My apologies to anyone who didn't get a review reply that quickly, and to the guest reviews which may not have been published right away. Apparently, the site decided to stop sending me email alerts. I'm given to understand that's a regular thing, here. But it's the first time it happened to me. So, with that said, a few responses to start off.
Bowserjrrules: Xatu's vision wasn't meant to be hard to decipher. It was meant to be confusing to the characters, who don't know what Ultra Space or Necrozma are. And, I've only ever played (and sucked at) some Halo 2 multiplayer, so I don't know a thing about the Flood. I drew from Metroid Prime in making the Prism Virus.
SonicStreak5344: Because I did use the Phantom Ruby's "glitchy illusions" as an inspiration. Kind of helps that Lucarios have jackal traits, and Infinite is a jackal. Shane actually quoted some of the lyrics to "Infinite" in Chapter 36 if you look closely.
Another guest: Correct! It seems like most people expected the Prism Virus to be named the way it is because of Necrozma. That's not the case.
Alright, onto the chapter proper. Enjoy!
Chapter 37: No Sense of Direction
~Aeon Observatory~
"Eyowch!"
Braviary's good wing flapped open in surprise, smacking Misdreavus from behind and nearly making her to drop the bowl of burn ointment resting on her head.
"Golly, Braviary. Watch where you're pointing that thing," she gasped.
Braviary ignored and her and fixed an angry look on Comfey. "Dangummit. Warn a feller when yer gonna go jostling his bum wing, will ya?"
"We've been over this before, Braviary," Comfey sighed. "If I tell you when I'm going to fix your wing, you'll just tense up and make it impossible for me to work. In any case, it should be okay now."
Braviary slowly lifted up his injured wing and gave it a light flap. "Err, right. Nice job, pardner," he said, face flushing slightly.
"Hoo-whee, I'm still a bit confused as to just what happened to you four," Misdreavus said, levitating a brush over Milotic to apply some of the ointment to her belly.
"Yeah, you guys look like you got put through a cheese grater!" Haunter said, going intangible to dodge a swipe of Seperior's tail. "And you've got all the funk of smelly cheese going, to boot. Mwee hee hee!"
"We got jumped by this…" Serperior's voice trailed off. "I don't even know what to call it. It was a thing. It acted like it was a Pokémon, but it sure didn't attack like one. Airy, you're better at explaining this stuff. Loop 'em in, will ya?" She glanced over her shoulder at Dragonair, but her teammate lay facing the corner of the infirmary. "Airy, you feeling okay?" Serperior asked.
"I'm fine," Dragonair whispered, but her tone of voice suggested otherwise.
"Aww, c'mon, Dragonair. You're safe and sound at the guild," Haunter said, floating in front of her. He detached his mouth from his body and rotated it 180 degrees. "Let's turn that frown of yours upside-down!"
A stream of dragonfire pelted Haunter. He struck the wall behind him and his ectoplasmic body splattered against it like jelly spread on toast. "O-ho-kay… or not," he said.
Milotic and Serperior exchanged panicked looks. Bright light then funneled in from the hallway.
"Whoa! Team Radiance? What happened to you guys?" Togedemaru's surprised gasp echoed. "And… is that Espeon and Umbreon? Ah! Emergency!" Sounds of quick, small footsteps filled up the infirmary. "Sound the alarms! Get the Guildmaster! We're in trou—"
"It's fine, Togedemaru," Shane cut in. "It's… it's fine."
A loud sob reached the infirmary, making Milotic's eyebrow-like fins crinkle up. Everyone, including the injured Team Captivate, quickly made their way toward the assembly room. Togedemaru and Trapinch stood there, backs against the wall in surprise. The beaten-up trio of Team Radiance lay in the middle of the room. Next to them sat Espeon and Umbreon, who looked even worse for wear. Tessa held her paws to her face, bawling hysterically.
Without warning, she took off running toward the stairs. "Tessa, wait!" Shane cried, trying to grab her tail with a forepaw. Null held him back, however, and shook his head.
"… let her go. There's nothing… we can do for her," he grimly, lowering his head grimly.
"Good gracious. What happened to you all?" Comfey gasped. "I can't let your team out of my sight for one afternoon without the three of you getting torn to shreds!"
"Forget that," Trapinch fumed, glaring at Espeon and Umbreon. "What are you two doing here? Give us one good reason we shouldn't get Officer Magnezone on the line."
"It's okay," Null said, stepping in front of them. "They're… not our enemies anymore…"
"Alright, all y'all need to stop and take a deep breath," Braviary declared, sticking a wing out between Null and Trapinch. "Now, why don't you loop the rest of us in as to just what happened in Aurora Vale."
"Only if you tell us what happened to you guys," Shane said, giving Braviary a suspicious look. If Drampa had given Braviary a hard time, Shane wanted to know.
"Hrmph. I was gonna get to that anyway," Braviary said. "Go on. Start talking."
Shane recapped Team Radiance's trek through Aurora Vale, including the dungeon's icy traps, the battle with Espeon and Umbreon, and Zero's appearance. Looks of shock appeared on his guild mates' faces when they learned of Sylveon's and Eevee's fates.
"Oh… oh gods. Those poor souls," Milotic said. "They didn't deserve any of this."
"I can't believe you two did this! You should be ashamed of yourselves," Togedemaru said, glaring at Espeon and Umbreon.
"You think we don't realize that already?" Espeon said, her voice cracking. Her head and shoulders drooped. Tears splashed against the floor. "It's all over for us. We can't go back to the Mist Continent after what we've done." She shivered. "I can still see them. All the Pokémon I hurt." She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head rapidly. "I want it to stop. Oh, Umbry. Why won't it stop? Why can't I just shut my stupid, stupid brain off?"
"But, you saved us, didn't you?" Shane said. "Tessa had our Escape Orbs, but we vanished from the dungeon before Zero could do anything to us. You guys must've done that."
"We had one more Ultra Entercard at our disposal. We used it to come here," Umbreon said, frowning. "It was all I could think of." He drew his lips back, showing off his fangs. "I wish I didn't have to use it. Just feeling its power made me wish I was dead."
"So, this 'Zero' lady ditched us to attack your team," Milotic said. "And we just came back here… too banged up to go back for you guys. Some help we turned out to be."
"Wait, you dealt with Zero, too?" Shane gasped. "Is that why you look so beat up?"
"Yeah. But she ran off, hissing about 'troublemakers.' And not a moment too soon. We were…" Milotic shuddered. "We were hopelessly outmatched."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane asked.
"Most of her attacks… weren't even real Pokémon attacks," Milotic said. "She did all this creepy stuff where she distorted the air around her. I can barely even explain it. We got our tails handed to us. And what made it even worse was that she had the gall to lecture us about how foolish we were to be part of the guild. She called us paws to the gods."
"I think she said the same thing to us," Shane said, his voice faltering. Given what he'd heard, it really was nothing more than a struck of luck that he was standing back at the Observatory. If Zero could wipe the floor with four opponents, then Team Radiance stood no chance against her.
"Well, yeah. That's what Zero's after," Espeon said. "She wants to wipe the gods off the face of the earth… forever. The endless night business is part of that."
A tense silence fell over the room, with everyone's gazes falling toward the floor. "Okay, I'm gonna be 'that guy,'" Haunter said, his body coiled up to form a giant question mark. "What does destroying gods have to do with plunging the world into eternal night?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Shane said. "If the Prism Virus gets rid of all gods, then that includes Dialga. And if he's gone… then Temporal Tower will fall again."
"No," Espeon whispered. Shane's ears stuck up. "Zero doesn't want that. She made it very clear that there's no point to everything the Prism Virus is doing if the world falls into ruin."
"Zero said she has a way to use the Prism Virus' powers to erase dungeons like Temporal Tower and the Tree of Life, with no consequences," Umbreon said. "She intends to make sure things like time and space flow freely, without any Pokémon controlling them."
The group sat there, processing Umbreon's claims. "The way you're talking about it… it sounds like you believed her," Shane accused, narrowing his eyes at Umbreon.
"We did," Umbreon said. "We believed it. In fact, a part of me still believes it's possible. There's…" He gritted his teeth. "There's a part of me that wants to see it happen. I mean, when you think about it, it makes sense, doesn't it? Imagine never having to worry about the planet falling into ruin because some god loses its mind. Doesn't it sound good? Doesn't it sound... reasonable?"
Everyone assumed fighting stances in an instant, though the injured guild members did so with pained winces. It sounded like the two weren't as free as Shane had thought.
"You don't understand!" Espeon cried, choking back tears. "What Zero does… it's not brainwashing. It's not mind control. It's just… awful." She shrank down to the ground, curling up in a ball. "When we found her in our home, she just… sat there. And talked to us."
Espeon's shivering intensified. "The more she spoke, the more bad memories kept getting dragged up. All of the Pokémon who suffered at Kyurem's and Munna's hands. The chilling, suffocating cold. And then Dark Matter. Oh, gods, Dark Matter…" She rubbed her paws across her face.
"All I could think about was how terrified I was… staring down Yveltal before getting turned to stone. And those wretched, miserable Voidlands. I couldn't stop! The thoughts kept pouring in." Espeon smacked her head against her forelegs. "I saw Void Shadows everywhere! Standing there… taunting me! Laughing at me! They wouldn't go away. I tried everything… and they wouldn't! Go! Away!"
"Our fear turned to anger," Umbreon said, turning away from the group. "I was furious. Because we suffered thanks to Dark Matter, while the gods sat in their homes… doing nothing until it was too late."
"We've been over this before. They did help in the end," Shane said. "Otherwise, Dark Matter would have won!"
"It doesn't matter," Espeon hissed, slapping a forepaw on the ground. "I said the same thing to Zero and she laughed. She looked me right in the eyes and said, 'And what do you think will happen when another abomination like Dark Matter strikes? Do you really think you can keep relying on humans to bail you all out?'"
"We were so afraid. We couldn't take it anymore. So… we agreed to help her," Umbreon continued. "That's when Zero conjured up these two balls and threw them at us. One of them struck me and… and…" He threw his forepaws up over his head. "This horrifying energy grabbed me and dragged me up into a vortex. It felt like something was tearing me to shreds!"
"It was terrifying! I thought I was going to suffocate and die," Espeon bawled, curling up against her partner. "All around me was darkness. I thought I'd been turned to stone again! But the darkness went away. And I was back in the house. I felt… stronger. Stronger than I'd ever felt in my entire life."
The chitin on Null's foreleg tingled. He looked down. Shane staggered backwards, tails curling around Null's foreleg. His jaw hung open. "Are you okay?" Null said.
"Th… that's impossible," Shane whispered. "Hit by a ball… swallowed up by energy?"
Zero somehow had access to Poké Balls. And this was a world full of wild Pokémon. A shiver raced across Shane's spine and his fur bristled. He fell silent and shook his head slowly.
"So, all the stuff y'all have done to our continent?" Braviary said, giving Espeon and Umbreon a stern look.
"Was our idea," Espeon said, wilting under the collective gazes of the guild members. "We thought that if we corrupted the Pokémon and landscapes of your continent, we could draw out the Land Spirits."
"You guys wanted to go after the Tapus?" Togedemaru gasped.
"Those were Zero's orders," Umbreon replied. "She knew that one of the Land Spirits holds something called the Dawn Hourglass." Umbreon looked up into a cluster of widened eyes. "Zero wanted us to find it, so she could absorb all of its power. She said that the Dawn Hourglass' energy would let her charge up our Ultra Entercards to the point where we could summon Magnagates strong enough to transport us directly to the end of any Mystery Dungeon, even ones sealed behind magic barriers like Temporal Tower, Spacial Rift, or, well, everything in the Sea of Wonders."
"Which would make getting to any of the world's gods a complete breeze," Serperior said. "That's sickening." She leaned in, a worried look on her face. "Did Zero get the Dawn Hourglass?"
"Thanks to a stroke of pure luck, no," Espeon said. "We had covered Aurora Vale in ice to rile up Tapu Lele, but it looks like she suspected something was wrong. She sent a Ditto to scout ahead disguised as her." Espeon's gaze fell back toward the ground. "That's when Zero insisted we kidnap Sylveon and Eevee to get to Vulpix."
Shane's blood ran cold. Zero really did want him dead, then. Shane thought about his dream visions with Solgaleo. He had claimed Gallian was behind everything, but clearly he was wrong. Did Solgaleo just not know or was he, perhaps, misleading Shane?
"Getting the Dawn Hourglass would also rid the world of daylight," Umbreon said. "Hence, the whole 'world of eternal night' business."
"But that can't be right," Haunter said, frowning. "All the legends say Solgaleo's the one who can control the sun. The Dawn Hourglass only comes into play if something really bad were to happen to him."
"But something bad did happen," Shane said. "In my dreams, Solgaleo told me something drained him of most of his power. I'll bet Zero tried to attack him!"
"Tried?" Espeon said, drawing everyone's gazes back to her. "The way Zero and her crazy pet sounded, they succeeded."
"What do you mean 'they succeeded?'" Shane asked, growing more worried. Had he actually been right? Had Solgaleo misled him?
"Solgaleo's already gone," Umbreon said, drawing a chorus of surprised gasps. "Zero said she fed him to her pet… Lunala."
"What?!"
Half the assembled guild members shouted their surprise in unison. Shane's head throbbed. The guild faded from view. Necrozma floated opposite him, a big grin plastered on his face. He melted away as soon as he appeared, leaving Shane standing dumbstruck.
Zero was a Lucario. She had Lunala as her pet. Tessa said she thought her mom was protecting Lunala. Which meant that Zero wasTessa's mother. Shane looked toward the stairs, his chest growing heavy. Tessa's own mother had killed her friends. Worse, she was ready to choke the life out of her own daughter!
Shane's legs shook. It was taking every ounce of willpower not to pass out. This was too much. What was he supposed to say to Tessa? Not to mention... if Solgaleo really was gone, then who was the Pokémon in his dreams?
"I don't know how Zero did it, but she turned Lunala into this right creepy Pokémon, who cackles incessantly and rambles on and on about how all the light in the universe belongs to him," Espeon said. "Hearing his voice always made my skin crawl."
"She really fed Solgaleo to Lunala?" Comfey said. "That can't be right. Solgaleo and Lunala are a unit. Each iteration has worked together to keep the balance of day and night in the world. Lunala would never turn on Solgaleo like that."
"Unless Lunala's been infected," Null said, voice filled with dread.
"No, that can't be right," Milotic said. "If the Prism Virus is trying to wipe out all the gods, then why would it rely on one of them to meet its endgame?"
"And didn't Vulpix say Solgaleo's given him dream visions?" Trapinch said, glancing at Shane. "That must mean he's still out there."
"As much as I'd love to believe that, the writing's on the wall," Espeon said. "Haven't you been watching the sky? The moon's growing larger every day."
"So what? The moon gets bigger and smaller all the time," Haunter scoffed.
"But not like this," Milotic said. "It's unnaturally big and unnaturally bright."
"Because the moon's positioning itself to encase the sun in a permanent solar eclipse," Umbreon explained. "With no Solgaleo, there's no one to make sure sunlight reaches the planet. Meanwhile, Lunala is free to manipulate the moon." His ears drooped. "If your legends are accurate, then Zero taking the Dawn Hourglass' power would mean there's no way to reset the world's supply of daylight."
"Leaving behind a world of endless night, unless Zero chooses to reverse it," Espeon said.
"Wait, Magearna told me that, in ancient times, Ho-Oh maintained control of the world's day-night cycle," Shane said. "Surely Ho-Oh's realized there's something wrong by now, right?"
That may be true, but it does nothing to help our situation.
The group turned to see Magearna appearing out from her hallway. Allow me to offer an apology cycle for my intrusification,she said, bowing her head slightly. She remained still for several seconds before returning upright. Cycle complete. Now then, as I was saying, while it might be true that Ho-Oh can manipulify light to reach the planet, it is a skill that she has not used in a considerable amount of time.
"Which means what, exactly?" Trapinch asked.
"Duh. Isn't it obvious? The birdbrain's gone so long without having to do it, she's forgotten how," Togedemaru snorted.
"You can't be serious. That's way too important of a thing to forget," Serperior said.
I'm afraid I must agreeciate with Togedemaru, Magearna stated. Even a god's memory is not infallible. They're bound to forget things. Especificially gods that aren't psychic-types.
"Then why not stash those memories away with a psychic-type god?" Serperior said.
Look, I'm not trying to say Ho-Oh would be no help in this scenuation. I am just suggesting you temper your expectations by seventy-two percent, Magearna said. It's unreasonable to think a Pokémon can simply call forth a power that's laid dormant within them. We all forget moves and abilities as we age. I don't think it's different for the gods.
"Alright, everybody oughta settle down here," Braviary declared, lifting up a wing. "I think… we've got a lot to digest. And, frankly, most of us ain't in the right state of mind to be thinking 'bout this stuff. Let's focus on getting healed up first, and then we can put our heads together and see if we can come up with some sorta plan. Sound good?"
Murmurs of agreement and head nods followed. Shane shifted uneasily, worried Braviary's suggestion wasn't meant to help, but hinder. Braviary turned to Espeon and Umbreon. "As fer you two. I want you coming with me to see the Guildmaster pronto."
The order caused Espeon to arc her back and hiss, fur standing on end.
"Espy!" Umbreon gasped.
"No. I'm not going anywhere near him!" she cried. "I can sense his energy." She shot Umbreon a despondent look. "I'll bet he's been going through my memories since we got here. And that's why I can't get them out of my head."
"Be quiet!" Braviary cawed. Several Pokémon near him jumped in surprise. "This can go one of two ways, missy. Either you see the Guildmaster and, if'n he clears y'all, we'll patch the two of you up. Or I take you to Officer Magnezone and you can look forward to rotting in jail." His eyes narrowed at them. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Umbreon gave his partner a worried look and gestured at Braviary. Espeon slumped over in defeat. "... fine. Take us to him," she whispered meekly.
"Good. Maybe then y'all can start thinking 'bout how yer gonna make things up to us."
Espeon flinched. "M-Make things up? No! I can't. I don't want to get involved." She looked at Umbreon, who shook his head solemnly. "Umbry, please don't make me do this," she squeaked.
"We don't have a choice, Espy," Umbreon whispered. "Not after what we've done."
"Exactly. Now, follow me." Braviary walked forward and shooed the duo off toward Metagross' office. The rest of the group returned to the infirmary. Shane looked at Null. He didn't have to say anything for Null to pick up on his nervousness over Braviary's sudden shift in demeanor. But Null had nothing to offer Shane. He trudged toward the infirmary.
Before Shane could follow him, one of Magearna's mechanical arms blocked his path.
A moment please, human, Magearna requested. I could not help but notice that, from the sound of things, the move you used to defeatify Espeon and Umbreon was not normal.
"Yeah," Shane confirmed. He lifted his foreleg up. "My looplet glowed while it happened. And then the glow faded and the gem turned all gray." He glanced at the looplet. "It looks like the color's back, though."
Ah… it can't be!
Sparks landed on Shane's shoulders. He stumbled backwards with a whine. Magearna slumped over, a wayward current racing across her body. Shane's tails shot into the air. "W-What the—" He looked around the room in confusion. "S-Somebody help! I think Magearna's busted," he cried.
"What do you mean busted?" Togedemaru asked, popping out from the infirmary. "She's a living being!" The heads of several of his guild mates joined Togedemaru in the doorway.
Magearna righted herself and blinked her mechanical eyes. My goodness. That was the most intense surge in shockification levels I've ever felt since my circuitry activated. I've never gone to one hundred percent so quickly. But forget that!She turned to Shane. How could I not have realizinated this earlier? Oh, I am going to need numerous shame algorithms to process this blunder. She brought her arms up against her face and shook it repeatedly.
"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what's wrong already," Shane begged. "Is it the looplet? Is it trying to kill me?" He put his foreleg on the ground and frantically tried to push the anklet off, to no avail.
No, no. Quite the opposite, actually, Magearna said. That is no ordinary looplet. What you have there is a Naturia Looplet.
"No way!" "It can't be!" "I thought those were a myth." "How the heck did he get one?"
Shane's ears twitched from the chorus of whispers behind him. "Okay, someone's going to have to loop me in, because I'm quite confused." He paused for a moment. "Heh… loop. That's a good one." A series of annoyed groans rang out from the infirmary, making his ears scrunch up. "Hey, that was clever, dang it!" Shane huffed.
A Naturia Looplet is a looplet imbued with the life energy of one of the Land Spirits, Magearna explained. Judging by the green colorification on that gem, I calculate a greater than ninety-nine percent chance that it was Tapu Bulu who gave you that.
"But I've never met a Tapu Tofu before. I don't even know what it looks like," Shane said, staring blankly at his looplet.
"Tapu Boo-loo, you dork! Are you trying to get us all cursed or something?" Togedemaru said.
You say you've never met him, but that has to be his life energy I'm detectinating. These readings are astronomical!Magearna said, eyes flickering rapidly. And, from what it sounds like, you used a Z-Move against Espeon and Umbreon. Only the power of a Naturia Looplet can grant a normal Pokémon access to Z-Moves.
"Wait, that was a Z-Move?" Shane gasped. His jaw fell open. "You mean this whole time I could've—" He fell to the floor and buried his head under his forepaws. "Aggh! You big, dumb, stupid idiot!" He smacked his cheek multiple times. "Do you realize how much trouble you could've prevented if you'd used it earlier? You're so pathetic, Shane!"
"Huh. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting," Togedemaru mused.
"Yeah, I figured he was going to start prancing around the place singing about how awesome he is," Haunter added. "I guess I dragged these out of my room for no reason." He nonchalantly chucked the Haunter-colored maracas in his hands over his shoulder. Misdreavus caught them in her spectral hair and disappeared into the floor with them.
Don't beat yourself up too much. It's been so long since a normal Pokémon's been seen with one, it was assumed they were only meant for Totem Pokémon to use, Magearna said.
"But wait. This could be really important!"
Cold air bristled Shane's shoulder. "Gah!" He jumped backwards. "When did you get here?"
"S-Sorry! I'm sorry," Mimikyu squeaked, swiveling his makeshift tail forward to cover his eyes. "You guys were so busy talking, I didn't want to say anything."
"Well, you're talking now," Togedemaru said. "Go on, finish your thought."
"Well, Shane said that the very last thing Espeon and Umbreon were hit with was the Z-Move, yes?" Mimikyu said, drawing a nod from Shane. "And they're here with us now, right? As opposed to getting turned into colorless, motionless statues?"
"Yeah," Shane said.
Ah, I see what you're getting at, Magearna said.
"Right. What if Shane's Z-Move can free Pokémon from the Prism Virus?" Mimikyu proposed.
Shane's eyes widened as the realization sank in that he had freed them. "Then we might have a way to save infected Pokémon after all," he said.
Don't get too carried away. If the data I have is true, you can only use a Z-Move once in a Mystery Dungeon, Magearna cautioned. Judging by your explanolation earlier, I believe that is the case with your looplet.
Shane's ears folded against his head. "So, I've got to pick and choose when to use it, huh? That dampens things." He looked down at the looplet once again. "But wait, isn't there any way we could try to get more of these? If Z-Moves can stop the Prism Virus, then everyone in the guild should have a Naturia Looplet."
"It's not that simple, genius," Togedemaru scoffed. "Naturia Looplets are only granted to worthy Pokémon by the Land Spirits. And that means you have to be able to find one of them and prove you deserve the looplet." She rubbed her chin. "Then again, if you got one without even knowing how, maybe it's not as hard as the legends say."
"Hey! No need to dis me like that," Shane growled.
"It wasn't an insult. Just an observation," Togedemaru said, frowning.
Shane still gave Togedemaru a nasty look before turning back to Magearna. "Isn't there any way to figure out where the Tapus are hiding?"
I might be able to generatify a plan, given some time, Magearna said. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my workshop. She disappeared into the hallway she had popped out of earlier.
Shane sighed and rubbed his head. "Now what?" he muttered. "I have all this new information, but it doesn't feel like there's a thing I can do with it!"
"Maybe focus on healing up first?" Mimikyu said. Shane gave him a look of disbelief. Mimikyu flinched. "A-Ah! It was just a suggestion, that's all. Y-You can go do whatever you want." He quickly shuffled backward.
Shane walked past Mimikyu, glancing down the stairs. Tessa had run down here earlier. He figured he should check to make sure she was okay. "Hey! I'm going downstairs to find my partner. Don't anyone go yelling at me for entering the veterans' quarters this time, okay?" he announced.
"Sure, buddy. Whatever you say."
"Gah!"
Drifloon popped out of the wall. Shane leaped up in surprise, hit the edge of the stairs, and tumbled down them. His joints rattled with every step he hit until he landed at the bottom in a fuzzy white heap.
"Huh. And here I thought Vulpixes always landed gracefully," Drifloon mused, disappearing back into the wall.
Shane groaned and staggered to his feet. He really hated those ghosts. Shane looked down the veterans' quarters, narrowing his eyes to adjust to the lower lighting conditions. "Riolu? Hey, Riolu! Are you down here?" At first, he heard no response. However, his ears soon twitched.
He should've known Tessa would go to her mother's room. Though, with the conclusion he had drawn earlier, the thought of entering said room unsettled him. Nonetheless, Shane padded forward and glanced toward the appropriate doorway. The room was as messy as he recalled it being at the start of the week. He caught a flash of blue in his field of vision and turned his attention toward the far corner of the room.
Prisma's bed sat buried underneath a bookshelf that had toppled over, scattering books all around it. It was at the foot of the bed that Tessa lay curled up into a ball. She clasped her scarf and a piece of paper in her paws. While she wasn't bawling her eyes out anymore, her soft, muffled whimpers made the fur in Shane's ears tingle.
"Riolu," he whispered, stepping into the room. Tessa's aura feelers twitched the moment his forepaw hit the ground. She pivoted, turning her back toward the doorway. Shane's tails fell to the ground. "Riolu, I'm sorry," he said, continuing toward her. "I don't know what to say."
He reached Tessa's side while she attempted to curl up into an even tighter ball. His heart sank. This wasn't fair. Tessa didn't deserve this. Not after everything that had happened over the last few days. This was supposed to be a fresh start for the team.
"Please," Tessa whispered, making Shane's ears twitch. "Please… just be quiet. I don't want to talk right now."
Shane opened his mouth, only to slowly close it and silently bow his head. He couldn't leave her alone any longer. "C… can I join you, at least?"
Tessa didn't reply, which technically meant she didn't refuse his offer. So, Shane slid down beside her. It wasn't long before Tessa shifted her position, so her head came to rest against his side. He avoided eye contact, instead glancing at the paper in her paws. It was a photo. One of a younger Tessa and Gallian, together with an even-younger Eevee. Incineroar and Sylveon were both in the background, holding up an Eevee-shaped cake.
"You guys were really close," Shane said, only for his eyes to widen. He meant to think that, not say it. Where had his inner monologue gone?
"They were practically family," Tessa said. She rubbed her face against his hide. Her snot seeped into Shane's fur as he suppressed a grimace. "And… and now they're gone. Just like everyone else."
They fell back into silence as Tessa stared at the picture. There was a longing gaze in her eyes. "Is there anything I can do? Y'know, to help and stuff?" Shane said, praying she would respond.
"Tell me… that it's going to be okay," Tessa said, blinking tears out of her eyes.
"Huh?"
"Tell me that they're not really gone!" Tessa cried, grabbing Shane's face and swiveling it to meet her tearful gaze. "Tell me we can find a way to bring them back!"
"Uh… w-well… I d-don't really…"
"There has to be way! There just has to," Tessa blubbered. "All the other times the world was in danger, the heroes fixed everything.They made happy endings for everyone. So, why should this be any different?"
Shane's muzzle stiffened. That was true for his games back home, too.
"Come on. You're always going on and on about how well you know the stories. Tell me that once we beat the Prism Virus, they'll come back!" Tessa pleaded. "That all we need to do is stop Zero... and I'll have my friends back!"
"I… um..." Shane shut his eyes and forced himself to look away. "You're right. We can't give up hope."
"I knew it."
"Hmm?" Shane opened his eyes to find Tessa staring down at the photo again.
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Tessa whispered. "They're gone. They're gone and they're never… they're…" She curled back up into a ball.
"Wait. No! No, I really believe it," Shane insisted, though the uncertainty in his voice was plain as day. "B-But you're not of any help to them all banged up like this. We, erm, we need to get you all healed up."
"No."
"Huh? B-But—"
"Please… just leave me alone."
"Riolu—"
"Shane, I need some space right now. I'm not going to hurt myself or anything," Tessa said.
He wanted to believe her, but wouldn't forgive himself if he left her alone when she really needed help. "But—"
"Get out, Shane," Tessa said. After a long pause, she added, "Please."
Shane frowned. He felt so useless. Shane wondered if maybe he should get Null to help Tessa. He got to his feet, continuing to stare at her. After a minute of Tessa lying still, Shane made up his mind. He silently walked out of the room. His gaze remained fixed on the floor as he trudged up the stairs. When he arrived back at the assembly room, he spotted Espeon and Umbreon walking out of the Guildmaster's office. Blank expressions sat on their faces.
"You two!" he shouted, stomping up toward them. "What else aren't you telling us about the Prism Virus, huh? And Zero, for that matter?"
Espeon and Umbreon exchanged panicked looks. "We've said everything we know. Honest," Umbreon replied.
"Well, I'm not convinced," Shane huffed. "What happens to the Pokémon who turn colorless, huh? Is there any way to bring them back?"
"This is about your partner's friends, isn't it?" Espeon said, frowning.
"Of course it is!" Shane barked. How could she act so stoic about this? He stood up on the tips of his toes and got into Espeon's face. Espeon took a cautious step backwards. "You hurt her. You hurt her badly. And if that wasn't bad enough, you flat-out admitted you were aware of what you were doing the entire time!"
Espeon shuffled backwards. "Stop reminding me of how much I screwed up. It's bad enough I'm stuck with all these memories. I don't need you making it worse!"
"What more do you want us to say?" Umbreon asked. "You saw what happened to Riolu's friends. There's no coming back from that. I'm sorry."
Shane pulled his lips back into a snarl. "That's not good enough!" he shouted, pushing his face against Espeon's chest. She slid back once again. One of her hind paws slipped out from behind her. With a yelp, Espeon slipped into Bruxish's pond.
"Espy!" Umbreon cried. He tackled Shane to the ground. "What the heck is your problem, kid?"
"My problem?! What's your problem?" Shane hissed, squirming about underneath the dark-type. "You're brushing over Riolu's losses. Didn't you see how devastated she was? You at least owe her a big… no, a huge apology! No… more than that. You need to fix this! You need to make things right!"
"Come on. You didn't think we'd at least apologize?" Umbreon huffed. "How do you think we're feeling right now, huh? This isn't going to do anyone any good. Least of all your friend!"
"Goooooood heavens," Bruxish's voice carried from the pond as a soggy Espeon splashed up next to her partner. "Warn a fellow before you go diving into their home, dahling. You nearly made my heart stop." Bruxish disappeared back under the surface, muttering something to himself. Espeon turned and glared at Shane.
"Oh brother. Suck it up. A little water never hurt anyone," Shane growled, recalling his multitude of unwanted dips. He fixed his gaze on Espeon, but heat soon rushed into his face and he looked away.
"Why are you being so nasty toward us?" Espeon asked, trying to shake herself dry to little avail. "We realize what we've done is wrong."
"Then go apologize to Riolu. Now!" Shane said, huffing out frost. "And, while you're at it, why not try to make up for what you did and help us figure out a way to beat the Prism Virus? You're both really smart. I'm sure you can think of something if you put your heads together."
Espeon slapped her forepaw on the ground. Water droplets splattered against Shane's cheek. He flinched and turned away. "Don't you get it," she said. "There's nothing we can do. You saw Zero's powers for yourself. Our normal abilities alone aren't good enough to stop her."
Shane wriggled free. He bolted to his feet and snorted another tuft of frost at Umbreon. "I can't believe you two!" he spat. "Moping about in defeat like she's already won. I always thought you two were so cool... the way you helped stop Kyurem and the Bittercold. You were heroes to me! I... I..." Shane's gaze fell onto Espeon. He watched water drip off her fur.
He turned away, a look of uncertainty on his face. "I guess it's true what they say. Never meet your heroes. You just wind up getting disappointed by what you see," he growled.
Umbreon opened his mouth to retort when a half-avian, half-furry foreleg reached out in front of him. He followed the limb to Null's body, locked eyes, and then abruptly looked away.
"… I think you two… should give us the room…"
Umbreon nodded slowly. "Come on, Espy. Let's go dry you off," he said. They then left Null alone with Shane.
Turning to Shane, Null rasped, "Okay. What's with the attitude? You totally… flew off the handle... at them."
"No, I didn't. They deserved it," Shane said. "I was doing it for Tessa." When Null responded with an unamused look, Shane shouted, "It's not fair!" He then lashed out at the wall, only to quickly withdraw his throbbing paw with a whimper.
"I've worked hard. I've gotten stronger. I'm patching things up with everyone. So, why did we fail again?" Shane said. "Every time I go up against the Prism Virus, things go wrong! And it's getting worse, not better." He collapsed to the ground, burying his head in his forelegs.
"Shane," Null whispered, extending a foreleg toward him.
"Don't 'Shane' me!" Shane hissed, swiping Null's foreleg away. "You don't get how messed up all of this is. I…" He shut his eyes and scrunched up his face. "Null… I can't do this. I can't do this anymore."
"What are you... talking about?"
"The dungeon-crawling. Fighting the Prism Virus. It's too much! I'm in too far over my head!" Shane said. He couldn't hold it back any longer. Tears trickled down his cheeks. "Zero… is Tessa's mom."
"That's impossible."
"I'm sure of it," Shane whimpered. "Don't you get it? The answer was sitting in front of me the whole time, but I was too stupid to notice it!" He let out an unhinged laugh. "Tessa's mom is a human. That's why Tessa and Gallian have names. She's a human... and she's been here god only knows how long. Now she's trying to destroy the world!"
"I don't… believe you. Zero… didn't sound… anything like a girl," Null said, shaking his head.
"Believe it. I saw her outline up close, Null," Shane said. "She had the figure of a Lucario. She was wearing Egyptian clothing. She had a mask of Anubis over her face! Anubis is the inspiration for Lucario in my world." He buried his face in his forelegs, shivering. "It can't be anyone else. It's her." He looked up at Null, blinking tears out of his eyes. "This is too much. I can't fight against Tessa's mom. Now when she's got crazy powers."
"What about Tessa?" Null whispered.
Shane bolted to his feet, tails fanning out in panic. "We can't tell her anything!"
Null tensed up. "What are you saying? It's her mom. She's been trying… to find out what happened to her… since she got here," he growled.
"That doesn't matter. You saw her for yourself. She's a mess!" Shane said. "If we tell her that her mom's Zero, then… then she's going to kill herself for sure!"
Null stepped forward. His stone helmet jammed Shane's snout backward. "We have to tell her," he hissed. "If we don't… and she finds out on her own… then what do you think… is going to happen?"
"Well... um..." Shane hopped backward. "You want to tell her? Fine!" he growled. He stepped to the side and gestured toward the stairs. "Be my guest. Well, go on. What are you waiting for? March on down there, look her in the eyes, and tell her, 'Hi, Riolu. Sorry about your friends. Oh, by the way, your mom's the one who killed them. Because she's a murderous psychopath now!'"
Null tackled a squealing Shane to the ground. "What are you doing?" Shane said. "Help! Somebody he— mmfffgh!"
Null grabbed Shane's snout in his talons. "Stop… stop it!" he snarled, thrashing his head about. Shane swore he heard Null's voice crack. "Do you think… I like this? Riolu's my... best friend. I don't want… to see her in pain. I don't want… to see either of you… tearing yourselves apart like this." He leaned down, digging his helmet into Shane's ribs. "But we have to tell her. She deserves to know… what's going on."
Silence fell over the two of them. Shane stopped struggling. He couldn't think up a counterargument. Null was right. Keeping this big of a secret from Tessa would do far more harm than good in the long run. And he couldn't subject Tessa to something like that. Still, there was a big problem in front of them.
"How?" Shane squeaked. "How can we possibly break news like this to her?"
"I don't know," Null said. "But we'll have... to think of something. I dunno… maybe ease her... into the conversation? Didn't she say… she was having dream visions… about her mom... and Lunala?" Shane nodded silently. "Then just based on... what Espeon and Umbreon told us… we have a place to start."
"Do we have to do it right now?" Shane whimpered.
"I guess not," Null sighed. "We can… think on it… overnight. But tomorrow… we have to say something…" He stepped off Shane and extended his foreleg. "I'm sorry… for snapping at you."
Shane got to his feet of his own accord. "Apology accepted," he said, letting out a dejected sigh. He briefly wondered if he should apologize for the outburst, but instead said, "Wanna know the worst part of all of this? It's that Gallian, was right! We failed Sylveon and Eevee." He lifted his head up and looked at Null. "What am I supposed to do, huh? At this rate, I don't stand a chance against Zero!"
"… you could evolve…" Null whispered, poking the ground with a talon.
Shane's ears twitched. "You're kidding, right?" he said, adding a bitter laugh
"Does it sound... like I'm kidding?" Null asked.
"I can't evolve," Shane said. "Think about the other times the world was in danger. Every time it happened, something prevented the heroes from evolving. I'm sure the Prism Virus is doing some weird, alien mumbo-jumbo to the continent. Which means I'm stuck as a weak, frail Vulpix."
"But you keep mentioning… how much different this feels... from those other times," Null said. "Maybe that means... you can evolve. Don't you think… it's at least worth a shot?"
"Bah! I don't want to get my hopes up," Shane dismissed. "Besides, how would an ice-type Vulpix even evolve, anyway? What, is there an Ice Stone or something?"
Null coughed and looked away.
Shane's expression stiffened. "Oh my god, there's totally an Ice Stone in this world, isn't there?" he said. Null nodded slowly. "Okay, well, even if I could evolve, what about Tessa, huh? Riolus are supposed to evolve into Lucarios when they're extremely happy. Tessa's about as far from that juncture as you could possibly get right now!"
"That's not necessarily true."
Shane's ears swiveled in front of him. He looked up and saw Tessa walking toward him. Espeon and Umbreon stood a few paces behind her. "T-Tessa!" he squeaked. "I… I mean Riolu! Are you, y'know, okay? Feeling better?"
"I'm fine," Tessa said, rubbing her nose with a paw. "You're wrong, though. Happiness isn't the only way to get a Riolu to evolve." She clasped her shoulder and looked away. "Mom told me that, if a Riolu can learn to fully tap into its aura, it'll evolve into Lucario. But she was in charge of my aura training. It's been almost eight months since I've had any real practice with it."
Shane's stance slouched. "Then, it's hopeless, isn't it? We're both going to be stuck in our base evolutions. And we'll be totally powerless against the Prism Virus," he said.
"Maybe not."
"I had an idea," Umbreon said as Shane gave him an unconvinced look. "That Z-Move you used on us, it left you positively brimming with energy while it was happening."
Espeon sighed. "He's right, you know. Your life energy erupted like a geyser. You emitted an aura so strong I thought it would blind my psionic sense." She looked at Umbreon. "But what does that have to do with controlling raw aura, anyway?"
"If Riolu uses a Z-Move, it's possible that the sudden surge of energy she would experience could be enough to jump-start her aura sense and trigger an evolution," Umbreon said. "Of course, it's only a theory. There's no guarantee it would work. Still, you ought to try."
"I thought you two had already given up?" Shane huffed, giving a dismissive flick of his snout. Though his gaze remained fix on Espeon's damp fur.
Espeon and Umbreon looked at each other and their gazes fell guiltily. "I guess you could say your partner reminded us of something important. Something worth fighting for," Espeon whispered. Shane gave Tessa a curious look, but she immediately turned away, pulling up her scarf to cover her face.
"There's one problem with that idea, though," Shane said. "I can't get this Naturia Looplet off me! It's practically a part of me. Like Null's helmet." His muzzle stiffened and he shot Null a nervous look. Null huffed and shook his head, ruffling his chest plumage.
"Then we'll have to find another one," Umbreon said. "Espy and I are…" His voice trailed off and he looked at Espeon. She stiffened, but she gave a single nod. "Right," Umbreon said. "Yeah. Espy and I are willing to help. Researching magical energies is a specialty of ours, after all."
"I guess we could use your help," Tessa whispered, biting her lip.
"Then it's settled," Umbreon said. "We might not have a plan, per se. But that's what tomorrow's for. In the meantime, you should get healed up."
Shane and Tessa glanced at each other. They both gave nods and proceeded toward the infirmary. Null tagged along after them, slowly shaking his head. Espeon's tail flicked to her left, flinging water droplets onto the wall. "What do you think, Umbry?" she asked.
"They're no Haxorus and Raichu, that's for sure," Umbreon said. "But they're neck deep in all of this craziness. Like it or not, we have to help them."
Espeon lowered her head in resignation. "I understand."
Aaaaaaand the episode's getting extended by another chapter. Because this one was getting too long.
So, next time: the Prism Virus replenishes its ranks at the guild's expense. Also, some dragon and sea bird fluff. Yes, you read that correctly.