Special Episode 2 – What You Deserve
The clear, blue sky taunted his blurry, tear-warped vision. Claws dug into the dirt. A little voice echoed in his mind.
"Hey, Ra, listen. I'm really sorry you're feeling lonely, and I get it. Can't you just meditate for a while longer?"
Meditate. It's what she always asked for. And for what? For what purpose? He was already strong enough. There was no point… "I have been meditating for centuries, Star. Please… I just… I just need somebody to talk to."
"What about your spirits?"
Ra shook his head, rubbing at one of the giant scales that covered his arms. "It's not the same… it's… it's like I'm…"
"Okay, okay," she said delicately. "I'll think of something, Ra. Just for you."
Lightning shattered the sky.
Thunder deafened all of Nightshade Forest's inhabitants. Wild Pokémon fled in all directions, all but one. The lightning struck the ground around this lone feral, the strongest of Nightshade. The one that he had been watching grow since it was just a little, talented hatchling. It kicked up dead leaves and splintered wood with each bolt that redirected her.
"Ra! STOP!" Star cried, her misty form clutching onto his arm.
"Your words are MEANINGLESS!" Ra roared back, shoving her away. He slammed his scaly arms against his chest, causing another thunderous boom; at the same time, the sky shattered, sending bolt after bolt into the ground. Rain covered the Kommo-o's scales. Electricity danced at the end of his tail and sparks flew across every large plate of his body.
He vanished into electricity, surging upward and into the sky. The inky darkness gave way to white, blinding bolts.
From above, disembodied and one with the clouds, the Electric Guardian watched the scattering forms of the forest. The fire grew where he wanted. The ferals fled. The rescuers went in for the weakling stragglers. It was all just a dance of struggle. A dance he had long since overcome—an existence that he wanted nothing more than to abandon.
Memories echoed in his mind. They were words that cut him more than any claw.
"Hey, Ra! Look at that little lady, eh? She's a little uggo, but I think she's your type. Eh? Eh?"
Ra wasn't sure what 'uggo' meant. Apparently, Star found someone of his 'type.' What exactly did that mean? Another Dragon-Fighter?
"You understand why I am skeptical."
"Ugh, just go in the clouds. Check it out. I bet you'll like what you see."
Ra humored her, looking below—an Aggron? That was his type? That wasn't anything like a Dragon! But… now that she mentioned it, there was something more. What was it? Ra looked closer. "Star… her aura…" For some reason, it felt like he had seen her for so long already.
"See, I knew you'd like her! Now go warm her icy heart."
The world trembled. A Charmander struggled through the rain with a Bulbasaur over his shoulder, meeting with a Delphox and his team. After an exchange, they separated, the Salazzle of that team advancing with the Charmander.
Where was the feral? He sent another bolt of lightning down. He ignored Star's protests and watched his home burn.
"Ouch!" Aggron put her claw in her mouth as if it would help. "You sparked me! How rude—are you not able to control your Electricity at all?!"
Ra shrugged indifferently. "I warned you. You should have been more careful."
Frost surrounded the plants near her. "Insolence! What kind of potential mate do you consider yourself?!"
The ice did not make Ra flinch, even as it crawled over his scales. "A very strong one."
The ice stopped. Aggron glared at him, crossing her arms. "Incredible."
Oh, and who was that? Yes, yes. He saw someone. But what was it? It was too difficult to tell from this far up. Should he come closer? No. He saw it now. He saw the little flame on his tail. That flame seemed to appear out of nowhere. Charmander! Another one! He seemed to be helping with a Jolteon after he'd caught up with the Salazzle-Charmander duo. Yet his aura was quite strange. Their auras—both of theirs—felt suppressed, but in different ways.
Where was that feral? There she is. Yes, keep coming. Closer, closer. She was just what Star deserved.
They nearly had the Jolteon awake. They were too close to Ra, though. If they got too far into the forest, they would certainly find him. And then what? Star might even get a proper minion out of them. That wouldn't do.
Static formed in the clouds, ready to shoot down and into the trees. This time, he wouldn't miss. The Charmander. That same Charmander that carried the Bulbasaur to safety. That light in his eyes. How irritating to see. He'd snuff out his aura first.
Ra took aim. A bolt of lightning went straight for the little thing—but, midway through, it diverted and gravitated for the Jolteon instead. The Salazzle was fried right through her back. Perhaps Jolteon attracted the electricity. How inconvenient.
His power was fading—he had to land to recover. He took a few fleeting seconds to check on the feral. Closer, closer. She was still going blindly in the right direction, right to him.
Ra landed back in the forest with a rough grunt. "Perfect."
"Ra, stop this!" Star bumped weakly against him; she felt like a breeze. "Why?! What did I do?! I'm just trying to—"
"You know what you did."
"I don't!" Star said. Her tiny, transparent hands grabbed the Kommo-o's giant scale on his left shoulder. "Please! Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it! Okay? I'll fix it! I can, I promise!"
Ra stared at Star, glaring a hole through her head. Thunder boomed above—whether that was from a latent surge of his power or the natural momentum of the weather, he did not know or care. The rain drowned out the sound, splashing over his shoulders and dripping down his forehead. He could barely hear Star. The rain, too, passed through her body, only briefly slowed by her presence.
"Please, Ra," Star said. "You know I can't read your mind from here. Is this about Step?"
Ra and the Aggron sat next to each other at the edge of the forest in a rare moment of serenity. The Hunters seemed to have calmed their activities lately, and he sensed no odd auras in Nightshade Forest. The sunlight was welcome.
"I have to comment, Ra," she said, "For someone who follows Mew, you're quite Arceus-like."
Ra squinted at her. "And that means?"
"Hmm…" She crossed her arms, making a deep, metallic boom when they hit one another. "Why do you like Her more than Him?"
Ra twisted his face into one of concentration and uncertainty. "That's… a difficult question, Step."
Step's frozen face expressed her skepticism through her eyes. "Oh? More difficult than 'Do you love me?'"
Ra looked to the ground instantly.
If Step's metallic face was capable of smirking, Ra was sure she would have. Instead, he felt it in her voice. "Indeed," she said. "You said I should be more direct. I am granting that wish."
Ra taunted Step with his own smirk. "Hmph. How silly. That's an easy one to answer."
"Oh?"
Ra reached out and grabbed Star's tiny, transparent body by the chest. His massive claws easily wrapped around her. He pulled her close, staring into her eyes with a gaze so piercing, he was certain it was giving her a headache.
"Your incessant need to fix things," he said, "is itself what must be fixed."
He slammed Star's body into the ground. She cried out in surprise when his claws pierced her gut, cleaving through her ethereal form like pudding. With another swipe, the Kommo-o sliced her aura in half. She evaporated away, returning to Ra as nothing but a blue ember.
He didn't spend too long relishing the feeling of finally making Star disappear, if only for a few seconds. Every moment counted. Ra closed his eyes, ready to become the clouds for the last time. He could feel his power fading. Everything that kept him alive… fading. It wouldn't be long now. A sick smirk spread across Ra's face.
It was time for someone more appropriate to take on Guardianship.
With another crackle, electrical arcs danced over his scales. He shot into the clouds. She was coming right into his abode. He had to act fast. The two Charmander, meanwhile, were running toward the Nightshade Forest Dungeon. Now, why would they bother with that? They must have been trying to save the doomed in there.
He felt the smallest ounce of hope that those two would be successful. Two Charmander, saving those that got trapped in the Dungeon? They may survive the fire, but those trapped would burn. But maybe, just maybe… Ra grunted, shoving the thoughts away.
Ra fell to the ground one last time and spread his arms wide. Five blue embers shot out in all directions, manifesting themselves into similarly crackling spirits.
"Bring her here!" Ra shouted.
They all nodded and bolted into the shadows. Ra watched them for a few seconds, listening to the thunder boom. He closed his eyes again, ignoring Star's pleas to stop. It was too late for that. His power was already waning, and he was surely attracting the Hunters here at the same time.
Step twirled on her feet with newfound grace. She wasn't an Aggron, but instead a fellow Kommo-o. Star had apparently taught her the technique, based off of those strange Orbs invented in a faraway city. While the transformation was temporary, it was long, and it would last for what they wanted.
"Ra… Are you sure?"
Ra nodded. "I've never felt so sure about something in my life."
Step raised a paw to her chin in concern. "Star warned—"
"Star has been wrong before," Ra said quickly. "About a lot of things, apparently. So, I am sure. There is no need to concern yourself with a dead god's warning."
She stared at Ra, sighing. "Very well. If you're so sure… we shall try, just once."
"Twice."
Step widened her eyes and then smirked. Ra liked her smile in this form. "Twice? How eager. Am I that desirable?"
"I want two."
"Ra, did your Dragon culture never teach you how to speak to a lady?"
Ra pondered this. He realized his error. "I would like to have two, please, Lady Step."
Step's expression did not change. "You… are hopeless." Yet she approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Their muzzles touched, and shortly after they were cheek to cheek, chest to chest, tails entwined.
"She's coming," Ra said. "It's time… it's time, it's time…" Despite how long he'd thought about this moment, his heart still pounded. Something primal, he imagined. Self-preservation. A Dragon's pride to live through any struggle. But he was past that. He had ascended into being Star's little demigod long ago. But now, after conjuring a single freak storm, he felt mortal again.
It was wonderful.
And now, he was ready to take full advantage of his mortality. A charge formed in the skies above him and the world flashed. Lightning struck him: straight through his spine and into the ground. He collapsed instantly, and his vision and hearing were gone completely. But he could still feel. He felt the pain of the electricity rocketing through him, the charred scales and flesh of his mortal body, the tense muscles spasming.
He grunted and convulsed—somehow, his hearing returned, though not his sight. Or perhaps it was simply too dark to see. And his own breathing was raspy. He tasted something metallic. Something was partly missing in his mouth. What was it? Oh, it was probably his tongue. He must have bitten it when he had been struck. No matter. He was still alive, and that was irritating.
Even with his ringing ears, Star's pleading was the loudest of all. He refused to listen. He couldn't believe how durable his mortal body was. Could he stand?
He knew physical pain. He knew all sorts of physical pain in his long life. But in his isolation, the few mental wounds he sustained cut deeper than any battle. His immortal body healed from those.
Regrets lasted much longer.
"This way!" Ra shouted.
"Pops!"
"Daddy!"
Ra scooped the two Jangmo-o just in time to evade an incoming blast of Fairy energy. The explosion grazed him and boiled his aura, but he refused to stumble. He ran faster, his two daughters fixated on something behind him. Step, the Aggron, was still holding them off. He didn't even get a look at what it had been, only the blast that had rendered his tail nothing but a numb lump that dragged behind him.
Step roared, slamming her tail on the ground, as a flurry of ice obscured everything around her. Something else screeched; the mutant fell in a frozen heap, but two more took its place, and Step had to retreat.
Ra couldn't shout for her. They'd know his location. His kids were still too weak to fight back. They could only thank the stars that it wasn't an actual Hunter that had found them and only a rogue squad of mutants. But even if they killed them, they'd somehow find out about their presence; they'd have to relocate yet again.
"Mom…" Cent said, shivering. "Is she okay?"
Ra rubbed the back of Cent's head and tapped the great scale on her forehead. "Your mother is too strong to fall to them," he lied. He then set them down.
Kana knew immediately. "Dad, wait—"
"Stay here," Ra said. "Don't move."
"Wait!" Cent shouted.
"Shh."
"We want to fight, too!"
The fire in their eyes made him proud. He'd have to do something to comply with their requests, but now was not the time.
"You're too weak." It stung for Ra to say that, and he knew it'd hurt them even more, but it was true. "Stay here."
They watched helplessly, but they obeyed, and Ra ran through the forest just in time to see Step's icy arm shatter into pieces.
The Kommo-o was still alive. He slowly stood up, trembling, as his claws dug into the dirt. That Mystic power was almost completely gone. All that was left was the residual power of his spirits. They were persisting enough to guide the wild Pokémon his way. But if he was alive when she arrived, the whole plan would be pointless. He'd have nothing to give her.
There was something in his chest. He realized only seconds later that it was his heart, struggling to beat. But it would last too long. His Dragon pride refused to let him die, even now. "Cursed power… even as a mortal, I'm too strong for myself…" he wheezed. "No matter… I only need… to…" He raised his right hand up, claws clenching. "Star," he said, barely able to hear her begging cries. "This is for you."
His claws lit up with blue, dragon fire. For just one second, he hesitated, his mind envisioning those long, indigo flames carving into him. But that was all he spared for himself. He took one last breath.
"It's my turn." Step glared at Ra, her one hand squeezed tight. The other one was nothing but a slowly regenerating, icy nub.
At least she wasn't totally armless by now, but those attacks by the mutants had harmed her so badly that not even Orans could heal them properly. It had been a moon.
"Nonsense, Step," Ra said. "I will hunt. I know a patch of berries, too. You can rest with—"
"It's my turn," Step said, slamming her tail on the ground. Cent and Kana flinched, neither one wanting to interfere, yet they watched from the side in their little, dark cavern of leaves and twisted Dungeon walls.
"W-we'll be fine. There's still some food left," Cent said. "You guys don't need to eat anyway! We'll… um…"
Step was already walking away, leaving Ra no choice but to stay behind with them. He could only pray to Star that she would return safely.
The crestfallen faces of his daughters haunted him. Cooped up in the cave without a chance to leave; the spirits helped teach them how to live normally, and perhaps one day they would be able to, but…
They were still hiding from the mutants and the Hunters. They were too weak to fight back, but he could see the Dragon fire within their hearts.
"Cent," Ra said. "Kana."
They looked up, helpless.
"If you want to fight with us," he said, "we need to train."
At first, they were confused, but then their eyes lit up. Ra's expression mirrored theirs.
Claws plunged into his chest.
"GHHAAAAAAAAUUUU—"
Ra couldn't scream after half of a second. The pain was immeasurable. He forgot what it was like to feel that mortal sort of pain. As a Guardian, he always dulled it. No such luxury blessed him this time.
That meant it was working.
Ra pulled his claws out, convulsing. His mouth tasted nothing but metal. It was too dark to tell what he had pulled out, but it felt very important. He tossed it aside. He wanted to go again. He wasn't dead yet. Had to keep going. Star's voice had fallen silent. In fact, everything was silent. It was odd. That pounding in his ears had been so persistent seconds ago.
In that last, fleeting moment, Ra felt something new and warm—no, hot —inside his chest. And it was one of the few things that lit up the stormy night. He recognized that cursed glow. The dim, yellow glow, like his soul—but it was anything but. If anything, it had been his soul's prison. The Electric Orb. It had returned, no longer finding any use in its host.
With the very last of his strength, Ra brought his hand into his chest and pulled it out; blood fell away from its smooth surface easily. He gave it a weak toss forward—it was all he could manage—and fell backward with a smile on his face.
Cent lay crumpled on the ground with labored breathing and an open wound on her side. The little Dragon tried to move, but one of her legs was bent at an odd angle.
Ra watched with cold indifference. "You're still weak. Try harder. Stand." He cleaned the blood off of his claws with a flick.
Step—her arm was fully healed, now—watched with an open mouth. She shook her head, stepping toward him. "Ra, you're going too hard on them!"
Kana stood trembling next to Cent. She nuzzled her side desperately, but she only whimpered in reply. She stared up at Ra. "Dad! Stop! Cent's bleeding!"
"Pops… it hurts," Cent said weakly.
Ra narrowed his eyes. This was the way that his kind trained. Nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't going to break from tradition. They were Dragons. Such injuries were trivial. They had asked to become stronger; they had been showing so much progress already! It had simply been time to increase the difficulty.
He could sense it in their auras; the light of evolution would bless them today.
"I shall not repeat myself."
Cent gasped for air.
Ra shook his head. They had to evolve; it would surely give them the edge they needed against the Hunters. Otherwise, they would have to stay behind again.
Ra raised his arm to scratch his cheek, wondering if a break was warranted anyway.
"Ra, love, STOP!" She grabbed Ra's arm, holding him firmly.
Ra stared at Step, baffled, and then looked at his two daughters. Barely, his eyes softened. But what burned into his memory the most was her cold glare. He'd never forget it.
First, there was pain. Then, numbness. And after a while, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. His mind wasn't working as it should have. With so little blood, he was starting to hallucinate. Strange figures filled his unseeing eyes. He thought he saw Star with her arms outstretched, golden wings waiting to greet him. But he knew those were hallucinations. They weren't really Star. Because he knew Star. She was not going to greet him with such a smile.
And then that, too, faded to black. For a few fleeting, precious moments, Ra didn't think. He was only there, or perhaps not there, with his final, vague thought being that he had succeeded. And then, like being disturbed from a great slumber, he opened his eyes.
"Bother me, will you?" Ra mumbled to the world. He lifted his arm. He felt weak all over. Every movement felt like a chore and—in a brief moment of panic—he thought he was alive again. He felt his chest—it was intact, but it felt unreal at the same time. And then he looked down.
It was his body, still bleeding a bit, though most of it had drained away or pooled in the great hole he had left behind. His body spasmed a few times, flexing the claws. The tail twitched randomly. One arm even made an odd motion toward the chest, pressing down. Ra smirked. Even when he was dead, he still persisted. Or perhaps it was some quirk of the body that he did not understand. There was no point in learning; he was dead, after all. Instead, he looked at his fading claws. Yes. Without a body, his aura was rapidly dissolving. His time was fleeting. But he had to persist. He wanted to see it happen. He had to.
And so, the bodiless aura waited. He was sure that his solid spirits would be fading soon, too, now that their source of power was gone.
There she was. Ahh, it was wonderful to see her up close. He never had the opportunity. It was ironic he had to be dead to see her, but that didn't matter. The Electric Orb glowed faintly a few paces away from his body. He saw the fading spirits chasing her down.
Ra stood in the small den that they called their home. Yet another new one, because they had to keep changing locations to throw off the Hunters, just in case. A humble burrow in Nightshade, lit only by Mystic power. Step was opposite to him, by the entrance. Behind her, where Ra could not see but could only sense, were Cent and Kana.
Ra gulped. "I'm… sorry."
Step's intense glare didn't let up. "She's never going to fight again, Ra. You traumatized her. They aren't like you."
"I'm sorry."
Step shook her head. "You cannot forget about mortals, Ra. This Guardian business… your silly Dragon traditions… you've lost touch with how reality is for them. They aren't like us, Ra. They aren't. We are from another era. We need to acknowledge that."
"I'm… I'm sorry." His voice trembled. There was nothing more that he knew to say. What more was there to say?
Step sighed. She turned around. "Ra… I need to go. They can't see you right now."
Kana peeked in from the side to look at him. Ra made eye contact. She quickly flinched and hid away.
Ra stared at her metal back. "Please… Step…"
"No, Ra."
"Please…"
Step's head lowered but she didn't turn around. "I'll… visit."
Zoroark were such clever creatures. They made illusions that could fool entire populations, should they become skilled enough. Quite a few precautions were needed just to not be fooled by one. This particular Zoroark was the most talented of all of Nightshade Forest, able to shift whole clearings into her personal darkness.
But she was also feral. And that was perfect for Star. A well-deserved Guardian indeed. The five spirits were closing in, wise to her illusions. No matter how talented she was, she was still feral, following instincts and easy patterns. He and his spirits knew her habits like the back of their claws.
Dead claws! Ra felt another swell of spiteful joy at the thought. But he had little time to celebrate again; she was finally here. The spirits drew her straight into the middle of the clearing, and she was running toward the Orb. Her eyes flashed with interest, and by some intense curiosity, she went right to it and picked it up.
She promptly collapsed, tumbling into the dirt. Ra blinked. He thought it would be a lot harder to coax the feral to touch the thing. Still, that made the rest of their job all the easier.
"Ra!" one of his spirits said. "You did it?!"
"Yes!" Ra grinned. "I am finally finished. You may return to the Orb if you wish… but…" He stared at his claws. "But I believe I am ready to leave."
"Shouldn't we help her to the Core?" asked one spirit.
"What's there to help?"
"Star will try to stop her."
"And leave the Orb exposed?"
"There is no telling."
Ra growled, thoughtful. Yes. She might try that. "Very well."
And while his aura was barely able to hold its form, he floated to the orb and plunged his cloudy arm into it. The rest of him followed.
"Pops?"
Ra jolted out of his meditation. His head swiveled around until he saw the Hakamo-o. His chest rose and he eagerly stepped toward her.
"Kana! Oh—hello, Kana. How is your mother?"
He looked to the right for the berries that he'd been saving for when they visited, but then realized, just by the look, that they were rotten. It had been so long… He hoped that Kana didn't notice. But he followed her eyes. She glanced at it, but then looked away. How polite of her, ignoring it for his sake. How embarrassing. He should have remembered to replenish it. It was polite to give mortals food, right?
Kana shifted awkwardly. "Mom's the same as always… Can't visit her as much since it's so cold, but… The occasional Heart mission goes to that part of the world, and I always grab it."
Ra nodded, clasping his claws together in thought. He nervously picked at his claws, hesitant to ask the next question. So, he substituted it with another. "You've become so strong, Kana," he said. "And Cent, how's she doing with her hospital work?"
"Good," Kana replied simply, though she did smile.
"That's good, that's good." His throat felt dry. "Will… they be visiting soon?"
Ra gasped for air that he did not need. He stared into the black heavens. There was no light from that starless sky, but he could still see his arms. They weren't lit by any Mystic glow. The ground itself was aglow with sparks of white electricity coursing through damp, puffy clouds, somehow solid enough to walk on.
He knew that clouds did not normally operate this way. Yet by Star's whimsical magic, they behaved as such in this place—the Electric Realm, Thundercloud Temple. Another surge of electricity danced harmlessly past him, lighting up his massive, plate-sized scales from below.
He watched the surge move across the clouds and toward a great cluster in the center of a lumpy, gray field. White sparks coursed through the strange structure like blood, revealing its building-like architecture. It had five spires—four corners and a tall center—connected at the bottom by walls that formed a square. The Core was in the center of the lower floors.
"Ra!" a spirit called.
The ex-Guardian—the very thought thrilled him—spun around, grinning. But it wavered when he saw the huge, shelled Pokémon's urgent look.
"What?" Ra asked the Turtonator.
His shell was an electric blue with sparks dancing across the edges. "We have to help the Zoroark! Star's trying to stop her!"
"Oh, perfect," Ra hissed.
The Turtonator struggled to keep up, but Ra understood that he'd just have to race ahead. As a reflex, he tried to sink into the clouds as electricity. Then the reality hit him—as he was no longer a Guardian, he could no longer Electrify. He was a foreign entity in this Orb, just like Zoroark. He had to go on foot.
"Why can't you Electrify?" Ra shouted back to Turtonator.
"Star's aura is disrupting it, or something," he said. "Keep trying! It'll distract her!"
"Ngh, so she truly intends to kill her, just to keep her from becoming the new Guardian?" Ra said. "Doesn't she realize that if the Orb is unguarded, anybody could get it? I at least gave her the charity of picking the forest's strongest feral."
Turtonator puffed a few times, his entire shell wobbling with each step. He struggled over the soft clouds, tripping over himself. "Ungh—go on ahead, Ra! You're much faster! You—"
Ra wasn't even listening. He just kept running.
"Y-yes, well… don't worry about me or anything…"
Ra heard someone stumble toward his hidden abode. He sensed her aura before and used little pulses of electricity to guide her closer. But she was so slow… and her aura, so weak. He stood up with concern when he realized her pace was at half the speed it usually was.
"Cent… what happened? You look so different!"
Indeed, half of the Kommo-o's scales were missing. Large plates, gone. What remained looked faded and ready to fall like autumn leaves.
"What're you talking about? It's called aging, Dad. You should try it some time. Actually, no. Don't. It's pretty rough." She shifted her weight uncertainly. "I guess you were right after all, though. A Dragon that doesn't fight wastes away faster."
That one tore his heart in half. "Cent, you know that's not true," he said. During all her visits, he'd said so many times how strong Cent was—stronger than he'd ever be—for her tireless efforts at healing other Pokémon. She'd even helped Kana when her missions with the Hearts went awry.
"Well," Cent said, looking off. "I just wish I wasn't weak."
From halves to quarters. "Don't be silly," Ra said, easing her onto a seat. It had been specially made—extra soft—just for when they visited. It was supposed to be easy on stiff joints.
She complied, though not without a creaky groan. When Ra pulled away, his palms felt dusty. After inspecting them…
"But your scales… They're falling away!"
"I, uh, look, I'm getting it checked, alright? Don't worry about it."
Up close, Thundercloud Temple towered over Ra. The door's entrance alone was as thick as his body and went across seven of his full arm spans. The entrance also rippled with distorted light—within, it was going to be the Orb's Dungeon. But it was nothing he wasn't familiar with. Without stopping, Ra went straight into the temple. The moment he did, the doorway behind him snapped into a wall. Clouds shifted and softened in some places and materialized and hardened in others instantly. His entire surroundings had changed.
And Ra stopped. "…No," he said. "What is this? What happened? What—"
The ground below him swelled. Solid clouds liquefied into some strange, cold mush, electricity coursing through his body. He jumped away, body trembling on its own from the surge. He wasn't an Electric Guardian anymore—and as much as he liked that, it meant he would be vulnerable. He didn't have time to acclimate to its atmosphere. He was just a normal Kommo-o spirit. He had to be careful. He wasn't sure what happened to unacclimated spirits that perished within an Orb. Normally, Electric spirits returned to the Core to recover. But he wasn't Electric yet. Where would he go?
Still, it was too late to turn back. He was within the Dungeon. The only way through now was the Core. But what happened to it?
Thundercloud Temple used to be a blessed Dungeon, like all the others in the world, physical or spiritual. Benevolent Mystic energy coursed through it, providing useful boons to travelers such as blessed berries and trinkets. Even in the Orb, such things existed within Dungeons to assist in safe travel. It also helped to stabilize the Dungeon's architecture in and of itself. Hallways and rooms, connected to one another, leading from one segment to the next.
But now?
Ra saw the wall behind him collapse, revealing another room. In it, a great fissure in the clouds revealed a black void below. Ra did not want to imagine the fate of someone who fell into it.
He sank partly into the ground. The clouds below him softened. He had to move before his fate to the void became a reality. He spun around and ran, realizing that the Zoroark must be in here somewhere, too.
Thundercloud Temple was a single-segment Dungeon. Apparently, that was how the spiritual Dungeons operated. Intuitively, the Core was near the middle. He looked up. Could the Core be above? Or is it on the first floor? Where were the stairs? The Temple had stairs leading up and down in a multi-floor labyrinth. The path was never the same. He often went into it to clear his head, as the monotony of walking combined with the thought of remembering his path helped distract him from his troubles.
The ground shook again. He just needed a sign. He closed his eyes, but then realized he had no means of sensing aura anymore. It was as if a part of his vision was forever lost. How was he dead, and yet still felt mortal?
Ra didn't know what to think of his new surroundings. It was a miracle that he was able to navigate his way to the mountain at all. Waypoints were such a strange, disorienting technology.
An Aggron glared at him. "You shouldn't have come to Kilo Village, Ra."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "Love… why would—"
Ra jumped. "L-love? You called me…?"
Step answered Ra with a long silence. She avoided his eyes, glaring at the walls of the hospital. "A slip of the tongue."
Ra deflated, looking at the opposite wall. "…I just wanted to see her."
"And risk your life?" Step asked, glancing out the window as if she'd see a Hunter right there. None came.
"Her life is worth more."
Step grunted, gently knocking her fist against the wall. It left a fist-shaped dent. She quietly scooted her body so it'd block anybody from seeing it.
Step sighed slowly, her breath whistling past her metallic jaws. "…You… foolish idiot. You… foolish…"
"You came, too, you know."
"I detest our similarities."
Despite everything, Ra gathered enough courage to touch her shoulder. She didn't resist, so he squeezed a little so it would register against her steel hide.
"Enough," Step said, jerking away. "Ra, we… can't be together. Two auras together are too easy for the mutants to detect."
He knew that. He didn't want to care anymore. If the mutants got them, so be it—it felt like he'd known Step for far longer than the decades they'd spent. It felt more like they had known each other for lifetimes, ages! To forcibly split themselves apart—he could see how bitter it was turning her. How desperate and broken their spirits were becoming.
"Please," Ra said.
Step's claws left little dents in her own arms. "Star was wrong to unite us."
After some wandering, being careful to avoid the voids in the clouds and the ground that looked questionably soft, he saw his first sign of life. A Manectric dashed past him, skidding to a stop. His paws tossed up hazy vapor.
"Ra!" he said.
"Where is the Zoroark?"
"Further in—or further out? I don't know—the temple, it keeps shuffling. It's in total chaos!"
"Why?!"
"I think Star revoked all of the blessings. It's not a blessed Dungeon anymore—it's—it's just pure chaos! I don't think it's even an untamed Dungeon. I think it's cursed, not blessed! I—"
The clouds between them shot up, straight through Manectric's abdomen. It was so quick and violent that it went straight through him, and his front half was separated from his back half. Cyan embers poured from his body.
He gasped in surprise, but then stared up at Ra. "I last saw her running that way!" He pointed his paw to Ra's left. "Star's trying to kill her!" And that was all he could say. The embers overtook him and his body evaporated. The remaining puff of existence flew at high speeds further into the Dungeon.
He had to follow it—his spirit was being drawn to the Core. If he followed Manectric, he could at least get closer—at least until he was too far to see. Ra sprinted as fast as he could, tripping over softer lumps on the ground.
Bolts of electricity surged through his legs with every step. He wasn't sure how he was able to keep walking through it, but perhaps some residual part of his Electric past helped him through the pain. He saw another aura ember move past him and used that as another lead, jumping over a forming fissure before it became too wide to cross.
"The Dungeon is falling apart," Ra muttered. He looked back. "No. It's already fallen. Now, it's just… shifting…"
He heard a yelp and knew immediately who it was—the feral. He finally made it. And he saw someone else there, too—an unmistakable, pink figure flying across the distorted halls. The walls parted ways for her easily, and Ra suspected Manectric's theories were correct. Star had cursed the Dungeon, all to prevent Zoroark from getting to the Core.
"STAR!" Ra shouted.
The Mew jumped. "R-Ra?!"
Ra slammed his fists against his chest. The reverberations weakened his stance—he knew that he'd be more vulnerable to her—but he was going to do it anyway. He was dead. What more did he have to lose? He slammed his fists against his scales again, sending dragon-enhanced, sonic waves straight for Star.
She shrieked and covered her ears. Ra didn't stop. He readied another Clanging Scales strike, knowing that this would be the best way to slow her down.
It did not last. A Psychic blast twisted the air around him and he couldn't dodge in time. He roared when the ground was taken from his feet, spun all the way around until he was on his side. He was lucky that most of the attack had missed, or his spirit would have been torn apart.
Star floated up and flew away.
"How dare you… run away…" Ra staggered up and slammed his fists against his scales again, sending another wave of sound toward Star. It hit right where he wanted and she shrieked, faltering where she stood.
She turned her tiny head around with wide, angry eyes. The Dungeon walls collapsed around them, becoming nothing more than clouds and fog as the entire floor shifted and shuffled. Ra weakly jumped to a part of the ground that felt solid, even while electricity danced around every part of the cloudy floor. But he didn't step wisely. He sank through the ground instantly and saw a glimpse of the void below.
For just a moment, Ra felt fear.
"Hey, Ra."
Ra was lying in the middle of the clearing in total silence. He could only hear Star's voice, but he knew she was somewhere inside his Orb.
"Star."
"So… I figure you heard the news."
Ra's claws strangled the air. Despite this, he spoke calmly. "With life comes death. It means nothing to me."
"Well… okay."
Ra grunted. "It's just fine. I'll be fine."
"Mhm. Sure. So, anyway, Hecto spotted her along the aura sea… so… if you want, I can—"
"No," Ra said, no matter how much it pained him to say it. "Send her to Step, first."
"You can always just visit her in her realm…"
But Ra knew he couldn't. He couldn't face her again. He understood, now, why she visited so rarely. It had nothing to do with their two auras being too much for the mutants to detect. That attack was a fluke and he had overreacted. He had played it over and over in his head for decades. And only once or twice did such an encounter happen again. All that harsh training, all that senseless bloodshed of his own daughters, for nothing.
He did not adapt. His Dragon pride, his Fighting spirit—it was too much for her, and he was too foolish to not compromise for her sake, and for their kids' sake. This was his punishment.
"Grab him!"
A huge hand grabbed Ra by the arm, stopping his fall. The edge of his tail and the large scales attached to them grazed the blackness below. It evaporated instantly. He jerked his tail up and stared at his savior—an Electivire. The hulking Pokémon smirked and pulled him out of the pit. Just then, a Zebstrika and Vikavolt crackled past them, tackling Star simultaneously.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Star shouted. "Do you realize that if she takes the Core, you'll all—"
Twin Thunders struck Star; her scream was deafened by the boom.
Ra stared dumbly at the display. He only broke his gaze when he heard a crowd of shouts behind him. That's when he realized—his Clanging Scales were so loud that they drew all of the spirits his way. They were all coming to him—all of them.
Electivire held Ra by the shoulders, shaking the sense back into him. "Find Zoroark. Bring her to the Core."
"But you'll—"
"Go!" Electivire threw Ra into the air with a single thrust. Something held the Kommo-o in place after that.
"What—?" He looked back to see a southern Raichu, balanced on her own tail for levitation, holding her tiny paws toward him.
"Get her, Ra!" the southern Raichu said.
He accelerated rapidly over Star and the others. Star glared and held her paw up. Ra felt something squeezing at the inside of his chest, but only for an instant. Seconds later, an Electrode slammed into Star's back, held in place by a Heliolisk.
"Run! NOW!" Electrode said and then shut his eyes tight.
"Nooo, no, NO!" Star said, but Electrode's body was already a bright white. He exploded, evaporating the spirits nearest to Star, but not Star herself. Ra knew this only because of the pink sphere that enveloped her, protecting her from the blast, though she still couldn't see through the smoke.
He smashed through one of the cloudy walls and flew over another void. He tried to get some sort of leverage, but he was helpless in the air. He saw another creature ahead, flying over the fissure. Its ugly face was a relief.
The Eelektross wrapped around him and pulled him over the fissure with what momentum he had, finally letting go when they reached solid ground.
"The Core is just ahead. Zoroark is nearby. See her? There!" He pointed a claw toward a black blur rushing past the collapsing halls to their right. "I don't know how she did it, but she made it through the Dungeon. She's a smart feral, that's for sure."
Ra nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Stop Star for me."
"You got it."
Near the Core, the ground felt a lot more stable. Perhaps even the shifting portions of this cursed Dungeon was unable to split apart the Core's general area. He sighed in relief, realizing this, and focused entirely on chasing after Zoroark.
A few spirits were still trailing her. It seemed like she was trying to flee but inadvertently wound up going straight to the Core as they wanted. All she had to do was grab it. They'd force the Core to accept her if they had to, even if Star wasn't going to allow it. That was easy enough. They just needed time.
He heard it again. Shuffling. Weak, slow shuffling, from a fading aura. "Dad…"
He rushed to the entrance. "Kana… How did you make it here?"
"Not sure myself, heh…"
Her voice was softer than ever. Shaking, even. Her scales were faded, and a few had come off in small patches that never quite grew back. It wasn't as fast as Cent. No, this was simply age. It happened to the best mortal—death claimed them all in time. All except for Ra.
"Please, sit down. Don't strain yourself," Ra said softly. He helped her to the wall, where she gratefully sank down, breathing heavily to recover.
"I just wanted to see you. You know, in person. Before I… can't make the trip anymore, heh. You wouldn't understand." Kana rubbed the back of her head. Her arm trembled when it did. It always trembled—it had been that way for three years, now.
"Kana…"
Kana shook her head. "Pops… I don't remember where Mom lives."
He remembered how she had gotten lost before. She had wandered all the way to Nightshade as if it was an old part of her memory coming back, forgetting everything else. Ra had asked Kana about her mate—he had died long ago, too—and Kana didn't know what he was talking about.
"Can you write down where she lives?" Kana asked. "So I don't forget."
The Core's chamber of Thundercloud Temple was as it always had been. Clouds formed a great dome within the center of the building. Jittering strings sizzled across the fluffy interior, all converging toward the center, where lightning whipped at everything nearby.
He remembered touching this Core long ago. He never knew what happened to the last Guardian. Or was he the first? He had been one for so long, he wouldn't doubt if that was the case. This world felt so young.
Zoroark entered the chamber. She spun back upon realizing that she was trapped. Ra caught up with the two Pokémon that had chased her inside. First, he looked to the left at a Pachirisu. Then, he looked to the right at an Electric Typhlosion, lightning erupting where flames usually rose.
"Good work," Ra grunted. "Now we just need to keep her inside this chamber."
Zoroark hissed at the three of them.
"H-how do we do that?" Pachirisu asked. "We can't attack her! If we kill her here—"
"Her spirit is strong," Ra said. "Don't think she will fall so easily." He held his arms forward and upward, ready for anything she had for them.
"Stay behind," Ra said. "Keep an eye out for Star. I will test Zoroark's strength myself."
"D-don't you die, either," Pachirisu said. "You aren't tied to the Core!"
"I will be fine."
Suddenly, countless blue embers flew over Ra and Zoroark's heads, entering the Core like embers from an exploding fire in reverse. Ra knew that this meant Star just finished dispatching all of the spirits in the Electric Orb. She'd be coming here soon, perhaps even teleporting right inside. Wait. Why hadn't she done that before?
Was it the chaotic Dungeon? Was that the cause? Why? Did she make it that way herself? No… Perhaps not.
Perhaps Ra himself had done it when he died. Perhaps this realm was in chaos because of his own spirit's state upon death.
But the reason no longer mattered.
"Zoroark!" Ra shouted, pointing at her. "I challenge you to a—"
Something sharp sliced right through Ra's back. He roared and stumbled forward, staring at the Zoroark before him. The illusion evaporated. He spun around and swung his arm at the true Zoroark, miraculously connecting.
She responded by crunching down on his scaly arm, breaking through one of the plates. He, in kind, responded by slamming her against the ground, pinning her down. He didn't have to hurt her too badly. Just keep her steady. He stared up at the Core, too bright to look at directly. He brought his arm up, ran three paces, and slammed Zoroark against the bright light. Electricity and heat surged through them both. She shrieked and flailed, trying to push Ra as far away as she could, but even though her spirit was strong, Ra's was stronger.
Hands began to emerge from the core—countless paws, tendrils, and limbs wrapping around Enet's body, digging into her fur and into her spiritual flesh. She screamed, breaking away from it with one final jolt. Ra reached out one last time, but Enet snapped down on his arm instantly—and that was the last his spirit could handle. She crunched straight through it, blue fire pouring out of the wound. He staggered back, clutching at the arm. It didn't hurt—nothing hurt anymore—but he felt his body evaporating. He felt… fleeting.
No. Not yet. He wasn't done yet. He focused, and his arm returned to normal. The blue embers faded away, sealed back inside.
The Core glowed brightly. Two embers rushed past him and into it. That only meant—
"Nice try."
Ra suddenly couldn't feel his lower body. He fell forward, flat on his face, and used his arms to roll onto his back. He saw his lower half still standing, spewing blue fire. It evaporated in seconds, revealing Star at the entrance, her paw still glowing from the aftereffect of a Psycho Cut. How could she use such a technique? Oh, of course. She wasn't just a Mew. She was the Mew—designer of all techniques.
Ra knew he was outmatched, but that didn't matter.
"It's too late, Star," Ra said, using his left hand to point at the Core. "It's too much to stop, now. They already touched her."
Star's tiny paws trembled, clenched like fists. Ra just laughed. Sliced in half, lying helplessly on the ground before his Creator. Ra never felt so free.
Zoroark hissed at Ra, rushing toward Star. The Mew flinched but then realized that she was hiding behind her for safety.
"What will you do, Star?" Ra asked. "Will you kill her? Your own child?"
"Don't use that line on me," Star hissed. "Practically everybody's my child!"
"And look at how you treat them," Ra said, holding his chest mockingly. "I'm so hurt, mother."
"Oh, like you're one to talk," Star said. "As if you can tell me you never beat up your kids."
Ra's smile was obliterated.
Star looked down at Zoroark. The feral looked up at Mew with wide, ignorant eyes. She pointed at Ra commandingly.
Star raised her paw. Pure fighting energy collected at the tip—a Focus Blast. At the same time, countless white filaments of light emerged from her back like wings.
"You're really going to do it," Ra said. "I suppose you're showing your true colors, now, aren't you?" he said. "Pathetic. Truly pathetic. Just to keep your precious Orb safe, you'll obliterate an innocent feral."
"One that you tricked into coming here," Star said, but the energy in her paw flickered.
Zoroark stared at Star for a while longer, clearly not realizing that Star intended to destroy her.
"And then what?" Ra said. "The Orb has nobody. A Hunter will get it. Then what? I did you a favor. I gave you a strong replacement."
"She's hardly strong," Star shouted. "She can't even talk! What good is that?!" She winced. "I'll just have to find someone else. I'll draw in a new hero. I'll make them a Guardian instead, and we can start from scratch. Easy."
Ra laughed weakly. "But didn't you forget, Star?" he said, pointing at her. "It's already too late."
The Core flashed. Countless wads of electricity and light exploded out from the chamber, surrounding Star from all sides. Zoroark screamed and ran away, but one of the beams of light latched onto her, piercing her through her back. She wailed and tried to slice it off, but it was already a part of her soul. It dragged her to the Core, even as her claws dug into the clouds. She shook her whole body, flailing.
"STOP!" Star roared.
Electric spirits solidified around her. Countless Pokémon. Ra knew the name of every single one. He knew their Electric spirits, and he knew the bodies they used to be long before. Some never abandoned it completely. He saw the Electric Typhlosion again, blasting Star with balls of white sparks. He saw a Luxray—long ago, he had been a Nidoking, but had since chosen a different form to take, after so many centuries of being dead.
All of them barraged Star, attack after attack. Her tendrils of light exploded out, piercing through some of the spirits. The air spun with every Psychic blast. Blue embers poured back into the Core, only to be replaced by new spirits ready to fight.
Zoroark was pinned against the Core by her own link to it. She was sinking, still screaming. Limbs of spirits in the Core grabbed onto her, stroking her fur. Whispers of calm. But she didn't understand their language. Finally, the light enveloped her completely, and the Core briefly—absorbed into Zoroark, the new Electric Guardian.
"Good," Ra said, closing his eyes.
Zoroark fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
"And now what… Star?" Ra said.
The world trembled as if heaving a sigh at new stability. Zoroark's wild heart, while terrified and confused, was not in pain like Ra's was. And, indeed, the Kommo-o could sense Thundercloud Temple slowly ease its way back into stability.
Star stopped fighting the spirits to glare at Ra through the many bodies that blocked her view. The spirits, too, stopped, knowing that their part of the job was over.
One final Psychic blast eliminated them, leaving only Ra behind. The rest watched from the new Core that grew in the old one's place. At this point, only his upper chest, arms, neck, and head remained.
"I'll just… kill her now," Star said. "She's… she's asleep. She won't even know it."
"And what then?" Ra asked.
"I already told you."
"No, Star," Ra said. "You're just telling yourself that. You're just upset that I'm leaving… that I'm finally free."
"It isn't like that, Ra," Star said. "I'm just trying to help!"
"Oh, and what a wonderful help you've been!" Ra said, waving his right arm. "Centuries of isolation and suffering for all! Yes! A fantastic existence!" He let his arm drop. "My lovely Step was right to abandon you."
"Just like she abandoned you," Star said.
Thundercloud Temple was silenced.
"…I'm sorry," Star said, lowering her head. "That… that was uncalled for."
"It's just like you, though," Ra said, but he couldn't hide the tremble in his voice. He steadied himself. "Doing something you think would be good right now… not realizing the consequences later. For a Psychic, you have surprisingly little foresight."
Ra grunted, realizing that his arms were too weak to hold him up. They were evaporating. Now all he could do was stare at Star with what little strength he had left. He wondered what would happen to him afterward. Still, after everything, he wondered if the peace of oblivion would be preferential. Was that his destination?
"Star, if you kill this feral," Ra said, "you're no better than Arceus. Remember that."
Star flinched. The temple let out a final sigh.
"I have one more thing that I want to ask you, Star," Ra said, knowing that he'd won. "Something that… you never answered. That you always evade when I ask. The memory is so… faded. But seeing as I'm about to go… I want you to answer for me. Finally, you can be honest. Why I can't remember. Why this person… is so faded from my mind… and yet… feels so important. Perhaps as important as Step. Yet by what I imagine is a Divine Decree… I am not allowed to remember."
Star said nothing, but he had her attention.
"Where," Ra said, "is Yveltal?"
Based on how Star didn't react, Ra knew she was expecting this question. His vision was fading. He felt oddly tired. His mission complete, he actually felt rested. At some point, his eyes had closed, ready for an eternal nap.
"Ra," Star said.
One last annoyance, he figured. He opened his eyes and glared at Star. "What? Will you answer?"
Star looked down, flicking her tail. Ra sensed that this bothered her more than it should have, but had no time to ask why. She finally answered, "…I can't."
Ra snorted. "Of course." And with that, his spirit evaporated completely.
Ra stood in Thundercloud Temple. Only moments ago, his heart had been filled with more joy than he'd ever felt in decades. Both of his daughters had returned to him, and they looked as youthful as ever. In their prime, even, like a proud Dragon should.
Cent shook her head. "Like, Pops, my mate is waiting for me across the aura sea. I can't stay. I just came here because… I know you can't really follow."
Ra shook his head in disbelief. Then, he turned to the other daughter. "Kana…"
But she, too, shook her head. "Dad, I… I can't just stay here forever. The other spirits might be happy, but I don't want to lose myself here. I have to go."
Both his daughters turned away. They couldn't bear to look at him, but Ra just wanted to see their eyes one last time.
"Mom already said bye," Kana said. "She's glad that we can move on. But, Dad…"
"Please… there has to be some way," Ra said. "What—what about your children? My grandchildren? Can't—can't I see them?"
But Ra knew the answer. He was never allowed to see them—not him, nor Step. And he shouldn't. They shouldn't know about this Guardian conspiracy. They should live normal lives. They should never know he exists…
Cent sighed tiredly. Ra thought, for a moment, that they would actually stay. But then she said the one thing he didn't want to hear—the same words that he'd heard so many decades ago. The empty promise.
"We'll visit."
Where was this?
Ra recognized it, vaguely. He couldn't move. He lacked a body to move. All around Ra was a great, endless expanse of darkness, populated only by the gentle glow of countless auras, all moving in one direction toward a great, dim light.
The aura sea, Ra realized. So… that's where we go. Even if a spirit dies… we still can't rest. We go right here. We all go… right here.
The faint glow of the outer spirit world beckoned him. He let the flow take him, for he knew his daughters would be waiting.
But then the flow changed, just for him. He bumped past a few spirits, falling through their fire. He heard their thoughts. Terrified thoughts, confused thoughts. One was whimpering that it still burned. The other one was nothing but a series of hisses and growls.
A great, gray figure stood above the sea, staring at Ra with his one eye.
"Hello, Ra," the Dusknoir greeted.
Hecto…
"I am fortunate to find you in the sea. Star warned me that you would flow here soon."
Then perhaps I should have stopped thinking.
"Perhaps, yes," Hecto said, "if your desire was to evade my eye."
Hecto held out his massive hand, grasping Ra's flickering soul within it.
Where are you going to take me, then?
"Star requested I send you somewhere specific," Hecto said. "The typical afterlife is not a location suited for one such as yourself."
This was the second time that Ra felt fear that night. That fear was snuffed out by spite and anger. So that's how it is? he said. Such a place truly exists after all? When Hecto did not reply, Ra continued to speak. Know that she'll never be happy with what she's done to me. I'll never give her the satisfaction that I'll suffer. I'll take whatever eternity you give me, and I'll take it with nothing but eternal hate. When I'm free, I will do more than kill her, Hecto. I'll do everything in my power to ruin her, the same way she did for us. To all Guardians. To this whole world. The world you claim to watch over. You are a blight. You and that despicable Creator.
Still, Hecto said nothing.
I should have sided with Arceus and the Divine Dragons.
Hecto's one eye did not blink, but Ra was out of words to say. The Dusknoir turned, pointing Ra toward some black void in the sea.
"Farewell, Ra."
Hecto pressed his hand forward. Ra flew through the sea, far, far away from the flow of the many spirits that made their transitions into the next world. He was away, now.
Ra cursed Star all throughout the void.
Ra stood outside of his den, walking deep into the clearing. The once clear sky darkened with lumpy clouds. The world roared. "You did this to me."
"No—Ra, that's not what happened!" Star said. "I wasn't trying to—"
"You… RUINED my life!"
"I—I had no choice! I was just trying to help! I—"
Ra shook his head. "I'm done."
"D-done? R-Ra! Wait! What are you doing?"
Ra held his arms out. The lightning crackled along his scales and between his claws. "The forest will burn… and with the last of my power… I'll lay the Orb bare."
"Gnnkk—!" Ra gasped his first breath. A horrible coldness pierced his throat. He struggled to his feet. All he could see was a gray darkness. Hard snow and heavy winds slammed against his scales, freezing him to the bones. A single step was too much.
"S-so this is my eternity, is it… S-Star…" Ra looked at the black sky. He wandered through the snow even as his scales became coated in a thick layer of ice. His limbs froze in place any time he decided to stop. Every step chipped away at the ice layered upon his cold form. "I will… for all of my existence… devote every second… to…"
He collapsed. The snow billowed over him, covering his body. His spirit wanted nothing more than to move, but his energy was gone. Everything was fading again. Step… Kana… Cent, Ra thought. I'm… sorry.
It all faded…
"I found him!"
Ra's eyes shot open.
"Oops. I think he's frozen already."
"Don't just stare at him—help out, Sis!"
"R-right, sorry. MOM! We found Dad!"
Icy hands wrapped around both of his arms.
"Okay, one, two—three!"
They lifted him up. By some miracle, he could still see. Tears froze painfully against his eyes. He couldn't speak.
Two Kommo-o tilted their heads at him. They were see-through, like glass. Closer inspection indicated that it wasn't glass—it was ice, like living sculptures.
"I think he's out of it," said the left one.
"Where is he?" a booming voice called.
Ra knew the voice, but he also knew the sound of her heavy, slow steps. He saw an Aggron in the same style as his daughters, see-through and glimmering in the dark. Her steps pierced through many feet of snow without effort. Her solid eyes softened upon seeing the helpless, frozen Dragon.
"Unbelievable," Step said, putting a hand to her forehead, making a dull tok noise. "Star told me that I should be expecting you. I didn't think she meant it like this."
"St… ar…"
"Yes, Star," Step said, crossing her arms irritably. "I thought she meant you were going to try to visit at the same time as Kana and Cent." When Ra didn't reply, she went on. "This is more than a visit, I imagine."
"Uh, Mom, I think he's an icicle," Kana said.
Cent tapped her claws on Ra's cheek. Solid. "Yeah, he's frozen."
Step sighed, this time using both of her hands to cover her face. "What a fool… what a mess…" She groaned. "You're helpless without me."
The statue of Ra did not reply.
"Come. Let's take him to the Core so he can acclimate." Step turned around, walking through the snow of the Ice Realm.
Kana took the front, while Cent took the rear, making sure they didn't accidentally break some part of their father's frozen spirit along the way. He was so stiff that it actually was much like transporting a statue.
"Mom?" Cent said. "I guess we can visit a little more often, but… are you gonna talk to Dad more, now?"
"I doubt I have a choice," Step replied.
"Yeah, but," Kana interrupted, "we mean more like… are you two… gonna be together again?"
"Again," Step said, "it is not like I have a choice."
"But you do," Cent said. "You can just tell him to go. But… you aren't."
Step pressed on without a change in expression. "We'll talk," she said. "If he chooses, I will allow him to… stay. Perhaps… it is time we reconnected." She looked down. "After all, there is… nothing separating us now, is there?"
Step looked back at Ra's desperate expression, frozen in time. She sighed. "You look disgusting when you're weak," the Ice Guardian said. "When you attach to my Core, I expect you to be stronger. Like you used to be."
They climbed a small hill and slid down. Snow collected over Ra's eyes, blinding him. He only heard the howl of the wind and the sound of her voice. But that was enough.
"Star came here only moments ago to tell me about your arrival," Step said. "I've never seen her so shaken."
Despite being unable to see, Ra could feel her smile.
"I liked that."
