling in at an impressive pace. "Huh," I commented, "I do not think that is normal."

Almost as soon as they had arrived over our heads, they began dumping their contents, drenching us all within seconds. "Well, at least I was wet already," Fran groused.

"This isn't normal," Astra said, pausing in her Styler work to look up at the sky. "I'll bet you anything this is Kyogre."

"Kyogre?" Now that she mentioned it, the rain was accompanied with a sense of dread that blanketed the island. "Oh. That is bad."

Avocado, now in Salamence form, plonked his rear end down on a squirming Three. "Deoxys, you should get going."

"Going? To where?"

"To stop Kyogre, what else? Absol should be calling for Rayquaza, but in the meantime, who else have we got that could stop a legendary? You've got the DNA of all Pokemon inside you. Go use it."

"He's right. Leave things to us," Astra added as she began looping her Stylus around Three again. "We'll keep this guy out of your hair."

"And if anyone else shows up, we'll protect them until you get back," Fran added.

I paused, looking over at Fran, then Astra and Avocado. I did not want to go on my own, but they were right-without Astra and Avocado, Three would surely follow me again. And I still had hope that more of the virus would come, seeking a peaceful resolution. "I will do my best," I said. With that, I scanned frantically through the DNA inside me, looking for something appropriate. Flying, and since we were in a storm, something electric would be good. Ah, there. I Shifted into something small and furry, spreading my arm-wings into the sky and taking off.

I made it perhaps twenty feet before the winds shoved me back into the water, as effective as Avocado dropping his rear end on Three. "Deoxys?" Fran called to me.

"I am unhurt!" I Shifted back with a grumble and began looking for something else. There had to be something else electric and flying that was better than the pathetic furry thing. Ah, something larger-good enough.

I Shifted before the weight of my waterlogged body could drag me down, growing large wings that crackled with lightning of their own. I felt no fear as I charged into the sky, zooming toward where I had seen Kyogre. There, there it was, swimming toward Sootopolis. And on the rocks behind it, a young man holding an orb up, his body language pained. Wait, not just any human-the one Midori and Praseo referred to as Kip's human. "Hey! Are you all right?" I shouted as I got close.

He didn't respond. Well, he probably couldn't understand me. I landed on the rock, Shifting back. Hey, hang in there. Are you all right?

He jerked up at the sound of my voice, looking at me with panic, rainwater rolling down his face. "The Orb... Kyogre is..." he got out, his arms shaking from the orb.

I looked at it, trying to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, the Kyogre had spotted us, was now heading toward us. If I was going to make a move, I had to make it soon. I grabbed Kip's human just as Kyogre tried to ram us, breaking the rocks we had just been standing on into shards. He hung limp in my arms, unable to move, his hands still locked on the orb. What was this thing? It had not been like this when I had seen it in Wally's memories. I tried to pull it from his grasp, but it sparked as I touched it, mere power throwing me backwards, loosing him from my grip.

As I watched, Kyogre reared up again, coming down on Kip's human. The massive mouth closed around him, orb and all, before falling back into the sea. Oh, no. I didn't know what Kyogre attempted to do with that, but it probably wasn't going to be good for anyone, least of all the human. I needed to Shift again. But what could I do? Rayquaza would not be... Rayquaza!

I filtered through the DNA inside me again, feeling for the right one. Yep, there it was. I shifted as quickly as I could, then launched myself off the rocks, the rest of the stone shattering under my feet from the push alone. "Kyogre!" I yelled out in a booming voice that didn't belong to myself. "Halt right there, and return that boy!"

It paused, its eyes watching me as I circled around in front of it. "I command you," I said with all the confidence I could muster. "It is time to halt and return to your resting place!"

The Kyogre looked at me, then responded with words that were not fit for public company. Well, it wasn't like this was a public place either, but really, who had been teaching it those words? "Go away."

"I will not go away. I am Rayquaza, and you will do as I say!"

"You're not Rayquaza. I don't want to." It scrunched up its face, then stuck its tongue out at me. "Smell ya later, loser."

"Hey, wait a minute!" I landed on a rock, watching as it swam toward Sootopolis again. The storm seemed to be following it as it moved, which meant that when it got to the contained city, it could easily cause a flood. I Shifted back, at a loss. If it would only listen to the real Rayquaza, what could I do before it got here? And what about the boy?

"Deoxys!" I looked up at my name, saw a Honchkrow flying through the storm toward me. I reached out with my power, blocking the buffering winds. It landed on the rock next to me, Shifting back to Absol. "Deoxys, are you hurt?"

"Absol!" I'd never been so relieved to see her. In retrospect, it would have been amusing to my past self, who was scared of her, how quickly I threw my arms around her neck right now. "I am sorry, I could not stop it. It would not listen to me. It only listens to the real Rayquaza."

"Don't worry. I've already called for it." She touched a paw to the bag she was wearing, the scale dangling off of it. "You're not hurt?"

"I am not hurt, but... If it reaches that town, it will be bad. What should we do?"

"I'm working on that. Where's Kip's human? He still has the Blue Orb, right?"

"Yes, but Kyogre ate him. I think something went wrong. He seemed scared of the orb, it had a hold on him."

"Wally was afraid that might happen. They're too difficult for most humans to use." She sighed, then looked over at the retreating Kyogre. "But since you're here... I have an idea. Deoxys, can you Forme Shift to Groudon? That should distract Kyogre, and it might keep everywhere from flooding."

"I can try, but... It has the orb. I do not know if I'm a match for it."

"I know. That's why I brought the other one." Absol Shifted to human, then pulled it out of the bag. "We couldn't get them both back. I thought about summoning Groudon, but I think it'll be safer if you do it instead. For both of us. Because you're not Groudon; you're Deoxys."

"Yes, I am." Hearing her calm voice was just what I needed right now. "All right, I will do it. Are... you scared?"

"Plenty. This is not the Forme or the role I had thought I would have for this battle. I don't know if I'll fare any better at using the Orb than a human would. Maybe it'll take over me, too. But it's my job to prevent disasters in this region, no matter what shape I'm in."

I smiled. "You were supposed to make a joke."

"Oh. What did one Sharpedo say to the other?"

"I do not know. What?"

"I don't know, either. I hadn't gotten that far with the joke," she admitted.

I laughed as I began to Forme Shift into something larger and scarier than I'd ever become before. At least Rayquaza had been something I'd seen and talked to. "I like your jokes, Absol."

"Thanks. I do, too."

My feet grew large, too large for the rocks I was standing on. I moved over to one of the sandbars, letting out a roar in Kyogre's direction. "Hey, Kyogre! You are not going to run off without saying hi to me, are you?"

Kyogre paused. Turned slowly. Then it came charging for me at full speed, knocking me from the sandbar. My feet clawed the ocean, reaching for a grip, and then my claws scraped the sides of some undersea rocks. "You! How dare you show your face around here!"

"Groudon!" Absol leapt for my back, grabbing onto one of the spikes on my neck. Gripping tightly, she held up the Red Orb with her other hand. "Let's show this guy who's boss!"

It was like someone had flipped a switch in the center of my being. Power like I'd never felt came washing through me, pouring out of me in an uncontrollable burst of flame. My skin split and erupted, glowing lines patterning themselves in the crack. Unbelievable. I opened my mouth and let out a roar of words unfit for public company. Kyogre had called me a loser? Now it was time to recognize its mistake.

Somewhere in the corner of my mind, I felt Absol's weight swinging by my neck, transferring up to my head as she straddled the top of my neck like I was a Ponyta. "Deoxys," she said in a quiet voice, leaning against the back of my head, "don't forget why we're here."

Hearing my name snapped me back to attention, made me remember what I was doing. I wasn't here to punish Kyogre, much as I liked the thought. This was nothing more than a distraction. "Back at you!" Kyogre snapped as it leapt for me again. This time I caught it in my claws, twisting it to the side like I'd see Avocado do as a fighting Pokemon. Not exactly a legendary Pokemon's move, but it worked, right? "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here! This is my show!"

"You have got a lot of nerve showing up in the first place. Who said this is your show?" I lowered myself to create less of a target for Kyogre's headbutts, then tried to think of what kind of moves Groudon knew. I could not just sit by and be beat upon forever. For one thing, Absol would be in danger, human as she was. "Precipice Blades!" I yelled, pointing my claw at Kyogre.

The ground rumbled under my feet, becoming more solid, allowing me to shift to a better position. Spikes drove out of the water, shoving into Kyogre, filling the immediate area with rocky spikes and lifting it out of the water. "Ha!" I said, watching it twist around, trying to get down. "That oughta teach you, you big hunk of-"

"Origin Pulse!" Kyogre pointed its mouth at me, releasing a torrent of water. The attack hit hard, hissing into the cracks in my skin, filling them with a cold pain. I fell back into the water, claws grasping feebly for the rocks. "I'll teach you to cop an attitude with me, you brat! Always showing off for Rayquaza!"

I did not know how to respond to that-so Kyogre was just wanting to suck up to Rayquaza?-but I was too busy treading water and trying not to drown to respond, anyway. I managed to crawl up onto a large spike, clinging to it, water sloughing off my skin. Everything hurt right now, and even the Orb's wash of power wasn't helping. If anything, it just felt like it was going to wash me away as well, get me lost in the anger at this jerk that was in front of me, hurting me, doing everything it could to annoy me.

Holes had opened up in the clouds, at least, and I jumped over to another spike as Kyogre fired again, trying to take in the warmth of the sun. Right now, I needed it. Kyogre flailed on the rocks, trying to take aim at me again. "Deoxys?" Absol said, touching a hand to my neck. "You're still here, right?"

"Right. But I do not know what to do, Absol. I do not think I have anything that can hurt it. I am at a type disadvantage here." One of my feet slipped off the rock, into the water, and I hissed, pulling it back. Even just touching the water hurt right now. "Are you okay?"

"Somehow. I don't know how much longer I can bear with this, though. It feels like it's trying to swallow me up in rage." She made a face. "Who decided making these was a good idea?"

"Got me. Let us go give them a smack afterwards."

She laughed. "Sounds like a plan. And speaking of plans..." She patted my neck. "Deoxys, we do have something that can hurt it."

Kyogre took aim again, knocking the top of the spire off just below my head. "I am listening!"

She stood up on my shoulder, pointing at the Kyogre, orb still in one hand. "Groudon... Use Solarbeam!"

For a moment, I didn't understand, but then the instinct of my body took over, gathering in the sunlight that was shining on me. Kyogre tried to twist away, but before it could get loose of the rocks, I let my attack go, the greenish beam slamming into its side. Kyogre let out a cry, something flying from its mouth as it spasmed. "Ow! Owwww! It hurts, it hurts!"

"Hold on!" Absol stuffed the orb in her bag, and I felt the cracks in my skin sealing up again, the angry power leeching away. She dove into the water, emerging a short while later with Kip's human in one arm. I grabbed for her as she got close, putting both of them on the rocks, hoping Kyogre wouldn't fire again. Absol yanked the orb from his hands, shoving it in her bag. "Recovery complete."

"Is that human all right?"

"He's still breathing, so I guess he's well enough," she said with a shrug. "I don't really know human healing."

Kip's human let out a cough, turning onto his side. "Uh... What?" he mumbled, blinking up at Absol. Seeing her face, he jumped back, then slipped, falling into the water. "Arglblrub!"

I fished him out again, setting him back on the rock. "You're my enemy," he coughed out, reaching for his Pokeballs.

"I just saved you from drowning," she replied, "and this one saved you when you got eaten by a legendary Pokemon. Do you really want to pick a fight in your condition?"

Please say no, I hoped. I didn't think I could take a battle with Kip's Pokemon, especially if Kyogre wasn't completely out of the picture. Its thrashing was probably going to get it off the rocks pretty soon.

"You can't save me," he protested, wiping at his face. "I'm the chosen one. I'm the one saving people."

"Oh, will you give it a rest?" I snapped. "The thing you got chosen for was bad things. You summoned a Pokemon that is trying to destroy everything, and then you lost control of it and got eaten like a twit. Just who do you think you are saving?"

He cowered down as I roared at him. Of course, Kip's human could not understand Pokemon, so I probably just sounded like an irate legendary Pokemon. Which was not really too far off.

Speaking of irate legendary Pokemon, Kyogre was finally back in the water. With a roar, it charged through the rocks around it, aiming for us again. "Give me back my orb, you big-"

"And just what in the name of the heavens is going on here?!" The clouds parted forcefully, rolling back as Rayquaza charged through, circling around between us. "I hope you have a very good explanation for this."

Now I understood why Kyogre hadn't believed me when I had taken on Rayquaza's form. It was the sheer presence that it projected that was terrifying. "R-rayquaza... Groudon started it."

"I did not," I protested. "You were the one that woke up and tried to drown a city."

Rayquaza shot us a venomous look. "Both of you, shut the," highly impolite word, "up! I didn't come from a vacation in Unova just to listen to a couple of nattering brats. You'd both better get your," impolite word, "back down to your sleeping holes, and if I so much catch a whisper of you poking out in the next decade..."

Kyogre shut up at once, diving back down into the ocean. I quickly Shifted back, afraid I might do the same from sheer intimidation alone if I did not. "Thank you for coming, Rayquaza," Absol called to him, holding up the scale. "We've recovered the orbs, so this shouldn't happen again."

It snatched the scale from her hand in an annoyed yank, hard enough to almost knock her off the stone. "Leave it to us, Rayquaza, you said. You'll handle it, you said. Is this your idea of handling it, Absol? Look at the mess you've left me to clean up."

"Believe it or not, it was worse before you got here," she said with a cheerful smile.

"I swear I should just smite you right here and now. If you like living, you'd better not show up at my tower again any time in the next century. I will be counting the days!" Rayquaza flew up to the cloud layer, grumbling to himself as he swatted at them with his tail, pushing with his claws to break them all up.

I let out a sigh, sinking back against the rocks. "I would rather face Three again than have to get Rayquaza on our side a second time, Absol. At least Three I can handle without wanting to resort to deterrence techniques."

"Let's hope there won't be a second time. I'll return these to Wally once this is done and see how he wants to handle them." She patted the bag. "It may be that my friends may want to take it over again, but on the other hand, the whole reason they let humans take over the guard duties is because they didn't want humans chasing them down. Speaking of humans," she gave Kip's human a nudge with her foot. "You have a decision to make."

"I'm not taking anything you're offering."

"You don't even know what I'm about to say yet." Absol sat down on the rock, crossing one leg over the other. "This is my friend, Deoxys. You know it as Two. It has a way to allow the virus-you-to exist in its own body. So if you want, go with it, and get yourself a new life."

"What are you talking about? This is me, I'm the Pokemon Champion!"

"You're deluded," I said quietly. In my own Forme, I could see clearly into its layers. "You've become so intertwined with this human and its megalomania, you're convinced you are human. But that's not the case-at least, not yet. If you want to become human, you can come with me, otherwise-"

Kip's human swatted my arm away. "Say what you want. It's only natural that a Champion face temptation, after all. But I won't be swayed by your evil. I'll see you defeated soon!" He unleashed his Swellow from its Pokeball, grabbing onto its foot as it soared upwards.

"What a troubled human," I said. "And a troubled virus. It is unfortunate."

"More unfortunate than you think. I was infected with the modified Pokerus a while ago. It's possible that it was still on me. It might not have long to live, and not even know it."

"The modified Pokerus? They released it?"

Absol nodded. "The plan was to get into the shelters and spread it while we had a chance. I went out to try and recover the other Orb, but I assume they're already on their way. We'll leave the rest of it in their hands."

"That part is up to them," I said, "but I still have something to do. Now that the storm has cleared up, there might be more viruses on the way. I am going to go save them, Absol."

She leaned in, touching her forehead to mine in an affectionate gesture, rubbing my head. "Then go save as many as you can, Deoxys. I think that's the best thing you can do. I might be a danger to them, so I'm going to go return to the base and guard Xerosic and the Professor. I'll see you when you return. And Deoxys? You're a good kid."

"I know." I smiled as she shifted back to her own Forme, and then to Honchkrow's. "Hey, Absol. I have a joke for you."

"Oh?"

"What did the Rayquaza say to the Kyogre?"

"I don't know, what?"

"I cannot tell you that. We are in public company."

She laughed as she rose upwards. "You're right about that."