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Cold and slimy.
Those were the first two things that came to Dusk's mind when she finally regained consciousness. She figured it had to be a result of that last attack.
Dusk groaned and brushed her face with a forepaw. It left her cheek damp and grimy. What had Shane done? Sure, she hadn't known him for long. But what was he thinking pulling out some sort of wild, explosive-based attack with absolutely no warning? As Dusk's vision continued to swim, she assumed that she was lying in some sort of muddy crater the attack had created.
"N… no way. This is… nuts! Absolutely nuts! I'm in a nightmare! I've gotta be! Some two-bit Gengar lowlife's messing with my head!"
Sneasel's raspy cries managed to rouse Dusk from her stupor. Her vision came into focus, revealing that she was, in fact, lying in a mud puddle, soaked from head to tail. However, what she wasn't prepared to see was that she wasn't still on the coastline with the various exploration teams. Instead, the mud puddle gave way to patches of gray, rocky ground that abruptly dropped off into an abyss. All around her, the sky was a myriad of gray and purple spirals, twisting around one another at complete random.
"W-What the—" Dusk tried to stand, but a flash of pain shot down her spine. She collapsed, taking a fresh face full of muck. Dusk coughed and sputtered, trying to shake the mud out of her eyes. "Where are we? What happened?" she rasped, finally getting to her feet. Sneasel stood in front of her, in the middle of a gray and white crater, staring up at the sky. Like Dusk, he was caked in a thick layer of mud.
"Hey," Dusk grunted, limping toward Sneasel. He jumped, startled by her voice. Sneasel raised his claws, only to lower them and slump over.
"Oh, it's you. That broad Lycanroc was arguing about during that fight," he said.
"Do you have any idea where we are or what happened to the others?" Dusk asked. Her tail shot between her legs at the sight of a gigantic, almost building-like slab of rock hurtling over the island and disappearing into the alien storm above them.
"Are you kidding me? Do I look like I've got any idea what's going on?" Sneasel scoffed, gesturing at his mud-covered form. "I'm just as lost as you are! One second, the Guildmaster is totally losing his mind. The next, Snowy does some kinda weird mumbo-jumbo and we're in the middle of this… place." Sneasel crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Nrrrgh… I can't believe Snowy screwed us like this! When I get my claws on his dumb behind, I'll—"
The ground trembled. Dusk and Sneasel both jumped, the former yipping in fright. "W-What was that?" Dusk asked, looking about in a panic.
Sneasel looked down. "I think… there's something underneath us."
"Well then, we need to go somewhere else," Dusk concluded.
"Brilliant suggestion. And just where do you wanna go, toots?" Sneasel said, gesturing to the abyss behind them. "This is the only stretch of land in this stinkhole!"
"No, that's not true," Dusk said, looking up. "There was a big chunk of rock that just flew past us a short time ago. We have to find another one and jump onto it."
"Are you crazy? That'll kill us for sure!" Sneasel said.
The ground shook again, even more violent than before. Dusk tripped and fell on her belly while Sneasel was knocked onto his rear with a loud, "Oomph!"
"Well, if we stay put, then we're dead meat, anyway. I'll take a possible death over a certain one," Dusk said, scanning the storm overhead for any signs of an approaching slab of rock.
Sneasel had a retort at the ready when the crater he stood in burst apart. He hollered in surprise as something coarse and warm grabbed him by the neck. Dusk scrambled backward, tucking her head down to shield herself from the dust storm the crater's destruction made. She braced herself to tumble into the abyss, only to be shocked when her precarious mud puddle perch stayed in once piece.
When the dust settled, however, Dusk found herself staring up at a hulking mass of… bricks? Dusk blinked mud out of her eyes. No, they couldn't have been bricks. Because some of the cubes had eyes. Eerie blue eyes that pierced through the darkness to stare right at her. They were everywhere, randomly spread across the tower's walls and the four slim legs somehow holding it up.
Dusk's legs trembled. What was this thing? Her immediate thought was that it was related to the aliens she had fought in the Cavernous Depths. Except this time, the enemy was gigantic and she had no backup. Dusk shrank down to her belly, whimpering. This was it, wasn't it? She was as good as dead.
Then, a familiar howl rang out. Dusk's ears twitched. She poked her head up and squinted. There, standing atop the giant tower-with-legs and clutching Sneasel by the neck, was none other than Lycanroc. "M-Midnight?" she whispered. Something was very wrong. Lycanroc's howl had a strange distortion to it. One that left her ears ringing enough to make her wonder if she was going deaf.
But that hardly compared to the rainbow shimmer surrounding Lycanroc. Through all the haziness, Dusk could see that Lycanroc's mane had taken on a metallic sheen. He had extra tufts of fur, each one glowing a different color of the rainbow. It made his face and head look larger, almost like…
"… Solgaleo." Dusk shuffled backwards, gasping. Her eyes darted about. There were flashing lights surrounding Lycanroc. One was bright-gray. The others constantly changed colors as they flashed.
Swallowing, Dusk managed to find her voice. "Midnight! What do you think you're doing? Get down from there!" she cried.
"And why would I go and do something like that, eh?" Lycanroc sneered. He had on quite possibly the smarmiest grin Dusk had ever seen him wear since his evolution. Lycanroc dropped Sneasel onto his butt and knelt down to pet the top of the stone tower. "It took a lot of work to summon this bloody thing… and I'm not about to let that all go to waste!"
"Y-You… summoned…" Dusk eye's widened. "Are you crazy?! You're going to get us all killed!" She looked around. "Do you even have any idea where we are? Because I sure don't!"
"Ultra Space, sheila! You can thank Snowy for that. After all… that dumbarse explosion he caused dropped those Dawn Shards you all had a hard-on for right into my lap!" Lycanroc said, his normally-red eyes glowing with a fiery-orange intensity.
"Wait, you have the Dawn Shards?" Dusk said.
"Well, I did," Lycanroc said. Grin widening, he thumped his chest and added, "Until I, y'know, absorbed 'em. This is the best I've felt since my Rockruff days!" He got down on all-fours and belted another distorted howl. Dusk collapsed on her belly, throwing her forepaws against her ears and gritting her teeth.
"H-Hey! C'mon now… no need to get all angry and stuff. Y-You're with friends!" Sneasel stammered, scooting away from Lycanroc with a worried look in his eyes. "Now, why don't you just take us back home and we can—"
A small wormhole materialized next to Lycanroc. Sneasel scrambled to his feet when a second one popped up in front of him, but wasn't fast enough to stop Lycanroc from grabbing his leg. Lycanroc's paw glowed orange, then ignited. Sneasel screamed in pain as flames raced up to his head. Lycanroc let go, dropping Sneasel's charbroiled form to the ground.
"Midnight, stop!" Dusk cried, but she was in little position to do anything. As soon as she got to her feet, several of the bricks in the tower's wall folded in on themselves, revealing an ominous red crystal. She could just about make out the silhouettes of Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini inside. "No," she whispered. "No, this isn't happening. This has to be a bad dream!" She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I can't believe how pathetic you sound," Lycanroc sneered. He marched up to the edge of the tower, clutching Sneasel's limp body in his paw. Lycanroc hoisted him up to eye level. "Why don't you just take us back home? That way, we can go kiss up to Snowy's arse while you rot in a jail cell like the friendless bitch we think you are," he said, imitating Sneasel's scratchy voice.
Lycanroc brought Sneasel close and hissed, "Well, I've got news for you, mate. Snowy ain't shit! He was never gonna be able to save anyone! The bloody Dawn Hourglass would've been wasted on his arrogant, ungrateful arse!" He promptly let go of Sneasel, who dropped into freefall.
"Midnight, no!" Dusk shouted, sprinting forward in a desperate attempt to catch Sneasel's fall. However, several of the tower eyes staring at Dusk glowed red. Next thing she knew, she was airborne, legs flailing and a tearing pain spreading across her chest. The Tapus' crystal prison drew closer, as did Sneasel. Then, everything went dark.
At the top of the tower, Lycanroc held his glowing paws high, watching as Dusk and Sneasel disappeared inside the crystal. "Serves you right. You ruined my life… sticking me in this gods-awful form." His right eye twitched. Lycanroc flicked his right arm. The three flashes of light behind him disappeared. A second later, two Blacephalons and a Celesteela floated in front of him, each restrained by a glowing forcefield.
"But that mistake will soon be behind me!" he declared."Once I finish fusing these Ultra Beasts together… I'll wipe Snowy and his stupid crew off the face off the earth! Then, I'm gonna save the day, use whatever power's left to take the form I should've had, and watch as everyone gives me the respect I bloody deserve!"
Lycanroc raised his paws high. "And it all starts with this… ultimate, Tapu-powered Ultra Beast! Mine to do whatever I want with!" He thrust his paws to this sides. The three restrained UBs flew toward the crystal while Lycanroc grinned with anticipation.
Episode 15: Zero Hour
Chapter 90: Stakatakaing Up to the Competition
~Prism Wastelands~
As it turned out, teleporting was not as easy as Shane was expecting. Each jump Mew made hit him with a dreadful sense of vertigo, much like he had gotten when his team had deployed Escape Orbs in the past. This time, however, the sensation was magnified. Mew never stopped for long enough for Shane to get his bearings. So, by the time he had transferred everyone to the middle of the barren, paralyzed ocean, Shane was fighting back the urge to puke.
"I'm not sure… I can take another one of those," he confessed, turning and belching.
"Augh, gross! Your breath smells like sherbet… if it was made of rotten berries," Haxorus said, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Try to stay quiet," Infernape said, holding up and arm and looking around. "Somebody could be watching us."
"Mmm… I don't think so. Not sensing anyone nearby," Mew said, reclining on his back in midair while his tail swished about. "I kinda dropped us off a fair distance away from the big, evil stronghold. So, you're hoofing it the rest of the way."
"What big, evil stronghold?" Feraligatr wondered, facing the opposite direction as the rest of the group. "All I see is a whole lotta noth—"
Haxorus grabbed Feraligatr's shoulder and spun him around so he could see the hulking mass of crystal shards jutting out from the ocean, surrounding by thick clouds of purple smoke and the occasional cluster of chains.
"… oh," Feraligatr whispered. "That's nothing like the Hidden Land. What happened over there?"
"Necrozma happened," Latias replied, head bowed solemnly.
"But he's out of the picture. Now it's my mom who's the problem," Tessa said, her paws flickering with aural flames. She noticed her teammates giving her concerned looks. "I'm fine, guys." Her quivering aura feelers betrayed her words, however.
"You don't look fine," Haxorus said.
Shane was ready to jump to Tessa's defense and tell Haxorus she was one to talk with her broken tusks, but Espy stepped into his path and shook her head. Though she didn't say anything, the message was clear. Shane looked away, biting his lip. 'Right. We're supposed to be working together,' he told himself.
"I understand how Tessa's feeling," Silvally said, digging his talons into the solidified water. His head crest bristled. "That place… it's like a ley line geyser. They're running completely rampant." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I think when we get there, we'd all best be prepared for the possibility things will be more chaotic than what we've seen in the infected dungeons."
A shudder ran down Espy's spine. She reflexively stepped close to Silvally; a gesture that drew a curious eyebrow raise from Haxorus.
"Well, I certainly didn't take you guys all the way here for nothing." Mew pointed a stubby arm forward and declared, "So, less talking and more marching, troops!"
The group started walked forward, with Shane muttering, "Easy for him to say. He can just float."
"I heard that, Grumpy-Floof," Mew said, having popped up right beside Shane.
"Gah!" Shane almost knocked Tessa over when he jumped back in surprise, but she managed to stick her arms out and catch him. The two looked at each other. Faces flushing, Tessa plopped Shane onto the ground. He shook his head, scowling. "Can you please take this seriously? The fate of the world is literally at stake, here."
"Sorry. I was just trying to keep things loose, y'know? If you guys are all wound up, you're gonna be no help if we have to battle," Mew said, punching and jabbing the air with his tiny paws.
"This isn't anything we haven't dealt with before," Shane said, trying to build up his confidence. It didn't really work, however. He remembered how easily Team Captivate said that Zero had beaten them. And now she had Dialga at her beck and call. How were they supposed to do much of anything against the god of time?
The thoughts permeated Shane's mind. He considered asking Team Poképals what they had done when they fought Primal Dialga, but then he noticed that no one else was talking. Shane tucked his head down and kept walking. He heard huffing behind him and looked back to see Milotic struggling to keep pace with everyone else. Blaziken slowed his pace.
"Need a lift?" he asked.
"I, uh…" Milotic's ribbons bristled. "I guess it would be appreciation. Just be gent— oof!"
Blaziken lifted Milotic up and wrapped her around his upper body like she was a giant, oversized scarf. Her tail still trailed on the ground, but it was better than nothing. "Watch my six, all right? You can help me if any of my weaknesses pop up."
"That's… a fair point," Milotic said, resting her head on Blaziken's shoulder.
The group continued forward. After several minutes, Shane looked back up. The crystalline ruins grew closer. He could now see a pool of purple acid swirling around the landscape. Shane's brow furrowed. "Uh, how are we going to, y'know, safely enter this place?" he asked, looking at his teammates.
Silvally looked straight ahead. His eyes flickered with a metallic sheen. "Latias and I might have to ferry you guys across. I bet that my steel memories will let me traverse the poison safely."
"If that's the case, I should be okay too, shouldn't I?" Tessa said. She held up a paw and gathered metal dust in it. Tessa looked to Silvally for a confirmation, but his answer didn't come.
Instead, he looked straight up at the sky. His eyes widened, his head crest expanded, and he shouted, "Everyone get back!" Then, he kicked up a gust of wind, carrying the large group a couple of feet away from him.
Espy, who wound up sprawled out on her back, scrambled to her feet. "What the heck are you do—"
A bright, shimmering purple light filled the sky above them. Everyone looked up in unison to find an Ultra Wormhole opening up. It was larger than any portal Team Radiance had ever seen.
"Shit! Don't tell me we just walked into a trap!" Haxorus growled.
With a bright flash, a large, building-like pile of bricks fell out of the Ultra Wormhole. Rather than collapsing into a heap, four small legs held up the square structure. Several of the bricks rotated around, revealing rainbow eyes that stared down ominously at the group.
"S-S-S-S-S—" Espy staggered backward. Her tail shot between her legs as she finally found her voice and screamed, "Stakataka!"
Shane and Tessa turned toward their teammate. "Stakawhoha?" Shane said, blinking in confusion. He looked back toward Stakataka. His tails frazzled. "Oh no… don't tell me that's another Ultra Beast!"
Espy didn't even need to respond, because Silvally's sharp, harsh growls proved to be all the answer Shane needed. Silvally stood hunched over, staring at Stakataka's many eyes and the Celesteela arms fused to its left and right faces.
"Not just one Beast… multiple. All fused together," Silvally said, between bouts of hissing. Tail flicking in worry, Espy tried to approach Silvally. But he reared up on his hind legs and surrounded himself with holographic swords.
"W-What are you doing?" Espy said. "We don't know what we're dealing with here!"
"No, but I think I have a good idea," Latias squeaked, ears folding against her face. "Can't you sense it? On top of Stacker… erm, on top of that thing?" She pointed a claw up. Espy looked up and her tail crinkled in fright.
"It can't be… Lycanroc?!" Espy cried. Shane and Tessa whirled on her, astonished looks on their faces. They were about to respond, when an unseen force grabbed hold of them all and hoisted them into the air. Seconds later, multicolored rock spires shot up from the ground and exploded, filling the air with dust and debris.
Latias and Mew set everyone down several feet back, the former straining from the effort of lifting so many bodies at once. No sooner had the set everyone down than one of the Celesteela arms flared to life, shooting a dozen glowing, missile-shaped energy blasts right toward the group. Gasping, Latias shot a sparkling-blue Dragon Pulse, only to watch in dismay as it did nothing against the energy missiles.
She noticed nine of the missiles dive down toward the others, while three of them broke off and headed straight for her and Mew. "Watch out, Feathers!" Mew shouted. He grabbed Latias by the wing and the two teleported behind the missiles. Their relieved sighs quickly turned into a panic, however, when the missiles looped back around and continued their assault.
"This is bad! This is bad!" Shane shouted, watching a missile snuff out his bright-white Dazzling Gleam.
"Everyone scatter!" Silvally ordered, holding his ground as his teammates reluctantly did as he said. With a deep breath and a flash of light, Silvally created ten flickering doppelgangers. They all looked up in unison and released loud, high-pitched screeches. The real Silvally's sound waves diverted one of the missiles, which sputtered off into the distance and exploded. The remaining ones went for his Double Team clones, only to strike the ground an erupt in varying neon colors.
Tessa's aura feelers shot up in surprise. "Ah, Silvally! We have to go back to hi—"
A rock shard barrage made a beeline for Tessa's head. Shane skidded in front of her, tails surrounded by water bubbles. With a swish of his hips, he knocked the rock shards away, dousing Tessa in the process. "We've gotta leave Silvally on his own," Shane said, glancing back to make sure Tessa was okay.
"That's a terrible idea!" Tessa protest, flinging water droplets off her arms.
"No, he's right. This… this crazy Stakataka fusion thing… it's firing off attacks too quickly," Espy said, pointing a forepaw forward. Ahead of them, Blaziken, Milotic and Swampert tried to make a run at one of Stakataka's legs, only for a small portal to pop in underneath like a trapdoor. A second portal opened up near the top of Stakataka, where Lycanroc stood, gathering molten metal in his paws. Latias barely managed to zip in at the last second and carry them off. Lycanroc's fiery-orange energy beam sailed wide.
"See? If we bunch up, we'll only make it easier for Lycanroc to box us in with attacks. We have to stay split up," Espy explained. The ground then shook underneath the trio, forcing them to run right. Flaming balls of grass and dirt erupted from the ground, only to explode and send giant globs of water raining down toward Team Radiance.
"You guys leave this to me!" Shane cried, hoping the girls would take the hint and try to go for Stakataka. He skidded to a halt and, forcing as much air out of his lungs as he could muster, unleashed a stream of ice breath. Shane managed to freeze the water bubbles heading for his teammates. They shattered, showering Shane in snowflakes.
Trying to seize on the opening, Tessa slung an Aura Sphere toward Stakataka's nearest leg. But instead of hitting, it sailed right through an Ultra Wormhole that appeared at the last second. Tessa's eyes widened and her aura feelers and paw shot up. She expected Lycanroc to try and hit her with her own Aura Sphere.
A startled cry from across the battlefield indicated Tessa's assumption was dead wrong. Raichu fell back into Haxorus' chest, rubbing her smoldering chest with a nubby paw. "N-Nrgh… where did that come from?" she groaned.
"It's that idiot controlling this monster. He's opening up portals like he was Hoopa or something. How are we supposed to land any attacks?" Haxorus growled, balling her hands into fists.
"We've gotta try and strike in unison and aim for different points," Infernape declared before curling into a fiery ball and shooting himself at an oncoming grassy bomb launched from one of the Celesteela arms. The moment he struck the projectile, it exploded, flinging him back over the head of his teammates.
Feraligatr's head shot up in alarm. "Ah! No, no, no!" he shouted, making a mad dash for his best friend. Feraligatr was so focused on getting to Infernape, he didn't see the fissures forming in front of him.
"Oy! Head's up! You're heading for a trap!" Haxorus shouted. "Rai, it's Thunder Armor time!"
"Err… right!" Raichu smacked her cheeks, generating a few sparks. Then, she electrocuted Haxorus, who summoned her Dragon Claws and charged toward Feraligatr. Raichu's lightning boosted her speed enough to where she reached the rock shards that burst out of the fissures before Feraligatr. Haxorus lunged, slicing through some of the rocks and letting her electric scales do the rest. She landed, skidding to a halt next to Infernape, who she shakily extended a hand to.
"Nifty tr… ick," Infernape said, grunting as he got to his feet.
"Yeah, but it's not something… I enjoy using," Haxorus wheezed, downing an oran berry to recover her strength. "So, how the hell are we supposed to make a dent in this thing, then? We can't just keep defending. We're going to get tired way before it does."
Mew, Latias, Milotic, and Team Go-Getters found themselves wondering the same thing. Latias dropped her rides off near one of Stakataka's legs, only for Stone Edge spires to force them back. Latias zoomed toward a second leg, but some of the bricks spun around, revealing eyes that each fired small Flash Cannons. Latias spun away from a couple, but a third clipped her wing and sent her crashing into the ground.
Stakataka raised a leg, ready to step on Latias. She managed to collect herself and zip away, firing off a Dragon Pulse. Her heart sank when it went into an Ultra Wormhole. A flicker of blue caught her eye and she noticed her attack heading right for Silvally. He managed to shift to his fairy memories to negate it. But in doing so, he left himself wide open to a Flash Cannon from the top of the Stakataka leg opposite Latias.
"This is nuts!" Mew shouted, shielding himself in a psychic bubble against a barrage of metallic energy balls. His shield managed to hold up, but it left Mew gasping for breath. "I… I want to… go back to bed." He groaned as Latias zoomed up toward him.
"Oh no you don't!" Lycanroc shouted. A fiery-orange aura surrounded him and, like a comet, he flung himself at Latias. She stopped herself just in time to avoid Lycanroc and immediately retaliated with a soft-pink Mist Ball. Vigor filled Latias' veins when it struck home and drew an angry bark from Lycanroc, who promptly retreated back onto Stakataka using an Ultra Wormhole.
Lycanroc glared up at the two levitating psychics and wiped his brow. "I can't believe Snowy browbeat a couple of gods into doing all his dirty work for him," he sneered, scanning the ground until he had located Shane. "Let's see how you like this Snow—" He cut himself off when his ears twitched. Lycanroc raised a paw and hurled metal shards into an oncoming Aura Sphere surrounded by the blue sparks of a Dragon Pulse.
His eyes widened when the combined attack withstood his barrage. Lycanroc smacked the top of Stakataka with his other paw. Several of its bricks flipped over and the eyes fired Flash Cannon lasers to swallow up the blue fire-lightning spiral. Lycanroc's rainbow eyes flickered with orange flames. "Ha! Is that really the best you can muster? Pathetic!" he scoffed, brushing his snout with a paw. "Listen, I ain't got beef with you drongos. Just surrender and let me squash Snowy into a prissy pancake. Then, I'll take care of whatever's lousing up the time stream and you lot can shower me in the praise I deserve!"
"Are you kidding me? I'd rather take my chances with Ms. Murder Mom than kiss up to your sorry behind!" Mew retorted, blowing a raspberry at Lycanroc while holding down one of his lower eyelids.
Latias grabbed hold of him and zoomed away as half a dozen grassy missiles shot toward them, trails of rainbow fire streaming out from behind. "You're gonna regret trying to mess with me, you ugly-arse Espeon clone!" Lycanroc howled. He smacked Stakataka with both paws. It raised up two of its legs and slammed them. Shockwaves of rumbling tectonic plates barreled toward Team Go-Getters, Team Paradise, and Team Poképals.
"I existed before Espe— ahh!" Mew didn't get the chance to finish his comeback, as Latias zoomed toward the ground with him in tow. She scooped Milotic and Team Go-Getters up into the air, then glanced across the ocean. Her jaw dropped.
She wasn't sure how, but Silvally was running across the air. Wind currents streaked through his dark-blue energy blades and over his back. Silvally dipped down and yanked Teams Paradise and Poképals onto his back.
"All right, all together now!" he barked, turning toward Stakataka as the Earthquake tremors passed harmlessly underneath him.
"Bah, I hate attacking from a distance," Haxorus said, glowering. Nevertheless, she spat out blue-purple dragonfire, joining with Infernape's Flamethrower, Raichu's Thunderbolt, Feraligatr's Hydro Pump, and a Flash Cannon from Silvally to form a giant gray beam.
"What trite!" Lycanroc laughed, raising a glowing paw. "You drongos are too predictab—"
Staktaka's entire foundations shook, sending Lycanroc tumbling onto his belly with a surprised bark. It wobbled about unsteadily, a result of tremors wracking its legs thanks to Swampert, who stood in front of it. Latias dropped Blaziken and Milotic off next to him.
"Good grief! I can't believe you just jumped off like that. How did you not break your legs?" Milotic said, blinking in astonishment.
"Heh. Been a while since you've done the 'Death from Above' technique, but that Earthquake's as fierce as ever," Blaziken said, smirking at his teammate.
"Bravo! Bravo! A-plus superhero landing, big guy," Mew said, applauding and adding a loud whistle on top of it.
"Focus, Mew! Splackanacka is off balance. We've gotta strike, now," Latias said, eyes burning with determination. She spun around in a circle, generating a wave of water she sent right at Stakataka's nearest leg.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Thanks, Mom," Mew scoffed, teleporting next to the leg Latias' Surf was heading toward and charging up an Aura Sphere.
"Grr. It's Stakatak— arrgh!" Lycanroc again fell to his stomach as the combined attacks of Silvally and the other teams hammered the leg opposite Mew. Stakataka buckled, giving Mew an opening to press his Aura Sphere right against Stakataka's leg. He stuck his tongue out yet again before teleporting next to Latias. Her Surf crashed onto the leg right when the Aura Sphere exploded.
A garbled roar echoed across the ocean as an explosive chain reaction raced up Stakataka's leg, destroying the bricks and blasting rubble in all directions. Shane skidded to a halt and hastily backed away, realizing Stakataka was toppling over. "Get back, guys! You're too close to it!" he shouted, tails frazzling.
Silvally understood right away and carried his living cargo well out of range of Stakataka. Shane checked and confirmed that Tessa was already a safe distance away. Her arms trembled as she held a large Aura Sphere. Shane swallowed hard. How long had Tessa been charging that up for? It looked ready to explode.
"Nrgn… no! Keep to together! I ain't… about to lose again!" Lycanroc howled, digging his paws into Stakataka's roof. Right when it looked like Stakataka would fall over sideways, it explicably froze in midair. A victorious grin wove its way onto Lycanroc's face. "Ha ha! Now you're in for it, mates!" Rainbow energy raced down his arms from his mane and spread throughout Stakataka.
"Tessa, release it, now!" Shane shouted, trying to draw on the energy he'd used to make the golden light ball. One materialized right in front of him and he spat it toward Stakataka right as Tessa thrust her giant Aura Sphere toward it.
A new leg materialized in place of the destroyed one and, in a two flashes of rainbow light, the two sets of legs linked up together, forming what resembled a pair of tank treads. His grin widening, Lycanroc pointed a paw up. The Celesteela arm cannons rotated so they were pointing at the ground and fired, jettisoning Stakataka up into the air. Shane went slack-jawed as his light ball collided with Tessa's Aura Sphere, resulting in a blinding explosion that forced them to look away.
"Your fancy tricks ain't got nothing on me, Snowy!" Lycanroc taunted, punching Stakataka's roof once again. This time, several wall bricks pushed themselves to the side, revealing a red crystal with glowing lights inside of it.
Latias squeaked in alarm. "A-Ah! Inside of that thing… I can sense the Tapus! And Dusk and Sneasel, too!"
Shane looked up. "Y… you're kidding," he rasped. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed the crystal brimming with orange energy.
"Get out of there, Shane!" Tessa screamed, flinging a desperate Aura Sphere airborne only for it to fizzle out before it reached the hovering Stakataka.
Shane had only seconds to react. A huge orange fireball — easily as wide as Stakataka — barreled toward him. Shane spat ice on the ground in front of him, creating a slick trail along the ocean. He sprinted forward and, when his paws hit the ice, dove onto his belly. Gritting his teeth, Shane skidded across the ice like a fluffy sled. He spat out more ice balls to freeze the ground ahead of him.
To Shane's relief, he skirted the massive fireball. But his victory proved fleeting, as Stakataka shut off its arm-cannons, split its legs apart, and dropped down to the earth. Shane could see the other groups reacting accordingly, but he and Tessa didn't have a flying companion by them and Lycanroc had Mew preoccupied dodging molten energy balls and rainbow missiles to teleport over to them.
"Tessa, I'm coming!" Shane hollered, blasting a Psychic behind him despite the lack of a target. The recoil propelled him across the ice toward his teammate. Shane ducked between Tessa's legs and stood up. Tessa yelped, finding herself on Shane's back as he sprinted as far away from Stakataka as he could.
It struck the ground. Multiple shockwaves raced out across the ground. Shane veered right, strafing Stakataka while still keeping away from the shockwaves. He thanked his lucky stars that he had gotten far enough away from the shockwaves to avoid them.
"You know, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when Dad told me that someday I could look forward to a wonderful guy sweeping me off my feet," Tessa said, rubbing her throbbing aura feelers with a paw.
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure this isn't what some people in my RP group meant when they talked about girls riding on guys," Shane said, shaking his head. "But that's not the point, here. We need to talk."
Tessa groaned. "Can it wait until after we stop this giant building from trying to squish us to death?"
"No, because it has to do with that!" Shane said, wincing when he heard pained cries echo across the battlefield. He saw an enraged Silvally leaping between Stone Edge spires, metal coating his body. Silvally slammed into one of the joints fixing a Celesteela cannon in place. It locked up momentarily, but Silvally had to jump onto Latias to avoid a flaming Lycanroc crashing into him from above like a comet.
"Well, out with it!" Tessa said, thumping Shane's shoulder. "We don't have all day, here!"
"What did Primarina tell you when you talked to him? Did he mention anything about what the Dawn Shard did to him?" Shane asked, finally skidding to a halt and hunching over to try and catch his breath.
"Uh, well…" Tessa rubbed her temple with a paw. "Let's see… there was the stuff about his career being over… the fact that he joined the guild for superficial reasons… how maybe he and Serperior are actually just a couple because they're really vain…"
Shane wished he still had hands so he could smack his face. 'Leave it to Primarina to turn what should've been a simple explanation into a dramatic monologue.'
Explosions rang out behind the two of them. Both jumped and spun around in fright to find the air surrounding the now-flying Stakataka filled with neon blast clouds. Latias zoomed out from one and fired a blue, serpentine beam into the thick haze, only for the beam to reappear to her right and strike her in the wing. Latias spiraled toward the ground, smoke trailing off her wing. Then, an enraged snarl echoed from above. The smoke cleared to reveal Silvally gliding away from Stakataka. Behind him, several dents lay in the wall and the bricks looked askew, even at a distance.
"Beasts!" Silvally howled, letting loose a lustrous Flash Cannon. An Ultra Wormhole materialized to deflect the attack, only to flicker out. The dented bricks took the full force of the blow. Another distorted wail rang out.
"C'mon, Tessa, think!" Shane said, resisting the urge to hop up on his hind legs and shake his teammate. "What happened to Primarina? Surely he said something about the Dawn Shards!"
"Um… um…" Tessa rubbed her temples with renewed vigor, but it was tough to recall the exact conversation given the hailstorm of events that followed it. After a few seconds of staring at Shane's pleading expression blankly, Tessa's eyes lit up. "Ah, wait! I think I've got it." She smacked her paws together. "Primarina said something about his desires for attention and stardom becoming overwhelming… like the Dawn Shard he touched had magnified them."
That was the spark Shane needed to send his mental gears into overdrive. "Right. And we stopped him by upstaging him during his big concert," he said. Shane winced briefly when more explosions lit up the air in front of him, but forced himself to look Tessa in the eye. "Okay, okay, I might be jumping to conclusions, here, but I'm willing to bet that the Dawn Hourglass has magnified Lycanroc's jealously."
Tessa gazed up at Stakataka just in time to see it dropping from the sky once again. Her aura feelers shot up. Stakataka was using its arm-cannons to propel itself in Latias' and Silvally's directions. Tessa had a paw reaching toward Shane, ready to spin him around, when the two disappeared. Stakataka immediately fell to the ground, releasing shockwaves that Shane and Tessa were still far enough away to avoid. Then, Stakataka rotated its arm-cannons and unleashed another barrage of rainbow missiles.
"Are you sure about Lycanroc? This seems a tad… excessive for something as simple as jealousy," Tessa said.
"I'm sure," Shane replied, nodding. "Remember what Gallian and Zoroark told us? Lycanroc's been blowing fuses at tiny slights since his evolution. And who was it who slighted him the worst out of anyone." Shane lifted a forepaw. "It's yours truly. The way I see it, this is all because he still hasn't forgotten about what happened at the guild." He resumed pacing. "If we're really going to have a shot at stopping Lycanroc, then I have to take a stand here and try and lessen all that jealous rage the Dawn Hourglass is magnifying."
Tessa frowned. "Shane—"
"Look, I know it sounds stupid. But it's my fault that the Shards ended up in Lycanroc's paws in the first place," Shane continued, shaking his head. "I made this mess. So, I've got to do whatever it takes to clean it up."
More explosions rang out behind Shane. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Feraligatr and Infernape careening toward the ground. Mew teleported in and stopped their falls. Shane sighed in relief.
"Okay. Tessa, is there any chance you can try to join the others? You'll have to strike once I've got Lycanroc talking," Shane said.
"No. I'm staying with you," Tessa said, crossing her arms.
Shane's ears twitched. "But Tessa, I'm—"
"Look, Shane. If we weren't fighting a giant doom-building I'd give you a big old hug and nuzzle for recognizing your mistakes and trying to own up to them," Tessa said, tapping a foot on the ground.
Shane blinked. "Wait, what?"
Tessa ignored the stunned look on Shane's face and put a paw on his shoulder. His face reddened. "But I'm not going to have you blindly charge at Lycanroc to try and talk him down. Besides, I'm the one who launched the first strike at him in the guild. He probably hates me, too." She lifted her paws off his shoulder and stood up straight. "We're a team, so we're doing this together. Got it?"
Smiling, Shane nodded. "All right, if you're sure. Climb on."
"I'll run this time, thanks," Tessa said, dashing off toward Stakataka.
"H-Hey, wait! There's still more to my plan!" Shane yipped, scrambling to follow behind Tessa. He closed the distance quickly thanks to his extra set of legs.
"It barely sounded like you had much of a plan to begin with," Tessa said, aura feelers pulsating with each explosion sounding above them. "What are you going to do, kiss Lycanroc to try and catch him off guard?"
Shane nearly tripped and faceplanted at Tessa's statement. "O-Of course not! Who do I look like, Espy?" He mentally apologized to her for the smart remark. "No, in order to get Lycanroc to at least stop and hear us out, we have to get his attention without pissing him off. So, I need you to shoot a Flash Cannon over toward Mew or Silvally."
Now it was Tessa's turn to stumble. She spread her arms outs to either side to keep her balance. "Seriously? And what makes you think that's a good idea?"
"I— hang on, shockwave!" Shane crouched down and sprang into the air, with Tessa following suit. But then Tessa's aura feelers twitched. She looked down and saw the ocean's surface fragmenting. In mid-stride, she hurled two Aura Spheres right in front of Shane. They exploded, destroying Stone Edge shards as they rose up from the ground.
Both teammates hit the ground, though they bumped sides during their landing. Shane shook his head, then continued his charge. "As I was saying… it's not a good idea! But it was the best I could come up with on the spot. So, are you with me or not?"
Tessa skidded to a halt, then rubbed the bridge of her brow with a paw. "Yeah, sure, fine. Let's do it." She rotated her arms, gathering silver dust in her paws. Tessa pointed them toward Silvally, who was in the process of trying to steer some of the Celesteela missiles back toward Stakataka. However, a barrage of gray lasers blew the missiles apart. With a wince, Tessa shot a Flash Cannon in Silvally's general direction.
His head crest fanned out in shock. He didn't have a hard time dodging the blast, but he still glared down at Tessa. "What are you doing?!" he barked, loud enough for Tessa's aura feelers to vibrate and make her wonder if he had somehow used Hyper Voice to raise his speaking volume.
"Again," Shane whispered. He turned and spat an Ice Beam up at Latias. She stopped on a dime, going cross-eyed as the ice whizzed past her face. From her back, Blaziken, Milotic, and Swampert glanced at Shane.
"What's your problem, Shane?" Milotic huffed.
"Yeah! Watch where you're firing!" Latias growled, only to squeak in surprise and scuttle back to dodge two more Ice Beams.
"What the—" Lycanroc lowered his arms and approached the edge of Stakataka. His eyes glowed bright-orange. "What are you playing at, Snowy?" he growled, raising a paw. In response, Stakataka lifted the leg closest to Shane and Tessa into the air, looking to step on them.
"Everyone needs to stand down!" Shane shouted, looking between Latias and Silvally. "This doesn't have anything to do with you guys! Back off and give Lycanroc some space."
Mew popped up right behind Shane, yanking one of his tails. Yipping, he jumped up and flailed his legs about. "Okay, I heard you were a looney bird, but did someone shove a Totter Seed in your mouth? He's trying to squish us!" Mew pointed up at the Stakataka leg frozen in midair.
"No, he's not… he's trying to squish me," Shane said, hip-checking Mew away from his backside. "And, frankly, he has every right to do that!"
"Oh no, I ain't falling for another one of your bloody stupid ruses, Snowy! I'm sending your arse to the Tree of Life, where you belong!" Lycanroc howled. He whipped his arm forward, slinging a trio of meteorite-like fireballs right at Shane just as Stakataka's leg came crashing down toward him. His eyes bugged out, however, when Shane stood his ground.
"Okay, go ahead. I deserve it," Shane said, lowering his head as if he was accepting his fate. Tessa, on the other hand, stared at the oncoming barrage with her aura feelers trembling. She crouched down, ready to grab Shane by his tails and run away, when the fireballs snuffed themselves out. Stakataka planted its leg a few feet in front of them. All of the bricks on said leg rotated so the eyes were facing Shane and Tessa.
"What was that?" Lycanroc asked, leering down at Shane.
"I said that you're right. About everything. I'm a giant screw-up… and, because of that, I definitely don't deserve the Dawn Hourglass' power," Shane said, locking eyes with Lycanroc. Tessa was surprised by how sincere he sounded. "So, that's why I want everyone to stand aside. Let Lycanroc do whatever he wishes with me… and then help him take out Zero in my stead," Shane continued, approached the Stakataka leg.
He glanced at Mew, then Latias. Praying that one of them was trying to read his mind, the thought, 'Okay, if I can get Lycanroc talking for a little longer, then everyone should be able to attack.'
"You really expect me to believe that trite? Don't make me laugh!" Lycanroc said. The eyes in Stakataka's legs lit up.
Gulping, Shane faced down the barrels of a dozen Flash Cannons. "I'm behind honest, Lycanroc. I was a complete and total ass to you back at the guild… b-because I was confused. You just, y'know, showed up out of the blue and got all this attention from the guild when I'd been working my tails off only to have everyone brush me aside."
Lycanroc's eyes smoldered. He raised his paw, looking ready to launch the strike at Shane.
"That's why I tried to turn everyone in the guild against you. And, well, it didn't go exactly how I had hoped, but it did end up working in the end," Shane said, frowning. "Still, I felt bad. Especially because of what happened between you, Gallian, and Zoroark. Dusk also told me about how you ended up getting the wrong evolution form."
He curled his tails against his waist. "You originally wanted to do the right thing and help the guild. I ruined that. So, I'm giving you a chance to turn it around. To not just help… but be the hero who saves the day and gets all the recognition. I mean, look at yourself…"
Shane stepped back and gestured to Stakataka's leg. "I doubt I could do something this amazing with the Dawn Hourglass' power. You should have no problem stopping Zero." He forced a smile. "And once you do, I'll go to the cops and tell them that Guildmaster Metagross had brainwashed you. I mean, you saw for yourself how crazy he was. They'll believe me in a heartbeat. Especially if my teammates back me up, right?"
Tessa hastily nodded when Shane looked toward her. He then glanced up at the airborne teams and prayed he could force a thought into their heads: 'Charge up your best attacks!'
Lycanroc's eyes darted about. Shane fought to hide a grin. Though he didn't deserve such a stroke of luck, his gambit was working. The glow in Lycanroc's mane was dimming, which Shane hoped meant his jealous rage was simmering down. Lycanroc stumbled back, gripping his head with a paw. "S-Snowy, you… you're really… apologizing to me?"
The distortion faded from Lycanroc's voice. Shane's eyes widened. Maybe they wouldn't even need a violent resolution? Maybe his trick had worked and Lycanroc would join their side to stop Zero?
Shane's hopes faded fast in the face of multiple Flash Cannons drowning him in a wall of gray energy.
"Nice try. But I already told you, I ain't falling for your dumbarse tricks!" Lycanroc slapped his knee and howled with laughter.
Shane's high-pitched screams shook the air. Tessa's aura feelers shot up. Blue flames ignited in her irises and around her paws. Screeching out a war cry, Tessa slung two large Aura Spheres toward Stakataka's leg.
Above her, Silvally echoed her enraged cries. He flung Team Paradise and Team Poképals off his back. Mew teleported over and caught them safely with his ESP while they launched a Flamethrower, lightning, dragonfire, and a steaming water torrent toward Stakataka's wall. Silvally raced in ahead of the attacks while they merged into a giant multicolored beam. A metal sheen encased his hide.
"Nobody hurts my friend like that! I'll rip you to pieces, Beast!" he shrieked. Silvally hammered the center of Stakataka's wall. His Swords Dance boosts made the strike shake the very foundations of the giant Ultra Beast. He darted away, revealing a noticeable crack that ran through several of the bricks, leaving them trembling. The combined energy beam struck seconds later. Stakataka wailed in pain and jostled Lycanroc right off its roof.
"Swampert, down there!" Blaziken shouted, pointing at Lycanroc. "Quick, time for another 'Death from Above!'"
"Say no more." Swampert saluted his teammate and dived off Latias' back. Brown, earthly energy gathered in his fins. But rather than connecting with Lycanroc, Swampert disappeared through a portal and instead struck the ground a fair distance away from Stakataka. His shoulders sagged. "Aww man. Seriously?"
Swearing, Blaziken also launched himself airborne. Milotic yelped in surprise. "Latias, get to Shane!" Blaziken ordered. He then shot Flamethrowers from his legs to fly around toward the wall that the other battlers had struck. Milotic added her own blast of water to propel them faster. His eyes sparkled upon seeing the giant crystal holding Lycanroc's captives. "Silvally, Mew, cover me! I'm going in!"
The fire jets shooting from his legs grew larger. Milotic took a deep breath, then let out another Hydro Pump. They flew toward Stakataka. Blaziken then cut off the flames and spun about in midair. Shining, orange energy encased his feet. Already flailing about in pain from the previous hits, Stakataka desperately raised its Celesteela cannons to fire.
"Oh no you don't!" Silvally snarled, cheek bolts whirring so quickly they vented smoke. Silvally shot toward the nearest arm-cannon, switching to his fighting memories as a golden wheel surrounded his torso. Orange energy identical to Blaziken's surrounded Silvally's forelegs. He struck the arm-cannon's joint and cleaved right through it. Silvally sailed past Stakataka as the arm-cannon fell to the ground and Blaziken drove his glowing foot right into the crystal. A huge crack spiderwebbed out from the center.
Blaziken managed to bounce off and land atop Stakataka's roof in time to watch the arm-cannon strike the ground and shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. Milotic uncurled from around his torso. Silvally then joined Tessa in launching dual Flash Cannons at Stakataka's damaged leg. This proved enough to destroy it in a similar chain reaction to the one they'd blown apart earlier. Blaziken's legs buckled. He grabbed Milotic and leaped into the air, only for a metallic paw to lock around his foot and slam the duo onto the roof with a heavy thud.
"Nobody's going anywhere, mate," Lycanroc snarled, mane disheveled, eyes twitching, and drool seeping out of his mate. "This is my moment and I won't have you lot bloody ruining it!" He grabbed hold of Blaziken and Milotic once again and, as Stakataka began to topple over, hurtled him toward Team Paradise and Team Poképals.
"O-Oh no… I can't catch him!" Mew cried.
"Then drop us! We can take it!" Haxorus barked.
"Fat chance I'm letting that happen!" Lycanroc said, having appeared behind the group by means of an Ultra Wormhole. An orange aura surrounded him. His body hardened into metal. With a loud howl, he shot toward them, leaving a trail of fiery energy behind him. Mew squeezed his eyes, trying to teleport, but it was no good. He had run out of strength for that. And he couldn't levitate the others around fast enough for them to attack Lycanroc.
Then a gigantic purple hand shot up between Mew and Lycanroc, slowing his progress. Then another hand appeared behind it, slowing him even more. And then another. And another. And another. Eventually, two dozen hands had stopped Lycanroc in his tracks. Mew glanced down and noticed Espy standing below her, shimmering with an orange aura. Blaziken and Milotic stood beside her, the former wiping his brow in relief.
"This is for Shane!" Espy cried. She concluded her Z-Move with an explosive burst of ectoplasm that propelled a howling Lycanroc down toward the ground, where Tessa stood waiting for him. She crossed her arms in front of her face. Orange light encased her from the gem in her looplet.
Lycanroc flailed about, trying to draw on his powers and summon an Ultra Wormhole to escape. But before he could a giant, orange fist punched him right between the legs. His eyes bulged out and he howled in pain. Tessa punched the air repeatedly, her angry shouts growing louder with each energy fist she launched to keep Lycanroc suspended in midair.
"Don't you ever mess with Team Radiance again!" she shouted, winding up and firing one last orange fist twice Lycanroc's size. It struck him and carried him back through the air, all the way toward Stakataka. Despite the intense burning pain, Lycanroc managed to catch a quick glimpse of Latias and Silvally carrying the Tapus, Sneasel, and Dusk away from Stakataka.
Lycanroc then struck Stakataka's roof. For a brief second, everyone could see a Lycanroc-shaped hole in the bricks. Then, Stakataka erupted in a bevy of brightly-colored, neon explosions. Latias and Silvally zipped toward the rest of the group, the latter barely skirting the fringes of the chain reaction, but getting singed on the edges of his tail. Smoke trailed behind Silvally as he dropped from his glide like a rock and skipped across the ground before finally coming to rest by Tessa.
She knelt down, two berries and an elixir at the ready. Tessa glanced at Silvally's looplet. Sparks jumped around the central gemstone. Tessa's aura feelers tensed up. "You going to be okay?" she asked.
Silvally opened his beak and coughed up a mouthful of gray smoke. Tessa fell on her rump and waved a paw in front of her face. "Yeesh! Warn me if you're going to do that. Your breath smells like soggy pancakes!" She looked at her teammate, who met her with a blank stare. "Err, don't ask me how I know what soggy pancakes smell like." Tessa put the healing items by Silvally's face and stood up.
Zero took in Stakataka's explosive demise with purple embers smoldering in her iris. "Well, I guess that's it then," she said. A ring of static ran from her ears to her feet as she turned to face the three Pokémon under her control.
"Finally!" Dragonite stretched her arms and wings out. "Now it's my turn, right?" She raised her right hand, summoning a lightning spear to grab hold of.
"Not quite," Zero said, holding up her right paw and turning back to face the paralyzed ocean.
"But you said if Stakataka loses, then I could pick those idiots off," Dragonite growled, her antennae crackling. "What happened to attacking while they're vulnerable, huh?"
"Oh, you're still going to get your chance," Zero insisted. "It's just, after watching this whole display, I think it's necessary to make a few… adjustments. To give you a better shot at taking them down."
Dragonite's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you don't trust me to beat these losers?"
"Even with Birdbrain over there on your side, I'd have concerns," Zero said, jerking her head in Lugia's direction. He opened his mouth, only for an invisible force to squeeze it shut again. "You can keep your complaints to yourself. The fact of the matter is they have numbers and it appears that those numbers have now grown. Furthermore, they actually seem capable of coordinating themselves… well, coordinating better than I expected, anyway."
Zero raised her right paw. Static encased it. Her paw distorted and flickered in and out of existence. "If we're to put a stop to these nuisances, we need to cut them off from each other. Luckily, I'm in a perfect position to do that."
Her aura dreadlocks lashed out at the air around her. Dragonite looked down. The ground shook beneath her feet.
Tessa helped Silvally back to his feet after he finished eating the berries. "Thanks," he said.
"You sure you're okay?"
"A lot better now that Stappa… flappa…" Silvally's brow furrowed. "Now that the Beast is taken care of, I'm doing better." He looked at his looplet. The sparks had faded from the central gemstone, but his cheek-bolts still glowed and radiated heat. Still, he forced a smile for his teammate. "I'll be fine. I promise."
"O-Okay." Tessa rubbed her shoulder. Her aura feelers then shot up. "Ah, that's right! What about Shane?!" She turned to her aura sight, but stopped when she sensed two familiar blue flames moving toward her. Tessa spun around and relief flooded her system.
Shane walked toward them with Latias by his side. Latias had healed most of his injuries, but the evidence he'd been badly hurt was plain as day. His fur was frayed, disheveled, uneven, and red in some spaces. Tessa ran toward him, only to a skid to a halt and stop herself with her arms outstretched and her gaze locked on her pointy chest spike.
"I, uh…" She stepped away and rubbed the back of her head. "How are you doing?"
"I think that was the first steel-type attack I've been hit with since I evolved," Shane said, lowering his gaze. "It was…" His voice trailed off and he shivered. "That was even more painful than my evolution."
"I'm sorry," Tessa whispered. "I should've—"
Shane shook his head. "Don't. I'm the one who should apologize. I thought my plan was working, but I guess Lycanroc saw right through it and wound up playing me for a sap." A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "I think I'll, uh, defer any battle strategies for dealing with Zero to you guys." When he looked back up, Espy stood at Silvally's side. Shane couldn't quite peg her expression, but he assumed she was either annoyed, worried, or both.
"You should count your lucky stars we had Latias around to help you," Espy said, her voice cracking. "When those Flash Cannons hit you, I thought…" Her face scrunched up. "Please don't tell me you didn't know just how weak ice Ninetales are to steel-type attacks."
"I… I did know. But I saw everyone getting hurt and I felt like it was my fault… so this was the best thing I could come up with," Shane said, wincing. "I guess, we should try not to get separated from each other, even if we're fighting a big foe and it makes sense to split up."
A tense silence followed. Espy turned to Tessa. "You went along with his plan," she whispered.
"I did. I honestly thought it might be able to work," Tessa said, rubbing her shoulder.
Sighing, Espy rested her head against Silvally's thigh. "I'm getting too old for these heart-stopping moments," she said, drawing an eyebrow raise from Silvally. "Look, I'm not mad at you guys. I get it. Things are desperate and sometimes you've gotta turn to crazy ideas. It's just…" Espy glanced over her shoulder at Team Paradise. Raichu was feeding a berry to Haxorus who, in turn, was giving a berry to Raichu. Espy turned back to her teammates. "I don't want to lose any of you, okay? Not after everything we've been through. You're…" She shut her eyes. "You're like family."
Shane nodded slowly. "Right. I understand."
Silence followed, only to broken when Silvally looked to his right and said, "So, uh, what do you think happened to Lycanroc? Because, like, I'm not sensing his energy and, well…" He pointed a foreleg where he was looking. In the distance, the spot where Stakataka once stood was covered in a fiery wreckage. Molten metal lay on the ground, bubbling and releasing thick vapors into the air.
"You don't think he's in the middle of all that, do you?" Shane asked, eyes widening.
"Tessa knocked him into Spatta— err, into the giant Ultra Beast. He was at the epicenter of that gigantic explosion," Milotic said, shaking her head while she slithered up to the group.
"But what about the Dawn Hourglass?" Shane said, tails fanning out in alarm. "You guys hit him with Z-Moves, right? That should've separated it from Lycanroc… right?" He stared into the roaring flames. His tails curled up against his waist. He needed that Hourglass. It couldn't be gone… could it?
"Well, if it didn't separate, then…" Silvally trailed off. He poked the ground with a talon. As soon as he pulled his claws back, the ground trembled. Silvally's head crest fanned out. "W-What the heck? That can't be the Ultra Beast, can it?"
Tessa crouched into a fighting stance. "Don't tell me Lycanroc somehow survived that?" She looked at the other teams and confirmed that they'd sensed it, too. Tessa was about to say something to them, when fissures ripped through the paralyzed ocean. Her aura feelers shot up in surprise. Tessa jumped back, watching in horror as ley line chains and dark purple crystals burst forth from the ground. She didn't have time to stop and take in her surroundings. More chains and crystals shot up to her left, forcing her to run right.
She heard panicked yelps for a few seconds, before a second wall of chains and crystals blocked her off from the other teams. Tessa's heart shot into her throat. "No… oh no. Oh no, no, no, no!" Her aura feelers throbbed in-time with her heartbeat. Tessa broke into a run. "Espeon? Silvally? Shane?!" she cried. "Anyone? Can anyone here m— aaggh!"
A purple crystal erupted from beneath her feet. Flinging her into the air with her limbs flailing. She lost consciousness before striking the ground with a heavy thud.
Thousands and thousands of feet above the frozen, torn-up ocean, a golden flash shimmered on the edge of the stratosphere. A bright-orange, circular portal with a checkerboard pattern opened up. Golden flames trickled out of the portal. They coalesced into a fireball surrounded by a rainbow aura.
"Hoopa! Hoopa, where are you?" a deep voice shouted. "You're late and I—"
The fireball bristled. Two sharp, red eyes peered down at the paralyzed planet. Something had clearly gone wrong. Which meant that this was no time for hovering in place, crying out for a god that wouldn't be showing his face.
Wingbeats echoed through the air. The fireball drifted away from its portal, which shut behind it. It floated down toward the planet, leaving a trail of soft, rainbow light.
Sentinel Supreme, Stakataka Deluxe
It's impossible to say whether this Ultra Beast is a singular consciousness or a hivemind of spirits welded together by the chaotic energy of Ultra Space. One thing that is clear, however, is that Lycanroc's intense loathing of a certain ice Ninetales supplanted its own thoughts and desires. Stakataka's will crumbled beneath the Dawn Hourglass' power and both its spirit and body were fused, gaining the cannon-arms of a Celesteela and the neon, rainbow palette of two Blacephalons.
For those who don't follow the blog, after getting several requests in PMs, I have decided to open a small Discord server related to the fic. I was considering doing it as a surprise if this fic somehow reached 1000 reviews, but I don't think we'll get there. I don't expect this to be a big thing, but if you're interested in talking about the story — or other topics, too — then you're welcome to join. If you're interested, just let me know and I will send you an invite link.
I don't know how many silent readers I have, but you can always PM me and ask to join. I'm not just going to post an invite publicly, because there are plenty of Discord trolls out there causing problems for severs big and small. If you do decide to join, I hope you have fun! Now, onto replies...
SuperOmegaGuest: you were expecting one of the main villains to summon Stakataka but instead it was Lycanroc!
Anon Omega: well, will I be hearing any screams?
Anonymous: Nicky was trying his best not to come off as threatening but, yeah, things got a bit heated an Arceus acted based on that.
Dovah: don't worry, I'm trying my best to make these chapters count. Hopefully you enjoy them.
Next time: separation anxiety to the max!