Beta read by Namohysip.
Chapter 105: Spiritual Enlightenment
~Aeon Observatory~
"How long do you intend to stand there and try to steal glances at my ass, huh?"
Rebecca's comment made Milotic's ribbons crinkle. She pressed herself up against the wall, then sucked in a breath and slithered up to the doorway. Rebecca lay in the corner on a set of pillows, facing a pair of oak cabinets lined up side by side on the far wall. Milotic brushed her ribbons together. "I… I did no such thing. I just got here, actually. Came to ask if you were hungry." Her voice didn't waver.
"Liar!" Rebecca tilted her head slightly, her one visible eye narrowing. "Just how dense do you think you I am? Your silhouette's lingered by the door for god only knows how long. Obviously, you've been trying to sneak peaks at me."
"A-Absolutely not. I'm serious. I was going to ask you about dinner," Milotic insisted.
"Yeah, right. Your voice is shaky. Give it up. I caught you in the act. Hell, you're not even making eye contact with me right now, are you?" Rebecca's tail flaps curled up, releasing purple vapors. Milotic slithered back, ribbons tensing up. Her face reddened when Rebecca reached for a nearby blanket and threw it over her body, leaving only her head sticking out.
"Okay, yeah, I was standing by your doorway." Milotic lowered her head shamefully. She had to try to spin this somehow. "But it's not what you think! I was… spacing out. My friend is… in a bad place right now and I was lost in thought trying to figure out what to say to her."
"Uh-huh. Sure." Rebecca turned over to face Milotic. "My doorway must make for one hell of a thinking spot if you picked it to 'space out.' C'mon… I wasn't born yesterday." Rebecca rolled her eyes. Milotic bit her lip. She didn't think she was that transparent. Besides, it wasn't even a total lie.
"Let me tell you all the things that are wrong with this picture." Rebecca held up her index finger. "Number one… I'm human." She added a second finger. "Number two… I don't swing that way. Where I'm from… we ridicule the people that do." Rebecca lowered her hand and drew her lips back in a snarl. "And, lastly, even if I had been a lizard all my life, I would never date, screw, or do anything sultry with a goddamn oversized pasta noodle."
Milotic's eyes widened. "P-Pasta noodle?! I'm a—"
"Bitch did I stutter?" Rebecca sneered. Silence followed as Rebecca glared at Milotic and the latter's gaze wavered.
"I'm sorry. I'll, uh, leave you alone," Milotic whispered.
"Good. And don't let me catch you doing anything stupid like that again." Rebecca pulled the blanket up over her head. Milotic sighed and slithered out of the room. She left the doorway behind when she heard muffled screams and kicking behind her. Milotic didn't need to turn around to know what was up. Rebecca was shouting into her pillow and kicking the floor… exactly what Comfey told her she'd been doing since she'd come from Solstice Summit.
Milotic rounded the hallway corner. What was she going to do? With Serperior leaving the Observatory to self-reflect and Dragonite holed up in the team's old room, Milotic had no one to turn to. Talking to Dusk helped out a bit, but now that Dragonite was back, that sore spot had reopened. Milotic had to talk to her. Otherwise, her guilt would just keep eating away at her. So, she slithered up to her team's room and knocked on the door. There was no response.
Sighing, Milotic said, "Dragonite, it's me. Please let me in." She leaned against the doorway. Unsurprisingly, it didn't budge. "C'mon, Dragonite. You've been locked in there for long enough. We have to talk. You can't keep pretending like this didn't happen." Her ribbons drooped when silence followed. "Please… I don't want to loose my friend again," she whispered. Another long pause ensued. Milotic considered giving up and retreating upstairs.
But then footsteps met Milotic's words. She straightened up, but stayed silent out of fear she'd somehow spook Dragonite. After a tense minute of silence, a bolt lock clicked and the door creaked open. Dragonite didn't appear, however, so Milotic opened the door the rest of the way and went into the room. There, she found Dragonite flopping into her bed, groaning. She scratched at her clammy scales with her right hand.
"Well, you're here. Go on. Say your piece," Dragonite mumbled.
Milotic slithered up to Dragonite's bed. "None of this is your fault."
"Yes, it is. I believed what Necrozma and Zero told me. I… I enjoyed hurting the people I attacked." Dragonite shuddered. "It felt incredible to have that much power. When I nearly lost against Silvally I just… I just…" She curled up into a ball. "I couldn't handle it. It was like I was losing my mind or something."
Milotic bent over to be at eye level with Dragonite. "None of it's true, though. I didn't care about your looks when you were a Dragonair. It was never about that." She reached a ribbon toward Dragonite's wing, but Dragonite it pulled it against her back. "Nighty."
"Don't 'Nighty' me." Dragonite swatted Milotic's ribbon back. "I want the honest truth. You and Serpy cared more about the team's reputation, didn't you?"
"No, we didn't!" Milotic flinched, startled by how loud she was. "I, uh…" She coiled herself up. "Look, I can't exactly speak for Serpy… but I want you to know that it was never about reputation."
"But you did want me to stay as a Dragonair, didn't you?"
"Okay, fine! Yes! I admit it!" Milotic shrank down onto the floor. Dragonite turned over slightly, raising a brow. "But it's not what you think, Nighty. It… it didn't have to do with looks. It was…" Milotic trembled. "I was scared, okay?"
"Scared?"
"Yes, scared. About what would happen if you evolved again," Milotic said, rubbing her eyes with a ribbon. "You know I grew up around a lot of dragons. My dad is a dragon and his temperament is… well, you remember the stuff I told you, right?"
Dragonite bit her lower lip. "I… I do."
"That's why I was worried. I thought that some sort of, like, primal dragon instincts would kick in if you evolved." Tears trickled down Milotic's face. "I didn't want to lose you to an instinctual frenzy. You were… no, you are the person I trust the most out of anyone. I've always valued your insight." She fixed her tearful gaze on Dragonite. "That's why you were always the one I consulted when we were taking jobs, not Serpy. You were always the level-headed one. And I… I really liked how you kept me grounded. I didn't want to lose that.
"So, yeah, you're right. I was being selfish." Milotic sniffled. "But it's because I, um…" Her voice trailed off.
"What? What is it?" Dragonite scooched forward and now her head and torso were practically sliding off the bed.
"I t-told you. You're the… you're the person I trust the most out of anyone in my life," Milotic whispered. Her right ribbon was up. She wanted to reach out to Dragonite, but she held it in place, fearing what would happen if she did. Dragonite looked at the ribbon, then at Milotic, and then at the floor.
"Are you… are you implying what I think you're implying?" Dragonite looked her dead in the eye.
Milotic nodded slowly. She grabbed Dragonite's right arm with her ribbon. "P… please don't leave me. I want you in my life. I want—" Milotic stopped. "N-No, wait, this isn't fair." She pulled her ribbon back. "This isn't about what I want. It was my selfishness that led to all of this." Milotic bowed her head. "It's… it's up to you whether you want to stay or go do something else. Don't let me influence you."
She was about to uncoil and move away from the bed when Dragonite yanked her up onto her lap. Well, partially onto her lap, given Milotic's length. Milotic's ribbons shot up. "N-Nighty, what are you—"
"Why didn't you say something to me before?" she asked, frowning.
"B-Because I didn't, um, want things to be awkward on the team if you didn't see me the same way," Milotic squeaked. Her cheeks reddened.
Dragonite's antennae twitched. "Okay, yeah, I guess I see where you're coming from." She gently clasped one of Milotic's ribbons in her hands.
"So, then, are we—"
"I dunno." Dragonite let go of the ribbon. "I've never really given this kind of stuff any thought. But, like, we don't have an exploration team to worry about anymore. So, like, maybe we can try… uh, dating? See what happens, I guess. How's that sound?"
"Wonderful." Milotic leaned over and brought her head into the crook of Dragonite's neck. "Welcome back, Nighty."
Dragonite reciprocated the embrace, squeezing Milotic's torso. "It's good to be back, Millie."
~Solstice Summit~
At Ephemeris' encouraging, Shane and Silvally sat down by the rim of the pool. A gold tinge spread through Silvally's glowing parts. Likewise, looking into the pool gave Shane butterflies in his stomach. The blue water turned to swathes of gray, white, and black that swirled around one another. Shane titled his head. The back of his head tingled. His tails reflexively curled up. The more he stared at the pool, the more his fur stood on end. At the same time, an image flickered in his head of a night sky.
Was this what it was like to read auras? Shane shook his head and forced himself to pay attention. There'd be time for questions in the future. He focused on Totem Ninetales, whose brooch shimmered and pulsated with silver light. She stuck a forepaw into the pool, then lifted it. Two silver spheres floated out of the water. Shane had to stop himself from gasping out loud. Silvally watched them, eyes bright-gold.
They drifted toward Zephyr, who stepped back, a dazed look in his eyes. The orbs rippled and squirmed until they took the forms of two Weaviles, one with a pink crown and the other with a blue crown. Color filled the spirits like juice being poured into a glass. Totem Ninetales held her pose, brooch still shimmering. Shane tilted his head. These new spirits lacked the sheen that the ones Silvally summoned had. Was it because of a difference in the summoning method? Did that even matter? Shane wasn't sure, but his mind was already a blur.
"M-Mom? Pops?" Zephyr whispered, looking between the two of them and blinking slowly. They both stared at their claws, then looked back to Totem Ninetales.
"I was under the impression this would be a private event," Blue-Crown said, frowning.
"Forgive me. Circumstances changed after our last conversation." Totem Ninetales bowed her head. "Please, pay them no mind."
"It's been some time, Sneasel," Pink-Crown said. She tilted her head to the side. "And you look… so scrawny."
Zephyr winced. "I've… been through a lot since you guys left. Also, I go by Zephyr now. Sneasel Zephyr."
His parents exchanged confused looks. "It's a new custom we're trying… now that the world's been rebuilt," Totem Ninetales explained.
"I see. So, this is a custom from civilized 'mons, then?" Blue-Crown crossed his arms. An awkward silence fell over the room, with Zephyr poking his claws together. Shane wanted to tell him to say something, but the look on Zephyr's face gave him pause. He wasn't sure if it was his poor social skills coming into play or not, but Shane couldn't get a read on Zephyr's expression. He may as well have been staring at a wall. Shane looked to his teammates for any sort of clues, but they seemed just as confused. Even Hakamo-o looked bewildered.
"Zephyr? You, uh… gonna say something?" Hakamo-o whispered, scratching the back of his neck. He shrank back when Blue-Crown fixed a skeptical look on him.
Sighing, Zephyr rubbed his shoulder. "I guess… I should come out and say it, then. Yeah, if you couldn't tell by all of this… I ain't wild no more. And I ain't a thief no more, either. I had to put those days behind me."
"I see…" Blue-Crown looked around the room. "Well, this place is quite fancy. The Totem told us a brief version of how you ended up here. Caught by the guild and arrested?" He shook his head. "I thought we had told you to be judicious when choosing your targets. Going for the guild's headquarters is a fool's errand. I'm not surprised you were caught so easily."
"I was judicious!" Zephyr countered, face twisting into a grimace. He looked away, biting his lower lip. "What… what happened to you two? You left one night to do a job… and then you never came back."
"We had ventured into Tethys Tunnel, because we heard rumors of a valuable trinket in the swamps of Moonrise Marsh. But as we were walking through the Mystery Dungeon… I triggered an explosive trap." Blue-Crown bowed his head. "For some reason… the entire room was flooded with explosive traps. There was a chain reaction and, well, neither of us could withstand so many blows."
"Though we asked around the Tree of Life, nobody knew why such bad fortune had befallen us. The closest we got to an answer was a couple of people accusing Tapu Lele of setting the explosives for her own amusement," Pink-Crown continued.
Shane raised a curious eyebrow. He knew the Tapus could rearrange the Mystery Dungeons… but did they actually have the power to set traps? A shudder ran down his spine. If there were spirits that believed a Tapu intentionally set traps to mess with Pokémon, then there was a good chance that had actually happened. The thought prompted a round of teeth-gnashing, until his teammates' concerned looks made him stop and stare down at his forepaws.
"What about you, son? We want to know what happened to you." Pink-Crown reached out an arm and put it on Zephyr's shoulder. He winced, but didn't shrink back from the contact.
"I waited for you to come home. Kept waiting… until our berry stock ran dry. At that point, I set out on my own. Did everything you told me to. Stuck to targets I thought I could get away with stealing from and all that." Zephyr scratched his head feather. "And then, one night, I found that lug stumbling around, all covered in puke and stuff."
His parents turned to Hakamo-o, who stood up straight. "I… I was still a Jangmo-o at the time. I'd left home cause I had a… spat with my dad."
"And you two had always taught me that, just because I'm a thief, doesn't mean I should pray on a sorry-looking soul. I felt bad for him, so I took him in. Thought I could get myself a dragon apprentice out of the deal or whatever," Zephyr continued. "For a while, things worked out okay, because we were sticking to really easy targets. Again, like you both taught me." His gaze shifted to Shane and Tessa. "But then… one night, we found a Riolu sleeping with a fancy-looking scarf around her neck. It looked like the perfect thing to steal, so we took it. Only problem is, she gave chase. And she brought her friend with her."
Zephyr raised an arm to point at Shane and Tessa. His parents turned around. Shane's tails stiffened. He had no idea what to say in a situation like this. "Uh… hi there?" The unconvincing looks he got from both parents told him his efforts to defuse the tension had fallen flat.
"Those two beat me and Hakamo-o good… despite acting like they'd never fought before. It made me… upset. I tried to forget about it and go back to business, but Hakamo-o and I kept running into those two. And we kept losing." Zephyr bared his fangs. "I hated it. Every loss made me feel like I was letting you both down." He fixed a tired expression on his parents. "So, I wound up partnering up with a Midnight Lycanroc. But it still wasn't enough to beat Sno— sorry, Shane and his friends."
Shane's ears twitched. The tips of his tails thumped against the ground. A part of Shane's mind told him something as silly as Zephyr calling him by his proper name shouldn't have brought as much of a smile to his face as it did. However, he mostly took it as a sign that, somehow, he'd managed to earn Zephyr's respect. Luckily, he managed to keep his mouth shut and avoid ruining the moment.
From there, Zephyr recounted his escape from prison and all the trouble that Lycanroc's vendetta against Shane had gotten him into. By the time he was done, all Zephyr could do was exhale deeply and step back. After coughing for a few seconds, he said, "And there you have it. I'm done with the whole 'thieving' routine. Gonna use this community service or what have you to try and, y'know, reinvent myself or whatever."
Zephyr held his arms up. "So, go on. Scold me or tell me off or whatever. I can take it." He looked his parents in the eyes, but instead of the angry expressions he was expecting, he saw… relief?
Shane and Tessa glimpsed the parents' expressions and exchanged raised eyebrows. "Is it just me or does Sne— err, Zephyr seem surprised?" he whispered. "None of this is what I was expecting."
"It's not our place to judge," Tessa replied, shrugging. Shane rolled his eyes, but held his tongue to avoid Zephyr or his parents hearing him.
"We're not upset with you, son. On the contrary. We're glad that you're safe," Pink-Crown said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Bwuh? But what about all that stuff about, y'know, thief's honor and whatnot? I let you down, didn't I?" Zephyr said.
Blue-Crown walked over and put an arm on Zephyr's right shoulder. "Son, we didn't teach you how to be a thief because we thought it was some grand family tradition you had to uphold… we taught you how to be a thief so you could look after yourself," he said. Zephyr responded with a slackened jaw and a blank expression. "Us dark-types… have never been well-regarded. And that got a lot worse after Dark Matter showed up. When your mother and I had your egg… we thought it'd be impossible for you to find a place among civilized or wild 'mons. So, we thought it best to teach you everything we knew, so that you could hopefully survive on your own."
"Then… then that stuff about picking targets—"
"For self-preservation… and to try and keep you from making any unwanted enemies," Blue-Crown said, walked back to join his mate. He looked around at the temple. "Honestly, if you think that you can make a life for yourself in this village, then we support you."
Pink-Crown nodded. "All we want is for you to be able to provide for yourself. This place… it looks like a good way to start a steadier life for yourself. A life that we couldn't provide for you." She wrapped an arm over Blue-Crown's shoulders. "When your community service is over, if you want to talk with us again and share what ideas you have for your future, your father and I would be happy to help you mull things over."
"Oh. O… okay." Zephyr blinked. He was dazed, like someone had socked him in the back of the skull.
"Something wrong, son?" Blue-Crown asked.
"No. I, uh… I guess I wasn't expecting this," Zephyr said. He stumbled toward his parents. A smile slowly replaced the blank look on his face. His arms weren't long enough to wrap around both his parents, but they recognized the gesture and pulled him into an embrace. "I'm sorry for the, y'know, chilly reception. I've really missed you guys."
A groan echoed across the room. Everyone turned to Gallian, with Zephyr and his parents wearing the most annoyed expressions. Gallian's face paled. He turned and buried his head in Zoroark's mane while his mate rolled his eyes.
"We miss you too." Pink-Crown stroked the top of Zephyr's head, feather included. "Promise us you'll try to set up at least one more of these, okay?"
"I don't think it's up to me." Zephyr glanced at Totem Ninetales. She was concentrating on her brooch, but still managed to look up at him and smile.
"I'm sure I can arrange something," she said.
"Great. We can catch up more, then," Pink-Crown said. She and Blue-Crown broke off the embrace. Their legs dissolved away in swirls of black and gray. "Goodbye, Zephyr. It was lovely to see you again."
"Take care, son." Blue-Crown nodded at Zephyr, then he and his mate condensed back into silver spheres that dropped into the pool and vanished instantly.
Zephyr stared at the pool. Then, he staggered back a couple of steps. Hakamo-o managed to reach his side in time to catch him before he collapsed. "Z-Zeph? You okay?"
All Zephyr could manage was incoherent mumbling. "I think he's still in a bit of shock from the session. You should lay him down so he can rest," Totem Ninetales said, gesturing to one of the now-occupied mats with her leftmost tail. Hakamo-o nodded and carried Zephyr toward the nearest mat.
"W… wait…"
Hakamo-o froze and looked down at Zephyr. "Sn… Shane. Where… Shane?" Zephyr murmured.
"Uh, he's right across from us. Do you need him for something?" Hakamo-o wondered, trying and failing to adjust his grip so Zephyr could see Shane.
"Tr… train…" Zephyr squirmed in Hakamo-o's grasp. "I want… to train… with your team."
Shane's ears twitched. That had come out of left field. He wanted to press Zephyr for more details, but Zephyr's eyelids closed and his arms went limp. Hakamo-o sighed and carried him over to the mat. Laying Zephyr down, he said, "Zeph's mentioned you guys a few times to me. Talking about how he wishes he could defend himself the way you four can. Keeps circling back to how he couldn't do nothing to stop Lycanroc during his episode."
"Well, we don't exactly have any formal training plans. Especially not with Mystery Dungeons being gone," Espy said, frowning.
"But that doesn't mean we can't come up with something," Tessa said, drawing stunned looks from Shane and Silvally. "What?"
"You really want to do that for the guy after he harassed us so much?" Shane whispered. Though it was a flattering gesture, Shane didn't trust the motivation behind it.
"Yes, I do. For one… he helped my brother put together a big gift for the team, so I think he wants to change. And second…" Tessa trailed off and rubbed her shoulder. "I think it'd be, um, kinda nice to teach someone?" Her voice cracked from the uncertainty behind her statement.
"Oh." Shane curled his tails around his legs. "Well, in that case… go for it. Do whatever you think'll make you happy. I'll help in any way I can."
Espy and Silvally shrugged at one another. Ephemeris cleared his throat. "There's one other thing I'd like to do before we, erm, adjourn this meeting."
"Is it going to be quick?" Gallian asked, voice muffled by Zoroark's mane. Zoroark grabbed him by the horn and yanked his head up, an unamused look on his face. Gallian grinned back sheepishly.
"It's for you and Tessa, actually." Ephemeris approached the spirit pool while a golden shimmer spread across his wings. "There's someone who wants to see you."
Tessa's aura feelers shot up. Shane sucked in a breath. There were only two people that came to mind for him… and he strongly favored one guess over the other. He put a forepaw on Tessa's lap. "It's gonna be okay," he said, wishing there was more he could offer.
"If… if this is who I think it is… I'm not ready." Her aura feelers quivered.
"Well, we're all here for you." Shane nudged her shoulder.
"Right." Tessa got to her feet and, gait unsteady, made her way toward the spirit pool. She and Gallian stood in front of it with Zoroark a few steps behind them, clutching his mane and fiddling with locks of hair. Tessa looked to her brother who was about as tense as she remembered when his disaster sense was overwhelming him.
Ephemeris thrust his wings forward, drawing a silver sphere dripping orange and black water out of the pool. It hovered to the edge and expanded outward until a monochromatic Incineroar stood in front of his children. Tessa gripped her scarf tight. She grabbed Gallian by the scruff of his neck, sensing he was going to pounce, and held him until colors filled up Incineroar like they had Sneasel's parents.
"So, that's what he looks like," Espy whispered, swishing her tail.
Incineroar looked down at his kids. "Tessa. Gallian. It's been… quite some time, hasn't it?"
Even though she knew it was coming when Ephemeris called her over, Tessa still stumbled back, losing her grip on Gallian. By the time she found her legs again, Gallian had curled up against Incineroar, who leaned over to reciprocate the hug. Incineroar stuck out his right arm. Tessa lumbered toward him, unable to hold back tears.
"Look how big you've gotten, kiddo," Incineroar said, voice cracking as he wrapped Tessa up into the embrace. "Even got your old 'mon's stripes on your tail."
"D… Dad…" Tessa pressed her face against Incineroar's side. "I… I… missed you so much."
For a couple of minutes, the room was silent, save for Gallian and Tessa's muffled sobs. Thoughts of Shane's human family lingered in the back of his mind. Guilt weighed down his shoulders. Even though he technically had the means to reach them, he didn't think he ever would. And that made him wonder exactly what happened after his departure. How did his parents react? His sisters?
Shane shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to show any outward signs that would ruin the mood of the tearful reunion. Shane shifted about on his cushion and batted the end of his leftmost tail.
Incineroar finally broke off the embrace. "I don't know what to tell you both… other than that I'm sorry."
"You don't have anything to apologize for, Dad," Gallian said.
"That's not true. I took too many things for granted. My position. My teammates. Your mother." Incineroar frowned. "I believed that I was surrounded by wonderful people… but that wasn't the case."
"No, Dad… don't say that. I mean, I'm the one who caught that cold the day you—"
Incineroar put a paw on Tessa's snout. "Don't blame yourself, Tessa. I never blamed you."
"But Mom did…" Tessa's aura feelers drooped. Shane winced, flashing back to that faithful morning in Tessa's house where he learned the truth through her tear-filled confession. Glass shard silhouettes flickered around the corners of his vision. Shane squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, telling himself Tessa was in a better frame of mind now.
"I know she did. But she was wrong." Incineroar pointed at his chest. "It just goes to show how out of the loop I was with everything. I never realized her secret… and how she really felt about you two. Just like I never realized that Braviary was always suspicious of her… or that Metagross had grown increasingly paranoid about me.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this could've happened. I always wanted to be there to support you both. Instead, I left you on your own at a time when you were both vulnerable." Incineroar sucked in a sharp breath. A shaky smile appeared on his face. "But that's why… I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that I am so, so proud of you both." He rubbed his kids' heads as he choked up on his words.
"Proud? But I… I harassed Tessa." Gallian looked away, tail drooping. "I walked out on her. She was the one who snapped me back to my senses."
"Yes, Gallian. You did make mistakes. But you also worked to correct them," Incineroar said. When Gallian looked up at him in surprise, he winked and continued, "I've been kept in the know about your escapades. I heard what you did for Tessa after the battle with Necrozma. You came up with that on your own… and that's something to hold your head high over. And, well, I heard you risked your neck to save your mate. I don't think a total screw-up would've charged into danger like that."
Shane couldn't help but laugh nervously, as that sounded exactly like what a total screw-up would do. Namely… what he did in his lousier moments during the whole adventure. He silently nodded at Gallian while Incineroar looked past his kids and toward Zoroark.
"So, you're the lucky guy, huh?"
"S-Sir." Zoroark stood up straight and saluted. "I, uh…"
"No need for the formalities, Zoroark. I've heard enough to know you're the right 'mon for Gallian. I only wish I could, y'know, actually be there to see how your relationship progresses. Instead, I'll just have to get whatever updates I can from the spirit realm." Incineroar sighed and shook his head. "Regardless, let me offer you a belated welcome into the family."
Zoroark blinked. "Oh, uh, thank you. It's…" He scratched his restored left ear. "I love your son a lot. In spite of the big hiccup we had, I'm glad he's a part of my life." He smiled at Gallian, who turned and smiled back.
"Aww. That's precious," Silvally chirped, drawing a few stern looks. Espy rubbed his foreleg as he shrank down to the ground.
Incineroar turned to Tessa. "You've been through such a harrowing experience. I'm not sure I would've been able to stand tall through all the hardships you endured."
"D-Don't say that, Dad. You w-were the strongest guy I knew," Tessa said between bouts of sniffles.
"Well, that's not the case anymore. You're far stronger than I am. And I'm not just talking about dishing out the hurt." Incineroar punched the air. "From what I saw when you were fighting Necrozma, you've become such a mature young lady. And you did that in spite of all the nasty things Prisma told you after I had passed." He reached down and rubbed Tessa's head. Her tail wagged slightly. "No matter what you may tell yourself, you're as big of a hero as the ones you loved reading about. Nobody can take what you've done away from you, so don't let them. Okay?"
"Y-Yes, Dad." Tessa could barely choke back further tears any longer. Shane's tails twitched. He wanted to go to her side and comfort her, but he could feel Espy and Silvally's gazes on his back. Shane stayed seated, fidgeting with his rightmost two tails.
Incineroar rubbed the back of his head. He glanced back at Ephemeris, who nodded. "It looks like… that's all the time we have for right now," he said.
"W-What? But I— we haven't gotten to speak for that long! I have, like, so much to tell you!" Tessa blinked tears from her eyes.
"I'm sure you do. But I can only stay outside the spirit realm for so long like this." Incineroar offered a warm smile. "We'll do this again in the future, though. After all, it's not like I'm doing all that much in the Tree of Life."
Tessa's ears and aura feelers drooped. "O… okay. I guess… I guess I'll talk to you later, then?"
"Keep your chin up, Tessa." Incineroar knelt down and put a paw under Tessa's snout. "You've made some great friends. I can tell how much they care about you. Your buddy, Shane, has barely been able to sit still through all of this."
Shane's tails fanned out. "I, uh… I can explain!"
"There's no need. I've got a pretty clear picture." Incineroar stood back up and approached the spirit pool. "Gallian, Tessa, I have faith that good things await you both in the future. No matter what happens, though, keep each other close… along with your friends. Sound good?"
"Yeah," Gallian and Tessa said in unison. Incineroar opened his arms wide and his kids approached for one last embrace. Warmth flooded them, then gradually faded away as Incineroar shrank back down into a silver ball and returned to the spirit pool. Totem Ninetales stirred the waters with her staff until they returned to the luminescent blue color they originally had.
"Bye, Dad," Tessa whispered, grabbing Shane's memento and pulling it up against her scarf. Her aura feelers twitched and she stepped back to avoid Shane crashing into him. "Good grief, Shane. You really couldn't sit still, could you?"
"W-Well, I—" Shane's face reddened. "Okay, yeah. But I was, y'know, worried about you and stuff. Are you okay? Happy? Sad? Something else?"
"I'm… tired, to be honest," Tessa said, slouching over. "And peppering me with questions isn't going to help in that regard."
Shane shrank back, ears flattening. "Ah. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. This has been a long week, that's all. And an even longer evening." Tessa stepped to his side and put a paw on his shoulder. His tails puffed up, then frazzled. "I mean, I just got my partner back, only to have a total bombshell dropped on me about my life… and then my dad got spirit-channeled." Tessa shook her head. To Shane's utter confusion, she then laughed.
"Um, are you—"
"Sorry. I'm still trying to process all of this. Like, so much has happened so quickly, that I can't help but laugh." Tessa rubbed her eyes.
"Maybe we ought to head back to the Observatory, then?" Zoroark suggested. "I'm in the same boat as Tessa. I could use some shut-eye… assuming I can sleep after all of this nonsense."
"There's no need to make the trek back to Aeon Town. You all can stay in my home," Totem Ninetales said.
"That's very generous of you, but it's still daytime in the other hemisphere, so I'm sure Hoopa could portal us back to the Observatory," Gallian said, bowing.
"Nonsense. It's the least I can do for you all as thanks for agreeing to our request." Totem Ninetales looked at Ephemeris.
Gallian had a retort prepared, but it was lost amidst a loud yawn. "Okay, you got me. Think you can walk us over?"
"Of course. Follow me." Totem Ninetales headed for the front door. The rest of the group followed, with Hakamo-o carrying the still-unconscious Zephyr. Only Silvally stayed where he was sitting.
"Something wrong, Silv?" Espy said.
"Huh? Oh. Uh, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up to you. This place isn't that big. I'm sure I'll fine the Totem's house on my own." Silvally avoided eye contact with the rest of the group.
Espy tilted her head, then waved the rest of the group off with a forepaw. Shane frowned. "If you're staying behind, then I think we should—"
"Shane. I appreciate it, but you only just woke up. Why don't you have Tessa catch you up on what's happened the last couple of weeks?" Espy said, pointing her snout toward the door in a fashion suggesting she wanted to be alone with Silvally.
"Um… okay." Shane turned and followed Tessa and the others out the door, but not before taking one last look back at Espy. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do." Espy closed the door behind them. 'At least, I hope I do.' She cautiously approached Silvally and sat down across from him. Leaning into his field of vision, she asked, "You okay, Silv? That look on your face is scaring me."
Silvally stayed silent. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the right. Espy got to her feet. "C'mon, Silv. I want to help. Don't shut me out like this. R… Remember what we talked about in the Ultra Nexus?"
"I do…" Silvally's words were strained. He sounded like he was in pain. Espy took a step toward him but he held a foreleg up. "It's… I… need to focus… a minute." Silvally leaned over, grunting like he was trying to wretch something up from his stomach. Clammy gray spread through his glowing appendages. Silvally's cheek bolts opened and vented cold air. Espy stepped back, shivering.
Why had his ice memories activated? "Silv, are your spirits acting up?" It was the only explanation Espy could think of.
Silvally coughed in response. Another silver ember materialized, like the ones from the spirit pool. Silvally sat hunched over, panting heavily, while the ember expanded outward. Espy stepped back again. The ember expanded into another ice Ninetales. It was about as big as Totem Ninetales, so that must've meant it used to hold the same position. Espy's jaw dropped.
"Silv… is that a—"
"Totem… Ninetales." Silvally took several deep breaths and lifted his head. "More specifically… the one who rounded up all the spirits Golem welded together to create me… and the one that I killed when I couldn't control myself."
Espy's ears and tail shot up. She and Silvally locked eyes with the spirit in unison. Her expression, in turn, wilted. "I actually have a familiar name, you brute. It's Leina. I was from Solstice Summit, too, remember?"
"What's she doing inside your body?" Espy said, though the answer was obvious.
"She's not the only one." Silvally cheek bolts rotated asynchronously. "The others are there, too, aren't they? The rest of your 'team.'"
"All the ones you and Necrozma butchered. Except for Golem himself, of course." Leina shivered. "You can certainly try to summon them, but they will resist. None of them want to see you."
"And I don't want to see you," Silvally growled.
"Then why did you summon me?"
"Because I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and I wanted to get to the bottom of it." Silvally stood up and paced around Leina. Espy frowned. From what she remembered in Golem's videos, Leina seemed most opposed to everything Golem was doing. Espy wasn't even sure she ever saw Leina's face in the recordings.
"Okay, your curiosity's been sated. Now, put me back," Leina said, though her slouched posture did little to bolster her demands.
"No." Silvally paused in front of her.
"S… Silv? Maybe it's best to listen to her?" Espy squeaked. "You're… you're angry. And you might not be thinking straight."
Silvally took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as hostile," he said, though a twinge of venom still clung to his words. "All I want is to ask one simple question: why?"
"Why?" Leina cocked her head.
"Why did you do it? Why did you agree to work with them?"
"That's not one question," Leina huffed.
"It might as well be. In the recordings… you seemed hesitant. Like you thought it was a bad idea." Silvally's head crest fanned out. "Why did you go through with it, then?"
"Because I only really objected to Golem filming everything with Porygon2 so he could flaunt his 'genius,'" Leina blurted out. Silvally looked at her skeptically. "In truth, I was one of his biggest supporters. I didn't trust the gods. And something about the circumstances behind the original Ho-Oh's 'death' made me uncomfortable.
"Golem approached me with the idea… and I thought it was a good proposition, to be honest. A way to give future generations peace of mind. But when he said he wanted to record everything so people would know who to thank, I voiced my displeasure." Leina shook her head. "I've always believed firmly in karma. When he started referring to himself as the 'Illustrious Golem,' I feared that his hubris would seep into the experiment and lead to something… unfortunate."
"And, in a manner of speaking, you turned out to be right." Silvally's eyes flickered red. Espy stepped to his side and cleared her throat.
"I think the problem is that Leina's 'team' didn't value you as a living being. And, as such, they didn't treat you with the kindness that living creatures need to thrive." She nudged Silvally's foreleg.
"Yeah." Silvally curled his talons around his cushion. "You were using the power of the void. And, well, now we know that that power is volatile… and sensitive to the emotions of those around it." His brow furrowed. "But I can't believe it didn't occur to any of you that your negative attitudes wouldn't affect me after everything that happened with Dark Matter's first attack."
Leina bit her lip. "What do you want me to say? We had tunnel vision. We were so focused on seeing the project to fruition, that nothing else mattered."
"So, because I didn't hatch from an egg, I didn't deserve to be treated with any sort of respect?" Silvally growled.
"That's not what I said. Only that—" Leina cut herself off. "Forget it. I don't know what you're looking for. Some sort of apology, perhaps?"
"No. I'm looking for a promise. A promise that you and your cronies won't try any sort of funny business," Silvally said, only to be met by a skeptical look. "You heard what Ephemeris said. My RKS System… it's unstable. I don't have the same control over my spirits as I did when I had the memory looplet. So, I want your word that you're not going to try and take advantage of that."
"Fine. You have my word. After all, your Ninetales friend depowered the gods. In a roundabout way, we got exactly what we wanted," Leina said, voice weary. Silence followed, at which point Silvally raised his foreleg. It shimmered with silver light. Espy backed away, wondering if she should speak up. Thankfully, however, all Silvally did was return Leina's spirit to his body. She sighed in relief.
"Okay. That was… a bit concerning, for sure." Espy offered him a shaky grin. "How about we go and rejoin the oth—"
"It's not fair!" Silvally raised a foreleg up and smacked his cushion. Espy jumped back, fur standing on end. A blue glow spread over Silvally as his eyes watered. "I've worked so hard… so damn hard to be my own person. I broke the mask. I subdued the angry spirits. I… I found great friends. I helped keep the world in one piece. And I made up with the Unown." He smacked the pillow again. Tiny tears spread through the fabric.
"So, why? Why did this have to happen? I want to be my own person!" A blue ripple spread through his claws as he struck the cushion a third time. Damp cotton poked out of it. "I don't want to spend my entire life worrying whether I'll be able to keep these spirits under control! I don't want anyone to hijack my body or anything! I want to be me. I want to be with you, Espy!"
"S-Silv—" Espy's legs trembled. She glanced at her naturia looplet, fearful Silvally was losing control again. He kept striking the cushion over and over again until soggy cotton was strewn all over the floor. Then, his foreleg broke through the floorboards and he doubled over. His keen made Espy's heart jump into her throat.
She was at his side in an instant, leaning her tiny frame against his large, shuddering form. "Talk to me, Silv. Remember what I said to you in the Nexus. Don't bottle everything up." Espy stroked the chitin on his foreleg.
He sniffled, then brushed his head against his shoulder. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll hurt you… or Shane or Tessa," Silvally blubbered. A whine escaped his beak. Espy's tail crinkled from the unpleasantly high pitch. "Necrozma… he did this all on purpose. He must've thought there was a chance you guys would free me from his control, so he left one final, nasty surprise waiting. A way to make sure that, even if we beat him, I'd never have peace of mind."
Tears dribbled onto Espy's shoulder. She hopped up on her hind legs and reached toward Silvally's beak with her right forepaw. "Look at me, Silv," she said, but he pivoted his head to his left. "Look at me." Espy managed to turn Silvally's head toward her. "I know you're scared. I'm scared for you. But even though I'll never really know what you're going through… I can still be here for you."
Silvally blinked tears out of his eyes. "But what if I lose control? What if… what if I lash out at you?"
"I care about you too much to let things get that far. And I'm sure Shane and Tessa feel the same way. You don't have to face this challenge alone. Not as long as we're here." Espy moved her forepaw to the tip of Silvally's beak. She was making this up as she went, but it was relieving to see her words getting through to him. "Yes, it might take time for you to get these new powers under control, but that's okay. That spiritual training with Ephemeris sounds like it will help you a lot. I'm confident you can overcome this, like you've done with every obstacle you've faced. And even though I may not be a part of the training, I'll support you as best I can."
"You don't have to do that for my sake," Silvally whispered.
"I want to." Espy stroked Silvally's feathers. "It's like I said before… I'm not expecting you to be perfect. And you shouldn't hold yourself to such high standards. Just do the best that you can. And don't be afraid to ask for help." Her ears drooped. "That was the big mistake that I had made… and you know where it got me."
Silvally didn't respond at first. Espy looked into his eyes, trying to judge what was going through his head. His energy was far too chaotic to read. A pleading look spread across her face. She thought she had a good point… but was Silvally too stressed to acknowledge it?
"Okay." Silvally exhaled deeply. "You're right. I can't let myself get paralyzed by fear. I'll only end up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'll… I'll focus on the training and see how things turn out." He leaned over, pressing his beak to Espy's forehead gem. "You'll attend the training too, right? Even if you're not participating?"
"Of course I will. Because I love you." Espy's heart soared. After all the encouragement Silvally had given her, it felt great to return the favor to him. She kissed the front of his neck.
Silvally licked Espy's cheek. "And I love you, too, Espy."
There was a moment of silence, then Espy whispered. "Selene."
"I beg your pardon?" Silvally looked at her in confusion.
"I've decided on my familiar name. It's Selene." She brushed her head against Silvally's neck. "Because… when I'm with you, things feel serene." Selene looked up at him, smiling.
Chuckling, Silvally shook his head. "Wow. If Shane hadn't just woken up, I'd have believed he came up with that one."
"Are you saying you don't like it?"
"Not at all. I think it suits you well. Selene…" Silvally broke off the embrace and shook out his feathers and fur. "Sorry for snapping. Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay. Though, uh… you're probably gonna have to tell the Totem about the floor," Selene said, wincing.
Silvally looked at the damage and his head crest shrank. "Crud."
"How about we worry about it in the morning?" Selene said. Silvally nodded and joined her at her side. Together, they made their way out of the temple. To their surprise, however, they found Shane pacing near the entrance. Selene quirked an eyebrow, wondering how much of Silvally's outburst Shane had heard. "Something the matter, Shane?"
"Um… kind of?" Shane poked at a few stray pebbles on the ground. "I, uh, need to borrow Silvally. If not now… then soon."
"Borrow me for what? It's late at night. We should sleep," Silvally said, though his glowing appendages darkened.
"I know that. But I, uh…" Shane's tails twisted up. "Look, Tessa's filled me in on what's happened and, well, I think I should go talk to Rebecca… and Xerneas, too."
"And this can't wait until the morning?" Silvally forced out a yawn to emphasize his point.
"I tried to lay down and get some rest, but I couldn't stop thinking about them." Shane's ears flattened. "The longer I go without talking to them, the more likely I am to just avoid them entirely. And that's, like, a bad idea."
"You don't think you'll just piss her off by waking her up?" Selene frowned. "She's hardly been in the best of moods since we brought her back from the Nexus."
"I know." Shane hung his head. "This is another one of my dumb, impulsive ideas… but I can't help it! It's an itch I need to scratch." He shot Silvally a pleading look.
"And how do you plan on getting to the Observatory, exactly?" Silvally asked.
"Yo."
Selene and Silvally turned and gasped in unison. Hoopa lay in midair, resting his head against his hands.
"Cripes! How are you so good at sneaking up on us?" Selene said, bending over and brushing a foreleg against her chest.
"Years of practice." Hoopa grinned. "So, we going to your base or not?"
Silvally sighed. "Okay, fine. But I really hope you know what you're doing, Shane."
Shane gulped.
~Aeon Observatory~
"Well, you've been lingering outside the door for a few minutes, now. Are you going in or not?" Silvally tapped an impatient talon against the ground.
"I'm just, y'know, gathering up my thoughts," Shane whispered. He constantly shot looks toward the door and the darkness on the other side. He hadn't thought this through properly. Though he wanted to back out, he wasn't sure if he was more scared of Rebecca or Silvally getting upset at being dragged along for nothing. With a deep breath, Shane held his head high and approached the doorway.
He knocked, then said, "Hey, Rebecca, are you still up?"
Silence followed. Shane was about to back off, when a pair of pink eyes stared back at him from the corner of the room. "What's it to you?"
Her voice was hoarse, like she'd spent the entire day shouting. Shane second-guessed himself again, but a stern look from Silvally was enough to get him to walk into the room. "I… wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing. My teammates told me what happened."
"How I'm doing? You want to know how I'm doing?" A bitter laugh echoed through the room. With his vision impaired, Shane couldn't see the blanket flying at him. He hissed when it struck and staggered back. As soon as he bucked it off, his rear struck a luminous orb. Shane jumped forward with a yip. Light filled the room, revealing Rebecca lying on her right side, with her left arm resting against her hip.
Unpleasant memories of Shane's first encounter with Totem Salazzle bubbled to the surface. He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to concentrate. "Yeah. I do," he said, though the clammy appearance of Rebecca's scales and the vessels throbbing in her sclera gave him a clear enough answer.
"How do you think I'm doing? My life is ruined!" Rebecca hissed, her tail flaps uncurling. Shane tensed, but fortunately Rebecca produced no vapors to hypnotize or poison him.
"W-Well, we might be able to turn you back," Shane said. "Once I learn how to use some of my new powers, I—"
Unlike the blanket, Shane saw the pillow heading for his face. He caught it with ESP and set it on the ground. Rebecca snarled. "No. You can't. The big, gold turkey already made it clear. I'm stuck in this stupid, smutty lizard body!" She smacked her hip with her left hand.
"O-Oh…" Shane's tails drooped. Nobody had told him Rebecca spoke with Ephemeris. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? Bullshit." Rebecca waved her left hand dismissively. "You're living out your damn wet dream, surrounded by all your magical cartoon talking animal buddies. But what about me, huh? My friends… my family… my future. It's all gone!" Rebecca sat up. Embers smoldered under her tail flaps. "Unlike you, I had people who cared about me. People who liked me and who I liked in return. And that's all gone! Because of you and your twink of a friend!"
The wet dream comment hurt, but when Rebecca brought up Shane's lack of a social life in the human world, he growled and bared his fangs. "I'm well aware of the fact that I made mistakes with Nicky, thank you." He took a step toward her. Ice swirled around his paws. "But you can't act like you're an innocent victim in all of this. You… you used him. You got those friends by hurting Nicky!"
"I didn't do anything to hurt him. The court records prove it." Rebecca crossed her arms and stuck up her snout.
"That sounds like something a guilty person would say!" Shane's eyes flashed gold for a second. While Rebecca didn't catch it, Silvally noticed golden flickers on the ends of Shane's tails and his head crest fanned out. Black light spread over him like ink poured into water.
"Are you trying to get me to fess up to something?"
"Yes! Admit it… you're the one who set Nicky up and posted those photos online," Shane barked, snorting out ice tufts.
"Shane," Silvally whispered. One of Shane's tails whapped him in the beak when he tried to step toward him.
Rebecca and Shane stared each other down, neither one flinching. Silvally kept trying to enter the room, only for one of Shane's tails to block his path. Eventually, Rebecca slouched over, sighing. "Fine. You got me." The defiance drained from her expression. She rubbed her temples. "My life's over, anyway. There's no point in keeping in hidden."
She locked eyes with Shane. "Yes, I spiked Nicky's drink. Geoff and the others helped me strip him and take photos. Then, I got a tech wiz friend from another school to help me post them online." Rebecca lowered her head. "So, go on. Yell at me. Chew me out. Do whatever. I overhead folks talking about how you're, like, merged with the thing that brought me here. So, you're practically God or something, right? Or some kind of demigod?"
Shane was absolutely ready to yell at her when he took one look at the defeat on her face and frowned. That, coupled with her claims about his powers, made him pause. What he planned on saying collapsed like a house of cards, leaving his mind scrambling to regroup his thoughts. But he couldn't come up with anything, so silence lingered in the room.
"I see how it is. You want me to stew in my guilt… or whatever." Rebecca rubbed the Necrozma mark on her stomach. "Look, I was wrong, okay? What I did was… cruel. I was the new girl… and I saw a way to get in with 'in crowd,' so I took the chance. They clearly liked me and, no offense, you and Nicky were a couple of weirdos."
Shane stayed silent, though a glare overtook his features once again. Rebecca winced. "But that doesn't excuse what I did. Ever since the depositions ended… I kept thinking about what happened. There were several times I considered going to the administration or the police or whatever… but I didn't." She put her hands on her knees and rubbed them. "It was one of those situations where I'd buried myself so deep in lies and bad decisions that I chose to kept digging myself deeper rather than try and surface for air."
When Shane still didn't say anything, Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother. Why did I even say that? You were always bad with sarcasm and imagery and all that stuff." She shook her head. "Yes, I regret what I did… but clearly I didn't regret it enough to do the right thing." Rebecca looked down at her belly. "Guess I got what I deserved in the long run." She looked up at Shane, who stared back at her blankly. "Well, go on. Say something. That look of yours is creepy."
Silvally stepped into the room. "Shane…"
"I'm sorry for shouting at you," Shane whispered. Rebecca's brows raised. "That was… inappropriate of me. You're right. This is… not a situation to take lightly. While I always hoped you and your friends would get your just desserts for what you did… I never wanted that to be something like this. Like dragging you into another world so you can never see the people you care about again. Or… or…"
"Or what?"
"Yours wasn't the only college Nicky attacked. I know for a fact he killed Geoff, so there's a good chance some of your hometown buddies suffered a similar fate." Shane's ears and tails drooped. Rebecca sat up straight. She pinched the bridge of her brow.
"This is a waking nightmare," she croaked.
A spark of familiarity lit up in Shane's mind. "Y'know, in spite of what you said… there was a time not too long ago where I looked at this the same way."
Rebecca frowned. "If you're about to stand there and give me a spiel about why I should be happy to be a slutty-looking lizard, then—"
Shane shook his head. "I'm not going to pretend that I can understand how devastated you really are. In your eyes, you've lost everything." He looked away. "But, despite that, it could be worse. You're somewhere safe. We can look after you… and teach you how to get by in this world. And, well, I don't want to fill you with any false hope, but maybe there is a way to turn you back."
"Oh, that's reassuring." Rebecca flicked her hand. Shane winced, resisting the temptation to snap at her again. The more he talked with her… the more he was reminded of his behavior when he was at his worst. What she needed was someone who could relate to her. And he wasn't the right person for that job. But Shane had a good idea who might be.
"I think there's someone you ought to talk to," Shane said.
"In the middle of the god damn night?"
"It's not the middle of the night where she is," Shane retorted, drawing an eyebrow raise from Silvally. Before Silvally could cut in, Shane pivoted and said, "Her name's Xerneas. She was Nicky's mate."
Rebecca's jaw dropped. "Wait… mate as in Nicky was boinking one of these diabetes-inducing critters?"
"Well, he'd gotten turned into a dragon," Shane said. He'd fully turned around and was walking toward the doorway. "I'll bring Xerneas to you when I'm done talking with her."
"And what makes you think I'll agree to it?"
"Because it'd be good for both of you." Shane turned toward her and his eyes glowed pink. "And if you try to run off… I'll drag you back to the Observatory."
~Primeval Forest~
"Enjoy your chat with Mopey-Horns," Hoopa said, waving at Shane and Silvally until the former wrapped him up in a tail.
"You are going to wait at the Observatory for my call, right?" Shane said.
"Aww, c'mon, does Hoopa have to?"
"There's an extra Combee honey donut in it for you if you do," Silvally said.
Hoopa's eyes sparkled. "Sold!" He dashed off into his ring portal, leaving Shane and Silvally to navigate the straight path leading to the Tree of Life. Xerneas lay at its base. It didn't take long for either of them to realize something was off.
"Oh, stars above, that stench." Silvally's poison memories bathed him in a violet glow.
"I don't think Xerneas has bathed since she got back here." Shane's snout wrinkled up. "And, by the looks of things, she isn't eating, either. I think her ribs are poking out." An image of Tessa as a sobbing Riolu crumpled on the floor flashed through his head. Shane picked up his pace. Silvally trotted after him. "Xerneas? Xerneas… we need to talk."
Xerneas poked an eye open, then shut it and pressed her face into a tree root. "No, we don't. Go away."
"Neither of us can do that. Not with how… disheveled you look," Silvally said, frowning. "It doesn't take a psychic to see that you're not in a good place."
Shane nodded. He walked to Xerneas side while she tried to curl into a tighter ball. "Xerneas, please… why are you doing this to yourself?"
After a protracted silence, Xerneas replied, "Because it's what I deserve. I'm a failure. I couldn't stick up for Light. I couldn't protect the Tree… twice. I couldn't get through to Necrozma. And now… I can't hear them." She lifted her head up, revealing swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "The spirits… I can't connect with them. I've been trying and trying and trying but the Tree won't resonate with me anymore."
"Ah. Yeah. I, uh…" Three of Shane's tails twisted. "You can blame that one on me. I got rid of all the ley lines, so—"
"No. You did exactly what Light always wanted to do… made a world where Pokémon can be happy," Xerneas croaked. "But it's a world that's better off without a screw-up like me."
Shane had heard this all before. Again, images of Tessa flashed in his head. He looked to Silvally, who had a similarly grim expression. Shane knew he had to choose his next words carefully or things could escalate quickly. "When was the last time you had anything to eat or drink?"
"When your old guild's nurse was looking after me," Xerneas whispered.
"But you're still here. And that makes me think… you want to live," Shane said, ignored the wide-eyed looked from Silvally. "I believe… that you've been waiting for someone. Someone to come and tell you that it's okay."
"I've turned away plenty of visitors already," Xerneas said. "Celebi, Jirachi, Ampharos, Mawile, Meganium, and Delphox all tried to talk to me. But I dismissed them."
"Well, you can try ignoring me as much as you want, but I won't budge. Because you need help and I want to help you," Shane said.
"You're only saying that… because you merged with Necrozma." Tears trickled down the corners of Xerneas' eyes. "I'll bet you could take Light's form if you wanted to. So, what's stopping you?" She turned her tearful gaze on Shane. "Go on… turn into a dragon and use my past to get me to go along. Or, I don't know, drag me back to your guild with your ESP."
"I won't do that," Shane said. "I know about you and Nicky… and I'm sorry things went the way they did. And maybe there is a part of me that's desperate to help because of that past. But, by that logic, the Dark Matter in me would want me to leave you here to suffer. And I don't intend on doing that."
Shane wasn't sure how he could tell, but he got the sense Xerneas was wavering. He needed one final way to nudge her into his corner and, while Ultra Burst sounded tempting, he dismissed the idea. It had an equal chance of sending her into hysterics instead.
"Then what do you plan on doing?"
"Asking what you'd like me to do," Shane said, bowing his head. "Look, I'm not great at reading other people, so I'm probably not the best person to pull you out of this funk. That's why I brought Silvally… because he has someone you might like to see."
Silvally's head crest fanned out. "So, that's what you were going for," he muttered. "You ought to give yourself more credit, Shane. They've been stirring ever since we got here."
"Who's been stirring?" Xerneas asked, to which Silvally leaned over and conjured two silver wisps. They drifted over to Xerneas and took the forms of Latios and Zekrom. Xerneas eyes widened but, though her leg muscles quivered, she lacked the strength to stand. "Y-You two. H-How… and why—" She looked to Silvally.
"Necrozma put us inside of him." Zekrom jerked her head in Silvally's direction. "But that's not important. What is important is you." She jabbed Xerneas' ribs with a claw. "Look at yourself, Xerny. If Light were still here… even if you weren't together, he wouldn't want you doing this to yourself."
Latios nodded. "You meant the world to Light."
"I betrayed him."
"You were scared of Arceus," Zekrom said. "We were all scared of Arceus." She looked to her mate, who nodded along glumly. "We mucked up big time when we chose not to stand by Light. That's a mistake we'll never get to fix." Zekrom crossed her arms. "Still, I think it'd be an even bigger mistake if you let yourself slip away. Light wouldn't want that for you. He'd want you and the new Guiding Light to support one another."
Zekrom pointed to Shane. "Like it or not… this goofball's inherited the position. And, honestly, from what I've seen of him so far… there are some similarities between him and the Light you knew." She knelt down and put her hand on Xerneas' side. "I think you should go back with them. I mean… if nothing else, since we're bound to the big guy, the three of us can be together again." Zekrom rubbed Xerneas' stomach.
"We hate to see you like this, Xern. These two came here because they want you to have a second chance… but you need to be willing to take it," Latios said.
"What would I even do in Horizon, anyway? There's nowhere I can properly 'fit in.' I'm…" Xerneas cringed. "Since Arceus separated us, I've kept to myself. I don't… do well in public spaces."
Shane cleared his throat. "As it stands, there are some friends of ours who are trying to synch our world up with something called the Ultra Recon Squad. No telling if they'll be successful or not, but if they are… I intend to join it." He glanced at Silvally. "Haven't asked my teammates if they'd join with me but, regardless, it would be good to have someone like you on our side."
"You want me… to fight Ultra Beasts? I'm hardly a battler," Xerneas said.
"But you are a good healer, yes?" Shane asked.
"I… am a natural healer," Xerneas whispered.
"Then we could definitely find a place for you. Besides, Team Radiance is all about second chances for people who've screwed up big time. The way I see it, you'd fit right in with us." Shane extended a forepaw to Xerneas. "So, what do you say? Would you be willing to take a chance on us?" Xerneas stared at his paw and didn't respond. Shane's tails drooped. "Would you at least come back with us to the guild? There's someone I think you ought to speak to."
Xerneas sighed. She took one last look at her friends, then shut her eyes. "Okay. I relent. I'll go… but you two might have to help me get there."
Relief flooded everyone's expressions. Latios and Zekrom shared a smile while Shane nodded at both of them. "Thank you both for, uh, getting voluntold to help out," Shane whispered.
"So long as we, y'know, get to speak with her from time to time… it's all good," Zekrom said, grinning. She and Latios retreated back into Silvally's cheek bolts.
"Don't worry, Xerneas, we've got a way to get you back." Shane levitated out a Gear-Com. "Yo, Hoopa. Pick-up for three, please!"
Before Xerneas could respond, a ring portal materialized on the ground and swallowed them up.
~Aeon Observatory~
Shane wasn't sure how the conversation between the two ladies would play out, but he wasn't expecting them to stare at each other in silence. "So, uh… want me to do introductions?" he offered, laughing nervously.
Rebecca studied Xerneas intently. She crossed one leg over the other. "You're the wife, huh?" she said. "Oh, sorry, 'mate' or whatever this backwards place calls it."
Shane winced. Two sentences in and things were already going south. Why did he think this was going to be a good idea?
"I was," Xerneas whispered, antlers dimming. She still couldn't sit up, but her larger size let her keep eye contact with Rebecca. "And you were… once human?"
"Yeah. I was Nicky's girlfriend… only I was stringing him along for my own sake," Rebecca said, folding her hands on her lap.
"You're the one he brought up, then." Xerneas casted a suspicious glance at Shane. His tails shot up. Shane gulped, wondering if he should jump in an effort to break the tension but drawing a blank as to what he could possibly say.
"He told you about me?"
"In a manner of speaking," Xerneas replied. "Though, part of it had to do with some of what I shared with him."
Rebecca raised a brow. "Not sure I follow."
"I'm the former god of life… but I never got much respect from my fellow gods. They mocked and shunned me… due to my powers and appearance. Light was… the first one I'd ever really told about that stuff. Because he'd taken such a strong interest in me." Xerneas blinked tears out of her eyes. "The more time we spent together, the more I'd come to love everything about him. His infectious smile. His selfless attitude. His ability to make me feel like the center of attention."
As Xerneas trailed on, Rebecca's expression softened. She twiddled her thumbs. "So, he was like that even as, uh, a giant dragon or whatever."
"He returned the sun and moon to our world after they were taken from us," Xerneas explained. "And, despite doing all of that, he still wanted to keep helping people. That was just… the kind of person he was, I suppose."
Rebecca shifted position and rubbed her shoulder. Shane also squirmed, guilt bubbling in his gut as thoughts of Nicky not deserving the fate he'd gotten plagued the back of his mind. "I took advantage of that generosity for my own sake." Rebecca bowed her head. "Because I was young… and stupid. I've felt guilty about it ever since, but not so guilty that I ever confessed what I'd done to human authorities. And I guess… Nicky held onto his resentment long enough to enact revenge and give me what he thought I deserved."
Xerneas's snout twitched. "I'm afraid… that I might've played a role in that." She sighed. "Not long after we'd become mates… I was ordered not to see him anymore. My creator, Arceus, threatened to kill me if I didn't comply." Her antlers dimmed again. "I really did love him, but I was too afraid of Arceus to take a stand. So, I obeyed. Light was sealed away in a prison for centuries… and when he broke out he tried to take revenge on everyone he believed had wronged him. Which includes you, I suppose."
Shane's stance softened. Though it hurt to hear what Xerneas said — he had contributed to Nicky's fate, after all — he was glad the two were talking and doing so peacefully.
"Wait. He was imprisoned… for centuries? But it had only been a few years since his death when I got pulled away," Rebecca said, a brow raised.
"Time moves differently between this world and the human world," Shane interjected. "I don't know how long it's been for you since I disappeared, but I've already been here for a few months."
"It had only been a couple of days or something," Rebecca whispered. "I saw your name in a news article. Some sort of drunk driving accident."
"Yeah…" Shane didn't know about the drunk driver part, but he did know Necrozma and Solgaleo played a role. He chose to sit on that piece of information.
"Ugh. Sorry, whatever your name is, this is all a lot for me to take in." Rebecca massaged the side of her head. "I'd be in hysterics if I hadn't already cried my eyes dry the last few days."
"I understand. I cannot imagine how hard this must be for you. It feels like I got off easy compared to you. I only lost my powers… but you lost those you cared about most." Xerneas shook her head. "If you'd prefer, I can leave you to your thoughts." She looked at Shane and Silvally expectantly.
Shane frowned. He hoped that the two would somehow find a resolution that would brighten both their dispositions… but, in hindsight, that was foolish and idealistic. Their problems couldn't be solved from one conversation. They'd need time… and continued support. "Right. I guess… Silv and I can take you back to our room. Since we're supposed to be at Solstice Summit right now."
"No."
To everyone's surprise, it was Rebecca who shot the idea down. Xerneas looked at her in confusion. "Something wrong?"
"I, um…" Rebecca scooched her cushion toward Xerneas. "I'd rather you say here… with me."
"Are you sure? I don't want to sour your mood any further," Xerneas said.
"I could really use some company. Especially the kind that won't, y'know, try any funny business like staring at my chest and hoping I won't notice." Rebecca looked suspiciously at Shane and Silvally.
"H-Hey! I wasn't starting or anything. I have a girlfriend!" Silvally said, though his fire memories cast a red glow over him.
"Wait… you do?" Shane raised his brows.
"Whatever. The point is, I'd rather you two leave me here with, uh… sorry, what do I call you, again?" Rebecca turned to Xerneas.
Shane was about to answer for her when she said, "Call me Celeste."
"Celeste? Okay." Rebecca finished scooting her pillow over to Celeste's side. "That's a very pretty name. I'm Becca, by the way." She extended a hand. Celeste stared at it blankly. "Oh. Right. Hooves. My bad. Gonna need some time to learn the culture or whatever."
"It's quite alright." Xerneas chuckled. Even if Becca had called him out, Shane couldn't help but smile. Though it wasn't a perfect resolution, it was a step in the right direction… and that was enough for him.
"We'll leave you two alone, then." Shane turned and left the room with Silvally trailing after him. "So… a girlfriend, huh? Who—"
"Espy. Or, rather, Selene. That's the name she's picked for herself," Silvally said, a jubilant yellow overtaking him.
"Right. Tessa told me people were going to give themselves names. About time, too." Shane chuckled. Silvally joined him, then silence overtook them until Silvally paused by the door to their room.
"Y'know, I've gotta say… this was not what I was expecting. You've only been back for a few hours… and you've already managed to find new ways to surprise me." Silvally smiled at his friend.
"Heh. The way I see it… we're picking up where we left off. Our time together has been defined by surprises, hasn't it?" Shane mused, flipping his hair over his shoulder.
Silvally sat on the statement, then laughed. "I suppose you're right. Never a dull moment whenever you're around… for better or worse." When his laughter died down, he continued, "Though, for my sake, can you please hold off on any more surprises until I've gotten some shut-eye?"
"Hmm? Oh, uh…" Shane brushed his forelegs together. "Actually, there was something else I wanted to ask your help with… but I guess it can wait."
"Okay, well now I have to know," Silvally said, rolling his eyes. "Otherwise I'll be up the rest of the night wondering what it is."
"If you insist." Shane's tails curled up. He took a deep breath and said, "I want to take Tessa out on a date… and I'd like your help planning it."
First off, I'd like to apologize to everyone who commented for the lack of responses on my end. I've not been feeling very well lately, which has been magnified by the apparent drop-off in interest in the story ever since the final battle. I really do appreciate the comments you've all left and I'm glad some of you seem to be enjoying this ending, even if it's slow and quiet compared to the rest of the fic. Your support means a lot.
In any case, with this part, I've addressed every loose end that I was looking to tie up with this last special episode. I guess that means there's only one thing left to do.
Be here for the final part... the epilogue! You know what's going to happen.