Beta read by Namohysip.
Chapter 103: Into the Nexus
Tessa clung to Lunala's back as she flew higher into the sky. She and Espy were wedged on either side of Silvally. Each had a limb looped under his forelegs. Like with the battle against Necrozma, Lunala had a psychic bubble to shield them from the thinning atmosphere.
"So, you think Necrozma's old prison is to blame for this?" Espy said, focusing on her forepaws rather than the gradually-darkening sky.
"I do. It's possible that Shane inadvertently opened this rift between our world and the Ultra Nexus. I tried to get through the rift myself, but it repelled me. Perhaps certain Pokémon can't safely cross it. Hence, I turned to you three," Lunala said, flapping her wings.
"Couldn't you just shut it?" Silvally asked.
"I tried. Didn't work." Lunala's answer betrayed her annoyance at Silvally asking her something that seemed so blatantly obvious.
"Ah…" Silvally shifted uneasily on her back. "And what about the Ultra Nexus is worrying you, exactly?"
"Well, from what I can remember of Necrozma's memories… there was nothing there. It was a vacuum," Lunala said. "And when a vacuum is opened up and exposed to, well, something else… it's going to start drawing things in. In this case, it's energy. But since our world was rebuilt with light energy, if we let the Ultra Nexus continue siphoning away, sooner or later the planet could start breaking apart."
Tessa's aura feelers shot up. "Y-Yeah. That's something I think we'd like to prevent." She wished her aura powers had fully recovered. Even if the Ultra Nexus was supposedly empty, there was no guarantee it'd stay that way. With the team's past luck, she had to be ready for a nasty surprise or two.
"Where do we come in, then? If you can't close the rift, what makes you think we'll be able to?" Espy wondered. She glanced to her right and noted the last of the sky's light blue had faded. Stars twinkled off in the distance.
"I'm hoping that, perhaps, there's something on the other side that's causing it. Something you can bring back to me. Then I could destroy it," Lunala said.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to destroy it on the spot?" Tessa asked, an eyebrow raised.
"It's not a risk I'm willing to let you take. If you do that, you could trap yourselves in the Ultra Nexus," Lunala said, tone grim. Espy tensed up and tried to shift closer to Silvally.
"Th-Then what makes you think it's safe for us to go in?" Espy squeaked. Tessa bit her lip. That was a good point.
"I've been studying the rift for the past several hours. It seems quite… stable," Lunala replied.
"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but it's hard to just take your word for something like that," Silvally said. Tessa wondered if he was worried about what lay on the other side. His new scarf had a Lunar Wing sewn into it, so shouldn't all his spirits be under control?
"I understand. I'm sorry I can't give you three much more to go on," Lunala said.
"Why not bring other people along… like Team Paradox?" Tessa said. "Y'know, strength in numbers and all that jazz."
Lunala slowed her ascent. "They've been busy tending to the fallers they've discovered. I didn't think it appropriate. Besides, we're here now. It'd be a waste of time to turn back."
'Easy for you to say. You wouldn't be the one going in,' Tessa thought, following Lunala's gaze. Sure enough, there was a oval-shaped ripple in front of them, distorting space and drawing in rainbow-colored streams. When Tessa looked closer, she realized the energy was coming from the blue sky below her. Which meant Lunala was right.
"Okay. I guess we're going in, then," Tessa said. "You said you had supplies, right?"
A stuffed satchel hovered around Lunala and onto Tessa's shoulder. "Wow. This is, um… how much is in here?"
"A couple of dozen berries, a handful of elixirs, and several reviver seeds," Lunala said. "Braviary had left them lying around."
Tessa patted the satchel. "All right. Then let's—"
The rift flashed white. Lunala shielded her face with a wing. "What was that?" Her third eye appeared. Before she could channel her ESP, however, the rift flashed a second time. A white shimmer surrounded Tessa.
"H-Hey! What's the big ide— eyah!" The white aura hoisted Tessa into the air, satchel and all. Her teammates cried out in surprise when they were pulled up along with her.
"Hang on you three! I'll try to stop it," Lunala said, wings glowing as she prepared a Moongeist Beam. Tessa tried to reach her paw out toward Lunala, but the rift grew closer and closer. She saw the Moongeist Beam racing toward her seconds before her world went white.
~Ultra Nexus~
"Silv? Wake up! C'mon, Silv…"
The shoves against Silvally's side barely registered for him thanks to the thick scales under his fur. But hearing Espy's voice made his head snap up to meet her relieved expression. "Oh, thank goodness." She leaned over to nuzzle the side of his beak. Warmth spread through him alongside a red glow. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"Nope. But I am confused?" Silvally got to his feet. "Where are we?"
To his right, large crystals jutted out of the ground. Their composition instantly brought Necrozma to mind. He tensed, digging his talons into the yellow, ethereal path. Silvally looked up at the blue, cosmic expanse overhead. "Does this kinda look like Ultra Space? Those checkerboard patterns in the distance bring Ultra Wormholes to mind."
Silvally tucked his head in. His white feathers bristled. Espy stepped toward him, her tail by his foreleg and her head by his hip. She stared out at luminescent bubbles and yellow platforms encasing dark blue energy in the distance. "Yeah, it kind of does. It's, um… to be honest, it's quite the view. But I find it… unsettling."
"You're not alone, there," Silvally whispered. His head pounded. "Nnngh… feels like an electric-type is using Nuzzle on my forehead." Silvally stumbled forward. Splotches of yellow pushed the red color of his fire memories away.
"Silv? You're okay, Silv." Espy turned around. "There aren't any ley lines here… I think." She looked up to see a cylindrical crystal passing overhead. A distorted ripple followed behind it.
"T… Tessa. Where's Tessa?" Silvally said. The scenery change had caught him so off guard he'd almost forgotten about her.
"I don't know. The rift might've separated us. She doesn't seem to be anywhere around here, that's for sure. So, I think we have to get going," Espy said, scanning the sky. Two more distorted ripples raced overhead in succession.
"But which way?" Silvally still had his head tucked in. Even though there was air, he struggled to breathe. One second, his face was hot. The next it was freezing. Then a spark ran down his back and his forelegs felt like they'd been dunked in a mud puddle. He shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly.
"Forward," Espy said. "There are some strange ripples in the air. They're coming from ahead of us. Maybe if we follow them, we'll find the source of the rift?"
Silvally nodded, hoping he could handle the suggestion. He tried to take the lead, but every step made his forelegs tense up. What was wrong with him? Silvally jerked his head to the right, but the blueness of the Ultra Nexus faded and blue, sparkling water took its place. A Goodra sat on the edge of a pond, splashing her legs against the water.
It's nice to have a quiet moment, isn't it?
"Yeah… quiet's nice," Silvally said.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Silvally tripped over a crystal shard and hopped around until he regained his balance. "I, uh… well, it's kind of quiet here, don't you think?"
Espy's ears twitched. "I suppose so. But do you hear thumping in the distance?"
"Do I?" Silvally leaned forward. It was faint, sure, but his sonar-like ears picked up a lub-dup far in the distance. After a few seconds, his vision blurred. Instead of open air, soft, glass-like feathers rubbed up against his face and belly. A slight tap on his chest accompanied every lub-dup he heard.
Wow, Zek, I really got you going, huh?
"Who's Zek?" Silvally said, only to blink rapidly and look around in confusion as he returned to the Ultra Nexus. He found Espy staring at him, eyes filled with concern. "I, uh… I meant to say, I heard the thumping. It kind of sounded like… a heartbeat?"
"Which triggered one of your memories?" Espy asked, looking away. She turned and resumed walking, ears drooping. "Silv, there's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
Silvally walked behind her, cheek-bolts getting warmer. The view of her hips swaying side to side kept flickering out, replaced by a Goodra walking along a rocky trail. His cheek bolts clicked and he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't bring himself to answer.
"Okay, let me rephrase, I know there's something wrong. First it was the golden glow in your eyes back when I, uh, walked in on you in the shower," Espy said, tail crinkling. "But now… you've got different colors swirling together in your tail and those head blades of yours."
Silvally froze. What could he say to that? He was caught red-handed. Or, rather, red-tailed. He nudged his scarf. "I'm sorry, Espy. I honestly thought this was a fluke, but it seems like I don't have as much control over my spirits as I used to. Their memories keep popping up. The type-mixing… that I'm not sure about."
"Is there nothing you can do about it? I mean… the last time you combined types…" Espy's voice trailed off. She sighed and bowed her head. "Silv, I think we ought to talk about, y'know, what happened on Celestial Island."
He looked up. For a moment, a Zekrom stared back at him, hands on her hips. That image faded away and Silvally trotted toward Espy. "You want to do that here? Now?"
"I don't see why not. We've been walking for a little while already and nothing's attacked us," Espy said, looking up. "If this is the Ultra Nexus, then it's supposed to be empty, right?"
"I guess…" Silvally's head crest drooped. He had wanted to wait for the right moment so he could gather his thoughts properly. Right now, they were completely jumbled. "I, uh… well, I suppose we could talk." It did beat walking in silence, after all. "But, um… I haven't really thought about what to say. I was… a bit surprised to hear you tell me you love me. I just, y'know, couldn't properly react in the moment."
"What about you?" Espy said, tapping the ends of her tails together. Silvally noticed her constantly swishing the tail to her right, like she didn't want it to touch him unless he gave a certain reply.
Silvally clicked his tongue, wracking his brain for what to say. "I, um…" The heartbeats were getting louder… or was that actually his core acting like a heart? Or maybe another a memory?
"I can understand if you're worried about what a relationship between us might look like," Espy went on, opting to curl her tail around her leg. "After all, I was a bit, shall we say, thirsty when we first met." She cleared her throat. "But between our talk in Cosmic Cavern and, well, everything that happened in Sunset Shoals… I found myself thinking differently."
"In what way?"
"I wondered if… maybe a relationship doesn't have to revolve around mating," Espy said, picking up her pace to hide the flush in her cheeks. Silvally followed her, even as another silhouette of the Goodra from earlier walked in lock-step with Espy. "After our, uh, impromptu breakfast in Circadian Coast, I sorta… kinda reached a conclusion that I just really like spending time with you."
"Really? You got that from a couple of difficult conversations?" Silvally tilted his head.
"I did, yes. It's hard to explain, but there's a charm in the way you carry yourself. Cheerful. Upbeat. Not afraid of being silly despite your appearance." Espy brushed her side against one of the crystals. "What can I say? I like— no, love that about you. You're interesting, y'know?"
"That's… one way of putting it, I suppose," Silvally said. That last line echoed in his head. The silhouette of Goodra shifted to a Latios floating over Espy. He blinked rapidly until the silhouette vanished. "I— hmm…" His brow furrowed. There were things he wanted to say, but his attempts at piecing his thoughts together kept failing.
"What's on your mind? C'mon, you can tell me. I can take it."
He looked into her soft, blue eyes. "Espy, I…" Silvally shook his head, trying to dispel the Goodra and Zekrom images flickering in his mind. A large chunk of black crystal flew overhead and Silvally quickened his pace. Espy followed him, her face ripe with concern.
"Are the spirits really bothering you that bad? What can I do to help?" she asked.
"No, it's not that. I'm struggling to figure out what I want to say." Silvally took a calming breath. This shouldn't have been so hard for him. He'd spoken with Espy at length without other memories acting up. Silvally told himself to focus. He glanced at Espy. A small smile formed on his beak.
"I really like spending time with you, too. I mean, I like spending time with everyone on the team, but I think what we have is… different than my bonds with Shane and Tessa," he said. Espy's ears stuck up.
"I agree." She paused, then bit her lower lip. "Err, I mean… I think our connection is different, too. Aha ha… ha…"
"Yeah. I've always had the sense that Tessa views me as an older brother of sorts. Shane, too, for that matter." Silvally sidestepped a rather large crystal and glanced at his distorted reflection. "Even once we got Gallian on our side, I still think Tessa saw me as an extension of her family. She and Shane definitely looked up to me… as a source of strength and guidance." He turned to Espy. "But with you… it's different.
"I'm sure it has something to do with when we spoke in Cosmic Cavern… but that breakfast we shared in Circadian Coast solidified things for me," Silvally said. "It's like… hmm, how should I put it?" His cheek bolts slowly rotated. "You ground me. You help to remind me that, even with the powers I have, I'm not perfect… but I don't have to be." He padded along the luminescent ground, gazing at the starry expanse in the distance. "I think when it comes to Shane and Tessa, I've tried to be a bedrock. To not let any faults show through so that I can help them overcome their challenges.
Espy nodded along, but stayed silent. Silvally didn't notice. He kept talking. "When I'm around you, I'm not afraid to let my vulnerabilities show through. I don't have to worry about making you nervous or upset… because you think of me as just another Pokémon."
"That's a good thing… right?" Espy said, tail crinkling.
"Yes. It's a good thing." Silvally stepped closer to her. "I don't want people to only see me as this almighty God Killer that helped bring down Necrozma. I want people to see me as someone they can turn to for help… even if I can't actually help them." He nudged Espy's side. Her forehead gem flickered, leading light to bounce off the crystals ahead of them. "Now that I've had time to sit on it, I agree with what you said to me in Cosmic Cavern. I can't help everyone. But that's okay." Silvally smiled at her. "At the end of the day, I'll be happy knowing I gave it my all."
The path sloped downward toward a wall of distorted energy. There were no more crystals flanking the pathway. "Uh oh. Did we hit a dead end?" Silvally wondered.
"I'm not sure." Espy's forehead gem flickered. "That energy… it's weird, but it also feels similar to a dungeon entrance." She looked down. "Maybe that means we can walk through it and it will take us somewhere else?"
"True. But do we want to go somewhere else?" Silvally said, staring down the energy wall. Red and purple bolts crackled through it. His feathers and fur stood on end.
"We never saw any sign of Tessa here, so I don't think waiting here will help," Espy said.
She had a point, but something about the instability with Silvally's spirits turned what should've been a no-brainer into something that made him hesitate. He puffed out his fur and revved his cheek bolts up. "Yeah, we've got to press onward." Silvally glanced at Espy. "But, uh, let's do it together, okay? Like, at the same time?"
Espy smiled. "Of course." She approached the wall with Silvally in two. They both looked closely at it. There was definitely some sort of ground on the other side of it, but the energy was too distorted to see it clearly. "On three, okay?" Espy said. Silvally nodded. "One, two, three."
They stepped through the energy wall in unison. A strange tingle ran down to Silvally's tail. His ground memories popped up, along with a flicker of the same Goodra from before wading through mud, brushing some off her sapphire spots.
"You hanging in there, Silv?"
Silvally snapped to attention. "Y-Yeah! All good." He took a few steps forward. "It's much darker here."
"Yeah. And is that a second path up on the ceiling?" Espy said, head tilted up. Silvally followed her gaze and found a mirror image of the yellow, glowing path they were on, crystals and all. The only difference was the strange, black and red cords weaving between the crystals on the ceiling. Silvally tensed up.
"Don't those cords remind you of what we saw inside Necrozma?" He gulped. That was not a memory he wanted to revisit.
"Err. N-Now that you mention it, they do," Espy whispered. She reflexively brushed her side against his. Silvally sucked in a breath. Espy's eyes widened. "Ah, s-sorry, Silv. I didn't—"
"It's fine. My spirits are kinda… mucking things up, that's all," he said. "I, um…" Silvally's voice trailed off. He leaned over and descended into a coughing fit. Something was caught in his throat, but that couldn't be right. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink in hours and his stomach wasn't upset. Yet, he kept coughing, like there was something he was trying to expel.
"S-Silv? Is everything… okay?" Espy squeaked.
"N… no…" Of course he wasn't going to lie. Silvally thought he was about to hack up his stomach… whatever it looked like on the inside, anyway.
"What can I do to help?"
"St… and… back…" Silvally staggered forward. His chest burned. His throat… something was clawing at his throat from the inside. He wanted out of this nightmare. Silvally hunched over. Golden light flared up in his cheek bolts. With one last, forceful cough, the cheek bolts tilted open slightly.
"Ugh, come on! Will you two stop beading around the bush and smooch already?"
Silvally's head snapped up. "What the—" He looked at Espy. "Did you hear that?"
"I… I did…" Espy stepped back. "S-Silv… your cheeks. There's… there's silver mist coming out of them!"
"What?!" Silvally's head crest fanned out in alarm. He tilted his head left and right. The silver fog drifted away, then condensed right in front of him. Silvally's jaw dropped. "Wait a second… you're the Zekrom and Latios I keep seeing in my memories! What is going on here?"
The mist gained shades of blue, white, and black. Zekrom crossed her arms, her tail turbine crackling with ethereal light. She and Latios looked around. "Huh. Guess you were right. We're not in the Tree of Life anymore," Zekrom said, scratching her head.
Espy was as white as a sheet. Her eyes darted back and forth between Silvally and the newcomers. "Um, am I missing something?"
"Yes! Obviously," Zekrom huffed, rolling her eyes. Her voice had a slight echo to it. "You two clearly love each other. Stop pussyfooting and say you want to be mates already. It is so aggravating listening to you two tiptoe around the issue from inside, uh…" Her voice trailed off. She stared Silvally down. "Come to think of it, the hell are you supposed to be?"
"I'm Silvally. Why are you— how are you even here?" Curiosity got the better of Silvally and he tried to poke Zekrom with a talon. She swatted his foreleg away.
"Excuse you. Keep your claws to yourself. Save 'em for your little squeeze." Zekrom jerked her head in a stunned Espy's direction.
"I… I felt that." Silvally looked down at his foreleg. This spirit… was tangible? How was that possible? What was going on here? He glanced at his reflection and saw the gold color in his eyes and energy blades. The closer he looked, the more he thought of Void Necrozma's glimmering form. He clawed at the ground. "N… Necrozma. It… it had to have been… when he put me back together. I—"
A gold flash consumed Silvally. He coughed loudly once again. Espy tried to step toward him, but his cheek bolts released more silver fog that drifted over to Zekrom and Latios. "See? It's just like I told you… that flash of light back in the tree meant something!" a loud, male voice growled.
Espy's ears twitched. "Hang on… I think I recognize that voice." Her brow furrowed. "It's the leader of those dragons that Metagross blasted. The big, burly guy with the thick scales!"
Silvally's eyes widened but, sure enough, when the fog settled, he was looking at Totem Kommo-o, standing beside the same Goodra with sapphire spots from all the flashbacks. If Silvally had lips, they'd be trembling. Instead, all he could do was stare slack-jawed. "This is… this doesn't make any sense. Why are you here?"
Totem Kommo-o turned to Silvally and raised a brow. "Ah, yes. I think I remember you two. You tried to come to our rescue on the beach." He raised his arms and looked at them, sighing. "Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do any good."
"That's not true. Shane revived the dragons that Metagross killed, but you were the lone exception," Espy said, frowning. "I guess this must be the reason why?"
Silvally's chest tightened. Totem Kommo-o was tied to him? No, this had to be some sort of mistake. What about Hakamo-o and the other dragons? How would he ever be able to face any of them? Silvally's eyes darted around. He wanted this all to stop. "You… mentioned something about a flash of light and a tree?" Silvally rasped.
"Yes. I was in the process of reuniting with my mate in the Tree of Life when it happened." Totem Kommo-o reached an arm out and gently clasped Goodra's cheek. She shoved him back.
"Not the time," she said, shaking her head.
Sighing, Totem Kommo-o crossed his arms. "We were… talking—"
"Arguing."
"… bah, fine. We were arguing about our eldest son when a huge burst of light flared up within the spirit realm alongside a distorted voice," Totem Kommo-o explained, frowning after his mate corrected him. "After that… we found ourselves inside a room made of crystal. We soon encountered these two, then we ended up out here." He gestured to Latios and Zekrom.
Silvally hung his head. "Then Necrozma must've pulled your spirits out of the Tree of Life… and crammed them into me. Except I don't have proper control over you guys. At least, that's what it seems like."
Zekrom's bemused expression faltered. "Necrozma?" She looked at Latios. "Does he mean—"
Latios nodded. "Light."
"Oh." Zekrom's form flickered. "I guess… you're our new spirit realm, then."
"What? No, that can't be right. Just go back to the Tree of Life," Silvally said. Sure, he'd accepted that he was a spiritual amalgamate, but that didn't mean he wanted spirits bursting out of him whenever they felt like it.
"It doesn't work that way," Latios said, ears drooping. "Spirits need to stay close to where they're located or they risk burning away. If we wander too far from you… we could disappear." He snapped his claws.
"Th… then I'll put you back into the Tree of Life when we're done here," Silvally said, reflexively curling and uncurling his talons.
"A generous offer, but one I don't think will work," Zekrom said, arms crossed and head bowed. "Necrozma did this on purpose. I wouldn't expect him to let you reverse it so easily."
"But why did he do it? Why you, specifically?" Silvally said. He'd take any answers he could get.
"Because we used to be his friends," Zekrom whispered. She rubbed the back of her head. "We didn't stand up for him when Arceus acted suspicious. Because of us… he lost his light. You know the rest." Her form started to fade even further. "Tch. Looks like I can't stay out here much longer."
"Yes, it's best we return… less we risk burning ourselves out," Goodra said.
"But before we do go…" Zekrom stomped up to Espy and Silvally. She tried to grab their heads, but her arms phased right through them. Espy's face paled. Zekrom pulled her arms back. "Okay, guess that option's off the table. In any case," she cleared her throat, "you two love each other. There's no denying it. So, quit messing around and prove it. Say you'll try dating. Kiss. I don't care. Just do something. One of you needs to make a move."
Espy was bright red and Silvally's fire memories fought to intersperse red blotches with his golden glow. "I, well… that's…" Silvally tapped his claws together. "You really think we're going to do something like that with you watching?"
"Okay, fine. We'll go away. But if you wuss out, I'm gonna pop back up until you grow a backbone," Zekrom said, pointing a claw at Silvally. "We clear?"
"Uh, sure." This whole situation was so strange, Silvally had practically forgotten he was in some kind of Ultra Space replica.
"Good. Don't let me down… whatever you are," Zekrom said. She winked at him before contracted into a golden ball. The other dragons did much the same and flittered back to Silvally's cheek bolts. They disappeared back inside of him.
"Well, that was… something," Espy said, staring at the spot where the spirits had stood.
"Um, Espy, are you…" Silvally looked away. "Hey, if you're reconsidering the stuff you said in light of all of this, I won't blame—"
Espy hopped onto her hind legs and pressed her muzzle to the side of Silvally's beak. She pulled away before his fire-typing made his metal parts uncomfortably warm. "It's like you said before. I'm not expecting you to be perfect. This is… an interesting development, yeah. But it gives you something to work on. And it gives me something to try and help you with." She slowly ran her forepaw down Silvally's neck. He shuddered.
"B… but what about, y'know, my background? If… if we stay together… I'm not sure I could help you make an egg. And you'd… you'll end up passing away at some point, but I probably won't," Silvally said. It was something that had been in the back of his mind, but seeing the spirits pop up like that meant he couldn't ignore the issue.
To his surprise, Espy wound her tail around his foreleg, brushing against his fur and scales. "It's okay. I told you… we don't need kids to define our relationship. As long as I get to spend time with you… I'll be happy. I'm sure of it."
Silvally blinked. Now his water memories were trying to activate. His eyes flickered between red and blue. Tears formed, then quickly evaporated. "E… Espy. That's… that's big of you," he whispered.
"You're worth it," Espy said, nuzzling his beak. "I still love you. And I don't see that changing."
Silvally finally reciprocated the embrace and licked Espy's cheek. "I love you, too," he whispered. "We'll make this work, together."
Slow clapping forced the two to break the tender moment. Espy dropped back to all-fours. "What was that?" She looked around, only for Silvally to jump in front of her. Brown and salmon spread across his eyes and tails.
"Dragonite," he growled, cheek bolts shimmering. "What do you want, huh? You look like you can barely stand!"
Espy poked her head out from behind Silvally. At the other end of the path, Dragonite was slumped against one of the larger crystals. Her scales had blackened. Heck, there were patches of scales missing entirely, replaced instead by crystals poking out of her body like large thorns. Dragonite struggled to stagger toward them and had great difficulty ceasing her clapping gesture.
"I wanted to congratulate the happy couple," Dragonite said, her voice uneven and cracking. She nearly fell to her right, but managed to brace herself against the crystal. "You two deserve a nice, sweet moment… before I take your light." She thrust her right arm out. A lightning javelin materialized. It burnt away the scales on her hand, but she didn't care. With a feral snarl, she lunged for Silvally.
Tessa trudged down the zigzagging path, stopping occasionally to brace herself against a crystal and doing her best not to look up at the upside-down path overhead. 'Then again… what if I'm actually on the upside-down path?' She wasn't even sure why she was mulling that thought over. Perhaps to keep herself from slipping into an angry tirade. After all, she once again got separated from her teammates in some sort of twisted, Ultra Space-related world. It was practically a punchline. A cruel punchline, but a punchline nevertheless.
She wished she at least had a clue where they were, though. Tessa had no sense of how time was flowing here. Luckily, crystal chunks and glowing particles had floated past her, so at least this place wasn't paralyzed. Tessa figured that leant credibility to Lunala's theory that the Ultra Nexus was sucking energy out of the planet. Time was flowing. It had actual landmasses, as weird as they were. And she could breathe here, so it must've sucked up some of the atmosphere, too.
'Which means we have to find a way to destroy whatever's causing this. Hopefully that will return all the energy it's siphoned off.'
If there was one thing Tessa found odd, it was the lack of anything threatening. Were it not for the color scheme bringing up memories of Necrozma and the corrupted version of Celestial Island, she'd daresay that it looked peaceful. And given she was tired enough already, her pace lacked the frantic urgency it had back in the Prism Wastelands. All Tessa really wanted to do was slump down against a crystal and watch the weird, starry expanse.
At least, she felt that way until her ears twitched. Tessa stood up straight and listened closely. Was that… groaning? After a few seconds, Tessa confirmed that, yes, she heard a lady muttering something. But it wasn't any voice she was familiar with. Which meant the team wasn't alone. Tessa raised her paws up, ready to strike in case this was some sort of trap.
The voice got louder the more crystals Tessa wove her way around. Eventually, she found a stretch of open path. There, lying in a puddle of familiar orange ooze, was a Salazzle. Tessa's nostrils burned at the stench. It was exactly like Void Necrozma's insides. Tessa crept forward, trying to get a better look at Salazzle. She seemed normal… until Tessa saw the familiar, star-shaped mark on her belly.
She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to stay calm. However, this proved loud enough to get Salazzle to pick her head up. She stared at Tessa, who couldn't get a solid read on her expression. Her aura swirled with a mix of panic, annoyance, and hopelessness. "U… um, hello there." Tessa waved a paw. "Are you okay?"
Her ears and aura feelers crinkled when Salazzle responded with an unhinged laugh. "Oh-ho, great. Wonderful. Fan-freaking-tastic! As if this fever dream wasn't stupid enough, already. Now there's a big-ass, blue, talking dog." Salazzle's hands fell by her sides with a splat. She then smacked her head, repeatedly, shouting, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Salazzle kicked at the air with her legs.
"H-Hey! Cut it out! You're not dreaming." Tessa hesitated to approach Salazzle. She had no desire to get reacquainted with that godawful slime. "I'm, um, part of the group that's here to rescue you," she said.
"Excuse me? You… rescue me? Yeah, sure… and, while you're at it, I bet you're gonna take me back to your magical dream palace so I can pet your unicorns and drink from your rainbow-sugar fountain," Salazzle sneered, flicking a hand dismissively. "I think I know a dream when I see one, mutt."
Perhaps it was her already-thin patience, but Tessa had her lips drawn back in a snarl before Salazzle even finished speaking. "Look, miss, I'm trying to help you. It's dangerous here. I can't let you stay. You could get yourself killed."
"Wrong. Dying in a dream is how you wake up," Salazzle said. "I don't care if you need my help fighting off some evil nightmare wizard or whatever… you can shove off. None of this is real. It's all a stress-induced hallucination because I've got finals starting in a couple of days and I've been studying my ass off." She looked back at her rear and pointed to it. "Why else would I have an ass like this, huh? It's symbolic or something." Salazzle shrugged. "Soon enough, I'll be back in bed, staring at my alarm clock and silently willing it to be Christmas break so I can go home and lounge around binging Netflix shows."
Tessa was seconds from shooting off a Flash Cannon out of pure frustration when her aura feelers shot up. Finals? Christmas? Netflix? What was this crazy Salazzle talking about? Had the Nexus poisoned her? Was she losing her marbles like Necrozma did? Tessa lowered her paw, her eyes slowly widening.
'Wait… didn't Necrozma mention trapping a Salazzle that he and Shane knew in the Ultra Nexus?' Tessa looked around. If this was the Ultra Nexus, then this was the person in question. Oh, but what was the name Necrozma had used for her? 'C'mon, Tessa. Think!'
Her eyes widened. "Um, wait. Hold on. Are you… is your name Rebecca, by any chance?"
Salazzle froze. Her shock wore off after a second, however. "Pfbt. Yeah, whatever. Of course you'd know my name, Fido. Lemme guess… I'm your chosen one or whatever?"
"No. And my name's Tessa. Lucario Tessa." Her head throbbed. This scene was eerily familiar. She envisioned a small, damp ice Vulpix laying in the middle of a sandy beach. Tessa's heart ached, then she balled her paws into fists and fixed an icy glare on Rebecca. "Listen… I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but you're not dreaming. You've been taken from your world, turned into a Pokémon, and placed her by a wicked demon called Necrozma."
Rebecca sat up straight. "Pokémon? Like… like the game for kids and dweebs?" She threw her head back and laughed. "Who are you trying to fool, huh? That stuff's all make-believe and the most exposure I ever got to it was watching my ex-boyfriend play it with his idiot friend—"
"Shane. And he's not an idiot. He is— err, was my best friend." Tessa had her fangs bared. What little aura she had flared up in her paws. If Rebecca opened her mouth and spewed one more insult, Tessa was sure she was gonna punch her right in that dumb star mark on her stomach.
"Please. Of course you'd know about Shane. You're obviously my subconscious trying to guilt me into thinking about the car crash he got in," Rebecca scoffed, flicking her snout indignantly. "You can't pull a fast one on me. I took AP Psych back in high school. I know about this shit." She shook her head. "I couldn't give a lick about what happened to that weirdo. He had no life beyond all this dumb, kiddie stuff. If you were his friend in this stupid dreamland, then he obviously did something to piss you off. Because all he ever did was drag down people who associated with him."
Tessa's eyes flickered with rainbow energy. In a blur of colors, she charged up to Rebecca and socked her right in the gut with a glowing palm. Rebecca arced her head back, launching a mouthful of spittle over Tessa's shoulder. Tiny bits of purple fluid dribbled out from her tail flaps. Tessa stepped back, mindful of Salazzle's ability to poison her despite her typing. Then, she bent over and hoisted Rebecca into the air, her eyes widening.
"Don't you dare talk about him like that! Shane may not have been a very good human, but here… I owe my life to him. Everyone does. He sacrificed himself to bring our world back from the edge of oblivion and stopped Necrozma — or should I say Nicky? — from destroying every other world, too," Tessa snarled, eyes blazing with aura. "You are not dreaming. You're a Pokémon. You're in our world. This is real. And I have to get you out of here."
Tessa dropped Rebecca onto her rear and wrung out her paws, trying to get rid of the slime. "Okay, so I wasn't exactly telling the truth when I said I'm here to rescue you. I'm here… to destroy this place. Because it poses a danger to our world. If you stay here, then you're going to get killed. So, we're leaving. Got it?" She waited for a response, but got nothing. Tessa looked at Rebecca, who stared at her hands with a blank expression on her face. "Hey. Come on. You can't sit around and go catatonic on me." Tessa waved her paw in front of Rebecca's face.
"I… I…" Rebecca looked at the paw-shaped imprint on her slimy stomach. "That hurt. Like that really hurt. This… this can't be right. But that would mean…"
"That you're not dreaming, yes. Shane had the exact same reaction… more or less," Tessa said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
"N-No. This is impossible. I… have finals! I'm in college! I've got a family Christmas party! What about my presents? What about my friends?! I… I…" Rebecca put her hands on her head, tilted her head upward, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Tessa staggered backward, ears and aura feelers crinkling.
"Quiet down! You and I are the only ones here."
"Quiet down? Quiet down?! My life is ruined!" Rebecca stared down at her legs. "I don't want to be a slutty-looking lizard. I'm a human. None of this is right! I want out of Shane's wet dream!" Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. Rebecca tried to get to her feet, but immediately fell over on her side. She kicked and punched at the air, shouting "No!" repeatedly.
Tessa watched the scene with equal mixtures of annoyance and guilt. She didn't want to deal with Rebecca right now, but at the same time she couldn't leave her behind. That wouldn't be right… even if she apparently held Shane (and Necrozma) in such low regard. Sighing, tried to settle her twitching aura feelers.
"I can't imagine how this must feel for you, but we need to go. We can talk things over when you're someplace safe." She paused.
"Hell no! I want answers. Like, how am I supposed to walk with such big-ass feet?" Rebecca lifted a leg. "Seriously, look at the size of these." Tessa tilted her head. Rebecca's eyes widened and she promptly crossed her legs. "H-Hey! If you're trying to sneak a peek at me or something, then stop it! You're a dog!" Rebecca looked around. "Where can I find some damn clothes? I don't care how ugly they are… I don't want to walk around with breasts hanging out like this." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Breasts?" Tessa rubbed the side of her head. "I'm not really sure what you mean, but I suppose I can answer your questions. After all, it's not like anything's trying to att—"
"Hold still, you pile of Garbodor slime!"
Electricity surged above the girls' heads. Rebecca screamed and curled up into a ball. Tessa looked overhead. Her aura feelers shot up. "S-Silvally? Espy? What are you— how are you— huh?!" Sure, the answer was probably Ultra Space, but even with all the weird stuff she'd seen, her friends running upside-down had to rank near the top of the list.
Silvally skidded to a halt and looked down… or, rather, up. "Tessa? Why are you upside-down? Oh, never mind. We've got a problem. A Dragonite problem." He turned around and spat an Ice Beam behind Tessa. She followed the attack to find Dragonite staggering toward her teammates. Portions of her black scales had melted off, leaving blue, glowing gashes. The Ice Beam struck her, destroying more scales, but the continued limping forward, a deranged look in her eyes.
"You… will give me… your light!"
Dragonite hurled a lightning javelin, but Silvally jumped into it. A brown and salmon aura dissolved the attack away. "Stop it, Dragonite! You can barely stand on your own two legs. We don't want to fight. We want to help you… and take you home," Silvally said, cheek bolts whirring. "Please stand down!"
"Help me? Aha ha ha… that's rich! You want me to power down… to be the quiet girl in the back of the room again." Dragonite stepped forward. Her left leg buckled and she dropped to one knee. "I won't… have it. I will be strong. Other people… can't make me stronger." Another lightning javelin materialized in her hand. "The only way… I can get stronger… is with light!" She clumsily hurled the spear as she collapsed on her belly. It sailed down toward Rebecca and Tessa. Rebecca screamed again while Tessa hopped back, yanked her up, and jumped away from the attack.
"Ugh… put me down!" Rebecca hollered.
"Not until it's safe here," Tessa growled.
"Safe? Are you shitting me? Frankenstein's monster is fighting a zombie dragon. What the hell kind of messed up world do you live in?" Rebecca said, tail flaps twitching. "Pokémon's supposed to be all cute and cuddly, ain't it? All of Shane's dumbass stuffed animals were."
"It's a long story. And keep your tail under control, please. You might not realize it, but you can emit very potent toxins and I don't want to be on the receiving end of them," Tessa said, walking backwards while keeping an eye on Dragonite and her friends.
"I… I can?" Rebecca looked back at her rear. She frowned. "What… is that supposed to be symbolic for Nicky and Shane thinking I'm toxic or something? Those two— oof!" Her head bonked against a crystal. "Hey, watch where you're walking!"
"I'm trying to keep you from getting impaled by a spear," Tessa said, her tone suggesting she'd actually done it on purpose.
Above her head, Silvally lunged for Dragonite and dug his glowing, icy claws into her sides. Dragonite didn't scream. No pain spread across her face. Instead, she thrashed. Every squirm tore more scales off her body, to the point where Silvally couldn't stay on top of her. His forelegs phased right through her and his eyes widened.
"What the heck? Dragonite… you're decaying in front of us. Don't you think you've gone far enough?" Silvally said. He found himself staring down a point-blank Dragon Pulse, but it fizzled out against a flare of golden light from his cheek bolts.
"What are you waiting for? Finish her! She doesn't deserve mer—"
Silvally's right cheek bolt hissed and a softer voice spoke up. "Don't listen to him. If she's your friend, you need to find a way to get through to her."
Tessa's jaw dropped. Were those… Silvally's spirits? She swore she recognized one of those voices, too. Tessa wondered if maybe this was all a ridiculous dream. What she wouldn't give for Shane to be here and lighten the mood with one of his quirky remarks.
"Friends? I don't have any friends. Certainly not a pair of vain, overbearing girls who wanted to keep me weak so they could feel better about themselves," Dragonite said, though her voice grew hoarser with each passing word. "I'm… getting stronger. I want… to crush them. Crush you." She tried to stand, but failed. Dragonite settled for crawling toward a stunned Silvally, blue slime trickling down her mouth. "I… will have… your light. Your life. If I can't… the heart… Necrozma…"
Silvally crouched low to the ground. "What was that about Necrozma?"
An unhinged laugh echoed through the Nexus. Dragonite's smile cracked through the scales around her cheeks. "He's here," she said, arms trembling.
"What? But Necrozma… he and Shane fused together," Espy said, tail twitching. "If he's here, then wouldn't that mean that—"
"Shane's here, too," Tessa whispered. It couldn't be true. Her ears were playing tricks on her. No, Dragonite was doing this. She was mocking Team Radiance… just like when they'd fought. Tessa pointed her paws up and rifled off an Aura Sphere. To her shock, however, Silvally blew it away with a strong gust of wind. "What was that for? She's obviously baiting us!" Tessa growled.
"No." Silvally's eyes glowed pink. An invisible force hoisted Dragonite to the air. She didn't even so much as struggle. "You're going to tell us what you meant."
"You think… I'm scared… of your threats?" Dragonite spat a mouthful of blue slime onto Silvally's face. "Ha! That's what I think… of your bravado."
She waited for Silvally to retaliate. And, for a brief moment, it looked as if rage would consume him. But the golden glow that flared in his eyes lasted only a few seconds. Silvally turned, flinging some of the slime up against a nearby crystal. "You think I care if you gunk me up? Please. I'm not going to give you that satisfaction." He stepped forward, tightening his psychic grip on Dragonite. Her black scales cracked. More blue ooze trickled out of them. "Start talking… now."
Dragonite reared her head back, only for it to lock up. She glared at Silvally. He glared right back. "I'm not playing around. None of us are safe here. Including you. If you really want to be strong, then you're going to have to make it out of this place alive, aren't you?"
"Nrrgh. I had… a ticket out. But that dumb heart… it messed me up," Dragonite said.
Silvally narrowed his eyes. "Quit being vague. You're not helping anyone."
"Hey, Fido. Get a move on, will you? I don't want to get eviscerated by Frankenmutt," Rebecca said, still slung over Tessa's shoulder like a living log.
"I told you before… it's Tessa. And my friend isn't going to eviscerate anyone. I trust him. He knows what he's doing," Tessa said, though silently she wondered if there was something off with Silvally.
"That's your friend? Jeez, Fido, you sure know how to pick 'em," Rebecca said. Tessa stepped back and Rebecca's head smacked against another crystal. "Ow! Hey! You're doing that on purpose."
"Sorry, my arm must've slipped," Tessa deadpanned. "Now, be quiet, I'm trying to pay attention to this." She looked up at Silvally. "Did Dragonite tell you anything specific?"
"Yeah. There's some giant crystal heart in the center of this place." Silvally walked past Tessa, levitating Dragonite behind her. Espy followed along with a bewildered expression on her face. "Dragonite here says there was a familiar spark of light inside of it. And now she's going to lead us there."
"Grk. There's not much… leading to do… beak-face. Just keep walking… and you'll reach it," Dragonite growled. She lacked the energy to struggle against Silvally's psychic restraints. All she could do was glare at the blades poking out of his head crest.
Tessa wasn't sure she trusted Dragonite's word, but did her best to follow along the bottom path. Her involuntary passenger didn't help her trek. Rebecca constantly shifted or squirmed against Tessa's shoulder. "Can you please hold still?"
"I didn't ask you to carry me," Rebecca huffed.
"Fine then." Tessa unceremoniously dropped Rebecca, who landed on her rear.
"Ow! Y'know, for a rescuer or whatever, you've got a real sultry attitude," Rebecca said, rubbing her hip. "Ohh… what I wouldn't give for at least a baggy pair of jeans right now."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Look. You wanted to walk. So, get walking." She gestured toward the path. Maybe it was a bit harsh, yeah, but she wasn't in the mood for any lip from this former human.
Rebecca struggled to stand up, falling over multiple times. Tessa noticed her teammates getting far ahead of her and growled. "Okay, no. Forget this. You're getting carried."
"Wait, I think I've almost got— eek!"
Tessa yanked Rebecca into the air and slung her over her shoulder. "Oh, come on. At least let me face forward so I don't have to stare at your ugly tail and your weird-ass thighs. Your fur looks like a pair of shorts and— ow!"
Rebecca's head bonked against another crystal. Her head then smacked against Tessa's backside and she went still. 'Finally,' Tessa thought. She was getting flashbacks to her heated exchanges with Shane during their disciplinary assignment. A weight sat on her chest… and it wasn't from Rebecca's tail.
"Everything okay, Tessa?" Espy asked.
"Not really."
"Who's the Salazzle?"
"Rebecca. The person Necrozma mentioned he'd trapped in the Ultra Nexus. I think she was, like, Necrozma's girlfriend when he was human… or something," Tessa said. "She's done nothing but mouth off since I found her, so I might've subjected her to a few love taps with these crystals."
Espy frowned at her. "Is that really such a good idea?"
"It was either that… or I was going to use Psychic on her. Seriously, she reminds me of Shane when he was at his absolute worst," Tessa growled.
"And that makes it okay to lose your patience with her?" Espy said. Silvally glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. "I, uh… sorry, I figured that was something you'd say but you're busy with Dragonite, so…"
"Espy… I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm worried. My heart is all over the place. And Dragonite is taunting me with someone I was sure was dead," Tessa said. "You're right. I'm not at my best. But if you heard the stuff she'd said to me… I think you might've lost your patience, too."
Sighing, Espy shook her head. "Well, we're going to have to deal with her one way or another. I wonder if Ephemeris can turn her human again? Hydreigon certainly can't, now that he's depowered."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Silvally said. He stepped to the side, letting Espy see that the path in front of them suddenly dropped off to a circular platform. "Look down there. That's Xerneas."
"But she looks all rotten like Dragonite!" Espy said, tail crinkling. "You don't think she… didn't get her spirit back, do you?"
"I don't know what to make of it. But it's not good," Silvally said. He levitated Dragonite in front of him. "Did you do this?"
"Ha! I wish. She was like that when I got here," Dragonite sneered. "If I had to guess… your friend did this to her."
From her position on the bottom path, Tessa had a perfect view of the crystal heart suspended a foot over Xerneas' darkened antlers. A crack spread through the middle of the heart, which vented off black smoke. Ripples of distorted energy raced out with each beat. Tessa's aura feelers twitched. She squinted. It was tough to see with the smoke, but there was a familiar silhouette in the heart.
She rubbed her eyes with her free arms, telling herself it was a trick. But Tessa couldn't stop herself from shouting, "Guys! It's him! Shane's in the heart! Shane's in the heart!"
"Wait, what?!"
Ignoring Espy's startled cry, Tessa dropped Rebecca to the ground and made a mad dash forward. She flung an Aura Sphere at the heart. It struck home… but fizzled out harmlessly. Tessa staggered to a stop. "That didn't work?" Tessa tried a Flash Cannon this time. A purple barrier popped up and extinguished the gray beam. Before Tessa could say anything else, two golden energy balls formed in front of the heart and shot toward Tessa. Gasping, she ducked behind a crystal.
"Seriously? My lightning javelin didn't break it. What makes you think your dinky attacks will make a dent?" Dragonite scoffed.
Tessa glared up at Dragonite. She was so sick of all the jabs. She wanted Shane back. Tessa had to break the heart. But when she poked her head out from her hiding space, a silver silhouette of Necrozma's crystal form slammed into her. Tessa fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Tessa!"
A heavy thud sounded behind her as she got to her feet. Espy and Silvally had jumped down on the lower path. Espy levitated Rebecca onto Silvally's back while he studied the crystal heart intently. "Do you think it's aware it's being attacked? Maybe what hit you was some sort of counter?"
"Only one way to find out." Tessa shot another Flash Cannon. Like before, it struck a purple barrier. Two silver energy balls materialized into a silhouette of Necrozma and Shane. Both flew right at Tessa.
"Get down!" Espy cried, then rifled a Psybeam off to dispel the silhouettes. Weakened psychic energy struck the purple barrier. Two gold energy balls formed up and shot toward Espy, but a flurry of Air Slash blades deflected them away. This back and forth continued, with one of Team Radiance's attacks hitting the barrier and triggering either golden energy balls or silhouettes.
Tessa at last manage to send a gold energy ball off to her right without striking the barrier. "This is ridiculous! Nothing's working!" She gnashed her teeth in frustration.
"Is it even a good idea to keep attacking it? I'm guessing that thing's sucking up energy from the planet."
"Shane's in there. We have to get him back," Tessa said, fidgeting with her scarf.
"I know that… but it won't mean anything if we blow this whole place to smithereens and take ourselves out," Silvally said, feathers bristling.
"Well, then we have to think of something." Tessa stared at the heart. She put her paws on her chest spike. "Please. I… I want him back. So badly." Tessa gripped the memento crystal, only for a flash of white light to catch her eye. "Huh?" She pulled the crystal out of her bag.
"What is it?" Espy asked.
"Oh, brother, you guys are seriously fawning over some stupid crystal? You've all clearly lost it!" Dragonite spat, though she didn't budge from her position on Silvally's back. Whatever energy had kept her going before must've faltered.
"The crystal's flashing." Tessa's brow furrowed as she scrutinized it. An idea came to mind and she held it in the direction of the heart. The flashing intensified. "I think it's reacting to Shane's prison!"
As if to respond, a golden energy ball formed in front of the heart and flew toward Tessa. "Move aside!" Silvally barked. He spread his forelegs further apart and conjured a blue, glimmering barrier The energy ball struck it and pushed Silvally back, but didn't hurt him.
Tessa used the opening to run toward the heart. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Espy cried. Tessa paid her no mind. She leaped into the air, even as the heart formed another Necrozma silhouette to defend itself with. The purple barrier appeared, but Tessa thrust her left arm forward. Shane's memento made contact with the barrier. Cracks appeared inside of the purple energy. Yelping, Tessa fell to the ground while the barrier shattered above her.
"Get back, Tessa! It's trying to attack you!" Silvally shouted, launching electricity at the heart. Tessa looked up and saw the Necrozma silhouette falling toward her. She tucked in her legs and rolled backward. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when the silhouette sank into the ground in front of her. However, that relief faded the moment Silvally's Thunderbolt plinked off the heart.
"No! I thought for sure that would do something," Tessa growled, backpedaling toward her teammates. They were so close. Shane was right in their grasp. She couldn't let him slip away. There had to be a way to break the heart. She just had to think.
'C'mon, c'mon… what would Shane do in this situation?'
Tessa looked at her arm… and the naturia looplet on it. She brushed her paw over it, then pivoted between looking at the heart and looking at her looplet. Tessa remembered that Shane had merged with Necrozma before disappearing. Necrozma ran on light energy… which was basically synonymous with Z-Power.
Her eyes widened. "Z-Moves! That's gotta be it!" she shouted, pointing to her looplet. "We use our Z-Power in unison. If it's really Shane… he should be able to absorb the light from our Z-Moves, right?"
Espy glanced at her own naturia looplet. "Well, it's worth a shot… assuming we can even use them here."
"We have to try," Tessa said, turning to face the heart. She crossed her arms in front of her face, focusing on a mental image of the talk she and Shane had together in Circadian Coast.
"Ha! You've gotta be kidding me. You really think that's going to do anything? Puh-le— aah!"
Silvally flung Dragonite right on top of the crystal heart. She slumped against it. Dragonite couldn't lift her head and see the orange light swirling around Espy and Tessa. Light that shifted to pink and orange glows. A flurry of bright-orange fists surged toward Dragonite and the heart, followed by jagged, glass-like ripples of psychic energy. They ensnared Tessa's glowing fists, creating a massive orange bubble.
Tessa stepped back, her aura feelers twitching. "Wait. Is that supposed to happen? Should we be ner—"
Espy's Z-Move burst. A pink and orange explosion swallowed the heart up along with a screaming Dragonite. Tessa threw her arm up over her face, but a heavy weight settled on her aura feelers. A sudden spark had ignited in the center of the explosion. "G… guys? Are you sensing what I'm sensing?"
Silvally's head crest fanned out. A golden shimmer rippled through his eyes. "Yeah. Th… this power. It's… it's…"
The entire room shook. Tessa fell to her side with a yelp and Espy wound up sprawled on her belly. Silvally barely managed to stay up, tapping into his steel memories to root himself in place while making sure Rebecca didn't slip off. He stared at the golden orb forming where the crystal heart had once been. It slowly plucked Xerneas off the ground and sucked her in.
"Guys… we've got a problem! The Ultra Nexus is breaking apart!" Espy shouted, pointing a forepaw up. Her teammates followed her gaze and found huge, hexagonal tiles plummeting toward them from above. Tessa screamed and threw her paws up over her face. Then, a surge of golden light washed across her.
"Hang on, everyone. I've got it from here."
"That voice… Shane, is that really you?!" Silvally cried. Golden light filled up his vision, then an invisible force yanked him into the air. The Ultra Nexus slowly faded away as everything went completely white.
Lunala hovered by the rift. "Guys? Guys?! Can you hear me? S… something's going on with the rift and—"
Her third eye flared to life as golden light leaked out of the rift. She backed away, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid getting blown out of the way by a surge of gold energy. A familiar, four-winged light dragon flew out from the rift, which sealed shut behind him. Several golden spheres floated around him.
"N… Necrozma? No, wait…" Lunala squinted. "Aren't you—"
The light dragon flew off toward the planet before Lunala could finish her question. Its speed astounded her. "H… hang on! Don't just leave me here!" She looked back at where the rift used to be. Her third eye flickered. There was no indication anything was sucking energy from the planet anymore. In fact, it seemed that the stolen energy had reversed course and was flowing back to the planet.
Lunala turned back around and saw a golden trail heading toward the Horizon Continent. With a flap of her wings, she took off in pursuit.
~Solstice Summit~
Totem Ninetales walked into the kitchen area in her temple. "How are breakfast preparations coming along, you two?"
Sneasel turned around from a steaming pot sitting atop a metal stove and wiped his brow. "It should be ready in a couple of minutes, I think?" He turned to Hakamo-o, who was perched on a wooden stool, chopping up a perfect apple with his claws. "How are the apple slices coming along?"
Hakamo-o held up a hand, revealing an apple wedge in each claw. "They're slice-o-rific!" He wiggled his fingers.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Great." Sneasel rolled his eyes. "Toss 'em in the pot, then."
Nodding, Hakamo-o walked across the kitchen, only for the door to fly open and Esserly to glide in, breathing heavily and fluttering her wing-like ears. "T-Totem… you must come outside. It's… it's…" She dropped to the ground, struggling to catch her breath.
"What is it, Sister Esserly?" Totem Ninetales said.
"It's Team Radiance! They crashed into the village… with Dragonite, Xerneas, and Necrozma."
Hakamo-o and Sneasel jumped back in fright, the latter nearly knocking over the cooking pot in the process. "Did she just say—" Hakamo-o started, only for Sneasel to nod at him. Before they knew it, Totem Ninetales and Esserly were heading out the door. "H-Hey! What should we do?" Hakamo-o ran off after them. Sneasel glanced at the pot, then shrugged and followed.
By the time they made it outside, a small crowd had gathered. Team Radiance had all gotten to their feet, weary looks in their eyes. Tessa walked up to the golden dragon lying splayed out on the snowy ground. She knelt down and lifted his head with both her paws. Multicolored eyes stared back at her.
"S… Sh… Shane?" Tessa struggled to form the words. "Is it… is it… really you?"
The dragon nodded. A tired grin formed on his beak. "See? I told you… I'd see you on the other side."
Tears welled up in Tessa's eyes. She was about to embrace Shane, when his body flashed white. Shane grimaced, then slipped from Tessa's grip as he shrank down before everyone's eyes. "Shane? Shane, what's going on?!"
He shriveled up. Shane's four wings vanished in streams of golden light, then his single, large tail fanned out into nine fluffy, blue-white tails. The ones Tessa had grown so used to. When the light faded, her Ninetales teammate lay in the snow. Tessa ran up to him, followed by Espy and Silvally. "Shane? Are you okay?" Tessa said. "You're, um… well, I don't know how to explain this."
"I… I…" Shane coughed weakly. Then his eyes rolled back and his head slumped over. Slowly, black crystals ran up his legs. Tessa's eyes widened. Right in the middle of Shane's chest was a triangular gem… flickering weakly. Tessa only had a few seconds to look at it, however, before black crystals completely covered Shane up from head to tail.
"Shane? Shane?! No, no, no!" Tessa shoved him repeatedly. Then, looking around frantically, she hoisted Shane into the air. Her gaze fell on Totem Ninetales. "Please… please, you have to help him! Find Ho-Oh! Find Ephemeris! I can't—" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I won't lose him again."
Totem Ninetales blinked in surprise. "Err… yes, o-of course. Let's get him to the temple… pronto!"
"But what about these two, Totem?" Esserly pointed to Dragonite and Xerneas.
"Grab a couple of villagers and sort them out while I tend to Shane," Totem Ninetales said, beckoning Tessa to follow with her tails. Together, they sprinted into the temple.
I apologize to anyone who was expecting some sort of big, epic showdown to take place in the Ultra Nexus. I felt that it would just be really pointless and redundant coming off of the crazy string of battles in Episodes 15 and 16. And since the battle with Void Necrozma had focused a lot on alien and eldritch horror, I decided to focus more on the character interactions than trippy Ultra Space stuff, since we've already had plenty of that in the fic to date. Specifically, Tessa's interactions with Rebecca are meant to mirror her first interactions with Shane all the way back in the opening chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!
SuperOmegaGuest: Silvally never saw Unown language for himself. It was only his teammates who came across it while he was staring at the operating table in Golem's lab. And appearance quirks are still a thing.
Xero-Xis: I appreciate the compliment. Currently, I'm not thinking about future plans. Just trying to get this all wrapped up before Sword and Shield come out. Which it looks like we're on track for.
Next time: our heroes get some difficult pills to swallow. Three chapters remain.