Chapter 164 – Defying Destiny
Nearly at the top, now. Ten floors of Destiny Tower remained, and despite Diyem's overpreparation, they had ended up going past floor after empty floor.
This seemed to make him even more anxious than before. Sometimes Amelia wondered if that was part of his natural pessimism or if it was Angelo leaking through. Between the two of them, they were probably a ball of anxiety and nihilism.
Reminded her of Klent in a way. Always doting over her, always worrying about what it meant to be 'a third of someone' or 'in danger of being less than dead.' Come on, it wasn't going to be that bad!
Besides, Enet was cute and clever, and Spice was cool and smart. And she had bits of all of those things. They weren't going to disappear. They were just going to… evolve! Together. Evolving together. That's how science worked.
Amelia waved her leafy hand in front of her, and her vision of the outside world—through Enet's eyes—faded. She was standing once again in Thundercloud Temple, the place that housed Owen's former Grass Spirits and many of the Electric Spirits that powered Enet's abilities in the living world.
She sighed and sat up. Distant thunder, far away and below, relaxed her nerves. Normally that was the sign of a storm, but her instincts had been rewired to appreciate its melody.
Her room in the temple was made of solid fog. The window overlooked a gray field of storm clouds that flashed occasionally with power.
"Amelia?"
"Huh?" The Lilligant—her leaves crackled with electricity—jerked her head to the entryway of the foggy palace door.
"You're back." A Jumpluff greeted her. His pompoms were a luminescent yellow. "I was worried things were going badly there."
"Nah, it's okay." Amelia hopped off her bed. The fog had some give against her feet, but never enough to fall through. "I just wanted to see the outside world again. Get used to living. I think I'm gonna go back to that soon."
Klent winced, nervous. "R-right…"
"C'mon, Dad…" She approached and gently patted him, careful to avoid the third puff of seeds atop his head. "I mean, I get it… it's scary, but… it's not as scary as what happened before. I got over my fear of Owen, right? And… good thing, too! Since… you know. He's my ex-dad."
The cruel irony wasn't lost on her. She had this vague sense that the whole reason she'd become 'Amelia' was to find him again.
And find him she had…
"You've grown so much," Klent said quietly. "Trembling and afraid, and now you're… back to your old self again. Finally. It felt like so long…"
"Spirits don't change much once they die," Amelia said. "I guess that's the benefit of… life, right? And when we went into Owen… and then Enet… we got new chances to change with them. I think I like being this way."
Klent fidgeted again as other spirits passed them by in the halls of the temple. "I suppose so," he said meaninglessly. "But… how long will you get to 'be this way' at all?"
"Well, I…"
He had a point. No matter how she masked it or tried to smile… she was still going to 'change' a lot more than she wanted. It wasn't 'only' her terms, and 'she' wasn't totally in control. And that was terrifying, wasn't it?
But she didn't feel as afraid.
Somewhere deep down, she wondered if being her father's spirit, and then Enet—another part of her—prepared her for this. Little parts of her were awakening to the idea, maybe subconsciously.
That's what it felt like, anyway.
"Look," Amelia finally said, "I'm… worried. And a little scared. But like, it's going to happen. I don't want to spend all day and all night worrying about it when I could be helping everyone. And besides… it's not goodbye. I'll just… say hello a little differently. Okay? Dad?"
The Jumpluff's ruby-red eyes couldn't meet hers, downcast.
"I'll still call you Dad," she said. "You found me and raised me. Even if maybe that was somehow planned… you still did. And you're a great dad."
The thunderclouds outside rumbled a little louder. The temple itself brightened.
"Oh." Amelia nodded, feeling a little colder. "I think Enet's getting ready for something. We should, too."
Klent looked even more afraid, too. And when Amelia spoke, she felt a sense of finality in the air.
She pushed it aside and stood up. "Let's do our best, okay? Power Enet as much as you can. I'm… helping at the front."
"Amelia…"
She leaned over and pulled him in for a hug. His seeds ticked her face.
"Love you, Dad. And I'll say it again soon."
For a moment, she was afraid to let go. She wondered if she would feel the same way. Would Klent still be "Dad?" What about Spice's parents, or Enet—well, Enet didn't remember much about hers. And Owen…
This was going to become a very complicated family tree.
Floor ninety-eight. Nearly the top. Enet was good at numbers. That meant they only had four floors to go.
Wait…
"Oh, hello. Why are you taking the long way up?"
Enet's fur bristled on reflex. Electricity crackled. She felt that her spirits inside were also on edge. Bad things were happening.
"…Hello, Dialga."
"…Ah. Diyem."
They stared at each other. Were they being awkward? Were they former mates? She didn't understand these strange constructs everyone had.
"The Teleporter wasn't working," Diyem said. "We think blah blah, blah blah."
"Hm? Arceus told us blah blah, blah blah," Dialga went on.
"…Where are the others?" Diyem asked.
Others? Oh, right. The whole place was quiet. Enet didn't like that. Their scents were around, so they'd been there recently. But not while they went up. They smelled stressed.
"You must have missed Star. She left with Hecto to try to find Kilo Village a while ago. Palkia's trying to find Nevren again… Madeline is seeing if her powers might help reverse the distortions. Ah, no pun intended."
Enet didn't like puns because they made her feel dumb. Wanting to avoid this, Enet crawled up the next flight of stairs to the next floor. The air was even more charged with a weird energy. It smelled clean and 'heal-y.' It reminded her of honey. Was this the 'divine energy' the others were talking about?
Divine energy smelled weird.
"Hey."
Enet's ear flicked. The weird voice part was talking. Her smell reminded her of herself but it was also weird and acidic. Sour. Like lemons. Enet didn't like lemons, but she liked Spice.
"Yeah?" Enet asked.
"While those guys are debating tech, can we… talk about something?"
Enet cocked her head left. Cutting through the sour smell was the thicker scent of worry. Fear. Was Spice okay?
Enet continued up the stairs. Dialga and Diyem were still talking, though they had tones as if they were going to part ways soon.
"Aren't you kinda freaking out at all? Even a little? About… us?"
"Us?"
Enet eyed Spice. It was hard to get a read on her beyond scent. Her eyes still didn't have pupils so Enet didn't know where Spice was looking. The green gem in Spice's chest—which had a different smell than Spice herself—didn't give away anything that made sense, either. Against the white marble of Destiny Tower, Spice's dark, wraith form looked out of place. Like a stain. Enet wondered if Spice knew that. Was Enet also a stain because she was feral?
"Yeah, us. We're… one person. That makes no sense, but I know it's true."
"Yeah."
"And… do you… get what that means?"
Enet had a feeling she was supposed to super pay attention to this conversation. She squatted down and sat more attentively.
"Like. The people we are were always just… fragments of someone who used to exist. Even now I get… I get these flashes of—who I used to be, but none of it makes sense. And you might have other pieces, and Amelia—where is she?"
Enet shook her head as if to get rid of water in her ears. Amelia emerged from her fur.
"Hey, buddy-third!" Amelia called with a wave, ethereal as always. "It's like everyone's panicking now, huh? I was just trying to comfort Dad about this."
"That! Exactly that!" Spice said. "Dad. Your dad. 'Amelia' and her dad. But what about me, and my parents? I mean sure, I might've tricked them into thinking I was their other daughter, but like, they were still my family for decades! I'm supposed to throw that all away?"
"It doesn't have to be like that," Amelia said. "We'll just have a bunch of moms and dads!"
Enet didn't remember the last time she had a good meal. The scary but kind Haxorus should make something later when they returned.
"Is it that easy? What if… what if only one of us can… exist? Or what if all three of us just… poof! And the old Remi wakes up, and all three of us are… gone?"
"Doesn't make sense," Enet said, scratching her head to get at an annoying itch. Oh, it was just a Joltik. She tossed it away.
"Spice, you're overthinking it. Like, sure, we're probably going to change… but I think you're both super cool. And… we have to accept this. We can't go past something this, like, inevitable. So… you know…"
Enet sensed the discomfort from Amelia, too. Weird.
"There has to be another way," Spice said. "I don't want to… fade away. I spent too long building up this life. I finally felt like… I had a place again. I lost everything and I made something of myself. I climbed out of the void for this. Now I have to give it all up?"
"But you don't need to! None of us need to!" Amelia said. "Nothing's gonna change, like, hugely. We'll all be around!"
"It's not gonna be that simple, Amelia. It's…"
She was shaking.
"It's not. I can feel it. Either one of us comes out on top, or… none of us will."
Enet sniffed the air again, then crawled forward. Spice backed away.
"Don't come close," she said. "It's… dangerous. For me. I'll melt away…"
She remembered that. Enet frowned and growled, crouching submissively. When Spice relaxed, she rose again and said, "It's okay."
Spice sighed, looking impatient. Anxiety surrounded her scent like rotting meat. "Sometimes… if something's scary," Enet said, searching for the words carefully, "you fight."
"I… fight. But I'm scared of you, Enet. Of…"
"No." Enet pointed at Spice. "Scared of dying."
"And you're the one who can make that happen."
"I don't want to."
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to, it—"
"Then… afraid of something else."
"What do you mean, Enet?" Amelia asked. "Afraid of dying, and you're the one who could, I dunno, claim her, right? Like you can take me. But if you don't want to… I mean, we're going to have to eventually, right?"
Enet nodded. "You fight. To be around. Scared of dying… fight dying!"
"Enet, you can't beat up dying, or… disappearing. It's what happens after you lose the fight."
"I died lots!" Enet said. "But I still fight."
"You—what? No you didn't."
"You died a lot? But I thought you, like, always escaped trouble half the time…"
Enet shook her head as little, fleeting memories floated in the back of her mind. Dreams through the eyes of other species, living simple, feral lives. Enet thought they were simply dreams. She understood they weren't anymore. Not for her. That was 'Remi.' Did those past selves also want to live? Did they still want to fight?
She would fight for them. Maybe she knew how they felt.
"Keep fighting," Enet said. "Remember each other."
"I think Enet means… when we eventually fuse, we have to remember ourselves. And when we wake up, we won't disappear."
"…Then what about Remi?" Spice said.
"She can fight." Enet nodded confidently. "She wanted this!"
"I guess, we once wanted this, or something?" Amelia asked. "Talking about ourselves in dead past tense is weird…"
"Guess it's more like future tense," Spice murmured. "…Fine. Fight. I'll… I'll think about it."
The rotting smell of anxiety was still there but weaker. That was good enough.
Enet's claws echoed through the silent chambers of the final floor. Ahead was a stairway to the top. Radiant light poured from above.
"We ready?" Spice asked. "Diyem said something bad is up there. Seems pretty bright to me…"
Enet sniffed the air again. The scent was tingly like mushroom spores. High energy. Strong auras. Angry auras. And the sweet smell of divinity wasn't the dominant one. Enet didn't recognize the scent at first…
But deep, deep inside, she did. Her eyes widened. "Mom?" she mumbled.
No. Not her mom. Her mom was a feral Zoroark who froze during a bad winter. Who was this?
A fragmented memory of a lunar-winged creature bubbled up in her memories.
Oh. Remi's.
But Mom wasn't Arceus. And she was angry.
Enet's ears shot up. This was bad.
"Uh, Enet?" Amelia asked.
"Trouble!"
She dashed forward, conjuring an illusion to disappear.
"Hey—wait!" Spice called, but Enet had already run up the stairs.
Spice was getting sick of Enet running ahead. So fast, how did she get so fast?! The stairs were a deceptively high climb. She had to stop to take a break once she was three-quarters up, and it was too bright to see past the final exit's archway.
A strangely familiar voice was shouting.
"Stay down! Hold still!"
And then came the voice of Arceus, their god. "The darkness in you must be purged!"
Oh, goodie. Infighting. "What's going on?!" she called out.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the light. Arceus had his filaments of light sprouting from his back, collectively aimed at a winged, cosmic creature. Lunala, Spice recalled.
There was a faint trail of something purple from where Arceus stood, going all the way to the edge of the tower. Did something that left a Poison trail fall off before they'd arrived?
A strange, monstrous thing was also flying just beside Lunala—Spice remembered them, too. The fusion of Demitri, Mispy, and Gahi.
On the ground in a singed heap were Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, as well as a badly injured Snivy—Trina. She was charred the most, but moving. Spice didn't know what caused those injuries.
Spice also had no idea where Enet was. An illusion, probably. Gods, why did she have to go invisible? Zoroark couldn't usually do that…
Arceus flicked his head toward Spice. "You," he hissed. "What are you doing here?"
"Wow, okay, thanks? I'm here with Diyem!"
"That won't help," Diyem said as he stepped up the stairs next, holding a hand up to block the light from his eyes. "He's corrupted. He's overwhelmed by fear."
"Fear. Nonsense. All I see is a traitor," Barky said, turning to face Spice, but Mhynt took the opportunity to strike with waves of psychic energy.
Barky's body shifted in color. The Psychic waves passed right through him. Did he just change his type? Could Arceus do that without the Orbs?
She didn't remember Barky doing that before. What awakened in him?
"Fall!" Barky called. "No more darkness! No more compromises! I've decided to take this world into my own hands again!"
"What are you—"
Spice swung her arms forward and just barely got a Protect up in time, blocking a downpour of javelins of light. They bounced off of her shield with deafening, ethereal clangs, evaporating against the now-cracked stone. Diyem had casually put up a similar barrier for himself, while others weaved and dodged the rest.
"Stop negotiating! Take him down!" Diyem commanded. "His fear is irrational! Something got into him! The darkness… might be inside him!"
"Shouldn't have said that part out loud!" Amelia cried.
Barky roared, all pretenses gone. Even if it was for his own good, Arceus had to be taken down. They could figure out what to do from there. Spice brought down her shield and prepared toxic sludge in the back of her throat. When Arceus turned to Mhynt, she fired at his flank, soaking pristine white fur with purple sludge. Then, she dove to the right and avoided a downpour of javelins where she'd just stood.
She cursed. "One hit like that, and…"
Mhynt swept Barky off his feet with a Psychic torque, but he was floating. Gravity didn't mean anything. An aimless blast of light javelins arced through the air; one grazed Spice's cheek, sizzling even after it left her. She hissed and clutched at the wound, but it burned her fingers next.
She ignored it for now. Just another reminder that she was a creature of the dark and Barky was supposedly powered by light. If there was darkness in his heart as Diyem said, it wasn't deep enough to taint his powers. Maybe that was a good thing.
This time, Spice exhaled a thick cloud of intoxicating, violet fumes. She had no idea if Barky breathed, but it would seep into his skin all the same. She got close enough and fired at his underside, then leaped away to narrowly avoid a hoof swung at her head. She tucked and rolled in time to see Diyem throwing void spheres at Barky's eyes, missing each one.
Migami had rescued their sprite counterparts and blasted Barky with a Solar Beam, forcing him to contact the ground.
Spice acted on reflex. She heaved another glob of sludge on the ground. It exploded, polluting the tile and against Barky's fur again. This time, the telltale darkness of activated poison took hold of him and Spice almost sighed with relief.
Instead, she leaped to the side again but this time was too slow. A radiant javelin struck at her leg, going clean through. She wailed and tripped onto the floor, hitting her head and elbow against the tile, leaving a numbing buzz through her body.
"A-agh—!"
She reflexively reached for the javelin to free herself. Instantly, the joints of her fingers that touched the javelin dissolved, and the ends of her claws fell to the ground. The stumps left behind on her hand spurted with black blood.
The pain came after. She gritted her teeth and balled up her remaining good fist, pounding the ground. Escape. She could only think about escape. The reality of her grave wound and her inability to heal it properly was only a fleeting realization. But she couldn't touch it. And if she moved, it would tear through the rest of her leg. But if she stayed, she'd be run through.
Was this it? Did she have no way out? All this time, all this fighting…
She was so close.
If she died… would she become an afterthought?
The seconds passed. Barky wasn't paying attention to her. In fact, it seemed like nobody was. She was… forgotten already in the frenzy.
Migami smashed into Barky with their axes while the three pixies sent synchronized blasts of Psychic energy into Barky's neck. Trina relocated and raised her vines, getting picked up by Migami seconds later. A pulse of light went from her hand to Migami's back, giving more control and clarity to their movements.
Lunala waited for an opening of any kind, but her attacks were useless against Barky's current element. Diyem was avoiding his Shadow moves, probably because it would only corrupt Barky further. He, in Angelo's body, was relegated to supporting, healing, and boosting the others when he could.
Something about it was peaceful. Stuck there, watching the titans clash, slowly realizing that she was… completely and utterly out of her league.
"Ha…" She rested her head against her arm. "To think I thought I'd fight that… Why did I bother?"
She tried to stand, but the javelin reminded her not to. She cringed but refused to cry.
"Must be how Jerry felt," she whispered. "Everything is… too much. Look at you… Gods, all of you, and then there's… me."
Barky sent several javelins through Migami's body. All they did was snarl and tear them back out, the wounds closing in seconds. Lunala and the Trio of Mind tagged in, slinging potshots in Barky's blind spots.
"Did I really think I'd matter? I'm just… a shadow. I'm not meant for here… am I?" She smiled weakly.
That voice… had it all wrong. She didn't deserve to be the winning personality. Enet, Amelia… they hadn't been corrupted. They hadn't stolen a family just to live a facsimile of life again. They were true to themselves.
Maybe becoming an afterthought would be her release.
The javelin moved. Trembled. Spice, still having enough energy to look back, squinted at the thing so firmly placed in the tile, pinning her. She saw… blood running down and bubbling on the divine weapon.
It wriggled more and popped out. Enet's illusion disappeared, revealing the Zoroark with bloodied paws and Amelia tending to the wounds swiftly, wrapping ethereal leaves around them.
"Enet?"
"Hey!" Enet greeted, quickly glancing behind her.
Amelia emerged next and bowed to her with what little time they had remaining. "Thought you'd die without some help?"
Barky ran Judgment javelins through Diyem, but his body puffed into smoke. A Substitute. On the other end of the tower's apex, the Smeargle drew electric spiderwebs and tossed them on Barky like small prey.
"Why are you…"
Enet held a hand out for Spice to grab. She took it on reflex, not realizing the peril.
She gasped at the sudden pain, and Enet gasped at realizing it too late, so she pulled back. But when Spice looked at her hand… she saw that her fingers had been restored. Rather than a dark ink color, though, it was a brighter, almost violet sheen. And it stung. But it was functional.
Enet marveled at this for a few seconds too long. Barky loomed over her.
She gasped. Enet turned around; Spice rolled out of the way. The Zoroark dodged, but a divine spear nicked her on the shoulder, cleaving a waxing gibbous hole through her body.
Wailing, Enet tried to scramble back to her feet, lopsided and frenzied with fear, but she seemed torn on where to go. She fell again, the wound on her shoulder leaving her dizzy. The tiles under her, and the fur along her body, turned scarlet.
"Ahh! Enet!" Amelia reached for her and tried to shield against Barky's next onslaught. "Enet, concentrate! We need another illusion!"
Now.
Spice stiffened.
Seize the opportunity… and strike her down. Become the dominant one. Persist. Exist.
Spice gritted her teeth. Was this the opportunity she'd been given? The chance to be herself for good? To take ownership of her destiny, to defy her erasure?
Barky charged his next strike, his back alight with more energy. He roared, gravity in the area intensifying. Enet's fur clung to her body and pointed directly at the floor; Mhynt and Migami nosedived into the ground. Angelo's feeble body pancaked against the marble floor. Diyem couldn't find the strength to conjure a new trick.
The weight held Spice down, too. But she had enough strength for one more action.
That, finally, earned a genuine smirk. The world had a funny way of sending her messages. And she had a funny way of answering.
The javelins rained. Everything moved slowly. Spice reached for her teammates…
And past her. While she stumbled, she held her footing well enough to bring her arms up.
Deafening clangs and roars split the skies as Judgment strike after strike bounced off a cracking Protect.
Enet blinked at her. "Spice?" she asked.
"Get away!" Spice called. "These guys are too strong for us. We're only gonna get in the way! Run, and I'll—" Another Gravity blast forced Spice to her knees. Her tail felt so heavy that it heavily dragged on the ground. "I'll keep up with you! Just go!"
Barky was charging another Judgment. Spice wasn't confident in blocking this one…
"GO!"
Amelia stared, looking dumbfounded. "But… weren't you afraid?"
"Of course I'm afraid!" Spice said. "But… I'm not gonna let fear make me do something stupid. Fighting you… trying to live by killing you off…"
Enet looked surprised, but not as surprised as Spice had expected. Amelia looked pensive even as she caught her breath.
"I'm not falling to that. I'm not stealing something again just to live!"
"You never stole! You gave! You gave… yourself to a happy family!"
Barky fired. Spice cursed and held her shield up; the cracks crawled to the very edges of the black dome.
"GO! My time… is up! I'm just a shadow. I… don't want to be afraid of being one anymore. Let me… do this! Let me protect my light! Let me protect you!"
The cracks were inches from the edge. Once they got there, it would shatter. Everything would shatter. That fear gripped her again. She heard that voice telling her it wasn't too late, but she ignored it. Maybe that was how she felt, too.
But this was right. Spice cleared her mind, held her breath, and poured all of her effort into this final, shining moment.
The moment continued. Longer than it should have. And the shield… wasn't breaking. The cracks filled with a greenish-blue glow—a standard Protect's energy.
Enet stood by Spice, holding her hand up.
"Enet? You know Protect?" Spice asked.
Barky fired again. Enet and Spice both knelt as the cracks interweaved with one another, yet it never broke.
Golden light sealed the cracks once again. Amelia took the stand next to Spice.
"Everyone got Protect during the whole apocalypse stuff, so once we got out of the Voidlands, it became standard protocol." Amelia held her leafy petals up. "Didn't think it'd be useful, but here we are!"
"We're together!" Enet declared.
Judgment rained. He was hyper-focused on them, now. Maybe he found it blasphemous that they were doing nothing but denying his smite.
"On the next wave," Amelia said, "we give it all we've got! Okay?"
Spice stared dumbly but then nodded. "Okay. Give it our all…"
"For us!" Enet declared.
Gravity forced them to the ground. They held their arms up anyway. The sky glimmered with gold motes and black lightning. Somewhere, the others were fighting back. They couldn't see the rest of the battlefield anymore.
"Here it comes!"
If you flee first, you can save yourself. Let them fall. Persist.
Spice crouched, channeling even more energy into her barrier. The last of her energy. Take your fear and shove it.
Judgment fell. Spice, Amelia, and Enet roared in unison, their hearts as one, and their world went white.
She blinked, standing in a black void.
Her body was still tense. She knew the battle was ongoing. The pressure of a god's corrupted smite still surrounded her. But time had stopped for this one moment.
In front of her was a Sceptile. A tall one, too. Grinning. She knew her name because it was also once hers.
"You were amazing!" Remi cheered, going down for a hug. She picked her up and swung her around before planting her back on the featureless ground. Even after letting her go, Remi held her paw—which was different.
She gasped.
"Hey, no time for that," Remi said, patting her paw.
"But," she said, "what do I do now? Aren't you… going to take over?"
Remi smiled. Even with her cheer, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'm the past," she said. "Call on me… when you need it. That's what memories are for, right?"
She stared, dumbfounded. What did that mean?
"Anyway," Remi said. "There's no time. Let's recall one little trick. . ."
Destiny Tower fell into a brief silence. The energy warped the light and the dust obscured the floor. The poison faded from Barky's system, and the battle reached a point where everyone had to catch their breath.
"Enet? Spice?" Migami said. "You… Barky! You… killed them! I can't… I can't see their auras!"
Barky rumbled. "Then it's one less blemish on the world," he said. "One less person to defy me."
The dust cleared. Finally, Migami could see what was there. They feared the worst. Mangled corpses riddled with Judgment blasts. Maybe even nothing but the gore of the aftermath.
But instead… there was nothing. Not even ash. Instead, there was a perfect circle where the Protect had once been.
"Hold," Trina whispered to them, still holding a divine gash in her arm that Mispy's healing could not fully heal. "Do not lose your composure. I think—"
"Hey, ugly!"
Heads turned but they saw nobody there.
"Maybe if you took off that golden fencepost, you'd be faster!" called the voice again. Migami couldn't recognize who it was… It sounded like Enet, but she was too articulate.
Barky didn't seem to care. He fired a javelin precisely at the voice. It went right through.
"Almost! Try a little to the right next time!"
Barky snarled and fired instead to the left.
"Well, that's just rude. Can't even trust me? Where's Reshiram when you need him!?"
BOOM!
Thunder scorched Barky from below, going straight through his chest. He roared in pain and doubled over. Migami caught a glimpse of crimson and a new aura just below Barky, but it had only been for an instant.
"What was that?" they whispered.
Whatever it was, Barky went into a berserk frenzy. He arched his back and roared at the sky. Holy thunderbolts rained from the sky, striking the tower itself, leaving glimmering flashes of light on impact. His filaments of light expanded and formed into more spears that shot in all directions, circling back to strike the tower and anyone who dared fly in the skies again.
Gravity had returned to normal. But being airborne now was only a recipe for bombardment. They had to fight on the ground.
Mhynt, recognizing this, had reverted to her Treecko self. Her nimbleness made it possible to dodge, and as a Lunala she'd been helpless on the ground.
"This could… be going better…" Diyem growled, holding up several kinds of energy shields at once to endure what Barky's onslaught dished out. "He seems weaker… But even in his reduced state, Arceus is still a divine being. How much more…"
"He's gotta wear out eventually, right?!" Migami shouted, hiding the three pixies beneath their vines for safety.
"This is the Alpha himself," Trina warned. "I… have a thought that he's far from done. We can't defeat him—only his corruption! Somehow…!"
That crimson flash caught their attention again. This time it came from the right, just in the corner of their vision. And once again, there was that flash of a new, powerful aura.
One of the javelins struck something and stopped moving.
"Ha!" called that new voice. "H-hang on, what do I do now?"
Barky faced the voice. Migami followed her instincts and blasted their charged Solar Beam at Barky's face, distracting him. He snarled through the smoke and aimed at Migami next.
"Uh oh."
Relying on Gahi's speed, Migami kited around Barky as the javelin that struck nothing balled up into a sphere of energy. A tinge of darkness traced around the sphere like a colorful marble.
"Got it!"
Just as Barky glanced back at the voice, the javelin—now infused with Shadow—fired at him at double the speed. It jammed into Barky's chest and knocked him back a few feet, doubling him over.
"Strike!" Diyem commanded just as Barky staggered.
Barky couldn't defend. Migami went with Demitri's Dual Chop again, slamming hard into his ribs. The wheel around his body was too hard to break so he instead aimed for his bones—which were just as hard. It occurred to them that maybe his bones were made from the same material.
The flesh wasn't, though, as he caved through fur and skin before leaping away.
And finally, Migami had a good view of the crimson thing that had appeared.
It was like Enet had lost all her color. Her fur had gone ghostly white, flecked with red on the ends. Her limbs looked like they were dotted with giant rubies and her eyes had become an intimidating, wide yellow. Her hair drifted with the wind, serene, and the illusion that followed wiped her away from view.
Migami had never seen a Zoroark like that before.
"Enet?!"
"Yeah?" the Zoroark called back, now circling invisibly around the tower's perimeter.
"Where's Spice?!"
"That's me, too!"
Migami flinched. "You—"
"Later, later!"
"Right!"
Barky was back on his feet but Migami managed another potshot with a thrown axe, calling it back with Gahi's telekinesis.
"Can you do that thing again?!" Migami called to Enet-Spice… and whoever. Was this Remi?
"Yeah! Just need an opening!"
"You won't have one," Barky snarled. Judgment arose again, aiming haphazardly in her general direction. This time, the javelins were dark, corrupted by Shadow. Barky wasn't hiding it anymore.
"Watch out!" Migami cried, about to strike, but then a bright light blinded her. "Agh!"
"Sorry about this," Diyem said with little apology in his tone.
Migami didn't recognize the technique immediately. Angelo knew practically everything and Diyem was still catching up. But this light—and the way the javelins were suddenly arcing toward them, despite Barky's attention on Enet…
Spotlight. Everything was going toward Migami now.
Trina cursed and hid within Migami's vines. "I'll be hiding here," she said. "I need my proper body at this rate…!"
Migami held up their arms and writhed their vines, bracing for impact. They conjured a Protect of their own, but the absolute full assault of Barky's attacks punched holes through it in seconds. A few stray javelins still flew in random directions, not caught by Diyem's Spotlight, and one such javelin stopped in place once more. It balled up, infused with light this time, and fired back into Barky.
Another clean hit. Weaker this time, but enough to stagger Barky a few more steps. Mhynt took over, leaping as just a Treecko and conjuring a Leaf Blade twice her size. Dark energy at the energy blade's edge left it serrated as she carved at the spot Enet had struck.
Migami was still recovering and couldn't follow up. Diyem still lacked power so he instead conjured weaves of numbing electricity to keep Barky in his place.
"How is he still standing?!" Enet complained.
"I warned you," Trina's muffled voice came from beneath Migami.
"He's one of the great gods of this world, Remi," Mhynt said, leaping for another strike as Barky stood tall. She feinted and struck his throat, but a barrier blocked her from going for anything lethal. Would it even be lethal against a god?
Mhynt hopped back and held her blade forward like a shield. Defensive. "…And… it's good to see you again."
Enet—Remi?—smiled faintly, but said, "Yeah. We can do reunions later, though. What's the matter, Barky?! Ready for round three?!"
"There are no rounds… only your end—the end of all traitors."
"Theeere it is," Remi said, hopping from foot to foot. "'Scuze me O Great Alpha, but your evil is showing!"
"This world needs structure. No more chaos. No more uncertainties. All… will be under my control… absolute and obedient."
"It's consumed his mind and amplified his fears," Diyem stated. "That isn't Barky anymore. We must beat it out of him no matter the cost. If he's lost, he's lost! Are you ready?"
"Was thinking you'd never ask!"
Migami's wounds were still severe. A few holes were punctured in important organs. Thankfully, they were already stitching themselves back together with Mispy's healing and Gahi's Guardianship. Good thing they still didn't feel pain!
"Fall."
Another Judgment charged on Barky's back. This time, they were ready. Tired, but ready.
A thousand green arrows slammed into Barky's side and halved the output of the flurry that followed. Remi grasped at a javelin, but this time slipped up on her form and forced it past her instead, cursing irritably as she clutched at a bleeding paw.
"Huh?"
Just at the entrance was a great green-black serpent of hexagons. Hovering over his crown was a tiny Mew.
"Took you long enough!" Remi called.
"Apologies," Hecto said. "Dialga was having some kind of episode below."
"I think he was Voiding out! But Hecto helped take care of him." Star nodded.
"What? How?"
"I subdued him."
"Turns out Thousand Arrows is pretty good on the guy!" Star said.
"You… defeated my… Creation…"
"Barky, you're better than this!" Star called, though despite her bold words she was hiding behind Hecto. "Snap out of it!"
"Star… the bane of my divinity…"
"Oh, enough pillow talk!"
"Oh!" Remi jolted upward. The ghostly Zoroark rummaged through her wriggling fur. "Hey! You need this?" She held up a green emerald.
"…Yes," Hecto said.
Remi lobbed it at Hecto.
Barky fired a quick Judgment.
Diyem shined a light on Migami and the javelin struck them in the throat.
"Hggkh—rude!" Migami gurgled.
Diyem shrugged. "It worked."
The emerald landed on the Zygarde's tail and disappeared instantly. Then, Hecto's hexagons rapidly flashed in a rhythmic, undulating wave across his body, faster and faster.
Barky charged up another attack. In the end, he didn't have enough time.
Hecto seemed to have doubled in size, standing on two legs with two hulking arms. The crown on his head had become some kind of fanned cape. The great titan—now towering over Barky—raised his fist in the air and smashed him through the tower, cleanly cratering him five floors below.
"NOW!" Diyem shouted.
"Now what?" Remi called.
Diyem hurled a Shadow javelin at Remi, who caught it.
"Infuse that with light!"
"What?"
"Explanations later!"
"Fine, fine!" White light swirled into the concentrated darkness. "Now what?!"
Mhynt, as a Treecko, sprinted toward Remi and held out a hand. Without thinking, Remi held the light forward.
The Treecko conjured her Leaf Blade. The Shadowed Radiance snaked its way around the blade, crackling like it would explode at any second. She fell down, down, down past the rubbles of the topmost floors of the tower, raised her blade, and plunged it directly into Barky's chest.
The great god roared. Black lightning scorched the walls of the ninety-fifth floor. Mhynt hopped away, leaving the energy blade stuck and dissolving in him, as some wraith-like thing emerged from the wound. It sizzled and evaporated into nothing.
And, finally, all was quiet.