The Reverse Distortion didn't have much pink.

Yet pink was all Giratina could see.

"Hello Saniya," Giratina said. The flatness of its tone made the celebi covering its eyes giggle before she peeled off.

"Hi!" She beamed. "How's my favourite parent been?"

"I'm your only parent."

"So, you win by default!"

Rolling its eyes, Giratina's mouth plate opened slightly in an affixture of a smile. "It is good to see you. How have the…two of you been?" It blinked at Sean, noticing he was not quite as small as he was before.

Sean waved calmly as a shriek cut across the Reverse Distortion, a piercing cry of expected death and agonised woe at all fears being made true.

"IT EVOLVED!" Palkia cried from several islands away. "IT COMES FOR MY BONES!"

"I could go for a bone." Sean nodded, licking his lips hungrily.

"NOOO!"

"Calm down!" Dialga barked, but speaking only attracted Palkia, and he roared as he was slammed into, being sent sprawling like a titan of time never should be.

"I should never interact with any of you ever again," Dialga groaned as Palkia laid on him.

"Who'd save me from the evil one then?" Palkia complained, aching too as Dialga was hard and pointy.

"Yourself!"

"I don't want to."

"Then you'll perish alone," Dialga growled before he squea- No! Not that. Growled in frustration at Palkia's existence.

"I have yoouuuu, though," Palkia sang, cuddling Dialga's neck.

"No! OFF!"

"I can help," Sean offered, extending a paw. Palkia looked up and froze at the lucario only a few feet away from him.

"…how did this happen to me? I've made my mistaaakes."

"And now he's singing," Dialga groaned, muzzle being pressed into the ground from the weight. "Tone deaf dick."

Palkia gasped in offence before seeing Sean approach again and yelled, forming a bubble of bent space around Sean. "Aha! I have captured the furry!"

"Did I hear capture the flag?" Saniya called, zooming in.

"No."

She turned to see Sean beating helplessly on the barrier. "Le GASP! You let him out at once!"

"Nah."

"Do it!"

"Nah."

She formed a big stone. "I'll bonk you."

Palkia stuck his tongue out and then yelped as she hit it with a spark of energy. "I will save you, Sean!"

"Giratina! Big sister Saniya is bullying me!" Palkia rose up to fly away to safety. He was caught, however, and eeked as he fell down, face first, on the floating ground.

"Giratina! Dialga bit me!"

Dialga growled around Palkia's tail stuffing his mouth as Saniya tapped her wrist expectantly. Palkia looked between both and tried to find Giratina, but there was no salvation there.

"Aww, fine." The barrier around Sean faded, and he panted for breath.

"There's not," he huffed, "much air in there."

"Palkia!" Saniya snapped, smacking the creature on the head. "Apologise for nearing asphyxiating, Sean!"

"…sorry."

"That's better. Now, if Sean asphyxiates you back, 2it'll be earned."

"Saniya," Sean said, concerned about this moral. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Nonsense. If you multiply negative 2 by negative 2, you get four."

"That's not…anything we're talking about."

"Nope." She popped the word. "Two negatives made a positive."

"That's still not-"

"Not listening, lalalalaa, GIRATINA I HAVE SUMMONED THEE TO MAKE A DEAL!"

Giratina blinked at her, curling around a spire of ancient glowing stone. "I believe you summoned yourself to me." It pointed out.

"Tish tosh."

"I believe the term is pish posh."

"Why is everyone being so negative today?" Saniya asked, shaking her head at all this mathematical nonsense around her. "Is it because the demon just murdered everyone? Because I'm one inch away from breaking into pieces over that, and if you keep bringing it up, I'm going to cry. Is that what you want? Do you want to see me cry?"

"No, ma'am, no!" Dialga and Palkia said in unison.

Giratina paused in its coiling in concern at hearing that. "Pardon?"

It looked at Saniya, really looked at her, and noticed a few things it had missed. A subtle tremor to her arms. The way her eyes frequently flicked to every possible hidey-hole around them. A vast and terrible sadness shone in her eyes, darker than her glee, harder to see than her tears.

"What has happened?" Giratina asked gently as Dialga, and Palkia grew silent. Saniya's head had begun to bow, and Sean as well was tearing up.

It was easy to focus on tasks ahead of them and not think about what had just happened when there were efforts to work towards and aid to gain.

Now that they were here…Sean had been unconscious throughout the battle, having woken up after everything was all said and done. Saniya had taken him out as soon as the alarm was called. Striker and Guardian and Armaldo had forced her too.

"You're too valuable," Striker had said.

"You two are the only ones who can reverse what is coming," Guardian had said.

"We're not more important than any of you!" Saniya cried back, but they forced her to take Sean and run anyway. They 'had' to survive, to have any hope of undoing this travesty later.

Saniya was shaking, and Giratina slithered forth, cresting the length of its body around her in what amounted to a hug from a serpent. Saniya clung onto a spike and let out a piercing scream that echoed across the Reverse Distortion, shuddering across bubbles that reflected parts of the world and causing those within to glance about curiosity as Saniya's grief-stricken howl crested across the entire world.

"I've never hated anyone in my life," Saniya whispered, once her cry began to echo away and fade to silence. "I hated situations. I hated the Dark Future, but I only felt sadness for Dialga. I hated the Dream, but Darkrai was only doing what he thought was the right way."

Giratina's coils tightened slightly.

"I hate Nelia." Giratina nearly shivered as Saniya's tone went completely empty. "For everything she has done. For everyone, she has hurt. I hate her."

Giratina's eyes darkened in sadness as it nodded. "I…tell us what has happened."

And so they did. Even Palkia listened as Sean and Saniya explained what had happened, who had risen, what they had done and what had been done about it.

"So, that's why we're here," Saniya said tearfully; she had regained her strength and composure as it went but didn't try and hold the tears back. "It's gone too far. Please, if even Wigglytuff couldn't beat her, then I think only you must be able to. Help us, Giratina!"

Giratina was silent for what felt like an age. Few had ever pled for its assistance; fewer still knew of it. Only the most desperate and damned had ever cried out for Giratina to save them.

Giratina's gaze met Dialga and Palkia, particularly Dialga and an understanding passed between them. Dialga cringed slightly, looking away as Giratina turned back to Saniya.

"I am sorry, but I cannot," it said.

Saniya's mouth dropped open. "W-what?"

"It is not my duty to intervene in these matters directly," Giratina said wearily, voice level but sundered in the form of anxious pain. "The Dark Future," it said before Saniya could. "Was a matter where truly no one else could. Even then, it was through direction, not action."

"I-Bu-Giratina!" Saniya cried. "She destroyed Treasure Town and killed so many people!"

Regretfully, Giratina shook its head again. "I cannot take action against every tragedy. Such is a trap that many Arceus have fallen into. This ended up destroying them. It is not my role to intervene; I am the balancing act that exists far behind and below. To cross my own line is to invite my own destruction. I will not leave the Reverse Distortion to the predations of its threats unless the risk is less to act than it is to stay."

Saniya's head was pointed down at the ground, fists clenched at her sides and unmoving.

"I'm…begging you," she said, voice cracking. "Please. We just need to get her into position and then-"

"Then what?" Giratina's voice was soft, frustratingly gentle. "Travel out of my world is not a simple task, even for myself. I am responsible for the stability of the world, and this split is far more fragile than the world it split from. Regardless of that, Saniya, my decision is not only based on my duty. It is based on knowledge of history. If I begin to act, I can never stop. The plights of the mortal life would become my plights."

It appeared truly sad. "It is an impossibly callous thing that I say; I understand this. As life has spread throughout Arceus' creation, the roles of the Legendary Ones have changed to suit it. Empathy is the kind of existence now, bonds are paramount, and unity is where strength is found to face adversity."

"Yet, I am not like the rest. Where you are comfortable entering Dialga's domain and asking for help, he is sympathetic enough to agree. In time, I imagine, he may leave Temporal Tower as his home and explore the world himself. Experience what has never been allowed to experience. However, this will eventually be his end, and a new Dialga will form."

It gazed at Dialga and Palkia sadly for a moment. "I have persisted forever. And I will continue in this way. I will not begin to intervene on the behalf of mortal pokémon, only on the behalf of conception itself. I will give you advice. I will give you pathways. I will give you much of what you would ask for I have come to care for you, despite my reservations of this. However, I will not leave the Reverse Distortion to hunt a Shadow Pokémon, regardless of how wicked. I have seen what becomes of the gods when they choose favourites. I have seen Arceus die many times."

Saniya was biting her lip so hard blood was dripping, and she made a sound that was hard to interpret.

"I am sorry."

She turned away, aiming to grab Sean and leave.

"If I may," a higher but coarser voice spoke up, and Saniya turned a tearful glare at Dialga as it spoke up. Dialga appeared slightly uncomfortable, perhaps shaken, after what Giratina had said, but after swallowing, he spoke regardless. "You have demanded aid of me enough times. What's to stop you from asking again?"

"Giratina just said," Saniya said, voice bitter. She shook her head. "I get it, okay? I get what you mean, Giratina, but still, that really, really sucks."

"Giratina might not be able to help you!" Palkia piped up. "Because they're all eternal and important. I mean, what WOULD happen if Giratina kicked the bucket, and we got a new one?"

"Probably something very aggressive," Giratina said, "and impulsive. Like I was in my youth. With the variable instabilities plaguing the world and the importance of maintaining my realm, my death would be cataclysmic."

"Be that as it may," Dialga rumbled. "We are not burdened with the distance Giratina must maintain."

"Wait, you're going to help us?" Sean asked. "Like…actually come with us?"

"We'll need to get some stuff ready," Palkia said, scratching his cheek, not looking right at the evil lucario.

"And we are not all-powerful," Dialga said lowly. Not only where they tiny little versions compared to the behemoths the previous ones had been, but Dialga knew that a well-prepared and skilled team would likely be able to take either of them down. Team Sunrise had been able to stalemate Primal Dialga for at least some time; he knew he wouldn't stand a great chance against the four of them now.

Yet, they were still Dialga and Palkia.

Giratina did not speak it, but there was a quiet sense of pride from it as Dialga and Palkia made their stand. "Perhaps journey to the Shaymin Village?" it suggested. "Round up the shaymin and bring them here?"

Shaymin, who was never far away even if they had no business speaking up in this tête-à-tête, shot a suspicious glare at Giratina. Unlike the rest, Shaymin could see through Giratina like glass.

It cast a brief glance at Shaymin that was definitely a cheeky one before nodding to the other four.

"We must ensure the relative stability of our realms," Dialga explained. "Before we can aid you so directly. This will take some time, assuming we do the proper checks." He glared firmly at Palkia, who straightened up with a quick nod. "Once this is done, we will seek you out."

Saniya glanced once again at Giratina before floating up to them. "Let me give you the next big place we're going to be," she said, floating between them.

"Understood," Dialga said as the placement was given.

"Where's that?" Palkia asked.

"We'll find it," Dialga grumbled, realising he was going to be stuck with Palkia outside of Giratina to manage their fights. "This is not going to be fun."

"Well, I think you're WRONG!" Palkia said, pushing Dialga over and floating up. "I'm going to get there first!"

"Idiot! We need to go together."

"I'm too fast to listen to you."

Palkia ripped a hole in the dimension around them and disappeared into the Spacial Rift. Dialga made a terrifyingly low growl that made the various bubble mirrors shake before tearing a hole of its own that led to the tower and went in after it.

He wouldn't be losing to Palkia, absolutely not.

Giratina shook its head fondly. "Take care of them," it said.

Saniya pursed her lips and looked up to Giratina. "If you had a choice…?" she asked.

Giratina's eyes went sombre. "It's better that I don't ponder even that," it said heavily. That wasn't for Giratina to dream.

She sighed softly and nodded. "Okay." She took Sean's paw in her hand. "Rested up yet, Sean?" she asked. She never needed his help for this endeavour after all. She just wanted to protect him, no matter how big and strong he got.

Sean smiled. "Yeah, I think I'm good now."

"I will give you a piece of advice as you leave," Giratina said. "If you choose to listen."

They waited.

"The power granted by the Shadow is immense, but it will always lead into ruin. If you can strip Indeedee of it, be wary of losing yourself to It in return. Her life is not worth any of yours."

With that sobering thought, they departed the Reverse Distortion.

"So, what are we going to call ourselves?" Scout asked curiously.

"Our names?" Soothe replied dubiously.

"I mean, a team name!"

"So quick to leave Team Ion, are you?"

Scout stared at her flatly until she rolled her eyes. "I don't think we need a name," she said.

"We could never agree on a name," Trill sighed. "Thus, we became known as The Team With No Name."

"Which is a name," Soothe pointed out.

"It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," Trill drawled back.

"What, you mean TTWNN doesn't sound like magic?"

"No."

"So," Scout said, choosing to ignore what was going on in front of him. "I was thinking something like the Saviours."

"Veto," Soothe said immediately.

"The Shadow Squad?"

"Offensive."

"Fine, how about the SST?"

"That sounds like STD, and I want no business with you and Liepard."

"Oh my fuck, why will no one ever let that go?"

"Because it's as easy as you are."

"Children," Trill said, pained. "Please." He ruffled his feathers and shook his head at Scout. "You'll never get her to agree on a name. Soothe is a fan of being a contrarian."

"No, I'm not," she said so seriously. Trill knew she was mocking him.

"Example Soothe," he said, brandishing a wing at her before tucking it back in. Scout laughed at them both, and they continued on.

The discussion had been had once on Trill flying ahead, but it was quickly agreed that it was not a good idea. Even Scout agreed despite being the one to suggest it. Indeedee would be keeping a keen eye out for Trill; they knew if she could reclaim him and use him against Rhythm, the wigglytuff wouldn't stand a chance.

Unlike what they knew, however, they weren't alone in the hills surrounding Hillcrest. Indeedee wouldn't pack up shop and depart with nary an ally left behind just in case.

She may have lost Violet and swallowed the bubbling rage towards all lucario, but she had others nearly as swift and dangerous to leave behind.

With Soothe constantly keeping a paranoid guard up, it was difficult to find them let alone get the jump on them.

But the Lady Weavile knew even a Shadow couldn't go without sleep forever.

Days had passed since Indeedee had balmed the aching that simmered within them. Through discipline and broken familiarity, she kept Arbok and Drapion close to her and in line. It was growing difficult, however. They did not possess the willpower she did to curtail the hungry flame within them.

If they had, she may still have them and not these broken husks.

Not these whinging, thoughtless, lifeless apparitions of those she had valued close to her.

Not. These. USEL-

Weavile bit down on a piece of meat. It was hard to suppress the voices that plagued her when she dared to release a little bit of her tightly-wound control. Meat in her belly didn't do anything for the real Hunger, but it'd distract her for a time.

And besides, she needed her energy for what was coming. Indeedee would be drastically pleased if she acquired her three runaways, and throwing that meowth to the predator in her place seemed like a fitting piece of revenge for what he did to them.

The audino and chatot? She cared only as much of what they got for her in the end.

The whore's child – Scout? Oh no, no…it was a personal matter here.

She swallowed and generated icy spikes to prod the drapion and arbok; she refused to think of them as people or who they were now, back up.

Arbok growled something at her, but there was enough recognition in his eyes that he didn't try and strike her.

Weavile had heard them laugh together, sharing silly little jokes and fond old memories. It disgusted her that they'd dare. Three rotten monsters, even worse than she was. She had her code. They did not.

They did not.

They did not.

They would pay.

Had Weavile had the senses to wonder why she was so mad, she might have talked herself back down. As she did not, she did not.

And Team A.W.D attacked.

Around midnight, with the clouds covering the moon and the night at its darkest, Weavile unleashed the monsters at her side to attack. She'd give them a taste of what Treasure Town would experience some week or two later.

Scout was asleep, as was Trill. Soothe kept watch on sagging eyes. She had lasted a lot longer than she ever had before. Need, or perhaps something ripped out of Trill, giving her the strength to persist.

She was tired, though. So tired. More than she'd admit, even to herself. If only she could close her eyes…and not have to open them again.

That'd be….

Soothe twitched, and her Protect manifested into reality, far enough away from her body to shimmer around Trill, blocking an icicle thrown. The shattering of the ice startled Trill and Scout to alertness, and Soothe stood up slowly, pulling her one remaining thorn out of her natural pockets.

"Looks like we have company," she said slowly. Her eyes flicked sharply to the left, and she suddenly moved, ducking down and evading a striking pincer before forming another Protect to catch a bestial claw from tearing at her.

Soothe shoved back, knocking the drapion back as its attack was foiled entirely. Trill took flight immediately, barrel-rolling through a stream of magical snow and gaining a birds-eye view of the battlefield.

Scout pounced for the bag. He didn't get to wear it, Soothe did, but she'd taken it off, and he always felt more comfortable with one on. A little thing he hated about his time here, Soothe having left his belongings when she kidnapped him.

Glitter flashed, and the drapion roared as it was temporarily blinded by the arc of light, the sizzling fairy magic blazing brightly on its body like a shining scar, preventing it from hiding in the darkness.

The drapion retreated, having enough sense not to tackle Soothe on its own, proving to be faster than it looked as it sprinted across the fireplace to where the rest lay.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Soothe spat after it, the lingering glitter letting her know where the threat was retreating to.

"As do you," Weavile hissed, and Scout gave his own feline hiss as he recognised the voice. His eyes had adjusted to the shock, and possessing by far the best night eyesight, he could see who they were.

"It's Team A.W.D," he informed Soothe, claws coming out as he glared. "All three of them. We ran into them before; they seemed off."

"Clearly," Soothe drawled as Weavile began to approach.

"Seemed off, did we?" she simpered; her eyes were wide and unblinking, tracking Trill as he circled them as much as the two in front of her. The drapion's heavy steps crushed grass and stone while the arbok's serpentine body glided nearly noiselessly across the ground.

Scout shifted closer to Soothe; she was less likely to attack him than Weavile was, it seemed, arm sinking into the bag to get an idea of what Soothe kept on hand.

All the while, Trill circled, looking for an indication to act or an opening to exploit when the time came.

"Why are you doing this, exactly?" Scout asked, choosing diplomacy first.

"Seemed off, did we?" she repeated tonelessly. "Seemed off? Seemed off? Seemed off?"

"Well, that's creepy." Scout grimaced. Drool fell from Drapion's mouth, and Arbok's eyes did not blink. They had seemed very off indeed.

"I don't think you need to have more obvious things explained to you," Weavile spat, surprising him with the vitriol. Darkness that was more visible in contrast with the night slunk around her shoulders like a lover's arms before tightening like a slavers leash.

"Looks like we're going to test you out before we get to town," Soothe said to Scout, a dangerous smirk touching her face. "Try and keep up, boys."

Weavile matched her smirk, and she pointed. "Go, boys."

Arbok and Drapion roared and charged Soothe and Scout. Soothe brought her fists out guns akimbo and fired relentlessly.

Trill let out a warning shriek that split the air, and Scout jumped, spinning as Weavile's claws came for his neck. He blocked her strike with his own claws, staggered in a grip of blade on blade for a moment before Soothe spun and kicked out, knocking Weavile flying.

The other Weavile suddenly crossed the distance and raked her claws through Soothe's side, almost drawing blood. Soothe lashed out again, her shimmering strike shattering the fake Weavile. It was a Substitute, but real enough that its touch left a mark on Soothe.

Trill flew down, sharply seeking Weavile as she tried to disappear into the darkness. Scout pursued her as well, his eyes able to track her better than Trill's. Blasts of Shadow, Ball and type based sent claps of thunder-like noise through the wood hills.

Soothe duelled Drapion and Arbok herself. Barriers appeared and faded like fairy lights in the woods, blocking every strike they attempted, no matter how hard, sharp, or sneaky they tried. She climbed Drapion like a tree, paws leaving marks on his body as Power surged through her whole body, kicking off his face and knocking him back to drive her thorn through Arbok's hood.

And sending a stream of light to blast Arbok into Drapion, knocking them over like a pair of dominoes. Once she had them on top of each other, she raised both hands, dropping the thorn in the dirt, before slamming them down.

A large curved Protect manifested on Arbok, curling down to snare Drapion as well before anchoring both of them to the ground. They both hissed and shouted in fury.

"Y-Yes LA-Lad-lllady!" Drapion roared, struggling.

"Sh-she-she-shhshshshe," Arbok could barely enunciate.

Soothe wore a disgusted look. "They were weak, weren't they?" she asked the battlefield, asked Weavile. "They're not like you, are they?"

Weavile tested her limits as she fought against a closing net, the ways out growing smaller and gaps slipping through thinner. Neither Scout nor Trill were able to tag her, but she couldn't get past them either. Icicles thrown shattered against wings of steel, and streams of snow were blown away.

Scout continued getting closer, and she felt the anger begin to override sense again.

His fault. His Fault. HIS FAULT!

She snarled, and her claws misted with sundering cold. "Your fault," she growled, eyes flashing, and she leapt for Scout.

Trill's warning was too late, and she landed on him, screeching victoriously as she tore into his flesh and flooded the ground with his blo-

The Substitute collapsed, and she was left in the dirt in confusion for a moment, over so soon?

Sense jumped back to her, but it was too late. Those metal wings knocked the wits out of her again before she found herself pinned to a rock with blade-like claws against her throat.

Soothe's taunting words reached her then, and she snarled, but his claws were right against her neck, and she was stuck.

"Far too weak," Weavile spat. "Against Scout's little trap."

"What did I DO to you?" Scout demanded.

"You knew where Zero Isle was," Weavile growled back, pressing against his claws daringly and drawing blood. "You knew. This is all your fault. Everything is!"

The words, however, spoken in anger and about something else, still went through Scout like a thunderbolt. He had moved past blaming himself for everything some time ago, but when someone shouted it in his face, he was back on the cliff, sobbing against Rhythm and apologising for getting Trill killed.

Staring after Diglett in horror, feeling the blood of his father on his paws.

My fault. My fault. My Fault!

It was only for a moment, but a moment was all Weavile needed. She kneed him in the stomach, causing him to buckle before spitting a stream of ice into his face.

He recoiled, and she threw him off her before leaping to the side to evade Trill, he overcommitted to rescue Scout, and another arc of ice froze a wing to his side, grounding him.

Weavile dashed past them both to Soothe but was not met with an easy foe. Streams of glittering light forced her to dodge rather than close the distance, but she didn't need to. The distraction was enough to weaken her focus for Drapion to dig his tail through the ground and lash up, the great pincer closing around Soothe's abdomen and pulling her back with a yell.

Weavile beamed and started crossing the distance with the speed her species was feared for.

"Gotcha!" Scout yelled, catching her leg and throwing both of them to the ground. "Trill, get Soothe!"

"On it!" Trill barked, he might not be able to fly just yet, but he could still hop with the best of them. "Try and order them!"

Weavile wriggled like an ekans and flipped onto her back, kicking out at Scout as he let go, and both got up. Trill flung his other wing, and feathers were shot at Weavile. They struck her and sunk into her body, flashing blue for a moment as she groaned, a punch aimed at Scout losing lustre for a moment.

His claws clashed with her own and won as her strength was weakened.

Soothe yelled and kicked rampantly as Drapion tried to pin her with Arbok's assistance. Their wrath was directed only by Weavile and lacked the desperate hunger their type of Shadow would normally possess when attacking another pokémon.

There was nothing to be gained for slaying Soothe, after all.

"DRAPION! ARBOK! STOP!"

Trill's feathers struck Drapion as well, and Soothe felt his overwhelming strength buckle for a moment as it froze on top of her. Just a moment, but it was long enough.

She threw her head back, Protect forming around her skull to ram into Arbok's jaw with a cracking click. She pushed up, lifting Drapion just enough to dislodge him enough to free an arm. Her bladed Protect formed, and she lashed at his legs, slicing into it with ease.

Drapion roared and lost his footing enough for Soothe to get out from under him. She leapt to her feet and reached out with her hand, fingers parted and sharp with fury.

She grabbed onto Drapion and then sunk in. He made an awful sound, a gagging, high pitched, lowly groan as her hand went right through his exoskeleton, his whole body seizing up rigidly as she grabbed onto something that felt wrapped around his very heart.

And then she yanked.

"GRAAAHHaahhhh," Drapion roared, keening into a scream before breaking into a shout.

He fell back, collapsing as Soothe gripped a pulsating mass of something dark and dripping. It dissolved in her grasp, and Weavile screamed at her.

"NO!"

She blew Scout away and tore after Soothe in a desperate fury, seeing only Drapion die in front of her. Soothe spun around, eyes going darker, darker, and darker yet.

Trill stepped between them, baring both wings. Metal hardened, and she slammed right into it, nearly knocking herself out and sending him sprawling for his footing.

"ARBOK! STOP!"

Soothe's foot clamped down on Arbok's tail, stopping him from fleeing long enough for Scout's order to freeze him, and she reached for him as well.

"STOP!" Weavile screamed; Scout pounced on her back to try and pin her as Soothe tore It out of Arbok as well.

They weren't tightly wound creatures masquerading as the people they once were. The rampant maddened Shadows held the corruption on their sleeves, in the fur, right in plain sight. For someone like Soothe, it was as easy as tic-tac-toe.

Arbok collapsed as well as Soothe turned to Weavile, fear and rage fighting through her in equal measure. She began to approach Weavile, there was no blood, but in the dark night, the dripping Shadow looked just like it.

"No," Weavile uttered, body tensing and shaking and rising. "I will not. Not again. Not. AGAIN!"

She suddenly surged, a blast of Shadow sending Scout blasting off and the ice off Trill. Weavile rose, her eyes sinking into darkness, a twisted smirk curling her lips.

Soothe did not even twitch at the display; she'd seen things far worse than that.

Behind her, Drapion began to groan as he remembered himself, head lolling on the ground. Arbok let out a hissing sigh, eyes fluttering weakly.

Weavile did not see it. She only saw a murderer.

"I will not go AGAIN!" Weavile yelled; she was not as gone as Trill had been that time before. Ice began to form, capturing smoky Shadow essence and forming explosive crackers of ice.

Soothe smiled. Her head cocked, and she twitched something into existence, shackles suddenly capturing Weavile's arms and legs, pinning her down and pulling her back, arms forced down to her ankles before everything firmed up entirely. Weavile screeched something in panic, tried to struggle, but Soothe's Protect was unyielding.

"No, no, no, no, NO! HELP ME!"

Soothe began to reach for her with one arm, the other sizzling with glittering light as she prepared to force It to reveal itself.

Then a pincer clasped around her abdomen again. She blinked before she was thrown back and slammed headfirst into the ground.

"YOU WILL NOT HARM THE LADY WEAVILE!" Drapion roared.

"You've chosssen a very poor battle," Arbok hissed, fangs piercing into Soothe's chest and injecting her with venom.

Weavile gasped, uncomprehending of what was going on as the Protect broke.

"Gah, dammit, they're attacking?" Scout yelled, hitting the ground with a thump.

"Appears so," Trill said, helping him up. "I suppose we should handle them to allow Soothe her time."

"Maybe we should explain…?"

"It does not appear that Weavile will listen," Trill said as Weavile began to laugh hysterically.

"Okay. I'll take Drapion; you stop Arbok."

Trill gave Scout an appraising look for confidence before nodding, and they both split. Scout pouncing swiftly across the ground as Trill soared through the air.

"Knock her out, boys; you can't kill her!" Weavile shouted, dripping with darkness. They couldn't get a good look at that, with the darkness surrounding them, and things were moving too fast to ask questions.

"Not so fast!" Trill raised his voice, over and over and over again. As a chatot, he could trill with a piercing shriek indeed. So loudly that Drapion and Arbok cringed in pain, and even Weavile had to try and clasp her hands over her ears.

Swift as an arrow strike, Scout, left a mark through Weavile's side as he sprinted through the darkness and yowled loudly, leaping up and clawing Drapion's face, causing him to recoil back, scrambling to grab and pull him off.

Trill swooped, and his talons clasped on the end of Arbok's tail and pulled him with strength unexpected for his stature, bouncing Arbok's head as he was tugged before doing a spin and throwing Arbok away from Soothe.

Who rose up with a flat glare on her face, forming one Protect blade on her left arm before beginning to approach Weavile with a dauntless step, Weavile taking a step back in fear.

Drapion's claws clicked as he lashed out at Scout, trying to grab the slippery little meowth badgering him. Pinpricks of blood smoked as Shadow Ball's formed, flinging stinging spheres right into Drapion's face at every turn while strikes peppered his tough endoskeleton.

"Stop it!" he demanded, crushing the ground beneath them as he slammed his tail pincer down. Scout was already gone, dancing in the darkness like an imp, scrabbling up his body and driving his claws into the gaps into his body. "Gyaah!"

Drapion bucked and slammed himself into the ground to throw Scout off him, the meowth tumbling with nary a sound. Drapion's tail came down from behind him, slamming into Scout and pinning him against the ground with excessive force.

Drapion's grin faded as the meowth he held melted into the wind, and he had a moment to recognise a Substitute before a blast seed was cracked against the back of his head.

Flipping Drapion over, Scout struck a fury swipes worth of slashes against Drapion's weaker underbelly, scratching through his endoskeleton before unleashing a powerful Shadow Ball, rocking his foe's whole body.

He clambered Drapion's body, evading the blind grabs of the panicking pokémon and sent a foot claw into his left arm chink before another Shadow Ball into his face, forcing his head back and his eyes open.

Scout slammed his head against Drapion's, and his eyes burned as his charm gleamed in a relaxing light. Drapion's will met Scout's. And Drapion hadn't been strong enough to endure a mental attack once before.

Scout's Hypnosis took hold of the exhausted, injured, and confused Drapion and his vision blurred, eyes fluttered, before the big guy slumped to the ground with a snore.

Scout perched on his defeated foe, preening in victory for a moment, before leaping off to go help the others.

Arbok rolled to a stop and reared up, his flexible body easily able to pull back from the tumble he was just thrown through.

His hissing was cut short as his opponent was nowhere in sight. He looked up sharply, hearing the sound of swooping and struck forth, evading in a sharp strike into the grass. His eyes peered carefully, watching as the chatot flew up, swooped long, and recovered.

He had a moment of disorientation Arbok knew he could take advantage of. He uncurled from the grass and spat a stream of venomous barbs up at Trill. A gesture from a wing sent a burst of wind to knock the barbs out of the air before he swooped again.

Arbok's body was truly nimble, and he waited for Trill to come in close before moving, aiming to shift backwards to reduce the impact of the talons and strike when Trill was at his most defenceless.

A cunning plan had Trill not seen it coming.

As Arbok's hood began to thrum and blaze with a paralysing glare, he suddenly froze.

Trill's whole body flickered in something terrible. Every feather tip was a sharpened blade, the curve to his talons hooked cruelly for maximum damage. His eyes resembled pits of darkness and shone a piercing white, the lightest touch of red around. It was a sight he'd seen before. It was a sight that haunted his nightmares this past eternity of suffering under a deathless Hunger.

Trill duplicated his Glare with his Mirror Move, piercing through the terror Arbok's own move temporarily hit him with to freeze him in kind. His body began to blaze blue, down to the tips of his feathers in a blue fire-like aura.

Trill was a brave bird, after all.

He crashed into the frozen Arbok with full force and smashed him through the grass fields, over the stones, and then flying across the campfire to crash on the other side of Drapion.

Trill's flight stuttered in mid-air for a few long moments, flapping awkwardly and in pain as his body crackled, the force of his attack dazing him for a moment.

Two down.

One remains.

Weavile was confused and less terrified now that Drapion and Arbok had recovered, and her icy claws drew squealing strikes as she fought against Soothe. The Lady Weavile was not a weak foe, and she ducked and weaved around Soothe's attacks, blocking and deflecting blade strikes and dodging every blast of glittering light that Soothe could manage.

She was, however, on the back foot, forced to defend against an overwhelming force, unable to attack back as every opportunity was lost as Soothe built a new offence. They almost danced, feet stepping in time, a slow waltz backwards as Soothe pushed her back, blade met claw, light was dodged, finger was forced to the side, glitter stained the ground, Shadow tendrils swept at her feet, caught by her own, headbutt forcing her to jump back, into another pit of Shadow she had to lash her way out of, before needing to block another blow.

A trembling equilibrium. And as her weary, confused, and exhausted allies were defeated, Weavile suddenly found her back against the wall.

A feather danced before her, and her strength waned for a moment, bending under a push by Soothe as a pair of claws caught her by the back, holding her in place by the point of a set of knives.

Weavile hissed, and then Soothe punched her in the face.

She shoved Weavile back, slammed her against a tree and began to punch her repeatedly in the face. The cracking and crunching caused Scout to wince away and Trill to avert his eyes for a moment. Weavile bellowed something, darkness erupted, and Trill nudged Scout.

"Weavile, STOP!" Scout yelled, and she did. She froze completely. "Give up the Shadow."

Soothe's hand plunged into her chest as Weavile shuddered and gagged, almost sounding ready to vomit the corruption up before Soothe ripped it out with a wet squelch, the sound something Scout could never get used to.

Weavile slowly sunk to her knees, gasping silently as Soothe crushed the twisted eye in her grasp, every tangle of the corruption seeping out of Weavile and into Soothe, who appeared to almost drink it up from every inch of her body.

She staggered back, rolling and twitching her head, stretching her neck and arms and smacking her lips soundlessly. Soothe's eyes rolled for a moment, turning firmly on Scout and Trill for a tense moment of something encroaching before she blinked and relaxed.

"Well, that was fun," Soothe said, nudging Weavile as she blinked uncomprehendingly, feeling up her chest for a big hole that wasn't there.

Scout made a confused sound, almost a laugh, more of a. "Huu-awah?" As Soothe strolled off to peer at Arbok.

"Nice," she complimented Trill. She didn't even look at Drapion as she said. "You could do with some more training, Scout."

Bristling at the unexpected criticism, Scout breathed out a hard breath as he turned to Weavile. "You feel back to normal?"

Weavile blinked at him. "I…what?"

"She purified you."

"You're welcome!" Soothe called, now nudging Arbok.

"…What?"

"It must seem difficult to believe," Trill said gravely, knowing how confusing it was at the start. "He is speaking the truth. She purified me, after all. And now you."

Weavile stared at him, eyes squinting slightly as she searched his face for deceit and cruelty.

She found none. Not anymore.

"Arbok!" Weavile shouted, hating how weak her voice sounded to herself. He stirred. "ARBOK!"

"Wuah? Lady, what isss it?" Arbok slurred, rising up too fast and falling over as he did so. "Ow, did you beat me up? I'm sorry."

Weavile slowly stood on weak legs and walked across to him, grabbing his face and peering at him closely.

"…Hello?" he asked, confused.

Her face softened for just a moment before shoving him back into the dirt. She had an image, after all.

"It seems I've walked out of the land of sense and into lala land," Weavile snorted, body aching and legs trembling. The Hunger was gone. Not sated or tapered off. Gone entirely. Arbok could speak again. "I'm going to assume I took a head strike."

"You act like it," Soothe snorted. Weavile narrowed her eyes at her before subtly placing herself between Soothe and Arbok.

"You are corrupted still, aren't you?" Weavile asked.

Soothe raised an eyebrow. "That's the most unique thank you I've ever heard in my life."

Weavile built up a sneer but managed to swallow it. "I…do not know just what you are. I believe I'm understanding why She wanted you so badly."

Soothe smirked. "I've already figured that out, thanks."

To her quiet confusion, Weavile smirked back and shook her head. "I don't think you do." She turned, although keeping Soothe in her vision, to Scout. "You! Meowth who knows far more than he should."

Scout stiffened up; he had been looking over Trill for injuries before he was addressed. "Yes?" he asked, not unfriendlily.

"You're her pawn, aren't you?"

"I'm not working for anyone evil!"

Soothe raised an eyebrow.

"Besides Soothe."

"Funny," Weavile said. "Whatever. You're doing her bidding whether you know it or not; that's something clear to me now that I've spent more than five minutes around a psycho like that. You knew where Zero Isle was."

"What is it about that place?" Scout asked. "I had an idea of where it was, yes, but I thought it was just a difficult dungeon."

"Oh it is," Arbok hissed. "The mossst difficult we've ever faced. The way it playss havoc upon your capaccitiesss is mind-boggling."

"Never mind what was in the centre," Weavile sniffed. Arbok gave her a curious look. "Do you remember anything, Arbok?"

"I…?" He appeared very puzzled. "I remember uss breaching the four doorsss at long lasst. We had defeated Zero Issle. We entered the Centre and…." He didn't know. "I don't remember."

Weavile nodded. "It's probably close to two years since then," she said to his stunned silence. She turned to glare at Scout, who was also looking stunned. "Even I don't remember what was in there. But whatever it was…." She shivered, unable to restrain herself.

All…your…fault.

Scout instinctively turned to Rai or Mane with the expression that they knew meant he was experiencing the worst of his intrusive thoughts.

But they weren't there.

"Whatever it was, it had made that place a monstrous location. Behemoths everywhere; perhaps we were small. Or everything at once. It's truly the ultimate dungeon." She stopped, no it wasn't all a du-.

Everything hurt, and she yelped, a sudden splitting headache making her lose her balance. Arbok quickly caught and shielded the Lady Weavile, unwilling to allow her to be seen in a vulnerable state.

Arbok didn't know what was going on or how he could believe it had been years, but he trusted Weavile.

"…ugh," Weavile spat, pulling out of Arbok's hold. "Ugh. Don't touch me, Arbok."

"You still haven't said thank you," Soothe said, cleaning off the dirt from her thorn.

"And I'm not going to," Weavile sneered. "Your buddy's fault we were in that mess; the least you can do to get us out of it."

"Smart way to justify not 'owing' us anything," Soothe said pleasantly.

Weavile's mouth curled. "Gonna start asking for a favour now, are we? We want nothing to do with any of this."

"Just tell me," Soothe said, before Weavile could even begin to turn to get Drapion. "Tell me one thing. What's going on recently in the civilised world? What're the important things to know at the moment? I trust you have some idea."

Weavile stared at her in silence that made Arbok shift nervously before she whispered at him to get Drapion up.

As he slithered over, Weavile brushed herself down. "The whole continent went on alert after you kidnapped the night mate. Right as soon as word of that was said, She crashed the Psychic Network somehow. No one knows what's going on, I imagine. It's all dark. There are pokémon in the area looking for you guys, not many, though."

"Is Riolu-" Trill blurted out suddenly before clamming up. Scout gave him a confused look at Weavile turned to him.

She held in silence for a moment so long that the feathers on Trill's body were beginning to rise before she shrugged. "He survived. That creepy 'Violet' monster She used sacrificed itself to save him. I gave him a message later but didn't manage to hurt him. Dusknoir took him back the way of Treasure Town the last I know. He was not fine, but he survived."

Trill sighed a breath of anxious relief, and the look in Scout's eyes told him they'd be talking about this later on.

Soothe nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They spoke in the exact same tone and nodded once at each other before Weavile trotted over to the yawning Drapion and helped him up as well.

"We're going now," Weavile said. "Team A.W.D doesn't forget a friend or a foe."

With that, she took them away, planning to explain what the hell was going on to them later.

Soothe snorted as they left. "Ungrateful bitch."

"Very prideful," Trill agreed, shaking his head after them. "You've done well tonight. Both of you."

"Hmm, guess so." Soothe turned an intrigued look on Scout, a hungry stare of bubbling curiosity. "Looks like the trial test went well, though. I think we're Indeedee's worst nightmare, Scout, you and I. We're her direct counter."

A smile shadowed on Scout's face; he wasn't sure how he felt at the moment. Happy they'd helped, but the intrusive thoughts continued to bounce in his head. It wasn't that he needed Rai and Mane, but at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to just rest his head on their chests and listen to their breathing.

He didn't say anything and Soothe frowned slightly as he just dug a sleep seed out of her bag. "Give that back."

He rolled the bag over a few centimetres before walking to the ruined campfire and eating the seed. It wouldn't let him sleep for very long, but he felt that he might trick his body into thinking it can sleep if he ate enough of them.

Trill stared worried after him, and Soothe's frown deepened before the moment was shrugged off. She picked her bag up and began going through the items, leaving Trill unsure of what he was to do or why a supposedly triumphant moment became so soured.

He ended up hopping after Scout and hoped that whatever was going on, his presence could provide some comfort.

No one slept much that night.

I still sometimes am surprised at how far Scout has come in terms of martial ability. Imagine this dorky little goof at the start of the story going toe-to-toe with Drapion of Team A.W.D and winning. Sure, Drapion was dazed and tired, but he wasn't even able to touch Scout.

Poor thing, though. He's really getting worn down without Rai and Mane. There is a certain kind of bond and trust there that as happy as he is to see Trill again and how much he and Soothe have weirdly bonded, he really misses them. They, at least, can still comfort each other.

I think we're about ready to move back into a bit more Team Ion centric stuff. The story itself sometimes feels like it forgets that Scout and Team Ion are technically the main protagonists. Originally, Rai and Mane were going to be in this chapter, but the spot where it ended felt like a good stopping point, and I don't want to bloat the chapter like I used to.

Discord, if you want: discord gg/5MjFCAKN