Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Treasure Hunters of the Forest

by Lance Sunshine

Alex is a Charmander who awakens on the brink of death with no idea who he is or where he came from. He's saved by Tobias, a Squirtle desperate to put the past behind him. He's the lone ranger of a vigilante organisation led by Khan, the world's greatest treasure hunter. Bound inseparably by that fateful night, they're sucked into a war threatening to burn their home to the ground.

21. Chapter Twenty-One: Nova Hall

Chapter Twenty-One: Nova Hall

"The human sacrificed himself to save the Pokemon." - Mewtwo, Mewtwo Strikes Back

Overwhelmingly purple. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, the furniture, all coated in some strange, wet, sticky substance none of us could name.

Even Octavia hesitated at that door. Bonnie took the chance to be the hero and step in first. He shivered head-to-tail, but he kept his back straight and his head high.

Octavia strode in after him, but had to stop just beyond the threshold.

"Moltres' great mercy…"

Squelch.

Octavia recoiled in disgust. "What in the name of hell?"

Harriet touched the wall. "Ew, it's oil! I hope!"

We followed her inside. The Skarsgards looked around with mingled revolution and awe. The stuff was everywhere, at least three inches deep on the floor, filling the cracks between the tiles, covering the windows so that no sunlight came through. Thankfully, torches lit the way.

The suits of armour and the paintings on the walls had been covered with plain fabric. Asa lifted one of the sheets. The painting was of an armoured Rapidash bringing a hoof down on a Mega Garchomp's face. Khan gave it a look of mild distaste. But Octavia sighed with relief; the canvas was untouched.

"At least they have some appreciation for art," said Harriet.

"I'd say they're just out to sell them," said Agatha.

One of the doors had been removed. There was writing carved into a plaque fixed above: "Hall of Monarchs". Octavia marched in.

Fifty statues; all different types of stone, all holding different weapons, all dressed in battle armour. All monarchs of Itori.

Twenty-four of them were Charizard, as well as four Charmeleon and two Charmander, and most besides were fire-types. One exception was a Luxray king. Roy sat before the statue, staring up at it in awe.

All but one bore the last name of "Skarsgard". Civilian names were written below, and one in particular caught my eye. A male Charizard: Roark Skarsgard (née Albion). He stood proud and tall, head held high, with a longsword in his left hand and heater shield in his right.

Queen Octavia's statue was the second-to-last. It was carved from obsidian, and depicted her with both hands on the pommel of her greatsword, chin up, eyes steely and focused. She was bulkier than most, had shorter wings than half, and her tail was slightly more curved at the top than the others. It was a spitting image.

The last statue was carved from jet. Like four of its predecessors, instead of a weapon, it was surrounded by sparks and flames, representing magic.

"This is sick," said Octavia. She sounded genuinely hurt.

"Why don't you just destroy it?" I said.

"No. It has to stay there. Twelve of the monarchs in this hall took the throne by force, and every single one is still here. It doesn't matter how he got the crown, what matters is that he did. Now he's here forever."

The statue depicted a round-featured, spread-winged, furious-looking Hydreigon. It didn't really capture him. I kept that to myself.

---

Each room had a theme: plants, grown on different kinds of soil, or basking in candlelight, or watered with blood, or fertilised with… Moltres knew what.

Water, small tanks all containing different kinds of seaweed, algae, rocks, and coral; some changing colour, some eroding, some growing, some morphing into entirely new shapes.

Rocks carved with strange symbols, rocks ground into dust, rocks set alongside growth charts, rocks with the bones of Pokémon inside.

Then we came to a sticky-warm room, filled up with free-growing green plants and coloured flowers, an indoor cross between rainforest and a shrubland. In the centre, a giant vat of green liquid stretched from floor to ceiling; pipes ran to every corner and carried on through the walls.

"Asa?" I said.

He was staring at the bubbles rising in the vat.

"Asa?"

"I really dislike this Pokémon, Alex."

That was all he had to say about it.

---

We approached the great hall.

"This was the ornamental centrepiece of Itori," Bonnie said with mixed reverence and nervous anticipation. "Royal birthdays, celebrations of peace, celebrations of victory in war, balls for all the important holidays; every knight, dame, and soldier knighted in Itori is brought here."

"Can't wait to see what he's done with the place," said Octavia. She and Braze pushed the doors open.

We covered our mouths. It was so much worse. The oil was as thick and congealed, drooping in disgustingly large globs down the wall, pooling across the floor, running down the fluted columns, dripping from the ceiling. The windows were coated so thickly that I couldn't even tell you where they were.

Nate gagged. "Zapdos, I can hardly breath in here!"

Tess shivered. "I can feeling myself rusting."

"The air is acid," Agatha said, screwing up her mouth.

"And it's freezing," said Niamh.

"And it stinks!" said Baz.

Ten suits of armour stood between the columns. At the far wall were four glass cases containing fossilised Pokémon; a Kabutops, Omastar, and Aerodactyl, as well as four fragments of different incomplete skeletons, and some kind of ancient fish Pokémon. Covering the far wall was Zweil Varia's unique version of the Varia sigil; a black magician's staff holding the image of an atom in a dark blue jewel, placed above the signature Varia mirror; arranged in tiles.

"Zweil's laboratory…" Asa echoed Mr. Finley's words.

"It's the whole fucking floor!" Braze exclaimed.

Flames flared from Octavia's mouth. "Of all the vile, conceited, twisted things to do to my Castle! And where the bloody hell is my throne?!"

"He's only a prince," Markus said, "but Dregio gave him an entire floor for… this."

"He," Queen Octavia spoke slowly, "is not a prince."

The oil was thick and cloying. Art whispered to the Queen; she and stopped motioned for us to wait behind the door. We listened. There was no sound but the dripping, and the slime sliding down the walls.

Khan frowned. "The statues and the glass aren't covered…" he began.

"… But they're clean," Tobias finished.

Octavia shifted the sword in her grasp.

"Let one of us take the lead, your grace," said Braze.

"Don't be a hero, Winters," she said. "Especially not after what happened to the last one."

The Queen took the first step into the hall.

Nothing happened.

We followed her through. Bucky came in last. The doors squelched over the floor and slammed shut. We span around.

"Not me!" he said.

Blub, blub, blub, blub.

I lifted one foot out of the muck. The oil was bubbling. But it wasn't heating up, it wasn't harming any of the non-fire types. No. It was turning to smoke.

"Oh Gods…" said Asa.

Eliza tried the door, to no effect. We raised our weapons and charged our attacks. The sound of steel scraping across steel echoed all around us. The suits were moving. The fossils jumped to life and broke through the glass. Smoky-oil filled the armour and wrapped itself around the skeletons.

The substance whirlpooled in the middle of the floor. It rose. It climbed, wobbled, grasped, pulled, took on form; it morphed itself into the shape of a Zweilous, twenty-feet tall. As big as a Dynamax.

Moltres above.

The two heads gave an ungodly roar. Boiling oil, burning smoke, and fluids crashing together. Each step towards us made small waves in the substance. The smaller Pokémon were hit in the face by the splashback, and it clung to our faces and spread over our arms and clothes. Smoke reached up past our heads while the oil at our feet was still thick and curdled.

"What the hell is that?!" Octavia demanded.

"It's…" Asa began. He swallowed. "It looks like a Spectre, but it seems like it's managed to form a physical-"

The "Zweilous" raised its forelegs and slammed them into the ground, creating a tidal wave.

It knocked me to the ground and the oil covered my tail. I gasped for air but none came. I pulled against the oil, scrambling for purchase; I found a wall and dragged myself up. I shook my tail as dry as I could. The flame had shrunk to half its size.

I looked up. My eyes widened.

"Tobias!" I called. "Tobias! Tobias!"

He emerged, gasping, oil soaked into his shell, coughing and sputtering.

"Your tail!" was the first thing he said.

Niamh's Flame Burst hit me before behind. The oil at the tip was burned away, and life grew again.

"Thank you!" I said.

Niamh blushed. I think. It's hard to tell, with the oil and everything.

An Incineroar's hemp wrestler's gear came charging at me, arms wide and gloves clenched, ready to grab me. I used Fire Spin. It dodged with ease, despite the slippery surface. The hemp Incineroar bent over me and grabbed me by the shoulders and flipped me over its head. I landed chin-first on the ground and slid across the oil. Thankfully, my tail stayed firmly upright.

Two manifestations of black energy; like whiskered, wingless dragons. It took the combined power of all the Skarsgard soldiers to counter. Fortis, Harriet, and the Forest Fires had the job of dealing with the suits and fossils.

The hemp Incineroar was trying to force my tail under the oil. Tobias grabbed it by the back of the tunic and pulled. It jerked away, took him by the tail, then slammed him to the ground. My partner shot into his shell, then came crashing into the suit's non-existent torso.

A black Shock Wave struck us all at once, but it didn't keep the others down. It wasn't super-effective on Tobias, but it effected Khan. That meant that this time it was a null-type.

The Skarsgards attacked at once, tearing strips or punching holes or burning away the Zweilous' "fur". But no matter how much damage they did, it immediately reformed back to its original shape.

I slashed at the Incineroar with my sword; it pulled back, then caught the blade in its right hand. I twisted and pulled it away, leaving a tear across its palm. I slashed it across the face, leaving another scar over its right eye. Then I drove the sword through its heart.

It looked from the blade, to me. I stared back, motionless.

Bonnie ran head-down through the oil and smoke. His tail was radiating black energy. The Spectre was readying a Body Slam. The Houndour jumped, span, struck it in the chest. Foul Play sent the Zweilous' energy right back into it. It might have been tossed onto its back had its heads not hit the ceiling. The Spectre roared, then Body Slammed back down onto the ground.

"Bonnie!" Nate cried.

Asa's Solar Beam ripped a hole through its foot. Through the gap, we could see Bonnie lying on his side, more than half-submerged in the substance.

Alana tried using Psychic, but of course, Psychic doesn't work on dark-types. Instead, Nate decided that he would rescue him himself.

The Skarsgards fired all at once at the Zweilous' torso. Nate ducked low, so low that the oil splashed up into his nose, making him sneeze. He grabbed Bonnie by the ankle and dragged him free. The Spectre's leg reformed but Octavia's Air Slash left a gap big enough for Nate to run through. One of the heads launched a Dragon Pulse that burst right in the centre of the Skarsgard force, landing on their heads or splashing them with oil or blinding them with smoke. The other grabbed the two small Pokémon and tossed them into the air.

Striker grabbed them both in his talons. The head snapped at smoky air.

The Incineroar swiped my sword away with its large glove-hand and grabbed me by the ankles. It span in a circle once, twice, three times, never slipping on the oily-smoke, then finally threw me across the room. I managed to land on my hands on knees and went sliding over the floor. My tail bumped against one of the pillars. The Incineroar charged at me, arms pumping.

I blew a Smokescreen in its face. I gripped onto the slimy pillar and dragged myself to my feet. I ran around it, hoping to strike it from the back. I took slow, laborious steps; I raised my shield, ready for an attack, but none came. The smoke faded, and the hemp suit didn't appear. Where had it-

"Alex, behind you!" Baz cried.

I span around. But it wasn't the Incineroar. The fossil Kabutops had its non-existent eyes fixed on me. It raised its scythes and ran. I parried one, but the other cut into my shoulder. I screamed as oily-smoke rose from my skin.

It sidestepped to dodge Tobias' Rapid Spin. His shell went sliding away. A fossil Aerodactyl's jaws snapped shut over him.

I tried to push past the Kabutops, but it shoved me away with one of his scythes, then cut up under my chin with the other. Good thing I had a helmet on. I tried trapping it in Fire Spin, but with a few quick strikes it swiped it clean away.

The Spectre Body Slammed down on top of the Skarsgards. They had to kick, crawl, and squirm their way out from under it. Then they had to turn back and rescue those still drowning in the oil. The Spectre unleashed another Shock Wave.

The black light blinded me for a moment and the Kabutops knocked the helmet into the oil. It really wanted my head. I blocked the scythes with my sword and shield. I heaved against it but the skeleton was stronger than I was. Fire was useless. So I headbutted it instead. It made my vision go black for a moment, but the skeleton turned its head away, almost like a natural response to pain.

I slashed with my sword, it blocked with the back of its scythe and pushed, so I brought my left arm to my chest and rammed my shield into its shin. The Kabutops' back hunched over. I drove my sword into its neck. It got stuck around halfway. Not enough. The skeleton drove the points of its scythes into my sides. It cut through the tunic but the chainmail stopped it; it pressed in so hard and so sharp that I grit my teeth and growled in pain.

The Kabutops' dead, empty eyes fixed on mine.

I stared back, unblinking.

The scythes pressed in deeper, threatening to break the steel.

I gripped the handle of my sword with both hands and pulled it out; it looked right just in time to see me slice right through the bone. The Kabutops' skull splashed to the floor.

Dragon Pulse exploded to our left and to our right. I cried out in pain and the Victory Hunters were knocked to the floor and the Forest Fires pulled back to recover and the Queen was forced onto one knee. She stood back up again, roared in anger.

We fired all at once at its torso. It just absorbed the blow into its body, and closed the hole right back up again.

"Articuno, this is useless!" Baz exclaimed. "That thing is just oil!"

"Well what do we do then?!" Tess cried. "What do we do?!"

"We need to deactivate the power source!" said Asa. "But I don't know where it is!"

"Can't you detect it?!" said Roy.

"No!"

"But you're magic!" said Striker.

"Not all magic's the same! You can't detect Spectre magic with Gems any more than you can hear noises through a telescope!"

"Then figure something out!" Octavia yelled. "We aren't going to win this with brute strength!"

Tobias' Ice Beam broke through the Aerodactyl's jaws and he splashed down into the oil. The Aerodactyl dived down for him but Khan's Enchanted Giga Impact intercepted and they went flying across the room.

A bulky Charizard suit with elaborate flame patterns came charging at us. It swung its battleaxe, we threw ourselves to the ground to dodge. Our moves were getting slower and slower. I hid Tobias and I with Smokescreen and we ran before the blade came crashing down, sending oily-smoke into the air.

Tobias used Ice Beam. It blocked with the side of its axe and charged at us. The substance wasn't slowing it down at all.

"What now?!" we asked each other.

It raised its axe, we both ducked behind my shield, and the blade banged off the steel. I clenched my jaw against the pain as it swung again, and again, and again. Then my strength gave out and I fell onto my back. Oil splashed over my tail. It swung sideways and Tobias rolled across the floor, banging into one of the columns.

The Charizard swung its axe and I blocked with my Claws. The metal rang and tears blurred my vision. Tobias tried to push himself back up, slipped. The Charizard raised his axe above my neck.

Baz's tentacles wrapped around its wrists. Wring Out pried them free, taking its weapon with it.

The Charizard roared. It closed its jaws around Baz's head. Tobias hit its in the jaw with Water Gun. Baz dropped. The Charizard spun and knocked her away with its tail. Its gauntlets and axe floated up to reconnect with It body. It went for Tobias again.

I blew smoke at the Charizard and ran to Tobias' side.

"Tobias," I said. "Tobias, did it hurt you, are you…"

He was looking past me. The suit had fallen apart.

"It was the smoke," he said. "We separated it!"

The Zweilous' Dragon Pulse crashed through the room. The Skarsgards countered, letting off smoke explosions and clouds of smoke into the air. We waited until the din faded.

"It's smoke!" Tobias called to the others. "You just have to separate the steel from the smoke!"

Scar's Razor Wind cut the tentacles off an Omastar fossil. They wriggled back to the main body, reattached with a click.

"What about these ones?!" she called.

It jumped at her and wrapped its tentacles around her body.

"Off with its head!" I yelled.

"It's an Omastar!"

Then Niamh jumped on top of it, wrapping her legs around its shell. She raised her shield and brought it down across its ridged over and over and over again.

"How… else… do you… kill… a snail?!"

The Omastar fell apart. Agatha lifted Niamh out of the oil and brushed the shards from her clothing and armour. The Victory Hunters collapsed against each other, panting.

"For the record," said Niamh, "I do not condone the murder of snails."

"I don't think Omastar are snails," said Agatha.

"... I condone you shutting up."

"I wouldn't have expected that from you!" I blurted out.

"Why would you?" the Pansear said without looking at me. "You don't know me."

There was an uncomfortable silence, but it was quickly drowned out by a great clattering, banging, splashing. The suits were collapsing all around us. Fire-type attacks were swallowing them whole, and the smoke-oil holding them together choked and died. The Kabutops' scythes clicked back into place and lifted its head up to its neck only to fall apart again as Octavia's Blast Burn swallowed it. The Aerodactyl was picked apart and scattered across the hall. The Omastar was a pile of dust, and the four fragments were in even smaller pieces.

But there was still one missing.

"Watch out!" Scar cried. "Alex!"

The fossil leapt out of the oil, spraying it down onto our heads.

"What the hell is that?!" I yelled.

"It's a Magikarp!" Tobias exclaimed.

"A Magikarp?!"

It was a big ol' Magikarp. We ducked and jumped out of the way. Its tail slapped Scar in the face, denting her helmet in. The skeleton splashed back down into the pool. Looking closely I could see it moving through the purple, circling us with zigzagging movements.

"It's the Elderkarp," I said.

"We are not calling it the Elderkarp," said Scar, shaking the damaged helmet off her head.

The Elderkarp jumped at us. Bones shot out of its mouth at jagged angles to form three rows of fangs. It missed us by inches. It landed, swerved, jumped again, banged against my shield.

"Gut that fish!"

"It's a skeleton, Alex," said Tobias.

"We're going to die, Tobias!"

It jumped again. I pulled back. I slipped.

Tess placed herself between the skeleton and I and hardened her body with Iron Defence. The Elderkarp's teeth scrapped against her skin. The Elderkarp dove back down, flicked its tail to splashed our eyes with oil, blinding the Forretress at a crucial moment.

Scar sprinted towards us, horn glowing. The Elderkarp leapt at her, she swerved to dodge, but she slipped and fell onto her side. The Elderkarp swivelled around and chomped down on her shoulder. Scar screamed. Art blasted it away with Zap Cannon. Baz and Tess helped to her feet. She took a deep breath, wiped the blood from her fur.

"I'm all right," she said to the room at large, "I'm all right."

Next the Elderkarp targeted Tobias. He ducked into his shell just in time, and the skeleton gnawed mindlessly at the carapace.

Bonnie's Iron Tail knocked it free and Nate's Fire Punch slammed it into the column. Baz's Octazooka held it in place while Tess' Gyro Ball smashed its skull in.

Nate picked me back up. Bonnie wiped the substance from the top of my tail.

"Are you okay?" asked the Shiny Charmander.

"I'm okay, thank you."

"That was some impressive combat, soldier," said the Houndour.

I blushed. "Ah, it was mostly Tobias."

"Take cover!" two voices cried at once.

Body Slam brought another tidal wave crashing down on us. Bonnie shielded Nate's flame with his body, while Tobias grit his teeth and clasped mine in his hands. This time we stayed upright, but the stuff had drenched us. I wiped it from my eyes. When I could see clearly again, a gasp escaped.

Oily-smoke rose from the suits, from the fossils, from the Spectre Zweilous. They twisted and funnelled into the Abomasnow's white-steel suit, its its two gauntlet. They rattled free and lifted into the air, fingers curling, then shot out too fast to dodge. They Octavia and I by the throats.

My veins bulged, and turned a ghostly white. My mouth frothed, my body was lifted off the ground. Pokémon were calling my name. The light behind my head was dimming… My vision was turning to white, pure white…

"Alex!"

Tobias ran to my side. I cried out in protest but he reached up and grabbed the white hand in his own. But instead of white cords running through his body, the hand shuddered, and yellow vein-like lines ran through the steel, until it came away and fell limp and lifeless to the ground.

We stared at each other for a brief moment. Then Tobias reached up and freed Octavia from its grasp. The other hand splashed to the floor. The three of us stood there, stunned.

Then the Zweilous' foot came crashing down on top of Tobias and I. He screamed and held up his hands. They smacked against the Spectre and yellow tendrils coursed through its body. It pulled away and roared, outraged.

Asa was watching at us in pure awe.

The Zweilous summoned a dark dragon's head in each mouth.

Tobias's body radiated energy as a yellow-tinted Ice Beam crashed up under the Zweilous' left chin. Asa's yellow Razor Leaves cut gaps through its right. The yellow was sinking deeper and deeper in, until it raised both feet to Body Slam to the ground. Octavia's tail knocked us out of the way just in time, and she took the hit for us.

Tobias and I helped each other to our feet.

"Tobias!" Asa called.

He gestured to the spectre Pokémon clambering to its feet. To the spot between its heads, the spot right down the middle. Tobias' body glowed. His eyes turned a bright sunshine-yellow.

The Zweilous was preparing a Shock Wave attack. Asa's Vines snapped shut around its right neck. Then Braze's greatsword pierced through its left.

"Tobias!" Asa cried, bracing himself against the spectre's weight. "Use Rapid Spin!"

"Tobias!" I said, at the exact same moment. "Use Ice Beam!"

And both commands clicked in his brain, and at the moment he lifted himself off the ground he unleashed a burst of ice-type energy that pinwheeled through the air. He struck the Spectre right down the middle, sawing through its smoky-oil, oily-smoke body. Light flooded through its body from its torso to its feet up to its tails up its necks to its faces, until it had consumed it, and lit the room up sunlight-yellow.

The gauntlets dropped to the ground. The skeletons collapsed and the suites of armour fell in on themselves.

The Zweilous roared a desperate roar. It threw its head back as its body collapsed, its cries growing more and more pathetic as it shrunk into a bubbling pool of oil. It was clawing at the ground, its feet splashing against the substance. Its face melted away, black oil dripping from its mouth and where its eyes might have been. The Spectre's heads puddled below us, gave one last high-pitched screech, and sunk into the floor.

The floor was still oily, but only on the surface level. The suite pieces had been beaten in or cracked apart. The fossils were in pieces. Octavia tenderly picked up the beaten-in Elderkarp skull.

"This was one of the only two Primal Magikarp fossils ever found. And the other is with them now."

"Where else would they be keeping it?" I asked.

"I'm not talking about the Varias."

Braze immediately changed the subject: "We have several soldiers sustaining minor-to-moderate injury," he said, "how many healing items do we have?"

"I have enough to bring us all to just over half-HP," said Asa, "if we're rationing equally."

"We're not," said the Queen. "Heal the two of us and the Enders to seventy-five-percent and ration away anything you have left. Status healers?"

"Drained. If we have any soldiers with status conditions-"

"We don't," she said with the briefest look at the remainder of her entourage, "but if any of the lower-ranks are poisoned or burned, don't waste your HP healers on them. Life Stars?"

"Two left, your grace."

"Keep it that way. We'll save them for when it matters."

"This doesn't matter?" I said. "He could probably heal us all if he used the Life Stars as well! This is the penultimate floor, this is the time to use our healing supplies!"

"We use them when I say we use them," Octavia snapped, and a flicker of blue embers flew out of her mouth. "They'll be safe on this floor, we won't. Use those things in the wrong place at a time like this and you'll end up getting somebody killed. These are basic battle tactics, Sir Alex, and you should know them by now."

I put my hands to my temples, exasperated. "I have-"

"Yes, yes, yes, you have amnesia! I haven't forgotten that, as it happens, but it actually seems like you have. Hah, isn't that ironic?"

I opened my mouth so speak but she jabbed a finger to my forehead and spoke over me: "And you should remember these things, but you don't, which means you're not a soldier, which means you have no say what-so-ever in how we proceed. You are talking about things you do not understand. I'd thank you to remember that, at least."

I grit my teeth. I was getting no support from the other Skarsgards, not when it came to arguing with their Queen, and any of the others she'd shoot down just the same. "I'll remember."

Her face was a couple of inches from mine. I could see the embers forming in her mouth. "I'll remember, your grace."

---

Asa could sense the presence of other living beings through the door. The sixth floor was, naturally, crawling with Varias. But her grace had a way around them. A corridor, connecting every room on the sixth floor. All we needed was a distraction.

Braze opened the door a crack. Art, the only one of us dressed in all-black armour without a spot of orange, slipped into to the hallway.

There was a loud thump.

"Help!" the Magnemite cried; they sounded shockingly genuine. "He's fallen down! I think he's fainted!"

Varia Pokémon ran down the corridor. Two Pokémon, a Carkol and a Drizzile, were left in charge of watching the door. Octavia walked through and after a flash of orange and two strangled cries, she waved us along. We slipped in after her. She placed her hand on the wall and with a slight click, the secret door revealed itself and slid silently into the wall. We followed her through into a dark, undecorated tunnel. There was a network of hidden passages connecting the rooms of the sixth floor.

"If any of you tells a single Pokémon alive or dead about this," said Octavia, "you can kiss your knighthood and your welcome in the crownlands goodbye."

Our first stop was the door to Royal Suite. The Queen took a deep breath and slid the panel back.

The Royal Suite was in pieces. Broken glass everywhere, furniture purposefully broken beyond repair, silken bed canopy ripped to pieces, cotton pulled from the mattress. The headboard was an elaborate illustration of the Legendary Moltres, carved into cherry oak wood. It was split in half and had a black "BURN iN HELL" written on it in some ink Pokémon's writing, with a tiny crown dotting the "i".

"Asa, you have a patient," she said, then went to the grimy window, the only thing in the room only cracked and not broken entirely.

A Purrloin lay curled up on the canopy bled, bleeding from her abdomen. She hissed at Asa when he approached. She was dressed in black-and-blue hemp armour.

"It's okay," he said gently, "I'm here to help you."

Asa's healing Gem shone, travelling up his body and to his vines. The Purrloin mustered a Snarl attack. The Grande Mage didn't so much as flinch, just closed his eyes and let it pass over him. He stroked her head with his vine, and her body changed hue.

The Devious Pokémon clawed at the duvet and tried to pull away, but was too weak to move. There was a glowing, a sparkling.

Asa smiled. "You're going to be fine."

She stared down at her wound, quickly healing over. The purple fur grew back on her stomach and she placed her paw on it, incredulous.

"Get some rest now." He scattered a Sleep Powder over her head, and she flopped back down onto the bed.

Asa crossed over to the window. Braze picked him up and placed him on the windowsill.

"Many thanks."

The battle was destroying the city. Buildings were collapsing. Soldiers was falling. Citizens were screaming.

Pokémon at the top of the hill overlooking the city were operating large cylindrical machines; they were painted all different colours, and were shaped like the heads of dragon Pokémon. An Earthspringer Flygon and a Skarsgard Incineroar called orders to the Pokémon operating the controls.

Earthspringers in mud-and-silver armour were trapping Varias and dragging them down into the earth. In large groups they could capture whole squadrons and carry them away with them. But to be frank, they weren't making a massive difference in terms of numbers. Considering the sheer size of that place, it looked Mr. Ayers had sent out less than half of his Pokémon.

Then our view darkened as black clouds filled the sky. Lightning cracked and turned the city blue with every flash. A colossal hoard of Dragonite flew over the Castle walls, bringing a terrible storm with them. Fifty of them, maybe more.

The Skarsgard Dragoons aimed, fired. A deep-pink wall of light appeared below the Dragonair, and the attacks bounced right off them, down onto the city streets and buildings and the soldiers battling below.

"What the hell was that?!" said Braze.

"A Mind Shield," said Asa. "It's a ten-second shield that reflects anything short of a Legendary attack. It's called a Mind Shield because it harnesses the power of the mind. It's popular with psychic-type sorcerers, but useable by any."

"I thought anti-magic was yellow," said Octavia.

"That's a different kind of magic, your grace," Asa said patiently. "You're thinking of Gem Magic, this is Thaumaturgy."

Octavia huffed. "I can never keep track of all that hocus pocus."

"That's Mana."

"Fantastic news for someone who cares."

The Skarsgard Incineroar was yelling at their soldiers, who were frantically working at the gears of their machines. Fifty Thunder attacks crashed down on them, blinding them all for long enough for an ambush of Varia soldiers to swarm them.

"They completely absorbed our Dragoons," said Braze.

"Remarkable observational skills, Winters."

"Their timing was impeccable," he continued.

"Maybe they knew exactly when we were going to fire," I suggested.

"What makes you think that?"

"Remember what happened to Avalon?" I said quietly. I don't know why, every conscious Pokémon in the room knew what had happened to her.

Braze nodded to the window. "Get up here."

I grabbed onto the ledge, slipped. Braze placed me beside Asa and pointed to one of the Dragoons, a yellow-and-green one shaped like a Druddigon.

"Your grandfather on your dad's side helped build that one. Oeric. He was a Charmander too."

"Was?"

Braze looked at me, back at the Dragoon. "It's name's Dame Medolith. They're all stylised and named after famous historical figures from our kingdom. Except a whole half of them are fucking Charizard, so they're not all as unique as your uncle's."

"They all have different styles," said Octavia, "they still look different."

"Fantastic news for someone who cares."

Amazingly, Octavia didn't snap back at him. She just huffed, and a small puff of smoke escaped her nose.

"When did Oeric die?" I asked.

"Tch. Must have been…"

"When you were seven," Asa said. "I remember coming to the funeral with you."

"Was he old?" I asked.

"Seventy-two," said Octavia. "Dawn 8th to Black 11th, 140 A.S."

"That makes me…" I thought for a worrying long time. "Eighteen?!"

"You're eighteen?" said Tobias.

"You're eighteen?!" Fortis and Harriet said at the same time.

"A full adult by human standards," said Asa.

There was an unpleasant smile on Octavia's face. "I was already a Charizard and a veteran soldier by the time I was half your age."

"Ah, that's nice. When I was nine years old I had friends."

Smoke fumed from her nostrils. Braze concealed a chuckle.

"You don't even remember your friends!"

"Tch, I don't, unfortunately. But you sure as hell remember me."

Octavia put her hand to her temples. "I can't deal with this child right now. I'm going to go count how much jewellery they haven't stolen already. I shouldn't be long."

She stormed over to where her jewellery cabinet, that's right, jewellery cabinet, had been cleanly disassembled so that its contents could be picked bear. Bonnie grabbed a torn piece of the curtain and dutifully swept away the broken glass so that the Queen could kneel down in front of it. Asa hopped off the windowsill to check the other soldiers for injuries.

"I'm not a child," I said, to no one in particular.

"Words only ever spoken by children," said Braze.

"I am a fully-independent Pokémon, thank you very much!"

"That's the same thing you said right before we found out you were stealing money from your parents," he said, and chuckled. Then he looked back at me. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I shouldn't have mentioned your parents. You and your thieving though," he added with a smile.

I turned to look back out the window. "They miss me, don't they?"

"Seems to be that way. But they made their choice and you made yours. You're alive, and that will have to be enough for them."

Outside the window we could see the fliers ripping into each other. A Skarsgard Pidgeot raked his talons across a Varia Tropius' back. An Earthspringer Vibrava summoned a glowing dragon's head of white-and-green-and-pink and struck down a Magneton dressed in black-and-blue. A Varia Dragapult spat a stream of red-and-yellow fire into a Malamar's face.

"I wonder if I'll see them out there."

"You wouldn't be able to tell if you did."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Octavia stuck her sword in and pried the lid off an ornate black-and-orange chest. When she found it empty, she tossed it to the floor, and it broke apart.

"Do you remember the statue in the Hall of Monarchs," Braze said, "the one to Octavia's immediate left?"

"Not really, but my memory might not be the most reliable one you'll find."

"That was her father, King Wilhelm. Wilhelm had two children. Octavia, and Topaz. Topaz was the eldest."

"The first in line."

"That's right."

I glanced back over my shoulder. Octavia was trying to gently ease open a gummed-up jewellery box, studded with small yellow stones. Topaz stones.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

Braze looked behind him without turning his head. He dropped his voice down low:

"No one knows. It was during another rebellion, a few years ago. Someone from within the Skarsgards started the whole thing. They might have even been a Skarsgard by name; it's pretty damn likely, if you ask me. They wrangled themselves into a higher position and slowly started replacing the guardsmon, the stewards, even the damn cooks and cleaners with their own Pokémon. Until some dumbfuck tried to recruit his sister, one of the guards, the night before they had planned to take the castle. She told King Wilhelm, he summoned his Pokémon to dispose of them, and all hell broke lose. The castle collapsed in on itself. Trained soldiers started attacking anyone that moved, friend or foe. Eventually the foes found a way into the royal chambers. The king and the princess were killed."

I swallowed. "Moltres above…"

"Octavia was crowned the next day. She replaced everyone. Every single Pokémon who had walked in that place was out, permanently. I think you and Asa were the only ones who kept their positions."

"What about you?" I asked.

A pause. "I was promoted. The Queen also disbanded her special operatives group, she said not a single one of them could be trusted ever again after what had happened to her father and sister. She created a new group and made Feather the leader, me the enforcer. She also replaced all of her intelligence operatives; fuck me did that take a long time. But I can see why she wouldn't want to trust a group of Pokémon who'd failed to see a rebellion germinating right under their noses. They couldn't even tell her who'd been behind the rebellion in the first place. We never did find out who killed Princess Topaz. Or King Wilhelm."

I looked over my shoulder. Octavia was checking through a scorch-stained chest of drawers. She glanced back at me and I quickly turned my head away. Braze waited a few moments before continuing:

"I've never seen a person change so quickly. It was like she became a different Pokémon in the blink of an eye.

Hardened. Distant. Manipulative. Angry. She had never been an angry Pokémon, Alex. You're seeing a very different side of her now."

"You know a lot about her."

"I grew up with her. We're the same age, you know. I've been training with her since the day I hatched, and she beat me to the ground every time. I always tried to blame those two months between us, but she'd never let me get away with that. She'd help me back onto my feet and place a sword in my hand and she'd run me through every single way I could learn to beat her. She'd train me until my bones cracked and she'd push herself even harder. She never expected to be Queen, so she wanted to be the Kingdom's greatest soldier. She never went anywhere without a sword at her hip, until she was crowned. Always practicing. Always working. Always training other Pokémon, from fresh hatchlings to seasoned soldiers. I don't think she was ever really a Charmander at all."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"She was never really young. She was never really a kid."

"Is that what you think of Charmander? That we're kids?"

"You're eighteen years old and this is your second battle. Human or Pokémon, you're still a kid, Alex."

There was a flash of light. A Salamence, wrapped in dark-blue energy, came crashing down on a helpless Corviknight, who had covered their black body in gaudy orange armour, from beak to talons to tail. None of that had protected them.

"I know it's crazy, cause you know, technically, I've only lived…" I counted on my hands, "forty-one days. Wow. Forty-one days… But sometimes I feel like I've already lived for far too long."

Braze put hand to his forehead.

"What?"

"Don't ever say that during a battle. Don't ever say that during a battle."

"I never took you for the superstitious type."

"I'm not, and I never have been, but I know what happens to Pokémon who say things like that. Don't say it to me. Don't say it to yourself. Don't even think it. Your will to live is the one and only thing keeping you alive right now. You need to be thinking about nothing else other than your own survival. Every single waking moment you need to be thinking nothing, nothing at all except: "I want to live." Are you hearing me? "I want to live.""

"What about my friends?" I said, a little startled. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them! For you guys!"

"Not everyone's lucky enough to have people by their side to protect them, and neither you or I can count on someone always being there. You need to be prepared to survive on your own, Alex."

I looked over my shoulder. Tobias was leaning against Khan's side, and they both had their eyes closed, resting.

"Your allies rely on your as much as you rely on them," Braze continued. "If you die, there could be no one hold up a shield between Tobias and a speeding arrow. There'll be no one for him to lean on when he isn't able to carry on. Stay alive for him." He leaned in close, and I could see the faint embers in his mouth, giving off a gentle glow. "But not just for him."

Octavia got her feet and kicked the cabinet. "Nothing! Fucking nothing! They took everything!"

"Are we ready to move on?" Braze said.

"All clear on this end!" said Asa.

"If the Varia brothers aren't here they'll be at the other end of the Castle," said Octavia, "we'll make our way there through through the tunnels."

"I wonder if Dei will be there as well…"

Scar snorted. "Either that or with a babysitter."

Octavia laughed.

We followed her out of the room and the panel clicked shut behind us. The only light in the tunnel were the flames from our tails and the faint flow from Asa's jewellery. Octavia turned a corner, and froze on the spot.

There was nothing but stone, dust, and xxxx air. But then, at the very end, a shape emerged from the shadows. Black-and-blue, and two feet fall. A Deino. Dei Varia.

The real Dei? No, he didn't have a shadow. A Spectre, then. He was looking past the Queen, straight at me. Octavia took a step forward.

"Wait!" I said.

"Excuse me?" she snapped.

"Please!"

I squeezed past and closer to him, hands up in a gesture of peace. He straightened his back and raised his chin.

"Dei…"

"Traitor."

"Listen-"

"TRAITOOOOOOR!"

His voice boomed all around us; we ducked and covered our ears and the ground shook violently and we were thrown against the walls.

"What the hell was that?!" Agatha yelled.

"Pokémon under his command are answering to his words," said Asa. "It's a common intimidation tactic, if not the most sophisticated."

"You do not speak of sophistication, traitor!" he barked at Asa. "You… You are the inbodiment of having no sophistication!"

"Dei," I said, gently, "I'm not sure how much your brothers told you-"

"They told me the truth! Unlike you! Unlike YOU!" Another tremble as he screamed at the Pokemon behind me. "They take care of me! They protect me! They love me!" He was sobbing now. "You told me you were my friend!"

"Dei, please listen. I don't-"

"YOU WILL NOT ADRESS ME AS "DEI", TRAITOR!"

Low booming, shockwaves with ever syllable. I recoiled. The poor Pokémon was shaking.

"I am Dei Varia, Prince of Itori, Lord of the Glory Hills, Duke of Gloria City and Commander of the Poison Platoon, Priest of the Temple of Change!"

"Do we have to remember all of that, or will "Prince Dei" do?" said Nate.

"SILENCE!"

A roaring sound all around us. This time the rumbling didn't stop.

"As acting Keeper of the Gallows, I was sent here to pass judgement! And I pass it now!"

The Castle wall cracked.

"EXILE!"

The wall exploded. There was a tremendous rush of air as we exposed to the open sky, twelve stories high. The floor below us tilted. We scrambled to the other side of the tunnel, but there was nothing to grip onto. Dei stood and watched us struggle.

"You don't have to do this!" I cried.

"I am Prince Dei Varia," said the young Deino, "and I must protect my people." The Spectre faded. We were left to scrape against the stone as we dangled over the edge.

Bucky was the first to fall. The fighting below had surrounded the castle, and a Skarsgard Swoobat caught him by the antlers seconds before he hit the ground. More and more fliers surrounded us. Most of them were Varias.

Baz fell. Then Bonnie. The other Victory Hunters cried out; Tess and Art raced down to catch them. Markus gripped on by literally digging his fingers into the concrete.

An Earthspringer Golurk was catching the falling Pokémon with Psychic. Their allies were building living moat around the Castle. Flier Varias descended upon us.

Nate summoned a small sun in his hands and tossed it into the air. Sunny Day activated with a flare. I covered my eyes with one arm and cried out. That's when I fell.

A Varia Drifloon grabbed me around the waist, crying: "I've got him! I've got him!"

Before he could get even few feet away Striker's Brave Bird struck him in the back. I went flying, was caught by a Varia Corvisquire. Striker kicked her in the chest and slapped her in the face pecked her in the back and clawed her across the eye and drove his wing into her shoulder. The Raven Pokémon dropped me. The Staraptor grabbed me by the arms.

"Alex!" Khan cried.

Striker was carrying me back to the castle. Khan dug his claw into the rubble to hold on as he reached his arm out to me.

Then I saw an expression on his face that I had never once seen before. The colour had drained and his body froze and he very nearly slipped over the edge.

The flap of her wings shook the feathers on Striker's back. She wore an iron crown, gold, studded with calcite. A Lady, then. And, judging by the blue-and-black armour, most likely one of Dreigo's.

Blue, grey, with sharp fins sticking out of her cheek, axe-blade-shaped wings of bloody red, and a ball of amber-orange energy growing in her mouth.

"Get away!" Khan screamed.

The Salamence's Dragon Meteor exploded. Khan and the Forest Fires and Tobias and Moltres knows who else cried out as a dragon's head crashed against Striker's back and we fell to the flat, hard ground, twelve feet below us, nine feet below us, six feet below us, three-

A Golurk's Psychic stopped us just above the ground. They lowered me gently down to the floor. I put a hand to my chest and took deep breaths.

"Thank you."

"What he said," Striker said, gasping for air. Smoke was rising from the feathers on his back. He lay limp on the ground, and the Golurk checked him for wounds.

"Yep, you got wounds all right," they said.

Another explosion of orange.

Draco Meteor rained down on our heads. A Diggersby, a Rhydon, and a Quagsire raised their hands and formed a massive Protect bubble around us. A Piloswine lifted her tusks to the sky and a dark cloud appeared above the Salamence's head. She tried to get away but a Skarsgard Aegislash blocked her with King's Shield. The Piloswine's Icicle Crash tore through her armour to dig into her skin and pierce into her wings and drive her to the ground. A great cloud of dust erupted as she hit the earth.

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the light of Nate's sun. I could barely see the Pokémon still standing on the sixth floor. Our fliers were doing their best to protect them, but the Varias outnumbered them by a long shot, and most of our allies were earth-bound.

A back pipe led from the castle's rear wall to the sixth floor. I rubbed my hands together by pulled myself up onto the first holding-strip-thing. You know the things that holds the pipe to the wall? That.

"Alex?" said Striker.

"Can't talk, climbing."

"Alex?!"

I was genuinely trying to climb the six floors all the way to the top. Up a drain pipe. With my bare hands.

"You are nuttier than a Meltan," said the Golurk.

"Tobias needs me! I won't leave him- aaah!"

By hands slipped on the metal; I tried to grab onto the stone but my fingers weren't strong enough. I fell through the air, arms grasping at nothing, and landed with a thump. I clutched my head and groaned. I mean it was only about two feet down, but still!

The Piloswine laughed. I heard Tobias' voice, calling for me, but I couldn't figure out what he was saying.

Booooooooom.

I craned my head up. Smoke and fire clouded the two highest floors from you.

"Tobias," I said.

"Maybe if your heart finds a way you can make it back to him," said the Piloswine. The Golurk chuckled.

The Varia Pokémon were circling around the sixth floor. Amidst the smoke, I saw a pair of gleaming gold eyes. Luxray eyes.

I took a step back from the Earthspringers and Striker.

"Hey!" I yelled. "I'm here! I'm right here! Sir Alex Albion, the human!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" the Staraptor cried.

The Varias, after a moment of stunned silence, descended on me. A Mismagius appeared behind me, struck me in the back with Shadow Force, and lifted me into the air.

"Remember me?" she hissed into my ear.

"No." I pulled free and hit her with Flamethrower; there again, that warm orange glow. A Ruby-coloured Noivern swooped down and caught me.

Striker pushed as hard as he could but he could barely lift his head off the ground. The Golurk used Shadow Punch, a Swoobat took the hit. The Piloswine used Icicle Crash, a Bronzong blocked it with Protect.

The Noivern held me up by the wrists. A Hyper Beam missed her by inches, so she carried me higher into the air. Around twelve feet into the air.

"Kill him while you have the chance!" somebody roared.

A Varia Vikavolt prepared to use Guillotine, aiming at my neck.

"I don't think you're a high enough level for that one," I told her.

Laughter. The Vikavolt opened up her pincers.

A ball of lightning surrounded me. I screwed up my eyes but blinding electric light cut straight through. I reached out for something to grab onto and when I opened my eyes Tobias was holding me in his arms. The attack had shocked him, but he hadn't let go.

"Tobias!"

"Alex!"

We hugged each other tight. Khan blocked a Dragon Pulse headed straight for us with his fins, and shot the Vibrava out of the sky with Fire Blast.

I held onto the remains of the wall and peered over the edge. Roy had landed on the Vikavolt's back and was crunching down on the Noivern's tail with Fire Fang. A Drifblim's Ominous Wind sent the three of them tumbling through the air, and the Luxray fell. Eliza rushed towards him but a Magneton blocked her path. The Golurk and the Piloswine were struggling with a Varia Kabutops and Omanyte. Striker cried out and forced himself to his feet but he collapsed again before his feet left the ground.

A Skarsgard Mandibuzz caught Roy by the haunches and gently lowered down.

I sighed with relief. A Cryogonal fired an Ice Beam, breaking the tiles beneath me.

Octavia grabbed me by the tail and dropped me back down into the corridor, where I would be protected by the rubble. Blast Burn stopped the Crystallizing Pokémon in their tracks. The Queen took three seconds to recharge.

"Idiot," she said, stepping over me. "Don't take that to mean I'm in any way fond of you."

"I didn't take you calling me an idiot that way, no."

"Moltres, do you ever shut up?"

More flying Pokémon, more than the Skarsgards could handle. Every single one of them was focused on Octavia, and unfortunately, Octavia was someone we couldn't afford to lose.

Scar stood between us and the Varias.

"Keep going," she said, "I can hold them off for four turns."

"Scar, don't-" Agatha began.

"It's not up to you," said the Queen. "Stay safe, soldier," she said to the Absol.

Scar took a deep breath. Two Varia Metang broke through the living wall of Skarsgards.

Perish Song echoed through the air.

Octavia placed her hand on the wall. The panel slid open and we filed through. It closed behind us with a click.

"Where are-" I began.

"Not one word," said Octavia.

I looked around. It was a bedroom, smaller and less decorated, but also less methodically destroyed. A large canopy bed depicted a Nidoking and a Nidoqueen holding hands in a rich pasture under a full moon.

"We need to, um, we need to do a head-count, I think," said Asa.

"Are you all right?" said Octavia, and there was no snideness in her voice.

"We need to-" he looked around. "Where is Braze?"

Silence.

Octavia closed her eyes. "Heal us as best you can and we'll move on. If the armoury is empty, we should be able to reach the Hall without another battle. If not, we'll battle them, and we'll win."

"Well said," said Agatha, one of the three Skarsgards left in the group.

Tobias, Khan, Fortis, Harriet, all here because of me. For the Queen, Agatha, Niamh, and Asa.

Octavia scanned the room, and that realisation dawned on her as well. I might have been imaging it, it might just have been the stress or the exhaustion or the loss, but I think, for one moment, I saw a brief flicker of fear cross her face.

"Get to work, Asa."

Asa nodded. His pink Gem glowed, but the light was growing dimmer. We were running out of healing.

We sat and waited for treatment, surrounded by the cacophony of the battle. It was close to midnight now, and none of us had slept since that brief spell of unconsciousness in the Earthspringer tunnels. No one spoke for a long time.

"Where are we, for real?" Harriet said finally.

"Lord Vex's "Guest Accommodation"," said Asa.

"I said not one word!" Octavia snapped.

---

Zweil Varia's bedroom was a lot tamer than we'd expected. Racks of bands and metal circlets and other magical accessories. Chests. Jewellery, most likely of the magical variety. A lot of paper, and two matching Honchkrow quills. The teleporter he'd used to liberate the silvered Pokémon from Goldenwater Prison. Paintings. One of Dreigo, one of Dei, one of the three of them together. Another of two Hydreigon, a Zweilous, a Deino, and an Egg. An artistic rendition of the three large muscled Pokémon; Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. The Forces of Nature. The Varias' Gods.

The place was so cluttered we had to walk single-file through a maze of the Zweilous' belongings.

"I wonder if he even sleeps here…" said Asa.

"Why do you care where he sleeps?" said Octavia.

"That's not my concern, your grace. My concern is what he's doing when he isn't sleeping."

In one corner of the room was a white stone basin with a silver inner lining, filled with clear water reflecting the room around it. Then the reflections started to move. Tobias, Niamh, Agatha, and I shared a look, then we hurried over to take a look inside. By standing on top of one of the chests, we were able to peer over the edge.

Smooth brown walls and silver flashes of armour. Camerupt and Claydol and Pupitar and Sandaconda, all dressed up with nowhere to go. They were standing together, laughing, joking with one another.

A Drilbur strode over and barked a few words at them, and they immediately snapped to attention. She ordered them out of the room and they marched off, backs straight and expressions stern.

"The Earthspringers," I said out loud, stupidly.

Connie span around. We recoiled. She was staring right at us.

She ran out of frame.

"Oh no," said Niamh.

Agatha put her hands on the sides. "How do you turn this thing?"

"You don't," said Octavia. Mercifully, she hadn't seen inside. "Stop touching it before you set something off. We're leaving, now."

Movement. The Queen shook her head and moved to open the next door.

Mr. Finely approached us. Niamh's breath caught in her throat. He stared through the water for a brief moment, then brought his fist up and struck. The reflection shattered and the colours drained away. Now were just staring at water, clear silver water.

The four of us shared a look. We stepped down off the chest and followed the Queen out of the room. None of us said a word.

---

The next room after that was filled with colourful padding, toys, a fur-covered bed, a ripped-open chew-toy, and a music box. Dei's room.

"How old is this kid?" asked Tobias.

"Eight months old," said Octavia. "Almost as young as the war itself."

Next, the armoury. The former armoury, that was. The room was split into nine parts, all decorated with simplistic moulds of a different Pokémon's face.

Brown, lined with creamy white, decorated with spinning yellow stars.

Deep blue, lined with navy, with two small waterfalls pooling amongst the rocks by the wall.

Yellow, lined with white, neon lights flashing all around.

Red, lined with yellow, heat lines rising from the floor.

Deep pink, lines with red, and impossible to look at for long without feeling nauseous.

Black, lined with yellow.

Green, lined with cream, overgrown with plants.

Pale blue, lined with sea blue, the floor frozen over.

Pale pink, lined with white and blue, decorated with ribbons and glitter.

The usual door had been sealed off. Octavia stepped over the line. Lights of all nine colours shone above our heads. The floor divided and tilted, so we were all tossed into different segments of the room. Walls rose up around us.

I got to my feet and stood alone in the darkness, lit only by flashing yellow rings along the wall. Red eyes. I raised my shield. They disappeared. Something struck me from behind.

I span around. Nothing.

Something struck me again in the shoulder. I tried to light the room with Flamethrower, but all it did was mingle with the glaring yellow light.

There! A shape, something leaping off the walls. I manage to raise my arm just in time; my opponent jumped off my shield, flipped backwards, landed. I aimed a Fire Spin, he dodged back into the shadows. He was an Umbreon, as you might have guessed.

I lost track of him. I tried to light the room again with Flamethrower, but it couldn't cut through the shadows. A faint sound behind me. I turned and raised my shield.

Red eyes turned to rainbow. I clutched my head with both hands and stumbled to the floor. My vision was blurry and my hands grasped at thin air.

Two back paws struck me in the face. I swung my sword around blindly. I fell forward and smacked my face on the ground. A Shadow Ball came shooting out at me. I just stared at it, motionless, and it exploded between my eyes.

I cried out and scrambled away and pushed myself up on one knee. I breathed in deep, but my vision was still blurry, and I still wasn't in control of my own body. I tried to summon an attack ended up choking on my own fire, and I clutched my throat and coughed up smoke. Shadow Ball hit again and I went rolling over the floor.

My vision cleared. I pushed up and fired Flamethrower all around the room. Nothing but darkness, and glaring yellow light.

A whisper-faint scuffling sound just behind me.

Then a glowing golden five-point star appeared in the air. I held up my shield but Last Resort blasted me into the far wall. Small stars appeared before my eyes.

The Umbreon came running, but I heard him this time; he was bouncing from wall to wall, and only the faint brush of his pads on the stone gave him away.

I struck out with my sword, and it connected with his shoulder. He landed on the floor, leapt at me, struck me in the face with his tail. I swung my sword, he dodged, span and kicked me in the chest. I banged my head against the wall and slumped to the floor.

I went completely still.

Silence.

Footsteps.

The Umbreon stopped a few feet away. Then crept closer. He stared at me for a long moment. I didn't move.

He nudged me with his paw. He lifted my chin up and felt around for a pulse.

I shot back up and unleashed a Fire Spin; he tried to dodge but he was two close, he was sucked into in the flames. He tried summoning another star but I rolled out of the way and it burst against the wall behind me. I held my sword in both hands and slashed him across the stomach. He yowled in pain struggled and kicked but I grabbed onto him and held him tight so that he couldn't escape. Fire swirled around us both. Poisonous sweat was seeping from his pores but my armour was protecting me.

The fire died and he kicked me away. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower clashed, exploding in mid-air. His eyes turned rainbow, but I covered my head and ducked behind my shield.

Feint Attack hit me in the side, I slid across the floor but kept my footing; I swung my sword, missed, swung again, missed again.

The Umbreon summoned Last Resort. I tucked and rolled out of the way. He fired Shadow Ball, and it landed a direct hit.

He could see me much better than I could see him. All right then, let's change see how you like it.

I hid myself with Smokescreen. I circled around for a few steps then ran straight ahead, sword pointed outwards. I struck the Umbreon in the side of the neck and slammed him against the wall. I brought my pommel down over his back. The Umbreon collapsed to the floor, trembling.

"Yield."

He spat at my feet. There was blood in his saliva.

"You're in no fit state to fight," I told him.

"If I am to die today I will not die a coward!" he cried.

I frowned. "Is this a trick?"

He just stared at me.

"I'm not going to kill you!" I said. "I'm going to go and find my friends!"

The Umbreon narrowed his eyes. Blood trickled down his neck and onto the floor. I lowered my sword.

"You're bleeding."

"Oh, am I? Am I really? Tell me what exactly you thought would happen when you drove that sword into my neck?!"

"I thought…" I stammered, "we're Pokémon, we're not humans. I didn't think-"

A bitter laugh. "We're also not impenetrable, as it happens." He coughed, hacking up saliva.

I dropped the sword and went down on one knee. "Can you breath okay?"

"I can breath."

"I didn't puncture your throat, did I?"

"Am I talking to you right now?!" he snapped. Then he exhaled. "It's just a cut."

But there was blood splattered on the walls, on the floor, and more still dripping from his neck. I searched for something I could use. There was nothing in my bag, and the room was empty apart from us.

I lifted my sword to my shoulder and cautiously pierced the sleeve. I cut at the threads and ripped it away, then did the same with the other one.

"Why did you rip off both sleeves?"

"Well I don't want to wander around him only one arm covered, do I?"

A small smirk. "It's armour, it doesn't matter whether or not it matches."

"Don't move your head," I said, wrapped the fabric around him. "I've never done this before, so let me know if you're uncomfortable."

I pulled the makeshift bandage tight. He grunted, but didn't complain.

"Still breathing?"

"Obviously… Thank you," he added reluctantly.

"Don't move around too much. And get to a real healer as soon as you can. I have to go. Nobody's going to come for you if you're not a threat, right?"

"… Are you asking me?"

"Kinda, yeah. I've never fought in a battle like this before. That I remember."

He looked me up and down. "Are you really Alex Albion?"

"I am, unfortunately."

"Hm. You're different to what I thought you'd be."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear about Pokémon. That's how wars are started."

Voices through the walls. The others were calling out for each other.

"How do I get out of here?" I asked.

"Why in Landorus' name would I tell you that?"

"I just saved your life!"

"After puncturing me with a sword!"

Click.

The door opened behind me. Octavia didn't wait before moving on to the others.

"Hah. Hard to trap someone in a cage they grew up in," said the Moonlight Pokémon.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine."

I reached into my bag again. I placed a Sitrus Berry at his paws. He frowned.

"It's not poison, if that's what you're thinking."

"I would have smelt it if it was. You're… quite gracious, especially for someone with your reputation."

"… Thanks."

A smile. "My name's Apollo, by the way. Since I know you're going to be telling a lot of people this story later."

"I am?"

He looked over his shoulder behind him. "You're going to find the King, aren't you? I'm sure if you make it out alive you'll have droves of Pokémon just dying to find out how you pulled it off. Just make sure you include that I was very cool and also extraordinarily handsome."

"I don't think that's the kind of thing people are going to ask me about."

"Tell them anyway."

"Write your own book!"

"Alex!" the Queen called.

"I have to go," I said, "are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"… I suppose that depends on what comes next."

"You can talk, it's my life on the line out there."

Apollo laughed. "Oh, Alex, Alex! There are far more lives than just your own on the line."

The Queen called for me again. I got to my feet and picked up my sword. I left Apollo to rest.

From the centre of the room I had a clear view of the eight other enclosures. Agatha had taken on the Eevee, and was lying face-up on the ground with a large bruise across her right eye. She had been knocked out, but so had her opponent. The Exscalloper lay in a broken pile on the floor beside her.

Octavia was dripping wet and was shaking the water out of her armour. The Vaporeon was on her side, marked by cuts and bruises, body tucked in defensively. She looked nothing like the statue.

The Jolteon was also dripping wet, sprawled across the ground. Harriet limped out of the room, lowered herself to the floor. She was shuddering from head-to-toe, but she was awake. She got to work picking needles out of her skin.

Asa had been put with the Flareon. He walked out of the room without a burn mark on him. The Flareon was unconscious, whether knocked out or simply put to sleep, I couldn't say.

Fortis was dazed, and looked a little bit sick. But the Espeon was unconscious on the floor, covered in cuts, bruises, and burn marks. Fortis straightened out his jacket.

"Did a pretty good job in there," said Octavia.

"Thank you, your grace."

"You clearly have a lot of combat experience."

"Yes, your grace."

"Do you ever smile at all?"

"Not really, your grace."

Tobias had been put with the Leafeon. Whoever operated the controls must not have known about his Ice Beam. He walked away with a few cuts on his skin and on his shell, but his opponent was frozen solid.

Khan had faced the Glaceon, who lay in a burned heap against the far wall. The Garchomp was trembling even worse than Harriet, but that made sense. It was cold in there.

The Sylveon had knocked Niamh out cold. Octavia jumped at the chance to finish her off herself. The Intertwining Pokémon summoned a Moonblast to counter her, but once she saw the seven of us staring back at her, she let the attack die. She just closed her eyes and waited as Octavia's Blast Burn consumed her.

"… That was horrible," I said quietly.

Octavia's head snapped around at me. "Was it?! Was it now?!"

She stepped over the Sylveon and gently lifted Niamh into her arms. She lowered her so I could see it up-close.

"What do you call this then?"

Fur and skin had been burned away. A five-point star had been seared into her back.

"What do you think of this, Alex? What do you think of that Pokémon doing this to one of your friends? I suppose not that much, considering you don't even remember her."

She looked up. Tobias, Khan, Fortis, Harriet, and Asa. One Skarsgard left. I saw that flicker of fear again, and this time I know it was real.

She lowered Niamh to the ground. "What can you do for her?" she asked Asa.

"I can heal the skin to prevent infection, but I'm running dangerously low, and I only have two Life Stars. I can provide a constant low healing, but that won't be enough in the real battle."

"You're going to have to fight, then, Asa."

Asa took a deep breath, exhaled. "I know."

"There's only one more place those fuckers could be. Agatha and Niamh will be safer here, and I don't think the fancy boys are going to risk damaging a place like this. Do what you can for us now. And don't you dare hold back in there, any of you. This could be the battle that ends the war."

---

The door to the hidden hallway closed with a click.

It was empty, echoey, and cold. Black and white checkered tiles stretched along the length of the north-east tower, ending in two staircases leading to a black door.

"The tops of all of all four towers are sealed off and used for storage for the sole purpose of keeping this one hidden," the Queen told us. "Tell anyone about this place and you'll be thrown in the slammer."

"What is in that room?" Khan asked.

"Darkness," she answered.

"And the Varia brothers," said Asa.

"Just them?" said Fortis. "Don't you think they'd have guards in there with them?"

"That room is strictly barred to any and all non-royal Pokémon," said the Queen, "the fact that even you five idiots are allowed in this corridor is a fucking rarity."

"I'm so honoured to be dying for you in such a place of high privilege," said Khan.

"Moltres, you get on my nerves."

"What about family?" said Harriet. "They'd technically be royal too, right?"

"They don't have any family," said Octavia, "the only other Hydreigon are the Ahlbergs, distance relatives at best. We actually have a few of them in our forces. Although one of them's gone now…" She went quite for a moment. Then she shook her head and brought herself back to reality. "Believe me, it's just them in there, alone. If there are any guardsmon left, we'll find them here."

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Right on time. We drew our weapons. The floor rumbled. The bannisters on the stairs shook, there was a loud crack from somewhere beneath the tiles, and-

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

The floor between the two staircases burst open, and out poured a posse of bangled and bejewelled poison-type Pokémon, twelve strong: Crystal Muk, Amped Toxtricity, Salazzle, Skorupi, Skrelp, Stunky, Toxicroak, Miner Weezing, Arbok, Seviper, Crobat, and a Garbodor, waving the flag of Dei Varia, the Varia mirror, below a single-toed-footprint. A red footprint. All wore golden wreaths around their heads, along with black-and-blue armour decorated with different kinds of gemstones, customised for each individual Pokémon. These were elite soldiers. And Zweil had done something to them.

The poison-types parted. An Incineroar leapt over the edge. He was six-foot-six, taller than most. He wore an all-black tunic, exactly like the one I'd woken up with, but without the Badge hole. Just above his natural belt was one made of red, fire-proof hemp belt fixed with a black diamond-shaped buckle ringed with thin black lines against a red background, where a nine-inch dagger hung at his waist. His tail flicked in the air. The heat from his waist made the air simmer.

"Prometheus," said Octavia, lips parted.

The fire-and-dark-type Pokémon and I locked eyes.

"Human." A single, low growl. It was all he said. Then he went straight for me.

Khan struck with Brick Break. Prometheus crossed his arms and blocked him, then grabbed his arm, turned him around, and tossed him over his shoulder. Tobias gave a horrified cry. Khan jumped straight back up onto his feet. The Muk wrapped her arms around the Garchomp's torso and the Skorupi jumped onto his face.

"I'm running dangerously low on healing, your grace."

"Then it might be time for you to attack, Asa," said the Queen. Her Air Slash cut the Weezing across both faces.

The Toxtricity ran his hands over the bumps on his chest. Sparks travelled up through his body and danced on the tips of his fingers. He held one arm above his torso and raised the other; when he swung down six shafts of light appeared and shivered as he struck them. They curled up tight and twisted into a rectangular head, a long neck, and a pear-shaped body. He strummed on the strings again, and a sharp, musical sound rang out, sending off bright yellow flashes of lightning.

Octavia's put herself between him and the Grande Mage. The Punk Pokémon swung his instrument around and slammed it down against the Queen's shield. Electricity cracked up her wrist and she grit her teeth in pain. Vine Whip wrapped around the Toxtricity's waist and hurled him across the room. He caught himself with his right hand, the instrument still in his left. Then he came running.

Asa didn't move.

"Asa!" Octavia called, but at that moment both the Toxicroak and the Salazzle both jumped on her at once. A dark-green-and-golden glow travelled down Octavia's legs and across her tail, which sprouted long, flowing feathers as it grew to three times its original length; Breaking Swipe swung wide and caught them both in the stomach. But she hadn't even taken a breath before the Weezing's Smog had blinded her.

The Toxtricity was two feet away. Asa still didn't move.

The Toxtricity was a foot away. Asa still didn't move.

The Toxtricity's guitar crashed down over his head, sending violent shockwaves through his body.

Asa raised his haunches. The Varia Pokémon tried to pull away but he had gotten too close and Asa's attack fired too fast. Solar Beam hit him with so much force he went rolling across the floor. Smoke rose from his skin, the his instrument crackled away into nothing.

"That's more like it!" Octavia cheered.

The Skorupi jabbed the Toxtricity in the side. He got to his feet and ran his hands across his torso. Electricity crackled at his fingers. Asa raised a storm of leaves up around him.

Dark-red fire surrounded Prometheus' hands, and he turned himself in a circle, faster and faster, until he was nothing but a red-and-black blur. I drew my sword and held up my shield but it was useless against him; I was tossed backwards and went rolling across the floor. Hunter ended up five feet away from me.

"Alex!" Tobias called, before the Skrelp jumped on top of him.

I pushed myself to my feet and used Fire Spin. Prometheus just stepped right out of it. My eyes widened. He threw his body forward and a stream of flame came from his belt. I countered with my own Flamethrower. His won; I covered my eyes and grit my teeth. The Incineroar smirked.

He brought his hand across in a Throat Chop, driving into my windpipe. I put my hands to my neck and gasped for air. He kicked me down and put his foot on my stomach. He looked into my eyes, drew his dagger, held it over his head. But he hesitated.

Tobias' Rapid Spin hit him in the back. My partner bounced off the wall and came flying at him again. Prometheus' backhand chop deflected him. Tobias landed on the ground and fired a Water Gun. Prometheus blocked it with his hand.

I tried to summon a Flamethrower. I sucked in air but nothing but a rattling cough came out. Prometheus roundhouse-kicked Tobias into the wall.

"Your new Pokémon is weak."

Tobias tried to stand so he slammed his foot down on his head. Tobias gave a high-pitched cry the first time, and the second, but not the third, or the fourth. Then he lay completely still.

I roared outrage and raised my Claws but he grabbed my wrists in one giant hand, and with the other he picked me up by the throat and slammed me into the wall. He looked at the Chariz-Fang hanging from my neck, gave a growl of disgust, ripped it from its string, and tossed it to the floor. He pushed harder against my throat, and I gasped for air; this time I was actually choking. I tried to summon my Metal Claw but the didn't appear so I just scratched at the back of his hand but Prometheus only tightened his grip and right hand went to the handle of his-

Water Gun hit him in the belt. His threw his head back and roared.

He grabbed Tobias by the back of the head and bashed our skulls together, then dropped me, tossed him into the air, and dashed him into the ground with Throat Chop. So Tobias held up his hand instead, and Brine hit him in the face. Prometheus shielded face and backed away.

I helped Tobias to his feet.

The Incineroar's eyes turned a bloody red. Light streaked around his face and took the form of a long-nosed dragon with three rows of jagged fangs; it curled around his body and its fins and tails rippled through the air. His body glowed an Outraged scarlet and he slashed with his hand and a tail lashed out to smack me in the face. I hid us with Smokescreen and we ran. Prometheus came storming down the hallway after us; we zig-zagged through the cloud of smoke-

And came face-to-face with Avalon. Her eyes were black and empty. Her lungs were breathing, but she wasn't a thinking, feeling being anymore. Oily-smoke spewed from the black-and-purple flames on her neck and lower back.

Prometheus drove his dragon's-head fist into the back of my head. Avalon's empty eyes watched as he swallowed a Persim Berry in one bite, then picked me up by the arms. I kicked and struggled and waved my tail but he dug his claws in so hard that I screamed. Tobias hit him in back with Brine and I dropped, just in time to block a black-and-purple Flame Wheel with my shield. Zweil wheeled around, I dodged, he flipped landed and rammed into my stomach.

Prometheus set his body alight. Darkest Lariat send Tobias skittering across the floor.

Fire Spin held Avalon's body in place. I found my sword on the ground and charged at Prometheus; he turned around and struck me with the back of his hand. He kicked Tobias into the air. A black-and-purple Smokescreen blinded me before I could see anything else. There was a loud smack, and I heard Tobias fall.

"Tobias!"

He didn't answer. I charged blind through the smoke, and eventually found his shell. He still hadn't left it.

"Tobias…"

Avalon's body curled up and was surrounded by a spinning wheel of black-and-purple fire, cutting through the smoke. Prometheus's eyes turned red; I covered Tobias' shell with my body as he reached us, pulled his leg back-

And gave a strangled cry as Harriet drove her Steel Wing into his stomach. Flame Wheel hit her in the leg but she grit her beak and stood her ground. One hard kick sent Avalon's body sliding across the tiles.

She summoned a Whirlpool. Prometheus leapt out of the way and it broke against the wall.

Avalon's body stood. "Prometheus," came a familiar voice, angry, raspy, "use Malicious Moonsault!"

Prometheus puffed out his chest and held out his arms. Dark-orange fire surrounded him, covering his face like a mask, his body like a leotard. He came running at Avalon; Zweil held up her paws and Prometheus landed on her, pushed off high into the air, flipped backwards, and landed.

Right on top of Harriet, who had shoved us out of the way just in time. Dark fire exploded between them, the flash blinding, the smoke suffocating; Harriet's gasped for air and scrabbled across the tiles as she tried to push him off but the Incineroar wrapped his arm over her wing and pulled it behind her back then slammed her head into the ground.

Then there was a flash of red-and-orange; he tried to roll out of the way but his opponent was far too fast, almost too fast for the eye to track.

Fortis drove his Sky Uppercut up under Prometheus' chin.

The Toxicroak Poison Jabbed him in the back. Khan wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her away.

The rest of the poison-type soldiers surrounded Asa and the Queen.

Octavia slashed the Garbodor across the face with her sword. The Skorupi jumped at her; she used the flat of the blade to bat her out of the air. The Seviper leapt at her from behind and dug her teeth into her neck. Octavia cried out in pain. Razor Leaf cut across the Fang Snake Pokémon face and she dropped to the floor. The Arbok dove for her, aiming for the same spot. Asa's vines wrapped the Cobra Pokémon's tail and threw him, and he went sliding across the floor.

"Against the wall, your grace!"

He and Octavia backed up until their backs were pressed to the black tiles. The poison-type Pokémon formed a crescent around them. Octavia held up her sword. Asa's bulb gathered energy.

The poison-type Pokémon jumped at them all at once.

Asa's Solar Beam exploded through the corridor, a beam as wide and as tall as a Venusaur. The Seviper and the Arbok were on the floor, cringing away from the light. The Skorupi and the Salazzle, smart enough to stay on the fringes, dodged. Eight elite Pokémon were swallowed up by the attack.

"I knew you had it in you!" Octavia said with a wide smile.

In the Solar Beam's glare, I saw Fortis throw Prometheus to the floor. The Incineroar jumped to his feet, Fortis Fire Punched him into his stomach. Prometheus clawed him across the face. Fortis brought his swords up to cut him. Prometheus blocked his arms with his own. So Fortis headbutted him. Prometheus was knocked back a couple of steps; then he corrected himself; Fortis Blaze Kicked him in the face. Blood sprayed from his nose but Prometheus stood his ground; he hooked his arms under his opponent's, so Fortis grabbed him by the whiskers and pulled and he yowled in pain. Fortis kicked him in the torso to pull away but Prometheus ducked and lunged and grabbed him by the waist; he flipped backwards and slammed him to the ground with a piledriver. Then he climbed on top of him and pinned him underneath him.

Fortis smiled.

Prometheus looked behind him, a moment too late. Khan's Brick Break cracked across his face.

I aimed a Fire Spin at Avalon's body. Zweil jumped and dodged, then slammed her back paw on the ground and hit me with a Shock Wave. Tobias' Water Gun hit her in the face. And him.

The black-and-purple fire flared up as tall as a Typhlosion's and let off great clouds of smoke. Tobias cried out as something hit im in the stomach, knocking him away. We were separated.

I almost called out for him, but my cry died in my throat. I looked all around without shifting my step.

Slow. Steady.

I lifted my foot, lowered it ahead of me as gently as I could. Not a sound. Again. Again.

A black-and-purple Dragon Pulse came blazing out of the darkness. I ducked, and it went wide over my shoulder. I wheeled around and raised my sword and charged. The blade sliced through Avalon's armour and I pulled it away and I kicked her to the ground. I pressed my point against her throat.

Zweil laughed. "I thought you were a changed Pokémon, Alex. More fool me, I suppose."

I pressed in a little deeper. "I know you can feel this. I know you can feel pain, even if you're incapable of feeling anything else. I know I can hurt you, even now, even while you're using my friend's body as a puppet!"

Zweil leaned Avalon's body closed and narrowed her eyes. The blade punctured the skin. He tilted her head, and more blood flowed.

"But you have no idea how much pain I can take."

He slammed her forepaw on the ground. Shock Wave travelled up my body and down the sword towards Avalon's body but Zweil didn't flinch. I grit my teeth even as they chattered and stood my ground even as my body teetered and controlled my breathing even as I began to choke.

I gripped my sword tighter in my hands and leaned in until my eyes were an inch from her, from his.

"Neither do you."

I slashed him across her face. He grabbed me by the wrist and drove her other fist into my stomach and pink hearts flew. It had no effect. I raised my leg and slammed her head to the floor. Blood sprayed from Avalon's lip but it came out the inky black of Zweil's magic.

I stood above him.

He tried to shock me again but I kicked him down until her body stopped responding.

Zweil's eyes locked onto mine.

I raised Hunter above my head.

Smoky-oil rose from the Quilava in a great puff of cloud. The fire on her neck and back flickered and died, and her body went limp.

I dropped to my knees and pressed me ear against her chest. A heartbeat. Breathing. I gently reached out and lifted one of her eye sockets; black, white, and red. Avalon's eyes.

I breathed a shuddering sigh of relief. The smoke finally cleared, and Tobias came running over. He had a black eye on the right side of his face.

"What happened?!" he said when he saw her.

I got to my feet, still looking down at her. "He let her go."

"… Why?"

I turned the sword in my hand. There was a red mark on the steel. "Because he honestly thought I would do it. More fool him, I suppose."

"She looks really hurt, Alex."

"Asa!" I called.

Asa's Vine smacked the Stunky across the face. Octavia's Air Slash countered the Weezing's Sludge attack. Even after an attack that could have taken down a Giant, they were still coming. They were the royal guard, after all.

Fortis helped Harriet to her feet. The Empoleon staggered, but managed to stay upright.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Are you?!" she responded.

"Not really."

A small laugh. "Me neither."

I found the Chariz-Fang with the broken string lying on the floor. I tried to fix it around my neck but I couldn't tie it properly.

Fortis knelt down and wrapped it around my wrist.

"It'll be safer that way," he said.

"Thanks, I-" I looked up. "Fortis! You're hurt!"

Blood was dripping from three claw-marks, along his jaw, cheek, and just below his eye. His stance was broken and he was trembling, breathing hard. Fortis straightened.

"That's never stopped me before. I'll be damned if it stops me now."

"You don't have to do this…"

Fortis laughed.

"I never had to, Alex. I never had to do any of this. But that's never been the point."

White-and-green-and-pink light flared and twisted into the shape of a square-jawed creature as the Salazzle summoned a Dragon Pulse. Solar Beam cut through it and swallowed her whole. The Toxtricity's Fire Punch drove into his ribs.

"Get to the stairs!" Octavia cried. She brought her sword up and cut the Salazzle up under the chin. "Go!"

We raced across the hall to the bottom of the stairs. The Toxicroak stuck her claw into Octavia's side, puncturing the skin, and her body turned a vicious purple. Venoshock. The Queen fell to the floor.

One of the Life Stars hanging from Asa's side glowed, a golden light surrounded them. Then it dimmed down, and died.

"I have one left, your grace!"

The Queen's Steel Wing absorbed the Muk's Sludge Bomb, Air Slash sliced her across the face. She turned to us. "Go! Find them! Stop waiting for us!"

One hand was on her side, were a patch of blood congealed into a black mess. Her eyes were drooping and her skin had turned sallow. She was poisoned, and Asa couldn't heal her. She wouldn't last must longer.

I hesitated halfway up the stairs.

"Leave us! That is an order!"

I met her eyes. I was expecting anger, or impatience, but instead I saw desperation, and fear. And wariness. Of who, or what, exactly, I really can't figure out.

I turned and raced up the steps towards the black door. The royal guard turned their attentions on us, but Octavia and Asa managed to hold most of them back.

The Arbok was already ahead of the rest. His jaws snapped shut over Khan's ankle. Brick Break hit him in the back of hood and Khan kicked him away, sending him and the Garbodor tumbling down the stairs. The Crobat aimed an Air Slash at Fortis; Harriet blocked it with Steel Wing and trapped him in a Whirlpool.

More came, but we had the high ground. Asa's vines grabbed onto anyone who slipped past and Octavia's swing. We were a few feet from the door.

When three more poison-type Pokémon emerged through the hole. A Haunter struck Khan in the back with Shadow Sneak. A Victreebel's vine Wrapped around Harriet's leg. A Low Key Toxtricity vaulted over the bannister and landed in front of us. She held a tall instrument with four strings in both hands; what it was made of, I couldn't say; and smashed it against the ground; a blinding blue Boomburst attack shook the floor, the bannisters, the other Pokémon.

The Victreebel slipped. Harriet clung to Fortis, Fortis clung to Harriet. The Victreebel pushed her body off against the wall. Predator and prey fell through the hole.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

"Harriet!" Fortis screamed. He looked from her to us to her again. He jumped down after her, digging his swords into the wall to control his fall.

For a moment we were too stunned to move. The Toxtricity's Shock Wave crashed through Tobias and I. Khan's Fire Blast crushed her against the wall.

The Haunter grabbed me around the waist. Tobias hit him with Ice Beam. The Skrelp struck him in the back of the head with Poison Tail. Khan's Brick Break tossed the Mock Kelp Pokémon back down the steps. More poison-types were racing up the stairs towards us.

Asa's Solar Beam swept over them. Khan called for us both and we followed him up to the landing.

I looked up at the sign above the doorway, written in Unown.

"Nova Hall," Khan read out.

Asa tossed us the last Life Star. Khan caught it in his claws, broke it against the floor. A healing beam restored all three of us to full health. Tobias' black eye faded back to blue.

Bong. Bong. Bong.

I turned around. Tobias and Khan looked up. Even Octavia, Asa, and the poison-types paused for a moment. Faintly, in the distance, the midnight bells were chiming. It was Friday, the 20th of the Drake.

"Go!" Octavia roared.

"Are you going to be okay?!" I called down to them.

"Not if you spend all day standing there!" Asa called called back. "Go! You have to end this!"

The Crobat fired a blinding orange Hyper Beam and Asa went flying. He landed on his feet, unfazed. They landed, the Toxicroak Bounced up into the air, Vine Whip wrapped around her and tossed her back down. The other one wrapped around the Crobat's body and slammed him into the wall.

Khan watched the Bulbasaur move, fluid, graceful, absurdly strong.

"How did he get so powerful?" he said to no one in particular.

The Skorupi ran up the stairs towards us but Octavia's Blast Burn caught her halfway up.

"We have to move!" said Tobias.

Khan nodded. He hooked his claws into the handles and yanked the doors open.

---

Darkness.

The doors slammed shut of their own accord. Total blackness. No sound but our own breathing and the crackle of my tailfire.

A Fire Blast came blazing out of the darkness. We dodged. The attack broke against the far wall, trailing away into long red-and-yellow flames. Khan and I used our own fire-type attacks to light the way. It was no good; the room was filled with black light. A blue Shock Wave crackled across the ground and struck Tobias and I.

"Stay back!" came a voice I recognised.

I laughed. "Are you scared, now, Dreigo? Now that you finally have to face me in person?"

"They're close!" said Khan. "Keep firing!"

Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Flamethrower. We had no idea where we were aiming.

"Look out!" another voice cried.

My attack hit something at the back of the room. There was a high-pitched scream.

"Dei, stop!" both voices cried.

In the dim light from by tail I saw a Deino came charging at us, head lowered. I held out my shield and he ran right into it. Dei cried out and backed away.

A ball of orange rose up from a long black neck and became a three-headed dragon that exploded in mid-air. Scaled and fanged heads crashed down over our heads. Khan shielded us with his fins, grunted in pain as the Meteors landed on him. Four blue hooves hit the ground and charged ahead, horns lowered and ready to strike.

Zweil fired a Dragon Pulse from each mouth, two scaled-and-feathered heads of blazing white-and-green-and-pink light that turned into four-legged, wingless dragons. Flamethrower and Ice Beam countered. Dei rammed his head into my back. It was surprisingly powerful. I tucked and rolled and raised my sword. At the eight-month old boy, almost as young as the war itself.

I hesitated.

Dei Bit down on my arm.

"Ooww!"

"Alex!" Tobias called. Shock Wave bounced across the ground to strike him, and he screamed.

Dreigo's six wings turned to two; his tail grew longer and glowed a brilliant green, and he knocked Khan off his feet with Dragon Tail. Khan landed against the wall, pushed off, struck out with Brick Break. Dreigo dodged, Khan landed and turned and dived again, driving his fin into his torso.

I kneed Dei in the chin. Zweil Crunched down on Tobias' head and arm. I tossed the youngest Varia to the floor and slashed his brother across the side with Hunter. Dei Headbutted me in the back and I fell on top of Zweil. Tobias pulled free.

Dreigo fired Draco Meteor.

"Dei!" Zweil cried. "Get out of the way!"

Dei just about dodged.

Dreigo's Fly clashed with Khan's crossed-Brick Break attack.

Dei spread his feet and raised his head. A rippling sky-blue glow poured from his mouth.

"Haaaaaaaaaah!"

Dei used Dragon Rage. A scaled-and-finned fish-like dragon burst forth, snapping its long fangs; I grit my teeth and screwed up my eyes as it washed over me. Tobias fired Ice Beam; Zweil countered with a Shadow Ball from one mouth and attacked with the other; Tobias went rolling across the floor, and I lost sight of him.

Khan used Brick Break. Dreigo's mouth-hands bit down on his arms and he tossed him to the side, then followed up with Dragon Tail. Khan slid far back across the floor but still stayed on his feet. Dreigo chuckled. Khan Rushed at him, but the Hydreigon dodged and Tailed him to the ground.

Dei charged at me again. I trapped him in a Fire Spin; not the strongest I'd ever summoned, but enough to hold him in place. Kicking and screaming. Zweil roared with anger and hit me in the back with a double-Dragon Pulse. I fell to the floor, gasping for air. Zweil stuck his heads into the flames to pull his brother free. I charged a Flamethrower, but they had already sunk back into blackness.

Khan was halfway to his feet when he had to twist and dodge another attack. He struck Dreigo in the shoulder with Brick Break; a blue arm snapped out and grabbed him by the tail before he could escape. Dreigo grabbed on with both mouth-hands and flung him to the floor.

Ice Beam's pale-blue glitter cut through the darkness and hit Zweil in the side. Tobias was several feet away, hidden in shadow, and from the roaring of his brother's battle with Khan, he hadn't been able to hear his footsteps.

So his slammed his forefeet against the ground and used a Shock Wave to locate him. Shock Wave never misses.

Khan's fins glowed white; two reptilian wings grew from Dreigo's back and a long, scaled tail lashed out at him; Brick Break blocked just in time. Khan went sliding backwards again but quickly caught himself and came running.

Dreigo charged Fire Blast. Khan span and smacked him in the face with his tail, making Dreigo choke on his own attack.

I raised my shield to block another Headbutt. Tobias' Rapid Spin let him dodge both Dragon Pulses. Dei used Dragon Rage. I tucked and rolled and charged a Flamethrower. Zweil leapt in front of his brother and took the attack for him.

Tobias and I stood back-to-back, sword raised, hand glowing seafoam, scanning the room, turning in a silent circle.

Shock Wave hit us both at once. Dei fired a Dragon Rage; Tobias jumped ahead and took the attack for me and the fish-like dragon dove into his chest.

"Maybe standing together's not the best idea," he gasped, as blue smoke escaped his throat.

"It felt cool for a moment though," I said.

"It really did!"

Fire Blast clashed with Fire Blast. Smoke and flame rose into the air; and out of the smog came the fall of the Draco Meteors.

Tobias' Rapid Spin landed between Zweil's heads. He bore the attack then hit him with Shadow Ball. Tobias' shell went skittering across the ground, but he jumped straight back up onto his feet. The Zweilous' forelegs fell as the meteors did, and Shock Wave jumped across the ground.

Dei charged, dodging every meteor as he ran. He rammed his head into me and my sword went flying.

Khan dodged one, blocked another with his fins. Dreigo sunk into shadow; a few moments later, his Fly attack knocked Khan to the ground and the Hydreigon pinned there. Meteors burst beside their heads and sparks spat into their eyes.

I turned in the direction I heard Hunter land and ran. Dei leapt onto my back and held on tight. I finally saw the hilt of the sword when he Bit down on the back of my head.

Tobias went down on one knee. Zweil Crunched down on his arm and tail. I grabbed the handle of my sword. I threw myself back so I landed on top of Dei. He squealed and kicked at me, pushing me to my feet.

I slashed Zweil across the back of his heads, once, twice, three times, but he still wouldn't let go. Dei charged at me but the last meteor fell between us and he pulled away.

He tossed Tobias aside with one head and unleashed Dragon Pulse. The other fired at me. I made the mistake of trying to deflect with my sword. The blade snapped in half.

"My sword!" I cried, stupidly.

Khan drove his knee into Dreigo's torso. The Hydreigon was trying to force his claws over his head; the Professor twisted his arms then brought them together between his opponent's and snapped them outwards. His opponent was open. He threw himself forward and tried to knock him to the ground; Dreigo's wings let him push off the floor and right himself. Brick Break clashed with Dragon Tail and Khan slid backwards. Again. Again. Again. He ducked under Dreigo's swing. Dreigo crossed his arms to black his strike. They clashed again.

Zweil slammed his forefeet on the ground. Tobias's body lit up and shuddered, and he screamed. I gave an angry cry and let out a Fire Spin that wrapped around the Zweilous' body. He turned and charged at me; he tried to knock me over but I grabbed onto the right neck. The other head grabbed onto my tail and pulled me away and I kicked him in the jaw but he still didn't let go. The fire raged around us. The hot metal of my blade was leaning on the back of the left neck. The left head cried out and the right head dropped me. Before I could get to my feet the two scaled heads of his Dragon Pulse blasted me to the floor, swallowing up the fire.

Footsteps. On some primal instinct, I gripped onto the handle of the Varia sword and swung it around. The jagged blade cut Dei across the face. The Deino screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Dei!" Zweil cried.

Dei wouldn't stop screaming. He was lying on the ground, clutching his face with his forefeet. Zweil ran to his side.

Dreigo turned his head and called for his brothers. Dragon Rush hit him in the chest.

Zweil put himself between us and his little brother and fired Dragon Pulse. Tobias got behind me and I blocked with my shield. I grit my teeth and pushed back; the force of the blow would have knocked me to the floor if Tobias' hadn't been holding me up.

We dodged another Fire Blast. Enchanted Giga Impact drove into the Hydreigon's back. Dragon Tail sent Khan flying.

"It's okay, Dei, it's okay," said Zweil, "you're going to be okay, just hold on! Just stay strong! Dreigo! Finish them!"

"You're going to fucking pay for that, Albion!"

The roof was flooded with blue-white crystals. Zweil's body shone the same hue. Dreigo's body was surrounded in midnight-blue energy that twisted warped into a wingless, bipedal, square-jawed, skeletal dragon.

The Booster Badge glowed.

"Do it!" Khan yelled.

The blue dragon came rocketing towards me. I breathed in deep, summoning a Fire Spin.

But before the Booster Badge could activate, Fire Spin became something more powerful. It twisted and straightened into a blazing column of blue fire, wide enough to consume me. The Booster Badge flashed, and Inferno became Inferno Overdrive. It clashed with the midnight-blue drake and Dreigo was sucked into a swirling dome of fire. The flames spread and spread and spread; Khan grabbed Tobias and pulled him aside and Zweil and Dei tried to run but it swallowed them too.

For a moment I just stared into the flames, mesmerised. They moved so quickly, they sucked in and climbed on top of each other, they spat angry red sparks everywhere so even Tobias and Khan had to back away, they burned so high that they reached to the top of the ceiling, and they were bright; as bright as the sun shining through the window.

Then black-and-blue filled my vision as Dreigo came charging through, scaled wings spread wide and glowing tail trailing behind him. Tobias ran in front of me, but Zweil struck him down with a double-Dragon Pulse. Khan stood in front of us both, arms wide. Dei leapt up, blood flying from his injured face, and Bit down on his throat, dragging him to the ground.

I tried to run, but the Hydreigon was faster. I had made a mistake of turning away.

Dragon Tail hit me in the left temple and slammed the right side of my head into the wall. The bone above my eye cracked, and a powerful shock ran through my skull and my face and my eyes and my brain.

Black.