Hey, look at that, I took eight days again to post another chapter.
Maybe I should've just said 'eight days' from the start, and then I could have at least pretended like that was all planned instead of, y'know, having painfully obvious schedule slip.
So, I'm gonna say it. The next chapter will take no longer than eight days to post.
Of course, now that I've said that, the next chapter's probably going to take nine days to post...
Yggdrasil had many names.
The World Tree. The Tree of Dreams. The Tree of Life. The Nexus of the Multiverse. Countless more, common and uncommon. This, this one single place, was the center of reality, every one of its countless branches holding up a separate universe.
As Seeker-Of-Endings stepped inside, Medicham right next to him, all he beheld at first was darkness. Echoes came to him, whispers so quiet he could barely make them out.
"…welcome to the wonderful…"
"…praise be to Lord Heli…
"…blasting off again!"
Seeker-Of-Endings glanced at Medicham. "You hear that?"
Medicham nodded. "Stay alert."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Seeker-Of-Endings crept forwards, straining his ears to pick out more individual voices. He recognized none of them.
As he and Medicham slowly moved forward, Seeker-Of-Endings began to see a strange light shining through the encroaching darkness. The light was a faint purple-blue that grew in intensity as the two moved closer, and with that increase in intensity came an ever-expanding feeling that Seeker-Of-Endings couldn't describe; he found himself instinctively shrinking backwards even as he walked forwards.
Eventually, the duo rounded a corner and emerged into a room that seemed a lot larger than what Yggdrasil could hold, even without the lengthy passageway between the room and the entrance to the World Tree. What they saw stopped both of them in their tracks; the room was unoccupied save for a small strand of glistening blue and purple light, a strand that rose upwards and upwards, and as Seeker-Of-Endings's eyes traveled along the strand it split in two, then four, and then countless more, an endless web of strands stretching outwards until they reached the sides of the seemingly infinitely-high room, increasing in number until the ever-growing amount of strands disappeared into darkness.
"What is that?" Medicham asked.
"Timelines," said Seeker-Of-Endings, the realization hitting him even as he spoke the words. "All of them."
Medicham laughed unexpectedly. "'Time is like an infinitely large tree'," she murmured, shaking her head. "Of course. Time is an infinitely large tree."
"So," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "I don't suppose you know how to get up to the top?"
A dark voice came from above. "thAt wilL nOt BE neCeSsarY."
The darkness enshrouding the uppermost strands began to descend, slowly growing closer and closer to Medicham and Seeker-Of-Endings. As it neared them, Dark Matter's voice sounded once more, echoing in the inside of Yggdrasil. "HoW veRy iNteREstInG…" the creature growled. "i BeliEveD tHIs waS tHe treE oF LiFe…bUt nOW i sEe IT is sOmeTHinG mOrE. thIS trEe is ALl thE tREes oF LifE…eAch bRAncH, eaCh sTrANd, maNifEsTIng iTseLF iN ReaLIty aS The TrEE oF LIfe, emBOdIEd bY the OnE thEy caLl 'xErneAS'."
"Xerneas?" Seeker-Of-Endings saw Medicham's eyes widen at the name.
"tHIs maKeS eVErYthINg sO MucH eAsiER," Dark Matter snarled. "iF I coNSumE thIS 'yGgdRAsiL', noT oNLy thiS rEAliTY, bUt alL ReaLItiEs, WiLl be rETurNed tO tHE vOId." At this point, the darkness was close enough that Seeker-Of-Endings instinctively began to duck his head. Slowly, something began to emerge from the shadows above; as Seeker-Of-Endings peered closer, he realized it was a sphere made entirely of roiling darkness, radiating power as it descended to the ground, landing smoothly between the duo and the purple-blue strand.
"bUT fiRsT," said Dark Matter. "tHEre is The maTteR oF tHosE whO oPpOSe mE. dRoWN iN dArKNesS."
And the world went black.
"Thunder Charge!" Ripper, Electric energy rippling forth from his body, slammed into the sand with enough force to send up a massive spray of it as Kriesh dove out of the way of his attack. "Thunder Release!" he snarled as he twisted, unleashing a blast of Electric energy from his jaws, but Kriesh managed to dodge yet again, rolling to the right to evade the crackling beam.
"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh retorted, opening wide and expelling a thick Hyper Beam that at once curved towards Ripper. It caught him in the side of the face as he tried to dodge, sending him spinning from the force of the attack. "Thunder Blast!" Ripper howled, unleashing yet more Electric energy in a burst around him, but with a snarl of "Earth Impact!", Kriesh dove forwards, the Ground energy wreathing her body serving to dispel Ripper's Discharge uselessly.
She tossed a pair of Ground energy-made blasts at Ripper as she charged, flicking first one wing, then the other forwards, but Quick Attack enabled Ripper to dodge both, skittering from one side to the other, his paws sliding in the sand as he rose to meet Kriesh's charge. The two slammed into one another, and Kriesh's type advantage gave her the edge that raw strength couldn't; Ripper held for only a few seconds before the force of Kriesh's charge began to drive him backwards, his claws leaving grooves in the sand as he yearned to keep his footing.
Abruptly Ripper ducked, clearly hoping Kriesh's inertia would send her flying forwards, leaving her wide open. But Kriesh knew better than to fall for that; the instant Ripper lowered his head, Kriesh flung her wings forwards, expelling a burst of Flying energy that arrested her flight. Thwarted, Ripper nonetheless tried to make the best of his failed trick, unleashing a Thunderbolt at Kriesh's now-exposed chest. But again Kriesh was quick on the uptake, dropping to the ground and allowing the blast to sail over her head.
"Thunder Charge!" Ripper lunged, teeth gnashing; Kriesh flung her Ground energy-infused right wing forwards with another cry of "Earth Impact!" Wing met jaws and both combatants stumbled slightly. Swiftly, Kriesh twisted, aiming another Ground energy-enhanced wing-strike at Ripper with her other wing. But Ripper managed to duck it; Kriesh's left wing sailed over his head, and he came up, snarling victoriously.
Just in time for Kriesh to flick her left wing backwards and send another blast of Ground energy into the side of Ripper's grinning face.
Ripper twisted a full circle in the air before coming down on his side. More sand was blasted away by the impact, and then even more as Ripper struggled to his feet. By now, the Manectric was bleeding badly from multiple wounds, whereas Kriesh was still virtually untouched - even when their bodies had touched, Ripper had been unable to sneak his Static through Kriesh's Ground-type defenses, and his ranged attacks were even more useless than his melee strikes.
But Kreish knew she couldn't get cocky. Not even for a moment. A single unguarded touch and the fight was Ripper's, for Kriesh had no defense for Static once Ripper landed it.
Maybe I should've taken a look at that. Instead of basing all my counters to Ripper on not getting hit, I really should've at least thought of a backup plan.
Nevertheless, the fight was going her way. But it was far from over.
Ripper rose once again, Distortion playing around his body, his eyes tinged with desperation. "No…no…" he growled. "I can't…I won't lose to you! Thunder Release: Barrage!"
He's tapping into old techniques. Kriesh knew exactly what was going on in Ripper's mind. He was combing his brain for every technique he'd ever learned, powers he hadn't called upon in months or even years, anything that could possibly give him an edge against Kriesh.
Kriesh remembered the technique from their first fight, all the way back before she'd even truly joined Marcus. She hadn't even landed a hit on him then. Now she was the one with the upper hand.
Four jagged blasts of Electric energy lanced out from Ripper's form, each aimed towards a different point of Kriesh's body. "Earth Impact!" Kriesh cried, allowing the Ground energy to play across her entire body. The force of the mingled bolts was enough to drive Kriesh backwards, her claws scoring gashes in the sand as she stumbled, but the actual damage of the attack was completely absorbed.
Ripper lunged forwards. "Thunder Charge!"
"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh called, unleashing a Hyper Beam straight at the charging Ripper. A bellow of rage left Ripper's jaws as he flung himself straight into the Beam Impact, calling upon his reserves of Electric energy to shield him. Kriesh could tell he was getting closer; choosing to err on the side of caution, she broke off the Beam Impact and dove to the side, allowing Ripper to skid past her. "Flurry Impact!" she cried, firing a barrage of Pursuit rays, but he unleashed a swift Thunder Blast in retaliation, obliterating the rays and forcing Kriesh to shield herself with Earth Impact once again.
In that time, Ripper had already initiated another charge. "Thunder Charge!"
"Earth Impact!" Kriesh cried, once more swinging a Ground energy-wreathed wing Ripper's way.
Unexpectedly, Ripper grinned. "Gotcha."
Dark energy shot from his teeth as his mouth opened wide, and even as Kriesh's wing slammed into his face, he twisted and clamped his jaws down on Kriesh's wing. Bite - one of the most basic Dark-type techniques available to learn, comparatively useless next to specialized attacks like the elemental fangs. Likely Ripper had abandoned the technique as soon as he'd learned Thunder Fang, long before he'd even met Kriesh.
But Bite, unlike most of Ripper's repertoire of techniques, wasn't Electric-type.
Kriesh thrashed, trying to throw Ripper off, but Ripper clung on like his life depended on it, teeth digging into Kriesh's wing. Kriesh saw blood leaking from the wound; snarling, she twisted and unleashed a point-blank Beam Impact straight into Ripper's flank. Still Ripper clung on, and in fact the force of his body jerking backwards from Kriesh's attack overbalanced Kriesh, sending her tumbling to the ground alongside the Manectric. She felt her Ground-type defenses fade; she could only keep them upraised for so long.
"This ends now," Kriesh heard Ripper snarl. "Thunder…Release."
And Kriesh's entire body blazed with pain as Ripper unleashed all the Electric energy he could muster into her. She screamed out in agony, writhing on the sand; she was only dimly aware of Ripper releasing her and staggering backwards.
The Manectric was badly injured. He was limping, blood flowed from several points on his body, and he looked as if he would fall unconscious at any moment. But triumph glittered in his eyes. "Static," he growled. "Full-Body Lock."
Kriesh stiffened as paralysis took hold, rendering her completely unable to move. But this was different from usual. Whenever the technique had taken hold in the past, she'd been paralyzed, but she'd been able to function - to see, to hear, to breathe. But now she found herself growing short on breath; her eyes widened as she attempted to draw breath and found she couldn't.
"You were wrong, you know," Ripper growled. "I did figure out some new tricks. I'm not just stuck with paralyzing muscles. I can also paralyze more…vital areas of your body. Your diaphragm, for example. You can feel it, can't you? Your breath depleting, your body slowly suffocating despite all the air surrounding you." The Manectric grinned. "I win, Fearow. And I'm going to savor the look on your face for all eternity…wait."
Ripper peered closer at Kriesh. "What…what's that glow? What are you doing?"
If Kriesh weren't paralyzed, she would have smirked. You're not the only one who thought of some old techniques, Ripper.
Mirror Impact.
Functionally, Mirror Move was very similar to Bide. In its base form, it was effectively identical to Bide; once the user got hit, they could release a retaliatory blast of energy that grew stronger the more powerful the hit they'd taken was. More accomplished practitioners of Mirror Move could shape the technique until it was more like Copycat, creating stronger facsimiles of the move the opponent had struck them with to strike back, or even expand the technique even further, creating multiple duplicates of the one attack they'd been struck with, effectively stealing an opponent's move for their own use like a Smeargle's Sketch.
Kriesh was no accomplished practitioner. Mirror Move was anathema to her fighting style - she relied almost entirely on her speed and not getting hit, whereas Mirror Move required the user to stand still and allow themselves to get hit in order to properly focus the technique. Medicham was similar, but she'd known Bide for so long that it had become integral to her fighting style before she'd truly formed it, and so she was always able to remember the technique and keep it on standby - by contrast, Kriesh had learned Mirror Move after she'd already created and honed her fighting style for more than a year, and as such she'd used it a couple times and then discarded it.
But in this situation, base form Mirror Move was the exact thing Kriesh needed.
"No!" Ripper screamed. "Not again!"
His cry resounded across the beach as Kriesh's Mirror Impact blasted outwards, slamming into Ripper and lifting the Manectric right off his feet. Ripper's howl faded as the force of the Mirror Impact sent him flying, tumbling away. His Static dissolved; Kriesh at once gasped for air, even the few moments of suffocation leaving her desperate to breath.
I definitely wasn't expecting that…thank Arceus I managed to get up that Mirror Move before he unleashed his final attack, or I would have been done.
Ripper's body slammed into the sand a good several yards away, and then skidded through the sand for a few feet more before finally coming to a halt. Kriesh rose, shaking her head. Her eyes narrowed at Ripper's figure; to her shock, he was stirring, somehow still conscious despite the ridiculous amount of punishment he'd taken.
Kriesh opened her beak slightly, so that she could get out a seeking Hyper Beam if Ripper locked her down again, and began to advance across the beach towards the fallen Manectric.
Ripper's head slowly shifted over to Kriesh. Hatred burned in his eyes as he sluggishly rolled over, planting his left front paw on the ground, and forced himself to rise once more. "No…you don't get to leave…" he panted. "You don't get to…just get away unscathed! After everything you've done to me…you don't get to walk away!"
"I don't have time to suffer the delusions of a maniac like you," said Kriesh. "You're beaten, Ripper."
"Never!" Ripper screamed. "I'll never lose to you! Not even death will stop me! You hear me, Fearow? I will not let even Giratina himself stop me from killing you!"
And then reality tore.
"Pressure."
It wasn't aimed at Kriesh - not even close - but the small tinges of the sheer, omnipresent force that exploded out of the suddenly-appearing hole in reality were enough to send Kriesh staggering backwards. For a moment a terrifying visage was burned into her mind - a titanic gray and gold body, huge rippling black wings of pure Distortion, and two red eyes that were staring into Kriesh's soul - and she nearly blacked out as agony pounded in her brain. And then the visage disappeared, and Kriesh could breathe again, though she found herself short on breath anyway as she stared at the creature that was staring out of the tear in reality.
Giratina.
The Lord of Distortion's eyes were fixed on Ripper, who was, in a twist of irony that Kriesh suspected was intentional, completely paralyzed. For the first time Kriesh had seen, Ripper looked genuinely terrified; a faint whimper emanated from his locked-together jaws.
"You dare?" Giratina's voice echoed, a thunderous noise sweeping across the beach, so loud that the mere sound of it stirred up the sand around the gateway the Lord of Distortion had created. "You, a mere mortal. Brought back to this world by my power. Your purpose is to serve me, to accomplish my will and mine alone. And yet…you dare to claim that you are stronger than me?"
The sheer fury in Giratina's tone chilled Kriesh to the bone. Even though she knew she wasn't the target of Giratina's wrath, she felt herself averting her gaze from sheer fright, unable to bring herself to look directly at the Lord of Distortion.
Ripper whimpered again.
"Silence," Giratina thundered. "A rebellious soul like yourself has no use to me. I consign you to the endless pits of Distortion. You will no longer reside on the islands of Distortion - instead, you will fall forever, trapped alone with only your regrets for company. And you will serve as an eternal example of what happens to those who defy me."
Giratina's eyes flashed, and the Distortion surrounding Ripper's body surged outwards, wrapping around Ripper's limbs, every inch of his body. The last thing Kriesh saw of Ripper were his eyes, and in those last moments there was no hatred in them, merely raw, primal fear.
And then Ripper was gone, consumed in a cloud of Distortion that was swiftly drawn through the tear in reality Giratina had created. The Lord of Distortion retreated also, not even giving Kriesh a stray glance before reality resealed itself, leaving no trace of Giratina or Ripper save for the disturbed sand.
Kriesh sagged, breathing hard and fast, slowly allowing the terror that had gripped her to fade away. He's gone. He'll never try to hurt me, or any of my friends, ever again.
Slowly, Kriesh rose, her eyes staring at the spot where Giratina had been as if the Lord of Distortion was still there. It took some effort for Kriesh to yank her gaze away. I need to find Marcus. He'll be worried about me.
Kriesh flapped her wings experimentally. The wound Ripper's jaws had made in her left wing stung, but she could still fly. Slowly, Kriesh rose off the ground, knowing that it would be a lot easier to find Marcus from the air.
Kriesh turned towards the direction Marcus had gone and flew away from the beach, leaving only empty sand and the slowly crashing waves behind her.
"Grassy Surge: Earth's Madness!"
Necrozma was forced to launch himself upwards as the earth around him suddenly burst upwards, closing in on him like a steel trap. He saw Lele above him, the Psychic/Fairy Tapu glaring down. "Psychic Surge: Bindings of the Beyond!" Mind poured out of Lele's outstretched hand, coiling like a Psychic rope as it surged down towards the rising Necrozma.
"Shadow Shield!" Necrozma snarled. "Umbral Grasp!"
Necrozma's shadow lunged upwards, morphing into a collection of umbral tendrils as it did so, tendrils that ripped through Lele's Mind-based attack and lashed out for the Tapu herself. She faded from existence, stepping out of the world to evade the grasping shadows.
Koko lunged from the left, stormclouds in his wake, while Fini came on just behind him, riding on a chariot of rain pulled from Koko's clouds. "Moongeist Beam!" Necrozma bellowed as he saw the duo, flaring both wings to expel a pair of shadowy shafts at the oncoming Tapus. "Guardian's Light!" Koko cried; a Dazzling Gleam blasted out from his body, lighting up the sky and blunting the Moongeist Beams long enough for Fini to evade. The beams ripped through Koko's defense and struck the Tapu of the Skies, sending him flying away, but above the beams rose Fini, eyes narrowed and glowing. "Nature's Madness: Alolan Rains!" The rain all around Fini changed direction, glowing with Torrent and Life as it shot towards Necrozma like a thousand needles.
"Shadow Shield!" Necrozma resummoned his shadow, forming it around him to create a shadowy suit of armor that took Fini's attack like it wasn't even there.
"Guardian's Light!" He was unprepared for Lele to rematerialize right behind him, blasting him with another Dazzling Gleam. He felt pain even through his Shadow Shield, staggering even as he reflexively tossed another Moongeist Beam at Lele. "Bulu, now!" the Tapu of the Beyond shouted as she dove away from the reflexive Moongeist Beam.
"Grassy Surge: Dust Devil!" Bulu shouted; Necrozma regained his bearings just in time to see a massive tornado of earth and plants and rocks rise up around him. Glancing upwards, he saw the faint outline of the sun through the wall of the Dust Devil. He smiled grimly. They are trying to cut off my connection to the light of this world. To prevent me from strengthening my techniques and healing my wounds. But they will not succeed. I will not allow it.
He saw Lele phase into the center of the Dust Devil, carrying Fini and Bulu along, the three Tapus glowing with Life. "GUARDIAN'S LIGHT!" they chorused, unleashing a massive beam of pink energy down upon him. "Moongeist Beam!" Necrozma countered, raising his claws hands to the sky; his shadowy beam struck the beam of light unleashed by the three Tapus, but without his connection to the world's light, it was not strong enough to overpower the Tapus' attack, and slowly his beam began to be forced back, the Tapus' beam growing closer and closer.
But all Necrozma's goal had been was to stall.
"You think I could be defeated by this?" Necrozma bellowed as the clash of beams drew closer and closer to him. "Such a powerful technique…and yet the shadows it generates only serve to strengthen me in this form. Shadow Shield: Umbral Dominance."
Exerting his will on the massive shadow Necrozma knew the Dust Devil would be generating, he ordered it to rise, to obliterate his enemies. It obliged; through the wall of the Dust Devil came its shadow, springing towards the three Tapus with yet more grasping tendrils. All three saw it coming - it wasn't entirely subtle - and all three broke, lunging away and breaking their beam struggle in order to evade the massive shadowy thing lashing out at them.
"Shadow Shield: Umbral Grasp!" Necrozma snarled as Fini and Bulu came a little too close to him. Both Tapus cried out as Necrozma's own shadow reached out too fast for them to react, wrapping tightly around their midsections. Lele, by contrast, disappeared again in a burst of Mind; this time she reappeared near-instantly, between the entrapped Fini and Bulu. "Enough!" she shouted. "Madness of the Beyond: Distortion of Reality!"
Necrozma was surprised by the ghostly Aura that blasted out from Lele's body alongside the typical Mind. At the Tapu of the Beyond's will, reality twisted, and Necrozma's shadowy tendrils suddenly fragmented into a thousand twisting pieces, freeing Bulu and Fini from their grasp.
Bulu raised his hands. "Grassy Surge: Fist of Gaia!" All around Bulu, the Dust Devil began to slow, its component aspects beginning to gather around Bulu, forming into a massive fist. Necrozma glared at the Tapu of the Land; he would not allow such an attack to be charged. Flaring his wings, he called upon his control over gravity once more, willing Bulu's earthen formation to crumble uselessly to the ground under gravity's influence.
"Madness of the Beyond: Distortion of Reality!"
Once more, though, Lele altered reality itself, creating an entirely new gravitational pull from above to counteract Necrozma's. Necrozma could see the strain on the Tapu's face; even with her power, this was not a technique she could use freely. But still, total reality alteration was highly dangerous. Perhaps I underestimated Lele…from the opening rounds of our battle I assumed she was purely focused on support, using her Psychic powers to strengthen the others' attacks and teleport them around the battlefield. It seems I was wrong…in fact, she might very well be the most dangerous out of all of them.
But still, her Psychic power is nothing compared to mine, especially in this form.
Necrozma strained, hurling more of his Psychic power into his gravitational alteration. Sweat dripped down Lele's face and her entire body trembled as slowly, Bulu's forming construct began to fracture, cracks appearing as the two warring gravities tore at it. Bulu kept forming it; the fist was now twice Necrozma's size and still growing, held together by bonds of Overgrow and Life. But torn in two, it would be useless - and at this point, it would only take a few more seconds before Necrozma won out over Lele's power-
"Misty Surge: Bubble Cocoon!"
"Electric Surge: Tribocharge!"
Necrozma had forgotten completely about Koko. It was stupid to assume that Moongeist Beam hit would bring him down. Scarcely had he noticed the water come down around him, forming a bubble encasing his form, before Koko touched it with one of his arms, sending a ridiculously powerful surge of Lightning straight into the watery cocoon.
Necrozma's entire body was engulfed in a storm of electrified water, and pain lit up his form; he writhed in agony, completely losing grip on his gravitational pull. "Take this!" Bulu roared dimly; Necrozma, still caught in the grip of all-consuming pain, opened one eye just in time to see an earthen, Overgrow-wreathed fist several times his size coming right at his face.
"Damn it…Shadow Shield!"
All Necrozma could do was raise his shadow in front of him, hoping it would be enough to cushion the blow.
It was not.
Necrozma flew backwards as if in slow motion, carried by the fist. He realized with a jolt of panic that the fist was sending him right towards one of Poni Island's many cliffs, clearly intending to pin him between the two stony walls. Fools, Necrozma thought. I can escape this easily! All I have to do is-
"Madness of the Beyond: Distortion of Reality!"
"Nature's Madness: Alolan Winds!"
"Misty Surge: Whirling Current!"
The combined force of Lele's reality-shifting power, Koko's impossibly heavy wind, and a stream of Fini's Torrent collided with Necrozma, pinning him to Bulu's giant fist even as it sailed towards the cliff. Necrozma snarled in rage, struggling to escape, but against their combined strength not even the awesome power he could wield was enough.
I believed this form would be able to grant me victory…but they have merely answered it by tapping into more of their own power. I must draw upon more of my own as well.
There is still one form I have not assumed…a form I have not accessed for a hundred years. It's dangerous…before I access that form, I must first exhaust all available options in this one.
And there is one thing I have not yet tried.
Necrozma called upon the vast power within his body, willing Distortion to rise from his form, uniting with his shadow, forcing it to grow larger and larger, wrapping around his body as it grew until his entire body was cloaked in Distortion. "He's trying something!" he heard Fini shout.
Necrozma willed his Distortion-imbued shadow to expand, to swallow all in its path, to consume. And as his shadow obliged, lashing out in half a dozen gigantic beams that glowed with light and yet were shrouded in shadow, Necrozma shouted out the name of this technique, a technique the locals would refer to as a 'Z-Move'.
"Shadow Shield: Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom!"
Bulu's fist exploded as two of Necrozma's shadowy beams burst through it; Necrozma heard Bulu cry out in surprise and pain and realized with a savage grin that the Tapu of the Land had been hiding within his own giant fist. Fini, Lele, and Koko scattered as the other four beams shot out, overwhelming their assault in an instant. A shout from Fini indicated she hadn't been fast enough to evade; Necrozma opened his eyes in time to see the beams propelling Fini into a cliffside and Bulu out to sea, while Koko had evaded through sheer speed and Lele was, once again, nowhere to be seen.
Two Tapus down, at least for the moment. This is my chance.
The expenditure of power required to perform such a strong technique had left Necrozma tired, as had the barrage of hits the Tapus had scored on him just before. But such exhaustion could be easily remedied. Necrozma rose upwards, basking in the glow of the sun. He raised his arms, drawing upon more of the light's power. The world around him began to darken once more as Necrozma drained its light, feeling its strength revitalizing him, numbing his pain and replenishing his stamina.
"Electric Surge: Guardian's Smite!"
"Psychic Surge: Attack Empowerment!"
Lele materialized beside Koko, and together they unleashed a Mind-infused blast of Lighting at Necrozma, the same kind of attack that had been able to stalemate Necrozma's Photon Geyser. But that had been in his base form. Now, Necrozma retaliated with a swift Moongeist Beam; the shadowy beam blasted straight through the Tapus' combined attack, and both were too shocked to dodge in time. Cries erupted from the two Tapus as Necrozma's Moongeist Beam sent them flying into two more cliffs, the impact of their bodies forming large clouds of dust.
Necrozma chuckled. "You fools," he snarled. "All you had to do was relinquish my missing portion. I would have happily left you to your lives. This useless battle could have easily been avoided. But no, you just had to play the heroes."
Mind flared in front of him; in a flash all four Tapus were floating before him, teleported out of their respective impact sites by Lele's Psychic power. All four looked injured, but determination still glinted in all their eyes.
"Tell me," Necrozma growled, "why bother? Look around you, Guardians of Alola. At the bodies, at the blood. So many fallen that you could have saved. I didn't want this fight. All I ever wanted was for this constant pain to end. One life for all the rest - is that really such a hard trade to make?"
"This isn't just about Nebby's life anymore," Koko retorted. "You want us to look around? Maybe you should start doing the same. You can claim all you want about how misunderstood you are, but all that doesn't look like the work of someone who's misunderstood. You said it yourself - we're the Guardians of Alola. And we will not allow you to take any more lives this day."
"You cannot stop me," Necrozma snarled. "If you choose to continue this battle, your world will be scoured, its light consumed and its populace exterminated. But I may still choose to spare your lives if you surrender and yield to me my missing portion. That is the only way you, or any of your mortal subjects, can still survive."
"I don't think you understand," said Lele. "When we say you will take no more lives this day, that is not a threat. That is fact. I believe it is time we show you why we are called what we are."
"Agreed," said Koko. "With me, Tapus!"
Life exploded from all four Tapus. "Shadow Shield!" Necrozma roared, forming his shadow into a barrier to deflect the wave of Life. But though it didn't hurt, the sheer amount of light blinded Necrozma, forcing him to avert his eyes. How ironic.
"Grassy Surge: Left Leg Formation!" Bulu cried.
"Misty Surge: Right Leg Formation!" Fini shouted.
"Psychic Surge: Left Arm Formation!" Lele called.
Electric Surge: Right Arm Formation!" Koko yelled.
The wave of power that erupted from the epicenter of the explosion of light was strong enough to push Necrozma backwards even behind his Shadow Shield. Necrozma drew upon his gravitational powers, tapping into his reserves of Mind to push back against the Tapus' expulsion of strength. As he pushed, the light began to fade, and Necrozma saw a faint outline in the fading light. Whereas the Tapus had all been smaller than him, this single outline was even larger than Necrozma, and Necrozma could not help but feel a faint stirring of fear as he beheld his new adversary.
This creature was humanoid, with thick, trunklike arms and legs, all formed out of a bright yellow color, though its entire body glistened pink with Life. Green-colored vines of Overgrow snaked across its left leg, while tendrils of Torrent washed across its right leg. Its left arm was encased in an aura of Mind, while Lightning pulsed in waves from its right arm. Its torso was thick and brawny, and its head was Koko's, with Bulu's horns jutting out on both sides, a shell that looked exactly like Fini's encasing it like a hood, and two long, thin Mind-imbued strands aping Lele's dangling down from it.
"NATURE'S MADNESS," the creature rumbled. "GUARDIAN OF ALOLA!"
Necrozma barely had time to throw up his Shadow Shield once more before the Guardian of Alola was on him, its right arm rushing forwards in a vicious Mind-enhanced punch. The fist impacted Necrozma's barrier so hard that the rush of air once more sent Necrozma staggering, and the Shadow Shield fluctuated from the force of the blow. The Guardian of Alola took advantage, unleashing a solid left hook that crackled with Lightning. Again Necrozma deflected it with his Shadow Shield; again it was hard enough to stagger the Blinding One. The Guardian of Alola twisted and lashing out with a spinning Torrent-imbued back-kick, and at the third blow Necrozma's Shadow Shield broke and the Guardian of Alola's heel drove straight into Necrozma's face.
"Argh!" Necrozma snarled, reeling, reflexively drawing in more light to try and reduce the pain. But the Guardian of Alola was already lunging again, and Necrozma barely had time to react before a Lightning-wreathed fist buried itself in his gut, doubling him over. Another spinning back-kick, this one laced with Overgrow, cracked him in the jaw before he could recover, and Necrozma again stumbled backwards.
"Moongeist Beam!" Necrozma bellowed, but the Guardian of Alola was too quick; it easily dodged the wild beam of shadowy energy and pounced again, lashing out at Necrozma like a thunderbolt. "Shadow Shield: Umbral Fist!" Necrozma cried, recollecting his shadow around him and unleashing it in a closed shadowy fist at the Guardian of Alola. Fist met fist and energy burst out in a shockwave, buffeting both combatants.
The Guardian of Alola twisted, tossing a roundhouse kick at Necrozma's face that forced Necrozma to draw backwards, then coming up with a right cross, also to Necrozma's face, that was barely deflected with an application of Shadow Shield. Undaunted, the Guardian of Alola unleashed a flurry of punches; Necrozma again raised his Shadow Shield, but it only took a few seconds for the Guardian of Alola's barrage to shatter it once more. Roaring, the Guardian of Alola leaped forwards, delivering a vicious punch straight to Necrozma's stomach. Necrozma was tossed away like a leaf on the wind, not stopping until he impacted one of Poni Island's cliffs.
Necrozma heard a massive rumbling noise behind him as the cliff collapsed around him, the impact of his body too much for its stability. Grimacing, Necrozma clenched his fists as the Guardian of Alola rose above him, hovering in midair, its face glaring down at him.
"WE ARE SURPRISED, NECROZMA," the Guardian of Alola boomed. "YOU DISPLAY THE POWER OF A Z-MOVE, AND YET YOU ARE SHOCKED WHEN WE UNLEASH OUR OWN. DID YOU TRULY NOT EXPECT US TO HAVE THIS POWER? WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF ALOLA. WE ARE THE PROGENITORS OF THE Z-MOVE. YOU WERE WRONG TO UNDERESTIMATE US, NECROZMA."
"I'll show you power!" Necrozma roared, gathering his shadow around him once more. "Shadow Shield: Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom!"
"GUARDIAN'S LIGHT!" the Guardian of Alola bellowed. As all six shadowy beams of Necrozma's Z-Move exploded out from the Blinding One's outstretched wings, the Guardian of Alola raised both hands outwards and unleashed a massive torrent of pink-yellow energy. The half-dozen beams of shadowy light coalesced into a single titanic one, and both beams slammed into each other, the collision of the two Z-Move-powered techniques creating a wave of light so huge that all of Poni Island was bathed in it.
Necrozma flared his wings, drawing in light from all around him to strengthen his technique, but even as he poured more power into the Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom, he felt it slackening as the technique began to grow more and more difficult to keep up. Necrozma knew full well that, even with the boost he gained from drawing in light, he could not hold his Z-Move forever. The Tapus, by contrast, didn't seem to be having any such trouble as they kept their beam of Life steady, and before Necrozma's eyes the Tapus' attack began to inch closer and closer, inexorably overwhelming Necrozma's Z-Move.
This power…without my full strength, I cannot contend with it.
Necrozma growled frustratedly. There was no other choice. Closing his eyes, Necrozma felt a surge of agony pulse through him as he tapped into his full power.
Light, pure light, exploded from his body; Necrozma howled in pain, unable to hold it back. The shadowy Z-Move dissipated as Necrozma ceased to keep it up, but the Guardian of Alola's beam merely slammed into the remnants of the cliff as Necrozma lunged upwards, evading the attack with ease.
The Guardian of Alola looked up at Necrozma. Gone was the shadowy body; now Necrozma's entire form was made of pure light. Four great wings beat, two on each side, and two eyes, one bright red and one bright blue, glared out at the Tapus. Necrozma's light-formed tail lashed as he rose, his mouth open in a snarl and his claws flexing in anticipation.
"Behold my true form," Necrozma growled. "Without my missing portion, accessing this form requires a constant influx of stolen light, not to mention it hurts. But all I need to do is to keep it up long enough to defeat you. And that…shouldn't take long at all. Neuroforce: Pain."
An echoing scream split the sky as the Guardian of Alola doubled over in agony. "Photon Geyser!" Necrozma roared; temporarily incapacitated, the Guardian of Alola had no time to react before a gigantic blast of light slammed into it, sending it flying into the ground with enough speed that the force of its landing shook Poni Island.
"My Neuroforce Ability allows me to access one's nervous system," Necrozma growled. "I can access my own, drastically improving my reflexes…or I can access yours, and as you just saw, trigger a reaction of pain in your nervous system of whatever strength I desire. That is my power in this form. You foolish Tapus…do you see now why you should have taken my offer?"
From the crater, the Guardian of Alola lunged, fist drawn back in defiance of Necrozma's words.
"Prismatic Laser!" A barrage of glowing lasers blasted out from Necrozma's body, a storm of light arcing through the air. "GUARDIAN'S LIGHT!" the Guardian of Alola bellowed, unleashing another massive cone of pink-and-yellow Life that ripped through the Prismatic Laser like it wasn't even there.
"Neuroforce: Reflex!" In an instant, Necrozma dove, his enhanced reflexes just barely getting him clear of the feeling the rumbling of energy as the Guardian of Alola's attack passed very close above him. Twisting, the Guardian of Alola lunged downwards at Necrozma, but once more calling upon his enhanced reflexes, Necrozma dodged sideways to evade the Guardian of Alola's dive. The Guardian of Alola twisted again and lunged upwards, narrowly missing the backpedaling Necrozma, then turned to strike at Necrozma with yet another spinning back-kick.
Necrozma ducked. "Neuroforce: Pain!"
Utter agony wracked the Guardian of Alola's body once more, and once more Necrozma unleashed a Photon Geyser into the stationary form, sending it flying. Necrozma lunged after it this time as it soared through the air, limbs flailing. "I am Ultra Necrozma!" he boomed. "And I…"
Catching up with the Guardian of Alola, Necrozma grasped its leg, twisted, and flung the fusion of all four Tapus downwards. "…have had enough of you!" he finished. "Photon…GEYSER!"
Light erupted from the Guardian of Alola as the Photon Geyser struck it and slammed it once more into the earth below. A roar of pain escaped the Guardian of Alola, a roar that became four as it crashed into the ground. Staring down, Necrozma felt a savage smile come to his face as the light dissipated to reveal the four Tapus, separated once more, the Guardian of Alola finally shattered.
The world was still darkening, now even faster than before as Necrozma constantly drained light from around him to fuel his true form; at this point it was like an evening sky, and yet the sun still hung suspended in midair as if trying to defy the darkness. Necrozma chuckled. "Come now," he growled. "Know when the battle is lost. I have weathered your strongest techniques and still have not even begun to exhaust this form. Cease your resistance, Tapus. Just give me my missing portion and this will all be over."
Exhausted defiance still radiated from all four Tapus. "Never," Koko snarled.
"Then you will die." Necrozma raised his arms again. "Prismatic Laser."
And the skies above Poni Island blazed with light once more.
Slowly, Rusted Marshadow arose. Marshadow could feel his body aching as he watched through Rusted Marshadow's eyes; the entity blinked, shaking its head to clear it as the leftover Life from the Fleur Cannon that had struck it dissipated.
Through the fading energies, Marshadow could see four forms. Zeraora was standing beside Magearna, whose hands were glowing with Life as she slowly lowered them. On either side of the two stood Melmetal and Volcanion; Melmetal's fists were raised while Volcanion had both of its cannons trained on Rusted Marshadow, wordlessly promising to fire them the instant Rusted Marshadow even twitched.
All four of them. Marshadow smiled slightly. No way Rusted Marshadow can win this, not even with Zekrom's power.
"Release Marshadow, creature," Magearna demanded.
"No," Dark Rust growled through Rusted Marshadow's mouth. "He is mine. He is Rust. And all will become Rust."
"You cannot defeat us," Melmetal droned. "We are four. You are one."
"I am more than one," Dark Rust and Rusted Marshadow chorused. In the next moment, Rusted Marshadow teleported right next to Volcanion; the Water/Fire-type's cannons unleashed two gigantic streams of Torrent that hissed as they slammed into the spot where Rusted Marshadow had just been.
"Rust," Rusted Marshadow intoned.
"Volcanion, down!" Magearna cried.
"Water Absorb: Dissolution!" Volcanion bellowed; his entire body liquified, and he collapsed into a puddle just as a blast of corruptive energy exploded out from Rusted Marshadow's fist. The blast soared over the dissolved Volcanion, and in the next moment a blast of Lightning from Zeraora and one of Life from Magearna soared through the spot Rusted Marshadow had been standing as the creature used Shadow Sneak once more. This time, Rusted Marshadow reappeared beside Melmetal, only for the burly Steel-type to nigh-instantly spin, his feet planted on the ground as his upper body twisted towards Rusted Marshadow.
"IRON FIST: SINGLE IRON BASH."
Rusted Marshadow pivoted, lashing out with a fist that impacted Melmetal's; to Dark Rust's obvious shock, the stocky Steel-type held against Rusted Marshadow's defense, continuing to push. Rusted Marshadow was quick to Shadow Sneak away as Melmetal attempted to throw a follow-up punch, reappearing some distance away as all four of its Legendary opponents turned to face him.
"Irritating," Dark Rust muttered. "They work together well, and their power is annoying…but it can be countered."
"Steam Eruption!"
"Fleur Cannon!"
Both Volcanion and Magearna flung titanic beams of energy at Rusted Marshadow, who once more evaded with Shadow Sneak. This time the creature reappeared just to the side of where it had been, allowing the beams to fly right past him; with a snarl Rusted Marshadow lunged for its four adversaries.
"Volt Absorb: Plasma Fists!" Kicking off the ground, Zeraora lunged at Rusted Marshadow. Melmetal rose up behind him, twin metallic fists waving wildly.
Dark Rust chuckled, and tapped into Copycat and Shadow Sneak at the same time.
Rusted Marshadow disappeared and reappeared between Zeraora and Melmetal; as it leaped for the latter, it tapped into Copycat, aiming it at the former. Aura blazed from Rusted Marshadow's fists as it copied Zeraora's speedy attack, and before Melmetal could react a flurry of copied Plasma Fists sent the behemoth flying backwards, his body cleaving through several trees as it flew.
"Volt Absorb: Plasma Bolt!"
Dark Rust was entirely unprepared for a bolt of Lightning to come jutting out of Zeraora's back and strike Rusted Marshadow, sending the creature flying in the same direction as Melmetal. Rusted Marshadow twisted as it flew, just in time for Marshadow to see Volcanion rising up from the forest floor, Torrent glowing from his twin cannons. "Scalding Shots!"
"No!" Dark Rust shouted; at his command, Rusted Marshadow arrested its flight and lunged for Volcanion even as a barrage of Water Gun-like blasts of Torrent, each steaming as they flew, blasted out from Volcanion's twin cannons towards Rusted Marshadow. Rusted Marshadow hauled back and threw its fists into a Close Combat, punching each of the Scalding Shots out of the air with such force that they dissipated into clouds of smoking mist.
"Water Absorb: Scalding Whips!" Volcanion cried. To Marshadow's legitimate surprise, the Legendary's twin cannons dissolved into Torrent and began to lengthen, growing and growing in length, coiling through the air. Volcanion twisted, hurling a strike with one of his Torrent-formed steaming whips at Rusted Marshadow; the latter simply teleported out of the way with Shadow Sneak, reappeared next to Volcanion, and unleashed a vicious punch so fast Volcanion had no time to dissolve into Torrent. The Fire/Water-type skidded backwards, his four feet leaving furrows in the earth until his back struck a tree with enough force to send it toppling over.
Rusted Marshadow used Shadow Sneak again, evading another charge from Zeraora. It reappeared next to Magearna this time, but Magearna was fully prepared for that. "Soul-Heart: Soul Transfer!" she cried; Rusted Marshadow's fist slammed into an empty shell, the former physical form of Magearna crumpling beneath the creature's punch.
"Fleur Cannon!"
Rusted Marshadow only just managed to Shadow Sneak away from the blast of Life Magearna unleashed; as it rematerialized, Marshadow could see Magearna forming a new physical form for herself as Zeraora, Volcanion, and Melmetal arose around her, the latter two clearly nursing their injuries.
"We have to shut down his teleportation," Zeraora growled. "With that and Copycat, he's fast enough to outspeed all of us and evade everything we throw at him."
"Right," Volcanion replied. "Anyone got Taunt or something?"
"I can immobilize him," said Magearna. "The rest of you, deal as much damage as possible."
Melmetal beat his fists together. "CAN DO."
"You shouldn't discuss strategy in front of your opponent!" Dark Rust snarled through Rusted Marshadow. "DIE!" And with that, Rusted Marshadow teleported yet again. Once more he landed in front of Magearna; once more Magearna abandoned her physical body, her energy form flying swiftly away as the towering form of Melmetal arose between her and Rusted Marshadow.
But Rusted Marshadow wasn't aiming for Magearna's energy form.
"Rust."
Corruptive energies cascaded over Magearna's abandoned physical form, and in the next moment Rusted Magearna twisted and lunged straight for Melmetal's face.
"ARGH!" Melmetal cried as Rusted Magearna tapped into Magearna's reserves of Aura to land a super-effective punch to the massive Steel-type's face. Temporarily bereft of two opponents, Rusted Marshadow turned to face Volcanion and Zeraora, both of whom were coming at him so fast their bodies were dissolving into Torrent and Lightning as they flung themselves forwards.
"Water Absorb: Scalding Whips!"
"Volt Absorb: Plasma Fists!"
But even as the duo lunged for Rusted Marshadow, Marshadow knew it wouldn't work. A simple Shadow Sneak would make it all too easy to get away, and with Copycat Rusted Marshadow could use Zeraora's own Plasma Fists to land a vicious hit on one or both of them. Indeed, Dark Rust was chuckling. "How predictable your friends are. Such weak individuals will never stop me. Let us-"
"Soul-Heart: Soul Transfer."
Marshadow twisted his head as best he could in his chains at the sound of Magearna's voice just behind him. Indeed, Magearna was standing there in her energy form, glowing pink, radiating anger as her eyes flicked between Marshadow and Dark Rust.
"I thought as much," said Magearna.
"What…what is this?" Dark Rust snarled. "Why can I not control this body?"
"Because," said Magearna, "you are but a soul. And in case you haven't noticed, souls are a specialty of mine. Marshadow…I suggest you brace yourself."
Marshadow did so, just as outside, Zeraora and Volcanion's blows landed upon Rusted Marshadow's form.
Agony lanced through Marshadow's entire body and he very nearly screamed. Dark Rust too snarled in pain, writhing as Magearna fixed him with her glare. "Release Marshadow, creature," Magearna ordered. "Or that will be only the beginning of your suffering."
"You…" Dark Rust snarled. "You…you FOOL! RUST!"
Magearna cried out as a wave of foul-smelling Rust burst forth from Dark Rust's 'body', staggering backwards as it engulfed her energy form. "Marshadow!" she cried as she disappeared beneath the wave, her pink-colored body slowly darkening as the Rust overtook her.
"Spectral Thief!" Rusted Marshadow roared. Zeraora and Volcanion, seeing Rusted Marshadow immobilized, had let down their guard; their shadows twisted and lashed out towards Rusted Marshadow, who grasped them both, one in each hand. The two Legendaries snarled furiously, struggling to escape, but their struggles began to lessen as their energy forms were pulled from their physical bodies.
"NO!" Melmetal roared, flinging Rusted Magearna off through main strength. "IRON FIST: DOUBLE IRON BASH!" But even as he began to pound towards Rusted Marshadow, a bellow came from behind as Rusted Zekrom, his form dripping with water, slammed into Melmetal with a Bolt Strike and knocked the Steel-type to the ground, his body plowing through the earth before coming to a stop several feet away from Rusted Marshadow.
And as he skidded to a halt, Rusted Marshadow reached out and grasped Melmetal's shadow as well, pulling it free from his body alongside Zeraora and Volcanion's shadows.
In little more than a few seconds, the entire attack had fallen apart, all four Legendaries felled. Hopelessness descended on Marshadow just like the tide of Rust that had engulfed Magearna. In a few seconds more, Rusted Marshadow would have the power of four more Legendaries behind him. At that point, nothing on Alola would be able to stop the creature from taking Nebby…and against both a fully-powered Necrozma and Rusted Marshadow, Marshadow wasn't sure anything on the planet would be able to stand.
But that hopelessness lasted for only a couple moments before he felt a voice in his mind. A female voice. Magearna's voice.
"Marshadow, listen to me closely," the Steel/Fairy-type ordered. "I only have a few moments…remember, he has your body, not your soul."
Life suddenly began to surge around Marshadow's form. Impossibly, he felt himself begin to rise, the chains holding him in place loosening their grip.
"He is not Marshadow," said Magearna. "You are. Rusted Marshadow may be receiving our power, but Dark Rust is not. He is merely a puppetmaster. It's time we cut his strings."
"I…" Marshadow stammered. "I can't…"
"What makes you think 'we' includes you?"
"Zeraora?" Marshadow asked.
"Not just him." This voice was Volcanion's. "Magearna's calling upon all of us. Channeling our souls…that Ability of hers isn't half bad, huh? Anyway…once you're out, take this guy down, okay?"
"AND FREE OUR SOULS AFTERWARDS." Melmetal's voice was loud and monotone even in Marshadow's mind. "WE ARE WITH YOU, MARSHADOW. WE TRUST YOU TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT."
"Look," Zeraora growled, "I hate you. We both know that. But…right now, I'm counting on you, Marshadow. Tear this thing apart!"
"Now, Marshadow!" Magearna cried. "End this!"
Marshadow's chains shattered into a thousand red fragments, crumbling to the floor even as Marshadow twisted. He saw the Rust fading, revealing Magearna's energy form, the last remnants of pink blackening. She was still immobilized; behind her, Dark Rust was laughing. "I am destruction incarnate!" the creature bellowed. "And with this power, I will spread Rust across all of this reality! Nothing can stop me! Nothing!"
"Are you sure about that?" Marshadow growled.
Dark Rust had no eyes, mouth, or any facial features at all, and yet his body language told Marshadow all he needed to know about the creature's reaction. "What? But…how? How could you resist my power? I am Dark Rust! You obey me!"
"Not anymore," Marshadow growled. "Oh, and…thanks for the power boost, by the way." Raw Distortion blazed across Marshadow's body as he lunged for Dark Rust. "Technician: Soul-Stealing Seven-Point Star Strike!"
"RUST!" Dark Rust screamed desperately, raising both hands towards Marshadow and unleashing a wave of corruption just like the one that had overtaken Magearna. But Marshadow's Distortion-enhanced fists blasted straight through the Rust, the corruptive energy dissipating before Marshadow's charge, revealing Dark Rust standing, hands upraised, fear evident in his posture as he beheld the failure of his last-ditch technique.
Marshadow unleashed seven swift punches into Dark Rust's body; a seven-pointed star of Distortion blazed across Dark Rust's chest, and the creature howled as its body began to fall apart, crumbling into nothingness before Marshadow's eyes.
In the next moment, Marshadow was standing in the middle of the destroyed forest, seeing through his own eyes, feeling his own body as the Rust dissipated from around him. Rusted Magearna and Rusted Zekrom fell to the ground, their bodies crumbling as well without Dark Rust's influence to support them.
At once, Marshadow reached into his own body, grasped the shadows of Zekrom, Zeraora, Volcanion, Melmetal, and Magearna, and pulled them out, casting away their power and restoring them to their energy forms. As all that power left him, a sudden surge of exhaustion came on like one of Melmetal's fists and Marshadow staggered, leaning against a tree for support.
"Marshadow, you all right?" Volcanion asked, floating up to him concernedly.
"Yeah..." Marshadow groaned. "Just...need...a few minutes...to catch my breath..."
The last word had scarcely left his lips before Marshadow fell to the ground, unconsciousness taking him before he even landed.
Kamado moved through the trees after Marcus and Mimi, cognizant of the fact that his back was brushing the branches as he did so. He was so much bigger now; he felt oddly clumsy as he walked, and it didn't help that he, Marcus, and Mimi were all on edge, keeping their ears out for any of Necrozma's allies or, Arceus forbit, Betrayer-Of-Kin coming to try again.
The sound Kamado most wanted to hear was Kriesh's voice, or even the beat of her wings, but she had still not caught up, and every step Kamado felt his worry for her grow and grow. He understood her desire to face Ripper alone, but what if Ripper did somehow win?
"We're getting close," said Mimi telepathically.
Marcus nodded without a word; several times during the walk, Kamado had seen Marcus's hand go to his throat. He knew the shock of having it cut open hadn't left Marcus yet, and as he watched Kamado felt worry well up again.
I know he feels vulnerable. With Liepard unconscious and Kriesh back on the beach, I'm the only active member of the team nearby. But I'm not going to let that scare me.
"Mimi?" he asked.
"Yes, Kamado?" Mimi queried without looking back.
"Can you tell Marcus I…" Kamado stopped, suddenly forgetting what he was going to say. "I…I'm here for him?"
"I can," said Mimi. The three continued on in silence, but Kamado's heart soared again as he saw Marcus smile faintly, clearly having received Kamado's message.
For the remainder of the walk, the Trainer's hand remained away from his neck.
Eventually, the trio finally exited the forest; Kamado, the last to emerge, stopped dead at the sight laid out before him. The area was clear of fighting, but not of the bodies left behind; fallen Pokemon from both sides lay in clumps on the ground, in some areas packed three high, while Trainers moved among the carnage, some recalling their Pokemon, others kneeling beside them.
It took Kamado a moment to realize why some of the Trainers weren't recalling their Pokemon. He swallowed, suddenly feeling vulnerable himself.
"Marcus?" Thankfully, a familiar voice served to break him out of his stupor.
"Elio?" Marcus turned to look at the Alolan Trainer; he and Hau were standing in a small group with three other Trainers Kamado recognized as Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor. "What are you doing here?"
"We all got caught up in the fighting," said Elio. He was looking ragged - they all were - and was leaning on his Incineroar for support, but thankfully, at first glance, none had lost Pokemon. "What about you? I didn't think you'd be here."
"Yeah, well, neither did I," said Marcus. "Where's Emma?"
"Right here." The Trainer in question stepped out from behind one of the many piles of bodies. "Good job, Mimi."
"Thank you, Mistress," said Mimi, accepting the safety of her Pokeball with little resistance.
"So you saw me?" Marcus asked.
"Yes," said Emma, "and I have questions, but they can wait. Akala's clear; from what I could tell, Giratina showed up with a bunch of…dead Pokemon to help. No, I don't get it either, but I can't deny they were a big help. They're mopping up the last of the enemies now."
"What about the other islands?" Marcus asked.
"Poni's clear as well," said Emma. "There's still fighting on Ula'ula - a lot of Necrozma's forces got sent there, from what I heard - but Guzma and Team…ah…Reskull broke out of Po Town once the Ultra Beast that was sent there got beaten by Melmetal, and with their help the enemies are being driven back."
"Wish I could say the same for Melemele," said Marcus. "Marshadow's gotten corrupted somehow - he's the one who teleported me over here."
Emma's eyes widened. "Then we need to get to Melemele."
Marcus sighed. "Not until Kriesh gets back."
"Where is Kriesh?" Emma asked.
"Back that way," said Marcus.
"You…left her behind?" Emma sounded flabbergasted.
"At her request!" Marcus defended. "There's this Manectric-"
Emma raised a hand. "Wigglytuff," she said, calling the Normal/Fairy-type out of her Pokeball. "Get ready to teleport." She turned back to Marcus. "Where exactly did you leave Kriesh?"
But even as Marcus opened his mouth to answer, a sharp cry came from above. It was a victorious, triumphant cry, and Kamado grinned as he spotted Kriesh, the Fearow swiftly descending towards Marcus, beak open in a wide smile.
She landed next to Marcus, chest heaving; it seemed she'd spent the past few minutes flying as fast as she could, following Marcus's trail. Marcus looked down at Kriesh. "Did you get him?" he asked.
Kriesh nodded in answer, too out of breath to speak.
Kamado saw Emma smiling herself, though as soon as she saw the Tyrantrum looking at her she wiped it off her face in an instant. "Elio, the rest of you, hold down the fort here," she said. "Anything comes at you, call me. Marcus, where's Medicham?"
"Um…" Marcus hesitated as he, Kamado, and Kriesh all remembered what had happened to Medicham. "Gone," he said at last. "We don't know where."
Emma sighed. "Keep track of your Pokemon," she said exasperatedly. After a few moments she sighed again. "Sorry, that was…rude of me. We'll deal with that later - right now, we need to get back to Melemele. Wigglytuff?"
"Right away, Mistress," said Wigglytuff with a grin. Marcus raised his Luxury Balls and recalled Kamado and Kriesh into them as the rotund Normal/Fairy-type reached out two hands; Marcus took one, Emma took the other, and with the flash of a Teleport they were gone in an instant.
It had been nearly half an hour of noise. Half an hour of continuous carnage as the slowly-eroding forces protecting Lillie and Nebby fought a desperate battle against Necrozma's seemingly endless hordes. Now, as Nebby shivered in his Pokeball, that noise had finally slackened. Nebby could still hear fighting outside Kukui's house, but the battle inside the house had finally reached its conclusion.
But that was no cause for relief.
Peering out of the crack in his Pokeball, Nebby took in the room with terrified eyes. All of Lusamine's Pokemon were standing in a five-strong line, all with numerous wounds but none that looked debilitating. Nihilego, also appearing to have sustained some minor injuries, loomed behind them, the form of Lusamine dangling from and visible inside the form of the Ultra Beast. Around them, strewn out across the floor, lay the fallen forms of Marcus, Gladion, and AZ's Pokemon, as well as AZ himself, knocked out in the final wave of Ancient that had felled his Torkoal and Sigilyph alongside him.
They'd all fought heroically - amazingly so - but it hadn't been enough.
Silvally was also down; he'd thrown himself at Nihilego once AZ and his team had fallen, trying desperately to hold the Ultra Beast back, but Nihilego had only needed a few attacks to bring the artificial Legendary to the ground as well. That left two Pokemon and one human still standing between the Ultra Beast and its prize.
Buzzy, Snowy, and Gladion.
Nebby trusted the Ribombee and Alolan Vulpix to have Lillie's back. Nothing would stop either of them from attempting to protect their Trainer. But they were laughably outmatched, and Nebby could see hopelessness on both their faces even as they stood, or in Buzzy's case hovered, between Lillie and Nihilego. And it wasn't like Gladion looked any better, though he was at least trying to put on a brave face.
It's over. We've lost.
"W…we won't let you hurt Lillie!" Buzzy cried, wings beating madly.
"HURT LILLIE?" Nihilego growled. "I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF IT. I AM HER MOTHER. I KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR HER."
"What's…b…best for her…is if you leave!" Snowy stammered.
"NONSENSE," Nihilego snarled. "MOVE. I ASK ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE HERS. IF YOU DO NOT MOVE, YOU WILL JOIN THE REST."
Lillie swallowed. "Please…they aren't-"
"Don't you dare," Gladion growled, rounding on Lillie. "I'm not going to stand back and let you throw your life away, not again."
"Neither am I," Snowy said with equal fervor.
"Yeah." Buzzy was quick to back her fellow Fairy-type up. She turned back to Nihilego, her voice quivering. "Y…you want her, you're gonna have to go through us."
Lillie shrank back against the wall, looking far too much like her old self.
"SO BE IT." Nihilego lashed its tendrils, and Lusamine's five Pokemon began to advance on Buzzy and Snowy.
Nebby looked away, unable to watch as the two Fairy-types were swiftly overcome. There was only ever going to be one outcome, and the cries of pain were torture enough without Nebby having to watch what generated them.
Watching and listening. That's all I can do. Nebby felt absolute disgust as he squeezed his eyes shut. If I hadn't been so useless, we might have been able to beat Nihilego, but…
A loud thump sounded, and Nebby instinctively looked. He immediately wished he hadn't, but couldn't look away; Snowy was already down, crushed beneath the massive foot of Lusamine's Bewear, while Buzzy, soaking wet, was being lifted off the ground by her wings, courtesy of Lusamine's Lopunny.
"TEAR ITS WINGS OFF," Nihilego ordered.
"No!" Lillie screamed as Lopunny began to pull; Buzzy's agonized scream was heartwrenching. "Mother, stop!"
Lopunny ceased to pull, though remained holding Buzzy's wings, ready to start again at a moment's notice. Snowy stirred, trying to say something, but Bewear pressed harder with his foot, and all that came out of Snowy's mouth was a strangled whimper.
Nihilego moved forwards, heedless of Gladion keeping himself between Lillie and the Ultra Beast; inside, Lusamine's mouth widened into a ghastly grin. "HAVE YOU RECONSIDERED, LILLIE?" the Ultra Beast queried. "COME WITH ME. AND YOU CAN BRING GLADION, TOO. WE WILL GO TOGETHER TO NECROZMA. HE WILL MAKE US A FAMILY AGAIN."
"N…" Snowy whimpered again. Bewear slowly began to twist his foot; Snowy squealed, her struggling useless against the Normal/Fighting-type's weight.
"Let them go!" Lillie demanded, confidence returning for a moment before she sagged again. "Let them go," she said again, this time sounding as defeated as she had been back in Aether Paradise, "and I'll come with you."
"Lillie, no," Gladion tried.
"Gladion, stop," said Lillie. "Just…stop. Mother…please just let them go, and I'll come with you. I promise."
"No…"
This time the word was audible from Snowy, cutting through the silence that had resulted from Lillie's speech. And in that broken silence, Nebby saw Snowy beginning to glow slightly.
Bewear grunted, looking down at the now-glowing Alolan Vulpix. It almost seemed like he'd relaxed, for suddenly he staggered backwards, abandoning his hold on Snowy. The Alolan Vulpix rose, and as she did so she began to change, growing as she rose to her feet, her tail expanding, her legs growing longer, her neck elongating as well.
As the light began to fade, a cry came from within - Snowy's voice, now deeper. "Shining Blast!"
The unmistakable wave of Fairy energy denoting a Dazzling Gleam blasted out from Snowy's visage, slamming into the stationary Lopunny. Lopunny staggered, dropping Buzzy; the Ribombee at once scrambled to Snowy's side as Lopunny arrested her own fall. The Normal-type rounded on the two Fairy-types but did not attack, clearly waiting for further orders.
All eyes were locked on Snowy as the light faded, revealing what was now an Alolan Ninetales standing in the middle of the destroyed remains of Kukui's home, eyes narrowed. Her voice was positively frigid. "Get. Away. From. My. Trainer."
Nihilego and Lusamine heaved a two-throated sigh. "I AM SORRY, LILLIE," the Ultra Beast murmured. "BUT THEY FORCED MY HAND. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WITH TIME." Toxic began to bubble around Nihilego's writhing tentacles.
"Mother-" Lillie tried, but found only Lusamine's Mismagius, moving between Lillie, Gladion, and Nihilego with a grin on its face and blank eyes.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE GIVEN UP WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE," said Nihilego. "TOXIC WAVE."
As a towering wave of Toxic blasted out from Nihilego, surging towards Snowy and Buzzy, as Lillie screamed out desperately, uselessly, as Gladion flung out his arms in a fruitless attempt to shield his sister, whether it be from Nihilego or from the sight of her Pokemon being engulfed, Nebby shrank, lowering his head in overwhelming shame.
I'm so useless…
"Um…hello?…"
The voice was female. Not like Zossie. Softer. Calmer. More innocent.
"C…Cosmog? Can you hear me?"
He shuddered at the name. The name that Dulse and Zossie had given him. It was his name, so why…why did it feel so revolting?
Even when whoever this was said it? It wasn't like she sounded malicious or anything.
"You…don't like that name, do you?"
Slowly, he shook his head - or his body, since they basically were the same thing.
"You look like a nebula," said the voice, "so I'll call you Nebby. Is that okay?"
He nodded shakily. He didn't know what any of what the voice had just said meant, but the name 'Nebby' sounded…relaxing, somehow.
"Hi, Nebby," said the voice. "I'm Lillie. Do…do you want to be my friend?"
I've always been useless.
Nebby shook as, around him, Lillie's bag bounced around. He knew she was running. From someone? To someone? Nebby didn't know, but from the shouting, he was pretty sure someone was running after her.
Lillie was breathing heavily. Nebby knew she'd been running for a long time. Knew she'd never run this far or this fast before. She sounded as if she'd fall over and die from exhaustion any moment.
And yet she still ran.
She'd been running ever since the laboratory. Ever since she'd dragged Nebby out of the…place…he'd been in. Ever since she'd saved him.
And Nebby knew, deep inside, that even though her breathing was harsh and labored, her footsteps were stumbling, and her body trembled with effort, Lillie would not stop running.
Not until Nebby was safe.
She's always had to protect me.
Nebby crouched, unseeing, uncaring, in a corner of Lillie's bag. He knew only that Lillie had failed. That they'd been captured. That he'd have to go back to being in pain. In fear.
Nebby didn't want to go back.
Lusamine's voice sounded. Nebby knew her vaguely as Lillie's mother. Lillie talked about her often, at night when no one else but Nebby was awake, always in hushed tones.
"Do you know how worried I've been?" Lusamine was asking. "Running off like that, without any form of warning, stealing a highly volatile experiment-"
"Nebby's not an experiment," said Lillie. "He's a living being, and he doesn't deserve what you were doing to him."
"I don't think you quite understand the scale of what we're dealing with." That was Zossie. Her voice was even harsher than Nebby remembered. "You nearly ruined months of work, and for what? Sentimentality?"
"You were torturing him!" Lillie protested.
"Enough," said Lusamine. "Lillie. Give me Cosmog, now."
Nebby did not move, did not look. Cosmog. That name again…he'd begun to accept it. To understand that that was what he was. Nebby was his name, but Cosmog was him, and he'd been learning to understand that, to accept it when others called him by that name. Hearing Lusamine say it…it was like all that was gone in an instant.
"Now," Lusamine insisted.
"I don't want him to be hurt."
In that single sentence, Lillie's voice held unimaginable pain. And Nebby couldn't help but let a tear drip from his eye. He knew, in that moment, that even though Lillie had surrendered, even though she'd finally been forced to stop running, she'd never leave him.
She'd always be there for him.
She has always been there for me.
Nebby wasn't sure, but it almost seemed like the inside of his Pokeball was beginning to get lighter.
She's always tried as hard as she can to stop me from getting hurt.
It was definitely getting lighter. Nebby felt himself…he wasn't sure exactly how to describe it.
Growing?
Changing?
No. The word flashed into his mind. Returning.
So I'm not going to let her get hurt EITHER!"
And hundreds of years surged into Nebby's mind with the force of a tidal wave.
"Hello, Solgaleo. You're free now. You're safe."
"Solgaleo, you are our light, our shining sun."
"Look around, Leo. That's what we fight for. Friends…families…loved ones…"
"My missing portions. Come back to me. Let us reclaim our place in this universe."
"No. We've spent a hundred years living our own lives. And I don't know about Leo, but I'm not going to let you take that from us."
"Solgaleo, run!"
"This universe…it has fallen. But the next one will be different."
"The next one will be different."
"The next one will be different."
"The next one will be different."
Nebby…Solgaleo…opened his eyes just in time for Nihilego's Toxic Wave to slam uselessly into his Steel-type body.
He took stock of where he was in an instant. He'd exited his Pokeball; he was standing in the center of Kukui's house. Snowy, Buzzy, and Lusamine's Bewear were behind him; Lusamine's other four Pokemon, along with Nihilego, Lillie, and Gladion, were in front of him.
This will not be difficult.
A minute application of Psychic power that he instinctively knew to access was all Solgaleo needed to blast away the remnants. Nihilego shifted backwards, subtly but noticeably; inside, Lusamine's smile shifted to a frown.
"WHAT IS THIS?" the Ultra Beast growled.
Solgaleo shifted, making sure Snowy and Buzzy were securely behind him. "Hello, Nihilego," he snarled, drawing on all his memories of fighting the Ultra Beast in question. At least two hundred times. Nihilego's Rock/Poison-typing made him easy prey for Solgaleo. He'd never had any problems bringing it down, not even with multiple Beast Boosts.
"N…Nebby?" Lillie sounded absolutely shocked.
"It's okay, Lillie," said Sol - Nebby, glancing over to Lillie. "Everything's going to be okay now."
Nihilego's voice was a strangled scream. "DESTROY HIM!" the Ultra Beast screeched; five strong, the entirety of Lusamine's team lunged, Bewear from behind and the other four from the front.
I don't have time for the small fry.
Nebby rose up onto his hind legs, knowing it was probably foolish to use his Z-Move so early on (he had a Z-Move? Yes, of course he had a Z-Move, he'd always had a Z-Move), but not really caring at present. All he cared about was ending this, now. Light and Iron blazed around Nebby's form as he reared, giant claws flexing.
"Searing Sunraze Smash!" Nebby bellowed, slamming his claws back down, and a five-throated howl arose from all around as Lusamine's Pokemon were sent flying back the way they'd come, borne on a wave of blinding light.
Lopunny, Milotic, Lilligant, Mismagius, all soared past Nihilego and into the wall behind the Ultra Beast, where they slumped to the ground, motionless. Bewear went right through the wall behind Nebby and landed on his back, legs dangling through the newly-created hole. All five were thoroughly unconscious.
Nihilego roared. "ANCIENT WAVE!"
Nebby nearly scoffed at the onslaught. There's only one way this fight was ever going to go. "Full Metal Body!" he cried; Iron arose all around his form, coating him in a thick layer of armor even as he sprang forwards (is that an Ability? Yes, it's my Ability. Wow, I'm really powerful). Nihilego's Ancient Wave slammed into him; it stung slightly, the sheer amount of Beast Boosts Nihilego had gained making it hurt even through the Iron and Nebby's natural resistance. But Nebby bowled right through it anyway; Nihilego twisted, evidently deciding enough was enough, that there was no sense in continuing to fight.
"You aren't getting away," Nebby snarled. "Full Metal Body: Iron Bullet!"
A primal yell escaped Nebby's throat as he flung himself full tilt into Nihilego. The Ultra Beast flew into the wall beside its four fallen pawns with a two-tone scream, its tentacles writhing.
"Nebby!"
Nebby looked over. Lillie was staring at Nihilego - no, at Lusamine, horror in her eyes. The implication was clear. Nebby stared levelly at Lillie.
"I will take Nihilego," he said telepathically. "Lusamine will stay here. But once this is done, Lillie, I must go face Necrozma." Nebby's heart ached. "He has Lunala. I must free her."
"Go," said Lillie softly. She said nothing more. She didn't need to.
Nebby turned back towards Nihilego, who was rising slowly and jerkily from the ground. "IDIOT! IF YOU KILL ME, YOU WILL KILL HER AS WELL! DO YOU THINK I CAN'T CUT OFF HER LIFE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE? STAND DOWN, SOLGALEO, OR I WILL-"
"Oh, I know you will." Nebby teleported right next to Nihilego, reached up, and grasped the Ultra Beast on both sides of its bulbous head. "But you won't get the chance."
And with that, Nebby teleported again, this time carrying Nihilego with him.
Marcus and Emma arrived about a minute later. What they found was a devastated house, pockmarked with so many holes and destroyed walls neither of them could believe it was still standing, filled with unconscious Pokemon and torn-apart furniture. Off to the side of the room, Gladion was standing with a Ribombee and an Alolan Ninetales, both heavily wounded, on either side of him. In the center of the room, Lillie was kneeling alone, tears dripping down her face.
Beneath her lay the unconscious, unmoving body of Lusamine, finally free of Nihilego's grasp.
And though fighting still took place outside and elsewhere, though in other places outcomes still remained far from decided, for Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine, the Battle of Alola had truly been won.
Only 13,000 words. Darn. Seems I'm slowing down a little.
(help me)
