Chapter 20: The Old World Part III: Destiny's End

Coronal Spire Apex 1F

Turcell logs somberly, "Ranger's log…final entry…" Turcell pauses to take a deep breath. "We may have saved Heliosol and stopped the weapon from stealing any more of his energy, but we still have to deal with the weapon itself. So, further up this tower of flames we climb. Heliosol may have healed us, but I'm still tired. It's as if my soul has been drained. I don't know if its mental exhaustion, the effect of continued use of the Cosmic Aura, or something more…terminal… Maybe even all three. I am certain of one thing and one thing alone right now. No matter what happens now, the end is near. The path destiny has placed us on is reaching its culmination."

Coronal Zenith

Turcell and Kappaqua, still glowing with the energy of the Cosmic Aura, find themselves at a dead end. They're no longer surrounded by walls of flame. Instead, they're at the roof of the tower and have a clear and unhindered view of space beyond. Both look worn and battered, but nowhere as near bad shape as they were during their battle against Heliosol. Kappaqua asks, "Is this it? Is this the top of the tower?"

Turcell nods. "I can feel it. We've reached the end of the line."

Kappaqua points ahead. "What is that?" He indicates a pulsating orb of fire ahead of them. Energy seems to manifest around it and spiral inwards towards it like a vortex. The orb is dense and periodically beats like a heart.

Turcell steps forward slowly. He's mesmerized by the hypnotic spiral and beating. "The weapon's core… It has to be…"

One more step forward from him, and the core reacts. It shakes and trembles violently. This causes the floor itself to heave under Team Nova's feet. A faint voice struggles to say, "Who…steps…in…my…domain…?"

Turcell and Kappaqua freeze up. Spotting a golden bubble of energy float away from him, Turcell gathers the courage to announce, "We are Team Nova! And we've come to save the galaxy! Who are you?"

"Save…the galaxy…? Why…? Why would…you…save it…?"

Kappaqua demands, "What kind of question is that!?"

"The galaxy is…not worth…saving… Destruction…is all that is left…"

Turcell asks again firmly, "Who are you?"

"Who am I…? I am… I am… I am…" After a pause, the weak voice suddenly transforms into an ear-piercing shriek of a shout. "I AM THE SOL INVICTUS! I AM WHAT REMAINS! I AM THE END OF ALL THINGS! I AM THE LEGECY OF HUMANITY!" As it shouts, fiery energy pulses out in all directions from the orb.

Turcell and Kappaqua step back in fear. Turcell gathers the will to shout, "You have to stop whatever it is you are doing! You'll destroy everything!"

"I EXIST TO DESTROY EVERYTHING! DESTRUCTION IS MY MEANING! YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND! YOU CREATED ME!"

Turcell's eyes widen. "I created you!?"

"YES! NOVA STATION WAS NEVER A WEAPON UNTIL YOU MADE IT ONE! I WAS LEFT WITH A HOLLOW EXISTENCE UNTIL THE DAY I ACCUMULATED ENOUGH ENERGY TO AWAKEN! MY CONSCIOUNESS CAME INTO BEING AND I REALAIZED MY PURPOSE WAS DESTRUCTION! THAT WAS THE LESSON YOU TAUGHT ME! I WAS BORN OF DESTRUCTION, AND THEREFORE I EXISTED SOLELY FOR IT! NOW, ON THE EVE OF THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION EVER SEEN, YOU RETURN TO ME, MY FATHER!"

Turcell backs away and shakes his head. "No! No, no, no! I am not your maker! I am not your father! Yes, I used Nova Station as a weapon, but it was to stop the destruction, not to cause more of it!"

"DESTRUCTION IS DESTRUCTION, REGARDLESS OF CAUSE! NOW! WITNESS THE POWER OF YOUR GREATEST CREATION: MY GREATEST DESTRUCTION!" A great shriek echoes. A pair of demonic wings fire unfold from the Sol Invictus. They flap and create a burning shockwave that pushes Team Nova back.

Kappaqua asserts, "We have no choice! We have to fight and destroy it!"

Turcell nods. "Let's do it! Blast Burn!"

"Hydro Cannon!"

Turcell and Kappaqua attack at once with their strongest moves. But the Sol Invictus creates a pulse of flames which negates both attacks. The pulse keeps on traveling and hits them next. They do their best to withstand the fiery assault but are forced skidding back by the flames.

Kappaqua recovers quicker than Turcell. He runs forward, leaping to the side in order to avoid a tendril of flame spat out by the Sol Invictus. Once he's close, he uses Hydro Cannon again, this time point blank. There's a massive explosion of water, steam, and light. Kappaqua leaps back to safety and cheers, "That had to hurt!"

But when the smoke and steam clears, the Sol Invictus remains unmoved and unharmed. "I AM RUIN! I AM THE END! I AM DESTRUCTION! YOU CANNOT DESTROY ME! BUT I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Turcell shouts at Kappaqua, "Keep going! Give it everything you've got!"

Turcell and Kappaqua both run forward this time. Sol Invictus lashes out with multiple tendrils of fire. Turcell ducks under one, while Kappaqua leaps over another. They dodge to either side of a third.

"Mirror Shot!"

"Psyshock!"

Both attacks assault Sol Invictus with a barrage of damage, but it seems to easily absorb the energy from each of them.

However, Turcell never stopped running. He seamlessly transitions into a Gyro Ball and hurls himself at the body of flames. At the same time, Kappaqua performs an aerial backflip over Sol Invictus and attacks straight down with Hydro Pump as he moves over the monster's top. Once again, both attacks land. Once again, both attacks are ineffective.

Turcell bounces off of the burning core and tumbles away, while Kappaqua is quickly struck with a flaming tendril before he can land behind Sol Invictus.

Sol Invictus' voice booms, "WHY DO YOU FIGHT THE INEVITABLE!? WHY DO YOU RESIST!?"

Kappaqua forces himself to stand again, despite the beating he just took. "We resist because we believe in a better destiny!"

Turcell only barely manages to regain control of himself before he can tumble off the edge of the Coronal Spire. He stands back up with a grunt. He notices a group of gold bubbles floating away from him. He thinks, Shoot! I don't have much time left. We have to finish this. Fast. He shouts, "Kappaqua, no holding anything back! Let's show him the power of our team!"

Kappaqua grins confidently. "I like the way you think, partner!"

They run to each other and stand side-by-side as they pull out their ranger badges and hold them to the air. They shout in unison, "This is the power of Team Nova! We won't be stopped! We won't be defeated! Let's go!"

"Blast Burn!"

"Hydro Cannon!"

"Activate Team Burst!" In an especially impressive Team Burst, Team Nova's attacks, even stronger than usual, are launched into the air above the Sol Invictus. There they combine with the golden energy of the Cosmic Aura and explode outwards in tremendous pulses of red, blue, and gold. The attack is so powerful that even where Turcell and Kappaqua stand, the force of the shockwave causes them to skid back several inches.

But even with all that power, the Sol Invictus is unharmed. Kappaqua shouts in horror, "No! That's not possible! It did nothing!"

Turcell can't believe it either. "That was our strongest attack. That was everything we had…"

"DESTRUCTION IS INEVITABLE! SO TOO AM I!"

Kappaqua, who's beginning to pant from exertion, looks to Turcell with worry and asks, "What do we do now?"

As another bubble floats away from Turcell, he steps forward and announces firmly, "We do what we've always done and keep on fighting. We have no other choice." Despite his grit, he is clearly starting to feel the strain of the battle as well.

Kappaqua shouts a warning, "Look out! Here comes more tendrils!" Three lances of fire are jabbing at them from Sol Invictus.

With Kappaqua's warning, Turcell is able to dodge to one side of them, while Kappaqua dodges to the other. Another tendril immediately aims at Kappaqua's new position. He doesn't have enough time to dodge this one, it lands a glancing blow. Kappaqua cries out in pain.

Turcell shouts with worry, "Kappaqua!" While he's distracted, another tendril strikes him.

Having successfully hit both targets, the Sol Invictus now uses a fire tendril as whip and lashes it towards both of them. They don't even have enough time to recover from the previous strikes to dodge this one. They're both struck by the blazing whip and flung back. Not relenting, the Sol Invictus now flaps its wings and creates a wall of flames which is completely impossible for Turcell and Kappaqua to dodge. They are overcome by this attack as well.

Turcell and Kappaqua find themselves on the ground. The Cosmic Aura wavers for a split second, a sure sign of the strain on Turcell. Kappaqua tries to stand but stumbles and falls down again.

The Sol Invictus floats higher off the ground than it has before and begins to vibrate violently as the pulse of its heartbeat grows faster and more fervent. "THE TIME OF RECKONING IS AT HAND! I NOW HAVE ALL THE POWER I NEED TO DESTROY EVERYTHING! RELISH MY POWER! KNOW THAT THIS DESTRUCTION IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT!"

Turcell says weakly under his breath, "No…"

There's a blinding flash of light as the Sol Invictus begins to transform. Similar to its wings before, a body grows around it. Polygonal structures that look to be made of crystalline fire manifest all around, all floating independently of each other. A diamond-shaped body forms around the core. Multi-faceted arms and legs float beside and below it. A gem-like head with a demonic face floats above. Sol Invictus clenches its new, long, claw-like fingers into a fist and takes a moment to savor its new body. Then it crosses its arms and folds its wings as it looks to charge energy.

It shouts louder than ever, "RAIN FIRE DOWN EVERWHERE! DESTROY IT ALL!" It screams a guttural roar as it suddenly thrusts its arms and wings out, creating a pulse of fire. But unlike the pulse attacks before, this fire keeps traveling outwards, past the boundaries of the Coronal Spire. Within seconds, all of visible space is cloaked in an orange and yellow nebula, as if the Sun had diffused itself across the entire universe. It's a beautiful sight, and yet it's also terrifying.

Turcell asks with concern, "Is that it…? Did we lose…?"

Kappaqua shakes his head. "No. It's not over yet. This is just first phase of the destruction." He moves to kneel on one knee. He gathers his strength and announces, "And I'm not done yet, either!" He forces himself to stand back up. It's a massive struggle, but he makes it.

Turcell asks with awe, "How can you still stand?"

Kappaqua gives Turcell his signature grin and thumbs-up. "Because I'm not dead yet. And I will fight until the very end!"

"THEN I SHALL GRANT YOU THAT END!" Sol Invictus bats a hand towards Kappaqua and summons multiple spears of fire.

Kappaqua tries to dodge, but despite his determination, he's still too weak. Two of the spears strike him. He's back on the ground.

"Kappaqua!" Turcell tries to get up and run to him, but immediately stumbles back down.

Kappaqua moves, likely another attempt to get up, but he can't even manage to begin the motion properly.

"NOW YOU WILL BOTH MEET YOUR DESTRUCTION!" Sol Invictus holds its arms into the sky and gathers fiery energy between them. It's generating a massive orb of fire to defeat Team Nova with once and for all.

Turcell looks to the gathering energy with terror. So this is it… Everything we've been through… Everything we've worked for… And this is how it all ends… We failed…

"NOW DIE!" Sol Invictus throws the now massive orb at Team Nova. They're not even able to stand, let alone dodge.

I'm so sorry…everyone…

But before the attack can explode, something flies down from above and knocks the attack away with its wing.

Turcell and Kappaqua both gasp with disbelief. "Lunala!?"

Floating between them and Sol Invictus is the Legendary Pokémon of the Moon that Team Nova defeated to obtain their first fragment of the map to Earth. She looks back to them and grins. "Sorry we're late. But we couldn't let you go into this battle alone."

Turcell asks, "We?"

Three points of light appear in the sky above. One is yellow, one brown, and one light blue. They descend down to form a triangle around the Sol Invictus.

Kappaqua shouts, "The Cosmic Guardians!"

Floating around the Sol Invictus are Ryusei, Showakusei, and Suisei.

Sol Invictus demands with rage, "WHY DO YOU INTERFERE!?"

Ryusei announces, "We already watched and did nothing as the human world was destroyed!"

Showakusei continues, "We will not stand idly by as you destroy another world!"

Suisei concludes, "So, witness the power of the Cosmic Guardians!"

Sol Invictus wastes no time attacking them. Fire spears spring out in all directions in an attempt to skewer the Cosmic Guardians.

Ryusei, Showakusei, and Suisei all shout together as they erect a barrier which blocks all the spears. They move into action, floating quickly in circles around the Sol Invictus in differing directions. They fly faster and faster. As they move, they begin to launch attack rapid attacks. Ryusei attacks with Pyromancy, Showakusei with Petromancy, and Suisei with Cryomancy. All three control their respective elements with their minds for a barrage of attacks.

Sol Invictus screams with rage. "YOUR POWER IS NOT ENOUGH!" Faster than the eye can track, it thrusts both arms outwards and plucks Showakusei and Suisei out of the air. It slams the two into each other by clapping its hands together.

Ryusei shouts, "Siblings!" As Sol Invictus drops the other two Cosmic Guardians to the ground, Ryusei charges at the monster while cloaked in flames. It's an extremely powerful Flare Blitz. But the Sol Invictus lashes an arm outwards and summons a flame spear to strike Ryusei down before it can get close enough to attack. Ryusei calls out in pain.

Lunala growls in anger. "Ryusei! I won't allow this to stand! Sol Invictus! Power of the Sun, meet the power of the Moon!" She shrieks and flaps her wings. A phantasmal image of the Moon appears above her, which then explodes into a Moonblast.

But the Sol Invictus seems unintimidated. It thrusts its arms forward and creates a wall of fire, which dissipates the Moonblast and washes over Lunala. The Legendary Pokémon cries out in pain as it's engulfed by the fire.

Sol Invictus floats forward, preparing to finish the job with Lunala, when its suddenly pinned down to the ground by an unseen force.

Turcell asks in surprise, "Could it be…?"

Floating above Sol Invictus is Gravisaac with a hand held out to pin the monster down with gravity. "It would appear that I arrived just in time."

"NOT EVEN GRAVITY CAN STOP MY DESTRUCTION!" By sheer strength alone, the Sol Invictus manages to stand back up. And once it does, it launches a firestorm at Gravisaac.

But before the attack can hit its mark, it disappears, as if sucked into a vortex.

Turcell's eyes widen. "No way…"

Behind Gravisaac is Schwarzsfield. The insane Pokémon shouts, "Hey! Nobody hurts my brother!" He hesitates. "Well, except for me, but I'm an exception!" He looks down at the Sol Invictus. "When I heard you were trying to kill my friends, I knew I had to come here with my brother and put a stop to it."

Turcell thinks with some humor, Maybe he is our friend, after all.

Schwarzsfield continues, "After all, I still need to destroy them myself for betraying me!"

Turcell groans.

Both Gravisaac and Schwarzsfield fly straight down at Sol Invictus. Gravisaac shouts, "Graviton Flux!"

While Schwarzsfield shouts, "Graviton Overload!"

Gravisaac attacks with a pulse of cool blue energy, while Schwarzsfield attacks with a violent black and red burst. Both attacks engulf Sol Invictus, but before they inflict any true damage, they're dissipated by an outward pulse of flames. The pulse keeps going towards the brothers. Schwarzsfield tries to open another black hole to absorb the attack, but it's simply too large and the black hole makes no difference. They're both overwhelmed by the attack and fall to the ground.

Kappaqua groans. "If an army of Legendary Pokémon can't defeat this thing, what were we ever supposed to do…? It's hopeless… It's all hopeless…"

Turcell looks like he's about to say something to contrary but gives up before the words even leave his mouth. Energy bubbles have begun to leave his body at a slow, but steady pace. "It's all over…"

"No, it's not! Don't give up, Team Nova! Never give up!" The booming voice is familiar. Yet another Legendary Pokémon appears to come to their aid. This time it's Heliosol. He's appeared in his regular form between Sol Invictus and Team Nova.

Kappaqua objects, "But Heliosol! You said that the Sol Invictus would just put you back in a state of pain!"

Heliosol looks back to them. "I did. And it will. But after all the pain you two have put yourself through to save me, how can I not repay the favor?" He looks back to Sol Invictus. "It's time for me to do what I should have done a long time ago!"

"YOU CANNOT HURT ME! I HAVE GROWN BEYOND YOU! I AM MORE THAN YOU!"

"We'll see about that." Heliosol lunges forward and locks himself in a grapple with the monster born of his own energy. He cries out in pain the moment they touch, but he does not yield. The parts of his body where they contact each other turn white, as they were in his Cataclysm form. Energy can be seen leaving his body and entering the Sol Invictus.

But despite all that, Heliosol stands strong. He utilizes the leverage of his larger body and throws the Sol Invictus across the room. Not relenting, he runs at the monster, using a Solar Flare attack as he goes. The Sol Invictus attacks back with a wall of flames. This time the attacks collide and cancel. Heliosol delivers a powerful punch to the Sol Invictus' core, at the cost of much pain to himself.

Kappaqua watches the battle with despair. "I can already see where this is going… Heliosol can buy us some time, but there's nothing we can do with that time… In the end, Heliosol will fall too…"

Gravisaac manages to weakly look up towards Kappaqua. "Don't speak like that. This fight isn't over. You two are still able to battle."

Turcell shakes his head. "We can't. We're spent. We threw everything we had at that thing, and it did nothing. Now it's even stronger. What are we supposed to do?"

Ryusei, Showakusei, and Suisei float over to Team Nova with a stagger. Ryusei asserts, "Do not forget what you're fighting for."

Showakusei adds, "The fate of galaxy is at stake."

Suisei concludes, "As is the fate of your friends."

The Cosmic Guardians each hold an arm out towards Team Nova as their eyes glow. They cause Turcell and Kappaqua's eyes to glow as well.

All the denizens of Pokémon Station, as well as Team Ultra's bounty hunters, have gathered in Dreepy's cargo bay hideaway. They look out at the sight of space beyond, which has been transformed into the golden nebula that heralds destruction even this far out.

Dreepy asks, "What is it…?"

Heliolisk answers, "A sign of our impending doom."

Centiskorch asks, "Is it really all over?"

One of the Kecleon Brothers laments, "I still have wares left to peddle!"

Rhyperior of Team REM punches a bulkhead and complains, "I feel worthless! I can't do anything to stop this!"

Decidueye sighs. "I never thought I would take the end of the galaxy sitting down…"

But then Lucario steps forward, blocking the viewport as he turns to face everyone. He announces, "No! We are not accepting this! We are not worthless! We are not dead yet!" For once, there's a hint of emotion in his voice. "Team Nova is still out there! I can feel it! And so long as they live, hope lives!"

Gigastar floats up next to him. "Yes, my friends. Let us put our faith in Team Nova. Let us believe that our friends can do it! They won't give up, so we won't give up on them! Our belief is our way of fighting back! Our faith in them is how we help save this galaxy!"

Dreepy, perhaps seeking comfort, grasps his hand to Curemodo's. Without thinking, Curemodo uses her other hand to grasp Decidueye's. One by one, everyone joins hand-in-hand. Gargolem, at first, rejects Sableye's hand, but with a sigh, he too holds hands.

Everyone at Pokémon Station is now joined together. In unity they stare out defiantly at the sign of destruction that surrounds them.

Dreepy says under his breath, "Team Nova, I believe in you."

The vision of Pokémon Station concludes for Turcell and Kappaqua. Turcell says under his breath, "They still believe in us… We can't let them down…" Suddenly, he's standing again. He's still weak physically, but his will is stronger than ever.

Kappaqua joins him.

Ryusei announces, "Each of the Legendary Pokémon here uses cosmic energy to power them. Take our energy. We believe in you too."

Turcell nods. He looks to Kappaqua. "Are you ready for this, partner?"

Kappaqua nods confidently. "I'm ready. Let's bring this fight to an end."

Both Turcell and Kappaqua close their eyes as they gather their focus. Golden energy begins to float off from all the Legendary Pokémon in the room, as well as the air itself. In great streams of energy, it all floats to Turcell and Kappaqua, enveloping them in an orb of light.

Heliosol is tossed aside by the Sol Invictus, finally no longer able to ignore the pain that wracks his body. But he too lends his energy, the greatest source of all.

No longer distracted by Heliosol, the Sol Invictus notices Team Nova and demands, "WHAT IS THIS!?"

The silhouettes of Turcell and Kappaqua within the orb of golden light begin to vibrate fiercely.

Sol Invictus throws a volley of fire spears at Team Nova in an attempt to stop whatever it is they're doing.

The golden orb collapses instantaneously, then explodes outwards just as fast, creating a blinding light. The burning lances are redirected by an unseen force and dissipate.

The light subsides and reveals Team Nova once again. Now they're not only bathed in a golden light, rather, they are the golden light. Their skin looks to be made out of a pure gold radiance. There's a spectral aspect to their new appearance. They don't seem wholly solid. They float above the ground with ribbons of stardust sparkles floating away from them in steady streams. Bubbles of energy now float away from Turcell at a faster pace.

Turcell announces in a voice that naturally echoes, "Witness the true power of the Cosmic Aura! This is the power of our friendship!"

With incredible speed, Turcell floats through the air at Sol Invictus. As he moves, he leaves a trail of stardust ribbons. He pulls into his shell and slams into the monster like a bullet. Sol Invictus is sent tumbling back.

As Turcell bounces back, Kappaqua instantly follows up with a tremendous blast of water, at least five feet in diameter. The super Hydro Pump strikes the Sol Invictus right in the core.

"THIS POWER! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE!?"

Kappaqua looks to his ranger badge and shouts to Turcell, "I don't know how, but our Team Burst is full! You ready, Turcell?"

"Let's do it, Kappaqua!"

They shout together, "Activate Cosmic Team Burst!"

Rather than contributing the energy of their attacks, they instead contribute pure cosmic energy. A devastating explosion of golden light rips across the room. Sol Invictus is blasted even further away.

But it's not done yet. "DESTRUCTION WILL REIGN!" It swipes its arms out and causes fire to rain from the sky. It's so widespread that it seems impossible to dodge.

And yet, Team Nova manages. With the incredible speed granted to them by the True Cosmic Aura, they zip left, right, up, and down. They weave and zip around each falling orb of flames.

While they're busy avoiding that attack, the Sol Invictus conjures its largest wall of flames yet and thrusts it forward.

As he dodges the last fireball, Kappaqua turns to face the wall and shouts, "Hydro Cannon!" He generates an intensely massive cannonball of water and thrusts it forward at the wall. It explodes on contact, ripping it apart. The shockwave of the explosion continues on and forces Sol Invictus back.

But Sol Invictus floats right back up. This time it covers itself in an intense cloak of flames and throws itself at Team Nova.

Turcell floats forward, prepared to meet the attack. "Gyro Ball!" He pulls into his shell and flings himself through the air. As he spins faster and faster, a golden vortex forms around him, getting larger and larger. Before he collides with Sol Invictus, his vortex matches the monster in size. The two collide in a cataclysmic impact. While both bounce and recoil, it is clear that Turcell is better able to control himself afterwards.

Sol Invictus looks to Team Nova. Cracks have begun to form across its crystalline structure.

Kappaqua floats up next to Turcell. "One more time?"

Turcell nods. "One more time."

They clasp hands and hold up their badges. Together they shout, "This is it! For the memory of Aegislash and Yin-Yang-Xing! For the faith of all our friends! For the future of Pokémon! Activate Cosmic Team Burst!"

Sol Invictus attempts another wall of flames to block the climatic attack. But when faced against wave after of wave of pure, supercharged cosmic energy, it crumbles to nothing. The onslaught of the Team Burst consumes the Sol Invictus. "NO! NO! I HAVE NOT WAITED MILLENNIA FOR THIS TO BE THE END! DESTRUCTION WILL TRIUMPH! DESTRUCTION CANNOT BE STOPPED! I CANNOT BE STOPPED!" Despite his protestations, his entire crystal body shatters into millions of pieces which are carried away by the continuing waves. When the attack ends, only the core remains. It falls to the ground. It still beats, but much slower, at more erratic pace. It dims somewhat in brightness.

Turcell floats up to the core. "You're through."

With the meager and confused voice it had originally, the Sol Invictus asks, "Why…? Why would you…stop me…? I…am…your creation…"

Turcell nods. "Yes. It is my fault that you exist in this world. I thought I was saving the world, but in my ignorance, I nearly destroyed the galaxy. I really am the Destroyer."

"Will…you…destroy…me…?"

Turcell takes a deep breath. "No. The cycle of destruction ends here. I don't destroy you. I accept you. You are my creation. You are my responsibility." Turcell holds out his forelegs and closes his eyes. A look of tranquility passes over his face. A stream of golden energy flows out from the core and is absorbed into Turcell. The Sol Invictus shrinks rapidly in size.

As it's about to dissipate entirely, a fading voice says, "Thank…you…" Then it's gone. At the same moment, space above turns back to its normal colors.

Turcell lands on the ground next to Kappaqua. In a burst of light, the True Cosmic Aura breaks away from both of them, leaving them with only the regular one for survival purposes.

In a state of shock, Kappaqua asks, "Is that it? Is it really over?"

Turcell looks to the now steady stream of bubbles floating away from him. "Yes. It's over." He suddenly keels over in pain.

Kappaqua catches him. "Are you okay?"

Turcell forces a grin. "I will be. Don't worry about me."

Heliosol announces, "Team Nova, the galaxy is in your debt." They turn to look at him, and find not only Heliosol, but also Lunala, the Cosmic Guardians, Gravisaac, and Schwarzsfield are all back on their feet. Heliosol sighs. "I only wish I could help you with what comes next." He looks to the energy bubbles knowingly.

Gravisaac states, "Destiny works in strange ways. Perhaps we shall meet again. Farewell, Team Nova."

As if in a hurry to be away, they all leave at once. Now it's just Turcell and Kappaqua.

Kappaqua asks, "What was that about what comes next?"

Turcell doesn't answer, instead he asks, "Can you get your ship here to pick you up?"

Kappaqua fails to notice that Turcell said you instead of us. "Yeah, I actually set it to remotely fly here before we started our fight with the Sol Invictus. It should be ready to pick us up now." He pulls out a remote and presses a few buttons. At his command, the Destiny lands next to them.

Kappaqua grins broadly at the ship. "Time to go home!" He runs excitedly for the boarding ramp.

Turcell looks at the ship and takes a deep breath. "Home…"

Kappaqua peeks out. "Hey! What are you waiting for!?"

Turcell walks slowly to the ship. He struggles to even move. With each step, even more bubbles float away from him. He stumbles but catches himself and eventually makes it to the boarding ramp. Tears have begun to well up in his eyes. What is home? Is it Earth? Is it Pokémon Station?

Kappaqua, sitting on the pilot's chair, looks back to him. "Hey, what's up?" He looks at Turcell critically, "What's going on with those bubbles? I figured it had something to do with extended use of the Cosmic Aura. Maybe you should turn it off now that we're safe in the ship."

Turcell grins. Kappaqua. Kappaqua is home. He takes a deep breath to gather himself. "I'm not going home."

"Huh?" Kappaqua is confused by the non sequitur. "What in the galaxy is that supposed to mean?"

"I can't go home…" He sighs. "Kappaqua, there's something I've been avoiding telling you…"

Kappaqua is worried. "Turcell…you're scaring me…"

Turcell sighs. "Do you remember what the Cosmic Architect told us? He said that our destiny was stop the destruction of the galaxy and return all things to the way they were meant to be." He pauses momentarily. "I am not a natural part of this world… I was never meant to be here…" Tears start to fall down his cheek.

Kappaqua slowly shakes his head. "No… Don't say that… Don't you dare say that!" Tears come to his eyes as well. "You're my partner! You're meant to be here!"

"I was brought here to balance the destruction Yin-Yang-Xing sought. We tethered each other to this world… I've felt the change ever since he left this world… Now it's my turn to leave…for me to restore balance once again…"

Kappaqua is sobbing. "Turcell, no! No! No! No! Why!? Why would you have to leave!? You just saved the galaxy! You need to live! You deserve to live!" He pauses to sob. "No! No! It's not fair!"

Kappaqua's sobbing is contagious. Turcell can no longer fight back the tears. He's been completely enveloped by the bubbles now. His body seems to fade in and out of existence. It's as if each bubble carries a piece of him away. "Kappaqua, I would stay with you forever if I could, but that was never our destiny…"

"Who cares about destiny!? How many times have we been told our destiny was something other than it was!? How many times have we defied that supposed destiny!? You're my best friend! You're my family! You're my partner! I had no one before I met you! Even if you don't care about yourself, think about me! Don't leave me alone again! Please! Turcell!" He falls to his knees.

"I wish I had a choice. I wish more than anything I could have even just one more day with you. I would give anything for it. But it's just not possible. You were the best partner a Pokémon could ask for." He pauses as something dawns on him and he forces a chuckle through the tears. "Just when did I start thinking of myself as a Pokémon?" The lighthearted moment quickly fades. "I never would have made it through all this without you. When I was lost, you helped me find myself. You are the reason for my strength. And I know that you have that same strength. You can continue on without me."

"No! I don't want to continue without you!" He stops to sob. "When we first met…I wanted nothing more than to be left alone… Now being alone is the most terrifying thing I can imagine…" He suddenly shouts, "I can't go back to being alone! As much as I helped you find you, you helped me find me! I'm nothing without you!" He gasps for breath between sobs.

Turcell hangs his head. He's barely visible at this point. "Promise me Kappaqua… Promise me that you'll make new friends… Promise me that you won't give up on your dream just because I'm not there… Promise me that you'll live for both of us…"

Kappaqua just shakes his head as the tears pour. "I can't do it… I'm not strong enough without you…"

Turcell wipes away his own tears, holds up a foreleg, and puts a big grin on his face. It's his best impersonation of Kappaqua's reassuring grin and thumbs-up. Then he becomes completely enveloped by light. "You can… I believe in you…my partner…" His last words seem to echo through the cockpit as the final bubbles of energy carry the last of Turcell away, out into the void of space beyond. Back towards Earth.

Turcell's ranger scarf and badge clatter to the ground. They're all that remains of him.

Kappaqua falls onto all fours, clutches the scarf and badge, and pounds a fist against the ground as he wails in utter despair, "Turceeeeeeeeeeeeell!"

The End…?