Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Guiding Light

by Ambyssin

Stop me if you've heard this one before. You wake up somewhere you don't recognize, only to find you've been turned into a Pokémon! Before you know it, you're off on a globe-trotting adventure. Dream come true, right? Well, for one human, that dream quickly turns into a waking nightmare. Can he fend off an otherworldly force threatening to rip the fabric of reality apart?

111. Countdown to Chaos

Chapter 94: Countdown to Chaos

~Rainbow Island~

With each passing minute, Ninetales grew steadily more worried. While Ephemeris tended to Hoopa's revival, all she could do was pace around the altar, pausing to look at the sky. She kept seeing multicolored ripples passing overhead. At first, she didn't pay them much mind, but now they were happening more frequently. Her tails twisted around one another. She bit her lip.

"E-Ephemeris, sir? I, uh, don't mean to interrupt or anything, but how much longer do you think you'll need?" Ninetales asked. "My gut tells me something big is happening at Temporal Tower."

"It shouldn't be much longer," Ephemeris said, holding his wings steady in front of him. A ball of gold light floated in front of him, wriggling around like a plate of gelatin. "I've almost got it. Just a few more seconds and… ah!" Ephemeris pulled his wings back. The ball of light resembled Hoopa's outline. As the gold colors faded, Hoopa came into view, arms folded over his stomach as if he was sleeping peacefully.

"Welcome back, Hoopa," Ho-Oh said. Hoopa poked an eye open. He looked around.

"Where's Necrozma, huh? Hoopa's gonna smack him silly for what he did!" Hoopa said, flailing his hands around his head.

"Necrozma's gone. That's why we were able to get your spirit and revive you," Totem Ninetales explained. "I'm afraid we're short on time, here. The Prism Virus has control of Temporal Tower and, if we don't act soon, time itself could collapse on us."

"Exactly. We need you to try and find where in the ocean Temporal Tower landed and make a portal to it," Ninetales said, walking up to Hoopa.

"Mmm… that's an awful long distance for Hoopa to make a portal to," Hoopa said, frowning. "In this state, it might be a struggle, but if Hoopa had his full power…" His voice trailed off. He looked over at Ampharos and Mawile, the latter of which raised a curious brow. "Don't give Hoopa that look. Hoopa can sense the Djinn's Bottle. Ol' Long-Neck has it in his bag!"

Ampharos blinked. "I do?" He opened his satchel, poked around in it, and produced a white, ring-shaped bottle with a pink neck and head resembling Hoopa's. "Ah, so I do! Boy, I wonder how that got in there." He threw his head back in a hearty laugh.

Mawile facepalmed. "I suppose Meganium slipped it in there when she heard what we'd be doing. How resourceful of her."

"Yeah, yeah, give it here!" Hoopa said, snatching the bottle with his ESP. He screwed the cap off and out came a cloud of purple mist. "Heh… finally! Hoopa was so tired of being stuck in this shrimpy form!"

Ninetales' tails shot up. "Um, is this really a good idea?" she squeaked.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to take action so badly?" Cresselia reminded her.

"Fair point," Ninetales whispered. She just wished it didn't involve Hoopa growing a massive body and sporting two extra pairs of arms.

"Wonderful! Fantastic! At last… Hoopa is unbound once more!" Hoopa roared with laughter. An intense aura bristled around him, forcing the other Pokémon to shield their faces.

Ninetales bent over, trying to cup her forelegs over her ears. "C-Can we just get a portal to Temporal Tower… or whatever is left of it?"

"Say no more, mortal! It is but child's play for the mighty Hoopa!" Hoopa declared, clapping two sets of hands together. Pink and purple energy crackled around them. A large ring portal formed in front of Ninetales, far bigger than the ones Hoopa usually summoned. Ephemeris and Ho-Oh easily could've walked through it side by side. "There you are, fuzzy one!"

"Err… thanks," Ninetales said. "Who's coming with me?" Ampharos, Cresselia, and Mawile joined her by the portal. Magearna and Totem Ninetales hung back.

Apologies. We need to oversee the next part of our plan. Though, with Hoopa powered up, it should hopefully expeditialate the process, Magearna said.

"Okay. The sooner you can bring everyone back the better," Ninetales said. She nodded to the others, then they jumped through the ring portal.

---

~Prism Tower~

Tessa emerged from the Ultra Wormhole, ready to throw her Aura Sphere. However, instead of her mother or Dialga or, well, anyvisible target, all she found was a dome of red, glitchy cubes surrounding the team. "What the— where are we, Shane? I thought you said you were taking us to the top of the tower."

"This is the top of the tower. I'm sure of it," Shane said. He spat an Ice Beam at the wall, but it fizzled out. "We must've stumbled into a trap."

"Because Zero saw the other side of the wormhole," Silvally said. He lunged for the cubes, pink energy swirling around his talons. Silvally struck hard, but bounced off the forcefield. His gold aura snuffed out the black smoke rising off his talons. "Not even my Multi-Attack can do anything."

Tessa's patience quickly wore thin. "Espeon, boost me up!" she said, throwing the Aura Sphere toward the dome. Espy added Psychic rings, expanding the blue fireball's size. Though aural flames seared the cubes, the wall held tough. Tessa's aura feelers drooped. Her marked paw crackled with black energy. Tessa ran forward and slammed a glowing palm into the barrier.

"I know you're out there, Mom. Show yourself!" she barked.

A ripple spread through the cubes, but the wall withstood the blow. Tessa looked at her outstretched arm. She saw faint traces of the rainbow lines that popped up when she lost her cool at Dragonite. Tessa pulled her paw back and stepped away from the wall. It was then that she and the others heard a loud, distorted sigh.

"I had really hoped that Dragonite and Lugia could stall you, but it seems that was nothing more than a pipe dream."

Everyone looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of Zero's voice. It was a useless endeavor. Her words echoed all around the forcefield dome.

"You're hiding because you're scared of us, aren't you?" Silvally said. He flicked his head to his right. Air crescents, fireballs, and lightning arcs swirled together and battered the forcefield. The cubes turned black, but managed to withstand the onslaught. "We'll break this stupid barrier of yours down and put an end to all of this! I swear it!"

"I think not." Zero paused. "See, you're correct. I am hiding."

Tessa cocked her head to the side. Was this supposed to be some sort of mind game? Well, she wouldn't fall for it. She assumed another fighting stance. "Like I'd believe anything you say."

"There was a time that you did. But I can see that your brother's defiance has rubbed off on you," Zero scoffed. "In any case, I'm not lying. You really think that I'm going to risk everything I've been working toward on a fool's errand of a battle with you lot? Of course not!" Static rippled through the cubes, like they were vibrating in time with the fluctuations in Zero's pitch. "While I could wipe you out with Necrozma's power, I won't. Because then I risk losing my grasp on Dialga's life energy and throwing the whole timestream out of whack.

"That's why I've decided not to give you misguided idiots the chance to play the heroes. You're not going to get a battle with me," Zero continued. "I'll form up as many barriers as I need to stall you out until my work as done. At which point, the gods will be no more and I will finally have my family back."

"You already have a family!" Silvally growled, before Tessa could even retort. "What would Tessa and Gallian be otherwise?"

"Mistakes."

Red energy flickered in Tessa's right paw. Her aura feelers trembled. "How could you say something like that?" she said, her tone uneven.

"You are nothing but a failed attempt at replacing what I lost. My real children are back in the human world… waiting for my return," Zero said. Again the cubes vibrated. "You and your brother… never should've happened. I told Incineroar I didn't want any eggs. But I couldn't just up and say that I was actually a human. He… he was too good to me. I couldn't betray his trust."

"And what do you suppose lying to him for your whole life counts as, huh?" Tessa barked. She pointed her paws forward and fired a large Aura Sphere. Silvally added a flurry of ice shards, fireballs, and lightning. The Tri-Attacks knocked cubes out of the dome, but before anyone could expand on his work, fresh cubes took their place.

"At the time, I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never return to the human world. I considered having him as a mate to be a… reasonable substitute for the family I lost," Zero replied. "How could I have known that the powers that be would wind up thrustingan Absol egg into our possession? I couldn't. It just… happened. As did your egg.

"But you made Incineroar happy, so I put up with the two of you as long as I could… until Metagross stole Incineroar from me and the gods laughed off my attempts to undo his crime," Zero hissed.

Despite her previous Aura Spheres failing to do anything, more blue flames swirled around Tessa's paws. She finally knew why her mother seemed so cold and distant when Incineroar wasn't around… and why her mother had treated her so badly during her training. Zero never really cared about her. And when Incineroar died, she refused to put up with Tessa any longer.

"I… I can't believe you," Tessa said, stomping on the floor. "You… you were part of the guild. You helped Pokémon who were lost and scared a-and confused." She clenched her fists. "Do you have any idea how awful you made me feel when you stopped my training and called me worthless? I… I…"

"I don't care. You weren't even supposed to exist," Zero replied, the icy venom in her voice plain as day. "But, fret not, I'm not going to erase you. When my work is done, you, your brother, and your father can have a peaceful, happy life together… free of the numerousconflicts wrought upon the world by gods and ley lines." She paused.

Tessa tensed at the mention of Incineroar. "You can't bring him back," she whispered, shaking her head. "I… I don't think it works like that. What you're doing… this time rewriting thing is going to fail! It'll backfire!"

"You think, hmm? Well, I have Dialga under my control and I know what I'm planning will work," Zero said. "Why are you trying to resist this? I'm giving you what you want. I'll bring your loving father back. You won't have to wake up fearful of what the day may hold for you. I'll be out of your life. Hell, I'll even let that hideous abomination you call a friend survive the reset. You have nothing to gain from intervening!"

Silvally's cheek bolts revved up, the whirs loud enough to make Tessa jump. "We don't buy your poison-tongued lies for a second!" he shouted. Silvally slammed his forelegs on the ground. Tremors raced toward the front of the dome. Earthly energy shot up at the cubes, along with flaming vines much like Serperior attacked with while infected. The cubes glowed bright-white before disappearing.

Everyone heard a sharp gasp from the other side of the hole Silvally poked. However, he couldn't maintain the attack and Zero repaired the forcefield before Espy's Psychic rings reached it. "Dang it! We were so close that time," she hissed, tail lashing at the air.

"You all are sorely mistaken. Defeating me will only put your world on the path to inevitable destruction. And, all the while, you'll continue driving yourselves crazy racing through dungeon after dungeon while the gods sit around and do nothing," Zero said.

"What if you're wrong? You could be putting everyone's lives at risk over this ridiculous gamble," Espy said, frowning at the barrier.

"My, how your opinion was swayed to the other side quickly. I recall it wasn't that long ago you were saying quite the opposite," Zero scoffed. "In any case, risking your lives is fine by me if it means ensuring that no humans will ever be pulled from the ones they love and crammed into the body of a Pokémon. I refuse to let this gods' lackadaisical attitude ruin the lives of countless hard-working humans."

"That's not going to solve anything," Silvally huffed. "Team Paradox told us there are numerous worlds out in Ultra Space… and Ultra Wormholes are a constant, continuous threat. Even if you somehow got rid of ley lines, you can't guarantee one won't suck in a human from your world."

The cubes stopped vibrating. "That's why you get to live, freak. I had wanted the Pokémon I infected to become the defenders of this world, but it looks like you cured all of them. So, you'll have to take that mantle for yourself," Zero said. "Ultra Wormholes have spawned every time a crisis has faced this world. Prevent the crises and you'll prevent the wormholes. Thus, no humans will end up here by accident and you won't have any reasons to try and summon any."

Tessa was about to respond when she heard what she thought was clapping. In actuality, Shane was rapping a forepaw against the ground. "Y'know, I gotta hand it to you. Stalling us out by giving a long, drawn-out lecture about why you're right? Not a bad plan… doc," he said, looking up and smirking at the dome's roof.

"Doc? What's that supposed to mean?" Tessa asked. "Did you learn something from the Dawn Hourglass?" For a second, she thought she caught a golden glint in Shane's eye, but she lost sight of it when he nodded.

"I did." Shane approached the nearest part of the barrier. "You've fallen off a long way from the whole 'do no harm' thing you're supposed to follow, haven't you, Dr. Sinclair?"

Static ripples raced through the cubes. Shane grinned triumphantly. "What did you just call me?" Zero growled.

"Dr. Prisma Sinclair. That was who you were when you were human," Shane said. Tessa's jaw hung open. She wasn't expecting the Dawn Hourglass to have told him about who her mother was. Besides, how would that help the team defeat her, anyway? "It's strange. I think I actually heard about your disappearance from my folks. Probably because your husband involved me in one of his cases."

More ripples raced through the cubes. They blurred together into a large mesh of discolored static. "Y… you… you knew Rory?" Zero said.

"Shane, what are you doing?" Silvally said.

"Working out an opening," Shane whispered back. "Get ready. When I give you the signal, it's time to attack."

Tessa wanted to press the issue, but Shane faced away from her. Clearing his throat, he said, "Maybe you remember the case? It involved your college roommate's son. Does 'Nicholas Eisenberg' ring any bells?"

The static surrounding Team Radiance intensified. "That's… you're…" A growl echoed through the dome. "You think you were the friend, don't you? The autistic kid that Margie and George always complained about when we met for dinner or a get-together."

Tessa looked between Shane and the dome. Had she heard things right? Did Shane admit he and Zero knew each other when they were humans? And that, by extension, Zero had known who Necrozma was all along?

"The very same. It looks like, perhaps, Necrozma was keeping secrets from you," Shane said, swishing his hair to the side. Tessa tensed up. There it was again. Another moment of bravado that made her think back to their first few weeks together. Unless he was putting on an act to unnerve Zero. But then… why wouldn't he tell his teammates? Tessa felt a headache coming on and she lacked the time and patience to deal with it.

"What are you talking about, whelp?" Zero said.

"Let's say you actually succeeded with this crazy plan of yours and got magically turned back into a human. Do you really think you can return to your old life?" Shane said, raising an eyebrow. "Your husband could've remarried."

"Time flows differently for our worlds! Not much time would've passed," Zero retorted.

"Perhaps. But then… what about your friend?" Shane continued. "I mean… you found her supposedly-dead son… and then killed him yourself."

Silence followed. Tessa was about to point out that Shane claimed he had finished off Necrozma, but stopped. If the static surrounding them was any indication, Shane was unnerving Zero enough to mess with her barrier.

"Is this your idea of a practical joke? It's not funny," Zero said.

"It's the truth. Necrozma was really the Eisenbergs' kid." Shane stuck his snout up. "So, tell me, how are you going to go back to living your human life with your human friends? Can you really tell me you won't feel at least a bit guilty when you inevitably refuse to tell them what happened?"

Shane raised up two of his tails. Assuming that to be the signal, Silvally acted first, launching a huge lightning bolt at the barrier. Tessa hastily added a gray beam. Then came a Hydro Pump from Milotic and multiple pink rings from Espy. Shane finished the job with a golden energy ball. Light brimmed in the cracks between each individual cube, then the energy dome collapsed.

The team had a few brief seconds to size up the situation. Dialga sat— or, rather, had sunk into a small, crystalline altar. Only his head and upper body were visible. The Time Gears were welded against his corrupted body like tumors protruding from an organ. Red and black energy streamed off him, drifting toward the eye of the massive storm over head. Ley line chains stuck out of his shoulders and damaged chest plate. They attached to Zero, who floated in midair, staring the group down.

Silvally stomped a foreleg on the ground. Fire Pledge columns shot up toward Zero. Two of the chains yanked her out of the way, then pulled her away from a Hydro Pump. Shane tried to blast her with a stream of hot air, but she summoned her Bone Rush scythe and dispelled the Heat Wave with icy winds courtesy of Articuno's spirit.

"You imbeciles. Stand down! I have to concentrate on Dialga," Zero growled. She raised her free paw. Columns of red cubes rose underneath her and raced toward Team Radiance, trying to push them off the top of the tower. Tessa weaved around one. When she looked left, she found Silvally sinking into the floor. Rather than questioning it, she fired an Aura Sphere toward her mom. A glitchy pillar negated the attack. Tessa growled her frustrations.

"You stand down!" Silvally retorted. "You're throwing everyone's lives away! And for what?"

"To get my life back!" Zero snarled, raising her paws. She fired clusters of glitchy cubes in multiple directions. They froze in midair, then homed in on each of her opponents.

"Everyone out of the way!" Shane barked, flinging one of his golden energy balls forward. A pillar of light swallowed up several of Zero's projectiles. The rest swerved out of the way, then headed for Tessa and Silvally.

"Above you!" Espy said, flinging a Shadow Ball at one of the clusters targeting Silvally. It stalemated in a small purple explosion, all while Silvally rose into the air atop a column of water. He spun around, casting the water in all directions. His teammates backpedaled, save for Milotic, who stood tall and, instead, redirected the water with her tail. Zero broke through Silvally's wave with a red Aura Sphere, but all of her projectiles were gone.

"Such pests you all are," she hissed, right paw raised. Three runes encircled it: a flame, an eye, and a rock.

"S-Something's wrong! The ground's shaking," Milotic said, ribbons curling up.

Shane, Silvally, and Tessa teamed up, sending hot air, a blue fireball, and a sparking, red Focus Blast orb right at Zero. Her chains yanked her out of the way of everything except the Aura Sphere, which tried to tail her. But more ley line chains burst from the ground. They split into three clumps, which wrapped around one another until crystal copies of an Alakazam, a Charizard, and a Tyranitar floated beside Zero. Charizard unleashed a stream of purple shadow fire, snuffing out Tessa's Aura Sphere.

"Take care of them," Zero ordered, pointing toward Team Radiance. The copies of Team ACT nodded diligently and darted toward the ground. Charizard made a beeline for Shane, only for an electrified Silvally to hammer into him. He skidded across the ground, empty eyes giving no indication there was any pain felt.

Tessa tried to get another shot in on Zero, but a pink glint caught her eye. She jumped back seconds before Alakazam's Psychic rings would have hefted her into the air. "Espy! Shane! Can you two take care of Alakazam? I'm better off fighting Tyranitar," she said, dashing forward with a burst of Extreme Speed. Tyranitar silently lowered its shoulder, absorbing Tessa's Force Palm strike. He drove a glowing fist into the ground.

Crystal spires jutted up, sending Tessa skyward with her arms and legs flailing. She soon became level with her mother, who had summoned four small orbs around her. Tessa's eyes widened. They looked like the strange balls Zero had released Milotic and Serperior from. Zero pointed a paw toward her and the four Beast Balls converged. Tessa knew she couldn't forge an Aura Sphere big enough to take them all out in time.

Luckily, an Ice Beam whizzed by and blew the now-frozen balls off the tower and into the swirling abyss below. Zero looked down and pointed toward Milotic. As Tessa landed, she turned and fired a Flash Cannon. Tyranitar halted his charge, pivoted, and fired a large, white-hot plasma beam at Tessa. She backpedaled with a yelp, falling on her rear. The Hyper Beam grazed the tufts atop her ears, leaving scorch marks and trails of smoke.

Tyranitar couldn't turn back fast enough to deflect Milotic's water torrent. He rolled across the ground, spinning to a stop in the middle of a puddle. In the process, he almost bowled over Alakazam, who had to levitate over him. He still managed to get a Light Screen up quick enough to deflect Espy's Shadow Ball and Shane's blinding-white blast. Alakazam lowered his shield and fired a Shadow Ball of his own from each spoon.

Tessa looked up. Zero had more Beast Balls ready to capture her teammates. She hopped to her feet and shot Psychic rings diagonally. They were just enough to deflect the Beast Balls, earning a distorted growl from Zero. "Guys! Stay on your guard! Zero's trying to capture us with those ball things she used on Team Captivate," Tessa said, noticing Milotic's fearful gaze and shuddering out of the corner of her eye.

"What? Seriously?" Silvally said, ducking a swipe from Charizard's glowing wing and driving his pink head crest into his opponent's gut. Charizard stumbled back, shadow fire at the ready, but Silvally met it with a torrent of water. He darted into the air to avoid the steam.

"Of course I am. I want this fight to end, but you idiots refuse to see reason," Zero growled, paws raised to conjure more Beast Balls. This time, however, she had to hover right to avoid a Shadow Ball from Espy, then turn to negate an Aura Sphere with one of her own.

"The only one who isn't seeing reason is you, Mom!" Tessa barked, throwing her arms up to try and blunt a black beam shot by Tyranitar. The Dark Pulse left lingering shadows around her arms. The sigil on her right paw flickered once again. She suppressed a growl. They didn't have time to waste on these copies. It was another stalling tactic.

"Watch it, Tessa!"

Milotic's shouts snapped Tessa to attention. She stared down the bright-white barrel of an oncoming Hyper Beam. Tessa dove to the ground. The crystal floor scuffed up her fur. She rolled to her feet and shot an Aura Sphere in Tyranitar's direction, but it hastily met its end under a volley of Air Slash crescents.

With a gasp, Tessa looked up to see Charizard flying toward her, shadow fire pooling in his throat.

"Get away from her!" Silvally cried. Electricity clipped Charizard's wing. He silently fell toward the ground, only to land in a couple of large water bubbles. Silvally raced by Tessa, static sparks and black smoke trailing from his crest and cheek-bolts.

Before Tessa could see if Silvally was all right, she heard an "Incoming!" from behind her. Tessa turned around and was greeted by Tyranitar's glowing fist. A resounding clang echoed across the altar. Tessa tumbled to stop, pain shooting down her body. Her vision went white. Pins and needles gripped her arms and legs.

Ears ringing, Tessa tried to catch her breath, but couldn't. Sensing wounded prey, Tyranitar lumbered toward her. Zero summoned more Beast Balls, ready to attack anyone who tried to help her. Silvally turned around and, seeing her helpless state, leaped into the air and blew Tyranitar back with a gray energy burst. Charizard launched a purple Flamethrower to down him. However, Silvally withstood the flames. He met Zero's Beast Balls with wind blades and a large, green Energy Ball. Then, rear and tail smoldering from Charizard's blast, he spun back around and aimed to fry Charizard with lightning.

Charizard quickly darted into the air, however, and unleashed an Air Slash barrage of his own. Fast he was, Silvally wasn't small enough to maneuver around the attack. Wind blades nicked him. Silvaly grunted in annoyance, but nonetheless charged down his opponent.

"This is so ridiculous. You all are making such fools of yourselves," Zero said. She turned and tugged on the chains connected her to Dialga. He roared in pain. An energy surge shot up into the eye of the storm. More of Dialga's body melted into the altar. "I intend to let you all survive the reset. All you're doing is making things more complicated for me."

"That's the point," Tessa said, having managed to stagger back to her feet. A quick glance left saw Shane tending to a downed Espy while Alakazam stumbled about in a daze. She refocused the moment she heard Milotic screaming. Tyranitar had slammed her against the ground. A huge welt spawned around the right side of Milotic's face. She squirmed meekly, groaning in pain.

Tessa silently shot an Aura Sphere toward Tyranitar, banking on his fixation with Milotic. However, a small red void intercepted the Aura Sphere and swallowed it up. She looked up at her mom, who again had Beast Balls at the ready. With a flick of her wrist, the balls descended on the entire team. "No!" Tessa shouted, trying to conjure another Aura Sphere.

The balls fell for a couple of feet before streams of fire, lightning, and pink energy blasted the balls away. Zero's lone eye flickered purple. Her aura dreadlocks jerked her head to the right, where a ring portal sat on the side of the altar. "No… that's impossible!" Zero said, eye widening.

Mega Ampharos, Cresselia, Mega Mawile, and Ninetales leaped out of the portal.

"So, you're the one behind all of this. It's such a pleasure to meet you," Ampharos said, glancing at Zero while he sniped Charizard from behind with an intense burst of lightning. "Oh, wait… no, it's not."

Charizard struck the ground, where Silvally shredded his arms and shoulders with repeated strikes of his rock-covered talons. He tried to blast Silvally with shadow fire, but Silvally conjured a large rock spire and drove it straight through Charizard's crystalline skull. He shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Silvally looked at Ampharos and nodded.

Ninetales eyes flickered purple. Lavender embers formed around her. She sent them toward Alakazam, who was too preoccupied deflecting an Ice Beam and Shadow Ball to notice. Purple ectoplasm spread across Alakazam. He fell to his knees, dropping his spoons and clutching his head in pain.

"We've got an opening," Shane cheered. He buffeted Alakazam with superheated air. Espy hit him in the gut with a Shadow Ball. Like Charziard, he shattered into bits.

Mawile zipped past a bewildered Tessa, metal encasing both her massive horns. With a shake of her head, Tessa threw an Aura Sphere up toward her mother.

"Imbeciles! You're going to ruin everything!" Zero met the Aura Sphere with one of her own, then looked down to see Tyranitar breaking apart, with a metallic Mawile standing next to him. "Cease this tireless charade. I'm so close to completing this. It's for the best!"

"You're tampering with forces you can't control," Cresselia said, facing Tessa. She tensed up for a moment when warmth spread through her system. When it faded, however, Tessa felt completely reinvigorated.

Zero's eye flashed purple. She pointed at Cresselia. A blue winged-heart sigil formed near her. The temperature in the area dropped. "Get back!" Tessa shouted, trying to hit her mother with an Aura Sphere while she focused on Cresselia. Zero's chains yanked her out of the way. Luckily, Silvally zipped by and knocked Cresselia out of the way of the massive polar vortex the sigil spawned.

Silvally landed and shot a massive, five-pronged fireball toward Zero. She forged a shield of red cubes. The Fire Blast grew in size as Ninetales bolstered it with more flames. It slammed against Zero's shield. The cubes glowed white from the heat. Zero was too focused on the shield and had no recourse when Espy and Shane hit her from behind with Psychic rings and a Heat Wave stream. Her shield shattered. The remnants of the Fire Blast scored her Prism Armor.

Tessa smiled. Thanks to some timely assistance, they were finally making some headway. With this many of them fighting together, they could overwhelm Zero with sheer numbers. Tessa threw another Aura Sphere up, but another red vortex swallowed it up. Zero glared down at her. Or, rather, Tessa assumed she was glaring. It was hard to tell with her mask.

"Everyone, try to throw her off with attacks!" Tessa said, but then ley lines burst out of the ground, wriggling about like tentacles. Zero's chains yanked her closer to Dialga. She threw up a wall of cubes, blocking the stairs leading up to the smaller altar.

"What's going on here?" Ninetales said, staring at the chains with a look of panic.

"She's probably summoning more spirits," Silvally growled. He slammed his forelegs into the ground. Glowing rock spires and jets of fire shot out of fissures. But the chains hovered out of his attack's range as if they had a will of their own. The creaks of metal scraping metal rang out across the altar. In plumes of black light, two crystalline birds emerged. Ice shards and lightning rained down on everyone from above.

"We need to take cov— ngack!" Three ice shards pelted Ampharos' head. He fell on his back, softened by his luscious mane.

Tessa made a beeline for Silvally without a second thought. However, the projectile storm was too chaotic to safely navigate through. A bolt of lightning struck her from above. Large ice chunks slammed her back, leaving bloody gashes. Tessa fell to the ground, convulsing. Silvally saw her and leaped through the air, deflecting ice chunks with gusts of winds while lightning harmlessly bounced off him. He landed clumsily, then stood over Tessa, turning to face the source of the attack.

A ball of golden light exploded in the air, bringing an end to the ice and electricity. Everyone could now see crystal mockups of Articuno and Zapdos floating in front of them, their eyes empty and expressionless. With flaps of their wings, they prepared to volley more ice and fire. Silvally struck first, hurtling large, glowing rocks toward the birds. Each one hammered against their crystal bodies. Deafening cracks rang out through the air, but neither of them cried out in pain.

Tessa was shocked with the intensity of Silvally's attack. "Since when did you know Ancient Power?" she asked.

"I… I don't know," Silvally replied. Tessa's aura feelers trembled at the sight of Silvally's cheek bolts twisting sporadically like cogs in a broken machine. She opted not to press the issue, instead gathering metal dust in her paws for a Flash Cannon.

"Look out!"

Ninetales' cries came too late. Tessa looked up to see Ancient Power rocks barreling toward Team Radiance. "What the— how?" She tried to backpedal, but was on her back in a matter of seconds. To her right, Espy's Light Screen couldn't hold up against the blows and Shane's attempts at diverting the rocks with Psychic failed. Both rolled back across the altar, their worlds spinning.

On Tessa's left, Silvally roared in agony. Most of the rocks had concentrated on him. Apparently, with all his memories active, rock-type attacks were problematic for him. Through blurry vision, Tessa saw Silvally's nearest cheek bolt shoot out bright-yellow sparks, then explode in a burst of fiery metal shards.

Though her muscles burned, Tessa forced herself to her feet. "Silvally! Oh gods…" She whirled around. "Shane! Cresselia! We need some help over here!" she shouted.

Cresselia recognized the problem right away. But while she gathered energy for a Heal Pulse, a red ripple raced across the altar. Tessa's body momentarily seized up, before her scarf sparkled with ethereal light and she regained control of her limbs. She looked ahead, only to find that Milotic and the Expedition Society members had been slowed to a complete crawl. Tessa noticed they were surrounded by a dome of red, glitchy energy. Silvally had dropped to the ground. Silver wisps trickled out from the remnants of his right cheek bolt.

Tessa whirled on Zero, an Aura Sphere at the ready, but a gigantic bolt of lightning struck her directly on the chest spike. It served as a conduit, jolting her from head to toe. Fur smoldering, Tessa collapsed, writhing about while her limbs twitched unresponsively.

"Tessa! Silv!" Espy cried, eyes watering. She looked to Shane, but then Articuno swooped toward the two of them, crystalline talons outstretched. "Gah!" Espy fired a desperate pink blast, but it went wide. Next thing she knew, gale-force winds had hefted her into the air and knocked her into something fluffy, yet metallic.

"Oof! What are you doing? Get off of me! We're easy pickings stuck like this," Shane grunted, bucking Espy off his back.

"I have had enough of this ludicrous nonsense. I've come too far to fall to some trite, pathetic cavalry," Zero snarled, her cube barrier felled by Silvally's Ancient Power barrage. She threw a Bone Rush scythe toward the trapped Expedition Society members. Like a buzz saw to wood, the scythe tore through a chunk of the altar. Chains burst forth from the ground like plumes of fire from an erupting volcano. They dove into the chunk of ground the scythe had cut and shoved it away from the rest of the altar.

Espy looked back and saw the chains carrying the platform — and Team Radiance's reinforcements — away. She tried to attack them with a Shadow Ball, but fierce, icy winds eviscerated the attack. Espy had just enough time to gasp before her world went black.

"Espy!" Shane cried, looking at his now-frozen teammate. Silvally and Tessa were still down, too. He had to get to them, but both Articuno and Zapdos blocked his path. He gnashed his teeth. "Why not just kill them if you feel that threatened by them?"

"Is your fur blocking your ears or are you one of those 'selective hearing' autistic kids my colleagues joked about? I told you repeatedlythat the only casualties I'm interested in are the gods," Zero scoffed. "Cresselia will be erased soon enough, but you all need to stand down." She pointed to Silvally. "If you keep this up, I'm going to have my paws full trying to revive your living jigsaw puzzle of a friend."

Shane rolled right, barely escaping a Hurricane vortex whipped up by Articuno. Unfortunately for him, Zapdos had a Thunderbolt ready to blast him right in the chest. Shane struck Espy, shattering her icy prison, and rolled across the ground until he lay with half his tails dangling over the edge of the altar.

"Now, fall!" Zero said, hurling another Bone Rush scythe toward him. It flew halfway across the altar before a Blizzard swallowed it up. The frozen scythe fell to the ground and shattered. Zero's aura dreadlocks tensed. She looked down and her eye smoldered with purple energy. "Of course you're back on your feet. You just won't give up, will you? All this… despite the fact that the gods are, essentially, responsible for your brief existence and the constant pain associated with it."

Silvally stood next to Tessa. The shredded remains of his scarf fell to the floor as he jammed the team's final Reviver Seed into her mouth and whirled on Zero with a snarl. He spat a mouthful of black blood onto the ground. His remaining cheek bolt vibrated it its socket. "M… maybe… you're right," he wheezed. "There's been… a lot of pain… a lot of hurting…"

Tessa had regained consciousness. She saw Silvally standing over her protectively. His limbs trembled. Cracks ran through the blades on his head crest. They vented silver energy. It looked as if his metal beak was rattling. "S… Silvally?"

"Guys, look out!"

Espy managed to blast Zapdos from behind with a Shadow Ball, but it wasn't strong enough to stop him from trying to fry Silvally and Tessa. Silvally kicked a startled Tessa back with his hind legs and harmlessly absorbed all the electricity. He glanced back at Tessa.

"T… Tessa…" He coughed up another mouthful of black blood. His crest's top energy blade exploded. Silvally's legs buckled. He winced. "I… I'm okay. You… you guys… are going to be okay…"

Tessa's aura feelers shot up. "You're not okay! Look at yourself! You're… you're falling apart!"

Espy and Shane blew Articuno back toward Zero with the combined efforts of dual Psychic blasts. "Silv! Silv, what's wrong?" Espy cried. She made a mad dash for him, only for Zapdos to whirl on her. She screeched to a halt, but luckily for her an Ice Beam struck Zapdos right between the eyes. He fluttered back, kicking at the air with his legs.

"Imbeciles! Pull yourselves together!" Zero snarled. "Ancient Power! Use more Ancient Power!" Her paws were glitching and flickering so much they practically disappeared.

"E… Espy. I'm…" Silvally's trembling beak made it hard for him to get out a full sentence. "Guys…" He looked between Espy and Tessa. "Pro… promise me something, okay? Promise me… you'll look after each other… when this is all over…"

Espy's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean? This isn't the time for waxing poetic, Silv!" Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Let Shane heal you… quickly!"

"It won't… do any good…" Silvally coughed up more blood. It splattered at Espy's feet. "I c… can't… k… keep myself… together… much longer…"

"No…" Tessa threw her paws up on her muzzle.

"No!" Espy's shouts were louder than Tessa expected. "You can't say that! I… you… we had a promise, damn it!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. They dripped into the puddle of blood. "We said we'd tackle our problems together! The two of us! I can't… you can't…"

"I'm sorry." Silvally tried to force a weak grin. "But… Zero's got us… backed into a corner."

"Guys, we've got a problem!" Shane shouted. Golden light orbs surrounded him. With a shout, he fired a large rainbow beam toward Zero and her minions. She threw up a cube barrier, but it dissolved away in the face of Shane's attack. Zero crossed her arms to try and blunt as much of the attack as she could.

"I have… a way… to sever… her connection… to Dialga," Silvally continued. Cracks were now appearing in his beak. "It's an attack… I always knew I had… but I didn't want to use it… because I was too afraid… of what would happen."

"No! C'mon, Silv! Don't say that! We can still come up with something," Espy begged.

Silvally looked to the sky. The temporal storm had grown more violent over the course of the battle. "Espy… Tessa… please. Promise me you'll… look after each other. And Sh… Shane, too."

Shane leaped in front of his teammates, fending off ice and lightning from the birds with a blinding-white Dazzling Gleam. "Any time now, guys!"

Tessa glanced at Shane, then back at Silvally. "Let Shane heal you! We need you, Silvally. You're…" She looked down. "You were my first friend, remember? I thought… we were going to watch the sunset again… together."

"It looks like… that'll have to wait… until we're both in the spirit realm," Silvally wheezed. His last two remaining energy blades shattered. Two jets of silver energy took their place. Silvally's legs buckled. He looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. His eyes, tail, and cheek bolt glowed so bright, it hurt Tessa's eyes. She shakily reached a paw toward him, but Silvally turned away.

"Silv, wait!" Espy said. "Please! We… I… I…" She lowered her head. "I need you."

"You're both… going to be fine," Silvally said. "I believe in you. In all of you." He forced a smile. "Thank you… for making my days… so much brighter. It was an honor… and a pleasure… to be your friend."

With one final roar and ignoring Espy's sobbing protests, Silvally charged past Shane. Zero tried to sic Articuno and Zapdos on him, but Silvally sprinted underneath them. She hovered up higher, figuring she'd easily avoid him, but Silvally kept running. White, ethereal light shrouded him from head to toe. He lunged for Dialga's back… and the chains protruding from it.

"Wait, what the— no! Stop!" Zero screamed. She raised her paws to attack, but there wasn't enough time.

Silvally used Explosion.

---

~Destiny Tower~

Latias' world spun for a few seconds, then muddy ground rushed up to meet her. She landed in the thick of the muck with an audible splat. Grime layered her feathers. It took her a few moments to recover from the shock. When she did, she rose into the air and spat out a mouthful of mud.

"Augh! Hey! Watch it!" Mew said, throwing his tiny hands over his face. Latias blinked muck out of her eyes and realized she'd inadvertently sprayed Mew.

"Oh, uh. Sorry about that," she said, trying to clean herself off with her ESP. It wasn't going well.

"What the hell?" Haxorus was up to her waist in mud. She managed to grab hold of a clump of grass and pull herself out. Haxorus glared at Mewtwo. "You mind explaining what this is all about? I've got half a mind to pound your face into the dirt for your dumbass stunt!"

Latias looked to Mewtwo. He stumbled out of the mud and dropped to his hands and knees. His tail lashed at the air. His eyes darted about. It was then that Latias realized Mewtwo had teleported the group in front of a large, cylindrical tower. Or, at least, that's what she assumed it was supposed to be, because huge stone chunks floated in midair above the group. Large black chains gathered high above their heads, swirling around like ingredients in an ethereal stew.

"Th… this is Destiny Tower!" Rayquaza declared, coiling his serpentine form around to clean as much mud off his scales as possible. "Why did you bring us here, you buffoon? Are you trying to upset—"

Mewtwo craned his neck up and shouted, "Arceus!" He staggered to his feet, swaying uneasily from side to side. For a moment, it looked like he'd fall right back into the mud, but Mew rushed behind him. He shoved against Mewtwo's head.

"T-Two-y, what's wrong? You're scaring me."

Feraligatr finished cleansing himself off with short bursts of water and rubbed his head. "Cripes. Of all the times to have a nervous breakdown… why now? And why wrap us up in it? We've got a planet to save!"

"Maybe he knows about what's going on up there?" Infernape pointed a finger skyward. "I don't like the look of that."

"Could it be another one of Zero's vortexes?" Raichu wondered.

"No. Those are ley line chains. I'm sure of it," Lugia said.

Rayquaza hovered higher into the air. "They're being manipulated." He snaked back down toward the others. "Lord Arceus is clearly preparing something to put a stop to all of this trite. Let's leave him alone and—"

Mewtwo raised a trembling arm and unleashed a beam of pink, searing energy. It flew straight up toward the vortex and exploded.

"You imbecile!" Rayquaza snarled, ready to strangle Mewtwo with his tail. "Cease this insolence at on—"

"Stop hiding, Arceus! You… you liar!" Mewtwo shouted. "I know what you did! I know everything!"

"Please stop, Two-y! I don't like it when you shout like that," Mew wrapped his arms around the tube on Mewtwo's neck. Mewtwo wheeled around, looking ready to smack Mew. Mew drifted back, eyes watering. Latias could see the fury blazing in Mewtwo's eyes clear as day. Arceus… a liar? She hadn't interacted much with the top immortal, but if there was anything Rayquaza had made clear to her, it was to never cross Arceus.

Mewtwo dropped to his knees again, breathing heavily. Rayquaza was inches away from grabbing Mewtwo with his tail when some of the floating rubble fell from the sky. Lugia blasted the rubble apart with well-placed bursts of Psychic. "I don't like the look of this. I'm going up to investigate," he said.

Latias nodded. If Lugia was going, so was she. It seemed the three exploration teams shared similar sentiments, as they moved to board Latias and Lugia. By the time Rayquaza found his voice, they were already airborne, Mew having turned into a Dragonite to carry Mewtwo up after the others. Eyes twitching, Rayquaza brought up the rear.

The tower's roof came into view, showing Arceus standing in the center. He held a forehoof up, a strange white rune surrounding it. Latias gasped as a portion of the roof caved in and disassembled into black chains that joined the others swirling overhead. Her feathers bristled. The lavender glow inside the chains was eerily familiar.

"What the heck is going on here? That's what Arceus really looks like? Where are the thousand arms I read about?" Haxorus said, gaze shifting between Arceus and his handiwork. "And what's he doing anyway.

Lugia blinked slowly. "He's… he's…"

"He's making a portal," Latias said, brow furrowing.

"A portal? Why? To get to Temporal Tower?" Feraligatr cocked his head to the side. "Couldn't he just teleport himself there. He's our creator, isn't he?"

"No. He's not looking to help. He's looking to flee."

Everyone's heads snapped in Mewtwo's direction. Blood vessels bulged out of his muddy forehead. His tail repeatedly jabbed Mew's scaly Dragonite belly. "H-Hey, c-cut that out! It kinda tick… les," Mew squeaked, antennae twitching.

"Blasphemy!" Rayquaza said, volume loud enough to snap Arceus out of whatever trance he was in. He turned and stared at the group, eyes wide. For a moment, the sigil around his forehoof flickered. Arceus looked down and muttered something under his breath. The rune stabilized. Arceus locked eyes with Rayquaza. For the first time in Latias' life, she witnessed a blank expression on Rayquaza's face.

"F-Forgive me, sir. I wasn't trying to interrupt your… um…" His voice trailed off. He looked up at what was presumably an attempt at making a portal.

Mewtwo pushed himself free of Mew's grip and glided onto the roof, where he stumbled to a stop. "Y… you…" He doubled over, shoulders drooping and arms swaying side to side. "You took them. My memories… the old world…" He clenched his fists. "Where are they? What did you do them?!"

At the mention of "old world," Arceus tensed. It was momentary, but enough for Latias to realize Mewtwo may have struck something important. She couldn't move around too much due to carrying Team Go-Getters on her back, but she at least managed to say, "What's all this about?" She fixed her gaze on Arceus. "Is he… did you tamper with Mewtwo's memories?"

"He did," Mewtwo accused, grabbing his head with his right hand. "Erased them. All my memories of the old world… gone!"

"I… have no idea what you're talking about," Arceus said.

"Your voice is trembling," Latias whispered, frowning.

"You serious? It sounded just find to me," Swampert said. "Then again, we did get wrapped up in a bunch of explosions, so…"

"Absurd!" Rayquaza cut in front of Latias. "Don't go flinging around baseless claims without some sort of proof."

"I'm an empath." Latias floated closer to Mewtwo, giving Rayquaza the stink eye as she passed him. "You, supposedly, created my ancestor to be like that," she said, addressing Arceus.

Arceus turned away from them. "I'm busy. We're not having this discussion."

"Busy trying to ditch us! Just like the other times our world's been in danger," Mewtwo said, trying to stand tall but loosing his footing and stumbling. "The meteor. Temporal Tower's instability. The Bittercold. Dark Mater." Mewtwo's eyes crackled with blue energy. "Every time… you've tried to flee… and leave us to our fate!"

"That is absurd," Arceus dismissed.

"But then why were the gods always so hesitant to take action?" Blaziken asked. "We had to beat sense into Rayquaza to get him to destroy that meteor."

Rayquaza tensed up. "Th… that was a folly."

"And you waited until the Tree of Life had gotten ripped out of the ground before you finally stepped in," Latias added. She was by Mewtwo's side. Something had clicked in her head. She had never understood why Delphox and Meganium told her Arceus acted at the last second… and only the last second. Now, it was starting to make sense. "Why would you do this? Why would you try to abandon us?"

"Because he doesn't care about us. He's lied to the gods— no, to the whole world!" Mewtwo said. "I saw it… from the ley lines. This world… the ground we tread on… you didn't create it."

Arceus stiffened. Even with no mouth, Latias could tell he was unnerved. That had to mean Mewtwo was on the right track. She glanced at him. Had he learned of this because of what the Prism Virus did to him? It was the only explanation that made sense to her.

"There was once… a world where humans and Pokémon — fewer species than we have today — lived together," Mewtwo continued. "I can't remember what that world was like because you took those memories from me. But I do know that you destroyed that world! Crushed it under the weight of your full-powered Judgment! Then you hastily tried to patch things up, but every action you took created new problems you didn't know how to fix!

"Problem on top of problem on top of problem… they kept piling up! But rather than admit to what you did, you kept lying and hoping the gods that spawned from your messes could solve your problems for you!" Mewtwo said. Mud and saliva dribbled down his neck. Bulging veins throbbed on his forehead. "Everything that's happening here… it's the end result of eons of poor decisions!"

Dead silence followed. Lugia touched down on the roof, too stunned to maintain his flight. Latias fidgeted with her claws. "That… but that…" She gulped. "If that's true, then what does that make us?"

"It makes you all mistakes in his eyes," Mewtwo said, pointing at Arceus once again. "Walking, talking reminders of everything he's done wrong." He bowed his head. "That's why he doesn't care about our world. That's why every time there's danger that threatens him, he tries to abandon us. Because he'd rather hide than admit the truth!"

Everyone turned to Arceus, expecting a response. The rune around Arceus' forehoof disappeared. He slammed it against the roof. "What do you want from me?" he rasped. "I didn't know what I was doing. I was attacked. I only wanted to make the pain stop. The void…" Arceus' face twisted into a grimace. "It was destroying my arms!" He glared at the group. "None of you can possibly understand. I had only existed for a matter of seconds when it attacked me! I was terrified. I wanted it to go away!"

Latias' feathers stood on end. She expected someone to say something, but everyone stayed quiet. Even Rayquaza was at a loss for words. He looked as if someone had broadsided him across the head. Latias bit her lip. "What attacked you?"

Psychic energy flared up in Arceus' eyes. He projected an image above everyone's heads. Latias sucked in a breath and squeezed her paws together. "Th… this is…" She stared into a black heart, with horns protruding from its apex and a single, reptilian eye staring back at her. To say nothing of the black ruff around its neck, giant torso, long tail of heart-shaped crystals, and wings with hexagonal feathers.

"I don't know what it is. Only that it had no spirit. It was empty. Mindless. A void. And it tried to destroy me." Arceus wiped the projection away. "I fought to survive. Like any mortal would when faced with danger. It was only when the demon ran off that I saw what I had inadvertently done." Arceus turned to the side, shaking his head. "I panicked. I didn't know what to think. I could barelythink for myself. I just… acted.

"But I didn't truly fend off the void. Parts of its body wound up inside the core of the planet when I stitched it back together. By the time I realize what had happened…" Arceus lowered his head. "It was too late. Those fragments had infested the planet's core, forming what you know as the Voidlands. They generated ley lines that kept trying to tear the planet apart. I had to lie. I couldn't let the other gods figure out they were accidents. They wouldn't keep the ley lines in check if they did!"

Latias floated closer to Arceus. "Is… is what Mewtwo said right? Do you really see us as nothing but mistakes?"

He didn't respond. Latias narrowed her eyes. "D… Don't dodge the question! Do you really see us as nothing but mistakes?"

Arceus shuddered. "Of course you're all mistakes. I didn't want to die. I don't want to die." He tensed up. "I did… what I had to do… to stay alive."

It happened in the blink of an eye. Latias flew up to Arceus… and smacked his cheek. It wasn't a hard blow. His head didn't even budge. But everyone heard the sound. Eyes widened. Rayquaza's bulged out of his head. Even Mewtwo tilted his head.

"L-Latias," Lugia said, hopping toward her. He couldn't get a read on Arceus' expression. "Look, I'm glad you're finally sticking up for yourself, but don't you think you're pushing things a bit too far?"

Latias took a deep breath. She didn't flinch from Arceus' gaze despite his superior stature. "How dare you," she whispered. "How dare you try to trivialize all of our struggles." Latias balled her paws into fists. "Even if tragedy shrouds the way our world came to be, that doesn't give you the right to dismiss it— to dismiss us. We've all had our own struggles and triumphs. And I… I won't just let you toss those aside and leave this world to be destroyed!"

"It's useless," Arceus said. "Even if we stop the current predicament, ley lines still fester within the planet. It will only be a matter of time before the void's power creates another crisis."

"Then we'll work together to find a solution that breaks this vicious cycle." Lugia spread his wings defiantly.

"Ha! I've tried. The ley lines are too deeply embedded within the planet. Without them, the world will crumble!" Arceus retorted. "Short of finding a new world, there's nothing you can do but sit and wait!"

Mewtwo finally managed to stand up straight. "Regardless of how truthful that is, you don't get to walk away from this." He looked at the sky. Beyond the chains still floating overhead, intense bursts of red and black energy rippled through the air. "We've sat on the sidelines for too long. Even against Dark Matter. Not this time. We have to take action." He pointed at Arceus. "And that means that, for once, you need to get involved. Understand?"

After a brief silence, Arceus' shoulders sagged. "Very well."

Mewtwo turned to Latias. "This is an empty gesture at this point, but I apologize for my past hostilities toward you. We should've cooperated with your group from the beginning."

He turned and glared at Rayquaza, who crossed his tiny arms. "Bah, fine. Same here."

"Great. Go team and all that jazz," Haxorus said, tracing a digit in a circle next to her head. "But, uh, there's a teeny problem." She darted forward and hefted a gasping Mewtwo off the ground. Throttling him, she shouted, "You teleported us away from the place where the bad guy is, you ass!"

"Temporal Tower is all the way in the south," Infernape said, arms crossed. "It would take hours to reach it."

"No, it won't." Rayquaza slithered into the middle of the group. "Did you forget who you have in your company? I control the wind itself!"

"Uh, but the planet's paralyzed. There's no wind to control," Mew pointed out.

In response, Rayquaza rose into the air. An orange shimmer rippled down his body, producing Mega Rayquaza for the whole group to see. Immediately, strong currents brushed against Latias' feathers. "You were saying?" Rayquaza chuckled, his golden ribbons fluttering behind him. "Everyone find a seat on Lugia or Lord Arceus. As long as someone can direct me, I'll get us back to where we were."

---

~Prism Tower~

A huge geyser of silver energy swallowed up Dialga, Zero, and the birds she'd summoned. Distorted wails and the sounds of splintering crystals rang out across the altar. Tessa finally found her voice and belted out a loud, "No!" She was on her paws and knees, staring at the sight in shock.

Shane stumbled back, blinking rapidly to clear the stars from his vision. "I… I, uh… what just happened?" he said.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Espy bawled her eyes out, slamming a foreleg against the ground repeatedly. "He's gone! He's gone! I… I didn't…"

"But that was Explosion or Self-Destruct, wasn't it?" Shane said. "Pokémon bounce back from that all the time!"

However, as the dust settled from the blast, it became clear that this was not like the times Shane had seen the attack used in his video games or in any Pokémon episodes he'd watched. Zero lay on her side, her whole body shaking and flickering in and out of existence. There was no sign of Dialga… or Silvally. The Time Gears were the only things left on the smaller altar.

Shane stepped back from his teammates, lowering his head. All he could manage was a single "Oh."

Tessa lowered her head, arms and aura feelers trembling.

He was gone.

Silvally was her first friend at the guild. The one who had calmed her down after Mellath Bog. The one who helped Shane turn around and become someone she could view as a friend and close confidant. And the Pokémon who had tried his hardest to make sure she and Shane could find happiness.

One attack was all it took. Why had Golem given that attack to Silvally? In case he really couldn't be controlled? But then… why did Silvally need the mask in the first place? Was it because all of his memories had activated at once?

She glanced at Espy, who was still a sobbing wreck. Tessa wanted to hurl. This wasn't how things were supposed to end. She looked toward her mother, only to see the Time Gears rising into the air. Tessa's mind was too numb from what she had just seen to care. She stared blankly, watching the Time Gears vibrate. Then, in a surge of multicolored light, they shot up into the temporal vortex.

A muffled blast sounded above Team Radiance. Tessa was the only one who looked up. A shockwave rippled through the air, erasing the temporal storm in a swirl of red and purple mist. All that was left behind was the darkened sky of a paralyzed planet, no doubt the result of the fact that Temporal Tower was still, technically, in shambles. Each individual Time Gear fell back onto the altar with a loud clang.

It was those noises that roused Zero from her stupor. Though static ripples still ran down her body, she managed to stagger to her feet. However, one look at the sky made the ripples flare in intensity. "No… no!" She whirled on Team Radiance, rainbow light streaming from the left side of her mask. "You imbeciles! You've ruined everything! All of that work… collecting the Time Gears… controlling Dialga… dealing with Necrozma…"

She summoned a Bone Rush scythe. "It was all for nothing!"

Before Tessa could even react, her mother stood in front of her. A swipe of the scythe sent Tessa skyrocketing, reeling in pain. Espy screamed as Zero unleashed a flurry of slashes, slicing through her fur and hide. She tumbled to the side of the altar, a bruised, bloody, whimpering wreck.

Tessa tried to compose herself as she careened toward the ground. But her paws shook too much to form up an attack. Instead a red Aura Sphere struck her chest and blasted her higher in the air. Tessa could feel her energy faltering fast.

On the ground, Zero was hurtling her scythe at Shane like a boomerang. "I can still salvage this! I'll take control of Xerneas and use her powers to recover Dialga's spirit. But you… you will all perish for your transgressions!"

The scythe grazed Shane's side. He staggered toward Espy, hissing in pain. Zero leaped into the air, caught her scythe, then slammed into the ground. A red cube shockwave raced out all around her. By the time Shane had his bearings straight, he could only fling a golden energy ball forward to try and create an opening. The cubes did indeed fizzle away, but more rose up to take their places. The shockwave knocked Espy and Shane off the tower.

"Shane! Esp—"

Tessa's cries were interrupted when she hit the ground with a heavy thud. Pain jolted down her spine. Her skeleton rattled inside her frame. Yet, despite how badly she hurt, she refused to buckle. A familiar fire bubbled in her stomach. It was the exact same reaction she had to Dragonite hurting Silvally.

Though it strained her muscles, she forced herself to lock eyes with Zero. Her limbs quivered. Her throat constructed. Tessa wanted to scream. To blare out her raw, seething hatred for her mother to the heavens. But she couldn't find her voice. She was in shock.

Tessa had found friends. People she trusted. People she could talk to. She had shared her deepest secrets with Shane and Silvally. Poured her heart out to them. Especially when she was with Shane following their dungeon treks in Cosmic Cavern and Sunset Shoals. She had gotten her brother back. Tessa finally felt like there was a path to happiness.

But now… that was gone. It had been taken away from her. And the person responsible was the same one who had belittled her. Talked down to her. Trampled what little self-esteem she had following Incineroar's death. The one who had even called her a mistake to her face.

It was Zero. All of it was her fault. She had ruined Tessa's life. She had made Tessa miserable.

Tessa's breathing grew sharper. Fiercer. Angrier. Were she a fire-type, she would've snorted out tufts of smoke. Instead, rainbow lines flickered on her arms and legs. Her aura feelers vibrated. The sigil on her paw flashed. Shadow fire swirled around her paws, her feet, and her eyes. Without thinking, Tessa reached a trembling paw toward her scarf and yanked it off her neck. She didn't even notice her looplet shaking against her arm.

But Zero did. With a raise of her paw, chains shot out from the ground and wrapped themselves around Tessa's arms and legs. Tessa snarled. She tried to move her limbs, but the chains had her completely wrapped up.

"I told you…" Static raced down Zero's raised paw. "I told you that I didn't intend to erase you or your friends. But you wouldn't listen! You stupid, disgraceful runt. I was this close… this close to fixing everything!" She stomped a leg down. "Now, it's all gone! I have to start over from scratch!"

"You took… my friends… from me," Tessa whispered, her head drooping. The black star on her chest flashed with light. Zero narrowed her eye.

"You did this to yourself, you irresponsible brat!" Zero made more chains coil around Tessa's body. She heaved against them, snarling.

"They cared about me," Tessa continued. "But you… you treated me like dirt unless Dad was around!"

"Of course I did! You were an accident! I didn't want your egg. I wanted a nice, quiet life with Incineroar until I could find a way back to my real family!" Zero snarled. "How do you think I feel, huh? I've been stuck in this world… in this godforsaken body… for a quarter of a god-damn century!" Cubes flickered around her. "All the while, my family has been stuck wondering what happened to me. They need me. This world doesn't deserve someone like me!

"I finally had the chance to undo all of this and who do I find standing against me? You! The biggest mistake of my accursed life as a Lucario!" she continued. "A sniveling brat of a girl who always had to coddle up to someone because she didn't have the guts to do anything for herself. My real daughter is nothing like you! She has ambitions! She has a bright future! But you… you've been a failure since the day you hatched!"

That tore it. Something inside Tessa finally snapped. And whatever fragment of her mind broke led to a storm of energy flooding her body. A fire raged through her core, spreading down to her arms and legs. Orange light poked through the gaps in Zero's chains. Her eye widened.

"What the—"

Tessa screamed. No, she roared. All her fury. All of her hatred — toward herself, her mother, the loss of Incineroar, and Necrozma — came pouring out. Light streamed out from her eyes and open mouth. Her voice grew steadily more distorted.

Then, Zero's chains lurched. Tessa rose into the air, ripping the ley lines out of the ground. Zero's eye widened. She pointed her paws forward, but to her shock, nothing happened. All she could feel was the aura she typically harnessed as a Lucario. There were no chains. No connections to the ley lines comprising the foundation of the tower she built.

The ground rumbled. Zero tensed up. She looked at Tessa and all the chains swirling around her. Tessa's aura feelers extended. Rainbow lines burst through her fur. Her tail expanded into a swathe of tan fur that wrapped around her waist. Then a wave of white light spread across the altar. Zero threw a paw up, only to realize the right side of her face was burning. She put a paw to her helmet. It was rattling. All the while, more light waves spread out from Tessa.

Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet.

"This… this is…" Zero pressed a paw against her mask. It was then that she saw a familiar ice Ninetales standing at the edge of the altar, with an unconscious Espy laying by his side. Shadows swirled around his paws. Rainbow light shimmered in his eyes.

"I think it's time… you returned that borrowed power," Shane said, smirking.

"No. No, that's impossible!" Zero shouted. "Tessa! Stop this… right now!"

A silhouette of Necrozma's star sigil flashed in front of Tessa. Then, Tessa's body absorbed the ley line chains around her in a pillar of white light. When she landed on the ground, she had a rainbow aura surrounded her. Her eyes were empty. The star around her chest spike glowed, as did the lines running down her arms and legs. Her aura dreadlocks lashed out at the air.

Completely oblivious to the reappearance of her teammates, Tessa's paw spikes turned to rainbow Metal Claws. With a furious yell, she charged Zero down. Zero got her wits about her and raised her own Metal Claws in defense. A furious clang echoed through the heavens. Tessa pressed her arms against Zero, face twisted up in range. Zero's eye quivered in its socket. She tried to draw on the energy from Necrozma's core, but it was as if something had strained the connection. Her helmet rattled even more.

"You… you… you!" With a twist of her wrists, Tessa forced Zero to the side. Multicolored flames surrounded her paws. Tessa turned and thrust her paws at Zero. She ducked and swiped at Tessa with her Metal Claws. Tessa met the blow with another Force Palm. Zero's Metal Claws shattered. She staggered backward.

"Yeah! You get her, Tessa! Show her who's boss!" Shane cheered. He had a forepaw raised. A circular rune surrounded int, with a familiar winged-heart sigil in the middle.

"Tessa, stop! Do you have any idea what you're—"

"I'm through listening to you!" Tessa snarled. She ducked a desperate swipe from Zero's remaining Metal Caws and hammered both paws against her chest spike. It splintered and broke apart. Zero tumbled back, managing to right herself and skid to a halt.

"Fine." Zero rubbed her trembling mask. "You have no one to blame but yourself for this!" She cupped her paws together. Glitchy energy surrounded them. However, when Zero looked around, expecting to see her usual array of red cubes, all she found was wisps of red, staticky energy. Her eye widened at the sight of an oncoming, multicolored Aura Sphere. She fired off one of her own, creating an explosion.

Zero shot into the air. Tessa's aura dreadlocks tensed. She followed her mother's trajectory and leaped up after her, aura gathering in her paws. "Get back here!" she bellowed. Zero fired an Aura Sphere straight down, but pink rings snuffed it out. Tessa grabbed Zero by the leg and threw her back down to the ground. She tossed an Aura Sphere after her, only to see it snuffed out by a lucky black beam Zero fired at the last second.

Tessa screamed again. More light streamed out of her eyes and mouth. Nothing mattered to her anymore except taking Zero down. She landed and closed the distance in a snap with her Extreme Speed. Zero tried to sweep Tessa off her feet with a spinning kick. Tessa's right paw hit the ground first. With a burst of pink energy, she somersaulted back to her feet and slung a rainbow Aura Sphere at her mother.

"Give in!" Zero barked, stopping the Aura Sphere in its place with Psychic waves and forcing it back toward Tessa. It didn't get far before a bright-white beam snuffed it out. Zero turned right and glared at Shane, but he merely smirked back at her, rainbow eyes shimmering.

Tessa saw an opening and again closed the gap with her mother. Zero desperately swiped at her with her remaining Metal Claws. Tessa caught them between her own paws. "No more!" Tessa growled. Her paws flickered. Zero's Metal Claws shattered. Tessa grabbed her mother by her outstretched paw and slammed her into the ground.

The wind rushed out of Zero. She tried to form up an Aura Sphere, but Tessa hefted her up again, shouting, "This is for calling me worthless!"

Zero hit the ground, gasping for air. Tessa tightened her grip and proceeded to twirl around, repeatedly lifting Zero up and smashing her against the floor. Between each blow came another yell.

"This is for Silvally! This is for Shane! This is for Gallian!"

"T… Tess… agh!" Zero concentrated on Necrozma's core, but it did her no good. Her connection was severed. Through blurry vision, she could see Shane smiling at the sight. He cheered Tessa on, all the while holding the runes around his forepaw stable.

"And this is for calling me a failure!" Tessa slammed Zero down one last time. Cracks spread through her prism armor, right down to her mask. Zero screamed. "I am not a failure!" She pointed both paws down.

Zero barely managed to escape a point-blank Aura Sphere. She shot herself across the ground with a burst of Psychic. Zero staggered to her feet. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're going to doom us all! Your friend… he's—"

"Gone! And it's all your fault!" Tessa shouted. Her mouth stayed wide open, while blue, sparkling energy swirled around her. Zero's eye widened as she stared down the barrel of a dragon-shaped energy beam, mouth opened wide to swallow her up.

"You imbecile!" Zero shot an Aura Sphere through the Dragon Pulse, then shot toward Tessa with a burst of Extreme Speed.

Tessa refused to cede ground and allow for a counterattack. She thrust dual Force Palms forward. Zero met them with palm strikes of her own. The two locked paws, trying to surge energy through their arms and drive the other back. The altar floor cracked beneath them. They sank down to their knees.

"I… can't… this is for my family!" Zero growled. But one look at her arms showed they were distorting before her eyes. More cracks splintered through her armor. Black vapors leaked out of the cracks.

"I was family!" Tessa fired back. "But now… you're as good as dead to me!" She opened her mouth wide. Zero saw the dragon energy swirling inches from her muzzle. She tried to pull away, but Tessa had an iron grip on her paws.

Tessa spat up the beam of dragon energy. Zero's mask shattered, tearing gashes through her already-mangled face. Necrozma's core became visible plain as day in her right eye socket. Zero stumbled back in a daze.

"You're making a mistake. Please… stop this…"

"I will never forgive you!" Tessa cried, then pressed a rainbow Aura Sphere against Zero's chest. A brilliant explosion destroyed the rest of Zero's armor, leaving her scarred, furless body visible for Shane and Tessa to see. Zero hurtled through the air for a few feet, until a wall of ice rose out of the ground and trapped her midair.

Tessa staggered forward, right paw raised. She made it two steps when she fell to her knees. Every muscle in her body was on fire. It felt like her skeleton was going to burst out from her flesh. Tessa's paws dropped to her side. The wealth of energy she'd called on had completely evaporated. Now, she could barely catch her breath. Black, shadowy vapors trailed off her body as she shrank back to her base form. Tessa looked ahead blankly.

She was so close. So close to finishing the fight. Why did this have to happen now?

"Excellent. Simply excellent."

Tessa recognized that voice. It was Shane's. He was… all right? She could've sworn he had fallen off the tower. She wanted to look at him, but her neck wouldn't respond. Tessa heard a series of metallic clanks, though. And soon, Shane walked into view, but something was very wrong. With each step he took, his blue-white fur faded, replaced by a mixture of gray metal and black, jagged pieces of prism armor.

"This is far from how I had intended things to play out, but I cannot deny that this result has… some level of satisfaction to it. Heeheeheehee!"

It was Shane's voice speaking. Tessa wanted to open her mouth and say something, but she was locked in place. She watched helplessly as her teammate's body expanded. Solgaleo's bulky frame tore through Shane's fur. Bits and pieces of Necrozma clung to his body, like when Necrozma was controlling Lunala. Black, metallic arms protruded from his back.

Tessa had thought there was something off with Shane's aura when he reappeared, but it wasn't the Dawn Hourglass after all. It was Necrozma. And here she was, in so much pain that she couldn't even move.

"N… Necky. You… that's impossible…" Zero struggled against her icy restraints.

"You underestimated the power of the void."

Though it was distorted, it was still Shane's voice. Tessa was sure of it. Was this a trick? Was Necrozma doing this as some sort of cruel joke? To twist the metaphorical knife he'd just jabbed into Tessa's gut?

"That core fragment you thought was inside Lunala? It turns out… I had it all along. Necrozma passed it to me… because we're both one and the same," Shane said, glancing at Tessa. A smile crossed his face. But it wasn't a pleasant one. It made her fur stand on end. "He just didn't realize it when we last met… because the Guiding Light's remnants were still controlling his actions."

Shane approached Zero. His tail, topped with a metal trident, swung excitedly from side to side. Zero renewed her struggle. "Please don't do this. I have a family. They need me!" Necrozma's core trembled in her eye socket. "I… I'll do anything you want! Just name it and—"

All Tessa heard was Zero's screams. Shane turned around and allowed Tessa one last look at her mother before she dissolved into a black mist. Shane raised one of his arms and the rainbow, triangular prism he'd plucked from Zero's skull floated over to his head.

"Heeheeheehee! Finally! At long last… the full core is mine!" Shane licked his lips. The third eye on his forehead flickered. "But so much light has been lost. No matter. With Xerneas' power… that will be a simple fix."

Necrozma's core hovered into the air. Tessa stared at it, eyes wide. Her muscles still burned. Yet somehow, she was able to croak out, "I don't… understand."

Shane turned to her. "It's quite simple, partner. That human — the one you poured your heart and soul out to — he never made it safely through Ultra Space." His third eye narrowed at Tessa. "This entire time, you thought you had a human on your side. When, in reality, you were dealing with Dark Matter!"

Tessa's head pounded. She refused to believe that. It couldn't be true. Not after everything that had happened since her hatch day. Her bonds with Shane were genuine. He was genuine. She was sure of it. This was some sort of trick. Tessa had to do something to stop this. If only she could move. Gods, why did everything hurt so much?

"Dark Matter… Necrozma… two parts of a greater whole: the void! The power slumbering within the planet's core, until negativity and Golem's experiments scattered its essence around," Shane continued. "Why do you think Silvally reacted so strongly to my presence? Sure, he thought I was a beast. But the truth is he sensed the same power he had flowing through his body! The power of the void!"

"You're… lying!" Tessa wheezed. "Shane… the real Shane… is nothing like you!"

"Heeheeheehee!" At last, Shane's voice shifted to a deeper tone. One Tessa remembered well from her last encounter with Necrozma. "You never knew the real Shane. Only an elaborate copy! I found him wandering around on his own. I told him the truth, but he refused to believe me. He thought he could vanquish me using my hourglass. But I turned that power against him and took control of his body. And now that I have this," his third eye disappeared from his forehead, "you'll never see your so-called partner again."

Necrozma pressed the core against his forehead. It sank into the metal. Necrozma groaned in satisfaction. His arms wriggled and spasmed. His tail crinkled up. Eventually, a multicolored triangle appeared where Necrozma's third eye had been.

"What a shame that your mother wasted so much of my energy. If my core wasn't so depleted, I could take on my true form and finally send this world back to the void." Necrozma shook his head. "Alas, I'll need to take alternativemeasures." He turned back to Tessa, grinning. "Still, I must say… your help proved invaluable in all of this!"

Hot tears stung at Tessa's eyes. After everything the team had been through, this was how it was going to end. Her friends were gone. She'd beaten her mother, but the true monster had reemerged to steal her hard-fought victory away. Tessa tried to trigger some sort of movement in her limbs, but failed. Her vision grew blurry. She prayed she was stuck in some sort of twisted nightmare and she'd wake up, snuggled against Shane with Silvally watching over both of them protectively.

"Look at you. The roaring fire that was your aura has been reduced to a pitiful stream of embers." Necrozma walked toward her, making tsk noises with each step. "It would be such a waste to see you fade away. Even though you took my light to evolve, I'm willing to look past it thanks to that display you put up against your mother." Necrozma licked his lips. His core flashed blue.

"I don't think anyone, myself included, could've seen this coming. But, then again, Lucario were supposed to be extinct. Your mere existence is an anomaly," he continued, grin broadening.

Tessa's chest tightened. She could barely breathe. Lucario were supposed to be extinct? Is that why her mother was the only member of the species she'd ever known, despite how highly people spoke of them? Tessa wanted to hurl, but her throat was so constricted and she was so tired, she didn't even have the strength to maintain a sense of nausea.

"Dark Matter had wiped them all out… until Ultra Space turned your mother into one. Ironic, isn't it? The reason you had a defective aura sense as a Riolu is because your mother was never a natural Lucario." Necrozma shrugged his shoulders. "And so, you took my energy to make up the deficit. You flooded your spirit with Z-Power! That's why your big display was more than a simple Mega Evolution. My light was flowing through your veins! We could call it a Z-volution! No, wait, I have a better one: a Necrolution! Heeheeheehee!"

"You… m-monster," Tessa rasped.

"Pot calling the kettle black much? Are you even aware of how much of a rampage you went on against your dear old mom?" Necrozma crooned. His core shifted from blue to yellow. He pointed an arm at Tessa. "I should drain every last drop of your spirit for your insolence. But, now that I have my full core back, I'm feeling generous."

He gave Tessa the closest to a warm smile he could muster. "Now that you know your 'partner' was nothing but an extension of my core, how about you work with me? We will return each and every world to the void." Necrozma swished his tail to the side. "I'll even use Xerneas' powers to bring Silvally back… but I'll make him even better. More spirits. More Unown!" He was practically dousing Tessa in spittle. "Team Radiance can be together for eternity. What say you to that?"

"I… will never… sink to your level," Tessa seethed.

Necrozma rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother. Fine. Let's get this over with." Red and black energy crackled around his core. "Time to give me back the light you took. Farewell!"

Unable to brace herself, Tessa stared down Necrozma's red and black beam. Then, everything faded to black.

---

A mess of colors greeted Shane when opened his eyes. He was completely discombobulated. His ears rang and he couldn't feel his arms or his legs. All he could do was blink his eyes. Shane had no idea how long he kept blinking, but something eventually registered through the sea of colors.

A hard object was stuck in his throat. In fact, his throat burned. He tried to take a breath, but descended into a massive coughing fit. Yet whatever had blocked his throat interfered with said fit, sending shockwaves of pain through his chest.

He heard muffled shouts. Tan and yellow blurs swirled about on the edges of his vision. Slowly, the pressure in his throat faded. Whatever was blocking it had been removed. Shane coughed for several seconds. As he did, soft fabric brushed his torso. His vision slowly came into focus and he found himself looking at a pale arm.

A human arm.

There was an IV line inserted into it. Shane looked left and saw a heart monitor, complete with a bunch of lines and numbers that he didn't entirely understand. He looked straight down and saw heavy casts over both of his legs. His human legs.

His head began to pound. This didn't make any sense. He was supposed to be in the ruins of Temporal Tower, helping his teammates stop Zero. Shane had found Necrozma. He had spouted a long-winded rant about how his spirit was actually Dark Matter.

So, what was he doing in a hospital?

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?!"

Shane turned to his right. A brown-haired nurse stood beside him. His vision hadn't returned enough for him to see the nurse's ID badge. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a weak cough.

"Please, sir, try to relax. You're in the Intensive Care Unit at Upstate Medical Center," the nurse explained. "You were in a very serious accident last week."

Shane jerked in his bed. Last week? No, that couldn't be right. He'd been in the Pokémon world for at least a few months. But wait… didn't he have a vision about being in an accident? Hadn't Solgaleo and Necrozma caused that? None of this was making sense.

"Let me get your parents. Oh, and I have to tell your doctors that you've woken up," the nurse said.

No. This wasn't right. None of this was making sense. He tried to reach for the nurse's arm, but a spark of pain surged through his system. The wind rushed out of Shane. He jerked about in his hospital bed. The nurse's eyes widened. He turned and pressed a blue button on the wall.

"I need some help in here! My patient's seizing!" he shouted. The nurse turned to Shane. Before his vision went white, Shane got a good look at the nurse's ID badge and the name written on it…

Nicholas Eisenberg.

End of Episode 15

---

Eraser of Deities, Zero
A faller from a world of only humans, where Pokémon is nothing but a fictional concept. Though she eventually settled into a life with the Horizon Guild, she never forgot about everything she had lost. That longing turned into resentment, which she could no longer hold back after an accident led to her colliding with Necrozma's core. The corrupted Z-Power has kept her in a Mega Evolved state for months, eating away her spirit. Without the core to give her energy, Zero won't just pass away, her spirit will crumble and she will completely fade from existence.

---

This chapter's been a long time coming. Save for a few tweaks and changes, I've been planning this for about fourteen months. I know the battle itself is much more subdued than some of the other ones, but that's intentional. I wanted to focus more on the emotional aspect than the over-the-top stuff, hence the lack of humorous quips or one-liners. A lot of time went into making this happen, from Latias continuing her verbal backlash to Silvally's actions to Tessa finally snapping and going berserk to the ending with Necrozma and, yes, the final scene. Kudos to those of you who realized something was wrong with Shane. I intentionally kept the narration anchored to Tessa despite Shane's "return." And, before anyone asks, yes, I did have Broly— or, rather, Kale in mind for Tessa's transformation. Hence the rainbow lights Tessa projects before the Mega Evolution.

It's a relief to finally have this out. I've been fretting over it for such a long time. I really hope this was able to meet your expectations... and that you'll consider letting me know what you thought of this. It's hard to tell if there are silent readers here whose opinions I don't know.

SuperOmegaGuest: you, uh, want to revise that statement of yours? And I'm aware. Won't be happening again.

Anon Omega: you know now! I hope it was satisfying to read.

Next time: the final episode begins! And it should be up right around the fic's second anniversary, to boot!