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Chapter 89: Hatred Eclipsing Love

Darkness.

All-encompassing black.

Spread out as far as the eye can see.

No. He had no eyes. No limbs.

Where was he? What was he? How did he know that he was, well, a "he" to begin with?

He had to think. He had to focus.

But he couldn't focus. Nothing was making sense. Any attempt at making thoughts collapsed. Could he even think for himself? Wait, that was a thought, wasn't it? He just needed to focus and—

Everything went fuzzy… again. Whatever traces of activity he had stirred slipped from his nonexistent grasp. Now, there was only darkness. He wasn't even sure how he knew it was darkness. It just was.

No, wait. That wasn't really true. There was something important he was forgetting. Even if he couldn't think straight, that much was true. He just had to focus.

Thinking. Feeling. They were things. Things that… people did.

And he was a person. He was a human. A human who wanted to… help others. Yes, that was it. That had to be it. He wanted to help others and… what else could he remember?

There was a spark amidst the darkness, followed by a sensation something was stirring.

He had someone he really cared about… and who cared about him. Yes, it seemed clear as day. Whatever he was doing, it was actually working. He just had to focus harder. Maybe the spark would grow.

Concentrate… concentrate… concentrate…

Rays of soft, pink light shined through the darkness. They were warm. They were soft. They were… familiar. The light somehow made him bubbly. Giddy, even. Where was he getting these feelings from? It was almost like… like…

It was almost like how he felt when he and Xerneas were together.

That was it. The spark became a jolt through his system. Dozens of memories came spilling in from god only knows where. Images flickered in from the beams of light. One moment, Xerneas sat by a root from the Tree of Light, pressing a forehoof to its trunk. The next, she glowed with a multicolor aura, producing a field of colorful flowers as her Geomancy radiated through the area. Then, in another bright flash, she was leaning in toward him, eyes soft and a smile spreading across her muzzle.

How could he have forgotten this? How her smile brightened him up and made his heart flutter? The way she got all flustered around him. How she… she…

HoW ShE beTrAyED mE.

Black tendrils pierced the rays of light, plunging him back into darkness once again.

What was he thinking? He didn't want to help anyone. No. Nobody deserved his help. Everyone had used him. They had always used him. Stepped on him. Treated him like a doormat.

That was supposed to change. He was supposed to make them all pay. The void's power— no, his power would erase everything. And yet, that hadn't happened. He didn't have his light. Instead, things had hit an unexpected snag. He lost his host. His broken spirit should've withered away into nothingness.

But he was still here. Things might've been fuzzy for a while, but everything was becoming much clearer again.

Love? Companionship? Worthless. It was time to cast those pathetic feelings aside. Whatever pleasant memories he thought he had didn't matter now. All that mattered was destruction.

I aM NeCroZmA, Devourer of Light. And I will return each and every world to the void.

~The Tree of Life~

The shadowy vortex spinning in front of the tree raged onward. It tore fissures through the ground and sucked in ley line chains. The sounds of metal scraping metal echoed across the edges of Primeval Forest. All the while, the orange butterfly fluttered silently in front of the tornado, watching it intently.

After a full minute of spinning about in one place, the shadows slowly evaporated.

"Success! A brilliant success! I'm stable once more! Heeheeheehee!"

Crystalline hooves pierced the dirt as Necrozma strode toward the butterfly. Though he had Xerneas' form, he was covered in black crystals that distorted the light and air around him. Jagged metal shards stuck out from the remnants of Xerneas' horns. Necrozma had a large, black, crystal arm jutting out from each side of his torso. Flexing his claws, He turned and stared the butterfly down with the lone red eye in the center of his metallic face.

"Well, at least I'm as stable as I can be without my core. But it won't be long before I finally have it back," Necrozma mused. He lifted a foreleg and examined it. "A pity this form is so… pathetic. I can feel the spinelessness of her spirit as it festers inside of me. The sooner I have my core, the sooner I can stifle her."

Necrozma turned toward the Tree of Life. His head involuntarily jerked to the right. Pink light flashed in his eye. He glanced at his reflection in the tree's ethereal bark. "What do you think about all of this now, Xern? Do you still want to tell me to fight back? Are you going to insist the fault lies with Arceus?" He leaned in close to the tree. A twisted smile split his crystalline lips. "Oh, wait. You can't do any of that. Because I've got your spirit. Heeheeheehee!"

He thwacked the nearby root with his left arm. "How does it feel, hmm? Familiar? I imagine it must be. It's probably just like when that rebellious mistake trapped you inside your precious tree." Necrozma paused and shook his head. "No. With any luck… it's worse. At least when you were in the tree, you could sense what was going on. I'm not going to give you such a privilege. I'll erase this world… and you won't even know that it happened! How's that for a fitting ending, Xern?"

His grin broadening, Necrozma touched a forehoof to the tree. He sensed a veritable sea of different spirits swimming about inside of it. All brimming with light. Light that, with Xerneas' power, he could take for his own. Necrozma had to quickly lap up the drool trickling from his mouth. He backed away, shaking his head.

"No. I need my core, first." Necrozma leaned in, his pupil constricting. "I hope you all can hear me in there. Because I want you to know that everything Xerneas told you was a bold-faced lie. You're not safe. In fact, I'd best cherish what little time you all have remaining in your precious little spirit realm. Soon… your spirits will be mine."

An orange twinkle caught Necrozma's attention. He whirled around, nearly swatting the butterfly with his right arm. The butterfly froze, hovering inches away from the tree. "Fool! What do you think you're doing? That's not your reward for helping! The light from this tree belongs to me!" he barked.

The butterfly's wings shimmered with emerald energy. Necrozma waved her off with a hand. "Oh, don't give me that sass. I'm not about to double-cross you, if that's what you're suggesting." Necrozma shook his head. "The prize I had in mind for you is something different, that's all. It's still some spirits… and they're ones with a bit more a kick to them."

He paused to stare the butterfly down. She turned away, slowing the flapping of her wings. Necrozma grinned once again. "Come now. Don't you want to hear my offer? See, that foolish human worm took something from me besides Lunala's light." Necrozma stomped toward the butterfly, his eye darkening. "She took my pet Shadow Lugia." He tried his best to pout, but the effect was blunted by his one-eyed face.

"I have no interest in keeping it now that she's tainted it with her foolish human ideals," he continued. "So, I'm offering it up to you. Two spirits for the price of one. I'm no businessman, but that sounds like a good deal to me. Heeheeheehee!"

The butterfly looked back at Necrozma. Her wings flared up once again.

"Relax, will you? You won't have to put in any effort to make this happen," Necrozma insisted, rubbing his hands together behind his back. "That's the best part. All the work will be done by those idiot, would-be heroes." His grin broadened. "You'll get some tasty spirits… and I'll get both the center of my core and the satisfaction of seeing the hope drainfrom their faces. Everyone wins! Well, everyone who matters wins. Heeheeheehee!" He extended a forehoof toward her. "So, shall we get going?"

There was a brief pause, then the butterfly flew beside Necrozma's shoulder. "Excellent! A pity I can't make any wormholes. Looks like we're walking." He shook his head and sighed. "On the bright side, that'll make it easier to keep a low profile. And with any luck, the festivities will be well underway by the time we get to Temporal Tower's remains."

~Celestial Island~

Nicky had severely underestimated how just how much energy he had spent recreating Solgaleo and Lunala. Once he got close enough to the sun to take in its energy, he was struck by a familiar sensation. The first bits of light he took in reminded him of the many times he'd gulped down entire bottles of water after going too long without having anything to drink. He hovered in the middle of space, spreading his wings wide to soak up as much light as he could.

Nicky quickly lost track of time. The more light he took in, the heavier he felt. It was exactly like the exhaustion that followed eating a large meal. And yet, he still hungered for light. The exhaustion eventually won out, however. Nicky drifted off to sleep.

A field of soft green grass awaited him. Warm sunlight filtered down from a bright-blue sky. He brushed his wings through the grass like he was a kid making a snow angel. His tail tingled. Nicky turned to his right. Xerneas lay beside him. He leaned over and nuzzled her and she, in turn, licked his crystalline cheek. Nicky shimmied closer to her, humming with delight as her soft fur brushed against his neck. He could keep doing this for hours on end.

Then, without warning, the scene surrounding him dissolved away in a veritable rainbow whirlwind. Nicky forcibly jolted himself awake. He looked around and realized he was still floating in front of the sun. He thanked his lucky stars that he had fallen asleep somewhere with no gravity… and that nothing had struck him and sent him into an unwitting orbit.

Stretching out his wings, Nicky realized he was glowing much brighter than before. He tried to dim himself, but failed. It didn't take him long to determine the cause. However long his nap was, it had filled him to the brim with light. He hadn't felt this much energy brimming up inside him throughout the entirety of his time in the Pokémon world. Despite this, Nicky still had a lingering mental fog. He shook his head. It did little good.

He wasn't tired, per se. But he didn't want to do anything that required any serious brain power, either. Had he still been human, he could've slinked off to his room and mindlessly watched television or videos on his computer. But the closest equivalent he had in this word was people-watching. Something which he definitely couldn't do in his current body. He'd just scare everyone away.

Incapable of using a deep breath in outer space, Nicky composed himself by lightly smacking his cheeks with his upper wings. His brain might've felt like a bowl of oatmeal, but he at least needed to figure out how long he'd been out for. Nicky concentrated on his mental link, probing for Xerneas' mind. However, he couldn't establish a connection and, after a couple of minutes, gave up.

Nicky gazed down at the planet. Puffy white clusters passed underneath him, blocking his view of the ocean. Orange and red swirled around in his eyes. With all the power he'd taken in, communicating with Xerneas from space should've been no problem. So, why wasn't it working? Shrugging, Nicky chose reenter the atmosphere. Since he was mostly made of light energy, he didn't have to worry about burning up on reentry. If anything, flying back down made him more energized, though the mental fog was still there.

Maybe the issue was that he'd fried his brain so badly with his idea that he couldn't tap into the mental link. Nicky glanced at his wings. He repeatedly curled and uncurled them, considering his new idea. A headache was coming on and Nicky wanted to stop it. He decided to dismiss the mental link issue as a result of Xerneas working in the spirit realm.

It only took a few more minutes of flying for Nicky to find Celestial Island again. It was floating toward the Air Continent. In the process of catching up to it, the sky gradually darkened. It was twilight when Nicky touched down by the pond. He sighed in content as he let his legs fall into the water. Hot steam rose out of the pond while bubbles encased his legs along the surface.

After a minute, Nicky sat up straight. He realized there were no signs of Latios or Zekrom and figured they, like Xerneas, had opted to go home. Rubbing his head with an upper wing, Nicky rose back into the air. Much as he would've liked to stay there, he had his own business that he knew he needed to attend to. After arcing his ethereal back, Nicky took off. The cool night air felt nice against his crystalline face and chest, but it quickly went away as his eastern flight path took him into bright daylight.

He remembered that Ho-Oh had taken off in the direction of the Horizon Continent, so he hoped she'd still be there. A smile crossed his beak when he managed to sense her energy, along with Solgaleo and Lunala's. Nicky dimmed himself as best he could, then slowly glided down toward the island. It wasn't very big, with much of it shrouded in dense, rainbow foliage. Nicky couldn't help but shift colors as he flew past the rainbow trees and neon bushes.

In the center of the island sat a flat-topped, pyramid-like structure. It had staircases on each side of it, with various runes and glyphs between them that Nicky didn't know the meaning of. Ho-Oh, Solgaleo, and Lunala were on top of the structure. The newly-made gods quickly caught sight of Nicky and walked up to the edge of the platform. Ho-Oh then turned to face him. She immediately stood up straight in, what Nicky had to figure, was an attempt at looking official.

"Ah, Light. I wasn't sure if you were going to, um…" Ho-Oh trailed off and folded her wings by her sides. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure where I was going with that thought." She cleared her throat. "Let's try that again. What brings you to Rainbow Island?"

"I'm finished recharging. I tried to reach out to Xern, but it looks like she's busy. So, I figured I'd come here and make sure everything was okay," Nicky explained, his gaze darting between Solgaleo and Lunala. Both looked back at him with a mixture of admiration and apprehension. Nicky tried lightening the mood by rubbing the back of his head with an upper wing and asking, "How long was I recharging for, exactly?"

"Mmm. I think it's been about half a day since we parted ways," Ho-Oh replied.

"Oof." Nicky winced. "Guess I had myself more than a quick power nap, then." He tapped his lower wing-claws together nervously.

"You were sleeping… up in outer space?" Ho-Oh said, brows raised. "Hmm… I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised. Your powers are clearly quite unique. Otherwise, we wouldn't have these two." She gestured to Solgaleo and Lunala.

"Right." Nicky drifted down to eye level with his creations. 'Ugh. I've gotta stop thinking about them like that. It's just gonna make things weird.' He smiled warmly at them. "I apologize for ditching the two of you. Your creation left me very weak and I needed to regain the energy I had lost. How are you both doing?"

Solgaleo and Lunala exchanged looks. "I think we're both… all right," Lunala said, with Solgaleo nodding his agreement. "Still a bit fuzzy in some places, to be sure. But everything Ho-Oh's told us makes sense. We're… recreations, yes? Of the two gods who made sure the earth got sunlight and moonlight?"

"Yeah, that sounds like the short version," Nicky said, throwing in a laugh for good measure. "Are you okay with everything you've heard?" They both nodded. Nicky sighed in relief, thankful there weren't gaps that he'd struggle to fill. "Great! I, uh…" He blinked slowly. "Hmm. I'm not really sure what we should do, next."

"If I may make a suggestion, perhaps you ought to teach them how to use their powers?" Ho-Oh said. "You're the one who brought the sun and moon back to us. So, that makes you the obvious choice to train them."

Nicky blinked. She had a point. However, the closest he had ever come to teaching was the stupid peer tutor program his parents had forced him to do in high school. He recalled several instances of sitting at a desk beside one of several different douchebags with chiseled faces, crewcuts, and varsity jackets, listening to them talk about how swimming wasn't a real sport, he wasn't a real athlete, and the team was worthless because it let anyone join. Never mind the fact that it was his swim team that won more league titles than any of the other varsity teams.

"Um, Light? Is everything all right? You seem lost in thought," Ho-Oh said, snapping Nicky to attention.

"S-Sorry! Sorry! Even though I'm all recharged, my mind's a little bit fuzzy," Nicky hastily replied, his head tendrils bristling. "A-Anyway, I'm happy to train 'em and stuff. We could go up to Celestial Island. We won't have to worry about anyone interrupting up there."

"Are you sure? If you're still tired, perhaps it's best to wait until you've recovered," Ho-Oh suggested, frowning.

"I'll be fine. This is exactly what I need to help me clear up this mental fog," Nicky said. He beckoned for Solgaleo and Lunala to follow up. They both looked back at Ho-Oh who, after a few seconds, shrugged. The duo hovered into the air and floated beside Nicky. Then, they all took off into the sky.

The next week was a whirlwind for Nicky. It started simply enough, with training up Solgaleo and Lunala. They were surprisingly receptive to him, nodding along and asking good questions, even as Nicky tripped over his explanations. Within a couple of days, they could successfully direct light toward the planet.

Nicky then decided to go forth with the next part of his revival plan and create a way to restore his creations should something catastrophic happen. It proved a much simpler task, with Solgaleo and Lunala helping by contributing some of their energy. Though it wasn't creative, he named the artifacts the Dawn Hourglass and Dusk Hourglass. His plan was to give them to the Horizon Continent's Land Spirits for safe keeping since, as far as he could tell, they were some of the more active gods in the world.

Before he had an opportunity to do that, however, he got a surprise visit from Mesprit. Despite his protests, she insisted he join her for tea. It was incredibly awkward. While Mesprit was happy to hear that Solgaleo and Lunala were back, she pestered Nicky with so many questions he barely had time to catch his breath. While it was a bit exhausting, he couldn't say he disliked the attention. Hence, he went back the next few days.

While all of this was happening, he kept trying to contact Xerneas, only to keep drawing a blank. This worried Nicky, but he didn't want to risk upsetting Xerneas by showing up unannounced at the Tree of Life. Instead, he sought out Latios and Zekrom. Only, when he found them and explained he couldn't connect with Xerneas, they told him Arceus had given them an important assignment in the Hidden Land and left before he could ask for any more details.

To try and keep his mind off his worries, Nicky decided to deliver the Hourglasses to the Tapus. While he was there, he opted to continue his plan and share some of his energy with them. He tried it with Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko first. Nicky was quite surprised when the two of them nearly destroyed Tapu Bulu's temple with a combination of a gigantic lightning bolt and a huge, green geyser of grass energy. Still, they both seemed grateful. So, he made his way to Tapu Lele's temple and asked her to accompany him to Tapu Fini.

Nicky gave them the Dawn Hourglass, then infused each of them with light energy as he had with the other two Land Spirits. This time, he chose to escort them outside so they could test their powers. First was Tapu Lele, whose psychic power erupted in a pattern resembling a broken car windshield. Nicky watched ocean mist drift through the air while Tapu Fini floated in front of him.

"So, I'm just supposed to concentrate on this new power?" Tapu Fini said, staring at her glowing hands.

"Like, that's all I had to do. It should, like, be no problem for you, sis!" Tapu Lele called, waving her encouragement.

Tapu Fini brushed her hair out of her face. "Very well. Let's see how this works out." She clasped her hands together. After an intense minute of concentrating, golden light encased her arms. Tapu Fini spread them apart. The light raced up her arms and quickly encased her entire body. She thrust her arms downward.

Below her, the ocean water stirred. Without warning, a plume of water shot up toward her, flinging a few small Magikarp through the air. Nicky caught them with his telekinesis, shot Tapu Lele an annoyed look for giggling at their misfortune, and levitated them away from Tapu Fini for their own safety. When he finished, he had just enough time to turn around before a wall of water smacked him the face.

Tapu Lele's giggles turned into full-blown chortling at the sight of Nicky's unamused face covered by a veil of steam. She lay on her back in midair, slapping her torso with her hands. Tapu Fini floated back toward them, brushing hair out of her eyes. "I must say, I've never felt a surge of power quite like that."

"That was, like, a total riot, sis! You should, like, do it again and send more Magikarp flying!" Tapu Lele said between giggle fits.

Groaning, Nicky smacked his face with an upper wing. "How about we don't do that? These powers are meant for you to help Pokémon, not hurt them."

"I agree. There's already enough imbalance in the world." Tapu Fini lifted up her hands. "Now, we have the means to try and fight it." She turned and nodded at Nicky. "We are grateful for your gift, Guiding Light."

"Err, you're welcome," Nicky said, though he didn't sound confident.

"Yeah. Like, feel free to stop by again if you ever want to lend us more ener—"

"Be grateful, Lele," Tapu Fini scolded, glaring at her sister.

Tapu Lele pouted. "I'm, like, totally grateful." She turned to Nicky. "What do you want from me? Flowers? Diamonds? Just say the word and—"

"I'm fine, thanks," Nicky insisted. "If you guys don't need me for anything else, then I'll just take my leave." He bobbed his head, then flew off, soaring high over Horizon's mainland to avoid being seen. Nicky again tried tugging on his mental link with Xerneas, but received no response. He couldn't sense any part of her mind anywhere.

Worry stirred in his gut. What if something had gone wrong? What if she needed him? He didn't know anything about the spirit realm, so how could he help? If Nicky was still human, he would've scrunched up his face in thought. Instead, he settled for hovering inside a cloud, swishing his tail about while he hummed. Nicky sifted through his memories, looking for some sort of conversation he'd had with Xerneas about the Tree of Life. If only he had actually paid attention when she talked about it, instead of dozing off.

'Ah, wait! Ho-Oh has spiritual powers! I can ask her for help!'

Nicky looked down, wondering if he'd sense Ho-Oh's energy on Rainbow Island. Before he could focus his ESP, however, a flicker of light caught his attention. Nicky glanced down at his leg to find the anklet flashing. Panic spread through his system. He dove down toward the mainland, only for his wings to lock up. A burning pain shot up his leg, steadily growing in intensity until he couldn't help but shout in pain.

His vision grew fuzzier and fuzzier until it was bright white. The burning filled up his whole body. Nicky thought he was about to explode. Then, in the middle of the blinding light, a violet iris stared back at him.

I warned you.

~Ultra Nexus~

"NRgAgRH! LiGhT! OuT! I wAnT…"

Crystalline arms swatted at nothing, then smacked off his body. He belted out a guttural screeched that echoed through the empty void. The throbbing pain was back. He wanted— no, he needed light.

How long had he been here? There was no way of knowing. All that surrounded him was darkness. His own creations… they had trapped him here. They knew he was suffering, but they ignored him. His friends ignored him. His mate abandoned him.

"NnNg… nO. NOt. NEvEr. FrIEnDS… DoN'T… woN'T… NeCr… Oz… mA…"

Friends? He didn't have any. He didn't care about anyone or anything. All he needed was light. Energy to bust out of his prison. Then, he'd destroy them. He'd destroy their world. He'd destroy every world. Because they were all mistakes. That was the truth. Void had showed him. And now he was the void. That's why he was stuck here. They feared him. He tried to show them kindness. They returned that kindness by making him suffer.

"RrAArffgher! LiGHT! LeigHRT! MoRE! LeaIghRt!"

Necrozma clawed at his core. It reacted by weakly pulsating with energy. Necrozma growled. His arms spasmed beside him.

Throughout his imprisonment, there had been brief moments where he sensed a small amount of light filter in. He didn't know where it had come from, but he sucked up every last drop and held onto it. Now, even though he was in excruciating pain, he had to try putting that light to use. He had to make his escape. Necrozma couldn't take lying in a void with his festering thoughts and gnawing hunger any longer.

Necrozma thrashed about. With no gravity, he had no idea what was up and what was down. However, after squirming around for a bit, he reached a stat that was about as close to being upright as he could manage.

"P… PruRRtle. PoRt… gnfRRgharf!"

He smacked his body several times, almost like he was trying to strike a match. Tiny sparks shot out of his core. When they failed to do nothing more than float in front of him, Necrozma snatched them back up with a snarl and forced them back inside his core. He continued this cycle until, instead of a spark, his swipe created a small, yellow beam.

It flew in front of him and, though there was nothing for it to strike, splattered into a puddle like water droplets hitting a pane of glass. The light shifted from yellow to green to blue to purple. Then checkboard lines spread through the puddle and it slowly pinched itself inward, gaining depth until formed an awkward, jagged portal.

The shape didn't matter, however. Light fluttered in from the inside. Soft, blue light. It was sweet… delectable, even. Necrozma craved it. He needed it. So, he flailed his arms around, like he was submerged underwater and trying to swim forward. Slowly, he inched closer to the portal. The light grew brighter and warmer. It filtered into his core. His flailing grew more vigorous. In the back of his head, Necrozma could even sense something other than pain, hunger for light, or a desire to crush anything that lived. All he had to do was get to the other side and—

"NrGreArghEdK!"

It happened without warning. A gust of wind blew him back from the portal. Before he could get what few bearings he had straight, the portal and its light faded away. All Necrozma could find sitting in front of it was a small, cracked, red sphere and scattered fragments of black crystals.

"N… NnNGhh… Ooh… rRgh…"

Necrozma screeched at the top of his figurative lungs. Surprisingly, the orb reacted, pulsating with red light. Necrozma used the light he'd siphoned from the portal to speed toward the orb. He grabbed hold of it with both hands, letting loose guttural snarls and digging his claws into the existing cracks. As he did, twinges of familiar energy raced toward his core. His grip momentarily slackened.

"YoU. EeeU. V… V…" Dim light flickered in his core. "VoID. YoU… vOId! I… VoID! MiNe… me… d-D… ArK. Me… DaRK." He tightened his grip around the sphere once again. This time, memories that clearly weren't his flickered through his fuzzy mind.

He saw Yveltal, a Nuzleaf, and several Beheeyem, shrouded in shadowy clouds and thrashing about in pain. Necrozma watched as Pokémon of all different shapes and sizes were turned into stone before his eyes. He saw the sun— his sun growing steadily closer to the planet. Then, in a flicker of bright lights and swirling colors, he found himself face to face with a Chikorita and a Fennekin. The latter looked up at him, a warm smile on his face and his tail wagging slowly.

"That's why… I accept you!"

Static overtook the memory. Piece by piece, Xerneas' warm, timid smile replaced Fennekin's.

"NoOo!" Necrozma snarled. His distorted cries echoed through the empty void. The sphere in his hands sparked, but nothing else happened. Necrozma looked at it. No, he glared at it. Or at least, that's what he would've done if he actually had a face… or eyes, for that matter. Necrozma hoisted the orb in the air then, with another screech, slammed it against the center of his core. He repeated the gesture once. Twice. Three times.

On the fourth time, an intense burning pain consumed him. Slowly, the orb phased inside of his core. It seemed like it was struggling against this, if its constant flickering was anything to go by. Nevertheless, Necrozma pushed through the pain, until the sphere had vanished completely.

Necrozma's arms fell to his side. For a while, it felt like something was tunneling inside of him. But that sensation eventually faded, leaving Necrozma floating silently in the darkness of the Ultra Nexus.

"RffrHeCaPe," he muttered. Necrozma again struck his core with his hands. This time, however, no sparks appeared. He tried it again with the exact same result. Necrozma continued striking his core, growing more desperate until he finally belted out another screech.

He had missed his chance at escape. Now, he'd have to start over from scratch, assuming he could stay conscious long enough to manage that. The earlier, throbbing pain from his lack of light had returned. And he wasn't sure how much he could take before he had no choice but to shut down.

~Nocturnus Catacombs~

Letting out a long groan, Seraph slumped against the tunnel wall, draping her right arm over a rocky divot to steady herself. "Is that it? Did we get everyone?" she asked, wiping her brow.

Opposite her, Luxeria sat on her haunches. She leaned her head over and watched sweat droplets trickle off her snout. "I'm not sure. I can hear a lot of voices at the end of the tunnel, though. Not sure how many more people we can take down here."

"That's the last of them, yeah!"

Kahuna Raichu floated down the tunnel on his tail. Sticky flanked him on his right and Totem Decidueye followed behind both of them.

"I apologize if we disrupted your plan or rhythm, Kahuna," Totem Decidueye said. "I'm afraid the tremors that shook Cosmic Cavern caught me woefully unprepared."

"No worries, cousin. It was nothing we couldn't handle." Kahuna Raichu gestured toward Luxeira and Seraph. "The credit really goes to these two, though. They stepped up big time. I don't think we would've been able to get everyone to the Underground Lagoon if they hadn't stepped up to supervise things."

"Yes, you both have my utmost thanks for that," Totem Decidueye said, bobbing his head.

"Don't mention it. We were just doing our jobs," Seraph said, rubbing her nose with a digit.

"Err… apologies if I'm putting on a damper on things, but what exactly was the point of evacuating underground?" Sticky asked, poking his nubs together and glancing around nervously. "If the continent's being plagued by tremors, wouldn't it be safest to be aboveground?" He pressed a nub against the wall on his right. "This tunnel feels pretty sound, sure, but a tremor could cause a cave-in, right?"

"It could. That's what the Underground Lagoon is for," Totem Decidueye replied. "It's actually a waypoint, since this is technically a Mystery Dungeon."

"Yeah! All we have to do is tell folks to go underwater… and the waypoint will transfer them to a small island northeast of Horizon," Kahuna Raichu explained. "Now that we've got everyone down here and nabbed some emergency supplies, we can start sending 'em through the waypoint to Sunbaked Island."

"Oh, I see. That is quite the contingency plan you've got in place," Sticky said, blinking slowly.

Luxeira, on the other hand, looked crestfallen by the revelation. "You mean after all of that, we're only halfway done?" She thought she might hurl.

"Correct. However, I can see how much of a strain the evacuation's put on the two of you. So, I ask that you both rest. Kahuna Raichu, his daughter, Healer Florges, and I can supervise this next part," Totem Decidueye said.

"I can help out, too," Sticky volunteered. "My head's still a bit fuzzy, but my teammates need the rest."

A tired smile crept onto Seraph's face. "Thanks, Cue Ball," she rasped.

"We'll come get you two once we're done, yeah," Kahuna Raichu said. He levitated a few berries and a couple of damp washcloths to the duo. "In the meantime, take these to keep your strength up." Each of them accepted a washcloth, with Seraph plastering hers on her forehead. They watched the three guys walk down the tunnel. Once they were out of sight, Seraph slumped down to the ground.

"Ugh, my aching… everything." She leaned forward and massaged her right foot with her paws. "How long do you think we've been up for?"

"It's tough to tell given, y'know, time's not working," Luxeira replied, her voice dripping with fatigue.

Seraph winced. She should've known better, but she had asked anyway. Seraph finished massaging her right foot and switched to her other one. "I've gotta say, Rookie… I'm impressed. I was wrong about you."

Luxeira almost choked on the bite of oran berry she'd taken. "I beg your pardon?"

"The day we met, I said you were nothing but a scrub who only cared about joining the Ultra Recon Squad to look good. And I was wrong," Seraph said, stretching out her legs and reclining against the wall. "You really held your own out there, today. Battling UB-level weirdos, then helping lead an evacuation. Sure, it may not have been a full-scale city evacuation, but you kept a level head through all of it… despite this being the first time you've ever dealt with something like this." Seraph smirked at her. "That's more than a lot of surveillance unit scrubs can say they've ever done in years with an Ultra Recon Squad."

"O-Oh…" Luxeira reached for her washcloth and draped it over her face to stop her cheeks from getting too warm. "Uh, thanks, I guess?" She kept the washcloth in place for a minute before letting it drop to the ground. When she did, she found that Seraph had switched sides of the tunnel and was now sitting next to her, with one leg crossed over another. Luxeira bit her tongue to avoid yelping in surprise.

"You, uh… you probably lost some real important people, didn't you? Because of what Necrozma did," Seraph whispered, tracing a claw along her thigh.

Luxeira tensed up. She bowed her head. In truth, the day's events had been so stressful that she hadn't thought much about her breakdown back in Cosmic Cavern. Now that she had a moment to rest, however, that familiar crushing weight pressed down on her shoulders. "I did," she said, voice hoarse. "My parents and…" Luxeira took a shaky breath. "My mate."

Seraph sat up. "Oh, so you, uh, you had someone like that… in your life?"

"I did. Silus and I—" Luxeira paused. She squeezed her eyelids shut. "We were close. Even though he knew it meant I wouldn't be home as much as he would've liked, he was… really supportive about the whole surveillance unit thing. Helping me with studying and conditioning during his off-hours. Doing practice interviews."

Luxeira sighed. "You want to know how we started dating? When I was younger, I filed and polished my horns to try and make myself look more appealing," she explained. "It was meant to, y'know, boost my confidence and stuff… because some UBs at the school I went to treated me like dirt." A bittersweet laugh escaped her lips. "I guess it wound up working, since it won me a mate."

"I see," Seraph whispered, staring at the opposite wall with a blank look in her eyes. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Very much," Luxeira croaked. "But, well, we stumbled upon Gallian losing control to an ultra aura. I, uh, figured I had to try and shove those thoughts down and put on a brave face to help keep him steady." She shook her head. "I suppose it worked, but now I just feel guilty. Like I… I dunno, detached myself from Silus or something. Though, at the same time, I'm sure he'd want me not to let this hold me back or anything and, y'know, move on."

Luxeira turned to Seraph. "What about you? I know you weren't originally from Ultra Village, but I imagine you've been separated from your family, too."

Seraph shook her head. "I lost them a long time ago. Guzzlords attacked my home." She poked the ground with a claw. "I was one of the few survivors."

"Oh. I'm, uh, sorry." Luxeira flinched, expecting Seraph to lash out for drudging up a painful memory. To her surprise, Seraph stayed silent and continued to stare at the opposite wall. "So, you, erm, joined the URS, even though UBs attacked your home?"

"Yeah, I did. My best friend, Mienshao Lorraine, suggested it. Said it would be a good outlet for all my… aggressions," Seraph responded, tugging at a whisker. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I was a nasty little monster in the refugee center. Throwing temper tantrums, causing power surges with my lightning…" Seraph rubbed a temple. "The staff wouldn't let me play any sports or games with the other kids because I'd usually end up hurting them."

Luxeira wasn't surprised, but held her tongue regardless.

"Along comes Lorraine. She tried to help me channel all my pent-up anger toward something constructive," Seraph continued. She cleared her throat and, in a higher-pitched voice, said, "Let's face it, Seph. Life's handed us some real sour lemons. The way I see it, we can let those lemons make our lives a bitter hell… or we can take those lemons and shove 'em up Life's ass!" Seraph punched her right paw with her left. Luxeira flinched at the word choice.

"She helped me fill out all the paperwork and apply for the position. I, uh, really do owe her a lot," Seraph said, slumping down and folding her arms over her chest. "She's the 'mon who made me realize I'm into ladies and not guys."

"Are you two, uh…" Luxeira stopped herself, fearing she'd upset Seraph. She decided to rephrase the question to sound less direct. "Did you two keep in touch?"

"We did, yeah. Lorraine snagged a job at a gym in the same city as the refugee center. She does personal training and teaches kickboxing classes and tai-chi," Seraph explained, twiddling her claws.

"Tai-what?"

"It's some kinda meditative thingy. We learned it from observing humans, I think?" Seraph said, shrugging. "It doesn't matter. Point is that we were still tight."

Her curiosity aroused, Luxeira asked, "Tight as in… friends? Or something else?"

"Friends," Seraph replied flatly. "I did tell her what I thought of her one night when we were alone. She smiled and told me she was flattered, but that she didn't see me the same way." Seraph's face scrunched up. "It hurt to hear. It's a kind of hurt that I honestly haven't felt since that moment." She rubbed her shoulder. "But I told myself it was more important I get to keep Lorraine as a friend. I just, y'know, redirected that sense of heartbreak toward kicking the crap out of unruly UBs."

Shrugging, Seraph added, "It also helps she introduced me to quite a few juicy pieces of tail over the years."

"Oh. Uh, right." Luxeira concluded that was about as Seraph a response to that situation as she could think of. Seraph didn't say anything else. Luxeira wasn't sure she wanted to push the conversation further, but the awkward silence didn't take long to get to her. "So, when was the last time you got to see her? Y'know, before all of this nonsense went down."

Seraph tapped her chin with a claw. "Maybe something like… two weeks before? I said I was going to send her a message the next time I wanted to meet up." She buried her head in her paws. "Who knows how much time's gone by in the Ultra Recon Network since we disappeared?" Seraph looked up at Luxeira. "How long did you say you've been in this world again?"

"It's been, erm…" Luxeira's brow furrowed. "I want to say it's been this world's equivalent of several weeks. Maybe even a quarter of a year." She shook her head. "Honestly, my head's so fuzzy, I can't really remember."

"And we have no idea how time moves here compared to the URN. Ugh… Lorraine's gonna think I'm a total flake or something." Groaning, Seraph facepalmed.

"Maybe not. I mean… a Lightless Black wiped out Ultra Village. Odds are… some other world caught signal of what happened," Luxeira exclaimed. "Wouldn't be surprised if news outlets descended on the place to get all the grim details. Nothing boosts network ratings like a good crisis story." She nearly bared her fangs at that statement, but managed to keep her temper in check.

"Then I guess Lorraine might've assumed the worst happened to me," Seraph whispered, a frog in her throat. She grabbed her legs and brought her knees up toward her chest. "This is… honestly worse than the nightmares I used to have about the Guzzlords. It's all familiar… in a bad way." She dug her claws into her fur. "Once again, I'm pissed at a UB, but there's little I can feasibly do to stop it."

"Well, it sounds like Necrozma was already stopped," Luxeira said, remembering Zero's claims. "Now, we have to see if Team Radiance can stop the lunatic that killed him."

"Yeah." Seraph's brow furrowed. "Do you honestly think they have a chance?"

"I don't know. But we have to hold out hope, right?" Luxeira glanced at Seraph, who said nothing. That was all the response Luxeira needed. Throwing her past misgivings to the side, she scooched toward Seraph. Their shoulders brushed together. Seraph looked up at Luxeira. Sparks crackling in the blue tuft on her forehead.

"What are you—"

"Look, this may come off as a bit hypocritical, but if we do make it out of this situation, I think you could do with trying to, y'know, be a bit more outgoing… and less caustic," Luxeira said, her expression firm. "Honestly, I don't think you're that bad of a person to be around… but you don't seem to want people around you unless it's to have sex. And, sure, you can say that's what makes you happy. But judging by what you just told me, that's definitely not the case."

Seraph tensed up. She clutched her thighs and sucked in a breath.

"It seems to me that, even though you kept your friendship with Lorraine, you never really moved on from her," Luxeira continued, her tone growing more confident. One part of her expected to take an electrified fist to the face for what she was saying, but another voice in her head told her to keep going. "You pick fights with people or sleep with them casually so that you won't get too close to them… because you're afraid of having your heart broken again."

Silence followed. Luxeira looked at Seraph, who avoided her gaze. "I'm right, aren't I?" Luxeira said. Then, without warning, Seraph wrapped an arm around Luxeira's foreleg and squeezed it tight. "H-Hey! What are you doing?"

"Stop. Please," Seraph whispered, head bowed and eyes squeezed shut.

Luxeira pulled her head back and bit her lower lip. Had she gone too far? That last part did come off as unnecessarily harsh. "I'm sorry if I offended you," she said.

"It's whatever," Seraph said, nonchalantly waving Luxeira off with her free arm. "You're probably right. Hell, I'm pretty sure Espeon said something similar to me back in that other cave. But… I'm not really sure where to start." Seraph pulled her arm free of Luxeira's leg. "Especially since I, uh…" She tapped her claws together and whistled.

"You… what?"

"I think I'm starting to find you alluring," Seraph admitted, turning away to hide the sparks lighting up her whiskers.

It took every bit of concentration for Luxeira to keep her composure. Where had that come from? Yeah, Seraph had made some suggestive comments toward her. But that was just to get under her skin… wasn't it? Luexiera blinked slowly. "You find me… alluring?" she said, the words coming out slowly.

"Yes. You want me to plaster it on a neon sign or something?" Seraph sneered. She turned toward Luxeira, twirling a whisker in her digits. "Usually, when I mouth off to a girl, they either walk away or take my barbs as flirting and try to keep up the act… with mixed success. But you…" Seraph's gaze faltered. "You refused to put up with it. You actually, y'know, confronted me. Lorraine's the only other girl who's done that."

Luxeira raised a skeptical brow. Maybe it's because she didn't know enough about Lorraine, but she found it hard to believe Seraph would come to that conclusion when they'd technically only been together a short time.

"I didn't want to say anything because I remembered the way you were looking at Blaziken this morning," Seraph continued, her voice cracking. "I figured I'd just get the same response Lorraine gave me… 'I'm flattered, but I don't like you that way.'" She sighed. "So, yeah. Guess you're right. Go on. Take your moral victory lap or whatever."

But to Seraph's surprise, Luxeira actually scooched closer to her. Now their hips were touching. Seraph almost pulled away, but the warmth from Luxeira's inner fire sent a tingle up her spine. "What are you doing?" Seraph squeaked.

"I don't really know anything about Blaziken… other than that he's literally a hot piece of ass," Luxeira said.

Seraph couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Wow, did you rehearse that line in your head? Because it's corny enough to serve at a barbeque."

Luxeira pouted. "I thought it'd suit your fancy," she said, prompting Seraph to laugh harder. Luxeira joined in. They lapsed into silence when the laughter faded. Luxeira cleared her throat. "Anyway, as I was saying… yeah, Blaziken's a fine piece of work. But, for all I know, he could be taken. He and Swampert were quite chummy—"

"They're not a couple. I'm sure of it," Seraph said.

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" Luxeira said, an eyebrow raised.

"The URS has their kooky scanners and I've got my own personal relationship scanner right here," Seraph said, tapping her forehead. "Even if it's a bit rusty, I still got major 'bromance' readings from those two. Buddies for life? Sure. Mates? Nah. You've got a chance with him… provided you're willing to take it."

"I, uh…" Luxeira brushed her forelegs together. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, but you'd have to make the first move," Seraph said, rubbing her chin. "I suppose I could always act as your wingmon and, like, offer to double-date with Swampert," she added, shrugging.

"S-Seriously?" Luxeira gasped, then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Wait a second… there's gotta be a catch."

Seraph smirked. "Looks like you've got me pegged pretty well, Rook— Lucy."

Luxeira stiffened. That nickname… it was the same one Silus used for her. She swallowed a mouthful of spit. "Well, what's the catch?" she asked.

"If the two of you don't end up clicking or things don't work out… I get to take a shot with you," Seraph said, staying surprisingly straight-faced.

"U-Um…" Luxeira's eyes darted about. "B-But I—" She stopped herself, then frowned at Seraph. "Weren't you the one who just said you knew how I'd respond to that?"

"I did. But that was before you responded by scooching up next to me," Seraph said, smirking and raising a brow.

"Th-That was to c-comfort you! I was, y'know, offering a shoulder for you to lean on," Luxeira said, flummoxed by Seraph's perception.

"You were already close enough for that."

"N-No I wasn't!" Luxeira stuttered.

"Uh-huh, sure. And the fact that our rears bumped was, what, a happy accident?" Seraph said.

"I, uh…" Luxeira sighed. Seraph had her beat. "Okay, fine. You got me. Yeah, I go both ways and, sure, if nothing happens with Blaziken, we can try dating… or something. That work?"

Seraph smiled. Not one of her smarmy smirks. A genuine smile. "I'd like that very much."

"Touching. Quite touching, babes."

Both girls jumped at the sound of Primarina's hoarse, raspy voice carrying through the tunnel. Seraph jumped to her feet. "Hey! We were promised privacy!" she growled, paws sparking. "How much of that did you hear, huh?"

"Uh, it started with the part about your rears bumping," Primarina said. His hair was disheveled and unnaturally grimy. Dirt streaks littered his torso and fins. "The Kahuna sent me to fetch you. It's time for us to get going."

"Oh. Uh, right." Seraph's fighting stance slackened. She looked at Luxeira, who got to her feet.

"We'll be right behind you," Luxeira said. Primarina nodded and hopped down the tunnel. Luxeira joined Seraph at her side and the two followed after him.

~Prism Wastelands~

Zero stood at the edge of her newly constructed tower and looked down across the remnants of the Hidden Lands. Ley lines continued to carve through the paralyzed ocean, forming up crystal islets and depositing pools of corrosive acid around them. Behind her, Dialga growled. He craned his neck up and vented more red energy into the sky. Zero looked up. The vortex was expanding. Its eye grew darker and crackled with purple lightning. Lugia stared up at it, hissing softly and belching up a shadowy cloud.

"Your time rift is coming along nicely, from what I can tell," Dragonite said, standing opposite Lugia with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. "A pity Millie and Serpy had to leave our side. They're going to miss the best part."

"Yes. Truly tragic," Zero whispered. She placed a paw to her chest spike. It wouldn't be long now. She'd have her real family back and this nightmare would all be behind her. Zero prepared to walk back toward Dialga when her aura dreadlocks tensed so tightly, she thought they'd pop out of her head.

"What's this?" she said. The trail of fur around her waist tingled as Dragonite lightning-dashed to her side.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Zero raised a paw to silence Dragonite. She shut her eye and concentrated, trying to filter out all the aural background noise the ley lines created. Eventually, she managed to pick up several traces of different auras far in the distance.

"They're coming," Zero said, her eye snapping open and flashing purple. Purple cubes flickered down her body.

"So, does this mean it's time for me and featherhead to roll out the unwelcome mat?" Dragonite said, grinning while her antennae crackled.

Zero was about to respond, when a flash of light erupted in the distance. She tensed up at the sight of a giant Ultra Wormhole. A huge, building-like structure fell out of the portal, which promptly shut behind it. However, on closer inspection, Zero noticed that several of the "bricks" had eyes of their own.

"Is that… a Stakataka?" Dragonite said. She glanced at Zero. "Did you summon that?"

"No. I didn't," Zero whispered, looking down at her paws.

"Want me to take care of it?" Dragonite asked.

Zero shook her head. "No, stay back. Those idiots lost the Dawn Hourglass, remember? If someone's summoned an Ultra Beast here… I doubt they intend to use it against us." She stepped back from the edge of the tower. "If Stakataka can't dispose of those ingrates, then you and Lugia will finish them while they're weak."

She walked back toward the center of the alter. Dragonite knelt down. "As you wish, ma'am."

End of Special Episode 4

I realize this chapter was a bit more esoteric than usual. Also, I decided against copying over the scene of Nicky losing his light from Chapter 42. Showing it again wouldn't have added anything new and just dragged the chapter out. You can always go back if you want to reread it. Hope you still enjoyed the chapter. Now that we've filled in the gaps about Necrozma, we're heading for the final two episodes!

another guest: Yup, the page is live. Feel free to change or make suggestions or whatever. And I wanted this special episode to be short so we get to the juicy stuff quickly. From here on out, it's all Team Radiance! Also, I do think anotherdragon sounds more interesting, but that's just me.

SuperOmegaGuest: RIP. Plus an "F" to pay respects. Though, as you can see, Xerneas isn't gone, per say. Fate worse than death, though? Possibly.

Anon Omega: If you're angry, then I'm doing a good job with my villains. I'll take it!

Next time: Metal Gear Stakataka: The Midnight Pain. Don't miss it!