It is time we begin the final act of this story. Into the depths we go with Chapter 16!
Chapter 16
An Expedition
The air at the Zero Gate was cold. Part of it was the fact it was high up in the mountain, sealed behind a metal gate that only those with authority could access. Another part of it was that the sun was barely rising, leaving everything but Mount Glaseado and the place they stood draped in darkness. Not that anyone there was betraying the time of day. They were all far too tense or excited to show that.
"You ready, Juli?" Arven's voice betrayed just a bit of his own worries, even while he attempted to assuage her own. To comfort him, she reached out and took his hand.
"No," she answered honestly. "But it's what we have to do."
"Don't worry," Nemona said, inserting herself between the two. Juliana didn't miss that her arm was just a little tighter around Arven. "Push comes to shove, I'll protect you guys."
"Nemona, I doubt it's the actual danger they're worried about." Penny's statement gave Nemona a fright, the girl jumping; Juliana assumed she hadn't even realized Penny was right behind her. "It's the unknown answers that are scary."
"Yeah…" Juliana and Arven echoed at the same time. Their combined sigh attracted the attention of Serena, who gave them both a knowing and consoling smile. Juliana took strength from that, reaching her other hand out towards Penny, joining the four students as one. No matter what, Serena, Gloria and the others would look after them, and they'd protect each other.
That thought alone allowed Juliana to glance to the side, where the crystal containing Akari rested. She looked just as ethereal and strange as she had the first time she'd seen the young woman, only this time she had less cables attached to her. Just a harness, ready to snap and deliver her to the depths of Area Zero.
"Kor." Koraidon's sudden shove at Juliana's back reminded her that he, too, needed encouragement. She let go, turning to her friend and scratching behind his ears.
"You can do this, Koraidon. You'll overcome it. I'll protect you."
He headbutted her, lightly, but with an intention that screamed instead, "No, I'll be the one protecting you". She smiled, wanting to believe him. As a static burst came across Ash, Gloria and Serena's phones, she turned away, the mission ready to begin.
After a second, multiple faces appeared on the screens. On one end was Geeta with her prized ace Glimmora floating around. Meanwhile Jessie, James and Meowth took up another as the crowd of Team Star was in the background. The last segment was devoted to Hop and Clemont, both looking as steely-eyed as Geeta.
"Is everyone in position?" the Champion asked. There were some mumbled yeses, but most people just nodded. "Good. We all have our assignments. Myself and my Elite Four will manage the perimeter of Area Zero as well as the Zero Prison, in order to ensure nothing that takes place in the Crater leads to the escape of any more."
Ash grimaced, a clear reflection on his failure, but Jessie's screeches overrode any notice of that reaction. "Champion lady, we've been over all this already. We know what to do. We'll protect the city with those Star goons."
"And I think Cynthia's somewhere here, too," James piped in. Jessie twitched, almost apoplectic at the mere suggestion.
"Oh, now we've got her trying to upstage us, too! The nerve!"
"Ain't no one got a bigger nerve dan you, Jess."
"Wobba!"
"We'll monitor Akari from here," Hop's voice rose, clearly intending to ignore the trio's antics. "Her vitals look good, but I don't know how well we can maintain those readings once you guys enter the Crater."
"Just do what you can," Gloria said, folding her arms. "We're close to finding an answer for her. This is the last push."
"Everyone, just make sure to keep in touch," Clemont said, pushing his glasses up. If anyone trusted his words the most, it was Ash and Serena, the pair nodding. "From what Arven has mentioned, communication is spotty, so rely on the MIRCS to communicate. As a reminder that's the Mobile-"
"Clemont, we know what it is." Serena's counter deflated the man. "James, make sure Hanna is safe, you understand? If she's not…"
A shiver ran down James's spine. "Don't worry, twerpette. You can count on Uncle James!"
"Go kick butt, mommy!" Hanna piped in. She clearly didn't understand much, but knew enough to wave at her mother and father on the screen. "And no calling you Uncle James."
"Don't worry. He won't be the only one looking after her and the others." That was the familiar Eri, pushing James aside to appear on the screen. Her warpaint was back on, and her Annihilape looked ready to rumble. "Cass, I mean Penny, do your worst down there. You, too, Juli."
"We'll try," Penny said.
"Is everyone ready, then?" Ash asked, cracking his knuckles. Pikachu sparked on his shoulder, the duo more ready for action than anyone. "We know what we're doing. You guys are on defense and communications, and we're diving straight for the heart of Area Zero. We're gonna find out what's causing those Pokémon to appear, we're gonna free Akari and stop Volo for good.
"But no matter what, we're coming back safe! Got it?"
"Pika pikachu!"
"YEAH!" On their call, they all threw their hands in, locking eyes with one another in their promise. Seconds later, they threw them into the air, becoming fists that towered to the sky. Their action complete, each of them faced the metal scaffolding that ran outward from the Gate.
"Let's go," Ash said. He began to walk forward, into the light. Juliana took one last look around them, various old computers and rusted machines populating the observation deck. She wondered if it was a sign of what awaited them below, but she didn't ask. She just followed into the yet colder air.
After a few strides, the whole group found themselves standing on the precipice, overlooking the shrouded depths below. Juliana shivered. She reached for Koraidon. Light shimmered, calling out Corviknight and Charizard. Their trainers boarded them, and Serena with Ash. It left only Koraidon. With a pat, Juliana mounted him. Arven was quick to follow. A few pushes and shoves later and both Penny and Nemona were on Koraidon's back. He buckled a bit but remained strong.
"Touch us down safe."
"Release Akari!" Gloria shouted into the air. There was a sudden whining of rotors, the helicopter lifting and carrying the crystal closer to the edge. Assured they were on their way, Gloria looked back and grinned. "See you at the bottom, kid! Come on!"
"Koraidon, let's go!"
"Koraaaai!" Her trusty steed stamped at the ground, watching Charizard and Corviknight give a cry before they took the air. His hindlegs found their purchase and quickly used them to launch himself into a run. Penny screamed. "KOOOOOOOR!"
Juliana held her breath, her hand fluttering to Kilowattrel's Poké Ball. Koraidon leapt upwards, matching heights with the fliers. Then he dove, gravity taking over his body. It wasn't only Penny screaming at that point, with Arven practically sounding like a whimper. Juliana kept her own stomach in and tapped Koraidon.
Come on, buddy. All those Herba Mystica have to count for something! She gripped tighter, unable to let go as they plummeted far faster than their companions. Gloria chased after them, descending like a rocket. Akari's crystal was yet faster, detaching and falling straight down like a meteor. "Come on, Koraidon! Fly!"
"Korai!" The lizard's eyes flashed, and with it, so did the tendrils atop his head. They extended, becoming a pair of gliding wings that instantly slowed their descent. He whirled around, flying close to the other two and angling down. They were on their way down. Juliana patted him again and he changed his incline, allowing him to speed right off for Akari's crystal.
"Follow it to the bottom!" Gloria shouted over the roaring wind in their ears.
They couldn't acknowledge with words, so they all picked up speed, tracking the crystal. Cloud cover began to grow thick around them, as if it was a barrier that was attempting to keep them out. Wind buffeted them, threatening to tear them all from Koraidon. Penny was practically squeezing the life out of Nemona.
"Remind me why I'm here again! And hold Arven tighter!"
"I-I am!"
"Stop crying, we're almost there!" Juliana shouted back, barely holding in her vomit. They were just about even with the crystal. Koraidon's limbs tucked in, as Charizard and Corviknight folded their wings for the dive. Horrific howling was raging past their ears, feeling like it would tear them off. One last look to the distance saw shadows gathered on the rocky outcropping that bordered the Crater.
Suddenly, the sound ceased. Juliana could breathe again. Light assailed her eyes, causing her to wince and squint until she adjusted. They were still falling, but the wondrous sight she glimpsed before her overrode that.
Only for a second, though.
SKREEEEEE!
Juliana let go of Koraidon, covering her ears as best as she could. The others weren't so lucky, each holding on to her and each other. Koraidon also didn't escape its wrath, his head swiveling with alarm. A flittering shadow passed by, and then another. Soon, a storm of metal erupted from beneath them, covering up the sight below, each ranging for the hole they had pierced through the sky.
"They're heading for the surface!" Penny shouted, her voice distorted in the screeching. She fumbled, managing to grab her phone and doing something beyond Juliana's ken. "Everyone, defense in Mesagoza, now!"
"Oye, the crystal!" Nemona took her hand off Arven's waist solely to point, jerking all of their heads to the side. As the slicing wings of Volcarona-like creatures swarmed their vision, the sight of the crystal remained unimpeded.
Akari's cocoon glowed, hanging for a second without falling. Then, like it was on a string pulling it back, the crystal was yanked away, dragged further into the depths of the unknown, through rock and water to somewhere invisible.
"Shit! I'm going after her!" Gloria shouted, yanking on Corviknight. Charizard roared, Ash putting his Fire type in the young woman's way.
"No, we stick together!" Serena scolded her. "We'll find Akari, but if we want to get anywhere, we need to not split off. If this is a taste of Area Zero, there's no telling what else we'll find."
"Debate later! We land now or we're all chow!" Arven yelled over everyone, including the screeching.
"Right. Koraidon, disembark quick! Find the safest space to land!" Koraidon, shaken by the creatures around him, nevertheless nodded in understanding. He cut a path through the air, hurtling for the ground with all speed. So fast he fell that all the wild and mysterious Pokémon faded from view, leaving only a landing site. "Hold on!"
They all did just that, leaving the screeching behind and keeping locked in. Koraidon crashed to the ground, skidding across grass and rock until he jerked to a stop. It threw them all off, rolling the students along the ground. The adults, on the other hand, landed gracefully, their Poké Balls shining to call forth their most trusted partners. On the ground, Penny was the first to groan.
"Remind me again why I'm here…"
"Probably for that," Serena said. She offered a hand to all, and Penny and Juliana were the ones to take it. They were lifted up, following Serena's lead to see an ivy-covered building down a long path, looking sealed and impenetrable from just a glance.
"Ah, I think I broke something…" Nemona groaned. She tried to push up via Arven, but stopped when she realized she was doing just that.
Their group recovering, Juliana stepped forward to take in Area Zero, her eyes widening.
Not one step into Area Zero and Juliana was overtaken by how…bizarre it all looked. Wide stone arches covered the entire place, peppered with waterfalls here and there. On its own, those wouldn't have seemed strange, were it not for the fact that all those many paths looked to have no support at all. Or no natural support, at least. Juliana inched close to the edge of where they had landed, and had to yank herself back for fear of falling: Area Zero stretched unto infinity, deep into the very center of the earth.
She gulped. If Mount Coronet was the highest point of the world, then this was certainly the deepest. That frightened her.
Bringing her head back up, Juliana realized the pathways continued on through the lakes and rivers into a chasm that pulsed and glowed. Dotting the paths were various ivy-covered buildings that looked to have seen better days. In fact, ivy wasn't the only thing consuming the buildings that served as waypoints.
"Crystal…" Juliana gasped out. Someone joined her, looking like Penny, and the pair peered into the abyss together.
"There's…so much of it…"
Indeed, crystal appeared to stretch everywhere the eye could see. Up rock walls, and through water. It was like a living, breathing organism that had stretched its very nature across the whole entire Crater, consuming it whole. The more Juliana looked, the more she realized that it all stretched downward, as though coming from the heart of the Crater itself. She started to wonder if Akari was down there, only for a shadow to darken things. Koraidon tensed, but the shadow soon passed. Juliana looked up.
"The sun…?" she said. It prompted the others to do the same, looking at the bright, midday sun above their heads. "What-what time is it?"
"Not even mid-morning," Gloria said. Her face was perturbed, her entire body radiating the need to jump after Akari, but restraining it.
"How is the sun…?"
"More than that," Nemona said, holding herself with folded arms, "is it just me, or is it a little quiet here?"
Each of them stopped moving, listening to the ambient sounds. After a second, however, they realized the same thing: other than the crashing of water, there weren't any.
"Aren't there researchers here?" Ash asked, sounding more than a bit disturbed. Serena held to him, pursing her lips as she scanned the horizon.
"There should have been, but Area Zero is dangerous for a reason," Arven said. He had recovered, and walked forward towards the nearest building. His feet looked like they were attached to lead, every movement sluggish. "Last I heard, they moved all defenses inwards with every strive made. But even the first strata can be dangerous."
"Was this where Mabosstiff…?"
Arven stopped, his whole face creased into a frown. "Yeah… Maybe."
"Maybe?" Gloria asked, her impatience coming off as incredulity. "Wasn't it recent?"
"It was, but it's like…standing here feels weird. Like a fog, but also this…memory in my head. Like I was here before, a long time ago." Arven's voice sounded almost bodiless, confused by everything around them. And the longer Juliana watched, the more she began to feel it, too.
"Now that you mention it, I feel like I've been here, too. Weird, huh?"
"It is not weird at all."
The sudden voices caused all to jump, pushing their backs against one another with the sudden thrill of fear. Arven's face creased further. "Dad, that you?!"
"Your memory is not mistaken," the male voice continued. The more Juliana listened, the more she realized it did sound like Arven's father, like Turo, from all his calls. "None of your memories are mistaken."
"What does that mean?!" Serena shouted. They didn't receive an answer.
"Better question is where his voice is coming from," Penny said. Eevee was at her feet, looking even more scared than her trainer.
"Press on. Find the truth only you can find. Then you can understand all." That voice was undeniably Sada's, soon fading into the crystal dust that surrounded them. It provided no further explanation, but left them all confused.
Only Ash didn't let it bother him, taking point on the road ahead. "Come on. Let's start by getting there."
No one needed to argue. They kept close, following Ash and Serena down the long, silent path. Up above, the sun never changed its position once, making Juliana truly feel like they were cut off from time. She sidled just a bit closer to Arven, keeping an eye out for any other strange Pokémon. "You really remember this place?"
"Yeah, I think so," Arven replied, "and it can't have been recent, unless my memory is totally screwed up. I remember Mabosstiff being injured at the gate, one of those weird Pokémon that my parents had accidentally brought with them. It was when they started pouring themselves deeper into their research."
"More you guys talk about it," Penny said, rubbing at her clothed arms, "the more I'm starting to think I recognize it, too."
"It's uncanny, but I feel it, too," Gloria said. To stave off the disturbing feeling growing in each of them, the woman took out her phone and connected it to the MIRCS. "Hop, are Akari's vitals stable? We lost her."
"Stable…nough…" The connection was still spotty, but clearly stronger than their phones would have provided. "Weird, though. Looks like…nergy levels have…opped a bit. Nothing alarming, but notable."
"Then we need to find her."
"Calm down, Gloria," Ash said. It earned a glare from her, but she listened to Ash all the same, the group finally pulling up in front of the long-abandoned building. They had no idea how long it had actually taken them to get there. "Okay, Penny, do your thing. It might be a bust, but it's a good idea to get inside there and see what we can."
"All right. What would you do without me?" Penny's cockiness earned an eyeroll from Nemona, but everyone else stepped back as she approached the door to the rundown building. Eevee pawed some of the vines away, revealing a control panel. "Ugh, this thing is ancient."
"A lot of things here were built decades ago, and just retrofitted," Juliana reminded her. "Can you do it?"
"Who do you take me for, Juli?" Penny hooked her phone up, and after a few moments there was a loud beep, a click and the door hissed open to the very depths of the research station. "Of course, I got it."
"You know, Pen, I liked you better when you weren't so cocky," Nemona said, approaching the door. Out of sheer spite, Penny tried to trip her, but her attempt failed, sending them both tumbling into the station. Juliana just stepped over them.
It was just as quiet inside as on the outside.
"Yup, no one's been here in ages…" Juliana announced to the group that stepped over the threshold. Pikachu ran ahead, scouting the area out and sending sparks so as to sense anything. When he found nothing but old computers, he shrugged and returned to his trainer. It did call attention to them, though. "Let's see if the files are still intact."
"What? You really think they backed that far up?" was Penny's doubtful question.
"They backed up enough books," Serena said, pointing a way to a bookshelf. It appeared to contain mostly just bound journals, some new enough that their layer of dust was minimal, while others looked to be falling apart from sheer age. "Arven, help me check the books. Juli and Penny, let's see what files there are. Ash-"
"Yeah, the three of us will watch the door. Who knows where Volo's lurking."
Their mini groups split, and Juliana approached the rundown computer alongside Penny. A thick layer of dust sat upon it, but with the presses of a few buttons, the console lit up and all the screens along with it. Penny blanched at the sight, soon launching into some hacking coughs.
"This looks even more ancient than the outside," she said, but her fingers quickly got to work. It didn't take her very long. "Really ancient. It doesn't have nearly the kind of security most things do these days. I'm in."
"Look for something about Terastallization," Juliana said. She stood close to Penny, squinting at the screen as they scanned all the different files. Most looked to be uninteresting observation logs taken over long periods of time, some dating back decades and digitized. Then something caught her eye. "Wait, that one. Five years ago."
Penny opened the file, both girls perusing it. "There was something that happened. The crystal suddenly resonated and a…machine? Looks like a gate opened, but couldn't be closed."
"Five years ago?" Gloria questioned from the door. "The Darkest Day?"
"It lines up with it. That event was what made my parents come back to Paldea," Juliana said. They exited that file, scanning further and further until another date stood out boldly to her eyes. "This one. Expedition Thirteen."
"It's just logs, Juli."
"Click it." Penny listened. The whole entire research mission was laid out before them, a long document with many dates and observations. Yet the more she looked, the more a pit formed in her stomach. Her finger ran along the screen. "'It's coming. They can't stop it. When the gate opened, they sealed it with the machine, but now they've done more. It resonates with the disc, trapped inside the place between.'."
"Bloody hell does that mean?" Penny said, though her own face communicated her growing horror.
"'The crystal is growing, amplified. In a month, it will consume the lower levels, like a parasite, seeking energy. Its power transcends time and transcends space. Warping. Changing.'." Juliana took in a shaky breath, reading the last lines of the log that were available. "'The source of Terastallization is in there, but there is no time left. It will soon absorb all unless the anchor is severed, leaving a hole for the parasite to break free. But we don't-'… It ends there."
"Juli…" Arven called from the bookshelf, one of the newer tomes in his hands. "When was that last log?"
"I know, Arven," she managed to say. Sniffles made their way to her nostrils, but she sucked them back in. "That log was a month before the news came back that my parents had…"
"Not just your parents," Serena said. "A lot of researchers. All in one night."
"And what? It was covered up?" Nemona asked. "You think Des, or Volo, had something to do with that?"
"Maybe," Juliana theorized, "but I don't think so. I think whatever did it was acting independently, trying to react or protect. Maybe something happened like…like…" Her eyes trailed off to Koraidon, staring out the door.
"My parents, most likely." Arven snapped the book shut. "But if that crystal is like a parasite, they're down there with it, don't you think?"
"With the source of Terastallization," Penny concluded. Juliana shook her head.
"I think that was just a guess. Cause from those words, I'm starting to wonder if the source can be seen in this world at all. And if it is, I don't think its crystallization is intended."
"All this just sounds confusing to me," Ash called back. Pikachu nodded, his own head spinning from the amount of possible information contained there. "But at the same time, it sounds like something familiar. Not that I could wrap my head around it."
"It doesn't matter," Gloria said. She was tapping her foot, the impatience setting in. "We could talk about it all day, but it won't get us closer to the bottom. That's where we need to be."
"Right," Ash agreed. He reached up to scratch his head, their current leader looking more disturbed by the second. Serena watched her husband, able to tell something was on his mind. She was even about to say something when he finally opened his mouth. "Gloria, if this thing is what they said…are we sure Akari is alive?"
Heightened urgency suddenly visited them. Ash's question brought many more to the forefront, about Sada and Turo, and Volo. When it hit them, Arven was the first to move, joining Gloria on his way out the door. Ash didn't delay in following either, the sudden worry for their wayward crystal exploding.
Only Juliana hesitated, looking back at the computer screen that started to glitch.
Mom, dad, she couldn't help but start thinking, you couldn't find it, could you? But what happened to you after that? Are there…any answers down there? Or just death?
"Juli!" Nemona shouted, dragging her out of her spiraling headspace. Juliana shook her head, trying to banish the nagging thought aside, one that was starting to instill itself in her very core: that the source of Terastallization was something that couldn't, or shouldn't, be found. She turned away.
The sun hit her full force as she stepped back outside, still having not moved from its position. All the others were running down one of the paths, stopping at the edge of one of the arches that led to a waterfall driving deep into the depths. Juliana and Nemona were quick to join them.
"This place is a bloody maze," Gloria muttered. "I feel like we'd be better off jumping down than trying to search it all. Akari's crystal could have been sent anywhere."
Juliana twisted her lips and clicked her tongue, staring deep into the bowels of Area Zero. She observed everything she could, from the crystal tendrils to all the flora that populated where they stood. The longer she watched, the more she started to see moving shapes, like Pokémon that were sequestered in the deepest, darkest places of the Crater. One of them blended in with the grass, the clear sign of a Gogoat. Only, it was massive, and in its mouth was a familiar shining herb.
"The Herba Mystica…" Juliana breathed out. Her eyes followed the Gogoat, to one of the crystalline tendrils and a plant that sprouted out of it. They were all twisting and tying together, drawn to the very core of this low place. "Maybe Akari's crystal resonated and was drawn home. It'll be attached to another crystal!"
"Juliana, there's a boatload of bloody crystal here!" Gloria shouted. Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder and smacked her with his tail, shushing her. "How are we supposed to find-?"
"Follow them." It was Nemona who had suggested it, pointing down the path. All seven humans and Koraidon turned towards where she was pointing. They had to blink a moment, adjusting their eyes against the brightness, and then they saw it.
"Glimmora," Juliana and Arven gasped out. The blue, flowery Pokémon appeared to be swarming, some gathered near larger crystal deposits, while others were moving in a straight line, as if they sensed something bigger to feed upon.
"La Primera has a Glimmora, and has often said those of the line bear a resemblance to the crystals of Terastallization. Since they also feed on nutrients in mineral deposits, it could make sense that they'd go for crystal."
"Good catch, Nemona. Follow them!" Juliana all but shouted. Nemona took pride in that.
"Well, I may love to battle, but I'm still a good student."
"Yeah, come on already," Penny said with as much of a dismissive tone as she could muster. Juliana ignored their vitriolic banter, joining the dash towards the pack of Glimmora.
The closer they got, the harder it was for them to ignore the crystal petals of the Glimmora, making them easy to track. Though the Pokémon were moving fast, driven by an unknown hunger, it wasn't hard to keep up with them. They didn't get too close, though, the crystal petals pulsing when the group entered a certain radius of them. It did put them on alert, though, and Juliana held tight to a Poké Ball containing Quaquaval.
The further they descended, the thicker the air became with crystal dust, choking the very air and putting pressure on all of them. More than once, Juliana looked at the very perturbed Arven, wondering how anyone could survive in these conditions for long. The only answer she got were the other research waystations that dotted the Crater, but each looked just as encased in ivy and crystal as the rest, an occasional glow of an Herba Mystica spotted amongst them and growing out of cracks in the crater's surface.
Maybe it's not just parasitic, Juliana started to think as their group hit a shallow pool of water, passing by a larger-than-normal Vaporeon. It didn't react to their presence. The Herba Mystica confers strength. Same with Terastallization. If the crystal is drawing from that then maybe it also provides some type of healing. It could explain why Akari is alive, if she is, but then she's also been separate from the core…
Stop it, Juli. If there's anything to find, it'll be at the center.
"Look!" Serena called out. Juliana blinked, running into Ash as their entire group pulled to a halt. They had reached the edge of the pool, a shallow drop of running water that washed out into a much larger lake, set deep. Looking up, Juliana was surprised to see just how far they'd descended. But looking back down, Juliana finally saw what they were searching for.
Akari's crystal was right there, at the bottom of the shallow lake. Connected to it were the same crystal tendrils that were drawing it close to the wall, one that was itself made of crystal, reflecting everything and nothing at the same time. Even the surface of the lake, underneath the water, appeared to be made of crystal. It was a surer sign than any of how close they were to the very depths.
No one said a word, least of all Gloria, who called out Drednaw to create stepping stones for them to safely descend. They followed her lead, hopping down until they were all ankle to knee deep in the water and trudging through it. A ringing began to grow in Juliana's ears and sounds appeared to transfer with them. She looked at the walls and stopped short. There were images upon them, fleeting but real, looking far too uncomfortably like Geeta and Hassel.
"A curious sight, isn't it?" The ringing cut off and Juliana's heart skipped a beat, the thrill of fear overriding her senses. She snapped her head back down, along with the others. There, in the center of the lake, was Volo. He looked no worse for wear, the omnipresent smirk upon his face. "The crystal shows things. Things that are. Things that could have been. Impressive what a mere fragment of a god's power can do."
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash's shout was met with Pikachu crashing into the water. His small form was unfettered by the depth of the lake, still charging forward until he launched himself at Volo with a shining tail.
"Chuuu pika!" His Iron Tail swiped and completely passed through Volo. The electric mouse skidded through the water on the other side. "Pika?!"
"Oh, I'm not here. I'm not nearly so brave as you to face everyone at once," Volo said, leaning forward. Juliana watched him, realizing he wasn't addressing anyone in particular. "I told you, the crystal shows many things. And besides, I don't need all of you. Or rather, we don't."
"We?" Arven asked, wrath flashing across his face. Volo didn't respond. He only snapped his fingers.
Red lines pulsed up the crystal. They were familiar, though it took Juliana a moment to place them. It became immediately obvious at the voice that rang out.
"PARADISE PROTECTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED."
"What's that?!" Ash asked. He didn't receive an answer. Or not a verbal one, at least.
Instead, the ground began to rumble. Along the wall, the crystal began to grow crazy, sprouting blooms of crystal flowers and jagged spires that served as thorns. Juliana backed into Arven and Penny while Nemona faced front, her Pawmot out and sparking. Beneath their feet, the very surface of the lake started to shimmer and crack, tiny stalagmites forming.
"The hell did you do?!" Gloria shouted in Volo's direction. His body was distorted, the crystal no longer reflecting his presence very well. She ran forward, angled slightly in the direction of Akari's crystal. Ash did the same, though he was aiming straight for Volo. The blond-haired man turned his head.
"Everything in this world now considers you a threat. And her, too. You'll all become part of it. So, stay put. I only need one of you."
"VOLO!" Ash screamed, haphazardly throwing a fist at the man that wasn't there. Volo paid Ash no heed, but did look up to the crystal containing Akari. His expression changed, just for a moment, and he sighed. Before he spoke, his figure glimmered and faded.
The reason was obvious, the lake's surface cracking in two. More crystals emerged, creating a wall. Ash and Gloria whipped around, realizing the two of them were now separated from everyone else. Juliana looked down, realizing with horror that tons of tiny cracks had appeared beneath their feet. She could already feel the ground giving way.
"Cinderace, break it down!"
"You, too, Pikachu!"
"No, stay put!" Serena screamed. It put a halt to Ash's steps, his hand frozen in place as it reached out for his wife. Her eyes were stern, however, and her hands warm as she grabbed to all the students. "You focus on Akari. Keep things busy here so the outside doesn't have to be. Protect them."
"Serena!"
"You're barny."
"We'll get to Volo. Join up." She reached her hand across the invisible divide, clasping tight. Then the crystal gave a final shudder, and the ground disappeared beneath all their feet, crumbling away into the depths.
They screamed and they fell. Koraidon jumped after them. From within the chasms that emerged, shapes flew out and crawled up, a veritable army of prehistoric and future Pokémon spied emerging from the depths, each aiming for the threat they had identified: Ash, Gloria and the very top of the Crater.
That was the last Juliana saw of them. Gravity took over their bodies, pulling them under, and all those on the other side of Akari's crystal vanished into the deep depths of Area Zero where nothing but the unknown awaited.
Author's Note: In a way, this is an odd chapter. Plenty of stuff happened, but quite a bit of it was setting the tone of the Crater. That was some of the stuff I enjoyed the most: the overall eeriness of this place. There was also a revisiting of a couple concepts from the series. Have you spotted what they are yet?
Of course, we end with slightly more dire straits, most of the powerhouses separated from the group as they plummet to the depths. What awaits them there? Well, if you want to know, just wait for next chapter! Of course, in the meantime, please review and comment and, as usual, Dare to Be Silly.