So, this chapter's going up with the fic having passed 750 comments! That's, uh, wow. I don't have the words to express my gratitude. Instead, I hope you enjoy this part, because it's got something unexpected.

Chapter 82: Lingering Sense of Doubt

~Northeast Coastal Pass~

"Wow! Look at all these little green blades. They tickle my feet!" Pink-Wings trilled, waddling through a field of grass on the left side of a dirt road. "What do you No-Scales call this stuff?"

"That's, uh, grass," Blaziken said, scratching the back of his head.

"Grass! I like it! Simple and effective," Pink-Wings chirped, flying low so her puffy-cloud belly brushed against the grass. She turned to Blaziken. "And what about all the big brown things we've been passing? Y'know, the ones that look like Exeggutors?"

"Seriously? You guys have never heard of trees?" Seraph gawked. She rubbed the bridge of her brow when Pink-Wings gave her a quizzical look.

"You can't exactly blame them, Seraph. I don't think we spotted a single tree or blade of grass in the canyon," Luxeira said, walking alongside her teammate.

"The Totem told us Lord Rayquaza designed our home to build up our strength," Striped-Fin said. He stopped and wiggled his hips, letting grass brush the base of his tail. "Mmm… feels nice."

Seraph facepalmed. "I'm so getting a big freaking drink when this is all over."

"I think it's pretty cute, actually. Like watching a pup run through a sprinkler," Luxeira giggled.

"I've heard of grass and trees, actually!" an orange-winged Flygon said, flying up beside Luxeira. "Yeah. Dad told me stories about how Lord Rayquaza hated trees, so he blew up forestland to make a suitable home for us dragons in Horizon."

Luxeira winced. "That, uh, sounds a bit extreme." She hoped that was simply a hatchling's tale.

A few paces ahead of them, Hakamo-o sighed. He quickened his pace, until Sneasel's arm shot out in front of him. "What do you want?" Hakamo-o asked.

"It's about that stuff you said about me to your old man." Sneasel walked beside Hakamo-o, but didn't make eye contact. "If you hated how I was treating you, how come you didn't say nothing?" He crossed his arms. "Yeah, maybe I called you names, but that's because you went around acting like a real dumbass."

Hakamo-o scratched at his armor. "Look, I was angry, all right. Got caught up in the heat of the moment and stuff." He kicked a pebble and watched it sail off the cliff on the right side of the path. "You could've left me on the outskirts of the dungeon's entrance, exhausted and covered in puke, but you didn't. I never really got why."

Sneasel shrugged. "I dunno."

"Then why didn't you ditch me once you were sure I wasn't, like, dying or anything?" Hakamo-o asked.

"I guess… I liked having someone else around," Sneasel mused, looking down. "And, yeah, you looked like a runt when you were Jangmo-o, but the idea that I could travel around with a dragon got me all excited." He scratched his feather. "Except you weren't strong or fast or nothing. Still, I figured maybe if we pulled off some successful jobs, you'd grow into a powerhouse." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore, I guess. All in the past or whatever."

They walked together silently, until Sneasel said, "You know they're probably gonna turn us over to Officer Magnezone's squad."

Hakamo-o winced. With everything that had happened, he had forgotten he was technically a wanted outlaw. One that had escaped prison, no less.

"Hrmph. I won't let that happen. No son of mine will be taken by some group of No-Scales," Totem Kommo-o said, stomping over to Hakamo-o.

"Dad, I broke the law. There's nothing you can do about that," Hakamo-o said.

"I am a Totem. My word has authority. You cannot be taken if I order the No-Scales to stay away from you," Totem Kommo-o said, nodding his head like he thought his plan was foolproof.

"It doesn't work that way outside our home, Dad," Hakamo-o said, his tone turning icy.

Totem Kommo-o frowned. "But you've evolved. Once this mess is settled, you can come back home and—"

"No." Hakamo-o quickened his pace. Sneasel hung back, not wanting to get on Totem Kommo-o's bad side again.

"But son, that rousing speech you gave… people listened to you!" Totem Kommo-o closed the gap with Hakamo-o. "I was wrong. You dohave the makings of a future Totem. We can hone that. We'll even do it like your mother wanted."

"I said no, Dad. I don't want to live there. Not now. Not ever," Hakamo-o growled, reaching the head of the group.

Totem Kommo-o's face twisted into a snarl. "Why would you throw this all away?" He tapped his Totem Crystal with a claw. "You have no idea what it's like to have Z-Power flowing through your veins."

"Yeah, I kinda do… from living with you. And I'm not interested in living life like someone shoved their you-know-what up my tailhole," Hakamo-o scoffed.

Totem Kommo-o stumbled. His axe fell to the ground with a clang, drawing several concerned looks. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" He scrambled to his feet, scooped up the axe, and calmly walked to Hakamo-o's side. "Why you! How did you— who told—" He cut himself off. Totem Kommo-o felt multiple scrutinizing gazes from behind. He tightened his grip on his staff. "Isn't there anything I can do to convince you to come back home?"

"Don't make me do something I don't want to do," Hakamo-o replied. "Sure, I don't know what I really want to do with my life, but I don't want to be a Totem. So, if you ever want me to visit, you'll let me find what I want to do with my life." He opted not to add the part where that wouldn't happen until after he'd finished serving his jail sentence.

Totem Kommo-o didn't respond. He bowed his head and slowed his pace until he was back with some of the other dragons. Sighing, Hakamo-o scratched at his large forehead scale.

"So, what do you want to do with your life, then?"

Sneasel was behind Hakamo-o yet again. Hakmo-o merely shrugged. "Why does it matter?"

"I was just curious." Sneasel looked away. "Because thieving's been the family business for a few generations. But, let's face it, I suck at being a thief." He glanced back at Lycanroc, who Magearna had forced to walk beside her. "And there ain't no way I'm going to stay with him when I get outta jail. So, I just don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Maybe you ought to go find a job up on that snowy mountain we passed after leaving Aeon Town behind," Hakamo-o suggested.

"Solstice Summit? I dunno… I hear it's all about spiritual crap." Sneasel flicked his claws dismissively. "Like, people go there to get advice from spirits or something."

Hakamo-o stopped. He blinked slowly. "That—" He paused. "We could use something like that."

Sneasel glanced back at him. "Are you serious? Didn't you just get done telling off all these dragons for being too lovey-dovey toward Rayquaza?"

"I'm not saying we should be pious or anything. I'm saying we ought to go there and, y'know, get some advice. Surely someone there might be able to help us, right?" Hakamo-o proposed.

"Wait. You want to do this together? What about that nasty stuff you said about me?" Snesel raised a skeptical brow.

"Like I said. I was angry. Y'know, lashing out and stuff," Hakamo-o said, kicking another pebble off the road. "Maybe if we weren't being crooks, we could get along better." He shrugged. "I'd say it's worth a shot, don't you?"

"Eh, you're twisting my arms here, but sure. I guess it can't hurt," Sneasel said. "But, uh, guess we gotta finish out our stint in jail first?"

"Well, let''s just make sure this Dawn Shard gets to Circadian Coast first. Then we'll take it from there," Hakamo-o said.

Sneasel nodded. The two drifted back toward the middle of the group.

~Circadian Coast, Daybreak Beach~

The sun began to set, casting a strong orange glow across the water. Shane stared at the froth left behind by each wave. Tessa wanted to talk about her Mega Evolution, but what was there to talk about? It was a simple mistake. Now that they understood how Naturia Looplets foster Mega Evolution, she wouldn't have to worry.

"I thought we had cleared that up. I'm not mad at you," Shane said. He inched toward Tessa, but she held her right paw up.

"No, we haven't. There's more to it than just one simple accident, okay?" Tessa said. Confusion spread across Shane's face as Tessa lowered her paw, sighing. "Come on, Shane. You don't need to be all that perceptive to understand. The answer's staring you in the face." She pivoted to her left, showing off the black, star-shaped pattern of fur around her chest spike.

"Isn't that just because you used Z-Power to evolve?" Shane asked, confident that was the conclusion the whole team had drawn.

"I wish I could think that, but after I Mega Evolved and went berserk…" Her voice trailed off. She nervously rubbed her right paw. "Shane, it's not just my chest. There's something else." She held her right paw up, revealing the winged heart sigil around her paw spike.

"That's the Prism Virus symbol." Shane's ears tucked against his head. "How the— why is that on your paw? Did that show up when you evolved, too?" His words held a mixture of hurt and confusion, which manifested in Tessa's mind as dizziness coupled with dull, throbbing pain.

"Yes." Tessa pulled her right paw back and resumed her anxious rubbing. She tried to filter out her aura sense so Shane's emotions wouldn't mix with her own thoughts, but her feelers twitched in protest. "I wanted to show it to you. Really. Heck, Silvally already knows about it. But I panicked. I know your thoughts about Necrozma are… all over the place. I didn't want to make things even more stressful."

"Then why tell me now?" Shane wondered, his gaze fixed on Tessa's paw. "Is it because of the Mega Evolution?"

"That's part of it. The other part is, well, it doesn't feel right anymore," Tessa replied.

"You've lost me," Shane said, brow furrowed.

Tessa bit her lip, struggling to find the right words. "Hang on, I need a second," she said, rubbing her brow. Tessa took a deep breath and considered the things Shane said to her earlier. "So, like, you just went out of your way to tell me something very personal, right?"

"Yeah, but I thought you deserved to know," Shane said. Realization slowly spread across his face.

"Exactly. Hearing what you had to say made me feel the same way about this," Tessa said. "Actually, it goes beyond that. The truth is, I was— no, wait, I am just as guilty of keeping secrets from you. Ones that might've harmed the team in the long run."

"Like what?" Shane said, before he realized the rudeness of his comment and wilted. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"No, it's fine," Tessa dismissed. "To start, I didn't initially come over here because I thought you might like some company. I wanted to talk about the Mega Evolution thing. I feel like we brushed it aside because going to Sunset Shoals was important." She paused. "Except this whole conversation has gone a lot differently than I expected."

"Is that a good thing?" Shane asked, raising a brow.

"I don't really know." Tessa laughed awkwardly. The two lapsed into silence, with Shane looking expectantly at Tessa. Eventually, she said, "You know how, after Mellath Bog, I promised you not to let myself go to a dark place again? Well, I've failed to keep that promise."

It took a moment for her statement to sink in. When it did, Shane gave Tessa a worried look. "Are you… does this mean you've been hurting yourself?" he whispered.

"No. I swear, I haven't done anything like that," Tessa said, raising her right paw up. She wasn't sure how she had expected Shane to respond. Even with her aura sense, she couldn't tell if Shane was upset at her, upset at himself, or simply concerned. Tessa figured she owed it to her friend to tell the whole truth. "That doesn't mean the thought hasn't crossed my mind, though."

Shane lowered his head, eyes squeezed shut. He wanted to press further, but the memories of Mellath Bog's aftermath lingered in his mind. Shane needed Silvally to help, but he wasn't around. "If it's, um, okay… can I ask why you think you're still depressed?" he said, unable to make eye contact.

"It's tough to put into words," Tessa admitted, ears and aura feelers drooping. The combination of Shane's fears and her own guilt made it difficult to stay focused. Their conversation had grown exhausting for her. "It's a combination of things, really. Like, I'm tired of fighting battles where our lives are on the line. It's gotten so bad that, even when we can have quiet moments together, the joy doesn't last. Because my mind starts wandering to what the team will have to do next and how much we're going to struggle."

"But weren't you the one who told me yesterday we've found a way to beat the odds up until this point?" Shane said. He thought Tessa sounded hopeful in Cosmic Cavern. Was that all an act or did he catch her at a good moment?

"I did. And now that we have all the Dawn Shards, I'm even warming up to the idea that we might be able to stop Necrozma," Tessa said. "But that's part of my problem." She glanced at Shane's confused expression. "Even if we can defeat Necrozma and restore peace, I'm… well…" She fidgeted nervously with her scarf. "Shane, I just don't see where I can go from here."

Shane flinched. "M-Meaning?"

"I'm not sure I'll ever be happy. It doesn't feel like there's anything out there for me," Tessa said. "And even if there was…" She gripped her head. "I'll still have to live with the memories of everything that's happened to us in our adventures! Seeing Pokémon have their spirits sucked out and get turned into crystals. Losing Sylveon and Eevee. Our Guildmaster trying to send us to our deaths. And let's not forget the biggest one… my own mom strangling me while she gets ready to brainwash me so I'll work for Necrozma."

Shane silently cursed at himself for not considering that. He'd fallen into a familiar trap: not separating his games from his new reality. In the games, the characters were collections of pixels or chunks of words strewn together. He didn't have to think about their problems, because they didn't really exist. That wasn't the case with Horizon.

"That's a good point." Shane's shoulders sagged. "I'm not even sure what to say. I want to help you, but that means I have to be able to stay here… assuming we can beat Necrozma, of course."

"I know… and I appreciate the gesture," Tessa said, rubbing the bridge of her snout. "It's frustrating, but I did this to myself. My wild aspirations are to blame here." She sighed as she lowered her arm and dug her paw into the sand. "I idolized the human heroes and their partners. Deep down, I wanted to have a chance to save the world, just like them. Only… I was interested in fame and recognition. I thought, 'If I'm a hero, everyone will like me. I'll have thousands of friends!'"

Tessa chuckled weakly, shaking her head. "That sentiment got a lot worse once things started going downhill with my family. I was stuck in this endless cycle of working up the courage to join the guild, failing, and moping on the beach or in my bed about how I'm nothing but a loser." She looked at Shane. "But then I found you washed up on Azure Cape and everything changed. I saw you as my ticket to achieving my dream. I'd become a legendary hero who everyone would admire. And all the success would finally make me happy."

"But when we first met, you were super skeptical of me," Shane pointed out. He didn't think Tessa faked that behavior, yet she sounded so contradictory.

"Because I forced myself to temper my expectations. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. If we ended up failing…" Tessa poked her index digits together. "Well, I imagine I'd have reacted much like I did after Mellath Bog." She sighed. "See, when I was younger, Mom told me our kind needed to keep our emotions in check or they'd run out of control. I believed her, of course, because she was this experienced explorer… and the only Lucario I'd ever known, to boot."

Tessa scooched an inch closer to Shane. "I kept things bottled up when we were starting out. But the more you refused to listen to me, the harder it got to keep my emotions in check. When you got upset at Lycanroc and the guild turned on you, I saw my chance to be a hero slipping away before my eyes. I couldn't hold things in anymore, so I flew off the handle. My anger stayed in control until you made that comment about my parents."

Her shoulders sagged. "And ever since, it feels like I can't keep my emotions under control." Tessa rubbed her eyes. "I wish I knew another Lucario. Maybe then I'd understand things better, but…" She shook her head. "It sounds like people only know about Lucarios from old stories or because they met Mom." Tessa sighed again. "I'm sorry. That was supposed to be a straightforward explanation, but I turned it into a zigzag."

"Uh-huh." Shane's eyes darted about. The gears in his mind had shifted into overdrive. Shane finally understood the numerous factors that had contributed to Team Radiance's disastrous first few weeks. It was too late to go back and change any of that, but at least he could avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Still, something about Tessa's explanation bugged Shane.

"This all make sense to me," he said, wondering if he should try scooting closer to Tessa but ultimately staying where he was. "It's just… I've got this nagging feeling I'm missing something."

"You're right. It's where the mark on my paw comes in," Tessa said, staring at her right paw. "I already told you I'm worried I can't control my emotions. Well, my temper's been especially bad as of late. First, I flew off the handle at Totem Salazzle. Then I attacked that volcanic meteor in a blind rage, went berserk on Gallian with my Z-Move, and nearly killed you with my Mega Evolution." She looked at Shane. "Don't tell me you don't see a pattern, here. It's pretty obvious to me."

"I do see it," Shane said. "But we promised we'd keep you from Mega Evolving."

"And I believe you," Tessa said. "Despite that, I'm terrified that this mark is a sign. A sign that I'm either going to turn into a monster like Necrozma or he's going to turn me into one… just like Mom."

"You can't think that way." Shane scooched toward Tessa. His rightmost tails brushed her thigh, eliciting a surprised squeak. Shane pulled his tails back, face flushing. "You've got the scarf, remember?" he stuttered. "Espy said Ho-Oh's magic will keep your spirit safe from corruption."

"Yeah, but it has to stay on for that to happen. And Mom and Necrozma know about the scarves," Tessa said, tugging at hers. "If we fight them, they're going to try and rip them off so that they can get to me." She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. "That's why I told you all this stuff, Shane. I need you to understand where I'm coming from."

"I get it. You want me to help you avoid getting corrupted. I can do that," Shane said, nodding vigorously.

"That's not it," Tessa whispered, drawing a confused look from Shane. "Shane, if the worst really happens… if I lose control, either to my rage or Necrozma… I'll need you to try and stop me. Even if…" She sucked in a breath. "Even if that means you or Silvally have to kill me."

Shane's jaw slackened. That was a huge weight to drop onto his shoulders. Sure, Tessa had used the conversation to build up to her bombshell, but that didn't soften the blow. "I… um… that's…" Shane shook his head. "There's no way that's going to happen. I— no, the team won't let it."

"I know that." Tessa winced. There was a twinge of anger to her words. "But this adventure has had more than its fair share of unwelcome surprises. So, we need to be prepared for the possibility… even if it seems unlikely." She finally opened her eyes to look at Shane. "Please, Shane. Say that, if the worst happens, you'll do whatever it takes to stop me."

"I… I…" Shane's gaze faltered. His mind was racing. He figured he should agree to it. That way, Tessa wouldn't get any more upset than she currently was. Still, the request sent a chill through him, in spite of his ice-typing.

"I'll try," Shane whispered. Tessa didn't look convinced, but Shane held up a forepaw. "Before you say anything, you should know that, last night, Espy asked me what I was going to do about Necrozma. I was pretty conflicted. Hell, I still am, to some degree. I really want to believe that it's not my friend doing all these awful things… rather some chaotic manifestation of Golem's experiments. And a part of me wants to try and make up for what a laughably bad friend I was to him when we were humans…"

"But I don't think I can do that. At this point, you, Espy, Silvally… you guys mean more to me," he said, ears drooping. "I know that sounds really stupid. I mean… we've only been together a couple of months and we spent a large portion of that fighting with each other."

"So, you're thinking it, too?" Tessa said, sighing. She leaned back, digging her paws in the sand behind her to support herself. "It's been bothering me these last few nights, to be honest. There's a voice in my head that keeps telling me that this 'friendship' of ours isn't really a friendship."

"Urk. I, um, as corny as it sounds, I'd like to think that the struggles we've faced are what's brought us closer together," Shane said. He paused, brow furrowing. "Oof, yeah that really does sound lame."

"Yeah. I guess that's where the problem is." Tessa rubbed her shoulder. "I can't help but wonder what would happen if we were to defeat Necrozma… and you were allowed to stay here, of course. Would we still get along? Pretty much everything we've done together has centered around dealing with the Prism Virus. So, if that goes away, what would be left for us?"

"I don't know, but I'd want to make it work," Shane said. He scooched closer to Tessa. She didn't stop him this time.

"You really want to stay here, then? What about your life in the human world?" Tessa asked.

"Honestly, I have more going for me in this world," Shane said. "I know, I know… you must think I'm crazy. I mean… I didn't have to worry about magical creatures trying to kill me when I was a human." He laughed nervously.

"What about your family? Is it really fair to them for you to just disappear, leaving them behind without any sort of explanation why?" Tessa asked, a worried look on her face.

"N-no… it's not," Shane said, wincing. "The thing is… I kind of already distanced myself from them. When I finished school and couldn't get into college — this special kind of school that's really important to humans — I settled for this job where I was mostly working alone every day. I went to live on my own and didn't talk much with my parents or my sisters."

"I feel closer to you, Espy, and Silvally. That's probably awful of me to say, especially with how things started out between us, but it's true." Shane slowly moved his right forepaw toward Tessa. He stopped when she looked at it, aura feelers tensing. "Y… you're sensing my feelings, aren't you?" he said, gulping.

Tessa nodded. "I thought we had an understanding about the 'I really like Lucarios' thing," she said.

"We do! This isn't some sort of romantic gesture or anything. It's a paw of, y'know, friendship," Shane insisted. His ears twitched nervously. "Like I told you before, I don't want to overstep any boundaries and risk messing things up. Even if I do feel, uh, something… I won't, um…" His voice trailed off. "Sorry, I think I managed to put my paw in my mouth big time."

Shane was about to pull his paw back when Tessa put her paw on top of his. His ears stuck up in surprise and his tails twitched, with some curling against his waist and others stiffening. "T-Tessa, you didn't—"

"I think I get the message you were going for. Neither of us are perfect, Shane. In fact… we're pretty far from it," Tessa said, laughing nervously. Shane joined in, though his fake laughter sounded awkward, so he quickly stopped. Tessa's laugh faded to a drawn-out sigh. "Y'know, the more I think about it… the more I wonder if maybe our meeting wasn't just a total accident," she said.

"R-Really? Because it certainly feels like this was all some giant accident," Shane said.

Tessa pulled her paw back and scooched right beside Shane. He yanked his paw back and let his hair fall over his face to hide his blush. "Well, for all our differences, we actually have a lot in common. Probably more than either of us realized back when we were arguing," Tessa mused. She shook her head. "Silvally… I think he's always known about this. Even when his mask was on, he saw the good that we could potentially do for each other. That's why he tried to hard to help us even though he was in pain."

She ran her digits across her scarf. "Maybe if, instead of focusing on joining the guild, we had taken the time to get to know each other first, things would've turned out a lot different," she whispered. Tessa slowly blinked. "Huh. I guess there is more to our friendship than just fighting the Prism Virus.

"You're absolutely right," Shane said. "I really hope we can beat Necrozma and I can stay here. That way, we can keep growing our friendship… and make up for all the stupid mistakes we made in the past." He lifted his right forepaw toward her. "Deal?"

"Deal," Tessa said, bumping Shane's paw with her own. She then leaned over, resting her head on Shane's shoulder. Shane momentarily tensed, but when Tessa didn't move or say anything, he leaned over. His hair brushed against Tessa's aura feelers. An intense tingle rushed into her spine, but she alleviated it with a calming breath.

"It's strange. When we first met, I hoped I could emulate the heroic explorers who had teamed up with humans. I had given that dream up when we had our big falling out… but now it's really happening," Tessa said.

"Yeah. Only, I never really understood how tough and stressful it would be," Shane admitted.

"Same here. Sure, the stories Dad and Gallian told me mentioned some hardships the other heroes had to endure. But nobody ever said anything about them having any lasting effects," Tessa said, wrapping her arm around Shane's foreleg. "Y'know, I talked about that with Team Go-Getters this morning… while I was trying to work on my new moves."

"Really? What did they say?" Shane asked.

"Swampert talked about how he'll occasionally have nightmares. Sometimes they're about the time he and Blaziken were fugitives and other times they're about him getting attacked by a god like Moltres, Zapdos, or Rayquaza," Tessa responded. "But he also told me that every time these bad memories surface, Blaziken's always there for him. They'll talk or they'll go visit one of their other friends. That usually helps Swampert feel better."

"I see," Shane said, staring out at the sun's reflection in the ocean.

A round of silence followed, until Tessa whispered, "I'd like you to stay in this world, too." She glanced up at Shane, a smile on her muzzle. "I think… with you and Silvally at my side, I'd be able to find something out here that would make me truly happy."

"Th… thanks. That means a lot to me," Shane said.

"I should be thanking you for agreeing to talk like this," Tessa said, nuzzling Shane's neck.

"It was n-nothing," Shane said, hesitantly leaning in to return the nuzzle.

"So, this is where you two have been hiding."

"Gah!" Tessa's head shot up and inadvertently bonked Shane's snout. He pulled away from her, groaning and rubbing his chin. Tessa looked over her shoulder to find Espy and Silvally standing a couple of feet behind her, confused looks on their faces. She rubbed her aura feelers and silently swore. She was so focused on Shane her aura sense had dulled to everything going on around her.

"Didn't sense us coming?" Silvally asked.

"Err, I was just a bit preoccupied, that's all," Tessa said, laughing nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"You guys hadn't shown up at Kahuna Raichu's house. We wanted to make sure everything was okay," Espy said.

"Ah, sorry to make you worry," Tessa said, getting to her feet and dusting sand off her waist. "We're fine, though. Right, Shane?"

"Um, yeah. It's all good," Shane said, his gaze darting between Espy, Silvally, and the ground. He stumbled getting to his feet. "We can follow you guys back, if you want." Shane glanced at his fur. It still had lots of glitter. "After all, Tessa and I need to get cleaned up."

"I, uh, wouldn't exactly recommend that," Espy said, forked tail ends tapping against each other. "When you two didn't show up, Gallian and Zoroark went into the shower… together."

"Oh," Tessa whispered, eyes going wide and aura feelers crinkling in surprise. "Right. Guess we can just stay out here, then." She was about to sit back down, when she cocked an eyebrow. "Hang on… aren't we supposed to call Latias?" Tessa looked at Espy. "Were you able to reach her?"

Espy shook her head. "I could try again, I suppose." She levitated the Gear-Com out of her satchel and activated it. A few seconds of silence passed, followed by some static. "No good. Still can't get a hold of her," Espy said.

"Should we be worried?" Shane wondered, a frown on his muzzle. "She's our fast-transport method… and if we can't reach her, then we can't get the Dawn Hourglass put back together quickly."

"Why don't you try calling Magearna and seeing how her group is doing?" Silvally suggested. "Maybe the problem's with our Gear-Com?"

Espy wished the explanation was that simple, but strongly doubted it was the case. Nevertheless, she reactivated the Gear-Com and connected to Magearna's unit. After a few rings, she got a response.

Ah, Espeon. Is there an update you'd like to share? Magearna asked.

"Not exactly. See, I still can't get a hold of Latias. Have you tried to contact her at all?" Espy said.

I haven't. We've been focused on reaching Circadian Coast with optimal speedination, Magearna replied. I believe we're making excellefficient time on our end. I anticipath with 96.24 percent certainty we'll be there in an hour.

"O-Okay, that's good to know," Espy said, relieved that, at the very least, all the Dawn Shards would be together with a very large group to protect them. "If anything changes, call me right away, okay?"

Understood. See you soon! Magearna said. The call disconnected. Espy stuffed her Gear-Com back into her satchel.

"Well, there you have it. Our Gear-Com's working fine and Magearna's team should be here soon enough," Espy said, gazing out at the ocean. "So, it looks like we've got an hour to kill. Anything in particular that anyone wanted to do?"

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to Shane," Silvally said, brushing one foreleg against another.

Shane's ears stuck up. "R-Really? Huh. That's funny… I wanted to talk to you, too." He tapped his forepaw against the ground, trying to remember exactly what Gallian and Zoroark had suggested. "Um, it's about what happened in Cosmic Cavern."

To Shane's surprise, Silvally nodded. "I know. I've, uh, been thinking about it," he said.

"Thinking about what?" Tessa said, cocking her head in confusion.

"Err… see, the thing is…" Shane's voice trailed off as his tails curled against his waste.

"I kissed Shane last night. It was a moment of weakness," Silvally said, completely straight-faced.

Tessa's aura feelers shot up in surprise. "You… you two…" She looked back and forth between them.

Silvally stepped between Shane and Tessa. "It was a dumb decision I stupidly made because I had a crisis of faith." He was met with a pair of confused looks. "I don't want to go to deep into it or anything. To keep things simple, let's just say I was grappling with some of the things Necrozma had said to me the last time we faced him. I couldn't come to terms with any of it… so I decided it might be best to try and distance myself from you two. Which led me to recklessly kiss Shane."

He traced a talon through the sand. "Shane, what I did was wrong. I know our friendship's been… complicated, to say the least. But that's no excuse. I betrayed your trust. And for that, I'm sorry," Silvally said. His glowing parts turned blue and he bowed his head silently.

Shane's tails curled around his legs. Silvally had surprised him by taking the initiative on the subject. Now Shane was at a loss for words. His gaze fell to the ground. "Thank you," he whispered. "I, uh, was prepared to go on a bit of a tirade about how uncomfortable it made me… and that I'm not okay with my emotions getting played with like that. But it looks like you came to that conclusion on your own. Or maybe you had a little help."

Espy stiffened as Shane glanced at her. Her ears and tails drooped. Shane looked away, face flushing. "U-Um… E-Espy? I don't, y'know, want to upset you or anything, but part of what I said, um, applies to you, too," Shane said, squeezing his eyes shut so he couldn't see Espy's response. He didn't hear her say anything, either.

"That kiss we had onstage… it left me almost as confused as when Silvally kissed me. Especially because of all the ups and downs we have. Considering the stuff you said to me back at the Observatory…" Shane's face scrunched up. "I'm sorry, but I'm not okay with what you did. It… it wasn't fair."

"You're right," Espy said, tail curling around her hind leg. "Like I told you, I got caught up in the heat of the moment. The music and the way your body was moving… it was too much for me. I couldn't help myself!" Espy bowed her head. "I'm so ashamed. I promised to try and keep my urges under control, but I couldn't stick to it."

As tempted as Shane was to say the first thing on his mind, he held his tongue. After an extended silence, he said, "I appreciate your candor." Silvally and Espy exchanged looks of disbelief.

"I'm sorry. My thoughts are a bit jumbled at the moment. There are so many things I feel like I should say or shouldn't say, so I'm not really sure what to do," Shane continued, laughing nervously. "I guess, for my part, the reason that stuff upset me so much has a lot to do with all of the uncertainty in my head." He looked at Tessa. "I'm pretty sure I've only said this to Tessa, but you guys deserve to know."

He stood up, finally making eye contact with Espy and Silvally. "Guys, I… I'm not sure I'm going to be around much longer. I think that, in order to bring Solgaleo back, I'm going to have to give up my spirit and my body." His legs grew weak. "And, y'know, with the last part of the hourglass less than an hour away, it seems like I'll have my answer very soon. Whether I get to stay… or whether I'm going to disappear."

"That's why I'm upset. If I do have to disappear, I don't want to leave you guys with all these doubts clouding up my soul… as corny as that sounds," Shane said, his blue eyes flickering with pink energy. "You're the first real friends I think I've ever made. I'd like to go out on a high note and make sure everything's square between us." He stuck his forepaw out toward his teammates. "So, uh, think we can put those slip-ups behind us?"

Espy and Silvally looked at each other, then each stuck a foreleg up to give Shane the closest equivalent to a pair of fist-bumps that quadrupeds could manage. The three exchanged smiles, before Shane glanced at Tessa. "You want in on this?"

Tessa jolted stiff, aura feelers curling up. Throughout the conversation, she was lost in thought. Of course she had seen Shane's and Espy's "display" during the concert. In the moment, she figured Espy had chosen to reciprocate Shane's crush. Now, however, hearing Silvally's confession and Shane's general confusion about the whole thing had her wondering if there was more to it than not wanting to potentially mess up his friendships. Tessa looked down.

'Could it have something to do with me?' she wondered. Tessa's aura feelers tensed tighter. She admonished herself for thinking like that. Tessa stood up and joined her teammates, adding her unmarked paw to the others. "We don't have to, like, say 'hip, hip, hooray' or something dopey like that, do we?" she wondered.

"Nah, I think we can leave it at this," Shane said, stepping back.

"Aww, I was kind of hoping we would," Silvally whined, earning three bewildered stares. "What? Sometimes a 'mon's gotta let his silliness out. You guys got to do plenty of that at Sunset Shoals compared to me." That drew laughter from his teammates. His body lit up yellow in response.

The laughter died down and silence overtook the group, save for small waves rolling up onto the shore and a gentle ocean breeze ruffling nearby palm trees. "So, uh, now what should we do?" Espy asked. "I'm trying to think of a way for us to prepare for the other group's arrival, but I'm drawing a total blank."

Shane sighed heavily. "Well, there is one thing that comes to mind. I should really… um…" His voice trailed off as he pawed at the ground nervously. "As much as I don't want to do this, I think I need to touch the Seaside Shard and see what happens." He shuddered. "I hope the response is reasonable this time."

His teammates all stepped closer to him. Espy levitated the Shard out from her satchel. "Well, at least you've got us around for this. We'll make sure everything's okay," she said.

"Yeah, we've got your back," Tessa said, emphasizing the point by putting her left paw on Shane's back.

"R-right," Shane whispered, struggling not to flinch. "Lemme just…" He turned around to face the ocean in case he coughed up more fire like when he touched the Sizzle Shard. Espy dropped the Shard in the sand by his forepaws. "Okay, Solgaleo, let's see what you've got in store for me this time," Shane said, taking a deep breath. He touched his paw to the Shard. Within seconds, Shane seized up. He blacked out on the spot.

Glimmering stars and glints of cosmic light surrounded Shane. That was the first thing he noticed before he finally got his bearings… and searing pain shot through every square inch of his body. Shane tried to move his limbs, but couldn't feel them. He screamed… or, at least, he thought he did. However, no sounds came out.

His vision slowly came into focus. Two blurs appeared in front him. They became Chikorita and Fennekin. Chikorita stood inches away, a vine raised and a determined expression on her face.

A-ArE yOu SuRE AbOUt tHiS?!

Shane heard the voice. No, he heard thousands of voices all speaking as one. And they were coming from him. Shane again tried to move, but couldn't feel any limbs. What was Solgaleo doing?

Chikorita backed away from him, frowning.

LoOk At aLL oF cREatiOn. You BeINgs… ThOsE liKE yOu… You'LL only dO iT aGaIN.

Fennekin approached Chikorita, a worried look on his face. Shane's mind raced. This was familiar. He had seen these two together when he touched the Sizzle Shard. And he could've sworn he had heard these words before.

I aM thE dARknesS wiThIN thE hEartS oF aLL cREaTiON… WiTHin aLL PokÉmON. All YoUr HatREd aNd aLL yOuR Pain… ThAT is oF WhaT I aM MaDE. If YOu bREak mE HerE, ThE frAgMEntS oF All ThAt hATreD aND pAin will bE sEnT fLyINg eVERywheRe. It will rUn RaMPant IN thE WorLD AgAIN.

Chikorita and Fennekin exchanged uneasy looks.

NegAtiVity will tAke rOot aRouND The wOrLD. It wILL fLouRISh and GrOW. It wILL grOw eVeN laRGeR anD stronger tHAn iT is NOw, UnTiL I aM reViVEd oNce MoRe iN sOmE fUTure gEnerATIon.

Chikorita looked down, her legs trembling. Shane realized what Solgaleo was showing him.

I aM DaRK MatTer. I hAVe aLWaYs BeEN. I will aLWayS Be.

Shane's mind raced. He thought back to Tapu Lele's temple. Necrozma forced her to summon a copy Dark Matter. Was there actually a connection between them? Did Dark Matter lie at the heart of the Prism Virus? How was that possible? He was vanquished. That's what everyone had told him.

I cAN nEvEr Be exTinGUIshED.

What was Shane missing? Solgaleo clearly wanted him to know something. Was it simply that Dark Matter was alive and well, working with Necrozma? Or was there more to it?

If YOu STRike Me DOwN hERe aND Now… If YoU bREaK mY bODy inTo PieCEs… YOu wILL bE ThE ONeS rESponSIBle fOr My REtuRn.

Something sharp stabbed through Shane, but his cries went unheard.

Is THaT a reSpONSibiLitY YoU wAnT? CoULd yOU bEaR tHat gUiLT?

"No problem!" Fennekin shouted, puffing out his chest. Chikorita looked toward her teammate in alarm.

You wOuLD sTiLL strike mE dOWn?!

"You bet your ugly sphere I would!" Fennekin said. He turned to Chikorita, a smile on his face. "Don't worry. I finally get it. When you really think about it, you, me, Dark Matter, even the planet… we were all born right here in the same universe."

Shane spotted a ripple of distortion far behind Chikorita and Fennekin. The distortion split open like a tear through fabric, revealing a single, violet, reptilian eye with a large black slit for a pupil. Shane wanted to tell the two Pokémon in front of him about it, but knew it was a futile effort. They eye persisted, staring Shane down.

"Sure, people have jealousy and hate in them, but that's not all they're made of," Fennekin continued as Shane's entire being throbbed. An unseen force weighed heavily on him. "We all have our good sides, our bad sides, and everything in between. People are complicated. And that's something we can't brush aside!"

Chikorita nodded at Fennekin, who turned to Shane. "So, Dark Matter, I'm okay with you being around!" Fennekin declared, beaming.

Another surge of pain shot through Shane. The violet eye's pupil constricted. Black vapors seeped out of its distorted hiding spot.

YoU… wHAt?!

"I accept you!" Fennekin said. Shane's head — if he could even call it that in this case — throbbed.

WhAt? WhAT aRE yOu SaYiNG?! I aM NeGAtiviTY iTSeLF! I Am THE dARkneSs wIThin yOUr hEaRT!

To Shane's surprise, Fennekin giggled. "Come on, it's not that hard to get! Like I said, that's a part of us. You are a part of us! You… belong here with us!" Fennekin took a deep breath, then smiled at the bewildered Chikorita. "That's why… I accept you!"

Fennekin charged toward Shane, a warm grin on his face. As Fennekin leaped into the air, the black vapors released by the violet eye followed behind him. The eye vanished in a flash, replaced by a familiar round portal with crisscrossing white lines.

Then, Fennekin embraced Shane. Light filled his vision, followed by excruciating pain as his essence was pulled in a thousand different directions at once. The scene dissolved all around him. Echoes of laughter rose up in the distance until the light faded and Shane found himself floating in the midst of another cosmic area. Checkboard patterns projected in the distance. Giant stars radiated with numerous colors. Solar flares streamed through the air all around him.

"To think… my core wound up in the skull of some sad, sorry human. And it's Dr. Sinclair, to boot! What an ironic twist! Heeheeheeh— urgh, no! This isn't something to laugh about. This is the time for action! I want her dead. I want my core returned! And I want my light back!"

Shane chest tightened. There was no mistaking Necrozma's distorted voice. Which only made his panic begin anew. Necrozma's voice was coming from him. He could see Necrozma's tail and wings in the periphery of his vision. That meant, as far as this vision was concerned, he was Necrozma. What was going on? Shane understood Solgaleo was psychic. Did Solgaleo take one of Necrozma's memories to show to him?

"I need a spanner to throw a wrench into Prisma's plans and get my core back. And what better way to do that than by summoning another human! Heeheeheehee! Oh, yes, it will cost a fair amount of light… it may not even work, to be honest… but it will be the most fun I've had in centuries!"

Shane involuntarily reached his right arm out. Light flickered on the ends of his claws. He traced his claws through the air, tearing open tiny slits in the fabric of Ultra Space. Shane looked at the jagged, glistening lines and smiled. He leaned forward and peered through them. Shane found himself looking at a nondescript parking garage, with a few cars sparsely positioned around.

"Heeheeheehee! I found you. The Guiding Light's old friend," Shane said, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips. "Boy, I can't wait to see what's going to happen! You'll wake up in the body of a Lucario — your furry wet dream — with my Z-Power backing you up. I'll make you think Solgaleo summoned you here as a chosen one. Yes… heeheeheehee… then, it falls to you. If you succeed, I get my core and my light back… and wipe you out of existence! And if you fail… well, at least I get to enjoy watching you suffer at the hands of the Pokémon you claim to love so much. Either way, it'll be the best game you and Light have ever played! And all the while, it'll keep the void entertained."

Shane's stomach churned. Necrozma had claimed responsibility for bringing him here way back in the Temple of Mind. It certainly explained why his dream visions that turned out to be lies. But he wasn't a Lucario. What had gone wrong?

"Now then, I think it's time you bid farewell to your human life," Shane shouted. He dug his claws into the openings he had made, expanding them into a full-blown Ultra Wormhole. On the other side, he saw his tiny silver car backing out of its parking space.

Before he had the opportunity to do anything, however, a ferocious roar sounded from behind him. A tingle ran down Shane's spine. The world around him blurred for a split second, only for Ultra Space to reappear exactly how it had looked before, except the Ultra Wormhole was further away. Had he teleported? It was the only conclusion he could draw.

"Release Lunala!"

Shane stared down Solgaleo, who stood opposite him, pawing at the ground. "Heeheeheehee! I knew you'd come. Even though Prisma thought we had managed to do you in for good, I had a feeling I'd see you again. Guess it's hard to keep you down, huh?" Shane lolled his head to his right. "But I'm afraid I'm keeping Lunala. See, her light is sustaining me. And I have no intentions of disappearing."

"Then I will free her from you, demon!" Solgaleo snarled. An orange fireball surrounded him. He charged Shane down. Shane teleported back toward his Ultra Wormhole.

"Tch. I don't have time to deal with you. Run along, kitty!" Shane sneered. He swiped at the air, releasing purple Shadow Balls that homed in on Solgaleo. Shane turned his attention back toward his Ultra Wormhole. His head was throbbing. The wormhole had to close soon before it drained too much of this body's energy. He raised his right hand. A pink glow overtook it.

Solgaleo slammed him from behind. White-hot pain shot through his back. He errantly released his stored psychic energy into the portal. A horn blared out, followed by the screeching of tires and metal tearing against metal.

"No! No!" Shane shouted. He whirled on Solgaleo, blasting him away with a barrage of meteors. "You imbecile! You've ruined everything!" Shane lashed out at the air with his wings and arms while Solgaleo careened through Ultra Space, roaring his fury. "No, this isn't over. I can still salvage this. I will have what I want!"

He turned to the portal. Two cars had collided, leaving a wreckage peppered with pointed metal, glass fragments, tiny flames barely withstanding the rain, and puddles of motor oil rapidly spreading across the ground. Shane reached his right arm into the portal and channeled his psychic powers. He seized a broken, bloodied body from the debris.

A brilliant orange fireball charged into him from the side. Shane lost his grip on the body. His portal shut as he spread his wings to steady himself. Shane looked up and his heart leaped into his throat.

There, floating behind Solgaleo, was his body. His human body.

Burns peppered it from head to toe. Blood floated around it, streaming out from several gashes. But there was no mistaking the unkept, greasy, brown hair or the tattered remains of his work clothes. Shane sensed the life energy of his human body fading rapidly, as if it was a campfire someone had dumped a bucket of water on.

Shane wanted to hurl. He had told his friends— hell, he had told everyone he had gone to sleep and woken up as a Vulpix. But that wasn't true. He had been in a fatal car accident. And it was all because of Necrozma and Solgaleo. The Pokémon whose spirit was inside him had helped cause all of this. If he hadn't attacked Necrozma, then Shane would've been a Lucario instead… and perhaps everything that had happened to him in the Pokémon world would've gone differently.

But his assumptions didn't stop there. If this was what had happened to him before being transformed, then could he even go back to the human world? Or would disappearing actually mean being wiped out of existence, like Grovyle and the human who had stopped Primal Dialga?

"Aggh! Somebody help me! It feels like… I'm being ripped apart!"

The yells came from Shane's human self. Solgaleo responded by charging Shane down, surrounding himself in a fireball.

"P-Please! Someone… anyone… help! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"

Shane held his ground, even as Solgaleo roared. He stuck out his arms and caught Solgaleo mid-charge. His limbs trembled. Cracks splintered through his prism armor. He channeled all the psychic energy he could muster into his arms. The flames around Solgaleo's weakened.

"I've got you now. There's no escape! Did you really think you could pull off this little stunt without me finding out about it? How ridiculous! I can feel my light seeping off of you. It wants to return to me!"

Shane redirected his psychic energy. He sucked the flames off Solgaleo's body. His pain and fatigue rapidly faded. The fractures in his arms repaired themselves. Solgaleo roared in desperation, but could only struggle against Shane's psychic grip. Shane looked at his human self. A twisted grin spread across his face.

"As much as I want you gone, I need you for something far more important."

Solgaleo had stopped struggling. Faint wisps of fire still surrounded him, but most of the light Shane saw came from his current body, producing an insidious mix of blue and orange. Shane leaned over and was about to move his hands onto Solgaleo's face when a ripple caught his attention. The violet eye from the last vision had superimposed itself on Solgaleo's back. It crackled with black, distorted energy.

tHE TImE fOr GAmEs HaS lOnG SInCE paSseD. EnD tHEm bOtH! TuRN tHEsE uNPLeaSaNt MeMOrIeS to DusT!

The eye promptly vanished.

"Is… is someone out there? I'm hurt. I need help! Whoever you are… do something!"

Shane was looking right at his human self. His lips curved into a malicious snarl. Shane dug his claws into Solgaleo's shoulders. An intense surge of energy streamed through his arms. Solgaleo erupted in an orange inferno. Shane smacked him. Solgaleo streamed toward Shane's human body.

"You need help, huh? It's a good thing you've got me here, then. Take it easy. No need to worry. I have just the thing for you, my human friend."

The instant Solgaleo's flames struck Shane's human self, Shane pointed his arms forward and released a brilliant rainbow beam. Screams of agony rose and faded as Shane's attack disintegrated Solgaleo and his human body. He ceased the attack and hunched over, arms and tongue tangling.

"Heehee… heeheeheehee! He's gone! Gone! I killed him! I killed them both! What fun! What a joy! What—"

Intense pain tore through Shane's chest. He descended into a raucous coughing fit, arms and wings spasming. Shane's world went white, the tearing pain so strong he thought he was literally being ripped in half. The light faded quickly, however, revealing Shane was still in the middle of Ultra Space. Only now, Necrozma towered over him. His third eye and chest sigil had gone dark and his arms hung uselessly by his side.

Shane tried to move. However, like in the first vision, he couldn't feel any limbs. He couldn't find his voice either. All he could do was watch as a trembling Necrozma formed a sloppy, asymmetrical Ultra Wormhole and fell into it. To Shane's shock, the portal's pull was so strong that it sucked him up, too. Bright light streamed all around him. Shane tried to express his panic, but couldn't.

Right before his vision faded, however, Shane saw two small, fuzzy, white legs sprout out in front of him.

A weak gasped escaped Shane. He stumbled through the sand, barely able to stop himself from toppling over. Shane stood there, legs spread out and sweat dripping off his fur. His eyes darted around. Every limb trembled, including his tails.

"Shane? Shane, what's wrong?!" Tessa said, aura feelers pulsating wildly. Beside her, Espy and Silvally shrank back, shutting their eyes as their heads throbbed.

Slowly, Shane craned his head skyward, his eyes empty. Then, without warning, he screamed at the top of his lungs. Tessa fell back on her rear, shoving her paws up against her ears. Silvally's eyes flickered erratically. Espy's tail shot between her legs. The distress in Shane's screams had hit them like a Bullet Punch barrage.

His voice gone, Shane collapsed on his side. He curled up into a shivering white ball. His teammates finally got their wits about them and ran to his side, minding the Seaside Shard sitting in the sand. Tessa knelt down beside him. "Talk to us, Shane. Please! Tell us what's wrong!" she cried, nudging him with her right paw. Tessa yanked it back the moment her mark shimmered to life. She stuck it behind her back and switched to rubbing him with her left paw.

"What did you see, Shane?" Espy whispered, standing by his tails.

Silvally lay down his belly so his face was near Shane's. "We want to help, but you've got to say something, even if it's hard," he said.

"I… I… I wasn't Solgaleo. Not this time. I was… Dark Matter." Shane shuddered. "I witnessed its defeat… only to get turned into Necrozma. Then I… saw myself." His voice cracked.

Silvally looked at Tessa in concern. "What do you mean by that?" Tessa asked.

"I didn't fall asleep one night and wake up a Vulpix! I died!" Shane shouted, causing Silvally to scramble to his feet. "Necrozma, he was trying to summon me into this world, but Solgaleo attacked him. He made Necrozma misfire… and I got in a car crash as a result! Then Necrozma pulled me into Ultra Space and vaporized me and Solgaleo with some big-ass rainbow beam!" Hot tears streamed down his face.

"Are you… sure? Maybe this was some sort of nightmare? You said Solgaleo's spirit is inside of you, right?" Espy said, though the squeaking in her voice betrayed her lack of confidence in her thoughts.

"I don't know! None of this makes sense!" Shane tried to bury his head in the sand, but failed. "How am I here? Am I really Shane or am I some sort of freakish impostor with his memories? What's going to happen to me?! I can't go back to the human world. I… I'm a dead 'mon walking, aren't I? I… I… I…"

He was hyperventilating. Silvally funneled psychic energy into his beak. He was ready to lean over and nudge Shane's shoulder, when Shane seized up. Silvally backed off, head crest fanning out in surprise. His eyes widened as rainbow light spilled out of Shane's looplet and raced down his back. Shane violently lurched forward. Silvally leaped over him, knocking a shocked, wide-eyed Tessa to the ground.

The moment they hit the sand, Shane spat out a ball of light. It sailed across the ocean, twinkling the further away it got. Then, without warning, it exploded in a brilliant pillar of golden energy. Espy dropped to the ground, screaming and throwing her forelegs over her face. The light died down, leaving Shane staggering about, mane disheveled and looplet flickering like a dying bulb.

"Shane, that…" Tessa looked out to sea. Her aura feelers curled up. "What was that?"

"I don't know. I wasn't— I didn't mean for that to happen! There was this power that had been stirring inside me since those visions ended… and it forced its way out!" Shane said, wracked with shudders from head to tail. His ears drooped. "What if that attack hit some wild 'mons underwater? Oh, gods, what have I done?"

"That attack…" Espy's voice trailed off as she got to her feet. "There was no typing behind it." Shane and Tessa turned to her, both tensing up. "I couldn't… sense any of the types. It was just sheer energy. Light energy, I guess?" Her gaze darted about frantically. "C… can Solgaleo make light geysers? I mean, he brings sunlight onto the world and that's kinda golden. So, he must be awakening, right?"

Silence fell over the group. Everyone looked down, unsure of what to make of this. The silence persisted for a full minute, before Espy's tail twitched. She looked up at the sky and her eyes bulged out. "Everyone scatter!" she shouted, booking it away from the shoreline. Her teammates looked up, only for their jaws to drop in unison.

"That's Latias… and she's careening toward us!" Tessa cried, aura feelers standing on end. She backpedaled frantically, but got tripped up and fell onto her rear. Shane scrambled away. Silvally held his ground, however. He kicked on his air memories and leaped into the air. His tail oscillated back and forth, producing enough momentum to carry him higher. Silvally snagged Latias in his beak. The nauseating taste of blood nearly made him drop her, but he held tough.

Silvally's head crest fanned out. Wind shot out of his legs. He glided safely back down to the ground and let go of Latias. "This is terrible! Something awful's happened to her," he squawked, cringing at the many patches of missing or bloody feathers. Glass shards from Latias' shattered goggles dug into her neck and underbelly.

"Latias? Latias, you've got to stay with me!" Shane said. He bent down and touched his snout between her wings. A faint orange glow overtook him. Warm sunlight funneled down toward her. It dislodged the broken glass and patched up some of her gashes.

With a pained wheeze, Latias' eyes shot open. She stared up at Team Radiance, wings and paws trembling.

"What happened to you, Latias?" Tessa asked, clasping her paws in worry. Latias' gaze darted about between the foursome. Tears streamed down her face.

"Lugia… infected. Hoopa's… gone. Hourglass… Necrozma…"

Latias lost consciousness. Then a massive tremor erupted across the beach.

Shane learned Psychic and Heat Wave from the first two Dawn Shards. As of publishing date, not a single person called me out on the fact that Solgaleo cannot get Heat Wave legally. For the first part of Shane's vision, Dark Matter's lines are copied verbatim from Super Mystery Dungeon, but I altered Fennekin's dialogue to be more conversational.

SuperOmegaGuest: the fact that the Valentine's special fell right before Necrozma offed Hoopa was a coincidence. I didn't plan for that. To answer your question, that butterfly is what emerged from the cocoon Necrozma had trapped Volcarona in. It was in Mewtwo's bonus chapter, too.

Sebastian: you can't publish fanfiction. This story is far longer than a novel. And there are a myriad of copyright issues involved. I appreciate the thought, though.

Another guest: was the wait worth it? Or did I catch you by surprise? Of course the Kirby influence is strong, here. I blame Super Mystery Dungeon.

Next time: "The beginning... of the end. The end of everything."