This chapter is going to irrevocably change the direction of the series moving forward. I've actually been very excited to deliver this chapter, so I hope it pays off. It's time. Chapter 21, go.
Chapter 21
An Orchestration
A rush of flame passed through the crowd, some students dodging to the side. It was deflected by Dendra's Medicham, but more attacks were still coming through. A Flittle floated through, summoning all manner of Psychic energy to itself, and in the corner of the eye, Ortega could be seen calling out his Dachsbun, who roared at the opposing Flittle to send it fleeing.
That was just a small taste of the chaos enveloping the entire crowd, doused in starlight and headlights, but clearer than anything.
"Hey, cut it out!" Nemona shouted, grabbing a student by the wrist. "You trying to get yourself expelled?!"
"They started it," the student shot back. There was no denying, but Nemona refused to release her grip.
"So, you just give in? They haven't hurt anyone yet!"
"Nemona, let them go. We need to stop them from doing anything more stupid. Juli-"
Juliana didn't listen. Her eyes and ears were only for Penny.
The shock of her identity remained, as if she'd never quite imagined Cassiopeia to be a shut-in girl wearing an oversized hoodie who liked to binge anime. Yet at the same time, the more she stared, the more it made sense. Rather, it felt like the only conclusion there was. And she felt so blind for having not seen it sooner.
Somehow, that made things clear in her mind. Her face tightened.
"Picking a side…" Juliana said, the words falling to a hoarse hush. "Is that what you were trying to have me do?"
"I needed to knock some sense into you."
"Vui!" Juliana watched the Eevee moving around Penny, and then looked into the crowd. Ceruledge could be seen somewhere in it, dazed and confused but trying to find a way to reach Eri and the others. Arven and Nemona were busy with their own problems, same as the quartet of Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet who stood on standby.
It was just them, even as the world descended into madness around them.
"Sense? You wanted to knock sense into me? Look around you, Penny! Or Cass, or whatever your name is!" Juliana's shock wore off, replaced with indignation. She dove into her pocket, pulling out a Poké Ball containing her fiercest, if fatigued, partner. "You wanna talk about me being a hypocrite? You were there the whole time and never once asked me! You tried to manipulate me into some fake war with old friends instead. Makes you no different from the Committee or that cult!"
"Shut up, Juli!" Pure, snarling anger manifested on Penny's face, a look that no one could have thought possible. Eevee's fur ruffled, the foxlike Pokémon hissing at Juliana. "There was no other way. As Penny, I was just your tool. Your fly on the wall. That would never get you back to us. But sparking war… I knew it was the way to bring out the real you. Bring my friend back!"
"The hell?! All you did was-" Juliana sucked a breath in and shook her head. Her own rage tempered inside her, calming with realization. "No, Penny. You tried to make real something that only existed across a screen. Tried to make genuine in a world of play pretend, and if you keep it up, someone, likely Team Star, will get hurt."
"Then come back to us." Penny held a hand out, her glasses glinting with the light of the Starmobiles. Juliana took a step back. "Come back and you can tell them to stop. We can all be together and show everyone here exactly who we are."
"What…what are you saying?" Juliana gripped her Poké Ball so tight, there was a slight fear of cracking. It held, however, and she continued to watch Penny and the offer extended to her. Though the world was falling apart around them, the two girls who could have been, should have been and once were friends stood, waiting for the other to respond. "Are you trying to tell me this is my fault?"
"Maybe. But you can fix it."
"Fix it…" Juliana flicked her eyes over, watching as Team Star held their defense. The grunts were calling out, as if asking permission to attack back, but they all tried to hold off. It was commendable, in a twisted way. "The only way to fix this is to walk away. And even if you say you care, your actions say everything but. The only one destroying Team Star from the start was you, Cass, but I think you knew that.
"Isn't that why we both ran away?"
"Shut up!" Eevee scampered right in front of Penny, summoning a silvery orb that she fired. At the same moment, Quaxwell emerged, slicing through with a timed Aqua Cutter. As they clashed, sending a rain over the students around them, Juliana ran right at Penny. The shut-in girl reached her first, sinking a fist into Juliana's stomach.
Soon as her fist came back, she cradled it, as if unfamiliar with the rough and tumble action. Juliana coughed, expelling the wind from her lungs. She wanted to laugh, finding Penny's rage unlike her. Indeed, her glasses were already askew and her hair was disheveled from that action alone. Her breath was heaving, unaccustomed to the violence. Still, she ran at Juliana again, and this time, the girl caught her.
"Take a look, Penny!" Juliana freed one of her hands to twist Penny's head to look at the mounting situation. Pokémon attacks were flying, not the least of which were Quaxwell and Eevee clashing. Her focus was on Team Star, however, each of them holding back in what looked to be a vain attempt not to be seen as the aggressors. "There's no way this ends well. They're not fighting back on your orders!"
"You know why they have to do that!" Penny finally broke her grip, twisting her arm. Juliana grunted from the pain but latched herself free, only for Penny to tackle her into the grass. On the lower field, every crazed footstep could be seen and every cry was magnified, like an unending stampede that was washing over the Academy. "If they attack, they'll just be seen as the villains!"
"They already are, Cass! We always were!"
"There's no 'we' from that! You walked away!" There was hesitation, but Penny eventually brought her fist down, striking Juliana across the face. At the same moment, Eevee rammed Quaxwell in the stomach, driving him back. "You got to go back to living a normal, respected life, free from the bullying that drove us here."
"You think I was free?" Juliana wasn't sure whether to be stunned or incredulous. "It's not like the Disciplinary Committee stopped coming after me, either. I was still considered a troublemaker. I just stopped pretending."
"You left!" Penny tried to punch again, but Juliana managed to elbow her in the stomach, throwing her off and leaving her open. A sudden belch of poisonous air covered the courtyard, making Juliana's head snap in that direction.
"That can't be…Atticus?" Juliana shook her head, unable to believe someone like Atticus would break ranks so easily, beginning to return fire on the students. Clavell could be heard shouting, but Juliana couldn't discern the words. Everything was too lost in the madness. She, too, paid for being distracted as Penny recovered and tackled her once again. "Cut it out, Penny! I'm not the enemy here! You've been manipulated!"
"You manipulated all of us!"
"I did not!" Juliana caught Penny's hands, beginning to grapple with her. The duo rolled along the grass until they managed to bump into Quaxwell and Eevee, allowing them to separate. "And right now, all I care about is getting them out of here before they turn into bigger targets. They don't attack, they're sitting Ducklett. They do attack, then they're the enemies everyone wants them to be. Either way, Team Star is truly destroyed right here and you lose the only friends you ever had!"
"You were my friend!" Penny's punch, filled with all that lingering rage and regret, struck true, snapping Juliana's head into the dirt. This one felt different, unbridled by hesitation in a raw display of emotion that made Juliana's heart drop. "You were my friend and you left! Abandoned us! And everything we had was just one big lie!"
Another punch sent her ears ringing. Quaxwell called out, but got slammed by Eevee for his troubles. Juliana felt her head spinning, barely able to see a thing. She could tell there was a mess, one she was unable to solve, and in her mind she started to retreat back to that safe space. Back to the closed-off world of her research that gave her purpose and order and protected her.
But…she wasn't that Juliana anymore.
She gripped at the grass, feeling it beneath her fingers, and tried to get her vision back straight. When she did, she felt the pressure of Penny's body lift from her, carried by two sets of arms she started to thrash about in.
"No, let me go!"
"If she's your friend, why are you hurting her?" Arven could be heard asking. Juliana shook her head, regaining a bit more of reality around her.
"And Juli's a lot of things, but she's no liar," Nemona chimed in. "Besides, if you're really here for that, maybe you should help stop all the loco out there, verdad?"
"Neither of you get it, either. Arven with the famous parents, Nemona the beloved Champion," Penny spat at them. Their faces dropped, morphing into those of pity and reflection. "You don't know what it's like to feel abandoned!"
Penny elbowed them, too, and at the same moment, Eevee rammed their feet, sending both of the upperclassmen tumbling to the ground atop one another. Juliana finished recovering, only for Penny to appear right in front of her, tears leaking from her eyes as her fist wailed downward.
Juliana caught it this time, holding steady.
"You think they don't know?" Juliana's low voice caught Penny off-guard. This doubled as she started pushing back. "You think they don't have their own problems? Or are you so stuck in your world you never considered anyone else?"
"I don't think you have the right to-"
"You're right, Cass," Juliana said. She remained firm, her eyes going from Arven and Nemona to looking straight in Penny's. No matter the world around them, she realized how much this moment mattered. How real this moment was. Arven's words from Segin Squad returned to her, and she stood up straighter. "You're right. I ran away. Ran away from you. From the world. I was afraid. I tried to convince myself it was because we didn't want the same thing, but that was me selfishly closing you off.
"I ran away because I thought you'd leave, just like my parents did, just like all the rest. I thought it wasn't genuine."
"Then you never gave us a chance!" Penny headbutted her, sending her glasses flying off her face and on to the grass. Juliana could feel her tears, the same ones Team Star was shedding just feet away. "You gave up! We didn't! We're still here! We're still…
"We need to prove we're still here."
Still here. Still standing.
Penny's anguished words reminded her of that night, and the young woman fighting atop the school. Fighting for their better future. She didn't run away. She proved she remained there, still standing and still fighting until the very end, in a region that could have turned against her. Gloria had reached forward.
Even now, she had stood by her, helping her. Being a bridge to her.
Juliana reached forward, Penny almost beating her hands away. She refused to give up, no matter the crowd around her, parting to show the captains of Team Star struggling. Juliana grabbed Penny's hands and pulled her closer.
"You are. And I'm not running. Not until they're safe from the ones who have manipulated you into being here."
"And who would do that, Juli?" Juliana gripped tighter at the venom spat, then pulled Penny into a hug. Both girls were shaking, a horrible, ragged tension still running between them, but Juliana knew she had to hold on, or risk losing that which could have become genuine.
"The same people who pushed us all together, only to tear us all apart. The people who dressed the part of both student and cultist." Juliana drew back, still trembling. "The Disci-"
"Ack!" Penny's sharp cry was sudden, as if from nowhere. Eevee cried out, and Koraidon suddenly roared, sending vibrations through the whole courtyard. No one stopped moving, however, as if whatever had happened to Penny was completely beneath notice.
Blood pumped into Juliana's ears, and she brought her hands away from Penny's back. There was blood. Penny's eyes rolled, but she maintained consciousness. She nearly slipped in Juliana's hold, complete and utter horror blooming inside them both. The same went for Nemona and Arven. Ceruledge, too, turned in their direction, looking at a loss. Koraidon backed up, whimpering at the sight, or some other devastating thing.
The only person who saw anything and remained moving was Eri.
"JULIANA!" came the screech, drawing all back to reality. Attacks flew Team Star's way, and at her sudden shout, one of them retaliated, a pink Fairy Wind that blew back the first line and sent the teachers into disarray. It made a path for the statuesque girl now racing for them, her Annihilape leading the charge. "What the hell did you do?!"
"I… It wasn't…" Juliana gripped Penny tighter, the girl reaching up to clasp her upper arm. "Penny."
"Who?" Penny gasped, dragging herself upward, just as Annihilape was upon them. Eri had eyes locked on her, but Quaxwell blitzed forward with a mighty kick that stopped the primate's advance. "Who manipulated us?"
Juliana sucked in her breath. "The Disciplinary Committee."
The front doors of the Academy suddenly blew open with fire and smoke.
Gloria's descent increased in velocity, aided by Corviknight's great, if exhausted, wings on their road down. On the battle court, she could start to make out Braixen twirling and spinning before sending out short bursts of fire at her opponent: a Bisharp-looking Pokémon with all the bulk of a Machamp, and the strength to match. With a single raise of its bladed arm, the Kingambit slashed, sending a purple crescent through the air.
It was no Psycho Cut, but a Night Slash that cut a great gouge into the field, one Serena barely dodged.
"Drop me!" Gloria commanded. Corviknight all but cackled and released her, close enough that she wouldn't break every bone in her body. She grasped her Poké Ball and called him back, all while summoning Grapploct forth. He shot for the ground first, using his tentacles to brace his fall before whirling around to catch her. They hit the courtyard in a plume of dust.
"Gloria?!"
"Made it!" Gloria shouted, jumping up and cracking her knuckles. Grapploct did the same, flexing his tentacles and holding one out to show Kingambit he meant business. "Not too late, am I?"
"More and more guests, I see. I didn't want an audience." The boy in front of them sighed, rubbing at his temples. Gloria scrutinized him, recognizing him from all the talk Juliana and Serena had given. With every word, however, Gloria felt something very wrong exuding from him. She stepped forward.
"I guess you're someone more used to working in the shadows, eh, Phantom? What's your game here, turning Team Star and the students on each other?" Grapploct coiled next to her, as if expecting the same response as she did. Des watched them, ignoring the glance Kingambit gave her.
He scoffed. "I'd rather show than tell. Kowtow Cleave."
"King-ah!" Kingambit lifted its mighty axe into the air, all of it quivering with wicked intent. Then he brought it low, like an axe that could sunder the sharpest steel. It struck the ground, and from it a great crack formed, so large Gloria swore it was ripping through the very foundation at her feet.
"Close Combat!" Gloria shouted. Serena stepped right next to her.
"Psyshock!"
"Grappo!" Grapploct launched himself straight at Kingambit, their foe lifting himself from the mighty blow he had rent to the Academy. As he did, his limbs sluggish, Grapploct was there, sinking a tentacle into its head. "Grappo-po-po-po!"
The flurry of punches came quick, whaling upon Kingambit with impunity. The ground shook, having grown unstable from the earlier assault, but Gloria held her ground. At the same moment, Braixen slashed her claws, sending purple, jagged streaks of energy flying out. They arced in the air, hitting a peak before soaring back down, right for Des.
"Oh, not playing around, huh? Neither am I!"
"Gam!" Kingambit held one of its limbs up, blocking the punch with a blow that sliced into Grapploct's tentacles.
"Distance, Brine!" Grapploct formed the aqueous sphere and fired, striking Kingambit and giving him distance.
"Flamethrower!"
"Sen!"
"NOW!" Serena and Gloria yelled in tandem. From Braixen's wand surged forth fire, one that consumed Kingambit's figure. Grapploct shot back, waiting and coiling for his next powerful punch. Both women flanked Des, the boy raising his eyebrows in fascination. Gloria was the first to make a punch, while Grapploct sprang into action, his orange fist sinking right into Kingambit's face.
"So, what's the deal?!" Gloria shouted, grabbing Des by the collar and ramming him with her head. It dazed her for a second, but she recovered. "Unleashing those Pokémon, turning Team Star on students. Where'd you get the idea for that?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe I thought it up myself."
"Or maybe you got it from someone else. Someone who left those secrets behind. My only question is why?!" Gloria punched again, but Des caught it, and with a snap of his body, brought his elbow straight into her gut. His eyes flashed at her question, a smirk stretching his face in a rather unnatural way.
"Out with the old, I say. Metal Sound!"
"KIIIIIIIIIII!" Kingambit brought its blades together, and as they clashed, a horrible ringing covered the courtyard. Gloria and Serena broke off, grimacing from the sound, though the Pokémon had it demonstrably worse. Both Braixen and Grapploct were pushed back, towards the great cracks that trickled down. Gloria looked over, noticing that they now led downward, the very stability of the school put in jeopardy.
When she looked back to Des, however, he was on the move, saluting the two girls. "Sorry, now that the party's begun, I have little time to play around."
"Seems contradictory to me! Grapploct, Octolock!"
"Po!" Grapploct turned away from his foe, and his tentacles shot out with speed and length to grab Des. The boy ducked under the first, skidding to a stop nearest the elevator.
"Oh, come now, don't think Kingambit's out of the fight! Night Slash!"
"Gam!" The slash came hard and fast, as if it was made by a great samurai unsheathing his blade. Braixen held her wand straight in front of her, bracing as if with a shield. Serena was moving, too, tossing two Poké Balls out. Gloria and Grapploct crossed their arms. "KINGAH!"
The Night Slash was made manifest, peerless as it split the air and the concrete beneath them. More of the courtyard was broken apart, revealing a hallway leading straight down. Braixen's foot slipped, the trembling all around them causing her to fall into the abyss. One of Grapploct's tentacles shot out, grabbing her, but leaving him exposed.
Kingambit stood, beginning to move.
"Gam." Grapploct's coiled tentacle emerged from around his belly, snapping out to stop Kingambit's charge and subsequent cleave. It only delayed the inevitable, and soon Kingambit broke through, cracking enough that it sent fox and octopus both falling. With a swipe of his bladed arm, Kingambit gave pursuit, plummeting down.
"Damn it!" Gloria shouted, running straight for the edge. Like Serena, she held a Poké Ball out, calling it as she reached the abyss. "Stone Edge, make supports!"
"Primarina, get it wet! Sandshrew, freeze it! I'm counting on you! Gloria!"
"On it!" Serena skidded to the edge with her, the pair joining their hands and jumping in after the plummeting Pokémon. Plinths of stone appeared, bridging the gaps until, finally, the pair landed on one. The Pokémon had hit another, recovering, but all of them had their eyes leading to the same place. "Elevator shaft."
"Right. We need to get to Des. If he gets out there-"
"No need to tell me twice. Grapploct, punch it right through!"
"GRAP-PO!" Grapploct's tentacles all retracted, glowing a bright orange. Then combining them into one swift punch, he snapped them forward, straight into Kingambit's chest and right through the wall. Light burst in, just as darkness sealed up the top in the trio of Pokémon's combined efforts. Grapploct wasn't letting that be the end of it, however. With a nod to Braixen, they dashed straight for the light.
Gloria didn't hesitate in jumping down after to follow them, Serena right with her. Carefully they landed and dashed through the hole, emerging in the hall lined with towering shelves of books, but not a single other soul to be found. Not unless one counted Kingambit, rising from the pile of tomes where he had been deposited.
"Where is he? We can't have beaten him down here?"
"Or maybe we did," Serena said, but she didn't stop looking. "Or he's just hiding. He seems good at slithering in the shadows. Disciplinary Committee, acting as the Phantom. Do you know anything I don't?"
"Only that he's been splitting our attentions, having us run around."
"And bravo! A good job at that! Why, you'd even give her a run for her money!" The voice uncomfortably echoed from elsewhere in the hall, causing every combatant to stand just a little taller. "But then, I get the feeling from your questions that you already knew that, Champion Gloria."
"Show yourself, coward!"
"Oh, I'm not a coward. Not like those who sit in their ivory halls, locking themselves away from the world." The voice was closer than Gloria would have thought, and she whipped around to face one of the stacks. Sure enough, Des was there, seated atop the case while he turned something over in his hand. It looked like a monitor of sorts, tracking something, accentuated by the fact his shirt was now undone, revealing darker underclothes. "I'm just someone who played it smart. Why expose yourself to danger when you can keep to the shadows? Would've gone smooth, too, but I guess it makes sense the, what, seventh-time saviors of the world would figure things out?"
"What, are you keeping tabs on us?" Serena asked. There was a loud creaking up above, and then the sound of settling. It brought some relief, but the sounds coming from outside the door renewed the tension.
"I'd be an idiot not to," Des admitted. He kicked his feet together. "But it doesn't matter. Too late to change things. Time's almost run out, and now there's just one last piece to the puzzle of Area Zero. And this time, I'm reaching the core."
"This time?" Gloria and Serena asked. Des's lips curled into an expression that Gloria didn't like.
"Whoops, slip of the tongue. That's a problem. Night Slash."
"Close Combat! Serena!"
"On it. Hidden Power. Knock him down!"
All three Pokémon moved at once. Grapploct launched himself at Kingambit, striking swift with the blistering punches that slowed their opponent's body. Slowed, but didn't stop, the power of the Night Slash continuing to build on its bulky blades. Braixen was acting, too, summoning a silvery string of orbs that she fired. They soared out, weaving and wending through the air towards where Des was perched. He scoffed, and rolled backwards, off the case and out of harm's way.
Kingambit finished its slash, unimpeded by the many punches. Grapploct defended himself, pushed back by the mighty blow and into Braixen. She braced him with her wand, and once he was stabilized, Grapploct shot off with a burning fist of power that made a fierce uppercut.
"Po!" The cry was followed by Kingambit gagging and then smacking into a bookcase. Tomes tumbled down, almost burying the Big Blade Pokémon and buying Grapploct the room to jump back.
The floor trembled. Gloria could hear a heartbeat in her ear. There was a loud roar from outside, sounding like Koraidon, yet if she trained her ears, she could swear to hearing another, louder and more alien roar echoing beneath her feet. She tossed a look to Serena, who looked pale, as though hearing the same.
"Time's up. Metal Burst."
"COUNTER IT!" both women yelled simultaneously.
The books flew upwards, ripped to tatters and shreds by the sheer energy Kingambit exuded. That was nothing on the steely, white orb that was formed between its hands, building in power from all the damage taken. Braixen summoned flames, while Grapploct formed the watery sphere of Brine. They looked to each other, and then all three parties fired.
The attacks met straight in the center, causing silence to fall and cracks to appear.
Then, they exploded in an eclipsing white light.
Despite Gloria and Serena's best efforts, they felt their feet being lifted off the ground, the force of the explosion shattering cases and books like confetti. The doors, too, were wrenched wide open, nearly blown off their hinges. With the force of the explosion, both were flung through the open doors, hitting the short stairs and rolling down to the cobblestone walkway. What happened to Des was unknown, and Gloria couldn't think about it, her body rolling to a stop and her mind trying to gain her bearings.
"Serena!" That was unmistakably Clavell's voice. It was far away, though Gloria wasn't sure if that was because of her ears or if he was some distance. She did realize that Serena was right next to her, pushing up from the ground, and that Grapploct and Braixen were both in the courtyard, too, their bodies smoking from the damage taken.
"Get…them…out…" Serena grunted. Her hands were slipping, but she showed a presence of mind that Gloria chose to emulate. "Director, he's here."
"JULIANA, YOU TRAITOR!"
That shout, disconnected from the smoke pouring out of the doors, revved Gloria's mind back into action. She pushed and turned, hearing Koraidon's great roar. She grimaced and watched as the young girl, only a few years older than Juliana, ran at her with all rage borne on her being. Gloria managed to get her mouth working, same as Serena.
"Juliana!" The girl turned, clutching Penny in her hands. None of it stopped the assault of the other girl, whose Pokémon was blocked by Quaxwell and Ceruledge both. They pushed the primate back, but their recovery was short lived. A shadowy punch manifested and struck both of Juliana's defenders, driving them back and to their knees. Gloria and Serena each grabbed a Poké Ball.
"Flapple, go!"
"Yamper!" The two emerged, taking off through the crowd. Only now was Gloria able to realize how stunned the crowd was, scuff marks around the courtyard showing a battle that had halted when they had been thrown from the Academy. It made it easy for the two Pokémon to emerge, each striking the primate and sending it flying back into the attacking girl.
"Eri…" Penny said from Juliana's hold. She pushed up, and Gloria could see the wound upon her back. "Wasn't Juli… It was-"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause rang, like it was concluding Penny's statement. Everyone stood up straighter, groaning, allowing all eyes to shift to the figure striding out from within the dust and smoke. Gloria hauled herself to her feet, soon offering a hand to Serena. As they rose, the others drew close, from students to teachers to Team Star. Arven and Nemona were there as well, disheveled from the chaos that had enveloped the Academy, one that had ceased in the mocking claps.
"Who's this bozo?" Jessie could be heard whispering, before she was shushed by Meowth. Running footsteps up the stairs showed more joining the party, looking like Cynthia, flanked by a group of police and League officers. They all paused, at least for a second.
"Bravo! Or excelente, I should say!" Des's voice made Gloria want to pop a vein and throttle him. She could only imagine how Serena was feeling, but the woman maintained her brave face. The closer he came, the more Des's twisted features came into focus. "The great Team Star, figuring out the mystery, challenging the lowly Phantom! The teacher out to protect her students by any cost! And the girl combing the past. Have you all found your answers? Your treasures?"
"Des?! What is the meaning of this?" Clavell demanded. His look was knowing, reflecting that of a man not in the dark as to Des's true nature. Yet the boy did not stop walking. His hands were held wide, and Kingambit filled the space behind him, a slow but looming presence.
"The meaning is what it's always been. Punishment. I am the Disciplinary Committee, after all."
"Phantom!" a boy yelled, dressed in pink and hopping off a car. The Dachsbun at his feet growled and glowed, as if ready to charge down the boy. Eri and her Annihilape recovered as well, so many eyes turning towards Des. He never dropped his arms, as if inviting their attacks.
"No… Orti!" Penny shouted, but soon grunted.
"Penny, relax. You'll hurt yourself. Leave Des to us."
"Us…?"
"Yes, please. Show me what barbarians and freaks you are. You've all provided such a lovely distraction to this point with it." Gloria furrowed her brow, trying to keep her eyes on everyone in the vicinity. Des was being far too open and blasé about his role, one he had tried to keep hidden, and that unsettled her more than anything.
Serena was unsettled, as well, because she moved back until she was close enough to be audible to Cynthia, the former Team Rocket members and even Nemona. "You're the strongest here. Get the students and all of the children out, no matter what. If Des, or the Phantom, is playing his hand…"
"It means he has nothing left to lose and will wreak havoc," Cynthia concurred. "Garchomp, officers, prepare to form a line."
"You, too, Gourgeist. Drag them kicking and screaming if we have to."
"You got it," Nemona said, punching her fist. Arven nodded at the girl, both sharing some secret intention, and when they looked to Juliana, she shared in it. The steadfast partners let Nemona go, facing Des.
"Well?! Nobody?!" Des took another step down, his clothes flapping around as though it were some winged spirit. "All right then. Guess we use plan B."
"Hyper Beam!"
"Shadow Punch!"
"NO!" Penny's shout was amplified by Juliana and Arven, but nothing could stop it. The bright, orange beam was blasted from Dachsbun's mouth, searing the air. Some students ducked, but were quickly ensnared by vines that pulled them backwards. In the sea of Star grunts, Atticus flinched, looking unsure whether to join in or hold back. Gloria had to commend him for that.
The Hyper Beam roared across the courtyard, straight for the invitation, and it soon began to swirl with the shadows of ghostly fists that joined it. Stones emerged around the courtyard, blocking the students off from both the attack and Des's stand. Kingambit didn't make a move.
The attacks struck home, exploding around Des and pluming like fire. Gloria stood her ground, Grapploct coiling next to her. Her beret was ripped off, flapping in the wind, but she didn't make a move. Every sense was screaming what a mistake it would be if she did. Soon, the smoke began to clear.
"Not quite up to snuff," Des called, the loathsome smirk audible in his voice. Light shined around him, drawing audible gasps from some students and other onlookers. Gloria could even feel Juliana tighten and step back, as if stunned with a situation far out of her depth. Sweat rolling down her own cheek, Gloria wondered if she was, too. After all, Des was protected by a honeycomb shield, one similar to that of a Pokémon's reflect. It appeared to be courtesy of a device held in his hand, one that started to sputter and smoke. "Only good for one move, huh? Well, good thing we can make refinements."
"Only one move?" Grapploct craned his neck up. Gloria nodded. "Close Combat!"
"Fire Blast!"
"Only need one move, anyway," Des could be heard, drawing out the other device he had shown off earlier. It flashed in the darkness, revealing a timer that was all but set to reach zero. With only five seconds left, Grapploct charged, straight into the five-pronged flame. It wrapped around his body, screaming and screeching through the air with all his tentacles outstretched. "Like I said. Time's up. Let's pull back the shadows…and expose the light! Kowtow Cleave, Kingambit! Rend it all!"
Grapploct kept charging, wreathed in flame as a hurtling comet.
Des stepped aside, pressing a button atop his timer and spreading his arms wide.
Kingambit took a single, purposeful step forward, the giant blade atop its head glinting in firelight.
Gloria swallowed, and the blood in her ears started to pump loudly.
The earth began to tremble.
A pulsing light shined out from behind the Academy. From…
"Area Zero…" Juliana breathed, reaching out in equal parts awe and fear.
"KORAAAAAAAAAI!" Koraidon's screech echoed across the entire courtyard, freezing all in their tracks. It put an end to the chaos that had momentarily enveloped the Academy…
…and brought with it a new one.
"The creatures from the desert…" Arven whispered, his eyes wide with terror. "They fell beneath us. To Area Zero. To…"
"Fall to hell." Des's command was the final nail.
Kingambit's great blade slashed with such a mighty ferocity, the very air itself was rent. Grapploct, nearly upon it, was caught in the mighty slash. The flame was cut in two, and a great slice of air phased straight through the octopus. He hung in midair for a second, and then was flung back silently, as if his very voice had been stolen. Gloria ran for him, diving and catching her precious partner just as Kingambit's blade struck the ground.
The quake that followed was quite unlike any other.
It started as a rumble. Then another. And another. It felt like there was a churning series of explosions right beneath their feet. Then the cracks appeared, even wider than that which nearly split the top of the Academy. The stones erected by Cynthia and Nemona broke apart, fissures running through them within seconds. One nearly arrived at Gloria's body and she rolled to the side. At the same time, Serena dove for Juliana and Penny.
The courtyard shattered wide open, smoke and fire pouring from within it. Students began to scream, and a horrible creaking noise indicated that one of the Starmobiles was teetering. A crash followed, but Gloria paid no attention. Hers was focused solely on her injured Pokémon, her fellow comrades…
…and the great, gaping tunnel lined with crystal which Kingambit had opened.
With the slightest bit more inspection, it looked to have had some help, however, the refuse of charges falling deep in. What was more was that there were shapes moving within. At first, common sense told her it was people moving like a mass of shadows climbing upwards. At first.
"Kor! Kor! Koraaaaai!" Koraidon's distressed call, matched by thrashing was the first sign this wasn't some group of people or any kind of welcoming party.
The land pulsed in Gloria's ears again, a red glow emerging from the hole. It stilled her breath for a moment. Another pulse traveled up, and with a blink, crystal dust plumed into the air. Juliana was shaking, looking straight at Des, whose eyes had gone cold and pitiless, walking down the steps to the chasm.
"And now, it's time for my treasure."
"What…" Juliana coughed, the crystal scratching at her throat. Gloria could feel it, too, and echoed all the same sentiments. "What have you done, Des? What did you do?"
Des's gaze snapped down, his eyes and every other part disregarding the girl he'd once bullied. "I'm setting us free. Now, for the final pieces."
He lifted his arm, pointing at Gloria, and then shifting it to Arven. His fingers came together in a snap.
"Jugaaaaaai!" The screech was unearthly, almost robotic. Whatever had made it was fast approaching. Gloria looked closer into the chasm, and saw many pairs of wings unfold. With effort, she wrenched herself away from the hole.
Said chasm exploded with fury.
Alien cries, some robotic and some feral, erupted from within, a storm of unfamiliar creatures emerging. Many of those crawling out were winged, taking to the skies and eliciting cries throughout Mesagoza. Jessie and James fell over at the sight, stopping their exodus of students, while the Team Star members remained stock still, staring.
"Those are…impossible…" Arven breathed. "Pokémon from the Scarlet and Violet Books. I thought they were fantasy, but so many of them. Whoa!" Arven was forced to roll to the side as one of the cracks near him opened wide. A creature resembling a Misdreavus emerged from within it. That was followed by another one like a Salamence, tearing at the air with a breath that melted it. Juliana nearly got roasted by that one.
"Everyone, move your butts faster! Down the steps, that's right! Move, move, move!"
"Jess, I tink yer movin' faster dan da kids."
"Look out, chaps!" A screeching, metal Volcarona emerged, scraping at the ground with the most awful of sounds and spewing rubble everywhere. Serena grabbed a Poké Ball, summoning Sylveon who created a swift Protect around the area. Others were quick to do the same, deflecting the rubble and any of the confused, shrieking Pokémon that crashed into them, disappearing into the night sky.
"What madness is this?!" Clavell shouted, only to topple as another quake rolled across Paldea.
Despite that, and the crystal showers that started to grace the entire region, Gloria could swear some of the cracks were sealing up. Flashes of red could be seen, and she was uncomfortably reminded of how the hole in the Asado Desert was quickly patched. The storm of creatures started to trickle off as a result of it, too, and Gloria turned her eyes to the one person who caused it.
"PHANTOM!" she roared, tossing her next Poké Ball out. Toxtricity emerged, and with a single strum of his protrusions, sent an Overdrive ripping across the courtyard. Des could be seen smirking, waiting.
"JEEEEEEIG!" The horrendous screech preceded the largest shape yet. A robotic Hydreigon emerged, spinning and snapping at the air. The sudden emergence from the hole created such a force of wind that Gloria was pushed back alongside her Pokémon, both of them barely holding on and putting their efforts to staying still.
They regained their balance, however, and managed to look up as the metal Hydreigon vanished into the night sky. Her gaze went back to Des, to the Phantom, but he was no longer alone.
"You're late," Des said, his cold demeanor returning.
"Ran into some slight resistance," the man next to him said, bowing. Gloria recognized the features as Fidel, the right-hand student of the disciplinarian causing so many troubles. Not that he was the only one there. Various cultists had emerged, though likely a smaller number than those who had gone in. There were some other familiar faces, though.
"Ma-Matori?!" Serena gasped out. She stepped forward, and a woman sporting a bob cut turned to her. She replaced some glasses on her face and pursed her lips.
"So theatrical," she said.
"Sometimes, a little theater entertains the masses," the Phantom said, shrugging. "But now you're here. The famed assassin."
"Is that why? I suppose you'd have a reason for each of us, then?" Matori asked, quirking her eyebrow. Des extended his hand, turning to the many people that seemed to be there. Some were faces that Gloria recognized, such as a man named Colress, and others that had been apprehended, hiding out in Galar's Crown Tundra. It all led to one conclusion.
"My reason is simple. A second chance by stripping away the powers that be. A chance to further research," the Phantom said, taking the hand of each criminal and shaking it in turn. Gloria looked to Toxtricity, the team ready to unleash their strike. Serena could be seen ready for the same, and from the way Ceruledge inched closer to her, Juliana was ready to throw down, too. "A chance to cleanse things. A chance to change immutable future to our own destiny that will not be denied a second time."
"A chance to end the mission, is it…?" Matori said, her eyes shaded. There was a brief pause, but at the last, she reached out her hand and took Des's. "My services. Let the storm break."
"And to further research, is it? I take it you're a man starting with Area Zero?" Colress said. His fingers were running through the air, making invisible calculations. "If that's the case, and the hypothesis remains true, you're running out of time, then."
"Have we still not solved the security protocol, then?" Des asked, looking more disgruntled by the second. "Is that why you were held up?"
"There was resistan-"
"OVERDRIVE!"
"PSYSHOCK!"
"SERA!"
The three attacks shuddered out at once. Toxtricity's soundwave ripped at the air, soon joined by the streaks of psychic energy that joined with it. All of it was topped off by a burning, purple slash that wrapped into it like a whirling crescent of doom. Des sighed, as if exhausted by the antics, but Fidel twitched with annoyance.
He snapped, and vines shot upwards, the form of Brambleghast emerging. It's roots and thorns whipped around, like some sort of demented Counter Shield, striking one part of the Psyshock and acting as a defense against the Overdrive. It wasn't enough to stop it completely, however., the electric waves being deflected off to the sides and into some of the cultists that were bowled over.
"Your Eminence," Fidel said, his face sagging with exhaustion at the proceedings, "I think it's time you make your descent. The protection protocol is kicking in, and we cannot follow. You need to go."
"So true. But if I hope to probe the depths, there's something I need," Des said. The jovial mocking was gone, replaced with the icy eyes of a man who meant nothing but business. He reached into his pocket, and from within he drew out an old and battered knife. Gloria's eyes widened, recognizing it, but not daring to speak it. Des raised the knife, pointing it right at Arven. "So, it'll either be pages or blood, but I'll need it regardless."
"Blood?!" Juliana shouted. She stepped back, as if to shield Arven and the near-catatonic Penny, the three students unable to do much but watch. Des stepped forward, on the very precipice of the chasm, and then he paused. His lips twitched.
"Fidel, what complications?" he asked, all the while looking down.
"Just some resistance, as I said."
"Who?" The way he had asked it, just a touch tremulous, inspired some hope in Gloria. Once more, she shared a look to Serena, both having the same feeling settle into them. The students were nearly cleared from the courtyard, too, with only Team Star and their two remaining vehicles left. Cynthia and the former Team Rocket members could be heard shouting, but were still visible in the vicinity as they escorted people off the premises. It was to each of them Des looked, annoyance scrawled on his face. "What did you do with him?"
"Left him under a pile of rubble. Time was of the essence, and we needed to only remove the Pokémon Master from the board."
"So, you didn't make sure he was dead? Even with an assassin at your side."
"I wasn't about to dig through stone," Matori said with a scoff. It did little to change Des's annoyance. Even as he laughed, it became mirthless. A cold, sardonic chuckle that appeared to find irony in life.
"Destiny is tiresome," he said. He spun the knife, eyes zeroing in on Arven. Kingambit stepped forward at his side. Brambleghast swirled and coiled, watching each of them and waiting to intercept. "Yet no matter how hard we try, we snap back to where it should be. This is proof. All those faces I once saw, standing here before me again.
"But this time, I won't be denied."
"Then you better think again, Phantom!" Des's eyes widened, brow furrowed as a scowl came on his face and stretched his skin. Gloria found herself smirking, while Serena shook her head with a scoff, like she expected it all the time.
Fire erupted from the chasm, and a bolt of lightning soared into the sky, phasing through the crystal as a beacon. Many eyes turned towards it, but only those closest were able to see it for what it was. The fire cut off, and a shape emerged from within the hole. Charizard opened his wings wide, and Ash dropped down from atop him, feet hitting the cracked ground. Those same cracks were closing up, bit by bit, but Ash paid no attention. He pointed forward.
"Flamethrower! Thunderbolt!"
"Rawr!"
"Chuuuuuu!"
Gloria spared Ash a look, noting his bloodied and bruised state. He appeared otherwise fine, embodying all the strength she knew him for. And from there, no words were needed. Gloria pointed forward and Toxtricity got the message. He gave a mighty strum, and the electricity of Overdrive shouted across the air.
It wasn't alone, joining with Charizard's flames and Pikachu's electricity. They were joined by others; the fire of Ceruledge's slash, Braixen's wand and Crocalor's breath all merged into the stream of pure heat. It moved so fast, neither Des nor his allies could retaliate. Not before it got too close at least.
That heat washed over Des, burning at his clothes and melting his face. He became lost in a haze of smog and smoke, one that only ended when Kingambit took his single step forward and split the fire in two, dispersing it with one fell blow. The smoke remained. The new and old members of Phantom Zero waited, watching to see if their leader would emerge unscathed. Everyone else did the same.
"That hurt." Des's annoyed comment made Gloria move to Ash's side. Serena was there, too, the three of them providing a frontline defense to the students nearby. Penny gasped in pain, falling back towards Cynthia, who had joined them with Jessie, James and Meowth. However, with the smoke clearing, Gloria figured an entirely different reason Penny was gasping. "I wish I could say I wasn't surprised. But I guess a ghost from two hundred years past hurts less than a Pokémon Master and his groupies in the present."
"Your Eminence!" Fidel's warning came. Des, however, didn't care to heed it. He stepped out of the smoke.
"What in the…?" Ash's shock was shared by all those around at the man emerging.
There was little wonder why.
Des's face had changed, as had some of his body, revealing nicks and cuts all over, including a deep scar on his abdomen, as though made by the knife he held in his hand. It was, however, his face that brought the most shock round. His hair had broken free, blond and flowing, and the prosthetic once on his face had melted off to reveal cold, gray eyes, and a chillingly comfortable face.
"How is that…?" Juliana turned, looking backwards and then over to Des. She was in a daze; most of them were. "Why does Des look like Miss Cynthia?!"
Gloria's fist curled, grasping at her pocket and the notebook within. Des looked up, his eyes boring holes in each of them, but Gloria finally saw it: the same eyes that had stared back at her from the pages she had held to. And the longer she stared, the more the incontrovertible truth only she could know rose within her, up to her lips.
"Because he's not Des…" she whispered. Ash and Serena looked to her, many more watching and waiting for her proclamation. "And he's not following some legacy left behind, either. He…he is the legacy. The one that never left. The one that endured. He's the name written over and over, like a maddening mantra.
"Volo."
Author's Note: Volo.
Does anything else need to be said? Some guessed, dropped their guess, re-guessed again. But here is the truth plain as day. And there were a lot of hints to this effect. Serena mentioning he was old enough, the scar on his abdomen and the knife with it. But the biggest hint is…this is exactly what he did in Trepidation: he turned the region against itself. Albeit this time on a little bit more of a subtler yet grander scale.
I had this particular point figured out back when I was writing Trepidation. Not when I planned it. But as I was writing it, I knew Phase 2 would happen and Volo would be the villain. Remember that fanservice scene of everyone appearing in the past? Yeah, it wasn't pure fanservice. It was done to facilitate this moment. I knew from the start, and this changes the fabric of the Ancienverse going forward, perhaps bringing more questions than answers.
But I'll have to leave you with this for now. We'll delve into what this revelation brings in the next two chapters. So, until then, please review or comment, and of course, Dare to Be Silly.