The second half of this chapter features some cameos from other PMD fics. If you can spot them all, you win fifty Shane points!
Chapter 99: Planting the Seeds of Change
~Ultra Space~
Unlike the previous, brief foray into the depths of Ultra Space, Tessa saw everything. The blue, ethereal light stretching out in all directions. Faint checkerboard patterns far in the distance. Crystal lattices and solar flares flying away. And, of course, bright-orange stars venting fireballs and sparks of energy.
Tessa's aura dreadlocks curled up. Her paws trembled. She was so stunned that her mind went blank. This was what lay beyond her world? Team Paradox's description of Ultra Space didn't do it justice. Tessa truly was a tiny sand grain plopped in the middle of a beach.
Ephemeris stuck close to Lunala. Golden light bathed both of them. "Are you two okay?" he asked, looking at Espy and Tessa.
Tessa blinked a few times, then sat up straight. "I… I think so? Are we not supposed to be okay or something?" She frowned. "Sorry, this is a lot to take in."
"Agreed," Espy squeaked, burying her face in Lunala's back.
"Well, I want to make sure my healing energy is keeping you safe. Ultra Space is full of radiation that could pose a great harm to you both," Ephemeris said.
"How long do we have to stay out here, for?" Silvally wondered, trying to look back at the spot where they'd flown out of an Ultra Wormhole from. He squinted. Silvally swore he saw a ripple, but it was tough to tell with the luminescent glow all around him.
Silvally's question immediately brought Shane back to Tessa's mind. Worry flooded her system. Why did he sound so confident when he said everything would be okay? Sure, Tessa didn't hear the same cocky attitude that the old Shane had. But the lack of a proper explanation made her insides turn. She swallowed a mouthful of spit, silently praying Shane knew what he was doing.
Lunala's third eye flashed. "What the—" she whispered, then turned around to face the spot where she knew her universe lay. Her eyes widened.
"What's the problem? I can't see anything," Espy said, unable to move further up Lunala's back with her stubby paws. She got her answer when geysers of golden light erupted in front of her. Lunala drifted back, gasping. Ephemeris flew in front of her, shielding her with his wings.
"That… I don't think that's normal," he said.
"The light's spreading!" Silvally said, head crest fanning out. A similar golden glow flickered in his irises and his energy blades. Espy caught sight of it, but couldn't do anything since she was stuck on Lunala's back.
More light geysers fanned out around Team Radiance. "We have to go," Lunala said, eyes wide. "It's not safe here. Ephemeris… where's the pocket world you live in?"
"What? We can't just leave now! What about Shane?" Tessa said, tensing up. He had promised everything was going to be okay. Shane couldn't have been lying to her. Not after everything they'd gone through together. "We need to see if he's okay!"
"And we can't do that if we're not safe. Follow me!" Ephemeris flew away from an expanding globe of golden light. Lunala took off after him, with Espy and Tessa looking back and watching as the golden sphere grew bigger and bigger with every passing second.
"Look! I see Ultra Wormholes opening in the distance!" Espy said.
Worry flashed across Tessa's face. "We have to go back. Shane's in trouble… I'm sure of it!"
"But… but the light doesn't feel malicious," Silvally said, eyes glowing gold. "If anything, it's… inviting."
"Still, we can't take any chances," Ephemeris said. He came to a stop and released a burst of golden light. An Ultra Wormhole formed in front of him. "This way." He led Lunala through the portal.
They emerged in a large cavern. Neatly-trimmed, circular moss patches littered portions of the ground like small carpeting in separate rooms of a house. Silk tapestries hung from parts of the wall. A small brook ran through the middle of the cave and a large nest sat perched on a rocky outcropping. Ephemeris landed by the stream, allowing Silvally to disembark. The first thing he did was make a beeline for the stream. Silvally gulped down mouthful after mouthful of water.
"Oh, gods, that's good," he muttered, moaning like someone was massaging the tension out of a knot.
Espy and Tessa got off Lunala's back. "I'll go back out and check to see what's happening, okay?" she said. Her passengers nodded and Lunala vanished back into the portal.
"Now what?" Tessa asked, only to realize that Espy had ditched her to join Silvally at his side. She sat beside him — close beside him, from what Tessa could tell — lapping up water from the brook. "Um… guys? What about Shane? Don't you think we should we be worried? We… I…"
Tessa made it three steps toward them before sucking in a sharp breath and clutching her chest in pain. "N… No. Not again…" She dropped to her knees. Her jaw locked up. Tessa remembered this godawful feeling. The same thing happened when her supercharged Mega wore off battling her mother. Tessa's paws dropped to her sides. She shrank back down to her normal form, venting off all the Mega Evolution energy in trails of rainbow mist.
That got her teammates to look up from their quest for rehydration. Silvally's head crest fanned out in alarm. "Tessa? Tessa, what's wrong?!" He bounded toward her, with Espy hot on his heels. "Can you hear me? Your face is paling!" His eyes darted around. "Where are you hurt?" Silvally whirled on Ephemeris. "Hey! Tessa needs help, here."
Ephemeris hopped toward them. "I can see that. It would seem… Tessa's strained her spirit. It reached its breaking point."
"What?!" Silvally crouched down and nudged Tessa with his beak. "Then fix her! We can't lose her!" His water memories shifted on.
"Calm yourself. Her spirit is not so badly depleted that she can't maintain her form," Ephemeris said, bending over to be at eye level with Tessa. "Rather, she cannot call up any attacks in her present state… or even move much, for that matter. I can help her out, but only in the sense that I can give her enough energy to move around."
Silvally stepped back, sighing. "It's… better than nothing."
Ephemeris draped his wings across Tessa. She stared blankly at the floor, until warm energy funneled down her body, starting with her ears and head. After a few moments, Tessa's limbs finally responded. She staggered to her feet. Silvally and Espy went up to each of her sides to support her.
"Th… thanks, guys. I'm… I'm okay. Just sore," Tessa croaked. Her muscles had never ached this badly, even when aura training with her mom.
Ephemeris watched her with a curious look in his eyes. "Mmm. We may need to have a talk about that transformation of yours."
"Can it wait? Things are…" Tessa sucked in a breath. Her mind drifted back to Shane. Tessa shakily put a paw on Silvally's shoulder. "What's going to happen to Shane?"
"I don't know," Silvally whispered.
"He's going to be okay, right? You… you heard what he said. He had a plan." Tessa let out an unhinged laugh. "Shane was sure of himself. And even if his plans don't always work right… we've always found a way to scrape by together." She squeezed Silvally's thigh. "He… he has to be okay…"
Espy brushed her head against Tessa's side. "We can't give up hope. We managed to put an end to Necrozma, didn't we? I… I have faith." She smiled at Espy. "A week ago, I'd have never said that. But everything's changed, hasn't it?"
Before Tessa could respond, a new Ultra Wormhole opened behind the team. Espy and Silvally helped Tessa turn around and face Lunala. She hovered in front of the portal, a stunned look on her face. Tessa's aura feelers shot up in alarm. "Well, what's going on? Is everything safe or not?"
"It's… it's more than that. It's back," Lunala whispered, expression frozen in shock.
"What do you mean by that?" Silvally said, raising a brow.
"Everything's back! Our world! The moon! The sun! And life forces… I sensed so many life forces on the planet!" Lunala said, voice growing more jittery with each exclamation. "Don't you guys get it? It's all there!"
Realization slowly spread across Team Radiance's faces. When it did, Espy's lips curved upward into a smile. "So, our world is safe, then?"
"Well, we shouldn't just stand here!" Silvally hopped toward Lunala. "Take us there. Let's see it for ourselves."
"Of course. Of course." Lunala turned around. Tessa stumbled forward, only for Ephemeris' wing to shoot out in front of her.
"Perhaps it's best if I give you a lift this time," he said. Espy and Silvally acknowledged him with a pair of nods, then climbed onto Lunala's back. Both had eager looks on their faces.
Tessa could scarcely believe it. But the lack of mention of Shane left twinges of worry in the back of her mind. And that was enough to keep her from launching into any sort of jubilatory display. She silently climbed aboard Ephemeris, who then flew after Lunala.
It took a matter of seconds for Tessa to realize things had drastically changed. Ultra Space wasn't a sea of ethereal blue spreading out in all directions, anymore. Instead, solid walls of luminescent blue surrounded her. "Wait a second. This… this a hallway! It's like what we had back at the Observatory." Tessa looked around in confusion.
"You're right," Silvally said, staring in awe. Lunala rounded a corner and the team saw constellation patterns in the ethereal walls.
"Yeah. I have no idea how to explain this," Lunala said, shaking her head. "Whatever your friend did… I don't think it just affected our world. Odds are, all of Ultra Space has been completely rearranged."
At the mention of her friend, Tessa's head shot up. "Lunala, did you see any sign of Shane? Golden light or… or a Ninetales drifting through space? Anything?"
"I didn't stay long enough to check," Lunala replied. Tessa's heart sank.
"I'm sure we'll find him once we're back home," Silvally said, his beak curving into a slight smile. "Shane told us he'd see us on the other side. He must've known this would happen."
Tessa really hoped that was the case. She forced herself to steady her breathing. The first thing they had to focus on was seeing what exactly had become of their world, right?
Lunala stopped in front of a large arch-like area. White and blue energy swirled around the wall. "I don't really know how to explain it but, like, this is where our world is."
Espy titled her head. "Odd. It's… it's like a building positioned on a street or something."
"Or an entrance to one of the rooms in the apprentice or veteran quarters," Tessa whispered, dumbstruck. She didn't really want to think about the implications all of this rearrangement could have. Just processing the idea of Ultra Space was enough to make her head spin and she was tired and worried enough as it was.
"Okay. Gimme a second, here." Lunala's third eye shimmered and released a burst of purple light. It struck the arch and expanded into a fresh portal. Lunala flew through it with Ephemeris right behind her. Tessa gripped his feathers tight as the bright lights and loud whooshes of the portal raced around her. She gave one last silent prayer that good things awaited on the other side.
"It's really back! I don't believe this!"
Espy's shouts made Tessa sit up straight. Ephemeris and Lunala flew toward the planet. Tessa's jaw slowly fell open. It was all there. She saw a blue ocean instead of a colorless one. And there were large green and brown landmasses scattered around from one another. She was sure she was looking at the continents of the western hemisphere.
"I don't believe it," Tessa whispered. Then her lips curved into a tiny smile. "It's back. It's really, truly back."
Espy threw her forelegs around one of Silvally's, eliciting a surprised squawk. She brushed her face against his thigh, not even minding the fact that it caused more leftover gunk to smear across her face. "We did it," she squeaked. Tears welled up in her eyes. "It's over. We don't… we don't have to fight anymore!"
Silvally stared at the ocean as it came into better view. The sparkling light reflected off the water and triggered golden flickers in his irises, despite his water memories being on. Silvally leaned over and nuzzled Espy. "Yeah, I guess we did do it. Though, Shane really pulled through with that last part."
His comment made Tessa stiffen. She focused on her aura sense, trying to get a sense of where her teammate might be. To Tessa's dismay, however, she couldn't turn her aura sight on whatsoever. It wasn't that it was blunted. Rather, trying to dive into her aura sense triggered a bout of fatigue that locked up her muscles until she gave up.
'I guess I really did exhaust myself… almost like a dead luminous orb or something.'
The rest of the flight back down to the surface proceeded in silence, save for Lunala informing the team she was taking them to Celestial Island since she sensed many of the gods there, along with Totem Ninetales. Tessa wanted to voice an objection, but figured that the best way to take stock of the world was to talk with the gods.
As they flew, swathes of orange spread across the blue sky. Tessa turned to see the sun poking up from the east. A warmth spread through her chest. The sky had been bathed in darkness for such a long time — or, at least, it seemed like the whole Temporal Tower incident had gone on for quite a while, anyway — the sight of the sun settled some of Tessa's frayed nerves. Shane's ambiguous situation still left her with a lingering sense of unease, but the return of all the bright colors spread out across the ocean brought a smile to her face.
The trees had their leaves back. Green blotches passed beneath Tessa as Ephemeris soared over the Water Continent and headed south. Tessa raised a skeptical eyebrow. She knew they were heading for the Sea of Wonders, but something struck her as off. Tessa decided to break the group's silence. "Um, aren't the islands in the Sea of Wonders supposed to be hidden through, like, ley lines or barriers or something?"
"They should be, yes. But they're not anymore," Lunala reported. "I, um… I'm not sensing any ley lines, actually."
"What? You're kidding." Espy gasped.
"It makes sense if you think about it. The void absorbed all the ley line chains… but Shane took it out with that big blast," Silvally explained.
Tessa's brows raised. "Wait. If ley lines are gone, then what does that mean for Mystery Dungeons? Ley lines were the whole reason they existed, weren't they?" She looked expectantly at Espy.
"They were. But if there are no ley lines, then… it stands to reason that there aren't Mystery Dungeons," Espy said, her tone suggesting she scarcely believed her own words. "Though, thinking about it, that would explain why we can see all the islands in the Sea of Wonders, I guess."
"And why Celestial Island is no longer floating," Lunala exclaimed, craning her neck to point her forehead in the direction of the island. It wasn't that hard to spot, seeing as Groudon's hulking form sat at the edge of the island, with Kyogre bobbing in the water nearby. There were other gods assembled, too, but Tessa couldn't make them out individually. She was more surprised by the fact that the island appeared anchored like any other landmass. A far cry from the floating island full of Necrozma's sinister energy.
As Ephemeris and Lunala descended, Tessa mulled over Espy's statement. No ley lines meant no Mystery Dungeons. Then did that mean all the dungeons were now normal landmasses? What would that mean for the guild? What would that mean for a lot of places and businesses? They had built up their towns and communities around exploring dungeons.
'Then again… there were a lot of problems with the places we visited,' she thought, biting her lip. Perhaps this was actually a blessing in disguise? The more Tessa ruminated on it, the more a headache crept on. She grabbed her head with a free paw.
"Something wrong, Tessa?" Silvally looked at her, face ripe with concern.
"It's… it's fine. Let's, um, figure out what's going on with the gods," Tessa said, struggling not to laugh at how crazy that statement had sounded. She'd have never uttered a sentence like that three months ago.
"It's odd. Even though there are no ley lines… I'm still sensing something deep within the planet," Ephemeris said, slowing his descent speed to a steady glide and spreading his wings out for a landing. "It honestly reminds me of Ultra Space… and the Z-Moves we used against Necrozma."
Tessa rubbed at her unresponsive aura feelers and sighed. Beside her, Silvally's glowing parts turned pink and he looked at the ground. "I think you're right. So, wait, did our world get rebuilt using Z-Power?"
"Light," Lunala whispered, her third eye glowing. "Your friend must've used the light from the sun to reconstruct everything. This is now a world of light." She dropped Espy and Silvally off on a grassy field along the outer rim of the island. "I'm going to go do more scouting. I'll see if I can find any signs of Solgaleo… and your friend." She then vanished into an Ultra Wormhole.
Ephemeris touched down a couple of yards away from Espy. Tessa almost fell off his back upon seeing Groudon and Kyogre a few yards away. The former stood on a patch of molten ground, presumably something he created to avoid burning the island. Kyogre bobbed next to him. Both looked at Ephemeris, their expressions blank.
Tessa wondered if she should say anything to them, but delighted squeals drew her attention to her right. Espy brushed a foreleg through the grass, tail wagging for what Tessa believed was the first time since they'd met. "Soft grass beneath my paws! Oh, I can't believe how much I missed this!" Espy chirped. To Tessa's bewilderment, she flopped onto her belly and rolled around, kicking at the air with her legs and giggling.
"Hey, that looks like fun!" Silvally said, bending over and sticking his rear in the air. His tail wagged in time with Espy's.
"It is! I feel twenty years younger!" Espy said. Tessa wanted to point out she was tracking slime across the grass, but simply sighed and shook her head. After all that had happened, Espy had more than earned the right to a bout of childish antics.
Silvally paused in the midst of laying down to roll onto his side. He stood back up, an eyebrow raised. "Huh. Oh, yeah, you were already an adult during the time of the Bittercold, weren't you? How old are you, anyway?"
Espy froze, then hastily rolled onto her belly, laughing nervously. "L-Let's not go down that avenue, shall we? Age is relative for Espeons, anyway!"
A loud throat-clearing startled Team Radiance and brought them to attention. Tessa turned and went stiff as a board. What else could she do with Rayquaza snaking toward her? "U… um… hi!" Her voice cracked. "C-Can we help you with anything?"
Rayquaza ignored her and went right up to Silvally, who crouched low to the ground. His fairy memories shifted on. However, Rayquaza didn't adopt any sort of imposing stance. Instead, he coiled up until he was only a head taller than Silvally. Espy and Tessa cocked their heads.
"You're the God Killer, correct? The one the alchemist made to kill me?" Rayquaza said.
"My name is Silvally." He held his head high. "If you have something to say, then say it." Silvally wasn't expecting Rayquaza to wince and tap two of his claws together.
"I, well…" His brow furrowed. "Look, I haven't had to do something like this before, so bear with me."
Silvally tilted his head. "I'm not even sure what you're trying to do."
"I… I want to… th… thuh…" Rayquaza looked away, growling in frustration.
"Tripping over your words?" Silvally said, tapping a talon on the ground.
After a long, drawn-out sigh, Rayquaza bowed his head. "I want to thank you… for what you did for all of us, myself included." He took a deep breath. "This whole fiasco has… left me with a lot to think about. But I want you to know that I do not like having unpaid debts. I will find a way to make this up to you… in time."
"Okay." Silvally's cheek bolts turned slowly in their sockets. "I wasn't acting alone, though." He looked at both his teammates. "If you're going to make it up to me, then you owe my friends, too."
Rayquaza glanced at Tessa. Her first instinct was to tell Rayquaza it wasn't necessary, but he spoke before she could. "Ah, yes. There's a tremendous power flowing within you, isn't there?" He bent down so he was eye level with Tessa, whose aura feelers were firmly stuck up in surprise. "Though you lack the scales, your heart beats with the ferocious spirit of a dragon."
"I, uh…" Tessa rubbed the back of her head. "Well, Necrozma was a big dragon and I inadvertently stole his energy to fix my broken spirit, so…"
"Your transformation is unique, but close enough to Mega Evolution that I could work with it. Perhaps I could help you learn to control your powers?" Rayquaza offered. "I will admit the last time I taught… things didn't go as planned. However, I want to change my behavior."
The proposal left Tessa stunned. Rayquaza wanted to train her? This was a far cry from her mother deeming her a failure. 'I can't wait to tell Shane about this. Maybe we can—'
Tessa's expression fell. Lunala was searching for Shane, but something about the way she phrased it made it sound like she doubted he was actually out there. Tessa shook her head. He told her he'd be waiting. That had to be the truth.
"Why don't you give her some time to mull it over?" Ephemeris suggested, stepping between Rayquaza and Tessa. "They've been through quite a lot."
Rayquaza's tail thumped against the ground. "Fine." He backed away. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again, anyway. You can give me your answer when you're ready." Rayquaza raised his brow at Ephemeris. "By the way, who exactly are you? A Ho-Oh from another world?" He shook his head. "It's beyond strange to think there could be other Rayquazas out there."
"While I have traversed Ultra Space for a long time, I am originally from this world," Ephemeris said. He turned to Groudon and Kyogre, who were both silently observing the exchange. "It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"
"You sound… familiar," Groudon said, a twinge of regret in his deep, rumbling voice.
"I would think so. After all… I perished in the storms your quarreling created," Ephemeris said. "Or, at least, that's what Arceus told you, isn't it?"
Groudon stiffened. Water shot out Kyogre's blowhole. "Y… you're…"
"I'm that Ho-Oh, yes. Though I go by Ephemeris, now." He stood up straight. "I wound up merging with the original Solgaleo and Lunala. Thankfully… some of the mortals you all liked to dismiss so much had made contact with me. Otherwise, I might not have been able to help you all out."
"I see." Groudon poked at the slab of rock he sat on with a claw. "I don't suppose it's too late to offer an apology, is it?"
"I think it's best left in the past. After all, is this not the dawn of a new beginning for this world?" Ephemeris looked to the sky. "The sun is shimmering in a way that's… unfamiliar, yet inviting at the same time."
Kyogre bobbed in the water. "I actually agree," she whispered. Rayquaza raised his brows. "I can't explain it. I always hated the sun and the dry heat it brought, but the sight of it… and the rays against my back… they calm me. It's been centuries since I've felt this relaxed."
"It is strange to see you two sitting next to each other without some sort of frenzied weather whipping up," Ephemeris said.
Groudon and Kyogre glanced at each other, then at Rayquaza. "Well, you see—"
"What do you mean our powers are gone? How am I supposed to control the fabric of space if I cannot mold it with my energy?!"
Behind Team Radiance, trees bristled. As if the gods already in front of Tessa weren't dizzying enough, she fell to her rear the moment Palkia stomped into the clearing, eyes and shoulder gems flashing in rage. Uxie, Axelf, and Mesprit buzzed around his head, all sharing worried looks.
"Th… this is… not happening," Tessa whispered. When she was fighting Necrozma, she had Z-Power and a form change to keep her going. With both of those gone, this was too much for her to take in.
"I don't get it either, Pal-Pal! I can't conjure up any antimatter for my tricks," Giratina whimpered, brushing his wings over his comically tearful eyes. "I tried to bring up some ley line chains from the ground, but nothing happened."
Dialga and Arceus marched out next, the former's head lowered while the latter had an empty look in his eyes. "I already told you… there are no ley lines," Arceus said, shaking his head. He raised a forehoof and traced a circle. The other gods looked expectantly, but nothing happened. Arceus lowered his limb. "Ley lines were concentrated masses of chaotic energy. They formed the basis for our use of alchemy and, by extension, our powers."
He looked at Dialga and Palkia. "The act of keeping time and space in order always involved utilizing ley lines, did it not?"
"It did," Dialga said. "But the human — Shane, was it? — destroyed them."
"Exactly." Arceus walked toward Team Radiance, avoiding his sons' gazes. "In recreating the world and ridding it of ley lines, it seems your friend took away the powers that separated gods like us from mortals like you. He even shrank us down. I'm a solid three or four heads shorter than I used to be," he said, though his tone suggested he was addressing all of the other assembled Pokémon as well.
"Yeah! Hoopa's rings can't go anywhere besides other places here. And Hoopa tried," Hoopa said, arms crossed and lower lip jutted out.
"What does this mean, then? For the world and… for all of you?" Espy wondered. The sight of all these gods— or, rather, former gods prompted her to cuddle up to Silvally. He stood in front of protectively.
"That remains to be seen," Arceus said, closing his eyes. "If I had to guess… it means we've reached the end of the age of Mystery Dungeons. The chaotic labyrinths are now a thing of the past. For example, Temporal Tower and Spacial Rift are nothing but a fancy-looking tower and a cavern with celestial patterns on its walls. I'm sure this means that locations that were once dungeons could be converted into communities for Pokémon to live in."
"Are you serious? So, I don't have to worry about Temporal Tower breaking apart?" Dialga's eyes widened. He bent over, brushing his forelegs against his face. "My whole life revolved around that place! What am I supposed to do with myself if I'm no longer its protector?!"
"Yeah! Keeping balance with the fabric of space was my purpose. It's what you ordered me to do, Father," Palkia said. "You can't seriously expect me to return to Spacial Rift and just sit there for all eternity, do you?"
"I don't. Namely because… I'm not sure we have all eternity anymore," Arceus said. Dialga and Palkia tensed up and exchanged looks. The other gods did, too, save for Giratina, who put a wing up over his mouth.
"Ha! Good one, Daddy. Next you're going to say there are no more perfect apples in our new world." Giratina giggled, but his laughter faded when he saw the heavyset expression in Arceus' eyes. "D-Daddy?"
"We are mortal," Arceus croaked. "I'm not sure how to explain it, really. It's, um… there's a new, erm, part to my body. Something that wasn't there before. Something only mortals had… and Xerneas gave herself against my wishes."
Dialga and Palkia instantly realized what was up. Both glanced down at their torsos, then looked at one another and shuffled back.
"You can't say… that we don't deserve this."
"Excuse me?" Dialga looked right, eyes flickering red. Mewtwo had emerged from the forest with Mew situated on his head and two Ninetales by his side. Tessa's heart momentarily soared, only to come crashing down when she realized it wasn't the shaggy ice Ninetales she was fretting over, but rather Totem Ninetales.
"The mortals of the world looked to us to protect them. In the end, we have failed them far more often than we have succeeded them," Mewtwo said, head bowed and arms crossed. "We called ourselves the strongest Pokémon, capable of dealing with any threat. But when the chips were down, we summoned help from worlds beyond our own to clean up messes that, let's face it, can be traced back to the poor decisions of yesteryear."
"And that gives one lousy human the right to strip us of all our powers? Rubbish! Hogwash!" Palkia stomped his right foot against the grass repeatedly.
"I'm still in shock, myself. Both by this turn of events and the fact that Xatu accurately predicted all of it," Ninetales said, biting her lower lip. "He summoned me and relayed a vision that ended with forecasting the fall of the gods and Mystery Dungeons 'numbering none.' And that's exactly what happened… albeit, not in the way I was expecting."
"This is farce is what it is! What's to happen if our world falls under crisis again? We'll have fewer means to defend ourselves with!" Palkia fumed.
"No. You'll be like the others of your, ahem, 'kind' out in Ultra Space," Ephemeris said. "Yes, there are undoubtedly Dialgas and Palkias that can bend the very fabric of their universes to their whims. But there are also ones residing in small pocket worlds that do not have such powers. They are not gods, but their strength is the stuff of legends… if that makes any sense. They may not be worshipped, but they are still valued for their power."
"Pah! As if any other worlds are really comparable to ours," Palkia scoffed.
"You'd be quite surprised. I know I was," Ephemeris said, frowning.
Blinking slowly, Tessa shifted her gaze to the ground. Their world was now a world without gods? She repeated the phrase in her head multiple times. A brief image of Zero flickered in her mind's eye, making her tense. That was why it sounded so familiar. Her mother's original goal was to rid the world of gods… but somehow that escalated to rewriting all of time so gods had never existed in the first place.
Tessa's brow furrowed. It seemed that, thanks to Shane, her mother had actually gotten what she originally wanted. Only she wouldn't get to experience any of that… would she? The thought made Tessa's head snap up. She stared at her trembling paws.
Silvally noticed her distress and walked over. "What's the matter?"
"I just realized something. Shane found a way to reverse the damage Necrozma did, right?" Tessa said, rubbing her shoulder. Silvally nodded. "Well, my mother was one of Necrozma's victims."
"That's… true." Silvally tensed up. "You don't think—" He stopped and shook his head. "No, you are thinking about it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said anything."
Tessa nodded. "What if she's back? Metagross could be, too. And we never really knew what happened to Lycanroc." Her aura feelers quivered. "I can't deal with any of them." She shook her head. "Not when Shane's still missing. I… I…" Tessa swallowed hard. "M… maybe he found a way to avoid reviving them? He seemed confident he'd fix things… but reviving them isn't much of a fix at all."
In response, another Ultra Wormhole opened behind Tessa. She jumped up, almost landing on Silvally's back. Lunala caught sight of this and winced. "Ah… sorry! They're usually not that bright and flashy when I make them," she said, tapping her wing-claws together nervously.
"And where have you been, hmm? Flaunting the powers that you still have to those gods who aren't here?" Palkia asked.
Lunala tilted her head in confusion. "I— wait, what? I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been scouting around… trying to get a sense of who was brought back and who, if anyone, might still be missing."
Tessa's heartrate spiked. "A-And? What happened to Shane?!" Her question came out much louder than she intended, so she shrank back toward Silvally.
"Calm down, Tessa. We're worried about him, too, but we should ask about that other issue first," Silvally said. He looked at Lunala. "There were some, uh, rather nasty Pokémon who fell victim to Necrozma, either directly or indirectly. We're concerned that Shane might've brought them back on accident."
"Yeah. I thought about that, too, which is why I included them in my scouting," Lunala said. "And, well, from what I could tell, they're not here."
Totem Ninetales cleared her throat, drawing Team Radiance's attention, along with the former gods. A purple glow faded from her body and the brooch on her shawl. "Metagross and Lucario Prisma are in the spirit realm… though the latter's spirit is faint. I'd hardly call it a spirit with how little energy there is. There's also a Lycanroc with them in the roots of the tree. That… tends to be where vengeful spirits end up. I suppose I'll have to tend to them later."
"Oh, come on!" Palkia nearly shot out a stream of dragonfire. "We lose our abilities, but she gets to keep her spiritual powers? How is that even remotely fair?!"
"She did not misuse her spiritual powers as we misused our control over the universe," Mewtwo fired back. Mew almost slid off his head.
"Don't you dare snap at me like that. It's just as likely that the human let her keep her powers because she's a Ninetales like he is… or, rather, was!" Palkia barked, stomping toward Mewtwo as vessels bulged out of his neck. Mewtwo hovered into the air, with Mew falling to the ground in the process.
"That has nothing to do with it. You can't judge the human. You never even interacted with him," Mewtwo huffed.
"Neither did you! Yet here you are defending him like he's your best friend," Palkia said, eyes twitching.
"His team saved us from oblivion!" Mewtwo retorted. The two divulged into a shouting match, with many of the other gods rushing to take sides or halfheartedly attempting to defuse the situation.
"Oh dear," Lunala whispered, frowning.
Tessa stared at them incredulously. Then she shook her head and turned back to Lunala. "Who else didn't you sense? I need to know about Shane. Where is he? Is he all right?"
Lunala's expression fell. Tessa took a step backward. "L… Lunala?"
"There were some auras that, despite searching intently, I couldn't find any trace of," she whispered. "Solgaleo, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde… all missing. And, I'm sorry, but I couldn't find even the smallest trace of Shane's aura." She bowed her head. "I even flew out toward the sun… but I sensed nothing."
Tessa's stance slouched. She looked at her feet, blinking slowly. "No. That can't be right. He was sure. He promised me things would be okay." Tessa clenched her fists. "He must be out there. Maybe he's in Ultra Space? You have to go search for him!"
"And how do you expect me to do that? I told you guys that your friend rearranged Ultra Space. I'd have absolutely no idea where to look for him. It could take days or weeks or, heck, even months to find him if he's really out there," Lunala said.
"Then take Ephemeris with you! Or… or bring me out there." Tessa thumped her chest. There was a somber whine to every breath she took. "Once my aura feelers are working right again, I'm sure I'll be able to sense him. Please! You have to try! We… I… he…" She remembered the moment she jumped onto his beak. Tessa's arms shook. "He's still here. He has to still be here."
"I'm sorry, Tessa. I looked high and low. Spread my ESP out as far as it would go… but it didn't work," Lunala whispered.
"It's entirely possible that he spent so much energy restoring everything that, even leeching off the sun and Necrozma's power, he burnt his spirit out," Ephemeris said, his head bowed.
"But then… then he's in the Tree of Life, isn't he?" Tessa turned to the two Ninetales, who exchanged frowns. "Oh, come on, if he's there, Ephemeris can bring him back, can't he?" Desperation flooded her expression. "Please. There has to be a way."
"I didn't find your friend's spirit when I looked through the Tree of Life," Totem Ninetales said, biting her lower lip. "And if someone completely burns out their spirit… then there's nothing left. They're gone. Or, at least, that's what was taught to me."
"Same here," Ninetales said, her ears folding against her head. "It sounds like your friend chose to give himself up so that everyone else could get a second chance."
Tessa's chest constricted. She placed a paw on her spike and dropped to her knees. Her face scrunched up. "No. He… he promised…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "He said he'd be waiting. Why would… why would he lie to me? I told him… I said I wanted to be his partner for life. I kissed his beak…"
Silvally was by Tessa's side in an instant, glowing blue from his water memories. He crouched down and wrapped his neck around Tessa, offering a consoling hug. "Maybe he didn't realize what would happen? He said he was working with Necrozma to bring everyone back, right? Perhaps he thought he'd make it out in one piece… but that wasn't what happened." His voice shook as he spoke.
Espy joined her teammates and sat down next to Tessa. "I don't know what to say," she whispered. "You two had been together from the start, right?" Espy put a forepaw on Tessa's lap. "If… if there's anything I can do, let me know." She looked around. "Well, I'm not really sure any of us are in a position to do much of anything here. Maybe we ought to go back to the Observatory?"
Tessa had a tight grip on Silvally's foreleg. Slimy as it was, she refused to let go. Shudders raced down her body. After everything they'd been through — the early bickering, the harrowing experience in Mellath Bog, the hatch-day party, evolutions, the Sunset Shoals show, the loss of control to a twisted Mega Evolution, the fight to break Necrozma's control, and the final clash with Void Necrozma — they wouldn't get to stay together.
She thought back to Circadian Coast. To the moment where she had told Shane how frightened she was of losing control and that, if the worst came to pass, he had to be ready to fight her, even if it meant she'd disappear. Tessa was so sure that was the most likely outcome, especially after Lycanroc ran off with the Dawn Shards. She completely discounted the idea that Shane would have to disappear… but that's exactly what wound up happening.
Tessa hadn't prepared herself for this. There were a hundred thoughts racing through her head, jockeying for position at the forefront of her consciousness. Quiet moments she wished could've lasted longer. Things she should've said to him, but balked on because of her own insecurities. Now, she'd never get the opportunity.
"Tessa?"
She didn't want to open her eyes and acknowledge Silvally. Tessa squeezed him tighter instead. He touched his beak to her forehead. "Come on, Tessa. I'm hurting, too, but you can't stay like this forever. I'm… I'm exhausted. I need to go back to the Observatory and rest. You do, too."
He was right, but she didn't want to move. Some voice in her head told her that if she did, her memories of Shane would start to slip away and regrets would fill their place. "I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I need a min—"
"… and I thought I told you that that was an honest mistake! You and your propensity for holding grudges. You're insufferable! It's no wonder Father wiped your memories of what used to be here!"
Palkia's shouting roused Tessa from her stupor. Her eyes shot open and her ears twitched. Tessa was sure the gods could see that she and her friends were mourning. Yet, despite that, they were still arguing with each other?
Tessa slowly staggered to her feet. Silvally looked at her in concern. "Tessa? Are you, um… is there something you want to say?"
She walked right past him, eyes locked on her feet. Tessa marched forward, wincing as the gods' shouts grew louder. Eventually she spotted Dialga's tail out of the corner of her eye and stopped. "Excuse me? Can you guys cut it out? My friends and I are—"
"Oh, sure, call me insufferable. Do you have any idea what it's like going around with a constant, nagging sense that there's something missing?" Mewtwo huffed, pressing his face against Palkia's. "I was paranoid! And why wouldn't I be? He tampered with my memories!" He pointed accusingly at Arceus. "I don't even remember what I was really like in the old world!"
"And if you had kept them, who's to say you wouldn't have tried to do what that nutjob of a human did?" Palkia snarled.
Tessa clenched her fists and bared her fangs, incensed her words fell on deaf ears. Even though she was beyond exhaustion, that familiar anger made rainbow lights flicker on her arms. Uxie turned and looked at her, only to shrug.
"All of you… need to… shut up!"
Tessa pointed her paws forward. She shot out a small Aura Sphere. Burning pain flared up in her arms. The Aura Sphere struck Arceus between the eyes and exploded while Tessa staggered back, wringing her paws out.
Ephemeris trotted toward her, with Espy and Silvally on his heels. "I thought I told you not to use any attacks or abilities," he said.
The smoke from Tessa's Aura Sphere cleared, revealing Palkia and Arceus staring at her with incredulous expressions. Tessa hunched over, breathing heavily. "I know. But they were going on and on and on and on!" She smacked herself in the head repeatedly as she spoke. "I couldn't take it anymore!" Tessa glared at Arceus. "Do any of you even realize we lost our friend? Shane, he…" She rubbed her eyes. "He gave himself up to bring all of you back. And the first thing you do is start arguing like hatchlings!"
Tessa whirled around. "Who can project stuff with their ESP?" She looked between Lunala and Mewtwo. "I know there were at least a couple of you sending telepathic orders when Dark Matter last attacked, so don't lie to me!"
"T-Tessa… what are you doing?" Silvally's head crest drooped. "I get how upsetting this is, really, but—"
"What am I doing? I'm going to see to it that we don't squander the second chance Shane gave us," Tessa said, breathing still labored. "He… his sacrifice can't be in vain." She looked at Espy, who was blinking slowly. "You understand, right?"
"I, um, maybe?" Espy bit her lip.
Lunala floated up to Tessa, as did Mewtwo. "I'm sure the two of us together are strong enough to reach all the continents," she said, her third eye activating. Mewtwo nodded, held his right hand up, then transformed in a flash of orange.
"Good, that still works," he said, swishing the tendril that had spawned from his head. Mew floated up to him, sat on his shoulder, and wrapped his tail around Mewtwo's arm. "What do you want to say?"
Tessa looked back at the gods. "Answer me this. Did you see what happened when we were fighting Necrozma?"
One by one, they nodded. "Personally, I felt like I was dreaming… and your battle was the thing I was dreaming about," Ninetales said.
"I'm fairly confident everyone was 'watching,' in a manner of speaking," Totem Ninetales said.
"Good." Tessa walked up to Lunala and put a paw on her forehead, covering the third eye. She took a deep breath, then said, "Everyone, listen up! I'm Lucario Tessa, one of the members of Team Radiance who battled against Necrozma after he had taken all of your spirits. I'm given to understand that you saw the results of that battle play out in one way or another."
Espy and Silvally exchanged astonished looks. "Is… is she really addressing everyone? Should we try to interject?" Espy wondered.
"No. I think she might be onto something," Silvally said. He sat on his haunches, a pensive look on his face.
"As I'm sure you all realize, we managed to beat back Necrozma. Not only that, my team's leader, Ninetales Shane, took control of Necrozma and used his power to rebuild our world," Tessa continued. "And he was able to do it without the ley lines that have plagued us since the beginning of time." She paused. "Yes, that's right. Mystery Dungeons are a thing of the past. Not only that, but the gods have been depowered.
"But that came at a great personal cost to Shane. Lunala searched everywhere she could to try and find him… but he's gone. He sacrificed himself so that all of us could have a second chance at a happy life." Tessa took a few deep breaths to steady herself. "We can't afford to slip back into our old routines. Doing so would be a waste of the gift that Shane's given us. Things need to change."
Tessa looked at her teammates. "In my team's travels through the Horizon Continent alone, we saw many different places and the customs they follow. At the time, I didn't think much of the things I saw or heard. But now, with everything that's happened, I can safely say that our world has problems that extend far beyond the existence of ley lines and Mystery Dungeons. The way we treat each one another and the approaches we take to relationships… are unhealthy.
"We need to focus more on working together. Instead of furthering your own interests, you need to try and pick one another up," Tessa said. "I'm sure, if many of you were here with me in-person, you'd tell me that's exactly what you do. However, I'm not sure that's the truth."
Tessa fixed her gaze on Espy, who tensed up. "After battling the Bittercold, the Pokémon of Paradise came to the conclusion that, because our lives are only so long, we ought to make the most of them by helping out one another. The problem was that their method of doing that was by focusing on building up Paradise. They ignored their own personal feelings… and didn't confront lingering memories that stemmed from what the Bittercold did."
Espy's ears drooped and her gaze fell. Silvally leaned over, brushing his beak against her shoulder. In turn, she pressed her tail against his torso.
"And it's not like the Horizon Guild was much better. We prided ourselves on wanting to help Pokémon out… but we didn't all have selfless motivations for joining," Tessa continued, ears and aura feelers drooping. "Even if you're not a part of some sort of organization, there are still things you should think about. For example, the soulmate bond and the superstitions surrounding it. All it's done is create stress that's made Pokémon unhappy… yet we were always discouraged from talking about the subject because of the superstitions.
"That's why all of this has to change. Working together isn't enough. We need to be there to support one another. If our world's going to succeed, we have to lift each other up. We need to talk out our differences and resolve our problems instead of resorting to petty fights or foisting our troubles onto other people." Tessa took a moment to catch her breath. That's when Totem Ninetales came to her side. She put her forepaw up to Lunala's forehead, nudging Tessa's aside.
"I think you hit the nail on the head," she whispered. "Well done. I can take it from here."
"Huh?" Tessa tilted her head.
"Hello there, people of the world. I'm the Totem Pokémon of Solstice Summit. Some of you may be familiar with me," she began. "Like you, I listened to everything Tessa had to say. And I, for one, agree with the points she's raised. We need to tackle our problems head-on, starting with old customs that have no place in our new world." Totem Ninetales paused to clear her throat. "To that end, I would like to invite all of the community leaders from every continent — from guildmasters to mayors to Totems of Horizon to former gods — to join me on Celestial Island, starting tomorrow morning. There, we can have a long, fruitful discussion about the future that we want to cultivate.
Totem Ninetales glanced at the assembled gods, many of whom tensed up. "Of course, even if you're not in a leadership position, you are welcome to attend. Hopefully we'll have enough space to accommodate everyone. If not, we can make alternative arrangements." She glanced at Hoopa and smirked. "I'm sure Hoopa, along with those who can teleport, will be up for handling transportation."
Hoopa rolled his eyes. "Hoopa knows that tone well enough to realize you're not asking him, you're telling him."
"For now, though, I think we should all take the day to ourselves," Totem Ninetales said, smiling at Hoopa's begrudging agreement to her request. "Please… find your loved ones. Spend time with them. Tell them what they mean to you. Tomorrow, we'll get to work." She then slid her forepaw off Lunala's head and stepped back, nodding. "There. That ought to be a good place to start, don't you think?"
"I, uh… yeah, I guess," Silvally said, blinking in surprise. He didn't know enough about Totem Ninetales to have much of an opinion of her, but given that Ampharos and Magearna were working with her, he figured that was enough to at least trust she had good intentions in mind. "Is that all right with you, Tessa?"
He glanced at his teammate, who jumped up and squeaked. She had lapsed into silent reflection when Totem Ninetales brought up loved ones. But now that she'd said her piece to the world, the spark of anger that had triggered an extra bit of energy had run its course. Tessa only managed a yawn in response to Silvally. She wound up passing the yawn to Silvally, who passed it to Espy.
"Ugh. I'm… I'm so exhausted." Espy leaned against Silvally's side to stop from flopping onto the ground. "I just want to lay down and sleep and not wake up for, like, the next month."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Silvally said, yawning a second time.
"Perhaps I should take you three back to your home, then?" Lunala said. "After all of this, I daresay you've earned the rest."
Espy and Silvally nodded slowly. The closest Tessa managed to a response was her shoulders sagging. Thoughts of Shane still lingered in her head, but her fatigue had turned those thoughts fuzzier than Espy's hide. She could barely walk forward to join her teammates. Silvally noticed her sluggish gait and offered up his other shoulder to steady her.
"Thanks," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with a paw. Tessa also realized she was still filthy. However, sleep was far more inviting than a bath.
Arm wrapped around Silvally's foreleg, she walked alongside her teammates into an Ultra Wormhole. The two Ninetales followed them, along with Ephemeris.
~Pokémon Square~
The surprise telepathic announcement left Blaziken and Swampert looking up at the sky, the former scratching his feathers while the latter fiddled with his worn rescuer's badge. "So, that's it, huh?" Swampert looked down at the badge and turned it over repeatedly. "Thirty-something years we've done this job..."
Blaziken noticed a nearby, square-shaped rock. He plodded over to it and sat down, sighing heavily. "Yeah. We've… been at this a while. Longer than Team ACT before they called it quits, I reckon."
"And now Mystery Dungeons are gone… just like that," Swampert mumbled. His usual enthusiastic grin was nowhere to be found. "I'm… not really sure what to think, bud."
"That makes two of us." Blaziken leaned back against the rock, resting his hands behind his head. "We had a rhythm, after all. Wake up, check the box for job requests, head into town, go into the dungeons, finish our jobs, and, if we had time, hang around and see what was happening in Pokémon Square." He furrowed his brow. "It's… odd to think about how it all became second-nature for us."
"Are you saying… you didn't enjoy your jobs?"
Blaziken and Swampert looked over their shoulders and did doubletakes in unison. "Ch-Charizard? And Alakazam and Tyranitar, too!" Swampert gasped. "Where were you guys? We heard you went missing and tried looking for you… but came up empty-handed."
"Yes. Necrozma plucked us out of our homes a couple of weeks ago," Alakazam said, twirling one of his rusty spoons around in his hand. "Though it feels like we've been gone far longer than that."
"Our spirits have been limbo for quite a while… I think," Tyranitar said, slouching. He lumbered toward Team Go-Getters, dragging his tail across the dirt. "But, by some miracle, we're back. I suppose that's all that matters."
"Still, to think we'd actually see the day where Mystery Dungeons disappear forever…" Charizard's voice trailed off. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I never thought it would happen. This is, truly, some sort of miracle."
"I suppose so," Blaziken said, shutting his eyes again. "You guys okay? Nothing broken or anything?"
"We're as good as we can be," Alakazam said. "That cough I'd developed even seems to have gone away. I feel… refreshed, despite my age."
"Same here," Tyranitar said. "Though I do believe Charizard asked you two a question."
"Huh? Oh…" Blaziken sat up straight. "It's nothing like that, Charizard. Swampert and I enjoyed getting to help people out. Really." He scratched the back of his head. "But now that Mystery Dungeons are gone, it's dawned on me just how much our lives revolved around them."
"Yeah. Work kept us busy. I didn't mind it… but we had so little time to ourselves, we never really took the time to try doing things that didn't relate to rescue work. Probably why we were so lousy at staying in touch with old friends," Swampert said, tapping a temple with one of his fins. "So, like, what are we supposed to do now?"
"Well, I intend to go to that meeting," Charizard said, puffing out smoke. "We are community leaders in some regards, aren't we? Perhaps if you talk with some of the other people there, you can figure out a new direction to take yourselves in?"
Blaziken and Swampert exchanged looks. "Good point, old-timer. I'd have expected Alakazam to say something like that."
"What can I say? His tendency for platitudes must've rubbed off on me." Chuckling, Charizard shrugged innocently while Alakazam rolled his eyes. "In any case, we're going to check in on the town. You're welcome to join us."
"Yeah. I think we'll catch up soon," Blaziken said, then waved them off. He leaned back against the rock and closed his eyes.
"What'cha thinking about?" Swampert wondered.
"How much of a workaholic I've been all this time," Blaziken said, sighing as he slumped down. "We've missed out on a lot of life, haven't we?"
"Well, I don't regret the way things have gone. You're still my best bud, after all," Swampert said, his usual grin returning.
Blaziken couldn't help but smile. "Same here. Still… I think that this is about as good a sign as we can get that it's time to step back."
"Step back?"
"Push more responsibilities onto the younger generation. Like Team Radiance." Blaziken sat up and looked to his right. "Oh, and those guys over there."
A female Nidoran and a Druddigon, both with pecha scarves tied around their necks, froze mid-step. Beside them, a trio consisting of a Cranidos, a Ponyta, and a Sandslash in matching indigo scarves also stopped walking and looked at Blaziken curiously. "Did… did we do something wrong?" Cranidos asked.
"Not at all." Blaziken got to his feet. "You're a couple of rescue teams, right? We saw you fighting some of the Ultra Beasts that Necrozma summoned."
"We were a rescue team. Nothing to rescue if there aren't Mystery Dungeons, right?" Sandslash huffed, pouting and crossing his arms. "Two years climbing the ladder to gold rank… washed away by a snap of some magic dragon's claws. I can't believe this."
"Err, well, you never know. Maybe rescue teams will still have a role to play. I guess it all depends on that big meeting tomorrow," Swampert said, laughing and rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah. We can't let ourselves get discouraged!" Cranidos said.
"Easy for you to say. Your parents still run a box-bashing shop, don't they? You've got a fallback option," Ponyta said, poking at the dirt with a hoof.
"Let's take things one day at a time, guys. Besides, I'm impressed how much you all took initiative. If you ever need someone to vouch for you, hit me up." Blaziken winked at them. Then he beckoned Swampert to follow him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Druddigon and Nidoran squealing to each other in excitement.
In the air over a nearby beach, Latios flew loops, whooping and hollering. "No more ley lines! No more Mystery Dungeons! Isn't it great, sis?" He paused, shaking his head to avoid getting too dizzy. "I mean, yeah, I don't know what this really means for the Expedition Society… but isn't this what we wanted? Less stress in our lives!"
Latias floated nearby, staring at the ground in disbelief. "I… yeah, I guess so."
Latios flew up to her, a worried look on his face. "Something wrong?"
"I suppose the realization of what this all means hasn't set in for me, yet," Latias said, gripping her flight goggles in her paws. She was still trying to figure out how she had them again, given that Necrozma had destroyed them.
"Ah, there you are!"
Latias turned around in time to squeal as Lugia wrapped her up in a big hug. "This is wonderful! I thought… I thought for sure it was the end for us. But we witnessed a true miracle!" He lifted her up with his wings and nuzzled her snout.
"L-Lugia! Wait… I… tickles…" Blood rushed to Latias' cheeks. It was then she realized that Latios was still floating next to her. Her eyes widened. Lugia stopped nuzzling her and looked right at Latios.
"Oh. Uh, hiya." Lugia released Latias, who had a bewildered expression on her face. "This is, uh, definitely on the awkward side." He laughed nervously.
"Sis…" Latios frowned.
Latias looked between her brother and mate, expression panicked. Then she recalled the speech that Tessa had delivered telepathically. "Y'know what? I think it's time. If things are changing, then there's no reason to keep any secrets anymore." Latios and Lugia both looked at her in concern, albeit for different reasons. "Latios… Lugia and I are mates. We've been together for a while, but I never told you."
Latios blinked slowly. His gaze fell toward the ground, spiking Latias' heartrate in the process. Had she messed up? Was it too much of a bombshell to drop on her brother so soon after the planet's restoration?
"Then all the times you said you were going to train with Lugia?" Latios whispered.
"Oh, we definitely did training," Lugia said. "It's just we, uh, did other things, too."
Latios' face scrunched up. "Yeah. I, um, don't think I need the details." He cringed. Latias' face flushed. Latios' wings drooped. "Sis, why didn't you tell me about this?
"You're upset with me, aren't you?" Latias squeaked.
"I didn't say that. I'm… confused, that's all," Latios said, tapping his claws together.
"It's… a bit complicated." Latias nestled up against Lugia. He wrapped his wing around Latias, nodding his support. "The truth is… Lugia found me on the beach the day things… fell apart with Rayquaza. He nursed me back to health so I could fly home to you. We kept seeing each other after that. We courted for a while, before I finally worked up the courage to seal the deal with him." She craned her neck up to nuzzle Lugia's shoulder.
"I kept fighting with myself over whether or not to tell you. I wanted to. But at the same time, I was worried." Latias gripped her goggles tight. "You were always so protective of me. I figured that… that if I told you, I'd make you upset." Latias had to admit that hearing her own reasoning out loud made her question the logic behind her decision. "Well, I guess there was also the fact that I was nervous about people reacting to the fact that I had a mate."
"But Hoopa knew about us… and he never blabbed our secret," Lugia reminded her. The looks he received from both Lati twins made him regret opening his mouth.
"Latias…" Latios' wings drooped lower. "I'm protective of you because you're my little sister—"
"By, like, half an hour, tops," Latias said, pouting.
"Even still. Mom and Dad left a message for me… telling me to always do my best to look after you." Latios floated closer toward her. "Your empath abilities were always far better than mine. You're sensitive to everything happening around you. It's, like, a blessing and a curse, I guess. Still, more than anything else, I want you to be happy." He leaned forward, nudged Latias with his snout, then backed away. "If Lugia makes you happy, then I'm happy for you. And, of course, I'm happy to call him my spirit-brother."
Latios extended a paw toward Lugia. Lugia stretched out his right wing and tapped it against Latios' claws. They exchanged smiles. "And I'm glad to have you as a spirit-brother, too," Lugia said.
"Right." Latios backed away. "Still. Can't believe you wound up settling down with someone before I even went on so much as a single date." He ran his claws through his chest feathers. "What am I gonna do?"
Latias giggled. "Well, maybe that's a subject we should wait until after these meetings to tackle."
"Agreed," Latios said. "For now, I guess we should head back to the Expedition Society."
Lugia stiffened. Latias looked at him. "Err, why don't you go on ahead, big brother? I'll catch up with you."
"Oh. All right." Latios turned on flew off.
"Okay. What couldn't you say in front of him?" Latias asked, a curious brow raised.
"I, well… I wanted to talk, that's all. See where you're at and stuff." Lugia glided down toward the beach. Latias followed him, brow still raised. It took her a moment to realize it, but the beach Lugia touched down on was the same one he had found her crying on the day Rayquaza assaulted her. The unpleasant memories of his V-Create burning off her feathers lingered in her head. Her feathers bristled.
Lugia draped a wing over her. She leaned into his chest. "Latias, I know you'll try to downplay this, but I want you to know how proud I am of you."
"Huh? F-For what?" She didn't need to ask. The answer was obvious, but Latias wanted to hear it from Lugia's lips.
"Everything related to this whole Necrozma crisis. I heard about it from Team Go-Getters. While I was busy tripping over myself and getting captured… you and Hoopa were running across the entire world, doing stuff to help Ampharos with his plan to revive people's spirits," Lugia said.
Latias sighed. "Yeah. Well, that didn't end up amounting to much. If it wasn't for Team Radiance, Necrozma would've gotten the last laugh."
"That may be true, but you were still instrumental in helping them get to that point." Lugia leaned over and pecked her on the head. "If you hadn't managed to outduel me, I would've gone after Team Radiance… and Mewtwo might not've taken us to Destiny Tower so we could get the other gods to help us."
A smile spread across his beak. "To say nothing of the way you stood up to Arceus and Rayquaza. I'll admit, you had me worried, but my heart swelled when you asserted itself." He leaned in and whispered, "And I thought it was pretty sexy, too."
Latias' face reddened. "I… aha… w-well…" She fidgeted with her goggles. "I'm not really sure what came over me, to be honest. Maybe some of those dormant dragon instincts Rayquaza always ranted about finally woke up?"
"Nah. That was all you." Lugia nuzzled her cheek. "Whatever you learned from working with the Horizon Guild, you took to heart."
"Yeah. I suppose so." Latias blinked slowly. "But then… that raises the question of what I should do now that this is all over."
Lugia tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"I've been working with the Expedition Society for a while, now. But, I… well, I gelled pretty well with a lot of the Horizon Guild's folks, too." Latias slung her flight goggles around her neck. "A part of me is wondering if maybe it'd be better to move to Horizon. Y'know, fresh start and all." Her ears drooped. "But the idea also makes me guilty. It'd mean moving away from big brother. And it's nowhere near the Sea Shrine, either."
"If you want to move there, then let's move there," Lugia said.
"I— wait, what?" Latias looked into Lugia's eyes. "But I know how much you like being near the water. If we went to Horizon, how would that work?"
"Horizon's one of the smallest continents. I'm sure I could find somewhere," Lugia said.
"I'm not sure if there are any secluded settlements, though," Latias said.
"That's okay."
Latias' eyes widened. "It… it is?"
Lugia nodded. "What can I say? Seeing you rise above all your past fears has inspired me. It's time I got over my fear of living around other people." He smiled at Latias. "Fresh start and all, right?"
Latias floated up and pecked Lugia on the cheek. "The freshest."
~Pokémon Paradise~
"It's back! It's all back!"
Raichu practically skipped down the road, her tail crackling and cheeks sparking. "It's as good as new!"
"I'll say." Haxorus leaned against a tree trunk. "It's like Necrozma never attacked this place. Thank goodness." A smile crossed her face. "That weirdo Ninetales did good. Real good."
Umbreon sat in the town square, staring at his old house off in the distance. He was torn between going into look at it and staying back. The last memories he had of it were from Zero sneaking in and convincing him to join her cause, after all. Umbreon's ears drooped. Sure, things had worked out for the best, but he'd still have to live with the fact that he made a terrible decision. A decision that had a lot of consequences for a lot of people.
He watched Hydeigon float past Raichu, cheerful looks on all three of his heads. "Everything's in one piece," he said, stubby tail wagging. "It's nice to see this place lively again." Hydreigon turned to see Virizion, Keldeo, and Emolga helping a Bagon and a Zorua with a stack of crates.
"Thanks again for helping out in Post Town when all those aliens were attacking," Virizion said, smiling at the smaller 'mons.
"It was no trouble at all, Miss Virizion," Zorua said, wagging her tail.
"Yeah. I'd love to put in a good word to HAPPI on your behalves but, well…" Virizion paused and looked up toward the sky. "It looks like we won't be needing HAPPI anymore."
"Ah, yeah." Bagon scratched his chin. "Guess this means we're out of a job, huh?"
"It could be worse!" a Gabite said, walking toward the square with a bag of berries slung over his shoulder. A Charmeleon followed behind him, carrying a bag of his own. "You could be like poor Umbreon over there. No more ley lines means all that research he did was for nothing."
Umbreon flinched. His gaze fell to ground. Gabite was right. He hadn't even considered what this meant for his future.
"Hey now, don't be so inconsiderate," Keldeo scolded, planting a hoof in front of Gabite. "His sister's part of Team Radiance and none of us would be here right now if it wasn't for them."
Gabite shrank back. "Oh. Uh, right." He scratched the back of his head. "C-Congrats to your sister… I think?" He looked at Charmeleon. They shrugged at each other, then kept walking.
Umbreon sighed. It was true. Despite the reputation his sister had gotten thanks to her behavior, she somehow turned things around. He could still hear the things she said to Necrozma in the back of his head.
'Everyone can change, huh? What happened to you after I disappeared, Espy?'
Haxorus stomped up to Umbreon and put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, tails and ears shooting up. "Easy now," Haxorus said. "Just wanted to tell you that, uh, your sister did good. I guess I was wrong about her."
Umbreon's ears twitched. "Yeah. I, uh… must've missed a lot. I think I'm going to need to find a way to get to Horizon and see her."
"You and me both," Haxorus said, crossing her arms. "Though, I may need a few days to help get this place back in working order."
"You? What for?" Umbreon raised a brow.
"When I saw her, she told me you sacrificed yourself to Necrozma to save her. There's a chance I might've responded by telling her that it was a shame things weren't the other way around," Haxorus whispered, rubbing her shoulder.
Umbreon blinked slowly. "Oh." He didn't dare mention the claims Necrozma made before taking his spirit. "Yeah, that's… not good."
"I guess a lotta folks got a lotta stuff to apologize for," Haxorus said, crossing her arms. "Much as I hate to admit it, Tessa was telling the truth. We never did try to talk about the stuff we experienced fighting the Bittercold, did we?"
"We didn't."
"Did you, uh, ever have any nightmares?" Haxorus asked.
"Some. Not as bad as Espy, though. The Voidlands were especially rough on her," Umbry said, ears drooping.
"Yeah." Haxorus sighed. "Guess we've got things to work on, then." She walked forward, then paused and looked back at Umbreon. "I'm gonna see if I can find a way to get you to Horizon. Don't wander off too far, okay?"
Umbreon nodded.
~Stormcracker Isle~
"You sure you don't need us to help? Supervising three different communities sounds like a lot of work," Luxeira said.
"Perhaps. But you three put in the brunt of the effort fighting off the Ultra Beasts," Esserly said, shaking out her mossy back. "Let us attend to our own communities." She turned to an Arcanine pacing back and forth along the path leading into the caves. "Ark, were you able to get a headcount?"
"I was. Everyone's present and accounted for, Sister Esserly. They're waiting for you to take them to the waypoint," Ark said, bobbing his head.
"Very good." Esserly shifted to her Sky Forme and glided onto Ark's back. He walked along the path, leaving Team Paradox with Totem Decidueye and Kahuna Raichu.
"So, Circadian Coast's closest to Aeon Town, right?" Luxeira said, sitting on her haunches. "Because I think my teammates and I would like to go back there, if possible."
"I think I can arrange that, yeah. If the Sharpedo Sailors aren't running, I've got a Charizard on staff who can fly you over lickety-split, yeah," Kahuna Raichu said.
"There won't be any need for that."
"Woah!" Seraph jumped up, sparks racing down her freshly-restored ponytail. Ho-Oh landed beside her, stretching out her orange wings. "Cripes, where'd you come from?"
"The insides of a giant light dragon, same as you and everyone else on the planet," Ho-Oh said.
Seraph pouted, not the least bit amused by Ho-Oh's joke. "Well, what do you want with us?"
"I'm offering you a ride back to Aeon Town," Ho-Oh said. "I saw how hard you three were working against the Ultra Beasts. It's the least I could do."
"We'll gladly accept," Sticky said.
"Of course. Whenever you're ready to leave." Ho-Oh gave the team some space and turned to preen the feathers on her wing.
"Well, I can't speak for you two, but I know I've got no business to take care of on this empty island," Seraph said, shrugging.
"Err… yeah. Same here, I guess," Luxeira said, brow furrowed. She was surprised with Seraph's tepid reaction to the planet's restoration. Granted, she herself wasn't sure what to make of it. Luxeira was certainly happy to be alive, but at the same time there was a bittersweet element to it. Necrozma had a hand in destroying this world, like he did with Ultra Village. Unlike Ultra Village, however, all the damage had been undone. Pokémon would get to return their homes. Their families. Luxeira wouldn't.
"Luxeira, is something wrong?" Sticky hovered toward her. "You're tearing up."
"Huh?" Luxeira sat up straight. "I, uh… there was a dust speck that flew in my eye." She blinked repeatedly.
"Erm, forgive me, but I think I've known you long enough to tell when you're lying. I believe you're upset," Sticky said, poking his nubby arms together. "So, again, is something wrong?"
"Of course something's wrong, Pin— err, Sticky." Seraph cautiously approached Luxeira. "Lucy's upset because she's thinking about home."
Sticky's expression hardened. "Oh," he whispered.
Luxeira didn't respond. Seraph had her pegged. She always had her pegged. Except she wasn't trying to get under Luxeira's skin anymore. It was a different type of pegging. The type that said Seraph wanted to help.
"C'mon, Lucy, you can tell us what you're thinking," Seraph said. She knelt down and put a paw on Luxeira's shoulder.
Luxeira considered making a smart remark about if Seraph was really doing this out of concern or out of a desire to get in bed with her once all the dust had settled. She stuffed those thoughts down, however. "Yeah. You're right. It's… it's hard to look at all of this and not think about home," she whispered, bowing her head.
"Wait… if Shane brought our world back, maybe he can bring Ultra Village back, too?" Sticky said, offering an optimistic grin that faltered the moment he glimpsed Seraph's icy expression.
"Two problems with that idea, bud. First off… you heard Tessa. Shane bit the big one bringing us all back to life. And second… Ultra Village was destroyed by a chain reaction from its power core," Seraph said. "The place was atomized. There's no coming back from that."
"Ah. Right. My bad," Sticky whispered.
"It's okay, Sticky. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up," Luxeira said between sniffles.
"You do?" Sticky said, eyes wide.
"Yeah. I know I gave you a hard time — and this whole fiasco's not gonna help improve my opinion of UBs in general — but the fact that you stuck by us and kept battling is impressive. And, of course, you took that blast from Metagross for us."
"Ah. W-Well… you two were much more valuable assets to the group. It seemed like a no-brainer," Sticky said, rubbing his head.
"Well, it was still bold of you. Don't sell yourself short," Luxeira said, brushing her face against her shoulder.
"Unless you're talking about your height, of course. In which case, honesty is the policy." Seraph giggled, but an elbow to the gut from Luxeira sent her into a coughing fit.
"Don't ruin the mood," Luxeira said, frowning.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Seraph grumbled. Silence followed, until Seraph said, "So, what happens now? I, for one, want to find Lunala or that gold Ho-Oh. Maybe we can get one of them to find the nearest Ultra Recon base and get us off this backwater planet." Luxeira poked at the ground with a forepaw. Seraph turned to her. "What's wrong? Don't you want to be back among some actual technology?"
"I thought… you promised me you'd help me ask Blaziken out," Luxeira whispered.
Seraph's ponytail crackled. She grabbed it in her paws and fiddled with the fur. "Oh… yeah. I did say that, didn't I?" She sighed and got to her feet. "Fine. Guess we can hang around for a bit. What's a few more weeks in this whacko world where everyone's parading around with no clothes and there's enough eye candy to leave me stuffed?"
Luxeira blinked. "I… can't tell how serious you're being."
"Good. I like to keep my friends on their toes," Seraph said, grinning cheekily. "Now, should we get going to Aeon Town or not?"
Luxeira was about to respond when a panicked cry caught her attention. "W… What was that?" She looked to her left. Loud sobs sounded from down in the jungle. Luxeira cautiously made her way down the path.
"Hey, where are you going, Lucy?" Seraph said, taking off after her. "What's the prob—"
Seraph skidded to a halt beside Luxeira, who was looking down at a clump of grass with her jaw dropped. "S… Seraph, are you seeing this?"
"I… I am. That Zigzagoon… black and white stripes and stars on its eyes."
"Can Zigzagoon look like that?" Luxeira asked. The oddly-colored Zigzagoon looked up at the two of them, her tongue dangling out of her mouth. Then, she bawled her eyes out.
"Waah! Where am I? I want my mommy! I want my daddy! I wanna go home!"
Seraph's brow furrowed. "I was afraid of this. Looks like Popsicle Breath might've opened up Ultra Wormholes when he pulled the planet together. And now we've got a faller on our paws."
Why, yes, I am shameless enough to shoehorn a Galarian Zigzagoon into the fic two months before Sword and Shield are out.
Anon Omega: I will have to take your word for it. I had something different playing while I was writing it.
SuperOmegaGuest: And I hope this last bundle of chapters leaves you you satisfied.
Anonymous: The fic's not over yet. Anything can happen. But you'll have to stick around and find out.
redbandit: I don't know if you'll see this comment, but I'm glad you liked the beginning.
Next time: returning home and seeing some wayward souls.