Chapter 78: Bringing Down the House
"And that'll do it for the warm-up acts, everyone. We're going to take a short break as we get set up for the main event. In the meantime, feel free to help yourselves to some refreshments."
The announcement didn't register to Shane. Neither did the dropping of a curtain over the front of the stage. He stared at Espy, muzzle agape. The Pokémon he had foolishly pined for — who had stomped on his heart earlier in the week, no less — had kissed him. It had come out of nowhere. She didn't offer the slightest hint about it. Was it a spur of the moment decision or had she planned it all along? Shane's mind raced while his heart thumped frantically in his chest.
He knew his teammates were watching. Unlike his confusing encounter with Silvally, this display was public. There was no way to cover it up. He glanced toward the backstage area, trying to get a read on their expressions. However, his pounding head made them nothing but a pair of colorful blurs. Shaking his head, he locked eyes with Espy.
"Wh… what was that all about?" Shane asked, blinking slowly.
For her part, Espy stood completely still, save for the tips of her tails tapping each other repeatedly. She had her gaze fixed on Shane's heart-shaped tuft of chest fur. Shane thought back to his sleepless night in the Volcanic Wastes, when he saw Espy sneak off to snort stardust. The pounding in his head grew stronger. She was in a separate dressing room from him. Was it possible that she had taken something?
"Say something, Espy. Why'd you just kiss me like that?" Shane said.
"I… I…" Espy bit her lip. "You heard the crowd. I was giving them what they wanted," she said, walking past Shane.
He stepped into her path. "I'm not sure I believe you. Before we started, you told me you had a plan. What am I supposed to make of all of this?" he said, frowning.
Espy looked down guiltily. "Look, I… uh…" She pressed herself up against Shane and whispered, "I couldn't resist, okay?"
Shane's ears stuck up. It was intentional. "But you… you knew I had a crush on you. What about what happened back at the guild?"
"You were just a dorky little Vulpix back then. Now, you're… you're… look at yourself!" Espy whispered. "I mean, you're still a dork, yeah. But it's like I said last night… it's grown on me. And, come on, with everything Primarina's team did to clean you up…" She shook her head. "You're like a piece of white chocolate someone dangled in front of me. Too irresistible to pass up."
Shane wasn't sure what to make of her comments. "Did you drink something while you were getting ready? Or take any stardust?"
"What? No, of course not. I'm trying to stay clean. This was… all my decision," Espy said. Her ears and tail drooped. "Look, I saw an opportunity and I took it. If we weren't, y'know, on stage like that… I'd have probably gone much further."
Shane's tails shot up. He finally took notice of his teammates looking at him in concern. "I thought you were trying to put that kind of behavior behind you," he said.
Espy shuffled backward. "I know, I know. I had a moment of weakness, okay?" She glanced over her shoulder. "C-Can't we just agree to say we did it because the crowd was chanting? Y'know, to make sure we could get the Seaside Shard safely and stuff?"
Her pleading look calmed the fluttering in Shane's heart. He sighed. There were things that he wanted to say, but he was confident this wasn't the right time. And a part of him was relieved Espy didn't want things to escalate at all.
"I guess so," Shane said. He walked off the stage, tails stiffening at the sight of his teammates.
"Wow, Shane. That was, uh, quite the ending you and Espeon put together," Tessa said, fidgeting with her paws. "I guess… you finally got what you wanted, huh?"
Shane winced. Hearing Tessa say that actually hurt him more than Espy's attempts to downplay the actual kiss. He was pretty sure he knew why, but chose to keep those thoughts to himself. "You heard the crowd. We were just giving the audience what they wanted." He leaned in to whisper, "Y'know, so Vaporeon wouldn't get suspicious or anything."
"Really? Because you two seemed pretty into it, from what I saw," Silvally said, a brow raised. His fire memories were active, adding a layer of intensity to his skeptical look.
"Th… that was all part of the act," Shane said, gulping. Memories of the morning resurfaced. His headache promptly returned. One day as a Ninetales and he found himself overwhelmed by the attention he was getting. He wanted to stop everything and get his bearing straight, but knew he couldn't afford to do that in his current predicament.
"You!"
An angry Vaporeon marched toward the team, gaze fixed on Shane. "I don't know where you and Espeon got the idea to go completelyoff the script like that," Vaporeon said, eyes narrowing.
"Uh… uh… I can explain," Shane said, eyes darting about the room. He worried that he somehow blew the mission for his team.
"No need… because it was fantastic!" Vaporeon said, smiling and hopping into the air. Behind Shane, Espy and Silvally slouched over in relief. "Such a high level of improv is a classic Primarina move. That's how he got to where he is today, after all." He wagged his tail. "You couldn't have made Primarina any prouder. I guess having my original performers get sick turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Tessa asked. She glanced over her shoulder, where two Machamps were working to lift extra sets of lights up to the ceiling. "We do still get to watch the performance, right?"
"Of course, of course. I've got a special area prepared for you. But first I've got to check and make sure Primarina's ready to go," Vaporeon said. "You guys wait backstage and I'll come find you when everything's set." He turned and trotted away from Team Radiance.
Once he was gone, Tessa beckoned her teammates to follow her toward the backstage area. "Okay, so, an idea popped into my head when Espy and Shane went onstage," Tessa said, ducking behind a curtain wall so none of the stage crew could see her. The rest of the team tried their best to follow her, but Silvally couldn't fit. Instead, he sat down and faced the stage, pretending to watch the crew move the back wall out of the way.
"What did you have in mind?" Espy said.
"Silvally told me that Primarina chained up some Ultra Beasts using ley lines. Are we clear on that?" Tessa asked. Espy and Shane nodded. "Good. Because Kahuna Raichu doesn't have a clue how to free them. But it struck me that Espeon might be able to help." Tessa looked at Espy. "You've studied ley lines for years. If anyone can figure out how to free those Ultra Beasts, it's you, right?"
Espy stiffened. "M-Me?" she said. "Well, you're technically right. It's just…" She traced her right forepaw in a circle on the floor. "I've always had Umbry by my side when I've studied ley lines. This would—" She gulped. "This would be the first time I ever did something involving ley lines without him. Heck, we combined our powers to make Entercards."
Guilt welled up in Tessa's gut at the mention of Umbreon. "I know it must hurt to think about him. But we have to try, right?" she said. "Otherwise, Primarina will use those Ultra Beasts to power his music crystals and we may never get the Seaside Shard."
"Yeah, you're right," Espy said, ears drooping.
Shane glanced at her, biting his lower lip. Even if things were even more awkward between them, he hated seeing her distressed like this. "I'll go with her," Shane offered. Espy's ears stuck up. "Maybe I can tap into Solgaleo's spirit or something. It's worth a shot, right?" He looked at Tessa. "Are you and Silvally okay keeping watch?"
"I guess. But what should we do if Vaporeon comes back?" Tessa wondered, crossing her arms.
Shane frowned. "I dunno… lie?" he said, shrugging. "Tell him Espy and I felt tired and went back to our dressing rooms. If he doesn't buy that, then… uh…"
"Then we knock him out and drag him into the back room," Silvally said, gaze fiercening. "I know his headset's got some sort of kooky sensor thingy, but we can't afford to keep being stealthy with the concert about to start. Besides, even if we trip the sensor, Primarina can't afford to delay the concert or waltz offstage to try and attack us."
"That's a good point," Tessa said. "But what if Primarina sics some of these concert-goers on us?"
"If we're hiding in the secret room, then most of them can't get to us. Plus, we'd hear Primarina's orders since he'd be singing them on stage," Silvally said. He stomped a foreleg down. "Look, we're wasting precious time, here." He nodded at Espy and Shane. "You two go help Kahuna Raichu. We'll handle things out here."
Tessa worried that, like many of the team's plans, this would end badly. Nevertheless, she walked up to the secret door and pushed it open, saying, "Kahuna Raichu, sir. It's Tessa. Espeon and Shane are coming in to help you."
"Great to hear, cousin. Cause I'm drawing a total blank," Kahuna Raichu said. Espy and Shane walked inside the room, only to freeze upon seeing the chained-up Xurkitrees. Electricity funneled through the ley line chains up into ceiling. Shane had no idea how Primarina could've done something like this, but it made him extremely nervous about what could happen during the concert.
"These ley lines are connected to a giant pile of music crystals," Cosplay Pikachu explained, pacing back and forth in front of the Xurkitrees. "A bunch of energy's already been pumped into the crystals. Who knows what Primarina could do with all that power?"
Espy's tail scrunched up. "If music crystals can play songs, then what if Primarina intends to broadcast his concert to the Horizon Continent?" she said.
Shane's tails shot into the air. He couldn't begin to fathom how many Pokémon would be hypnotized if that happened. Gallian and Zoroark had ribbons from the rainbow scarf, but no one else on the mainland did. "We have to power down those music crystals before the concert can start," Shane said.
"No duh. What we need are some concrete ideas. Any time either of us tries to get close to these chains, they come to life and sap more electricity from the Xurkitrees," Cosplay Pikachu sat, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently. "A few times the bolts have launched toward us. I can keep us safe because I have Lightning Rod, but my cheek sacs can only take so much current before I pass out."
"Right. Could I just ask you to stick close to me, then? I'd like to take a closer look at the ley lines," Espy said. She walked up to the chains, while Shane hung back. By now, he was used to the subject of ley lines getting thrown around. Yet, it surprised him that they actually looked like giant chains. His tails curled up against his waist.
Espy stood by one of the chains, forehead gem pulsating. "Nrrgh," she groaned, closing her eyes and staggering back. "Yeah, these are definitely ley lines. Their aura is as chaotic as it gets," she said, panting.
"Can we move them? Or, at the very least, touch them?" Shane asked.
"No. Doing that would be like walking up and hugging an Electrode when it's about to explode," Espy said. The mental image made Shane wince. "The way I see it, we have two options." She sat down, frowning. "The first is that we try to manipulate the ley lines ourselves. We'd need something like an Entercard to do that, though, and I can't create one by myself."
Her shoulders sagged. "The other option is that we could destroy the parts of the ground and the wall that are anchoring the chains," she said.
Shane's ears stuck up. That didn't seem too hard. "The second one sounds fine to me. Let's get started," he said.
"You didn't let me finish," Espy said, eyes narrowing. "It might seem like the easier option, but you have to remember that these chains are not only filled with chaotic energy, but they have an electric current running through them. There's a good chance that, if we tried to break the ground around them, we could set off a chain reaction and bring the ceiling down on us." She turned to glare at Shane. "Are you really about to sit there and tell me you want a repeat performance of Glyphic Falls?"
Memories of Espy's tail sticking out from the rubble of the cave-in flashed through Shane's mind. He rapidly shook his head. "N-no, you're right. We can't take that risk," he said. Shane lowered his head. Was that it, then? Did the team really have no realistic options to free the Xurkitrees?
"Wait a second!" Shane said, hopping up and down with widened eyes. "What about Hoopa? He can make portals into and out of dungeons, so that must mean he can manipulate ley lines. We can call Latias and ask to borrow Hoopa."
Espy jumped to her feet. "That could work!" she said, tail wagging. Espy opened her satchel and levitated out a Gear-Com. "Let's call her now." She activated the device, only to recoil as loud static sounded.
"Gah! Turn it off!" Cosplay Pikachu said, pulling her ears flat against her head.
After a few seconds, Espy switched the Gear-Com off. "It's no good. The signal's being jammed," she said.
"So much for that idea," Shane said, sighing. "M… maybe… you guys should join Tessa and Silvally. I'll destroy the spots that are anchoring the chains… even if it brings the ceiling down."
DoN't bE sO RAsH… tHeRe'S nO nEEd.
Shane looked around the room in confusion. He had heard that voice before, when he touched the Sizzle Shard. Was his earlier assessment correct? Had the ley lines made Solgaleo's spirit stir inside of him? "Did… did you guys hear that?" Shane whispered.
"Hear what?" Espy said, head titled to the side. "All I heard was you offering to make a boneheaded sacrifice."
yOu cAN mAKe tHe EntErCArd… UsE tHe SHaRDs.
"There it is again," Shane said. He glanced down at his looplet, where the compass-like rune was glowing. Shane was certain Solgaleo was talking to him.
"Yo, Espeon, your bag's glowing," Cosplay Pikachu said, pointing to it. Espy turned to her right and gasped. She threw her satchel to the ground. The two Dawn Shards tumbled out onto the floor, flashing brightly.
Shane trotted toward them. "Espy, I think I have a way to make the Entercard you need," he said. "Just now… I heard Solgaleo in my head. He said we can use the Shards' power."
Espy's brow furrowed. "You really expect me to believe that? It took Umbry and I years to figure out how to make one. I—"
The hidden door opened up and an unconscious, scuffed-up Vaporeon smacked the ground behind them. Tessa walked in and pinned Vaporeon down with a foot. "Guys, not to put any pressure on you or anything, but the concert's starting. If you have a plan, you need to put it into action or we're completely hosed!" she said, fists clenched.
A thumping beat sounded in the distance, followed by muffled music.
"Are you babes ready to kick things off?
Cause you're as riled as a pack of Rockruffs!
We're going to party all the way til' sunset
Then go and leave the Prism Virus full of regret!"
The music grew louder, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. Static electricity built up in the room. "Get back!" Cosplay Pikachu shouted, shoving Espy aside. Stray lightning bolts struck her from above. More electricity raced through the ley line chains. The ceiling flashed brightly.
"Espy, I know what I said sounds totally ridiculous, but we have to take a chance. We're out of time!" Shane said, using his tails to wrap up the Dawn Shards. While he had no idea how Entercards really worked, he couldn't back down. They had to take a gamble. "Tell me how you and Umbreon make Entercards."
"Fine," Espy said, tail flicking to her left. "For all our sakes, I hope you know what you're doing." She leaned over and whispered into Shane's ear, then stepped away from him. "You ready?"
Blue and yellow lights filtered in through the hidden doorway. Silvally staggered back, blinking rapidly. "Ugh… the stage is totally crazy," he growled, shaking his head.
"I like the vibes you're all throwing down.
But we can do a lot better.
We're not here to mess around.
This Necrozma guy is straight up nasty.
But if we combine our powers,
We'll make him timid as a Flaaffy!"
A chorus of baaing sounded from the stage. Silvally cringed. "Ugh… I can't take this! Tessa's singing was so much better," he huffed. "Hurry up, you guys!"
"R-right. It's now or never, I guess," Shane squeaked. He put his right forepaw in front of him, while Espy placed her left forepaw next to his. They each traced a circle in the ground that they linked together, forming an infinity symbol. The shards in Shane's tails glowed brightly, as did his forehead and looplet. Likewise, Espy's forehead gem sparkled with multicolored light. The light raced down each of their bodies and into the infinity symbol.
A white beam rose out of the ground, only to fade a second later. There, sitting in front of them, was a small card bearing the same infinity symbol on it that Espy and Shane had traced. Espy levitated it into the air and examined the other side, showing off the sun symbol etched into the card.
"Well? Did we do it right?" Shane asked, praying they had succeeded.
"Yes," Espy replied without hesitation. Relief spread across everyone's faces.
"That's great!" Tessa said, fist-pumping. "Now we just have to deploy the card and we can put an end to this stupid performance."
Espy frowned. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. I need time to make the Magnagate and I still have to figure out how I can successfully send the ley lines through it," she said, shaking her head.
"What are you talking about. When Umbreon rescued us in the Temple of Body the Magnagate formed instantly didn't it?" Shane said. Espy flinched, her eyes glazing over. Shane cursed himself out for bringing up the one thing Espy was trying not to think about. "I… uh… sorry," he said. "That was uncalled for. What do you need to me to do?"
"You have to provide a distraction… again. Find a way to disrupt the concert until I can get the Magnagate working properly," Espy said. She looked at Tessa and Silvally. "You two help him out. I'll need Kahuna Raichu and Cosplay Pikachu around for what I have in mind."
Tessa and Silvally looked at each other nervously. "Err… okay. But how are we supposed to distract Primarina?" Tessa said, scratching her head. "We can't just barge onstage… we'll get mobbed for sure!"
Shane approached the hidden doorway and glanced outside. Colorful smoke spilled across the stage, mixing with flashing lights of different colors. The Brionne backup dancers stood on their tailfins, waving their flippers back and forth. Shane cautiously crept through the doorway, ignoring Silvally's panicked look. He needed to see for himself exactly what they were up against.
"I'm the shining star that this world needs!
I'll save the day, just you wait and see!
For now, kick back. Let me hear you shout
What other rhymes d'ya want me to bust out?"
Primarina sat in the center of a large, metal construct stylized to look like a Clamperl. Shane's jaw dropped at the sight of a neon, crystalline turntable with music crystals sitting where he expected the records to be. Primarina reached his right, glitter-covered fin forward and spun the crystal like a DJ. Record scratches sounded as his backup dancers repeated his last line. The crowd roared its approval.
Primarina raised his other flipper high and headbanged like a punk rocker. His rainbow hair whipped back and forth. The golden chain baring a medallion shaped like the compass sigil in Shane's looplet thumped against Primarina's chest. He pulled his rainbow sunglasses down to wink at the crowd, drawing excited screams from some of the girls.
"I've got the moves to dazzle and stun!
Just watch me, I'll shine as bright as the sun!
Necrozma won't have a clue what's going on
I'll leave his mind blown like a Blacephalon!"
Multiple water bubbles sprouted forth from Primarina, each one glowing a different color under the stage lights. It was then that Shane caught sight of a blue gemstone tangled in the midst of Primarina's hair. He had no doubt that it was the Seaside Shard. "I've got an idea," he said, stepping back from the door. "We can provide a distraction all right… by trying to upstage Primarina!"
All eyes in the room turned to him. "You can't be serious," Tessa said, slouching over.
"I am," Shane said, beckoning Cosplay Pikachu over. "Hear me out for a second. Guys like Primarina thrive on hogging the spotlight. They need everything to go exactly the way they want or it throws them off their game. All we need to do is mess up Primarina's act and we'll upset him so much he won't be able to think straight." Neither teammate looked convinced. "Okay, I get that this idea is stupid… and probably a little crazy. But this whole situation is stupid and crazy! The best way to fight weird is by being weird… and, let's face it, no one on the team is more equipped to do that than me."
"He does have a point… I think," Silvally said, tapping a talon on the ground and wondering if he had complimented or insulted Shane.
"What did you need me for, exactly?" Cosplay Pikachu said.
"Can your powers let you make outfits for other Pokémon?" Shane asked.
Cosplay Pikachu's eyes sparkled. "Are you kidding? Of course!" She rubbed her paws together gleefully. "Just tell me what you have in mind."
Shane nodded. "Okay, here's the plan…"
Primarina smacked the music crystals on his turntable, producing a record scratch that cut off what sounded like an electric guitar. He tilted his head back and belted out a long note. Three fluorescent bubbles drifted forward. Three of his half-dozen Brionne backup dancers jumped into the bubbles, which caught them.
"With this power we fly so high!
Ask me for a limit? I'll tell you it's the sky!"
He lifted his flippers up and the bubbles responded by floating up toward the ceiling with the backup dancers twirling around inside them. The stage lights struck the bubbles and refracted, producing rainbows across the walls and floor of the stage. Primarina clapped his glimmering fins together and the bubbles popped. The backup dancers fell down, somersaulting in midair, before landing gracefully in the flippers of the other three Brionnes. The crowd erupted in applause.
"Beating the Prism Virus?
Don't worry, it's a cinch!
With my star power
It'll be over without a hitch!"
Primarina extended the last word, swelling up a water bubble that threatened to strike the ceiling and burst. The Seaside Shard glowed within his hair. The bubble shrank. Primarina grabbed it, bounced it off the turntable, and launched it toward the ground. He clapped his flippers together and the tiny bubble burst, showering the crowd in stardust of all different colors.
"Are you all having a good time so far?" he called.
"Yeah!" the crowd responded.
"Aww, c'mon, that was weak, babes," Primarina said, smirking and shaking his head. "I said… are you all having a good time so far?"
"Yeah!" the crowd shouted in unison.
"That's what I like to hear. Now, let's—"
Two blue blurs raced across the stage. Two stage lights exploded. Amidst the shower of sparks and embers, auroras shot out from Primarina's left. "What the—" He leaned over his turntable, eyes wide at the sight of his now-frozen backup dancers. Lightning streaked across the stage. Sparks filled Primarina's vision. He smacked back against the multicolored wall, his destroyed stage decorations barely visible with his blurry vision.
The crowd descended into gasps and frightened murmurs. "Primarina!" several crowd members cried, with a few girls screaming for good measure.
"Ungh." Primarina hopped back to his turntable, rubbing his head. His rainbow eyes blazed in anger. "Alright, babes! Just what the hell is going on here, huh?"
White smoke poured out from stage left, drawing surprised gasps from the audience. Tessa's silhouette appeared in the middle of the fog. "When someone asks 'What's going on here?'…"
"… it's our duty to answer!" Shane said, his silhouette appearing next to Tessa's.
The fog abruptly disappeared. A light shined in on Tessa from backstage, revealing she now wore a white jumpsuit with a golden R streaked across the chest. Her chest spike stuck out from the center of the R.
"Prepare for trouble… this concert's a hack!" Tessa said, pointing at Primarina.
A second light turned on from backstage, revealing Shane. Like Tessa, he had a white jumpsuit running down to his waist. A golden R sat on his chest, underneath his open collar.
"And make it double… because you're totally whack!" Shane said, flicking his snout skyward.
"To protect the world from devastation!" Tessa said, rushing out on stage and crouching into a fighting stance.
"And unite all Pokémon across the nation!" Shane said, leaping out next to Tessa and snorting out clouds of frost.
"To showcase the power of friendship and love," Tessa said, forming a heart with her paws and winking at the crowd.
"And extend our reach to the stars above," Shane said, his body flashing with a golden aura while his Naturia Looplet glowed.
"Tessa!" she said, crossing her arms.
"Shane!" he shouted, flicking his mane and using his mouth to catch the white rose that fell out.
"Team Radiance beats foes back at the speed of light," Tessa said, throwing her right arm and posing.
"Surrender now… or prepare to fight!" Shane finished, stomping a forepaw on the ground and fanning out his tails.
"Silvally… that's right!" Silvally shouted, dashing in and skidding to a halt between his teammates. Two bursts of confetti came in from the left side of the stage. Silvally immediately turned around, fearing an attack from Primarina. But Primarina simply sat behind his turntable, slumped over in disbelief. Likewise, the crowd was dead silent. Shane feared his plan hadn't worked.
"Hey, I recognize them! They're the headliners!" came a voice from the crowd.
"Yeah! They changed their costumes," another voice noted.
"Whoa… I didn't know there was going to be a stage show during the concert! This is awesome!" a third voice shouted. And with that, the crowd broke into applause.
"Okay, I'll admit I had my doubts… but that was actually pretty fun!" Tessa said, giggling. "Saying that motto just filled me up with so much energy! We should do it more often."
"Aha ha… whatever you say," Shane said, making a mental note never to let slip where he'd swiped that routine from.
"I'm serious, Shane," Tessa said, still smirking. "Maybe when this is all over, we should consider performance careers."
"Yeah… we could be actors," Silvally said. He and Tessa burst out laughing.
"Rrrgh… amateurs!"
Primarina slammed his flippers down against the turntable. "Just what do you morons think you're doing storming onto my stage in the middle of my performance? This is my moment, damn it!" he snarled, eyes twitching and veins bulging out of his forehead.
"Ha ha ha! Didn't you hear our motto or is your head too full of your own music?" Shane taunted, eyes flashing gold. "We're here to take you off the air, babe." He smirked, trying not to let the relief show through. In truth, he wasn't sure if Primarina would take the bait of his act. But it looks like the plan had worked. They had knocked Primarina out of his routine and had completely frazzled him. All that was left was to keep up the pressure.
"Get. Off. My. Stage!" Primarina shouted, slamming the music crystals with his flippers. The speaker-like crystals on either side of him whirred to life.
"Move, gang!" Shane shouted, running right with Silvally. Ice and lightning rushed toward the stage, meeting sound waves with an explosive burst. Tessa rolled right, metal gathering in her paws. Her metal stream cut across the floor, but didn't make a dent in the giant crystal.
"I'm the shining star that this world needs!
Nobody's going to be saving the day but me, me, me!"
Multicolored water bubbles streamed toward Team Radiance, met by a volley of ice, metal, and lightning. Colorful stardust streamed across the stage, to the delight of the crowd.
"No, that's not fair!
But I won't despair!
You three are going down!
I want you out of my hair!"
More sound waves erupted from the crystals. Team Radiance rushed toward one another, narrowly skirting the attacks. Stage curtains and parts of the wall exploded.
"Ha! You're not the only one who can carry a tune," Shane said, clearing his throat. "Ready, guys?" His teammates nodded.
"The 'R' stands for readiness… we're always good to go!" Shane sang, glowing gold. Primarina deflected his pink Psychic rings with shimmering rainbow light.
"The first 'A' stands for awesome… trust us, we already know!" Tessa sang, pink ripples shooting from her paws and bouncing off Primarina's barrier.
"Your tunes are lame!
They're just so sad!
You want my fame?
Well, that's too bad!"
Primarina's singing produced light balls that closed in on Team Radiance. But Silvally stepped forward, leg muscles bulging and steam rising off his body. "The 'D' is for determined… we never mess around!" he shouted, slicing the light balls apart with metallic talons. White explosions erupted around them, drawing ecstatic cheers from the crowd.
"Nnngh… stop it!" Primarina shouted, eyes twitching rapidly.
"The 'I' is for invincible… you'll never take us down!" Shane and Tessa sang in unison, mixing pink Psychic blasts together. Primarina buckled deflecting their combined attack. Rainbow light shimmered from the Seaside Shard, streaming into his twitching eyes.
"I don't care how much you sing!
You're worthless scum!
This world's mine to save!
I'll be the one having all the fun!"
He hopped onto the turntable and raised his flippers high in a pose. Water pillars shot out of the floor, but Silvally effortlessly weaved through them, nabbing his teammates in the process. Air Slash blades sliced through the water, exposing Primarina. The crowd whooped and hollered. "No… how are you doing this?! Everyone's eyes should be on me! I set up this concert… I did all the work… I'm the one with the power to dazzle the entire world!" Primarina whined, flinging a pink, moon-shaped energy ball toward Team Radiance.
Metal raced out to meet the blast, accompanied by orange Heat Wave air from Shane. Silvally's head hardened into iron and effortlessly absorbed the remaining fairy energy. "News flash, you ugly Milotic wannabe!" Shane shouted, swishing his tails to showcase the two Dawn Shards wrapped inside of them. "You're not the only one who can draw a crowd," he said, smirking. "Keep up the pressure, guys!"
The crowd cheered as Shane and Tessa leaped off Silvally, assaulting Primarina with ice shards and Psychic rings. Again a rainbow barrier emerged to drive off the attacks.
"You're fooling yourselves
If you think you can win.
My barrier's invincible
Soon you'll be a bunch of has-beens!"
Primarina shaped his water bubbles into blades. They shot toward Team Radiance as Primarina held the last word of his tunes. The blades missed, but he fluctuated his pitch and they swooped back toward his opponents. Plasma wisps, blue aura flames, and an Ice Beam raced to meet the blades. Primarina raised his volume and the blades grew. They effortlessly sliced through Team Radiance's attacks. Silvally kicked his teammates away and met the blades with his talons.
They drove him back toward the stage while Primarina danced around on his turntable, punching the air with his flippers. Just when it looked like Silvally would falter, Tessa socked one of the blades with an electrified fist. Shane swallowed the others up in a pink vortex of Psychic rings. Water droplets rained onto the crowd, drawing a chant of, "Ra-di-ance! Ra-di-ance!"
"No… no! Stop it! Stop cheering for these worthless nobodies!" Primarina cried, hopping up and down on the turntable.
"The second 'A's' for admirable… it's what we strive to be," Tessa sang, charging an Aura Sphere.
"The 'N' stands for nimble… we quickly seize victory," Shane sang, ice gathering in his maw.
"The 'C' stands for companions… we're a tight-knit bunch, you see," Silvally sang. Lightning shot off his body, meeting aura and ice.
"I've had it up to here with you assholes… quit hogging my spotlight!" Primarina snarled. Sound waves blew Team Radiance's attacks apart and forced them to scatter.
"You lot are finished.
You can't keep this up!
I'm a top-ranked explorer
And you're a pack of hideous pups!"
He smacked the music crystals on the turntable over and over. Shockwaves rippled through the stage. The crowd groaned. Some booed. Team Radiance all fell to their knees, Tessa gripping her ears in agony.
"Ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha! Y'see, everyone? Don't get suckered in by their half-baked routine," Primarina said, hair falling over his face as his sequin-filled vest slipped off his body. "They're worthless nobodies who've deluded themselves into thinking they actually matter! Nobody can outperform Primarina onstage! Do you hear me?"
"You didn't… let us… finish the song. And we only had… one more line," Shane panted, surrounded by a golden aura. He cleared his throat and belted out, "The 'E' stands for experience… strengthening our bonds to last an eternity!"
His Naturia Looplet flared to life. Shimmering cracks appeared in the air all around Primarina. Bright pink flashes engulfed him, accompanied by shattering glass. But when the light faded, Primarina stood confidently on his turntable, a rainbow barrier flickering out of existence. "See? There was only going to be one result here," Primarina said, smirking. "You losers were doomed to fail from the beginning!"
He raised his flippers high and the Seaside Shard reacted. Bubbles formed into sharp needles over Team Radiance's heads. "Once I take those powerful fragments you're holding… my star power will be all that much stronger! Aha ha ha ha! The whole world will be dazzled by the great Primarina!" He narrowed his eyes at Team Radiance. "So long, chumps!"
His blades burst apart. Primarina's eyes widened as water rained down on him. "What the—"
The crystal speakers exploded in neon blazes, drowning out Primarina's enraged howls. Espy and Cosplay Pikachu sprinted out on stage. The former had a white jumpsuit on similar to Shane's, while the latter was dressed to look like a luchador wrestler.
"Fight on… never give in! Make our enemies pay!" Espy sang. She nodded to her teammates.
Silvally nodded back. "Because through darkest night…"
Shane bared his fangs at Primarina, who sat stunned in the middle of his destroyed stage. "… and brightest day…"
"Team Radiance always finds a way!" Tessa shouted, orange light spilling out of her Nautria Looplet. A giant lightning bolt formed around Tessa's right fist. She punched the air, launching the bolt toward Primarina.
"N… no… I refuse… to back down!" Primarina howled, summoning another barrier. The bolt struck. It shattered Primarina's barrier like it was made of porcelain. Stunned, he fell back against the wall, his shredded costume dropping to the ground.
"And now, for the finisher," Espy said, nodding to Cosplay Pikachu. They both stepped forward. "Listen up, Primarina! I'm part of Team Radiance, too. And in the name of the sun and the moon… we will defeat you and take that Dawn Shard!" She glanced at Cosplay Pikachu. "You ready?"
Cosplay Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "I was born ready! It's time for this villain to feel the heat of Pika Libre!" Both jumped forward, Espy rearing up on her hind legs as light spilled out of Naturia Looplet.
"Then let's do it!" Espy said.
"Catastropika!" they shouted in unison.
"I won't… give… in…" Primarina struggled to right himself. Shane knocked him back down with a dazzling burst of white light. Espy used her Z-Power to slingshot Cosplay Pikachu into the air. She spun around multiple times, then cannonballed into Primarina. Team Radiance jumped back. The electrified explosion blew apart the remnants of the stage. Curtains fell from the ceiling, along with the remains of the stage lights.
Espy and Tessa cleared the smoke away with tiny telekinetic bursts. Cosplay Pikachu stood triumphantly atop a pile of smashed crystals. Primarina lay buried at the bottom of the pile. The Seaside Shard fell out of his hair and rolled to a stop by Espy. "P… powers… fading. Spotlight… dimming. My big moment… is over. Cross-fade… to black," Primarina mumbled, going unconscious as the rainbow patterns evaporated off his hair.
"We did it!" Silvally cheered, jumping up and kicking the air with his hind legs.
Shane stood in the center of the stage, blinking at the rubble pile. Silvally was right, but there was something more to this victory. A smile spread across Shane's face. They hadn't just won. They had won decisively. For the first time since their team had formed, they controlled the pace of a battle, not their opponent. Sure, they were only trying to stall until Espy could shut down Primarina's power source, but they had succeeded with flying colors.
"Hey," Tessa said, trotting to Shane's side. "Nice work out there. We were really in sync today, huh?"
"Hmm?" Shane's ears twitched. "Oh, yeah! Definitely! Absolutely!" He stuck his forepaw out and Tessa bumped it with her fist. The two exchanged a laugh.
"Uh… guys?" Espy said, facing the crowd. "Not to put a damper on the celebration or anything, but I think the crowd might still be hypnotized."
"What makes you say that?" Shane said, failing to notice the glow coming from his tails.
"Ra-di-ance! Ra-di-ance! Ra-di-ance!" the crowd chanted.
"Oh… right. Slight problem here, guys. I'm not really sure how to turn these Dawn Shards off," Shane said, laughing nervously.
"Hang on a second. I wouldn't recommend doing that just yet," Silvally said, walking over to the group with an unconscious Primarina draped over his back. Shane raised a skeptical brow, wondering what Silvally had in mind. "Think about it, guys. We've still got to get these folks back to their homes. If we keep them hypnotized, then we can easily direct them out of the dungeon," Silvally explained. "Otherwise, I imagine there's gonna be a ton of confusion and utter bedlam."
His teammates cringed. He had a point. While the battle wasn't as physically exhausting as their last few days had been, none of them wanted to deal with the headache of trying to calm down an entire crowd of frightened Pokémon. Still, something bothered Shane. "What about the wild Pokémon that live here and in the ocean?" Shane said.
"Simple. We order the ones that live here to stay behind. And the ocean-dwellers can go back into the water from the beach in Circadian Coast," Silvally said.
"That's a good idea, yeah. We're on the bottom floor, so there should be a warp point back to Circadian Coast."
Kahuna Raichu floated out onto the stage. Vaporeon limped beside him, ears folded against his face. The two Xurkitrees stumbled in behind them, swaying back and forth uneasily. Shane's tails shot up in alarm. He had hoped they would go through the Magnagate and be someone else's problem.
"Err, uh, hi there!" Shane squeaked, looking up at the Xurkitrees. Neither responded and Shane had no idea if he was even making what constituted eye contact for the strange Ultra Beasts. "Uh… wow. If only Sticky were here, we might be able to make some headway," he said.
The Xurkitree's on Shane right crackled with electricity. Shane opened his mouth to say something, but Tessa put a paw on his shoulder.
"Let's get everyone home safely first, then we can worry about the Ultra Beasts and… uh… any other loose ends, I guess," she said.
Shane sighed. He knew she was right, but he was itching to figure out what had happened to the Xurkitrees. Shane walked up to the front of the stage and cleared his throat. "Hello. If you all can hear me… the concert's now over," he said, the glow in his tails intensifying. " Those of you who live in Sunset Shoals can hang around. For the rest of you, please form a neat, single-file line and follow us to the warp point. We're going to get you back home. Is that all right?"
The crowd muttered its agreement. Shane sighed in relief. Their mission had gone well after all.
Powered-Up Pop Star, Primarina Deluxe
While exploring the depths of Sunset Shoals, Primarina stumbled upon a fragment of the Dawn Hourglass. The sudden surge of power he experienced upon touching it intensified his deepest desires for fame and fortune. Blinded by a wave of newfound ambition, Primarina sought to use the Shard's power to make himself the most popular Pokémon in history by amassing an entire army of groupies to fight off the Prism Virus.
Thus, we come to the end of the ridiculous trio of chapters. This battle changed considerably from the original plan. The ask blog will have trivia about that in the future. Team Radiance's little anthem is, in some ways, a spoof of the Team Rocket Team Song from the more recent seasons of the anime. If you search it on YouTube, you should hopefully find it. So, yeah, Team Rocket somehow found their way into this fic. If anyone needs me, I'll be running away to dodge the pitchforks and torches from everyone who thinks Team Rocket's overrated.
SuperOmegaGuest: We finally reached peak craziness. Next week, we can return to the usual levels of ridiculousness.
Anon Omega: No ships here. Only teasing. And the only thing that blasted off again was Primarina's wild and crazy dreams.
Another guest: Wherever your mind goes, remember this fic's rated T. I'll be keeping things (relatively) clean.
Next time: here, there be dragons.