Formora slipped silently across the land as the moon ascended the sky. She cut through a small village that had just turned off its last light, mercifully unaware that the most dangerous Pokemon in the land was a stone's throw away. All was quiet as she made her way to this new icy dungeon, with only the whisper of a small creek breaking the otherwise silent night.

She arrived at the snowy terrain that marked the territory of Frostbite Taiga shortly after midnight, her rapid breaths visible in the blessedly cold field. It had been quite a while since she'd last been here, chasing after a Shiny Litten. What would she find at the end of this new place?


Crystalline Snowfield

It took her around half an hour to find the new dungeon. Most of it was spent clearing out a pebble path she didn't recall seeing before hidden underneath a blanket of silvery-white snow, almost blinding in the moonlight. Eventually it led her to a long wall made out of ice blocks embedded with little colored crystals no bigger than her fingers. Above where the path bisected the wall was an archway decorated with delicately-carved snowflake patterns. Behind it lay familiar darkness.

Embracing it, she entered.

B1F-B4F ( watch?v=Q_8XryqK2aM)

Ah, the cold chill that permeated every crack in the wall, every pore on her face, was desperately needed in this unrelenting summer blaze. Even while traveling at night she had still been sweating from the humidity, and the temperature hadn't gone down far enough to effectively cool her off. Stepping into this wayward snowy landscape was like greeting an old friend she hadn't seen in ages.

Her pace quickened as she floated down the halls, taking in the quiet bliss of the place.

The floor was a dark blueish-gray cobblestone dusted with a light cover of snow, with crystals scattered like dice across it. The walls were just two thick slabs of smooth gray stone stacked on top of each other, with the one on the bottom jutting out a bit father than the top. Blue ferns, logs, and rocks lay on top of them, covered with a thick blanket of shimmering white snow. More ferns and daisies grew at the bottom of the walls, hugging them tight.

Every time a new hallway appeared, it was heralded by an archway above it just like the one outside. The residents of the new dungeon were decently strong, and would no doubt prove a bit of a struggle for the average explorer. For Formora though, they fell with just one Shadow Ball.

B5F

She was meandering through the dungeon, taking her time to enjoy the scenery and marvel at the intricate craftsmanship of the snowflake patterns on the archways. Exploring this new dungeon was just what the doctor ordered.

Why lie to yourself? We both know you're just running away from your problems, as usual. You get that lovely trait from your mother.

Her smile soured, and just like that her mood was ruined. Leave it to him to prevent her from ever feeling happy.

"Am I not allowed to enjoy myself every once in a while? Why do you keep following me, anyway?" she snapped, the magic of the dungeon gone.

He snickered, but fell silent. Formora bit her lip and took up a jog.

B6F-B9F

Most of the floors she got through with ease, and by the time she hit B8F her stomach was growling almost as loud as her battle shouts. She turned to tell Kia to fetch an apple from the bag, then remembered she was all alone with no items on her person save for her Bow.

Oh well, she thought as she scavenged the floor for food. It's not like I haven't been doing this for years.

Thankfully, Crystalline Snowfield was well stocked with spare food items, and just by eating whatever was on the ground she could stave off hunger.

B10F

Weather Condition: Snow

She looked up, catching a snowflake in her hand.

"About time," she muttered to herself.

B11F-B12F

With the power of Snow Cloak, blasting through this place became a total breeze. Not a single enemy could touch her, always a look a surprise on their face as she disappeared then reappeared with a Shadow Ball to their face.

She slumped against the wall after obliterating a Jynx. Even battling couldn't melt the growing lump of ice in her stomach…

B13F

Weather Condition: Snow

As Formora tore through the floor with as much effort as lifting a fork, her mind drifted to Mimikyu's final words.

'She can make a certain—someone? Something?—be silenced forever,' he had said. She bit her lip, hardly noticing the tang of salt and iron as she absentmindedly KO'd a Vanillish in one hit. He had to have been stretching the truth. Cresselia couldn't possibly heal a waking person's nightmare…right?

Aww, can someone not handle some mean words? Are her feelwings hurt? Poor widdle baby, I thought you were stwong and tough! Not a widdle crybaby like Ezra.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling you. Ezra's perfectly capable. Everyone is! You're really not as much of a nuisance as you think you are," she retorted.

You know that's a lie.

…Was that her voice?

B14F-B16F

He appeared next to her on B14F and started following her everywhere she went. Walking beside her mocking every action, every little thought. No matter how many times she plunged her knife into his heart he stayed by her side. He'd laugh as she drove the knife into every vital organ, slashed every major artery, saying that he could not be killed and that she was stuck with him forever.

She began to wonder if he was right.

B17F

Weather Condition: Snow

On she went, trying and failing to block out the sound of her father's voice, her knife hanging limply by her side. She didn't react to any of his taunts, as responding only egged him further on. Oh, but how she needed to cut his awful tongue out of his body-!

As she considered breaking her vow of silence, her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tremor. She shouted in surprise, searching every which way for the nearest archway to stand under. She was too late; a particularly aggressive tremor knocked her off balance and sent her bouncing roughly on the ground with each shake.

After what felt like forever, the earthquake ceased. Formora, battered and bruised, laid still on the ground, too dazed to move. Once she had her wits about her again, she got to her feet, wincing as each movement aggravated her new scrapes.

"Where's an Oran when you need one…?" she mumbled with a quiet, annoyed sigh as she limped to the nearest hallway.

You looked like a Magikarp flopping on the ground, her father laughed, looking completely unaffected by the quake.

"It must be morning by now. That earthquake's got to be related to Arceus. It was stronger than the one yesterday; Celestial Spire has got to be a hair's breadth away from collapsing," she said, not deigning to agree with him.

Ready or not, your time's running out, he agreed.

B18F-B20F

Her father continued his new favorite way to torment her: follow her around and criticize everything she did.

A Glalie's Ice Body make it able to survive a Shadow Ball?You could have KO'd it in one hit if you really tried.

A Bergmite dove under the snow to escape her regular attack? If you're so perfect, then why did you miss?

She ate an apple? Don't you think you've eaten enough for five Pokemon already?

On and on he went, until finally Formora's left eye was twitching with unreleased rage and her nails had carved divets into her palms from clenching them so tightly. But she didn't acknowledge him, and eventually he got bored.

Formora's shoulders untensed, just a hair, when he finally went away.

Waypoint—

She came to a small snowfield similar to the dungeon entrance, only she was surrounded by ice block walls. There was a Kangaskhan statue in the middle, and navy blue stairs beyond it.

It wasn't until she tapped the statue that a sudden but powerful lethargy took over her body. She'd been up for about 24 hours now. She'd stayed up later than that before, but for some reason she was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open.

"A quick nap," she murmured, lying down in the snow.

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but when she woke up is was a few degrees warmer, and the light was better. She didn't so much care about that as she did the footprints in the snow surrounding her that weren't there when she arrived.

Formora stood up in a flash, sweeping the room for enemies. There were none, and the tracks seemed to have come and gone from the latter half of the dungeon. The footprints were small, but judging from the thick line of trampled snow from where their owners went, there were a bunch of them.

"Come and try me," she muttered, moving for the stairs while keeping a close eye on her surroundings, as if the mystery intruders would pop out of the shadows at any moment.

Crystalline Point ( watch?v=GWu_yPoJS3M)

B1F-B3F

The scenery had changed from field to cave-like. Gone were the plants atop the now dark blue sheer walls. Little colored crystals embedded in them provided some light in the now dim dungeon. The floor became a deep navy covered in a thick layer of snow. There were snow-covered lumps near the walls and towards the middle of the room. Brushing off the snow revealed them to be rocks. As always, the hallways were adorned by arches.

She looked around, but saw no sign of the mystery intruders. Still, that didn't mean they weren't nearby.

She kept a Shadow Ball ready in her hand and set off.

B4F

Weather Condition: Snow

Getting sick of me yet? I know you'd love nothing more than to cut me out of your head, Father started up again.

Formora sighed, but only walked faster. Did Ezra ever have to deal with unwanted voices?

Nah, because she has Arceus Itself to talk to! Little Ezra, connected to the Original One Itself, and not poor old Formy's dad. Trust me, I would have loved to have been her father instead—

She plunged down the Stairs.

B5F

He kept going.

Let's see, what all has Ezra done? Led a successful exploration team, gathered all the Plates Giratina so desperately tried to hide—not that well might I add—stole the Space Globe right from under your very nose, escaped from you on numerous occasions, and defeated multiple legends. She's loved by many, has a great career going for her, and has more friends right now than you ever will in your lifetime. You know why? Because she belongs here. She stands now to complete a task no lesser man could ever hope to achieve. She's here to bring light in an era of darkness. And you? All you've done is stab people, get angry, drive people to near suicide for your own amusement, and you have the audacity to wonder why you're not happy. It's really not that hard to see why you're only tolerated at best.

Something broke, deep inside her.

"WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO FUCK OFF ALREADY?!" she screamed, clasping her hands over her ears, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

There was no answer, and with a hiccupping sob she slowly opened her eyes to find that she was all alone.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and she did nothing to stop the cascade. All she did was bow her head and run forward.

B6F-B7F

Clenching her teeth firmly together lest any forbidden sounds escape her, she floated numbly though the halls, hiding in the walls from any foe who tried to approach her.

Why was she plagued by her own father? Why was this happening to her? Why was she constantly denied happiness? Why why why?

Damn Arceus for creating this hellish nightmare that is my life. Damn It damn It damn It. Hurry up and die already, she thought bitterly, hot tears freezing against her cheeks. I just want to be happy again. That's all I want. Why did It condemn me to all this? Why am I like this?!

"What is wrong with me?!" she shouted, her words echoing throughout the halls. There was no one to tell her, and she broke out into a sprint, desperately hoping she'd somehow find an answer up ahead.

What would it take for her to be free?

B8F

Weather Condition: Snow

On this floor, she came across a strange scene as she dejectedly wandered the halls. A Froslass was fighting a Glalie and a Bergmite for a Clear Gummi. The Glalie was shoving it away with its massive body as the Bergmite swept in from underneath and grabbed the Gummi before escaping down an adjacent hallway. The Froslass, its face contorted with rage, gave the Glalie an Icy Wind as the latter disengaged and ran after its buddy.

"You're just trying to survive too, huh?" Formora her, the Froslass marched over to her, intending on using her as a scapegoat for its frustration.

Formora let out a small laugh as she dodged its Icy Wind. "You're a lot like me. Strong, determined. If everyone else would just stop holding you back, you'd be happy."

That last sentence surprised her, and she was rammed into the wall by the Froslass' Astonish. She hardly felt it, her mind focused elsewhere. Absentmindedly she defeated the Froslass with her Shadow Ball.

"What am I doing?" she wondered aloud. "Why am I moping around? The only reason I've been failing is because of my team's incompetence!"

Thinking back on it, it all started to make sense. Back at the Deadlands, Firnen had been worried about her safety (but the prophecy, if he had bothered to remember it, stated that she would survive to see Celestial Spire) and let Xerneas and Zygarde escape. Kia and Firnen had held back information on Lunala and Zygarde, and neither them nor Team Miasma lifted a finger to stop them! Kia had failed to deliver Ezra and her Pumpkaboo friend to the base.

Formora had defeated so many legendaries and enemies, but it was her teammates' (lack of) actions that led them all to returning to the compound empty handed. It was a wonder they had even caught Xerneas and Magearna!

"Everything that's gone wrong is because of Kia and Firnen. This is why I'm better off alone. Actually, I didn't even want them when Giratina gave them to me!" she exclaimed.

She recalled Rayquaza's painting of her in his dungeon. That Formora was vicious, ruthless. She'd burn down a village full of children to get what she wanted. That Formora was a monster. Frowning, Formora thought back on her past actions.

Tormenting a Shiny Riolu with broken bones, slashing Cresselia's entire flank with her knife, dislocating Xerneas' leg, breaking Umbra's arm…the list of her crimes went on and on.

"But I had to do it," she argued, feeling a lump grow in her throat. "I had to do those things to succeed. I can't fail!"

Failure meant death. Failure meant proving him right. And above all else, she couldn't do that.

She had to be angry again. It was exhausting, but it made her win. And she had to win this upcoming fight.

The prophecy stated that when one Champion died, her rival would end all the former stood for. Once Ezra was gone, everything would finally be okay.

But what if it doe—she obliterated that thought before it had finished forming. Everything will change, because she will make it. Without Ezra in the way, the world would be hers to do what she wanted. No longer would she have to put up with conspiring teammates, weak leaders, and enemies seeking to end her.

Her father had done more damage than she thought, she admitted with a scowl as she stalked down a hall. All her doubts came not from within, but from him. He was the root of her sadness, but her anger was the source of her strength. And she was oh, so much more powerful than he was. She was an unstoppable force who would destroy the Earth if she had to. With him gone, she would be free at last. And to do that…

She needed to kill Ezra.

B9F-B10F

With her end goal in mind, she strode down the floors of the dungeon, obliterating everything that stood in her way. Jynx? Pulverized. Piloswine? Eliminated. Weavile? Destroyed.

She let her anger wash over her like a tidal wave.

When I'm angry, I get results. Enemies fall. Objectives are met. But my team always lets me down. Well, no more. They've run out of second chances. I know what they've been doing. They've been sabotaging me on purpose. When I face Ezra, if they screw up one more time…

"They're joining her in the afterlife."

Crystalline World

She found herself in a small room, with a single long path facing her. Trudging through the snow, past little glowing blue flowers, she followed it until she came to an underground lake. More of the glowing flowers grew around the lakebed like cattails, and shed a dim light across the clearing.

What took her by surprised was the fact that everything was made of crystal! The flowers, the rocks, the plants…even the lake itself looked like it was solid ice, but a rock thrown into it revealed it to just be an illusion.

As she turned away from the water, she noticed the pieces of a shattered flower near the lakebed.

Huh, broken and meaningless, just like you, her father's voice returned.

She let out a long sigh. Just when she'd gotten used to being alone again. "So you're back, huh?"

You know I never pass up the chance to remind you of your worth.

"Why, did you finally get fired from your job? Is taunting me day after day the only way you can feel anything anymore? No wife, no money, no food, no heat…And here you are, projecting your spiraling depression onto your filthy rich, full, warm daughter. Truly you are the pinnacle of hypocrisy," she snorted.

Ooh, someone's found her tongue again. What, did this place actually make an impression on you?

"It's nice, but it was only ever a distraction," she told him.

A rumbling noise from behind made her snap to attention.

"What now?" she asked, turning to find a rather rotund Abomasnow standing in front of her with his arms on his hips, flanked by multiple Snovers.

"And just what do you think you're doing here?" he boomed.

"This is our place!" "Ooh, Boss is gonna clean this girl's clock!" "You show her, Boss!" "No intruders allowed!" the Snovers spoke amongst themselves, staring up at their leader like he was an oasis in a desert.

"I'd say I was finding food, but I think I know where it all went," she replied, feeling a faint sprig of contentedness well up in her belly. Beating down some loser in front of an audience…she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed this.

The Abomasnow huffed, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look tough, but ended up stumbling backwards due to the circumference of his stomach. Formora let out a scathing laugh as he righted himself, face as red as a tomato.

"Hey, don't laugh at Boss!" "Happens to everyone!" "Show some respect!" the Snovers shouted over one another.

"Ha-rumph! You've got some nerve, little girl, coming here and insulting me. Now apologize and kiss my toes, otherwise I'll have to obliterate you!" he boomed, crossing his arms.

"Ooh, scary. How are you gonna do that?" she asked, matching his stance.

The Abomasnow laughed, a deep rumble that sent the cavern shaking.

"It's quite simple, really! Step 1: I bash you! Step 2: I thrash you! And Step 3…" He slammed a trunk-like foot down to the ground, sending out small tremors that knocked some of the Snovers off their feet. "I end you!"

"Sounds good, and I'll be sure the coroner makes an extra-wide coffin to send to your next of kin when your heart gives out from all this exertion," Formora yawned.

"That's it, starting with Step 3!" the Abomasnow roared, lowering his head and charging straight at her.


Boss Battle ( watch?v=FG7flaqNFIY)

Weather Condition: Hail

Formora only sighed, and Snow Cloaked a few feet away. The Abomasnow had too much momentum going to be able to stop in time, and with a deafening BOOM he crashed right into the wall. Formora stumbled from the impact's tremor, but managed to keep herself from falling.

Most of the Snovers weren't as lucky, and soon there was a dazed pile of them on the ground.

Something hit her arm, and she looked up just in time to be showered by a flurry of icicles and icicle shards. The Snovers stirred as she brushed off the bits of ice.

"Boss, you okay…?" "Do you need an Oran Berry?" "Can I have one?" "No! It's for Boss!" "Boss is tough, he doesn't need anything!" "Oh! You're right!"

Formora stared incredulously at the clamoring imbeciles. "You gonna actually help him, or just stand there like dullards?"

Not like it'll actually matter, but even Kia and Firnen aren't this bad…

Now it was the Snovers' turn to stare at her.

"What?!" "Of course not!" "Boss can do this all by himself!" "He doesn't need our help!" "You got this, Boss!" "We believe in you, Boss!"

Formora put her hands over her ears, grimacing at their loud incessant squeaks.

"Ha-rumph!" said a certain Pokemon behind her.

She turned to see that the Abomasnow had finally gotten over his accidental fusing with the wall, and was standing nearby with his trunk-like arms crossed.

"Oh, you're up. How's your head? Couldn't be good for your three remaining brain cells," she said.

"Ha! You wish that little tap I took was enough to stop me from pulverizing you! Let's see how you like this!" he bellowed, bringing his arm above his head.

Formora watched, unfazed, as his hand became swathed in a neon green aura that took on the shape of a tree stump. She didn't move as he took a gargantuan step forward and slapped her across the face with the pulsating energy.

Her vision went white upon impact and her teeth rattled ominously in her skull, threatening to come loose from their sockets. She took a few steps back, blinking rapidly. Behind her, the Snovers whooped and hollered at their precious leader's 'victory'.

"Huh," she said, once the lingering sting of the blow had begun to fade. The Abomasnow, bowing at his lackeys' praise, stopped in confusion.

"Eh? You're still conscious?" he asked, as if one measly Wood Hammer would take her down.

"You're not that good. But you're not terrible either, I guess. Here's what real power looks like," Formora half-grinned, half-snarled as she dove for the Abomasnow, shooting off an Ice Beam aimed at his foot.

He fell for the trap and jumped to the side.

"Ha! You can't even tou—CHYAA!" the Abomasnow began to taunt, then shouted in pain as he dove right into her waiting Shadow Ball. The Ball landed square in the middle of his face, and he stumbled backwards, clutching his nose.

"See?" Formora shrugged.

I thought that was supposed to one-shot him? Father taunted.

"Beat it, deadbeat," she said curtly, trying to ignore his distractions. The Abomasnow thought she was talking to him, and with a guttural roar that sent more icicles crashing down he lowered his head and began charging up Skull Bash again.

"You've already tried that once with me. And besides, you know I'm a ghost-type, right? Even *if* you manage to hit me, it will do jack all," she chided. And here she thought she'd be getting a good fight!

His attack ready to land, he barreled right for her. Again, she Snow Cloaked out of the way.

"They never learn…" she muttered, reappearing a yard away.

To the Abomasnow's credit, he didn't careen into the wall for a second time, but turned in a wide circle and started running at her again.

Formora, bored with this charade, let him be nearly on top of her before jumping to toss another Shadow Ball in his face. However, the Abomasnow straightened and thrust his gut at her instead of his head. She sank deep into his excess fat before bouncing off and tumbling head over heels until finally she came to rest at the feet of a Snover, who threw snow on her face and giggled.

She lay there for a moment, wondering how her life came to be this way while her dad stood nearby, doubled over in laughter.

She opened her mouth to tell him to shove it—and changed it to a horrified scream as she saw the Abomasnow hurtling at her from above. She started to Snow Cloak—but was crushed underneath the weight of the Abomasnow. She groaned/coughed as all the air in her lungs was forcefully expelled out. Everything but her head was trapped under his massive body.

"GOTCHA!" he roared in triumph as Formora fought with all her might just to draw in a single breath.

Zygarde all over again, Father chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye as Formora tried to free her arm from underneath the Abomasnow to grab her knife from her Froslass Bow. She couldn't even move her fingers a millimeter!

"Aaaack…ckkk….." she wheezed pitifully. The Abomasnow raised his fist, and drove it deep into her cheek. She tried to cry out, but was unable to produce more than a high-pitched squeak.

The Abomasnow grinned, and began pummeling her face with more punches. As trapped as she was, Formora was totally helpless to stop the beating. Her vision was quickly turning white, whether from pain or asphyxiation she wasn't quite sure. Probably both.

When she stopped responding altogether, the Abomasnow got up, picked her up by the head in one meaty hand, and flung her limp body up into the air. As she began to fall, he prepped a Wood Hammer and hit her like a baseball. She was sent flying straight into the group of Snovers, who were knocked aside like bowling pins.

Fortunately for Formora, she had blacked out from lack of air a couple minutes ago, and thus was spared feeling most of the blows dealt to her. All she knew was, her lungs were all but collapsed, stars were dancing across her vision, and her face hurt like hell.

She lay there in the snow, gasping for breath, absentmindedly rubbing a golf ball-sized knot on her forehead.

From somewhere in the room, she heard the Abomasnow guffaw.

"See? Told ya I'd obliterate ya."

Confusion was replaced by white-hot rage, and new strength coursed through her. Ignoring her body's pleas to keep still, she stood up and brought out her knife. She flicked the blade out with a quick snikt.

The Snovers, having gotten themselves up already, gasped when they saw her bring out the bloodstained blade, but their dead man of a leader only chuckled.

Become the monster, make him beg for mercy.

"You're biggest mistake," she panted, getting a bloodthirsty grin, "was making me angry."

The Abomasnow stomped the ground, sending out a web of roots connected to him deep into the cavern floor. The roots pulsed green for a moment, and a few of his bruises began to fade. He let out a deep belly laugh that shook the cavern, then slapped his stomach and gestured for her to come forth.

Fool's locked into place now, she grinned to herself as she held up her empty hand and sent a furious Blizzard his way. The Abomasnow raised an arm to block out as much of the blast from his face as he could. Trapped as he was thanks to his own shortsightedness and lack of ranged attacks, he was forced to sit there and take it.

Formora increased her strength as she walked closer, forcing the storm to become even more wild. The Abomasnow was nearly invisible in amidst the attack, and he brought up his other arm to shield his face.

Once she was within melee range, she saw the brief outline of Wood Hammer, and jumped away with Snow Cloak just as his trunklike arm swung around to hit her. She moved behind him, rephased, and stabbed him in the back. The Abomasnow howled with pain, twisting and turning, trying to reach her. She pulled out her knife, and saw a brief flash of spongy yellow.

She cursed under her breath. His vital organs were well protected by a thick layer of fat. She could make him bleed, but that was about it.

The Abomasnow, still screaming, covered both his arms in solid Ice and tried to Punch her. Unfortunately, due to his Ingrain, he couldn't even turn around, and both punches easily fell short of her. All she had to do was take a couple steps back; she didn't even need her Snow Cloak.

"Boss!" "Are you okay?" "Did she kill him?!" "Boss can't be killed!" "Stay alive, Boss!" the Snovers clamored.

"I-I'm fine!" the Abomasnow grimaced.

"Not for long!" Formora snarled, Snow Cloaking in front of him. She thrust her blade out, aiming for his chest, but the Abomasnow quickly knocked the knife from her hand with an Ice Punch. Her now-open palm slapped his pec uselessly as she watched her knife land in the lake with a small bloop.

Formora scowled, and the Abomasnow grabbed her by the arm. With his free hand he prepared a Wood Hammer, but she phased out of his grasp with Snow Cloak and landed a Shadow Ball point-blank into his face.

As he groaned, she unleashed a flurry of Balls, her sight now tinged with red and everything but the Abomasnow now vanished from it.

"STUPID! USELESS! IDIOTIC! WORTHLESS! SPINELESS! UPSTART! PRICK!" she screamed with each one.

Finally, she ceased her blows, panting heavily. His Ingrain couldn't heal more than a couple bruises at a time, and boy was he now covered head to toe in them! He stood there, woozy, as his vines disappeared. Her bloodrush coming to an end, she gave him a tap on his gut.

He fell over, and didn't move.


A horrified silence swept through the crowd of Snovers staring at their fallen leader, their eyes wide as saucers and frozen in shock.

With a snort Formora stood, brushing bits of hail off her body as she went to retrieve her knife. Thankfully, it had landed in the shallows of the lake, near the water's edge. She knelt down and fished it out before coming back to the Abomasnow.

"B-b…" someone in the crowd sputtered as she stood coldly above him. "B-Boss's been knocked out!"

Like a cork popping off a bottle, that one voice was enough to set the rest of them off.

"Boss's been beaten!" "That witch must have cheated!" "We gotta save 'im!" "I'll avenge you, Boss!"

The riled-up Snover crowd started jumping into the clearing, with tears in their eyes and revenge in their hearts. As she watched them charge towards her, Formora only sighed, and rested the tip of her blade on the Abomasnow's stomach.

"One more step and you'll get to see what your boss's guts look like," she warned loudly. The frontmost Snover tripped in his haste to save his leader, and like dominoes the rest of them followed suit until soon there was a pile of prostrated Pokemon at her feet.

"That's better. You wanna know how I beat this fat guy?" Formora asked, poking the Abomansnow's gut with her other hand, always keeping the tip of her blade on his skin. "It's because how could anyone do anything when they're surrounded by a bunch of incompetent losers?! 'Yes, Boss', 'Whatever you desire, Boss', 'Can I annoy you any further, Boss?'. You're only holding him back. He doesn't need you at all, but the powers that be have decreed that he must be punished for existing. And you know what? You're his punishment. A bunch of yes-men who need their food pre-chewed for them, because Arceus forbid they do anything themselves!"

Arceus help her, she actually sympathized with this fat bastard!

Since when could you do that? Father asked, standing next to the Snovers looking down upon them with a disdainful expression.

She chucked a Shadow Ball at him. It whizzed right through his gut, making him vanish.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," she snapped.

"Who are you talking to?" the frontmost Snover piped up.

She turned her gaze on him, and with a squeak he planted his face firmly in the snow, covering his head with his hands. She watched the pathetic weakling tremble for a few seconds, debating if she wanted to teach him to keep a tight rein on his tongue. She decided against it, having figured that the Abomasnow would sic his ire on them anyway for letting her go. It's what she would do, and had done.

"You're lucky I'm leaving everyone here unscathed," she remarked tonelessly, sheathing her knife and turning to leave. "But your precious boss will be furious when he wakes up, because you all just up and let me, his opponent, mangle and toss him aside without lifting a finger to help. His pride will be in tatters. He will seek revenge, and would you look at that, you guys are the only ones available! You'll be screamed at. Berated. Assaulted. Made to believe that you are worthless, stepping on eggshells around him because you don't know what'll set him off. I know this because I've done this to my own useless lackeys. Be grateful it's not my ire you face. Because my anger burns far hotter than some upstart gang leader from Nowhereland. My name is Formora, and I will be ending the world soon."

With that, she strode past the speechless group of Snovers, and felt a tug at her body. She looked down into the terror-struck eyes of a Snover. He flinched upon meeting her gaze, but managed to bring himself to look at her face.

"U-um…what would you do, if you were us?" he asked in a faint whisper.

She thought for a moment.

"Run far, far away from here."


The sun was just beginning its descent when she approached the island. For many miles she had been hearing the sounds of fighting, and had gotten a ride across the channel far away from the Dark beach. She slipped through the forest that separated the mountain from the more reputable areas of the island, and peeking out from behind a tree she could see a massive army attacking the base.

Her jaw dropped as she saw Rayquaza chomp down on who could only be Reshiram's wing. The legendary of truth didn't even flinch as he burst into flame, forcing Rayquaza to hastily spit him out. Many other Light legendaries and regular Pokemon were fighting what remained of the Dark aerial and underwater sentries, while others broke off to scale the mountain towards the base. Most of the enemy forces were Pokemon she did not recognize, and the main leaders of the Light were nowhere to be seen amongst the carnage. They had to be inside, which meant…

She backed away, tripping over a rock and falling on her hindquarters. This couldn't be happening! The base had actually been overrun—!

"Formora!" she heard a voice call her name.

Kia and Firnen were sprinting towards her, faces contorted with effort. When they reached her, the two had to take several moments to catch their breaths.

"There you are! Everyone's been wondering where you were! Don't you see the giant army clobbering us?!" Firnen demanded.

"I've been away. Did they really take over?" she asked, ignoring his blatant insubordination in lieu of watching Rayquaza be knocked out of the sky by a blue ethereal pulse from Kyogre. With a great roar Rayquaza collapsed against the mountain, taking off most of the water-facing side with it.

"Yeah, there's only a couple of us left. Everyone else is being arrested. Oksana, Sorin, Binacle, Manectric…" Kia trailed off.

"Cate?" Formora asked.

Kia shook his head. "No, I made her leave the base last night. I didn't want her anywhere near the final fight. I'm to meet her in a secret place if we survive the Spire."

Upon hearing that word, she stood up straight.

"Ah. Then we should be going if we want to beat Ezra there," she said quietly.

"She's uh…preoccupied right now. You won't have to worry about that," Firnen winced.

She rounded on him, grabbing him by his shoulders. "SHE'S HERE?!"

Kia nodded. "Yeah, someone spotted her and Carys going into Antithesis Cavern. I imagine they're squaring off against Giratina now."

She scoffed, and started stalking towards the shore, away from the fight. "Figures. He's probably there to tell her he believed in her all along. Did he even show up for any of the battle? Don't answer, I know what you'll say. He deserves whatever's coming to him."

She didn't need to look behind her to know that her team was frozen in shock.

"Yeah, I said it!" she called without looking back to see if they were following. "What good has he done lately? Say some words that made you feel all happy and fuzzy inside? Given you hope? Haha! Look what that did for you! Thanks to him and his-–lack of—actions, none of you have a home anymore, and everyone's being hauled off to prison for the rest of their lives! I bet that was his goal the entire time. Nothing he does surprises me anymore."

She had reached the shoreline, where the boat she had taken was still there. To her satisfaction, Kia and Firnen had followed her, albeit with heads bowed. Wordlessly, she and Firnen got inside the boat while Kia took the reins and took them across the channel.

Marching with my head held high towards the unknown…just like when I left home, she thought as Kia towed the boat.

That was the best day of my life, Father agreed.

And mine.

Was it, though? At least you had a roof under your head and a bed before you left. What did you trade that for again? Nature's wrath and a cardboard box if you were lucky? Digging through scraps when you couldn't steal fresh food? Trading favors with greasy men when winter was bad? Having to sleep with one eye open so the other rejects wouldn't shank you in your sleep for your shoes? Great trade, Formora.

I had the two things most important to me: freedom and solitude. I was fine as long as I had those.

Riiiiight. Remember that one couple who offered to adopt you? You gave up having a real family, a warm bed, hot food, and stability…why, exactly? Oh, right. Fear. What was it you told yourself? You'd rather be cold and hungry but independent instead of having to listen to some stranger's rules with only the illusion of freedom? We both know that you knew deep down that you didn't think you deserved love and that it would only make you weak. You deluded yourself into thinking you didn't need a family, even when you'd fantasize about someone telling you 'Good job, Formora. I'm proud of you'. You gave up everything you ever wanted because of fear and pride.

After a few minutes of silence, she took a deep, shaky breath.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."


Have a nice icy dungeon to keep you cool!

The next post shall contain: Celestial Spire in its entirety.