For anyone who's curious, I posted some behind the scenes trivia about Episode 13 on the ask blog. If you're reading this chapter long after it was published, you can find the post in the archives for February 2019.
Chapter 81: Secrets Laid Bare
~Circadian Kabana Infirmary~
Tessa knocked on the thatched-straw door, then paused. When no one answered, she pushed it ajar and peeked inside. The healing station was a small, pink-tiled room, divided in half by a blue curtain. Orange drapes adorned the walls, filtering the sunlight so it cast the room in a soft glow. Two beds sat across from Tessa. One was unoccupied, draped in warm-colored linens. The other held Primarina.
He lay on his side, facing a window. He had some assorted nicks, a damp washcloth on his head, and grease on his hair and flippers. His costume — or what was left of it — was still on.
"P… Primarina?" Tessa whispered. "It's Tessa. Can I come in?" She shifted awkwardly in the doorway. When Primarina didn't answer, she pushed the door open a little more and walked inside, nervously fidgeting with the locket it her scarf. "I'm sorry. I know you're trying to rest, but—"
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine," Primarina said, his voice dry and flat.
Tessa winced, unsure of what to do. She wanted to figure out what happened to Primarina, but worried any attempt to comfort him might fall flat. And there was a part of her saying he didn't deserve comfort, since he was the one responsible for everything that happened.
"My teammates and I just want to get to the bottom of all this… insanity, for lack of a better word," Tessa said, rubbing the back of her head. Her glitter-filled fur twinkled as stray light beams trickled in from the open door. Some of the sparkles crossed Primarina's vision. He reluctantly rolled over so he was facing Tessa.
"You look much different than your mother. You were dazzling in that outfit I whipped up for you," he whispered, adjusting the washcloth. "The one the human made didn't do you any favors, though. It looked like it was slapped together by a kid with no sense of style."
Tessa figured that summed Shane up pretty well. She finally stepped inside and shut the door. Tessa glanced at a small table to her right. A pink vase sat on it, bearing three sunflowers. "Yeah. The outfits disappeared when we got back here. Cosplay Pikachu couldn't sustain them anymore," she said. "Not that I'm bothered by it. That outfit chafed."
"Well, obviously. Whoever made it gave your fur no breathing room," Primarina said. He looked away from Tessa, grimacing. "Urk. That said… I really do have to hand it to you. That was quite the performance you put on."
"Aha ha… it was just something we threw together out of desperation." Tessa rubbed her shoulder. "We've sadly gotten used to working with our backs against the wall." Silence followed. Tessa looked down at the floor, biting her lower lip. "Um… Primarina? The truth is… I didn't just want to come here to ask you about what happened. There's… there's something you need to know."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Primarina asked, sitting up in his bed.
"It's… it's Serperior. She… um…" Tessa poked her digits together.
"Oh, gods… what happened to Serpy?!" Primarina said. He shot up onto his tailfins, only to flop back onto the bad with a fatigued groan.
"After you left to come back to Circadian Coast… Guildmaster Metagross sent Team Captivate to locate Tapu Koko's temple. But the Prism Virus got to them first," Tessa explained. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Serperior… she's working for Necrozma, now. We even had to fight her when we exploring Mount Supernova. She fled before we could free her, so she's still under Necrozma's control."
Tessa turned away, hiking her scarf up. "I'm sorry," she said. Tessa waited for a response, but got nothing. Her aura feelers curled up. Primarina's sadness was a veritable weight pressing against Tessa's head. She had to take a calming breath to keep herself from doubling over. Tessa always felt brief sparks of emotion as a Riolu, but this was much harder to tolerate.
"I've made a terrible mistake," Primarina finally whispered, squeezing a pink pillow against his chest.
"Do you, um, want to talk about it?" Tessa asked, her fidgeting intensifying. She didn't like being outside her element. Comforting others was Silvally's specialty, not hers.
"It's not that hard to understand," Primarina said. "I've always wanted— no, craved attention from others. But all that did was cause a whole mess of trouble." He shook his head. "I was there, sweetie." He looked up at Tessa. "I was at the guild… with Serpy. I could've stayed instead of coming back here."
"I don't think that would've made much of a difference. The Prism Virus didn't just get Serperior, it got Milotic and Dragonair, too. And the other guild members are…" Tessa's voice trailed off and she squeezed her eyes shut. "We lost almost all of them to Necrozma."
"You're kidding," Primaria gasped, but Tessa shook her head. "I see." Primarina looked back down at his pillow. "This is all one giant mistake."
"What do you mean?" Tessa asked, aura feelers tensing. She sensed apprehension, but didn't want to push Primarina too hard on anything sensitive.
"I guess I should come clean." Primarina sighed. "Babe, the truth is I was never really interested in helping people. I joined the guild because I wanted attention." He pulled the washcloth down over his eyes. "Vappy and I had met through dance classes we had both taken here. I convinced him to tag along and we became a team."
He paused. "Err, look, I know you don't want to sit around and listen to me ramble. The short version is Vappy and I used our missions to get resources to try and launch performance careers. When we figured out we could make music crystals together… we spent most of our time doing that, as opposed to actual guild work. When the music crystals sold, we were ecstatic. Vappy agreed to be my manager, because singing tired him out."
'This is supposed to be the short version?' Tessa thought, resisting the urge to shake her head.
"And we loved the fame, babe. We got letters, care packages, fangirls… you name it," Primarina continued. "Of course, we did the bare minimum expected of a veteran team to keep our status, but our hearts weren't really in it." He rubbed his right temple with his flipper. "Vappy had actually suggested we retire. Several times, actually. But I didn't listen to him."
Tessa raised a brow. "Because…"
"Serpy! There was something about her. The attitude… the passion! She loved being the center of attention, just like me. We were positively made for each other, babe," Primarina said, patting his chest. "That's why I insisted on staying. I'd have an easier time staying at the Observatory with her if I still contributed to the guild."
"Okay," Tessa said, biting her lip. Through all of Primarina's rambling, Tessa didn't have any better idea of what had gone wrong to turn him power hungry. "Um, sorry if this sounds rude, but can we try to steer this back to what happened in Sunset Shoals?"
Primarina winced. His guilt tugged at Tessa's aura feelers. Her stomach gurgled. She wished she had kept her mouth shut.
"My music crystal stock had run low, so I set out to Sunset Shoals to mine more of them," Primarina explained, turning to stare at the curtain. "Things were going fine, until I unearthed a particularly dazzling gem, babe. It was… so magnificent. I got lost in its, uh, radiance, for lack of a better word."
Tessa fought back a groan.
"The longer I stared, the more captivated I got," Primarina continued. He paused, then winced at the realization he had used another cheesy bit of guild-related wordplay. "Before I knew it, my latent desire for everyone to see me as a star grew stronger than ever. It was uncontrollable. I simply had to perform in front of a grand audience." He gripped his head. "But there was no audience there, so I had to make my audience. I found some wild Pokémon and sang to them. Suddenly, they followed my every order."
"That's… very odd," Tessa said, brow furrowed. She recalled the fact that Necrozma had created the Hourglasses. Perhaps a part of his spirit had managed to take control? But, if that was the case, would something bad happen to Shane if they managed to gather the full Hourglass? He managed to use two Shards during the concert, but she was still worried about the visions he said he had.
Tessa shook her head to stop her runaway thought train. There would be time to dwell on it later. Now, she had to focus.
"You still with me, babe? If you've got somewhere to be, then go. Don't worry about me," Primarina said.
"I'm still here," Tessa assured him. "Sorry about that. I was just… trying to process all that information. It's a bit much for me. Do you think you could tell me how you ended up with so many Pokémon in Sunset Shoals?"
"It was strange, babe. Real strange." Primarina sat up. "I thought to myself that I needed a lot of energy to project my music to a grand audience… and then a portal opened up in front of me and dumped in these two weird-looking electric… thingies." He waved his flippers about. "I was able to bring these chains up out of the ground to corral them. Then, when I started singing, wild Pokémon came flocking in from throughout the dungeon."
"I amassed quite the following, but it wasn't enough. So, I ordered my 'new posse' to nab anyone from the resort who wandered too far along the beach," Primarina continued. "That's when Vappy and Jolty came looking for me. I wanted them to join my entourage, but I was too far from the weird things that amplified my powers. So, I attacked them myself." He buried his face in his fins and shook it. "I'm praying they're both okay. If I did something to hurt them… I'll never forgive myself."
Tessa glanced at the curtain. "I'm really not sure. I'm sure Florges is taking good care of them, though. I have faith things will turn out okay."
"I wish I could believe that, babe, but after this whole kerfuffle I wouldn't be surprised if Vappy never wants to see my face again. I think it's safe to say Team Harmony is finished," Primarina declared.
"Well, at the very least, you should try apologizing," Tessa said, fidgeting with her paws. "I can't tell you how Vaporeon will respond, but I think it would be best if you two talk through this." She wondered if that was actually an appropriate thing to say.
Primarina sighed. "I know. I'm not sure what to say, but I'll have to think of something. Regardless of what I say, though, I think I'm through with exploring. And since I used Mystery Dungeons to get music crystals… this might be where my singing career comes to an end, too."
"Don't say that," Tessa blurted out, trying to keep her tone even. "M-Maybe what you need is a break. Y'know, a chance to take a step back and reevaluate things?" She was tempted to ask if Primarina would at least consider helping them with Necrozma, but didn't want to press her luck.
"I suppose. I at least owe it to my adoring fans." Primarina sat back against his bed. "Was there anything else you needed, babe? Our conversation's left me exhausted."
"Ah. Then I won't bother you anymore. Rest up," Tessa said. She slowly opened the door and slipped out of the infirmary. Tessa walked away, wondering if she had actually done anything to help Primarina. At the very least, she had a better idea of what had caused all the commotion in the first place. Tessa figured she would wait until all her teammates were together to loop them in.
Tessa froze in the middle of the resort area. In her haste to go to the infirmary, she had made a tiny mistake.
'Where the heck does Kahuna Raichu live?'
~Lively Town~
A stream of lightning surged through the forest on the bustling community's outskirts. It banked off tree after tree until it reached a part where the forest sloped upward. The bolt struck a rock and sailed through several bushes. Dragonite emerged from the lightning, hovering a few yards away from a dirt trail. Zero stood perched on a rotting log, aura dreadlocks undulating as she focused on the hiking trail. Milotic and Serperior sat coiled up around tree roots, each looking down.
"Well?" Zero said, turning to Dragonite.
"I caught glimpses of Team Poképals in the Expedition Society building. They're there. I didn't see them holding any Time Gears or anything, but I doubt they'd stay far from them," Dragonite said, smirking and crossing her arms. "At the very least, we know Manaphy's 'parents' are around. Which should make things simpler, right?"
Zero traced a crystal claw along her scepter. "What about gods? Did you catch any sign of Azelf or Uxie in the building? I can't imagine they'd leave their Time Gears with a pack of mortals."
"I couldn't see anything from my lookout point," Dragonite reported. She stiffened when Zero tightened her grip on her scepter. "Besides, we already know Jirachi lives there. Not to mention, the Lati twins. And rumor has it Hoopa works for Team Gaia. I certainly didn't see any sign of, well, any of them." She landed in front of Zero. "Do you want to wait around and try to keep scoping the place out?"
"No." Zero produced a black ball in her paw. "I'm afraid we're on a tight schedule, here. I can't afford to waste any time. If you doencounter a god, you'll have to improvise. After all, they should be fairly accepting of Manaphy."
The ball opened. Manaphy appeared in a swirl of red light. He slouched over, his empty eyes fixed on the ground.
"Manaphy, Heart Swap on Dragonite," Zero ordered, tapping her staff against the log.
Manaphy lifted his head up and whipped his antennae in Dragonite's direction. Dragonite's body crumpled to the ground, as did Manaphy's. They both stood up a few seconds later, the former looking tired while the latter grinned.
Zero glanced at Manaphy's body. "Did it work or not, Dragonite?"
"It did," Dragonite said, her voice perfectly mimicking Manaphy's.
"Then go." Zero pointed toward the trail. "I'm not sure how long the Heart Swap can remain active for, so don't dawdle."
Dragonite saluted Zero with a flipper. She waddled onto the trail, then began making her way toward Lively Town.
"What are we supposed to do in the meantime, huh?" Serperior wondered, watching Dragonite go.
"We wait. And brace ourselves to fight," Zero said, lifting her free paw. It crackled with static. "I have a feeling Dragonite won't be able to slip in and out with attracting unwanted attention."
~Circadian Coast~
Tessa decided to try and search for her teammates auras and go from there. She shut her eyes, focusing her mind on her aura feelers. The world became ripples of blue all around her. While she saw several blue flames flaring up nearby, they weren't familiar. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to concentrate harder. But she didn't have the reach to locate them.
Sighing, Tessa walked toward Daybreak Beach, figuring she might have better luck away from all the resort occupants. She was surprised to find Shane by the shoreline, pacing back and forth. The glitter in his fur made him sparkle even more than usual. Tessa felt blood rushing to her cheeks and shook her head.
Her thoughts drifted back to the Mega Evolution incident. Tessa wanted to reconcile with Shane after attacking him, but the team got swept up in Primarina's antics. Now that Shane was alone, Tessa could talk with him. But as she walked toward him, she paused. Her aura feelers tensed and a brief sense of frustration bubbled in the back of her mind.
Shane was upset about something. Tessa realized she couldn't just walk up to him and demand to apologize. Instead, she decided she'd start with something less distressing and see where the conversation took her. Tessa took a deep breath and resumed walking toward Shane.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?" she asked.
"Cripes!" Shane yipped, jumping up in surprise. He landed awkwardly. Shane found his balance with enough time to stop himself from falling into wet sand. "Don't sneak up on me like that, Tessa. I think my heart stopped for a second there," he said.
"Oh. Sorry," Tessa said, tugging on her scarf. Even with the pacing, she didn't think Shane seemed that jumpy. "I was looking for Kahuna Raichu's place when I saw you out here. I thought you might like some company."
To her surprise, Shane tensed, his tails twisting around each other. "Uh, yeah. Company would be fine," he said, awkwardly sitting on his haunches right along the line where the ocean water finished lapping up against the beach. Tessa sat down next to him, leaving Shane enough space to lay out his tails.
"So… uh…" Tessa twirled the end of her scarf. "Weird day today, huh?"
"I guess," Shane said, some hesitation in his voice. "Weird is our normal, as sad as it is."
"True. But today was a different kind of weird, don't you think?" Tessa said, throwing in a chuckle for good measure.
Shane looked down at the sand. "Yeah, I see your point."
"You look like you have something you want to say." Tessa hoped she could tease out whatever was bugging her friend.
"I'm trying to figure out how to phrase it," Shane said. "I mean… it's strange. Our mission today was probably the most successful one we've ever had. Yeah, there were some moments that caught us all off-guard. But today it felt like we were actually in control for once. Like… we actually worked together and coordinated well to stop Primarina's concert. And, unlike every battle we've been in, our backs weren't against the wall."
"Huh. I hadn't considered that. Probably because our fight with Primarina was so much different from all our other battles," Tessa mused. Still, I have to admit I'm impressed with how well your plan ended up working." She smiled at Shane. "Y'know, we've walked such a grueling road up until this point… it feels good to actually have something go our way."
Shane's lack of response, coupled with a sudden weight pulling on Tessa's aura feelers, made her smile vanish. "Did I say something wrong?" she whispered, resuming her fidgeting.
"What? No, of course not," Shane replied, ears sticking up straight. "I'm conflicted about all of this… that's all." Sighing, Shane pawed at a dry mound of sand. "When we were putting my half-baked plan into action— hell, when we were up on stage… everyone's eyes were on us. Now that things have settled, though..." His voice trailed off.
"I can't count the number of times in my human life when I wanted people to pay attention to me. To, y'know, acknowledge me and say nice things that would make me feel good." Shane looked at Tessa. "Remember how I mentioned those games where I pretended to be a Lucario? Those were part of it. I craved attention so badly, I did stuff like that in the hopes someone would notice me."
"That extends to this world, too. When I first got here, I tried so hard to be the center of attention… and that turned out disastrously," Shane continued. Tessa nodded slowly, the memories of Moonrise Marsh festering in the back of her mind. "Well, today I actually got to be the center of attention. And it was…" He shook his head. "It wasn't what I thought it was."
"You seemed like you were enjoying yourself, though," Tessa noted, digging a paw into the warm sand.
"That was really because of you guys." Shane awkwardly batted his rightmost tail with his forepaw. "Hearing you sing made my heart flutter. And then I got to go onstage with Espy…"
Tessa envisioned the kiss she witnessed. "Yeah. I, uh, bet you're really happy about that, huh?"
"No. Not really." Shane's brushed his shoulder with his muzzle. "Err, I mean, it felt great in the moment, but once that initial thrill wore off, I felt… I dunno… kinda empty inside?" He shook his head. "I can't really put it into words. It's the same way I felt about the random Pokémon under Primarina's hypnosis. Their applause didn't do anything. I wasn't proud or happy." His brow furrowed. "Honestly, the ones at the party before the concert that said things to me creeped me out."
"I think they were flirting with you, Shane," Tessa said.
"Huh? Th-that was… flirting?" Shane stiffened. "O… oh, right. Like what Espy was doing when she was infected. Ugh, I can't believe I didn't realize it." He flicked some dry sand into the ebbing water. "I guess that's how little it registered to me."
"Maybe your head was a bit in the clouds?" Tessa proposed, scratching her head. "You mentioned the pre-concert party was a lot like the parties you didn't get invited to when you were human. If I were in your position, I'd be totally lost in thought trying to take everything in."
Shane's brow furrowed. "Hmm. That doesn't explain it."
"Explain what?" Tessa asked, concerned with the look on his face.
"Why my thoughts kept drifting back to some of the jokes you guys made about me while we were in the dungeon," Shane responded. "Like my recklessness, my impulsive streak, and my tendency to put my paw in my mouth."
"O… oh." Tessa clasped her paws against her chest. "Shane, I know none of us meant to hurt your feelings. That was only meant to be friendly teasing." Tessa was sure that, in the moment, she made it sound like she was joking.
"I get that," Shane said. "I do, really. I'm not mad at you or anything."
"But you're not okay." Tessa rubbed one of her aura feelers as an indication she was picking up Shane's negative vibes.
Shane winced. "I guess. See, back when I was human, other students at school would make similar comments about my behaviors. When I told my parents about it, they said my peers were just joking around… and the best way to make friends with them was to play along."
"So, that's what I did. I tried laughing off their comments or saying the first silly thing that came to my mind." Shane's ears drooped. "They would usually laugh, so that made me think I did the right thing. Only…" His voice trailed off and he looked out over the ocean. "They weren't joking around. They were making fun of me. At the time, I didn't realize it, but Nicky did. He said I needed to keep my mouth shut around the other students or it would get worse."
Shane sighed, releasing a tiny cloud of frost and watching it drift over the water before it evaporated into thin air. "Nicky knew what he was talking about, but I didn't see it that way. The other students were giving me attention, so I kept responding to their teasing," he said. "And Nicky got more and more upset until… well, y'know."
He pivoted to face to face Tessa. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that the jokes brought up some unpleasant memories." Shane brushed his rightmost tail nervously. "It's not your fault, though. There's something I've kept hidden from you guys since the day we met." Shane squeezed his eyes shut. He never thought he would actually sit down and have this conversation with anyone, let alone his partner.
Tessa raised a brow. Shane did have a tendency to stumble over his words or overexaggerate, but the tension in her aura feelers suggested he really did have a big secret to confess. "Well, I'm willing to hear you out if you'd like to talk about it, but we don't have to if you'd rather keep it to yourself." Tessa crossed her legs and put her paws in her lap.
"N-no. You're… my friend. You deserve to know," Shane said. Shoulder sagging, he took a deep breath. "Tessa, the truth is that when I was a human… my parents told me I had a condition. They said my mind didn't work the same way a normal human's did. They called it, uh, awe— no, wait, aut— um, ought-something?" He paused and rubbed his head against his shoulder. "Okay, I forget exactly what they called it, but the point still stands."
Tessa frowned. "I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying you were sick?"
Shane winced. "I don't know. I didn't feel sick, but my parents sure made it sound like I was. They sent me to these strange places where I interacted with other kids or talked with adult humans about what happened at school," he explained. "They even forced me to take medicine a few times, but it made me feel horrible."
"If you don't think you're sick, then why bring it up?" Tessa wondered. She threw a paw up over her muzzle. "S-Sorry, Shane, that was rude of me. I—"
"It's fine." Shane brushed a forepaw through the sand. "The reason I'm bringing it up is because of everything that's happened the past couple of weeks. With each day that's gone by, I've steadily grown more and more sure that there was something off with how I acted as a human. And on top of that…" He slowly shut his eyes and bowed his head. "After today, I've finally realized that my friendship with Nicky wasn't genuine."
"What would make you say that, Shane?" Tessa gasped, aura feelers sticking up in surprise.
"It goes back to some of the stuff we talked about last night. How a good friendship is built on balance. Nicky and I didn't have balance… and that's my fault." Shane looked up at Tessa. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to milk sympathy this time. I'm simply stating the truth."
"That stuff I told you about wanting to get everyone's attention? It was overwhelming. I constantly had— no, even now I have this intense urge to say whatever's on my mind, even if nobody cares," Shane explained. "When I was human, I had to speak. I had to act. And if I didn't…" Shane gritted his teeth. "I'd throw tantrums and make scenes… exactly like when I upset Lycanroc after the Bewear incident."
Tessa listened in silence. Shane only paused for a quick breath. And his nervousness sent erratic twitches racing across her aura feelers. For once, she believed his claim about not wanting sympathy.
"I always thought my friendship with Nicky was fine, but the reality is I didn't view him as a friend… I viewed him more like a toy." Shane sank onto his stomach. "A toy I didn't get tired of playing with, even as I got older. When we hung out, we did things I wanted. Nicky followed my instructions. Even when we played games, he usually listened to me. When he tried to make suggestions, I wouldn't listen. I can't remember if I threw any tantrums when I didn't get my way, but I'm sure it must've happened."
The temptation to ask Shane why Nicky put up with that lingered in Tessa's head. But the pained, confused look on Shane's face gave her pause. She sat in the sand with her paws in her lap, nervously rubbing her winged-heart sigil.
"When we were young, Nicky didn't seem to care. We had similar hobbies, after all," Shane continued, slowly sitting back up. "But the older we got, the more I upset him. He said that stuff to my face… but I ignored him. Whenever he got mad at me, I shut down."
"Shut down?" Tessa said, raising a brow.
"Yeah. I'd go quiet and stare at the floor." Shane mimicked the action for Tessa. "Initially that got him to stop, but soon I found myself turning my frustration around on him. I'd respond to him with something like 'Why are you being mean to me? Aren't I supposed to be your friend?'" He took a shuddering breath. "That's the stuff Necrozma told me off for in the Temple of Body… playing the victim and making it look like everything was his fault instead of mine."
"The thing is… he was right," Shane whispered, nudging at the edge of his scarf with a whine. "Because my parents told me off for my behaviors, too. They said things like, 'Don't do that, Shane,' and, 'That's not how you're allowed to behave, Shane.'" He shivered. "Every time they scolded me, I felt like they were attacking me… so, I either shut down or told them to stop being mean to me."
"Except the other adults my parents had me work with said the same things… they just did it more respectfully. Yet I still refused to listen. I kept seeing it as people trying to get in the way of my ability to have fun." Shane smacked the sand with a forepaw. Tessa stiffened, wanting to say something but struggling to find the words to do so.
"When Nicky died, I couldn't process what had happened. I didn't understand that I had missed warning signs that Nicky was reaching out to me for help," Shane said, his shivers intensifying. "Instead, I saw it as Nicky abandoning me." Shane squeezed his eyes shut. "I… I'm sorry, I've been rambling so long, but I can't stop. It's word vomit."
"N-no, it's okay. I'm still listening," Tessa said, wondering if now was the right time to comfort her friend or if that would be giving him undeserved sympathy.
Tears were trickling down Shane's face. "Tessa, do you remember that night after we failed sentry duty? When you left the guild and we saved you from Espy and Umbreon? I… I told you I didn't think I was a bad person," Shane said, while Tessa nodded silently. "That was a lie. I was awful… I'm sure of it."
"The way I acted up through Mellath Bog… that was the real Shane. Someone who only cares about himself… and who will step on anyone if it means he gets his way," Shane said, sniffling. "I used my condition as an excuse to never change. I kept treating people around me like dirt until I ended up on my own… unwilling to put myself out there because I was convinced nobody would let me do what I wanted to do."
"And I'm… so confused. Because when I was a human, I refused to listen to anyone. But after the Mellath Bog stuff… it's like a switch flipped inside of me," Shane continued, brow furrowing. "Instead of ignoring everything I didn't like, it all registered. I finally understood how much I was hurting the people around me." His ears drooped.
"Tessa, I'm scared. The change was so sudden… it can't really be me. It's gotta be Solgaleo," Shane said, holding up his foreleg to show off his Naturia Looplet. "His spirit's getting stronger… and in the memories I see of him, he really seemed like he cared about the people around him. Not like me…" Shane lowered his foreleg. "I fear that, once we put the Dawn Hourglass back together, Solgaleo will regain his power. Which means his spirit will separate from mine."
More tears welled up in Shane's eyes. The weight in Tessa's aura feelers intensified. She gulped, trying to keep her own emotions in check. "Whether I stay here or go back to the human world, I don't want to turn back into the old Shane!" he cried, tails twisting around one another. "I can't go back. I can't— I don't want to hurt people anymore. But that's exactly what I think is gonna happen. And knowing that makes it even more painful."
"I understand we have to put the Dawn Hourglass together. I'm not going to stop that from happening. I just…" He blinked tears out of his eyes. "I'm afraid of turning back into an ignorant jackass, especially if I remember everything that happened here." Shane lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Tessa. I didn't mean for that to go completely off the rails. I just… really wanted to get that all off my chest… in case I don't retain any sort of control once the Dawn Hourglass is restored."
Tessa had to plant her paws in the sand behind her to keep from flopping onto her back in disbelief. All of that lingered in Shane's mind the entire time they were in Sunset Shoals? She figured her conversation with Shane in Cosmic Cavern must have set off this line of thinking. What could she even say in response to all of that?
"You're right, Shane. That was a lot to take in," Tessa said hesitantly. "I don't really know how to react, to be honest. The only thing that comes to mind is that… I appreciate you working up the courage to say all of that to me. It must've been really hard for you."
Whining softly, Shane nodded. "You already know I'm worried I'll have to disappear to bring Solgaleo back," he said. "I guess I thought this was how I could get some sense of closure… because I care about you a lot. I know I said that before, but it bears repeating. Given what I told you about Nicky… I think it's safe to say that you're the first real friend I've ever had. I didn't want to leave while keeping such a big secret."
"That's a bold statement," Tessa whispered, sitting back up and clutching her scarf. "Shane, I'm not sure what sort of response you were expecting from me."
"To be honest, I wasn't expecting any. I was just rambling," Shane said, laughing awkwardly while he traced a circle in the sand with his forepaw.
"Well, I still want to say something." She cleared her throat. "I get that you're worried, but I think that, like with some of your other bold claims, you're off the mark." Shane's ears twitched. Hopeful tingling spread through the tips of Tessa's aura feelers. "It's true that you did some awful things when you were a Vulpix. And I've seen how hard you've tried to change your ways. But I don't think Solgaleo's responsible for that."
"It's all your doing." She put her paw against Shane's chest tuft.
Eyes wide, he sucked in a breath. "But… but…"
"Think about it, Shane. You're the one who leaped into the fray to save me when Espeon had captured me… and then did the same thing against Tapu Lele," Tessa continued, taking her paw off his chest. "You encouraged me to go find Silvally after he broke his mask. You told me not to give up when Mount Supernova was collapsing… then ran yourself ragged when my evolution went awry."
"You did that. And you had plenty of moments where you acted like a goofball or said ridiculous things," Tessa exclaimed. "That's why I can't believe what you're saying. Yes, it's strange that you're now seeing faults where you didn't before. But maybe that's because circumstances here are a lot different. Your life wasn't on the line when you were human, after all." She shrugged. "In any case, I'm hopeful that, regardless what happens, this Shane is the one that will stick around. And that's… you deserve that…"
Her voice trailed off and her gaze fell toward her marked paw.
"Is something wrong, Tessa?" Shane asked.
This was it. Tessa didn't expect the conversation to turn out this way, but she wasn't about to back down from her original intentions. She took a shuddering breath.
"Shane, we need to talk about what happened with my Mega Evolution."
Hoopa's ring portal materialized over choppy ocean water. He flew out of it alongside Latias, who levitated her satchel beside her.
"Okay, Hoopa's gonna ask. Why are we in the middle of nowhere?" Hoopa said, gazing at his choppy reflection in the water.
"I want to check in with the teams in Horizon. And I want to do it without getting pestered by a hundred questions about the Dawn Hourglass and why it needs fixing," Latias replied.
"… feh. Couldn't Ampharos answer them for you?" Hoopa said, shrugging. He and Latias both shared a knowing look saying no, of course Ampharos couldn't.
"With any luck, they've got the last two shards and we can go get them," Latias said as her Gear-Com hovered out of her floating bag. "Okay, let's see. How did this thing work ag—"
Latias' head throbbed. Her vision flashed.
Hoopa titled his head. "Hey, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost. Y'know, the nasty, ugly kinds… not the awesome ones like Hoopa."
Intense pain gripped Latias' mind. Her view of the ocean flickered in and out, each time being replaced by Necrozma. His third eye lit up the twisted grin on his face. Ripples of frenzied panic raced down Latias' spine. Her telekinesis faltered, sending her bag and the Gear-Com into freefall.
"Whoa, Latias, what's your problem?" Hoopa said, using a ring portal to catch the items and transport them safely into his arms.
"L… Latios," she whispered, horror spreading across her face. "Necrozma has Latios."
Before Hoopa could react, Latias' eyes widened. She zoomed forward, snatching him up. They narrowly missed a massive purple energy beam.
"Hoopa, run! Take the Dusk Hourglass and get out of here!" Latias cried, shoving him back. She turned around, only to wilt at the sight of Necrozma floating in front of her, dangling Latios beneath him using ley line chains.
"Fool! Your pathetic mental link led me right to you!" Necrozma crooned. Latias shot a despondent look at Hoopa, who was already tossing a ring in front of him to flee. "I think not!" Necrozma shouted. A water tornado shot up from beneath Hoopa before he could safely get through his wing.
"No, get away from him!" Latias shouted. Her blue, sparkling beam bounced harmlessly off the tornado. Searing pain erupted between her wings. The ocean rushed up to meet her. She splashed down with a startled gurgle. Intense currents drew her toward the water tornado. Latias' chest tightened. She couldn't breathe. Necrozma had found them so quickly. If she couldn't pull herself together, he'd have the Dusk Hourglass in his clutches. She was about to fail her assignment in the worst possible way.
With a burst of psychic energy, Latias shot into the air. An explosive stream of water struck her from behind. She used her ESP to keep from hurtling back into the ocean. When she turned to identify the source, her heart leaped into her throat.
"L… L… L…" She couldn't even muster the words to address her corrupted mate, even as he floated there in front of her, clutching a battered Hoopa in his right foot. Purple ectoplasm trailed off his feathers and his red sclera crackled like the embers of a forest fire. With dread welling up inside her, Latias realized it wasn't a tornado that had caught Hoopa, but some sort of twisted, powered-up Whirlpool.
Lugia tossed Hoopa into the air. With a flap of his wings, black shadows sailed through the sky. They swallowed Hoopa up. Necrozma dispelled the shadows with a purple Moongeist Beam. A crystallized Hoopa plummeted into the ocean. Lugia caught the Dusk Hourglass in its right foot.
"Lugia, stop! Snap out of it!" Latias finally cried. Lugia responded with a primal roar. Latias barely materialized a pink shield in time to deflect purple gusts of wind.
"Heeheeheehee! Wonderful, simply wonderful! Your reaction was even better than I imagined," Necrozma said. He yanked on the chains in his hands, drawing pained screams from Latios.
"Stop it!" Latias cried.
Necrozma immediately held Latios up. "Ah, ah, ah. Don't do anything hasty now, Latias. Otherwise, you'll hit your precious big brother!" he said, voice turning squeaky to mock Latias. The blue energy faded from her mouth. "Heeheeheehee, such a fool. If you were like me… if you didn't care about anyone or anything… you would've attacked me. But you couldn't do it! Luckily…" His grin widened and his eyes flashed.
Latias whirled around. Her Light Screen shattered in the face of a spiraling purple vortex. It swept her up. Shadows stripped away some feathers, but the gale-force winds drowned out her agonized screams. When the attack faded, a trembling Latias could barely keep her levitation up.
"… I'm not one to draw things out for the sake of drama," Necrozma said, forcibly yanking Latios' chains so he could see his sister's sorry state. "Look at you. This broken family of yours… and the sentimentality you have for it. Wasn't it the whole reason you were training to get stronger? Or was it, perhaps, something different?" His third eye flickered and the ectoplasmic remnants of Lugia's vortex coalesced into a black, cloudy illusion of Rayquaza.
"Heeheeheehee! It makes no difference to me. The results were still the same, after all." Necrozma dispelled the shadows with a flick of his wing claws. "Whether it was your family or your pride, you couldn't protect what you cared about most." His mouth opened and drool trickled onto Latios' head, drawing a squeal. "How does it make you feel… staring down your failures? Dismayed? Upset? Worthless? All of the above? Don't be shy. There are no wrong answers, here."
"Actually, wait, I lied. There are only wrong answers. Heeheeheehee!" Necrozma grinned. "You see, I—"
Latias hurled a ball of pink mist at Necrozma. He yanked Latios up to take the blow, but the ball raced behind him. Necrozma teleported out of the way. A second shadowy vortex hammered Latias. She careened down toward the water. The pain was too unbearable. Latias couldn't stop herself from smacking the water.
"WrEtChED bRAt!" Necrozma snarled, his crystalline arms trembling. Latios' chains rattled around his throat. Necrozma had an order at the ready for Lugia, when Latios released a blinding flash. His chains crumbled. Latios sped forward without hesitation, shooting a weak blue beam in Lugia's direction. He easily avoided it, but it kept Latios free from any attacks. With a shaky breath, Latios channeled psychic energy to repair his injuries and restore some of his health.
"Sis! Sis, can you hear me?!" Latios shouted. "I've broken free! I've—"
"GeT HiM, You FooL!" Necrozma screamed, glancing at Lugia in the midst of flailing about in midair. The heart sigil on his chest flashed sporadically and his armor shook, looking ready to burst off his body.
Roaring, Lugia slammed his wings together. Latios sped away from ectoplasmic globs. He shot a purple Shadow Ball at Shadow Lugia, who whipped up a harsh current up to snuff it out. Latios dove toward the water, keeping his mind fixed on his two enemies. His sister's energy was faint, but he could sense it underwater.
"Latias, you've gotta wake up! I don't think I can hold Lugia off," Latios cried. He halted his dive when a wave erupted beneath him. Latios barely ascended in time to dodge it. He shot a dragon-shaped beam at Lugia, hoping to score a hit. Lugia flew right over it, gathering ectoplasm in his mouth.
Realizing the vortex attack was coming, Latios dove underwater. He found his sister's life force flickering several feet below him. Rather than diving toward her, Latios released a pink and white beam. The soothing energy found Latias, restoring some of her strength and her feathery coat. But the water quickly grew choppy around them.
Fly, sis! Latios telepathically shouted. He shot upward. However, the twins weren't fast enough to escape the Whirlpool forming around them. It rose out of the water, slamming them into each other repeatedly. The currents drowned out their cries. Latios tried to draw on psychic energy to clear a way out, but the pain was too intense. Yet, if he didn't do something, they were completely done for.
With a muffled squeal, Latios forced himself to dig deep. He fought through the currents and focused his mind on his sister. The next time they collided, he released an intense telekinetic blast. It proved strong enough to launch Latias out of the Whirlpool. Lugia didn't anticipate this. He had to fly away to avoid the dragon-shaped bullet shooting toward him.
Lugia ceased his attack, glaring at Latios. When he turned to look for Latias' trajectory, he found that she was completely gone. He wheeled on Latios, ready to land the killing blow.
"S… STaY AwAY! HiS LIghT iS MinE!"
A sparkling Moongeist Beam hit Latios from behind. His scream lasted a second before the colors peeled off his body, leaving behind nothing but a crystallized husk that fell into the ocean with a large splash. Lugia looked at Necrozma, who was frantically gulping down Latios' life energy. Necrozma hunched over in midair. His arms trembled. He gingerly touched his wing-digits to his forehead and confirmed the armor was still there. His third eye reappeared, albeit glowing weakly.
"Th… ThE HouRgLaSs," Necrozma rasped. "GiVe mE… tHe HOurGlASs."
Lugia flew toward Necrozma, dropping the Dusk Hourglass into his outstretched hand. Necrozma crushed it in his grip. Rainbow-colored energy spiraled around his arm and seeped into every square inch of his body. Slowly, Necrozma's breathing rate slowed and he righted himself. Necrozma looked down at his claws and flexed them. He drew his lips back in a snarl.
"No!" He thrashed his arms about. "No, no, no, no, no!" He repeatedly smacked his arms against his wings. "That foolish, detestable girl! She used my Hourglass! She used my light! It wasn't full… the HOUrgLAsS WAsn'T fUlL!"
Lugia fluttered back from Necrozma, the flames trailing off his eyes shrinking slightly as he looked around in concern.
"HoW aM I sUPpOSed to GeT tO TeMPoRAL ToWEr LiKE tHIs?!" Necrozma snarled. He dug his black claws into his forehead. His third eye writhed about inside its triangular armor. "No… no, this isn't the end. Not yet," Necrozma said. "I think… there's enough. I got enough of the Hourglass' power."
He raised his arms up and tensed his wings. Rainbow light brimmed in his prism-shaped palms. His grin returned. "Heeheeheehee! Yes, this will do. I can breach the barrier. I can get to Temporal Tower. Dialga will be mine!" He licked his lips eagerly. "All I have to do is concentrate… concentrate…"
The glow in his hands intensified. A rainbow shimmer encased his third eye and winged-heart sigil. His hands flashed a multitude of colors. With a ripple of light, an Ultra Wormhole appeared before Necrozma. Unlike his usual portals, this one had several different colors flashing randomly inside of it. The portal itself trembled, as if it would collapse from the massive infusion of energy.
"Next stop, Temporal Tower! For real this time!" Necrozma shouted, beckoning Lugia to follow him into the portal. "Did you see what I did there… with the 'this time' bit? Heeheeheehee! I know, I'm hilarious."
Lugia rolled his eyes as the Ultra Wormhole closed up behind him.
Yes, Lugia used Spectral Thief on Hoopa. Remember, this version of Shadow Lugia's a fusion! Now, uh, I guess I'll reply to some review and then hide from the Latias Defense Squad that's somehow formed up in the comments section.
Sebastian: I'm really focused on trying to get this fic done, because that's started to feel like a taller and taller order with each passing day.
Anon Omega: It was a Marluxia reference, yes. He's, like, the only character I actually know, mostly because his battle music's really great.
SuperOmegaGuest: Hooray! Too bad this chapter had to come right after it, huh?
Another guest: The special wasn't fluffy, it was feathery! Big difference. Also, the conditions can be treated, but not cured. That's the key. Barring a scientific breakthrough, I'm stuck with them.
Next time: Shane and Tessa reach an understanding... just in time for Shane to draw in power from the newest Dawn Shard. Trust me, you don't want to miss this chapter!