Chapter 14: The Light and the Night
Two different references are in this chapter title. See if you can spot them. :)
The next morning was when the world ended.
No, not really. It was just that Hiccup really, really hated to see Toothless sulking in the dirt and refusing to do absolutely anything else. The poor father Night Fury didn't even want to go on their usual midnight flight. He was too upset about losing Alba.
Ebony wasn't doing much better. She held all four of their other dragonets under her wings, crooning and whining sadly. Hiccup could have swore he saw what looked like tears in the mother dragon's eyes. But dragons didn't have tear ducts.
...Or did they?
As Snivels paced back and forth, nearly wearing out a line in the dirt, he passed Axel. He spared the Shiny Haxorus a concerned glance, still feeling worried about the issue that was eating at everyone's brains and hearts.
"Those Alolan Pokémon are becoming more stubborn," Axel said sadly. "Normally a Pokémon would never dare to take a dragonet away from its parents."
Of course, this remark came out of his mouth just as Snivels passed by the two depressed Night Furies. The black dragons moaned sadly, burying their heads into each other's necks at an attempt to comfort.
"But Felicity was right," Snivels admitted. He then stopped pacing and stood next to Hiccup. "Alba isn't a Night Fury, she's something else."
For a minute, Hiccup thought Snivels was just saying that because of how upset he was about what had happened. Then he remembered that Snivels did not like lying, so it was very much likely that he was being serious.
There was a rather long moment of silence before Blaze finally asked what they all wanted to know. "Okay, so, if she isn't a Night Fury, then what is she?"
Snivels and Brandyn were the only two, besides Toothless and Ebony, who were aware that Alba had come from a white egg from a relative species of the Night Fury. Everyone else had believed that Alba was simply an albino, which was quite rare for a dragon, but not unheard of.
"Her species is closely related to the Night Fury," the Aetherson boy explained. "But it's more rare and harder to find, mostly due to its ability to cloak. See, it heats itself up with its plasma blasts, which causes its scales to have mirror-like qualities. This allows it to blend into the background so that it's practically invisible. And they prefer to fly around in the daytime, so they're able to easily hide themselves in the clouds as well."
Even Snivels was impressed. "I spent nearly a year of my life traveling through every kind of island imaginable, and I have never even heard of that kind of dragon before."
"I have," said Adhesive, "But only because I'm from the future, at least, by all forms of technicality in this universe."
Kickin' Hawk gave the Poipole the signal to cut it out and stop talking. Dangerous things tended to happen whenever a being from the future revealed too much information, and they did not need anything like that going on right now.
On the sidelines, from where he had been standing, Hiccup scratched his chin in deep thought. "So, Alba's essentially a new species," he voiced his thoughts to all his friends. "Kind of like a...Bright..."
"A Light Fury," Astrid said, quite suddenly.
Her husband went to protest, but, after thinking it over for a few brief seconds, changed his mind. "Yeah, yours is better, probably."
Adhesive squirmed. That's what they said in The Hidden World! Am I glad the Ultra Guardians invited me to go to the Ultra Megalopolis Theatre with them to see the movie last weekend, it's the best one I've ever seen! Just be a good little Poipole and don't go blabbing about it in front of your friends!
Oh, how awkward the conversation would have become if he said any of that out loud. Fortunately, he didn't.
"Alright, I guess it's time to stop the fight and get Alba back," Heather said, almost too quiet for anyone to hear.
There were a few mumbles in agreement.
"T'would be helpful to have a proper plan," Axel reminded them, his expression matching his cynical tone of voice.
Ninjark looked thoughtful. "What if we arranged a meeting with Percy and Felicity? Lead a calm discussion to get to the root of the problem?"
Kickin' Hawk gave him a look that said, 'do you know anything about Persian?'
Adhesive broke his own silence to voice his idea. "I've actually seen this kind of situation happen before in other universes. All we need to do is find a common enemy between the two sides, bring it here, and they'll have no choice but to work together to defeat it."
"Sounds risky," Hiccup mused to himself. He then said out loud, "That just might work."
"It would," Axel said, "If they actually had a common enemy."
Blaze looked thoughtful. "What if we tried giving them a common enemy?"
"We could go back to the Giant Chasm and get another dragon to play the part," mused Brandyn.
"Not Mortem or Bigwings," Snivels insisted, and with a lot of emphasis. The last thing they needed was those two dragonets growing up thinking that everyone was supposed to be afraid of them.
"What about the Speed Stingers?" Astrid suggested. "They're supposed to be really aggressive and territorial."
Hiccup shook his head. "That's just it. Armed with paralyzing venom, they'd just freeze all the Pokémon and win the fight easily. We need something less threatening."
"Why don't we just use Toothless and Ebony?" Ninjark asked, his eyes locked on the Night Furies.
That idea was immediately shot down by the rest of the team.
"That would be bad."
"No way that would turn out well."
"Definitely not!"
They weren't wrong. Felicity would know without a doubt what the Night Furies wanted, and that would only double the Alolan Pokémon's efforts to keep Alba away from them. Not to mention, their dragonets would likely be at risk of getting hurt in the fight.
"Aren't those kids all overthinking it?" Axel asked no one in particular.
Kickin' Hawk replied, "It's best they find the most reasonable and beneficial solution to a problem. Nothing like the Vikings do."
Now it was Hiccup's turn to pace as he narrowed down their options. "Okay, so we need something we can control, isn't too much of a threat, but still terrifying enough to the Pokémon..."
"You're basically asking for a Monstrous Nightmare and a Gronckle rolled into one," Astrid said, mostly to herself.
Adhesive heard it, however, and he immediately perked up, his eyes flashing with a brainstorm. "Two in one!" he exclaimed, flying over and hugging the blonde around the neck. "Astrid, you're a genius!" He then let go and started off in the direction of Unova. "Hold on, guys. Uno momento! I'll be right back!"
Everyone watched the Poipole disappear on the horizon, their facial expressions carrying the exact same question.
What just happened?
While the young heroes tried to find the solution, there was a Kantonian Persian lying down at the very edge of the bluff that overlooked the field where the Pokémon usually had their fights. Percy's eyes shone almost as bright as the red jewel that was in the center of his forehead as the sun slowly moved across the sky.
"Who does that grey cat think she is?" he snarled to himself. "She thinks she can charm me with those curly whiskers, and those...those sharp eyes, her silvery coat, and that pretty blue jewel." His snarl became a purr as he listed off those qualities, his eyes holding an obvious case of lovesickness.
Then he snapped right back to his serious and vengeful self. "Well, no more! Only one of our types is the best! And it's high time we finally settle which one!" He stood tall and looked up at the sun, which was a few lengths away from being smack dab in the middle of the light blue blanket that was the sky. "At noon, we fight! No matter how it ends, it ends today!"
Everyone waited for Adhesive to return, their patience gradually wearing thin. But all of the annoyance and doubt was quickly forgotten as surprise took its place when they saw what the Poipole had brought with him.
It was a quadruped dragon with multiple bumps on its back and tail, and a rounded face with a blunt nasal horn. It also had two pairs of short horns on their head and single claw-tipped wings.
To put it plainly, it looked like someone had taken different parts from a Monstrous Nightmare and a Gronckle and sewn them all together.
"Fellow Go-Getters," said Adhesive, gesturing grandly to the dragon. "Meet the Abomibumble! Born of a Monstrous Nightmare and a Gronckle for Project Hybrid, and just the dragon we need to settle this Alolan altercation!" He then patted the dragon on the head. "Everyone say hello to Meatfang."
Almost immediately, the shock and surprise turned into an array of looks that said, 'are you serious?'
"Meatfang?" Blaze drawled disbelievingly.
Adhesive shrugged. "Hey, it was either that or Hooklug."
"We can discuss names later," said Axel, "Those Pokémon are one big fight away from going to war."
That last word was cruel enough to be a swear word, and they all knew that.
By now, both sides of the inflexible Pokémon inhabitants had lined up in front of the other in the open field. Percy could hear a series of cries from somewhere behind Felicity and her army. There was something small and scared that needed to be saved.
It wasn't long before Axel arrived, marching into the middle of the gap between the two sides. The team had agreed that the Shiny Haxorus would try to talk to them one last time before they went through with the plan of using Meatfang as a common enemy to make the two sides work together. The Abomibumble looked like it would be a tough opponent in a real fight.
"I'm not fond of the idea of using moves on my cadets," Axel announced, "But if it's the only way to get you all to stop fighting, I won't hesitate."
Percy and Felicity were the only ones who weren't intimidated by that. The two Persian had locked eyes, and nothing would ever distract the two rivals from each other.
Hiccup and the others watched from their hiding place in the bushes. Meatfang's hot breath tickled their necks, but they ignored it.
"Okay, I'm not usually big on Astrid-ing," Blaze said in a whisper, "But are we absolutely sure this is going to work? Because the last time Adhesive brought something from another world to here, Hiccup turned into a temperamental dragon and went on a rampage."
"Thanks," Hiccup said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've been trying so hard to forget that."
Adhesive gave a reassuring smile in response to the Blaziken's question. "Trust me, this is a great idea. It even blows away my idea for a dragon-themed hotel and restaurant called The Dragon's Den!"
That was NOT a very reassuring "yes."
Out on the field, all of the Pokémon were starting to yell at Axel to get out of the way. Seeing no other option, the Shiny Haxorus trudged into the bushes to meet Team Go-Getters, watching sadly as the two sides charged at each other and engaged in battle.
"This would be a good time to send Meatfang in there," Axel said.
In response to this, Adhesive signaled the Abomibumble to get into position. "Make the hybrids proud!" he encouraged strongly.
Meatfang trotted off into his selected hiding place, tongue lolling out of his mouth and his fat tail waggling back and forth like a puppy's.
"Wait," Astrid said suddenly, "Astrid-ing?" She looked up at Blaze. "You made me a verb?"
Blaze just smiled, amused by the disturbed look on her trainer's face.
"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHH!"
The low-pitched, screaming roar blasted through the fight occurring in the grassy field, instantly making all the Pokémon freeze right in their tracks. But that was nothing compared to how they reacted when they saw a bulky dragon burst out into the open, raging with an unexplainable anger.
All thoughts of Alba, winning the fight, and who's better than who were thrown away. Replacing them was one single thought that was more serious to the Pokémon than all of the above combined.
"ROGUE DRAGON!" someone cried out in horror.
The Pokémon made a mad dash for the forest, only to find their path blocked by Meatfang. The Abomibumble was really getting in on the 'rogue dragon' act. He stomped his feet, flared his wings, and kept making that guttural roar. It was hard to notice his tail joyfully waggling back in forth as though he were playing the most fun-est game in the whole world. Most likely the Gronckle part of him looking to have a good time.
Percy and Felicity quickly started shouting orders to their respective sides.
"Stop running!"
"We need to contain him!"
"Go for the legs!"
"Pin down his wings!"
"Grab his tail!"
"Stop him from moving!"
The results were instantaneous. Two gigantic blobs, one all purple and one with alternating green, yellow and pink stripes, splattered onto Meatfang's wings and pinned them to the ground. Both Marowak ran in circles around the Abomibumble and smacked his legs with their bone clubs. The two Golem took a less active approach, simply galumphing over and sitting down on Meatfang's tail so their combined weight kept it from moving.
Adhesive watched the show with triumph in his eyes. "It's working! They're all teaming up to subdue what they think is a rogue dragon!"
But Snivels couldn't shake off the feeling that something about this plan was not going to go the way they wanted it to.
He was proven right when Percy and Felicity started arguing with one another.
"Keep your savages away from my troops!"
"Savages?! I'll have you know we are a sophisticated society!"
"Whatever you are, stay out of our way!"
"You're the one who started galumphing all over our turf!"
"I was NOT galumphing! THIS is galumphing!"
Even the most effective noise-canceling earplugs in the whole world couldn't help the Servine ignore all of that. He'd had just about enough.
It got worse when the long-necked Alolan Exeggutor started stomping her feet and crying out in a panic. Being the tallest of the Pokémon on the island, it was her job to be the lookout and warn others of potential dangers. And this particular display was used to raise awareness to a certain kind of enemy.
"Playtime's over," Axel muttered before he stood up out of the bushes and started making his way to the open field.
Not sure where this was going, but expecting that it wasn't going to be good, Hiccup made haste following the Shiny Haxorus, with the rest of the team following his lead.
Axel positioned himself between the two Persian, making sure their attention was on him. "Coconut's spotted a threat, Vikings no doubt. Pray tell how we're going to defend our island base when you can't even work together against a rogue dragon?"
"Great," hissed Felicity, "Now we've got a pack of metal-heads stalking our island?!" She looked at Percy from around Axel's body. "If you and your savages are so much better than us, then you go deal with those barbarians!"
Percy didn't budge up even a little bit. "We're not savages, and we don't go doing the dirty work for others! You go take care of the Vikings if it's so important to you!"
"And finally pass up the opportunity to prove you're nothing compared to me?" Felicity asked rhetorically.
"Stop it!" Snivels finally exploded. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" He didn't care about all the looks he was receiving as a result of his outburst. The ridiculous feud had gone and gotten right on his last nerve. "For Arceus's sake! The island is under attack and all you can think about is arguing over who's better than who! You're crazy!"
Percy and Felicity both blinked in surprise before the Alolan Persian asked, "You kids brought the dragon here, didn't you?"
"Yes," Snivels admitted. "But we only did it to help you guys settle your differences and work together."
Felicity hung her head in shame. "We have all been acting like mindless fools. Perhaps if I hadn't let my pride get in the way so much..."
"I'm as much to blame as you," said Percy.
Axel folded his arms across his chest and gave the two Persian a pointed look. Deliberately slowly and calmly, he enunciated, "Now let's focus on dealing with those Vikings. Especially since you two are behaving more cooperatively."
After a short pause, Percy and Felicity both nodded. They looked slightly unsure, but they weren't feuding anymore. There wasn't a minute for them to lose.
Most experienced sailors would scream and throw themselves to the deck, or else panic in general, if a squadron of dragons and Pokémon suddenly appeared literally out of the blue to ravage their ship. But Alvin was not most experienced sailors - as he recognized his chief enemies from Berk as they made their dramatic appearance, he simply smirked to himself and prepared to engage them in battle.
"Give them plenty of lead!" he yelled to his soldiers, keeping his eyes trained on their pursuers. "Maybe we can take out a few meddlesome kids on the way home from that Fireworm infested island!"
The Outcast soldiers lined up and aimed their crossbows, ready to fire, but they were sadly too late to prevent Team Go-Getters from going on their first attack run. Meatfang peeled off from the group to deliver a destructive blow to the boat's side, and was then followed by Windshear and Buck blasting flames to incinerate the shields protecting the vessel. The Razorwhip and Grapple Grounder then separated, Windshear firing spines and Buck snapping his tail like a whip on opposite ends of the ship. The resulting blows were enough to send waves rippling across the water.
"That ought to get their attention," Brandyn said to no one in particular.
Each trainer flew alongside both a Kantonian and an Alolan Pokémon, which shadowed them from above or to the side on the backs of their island's local dragons, mostly Nadders and Gronckles. The less transportable Pokémon, specifically Dugtrio, Golem, Muk and Exeggutor, were tasked with staying on the island to ward off any additional intruders. Axel, meanwhile, seemed happier flying higher than them all upon his colleague, a fully-grown Timberjack.
Team Go-Getters and their 'wingmen' split up, with each one taking their turn to strike at the Outcasts' ship. Wavern and Stormfly came in for a go after Heather and Brandyn were finished, the Noivern releasing concussive sound waves from her ears while the Deadly Nadder shot razor-sharp poison spikes at the barbarians. While having their senses rattled by the loud noise, it was all they could do to throw themselves out of the way of the spikes.
The familiar sound of a charging plasma blast rang out across the endless ocean as the dark shape of Toothless flew over the boat. Maw already brimming with blue flames as he gathered plasma in his mouth, he angled his wings and tail and headed straight for the Outcast ship, ready to blow its prow into smithereens.
But, surprisingly, Hiccup put a halt to that plan.
"Toothless, wait!" he shouted. "I have a better idea."
The Night Fury swallowed the fire he'd been moments away from shooting and pulled up at his rider's command. Raising his voice, Hiccup ordered, "Go-Getters, hold your fire and fall back!"
Only Snivels and Astrid seemed to understand the reasoning behind the command, and they brought Verne and Stormfly up to where Hiccup was without hesitation. Glancing over at two of the most important 'people' in his life, Hiccup could see that there was no doubt in their eyes, which reassured him. The rest of the team were slightly less aware of his true intentions, however, and stopped dead in midair. They hovered in place for a second, probably letting their brains process his orders for a second, before they simultaneously turned around in midflight to join him.
Some of the Outcasts took aim with their crossbows and fired a few shots, but they seemed to do so halfheartedly, like they knew they couldn't really get the retreating heroes anyway. Apart from that, Hiccup and the others met no resistance at all as they turned tail and flew back the way they had come.
"I know that look," Snivels observed. "You've just come up with a genius plan."
"Yes, and it's one you're all going to approve of," Hiccup assured him, his voice carrying one hundred percent, complete confidence.
Off to the left, Axel caught on almost immediately and gestured with his hand for the other Pokémon to follow him. The Kantonians and Alolans quickly fell in formation, and nobody else spoke until the Outcast ship was only the tiniest speck in the distance.
After the sudden attack run by Team Go-Getters, the atmosphere was quiet except for the soft lapping of the waves against the boat's hull. The soldiers held their crossbows high, staring up at the empty sky for any sign of Dragon or Pokémon activity.
There was none.
"I don't see anything," Savage remarked, shielding his eyes as he stared in the direction of the sun. The statement was kind of unnecessary, seeing as nobody else could see anything, either.
"Maybe they aren't coming!" the unpleasant man added hopefully.
"Oh, they'll come," Mildew said with certainty, shaking his head at Savage.
"He's right," Alvin agreed. "Their sentiment is their weakness. Isn't that right, Eidolon?"
He directed the last part at his Dusknoir, who had been hovering with his arms folded across his chest. Having only one eye and his mouth in his stomach area always made his expressions hard to read. Alvin always made the assumption that his partner was on board with all of his plans, even when the Dusknoir's lack of enthusiasm said otherwise.
Eidolon's head snapped upwards, catching sight of something new and completely surprising just above Alvin's head.
He wasn't the only one to have seen it, either - Savage gasped and raised his bone club in preparation to attack.
Alvin, though, seemed to be completely oblivious to the chubby black Raticate perched rather comfortably atop his helmet.
"D-" Mildew tried to say, but was knocked aside by Savage before he could speak.
"Psst, Alvin!" he whispered, raising his club a little higher. "Don't move!"
Exulans - the Alolan Raticate on Alvin's head - stayed perfectly still, twitching his tail this way and that, not even giving any indication that he'd noticed Savage at all. The second-in-command of the Outcasts snuck up behind his boss and then swung his club to hit...
...Alvin on the helmet, as Exulans vaulted off of the Outcast leader a split second before Savage would've hit him. Instead, it was Alvin who went crashing down to the deck, while Exulans remained unseen no matter where Savage glanced. The Alolan Raticate's squeaks rang tauntingly in his ears, but he couldn't find the blasted Pokémon anywhere!
A low moan came from Alvin's mouth as he slowly dragged himself to his feet. The sound made Savage stop looking for the black Raticate and immediately freeze up in fear once he realized what it was he'd just done. And to drive the point home, Alvin tilted his head up to shoot his underling a scalding glare of pure murder.
"O-Oh, I, uh, l-let me explain, Alvin!" Savage frantically stammered, dropping his club and holding up his hands. "Th-There w-was a...uh, a little beast on -"
Too angry to pay attention to his blubbering, Alvin drew his sword and held it high above his head to teach Savage a lesson - when suddenly the astonished leader of the Outcast tribe found the weapon being ripped straight out of his hands by some mysterious force.
Up above the ship, Hodad - the Alolan Raichu - let out a taunting cry of victory as he used his psychic powers to levitate the Outcast chief's sword far out of reach. The Kantonian Raichu - Jerboa - was hitching a ride on the tail of her regional variant. Together, the two electric mice unleashed a double Thunderbolt that reduced the sword to a smoking mess of what had once been shiny metal.
Down below, Alvin could be heard bellowing at his minions to shoot at the Pokémon. Witnessing an array of crossbows being aimed their way, Axel nodded to himself and, after inhaling a good deal of air, unleashed a powerful beam of orange energy from his mouth at the rapidly approaching projectiles.
The result of the Hyper Beam was instantaneous. The arrows fired from the Outcast crossbows never got the chance to make contact with their targets as the beam disintegrated them into ashes.
Smiling uncontrollably, the black Haxorus confided to Percy and Felicity with childish joy, "I've always wanted to use that move!"
On the deck of the ship, Exulans continued his job of jumped from one Outcast head to the next, aided by his regional variant, Tawny. Each attempt at striking the two Pokémon down was the same - an Outcast soldier toppling unconsciously to the floor as the weapon was brought down on their heads instead of their intended targets.
"Stay still, you little...!" Mildew cried, making a break for the quick-footed rats.
He got maybe three steps toward his targets before the two Marowak jumped in. The Alolan variant - Nightmarcher - bone-slugged the old man's midsection, sending him stumbling back. A second later, the Kantonian variant - Marrow - clubbed him in the head and knocked him down, unconscious even before his body hit wood.
Raging with fury, the Outcast chief opened the hatch to below the ship's deck to release the Houndoom. "Let them have it!" Alvin roared.
Obediently, the Dark Pokémon all belched out streams of fire with a terrifying rage. There was already a duo of Ninetales that had landed on the ship's deck to join the fight, but the Ice-type variant was about to be at the mercy of the array of Flamethrower attacks!
There was no need to worry, though - for the Fire-type variant had the Ability known as Flash Fire. Throwing himself in front of his regional variant, Kitsune effortlessly absorbed the streams of fire into his fur, leaving not even a hint of a scorch mark on his shiny coat. Now that the fire had been dealt with, Borealis was able to breathe a powerful Blizzard at the Houndoom, which made them all shiver in spite of their fire characteristics.
Alvin the Treacherous growled. "What is wrong with all of you?! They're just puny little beasts! Stop fooling around and conk them out already!"
Ignorant of the yells of their chief, one of the more cowardly Outcast soldiers ran to the rudder and practically shoved it to the side to make the ship turn around.
Up above, Axel looked to Percy and Felicity. "Think you can clip their wings?" he asked, winking.
Taking the hint, the two Persian leapt off of the Timberjack's gigantic wings, heading straight for the ship with claws outstretched. The Classy Cat duo caught themselves on the ship's sail and started sliding down, the fabric tearing as their sharp claws sliced through it like hot knives through a stick of butter.
A minute later, all that was left were a bunch of pathetic strips of fabric swaying in the wind.
Axel steered his Timberjack companion to swoop down low, the big-winged dragon easily catching the two Persian as they leapt into the air. A plus to that maneuver was that the ship was now lacking its main mast, thanks to the Timberjack's razor-sharp wings snapping it in half like a toothpick. (Axel wondered why he hadn't thought of doing that in the first place.)
The other regional variants on the ship followed suit upon the Nadders and Gronckles. "Just one last thing," the Shiny Haxorus muttered.
At his signal, the two Sandslash - Pangolin and Icebreaker - unleashed a barrage of rocks from Rock Slide and icicles from Icicle Crash that nailed the Outcasts in a multitude of different places. Holes were punched in the hull and sides, the already ruined sail was ripped to pretty much nothing, and the figurehead splintered off and fell into the sea. The rest of the boat - simply unable to stand up to the assault - was close to follow, and the Outcasts jumped overboard.
At last, with that mission done, it was time for the regional variants to head back home. With Axel and his Timberjack at the head of their formation, they all assembled and exhaustedly flew towards their island, Team Go-Getters waiting expectantly not too far ahead.
"Oh, baby!" a certain Poipole squealed, doing backflips in the air. "That was so awesome! The common enemy plan always works!"
"Except it almost didn't," Snivels reminded him. He had to scramble to hold on to the white fur around Verne's neck as the Noivern spontaneously nodded in agreement.
"Guess that almost-failure was worth something after all," mused Heather. Even she knew just what to say in regards to this happy ending - the rest of the team was, indeed, smiling and nodding their agreement.
In contrast, the prevailing mood amongst the three shipwrecked surviving Outcasts was, to put it bluntly, foul.
"Gah, Fungus!" shouted Mildew, watching helplessly as his pet sheep floated past the raft. He rubbed his head and grunted, "Wha...what happened?"
Irritably, Alvin sniped at him, "I'll give you a hint! You got beaten senseless by a bunch of puny beasties!"
He pounded the raft with a fist, his frustration overflowing. Especially when he got a glimpse of Eidolon floating way up above the raft, sighing comfortably to himself like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Those little critters seem to be getting tougher each time..." sighed Savage.
"W-Well, let's look at the positive!" Mildew suggested.
A fist to the face was what he got in reply, knocking him out for the second time in almost as many minutes.
"Let's not," Alvin wisely decided, and began to kick his legs, pushing the raft in the direction of home.
Fungus bleated sadly as he hopped aboard the raft, not seeing the Sharpedo fin rising up above the surface and stealthily getting closer...
Axel was happy to announce to the Pokémon who had stayed behind on the island that the dispute between the regional variants had been resolved. Percy and Felicity were both given the honor of stating that the meaningless feud was finally over.
"I can't thank you kids enough for this," a very grateful Axel told the Go-Getters. "Fjord was right, you've got a knack for solving problems no one else can fix. Promise you'll keep doing it?"
Everyone immediately turned to Hiccup, who shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, if there's ever anything else you need, all you have to do is ask us."
The Shiny Haxorus's smile widened a great deal. "Pray tell, have you always been this pleasantly humble?"
The sound of Astrid's laughter made Hiccup turn more red than a Monstrous Nightmare.
It was Heather who noticed Felicity and Nightmarcher approaching them, the Alolan Marowak carrying a certain white dragonet that was squirming eagerly in his grasp. "Guys, look!"
Their faces all lit up with joy as Nightmarcher set Alba down gently into the grass. The baby Light Fury's bright blue eyes landed on her adopted parents and she immediately started bounding toward them happily. Toothless and Ebony heard their daughter's delighted squeaks and spotted her almost instantly. Squirming with joy and relief, the male Night Fury met Alba halfway in a single bound, affectionately nuzzling her with enough force to make the dragonet topple over onto her back. Alba squealed with delight as her father showered her in dragon kisses, an action that was soon joined by Ebony. The four Night Fury dragonets, not wanting to be left out of such a joyful reunion, slinked in under their parents' noses, begging for some attention.
"We made a mistake," purred Felicity. "Taking a dragonet away from the ones that love her the most. Perhaps we could have avoided causing so much trouble if we had looked at those dragons properly."
Snivels nearly laughed out loud at that last sentence. "You're not the only ones," he said, glancing at Astrid out of the corner of his eye.
Behind them, Kickin' Hawk mounted Meatfang, who didn't seem at all fazed by the earlier fight out at sea. "I'll escort this fella back to the Giant Chasm," said the Hawlucha. "After what he's been through, it's best he gets a proper rest in Ultra Megalopolis." The Abomibumble didn't wait for his rider to signal a liftoff, he sprang into the air with eagerness and did a few playful loop-the-loops before soaring off in the direction of Unova.
A bright light on the horizon nearly blinded the remaining members of the team. They hadn't realized that it was sunset, but there was no denying the sun's half-hidden position, or the sight of the full moon making its presence known on the opposite side of the sky.
Shielding her eyes, Heather muttered to herself, "Wow, the sunsets on this island must be so..."
She didn't get the chance to finish before Brandyn suddenly cried out. Two Cosmoem were floating straight out of his pocket and into the air above them. Ra and Camazotz levitated over to where the light of the sun and the light of the moon would bathe them both.
Adhesive let out a gasp of anticipation and quickly whipped out his cell phone and activated the built-in video camera.
A smart idea, because no sooner had he pressed the record button when a light several times brighter than the setting sun made everyone shield their eyes. Brandyn was able to catch glimpses of his partners, and he could see their puny Cosmoem forms shifting and getting bigger.
Much, much bigger.
A mighty roar and a shrill screech sounded as the lights faded, revealing a large white lion and a purple skeletal bat where a pair of Cosmoem had once been. Brandyn's jaw practically dropped to the floor. He'd seen these Pokémon before, pictured, and labeled, in an ancient book that told of the Legendary guardians of the sun and moon.
"Solgaleo and Lunala!"
Behind him, every else wore matching expressions of shock and awe at the sight of the two newly-evolved Legendary Pokémon. "Almighty Arceus be praised," breathed a very entranced Blaze.
"The legends were real," Ninjark said, mostly to himself. "Cosmog and Cosmoem evolve into the guardians of the sun and moon. But...how could they have evolved at the exact same time?"
Axel had the answer to that question. "Cosmoem evolves into Solgaleo when bathed in the light of the sun, and into Lunala when bathed in the light of the moon. If I had to guess, the presence of both of those kinds of light most likely helped them both evolve into the form of their choosing."
Brandyn drowned out all of their words. All that mattered to him was that his two best friends were moving and making sounds when they had been motionless and silent mere moments ago. Ignoring the wet feeling in his eyes, he sprinted forward, crying out the names of his two partners.
Ra and Camazotz turned their heads toward the sound of their names and smiled at the familiar form of their trainer. The two Legendary Pokémon lowered their heads to Brandyn's level so he was able to hug them both around their necks.
"I missed you both so much," Brandyn choked out.
Camazotz the Lunala crooned, "We missed you, too."
Involuntarily, Hiccup slipped a hand to Astrid's shoulder as he watched the two mighty Pokémon interact with their trainer after being trapped in their inactive Cosmoem forms for so long. The former Hofferson started, then put her own hand on his shoulder. They didn't need to be told by anyone, they both knew instinctively that the earlier display was the perfect sign of the many great things that were still yet to come their way.
Back on Berk, Adhesive and Snivels watched the double Cosmoem evolution play on the screen of the Poipole's laptop. Snivels's eyes shimmered with awe, it was just as fascinating the second time as it was the first time around.
But what really got the Poipole excited was the number that was rapidly increasing at the bottom of the screen. "Whoa, check it out! Five billion hits already?! I bet everyone I know saw it!"
Snivels just shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, well, enjoy it while it lasts, Ad. Fame is fleeting..."
"But the internet is forever," Adhesive finished with a big grin.
Differences can divide a community, but also bring it closer together. It all depends on how hard you look.
Ultimately, though, we're all just the same.
Fjord's eyes scanned the shining, frosty caverns with much interest. He wasn't in the Giant Chasm, he was in a different place entirely. These caverns housed dragons, many dragons, some of whom had been injured in battle or by traps set by Vikings and other people who wanted them dead.
A figure stood before the Kyurem, dressed entirely in brown armor that was partially painted blue. A large mask decorated with several horn-like spikes kept their face completely hidden. But Fjord knew full well who was wearing the mask.
The only other human branch chief for the Resistance.
One could say they were an old friend.
"Please," the person begged, their voice undeniably female, "I need to know. Where are they? When can I see them again?"
Fjord gave her a sad and regretful look. "I know you're tired of hearing the same answer, but it's the only information I can give you at this moment in time. Stoick is the same as always." He paused, lowering his head so that he was eye level with the branch chief.
"But both of your children are alive and safe."
Yep.
That's right.
Fjord just said "both."
Let it sink in...three...two...one...
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