Ho-kay, so, this chapter. Originally, this was going to be a two-scene bonus. And then the last chapter started getting too big for its britches, so a lot of that content was spun off and combined with the bonus scenes... which basically led to all of this getting rewritten. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 38: Peering Over the Horizon

~Sea Shrine~

With a loud groan, Lugia hoisted himself out of a pool of water. Tears stung his eyes. He pulled his wing close to his side. Lugia cursed himself out. He had messed it up badly. Not even Roost could fix it up. Lugia glanced down from his watery perch, frowning. There was no way he could safely jump down to his nest. What was he supposed to do, now? This injury could put him out of commission for a while.

"Lugia!"

His eyes widened. Latias lay on top of one the stone pillars. Why was she here? She hadn't even sent word she'd be visiting.

"T-Tia," he said. "What are you doing here?" He pivoted to his right in a poor attempt at hiding his broken wing, but Latias had already spotted the injury. Worry flashed across her face and she sped over to him.

"I wanted to come see you. But never mind that. You're hurt! What happened to you?" she said.

"It's… it's nothing," Lugia said, pivoting further to the right. Latias hovered around to face his broken wing.

"Let me see," she said. Lugia sighed and dropped his left wing. Latias gazed at the swollen, misshapen limb and grimaced. "I can fix this. I'm sure of it," she whispered.

"Tia, you don't have to waste energy on my behalf," Lugia insisted.

"You don't need to pull the tough guy routine on me, you know," Latias said, scowling at him. "You really think I'm just going to let you sit here with a broken wing? No! I'm leaving for Horizon tomorrow and I'd like to rest easy knowing my mate's okay."

Lugia's jaw slackened. "Wait, what?"

This gave Latias the opening she needed. She pointed a claw at him. Soft, multicolored light hit Lugia's wing. It enveloped his feathers. His bruises faded away and his wing bent back into its proper angle. A surge of pain flooded Lugia's limb. Hissing, his eyes snapped shut. Luckily, the pain faded. Lugia looked at his mended wing and cautiously flapped it.

"There. Was that really so bad?" Latias said.

"No," Lugia sighed.

Latias hovered forward and brushed her head and neck against his wing. "And, even if your pride's telling you otherwise, I don't think any less of you for accepting my help." She craned her neck up to peck him on the cheek. Lugia fought to hide a blush.

"It… it's not that I didn't want your help, Tia. It's just… it's really embarrassing that I let this happen to me. I'm supposed to be a sea guardian, and I let the water get the better of me today," Lugia said, tail curling up. He turned his face away from her. "Last time I felt this humiliated, I let Hoopa spike my berry juice at Reshiram's summer solstice party."

"Well, do you think you could tell me what happened?" Latias asked.

"Only if you tell me what you meant with that Horizon nonsense," Lugia replied, to which Latias nodded. "Okay. It's the undersea currents. The moon has seriously screwed them up. A nasty whirlpool popped up off the coast of Treasure Town today. I tried to reach out to Kyogre for her help, but she refused to leave her home."

"So, I had to try and dispel the whirlpool all on my own," Lugia whispered, shuddering. He lowered his head shamefully. "I misjudged the amount of room I had to safely maneuver around it. I got sucked in and tossed into a jagged rock."

The mental image made Latias wince. "Oh, Lugia, I'm so sorry," she squeaked.

"That broke my wing," Lugia continued. "I'm just lucky I was able to swim back here safely."

"Why didn't you just surface and get help? I'm sure Wigglytuff's Guild would've lent you a hand," Latias said.

Lugia glared disapprovingly. "Seriously, Latias? I wasn't about to go up to a guild and admit to all its Pokémon that I failed at my job." He shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to understand…"

Latias' cheeks puffed up. "… why? Because I'm 'just a Latias?'" Her amber eyes narrowed. "You sound like Rayquaza, you know. 'I'm not surprised Dark Matter got to you first. You and your brother are disgraces to dragon-kind! Hardly befitting the title of lesser god!'"

Lugia flinched and looked away, but Latias continued, "I know you don't like guilds, but couldn't you at least try to understand? I don't just sit around in Lively Town, twiddling my claws day in and day out. These last couple of weeks have been really stressful for me." She teared up. "I came to see you because I'm leaving for Horizon and… and…"

She buried her face in Lugia's neck and shivered. His feathers stood on end. Sure, Latias had come to him full of worries before, but this case seemed especially troubling. "Tuh-Tia? What's the matter? Did something bad happen to you?" His eyes narrowed. "Is someone on the Horizon Continent giving you trouble?"

"It's me," she said, voice cracking. Lugia raised a confused brow. "I'm the problem. I was in Horizon last week, trying to run a mission, and things went really badly. N-Now I have to go back… and I might have to face down a Pokémon that wants to kill me!"

"What?! Then don't go! Your safety comes first, Tia," Lugia said, eyes widening. He draped his left wing over her in an embrace. "For pity's sake, I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

"Lugia..." Latias shifted up, her feathers brushing his underbelly. She leaned her head up next to his. "Don't you get it? I have to go. I have to do this."

"No, you don't," Lugia countered, pulling her out of the embrace and sternly putting his wings on top of hers. "You don't owe those Pokémon anything."

"Yes, I do! We all do. 'Those Pokémon' are the only reason I'm here," Latias said, brow furrowing. "They're… they're the only reason we're both still here. And you know that. You just refuse to admit it."

"That's not..." Lugia's voice trailed off. She was right. He didn't have any semblance of a counterargument.

"You… Rayquaza… I swear, a ton of you are trying to pretend like Dark Matter didn't happen. Like it was a fluke! Sometimes it feels like you guys think that, somehow, if you ignore everything that went wrong, there won't be any fallout," Latias continued. "But Dark Matter did happen. And now we're starting to see the repercussions."

Lugia looked away guiltily, but Latias swiveled his head back to face her. "Something's wrong with the world, Lugia. Don't tell me you don't think there's a problem. Because if there wasn't, a 'random whirlpool' wouldn't have gotten the better of you!" she said, jabbing a claw into his right wing.

"What do you want me to say?" Lugia croaked, not wanting things to escalate further. "Nobody's helping me. I'm trying to do the best I can to counter these strange currents, but I've never dealt with something like this. And Mom didn't, either. Even when the natural disasters were at their worst, Mom had everything under control."

"I know that, sweetie," Latias whispered, floating forward to peck him on the cheek. "And now I need to step in and do the best that I can, too. I won't let what happened with Dark Matter happen again. The Expedition Society thinks the Horizon Guild's heavily involved in all the stuff with the moon. So, I'm going over there to investigate." She fidgeted with her claws. "And I came here… I came here to say goodbye. Because…" She gulped. "… I don't know if I'm going to make it back."

"Latias—"

"I'm scared, Lugia!" she squeaked, embracing him again. "I don't want to face this 'God Killer.' And I don't want to face whatever's messing with the moon." She gazed up into Lugia's eyes. "But… but I don't want to lose you. And I don't want to lose Latios. I can't go through that again. That's why I have to go. I need to do whatever I can… to keep you both safe."

"Luh… Latias... have you even told your brother about us?" Lugia said, face flushing.

Latias hung her head shamefully and shook it.

"Even after three years, you still can't muster up the courage to tell him?" Lugia asked. "Surely—"

"I know, Lugia, It's pathetic. I'm pathetic," Latias said, wings drooping. "Maybe Rayquaza's right. Maybe I am useless."

Lugia pressed his wing against Latias' snout. "Don't listen to him. Look, I may be on better terms with Ray than you are, but I'll be the first to admit there are times when he should… oh, how do I put this delicately?"

"… shove his tail down his throat and suck on it?"

Sweat drops ran down the back of Lugia's head. "That's… uh… well, I guess that's one way of looking at it."

Latias couldn't help but giggle. "You're right, though, Lugia. That's why, when this is all said and done, I'll come clean. I'll tell big brother you're my mate. But right now, I'm all he has. I don't want him to feel like he's lost me to you. He's my only family. He raisedme, even when we were both just hatchlings. He's the one who kept me going when we were running from Dark Matter... and I wanted to give up because I was too tired."

Lugia spotted his blurry reflection in Latias' teary eyes. "I understand," he said, tickling Latias' chin with his wing. "Do what you have to do. And, if there's any way you can think of for me to help, don't hesitate to—"

"Stay safe. I'm not saying to hide here, but watch your back. Keep your psionic sense sharp. Because we don't know what's out there. So, we need to be on our guard," Latias said.

Lugia nodded. "You got it, Tia. So, does this mean you're leaving right now?"

Latias's ears fell against her head. "I think that'd be best…"

Lugia craned his neck around Latias' and nestled her cheek. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay just a bit longer?" He pursed his lips and blew a small jet of cool air against Latias' ear.

Latias squeaked. Her face reddened. "W-Well… maybe I could stay a few more minutes," she said, feathers standing on end.

~Celestial Island~

"No! Stop! Stop! What do you think you're doing, you imbecilic Xurkitrees? I said right, not left!"

Across from Necrozma, four giant messes of coiled wires stiffened. The large crystalline bed they were holding shook. Electricity emerged from the sparking stars serving as the Xurkitrees' nuclei. Lightning raced down their cable-like limbs and surged across a purple shag carpet. The fibers stuck straight up. Necrozma looked down at them and grimaced.

"Yes. You four. I am talking to you. Do you see any other Xurkitrees here? No!" Necrozma said, pointing a wing at the quartet. "I am this close to finally having a place I can call home and are ruining everything. Now, all of you, take three steps to your right."

The Xurkitrees stepped to their left. A black energy beam grazed a Xurkitrees' nucleus. It crackled, vaguely sounding like someone walking across a sheet of bubble wrap.

"How many times do I have to say this? Move right, not left! These are basic directions. Do you foolish Ultra Beasts really not know your lefts from your rights?" Necrozma shouted. Behind him, two white jellyfish floated down from the ceiling. Chittering, they extended some of their tentacles toward Necrozma. "Okay, okay, back off. I get the memo," Necrozma growled, waving them away with his right hand. It spasmed, forcing him to bring it against his chest.

"Stupid Zero, making me open all those Wormholes. I'd have been done by now if I wasn't too tired to use Psychic."He sighed and shook his head. Let's try this again. Take three steps that way." He pointed to his left.

The Xurkitree slid over to their right. Their heads flickered multiple times. Necrozma tapped his chin with a claw. He held his hand up, shut his right eye, and cocked his head to the side. "Yes... Finally! It's positively perfect!" He pointed down. The Xurkitrees released their grips on the bed. It dropped to the ground. Necrozma flew onto it. He spread his wings out and sighed in content.

"After centuries of being stuck with nothing... I finally have a bed. I have a room!" He let out an unhinged laugh. "Oh, how I've missed this feeling! Cloud-like foam under my body. Soft silken sheets against my flesh. It's been eonssince I've experienced this."

He floated back up into the air and looked at the Xurkitrees. "I appreciate the help. Really, I do. But even with the bed... the pain is still here. So, I'm afraid I must ask you for one teeny, tiny, little thing." His third eye glowed brightly. "I want your light!"

He spread his wings apart. Four black beams raced out around him. Each struck a Xurkitree, sapping the colors from their bodies and sending them into Necrozma's open mouth. Their corpses slumped to the ground. Crystals coated them, only for Necrozma to blow them up with purple Shadow Balls. Behind Necrozma, the jellyfish frantically waved their tentacles about and chittered angrily.

"Don't give me that tone, you stupid Nihilegos," Necrozma spat. "You have no idea what it's like for your spirit to be fractured. I had to make the pain go away. I had to take their light. It was the only way!"

Before the Nihilegos could respond, Necrozma tensed. Zero's voice echoed through his mind, saying, "Necky, I'm finished for the day. Bring me home."

Necrozma sighed. He lazily lifted his right arm and an Ultra Wormhole popped up in the center of the room. Zero walked out of it. She took three steps before stumbling. The Nihilegos descended toward her.

"Back off!" Zero hissed, swinging her scepter around. The Nihilegos drifted away, swaying back and forth. Zero descended into a fit of raucous coughing. She dropped to one knee and her mask and scepter fell to the ground with a pair of loud clangs.

"Oh?" A grin wove its way onto Necrozma's mouth. Zero lunged for her mask, but a pink glow surrounded it. An unseen force yanked it into the air. "Oops. How silly of me. I should really be more careful, shouldn't I?"

"Necky, what do you think you're doing?" Zero hissed. Her limbs shook. Red liquid pooled at the base of her lone eye. She reached a trembling paw toward him. "Give me my mask."

"You mean this mask?" Necrozma said, pulling it back and looking directly at it. "I'm not doing anything to it. You want it… take it." He looked down at Zero. Blood trickled from her left eye, coating her burnt flesh and patches of gray fur.

Zero's nostrils flared. "This isn't funny, Necky! I… I'm in pain. Give me back the mask!" she cried, her voice cracking.

"Yes, you look quite uncomfortable. But I don't really care. I'm in pain, too. And you've never once offered sympathy to me. Why should I return the favor?" Necrozma said, floating over to her while keeping the mask suspended high above him. "Especially when you can rid us both of all this pain. You just have to let me pluck my core out of your skull… and there'll be no more suffering for either of us."

Necrozma placed his claws on the tips of Zero's mutilated snout. He walked them toward her right eye socket. He stuck his index claw out, tapping the rainbow prism wedged into Zero's right eye socket. Multicolored light spiraled across his arm. He licked his lips and whispered, "Wouldn't you like to stop needing light to survive?"

"Give me the mask, Necky!"

Zero grabbed Necrozma's face. The claws in her metallic armor dug into his forehead. Her arm distorted. It flickered so violently that it seemed to detach from her body. The static spread onto Necrozma. Afterimages fanned out in all directions. Necrozma fell to the ground with a guttural screech. He clawed at his face with his wing-digits, while Zero grabbed the mask and reattached it to her face. She took in several shuddering breaths.

"Skreeeep! Muh… mistress! Don't do that! It hurts! It hurts!" Necrozma hissed, arms convulsing as if they were about to shoot off of his body.

"Then… listen to me… when I tell you… to give me my mask," Zero panted. She grabbed her scepter and slowly stood up. But her legs grew weak. She braced against the staff for support. "Light… get me light…"

"And why should I do that? You don't seem to be in the best frame of mine right now. Hell, you attacked me," Necrozma said.

Zero fixed her eye on Necrozma. "If you want your precious core back, then you need me at full strength. Otherwise, all that light you rant about will fade away."

Necrozma glared at Zero. "That's my core you're misusing!"

"The more time you waste, the more energy seeps away," Zero chided. "Now, I don't care what Pokémon you take. Just get. Me. Light."

"... fine. Your wish is my command... mistress," he hissed, disappearing into an Ultra Wormhole. Zero stood there, slouched against her staff, panting heavily and staring at the blood on her paw. She couldn't keep this up. Necrozma was getting testier.

The sound of bodies hitting the floor jolted her out of her stupor. She didn't even bother looking up to see what sort of Pokémon Necrozma had taken for her. "Consume," she rasped, shakily raising her bloody paw. Red and black energy shot forward. Zero's arm fell limply by her side. Warmth spread across her body from the tip of her snout. The searing pain disappeared. Zero took a few steps backward. A couch lined with bright white feathers materialized out of the floor. She unknowingly sat on it, and allowed herself to lie down.

"Feeling better now?" Necrozma scoffed. "Good. Tell me again why you won't let me take my core back. You'd be so much happier without the bulk of my spirit festering inside you. I just want to put an end to all this pain. I'm tired of siphoning off Lunala's spirit. She's fighting me from the inside!"

"And your spirit's fighting me from inside. So be quiet, Necky," Zero hissed, pressing her mask tight against her face. "It's thanks to you that this stupid core is stuck inside me. Whatever would make you think I'd trust you to take it out safely?" She flicked her other paw dismissively. "Besides, I need it to cleanse this world of its gods. Your life force is making that dream a reality."

Necrozma wrapped his wings around his torso. They twitched in protest. "But mistress… I could destroy them all for you. No pain. No suffering. No problems. I'm more than happy to kill those heartless cretins."

"No. It has to be me. It's the only way I can make this world perfect," Zero said. She rolled over on the couch and looked ahead of her. Three colorless bodies lay on top of one another, contrasting against the purple carpet. "An Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar, huh?"

"Don't waste your energy worrying about these three, mistress. Just a group of retired rescuers. Well past their prime. Nothing of value was taken with their deaths," Necrozma said.

"No wonder their light tasted so stale," Zero said. "But beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. Get them out of my sight."

Necrozma snapped his claws and the corpses fell down into an Ultra Wormhole. "So, seems like you had a bit of a rough day? Why don't… heeheeheehee… you tell your good buddy, Necrozma, what's bothering you?"

"I'm not in the mood, Necky," Zero growled, plucking some of the down feathers off the couch.

"Hey! Leave the furniture alone! It's taken me weeks to finally assemble a room of my own and I will not have you ruining it!" Necrozma snapped.

Zero ignored him and rolled over to face the back of the couch. "You want to know what's wrong? That wretched human slipped through my digits again," she seethed.

Necrozma popped up behind the couch in a puff of black smoke. "Oh-ho! He is turning out to be quite the interesting little fellow, wouldn't you say? You might need to start being careful. He could easily be the difference between your plans succeeding and failing."

Zero whipped her arm out and grabbed Necrozma's head again. She yanked him onto the couch and pressed down on his crystalline helmet. The third eye on Necrozma's forehead flickered like a dying lightbulb. "The only reason he keeps getting away is because youscrewed up! You told me you had vaporized the human. So, what's he doing in a Vulpix body with all his memories intact, huh?"

She shoved Necrozma away. He hissed at her and rubbed his face with his wings. "What are you asking me for? My Prismatic Laser should've annihilated him right on the spot! Something must've interfered with my attack."

"Gee, you think?" Zero huffed.

"I can't explain Ultra Space. It's one giant anomaly! But does it really matter? Couldn't Espeon and Umbreon deal with him?" Necrozma asked.

Zero raised her paw up. Two black balls materialized before her. "Espeon and Umbreon... are no longer part of our team," she declared, clenching her fist and shattering the balls like they were made of glass.

Necrozma frowned. "What?! No, you're lying. They had my energy inside of them! Where is it? I want it back. I want it back now!"

"You won't get it back. They've been purged of the Prism Virus," Zero said, crossing her arms.

Necrozma's frown turned into a full-blown glare. "You foolish mortal! Now I'll never get that light back! I'll never restore my core if you keep throwing it's energy away like that. We have a deal! I help you... I get my light back. Not half of it. All of it!"

Zero brought her staff around and pointed it at Necrozma. "I'm well aware of our agreement, Necky."

"Skreevp! Then why are you breaking it?" Necrozma thundered, bringing one of his wings up to obscure his face.

"I haven't broken it, Necky. There are plenty of gods out there to kill. More than enough to make up for the energy lost from Espeon and Umbreon," Zero snarled. "Let me put it to you simply. As long as that miscreant is here to interfere, then your core stays with me. And all that light you're rambling about will remain out of your reach."

"What? No! You can't do that! It's my light! The sun and moon are mine! Mine! Mine!" He smacked his hands against the couch so violently that he shattered it, forcing Zero to jump to her feet.

"If you want them back so badly, then you're going to start pulling your weight around here, understand?" Zero barked. She raised her staff and pointed the octahedron at Necrozma and his face immediately blanched. "And that starts with taking me down to the surface so I can look for replacements for Espeon and Umbreon."

"Absolutely not! I'm not going to let you waste my light on more pathetic mortals," Necrozma sneered. "Besides, you're after the Tapus, no? Shouldn't we have the Dawn Hourglass?"

"Does it look like I have its power under my control?" Zero said. "No! Because we got duped by that two-bit Land Spirit." She turned away from Necrozma. "I plan on sending you after Tapu Lele once I've caught some new Pokémon."

"Me? What happened to killing the gods yourself," Necrozma said.

"I'm willing to make one exception."

"Not good enough! You think you can keep me distracted by dangling Tapu Lele's life energy in front of me like it was a piece of meat on a stick? Fool!" Necrozma shouted. "I meant what I said! You are not capturing more Pokémon. You are not wasting all my Z-Power on worthless mortals who are doomed to fail against that human!"

"Enough!" Zero roared, slamming her staff against the floor. Necrozma backed away from her, looking uneasy. "You've made your point. But I don't care. Either you listen to me..." She raised her staff and pointed it at Necrozma. "Or I rip your little spirit fragment out of Lunala."

"You wouldn't dare!" Necrozma said.

Zero's lone eye narrowed. Her scepter flared. "Try me." Necrozma's eyes darted about in a panic. He lowered his wings and arms in surrender. "Good, that's what I thought. Now, open a wormhole to the surface." Necrozma gave Zero a bewildered look. "The winds of change are approaching the Horizon Guild and there's a little gust of air that I'd like to catch before it's too late."

Necrozma's third eye narrowed. "Oh, really? I hope for both our sakes you know what you're doing."

They proceeded into an Ultra Wormhole together.

Shane pulled the covers off his head and rolled onto his back. He looked up at the stationary ceiling fan on the ceiling. Sunlight had already spread throughout his bedroom. Shane didn't need to look at his alarm clock to know that he had slept through the start of the school. He had already been awake for hours. But he refused to get up.

After all, what point was there in going to school when your best friend was dead?

The events of the previous evening were on repeat in his head. Coming home from work to find his parents in his room. His mom telling him to sit on his bed. Their stern expressions as they looked him in the eye and told him that Nicky had died in the emergency room that evening. And then the cold numbness that had overtaken him after that. All the while, he constantly drifted in and out of sleep.

He had never felt so miserable. His only friend had left him. Now, he was truly alone. Sure, he had his family, but he couldn't be himself around them. They hated that. So, he'd be stuck wearing a mask and having to keep his thoughts and interests to himself. All he could think about was Nicky. Why did he have to do this?

Unfortunately for Shane, nature was making it increasingly hard to keep laying around in his bed doing nothing. Eventually, he surrendered to his urges and slinked off to the bathroom. Upon exiting, he heard a pair of voices carrying up from the kitchen.

"… I'm just saying, it might not be the right time, Margie."

Shane froze at the top of the stairs. He hung over the railing, hoping to get a better listen in on the conversation.

"George and I are beside ourselves, Estelle. We just… we need to know exactly what happened," Margie said.

"I can't even imagine what you and George are going through right now, Margie. But shouldn't you be focusing on… something else?" Estelle asked.

"I'm tending to the funeral arrangements. And we'll be sitting shiva afterwards, of course," Margie said, her voice clearly strained. "But George… he just…" Margie sniffled. "He's not going to sit still on this."

Shane tightened his grip on the railing. What did Nicky's dad really care? Nicky said his father hated him. Shane wondered if maybe Nicky's parents were the ones who'd driven him to suicide.

"Is he meeting with the school about Nicholas?" Estelle said.

"No. He's… we're…" Margie's voice trailed off. "We're hiring an attorney. You remember my college roommate, Prisma Sinclair? Her husband's a litigator. Specializes in education law."

"You're getting a lawyer? Why?"

"George thinks this is the school's fault," Margie said, her voice cracking. "He, um, he wanted me to ask you if Shane could meet him. The lawyer, I mean."

Shane stepped back from the stairs.

"Shane? Is that you, honey?" Estelle called. "Why don't you come downstairs for a minute?"

He didn't listen. Instead, Shane turned and ran back into his room, slamming the door shut.

Fake…

"H… Huh?"

Shane looked at the box sitting on his desk. It was covered in hideous polka-dot wrapping paper. "N… Nicky?" he said, stepping toward the box. "Is that you? Am I dreaming?" He walked up toward the box and picked it up.

Fake!

Shane dropped the box in surprise and stumbled back. "What's going on here?" he said. "Who keeps saying that?" He picked the box back up again. "Nicky, did you get me some sort of stupid prank toy for my birthday?" He tore through the wrapping paper and pried open the box underneath it. Shane gasped. "This… no, it can't be."

He reached into the box and pulled out a worn Umbreon doll. It had a few gray patches on it. Shane gritted his teeth.

It was Nicky's favorite toy.

He flipped the doll over, rubbing his hand over its back and feeling the stitches woven into the fabric from the time he accidentally ripped the doll open and Nicky's mom had to sew it back together. Shane set the plushy down on his desk

Faker!

Shane looked at the shelves hanging over his neck. On the edge of the lowest one sat an Espeon doll that looked equally ragged compared to Nicky's gift. Shane plucked it off the shelf and held it in his hands. He recalled how he and Nicky had managed to get them years ago. They were the last ones available in the store and they had just managed to beat out another kid to the toy aisle. Now he had both of them.

His mind raced. Why was this his birthday present? Had Nicky planned to do this for a while or was it a last-minute decision Nicky made once he had decided to kill himself? Shane couldn't stare at the plushy any longer. He set it down next to its counterpart and stepped back from his desk.

Faker!

Shane froze. He looked down at the dolls again. "Did you say something?"

The Espeon doll suddenly caught fire. Staticky red cubes raced across it, transforming it into a fiery yellow lion's head.

"W-What the–? What's going on here?"

All of this is fake! Wake up! Remember who you really are!

~Aeon Observatory~

Shane shot up. Tremors wracked his body. He looked around the room, eyes settling on the window. Purple light streamed into the room, casting the deactivated Luminous Orbs in a sinister glow. Shane rolled over on his cushion, only to shudder as his face brushed against damp fabric. Shane put a paw up to his face. Cold sweat coated his paw pads. Salt buffeted his nostrils.

He must've had a nightmare. Yet, some of his dream was an actual memory... wasn't it? Shane shook his head and got to his feet. He tiptoed across the room, stealing a glance at his teammates. Tessa and Null remained fast asleep, the latter curled around the former protectively. Shane continued walking out into the hallway. Curiously, he noticed light flickering from the assembly area.

'Who else could be up at this ungodly hour?'

An image of Metagross appeared in his imagination. A shiver ran down Shane's spine. Steeling his nerves, he padded his way into the assembly area. There, Espeon crouched low to the ground and walked in circles around the center of the room. Her eyes darted about.

"I'm sorry!" she whimpered. Her tail curled between her legs. "I didn't mean to hurt you all. Please, you have to understand, I was desperate. I just… I wanted to make the bad memories go away!"

"Huh?"

Espeon stopped circling. Her ears stuck up. She turned toward Shane. He stiffened, expecting her to yell at him, but her gaze seemed to carry on into the hallway behind him.

"Please stop!" Espeon begged, backing toward the east hallway. "Stop laughing at me. I'm… I'm serious! It's not my fault! I didn't mean to do this! Please…" She shook her head.

"Espeon, what's the matter?" Shane asked, taking a cautious step forward. Her behavior bore an unsettling resemblance to Null's in his less lucid moments.

"I said stop laughing!" Espeon shouted. Her eyes flashed blue. A pink Psybeam whizzed by Shane. The fur on his right flank stood on end. He looked up just in time to see one of the purple tapestries fall on top of him.

"Augh!" he cried as the weight of the cloth dragged him to the ground. Shane squirmed about. He succeeded in poking his head out from the banner. "Espeon, stop. It's me! It's Shane! There's no one here but us!"

Espeon froze. Her gaze fell on Shane. She blinked a few times as recognition slowly set in. "Oh… oh gods," she whispered. Espeon hung her head. "Not again."

Shane lumbered to his feet. "Guess I'm not the only one having a rough night."

Espeon slowly walked forward, adopting a guarded stance. "Why are you out here? Are you going to yell at me some more?" she asked.

Shane's ears drooped. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, okay? But can we take a moment to talk about—"

"You mean you don't normally introduce yourself by dropping someone into a pool?" Espeon scoffed.

Shane winced and looked away, blushing. "I let my anger get the better of me. It's been a really frustrating last couple of weeks."

"And you think Umbry and I have had it easy? We—" She cut herself off and looked away. "No. I don't want to talk about any of this right now. Least of all with you."

Shane looked back at her. His gaze started to wander down from her head, until he forced himself to lock eyes with her. He couldn't risk upsetting her any more. "Look, I know this'll sound stupid, but from one Pokémon who's very uptight about his fur to another, I understand how you feel."

"Then why'd you do it?" Espeon growled.

Shane frowned. "It's Tessa."

"Who?"

"Riolu. My teammate. I got upset because of what happened. Because, up until recently, I'd been such an awful teammate to her. I thought we were finally moving in the right direction, but then we failed to save Sylveon and Eevee," he said, slouching over. "I thought it meant I was still a lousy teammate. So, I flew off the handle at you." He glanced up at Espeon. "I'm sorry."

"I see," Espeon said. Silence followed.

"Well, do you forgive me or not?"

"I…" Espeon's voice trailed off. She stiffened.

"Espeon?" Shane whispered, waving a paw in front of her face.

"You're right," she said. Shane hastily retracted his paw. "You had every right to be mad. Furious even. If I were in your guys' place…" She shuddered. "If I'd lost Umbry… I wouldn't have just pushed you into a pool. I'd… I'd…" She turned away from him and pressed her face against the wall. "How can you even bear to look at me? I'm a horrible person."

Shane poked the floor with a forepaw. "It's all so confusing," he whispered. "Everything's happening so fast that I can't wrap my head around it. I know this sounds selfish, but I had been operating way too long under the assumption that everything here would be like my games at home."

"What games?" Espeon asked.

"Err, it's a long story. The point is, I thought I knew how most of the things I'd get wrapped up in would play out. But I've been wrong far more than I've been right." Shane looked up to the ceiling. "The only thing's that's keeping me moving forward… is Pokémon like you."

Espeon's ears twitched. "M-Me?"

"Yeah." In the dim glow of the Luminous Orbs, Espeon failed to notice the blush falling across Shane's face. "You, Umbreon, Tessa, and Null. Maybe you guys aren't perfect. But you're good Pokémon at heart. And none of you deserve to deal with this kind of crap," he whispered. "That's why I have to find a way to stop the Prism Virus. So that you guys can be happy again."

He walked forward, stopping beside Espeon. "I'll leave you alone now," he whispered.

"Wait." Espeon stepped into his path. In the process, Shane's foreleg brushed against her chest. His heart raced. "Thanks. Y'know, for understanding. And, um, tell your partner… tell Riolu that Umbry and I will do what we can to bring her friends back," she said.

Shane smiled. "I'll make sure she knows."

Exactly one floor below Shane's and Espeon's conversation, Dragonair slithered out of bed, taking care not to disturb her teammates. She glanced out the window, gazing at a portion of the large, purple moon.

You envy your teammates, don't you?

Zero's distorted voice echoed in her mind. Dragonair forced her eyes shut and looked away. She shook her head, as if she could jettison the thought from her mind. However, upon opening her eyes, she found herself looking right at Milotic and Serperior. Her teammates slept soundly in their beds, Serperior producing a soft whistle with each exhale.

They've had their final evolutions for years. And you? Well, you've been stuck like that this entire time. Too scared your friends will abandon you if you turn into a Dragonite. Do I have that right?

Dragonair bit her lip. Her teammates wouldn't hold her back like that. The reason she hadn't evolved yet is because she hasn't felt like it. That was all. She could, but she liked her current form. It was sleek and slender. It let her swim swiftly through water. Those were all things she'd lose if she evolved.

Her gaze wandered over to the team's mirror. The moonlight trickling through the window tinted her reflection purple.

The truth is that you've talked it into yourself that vanity is more important than power.

Dragonair shook her head. This wasn't about looks. She had stopped dating a while ago. It was all a matter of comfort. Nothing more, nothing less.

But Dragonair's gaze faltered from the mirror. She looked down at her white underbelly, brushing her head against the jewel in her neck.

Your team's reputation as a trio of serpents is meaningless.

That wasn't true, either. She liked being part of Team Captivate and having such wonderful friends. What was she doing? Dragonair told herself to stop letting Zero's words get to her.

She turned to go back to her bed, only to freeze up. Memories of her battle against Zero flashed through her mind. She thought about how easily Zero overpowered her. How Zero matched her movements with Extreme Speed step for step. Zero easily moved around the deserted town, while Dragonair struggled to maintain traction against the ice.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Would the battle have gone differently if she was a Dragonite? She looked at her teammates. Dragonair had let them down today, just like she had done against Bewear. She turned away from them and faced the window. How could she fight against the Prism Virus in her current state? She'd just end up getting in the way of her friends.

Dragonair slithered over toward the room's lone desk. Pieces of paper sat on it. Dragonair shakily wrapped her tail around one of the pens and hastily scribbled on the top page. She brushed it off the desk with her tail and then took off for the window, tears streaming from her eyes. Dragonair climbed out the window just as the paper fluttered to the ground. The fresh ink on the page glistened in the moonlight.

I'm sorry.

~Aeon Port~

'If I can just get home, I'm sure I can evolve in no time,' Dragonair thought, slithering as fast as she could toward the docks. She prayed a Sharpedo was available. This wasn't something that could wait.

She made it about halfway down the hill, when a puddle of black shadows bubbled up on the ground in front of her. Dragonair stopped short and coiled her body up, ready to strike.

"Poor little Dragonair. All by your lonesome. What a sad, sorry sight!"

Gasping, Dragonair fell on her back as Necrozma rose out of the ground, his wings wrapped around his torso as if he'd been set in a sarcophagus. His red eyes flickered ominously and his mouth opened up, tongue lolling out to the side.

"Th… those wings. That face. You… you're… Lunala? But that can't be!" Dragonair gasped

"Hang on. Give me a second here," Necrozma pleaded. "I'm still getting over that last bit. I can just feel the heartbreak, you know?"

Dragonair rolled upright. She spat flames at Necrozma's face. His grin widened as he disappeared before Dragonair's eyes in a burst of shadows. She whirled around, expecting him to pop up behind her. Instead, a crystalline arm grabbed her muzzle. Fog brushed her scales.

"Heeheeheehee! Gotcha," Necrozma whispered, his breath hitting the tips of Dragonair's tiny wings. Her eyes widened. She tried to scream, but Necrozma clamped down harder on her snout. "Oh, no. There's no need for the shouting, Dragonair. I'm here to rescue you from those deceitful fools who claimed to be your so-called friends. After all... friendships are worthless. They're all fake! The only thing that matters is power... right?"

"That's enough, Necky."

Necrozma wrapped his body up with his wings and floated to the side, allowing Zero to walk past him. She gently rested her staff against her side. "I see you've realized that I was right," Zero said, addressing Dragonair. "You held yourself back. All because you couldn't bear the thought of your friendships falling apart." Zero nudged her mask, and Necrozma's wings twitched. "And now you're leaving them. Because, even if you won't admit it to me upfront, you want nothing more than to evolve."

"You're wrong," Dragonair replied, trembling. "I'm going to evolve so that I can do a better job protecting my friends from scum like you!"

"Skreeep!" Necrozma shrieked, his body briefly convulsing. "That is not how you speak to Mistress Zero." He leaned over toward Zero, opening his mouth to run his tongue across his fangs. "Please, mistress. Let me take her light. She's a coward. She's no help to us."

"That's not true, Necky. With proper training, I can strengthen any Pokémon." Zero extended her free paw toward Dragonair. "What do you say, Dragonair? You want a fast-track to evolution? You want to really protect your friends? Then join me. We will rid this world of its problems. Then you and your friends can live out the rest of your days worry-free. Team Captivate's reputation won't matter in a world without gods. In a world without Mystery Dungeons." She took a step forward. "You can have the friendships that you've always wanted. Ones that don't revolve around exploring."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to join you," Dragonair hissed, raising up her tail. "My friends like me for who I am. And they'll keep liking me once I'm evolved. We'll beat you back… together!"

Necrozma spread his wings out and leered at Dragonair. "I was hoping you'd say that. Now, your light belongs to m—"

Zero swung her scepter in front of Necrozma. "No, Necky. We simply need to get her to appreciate our perspective." She planted her staff in the ground. "Besides, the best way to capture a wild Pokémon is to weaken it in a battle."

Before Dragonair could even process what that meant, Zero vanished. She reappeared in front of Dragonair and uppercut her. Dragonair careened through the air, squealing. Distorted energy encased Zero's right paw. It flickered in and out of existence. A giant square of red, holographic cubes appeared. Zero thrust her paw up. Red cubes exploded out from the square, taking the shape of a spear.

Dragonair hastily shot a stream of dragonfire below her. The cubes exploded into streams of black pixels. Dragonair hit the ground with a hard thud. Zero left her no opportunity to move away. She fired liquid metal from her paws. Dragonair met it with her Flamethrower.

"Hurry up! Every second you spend fighting her I can feel light fading from my core!" Necrozma barked from the sidelines.

Dragonair sped forward. Zero met her charge with her own Extreme Speed. Both Pokémon bounced off one another. Zero slapped her paws on the ground, red energy crackling around them. A wave of distorted cubes raced across the dirt. Dragonair jumped to dodge it, only to gasp as the wave grew higher. She burned a hole in the middle of the wave with Flamethrower. Dragonair tried to lunge through the opening, but it wasn't large enough. The wave of cubes swallowed her up. She screamed.

Zero broke off the attack. Dragonair's scorched body tumbled to the ground, seizing from the deformed energy bolts racing along her tail. Zero raised her right paw and it glowed pink. Her staff flew across the ground and she caught it.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Dragonair. You'll be much happier as a Dragonite. And your friends will come to appreciate all of your hard work… in time," Zero said. She tapped her octahedron against her free paw. A black ball materialized, with a winged-heart sigil flickering to life on its top.

"Go," Zero said, tossing the ball at Dragonair. It struck her. The ball opened, encasing her body in red energy. Dragonair screamed as an invisible force pulled her into the ball, which snapped shut. It rolled around on the ground, before clicking loudly. Zero walked forward and picked the ball up off the ground.

"Gotcha! Dragonair was caught," Necrozma mused, flying up beside Zero. "Perhaps she can put my powers to greater use than Espeon and Umbreon did."

Zero paid Necrozma little mind. She touched the octahedron to the ball and black electricity raced across it. Unbeknownst to Zero, however, Necrozma's three eyes and chest sigil flickered with rainbow light. Trace bits of colorful energy encased the ball. Zero withdrew her staff and opened up the ball. A beam of black energy surged forward and struck the ground. When it did, it expanded upward, dissipating when a pair of crystallized wings thrust apart.

"Welcome to the team… Dragonite," Zero declared.

A gem-encrusted arm shot out. It flexed its digits. Lightning descended from the heavens, forming a spear in Dragonite's armored hand. She hurled it out to sea, then vaporized it with a white-hot Hyper Beam. She turned to Zero and Necrozma, smiling at the lingering electricity in her claws.

"How do you like me now?" she said.

Zero's lone eye widened. She looked down at her staff, then back at Dragonite. Her eye then darted about the area nervously. Behind her, Necrozma's face twisted into a crooked grin.

End of Episode 8

Next time: to Glyphic Falls!