About the worries of long chapters being without merit…it seems that judgement was a little hasty.
Then again, real life has chosen an inopportune moment to rear its ugly head and bury me in schoolwork. I swear, at this point it feels like some outside force is trying to stop this arc from being made.
In light of that, I'm going back to the whole 'next-chapter-will-be-released-between-four-days-and-a-week-later' plan I had coming off of my short impromptu break.
In spite of my real-life woes, I hope you do enjoy this chapter. And I also hope you enjoy waiting for the next one…because trust me.
Once you get to the end of this one, you are going to hate me.
Screams and the sounds of fighting filled the air as Betrayer-Of-Kin stepped out of Oblivion. She looked around, recognizing the island she was on. Akala. The landmarks were all there, though last time she'd been here, it had not been a battle-scarred warzone.
Betrayer-Of-Kin could see pockets of fighting. Here a few Trainers battled a dozen enemy Pokemon, there a Herald was leading a group of wild Pokemon against the right flank of a battalion of Necrozma's troops. Betrayer-Of-Kin stepped behind a half-overturned pile of crates, not wanting to be noticed. Surprise was key if she were to succeed.
Marcus is on Melemele, Betrayer-Of-Kin recalled from the news broadcast. I don't want to be in Oblivion longer than I need to…the longer I am in Oblivion, the more likely it is I'll be spotted.
So I'll save Oblivion travel for the ocean crossings. I can make it across Akala on foot.
Betrayer-Of-Kin set off, keeping to the shadows, resolving to skirt the edges of Akala so as to remain as far away from the ongoing war as possible.
If there was one good thing Zekrom could take away from this, it was that Marshadow hadn't actually turned traitor.
But that was where the good things ended. Marshadow being possessed by an entity as malevolent as Dark Rust meant that Zekrom was now facing a Marshadow without morals. And the last time that had happened, Marshadow had overtaken all of Alola, and it had taken three Legendaries, including one of the three Creators, to bring him down.
And now Zekrom was facing him alone.
Not forever. He'd called for help over the mind-link, and his calls had been answered. No help would be coming from the Dogs of War, who were caught up in their fight with Primal Dialga. The Tapus and the other Alolan Legendaries were finishing up their fights, though Volcanion was still finishing off Blacephalon. Help would soon arrive.
He'd just have to hold on until then.
"Teravolt: Hypercane!" Zekrom saw no reason to hold back against Rusted Marshadow. Wind exploded from his body, a spiral of clouds coalescing around him, swirling at twice the speed of the hurricane he'd used to incapacitate the Dark Legion. Zekrom floated in the midst of the hypercane, glaring at Rusted Marshadow, daring the creature to come at him.
Rusted Marshadow glared back, and then Distortion rippled around his body as he faded from existence.
Zekrom knew a Shadow Sneak when he saw one. Not bothering with Teravolt, he simply unleashed an omnidirectional blast of Lightning from his body. He heard a grunt as Rusted Marshadow materialized behind him and spun in time to see the creature, floating beside Zekrom in the eye of the Hypercane, punch through Zekrom's Discharge with an Aura-wreathed fist.
Zekrom was stronger in ranged combat than in melee, but with Rusted Marshadow so close his options were limited. Tapping into his reserves of Eterna, Zekrom lunged with a Dragon Claw, his long black claws leaving five-pronged afterimages of Eterna as they swept through the air. Rusted Marshadow was fully prepared for such a move, however, easily sidestepping Zekrom's attack and lunging forwards to counter with a punch to the face. It hurt more than anything Zekrom had felt in a thousand years. Zekrom staggered backwards, barely stopping himself from falling into his own Hypercane.
"Teravolt!" Zekrom snarled as he dug his claws into the ground, pointing at Rusted Marshadow as the latter came at him for another punch. "Absolute Zero!"
The temperature around Rusted Marshadow instantly plummeted. Rusted Marshadow's punch instantly slowed, rendered sluggish by the drop in temperature, and Zekrom easily dodged out of the way. With his Ability he could repel the cold air from his body, leaving himself in comparative warmth. Rusted Marshadow had no such Ability; it was forced to teleport out of the center of the Hypercane, reappearing outside the swirling winds, in order to avoid being rendered completely useless by Zekrom's Absolute Zero technique.
Given a few seconds of breathing room, Zekrom steadied himself and glared at Rusted Marshadow, making sure to keep Absolute Zero up within the eye of the Hypercane. Marshadow was already strong for a Legendary. But with that power behind that punch, Zekrom was fairly certain Rusted Marshadow had the combined power of Marshadow and Dark Rust behind it.
Which meant Zekrom's chances of victory had gone from slim to none.
Still…that doesn't mean I can't damn well try.
As long as Zekrom could create an inhospitable environment around him with Hypercane and Absolute Zero, Rusted Marshadow's combat prowess would be effectively neutered. Zekrom had no doubt Rusted Marshadow had some way around that. But the longer he was able to stall, the more likely it was someone could come help.
Rusted Marshadow met Zekrom's gaze. Its fists abruptly lit up with Blaze, and it teleported once again into the eye of the Hypercane, lunging at Zekrom the instant it materialized.
Of course. Fire Punch. The Blaze would not entirely counteract Absolute Zero, but it meant that the area was no longer completely inhospitable. Zekrom gritted his teeth.
If there's no more getting him out of here…then a melee duel it is.
"Bolt Strike!" Zekrom roared, summoning Lightning around his claws. In the eye of the Hypercane, winds roaring and clouds swirling so fast that they were barely visible from the outside, Zekrom and Rusted Marshadow lunged at one another, Lightning and Blaze coursing around their bodies, one fighting for time, the other yearning to close out the battle as quickly as possible.
By all accounts, the battle was seemingly going well. Most of the Ultra Beasts had been finished off - Volcanion was still fighting Blacephalon in Aether Paradise, and Tapu Bulu was working on finishing off Guzzlord in Po Town - and Necrozma's seemingly infinite forces were at last beginning to wane. In particular, Poni Island had mostly been cleared of enemies; Zeraora had finished Xurkitree, Tapu Fini had dealt with Celesteela, and by now Necrozma's forces had been diminished to a point where Emma, who had gone with Tapu Fini to Poni Island, was no longer needed there.
Which had brought her to Akala Island, where despite the fact that the Ultra Beasts there - Kartana and Buzzwole - had been felled as well, fighting was still raging. Mimi was close by her side as she teleported in courtesy of Wigglytuff. The fat Fairy-type was the newest member of their team, caught to satisfy the six-Pokemon requirement for the Elite Four, but had rapidly proven herself more useful than just a filler slot - her teleportation capabilities were evidence enough of that.
"Spread out!" Emma called; Florges, Granbull, Aromatisse, Whimsicott, Wigglytuff, and Mega Mawile leaped into battle, piling into the already beleaguered-looking enemy lines with clear glee. "Mimi, stay with me," Emma ordered. "Just in case they try anything."
Mimi did so, keeping a close eye on everything around her. Everything seemed under control, but Mimi had been in enough battles to know that even when things seemed under control, she could not relax.
Most of the time, the enemy had one last thing up their sleeve. And she would not allow herself, or Emma, to be caught off guard by whatever that was.
"mInD bLoWn!" Blacephalon shrieked, tossing yet another exploding copy of its head at Volcanion.
"Water Absorb: Steam Eruption." Volcanion crouched. Blaze rippled around the barrels of his twin cannons even as they dissolved into Torrent; the two completely opposite elements exploded outwards in a pair of powerful jets, fire and water swirling around one another as they arced towards Blacephalon, ripping through his Mind Blown as they went.
Blacephalon tossed another Mind Blown, this time detonating it in the center of the two streams, blasting the energies away. Volcanion charged Blacephalon, forming his entire body into water as he did so, surging upwards in a respectable imitation of a tidal wave.
As he did so, Starmie glanced away from the fight between the two Legendary-level combatants and towards the fight he was actually involved in. He casually blasted away a Galarian Weezing with a simple application of Mind, then turned to see if his Trainer was okay.
Misty was standing in the center of what had once been one of Aether Paradise's Pokemon Sanctuaries, guarded by Psychic screens raised by both Starmie and Golduck. It was now, like the rest of Alola, a warzone. From what Starmie had gathered, Aether had been caught totally unprepared, and Blacephalon had killed enough humans and Pokemon to activate his Beast Boost Ability, making it a much tougher fight for Volcanion despite the type advantage. Volcanion was winning, but it was clearly taking longer than the Legendary was desiring, and every extra second the fight went on meant more destruction was wrought by Blacephalon's explosions. Starmie was pretty sure this Pokemon sanctuary would take years to get back up and running after this battle.
But that was not Starmie's problem, as much as he disliked admitting it. Even with his power, he was nowhere near the level of strength Volcanion and Blacephalon were battling at. It was his job, along with the rest of Misty's team - Gyarados, Golduck, Politoed, Blastoise, and Seaking - and the members of Aether Paradise still standing to fight off the horde of regular Pokemon that had assaulted the facility alongside Blacephalon.
So Starmie threw himself back into the battle. "Illuminate," he murmured; the Ability gave him a measure of control over light, and as such he formed lights across several of the enemies, outlining them in brightness and making it easier to distinguish them from the Pokemon around them. Two were Dark-types, and those he felled with pinpoint blasts of Torrent; the rest were done in by more applications of Mind.
"Moxie: Tremor Tail!" Starmie glanced over in time to see Gyarados, body glowing with power, slam his tail into the ground, imbuing the strength gained from all the damage he'd inflicted over the course of the battle into the attack. The Earthquake that exploded outwards sent an entire cluster of enemies flying in different directions, temporarily clearing the field of foes as many slammed into their fellows and bowled them over as well.
"Mind Gem," Starmie intoned. The stone in the center of Starmie's body that doubled as his eye glowed with Mind, and with only the slightest of exertions, Starmie unleashed a wave of the purple energy that washed over the ranks of enemies felled by Gyarados's Moxie-boosted Earthquake. At least a dozen slumped, knocked unconscious from the two attacks.
"Ha! This is easy!" Gyarados crowed as he turned towards Starmie. "Aside from the Ultra Beast, these Pokemon are chumps!"
"Such words should wait to be spoken until after the fight is over," Politoed pointed out, stepping to Gyarados's other side.
"Normally, I'd say you're right." Blastoise moved to Starmie's right, forming a line with the other three members of Misty's team. "But at this point, if they had anyone stronger, I think they would have already sent them out."
"Guys?" Seaking's voice came from where he and Golduck were standing by Misty's side. "Problem, left!"
Politoed shot an irritated glance at Blastoise and Gyarados before turning to the left; the other three turned as well, and all four saw the woman who had just emerged from one of the many gaps in the walls.
The woman was dressed in a white bodysuit with purple and gold highlights. Her dark brown hair was done up in a fairly high bun; her slightly lighter brown eyes radiated confidence as she gazed upon Misty and her team of six. Half a dozen Pokeballs sat around her waist; swiftly, she ran her hands across all of them; an Alakazam, a Houndoom, a Lapras, a Gardevoir, an Exeggutor, and a Sableye emerged, forming a half-circle around the new arrival.
But Starmie's eye, and the eyes of the rest of the team, were fixated on the bright red R emblazoned on her waist.
"Team Rocket?" Misty queried in surprise.
The woman grinned. "How naive you are to think Necrozma only brought Pokemon as his allies," she mocked. "Let us see if your battling skills reflect your naivety, Gym Leader."
Three Psychics, two Darks, and a Lapras. Starmie grimaced. The Psychics look like the biggest threats to us. "Gyarados, take the Exeggutor," Starmie ordered. "Golduck, the Gardevoir, and I'll handle the Alakazam."
"Got it," Gyarados and Golduck chorused.
The Team Rocket-aligned woman raised a hand and pointed; she said nothing, but from the way her team sprang forwards in perfect coordination, Starmie suspected she herself was a Psychic of some power.
Misty's team leaped to their Trainer's defense, and renewed conflict exploded in the destroyed, body-filled room that had once been an idyllic oasis of peace and comfort.
Zeraora rose to his feet, grimacing at the dire message Zekrom had communicated. I warned them about Marshadow, he thought. I warned them to be ready for him to turn traitor.
The fact that, from Zekrom's account, it was a case of possession and not an actual betrayal didn't matter. Either way, the battle had suddenly gone from 'on the cusp of victory' to entirely the opposite. Zeraora knew Marshadow was one of the most dangerous creatures on the field, and now that Marshadow was working for the enemy - unwillingly or not - he would have to be stopped before he absorbed too much power, or he wasn't going to be stopped at all.
Zeraora tapped into his speed, and was at the top of one of Poni's plateaus in an instant. Far away, he could see the skies above Melemele. Zacian and Zamazenta were engaged in battle against the creature they had referred to as 'Primal Dialga', and had made it clear they would not be able to help against Marshadow. Zekrom was facing the Legendary in question nearby; the two were already fighting in the midst of one of Zekrom's hurricanes, Marshadow faintly visible as his fists danced with Blaze and Aura. Zekrom was warding him off, but the Lord of Ideals was more of a ranged fighter than a melee one - given time, Zeraora had no doubt Marshadow would eventually overwhelm Zekrom.
And, of course, Necrozma still hung above the twin battles, watching the proceedings closely.
Zeraora's eyes narrowed at Marshadow. He could reach the spot where Marshadow was in an instant. He was Lightning. His speed was nigh-impossible to equal even amongst the other Legendaries.
Zekrom would not be without help against Marshadow. Zeraora would make sure of that.
"Volt Absorb…" Zeraora crouched, feeling his body dissolve into Lightning as he did so. "Lightning Strike!" Transforming fully into a bolt of Lightning, Zeraora unleashed himself at Marshadow, ripping through the sky with thunder booming out all around him.
From his position, at the speed he was going at, it would take about a second to reach Marshadow.
Half a second after Zeraora moved, he heard a booming roar from Necrozma. "Prism Armor!"
Three-quarters of a second after Zeraora moved, he slammed head-first into a polychromatic wall of light and bounced off, reforming into his body as he did so.
Half a second later, Zeraora managed to stop his flight and regain his bearings. He was now floating in midair over the waters between Poni Island and Melemele Island, a little nearer to Poni than Melemele. Zeraora eyed the wall in front of him; as he watched, it rippled, and Necrozma floated out, his body shining as the wall bent around him, coalescing into colorful shining armor that twisted and covered his form.
So he's finally seen fit to join the fight himself. Zeraora grimaced. This was not a fight I imagined getting into…at least, not on my own.
"Your speed is fairly impressive," said Necrozma. "But your power is lacking in comparison. I will not allow you to interfere, creature of Lightning. Yield."
"I don't think so." Zeraora clenched his fists. "Volt Absorb: Plasma Coil!"
Raising one arm, Zeraora dissolved it into a torrent of Lightning-formed spheres, spheres that he launched in a burst at Necrozma. "Prismatic Laser," Necrozma boomed; from his Prism Armor, a barrage of lasers lashed out, scything through the spheres of Lightning. Explosions lit up the sky between Zeraora and Necrozma; Zeraora easily dodged the lasers themselves, but they had done their job.
"Volt Absorb: Lightning Strike!" Zeraora cried, once more turning into a bolt of Lightning. Again he slammed into Necrozma's Prism Armor, testing the creature's defenses; the Prism Armor held, and irritatingly didn't even seem very damaged.
Zeraora danced away from Necrozma's retaliatory swipe, then dodged another flurry of Prismatic Lasers. Despite Zeraora's sheer speed, they came too close for comfort. Zeraora racked his brain for answers. He could probably evade most of what Necrozma could throw at him, but that wasn't going to get him past Necrozma. And while he was being stalled, Marshadow would continue his rampage across Melemele Plateau.
How long can Zekrom hold him off? Not much longer…
"Photon Geyser!" Necrozma bellowed.
Scratch that for now. Zeraora raised both hands in front of him. "Volt Absorb: Plasma Bolt!" A titanic discharge of Lightning exploded out of Zeraora's body just as light burst forth in a stream from Necrozma's; the two beams collided in an explosion so blindingly bright that Zeraora had to look away for a moment.
Frustratingly, a moment turned out to be all Necrozma needed.
"Prism Armor: Polychromatic Fist!"
The next thing Zeraora knew, something had impacted him in the side and sent him flying straight into one of the cliffs that dotted Poni Island.
Groaning, Zeraora looked up in time to see the giant fist of light retreating back into a gauntlet around Necrozma's outstretched left arm. Damn it…Zeraora peeled himself away from the cliff, trying to force back the pain that coursed through his body. He's fast…not quite as fast as I am, but fast enough that he can at least keep up with me. And take advantage of any misstep I make.
Zeraora steeled his nerves. I might not be able to beat him…but I'm not trying to beat him. All I need to do is get past him.
That'll be a tough ask on its own. But I'm not the type to give up when adversity presents itself. If Necrozma thinks he can stop me…
Well, he'll soon find out how wrong he is.
Liepard was, to put it mildly, growing annoyed.
It almost felt like the entire world was against them. Enemy Pokemon filled Kukui's house, their numbers dwarfing those that Marcus, Gladion, and Lillie's combined teams could muster. There were so many enemy Pokemon, in fact, that they kept tripping over each other and getting in each other's way, hindering their collective efforts to break through the comparatively tiny amount of defenders.
Had it not been for that, Liepard was pretty sure the trio of teams would have been overwhelmed long ago. That, and Silvally, who was the strongest Pokemon in the room by several orders of magnitude, and was making that very clear.
Liepard could see Silvally now, unleashing a blast of Flying energy that knocked a Heracross and a Breloom onto their backs, then twisting to toss a swift Ice Beam at a Flapple swooping down from above. A few stray attacks had struck the artificial Legendary, but Silvally still stood as strong as ever.
Shame I can't say the same about the rest of us.
"Poursuite!" Liepard hissed, unloading a barrage of Pursuit rays into the side of an enemy Plusle and Scrafty. The Plusle fell, but the Scrafty took the shots with only a wince. It twisted towards Liepard and lunged, snarling, fist drawn back and glowing with Fighting energy.
"Farceur: Imitateur!" Liepard copied the Scrafty's attack and lunged, easily ducking the Scrafty's wild swipe and punching it in the face with her Fighting energy-enhanced paw. The Scrafty reeled backwards, but in that moment, tentacles grasped onto Liepard from behind.
"Got her!" a voice snarled - a Tentacruel, Liepard realized from a quick glance behind. She could feel poisons being injected into her system by the Water/Poison-type as she tried and failed to escape its grasp. "Finish it!"
Scowling, the Scrafty lunged again. Liepard glanced around, looking for a move that could help her out of the situation. A Shadow Sneak, a Teleport, even an Earthquake would work.
But instead, her eyes fell upon a blast of Flying energy being tossed at Kriesh by a strange-looking Braviary with purple highlights on its surprisingly fluffy body. That'll have to do.
"Farceur: Imitateur!" The Hurricane blasted out from Liepard's mouth, slamming into the oncoming Scrafty and blasting it across the room into a couple of its allies. "Damn you!" the Tentacruel snarled, grasping onto Liepard tighter. Liepard was definitely poisoned now, but at least she had a little more time. She glanced around. I'd definitely take one of those teleportation moves right about now…seriously, a battle like this, and no one's teleporting?
"Get off her!"
Kamado's voice sounded from the right as the Tyrunt slammed headfirst into the Tentacruel, throwing it off Liepard. Liepard dropped to the ground. "Poursuite!" she cried, rounding on the Tentacruel; Kamado launched a Rock Attack at it at the same time, and under the double attack the Tentacruel collapsed.
"Liepard, are you all right?" Kamado queried.
"I'm fine," Liepard grunted. "Focus on the fight." At that point, pain washed up her side and she staggered as the wave of agony momentarily destabilized her footing.
Despite the Super Potion Marcus had sprayed on it, Liepard could still feel the wound that the member of the Dark Legion had made when it had burrowed into her side. She could still feel the corruption it had brought with it; though it had gone, the memories remained. It had beckoned Liepard, urging her to not resist even as the creature burrowed towards her internal organs. And Liepard had obeyed, primal terror giving way to calm acceptance.
If it hadn't been for Zekrom, Liepard knew she would have died right there.
"Liepard, are you - down!" Kamado cried abruptly. Liepard dropped; something soared over her head. She heard a cry of "Dragon Attack!" from Kamado, and a metallic snarl, and then Kamado's voice again, this time upraised in a cry of pain.
Liepard glanced to the side; Kamado was caught in the grasp of a bizarre, robotic-looking Hariyama. "Eliminating resistance," the robotic Hariyama intoned; Kamado cried out as the thing's hand clenched tighter around him, squeezing the air out of his body.
Liepard forced herself to rise, pushing back the haze of pain. "Tranche Visceuse!" she snarled, unleashing a powerful strike upon the robotic Hariyama's back. It achieved what she wanted; the creature dropped Kamado, who fell to the ground and remained there, gasping for breath. But the robotic Hariyama twisted and backhanded Liepard, sending her flying backwards; she hit a wall and bounced off, her face and her spine flaring with pain.
The robotic Hariyama lashed out with a kick that sent Kamado rolling across the room as well, then turned and began to rush Liepard, who was still trying to pick herself up from the ground.
"Beam Impact!"
It was Kriesh's turn to save Liepard, lunging in from out of nowhere to hurl a Hyper Beam into the robotic Hariyama's stomach. The creature doubled over as Kriesh landed between it and Liepard. "Stay away," Kriesh snarled.
The robotic Hariyama straightened up. "Dispensing electricity," it droned; what was unmistakably a Discharge exploded out from its body. "Earth Impact!" Kriesh cried, wreathing her body in Ground energy to take the electric shock. The robotic Hariyama charged Kriesh, one massive fist drawn back.
Kriesh lunged forwards, Earth Impact still coursing across her body, and slammed into the robotic Hariyama's legs. The robot toppled over, landing face-first on the ground as Kriesh flew clear. A Lampent attempted to charge Kriesh from the side; Kriesh batted it away with a flick of her Ground energy-infused wing even as she twisted back towards the robotic Hariyama. "Sky Impact!" she shrieked, diving at the Hariyama.
Who twisted and punched her in the face so fast Liepard barely even saw it.
She only really registered what had happened upon seeing Kriesh reel backwards, blood streaming from the spot where her beak met the rest of her face. What is this thing? Liepard rose to her feet shakily, not knowing how long she could stand with the poison ravaging her system. "Poursuite!" she cried, knowing there was no time to look for a suitable move to copy. The robotic Hariyama barely seemed to flinch at the impact of the Pursuit rays, but it did turn away from Kriesh's fallen form and focus back on Liepard.
Liepard swallowed. That might not have been the best idea…
"Fire Attack!"
Liepard's eyes widened as Kamado leaped up onto the robotic Hariyama's back and clamped Fire energy-infused teeth down on its shoulder. The Hariyama groaned, staggering under Kamado's vicious, desperate attack. But it was not felled, not even after all the damage Kriesh had done to it. "Dispensing electricity," the Hariyama intoned; Kamado was sent flying by the Discharge, slamming into the opposite wall and crumpling to the ground. He was very clearly unconscious.
Kriesh was stirring, raising her head, opening her beak to try for another Hyper Beam as the robotic Hariyama turned towards Liepard once more. And then the wall behind the robotic Hariyama exploded inwards.
More enemies? Liepard's initial, hopeless reaction was swept away when a barrage of energy slammed into several of the foes, dropping them where they stood. Looking up with bleary eyes, Liepard could see five Pokemon standing in front of a tall human with white hair. She recognized AZ from when Marcus had conversed with him outside, before the battle's outbreak; in front of him stood or floated a Golurk, a Sigilyph, a Torkoal, a Relicanth, and a towering Pokemon that Liepard's first thoughts upon sight of were 'is that some kind of prehistoric Amoonguss?'
The Sigilyph was the first to move, lunging at the robotic Hariyama. "Magic Guard: Liberation Burst." Sigilyph's body lit up with an expulsion of Mind so powerful that the robotic Hariyama was sent flying backwards, narrowly missing Liepard. It slammed into the wall so hard that when the energy cleared, Liepard could see it was buried in a sideways crater, the light in its eyes fading to nothingness.
The Relicanth charged with a snarl of "Rock Head: Ancient Smash!". Its entire body became coated in a shell of Ancient as it rushed a towering Mamoswine, resembling a stony missile more than a Pokemon as it slammed into the Mamoswine and sent it careening across the house and out the opposite wall, carrying several other enemies with it.
"Quake Devastation." "Wrath of Vesuvius." The Golurk and the Torkoal launched a combination of Earthquake and Eruption, one to the right and one to the left. Both were so finally controlled that they split around those who were not fighting with Necrozma and came back together on the other side of them, while simultaneously blasting away all of Necrozma's forces, save for about half a dozen fliers who managed to leap clear of the Ground-type attack unleashed by Golurk.
The prehistoric Amoonguss launched itself at the center, where the few remaining enemies stood. "Protosynthesis!" it bellowed; its body seemed to grow in size, almost scraping the roof, as it unleashed a veritable torrent of Grass energy upon the enemies unlucky enough to be caught in its line of fire. All who came under its fire fell, overwhelmed by the power the prehistoric Amoonguss unleashed.
And behind the five that had just cleared out an entire army, AZ stepped through the newly-created hole in the wall. He turned to look at the group of about half a dozen fliers to the right that had evaded Golurk's Earthquake and were clearly getting ready to charge at Lillie once more. A telepathic growl emanated throughout the entire room, so loud and so all-consuming that Liepard felt it rattling her mind. "Run."
The fliers hesitated, then turned and fled through the hole in the wall, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Kukui's house was empty of foes and free of battle.
Lillie sagged, sitting down heavily. "Thank you," she panted.
"They will return," AZ intoned. "Heal your Pokemon. Mine will guard against attack."
"Right," said Gladion. "Everyone, come here. Get some potions."
Marcus and Lillie quickly beckoned their teams to their respective sides as well. Liepard stumbled over to Marcus, barely making it to his side before collapsing. Marcus, clearly recognizing poison, grasped an Antidote from the rapidly depleting pile nearby and sprayed it on Liepard; at once, she could feel the poison retreating, her body released from its grip by the healing spray of the Antidote.
The rest of the team stumbled over as well. Trevenant had picked up and was carrying Kamado; as soon as he saw the unconscious Tyrunt, Marcus recalled him into his Luxury Ball. There was no order to the team's movements; they might as well have collapsed in a heap.
I'm not sure we can survive another fight like that, Liepard thought. Thank Arceus for AZ.
"Nebby?" Kriesh asked exhaustedly. "Status update?"
A few moments passed before Nebby replied. "Most of the Ultra Beasts are down. Necrozma's joined the fight, and…" Nebby paused before speaking up again, his voice quivering. "And something's taken over Marshadow."
"Wait, what?" Gladion asked, looking up. "What do you mean, 'taken over'?"
"I mean he's been possessed, or corrupted…I don't know!" Nebby cried. "But he's not on our side anymore!"
"Marshadow's turned?" AZ's voice came from where he was still standing amidst his team. "That's not good."
There was a brief silence as everyone digested the new information.
Pangoro spoke first. "This was a bad idea."
"An' ah suppose ya got a better one?" Drapion asked. "We're here ta protect Medicham."
"We don't even know where Medicham is!" Pangoro pointed out. "Remember? She just disappeared, straight out of her Luxury Ball! For all we know, they already got her!"
Liepard spotted AZ's Sigilyph glance over at that.
"Look, it's not like we can just run away," said Cloyster. "And even if we could, I'm not going to leave Lillie and Nebby. So whether they have Medicham or not, I'm staying here."
"Excuse me."
The group turned to look up at AZ's Sigilyph. "I could not help but overhear that your friend disappeared from her Pokeball," the Flying/Psychic-type said calmly. "May I scan it? I have a theory I wish to confirm."
Evidently the query had been telepathic as well, for Marcus shrugged. "Don't see why not."
Sigilyph bent over Medicham's Luxury Ball; its eyes shone with Psychic energy. After a moment it looked up. "As I thought. Your Medicham's Luxury Ball is filled with trace amounts of mingled Distortion and Oblivion. This indicates that she has been taken by a Perish Song."
"A Perish Song?" Kriesh asked. "But…we didn't hear anything like that."
"Beings of sufficient power," said Sigilyph, "can focus a Perish Song on a specific target. There are very few beings of such power in this world, though some do exist. But I worry…for one of those beings is the Master of Nightmares, Darkrai." Liepard saw Kriesh twitch. "And one of Necrozma's allies, as told by Guzma, is said to be an alternate version of Darkrai."
Marcus cursed loudly, drawing everyone's attention. He bent over, gasping as if the mere action of speaking had exhausted him. Liepard stared at him nervously, for a moment worried that the news had overcome him.
Finally, Marcus raised his head. "We can't worry about Medicham right now," he murmured, sounding as if he was forcibly dragging each word from his throat. "We can do that when the battle's over. Right now, we need to focus on protecting Lillie and Nebby."
He looked around. "Kriesh, Liepard, Kamado. Back in your balls. Yes, I'm serious," he said as Kriesh glared at him in protest. "Look at you, you can barely stand."
As if to prove Marcus's point, Kriesh's legs gave out and she dropped to the ground, snarling in helpless anger.
Liepard did not resist being recalled. She felt a pang of guilt at seeing the five remaining members of Marcus's team remaining outside, wounded as they were. Liepard knew she was more wounded than all of them, but it still felt wrong to sit in her Luxury Ball while battle still raged outside.
"Let's get ready," Marcus said grimly. "AZ's right; they'll be coming back. And I don't want to be caught unprepared when they do."
Bringer-Of-Visions groaned in pain as she slowly rose to her feet. Her entire body ached; she hadn't taken an attack like that in ages. Don't get me wrong…I'm glad the Immortal King showed up. But did he have to send me flying along with Necrozma's forces?
She looked around. Immediately around her, Bringer-Of-Visions could see bodies lying in heaps, the other casualties of the Immortal King's arrival. Far off to her right, she could see the still-ongoing battle between the assembled Trainers and the rest of Necrozma's forces, as above them Zekrom and Marshadow fought, and Zacian and Zamazenta faced off against-
Wait. Zekrom and Marshadow?
Bringer-Of-Visions blinked and looked closer. Sure enough, Marshadow was fighting Zekrom, the two of them trading punches in the center of one of Zekrom's hurricanes. Bringer-Of-Visions gulped, knowing full well the kind of threat Marshadow presented.
The Immortal King would be able to protect Marcus for the time being. Bringer-Of-Visions had to alert others of Marshadow's duplicity. She hated to disturb Darkrai - she knew full well that in all likelihood the Master was currently fighting his own battle - but Darkrai needed to know about the situation down here.
Tapping into Perish Song, Bringer-Of-Visions disappeared from the battlefield in an instant.
Zeraora kicked off the air, transforming into pure Lightning as he did so, and lunged between a barrage of Prismatic Lasers. "Volt Absorb: Plasma Fists!" he cried as he reformed into his normal body, pouncing straight at Necrozma's chest. His fist impacted against the Prism Armor that still protected Necrozma, armor that at once began to shine with light.
"Photon Geyser!"
Zeraora transformed again, shooting downwards into the ocean below as Necrozma's Photon Geyser blasted out into another nearby cliff. Twisting underwater, Zeraora lunged upwards, unleashing a Discharge from his body as he went. "Prism Armor: Polychromatic Barrier!" Necrozma snarled, lashing out with one of his prismatic gauntlets; the gauntlet exploded out from his hand, manifesting into a shield that took the entire Discharge without even a shiver.
"Volt Absorb: Lightning Strike!" Zeraora lunged upwards with the speed and strength of a lightning bolt, colliding with the Polychromatic Barrier with enough force to shift the entire construct upwards. As he bounced off, Necrozma recalled the barrier, forming it back around his arm. "Prismatic Laser!" he cried once more; Zeraora lunged sideways, darting between several rocks to avoid the newest barrage.
This is getting nowhere. Zeraora clenched his fists as he dodged laser after laser. He'd taken two more hits - one from a lucky Prismatic Laser that had clipped his shoulder, another from a backhand from a second Polychromatic Fist - and he could feel his body aching, could feel his movements growing ever so slightly more sluggish as pain yearned to slow him down.
Nevertheless, he leaped out of the way of the last of this round of Prismatic Lasers. Glancing upwards, Zeraora saw Necrozma looming overhead, the Legendary's colorful armor glittering a hundred different colors in the sunlight. "Volt Absorb: Plasma Coil!" Zeraora snarled, unleashing yet another barrage of Lightning-formed spheres at Necrozma.
Necrozma simply raised an arm and took the explosive barrage on his gauntlet. But as the energy dissipated, Zeraora saw Necrozma's Prism Armor shudder slightly, a single fragment dissipating before reintegrating again. Zeraora smirked. Looks like I'm doing some damage after all.
Necrozma glared down at Zeraora. "I tire of you, creature of Lightning." Necrozma raised his left arm overhead and thrust it down. "Prism Armor: Polychromatic Rain!"
Zeraora was entirely unprepared for the entirety of Necrozma's Prism Armor to retreat up his body, up his left arm, and shoot out in a massive tornado of colorful shards down at him, a rain so thick that for a moment Zeraora despaired about ever evading it. And then he grinned.
Necrozma's left himself open. If I can get through this…he can't stop me from abandoning this fight.
Zeraora launched himself upwards, transforming once more into pure Lightning. "Volt Absorb: Plasma Body!" he cried, and with that his entire body discorporated into a hundred individual bolts of Lightning, each bolt small enough that it could easily thread the needle between the plummeting shards of Prism Armor.
Prism Armor rained like shattered glass all around Zeraora's component Lightning bolts as Zeraora threaded through the Polychromatic Rain, jinking every which way to make sure none of his bolts were hit. And then he was out, staring Necrozma dead in the face as he reincorporated himself. As his face reformed, he was grinning up at Necrozma.
"You lose."
"Hardly."
Necrozma's voice was not just a snarl. It was a command, an exertion of willpower over the world itself. All of a sudden, Zeraora felt his flight slow. It took him a moment to realize that gravity itself was rapidly intensifying, counteracting his speed and pulling him back down. Zeraora grimaced, forcing himself to keep rising, knowing if he tried to move to the side he would drop like a stone. But gravity was beginning to win, and Zeraora felt his movement slow and slow, then stop altogether as gravity tugged at him.
"I may prefer to use light in my attacks," said Necrozma, "but I am also immensely strong in the more traditional Psychic arts. You thought you were fighting me evenly, creature of Lightning? No. I did not feel the need to exert more than the slightest bit of effort upon one such as you. I prefer to save my true power for beings who are actually worth my time."
It was at this moment, as Zeraora strained desperately to overcome the increased gravity that was now beginning to drag him down, that a bolt of Life flashed past Necrozma's face, a simple Moonblast that impacted against the nearby cliff.
Necrozma's eyes swiveled towards where the Moonblast had come from. Zeraora looked over, too, barely registering that gravity had abruptly reverted to normal.
It seemed Necrozma was readying himself to focus all his power on the four Tapus floating in the sky in front of him.
"I think you'll find we're worth your time," Lele said, withdrawing her outstretched hand.
Necrozma chuckled. "Indeed," he growled. "It seems the Ultra Beasts didn't last as long as I would have liked…very well, creature of Lightning. Go save your friend, or whatever. But I think you'll find I delayed you for a quite…appreciable amount of time."
Clenching his fists, Zeraora lunged upwards, while the Tapus readied themselves to face Necrozma. But none of the five heard the telepathic signal that Necrozma sent out even as he summoned his Prism Armor around himself once more.
"Nihilego. It is time."
MINUTES EARLIER
"Bolt Strike Flurry!"
Zekrom unleashed a barrage of swift claw-swipes, enhanced with Lightning that crackled around the tips of his claws, each strike sweeping through the air in an arc that left afterimages of Lightning behind. Rusted Marshadow deflected each swipe with a just-as-fast flurry of Fire Punches, near-silent as it fought.
Marshadow blinked, and in that moment one of Rusted Marshadow's punches had collided with one of Zekrom's. Taking advantage of the sudden momentum, Zekrom pushed off Rusted Marshadow, rising up into the air. "Teravolt: Derecho!" Zekrom bellowed, and a cluster of stormclouds exploded out from his body, manifesting a torrent of Lightning bolts aimed at Rusted Marshadow.
But a simple Shadow Sneak was enough to get Rusted Marshadow clear of the stormclouds. Rusted Marshadow rematerialized right next to Zekrom; without a word, Rusted Marshadow reached out a hand, and a wave of Rust burst out towards Zekrom, who barely managed to lunge away in time to avoid the attack.
Zekrom bellowed in raw fury; Eterna wreathed his entire body as he tapped into Outrage, and he lunged with renewed speed and strength, his Eterna and Lighting-infused claw-swipes coming at Rusted Marshadow with insane rapidity. But it wasn't enough; Rusted Marshadow called upon Close Combat and met Zekrom's onslaught with a barrage of Blaze and Aura-wreathed punches, the two fighting so intensely that their punches and swipes were little more than blurs.
Through Rusted Marshadow's eyes, Marshadow watched fearfully. He couldn't really do much else, bound as he was by thick ruby-red glowing chains that, he'd already ascertained, resisted his attempts at teleportation. Marshadow suspected they were less actual chains and more constructs of Dark Rust's mind, symbolic rather than material. But, frustratingly, they worked quite well as chains.
Behind him, Dark Rust chuckled. "I will admit," he growled, "this body is powerful. It will be a useful tool to spread my Rust."
Marshadow bit his lip. Replying would only encourage the monster.
"It's strange," Dark Rust observed. "Your powerset…aside from your power-stealing techniques, you mostly rely on melee strikes and teleportation. So limited, yet so strong…tell me you are not enjoying this."
Marshadow fumed.
"Doesn't this bring back memories?" Dark Rust queried. "Back when you were actually respected? You were the most feared creature in this world. Why? Why throw all that away?"
"Shut up!" Marshadow cried. "I'm not that monster anymore!"
Dark Rust chuckled again. "Maybe not," he growled. "But I am."
As Dark Rust spoke, one of Rusted Marshadow's punches finally struck true, and Zekrom reeled, the Eterna dissipating from around his body as he was knocked straight out of Outrage. "Let's finish this, shall we?" Dark Rust snarled; outside, Rusted Marshadow growled the exact same thing. Marshadow couldn't tear his gaze away as Rusted Marshadow lunged for Zekrom's falling body.
Zekrom's eyes flashed open. "Teravolt: Nor'easter!"
A howling, freezing wind erupted from the tumbling Zekrom, bringing with it a localized blizzard rushing straight into the face of Rusted Marshadow. "Argh!" Dark Rust snarled as Rusted Marshadow recoiled, its flight arrested by the sudden blizzard.
And in that moment, a bolt of Lightning struck the small of Rusted Marshadow's back.
Dark Rust howled; Marshadow felt a surge of pain sear his own back as the bolt sent Rusted Marshadow careening into the teeth of the Nor'easter. As Marshadow clenched his teeth, trying to bite back the pain, he heard Dark Rust growl in fury from behind him. "You think that's going to be enough to stop me?" Dark Rust snarled through Rusted Marshadow's mouth. Rusted Marshadow shook its head, recovering from the lightning bolt; with a Shadow Sneak it was out of the Nor'easter as well, and through the still-whirling Hypercane around Rusted Marshadow, Marshadow could see Zekrom floating far below, glaring upwards.
He raised his hand. "I think not," Dark Rust and Rusted Marshadow chorused; in a burst of Distortion Rusted Marshadow was floating right next to Zekrom. Zekrom twisted, lashing out with a Dragon Claw, but before his attack could even come close Rusted Marshadow had hauled back and punched him so hard Zekrom went flying into his own Hypercane.
In but a moment the Hypercane had dissipated, banished by Zekrom's will, the Legendary in question not wanting to get caught up in his own technique. "Absolute Zero!" Zekrom snarled, pointing at Rusted Marshadow, but this time Dark Rust was prepared for the technique, and at his command Rusted Marshadow simply teleported out of the way. A spherical area of the sky froze as its temperature dropped; Rusted Marshadow reappeared behind Zekrom and delivered another swift, powerful punch to the Legendary's form, once more sending him flying through the skies above Melemele Plateau.
"I've been waiting to try this technique," Dark Rust snarled. "Spectral Thief!"
The two words were echoed by Rusted Marshadow's mouth as it dissolved into shadows and lunged at the flailing form of Zekrom. Zekrom opened one eye; it widened as he saw Rusted Marshadow rushing him once more. "Teravolt: Thundersnow!" Zekrom snarled desperately, unleashing a widespread explosive blast of mingled Aurora and Lightning in Rusted Marshadow's general direction.
All Rusted Marshadow needed to do was avoid with Shadow Sneak. He materialized right behind Zekrom; Zekrom, clearly anticipating the move, was already swatting towards him with a Dragon Claw. But Rusted Marshadow hauled back and slammed an Ice Punch into Zekrom's oncoming swipe, blasting it backwards from sheer force combined with type advantage. As Zekrom staggered, Rusted Marshadow teleported behind him, reached out, and grasped Zekrom's shadow tightly with both hands.
Zekrom bellowed out in agony as Rusted Marshadow pulled on his shadow with all its strength. Marshadow clenched his fists as he saw Zekrom's energy form leaving his body, pulled out by Rusted Marshadow's strength. This was the true strength of Spectral Thief - the ability to receive an opponent's power by absorbing their energy form. Marshadow had not used that power since the War of Legends. It was like reliving a bad dream; Marshadow couldn't tear his eyes away as Zekrom's energy form peeled away from his physical body like the skin of a Sitrus Berry, struggling all the way yet helpless to resist Marshadow's ultimate technique.
And then Zekrom disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Rusted Marshadow hanging in the air on his own, holding nothing.
Slowly, Rusted Marshadow turned, and through its eyes Marshadow could see, in the midst of the still-ongoing battle down on Melemele Plateau, N, the green-haired master of Zekrom, glaring up at Rusted Marshadow, holding a glowing Luxury Ball outstretched in one hand.
"Oh, that was uncalled for," Dark Rust growled.
N's mouth slowly upturned into a grin, and he pressed Zekrom's Pokeball again.
"What?" That was all Dark Rust could get out before the sound of Zekrom materializing in midair, right behind Rusted Marshadow, drowned out his voice.
"BOLT STRIKE!" Zekrom roared, and Rusted Marshadow, Dark Rust, and Marshadow all screamed in harmonic agony as Zekrom slammed his Lightning-infused punch into Rusted Marshadow's back.
Rusted Marshadow was blasted into the earth at a hundred miles per hour, hitting the ground with such force that it tore a furrow in Melemele Plateau several yards long and a good couple feet deep. Slowly, Rusted Marshadow turned to look upwards as the form of the Lord of Ideals rose above them. Zekrom's voice, strained but defiant, cried out in fury. "Teravolt: Superstorm!"
And the world became Lightning.
Stormclouds burst out from Zekrom's body, and from them rained a hundred bolts of Lightning, clustered so thickly that they blotted out the dark clouds above. "Enough!" Dark Rust bellowed; Distortion exploded outwards around Rusted Marshadow, and in the next moment it was floating, suspended above the clouds, as below them a large section of Melemele Plateau was consumed in Zekrom's Superstorm.
From the looks of it, Zekrom had been fervently hoping his Superstorm would have been enough to finish Rusted Marshadow off.
Zekrom twisted as Rusted Marshadow lunged, eyes wide. Dark Rust spoke again through Rusted Marshadow's mouth, his voice filled with cold fury. "Time to end this. Spectral Thief."
Zekrom, his last-ditch gambit foiled, could only unleash yet another flurry of stormclouds in all directions. Rusted Marshadow teleported once more, easily evading the storm, and grasped yet again onto Zekrom's shadow. Marshadow looked desperately for N, but Zekrom's own storm now separated him from N.
There would be no escape into a Pokeball this time.
With an almighty tug, Rusted Marshadow ripped Zekrom's energy form out of his physical body completely. Zekrom's physical form began to disintegrate, crumbling into dust, the storms he'd summoned fading completely, revealing the clear blue sky above. Marshadow barely noticed that Necrozma was no longer hanging in the sky - he was more concerned with watching Zekrom's energy form as it slowly disappeared into Rusted Marshadow's outstretched harm. First legs, then torso, and finally Zekrom's head, until at last Zekrom's energy form was entirely absorbed.
Marshadow could feel renewed power coursing through his veins as Zekrom's strength was added to his own. In the time of the War of Legends, he would have exulted at this. Now, he slumped in his chains, knowing that for the other Legendaries still fighting in Alola, defeating Rusted Marshadow had just become twice as hard.
Rusted Marshadow turned towards Zekrom's crumbling physical body. "Well, now," said Dark Rust, "that seems like a waste. Rust."
Rusted Marshadow extended a hand, and Zekrom's physical body was consumed in a wave of Rust. Marshadow's eyes widened as Zekrom's physical body ceased to crumble; surrounded by Rust, it rose up once more, its eyes darkening.
"Watch my back, Rusted Zekrom," Rusted Marshadow ordered.
Oh, Arceus…Marshadow couldn't believe what he'd just seen. He can simultaneously steal all of a Legendary's power and corrupt their physical body into his servant? How powerful is this creature?
Behind him, Dark Rust chuckled again. "I must not forget," he said. "As much as I would enjoy spreading ruin across this land…I have a job to do."
And with that, Rusted Marshadow faded into Distortion, and in another second emerged within the confines of Kukui's house.
The place was an absolute mess, torn apart by the battle that had been raging within. Standing inside were Lillie, Gladion, Marcus, and AZ, surrounded by their Pokemon. All of their eyes turned towards Rusted Marshadow as the shadows dissipated from around it, leaving it floating in the middle of the partially-destroyed room.
"Which one first?" Dark Rust whispered. "Let me see your memories…Lillie over there is the one I would pick, but Necrozma said that Nihilego has dibs on her. The old man would be a waste of time…maybe the brother?"
Silvally stepped protectively in front of Gladion and Lillie.
"Oh, that's a shame," said Dark Rust. "You know what? Let's just go with easy pickings."
In a flash, Rusted Marshadow teleported up to Marcus. Marcus had barely any time to react before Rusted Marshadow touched him and used Phantom Force once again, taking Marcus with him.
They didn't disappear quite fast enough before the cries of shock and terror started; they echoed in Marshadow's mind as Rusted Marshadow reemerged into reality, carrying Marcus by the collar of his shirt. Marshadow glanced around wildly, realizing in just a moment that Rusted Marshadow was now floating a good couple thousand feet in the air.
Marcus realized it, too, if the way his face paled was any indication.
"Goodbye," Rusted Marshadow intoned, and with that he let go of Marcus.
It had all happened so fast. One moment the room had been empty, the next the corrupted Marshadow had been floating in front of them, and then but a few moments later Marshadow had teleported next to Marcus and they had both disappeared into thin air.
All before Cloyster's eyes.
He heard cries from several throats as Marcus and Marshadow disappeared; he did not join in. His voice was stilled by shock. Marcus…this can't be happening. This can't be happening!
And then Marshadow reappeared, once more floating in the center of the room. As Cloyster twisted to face him, he realized that Marcus was nowhere to be seen. His blood ran cold.
In one smooth motion, all of AZ's Pokemon lunged for Marshadow. Swiftly, Marshadow raised both hands and clapped them together. A wave of Distortion blasted out from him, completely stopping AZ's Pokemon in their tracks.
"As if you had a chance." Marshadow's voice echoed with another, the two voices intertwining to create a frighteningly discordant noise. "At this point, my power is far greater than anything you can throw at me. You have seen what I can do to those who resist. Unless you wish to share his fate, I suggest you cease your resistance."
"What…" Cloyster whispered. "What did you do to him?"
Marshadow chuckled. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
"Tell me what you've done with him!" Cloyster snarled, surprising even himself.
He could see the rest of the room glaring at Marshadow as well, not a single one answering his demand for surrender. Marshadow sighed. "Well…I suppose it would be remiss of me not to show you!" In a flash, Marshadow charged straight at Cloyster, fist outstretched.
"Cloyster!" several voices cried.
Cloyster flinched. An explosion sounded right in front of him; Cloyster opened his eye in time to see something tackling Marshadow straight through one of the still-open holes in Kukui's house. Cloyster didn't know who or what it was, but all he saw was a trail of crackling yellow Lightning left behind by the creature.
"What…" Behind him, Trevenant sounded equally confused.
"Zeraora," said AZ. "It seems the cavalry's arrived."
"Nebby," said Lillie, "can you sense Marcus's presence anywhere?"
All eyes turned to Lillie; Nebby hesitated for long enough that Cloyster's heart, rising with hope, began to sink once more. Then he said, "Yes. Far away, but he's alive."
Relief nearly overwhelmed Cloyster, and he sank to the floor in ecstasy. "Thank Arceus," Drapion murmured; the rest of the team still in the room had similar reactions.
"That is good to hear," said AZ. "In that case, let us resume our vigil."
Cloyster rose, looking around. Gladion's entire team was still up; Lillie's Ribombee and Alolan Vulpix were still out; and of course Cloyster, Trevenant, Drapion, Pangoro, and Houndoom were still there to represent Marcus's team. But all were wounded, and as Cloyster looked at the small pile of healing items he saw that only three Potions of various types remained.
Gladion looked over at Cloyster and sighed. "Here." He tossed the three Potions over. "Mine are healed."
Cloyster smiled. "Hey, Trevenant?" he called over his shoulder. "I don't exactly have arms or anything…could you maybe-"
At that point, AZ's Sigilyph gasped, slightly dipping in the air before recovering.
"Sigilyph?" AZ queried.
"I sense a presence," Sigilyph murmured. "A powerful one. Something is coming. Be on your guard."
Cloyster barely had time to shift, readying a Spike Cannon for whatever this new threat was, before what little remained of Kukui's back wall was ripped apart as a massive, monstrous creature came through.
Nihilego, Cloyster realized instantly. He remembered this being from that first encounter with Necrozma and his Ultra Beasts, and even from earlier, when they'd first arrived to Alola in time to see a news broadcast involving this very Ultra Beast. Cloyster remembered last time he'd seen Nihilego, it had overtaken Lusamine, and sure enough, the former President of Aether Paradise was hanging suspended in the center of Nihilego's body. Her eyes were open and she was cackling, a cackle that Nihilego was echoing to create an effect not unlike Marshadow's two-tone voice.
Lillie poked her head around the corner; her eyes went wide as plates. "M-mother?"
Lusamine's head swiveled towards Lillie. "COME, MY DAUGHTER," she, or it, snarled. "WE CAN BE TOGETHER AGAIN. FORGET THESE PETTY ATTACHMENTS, AND JOIN ME."
"Not likely." Gladion's voice was ice cold. "Silvally, Steel-type!"
"RKS System: Steel Memory!" Silvally darted around the corner and lunged for Nihilego, leaping into the air as his entire body shifted to a silvery color. "Iron Head!"
Nihilego lashed out with several of its tentacles, and in the blink of an eye wrapped them around Silvally's torso and stopped his charge cold.
"ANCIENT SLAM." Nihilego raised the struggling Silvally up and slammed him bodily into the ground. Lillie outright cried out in horror; Nihilego raised Silvally once more and tossed him away with seemingly no effort. Silvally landed on his side, skidding across the floor before coming to a stop, panting heavily.
Nihilego and Lusamine chuckled as one. "I SHOULD THANK YOU ALL," it growled. "YOUR DEPLETION OF THE FORCES ASSAULTING THIS PLACE GAVE ME SO MANY SOULS TO FEAST ON. JUST AS NECROZMA PLANNED. NOW, LILLIE…COME."
From Pokeballs on Lusamine's body emerged five Pokemon: a Lilligant, a Mismagius, a Bewear, a Milotic, and a Lopunny, all with eyes blank and bodies wreathed with power.
"Never!" Lillie cried despite the obvious fear in her voice.
"YOU WILL LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!" Nihilego and Lusamine chorused.
"You aren't my mother!" Lillie retorted.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU GO AGAIN, LILLIE!" Nihilego's tentacles thrashed, and as Cloyster watched Lusamine's five empowered Pokemon surged forwards. The gathered teams rose to meet their charge, and once more battle erupted inside Kukui's house.
Betrayer-Of-Kin slipped through a thicket of trees, making sure to give the battle off to her left a wide berth. So far, she'd been able to avoid the brawl even as it ebbed and flowed. She'd seen Heralds, Legendaries, Trainers from mere children to Elite Four members, and had even caught a glimpse of Giratina at one point. She had no idea what the Lord of Distortion was doing here, but she'd avoided him as well as all the others.
There was no sense in being spotted, not even by Giratina.
It was clear, as Betrayer-Of-Kin made her way across Akala, that Necrozma's forces were slowly being pushed back. Even with numbers on their side, the combined force of Trainers, wild Pokemon, and even Legendaries was able to overwhelm the horde through better tactics, greater individual strength, and as the fight wore on, increased morale. At this point, Betrayer-Of-Kin could see several enemies breaking and running; whatever Necrozma had promised them had not been enough for them to risk their lives in a losing battle.
Betrayer-Of-Kin could tell many of Necrozma's forces were opportunists by nature; she could see it in their eyes even from here. Opportunists were good for padding out an army, but not for much else; the slightest hint of adversity and they would start thinking about cutting their losses. Clearly Necrozma had prioritized quantity in these forces over anything else.
Then again, Betrayer-Of-Kin mused privately as she stepped through another copse of trees, it does seem like his main effort is being concentrated towards Melemele Plateau. Likely these attacks are mere distractions…in which case, I can see the reasoning behind his strategy. All these forces need to do is draw battlers away from the focal point of the fighting.
Which, of course, means that the fiercest fighting is going to be right where I need to go to kill Marcus. Hmm…perhaps this was not the smartest idea.
Betrayer-Of-Kin stopped moving, crouching behind a tree trunk to ponder her next move. If there are Heralds on Alola, then likely there will be at least a few situated near Marcus. They would want to protect him, after all. And that's not even taking into account the Legendaries. Or the Trainers in the area.
Betrayer-Of-Kin sighed. I hate to let such an opportunity go to waste. The middle of a battle is a perfect place to kill Marcus, since no one will know whether it was me or someone else. But surrounded as he is…I worry that the risk may be too great.
As Betrayer-Of-Kin thought, a faint sound reached her ears. A scream, coming from high above. Betrayer-Of-Kin looked up, her eyes narrowing to try and spot exactly what was emanating her scream.
She almost stumbled backwards as she saw what was unmistakably Marcus.
He was falling from high above, not directly overhead but fairly close, arms flailing wildly. Betrayer-Of-Kin peered at him more closely. What in Distortion? How in Arceus's name did he manage to wind up in that position?
She was just starting to wonder if maybe Marcus would simply fall to his death when she saw his fingers brush a Pokeball and release that Fearow of his into the air. The Fearow at once dove after him, grasping onto his shirt with her claws and beating her wings madly, desperately trying to slow the rate of Marcus's descent.
Betrayer-Of-Kin watched keenly as Marcus and his Fearow plunged below the tree line. She could tell the Fearow was slowing and angling his fall, but at the same time could tell that they were still going to hit the ground at a not very insignificant speed.
All the same, Marcus might survive. I prefer a more strategic approach…but if fortune drops my target basically right into my lap, it would take a lot for me to pass that up.
With renewed purpose, Betrayer-Of-Kin streaked off, rushing through the forests of Akala in the direction where Marcus and his Fearow had fallen.
"Thunder Jaws!" The one known as Ripper lunged, tearing into the body of an enemy with his Electric energy-wreathed jaws. Straightening up, he expelled a Thunderbolt from his mouth with a snarl of "Thunder Release!", blasting away another enemy.
More enemies came on. From above, a flurry of Moonblasts came as the one known as Enamorus rained Life down upon the battlefield. The one known as Ripper twisted. "Thunder Blast!" Two more enemies recoiled from the Discharge.
He spun again, searching for more. Giratina's will spurred the one known as Ripper on. Told him not to stop until all the enemies were gone. Told him to fight even through the most lethal wounds.
He would do Giratina's bidding. He was Giratina's servant. Giratina was his master, his ruler, his god.
And he would not stop until Giratina was satisfied.
The one known as Ripper heard a cry from above. A familiar cry. He looked up. The cry belonged to a Fearow, swooping down from high above towards the falling form of a male human.
A Fearow.
The Fearow.
FURY.
The one known as Ripper PAIN stopped and shook his head RAGE. Giratina's will was HATE. Giratina's will SUFFERING was FURY. Giratina's RAGE will HATE was PAIN…
REVENGE.
Ripper blinked. Giratina's will was still in his head, but sheer raw hatred was pushing it back as he stared up at Kriesh. The Fearow caught up to the falling form of what had to be Marcus just as they reached the treeline, and the two disappeared behind the row of trees.
Giratina's will was law.
No. Ripper shook his head again. I…I must have my revenge.
I must destroy that Fearow. I must!
Spinning, Ripper fled the battlefield, running in the direction of where he'd seen Kriesh and Marcus fall, ignoring the voice of the god pounding in the back of his head.
Ripper and Betrayer-Of-Kin were not the only ones to see Marcus's descent. For elsewhere on Akala Island, an Espurr and her Elite Four-level Trainer's eyes followed Marcus's plunge until he and the Fearow both fell out of sight.
"Mimi," said Emma, "find whoever that was and see if they're all right."
"Of course." Mimi dashed off, taking one last glance at Emma as her Trainer turned back towards the Fairy-type members of her team. Then Mimi dashed into the forest, and Emma was lost from sight.
Kamado was lying on a bed of hot sand. That was all he knew for sure. The last thing he remembered was being swatted away by that robotic Hariyama - what was that thing anyway? And what had happened to Liepard?
Liepard.
Kamado's eyes shot open in terror.
At once, Kamado had to avert them so as to avoid looking at the sun as it shone brightly above him. He tried to raise a hand in front of his face, but his arms refused to respond at first, and when they finally did they were weak and slow.
"Marcus!"
Kriesh's voice. Kamado slowly turned his head in the direction he'd heard the Fearow cry out from. He realized at this point they were all on some sort of beach. Kriesh was standing over Marcus alongside Liepard a few feet to Kamado's right; the Trainer was sprawled out in the sand, not moving.
Marcus! Kamado at once struggled to rise; in a spray of sand he managed to find his footing. Liepard's eyes shot over. "Kamado!" The Dark-type stepped over to him quickly. "Your Luxury Ball must have hit something awkwardly, because you were released as soon as we landed…"
"Landed?" Kamado looked around, realizing only now that they were not even close to Melemele Plateau. "What…what happened while I was out?"
"Some thing that was possessing Marshadow teleported Marcus into the air and dropped him," Liepard growled. "He managed to release Kriesh as he was falling; she slowed his descent as best she could, but he was still going pretty quickly when he hit."
"Is he…" Kamado was afraid to ask.
"Don't know," Liepard murmured.
"Marcus!" Kriesh cried desperately. "Marcus, come on, wake up!"
But Marcus remained stubbornly unmoving. Kamado and Liepard dashed over as Kriesh leaned closer; grasping his sleeve in her beak, she pulled, trying to raise Marcus. "Come on!" she snarled furiously. "Get up!"
Marcus's eyes flashed open and he gasped for breath.
"Marcus!" Kriesh knocked him down again with the force of her relieved hug. Liepard noticeably relaxed, while Kamado let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Marcus groaned. "Ow…how long was I…" He glanced around. "Where are we?"
"No idea," said Kriesh.
Marcus waited for a few moments before clearly remembering he couldn't understand any of the three Pokemon he had on hand. Slowly, he rose, shaking his head. "Well," he said, "wherever we are, we need to get to a spot where we can figure some more stuff out."
Kamado looked to Liepard, who shrugged.
"Don't worry, you two," Marcus said, smiling at Liepard and Kamado. "You should get back in your balls. Kriesh…I know you aren't 100%, but if you could fly above, maybe figure something-"
Darkness flashed in front of Marcus. Before Kamado's eyes, the sleek, furry figure of an Absol materialized. The first thing Kamado noticed was that the Absol had materialized in midair, her head already twisting, her horn-blade wreathed with Dark energy as it swung downwards.
Directly down towards Marcus.
"Hello, Marcus," the Absol murmured in a dark, feminine voice, and before any of the three Pokemon standing on the beach could do anything, the Absol's horn ripped through Marcus's throat in one clean motion.
Blood sprayed outwards in an arc, and as it fell to the ground, reddening the sand where it landed, Marcus toppled to his knees, his hands coming reflexively to his throat, trying to staunch the flow of liquid. But it did not stop. It flowed through his fingers and down his chest, staining his shirt red as it just contrinued to flow and flow and flow. As Marcus fell to the ground, writhing, choking on the blood pouring from his ripped-open neck, the Absol landed in a crouch, a calm smile on her face, her eyes fixated upon the Trainer she'd just felled. The whisper that escaped the Absol's throat would haunt Kamado's memories for days to come.
"Goodbye, Marcus."
I'll freely admit some elements of Season 2 were more loosely plotted than others. I had a general outline, but the details had to wait until I actually reached those points in the story.
This cliffhanger, though? I've had that planned in its entirety since Season 2 started.