Nicholas burst from the escape hatch and cast about wildly, but Ghetsis was nowhere to be seen. "Shit!" he cursed as Fiona pulled herself out after him. The size of the passage had meant it was just her standing with him now. The others were in their pokeballs.

Nicholas turned to look at the airship above them and grimaced. Things were too quiet out here. "ROOOOD! YOU ALIVE UP THERE?"

He heard voices and began to circle around towards the ramp as a few pokegirls poked their heads up along the edge of the ship. "Nicholas?" Rood called, appearing after a few minutes to wave from the deck. "Is it over?"

"FUCKING GHETSIS IS HERE!" Nicholas yelled back. "HE ESCAPED BY SETTING THE SHADOW TRIAD ON US!"

"Ghetsis is-?" Rood gasped.

"Did you see him?" Nicholas called. "Flying away or anything?"

"No, we would have seen that," Rood called back. "Hey, Mike, Sandra- did either of you see anything on your way in just now?"

A woman popped up to wave at Nicholas, a Braviary hopping up on the rail beside her. "We didn't see any movement in the valley!" she called down. "If Ghetsis escaped you he can't have gone far!"

"Well he's not down here!" Nicholas replied. "Fuck." He turned to look back at where the hatch had let them out. "Hang on a second." He hurried back over, glancing about before his eyes settled on the yawning cavern entrance not far away. "ROOD! Was anyone watching the caves?"

"Was anybody-?" Nicholas heard Rood asking, a low murmur of conversation starting up on the deck and he was already running when Rood popped back out. "We were too focused on the Neo Plasma folks up here… Nicholas?"

Nicholas hissed when he reached the cave entrance and his feet sank into fresh snow. "They went this way."

"Master, are you going in there?" Nicholas heard Ashley asking as he stepped into the opening. "Should I come with you?"

"Stay out here and keep an eye on things, Ashley," Nicholas replied. "I want to know the instant anything else approaches this cave."

"Understood, Master."

He and Fiona followed the ice down into the caverns, the trail easy to discern and the shape of the cave they were walking through suggesting more of a tunnel than anything. It was almost straight, too. Just enough twists to hide the surface but not enough to make it feel like they were getting lost.

"Master, radio signal is degrading quickly as we move under the mountain," Kalmiya reported. "I am still in contact with Ashley but communication is getting spotty."

"And temperatures are getting colder," Nicholas grumbled, watching his breath fog. "We're close."

It wasn't much longer before they were stepping into a massive open space. Thick ice spikes broke from the stone around them, evidence of the power that dwelled here, but the greatest evidence was the slumped figure in the center of the cavern. She was enormous. Easily as large as Reshiram in her true form and similarly built. A clearly feminine shape hiding beneath layers of cracked crystalline structures, but with every piece of this pokegirl broken in some way. The way her limbs twisted in the wrong directions when she shifted, how her wings were tattered and the claws at the end loomed much larger than they should, even the icy blue and white crystals protruding from her dark grey skin looking as if they were just placed at random instead of in any defined pattern as they tore through her skin like the spikes around him tore through the earth. The remains of a once great being. A tragedy.

"And so he foolishly follows me here," a voice said, Ghetsis stepping out from behind Kyurem and smacking the tip of his cane against the ground. "These caves, this is where Kyurem's power resonates. And now that she has been roused from her slumber there is no match to her strength. Do you feel it?" Ghetsis smiled, tapping his cane as Kyurem's head twitched and a golden eye without a pupil rolled around to focus on where Nicholas and Fiona stood. "The hatred? The need for destruction? You, 'Hero', you say the legendary dragon feeds from you? So then does Kyurem from me!"

"If only she would do so more literally," Nicholas growled. "I'm astounded that she hasn't bitten your head off yet."

"Ahh, but she will never," Ghetsis chuckled. "No. Unlike that freak Kyurem moves entirely at my whim, with no will of her own. As all will one day submit to me!"

Nicholas' eyes flicked to the cane in Ghetsis' hand. "And what if I stole that strange cane of yours?"

Ghetsis chuckled again, lifting the cane and shaking the head in Nicholas' direction. "You were always a smart one, Topolski. Despite your damned interference I have appreciated that about you. That is why I have decided to give you a gift." Ghetsis slammed his cane back down, raising his voice as Kyurem began to move with more intent, a sort of growl coming from her twisted chest. "I'll have you frozen solid right here so you can watch my glorious ascent! KYUREM!"

Kyurem's growl rose in volume as the air around her began to freeze, massive shards of ice forming with every point aimed directly where Nicholas stood. "Well that's not great," he muttered.

Fiona's hooves made soft taps as she stepped in front of him. "It is finally my time, my Lord," she said quietly. "I will trust you to keep the human from interfering."

Nicholas let himself relax and nodded at her back with a smile. "You can count on me."

"GLACIATE!"

Fiona breathed out, lifting her sword to her eyes as Kyurem tensed in preparation to attack. "By my sword," she whispered. "By my sacred oath." Her eyes flicked past the blade to focus on where Kyurem stood. "Fall."

The shards launched forwards with a roar from Kyurem, Ghetsis' gloating laughter following them. Fiona moved. Bringing her sword slicing out as the glow from her horn suffused the blade.

Tiny fragments of ice sprayed everywhere as the shards were destroyed, the larger chunks veering off to shatter against the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and Kyurem reared back, her roar turning up in pitch as a red line drew itself across her breast. "What-!" Ghetsis cried, whirling to stare as Kyurem took heavy steps backwards and hunched over her wound. "How could you-? What is-?" His wide eyes narrowed. "You should not have done that," he growled. "I would have had her preserve you, Topolski. Now she is beyond my kindness." Kyurem whipped her head back forwards, malice exploding from her figure as she opened her twisted jaws and bellowed at Fiona. "But I suppose if you are so eager to die then who am I to stop you?!"

"I got Ghetsis," Nicholas said, quickly dodging to the side as Fiona ran in the opposite direction, drawing Kyurem's attention with her and leaping to dodge a wave of ice that spewed from the enraged dragon. "GHETSIS! I told you you're not dodging justice this time!"

"Oh, don't even bother," Ghetsis snarled, turning to where Nicholas was running forwards and pulling a pokeball from within his coat. "DIE NOW!"

Nicholas grinned when Ghetsis triggered his pokeball and a golden coffin appeared between them. "A Cofagrigus? Why don't we show you what a true Ghost-type sentinel looks like?"

"I told you. Don't even bother." Nicholas held Jade's pokeball, had it raised, but when he'd pressed the release trigger it… nothing had happened. He tried again and again, nothing, causing him to start backpedaling when the Cofagrigus' sarcophagus swung open. "Despite his ultimate failing, that scientist was instrumental to my plans," Ghetsis gloated, shadowy hands emerging from the sarcophagus and beginning to bear down on Nicholas. "The number of inventions he made, the technology he created, wonderful! A signal to jam the functions of pokeballs!" Ghetsis laughed, watching Nicholas scramble away from the Cofagrigus' hands. "It's so easy! Tamers bring the means of their own destruction! What good are your precious pokegirls NOW?"

"SHIT!" Nicholas cried, stumbling and having to whirl, off balance, to swipe at the shadows with an arm cloaked in aura. "JADE! ANYBODY! GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!" Despite his best efforts he was falling and that allowed the Cofagrigus to get in, a hand grabbing him by the arm and yanking Nicholas back towards where Ghetsis stood.

"It's no use," Ghetsis crowed. "The only pokeballs within this cave that will work are my own-!" He paused, frowning as Jade's pokeball fell from Nicholas' grip while the shadow hands yanked his arms behind his back and forced the man to his knees. "What's this?"

Nicholas growled, flexing against the spectral hold. On the other side of the cavern Fiona was in a pitched battle, he couldn't call for her aid. She'd trusted him to handle this. But he was tired. He'd wasted far too much energy empowering everyone to destroy the Shadow Triad. He could barely fight back against this pokegirl, when he'd once met Kali head on? "Hey. HEY!" he yelled, straining as Ghetsis bent down to reach for Jade's pokeball. "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!"

"Is this pokeball… trembling?" Ghetsis mused, picking Jade up in his hand and peering at the orb. "Are they all?" He glanced at Nicholas' belt and sure enough Nicholas could feel the vibration against his body. "Could it be that your pokegirls are… shaking? Enraged by their helplessness?" Ghetsis' face twisted and he slammed his cane down so hard it broke a chip from the floor. "NO! That's not possible. Simple tools do not have emotion or thought! And that is all pokegirls are! Tools! Objects beholden to our whims! Objects to be stored in their pokeballs, programmed to serve, fit for nothing but manipulation and use by greater beings-!"

Nicholas heard the explosion first, a heartbeat before the sensation of something pushing into his stomach. A chain of bangs as sharp fragments cut into his skin. In Ghetsis' hand, Jade's pokeball deforming before it broke apart, causing Ghetsis to flinch back and shield his face.

The shadows binding Nicholas were blasted apart when Melody screamed, her voice catching on a single piercing note that blew everything away from the materializing harem. Jade slammed down and immediately swung for Ghetsis with a roar, but she was fouled by a swarm of darkness that pushed Ghetsis to safety. The Cofagrigus' hands slammed down against the cavern floor and acted almost like legs to leverage the sarcophagus forwards at high speed into Jade's side, cracks radiating from the impact point before a bandaged hand emerged. The Cofagrigus' true body pushed slightly out of her sarcophagus as she grabbed Jade's shoulder, lengths of cloth spearing out to pierce the Golurk's weakened armor and worming their way in towards the soft energy inside.

"…We've had enough speeches today," Nicholas breathed, reaching out to touch Kiana's arm and feel the soft fur that bristled across the Arcanine's body. "But we know. A pokeball is just a tool." A smile blossomed across his face as the entire harem pressed forwards to aid Jade, each with fury filling their eyes. "What sits inside is anything but."

"I can't believe this!" Ghetsis roared, falling back as he pulled the rest of his pokeballs into view. "You are beginning to irritate me, Topolski! I will enjoy watching Kyurem tear you to shreds – but first, I'll take down your disgusting harem with my own hand!"

Jade was stiffer than usual, her movements fouled by the cloth binding her insides. One strip had even made it to her helmet, evident when it snaked over one of her eye slits and darkened the socket. "Come out, come out, to play," the Cofagrigus crooned, her mouth hanging open slightly as she gave the twitching Golurk a horrifying, empty smile. "Enter my sweet embrace…"

Kiana's helmet twitched to the side, her remaining eye slit looking towards the others. "Keeper… safe," her muffled voice stated. The Cofagrigus shied back slightly when Jade's helmet very, very deliberately turned itself back to look at her. "Good."

The Cofagrigus gasped when Jade jerked, tearing some of her binding tendrils before the Golurk's hands grabbed the body and lid of her sarcophagus. Without hesitation Jade slammed her hands together, pulling both halves of the golden container with them and closing it directly into the Cofagrigus' torso. The girl screamed in pain, turning in a vain effort to grab the lid as it came whistling down again but her hands were just crushed alongside her body by the Golurk's furious strength. Again, and again, and again, the Ghost-type pokegirl was battered by her own protective shell until Jade slammed the lid shut one final time. The connective cloth between them had torn long ago, allowing Jade to regain most of her mobility, meaning that she could finish things off by driving her fist into the center of the lid with all of her strength. It crumpled in on itself as the Cofagrigus went limp, whatever of her that remained inside the sarcophagus as broken as the object itself.

Jade was beginning to turn when she was blown away, crashing through the approaching harem with a groan. Immediately they took up defensive positions, Nicholas hurrying over to check on the feebly stirring Golurk. "Jade. Jade!" Nicholas patted at her helmet, peering into the one slit he could. "Jade, are you still in there?"

Melody was adjusting her stance, her eyes locked on the purple exoskeleton of the Drapion that had just hit Jade. "Careful, Alpha. There's one like me."

Kiana was watching the Seismitoad lurking in the middle of Ghetsis' pokegirls carefully. "I see her. Ada?"

"Keep those poison bitches off me," Adalinda replied quietly. "Cindy?"

"The eel is mine," the Galvantula hissed, her eyes locked on a sparking Eelektross. "I'd rather avoid the frogs."

"Yeah. I can take the one in front," Kiana muttered, her eyes moving from the Seismitoad to the much slimmer Toxicroak holding perfectly still at the head of Ghetsis' group. "Silla."

The Zweilous' two heads were both staring at the same target. "Thank you, Alpha," one hissed, the other clearing her throat and sending a wad of spit towards where a Hydreigon hovered, causing the opposing girl's heads to all move and hiss at her independently. "There is something… wrong, about that one," the first said. "I want to rip off her wings," Silla's second head snarled.

"If you're injured, fall back to me," Nicholas said, his focus on Jade as he gently eased pieces of the Cofagrigus' cloth out of her armor. "Well done breaking out of your pokeballs but now that they're gone I can't save you if you fall in battle."

"Not to worry, Master," Kiana replied without taking her eyes off their opponents. "We won't fall."

Nicholas glanced up. "Your show, Kiana."

The Arcanine chuckled softly, her lips twitching back to let her fangs drop into view. "Melody," she growled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I think this time… I don't care what happens to the cave."

Melody gave Kiana a quick glance before returning her eyes to the Drapion ahead of them and beginning to chuckle. "For real, Alpha?"

"Yeah." Kiana grinned, the others all preparing themselves as Melody began slamming her fists together. "Bury them."

"Take this!" Melody cried, slamming the backs of her hands against the ground and holding her fists tight as she drove her cones through the solid rock. "I call it my heavy distortion!"

A dull thud as a shockwave raced out from between the Seismitoad's hands and under Ghetsis' pokegirls. A moment of silence. And then the ground between Melody's fists shattered, the fault racing out and scattering the group to every side.

The Hydreigon and Eelektross rose above the breaking earth, each hissing as they avoided Melody's attack and turned towards Nicholas' harem, before each were hit by their own respective opponents. Cindy's silk engulfed the Eelektross and the Galvantula yanked her down, throwing the serpentine pokegirl to slam against the cave floor while a blast of roiling energy caught the Hydreigon and flung her away from the others as Silla sprinted forwards in hot pursuit. Kiana dashed over the broken ground and the enemy Seismitoad rose, recovering the easiest from Melody's attack before she, too, was hit and had her body cut open when Adalinda shot forwards with her glowing leaf blades. The frail Toxicroak had been hit hardest by Melody's shockwave and she was still getting back to her feet when Kiana appeared in her face to make sure she wouldn't be.

Melody herself pulled her cones from the broken stone, rolling her neck as she walked towards where the Drapion was rolling upright. "Really wish I hadn't left my guitar behind now," she said, taking a relaxed stance when the Drapion finally got into a battle position and hissed at the Seismitoad. "Battle and music should go hand in hand."

The Drapion lunged and Melody pulled her hands into place on an imaginary guitar, stomping her foot as she drove her fingers down the invisible strings. A wall of sound blasted from her body with the motion, shifting in pitch as Melody slowly drew her fingers up the neck of her air guitar as if she was actually holding her axe. The Drapion was blown back off her feet, scrabbling in an effort to catch herself but just continuing to be knocked around while Melody continued to play until she was finally blown over one too many times and smashed her face into the stone to leave the insectoid pokegirl out cold.

Some distance away Silla slid, her single pair of wings flapping to slow her charge as the Hydreigon spun through the air, her three sets seeming to be struggling to work together to right the evolved pokegirl. "Don't slow," Silla's first head cried, taking a quick step forward before the second was replying. "We don't want to end up like her, do we?" she hissed to the first, growling when the first swiveled towards her. "She's a Hydreigon, don't let her recover!" "Look at her, she's worse than us!"

Both heads swiveled when the Hydreigon let out a furious scream, the girl hitting the floor and bouncing a few times before she managed to catch herself and begin struggling back upright. Immediately Silla was racing forwards, her claws coming up as the Hydreigon's three heads untangled themselves and began to turn… towards one another. Silla skidded to a halt in surprise when the one on the Hydreigon's left lunged for the one on the right, sinking her fangs into the other's neck and triggering a pained cry. A barking roar from the one in the middle and one of the Hydreigon's three sets of wings flashed with shadow, sweeping down and sending energy slicing through the other two necks.

"…I told you she was worse than us," Silla's second head muttered, both heads staring as the Hydreigon continued to fight herself. "But none of the others ever did…" the first was saying when the Hydreigon's middle head slammed against the one on her left and it slumped, causing the Hydreigon to stagger but manage to stay standing.

"Oh look at the normal one," the Hydreigon's middle head sniped, shooting Silla a glance before roaring in pain when her right head sank its fangs into her shoulder. "One of these days… One of these days I'll cut these tumors from my skin!"

"Uhh…" Silla's heads both stammered.

"Shut up. I'm still more than enough to take you ALL on!" the Hydreigon screamed, doing her best to stand straight while her left head flopped about, her right head continued savaging her body, and one set of her wings slumped behind her. "BECAUSE I! AM ME! AND NO OTHER!"

"…She's gone mad," Silla's second head whispered. "Why? How?" the first whispered back, each leaning in towards the other as they held a hushed conversation that, for the first time, was not about Nicholas. "She was too weak, obviously." "How? She evolved, didn't she?" "So did I, and you still popped up." "Or maybe I did, and here you are? Does that make us weak too?" Silla's second head blinked. "Well, erm, no, we're not… I mean I'm not…?" "I know I'm not." "Well neither am I." "But here we are anyways…?"

"STOP! STOP TALKING!" the Hydreigon screamed, one of her legs giving out as a hand futilely tried to grab at the head still tearing at her skin. "ALL OF YOU! WHY WON'T YOU BE QUIET! LEAVE ME BE!" She slumped, tears filling her eyes as her voice slipped into an anguished wail. "I don't want… Stay away!" Her middle head bowed, tears dripping onto the cavern floor. "Why… I wasn't ready… And now they won't stop whispering to me…"

Silla gingerly stepped forwards towards the sobbing Hydreigon. "Why's she feel so… empty?" the second head muttered. "Could it be why she's gone mad?" the first asked. "What could do that?" "I don't know," the second said. "I don't want that happening to me." The first blinked down. "Do you think… this is what we look like to our Weyrleader?" The second glanced at the first. "Maybe it's what you look like." "No, seriously. When we fight." Silla's first head turned to stare at the second. "Is that what he sees?"

Silla's second head stared back, slowly turning to look at the broken Hydreigon on the ground in front of her. "Um."

Silla's first head turned to look with her second. "Are we really this pitiful?"

"Are we… am… I?" Silla's second whispered. "We… I…"

"I," Silla's first head mumbled, "we…"

A shudder ran through Silla's body and both heads lifted together. "We should put her to sleep," the first murmured. "Agreed," the second replied. Without hesitation the Zweilous lifted her hand, drawing energy into her palm before it fired into the Hydreigon's chest and the evolved pokegirl fell like a puppet with her strings cut.

Silence for a few moments before Silla's first head turned to the second again. "I still don't like you."

Silla's second head grinned as the Zweilous turned to return to the others. "That's fine. I don't like me either."

"Hey-!" the first cried before both of Silla's heads devolved into a giggling fit.

"This is nothing like I expected!" Ghetsis cried, Silla rejoining the others to find Jade back on her feet, though the Cofagrigus' bandages were still twisted insidiously beneath her armor, and Nicholas staring down the raving man. "I can't accept this! I won't! Kyurem will still-!"

"Fiona was born to stop Kyurem," Nicholas replied, turning to watch the pitched battle still ongoing between the two legendaries. "It's over for you, Ghetsis."

Ghetsis roared in anger when Fiona's sword flashed, light slicing through Kyurem's body as the twisted dragon let out a keening scream and crashed backwards onto the stone. "No! NO!"

"It's over," Nicholas said in satisfaction, watching Fiona slowly straighten, her chest heaving as she fought to bring oxygen to her starved muscles. "You. Lo-"

It all happened so fast. The flicker he felt from the prostrate Kyurem. The jerk as Fiona reacted to it, her cry of pain echoing when her body seized from the unexpected motion. Kyurem's wing sweeping out, the claws on the end sinking into Fiona's flesh and throwing the much smaller pokegirl away to smash into the cavern wall. The wave of cold as Kyurem rolled over and got back to her feet, her eyes flickering towards where Fiona had fallen before locking on where Ghetsis stood and slowly stomping her way towards them.

"Took you long enough!" Ghetsis roared as Kyurem made her way over and her eyes turned to focus on Nicholas. "Come now, Topolski! What were you saying? Eh? Let me see your face! I want to watch as you lose all hope!" Nicholas took a half step back when Kyurem stopped, towering over them as her jaw slid open and a snarling roar crashed through the cavern. "You've successfully annoyed me, but this is the end – for YOU! Kyurem!" Ghetsis slammed his cane down with a sneer. "Kill them all."

Nicholas could only watch as the spikes began to form from the air around them again. "Kiana?" Kiana barked, blasting flame at Kyurem but it just broke across the crystalline armor haphazardly covering the towering pokegirl and dissipated without so much as melting a drop from her ice. "Shit."

Far behind them, in the long tunnel leading into the cavern, light flashed.

Kyurem staggered backwards with a keening scream as lightning speared from the darkness, blasting the spikes apart and playing across her body. Nicholas whirled to see a black flash shoot past, the figure banking as it reached the end of the cavern and coming back around to slam to the ground in the open space. A figure that matched Kyurem's raw size. Elegant, even regal. A pokegirl. Oh so very clearly a pokegirl. No longer a stunted beast.

"Ashley, I thought I said I wanted to know if anyone approached this cavern?" Nicholas whispered, his eyes lost in Zekrom's form. "How'd you let this one get past you, eh?"

"…er, I… …th… …lew…"

"Signal is very weak, Master," Kalmiya apologized. "But I do not believe this is something to be angry with Ashley about…?"

"No, I can forgive her for this one," Nicholas breathed, laughing when he saw the man slipping from Zekrom's back. "N!"

"Hmph," Ghetsis sneered, turning to N as the young man walked towards them, Zekrom curling over N's head protectively while Kyurem recovered and seemed to excitedly stretch towards the ebony dragon. "So. You came, did you. The freak without a human heart."

"Zekrom could feel Kyurem suffering," N replied calmly. "I can't allow selfish humans to make pokegirls suffer! No matter who they may be. And I can not allow you to freeze Unova. I like Unova. It's the place that has taught me how to live as a human… It's the place that has shown me the truth in the harmony between pokegirls and humans! And so from whoever it may be!" Zekrom bared her fangs at Ghetsis and roared, N lifting a hand to firmly seat his hat on his head. "I will protect the pokegirls and humans who live here."

"Heh… heh heh heh… AHAHAHAHA!" Ghetsis laughed. "EXCELLENT! That was a moving expression of your determination! So the education I provided to make you king wasn't a complete waste after all! But I still haven't forgotten. Even though I was kind enough to take you in, care for you, pull you from that forest I first found you, you still were selfish and disrupted my plans. But that is okay." Ghetsis' sneering smile grew wider. "I forgive you, N. Because you have been kind enough to bring Zekrom right to me."

Nicholas felt a tinge of worry. "N-"

"KYUREM!" Ghetsis roared, raising his staff above his head. "FEED! JUST AS YOU CONSUMED THAT CRYSTAL! CONSUME, AND BECOME EVEN STRONGER!"

Kyurem's excitement was unmistakable now as she lunged forwards, Zekrom roaring and pushing N to safety before she met the charge halfway. Immediately Kyurem's wings stabbed out, seeking to impale Zekrom as she had Fiona but Zekrom broke away, wheeling into the air and jetting away to begin circling while Kyurem hunkered down and something new crackled across her wings, some strange energy that condensed down into a number of orbs and fired out after Zekrom.

"Shit," Nicholas hissed, glancing across the cavern before yanking a potion from his bag and making a run for where Fiona slumped, skidding in beside her to quickly check the wounds on her torso. "Fiona. Fiona, wake up. Wake up." He gave her a tense smile as Fiona's eyes fluttered and she slowly turned her head towards him. "Hey. I've got medicine. I'm going to get you fixed up."

"My Lord…"

"N!" Nicholas roared, turning to where N stood watching the battle. Zekrom was wheeling, a few of the orbs chasing her impacting to explode against the ceiling and walls and others blasted apart by her lightning, but even more seemed to keep coming. "You have to get Zekrom out of here, now! Don't worry about me!"

"We will protect Unova!" N cried, reaching his hand towards where Zekrom flew. "We will-!"

One of the chasing orbs managed to hit Zekrom's tail and instantly she slowed, her flight faltering as she roared in pain and the glowing energy began expanding across her skin. Then the others were slamming into her, her back, her wings, her arms, her head, as Zekrom was consumed in brilliant light, her roar almost seeming to be drowned out by the brilliance.

"YES!" Ghetsis roared, Kyurem turning her broken wings in the direction of Zekrom and levelling her claws towards the light. "NOW, KYUREM! Trigger your absofusion!"

"Z-Zekrom!" N screamed. "Break out of it!"

Energy crackled across Kyurem's claws before shooting out, linking to the glowing mass in midair and Zekrom was jerked towards Kyurem, the light covering her shifting slightly, elongating as it streamed towards Kyurem's wings until the shape it had become couldn't be Zekrom anymore. As N screamed the light bulged, a hint of black breaking through in the form of Zekrom's head and shoulders appearing with her mouth open in a tortured, soundless scream before even that flashed to white, N watching in shock as Zekrom's form melted and was swallowed by the light that flowed into Kyurem's body until there was nothing left. Zekrom was… gone.

"Oh that is very not good," Nicholas gasped, staggering past N with Fiona draped over his shoulder. The potion had helped but she was still horribly injured. "N. We need to go."

"Zekrom-!"

"I said we need to GO! NOW!" Nicholas roared, throwing his arm at the other pokegirls. "RUN!" He turned. N was frozen in place, staring at Kyurem. "N!"

"Run, and die tired," Ghetsis gloated, raising his hand in glee as Kyurem's body twitched. "BEHOLD!"

Despite himself, Nicholas turned to look. Watched as the transformation took hold.

Kyurem was lifting her head. Going from hunched, nearly on all fours, to standing straight, her back arching as her twisted body fell properly in place. Her arms, swelling and elongating with rippling muscle, her wings, new, black membrane spreading to fix the holes and a shell of crystalline ice running up the outside as armor. The broken structure that hung below her wings twisting and extending as a deep black tail grew into place. The rest of the ice covering her, shifting along her body into properly symmetrical patterns. Drawing back from her face, her torso, revealing that the pokegirl beneath the armor now appeared much more like what she should. More… complete.

But not fully. It was as if pieces of Zekrom had been used to fill in only a few of Kyurem's missing parts, leaving the rest of her still a different skin color, her arms lopsided, one made of ice, the other black skin, even Kyurem's breasts a lopsided mess. But none of that lessened the fact that as she straightened, electricity racing across her body alongside the cold fog blowing past her lips, that she was far, far more than she had been before.

"Hahaha! This time, no one will come to save you!" Ghetsis crowed as Kyurem brought her attention down to N and Nicholas. "Third time's the charm, they say! Kyurem! Kill them! Kill the champion! Kill the freak!"

"Oh, this is really not good," Nicholas stammered as power began to build along Kyurem's arms. "She's still ice, right…? We need fire to stop her! We need- Reshiram!" Nicholas cried desperately. "If you can hear me now we need you!"

"I'm here-" Fiona tried, slipping from Nicholas' grip and staggering with a pained cry as her wound reopened. "I can…"

"No, I wasn't… Not you, Fiona, rest," Nicholas urged, lowering the legendary to the floor and standing back up to stare at Kyurem. "N! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

"Zekrom-!"

Nicholas growled. N was too shocked to do anything, but at least he wasn't the one Kyurem was focusing on. At least not yet. Because he could see her eyes staring at his feet. At Fiona. "She remembers your blade," Nicholas muttered, glancing down and dropping to one knee to wrap his hand around Fiona's sword. "I'm sorry, Fiona. I'll return it. I promise."

Sure enough when he got back up Kyurem's eyes were on him, now, and the sword Nicholas gingerly held out in front of himself. He could feel Fiona's power in it, but only an echo. For her, the sword was a conduit, not the source. He'd need help.

"Kiana, everyone, protect Fiona until she can recover!" Nicholas yelled, lifting his other hand to grip the sword as Fiona had showed him, in those seemingly unimportant moments, and he cursed himself for not taking her seriously when they'd still had the chance. "Ghetsis is right. If we run, she'll just overtake us. We have to stop her here and now!"

"Come, now, Topolski," Ghetsis chuckled. "You don't truly expect to stand against THIS Kyurem with a flimsy sword, do you?" He laughed. "You know what? Let's make things interesting. Go right ahead! I'll give you a chance to stop her. Let's see what you can do!"

Nicholas gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said, just loud enough for the harem to hear him. "I've brought you all to your deaths."

Hands reached out to rest across his back. "We're not dead yet," Kiana rumbled. "We've got you, Master."

Nicholas breathed out. Nodded. "Okay." He lifted the sword, setting into an awkward stance. "Thank you. All of you." His eyes locked on the golden orbs looming over them. "Please, Fiona," he whispered. "Get up."

.

.

In a small town, nestled in the mountains, an elderly woman stood on her doorstep. Her purple eyes watched the pokegirls and humans run through the streets, snorting under her breath when one girl faceplanted as she ran after a human.

She shivered as a light breeze blew past. There was an odd chill in her bones today. She should head inside soon. She was turning, retreating to her fire, when she paused.

In the streets, the others paused too. Something had passed over them, and the woman slowly turned back to stare into the sky. Nothing happened for a while, but then… what had that been? Some kind of flash of light? Something flying past? It had come and gone so quickly she wasn't even sure if it hadn't been more than a trick of the sun.

A few moments passed before she began to hear a low rumbling noise.

Suddenly the noise was loud, far too loud and the woman collapsed, clutching her ears as the buildings shook and a number of windows shattered in their frames. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, leaving the residents of Eindoak to push from their homes and look about for the source.

Some miles away trees burned, a vast stretch of forest seared black and broken in a large cone. The point oriented due east.

.

.

Silence had fallen over the cavern.

Jade hung from the wall. Half of her armor blown away, revealing the flickering light inside, with ice fixing her shattered form to the stone. Adalinda was frozen in a solid block of ice, the Serperior's normally radiant skin dulled and blistered from frostbite. Cindy lay near her, the Galvantula's body slumped in a heap with smoke drifting from the branching lines of blackened hairs seared across her body. Kyurem's electricity had been too much for her to withstand. Silla lay crumpled, the wall she had been thrown into shattered by the impact of her body and blood still dripped from the gaping wounds Kyurem's claws had torn. Melody wasn't much better off. The Seismitoad was utterly frozen, Kyurem's power having met her water and flashed it all to ice in an instant to leave Melody a motionless statue. A broken one, as the deep freeze meant when she had fallen over and one of her hands hit the floor her fingers had shattered into pieces. Even Nicholas was on his knees. His breathing labored as he tried his best not to think about the unmoving pokegirls around him. They were dying. All of them. Because of him.

The only one who was still on her feet was Kiana. Her fury had driven her, but even that was burning low now. Her pack, gone. Her Master, defeated. The foe looming over her. She couldn't… She couldn't give up. But she was tired. So tired…

"Tch," Ghetsis said. "What an ugly scene. All your fault, you know, N," he said conversationally. N had been driven back by Nicholas' battle and was still staring at Kyurem. "If you had simply become king, then I could have ruled by capturing Unova's hearts and minds. But now, I am forced to use overwhelming power, to rule with an iron fist! Don't you see? It's all your fault! If you hadn't rebelled against me, then this tamer might have survived! Unova could have remained beautiful, instead of forcing me to choke it under Kyurem's ice!"

Kiana lunged in a final gasp but was easily swatted away by Kyurem, the Arcanine crashing to the hard stone as her consciousness flickered. "Don't… listen to him, N," Nicholas wheezed. "You stood up for what you believed in. Zekrom answered that. Be proud."

"Zekrom…" N breathed.

"I believe this has gone on long enough," Ghetsis said. "Kyurem? Dispose of them."

N's fists were clenched tight, his entire body trembling as Kyurem stepped towards Nicholas and electricity began to build across her body. "NO!" he screamed, leaping out between them. "STOP THIS!"

"Now your words are just the pitiful cries of a child!" Ghetsis cried. "Enough! Die, and haunt me no more!"

"Zekrom!" N cried, reaching out beseechingly to Kyurem. "It's faint, but I can still hear you! I can hear my friend! I can hear your voice! Fight it!" Kyurem's movements slowed, her eyes focusing on N as he pleaded. "Don't let this happen!'

"Tch!" Ghetsis snapped. "I've prepared the finest stage for my ascension and it is wasted on a bit player like you. DIE! Die, and go down in flames!"

"Zekrom, please!" N took a step back when Kyurem shook her head, her eyes narrowing as she bent closer to him and her mouth opened with a guttural snarl. "You can break free! There's still enough time!"

"Enough of this!" Ghetsis roared. "Stop talking like a human! You're nothing more than a tool! Both you and pokegirls! You're nothing but tools to help me realize my dreams of domination!"

N gritted his teeth and spun from Kyurem to Ghetsis. "It's hard for me to call you this, but… FATHER!" N stretched his hands towards Ghetsis. "Please! Humans and pokegirls together take each other to greater heights! This way, this… it's wrong! Pokegirls aren't tools! They are our partners! Our friends! Why can't you see-?"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Ghetsis screamed, spittle flecking from his mouth. "DON'T TALK LIKE A HUMAN, YOU FREAK! NO REAL PERSON CAN HEAR THE SOUL OF A POKEGIRL!" N gasped when Ghetsis swung his cane, something about the motion triggering Kyurem because she reared back, electricity building into a crackling orb in front of her open jaws. "KYUREM!"

Finally N stumbled back but it was far too late. He couldn't get away as the orb of power in front of Kyurem grew until it was nearly half the size of the legendary dragon herself and she released it, blasting the roiling energy straight for the two humans.

Heat. It was so warm. And… bright. Nicholas stared at the approaching blue sphere, but what he was feeling… came from behind him. Growing hotter and hotter as light spilled into the cavern.

Everything hit at once, the orb of flame, matching the electricity, the burning heat when it passed so close as to singe Nicholas' hair, the roar that crashed over his ears, the presence. The unmistakable presence. As Reshiram slammed to the ground in front of him, her tail hissing and popping while it burned the very air around it, it seemed the dragon of truth had lit aflame. Her hair burned. Her feathers glowed. Her tail consumed. And the orb of flame she had launched burst through Kyurem's, drawing the electricity with it to empower itself and turn from a plain sphere to one orbited by flashing streaks of light which swelled in size before impacting against Kyurem's chest.

The explosion blasted every single individual within that cavern to the walls. The only ones who remained near the center were the two dragons. Reshiram, and Kyurem, when the smoke from the explosion was torn apart and she burst through to scream at the latest intruder. There was some slight excitement there, the same as when she had seen Zekrom, but it was lost in Kyurem's impotent rage at being injured. Because the explosion Reshiram brought had ripped the ice framing Kyurem's chest away and left her with a bloody and burnt torso.

"You only give me more power!" Ghetsis screamed, staggering upright from where he'd been thrown. "The other one, Kyurem! Trigger absofusion once more!"

Kyurem ignored him. It was just like when Fiona had landed her blow. Ghetsis' control was not nearly as powerful as this ancient dragon's fury.

"You heard me," Nicholas gasped, in awe at the amount of power Reshiram was emitting. "You came."

"What has happened here, my champion?" Reshiram growled, turning her head ever so slightly to gaze back out of the corner of her eye at where Nicholas and N were getting up. "Is this the thing you sought? Kyurem? There is such emptiness within her, and yet, I sense my sister as well. I sense… myself."

"Tirakan's empty body, driven back to life by anger and hate," Nicholas explained. "You sense Zekrom more strongly because she was consumed. Absorbed by Kyurem. The process did not seem as if it could be resisted."

"So my sister is dead," Reshiram said softly. "This should not be."

"She's not!" N gasped, staggering forwards. "I can still hear her, within Kyurem's soul! She is not gone! There has to be a way to separate them again!"

Reshiram brought her full attention back to Kyurem. "Are you sure of this, my sister's champion?"

"I am," N whispered. "Zekrom's still in there. We can still save her."

Reshiram growled softly. "I will do what I can, champions of truth and ideals, but I cannot lie. My sister and I were already almost evenly matched. For another of equal, maybe even greater strength to now wield her power? I do not think I can win this fight."

"Not alone."

Nicholas whirled to see Fiona pushing herself up by using the cavern wall as support. "Fiona! You must still be injured, don't-"

"My vanguard," Fiona interrupted, her voice quiet, "my sisters, gave themselves to buy me the time I needed." Nicholas watched as Fiona straightened, her hand falling away from the wounds on her chest to reveal that her skin had closed. "What manner of paragon would I be to allow their sacrifice to go to waste?"

Reshiram straightened slightly, a smile blossoming though she could not take her eyes off of where Kyurem was beginning to approach. "Madame Fiona. With you at my side, there is a chance."

Fiona walked forwards, holding out her hand to take her sword back from Nicholas. "You honored me, my lord," she said quietly, glancing into his eyes as she passed. "However, I will insist you take more lessons once I have fulfilled my purpose."

Nicholas chuckled weakly as Fiona moved to Reshiram's side. "No argument here."

"Lady Reshiram," Fiona said, stopping next to the burning dragon and shifting her grip on her sword so that she was holding it at a relaxed angle across her body. "When we first met, you spoke of this day. How Justice will stand beside Truth." She lowered her stance to bring her horn into position. "I am honored."

"And I as well, Madame Fiona," Reshiram whispered. "Or should I address you as Madame Keldeo instead?"

Fiona smiled. "Keldeo is what I am. Fiona is who I am."

Reshiram hissed softly, her own body tensing in preparation. "Then, Madame Fiona… I would like it greatly if we each held the name our champion has christened us."

Fiona's lips bloomed in a massive smile and she laughed, nodding as she did. "As you wish, Lady Leshi. Such a human he is for us."

"Such a human indeed," Reshiram, Leshi chuckled.

Kyurem had stopped at seeing Fiona joining Leshi's side, but only momentarily. Because she was changing again. Just as Leshi burned, so too did Kyurem begin to spark. The jagged spikes on her back blasted backwards, forming long tubes coursing with Zekrom's electricity as they stabbed into Kyurem's tail and the black skin began to flicker. Suddenly Kyurem's tail flashed to plasma, a bright white inner channel holding strong while everything else began to hum with blue electricity. That power extended throughout Kyurem's body to wherever Zekrom had been used to patch her up. Including, most prevalently, Kyurem's mismatched arm. There the blue light could clearly be seen emanating from within as it suffused her muscles.

As one, Fiona and Leshi struck.

Nicholas dragged N behind cover as Kyurem screamed, focusing on the darting Fiona first and her whole body exploding in a corona of power before crackling ice went racing out in an intercept course. Leshi screamed back, beginning to form her flames in opposition, but all she managed to do was bring them into existence before Fiona was being hit. The other legendary did not take Kyurem's attack lying down, however. Even as the ice was hitting her body her horn and sword were glowing as one, debris raining down as Fiona cut through the cavern itself on her way to slicing into Kyurem's flesh. Both pokegirls screamed in pain, Kyurem as blood erupted from where her energy had only just managed to keep Fiona from cutting all the way through her torso, one arm falling limp and useless at her side, and Fiona as Kyurem's power engulfed her in the exact same way it had Melody. Her entire body beginning to darken as the water she wielded froze inside of her and ruptured her insides.

But unlike Melody, Fiona had the strength to resist being frozen entirely. Just as Kyurem had kept from being cut in two. And now Leshi's flames were on their way.

Kyurem was engulfed, her screams rising until the fire blasted apart and Kyurem lunged forwards, her humming tail flashing completely white as power gathered in front of her jaws and she released a crackling mix of lightning and ice into Leshi's chest. Now it was all three legendaries who were stumbling, Kyurem from the double team, Fiona as she fought to keep her body moving properly through such immense pain, Leshi as she twitched and jerked with Kyurem's ice allowing the path for Zekrom's electricity to pierce her innate defenses. But none fell.

"Madame Fiona," Leshi hissed, one leg starting to give out before she forced it to slam forwards and keep her barely upright. "Are you…?"

"rrrRRAAAHHHH!" Fiona screamed in reply, her entire body beginning to tear as crystals of frozen blood pierced her skin. "I… I can MOVE!" she roared, taking firm hold of her sword and yanking her arm up despite the motion sending blood splattering across the ground from her open wounds. "Go-!"

"I can't," Leshi gasped, snarling as her muscles strained but her legs refused to budge. "I can try flames, but I can't aim!"

Fiona tried to take a step herself and nearly fell from the pain it caused her, her scream echoing as she staggered a few feet out and had to use her sword as a crutch. "It hurts," she hissed, panting while an icy mist emanated from her body. "The ice… It is trying to lock me in place. I am freezing. When I move it tears me apart."

"You are… freezing," Leshi panted. "If you were not?"

"My blade will not fail again," Fiona gasped back.

"Then GO!" Leshi roared, screaming as her entire body was engulfed in flame and continuing to scream in pain as every part of her that was not designed to channel her strongest fire was forced to hold it. "LET THIS ICE BE BURNED AWAY IN THE FLAMES OF TRUTH!"

Fiona bit back her own scream when the blazing aura washed over her. But she moved. Even as her skin cracked and blistered from without the ice that was freezing her from within was melting away. Kyurem was still staggering. Electricity spraying out indiscriminately but Fiona ignored it all. Pushed herself to sprint towards Kyurem. It was so warm. The presence behind her. Granting her strength. In that moment, the flames charring Fiona's skin were forgotten. The only thing she felt was a warmth pushing her forwards. Just as in her visions.

"Do not be afraid," the voices whispered, the cavern around them beginning to swim as Fiona's energy bled away. The walls fading to black until all that was left was the figure before her. No longer a vision. A reality.

"Strike now."

"I AM NOT AFRAID!" Fiona screamed, bringing her sword up as a rainbow of light erupted from her horn and suffused the blade, joining the burning flames that covered the length. "FALL! IN THE NAME OF UNOVA!"

Fiona swung.

The cave went still.

"…No, no no NO!" Ghetsis screamed, watching as Kyurem's legs gave out and she came crashing down in front of Fiona, who similarly fell to her knees as Leshi's flames continued to burn away at her body. "This mustn't be! I can't accept this! This isn't POSSIBLE! NO!" With a howl Ghetsis swung his cane against the floor, slamming the head into the stone twice before he wound up entirely and brought it down so hard that the entire thing shattered in his hands. "I AM THE CREATOR OF PLASMA!" he screamed, doubling over in pain with pieces of his cane scattered around him, the circuitry inside sparking as it died. "I'M PERFECT! I'M THE ABSOLUTE RULER WHO WILL CHANGE THIS WORLD! I CAN'T BE BESTED LIKE THIS!"

Nicholas began to step out when he noticed what Ghetsis had done and he jerked into action. "Everyone-!" he nearly screamed, completely tearing his bag apart in his haste to get to his empty pokeballs. "Hold on!" He went for Melody first and hurled a pokeball at the frozen Seismitoad. When it successfully activated and sucked her inside he nearly broke but stayed strong, whirling from pokegirl to pokegirl until Kiana was sucked into a new ball and only then did he finally let his legs give out, falling to the cavern floor to join the others as he fought the tears dripping from his eyes.

Leshi forced herself back upright. Fiona was still burning, the flames her own, after all, and her fire did not go out easily. But it obeyed its mistress, and Leshi fought through the paralyzing static still pulsing through her body to reach Fiona and extinguish her fire.

"Lady… Leshi," Fiona barely whispered, her body so horribly burnt that simply speaking led to tiny gasps of pain. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Madame Fiona," Leshi murmured. "Without you, I would not have been able to stop… myself." She raised her head to look at where Kyurem lay crumpled. Listened as Kyurem's rasping breaths escaped her throat. "She is… dying."

"Then I have fulfilled my purpose," Fiona breathed.

Leshi slowly walked over to where Kyurem lay. There was nobody to stop her. Fiona was barely even conscious. Nicholas was too busy letting his fear and anxiety pour out. Ghetsis was incoherent at this point. The only other person still moving in that cavern was N. And as he stepped out from where he and Nicholas had sheltered from the battle it was to see Leshi staring down at the dying remains of herself.

"Your champion said you are still in there, sister," Leshi whispered, Kyurem's eye rolling up to focus on her. "Am I? Is there any memory of what I am within this broken shell?" She bowed her head. "We have died once before," she said, Kyurem's eye remaining locked on the dragon above her. "We have suffered before. You, and I, sister, we found redemption, didn't we? But to do so… we left who we were behind." N watched as Leshi lifted her head to meet Kyurem's eye. "We abandoned you," she whispered. "We fled, unable to face our pain. Leaving it all to you. All of our failings. All of our regret. It is no wonder you would become angry at us. At yourself." Leshi winced. "Even now I am being selfish. I want my sister back. But she is right here, isn't she? Right here in front of me. The sister who was lost to me. The sister I turned my back on and forgot." Slowly, Leshi reached out her hand to touch the tip of Kyurem's icy wing. "I do not believe any of us wish to die again," Leshi whispered. "And neither do I wish to lose the sister I have only just remembered. Nor the sister I have prayed would return to me, as bright and brilliant as I knew she could become." Leshi's fingers wrapped around one of Kyurem's claws. "I will leave things to you, my sister," she said, bowing her head as Kyurem continued staring up at her. "Whether as three or as one. But I swear that you will suffer alone no longer."

"Ha… hahaha!" Ghetsis wheezed, reaching out with both hands as Kyurem began to glow and the energy raced up Leshi's arm to cover her entirely. "You… fools! Power! More powerful! Kyurem will be-!"

"No… longer."

The glow was expanding. Spilling out from Kyurem until it faded, leaving Leshi somehow… smaller than she had been before. She was certainly no longer burning. Her tail had faded back to white. Her hair and feathers similarly returning to their normal color. And sprawled across the cavern floor… Zekrom.

"ZEKROM!" N screamed, racing forwards and bypassing the two other dragons to throw himself at the feebly stirring ebony figure. Behind him, Leshi's hand was still outstretched. Only now the wingtip she had been holding held her back.

"No… longer," Kyurem repeated, her form nothing like what she had been before. The patchwork black from when she had absorbed Zekrom had mixed with Leshi's white to create a uniform charcoal grey across her body. Her wings, as Leshi took firm hold and helped Kyurem to her feet, were a strange, almost skeletal arrangement of spurs between which energy flickered. Each wing ending in a set of grasping claws. And as she stood, letting her wingtip fall from Leshi's grasp the ice that had covered her before no longer seemed to be smothering her, or forcing its way to the surface. It sprouted as easily from her skin as Leshi's feathers, and while this was clearly still Kyurem, she was also something far more. She was whole.

"No longer," Leshi whispered, beaming at the other dragon. "Thank you, sister."

"KILL THEM, KYUREM!" Ghetsis screeched, and Kyurem winced when Ghetsis' voice grated over her restored ears. "I CONTROL YOU! ME! KILL THEM ALL!"

Kyurem grimaced as she turned towards Ghetsis, one hand coming up to dig her claws into the flesh of her forehead. "No longer," she snarled, blood beginning to trickle down her face before with a scream Kyurem ripped something from her skull, the long metal needle glinting as she flung it away and began stepping towards Ghetsis with blood pouring down half of her face to give her a terrifying visage reminiscent of the deadly thing she had been just an hour before. "But I will gladly kill you."

"WAIT!" Kyurem paused, turning to watch as figures poured into the cave. Rood led the charge, panting as he ran up and held his hands out pleadingly to Leshi and Kyurem. "I know I have no right to ask this, but please, wait, ladies of truth and…" he trailed off, finally getting a good look at Kyurem for the first time and realizing he wasn't speaking to Zekrom. "Of… um…"

"That which is not," Kyurem said after a few moments. "If my sisters are of truth, and ideals, then I am what remains." She smiled, glancing towards Leshi. "In nothing I came, and from everything I remained."

"Of, um, infinity?" Rood finished lamely. "Please. We need that man alive."

Kyurem turned back to him, the other Plasma members flooding the cavern with a few tending to Nicholas while most clustered around to gawk at N. "For what purpose do you deny my satisfaction, human?"

"If he dies here, he dies a martyr," Rood explained. "He dies here, and Neo Plasma's roots will take firm hold in his corpse. But if he lives. Is brought to justice." Rood sank to his knee and bowed his head. "If Ghetsis can be left to be forgotten. Our King may reclaim Plasma as his own."

Kyurem snorted. "And why should I care about human politics?"

"Their King is the one tending to our sister even now," Leshi explained softly, drawing Kyurem's attention to where N was stroking Zekrom while she recovered. "Her champion."

Kyurem grumbled but did step back from Ghetsis. "Why do I not have a champion?" she complained. "Mine is that sack of filth."

Leshi laughed and embraced a surprised Kyurem in a sudden hug. "We will find one for you, sister," she said fondly. "There is much to be done."

"You going to keep running, Rood?" a female voice drifted into the cave. "Come on now."

Rood quickly got back to his feet. "Then I may…?"

Kyurem huffed, glancing away as she wrapped Leshi in her wings. "Make sure I do not see him again."

"I am eternally grateful, ladies of truth and, erm, infinity," Rood stammered, bowing over and over as he grabbed Ghetsis by the collar and dragged the rambling man towards the cave entrance.

A woman in a sharply tailored suit with long styled lilac hair stepped into view, half a dozen male and female figures clad in black tactical gear spreading into the cave around her. "ROOD!" she barked, scowling when she saw the sage dragging Ghetsis towards her. "You are in some deep shit, old man."

"Yes. But I have accomplished what I set out to do," Rood replied calmly, flinging Ghetsis to crumple at the woman's feet. "I am fully in control of my own actions. I am aware of what I did." He stuck out his hands, turning his wrists up. "I surrender."

The woman stared at him, glancing down at Ghetsis before letting out a quiet sigh. "What a mess."

"HEY! She's still breathing! I need a medic over here!" The woman looked up at the call to see one of the Plasma members kneeling next to Fiona and waving urgently. "She's not going to last much longer!"

"That a pokegirl? Can we find her pokeball…?" the woman was beginning to ask when someone else stepped over.

"She doesn't like them," Nicholas explained, thanking the Plasma pokegirl who had helped him get back on his feet. "Also, she is completely unknown to science. A healing cycle might not do anything."

"Nicholas Topolski," the woman said. "I hear you've told some of our medics that before. Seems to be a recurring theme around you."

"Fiona is hanging on, but she is not immune to pain," Nicholas replied calmly. "I, and she, would be very grateful if you could simply help her."

"Oh, I'm not trying to bandy words when we've got injured," the woman snorted, another wave of figures rushing in with medical equipment bouncing about. "My people heard the magic word. 'Medic!'. They're not going to wait around after that."

Nicholas breathed a sigh of relief when Fiona was swarmed by the medical team. "Thank you."

"Part of the job," the woman replied. "I don't think we've met, Nicholas. But you know one of my men." She stuck out her hand. "Name's Anabel. I'd say you know two of my people, but 1309's not one of mine any longer."

Nicholas blinked. "You're Looker's boss."

"And a certain Buneary's, once upon a time," Anabel agreed. "How's she holding up, anyways? Saw what you did with her last year. Can't say I'm all that surprised at learning what a proper tamer could bring out of her. She was always one of our best."

"Miruko's doing well, thanks for asking," Nicholas replied, taking her proffered handshake. "You're a bit late though."

"From what I've gathered, we really are, aren't we?" Anabel sighed. "I mean I've also gathered that you could have waited a few hours for us to catch up, Neo Plasma wasn't going anywhere, but then when has your family ever been the one to wait for backup?" When Nicholas looked confused Anabel rolled her eyes. "Your wife. Sorry, fiancé."

"Oh. Oh, ha, that's right," Nicholas stammered, awkwardly scratching his head. "All those years ago, back at the… Yeah she was just supposed to be an advance scout, wasn't she. Um. As… As was I, wasn't I."

"Yes."

"Got nobody to blame for this one but myself, unfortunately," Nicholas said with a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that."

"Well at least you're not trying to bite my head off for your own folly. Unlike the last time," Anabel grumbled. "And it seems to have worked out. Again."

Nicholas' eyes fell. "Not at all as I'd hoped it would," he mumbled. "I nearly lost everything." He glanced back at Rood, the man still patiently holding his hands out for cuffs. "If it wasn't for Rood and the rest of Plasma, the true Plasma, I'd have been overrun before I even made it this deep."

"And if it wasn't for that other tamer we ran into in the bowels of the ship, hm?" Anabel asked. "He's fine, by the way, in case you were curious. A bit shaken up, and a bit cut up from dealing with one of the Shadow Triad, but he managed to keep them all under control until we got there. They're in custody. He and his harem are being treated for their injuries."

"The Liepard-"

"He told us," Anabel interrupted. "She will be returned to him instead of being confiscated with the rest of the Triad's victims. We're going to have a hell of a time rehabilitating them all and either returning them to their tamers or finding them new homes." Her eyes moved to Rood. "Would you put your hands down? Your arms must be getting tired by now."

"I broke the terms of my parole," Rood replied. "I knew the consequences."

Anabel groaned and began rubbing her face. "Yeah. You broke parole, vandalized state property by cutting off your ankle monitor, committed a felony by doing the same, went on to lead a vigilante force in dangerous and law-breaking acts that paralleled your sentencing crimes and would suggest, contrary to your plea, a complete lack of remorse… but you also were instrumental in the dismantlement of the terrorist cell you originally helped to create." She looked down at Ghetsis again. "Aided in the capture of a target we ourselves struggled to pin down."

"Two, actually," Nicholas piped up. "I assume you grabbed Zinzolin on the way in as well. Or is that five with the Triad? I wouldn't have been able to get their backs into a corner if not for Rood and his knights breaking Neo Plasma's lines."

"Yes, I am aware of how the numbers grow," Anabel hissed. "It's actually six, since the de facto leader surrendered peacefully to us as well. Not to mention however the hell you'd count that airship and everything on it." She sighed. "Protocol dictated downing you with rubber bullets the moment you stepped towards us. Shoving you into the deepest cell and leaving you there alongside this one." She nudged Ghetsis with her toe. "Protocol also dictated I arrest the man causing one of my agents to question her loyalty to the agency." She looked up to Nicholas. "As you might be able to guess, I've never really been one for strictly following protocol."

"Thanks, I think."

"Here's what happened," Anabel said to Rood. "And seriously, put those arms down. Your tracking device malfunctioned. Then you went with Officer Valquez here to get it fixed. And then you served the rest of your parole overseeing a sudden influx of refugee pokegirls that you have no idea the source of." She raised an eyebrow. "Am I understood?"

Rood lowered his hands and his head in a low bow. "I am forever grateful for your mercy, Miss Anabel."

"No, you're not, because you've never met me, and have no idea who I am," Anabel growled.

Rood immediately straightened back up. "I understand."

"Good." Anabel gestured and one of the operatives stepped forwards to give Rood a nod. "This is 'Valquez'. He took the long way to get to the Driftveil Courthouse. You're just very thankful he can vouch that you never once left the city after your monitor 'malfunctioned'."

"That's right."

"Good. Get out of here." Anabel watched Rood be escorted out of the cave before blowing another massive sigh. "Why can't you make things easy on me, Topolski?" she asked. "I've been dragged from my comfy Hoennian post across the bliddy planet by this point and everywhere I turn you're sticking your nose in my business." She turned to him. "I'm serious. Make things easy on me. People are already starting to ask unfortunate questions about you."

"I'm not somehow the mastermind behind all of these isolated incidents, if that's what they're thinking."

"Buddy I don't know what to think about you anymore," Anabel replied. "You've gone from being some kind of… what, ancient messiah to talking to the present-day gods and traveling to the space between dimensions? And now you've just… taken on the mantle of a hero from however many thousands of years ago and openly partnered with those same higher beings? All while supposedly harnessing the fabric of life itself I just- I sound crazy listing all this off! Right? It's crazy!" Anabel exclaimed. "It's like our Creator is playing some kind of sick joke and you're the punchline."

Nicholas grimaced. "Yeah, about that…"

"Don't," Anabel groaned, returning her hand to her face and massaging her temples. "Don't even say whatever you were about to say. I don't want to know. The only thing I want to know is whose side I'll find you on the next time I'm unfortunate enough to have us cross paths."

"Whichever side leads the world into a new age for humans and pokegirls alike," Nicholas replied. "A world where the eternal ones are not the living gods you know them as but are as well-known and understood as any other pokegirl. A world where humans and pokegirls, all pokegirls, are as equal to each other as they are to me."

"So if we cut through the flowery philosophy, the side that's guaranteed to give me more work," Anabel grumbled. "Great." She stuck out her hand. "Well. Until then, I guess, Nicholas. Until the next time something gets to blow up in my face."

Nicholas bit back a laugh as he shook. "Until then. By the way," he added as the two let go, "Miruko used to talk about someone posted in Hoenn as well. Something about the Battle Frontier there? Was that you?"

"Yeah. Was having a grand old time heading that tower before I got reassigned." Anabel rolled her eyes. "'Too valuable to not have you active in the field', they said. 'Your division is getting too large to sit around', they said. I'm still mad about it. Was the best vacation I've ever had."

"Heading… the tower."

"Yeah."

"The Battle Tower."

"Yup."

"You were sitting as a Frontier Brain?" Nicholas asked in shock. "And you considered that a vacation?"

"Sure was," Anabel said. "'Salon Maiden Anabel', they called me. Stupid name. The hair, I guess?" she said, turning to run her fingers through her long locks. "Never bothered arguing against it. Wasn't the point, and Scott's a weird one. He might have come up with something worse anyways." She snorted at the look Nicholas was giving her. "And yes, that does mean what you think it means. Maybe someday I'll introduce you to my girls. You know. If I haven't been sent after you yet."

"I can't wait," Nicholas replied sarcastically.

"I bet." Anabel nodded. "Looks like the medics are getting that friend of yours to her feet. Why don't you leave the rest of the cleanup to us."

Nicholas turned and, sure enough, Fiona was being helped to her feet. "Yeah. Sure. I can do that." He reflexively touched the pokeballs sitting safely once more on his belt. "I've got some heavily injured girls here to take care of."

"You taking the rest of them with you, or do I have to chase them out?" Anabel asked, pointedly looking towards where Leshi and Kyurem had walked over to join N and Zekrom.

"I'll handle it," Nicholas sighed. "See you around."

"Unfortunately."

Nicholas was shaking his head when he stepped over to meet Fiona. "Hey. How do you feel?"

Fiona let out a wincing breath. "I will live, my Lord."

"I'm thankful for that," Nicholas said quietly. "I'm not sure if you were meant to."

Fiona slowly moved her hand to touch a spot on her chest above her heart. "If I had not had you, my Lord, your influence, or your ally in Lady Leshi… Then no. I do not believe I would have. I would like to say that I would have still been successful in fulfilling my purpose, but even that is uncertain. What I know is that I would have given my life in its pursuit."

"Well that didn't happen," Nicholas said firmly, taking her by the shoulders and smiling at the shorter pokegirl. "It's over."

"Perhaps not, my Lord," Fiona said, turning to look at where the newly reformed Kyurem stood. "Will you stand with me? One more time, as I face her."

"You're not going to start a fight, are you?"

"That will be up to her to decide," Fiona replied quietly.

Nicholas nodded. "Alright. I will."

The group turned when Nicholas and Fiona approached. "My champion!" Leshi said happily, gesturing around her at the other two dragons. "Look! My sisters! Look at what they have become!"

Nicholas smiled at her and nodded at Zekrom, pausing when he looked to Kyurem in turn. "I see your time away together has been fruitful, N, Zekrom. We now have the true dragons of truth and ideals." He held his smile while he and Kyurem stared at one another. "And Kyurem. I will be blunt. When I came here, I expected one of us to be dead by the end of the day."

"My champion…" Leshi said nervously.

"And you were correct," Kyurem replied in a low rumbling growl. "It is why she is here as well, is it not?" Kyurem looked at where Fiona stood. "You came here to destroy this body."

"To stop you from destroying Unova," Fiona replied stiffly.

"And you succeeded," Kyurem said. "Will you listen with an open mind?"

"I'll hear you out," Nicholas said.

Kyurem nodded slightly. "I am not Kyurem."

Nicholas' eyebrow rose. "No? Then what are you?"

Kyurem glanced towards Leshi and Zekrom. "I am… Tirakan. Just as they are. But also something new. This body, is Kyurem, is the thing you came to slay, but… I, my mind, my… soul." She turned back to him and Fiona. "Kyurem, I, was empty. But now I feel my heart beat again. It is Tirakan's heart. My mind, formed of the pieces of my sisters they left within me. But my soul is my own. And so, I… I do not know what I am. Who, I am." Kyurem's eyes dropped. "I am Tirakan, I am Kyurem, I am Zekrom, I am Reshiram. And I am none of them at all."

"What an interesting outcome," Nicholas mused. "Truthfully, then, you may be as close to Tirakan as this world may ever see again."

Kyurem raised her eyes. "Then what am I?" she asked. "My sister trusts you, human. You stand with authority. Others give you their knee." She folded her wings in and did her best to match his stance. "I will go by your decision."

Nicholas grimaced. "Fiona, do you have any further obligation against the apparently newly formed eternal one who stands before you?"

Fiona glanced up and down Kyurem's body before slowly shaking her head. "The mindless thing I came to destroy no longer exists. Even if her body continues on I have no obligation against what has come to inhabit it."

"Then my answer is simple," Nicholas said, looking back at Kyurem. "Kyurem was not known to humanity but as a nightmare, a lost memory. Very few knew the truth – knew the beast. Just as the beasts of truth and ideals have faded into time, been reborn as the dragons they should be, so too should Kyurem. You have been reborn, and whatever you may be is up to you to decide. But to humanity, to the world, I would suggest you become Kyurem. The Kyurem who has become the dragon she should be. The Kyurem who will fill in the gaps her sisters leave and create, together, one complete whole. Together, Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem will stand as Tirakan once did alone."

Kyurem slowly nodded. "Thank you, human," she said softly. "I am content in your decision." She paused a moment. "You are my sister's champion, but do you think perhaps…?"

"He's MINE!" Leshi squealed, throwing her arms around Kyurem as the other dragon lightly protested. "Claws off!"

"I don't believe there's anything but a possessive dragon keeping me from being your companion, Kyurem," Nicholas said in amusement, "but I don't think this is the place to discuss that. The other humans here would like us to leave so they can handle the mess Ghetsis created."

"We should go home!" Leshi exclaimed. "Everyone, all of us!"

"I… suppose we can visit for a time," N said, exchanging a glance with Zekrom.

"As long as you allow me to stop at a pokecenter first I'm fine coming along too," Nicholas said. "How about you, Fiona?"

Fiona let out her breath and gripped the handle of her sword comfortingly. "I… will decline, my Lord. Your Ladies. I need some time, I believe. Time to reflect."

"Will I see you again?" Nicholas asked her.

Fiona didn't meet his eyes. "I do not see why I would not return to your side, my Lord, but I cannot tell you when that will be."

"I understand. Be safe." Nicholas turned to smile at N and the three dragons as Fiona bobbed her head and hurried from the cave. "To your home," he said with a laugh. "It has been many an age since Tirakan stood in her tower. It is about time her memory returned to it."

.

.

POKEDEX UPDATED

Tamer: Nicholas Topolski

Badges:

Basic Badge

Insect Badge

Bolt Badge

Quake Badge

Toxic Badge

Jet Badge

Legend Badge

Harem:

Kiana, Arcanine (Alpha) – Level 58

Adalinda, Serperior – Level 58

Jade, Golurk – Level 59

Melody, Seismitoad – Level 57

Cindy, Galvantula – Level 58

Silla, Zweilous – Level 58

Non-Com Harem:

Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 35
Cathy, Miltank – Level 72