Chapter 59: Frozen in Anticipation
~Temporal Tower~
Dialga stood perched atop his domain, looking out across the Hidden Land. Swathes of light brown sat arrayed far below him, representing the many floating rocks and islands combining to form the path to Temporal Tower's entrance. In the distance, patches of green lay interspersed between fluffy yellow clouds. Dialga knew that under one of those clouds sat the Old Ruins, housing the one means for mortals to reach him.
He stepped back from the edge of the gray tower, huffing and dragging a foreleg across the floor. "You sense it too, don't you?" he muttered, looking over his shoulder. "The faintest traces of Lapras swimming up the Sea of Time."
Mewtwo floated a body length behind Dialga, eyes shut, arms crossed, and tail flicking back and forth impatiently. Except this aura is like no Lapras I've ever laid eyes on, he said. Certainly not one I could see you entrusting with the means to reach the Hidden Land.
"I don't like it," Dialga growled. "That corrupting force suffocating Lapras' energy… I don't want it setting foot in the Hidden Land."
Mewtwo drifted beside Dialga, eyes opening and psychic energy pooling in his hands. You want me to roll out the welcome mat? For all we know, this could be the alien force that's gotten the other gods in such a tizzy. He tilted his head to the right, neck cricking satisfyingly. I'm eager to show this strange visitor what real power looks like.
Wait! You can't do that!
Dialga whirled around, raw blue energy gathering in his mouth. Hoopa's ring portal crackled into existence in front of Temporal Tower's shrine. Latias sped out of the portal, with an amused Hoopa tagging along after her. Mewtwo's and Dialga's eyes widened in utter shock. "Latias?" Dialga scoffed. "What is the meaning of this? How are you even here? Nothing can penetrate my barrier!" His eyes glowed red and he leered down at Latias, who shrank back in fright.
Please just listen for a second, Latias squeaked. This is an emergency! Surely you've realized something's off with the Time Gears, right?
"Of course I have!" Dialga snarled. "Are you implying I don't know how to do my job? That's a bit rich, coming from you!"
Latias wilted, wings drooping. I… I'm sorry for showing up announced, Dialga, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She reached into her satchel and produced the Dusk Hourglass. Both Mewtwo and Dialga did doubletakes.
"Why do you have that?" Dialga growled. "You're not supposed to have that. You're a careless worrywart. Go bring that back to Horizon right this sec–"
No, Latias said, trembling. Dialga and Mewtwo inched closer to her. This is what I used to get here. The life energy inside is powerful enough to let Hoopa's rings bypass the shielding around Hidden Land.
"You worthless cur!" Dialga spat. A shining blue bolt of energy raced toward Latias. She blanched and threw up a pink barrier, barely able to stave off his attack. "You would show up here for nothing more than a meager demonstration? I should strike you down for such insolence!" He shook his head. "Clearly Rayquaza was right. You're a know-nothing miscreant who can't be trusted to keep her snout clean!"
I am not! Latias replied, regaining some of her resolve. Will you stop talking down to me like I'm some little kid and listen for a few minutes? I'm trying to help, here.
"I don't want your help," Dialga snorted, "because you're useless. You thought you could run from Dark Matter. And I'll bet that's why you're here, too."
Enough, Dialga, Mewtwo interjected, sticking his right arm out. Hear her out.
Dialga glared at Mewtwo. "You're really siding with her?"
Not necessarily, Mewtwo replied. But I think she deserves the floor. After all, she's worked with the mortals since Dark Matter's defeat. A similar group to the ones who rescued you from the brink of insanity, if I'm not mistaken.
Dialga's eyes flashed dangerously. "You watch your words, Mewtwo. You are here as my guest. If you upset me, I won't hesitate to rescind that generosity."
"Oh, for pity's sake, pull your head out of your ass, Dialga!" Latias snarled, abandoning her telepathy. Dialga looked as if he'd been slapped across the face.
"What did you just say to me?" he growled, tail rapping the ground as a warning.
Hoopa rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Ooooooooh! This is getting exciting! Hoopa wishes he brought some popcorn."
"You heard me! You're. Being. An. Ass! But what else is new?" Latias seethed, stunning her counterparts.
"Hey, language! You're hurting Hoopa's sweet virgin ears!" Hoopa said, sniggering into one hand. A stream of dragonfire whizzed by him in response, shutting him up.
"I'm here because one of the Time Gears was taken," Latias said. "I already knew Mewtwo refused to go along with the Expedition Society's plan, but I needed to see whether or not you were staying behind, too."
"Of course I'm staying behind. Temporal Tower is my responsibility! I will not let it fall again!" Dialga sneered. "So, turn your feathery rear around and leave before I make you sorely regret demeaning me in my own domain."
Latias huffed out tufts of blue-purple fire. "You're kidding me, right? You really think that sitting around and waiting until the Prism Virus gets here will keep Temporal Tower safe? I don't believe this! You… you learned nothing from Darkrai's actions, did you?"
Mewtwo teleported directly in front of Latias. She squeaked in surprise, staring at the purple sphere held inches in front of her snout. I'm starting to agree with Dialga. You say you want to help us… yet you come here spouting hypocrisy. You say we're patronizing you but all I hear is you talking down to Dialga. Even with Mega Evolution, you could not stand up to either of us. I've grown tired of this abhorrent waste of time.
"Boooooooooo! That was an awful pun! You should feel ashamed!" Hoopa heckled, drawing Mewtwo's ire toward him. He backed away, whistling innocently.
"You… you're right," Latias sighed, wings drooping. She rubbed her bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry. I've been under a lot of stress and haven't gotten much sleep. I wasn't prepared for this Time Gear business to pop up." She took a deep breath. "Will you please let me say my fill?"
"… you have thirty seconds," Dialga sneered. "And I will tell Rayquaza about this injustice." Latias' horrified gaze fell to the ground. "Well, go on, you're already burning up your own time."
"Team Poképals is working with the Expedition Society to relocate the Time Gears to Lively Town. We have a forcefield there," Latias explained. "It's going to freeze time for parts of the world, but better a temporary disruption in time than the Prism Virus getting the Time Gears." She looked up at Dialga. "I came here to tell you that… so you would remain calm when it happens."
Dialga's brow furrowed. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Very well. I… err… appreciate the forewarning," he said. "As long as I am here, I suppose I can mitigate the effects of removing the Time Gears from their pedestals and keep ley lines from running haywire. Is that all?"
Latias shook her head. "Err… well… that was all I wanted, but I can sense trouble swimming up the Sea of Time." She tapped her claws together. "You have to repel it, Dialga."
We already have a plan. I shall confront this anomaly and dispose of it. It will be quick work for the world's strongest Pokémon,Mewtwo scoffed.
"No, you shouldn't do that!" Latias blurted out. Mewtwo raised his brow skeptically.
Are you questioning my power? he said.
"Not at all," Latias squeaked, voice cracking. "It's just… that's not going to work. Necrozma doesn't behave like a normal Pokémon. You can't just draw him into a battle and expect things to go okay." She tried to peer past Mewtwo and look at Dialga, but Mewtwo continued blocking her gaze. "If you really want to repel him, then you're going to have to get involved, Dialga."
"By doing what, exactly?" Dialga asked.
"Make some sort of temporal distortion," Latias said, hastily turning her head to the side to avoid Dialga's shocked expression. "If Necrozma gets to the Hidden Land, you can freeze him in a time pocket, couldn't you?"
Dialga's tail again rapped the ground angrily. "Yes, I could. But do you have any idea how unstable a time pocket is? Especially one where time isn't moving at all? Why, it would generate so many ley lines that wild Pokémon would sprout up everywhere and turn the Hidden Land into a giant battlefield!" He narrowed his eyes at Latias. "You honestly expect me to pick an option like that over sending in Mewtwo?"
"Yes, because you can't underestimate Necrozma!" Latias said. "Or maybe I should call him what you remember him as… the Guiding Light?"
Dialga's exhale turned into a surprised snort. "The Guiding Light… here? Impossible! Solgaleo and Lunala–"
"–are gone, Dialga," Latias cut in. "In fact, Necrozma's possessing Lunala to go about his destructive rampage. He and his flunkies would've killed Tapu Koko and Zapdos if the Expedition Society hadn't intervened. Heck, they've already taken out Tapu Lele and Mesprit." She frowned at Dialga. "Need I honestly remind you about the last time a possessed Lunala was allowed in here?"
To Mewtwo's surprise, a shudder ran through Dialga's metal spine. He looked up toward Temporal Tower's shrine. "He knows," Dialga rasped.
What are you muttering about? Mewtwo asked.
"The Guiding Light… he must know about the Time Gears! I forged them with remnants of his life energy," Dialga elaborated. He looked back at Latias. "Why didn't you just cut to the chase from the get-go? We could've avoided a lot of unnecessary hostilities if you'd just led with that bit."
"I'm sorry! I told you, I'm really stressed and I'm not entirely thinking straight," Latias said. "I still have to follow up with Tapu Fini and Ampharos after this."
Dialga rolled his eyes. "… hmph. Seems your training didn't amount to much if flying and talking are enough to make you so tired." He turned away from Latias. "But… I see your point. I'll trap Necrozma in a time pocket. Mewtwo, I may need you to 'handle' the wild Pokémon onslaught should things get out of hand."
Mewtwo crossed his arms. Hardly a fitting challenge, but I'll accept.
Latias sighed in relief. "Okay, Hoopa, let's get going."
~Cavernous Lagoon~
Silvally reached the end of the tunnel first. He skidded to a halt, kicking up gravel, and scanned the area. He had arrived in a purple basin. The room had an ovoid shape to it, with only one other tunnel present. It lay on the other side of the room, across a small lagoon that twinkled under the purple glow of star-shaped rocks and light crystals. He didn't take in the view for long, however, because a strained cry drew his attention to his right.
"Gallian!" Silvally gasped. He narrowed his eyes, electric memories coursing through him, turning the white parts of his body yellow. "Let him go, Milotic!"
At the edge of the lagoon stood Milotic, clutching Gallian in her axe-tipped tail. She dangled Gallian over the water so the edge of his tail bobbed in and out of it. Milotic turned and fixed her vibrant blue eyes on Silvally, showcasing her ice helmet with the mohawk of spikes. Silvally frowned upon seeing the glyph carved into it: a broken heart, with wings on either side, devilish horns protruding from the top, and a piercing red eye in the center.
"I think not," Milotic said, lowering Gallian so his rear touched the water's surface. Gallian thrashed in her grip, flinging water droplets all around him.
"Gallian!"
The rest of the group caught up to Silvally. Tessa held her marked paw up to her snout in surprise. "Milotic, what do you think you're doing?"
"Teaching your stupid brother how to swim the old-fashioned way: by tossing him into this lagoon!" Milotic sneered.
"Nnngggrhh… st… stop!" Gallian wheezed. "Wh… why are you doing this?"
"Your little sister and her merry band of screwups have something I want," Milotic said venomously. "And you're here to foster a little exchange." She turned to the group, locking eyes with Tessa. "Well, kiddo, you've got a choice to make. You hand over your Dawn Shard, you get your prickly brother back. Refuse…" She narrowed her eyes and lowered Gallian into the water further.
"Agggh! C-c-c-cold! So cold!" Gallian howled, trying to swing his lower body up and out of the water.
"… and we all get to find out how long an Absol can survive frigid waters."
Electricity gathered around Silvally's cheeks. "You wouldn't dare. We have numbers on you!"
A grin weaved its way onto Milotic's face. "You do, huh? Well then… I better fix that." She turned around and whistled loudly.
"Krrr-rrr-rrr-rrr!"
Everyone but Milotic dropped to the ground, clutching their respective heads in pain. "Oh god, it's like a hundred nails are scraping a chalkboard!" Shane howled.
"C… captain! We've got incoming Nihilegos!" Sticky panicked, one hand pressed firmly against his visor. Luxeira shakily looked up, jaw locking. Two Nihilegos had funneled out of the other tunnel and were now lazily floating above Milotic.
"Krrr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" they chittered, rubbing their tentacles together.
"What the–?" Shane's tails shot up in panic. "What kind of sorry imitation Tentacruels am I looking at, here?"
Silvally gnashed at the air in front of him, eyes sparking. "Ultra Beasts," he hissed. "Real, genuine Ultra Beasts."
"You mean that's what the Prism Virus mashes Pokémon with?" Shane gasped. He turned back to Milotic. "You're horrible! How can you do something like this?"
"Easy. I just think about how great things will be when the gods are erased from history and take all these hideous Mystery Dungeons with them," Milotic scoffed. She looked up at the Nihilego. "Now, attack!"
As soon as she said that, the room erupted into udder bedlam. The Nihilegos turned in opposite directions and hurtled massive balls of purple sludge in front of them. They both darted after their attacks, one making for Shane, Sticky, and Luxeira while the other floated toward Dusk, Totem Decidueye, and Zoroark. Silvally didn't bother with either Nihilego, instead funneling electricity to the tip of his head crest and launching it directly at Milotic. A disdainful look appeared on her face. She threw Gallian back toward the water.
"No!" Tessa hollered, sprinting forward without a second thought. But to her surprise, Milotic stood tall, taking Silvally's attack. With an effortful grunt, Milotic turned and slammed her tail against the surface of the water. Tessa skidded to a halt, watching in horror as ice spread across the entire lagoon. "Gallian, get out of there!" she shrieked.
Milotic turned around, her tail whipping the air. Large shards of ice arced out in different directions. Tessa was too close to Milotic and took a blow in her right leg. She collapsed onto her side, howling in pain and clutching the injured limb. Silvally screeched angrily and blew the remaining ice shards apart with lightning. Beside him, Espeon's face scrunched up in frustration at the sight of Milotic swatting a sickly-purple energy ball effortlessly aside.
In the water, Gallian's eyes widened in terror at the oncoming ice. But all he could do was thrash about uselessly. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting his world to black out. Instead, a pair of claws dug into his back. With a powerful, flap of his wings, Totem Decidueye took off. Gallian broke the surface of the water just seconds before the ice passed him by. He looked down at the frozen lagoon, shuddering in Totem Decidueye's grip.
His sense of relief proved fleeting, however. A purple tendril speared Totem Decidueye's wing. It involuntarily buckled and the pain made Totem Decidueye release his grip on Gallian. He plummeted to the ground. One of the Nihilegos flew forward, looking to intercept Gallian and wrap him with its tentacles. A large orange rock collided with the Nihilego, preventing it from capturing Gallian. He struck the ground and Zoroark raced to his side. Opposite them, the Nihilego hit the frozen pond. Its assailant landed in front of them, revealing a curled-up Dusk. She hastily got back to her feet, starting Nihilego down.
"Hmph! You uncouth vermin really know how to louse something simple up, don't you?" Milotic scoffed, glaring at the downed Nihilego. To her left, the other Nihilego had Shane, Sticky, and Luxeira pushed back toward a corner. "Perhaps I just need to fully embrace a divide and conquer strategy."
Milotic held her tail aloft. The icy snowflake glowed sky-blue. Within seconds, the frozen pond shattered into thousands of pieces. Milotic thrust her tail forward and the icy fragments spread out. Silvally's eyes widened. He shifted his steel memories on. Iron encased his head and he charged forward, looking to ram Milotic and cut off her attack. But a stream of liquid ice lofted Milotic into the air. Silvally charged right through it, his momentum disappearing from the sudden cold exposure.
"Ahh! No way… she's separating us!" Tessa cried, looking around in horror. On either side of her, massive sheets of ice extended from the ground all the way to the ceiling. They were so thick that Tessa couldn't even see through to the other side. Espeon wasted no time in turning and shooting a pink beam right at Milotic.
"Oh, please. You think that boring little attack can hurt me?" Milotic scoffed. She hopped off the stream of liquid ice and struck it with her tail. The ice surged forward, snuffing Espeon's beam out and forcing her to backpedal lest she be buffeted with subzero water. Milotic saw Silvally getting ready to pounce and swung her tail underneath her. Frigid air gathered all around it. Silvally blanched and backed off, switching back to his electric memories and charging energy up in his cheek bolts.
As he expected, Milotic struck the ground. The impact drove her tail blade into the floor, generating plumes of chilled air all around her. "Everyone, fire now!" Silvally barked, letting loose a stream of electricity. A smirk appeared on Milotic's face. She didn't bother trying to dislodge her tail. Instead a veil of water and ice surrounded her. Milotic sprang forward, corkscrewing her body as she moved.
The rotating water and ice turned Silvally's lightning aside, along with Tessa's aura sphere and Espeon's ectoplasmic blast. The trail of water Milotic left behind her erupted in a line of ice shards. Silvally was caught off guard and speared on the tip of his beak by one of the ice shards. He stumbled backward, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. Milotic reached the other side of the room. Her water veil disappeared, leaving her standing on the ground, trying to catch her breath.
Espeon and Tessa wasted no time in launching more attacks at her. A ball of blue fire collided with a pink beam right in front of Milotic. The explosion sent her reeling. She struck the wall with an audible splat and slowly peeled off of it, a dazed look in her eyes. Silvally ran up to join his teammates, launching more lightning in Milotic's direction. She was too dizzy to dodge or counter this time, so the electricity shocked her slender form. Milotic dropped to the floor, convulsing rapidly. Lingering plasma wisps stung her wet scales.
"Tessa, try a Z-Move based on Thunder Punch," Silvally suggested. "Quickly, while she's still out of it."
"I can't!" Tessa said, looking despondently at the grayed-out gem in her looplet. "The only way the looplet recharges is if we leave the dungeon, remember?"
"But I still have Z-Power," Espeon declared, stepping toward Milotic. "Let's see how much she likes thi–"
A sparking blue energy bolt struck her in the chest. Espeon dropped to her knees, face scrunched up in pain. She shakily looked up to see Milotic back on her feet. Soft white light covered her body, making her rainbow scales glisten. "Oh crap! She's using Recover!" Silvally hissed, sending more lightning bolts racing toward her. Milotic swiped her tail upward. A pillar of ice rose from the ground, absorbing the blow and breaking in a cloud of mist.
Milotic sprang forward, shooting through the cloud of mist tail-first. "Get down!" Silvally barked, shoving Tessa out of the way and channeling his steel memories. Metal encased his head and torso. Silvally dug his legs in, grunting as Milotic's tail struck him right in the gut. She rebounded off of him, landing gracefully and swinging her tail around in an attempt to slice through Silvally's legs. He reared up just in time to dodge her. Tessa brought her lightning-coated fist around, only to meet Milotic's tail blade and stumble back, wringing out her paw in pain.
Searing water then battered Tessa, flinging her into the ice wall. She bounced off it, leaving a Lucario-shaped imprint, and hit the floor. The blow knocked the wind out of Tessa. Milotic sprang to her right, dodging a ball of purple shadows. She dug her tail into the ice, leaving her suspended in midair with ice and water gathering in her mouth. The sigil on her helmet glistened with a rainbow hue.
"Eat this!" she cried, attack garbling her speech. Milotic spat a stream of rime toward Tessa. Tessa ran forward without any hesitation, but to her horror, the flash-frozen water rebounded off the wall, all while Milotic continued to pump out more of it. Espeon threw a bright-pink barrier up in front of her, but the rime beam shattered it and swallowed Espeon up, drowning out any cries of pain.
"Espeon!" Tessa gasped, only to suck in a breath and throw herself against the wall as the water torrent rebounded a second time toward her. It continued zigzagging across the ground, forcing Silvally to backpedal. He failed to judge his distance properly, however, and his left hind foot slipped off the edge of where the lagoon used to be. Silvally tumbled downward, clawing at the rock with a distressed squawk.
Milotic ceased the attack and dropped off the wall, struggling to catch her breath. Tessa dislodged herself from the wall, visibly recoiling upon seeing the lump of ice that stood where Espeon was supposed to be. Milotic took advantage of Tessa's distraction, launching herself backward and wrapping herself around a light crystal. More rime gathered in her mouth and she unleashed it.
Tessa's ears and aura feelers twitched. She threw herself to the ground, foot tingling as ice water grazed the tips of her toes. Like before, the rime rebounded toward the ceiling, only to strike it and double back toward Tessa. She crab-walked across the ground as fast as she could, barely getting out of the attack's range. Tessa scrambled to her feet. White-hot pain shot up her leg. She looked down and noticed her left foot encased in a thick layer of ice.
"What's the matter, Tessa? Getting cold feet?" Milotic quipped. "If you ask me, that's the perfect representation of your life right there!"
Milotic lunged off her perch, a water veil swirling around her. Tessa desperately hurled a blue fireball forward but Milotic's spinning barrier shattered it. She threw her arms up, bracing for ice-cold pain. Instead, something heavy slammed her from behind, knocking her to her belly. Her chest spike struck the floor and sent a jolt through her. The heaviness quickly subsided. Tessa rolled onto her back and sat up just in time to see Silvally standing opposite a dazed Milotic. Ice shards peppered his sopping-wet torso. Black blood oozed from a gash running across his face.
"You're going… to pay for that one…" Milotic wheezed, looking rather winded. A large crack had split her ice helmet.
Silvally didn't respond. He deactivated his Memory Looplet and lunged for Milotic, who was too out of breath to dodge him. Silvally pinned Milotic to the ground, digging her face in with his talons. "E… Espeon!" he shouted, pressing harder on Milotic's face as she writhed under his grip. Milotic tried summoning an icy cloud to get Silvally off her, but he retaliated by clamping his electrified beak onto one of her hair-like fins. She screamed in agony, her attempts at an attack fizzling out.
"Don't just stand there, Tessa! Break Espeon out of the ice!" Silvally barked.
"R… right!" Tessa squeaked. She sprinted ahead, throwing a lum berry at Espeon. It hit the ice and its juices started bubbling. Espeon thawed out, stumbling forward with a foggy look in her eyes.
"What happened? Why… why am I… so cold?" she asked, teeth chattering.
Tessa enveloped her in a hug, wincing from her cold, wet fur. "Milotic froze you," she said. "Silvally's got her pinned down, though."
"Espeon!" Silvally shouted again. "Use your Z-Move… now!
"Huh?" Espeon blinked. "But I don't want to hit you."
"I'm a normal-type now. Use that Z-Move from the Volcanic Wastes. I'll be fine!" Silvally insisted, before biting Milotic's neck. She abruptly stopped squirming and tensed up, screeching in pain.
"Right! Okay! Just… uh…" Espeon looked down at her looplet. "Gimme a second."
But before Espeon could channel any Z-Power from the looplet, the ice wall beside her started to break apart. Tessa's aura feelers shot up. She looked right into the widening crack. "Everyone… take cover!" she cried, sprinting for the empty water basin. Espeon ran after her, tucking her head in.
Silvally looked up at the ice wall. Pink light streamed out of the widening crack. Silvally slammed his eyes shut and pressed all of his weight down on Milotic. "What are you doing, you idiot?" she screeched. "You're gonna get us killed! Lemme go!"
Before Silvally could answer, the wall exploded.
"Don't just stand there gawking, idiots. Do something! Attack!"
Dusk dashed to her left, trying to draw Nihilego's attention. It didn't take the bait, however, instead launching three balls of purple sludge at Totem Decidueye. His maneuverability was cut off, with Zoroark and Gallian standing petrified on either side of him. Totem Decidueye drew back his wing and shot out shadowy arrows as fast as he could. But he only managed to stop two globs of gunk. The third one splattered across his face. Totem Decidueye fell onto his back, trying to wipe the poison off with a wing before they set in.
"Idiots!" Dusk howled. She launched herself skyward, curling up into a ball. Dusk moved far too quickly for Nihilego to react, hammering its head and flinging it back across the cave. Dusk landed safely, uncurling and glaring at her cohorts. "You two are supposed to be sentries! I know this thing's a freak of nature, but you need to buck up and start attacking!"
"N… no…" Gallian rasped, staring up at Nihilego in horror. "It'll just… disaster… that…"
Gallian's incoherent mumbling snapped Zoroark out of his stupor. He shot Gallian a frustrated glare. "Oh, for heaven's sake, you're still on about that nonsense? I thought your sister got that all out of your system." Zoroark stepped forward. Crimson energy crackled through his claws. "Wake up, Gallian! You're in danger! We need you here!"
Zoroark slammed the ground. A dome of crimson energy exploded out around him, striking the reeling Nihilego and knocking it back into the cave's far wall. Nihilego hit it, producing a noise that mimicked shattering glass. Zoroark got down on all fours. A blur ripple raced across his body, leaving him standing there in a perfect copy of Gallian's appearance. He turned and locked eyes with his former mate. "You're still just standing there? Gods, I can't believe you!" he spat.
"I can't," Gallian whispered, looking at his mirror image with a hurt expression in his eyes. Far ahead of him, Nihilego launched a bevy of glowing rocks forward. Dusk backpedaled, leaving Zoroark and Totem Decidueye to try and stop Nihilego's attack. A volley of spectral arrows and what looked like pink crescents sailed through the air, blowing Nihilego's rocks apart. It abruptly screeched to a halt, swaying back and forth.
"Krrr-rrr-rrr?" it chittered, looking between Gallian and Zoroark and scratching its head in confusion.
"Now's your chance," Zoroark whispered, glancing at Dusk.
Dusk charged forward, metal coating her fluffy white tail. Nihilego was too preoccupied trying to work out why two Gallians stood in front of it. Dusk's tail blindsided it, knocking it into the ice wall. Totem Decidueye drew a wing back, conjuring up a purple ball. He hurled it at Nihilego, but to his shock Nihilego parried it aside with one of its tentacles.
"Krrr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" Nihilego shrieked. Even more glowing rocks rose out from the ground. Nihilego slung globs of poison onto the rocks and launched them forward. Dusk sheathed her tail in iron, trying to bat the rocks away. But she misjudged her swing and two rocks beaned her in the head, knocking her to the ground. Totem Decidueye couldn't fly up out of their trajectory and also got hit. Purple splotches peppered his wings as he dropped to one knee, panting heavily.
Zoroark looked to be in the clear when his left hind leg spasmed. His illusion collapsed, leaving him to get pelted in the back by three rocks. Zoroark's howls of pain snapped Gallian to attention. He looked down, seeing his former mate lying at his feet, grimacing and clutching his left thigh.
"H… help me…" Zoroark wheezed, looking up into Gallian's eyes.
"Krrr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" Nihilego shouted. It swam through the air, toxins gathering in the tips of its tendrils. Totem Decidueye shakily raised a wing, only for his eyes to widen as a volley of liquid lances raced down toward him.
"Totem!" Dusk shouted, tackling him to the ground and spreading herself across his torso. The poisonous tendrils speared her back and legs, tearing holes open in her fur. Dusk's agonized cries echoed through the small part of the cave the quartet was stuck in. The bloodstains on her back made Gallian recoil in horror.
"No," he whispered. "This isn't happening." He lowered his head and shook it rapidly. "I can't have done it again… I can't have brought disaster to you guys again!"
Nihilego rubbed its tentacles together, conjuring up more poisons. Gallian looked between Zoroark and Dusk. The sight of the two canines lying there made him flash back to the shallows of the Midnight Sea, where a soaked Zoroark floated in the water, completely unconscious. Gallian envisioned himself padding through the knee-high water and scooping Zoroark up and onto his back.
"I don't care how crazy my disaster sense drives me… I'm not leaving you. Not now. Not ever. You're more important to me."
Gallian looked up, where Nihilego prepared to hurtle purple toxins at the hapless Cosmic Cavern residents. His eyes flashed red with rage and pink energy brimmed along his scythe.
"You get away from them right now!" Gallian snarled, thrusting his head forward. Psychic blades arced into Nihilego from both sides, battering its body and knocking it backwards. Gallian charged forward, funneling more of his energy into his scythe. "I'm not going to let you or anyone else bring disaster on these Pokémon when they've done nothing but try to help me!"
Gallian leaped up, swiping the air in front of him with his scythe. More pink blades spun forward, striking Nihilego's tentacles and slicing them clean off its blanket-like body. Nihilego shrieked, flailing about in midair. Green fluid shot out of the stubby remnants of its limbs. Some of it splattered across Gallian's face and chest before he landed back on the ground. A rotten, nauseating scent overwhelmed him. He staggered back a couple of steps before turning and puking on the ground beside him.
Nihilego crashed into the bottom of the empty lagoon. A puddle of green liquid pooled around it. Its glassy-white body progressively grayed until it dissolved into the puddle, which then crusted over. Zoroark approached the edge of the lagoon, flinching upon seeing Nihilego's remains.
"We got it," he wheezed. Zoroark turned back to Gallian, watching him desperately trying to rid his fur of Nihilego's noxious slime. "You going to be okay there, Gallian?"
"No!" Gallian hissed. "Don't just stand there… find a way to break that ice way down!"
Zoroark frowned. "Geez, you didn't have to yell," he mumbled. Zoroark turned to the ice wall, only to step back in surprise. "Guys, the wall's melting!" He looked over at his companions. "You've gotta move back or all that water's gonna spill onto you!"
Visibly struggling to fight through the poison seeping his strength, Totem Decidueye slung Dusk over his shoulder and limped away. However, Gallian stood his ground, digging his claws in as the ice liquified and came crashing down onto him. A veritable wave of ice water raced across the floor, fading to a trickling puddle by the time it reached Zoroark and Totem Decidueye. Zoroark looked over in a panic. To his relief, Gallian stood there. He was soaked and shivering, but all traces of Nihilego's juices were gone.
"Gallian! Oh, thank the gods, you're okay!"
Before Gallian could process what was happening, Tessa wrapped him up in a huge hug. Zoroark's brow furrowed. He looked over and did a mental head count of the Pokémon that had been on the other side of the wall.
"Wait a second… where'd Vulpix end up?"
"What are you guys doing? If you know what this Nihilego thing is, then you should be hitting it with everything you've got!" Shane hissed, running away from Luxeira and Sticky. He skidded and spun around, shooting a multicolored aurora at Nihilego. It raised up its tentacles and shot two streams of poison forward, snuffing out his attack.
"There isn't much we can do here," Luxeira barked. She opened her mouth, spitting a black beam toward Nihilego. It struck Nihilego's back but did little to phase it. Nihilego continued focusing on Shane, swinging its body forward. Glowing rocks materialized all around Shane. He barked shrilly, hoping to push Nihilego away. But it was too high in the air, so Shane missed his mark. Nihilego swayed to its left. The rocks battered Shane from all sides. He crumpled to the ground, ears ringing and head pounding.
"Captain, my attacks are entirely poison-based," Sticky said. "There's nothing I can use against it!"
"Then you'll need to provide support," Luxeira ordered, glancing at Shane with a wince. "Start by getting that terrestrial back up on his feet." Sticky nodded and floated over to Shane. Nihilego screeched an objection and launched a volley of rocks toward Sticky. Luxeira stayed rooted to her spot, pivoting to rifle off short bursts of fire. They proved strong enough to destroy Nihilego's rocks before they could hit Sticky.
Nihilego whirled around. Poisonous arrows streamed toward Luxeira. She ran to her left, barely dodging the attack. Luxeira skidded to a halt, firing another black beam at Nihilego. This time the attack hit Nihilego in the center of its dome-shaped head. Nihilego hurtled back through the air, squishing up against the edge of the cave. "How are you holding up, Sticky?" Luxeira barked.
In response, a pink shimmer rippled across Nihilego's body. Psychic energy exploded all around it, propelling it into the ground where it landed with a sharp crack. "Krrr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" Nihilego hissed, waving its tentacles around hysterically.
"Don't you have any sort of projectiles you can use?" Shane asked, looking up at Sticky. "You had plenty of them when we were fighting."
Sticky frowned. "I mean, I do, but…" He glanced at Nihilego, who was shakily rising back into the air. "Even if it's not thinking straight, it's still a fellow Ultra Beast. I don't want to harm it."
Nihilego swung its body forward, launching purple globs around the area. Shane's tails shot up in alarm and he rushed toward the corner of the room, tripping and falling to the ground in the process. "Hurry… do something!" he cried, scooting up against the wall. A sludge ball struck the ground in front of him, leaving a bubbling purple puddle that threated to lap up against his tails.
Sticky moved into the path of another pair of sludgy globs. They hit him in the head but their toxins harmlessly splashed across his face. He wiped them from his visor. "Please, Nihilego. Cease this reckless endeavor. If you don't, I'll… I'll be forced to take action!" He produced a sparking orb from his harness.
Beside him, Luxeira shot a black beam at Nihilego's head. Nihilego was prepared this time, however. A shimmer of rainbow light encased its body. The beam struck Nihilego's face, but instead of sending it reeling, Luxeira's attack raced down toward Nihilego's tentacles. It pointed them at Luxeira and a stream of blinding white light raced out. Luxeira was frozen in shock. The blast engulfed her, flinging her into the wall by the basin's entrance. The impact shattered her visor and helmet, leaving a gash in the middle of her now-exposed forehead.
"Captain!" Sticky gasped. He whirled on Nihilego, throwing the orb at it. "If you can't see reason, then I must neutralize you!"
"Krr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" Nihilego chittered. It raised its tentacles, stopping the orb in midair with a ripple of pink energy.
Sticky's eyes widened. "Nuh… no… that's impossible!" Nihilego pivoted to its left. A second psychic ripple washed over the orb, flinging it in Shane's direction. Shane poked his head up right before the orb struck him square between the eyes.
Booooooooooom!
"Eyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
A brilliant explosion filled up the corner of the basin. Sticky tail and shoulders sagged. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no! That wasn't supposed to happen!" he panicked.
"Krr-rrr-rrr-rrr!" Nihilego trilled, drifting lazily back and forth. It wasted no time in summoning more glowing rocks and hurtling them at Sticky. He yelped and darted about through the air, pausing only to blast an occasional rock with a stream of poison.
"Terrestrial! No, wait, human! Are you okay?" Sticky shouted. Dust had settled from the blast, revealing a giant whole venting thick back smoke. Sticky blanched. "That's… that's not good." He glanced over his shoulder and saw Nihilego preparing to launch another volley of glowing rocks. Sticky groaned and continued flying forward, hoping to keep Nihilego away from the hole in the wall.
"Hey! Hey! I'm over here!" Sticky shouted, waving his arms around. Nihilego turned and hurtled the rocks at him. Sticky sucked in a breath and zipped about, zigzagging erratically in the air in an effort to confuse Nihilego and throw off its targeting.
While this happened, dust and pebbles tricked out of the hole left in the wall by the explosion. Shane rolled about inside the crevice, clutching his bloody head in agony. The ringing in his ears had returned, now so loud it deafened the sounds of Sticky's struggle with Nihilego. Shane's eyes were open and blinking rapidly, but all he could see was white.
"H… help me…" he coughed. "Somebody… please help…" Shane shut his eyes, hoping that could stop the white light burning his eyes. It didn't. Instead, his head throbbed in time with his steadily-rising heartbeat. "Make it stop!" he whimpered. "Make it stop! I don't… I don't want to die!"
Shane tried to roll over, but white-hot pain flashed through his back, eliciting an anguished howl. When the pain subsided, however, Shane's tails curled up against his hips. Intense warmth pooled inside his lower body. 'Oh god… oh god… this is it!' Shane thought. 'I'm bleeding out! I'm a goner! I couldn't help. I wasn't strong enough. Silvally… Tessa… I'm sorry!'
The warmth spread up across Shane's torso. Only, instead of sapping the last of his strength, the sensation reinvigorated Shane. It replaced the pins and needles in his forelegs, giving him the freedom to move them without any pain. The warmth spread around his trunk, soothing his aching back. Finally, it spilled into his face, silencing the ringing in his ears and dulling the white light eroding his vision.
Shane slowly opened his eyes. In doing so, he identified the source of the warmth: a sparkling, golden rock fragment lying embedded deep within the cave's wall. "That's… the Subterranean Shard," Shane realized. Without even thinking, he reached over and pressed both forepaws against it.
A weak gasp escaped his lips. An unseen force grabbed hold of his head and tails and yanked them in opposite directions. Shane couldn't muster the energy to scream. His field of vision erupted in a blazing orange fire. Loud, furious roaring echoed inside his pounding head.
'What's happening to me?' Shane panicked. 'Where's that awful noise coming from?' He tried to take his forepaws off the Subterranean Shard but found they wouldn't respond. The warmth flowing through him grew steadily hotter. Shane's breathing quickened until he was hyperventilating, preventing him from calling for help.
In the center of the orange flames, a pair of fierce blue eyes stared back at Shane. 'Huh? Who's there? Is someone watching me?'Shane tried shouting, but all he managed was a forceful exhale.
Find the other shards! Get our power back!
'Huh?' Shane blinked, but the flames didn't subside. 'Are those eyes… talking to me?' The flames flickered in his vision, producing a dark blue circle around the pair of eyes. A third, compass-like eye appeared in the center of the circle. It steadily glowed brighter and brighter until its shimmering blue light filled Shane's whole field of vision.
"Ah!"
Shane briefly found his voice just in time for the psychic force pulling on his head and tails to yank him upright. "W-What the–?! Hey! Put me down!" He tried to move his limbs but they seemed to have developed minds of their own. His forepaws rose up, still grasping the Subterranean Shard. Its marvelous golden light spilled onto his looplet and spread across his body.
"Wait… stop! This is not okay!" Shane hollered, squinting his eyes shut and turning away as the golden light grew brighter. 'Too bright! Too bright! My eyes! My–' Shane's face scrunched up. 'Hold up. Why is it suddenly getting colder? Everything felt super-warm a second ago.' His breathing quickened again. 'I don't like this! I'm totally losing my mind, here!'
Shane opened his eyes. His looplet vibrated against foreleg, clanging against the Subterranean Shard. 'Why is the Shard white now?'he wondered, blinking in surprise. 'No, wait… there's a second rock here. It's… it's… a white stone? But how did it get here?' Shane had little time to ponder that thought, because his right forepaw slipped off the Subterranean Shard and grabbed hold of the stone.
The moment he did, the psychic force grabbing onto him intensified. Shane's forelegs and hindlegs were violently pulled away from each other. His torso elongated, producing loud pops and snaps that reverberated through the crevice, drowned out by Shane's screaming. The tugging stopped, only to be replaced by a set of invisible hands grabbing hold of his hips and yanking his tails apart. Splotches of white energy peppered his rear, giving rise to three new tails that shot out behind him.
All the while, his looplet continued shining brightly. So brightly that it dispelled all the smoke from the explosion. The light pooled out of the hole in the wall, drawing Sticky's attention. He abruptly stopped flying. "Huh?" Sticky put a hand up to his visor and his jaw dropped. "I'm picking up Z-Power readings… and they're completely off the charts!"
He turned back to Nihilego, who had frozen in place. Bright white light surrounded its body. It suddenly lurched violently in midair and slammed against the ice wall. Nihilego struggled against an invisible force. The white light faded to pink. Lines of psychic energy raced out from Nihilego's body, spreading across the ice wall. Sticky backed away from it, grabbing Luxeira by her horns and dragging her as far up against the opposite wall as he could.
The lines stopped forming and lit up bright pink in unison. Then, psychic energy erupted from every line, producing such intense forces that the ice wall exploded. Having been pinned up against it, Nihilego was crushed by the combination of ice shards and psychic energy. Its battered body fell to the ground, where it melted into a puddle of toxins that immediately crusted over.
Sticky poked his head up from behind Luxeira's unconscious body. There, he saw Tessa and Espeon racing toward a battered, bloody Silvally, who lay under a pile of ice chunks. He also noticed Milotic splayed out on the ground a short distance from them. He floated into the air and shot a stream of poison right at Milotic, fearing she would attempt to hit Tessa and Espeon while they were preoccupied.
However, to Sticky's surprise, Milotic rolled out of the way of the attack. She produced a black orb and smashed it to pieces with her tail. An Ultra Wormhole formed underneath her, swallowing her whole. "You fools, you let her get away!" Sticky shouted, pointing wildly at the spot where Milotic had been standing.
As soon as he said that, the ice entrapping Silvally melted, leaving him sprawled in a puddle of chilly water. The room then shook as the remaining ice wall broke apart, crashing down on the far side of the cavern as a wave of ice water. Tessa paused in the middle of helping Silvally to look up. She spotted Zoroark and Totem Decidueye, the latter carrying Dusk on his shoulder and wobbling back and forth unsteadily. But, more importantly to her, Gallian stood a few yards away from her, shivering wildly.
"Gallian! Oh, thank the gods, you're okay!"
Tessa sprinted forward and embraced Gallian, hoisting him off the ground in the process. Gallian's eyes widened and he kicked his legs about. His pleas for Tessa to put him down were snuffed out against her shoulder. Tessa nestled Gallian with her snout. "I thought… I thought you were done for. I thought I was going to lose you."
"Mffffrrgggh! Frrrrffgh hhrrrrgggh!" Gallian said, Tessa's fur muffling his speech. She realized she was inadvertently covering up his snout and set him back on the ground. Gallian fought to catch his breath. "Tessa? I still don't really understand what just happened. It was all moving so quickly," he said.
"It doesn't matter now," Tessa insisted. "It's all over. You're safe now. We're safe now."
"Wait a second… where'd Vulpix end up?" Zoroark said, a frown on his face.
Tessa's relieved look abruptly vanished. She whirled around, scanning the cave. "How could he not be here?" She turned to Sticky. "He got trapped with you, didn't he? What happened?"
"Well… I threw an explosive device and Nihilego deflected it into the human, so–"
"You did what?!" Tessa gasped, eyes widened in horror.
"Tessa, wait! Look over there!" Espeon shouted, pointing a forepaw toward the farthest corner of the cave.
"Hmm?" Tessa followed Espeon's forepaw, only for her aura feelers to shoot up into the air. "No way," she squeaked.
Silvally's beak fell open. "I don't believe it," he whispered. "Shane… he's…"
Four snow-white paws gracefully glided toward the rest of the group, carrying a svelte, pale-blue body. Nine glistening tails fanned out behind Shane, combining with his newly-formed mane and tuft of chest fur to make him look like an elegant, walking nimbus cloud.
"H… hey guys," Shane said, chuckling weakly. "What did I miss?"
Bitter Cold Maiden, Ultra Milotic
Infused with the icy energy of an Ultra Beast familiar to this world, Milotic has attained the power of cryokinesis. By channeling Z-Power through her head and tail, she can manipulate water and ice to suit her whims. Little does Milotic know that if she pushes her spirit too hard, these same abilities are likely to freeze her body solid from the inside out. Could Zero really have done this to her or are there more malevolent forces at play?
And with that, our main trio is fully-evolved! No more cute little fuzzballs here, but it was necessary to keep the story moving. I had, at one point in time, considered making Team Radiance's rainbow scarves operate like the Harmony Scarves in Super with temporary evolutions, but I tossed that idea out in favor of giving them Z-Moves instead. I think it was a good decision. In case you couldn't tell, Shane uses Shattered Psyche to defeat a Nihilego.
Another guest: since you're stuck on Shane's memories, you might enjoy the next couple of chapters. I'm staying silent, though. Don't want to spoil the fun!
Anon Omega: glad you've been enjoying it. Hopefully this chapter was fun for you, too. Also, don't make me call the bad meme police on you, because I will.
Veralix: all I can say is that our heroes have to work to earn their happy ending. Assuming, of course, I'm going to give them one in the first place. Who knows what tricks I've got up my sleeves?
SuperOmegaGuest: glad we cleared that up, then.
Next time: verbal confrontations!