"What the hell does he mean by that?!" snapped Skuntank angrily, but not even he could hide the fear in his voice. "I'm not dying!"
"Shut up!" roared Zephyr. "Darkrai, give up that orb right now!"
"And why should I do that?" he asked, his visible eye glowing with curiosity. "I might have power over nightmares but I've been living in one for decades! A world without Amy is NOTHING!"
"But it isn't!" Ella insisted. "If I can come back, then surely Sera and Amy can, too! We can find a way to-"
The flames of the campfire wavered frantically as they tried to stay alight, but it was as if the air itself made it flicker into nothing. All that was left was some sticks and smoke, and the light of the full moon in the sky.
"You CAN'T!" screeched Darkrai. "You can't, because she's dead! Not gone home back to the humans, DEAD!"
Rai sucked in a breath. "Darkrai, I understand how you fe一"
"If you understand then why aren't you helping me?" Darkrai whirled on Raiden, snarling. "You want Seraphina back, don't you?! Why aren't you joining me?!"
Rai could hear the heartache in his voice… no, voices. There were two parts of Darkrai now, and he could hear both of them hurting. "Because… this isn't right," he insisted. "Messing with our homes, destroying our family, friends and lives! You don't need to make everyone else suffer!"
"Everyone was already suffering!" he declared in return. "I'm just helping everyone put an end to it!"
"What… Do you mean by that?" Roger asked, the whiscash frowning in concern.
"He means that he can sense the negativity in everyone's hearts," Mona explained softly, wincing.
"You didn't even get to explain what Dark Matter is!" Skuntank growled, scowling at Zephyr.
"I was getting to it!" Zephyr snarled in response. A dragon pulse charged in his maw, which he then fired at Darkrai.
The orb in Darkrai's hand glowed a vibrant pink, and something in the air around him rippled, causing the attack to bend around Darkrai and connect with the wall behind him, causing the rocky wall to crumble somewhat.
The rayquaza glared. "You have no right to be using Palkia's power! How'd you even get it?"
"Like I'd tell you," Darkrai scoffed. "Enough playing around. I'm leaving."
A swirling, pink portal opened up behind Darkrai, and he glared at the group. "I don't care what you do, but if you chase me, I will kill anyone who tries."
"Darkrai!" Mona called, "W-Wait! You don't have to do this!"
He stopped and turned back to her. For a moment he seemed stunned, and the red glow of his eyes had dimmed some. "What… Amy?" he choked.
Rai felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked back at Mona, the cresselia just looked confused. "What…?" she said. "I'm not…"
Then Darkrai's hair shifted and he glared at Mona with bright red eyes. "You're playing tricks on me! Even the gods don't care about my suffering!"
"No, Darkrai, stop this!" Rai shouted, electricity fizzling in his fur. This was it, he couldn't back down. A blue bolt of electricity jumped from his fur, striking Darkrai directly. He howled in pain, and for a moment, Rai could hear two sets of screams. It was enough to make him stop. It was loud. Terrible. Painful.
"Why'd you stop?!" Skuntank snapped, "It was clearly hurting him!"
"Because…" Rai trailed off, blinking. "I…"
A ball of darkness formed in Darkrai's hand and he lobbed it at Rai, but before he could react, Zephyr moved in and blocked the blow, making him grunt a little. "Is that the thanks you give for someone trying to help?" sneered the rayquaza. "What happened back then was a mistake, they know bett一 we know better. I'm sorry nobody tried to help you. All of you. We cast you aside before anything else."
The shadows around them darkened, turning into deep pools of shadows. Rai was slightly worried he'd fall into one and fall asleep again. What if he woke up to an entirely different world? What if-
"You think your words are going to help now?!" yelled Darkrai. "It's too late to apologise for your actions!"
Rai blinked slowly in surprise. Despite Darkrai's words, Rai was hearing something else. Instead of those threats and retorts, he could still hear those voices. He could tell one wanted to listen, but the other was refusing.
Rai was starting to think it was too late.
For one of them, at least.
Whatever had happened to Dark Matter, it had become a force of darkness that needed to be stopped. Was it even possible to heal its heart, after all these years of hurt and sadness?
"Darkrai," called Rai, pouring what emotion he could into his voice. "Can you hear me? I'm trying to help. Just tell me what to do!"
A haggard breath left Darkrai, and his eye flickered. Blue. Red. Red. Red. Blue. Blue.
"R-Rai…!" he gasped, "Please! It's too late, just end me!"
"I can't!" Rai yelled. "We can help you, I promise!"
"We'll do everything we can to help!" Mona promised firmly. "Just keep fighting him!"
"Can't…!" said Darkrai. Red. Blue. Red. Blue. "Please…!"
"Hang in there!" Ella called. "As long as you don't stop fighting, we can help!"
"...Maybe we should do what he asks," said Skuntank with a wince. "Maybe it's the only way he knows…"
Roger glared. "No, that can't be it!"
Zephyr opened his mouth to speak, but a shadow ball crashed into his face, sending the serpent into the wet sand behind them.
"Zephyr!" Ella and Raiden yelled together.
Another attack was sent towards Mona, but Magnum had moved in the way. The attack was absorbed into his metal body, and something started to spread over him. His body dropped to the sand with a scary thud, and he didn't get up.
"N-No!" Mona cried, her eyes widened in horror. "H-He's..!"
The magnezone had been turned to stone.
Red.
The look in Darkai's eyes was fierce.
"I'm done talking," he sneered, then vanished into the waiting portal behind him. Even though he was gone, the pink, spacial portal remained, swirling and brimming with stolen power.
"Magnum!" wailed Ella as she threw her paws on to him. "Speak to me! What did he do to you?!"
Raiden didn't hear any buzzes, whirs or sparks. Not a single sound of reassurance. His heart sank and a single breath left his mouth. Mona drifted to Ella's side to murmur words of sympathy.
Skuntank spoke up first. "Is he…?"
"His soul has been taken," croaked Zephyr from the sand as he recovered. "That's what Dark Matter does. His ability lets him take the life force of any Pokemon and turn them to stone. He must not have been in full control when he attacked me."
"So he can just do that?" asked Roger with astonishment.
"Sort of," answered Zephyr as he slowly rose from the sand, checking his body for any serious marks. "It takes power from 'negative energy' and the darkness in people's hearts. By taking their life force, Dark Matter thinks it's 'purifying' them."
"That's horrible…" Roger murmured.
"Indeed," said Zephyr, who was watching Ella sob over Magnum's lifeless body. "Ella… I'm so sorry, this is our fault."
"You and who else?" Skuntank questioned with a glare. "What the heck happened to create that thing?"
"All of us," Mona said sadly, her natural glow dimming a little. Her gaze hadn't pulled away from Magnum in the sand. "Dark Matter is a creature borne from the negativity in Pokémon. I'm not quite sure how it happened… but it did."
"Well that's helpful," muttered Skuntank, making Mona wince.
Zephyr glared, but it was half-hearted. "I wish I could tell you more, but we need to hurry… I don't think that portal's going to stay around much longer… and he needs to be stopped."
"What's he trying to do?" asked Ella between shaky breaths. "He said something about the human world…"
"He's trying to merge them," Zephyr explained gravely. "If that happens, everything we know will be destroyed… Probably."
"Then we can't wait any longer," declared Rai as he took steps towards the portal. "I promised Sera I'd protect this world… I'm not going to let anyone destroy it!"
He turned back to look at each of his companions. Legends, heroes, an old rival and a fellow teammate of Team Overcharged. It was quite the group that had come together… all for one cause.
Rai felt ready. It was time to face Darkrai and save him… somehow.
"Mona, do you think what you've been doing to help Zephyr, Groudon and Kyogre will work on Darkrai?" he asked her.
She perked up at that while all heads turned to her. "Oh! I'm not sure… but it's worth a try! If we can help it, I'd like to save Darkrai…"
"Then it's worth a shot!" declared Raiden, stamping a paw into the sand. "Who can still fight? Because we're going now."
"We're in," Skuntank and Roger said together. They stared at each other, baffled, before sharing a smile.
Ella sniffled, the sylveon moving off of Magnum's body and stepping closer to Raiden. "I… I am, too. Corsair kept going when he lost me… I can't stop, no matter what."
Zephyr smiled sadly. "As much as I'd love to… I need to stay. I need to make sure Groudon and Kyogre are alright."
Raiden nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Zephyr, for all your help!"
"Yes, thank you, Zephyr! You've been such a big help," said Ella, smiling at him.
The rayquaza cleared his throat and rose to the air. "N-No worries, but good luck, all of you. You'll need it. Don't listen to Dark Matter's words… He'll try and trick you."
With a final wave, Zephyr the Rayquaza flew out towards the water, and the remaining members of the dead campfire nodded in agreement.
No matter what happened, this was it.
Leading the charge, Rai walked with purpose towards the portal with his friends behind him.
Then everything disappeared.
Amy ran while holding Simon close to her chest. The lucario panted heavily while her aura feelers worked overtime to help her keep track of her pursuer.
Darkrai had it easier with the floating, but even that took energy. He looked back and tossed a shadow ball behind him.
"Grr, stop that!" barked Rayquaza. "Just give me Dark Matter, and none of this has to happen!"
"He's just a kid!" Amy shouted. "You haven't even given him a chance!"
They'd been on the run since that incident in Trove Bay. How long has it been? Weeks? Months? Darkrai had lost count. It hadn't taken long for the villagers to storm Amy's home, requesting that she give Simon up so they could force him to undo the petrification.
But Simon had refused. He panicked over the 'darkness' in their hearts.
Darkrai knew that as long as they had Simon, he could never take Amy to the human world. Simon was a creature that, as Dark Matter and in the body of a child, struggled to understand how much damage he was causing. In the wrong hands he could…
Draconic winds buffeted them as they fled, making Darkrai hiss as he looked back and fired another shadow ball.
This time Rayquaza retaliated with a dragon pulse, confusing Darkrai as it felt like the counterattack was intentionally wide. Was he trying not to hurt them?
"Just give me Dark Matter, and you can go back to living your normal lives!" begged Rayquaza. "You weren't meant to handle this!"
"Everything happens for a reason!" Amy retorted. "I woke up in this world for some reason, and I choose to believe it was for this purpose! To make sure Simon grows up on the right path!"
"There is no right path!" Rayquaza retorted. "You're attached to something that cannot be good! It's made of this world's negativity, there's no way to fix it!"
"Him!" Amy corrected with a growl. "His name is Simon!"
"Amy…" whimpered the pichu in her arms.
Conflict swirled within Darkrai. Did he fight back? Did he convince Amy to hand over Simon? He'd come to care for the boy but… he was causing so much trouble. Could his negative background even be reversed or helped? It seemed so deep rooted… but the time he'd spent with Amy had been happy.
What was he supposed to do?
Rayquaza growled. "Then you leave me with no choice!"
He roared at the skies, and the area around them tinted red. Darkrai's heart leapt into his throat. "Go, run!" he cried, as he pushed harder.
"What the hell is happening?!" she snapped, and a glance up at the sky answered her question.
Meteors started raining down, fierce draconic energy could be felt in the very air. Amy's pupils shrank as she pushed harder to flee.
Darkrai's body tingled with alarm. "Duck!" he screamed, and Amy crouched as one of the meteors sailed over their heads and crashed into the ground ahead of them. He raced over and grabbed Amy's wrist, pulling her sideways and away from the oncoming onslaught.
One crashed behind them, the blast from the impact pushing them to the ground. Simon tumbled out of Amy's arms, the pichu rolling a distance before trying to get up.
"Stop… hurting Amy…!" he screamed, his little body rippling with darkness.
Rayquaza glared as he caught up, his eyes fierce and mad. "It will stop when you give yourself up! None of this has to happen to them!"
"Rayquaza! Stop it!" Amy begged as she tried to get to her feet. Darkrai also found himself struggling. His body ached, refusing to float any further as he helplessly watched Rayquaza approach Simon, charging an attack in his maw.
"Simon, run!" she screamed. "Run away and be safe! I'll come and find you!"
"No.. I'm going to protect you!" Simon declared, staring up at Rayquaza. Flecks of light sparked across his body while strings of shadows leaked from him. "Good things should be protected!"
"Listen to Amy, Simon, just run!" Darkrai yelled, straining to float closer. "Rayquaza… STOP!"
Amy had climbed to her feet too soon.
Darkrai saw Simon unleash an attack made of pure darkness right as Rayquaza fired his hyper beam. A blur of blue, then Darkrai heard a scream. The attacks had collided into an explosion that blasted everyone away, ripping trees from their roots and grass from the dirt. Darkrai had to duck to avoid a tree that blasted right over him.
"Amy?!" Darkrai screeched, already trying to crawl his way over.
The lucario was on the ground in the middle of the blast, her body marred. Darkrai couldn't see one of her ears. She rasped and wheezed, but couldn't move.
Rayquaza snorted. "I told you I'd only hurt him! Why'd you have to get in the way?!"
Simon stared blankly, eyes focused on nothing but the one on the ground in front of him. "Why…? Why her…?"
"I… told you, didn't I…?" coughed Amy. "He deserves to live, too…"
"Amy!" Darkrai sobbed, scooping her up in his arms. "A-Amy… why? Rayquaza, do something! Help her!"
Rayquaza gravely shook his head. "I'm sorry, Darkrai… There's not much I can do. I can feel her fading from here…"
Darkrai watched in a panic, breaths leaving him in hiccups.
No.
No!
No. No. No. No. NO
"H-Hey… Darkrai…!" rasped Amy, reaching up to touch his cheek with a gentle paw. "Focus… okay? Don't cry."
But Darkrai didn't listen. Tears were already streaming down his face as he blubbered. "A-Amy… please, you can't… I… I love you."
She smiled gently up at him. "I know… why'd you wait so long… to say it…? Silly…"
He sobbed. "I wanted… to take you home…"
"Don't you… get it?" she said with a raspy chuckle. "I've been home for… years. You were home, and Simon. That was home…"
"Why did you… protect me?" asked Simon, his own voice cracking from the emotion. "Could have saved yourself…"
Rayquaza hissed and looked away. "Because she thought you deserved better, can't you even understand that?! If you don't get it then it's just another reason why-"
"SHUT UP!" screamed Darkrai. "Shut up! She's dying because of you!"
Rayquaza winced and looked away.
Amy chuckled, or tried to. What escaped her was a throaty gasp that made Darkrai wince. "Simon… I know there's good in you, don't… give up on it…"
Her eyes fluttered closed. With a final rasp, her body slowly went still.
Darkrai's chest squeezed tight, carving pain across his body. Through his heart. It was terrible, awful, painful. Why did love hurt so much?
Simon hadn't moved. He stood there, watching Amy, waiting for her to get back up.
Rayquaza slowly bowed his head. "I'm sorry that it came to this," he said sullenly. "She didn't have to go."
"If you had left us alone, she'd STILL be here!" roared Darkrai, making the serpent flinch.
"I… I was only doing my jo-"
"Job?! We were helping Simon! But you were too scared and stupid to see that!"
Rayquaza gave him a stern look. "You know as well as I do that this thing shouldn't exist!"
There was a sniffle, and Darkrai turned his head to the source.
Rolling down the dark pichu's cheeks were tears. Real, fast tears. Something about that gave him pause.
"...A-Amy… why did she have to go…? She was helping me…!" sobbed Simon. "Is nobody going to help me anymore…? Am I alone?"
Darkrai felt his heart clench more at those words. Despite Dark Matter一 no, Simon, being a creature of negativity and darkness, even he wasn't free from emotions like these. He could smile, laugh and… cry.
"Well?" prompted Rayquaza. "Are you going to let me take him?"
What right did anyone have to take his life like this?
As Darkrai watched Simon cry over Amy's body, he made his decision.
"No."
"'No'?!" questioned Rayquaza. "What do you mean, 'no'?! We need to take him out!"
"No. Amy wanted him to live, and so I'm going to honor that," Darkrai explained. He moved to Simon, picking him up gently. The pichu moved to hide more within Darkrai's hold, shivering and sniffling. He placed a hand on Amy's body.
"Don't follow us."
Rayquaza tried to reach out with a claw. "Wait, Darkrai, stop! You're making a mistake!"
Darkrai sneered at him. "It was your mistake when you killed Amy. Farewell."
Taking Amy and Simon with him, Darkrai sank into the shadows, leaving Rayquaza's pleas to reach nothing but air.
He was going to protect Simon, no matter what.
That was Amy's wish.
. . .
It was raining by the time that Darkrai re-emerged, making sure to find a place that was truly alone. Rayquaza was king of skies, however. This peace would only last so long.
Darkrai stared at Amy's lifeless body. It had gone cold long ago.
Simon escaped from his arms, wiping his eyes. "Darkrai… what do we do now?"
"We bury her," Darkrai said hollowly. "We cover her in dirt so she can rest."
"Why?"
"Because… it means we don't have to look at them anymore."
"Oh."
That didn't feel good to say.
It felt like precious hours. It took too long to dig the hole. Darkrai's claws felt numb. Maybe Rayquaza was giving him a moment to grieve.
Simon had tried to help, but he was slow and tired. He'd ended up falling asleep.
When Darkrai thought it was finally deep enough, he carefully lowered Amy's body into the hole.
He wanted to say words, but he didn't even know what to say. What he was supposed to say. What did you say during times like this?
How were you supposed to say goodbye?
"Amy…" Darkrai choked out. "I don't… I don't know what words to say. It doesn't feel real yet. It just looks like you're asleep…"
Of course, there was no reply. The wind stirred around him, leaving nothing to answer him but the echo of the breeze.
"I… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," he whispered.
"Me too…"
Darkrai whipped his head towards the blackened pichu, wondering if it was just his imagination or if Simon was darker. More shadowy.
Whisps curled off of Simon in unnatural ways, clawing at the air around him as if they were trying to steal all the oxygen.
"Why did she have to go?" asked Darkrai, voice cracking. "She had… So much ahead of her."
"What do you want to do now?" Simon stared at him with curious eyes. "Do you want revenge?"
"Revenge…? But this is Amy's home, I don't want to hurt it…"
"Not anymore. Amy is gone… It is no longer her home. Nowhere is."
Darkrai stared emptily at Amy's body. Lifeless. Unmoving. Dead.
No longer could she see the human world with him.
No longer could she be his friend.
No longer could they be together.
No longer.
Tears welled up in Darkrai's eyes, and he collapsed against the edge of the grave. A single, raw and devastating scream tore through his mouth. Pidgey and Taillow in nearby trees all immediately took off with panicked shrieks. He screamed until his body started trembling and nothing else would leave his mouth.
Instead of fleeing, Simon moved closer. The air slowly shifted into a terrible, horrible feeling that filled Darkrai with many layers of unsettling.
"Amy is gone… She is never coming back. That makes you angry, doesn't it?"
With so many emotions swirling through him, Darkrai couldn't focus. He didn't know what to do or say or how to feel.
Something crept into him, and like a lifeline he clung onto it. The Something settled into him. A strange warmth that left behind numbing coldness. None of it bothered him. He felt the Something get comfortable. Darkrai liked this feeling.
"...It does," said Darkrai as he lifted himself up slowly. "It makes me really angry."
"They have to pay," said Dark Matter.
"Yes… They all need to pay," Darkrai said.
Darkrai felt himself smile. Even though he no longer saw Simon anywhere, he could feel his presence nearby. Inside him, even. He could feel a new power, lying dormant. But it needed time to get stronger…
"Yes… When we're ready… They'll all pay," they said, their voices now one and the same.
Nothing was going to get in their way.
"...ai!"
"Wa… up…!"
"Rai!"
Rai snapped to attention, his eyes snapping open before grogginess even had a chance to settle in. The last thing he'd remembered was entering that portal and then…
He'd had a dream about Darkrai and Dark Matter. He must have fallen asleep again.
Rai was getting sick of that.
"Rai! Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" cried Mona. There was a hint of panic and desperation to her relieved voice. "Wh-When you fell asleep and I couldn't wake you up I… I thought you were going to sleep forever!"
"Forever…?" said Raiden as he got to his feet. "That's what you thought when we first met too, wasn't it, Mona?"
The cresselia smiled, but it lacked any fondness. "Are you alright? We really need to get going to catch up with everyone else. I… I'm worried about them."
"The others…?"
As Raiden slowly looked around, he noticed that… many things around him were a deep pink.
The ground swirled and bubbled underneath, and whenever he moved a paw, the floor rippled in that spot. The sky was purple and dark, which occasionally flashed, but Rai was sure that wasn't really a sky overhead to begin with. Ahead was a mass of walls that emanated a strange, but welcoming feeling of foreboding. He recognised that immediately to be a dungeon.
"This is Spacial Rift… Palkia's domain. Everyone ran ahead to get through the dungeon and find Darkrai and Dark Matter before it was too late. I hope they haven't all been turned to stone…"
"But why did they go without you?" asked Rai with concern. "If something happens to them… we won't know!"
"Because they didn't want to sit around and wait," Mona said with a sigh. "And we didn't want to take you into a fight while you were asleep…"
Raiden let out an annoyed breath. They weren't wrong, and if any of them had fallen asleep instead… he was sure a similar decision might have been made.
"Anyways, Rai, did you have another dream?" Mona asked worriedly. "If it was about Darkrai, I need to know."
He nodded and quickly recounted the dream to the cresselia. She listened intently, her eyes focused on him the whole time. When he was done, Mona looked troubled.
"So… Amy died in the crossfire like that…? No wonder Darkrai's so mad… he lost his best friend, because Rayquaza and the other legends didn't want her to look after Dark Matter…"
Rai felt his jaw tighten. "Yeah. From how it felt in the dream, it seemed like… Amy had a chance to help Dark Matter, and instead… we lost all three of them."
It sickened him. It made him mad. If only the legends hadn't stepped in. What did Dialga think about this? Did he even know what was happening, or was he still recovering from the events of Temporal Tower, ignorant to everything going on? Was Palkia alright?
He would need those answers later…
"So what do you want to do now?" Mona asked him.
Rai knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to save Darkrai, he wanted to help Dark Matter. He wanted to resurrect Amy and Sera and Magnum and everyone else that had suffered from this tragedy.
But he knew not all of those would be possible.
"I want to save everyone. But I know that that might not be possible… there's so many people to save, and it might be too late for some of them," he answered bitterly.
"Like who?"
"Like… Dark Matter, and Darkrai. They've been suffering for so many years… Amy's death pushed them into all of this."
Mona bowed her head. "I understand… But we'll save Darkrai if we can separate him from Dark Matter, at least."
"Will that save everyone else?" asked Rai with a wince. Even if they'd manage to separate the two… would that reverse the damage caused, or was it too late for the victims of this unfortunate duo?
Mona shook her head with a worried frown. "I… I'm sorry, Rai, there's no way of knowing," she answered, then turned her head towards the dungeon. "Shall we get going? We need to catch up with everyone else."
He nodded firmly and started for the dungeon. Mona followed close behind, sounding nervous. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I'm an expert at dungeons at this point!"
She smiled appreciatively and nodded. "Right, let's do this!"
The dungeon had been erratic, as mad as Rai thought a realm belonging to Palkia should be. Nothing about anything made sense. Paths curved and took them upside-down and right-side up. On walls, on ceilings… or were they all floors?
Rai didn't know. He and Mona surged on. They couldn't pause any longer. They needed to catch up. They had to. Without Mona, could they even win? Hopefully all his friends weren't already turned to stone…
Ella, one of his many new friends since this all began. A human who saved his world before, and she'd come back, and was helping the world all over again. He admired her, and secretly, he hoped that her existence meant that Sera could come back as well…
Skuntank, who used to be his dreaded rival, was now becoming one of his most loyal friends. He was doing his best to swallow his fears and help stop Dark Matter. Rai couldn't let him down, most of all.
And finally, besides Sera, Roger was his best friend. His longest friend. They met so many months ago during Team Overload's first 'real' exploration. As far as Rai was concerned, he'd been there since the beginning.
He couldn't let anyone else suffer at the hands of Darkrai and Dark Matter. Nobody. Not even themselves.
Thankfully, even Palkia's domain operated like normal dungeons. He was able to scrounge up what items they could carry. A blast seed, two revivers… a couple of orans. Hopefully they'd be enough, and that his friends had picked up their own items during their trek.
"Don't worry guys… we're coming!" Rai said.
It was time to end this.
Time to finally uphold Seraphina's final wish.
Time to save their world, their home, their friends.
Hopefully nobody else had to die.
Many twists, turns and curves later, Mona and Raiden could hear the sounds of fighting up ahead, along with the familiar shouts of many.
"We're close!" Mona cried. "Just a little longer, Rai!"
"Right, let's speed up!" he replied, feeling a new burst of adrenaline fill his body.
This was it.
The curling, swerving paths coalesced into a pink field. Rai was starting to wonder if Palkia just really liked that colour.
His friends were fighting Darkrai, whose arms had stretched out into wispy, clawed limbs of were spots on the ground that looked like they'd been scorched by darkness, and a quick look told Rai that nobody was a statue.
Skuntank scampered away as one of Darkrai's arms reached out to slap him, trying to fight back with flames from his tail at the same time. Roger was dodging beams of darkness being fired at him from the other arm, while trying to counter with his own frosty beams. They were moving around too much, which made it hard to land any real hits, so what was their plan?
Darkrai hissed as a pink blast hit his back, and Ella was dancing around, preparing to dodge any immediate counters thrown her way. Pools of darkness kept forming under her, and quickly she escaped before they could put her to sleep.
"Rai, you're awake!" cried Roger with relief, before he spiraled away from a dark pulse. "Are you alright?!"
"Took your time, Raiden!" Skuntank gasped as he struggled to catch his breath. "T-Tag in! I need a quick break!"
Electricity was already crackling through his fur in anticipation. He was already eager to start fighting with the others. "On it!"
"Stop resisting!" Darkrai snarled. "You'll only suffer more!"
Raiden ignored them and dashed forwards, hearing the relieved wheeze of Skuntank as he pulled away. The luxio's fur tingled and sparked as he tackled Darkrai, sending electricity from his body to his opponent as they connected. Darkrai hissed at the contact and swatted Rai away with one of his arms, sending him flying. Rai twisted his body and landed safely on the ground, but he winced as he felt a lingering sting from the swat.
"You alright?" Skuntank called.
"Y-Yeah! Just fine!" Rai called back with another wince.
"Be careful, Rai!" warned Mona. "Getting hit by him looks bad, keep clear of his attacks!"
"Why hasn't he just killed us all yet?" asked Rai, quickly darting away from another swat.
"Apparently he needs time!" Roger answered from the other side of the fight. "He's saving his power to merge the worlds or whatever!"
Darkrai screeched and a shadow ball careened into Roger, sending the whiscash to the ground. Rai snarled and charged electricity in his fur, expelling it in a blue lightning bolt that struck Darkrai in return, who hissed and retaliated with a dark pulse. Rai barely moved out of the way in time, and felt the attack strike one of his back legs. A burning sensation tore through his leg, and he winced and hissed.
"Darkrai, Dark Matter, please!" Rai begged. "You need to stop this! You're going to kill everyone if you merge these worlds together, they don't belong!"
"Nobody belongs!" they screeched. "I can sense everyone's negativity, all their pain and anguish! I can put everyone out of their misery this way!"
"We're only miserable because of what you're doing to us!" Ella cried. "You hurt one of my best friends and took the other away from me! If you stop we can try and help you- find some way to get her back!"
"Stop LYING!" they roared. "Amy is gone! We saw her die, not disappear!"
"Maybe they can make an exception!" Roger tried. "We've all seen how special she is to the both of you!"
"You think they'd make an exception for us?! They all hate us! Everyone wants us dead!"
Their words struck Rai harder than the dark pulse that crashed into him. Raiden tumbled to the ground, groaning faintly. He could hear every inch and facet of their pain and agony. All the turmoil. All of the hurt. The anger.
Rai so desperately wanted to help them.
But he wasn't sure if he could.
"Rai!" Mona cried, "Are you alright?!"
"Y-Yeah! I'm fi一"
Darkrai flew forwards, and suddenly Rai felt a vice grip his neck. No air could enter or leave his lungs, and all that escaped his mouth was a strange, surprised wheeze.
"Rai!" Roger cried.
In his quickly thinning vision, Rai saw the bright lights of Roger's ice, Mona and Ella's fairy attacks, and even Skuntank's poison. The attacks struck Darkrai's back and he hissed, but only increased his hold.
"Keep attacking me and I'll end it for him!" they threatened. Rai had only barely registered that he was talking about him, and that the sounds of battle had quickly come to a halt.
Rai almost felt his vision fade altogether. His throat felt like it could snap at any minute. Sparks jumped desperately from his fur and Darkrai retaliated by swinging his hand down. Rai felt his back scream in agony as it connected with the ground, and he could no longer focus enough to produce his electricity. Every part of his body wanted to stop feeling this way, it felt horrible, terrible, and一
Everything was spinning too much.
"It's you we hate the most! Why do you keep fighting even though your friends are dying?! Why can't you share our pain一we went through the same thing!"
"'Cause… owe her…!" Rai choked out, feeling the very words too difficult to even leave his throat.
"Why does her promise matter? She's DEAD!" they bellowed. "WHY?!"
"Because that's the kind of friend Raiden is!" replied Roger's desperate voice. "It was Seraphina's dream for this world to stay peaceful, and that's what Rai is honoring!"
"Real friends don't become assholes and take it out on others when they lose someone dear to them!" Suntank growled, adding on. "You both chose to take it out on people who had nothing to do with this! You had a choice to keep moving on, and you couldn't find the strength to do it- and that's where you and Rai are different!"
"I promised her I'd take her home!"
"...was …home!" Raiden tried to croak.
They snarled and tossed him like a stone. Rai felt his body go airborne, but he was just relieved that the pressure on his throat was gone. The second he tumbled to the ground he hacked and coughed and wheezed for air.
"What did you say?" they growled.
"I saw it, in a dream, from your memories somehow-" he rasped, feeling the hoarseness and pain in his throat. "Amy was home! You both made her feel at home together! You don't want to destroy the place she loved, do you…?"
Everything fell silent. Rai could hear the sound of his own breaths, and he and his teammates dared not move while Darkrai stared at him. He could feel the way that Darkrai and Dark Matter both together and separately were watching him. Trying to see if he could really and truly determine if Raiden was telling the truth.
"I am," he said out loud, making Darkrai flinch. "I'm telling the truth, and you both know it, right…?"
"I…"
"Please, Darkrai, Dark Matter!" Mona pleaded. "You can see it in Rai's eyes, can't you? That he's telling the truth?"
He still couldn't explain it, but it was like he could see almost exactly how they were feeling. Rai had the strange sense that Darkrai was stuck.
This was his chance.
"You don't have to do this…!" Raiden cried, croaking out as much emotion as he could. He needed them to feel every bit of it, every ounce of determination and hope. They needed all of it. "When Amy was with both of you, those days were her favourite! I know Amy loved both of you, or she wouldn't have protected you both until the very end!"
Dakrai held his hands to his head, and the lustrous orb fell to the dungeon floor. Nobody dared to make a move for it yet. "But she… why would she die for us?" they asked.
"Because the legends made a mistake," Mona called. "Rayquaza he… Zephyr should have never chased you all down like that!"
"Amy… she's your partner, right?" Ella said. "I'm sure it hurts a lot… but this isn't the way to fix that. You can't undo killing everyone, there'd be nothing left!"
"...Really? I'd be killing… everything she loves?" asked Darkrai.
"Yes!" Skuntank snapped. "You'd be killing what everyone else loves too! We all love being alive and being with friends and family! You can um… still have friends!"
"I can have… friends?"
"Yes!" promised Roger. "If you stop all this we can be your friends! You won't be alone anymore…!"
Rai slowly got to his feet, keeping his eyes on Darkrai all the while. "You can stop this!" he declared. "All you have to do is join us… we'll clean this mess up together."
With a blink, blue eyes stared at him, and Darkrai slowly held out his hand. "Please… help me!" he pleaded. "I don't want to do this!"
Quickly, Rai's eyes met everyone else's. Slowly, each of them nodded as their gazes met, giving him the go ahead. Mona closed her eyes and started to focus.
It was time to save Darkrai.
Rai swallowed, barely noticing the way his paw glowed and his leg grew longer as he stretched out. Suddenly, it was easier to meet Darkrai's eyes, who was watching him with a strange look of awe and fascination.
"Raiden…" Roger whispered in awe. "You… you're evolving!"
But he pushed on, not reacting. In a way this felt natural to him. Rai just wanted to take Darkrai's hand and end all this madness. The glow faded, and Rai barely had time to marvel over his extra fur, and the stripes on the back of his forelegs as he placed his paw in Darkrai's hand.
For a moment, all was still.
Darkrai's blue eyes stared at Rai, and Rai stared back.
"You evolved, because you care about this… that much?" Darkrai asked softly.
"We all do," Rai said firmly. "Everything you've done… it's because you're hurting, right? We can help you recover… but you need to know something first."
"...What is it?"
"I forgive you."
Quiet stretched across the battlefield the moment those words left his mouth. He could sense the agape stare from Skuntank, and the agreeing nods from his friends. He watched as Darkrai went through several emotions. Surprise. Confusion. Grief. Confliction.
"Forgive… me?" he asked hesitantly.
"Both of you," Rai said firmly. "You and Dark Matter. You're both hurting… People do a lot of things while they're hurting. It might not be okay now… but we can make it okay."
"Forgive… us…" Darkrai murmured to himself, then the conflicted gaze trailed back to meet Rai's eyes once again. "The hurt can… go away?"
"Yes!" Rai promised. "I mean it… we won't let you fall anymore. Let us catch you."
Darkrai let out a breath. Rai held his, jaw tight and teeth clenched.
"Iー"
Darkrai seized, and a horrible scream ripped through him. His free hand covered his face, stopping Rai from seeing the colour of his eyes.
"AUUUUGGHHHH!"
"Darkrai?!" Rai and Mona asked in alarm.
"What's happening?!" Ella cried, ribbons waving frantically.
"Isn't it obvious? Talking's not going to be enough!" Skuntank snarled. The tip of his tail was already preparing to launch an attack.
"Skuntank, wait!" Roger ordered, holding out a fin. "We don't want to ruin this chance yet until we know."
Wisps of shadows curled off of Darkrai's body, clawing at the air and digging into Raiden's leg. He gasped and tried to pull away. It was as if sharp stones were painfully cutting into his flesh. He peered past the gaps in Darkrai's fingers, and saw the glints of red that told him everything.
Dark Matter was back in control.
"G-Guys!" Rai cried, as he tried to pull away from Darkrai's grasp.
"Is that enough waiting!?" Skuntank snapped, and he charged forwards, a burst of flames streaming from his tail.
The rest followed his charge. Ice beams and moonblasts also firing at Darkrai. Attacks struck his back, and he howled. The grip on Rai's leg slackened.
Rai saw his chance to dive for the forgotten lustrous orb, tucking it against his body as he rolled away. The orb was hard like glass against his body, and while it felt fragile, he could feel the immense power stored inside it.
"Give it back!" Darkrai screeched, swiping an arm, but Rai tumbled, not used to his longer legs which actually helped him stumble underneath the arm.
His friends backed him up. Skuntank blasted more fire, then Roger followed it up with a spray of water, giving Rai a chance to recover and escape.
"We need it to end the suffering!"
"No you don't!" cried Rai. "We can help you!"
"H-Help… me!"
"That's enough!" Mona yelled, and she floated in front of Darkrai, glowing fiercely. Everyone else knew well enough to cover their eyes as Mona lit up the area with her blinding, piercing light.
The screech that came from Darkrai made Raiden wish he could cover his ears as well, but he was still clutching Palkia's orb. "Fight it!" Rai screamed.
"HHHUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"
Darkrai's body twitched violently, arms flailing and wisps of darkness falling off of him and hitting the ground. They pooled and sunk into the floor as they fell, Rai couldn't see where any of it went.
"What's happening now?!" cried Skuntank.
"Rai, take the orb and run, we've got this!" Roger called, then a sudden arm lashed out sending him careening through the air.
"Roger!" Rai cried.
"Darkrai, enough! Stop fighting us! Fight Dark Matter instead! Why does he still want to hurt everyone?!" Mona cried.
The creature's breaths were ragged. Every sound expressed how much pain they were in.
Rai wanted it to stop.
"It's too late!" Dark Matter seethed. "If they wanted to help, why wasn't it sooner?!"
"Because we didn't know!" Mona replied desperately. "We're sorry it happened like this, but we can help you now! It doesn't have to be this way!"
"What Rayquaza did was a mistake!" yelled Rai, trying to be as loud as he could. "He should have been helping you too, but he got scared!"
"Lies!"
More words also left their mouth. "It isn't!"
Darkrai's body paused from his own words. "...Why do you believe them?"
"Because I felt it from Raiden! I felt how much he wants to help! I keep feeling it! I… I want his help!"
Rai felt his heart light up with a new determination. A grin slowly stretched across his face. "Fight him, Darkrai! You can do it!"
With Darkrai occupied, Ella slowly moved, not wanting to get his attention. She slowly made her way to Roger to check on him, and Rai quickly nodded his thanks.
"Amy wouldn't want this! Sh-She wouldn't want to see her homes destroyed…!" pleaded Darkai. "Simon, please—!"
"DON'T USE THAT NAME!" he screeched.
Darkrai screeched in pain, body writing and falling to the ground. A shadowy growth started forming on his back. "If you can't keep going, then you're of no use to me!"
"Wh-What's going on?!" Skuntank cried. "Is Dark Matter popping out?"
"N-No… don't…!" Darkrai rasped, body shaking. His breaths were uneven and pained.
"You don't control me, I've had control of you this whole time! I'm strong enough without you now!"
"I'm not letting you destroy this world!" Mona cried, casting a moonblast that struck Darkrai's back. Multiple cries and hisses came from the body.
"STOP THAT!"
"N-No… keep going…!"
Rai tensed as he watched. Roger and Ella came up beside him, each looking tired and apprehensive.
"What do we do, Rai?" Roger asked softly. "He's hurting, but we can't let Dark Matter escape!"
"I want to save him, but I don't know if we can…" Ella said with a frown.
"No, we can save him. We do that by stopping them," Rai said firmly.
"As long as we stop our home from being destroyed!" Skuntank snarled. "I don't want anyone suffering any more than they need to!"
"P-Please…" Darkrai begged.
Team Overcharged all shared a nod. They knew what they had to do, and they were all in on it.
It was time to end this.
Rai roared, electricity sparking from his fur. He let it build up before releasing it in a big, blue discharge. Darkrai's body writhed and wails echoed throughout the dungeon.
"You're not going to stop me!"
The growing mass on Darkrai's back grew and grew… until it burst. Darkrai screamed in pain as a ball of swirling darkness ripped from his back, causing his body to collapse.
Skuntank swore. "Enough fucking around! Let's beat Dark Matter up!" He found a berry among his belongings and ate it whole. Then he ran up to the darkness as a noxious cloud exploded from his tail.
Dark Matter flinched, and it was enough for Roger to fire off his ice beam. Ella joined in with the bright flash of a dazzling gleam. Mona followed it with a swift moonblast, and the fighting started again.
While his companions dodged beams of darkness, Rai clutched the orb and scrambled to Darkrai. "Are you alright?!" he asked.
"Please… stop him…" wheezed Darkrai.
Rai nodded firmly. "We will. I promise… just hold onto this for us, okay? Can I trust you?" he held out Palkia's orb, and Darkrai took it, nodding quickly and clutching it tight against his chest.
"Please… save Amy's home," Darkrai begged.
Raiden placed a paw on Darkrai comfortingly. "Don't worry… we will," he assured him, then charged back into battle to join his friends.
He could see that everyone was starting to get exhausted. All the past fights were catching up to them, and none of them were riding evolution highs like he was. Roger's dodges were getting sluggish, Skuntank's irritation was rising, and Mona and Ella were looking quite exhausted. Rai still felt a surge of energy from becoming a Luxio and then a Luxray in such a short time, he was sure he'd crash soon, just like his friends.
Dark Matter roared, a large gust of wind suddenly shoved them all backwards, knocking most of them to the ground and sending Darkrai tumbling. A pulse of darkness quickly followed, and as Raiden braced himself, he felt it sink into his fur. It settled, and he felt the familiar feeling of poison course through his veins, sapping his energy and strength.
That was bad. They had to make this quick.
"D-Did anyone else get poisoned just now…?" Roger asked, grimacing as he got back up.
"Yes…!" Mona gasped, the light of her wings dimming as she slowly returned to a comfortable height.
"Enough games! I'm killing all of you!" Dark Matter screeched. Another wave of corruption pulsed out, tearing through any attacks that were going to strike him. It struck everyone again, wearing them down. Rai heard Darkrai groan weakly, and he could see the quickly building fatigue on his friend's faces.
"H-How'd he get so strong…?" Skuntank said while panting.
"Stay firm, everyone!" Mona called, rising back up with a pained grimace.
"We were fighting Darkrai long enough… and I'm still feeling the fight with Zephyr, I'm not sure I can keep going…!" Ella huffed, her ribbons flailing in a panic. "But we have to! For our world!"
Rai pushed through the poison and charged again, his fur crackling. Dark Matter's arm lashed out, and Rai feinted, using that moment to release his stored lighting to shock companions used that moment to join in. Blasts of water, poison, and the mystical all followed.
"Enough!"
"I won't let you hurt Rai!" Roger cried.
A blast shot out, aiming directly for the luxrary. Instead of dodging, he was knocked roughly to the side, enough for Rai to tumble to the ground.
"No!" cried Mona in alarm.
Rai scrambled to his feet and looked back in time to see him. Roger had a peaceful smile on his face as his body became encased in stone.
"N-No!" Rai screamed.
"Asshole!" growled Skuntank.
"Simon… stop it…!" Darkrai croaked. "You don't have to cause all this pain! Please… y-you can stop now!"
Dark Matter froze.
"I don't…"shadows stretched and curled all around the being. Tendrils stretched for the floor, the air, and everything else. Dark Matter didn't move.
Rai wanted to be angry. He wanted to be scared. Hurt. Upset. Roger had been turned to stone, and they hadn't even found a cure yet!
A ribbon slowly curled around one of his legs, Ella slowly sidling up to him. She didn't say anything, but Rai could see the understanding and comfort in her eyes.
She'd lost Magnum the same way, after all.
"Simon… how many more have to sacrifice themselves like Amy…?" Darkrai pleaded, slowly clawing towards him. He'd left the orb behind. "Please… let's stop this and fix it all…!"
The silence was deafening. Raiden could hear his heartbeat, Ella's ragged breathing beside him as the poison slowly ticked away at her stamina. Hell, he could feel it slowly sapping his own strength away.
Rai locked eyes with Darkrai, horrified eyes meeting determined ones. In that moment, Rai knew exactly what was going to happen, and he let Darkrai proceed.
"But they hurt Amy… they didn't understand…"
"But they… do now…! The world has changed, so we should change with them!" Darkrai replied. Shadows were leaking from his body while he moved. To Rai, it looked like Darkrai's blood.
Mona looked at him with concern. She'd noticed, too. "Darkrai, please… you're wounded!"
"Please… this is nothing!" hissed Darkrai.
"Exactly! This is nothing against the pain I felt! I never want to feel like that again!"
Darkrai pushed himself up, and floated up, wrapping his arms around the dark being. "You won't… I'll be here, I promise!"
Rai felt lightning crackle in his fur as he watched Darkrai desperately hug Dark Matter. He didn't like this, but still he waited.
He could see his teammates wearily watching as well. Skuntank had an attack ready, Mona was watching with hope in her eyes, while Ella stayed by Rai's side, hugging him with her ribbons. He could feel the comfort she was trying to give, and he appreciated it plenty.
It was hard to tell how Dark Matter— no, Simon was feeling without a face to read, but with the lack of attacks and the momentary peace, Rai knew he was hesitating.
Simon coiled up, multiple shouts rang through the void. Darkrai let out a sudden wheeze as a tendril from Dark Matter was now sticking through him. He gargled in pain as Dark Matter seemed to grow larger.
"No more! I'm not Simon! Simon is dead!"
"No!" Ella and Mona screamed.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Skuntank snarled.
But Rai knew better. One of Darkrai's tendrils had also cut through Dark Matter. The being didn't seem to have any immediate reaction. He pushed himself away from Ella, and discharged every bit of electricity he had left onto the duo.
The attack hit, and both of them were consumed by fierce lightning. Dakrai's pained screams echoed around them, almost drowning out Dark Matter's hissing.
"Rai?! What are you doing?!" screamed Mona, the cresselia darting towards him. Ribbons shot out to hold her in place and Ella stared her down.
"Stop, Mona! Let Rai do this!" Ella cried, sounding torn herself. "I know how it looks, but I think they planned this."
Mona tried to protest, but her cries were drowned out by Darkrai's and Simon's. They all watched as Rai poured electricity into the creatures of darkness, watching them writhe and leak shadows that seemed to fade as it touched the space around them.
"Let… me… go!" Simon wailed. "I already weakened you. If you don't let go you'll die!"
"Th-That's my plan!" Darkrai cried, his voice croaking in pain. "We can go out together— we'll both be with Amy! We can… be a family again!"
"Stop!"
Darkrai's body convulsed against the dark orb. The very orb that was Simon dribbled. "I can't die! As long as there's negativity and fear, I'll live! I hate it!"
"We'll… work… hard!" Rai promised through clenched teeth as he paused his lightning attacks. "We'll tell everyone what happened! You won't need to be reborn!" He knew that he should continue his assault, but the more he watched, the more he knew he just couldn't bring himself to take another life. Darkrai and Simon had suffered so much. Why did they have to keep suffering…?
"You can't stop being negative! Those emotions are a part of everyone! Even me! Anything upsetting that happens creates more negativity and MORE sadness!"
The shadowy pool beneath them grew and grew, an accumulation of both of their bodies melting together. Darkrai's grip on Simon tightened. In the corner of his eye, Rai saw Mona start to glow.
"It's okay, Simon," Darkrai whispered. "It's okay to feel those things… we shouldn't be hiding those feelings. It doesn't help anyone… not even you."
"I…"
"You can stop now."
Rai heard Skuntank gasp, and he turned his head to see a burst of warm light that was starting to spread around the room. It started to approach Darkrai and Dark Matter, dispelling any of Dark Matter's tendrils that tried to strike out. Darkrai hissed as it got closer, he held his position, keeping his arms wrapped tightening around the darkness. And poking out of that darkness was a cracked, red core. The darkness was fading, and with it, Darkrai and Dark Matter were disappearing. The light enveloping them was eating away at their very beings.
The light dimmed some, showing Mona smiling softly at them. "Simon… Darkrai. It's okay. It's over… You can rest."
Darkrai's eyes softened, now finally getting a good, long look at the cresselia. "...Is that you, Amy?"
Cresselia shook her head. "I'm sorry. Amy died a long time ago… but… she misses you both, I can feel that, somehow."
"You're lying…" Simon croaked. "She…"
Darkrai sighed. "Come on, Simon. That's enough. Let's… Let's go see her now. Together. Do you trust me?"
"Will I stop being sad…?"
"You will," Rai promised. A long breath left him as he smiled. Darkrai was almost gone, and the red core in his arms was beginning to crumble. "As long as you're with Darkrai, you'll be okay."
"Raiden… everyone…" Darkrai said, voice faint. "I can feel that everything's starting to become undone. With the Legends' help… everything should be how it was, soon. It'll be for the best… I'm sorry for all we've done."
Skuntank squinted, then sighed. "I don't know if I can forgive you, but… thanks for not totally destroying everything, I suppose…"
"I'm sorry we didn't help," Mona said, shaking her head. "If we'd done things differently… none of this would have happened. I'm going to work hard from here on… there'll be no more Dark Matters. No more world-ending threats…"
Darkrai nodded and closed his eyes. "I hope that happens."
"Time to see Amy…"
"Rest well," Rai said, bowing his head. "It's been a long time… but it's over now. We'll make this world a home for everyone."
A final breath left Darkrai, and Mona's light enveloped them fully. Dark's Matter's core shattered completely, shards dissipating the moment that they touched the light. Darkrai had vanished, and both were gone completely.
They had won.
Mona's light died, and she fell against the ground with heavy breaths. Skuntank groaned and collapsed, and Raiden followed.
Everything ached, inside and out. Battle after battle after battle… and they'd won.
He wanted to sleep.
"Guys…?" Ella called, her voice finally ringing out. "It's Roger, he-"
Adrenaline gripped Raiden as he crawled to his feet. Mona had found the strength to levitate for a better look, and even Skuntank had gotten back up.
"What about him?!" Skuntank snapped.
"I'm awaaake…?" drawled a voice.
Rai moved faster. His heart was practically pounding in his chest. "Roger?! You're alive?!"
The whiscash's body had returned to his normal blue skin, and while he was still on the ground, Ella was already feeding him an oran berry from her bag. "Yeah… I am! Which means… you guys won?"
Skuntank grinned. "Hell yeah we won! Great to see you alive!" he cheered, nudging Roger's side. "And that means everyone else should be fine now, right?"
Mona smiled. "Yeah…" she said, a slight hint of sadness in her voice. "We won… and Simon and Darkrai can finally be at peace."
Rai smiled, feeling immense relief. Ella caught his smile and returned it with a tired grin, she'd picked up on the same thing. Magnum and everyone else would soon be okay.
Though… Darkrai and Dark Matter… was it okay to let things end like this? They could now rest, but… it didn't feel like anything was over quite yet. All that pain they'd endured… After the dreams he'd been having, Rai had some Legends to talk to. He knew what his next mission was.
"Yeah…" Raiden said softly. "Now… let's go home. We have a lot of work to do."