Floor 102 seemed to be a complete game changer for the explorers. While the ferals continued to get tougher, something about this floor caused the items to be much higher quality than before.
You could find a Sitrus Berry in just about every third room, and Leppas were common enough that they stopped having to worry about overusing any of their moves entirely. The occasional Chesto Berry pickup meant that as soon as someone's sleeping shift was done, they didn't spend too much time groggily stumbling around.
Of course, all this came with the caveat that their progress became a lot slower. Being able to completely heal themselves after each floor was necessary since every battle against a feral was a drawn out encounter. At this point they were about as strong as B or A rank outlaws. To make it through a room meant leveraging every item they found, so their stockpiles never grew to a comfortable amount.
"Hey guys, mind if I hold onto this?" Kibo flagged over his teammates, gesturing to a solid red bandanna lying in the corner of the room. "Badge says it's a Power Band. Since most of y'all have cool things, I was wondering if-"
"Go ahead man," Blizz interrupted. "Need some help with putting it on?"
"I think I can manage." Using his mouth and front right paw, Kibo tied the band into a knot, before trying to lower it over his head. It did not get very far, with the massive scale on his head getting in the way.
"Huh…" He fumbled around with it for a moment longer, but the sound of heavy footsteps pulled his attention away. A Luxray and Manectric stood on the other side of the room, ready to kill the five intruders or get knocked out trying.
Being the closest, Kibo led the charge, slamming a Dragon Tail into the ground to launch him through the air. As his tail hit the ground, it scooped up the Power Band and looped it around his tail.
Not quite expecting Kibo to jump into the combat so quickly, Blizz and the Prince followed up with Quick Attacks, targeting Manectric and Luxray respectively.
The two succeeded in diverting the electric types' attention away from Kibo, allowing him to get his next attack ready. Unfortunately for them, it would be a bit longer before Kibo could give a follow up strike.
Thankfully, they still had the rest of the team to rely on. As Luxray attempted to Crunch the Prince, an Aura Sphere blew up directly in front of his face, forcing him to cancel the attack.
Manectric didn't fare much better, an Aurora Beam flew into its mouth moments before it would descend onto Blizz with Fire Fang.
With the volley of attacks done, Kibo was ready. The band on his tail glowed vaguely similar to Rune's scarf, before a Dragon Tail proceeded to slam into Manectric.
Manectric was sent flying, crashing into Luxray. In a last-ditch effort, it tried to fill the room with electricity by using Discharge. While the attack managed to hit everyone, the only ones who didn't have a resistance to it were the Prince and Rune.
Kibo didn't waste a moment, forcing himself through the electric onslaught to ram into Manectric with a Power Band-boosted Headbutt. That proved to be the final straw for the feral, who slid across the room and didn't get back up.
Luxray went down not long after, courtesy of Zar's Leaf Blade.
"Alright, Prince, Rune, you guys want a Sitrus?" Blizz set to work distributing healing supplies, while Kibo looked back to the band wrapped around his tail.
It did kinda work here… Lifting his tail in front of his face, he bit down on one end of the band and pulled. After a fair bit of adjustments and awkward positioning, he managed to tighten it down.
Once he finished, he realized that all of his teammates were waiting on him. "Sorry about that." With a sheepish grin, he took his position behind Zar.
The next 70 floors took them three days. Or what they assumed three days was— between each set of floors being permanently stuck in day or night, their two hour sleeping shifts, and the sheer quantity of Chesto Berries pumping caffeine through their bodies, it was hard to say with certainty how long it's been.
What they did know was that each floor began taking a little bit longer than the last. Gimmicks became more common as well— the fire floor shooting out jets of flame every few seconds, or the water floor sending the occasional tidal wave crashing through (a trait that reminded everyone a little too much of Surging Valley). It was those little things that made the dungeon exploration way worse than it needed to be.
Despite that, they still made progress. And after a hard-fought battle against a Metagross guarding the next staircase, they made it to the final set. Floor 171, populated entirely by dragon types.
The explorers realized a very concerning fact three rooms into the floor: there were no more items. It sorta made sense— if this was the final trial for them, it'd have to be the hardest. Finding piles of Revivers in every other room would make things too simple.
"Okay, we'll have to budget out our supplies if we're gonna make it to the end," Blizz announced, sifting through his bag. "Got 15 Revivers, 3 Sitrus, 5 Leppas, couple different orbs, 8 Stun Seeds, and 2 Violent. No issues saving those if we gotta deal with a big foe at the end?"
Everyone in Team Apex gave a murmur in agreement, though the prospect of facing an extremely strong Pokemon at the end of this dungeon was terrifying.
"Rad. So uh... Gonna talk strategy here for a bit." Blizz stepped out of their formation, bringing the five of them around in a huddle. "Rune, sorry to say, you're gonna be carrying us here. I don't even think Zar will be able to put the dragons down as well as you can. So uh, if you need a berry or something, make sure you ask. Try to avoid Sheer Cold unless there's like, no other option."
"I... got it." A determined expression crossed Rune's face, though her voice was still quiet from not having been used at all in the past 24 hours.
"Okay. Prince, gonna need you at the ready too. Foul Play will come in clutch here, hitting them with their power will be a game changer. Same deal as Rune, but like, not getting hit is way more important than hitting them."
"As if I would so much as consider a trade to be worthwhile."
"Kibo... Sorry, you'll be hanging back for the most part. Everyone up ahead will be super effective against you, and we gotta save our items for Rune and the Prince. What I do want you to do is stick by Rune, and if anyone gets too close to her bat them away."
Kibo's expression fell, but he still nodded. "They're not gonna lay a finger on her!" As he made his declaration, he looked down to his feet. "Or claw, I suppose."
"Nice. And Zar. You're uh... guess just keep doing you? Don't take hits you don't need to take, maybe don't use as many grass moves this floor, otherwise just keep it up."
"Won't let you down!" Zar pumped a fist in the air.
"Right on." Blizz extended an arm into the center of the huddle, looking between his teammates.
Rune, Kibo, and Zar didn't hesitate to put a paw or hand in as well. The Prince took a moment, but joined in without saying a word.
"'Let's get it' on three. One, two, three!"
"LET'S GET IT!"
Channeling his inner Lucario, Blizz led the shout that echoed throughout the entire floor. While he would have preferred to do a more authentic Lucario's guild shout, he decided to leave out the "fucking" for Kibo's sake.
Newly re-energized, they ran onwards, eager to take on everything that stood between themselves and the end.
The running didn't get very far; the next room hid a Garchomp that towered over them. Yet for some reason, all five of them had a grin on their face as they got into position for the coming fight.
Floor 180.
The final obstacle.
The battles have left their mark on the explorers. Rune's taken a few Dragon Pulses to the face, the Prince has a nasty mark from where a Dragon Claw nailed his right flank, Kibo's tail was equal parts brown and gray, and Blizz and Zar were covered in all sorts of marks, cuts, and scorch marks.
Still, they trudged forward. Through a room, heading left, a T-junction where they went straight, a feral Flygon that they were probably projecting a little too much with, then another room.
They could see their salvation on the other side of the room. The final staircase. But as Blizz led the group forward, a haunting melody rang out. He immediately stood on guard as dozens of feral dragon types descended on the explorers: a monster house.
"Push to the end!" Blizz shouted as he prepped a Double Team. "There is no way in hell we're fighting them all!"
"Okay!" Despite the confirmation, Zar led with a Leaf Storm. No one was particularly concerned about her ability to make it through though.
Kibo was slightly more of a concern. He wasted no time in launching himself airborne, flying over the heads of Garchomps, Altarias, and Flygons.
To complicate the chaos even further, Rune used Hail. Immediately it became near impossible to discern her from the rest of the cave, Snow Cloak flaring to life.
The Prince just sighed, melting into the shadows of some feral or another. He reappeared at the staircase, waiting for his teammates to finish their journey. When he noticed that Kibo was in danger from being hit by a Salamance mid-flight, he sent a few Shadow Balls in that direction to keep him safe.
Blizz was the last to make it to the end, launching himself down the staircase head-first. Kibo dove after, much more vulnerable to the dragon type attacks than his teammates. Rune and the Prince waited for their teammates to go down first, given how easy it was for them to evade incoming attacks.
Zar was going at her own pace though, leisurely walking down the steps as a hellstorm of leaves swirled around her. She was the last one to make it and see what the end of the dungeon had in store for them.
The final floor looked more or less like what they'd expect the end of a mystery dungeon to be, though it was considerably larger— It had a jungle aesthetic, with giant trees and vines that dotted the room. A fake sun blazed down over them, providing a moderately annoying glare off of the perfectly serene lake that occupied the center. A warp tile sat on the opposite end of the gigantic room, which would presumably take them outside.
Zar charged forward, running to the edge of the lake. Though as soon as she made it to the edge, she abruptly froze.
Blizz followed to see what was wrong, but the Prince held up a paw to stop him.
"We do not know if there is another trick here," he explained as he advanced forwards, far more methodically than Zar had.
Zar, for her part, was simply looking around in amazement. "You guys..." At last, she turned around, facing the rest of Team Apex with a giant smile. "Oh my gosh thank you so much!" She jumped into the air, and with a flash of blue light turned back into a Mew.
"Is it safe to say that your memories have returned?" the Prince asked.
"Yeah! I can't believe you guys helped me make it to the end!" Zar's excitement radiated through the entire room.
Kibo smiled as he saw Zar fly through the air. "Do you remember what made you so interested in this dungeon?"
The Mew nodded vigorously, turning back to the lake. "Yep! It's because of this- no wait, all you guys, come over here!"
Blizz, the Prince, Rune, and Kibo exchanged awkward glances before obliging, each of them standing at the edge of the lake.
Zar transformed back into a Treecko as she began explaining. "Okay, now all of you guys touch the surface of the water! But it has to be at the same time!"
"What will that do though?" Rune asked, not bothering to hide the confusion in her voice.
"Just trust me! It'll be awesome!"
"Let's do it," Blizz agreed. "Count of three, alright? One, two, three!"
All five of them dipped an arm or leg into the surface of the water.
For a few seconds nothing happened. However, a faint white glow began to ripple outwards from where the explorers breached the surface of the water. It slowly grew more and more intense as a sense of divine grace filled the room.
Then the water completely exploded.
A figure rapidly blew outwards from the center of the lake, scattering a wave of water all around the room. All five of them were knocked back by the blast, falling onto their backs a few meters away from where they were just standing.
Having his goggles on meant Blizz was the first to regain his bearings. He looked straight down to the center of the lake, and noticed a ball of blue light floating above the now-choppy water.
The ball of light drew closer to the explorers, allowing Blizz to make out more details of what was inside of it.
Floating within the ball of energy was a Pokémon Blizz had vaguely remembered seeing a few pictures of before. It had a light blue body with two tails dangling out, a build that sorta reminded him of Zar when she actually looked like a Mew.
What very much did not look like Zar was the head— It had a triangular tip colored a darker shade of blue than the rest of its body. In the center of the triangle was a red gem that seemed to be practically shining.
The Prince and Rune settled into battle stances, ready to take on the new Pokémon if they proved to be a threat. Blizz and Kibo were less concerned, looking on in fascination as the barrier of blue energy slowly let up. Zar seemed to be disappointed, the enthusiastic glint vanishing from her eyes.
"Explorers!" The Pokémon spoke in a loud, booming voice that was very clearly meant to be intimidating. It fell a bit flat though, their tone was too high-pitched and squeaky to be threatening. "You have done well in making it to the end!"
"So are you like, the guardian of the dungeon or something?" Blizz asked as he racked his brain to remember where he's seen the Pokémon before.
"You could say that, yes. I am-"
"Azelf, aspect of willpower." The Prince cut Azelf off.
Azelf was very clearly annoyed by being cut off, but decided that complaining would ruin whatever image he had, so forced himself to not say anything. "...I see my reputation precedes me."
"So you control the willpower of other Pokémon?" Kibo asked.
Eager to take the chance to prove that he is, in fact, a big scary legendary Pokémon, Azelf flew over to Kibo. "That is correct! Observe closely."
Azelf's eyes and the gem in the center of his forehead started glowing a brilliant red, as a blue hue began to circle around Kibo.
The Jangmo-o looked at the light show that surrounded him, somewhat confused as to what it was supposed to do. He didn't feel any different.
Azelf wasn't doing particularly well. Wrinkles appeared on his face as he tried to concentrate harder. The glow became slightly more intense, before dissipating entirely. Azelf stumbled back a short distance, as if the failure physically knocked him back.
Kibo just looked at Azelf, cocking his head.
"Ahem..." Azlef flew back to the center of the group, trying to save whatever dignity he still had. "It appears that there is something unique about your friend. But I can assure you that under normal circumstances, I am the very embodiment of willpower! I can give the hopeless the inspiration to drive themselves forward, or force the wicked to stop and lose faith in themselves!"
"But uh... you couldn't do it to Kibo?" Blizz didn't bother to hide the doubt in his voice.
"As I said, your friend is an exception." Azelf flew closer to the five of them, looking each explorer in the eye. "But I can promise that against any... other..." Azelf came to a stop as he locked eyes with Zar.
As he lingered there, Blizz could swear he saw Azelf's face make the same set of expressions Absol's did a couple days ago.
After a brief pause, Azelf turned back to the lake. "Arceus FUCKING dammit it's you! HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN FIND THIS PLACE?"
Zar gave a sheepish grin, before transforming back into her true form. "I heard some rumors, and with how all the others have been trying to keep me away from here... I really thought this was where Uxie lived."
"Yes that was the fucking point, it was supposed to throw you off. How the hell did you get here without Mewtwo noticing?"
Zar looked back to the rest of Team Apex, who was completely lost in this conversation. "I had some help."
"Well congrats, you've managed to find the lake of willpower. Hooray." Azelf's voice was equal parts sarcasm and resignation. "What are you gonna do now?"
"Would either of you care to elaborate as to what is going on here?" the Prince asked, before Azelf could get even more infuriated at Zar.
Zar took the initiative, rushing to get her piece in before Azelf had a chance to speak. "Right! So there's four super difficult dungeons in Varin, and this is one of them. Three of them have a member of the lake trio at the end, and since I heard Pokémon get amnesia if they quit this dungeon early, I thought it might be Uxie's dungeon."
"And you wanted to see if Uxie could tell if you used to be a human or not," Rune finished.
"Yep!" Zar nodded, excited that Rune understood her thought process. "Though it looks like it's only Azelf here."
"Do the legendary Pokémon not confer with each other frequently?" the Prince asked.
"Sure, the lesser legendaries do that." Azelf was staring directly at Zar as he spoke. "But me and my siblings are better than the common legendaries. As such, we have our own spaces, where we do not have to deal with the trivial affairs of our lessers."
"What is it that makes you that much better though?" Kibo asked.
Azelf smirked as he floated backwards towards the lake. "I am a fundamental aspect of a Pokémon's psyche. Me and my siblings are responsible for you being able to do essentially anything."
"He's one of the oldest," Zar explained, not wanting to let Azelf get too far ahead of himself. "All of the old legendaries are really cranky."
"I am not cranky. The fact is that I am more important than Pokémon like you, and I expect to be treated as such."
Blizz, Rune, and Kibo all took a wordless glance at the Prince. For his part, the Prince looked like he was moments away from lashing out at Azelf himself.
Before any such violence could occur, Blizz intervened. "Okay, so you normally control willpower. Is there like, a reason you're down here at the end of the longest dungeon I've ever seen?"
"Yes!" Azelf flew back in front of Blizz, eager to get back to his purpose of actually being down here. "When the four of you entered this dungeon-" He made a very clear point of excluding Zar, who stuck her tongue out in response- "You were deprived of your memories. Knowing nothing, you found within yourselves the drive to push onwards, to see this dungeon through. That is the very essence of willpower! As such, I will confer a gift onto you."
Blizz made a gesture to his teammates not to say anything.
Azelf shut his eyes in concentration, before the same glow from earlier returned. He stayed like that for a moment, before abruptly stopping. "Hold. The four of you… your bond is closer than the last group that made it here. Your struggles through this dungeon were not of four individuals, but one team. As such, I will alter the reward."
Azelf went back into his concentration state. The surface of the lake seemed to swirl underneath where Azelf was floating, slowly rising upwards in a spiral. Just a bit before it would touch the legendary Pokémon it stopped, coalescing in a diamond shape.
It stayed like that for a moment, before the water completely washed away. What it left was a crystal, featuring a diamond shape, with edges far too clean to be something found naturally. The crystal itself was completely transparent, almost indistinguishable from glass.
When he was done, Azelf opened his eyes again, floating the crystal in front of him with a Psychic. "Who among you is the leader?"
Rune's scarf sent a clear warning to the Prince for him to not try anything, though he seemed to have no reservations here. He gave a brief nod to Blizz, who stepped forward.
"I'm kinda the leader I guess? According to the guild, at least."
"Then accept this Z-crystal."
Blizz reached out, letting the blank crystal fall into his hands. He brought it up closer to his face, studying it. "So uh... what does it do?"
"You will find out in-"
"He has no clue." Zar cut Azelf off once again, floating up alongside him. "This is the first time he's gotten a chance to hand out a special Z-crystal."
"Ahem. As I was saying, when the time is right you will know what to do. Its power is derived from your bonds— so long as they do not falter, you will be capable of feats unimaginable to the Pokémon without willpower."
Blizz looked it over a few more times, before sliding it into a more secure pocket of his bag. "Might wanna get Leavanny to look at it later."
"Now, explorers, go forth, and show the world the product of your determination! And Zar, get the fuck out of here before I call Tapu Bulu."
Blizz moved to step forward, before remembering the somewhat critical detail that there happened to be a large lake between them and the warp tile. "So uh, should we like, go around, or...?"
"Halt." Unlike Azelf, who relied on sheer volume to make his voice sound intimidating, the Prince's command left no room for questioning. "I have some questions I would like to ask."
Azelf considered the Prince, before nodding. "Very well then, speak."
"How many others have made it to these chambers? And how long ago was this?"
Azelf closed his eyes, this time directing his immense psychic energy to recall the last time literally anything interesting happened in this chamber. "Ten years ago, a Lucario and Hydreigon made it to the end. The Lucario denied my gift, claiming that, and I quote, 'it's for fucking cowards.' Hydreigon accepted it however."
Blizz really wasn't as surprised as he should be. Sure, it is kinda weird that the guildmaster managed to make it through what was supposed to be a mystery dungeon reserved exclusively for Casican natives, and he's pretty sure Lucario didn't have the advantage of not having lost his memories, but still. It was Lucario.
"Was there anyone else?" The Prince seemed equally undisturbed by the revelation, focused on continuing his line of questioning.
Azelf looked upwards, thinking back for anything else that could be relevant. "...Lucario and Hydreigon were the first in over 100 years."
The Prince opened his mouth to say something, but quickly stopped, deciding that the specific thought wasn't worth asking. Instead, he focused on the second concern he had. "I see... Then I have one other point I would like to ask about. What do you know about the husk crisis?"
"Something that's causing mortals to die faster than they normally do. What of it?"
Azelf's answer annoyed the Prince, but the prospect of more information forced him to not comment on it. "…The phenomenon works by causing one's willpower, emotion, and memory to become too intense for the Pokémon to handle."
Azelf looked blankly at the Prince. "…And?"
"Would it be possible for you to reverse this effect?" The Prince struggled to keep his anger at the lake guardian from seeping into his voice.
The legendary turned around to look back at his lake, deep in concentration. Eventually, he turned back around. "…Probably not. Mortals are frail like that."
"Have you considered trying?"
Azelf vacantly shook his head. "No, why?"
Deciding that Azelf would not be helpful here, the Prince just shook his head. "Never mind… That is all then."
Azelf nodded, acting as if the answers he gave were crucial to their ability to stop the crisis. "Now go forth!" A series of stones rose up over the lake, giving the five of them a straight path to the warp tile. "For Pokémon with determination such as yours, you can do amazing things!"
Blizz led the way, awkwardly shuffling past Azelf as he crossed the stone bridge. The rest of his teammates joined behind him, with Zar at the back. Before the five of them stepped onto the warp tile, she gave one last taunt to Azelf.
Before long, a shining purple light briefly illuminated the chamber and took Team Apex away. Once he was certain that the explorers had left, Azelf let out a sigh.
"Dear Arceus, Umbreon was so cool..."
When the five of them could see again, they first noticed the vast expanse of ocean surrounding them on every side.
The second thing was the heat, which was significantly warmer than what tropical island weather should be.
Kibo was the one who discovered the cause, looking back to see a couple meters of stone before dropping off into what looked to be an active volcano. "...Hey guys, I think we're on South Island."
"Don't worry, I'll get you guys down!" Zar flew up into the air and began the process of using Transform. This was interrupted halfway through by a Psystrike, detonating in front of Zar. The purple explosion knocked her back to just a meter before the lip of the volcano.
The rest of Team Apex immediately got into a battle stance, ready to fight. Mewtwo and Absol stood across from them, forcing Apex to back up towards the volcano.
"Please do not interrupt us," Mewtwo called as he charged another Psystrike. "I need to take Mew back to the Hall of Origin."
Zar rose up from the ground, dusting herself off. "Why would I want to go back? Hanging out with these guys is so much better!"
"It is not permitted for legendary Pokémon to interact with mortals like this," Mewtwo responded, coolly.
"If she doesn't want to go back, she's not gonna," Blizz announced, charging an Energy Ball. "Fuck the rules."
Kibo nodded, preparing a Dragon Tail. Not that he had any intention of using it; Mewtwo was at least 15 meters away from him, and launching himself over an active volcano seemed like a very bad idea. "Yeah! She's our friend! You can't just take her away!"
Absol gave Mewtwo a concerned look, before shaking his head. "The rules exist for a reason, regrettably-"
"What is the reason?" The Prince interrupted. "As far as I can infer, this rule is a holdover from old and decrepit Pokémon who are incapable of adapting."
"This system has worked for centuries without any faults," Mewtwo countered. "Whereas Mew's interference has already caused countless problems."
"Like what?" Zar asked. "What have I done that's made this worse?"
"I have a list," Mewtwo responded. "Though this last escapade is the most noteworthy example. A completely worthless-"
"Azelf lives there," Rune interrupted. "We were able to ask him about the husk crisis." She decided to not mention that Azelf was completely useless here.
"Azelf…?" Mewtwo looked between Rune and Zar.
The Mew nodded. "Yep! Totally thought it would be Uxie down there too."
"…I was told Uxie lived there…" Mewtwo shook his head— he couldn't lose his train of thought here. "That is beside the point. Mew's intervention has and will continue to derail your objectives, and ultimately make it harder for you to save the world."
"But I have helped! I made sure they all met each…" Zar's shouting trailed off, realizing that she didn't really want to be revealing what she was about to say.
"Things have been way better with Zar," Blizz countered. "She saved our ass when we were fighting Hydreigon and Yveltal."
"Mew is doing this because she is bored," Mewtwo stated, getting tired of this. "She does not care for your well-being, only that she has something entertaining to preoccupy herself with."
Zar shook her head. "That's not true-"
"Do you understand what it means to have 10 humans summoned to resolve a crisis?" Mewtwo interrupted. "This world has contended with tidal waves of cataclysmic proportions, space tearing around itself, and the fundamental concepts of life and death ceasing to exist." Absol seemed to perk up at the mention of the last crisis.
Mewtwo didn't notice however, continuing his speech. "In all of these scenarios, we have only had to summon two humans, at most. The fact that Calyrex foresaw the need to draw ten means that we are dealing with a crisis that could very well be worse than the apocalypse."
Zar seemed to float lower to the ground as Mewtwo spoke, but that didn't stop the other members of Team Apex.
"How could it be that bad?" Kibo asked. "Even if Hydreigon ain't behind everything, we've been doing pretty darn well. Only ever saw husks pop up in mystery dungeons."
"…It is true that the current circumstances do not show a similar level of peril to other major crises…" Mewtwo looked over the former humans once again, considering if something else may be at play here.
"Well, what if Calyrex was just exaggerating?" Zar proposed, though her earlier defiant energy seemed to be gone. "He's pretty old now, right?"
Mewtwo seemed to notice the change in Zar's tone as he shifted his gaze to her. An idea started to form in his mind. "…Mew. What did you do?"
"N-Nothing!" Zar subtly floated just a bit closer to Blizz.
Everyone's eyes slowly drifted to Zar, which only caused her to retreat further into the Treecko.
The Prince stepped over, looking her directly in the eyes. "Zar, did you do something that you have not told us about?"
"I helped! I promise…"
"Zar, what did you do?" Blizz placed an arm over Zar's shoulder, his tone not quite as confrontational as the Prince's.
"…I…" Zar began sniffling. "I lied to Mewtwo…"
"Yes, you have attempted to do so repeatedly from the moment you first met me. What was it you did this time?" Despite the line of questioning, Mewtwo already had a pretty good guess.
"…When Caly gave you that paper with all the numbers on it… I may have added an extra zero…"
Mewtwo slowly nodded. It was exactly what he expected. "…The threat level of the crisis warranted summoning one human. Not ten."
Zar nodded as tears streamed down her face.
"You wasted my time, and that of all the humans you claim are 'friends.' What did you hope to achieve by doing this?"
As Mewtwo inched closer, Blizz instinctively stepped a bit forward, planting himself in front of Zar.
"I… I…" Zar was struggling to put words out.
"This was part of your delusion that you are a former human, correct?" Mewtwo's advance stopped when he was directly in front of Blizz.
"…Yes…"
"Put such theories to rest. I have verified with Calyrex, Latias, and Cresselia. All have reiterated the same point— they never summoned you. You are a natural born Mew."
"But there could be a chance-"
"I am certain of it."
There was a silence over the volcano, as the words began to sink in. Just as Zar was about to break into full on crying, the Prince spoke up.
"Similar to how you were certain that this is Uxie's place of residence?"
Mewtwo turned to face the Umbreon. "…What are you implying?"
"First I will ask another question." The Prince stepped out from his team's formation, walking along the rim of the volcano. "Why were you given the task of summoning humans? Or finding and returning Zar? Why not another legendary Pokémon?"
"…I am the youngest," Mewtwo answered, slowly. "It is my duty to handle the menial work."
"Then why did they mislead you?" The Prince continued his walking, coming up on where Absol stood. "Being informed that the lake here belongs to Azelf rather than Uxie is an important detail with regards to keeping Mew away."
"…It was likely a strategy such that Mew would be mislead-"
"They do not respect you." The Prince came to an abrupt stop, directly in front of Absol. "The fact is obvious."
It took Mewtwo a few moments to form a response. "…They have every right to not respect me. I cherish the fact that I am alive, however I should not have been created in the first place. My very inception was against their will."
"The same will that you seek to enforce upon Mew?"
"Precisely that. My birth has caused problems for countless Pokémon until I was forced to see reason. Their rules keep this world functioning."
Seeing an opportunity to step in and not make the Prince do all the talking, Blizz spoke up. "Okay so I get some of them. But why do you need to do stuff like avoid talking to normal Pokémon?"
Mewtwo pivoted to face Blizz, starting to become overwhelmed by this line of questioning. "It's not my place to judge."
"If you don't think it's fair, you shouldn't be enforcing it!" Kibo shouted.
"They do not want you to mingle with us," the Prince picked back up. "They deem the duty of selecting an individual to save the world to be a chore, one to be handed off to whoever has the lowest rank. They have deployed you to prevent Zar from doing so much as investigating the possibility that she may be human in the past. I believe I have a very simple theory as to why all of this is."
"What is that theory?" Mewtwo gazed at the Prince, though once again he already had an idea of what was going to be said.
"The legendary Pokémon hate humans." He paused for effect, looking over everyone present. "To them, we are cannon fodder to be thrown into a crisis. It is of no consequence whether we live or die, only that the problem is solved. That is the origin of these rules and traditions you continue to espouse."
"If we did not care for humans, then why would we only summon those who have died with the promise of revival?" Mewtwo asked. "It would be far less effort to force them to remain here."
"Reviving oneself from death is a strong incentive," the Prince explained. "I can confirm it worked quite well for me."
Mewtwo opened his mouth for another response, but hesitated when he noticed Absol slowly nodding. That was the final straw for him. "...If that were true, what would you propose I do?"
"Decide for yourself," the Prince answered. "Do not let their flawed notions of what it means to rule dictate your course of action."
"You already broke the rules," Absol said to Mewtwo, finally breaking his silence. "We worked together in trying to find Mew. That was not permitted."
Mewtwo sighed, rubbing a hand behind his back. "…Mew. Do you truly believe there is the slightest chance you may be human?"
Zar sprung up from behind Blizz, a dead serious look in her eyes. "I think so. I… I want to know for sure."
Mewtwo nodded, looking away. "…Do not give them any more trouble than you already have."
Zar's expression immediately began to lighten as Blizz gave her a high five. Kibo jumped up with excitement that seemed to even infect Rune. Naturally the Prince was more subdued, giving a simple nod. Even Absol, who had what looked to be a highly pained expression, seemed to be smiling.
Mewtwo continued on. "If she does cause problems, tell your guildmaster that you wish to speak to me, and I will seek you out. Needless to say, you should ensure other legendary Pokémon do not find out about this. Lastly, if anyone you do not trust asks, we have never met."
Blizz smiled. "Gotcha, won't tell anyone."
"Now please, leave before I have to deal with additional questions."
Zar jumped into the air, transforming into a Corviknight. Scooping up the four explorers, she took off, flying back to West Island.
As they flew away, Mewtwo's gaze was focused out on the horizon. Absol awkwardly approached, not quite sure what they would be doing now.
"What happens next?" Absol asked, sitting down next to the psychic type. "I agree that allowing Zar to remain with them was the best choice, though my disaster sense was… very intense."
"…Something will be coming soon."
Absol cocked his head, not following. "What do you mean?"
"Calyrex is an old Pokémon who cares far too little about life to hold the power he does. But he is intelligent— he should have known Mew would interfere."
"I… suppose so?"
"If he could foresee Mew's stunt, and chose to not inform me, perhaps things may be more severe than anticipated."
"Oh…" Absol joined Mewtwo in looking out to the horizon.
"…Hopefully it does not come to that."
A/N: Well that was a fun dungeon. At least now we get to move onto a nice, long, and well deserved rest!
Ch 32: All the Small Things