Decided to put this latest chapter out a day early, as a thanks for all the support so far. Enjoy!

To MalevolentSin: I think you're thinking of Araquanid, which isn't what's showing up. Though I'll give props to Game Freak for catching everyone off guard with that Totem.

Chapter 28: Cut Down to Size

~Mellath Bog~

To Shane's pleasant surprise, a significant degree of the fog shrouding Moonrise Marsh disappeared when he entered the Mystery Dungeon. However, it didn't take long for Shane to wish for the fog's return. "I… really don't like the look of things here," he said, swiveling his head back and forth as he walked. The entire dungeon glowed purple, with the leaves serving as the source for the unnatural light. He turned to Oranguru. "Is this place radioactive or something?"

Oranguru raised a curious eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean."

Shane frowned. "Right, sorry. That's a human thing. Is this supposed to be a toxic swamp?" He stopped at the point where the path branched out in front of him, encircling a small lagoon. Unlike the marsh, this pond was filled to the brim with fluorescent purple liquid. It was even thicker than the swamp water. Shane gave a frightened squeak and quickly backpedaled as a large bubble formed in the lagoon and burst. Some of the fluid splashed ashore and dissolved, leaving darkened patches on the ground.

"This is definitely not how I remember this place looking," Oranguru said. "The dungeon used to have clear water. And it housed wild Pokémon like the Goodra and Lanturn families."

As if on cue, the pond's surface rippled. A fish lunged out of the water. At first glance, it looked unrecognizable underneath all the purple sludge. Its only distinguishing feature was an antenna that ended with a white, spike-covered ball of crackling electricity.

"Infeeeeeeeeect," the fish moaned. Shane wasted no time in sending a pink, telekinetic burst forward. It struck the sludge-covered monster, blowing it off the trail and into the woods. Shane heard a splattering sound and winced.

"The Prism Virus is here," he concluded. "And it's not just infecting Pokémon this time. It's polluting this entire Mystery Dungeon!"

"Would it not be wiser to wait for your friends to recover and join us, then?" Oranguru proposed.

A scowl crossed Shane face. 'No, I'm not chickening out here. I don't want Tessa's or Null's help.' He resumed walking down the path. "They're not my friends," he said. "Now, let's get moving before that mutated Lanturn wakes up."

Oranguru lumbered along after Shane. Both Pokémon took in their surroundings. The dark purple trees gnarled and twisted around each other. Some trees sported dozens of pointed spines. They pulsated with some sort of red and black liquid. Shane grimaced and fixed his attention to the pathway. But even that couldn't extinguish the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. The numerous cracks in the soil glowed the same shade of purple as the leaves and water.

"You can do this, Shane," he whispered to himself. "You're the human here, remember?"

"There's strength to be had in numbers, you know," Oranguru said. "Why, there was this one time where my lovely mate tried to venture into Rem Canyon on her own. A tribe of dragon-types captured her, for the wild Pokémon living there are not fond of us civilized folk. Naturally, my first inclination was to dash in after her. But it was your Guildmaster who advised I wait so he could gather the personnel necessary for a rescue mission. Ah, what a kind soul he was."

"Guildmaster? You mean Metagross? Is that how you know him?" Shane asked, eyes still fixed on the ground.

"Guildmaster Metagross?" Oranguru said, raising an eyebrow. "I think you are mistaken, child. He is the top explorer in the Horizon Guild, sure. But I'm talking about Incineroar!" Oranguru smiled. "Such a charismatic fellow. He could light the room up with his infectious smile. And not just because he was a fire-type. Ho ho ho!"

"You're clearly just doing this to bug me, aren't you?" Shane huffed in frustration. "I have no idea what an Incineroar is, but I know for a fact that Metagross is our Guildmaster. He's the one who sent us down here to help you."

Oranguru stopped in the middle of the trail. "That cannot be," he said. "I've been exchanging letters with Incineroar for the last few weeks. Perhaps Metagross simply conveyed the order on Incineroar's behalf?"

Shane's brow furrowed. "Look, you said yourself you haven't been out of the marsh in a while, dude. So, I don't know what to tell you. I'm still pretty new to the guild myself, but everyone there acknowledges Metagross as the Guildmaster. Maybe Incineroar stepped down and didn't tell you? It doesn't matter. Less talking, more walking."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Oranguru standing there, frowning. "But he is such a close friend. My wonderful mate and I have gone on many excursions with Incineroar and his mate, Lucario." He scratched his head. This revelation caused Shane to stumble.

'Wait… so Tessa's dad is this Incineroar guy?' Shane gasped.

"Hmm… come to think of it… Riolu could've been their pup," Oranguru muttered. "I never met their children in person, you see, but Incineroar loved to talk about them. Oh, how I long for the good ol' days when my aura-sensing abilities were up to snuff."

"For god's sake." Shane puffed out a cloud of mist. "Look, sir, there's clearly been some sort of miscommunication here. Tessa told me herself that her mom and dad have been in the Grass Continent for quite a while. And neither of them will be returning to Horizon anytime soon. Let's put the issue to rest and get go–"

"But, there's no way we could have communicated so frequently if he's in the Grass Continent," Oranguru said. "This is quite perplexing."

"No, it doesn't matter," Shane growled. "Look, we're wasting time standing here and talking. You want to see your 'lovely, wonderful, fabulous mate,' right? Then we should be booking it through this bog. So, come on, already!"

Oranguru stretched out his neck. "Yes, I shouldn't keep my darling mate waiting, should I? Sorry, these old bones can't move as fast as I'd like them to." He arced his back and then proceeded forward.

Shane bit his lower lip. 'This is getting weird. Why would Metagross deceive this old geezer? He's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.' He started walking after Oranguru. 'And what about that Incineroar business? I guess Metagross is just acting as Guildmaster in his absence, then? But how could Tessa not think to mention her father is the actual Guildmaster. That's a pretty big detail to leave me in the dark about this whole time.'

Shane scowled and shook his head. 'No. You know what? I'll bet she did that on purpose. If her dad's the actual Guildmaster, then exploring really is in her blood. So, the only reason she's acting like this is because she hates me and wants to be rid of me!' A glare crossed his face. 'I'll bet she's probably not in any danger of getting expelled. Metagross wouldn't want to upset 'Daddy's Little Girl,' after all.'

He gnashed his fangs together. 'Well, we'll just see about that. When I get back to the Observatory and show Metagross that Tessa's willing to defend a would-be killer, there's no way he'll let her stay. And with any luck, Null will get the boot too.'

~Moonrise Marsh~

Null's eyes slowly opened. Groaning, he struggled to stand up against the weight of his helmet. "What… happened?" he muttered, finally righting himself. Null surveyed the foggy wetlands. All he spotted was the luminous orb hanging from its tree and a small patch of blue ground giving off a fine mist.

"We fell unconscious!" Null found himself shouting. "The beast escaped us again."

Null jerked his head to his right. "No… shut up. That… that wasn't a beast. That was… a teammate." He clawed at his helmet. "I… attacked Shane."

Null stiffened. "Of course we did. He has an ultra aura. That makes him a beast. All beasts must be destroyed."

He walked over toward the tree, continuing to shake his head. "I don't… know what you mean. He's just… a little Vulpix," Null growled.

Again, his head jolted straight up. "We will not stand for this. Prove that purple beast wrong. Destroy Vulpix! Show him this infernal contraption can't contain us! Show that we are not some failed experiment!"

Null stiffened. He turned and banged his helmet against the tree, making a considerable dent in the rotting wood. His head throbbed in pain, but he also felt the hissing voices retreat from his mind. Null sighed in relief and sat down in front of the tree. He figured his best course of action was to find Tessa.

He got back to his feet and proceeded forward, approaching the blue mound in the wetlands. As Null got closer, his eyes widened at the sight of Tessa lying on her belly, encased in a thick sheet of ice. "What happened here?" he wondered. Null raised a foreleg and chipped away at the ice. He continued digging until he exposed Tessa. A layer of brown, hardened mud caked her entire body. Patches of ice clung to the mud. Null reached in and yanked Tessa out of the frozen mud pit.

Tessa didn't stir. Null cautiously placed a foreleg on her chest and felt it slowly rise up. That drew a relieved sigh, until Null noticed the item bag was missing. He did a quick scan of the wetlands, but saw no sign of it. Null hung his head. He then lay down next to Tessa and slowly curled his body up around her. Cold, slimy mud brushed against Null's fur and scales. He willed his discomfort away and tucked Tessa up against his shoulder.

Null continued lying there, trying to forget about his splitting headache. If he started shaking his head, he'd strike Tessa, and that would make things worse. Eventually, he felt Tessa stirring. Null slowly uncurled, allowing Tessa to wake up and roll onto her knees.

"I… am going… to kill him!" she seethed, digging her digits into the sod.

"What happened to you?" Null asked, drawing Tessa's attention. Her eyes blazed with anger.

"Vulpix totally lost it and attacked me," Tessa spat. "I was just trying to come over and help you out, but Vulpix flipped out, charged me down, and knocked me into the mud. He pinned me to the ground and then froze me solid!" She lumbered to her feet. "Before I passed out, I heard him say he was taking our hard-earned items and ditching us to take Oranguru to Sunflower Meadows." She stepped forward and grabbed the brim of Null's helmet. "He's going to try and get us kicked out of the guild. And all because he wouldn't just stop and listen to me for a minute!"

"… no. It's… it's my fault," Null rasped. "After battling that… little guy… in the tunnel… the voices… they burrowed into my mind. They were screaming at me. I couldn't... make them stop. So... I ran off. I thought… if I hid somewhere… they would go away." He lowered his head. "But… they got so loud… my head was hurting so much. Before I knew it… I was attacking Vulpix. I couldn't… control myself."

"Don't you blame yourself," Tessa scolded. "You couldn't help it. It was just like what happened with Bewear, right?"

Null nodded. "… yes. I… the voices…" He clawed at his helmet. "I… started speaking… what they were saying. I… was shouting… that Vulpix needed... to be destroyed."

"And I tried to explain your problem to Vulpix. But he refused to listen. And that's when he got mad and attacked me!" Tessa growled. "C'mon, we need to go after him."

"Are you sure… that's a good idea?" Null muttered. "What if… I lose control… and attack him… again?"

Tessa placed a paw on Null's shoulder. "I'll be there to help keep you calm. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She gazed off into the fog. "And I'm not about to roll over and let Vulpix get away with this. We can get a fresh start, the two of us. All we need to do is catch up to him. I think if he's dealing with both of us, he'll keep quiet and listen."

She walked off toward the fog. Null jerked his head to the right and jostled his helmet around. "… okay. I trust you. Please… please make sure... I don't snap again."

Tessa approached Null's side and the two of them ventured off toward the marsh's exit.

~Mellath Bog~

Shane forcefully exhaled, sending frosty air spilling out in front of him. The icy attack splashed up against a wall of thorny, pulsating, red vines. To his utter horror, his attack harmlessly bounced off the foliage. Worse, the red glow strengthened and the vines pulsated faster. Shane slumped over, panting heavily.

"It's… it's no good. I can't break through them," he said.

"You should take some time and think about how to approach this from another angle," Oranguru suggested. "A clear mind can tackle the toughest of obstacles, you know."

Shane's left eye twitched. "In case you haven't noticed, we don't exactly have the time to dawdle here!" he growled. "This place is crawling with infected Pokémon. And these vines are definitely growing out onto the path."

A thorny-red vine launched out from one of the purple trees. With a startled bark, Shane sprawled out on his belly. The vine shot past him and dug into the existing wall of plant life. Small roots emerged from the new vine and wrapped around the wall. It wasn't long before red and black liquid started pumping through the new roots.

Shane rolled out from underneath the vine, his legs trembling. He stuck his snout in the item pouch and brought an apple out. Shane hastily devoured it. "See what I mean? We can't stick around here. This place is crawling with the Prism Virus."

"Prism Virus?" Oranguru parroted. "What in heaven's name is that?"

"It's… complicated," Shane muttered. "The quick version is it's an evil force turning Pokémon into sick, twisted monsters. Which is exactly what we'll become if we stay in one spot too long." He turned back toward the vine wall. "So, are you going to give me a hand with this thing or not?"

"I'm afraid I don't think my hands would do much good with that thing, child," Oranguru muttered. "My lovely mate, on the other hand, had quite the iron grip about her."

"I didn't mean literally! How stupid are you, huh?" Shane hissed. "Can't you use your psychic powers to boost up my Frost Breath? We might be able to get through that way."

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be," Oranguru said. "I don't quite have that spring in my step nowadays."

"Well, we're not getting through here if we can't bust this down," Shane said. He sucked in a deep breath and spewed a large gust of frost. As his cloud of frozen air struck the vines, a pink glow overtook it. This amplified the blast of cold and, to Shane's delight, froze the vines solid. Shane spun around and kicked the base of the wall with his hind legs. A large crack weaved its way through the frozen wall, and it came tumbling down.

"Finally! Now, let's get going," Shane ordered, proceeding forward. 'This is it. We've gotta be getting close now. And not a moment too soon. This swamp is absolutely terri–'

Shane abruptly stopped, squeaking in surprise. "W-What the–? What is this place?"

Oranguru lumbered up beside Shane and started stroking his beard. The duo found themselves looking at a rounded area similar to the lagoon near the bog's entrance. However, there was no body of water. Instead, a basin sat in the center of the clearing. Pitch-black crystals peppered the basin floor. Each one crackled with ominous red energy. Similarly, crystal roots extended out from the basin, heading into the forest.

"Is this what's corrupting the Mystery Dungeon?" Shane gasped. "What are these things?"

"I couldn't say," Oranguru muttered. "Look closely. The light is distorting over there. I daresay this is not natural."

Shane gave Oranguru a look of disbelief. 'Gee, you think?' he sneered. Shane cautiously took a step toward the basin. As he did, his eyes fell toward its center. There, a pointed black stone jutted out from the ground. Shane followed it upward, until he spotted a red, winged heart insignia burned into the top of the stone. The heart had horns poking out of its top and a piercing eye in its center.

'This is no crystal. It's a monolith!' he realized. 'Someone had to have put this here. Don't tell me Espeon and Umbreon did this.' He took a deep breath. "Well… this doesn't concern us. Let's keep going."

Shane walked around the basin, only to freeze mid-step when the ground started trembling. He scrambled backward, yipping loudly. Seconds later, a pink, drill-like structure popped out from the spot Shane had been standing in.

"It's carving time! Kekekeke!"

Shane's heart leaped up into his throat as he watched the newcomer unfurl her limbs. "An… an infected Scyther?" Shane gulped.

"What are you talking about, child? That is definitely a Lurantis," Oranguru corrected him. "And here I thought my eyesight was getting lousy."

"Lurantis? Like, a praying mantis?" Shane said. "Because, where I'm from, they don't have four giant pink swords for arms. And they're not that big!" His tails shot between his legs. "Dear god, why is it so big?"

Oranguru stroked his beard. "Well, Moonrise Marsh is led by Totem Lurantis. If you're with the guild, surely you know how Totem Pokémon work, yes?" Shane was not in the mood to give Oranguru an honest answer. Oranguru dismissed Shane's silence and offered Lurantis a friendly wave. "Lurantis, how are you doing? I noticed you did not drop by for tea, yesterday. Were you busy here in Mellath Bog?"

In response to this, Lurantis pointed her upper arms skyward and shot a ball of red light above her. Shane's tails jolted stiff and he prepared to book it, only to notice the fireball had stopped and was now hovering above them. It bathed the clearing in orange light.

Shane's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… Sunny Day? So, it's grass-type, then. Perfect!" He sucked in a breath and blew out a steady stream of frost.

"Kekeke… I'm going to slice you up like a loaf of moldy white bread!" Lurantis cackled. Her four arm-blades flared to life with vibrant green energy. She swung her lower limbs forward to absorb Shane's attack. Shane ceased his attack and sprinted backward. But Lurantis swung her upper limbs forward, causing two massive beams of light to pummel Shane into the ground.

"Agggh! Wha… what did she just hit me with?" Shane hollered.

"Solar Blade," Oranguru said. "It has been quite some time since I've seen that attack in action. And using Sunny Day to remove the charge-up time? Quite the strategy. Why, if my lovely mate were here, I'm sure she'd be complementing Lurantis… despite her aggression."

"Nnnrrgh… you're not helping!" Shane hissed through gritted teeth. He lumbered back to his feet. "Give me a little backup, here," he ordered.

"I'm afraid I'm not much for fighting these days," Oranguru said, shrugging. "Ah, if only you'd seen me in my youth."

Lurantis raised her upper right arm. Shane's eyes widened at the sight of a target reticle appearing on the ground and slowly approaching him. "News flash, you old geezer. This thing's trying to kill us! I don't care if you're old, just help me out!" he yelped and sprinted away from the targeting reticle. It instead maneuvered toward Oranguru. The second the reticle contacted Oranguru's body, it turned red. Lurantis' eyes gleamed and her raised arm shot forward like a pointed rocket.

Oranguru barely managed to form a sparkling blue shield around him, blocking the attack. Lurantis whipped her limb backward, causing her arm to retract. "Your shields will fall, you worthless scum. Kekeke!"

"Hmm," Oranguru hummed, stroking his beard, "why would Lurantis be able to use Smart Strike? That doesn't sound quite right. What is going on here?"

Shane quickly shot a gust of icy air forward while Lurantis continued to focus on Oranguru. It successfully struck her right side, sending her stumbling backwards with a hiss. Her attention immediately diverted to Shane. He took off, glancing into the item pouch. "C'mon, c'mon. There's gotta be something in here I can use to deal with he– meeeep!"

Shane skidded to halt and a giant blade of green light slammed down in front of him, missing his snout by inches. He looked up and saw a second green blade careening down toward him. Shane gritted his teeth and leaped over the Solar Blade that had missed him. He just barely managed to clear the beam of light and land safely on the other side.

"Hey, old man! Now's your chance!" Shane yelled. He opened his mouth and spewed a large cloud of frost in Lurantis' direction. Lurantis stuck her limbs out. To Shane's utter horror, her arms started spinning around her body while her head and legs remained stationary. Her spinning blades easily parted his attack. But they proved to be useless against a sudden blast of psychic energy that erupted behind her.

Lurantis gasped and abruptly stopped her spinning. "Rrrr… why won't you let me slice you up?" She stomped her feet about angrily and raised her upper limbs. Two targeting icons started moving toward either side of her. Shane immediately stuck his snout into the item pouch.

'I've just gotta think about what I want, right?' he figured. 'C'mon… stun seed, where are you? I know Tessa's bound to have at least one after that Parasect business.'

Something sharp contacted Shane's tongue. He hoisted his snout out of the pouch, only to realize the targeting reticle was about to lock onto him. He sprinted to his left and spat the stun seed forward. Lurantis saw this coming, however, and raised up one of her lower limbs. Green energy crackled across it and she sliced the seed at a diagonal angle. Lurantis' cursors contacted both Shane and Oranguru and she launched her upper arms forward.

Shane was astonished by the speed of the attack and had no means to evade it. Lurantis' metallic blade smacked him on the side of his head, making his entire world go white. 'No… not again! I can't have this happen again!' He staggered forward in a daze, desperately snapping at air while he tried to get into the item pouch.

"Kekeke! First, I'll slice off your silky little tails. Then I'll skin the fur off your hide and knit it into a beautiful vest,"Lurantis giggled, withdrawing her limbs. Shane's vision returned to him and he plucked an oran berry from the item pouch. At the same time, another small blast of psychic energy struck Lurantis. She stumbled to her left. "Oh, you want to be infected first?" she said, looking up at Oranguru. "Your fur isn't silky soft, but I can still slash it up real nice."

All four arms flared up with giant green blades. Lurantis slammed her lower arms together, looking to squish Oranguru. Her upper limbs spun around, attempting to clothesline Shane. He yelped and dropped to his belly, the solar-powered energy grazing his hair. Shane looked over in Oranguru's direction, only for his eyes to widen.

Oranguru stood clear of Lurantis' arms, perched atop Null's mud-soaked back. Panting heavily, Null sat down to let Oranguru climb off. Tessa sprinted out from behind Null, paws glowing bright blue, and smacked Lurantis' lower arms. Lurantis recoiled and withdrew her limbs.

"What are you doing here?" Shane growled.

"Saving your ugly hide, that's what," Tessa sneered. "Actually, scratch that, we're here for Oranguru. You're just collateral, as far as I'm concerned."

"I had everything under control here," Shane hissed. "I gave you that Escape Orb. Why didn't you just use it?"

Lurantis shook the stars from her vision. "Newcomers? Fantastic! I'll paint the soil into a beautiful mosaic of fur and blood. Kekekeke!" She stuck out her four arms and four reticles appeared along the ground. Null stepped forward and hurled an air blade at Lurantis. It struck her chest and promptly knocked her into the basin. The reticles immediately evaporated.

"Because they only work inside Mystery Dungeons, dipstick. And in case you forgot, Moonrise Marsh isn't a dungeon," Tessa growled. "Once again, you acted impulsively and look at all the trouble it managed to cause. Bravo!"

"Me? What about your hideous friend over there?" Shane snarled. "He tried to kill me. And you were justifying it! What is wrong with you?"

"Hey! Focus!" Null roared, turning to face the basin. Lurantis had managed to stumble out of it. She glared at Null.

Tessa and Shane stared each other down. "… fine. I'll deal with you later," Tessa said.

"Likewise!" Shane snarled, turning away from her to face Lurantis.

"Mind if I cut in?" Lurantis shouted. Her arm-blades suddenly lit up with vibrant blue energy. She leaped forward and slammed her upper two limbs downward. Tessa quickly sprinted to her right, avoiding the attack. Shane was not as fortunate, however. Lurantis' arm struck his side. Shane hollered as the blow sent him reeling. He careened back and slammed against a tree. Shane slumped down to the ground, his eyes shutting.

"Okay. Anybody know what attack that was?" Tessa asked. Lurantis left no time for an answer, though. She thrust her lower limbs toward Null and Oranguru. The latter managed to form up a blue shield and deflect the attack, though he dropped to one knee from the effort. Null could not move fast enough and got speared in the chest. Like Shane, a powerful force sent him rolling back across the ground, skidding to a stop by the edge of the clearing. He struggled to get back to his feet.

"I've certainly never seen anything like it," Oranguru said. "Ah, the wonder of seeing a move in action for the first time. If only my lovely mate were here to see this."

Shane staggered over toward Tessa, flanks heaving. "Sacred… Sword. It knows… Sacred Sword," he wheezed.

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Did you just make that attack name up or something?"

"No. It's one of those things I know because of my 'stupid human game stuff.' Not so stupid now, is it?" Shane said, voice filled with spite.

"Considering you still got hit by the attack, yeah, it is," Tessa replied.

"Huh? But my slashes should've left you for dead. How can you still be standing?" Lurantis gasped, stomping about in a fit.

"Reviver Seeds," Shane replied.

"My Reviver Seeds!" Tessa corrected. "That you stole from me, by the way."

"Hey, it'd still have gotten used on me even if you were holding the pouch. So, back off!" Shane barked. Their bickering was abruptly halted as an elongated green energy blade flattened Tessa from above. Shane had enough time to look up and whimper before he too was pounded by a blade of green energy.

"Rrrrgh… this is… all your fault!" Tessa yelled, her right eye now swollen shut. "If you hadn't stormed off, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"No, it's your fault for following me!" Shane countered, rolling back to his feet and shooting out a frosty gust.

Lurantis cackled and spun in place. Her arm-blades effortlessly diverted the attack. Likewise, the crescents of air Null shot forward were easily dispelled, leaving him hissing in anger. "You think you have all the answers for my attacks, don't you?" Lurantis growled. "Well, if I can't slice you into ribbons, I can at least tear the ground to shreds and swallow you up in the process!" She hefted her upper arms above her head and pointed her lower arms down.

"Kekekeke! Take this… Prism Drill Breaker!"

Lurantis started spinning, transforming into a giant, pointed metallic top. Team Radiance could only look on in confusion as Lurantis tunneled her way underground, disappearing from view. They immediately felt the ground rumble.

"Tell me she's just using Dig," Shane whined, tails drooping between his legs.

Cracks appeared in the ground, with plumes of dirt shooting up between them. Seconds later, Null roared in pain. Shane and Tessa looked up in time to see Null flying through the air, limbs flailing. He crashed into a nearby purple-leafed tree. Null fell to the ground, landing in an unmoving heap.

The ground shook once again. A sharp tip of gray metal poked out in front of Shane and Tessa. Their eyes widened. "It's not Dig! It's not Dig!" Shane yelped, scrambling away from Lurantis. Tessa booked it in the other direction. Lurantis disappeared underground once again.

"How curious," Oranguru muttered. "That's a surprisingly long time for a Pokémon to stay underground."

"Yo, old-timer, look out! She's heading right for you!" Shane barked.

Oranguru looked down, where a small fissure was zigzagging toward him. He took a few cautious steps backward and raised a glowing hand. A portion of the ground in front of him exploded, showering dirt in all directions. But there was no sign of Lurantis where his attack had struck.

"How's this for an impression? Back Slash!"

Oranguru looked over his shoulder to see Lurantis leap out from underground, two green blades raised above her head, ready to nail Oranguru in the head. Oranguru formed up a shield, but it immediately shattered when the first blade struck. Lurantis swung the second one toward Oranguru and he braced himself.

Only it didn't make contact. Instead, Lurantis was the one giving an agonized cry. Oranguru opened his eyes and spotted Lurantis lying on the ground a few feet away. Null lay on top of her, pinning her on her stomach with his superior weight. He proceeded to strike her in the back repeatedly with a set of glowing talons.

"Agh! Agh! Get off! You're hurting me!" Lurantis whined.

"Shut up… beast!" Null hissed, then struck her even harder with his claws. The black crystals coating her back splintered. Lurantis appeared to stop struggling after that strike. Null didn't take notice of this, however. He raised his claws to hit her again.

"Enough, Null! You got her! She's down!" Tessa hollered, sprinting over toward her teammate. Null froze in the midst of his attack. He blinked a few times and looked at his glowing talons. Null groaned and shook out his head.

"See, what did I tell you? The guy's dangerous," Shane growled. While Tessa tended to Null, Shane went toward Oranguru.

"My, my," Oranguru muttered, leaning over and panting heavily. "That certainly… got the ol' ticker started. Haven't had a workout like that… in several years."

"Whatever, I'll give you an oran berry in a second," Shane whispered. "For now, let's ditch those two creeps and get a move on."

"Really? After they kindly rushed in to help us? That's certainly not very noble," Oranguru said.

"I told you I had everything under control," Shane growled. "Now, get a move on!" He pushed his head against Oranguru's backside. Oranguru stumbled forward. Shane spotted the other end of the clearing. "I think I see some light trickling through the fog. That must be the exit to this place," he said. "C'mon, we're almost there."

"Hey! Just where do you think you're going?"

Shane looked over to see Tessa charging him down. Null trudged along behind her, still looking a bit dazed. "I wasn't going anywhere," Shane lied. "Just tending to Oranguru's injuries, that's all."

"Fat chance. You were trying to run off again!" Tessa accused. "I can't believe you. And after Null and I saved you from Totem Lurantis. You disgust me!"

"I don't recall asking for your help," Shane spat. "And I made it pretty clear back in the marsh that I'm not spending another second with you and your freaky-deaky boyfriend over there."

Tessa glared at him. "Then why don't you use an Escape Orb? Null and I can finish this on our own!"

"Because I need to keep Metagross pleased. Unlike you, Miss 'My dad's actually the real Guildmaster, but I'm not going to tell my partner because I'm a gigantic tool who plays everyone around her to get sympathy,'" Shane bellowed. The fight immediately drained from Tessa's eyes. Her limbs locked up and her gaze fell toward the ground.

"Yeah, that's right. I know all about your dad. Surprised? You can thank our travelling companion." Shane jerked his head in Oranguru's direction. "You think Incineroar would be proud of what you're doing? Defending a psychopath?"

Tessa's paws balled up into fists and she started shaking. "Sh… shut up," she muttered.

"Oh, have I struck a nerve?" Shane sneered. "Good. Because that's exactly how I feel! I don't know how the daughter of a Lucario and a Guildmaster could end up with such a warped sense of right and wrong. You don't deserve aura powers! You deserve to remain stuck a sad little Riolu for the rest of your life!"

Tessa's face contorted in anger, but Shane continued, "Hey, here's a thought. Maybe your parents didn't leave because they felt like exploring the Grass Continent. I'll bet they never actually loved you. And they went away because they were tired of putting up with your bull!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Tessa shrieked. She charged toward Shane, fists glowing bright blue. Shane's eyes crackled with pink, psychic energy. But before either could launch an attack, the ground in front of them gave way. Both Pokémon could only gasp in fright as a large gray drill emerged from the ground.

"Kekekeke! Surprise! Heeeeeere's Lurantis!"

Lurantis spread her four limbs out and blue energy blades encased her arms. She launched her left arms at Tessa and her right arms at Shane. At such close range, there was nothing either canine could do to stop the attack. The blades struck them both, shooting them back in opposite directions.

Shane crashed into a set of thorny, corrupted vines. Lurantis raised her arms triumphantly. "And now for the finishing touches!"she yelled. Lurantis approached the unconscious Shane. The black diamond encasing her chest crackled with red energy. It formed into the shape of a winged heart. "Kekekeke! Enjoy your new life as an Ultra Beast, kiddo," Lurantis bellowed.

She thrust her chest forward and a spiraling beam of black-and-red energy shot out. Lurantis grinned as she watched it fly toward the edge of the clearing. But at the last second, Oranguru suddenly jumped in the beam's path. He had formed up another blue shield. It absorbed the beam and promptly shattered. Oranguru tensed up and dropped to his knees.

"Okay, that's fine. You know what they say: the more the merrier," Lurantis declared. She started charging up more energy in the black diamond, but a furious roar drew her attention. Lurantis didn't even have the time to turn around before Null's metal-coated helmet speared her in the back. The crystals draped over her shoulder blades shattered on impact. Lurantis crumpled to the ground.

She looked down to see the color fading from her legs. "No… no! I can't get cut down! I'm supposed to infect! Mistress Zero, please don't take my spirit! I can still fight! I can still–"

Lurantis looked over at Oranguru and raised a trembling arm. However, it immediately dropped back to her side, as the rest of the crystals on her body shattered. The remaining color drained off her body, leaving her a gray lump in the middle of the clearing.

Null stepped backward and exhaled deeply. "… it's over."

Shane stumbled out of the vines' remains. The thorns had taken off patches of his fur, and there were pink splotches in the fur that remained. "This is officially the work week of my life… ever," he said. He stuck his snout into the item pouch and emerged with an oran berry that he hastily downed. The pink spots disappeared from his fur. "You okay, old-timer?"

He looked at Oranguru, who remained down on one knee, breathing slowly. "Okay, I'm-a take that as a no." He walked forward, using his snout to pluck another berry from his bag. "Here, this ought to get your strength back up." But to his surprise, Oranguru raised a hand. He descended into a raucous coughing fit and brought his other hand to his chest. "Take the berry, for god's sake. You clearly need it."

"I'm afraid… I must decline… your generosity," Oranguru grunted.

Shane's muzzle stiffened. "Why, because you have your own items?"

Oranguru looked over at Null, who was walking toward Shane with an unconscious Tessa draped across his back. "If I could… just get your help… big fella," he muttered. Null pointed a talon at himself, prompting Oranguru to nod. Null shuffled forward. Oranguru used Null's shoulder to stand up. He leaned heavily against Null, who flinched from the sudden weight on his shoulder.

"It shouldn't be very far to Sunflower Meadows," Oranguru declared. "But I'm going to need a little support, iff that's okay with you."

"… I guess so," Null muttered.

"You know, that wouldn't be an issue if you just took the dang oran berry," Shane said.

Oranguru shook his head. "I'm afraid you'd just be wasting it on me."

'Well, yeah, duh. But I'd rather waste a berry than fail this mission after all this trouble,' Shane thought. 'Why's this geezer suddenly being so stubborn?'

He noticed Oranguru and Null slowly trekking forward. Shane sighed and walked off after them. As he passed Null, he noticed Tessa starting to stir. Shane quickened his pace to avoid dealing with her.

~Sunflower Meadows~

Team Radiance emerged from the exit of Mellath Bog and shielded their eyes. "Cripes, is it sunrise? We really spent all night heading through that horrible swamp?" Shane groaned.

Tessa yawned, then leered at Shane. "Well, we could've gotten a good night sleep if someone hadn't thought it'd be a good idea to try and ditch his teammates to sneak off with our client," she said.

Shane's muzzle scrunched up. "I'm sorry. I don't make it a habit to stick around Pokémon that want to tear me limb from limb!" he barked, shooting Null a nasty look. Null turned his head away shamefully.

"It wasn't his fault, Vulpix. He really can't control his actions when his headaches get too intense," Tessa said. "If you actually took the time to talk to him instead of bullying him, you'd have known that! But, no, it's much easier to make fun of him... and to put down a scared little Riolu."

"There you go, begging for sympathy again," Shane scoffed. "I've seen through your routine, Tessa. How many favors did it win with you with your folks, huh?"

"You take that back right now or I'll–"

"… please… be quiet…" Null hissed, shaking his head.

Shane turned away. "Okay, well, here we are. Plenty of sunflowers," Shane huffed. He looked at Oranguru. "So, where's this mate of yours that you're meeting? There aren't exactly any hiding spots here. Don't tell me she wound up ditching."

Oranguru lapsed into a coughing fit before pointing a shaky arm in front of him. "There," he wheezed. "On the edge of the shoreline."

"But there's nobody over there!" Shane growled. "You're totally delirious, aren't you? Just let me give you a berry." Null helped Oranguru limp forward. Shane rolled his eyes and trotted along after them. "I swear, if this was all just some stupid ploy by Braviary to try and get us killed," he muttered, only for his voice to trail off as he approached the shoreline. His brow furrowed.

"What… what is this?" Tessa squeaked. Oranguru pushed away from Null and stumbled forward. He sat down in front of a small array of colored beads that encircled a large, plump, green berry.

"This is it," Oranguru whispered.

Shane's eyes widened. "Wait… your mate's… she's…"

"Already passed on to the spirit realm," Oranguru whispered. He reached a shaky arm out and placed it on the berry. "Passimian and I, we loved each other so very much. I was a staff member at the Horizon Guild when I met her. At the time, I was helping Guildmaster Incineroar and his assistant, Leafeon, make an important delivery."

"Guildmaster… Incineroar?" Tessa whispered, shrinking back. Her gaze fell toward the ground. Shane huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, your father was the one to introduce us," Oranguru said. "That's just the kind of Pokémon he is, always putting other's feelings ahead of his own. Words can't express how grateful I am that he introduced me to Passimian." He gently rolled the berry back and forth across the sand. "He agreed to let me depart the guild to start a new life with her. Together, we took in all the sights Horizon had to offer. But this place…" His voice trailed off as he descended into another coughing fit.

Null stepped forward, but Oranguru raised a hand. "I'm alright," he insisted, taking a deep breath. "We always considered Sunflower Meadows special. Most Pokémon stay away, because they do not feel the trek is worth it. Nevertheless, we made the journey. And it proved to be a very special trip."

Oranguru reached into his fur and produced a yellow, crescent-shaped feather that dangled from a star. "Somehow, we had managed to run into a kind-hearted soul. I'm not sure why, but she looked the two of us over and gave each of us a feather. She said to think of them as symbols of our love. Ones that will dispel the darkest of thoughts and dreams."

'That's a Lunar Wing,' Shane realized. 'Big whoop. What does that matter?' He stole a glance over at Tessa and noticed her clasping her shoulders with her paws and shivering. He vaguely thought he saw her mouthing something. 'And what's she being so melodramatic over, huh?'

"We ended up retiring to Moonrise Marsh so we could come here frequently," Oranguru continued, setting the Lunar Wing down. "One morning, however, I woke up and found that Passimian was terribly sick. I tried to offer her medicinal berries, but she refused. 'Take me to Sunflower Meadows,' she said. 'I'd like to watch the sunset there one last time.'"

Oranguru took a deep breath. "I must apologize to for deceiving you all."

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"When I made the escort request with the guild, I left out the part about this being a one-way trip," Oranguru said. He hunched over, breaking into another coughing fit. Shane quickly stepped forward.

"What are you talking about, old-timer? You seemed just fine up until that battle," Shane said.

"I wanted a team to escort me here… so that I could join my beloved Passimian in the next life," Oranguru said.

"No!"

Shane looked over his shoulder and saw Tessa running toward them, wild-eyed. "You can't… you can't do that!"

"I've been on my own for a couple of years now," Oranguru wheezed. "And I have grown so very, very tired. I'm afraid that it's simply my time to go."

Tessa's eyes teared up. "Puh-Please… can't you just wait another day? Or wait until we leave, at least?" Shane gave his teammate a look of disbelief.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in," Oranguru said. "I had expected that Incineroar would send a veteran team… not his own daughter."

Tessa stumbled back. "My dad… sending a team?" she squeaked, aura feelers twitching.

"Yes, he's the one I made the request to, after all," Oranguru said. Tessa sank down to her knees, staring at the dirt. Oranguru started coughing again. "I fear… that my time here is up. But, there's one thing I'd like to do before I leave." He looked over at Null and beckoned him forward.

"… what do you... want me for?" Null asked.

Oranguru held up the Lunar Wing. "Please, keep this safe for me."

Null's beady, gray eyes widened. "… but why me?"

"I don't need to be psychic to sense that you all are deeply troubled," Oranguru said. "I believe this can help you three find peace of mind." He reached over and stuck the feather into the sling binding Null's head crest. Oranguru patted Null's helmet. "Thank you all for your help," he said. "It was nice to meet you three."

He turned and stole a glance at Tessa, who was now sitting with her head buried in her thighs. "Give my regards to your parents, Riolu," he said.

A golden glow overtook Oranguru's body. Shane and Null quickly backpedaled into the field of sunflowers. The light became so intense, they had to look away. A brilliant, golden flash spread across the meadow. When the light faded, all that remained were the string of beads and the berry.

Shane's muzzle twitched. "I guess that's it, then," he whispered. He took a step forward, only for his forelegs to unexpectedly give out, bringing him to his knees. His breath rushed out of him and his vision grew blurry.

'No… something's wrong,' he thought. He tensed up, whining loudly. 'I'm… I'm…'

He tilted his head toward the sky and bellowed, "Help me!"

Four-Bladed Menace, Ultra Totem Lurantis
She slices! She dices! And she carves up a mean tossed salad, to boot! This once-friendly Totem of Moonrise Marsh has seen her blades sharpened by the power of the Prism Virus. With two extra scythes at her sides, she can use a slew of new techniques to punish her foes. Why can she wield attacks she can't normally learn? Is this the Prism Virus' doing? Has something alien taken hold of her soul?

First off, as far as references go, Mellath Bog draws inspiration from Torvus Bog in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. And Oranguru was based off of Tahrust Inmee, in character from Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice.

Anyway, I know some of you figured Team Radiance needed a bombshell to stay together. I hope "unknowingly leading a Pokémon to his deathbed" is sufficiently surprising. Note that, for all Shane's nastiness, he never brought up Tessa's parents. But now that he's crossed that line...

Next time: Shane and Null learn the truth about Tessa's family.