I'm a bit late on the uptake, but as of the last chapter the story's hit a number of little milestones. We passed 50 favorites, 100 reviews, and 15,000 views. I'm sure spambots may have contributed to that number, but I am still blown back by the support. It's far exceeded my expectations, that's for sure! So, to celebrate, I've got a few extra-special treats. First off, there will be another impromptu bonus chapter coming next week. It's kind of similar to the Valentine's Day special. Next, I've taken the liberty of crafting "boss bios" for the major battles in the story thus far. Think of it like what you'd see in the recent Kirby games. They're available to view on my profile page, under the Just For Fun section.

Guest: Glad you caught that, because Faba is totally what I was going for. Really, I picked Alolan Golem because it has that luxurious facial hair. But if you disliked him that much, then that means I did my job right.

Another guest: Unfortunately, I don't really think this site lets you put emotes into reviews, unfortunately. I'm... really not sure how it works, to be honest. As for Null, this chapter ought to clear things up a bit for you.

Anon: I try to notice everyone! I wish there was a better system to respond to reviews, but this is the best I can come up with. Unfortunately, I think your four leaf clover brought a big snowstorm to my area on the first day of spring. Maybe it's saving its good luck powers for later?

Alright, with that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 43: Gaining a Full-Powered Ally

~Aeon Observatory~

"Nnngghh… nuh… no!"

Tessa's eyes shot open and she sat up on an infirmary bed, aura feelers tensed. Her eyes darted about the room in a panic. "What the–? Wait, this is the Observatory. But how did we even get here? The last thing I remember was…" Images quickly flashed through her mind. She recalled the footage of Null attacking his creators. Then the screams of the second experiment as he demanded the return of his light. And finally, the Unown-created Entei blasting her teammates with Lava Plume. Tessa shuddered and threw her paws up to shoulders. 'How did we make it out of the Catacombs?' She stiffened. 'Wait a second.' She looked around the room, noting Shane and Espeon sleeping soundly on their own beds. 'What happened to Null?'

"Oh, good. You're up," Comfey said, floating into the room. "Your team gave me quite the scare… again. I swear, each day you guys keep getting closer and closer to getting hurt in ways I can't fix. What happened to you, anyway?"

"I…" Tessa shivered. "I don't want to talk about it." Her ears folded against her head and she whined softly. "But how did we get back here? Do you know?"

"Null dropped you off."

Tessa's aura feelers swung upward. "H… he did?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, but he ran away before I could ask him what had happened. Also, his mask was gone," Comfey said. "I saw a lot of feathers, but he wouldn't show me his face. And he seemed… really upset. Like, he was practically on the verge of tears. I've never seen him so shaken up. Whatever happened to your team, it hit him hard."

Tessa looked down at her lap. She started fidgeting with her paws. 'He's free of his mask? But then that would mean that he's…' She shuddered. 'No. I can't think like that. He brought us back here, didn't he?' She looked over to the window and gulped. 'But… what if he did that with the last of his willpower? He probably ran off because he knew he would end up attacking everyone if he just stayed.' She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed hold of the bedsheets. 'What have I done? I'm the one who pushed him to start taking missions. Everything that went wrong today… it's all on me. I made Null realize just how much of a monster he really is.'

"Espy!"

Tessa's ear twitched at a holler accompanied by a chorus of footsteps. Umbreon sprinted into the infirmary, followed closely behind by Latias, Magearna, and Togedemaru. He spotted Espeon and darted over to her, a worried look on his face. Espeon woke up and Umbreon immediately embraced her. "Oh, Espy! You're okay. Thank gods, you're okay!" he blubbered, rubbing his head against her shoulder.

"Oof! Easy, Umbry. I'm… really sore," Espeon groaned, prompting Umbreon to back away. Umbreon rubbed his eyes with a forepaw and gently nuzzled Espeon. "Umbry," she whispered, "my psychic powers. They're… they're damaged. I can only use Psybeams."

Umbreon's eyes widened. Comfrey floated over between the two of them. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it," she said. "I can't seem to identify what's damaged, so I don't know how to treat this."

Espeon whined softly. "I understand."

Umbreon frowned. "Espy, I'm so sorry. I should've insisted on going with your group," he said. "If I'd been there, then maybe–"

Espeon placed a forepaw on Umbreon's muzzle, quieting him. She slowly shook her head. "It wouldn't have made a difference, Umbry."

Tessa noticed that Shane had also woken up. He studied the two Eeveelutions, biting his lower lip. Shane spotted her staring and hastily looked away, a flush forming on his face. "Just what ended up happening to you guys, huh?" Togedemaru wondered.

"We fell into the Catacombs," Shane explained.

"No duh," Togedemaru scoffed. "I'm talking specifics. We need details here."

In response to this, Espeon said, "You were right, Latias."

Latias' ears twitched. "What do you mean by that?"

"I… I… Null…" She shot a despondent look toward Shane. He stared back at her in confusion. She lowered her head. "Maybe it's just best if you see it for yourself."

Latias' snout stiffened. "You're letting me read your mind?"

"Yes. And project it for everyone else, too. I'm afraid words can't do this justice," Espeon said.

Tessa's eyes widened and her aura feelers tensed. "No, wait! Don't–"

But she wasn't fast enough on the draw. Latias' eyes glowed blue. In an instant, the entire room transformed into the cavern. Through Espeon's eyes, the assembled Pokémon watched as the events in the Catacombs played out like a video put on fast-forward. Tessa squealed in fright and lay back down on her bed. She threw the covers up over her body, trying to hide from the images.

The glow faded from Latias' eyes and the room returned to normal. Silence hung over the room. Latias eventually broke it by whispering, "So, Null's even more of an amalgamation than his appearance lets on. I can't believe it."

The Horizon legends… are incorrect? Magearna muttered, her mechanical eyes slowly blinking. She looked away from the group.

"Hey, Riolu, are you doing okay?" Umbreon wondered.

"No, I'm not okay!" Tessa whimpered from beneath the covers. "You saw it for yourselves. My best friend's a savage beast. And I dragged him to the place that made him what he is now." She shivered violently. "And… and Comfey said that Null brought us here, but his mask his gone. So that means… that means he's turned back into the psycho from the footage!"

Shane's tails crinkled in fright. "His mask's gone? How? When? Why?" He looked about the room in a panic. "Where'd he run off to, then?"

"I'm not sure," Comfey said. "He dropped you three off and ran out of the guild."

"In-deed-illy-deed, babe!" Primarina said as he hopped into the room. "That big fella gave the ol' ticker a start when he came flying down the stairs, carrying you three on his back. He ran back out of the guild like the place was going up in smoke. He was really booking it, babe." He looked at Serperior, who nodded her agreement.

"I don't get it. Does that mean he's just gone… forever?" Shane asked. "You guys saw it for yourselves. None of this is his fault." His ears drooped. "I feel so awful for everything I've said to him. Am I really never gonna get the chance to apologize?"

"Um… guys?" Milotic said as she slithered into the room. She dropped a looplet, a silver explorer's badge, and the Lunar Wing to the floor. Shane's eyes widened in recognition. "Those are all Null's! But then that means…"

"… he's gone," Milotic confirmed. "And it doesn't look like he wants to come back."

Under her bed covers, Tessa winced. 'I was right, then. Null… he must've known he was going to go berserk again. And so, he left us all behind before the voices could drive him crazy.' She squeezed her eyes shut and pull the covers tight against her body.

"Comfey, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to give these three a little boost," Latias offered, floating forward. Comfey nodded her approval. A pink glow encased Latias' body. She pointed a paw at Shane and shot a small, multicolored beam at him. It struck Shane, and he felt all his soreness and fatigue wash away. She repeated the gesture with Tessa, despite the fact that she still lay under the covers.

She then turned to Espeon, who stopped her, saying, "I can handle it myself, Latias." She sat up and bathed herself in the gentle glow of Morning Sun. Then she shook out her fur and hopped off of the bed. She stretched out her hind legs and tail, and then slowly walked up to Latias alongside Umbreon.

"So, now what do we do?" Shane asked, sliding off his bed. He looked over toward Tessa, and still saw a lump underneath white blankets.

"Well, I can sense the other guild members returning," Latias announced. "So, maybe we should take the opportunity to bring them up to speed on what's happened?"

"Oh… yeah. I guess so," Shane muttered. He took one last look back at Tessa and, seeing she had no intention of following him, trudged out of the infirmary. He found Metagross, Braviary, and the other guild members on the expedition waiting in the assembly area. Latias, Espeon, and Umbreon immediately went up to greet them.

Shane tried to follow them, only for a raggedy cloth to move in his path. "Ah! Mi-Mimikyu," Shane stammered, nearly toppling into the ghost.

"Oops. Sorry, Shane. I should've watched where I was walking," Mimikyu apologized. "Please don't get mad at me."

"It's fine, dude," Shane dismissed. "But I think I should go talk to the others." He tried to avoid letting Mimikyu see him glancing nervously at Metagross and Braviary.

"Right, right, of course." Mimikyu scuttled to the side. "I'm just glad you and your friends are okay. We got so worried when we heard what happened." His disguise's head fell forward. "But nobody would let me run off to try and help you."

"Well, it's in the past now," Shane said. "We'll talk later or something, okay?"

"Oh-okay," Mimikyu stammered, nodding slowly. Shane sidestepped the ghost-type and walked forward, joining the rest of the guild.

Understood, Metagross declared, nodding slowly. He locked eyes with Shane, who immediately stiffened.

"Did… did you guys cut the expedition short because of us?" Shane muttered, pawing guiltily at the ground.

Affirmative, Metagross replied. Fact: we found the information that we needed.

Shane's ears perked up. "Wait, you did? So, you know how to contact the Tapus?"

"I reckon we do," Braviary replied. "We managed to find some old runes in one of the caves we visited."

Magearna nodded. Yes, as the Guildmaster just relaytiated to me, there are two ways to gain access to a Tapu's temple. The first is to offer up a gift.

Shane gulped. "You mean… like a sacrifice?" He looked nervously at Metagross, who returned the look with his typical neutral expression.

Magearna shook her head. Gracious, no. Whatever would give you that idea?

"Err… nothing," Shane lied. "Forget I said anything. Continue."

The gift is a Tapumera, Magearna said. It's a special emera that you need to synthesize using very specific types of stardust, mixed together with a powerful spell.

Fact: I have memorized the necessary components. Fact: we have sufficient materials to make one Tapumera. Fact: I have dispatched Yungoos, Trapinch and Growlithe to locate ingredients to make more of them, Metagross announced.

"Does that mean you're going to need my help to make the emera, Magearna, dahling?" Bruxish asked. "I'm haaaaaaappy to lend a fin or two."

Yes, that would be most beneficiary, Magearna exclaimed. She turned back to Shane. There is another way, of course. And it's one that your team can take advantage of. She pointed an arm toward Shane's looplet. If you have a Naturia Looplet giftilated to you by one of the Tapus, you can request access to any of their temples, since they've judged you a worthy Pokémon.

Shane glanced down at his looplet. The embedded gemstone sparkled in the glow of the guild's light fixtures. "Which means that you guys are going to need me to help you find these temples," he said, looking cautiously at Braviary.

Correct, Metagross replied. Fact: time is needed to synthesize Tapumeras. Conclusion: you will return to Aurora Vale and attempt to locate the Temple of Mind. Fact: it is Tapu Lele's domain.

"And Zero thinks Tapu Lele is the one holding the Dawn Hourglass," Umbreon reminded Shane.

Shane's ears fell flat against his face. "Do we need to go right this second?" He glanced back toward the north hallway. "My teammates are not exactly in the right frame of mind to track down a Tapu."

Metagross gave Shane an unamused look. "Err, Guildmaster?" Braviary waved a wing in front of his face. "If'n I may? The sun's setting, and with the state that Aurora Vale's in, I imagine even the both of us would be hard-pressed to try and find the Temple of Mind in the dark. I think we need to take the time to rest up, so we're at our fighting best."

Shane sighed in relief. "Yeah. Not to mention, that gives you the time to synthesize enough Tapumeras to send guild members to the other temples," Latias added. "Even if the Prism Virus is currently after Tapu Lele, we really should try to warn the other Land Spirits about what's happened."

"Say, if you're a Legendary, why can't you just get the Tapus to open their temples, huh?" Togedemaru asked. "I thought all you gods were, like, tight-knit and stuff."

"O-Oh, well…" Latias fidgeted with her paws. "It's, um, it's not really that simple. I mean, I'm a Legendary, but… I'm not a god or anything. I'm more like, uh, a lesser Legendary, or something."

"So, what you're saying is, you don't deserve the title, huh?" Togedemaru scoffed. "Guess the Expedition Society isn't as worried about us as we thought."

"Hey!" Shane huffed, stepping in front of Togedemaru. "Lay off her. She's generously offering to help us. So what if she can't get the Tapus to open their temples? We'll take whatever help we can get."

"It's… it's okay…" Latias squeaked, waving Shane off. She looked at Togedemaru. "You have to understand that not all Legendaries are created equal. Some of us are much more like you. Our lifespans are finite, and we can't wield the same degree of raw power as gods. But, I still live here. And I want to do whatever I can to help."

"Actually, I think I could really use your help right now," Shane said. "We need to find Null. Comfey told us that he dropped us off at the guild and then ran away."

Latias stiffened. "But she also said his mask came off." She started to fidget with her flight goggles. "You… you do know that I'm the type of Pokémon that he was designed to kill, right?"

"I didn't say you needed to come with me," Shane elaborated. "You're a powerful psychic. And so are Metagross and Espeon. So–"

"Ahem, forgetting someone, daaaahling?"

Shane let out a nervous laugh. "Aha ha ha… and Bruxish, too. I'll bet if you four put your heads together, you'd be able to find Null."

Fact: my previous attempts to sense Null's life force have been unsuccessful, Metagross said, glaring at Shane.

"Because his mask was jamming your ESP," Shane retorted. "If he has no mask, you should be able to sense him, right? Please, just try it for me. I…" He looked down at the floor. "I don't want to lose my teammate like this. Not without trying to help him. Especially since he just saved my life."

"Okay," Latias said. "I'll do my best." Her face scrunched up as she concentrated. A tense silence gripped the room while Latias proceeded with her psychic scan. But to Shane's surprise, her facial features softened quickly. She wore a bewildered expression her face.

"Well?" he asked.

"I got something," she whispered. "It doesn't look like Null went very far. I sensed this peculiar energy in the forest on the outskirts of town."

Metagross shut his eyes at mention of this. He slowly nodded. "Peculiar in what way?" Braviary asked.

"It's um… it's kind of tough to explain," Latias mumbled. "But unlike aura reading, where things are seen in lay lines and blue flames of various intensities, sensing life forces involves swathes of color. I can usually tell what kind of Pokémon I'm sensing by the colors I visualize and how bright they are in my mind's eye." She frowned. "But Null's energy — if it is his — looks like a small, rainbow ball."

"That actually makes sense," Espeon piped up. "In the footage we saw, Null's creators said they wanted him to be able to change his typing at will. In which case, you'd expect his spirit to have a little bit of every type mingled together."

"Good enough for me," Shane said. "Where exactly did you think you sensed him?"

"Um, off to the west. Not too far off the path that leads to Sunrise Village, I suppose," Latias replied.

"Great. Then I'll go tell Tessa and we can take off after him," Shane said, jogging back down to the infirmary. His pace slowed to a trot as he saw Tessa still lay beneath the covers. Shane's muzzle stiffened. "Hey, uh, Tessa?" He scratched the back of his neck with a paw. "Um, we think we know where Null ran off to. So, I was, y'know, thinking that maybe we should go try to bring him back here… together."

He saw movement underneath the covers. "Forget it," Tessa mumbled, sliding away from her teammate.

Shane frowned. "But Null's your best friend," he reminded her. "He needs you right now."

"No, he doesn't," Tessa tersely replied. "I can't help him. There's nothing I can do. Don't you get it? He ran off because he knows he's going crazy. Look, he left all his stuff behind. And you saw that footage. He's… he's vicious without his mask! I was able to stop him back in Moonrise Marsh, but I don't think I could do it again. Especially with all our items gone." Shane's shoulders slumped. He took a deep breath, walked up to Tessa's bed, and yanked the covers off with his mouth. "Hey!" Tessa squealed, lunging for the covers. She managed to grab them before Shane could drop them to the floor. "I'm cold. Give those back," she growled, tugging on the bedsheets. Shane lurched forward, but maintained his grip. He dug his paws into the ground.

"No," he replied, linens muffling his voice. "He's our teammate. We can't just give up on him."

"Yes, we can," Tessa countered, giving the bedsheets another tug. Shane struck the edge of the bed and dropped the sheets. Tessa hoisted them back onto the bed and threw them up over her body. Shane's brow furrowed and he stomped over beside her. He jumped onto the bed and yanked the covers off once again. Tessa glared at him. "I said I'm not going," she barked.

"I can't believe you're acting like this," he said. "You're the one who's defended him all this time. You've stood by him while the rest of the guild gave him the cold shoulder." He lowered his head. "And while I bullied him."

"It's a little late to be forming a guilty conscience about all of this, don't you think?" Tessa huffed. "And none of that matters. Because… because he's not the Pokémon I grew close to. Not anymore. My friend's gone. He's buried deep underground… with his mask."

"But you're basing that off what you saw in the recordings," Shane claimed. "You don't know for a fact he isn't still the same Null you've grown so close to. What's wrong? Why have you suddenly turned against him like this?"

"Because I'm scared of him!" Tessa blurted out. She grabbed hold of a nearby pillow and squeezed it against her face. "I'm terrified, okay. I saw him eviscerate his creators. All that blood on his body just… just freaked me out." She started shivering. "I thought… I thought what he did in Moonrise Marsh was a fluke. A one-time issue. But it's not. It could happen at any time. And now that the mask's gone, I can't… I'm worried he'll attack me." She dug her face into the pillow. "So, go on. Say it. I'm a selfish coward. And a sucky friend. It's not going to make me change my mind."

But, rather than doing that, Shane lay down beside his partner. "Tessa," he whispered.

"Please don't call me that!" she squealed, making Shane wince.

"Riolu." He put a forepaw on her back and started to rub it. "I understand. This all scares me too. But, I still think we need to help him."

"How can you say that?" she blubbered. "He tried to kill you."

"I know. But I see now that it really wasn't his fault," Shane muttered. "Plus, he just saved my life. Both our lives, technically. Not to mention, he was there for both of us when we were at our worst after that disciplinary assignment." He gently lowered the pillow from Tessa's face and met her tearful gaze. "Now, Null's at his lowest point. Don't you think we owe it to him to try and help?" Tessa tensed up. Shane leaned in toward her. "Come on, Riolu. Do you mean to tell me that, after everything that's happened — after how you said you feel so lonely and unloved — you're really going to let your best friend walk out of your life?" He put a paw on her shoulder. "If your dad were still here, what would he do?"

Tessa squeezed her pillow harder. Shane held his breath, fearing he'd against stepped over the line. But, to his relief, Tessa slowly nodded. "You're right. Null never gave up on us. So, I need to try and get him back."

A smile crossed Shane's muzzle. "Then what are we waiting for? We've got a friend to help."

~Aeon Town~

"You know, it probably would've been a good idea to try and get a more specific location from Latias," Shane sighed, looking over at the forest. "Everything looks the same. Just trees and rocks, and more trees and rocks. Oh, and leaves. Lots of leaves."

Crunch!

Leaves crinkled and made Shane's ears twitch. "Look," he gasped, "over there." He pointed a forepaw forward, just in time for Tessa to see a blur dart between the trees. A nearby bush rustled.

"That's gotta be him. C'mon," Tessa said, running into the forest. Shane trotted after her, weaving his way through the tree roots. "Null. Null, it's us! Come on out. We just want to talk to you."

"Nuh… no!"

Tessa stopped and threw an arm up. Shane stopped right next to her. She pointed ahead of them. Shane spotted Null lying in the middle of the forest, head and neck buried in a thick bush. His torso and tail stuck out, like he was doing a poor ostrich imitation. "Null, pull your head out of there. You look ridiculous," Shane said.

"Go away," Null whimpered, trying to push himself deeper inside the bush, to no avail. "I can't control myself anymore." Shane noted that his voice sounded much higher-pitched now, but something still seemed to muffle his speech.

"We know, Null," Tessa whispered, stepping forward. The crinkling leaves caused Null to tense up.

"Please don't come closer!" he begged.

His body lurched violently. "What are you waiting for? There are no more restraints. Attack them! Destroy them!" Null dug his legs into the ground, shivering.

"We're not about to leave you out here, dude. You're our teammate," Shane said. "We're worried about you."

"Don't be. I'm not… strong enough… to stop them!" Null squawked, trying to push himself further into the bush. "I remember everything. The voices are so loud now. It's… it's taking every ounce of strength not to lash out. Please," he croaked, "save yourselves. Run away!"

He slashed through some of the bush's leaves and hissed, "No… stay! Stay and let us kill you. We want you dead, beast! We—"

Tessa stepped forward and shoved Null's Lunar Wing against his right flank. Null initially stiffened, before the rise and fall of his chest slowed. He slid down onto his stomach and, in the process, his head slid out of the bush. To Tessa's surprise, an oversized, raggedy towel sat atop Null's head, covering his face. "Feeling better?" Tessa whispered.

"A little," Null muttered.

"What's with the rag?" Shane asked. "If you're trying to do a Mimikyu impression, it's not really working." Tessa gave him an incredulous look. "Sorry. I thought I could lighten the mood a bit," he sighed. "Guess not."

"Why did you come for me?" Null mumbled. "You saw the footage." He took in a shuddering breath. "I'm no Pokémon. I'm a monster. A freak! I… I…" They watched Null dig his talons into the dirt. To their surprise, he let out a squeak, his voice cracking. "I don't want to be a killer. I don't want to hurt anyone." He lowered his head to the ground, brushing the rag against the soil. "But the voices… they're so awful. They're so angry." He brought his talons up against the rag. "I can't keep them at bay. Now that the mask's gone, I can't force them back anymore. The spirits inside me… they were not good Pokémon. Their memories… I can't get them out of my head." Null squeaked again. "I can't believe I'm saying this… but I wish I had the helmet back. I'd rather be in physical pain then have to deal with this."

"Don't say that," Tessa scolded, placing a paw on his hip. Null whined loudly. "Null, you're—" She abruptly cut herself off, making Null tense up. Tessa took in a deep breath, and continued, "Null, I have something I need to confess. At first… I didn't want to try and find you." Null winced and Shane shot Tessa a concerned look. "But," she said, rubbing his hind leg, "Shane reminded me of the good that you've done for me. You've done good for both of us. I'm sure you realize that."

"But I tried to kill you, Shane," Null blubbered.

"I know. That was— no, is still lingering in my mind," Shane said. "And, yeah, I do get very nervous around you. But after the stuff we saw down in the Catacombs, I realize I can't blame you for it. If I was in your situation, things would've probably gone the exact same way. And Riolu's right, you've been doing good as part of the guild. A monster wouldn't be there to comfort a miserable Riolu when she's suffering. A monster wouldn't have saved us from those Unown." He inched closer to Null. "You're a good Pokémon at heart, Null. And yes, I do mean Pokémon."

Null shuffled away from them. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. I'm not a real Pokémon and I never will be. I'm just a sorry mish-mash… a failed attempt at an Arceus clone." He shook his head. "Do the folks at the guild know?"

"Yes," Tessa replied glumly.

"Then it's worthless," Null said, pulling his forelegs up on top of his rag-covered head. "I can't go back there. How am I supposed to look any of them in the eye, huh?"

Tessa bit her lip and withdrew her paw. "W-Well… um… that is…" She failed to think of a response to him.

"Null," Shane spoke up. "I know this looks really bad. But, I want to share something with you." Null stopped squirming and turned his head to face Shane. His eyes glowed from beneath the rag. "It's, um, a quote. From something Pokémon-related back in the human world."

"But I thought Pokémon weren't real in your world?" Null whimpered.

"Err, yeah, I mean that's true, but…" Shane bit his lower lip. "Look, just hear me out, okay? I really think it applies to your situation."

"… fine," Null said. "What is it?"

Shane took a deep breath, and then recited off memory, "The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

Silence fell over the trio. Tessa gave Shane a bewildered look, while Null appeared to shift his gaze to look at the ground. "Who said that?" he asked.

"Mewtwo," Shane replied. "In my world, he was created in a laboratory, as a clone of Mew. He was designed to be an incredibly powerful battler. Sound familiar?"

"Y… yes…" Null rasped.

"Now, I don't think the Mewtwo in this world has the same origin. But, I think what he said applies here," Shane said. "Are you really going to let Golem and his horrible flunkies dictate what you do with your life? Are you going to give into all the angry voices in your head?" Null met his gaze once again. "Or are you going to show the world that you're not just some tool? That you can rise above what you were created for… and become a force that inspires hope?" Shane stepped back and shook his head. "That… probably sounded really sappy, didn't it?" His ears folded against his head. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm not too good at motivational speeches."

To the duo's surprise, Null lumbered to his feet. The two of them thought they heard a soft whine and exchanged nervous looks. "You guys…" Null hiccuped. His teammates' ears twitched. He slowly pivoted around, facing them. "You really mean it? You want me to stay on the team, even after all that stuff you saw?"

Tessa stepped forward. Slowly, she brought her paw up to clasp the rag over Null's face. "You're our friend, Null. And you've gotten us through some really tough times. We're not about to let you slip through the cracks." Tessa gingerly pulled the rag away from Null's face, whispering, "Team Radiance needs you."

Null tucked his chin against his neck, allowing the rest of the rag to fall away. And, for the first time, Tessa and Shane were truly able to look their teammate right in the eyes. His silver, watery eyes. "I get it," he whispered. "It's like you guys said on Riolu's hatch day."

Shane picked up on Null's cue. He stuck a forepaw forward, saying "Through darkest night…"

Tessa added her paw and said, "… and brightest day…"

Null put his talons on top of his friends' paws and finished, "… Team Radiance always finds a way." He shut his eyes, tears streaming down them, and leaned forward. He brushed his torso up against his teammates and craned his head and neck down, nuzzling the two of them. Shane and Tessa both returned the embrace.

"Thank you," he whispered, "for everything." They kept the embrace for a moment, before Null stepped back. He bent down, picked up the Lunar Wing in his beak, and nestled it in the feathers on his chest plume.

"How are you feeling?" Shane asked.

Null a took a deep breath. "… okay," he replied. "I'm… I'm okay." He titled his head upward. Slowly, Null made his way out of the forest, with Shane and Tessa following him. He walked onto the grass and that sat down, craning his neck up toward the afternoon sun. Warm sunlight spilled over his face. Null sat there, humming as his tail swished back and forth through the grass.

"So, this is what it feels like," he said.

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked.

"Having the sun shining down on you. And soaking up the rays with your face," Null continued. "This is the first time I've ever felt something like this."

Shane cocked an eyebrow. "And?"

Null's beak opened in a smile. "I like it," he trilled. He flopped over onto his side and started rubbing his face against the grass. "It tickles!" he squeaked, rolling across the grass until he lay in front of Tessa's feet.

'Gee… how very, uh, dog,' Shane mused, keeping that thought to himself.

"You seem to be in better spirits," Tessa noted.

"I think I am," Null said, sitting back up. "I feel so much lighter. So… full of energy!" He sprang up to his feet, earning a confused look from Tessa.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

In response, Null reached out, and bopped the tip of Tessa's snout with his beak. Her eyes widened. "I've always wanted to do that," Null confessed, stifling a giggle. "Oh, by the way, I think the phrase is, 'tag, you're it!'"

"Wait, what?" Tessa gasped, but Null turned and sprinted away. "Hey… hey! You can't just call an impromptu game of tag like that. We've gotta agree on the rules first! Back me up here, Shane." She looked over to her side, only to see that Shane had turned tail and ran away from her, laughing. She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Fine. I'm going for you first!" She stuck her arms out by her sides and sprinted after Shane.

Across the grass, Null trotted to a stop, watching Tessa close the gap as Shane reached a dead end. Shane tried to get around Tessa by faking going to his right and then juking left. But he got tripped up in the process. A triumphant Tessa stood over him. She knelt down and tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Tag." She turned and ran away laughing. But Shane quickly got to his feet. He coated the grass in a layer of ice and slid onto his belly.

Null's eyes widened as Shane bowled into Tessa from behind, upending her and making her fall onto the grass. Shane spun to a stop by Null, his eyes swirling about in his sockets. "Oooooog. Did I get her?" he groaned.

"You sure did," Null said. He ran over to Tessa, his face ripe with worry. "Are you okay? That looked like it stung." He looked down at Tessa, but she didn't respond. "Riolu? Riolu?" Null called, leaning down to get a closer look. "Say something. Anything!"

A blue paw reached up and tapped edge of Null's beak. "Okay, how about, 'tag, you're it?'"

Null's jaw dropped and Tessa used the opportunity to roll away from him. She stumbled to her feet but didn't make it very far before Null playfully tackled her from behind. They rolled across the grass, bursting into laughter as they came to a stop. Shane shook his head at the sight. 'Who would've thought this would be how our day ended up?' A smile crept onto his lips as he watched Null nuzzle Tessa's cheek. 'But I'm glad they were able to work things out. They both seem so much happier. And Tessa could really use something positive in her life right now.'

"It looks like you're feeling much better, Null."

All three members of Team Radiance turned and stood at attention as Latias materialized behind them. Espeon and Umbreon also walked in from the nearby trail. "I hope you don't mind us interrupting. It was starting to get kind of late, and we were getting worried," Latias said.

"It's no big deal," Shane dismissed.

"How did she just appear like that?" Tessa gasped, her aura feelers pulsating wildly.

Both Shane and Latias opened their mouths in unison, only for Null to cut them off, saying, "Latias can use her down to turn invisible."

"How do you know that?" Shane and Latias asked simultaneously. Latias turned her confused look on Shane.

Null's brow furrowed. "I don't know. I just do," he replied. "Maybe it's because I, y'know…" He sheepishly picked at the dirt with his talons. "… needed to know that in order to kill her." Null noticed Latias' feathers prickle. "Buh-but that's not me. I don't want to do that stuff. I look okay to you, right?"

"Yes," Latias muttered. "And, um, you seem pretty lucid." Null nodded. "So, um, I have something here for you." Latias pulled the Memory Looplet out from her satchel.

Null's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah… that's my looplet! That's the one Golem made for me."

"I know," Latias said. "This is what Team Captivate found in the Nocturnus Catacombs. I took it back to the Expedition Society, where Mawile's been researching it extensively." She gently set the looplet on the ground. "Based on her investigating, she put this together." Latias pulled out the stack of pages and floated it over toward Team Radiance.

Shane glanced at the top page and his jaw dropped. "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the RKS System (But Were Afraid to Ask)? Are you serious, here?"

"Very," Latias replied. "That's what Null's ability is called, according to the papers Mawile uncovered. Why, something wrong?"

"Nuh-no. Of course not!" Shane said. Blood rushed into his face and stepped away from his teammates. "So, what, you want to put the looplet on him and see what happens? Be my guest."

Null shot a nervous glance at the looplet. "Why didn't Team Captivate say anything to me about this?"

Latias scratched the back of her neck. "Ah, well, that's probably my fault. I may have intentionally made it a bit difficult for them to believe your, y'know, uniqueorigins."

"Alternatively, they were just scared of how you'd react," Umbreon added. Tessa gave him a nasty look, to which Umbreon raised a forepaw up innocently. "What? I'm sure we were all thinking it."

"It's okay," Null said. He looked back down at the looplet. "Are you sure this is safe to try?"

"Well, not really," Latias conceded, drawing panicked expressions from the other Pokémon present. "But I have an idea," she hastily added, floating closer to Null. "If I could just see that Lunar Wing of yours for a second."

Null glanced at the feather, and then cautiously plucked it up with his beak and presented it to Latias. His tensed up and his talons dug into the dirt as Latias took the Lunar Wing and the Memory Looplet. She brought them close together and, to everyone's shock, breathed out a small, quick stream of dragonfire.

"Are you nuts?" Shane cried. "You're going to break them both!"

Latias ended the attack and encased the items in a psychic bubble with some lingering dragonfire. She shut her eyes and concentrated. The others looked on in confusion as the bubble's contents seemed to pulsate and swirl around. After a couple of minutes, Latias broke the bubble and dispelled the dragonfire. The looplet floated in the air, completely unharmed. However, the metal banding and Arceus-like wheel were now gold-plated. Latias levitated the Memory Looplet over to Null.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I welded the Lunar Wing into the looplet," Latias explained. "From what I saw in Espeon's memories, you went berserk because of this thing. But the Lunar Wing has a calming effect on you. I figured that, if I could incorporate its psychic energy into the very essence of the looplet, you might be able to use it successfully."

Null blinked. "Right," he whispered. He lifted up his right foreleg. Latias took a deep breath and cautiously slid the Memory Looplet onto his limb. Null watched it move up and clamped his beak shut as it brushed against his fur. The moment it reached a point where it snuggly surrounded his leg, his entire body went rigid.

Tessa's aura feelers shot into the air and she backed away. "Null? Are… are you okay?"

Latias' face blanched. "Come on, Null. It's okay. Deep breaths. You… you're alright." But she was starting to float away, readying herself for a hasty retreat.

Tessa abruptly leaped to Null's side. She put her paws against his leg and rubbed it. "It's going to be okay," she whispered.

"Guys, look," Shane said, pointing his forepaw at Null. "His eyes are changing color." Everyone looked up at Null's face, watching his irises shift from white to blue. And then again to red. And then again to green.

"Null, are you feeling alright?" Tessa asked. Null didn't respond. He remained still as his eyes cycled through multiple different colors. Everyone stood in silence, until Null's eyes regained their white coloration.

Then, to their surprise, Null declared in monotone, "Biolink established. RKS System online." He blinked a few times and then shook his head about. "Unnnngh… w-what happened?" he groaned, lowering his head and brushing his feathers with his talons.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Espeon said. "Your eyes were changing color there."

"They were?" Null gasped. He looked down at the Memory Looplet, and noticed the gems embedded in the golden wheel now sparkled with a rainbow glow.

"It's in the instructions," Umbreon exclaimed, looking down at the stack of papers. "Says here, 'The RKS System enables the God Killer to alter its typing as it sees fit. All it needs to do is think of which type it wants to assume. The Memory Looplet reads its thoughts, and uses the life energy stored in it to do the necessary type conversion. Certain energy-based parts of the God Killer's body will reflect the type changes.'"

Null looked down at the looplet. "Hmm… lemme try something, then." His brow furrowed and then, to everyone's surprise, a change occurred. His eyes, tail membrane, cheek bolts, and energy blades all turned a bright shade of blue.

"Whoa!" Shane jumped back. "Are you sure you should be doing that?"

In response to this. Null tensed up. The blue coloration across his body shifted to red. Null darted forward. Golden energy emerged around his torso in a wheel shape that matched the looplet. The energy raced around his body, until it gathered around his forelegs, where it suddenly erupted, setting his forelegs ablaze. Null raised his talons and slashed a nearby tree. Burning chunks of wood exploded out in all directions.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight. Null looked down at his flaming talons. His tail started wagging. "I think I could get used to this," he chirped. "I mean, it's a little weird. When I change, I have all these memories of different fire-type Pokémon running around in my head. Like, I saw a Magcargo bathing in a lava bath. And a Pyroar pushing a Luxray off of a cliff." He shuddered. "But it's not like when the voices were there." He lowered his talons and tensed up again. But nothing happened, drawing a confused look from Null. "Hey, why can't I become a water-type again?"

Umbreon flipped through the pages and pressed a forepaw down on one, "According to this, if you change out of a certain type, there's a bit of a cooldown period before you can change back to it. Otherwise, you might overload the looplet."

Null nodded. "Is there anything else I should know?" he asked.

"Mawile managed to add emera slots into the looplet," Latias exclaimed. "There are only three of them. But hopefully you'll manage to put them to good use."

Null examined the notches in the looplet's band. "Well, we kind of lost a lot of our items, but we stored our emeras at Dhelmise Depot. I'm sure we can find a good combination," Tessa declared, giving her friend a reassuring smile.

"And I'll get these instructions back to the guild for your guys," Umbreon offered, "so you can look them over later." He and Espeon scooped the papers up and started to make their way back toward the road.

"Yeah, it's getting late. Probably best to start heading back," Latias declared, letting out a yawn. "I'm king of running on fumes here." She slowly floated off after Espeon and Umbreon.

"I guess we should follow them, huh?" Null said.

"Hang on. There's still one more thing we need to take care of," Shane said, drawing confused looks from his teammates. "You need a name," he said.

"A… name?" Null parroted.

"Of course," Shane replied. "You said it yourself. The Guildmaster just labeled you Null because he had no idea what you were supposed to be. But now we know. And you're free of that restraining mask. I don't think it's fair to keep going around calling you that. You deserve something better!"

Null blinked. "But, what should I call myself?"

Shane pursed his lips. While his idea sounded good, he clearly lacked the foresight to think up any ideas. "Um, well, I guess we'd need to have a quick brainstorming session." He started pacing back and forth. "How about Buddy? You look like a dog. In the human world, dogs are man's best friend. And you don't want to hurt people, so it sounds very friendly!"

Null shook his head. "Sorry, that seems rather silly."

"Okay, well there are lots of other great dog names. Like Rex, Baxter, Spot, Jackson, Archie, or my personal favorite, Barkley!" Shane grinned at his teammates, who stared back at him in surprise. "Err... I think I got carried away again."

"I'll say," Tessa said. "None of those sound like what you'd call a Pokémon."

"What about something cool, then? Like… like… Razorclaw!" Shane pointed at Null's talons. "Or how about–"

"What about Silvally?" Tessa offered.

Shane shot Tessa a confused look. "You can't be serious. Now that's a silly name. It kind of sounds like putty. Y'know, that slime-like stuff you can play around with?"

Tessa shrugged. "I mean, he looks pretty silver to me now that the mask is gone. And he wants to be the opposite of an enemy to all Legendaries, and that'd be an ally. So, yeah, I just kind of mashed them together." She scratched the back of her head. "I know it sounds stupid, but–"

"I like it!" their teammate chirped. "Yeah… Silvally. Silvally! Silvally!" he repeated the name several times, before proceeding to hop about in a circle, tail wagging excitedly. "That's me," he said, planting his forelegs in the ground and puffing his chest out.

'Talk about a 180 in personality,' Shane thought. "Okay then. Silvally it is."

"Alright!" he cheered. He looked at Tessa. "Hey, race you back to the Observatory." He started jogging in place.

A broad smile appeared on Tessa's face. "Oh, you're so going down!" she declared, and broke into a run.

"Hey, I never said 'go!'" Silvally cawed, and bounded after her.

"You never set any rules," Tessa called back with a laugh.

Shane watched the two of them round a bend in the forest to rejoin the road. 'They seem really happy now. Thank goodness.' But as he heard their footsteps retreat, his smile slowly started to fade. He looked down at the ground, and his ears and tail drooped. 'So, why do I have this awful, sinking feeling in my stomach about Silvally?' He started walking off toward the road, furrowing his brow as he tried to reason out the cause. 'He seems to be under control. And he's got the RKS System working, from what it looks like. What's the problem, then? Am I just being paranoid, like with Lycanroc?'

As he approached the edge of Aeon Town, he abruptly stopped. Distorted black cubes filled up his field of vision, erasing Aeon Town. Flames washed away the cubes and a pair of blue eyes appeared in the center, looking right back at Shane. A hole appeared in the wall of fire, showing a Dusknoir getting dragged through a wormhole by a pair of lanky green arms. The flames circled around the sight and vanished, leaving Shane standing atop the hill overlooking the town.

'Wait. An older, more-experienced Pokémon is working with two kids. He has lightning-fast reflexes and powerful attacks at his disposal. And he's been displaced from the time he's originally from…' His eyes widened and his muzzle fell agape. 'Oh my god, he's not just some random coincidence. I'll bet he's our Grovyle. And that means… no matter what we try, we're gonna lose him!'

Shane's legs locked up and his gaze fell back to the ground. The soil beneath him swirled around in circles, until he found himself staring at the armored face of Solgaleo's imposter.

"Heeheehee… yes, exactly! One by one, those fakers will disappear, until you realize that your one and only friend is me… Necrozma!"

Shane's heart skipped a beat. He slammed his eyes shut and sprinted down the hill, whimpering loudly.

End of Episode 9

And there you have it! As a reminder, a pair of bonuses will be coming for the next two updates, followed by Episode 10. It is a meaty one, currently standing at eight chapters. Quite a lot is going to happen there, and I hope that it serves to shake things up even further.

Next time: the God Killer speaks his mind.