Chapter 19: We Meet Again!
So Tyrantrum wanted to help Team Polarna vatra now? Somehow this complete change of plan on his part was strange, but Aurora still felt it was very much in character for the fossil. She had known him for a while and could judge him quite well, at least she thought so. And the ultimate goal of his mission was still the same: to improve his own couldn't hope to get revenge on the team now anyway, so he was probably trying to get on their good side so that Aurora and Marshadow would not tell anyone about his prior plans.

"I mean... I won't complain about more helping hands... claws. Alright, come on then."

So it happened that Team Polarna vatra ended up walking a few meters in front of a grumpy fossil at the end of their trip. Marshadow whispered to his team leader so that her new helper couldn't hear him.

"Say, do you really think that guy wants to help us? Somehow I don't really trust him."
"Let's put it this way. I don't think he wants to help us, but I think he doesn't see an alternative for himself for now."

Marshadow looked back, unconvinced.

"Well, if you say so. But it's best to keep an eye on him."
"I plan to, don't worry."

But despite Marshadow's worries, the rest of the journey went smoothly. It didn't take long for the three Pokemon to reach a place very close to the top. It wasn't quite the top of the volcano, which was clear due to the steep walls surrounding this hollow. In some places, small streams of lava flowed down from the walls. At the far end of the hollow stood an altar on which a mystical object was floating.

"The Plot Armor. Well, the helmet that is!"

Slowly but carefully, Aurora stepped forward, the other two close behind her. But after a few seconds she heard a quiet crackling sound. Immediately, she jumped out of the way, avoiding a fireball shot from the top of one of the walls.

"I knew it! We're not alone here! It seems Epsilon himself left, but has left us a surprise."

An angry growl echoed from the walls, filling the entire place. Soft footsteps, very similar to the sounds that kept Aurora awake at night, sounded. Tyrantrum, Marshadow and Aurora all three now stood in the middle of this valley at the top, their eyes fixed on the tops of the walls.

"Get ready you two, I think things are about to get hot here!"

After a few more seconds of tension, a shadow momentarily obscured the morning sun as it made a huge leap from the wall behind the altar. A Pokemon, slightly larger than Aurora with orange fur and black stripes, blocked the way to the ancient helmet. Flames shot from the corners of its mouth as it circled the team in a crouched position, teeth bared. The Pokemon's eyes seemed to glow a bright orange. Looking at this opponent, Tyrantrum was quite perplexed.

"Tell me, Aurora, I might sound stupid but... that Arcanine looks kind of familiar, doesn't it?"
"Wait, you don't mean..."

She understood exactly what Tyrantrum implied with this statement. And a closer look at her enemy seemed to confirm his fears. Even the missing fang, which Aurora had noticed weeks earlier, was not visible on this Arcanine.

"Kel!"

Anger was all the Plot Warrior felt.

"The fact that you've already betrayed me once isn't enough for you, is it? So now you're taking Epsilon's side too! I'll look forward to finally getting revenge then!"

Aurora was just about to throw herself into the fight when Marshadow stopped her.

"Wait. Don't you see his behavior? And especially the glow in his eyes?"

Of course she had noticed it, but hadn't drawn any conclusions from it.

"Perhaps I'm interpreting a bit too much, but... Derelio yi ni danio, arna yi ni arnu. Seran dana danio yi ras tre. Body is not soul, inside is not outside. Only it is stronger than the soul. I think we might have found the one who sent us this message. And if that's really true... then I think it's only Kel's body that's facing us here, not his consciousness!"

An image formed in Aurora's mind's eye. A vision of a Kel who tried to fight against himself, but had lost all control. Despite everything that had happened to her because of him, despite the fact that he had already betrayed her once... she still wanted to believe in the truth in Marshadow's words. She wanted to believe that Kel wasn't the Pokemon he currently looked like. But at the same time, she knew that the team had to fight, one way or another.

"If it really is as you say, then we'll have to free him from this spell. And in my eyes it looks like we have to forcefully drive out whatever "it" is."

Tyrantrum didn't seem to understand everything in the statements, but he understood the most important thing. "I have no idea what messages you're talking about exactly, but I understood the forceful part well enough! Well then, let's go!"

At the same moment that Tyrantrum made his first attack, Kel also left his ambush position. Aurora had expected a surprise at the summit, but a reunion with Kel was definitely not what she had thought of. But could he really be possessed by Epsilon? Somehow it didn't make sense. According to what Marshadow had said about the events at the iceberg, even Epsilon was disturbed by the betrayal of the then Growlithe. So why should he choose him as a fighter for his own side? It somehow didn't make sense... but the logic behind all of this wasn't the most important thing anyway. The most important thing would be victory. But somehow the fight seemed difficult to lose in Aurora's eyes, didn't it? She and Marshadow had trained endlessly in the last few weeks, something that Kel had hardly done. He was also alone against three, one of the three being Tyrantrum, who was completely superior in terms of type.

But it quickly became apparent that Kel was not the Pokemon that had founded Team Polarna vatra anymore. Rather, the aforementioned team was now up against a master of firebending. And in an area like this, the possessed Kel was able to make the most of his homefield advantage. Aurora in particular found nothing she could really contribute to this fight. All of her attacks were almost ineffective, and she had more than enough work to do by just dodging. Luckily for her, the other two Mon present could do more than her. Although Marshadow's most important technique, disappearing into the shadows, was taken away from him due to the enemies insane reaction time, he was still able to attack passively quite well, while Tyrantrum did the bulk of the battle. Just as she looked at the course of the fight, Aurora was incredibly happy to have found Tyrantrum and taken him along as a helper. To be honest, how they would stand any chance without him.

What made Kel particularly strong was, that in this form, unlike other fire Pokemon, he could also control lava. The streams that dripped down the walls were therefore one of his primary weapons. But he also knew how to shape the battlefield with columns of fire the way he wanted it. In this way, he took the space he needed and created room for himself. But this opponent not only mastered fire attacks, Kel also had a few new techniques that no one had really expected and, above all, some that even Tyrantrum had problems with. Above all, an attack that he himself mastered: Earthquake.

As the battle continued for many minutes without anyone letting up, Marshadow sneaked unnoticed towards Aurora while Kel and Tyrantrum were still completely occupied with each other.

"He's not paying attention to you because you are not a threat to him. Aurora, get the armor while he's distracted. With it's help, you can help us more!"

The team leader was a little embarrassed that she hadn't thought of this herself, now that the armor was completely free in front of her. She immediately rushed over to it, but underestimated the agility and attention of the enemy. Before she could reach the armor itself, Kel was there himself. But his current reaction was contrary to everything Aurora had expected. Instead of attacking her, he grabbed the helmet himself, which almost immediately attached itself to the Arcanine. Instead of her being able to participate better in the fight, her opponent now had the power of the armor she was looking for!

But at the same time, Aurora had the impression that the orange glow in Kel's eyes was fading. His expression changed briefly before the flames returned and Kel looked ready to fight again.

"Tyrantrum, Marshadow, you two saw that too, right?"
"Yes! It seems as if the Plot Armor is limiting the Plot's control over Kel! Maybe we can bring him back to his senses now that he's wearing the helmet."
"That may be the case, but how the hell are we supposed to do that? Maybe the control over him is weaker now, but the guy himself is even stronger. And, as much as I hate to admit it, for a fire-type he's really doing numbers on me!"

For just a moment Aurora didn't know what to do. Would words be able to reach Kel in this state? Everything else seemed almost pointless. And yet, what was there to say? But giving up was the last thing the three Pokemon could consider. The orange glow in Kel's angry eyes awakened memories in Aurora. Memories of the last great battle, the duel against Eternatus. He, too, had fought with the power of the Plot. And he almost won that fight too. But ultimately he was defeated by an inner voice, the inner power that rested within Aurora. She would not lose to the Plot that she herself fought for! No one defeated her with the power of her own prophet.

"Marshadow, Tyrantrum... let's show him that true warriors are not impressed by some orange light! Kel, help as best you can, wherever you are! We'll get you out of there!"

Outwardly, her words didn't seem to reach the Arcanine, but Aurora remained determined nonetheless. Tyrantrum in particular didn't seem particularly convinced by this sudden determination at first, but he too decided to continue the fight with all the strength he still had. And while he and Marshadow continued the fight, Aurora continued to try to get through with words. She still had no idea how she was going to do this, but there had to be some way. And maybe she could distract whatever Kel was controlling enough...

"Stop fighting, Kel! I know, even if our last meeting wasn't pleasant, this isn't you. Derelio yi ni danio, arna yi ni arnu. Whatever controls you is not stronger than your will, even if you might think so!"

Her words still didn't seem to reach the real Kel. However, they seemed to annoy whatever had taken possession of him more than his direct opponents did. Without warning, the lion turned around and shot a Flamethrower at Aurora. However, she was ready and dodged to counter with an almost ineffective ice beam.

"And whatever you are, what's fighting us here... give it up! Polarna vatra and Tyrantrum are a combination that's a level too high for you!"

Instead of fading, the glow in the fire warrior's eyes only seemed to get stronger. It also spread across the Pokemon's entire fur. This action went completely differently than Aurora had planned. But if she assessed the situation correctly, this did not mean that the situation was bad.

"That's Overheat with Plot powers! Tyrantrum, Marshadow, move!"

With the power of a thousand suns, the flames stormed over Aurora. Smoke filled the hollow, where even rock had melted.

"What the fuck... Aurora!"

Monargoras had not seen what really happened in the battle against Eternatus, unlike Marshadow. Even though the ghost still did not understand what truly had happened, he was optimistic. Aurora had a plan.

"You should keep your distance."
"But... what about Aurora? After this attack she can't..."

He was interrupted when two orange eyes flashed out of the smoke.