I don't know about anyone else, but the site's stopped sending me notifications for anything. So, as a reminder, this fic currently updates on Saturdays. Onto the chapter!

Chapter 66: Electrifying Intermission

~Cosmic Cavern~

Silence hung over the campfire as the various explorers sat there, processing what Luxeira and Sticky had told them. Gallian stared at the ground, brow furrowed and scraping the rocks with his claws.

"So, you guys lost consciousness inside of an Ultra Wormhole?" Tessa asked. Both members of Team Paradox nodded. "That sounds really rough. How were you able to survive, anyway?"

"We're not entirely sure," Luxeira said.

"You didn't wake up right away when after arriving in this world?" Latias said.

"It's tough to answer that, since we have no idea when we actually showed up in this world… or how the flow of time differs from Ultra Village," Luxeira said. "All I can tell you is that, eventually, we awoke to find a Honchkrow and a Toucannon tending to us. The latter introduced herself as Totem Toucannon. I suspect she's rather important in Glyphic Falls. Anyway, they claimed they had found us at a waterfall basin… trapped inside crystals."

Zoroark frowned. "From the sound of it, you two were comatose for gods only know how long," he said, resting his arms on his thighs and hanging his head. "This is… a lot to take in."

"I'll say. Feels like everything I know has been turned upside down," Dusk said. "To think… there are other worlds out there with Pokémon like us… but at the same time not like us. Ugh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."

"What happened when Totem Toucannon found you?" Latias asked, though the worried look on her face suggested she had a good idea what the answer was.

"She offered us berries to get our strength back," Luxeira said, "but then politely asked that we leave Glyphic Falls to avoid riling her flock up. At least she was willing to give us a ride to the outskirts of some village. From there, we, erm…" She cast a wayward glance at Gallian. "Well, to be honest, I think Gallian could explain it better from here. I don't want to step on his toes."

Shane shook his head in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that all that crazy stuff happened to you guys when you hadn't even been on the job for a week?" he said.

"Affirmative," Sticky said. "It was a disastrous endeavor, to be sure."

"Okay… wow. So, you two are total novices, then. You're even less experienced than me and Tessa."

"Shane," Tessa said, a disapproving frown on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just had to say it. Because it's so… so…" Shane bit down on his lip. "Actually, I'm not even sure what to classify it as. Ironic? Cruel? Some combination of both?" In response, Tessa's look grew sterner. Shane flinched and looked down. "Sorry," he said. "I guess that was inappropriate."

"Why did you keep so much of this from me?" Gallian growled, getting to his feet. "Don't you think I deserved to know the whole story?"

"I thought it irrelevant to the matter at hand," Luxeira said. "Our focus was on keeping your ultra aura levels under control and trying to make sense of the world we had arrived in."

Gallian's eyes flashed red. "Well, fat lot of good that did. If you hadn't acted so mysterious, then maybe we could've been more productive."

"Gallian," Zoroark said, reaching a paw out toward him. Gallian stepped away.

"Don't 'Gallian' me!" He pointed his black scythe at Luxeira. "I followed your 'commands' because you identified yourself as a captain. You made it sound like you knew what you were talking about. But you were just lying to me!"

Luxeira shrank back. "I… well…" She looked at Sticky. "I had to step into the captain role. Sticky and I were utterly lost, so–"

"I could've given you real leadership if you'd actually taken the time to explain things to me," Gallian snarled.

"That's enough, both of you," Latias interjected, flying between Gallian and Luxeira with a nervous look on her face. Beside her, Hoopa rolled his eyes.

"Feh. You're such a buzzkill, always stopping these things right as they're getting interesting," he said, shrugging.

Latias ignored him. "I think everyone ought to take a few deep breaths and calm down. We're all on the same side, after all." She turned to Gallian. "It's clear that there were a lot of missteps… but that's all in the past. There's nothing anyone can do about it except try not to repeat those same mistakes in the future. Are we clear?"

Gallian frowned. Latias floated closer to him, looking unamused. "I said… are we clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get off my back," Gallian growled, stepping back toward his seat.

"There are still a few concerns I have," Silvally said. "The first one being you, Sticky." He pointed a talon at Sticky, whose expression blanched. "You're acting a lot different than you used to. What happened?"

Sticky rubbed the side of his head nervously. "I suspect the blow I sustained to my cranium battling Necrozma may have caused some sort of cognitive disturbance. It's not a hypothesis I feel like testing," he said.

"Fair enough," Silvally said. "Then the only question left is… what happened to Seraph? She was with you when Necrozma blew up your ship."

Luxeira and Sticky exchanged frowns. "We honestly have no idea," Luxeira said. "As we've gone around the Horizon Continent, we've tried searching for some sort of evidence that she's here… but we haven't come across anything."

Totem Decidueye stiffened on his perch, brushing the tip of his right wing against Dusk in the process. She looked up at him. "Something the matter, Totem?"

He tucked his head down, eyes closing contemplatively. "Totem Toucannon found them in a waterfall basin… trapped in crystals," he said. "Excuse me, Houndoom." Totem Decidueye fluttered off his perch, gliding down to a spot behind Luxeira. "Per chance, did Totem Touncannon or Honchkrow tell you anything about what you two looked like when you were found?"

Luxeira gave Totem Decidueye a confused look. "No… I don't think so."

"Actually, I think there was an offhanded remark about the crystals 'being very dark,'" Sticky said. "If my memory is serving me adequately, of course."

"I see," Totem Decidueye whispered. "If that's the case… I believe I may know the location of your missing teammate."

Everyone turned to Totem Decidueye in stock. "Y… you're kidding!" Luxeira gasped.

"Hold up!" Dusk barked. She tried to get to her feet, but her injuries strained her movements and she quickly gave up, falling back onto her belly. "You mean you found some frozen alien Pokémon and just hid it from the village this whole time?"

Zoroark stood up. "You're racing to conclusions, Dusk," he said. "Look at his face. Our Totem just realized what was going on."

Dusk looked down, wrinkling her snout. "I guess. Still… I'm one of the village's guards. If something bad happens… I'm supposed to know."

"I'm truly sorry for the mix-up, Dusk," Totem Decidueye said. "To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of the situation. I was returning from a supply run to Midday Valley, when I spotted a peculiar dark stone bobbing up along the surface of the Midnight Sea." He took a step back from Team Paradox and spread his wings out. "I swooped down for a closer look… and low and behold it turned out to be a massive crystal. But it was so dark… it didn't look very valuable."

"So, Seraph ended up in the Midnight Sea?" Luxeira said. "How did she get there when we were still in Glyphic Falls?"

"The rivers in Glyphic Falls all run right into the Midnight Sea," Gallian explained. "I guess the currents must have swept her to the south. I'm just amazed some wild water-types didn't go after her."

"Perhaps they were scared off by the sight? Even in the midst of the harshest storms, crystals don't pop up in the Midnight Sea," Zoroark said, scratching at the remnants of his left ear.

"Regardless… I was concerned," Totem Decidueye continued. "I could clearly see something inside the crystal… but had no idea what to do with my discovery. So, I stuck it in one of the smaller caves on the south face of the mountain."

"You mean the part facing the ocean? Don't wild flying-types roost in those caves?" Dusk gasped.

"Not this one. It's a personal little hovel of mine," Totem Decidueye said, chuckling. He turned back to Team Paradox. "I'm happy to fetch your teammate for you, but it would take me a little while."

"Do you need any help lifting anything?" Tessa asked. "I'm happy to–"

Totem Decidueye shook his head. "After the ordeal you all have been through, I insist you rest."

"Why not have Hoopa fetch it for you?" Latias offered, to Hoopa's annoyance.

Totem Decidueye frowned. "While I am humbled by your offer, I must decline. That cave is a… personal area. I'd prefer no one enter it aside from me." He started walking away from the fire pit.

"What if we waited outside?" Blaziken said, shrugging. "It's nighttime now, right? There could be some wild 'mons out and about, if I'm remembering what I heard about Horizon correctly."

"Yeah! We can be your backup muscle," Swampert said, holding up a beefy arm. "Or, rather, your only muscle. Cause you don't really look to have any… aha ha ha!"

Totem Decidueye sighed. "Very well." He looked to Latias, Hoopa, and Team Go-Getters. "Follow me, please." He beckoned them along with a wing.

As the group left the fire pit, Luxeira shakily got to her feet. "Actually… as long as we're taking a break… I'm going to just… um…" She looked at the tunnel behind her. "I think I'll go down there. I need a minute to myself."

Panic flashed across Sticky's face. "C-Captain, hang on. You can't just leave me here with–"

Luxeira was already in the tunnel when Sticky floated up to try and stop her from leaving. He slowly turned back toward Team Radiance, flinching at the sight of Silvally. "I… um… I just realized there's something important that I… erm… really should be remembering… to do."

Tessa tugged the corner of Shane's scarf. "Hey," she whispered, "come with me. I'm going after Luxeira."

"Why? She said she wanted to be alone, didn't she?" Shane said.

"She may have said that, yeah, but her body language suggested otherwise," Tessa countered. Before Shane could retort, she pointed at her aura feelers. "Also, I felt some really unpleasant ripples when she was speaking. I think she needs someone to talk to."

Shane had no counterargument to her aura powers. He got to his feet, saying, "You should've just led with that."

"Sorry… I'm still kind of getting used to this aura reading thing," Tessa said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. Shane bit his lip, worrying he offended his friend.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," he said.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Dusk asked, poking her head up. "Didn't Houndoom say she wanted to be left alone."

"Hang on… if you're going after her then I'm coming with you," Sticky said, only to squeak and flutter back as Silvally walked in front of him, blocking off the path.

"Let them go," he said, gesturing at Shane and Tessa with his beak. "Judging by what Luxeira told us, you're really not the guy to help her out right now."

"And you think your teammates are?" Sticky said, his expression growing more restless.

"I think they understand exactly what's bothering her… and what they can do to help," Silvally said. "Besides… I think the two of us need to chat." As he finished that statement, he turned his gaze on Gallian, Zoroark, and Espeon.

Espeon's ears stuck up. "Um, Dusk… how long has it been since Totem Decidueye applied those medicinal leaves?"

"Dunno… a few hours, maybe?" Dusk said.

"In that case, we'd better change them out," Espeon said. She hopped off her seat and trotted toward Dusk's little perch.

"Yeah," Zoroark whispered, scratching his mane. "And I think Gallian and I will go after your friends."

Gallian frowned. "What's the point? You just heard the big guy… they've got things under control."

Zoroark leaned in close to Gallian, a frown on his muzzle. "Think about it, Gallian. Luxeira probably lost her home and her family… and she just had to sit here and tell that to all of us." Gallian winced, realizing Zoroark was right. "Yeah, this entire time you've know her, she's been shouldering that heavy burden. I'll bet she never said anything about it, did she?" Zoroark said.

"No, she didn't," Gallian replied. He sighed and got to his feet. "Hey… try not to kill each other or anything while we're gone," he said, casting a wayward look at Silvally before walking toward the tunnel with Zoroark limping beside him.

"P… please… whatever business you have with me… can't you just drop it?" Sticky begged, voice ripe with worry.

"I just want to understand something," Silvally said, his psychic memories activating and turning his glowing appendages bright pink. "When we first met… it seemed like you knew me somehow. I want to know why that is. And I want to know why you're always frightened to be around me. I'm not out to hurt you, especially when I barely know you."

Sticky floated further from Silvally, but it did little good. Silvally marched after him, still wearing a hurt look on his face. Eventually, Sticky brushed up against the cavern wall and slouched over in defeat. "I know what Beast Killers are capable of," Sticky said. "I've heard what your kind do to us Ultra Beasts."

Silvally frowned. "I don't understand. Are you telling me there are others out there that are just like me?"

"Yes!" Sticky said, flinching at how loud he answered. "You Beast Killers… are ruthless monsters. You slaughter Ultra Beasts callously. That's what they told me back in Ultra Village, anyway."

"But I'm not just some 'Beast Killer,'" Silvally said. "I'm…" His voice trailed off and his expression grew stern. "Sticky… the day I broke out of my mask, I saw how I'd been created."

"To kill Ultra Beasts, I imagine," Sticky said. Silvally shook his head.

"No. I was made… to kill the gods of our world," Silvally whispered. "And, once they were gone, I was supposed to be this 'protector against evil.' But the Pokémon that created me… he did so by forcibly binding Unowns to spirits that he pulled from the spirit realm."

"Whether it was science or some arcane art that gave rise to you matters not to me," Sticky said. "After everything I've been through, I don't want to suffer at the hands of a Beast Killer. Even if you're fine now, there's no guarantee you won't fly off the handle and attack me at some point."

"Sticky… there's a Poipole's spirit inside of me," Silvally said, a nervous look on his face. "Like, I'm pretty sure she's at the center of my core, too." Sticky stared back at him in stunned silence, leading Silvally to poke at the ground. "I'm sure it sounds crazy. I just thought you'd want to know."

Sticky's gaze darted about the cavern. "That can't be true… can it?"

"I heard it for myself. My creator even said she was from Ultra Village. My teammates saw it, too. I'm sure they'd attest to it if they were here," Silvally said.

"Unbelievable," Sticky said, sliding down along the wall until he lay on the ground. "I had heard rumors that, before I existed, there was a Poipole who had managed to go off into Ultra Space, hoping to make contact with another world. This… has to be some sort of bizarre coincidence."

"I strongly doubt it," Silvally said. "Still, I had to get that off my chest. I don't want to hurt you. Especially after hearing what happened to you and Luxeira." Silvally's head drooped, his eyes turning glassy. "Losing your home, friends, and family must have taken a real toll on you."

Sticky shrugged. "It's really not as bad for me as it is for Luxeira."

"What do you mean by that?" Silvally asked.

"Well, to start with, UBs don't really have families to speak of," Sticky said. "When an Ultra Beast grows old, it simply decomposes. Its remains drift toward the edge of whatever world the UB inhabited. Then, there's a chance an Ultra Wormhole will open, exposing the remains to Ultra Space radiation, which catalyzes the creation of a new Ultra Beast."

As Sticky's explanation droned on, Silvally appeared increasingly weary. He blinked his eyes repeatedly in an effort to stave off sleep. "From there, it becomes a matter of whether or not the new UB is taken in by anyone," Sticky continued. "I… wasn't. After floating around Ultra Village aimlessly, I found a shelter. I stayed there. The staff were polite and respectful. They were the ones who actually pointed me in the Ultra Recon Squad's direction."

"I see," Silvally said. A beat passed and then his jaw dropped. "Wait a second… wouldn't that make you even younger than Tessa?!"

"Perhaps by the standards of time measurement in your universe," Sticky replied. "I prefer not to ruminate on it too much." He sighed again and shook his head. "If anything, my feelings about this whole situation are the exact opposite of what you'd expect."

Silvally sat down, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I follow."

"I don't deserve to be here right now," Sticky said. "I didn't deserve to survive Ultra Village's destruction. I barely passed the required examination, then proceeded to fumble my way through basic training. The only reason I wasn't vaporized is because I stuck around Seraph when I'm confident she didn't want me there." He fidgeted with his hands. "I was completely useless. I got knocked out by Necrozma without doing anything to help."

"I've spent the last few weeks trying to reconcile why Luxeira stopped to grab me as she and Seraph were fleeing," Sticky continued. "And I just can't think of a good reason. Instead, I keep returning to the same thought: if Luxeira had left me behind, she and Seraph might've been able to avoid Necrozma." He lowered his head shamefully. "They could've reached another base and avoided this nightmare."

"You don't know that for a fact, though," Silvally said.

"There isn't a lot of evidence suggesting another possibility," Sticky countered.

Silvally sighed deeply and slumped onto his stomach so he wasn't towering over Sticky. "Trust me, Sticky. I get where you're coming from," Silvally said.

"Do you really?" Sticky said. "Look at you. You're big and imposing. You're a far more useful asset to your team than I could possibly be to mine."

"It's easy to feel like you have nothing to offer when things aren't going well in your life," Silvally said, almost as if he was reciting the line from memory. "Those spirits I told you about? Plenty of them had times where they felt useless or, worse, were told how useless they were. But that kind of thinking is a slippery slope." He lifted a foreleg up. "Once you start sliding down it…" He whistled and lowered his foreleg, twirling one talon in a circle. "You'll just keep going and going until you hit the ground hard."

"I don't believe I comprehend the comparison," Sticky said.

"My point is that you shouldn't call yourself worthless and you need to stop dwelling on why you're here. Instead, focus on how you've made a difference so far," Silvally said. "I mean… take yesterday, for example. It was your special tile that let Team Paradox get off Mount Supernova with the Sizzle Shard."

"That's true," Sticky said.

"And, for whatever it's worth, you were hardly a pushover when we had to fight," Silvally said. "You're more valuable to Team Paradox than you realize."

"You really think so?" Sticky gasped.

Silvally nodded. "I know so. I'm sure Latias saw it, too. Otherwise she wouldn't ask you to get involved with finding the Scalebound Shard." He poked his head up and looked to his left. "Speaking of which… I think they're coming back." He glanced at Sticky. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I guess so," Sticky said. "I'm just worried about Seraph… and how she'll react to all of this if we can free her."

"Don't worry. I'm not about to let anything bad happen… to anyone," Silvally said, offering a reassuring smile.

"… you're a very strange Beast Killer," Sticky mused, floating up beside Silvally.

"That may be, but I think I make an alright Silvally," he said, winking at Sticky.

"Um, where did everyone go?" Latias asked, floating up to the fire bit. She was levitating a large black slab beside her. Staring at it, Silvally was immediately reminded of the black monoliths used to infect other Mystery Dungeons. However, upon closer examination, he noticed glints of yellow and black inside.

"I see something in there," Silvally said. "I can't really tell what it is, but there's definitely something there."

"You're right, but I'm not sensing any life energy at all," Latias said, eyeing the crystal with a frown. "Besides, do we even know how we can break this thing open?"

"I was going to propose Z-Power, since it's worked against the Prism Virus, which also comes from Necrozma," Silvally said.

Totem Decidueye stepped forward, dusting off his Totem Crystal. "It's been awhile since I've used any Z-Power, but I suppose I could give it a try."

"Maybe we ought to wait until Luxeira's back?" Espeon said, still tending to Dusk's injuries away from the fire pit. "She's probably the one who's best suited to keeping Seraph under control."

"… or make everything worse, judging from what she told us," Blaziken said, drawing a bunch of annoyed looks. "What? Aww, c'mon, don't look at me like that. We're all thinking it!"

Shane and Tessa paused at the end of the tunnel, which had led them to a dead end. Vibrant purple crystals sat in piles lined up neatly around the edge of the room. In the middle stood a hand-made, wooden sign, reading, "Light crystal stockpile. No entry without Totem Decidueye's permission."

This fact didn't matter much to Luxeira, who was sitting down in front of the crystal pile on the far side of the room. She leaned against one of the larger ones, weeping loudly into it. "Well… are you going to go up to her or what? This was all your idea," Shane whispered, worried Luxeira would snap at him.

Tessa rubbed the bridge of her snout. "Gimme a sec, here. I'm trying to think of what to say."

"Why not just pat her on the back and go 'there, there?' Seems pretty appropriate for this situation," Shane said. He figured Tessa would make for a better shoulder to cry on.

"If you're so confident about that, then go on," Tessa said, gesturing to Luxeira. "I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

"… I can hear you two, you know."

Shane and Tessa stiffened, the latter's aura feelers and ears sticking up in alarm. "L-Luxeira, we didn't… err, I meant to say…" Tessa struggled to find her voice with Luxeira's tearful gaze directed at her.

They couldn't turn back now, so Shane decided to act. "We wanted to come check up on you," he said, taking a step forward.

"I asked to be left alone," Luxeira growled, flames licking at her jowls. Shane winced and stepped backward, ears reflexively folding up against his head. "Whatever sympathy you plan on spewing… stuff it. You've heard what I've been through. All you can offer me are empty words and meaningless platitudes."

Shane could tell things were already going south fast, but had no response. "We don't have to talk," Tessa whispered. "We could just listen."

Luxeira frowned. "I don't have much to say."

"I'm not sure I believe that," Tessa said, placing a paw on her chest. "My guess is you don't want to hear this… but you have every right to be upset, given what's happened to you. These past few days, I've been… well… struggling to come to terms with my life's circumstances." Her aura feelers tensed up and she shut her eyes. Sensing Gallian's and Zoroark's presences lingering in the tunnel, she continued, "You saw some of that for yourself… when I pummeled the living daylights out of Gallian."

"What's your point?" Luxeira asked. Shane shot her a worried look. To him, it sounded like Tessa was making Luxeira's situation about her. Something Shane was guilty of doing numerous times before.

"My point is that you've kept your feelings about everything inside for too long," Tessa said. "You have to let them out… or they're going to turn vicious… just like mine did." She looked down shamefully.

Tears welled up in Luxeira's eyes again. She whirled around, butting her curved horns against a nearby light crystal. "It's not fair!" she said, breath coming in ragged hisses. "We were doing our jobs! I was trying to make a difference in the world! And what did I get for it, huh? What did the powers that be reward me with for sticking my neck out? Nothing!" She banged her horns against the crystal again. "I lost everything! My home. My friends. My…" Luxeira choked back her tears.

Then, without warning, she unleashed a black energy beam on the light crystal in front of her. It burst apart, tiny crystal shards flying out in all directions. Shane and Tessa winced, the latter throwing an arm up to shield her face. Tessa took a cautious step forward, only to freeze upon seeing flames gathering in Luxeira's mouth. Shane resisted the urge to bite Tessa's tail and drag her away from a potential fight.

"That bastard… he took it all away from me! I want him to pay… I want him dead and gone! But I can't do anything because I'm too weak!" Luxeira shouted, then broke down sobbing. Tessa rushed to Luxeira's side, catching her before she collapsed onto her belly. Luxeira bawled her eyes out into Tessa's thigh as Shane watched silently. He wondered how Nicky could do something this horrible. What had Golem's spells done to make Nicky such a horrible monster?

"It's okay, Luxeira. Let it out," Tessa said. "Nobody should have to experience what you're going through."

Shane's brow furrowed. He realized that, like Luxeira, Espeon was dealing with similar demons. It struck him that maybe she should have been the one to talk to Luxeira. A second voice told him that would only make things worse, not better.

Everyone stood in place silently for a few more minutes, until Luxeira's sobs quieted into muffled whimpers. "How are you feeling now?" Tessa asked.

"Upset," Luxeira said.

Tessa pursed her lips and nodded. "I can see that. I know the feeling. There's this crushing weight all around you. It makes you want to curl up into the tiniest little ball imaginable, close your eyes, and pray they don't open back up."

Luxeira sighed heavily. "That… sounds pretty accurate. It's like I told you back at the fire pit… I'm living out a bona fide nightmare. No matter how much I wish this were all a dream… it isn't. I can pray that I'll somehow wake up and find myself snuggled up with Silus… but it won't mean anything."

A few feet back in the tunnel, Gallian watched his sister with a furrowed brow. "I don't understand it," he whispered. "The way Tessa talks… it sounds like she's had a sinking sense of dread in her gut for a while."

"Probably because she has," Zoroark said.

Gallian's gaze fell to the ground. "Tessa," he said. Zoroark put a paw on his back, eliciting a wince.

"Blaming yourself won't do any good, here," Zoroark said.

"But it has to be my fault," Gallian whimpered. "The way I treated her when I left–"

"I'm not disagreeing with you," Zoroark said. "She made it perfectly clear that you hurt her."

"Then why bring it up? To make me feel bad?" Gallian growled.

"To tell you that you can't look back," Zoroark said. "If you want a good relationship with your sister again, then you have to focus on the present."

Gallian hung his head. "You make it sound so easy. She's nothing like I remember her. The Tessa I grew up with… was a bundle of sunshine. Bright, bubbly, and eager to please. Now… it's like she's an entirely different Pokémon." He looked back at Tessa, who was helping Luxeira up to her feet.

"Well, she did evolve," Zoroark said, shrugging off the glare that followed. "Look, she's your sister. If she's that important to you, then I'm sure you'll figure something out… like you're going to do with me, right?"

Gallian winced. "I'm… uh… I'm working on it."

Luxeira, Shane, and Tessa caught up with the two of them. "Why are you here?" Luxeira asked. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"

Gallian bit his lip. "N-no… of course not."

"Gallian wanted to check on you," Zoroark said. "Maybe you guys didn't have the greatest working relationship, but he does owe his life to you."

"Y… yeah," Gallian squeaked, shifting uncomfortably. "Are you, y'know, doing okay? Anything I can help you with?"

Luxeira glanced at Tessa, who gave her a reassuring nod. "I think I'm going to be okay," she said. "Let's go see what Totem Decidueye dug up."

The group proceeded back through the tunnel and reentered the fire pit. They found their allies huddled around the black slab. "That's dark alright," Gallian said, eyeing it. "But something's off with it."

"Yeah. It's not sparkling," Shane said, ruffling his tails. "Crystals should sparkle, right?"

"Seraph's definitely in here, though," Luxeira declared, looking down into crystal. "I wish I could say how this happened, but I'd just be throwing out wild guesses." She hung her head. "If Tori were here, I'm sure she'd know what was going on." Tessa walked up to Luxeira, her face ripe with concern, but Luxeira waved her off. "I'm fine."

"The Beast Kill– I mean… Silvally had a suggestion for getting Seraph out," Sticky said.

"Let me guess, Z-Power?" Tessa said, flexing her digits and tilting her head from side to side until her neck cricked. "I guess I'll handle it, then. Everyone stand back."

Totem Decidueye stuck a wing out in front of her. "Easy there, child. While I can't fault your enthusiasm, we must be cautious. If you were to strike this crystal too forcefully, you might end up killing the lady inside."

"Assuming she's even still alive in the first place," Dusk said, drawing annoyed looks. "What? Oh, come on. I can't be the only one thinking that."

"Stuff like that is best kept to yourself," Silvally said, an unamused look on his face. He turned back to Totem Decidueye. "So, how do you want to go about this?"

"I think using the fighting Z-Move on this crystal is too forceful," Totem Decidueye said. "I think my grass Z-Move might prove effective enough to free Seraph without risking her life in the process."

Luxeira nodded. "I like that idea."

"I'm going to need space, though. Would you kindly step back?" Totem Decidueye asked, fluttering his wings and hopping up and down to get his blood pumping. The rest of the group moved back toward the nearby tunnel. Totem Decidueye tapped a wing to his Totem Crystal and orange light encased his body.

"Kcch! Wow, that's bright when you're in close quarters," Shane said, swishing his long mane in front of his eyes. Silvally shifted his dark memories on and shut his eyes, pressing his face against the rock wall.

Tessa's muzzle twitched. "Does anyone else smell freshly-grown grass?" she gasped, putting a paw to her nose.

"Yeah! Look… around the ice!" Swampert gasped, pointing downward. A patch of grassy terrain had formed under Seraph's icy prison. Brightly-colored flowers popped up from the grass, each one emitting soothing aromas that drained the tension from everyone in the group. "Wow … smells like a freshly-blooming garden in springtime," Swampert said, drool trickling from his mouth.

Blaziken rubbed his stomach. "Suddenly I've got a huge craving for salad and fresh berries."

Beside them, Hoopa pulled a wedge of iceberg lettuce out of one of his rings and sniffed it. "Nah… this isn't nearly fresh enough," he said. Hoopa tossed it back into the portal, muttering, "Stupid fancy-schmancy Z-Power. If Hoopa had that… he could make his rings even more incredible."

The flowers all gave off tiny beams of green light, which coalesced together, forming a giant flower made of green energy. It swallowed the crystal up whole. Totem Decidueye then kneeled down, striking the ground with his wings. The flower opened up, releasing an explosive pillar of green light.

"Too bright," Shane said, turning and burying his head against Tessa's belly. He hoped it would end quickly.

"H-Hey!" Tessa said. She shoved Shane back, her face reddening. "Warn me if you're going to try something like that." It took Shane a second to process what she meant, but when he did, his face also went red.

The green light faded, allowing everyone to see that the flowery field had vanished. And, to everyone's surprise, so had the crystal. "That's her!" Luxeira said, cautiously approaching the Zeraora lying on the ground. Nicks, scrapes, and patches of burnt fur lined Seraph's body. Bloodstains still peppered her face from her fight against Necrozma.

Luxeira frowned. "Is she alive?"

Tessa jogged up to Seraph and knelt down beside her. She placed a paw against Seraph's chest and shifted to her aura sight. "It's faint, but I've got something," she said. "Her aura's really weak, though. Latias, do you think you could try using Heal Pulse on her?"

"I don't see why not," Latias said. She raised her claws, releasing soft pink waves that rippled over Seraph's body. One by one, her wounds closed up. New strands of yellow and black fur sprouted up to cover Seraph's burnt areas. While it didn't clean the blood off, Tessa sensed Seraph's aura growing progressively stronger.

Seraph began to stir. "H… hnnngh," she muttered, eyes opening and blinking multiple times. "W… what happened? Where… am I?" She brought her large paws up to her eyes and rubbed them.

Tessa beckoned Luxeira and Sticky over. "Seraph? I imagine you must be really confused right now. But–"

Seraph sat straight up, looking into Tessa's eyes. "Hel-lo," she purred, licking a digit and using it to straighten out her whiskers. Tessa's look of concern was quickly replaced by one of confusion.

"Seraph… are you feeling alright?" Tessa asked. "Look, your teammates from Team Paradox are–"

Seraph gingerly placed a paw under Tessa's chin. "I must've died and ended up in the afterlife because you, my dear, are positively heavenly."

Tessa's eyes widened. "Wait, wha–"

Without warning, Seraph wrapped her arms around Tessa's shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. Tessa's aura feelers shot up in alarm while, behind her, her teammates' jaws dropped in unison. "W… we should do something, right?" Silvally said.

"Are you kidding me? This is better than that one dream I had," Shane replied, drawing an astonished look from Silvally. "Err… I meant… it's better than this one dream Solgaleo had. Aha ha… ha…" He silently cursed his poor choice of words.

While the group stood watching in shock, Tessa finally got her bearings back and socked Seraph in the gut with a glowing fist. Seraph doubled over, clutching her chest in pain. Tessa got back to her feet, aura feelers pulsating. "Okay," Seraph wheezed. "Guess I'm not dead… because that one hurt."

"Seriously, Seraph?" Luxeira groaned, stepping between Seraph and Tessa and rolling her eyes.

Seraph looked up at Luxeira. "What? Don't give me that look. Lucario's not wearing anything and neither am I. If that's not sending a signal, I don't know what is," she scoffed, staggering to her feet. "Come to think of it… you've ditched your clothing, too," she said, grinning at Luxeira. "And just what am I supposed to make of this, huh? Getting some pretty mixed messages from you, newbie. I already told you, I don't sleep with co–"

"Get a grip, Seraph!" Luxeira barked, snorting tufts of fire from her nostrils as a warning. Seraph stepped back, staring at Luxeira's smoke trails. "Look around you. We're clearly not in Ultra Village anymore. Don't you remember what happened?"

"Of course I do," Seraph said. "We–" She cut herself off, gaze falling on the rest of the group. "Hang on… what's going on here?" Seraph whispered. She gingerly placed a paw up to her forehead and recoiled in horror when she pulled her paw away and saw blood on it. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating in fear. "I… we… we were fighting a Lightless Black," she said. "We got onto a S0L30 because he had irreversibly damaged the Ultra Village Core."

Luxeira nodded grimly. "The core exploded, jettisoning the Lightless Black, Necrozma, into our Ultra Wormhole before it could close. He smashed into S0L30 and destroyed it. We all fell through Ultra Space and ended up in this world," she said.

Seraph dropped to her knees, staring at her trembling paws. "We… we should be dead. Ultra Space radiation… without a protective field, it renders an average 'mon like you or me comatose."

"We were all trapped in big crystals, apparently," Luxeira said. "Sticky and I were found by some locals, but you ended up near this community of cave-dwellers."

Seraph squeezed her eyes shut. "If… if the core blew up… then Ultra Village…"

"… is likely gone, yes," Luxeira said, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, Seraph." Her expression grew strewn. "I realize how bad all of this is for both of us, but Necrozma is still out there. He's in this world now… wreaking havoc and threatening to destroy it. Sticky and I are going to work with these terrestrials to try and stop him. Please…" She held her forepaw out to Seraph. "We could really use your guidance."

"Get that thing out of my face," Seraph whispered, her paws balling up into fists.

"Seraph," Luxeira said, frowning.

"I said get it out!" Seraph shouted, swatting Luxeira's forepaw aside. She bolted to her feet, looking around the cave in a frenzy. "I… I need space." She tugged at the fur tufts on her shoulders. "I need air! I need air!"

"Wait, Seraph!" Luxeira called, but Seraph had already raced across the cave in a stream of lightning. The current banked off light crystals and entered the tunnel leading to the hot springs area. Luxeira hung her head. "That… somehow went even worse than I thought it would."

"I did not anticipate her reception to our predicament being very positive," Sticky said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I suppose I should go after her, then," Luxeira said. Before she started walking, however, Espeon hopped down from Dusk's perch, landing gracefully and curling her tail against her hips.

"Let me go," Espeon said. "I think I have a good idea of what to say to her." She glanced back at the group. "Besides, you all still need to hear what Gallian has to say, don't you? And I think you should stay to help fill in the gaps."

"But what about you?" Silvally said.

Espeon's eyes flashed blue. "I'll get the summary version from one of you later… if that's okay." No one voiced any objections, so Espeon turned and padded off for the hot springs, leaving the group behind.

Gallian sighed, drawing everyone's attention. "I guess that means it's time for me to pick up where Luxeira left off… so to speak." He sat down in front of the dying fire. Silvally opened his beak and spat out a fireball, reigniting the remaining wood. The rest of the group situated themselves throughout the fire pit. Gallian took a heavy breath. "The truth is… that I didn't discover Team Paradox. They found me."

He glanced at Zoroark. "And they found me because I gave into my disaster sense… and let it ruin my life."

Time for review replies!

SuperOmegaGuest: that's not a bad guess, I'd say. But you'll have to stick around and see what happens to him.

WonderBread: well, perhaps if you stick around you'll see exactly what Nicky's and Xerneas' was like.

Anon Omega: it is real and it exists. Nicky's and Shane's spirits were dragged into the world. That's all I'm going to say.

VerbalCupcakes: you're actually the first person to pose that theory. Not saying how right or wrong it is, though.

Veralix: keep calm, buddy. We'll be exploring the creation myth and exactly what role Arceus had in it... eventually. But that houses some of the biggest twists of the story, so I'm staying silent on it.

JesusChrist: that's true. But, well, I can't say anything else because of spoilers.

Another guest: Nicky's parents weren't evil. Just... a bit demanding. And you'll see more about Arceus in the future. I promise!

Next time: we learn what drove Gallian out of Aeon Town... and Tessa's life.