Everyone was up and ready to go again the next morning, most of the Coalition members gathering up their supplies for the day and nailing out their expeditions, but apparently something had caught a certain Orbeetle's attention and she made an appearance downstairs with her pens and pages still levitating about her.

"She's at it again," Adnea flatly noted, a newspaper floating in front of her. "A certain purple-eyed poison-wielding Delphox, that is."

That certainly caught attention.

"She is?!" Arashi cried, darting over to see.

"What did she do this time…?" Raijin asked hesitantly.

All of the Coalition members (save for Dren, outside in his usual post) scurried over to her as she laid the newspaper flat, the headlines plainly visible. 'Salem Strikes Cliffside Outpost, Kills Three and Injures Sixteen, Extent of Damage Still Unclear' was in big letters across the top, and a picture of a huge, smoldering cabin accompanied it. Astrid fluffed out at the mere sight of Salem's name in the headlines again, and the picture made her even more uneasy without reading the words to the article itself.

"Late last night, the expeditioner camp of Cliffside Outpost was attacked without provocation by the wanted criminal Salem, who was reported to descend upon the base from higher cliffs while unleashing a fiery barrage of the previously ascertained uncharacteristic purple color. The expeditioners fought back fiercely, but Salem surrounded herself in a pillar of flame and smoke that caused disorientation and confusion to any who got near her. In minutes, the base and its surroundings were engulfed in a blaze, which ended up taking the life of three who could not escape in time- Maryam the Shiinotic, Jay the Thwackey, and Luna the Musharna. Those present, especially those who tried to engage her, sustained burns ranging from moderate to severe with signs of poisoning also present. However, the true extent of her damage is unknown, as all expeditioners at the outpost have begun to act hostile to all those who come near, and all currently known information has been collected from a Gardevoir staying there at the time of attack who managed to escape via Teleport. By all indications, the outpost has become a hotspot of another 'crazy' incident for which Salem was the catalyst, and all are urged to steer clear for the time being. She has evaded capture and apprehension yet again, and her whereabouts and motive are still unknown. Her underlings, Zariel the Charizard and Azure the Golisopod, have also been extremely evasive."

The more words she read, the wider Astrid's eyes became, and by the time she reached the end, her feathers were standing completely on end like an avian pom-pom. Arashi was blinking with a blank face, and Raijin was still as a statue save for his fingers tapping together. Rush and Rozen had straight faces, Lazuli was visibly concerned, and Cinder glared.

"Well, I'll be damned," Rush remarked. "That's a good distance northeast of here, but she's got some serious guts to attack a base as big as that."

"That had to have been at least three teams at once, too," Lazuli added. "Talk about a huge fallout!"

"Tch! What a degenerate!" Cinder scoffed, glaring at the page.

Rozen haplessly shook his head in disapproval, not deeming it to be worth any breath.

The Starstorm trio looked at each other.

"W-well, it must be safe to say we threw her off…" Astrid's voice uncertainly trailed off.

"She's ramping it up…" Raijin's voice likewise trailed off too. "Combine that with the faction groups, and… A-ah, that's…"

The hesitance in his tone was plenty to catch everyone else's attention, and Astrid and Arashi studied him with uncertainty of their own.

"What're you getting at?" Rush inquired, cutting straight to the point. "You got somethin' to say?"

Raijin twitched a bit, and if he had eyes to go wide, they would've been little pinpricks. For a creature consisting of a glowing spiked ball and wires, he looked very uncomfortable. Adnea definitely took note of whatever he was thinking and stared straight at him.

"… You're afraid that the Light Trio is getting too weak to continue holding Void off," the Orbeetle chimed in. "That it's easier to swoop in and take over amid chaos, so Salem is going for larger targets to make the faction's attempts easier, which would mean that Ultra Space is about to fall. That Void is no longer concentrating on one target anymore because she can afford to use fewer resources with little to no drawback as opposed to merely trying to expand her domain."

The Xurkitree nodded, shrinking up in fright. "… I sincerely hope that's not the case and Necrozma's hanging in there, but if that is the case… That's one of the worst possible scenarios we could have…"

Some glances travelled about them, uncertainty tinged with other feelings- indignation, fright, optimistic hoping. Astrid's feathers puffed further out, the Dartrix not at all liking that idea, and both she and her partnered shared an uncertain look. A little growl escaped Cinder too.

Still, Rush, unamused with narrowed eyes for a second, looked to the Starstorm trio and chimed in, "Well, in that same regard, there's something you three- Raijin way more than anyone else- would probably be concerned about. Adnea told me about one of those glowing vessels just laying around Bramble Peak earlier this morning with no one around it."

The moment after, Adnea was showing them what appeared to be a memory from several wild avians flying over of a cube-shaped box with glowing edges that haplessly lied on the ground. It wasn't propped against anything or carefully stowed under a bush, but rather just beside a few shrubs in a manner that made it clear that it had either been lost or thrown aside. Astrid and Arashi immediately recognized it- it was the same sort of vessel that Squad Fourteen-Five had been carrying around in Yunael's memories.

Raijin gave a big twitch of surprise. "H-hold on!" he exclaimed. "You're serious?! It's just lying out there?! There's a Cosmog in there!"

"It is," the Orbeetle affirmed. "That's valuable cargo to simply leave out in the open, no?"

"Yes," Raijin said, tapping his fingers together. "But if we got our hands on one, Adnea, you could make their mind go back to normal, right…?"

"I would assume so."

"Then that would give us a way to open wormholes at the very least, and if we could get them to evolve…"

"That's what we were thinkin' too," Rush noted. "You're the resident Beast- it'd probably listen to you before it listened to any of us."

Raijin nodded. "Just an ordinary Pokémon trying to pick it up and run off with it would probably upset it enough to open a wormhole back to wherever it's coming from, but someone it thinks is a comrade getting ahold of it probably wouldn't bother it too much."

"Well, I gotta ask," said the Scrafty, "what're the odds of that thing readin' your mind if you did pick it up? They're psychics- they can do that, right?"

"They can, but the odds are tiny," Raijin replied. "They only do that when they're opening a wormhole. It'd take effort for it to even see what was at the forefront of my mind, much less the rest of my memories, and that species isn't supposed to exert themselves like that unless it's absolutely necessary or someone else tells them to."

Rush nodded, snickering. "So ya don't need me, then. Y'all three feelin' up to retrieving it? Bramble Peak ain't a dungeon, but it ain't a casual stroll in the park either."

The Starstorm trio quickly shot each other some more glances, all three of them giving a nod.

"Well, if it'll help us, I'll do whatever," Arashi mused with a smile, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Let me handle the talking," Raijin said.

Astrid was definitely happy to do so, and Arashi nodded.

"You head to the eastern edge of town, head north and slightly more east," Rush informed. "You'll know when ya get close, trust me. It's all in the name."

Cinder gave them a pointed, but not overtly threatening, look. "Don't get snared in the brambles."

"Oh, you mean like you did that one time?" Lazuli jested, nudging the fiery avian. "And I had to spend half an hour untangling you?"

The Azumarill giggled, and the Fletchinder gave her an unamused look, though he said nothing. The Starstorm trio nonetheless took note of what he was saying, and Astrid figured that if Cinder was mentioning such, then perhaps the terrain was something to be mindful of. It was certainly different than his other interjections- a few days prior, he probably would've said 'Those useless runts will probably get stuck in the brambles and screw the entire thing up' instead.

Adnea, though, rolled her eyes at Lazuli and Cinder, piping up instead, "I'll be keeping surveillance in that vicinity in case some unwanted company heads your way, and if something comes up, I'll let you know."

The Starstorm trio nodded.

Even if it wasn't a dungeon, they still packed their bag with enough items to be comfortable just in case things went awry- an apple each for Astrid and Arashi in case the expedition somehow turned into a long one, three Oran berries alongside Raijin's potion, and a Heal Seed. Of course, outside of a dungeon, an Escape Orb wouldn't have been much use, otherwise Astrid still would've liked to keep one handy.

Once things were in order, they set off. As usual, things weren't stirring yet, but a certain Chatot and Honchkrow that they recognized from Shar's team were out prancing around and snickering to each other. Arashi gave a wave, and they too waved back with a wing.

"Keep it gnarly, you three!" Riven called.

"You must be glad to not have your roost taken up by a fluffy fairy anymore!" Arashi called back.

"That's right! May the gods bless 'em, but there's a reason I ain't on Team Sweetheart! Kekeke!"

Both Polly and the larger black avian started cackling, and Arashi giggled. Astrid couldn't help but think that, if she heard those laughs on a dark night in an alleyway, her soul would've left her body from fright. But perhaps that was to be expected from the Gnarly Brigade- they all seemed like a bunch of well-meaning edgelords to begin with.

Still, they easily found a pathway beaten into the ground after years of other teams traversing it on the eastern edge of town, leading off towards the far less flat terrain to the north.

Astrid, though, had a few thoughts on her mind. "Hey, Raijin…?"

"Hm?" he replied.

"Why would someone just leave a Cosmog vessel lying around…? I mean, you know better than either one of us, but… doesn't that seem a little suspicious if they're looked after so closely?"

Arashi perked up at the mention too, looking intently at their Beast comrade.

"Don't worry, I considered that too," Raijin replied. "To be honest, I'm not sure, but… I can't see this being a trap. Someone completely different than the intended target could grab the vessel, or a wild one could smash it, and there's no way Void would risk one of them getting loose when that evolutionary family is the only way to open wormholes at will. The most logical explanation is that a faction group got into trouble somehow and ended up leaving it behind in a panic, though I'm not sure how that would have possibly happened either… or maybe they opened too many wormholes and the little nebula killed themself, unfortunate as that may be. Point is, if anyone tracked us down, I highly doubt this is how they'd get ahold of us."

"But what if they knew you thought it was unlikely and did it anyway just to get us by surprise?" Arashi curiously inquired. "Is that a possibility?"

Astrid thought it sounded rather ridiculous that their enemies would predict something so flawlessly when multiple other variables were at play that could mess the plan up, but she had to admit, her partner might've had the right idea.

"Then that's a smart move, but I still doubt it," the Xurkitree answered. "They'd have much better luck with a ton of other methods- getting one of Salem's victims to put up an act and seek us out, trying to send us a letter like Azure did saying that they want to talk in private, or just outright beating the daylights out of anyone they come across until someone mentions that they've seen a Dartrix in the Crossroads. Besides, we already know the faction groups here are looking."

That seemed reasonable- other methods would get the same result but with no valuable Cosmog vessel conspicuously left in the open.

Arashi wasn't protesting it. "Well, if you say so, then I believe it!"

"Trust me, if something seems off, I'll let you two know," Raijin assured them. "But, just in case… stay close, okay…? If we run into a faction group and they get hostile, our best bet would be if I just let loose with the highest voltage Discharge I can muster, and I'd rather not risk you two getting caught in the middle. That... that would be really ugly."

They nodded, not objecting at all. Astrid definitely wasn't inclined to go taking any of the Xurkitree's attacks, and Arashi got a disturbed grin at the mere thought of being on the other end of their comrade's Discharges.

*I should notify you,* came a certain Orbeetle's voice, *that there are two groups in the general area you're heading to. They are both further south and seemingly stationary for the time being. I'll keep you updated.*

Three variations of 'Thanks, Adnea!' all sounded off at about the same time.

The occasional Mandibuzz or Gligar could be seen out flying around overhead, but they didn't bother with the Starstorm trio beyond just giving them a few inquisitive looks. The further away from town they got, the less defined the path became, and it branched off in a few directions that they didn't follow. Surely, some dungeons were obscured further off into the crag, but they didn't pay it any mind. Patches of reddish clay-filled dirt looked like a quilt over the ground, and most of the shrubbery wasn't particularly thick, likely because of the large quantity of rocks embedded in the ground that would make rooting difficult for any sprouting seed.

Still, they could tell they were heading in the right direction, for between the craggy pillars of stone that they weaved between, eventually they could see a hill that rose up further than the others- not quite a mountain, but still big for a mere 'hill.' They could also see where the moniker 'Bramble Peak' was coming from, for a few smallish dark green vines with thorns dotted the ground and the sides of rock faces, one of which had the ripped remnant of a scarf or bag stuck amid its points. The brambles didn't get particularly thick for at least a mile, but once they started getting close to their destination, being careful not to get snagged on one became more important.

"Y'know, if Rush said we'd know when we saw it, I'm gonna take a guess that this is it," Arashi remarked, motioning at the largest hill.

It certainly seemed that way- it was the greenest of the hills albeit still dotted with clay soil patches in several places, and of the bushes and trees, every single one had the same thorny vines wrapped around their branches and trunks. A few of those same vines sprouted up from the ground around the hill's base, making it definitely befitting of the moniker 'Bramble Peak.'

"Looks like it," Astrid concurred.

A few wild Spearows gave them an odd look from their perches as the Starstorm trio started venturing up the edge, brushing aside the thorny bushes and vines as best they could. There weren't a ton of them, but they were definitely denser on the bottom slopes.

However, someplace further off in the distance to their north, a quite loud rumbling sound graced their senses followed by a group of trees shaking and flattening out. There was some sort of blaze accompanying it like a shooting star in reverse, and a trail of smoke was drawn through the sky by whatever was causing it.

"… Celesteela," Raijin noted.

Astrid and Arashi exchanged concerned glances.

"Is that something we should be worried about…?" Astrid inquired.

"As long as they don't start flying this way, we should be fine, but if they do, then we need to hide," was the answer.

Adnea's voice chimed in again. *Unless I am gravely mistaken, the rest of the extradimensional company in your area is still stationary aside from that one. The others do seem to be carrying another smaller vessel, make of that what you will.*

"If it's smaller, it's a Cosmoem," Raijin said with a nod. "So odds are, they aren't looking for a stray Cosmog… And I am so glad we have psychics like you to tell us all this stuff, Adnea."

The other two were easily in agreement with his sentiments. Of course, it was probably no huge deal to her, but indeed, she did take quite a bit of fretting away from them.

*That vessel is towards the top, close to another rocky cliff side to the western edge. I'll show you.*

The Orbeetle did just that- she gave them a view of the specific location of the vessel from several vantage points. All of them were the same, just showing a little black cube with glowing purple edges haplessly dropped in the middle of a clay patch, just a few sparse bushes surrounding it and a big rocky edge off to one side.

It didn't take long to find it after that either, for the little cube was about as conspicuous as could be in its surroundings. The brambles thinned out towards the top and reddish clay drowned out the soft green of the grass where smaller precipices rose up or dropped off, and the vessel twitched next to one. They studied it for a second, Raijin practically scanning every single detail of their surroundings for something off and Astrid keeping her eyes locked on the vessel to make sure it didn't somehow try something on them. Arashi seemed excited at seeing it, and of course, they couldn't blame him for such either, but he was definitely keeping alert at the same time.

"Stay behind me in case we have to make a run for it, okay?" Raijin softly instructed them, keeping his voice low enough so that the little nebula inside the cube couldn't possibly hear. "If something happens, I don't want you two in any position to get screwed over."

Astrid and Arashi nodded, keeping about a meter away as he carefully approached it.

"Comrade?" Raijin called. "Are you alone?"

Immediately, the cube was stirring with an array of twitches and shakes. The three of them tensed up, watching it carefully for what it might do, but they didn't see anything resembling a wormhole taking form anywhere.

"Oh, thank heavens!" the tiny voice inside cried. "Is that a Xurkitree's electric voice I'm hearing?! Gah! Another comrade! I thought they'd just leave me to die out here in this weird world…!"

Astrid and Arashi both shared odd looks at the mention of being left to die.

"Yes, that's right," Raijin answered, strolling closer. "Where's your team at? Cosmogs don't just wind up laying around for no reason."

"I don't know!" the little voice fretted. "I begged them not to leave me, but they did it anyway! I've been so scared…!"

A set of copper-plated fingers curled around the vessel and picked it up, which the one inside didn't seem to protest. "Why didn't you open a wormhole back to Ultra Space if they left you?" Raijin asked gently. "That's an utterly foolish move by your teammates."

A whimper followed, and the vessel shook slightly. "E-er, that's…! L-look, we're trying to find the human, so I can't just leave! B-besides, er…!"

"You're awfully shaken up about something. If you don't want to say, that's fine, but it's fairly concerning."

More twitching and shaking. "I'm a disgrace and I have to make it up to my team before I can show my face to anyone else! I don't want Void or her emissaries to know how badly I screwed up! The last time I was near Megalo Tower, a Nihilego made an offhanded joke about merging with the human herself, Remi was there and overheard it, and, well…! You know what happens when you use Brick Break on a Nihilego! I don't want them to hear about me and turn me into a dispersed cloud of cosmic fog! I don't want to die, but less selfishly and more importantly, I don't want any of them to waste their time on me! I know I can be useful if my team just gives me another chance, so I can't just run back home while they're out here doing what they're supposed to be doing…!"

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, rather unsure of what to make of the Cosmog's words. On one hand, what they were saying- not wanting to show their face to their comrades because of some screw-up- sounded completely plausible, but on the other hand, the poor little nebula seemed more concerned about inconveniencing the ones that would slay them for said screw-up than they were about actually dying. The connotations of such didn't sit well with them in the slightest.

Raijin paused for a second too, but still carried on with it. "Well, if that's the case, and your comrades have left you… then clearly they don't understand the value of what they're carrying, and I'm sure Void would love to hear about it. How about you join my team instead for the time being?"

The vessel flailed wildly. "I'd love to! I already like you better!"

The Dartrix and Frogadier grinned at each other (albeit the latter much more than the former).

"What new team do I have the pleasure of joining?" the Cosmog gingerly piped up. "And can I ask what I should call you? I don't have a name or identification, but you and your team must…"

The smaller figures got more uncertain looks at the Cosmog's inquisition, but didn't say a word.

"That's-" Raijin began.

He quickly shut up whenever the air in their very near vicinity cracked and opened up into a wormhole. Astrid and Arashi both got wide eyes, the Dartrix's feathers puffing out and her heart sinking in her chest. Immediately, Raijin's scurried away from it and his tail made one quick movement backwards that shoved them both into a bush, the thorny vines in which would have made them give pained cries had they not both held their tongues in fright. Arashi reached up and yanked a few bunches of leaves in front of them, ignoring the thorns as best he could, and Astrid threw her wings around her comrade in hopes that her plumage would look less conspicuous than her partner's bright blue skin. He caught on and nestled into them, grabbing the bigger leaf framing her face and holding it over his own so that he could only peek out with one eye.

The Cosmog seemed surprised too, for their vessel gave another shake without a sound coming out. Raijin was still as a statue.

Three figures dropped down- a Pheromosa, a Buzzwole, and a Nihilego, the former of which carried a satchel across her back and the latter of which absolutely horrified the hiding ones. The identification of UB01-7000 on her bell indicated that she wasn't Void, but even so, they knew good and well the effects that a single dose of her poison could have. The idea of even a single one of them being affected by it was nothing short of terrifying- Arashi would sell Astrid and Raijin out to their enemies, Astrid and Arashi couldn't possibly hope to win against Raijin's wicked firepower if he turned on them, and if Astrid was poisoned, there was no telling what would happen. From the identifying marks they bore, it was easy to deduce who their otherworldly visitors were- the very same Squad Fourteen-Five that had done in Team Sweetheart. Astrid held her breath, hardly daring to even breathe, and she could feel Arashi going stiff too.

The other Beasts noticed the Xurkitree straight away.

"Oho! A comrade?!" Fourteen-Five exclaimed, flexing his magnificent arms and sounding pleasantly surprised.

Sixty-O-Three started smirking. "Looks like someone found our useless wormhole caller! Don't worry about that one- it needed to learn its lesson!"

Seven Thousand didn't say a word, instead happily clapping the tips of her tentacle arms together.

Even if the greetings were friendly, none of the Starstorm trio eased up.

"… Ah, I see," Raijin replied, still frozen. "I was… concerned."

Fourteen-Five chuckled, striking another pose. "Oh, don't be! That little nebula there needed an hour or two alone to get scared and rethink quite a few of its decisions! I mean, opening wormholes is all they're good at, right? This one can't even do that! Not too long ago, we met a group of expeditioners and gave them enlightenment, then when we tried to leave the area as easily as possible, this one here opened a wormhole in the opposite direction, claiming it was because we shook the vessel too much and made it hard to concentrate! We were on Starry Peak over there-" he pointed in the direction of the dungeon, "-and the wormhole opened in Sunken Cavern over there! Have you ever seen a Cosmog that needs two or three tries to open a wormhole in the right place? I sure hadn't, until I met this one!"

The tiny voice inside the box whimpered with another twitch. Even in their tense state, Astrid and Arashi's eyes met for a second, the both of them exchanging a knowing look- that explained the sudden appearance of the Tyrantrum in Sunken Cavern that otherwise would not have been on the floor they encountered it.

The Buzzwole, though, crossed his arms for a second before giving an accusatory point at the vessel. "So explain, little nebula, why Squad Forty-Seven-Sixty's Cosmoem just did it perfectly without complaining about anything, but half the time we've asked you, you have screwed it up! Your saving grace is that your species is precious, but if you can't do the one damned thing that Void needs you for, then Ultra Space is better off without you!"

Another whimper came from the vessel, sounding like the little nebula inside wanted to cry. Astrid definitely couldn't blame them- the Buzzwole's words were quite scathing. The poor little Cosmog was being treated more like an object than a sentient creature.

"Seriously," the Pheromosa chimed in flippantly. "That damned thing might not be experienced, but trying to blame us when we can't stand perfectly still because there's a fucking battle going on and we're holding onto its vessel like we're supposed to? Who do you think you are, little nebula?"

Yet another whimper. "I'm sorry!" they shrieked, twitching again. "I thought it over! I'm as useless as you said, Void wouldn't be happy with me at all if she heard about what I did, and Ultra Space probably is better off without me! I was so scared when you left me alone and I realized how helpless I am without you three, so I swear I'll do better! I'll try my absolute hardest even if it kills me!"

"Good," Fourteen-Five said pointedly, relaxing his accusatory point. "Don't make me lose my patience again. Next time, you're talking to Remi instead of me, and they won't be nearly as forgiving."

"U-understood!"

Sixty-O-Three snickered at the Cosmog's discomfort, and Seven Thousand shook her head (or at least, the closest thing she had to a head).

The Buzzwole sighed, looking to Raijin instead of the vessel. "Well, anyways," he said nonchalantly, striking a pose again, "that was probably more than you bargained to hear, comrade! We should introduce ourselves!"

Of course, Raijin pretended not to know already who they were, for Squad Fourteen-Five definitely wasn't familiar with any of Team Starstorm's members. The team lead himself practically struck a new pose with each word he said, while his comrades were much less flamboyant (Seven Thousand might have seemed cute if she hadn't been a huge danger to both the Xurkitree and the ones in the bush).

"And what of you, comrade?" Fourteen-Five inquired, flexing again. "How should we address you?"

"… Six-Seven, same preference in pronouns as you."

The other three Beasts immediately took notice of the identification he'd given, and Sixty-O-Three's mouth fell slightly open.

"It's you!" the Pheromosa exclaimed. "We heard about you back in Ultra Space from Azure! You've got some explaining to do!"

"That explains why you don't have a team with you!" Fourteen-Five noted, nodding. "I was already suspecting that you were Six-Seven because you're alone and there's hardly a trace of wormhole energy to be felt from you, so you must've been here longer than us. What happened? We know Void didn't send you."

"I got stranded here by a spontaneous wormhole opening at the worst time," Raijin answered. "I knew the human was on this world, so I've been keeping an eye out for her myself."

It was the same excuse that Necrozma had told him to use, and the ones hiding in the bush hoped to whatever higher being would hear that it would work. Their comrade was keeping it together remarkably well for the situation they found themselves in… but they weren't sure how long the façade would last. Perhaps a single Discharge would take care of two of the three other Beasts, but that would probably leave Seven Thousand, who would spread her poison all over the place… There was no easy way out, that was for sure.

Seven Thousand hugged herself a bit and shook in apparent discomfort before floating closer to Raijin and giving him a little pat with one of her tentacle hands. "Oooh! You get stranded here alone?! That so scary! This world so strange!"

At seeing the Nihilego outright touch their comrade, Astrid and Arashi both froze up in fear, slowly looking at each other in horror. Maybe she wasn't creating poisonous clouds or anything, but it was bad enough already. Raijin twitched ever-so-slightly, the tiniest bit of a spark appearing for just a second at his fingertips.

"Ah! I suspected as much!" Fourteen-Five said, making yet another gesture with his arms. "You know, there was talk of you being a traitor, since clearly Void herself didn't send you to this world and Azure said you were acting erratic, but that's just preposterous, is it not?! I couldn't imagine any Beast in the faction defying Void, bwahaha!"

Seven Thousand giggled. "That not true, is it?"

"No, of course not," Raijin lied. "This world is bizarre, and getting stranded here isn't something I'd do on my own volition. Trust me, I'd rather be back in Ultra Space giving Necrozma hell if given the choice."

Two bold-faced lies, the ones hiding in the bushes knew.

"If that Nihilego gets close to us…" Astrid's voice trailed off, hardly audible.

"She's strong against the kind of attacks that Raijin is good at…" Arashi said, likewise quiet as could be. "You've got Steel Wing, but…"

"I'd have to make direct contact with her…" the Dartrix finished the thought, voice wavering for a second in fright. "And she's got Reflect, too…"

Their eyes met again, both of them wide and uncertain.

"We might not have much of a choice here," Astrid whispered reluctantly. "We shouldn't interfere until Raijin gives us a cue to, but still…"

Her partner nodded.

Sixty-O-Three, however, laughed upon hearing Raijin's words. "I don't blame you! This place has way too much water and a ridiculous amount of greenery!"

Fourteen-Five laughed too. "It does, Sixty-O-Three! And the trees don't even look magnificent like they do in Ultra Jungle! I mean, these prickly little things… "

The Buzzwole skittered over to the bush, Astrid and Arashi holding their breath in pure fright as he did, and promptly yanked it clean out of the ground in one motion. A few gasping sounds escaped Astrid's beak and Arashi's eyes went as huge as she'd ever seen them go, but in mere moments, the two of them went sprawling on the ground in a hapless heap.

Fourteen-Five paused, as did the other three Beasts seeing the events unfurl.

"No…!" Astrid breathed.

Sixty-O-Three started smirking, and Fourteen-Five tossed the shrub aside and crossed his arms while staring down at them. Astrid and Arashi scrambled to their feet and backed away, keeping their frightened gazes on the one studying them.

"Oh, is this actually happening?!" Sixty-O-Three cried in excitement, jumping in place for a second. "Because I really hope it is!"

"… Well, I'll be damned," the Buzzwole remarked. "You're a Dartrix, a member of the Rowlet line, and you're a Frogadier, a member of the Froakie line that the human reportedly was sticking very close to. Those scared looks on your faces say everything I need to know. Astrid and Arashi, that must be you two."

His words made their blood run cold, but they didn't have much time to process it before something else was catching their attention.

"No!" came a sudden screech from Seven Thousand.

The three of them looked up and saw Raijin cloaked in a rainbow glow, aiming a Dazzling Gleam in every direction. Seven Thousand swiftly glided in front of Sixty-O-Three, and Fourteen-Five shielded his eyes while skittering aside. The pulses of fairy energy very narrowly missed the Buzzwole, and Seven Thousand took the hit instead of their stick-thin comrade. At that, the other two of the Starstorm trio darted to their Beast comrade's side, where his tail wrapped around them for a second like a protective hug.

"The hell was that for?!" the Pheromosa hollered in frustration, frowning.

"Wormhole! Now!" Fourteen-Five shouted to the Cosmog in the vessel.

Without missing a beat, Raijin flung the glowing cube into the air and hit it with a Signal Beam, a dismayed shriek coming from inside. The cube shattered and dropped on the ground in several pieces, what looked like a tiny little cloud of purple and blue star-filled gas floating down limp after it. If anything was certain, it was that the little nebula wouldn't be opening any wormholes.

*You three, I'm hopping on Dren and we're heading your way right this second,* came Adnea's telepathic voice. *Be careful in the interim.*

No words answered her, but she didn't need them, for not a single one of them was protesting it.

Sixty-O-Three wasn't wasting any time, for about as fast as Arashi's Quick Attack, she Lunged at Raijin, but stopped dead just as fast when he started sparking again.

"Go on, touch me," Raijin said flatly. "Make that gamble."

Just as fast, the Pheromosa darted back. "Oh, that's just rich," she flippantly remarked. "You don't have a Celesteela or Stakataka to guard you, so you're doing that?! Tch, what a waste of your energy!"

"Turns out I'm good for more than a singular thing," Raijin brushed it off. "You might be too if Void let you."

Seven Thousand tensed up in wrath, Sixty-O-Three glared, and Fourteen-Five clenched his fists so tightly that they shook.

The Buzzwole growled. "Oh, you've been keeping eyes on the human, I'll bet- those two ran straight to you. And now you're attacking. So you are a traitor."

Raijin wasn't fazed. "I'm not letting any of you touch either one of them. I would ask you to forgive me, but you won't be able to once I knock you out."

Astrid and Arashi shared a frightened glance, but nodded to each other anyway. Ultra Beasts, just like their comrade- and there were three of them. The two smaller figures just hoped that their team would make it out in one piece.


Author's note: A huge thank you to whomever deemed this story worthy to be put into a collection titled "Pokémon's Best of the Best!" I made the same face when I saw that as I do when my friend's adorable fluffy kitten lets me snuggle him :3

On another note, my classes have resumed, and depending on the circumstances I may find myself in later down the road, I may not update as frequently. I know I have said this before and I don't think I have yet reached a three-week break without posting another chapter, but I just want to mention it again just in case. I've been smirking and snickering to myself while drafting the next chapter and hammering out important points of the ones after, so I do hope you all enjoy when the time comes, since, well... I'm definitely gonna have some fun writing them, bwahahaha!