Island Wolf:I know, I know I'm a terrible person for letting this sit without an update for so long. I'm sorry, real life has just - well, it hasn't been pleasant and I had to unfortunately put fic writing on the back burner. That said we are so, so close to the end (only another chapter or two) and I absolutely do intend to finish it! Now I know this chapter seems pretty short compared to some of the other ones and it is short for so long a wait, but I wanted to end it at a very specific point so I could get a good flow for what I think is going to be the final chapter. That said, I hope you enjoy what I've managed to provide and thank you so, so much for sticking with me for this long. You, my darlings, are wonderful!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and a select few original characters blah, blah, blah

"They want to arrest you, you know. And I'm seriously considering letting them do it."

"Arrest me for what? Solving the damn problem? I've gained the first ground in this stupid grudge match since they took me back from Cipher!"

"You did it without authorization!"

"Oh, screw protocol! Since when did you care about the fucking rules?"

"It's not about the rules May! You betrayed my trust, put yourself and our unborn child at risk, and for what? To drive them back in their boltholes and fulfill whatever selfish compulsion that keeps driving you to risk everything we've worked so hard to get back!?"

She glared back at him with absolute defiance that he wasn't entirely sure was hers. Curled up on their bed with the glowing keystone still clutched tightly to her chest she looked at him with a gaze that dared someone to try and take it from her. Once they'd made it back to the base he'd dragged her back to their rooms and bolted the door behind him – in truth he was quite certain it was the only thing keeping her from being clapped in irons at the moment. If the rest of the League and the brass had been uncertain of her before, there was no doubt they'd strip her of what little freedom she had after the stunt in Lilycove. Who would sleep easy knowing that the monster wasn't under the bed, but walking around freely in their midst? Indeed, she still hadn't lost the savage gleam in her eyes and Groudon's glyph still remained emblazoned in bright red on her skin like a brand. In that moment he hated the damned beast, hated the god of the earth for slowly, but surely taking her away from him. The marks on her skin, the yellowness in her eyes – her humanity was slipping away again, but what was worse was that she was letting it happen. May bared her teeth at him in a smile made ugly by malice. "Go ahead and try to lock me up. You know we'll just bring the mountain down."

Maxie let his shoulders drop and for the first time since waking up in the white-walled cell in Cipher's basement, he felt defeated. He'd fought so hard, so very hard to bring her back out of the abyss and the sounds of her screaming in the dark still haunted him, but now...now she was turning back to it, looking in willingly and sliding back into the oily depths. He turned and let himself drop into a sitting position on the floor with his back against the edge of the bed. Heat still rolled off of her in waves and he could hear the uneasy growl forming in her throat. It may as well have been a knife to his gut. He put his head down, unable to keep the hot tears of shame and bitterness from escaping his eyes. "May, I just..."

"...I'm sorry."

Slender arms circled around his shoulders and her voice came, soft and without the grating edge of stone. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and he felt her shake from her own ill-contained sobs. He turned and let her slide off of the bed and down into his lap so that he could hold her. The keystone fell to the floor with a clatter, but neither of them bothered to reach for it.

"I'm sorry Maxie, I'm sorry I just -" Her voice broke with another cry and she clung to him more tightly. "I can't stop, they won't let me stop."

"Who won't let you May?" he asked softly, careful to not let his tone become accusatory as he rocked her back and forth. He had assumed it was purely Groudon's influence, but she had said 'they' and that in itself was rather disconcerting. Her sobs abruptly halted at his question and she pulled back to look up at him with glazed eyes, as if she were staring at something far off into the distance – something he with his mortal eyes could not see.

"It's a balance, but it's not a scale; they all think it's a scale – so did I, but I know now that it's not," she said and stretched one hand up towards the ceiling. "It's a web and the threads aren't just red. There are more of them than you can ever count...and my thread is tangled with the spider, I have to do as it tells me to. It's not just Groudon, it's not just Kyogre...not the red-eyed prophet that you've seen in the dark. It's everything, it's all of them. My thread is woven with theirs and we are so moved by the spider. Such small pawns have no choice."

"Yes, you do!"

"Maxie, you of all people know not to underestimate the powers that be," Her eyes flitted over to the keystone on the floor and reflected the myriad of colours that pulsed through it, though red always seemed to stand out the strongest. "You did not hold the orb for very long, but you felt it – that long echoing call that transcends space and time and ensnares you with eldritch claws."

He gazed at the stone glowing serenely in the darkness and for the briefest of moments felt the swell of another presence brush at the fringes of his mind, that little whisper he'd heard so long ago when Groudon had surfaced the first time from his folly. He sighed, as much as he hated to admit it, he could at least appreciate what she spoke of. She'd always been far more entrenched in the ancient powers that ruled over Hoenn than he or any other living human, but he'd be a fool to deny that he hadn't been touched by them too. Maxie tightened his grip on her. "But why does it have to be you?"

"Because I'm the only one who can."

He knew she was right, and he hated it. It was ironic, almost cosmically, that this young woman was so touched by destiny because of his own selfish ambitions – or perhaps his thread was more tangled up in things than he cared to admit. She'd mentioned a red-eyed prophet and he had no doubt that May was referring to the phantasmal Absol that had shadowed the steps of Ashers for centuries. Perhaps this really had been predetermined, threads woven into shapes that they could not be plied from...

But then again she'd said it herself; he'd never much cared for the rules.

"I don't care if you're the only one who can. You don't get to make those decisions alone anymore."

"...Are you going to lock me up then?"

Her tone was hushed and he could sense the undercurrent of fear in her voice. He sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Of course not. We're going to do this together – and I don't care what the overgrown lizard tells you or the fucking cosmic spider, you can't go charging in the fray in your condition. I know you're strong...I know our baby is strong, but you aren't invincible."

"I know," she admitted quietly after a pregnant silence, "but Maxie, you know we can't win sitting here in the dark. Steven, the League, the government...they want to keep hidden and wait. You know it's just going to get harder from here. We have to press the advantage I've given us."

"I'm not letting you do – whatever the hell you did – again if that's what you're suggesting."

"Primal fusion."

"What?"

"Primal fusion," she said so nonchalantly that it might have been amusing in a less dire situation. May looked up at him and her gaze changed from melancholic to incredulous. "Just how do you expect us to win without it? It's the only way we can beat Kyogre otherwise."

Maxie glanced over at the discarded Keystone, watching its crystalline depths swirl with its iridescent rainbows. The longer he stared the more it seemed to pulse with renewed vigour as it had when May had kept it clutched so tightly to her chest. He felt something brush against the fringes of his consciousness, almost like a shadow in his peripheral vision. It was subtle at first, but slowly grew in its presence. It was heavy, leaden and he found his thoughts grinding to a halt as this intruder settled its weighty presence fully in his mind.

The voice that seemed to echo across the chasm of time and space was soft, little more than a whisper, but it hit him with the force of ages and he found it suddenly difficult to breathe as he gazed into the shimmering depths of the Keystone. The words burned like a brand and he felt like his blood had been replaced by liquid fire as the stone settled on a deep incarnadine.

Do you mean to say that you wish to take my Champion's place? it breathed in a voice laced with ash and smoke. You think your lowly mortal soul would suffice for hers?

"Perhaps not, but I will offer to stand in her place all the same."

You do not understand. Hers is a soul of fire, a spirit of old made flesh. The power contained in she would burn you and leave you hollow – you would risk such a fate to stand as my soldier instead?

"Yes."

The Keystone's light pulsed in time to the laugh that grated through his mind. It carried the weight of earthquakes and felt another surge of heat flow through him. You are no stranger to me, nor I to you, but you have changed since the day you tried to put your chains on me. Your mate is fire and light and you – you are shadow and winter...but shadows need light to dance, and fire warms the deep cold of the winter frost. Fine, take hold of my stone and see as she does.

He could see May watching him out of the corner of his eye and had little doubt that she'd been privy to the conversation in his head. Groudon was right – his girl was fire made flesh, but together? Well, Ardos would wish he'd never set his sights on Hoenn. He grabbed the Keystone, hissing between clenched teeth as it burned the flesh of his palm, but he held firm and picked it up. He could feel the skin begin to blister as the hot stone burned through the top layer of his skin. He could smell it too, that pungent, nauseating odour of charring skin. Slowly the pain started to fade, though he knew that it was only because the burn had gone down to the deep tissue and started destroying the nerves. May's fingers were suddenly over his.

"Look."

The soft command compelled him to look down at the hand holding the Keystone. When he opened his fingers he was shocked to find his hand still intact; there was no burned skin, no blisters or charred flesh – just Groudon's glyph, marked in flaming red on his palm. May's lips curved into a knowing smile and when he looked into her eyes, for a brief moment, they were endless and when he looked around the room he could suddenly see. He could see the veins of liquid fire running beneath the earth, see horizons drop away into an endless expanse of space and time and watched the birth of the world unfold before his waking eyes. Every rock and stone had a name and he suddenly knew now why May spoke of the earth and the mountains as if they were living things – because they were. Her smile widened and cerulean embers flared into a deeper burning fire. "Welcome to the team."

He opened his mouth to reply, but found himself unable to speak. His tongue seemed leaden and he struggled to make it shape words. May laughed and gently slid her fingers beneath his chin, pushing up to close his mouth. "Give it a moment. You'll remember how to speak like a human once things settle. It's quite overwhelming at first, I know."

There was little he could do but nod and sit in silence as his body tried to find an equilibrium after being thrown for such an intense loop. Slowly, he came down from the supernatural high and realized he was soaked in a cold sweat and shaking quite noticeably. "I – never imagined – it would be like that."

"No one ever does," she said. Maxie turned to her and, unable to contain the compulsion, caught her in a fierce kiss that sent them both to the floor. Words had failed him, but he hoped that his actions would convey the sheer depth of his admiration and adoration for the woman below him; his girl made of fire, his girl with the warrior's heart, his goddess.

A sharp knock on the door had them both flinching badly. Maxie motioned for her to stay seated while he edged closer to the door. There was a long pause before someone sighed on the other side and cursed softly.

"Dammit Maxie it's me, open the damn door!"

There was an urgency in Liam's voice that made him crack the door open. The burly veteran wasted no time in pushing his way through, but rather than lead in a team of men to subdue May as he'd feared, his old friend bolted the door behind him. He turned to face them, his eyes lingering on the brand on Maxie's palm for only a moment before he spoke in hushed and frantic tones. "Alright, I don't care what sort of devilry you two are playing at, but they are calling out for your blood," he said, pointing at May. "You've got them scared shitless girl, and pregnant or not they're ready to lock you up tighter than Ardos ever did."

"I'll -"

"Kill 'em before you let that happen, I know – oh don't look so offended, you're a walking cliche Maxie," Liam said dryly, ignoring the glares that Maxie was shooting him. "That said, you star crossed birds are the best hope we have right now. Whatever you did May, if it scared the piss out of brass you can be damn sure Ardos will be fucking frantic."

"Liam just what are you suggesting?"

"That we've hit a dead end, but you two – you've still got a chance. Max, I'm not stupid. We're caught like rats in a trap down here, we have been since day one even if no one else wants to admit it. If they lock you up that'll be the end of it all. Aye, we'll linger down here a while, but they'll flush us out one way or another...otherwise we'll die slowly once the food and water runs out." he replied grimly. Beside him, May perked up and shuffled forward to sit on her knees.

"But you have a plan?"

Liam's grim expression changed into a madcap grin as he extended a hand towards her to help her up. "Yes. We're getting you both out of here, so you can finish the job."

"We?"

"Yes, we."

Maxie was startled when the door opened again and Steven stood at the threshold holding what he could only assume was a master key. The Champion, however, appeared to be alone and wasted no time in entering the room, closing the door behind him. He looked at them both and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You two are not worth the migraines. Now, pack what you need and make it fast – our window of opportunity isn't going to stay open long."

"What window? Steven what the hell is going on?"

"Look, I might be acting as the temporary head of government here, but I can't keep protecting you May. Not after what just happened."

"So...why help us?"

"Because I'm not half the idiot everyone takes me for," Steven replied with a rueful smile. "So here's what's going to happen – you two, by some miracle, are going to sneak past all personnel between here and the hanger. You're then going to take me hostage and force me to fly you out of here, or at least that's what they're going to believe until I tell them otherwise. Understood?"

"You realize that what you're suggesting is treason."

"Like you give a shit. Now, let's go – I may be a geologist, but even I'm getting tired of living underground and I certainly don't want to die down here."

"Hn, you really do have balls of steel."

"Oh har, har. Now get moving before I change my mind."

May watched as the helicopter lifted off and slowly disappeared from sight. Liam had left the three of them there, opting to fly the aircraft as far away as possible to act as a diversion and give them time to go into hiding. She felt an uncomfortable twinge in her chest and hoped that the grizzled old solider would be alright. He'd been so kind to her and she couldn't bear the thought of him suffering on their account. Pushing her concerns to the back of her mind she turned to face the sea alongside her companions.

The north coast of Mossdeep was uninhabited, for the most part due to the brutal winds that battered the cliffs. Where the south side enjoyed the protection of the the mangroves, this side of the island was barren and would be their jump off point. She knew that further to the north there was an oil rig, long since commandeered and refitted to serve as Cipher's oceanic base of operations. With the shipping lanes closed and no ice breakers keeping them clear most of the north sea had been covered by pack ice. It would be fairly easy to cross the frozen water to the rig which was only a few dozen miles away. With it being just the three of them there was a relatively low risk of detection...of course with two of them now branded with Groudon's mark there was a very real chance of Kyogre sniffing them out if they lingered too long. Steven offered her a heavy jacket but she refused it, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension.

"Alright, let's get moving. If we keep this bearing and keep west of the sea caves we should be able to come up on them without their knowing. Or at least that's the plan, provided you two freaks can keep the glowing to a minimum."

"Steven I will bite you."

"Bite my ass," he retorted, but he was smiling as he said it. "I hope you both have your wills up to date."

"Aren't you a little ray of sunshine," Maxie grumbled as he finished loading his pistol. Like her he'd forgone the heavy winter gear that Steven had layered himself in and she could see Groudon's glyph burning on his hand. It made her feel oddly proud that he'd taken up her mantle as Groudon's champion and the way he looked at her – there was a level of understanding that hadn't been there before and he truly stood as her equal now. It was a powerful feeling and a deeply primal part of her shivered in anticipation of seeing him in full action, the same part of her that exchanged the word 'husband' for 'mate' and made her flex her fingers like claws.

"Let's go."

They took off at a swift, jogging pace over the sea ice. Maxie seemed hesitant at first, but what fear he had seemed to be abated by Groudon's presence and soon he did not falter. They ran from island to island, pausing behind rocky outcroppings to listen for the sound of chopper blades over the howling wind, but they only heard the lonely wail of the north of shore. Soon, above the squalls and freezing spray the rig loomed like a tall, dark sentinel in the distance. The company colours had been painted over with the standard Cipher black, changing the innocent structure into a menacing shadow against the grey winter sky. Crouched behind a wall of basalt May swallowed thickly. "Are we actually doing this?"

"What happened to all that fire and vinegar?"

"I'm sorry, we're about to face down a psychotic mass murderer with his own private army and a leviathan at his beck and call. Forgive me for feeling a bit apprehensive!"

"Right. What's the plan of attack then?"

"I vote for a three prong approach," Steven said, eyeing the rig in the distance "It'll confuse them and hopefully make them think that there's a much greater force attacking them. Maxie, since you're the one working with Groudon now how do you feel about storming the front and drawing their attention for a while?"

"Done," Maxie said with a feral grin so similar to the one she'd worn not long ago. Steven nodded and turned to May.

"Ardos isn't the type to lead the troops himself – he'll be watching from above where he can keep the most control. While Maxie attacks them head on I'll take the west side and you'll take the east. With all of the commotion going on at least one of us should be able to get past them and get to Ardos."

"Cut the head off of the snake."

"Exactly."

"May, are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Maxie asked. May smiled and patted the layer of Kevlar protecting her torso.

"I'll be okay. Groudon will be with you, but I won't be entirely unprotected. Even if Ardos realizes I'm part of the attacking party, I doubt he'll send Kyogre after me with you knocking on their front door."

"...Fine. Be careful, the both of you."

May nodded, squeezing his hand tightly one last time before she broke out into a run over the ice, bearing right while Steven went left. Once the pair had vanished along the ridges of ice and rock and started walking forward, palming the pokéball that contained Groudon. The orb burned hotly in his hand as did the Keystone in his pocket. He swallowed sharply.

You are apprehensive

"Of course I am. I'm worried about -"

Do not worry about your mate, she will be fine. Focus on your attack.

"I'm not May...if I use this Keystone will I be able to separate from you when this is over?"

...I will not lie to you. I am uncertain of what will happen. There is a chance you may never be able to retake human form, you may not even survive the change itself. Knowing that, will you falter from your path?

"No. This is our only chance...this is May's only chance. I will do whatever it takes."

Groudon's laugh echoed in his mind and he felt the ice beneath his feet shudder as a tremor rocked through the seabed and made the spires of the rig ahead sway. Lights snapped to life and alarms wailed in the winter wind as figures started to swarm onto the decks. Maxie threw Groudon's pokéball skyward and it burst open with a blinding flash as the Goliath materialized. Swiftly, he swept Maxie up onto his head as the ice beneath him started to crack from both his heat and weight. The Keystone burned through Maxie's pocket, levitating in the air in front of him before it slammed into his chest, burying its way through the fabric and flesh. He dropped to his knees, gasping for breath in between the heaving. His bones began to pop and distort, twisting into inhuman configurations as blackened spikes erupted along his spine and his skin turned into hardened scales the colour of a sunrise. His screams turned into roars, matched by Groudon as Hoenn's maker finished his own transformation.

The sea ice beneath them finally gave way, but the frigid seawater quickly erupted into a plume of scalding steam as the seabed far below was ripped asunder and magma leached out into the ocean, rising to form a pillar of obsidian and basalt under its master. It grew ever wider, carving a path through the melting ice towards the rig. The alarms grew louder as they approached and Maxie raised his clawed hand, as did the beast below him.

May heard the ice crack, echoing like a gunshot through the air. She turned, feeling a strange pressure in her chest as she watched Groudon's emergence and subsequent transformation. She suddenly understood why she'd been seen with such fear. It was an awe inspiring sight to see a god in the flesh, but terrible too – the fire that burned in their eyes was filled with an unholy hate, fires that wanted only to burn, be they the flesh of friend or foe. The earth cared not for sides and petty mortal squabbles. It cared only for balance. She watched as both Maxie and Groudon raised their arms and a sharpened pillar of earth exploded out of the water, piercing the front of the rig and cutting through steel like a hot knife through butter. The metal groaned like a wounded beast, taking on a slight list as one of the massive support legs were clipped by the attack.

Shaking her head, she finally turned away from the spectacle and returned to her run towards the crippled rig. Hopefully Maxie would have some presence of mind not to sink the entire thing before they reached their target, but if he did...she'd drag Ardos down to the depths of the Abyss herself. She came to a halt at one of the support pillars and wasted no time in starting to climb the cement base and metal lattice to the main deck. Most of the peons and foot soldiers were along the forward rail and she clung to the edge of the deck, waiting patiently for those who lingered on the port side to move ahead. She held her breath as one man carrying a rifle at the ready paused and leaned over the rail. His eyes widened when he saw her, but before he could shout or raise his gun she leaned up and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him over the rail. Groudon's roars masked his bloodcurdling shriek as he fell until they were abruptly halted when he slammed into the ice below, a red halo spreading out from his head. May slid, cat-like onto the deck, trying to ignore the fire burning in her belly at the memory of flinging a man to his death, trying to ignore that sour, silky whisper in the back of her mind that congratulated her on a job well done.

Another shudder ran through the deck beneath her feet, but this time it was not from Groudon's fury. The ice in front of them bowed upwards until it broke in a plume of freezing spray and foam and a shriek that sounded like frozen metal. Kyogre's bellow sent May's heart flying into her throat and when she paused to look at the leviathan she saw the cause of her dread. The titan of Hoenn's seas had been changed. Ugly black marks ran along its flanks, lined with spines and unnatural bulk and teeth too large for the creature's mouth gnashed together, spitting blood and foam into the sea. May felt her heart break for it. Kyogre was Groudon's eternal rival, but it still pained her to see such a magnificent opponent so grotesquely disfigured, so blatantly disrespected by humans who thought they could improve on nature. Gritting her teeth May forced herself to look away and pressed herself into the shadows until she found a door leading inside.

Into the belly of the beast.