I got a couple of questions about this, so for those curious, yes, I based Metagross' emera-merging powers off of All-For-One from My Hero Academia. You can give yourself two Shane points if you caught that.

Chapter 85: A Captivating Song of Ice and Fire

Tessa backpedaled, expecting Shane to follow suit. He stayed frozen in place. Serperior whirled around, ready to lop his head off. Silvally leaped in front of Shane. His water memories activated. He parried Serperior's tail-blade with glowing blue talons. She hopped back, hissing.

"Oh, I am so not doing this routine again," she said. Her helmet's fiery mohawk bristled. Serperior launched large fireballs into the air. "Yo, Millie! You're up!" she called. Milotic hopped back, having failed to slash Espy with her tail-axe. She shot bursts of ice and water at the fireballs, turning them into smooth, onyx orbs floating in midair.

Serperior launched her vines at the nearest orb and grabbed hold. Rainbow light shimmered across Milotic's back. Liquid tendrils sprouted from her scales. Like Serperior, she grabbed an orb and pulled herself onto it. Espy launched a purple Shadow Ball toward Milotic, but she batted it aside with her tail-axe. It struck the wall of glitchy back cubes and disappeared. Tail crinkling, Espy recalled the electrified barrier she had set up back in Aurora Vale.

"I'm not letting you saps gang up on me again. I've got competent help this time around," Milotic said. She used a blue tendril to drop to the ground. Water jets spurted from her back, launching her across the sand. Milotic dragged her tail-axe behind her, leaving a wall of ice. Espy and Tessa barely skirted out of the way, only for Seprerior to swipe the air with her tail-blade, launching fireballs in an arc at them.

Silvally slammed the ground with his talons. Tiny waterfalls snuffed out the fire. Silvally turned to Shane, who still stood there with a stunned expression on his face. "Shane, snap out of it!" Silvally said, water sloshing in his cheek-bolts.

"No, by all means, keep being the useless dead weight we all know you are!" Serperior cackled. She coiled up and sprang off her orb while Milotic pulled herself onto it. Igneous rock solidified around Serperior's tail, turning it into a giant lance. She slammed into the ground, kicking up a wave of magma.

Espy and Tessa skirted it. Silvally headbutted Shane out of the way. Milotic whipped her tail forward. Her tail-axe disconnected and grew in size. An icy current blew it in Silvally's direction. He skidded to a halt before he reached the edge of Zero's distorted dome. Silvally whirled around, eyes widening at the approaching axe. He spouted a Flamethrower, but it wasn't enough to melt the axe.

An Aura Sphere struck it and exploded. The axe rebounded upward, sparing a relieved Silvally. Milotic rapped her circular perch with her tail and her axe returned. Silvally returned Tessa's save by sending a wave of water at Serperior. She caught it out of the corner of her eye and sprang up into the air like a fiery pogo-stick. Espy and Tessa made a mad dash toward Silvally, but were swept up by the molten ring Serperior's tail created when she landed. They tumbled to a stop by Silvally.

He hopped in front of them, shooting electricity upward from his cheek bolts. However, it wasn't enough to stop spear-shaped icicles from pelting him from above. Silvally staggered backward. Black, sticky splotches spread across his pelt. Tessa shoved an oran berry into Silvally's beak and marched over to Shane.

"Get a hold of yourself," she said, flicking the tip of Shane's snout. He stiffened, belting out a whimper. "Look, I'm upset about the Dawn Hourglass, too. Furious, even. But right now, we have to focus on the problem directly in front of us… and not the one that slipped right out from under us." She pointed her paw behind her, where Espy was using her psychic powers to bolster the intensity of Silvally's lightning and force Milotic back toward Serperior.

"B-But… it's my fault," Shane whispered, ears drooping. "Seraph's right. I used an attack I knew nothing about… like a total dumbass! I ruined all our hard work—"

"Maybe you did," Tessa said, brow furrowed. Shane cringed. "Doesn't change the fact that we're stuck until we can do something about these two." She stuck her paw out toward Shane. "After everything we've been through, are you really about to up and quit on us like this?"

Shane shook his head. "N-No. It's just—"

Tessa turned around. "Fight now. Talk later," she said. Silvally and Espy added electricity and a Shadow Ball to Tessa's newly-forged Aura Sphere. However, a molten rock spire swallowed the combo before it reached Milotic.

"We've gotta draw them apart. Espy, you come with me. Shane, Tessa, deal with Milotic," Silvally said. Espy nodded and hopped onto Silvally's back. He sprinted through the sand, weaving through the magma spires Serperior summoned from the earth.

"Back me up, Shane," Tessa said. She charged Milotic down, fists crackling with electricity.

"H-Huh? Hey, wait!" Shane barked, running after her. He considered trying to use the golden light ball again, but realized the cramped fighting quarters made it far too likely he'd blow up his own teammates by mistake. Instead, he settled for wavy Psychic beams.

"Nice try, amateurs." Milotic grabbed a floating orb with two tendrils and pulled herself up, dodging Tessa's Thunder Punch. "No amount of evolving will make you two any less predictable," she scoffed. Milotic raised her tail, summoning three ice shards. She smacked them toward the ground with her tail-axe. Shane's Ice Beam couldn't destroy them. One struck Tessa, leaving a deep gash in her shoulder. The other two hit the ground in front of Shane, leaving spiked patches of ice.

"Tessa! H-Hang on!" Shane cried. He tried sidestepping the ice, but more ice shards struck him from above. Shane staggered back. His blood spattered against the gray sand. Milotic leaped from her perch, somersaulting in midair. A rainbow water veil surrounded her. Shane dove to the ground. Thin white ribbons fell from the tips of his tails. Shane blasted Milotic in the back with bright-white light. Her tendrils shriveled in the face of his Dazzling Gleam.

Shane scrambled to Tessa's side, wincing from the cuts along his chest. "Hold on. I can help," he said, pressing a paw to Tessa's shoulder. She yelped in pain, but then warm orange light surrounded her shoulder. The gash closed. Tessa passed an oran berry and an elixir to Shane. He gulped them down, then spun around to face Milotic.

Her liquid tendrils had regrown. She spun around in mid-charge. Her long eyebrows formed a veil of rainbow water around her. Shane and Tessa backed away from each other, but both ran out of running room. The edges of Milotic's water bubble clipped them. Tessa shrank toward the ground, hissing and wringing out her paws. Shane tolerated the cold better, but his paws still stung. He tried to blast Milotic with pink orbs, but her bubble redirected them toward Tessa.

She was forced to toss the Aura Sphere she'd gathered to save her hide. Milotic dispelled her veil. She leaped into the air and used a tendril to pull herself onto one of the orbs. Milotic gathered water and ice inside her mouth.

Shane lumbered toward Tessa. "Hey. Think you can sock her if I launch you upward?"

"Huh? Uh, I guess so," Tessa said, surprised Shane actually asked her instead of enacting his plan. She crouched into a fighting stance. Shane drew on his psychic powers. Tessa sailed through the air, charging her paws up with plasma.

Too focused on gathering rime, Milotic wasn't prepared for Tessa to pop up in front of her and sock her in the mouth. Squealing in pain, Milotic choked on her attack. She slipped off the orb. Heat Wave winds caught her mid-fall. The hot air knocked Milotic into the glitchy cube wall. She bounced off it and fell to her belly.

Milotic didn't have enough time to get her bearings before Tessa crashed into her from above, driving an electrified fist into her throat. Tessa winced. "I'm sorry, Milotic, but this is for your own good," she said, wrapping her arms around Milotic's slender frame. With a loud grunt, Tessa threw Milotic over her shoulder. Milotic skipped across the sand, where Shane had a Psychic orb barrage at the ready.

Her frozen helmet splintered, as did her tail-axe. "All right! I think it's working. Now, we've just got to—"

Tessa's aura feelers shot up. "Shane, get down!" she screamed, lunging for her partner. They hit the ground moments before a Flamethrower grazed their backsides. A scorched Espy tumbled to a stop behind them, groaning and coughing up a mouthful of smoke.

"Ungh. I wanna… switch targets," Espy whined.

Shane scrambled over to Espy, saying, "Watch my back, please." Tessa hopped to her feet, charging an Aura Sphere to keep Milotic on the defensive. Behind her, Espy waved Shane off, using her own Morning Sun to heal her injuries.

"Guys, hurry up!" Tessa said, hurling her blue fireball at Milotic. She froze it solid with an Ice Beam and batted it aside with one of her large eyebrows. Milotic spun around, tail bristling with ice. An icicle wave raced toward Team Radiance. Orange wind and liquid metal blew holes in the icicles, leaving Shane and Tessa openings to safely jump through.

Espy backpedaled, only to skid to a halt as a flaming geyser erupted in front of her. A gust of wind snuffed the fire out. Espy crept toward Silvally, who was hopping around to dodge swipes of Serperior's tail-blade. "You are such an obnoxious bastard," she growled. Serperior coiled up and sprang into the air. She pulled herself onto the nearest orb with her vines. Silvally spun around, firing Air Slash crescents from the tip of his head crest.

Serperior readied a Flamethrower to negate Silvally's attack, but an ectoplasmic ball struck her from behind. She dug her vines into the orb to hold her ground against the Air Slash barrage. Before Espy could regroup with Silvally, Serperior dropped from her perch. She used her vines to swing around, spewing fire from her mouth and her tail-blade. Yowling, Espy hopped back. Her desperate Psybeam petered out against Serperior's flames.

Silvally reared up, conjuring a wave of water. Serperior pulled herself onto the nearest orb with a smirk. "Aww, what's the matter? Losing that spring in your step? I swear, you were faster back at Mount Supernova. Maybe you need to let one off. You seem like you've got a lot of pent-up tension," she giggled. Silvally's fire memories momentarily shifted on. Serperior's laughs grew louder. "I'm onto something, aren't I? Ah well. Doesn't matter much, now!" She hopped into the air and formed her tail into a fiery lance once again.

Espy unleashed another Shadow Ball. To her horror, however, Serperior tilted in midair, then spewed a Flamethrower to propel herself in Espy's direction. Serperior split the Shadow Ball in half. Espy got tripped up scrambling backwards. While she avoided Serperior's lance, she was hit by the ensuing ring of fire. Espy rolled across the sand, trying to snuff out her burning fur.

"Fitting look for you," Serperior jeered, hopping into the air again. She didn't get the chance to strike Espy from above, however, because Silvally plowed into her from behind. They fell to the ground. Silvally pinned Serperior with his larger frame. He raised water-coated talons, only to miss as Serperior dug herself into the sand. Silvally looked around, growling.

The sand destabilized around him. Silvally's eyes widened. A lava geyser erupted beneath him. Silvally sailed skyward, howling in pain and flailing his limbs about. He hit a floating sphere. Serperior emerged from the ground, ready to skewer Silvally. Thinking quickly, Espy drew on her psychic powers. Instead of hitting Serperior, however, she yanked Silvally back. A flaming rock spire jutted out of the ground seconds later.

Refusing to be denied, Serperior hardened her tail-blade into a molten hammer. She struck the spire, flinging molten rock shards at Espy and Silvally. Espy dropped Silvally and fired pink rings forward. Silvally stomped the ground. Waterfalls rained down around him, combining with Espy's Psychic to destroy the shards.

Serperior took advantage of her foes' preoccupation, however. She plunged her tail-blade into the sand and funneled flames down underground. Fissures spread through the ground. Giant, flaming, thorn-covered vines emerged.

"Get on!" Silvally barked, turning his back to Espy. A rime blast streamed in from behind Espy, however. The ice and water mixture caught Espy and flung her into one of Serperior's vines. Espy smacked against the cube wall on her right and fell to the ground, legs twitching unresponsively and blood seeping from her burnt, soggy fur.

"Espy!" Shane hollered, sprawled on his belly to avoid Milotic's rime. Tessa tried Thunder Punching through the attack. She wound up pulling her frozen paws back and banging them together to break the ice.

"Stay back! You're gonna get caught up in the vines," Silvally said, Air Slash blades flying out of his head crest. They managed to nick some of the thorns from Serperior's vines, but more vines sprouted up in response. "Nnngh… there's too many of them!" Silvally hollered, watching them close in on Espy.

"I told you… you weren't going to get the better of me this time," Serperior cackled. She slammed two of her vines in Silvally's direction. He jumped back. Milotic spewed another rime torrent, striking Silvally's rear. She froze his hind legs to the ground. Silvally shifted to his fire memories. He heated up his torso, but knew the ice wasn't melting quick enough.

"Nice try!" Milotic shouted, another rime attack charged. Tessa threw an Aura Sphere toward her, forcing her to hop back.

"Someone help Espeon!" Tessa cried, charging another Aura Sphere. She was pretty sure a Reviver Seed would kick in, but Espy was completely surrounded by vines.

"Ha! It's too little, too late. Say goodbye to your slutty feline friend," Serperior said, rearing her vines back.

"No! Get away from her!" Shane barked. He sprang to his feet, orange light spilling from his looplet. Shane landed atop a large iceberg, tucking his head in to avoid bonking the ceiling.

Serperior's eyes narrowed. "Oh, not this garbage again." She launched her vines toward Shane, but they were met by an ice vortex three times her size. Despite Serperior pumping as much fire as she could into her vines, Shane's ice storm prevailed, slicing the vines to ribbons. Enough lingering ice remained to batter Serperior and force her away from Espy. She pulled her tail out of the ground and slumped over, dazed. Shane hopped off the iceberg as it melted. He scrambled toward Espy, though his lungs burned and his legs begged for a rest. Shane nudged her side with his snout, funneling warm energy to a burnt patch on her belly. The Morning Sun restored some of her pelt. Her burns faded. Espy shakily got to her feet.

"Th… thanks for the save," Espy said, face flushing.

"Don't thank me yet. We've still got to take care of these two," Shane said.

"On your left, Shane!" Tessa shouted. He looked over his shoulder. Shane's eyes widened and he backed up. A flailing Milotic sailed by him. She careened into Serperior. The two ended up in a coiled heap.

"T-Tessa? Cripes, that's some throwing arm you've got." Shane whistled.

Tessa ignored the compliment and charged the serpents down, plasma swirling around her paws. "Try to torch my friends, will you? I'm done trying to pull punches!" she barked. Silvally launched electricity from his cheek-bolts at the serpents. Serperior summoned a rock spire to deflect it. Tessa veered right and lunged for Milotic. She wasn't fast enough on the draw to stop Tessa from clocking her in the horn.

Milotic fell back into Serperior. She yowled in surprise. "G-Get up, Millie!" she said, trying to dig her way underground. Ice struck the ground underneath her, putting her a stop to her actions. Serperior's helmet cracked and its fiery mohawk died down. "N-Nrrgh. This can't be… happening." She shakily looked up at Tessa. "You're just a meek… pup. You can't take us down. You're a nobody!"

"Maybe I was, yeah. But I've changed a lot. I've got teammates who believe in me, now. And together, we're going to turn you back to normal!" Tessa said, Aura Sphere at the ready.

"Like hell I'm letting you beat me!" Serperior snarled. She smacked Milotic aside and sprang up. Serperior spun around. Tessa backed off from the growing fire tornado. To her dismay, Serperior's tornado deflected her Aura Sphere. Silvally leaped up to dodge it, but was torched by fire jets from the tornado. He felt to the ground, smoke rising off his singed feathers.

Milotic slithered about in a panic. "E-Easy, Millie! I'm still here! Watch where you're— augh!" A fireball to the face silenced her pleas. Milotic fell back against the edge of the dome. Her vision grew fuzzy.

Tessa spotted Milotic's condition, but couldn't get past Serperior's fiery vortex. "Guys, we've got a problem!" she cried, sucking in her gut to dodge a fire jet from the tornado.

"Besides the giant spinning top of fiery doom?" Shane said, staying the furthest back of anyone on the team.

"If we don't hurry and do something, Milotic…" Tessa shook her head. "She's going to have her spirit sucked away like all the others we couldn't save!"

"No, she won't. Because I'm taking you losers down!" Serperior declared. The tornado grew in size. Fire streamed out in all directions. Silvally summoned a waterfall, but it evaporated in the face of multiple Flamethrowers. He roared in pain, barely able to stay on his feet.

Hearing his friend's agonized cries, Shane threw all caution aside. Drawing deep from his spirit's core, he called up the golden energy he'd used on Metagross. "Everyone, get back!" Shane shouted, before hurtling a golden light ball into the tornado.

"Ha! Like that's going to do any—" Serperior started, only to shriek in terror when the golden sphere burst through her tornado. It abruptly collapsed, replaced by a light geyser. A golden glow spilled out far enough to hit Milotic. Serperior struck the wall and landed atop her teammate.

Seeing her opening, Tessa ran for the serpents, encased by an orange aura. Lightning gathered around her paws. It formed into a large, diamond-shaped bolt. "Both of you… snap out of it!" Tessa hurled the lightning bolt at them like it was a giant lance. Milotic's eyes fluttered open just in time to see the electricity barreling toward her. A crackling explosion swallowed up her scream. Tessa threw her arm up over her face to shield her eyes, then dropped to her knees when the light died down. Her breath came in ragged gasps.

"H-How are they?" she asked.

Silvally took a step forward, only for jets of fire to split the ground in front of him. He hopped back. Silvally summoned a wave of water to snuff the flames out. Serperior shot out of the ground, flames swirling around her tail-blade.

"I'm not finished yet!" Serperior hissed. However, two sets of Psychic rings struck her. Serperior fell back, wriggling about on the ground.

"Now's your chance, Espy!" Shane said, eyes brimming with pink energy.

"Got it," Espy said, Z-Move already charged. A pink aura burst off her body. It zipped toward Serperior. The very air around Serperior seemed to splinter. Pink explosions buffeted Serperior, blinding Team Radiance in the process. It took a few seconds for the lingering psychic energy to die down.

"Urk. I swear… it'll be a miracle if I can still see straight after all this nonsense," Shane grumbled, standing up and shaking his head. His gaze fell on Milotic first, who lay coiled up by the edge of the dome. As Shane approached, he heard muffled sobs. "M-Milotic?" Shane whispered, crouching down. "Are you, um, okay?"

Milotic shrank back, holding up her tailfins defensively. Relief flooded Shane's system as he concluded Milotic was back to normal. "It's… it's okay, Milotic. I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "You need any help?"

"W-Why? Why did you… help me?" Milotic sniffled. "The things I said to you… the things I did to you. I—" She shuddered.

"It wasn't your fault, Milotic," Tessa said, kneeling down beside her guild mate. "That wasn't you. That was N—" She cut herself off, remembering Zero's claims before she disappeared. "It was my mom's doing." She clenched her fist. "And we're going to stop her. I don't know how, but we will."

"B-But Airy… sh-she's still…" Milotic's voice trailed off and she shuddered.

"We can handle her," Shane said, nodding. "We'll free her, just like we freed you and Serperior."

"Uh, guys?" Espy cut in. "About that…" She gestured behind her. "Serperior's gone."

Milotic stuck her head up. "G-Gone? What do you mean? You caught her with your Z-Move, didn't you?"

"I sure thought so, but she's not here," Espy said, brow furrowed.

Tessa's aura feelers stuck up. "Y-You don't think she's dead, do you?!"

"What? No! I wouldn't— that wasn't what I was going for at all," Espy said.

Before anyone could say anything else, the walls and dome edges flashed red, then vanished before Team Radiance's eyes.

"On your right, Blaziken!" Luxeira barked, ducking out of the way of Feraligatr's black, crystalline fangs. She spewed a purple Dark Pulse from her mouth, striking Feraligatr's throat. He didn't flinch. Instead, he shrouded himself in a torrent of water and slammed into Luxeira.

Across from her, Blaziken met Infernape's fiery, gem-incrusted fist with a flaming leg. They exchanged three more blows before Blaziken backed off, trying to regain his balance.

"Get back, buddy," Swampert said, punching a fist into the ground. Tremors raced toward Infernape. However, he hopped up at the last second, then drove his fist into the central fissure. Flames shot through it. The fissures halted. Instead, a circular shockwave of brimstone and crystal spread across the ground. "Eep! You gotta be kidding!" Swampert cried, turning to run.

A lightning chain popped in, surrounded Swampert, and shot into the air. Seraph popped out from the plasma, cradling Swampert in her arms as best she could despite the size difference. The shockwave passed harmlessly beneath them. "Consider yourself lucky. Usually, I'd ask for chocolate and flowers in return for sweeping someone off their feet," Seraph scoffed as they dropped back to the ground.

Swampert blinked. "I… can't tell if you're being serious or not." He shook his head. "Besides, shouldn't you be helping out your partner?"

"Hmm?" Seraph turned around. Luxeira was sprinting away from a giant cone of water threatening to spear her from behind. "For pity's sake. I zapped that idiot from point-blank range and he bounced back like it was nothing? Nrrrgh…" She clenched her fists and punched the ground. Plasma pillars shot up into Feraligatr's path. They vaporized his water cone. Feraligatr skidded to a halt and locked eyes with Seraph.

"Oh crap," she squeaked, then lightning-dashed toward Luxeira. Feraligatr raised his hands. Water swirled around them, forming what looked like a pair of boat steering wheels. Luxeira abruptly cancelled out her lightning-dash her eyes widening. "What the he—"

Feraligatr tossed the projectiles like a pair of liquified frisbees. Seraph zipped skyward to dodge one, but Luxeira wasn't as quick on the uptake. Feraligatr's arms flashed blue. Two new water wheels appeared beside him. He hurled them at Luxeira, who lay curled up in a giant puddle of water crackling with dark energy.

"Luxeira! Get up!" Seraph cried. She lightning-dashed toward her teammate without a second thought. Before the dash even finished, Seraph lashed out at the air with her Plasma Fists. The water wheels disappeared in harmless streams of mist. Seraph staggered back, wringing out her paws. Though she hadn't taken a direct hit, lingering shadows left Seraph with a pins-and-needles sensation in her limbs.

"D-Damn it. Are his attacks corrupted somehow?" Seraph whispered. She glanced at Luxeira and silently swore. Feraligatr had knocked the wind out of her. Seraph turned to Feraligatr. "Hey! What's the big idea, you numbskull? I heard you're supposed to be one of the good guys or something! Come on… I know you can hear me! Cut this shit out, already!"

Feraligatr silently raised his hands, summoning two more wheels.

"Listen to me, you bonehead! Have you even stopped to think about what'll happen if we don't win? You're going to disappear along with everyone else!" Seraph shouted. "You can't possibly want that!"

"Perish," a heavily-distorted voice said, though Feraligatr's mouth didn't move. He mashed the two water wheels into one and slammed the fusion to the ground. It spun around, generating a massive water tornado.

Yowling, Seraph dug her claws into the sand. However, they offered little traction to keep her in place. The gale-force winds sucked Luxeira toward them. She bumped into Seraph. The two careened toward the center of the vortex. Feraligatr's red eyes flashed. He flexed his digits. His crystal claws detached, shot into the air, and surrounded the tornado.

Seraph looked in horror at the oncoming spike barrage. She twisted herself around and, shouting at the top of her lungs, fired as much lightning as she could muster from her fists into the vortex. Feraligatr gazed silently at the now-electrified tornado. Seraph continued shooting lightning into it, even as she and Luxeira drew closer. Her bolts grew weaker. The blue color in the electric streaks on her fur was fading fast. Feraligatr's disembodied claws were nearly upon them.

She couldn't just let things end here. Even if no one was really counting on her to do anything, Seraph had already put this much effort into the battle. She wasn't going to let it all go to waste. In pure desperation, Seraph used the last of her stamina to focus on the Naturia Looplet around her arm. The gem flickered, then bathed Seraph in orange light. With a startled holler, Seraph fired one last lightning bolt into the tornado. It was easily three times her size.

A spark bristled within the vortex. There was a blue flash, then the tornado collapsed in an eruption of water and plasma. Feraligatr careened into the edge of the dome, but conveyed no sense of pain or surprise at the turn of events. The explosion blew Luxeira and Seraph in the opposite direction. They came to a stop near the wall of cubes.

"W-What just happened?" Luxeira squeaked, staggering to her feet. "Seraph, was that you? I can't believe it. You actually did that Z-Move thing. That was incredible!" She glanced down at Seraph, who lay flat on her belly, completely unresponsive. "Seraph? Seraph!" Luxeira put her forepaws on Seraph's back and shook her. "Wake up! C'mon, you're okay. You're okay!"

"Unnggh…"

Seraph's left eye opened. She spat out a tiny bit of sand. "I didn't… think you cared…"

Relief flooded across Luxeira's face. "We're in this together, remember? For better or worse," she said.

"… heh. Guess you really are… a fast learner," Seraph said. She tried to roll over onto her back, only to groan and clutch her belly.

"You're hurt! But I don't have anything I can heal you up with," Luxeira said, her tail drooping.

"I'm tapped. Couldn't even… make a little static… if I tried," Seraph wheezed. "Did I at least… take out… that dopey 'gatr?"

Luxeira turned around, only to recoil in horror. Feraligatr was charging right toward her, a liquified harpoon jutting out from each forearm to skewer her with. Luxeira dug deep and spat up a purple Dark Pulse. However, Feraligatr's red eyes flashed. A gem cluster appeared in front of him, absorbing the blow. Luxeira threw herself on top of Seraph, praying she could serve as enough of a meat shield to keep Seraph alive.

She braced herself for an intense stabbing pain. Several seconds went by, however, and nothing happened. Luxeira slowly cracked an eye open. She heard crystals cracking in the distance and stood up. A few feet in front of her, Mega Swampert had destroyed Feraligatr's harpoons, taking some of the prism armor from his forearms with them.

"S-Swampert?" Luxeira gasped. "You're—"

He punched the ground. Tectonic plates knocked a stunned Feraligatr into the air. Swampert leaped up and punched him in the jaw. He shot into the dome wall and bounced back. More tectonic plates rose up from the ground. They knocked Feraligatr into the ceiling. Feraligatr plummeted to the ground, where he landed in a small crater. Cracks splintered throughout his Prism Armor, until it finally shattered and dissolved in several swirls of black mist.

Luxeira tensed up, expecting to watch Feraligatr's spirit drain away. Much to her surprise, however, no colors drained off his body. She blinked slowly. "Wait… but you didn't beat him with a Z-Move!" she said.

"Yeah, I know. But Magearna told Blaziken and I she was pretty confident that Mega Evolution would do the job, too… provided the 'mon who uses it knows how to control it, of course," Swampert said. He turned to Luxeira with a goofy grin on his face. "Good thing I dropped in at the right time, huh? No need to thank me, it's part of the job."

"Hey, Swampert? Remember me, your best buddy?" Mega Blaziken shouted, dropping to his belly to dodge three separate Flamethrowers from Infernape's hands and gaping maw. "I could really use some help over here!"

Swampert winced. "Aha ha… right. Better save the celebrating for later," he said, laughing nervously. "Oh, wait. You two take these. It looks like you need them." He set a pair of elixirs and oran berries by Luxeira and Seraph. "Well, I'm off. Wish me luck." Swampert saluted the girls, then charged toward Blaziken and Infernape.

"Coming in hot, buddy!" he shouted, leaping up and pounding the ground with his fins. A waterfall picked Infernape up and carried him away from Blaziken. Swampert closed the remaining distance, then stopped to catch his breath. "Or, rather, coming in cold, if you want to get technical." He grinned cheekily.

"Why'd you go running off on me?" Blaziken asked.

"Sorry about that. Had to go in and save the day at the last second. Y'know, the usual hero stuff." Swampert puffed out his chest.

"Yeah, well, now that we're sure we can break whatever curse Tessa's batshit crazy mom put on these guys, I don't have to pull my punches anymore," Blaziken said, clenching a fiery fist. "You know what that means?"

"Oh! Oh! Is it time for the Brave Bird Special?" Swampert said, hopping up and down and clapping excitedly.

Blaziken winked. "You know me too well, pal." He crouched low to the ground. "All right, one battle-ending finishing move coming—"

A giant fire column erupted from across the battlefield. It generated heat so intense, even Blaziken had to throw up an arm.

"W-What just happened?" Swampert said, blinking to readjust his vision. Across from him, Infernape stood at the ready, crystalline fists clenched. Red and black vapors trailed off his body. His head flame had grown to the point where it was twice as big as him.

Blaziken's eyes widened in realization. "We triggered Blaze." He kicked up sand. "Dang it, he's still got that even though he's corrupted?"

"That's cheating!" Swampert huffed, puffing up his cheeks.

"Disappear."

Infernape raised his fiery fists and repeatedly banged them into the ground while hopping about like he was throwing a tantrum. Hotspots flared up all across the ground, even by Luxeira and Seraph. With a startled gasp, Blaziken hefted Swampert into the air.

"H-Hey! What are you doing? Put me do— owoo!"

Blaziken sprinted across the sand, carrying Mega Swampert above his head. Behind him, flaming geysers burst forth from the sand. Infernape continued his tantrum, covering more and more of the ground in fire. The fire quickly gave way to molten lava.

"Swampert, help the girls… again!" Blaziken shouted. He hurled Swampert toward them. Acting on instinct, Swampert landed, tossed Luxeira and Seraph onto his back, and rose into the air on a waterfall to snuff out the lava geysers around him. Cool molten rock crusted over the sand, allowing Swampert and the girls to land safely.

"Boy, talk about a bad case of déjà vu, huh?" Swampert said. "We simply must stop meeting like this."

"… tch. And you were chastising me for my earlier comments," Seraph said, glancing at Luxeira with a knowing smirk.

"It's not my fault you're all crazy! Who looks at a near-death experience and tries to laugh it off with a cheesy joke? This isn't like those silly kid shows that were on holovision back home," Luxeira said, shaking her head.

"Eh, it's a coping mechanism," Swampert said, shrugging. He turned around, wondering if he'd have to fend off any more attacks. To his relief, Blaziken had managed to weave through the fading geysers, with Feraligatr draped over his back. He dropped Feraligatr to the ground, then drove a fiery leg into Infernape's side, only to be met by a large gauntlet of molten rock. Infernape staggered Blaziken, then drove his other arm around. Blaziken barely ducked the swipe. He channeled wind energy and headbutted Infernape in the chest. He staggered backward, silent even as his prism armor splintered.

"Come on, Infernape, cut it out. You don't have to do this. Don't let that crazy lady worm her way into your head. She's trying to undo everything you fought for!" Blaziken said. He hopped back to dodge swipes of Infernape's giant rock gauntlets. Blaziken sighed. "Or we can do it the hard way, I guess." He shook his head. "I'm getting too old for this nonsense."

"Submit."

Infernape punched the ground. A shockwave of molten rock spires raced out. It hurtled Blaziken across the sand.

"You leave my pal alone!" Swampert shouted. Infernape dashed out of the way of a Waterfall from below. He reared up for another shockwave strike, but lightning zapped him from above. Infernape hunched over, lingering static crackling around his Prism Armor. Swampert stepped to his right. A Dark Pulse whizzed by, catching Infernape in between his eyes.

Swampert backed away from Infernape, who had fixed his emotionless gaze on Luxeira and Seraph. Blaziken ran up to him. "It's now or never, pal," he said.

"Right." Swampert nodded. He grabbed hold of Blaziken in one of his giant arms. "One Brave Bird Special, coming up!" Swampert hurled Blaziken forward like he was a living javelin. Air encased Blaziken, forming the shape of a glowing, golden bird. Infernape had just enough time to turn around before Blaziken hammered into him. His prism armor shattered. The blow knocked him all the way across the sand. He rolled to a stop by the edge of the dome.

Blaziken and Swampert ended their Mega Evolutions. Both dropped to the ground, struggling to catch their breath. "Oof. Been a while since we've had to do that," Blaziken said, clutching his chest.

"I guess this means… we made it?" Luxeira said, blinking slowly.

"Yeah, except we're still trapped inside this stupid forcefield," Seraph said, shaking a fist at the air.

As soon as she finished speaking, however, the dividing wall in front of them disappeared in a flicker of light. Then, the dome vanished along with it. Seraph stared wide-eyed at her fist.

"I, uh… I meant to do that."

Zoroark stumbled. He faceplanted into the sand. Lightning passed right over him. Gallian jumped in front of him defensively. Psycho Cut blades flittered out of his horn. The prism armor-coated Haxorus ran toward them. Her gem-like claws turned blue and grew in size. She sliced the pink crescents into a fine mist.

Hakamo-o tried to snipe her from behind with his Dragon Breath, but gem-encrusted weeds popped out of the sand and wrapped around his leg. He fell to the ground, taking a mouthful of sand as punishment. He could feel the rumble from Haxorus' weighty footsteps. Hakamo-o sprang to his feet, only to be met by giant, blue, glowing claws. Hakamo-o careened into the wall. He slumped onto the ground, groaning and clutching his forehead scales.

"This isn't working," Zoroark growled.

"You think I don't see that?" Gallian hissed. They fired dual Dark Pulses that coalesced into one large, purple beam. Raichu stood tall. She raised up her paws. A red orb formed in each one. She smushed the orbs together, then threw the result forward. It split the giant Dark Pulse apart. Gallian and Zoroark had to break in opposite directions.

"It's no good! We're hopelessly outmuscled," Gallian said, his forehead scythe flashing purple.

"Hey! Help! Don't leave me here with this crazy broad!" Hakamo-o shouted, his tail getting nicked by a swipe from Haxorus' crystalline tusks.

"Expire."

Haxorus' red eyes flashed. Her tusks glowed. The ground trembled under the trios' feet. A Haxorus-shaped crystal axe spurted forth from underneath Hakamo-o. It erupted in a burst of crackling blue energy. Hakamo-o yowled. He ricocheted off the dome and ended up with his head buried in the sand. It muffled his whimpers.

Neither Gallian nor Zoroark could come to his aid. More axes burst forth from the ground, leading to more blue explosions that kept the two on their heels. Through it all, Raichu launched bright-yellow Thunderbolts around. Zoroark had no way to see one coming. His anguished howl echoed across the battlefield. Gallian abruptly turned around and sprinted in the direction of Zoroark's cries.

He found Zoroark lying in the sand, his chest fur smoldering. "Z-Zoroark? Hang in there!" Gallian bit his lower lip. All of the healing items were with Team Radiance, so Gallian couldn't properly summon them. If they got knocked out, then that would be it for them. "Come on. You gotta get up." He nudged Zoroark, then looked over his shoulder.

The dust had settled from the explosions. Underneath her armored face, Raichu's cheek sacs sparked. Gallian's heart leaped up in his throat. "Sorry about this," he whispered. Gallian bucked Zoroark to his right, then dove toward him. A Thunderbolt went right past him. Gallian jumped back to his feet and fired a purple Dark Pulse. However, Haxorus jumped in and once again sliced through the attack with her buffed-up Dragon Claws.

"No. This isn't working. Nothing's working. They're too in sync," Gallian said. His heart was in his throat. He felt like he was suffocating. Gallian shook his head. His disaster sense was telling him death awaited, but he couldn't accept that. Not when he had people worth fighting for.

A weak stream of dragonfire trailed in from Haxorus' left. She spun around and glared at Hakamo-o. He had managed to get back up, but between the jagged gashes in his scales and his uneasy swaying from side to side, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Hey! What are you doing? Get back! You're in no state to fight," Gallian said, shooting Psycho Cut blades toward both opponents. Haxorus sliced as many apart as she could. Raichu took care of the rest with some tiny bursts of electricity.

"Well, if I… give up here… then I'm completely screwed, aren't I?" Hakamo-o panted. He sucked in a breath, hoping to spew more dragonfire, but Raichu pivoted. Two lightning bolts raced out from her cheek sacs. They struck Hakamo-o's face. He collapsed on his back, completely still.

Haxorus, meanwhile, turned around and slammed her black, glowing tail into the ground. Crystal stalactites shot up from the ground. Gallian bit down on Zoroark's mane and sprinted away, dragging Zoroark through the sand. He didn't get far before tripping, however. Gallian rolled back to his feet, glancing at Zoroark. To his relief, Zoroark was back on his feet. Like Hakamo-o, though, he looked worse for wear.

"Gallian, I don't…" Zoroark winced an put a paw on his wounded chest. "I'm not sure I can keep this up."

"I'm not either, but we don't have a choice," Gallian said, voice cracking. His horn flickered. He looked up. Thunderhead clouds formed overhead. He stole a glance at Raichu, whose red eyes had turned bright blue. "Move!" Gallian cried, diving toward Zoroark and headbutting him. Blue lightning rained down from the clouds, kicking up large amounts of sand where Gallian and Zoroark had stood.

Haxorus slammed the ground with her tail yet again. This time, curved stalactites rose from the ground in a circle around Gallian and Zoroark. Gallian's eyes widened. The rock shards were going to spear them, like a set of oversized dragon fangs. Gallian bucked Zoroark with his horn, then lunged after him. They barely managed to squeeze through the stalactites before they slammed together and exploded in a blue burst.

Any sense of relief proved fleeting, however. Raichu unleashed another blue lightning storm. This time she fried both Gallian and Zoroark. Gallian dropped to the ground, howling in agony. Zoroark was knocked to his belly. He lay unmoving a foot away from Gallian.

"Z-Zoroark?" Gallian turned to his left. Zoroark's smoldering pelt made Gallian's heart rate practically doubled. "Zoroark! Hang on, I—"

Haxorus broadsided Gallian's horn with her tusk. The force of the blow knocked Gallian further away from Zoroark. Haxorus turned and stomped toward Zoroark, extending her crystal claws. Raichu's cheek sacs turned blue, as did her eyes.

"N-No… not Zoroark. Not again," Gallian squeaked. He tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn't respond. His scythe flickered pink, but only produced a few tiny sparks. Gallian teared up. He was going to lose Zoroark. He had failed to make up for all his stupid mistakes. Gallian glanced at his looplet. Even if he could muster up the strength for a Z-Move, Haxorus and Raichu were a fair distance from each other. He'd only be able to hit one. The other could still finish them off.

He closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.

"Gallian!"

His eyes shot open. Zoroark was awake. He had managed to roll onto his back. "D-Don't give up. Use the… Z-Move. You have… to try," Zoroark wheezed. "Do it… for me. Do it… for Tessa. That's what… she did for you, remember?"

Gallian blinked tears out of his eyes. Haxorus was bearing down on Zoroark. She raised her claws up to strike.

"No… get away from him," Gallian said, not noticing the orange and blue light spilling out from his looplet. A second wind struck him. Gallian bolted to his feet. He sprinted toward Zoroark, his strides growing larger with each bound. Gallian easily skirted the giant blue lightning storm Raichu summoned to vaporize him.

"Get away!" Gallian roared. An orange aura surrounded him, only to turn into bright-pink light. Haxorus paused and looked over her shoulder. The pink blur struck her face. Her tusks shattered. A cloud of pink fairy dust filled the area. Zoroark's eyes widened. With a wince, he rolled away, keeping an eye trained on Raichu in case she tried any funny business.

"Gallian? Are you… okay?" Zoroark grunted, trying but failing to get to his feet. Haxorus then shot out of the pink cloud. She slammed into Raichu. The two tumbled back. Zoroark looked up. Gallian stood protectively in front of him, a wing-link cluster of fur protruding from the large white tuft around his neck. He had extra fur tufts on each leg to complement his longer claws and tail.

"I don't know. There's something… something primal stirring inside of me. Telling me to maul everyone down, including you," Gallian said, his eyes squeezed shut. "But I won't." He looked back at Zoroark. "You stay there. It's time I really started making up for being such an idiot."

If Zoroark hadn't been so tired, his jaw would've dropped. Instead, he nodded slowly. Gallian nodded back, then charged his opponents down. He let loose a Psycho Cut barrage from his glowing horn. Haxorus stood up just in time to take the crescent swarm's full force. She staggered back, prism armor chipping with each blow. Gallian kept his charge up. Fairy energy enshrouded him.

Still lying on the ground, Raichu tried tripping Gallian up with a prismatic Grass Knot. He sensed her ploy coming, though. Gallian lunged for Haxorus. She activated her Dragon Claws to counter, but Gallian struck them. A cloud of pink fairy energy shattered Haxorus' claws. She stumbled back, landing on her rear.

"Nobody lays a claw on my mate and gets away with it!" Gallian thundered, before spearing Haxorus with his shadowy-black claws. A single spiderweb crack appeared on her chest. It spread throughout her armored body. The armor broke and disappeared in streams of black mist. Haxorus eyes rolled back in her head. She fell onto her back, unconscious.

Gallian bounced upward, dodging Raichu's retaliatory Thunderbolt. He piledrove Raichu from above. Gallian grabbed Raichu's tail in his mouth. He spun her around, then hurled her into the edge of the dome. She bounced off, where she was met by three Psycho Cut blades. They knocked her back into the dome. Gallian engaged in a makeshift tennis match against the dome, until his Psycho Cuts stripped away the last of Raichu's prism armor. He caught Raichu on her back and lowered her beside Haxorus.

"Th… thank the gods. We survived," Gallian panted. Before he could think about how to properly undo his Mega Evolution, the dome and its dividing walls faded out of existence. Gallian blinked and looked around in confusion.

"Gallian!"

Tessa sprinted toward him, eyes widened in horror. Behind her, Espy made a mad dash toward Hakamo-o, while Shane and Silvally headed for Zoroark. Despite their similar heights, Tessa grabbed Gallian by the shoulders and hoisted him up. He barked in surprise.

"Oh, gods, this is your Mega Evolution, isn't it? Are you okay? You've gotta snap out of it before you lose control!" Tessa said, glancing at Team Paradise. To her surprise, both had all their color intact.

"H-Hey! Put me down, Tessa!" Gallian kicked at the air with his lower limbs. "Yes, it's me. I'm fine… I think."

Tessa let go. Gallian fell onto his rump with a yowl. "S-Sorry. I, uh, saw you and got whipped up into a panic," she said, fidgeting nervously with her scarf. "After what happened this morning, I—"

A pained howl echoed through the beach. Tessa's aura feelers crinkled. Gallian turned to his left. His eyes bugged out. "Zoroark!" he cried, sprinting forward before Tessa could grab him.

"Don't you dare take another step, worm!"

Gallian skidded to a halt. Shane and Silvally had initially blocked his view, but now he could clearly see the bulk of Zoroark's mane lying in the sand, burning away. Serperior stood in front of him, coiled around Zoroark with her tail-blade pressing against his throat.

"You get off of him!" Gallian snarled, his eyes and scythe flashing.

"Ha… ha ha… aha ha ha ha! You're not… in a position… to be demanding anything," Serperior spat, blood trickling from her mouth. "Take another step… and it's curtains for your boy toy, here."

"What do you think you're doing? You lost! Now, give up," Silvally growled, pawing angrily at the ground as his cheek-bolts spun about.

"Give up? Aha ha ha! Not a chance! I want to be here… to see the looks on all your pathetic faces when you realize… how hopeless your situation is!" Serperior said, her voice growing more distorted and unhinged. "So, you're gonna let me… slither away… or I'll take this idiot's… ugly ass out… right here and now."

She tightened herself around Zoroark. He gasped in pain. Zoroark tried to grab Serperior, but couldn't move his arms.

"No, stop it! Let go of him!" Gallian cried, bearing his fangs at Serperior.

"Then… stay back. All of you… stay back," she wheezed, slowly inching away from everyone using part of her lower body.

"Serpy, stop!"

Despite her wounds, Milotic managed to slither forward. "Please, let him go. You don't want to do this. I know you don't," she said, tearing up. "I didn't want to do any of this, either. I tried to resist, but their control was too strong."

Serperior tensed up. She narrowed her eyes at Milotic.

"Look at you. You're badly hurt. Surely, their control over you is faltering. You have to fight it, Serpy! I'm begging you," Milotic said, pressing her tail fins to her chest. "You… you're my friend! And we have to save Airy, together!"

Serperior bowed her head. The cracked remains of her helmet fell off. "M-Millie," she whispered, slowly loosening her grip on Zoroark. Relief flashed across everyone's faces, but then Serperior coiled up even tighter around Zoroark. A rainbow glow overtook her eyes and the fiery markings on her body.

"DiD YoU REaLlY ThiNK yoU wErE GoINg to GEt a HApPy enDinG?"

An orange, luminescent glow radiated from inside Serperior. Gallian's eyes widened. "No! Zoroark!" he cried. Gallian sprinted forward, shrouding himself in fairy energy. Serperior's glowing grew brighter. Gallian lunged for Serperior. He reached her just as she turned bright-white.

Serperior flashed a wicked smirk, before bursting apart and swallowing Gallian and Zoroark up in a blazing vortex.

Frigid Drop of Water, Ultra Milotic
"Devourer of Light, hear our plea!
Consume our world, from the sky to the seas!
Devour of Light, endure your trial!
So that all this suffering will be worthwhile!"

Sizzling Blade of Grass, Ultra Serperior
"Devourer of Light, we sing to you!
Let the void be born anew!
Anger boils! Sadness grows!
Rid us of such burdens with a single blow!"

Corrupted Time Saviors, Ultra Team Poképals
"Devourer of Light, hear our plea!
Guide us to the end! To serenity!
Put to rest our troubled minds!
Leave nothing but Ultra Space behind!"

Corrupted Beacons of Hope, Ultra Team Paradise
"Devourer of Light, let chaos reign!
May all tremble before your dusky mane!
Devour of Light, unite the core!
Reclaim your beauty with a triumphant roar!"

Why, yes, this chapter title did spoof George R.R. Martin, even though I've never read any of his stuff. The boss descriptions are yet another spoof of Kirby material, because, hey, this is a fan fic and I want to have fun with my own piece, doggone it. Now, I'm going to answer reviews and run away from all the people I likely upset with this cliffhanger.

SuperOmegaGuest: you were correct. Z-Moves did indeed work. And so did Mega Evolution!

Anon Omega: hey, you're not stealing my fic notes, are you?

Sebastian: hopefully this was an even bigger DANG.

WatermelonShark: you'll have to wait and see how things pan out with Zero. That's all I can tell you.

Another guest: much like with Primarina, the Shards translated Lycanroc's thoughts into power, spawning a portal. And you have my thanks for your endeavors. I think I sent you a message there, but no idea if it worked.

Next time: the aftermath of this whirlwind of events.