As I (heavily) implied in the last chapter, from here on out it's a long, hectic, two-part ride towards this arc's climax. Prepare yourselves.
Side note: I've changed Kartana's speech pattern to have him speak backwards, and have applied those changes retroactively to Chapter 66. Initially, I didn't want to have him speaking backwards, for fear he'd feel too similar to the Malamar line, but after some more research, Kartana's backwards speech is so iconic to his character that I had to include it.
Marshadow could not quell the queasiness in his stomach as he crouched in a cluster of bushes near the Ula'ula docks. Ever since Cosmog's capture nearly an hour ago, he'd felt like he was going to vomit. For the umpteenth time Marshadow cast his gaze out towards Aether Paradise. He'd watched as the group of seven Trainers departed towards the island, all of them brave enough to do what he could not.
If I'd just helped, they wouldn't have to risk themselves or their Pokemon. Yet another wave of shame flooded Marshadow's body. Cosmog's my friend. I should have been there for him.
A faint buzzing noise disturbed Marshadow's solitude. The Ghost/Fighting-type Legendary looked up to see the silhouette of a ferryboat nearing Ula'ula Island. Marshadow recognized the boat instantly as the same one the teenagers had taken; yes, there was one now, standing on the prow. Marshadow ducked further into the bushes. Please be there, please be there, please be there…
The ferryboat slowed to a halt, the ramp fell, and Marshadow's eyes widened in dismay as he beheld Lillie, the first to exit, was missing her bag. Snowy was in her arms, looking somewhat agitated, but there was no sign of Cosmog. The rest of the group exited the boat, each grim-faced, and none of them were carrying Cosmog either.
He's gone. The realization hit Marshadow like a punch to the gut. He's gone, and it's my fault.
"Nebby," Medicham thought desperately, "now would be a really good time for your powers to activate."
"i know!" Nebby's telepathic voice sounded equally desperate. "this can't be what needs to happen! why won't they work?"
A low chuckle emanated from Necrozma. "I have to admit," the Legendary rumbled, "despite how much I despise you, I'm impressed that you actually chose to try and take the fight to me. And had I not been prepared, your force might even have been enough to give me a challenge. But in the end, all you've succeeded in is delivering my missing portion right to me."
Lusamine was looking uncharacteristically nervous as she glanced around the area; Guzma was backing away furtively from the Ultra Recon Squad, who had clearly drawn the majority of Necrozma's attention; the normally cocky Team Skull leader looked uncharacteristically yet unsurprisingly nervous. Their respective teams surrounded them, clearly seeking to shield their Trainers with their own bodies if it came to that. Medicham adjusted her grip on Nebby's case, then adjusted it again, not daring to take her eyes off Necrozma.
"You have evaded me for far too long," Necrozma snarled. "But now…you will watch as I take back what was stolen from me." His gaze swiveled towards Lusamine. "My quarrel is not with your world. You may give me my missing portion, return me to my full strength, and in exchange I will only kill all of you. Your friends, your family, your timeline, all will be safe."
"He's lying," Zossie retorted. "He'll tear apart your world the instant he gets his full strength back."
"I am lying?" Necrozma chuckled again, turning his gaze back to Zossie. "That's ironic, coming from you. What did you tell them? Let me guess: my missing portion teleported you to their world, and you need their help to defeat the evil, insane, light-stealing tyrant?"
Lusamine nodded; Dulse and Zossie looked even more nervous than before.
"Believe me, I've heard it all before," said Necrozma. "So many times. How many timelines have you gone to? A hundred? Two hundred? I lost count a long time ago." The Legendary's gaze shifted back to Lusamine. "I think I've had to deal with more than a hundred Lusamines. And at least fifty Guzmas." His eyes turned once more to Zossie. "Honestly, you keep trying the same thing in every new timeline. It didn't work then, and it hasn't worked now."
Lusamine glared at Dulse and Zossie. "Tell me he's lying."
The two members of the Ultra Recon Squad hesitated for just a second too long. Medicham paled as they slowly shook their heads. "Nebby?" she asked urgently. "Did you know?"
"no! i had no idea!" Nebby sounded frantic. "i don't remember anything before waking up in your world!"
Guzma looked shocked, but Lusamine looked the picture of all-consuming rage. "You…" she snarled, too furious to form a coherent sentence.
"This part's always so fun," said Necrozma. "When they find out the truth, and they spend their last moments cursing you…even when you manage to escape, it makes each timeline worth it."
"Necrozma." Darkrai spoke from above. Medicham flinched at the sound of his voice, eyes turning towards the Dark-type Legendary's form. How can he be here, siding with Necrozma? This has to be some kind of illusion, it has to be! "The Beasts are growing impatient, and frankly, so am I."
Necrozma sighed. "Very well," he rumbled, turning back to Lusamine. "My offer stands as it is. You all must die for your trespass. But you can save your timeline and everyone else living in it if you just give me my missing portion."
Lusamine swallowed, looking around at her team. "Clefable?" she asked.
"Yes, Lusamine?"
"What do we do?" Lusamine asked, her voice smaller than Medicham had ever heard from the Aether President.
Necrozma sniffed. "This shouldn't be hard. Darkrai. Kill that one."
It was as if Darkrai had teleported; one moment he was up in the sky, the second he was floating right next to Lusamine's Clefable. Lusamine cried out in alarm as Clefable, with barely any time to react, twisted towards Darkrai. A sphere of Fairy energy began to form in Clefable's right hand, but Darkrai was much quicker. "Dark Void!" he snarled, and tendrils of pure Oblivion burst out from Darkrai's body, consuming Clefable and her Fairy-type attack in their coils.
Clefable's eyes drooped shut and she slumped, asleep and barely visible in Darkrai's grasp. Darkrai smirked. "Bad Dreams," he growled. Clefable began to scream in her sleep, her anguished cries echoing in Medicham's ears.
"Darkrai here has mastered the art of manipulating one's dream-self," said Necrozma. "He has total mastery of the Dream World, and is able to make one's suffering in that world translate to reality. I can't imagine what he's using to kill your Clefable, but it won't be quick, that's for sure."
"How can you do this?" Lusamine screamed at Necrozma. "How can you be so awful?"
"Do you know what they did to me?" Necrozma's voice unexpectedly heightened to a loud roar. "What they stole from me? Kept from me for a century? All that time, imprisoned in this very tower, unable to move, unable to do anything but feel unending pain, constantly reaching out with scraps of Psychic power for the one-to-million chance that someone would hear?" Necrozma hovered closer to Lusamine and her team, ignoring her still-screaming Clefable. "If Darkrai hadn't heard and heeded my call for help, I would still be here, imprisoned in this very tower and made to suffer endlessly by the very people I tried to protect! And you know what? I still am in constant agony because of what they did! I'm forced to watch as they warp from timeline to timeline, incentivizing humans and Pokemon alike against me, carrying the thing that could finally end my suffering! And for what? Nothing but base selfishness! Oh, they love to talk about 'stopping the insane Legendary from eating the light of all realities', but in the end, they're willing to sacrifice entire timelines just to save their own skins!"
Necrozma loomed over Lusamine menacingly. "You can call me awful if you wish. But I only drain the light from entire worlds for the sake of a few days free of pain. I only let my Ultra Beasts ravage those worlds so that they can help me find new worlds in return. And I only cause pain because inflicting agony on others allows me to at least ignore my own, if only for a moment. Dulse and Zossie, on the other hand? They let me do it. And not for any 'greater purpose'. Merely out of cowardice. So who do you think is the real monster here?"
Medicham realized that Clefable had stopped screaming; she was now limp in Darkrai's grasp. Medicham felt sick; she didn't even know when Clefable had finally died.
"I think you're all monsters," Lusamine growled. "But if you spare my family…spare my timeline…I'll give you your missing piece." She turned to the rest of her team, who nodded. "It's not like you'll let us leave anyway."
Necrozma sighed. "Where is it?"
"no!" Medicham knew Nebby's telepathic cry wasn't just addressed to her. It radiated out across the top of Megalo Tower. "i don't want to die! please, don't let him take me!"
Necrozma turned to stare right at Medicham. "Pathetic." He lashed out with a burst of Mind, grasping the case and ripping it out of Medicham's hands. "So many worlds you faced me down without so much as a trace of fear, and yet now that you are at my mercy you beg to live? I expected more." With another swift motion he telekinetically ripped the case open and grasped Nebby in a tight Psychic grip, lifting his struggling form out of the ruined case.
There was a brief moment of silence, and then Necrozma spoke. "What is this?" he snarled furiously. "Where is Solgaleo?"
"That is Solgaleo," said Dulse. "You weren't paying much attention to him in the last timeline, were you?"
"What do you mean?" Necrozma twisted towards the Ultra Recon Squad, shaking Nebby in the air. "What did you do?"
"He expended too much energy in our last encounter," said Zossie. "He died. And in his place arose this creature. It can't fight. It can't control its teleportation. We had to spend an hour just to pull any kind of power from its body."
"Point is," said Dulse with the faintest hint of a smile, "I doubt you'll be able to use that thing to regain your former strength."
Necrozma breathed in, then out. In, then out. Then he raised his head and let out an earsplitting bellow of rage. Furiously, he tossed Nebby at Medicham; Medicham dove sideways, plucking Nebby out of the air; she landed hard on her back, rolling with the impact until she managed to regain her footing.
Necrozma managed to regain some semblance of calm; he gazed back down at Lusamine, hatred in his eyes. "You knew about this!" he snarled. "Didn't you?"
"No, I-"
"I will not tolerate lies!" Necrozma's wings flared with energy; Mind lanced out from his body, immobilizing Lusamine and her team in place. "For this, I'm not just going to ravage your world. I'm going to make you do it. I'm going to make you slaughter every last Pokemon and human in your path. And your precious daughter Lillie? I'm going to make you tear her apart with your own two hands! Nihilego! Take her!"
Nihilego lunged, wrapping Lusamine in its white tentacles, encasing her top half in its body. Lusamine and her five remaining team members cried out, a six-throated scream of terror and agony that was swiftly cut off. Necrozma turned to the rest of the Ultra Beasts. "Kill the rest!" he ordered.
Medicham felt adrenaline kick in; she twisted and hurled herself forwards, activating Aura Avoidance as she did so. Instantly it kicked in, propelling her sideways; something flew past her head, what it was she didn't know, didn't care. All she knew was that there was one way off this roof, and that was the elevator.
She had to get to it. Get Nebby to it. The tiny nebula-like being was panting in Medicham's hands, not saying a word, too stricken with fear to do anything but sit there.
A swiftly cut-off agonized cry arose from behind Medicham; she didn't recognize the voice. Most likely it was one of Guzma's Pokemon. She couldn't see Guzma, Dulse, Zossie, Lusamine, or any of their Pokemon. Just the towers and the empty sky of Ultra Space.
"you DOn't gEt to RUn awAy!" Blacephalon's warbling cry drew a swift glance backwards from Medicham. She regretted it immediately. She could see Nihilego's form morphing around Lusamine, her team standing around her motionless and dead-eyed; could see Dulse lying unmoving on the ground as the white, slender Ultra Beast loomed over him; could see Zossie and Guzma sprinting just behind her, dodging blasts from the various Ultra Beasts, clearly both having the same idea as Medicham.
And Blacephalon was rising up behind all of them, head in one hand. "MiNd blOWn!" He lobbed it straight at Medicham, cackling madly.
"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham felt a severe strain as she did the same protection technique, but thankfully she felt her Aura activate, propelling her forwards. Blacephalon had not led his shot; screams arose from Guzma and Zossie as the explosion sounded behind Medicham. Medicham barely had time to turn towards the elevator when the wave of force from the explosion slammed into her back; she heard the screech of crumpling steel, felt her body being thrown uncontrollably forwards, and then she was over the side of the Megalo Tower.
She hovered in midair for a moment before gravity kicked in and she fell, unable to keep a panicked scream from exiting her throat. Already the ground was approaching fast; Medicham wrapped her arms tightly around Nebby, hoping to at least maybe shield him from the fall-
And then she was suddenly flying sideways; she slammed into the ground hard, rolling for a few seconds before a cold surface sent her to a sudden halt. Medicham let out a groan of pain and looked up; she could see Zossie and Guzma still falling above her, Guzma's Masquerain and Vikavolt out of their Pokeballs and hovering above them, grasping onto them and trying to slow their falls.
"i…guess i did that," Nebby said nervously.
Medicham watched as Guzma and Zossie landed on the ground, Masquerain and Vikavolt only able to barely slow their descents. The two humans sprawled limply on the ground; Zossie's eyes were open, her armor apparently having helped protect her, but Guzma's were closed.
"Guzma?" Golisopod emerged from his Pokeball, leaning over his Trainer. "Guzma!"
"He's still alive," Vikavolt buzzed. "Look, he's breathing."
"I think that Electric-type Ultra Beast got Ariados with a blast," said Masquerain. "And Pinsir and Scizor are still unconscious."
"So it's just us three," Golisopod grumbled.
"gnol rof toN."
Kartana lunged in from out of nowhere, his blade-arm scything through one of Vikavolt's wings in one smooth motion. Vikavolt screamed, tumbling to the ground, his reactive Thunderbolt flying wide.
"Intimidate!" Masquerain cried, unleashing a wave of force that Medicham recognized as similar to what Fenris, Aliana's Mightyena, had used in the Power Plant. It was somewhat similar to Pressure, but subtly different; Intimidate was more of a fear-based aura, instilling panic in adversaries, as opposed to Pressure's crushing, unconsciousness-inducing wave.
The single diamond-shaped eye in the middle of Kartana's head gleamed and it lunged, clearly not very affected by Masquerain's Intimidate.
"Masquerain, right!" Golisopod barked. "Tempest Slash!" Golisopod sent an aerial blade of Water energy at Kartana, aiming specifically for Kartana's left side; Masquerain spread her wings and dove towards the right of Kartana, aiming to catch him as he dodged.
It was a well-crafted trap, clearly a combination that they'd worked on many times, and yet it utterly failed. "ecilS gnicreiP-ygrenE," Kartana uttered; with a flick of its arm-blade it slashed right through Golisopod's Tempest Slash, slipped to the side of Masquerain's charge, and drove his other arm-blade into Masquerain's abdomen. Masquerain crashed to the ground beside Vikavolt, crumpling as she hit the stone.
"Levitate!" Vikavolt, though horribly injured with the stump where his wing had been bleeding heavily, managed to twist and unleash another wave of force. Judging by the way several shards of stone and metal were ripped from the ground and flung at Kartana, Levitate was some sort of gravity-based Ability. But with a drone of "ecilS yrrulF", Kartana unleashed a whirlwind of swift slashes, slicing apart the flying debris, and then lunged at Vikavolt. "Levitate!" Vikavolt cried desperately; this time he grasped both himself and the fallen Masquerain and flung them both away from Kartana.
"Tempest Slash!"
Kartana's pursuit was cut off by a flying blade of Water energy; he turned, slicing through it effortlessly, and glared at Golisopod. Golisopod glared back. "Your fight's with me."
"Wait here," Medicham whispered, setting Nebby gently onto the stone.
"what are you doing?" Nebby cried. "you can't fight that!"
"I've got an idea," Medicham murmured.
"Tempest Dash!" Golisopod hurled himself at Kartana, wrath in his eyes. "Twin-Shell Style: Bathynomus Barrage!"
Kartana twisted away from the barrage of blows, moving almost casually as it ducked and dodged. "ecilS gnicreiP-romrA." He lashed out with his arm-blade, slamming it right into Golisopod's clenched left fist. The blade ripped through his hand lengthwise and Golisopod bellowed in agony; Kartana took full advantage of his moment of distraction, slipping under Golisopod's outstretched arm.
"Emergency Exit!" Golisopod dematerialized into the Pokeball around his neck, and Kartana's sword-arm slashed through empty air. But Kartana twisted with insane speed, flicked out his other arm, and ripped through the Pokeball; sparks flew as the two halves of the Pokeball plummeted to the ground. Golisopod rematerialized exactly where he had been, and Kartana dove faster than he could react. A nasty crunch sounded as Kartana drove his blade into Golisopod's left leg. Golisopod collapsed face-first onto the ground, still conscious but clearly in massive pain.
Zossie was in the process of clambering to her feet; she hadn't even fully done so when Kartana was on her. "ecilS gnicreiP-romrA." His arm-blade scythed straight through Zossie's armor and cut a large red gash from her left hip to her right shoulder. Zossie fell back to the ground with a scream, blood flowing freely from the open wound.
Kartana was standing atop the unconscious Guzma before Zossie hit the ground. "No!" Golispod cried, unable to stand; he reached out a hand, forming a blast of Water energy that Medicham knew wouldn't hit in time.
But Kartana now had his back to her.
Medicham hurled herself at Kartana, covering the distance as quickly as possible, her heart hammering so hard in her chest that she could feel every beat pulsating as she lunged. Midleap she realized she wouldn't make it in time, but in that very moment Kartana cocked his head towards Golisopod, the one eye in the center of his metallic diamond-shaped face shining. A momentary lapse, a split-second instance of sadism.
It was all she needed.
Medicham had seen Kartana flinch away from that Flamethrower atop Megalo Tower. She knew that fear, especially when he'd so easily dodged so many other attacks, could only come from one thing.
Fire Strike.
Kartana was raising his arm-blade to strike at Guzma when Medicham's flaming fist slammed into his back.
It felt like punching the edge of a knife; Medicham's hand exploded with pain, but it was worth it to hear Kartana's startled cry as his body flew fifty feet into the side of a nearby building. Medicham stumbled backwards, cradling her bleeding hand. Golisopod rose to his feet, staring after Kartana for just a moment; then his eyes flicked towards Guzma's belt and he began to limp towards it, keeping as much pressure as possible off his injured leg.
Medicham looked around, but could see no more Ultra Beasts nearby. Nebby floated up to her. "are you all right?"
"I'll be fine," Medicham replied. "Golisopod! What can I do?"
Golisopod glanced over to her. "Take this!" He grasped two Super Potions from a pouch on Guzma's belt and tossed it to Medicham, then took two more himself. "Use one yourself, give the other to Zossie!"
"Right." Medicham stepped over to the fallen form of the female Ultra Recon Squad member. She was gasping, holding one hand over her chest in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood.
"Zossie," Medicham said urgently, whatever anger she held for her lost in adrenaline. "Roll over, I can-"
"Dulse." Zossie looked up at Medicham from the ground. "Where is Dulse?"
"He's dead," Medicham replied. "You want to join him, or do you want to live?"
Zossie coughed. "Don't be a fool. I'm already gone." She withdrew her arm from her chest, allowing yet more blood to flow from the gash in her stomach. "I need you to take this."
She raised her other arm to the first one's wrist and tapped several times on it; a small oblong object ejected from her armor. "It's got data on the Ultra Beasts," she said. "Typings, capabilities, even personalities." She coughed again. "Necrozma was right. We've sacrificed millions just to save our own damn skins. But now that it's over…I know I can't take any of it back. But maybe this'll at least save one timeline."
Medicham grasped the object tightly. "Thank you."
"Get out of here," said Zossie. "With any luck…they'll stop searching for you so they can finish me off."
Medicham, with a last nod, retreated, allowing Zossie to slump back down to the ground. She turned to see Masquerain and Vikavolt rising. Vikavolt was still missing a wing and Masquerain's abdomen was split open, but the Super Potions had stemmed their bleeding.
Medicham stepped over to Golisopod. "Here." She pressed one of the Super Potions into his claws and began spraying the other on her injured hand.
"What about Zossie?"
"She's staying here," said Medicham.
Golisopod nodded and swiftly sprayed himself with the Super Potion; it looked awkward in his claws, but the way he managed it told Medicham he'd applied plenty of Potions before. Medicham was grateful to see the blood stop flowing from her hand; by the time she'd finished the Super Potion, Golisopod had as well. He quickly stuffed the empty bottle back in Guzma's pouch. Medicham followed suit.
"We gotta go," Golisopod growled. "Medicham, help me pick Guzma up. Masquerain, stay low, find us an open building we can hide in. Vikavolt, keep watch. We don't want to get surprised."
"i'll help." Nebby's voice was nervous but determined.
Golisopod dipped his head. "Come on." He wrapped his clawed hands gently around Guzma's upper half; obediently Medicham grasped Guzma's legs, and together they lifted him up and began to walk after Masquerain.
The Flying/Bug-type led them past the fallen Zossie; Medicham locked eyes with her as they passed her by, and she smiled softly as they left her behind.
It only took a couple nervous minutes before Masquerain fluttered back towards them. "Looks like all these buildings are open. But that one over there looks good. Not too close to the Megalo Tower, and plenty of places to hide."
"Sounds good to me," said Golisopod.
Medicham nodded and turned to follow Masquerain. It took another minute, even more nerve-wracking than the first two, before they reached the building's entrance. Thankfully, no Ultra Beasts had come screaming out of the sky after them. Medicham had just started to wonder where they all were when they heard a faint scream from behind them. The scream lasted for about five seconds before dying out. Zossie, Medicham thought, and from the looks on the rest of the groups' faces they'd had the same realization.
"In, before they find us." Masquerain led the way inside. Medicham and Golisopod followed, still carrying Guzma between them; Vikavolt and Cosmog moved through the door last, quickly moving to the sides to ensure no one spotted them through the door.
The inside of the building was shrouded in darkness, and what little area Medicham could see was covered in dust; clearly it hadn't been used in a very long time. Masquerain moved ahead; a few seconds later her voice came from the darkness. "Through here. There's a room with a back door. We can shelter there."
The group followed Masquerain's voice into the room in question. It was small and empty, but true to Masquerain's word there was a back door. Medicham and Golisopod quickly but gently set Guzma down on the floor, and only when Vikavolt and Cosmog were through the door to the room did they all finally relax.
A few moments passed as the silence was punctuated only by the four Pokemon breathing heavily, tension and effort having exhausted them. Medicham slumped against a wall as tiredness finally kicked in. She hadn't gotten a real rest since the ferry to Ula'ula Island, she only now realized; it had been all fighting, with only occasional breaks, from the moment they stepped onto the island. She felt her eyelids begin to droop.
"Hey." Golisopod was in her face. "You all right?"
Medicham nodded tiredly.
Golisopod relaxed again. "Look, Medicham...I get that I haven't exactly been friendly to you and your team," he said. "But I just want to say...thanks. I...don't think any of us would have ever forgiven ourselves if Guzma...didn't make it."
Medicham smiled slightly. "I know how it feels, believe me."
"Does Guzma have Revives in his pouch?" Masquerain asked. "Now that we're safe, at least for the moment, we might be able to-"
"If he had Revives, we would have already used them," Golispod responded. "We'll have to wait for him to wake up naturally."
A grim silence accompanied Golisopod's words, persisting for several seconds afterwards, until Masquerain spoke again. "All right, let's just deal with the Copperajah in the room," the Bug/Flying-type said. "How do we get out of here?"
"i don't know," Nebby replied. "i mean…my teleportation can get us home…but i don't know how to activate it. it just happens when it's needed."
"So like a self-defense mechanism," said Vikavolt. "Could we manipulate that somehow? Like throw him in the path of an Ultra Beast and he'll teleport?"
Medicham frowned at the suggestion, but before she could speak up Nebby's voice became audible once more. "i don't think it works like that," said Nebby. "and besides, i don't know if my teleportation will bring you back as well."
Masquerain sighed. "So our one way out is completely unreliable even if it does happen, which it's not likely to. Fantastic."
"I think," said Medicham, "our best option is to wait. Stay here, lie low, and hope either Guzma wakes up or Nebby manages to teleport within a reasonable timeframe."
"Yeah, that seems like the best plan we've got," Golisopod growled.
"So what did Zossie give you?" Vikavolt asked.
Medicham only now remembered the device; she'd been clutching it in her hand the entire time she'd been carrying Guzma. She opened her hand to reveal it. "Zossie said it had data on the Ultra Beasts."
Vikavolt leaned closer. "That plug matches the outlets on the technology the Squad had back in Aether," he said. "You think we can find an outlet here?"
"Even if we do, it's not like it's gonna have power," said Masquerain.
Vikavolt stared at her. "Electric-type, remember?"
Masquerain chuckled. "All right, I'll see if I can find an outlet."
It only took a few seconds before Masquerain located an outlet that would fit the device. Medicham plugged it in, Vikavolt shot a burst of Electric energy into the general area, and before their eyes a holographic screen, similar to what Medicham had seen before in Aether Paradise, flared to life.
The group gathered around it, though Golisopod hung back, keeping one eye on Guzma. Before them lay images of Necrozma and the nine Ultra Beasts, each image accompanied by several lines of writing.
Medicham scanned the names, typings, and general capabilities swiftly. Nihilego - Poison/Rock, excellent at mental domination utilizing influencing neurotoxins. Buzzwole and Pheromosa - both Bug/Fighting, a burly brawler who could enhance his abilities by using the stinger on his face to drain vitality from others and an insanely fast striker who could use pheromones to force adversaries to comply with its will. Xurkitree - pure Electric-type with the capability to output 1,000,000 volts of electricity. Celesteela - Steel/Flying, could unleash explosions of Blaze from its arms strong enough to level an entire forest. Kartana - Steel/Grass, insanely fast and capable of cutting through practically anything with its bladelike arms, but incredibly frail. Guzzlord - Dark/Dragon, with a body that somewhat resembled a black hole and an appetite to match. Stakataka - Steel/Rock, comprised of over a hundred stone-like creatures that could manipulate the larger body effectively at will. Blacephalon - Fire/Ghost, could throw and regrow his head and had a penchant for large explosions. And Necrozma, though only in the form they'd first seen him in and not the stronger form that had dismantled five Legendary-level fighters in one attack - pure Psychic-type, utilizing a mixture of Mind and light-based attacks to overwhelm any opposition through sheer Psychic power.
Medicham's head was already spinning by the time she made it to the end of the list. It hadn't really hit her until now that these weren't just extremely powerful adversaries; the Ultra Beasts were all Legendary-level in their own right, and Necrozma was even stronger than they were. And that wasn't even mentioning Darkrai, who wasn't even on the list.
How are we possibly going to get out of this alive?
"Well, that explains plenty about Kartana." Vikavolt glanced at his missing wing. "Incredibly frail, and Steel/Grass…I wouldn't be surprised if Medicham knocked it out completely."
Medicham should have felt pleased at that, but all it did was make her even more nervous. She'd seen Kartana glance at Golisopod before delivering the final hit to Guzma. If Medicham had truly knocked him out, he'd definitely want vengeance. And if he caught up to them, Medicham harbored no illusions that her death would be quick.
"Something wrong?"
Medicham looked towards Masquerain, ready to answer, but Masquerain wasn't looking at her. She was looking at Nebby, who was trembling as he scanned the holographic screen. Nebby nodded shakily.
"What's on your mind?" Medicham asked.
"i've just been thinking," said Nebby. "if necrozma's such a strong psychic, then how hasn't he found us yet?"
There was a brief moment of silence as the rest of the group digested Nebby's query.
"You're right," Golisopod growled. "It's not like we've got Psychic shielding. By all rights Necrozma should have found us."
"So how hasn't he?" Vikavolt asked.
"Because of me."
The voice slammed into the occupants of the room like a shockwave; Medicham saw the three members of Guzma's team buckle, saw Cosmog drop to the floor with a mental cry of pain, saw Guzma's unconscious body twitch. But none of that mattered. Not when her own mind was searing with this kind of agony. She could tell she was on her knees and was pretty sure she was screaming, but then the pain intensified further and her vision went black.
A few seconds later Medicham's eyes fluttered open. Instantly she beheld the blood-soaked, snow-covered forest clearing around her. She instinctively looked around for the dojo, but no tan walls were to be found. Just encroaching scarlet-washed trees in all directions, with only darkness behind them.
And then he emerged, the darkness coalescing into the dominantly black form of Darkrai, his blue eyes piercing Medicham's soul. Medicham instinctively shrank back from the aura of Oblivion that radiated from Darkrai's body; her skin crawled at its touch.
"Necrozma's a good friend, of course," said Darkrai. "He saved me, after all. But when he finds someone he really doesn't like, he never leaves them for me. Now, though, I get you all to myself for just a little bit. It's not like Necrozma cares if you're delivered to him fully alive or half-dead."
Medicham couldn't stop herself from trembling as she stared up at Darkrai. She knew she was in the Dream World, and memories of the slow, agonizing death of Lusamine's Clefable were dancing in her mind. She swallowed and forced herself to speak. "Darkrai, why? Why are you doing this? The Heralds…have you been playing them all along? Just like you did to me?"
Darkrai chuckled nastily. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But as for why I'm doing this…see, I realized a long time ago that the world is just so…boring. And so I decided to make it mine. A world of darkness, with me as its ruler for all eternity." His eyes shone as he spoke. "I was thwarted in my endeavor by a group of fools who could not comprehend the perfection of my desired world. When I attempted to flee, they launched a final attack at me with the intent of fracturing my mind. Rewriting my very memory. But then, in the moment before my mind shattered completely, Necrozma's voice came to me. Gave me something to latch onto. He repaired my mind, brought me to his realm, and offered me a second chance. He promised that once he was complete again, he would aid me in my conquest. And all I had to do in return was free him, use my Future Sight to aid him in pursuing his missing pieces, and occasionally murder a few innocents."
Another chuckle came as Darkrai seemed to grow larger, or maybe that was just a trick of Medicham's vision. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you. I must say, you have quite the traumatic history to draw upon. I love it when that happens. Traumatized minds are so much more satisfying to break."
Darkrai's body grew even larger still, and now Medicham could see shapes in the darkness of Darkrai's form, images of memories she'd long since buried coming to the fore. Memories of Celosia's Ursaring dropping out of the sky, preparing to crush her under its bulk; of Betrayer-Of-Kin preparing to finish off Marcus while Medicham was powerless to help; of Bryony's Beedrill dancing away from her blows as poison slowly overcame her; of Absols forcing her to lie still, stripping away her memories and rewriting her mind as she struggled desperately and futilely; so many memories, and more kept coming, overlapping, tearing at her like a thousand hands reaching to grasp her life like a ball of light and snuff it out-
"Enough."
Darkrai let out a roar of pain; Medicham blinked, and the visions were gone. She realized she was on the ground, curled in a ball; slowly she uncoiled her body, gazing up at Darkrai's form. Darkrai was struggling, his body contorting in a terrifying way, bent in several angles it should not have been able to bend at; as Medicham watched, it shrank to a tiny sphere of darkness and then winked out.
"Medicham? Are you all right?"
Medicham could scarcely believe her ears; that was Darkrai's voice, but somehow it sounded more familiar, more known. She looked around furtively. Was this some kind of trick?
"It's no trick, Medicham. That thing is not me. It is an Aberration. A version of me from another timeline that never should have been able to come here."
Medicham felt her breathing slow. "What…" She struggled to form words. "What is going on?"
"Listen to me, Medicham," said Darkrai urgently. "This is not a fight you should be involved in. I'm trying to free you from the Dream World, but the Aberration's grasp upon you is strong. It will take time to break his hold. I understand you likely don't want to hear from me. But please understand that I am here to help."
Medicham shook her head; she would have taken aid from Giratina himself against this 'aberration'. No matter her anger towards Darkrai, now was not the time for that. "How did you find me in here?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter what timeline you're in," said Darkrai. "If you dream, you go to the Dream World of your own timeline. I've been searching this place for you for half an hour. Now, once I break his hold on you, you will return to the place you left. At that point, you and your allies must run. The Aberration will warn his own allies of your position once he is done with me. Running is your only chance for survival. Now, prepare yourself. I'm almost-"
In the next second, reality folded in on itself.
Medicham staggered as the surrounding clearing surged inwards; she flinched, but nothing touched her, and she opened her eyes in time to see trees and snow and blood and sky flowing into the place where the Aberration had been. All manner of colors slammed into each other, twisting and compacting, forming a slowly growing circle of darkness - a miniature black hole - in the midst of what had once been the blood-soaked clearing and was now a twisted landscape, ridges and valleys surrounding Medicham, trees jutting out every which way, the sky itself arcing downwards towards the black hole.
And from that black hole emerged the Aberration, blue eyes shining. "That's it?" he snarled. "That's all you have?"
"You have no place here, Aberration," Darkrai's voice growled.
The Aberration chuckled. "And you're going to stop me? You don't even have a physical form? Do you know how many timelines I've ravaged by Necrozma's side? He may have lost count, but I haven't. Two hundred and forty-three. And all of them had their very own Darkrai. I overcame every single one. And you know what? You might just be the weakest Darkrai of all."
"Medicham." Darkrai's voice was low. "Duck."
Medicham ducked, and the landscape erupted.
Trees and snow rose, coiling together, manifesting into massive brown-and-white tentacles. The sky coalesced into a bright blue beam of energy pounding down upon the Aberration with a force Medicham could feel even from her low-to-the-ground position. Blood flew forth, expanding as it did so, a tidal wave of it descending on the Aberration.
The Aberration laughed cruelly. "Parlor tricks. Allow me to show you one of my own. Spacial Rend."
The blue beam of energy rippled and folded as space rewrote itself in its path, twisting in midair and expanding even as it flew towards the rest of Darkrai's assault. The tree-and-snow-formed tendrils broke before the eruption of energy, the tidal wave of blood crumbling in the face of this new adversary.
"Time Skip."
Darkrai cried out in pain as the Aberration was suddenly above the dissipating energies, reaching out with one claw. A sphere of Oblivion was hovering in front of his outstretched arm, and within that sphere Medicham could see a wriggling outline, almost like a faded version of the Aberration's body. Her heart dropped as she realized that it was Darkrai, trapped in the sphere.
"I conquered the minds of Palkia and Dialga themselves!" the Aberration cried. "And with that conquest I gained access to control over space and time! Only a facsimile of their true strength, but even that is enough to place me leagues above all other Darkrais! Did you really think a weakling like you had a chance to defeat me?"
"Dark Void."
The bubble of Oblivion exploded outwards straight into the Aberration's face. It was the Aberration's turn to let out an agonized scream. "Bad Dreams!" Darkrai snarled; though the bubble had faded, his faded form was still visible, brought into some semblance of being by whatever the Aberration had done. Medicham's surroundings changed, the twisted remnants of the clearing fading from view. New scenes revealed themselves, spreading open before Medicham like the opening pages of a book. Scenes of two draconic Pokemon that Medicham somehow knew as Dialga and Palkia despite not knowing what they looked like beforehand, scenes of a tower falling, of a Grovyle and another being so blurred Medicham couldn't make their form out plummeting uncontrollably through time, of the blurry being and another just like them standing side by side with a strange-looking upside-down arch-like Pokemon whose name - Cressilia - popped into Medicham's mind the same way Palkia and Dialga had, of the Aberration's body flying through a hole in space-time, Palkia rising behind him, using Spacial Rend, rupturing his mind, tearing it to pieces within his skull-
"Stop that!"
Oblivion exploded out of the Aberration's body, blasting the visions apart; the fractured pieces of the visions slowed as they flew, moving sluggishly as if traversing through an ocean. In that same moment, Darkrai lunged forwards, one claw reaching out, expanding into a wave of Oblivion as it flew towards the Aberration's face. "Time Skip." In the next moment the Aberration was right in front of Darkrai, head ducked under the wave of Oblivion, one outstretched fist buried in Darkrai's gut.
"Spacial Rend."
Darkrai's faded body fractured into a hundred pieces; another mental scream of agony rippled through the Dream World. The Aberration snapped his fingers, and a pulse of Oblivion - a supremely overpowered Dark Pulse - burst out from his body, sending the scattered remnants of Darkrai flying in all directions. Medicham staggered as the backlash from the powerful attack struck her; she tripped over a broken piece of space-time and fell, gazing up at the twisting fragments of the Aberration's visions.
Darkrai's scattered pieces began to coalesce again, but the Aberration shook his head. "Temporal Stasis." The faded pieces froze; the form of Darkrai was somewhat visible amidst the fractured parts, but he was still strewn about, unable to pull himself together in the area of frozen time the Aberration had created.
The Aberration now reached out both his hands, conjuring another sphere of Oblivion around the frozen, shattered form of Darkrai. "That trick will not work again," he snarled. "You know, it's times like this when I really wish I could kill other Legendaries. Damn Arceus and his rules…that would have made everything so much easier. But who cares? You seem to be quite fond of this Medicham...so I'll just make you watch as I tear her mind to pieces."
A whisper came from Darkrai's faded form, too quiet and strangled to hear.
"What's that?" The Aberration chuckled again. "You have something to say, Darkrai? Speak up. I want to hear you beg."
Darkrai's voice sounded like it came from a hundred different throats as he spoke, his words barely audible. "You lose."
And with that, Medicham felt a hold on her - a hold she hadn't even felt - disappear. The Aberration twisted. "No!" he snarled, reaching out; Darkrai took full advantage of the moment of distraction, reconstituting himself and blasting away the sphere. The last thing Medicham saw before the Dream World faded away was Darkrai raising his faded hands, taking control of the Aberration's fractured visions and sending them flying at the Aberration from all directions like a thousand shards of glass.
And then reality faded back in, and Medicham saw Nebby's face obscuring her vision; she let out a groan. "you're alive!" Nebby cried joyously, face splitting into a grin. "thank arceus, you're alive!"
Medicham rose into a sitting position and swiftly looked around the room. Golisopod, Masquerain, and Vikavolt were sitting around her, looking obviously relieved. "What happened?" Golisopod asked. "How did you survive?"
"Darkrai," Medicham responded, rising to her feet. "We have to go now. He won't be able to hold that thing off for much longer."
"Wait, what?" Masquerain asked.
"That thing that's with Necrozma - that's not Darkrai," said Medicham. "Well, it is, but it's not ours, it's from an alternate reality. Darkrai - the one from our timeline - is fighting it right now. We need to leave quickly."
"I'm confused, but okay," said Vikavolt. "All right, let's get out of here. Golisopod, Medicham, can you-"
Vikavolt was interrupted by a groan; all eyes flicked to Guzma as his eyes fluttered open. "What…" He put a hand to his head, grunting unintelligibly.
"Guzma!" Golisopod rushed to his side. "Come on! We need to go."
Guzma shook his head to clear it and rose, waving off Golisopod's attempts to help him up. "Damn it…I can't believe this. How'd I manage to get suckered by those…those…"
"Not important," Medicham said telepathically. "We have to run now."
Guzma's gaze flicked to Medicham, lighting up in surprise. He turned towards the members of his team, who all nodded in confirmation. A wan smile split the Team Skull boss's face.
"Well, all right then," said Guzma. "Any idea where we're running to?"
"away," said Nebby simply.
Guzma shrugged. "Away it is." He turned back to his Pokemon. "Vikavolt, Golisopod, I see those injuries. Get back in your balls. Masquerain, you good to fly?"
"I'm fine." Masquerain nodded.
Guzma smirked, recalling Golisopod and Vikavolt. "Then lead the way."