Ultimate power is the truth of this world, the only force that matters. Never again will I falter, be looked down upon, be beaten. If thousands must die to achieve my dream, so be it. I will transcend humanity itself.

Gladio flew through the air, following the signs of destruction around him as he headed to where he'd felt the Ultra Wormhole appear.

Passing over a collapsed parking garage, he spotted Celica on the ground, her bright purple wings standing amidst the rubble. Descending slowly, he allowed his appendages to disappear as he landed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, running over to check on her.

Celica whipped around, nearly attacking before realizing who it was. "Oh, y-yeah. I'll be fine, it's over now."

"What happened to him?" asked Gladio, examining her wounds. "Actually, that doesn't matter, you're greatly injured."

Celica waved him away. "I've survived worse. See, the injury has already stopped bleeding."

Gladio hesitated, but then noticed she was right. Despite how big the gashes on her side and leg were, little blood was spilling out. Gladio had seen injuries like this before, and they normally didn't close up that fast.

"To answer your question," said Celica, pulling him from his thoughts. "I dropped him into an Ultra Wormhole."

Gladio raised an eyebrow in surprise. "By choice?"

"Yeah," said Celica, nervously tugging at one of her wings. "Finally figured out how to open one. It's tiring though."

"Do you know where you sent him?"

She shrugged. "Some alternate dimension, maybe. I couldn't control where it led if that's what you're wondering. Since… y'know."

Gladio smiled. "My falling into this world wasn't your fault. The research team I was a part of was trying to create an artificial Ultra Wormhole. And we were successful, but not without ramifications."

Celica scoffed. "Well, that seems dumb. What good would creating an Ultra Wormhole do? Especially without a way to travel back."

"For the sake of science of course! Some things just need to be done because they further our knowledge." he paused for a moment, a sheepish look on his face. "Of course, no one was actually supposed to go in just yet."

"Happens to the best of us," she said, slowly getting to her feet as Gladio helped her up. She studied his face, sighing as she looked away. "I understand you have some questions."

"Only if you're willing to answer them."

Celica didn't look at him. "Might as well. I have no right to hide anything from you, not after what happened."

Gladio nodded. "Who are the Grafted?"

Celica was silent for a moment. "You could call them… a special kind of Chosen, but much stronger physically and ability-wise. While the Chosen are gifted power by the Legendary Pokémon, the Grafted have their powers forced into their bodies. It changes them."

"It's done through sorcery, correct?"

"...Yes, by The Consumer himself."

"Which would most likely mean that he is a Grafted."

Celica nodded, quiet.

Gladio frowned. "How can people acquire sorcery like that?"

"From what I can guess, it's developed sorcery, through a forbidden technique."

"Is there such a thing as undeveloped sorcery?"

Celica gave him a look. "Depends on what you mean by 'undeveloped'. There are three kinds of sorcery. There's developed sorcery, which are techniques that can be created. Personal sorcery, which is gained upon birth and or passed down. And there's basic sorcery, simple and long-standing techniques that can be done through any basic amount of sorcery."

"So, anyone can do basic sorcery?"

"No. For starters, people without any magical energy within them can't. This is rare, however, but applies to you since you're not from this world. Also, people can have magical energy within them, but for whatever reason just don't have the aptitude for sorcery, which is the most common scenario. Unfortunately, aptitude isn't heredity based. So, despite the fact I'm the daughter of two sorcerers… both deceased…"

"You can't do sorcery very well," finished Gladio.

"Yeah. Azazel's Wrath is also a developed and forbidden technique. It was first used by a sorcerer who called himself Azazel during the time of the original Chosen. Since then, the technique has been copied down through many generations. Andras learned it from a sorcerer known as The Voidcaller. It's deadly magic, and it can hurt the user as much as it can hurt their victims. If I didn't finish him off, the magic will."

Gladio nodded, processing this information. More questions burned through his head, but he'd have to wait, much to his disappointment. Despite what she said, Celica was clearly injured, not to mention the armored woman from earlier.

"Come on," said Gladio, holding out an arm. "We should get to safety."

Celica looked at his arm, pausing for a moment. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen, why?"

"I'm still a minor," responded Celica, getting to her feet on her own. "I'm not going to be clinging to your arm."

Gladio gave her a questioning look. "That's not what-"

He paused as he saw her smug expression, rolling his eyes and chuckling. "All right, fine. Don't complain later then."

"As if, I couldn't have felt better! Anyways, where did we leave the car?"

"It's probably toast by now. From my estimation, multiple city blocks were destroyed in our fight. Especially after that woman appeared."

"Which woman?"

Gladio paused. "I forgot to tell you. But there was a woman that came in after you'd fallen unconscious. She had some powerful pyromancy and could even alter the weather to some degree."

Celica frowned, pulling at her wings again. "Affecting natural forces is rare, but not unheard of. But in conjunction with a separate form of magic. She's probably the daughter of two sorcerers herself."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Gladio after another minute of walking. "Your parents."

Celica looked away. "Not really. I mean…"

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, I was just wondering."

"Thank you."

"If you don't mind me saying, you should probably put your wings away. Even though walking away from a massive battleground on our own is suspicious, having the wings out will cause a lot more issues."

"That's the problem," said Celica, her voice slightly panicked. "They won't disappear."

"Have you had problems like that before?" asked Gladio.

"No, not since I first received my powers! This isn't normal, and I don't like what it means. Remember how I said being a Grafted changes you? Well, I broke free of the ritual, so it was never completed. But now… what if it's catching up to me because I've been using my powers too much?"

"That's why you were hesitant to use them before."

Celica nodded. "I didn't tell you guys before because I was worried you'd leave me behind. But I couldn't stand by afterward, not when Andras was involved."

"Don't worry," said Gladio, trying to calm her down. "We'll try and figure out something."

"There's nothing to be done but accept my fate," said Celica. "I'm going to turn out like The Consumer, a monster."

Gladio shook his head. "Just because your power comes from the same source doesn't make you two the same."

Celica laughed bitterly. "Easy for you to say. You're one of the Chosen, someone who deserves their power. Me? I'm the complete opposite of that."

Gladio was about to say something, but paused, seeing a man running down the street with a sense of urgency.

From what he could tell, the man didn't seem anything out of the ordinary. He wore a simple yellow shirt and black sweatpants, as well as a white headband contrasting against his black hair. However, the man was running at speeds faster than a normal human would be able to move.

"What do we do?" hissed Celica, her arms up.

"He might not be an enemy. Let's talk to him first."

The man spotted them and slowed to a jog, his dark eyes examining both of them.

"Greetings," said Gladio as the man reached them. "Who might you be?"

The man was silent for a moment, carefully looking at Celica and her bat wings. "My name is Kai Yang, Urshifu's Chosen. And…" he paused, facing Celica. "I'm assuming you're Celica, Lunala's Chosen."

Celica froze. "How do you know my name?"

"I was given a description of you. The hair color and the wings tell me what I need to know. Tell me, do you know who Luke is?"

Celica shook her head.

"From the orphanage. Pine Orphanage to be exact, where an Ultra Wormhole event took place."

Celica paused for a moment, realization dawning on her. "The annoying kid who was watching me."

"I'll assume we're talking about the same person," said Kai before turning to Gladio. "You're a Chosen as well, right?"

"Yes, I'm her protector."

"Good. Though I am curious to still find you here," he said, indicating Celica. "I was told most Ultra Wormhole incidents you trigger cause you to wind up elsewhere."

"There was a compli-" Celica paused, doubt crossing her face. "Why should we trust you? All I know is that you could've gotten this information from the Gloom Organization. The Ideal One was there with the kid, he could've easily gotten his name."

"Do the names Ava, Aiden, and Orion sound familiar to you?"

Celica's eyes lit up at the name, but she tried not to show it. "That's not enough."

"Who are they?" asked Gladio.

"My other protectors, but that's not important right now. I'm waiting for a response, Kai."

If Kai was annoyed at all, he didn't show it. "Ava and Aiden are currently inside a secret base in an urban district within Lilac Town, along with some other Chosen and a few normal people. After Luke explained what he saw at Pine Orphanage, they talked about how you were Lunala's Chosen and were currently being hunted by The Consumer so that The Consumer can absorb your light and take on a special form-"

"That still doesn't tell me why I should trust you."

"There's no reason for you to trust me, that is for you to decide. I will tell you two things: Go to Lilac Town and find a safe place to sleep."

Gladio frowned, confused. "Why would that help?"

"Celica will know the reason," said Kai. "One more thing, have either of you seen a tall woman in bright red armor who wields a giant sword?"

"Yes," said Gladio. "She assisted us earlier."

"Alright. If you encounter her again, be careful which information you share with her. While I don't doubt her character, she does work for Aurora, and I wouldn't blame her if she shared any information. The less non-Chosen who know about all this, the better."

"Why? Wouldn't making everything public clear the name of the Chosen?"

"If people believed everything, it would cause them to doubt the Gloom Organization. However, if they did come to the conclusion that the Gloom Organization is indeed evil, what would that mean for the Chosen that made its foundation?"

"Yet another reason to hate the Chosen," said Celica.

"And should they dismiss everything as lies," continued Kai. "They would believe what the Gloom Organization has been telling them, that these lies are to legitimize our actions."

"So, trying to expose the Gloom Organization either makes things worse or gets us nowhere," concluded Gladio.

Kai nodded. "I must leave now. From what I could tell, Gawain was caught up in some sort of battle. Remember what I told you."

"Wait," said Celica as Kai started to leave. "Who exactly do you work for?"

Kai paused, thoughtful. "First and foremost, I'm acting on Urshifu's orders. Otherwise, my loyalties lie with the Chosen trying to save this world."

Gladio smiled. "Rest assured. We are among-"

Suddenly, black energy surrounded Kai's arm as he shoved Gladio backward into Celica, sending the both of them flying backward. Before they had a chance to process what was going on, an explosion of light enveloped the area as the ground beneath them exploded.

"Sharp instincts," said a deep, husky voice from where they had previously stood.

As the dust cleared, a man stood on one knee, slowly rising to his feet.

Black, prism-like armor covered the man's entire body, a narrow helmet forming a sharp point over his face. Black spikes lined his body and across his arms, his hands two sharp claws.

Kai lowered his arms, the clothing burned away from where he'd blocked the attack. Everyone had their attention transfixed on the man who'd appeared, no one moving.

"No…" said Celica, stepping back. "How'd-"

"Your awakening begins. There is nothing you can do to stop the Grafting anymore, girl. Accept your fate, become one with me, and discover the ultimate truth of this world and the infinite others. One of power."

"You will do no such thing," said Gladio. "This world will be free from you and the tyranny you stand for."

The Consumer didn't seem to register Gladio. Facing Celica, he calmly began to walk towards her, his hand outstretched.

Kai dashed forward, his hands surrounded by a watery aura. He'd scarcely taken two steps when The Consumer appeared behind him, whipping an arm out and striking Kai in the back.

Kai hit the ground and rolled to his feet. The Consumer flew forward, light surrounding his arm as he pulled it back.

Gladio jumped forward, summoning his appendages and gathering multiple spheres of psychic energy. Without looking at him, The Consumer launched a beam of light, hitting Gladio directly.

While The Consumer was distracted, Kai closed the distance between them and unleashed multiple rapid strikes. The Consumer merely looked at him, stepping back and catching Kai's fist as the man threw a Wicked Blow, ignoring the black energy exploding off his fist as they made contact.

Kai brought his knee into The Consumer's arm, but it had no effect. The Consumer flipped Kai over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground, turning towards a petrified Celica.

"Foolish Chosen. Not every battle is one you can win."

"That doesn't mean we don't try," said Gladio, standing up.

The Consumer turned his head towards him. "Who do you think you are? You are not gods among men, champions among Pokémon. You're merely the shadows of a higher power, shadows that cannot hold a candle to their origins. I have seen sorcerers with abilities that rival the Chosen of nowadays. How far they have fallen."

"And what does that make you?" coughed Kai, rising from his fallen position.

"You don't understand, do you? I may not be a god just yet, but I'm far greater than the likes of you or the rest of your kind. But I will change that, I have transcended humanity already and haven't scratched the surface of my potential. Step aside, Chosen. You've met a power far greater than you."

"Then why do you want us to step aside?" asked Kai, glancing over to Celica. "If you're as powerful as you claim, why not end us here?"

"You are not worth it. Don't have illusions of grandeur."

The Consumer turned back to Celica. "You should've run when you had the chance."

Celica flared her wings, firing a mass of shadows at The Consumer. With a simple movement, he knocked the attack away, causing it to explode as it hit a building.

Celica tried flying into the air, but The Consumer appeared directly in front of her, light trailing off his body as he caught her in a chokehold.

"Let's not do that again."

Gladio dove from the air, reaching The Consumer at the same time Kai did. The Consumer jumped backward, black light gathering in one of his claws.

"Get away!" shouted Kai.

Both men leaped to the side before The Consumer fired his attack. In an instant, a beam of light struck where they'd been previously standing, missing them by a small margin.

Kai grabbed the hood of a destroyed car, flinging it at The Consumer. As the debris went flying, Gladio burst out of a building, aiming straight for The Consumer.

The Consumer, smashed through the hood, more light gathering around his claw. Before Gladio could reach him, he sent a burst of light forward, blasting him backward.

Kai jumped for him, his arms glowing black. The Consumer threw Celica to the ground and blocked Kai's attack, his arms moving at impossible speeds as he proceeded to block Kai's Rapid Strikes.

The Consumer redirected Kai's fist and slammed him into the ground. Gladio gathered multiple psychic spheres and fired them at The Consumer, the energy exploding as they made contact.

Kai leaped to his feet, driving his fist into The Consumer's chest, black energy exploding on impact. The Consumer didn't flinch, bright light emanating from his body and knocking him to the ground.

"I must say, you're strong. But you're fighting a battle you have no hope of winning."

"No one needs your compliments!" shouted Celica, energy gathering in her wings. "Go die in a hole you freak of nature!"

The Consumer glowed briefly before appearing a few meters away, completely bypassing the giant laser she fired. His claw glowed as light gathered around it, multiple cones forming around him.

"You can't resist me Celica, not without accepting your full potential."

The cones of light exploded forward, forcing Celica to surround herself in shadows as the cones struck her. As she tried to retaliate, The Consumer released a burst of light, blinding everyone around him.

As the light faded, The Consumer stood over Celica, his hands glowing with gold energy. Celica blindly kicked at him, but it was no use.

"Awaken your true power. Vesse-"

The Consumer flipped around, his arms raised as he heard a noise behind him. However, he was too late as a wave of ice crashed into him, pushing him back several meters and forcing him to the ground.

Cyan slid down a nearby building, rapidly generating ice around her feet and using it to grasp the side of the building. Hitting the ground, she began rapidly generating a storm of ice that rushed across the ground, completely encasing The Consumer in multiple layers of ice.

"A-Are a-all of-f you okay?" asked Cyan, nearly falling over.

"We are, thanks to you," said Kai, staggering to his feet. "Where have you been?"

"R-Rescuing t-the soldiers," chattered Cyan, shivering. "I c-came as f-fast as I-I c-could. N-not the m-most efficient u-use of m-my powers. I-Is that t-the girl L-Luke was t-talking a-about?"

Kai nodded, helping Gladio to his feet. "We need to grab her and get out of here. The Consumer won't stay under there for very long. There's something different about him. A Chosen shouldn't be this strong."

"He's not a Chosen," said Celica. "I'll explain on the way."

Kai nodded, taking Cyan by the arm. The two of them followed Celica and Gladio, who took off into the air.

"The Consumer is one of the Grafted," said Celica. "They're basically anti-Chosen who are forcibly granted their powers through a sorcery ritual, one that The Consumer does himself."

"That confirms Orion's suspicions," said Kai. "Why the Gloom Organization is hunting down Legendaries. It's safe to assume that The Consumer is bolstering his strength through sorcery as well."

"I doubt it. Being a Grafted didn't come without drawbacks, especially since he wasn't attuned to his powers before using them. He's slowly deteriorating, and fighting full force only serves to speed that up."

"Meaning he's likely holding back," added Gladio. "Is that one of the reasons he needs to absorb your power?"

Celica nodded. "And that's why he hasn't been very active. From what I learned, he has this sorcery-infused throne he uses to try and keep his condition stable."

Gladio thought silently, an idea occurring to him. "If we were to fight him here and now, couldn't we cause him to overuse his powers?"

"Even with his condition, he's still powerful. It's not worth the risk unless you're willing to be a sacrificial lamb."

"I-I's it m-me," stuttered Cyan. O-Or is the c-city behind us g-getting darker?""

Celica glanced back, her eyes widening. "Oh shit. Get the fu-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as a massive beam of light ripped through the city, consuming everything it touched in a golden glow. Celica flipped around, forming a shadow shield as the light approached.

Despite her best efforts, the attack tore through the shield. The light flashed and exploded, blasting building debris into fine dust.

As the light faded, Celica and Gladio lay on the ground, severely burned and injured. Cyan and Kai had escaped some of the attack due to Cyan forming an ice shield that hadn't reached Gladio in time.

The Consumer slowly approached them through the path of destruction while absorbing light across his black armor.

"So, you've made a decision, Chosen. Prepare yourselves."

Heyden sat in a small military briefing room, his legs propped up on the large table screen, leaning back in his chair. Also in the room were Luke, Ali, and Cynthia.

After coming back from the mission, they'd been told to wait here until further instruction. Apparently, many soldiers were still missing, and it had been left to some other high-ranking soldiers to assist with the rescue. The official reason for why they'd been told to stay back was because they'd needed to rest from the Steelix fight. But Heyden had a hunch it had something to do with Melusine and the Zacian girl flipping out/ After all, Melusine wasn't stuck in a room with them.

Speaking of the Zacian Girl. Cynthia still didn't like him, for reasons he found extremely stupid. He could already tell she was going to be a pain in the ass to work with, even if her animosity towards him wasn't born of some deep pain.

Heyden shook his head. Being Eternatus' Chosen was rough, for more reasons than one. He should've said no. But then again, could he really refuse a mythical deity?

"They still haven't come back, huh?" said Luke, speaking to no one in particular.

Cynthia looked at him. "Don't worry Luke. Master Kai, Cyan, and Lady Gawain can handle themselves easily! I'm sure they're out there, bringing justice upon evil doers as we speak!"

Heyden looked at her. "Do you ever get bored of speaking like that? Like, honestly."

"It's none of your business. Though I suppose Eternatus' Chosen wouldn't know anything of heroic speech."

Heyden rolled his eyes. "Dang, I forgot Eternatus' Chosen was all I was. Arceus forbid someone gave me an actual name. Oh wait, I do have a name. It's Heyden."

"I knew that!" shouted Luke. "I'm Luke if you didn't know."

"Maybe I'd acknowledge your name if you beat me in a duel."

Heyden sighed. "Forget I said anything. A fairy tale duel is the last thing I need right now. By the way, who'd Kai and Cyan."

"As if-"

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Not even-"

"Luke, my good friend!" said Heyden, spinning his chair around. "Why don't you tell me?"

Luke's eyes brightened. "Of course! Basically, Kai and Cyan are other Chosen. Urshifu's and Articuno's Chosen to be exact."

Cynthia glared at him. "Don't give information to the enemy!

Ali quietly coughed from her seat. "Excuse me, Cynthia. I believe you're making a mistake. We shouldn't be enemies, not when we share a common goal of defeating the Gloom Organization."

Cynthia put a hand to her chest, solemnly shaking her head. "I wish I could agree with you, but it is because of destiny that I must be an enemy to any Chosen of Eternatus. Otherwise, I'd bear no ill will towards him."

Heyden sighed. "You're reading way-"

Suddenly, the door sprang open, and a flustered-looking soldier ran into the room.

"Good, you're all still here!

"I mean, we were told to stay here,"" said Heyden. "So, this shouldn't be much of a surprise."

"Of course, my deepest apologies! But that's beside the point. There's been a… development. Lady Gawain is requesting your assistance immediately. She says-"

"What's happening?" asked Luke, shooting to his feet. "Is she okay? Did a new wave of Pokémon appear? Mega Evolution, perhaps?"

The soldier gave him an irritated glance. "She said something about a Consumer."

Everyone in the room froze.

"Are you completely sure?" asked Ali.

"It was strange enough that I'm certain she said a Consumer."

"I'd bet a hundred dollars she wasn't talking about a market Consumer," said Heyden, standing to his feet. "One request, good sir. Could you write 'Here lies Heyden: Valiant Warrior. Maker of a Thousand Jokes. Too bad no one laughed."

The man gave him an uneasy smile. "Hopefully, that won't be necessary. I'm guessing this Consumer is a major threat."

"He's the root of most- if not all evil in this world," said Cynthia grimly.

The man looked around him before lowering his voice as if he was afraid to be overheard.

"I know most people around here don't think very highly of you guys. But I just want you to know, you have my full support and trust. If you need anything: weapons, armor, vehicles, even drivers. I'll make sure you get it. I'll be in the main control room."

"Thank you, said Ali. "It's good to know not everyone is against us."

"Quick question," said Heyden. "Does Melusine know about this?"

"Yes, I'd imagine she's already on her way."

"Then we can't waste time!" said Luke, running in place. "Gawain and the others could be in trouble. I'll meet you guys there!"

Before anyone could object, Luke raced out of the room, trails of electricity flying off of him. The soldier, on the other hand, gave them a salute before walking out of the room, leaving the three Chosen by themselves.

"Luke's right," said Cynthia. "We can't waste any time. We must stop The Consumer and his dastardly plans!"

Heyden looked at her. "Are you insane? Number one: We can't just rush in there without a plan. This is The Consumer we're talking about, the leader of the Gloom Organization. No doubt he's stronger than your average Chosen. You weren't there, but me, Ali, and the annoying princess nearly got our ass handed to us by that crazy priest guy."

"So what? You're just going to sit there and cower."

"No. But I'm saying we need to have some semblance of a plan first!"

Cynthia scoffed. "I already have a plan. Miss Ali, your ability allows you to create warp gates, correct?"

"Yes, but I have to be at the location first."

"Have you ever been to Lilac Town?"

"Close to it, why?"

Cynthia smiled, her sword appearing in her hand. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I happen to know the location of a lot more Chosen."

Gawain stood in front of The Consumer, her sword held in a defensive position. Neither of them moved, carefully sizing up the opponent. Behind Gawain was Cyan, who was the least injured in the group.

"What business do you have with the girl?" asked The Consumer, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Last I remembered, the existence of her was all but a mystery to the non-Chosen."

"My duty is to protect those who are in need of protection and to stand up against those who do evil."

"Is it evil to seek power?"

"It is if it's at the cost of others. Even if she may be the cause behind the Ultra Wormholes, I cannot sit idly by when others may try and take advantage of her."

The Consumer thought for a moment, smiling. "You have a real purpose. Tell me, warrior. You have a belief, a purpose you wish to carry out. Do you have the mettle to carry it out? Anyone can have ideals, but not everyone can fulfill them."

Gawain raised her massive sword with one hand, pointing it at The Consumer. "We'll see."

The Consumer flew forward, speeding up as light trailed off of him. As he approached, he raised a claw and fired multiple light beams at Gawain and Cyan.

Gawain grabbed Cyan and rolled to the side, raising her sword and blocking a slash from The Consumer. Getting to her feet, she summoned a massive burst of fire and shot it at him.

As the flames surged towards The Consumer, they suddenly began to weaken and grow dark, the light emanating off of them fading.

"How unfortunate," said The Consumer, walking through the flames. "Anything that gives off light can be absorbed by my abilities. You can't do much against-"

Ice began forming around his legs, locking him in place. Gawain gripped her sword with both hands as she lunged for him, boosters from the back of her armor increasing her speed.

A powerful cracking sound filled the air as Galatine smashed into The Consumer's armor as he raised his arms, glowing cracks appearing. Breaking out of the ice, he summoned light from across his body, shooting Gawain back.

Gawain hit the ground, getting to her feet. With a surge of energy, she began producing massive waves of flames.

"A futile effort," said The Consumer, levitating into the air.

However, attacking The Consumer directly was not Gawain's plan. Cyan sprinted forward and pressed her hands into the ground, ice rapidly growing from her hands.

Even with the intense heat Gawain was creating, Cyan's ice would still take time to melt. In fact, the heat served to counter her main weakness.

The Consumer dodged the ice, seemingly disappearing in a flash of light before reappearing behind Cyan. Reacting faster than she normally did, Cyan summoned ice around her, trapping The Consumer.

Her reaction time came as a surprise to The Consumer, causing him to hesitate and allow Cyan to blast him with an Ice Beam.

The Consumer broke out of the ice and flew into the air, dodging multiple shards of ice as Cyan threw them. Raising an arm, he summoned multiple tens of hundreds of spears of light, his body glowing.

"This has gone on far too long."

Thrusting his hand forward, he sent the storm of spears flying towards them, light erupting as they struck.

Flying away from the explosion was Cyan, frosty wings appearing from her back. Where the spears had struck, was a now shattered wall of magma.

The earth beneath The Consumer began to rumble. Before he could escape, the ground erupted, fiery magma spewing upwards.

The Consumer cursed and dove to the ground, sending spheres of light flying to counteract the raining magma. Whipping around, he smashed through a storm of ice sent towards him, taking off for Cyan.

He didn't get very far when electricity surrounded him, trapping him on the ground. All around him, multiple bolts of electricity began striking him from all sides, moving too fast for him to absorb the light in time.

The Consumer gathered all the light stored within him and expelled it, creating a massive explosion that decimated everything around him.

Cyan was knocked to the ground, her wings shattering. As The Consumer recovered, he spotted Luke on the ground, recognizing him to be the source of the electricity. That didn't explain the magma however, such a power couldn't belong to the knight.

That didn't matter, however. He needed to reabsorb more light and find Celica. The Chosen were mere annoyances at best. Then again, if too many attacked him at once, that would become an issue.

The Consumer levitated into the air, flying towards Gawain. She'd have to be taken out first while he still had a chance.

There was a flash of electricity to his right as Luke appeared in front of him, sending a burst of electricity flying towards him. The Consumer raised his arm and blocked the attack, stealing its light. Before he could strike, Luke dashed behind him, kicking The Consumer from behind.

The Consumer flipped around but was too slow. Luke began attacking him from all sides, striking him over and over.

The Consumer growled, raising his arms as he focused on defending himself. He could easily deal with this threat, he simply needed enough light.

He became aware of a movement from above, but Luke's constant attacks made it difficult to anticipate it.

Something hard slammed into The Consumer, sending him flying into a building several meters away. He got to his feet and leaped to the side as his attacker fired a beam of purple energy, decimating the building.

"How curious," said The Consumer, looking at his attacker. "Who are you? From what I recall, Celica and I are the only Grafted."

Standing before him was Melusine. However, she looked completely different from normal. Purple, scale-like armor covered her entire body, red lines coursing through them. Black metallic wings grew from her back, a massive spear attached to her arm.

Her usual spear was different as well. Unlike the usual metallic, technologically enhanced weapon. It seemed to be made out of an unearthly material, with purple glowing tendrils wrapped around it. The entire weapon exuded a powerful amount of energy.

"I am the true and rightful wielder of Eternatus' power, the one who will put an end to you."

"Don't forget me!" shouted Luke, appearing next to her. "This guy needs to pay for what he's done! Love the armor by the way."

The Consumer laughed, his eyes glowing a ghostly blue. "I was wrong about the Chosen, it seems. Maybe they haven't degraded over their centuries of existence. I've been looking for a reason to use my sorcery. Congratulations, Chosen. You've earned my respect."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Gee, th-"

Melusine began to glow, Dynamax Energy gathering around her. "I don't need praise from you."

She exploded forward, her spear aiming straight for The Consumer.

The Consumer summoned a barrier in front of him and flew upwards, delaying Melusine as she smashed through it.

"Ancient weapons of Ozias. Heed my call."

Ethereal blue energy filled the air, forming around The Consumer as he began to glow.

"Neptune."

A bluish, glowing longsword with a hilt resembling ocean waves appeared in The Consumer's hands as Melusine flew towards him, a sonic boom erupting beneath her. She thrust her lance at him, the blade clashing against Neptune.

The Consumer slashed at her multiple times, each one of his strikes blocked by Melusine. Raising an arm, he summoned multiple bolts of light to strike her, each one of them missing as she flew back.

The Consumer began to absorb more light, as he fought against Melusine's rapid strikes, carrying each one. Melusine ascended into the sky, dark spheres of Dynamax Energy forming around her.

Pointing her spear at The Consumer, she sent the storm of Dynamax Energy spiraling towards him, the sky darkening from the sheer size of the attack. Raising Neptune, The Consumer created a long stream of water, flying forward and cutting through the projectiles, closing the distance between them.

"Wrong move," said Melusine, her spear glowing.

With a surge of energy, she created a massive Eternabeam from the tip of her spear, the flux of energy tearing through the air and absorbing the surrounding energy to devastate everything below it.

Melusine looked around, The Consumer was nowhere to be found. "So much for-"

Sensing something behind her, she swung her spear around. Her attack cut through thin air, The Consumer having dodged the attack.

Melusine's eyes widened as she saw The Consumer, completely cloaked in light and moving much faster than before. Before she could fight back, The Consumer grabbed her and dove to the ground, slamming her several meters through the ground.

He saw Luke charging forward and dodged his attack, grabbing the boy from behind and throwing him towards a building. While Luke was mid-flight, he caught up to him and grabbed him, slamming him through the building.

"First time… someone's been faster… than me," coughed Luke. "But you've… made a mistake."

Before The Consumer could let go of him, Luke discharged hundreds of volts of electricity from his body, forcing The Consumer to drop him and allowing him to escape.

The Consumer let Luke get away, the light-infused within his body beginning to fade away. Suddenly, a fast-moving projectile nearly skewered him had he not dodged it in time.

Snapping to attention, The Consumer raised his arms as Melusine slammed into him, smashing both of them through a building. Her spear flew back into her hands as she thrust it towards her opponent.

The Consumer tilted, letting the spear glance off the side of his armor. More ethereal energy surrounded his other arm, a new weapon forming.

"Zephyr."

A long, green spear with wind gales wrapped around the shaft, and a lightning bolt running down the middle appeared in his hand. He flipped around and used both hands to parry a strike, sending forth a powerful gust of wind.

Melusine stepped back, looking at Zephyr with distaste. "No one beats me when it comes to spears."

"Really? Unfortunately for you, I've had my sorcery since birth. Your powers cannot beat decades of experience."

"Decades? Pathetic."

Melusine dashed forward, the ground surrounding her exploding from the force of her takeoff. The Consumer took off at similar speeds, the fading amount of light no longer granting him his previous amount of speed.

The two of them met in mid-air, energy exploding off of them as their weapons collided.

They flew around each other, dashing in and out for quick strikes that the other blocked. Melusine parried a strike before switching hands, flipping her spear in time to absorb a lightning strike aimed at her.

The Consumer dove for her, thrusting his spear forward. Moving swiftly, Melusine deflected his attack downwards and knocked Zephyr from his hands before striking him with a blast of Dynamax Energy from her leg.

The Consumer hit the ground, dodging to the side as Melusine dove after him. Melusine floated back into the air and flew straight at him, her spear poised to strike.

The Consumer placed a leg back, readying himself. The moment Melusine was about to hit him, he sidestepped her attack, grabbing her arm and using her own momentum to send her smashing through multiple buildings, each one of them collapsing.

The Consumer paused, struggling to move as the ethereal energy surrounding him faded. His injuries were catching up to him, he couldn't fight like this much longer. Using his sorcery was taxing. But as it stood, his Grafted abilities were less developed than it.

However, it felt good to be fighting again without holding anything back. How many Chosen had he taken out? Five, plus Celica and the knight. Though Andras had already done quite a number on them and Deoxys' champion.

He cursed, remembering Celica. He'd forgotten about her amidst all the turmoil. He closed his eyes, trying to sense her power.

Good, she hadn't moved from where he'd left her. How could she? His last attack had been devastating.

He flew into the air, at his normal pace. How far had he gotten from the original battle? The power the girl displayed was very interesting, something he would love to learn more about. Who was she? Such a transformative ability should've only been possible for the Original Chosen.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he spotted something new on the battlefield. Kneeling next to the knight he fought, was a girl in blue and gold armor. Was it another one of Aurora's Fairy Knights? It didn't matter, the fact she was here meant she was another threat. He could handle another opponent.

The girl turned around as he landed, anger etched on her face.

"You did this, didn't you?" she asked, standing up. "Don't worry, Lady Gawain. You just rest, I'll take things from here. We'll defeat him. Not just for you, but for Cyan and Kai as well!"

Raising her arm, the girl summoned a glowing blue sword, pointing it at The Consumer with a look of defiance.

"I am Cynthia of the Intrepid Sword, descendent of the Galarian Nobles and heir to Zacian's power. Foul Consumer, your cruel reign upon this world shall end by my blade! Prepare yourself!"

The Consumer gave her a curious glance. "Is that so? Look around you girl, surely, you've seen your fallen comrades. If they couldn't defeat me, what chance do you stand alone?"

"Who said I was alone?"

Multiple warp gates appeared around The Consumer. Out of them stepped Heyden, Ali, Galena, Lewis, Aaron, and Orion.

The Consumer looked at the newcomers, his eyes landing on Orion as a grin appeared on his face.

"Well, well, it looks like you have me surrounded, with an army of fledgling Chosen. What do you think, Orion? How will this round between us end this time?"

Orion didn't respond at first, quietly glaring at The Consumer.

"It won't end like last time, Leander. I promise you that."