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?

118. Radiant Sunset

Thanks to Namohysip for his beta-reading assistance.

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Chapter 101: Radiant Sunset

~Aeon Observatory~

Tessa struggled to open her eyes when she finally woke up from her dreamless slumber. She was so sore, even small muscles like her eyelids refused to budge. The only thing that could motivate Tessa to force her eyes open was the desire to get off her slimy pillow and clean herself up. Her nostrils burned from the stench in the room. A pang of guilt struck Tessa upon sitting up. Someone would be responsible for cleaning the room up after Team Radiance had tracked in all this ooze. Tessa told herself that whoever drew the short straw would just accept it as a small price for getting brought back from the dead.

"Ugh. I don't think I've ever been so stiff in my life," Tessa said, sitting hunched over on the edge of her cushion. "How are you holding up, Shane?" She waited for a response, but got nothing. Tessa blinked slowly. Her aura feelers drooped. "Oh… right. Guess I'm not as well-rested as I was hoping." She pivoted on the cushion. "What about you, Silvally?"

Still no response.

"Silvally? Espeon?" It was too dark to see in the room, yet her aura sight wouldn't switch on. Sighing, Tessa concluded it was still burnt out. She hoped this wasn't permanent. Even though she hadn't learned to use it well, part of her felt naked without it. Hell, a small voice in her head was telling her that, with Necrozma gone, she wouldn't have an aura sense anymore. That, somehow, the demonic entity had taken her powers from her when Shane destroyed it. One final cruel act to go along with forcing her partner to give up his own life.

Shaking her head, Tessa made a mental note to try and talk with Ephemeris about her aura sense. Even if he wasn't a Lucario, he seemed to know something. And, at this point, Tessa would take any bit of knowledge she could get. She supposed Silvally could also help, but since Necrozma had confirmed her situation was… unusual, she figured Ephemeris was better suited to the task.

Slowly, Tessa staggered to her feet. Grimacing, she ignored the urge to flop back onto her cushion. Laying around in this rancid room wouldn't solve any problems. Besides, her teammates had already left. For all she knew, they could've been clean already. Tessa fumbled around in the darkness until she managed to reach the door and slide it open. She lost her balance, however, and dropped onto her right side with a hiss and a squelch.

Tessa got back up, frowning at the imprint her slimy thigh had left on the floor. She cursed herself out for adding onto the workload of whoever would be cleaning the area up. Tessa then trudged down the hallway, staring at her feet to make sure she wouldn't fall again. By the time she rounded the corner, Tessa was favoring her right side. She spotted the bath items Comfey had left for her, but she didn't want to get them messy by picking them up. Tessa raised her paws, trying to call forth the energy she'd use for Psychic. Nothing happened. Not even so much as a pink spark.

Growling, Tessa chose to improvise. She picked up the stool the soap and scrubber sat on. Tessa carefully limped her way into the only open washroom. Then, ignoring the protests from her arm muscles, she flicked the stool forward, flinging the bathing tools toward the shower in the corner. Tessa set the stool down, only to pause and stare at the yellow, star-shaped symbol stitched into the seat.

Brow furrowing, Tessa leaned against the stool. She recognized it… but from where? Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. Her head hurt, but she had to think. This was bothering her way more than it should have. Why was the stool familiar? Had she seen it the last time she was in the veteran quarters? No, that didn't sound right. The stool in her mother's room had a blue star stitched into its seat, not a yellow one.

That's when Tessa's eyes snapped open. Her mother… no, her father. No, wait. It was technically both of them, wasn't it? Tessa squeezed her eyes shut again and shook her head. Her thoughts were too disjointed. She had to breathe. Breathe and clear her mind.

'There's a matching set of stools at home… in the den.'

She envisioned it in her mind's eye. A brown, oval table sat on a shaggy red carpet. It had a couch on one side and a chair and two stools on the other. Back before her dad had died and her mother had broken the table in a fit of rage, there were evenings where he'd sit on one of the stools and read Tessa stories while she sat on the other stool. She'd kick at the air excitedly when Incineroar got to one of her favorite parts… sometimes toppling over in the process.

Tessa imagined a Riolu sitting across from Incineroar. He held a book in his right hand, with a picture of the Air Continent's original rescue team badge on the cover. "So, what story will it be tonight, Tessa?"

"The Tale of Team Poképals! The Tale of Team Poképals!" Tessa's younger self squealed, bouncing in her seat.

Incineroar rubbed the back of his head. "Again? But I just read it to you the other week. Don't you want to hear a different story?"

"Nuh-uh! I've gotta learn their story by heart. That way, when I join the guild, I can find a human and become big a world-saving hero with tons of friends… just like them!"

Incineroar smiled and flipped the book open. "Well, all right, then. I can't argue with that. Let me just find the first page…"

The memory faded and Tessa opened her eyes. Somehow, she'd ended up turning to face the mirror by the shower. Tessa frowned at her reflection. Her fur had an orange tint to accompany blood splotches and streaks of dirt. Patches of fur were either outright missing or so knotted up that no amount of brushing could salvage them. Her tail and the tufts atop her ears had fared the worst, looking as wild and jagged as a Zangoose's stripe.

Tessa's shoulders sagged. She sighed. In the end, she'd gotten what she had wanted, hadn't she? She was a hero. Tessa hadn't just saved the world, she'd saved every world from oblivion. And she got Silvally back, too. That was worth celebrating, wasn't it?

"It's not a true victory… if we don't make it through together," Tessa whispered, putting a paw on her chest as she approached the shower. She cranked the hot water valve up as high as it would go. Steaming droplets pelted her from above. Tessa tensed from the heat, but forced herself to endure it. She leaned forward, bracing herself against the wall with her right paw.

Tessa stared down at the drain. The clear water around it quickly turned orange, a sign that the shower's pressure was strong enough to dislodge the slime and muck clinging to her fur. Tessa watched the filth swirl around and disappear into the drain, then shut her eyes and craned her neck up so the water splashed across her face.

How many times had Incineroar read the stories of the other heroes to her? Too many to count. And that wasn't even including all the times she'd read them on her own. And yet, even though she loved those stories dearly as a pup — she knew them cover to cover, after all — Tessa found herself wondering how accurate these retellings really were. They never mentioned anything about any of the teams getting overwhelmed by their enemies or breaking into hysterics or spending most of their time filthy and smelly. Sure, the stories had mentioned times when the heroes had doubts, but those doubts were always put to rest by their respective partners.

Tessa ran her paws across her forehead. She wanted to kick herself for believing in those stories so hard. Tessa had given Shane so much flak for using the games from his world as a basis for all of his reasoning… but, in reality, she'd done the exact same thing with these stories, hadn't she?

Her partner was gone. And she was… well, she was practically an anomaly of her own. A Lucario that wasn't meant to exist… with powers derived from the very creature that had actually destroyed the world until Shane managed to reverse everything.

Those memories were there. They were real. Tessa would have to deal with these revelations for the rest of her life. And, as she stood there, silently running her paws down to her hips to try and force off more dirt, she wondered if she could really handle living with all of it. If Shane had still been there, she'd have felt a lot more confident. Their situations had a lot in common, after all. But he wasn't there. He wouldn't ever be there.

Tessa grabbed the scrubber and lathered it in soap. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she knew how irrational this was. Tessa had fought with Shane for quite a while. And even once they'd managed to become friends, so much of their time went toward dealing with the Prism Virus that they never really got to bond with one another.

"Even if Pokémon can battle, that doesn't mean battling defines what Pokémon are."

That was something her dad always told her. Tessa used to think that was his way of consoling her over the lack of progress in her aura training. Now, though, Tessa thought it held a different meaning.

Tessa gritted her teeth, scrubbing around her chest spike with, perhaps, more force than was necessary. It didn't take much more thinking for her to realize why she was so upset by this line of thinking. Tessa had brought this concern up to Shane back in Circadian Coast… right before Temporal Tower collapsed and everything went belly-up. At the time, Shane promised to do his best to find a way to stay with her so he could prove their friendship was the real deal.

'But that's a promise that'll never get met.'

The one silver lining that came to mind for Tessa was the fact that all of this proved that Shane's claims that Solgaleo was the one influencing his good deeds — and that, deep down, he was still a lousy person — were wrong. After all, what kind of lousy person is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring the world back from the brink of annihilation? As Tessa tilted her head up to scrub her neck, she hoped that Shane was able to find some solace in that thought during his final moments.

Tessa continued silently scrubbing away. With her muscles as sore as they were, she wound up scrubbing harder than she intended to. Still, she had to admit that the soap was doing a much better job than she expected. And it left her citrus-scented, to boot.

'Am I really so desperate to avoid thinking about Shane that I'm zeroing in on body odor?' she wondered, shaking her head. Tessa wasn't sure what to make of any of it. Her mind had turned into some kind of loose-cannon Sharpedo determined to swim away from the pack. After all, there were plenty of things she could distract herself with. She could spend time with Gallian and Zoroark. She could see if Dusk was okay following Midnight's apparent death. And, with all these revivals, she could head for Sunrise Village to see if Shane had restored Sylveon and Eevee.

The thought of Eevee made Tessa glance at her sudsy form in the fog-covered mirror. 'Gods… it wasn't that long ago that Eevee and I were still the same height. And now look at me.' She shifted the scrubber to look at her right paw. To her dismay, the mark was still there. She frowned. Maybe losing her aura powers was for the best. That way, Tessa would never have to worry about going berserk again.

Sure, Silvally could help talk her down. But with his past episodes, Tessa worried that losing control again would somehow set him off. The memory looplet was gone, after all, and she had no idea of the extent that Necrozma tampered with his powers. Tessa's shoulders sagged. It was just another fear to toss onto the growing pile.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been under the shower for, but Tessa eventually reached a point where she didn't think there was any slime left, even on her… sensitive areas. Tessa leaned over and switched the water off. She made for a towel hanging by the door, only to pause and look left at the empty tub on the side of the room.

'Oh, what the heck.'

Tessa used her foot to turn the valve and sat on the edge of the tub, legs dangling. Once it had filled up past the bench along its outer rim, Tessa slid in. She pressed a button next to the faucet and several bubble jets switched on. To her surprise, one of the jets struck her right thigh. Tessa squeaked, almost jumping into the middle of the tub. However, after a few more seconds, Tessa concluded the bubble stream felt good. Mindful of her stiff tail, she leaned back against the wall, letting the bubble jet blow against her rump.

Her eyes fluttered shut. Tessa was still tired. She wanted the warm water to lull her back to sleep. However, as heavy as her eyelids were, Tessa stayed awake. She soon found a silhouette of a familiar ice Ninetales staring back at her. His silky hair fluttered behind him despite the lack of any sort of breeze in the room.

Tessa squirmed in her seat. "Sh… Shane…" She rubbed her cheek with a paw. "Why'd you have to go?"

The silhouette looked back at her. It bowed its head solemnly.

"I… I'm sorry. I know… this is all for the best, isn't it?" Tessa whispered. "I just… I wish we had more time together. I wish… we hadn't been so short-sighted." She sank down in the tub, tensing as her tail bent. Lucario tails weren't meant to bend, but Tessa was already sore enough that a little extra muscle strain didn't bother her.

"I know I yelled at you a lot. And you yelled at me. We both mucked up badly. And… and because of that… I never… we didn't…" Tessa blinked rapidly. The silhouette was still there. It still had a guilty look. It was even rubbing its forelegs together. Tessa was half-tempted to reach out toward the silhouette, but she knew better.

"Shane. We really were alike, weren't we?" Tessa said, gazing at the silhouette. "Both of us are anomalies that shouldn't exist." She paused, frowning. "Or, I guess, shouldn't have existed, in your case." It stung to say that out loud.

"Both of us got our powers from the same crazy demon who was ready to wipe out the universe. And we both wanted people to admire us and shower us in attention, didn't we?" Tessa continued, rubbing her shoulder. "All because… we barely had anyone in our lives before we met each other. We were lonely. We didn't quite fit in where we'd grown up."

She shook her head. "When we met, I was just as excited at the possibility of being a world-famous hero as you were. You had those games of yours… and I had the stories about the other teams." Tessa's aura feelers drooped. "We were both clinging so tightly to those beliefs, weren't we? The only difference was that you were vocal about your desires and I… I forced myself to temper my expectations, because I didn't want to end up disappointed."

"Why didn't I tell you that stuff from the get-go?" Tessa smacked the water with a paw, drenching her head in the process. When the steam cleared, the silhouette was lying on the floor beside her, dipping a foreleg in the water. "I mean, yeah, there's no guarantee things would've gone the way they did if we'd done things differently, but at the very least we could've bonded over more than just our struggles!"

The silhouette looked down. Its ears drooped.

"I know. There's nothing I can do about it, now. But I… I was wrong, okay? Our friendship wasn't fake. We did have a lot in common. And I…" Tessa's voice trailed off. The words had gotten caught in her throat. What point was there to even saying them? He wasn't here. Shane would never know the truth. Nevertheless, she reached toward the silhouette.

"I could see us being more than friends," Tessa said. Her paw made contact with the silhouette. It offered her a smile before dissolving away, leaving Tessa's paw to drop into the water with a tiny splash. Tessa tucked her head into her chest. Then, she reached for the drain plug and pulled it out. As the water funneled out of the tub, Tessa climbed out and grabbed a towel. She stood in front of the fogged-up mirror, drying herself as best she could. Thankfully, Comfey's soap masked any wet fur smell.

It was right when Tessa was in the middle of drying her tail that someone knocked on the door. "J-Just a second!" she called, hastily trying to finish. Yes, her fur was still matted and littered with knots, but this would have to do. She couldn't keep hiding from everyone, after all.

Tessa opened up the door and found Espy and Silvally standing on the other said. Like her, they both had scruffy coats from running towels through their fur. "Hey. Everything okay in here? It sounded like you were talking to someone," Silvally said.

"Oh, that? I, uh…" Tessa's aura feelers crinkled. Knowing she didn't have a convenient lie at the ready, she sighed. "I was talking to, um, 'Shane.'"

Espy and Silvally exchanged concerned looks. "You mean… like a hallucination?"

"I—" Tessa frowned. "Yeah, I guess so."

Silence followed, until Espy's ears drooped. "Oh. I… I'm sorry we interrupted. But we peeked out the window. The sun's starting to set and it looks like the folks in Aeon Town are having some kind of gathering."

So, Tessa had slept the whole day away? She wasn't surprised. "A… gathering? What for?" Tessa asked, a brow raised.

"Dunno, but I saw smoke and smelled barbeque. So, maybe it's some kind of celebration?" Silvally said, licking his beak to stop drool from trickling to the ground.

Tessa blinked slowly. Of course there was a get-together happening. The restoration of the world was worth celebrating. The problem was… Tessa wasn't sure she was ready to face down a crowd in Aeon Town. "Are you guys planning to go?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm so hungry, I could eat a Krokorok!" Silvally said, drawing an astonished look from Espy. "Err… not an actual Krokorok, of course. More like a Krorkork-sized slab of meat and…" He sighed. "Forget it. I'll just stop talking."

"We thought you'd want to come with us. It wouldn't feel right without the whole team," Espy said, only to realize her mistake a moment too late when Silvally and Tessa's eyes widened. "Ah! Sorry! I… I didn't…" She shrank back, tail drooping. "That came out wrong."

"No. It's… it's fine," Tessa said, though the look on her face said otherwise. "I guess I'm just worried about bringing down the mood. I'm still…" She looked away. "I can't get Shane off of my mind."

"You're not alone," Silvally said, leaning over to nudge Tessa's shoulder. "I keep thinking about if there was something… anything that I could've done to keep Shane from burning out his spirit." His sonar-like ears drooped. "But I think that's why we should go see what's happening in town. It's not that we're forgetting about Shane. It's more like we're, um…"

He tapped a talon on the floor. "Okay, I admit I don't really have a good comparison to make. But the point still stands. If we stay here, we're just gonna feel worse and worse. I think seeing happy, smiling faces in the town square will be good for all of us."

"I guess." Tessa bit her lip. "But aren't you worried about what the townspeople will think of you? I mean… you never even went to town back when you had the mask on, right?"

Silvally stiffened. "Ah. That's, um…" He shook his head. "It's all in the past. I'm not going to be afraid of who I am. I want everyone to know I'm Silvally… and I helped save their keisters from total destruction!" He puffed his chest out.

A smile finally tugged at Tessa's lips. "That's a pretty convincing impression of Shane's Vulpix days."

"Thank you! I've been working on it in secret," Silvally said, tail wagging.

Espy groaned. "Puh-lease tell me you're being facetious."

"Okay! I'm being facetious," Silvally said, completely straight-faced.

"That… okay, it's scary how quickly you got serious," Espy said, though she couldn't help but giggle. Tessa also put a paw to her muzzle.

"All right, you got me," she said, raising her hands in surrender. "Let's go into town. But you might want to tone the charm factor down a bit, Silvally. You're still gonna be bigger than most folks there and I think a personality that matches your size is gonna spook a few people."

"Pfbt. That's what Team Specter's here for," Silvally scoffed.

Tessa tilted her head. "Oh, right. I guess I'm gonna have to get used to seeing them again at some point." She glanced at the towel she'd dropped on the floor. "Maybe I ought to bring this along? Y'know, to be on the safe side."

Her teammates joined her in chuckling.

---

"Hold up. You cannot be serious! We've got a faller situation. It's not something I can sit around and ignore!"

Tessa paused in the middle of the Observatory's entryway, aura feelers twitching. "Huh. Isn't that Seraph? When did Team Paradox get here?"

"Must've been while we were asleep," Silvally said. "You think everything's okay? She sounds a bit steamed."

"I thought being steamed was her thing," Espy mused.

"You did hear her mention 'faller situation,' right? I think Luxeira mentioned something about fallers when she was telling us what happened to her home," Tessa said, frowning.

Espy's tail shot up. "Ah, she did! It was some kinda kooky Ultra Space term for someone who got sucked into another world through an Ultra Wormhole." She exchanged panicked looks with her teammates and they headed for the front door without a second thought. No sooner had they walked outside than they found Seraph standing in front of a bewildered Ephemeris and Ninetales, coddling a black-and-white Zigzagoon in her arms. Luxeira and Sticky were behind her. Both blanched the moment they saw Team Radiance in the doorway.

"Um, Seraph? Something the matter?" Tessa said, eyes locked on the weird-looking Zigzagoon.

Seraph turned to her. "Yes, something is definitely the mat—"

"Ahh! Ultra Beast! Ultra Beast! D-Don't eat me! I don't taste good or nothing!" Zigzagoon shrieked upon seeing Silvally. She squirmed about in Seraph's gripping, inadvertently clawing at her chest fur. "Save me, two-legged Luxray lady!"

Silvally's jack slackened. Meanwhile, it took every bit of restraint for Espy not to burst into laughter. "Two-legged Luxray? Seriously?"

"Kid! Oof… hey, kid, relax! The big guy's harmless," Seraph said, trying not to shock Zigzagoon by accident. Eventually she held Zigzagoon up at arm's length in Silvally's direction.

"Hi there," Silvally chirped, bending over and wiggling his hips in a friendly display. "I'm Silvally! I don't think I've ever seen a Zigzagoon look like you. Did you cover yourself in a tube of novelty fur dye?"

Zigzagoon blinked. "Uh… no. I've always looked like this." She tried to look at Seraph. "When am I going home? I want to see Mommy again."

"We're, um, working on it," Luxeira said. "Remind us who your mother is again?"

"Her name's Obstagoon Mina! And I'm Zigzagoon Azalea," she replied, frowning. Her ears drooped. "How much longer do I have to wait? Mommy's gonna get upset at me… but I didn't wander off on my own! I was right next to her, I swear!"

"Of course you were." Luxeira nodded. "And we're doing the best that we can, but you'll have to bear with us."

Tessa, however, was completely lost. "Um, am I missing something here? Black-and-white Zigzagoons are not a thing. And what's an Obstagoon?"

"Lucy, look after the kid for me, will ya?" Seraph set Azalea down at Luxeira's feet and walked over to Team Radiance. In a hushed voice, she said, "Okay, look, I'm in no mood to explain this for, like, the sixth time. Short version is your buddy must've torn at least one Ultra Wormhole open by accident and sent that poor girl hurtling into our world. There are a lot of words out in Ultra Space, so odds are strong some of them have Pokémon species you've never heard of or Pokémon forms you've never seen before."

"Like how some Pokémon species are unique to Horizon," Espy said, glancing at Tessa.

"Okay. Fair," Tessa said. It struck her that her reaction to this development mirrored Shane's reaction to everything he found unfamiliar in Horizon. A guilty pang struck the middle of her gut and her aura feelers drooped. She quickly recomposed herself, however. "So, um, Azalea's not from our world. What do we do about it?"

"Well, I wanted to ask Lunala for help, since Ninetales said she'd dropped you guys off here," Seraph said, tapping her foot on the ground. "But apparently she got pulled away on some kind of secret business. Not that it matters… since if this gold-feathered guy is to be believed, Popsicle Breath rearranged all of Ultra Space!"

"Yeah, we kind of knew that already. Is it really that big of a deal?" Silvally said, eyebrow raised. "Your partner made it sound like Ultra Space had little rhyme or reason to it."

"It's a huge deal!" Seraph threw her arms up and flailed them around. "The Ultra Recon Squad had organized itself around the layout of Ultra Space… even if it was hard to get a grip on. If Popsicle Breath restructured it from the ground up, then the whole Ultra Recon Network could be in a massive uproar!"

"Seraph, don't you think you're catastrophizing a bit?" Sticky said, floating up to her. "Most folks never set foot in Ultra Space… so they wouldn't notice a single thing. It's the companies and the Ultra Recon Squad that are likely calling emergency meetings and whatnot."

"That's my point. If they're all busy, then we've got no way to reach out to any of them," Seraph said.

"Oh, right. I'm sure you must be eager to get back to…" Espy's voice trailed off when she remembered what had happened to Ultra Village. "Err, never mind."

Arms crossed, Seraph said, "It's whatever. Truth is I've got at least one piece of business left to take care of in this place." She glanced at Luxeira, earning raised eyebrows from Espy and Silvally. "But, eh, I guess there's nothing I can really do about it right now. Just feel sorry for the kid, that's all." Seraph wedged a digit in her ear and scratched it. "I shouldn't be bothering you, anyway. You three have earned a break."

"Yes. Don't let us hold you up from the festivities," Sticky said, glancing down at the town square. Tiny smoke plumes rose up toward the late afternoon sky. Laughter echoed from down below and Pokémon of different shapes and sizes mingled around the Gorebyss fountain which, strangely, now had a golden Huntail coiling around it as well.

"All right. Thanks." Tessa sidestepped Luxeira. She made it five steps down the hill when a gust of wind rippled the fur on her back. "What the—" Tessa turned around. "Isn't that Rayquaza? When did he get here?" She pointed a paw off into the distance.

"Oh, yeah. Long story short… there's this tribe of dragons that got plopped down somewhere to the northeast of us. Said they lost their Totem or something," Ninetales explained. "When they came to the guild asking for help, the Totem's son was there. He told them he had no interest in helping them and suggested they turn to Rayquaza. So, now he's here."

"And Hoopa's the one who brought him!"

"Bwah!" Tessa jumped up, hollered in surprise, and fell to the ground with a thud. Espy arced her back, puffed up her fur, and hissed. Silvally turned to his right and frowned at Hoopa, who was dangling from one of his own ring portals.

"Seriously? You didn't have to spook us like that," Silvally huffed, dark memories shifting on.

"Hoopa wasn't aiming to spook. It's not Hoopa's fault you all are so jumpy," Hoopa said. He lifted his right hand, brandished a donut in it, and chomped down half of it in a single bite. "Besides, Hoopa's been ferrying people places for a while, now. Cut Hoopa some slack."

Silvally's disapproving look said there was no slack to be cut.

Hoopa frowned. "Yeah, okay. Hoopa's bad." He held out a plate with his left hand. A half-dozen golden, honey-glazed donuts sat on it. "Donut? Latias and Lugia are making them in town square."

Espy almost broke down coughing. "E-Excuse me? Latias and Lugia?" She turned to her teammates. "Weren't we supposed to use the meeting tomorrow to figure out how the gods were gonna mingle with us?"

"In all fairness, we've been with Latias for…" Tessa's voice trailed off. "Urk, okay, time crash aside, I guess it hasn't been that long since she showed up for the Glyphic Falls expedition."

"Latias is moving in with you guys," Hoopa said.

"Wait, what? Did she clear that with, uh…" Espy's voice trailed off. "Actually, who's even running the Observatory now that the angry dinner table is an ornament in the spirit realm?"

Tessa blinked. "That's… an excellent question." She clutched her head. "And now I think another headache's coming on."

"Hoopa didn't mean they'd literally move into your place. Only that they want to live in Horizon. As for your fancy dome, that's for you guys to decide. Hoopa likes his place in Lively Town, so Hoopa's staying there." Hoopa tossed one of the donuts from his plate into his mouth. "Mmm… Combee honey. Hoopa's favorite! Sure you don't want?"

"I'm more of a malasada guy," Silvally said, shrugging.

"Oh, they've got those, too. Some Crabrawler guy's making 'Mythical Malasadas,' whatever those are." Hoopa shook his head. "Hoopa thinks it's appalling, really. Taking good pastries and sucking all the sweetness out of them like that." He scarfed down another donut.

Fire memories switching on, Silvally leaned in and growled, "Hey, don't you diss malasadas like that! They're great! Besides, you lathered those things in so much honey that I bet you can't actually taste them."

"Settle down, children. Or am I going to have to separate you?" Espy teased.

"He started it," Silvally said, pointing a talon at Hoopa.

"Did not."

"Did too!" Silvally huffed.

"Did no— ah, forget it. Go have your shindig," Hoopa said. He ducked back into his ring portal, which closed up behind him.

Silvally puffed out his chest. "Now I'm a hero and a defender of the best dish in existence."

"Yeah, you really showed him who's boss." Giggling, Espy hip-checked Silvally as she walked past him. Embers crackled around his cheek bolts before he suppressed his fire memories and followed after her.

Tessa could only sigh and bring up the rear of the group. 'Is he acting like Shane to try and make me feel better… or is he just that happy that Necrozma's gone?' she wondered, watching Espy and Silvally slowly drift closer to each other until they were walking side by side. Tessa figured that, with the tampering Necrozma had done to Silvally's being, it was the latter idea. At the very least, that thought brought a smile to her face. It was good to see Silvally happy.

As Aeon Town's square grew closer, voices grew louder. Tessa's nostrils twitched. The sweet aroma of Crabrawler's malasadas drew her attention straight toward his café. It seemed that he'd set up some sort of cooking station. There was a small line of Pokémon waiting to get food, all while Crabrawler and Steenee weaved between grills and wooden tables. Mimikyu scuttled around the cooking area, wielding utensils in his cloth hand and doing his best to balance a tray of cookies on his disguise's head.

"I wonder if Latias and Lugia are using the donuts to distract from, y'know, their appearances," Espy thought aloud. Tessa glanced right, where another cooking station sat on the other side of the fountain. Lugia was seated awkwardly between a bench and Dhelmise Depot. He had his tail firmly wrapped up in his wings, like he thought he'd accidentally smack someone with it if he wasn't careful. Latias tended to metal grates in bubbling oil. Growlithe stood at the cooking area's side with an apron slung around his belly.

Then, to Tessa's surprise, Sylveon walked between Latias and Lugia. She grabbed the handle for one of the grates with her ribbons, lifted it, and nodded with a smile on her face. Latias smiled back. Tessa stumbled forward pushing past Espy and Silvally. "They're back," she whispered.

"Huh? Who's back?" Espy said. Her ears stuck up when she followed Tessa's gaze. "Ah. If… if that's Sylveon, then—"

"Tessa! Tessa! Tessa!"

A brown ball shot past Espy and crashed right into Tessa's gut. Tessa fell to her rear with an audible, "Oomph!"

"Hi, Tessa! I missed you a ton!" Eevee chirped, his wagging tail brushing against Tessa's thighs. "Look how big you are, now! And you've got spikes! That's so cool! Can you teach me how to grow spikes? I'm thinking maybe I'll be a spiky Jolteon!"

"H… Hi, Eevee," Tessa said, petting her old friend on the head. "It's good to see you again, too. Did you, um, learn Headbutt or something since we last saw each other?"

Eevee tilted his head. "No, that was a Headhug!" His tail resumed wagging. "I came up with it myself!"

"Ah. That's very creative of you," Tessa said. She stood back up, holding Eevee in her paws. It was… odd for her to be able to do that. Tessa supposed it came with the territory of evolving. "Why don't we go say hi to your mom, okay?"

"Okay! She's making chocolate cake for you," Eevee said as Tessa positioned him on her shoulder.

"I'll, uh, catch up with you two, I guess?" Tessa said.

"Go ahead. I think we'll be fine," Silvally said, pointing his beak toward Sylveon. Tessa nodded and walked off, only for several Pokémon to notice her and call out to her. "So, shall we sample some malasadas?" Silvally gestured to his left. "You never got the chance to try one for yourself, did you?"

"Honestly, I can't remember at this point. Mind's all jumbled up from everything's that happened," Espy said, chuckling.

Before Silvally got to respond, however, two Pikipek, a Rattata, and a Munchlax swarmed him. "Mr. Silvally! Mr. Silvally!" Munchlax tugged at the fur around Silvally's right knee. His head crest fanned out in surprise.

"H-Huh? Is… is there a problem? Did I do something wrong?"

"Something wrong? No way! We wanted to see you close-up, that's all," Munchlax said, his eyes sparkling. "Hey, can you really switch to any type you want? That's so cool! You're kinda like Mr. Kecleon!"

"Nuh-uh! Mr. Kecleon says he has to get hit with an attack or he can't change types," Rattata harrumphed.

Silvally stepped back, blinking in surprise. "Err, um, y-yeah… I can change my types. How did you—"

"Because we saw you fighting Necrozma!" the shorter, stouter Pikipek said, flaring out her wings. "You were all like… bam! Whoosh! Ker-pow!"

"Yeah! And the way you jumped in to pull Espeon out of the big, slimy core monster thing… it was so awesome!" the taller, thinner Pikipek added. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Espy's tail shot up. She stepped back, her cheeks reddening. "E-Excuse me?"

"That's… um… hey, where are your parents? Are they okay with you talking to strangers?" Silvally scanned the town square for any sign of adults missing their kids.

"Aww, look! His glowy parts turned all red. They do love each other," the Pikipek sisters said.

"Yeah! He's right over here, guys!" Rattata shouted, waving his arms around. Silvally was about to respond to the Pikipek when he spotted other kids charging toward him. He stepped back, beak hanging open. There was a Yungoos, a couple of Cutieflies, some Grubbins…

"W-Wh… what can I do for all of you?" Silvally said, struggling to keep track of everyone.

"We wanna hear about all your adventures!" one of the cutiefly buzzed.

"Yeah! Tell us more action-packed stories!" Rattata said, punching at the air beside him.

Espy backed away when the second wave of tykes descended on Silvally. They were clearly interested in him and she figured that kids would be the perfect place to start as far as interacting with people in public went. Especially ones as eager to talk with him as these kids were. Espy decided to get him a malasada while he tended to his newly-formed fan club. She made her way down to the fountain and headed toward the back of the line for Steenee's food station, only for a brown, fuzzy arm to shoot out in front of her.

"Come now," a Gumshoos said. Espy shrank back at the sight of his big, toothy grin. His tone sounded friendly, but facial expressions were definitely a problem for the guy in her book. "After everything you did to help us, I can't let you go all the way to the back of the line. Take my spot. I insist."

Espy blinked. "O-Oh. N-No, I couldn't, that's— I don't need any special treatment."

"It's not special treatment. With all that you went through, it's fair treatment," Gumshoos said. Several voices behind him muttered their agreement.

"O-Okay." Espy took her place in front of Gumshoos. Blood rushed to her cheeks. This was… quite a bit different from Post Town. It might take some getting used to. Espy glanced up the hill, then closed her eyes and smiled. If there were going to be bumps in the road, at least she had good support to carry her over them. Her tail perked up and wagged slowly at the thought.

"There you are, Espy. I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Her thoughts popped like a pricked balloon. Espy tensed up, eyes widening. "U-Umbry?" She turned left. Umbreon walked over to her, a mixture of worry and relief on his face… somehow. Espy's heart jumped into her throat, torn between the joy of seeing him again after the arduous trials that followed his sacrifice and concern because she hadn't had the chance to think about what she'd say to him when she saw him again.

In the end, she bowed at Gumshoos and left the line. She walked up to Umbreon and met him for a quick embrace. "It's… it's good to see you again," she whispered, giving him a curt nuzzle. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too, sis. Me too." Umbreon broke off the embrace and stepped back. "I, uh, I came over from Paradise as soon as I could. But I, um…" His voice trailed off and he looked toward the party. "Between my transport and this party things got a bit… wild." He leaned over and whispered, "Hoopa scares me."

"You're not alone in that regard," Espy said, smirking and shaking her head. An awkward silence fell between the two. Espy's brain screamed at her to stick to idle chitchat. "So, um, how's Paradise? Is it—"

Umbreon smiled. "Fixed." He paused to let relief flood Espy's face. "Well, more or less. But the others are tending to the few things that Shane couldn't fix."

"Is that so?"

"I use 'tending' loosely. Hydreigon's form of helping keeps breaking things and I'm pretty sure Haxorus directed him to 'float there and look pretty' before I left." Umbreon chuckled, then waited for Espy to do the same. As amusing as the mental image of Hydreigon floating around covered in glitter was, Espy kept quiet. She brushed her forelegs together. "E… Espy, is something wrong?"

"I, um—" Espy bit her lip and looked away. She couldn't avoid things, could she? "Umbry, we… we really need to talk. About, y'know, what happened at Tapu Bulu's temple." Shuddering, Espy paused. "No… about everything."

Umbreon frowned. "Espy, I'm not here for that. I just wanted to see my sister again." He nudged her cheek. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to rest. Take the day off or whatever. We can always talk at a later point."

"No, we can't," Espy said, her voice firm. She glanced up at Silvally, who sat on his haunches with kids gathered around him. Some clung to his forelegs and shoulders. It brought a smile to her face. She took a deep breath. "Umbry, I want you to be real with me… because I've had a recurring thought ever since what happened at the Temple of Body… and even though my friends have tried to help me shake it, it keeps coming back."

"What is it?" Umbreon asked, his flickering.

"Did you sacrifice yourself because you'd gotten sick of me?"

Umbreon stepped back. His rings dimmed. Espy frowned. That was the exact response she didn't want to see. "U-Umbry…"

"Of course not, Espy!" Umbreon said, loud enough to attract a few people's attentions. "S-Sorry, everyone." He waved them off with a forepaw, then looked around. Umbreon beckoned for Espy to follow him. They walked to one side of the hill until there weren't any other Pokémon around. Umbreon sat down and sighed. "Espy, why would you ask something like that?"

"Because of how I've treated you all this time. Let's face it, Umbry, I've been a really bad sister to you. And, um… an even worse mate," Espy said, wincing at that last part. "You didn't deserve all the flak and stress that I'd pushed onto you. I figured it was the whole soulmate bond superstition thing that kept you by my side. So, when Necrozma was attacking, you saw an out… and took it." Her ears drooped. "That's what I had told myself. And, frankly, if the answer was yes… I would've understood."

"Espy…"

"No, don't try to shrug it off, Umbry." Espy glanced up at the hill again. She could still see Silvally. A warmth spread through her chest. "I've… had time to really think back on everything that happened. Between us… and our friends in Paradise, too. For the longest time, I've been acting like the exact antithesis of what Paradise was trying to be. I got as bad as some of the Post Town residents were when Munna and Kyurem plagued the Mist Continent."

Umbreon tensed. "I… I wouldn't say it was…"

"It's the truth, Umbry. You don't have to sugarcoat it for my sake." Espy took another deep breath. "But I don't want to be like that, anymore. Seeing what Necrozma did to you…" Her voice trailed off. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to keep her breathing steady. "Umbry, before Necrozma destroyed the planet he… he trapped me in a Mystery Dungeon. Summoned Void Shadow copies of you and our friends from Paradise."

"Oh no. Espy, I'm so sorry! I—"

"It was bad. Worse than all the nightmares. But what made it even harder was… was the fact that I had to fight Silvally," Espy said, her head bowed.

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" Before Espy responded, however, Umbreon's eyes widened. "Wait, hang on. You and Silvally did seem, um… well, you stuck close together when you were fighting against Necrozma." His brow furrowed. "Am I missing something?"

"Yes." Espy's breathing grew shakier. "Silvally has… helped me confront all of the negativity I've built up over the years. At first… I was dismissive of him. But the more time I spend around him, the more I realize how much I care about him." She rubbed her forepaws together. "When I thought I was going to lose him, I told him that I loved him."

"O-Oh…" Umbreon blinked slowly. "You, um…"

Espy nodded. "I'm sure of it, Umbry. These feelings I have for him… it's got nothing to do with mating. It's… I just want his company. I want him by my side." Her gaze fell on him again. His laughter — she assumed one of the kids had done something funny — brought a smile to her face. "He's… he's…" She blinked tears out of her eyes. "I want a life with him, Umbry. So, so badly. Even if it doesn't make sense given his background. I can't envision a life without him."

Umbreon slowly tilted his head. His rings dimmed.

"Our relationship… I mean, yeah, I love you. You're my brother. But us as mates… that was a bad decision brought on by the thought that we were going to die," Espy said, her tail twitching. "And then I kept it going out of desperation. It was about sex… and nothing more, really."

Umbreon winced and looked away. Espy wrapped her tail around a hind leg. "It's not like that with him. His company is enough to make me happy… in a way I don't think I can really describe."

The two sat and looked at each other in silence. Espy grew progressively more worried, until Umbreon sighed loudly.

"There's no need to explain it," Umbreon said, nudging Espy's forepaw with his own. "Espy, I'm glad you were able to find someone like that. Yeah, I does bum me out when I think about how that means I probably shouldn't expect you back home, but it's not like we're never gonna see each other or anything." He glanced over his shoulder at Silvally. "Besides, from everything you've told me, it sounds like he really is a good fit for you."

Espy smiled. She blinked tears from her eyes. "Thanks, bro. That… means a lot more to me than you realize."

"Right. It's just… what about the superstition?" Umbreon said, biting his lower lip.

"Well, it's like Tessa said. I think it's time we tossed that moldy old tradition away," Espy said, sticking her snout up.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning, as your mate, I'm saying we're through," Espy said. "But as your sister," she leaned in and nuzzled Umbreon's cheek, "I'll always love you. You're family. And you stuck by me during the worst of times. And now… it's time for me to figure out a way to repay you." She leaned back, flicking her tail. "Who knows? Maybe I can find someone more appropriate to set you up with."

Umbreon's rings flashed brightly. "U-Uh. M-Maybe we should take things one day at a time?" He chuckled nervously.

"I'm only kidding, dummy," Espy said, then punched his shoulder playfully. "Now, come on. I think we dragged all of this on long enough, don't you?"

"Agreed. Though I'm not even sure Silvally realized you're gone," Umbreon said, looking up the hill. Nine of the kids were trying to team up and knock Silvally over. But his steel memories were on and he wasn't budging an inch, much to his amusement. "Should we, um, save him? That looks quite bothersome."

"On the contrary. He's clearly having fun with this," Espy said, a huge grin on her face. "Plus, it's a good way to get him accustomed to being out in public, don't you think? He never really got the chance, since we had to flee the guild right after the events at the temple."

"Seriously?" Umbreon blinked in surprise. "Jeez, how much did I miss?"

"A ton. You'd want to pull up a cushion and get comfortable, because it'd be a long story," Espy said, sighing and shaking her head. "I wish I could say our past experiences made me prepared for all the stuff we had to deal with… but that'd be a lie."

"That sounds… oof, yeah, that's a bad time." Umbreon shuddered. "Well, if you need to vent, I'm willing to hear you out. Provided it's, y'know, a healthy kind of venting."

"Understood," Espy said as they reached the fountain. "Okay, I think I'm definitely gonna get some f—" Espy stopped herself and squinted, then frowned.

"Something wrong?" Umbreon asked.

"Yeah. I think I just saw Tessa leaving town."

---

~Azure Cape~

Tessa tried to mingle around with people at the party. She gave friendly greetings, talked with Sylveon for the first time since her hatch day, and received more compliments in the span of a few minutes than she thought she'd gotten in the last several years. Sure, there were quite a few people looking skeptically at the black fur on her chest, but they all seemed to take the sight in stride since she'd played a big role in saving them.

And yet, even with no aura sense to frazzle her, she got overwhelmed. So, Tessa trudged off down the western road, climbed the hill leading away from town, and kept walking until sandy shores appeared in the distance. Her aura feelers twitched as she approached the boundary between the trail and Azure Cape.

'And here I am. Back where it all began.'

Tessa walked across the beach, shielding her eyes from the setting sun's reflection. She headed for the large rock stuck in the sand. The spot where she had found Shane after he'd washed ashore. The salty air brought the stench of damp fur to mind. It was the first thing that tipped her off that Shane was there. And, from there, things snowballed out of control in a way Tessa could never have predicted.

'How time flies, huh?'

She knelt down and scooped up a pawful of sand. Warmth tickled her fur as she slowly opened her paw and let sand grains trickle back down onto the ground. Tessa continued walking until she was close to the rock. Then, she plopped herself down, leaning back and bracing her arms on either side of her. Tessa stuck her legs out and dug her toes into the sand, wiggling them. She gazed out over the water, squinting due to the sun's reflection. Orange sparkles twinkled in the distance, bringing to mind Shane's fur after Primarina's team had gussied him up and covered him in glitter.

"Nrgh. You're so stupid." Tessa lifted a paw and bonked the side of her head three times. "You're practically obsessing over him. Pull yourself together. This isn't the end of the world or anything. We managed to reverse that." She paused, frowning. "Well, I guess Shane did. And that's why he's not here." Her brows raised. "Ugh, I did it again!"

Tessa flopped onto her back, wincing from her tail bending. It quickly sank into the sand when Tessa bent her knees. "I'm such a dummy. Here I am… moping on the beach like I used to do before I met Shane." Tessa put a paw to her head and rubbed it. "You know he wouldn't want you to do that, Tessa." She lay there silently, thanking her good fortunes that there weren't any wild Pokémon around for her to scare with her rambles.

She traced her right paw through the warm sand. Tessa knew that Shane had made of point of saying that he wanted her to be happy. He was willing to work with her to find what, if anything, could make her happy. Because the answer definitely wasn't exploring. Or battling. Tessa was absolutely sick of fighting. She wondered if she'd even use her aura powers again… assuming they returned to her, of course.

"So, what made you decide to ditch town to throw yourself a pity party?"

Tessa sat up, sand grains streaming down her back. "E-Espy?" She didn't bother turning around. "I'm fine. It was getting noisy and I needed some space, so I left."

The sand shook and, next thing Tessa knew, Silvally was standing to her right, grass memories active and cheek bolts glowing. Was he reacting to the sunset?

"It'd be one thing if you went back to the Observatory, but you walked all the way out here. And, well, we both know the meaning this place holds for our team," Silvally said, looking out at the water. He then glanced at Tessa. "You're thinking about Shane again, aren't you?"

Tessa put her paws in her lap. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Given the context, it can't be anything else," Silvally said, tracing a talon through the sand. Silence followed, with Tessa looking down at her lap. She didn't see her teammates exchanging frowns. "Mind if we you join you?"

"Of course not," Tessa said, then squeaked when Silvally parked his rump down beside her, shaking the nearby sand. Espy sat down to Tessa's left, crossing one foreleg in front of the other. "You guys would've sat down regardless of what I said." It was a fact, not a question. She glanced at the hesitancy on Espy's face. "Given the context, I can't think you'd answer anything but 'yes,'" Tessa said, mimicking Silvally's voice from earlier.

"We're worried about you, Tessa," Espy said. "Like, I don't want you getting the wrong idea or anything. I'm sad that Shane's gone, too. But it looks like his loss is hitting you hard."

Silvally nodded. He nudged Tessa's shoulder with his beak. "Neither of us want to see this drag you back down into a dark place. And I'm sure Shane wouldn't, either. You've made so much progress from the time I've met you…" His water memories inadvertently shifted on. "We're here for you, okay? Please… tell us what's on your mind."

"I can't stop thinking about how bad I screwed up a golden opportunity. Shane was the person I needed in my life. And I was the person he needed in his life. But we were a couple of stubborn dummies." Tessa shook her head. "I should've opened up to him sooner. Maybe it would've changed the trajectory of our relationship. Maybe…" Her words got caught in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Maybe I would've realized my feelings for him sooner."

Silvally's head crest fanned out. "T… Tessa, are you—"

"Yes, I admit it." Tessa's aura feelers drooped. "I dunno… I'm probably being dumb and reckless… but my brother was, too, and he seems happy with Zoroark. It's just… there are too many similarities. Shane and I have shared so many struggles… and that's not counting what we did as teammates. It just… it makes sense." Tessa brought her legs up to her chest. "But I didn't want to say anything, partly because I was afraid of my own evolution and how Shane seemed to idolize Lucario."

"Do you still think that?" Espy asked.

"No. Not anymore. I think he… he liked me most for who I was. My species was like… an added bonus for him or something," Tessa said. It was a slight rephrase of Shane's remarks to her from back in Cosmic Cavern. Gods, how she wished those quiet moments had lasted longer. "The stuff that happened on Celestial Island made me sure of it. I kept calling out to him to fight Necrozma… told him I wanted to be his partner for life. He heard me. Managed to stop Necrozma long enough for me to land my Z-Move and break his control.

"I should've said something more concrete then and there, but you two came bursting in and… well, now the opportunity's gone." Tessa couldn't help but lean her head against Silvally's foreleg. A heaviness tugged at her heart. At the same time, though, she was happy it was finally out in the open. Tessa was sure that's what had been eating at her since she'd woken up.

"I'm sorry," Silvally whispered. He leaned over and nudged her head with his beak. "I wish there was something I could do… but short of charging out into Ultra Space on Lunala's back, I've got nothing."

"It's okay, Silvally." Tessa grabbed a clump of fur around his knee. She sighed as she sat up straight. After a protracted silence, Tessa looked out toward the water and said, "At least you were able to keep your promise to me."

"Hmm?"

"The sunset. We're finally watching it again," Tessa said, gesturing forward.

"Oh. R-Right." Silvally's head crest drooped. "I, uh… yeah. It's… it's beautiful. I can't put a claw on it, but something seems different about the sun. It seems more… vibrant. More, uh, radiant… aha ha."

"So, you've been thinking that, too?" Espy said, curling her tail around her waist. "Glad I'm not the only one. I swear the sky's been brighter since we got back to Horizon. I thought it meant my disposition had gotten more cheerful, but if you're also seeing something, then maybe the sun has changed somehow."

Tessa took Espy's statement like a slap to the face. "Wait a sec… that's gotta be it! That's what Shane meant," she said.

"Beg your pardon?" Silvally titled his head.

"Shane took Necrozma's power and used his light to rebuild the world, right? Well, what if he rebuilt the sun, too? It kinda looked like it was collapsing on itself while we were fighting Necrozma. He probably fixed whatever Necrozma did to break it… and that's why it seems different," Tessa explained. "When Shane told us he'd 'see us on the other side,' he was probably referring to the sun."

"Huh. I… hmm…" Espy's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure of the logic behind that, but I can't come up with a counterargument."

Silvally looked into the sun. His grass memories shifting on. "Then that means his light will be burning bright throughout our lives." An awkward silence followed. Silvally shrank down sheepishly. "Sorry. That sounded more, um, poetic in my head."

The trio reclined, staring out at the ocean. After a couple of quiet minutes, Espy said, "Oh, as long as we're here, we may as well put this to use." She levitated up a tan satchel with a Crabrawler patch stitched into it. Espy opened it up to reveal a bottle of yellow-orange liquid and three glasses. "I, uh, might've borrowed some pinap juice from the drink station as Silv and I were leaving town."

"That's not hard pinap juice, is it?" Silvally said, frowning.

"Nope. But it is honey-sweetened." Espy poured the juice into three glasses and distributed two to her friends. To her surprise, Silvally snatched the glass up in a pink bubble. Even he seemed bewildered by the gesture, but shook it off. Tessa took her glass in her paws. It was sweet. So sweet it made her mouth water.

"To Shane?" Silvally said, leaning his glass toward his teammates.

"To Shane," Espy and Tessa replied in unison. They clinked their glasses together then each gulped down a mouthful of pinap juice. In Silvally's case, that meant drinking the entire glass.

Sighing, Tessa swirled the pinap juice around in its glass. "Though, if you think about it, aren't we kind of toasting the end of Team Radiance, too?" She glanced at her teammates' skeptical looks. "Team Radiance was an exploration team. There are no more Mystery Dungeons, so there's no need for exploring. Or guilds." Tessa looked into her glass. "What are we going to do with ourselves now that this is over?"

Neither teammate responded. Silvally silently levitated the pinap juice bottle over and poured himself another glass. Like before, he swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.

"My entire life revolved around the guild. First it was training up to go there. Then it was taking missions with Shane. And then we were battling the Prism Virus nonstop." Tessa took a small sip of pinap juice. "Battling and training are practically all I know, so what should I do? I was kind of thinking maybe I ought to learn how to bake. Then I could help Sylveon out."

"Well, there are those meetings. Maybe that will give us some answers?" Silvally said.

"I dunno. The meetings are more focused on giving the communities of the world a sense of direction… not individual 'mons like us," Tessa said. "Besides, don't you think it's worth considering? I mean, you were made to battle, so what options are out there for you if you can't?"

Silvally set his glass down. His cheek bolts rotated slowly as he hummed in thought. "Well, I don't intend to stop training. Sure, we're much less likely to face a threat of our own making in the future… but you never know if Ultra Space could thrust some sort of crisis onto the planet." He looked up toward the sky. "I need to be ready for something like that… so I don't have to do something risky like when we fought Zero."

Tessa tilted her head. She got the sense there was more to Silvally's answer than he was letting on, but opted not to push it. "That's fair. But you can't spend every waking hour training."

"I know. Maybe I ought to look into, like, construction or something? I'm sure there are Pokémon out there who could use someone big and strong to help them build things," Silvally said, tensing up his leg muscles. Espy's face flushed and her tail curled even tighter around her waist.

"That's not a bad idea, Silv. And if that doesn't work, you could always consider being a delivery 'mon. You'd be able to travel across any terrain," Espy noted, sipping more pinap juice to try and dispel her blush.

"Well, what about you, Espy?" Silvally said.

"I was thinking of seeing if there's a library in Aeon Town that I could work in. I'm, uh… I don't really think I can handle the stresses of anything battle-related anymore." Espy's shoulders sagged. "Feels like I've knocked a good decade off my life with all the worrying I've done in our time together." Her forehead gem flickered. "Oh, and speaking of stress… I think your brother's running toward us."

"Huh?" Tessa looked over her shoulder. To her surprise, two Absols ran toward the beach. One carried Sneasel and the other carried Hakamo-o. The latter carefully held a package. "G-Gallian? But who's the second—" She promptly facepalmed. "Right. Zoroark."

Gallian slowed to a trot and Hakamo-o slid off his back. Zoroark, on the other hand, staggered across the beach. Sneasel barely managed to jump off before his illusion collapsed and he dropped to his hands and knees, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. "That was… much farther… than I was expecting."

"Well, we made it. That's all that matters," Gallian said.

"Easy for you… to say. It's not like… I was… running places… when my leg was busted," Zoroark wheezed, clutching his chest. "You're in… way better shape… than me."

"Um, is there a problem?" Silvally said, his comment directed mostly at Team Fang's unexpected presence.

"Oi. Don't give us the shifty, suspicious eyes. We ain't here to cause any trouble," Sneasel said, raising up his claws. "We're done with the two-bit crook routine."

"Yeah. We've been helping these two out with their crazy project," Hakamo-o said, jerking his head in Gallian's direction. "Guy's been breathing down our necks the whole day."

"Project? What kind of project?" Tessa said, a skeptical brow raised. Gallian beckoned Hakamo-o to follow him up to Team Radiance.

"Listen, Tessa… when I saw you back at the Observatory, I got the sense you weren't, y'know, feeling all that great." Gallian glanced at Espy and Silvally. "You guys, too. I only thought it right that I should do something to show you three how much people appreciate what you've done for them."

"You mean… besides the whole 'bringing the world back from total annihilation' thing?" Espy mused, flicking her tail to the side.

Gallian stumbled, but collected himself. "Yeah, aside from that." He leaned over and careful picked up an envelope in his mouth. Gallian handed it to Tessa. "Here. Read this."

"Okay." Tessa tore the envelope open with a paw spike and pulled out its contents. "It's… a card?" The front had splotches of colors scattered around, like someone had haphazardly squeezed paint tubes over it. Tessa opened the card up and was assaulted by a barrage of words and scribbles. "W… whoa. H-How many people wrote in this thing?"

"Let me see!" Silvally leaned over. His eyes widened. "What the— there's a note from Kahuna Raichu and his daughter! Heck, Totem Salazzle and Totem Marowak are there, too." He looked at Gallian. "How did you manage this?"

"We might've borrowed Lunala," Zoroark said, shrugging. Tessa paid the explanation little mind as she combed over the card.

There were scattered one-liners from her guildmates. Things like "Good job," "Thanks for saving us," and "I'm truly grateful." But there were also several larger chunks of text.

Thank you for helping set my mother straight and bringing our tribes back together again. It's so nice that Marowak and I don't have to hide our relationship anymore, though I do wish Mother would stop giving me courting advice. Still, it's thanks to your hard work that this could happen. Come visit us anytime! From Healer Salazzle.

Outsiders, thank you for saving our lands from destruction at the hands of Mount Supernova. I see now that it is wrong of me to make assumptions based on outward appearances alone. I should judge 'mons by their actions, instead. That's why I'm hoping to learn the Marowaks' dances for myself. I see a bright future for our tribe. From Totem Salazzle.

Miss Tessa, since the day you stood up to Totem Salazzle, I have seen her carry herself differently. There is caution behind her actions. She is not rushing to judgements, but rather is conferring with me before making decisions. She even wants to learn our dances and teach them to the Salandits. I believe our unified tribe is as strong as ever. Thank you… and give my regards to Silvally, too. From Totem Marowak.

Hey, Team Radiance. Latias here. You guys might not think it, but I believe I learned a lot from you. I was always doubting myself… wondering if I could really make a difference. But seeing you four give it your all, even when circumstances were as dire as they could get, lit a fire in my belly that I'm hoping to carry into the future. If I hadn't found that courage, I'm not sure I would've been able to save Lugia. So, thank you. I hope we get to see each other more now that Lugia and I are moving to Horizon.

I wanted to believe that Midnight could change on his own. That I wouldn't have to do anything to get back the friend I had cherished so much when I was a Rockruff. But that didn't happen. You guys tried to warn me, but I didn't want to listen. Thank the stars you were able to put him in place, because I fear what would've happened otherwise. And, of course, I'll forever be grateful to you for saving me. I'm really sorry about what happened to Shane. If you want to talk, come find me in Cosmic Cavern. From Dusk.

To say the day you showed up in my home was a wild one would be an understatement. A lot happened, some of which I'm still not entirely sure I understand. Nevertheless, I'm glad you all showed up when you did. Your experience was tantamount in keeping Cosmic Cavern safe from the Prism Virus. I wish you all the very best. From Totem Decidueye.

It's Blaziken and Swampert. We know we didn't spend all that much time together with you guys, but we were impressed with your resilience in the heat of the battle. For all your doubts about yourself, Tessa, you managed to shine as bright as your team's name. If you want to talk about Shane, we'd be happy to have a chat.

Not every day you get the privilege of knowing such great explorers, yeah. Seriously, cousins, Circadian Coast is my pride and joy. I love being the Kahuna here and the thought that some sort of crazy, otherworldly nonsense could've jeopardized all of it still sends chills down my spine. I'm thanking my lucky stars you all showed up when you did. Oh, and that you kicked Necrozma's behind, too. Consider yourselves welcome at the resort any time… free of charge! Assuming we're not booked up, of course. From Kahuna Raichu. Pau hana!

Seeing you guys strut your stuff onstage has lit my creative fire! I'm like the end of a Charizard's tail… I can't stop burning! Here me out for a sec. A stage show… themed around your adventures. There'll be action! Drama! Romance! Emotion! Thrills! I'm writing a script as we speak. Trying to convince Primarina to do the music for the production, but it's gonna take some arm-twisting. I do hope you guys will consider dropping by to see it. From Cosplay Pikachu.

Hey, babes, it's your boy, Primarina. I'm-a be real with you… you outshined me onstage. Sure, maybe I wasn't entirely myself, but I'm still glad you put me in my place before I went too deep into my own mistake. I did a lot of thinking after our talk, Tessa. First off, Serpy and I have agreed to take a break from each other. Y'know, to try and sort ourselves out. If we still feel strongly about each other, we may pick things back up. But I've got a lot of work to do before then. And it all starts with stepping back from the stage. Cosplay Pikachu's asking me about some kinda show, but I'm not sure. Right now… I think I want to shift my focus toward teaching music to others. I want to inspire people to express themselves… whether it's through music or another form of art. So, again, thanks for all your help.

I always figured being a manager would be a low-key job. If you had told me I'd get hypnotized by my own partner into running some sort of crazy mass-hypnosis concert, I'd have scoffed at you. Needless to say, I'm really in your guys' debts. Both for snapping me out of things and for bringing me back to Jolty. Twice, technically, if we're counting Necrozma's world-ending blast. Keep your chins up, you three. You're superstars in my books. From Vaporeon.

What can I say besides I'm sorry? The things I said. The things I did. I feel awful about them. And, despite how bad I was to you, you three still gave it your all to try and save Dragonite. And then, of course, everything you did to stop Necrozma. Tessa, you've become so strong. Much stronger than me. Nobody can take your victory away from you. Remember that. From Milotic.

Pretty much everything Millie said. Think I'm going to step away from the Observatory and do some soul-searching. Even if I wasn't entirely myself when we fought, I do think I might've had a bit of an attitude problem. I mean… I can't count the number of times I mouthed off to Shane. But he still chose to bring me back in the end… just like you all fought to free me. I wish you the best in whatever you all choose to do with yourselves. From Serperior.

I had just about given up hope I could get Gallian back when I stumbled upon your team in the Volcanic Wastes. Tessa, even though you were hot of the heels of a rough evolution, you not only heard me out, you did everything in your power to bring my mate back. I'm proud to call you my spirit-sister and I look forward to having you in my life going forward. From Zoroark.

I wanted to put this in writing so that you would always have this. Espeon, thank you for talking some sense into me when I was trying my hardest to tune out the people who cared about me most. Silvally, thank you for being a pillar of strength for my sister… and showing the world that it's not about what you look like or what abilities you have, but how you make use of them. And Tessa… I'm so proud of you. The struggles you endured would've broken me several times over. But you didn't quit. You kept fighting not just for yourself, but for everyone else. If anyone asks, I can tell them with confidence that I've got the best sister in the world. I hope you all enjoy your gifts. From Gallian.

Tessa's eyes were misty, as were her teammates'. "G… Gallian…"

"Your team's inspired a lot of people, Tessa. And, in turn, all of these people you helped want to see you happy. They care about you," Gallian said. "I can't imagine how you guys are feeling about Shane. But I'm hoping that this is able to help… even a little bit." He stepped back and looked up at the sky. "I want to believe that he's still out there. That he's going to return… somehow.

"Whether or not that happens, though, you guys deserve to have these." Gallian motioned at the trio. Hakamo-o opened the remainder of the package and unfolded it. Tessa looked down and gasped. There were half a dozen scarves stacked on top of one another. She immediately recognized the top two: a blue-indigo scarf with a yellow sun and a yellow-orange scarf with a blue moon. The difference this time was that the sun and moon had tiny pink hearts stitched into them. There were hearts stitched into the other scarves, too.

"G… Gallian. How did you— a-and so quickly?" Tessa picked up the blue scarf in a trembling paw.

"Salazzle's a fast worker," Gallian said, grinning. "We asked her if she could make replacement scarves for you guys and she said it would be her pleasure."

"Wow." Tessa turned the scarf over in her paws. Silvally leaned over to pick up the green scarf, matching the one he had lost fighting Dragonite. Espy levitated up a dark-blue scarf.

"That's strange. Call me crazy, but it feels like these scarves have auras," she said, a brow raised.

"That's because Salazzle weaved them from Rainbow Wings and Lunar Wings," Zoroark said, rubbing his nose. "We convinced Ephemeris and Cresselia to give us some to make the scarves. They said it was the least they could do."

Tessa slowly placed the scarf around her neck. Before it could slip from her grasp, Silvally caught it with ESP and tied a neat knot in the back. Tessa placed her paw against it. "This is… it's… wow." The fabric was exactly like she remembered.

Espy and Silvally slung their scarfs around their necks. "It's so soft," Espy whispered, lifting her head up and shaking it like she was drying herself off. "I see why you guys never took yours off, even with how dirty they got."

"Gallian, you didn't have to do this," Tessa said, still brushing the scarf with her paw.

"I know. But I wanted to. You've earned it," Gallian said. He stepped closer to her. Tessa leaned over and hugged him. Gently, of course, due to her chest spike.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I love it. Dad would've, too."

Gallian broke off the embrace. "I'm sure he's watching you from the Tree of Life and smiling. You've gone above and beyond. Whatever happens… I'm gonna try my best to be around for you when you need it, okay?"

"We're gonna be around for you," Zoroark said, slinging his arm over Gallian's shoulder. "Come on, we're a family! And now that there's no Necrozma to worry about, we can finally start acting the part!"

A flush fell over Gallian's face. "R… right. W-Well, I, uh…" He blinked and shook his head. "I think we should take our leave. We'll be at the Observatory if you need—"

Oh, thank goodness. I finally found you!

Tessa's ears and aura feelers crinkled at the sounds of screeching tires. She turned to see Magearna zooming across the beach, as she had done after they'd fought Team Captivate. Magearna came to a stop by Team Radiance, wheels retracting into her legs. "Um, can we help you?" Tessa said, cocking her head.

No. It's me who can assistify you, Magearna said. I was taking stock of my workshop… when I discovered something out of place on my desk. She stuck her right arm out.

"Another letter?" Silvally said, a brow raised. "It looks like something's wedged into the envelope, too.

I tried to identificate the handwriting, but it didn't match anyone in my registries, Magearna said. And it was addresticated directly to you three. So, I raced out of the Observatory to locatiate you and hand it over.

Tessa took the envelope in her paws. There was a spiky bulge on the bottom of it. Tessa tore the envelope open by the bulge to avoid damaging the letter. A white crystal tumbled into her left paw. "Huh?"

"Hey, look. There's a snowflake carved into the other side of that," Hakamo-o said, pointing a claw at it.

"Oh, yeah. Kinda reminds me of the ice carvings my folks used to do to sharpen their claws," Sneasel said, squinting. "Wonder how your secret admirer made it so tiny."

Tessa tore the rest of the envelope open, heart leaping into her chest. She read the first line and sucked in a breath. "No… no, it can't be."

"What? What is it?" Silvally leaned in, trying to look at the letter.

"It's… Shane wrote this!" Tessa said, holding the letter out while everyone else jumped back in surprise.

"You're kidding me! What's it say?" Espy leaned her head against Tessa's side.

Hey guys,

If you're reading this… then that means I was able to use Necrozma's power to reconstruct the world, spirit realm and all. Except this time, there are no ley lines to cause any trouble. And, well, that means that we did it. We beat Necrozma and reversed the damage from his rampage.

I suppose I have to start by apologizing. After all, I told you guys that I'd be fine, didn't I? But the truth is that I knew from the get-go that, in order to bring everything back, I'd end up having to disappear. Nicky made it clear to me that the energy we'd have to expel from Necrozma's body would burn out our collective spirit.

And yes, I did say Nicky. When I jumped into Necrozma's core, I found the little fragment of his soul that had been left inside of Necrozma. We used our combined wills to force the demonic part of Necrozma out of his body. And, well, you guys saw the rest. We blew it to smithereens, then you flew off.

I'm sure you're upset. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. When I said I wanted to stay here with you guys, I meant it from the bottom of my heart. Even though much of our time together was defined by struggles instead of fun, I still consider you three to be the first real friends I've ever made in… well, two lifetimes, technically.

Espy, I hope that, in the aftermath of all of this, those dark clouds swirling over your head finally start to clear up. The ley lines are gone. Void Shadows will never bother you again. I realize that this doesn't change what happened to you in the past. I wish I could've erased your nightmares with all of the ley lines, but I'm afraid Necrozma's light powers aren't that good.

Still, I think that you deserve to give yourself more credit. After all, like you had mentioned back at the Observatory, it would've been easy for you to just lie down and not lift a paw to help us. But you soldiered on… even though doing so made you come face to face with the things that frightened you the most. You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. And I firmly believe you'll be able to overcome your vices. Assuming you haven't already. No idea when you guys will actually get to see this.

Silvally… ours certainly was a bumpy road, wasn't it? It's strange to think that there was a point where every word that came out of my mouth toward you was an insult… and that you'd almost killed me in a berserker rampage. But, well, it seems we were actually far more alike than either of us realized. Our spirits are both patchwork pieces partially derived from the demon that spawned all the ley lines in the first place.

Honestly, though? That doesn't really change anything for me… except make it clear why things had gone south in Moonrise Marsh. At the end of the day… I'm still glad we were able to work through our differences. If you hadn't given me that pep talk in Tessa's house, I'm not sure I would've taken those first steps toward trying to be a better person.

I hope that you're able to find a place for yourself in the world. More people deserve to see your infectious positivity for themselves. I'm going to miss your ability to make the team smile, even when we were stressed to our breaking points. Don't stop being yourself and don't let anyone talk down to you. Because nobody can forge a path for you but yourself.

… sorry, that sounded cooler in my head.

Which brings me to you, Tessa. I know we've spoken about this, but even now, I still can't help but feel guilty over everything that happened surrounding Lycanroc and our disciplinary assignment. If anything, I feel worse about it because of the stuff you said to me back at Circadian Coast. I realize I've already apologized for this, but it bears repeating. I'm so, so sorry for the things I said to you. No amount of stress and anger justifies it.

By all accounts, you had every right to never speak to me again. But that isn't what happened. You were willing to give me one last chance after your hatch day party. And I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. I know the days that followed were filled with a lot more bad moments than good… but those good moments made our time together worth it.

Yeah, there was a lot of sitting and talking to each other, but I really did enjoy myself. And that's saying something, because nothing bored me faster than sitting and talking back when I was human. That's just how much you meant to me.

I'm sure you might be tempted to scoff at this given my, uh, interest in Lucarios. But I mean it when I say that I like you for you. You never backed down, even when the odds were stacked against us. There were times I wanted to flat-out quit… but you always found the strength to keep going. And that, in turn, kept me going, too.

I wish there was a way that I could've stayed there with you… and helped you figure out what makes you happy in life. Sadly, I won't get the chance. Still, I felt like I had to do something. So, I used some of Necrozma's power to conjure up a small memento. It's a crystal… kind of like the one I gave you for your hatch-day. I hope you'll keep it with you… and that it can remind you of the good times we shared together.

I just want you to know that I will never forget you. Any of you. You're my teammates and my best friends. I'll always cherish the good times we had together.

May this new sun light the way toward a bright future for all of you.

Your friend,
Shane

Tessa stared at the letter, breaths growing steadily more labored. "T-Tessa? Are you… gonna be okay?" Silvally said.

Her grip on the letter slipped. Espy caught it with telekinesis. Tessa clasped the crystal tight in her paws and ambled toward the shoreline. Gallian's eyes widened. "Hey, wait! What are you doing, Tessa? You know you can't swim!" He was ready to bolt toward her when Zoroark stuck an arm out.

"Don't. Let her have her moment. She needs it."

Step by step, Tessa trudged into the water. When it reached her ankles, she dropped down to her knees. They sank into the silt, but Tessa kept her balance. She squeezed the crystal even tighter, bowed her head, and gritted her teeth.

Tessa couldn't keep it together any longer. Tears spilled down her cheeks, splattering against the tiny waves splashing her thighs. She cried into the crystal — the last keepsake she had of her partner — while her mind cycled through those good moments Shane's letter mentioned. She lingered on their calmest moment together… sitting on the Circadian Coast shoreline, brushing paws against one another while the sun shined down on both of them and small, sparkling waves rolled up toward the sand. She saw the smile on his face and the calm in his eyes.

Sobs wracked her body. Tessa was so lost in thought, she didn't realize her teammates had waded in after her until Silvally had curled up around her, tucking his head down and pressing it against her forehead. Espy wrapped her tail around Tessa's waist and buried her face into Tessa's shoulder.

"It's not fair," Tessa blubbered.

"I know," Silvally whispered, tears trickling toward his blue cheek bolts.

"He wanted to stay with us. It's… it's not fair. We were… we were supposed to find happiness together," Tessa said between sniffles. "Why did he… why did he have to go?"

"I don't know," Silvally said, squeezing Tessa tight.

"We're going to get through this," Espy said, pulling her head back and brushing it against her shoulder. "One day at a time. Together. That's what friends do, right?"

Tessa's rubbed her head against Silvally's thigh. "Y… yeah. One day… friends."

"Even if there aren't Mystery Dungeons, we're still a team. We'll stick together," Silvally said, blinking tears out of his eyes. He slowly stood up and faced the sky. "For a bright future… like Shane said."

Espy got up alongside him. "Right. We don't need a guild to be a team. As long as we have each other, that's all that matters, right?" She extended a forepaw toward Tessa.

"Yeah." Tessa clasped it gently and stood up. She rubbed her eyes. "You're right. Tomorrow's another day. We'll face it together. That's what Shane wants for us." Tessa looked down at the crystal. She held it up toward the sun, which had nearly vanished beyond the horizon. "Through darkest night… and brightest day…"

Espy and Silvally reached out to touch the crystal. "Team Radiance always finds a way," they whispered together.

Tessa brought the crystal back toward her chest. "I'll never forget you, partner," she whispered.

They stood together in the water for a few more silent minutes, watching the horizon until the sun was completely gone and only a faint, orange sky was left behind. "Well, we should really get back to the Observatory. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, don't we?" Silvally said.

Tessa nodded. "Lead the way." They all turned and walked back ashore, but not befor Tessa turned to take one last look at the cloudless sky. At her partner's parting gift to the world.

'Thanks for everything, Shane.'

THE EN—

'Hang on… what was that ripple in the distance?'

Tessa's brow furrowed. Distorted sparks raced through the sky. Her aura feelers stuck up.

'Those ripples… they're just like what preceded an Ultra Wormhole!' She stood there, frozen in suspense. Tessa waited for something to pop up in the sky. But a solid minute past and nothing happened.

"Hey, Tessa! You coming or what?" Silvally called, standing on the shore and brushing sand off his talons.

"Ah, sorry! I'll be right there!" Tessa bit her lip, but ultimately jogged after her teammates. Surely, with all the stress she'd been through, her weary mind was just playing tricks on her… right?

---

~Ultra Nexus~

"H… harrgh… hrrgh…"

Each pained wheeze grew harder and harder for Dragonite to handle. The spot where Silvally had torn off her wing had stopped bleeding, but that did her little good. Her limp had practically slowed to a crawl. She had been following this yellow, luminescent path for gods only knew how long… but it had led her nowhere. All she had done was pass by ethereal crystals. It didn't help that the sky surrounding her — if she could even call it a sky — offered no solid visual aids. It was dark blue, with strange checkerboard patterns and large crystals flying about at complete random.

"How much further… do I have to go?" she said, voice straining.

Dragonite's antennae twitched. She paused. Listening closely, she heard thumping. Rhythmic thumping… chained together in pairs. Like a heartbeat, but far louder. The sounds gave Dragonite a second wind. She limped down the path, bracing herself against the crystals as she went. Eventually, she caught site of purple and red light in the distance. She stumbled the rest of the way down the path, until she emerged into a circular clearing, with a strange, blue platform whose texture looked more like water than any solid floor.

"What the—" Dragonite squinted. Xerneas lay unmoving in the middle of the clearing. Dragonite could smell her from her position. Her snout wrinkled and she nearly gagged. "Whatever. Who am I to pass up the unconscious god of life? I can undo all the damage that stupid mutt did to me."

Dragonite raised a hand, ready to summon a lightning javelin, when another distorted heartbeat sounded, loud enough to knock her to her belly. "Oof! Hey, what gives?" Dragonite looked up and her jaw dropped.

There, hanging over her head and suspended by countless slimy veins, was a large, crystal heart. And at the center of the heart lay a bundle of blueish-white fur with nine frayed tails. Rainbow light flashed in the center of the heart in time with its beating. Each pulsation sent energy ripples into the veins which, in turn, caused flashes in the sky.

"Aha… aha ha… ha ha ha ha!" Dragonite pressed a hand to her gut. "This… this is too perfect! They must've fused or something!" An unhinged smile spread across her face. "Oh well. That's no scales off my bones. I get to kill that pasty loser and take Necrozma's power all for myself! Then nobody will ever stand up to me again!"

Dragonite flicked her right hand out. A lightning javelin formed in it. With a strained roar, she leaped into the air and plunged the blade into the crystal heart. Fissures spread across it. The heart trembled. Dragonite's eyes widened. Something was wrong. It wasn't breaking apart. Instead, it was venting black smoke.

"W-Wait… hang on. What the hell do you think you're doing?" She tried to push herself off the heart, but she was stuck in place. The shadows then surrounded her.

As her world went black, Dragonite screamed.

End of Episode 16

---

What's crazier than an April Fools' fake ending? A legitimate fake ending, of course! Yes, I did say that this is the last episode… and it is. But I also said, on multiple sites, that this fic would have five special episodes. And, well, we're one short in that department. So, before you all grab your pitchforks and torches let me just say that, yes, the story isn't over. Special Episode 5 will be wrapping things up. The reason I'm designating it as a special episode is that it's, basically, going to be like an abridged version of post-game content from the canon material. With that in mind… five chapters remain!

For this chapter, I worked really hard to try and evoke the same emotions that the canon games bring about with their endings. Those of you who are Paper Mario fans might also recognize the influence in the card that Gallian threw together. In any case, I'd really appreciate hearing from you guys whether or not I succeeded at bringing the feels.

SuperOmegaGuest: Did I? Well, then that was some misdirection on my part.

Anon Omega: It ain't over until the fat lady sings!

Next time: A promise gets upheld.