Chapter Nineteen: Ultra Space, Part 1

Location: Outside the Safari Zone, Fuchsia City, Kanto

A few hours after the battle with Hoopa…

The events after the battle were chaotic. Kris and the group were evacuated on board an EXO ship by Dr. Kaminko. Soon enough, they heard what happened to Hoopa and what Pryce and Greevil were doing - and the reports were not pretty.

After disappearing from near Chrono Island, Hoopa and Greevil's yacht had materialized on the coast of Fuchsia City in Kanto. Hoopa then continued to rampage through the city, steamrolling through the city's defenses set up by the gym trainers and the local police force. Eventually, to avoid further damage, it was simply decided to stop the fight and let Hoopa proceed. It waltzed into the Safari Zone, with Pryce, Greevil and their henchmen following suit.

As soon as this was confirmed, EXO set up a complete blockade around the Safari Zone, setting up an electrified fence and various checkpoints to prevent anyone from getting in or out. This was unnecessary for the time being, however, as Hoopa had positioned itself on a large clearing in the Safari Zone and was now shooting a large, purple beam into the sky, creating a giant pillar of light visible from far away. For now, Hoopa was merely keeping its energy focused on upholding the beam, but an attempt by EXO to do an aerial attack was deemed pointless as it seemed to have surrounded itself with a force field. Moreover, Pryce was still in there, he and his Pokémon more than a match for anyone trying to reach Hoopa. Satellite images showed Pryce there, a bit away from Hoopa, along with Greevil, Domino and two of Greevil's henchmen.

Kris and the group took shelter in a large tent set up by the EXO staff near where the Safari Zone gate would be. Dr. Kaminko and professor Juniper arrived to join them while medical staff sent by the Aether Foundation worked on Dawn, but they were unable to do anything to wake her up from what seemed to be a complete catatonic state.

"She needs to be taken to the nearest medical facility we have," Juniper told Kris. "That would be in Saffron City. It's a private facility the Aether Foundation set up for cutting-edge medical research."

Kris nodded, looking sadly at the stretcher Dawn was on. "Does she even have a choice?" she sighed. "I shouldn't have asked her to come with me to begin with. I knew Pryce was involved, so something bad was bound to happen. Someone should tell her parents what happened at least…"

Kris looked at Barry for support, but the usually talkative blonde was just staring at the floor. Professor Juniper glanced at Kaminko.

"Sir, she is apparently the daughter of the extremely wealthy and powerful Berlitz family," she said under her breath. "We could probably ask them for… donations to assist with our medical research projects."

Kaminko sighed. "That's what it will unfortunately come to."

Wes, in the meantime, was telling the others something he had realized during the battle. Iris, Lunick and Leaf were the only ones actually listening, the latter on account of her leg injury.

"That Grand Master everyone kept mentioning?" he said excitedly. "That Greevil guy? I've met him before! He lived in Orre for a long time. Called himself Mr. Verich. Those two guys with him are his sons or something, I guess? Ardos and Eldes, I think they were called."

"Hey, Kris," Wes called out, Kris sitting a few people away from him. "Who was that guy who told us old baldy?"

Kris blinked. Two EXO goons walked in, escorting a tall, middle-aged man wearing dark sunglasses, his long black hair tied to a ponytail. The man's hands were cuffed behind his back.

"Blake Hall!" Kris exclaimed.

"Yeah, that guy!" Wes said, then noticed what Kris was looking at. "Whoa!"

Kris stood up, walking up to Hall and his two jailers. Kaminko and Juniper followed as well.

"What on earth are you doing here?!" Kris wondered, Kaminko waving his hand at the two EXO goons to stop them.

Hall's expression and voice were calm as he spoke. "I surrendered to the authorities," he simply said. "I hope I made the right choice. I'm happy that I ran into you."

"Mr. Hall has actually given us crucial information regarding Hoopa," Kaminko told Kris. "I will share it with you and your friends shortly."

"There's something else," Hall said, facing Kris directly. "The thing we discussed in Orre… the one you have, the three of which are out there… find them. Blow the lid off this whole thing. Don't fall into their trap."

Kris was confused for a few seconds, but the words finally clicked in her mind. She nodded, and with that, Kaminko gestured at his goons to take Hall away. Though clearly curious about the meaning behind Hall's words, Kaminko didn't pry.

"All right, everyone who is able to fight, gather around!" Kaminko boomed to Kris' group.

Kris, Iris, Lyra, Wes, Blaine, professor Elm, Lorelei and a somewhat reluctant-looking Barry gathered around Kaminko. Leaf and Agatha were listening from the sidelines as medics were looking over their injuries.

"Hoopa seems to be preoccupied, and our scientists have finally figured out the reason why," Kaminko said, glancing at professor Juniper, who nodded. "Greevil is preparing for a ritual with Hoopa that will destabilize the border between dimensions. Based on what Ms. Lorelei and Ms. Agatha were able to tell us - and I thank them for their cooperation..."

Kris glanced at Agatha, whosoe expression was dour. This seemed to be common, but it looked like she was really not happy to help Kaminko and EXO.

"Based on their info," Kaminko continued, "both Drake and Greevil were trying to fulfill certain parts of the Sinjoh Prophecy. Drake believed that converting a large number of people into Deoxys would upset the dimensional balance enough to open a rift into what we know to be Ultra Space. Greevi, on the other hand, is going to use Hoopa for the same purpose."

"That Domino woman caught the first Deoxys, though," Lorelei pointed out. "Greevil might still be holding onto it as a backup plan?"

"It's possible," Kaminko said seriously. "Either way, both our researchers and the Aether Foundation believe that opening a portal into Ultra Space will cause the arrival of the Ultra Beasts, creatures that dwell in that dimension. And they are emissaries for the beast of the Distortion World-"

"Giratina," Kris whispered quietly in tune with what Kaminko said.

In the end, it always came down to that. With Pryce with Cyrus of Team Galactic. Now with Greevil and Drake.

"The battle with Hoopa caused a lot of injuries, some of them very critical," Kaminko said grimly. "But the worst came in its rampage through Fuchsia City. Property damage, people rendered homeless, so many wounded… because of this, the heads of the Pokémon Association have a very different plan from us."

"Which is?" Blaine demanded.

When Kaminko couldn't say it out loud, Juniper piped in. "They will evacuate the city to the best of their abilities and use a nuclear device on the Safari Zone. Whether that's even enough to destroy Hoopa, it remains unsure."

"But all those Pokémon!" Iris gasped. "We can't let them do that!"

"Of course," Kaminko said. "Thankfully, I was able to buy us time until midnight. Hoopa can detect if we send a lot of power in, but a small group should be able to infiltrate the Safari Zone and confront Pryce and Greevil. As Pryce seems to have a special interest in you, Kris," Kaminko looked at Kris directly, "we ask that you at least take part. We cannot force you, of course, but-"

"I'll do it," Kris said simply, and Kaminko nodded.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Thanks to what we learned from Hall, the bottle you saw Greevil opening is a relic from an old monk sect who trapped Hoopa long ago. Wanting to use it as a potential weapon against enemies threatening them, they crafted a mechanism for releasing Hoopa's unbound form, as well as one to revert it to the confined form, which ultimately renders it harmless."

"Of course," Elm said shakily, fiddling with the sleeves of his lab coat, "we would, er, have to get the bottle first. From both Pryce and that Domino."

"It's not going to be easy, but the chances of success are higher than they will ever be," Kaminko said firmly. "Hoopa is focused on trying to open the gateway, and we believe it will be some time before it's complete. While Hoopa itself cannot be touched at this time, the humans helping it can be defeated. And that's why we need a small group, as any larger assault will be detected by Hoopa's shields and pushed back."

Lorelei stood up, but she addressed Kris instead of Kaminko.

"From what I've seen, Kris, you've proven yourself capable," she said. "You and your friends both. If you allow, I would like to join you in this quest."

Kris was dumbstruck. An Elite Four member was asking her for permission?

"Y-yeah, of course!" Kris managed to spit out.

Lorelei nodded. "Then let's pick our team well and get going!"

~o~O~o~

Despite what Kaminko had said, it was really Lorelei who was leading this charge, guiding the group through an alternate path in the Safari Zone that no visitors ever used. It was an amazing sight, one Kris hadn't seen before: lush green savannas, thickets of trees Kris had never seen, sounds of Pokémon coming from everywhere - it was like being in another continent. It was getting dark already, with the sun setting, but it wasn't hard to see where to go - a large pillar of light dominated the sky, and was getting bigger the more the group walked.

Kris was walking behind Lorelei, with Lyra falling in step with her. The two were quiet, not even exchanging a word, but privately, Kris was extremely happy that Lyra had come along. Iris and Wes were following closely behind, followed by Lunick and Blaine. Finally, holding the rear where Barry, who wouldn't shut up about how he didn't want to be there, and professor Elm, who had insisted on coming and couldn't stop typing even as he walked, using a holographic keyboard projected from a wristpad.

"This is totally insane!" Barry lamented. "Pryce alone is bad enough! I've seen what that madman can do! But that Hoopa? Nuh-uh! There's nothing anyone can do. A bottle cannot hold that thing! We're all doomed!"

"Someone shut that kid up!" Lorelei shouted from the front.

"When we asked you if you were okay to come, you said yes," Blaine grunted at him over his shoulder. "So stop crying about it, it's too late to change your mind!"

Barry glanced at professor Elm for reassurance, but Elm was preoccupied by whatever calculations he was doing.

"I… I want to come," Barry said quietly. "For Lucas, and for Dawn, I know I have to. But…"

"We need everyone able to fight on this!" Blaine growled. "But if you're gonna panic on us, you'll be worse than useless - you'll be a burden! Stay focused!"

"Doctor," Lunick said under his breath. "Don't discourage him or that panic will happen. I've seen it before."

Blaine huffed in annoyance, but didn't continue, and the group marched on in silence. Finally, they came across a clearing, Lorelei gesturing everyone to stop. However, the clearing was just a little grassy area by a pond - nothing and no one in sight.

And then it happened - a powerful blizzard swept through the clearing, the trees around them bending from the force of the wind. The snow prevented anyone from seeing in front of them… for a few seconds, before things settled down and everything returned to normal. But Kris knew what to expect: Pryce was standing ten meters away from the group, his hand glowing pale blue. Domino, Greevil and Greevil's two sunglasses-wearing bodyguards, Ardos and Eldes, stood behind him.

"Welcome," Pryce told the group. "We've been expecting you."

"Quit hiding behind your cronies, Greevil!" Lorelei shouted, pointing her machete at the old, bald man. "How about you tell us what you're really doing?"

Kris frowned. Hadn't Kaminko just told them what his plan was? But Greevil, to Kris' surprise, smiled and closed his eyes, stepping forward a bit to stand at Pryce's side.

"Well observed, Ms. Lorelei," Greevil said. "Unlike Drake, I have no grand plan of following the prophecy and becoming Giratina's trusted servant. I am only interested in one particular part. 'As the stars fall on Earth, the conquest begins from the land of life's beginning'. But the Litleonid Meteor Shower also marks the end of the thousand-year cycle of the wish Pokémon, Jirachi."

Kris cursed quietly. In all her concern to one-up Lyra, she had almost completely forgotten about Jirachi.

"It hasn't been an easy journey," Greevil said. "I required the information from professor Hastings and professor Cozmo to find out what I knew, as well as have someone steal Hoopa's bottle from me. But, just as it was predicted, everything has fallen into place. Once Hoopa's superportal is ready, the dimensional rift will force Jirachi to land here on the Safari Zone, and I will have my wish."

"And what then," grunted Blaine, who stepped next to Lorelei, grabbing his question mark -shaped cane which Kris knew concealed a weapon of some sort. "What happens when the superportal creates a dimensional disturbance that can destroy this region, if not the entire country?"

"Outside of my concern," Greevil said. "My wish is simple - becoming an immortal and all-powerful God and ruling over this planet. I have the Deoxys as well, and with it, I shall create an army. The shadow Lugia was supposed to be a key part of it as well… but it seems I have you to thank for ruining that…"

"An immortal and all-powerful God," Pryce mused. "Funny how even eternal life is not enough when all you think about is yourself…"

Everyone turned to look at Pryce, Greevil frowning at him. Kris' heart was racing - she had no idea what was happening, but only knew things were about to change very soon.

"As long as we're telling stories," Pryce said as he started to slowly walk around the clearing. "Why don't you tell the story of how you came to know all this, oh Grand Master?"

"What do you mean?" Greevil asked Pryce slowly. Greevil's bodyguards were glancing at each other uncomfortably.

"Hundreds of years ago," Pryce said, "four individuals got together to form what eventually became the Circle of the Torn World. These four were the most powerful - and greedy - individuals of their time, and all amassed a following of their own. After the rewards of unlimited power and eternal life, they signed a pact with Giratina, becoming its servants and traitors of humanity. All four received their prize of eternal life, not aging at all in hundreds of years. They also received special powers, like, the ability to understand ancient languages to decipher a lost prophecy, for example. Of course, with great power comes sacrifice."

"Pryce, what are you doing?" Greevil asked irritatedly. "I think it's time you dealt with the intruders."

"Soon, Grand Master," Pryce said and bowed at Greevil. "But to continue, the sacrifice was something truly important to them, something that they would lose their soul if they would ever let go of. One sacrificed his wife, one her husband and another his most precious Pokémon. The fourth one sacrificed his two sons in hopes of getting even more power. However, he could never really let go, even adopting two Orreans and giving them old-fashioned names to remind him of his sons."

Pryce glanced at Ardos and Eldes, who looked confused. Greevil stared at Pryce, getting visibly more angry.

"But what does this man do with his long life?" Pryce asked the group. "Does he better the lives of other humans, our planet? Does he create fantastic pieces of art, solve problems or build something? No. He forms an army of followers, builds a cult around him and grows his personal fortune, obsessed with riches and following, going as far as to call himself Mr. Verich…"

"Pryce!" Greevil shouted.

"I'm so sorry, Grand Master," Pryce sighed theatrically. "But after hearing your fondest, deepest desire, I am… let down. I wonder if it's wise to follow such a man. Which is why…"

From his pants pocket, Pryce took a bottle - the same one he and Greevil had used earlier.

"What do you intend to do?!" Greevil snapped at Pryce. "There is no way to reverse the process! Hoopa is unbound now!"

Pryce shook his head. "I've done my homework on that, too," he said calmly. "The monks of old thought they had a perfect method. They practiced the art of talking backwards to conceal their secrets, and in fact, reciting the spell backwards is the guaranteed failsafe to keep Hoopa under control."

Yes, Kris thought. Yes!

"Of course, the monks of that time could not foresee the advancement of voice recording technology," Pryce said and nodded at Domino.

"No!" Greevil shouted and looked at his bodyguards. "Get him!"

But Domino was ready. A swift kick from her at Ardos and a burst of her electrified tulip at Eldes knocked them both out instantly. Next, Domino took out a phone from her pocket while Pryce opened the bottle. Greevil shouted in protest, but Domino pressed a button, playing the words Greevil spoke on the yacht, only backwards:

"Eyhe to htogodorht llll gogguhs fhaf 'l eyhegm rongathf gn fles htelgm 'gmy 'l iiahpegon !apooH ngathf'lfan!"

A terrifying, low roar echoed across the Safari Zone as the pillar of light disappeared. Hoopa crashed through the trees into view, all six of its arms reaching for Pryce and the bottle, but far too late. Its whole body glowed, and soon after, its entire mass was sucked into the bottle, a gust of wind blowing across the clearing as it happened. When Hoopa's angry roar was nothing but an echo, Pryce placed the cork back in the bottle.

"Why?!" Greevil screamed at him, completely losing his composure. "I brought you back! You swore loyalty to me!"

"I had a while to think about it," Pryce remarked, his fist glowing blue again, "and I decided that being brought back as a slave is worse than being brought back at all."

Pryce tossed the bottle in the grass at his feet. Greevil lunged to try and retrieve it, but Pryce was ready, an icy spear suddenly emerging from his glowing fist. With the sharp blade, Pryce slashed across the robes at Greevil's chest. Blood spilled on the ground while an amulet around Greevil's neck also fell. Kris remembered Pryce using exactly the same amulet.

Clutching his chest, Greevil collapsed on his knees in the grass.

"How?!" he screeched. "We are both marked! This shouldn't happen!"

"A part I forgot from my story," Pryce told the horrified group, completely cool and collected. "You see, the members of the Circle were all branded with the sign of Giratina to prove their loyalty. Should they ever falter, very, very bad things would happen. The brand also prevented the Circle members from, you know, killing each other off to try and compete for who could become Giratina's favorite. Of course, human ingenuity took care of things and the Circle crafted amulets that would prevent Giratina's all-seeing eyes from catching wind of their actions, allowing them to go after their own, selfish ends."

Pryce looked down at Greevil, kicking the bottle away from his reach as the little bald man crawled on the ground pathetically.

"I, too, was branded when I swore my loyalty to Giratina," Pryce said, staring at Greevil's fallen amulet. "And when I swayed from the path and tried to use my powers for myself rather than for it, I was a condemned man. After I lost my amulet, I was sucked into another dimension, but in the process, the mark was lost as well. Now, thanks to you, Greevil, I'm free to do whatever I want. You, on the other hand…"

Just like Kris had seen happen before, a dark purple vortex of energy appeared right above Greevil, growing larger and larger until it was big enough to swallow a grown man inside. His face twisted in rage, Greevil opened his mouth to curse at Pryce just as he was pulled inside the vortex, which abruptly closed as soon as Greevil was in.

"Well," Pryce sighed and dusted his hands, the ice spear disintegrating as he did so, "that takes care of that."

Pryce then turned to the group, who were unsure of what to do next. The threat of Hoopa had ended, Greevil was gone… but somehow, to Kris, things didn't feel right. Probably had something to do with the murderer standing in front of them.

"I suppose you'll be wanting this," Pryce remarked as he kicked the bottle away from himself. "FYI, it's called the Prison Bottle. No use to me now, though. Hoopa did what I wanted it to do and Greevil has confirmed that. Jirachi will land here soon, and when it does-"

"You're not laying a finger on it!" Lorelei shouted and sent out her Dewgong.

Kris hadn't expected a battle to start so suddenly, but Pryce's reflexes were fast, sending out a Mamoswine and an Abomasnow. Domino, in the meantime, opened two Poké Balls he had taken from Ardos and Eldes. A Heracross and a Marowak materialized in front of them.

"Those guys attacked your trainers!" she said, pointing at Kris and the rest. "Deal with them!"

Everybody sent out a Pokémon: Kris her Chandelure, Iris her Goodra, Lyra her Typhlosion, Blaine his Magmortar, Wes his Ninetales and Lunick his Luxray and Barry his Infernape. Fire-types would come in handy now with what Pryce would most definitely throw against them.

Blaine and his Magmortar battled against the Mamoswine while Lyra focused on the Abomasnow. Despite their weakness to fire, they were strong and fast, more than enough match for the rest of them. Iris and Wes teamed up against the Marowak while Lunick sent his Luxray after the Heracross.

Only Kris, Elm and Barry stood still, unsure of what to do. Kris looked back at the blonde-haired boy, whose legs were shaking so much he lost his balance, no sight of his usual bravado as he stared at Pryce, who was personally fighting against Lorelei's Dewgong, keeping it at bay by forming icy barriers by punching the ground while swinging at it with his ice spear with his other hand.

"Professor!" Kris instructed Elm, who was also hanging back, not sure of what to do. "Any tips?!"

"I got nothing!" Elm said honestly. "I'll keep in touch with EXO, let them know about Hoopa, they'll send help in no time! You… kick their asses!"

"Good!" Kris replied. "Stay out of sight!"

Elm took cover behind a tree, but Barry just sat on the ground, his Infernape looking between its trainer and the battle restlessly, unsure of what to do without its trainers advice. Forgetting Barry, Kris charged at Mamoswine, feeling Blaine's Magmortar was too slow to deal with it. However, before she and Chandelure could reach the battling pair, a burst of electricity suddenly hit the ground in front of Kris.

Kris turned around, Chandelure floating in front of Kris to protect her. Still, it wasn't hard to see the one responsible: Domino, her tulip pointed at Kris.

While Kris' anger was focused on Pryce, she hadn't forgotten what Domino had done. As grateful as Kris was for all the training and tips… her heart still hurt when she thought Domino could have been a friend.

"You're gonna fight me without any Pokémon?" Kris scoffed, hiding behind Chandelure to avoid getting shocked again. "You're gonna be punching my floating fire ghost?"

"I'm gonna do just fine," Domino remarked and thrust her tulip forward.

Something overcame Kris, a feeling of anger she hadn't quite felt before. And for once, she had something she could about it.

"Chandelure, Flamethrower!" Kris ordered.

Chandelure hesitated very little when Domino tried to attack it. It blasted Domino with a stream of fire which Domino only just averted, still scorched by the heat, her sleeves catching on fire, forcing her to roll on the ground. However, hearing her panicked cries, Kris was snapped out of it. Not even she deserved being burned like that.

"Uh, Chandelure, hit her with Shadow Ball," Kris ordered and leaned close to her Pokémon. "Gently," she muttered.

Chandelure launched the sphere of dark energy at Domino, who got knocked out by the blast. Certain that Domino wouldn't be interfering, Kris tried to get the sense of how the others were doing. Pryce and Lorelei caught her eye. Lorelei's Dewgong had been knocked out by Pryce, so the two ice-type users were now engaged in a swordfight, Lorelei using her machete against Pryce's ice spear.

"C'mon, Chandelure!" Kris told her Pokémon and ran towards the battling pair.

However, someone else had done it for her. From the corner of her eye, Kris saw Barry and his Infernape charging at Pryce, Barry yelling rapid-fire insults at Pryce Kris couldn't even decipher. And Barry was much closer as well.

Unfortunately, Pryce was ready. Dodging an attack from Lorelei, Pryce opened one last Poké Ball hidden in his pocket, letting his Piloswine out. Before Infernape could react, it was hit by a Mud Bomb attack launched by the Piloswine and knocked out instantly. Barry didn't even notice as he kept charging, allowing Pryce to lunge towards him and grab him in a stranglehold, holding him as a human shield in front of Lorelei, who had to take a step back.

"Bastard," Barry gurgled as Pryce held his neck tightly, pointing his spear at Lorelei.

"You've certainly challenged me more than any human before, ms. Lorelei," Pryce told her. "But I can't afford to delay any longer."

"In a hurry?" Lorelei remarked, keeping her machete pointed at Pryce.

"I'm afraid so," Pryce said quietly. "I'm truly sorry for doing this. Piloswine!"

Piloswine charged at Lorelei, but while she managed to dodge, Piloswine's tusk didn't, as it knocked the machete from Lorelei's hands. Pryce tossed Barry on the ground like a ragdoll before lunging at Lorelei, his palm glowing blue.

"Chandelure, Flamethrower!" Kris yelled quickly, desperately.

But Pryce's Piloswine acted first, positioning itself between Pryce and the attack and taking the brunt of it. Meanwhile, Pryce placed his palm on Lorelei's chest, and Lorelei's face turned to that of shock as all color seemed to be drained from her face. Just as had happened to principal Lamont in the Ranger Tournament, Lorelei collapsed on the ground, her lips turning to a shade of blue.

"You son of a bitch!" Kris cried.

"Kris!"

Kris turned around - it was Lyra, having defeated the Abomasnow, approaching Pryce from the other side. But Kris knew this was a mistake.

"Lyra, stay away!" she ordered, but too late.

Pryce punched the ground, a wall of ice appearing around him. A second later, the wall exploded, sending icicles flying everywhere. Kris hit herself on the ground, but several of them hit Chandelure and Lyra's Typhlosion, while one bumped Lyra on the head, knocking her out as well.

No, not her, Kris thought as she scrambled to get back on her feet.

With Scorch wounded, she couldn't react in time for Pryce to grab the unconscious Lyra, holding her like a shield. All around them, the noise was halting. Iris and Wes beat their foe and now joined to help Lunick beat the Heracross while Blaine, whose Magmortar had been knocked out, was now battling the Mamoswine with his Arcanine.

"Stop everything!" yelled a woman's voice all of a sudden.

Kris turned: Domino emerged from the bushes, holding professor Elm by the lapels as she kept her tulip trained on him, dragging him on the clearing. Though the battles had clearly been won, everyone stopped anyway, turning as well to look at Domino.

"I'm sorry!" Elm wailed at Kris, making eye contact with her. "She snuck behind me as I was talking with EXO. Don't mind me, just get Pryce!"

"Ignore him!" said Pryce, who was holding the unconscious Lyra in front of him with one hand as he walked to Barry's unconscious body. "No one move or your friends are dead. Domino!"

Domino zapped Elm with his tulip, knocking him out as well. Still keeping the tulip on him as a warning sign, Domino easily hoisted the much taller professor over her shoulder as she walked to Pryce, who grabbed Barry's body with his spare hand, holding it under his arm.

"You're finished, Pryce!" Kris spat at him. "The EXO reinforcements are on their way already now that Hoopa is gone."

"I figured as much," Pryce said, not even making eye contact with Kris as he drew something on the ground with his foot. "I didn't want to do this, but it's the only way to buy me enough time…"

No one seemed to understand what Pryce was doing, but Wes suddenly let out a surprised scream.

"Don't let him finish it!" he shouted.

"Finish what?" Iris wondered.

Her question was soon answered, as Pryce closed his eyes and mumbled something, as if he was praying. Then, purple electricity crackled behind him as a portal suddenly appeared. Pryce and Domino both turned towards it, and Kris feared the worst. If this was a portal like the one that had swallowed Greevil earlier…

"Your friends are gonna keep us some company while we move elsewhere," Pryce told the group. "If you wish to save them, well… better get ready for what awaits you on the other side."

"PRYCE!" Blaine roared, aiming his cane at him. "Not one move!"

But Pryce had already stepped into the portal, carrying Lyra and Barry away with him, followed soon by Domino and the unconscious Elm. As soon as Domino had left, the portal closed, leaving behind a very confused and exhausted Kris and her friends.

It looked like she would have to go to Ultra Space.