Here's another bonus chapter as a thanks for all of the support. Enjoy!
Bonus: As the Autumn Breeze Blows
~Glyphic Falls, Hidden Laboratory~
A long, protracted sigh sounded through the room. The metal dome encapsulating the area trembled, golden light particles shining off its panels and reflecting onto the cold, steel ground. Golem dropped the quill he was holding onto a slab of rock and rubbed his temple with a groan. He turned and stomped toward the far side of the room.
The God Killer sat behind a dim orange barrier, with a winged heart sigil glowing faintly in the center. He draped his four wings across his crystalline chest, scratching at his topmost spike with his upper right claws. Golem stopped in front of the barrier, tapping a foot impatiently on the ground. "Well, what is it, God Killer? Out with it… you're interrupting my work," Golem said, narrowing his eyes.
Behind the barrier, the God Killer winced. The pointed tendrils of light on his head retracted and the glow in his multicolored eyes dimmed. "Why do you keep calling me that?" he said, increasing the speed with which he traced his claw around his chest spike. "I told you before, my name's Nicky. If you're not going to address me by name, then at least call me Light like all of your assistants."
"Pah… fine," Golem said, waving his right hand dismissively. "What's the problem, Light?"
"I want to go outside," Nicky said, brushing his lower left wing against the barrier. "You said I'm allowed to spend four hours every day on my own. I'd like to use those four hours… now."
Golem turned away from Nicky, rubbing his right eyebrow. "I thought I told you this morning… today's not going to work. I'll just… erm… I'll add those hours onto another day. For now, you have to stay here."
Nicky's wings flared with yellow light as he pressed them up against the barrier. "Please, Golem… I'm going stir crazy sitting in here. I just want to fly around and stretch my wings. What makes today so special that you have to keep me in here, huh?"
"Well… erm… that is," Golem stammered, electricity pulsating from the magnet-like rock formation on his head. "Today is the first day of autumn," Golem finally said. "The start of each season is… an important day for normal Pokémon and their families. I'd go so far as to consider the start of autumn to be the most important." He walked away from Nicky, waving him off with his right hand. "I can't have you flying around out there… drawing undue attention onto yourself."
"That's a weak-ass excuse if I've ever heard one," Nicky huffed, his ethereal tail thumping against the barrier. Golem hopped up, trying to keep a neutral expression on his face. "You already monitor where I go when I'm out," Nicky continued, holding up his right leg to show off the metal band melded onto the crystal spike jutting out in front of him. "I'm not going to go near any towns. I just want to fly around… maybe go for a swim."
"A… absolutely not!" Golem said, whirling back around and stomping toward Nicky. "There are wild 'mons in the water. They'll see you! And wild birds fly through the air! They'll all be out taking in the first day of autumn." He crossed his stubby arms as best he could. "I'm sorry, but you can't do it. You'll need to stay here."
"I thought you said I was here to help Pokémon," Nicky said, slumping over onto his side and whipping his right wings into the barrier. They bounced off it with a loud pair of plinks. "How can I help them if you won't let me out of your lab, huh? Isn't it important that I learn about your holidays or celebrations or whatever?"
Golem tapped his right claws against his side. After a half-minute, he slumped over. "Fine, you win," he said. Golem knelt down awkwardly and traced a diamond shaped rune in the ground, and then a star symbol in its center. The barrier surrounding Nicky faded. Golden light spilled through the room, forcing Golem to turn away.
"Thanks, chief," Nicky said, slowly sitting up while being cautious of the ceiling.
"But you'd better stay out of trouble!" Golem said. "So help me… if that sensor picks up any funny business…"
"Yeah, yeah, you'll detonate this stupid anklet and reduce me back into a tiny Growlithe," Nicky said, lazily stretching his right leg out. "I promise, no wormhole-opening or anything like that. I'm just going to take in the sights of autumn in this world for myself."
"Mmmm… fair enough," Golem said, stroking his rocky beard. "I'm holding you to that." He walked up to a crystal positioned next to his rocky desk and pressed his right hand to it. The dome's metal panels began to disappear, until there was a large hole in the center of the ceiling. Nicky slid across the ground. When he reached the middle of the room, he shot into the air, leaving the lab behind him.
Within a few seconds, Nicky had flown over the highest waterfalls in the area. He flapped his four wings, propelling himself forward and dispelling the haze in the area. The craggy rocks and raging rapids of Glyphic Falls quickly disappeared, replaced by a long, winding river surrounded by stretches of mud. Off in the distance, Nicky spotted a faint purple glow.
He followed the light source, slender body and tail whipping up and down like a gigantic worm as he flew. It didn't take long for Nicky to discover the source of the light: a forest of trees whose leaves glowed purple. Nicky paused his flight, using psychic powers to levitate over the trees. 'What a curious sight,' he thought. 'I don't think the leaves themselves are purple. It looks more like light is striking them from the northeast.'
Throwing caution into the wind, Nicky descended. A few startled squawks drew his attention. On his right, a pair of Trumbeaks screeched to a halt in midair. The half-dozen Pikipeks surrounding them also stopped, staring in awe at the large light dragon floating above the trees. "Oh… hello!" Nicky greeted, offering the best wave he could manage with his upper right wing. His rainbow eyes brimmed with light and the glow around his body intensified.
The flock of birds turned tail and flew off, exchanging frightened chirps and chitters. Nicky's head tendrils retracted slightly. His eyes and wings dimmed. "Ah… guess I came in too strong," he whispered. Nicky glanced at his spiked chest and sighed. Golem told him he would be beloved by all Pokémon, but he found that hard to believe when he looked so frightening.
He shook the thought from his mind and continued forward, inspecting the trees as he flew. It was only a matter of seconds before the trees abruptly gave way to a cliff face. Nicky stopped flying and righted himself so he could get a better look ahead. Large, puffy gray clouds sat in front of him, obscuring his view. Though he could see the occasional snow-covered tree poking out from gaps in the clouds. The clouds stretched up like a tower, growing progressively darker toward the top.
'I wonder what's up there,' he thought, flapping his wings to move forward. Nicky didn't get far, however, before blistering cold wings sent him racing backwards, right wings held up over his face and stomach. 'Tch! Guess I really must be a dragon if the cold's bothering me that much,' he thought.
Nicky was just about to turn and leave when a glimmer of light caught his eye. He turned to his left, where a stream of purple light funneled out from the clouds, striking the leaves of the forest down below. Nicky guessed that the stormy mountains were the source of the purple glow. Wanting to test his hypothesis, Nicky ascended higher. His multicolored eyes swirled about, the yellow spots expanding and pushing the other colors to the periphery of his eyes. Nicky spread his wings apart and yellow light streamed down from his body.
The storm clouds swallowed up his light, but to his surprise, even more purple light trickled down into the forest. The leaves erupted in a bright purple glow. Nicky cut off the light trail, the colors in his eyes swirling back around until they took up equal amounts of space. Satisfied with his discovery, Nicky turned and flew off toward the coastline.
'This world is so strange. Clouds that sit in place, constantly summoning snowstorms and reflecting light. Purple forests. And let's not forget the sentient Pokémon,' Nicky mused. 'This place is pretty much Shane's fever dream.'
The thought made Nicky stop over open waters. Waves gently rolled below him, carrying frothy white water with them. Sunlight struck his body from above and bounced off, bathing the surrounding ocean in an array of different colors . Nicky floated closer to the water, gazing at his rippling reflection distorted by each passing wave.
'The first day of autumn,' Nicky thought, as his mind started to wander. Had things not gone the way they did in his former life, he would've been back at school, starting off his senior year. The year where he would've been a top dog on campus. A year that everyone seemed to look forward from the moment they stepped into high school. He thought of all the events senior year would've brought: pep rallies where his classmates would cheer for him instead of vice versa, a chance to captain the swim team, senior prom, and, of course, graduation. The mental image of walking onto a stage in a cap and gown sent a shiver down his spine.
Nicky's reflection disappeared from the water. He blinked his rainbow eyes and frowned as two silhouettes appeared under the glow of his light… two human silhouettes. One with distinctly broad shoulders and a short, military-style haircut, the other with a thinner, frailer physique.
Now, sweetie, I'm sure there are loads of fun times ahead of you. But right now, you need to focus on your grades. You've already got colleges keeping a close eye on you, but that won't mean anything if your grades aren't up to snuff, a woman's voice echoed in Nicky's mind.
"My grades are as good as they get, Mom," Nicky growled, his eyes turning red. His tail and head tendrils darkened.
If that was the case, you'd have gotten scholarship offers at the end of junior year like all them boys on the football team, a man said, his voice stern. It's that needy little friend of yours, Shane. He's sucking away the time you should be using to build your future.
"I'm not just going to spend every waking minute studying and swimming, Dad. I get to have a life," Nicky said, long tail lashing out at the surface of the water.
What have you even gotten out of being that kid's friend, huh? his dad asked. Let me answer that… a whole, heaping helping of nothing. The kid's a screw-up!
Now, George…
Don't, Margie. I know you and Estelle are friends, but you gotta admit… their son's a lost cause at this point, George said. I don't know what's wrong with him, but it's not worth getting involved in. Seriously, son, why do you still hang around him? It's because of those stupid video games you playing together, isn't it?
Golden sparks raced around Nicky's head. "Those… games… aren't… stupid!" he shouted. A ball of light formed in front of his face and he was prepared to hurl it into the water, when he glanced at the band around his leg. With a wince, he dispelled the light, which raced back into his body. His eyes returned to their normal mismatched glow.
He lowered his head, gnashing his crystalline fangs. Technically speaking, his parents weren't wrong. His friendship with Shane had amounted to nothing. Shane was too blind and too self-centered to see how miserable he was as the weeks went on in high school and his classmates picked on him more and more just for associating with Shane. And when he reached out to Shane in a last-ditch effort to find some semblance of comfort, Shane brushed him aside, too worried about a pointless, menial job.
Nicky plunged into the water. All around him, water-types of various shapes and sizes swam away, save for one tiny Goldeen with forest-green lips who remained in front of Nicky, staring at him in awe.
"What do you want?" Nicky barked, water fizzing around him as his yellow glow intensified. A Seaking swam up beside Forest-Lips and shoved her away from Nicky. They took off swimming, Forest-Lips turning to steal glances at Nicky as they went.
Nicky sank deeper in the water, his body lighting up the ocean. Rocky crags lay far below him, with some venting out bubbles and others containing clusters of coral or seaweed. Nicky watched a school of tiny blue fish swim along a gap in the rocks. Their formation resembled an even bigger fish.
'All of these Pokémon have homes. Families and friends that care about them,' Nicky thought. 'And what do I have?' He looked down at his chest spikes and the tips of his wings. The best answer he could come up with was power. Power he didn't entirely know how to control. And with that power came constant surveillance at Golem's hands. Nicky knew exactly what Golem was: a control freak, just like his dad. He shut his eyes and flutter-kicked his legs, heading for the surface.
Nicky broke the surface and rose up into the sky. The water on his body evaporated instantly, leaving behind a stream of rainbow mist as he ascended higher and higher. He flew up toward a cloud and burst through it, vaporizing it with the light his body gave off. Nicky turned around, flapping his wings to stay in place. He stared down at the ocean and the donut-shaped continent below him.
A flurry of questions ran through Nicky's mind. What if Golem lied to him? What if killing the gods wouldn't make him appreciated? What if, instead, it made him an outcase, just like back in school? Nicky clenched his upper wing digits into fists. Red and violet swirled around his eyes.
'Stop thinking about Shane,' he told himself. 'He ruined your life. I hope he's just as miserable back in school as I was before I ended things.'
Something caught the corner of Nicky's left eye, bringing his train of thought to a screeching halt. He looked to his left and spotted an island floating even higher in the sky than he was. It had an inverted pyramid shape to it. Yet, despite the high altitude, cherry blossom trees sprouted up, their bright-pink petals sticking out against the darkening blue backdrop signifying the edge of the stratosphere.
His curiosity piqued, Nicky flew toward the island as fast as he could, flapping his wings and whipping his tail up and down to propel himself forward. The higher he climbed, the thinner the air grew. Yet, it didn't bother him. He wasn't short of breath or lightheaded. Nicky figured his new body's psychic powers were the culprit.
It didn't take long for the island to come into full view. Beyond the cherry blossom trees, the island had fields of crisp, green grass punctuated by sunflowers on its eastern border and moonflowers on its western border. A lagoon sat in the center of the island, flanked on each side by a statue. The one on Nicky's right depicted Solgaleo, standing proudly and gazing off into the cosmos. On Nicky's left was Lunala, wings spread wide.
'What is this place?' Nicky wondered, swooping down toward the island. He had just barely touched town when a loud hum caught his attention. Nicky turned to his right, flaring out his wings. "Hey, who goes there? Show yourself!" Nicky said, shining brightly in an attempt to scare off whatever had made the noise.
"Huh?"
A deep yet feminine voice carried from behind a thicket directly in front of Nicky. The large cluster of bushes rustled and Nicky fluttered back in surprise as Zekrom's head poked out from a gap between two bushes. Nicky frowned, unsure why Zekrom looked so oily.
"Ahh!" she shouted, to Nicky's confusion. "What the–? How the–? You're that new guy… the Guiding Light! How did you find this place?"
Nicky cocked his head to the side. "I was out for a fly and–"
"Oh, never mind that," Zekrom said, then disappeared back into the bushes. More frenzied rustling ensued, punctuated by Zekrom saying, "No, Latios… we can't do that right now. We have company!"
'Did I… interrupt something?' Nicky wondered, head tendrils curling up.
After another few seconds of rustling, Zekrom said, "Well, obviously you couldn't sense him… you were busy!"
A pause ensued.
"C'mon… quit messing around. And wipe your face off or you're going to embarrass the both of us," Zekrom hissed. Another round of rustling took place, until Zekrom finally stepped out of the bushes, her pitch-black scales slick as if she had lathered herself in grease. This time, a Latios flew out beside her, sweat dripping off his belly and the feathers on his head and face disheveled.
"Uh… hi," Latios said, stretching out his wings. "I think we met once or twice before. You're… um… you're that guy! The one who got the sun and moon to shine down on us again."
"Yeah… that's me," Nicky said, tail brushing against the soft grass. The sensation sent a pleasurable chill up his spine that he fought to hide. "Am I… um… did I interrupt something?"
Latios glanced at Zekrom. "Well, you kind of–" he started, only for Zekrom to silence him with a sharp elbow to his ribcage.
"You're fine, Light," Zekrom said. "Latios and I were just taking in the first day of autumn together… somewhere far away from all the normal Pokémon."
"I see," Nicky said, colors swirling about in his eyes. He had seen enough movies and TV shows to know what was happening. "Forgive me for being blunt, but do you two have a thing going on?"
Zekrom's wings flared out in surprise. "Ugh… see! I told you," Latios said, punching Zekrom's shoulder. "We can't hide anything from him. The dude's psychic! He probably sensed an energy spike and that's why he came flying over."
"Latios, sweetie… could you show at least a little tact?" Zekrom said, frowning as she put her hands on her hips.
"Wait… but you're both Legendary Pokémon," Nicky said, rubbing the back of his neck with his upper left wing. "How does…" He shook his head. "Aren't you two supposed to be celibate or aromantic or whatever? At the very least, Zekrom should."
"What are you talking about?" Latios said, brow raised.
"Latios," Zekrom said, placing a hand on his right wing. "Light's not from our world, remember? He's just… confused, that's all."
'In more ways than one,' Nicky thought. "Look… I can see I'm bothering you. I'll just…" He hovered higher in the air. "Guess I'll just head somewhere else."
"No, no, you don't have to leave," Zekrom said, hopping into the air and grabbing hold of Nicky's lower wings.
"But what about–" Latios began, before Zekrom shot him an icy look saying back off.
"I don't want to be a burden," Nicky said, the glow around his body dimming as the blue and indigo in his eyes grew more prominent.
"I insist," Zekrom said, tugging on his wings and drifting down toward the ground. "It's the first day of autumn, after all. Whether you're from this world or not, nobody should have to spend it on their own." Her feet touched down on the grass and she pulled him in the direction of the bushes. "Come on… let's go sit somewhere comfier and chat."
"O… okay," Nicky stuttered, shooting Latios a worried look. He simply shrugged and followed Zekrom along. Nicky remained tense, worried he had stumbled into some sort of mean-spirited trick.
"Fact of the matter is that Latios and I are lesser gods. Or lesser Legends, if you'd prefer," Zekrom explained as she guided Nicky through the bushes and into another field of soft green grass that tickled the tips of Nicky's toes. "We weren't involved in creating the world. We're just… incredibly powerful Pokémon that work to keep the world safe from serious threats."
"Unlike the immortal gods, our lives our finite," Latios said, scooping up blades of grass in his claws. "So, we find mates to settle down with and have kids of our own to carry on after we've passed away."
"Does that mean there are other Latioses flying about? Because you're the only one I've met," Nicky said. The threesome approached the edge of the floating island, at which point Zekrom sat down, dangling her legs over the edge and putting her arms in the grass next to her tail to brace herself. Latios sunk down into the grass, sighing as he rested his head on the island's edge. Nicky awkwardly sat beside them, draping his legs off the island and folding up his wings as best he could. Some of his initial apprehension subsided.
"No," Latios finally replied. "I'm the only Latios until Zek and I decide to have kids. Once we do… we can only have one Zekrom and one Latios. I'm not really sure why that is… something about the balance of power in the world and all that nonsense. But, as long as I get to start a family with this lovely bundle of scales, I ain't complaining." He nudged Zekrom's left leg with his head.
"Quit teasing, Lala. I told you, we'll start our family when I'm ready," Zekrom said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Neither of them noticed Nicky tuck his head down. Colors swirled rapidly in his eyes and he gnashed his crystalline teeth together. A brunette with healthy tan skin, a black t-shirt, and gray short shorts appeared in his mind's eye. She reached out toward him, as if she was going to tussle his nonexistent hair.
I always get a kick out of seeing you so flustered, Nicky, the girl said, voice echoing in Nicky's head. A growl rumbled in the back of Nicky's throat, with red and orange light flaring on the tips of his head tendrils, wings, and tail.
Latios and Zekrom looked up toward him. "Something wrong, Light?" Zekrom asked, worried.
Nicky blinked several times. "Hmm?" He looked down at the other dragons and shook his head. The red and orange rescinded in his eyes. "It's nothing," he said, slouching over and draping his wings across his lap. "Just… still a bit confused by all of this, that's all. I had this fr–" He paused, crystalline jaw clenched. "There was this guy I knew, back in my old world. Only one that was convinced Legendary Pokémon could… y'know…" He whistled and tapped his lower wing claws together. Latios' and Zekrom's expressions blanched.
"I guess I'm a bit weirded out to learn he was actually right," Nicky said, leaning back. "But, whatever, it's not worth dwelling on." He looked over his shoulder. "So, what exactly is this place, huh? Some sort of grotto for Legends to go on dates in?"
"Not quite," Zekrom said, chuckling. "This is Celestial Island. It… um… it used to be Solgaleo's and Lunala's home."
Nicky sat on that statement. "Never heard of them," he said. "Wait… are they the bat and lion with statues by the pond?"
"Uh… I don't know what a 'lion' is… and Lunala's no Crobat… but you're right about the statues," Latios said. "They were the gods who originally brought the light of the sun and the moon to our world. That is, until there was an accident."
Zekrom's shoulders sagged. "Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza struck up a conflict, generating a torrential storm. Ho-Oh went in to try and stop it and shield the normal Pokémon from its wrath… but she was overwhelmed," she said. "Solgaleo and Lunala appeared and saved Ho-Oh from being torn apart by the storm. But," she lowered her head, "they didn't make it out."
"That's why the world was dark, then?" Nicky asked, tilting his head up toward the edge of the stratosphere.
"Yeah. When Solgaleo and Lunala died, light stopped reaching the planet," Latios said.
"Truthfully, we owe you a huge debt of gratitude, Light," Zekrom said, gazing down at the clouds drifting beneath the island. "When autumn started last year… Pokémon were huddled up in their homes, miserable and afraid. Latios and I…" She trailed off and looked at Latios. "We were honestly wondering if we would ever get to experience another day like this."
"It was worse than that," Latios said. "We weren't even sure how long the world could last shrouded in darkness."
"That's why we were all so grateful when you met us that first time," Zekrom said. "You didn't just bring day and night back to the world, you gave Pokémon their joy and happiness back." She put her right paw on Nicky's left leg. "We wouldn't be out here celebrating the start of autumn if not for you."
Nicky stared down at Zekrom's arm. The silhouette of a girl's arm superimposed itself over Zekrom's. His head tendrils flared up with red light. "Don't touch me!" Nicky shouted, thrusting his wings apart. Zekrom barely managed to pull her arm back and hover into the air in front of the island to avoid Nicky's wings. Nicky sat hunched over, head tendrils twitching as he panted loudly.
Latios and Zekrom fixed confused looks on him. "Suh… sorry. I don't like being touched," Nicky said, rubbing his left leg with his lower left wing. Even though they seemed sincere, Nicky couldn't fully trust them. Rebecca kept popping up in his mind, living proof of what would happen if he let his guard down. An awkward silence fell over the trio, with Zekrom eventually settling back down between them. When Nicky finally worked up the courage to speak again, he asked, "So, what exactly is so special about the start of autumn, anyway?"
"You mean nobody told you?" Zekrom gasped. She leaped off the island, tail whirring to life with blue sparks. Zekrom waved Nicky and Latios on. "In that case, we ought to show you. Come on, guys!" She turned around and shot forward, a trail of blue streaming out from her tail.
"Where's she going?" Nicky asked, floating into the air.
"The Tree of Life, I imagine," Latios said. He tucked his arms into his chest and zoomed after Zekrom. Nicky blinked, concerned they were leading him toward a trap. But he forced those paranoid thoughts from his mind and flew after them. Within a half-minute, he had caught up.
"What's this Tree of Life thingy about?" Nicky shouted over the roar of the wind.
"You'll see," Zekrom called back, winking. Her tail turbine spun even faster and she shot forward again, with Latios racing after her.
Nicky's body brightened as he released a powerful bust of telekinesis, jettisoning himself forward. The high-speed flight was exhilarating. An excited chill ran down his spine. Nicky figured this was how Rayquaza felt speeding around the planet. "How far do we have to go to get to the Tree of Life?" Nicky asked.
"Not much farther," Zekrom said. "Celestial Island moves through the sky. Even if you couldn't feel it, we moved quite a ways west during our conversation." She pointed her right arm ahead. "It's right down there. See the aurora? It's coming from the Tree of Life."
The sky had darkened all around them. Three green, wavy, luminescent lines carved through the air ahead of them. Far below them sat a shimmering, multicolored tree, its branches filled to the brim with fluorescent leaves proudly displaying a wide assortment of hot and cold colors. "Wow," Nicky whispered.
"Race you down there!" Zekrom said, then shot toward the ground like a large black bullet.
"Oh, you're going down!" Latios declared, tucking in his wings and diving ahead.
"H… hey! Wait for me!" Nicky said. He whipped his tail around in a circular motion and sped off after them. His body glowed brighter and brighter as he increased his speed. Nicky flew past a bewildered Latios and then shot ahead of Zekrom. But he failed to realize just how fast he was approaching the ground. Unable to expel enough psychic energy to stop his momentum, Nicky struck the ground, kicking up an explosive plume of soil.
Latios and Zekrom touched down near the impact crater, trying their best not to laugh. "Pffft… nice landing there, Light. Need some flying lessons? I'm always available," Latios said, puffing out his chest.
Nicky popped his upper half out of the crater, head dimmed and covered in soil. A clump of dirt sat across the bridge of his crystalline snout, with a tiny daisy poking out of it. Nicky stared cross-eyed at the daisy and shook his head violently, tossing off all the dirt and restoring some of the glow to his body. Latios, meanwhile, broke down laughing, dropping from the air and banging his right paw against the ground.
"Latios, seriously? This is the Tree of Life… not game night at Temporal Tower. Get up… you're embarrassing me," Zekrom said, hoisting Latios back into the air by his wings.
"Are you three quite finished with your little routine?"
Latios and Zekrom turned around, both as stiff as arrows. Nicky, still half-positioned in his impact crater, turned to his left. Xerneas stood at the base of the brightly-glowing tree, glancing at the trio over her left shoulder.
"Who's she?" Nicky asked, too awestruck to notice his friends' jaws drop in unison.
"How could you not know who Xerneas is?" Latios gasped. "She's the guardian of the Tree of Life! She's the very essence of grace and elegance! She's… uh… like, the embodiment of nature… or something?" Zekrom fixed a scathing look on Latios, at which point he realized what he had just said. "O… oh, but she could never hold a candle to you in the looks department," he said, laughing nervously.
Xerneas cleared her throat and the three dragons tensed. "I'm glad to see you all having so much fun," she said, her voice as soft as velvet linens. "I'd hate to put a damper on it, really, but I am in the middle of something quite important. And I doubt you three are here for an urgent visit, given your demeanors. So, may I humbly ask for a few minutes of peace and quiet? We can talk when I'm finished."
"O… of course," Latios said, face bright-red. "Go right ahead! S-sorry about all the ruckus."
"Thank you," Xerneas said, turning back toward the Tree of Life.
'Finished? Finished with what… exactly?' Nicky wondered.
As if to answer, Xerneas reared up on her hind legs, antlers and forelegs brimming with multicolored light and pink fairy energy. Xerneas lowered her forelegs. The instant their tips struck the soil, intricate patterns of circular light swirled out all around her. On either side of Xerneas, bushes bloomed with flowers and berries. Behind her, a pair of fresh saplings sprouted out from the soil. And in front of her, the light rushed up the Tree of Life, making the swirl-shaped sigil in its bark release a bright flash.
"Whoa," Nicky said, shielding his eyes with his upper right wing. "What's she doing? I've never seen anything like it before."
"Geomancy," Zekrom said, wrapping her right arm around Latios and pulling him into an embrace. "To be honest… I don't know exactly what it does, either. But every time I'm around Xerneas and she uses it… I feel positively full of life."
The light died down and the three dragons looked up. An unseen force propelled the Tree of Life's leaves high into the sky, where they then blew off in every direction. "The reason why the first day of autumn is so important is because of the Tree of Life," Latios said. "During spring and summer, leaves full of magical energy grow on the tree. When autumn starts, Xerneas uses her powers to release the leaves so the autumn winds can carry them throughout the world. Then, the leaves settle and disperse their energy during the winter, restoring any damage that ley lines might've done to the earth over the course of the year."
Nicky frowned. He had no idea what ley lines were, but he was too worried he'd make his new friends upset if he asked.
Satisfied with her job, Xerneas turned and walked toward the dragons. "There we are. All done," she said. "Now then… what did you need me for?"
"Nothing," Zekrom said. "Light isn't from around here and he doesn't know why the beginning of autumn's important. So, we brought him over here to see it for himself." She gestured in Nicky's direction. Xerneas turned to him, to which Nicky could only stare back blankly.
"Uh… hi?" Nicky said. He realized he was still slumped over against the impact crater and floated out. But that just made him concerned that the height difference was awkward, so he sat cross-legged on the ground and bowed his head respectfully. "A pleasure to meet you… again, I guess," he said. "I hope this won't sound rude, but I've never seen a Pokémon like you before."
Xerneas giggled, brushing a foreleg across the ground. "It's quite alright. I mean, we've met a couple of times prior. Despite that, I can safely say I've never seen a Pokémon like you before," she said, jabbing a blade-like hoof into Nicky's leg.
Nicky looked down at Xerneas' leg and saw a silhouette of the same human arm as back on the island. Red and orange momentarily strengthened in his eyes, before he snapped to attention. "Aha… well… it's complicated," Nicky said, silently willing himself to keep it together.
Xerneas' X-shaped pupils constricted. "I can't even begin to imagine," she said. "Still, I'm not sure if I ever got the chance to properly thank you in person from restoring light to our world." She gazed up toward the full moon lighting up the night sky. "After all, were it not for you, I wouldn't have been able to send off the leaves without a hitch. So, please," she bowed gracious to Nicky, "accept my heartfelt thanks."
Nicky glanced at Latios and Zekrom, who were exchanging an affectionate nuzzle. Without thinking, his tail unfurled behind him and struck a tree, splintering it but not outright toppling it. The others tensed up, looking to Nicky for an explanation. "S… sorry 'bout that. I'm, uh, not too good at keeping this sucker still," he said, mentally cursing himself for losing his cool again.
"Latios. Zekrom. May I ask you to return to your homes?" Xerneas said.
The two dragons exchanged concerned looks. "Uh… I guess we can go," Zekrom said, hovering into the air. "Take care, Light. You too, Xerneas."
"It was fun hanging out, dude," Latios said, waving to Nicky as he took off after Zekrom.
When the dragons were gone, Xerneas stepped in front of Nicky, a heavyset look in her eyes. "Did… did I do something wrong? If it's about the tree, I can fix it," Nicky said, glancing at chunks of wood strewn behind him.
"It's fine. I'll tend to it later," Xerneas said. "It's you I'm worried about." She sat down on her haunches. "I'm not psychic, but I like to think being in tune with the planet makes me pretty observant."
Nicky raised his right brow. "Meaning?"
"You bear a heavy burden," Xerneas said. Silence followed that statement, with Nicky and Xerneas staring one another down.
"I'm fine," Nicky said, blue and violet expanding in his eyes. He barely knew this Pokémon, so he was confident he'd scare her off if he told her what was on his mind.
Xerneas sighed. "My apologies. It is not my place to pry into your personal life when we are so poorly acquainted," she said. "It's just…" She traced a hoof through the dirt. "You did such a good thing for us… without even knowing who we were or what our world is like. I figured the least I could do is try to help you feel better."
The well-tanned girl flashed through Nicky's mind again, smiling at him. "I'm fine," Nicky whispered, his eyes almost entirely a mix of blue and purple. "Don't concern yourself with me."
"I don't believe you're fine," Xerneas said. "And it would be unfitting of me as the embodiment of the Tree of Life to turn my back on you."
Nicky flinched. Was Xerneas really telling the truth? Did she really want to help him? Before he could dwell on it further, Golem's scowling face lingered in his head. Nicky shuddered, his eyes returned to their usual, mismatched color scheme. "I'm sorry," Nicky said, bowing his head. "I really can't stay out here much longer."
Xerneas frowned. "You're going back into hiding, then?" she said.
Nicky glanced at his anklet. "I don't have a choice," he said. Before he could float into the air, Xerneas got up and trotted to his side.
"I'd like to see you again," she said, the jewels in her antlers sparkling.
"Why?" Nicky said.
"You strike me as someone who could really do with a friend right now," Xerneas said, offering a warm smile. "If you'd like, we can meet somewhere different."
"Don't you have to guard this place?" Nicky asked, still worried he was being played.
"I can get Yveltal and Celebi to look after it for a bit," Xerneas said.
"You don't have to do that just for me," Nicky said.
"But I want to," Xerneas said, inching closer to him. "How about tomorrow?"
Nicky considered the offer. His heart fluttered at the realization the doubtful thoughts in his head were wrong. Slowly, yellow and gold grew in his eyes and his body's glow intensified. He looked down at Xerneas and said, "How does going to Celestial Island sound?"
"I think it sounds lovely," she said, returning his look with a smile.
~The Tree of Life~
Xerneas sat at the base of the tree, staring up at the green barrier surrounding it and, by extension, her. Under the shield's glow, the Tree of Life lacked its usual mystifying aura. She knew nothing was wrong with it, yet the sight of it failed to bring a smile to her face like it usually did.
Perhaps it wasn't just the tree's lackluster appearance that had her down. Her mind drifted off to a scene from a few days ago, in which Latias and Hoopa appeared before her, saying the Guiding Light had returned. He had possessed Lunala and sought to consume the spirits of all Legendary Pokémon. Latias begged her to follow Hoopa to a hidden location, where she would be safe until the Expedition Society figured out how to free Lunala. Xerneas politely declined the offer, unwilling to part with the Tree of Life. Celebi, on the other hand, accepted. He flew off into one of Hoopa's portals without so much as a goodbye.
With a nod, Xerneas concluded that was the source of her unhappiness. In the years since Dark Matter's last attack, she had struck up a friendship with Celebi, something she had refused to do for multiple prior generations. So, she was heartbroken to see him drop everything and leave her behind without a second thought.
A ripple of light snapped her out of her thoughts. Xerneas looked ahead of her, toward the Road to Primeval Forest. The wall of trees distorted, with a glowing crack appearing in the center. Black claws grabbed the edges of the tear and ripped them further apart, creating a gap in the air wide enough for Necrozma to fly through. He flew forward, shrouded in black mist, only to bounce off the barrier. Necrozma thrust his wings apart, dispelling the shadows.
"Xerneas," Necrozma said, his voice cold and distant. "It's been awhile. I see this place hasn't changed much. And... you're alone. Guess that means... heeheeheehee... Celebi wasn't as close of a friend as you were hoping."
"Light," Xerneas said, stepping closer to the barrier. "I figured you would come sooner or later. A god and the Tree of Life… both enticing to someone gobbling up spirits."
Necrozma floated there, saying nothing. He wrapped his wings over his torso to hide his twitching arms. After a minute of silence, he said, "The Tree of Life… isn't good enough to bring my real body back. It is a shadow of what it once was… just like you."
Xerneas narrowed her eyes. "The Tree and I have never been better," she said.
"Lies," Necrozma said, shadows swirling around him. "We both know it bears only a fragment of its former power, thanks to Dark Matter." Necrozma opened his wings up and floated closer to the barrier. "All those spirits… ripped from its branches… lost for all eternity. Once again, you failed at protecting something that mattered." He raised his right arm up, staring at his claws as he flexed them out. "I shouldn't be surprised, honestly."
Xerneas' antler-gems pulsated with light. "Your belittling won't work," she said. "If you won't release Lunala, then I will do everything in my power to free her."
"More lies," Necrozma hissed, striking the barrier with purple energy balls that harmlessly bounced off. "All you gods know how to do is pile lie on top of lie until you manage to get exactly what you want." His words sent a chill down Xerneas' spine. She tried to turn away, but Necrozma drifted to his left, staying in her field of vision. "Why have you all gone to such great lengths to purge me from the world's history?"
Xerneas silently channeled energy down her forelegs. Two cracks opened in the ground and pillars of pink, sparkle-filled light shot up under Necrozma. "You told me… all the gods told me how grateful they were to have light restored to this world!"Necrozma said, dodging and blasting the barrier with a purple beam. "So, tell me why! Why do you refuse to speak the truth? Why have you all hidden my accomplishments from countless generations of Pokémon?" he continued, barrier swallowing his attack.
Hooves slammed the soil yet again. More pink light pillars erupted around Necrozma. One struck his back and slammed him against the barrier. "Release Lunala!" Xerneas said, narrowing her eyes.
"How wonderful it is to see you go to great lengths for a Pokémon who wouldn't exist if it wasn't for me!" Necrozma snarled. "Where were you when I pleaded for help!" He rolled past pink balls of fairy energy. "I told you gods about Golem… about his plans for me. You all ignored me!" He thrust his right wing forward, shooting black meteors that plinked off the barrier.
"We had a mental link!" Necrozma said, ramming the barrier at top speed. "Did that mean nothing to you?!" He scraped his claws against the barrier while Xerneas gathered more energy in her forelegs. "I deSErVe aN aNSweR!"
Xerneas tensed up, the fairy energy in her forelegs disappeared. She looked into Necrozma's third eye. "Light," she whispered.
"I dON't aCKnoWlEdGE tHAt nAmE aNYmORe. I aM nECrOZma, DevOUrEr oF lIGhT!" Necrozma shouted, banging his right arm on the rippling barrier.
"Light, you need to stop this. Release Lunala," Xerneas said, antlers flashing erratically. "You are trifling with a power you can't possibly hope to control. It's consuming you!"
"AnSWeR! mY! QuEStIoN!" Necrozma said, bashing the barrier with every word. The ground shook all around Xerneas. "You have Geomancy… you embody the essence of life. Why didn't you help me? You could've repaired my core! But you sat back and did nothing! YoU AlL sAT bAck And dId NOtHinG!"
"I didn't have a choice!" Xerneas said, slamming her hooves into the ground. Pink fairy energy struck Necrozma from above. He bounced off the ground and landed on his stomach, wings spread apart. "I didn't have a choice," Xerneas whispered, tucking her head in and stepping back from the barrier. "Please, Light. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"Any harder?" Necrozma said, rising back into the air like a mummy from its corpse. "AnY hARder?!" he shouted, third eye glowing bright. "You had a choice! You chose to sit by idly–"
Xerneas winced. "I had no choice. I had orders–"
"Orders… from Arceus?" Necrozma said, wrapping himself up in his wings to still his shaking limbs. "No… heeheeheehee… it was still your choice. You chose to blindly follow Arceus' words. It was your decision! You didn't question him… you yielded to his whim! You said I was important!" He rushed the barrier and slammed up against it. Purple shockwaves raced out, vaporizing the nearest tries. "You told me I mattered but that was just a lie… wASn'T iT, ReBeCCa?!"
Silence followed. Necrozma clung to the barrier, breath coming in ragged gasps. Xerneas stared him down, white light swirling around her body. "Who's Rebecca?" she said.
Necrozma backed off the barrier, arms trembling. Thorny vines sprouted from the earth. He released a crimson shockwave, vaporizing as many vines as possible, but it wasn't good enough. Vine after vine slammed him against the ground. They piled on top of him until Xerneas stomped a hoof on the ground.
"I'm sorry, Light," Xerneas said, staring down the pile of vines and the pink mist evaporating off them. "All us gods were told to ignore you… for the sake of this world's survival. I had to put personal feelings aside." She looked down guiltily. "Arceus was right… I never should've let myself get close to you. It clouded my judgement… and almost made me lose sight of what's most important: keeping this world stable."
The vine pile trembled. Xerneas stepped back, X-shaped pupils dilating in fear. She gathered up more fairy energy in her antlers. A terrifying screech rang out and the vine pile exploded. Necrozma floated black clumsily, blood trickling down the tears in his wings. The winged heard in his chest flickered erratically, as did his third eye.
"YoU," he whispered, tears dripping out from his armored eyes. "You are not doing anything but propping up a farce." His arms involuntarily shot out to either side. Necrozma wrapped his darkening wings around his body. "This world… and all who inhabit it… is nothing but a cover… for Arceus' recklessness… for the lives he extinguished in a fit of blind rage!"
Xerneas reared up, but Necrozma rushed forward. "YoU aRE a MiSTaKE!" he snarled, wings turning light blue again as he slammed his arms into the barrier. "EVerYtHiNG hERe Is a MiStAke!"
He floated upward, avoiding the vines sprouting up beneath him. "I will be back… and I'll make you see how worthless you really are!" Necrozma said, an Ultra Wormhole forming up behind him. "I'll take your antlers and rip them off your head one by one until you know exactly how hopeless I felt when my light was stolen!" Drool seeped out of his mouth. "By the time I'm finished… heeheeheehee… you'll be begging me to take your spirit!"
Xerneas made one last attempt at blasting Necrozma with a light pillar, but he was already through the Ultra Wormhole. The instant the portal closed, Xerneas' legs gave out and she collapsed onto her side, racked by shudders. Tears streamed down onto the soil beneath her head.
I thought it was well past time Necrozma get a bit more depth added to his character. For anyone who's confused, Zekrom and Latios are not the same ones that appeared in previous chapters, they're ancestors. Hence why Zekrom is a girl in this bonus. Onto replies!
Anon Omega: sorry, man, pretty sure your guess a few chapters back was incorrect, so that'd be a no. You got the reference last chapter right, of course.
Veralix: as you can see here, there were some happy times for Necrozma. Sadly, the didn't last.
WonderBread: I, uh, don't pay much attention to the music when I'm watching TV, so I can't say.
SuperOmegaGuest: he didn't eat the reactor. After all, Necrozma doesn't exactly have a mouth in his base form.
Another guest: you're right, most of the time they don't go by Necrozma. I mean, that's a pretty frightening name, so I'd want to avoid it if I was one of them.
Next time: we head back to the present, where Team Paradox fills in some gaps and Totem Decidueye comes to a shocking realization.