Draco: Putting gameplay details for the other Paradox Pokémon here just because I did not want to ruin the impact of the previous chapter by following it up with a ramble.

Roaring Moon
-Range: 3
-Move: Night Slash
-Ability: Primal Might | Instinct

Also, for much the same reason, I'm going to raise a certain point up here in the topside author's comment. Some of the names in this chapter are not (to my knowledge) from any of the Warriors games, but they are also not something I came up with wholecloth. I received this past Christmas a book of Japanese myths, and drew names from there for use with these characters.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

Ultra Kingdom - Twisted Citadel: Wards of Cruelty

"Evia, can you hear me? Please respond!"

The voice in Evia's com-crystal earring had her raising her bracelet to her mouth. "Nō, is that you?"

Nō's breath hitched. "You're there. The others - please tell me the others are alright!"

"I don't know if 'alright' is the right word," Evia insisted, turning to the others. Kaguya was still shaking, though she'd recovered enough to sit upright on her own power, and Mitsuki looked like she was suddenly coming to terms with what had happened in the entrance hall. Oichi was sporting a bruise across the left side of her jaw, and Driftwalker and Coursebreaker were in furtive conversation. None of them were wearing their com-crystals, though all for different reasons. "But we're all alive."

"That... was my concern, yes," Nō admitted.

Evia immediately understood the reason behind her sudden contact. "Don't worry. We're not going back to Distortion just yet." She got to her feet. "But I want you and Nobunaga on standby. Circumstances might have changed in this last castle."

"Understood," Nobunaga assured her. "We'll await your command."

She lowered her bracelet and approached Kaguya, kneeling at her daughter's side. "Hey. Are you with me?"

Kaguya looked up at her. "Y-Yeah," she insisted. "I-I'm... I j-just..."

"Deep breaths," Evia insisted. "Deep breaths." She set a hand on Kaguya's shoulder. "You still need to recover. I want you to promise me you're going to stay here until you do, okay?"

"But Mama-!"

Evia shook her head. "Remember what you promised me. If it's not too much yet, if you can still keep going, then stand up for me. Take a step - without having to force yourself."

Kaguya set her shaking hands on the ground and tried to rise - yet her legs wouldn't support herself, and she found she couldn't even stand. "W-Wh-What...?"

"Your mind is still healing," Evia observed. "You were in the smiddle of a Link with Valiant when he attacked. The backlash is messing with your head. It'll take a bit to make itself right again, but until then, it's going to affect you. So stay here, and wait for it to be right again. Okay?"

"...Okay, M-Mama," Kaguya whimpered.

Evia turned to Mitsuki. "How about you?"

"I... I'm gonna stay here and watch Kaguya," Mitsuki insisted. "I'll make sure she's safe." She picked up her com-crystal earpiece and set it into her ear. "If you need us to get out fast, then say it in the crystals and I'll get her outside."

"Okay." Evia rose to her feet, glancing at Gardevoir and Salamence; both of the Pokémon gave nods of assurance, and she turned to Oichi. "How about you?"

"I'll be fine," Oichi assured her. "Nothing permanent."

Driftwalker turned to them. "With what Ghetsis did in the entrance hall, I think the customs of Ransean warfare are out the window."

Oichi nodded. "Indeed. Which means the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket can wait. We need to find their prisoners."

"Let me lead the way," Coursebreaker insisted. "I know where they're being kept."

The group was about to advance when Kaguya spoke up. "W-Wait!" she pleaded. "Mama, wait!"

Evia turned. "What is it?"

Kaguya's gaze fell. "G-Gardevoir saw the P-Poké Balls earlier. Th-The ones near T-Takatora." She took a deep breath. "I-I think... it's th-the others. The other k-kids the old man was t-taking care of."

"You mean..." Oichi was terrified at what Kaguya was saying. "Your fellow wards... your friends?"

"They weren't f-friends," Kaguya insisted. "They'd l-leave me out w-when they had f-fun. But..." She raised her gaze, and there were tears in her eyes. "But I d-don't want them hurt!"

"We won't hurt them," Evia assured her. "We're here to help them. We'll make sure they're safe."

Kaguya took a deep breath. "Y-You promise? U-Urashima... Otohime... Issun... K-Kintaro... Orihime... H-Hikoboshi... You'll keep them safe?"

Driftwalker nodded. "We will. I promise they'll be safe."

"Th-Thank you..."

She leaned back against the wall, and Mitsuki set her hand on Kaguya's shoulder as Coursebreaker resumed leading the way.

+x+x+x+

The architecture had prominently changed from 'Spectran' to 'Chrysalian' before they arrived at their destination - a double-door that looked like the castle-side entrance from the Chrysalia battlefield. "Here we are," Coursebreaker insisted. "They should be right in-"

A clash of steel, and a blast of fire.

The sound of clashing steel sounded from behind the door, and Cousebreaker pulled her hand away as though burned. "Wh-What?"

"That... sounds like swordplay," Oichi observed. "And battle."

"No." Coursebreaker sounded terrified. "It can't be. This is the Chrysalia garden - they were just playing catch and cards! No!" She dashed herself against the door, forcing it open, and the other Warriors followed suit, charging into the area on the other side.

Oichi's hands went up to cover her mouth.

Driftwalker fell to her knees in shock.

It was indeed the Chrysalia battlefield on the other side, Yoshimoto's Pokémari court. Six children were scattered about, each close to Kaguya and Mitsuki's age - and twelve Pokémon were gathered around them, two to each. Half of the Pokémon looked constructed, like Iron Valiant; a mechanical Delibird, a Hydreigon with star-scattered manes, a Volcarona with detached wings hovering around it, a Donphan whose trunk and tail seemed to be a disconnected vehicle tread, a Hariyama with hands that floated without arms, a stiff and metallic Tyranitar. The other half seemed brutal and rough, like Roaring Moon; a Misdreavus whose hair formed fluttering wings, a Jigglypuff with a long and whip-like tail, a Volcarona that slithered rather than standing, a Donphan with oversized tusks, an Amoonguss with a flat, spiked cap that bore an overhang, a Magneton that stood upon its prongs rather than floating.

Each of the children was armed, each with a different weapon... and yet it was clear that such armaments were not of their own choice. For their arms and legs were all replaced with mechanical prostheses, of much the same make as Takatora's body had been. On each child's right arm, two words were carved into the prosthetic... and thought each child bore one of the names that Kaguya had mentioned, every one of them also bore the same word to precede those names.

Nezha.

"Who's there?" A short boy stepped forward, his prosthetic proclaiming his name to be Issun; he had a rapier sheathed at his hip and a hammer in his hands, and the mechanical Makuhita and overhanging Amoongus were standing at his sides. "Who are you?"

"I..." Evia's mouth had abruptly gone dry, but the state of her allies had her forcing herself to speak. "I'm... Kaguya's mother."

"Kaguya?" A boy with a cane, accompanied by the two Pokémon alike to Donphan, held his weapon against his chest; his prosthetic labelled him as Hikoboshi. "I know that name. Where do I...?"

"That's the one who went missing," said a girl at his side, holding a length of cloth between her hands and accompanied by the Volcarona-like Pokémon; the name Orihime was on her prosthetic. "The weird girl who was always left by herself." She turned to Evia. "You're her mom?"

"What's going on here?" Oichi asked. "What happened to all of you?"

A boy with a hatchet stepped forward, his prosthetic identifying him as Kintaro; the mechanical Tyranitar and grounded Magneton accompanied him. "It's the old man," he insisted. "He said he wanted to make us into great Warriors. He had the pirate guy put me to sleep, and... when I woke up, I was like this." He held an arm before him, and the other children all nodded to confirm the same.

"Alpha's rings," Driftwalker muttered. "This is..."

"Attention, wards of Project Nezha!"

The voice echoing around the garden caught Evia off-guard. "Ghetsis?!"

"Attackers have arrived who mean to destroy us!" Ghetsis proclaimed. "They have overcome the first line of defense! You are to seek them out and strike them down!"

"Attacks?" A girl carrying an ornate staff, accompanied by the metallic Hydreigon and the long-tailed Jigglypuff, turned to Evia and the others; Otohime was the name on her prosthetic. "He can't mean you, can he?" She shook her head. "No! We're not gonna fight you!"

"In case you have forgotten," Ghetsis' voice warned, "dire punishment awaits those who refuse to follow orders!"

An electrical sound seemed to emerge from all directions, and the children all cried out as electric shocks pulsed through their bodies from their prosthetics.

"No!" Oichi stepped forward.

A boy with a flail, with the mechanical Delibird and winged Misdreavus, was the first to rise; his prosthetic identified him as Urashima. "I'm sorry, Kaguya's mom," he insisted. "But I don't want him to hurt us!"

He charged forward, his Pokémon at his side and his weapon raised; Evia reached for her shield, only for Coursebreaker to move to intercept him en route, raising her ninjatō to meet his weapon. The weight of the flail knocked off her mask, baring a pale face, but otherwise didn't strike her as it tangled around her blade. "Go!"

"What are you-!?"

"We'll keep them occupied!" Coursebreaker insisted. "You have to find Ghetsis and stop him!"

Oichi shook her head. "No, we promised Kaguya-!"

"If you don't want them to get hurt," Driftwalker proclaimed, "the best way to make sure of that is to make sure he's not forcing them to attack! Find Ghetsis and get him away from whatever he's doing!"

Evia grit her teeth. "Stay alive! Both of you!"

Coursebreaker turned, flashing a confident grin. "We've got this, Lady Evia!"

Taking Oichi's hand, Evia charged back into the hall they'd come from, and Wigglytuff and the Eeveelutions followed suit; Noivern and Hatterene stepped forward as Coursebreaker wrenched her blade out of Urashima's flail, and Driftwalker extended her spear.

"I'm sorry about this. All of you."

+x+x+x+

The halls had become Terreran in design before Oichi and Evia found another open chamber - and this time, they heard Ghetsis' voice clearly.

"Glaciate!"

Evia raised her gaze in a shock. This chamber was enclosed, but expansive enough to be a battlefield, with multiple doors against every wall and a balcony extending above her. Standing directly ahead of them was a great icy Pokémon that she realized in an instant was the Cold Wuji - and it was already attacking. Massive icicles appeared around her, Oichi, and their Pokémon, a bitter cold encircling them all, and it was clear that Ghetsis intended to have Kyurem freeze them solid.

Her eyes ignited, and her hand blazed with the Alpha's sigil as she reached for her sword. Oichi realized what was happening and dropped to her hands and knees as Evia twisted into a whirling blow, blade outstretched; light trailed from the edge of her weapon and then extended outward, and the cold receded as the icicles surrounding the Warriors shattered.

"Ah! The Heroine of Ransei."

Footsteps and the strike of a cane sounded, and Evia let the flare subside as she raised her gaze; Ghetsis emerged from around the stairs leading up to the balcony, looking at the Warriors disdainfully.

"I knew there was something anomalous after I learned the president had been separated from her UB," he proclaimed. "The lights of Alola did not show themselves until after she had been defeated; the severance must have come from another source. Yet none of the Warriors who attacked her domain brought Pokémon that had any power to do so... least not in person."

A sinister grin stretched across his face. "You have a Link with an extraordinary Pokémon, don't you? Yet you haven't even the wisdom to use that Pokémon and crush your foes."

"Use?" Evia drew her shield angrily, and Oichi brandished her staff as they stepped forward, Wigglytuff and the Eeveelutions spreading out around them. "Pokémon are not things to be used!"

"What else does one do with tools?" Ghetsis demanded. "They exist for human benefit. If they serve our purposes, we use them. If they do not, we are rid of them!" He shook his head. "The only ones who believe otherwise are idiots and freaks!"

Oichi double-took. "Freaks!?"

"Oh, yes," Ghetsis snarled. "I know your ilk well. You call yourselves Warriors, but you are not people! Freaks without human hearts, talking to Pokémon and hearing them talk back! One of your kind surfaced in Unova, in my own world. I made a king out of him, before I was brought to Team Rainbow Rocket. I know full well what you can and cannot do!

He slammed his cane to the floor - and the tiles beneath the Aurorans shifted as voltage coursed through them. Evia screamed in pain as her body writhed, and chains were flung forward from nowhere, wrapping her and Oichi and leaving them falling to the floor.

"Freaks like you will never understand true power!"

A sound like a gun firing... and a familiar whistle. Evia forced herself to look up and found purple Poké Balls flying towards them, each emblazoned with an M - but these ones were wrapped in rings of sinister light. No less than seven of them, and as they approached the Pokémon, the lights extended out of them as they opened.

Wigglytuff, Glaceon, Sylveon, Espeon, Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon were all consumed by the lights and dragged into the open Balls... which promptly closed, fell to the ground, and clicked.

Oichi was horrified; she could still feel her Link with Wigglytuff, but it felt distant, like her Pokémon was far away. "Poké Balls!?"

"Snag Balls," Ghetsis corrected. "Greevil was kind enough to bring a Snag Machine with him from his world, and it was a simple matter to reverse-engineer the technology." Evia turned towards the nearer corners of the rooms, and found what he was talking about - large, cubical machines with what looked like cannon barrels extending out of each. "It alters Poké Balls against their design and enables them to catch Pokémon that have already been caught. Even if a Poké Ball would acknowledge your so-called 'Links' and prevent such a capture, a Snag Ball is not so limited!"

He slammed his cane to the ground, and Kyurem roared. "Which means there is nothing stopping me from destroying you here and now!"

Kyurem made to step forward.

Evia tried to struggle.

And a Salamence roared.

Ghetsis had no opportunity to react; the Dragon Pokémon descended on the Snag Machine at one end of the battlefield, claws and tail blazing with dragon mist, and brutalized the machine with an Outrage, sending it skidding across the battlefield. The other Snag Machine made to take aim at him, but a pulse of Psychic ripped up around it, causing it to be crushed in on itself; two figures descended behind the crumpled mess, and then kicked it away from the wall. The two machines slid towards Ghetsis and Kyurem, and the pirate leapt backwards as they both exploded, leaving Kyurem crying out as Poké Balls were sent flying out of the wreckage - most of them in pieces.

Kaguya and Mitsuki stepped out from behind it, brandishing their weapons.

"You're not destroying anyone!"

Draco: Oof, there is something different about an action cliffhanger compared to ending a chapter on a reveal.