Chapter 91: Unraveling a Chain of Memories
~Invern Mountains, Central Peak~
Is everyone holding up satisfactorally?
Magearna led the Expedition Society members in a single-file line through blustering winds that barely offered a half-foot's visibility. She held her right arm up. An umbrella-like metal shield stuck out of it, deflecting incoming snow and hail.
"I think we're doing all right," Ninetales said, walking right behind Magearna and giving off short bursts of heat in an attempt at protecting the rest of the group. "How about you? You've had that, um, device of yours out for a while. Isn't it tiring you out?"
Well, I admit this is the longest I've ever used my Geartronic Weather Dehazardification Unit, but this is not the time for conservatative behavior, Magearna said, turning left to follow the path.
"Right." Ninetales looked around. "I still don't really understand how there can be a snowstorm here. The planet's supposed to be paralyzed, isn't it?"
It's to be expected, since we're on the Invern Mountains. In this one part of the world, the ley lines are so twispiralled upon themselves, they invert the rudimentary physics of the planet. For example, the way typing works. Moves you would expect to hit for super-effectorative damage instead do very little, Magearna explained, keeping her pace up.
While the rest of the world is paralyzed, time appears to be moving one hundred percent faster here. Hence the ferocicity of this snowstorm, Magearna continued. I'm afraid this is a discussion better saved for another time, though, because I think we're almost at the top of our climb.
"Did you hear that, Ampharos? We're almost there!" Ninetales called back.
"F-Fantastic!" Ampharos said through chattering teeth. "While this cold is certainly, ahem, invigorating, I look forward to leaving it behind."
"I concur. It's no surprise this place is completely empty," Cresselia squeaked, blowing into her nubby hands. It did little to warm her up. Even her halos quivered.
Actually, the wild Pokémon living in these mountains contribute to the weather. Many know Hail or have Snow Warning as their ability, Magearna explained. However, I'm not detectifying any energy signatures besides ours.
"I'm guessing most of them sought refuge in caves. There were planet-wide tremors when the Hidden Land fell," Ninetales said, shaking snow off her pelt. "You said there's a village at the top of this mountain, correct? How do you suppose the Pokémon living there are handling all of this?"
I'm sure Totem Ninetales is doing her best to keep them calm, Magearna said. Her eyes whirred about. The winds faded to a steady breeze and a light snowfall replaced the torrent of hail. Magearna retracted her shield into her arm. We're here.
She walked forward, giving the others room to leave the snowstorm. The snowy trail surprisingly gave way to stone stairs. Each stair faintly glowed with light. Any snowflakes that landed on the stones evaporated, leaving a safe path up into a cloud of gray fog.
"So, these are the gods spoken of in Horizon's legends, yes? Solgaleo and Lunala?" Mawile asked, staring at statues sitting on each side of the stairs.
Correct. And the smaller ones behind them are the Tapus, who shape our Mystery Dungeons and keep the continent afloat, Magearna said.
Ninetales bit her lip. On the walk up, Magearna had told the group that Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini had vanished alongside the Dawn Shards. She prayed the two Tapus would be all right or, at the very least, her counterpart had safely reigned in their spirits.
Magearna led the group up the stairs. With every step, the air grew thinner. Each Expedition Society member found themselves stopping to catch their breath, save for Ninetales, who was well-accustomed to higher altitudes.
"My head's ringing," Cresselia whispered, scrunching her face up. "How high up are we?"
I am not actually sure. I've never had the chance to compare Solstice Summit's elevatilation to Sky Peak's, Magearna admitted.
"Ah, yes…" Mawile walked up to Magearna, breathing heavily. "That does… take me back. I'd have thought my days on Team Frontier would make this hike easy, but I guess I've gone soft after all these years living at sea level." A wince put a stop to her chuckling.
Do not worry. I believe things will be better for you once we're in the village, Magearna said, beckoning them to follow her through the gray fog. The group stayed close to one another, until they emerged out the other end in the middle of a small rock platform. Another staircase stood across from them, obscuring their view. At the base of the stairs stood a stone stool. A Shaymin sat on the stool, with icy-blue fur on her back and white, snowflake-shaped flowers on either side of her face. She looked at Magearna and smiled.
"Ah!" Cresselia's halos stuck up. "A Shaymin… here? Good gracious! Are you all right? You must be freezing!"
"Thank you for the concern, Lady Cresselia, but I'm okay," Shaymin said, bowing her head. "I am Shaymin Esserly, Totem Ninetales' attendant. And I welcome you all to Solstice Summit."
Ampharos returned the bow. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ampharos and this is my assistant, Mawile. We're from the Expedition Society!" He raised his right arm to strike his signature pose.
"Of Lively Town, yes. Your reputation precedes you, good sir," Esserly said, with a slight giggle. She hopped off her perch and turned toward the stairs. "While I would love to keep exchanging pleasantries, I'm afraid we must make haste. Lady Ho-Oh is expecting us."
Yes, yes, of course. Lead the way, Esserly, Magearna said, walking after the snowy Shaymin. Ampharos, Cresselia, and Mawile followed behind her.
Ninetales' brow furrowed. "Wait. Hold up a second… I have questions!" she barked, dashing off after the group.
~Prism Wastelands~
As Tessa regained consciousness, her vision swam. At first, she had no idea what was going on. She remembered looking at the fiery wreckage of Stakataka, the ground shaking, and then panicked cries sounding all around her. Now, her head was so muddled up and her vision so unfocused she couldn't get a sense of her surroundings. Her ears rang. Pins and needles ran up her legs and down her aura feelers.
"… sa… ey…"
Tessa's face scrunched up. She could've sworn she heard someone, but it sounded like this person was trying to talk to her while submerged underwater. Tessa blinked repeatedly. Her vision slowly came into focus. As it did, sensation returned to her legs and aura feelers.
"Hey, Tessa, you with us?"
It was Silvally. He stood crouched down to Tessa's right, with his head by her arm. "I, uh… I'm a bit out of it, I guess," Tessa said. She lifted her right arm, but she couldn't hold it steady and wound up planting it right on Silvally's beak. Silvally didn't react. He held his head in place so that Tessa could slowly stagger to her feet.
The moment she did, a wave of vertigo crashed over her. Tessa stumbled to her left, then to her right. Silvally offered his shoulder to steady her, but backed away when Tessa threw a paw up over her muzzle. Her cheeks puffed up. She swallowed hard. "Agh. Yeah, not good," she said, sticking out her tongue and shaking her head.
Tessa hunched over, resting her paws on her knees while she waited out the nausea. She found herself at the top of some sort of metal hill. Peering over the edge, Tessa found a sea of purple acid waiting at the bottom of a steep drop off. Chains crisscrossed the chasm between the hill Tessa was on and a jagged cluster of crystals. Some of the links had glowing red or purple eyes inside. They flickered with ominous electricity that made Tessa's aura feelers tense up.
"What happened here?" Tessa asked, finally able to stand up straight. She turned around to find Espy and Milotic also looking at the scenery. There were large platforms of various shapes and sizes in the distance, all seemingly made of crystals that distorted what little light lingered around the area. Chains of assorted length ran between the crystals, the eyes in their links piercing through the darkness. Thorny chains even arced out from the acid pools.
"I think this is all Zero's doing," Silvally said, walking beside Tessa. His expression fiercened as he looked straight at a floating crystal octahedron glowing with a red aura. "The battle with Lycanroc was, well, explosive, to say the least. She probably saw what was happening and, once we beat Lycanroc, summoned a whole bunch of ley line chains to wreak havoc on the place."
He hunched over and his fire memories flickered on. "Th… they're everywhere, Tessa. You can sense 'em, can't you? Just… just look at this place!"
A blast rang out in the distance. Everyone looked northeast and saw spurts of acid flying about in every direction. A trio of giant ley line chains slowly snaked into the air and coiled around one another. In a flicker of purple light, they turned into another crystal platform with a jagged, slanted slope.
"It's awful! It's like the worst Mystery Dungeons we've been in cranked up to the max," Espy said, her tail curling around her waist. "And… and that's the direction we've gotta go, isn't it?" She pointed a forepaw forward. There were a lot of crystal platforms sticking out of the acid below. Some had chains running through them, others didn't.
"H-Hang on, what about everyone else?" Tessa looked around, aura feelers twitching. "Wait… where's Shane?" She turned to her teammates, who looked down glumly.
"I tried to grab hold of him, Tessa, I really did… but a huge ley line wall burst up in front of me before I could," Silvally said, hanging his head as he flickered between a blue and an orange glow.
"There were too many crystal spires. I lost sight of him in all the chaos and, before I knew it, Espy had yanked me back and plopped me onto Silvally next to you," Milotic elaborated. Her gaze was directed north, toward the red and purple eye of the vortex spiraling over their heads.
"Well… w-well…" Tessa shook her head. There had to be some way to reach the others. She had just told Shane that they were in this together. "What about Latias or Mew? Can't Espeon contact them telepathically or something?!"
"It's no good. I can't sense anything beside the energy these ley lines are venting off," Espy said, wincing. "That includes you guys… and you're standing right in front of me. Trying to find the others isn't going to be an option, I fear."
"Why not? Latias and Mew can fly!" Tessa said. "A-And so can you, Silvally. We've gotta turn your flying memories on and get moving!"
Silvally lowered his head. "I'd really love to do that, but that's a bad idea."
Tessa crossed her arms, not buying his answer. "Because?"
"Because of this," Milotic said. She scooped up a gray piece of debris in her tail and hurled it up toward one of the floating octahedrons. A purple core glowed in the middle of it, then purple lightning vaporized the rubble. Tessa slouched over in disbelief, watching dust float past her. "Whatever these things are… the sky is riddled with them. I'm afraid going airborne is way too dangerous."
"But we can't sit here and do nothing," Silvally said, looking off toward the center of the vortex. "I think… we're going to have to set off on foot and pray that we meet up with the others somehow." He walked to the front of the group. "Any objections?"
Just then, a portion of the metal ground gave out behind Tessa. Two black, circular crystals with red cores floated into the air. Espy's tail scrunched up. "I recognize those. They're the things that Zero turned all the Minior in Aurora Vale into! Necrospheres… or something."
Silvally and Tessa exchanged panicked looks. They recalled the ones that had exploded near Shane, nearly doing him in. Tessa's paws balled into fists. Aural flames crackled around her spikes. She didn't even see the winged-heart sigil on her right paw flicker purple.
Tessa raised her paws up, releasing rings of pink energy. Espy added her own psychic rings to the mix. Silvally shot a stream of fire in the center of the rings. It expanded into a giant fireball that swallowed the Necrospheres up, leaving nothing behind.
"We have to get moving… or they might swarm us," Espy said, ears drooping. With a nod, Silvally took the lead. The group proceeded along the metal path, their gazes swiveling back and forth. Metal walls and crystal chunks ran past them. Some parts had glowing runes traced across them, the likes of which brought Golem's videos to mind.
"Mom… why… why are you doing this to us?" Tessa whispered, pulling on her aura feelers.
"She's desperate," Silvally said. "I don't… really know why. I mean, she has Dialga on her side. This is just… unnecessary."
"Unless she's trying to stall us."
"What do you mean?" Tessa asked, looking at Espy.
"Think about it. She's trying to forcibly reset all of time with Dialga's power," Espy said, frowning. "If we actually made it up to her… and fought enough to disrupt whatever she's doing, it would ruin her whole plan." Her expression darkened. "I bet she's trying to keep us busy so it's impossible for us to reach her in time to stop her."
Silvally glanced at Espy. He was about to ask for clarification when the glowing sigils on his right all swirled together, forming a cluster of black slime. The sludge expanded into a papule with small circular nubs popping off its body. Espy jumped back with a holler, landing on Milotic's torso.
"Ow! What was that all about?"
"That's a… that's a…" Espy hyperventilated. She shrank down into a ball, then repeatedly smacked Milotic with her forepaws. "Void Shadow! Void Shadow! Get it away! Get it away! Make them stop, stop, stop!"
Seeing Espy's distress, Silvally quickly launched an Air Slash barrage at the Void Shadow. The wind blades sliced through its slimy body. However, the black ribbons simply knotted themselves back together. Silvally stepped back, beak locking up. Three more Void Shadows dropped down from the sky, wobbling about at complete random.
"Get back! Stay away from my friends!" Silvally barked. Lightning revved up in his cheek-bolts. He showered the Void Shadows in electricity. They melted down into bubbling black puddles.
"They're not going to stay down. If you can't completely destroy them, then you have to run! We all have to run! It's not safe here!" Espy screamed, her forehead gem flickering. "It's not safe anywhere!" Her eyes darted about. "They're watching us. I know they are. They'll swarm us if we don't m— aah!"
Milotic wrapped Espy up in her tail and sprang onto Silvally's back. "Then let's pick up the pace here. Run, Silvally!" she said, turning to her right to keep a Void Shadow at bay with scalding-hot water.
Tessa flanked Silvally's left, ignoring her trembling paws despite the difficulties they gave her in charging up an Aura Sphere. She tossed a smaller one in between two Void Shadows. The blue, fiery explosion gave Silvally an opening to run through. Tessa followed behind him. Thinking quickly, she fired a gray beam up at the crystal arcing over her head. The top part dislodged and fell to the ground, blocking off the Void Shadows' path.
"Okay, how's everything looking up there?" Tessa asked, jogging to catch up with Silvally. He stood looking down at a chasm. Tessa looked around him and spotted crystal platforms at the other end, but it would be quite a big jump to make. And there were several, star-shaped rocks floating in midair. Purple light streamed out from cracks in the rocks. They looked like they'd crumble to bits if someone touched them.
"What do you think the odds are there are Necrospheres hiding in those things, waiting to attack?" Milotic wondered, sizing up the nearest rock. "Should I try blasting one and see what happens?"
Silvally shook his head. "If something explodes, it could set off the ley lines beneath us. We've gotta… um…" He glanced back at Tessa. "Look, I can activate my flying memories and glide across, but you'll have to climb on."
Nodding hesitantly, Tessa climbed onto his back. Silvally's glowing appendages turned dark blue and, with a running start, he lunged out over the chasm.
Tessa's aura feelers tensed. The rock on her right was vibrating and shining brighter. Not willing to take any chances, Tessa shot two pink bursts from her paws. Her Psychic blew the rock into another one. Both crumbled to bits in purple blasts. Behind her, Espy used her own Psychic to divide Milotic's Scald torrent into separate water bubbles. She pushed them toward the floating rocks that were giving off steam of their own. They also fell apart before they could unleash whatever they were charging.
It seemed Silvally would have a clear path to the other side of the chasm when Tessa's aura feelers curled up. She and Silvally looked down and saw the acid bubbling. "Uh oh." She dug her knees into Silvally's ribs. "I think you need to go faster!" she squealed.
"Agreed," Silvally said, wiggling his tail enough to propel him forward. Espy yelped in surprise. The change in momentum almost sent her tumbling from her seat, but Milotic managed to wrap her up.
Silvally touched down on an upward-slanting crystal path. His teammates slid to the ground. Behind them, thorny ley line chains dove out of the acid like black, metal Wailords. The chains gnarled and twisted around one another. They melted together into a crystal lattice. A red core ignited inside of it.
"A giant Necrosphere!" Tessa yelped. She started charging an Aura Sphere, but it fizzled away when Silvally grabbed Tessa with his beak and flipped her onto his back.
"And we shouldn't stick around to try and challenge it," he said, watching the core glow even brighter. Espy and Milotic also jumped onto his back. The moment they were secure, Silvally took off running up the path, ducking a pair of chains that would've otherwise clotheslined him.
~Solstice Summit~
"I must say, this is quite a surprise. The snow's barely falling and the air is much less thin," Cresselia chirped, her halos regaining some of their vibrant glow as she hovered behind Esserly and Magearna, taking in the scenery. Unlike Lively Town, most of the buildings were made of wood, save for tiled roofs slanting toward gutters that led to cylindrical drains. Cresselia squinted at the sliding doors and the gaps between the snow-covered ground and the houses' main levels.
"The, um, architecture here is… very different," Cresselia whispered, pausing to marvel at a bronzed statue of Ho-Oh. Golden flames sat inside Ho-Oh's eyes, crackling with life despite the chilly air. Four similarly-colored torches sat around the statue. Ninetales nodded her agreement. She had heard about this place before, but since she'd never visited in person, she had admittedly forgotten all about it.
"Sister Esserly! Sister Esserly!"
Esserly turned toward the center of the town, where a blue-tailed Eevee emerged from the fog and sprinted toward her. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you! You had promised me a story, remember? When are you gonna tell me it, huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Peace, Sonya, peace," Esserly said, lifting a stubby paw. Her flowers released pink vapors. Sonya stopped hopping in place and sat on her haunches. "There, much better." She turned to Magearna's team. "As you can see, I am tending to some important guests right now. So, I'm afraid story time will have to wait."
Sonya pouted, only for her bright-eyed look to return. "Can I help with the guests? Mommy always said I was great with guests!"
"I'm afraid not, sweetie," Esserly said, frowning. "Why don't you go back to my house for the time being? If you're patient, then I'll make you some nice, warm tea."
"Okay! But I get to pick the flavor!" Sonya chirped. She turned and dashed back off into the fog.
"Is that, um, a family member or something?" Ninetales asked. She was impressed with Sonya's vigor despite the cooler temperatures and wondered if one of the parents was a Glaceon.
Sighing, Esserly resumed walking. "Not exactly. It's a tragedy, really. Sonya's parents, Flareon Akai and Glaceon Michi, were gathering berries from the mountain with the other villagers. A thick fog set over the area. Hawes lost his footing and, well…" Esserly shook her head. "Jodi tried to save him, only for her to fall from the mountain face, too. Totem Ninetales and I have traded off looking after Sonya, at least until she's old enough to figure out what to do for herself."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ninetales whispered, bowing her head. She knew better than anyone how dangerous snowy mountains could get. Ninetales couldn't help but wonder what, if any, Pokémon had met the same fate. Perhaps it was for the best that she now made frequent trips to more-populated areas.
"Um, excuse me? What do you mean by 'Sonya?' That was Eevee, wasn't it?" Cresselia asked, brow furrowed. Her question snapped Ninetales out of her thoughts.
"Ah, forgive me. I thought you were all aware of some of our customs," Esserly replied, beckoning the group after her. "See, in the time when Lucarios acted as mediators between mortals and gods, Pokémon held two names: a formal name — their species, basically — and a familiar name that they shared only with people they trusted. However, the Lucarios were wiped out during Dark Matter's first attack… and the practice faded, as it reminded everyone of the valuable allies they had lost."
Esserly's flowers drooped. "Many of the villagers here, myself included, have chosen to carry on this tradition as a way of honoring the hard work that they put in centuries ago," she said, pausing mid-stride to bow her head in respect. "I suppose you could say that, even though I have no real way of knowing what life was like back then, I have a strong desire to see the world return to a time when everyone was more open and transparent."
She resumed walking, passing a small stream trickling through the snow toward the outskirts of the village. "In some respects, Solstice Summit is meant to be an attempt at recapturing that feeling… on a small scale. It is part of why Totem Ninetales offers counseling and spirit-channeling sessions for those willing to brave the journey. And I, as her attendant, try to help in whatever way I can."
Ninetales' jaw tightened. Sure, she had spoken with Lucario spirits before and heard about their work and their failed attempts at stopping Dark Matter. But wiped out? That couldn't have been right. Why would the ley lines create Lucarios in some dungeons if they didn't exist anymore? And hadn't she just met a Lucario as part of Team Radiance? Something wasn't adding up for her.
"Wait. How can there be no Lucarios? What about the one on Team Radiance?" Cresselia asked, fidgeting nervously. Having been beaten to the punch, Ninetales nodded along with Cresselia.
Esserly looked at Magearna and raised a brow. "So, it is true then? Riolu evolved?"
Magearna nodded. She's also openly asked people to call her by her familiar name, Tessa.
"I see. Then we have two Lucarios in Horizon…" Esserly's expression darkened. "But to set things right, one of them must perish." Esserly's flowers shriveled. "Lady Ho-Oh has been wracked by grief and distress ever since she learned Prisma sought an audience with her, only to have Tapu Fini deny her request."
Not that it would have matteriated. Ho-Oh would not have been able to bring Incineroar back as Prisma remembered him… and we'd never call on our contingency plan to reverse one death… even if it was unjust, Magearna said, earning skeptical looks from Cresselia, Mawile, and Ninetales.
Ninetales opened her mouth, ready to press further, but Esserly announced, "The Solstice Monastery is right up ahead."
A wooden bridge stretched out ahead of the group. At the other end, on a solitary platform suspended over the foggy abyss, sat a three-story temple. It had the same basic, wooden, tiled-roof structure as the houses in the village. Only these tiles were red and gold. Similarly-colored tapestries lay draped across the outer walls. The sliding door had painted on it an eclipsing sun and moon flanked by golden wings. Torches sat on either side of the door. Blue flames crackled, their embers trailing off into the fog.
Esserly trotted toward the door and pulled a string beside it. A tiny golden bell chimed three times. Esserly stepped back as the doors slid open, revealing an ice Ninetales. She dwarfed the rest of the group, standing a head taller than Ampharos and two heads taller than her fire-type counterpart. She had a silver shawl draped over her shoulders, buttoned by a brooch bearing the same emblem as the door of her monastery.
Totem Ninetales bowed her head. "I see you've brought our guests," she said, addressing Esserly. Totem Ninetales walked forward, the bells strapped around her paws jingling softly. "Magearna, it is lovely to see you again." She bobbed her head and Magearna returned the gesture. Then she turned to the Expedition Society members. "Welcome, travelers." She paused to look at Ninetales. "And to you as well, my counterpart."
Totem Ninetales cleared her throat. "I appreciate you coming so quickly. I imagine it can't have been easy, so let us not delay. Come inside."
She beckoned them to follow with her tails, each of which had a silver ribbon trailing off it. They walked through the door, into a surprisingly spacious room with a high-set ceiling. Soft, red carpets sat on the edges of the room, giving way to a glossy, smooth floor surrounding a circular pool in the center of the room. Blue light filtered up from the luminescent water.
"Oh, wow. This is, um, a very unusual building," Cresselia said, following the light up through the holes in the ceiling. She could just make out a glass dome at the top floor's roof.
"This is my spirit pool. Lady Ho-Oh and Lady Xerneas constructed it when Solstice Summit was first established." Totem Ninetales grabbed an ornate staff with numerous glyphs carved into its wood. "It has a direct link to the Tree of Life. I can use it to communicate with the spirit realm… or help guide Horizon Pokémon to it," she continued, voice muffled.
Totem Ninetales walked over to the pool, dipped the staff in using her snout, and slowly stirred the water. Blue and pink wisps spiraled up toward the ceiling. She gently lay the staff down. "Esserly, be a dear and go tell Lady Ho-Oh our guests have arrived."
"No need. I'm right here."
The Expedition Society members stepped back toward the door. Ninetales immediately bowed. Ho-Oh walked out from a wide staircase, head tucked into her chest to avoid bonking it on the ceiling.
Your eminence, Magearna said, stiffly mimicking Ninetales' bow. May the spirits watch over you.
Ho-Oh bowed back, spreading her orange and gold wings apart. Rainbow light trailed off her feathers. "And you as well, Magearna." She stood upright. "It's been quite some time. I'd love to catch up, but…"
Yes, business comes first, Magearna said, approaching the spirit pond. So, can you tell us anything about the scenuation?
"It is as you predicted. The one known as Necrozma was purged from Lunala's spirit," Ho-Oh announced. She frowned. "Unfortunately, Lunala's lifeforce was drained to the point where she could no longer keep her spirit bound to her body."
"Most unfortunate. She finally gained freedom, only for her life to slip away," Totem Ninetales said, bowing her head in remorse.
"All is not lost, however. Though her spirit was faint, I was able to find it and bring it here for safekeeping," Ho-Oh said, gesturing to the pool. Totem Ninetales approached it, tails raised. She tapped her forelegs togethers. The bells rang and purple embers surrounded her.
A ripple spread through the pool. The water turned a mix of purple and navy blue. Magearna nodded. Very good. And what about the other spirits Necrozma had taken?
Ho-Oh smiled. "It seems they were freed as well. I believe we managed to get all of them here."
Including Hoopa? Magearna asked.
"Including Hoopa," Ho-Oh replied, nodding. "Though, again, I still don't see why we need Hoopa. Master Ephemeris can open wormholes."
Ninetales' initial jubilation at the news faded. She wanted to press the "Master Ephemeris" point. After all, Ho-Oh answered to Arceus, didn't she? Who else could be giving her instructions? Ninetales noticed the stoic expression on her icy counterpart's face and held her tongue.
Master Ephemeris would have to bring the Pokémon he's looking after through Ultra Space. And, from what I understand, that is a lot riskier for them than traversing Hoopa's ring portals, Magearna explained, her tone polite but firm.
Ho-Oh shuffled back. "Hmm… is that why he's heading for Rainbow Island, then?"
Magearna stiffened, clanking and whirring. Such shockification! He's here? Right now? She crossed her arms. I know I told him to come check on the planet if he didn't hear from Hoopa, but I guestimated he'd wait a bit longer than this.
"Well, he's not here. But on my way over I saw a familiar golden flame and rainbow trail… it looked to be heading toward Rainbow Island," Ho-Oh explained, glancing between the confused looks on her visitors' faces and Magearna's worried expression. "I would've gone after him, but I figured it would make more sense to bring you guys there instead of having him come here. We can move the spirits we have to the pool on Rainbow Island."
Yes, I suppose you're right, Magearna said.
Ninetales looked at her counterpart. "Um, excuse me. I don't want to come off as impolite or anything, but I'm afraid you've lost me. What's an Ephemeris?" She turned to Ampharos. "Does this all have to do with your contingency plan?"
Ampharos tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "Hrmm… does it relate to my plan? Well, I suppose the best answer is that I don't know… because I don't remember the details of my plan." He lifted his right arm to strike his signature pose. "But if Ho-Oh's talking about it, then it must be important. And we shouldn't ignore that importance!"
Mawile fidgeted nervously. "Erm, yes, the chief has a point."
Ninetales was about to say something, when Magearna raised an arm. I can boot up exposition mode while we're en route to Rainbow Island, she said.
"I thought you wanted Ephemeris to remain a secret, given he's our last-resort option," Totem Ninetales said, stirring the spirit pool with her staff.
Well, if Ephemeris is here now, I don't see the point in staying tight-lipped, Magearna said. Besides, the human already knew of Ephemeris. Confusion cycles still wrack my brain over that.
Totem Ninetales' eyes widened. She almost dropped her staff. "Wait. The other ice Ninetales you told me about knows Ephemeris?"
Yes, though it sounded like he only had passing knowledge of him, Magearna said, walking toward Ho-Oh. Ninetales raised an eyebrow at the scene. Shane was a human, right? After all, he hardly carried himself like a Ninetales should. So, how could he know about something that a lot of important Pokémon were in the dark about? She made a mental note to ask Magearna about this later.
Totem Ninetales' footsteps jolted Ninetales to attention. "I've sent the spirits over to Rainbow Island," she announced. "Lady Ho-Oh, are you okay flying us there?"
"Of course I am. Climb on," Ho-Oh said, spreading her wings and bending over. One by one, Magearna directed the Expedition Society members onto Ho-Oh's back. The warmth Ho-Oh radiated pleased Ninetales. Totem Ninetales was the last one left on the floor. She turned to Esserly.
"I'm sorry to do this to you on such short notice, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to look after the village while I'm away," Totem Ninetales said, sighing.
"It's quite all right. I've got things under control," Esserly assured, her flowers sparkling. Her smile faded quickly, however, and she brushed a forepaw across the carpet. "But if we need to evacuate…"
"Take the villagers into the dungeon and find the Stormcracker Isle waypoint to the east. Tapu Fini hasn't been around to change the mountain layout in some time, so it should still be in the same spot," Totem Ninetales said.
Esserly nodded. "Understood." She stepped back and watched Totem Ninetales climb aboard Ho-Oh. "Be safe, everyone," she said.
Ho-Oh nodded back to her, then walked off toward the monastery's back entrance.
~Prism Wastelands~
"What do you mean you can't just fly us to safety?" Haxorus growled, stomping on the metal ground and huffing out dragonfire tufts. "You were levitating us around no problem when we were fighting Shackaflacka. What changed?"
Latias shrank back from Haxorus. "W-Well, it's this place." She looked up at the ley line chains hanging over her head. The eyes inside the links seemed to stare right at her, as if they were following her every move. "This, um… I think it's a Mystery Dungeon?" Latias shook her head. "Look, the point is, if I try to fly too high, those chains up there are going to attack us."
"Then we should attack 'em first," Haxorus said, thumping her chest.
"Haxy, wait!" Raichu said, grabbing her mate by the arm. It didn't stop Haxorus from shooting blue-purple flames up at the chain directly over Latias. Purple light flashed in three of the eyes. Black and red beams shot out, snuffing Haxorus' dragonfire.
Squealing in fright, Latias materialized a pink barrier. She buckled when the beams struck, but managed to keep the barrier up long enough for the attacks to fade away. Latias turned back to the group. "We're not safe here. We have to keep moving, even if that means you guys are walking," she said.
"I agree." Infernape stepped beside Latias. "We're sitting Duckletts right now. The quicker we get to higher ground, the better chance we have of scoping out what's going on here." He looked around. "I'm just… not exactly sure how we do that."
"You're the psychic here, Latias. Can't you scope something out with your ESP?" Haxorus said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
"Look, I'm doing the best I can here," Latias said. In truth, the jumbled mess of ley lines surrounding her had thrown her ESP out of whack. It was hard to sense much of anything. Latias floated away from the group. There was a spot in the crevice they'd hidden away in that offered her a decent view of the sky without having to fly any higher. A relieved look spread across her face. "Okay, if we're looking to get to the source of all of this, then we're going to have to go this way," she said, pointing forward.
"Do you think the others are going to try and head for Zero? Or are they trying to regroup?" Feraligatr wondered.
"I can't say. B-But we're, um…" Latias gulped and tapped her claws together. "I don't think we can afford to go searching blindly for the others. We have no idea how close Zero is to finishing… whatever she's doing with Dialga and the Time Gears."
Infernape nodded. "Good point. Let's get going."
Latias reluctantly led the group deeper into the crevice. Though she wanted to try and scout ahead with her ESP, the chains and crystals pulsating with dark energy made her decide against it. Instead, she floated quietly, tensed up and waiting for the possibility that something would try and attack.
To her right, purple acid trickled down a crack in the crystal wall. It gathered in a tiny puddle in the middle of the path. "Watch your step, everyone," Latias said, hovering past the acid. Ahead, the ground sloped upwards. Star-shaped rocks floated next to a pile of purple slime that pulsated and wriggled like a faceless Swalot.
"Ugh. That's so icky!" Raichu said, walking up beside Latias.
She stiffened and feathers bristled. "Y-Yeah. It's… it kinda reminds me of the Voidlands, to be honest," Latias said. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the memories of Void Shadows surrounding her away. Her eyes then shot open. She turned right and tossed a Mist Ball forward. It struck two charging Necrospheres and knocked them into the slime mound. It bounced around like a plate of gelatin.
"I think we need to keep moving," Infernape said. Feraligatr spat up a glob of water at the slime. The Necrospheres floated right into it. Infernape hurried the group along while the Necrospheres exploded in the distance. Ley line chains bristled and shot out in different directions. Some of them headed for the group, but Raichu jumped behind everyone and blasted the ley lines away with a large lightning bolt.
"It's like the more we use our attacks, the more unstable this place gets," Latias said, ears drooping. She wished Lugia was with her. He always knew how to keep a level head in tense situations, even if his prideful side sometimes made him stubborn. At the very least, he could put on a confident face to keep everyone's spirits up.
But her? She couldn't do them any good. Latias knew the others could see how nervous she was. How was she supposed to rally them when all she could think about was what had happened to precipitate this crisis. She had failed to protect the Dusk Hourglass. Necrozma used Latios and Lugia to get to her. All the progress she'd made over the years melted away at the sight of Lugia's corrupted form. The memory made her feathers stand on end. She was completely useless. The only reason she was even here was because Latios gave himself up so she could escape.
'In the end, Rayquaza was right. I had a job and I couldn't do it. I'm a failure.'
"Hey. Save the wallowing for another time. We're supposed to be on a schedule, remember?"
Haxorus' voice jolted Latias to attention. "R-Right. Sorry. My bad," she squeaked, floating to the head of the group. To her relief, the path led them out of the crevice and onto the top of a bulky crystal platform. In the distance, a spiraling mass of chains and shadows obscured her view of what lay under the eye of the temporal storm. Latias' wings drooped.
"Looks like that's where we're heading," Feraligatr said, slumping over. "And it's not what I'd call a short walk, either."
"And climbing almost fifty floors to get through the Hidden Land and Temporal Tower in succession is a short walk?" Infernape said, raising a brow.
"Well, it was at least a more aesthetically pleasing walk," Feraligatr said, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm not even sure how we're supposed to proceed." Haxorus approached the edge of the platform with crossed arms and a stern expression. "There are way too many gaps between safe ground. I can see acid at the bottom of this pit." She turned to Latias. "I know you didn't want to fly, but it looks like we don't have a choice if we're moving forward."
Latias tensed. A few feet behind Haxorus, wisps of purple energy sparked up from cracks inside floating rocks. Would she really be able to maneuver around them safely while carrying everyone? She had managed to fly well against Stakataka's barrage, but that was only when she had Pokémon sitting on her back.
She scrunched her face up, telling herself she had to stop fretting over every detail.
'C'mon, Latias. It's just like Delphox always told you… when things are rough, don't think! Just act!'
Latias floated up to the others, ready to pick them up, when her ears shot up. A loud, shrill cry sounded from above. Latias looked straight up. Her eyes widened. She pulled the teams into her psychic grip and floated back. Seconds later, gale-force, shadowy winds buffeted the crystal platform, leaving cracks and splinters in the spot where the two teams had stood.
"What the—" Raichu looked up. Her eyes bugged out. "Um, L-Latias? Isn't that—"
The ball of black shadows hovering above the platform burst apart, revealing Lugia. His red eyes flared up with green embers. Lugia cawed, voice heavily distorted. Ectoplasm dripped off the tips of his beak and wings.
"N-No… I'm not…" Latias shrank back. Memories of her last encounter with her corrupted mate flooded her mind. The ferocious attacks and the pain. Oh, spirits above, the pain. Latias' breath came in sharp gasps. She couldn't do this. Lugia was always stronger than her. And, even if she could get the upper hand, she'd risk losing him. She couldn't go through that. Not after she just lost Latios. Lugia was everything to her.
"Hey, watch out!" Raichu cried.
Latias looked up. Squealing in fright, she threw up a pink barrier. It buckled. Cracks chipped away at the pink light. But Latias was able to roll right just as her energy shield shattered. Lugia's smoldering eyes flared up again. His gaze locked on Latias. Her heart pounded so hard she could swear she heard it beating in her ears.
Pretend I'm someone you don't like, then. How about Rayquaza?
She tensed up, daring to meet Lugia's gaze. Latias caught a silhouette of Rayquaza hanging over Lugia. It was long enough for her to make out his usual, dismissive look. The same look he wore a couple of days ago, when he told her how useless she was and how this assignment of hers wouldn't amount to anything. And the same look he had on when he laid into her for daring to speak out against Dialga's attitude.
Latias' blood boiled. He hadn't even lifted a claw to do anything and look at what had happened. She had lost her brother. Her mate was corrupted. The world was on the brink of complete collapse.
Running wasn't an option. Too much was at stake to do that. Latias glanced down at her looplet.
'I'm an explorer. When a Pokémon's in danger, I have to do everything I can to rescue it! Even if…' She touched a claw to one of the emera crystals in the looplet. 'Even if that means fighting my own mate!'
A familiar, invigorating energy surge washed over her. Latias' world turned bright orange.
"Tessa? Espy? Silv?" Shane looked around the crevice. Ley line chains formed walls on either side of him. Clusters of crystals lay interspersed between chain links. Some crackled with dark energy. "Somebody? Anybody?" He looked up. Ley lines crisscrossed over his head. He could see the temporal storm overhead, but had no way to climb up and see what was at the top of the crevice.
A moan sounded behind him. Shane whirled around, firing an Ice Beam without a second thought. It froze a Void Shadow solid. Shane stared right at it, recognizing the slimy mass. It was even more hideous in-person that it was as a cluster of polygons on his low-resolution 3DS screen. Shane's eyes sparked with pink energy. The ice shattered, leaving chunks of the Void Shadow behind.
Shane shuffled back. Searing pain flashed across his head. Had the Void Shadow somehow used Destiny Bond? No, that didn't make sense. He was still standing. Yet it felt like someone had bludgeoned him. Shane opened his eyes, but his vision was fuzzy. He blinked his eyes several times.
When he did, he found himself staring not at the crevice, but at a bleary islet of purple rocks. Void Shadows swarmed a group of five Lucario.
Another flash of head pain brought Shane back into the crevice. He stumbled about, only to notice three more Void Shadows squeezing themselves out of gaps between the chains. His tails curled up and he ran off.
"Tessa! Espy! Silv! Where are you?" Shane barked. He confirmed the Void Shadows hadn't given chase and slowed his pace. Shane's tails drooped.
He was alone. Really and truly alone.
Shane tried to think of a time where he'd been on his own since getting turned into a Pokémon, but nothing came to mind. Even when he went off to the hot springs after his evolution, he knew his teammates were close by. This time, however, he had no clue where he was, where he was supposed to go, or how he was supposed to find anyone.
Another groan kept him from dwelling on his situation any longer. Shane's ears stuck up. Cautiously, he rounded a bend in the crevice. Tubes of purple slime lay in his path, suspended at different angles. Shane carefully weaved his way through them. The groaning grew louder after he hopped over the last slime tube.
He crouched into a fighting stance, but immediately relaxed. Dusk, Sneasel, and the Tapus lay in a pile in front of him. And if they were groaning, then that meant they were alive. Shane looked to his right, only for his heart to sink. The satchel he'd taken was gone, which meant he had no healing items he could use to help them.
On top of that, Shane realized his scarf was missing. His eyes widened. He turned about in a circle, wondering if he'd lost it traversing the makeshift Mystery Dungeon. However, Shane didn't see any sign of it.
With a shaky breath, he told himself not to think about it. He had to help the Pokémon he'd just found. Shane walked up to them. "H-Hey, are you all right? Can any of you hear me?"
The closest to a response he got was Tapu Fini twitching and groaning in pain. Shane sighed. He had to heal them, but without any elixirs, he worried he'd lack the energy to heal himself if something bad happened. Plus, all four of them looked emaciated, like they'd gone weeks without having a decent meal.
Shane wondered if the crystal Lycanroc had trapped them in was responsible. He hesitantly placed his forepaw against Tapu Fini's horn. Soft, orange light swirled around his limb. It funneled down onto Tapu Fini's horn. Then, to his surprise, it spread to Tapu Bulu, Dusk, and Sneasel. Shane pulled his paw back, fearing he'd somehow used too much power.
The soft light faded, taking with it the pained expressions on their faces. Still, none of them woke up. Shane frowned. Did he need to use Morning Sun again?
Before he could think too much on it, however, a glimmer of light caught his eye. He sidestepped the pile of unconscious Pokémon, offering wordless apologies, and crept toward the glimmer.
The Dawn Hourglass lay on the ground, chipped, cracked, and venting multicolored energy. Weak as it was, there was no mistaking its ethereal glow. It matched each Shard that Shane had touched.
An idea immediately sprang to mind. He wasn't sure how much power the Hourglass had left, but perhaps he could make one Ultra Wormhole and send Lycanroc's victims back to the Aeon Observatory. After all, Comfey was in a much better position to help them than he was. The only problem was, in order to do that, Shane would have to touch the whole Hourglass. And after what had happened with the third Dawn Shard, Shane feared lapsing into another vision.
It didn't take him long to accept the risk. Since he didn't have a rainbow scarf anymore, he was vulnerable. Even if he didn't know what would happen, the extra power would undoubtedly help everyone, wouldn't it? Satisfied, Shane bent over and picked the Hourglass' chipped handle up in his maw.
Immediately, he looked back at the unconscious quartet. He focused his mind on thoughts of the Aeon Observatory's assembly area.
'Send them there, please!'
Just as he screwed his eyes shut, bright light made them snap open. A faint white outline appeared in front of Shane. Then, with a distorted flicker, the unconscious Pokémon disappeared and the outline faded. Shane immediately dropped the Dawn Hourglass to the ground.
Despite letting go of it, however, white-hot pain shot up Shane's leg. He tensed up. A weak gasp escaped his lips. Shane doubled over.
Then, in a blinding flash, he found himself staring down Chikorita and Fennekin again.
"I… accept you!"
Another flash. Now, Shane was looking at Yveltal, a Nuzleaf, and three Beheeyem struggling in midair, surrounded by dark, shadowy clouds.
A third flash. Shane stared at the gray, decaying bark of a tree big enough to rival the tallest buildings in his hometown.
"M-Make it stop!" Shane shouted. His cries successfully forced him back to reality. He nearly tripped over the Dawn Hourglass, but managed to collect himself.
"So, this is where you ended up after she tore this place apart like wet tissue paper? My, how convenient!"
Shane's heart jumped into his throat. "Th-that voice. No… it can't be!"
"Heeheeheehee! What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me? After all, it's me… your best friend."
The ley line chains to Shane's right buckled. Shane grabbed the Dawn Hourglass and turned to run, but ley line chains shot out in front of him, forming a new wall that was far too large for him to scale. Shane spun around. His jaw dropped. The Hourglass tumbled to the ground and he scrambled to pick it back up.
"N-Necrozma? You're… wait, what?" Shane watched Necrozma emerge from the bristling ley lines, his crystalline antlers sparking. Necrozma fixed his lone eye on Shane.
"I was being facetious, of course. We're not friends… we're two sides of the same, demented coin," Necrozma said, licking his lips. "My, how so much can change in such a short amount of time." He looked at the Dawn Hourglass. "Unbelievable. Look at that! It's barely a shell of its true power!" Necrozma stomped a forehoof on the ground. "I can't believe you let a Lycanroc make such a mockery of my light like this!"
Shane crouched low to the ground, growling at Necrozma. "C'mon, Nicky. Stop spouting a bunch of nonsense. I'm not letting you get your mitts on this. Can't we just talk for bit?"
"As I told you last time, Nicky is dead," Necrozma replied, grinning. "My biggest regret is how much I let the remnants of his pathetic soul dictate my actions. I let his revenge twist the glorious chaos and destruction I sought." His grin widened. "But, I suppose, I can spare a little time to talk. After all, rebellious scum or not, we're still both cut from the bottomless fabric of the void. And now that I'm sure of that fact, there's something I'm just dying to tell you."
"What are you talking about?" Shane said, Hourglass muffling his speech. "I told you not to spout nonsense! What do you mean you let revenge twist you?" He probed the Hourglass' dwindling light. Its golden energy flickered. "S-Start talking or else I'll, um, use this against you!"
Necrozma's eye smoldered. "What's there to say? We did exactly the same thing, didn't we?" He paced to his right, keeping his eye fixed on Shane. "Let human thoughts and memories seep into our beings and transform us." Necrozma grinned again. "The big difference is you chose to do that, while I… I was forced into a human spirit."
Shane summoned a fireball and knocked it at Necrozma. Ley line chains shot out from the wall on Necrozma's right. They stopped the attack, but melted into a sticky puddle of tar. It was like all the road construction sites Shane had gone past in his human life. He shrank back further, shaking his head. Shane wanted to believe he could pull the real Nicky out if he kept Necrozma talking. However, Necrozma's rambling made him increasingly doubtful.
"Temper, temper. Is that any way to treat me? After all… if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even exist!" Necrozma said, pointing a forehoof at Shane.
"Yeah, sure, because you and Solgaleo got in a fight when you were attempting to drag me here… and I somehow ended up looking like this!" Shane barked, snorted out ice tufts. "I'm not falling for your games anymore. You… you've hurt too many people! If I can't get you back, Nicky, then I'm going to destroy you!"
Necrozma studied Shane's fierce expression. Then, his stance slackened. "Heeheeheehee! Oh ho, this is just… just too much,"he said, smacking a forehoof against the tar puddle. Shane stood tall, determined not to let Necrozma get under his skin. "You truly believe that, don't you? My, my. So, you really did abandon your old identity and cobble together a new one using my core and Light's pitiful excuse for a friend. This is… it's… beautiful? Ironic? How about beautifully ironic?"Slobber dripped into the tar puddle, splattering like raindrops striking a pond.
"I should be furious. Incensed, even! But I… I just can't stop laughing!" Necrozma said between giggle fits.
"This isn't funny!" Shane huffed. He spat out two fireballs this time. Necrozma blocked them with ley line chains, leading to more gooey puddles. This time, however, he stumbled back in a bit of a daze. Shane's ears stuck up. He could tell Necrozma didn't have the force in his attacks that he did the last time they had met. Shane figured Necrozma's battle with Zero must've left him drained.
"Yeah, that's right. I bet you're talking to stall for time," Shane said, tightening his grip on the Dawn Hourglass. Maybe now was the time to absorb all its power? He could destroy Necrozma for good. Or, perhaps, he could use a Z-Move and see if that freed Nicky like it did all the infected and corrupted Pokémon.
"Now, now. Won't you at least hear me out, first?" Necrozma said, grimacing as he straightened up. "What I have to say… it'll put to rest all the doubts that Hourglass has left you with."
Shane tensed. "You're lying to get me to lower my guard."
"Please. In case you haven't noticed…" Necrozma's antlers sparked. Cold metal brushed Shane's tails. He jumped forward with a yip, then immediately clamped back down on the Hourglass. Shane didn't have to look back to know there were ley line chains waving about like thin ribbons in a wind storm. "… you're surrounded. I could launch an attack, but I haven't."
Necrozma sat on his haunches. "All you have to do is listen… and everything will make sense."
Shane's eyes sparked with pink energy. "I don't believe you."
"You want to know why I keep insisting that the Guiding Light is dead? Because he is," Necrozma said, voice dripping with venom. He stepped into one of the tar puddles and batted the slime aside. "That dumb old codger botched his alchemical spell and fractured the human's spirit. There's no way to undo that."
"Pfbt. What kind of Voldemort horcrux nonsense are you spewing?" Shane scoffed, sticking his snout up.
"You saw the footage for yourself. Your 'friend' arrived as a Growlithe. A Growlithe was one of the first people to perish by my claws," Necrozma countered, arms raised and claws twitching. "Heartbreak had consumed what was left of Light's spirit… leaving room for the void — the same power making up the ley lines running through the planet — to take control. That is what I truly am! Fragments of the void mashed up with ley lines and the embittered remnants of a human soul."
Necrozma shook his head. "I didn't expect Solgaleo and Lunala to show up and imprison me. And I certainly didn't expect what remained of Light's spirit to develop a rage strong enough to seep into my thoughts and actions." Necrozma's eye smoldered. "But, alas, it's the truth. Light's memories and rage subsumed my being. I became obsessed with destruction for the sake of revenge on the people who had hurt and betrayed him."
Shane's tails curled up. He told himself it was an elaborate hoax. Even if he didn't really understand how spirits worked, Nicky was still inside Necrozma. He had to be. And yet, the fanatical look in Necrozma's eye made his fur stand on end. Shane gulped. "But you're, uh, not obsessed with revenge anymore?"
"Correct. While trying to get the Dusk Hourglass, I found that, the more I used alchemy and ley lines, the more I chipped away at these nagging, intrusive thoughts," Necrozma said, jabbing the ground repeatedly with a forehoof and kicking up chunks of crystal. Shane winced. "Now, those memories may still be there, but I don't care about them anymore. If anything, they're evidence of what grand mistakes these worlds are and why they must be destroyed."
Necrozma grinned. Drool seeped from his lips. "Still, while all of this was going on, I did remember something quite important. Which leads me to you, Shane."
"I've already seen what happened when you tried to summon me!" Shane said. The Dawn Hourglass flared.
"Yes. That was, admittedly, a foolhardy decision born of Light's remnant anger," Necrozma said, sighing. "It proved quite costly, since the center of my core up and disappeared on me in the process."
"It— wait, what?" Shane's ears flattened against his head. He had no idea what Necrozma meant.
"To gain back control of her body, Zero forced part of my core inside Lunala. The center part, to be exact," Necrozma explained, smacking the wall to his left. "At first, I didn't make the connection. I wasn't sure why I couldn't use my Photon Geyser or Prismatic Laser."
"Okay, I was humoring you, but now you're definitely making stuff up," Shane said, stepping forward with newfound confidence. "If your core houses your spirit—"
"Please. I have an empty soul," Necrozma sneered.
"Whatever." Shane rolled his eyes. "Point is, if you didn't have a part of your core in Lunala, how were you able to possess her?"
"Oh, come now. That's what's stumping you?" Necrozma threw his head back and laughed. Shane narrowed his eyes. He wouldn't let Necrozma unnerve him. "Use those stolen human memories of yours, spawn. It's the Prism Virus, of course. Once my core fragment was inside, I was free to spread my corrupted Z-Power through her. The core fragment was like the tick that seeded the infection. It'd been in place so long, I had an iron grip on her spirit by the time it disappeared."
"Aaaand you've lost me," Shane said, looking bored.
Necrozma chuckled. "You really did pick quite the idiot to forge a new identity from, didn't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Shane huffed. "Sure, I've done a lot of foolish stuff, but I'm not like you!"
"Not like me? Heeheeheehee! Boy, you are me!" Necrozma declared, his antlers and eye flashing purple.
"Pfbt. Oh, so now you're jumping from being a Voldemort knockoff to a Xehanort-Vader hodgepodge?" Shane said, warmth spreading across his body. "You really are desperate, aren't you?"
"I see you couldn't quite ditch that tendency to stick your foot in your mouth," Necrozma crooned. "All right, wise guy. You seem so sure of yourself, then answer this." He licked his lips. "Those powers the Dawn Hourglass gave you… whose abilities do you think they are?"
"Solgaleo's, of course! Because the Dawn Hourglass has the means to restore him back to life," Shane declared. The Hourglass sparked with golden light.
"That may be true, but you're wrong," Necrozma said. "Those special abilities you've been using? They're mine. Why was I able to invade your dream space so easily? And why do you think you can use golden energy balls? Because you stole my Photon Geyser when you forced your way out of Lunala's body! You just needed enough light to make it happen… and the Dawn Shards gave you that light." Necrozma shook his head and muttered, "To think you were clinging to that one stupid gesture of kindness the whole time you sat in the center of my core after burrowing your way in there."
Shane shrank back, despite knowing chains lay in wait behind him. That couldn't be right. Necrozma was making it all up. But then… it would certainly explain why he saw himself getting dragged through an Ultra Wormhole from Necrozma's perspective. Still, he refused to believe the claim. "Y-You're lying," he squeaked, most of his resolve having faltered.
"Not in the slightest. You were never going to be a hero, because you weren't supposed to exist in the first place!" Necrozma shouted, dousing Shane in spittle. "Your spirit isn't human… and it isn't a Pokémon, either. You're my central core fragment! You're Dark Matter!"
Though Necrozma launched no attack, a stabbing pain gripped Shane's chest. His ribs tightened. His knees buckled. The world was closing in on him. "N-No. That's not… that can't be…" His tails shot between his legs. "I saw Solgaleo's memories!"
"A side effect of Dark Matter desperately cobbling together what little remained of your spirits after I atomized you both with my Prismatic Laser," Necrozma said, an unhinged smile on his face. "I imagine Ultra Space's radiation also played a role in making you a Vulpix in the first place."
"I… I can't… I refuse…"
"Heehee… heeheeheehee! Yes! There it is! The moment I was waiting for!" Necrozma said, hopping about like a kid who'd gotten the perfect birthday gift. "That look… a look of utter hopelessness and despair! How I've longed to see that plastered across your face. It almost makes this entire farce worth it."
Shane's ears were ringing. Necrozma's voice sounded like it was a mile away. He wasn't Dark Matter. He couldn't be. He was Shane… a loser who had stumbled into something bigger than himself, but who refused to back down… and found steadfast friends because of it. That wasn't just some lie. His memories weren't fake. His sense of self wasn't fake… was it?
"W-Why—" he rasped, but his words escaped him.
"Think about it, 'Shane.' I've seen enough of Light's memories to know you were a manipulative, self-centered jerk," Necrozma explained, the triumphant grin never leaving his face. "But your guilt-tripping and temper tantrums don't come close to your outright spiteful treatment of your so-called friends during your early weeks at the guild." His eye glowed bright-orange. "You dragged yourself into a downward spiral of negativity. And who, pray tell, is the embodiment of negativity in this world?"
The ringing in Shane's ears grow louder. He tried to meet Necrozma's gaze, but his vision was so blurry that all he could see was a black, circular mass.
"That's right… it's Dark Matter!" Necrozma continued, arms twitching. "When I said we were both cut from the same cloth, I meant it." He paced around the tar puddles. "The ley line chains spread throughout the world… they stem from the Voidlands, the true core of this planet." He paused to look at Shane, who was staring at the ground with a distant look in his eyes.
"Heeheeheehee. At one point, the Voidlands was a living, breathing entity. An unthinking, uncaring, soulless creature trying to tear its planetary prison apart with its ley line chains," Necrozma continued. He jabbed a forehoof into the wall in his left. The chains bristled. "But, as time wore on, the ley lines closest to the planet's surface sucked in the emotions of any Pokémon who got trapped within them. All that negativity… it was emotional glue that made the ley lines stick together.
"Slowly but surely, this writhing mass of negativity started to think— to feel," Necrozma continued, twirling ley line chains around his forehoof. To Shane, voice sounded even more muffled than before. "Before long… a soul emerged from the emptiness: Dark Matter. Or, rather you." Necrozma yanked his forehoof back, tearing some of the chains off the wall. "You took some of my power for your own. You cast souls down into the Voidlands. Since I lacked a mind of my own, I simply destroyed whatever spirits I could."
Necrozma shook his head. "I had no idea that you would try hurtling the planet into the sun. If I could've understood, I'd have been rightfully furious. Since, as the planet's core, I'd have been extinguished along with everyone else." Necrozma flicked his foreleg up. He blasted the broken ley line chains with red beams from his antlers. Their liquified remains splattered against the ground.
"Not long after… I'd find myself getting sucked out from the planet's core and stuffed inside a powerful new body with a human soul," Necrozma said. "His soul shaped me… much as the world's negativity shaped you into your original form." Necrozma chuckled, keeping his eye fixed on Shane.
"Sh… shut up," Shane rasped. His legs were shaking so badly, he couldn't get them to stop. He just needed one attack. One blast with the Dawn Hourglass' power and he could silence Necrozma for good. Why wasn't it working? Why couldn't he do it?
"When I finally gained control as Necrozma, only to be imprisoned, I spent a long time festering in the emptiness of the Ultra Nexus, gathering what little morsels of energy I could to try and force my way out. All the while, Light's rage gradually swelled," Necrozma continued. "And once I had finally managed to pry open an Ultra Wormhole to escape, imagine my surprise when I discover your original form on the other side."
Eye smoldering, Necrozma's arms spasm and he thrashes his head around in a poor impression of Silvally when he still had his mask. "A Fennekin hugged you… causing some blast that sent me tumbling away from the wormhole. It shut and I lost my chance at escaping." Necrozma snorted out shadowy tufts. "But your remains had wound up in the Nexus with me. You had light… and I wanted it. So, I shoved you into my core!"
Shane squeezed his eyes shut. That would explain how Tapu Lele could make a Dark Matter clone when Necrozma infected her.
"I could never have realized that that embrace I witnessed — that one, single gesture of kindness that you received — would be the one memory that you would cling to," Necrozma growled, smacking his arms together. "I assumed that, since you were once part of the void, you would synchronize with the rest of my core and help me destroy this world. Instead, you turned against me! You honestly thought you could reinvent and redeem yourself. Bah! How disgusting!
"When I was weakened and vulnerable after vaporizing Solgaleo and the real Shane, you must've forced you out of Lunala." Necrozma thrust his arms up. "Then, you used the center core fragment to draw in whatever light you could from Shane's fading spirit and mix it with energy from Ultra Space. Thus, you were reborn as Vulpix Shane."
Necrozma finally turned back to Shane, grinning. "Heeheeheehee… but I've finally seen through all your smoke and mirrors. You're a freak, just like I am! With the mind and consciousness of a human, the body of a Pokémon, and a shell of a spirit… derived from the power of the void." Necrozma bared jagged, crystal teeth at Shane. "We are embodiments of chaos!"
Shane glared back at Necrozma, but his mind was a total blank.
"Hmm? So, there's still a spark of defiance left in you, even after all of that?" Sighing, Necrozma shrugged. "Fine. Then I'll play along with your ruse, Shane." He cleared his throat. "Heeheeheehee. If only Dark Matter had known the kind of person you were, Shane. Perhaps it wouldn't have made such a foolish decision." He smirked. "It wanted to reinvent itself, but all it did was take all of your worst attributes and drag them out for everyone to see. Not that you didn't do plenty of that on your own, of course.
"Whatever happened to you in that swamp, though… it actually seems to have changed you," Necrozma whispered. "If Light were still in control, he'd find this tragic. Here his friend is, on the cusp of finally becoming a good, relatable person. Only it's too late. This world— no, every world's fate is sealed! And neither you nor Light can do anything about it."
Necrozma raised his arms up. His eye and antlers crackled with dark energy. "All this means is that Light's meager remnants can take pleasure in killing Shane a second time! Heeheehe— huh?!"
He jumped back, narrowly dodging a golden beam that tore across the ground and kicked up gem shards. Necrozma's eye widened. Shane stood up straight, eyes narrowed and the Dawn Hourglass gripped firmly in his mouth.
"Or I can use the powers I apparently stole from you to make it so that you can never trouble anyone again!" Shane shouted.
Necrozma staggered backward. "Fool! Stand down!" Ley line chains slithered forward from the wall, but they retreated under the Hourglass' glow. "N… no. What's going on? This is impossible!" He looked at Shane. Light spilled across him from the Hourglass. Necrozma's arms shriveled up. "I… can't… fail… here!"
He lunged for the light.
"Any sign of the others?" Blaziken asked, walking along the middle of a large, circular platform. Floating rocks and crystals surrounded it, many connected by crisscrossing sets of ley line chains. It made his feathers stand on end. He hadn't felt pressure like this since his first time climbing Sky Tower. And there was no Rayquaza to bail him out, from the look of things.
"No. This place is like a psychic's worst nightmare!" Mew said, shaking his head. "And, before you ask, I am not floating any higher than this." He spun around to show off the scorched, smoldering end of his tail. "Because I'm not keen on getting my butt zapped a second time today."
"Couldn't you just heal that off? It doesn't even look serious," Swampert said, scratching his head.
"I could, but I'm trying to conserve my energy," Mew harrumphed, crossing his tiny arms.
"He's probably doing that so he can keep whining about it," Swampert whispered.
"Whining? I ain't whining!" Mew snapped, zipping in front of Team Go-Getters. "You wanna hear whining? This is whining!" Mew flopped to the ground and banged his arms and legs against it, yelling, "Waah! It's cold and dark and depressing here! I wanna go home! Why won't my Teleport work? This day sucks! I hate all of you! I never should've joined that dinky Expedition Society!"
"Okay, okay, we get it!" Blaziken said, hands pressed against his head.
Smirking, Mew floated up. "Great. Now that that's settled, we can—"
A golden explosion erupted several feet in front of them, blowing away chunks of the platform.
"Eep!" Mew quickly flew behind Blaziken and tried to shove him forward.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"You're the leader… you investigate!" Mew said, grunting from the strain of Blaziken's weight.
Blaziken grabbed Mew by the tail. "We'll investigate together," he said, ignoring Mew's pouting as he approached the blast site alongside Swampert. "Think you can clear the air a bit, Mew?"
Mew, still dangling upside down, waved his hand dismissively. The smoke disappeared, revealing a smoldering crater of charred metal and crystal. "W-Whoa. Is this from Shrackaquacka exploding?" Swampert wondered.
"No, there's something wrong with this picture," Blaziken said, rubbing his chin. "Ah! Look over there!" He pointed a talon toward a thick patch of ice. Several other ice patches of different shapes and sizes lay around it. Locks of white hair floated by the trio, but the strands were too thin for any of them to notice.
"What kind of explosion makes fire and ice?" Swampert asked, tapping a foot on the ground.
"Ah! N-No way!" Mew squealed.
"What is it, Mew?" Blaziken asked, hoisting Mew up to eye level.
"Well, lemme go and I'll show you," Mew said, squirming about in Blaziken's grasp. Blaziken complied and Mew zipped down into the crater. After a few seconds, he reappeared, levitating a large, Xerneas-shaped crystal beside him.
Blaziken gasped. "What the— Xerneas?! When did she get here?" He winced when Mew dropped Xerneas to the ground.
"I… I dunno. But if this is what's left of Xerny, then…" Mew's normally childish expression now looked quite shaken. "What about the Tree of Life?"
Blaziken tensed up, then gulped. It was a worrying situation, to be sure, but he had to keep a brave face for the sake of his friends. "We can't let it worry us right now. The planet's paralyzed, right? So, the tree should be frozen, too. No harm can come of it. Let's focus on the issue at hand," he said, though he had no idea how truthful that was.
Mew's tail drooped. "R-Right." He put a paw on Xerneas' chest, only to pull it away, then float up into the air, tail crinkling in surprise. "H-Hey, guys? W-What's that?" He pointed down at Xerneas' chest. The others followed his gaze, only to raise confused eyebrows.
An orange butterfly sat on Xerneas' chest, slowly flapping her luminescent wings. Blaziken stared at it skeptically. He had a nagging feeling he'd seen something like this before — possibly in his human life — but couldn't quite remember what he was looking at.
"I think it's looking at me funny. I'm gonna zapinate it!" Mew said, raising his sparking hands.
"How can it look at you funny? It doesn't even have a face," Swampert said. Then, after a beat, he added, "And what the heck kind of word is 'zapinate?'"
"It's like burninating, but lemon-flavored," Mew said. However, before he could make the butterfly into a butterfry, she released a dazzling emerald light. It spread across Xerneas' body, shattering it like fine china. Mew backed several yards away. "Aiyee! Get that freak of nature away from me!"
Blaziken spat a Flamethrower from his beak, but the butterfly flew into the air. His flames turned bright-green and surrounded her. The green shifted to pink and the butterfly suddenly vanished into a heart-shaped cone of fire.
"Get down, buddy!"
Swampert tackled Blaziken to the ground. Two blue fireballs soared over them and exploded in the distance. Mew stiffened. As the flames died down, the trio spotted a dark-gray tail poking out.
"T… Two-y?" Mew squeaked.
The rest of the flames subsided, revealing a creature with Mewtwo's familiar, wiry build. However, her torso, arms, and legs were coated in white, chitinous armor with a black centerpiece. Stripes of white fur ran down her arms and legs. A black helmet with orange horns covered her head, obscuring everything but two beady, blue eyes.
"No, wait…" Mew tilted his head to the side. "Your aura… it's like a Volcarona's. What the heck's going on here? Two-y… it's me! Your bestest buddy, Mew!" He waved his hands about frantically.
Blaziken and Swampert were back on their feet the instant "Mewtwo" rose higher into the air. "Something tells me that isn't your buddy," Blaziken said, frowning and getting into a fighting stance. "The helmet, exoskeleton, and wings look way too much like a Volcanora."
Volcarona lifted the head of her new body. She raised her left hand and touched her three fingers together. In a flicker of emerald fire, a blade shaped much like Rayquaza's serpentine form appeared. She grabbed hold of it, pointed it at Mew, then disappeared in a puff of orange fire.
"Huh? That's it?" Mew slackened. "It just ran away?"
Mew's ears twitched. He had just enough to turn around before flames seared him. Swampert caught Mew before he could slam into the ground. "Unnngh… what just hit me?" Mew coughed up a mouthful of smoke.
"Your 'buddy' did," Blaziken said. "I hope you two are ready, because I'm not even sure how we begin to approach this."
Volcarona raised her sword high, then dove at Team Go-Getters.
~Rainbow Island~
Oricorio rubbed the pom-pom ends of her wings together, generating sparks. While the rest of the island was devoid of color, with trees frozen mid-sway and cherry blossom leaves suspended in midair, the pool in the center of Ho-Oh's shrine had somehow flared to life.
"Oh, what to do? What to do?" she said, hopping back and forth in front of the pool. Oricorio knew the answer, of course. Totem Ninetales instructed her to report any discrepancies to her as soon as possible. The problem was, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to reach Totem Ninetales with the planet paralyzed.
Oricorio pressed her pom-poms together and silently prayed that the guild was on top of this crises. Even though she'd caused an awkward situation when she had put in her request to get nectar, the team she had met seemed nice. And, according to Totem Ninetales, they'd accomplished a lot since they'd taken her job.
She paused to look at the pool again. White, ethereal trails swirled about inside the pool, like miniature comets soaring through outer space. Oricorio became so engrossed in the pool that the sounds of approaching wingbeats made her jump up and squawk in alarm. She desperately flapped her wings to make sure she landed safely on the other side of the pool.
Oricorio looked up to find a golden fireball hovering above her. She jumped, squawking in fright once again. Her pom-poms crackled with lightning and she was about to zap the fireball when its flames subsided. Oricorio landed on the ground and fell on her rear. Her beak opened wide.
"L-Lady Ho-Oh? I, but… this doesn't make any sense! W-Why are you gold?!" she stuttered, scooching away from the pool. Oricorio scrambled to her feet so she could bow properly.
"Lady?" a deep, male voice responded. Oricorio looked up. The golden Ho-Oh landed opposite her, head tilted. "Ah, I see. I'm afraid there's been a bit of a mix-up. I was hoping to actually find Lady Ho-Oh, myself. You're, eh, a bit too small and yellow, I'm afraid." He added an amused chuckle for good measure.
Oricorio's beak opened in disbelief. "I-I'm Oricorio. I maintain the shrine here… f-for Lady Ho-Oh." She gulped. "W-Who are you?"
"Ah, forgive me. I'm Ephemeris… the original Ho-Oh of this world."
There you have it. The big secret regarding Shane's spirit is finally out. I could go on a whole rant about how nervous this chapter has made me. I don't really follow Game of Thrones, but I saw the internet outrage in response to its last season and I've been very afraid this revelation would get a similarly negative response. I always planned to do this. This wasn't a bait-and-switch that I decided to do because a bunch of people guessed Shane has Solgaleo's spirit. This was foreshadowed; the moves Shane got were all ones Necrozma can use and the memories became more twisted the more Dawn Shards he got. Any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated for this.
On a lighter note, I bet no one was expecting that random shiny Ho-Oh from Gates to Infinity — who Shane actually brought up in his conversation with Magearna way back in Episode 4 — to be significant, huh?
SuperOmegaGuest: glad you liked that joke, since it was partly born of my inability to spell Stakataka while writing the chapter. And, don't worry, as you can see with this chapter, we're in for a crazy ending!
Anon Omega: they were all accounted for this chapter!
Anonymous 1: you left your comment on chapter one, so I don't know if you'll see this. But, if you do, thank you for the kind words!
Anonymous 2: if you see this, you read an April Fools' Day chapter. It was a fake ending. Nothing in that chapter is canon to the story. It was all for fun!
Next time: desperate struggles to free entangled spirits!