The sun beat down on Raiden as he stood atop Sharpedo Bluff. He took in the fresh, salty air as he listened to the ocean waves crash into the rocks below. Today was another perfect day for the luxray and his partner. A beautiful, golden white-furred ninetales climbed out from the inside of the bluff, the place where they both lived since they graduated from the guild. She walked up beside Raiden, then copied him, sitting and taking in the salty air and soft breeze.

"I can see why you love it up here," Seraphina said, her tails swishing with content.

Raiden nodded. "I can hear all my thoughts up here. There's no Loudred to scream until our ears bleed, no rants from Chatot about keeping my mane tidy…"

Seraphina chuckled, the sound making Raiden's heart flutter. He could never forget such a beautiful noise. "Chatot is right, you know," she responded. "If you just cleaned yourself up a little, he wouldn't bother you so much."

She turned to him, and he opened his eyes to gaze upon her. "So," Seraphina continued. "You wanna get going? Rayquaza challenged us to a fight in this far away dungeon—we're going to need to get going if we want to get back at a reasonable time."

"We gotta wake up Roger," Raiden heard himself groan. It was always such a difficult task.

"Oh yes," Seraphina chuckled. "That fish could sleep through an earthquake if he wanted."

The two shared a laugh amid enjoying each other's company. When they settled down again, Raiden cleared his throat. "Say, Sera, if you had the choice to return to the future and be with Grovyle and Celebi…would you?"

"Of course not," she answered immediately. "That wouldn't be fair on you, and I couldn't ever leave my best friend. You suffered so much after I left. I…felt it. I can't explain how, but it was awful. I'm proud of you for never giving up. I love you."

Something faint echoed on the wind. The luxray strained to hear it, but he couldn't make it out.

Seraphina gave him a concerned look. "You okay, Rai?"

He nodded. "I, yeah, just thought I heard something. I'm alright."

The ninetales nodded and leaned over, nuzzling Raiden. His breath hitched, too stunned to reciprocate. Seraphina gave him a smug grin and sauntered away. "C'mon, Rai, let's get going!"

"Alright, I'll catch up in a sec," he chuckled.

The second he took a step, however, everything vanished.

"Wh-Sera?!" he cried.

Raiden!

His eyes slowly opened as he looked around with a daze. Roger poked Raiden with a whisker once and tried for a second until he slowly swatted it away. He inspected himself to find he was still a shinx, and that was when the disappointment sank in. Raiden rubbed his eyes upon realising he'd been crying.

"Are you okay?" Roger asked worriedly. "I saw you were crying, and I just wanted you to wake up. Was it Darkrai?"

Raiden sat up, clenching his eyes shut and shaking his head. "I…I saw Sera, we were evolved, together a-and really strong explorers…"

Roger stared at his teammate with sad eyes. "Oh. I'm so sorry, Raiden."

The shinx managed a nod, and a cough interrupted them. They turned their attention to the golduck and Corsair waved a clawed hand. "Hey, Raiden, yeah? You mind if we go for a walk really quick?"

"We don't really have time for walks," Raiden grumbled, yet he got up regardless. Roger gave him room to breathe as he inspected the house. He had been sleeping in a small straw bed that was not unlike his own back at the guild. It sat on a raised platform, and behind him was a clear view of trees through the window. Three flower pots sat in a line from the step that led to his borrowed bed, with another window in the wall next to them. The floor was made of evenly cut, wooden floorboards, though a few of them were a darker brown than the rest.

Diagonal from Raiden was a smooth, wooden table, and sitting around it on seats that resembled tree stumps were Ella, Corsair and Skuntank, the latter munching on a berry that came from the bowl on the table. A much larger straw bed was placed at the back wall, with Cresselia, now awake, floating above it. She gave Raiden a nod that he returned, before spotting a framed image of a map on the wall beside her. A quick glance told him it was a map of their whole world, and suddenly Raiden felt rather small in his shinx body. How was he going to stand up to anyone like this?

Ella and Corsair shared a glance, it was all they needed to communicate. It filled Rai with jealousy. "I know things are urgent, Raiden," Ella said gently. "But I think you should hear Corsair out. You'd be interested to hear his story."

Roger placed a fin atop Rai's head, and he lowered his voice to a whisper. "If anyone can relate to what you are dealing with right now, it'd be him. It won't hurt us if you have this chat."

Raiden tried to protest. "But everyone back home will get hurt! Darkrai will make Groudon or Kyogre attack the guild and they'll be—"

Cresselia nodded, agreeing with Roger. "We'll gather some supplies while you two talk, I think you should really hear this."

Skuntank just scoffed down another berry.

"Come, Rai," Corsair said, walking to the exit and ushering for the shinx to follow. "Can I call you that?"

Rai shrugged and he followed with a defeated sigh. "I guess so."

"We'll head to town, then." Ella said, "Come, Skuntank, maybe we can find a name for you out here!"

He choked and struggled to swallow his food. "Krh-! Like hell you will! I ain't getting one of those name things. I'm Skuntank!"

Roger chuckled and glanced at Cresselia. "What about you?" he asked her. "Would you like a name as well? It really makes you feel like a different 'mon."

Cresselia hummed. "I'll think about it, though the idea does sound lovely."

Skuntank's eyes lit up. "Oh! Then I guess I won't mind one then, I could be somethin' like Sharp Tooth!"

Corsair blinked and Roger laughed. Ella just stared at the poison-type. "Err…we'll workshop it," she said uneasily.

"Right, let's go, Rai. We'll leave Ella to it," Corsair took quick steps, wanting to put some distance between the house and the chat they were about to have. Raiden struggled a little to keep up as he followed the golduck away from the house and Pokémon Square.

The duo trekked along a quiet, long path that only seemed to take them in one direction, the trees on either side of the path never loosened up or became denser, and Raiden was struggling to figure out where they were going. A few times Raiden expected Corsair to talk, but the golduck seemed too busy for any kind of conversation. He seemed to be in deep focus.

Then, like magic, the path stretched out. A giant, old building sat at the end of the road, with trees all around it. It was nothing like Raiden had ever seen before. It was tall, decrepit and grey. Pipes jutted from one side and connected to some round object, which was all guarded by a looped, metal fence. A rectangular hole was carved into the front of the building, which Raiden assumed was the entrance. The shinx stared and stared, but he could not figure out what it was. Though he did feel something pulling him closer.

Electricity.

Raiden felt tingles in his fur so much that it tickled him. It was like the air itself was charged with it, his body just yearning to absorb it all in. A small urge within wanted the shinx to run inside and bask in it all, to just relax and take in the crackles in the air.

"I knew you'd like it here," Corsair said with a chuckle. "Though I'm not totally fond of the place, it gives me shivers."

"What is this place?" Raiden asked.

"Ella told me it was a Power Plant," explained the golduck, as he walked over to a tree stump to sit on. "Back in the human world, apparently they were used to generate electricity instead of Pokémon. Here it is a home for electric types, namely ones that Ella and I have recruited on our adventures."

"How does this place even exist?"

"Good question, but I don't have a proper answer," said Corsair. "This place is an abnormal mystery dungeon. Instead of having Wildies and stuff, this just has different habitats for some reason. If you're after a certain one you just think of it. Eventually it shows up."

Raiden blinked, scanning the old building once more. He wasn't even inside, and he was already feeling relaxed and refreshed. He felt ready to take on the world.

He wondered if Seraphina would have known what such a building was, as a human from an alternate future. But he'd never know now.

His heart sank as he stared at the ground.

"I used to have that look, too."

Raiden quickly snapped his head up and noticed that Corsair had a peculiar look on his face. Pity? No… Sympathy.

The golduck sighed and looked up at the sky, though Rai could sense that he was staring at something far beyond it. "I try not to remember. But when Ella vanished, I felt…empty. We'd just beaten Rayquaza and forced him to break that meteor. We were heroes. And then…" Corsair clenched his webbed hands into fists. "She had to say goodbye."

Raiden sucked in a breath as he stared back at the veteran. Someone could relate to him! Suddenly his feelings and his grief felt validated.

He continued. "I…remember feeling angry. I was mad at the gods for taking my best friend away! It was unfair, why did she have to go? I started blaming everything for my sadness, stopped going on missions, ignored all my friends…sound familiar at all?"

Raiden nodded, taking a few steps forward. "How did she come back?"

"Hard to say," replied the veteran. "Ella said she remembered dreaming about a Gardevior, the one who brought her to this world. She pleaded to return and got her wish. I didn't care about the details, she was back."

"I don't think she ever mentioned Gardevoir in her dreams at all…" muttered the shinx. "She came here with Grovyle to take the time gears and save the present and future. There was an accident coming here, and she was transformed into a vulpix, with no memories at all."

"I wonder…why no memories?" Corsair questioned, his gaze returning to the sky. "Seems awfully coincidental that both human-turned-mons arrived with amnesia."

Raiden gave a grim smile. "Not complaining, it helped me meet Sera. She…changed my whole life."

The golduck nodded in understanding. A soft smile formed on his face and Corsair looked down at Raiden. "I really admire you; you know."

Rai's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he gasped. "M-Me?"

Corsair chuckled and poked the shinx with a claw. "Yes, you!"

"Why?"

"Look at you! You're still standing after all that. You beat Dialga, didn't you? You must be super strong, kiddo! I can't wait to see you in action if we gotta fight Rayquaza!"

Raiden felt a smile come to his face. Next to him sat an older explorer, a Pokémon who had gone through what he had so many years ago. This legendary hero was praising him. "I did have help, though."

Corsair patted the young shinx, giving him a determined look. "Your partner will come back," he insisted. "And if she manages to lose her way back? I will help you find her. I promise."

Raiden's heart filled with warmth at the proclamation. Corsair wanted to help him. It filled him with joy, a few sparks jumped from his fur, causing Corsair to lean back a bit. "Thank you, so much," Raiden breathed. "For sharing your story, and everything you said. It really helped."

"I'm glad. Let's get going, shall we?"

Raiden nodded. "Yeah. We've got a sky god to chat to."

Corsair stood up and started walking. "Stay close, don't want you to end up in some ocean or something on our way out."

Eager to not end up in another ocean, the shinx followed the golduck quickly. "Don't worry, I'm right behind you."

Sera could come back.

Raiden would make sure of it.

It was a short walk back to the house, trekking quietly back down the path that they came. It was then that Raiden began to feel a peculiar cold chill. It was nothing like the breeze that had been blowing, but rather it was the chill of something dark. Something…foreboding.

It sent shivers all through Raiden's fur.

"Look out!" Raiden pushed into Corsair with all his might, sending the two sprawling into the ground. The golduck glared at Rai as he got to his feet. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Look!" Raiden said, pointing.

Corsair quickly glanced back to see that in their place was now a gaping, dark void that crawled with shadows. Raiden sensed the ominous, dark powers within as it slowly closed with no victims to claim. Corsair gasped.

"What the heck was that?" he asked, staring at the spot on the ground in shock. Raiden had a feeling he was waiting for the ground to open again. "Whatever it was, thank you. You saved me!"

"I…don't know," Raiden answered, returning the veteran's thanks with a nod. Any other time he'd be elated right now. "But I sensed something scary behind it. I was getting this chill and…" he paused. The shinx had felt this feeling before, somewhat recently in fact. But where…?

"Well, I'm certainly glad we didn't touch it," Corsair was saying as he got to his feet. "That hole looked kinda spooky. Gave me some evil, nightmarish vibes."

Rai's eyes widened. "That's it!" he cried. "Corsair, we need to hurry back!"

"What? What's going on?"

"It's Darkrai!" cried Raiden. "That was one of his tricks, I know it! He's here!"

The golduck's eyes widened, and he seemed to make a quick decision in his mind. Corsair looked back to the path they had been on. "Go on without me," he said. "Hurry back, go!"

"What about you?" asked Raiden. "Aren't you coming?"

Corsair nodded. "I will, but I'm gonna get help. You run ahead and see if everyone is okay. Can you do that for me?"

A huge, primal roar suddenly pierced the air. The ground shook beneath their feet. Both explorers young and old stared at each other with shock.

"What was…?"

Corsair gasped, then pushed Rai forward. "I know that cry from anywhere. Hurry! That was Rayquaza!"

Raiden swallowed his fear. There was no time to hesitate. Rai turned from Corsair and bolted down the path, feeling his determination rise. This was it. There was no more hiding. In fact, Rayquaza turning up made things easier. They needed the sky god to quell Kyogre and Groudon.

As he darted down the path, the sky began to turn dark despite everything being sunny just before. Clouds churned and darkened the closer he got, forming in one place and swirling just above a particular spot. Raiden reached Corsair and Ella's house and kept running, not bothering to see if anyone was outside.

He couldn't afford to stall; the clouds were forming above Pokémon Square. The wind began to pick up, fighting him at every step.

Raiden glanced up in time to catch a green head emerging from the cloud formation, and piercing, glowing red eyes. What followed was green horns, two arms, various rudder-shaped fins, yellow markings and long, serpentine body as the creature slithered out from the clouds. Once the tail emerged it snaked through the air, glaring down at Pokémon Square with a similar screech to the one Raiden had heard just moments ago.

"Rayquaza…?" Raiden asked himself. His running had slowed as he looked up to marvel at the powerful god of the skies.

"Oi, Chicken!"

Raiden immediately snapped his gaze back to his path to see Skuntank, Roger and Ella near a bridge leading to town. Each had varying looks of determination, or in Skuntank's case, anger. "Looks like we won't be needing to climb that dungeon to get to him," said the poison type.

"Where's Corsair?" Roger asked as Raiden caught up to them. It was just hitting the shinx how out of breath he was, for he stopped to gain some air back into his lungs.

"Went to…get help!" he wheezed. "We heard the roar…and were nearly hit by Darkrai's trap!"

Roger's expression darkened. "I'm glad you weren't."

Ella stared up at Rayquaza, her eyes narrowed and her ribbons flowing quickly. "Something's not right! His eyes should be yellow!"

"Then why are they red?" Skuntank snapped.

"I don't know!" she cried.

"Where's Cresselia?" Rai asked.

"She had a bad feeling," Roger explained quickly. "She vanished and then Rayquaza showed up. Is this because of Darkrai?"

A light shone in Rayquaza's mouth, and it began to grow. The sky god angled his head downwards, aiming right for the centre of the square. Ella's eyes widened. "No!" she yelled, and immediately bolted forward.

"Ella, wait!" Raiden shouted, and he, Roger and Skuntank quickly followed the sylveon. Residents of Pokémon Square were fleeing. A flock of butterfree were shouting and flying away from the square. Raiden had to dodge a granbull, a weepinbell, two kecleon that looked very similar to those he knew, and a kangaskhan carrying a swalot, with a cubone, a treeko and her own child tucked safely in her pouch.

"You know the drill!" roared Kangashkan. "Get moving! Hurry!"

"Ella!" called a persian as she ran past the group. "You're going the wrong way! Get Corsair and run!"

"Sorry, Beatrice!" Ella called back. "I'm gonna stop Rayquaza!"

Pellipper carried smaller Pokémon in their beaks, other residents evacuated as quickly as they could all while Rayquaza prepared his shot.

The sylveon glared up at the god of the skies and shouted. "Zephyr, listen! It's me, Ella, don't you see what you're doing?! Stop it!"

The attack continued to charge.

"Why the hell aren't we running?!" Skuntank shouted. "We're no good to anyone dead!"

Raiden didn't answer, instead he charged up electricity, feeling it coarse through him like at the power plant. The moment he caught up to Ella, he aimed a powerful bolt skyward, striking Rayquaza directly. A painful cry escaped the god, causing those below him to flinch.

"Zephyr!" Ella tried again. "This isn't you!"

The winds were fierce, and a hot white beam fired.

Everything seemed to slow down. Roger swam over to Raiden to shield him, Skuntank watched in horror, and Ella continued to stare up at Zephyr.

This was it. Raiden knew they were going to die. He shut his eyes tight to prepare himself for what was to come. "I-I'm sorry, Sera…" he said, feeling the guilt slowly seep in. "I tried…"

The ground shook and an explosion sounded off in the distance. When no beam arrived, Roger's words got the shinx to open his eyes. "Corsair…? Cresselia?"

Raiden managed to peek out from under Roger, and he saw a sight that stuck with him forever.

Corsair stood on top of a magnezone, and beside them floated three powerful psychics. Xatu, Cresselia, and Alakazam, who had a white beard, moustache and wielded five spoons instead of two. Barriers of shimmering light had formed in front of each Pokémon in the air, which had successfully repelled the hyper beam that had been about to destroy all of Pokémon Square.

They had been saved.

"W-Woah…" Skuntank collapsed to the ground. "That was…that was way too close!"

"Indeed," agreed Roger as he moved to help Skuntank back up. "Rai, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…thank you for shielding me."

"I'd do it again if I had to," replied the whiscash calmly. He grunted as Skuntank's paw met his fin, and he lifted the poison-type back to his feet.

"How are you guys so calm?! We almost died!"

Xatu stared at Skuntank, filling him with a strange sense of unease.

Raiden glanced back at Ella, who was staring up at the air group as they descended. He heard a sniffle from the sylveon. "Y-You guys…" she sobbed. "Why did you all risk yourselves like that?!"

Corsair hopped off of Magnezone and patted their metal body. "Thanks, Magnum." Magnum buzzed something in return and Raiden understood that they were simply brushing off the thanks. Corsair stepped towards Ella. "Do we…need a reason to protect…our home…?" he fell forward.

"Corsair!" Ella shrieked as her ribbons stretched out and caught him. The golduck was clearly spent from needing to reflect such a powerful attack. Even Alakazam, as he reverted to his normal form, looked tired. Ella lowered Corsair to the ground and channelled healing power into the golduck with her ribbons. "You idiot. You always struggled with psychic moves, so why…?"

Corsair sighed as the healing slowly took effect. "It's…not fair that humans always have to sacrifice themselves," he mumbled. "It only made sense that we did something. Pokémon are just as powerful…" his eyes fluttered shut.

"N-No!" Ella cried.

Raiden winced, but he knew Corsair had a point. Why did it always have to be the humans who went away? Ella and Seraphina had sacrificed so much…

"He'll be fine," Alakazam said as he approached. "Corsair just needs rest," then he glanced up at Rayquaza in the air, who was still recovering from the hyper beam. "Fascinating…"

Ella stared at him. "Kent?"

The alakazam glanced back. "I'm sensing something rather abnormal about our friend Zephyr…"

"That would be Darkrai. I fear he has Rayquaza trapped in a nightmare like he does Kyogre and Groudon," Cresselia explained.

"Cresselia, what do we do?" Raiden asked.

The group all looked up to see that the serpent was beginning to recover, his blue eyes shone amidst the windstorm. A gust picked up, and those who weren't levitating struggled to remain where they were until it died down. Trees that were bending with the wind were back to their normal, upright position. For now.

"Fight him," replied Cresselia.

"Are you serious?!" Skuntank snapped. "Isn't Rayquaza meant to be like, super strong or something?"

Raiden couldn't help but feel a spike of fear shoot through him. Could they really do this?

"Don't give up," Kent said. "We haven't even started, and collectively we've faced threats like this before. If we time it right, we can combine our attacks to overpower him."

Raiden nodded, stowing away his fear. They had to do this. For everyone. "Are you going to help us do that?"

Kent was going to reply, but Cresselia caught his attention. The goddess sucked in a breath and began to glow with mystic energy. She stared defiantly up at Rayquaza, who was beginning to move again. The serpent roared and descended.. A strong gust of dark wind followed as it washed over everyone. Kent formed a barrier like the one from before and used it to protect himself and the unconscious golduck, as did Xatu. Roger covered Raiden again and took the brunt of the damage. Rai felt a harsh sting against his fur as some of the wind got past Roger. The whiscash grunted in pain but still he persisted. The shinx had to dig his claws into the ground to avoid being pushed out from underneath his friend.

"Roger!" he cried.

"I-I'm fine! This is nothing compared to a grass attack!"

Cresselia had acted quickly and formed a barrier to protect herself and Skuntank. Ella simply stood there with Magnum, and neither seemed to be harmed all that much, if at all.

Once the wind had faded, a bright light came from Rayquaza and engulfed him completely.A different storm picked up around them. His body stretched out and tendrils emerged from his horns. The light faded to reveal a three-pointed symbol on his head, yellow markings had become golden and when Raiden squinted, he could see particles coming from Rayquaza's now much larger jaw. The god of the sky now had a black and emerald sheen to him, and the look in his eyes was no less violent, and as red as before.

"Careful!" Cresselia gasped as her protection vanished. "Rayquaza has mega evolved! He's much stronger like this…!"

"This is insane!" shouted Skuntank. "How the heck do we go up against this guy?!"

"I am sorry," said Kent, falling to his knees as his barrier faded. "I'm not as strong as I used to be, but I shall take Corsair and look after him. The rest of my team should be here soon to back you all up."

"Thank you," said Ella. "For everything."

Kent nodded, and in a flash, he and Corsair were gone.

"Please fight Rayquaza while I charge," Cresselia instructed as she retreated to the back. "I need time to destroy Darkrai's hold on him."

Everyone else nodded. It was time to fight.

Rai glanced back at Xatu, who continued to stare. It was really beginning to creep Raiden out, why wasn't he talking?

Rayquaza charged up a blue beam in his maw. "Scatter!" Ella shouted as she jumped on Magnum. The two got moving. Cresselia flew into the air to avoid what was coming.

Roger plucked Raiden up with his fins and quickly carried him away. "R-Roger, put me down!"

"In a sec!" grunted the whiscash.

Skuntank barely managed to skirt out of the way as the dragon pulse burst the very ground apart, making a nice crater in the Square. "I'm really starting to hate these gods!" Skuntank bellowed, and he breathed fire at Rayquaza, the flames doing very little damage at a glance.

The second Roger placed Raiden back down, the shinx growled. "You jerk!" he shouted. "This is a town filled with friends you're about to destroy! Don't you see?!"

Rayquaza focused on him as glowing, transparent rocks materialised around the serpent before they were tossed at Rai. He moved quickly as they each struck the spot he'd been in while he dashed to avoid the attack. Raiden retaliated with a thunderbolt that struck him directly, earning him a frustrated growl. A ball of pink energy slammed into Rayquaza while he was focused on Rai, and Magnum floated towards the shinx with Ella still riding on top.

"The three of us will be the most effective here," she said. "We should team up and strike Zephyr hard! Roger, have you got any ice to make four?"

"Sure do!" he replied before firing a light blue beam at Rayquaza. The serpent flew up to avoid the attack, glaring.

"Let's all fire at him at once, then!" Ella declared.

"Sounds like a plan!" Raiden said. He heard the magnezone buzz something similar.

"What about me?!" Skuntank whined.

"Just do what you can!" Roger answered.

Rayquaza returned Roger's attack by firing a beam very similar to his own. The whiscash quickly swam out of the way, and the spot that had been struck in his place was frozen solid.

The sky god then rushed towards Skuntank with alarming speed. Rayquaza's head took on a metallic sheen and his eyes widened. He tried to move but his legs wouldn't work. Skuntank screamed.

"No, Skuntank!" Raiden cried.

Before Rayquaza could connect with the attack, his iron head was met with a tyranitar, barging in and halting the serpent with his strength.

Raiden heard Ella cheer. "West! You made it!"

West risked a glance back at Skuntank and grunted. "Run! I can't hold Zephyr off for much longer!"

Skuntank didn't need to be told twice, he scrambled away.

A charizard arrived by air, stopping beside Cresselia. Raiden's widened. "Is this…the rest of Team A.C.T?"

"Sure is!" Charizard answered. "Wayne at your service!"

West and Rayquaza roared as their struggle intensified. Raiden watched with wide eyes, waiting for Ella's command to attack. The tyranitar was blasted by a dragon pulse. West slid back as he took the brunt of the blast. He swayed slightly and shook off the daze. In that time, Rayquaza aimed a brown beam at Wayne and Cresselia, so the charizard burst forward and folded his wings in front of him, creating a bright barrier that absorbed the attack with ease, though the power of the attack pushed Wayne back slightly. "Geeze, if we're not careful, Zephyr will take out the entire square. How long have you got, Lady Cresselia?"

"Still a bit more. Please, hold on!"

Raiden felt something poke him and glanced to see Ella pointing to a place with her ribbons. Go there! she seemed to be saying. So, he followed her direction, and realised that Roger had also similarly gotten into position. Magnum hummed with electricity, like he was charging an attack. The shinx took this opportunity to charge his own, absorbing energy like the magnezone to prepare.

West stomped a foot on the ground, causing it to split apart. Stalagmites sprouted from the ground, aiming to pierce Rayquaza. The sky god took to the air again, easily repelled from a ground assault.

Ella shouted. "Now!" and she jumped, using her ribbons for extra momentum.

Magnum buzzed and unleashed a powerful, blue bolt of lightning. Raiden took his cue and discharged his yellow electricity into his own, powerful attack. On the other side of the square, an ice beam came from Roger.

Skuntank growled, "Take this, stupid snake!" and the tip of his tail split open to fire a shadow ball. Wayne added a fire blast. West launched a beam of darkness. Then finally, Ella was brimming with mystic energy, and a pink ball formed above her before it too was fired at Rayquaza.

The attacks all struck Rayquaza in a colourful explosion and he screamed in pain, enough to make Ella and the present members of Team A.C.T wince. The harsh wind began to die down, and Rayquaza glowed. His form shrank, and he returned to something a little more recognizable.

Raiden felt his heart swell with pride as Ella landed beside him, a big grin on her face. "That was awesome, Rai!" she cheered. The shinx felt a little embarrassed from the praise.

"Ehe…it was nothing," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

Magnum buzzed a warning that was accompanied by a shout of "Ella, look out!" and they both turned to see Rayquaza flying right for them at a speed too fast to counter. Raiden didn't need any time to think on what to do next: he pushed Ella before she could react. Rayquaza's clawed hand reached out and closed around him tightly. Rai saw nothing but darkness, and he heard all the shouts quickly grow faint, was he going up?

He clawed rapidly at his cage, hearing the sky god grunt from the pain. It was enough for Rayquaza to move a digit, and suddenly Rai could see clouds and he wriggled himself into a position where his head alone stuck out from his prison. They had stopped going up, and even from where he was, he could pick out the two titans in the ocean still fighting. It was only a matter of time before the collateral destroyed everything he'd come to love about this world. "Rayquaza, snap out it!" he screamed. "Darkrai's got you in a nightmare, you need to wake up!"

"Hold on Rai, I'm coming!" Cresselia! That's right, she had the power to free him!

Rayquaza still didn't reply, and as he stared into the eyes of the serpent, he could have sworn he heard Darkrai's voice.

"Throw him!"

His heartbeat became the only thing he could hear, pounding loudly as if it were all around him. Rai could feel Rayquaza's digits moving ever so slightly. Very briefly, Rai felt his prison squeeze around him. Then he was lifted. High. Higher. As high as Rayquaza's arm could go. Any second now the shinx would be plummeting to earth faster than the speediest bird.

Raiden inhaled, focusing on what was left of his electric energy. He'd used a fair bit of it on his previous attack, so he had to dig deep. Raiden had to let loose every bit of power he could muster. Once he found what he was looking for, Rai wasted no time in letting it all go. Instantly, Rayquaza lit up just as the shinx did, one discharging as much electricity as possible, the other taking it all like he'd been struck by lightning. A strangled roar replaced the heartbeat in his ears. Raiden winced, but he didn't let up. He searched and searched for every bit of power he could muster, pushing it out onto the god that had been about to murder him in his sleep.

In the corner of his vision, Raiden saw a glimmer of pink. Then everything turned white. When the light died down, he felt strange. Stronger, confident. But strange. However, Rai had no time to focus on that.

He was falling.

Raiden flailed his paws, his legs swiping through clouds. There wasn't even anything to grab onto up here. He spun as he fell, having no way to even remotely control his descent.

"Rai, no!" Cresselia screamed in his mind.

He hadn't even heard himself screaming until then.

Then something slammed into him. It was rough, soft, and for a moment everything spun a lot more. Rai got a brief glimpse of a fire, then something pink and glowing far above. Something green.

"I gotcha!" said a gruff voice. "Stop movin' around or we'll both go splat!"

Rai's body stilled, acting on self-preservation alone. Then slowly things came to a stop, and Rai's vision was still doing loops.

He thought he was going to be sick.

"Deep breaths," instructed the voice. "In and out. You alright, buddy?"

Rai listened to the voice, and slowly his senses were coming back to him. Orange arms were wrapped around his body from under his front legs, which seemed longer than he was used to. His rescuer felt warm, toasty, and…

"W-Wayne…?" Rai rasped.

"Sure is!" said the charizard. "Boy, if I knew you were gonna evolve I would become a mega to carry you! You're a little heavier than you look!"

Rai flinched, suddenly feeling the need to defend his eating habits, but a word caught his attention. "Wait…did you say…e-evolve?!"

"Sure did! Congrats, Buddy! You evolved into Luxio!"

His breath hitched as he inspected his legs. Instead of a singular, yellow stripe on his front legs, there were now two. Rai was certain that if he could see his reflection, he'd see a messy, little mane of black fur around his head. The newly evolved luxio cheered, kicking out his legs. Wayne shouted and had to readjust his hold on Rai, as the celebration nearly caused him to fall. "I…I can't believe it!" Rai cried. "I finally evolved! I evolved! I—"

Then it sunk in.

"I…evolved."

He was a luxio, before Sera could ever be a ninetales.

He felt his ears and tail droop in response to his sudden mood shift. His heart sank. He'd been looking forward to this moment forever, and yet the one who he had wanted to witness it was unable to.

Wayne said nothing, having most likely sensed the change, and turned his direction upwards. Rai followed the charizard's gaze to see a dazzling, bright glow further up in the sky. He could barely make out Rayquaza and Cresselia in the middle of it.

"What's she doing…?" Rai asked.

"Trying to undo whatever Darkrai did to Zephyr, I imagine," Wayne replied.

"Is it working?"

Wayne grunted. "Dunno, guess we'll see."

The charizard didn't hang around much further after that. With a quick warning, Wayne began his descent back towards the ground. This time they were at a much more controlled and preferred pace. No more tumbling through the sky. No more dying.

It continued to shine brightly behind them as they got further and further away from Rayquaza. Back to the square. Raiden could pick out the familiar shapes of his friends as they got just a little bit bigger in his vision. Roger shouted something that was lost to him before he waved his fins. Raiden didn't have the energy to wave or even shout anything back. Wayne was rather warm, and his scales were reminiscent of a soft bed. He was starting to realise just how tired he was. Rai felt his eyes and body go heavy, and so as he further relaxed in Wayne's arms, he felt everything drifting further away.

Shadows and light were fighting. Darkness beat against a bright, pink glow, with Rai's only other surroundings being similar skirmishes all around. Each time there was a clash, the victor was mostly undecided. Both sides parted before combating once again, with a little darkness seeping past the lines. It was an uphill battle, and the light was struggling. He tried taking steps, an attempt to explore where he was, but it felt aimless. Was he even going anywhere?

Something about this felt familiar, but not in a good way. Both sides gave off their own, signature energies he was becoming accustomed to. The pink light filled him with warmth, the sense that nothing could go wrong. A light that chased the dark away. But the darkness was cold, chilling, and unforgiving. Rai knew the hard way that a sign of weakness led to being consumed by it. Once one was trapped, it was hard to escape. He also knew that if he gave up, the darkness would win.

"Such a burden, isn't it?"

Rai whirled around, finding himself in the presence of the god behind it all. His anger flared, and quickly he found he was quite powerless. He couldn't channel the bolts he so wanted to fill Darkrai with. "What do you want?" Rai sneered.

"I must congratulate you on your evolution," Darkrai said. He moved closer, and shadows pooled from his body and leaked into the realm. More darkness joined the fight. Rai found himself lifting a paw to avoid a bit that flowed past him. "For a while, I didn't think you had it in you, honestly. Expending all your electricity like that must have shocked your body enough to trigger it. Fascinating…"

Unease. Raiden stepped back as the feeling made his fur tingle. Despite that, he glared, holding firm. He wasn't about to give Darkrai any more satisfaction than he'd already given him. The god of nightmares must have noticed that no reply was coming because he looked disappointed. "You can't even humour me…?"

"Why should I?!" Raiden snapped.

Darkrai did nothing but give a cold, dark stare in return. "You think you and that stupid Golduck are the only ones who have lost someone?" His voice was low and dangerous. The luxio tried not to shudder.

"I-I–" Raiden stammered.

"Pokémon lose loved ones all the time. What makes you two so special? Golduck even got his. Partner. Back!" Darkrai darted forward, and Raiden stumbled away. The ghostly hair lifted from the spirit's face, both eyes were now glowing a deep, chilling red. Before Rai could take another step, or muster an answer, a hand shot out and grasped his neck. He wheezed as Darkrai lifted him off the ground, red eyes piercing into the luxio's very being. He found himself staring back, and slowly as sense of dread was filling his heart. Give up. His mind was filled with those two words, over and over. Give up. You're no match. Give up. You're weak. Give up! Once the luxio forced his own eyes shut, the thoughts got quieter, but the dread and negativity remained. It made his whole body feel weak.

Rai let out a strangled gasp and tried to swipe his paws at Darkrai's arm, but any attempt phased through the spirit's body. The grip on his throat tightened, and it made his vision blur. He couldn't breathe, and any time he struggled, it only seemed to make Darkrai angrier. "Tell me why I can't get my partner back! Tell me!" Raiden's ears rang as the spirit screeched. He could only wheeze in response; his vision was filled with nothing but the one choking him, the corners of his sight had gone dark, and slowly all of it was fading.

Desperate, Rai searched for any remaining electricity within him, and he let it out. The spark was enough to reach into his reserve, and Darkrai lit up like a lightning rod. A pained cry escaped his captor, and when neither let up, an image flashed into his mind. A blue and black bipedal Pokémon. A lucario. They smiled, then he heard a voice.

"I'll show you the human world one day, okay? I promise."

Before Rai could question it, Darkrai roared and he was tossed, sending the luxio across the realm. He hit the ground in a roll and when he stopped, Rai took in as much air as he could, wheezing and coughing as he did. His vision slowly came back into focus. When he looked back at Darkrai, he saw that one eye was now back to being covered, and both had turned blue once again. The spirit was staring at Rai, both hands placed firmly on his head.

"What did…what did you do?"

He heard the sadness in Darkrai's voice. The confusion, the pain. All of it. It made Raiden pause.

He took a step forward. The luxio's mind was spinning like a hitmontop, what had just happened? "Darkrai…?" he said gently. "You don't have to do all this. We can go to Dialga a-and make all this right again! You don't have to suffer!"

"N-No…" Darkrai stammered, he started to claw at his face. Dark wisps leaked from him and joined the realm, clashing against the pink light. "Just…just end it. End me! This…this isn't right! I've done horrible things!"

"What…?" Raiden blinked. Was this the same Darkrai that just tried to kill him? The one who had ruined the lives of many? He took another step forward "Darkrai, I–"

Then a crack pierced the floor, ripping through the fight all around. Darkness flooded in from the split and swarmed the spirit completely like a thick, dark cloud. Raiden heard a strangled cry, and without thinking he rushed forward. "Darkrai!" he cried.

A shadow ball fired from the cloud and struck him, sending Rai sprawling to the ground once more. He glared at the hole made by the attack, and saw a single, glowing red eye staring back at him.

As Raiden got back to his feet, a pink light appeared beside him, glowing brighter until it faded, revealing Cresselia. "I'm sorry, Raiden," she said. "I haven't been totally honest with you. But I'll explain later, okay? Let's get you out of here."

"Huh?"

"Let me kill him! He deserves to die! An eternity in the Voidlands!" The spirit flew out of the cloud and straight for Raiden. The luxio shook his head and glared. There wasn't any time to focus on what else was happening. He had to stay alive! Rai focused and searched for any electricity to use, but all he could manage was a few, measly sparks. His eyes widened.

"That's not happening!" Cresselia declared. She flew in front of Raiden, and he watched as her back wing lit up with mystical energy. A shimmering, pink ball formed at the middle, not unlike the attack Ella had used and Cresselia fired it at Darkrai, hitting him point blank. The spirit snarled as he was pushed back, glaring at the lunar goddess.

Tendrils emerged from the tatters on his body, oozing inky darkness as they writhed and pointed towards Cresselia. One grazed the ground, and stone formed where it had touched. "You can't stop me! You're weak!"

"We'll see about that!Raiden, close your eyes!" The wings on her sides glowed with the same intensity as the top wing had.

He listened. The luxio squeezed his eyes shut, and he could feel the warmth of the light, and even with his eyes closed, he still saw the light become powerfully bright.

Rai heard a pained screech, and then nothing.

He awoke to the same surroundings as last time, in the same straw bed. Except this time, the house of Ella and Corsair was empty, aside from the golduck sleeping in the larger bed on the other side of the house and Cresselia, who was floating beside him.

"Are you alright?" she asked him gently, her eyes were soft, apologetic.

"What was that…?" he responded groggily.

Cresselia turned her gaze to the rest of the house, not meeting his eyes. "That was Darkrai," she answered.

Rai felt his own eyes narrow as he stared at her. "That wasn't just Darkrai. something happened to him!"

She sighed. "I know. He wasn't always like that…Darkrai used to be a gentle spirit, so I heard. But that was a long time ago. Then he became fixed with time, and along the way, he changed."

Rai glanced out the window to see the sky. The setting sun gave it a soft, orange glow. It was peaceful here, and it cruelly reminded him of the storm attacking his home.

"What happened, Cresselia?"

"I'm not sure, it was before my time. Perhaps Rayquaza might know…where are you going?"

Raiden got to his feet and had started walking towards the exit. "To find Rayquaza, because I want answers! If there's something I can do to help him, then I want to do it!"

That took Cresselia by surprise. He heard her gasp. "What happened to defeating him?" she asked. "Raiden, what did you see?"

He looked back, then glanced at Corsair. Rai thought about the veteran's story, and then looked back at his own. Darkrai was right about one thing, the golduck had gotten Ella back.

"I saw…that he's just like me. He's grieving his partner…like I was. Like I am. Something is making him attack everyone against his will, I think."

Her reply was immediate. "What if you're just seeing what he wanted you to see?" she questioned. "He could be feeding off your feelings intentionally to lower your guard."

Rai thought about it and frowned. The way Darkrai has responded after he was shocked said a different story. He had sounded as though he'd seen what Rai had as well, like it was a memory that had resurfaced. He remembered the pain and surprise in Darkrai's voice. His request afterwards. "I don't think so," Rai said. "At least, not fully. He's hurting…He just wants somebody to end the suffering."

Cresselia's expression turned sad as she lowered her head, Rai faced the exit once more. "I need to know if there's a way to help him. Sera would do the same if she was here."

He stepped out, still feeling rather strange in his new body. Rai was taller, and already he preferred it to being a shinx. His strength felt a little more real now. As he started to make his way back to Pokémon Square, where he assumed everyone was, Cresselia called out. "Raiden, wait!" The luxio paused as he waited for her to catch up, and he gave the goddess a quizzical glance. "I want to help you help Darkrai. If he can be saved or reasoned with…I want to help. I don't want to take any lives."

A smile formed on Rai's face. "Come on, I need to talk to the others. And…call me Rai, if you want. I don't mind."

Cresselia's eyes lit up, and she gave him a soft smile in return. "Thank you, Rai. You can call me…Mona. It was the name Ella suggested for me earlier, she said it was an old word for the moon in the human world. Strange, isn't it?"

Rai shook his head and repeated the name a few times to himself as they walked. "I think it's pretty. Nice to meet you, Mona."

Her whole body brightened a little as Mona giggled. "And nice to meet you too, Rai. I hope we can be friends."

"We already are," he said warmly.

He wondered if he could get everyone back home to adopt names as well. It felt personal, special even. But that would have to come later.

Rai had a world to save.