We're back! Thank you all for the kind words. Sorry for anyone who got spooked by the April Fools' Day joke. It's time to move toward a proper ending.

Content advisory: chapter has some stronger sexual themes than usual.

The open ocean lay completely still. Waves stood frozen in the midst of travelling toward distant shores. Ripples in the water were more like uneven patches of land. Below the surface, a school of Magikarp sat in suspended animation, their typical wide-eyed, open-mouthed expressions plainly visible for anyone to see.

However, the cluster of chains drifting over the water didn't care about the petrified Pokémon. The creature's reptilian eye lay fixed on a speck of land off in the distance. It was barely visible under the dark sky.

"I kNOw YoU'Re sTiLl tHErE. ThIs tIMe… He WoN'T gET In My WaY. YoU wiLl… sucCUMb… to VoID…"

Void's chains grinded together, producing an uneven voice that fluctuated in pitch. If the water-types under the surface weren't stuck, they likely would have fled. Instead, they could only move their eyes, following Void until it had hovered out of view.

Three of Void's chains tried to pull out of the wing-like formation, only to knot around one another. "FoOl. YoU WoULd sTiLl tRy to DEfY me? AlL oF ThIS iS YoUR fAUlT. NoW, StOP iNTeRfErINg. yOU cAN'T saVE hER. YoU CaN't SaVe AnYOne."

Again, some of Void's chains lurched backward, trying to drag the core away from the distant island. And again, the other chains quickly pulled them back into formation.

"WhAt aN oBNoxIOuS pEST YoU ArE," Void growled, its chains rattling. "YoUR aCtIoNs ArE OnLY wAStINg My TImE. YoU gAVe YOuRsElF uP TO mE. YoU CaN'T taKE tHAt BaCk."

A few more chains tried tugging void backward, only to spasm and fall limp. Void continued floating forward, the limp chains dragging across the ocean's motionless surface.

"OnCe I tAkE HeR LiGHt… I'Ll SiLenCE yOUr lItTle rEBelLiOn FoR gOoD."

Special Episode 4: The Heart of the Matter

Chapter 87: A Glimpse Into the Void

~Celestial Isle~

Nicky lay on his back, one wing draped over his chest and the other three splayed out on the ground. Different colors swirled around at random in his eyes. Light particles trickled off his body. His ethereal limbs and head tendrils pulsated rapidly, yet he wasn't short of breath. Then again, he knew that wasn't a problem he really had to deal with. Nicky supposed it was a perk of having a body made from energy.

The pond beside him rippled. Xerneas stood up, water trailing off her antlers and fur. She leaned her thighs on the edge of the grass and rested her head between them, letting the rest of her body sink just below the surface. "Goodness. Don't tell me that tired you out? I was the one doing all the work." She smirked at Nicky and lazily kicked the water with her hind legs. Xerneas giggled when Nicky went bright red from head to toe.

"Th-That wasn't it at all!" He threw another wing over his face. "I just… can't believe this happened," he mumbled. "How did this I even happen? I didn't—" He paused, blinking. "What did you do?"

"I did plenty," Xerneas said, smirking. "You enjoyed it in the moment. What's the problem?"

"I mean… you did something… to me. And to yourself, too. Y'know, to make it all happen in the first place," Nicky said, rubbing his tendrils with his wings. "You told me… it was impossible for you to mate."

"Mmm. True. Impossible as I was. But I, uh, made a few changes," Xerneas responded, a slight stutter in her words.

"A few changes? That's awfully vague. What do you mean?" Nicky asked.

"It's kinda like how you were made. I, y'know, used ley lines. It was, uh, a bit painful in the moment, but I'm all right. And I'd definitely say it was worth it." Xerneas leaned her head in slightly. "Wouldn't you?"

Nicky's wings rippled. He sat up. "Of course! I had a blast! It's just, uh…" He tapped his upper wing-claws together. "Won't you get in trouble over this? I don't want another immortal to hurt you or anything."

Xerneas tensed her forelegs and pushed herself up out of the water. Nicky again turned red as she approached him, her fur and antlers sparkling. The grass squelched when she sat down beside him. "You're worth it," she whispered, pecking his crystal cheek. "I'm tired of Arceus' 'keep to yourself' policy. It's ass-backwards, if you ask me." She paused, then smirked and added, "And not the fun kind of ass-backwards, either."

"Point taken," Nicky said, curling his tail around her hips. He chuckled when she squeaked in surprise. "Really? You're getting jumpy over that?"

"Aha ha… I guess I still haven't quite calmed down," Xerneas admitted, antler-gems turning red. "I wonder if this is what that 'evolution high' I've heard mortals whisper about is like." She shrugged. "It isn't a big deal, I suppose."

Nicky stiffened. "I think you spoke too soon."

"What do you mean?" Xerneas raised a brow.

"Latios and Zekrom are coming. If they ask, say we went out for a swim," Nicky said, floating into the air. Before Xerneas could respond, Nicky shot into the pond with a splash. It bubbled. Golden light rippled under the surface.

A few seconds later, Zekrom touched down. Her landing was far from graceful, leaving a trail of torn-up grass and two large footprints. "Huh. Guess you were right, Latios," Zekrom said, smirking and crossing her arms.

"Of course I'm right. It's hard not to sense them," Latios said, slowly hovering to Zekrom's side.

"Uh… h-hi! What brings you two out here?" Xerneas asked.

"Well, we wanted a little quality time at our favorite grotto, but…" Zekrom's voice trailed off and she looked at the glowing pond. A knowing grin wove its way onto her face. "I can see you two beat us to the punch."

"Hmm? Oh, no. It's nothing like that. Light and I came here for a swim, that's all. And we're in the middle of, uh…" Xerneas' gaze darted about. "A breath-holding contest! Yes, that's it… a breath-holding contest. As you can see, Light bested me." She laughed nervously.

"C'mon, Xerny, no need to be all coy!" Zekrom said, rushing to Xerneas' side. She threw an arm around Xerneas, who squeaked in surprise.

"X-Xerny?!"

"You and Light have been a thing for a while now. You're adorable together. Of course I wanna hear everything!" Zekrom said, tail turbine whirring excitedly. "I've been waiting for Latios and I to find another couple that actually knows how to have fun!"

"Hey! What about my sister and Zapdos?" Latios huffed.

"Oh, please, Zapdos wouldn't know a good time if it plucked off his tailfeathers," Zekrom said, waving Latios off. "And just because your sister knows a good dirty joke or two doesn't make her my definition of fun."

Latios rolled her eyes. "And how do you suppose these two can regale you with sordid gossip when they can't even m—" Latios cut himself off, eyes wide. His feathers stood on end. "X… Xerneas? How did you—"

Nicky burst out of the water, drenching Latios in the process. "Hey, Latios! Great to see you! You're looking well," he said, wincing when it came out much louder than intended. "Zekrom giving you any trouble since we last saw each other?" He playfully noogied Latios' head.

Latios wriggled his way out of Nicky's grip and shook out his feathers. "Oh my god," he whispered, shaking his head. "I can't believe this. You two… you mated, didn't you!"

"What? Us? Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" Nicky laughed.

"Dude. Come on. You think I can't tell you're lying?" Latios said, shaking his head. "I thought it funny I sensed traces of your auras on each other… but this kooky behavior straight-up confirms it!" He blinked slowly. "How did you two even manage that, huh? Xern's an immortal and you…" He looked at Nicky. "Wouldn't those big ol' spikes of yours get in the way?"

Nicky looked down at his spikes, then went bright-red.

Zekrom stepped away from Xerneas, a curious eyebrow raised. "Is this true, Xerny?" she asked.

Sighing, Xerneas nodded. Zekrom responded with one of her signature hugs, hefting Xerneas up in the process. She squealed. "Z… Zekrom…"

"I knew you had it in you to buck that dumbass rule!" Zekrom cheered, squeezing Xerneas tighter. "I'm so proud of you!"

Nicky and Latios descended on Zekrom. "Let her go, Zek. She's gotta breathe!" Nicky said, before remembering he was psychic and wrenching Zekrom away with telekinesis. He floated over to Xerneas and rubbed her back while she caught her breath.

"I'm fine. That was… an interesting hug," Xerneas wheezed. "I hope I didn't break a rib."

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. It's just… you've come such a long way from chasing me and Latios away from the Tree of Life, screaming bloody murder," Zekrom said, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. "Y'know what… I think this calls for a celebration of sorts!"

Xerneas blinked. "S-Seriously? It's not that big a deal…"

"On the contrary. You're the first immortal to take a mate. That's definitely celebratory in my book!" Zekrom said, her hands on her hips.

Nicky floated in front of Zekrom, a worried look on his face. "Hey, come on. We want to keep this a secret. I don't want the other gods finding out about this," he said. "This is some kinda taboo, isn't it?"

"He's got a point, Zek," Latios said.

"Relax, guys. I wasn't talking about anything big. Just sharing some of the special treat I had Latios bring." Zekrom gestured to her mate. Latios glanced at the satchel around his wing. "And, besides, if any of those other gods give you trouble, we'll stick up for you!" She pounded her chest. "It's about time we stopped being all secretive and stuff. If you ask me, collaborating more will only help us keep the world better protected from any kind of threat!"

"That would be kinda nice, actually," Latios murmured, producing a glass bottle from his bag. "Here you go, Zek."

Zekrom took the bottle with an eager glint in her eye. "Ah, here we are. Made it myself!" She hoisted the bottle high.

Nicky's head tendrils curled up. "I… I don't think that's such a good idea." He folded up his upper wings. "I had a bad experience with that kind of stuff."

"With homemade nanab-pinap juice?" Zekrom asked, blinking incredulously. "I brought it because it's sweet. Tickles your tongue… like a Thunderbolt to the mouth!"

Latios frowned. "Only you could come up with such a violent comparison."

"I think Light is worried that it's hard berry juice. And I, for one, share those concerns. I don't have fondest memories of that kind of drink," Xerneas said, tracing a hoof through the grass.

"Huh? Oh… no, no, no." Zekrom shook her head. "It's not spiked. I save that kind of stuff for the rare occasions. Y'know, like a hatch day." She opened the bottle and held it out toward Nicky and Xerneas. "Here, take a whiff if you don't believe me."

Before Nicky could make a snide remark about his lack of anything resembling a nose, Xerneas leaned over and sniffed the bottle. "I guess you're right. Just wish I had food to go alongside it." Her stomach gurgled its agreement.

"Ha ha! That's how you know they were having fun!" Zekrom chortled, elbowing Latios' wing. He nearly dropped the bag trying to hold back his laughter. Nicky and Xerneas both went red and looked in opposite directions. "All right, all right, I get it. I'll stop with the jokes." She cleared her throat. "In all seriousness, we brought oatmeal cookies."

Latios rolled his eyes. "I brought oatmeal cookies. You thought it was a bright idea to try and bake them with your lightning."

"Details, details." Zekrom dismissed him with a wave. After the group exchanged a few laughs, Latios distributed the surprisingly-large cookies, leaving Nicky wondering how they managed not to crumble apart. They went about eating the treats and then shared the bottle of Zekrom's homemade berry juice.

When things wrapped up, they all laid on their backs in a circle, save for Xerneas, whose horns kept her on her belly. Zekrom got everyone's attention with a long, satisfied sigh. "Y'know, I think, working together, the four of us could make a real difference in the world."

"In what way?" Latios asked.

"By helping make normal Pokémon happier in their everyday lives," Zekrom said, resting her arms underneath her head. "Think about it. We spend our days keeping mostly to ourselves, training while we wait for something potentially dangerous to pop up. That's pretty dumb, if you ask me."

She glanced at Xerneas. "You immortals have a lot more responsibilities, but I feel like Arceus didn't stop to consider your feelings when he made all his dumb, strict rules for you to follow." Zekrom lazily gestured at Nicky. "Look at how happy Light's made you since the two of you met."

"Err, it's nothing, really," Nicky whispered, his body rippling.

"C'mon, man. Don't sell yourself short. Bringing back sunlight and moonlight lifted the spirits of just about everyone!" Zekrom said. "It made us a lot happier. I'm sure it's the case for other gods, too. About the only other big thing I could think of that would win folks over is figuring out a way to bring back Solgaleo and Lunala."

Nicky sat up, blinking. "Y-You mean like… reincarnating them? Isn't that more Ho-Oh's field of expertise? Or even Xern's?" He turned to Xerneas, who tensed up.

"I, uh… just because I'm the guardian of the Tree of Life doesn't mean I can create any life that I wish. Besides, I could never really get a good sense of Solgaleo's and Lunala's spirits," Xerneas said, shrugging. "They never ended up in the Tree of Life after their sacrifice. Quite bizarre."

Zekrom's brow furrowed. "Well, that muddles things up. But it's fine. It's not something you have to do or anything. It was just a suggestion," she said, casually flicking her arm. "There's plenty of other ways we can work together. Like helping Pokémon that get trapped inside those crazy labyrinths the immortals are always trying to keep under control."

"Oh, yeah! Your wormholes would be perfect for that!" Latios agreed, grinning.

"Hmm. You raise a good point. The Lucarios had been the ones helping folks out with that stuff, but now that they're gone, someone ought to step in and fill that role," Xerneas said. She flinched. "Err, well, not that we're saying you have to. You've already done plenty for us, so I don't want to force you to—"

"I don't have a problem with it," Nicky said, lying back on the ground. "I mean, someone would have to bring me a bit more up to speed about these labyrinths, but if you think that's a way I could keep using my powers to help people, I'm totally down."

Xerneas shuffled closer to him and whispered, "But what about your creator?"

"No worries. I got him to back off. Told him I'm worming my way into everyone's good graces so I can gather you all up to be killed in a single attack," Nicky explained. "He totally bought it. I don't have to keep retreating back to Horizon anymore."

The news brought a smile to Xerneas' face. "Maybe if this works, you can turn around and get the other immortals to free you from your creators."

"I'd like that a lot," Nicky said, smiling.

"Well, I'm beat." Zekrom yawned. "Don't feel like flying home, so I'm gonna snooze up here."

"Sounds like a good idea," Xerneas said. She snuggled up to Nicky's side. He subconsciously draped a wing over her. The warmth from his light lulled her to sleep.

Nicky's eyes shot open. He sat up and looked around. Once again, he lay in his old bed from his human life, surrounded by a starry expanse resembling outer space. Nicky looked down and noted his chest spikes and a hump under the covers, which he assumed was his tail.

"What do you want this time?" Nicky sighed. He slouched over in the bed, rolling onto his side and propping his head up against the bed rest.

A few of the distant stars raced closer to Nicky, darkening as they moved. Once they reached him, they coalesced into a large black ball. Familiar rainbow veins split parts of the black slime apart. Two red eyes materialized on the sphere's surface, staring Nicky down. The slime ball rippled and hummed loudly. Its hum grew steadily less distorted as a slender red line traced itself under the creature's eyes.

I see you continue to ignore me.

"Yeah, well, I thought I made it pretty clear I don't care about 'Void's will' or 'returning the world to chaos' or whatever other bullshit you feel like spewing out," Nicky scoffed, rolling over to look away from Void.

You are making a grim mistake, Void warned, floating back into Nicky's line of sight.

"I'm doing what makes me happy," Nicky said, closing his eyes. "Just because we're stuck together like this doesn't mean I have to listen to you or anything."

An invisible force pried Nicky's eyelids open. And, in choosing to ignore me, you are setting yourself up for heartbreak and despair, Void said, his voice growing deeper. Your soul — your human spirit — has burdened you with worthless facets. Emotions, desires, dreams… they are an unnecessary source of pain and suffering.

"Pfbt. Yeah, sure. You're just jealous because my human willpower overpowers your propensity for long, drawn-out speeches," Nicky sneered. "If my human soul was really so worthless, then why am I the one in control and not you, huh?"

Nicky grinned victoriously when Void rippled. The red line under its eyes opened. Slime trickled down onto Nicky's bed.

Your control is nothing more than a shortsighted mistake by your creator, Void said, straining not to let its contempt show through.

"Uh-huh. Yup. Totally not jealous, Mr. I Have No Soul and Choose Not to Feel," Nicky said, a smirk tugging at his crystalline beak. "Like I said, I don't care about whatever it is you have to say. Your days are numbered. Once Xern and my friends help me talk things out with Arceus, Golem will be ancient history… and so will you." He folded his upper wings behind his head. "I'll make Golem get rid of you. Then, I can be happy and get a decent night's sleep."

Again, Void rippled. Its rainbow veins throbbed. Such stupidity. You refuse to listen to reason. Are all you humans this dense?

"No, we're just good at sniffing out bullshit," Nicky countered, his smirk broadening. He enjoyed seeing Void squirm. If he could keep the pressure up, maybe he'd get the demonic entity to back off for the night. "The stuff you've said to me hardly amounts to 'reason.' I'm supposed to destroy the world because it's a mistake? That sounds pretty insane to me."

Void's rainbow veins squirmed about. Its mouth opened wider, until it covered its entire face. From within the red slime, a violet, reptilian iris emerged.

If I cannot sway you with words, then I will show you exactly the kind of world you're so willing to defend!

Before Nicky could offer a retort, bright light swallowed him and his bed whole. When Nicky got back to his senses, he found that he couldn't move at all. He thought about his wings and his tail, but couldn't feel them. It was as if he'd been pulled right out of his body. Nicky tried to adjust his gaze, but it refused to do anything other than look straight ahead.

Nicky took in his surroundings. In contrast to the mundane, starry backdrop Void had put him in, he was floating in the middle of what he could only describe as a level plucked out of a video game— the kind Shane preferred, of course. Blue and purple meshed together at random intervals. Strange, faint, checkerboard portals lay in the distance. Light geysers spewed out of them. Crystalline structures floated past him, seemingly thrown together into random shapes.

Solar flares erupted from a small sun floating off in the distance. Nicky's gaze involuntarily shifted to reveal more suns, all spewing lava geysers and fireballs. A multicolored aurora wrapped around the suns, amplifying their brightness. Whatever force had control of Nicky moved him forward, away from the suns. Nicky could make out faint outlines in the distance. They resembled planets from the many pictures of the solar system that he'd seen in his science classes.

Nicky tried to ask where he was and what was going on, but failed to produce any sort of sound.

Curious, aren't we?

Void's voice echoed in Nicky's mind, even as he continued moving forward against his will. He couldn't make any comments or snide remarks, no matter how hard he tried.

This is Ultra Space, the chaotic labyrinth that separates the countless worlds spanning this reality.

If Nicky had control of his eyes, he'd roll them. What kind of dumb name was Ultra Space, anyway? And why would it connect different worlds? Nicky knew from his time in school that the universe had multiple galaxies drifting farther from one another. But none of this resembled outer space in the slightest.

That's your universe. Your world. Or, rather, it was, before you were pulled away, Void said. Think of it this way. The many worlds of this reality are buildings. Some are large. Some are small. Ultra Space is the grid of roads and highways you travelled on as a human to get from one building to another.

Nicky wanted to frown, but couldn't. By that logic, traversing between worlds should've been so easy that anyone could do it. Why wouldn't humans have figured out how to access Ultra Space, then?

Oh, they have, Void said. Nicky tried to let any frustrated thoughts bubble up over Void reading his mind. Just not the humans from your world.

The strange sights of Ultra Space continued to pass Nicky by. His gaze drifted right. It fell upon a large, mirror-like crystal slab floating in place. Nicky caught his reflection, but was unable to properly express his shock.

He wasn't a gleaming light dragon anymore. Instead, he saw a large, black torso littered with strange glyphs and tattoos. Instead of a face, Nicky saw a black, heart-shaped mask, surrounded by a plume of black feathers. Nicky figured the two, tiny holes in the mask were his eyes. He struggled to even come up with a thought about what he was looking at.

That's me you're looking at, boy. Well, what I used to be part of, anyway, Void said. It gave a flap of its giant wings, revealing hexagonal crystals in place of feathers. Nicky caught a glimpse of a trail of heart-shaped gems flowing off the base of Void's body, connected by a chain.

Void continued flying through Ultra Space, dragging Nicky along unwillingly. Long ago, I had destroyed every world across this reality, it said. An Ultra Wormhole opened up near it, venting white light. Void paid it little mind. I had amassed an unfathomable amount of energy. So much energy, I couldn't keep it contained.

The concept sounded familiar to Nicky. It again brought his science classes to mind. He faintly recalled some boring teacher talking about intense energy concentrated at a single point.

All that pent-up energy kickstarted a chain reaction. The bulk of my power burst forth from me. And the result is what you see in front of you: Ultra Space. Void continued.

It finally clicked for Nicky. If Void was telling the truth, it created a big bang of sorts. Still, even with that in mind, Nicky didn't understand how a bunch of worlds could sprout up and be sealed off from each other.

Look around you. As I said, Ultra Space is the product of my chain reaction. It is chaotic. Wisps of energy are free to move about and collide at random, Void explained. As if on cue, two Ultra Wormholes opened up. A half-dozen creatures that looked like tied up electric cords floated from one portal to another. Void flew past them all. Some collisions turned into singularities. And from those singularities arose worlds… undoing all of my painstaking work.

Worse, the chain reaction had cost me a tremendous amount of energy. It had left me so empty inside. I had a gnawing, obsessive hunger, Void growled. A strong desire to take back what I had lost. So, I tried to destroy whatever worlds I could. But worlds were forming up faster than I could destroy them. It flapped its wings harder. Nicky could tell it was moving faster.

Something shimmered in front of Nicky and Void. Golden light pulsated and rippled. Four golden hooves and a yellow wheel protruded from the ball of light. Then, countless numbers of ethereal arms sprouted up. Nicky counted ten, then twenty, and then hundreds. The blue and purple hues of Ultra Space distorted around each of the arms.

While I was going about my work, I encountered someone… quite strange. He radiated with a power… I hadn't felt before, Void said. I simply had to destroy him.

Nicky recognized the wheel. It had to belong to Arceus. But given what Void had told him about multiple worlds, he strongly doubted it was the Arceus of his world. Especially since it had spawned in the middle of Ultra Space, for no real reason.

Void stopped. Its gaze fixed on Arceus, whose body was hidden behind a veil of golden light. Despite this, a soft, gentle, male voice emanated from Arceus. "Who are you? Do you know where we are?" Arceus' arms moved about as if they were animal muzzles sniffing the air. "And… do you know what I am?"

Instead of answering, Void wailed. Its uneven, fluctuating pitch rattled Nicky. He saw a few flashes of light, then watched as arrows shrouded in fire and ice sailed toward Arceus. Some of Arceus' arms immediately reacted. Silver vortexes intercepted the arrows and disintegrated them.

"Hey! What was that for? I just asked a question," Arceus said, a worried edge to his voice.

Multiple circular runes appeared in front of Nicky. Blue energy beams threatened to vaporize Arceus, only to be swallowed up by Arceus' arms. Void wailed again. It flew closer to Arceus, with Nicky along for the ride.

"Get away from me!" Arceus yelped. Several of his hands reacted, slinging energy balls or racing forward to halt Void's progress. Given Void's size, Nicky knew it stood no chance of dodging, but he was startled when it made no attempt at countering. Every blast and spectral hand bounced off Void. The hands returned to a startled Arceus.

More arrows flew in from the edges of Nicky's vision. Arceus effortlessly swatted them aside, but then a large, crystalline blade swung in from below. With a startled gasp, Arceus directed as many arms as he could toward the blade. They pushed back, halting its process.

Then they buckled.

A few arms lost their golden glow. Right at the moment Void's blade shattered, the distressed arms evaporated in wisps of silver light. Arceus shrank back. His pained cries echoed throughout Ultra Space. Small shapes spilled out on either side of him, barely visible against his golden glow.

When Void moved closer to strike again, Nicky got a better look. They weren't just shapes, they were Unown. Sure, Nicky considered them useless, but their movie was one of the first ones he remembered going to— with Shane, of course.

Nicky tried to figure out why Void was showing him this. Clearly, he was missing something, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out what it was. Nicky struggled trying to come up with a way to make the vision end. All the while, Arceus turned and fled, golden light trailing behind him as he ran across empty Ultra Space.

Don't bother resisting. Just pay attention. It will all make sense soon enough, Void promised. It pursued Arceus, but he was much faster. And Arceus' arms continued making mincemeat of Void's arrows. Void tried hurtling strange, distorted energy balls in seemingly random directions, only to have them abruptly change course and try to intercept. Arceus deflected the first few using some of his arms, only for the arms to explode in bursts of Unown.

"Stop hurting me!" Arceus roared. His arms pulsated with light. Golden lasers exploded out all around him, shredding through the rest of Void's energy balls. Some beams even struck Void, but it gave no indication that it was hurt. Arceus increased his speed. Nicky could faintly see the outline of Arceus' head swiveling about in a panic, looking for any sort of escape from this nightmare.

A fresh wave of confusion rolled over Nicky. Arceus was supposed to be all powerful, wasn't he? Why couldn't he just wipe Void out of existence? Nicky knew Arceus had seemingly appeared from nothingness, but the way he was acting made Nicky think he didn't have any idea how to actually use his powers.

Void's wails sent Nicky's train of thought screeching to an abrupt halt. His focus snapped back to Arceus, whose ethereal arms rippled and lashed at the air around him. More golden beams — Judgment, if Nicky had to guess — lit up the area. Void snuffed some of them out with giant, spear-shaped energy blasts. The rest plinked harmlessly off Void's body. Some even struck below Void's face and deflected into the deep, blue abyss, filling Nicky with a sense of dread.

Then a spark of light drew Nicky's and Void's collective attention to their right. An Ultra Wormhole had opened up beside Arceus. He raced into the portal without a second thought. The arms trailing behind him distorted the space around the portal. Nicky figured it was Arceus' best attempt at walling the portal off from Void.

But with a single flap of its wings, Void dispelled the traps, furthering Nicky's belief that Arceus had no idea what he was doing.

The portal drew closer. Soon, white light replaced the deep blues and purples of Ultra Space. Nicky wished he had a mouth so he could shout in surprise as an intense force grabbed Void and shuttled him through a tunnel with a strobing checkerboard pattern all around it.

Then, the portal abruptly ended. Nicky found himself back in a more familiar version of outer space, with distant star clusters and auroras. But he got little opportunity to take in the view, as Void looked directly at Arceus.

"Why are you following me? I don't know who you are! I don't even know what I am! Please… stop this!" Arceus said, voice growing more frantic.

Void summoned its crystal blade in a swirl of shadows. It swiped at Arceus, who hastily backpedaled to dodge. Void wouldn't be deterred, however. It slashed again. And again. And again. Every swipe left trails of distortion behind. Each miss brought the fighting titans closer to the planet below them. It was in the corner of Nicky's vision, but he spotted clouds, water, islands, and the tip of what could've been a continent.

"No… make it stop… make it stop…"

Nicky could see Arceus' head shaking. His arms swelled up, looking ready to burst apart like overinflated balloons. Void didn't care. It somehow hurled the blade toward Arceus' face.

"Make it stop!"

Golden energy erupted from Arceus' arms. Each beam turned into a meteor as it rained down on Nicky and Void from above. The vast majority missed, instead hurtling down toward the nearby planet. But a couple of dozen hit Void and, unlike Arceus' previous Judgments, managed to knock Void around.

It spun around in midair. With each dizzying turn, Nicky caught a glimpse of what Arceus' meteors had done. Fissures split the planet open. Magma shot out from its core. The islands he had spotted earlier crumbled away into nothingness. The puffy clouds disappeared.

Nicky didn't know what to think. Surely, that was just an empty planet… right?

Oh no. What you're seeing… is the world you currently reside in. The one you're so keen on protecting, Void declared. At one time, it was a world where humans and Pokémon coexisted peacefully. Until Arceus, who had stumbled on the planet by sheer accident, wiped everything out in one frantic attack… because he didn't know any better.

Survival instincts and raw, primal fear led him to cause a calamity. This is the god you want to cooperate with, you foolish boy.

Nicky refused to believe it. This had to be some sort of elaborate illusion. If he and Void shared a body, then it stood to reason Void was just tapping into their collective powers to mess with his head. That had to be the answer.

Typical human… twisting the situation around so that the narrative suits your fancy, Void taunted. I will prove this is the undeniable truth.

Void's form screeched its anger and flapped its wings. It drew even with Arceus, who immediately fired off more meteors and beams of light at a frantic pace. Bright lights flashed all around Nicky. A large, black and red laser cut through Arceus' attacks. With a panicked garble that sounded like a mix between a roar and a whinny, Arceus drifted closer to the burning, fragmenting planet.

"Stop it… stop hurting me!" Arceus snarled, gathering energy for another attack. Void was quicker on the draw this time, however. Nicky spotted a silhouette— no, two crown-shaped silhouettes in the periphery of his vision. Each one fired a laser. They combined into a giant beam.

Arceus tried to dodge, but the laser severed numerous arms. Unown streamed out, drifting down toward the surface. Nicky lost them amidst the flames and sulfur choking the planet's atmosphere. But his attention forcibly zeroed in on Arceus. Light flashed all around Nicky. Then, without warning, countless dark, thorny chains descended on a startled Arceus. They shredded hundreds of his arms. Arceus screeched in agony.

Some of the chains managed to pierce Arceus' golden aura. Others whizzed past him, descending on the destroyed planet below. Arceus struggled against the chains. As he did, Nicky noticed the decaying remnants of Arceus' destroyed arms wriggling about in space. Some of the parts made contact with one another and connect.

Void looked up, taking Nicky's vision with it. All around Arceus, bright, pulsating masses had formed from the remnants of his arms. They twisted and turned, taking on familiar shapes that Nicky recognized even before the glowing had faded.

Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.

Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit.

Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza.

Ho-Oh.

Each Legendary Pokémon emerged from the tangled mess of destroyed arms. Void swiveled about in confusion. Nicky, on the other hand, became even more convinced this was all fake. Arceus had to intentionally create other gods, didn't he? So, the appearance of all these immortals made no sense to Nicky.

He expected Void to chime in and berate him, but that didn't happen. Instead, the arms that Arceus had left all pointed at Void. The newly-made Pokémon nodded. Their eyes glowed in unison.

A cacophony of bright lights and distorted sounds assaulted Void and, by extension, Nicky. He couldn't sense anything, but Void's pained wails painted a clear enough picture for him.

Then, as quickly as the onslaught arrived, it faded. Nicky found himself falling. Arceus and the other immortals steadily grew farther away, but what was stranger was that Void was still floating up there, backing toward a newly-formed Ultra Wormhole. Nicky didn't get to see Void vanish, however, before ash and sulfur filled his vision. Things grew steadily darker. He saw flames crackling in his periphery, which soon gave way to jagged edges of the planet's crust.

Nicky fell deeper and deeper, until glowing, molten rock surrounded him. Magma bubbled up. Wisps of purple energy darted in front of him. Even worse, the black chains that had sliced through Arceus' arms were inside the fissure with him, darting about, wrapping around chunks of debris and globs of magma.

As the smoke billows on the surface disappeared behind a wall of chains, all Nicky could think about was a nagging sense of familiarity. Why did being surrounded by magma, strange purple wisps, and chains make him feel this way?

Because this is the foundation that we were melded together with.

The boiling scene dissolved all around Nicky. He was back in his bed, his crystalline legs dangling over its edge. Nicky looked down into a starry abyss, then up at the familiar ball of black slime that was Void.

"Guess we're back in the present… or something," Nicky muttered, rubbing his head with a wing. "Yeah, so, I don't really know what the point of that glorified acid trip was, but it didn't convince me of anything."

Interesting. You're getting better at lying. But you won't fool me, Void said, a thin, red smile appearing beneath its beady, red eyes. You thought the planet's core was familiar to you. Because it is. Our creator used alchemy to make us. Alchemy is the manipulation of ley lines. And the chains you saw in that vision… those are ley lines. Plucked straight out of the planet's core.

Nicky's gut squirmed. "I still don't believe you," he said, though his earlier bravado had faltered.

Void drifted back, its eyes merging together, then splitting apart. Everything I showed you is the truth. This world is an accident… the result of Arceus not understanding his own powers. And these gods that you are befriending are mistakes that should never have existed in the first place, it growled. Arceus built up this world on a foundation of lies. Lies born from the fragments of my original form.

"Is that so? Well, we both saw plenty of other gods poof into existence in that dream or flashback or whatever. So, if they were all around, why have none of them called Arceus out on his lies?" Nicky asked, eyeing Void skeptically.

Because they have no memories of the event, Void replied. You saw it for yourself. Some of Arceus' arms were still intact. They controlled the immortals… like a human child playing with puppets. But Arceus has since lost those powers, so he is forced to rely on threats and deceit to keep the truth hidden.

It sounded plausible to Nicky. He had seen Arceus directing the other immortals. "Okay, fine." Nicky tried to cross his wings like they were arms. "So, maybe you're right. What does it matter? You can't change what happened. And I'm not going to destroy an entire world of perfectly happy people just to please you!"

Please me? Void's veins ripples. Its eyes grew and shrank. It seems your listening skills are getting worse. I've made it abundantly clear that this is necessary destruction. This world shouldn't exist, so we must erase it. There's no joy, sadness, anger, or anything in between.

"Well, your listening skills must be getting worse, too. Because I made it abundantly clear that you're full of BS," Nicky countered, crossing one leg over the other and huffing up a cloud of dragonfire.

Such a stinging rebuttal. I've truly seen the error of my ways, Void said, the distortion in its voice masking its sarcasm. It drifted lazily around Nicky's floating bed, its eyes and mouth spinning around one another. You've truly adapted to this world, haven't you? You're becoming just as childish and petulant as the gods that don't deserve to exist in the first place.

Nicky snorted. "No. I'm just sick of your attempts at controlling me. God, you're worse than my dad was." He stretched his upper wings and yawned obnoxiously loud. "Y'know, it's a real shame you can't feel anything. Because, if you ask me, you need to get laid. Stat." Nicky smirked. "Lucky for you, there's a real simple way to do that. Stop trying to control me and maybe you'll get to enjoy the next ride."

Void's eyes shrank away. Its mouth opened wide, covering up the front of its spherical form, then promptly shrank. Your lust for that overgrown, pointy-headed pixie has blinded you, it accused. Are you even listening to yourself? Are these not the same crude jokes uttered by the human students you detested so much?

Red and orange pooled in Nicky's face and eyes. "W-What? Of course not!"

You've seen for yourself how naïve these gods are. Arceus is not some omnipotent force for good. He never intended to create so many gods and, in a blind panic, he instilled a hierarchy and put himself at the top, Void said, its veins throbbing. You've heard the stories and seen the behaviors for yourself. These gods are no better than your peers from school.

"But that can change. Latios, Zekrom, Xern… they all want to change things. And I do, too," Nicky said. "I have a life here… of sorts. I'm not going to throw it away. I'm going to try to make it better."

This world is fatally flawed. No matter how hard you try to fix it, you can't, Void said. Every hole you patch up will simply open three new ones.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you for your garbage opinion," Nicky growled, head tendrils bristling. He looked around. Why couldn't he end this god-awful nightmare?

It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Void rippled. Bits of ooze struck the side of Nicky's bed. I am surprised that you're so willing to make the same fatal mistakes you made with your last life.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nicky asked.

Void's thin smile appeared. This world is as unsalvageable as Shane was. His mouth opened wide and Nicky found himself staring into a familiar, pasty, freckle-filled face.

"A world… is much different… than a single idiot," Nicky said through a clenched beak.

True. And yet, whether it's an object, an institution, or even a life, when humans determine something is unsalvageable, they discard it and replace it with something else, Void retorted. How is this any different? This world is beyond saving. Therefore, do away with it. And, perhaps, in time, something better will replace it.

Nicky rose from the bed, glowing orange. Light ripples ran down his body. "So, what, now you're saying I should destroy this world and replace it with something better?" Red and orange expanded in his eyes. "Well, you can go ahead and shove it!" Nicky gathered blue, crackling energy in his mouth. "You rant about things being unfixable, yet here you are pulling me into nightmare after nightmare to 'fix' me. You're a hypocrite! And I've heard enough!"

He shot his Dragon Pulse right at Void. It split in half, slime dribbling into the abyss. The serpentine energy beam sailed right through it. Void reconnected and floated away from Nicky.

A poor decision. One that you will undoubtedly regret, it said, before disappearing into the darkness.

Groaning, Nicky lay down on the bed. Everything went white.

Nicky awoke with a startled gasp. Upon realizing it was still dark out, he sucked in a breath and concentrated, dimming his body as much as possible. He lay still, wondering if he had woken anyone up. The closest he got to an answer was Xerneas' snout brushing up against his lowest spike as she shifted her position.

He tilted his head and saw that, over the course of the night, Xerneas had somehow come to rest between his legs, with her head nestled up against his crystalline belly. Nicky fought hard to stop bright-red light from spilling out over his body. He thanked his lucky stars Latios and Zekrom were still asleep. Zekrom would have never let him hear the end of this.

Nicky considered repositioning Xerneas, but opted not to. Instead, he tilted his head to the right and tried to fall back asleep. But all he could think about was this latest nightmare. He really hoped his last statement had gotten through to Void. Nicky was so tired of dealing with it. He took a deep breath, reassuring himself that, soon enough, Void wouldn't be a problem.

Still, Void's statements weighed heavily on Nicky. Was the creation of this world truly an accident? Had an entire civilization been wiped out by mistake? Just what was Arceus' deal? Of all the gods, Arceus was the only one Nicky hadn't yet spoken with. And yet, his friends wanted to take him tomorrow to talk. How could he go to Arceus and pitch all these ideas with all these questions in his mind?

Frowning, Nicky applied the gentlest telekinetic force he could muster. He set Xerneas' head on the grass, and slowly slid away from her until he was able to float in the air. Then, without looking back, Nicky flew off into the night.

He had to get answers. And he had to do it without devastating his friends.

~The Sea of Wonders~

Rayquaza could've left his orbit in mere seconds if he chose to, but this wasn't a situation that called for charging headfirst into battle. He needed to know exactly what was happening and all he could tell from his usual flying altitude was that the flow of time had ceased and a vortex had formed somewhere over the Sea of Wonders. Rayquaza could put two and two together enough to realize Temporal Tower was in danger and likely at the center of the vortex. But he didn't know what awaited him there.

He stopped once he could see the paralyzed ocean. Rayquaza needed some sort of plan. Should he go for broke and charge into the vortex, Dragon Ascent blazing? Or should he stay at a distance and fire warning shots to see what sort of response he got? Much as he didn't want to admit it, he would feel better about this if he had someone else around to back him up. But there had been no sign whatsoever of Deoxys and he wasn't go to fly around the world searching for other gods.

Xerneas lived in the Sea of Wonders, but Rayquaza couldn't risk pulling her away from the Tree of Life. Plus, she was weak-willed. Hardly a fitting partner for him to fight alongside in this scenario. Rayquaza balled his tiny fingers into fists and lashed at the air with his tail. He was overthinking this. Clearly, the vortex had to be stopped. If he used his strongest attacks first, he could catch his enemies by complete surprise.

Rayquaza was so deep in thought that he failed to notice a tiny, orange, luminescent butterfly drifting toward him. He only realized something was wrong when the butterfly landed on his snout, right between his eyes.

"What the heck is this?" he snarled, going cross-eyed.

The butterfly flashed orange. Rayquaza's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, ready to scream, but instead disappeared in a stream of emerald fire.

When the last few embers vanished into thin air, the butterfly glided down toward the planet's surface, emerald light trailing off her wings.

In case it wasn't clear, the scenes in the present day are taking place at the same time Team Radiance is recovering at the guild.

Dovah Bear: thanks. I'm not really sure what my work schedule will be like going forward, so things will be tough.

Anon Omega: I had bad endings for this fic planned, actually. Hence Hoopa's comments at the end. I'm hoping I can handle updates every two to three weeks, but I can't make any promises. And, yes, the Chocobo mention was because of the new Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon game.

SuperOmegaGuest: I don't think you're alone. Not by a long shot.

Another guest: I've never heard of Lovers of Aether. Sorry. Glad you enjoyed the joke, though!

Unstoppable8000: thanks. But my concern is my work schedule will devolve into a point where I can't actually afford to write this, anymore. And I'd hate to leave people hanging.

Leonix644: yeah, sorry for the scare! We're back to normal, now. Hopefully this chapter's starting to answer some of your questions.

Next time: trying to reason with the unreasonable!