Terrance was rooted to the spot. He was done. Finished. At the end of his rope. Every man had his limits, and Terrance reached his when some Eldritch abomination popped up.

It figures, Kim thought, that he would choose now to lose it.

"SKARM!"

Mimi was swooping through the air, sending wave after wave of stars at the monster, none of which seemed to be having any effect. The monster wasn't even attempting to dodge, merely screeching and snapping its beak whenever Mimi got close enough and firing of balls of black energy whenever she was not.

"Mimi!" Kim shouted, "It's no good! Try and hit it with Aerial Ace!" Kim turned wildly around and pointed at Amberly, who was cowering against Terrance. "YOU! Do- DO SOMETHING!"

The sound of her voice seemed to galvanize Terrance into action. "Amberly! See if Charm has any effect, quick!"

Amberly leapt away from Terrance and shot a blast of hearts toward the monster. They flew true, and landed right on its chest. The monster, feeling this as it had not felt the stars, reared its head back and screamed loud enough to put Terrance and Kim on their knees to join Roxanne and Douglas, who were already there. Roxanne had her arms wrapped around Skidmore, and was chanting at a nonstop mumble. The only words that Kim could make out were "please" and "Skidmore". Denny merely threw back his head and laughed more.

Mimi, taking advantage of the monsters distraction, swooped in and hit the monster with an Aerial Ace right between the eyes.

"Yes!" Kim shouted, a spark of hope filling her. If only Mimi could just keep it up-

The brief hope spot died when the monster began to furiously undulate its many tentacles, drew itself up to its full height, and screech. Kim buried her face into the stairs and felt Mimi land on top of her writhing in pain, and was distantly aware of Roxanne's pleas to Skidmore rising to a frenzied pitch. Tears began to well up in her own eyes, the one thought barreling around in her head screaming makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop-

And then there was a rush of wind, an explosion, and the screeching changed from one of fury to one of pain. Kim raised her head, still shaking, and felt her jaw drop again.

. . .

Roxanne could feel tears running down her face and could feel a trembling laugh forcing itself past her lips.

"Do not worry, Roxanne."

I was scared, she thought. I was so scared that you wouldn't wake up.

"I know, Roxanne."

You jerk. You jerk, jerky-jerk! I carried you up a mountain! Up a bunch of floating stairs!

"And I greatly appreciate that. Now, if I may?"

Roxanne heaved herself onto her feet, and wiped a shaking hand across her face, huffing a laugh. "Well, I guess that I forgive you. But you'd better beat the hell out of this joker!

Skidmore shifted into an offensive position, and focused his gaze upon the monster, which was regathering its wits from the Dragon Pulse it had taken to the head.

"It will be my pleasure to soundly thrash him, Miss Roxanne."

Roxanne grinned back at Terrance, Kim, Douglas, and Dennis. Amberly, Ollie, and Mimi struggled to their feet and hurried to put themselves between the monster and their trainer.

"One monster verses Skidmore, Amberly, Ollie, Mimi, and my own awesomeness," Roxanne muttered. "It doesn't have a chance…"

. . .

Douglas prided himself on not being stupid, so when Skidmore and Roxanne decided to act like big damn heroes, and Terrance and Kim decided to join in, he stayed the heck down, and made sure that Dennis was down there with him.

"Mimi, keep using Aerial Ace!"

"Amberly, use Fake Tears and DON'T STOP!"

"FIND AN ASS AND THEN KICK IT, SKIDMORE!"

With three Pokemon with a renewed will to fight, the Giratina was visibly losing ground, but it kept going, unleashing blobs of dark energy and summoning purple winds. But even though Douglas guessed that it could easily take on any one of them one on one, against all three it was still getting hit with at least two attacks for each of its own.

They were going to win. Douglas could feel it in his bones. They were going to win.

And just as he thought it, they did. The monster gave one last defiant shriek, but it was a pale imitation of what had once brought them to their knees. Douglas scrambled to his feet, adjusting his grip on Dennis, and held his breath.

After the monster fell from view, there was a second to breathe. And then the stairs began to give off a discordant hum, glowing with an almost painful white light.

"OH, WHAT THE HECK NOW?" Kim wailed. "MORE MONSTERS?"

"No!" cried Dennis, "Now, we go into the light!"

In front of the stairs where the monster had previously been hovering, the air began to ripple, and then formed into a rough circle. And dear Arceus, Douglas could smell fresh air through it.

"HURRY!" Dennis cried, "HURRY!"

Terrance and Kim wasted no time in diving through the portal, taking their Pokemon with them. And then only Skidmore and Roxanne were left.

Roxanne beckoned them forward furiously. "C'mon, C'MON! Me and Skidmore need to go last, in case the monster comes back!"

Douglas felt bile rising in the back of his throat. It has to be done, it has to be done. For Dennis.

Roxanne was walking towards him, a frantic look on her face. "DOUG, DENNIS, COME ON!"

Douglas sucked in a rattling breath. "I-I have to do this, you have to understand. You will understand, one day!"

"Doug, what are you talking-"

"Beheeyem, NOW!"

Beyheeyem rocketed out from under the steps, and shot his Psybeam straight into Roxanne's stomach. For a second, Douglas almost reached out for her as she staggered towards the edge, her hand stretched out towards him.

But then she fell, and Douglas knew it was done.

The Lucario roared, and flung an Aura Sphere at him before pinning him to the steps, his face twisted into a snarl and his hand a centimeter above Douglas's face and glowing bright blue.

"Are you going to kill me," Douglas whispered, "Or are you going to let her fall?"

There was a blink when Douglas thought the Lucario was going to do both.

"I will find you one day." The Lucario hissed. "I will find Roxanne and we will escape, and I will tear you apart."

The Lucario jumped over the ledge after Roxanne, and Douglas fled for the portal, Dennis, Ollie, and Beheeyem in tow.

. . .

Terrance laid flat on his back on the most wonderful green grass that he had ever felt in his life, drying off in the sunshine. Beside him, Amberly, was snuffling a flower in ecstasy. Never before had he known that the air had smelled, or that there had been a thousand and one little sounds that filled his ears, or that they had been so wonderful.

They had fallen out of the portal above the lake, and had frantically swum to the shore and clawed their way out of the water. Kim was a short ways away, helping to dry off Mimi, with the same exuberant grin on her face as the one on his.

There is a loud splash from the lake below, and then Douglas, Dennis, Ollie, and a weird looking Pokemon float up to the rest of them. Dennis, Terrance notes, is looking younger already.

The portal closes with a snap.

And then Terrance realizes that there is a distinct lack of auburn hair and exasperated Lucario.

Terrance stares at Douglas. Douglas flinches away from his gaze and looks to Dennis, who is twining his hands through the grass.

"Where are they?" he whispered. "What have you done?"

Douglas does look at him then. "What I had to do. Dennis couldn't leave there without someone to take his place. And I had to take care of him."

Kim is staring at Douglas with abject horror. "You…you couldn't have- you left her there?"

Douglas swallowed, and drew himself up. "I did what I had to do. For Dennis."

Terrance punched him in the face, his vision obscured by a red haze.

Douglas took the hit silently, and then nodded towards the Beheeyem. "You won't be seeing us again. Ever." At the nod, the Beheeyems' eyes flashed and then they were gone. Teleported.

"GET BACK HERE!" Terrance screamed. "GET BACK HERE AND LET HER OUT OF THERE, DAMN YOU!"

Behind him, Terrance could hear Kim crying.

. . .

"So. We're trapped here. And…I don't think the others will be coming to get us for a…for a long time."

"No. We are not. We will get out of here, Roxanne, I swear to you."

Roxanne and Skidmore sat on a ledge together, legs dangling into the endless space.

"Skidmore. I'm-you could've gotten out."

Skidmore looked away, and sniffed. "Miss Roxanne. You know that there is no conceivable way that you could survive in another dimension without my assistance." Skidmore looked back at her, and the lines around his eyes got just a bit softer, so Roxanne knew that he was smiling at her in the way that meant he loved her.

Roxanne cleared her throat and wiped something that was most absolutely not a tear out of her eye. "Skidmore-sweetie, there is no being on this planet that I would rather be stuck in an alternate dimension- place with. Now, come on! Enough lazing around! Let's get exploring for the back way out!"

"As you wish, Miss Roxanne."