Saylee—Pokémon: 18 Deaths: 12

Key—Pokémon: 9 Deaths: 7

Archie—Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 3

Blue—Pokémon: 6 Deaths: 1

(See the bottom of the chapter for team rosters)

{Darnua 22nd, 11:31 pm}

{Mt Coronet}

"You three go around that way while we play decoy!" Blue called, running one way around the fallen pillar and dragging Archie with him. Saylee, Key and Looker ran to the other end of the pillar, waiting for Cyrus and Saturn to be suitably distracted.

"Is there a plan of attack?" Archie asked, releasing Prince, Warin, Basil and Pegasus.

"Sure there's a plan," Blue said, releasing his full team. "Attack! But don't smash those containers they're carrying! Adam, try and steal 'em," he added to his Alakazam, who nodded and teleported away.

"You will not interfere!" Saturn yelled angrily, releasing his Toxicroak, Golbat and Bronzor. The Bronzor charged up a Shadow Ball that struck Adam as soon as he appeared in front of Cyrus.

"Dammit… Gary, get that stupid flying plate!" Blue ordered.

"Help him out, Pegasus!" Archie added. "The rest of you, get 'em!"

Behind Saturn, Cyrus was hurrying up giant stone steps to some kind of podium, both canisters in his arms. Key, Saylee and Looker were running towards Cyrus, past his and Cynthia's struggling Pokémon. "And somebody get that asshole Saturn," Blue added with a growl. C'mon, Saylee, get those canisters and whatever the hell's in them…

{Darnua 22nd, 11:43 pm}

{Veilstone City}

"There you are, Mr Court," Richard Hawkshaw said, grinning hugely at the sight of the lawyer, who was sitting in the lobby of the Veilstone police station with a somewhat dazed smile and stroking the ears of Larry, his Linoone. "So, you ready to defend the two hundred an' seventeen Galactic schmucks we arrested here today?"

"Actually, I think I'm handing in my notice," Court chuckled, rolling his shoulders as he stood up. "Which does mean I'm free to take on new clients—you're not in any trouble with your department, are you?"

"Eh, yeah, there's kinda gonna be a major internal investigation…" Richard said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "But hey, if I get suspended or fired, that's more time at home with Maggie and the kids, and frankly I don't think I'm ever gonna let 'em outta my sight again!"

"Yeah, I—Milo!" Court exclaimed, grin brightening at the sight of the prosecutor walking into the lobby, rubbing his unusually fuzzy chin with an unhappy frown.

"Hunts, man, we missed you!" Larry exclaimed, shooting over to leap up and snuggle around the somewhat startled Milo Hunter, who was knocked to the ground by the excited Linoone. "I know you're not a hugger, but man, you just spent a couple of months in captivity, so you gotta accept some hugs!"

"I—well—yes, thank you," Hunter stammered, allowing Court to pull him to his feet. "Frankly, what I really need is to go home to get a shave, some clean clothes, five thousand showers…"

"Can't blame you, pal!" Richard laughed, slapping Hunter on the back so hard that the prosecutor stumbled, saved from falling over again by Larry leaning against his knees to prop him up. "Hey, you alright?"

"Did they feed you at all the whole time?" Court demanded, peering closely at Hunter. "Look, do you think you'd be better off coming back to mine first? I can get you some food, you can get just as good a shave and a shower, and I think until more Galactic members are captured, you probably shouldn't be alone..."

"That… is probably true," Hunter allowed, rubbing his unaccustomed beard again, possibly to hide a slight smile. He poked Court sharply between the eyes. "And from what I understand, you have some explaining to do, Galactic Defence," he said sharply. Larry sniggered.

Before Court could defend himself, there was a series of crashes outside, followed by a great deal of screaming. The three men exchanged a look and took off running out of the station.

"Goddamn lawyers an' cops, always runnin' towards screams…" Larry growled to himself, shooting off after the three humans. "What's goin' on?"

"Good question," Hunter panted, stopping almost immediately outside of the station and staring. He'd been born in Veilstone, had lived and worked there all his life, and knew the city from every angle, yet the skyline was wrong. Several buildings were suddenly the wrong shape, with chunks missing or new sections jutting out from them; another range seemed to become trees at the top; an entire road had turned into a swamp, thick green water flowing from nowhere to flood the streets. People were fleeing into or out of buildings, but some were vanishing into nowhere and others were appearing from nowhere, stumbling and staring around at the strange place at which they'd found themselves.

"The hell? Are you seein' this too?" Richard demanded, looking wildly around.

"This is… ye gods," Hunter muttered, gripping Court's arm and pointing up at the peak of Mt Coronet.

A pillar of black light was shooting into the sky from the peak of the mountain.

"…well, that can't possibly be good," Court observed faintly. He raised his wrist, frantically pulling up Phoebus and Diana's phone numbers. "Pick up, pick up… Diana?!" he called as his daughter picked up her phone first. "Diana, where are you and your brother?!"

"Daddy! We're, uh… Daddy, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, and so's Milo," Court said quickly. "Maggie and the kids are alright too. Where are you?"

"Oh, wow! Bussy, they found Milo and the Hawkshaws!" Diana called. "Daddy, we're in Canalave. We're trying to help Danté find his rings… do you remember Danté Allegri?"

"That magici…? Look, Diana, you and your brother need to get somewhere safe," Court said as Detective Hawkshaw grabbed both him and Hunter by the arms, clutching them with a whimper as a chunk of the police station vanished. "I don't know what's happening on Mt Coronet, but—"

"It's okay! Danté does, and he can help protect people from it!" Diana said brightly. "Don't worry, Daddy, we're on the case! You and Milo get somewhere safe until we can come get you, okay?"

"Wh—Diana!" Court yelled as his daughter hung up, staring at his C-Gear. "Wha…?"

"What's happening?" Hunter demanded. Court was once again spared having to answer by the ground vanishing under their feet, dropping the three men and Larry into the sea.

{Darnua 22nd, 11:32 pm}

{Mt Coronet}

Saylee, Key and Looker started running as soon as Blue and Archie attacked, distracting Saturn's attention while Cynthia took down Cyrus' Pokémon. Cyrus himself, however, was climbing up the massive, worn brownstone steps to the giant platform in the centre of the peak, clutching two large canisters, each glowing faintly red.

"Stop him!" Key cried, flinging her pokéballs up onto the platform, releasing Terra, Tashigi, Raiden, Maya, Ephraim and Gareth around Cyrus.

"Stop Cyrus! But don't break the canisters!" Saylee yelled, throwing Zoe, Ferne, Shanks and Elsa up as well. Looker was the first to ascend, the tall man's long legs allowing him to charge right up the steps while Key and Saylee gave each other boosts up.

"Uh, Key…" Gareth called as his trainer climbed onto the top of the platform, dragging Saylee after her, "how do we stop him without breaking the canisters?" The Galactic Leader was standing in the centre of a circle of Pokémon, entirely unruffled by being completely undefended, Zoe and Maya in particular growling furiously at him.

"You have nowhere to go, Cyrus Akagi," Looker said, pulling handcuffs out of his pocket and walking towards Cyrus. "Give up now, and—"

"Where would I go?" Cyrus said, cracking the closest thing to a real smile that Saylee had ever seen on the man's face, so broken and unhinged that it gave them all pause. "I am exactly where I need to be! Everything is ready for the creation of a new world! Now, all will end…"

Saylee started running towards Cyrus, intent on getting to him before he stopped talking. Looker also lunged forwards, but Cyrus stepped back, his wild grin not faltering even as Maya froze his feet to the ground to stop him moving further.

"…and everything will begin!" Cyrus cried, allowing himself to fall forwards, smashing the canisters against the ground. Humans and Pokémon alike were blasted backwards across the platform by a blast of red energy; Looker slammed into Saylee, who slammed into Key, all three of them crashing to the ground. Some of the smaller Pokémon, particularly Tashigi, Terra, Zoe, Elsa and Ephraim were sent flying entirely off of the platform, and Raiden and Shanks actually returned to their pokéballs amidst panicked screaming.

"With this, the Red Chain made from the crystals of the three lake Pokémon," Cyrus shouted from somewhere within the howling red light, "and the Red Chain I replicated with technological means… with these Red Chains I will pry open the portal to another dimension!"

But they're incomplete! Saylee tried and failed to scream, the breath entirely knocked out of her by the forceful application of an Interpol officer. She rolled off of Key, who sat up, clutching her back and head and mouthing breathless profanities. The crystals have been stolen! The technological chain won't work! NEITHER CHAIN WILL WORK!

The glow slowly resolved itself into two long, red shapes, more like rope than chains, winding around Cyrus' hands and writhing in the air. "I COMMAND THAT YOU UNLEASH YOUR POWER FOR ME!" he bellowed, lashing one chain out like a whip. "DIALGA, THE MYTHICAL POKEMON, AND THE MASTER OF TIME!" He whipped out the other chain. "PALKIA, THE MYTHICAL POKEMON, AND THE MASTER OF SPACE!"

Two huge black orbs formed in the air above them, spinning and writhing translucently, before suddenly splitting apart to reveal…

The left chain wrapped around the neck of a tremendous blue creature. Its body was lined with soft blue light and cruel silver spikes, and it was as huge as Groudon or Kyogre, and yet managed to give the impression that it was a miniature version of itself, as if it had shrunk down just for them…

Palkia was just as colossal and yet sleeker, all pink and silver, standing tall on two legs instead of sturdy on four, reaching its clawed, armoured hands to its throat as the right red chain wrapped around it. Huge, layered wings clacked out of its back as it and Dialga both roared in voices that shook the continent. Looker exclaimed something in a language that Saylee didn't recognize, but the tone and his expression were enough to convey a very shocked expletive.

"I've waited so long for this moment, Dialga and Palkia!" Cyrus shouted, gripping the chains and wrangling the two gigantic Pokémon as they pulled against his control. "Shaping this world is a double spiral of time and space… yes, the very things that you have the ability to control!"

Saylee struggled to stand up; some force seemed to be pushing her back, away from Cyrus. All around her, Pokémon were howling, but the howling was steadily increasing, the few dozen voices swelling to hundreds. Beyond Cyrus, she could see an army of wild Pokémon swarming up the peak, lead by a bellowing figure in white and orange.

"YOU WILL DO MY BIDDING!" Cyrus roared, pulling the chains tighter. "I WILL HAVE YOUR ABILITIES AS MINE! WITH THE POWER I WIELD, I WILL CREATE AN ENTIRELY NEW WORLD!"

They're fraying! They're going to break! Saylee tried to scream, staring at the straining chains. To her shock, Cyrus turned to face her. She wished he hadn't. His teeth were bared in a wild smile, and tears were pouring down his cheeks, but what they were pouring from weren't eyes. It wasn't that his eyes were missing; it was that in their place were voids, black wells of something darker than black that had no place in a human head.

"The incomplete and ugly world we have now can disappear," he chuckled. "I am resetting everything to zero. Nothing can remain."

"How DARE you!" Caelin screamed, charging and leaping, but falling to the steps as she, like Saylee, was pushed back by the force that surrounded Cyrus, who actually sighed.

"It is all for making the ultimate world," he told them. "A world of complete perfection. Nothing so vague and incomplete as spirit can remain…"

Dialga and Palkia howled as purple fire washed over the red chains. Silver! Saylee tried to gasp as she looked up to see her brother come swooping down towards her on translucent rainbow wings that vanished the second he set foot on the ground. Behind him came Suicune, Entei and Raikou, carrying Dawn, Lucas and Barry on their backs. All three had red crystals shining in their foreheads.

"We have to break those chains!" Silver shouted at Saylee and Caelin.

"But then Dialga and Palkia shall be unleashed!" Caelin argued.

"EXACTLY!" Silver bellowed. "Those chains aren't working!" he turned to yell at Cyrus. "Can't you see it from where you're standing? That black pit forming at their feet isn't your new world! It's them calling for BACKUP! LET THEM GO!"

"…Pathetic and worthless," Cyrus muttered, turning back to Dialga and Palkia. "Your coming here is in vain. Such pointless drama…"

"Why can't you destroy it?" Barry yelled as Raikou brought him closer. He was pale and clinging closely to the lightning demi-god. "I thought you had the power of a god…!"

"I just… I can't, okay?" Silver growled.

"A god's power can't break those," Steven commented, floating up on Bozider, Riley sitting next to him. Lance and his Dragonite were flying close by. The Metagross seemed pushed back as the rest of them were, so Steven jumped off, landing on the steps ahead of Saylee and Caelin, Bozider immediately backing away from the platform even as Lance and his Dragonite fought to get closer. Unown flowed past the former Hoenn champion, the chittering black-and-white shapes flying in random patterns around Dialga, Palkia and Cyrus, most of them congregating around the black hole in the ground, watching intently. "One way or another, Cyrus is going to get a new world if those chains aren't broken," Steven said darkly, pulling a huge, heavy pack off of his back. "The fool doesn't realize that you can't make people be perfect…" He looked back at Saylee. "The problem is that, unless the gods are linked in some way, their powers can't affect each other. Balance issues. Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie could do some damage, but…" He looked critically at the three weak, pale teens clinging to the backs of the Beasts. "They're too weak right now. Ho-oh is powerful enough, but can't do anything… forgive me, your Majesty, but neither you nor any other mortal Pokémon on this mountain can do a thing," he added, bowing courteously to Caelin, before glancing sharply at Saylee.

The power of a god, Saylee thought desperately, but if they're not a god…?

"Watch closely," Cyrus ordered them. "You've constantly interfered with my plans, but you will be forgiven. After all, there will remain no spirit for all time when I am done. All spirit will disappear. It will be ripped away... From you! From your Pokémon! From those precious to you...! It is time! My dream will be my reality!"

"Stand down, you fool!" Steven shouted, turning to face Cyrus. He set the pack at his feet and unclipped the top, reaching for something inside. "I will only ask once!"

Or what? Saylee though, dropping to her knees and thinking, as hard as she could, Mewtwo… please hear me… You're the only one who can help here! MEWTWO!

"I am here."

"The hell is that?!" Silver yelled. Saylee looked up to see Mewtwo floating in front of Cyrus, glaring down at the human, before turning his gaze to her.

Saylee pointed to the red chains. "DESTROY THEM!" she yelled as loud as she could, even as it tore at her damaged throat. Mewtwo glowed purple as blast after blast of razor-sharp psychic energy slammed into the chains.

"Holy shit, you actually called him," Blue shouted, bursting through the throng on Gary's back. "I hope you were planning for him to go to town on those chains…"

Saylee nodded, glancing at Steven, who was merely watching Mewtwo curiously, hands resting on the edges of his pack. "Mew's clone, hmm?" he muttered. "Well played…"

Cyrus roared in rage, tugging the chains tighter and tighter until…

Both chains snapped.

Dialga and Palkia roared again. Saylee leapt up and down, reflexively trying to cheer before thinking better of it as pain sliced her throat and made her spit up a mouthful of blood. Blue wrapped his arms around her and cheered for her, but his victorious grin faded as Dawn screamed.

"It's too late!" she shouted, pointing a shaking finger. "PLEASE DON'T!"

"Why are they not leaving?!" Caelin demanded, staring at the way that Dialga and Palkia continued to float placidly over the peak of Mt Coronet, glaring down at Cyrus, who was staring blankly—through what, thankfully, were human eyes again—as the red chains disintegrated in his hands.

"What the hell happened?" Cynthia demanded, charging up to the platform with Greta. "Riley—Steven?"

"We need to get out of here," Greta snarled. "Can't you feel it?"

"Oh, this will be fun," Steven sighed, running a hand through his hair tiredly.

"Do you know what the hell's going on here?" Blue demanded. "Why the hell aren't those two leaving?"

"They're staying to watch," Steven muttered, staring up at Dialga and Palkia, who were both staring at some spot on the ground beneath them.

"Goddammit, Steven, I have had enough of you and your cryptic—" Cynthia began, grabbing Steven's arm and shaking him sharply, cutting herself off as the ground shook violently under their feet. The pack at Steven's feet was knocked over, spilling worn, faintly-coloured slabs across the ground.

A pillar of blackness shot into the sky.

"M'lady, we need to GO!" Sally shouted, running past and scooping up Caelin. People and Pokémon both fled the bond-grinding roar of something within the black pillar. Saylee looked up, chilled to see burning red eyes appear within the blackness.

"GO!" Silver shouted, running after Saylee as Blue dragged her back down the steps, followed by Key. Entei, Suicune and Raikou darted off and were gone in a flash. The only ones who didn't move were Steven and Cyrus.

Cynthia paused, turning back. "Steven, let's GO, you idiot!" she yelled at him. Steven continued to glare at Cyrus.

"What is that?" Mewtwo asked, floating alongside Saylee, Blue and Silver as they ran.

"The thing in the pillar? Hell if I know!" Silver yelled.

"No, not that"

"Interesting," Cyrus chuckled—actually laughing, a cold, utterly uncontrolled laugh. "So, there is a Pokémon that can only appear as a shadow."

Six red shapes appeared from the void, like a set of teeth. They slowly spread, creating sharp black wings of shadow with red edges. The Unown danced around them, screeching wordlessly.

"I'd tell you to run, but there's no longer time to escape, Cyrus," Steven said in a voice that was almost a growl. "But drop the remnants of the chains and you have a chance of survival. This is the only chance I'm giving you, Cyrus!"

"No!" Cyrus spat, raising the remains of the chains and beginning to tie the ends together. "The effort is rash and foolish! I have harnessed the powers of Dialga and Palkia, and now…!"

"STEVEN, GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Cynthia screamed, running towards her old friend as the shadow-wings rose and curled into claws, raising above the oblivious Cyrus, who had turned his back to scream at Steven.

"I, Cyrus, won't have anyone else interfeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—" Cyrus screamed as the creature struck.

It was as if a moment was frozen, a second looping, Cyrus' scream vibrating as the creature's claws curled around him and dragged him into the darkness. The air around Saylee was suddenly made of treacle, so thick and heavy that she could barely move, barely breathe, even though Pokémon were fleeing easily all around her. Silver dashed past her and Blue, then stopped, staring in horror at all of the humans trapped in slow-motion. Unconscious Galactic grunts were littering the ground while Cynthia, Looker, Saylee, Blue, Archie, Key and Lance struggled to move.

Then, in an instant, Saylee was sucked off of her feet and into darkness.

{}

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I'm really sorry that this chapter's out a couple days late, my week just went full-bore August… I've been working open to close for the last week and then from Saturday I've been going from Fringe show to Fringe show all evening, in only a couple of cases because I'd booked show tickets and mostly because I kept running into people I knew who were performing in shows or working on shows and asked me to come. Saw a lot of really good stuff and I don't regret going to any of those shows or seeing any of those people, but getting up at 6am and going to bed after midnight while spending the day walking the length of the city is ROUGH. So today I slept until 3.30 and then got up to put up this chapter belatedly XD Sorry about the wait!

Also, is anybody else jazzed about all the Sun & Moon news? I'm so in love with the new type variants of old Pokemon-it's canonizing a long-beloved fandom concept and doing it REALLY well, and in general the game looks so fucking pretty. In particular, I'm super pumped for Ghost Marowak. We're making PLANS :D

SAYLEE

Fire Lord Caelin the Infernape, Sally the Luxray, Zoe the Crobat, Ferne the Floatzel, Shanks the Gengar, Elsa the Glaceon

KEY

Terra the Turtwig, Tashigi the Togetic, Maya the Azumarill, Ephraim the Leafeon, Raiden the Rotom, Gareth the Gallade

ARCHIE

Prince the Empoleon, Star the Luxray, Warin the Beautifly, Pegasus the Rapidash, Basil the Floatzel

BLUE

Sam the Blastoise, Gary the Arcanine, Adam the Alakazam, Eira the Electabuzz, Girish the Gabite, Rashad the Lucario

CYNTHIA

Godiva the Garchomp, Titania the Togekiss, Lewin the Lucario, Mira the Milotic, Senka the Spiritomb, Raisa the Roserade

LOOKER

Donna the Deino, Amy the Aggron, Rory the Lucario, Grace the Arcanine, Ace the Azumarill