Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
Warning: LONG!
BGM: Blueberry Academy (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk)
"So, where exactly did you find the Indigo Disk?" Mewtwo curiously asked.
"I was looking through Sada and Turo's files for any leads regarding Terapagos. Something that would get us access to the depths within Area Zero." Geeta explained. "That's when Rika got involved… I should've known she was upset with me, I recognized that look anywhere."
"And she didn't say anything until right at this moment?"
"I didn't want to repeat myself twice." Rika admitted.
"I see."
Geeta nodded. "Both of us looked for a clue as to where to find Terapagos, but then I had the idea to look into their lab at Poco Path, so we made our way over there and looked inside."
Pause BGM
Earlier…
"Hmm…" Rika looked at the computer and started typing on the dusty keyboard. "How… to… find… Terapagos…"
Geeta looked through various books. "Hmm… ancient Mega Evolutions that have been lost to time…"
"Hey, come look at this for a sec."
Geeta turned her head as she walked over to see what Rika was looking at. "A disc?"
"Apparently it's known as the Indigo Disk. It was hidden right before the tragedy." Rika said as she turned around toward the bookcase and walked toward it.
"It's in one of the books?" Geeta wondered. "Oh, one of them is a secret lever."
"Let's see… now where is-"
"The Most Boring Book in the World"
Rika blinked. "...That's what they went with?" She deadpanned as she pulled it, causing the bookcase to open up to reveal an elevator. Both of them went inside as they went down a floor until it arrived at its destination.
The room was dark, save for one spot that had a dim light shining over a glass case. They approached it, seeing a disc inside of it along with an inscription.
"For when we tame the Iron Serpent and Winged King, along with making a paradise for Arven, we shall use this Indigo Disk to extract Terapagos for another playmate for him. For now, the six beasts shall be Terapagos' protectors."
"Six beasts?" Rika raised an eyebrow.
"Fascinating…" Geeta mused as she lifted up the glass case and gently put it down as she gently picked up the Indigo Disk.
"So, where did they run off to?"
Geeta put the disk in the bag and put the glass case back on. "Blueberry Academy. It's in the Unova Region."
"Unova, huh? Let's go then."
"By the way, is something wrong? You just have that subtle change in your tone."
Rika stopped walking. "Nothing's wrong. Let's go surprise 'em."
Back in the present…
Resume BGM
"And you believed her."
Geeta shrugged. "She made it believable."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, suuuure."
"Still, now we have what we need to reunite Ogerpon with Terapagos." Mewtwo said. "...I do have some concerns regarding an individual, however."
"Oh? Who might that be?" Geeta wondered.
Meanwhile…
Kieran splashed water on his face from the sink, Nora's words being fully pressed in his brain as he looked at the mirror once he finished.
"What am I doing…?" He wondered to himself, closing his eyes and thought about his friendship with everyone in Kitakami before he fully snapped, chewing Carmine out and then changing for the worst.
"So this is just a setback."
"Huh?" Kieran wondered as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"You gotta destroy Ren no matter what! Don't let any of them tell you what you did was stupid. You fought your way to the top. Are you going to let that guy push you down after he defeated you? You got one last chance against him. Terapagos is within your grasp! Who cares what Nora says? Or anyone else for that matter? You must destroy him no matter what. Get Terapagos and drag Ren's name in the mud just like he did to you!"
What Kieran failed to see was that there was a dark aura surrounding his reflection.
"I gotta… beat Ren… Terapagos… is my last chance…"
Kieran took a deep breath.
"...Only when the time is right." He said as he turned around, recalling his memories with everyone before they were forced to keep Ogerpon a secret. A genuine smile crept up on his face.
Nearby…
"What?! Are you insane, Kokoron?!" Kotoko asked.
"Look, I know you have a horrible impression with him… I get it."
"Oho, that's an understatement! That shithead deserved everything he had coming from him."
"I know… but, please… just give him a chance. He might have gone back to the way he was after Ren clobbered him."
"Are you sure? Dude looked like a man on a mission the moment Terapagos was mentioned to be in Area Zero."
"You're one to talk."
"What do you-"
"The punching bags you turn into mush? You have that look in your eye before you destroy another one."
Kotoko blushed. "Okay, you got me there… but that's beside the point! There's no way I'd ever get along with that hothead."
"Hmm, a trait you share in common~"
"WHAT?! Oh, get real, Kokoron! There's no way he's as hot headed as I am, thank you very-" She paused, realizing what she just said. "...Oh, you suck."
Kokoro giggled. "As I said, just please give him a chance. Second encounters are way different than the first."
"Mmmph… oh… fine. If you insist. Only because you asked." She mumbled, playfully slugging her in the arm and then walked off. "Just don't expect things to be lighthearted."
"Oh, I'm sure it will~"
Briar walked over to the airships. "So this is what you were traveling in! My my… the aerodynamics of these beauties is incredible~" She said in awe.
"Are you sure you guys don't want to come?" Carmine asked.
"Nah, we'll hold down the fort. Besides, one of us needs to take a shower anyway." Crispin said.
"Aw come on, it's just one trash can. It's not like there's anything gross in there."
"Up! I don't want to hear it!" Lacey said, crossing her arms into an X before grabbing his arm. "You. Shower. NOW." She dragged him away.
"Wah! Hey! Hey! Let go! Agh, your grip is deceivingly strong! What does your dad make you eat? Are you listening? Let me go! HEY!"
Amarys chuckled. "We'll see you soon."
"Right." Carmine smiled, hugging Amarys as she turned around and headed toward the ship.
"You do not want to go?" Mewtwo asked.
"I still have some Hisuian Pokemon to revive. I'll see Area Zero for myself in due time." Colress said.
"Very well. Good luck with your endeavors."
"Same to you." Colress nodded as he watched them climb aboard the airships as they lifted up from the ground and took off back to Paldea.
"Safe travels!" Cyrano waved goodbye as he let out a happy sigh. "I sure hope Kieran's back to his old self."
End BGM
"Oh, smell that ocean breeze. I could get used to this." Briar said, closing her eyes as they flew through the air.
"I think the squirt would like this." Rika said, glancing at one airship to see Marnie taking the wheel. "Huh, a teenager steering a flying boat… not bad."
"You're taking this surprisingly well." Geeta said.
"You kiddin'? After that crazy weird blueberry jam pandemic we had several months ago, nothing surprises me anymore."
"Your outburst when you saw me says otherwise." Mewtwo said.
"...That's different!"
Nearby, Captain Toad shuddered. "To be honest, I'm glad we got out of there."
"What makes you say that?" Nyx asked.
"Well… let's just say there were several students that wouldn't stop hounding me."
"I'M NOT A TALKING AMOONGUS! GET AWAAAAY!" Captain Toad cried as he ran away from a stampede of Blueberry students.
"Hey, if anyone gets to chase and capture him, it's gonna be us!" Roy chased them down.
"Roy, NO!" Wendy chased after him.
Nyx sweatdropped. "That'll do it."
She glanced over at Dedede. "And how about you?"
"I showed 'em mah hammer and they backed away." Dedede said, casually leaning on his side and eating some fruit. "I ain't no Empoleon."
"Sounds about right." Nyx chuckled.
Carmen laughed. "Oh, you do a little exploring in that Chargestone Cavern area and you miss all the fun."
"How come you didn't use Brute Bonnet to drive them away?" Cian asked.
"Apparently he was fascinated with cameras and kept posing for everyone taking pictures while I was trying to get away from a hounding mob! You'd think they'd never seen an Amoongus before…"
Cian sweatdropped. "Oh."
Alessandra overheard him. "Ha! That Paradox Pokemon's gonna be a rising star, I can just see it now."
"I dunno if a walking dinosaur-like mushroom would be a great fashion model…" Coco said.
Alessandra shrugged. "Well, ya never know."
"Personally, I'd say Iron Bundle or a Flutter Mane would make a better fashion model than a Brute Bonnet." Coco said. "Hell, Miraidon could pull it off too."
"Miraidon, eh?" Alessandra hummed, an idea popping into her head. "Perhaps I oughta make my Pokemon stand out more~"
"...Coco? I think you just gave her an idea." Velvet said.
Coco chuckled. "You're welcome."
A few hours later…
"Hmmm…" Kieran folded his arms. "Sheesh, and I thought I had some baggage… you guys have been through the wringer." He said somberly, looking at Jade, Ruby, Kokoro, Cinder and Nyx. "Heck, I'd say that's about the same as Jinx's story. …Maybe."
He turned to Ruby. "All of that because of some mirror clone? I'm amazed you didn't snap earlier."
"Trust me, I'm surprised I held it in for as long as I had…"
"How's the plant arm?"
Ruby smiled. "Oh, I'm used to it by now. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss my biological arm… but honestly?" She created a rose with her arm. "I wouldn't be able to make things prettier."
"Whoa… out of your palm too. Wish I had an arm like that." Kieran said as dread overcame him. "...On second thought, I think I'll pass."
"I don't know why but I feel like I've dodged a bullet with my arms." Cinder said. "I guess I should be thankful."
"Although, this does seem kinda… silly." Kieran said as he turned to Jade. "I can understand your grief, but… don't you think you were a little too hard on Myra? Yeah, what happened sucked but that was more of an accident, right? Seems a bit one-sided…"
Jade sighed. "I know… I've been slowly coming to terms with it." She said as Nyx wrapped an arm around her.
"I know I'm like, the least qualified person out here but… I will admit that grief makes anyone do anything irrational. So I kinda understand why you would point fingers at Myra, but at the same time, it was an accident. No one knew about the crystal that made this King Boo guy go crazy. Sure, several hundred years later, he killed your parents but… is Myra really to blame?"
Kieran looked away with a small blush. "Sorry if it sounds like I'm a broken record… I'm assuming other people talked to you about it."
"You're not the first…" Jade rubbed her arm. "Honestly, I should've just properly grieved from the beginning and not just cast it aside… it's taking me a while to get around to apologizing to Myra."
Kieran softly smiled. "Well… I'm not sure what Myra would do, but I think she'll give you a big ol' hug when you finally come around."
He looked up at the sky. "Heh, look at me, talking about this while I haven't crossed that bridge yet…"
"I'm sure you'll patch things up with Carmine." Cinder said.
"Maybe…"
Kieran turned his attention to Kokoro. "So… what are your friends like? I see you hang around them a lot."
"Oh, them? Well, I guess I could tell you their story but I think it'd be better if they told you." Kokoro said.
"I could chime in if you want." A voice said as they saw Masaru approach. "We know the story by heart more than anyone."
"Alright… spill it. Can't be any worse than what these guys experienced."
Later…
"Alright, we're here!" Bowser said.
Kieran sat on the deck completely bug eyed. "...I am never going to get another teddy bear for as long as I live…"
"I think you broke him." Flandre him.
"You probably should've given him the short and sweet version." Nagisa said.
"That was the short and sweet version." Masaru argued.
"Note to self, stay away from anyone named Monica or… any Monica spelt differently…"
"Yeah, you definitely broke him." Mabel agreed.
They soon made their way to the base and walked in. "Hey, isn't that a teleporter?" Arven wondered, pointing toward it.
"Hey, it is." Penny walked over to get a good look at it. "Says we can go into one of the four labs. You wanna go into the fourth one?"
"Actually, how about we take the first one? I'd like to see what all of Area Zero has to offer." Briar requested.
"I was about to suggest the same thing because these guys haven't seen anything like it." Nyx said, pointing her thumb to the others.
I might have~ Futaba thought with a knowing smile.
"Kieran might want to too." Carmine said. "Right?"
"Huh? Oh! Sure… I wouldn't mind." Kieran nodded.
"Rika, I know that look in your eyes… you want to come with." Geeta said.
"Damn straight I do. I want to see this for myself just to see how crazy these people are for going in here in the first place."
"Oh, don't feel too bad… most of them skydived without a parachute~" Geeta hummed as she walked forward.
"...I'm sorry, they did WHAT NOW?!" Rika yelled in shock as they went into the teleporter after Penny set in the coordinates.
BGM: Area Zero (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
Once all of them had teleported, they walked out of the lab to see the beauty of Area Zero.
"Whoa…" Iris said.
"Dang… I've got no words here." Rantaro said.
"Wow! It's beautiful…" Jade said.
"It's even prettier in person." Futaba said to herself. …I gotta bring Chiaki here. I know how much she loves this place.
Myra's eyes sparkled. "Goodness, and I thought the Kingdom of Myths was gorgeous!"
"It's pretty, but I'm a bit uneasy." Rika said.
"My word… to think Terapagos is somewhere in this beautiful area~" Briar gushed.
Kieran looked around in awe, his eyes widening. "Whoa… this is… incredible." He said as he looked over the railing, seeing how far it went down. "Goodness!"
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Carmine smiled, standing next to him and looking over the landscape, watching several Venomoth fly around with Corviknight and Braviary.
"Yeah… I'm honestly jealous that this is your second visit." Kieran admitted. "Why didn't you take me with you?"
"You stormed off."
"...Oh. Right." Kieran frowned. "Yeah, that… that wasn't my proudest moment…" He mumbled as Carmine looked at him, gently rubbing his back as he gave her a soft smile before walking away.
"Pona Pon!" Ogerpon called out to them as she started to move down.
"Hey, wait up!" Ren walked after her with everyone following.
"I wonder if this place is well documented…" Briar wondered, seeing a few Pawmot running around.
"We have some notes." Cian said as he and Zinnia handed over what they had documented.
"Oh my!" Briar mused as she looked them over. "The beauty of Area Zero, the Pokemon who live in it, the ecosystem, the Paradox Pokemon, the… tragedy of the professors?" She tilted her head. "What had befallen those two? I was really good friends with them and then their emails just stopped."
"Two unstable Paradox Pokemon killed them." Zinnia explained.
"...Oh." Briar winced. "That's unfortunate. Did they leave behind any family members?"
"That'd be me. They were my parents." Arven said.
"Oh, you poor thing… I am so sorry for your loss."
"Eh… I'm over it."
Briar nodded as she looked back at the Paradox Pokemon in the notes. "So these Pokemon were brought in from the past and future, but the Tera Crystals that Terapagos had made mutated them into different creatures entirely? Fascinating!"
"We have a few of them on hand." Ruby said.
"Oh, do you now? Let me see 'em!" Briar requested as they sent them out.
"Wh-whoa!" Kieran exclaimed, taking a step back in shock.
"Intriguing~!" Briar said as she examined them all. "A Jigglypuff, an Amoongus, Misdreavus, two Volcarona and two Donphan, a Delibird, a Hydreigon, a Tyranitar, a Salamence and a… Gardevoir/Gallade hybrid! Oh, and two Cyclizar."
"There's also a Paradox Hariyama that an acquaintance of ours has." Mewtwo added.
"Even a Hariyama? That's good to know… I wonder if there's more like a Pikachu or Eevee. Or someone like you."
"I think I would know if Mew got himself another clone."
"I wonder if this Jigglypuff still sings lullabies… can you sing for us?" Rika asked.
"Wait, I wouldn't do that…!" Geeta tried to warn.
"PURIN PUUUUURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"
"Mmmph!" Rika whimpered, Mewtwo telekinetically covering her ears in time. "...Death metal… good to know…"
"Doesn't it have such a melodious voice~?" Nemona giggled.
"MELODIOUS?! Are you crazy?!" Kieran and Penny exclaimed in unison.
"I think you've gone partially deaf!" Carmine sweatdropped.
"I'm so glad Yagami covered our ears…" Iris grimaced.
"I've heard some very loud ghostly shrieks in my life, but that? It makes even the loudest screaming banshee sound like a whisper…" Jade said.
"I mean, it is called Scream Tail." Futaba pointed out.
"Well! That's one way to start your day in the wee hours of the morning." Briar hummed as the Paradox Pokemon were brought back into their balls.
"So, fair warning… these Paradox Pokemon are pretty strong." Nyx warned. "Apparently, they're on the power level of some of the weaker Legendary Pokemon…"
She shifted her eyes toward Umber. "If… Umber's creepy Pokedex is anything to go by. Seriously, is there a way to make him non-creepy?"
"I've looked through his settings. There's no way to turn his creepiness levels off." Umber sighed in defeat.
His Rotom Dex popped up. "You can't get rid of my charming personality~! Bzzt!"
""Charming" isn't the word I'd use…" Umber deadpanned.
"Aw come on, we think his creepy personality is adorable~!" Yagami smiled.
"Don't encourage him!" Umber moaned.
"Finally! Someone appreciates me! Bzzzt!" Rotom said proudly.
"It is like us!" Agni said.
"Demonic!" Rudra said.
"One of us! One of us!" Both chanted.
"I dunno… I'm not exactly a sword…" Rotom mused.
"Oh right, I forgot you had those talking swords." Cinder said.
"Somehow, I'm glad our Rotom Phones don't exactly talk…" Hop said as the other trainers agreed.
"Well, there's my Rotom Scroll and he can be chatty if he wants to be." Ruby said.
"Bzzzt, that's right!"
"Eh, ye gottae special one for that, Rubes." Gloria pointed out.
Ruby shrugged. "I'll take it."
"On that note!" Rotom turned to Gloria. "Yours wants to perform medical malpractice! Not even I can approve of that!"
"WOT?!" Gloria pulled hers out and looked at it. "Wot the fock do ye mean ye wannae commit medical malpractice?!" She exclaimed, causing her Rotom Phone to sweat nervously while also shooting a "Why'd you rat me out?!" look at the Rotom Dex.
"I think your Rotom Phone would fit well in the Koopa Troop." Marnie teased.
"Not helpin', lass!" Gloria grumbled, causing Marnie to giggle.
"Great, a Rotom being a quack… we're doomed." Bede grimaced.
"Mikan's gonna be stressed out, I can just see it now." Weiss said.
"A Rotom in the medical field… I'm curious to see how that'd play out." Sonia mused, picturing a scenario in her head that made her immediately grimace. "Nessa, I deeply apologize for what just happened…" She muttered to herself.
"The camaraderie is incredible…" Kieran noted as they continued to work their way down Area Zero. He flashbacked to his friendship with Ren and the others back on Kitakami. He turned his head to see Erza chatting with Hiyoko, Mahiru, Jinx and Perrin while riding on Basalt.
I'm surprised no one freaked out over Mahiru's beast…
"So uh… Kokoron? What's the rest of your team like? Aside from that horrid backstory involving Monaca?"
"Oh! Well, let's see-"
Later, down into the crystalized caverns…
"So let me get this straight… you pushed back all of these monsters by yourself?" Rantaro asked, seeing an Anjanath minding its own business.
"Yup! I even pushed away that big guy." Nemona pointed toward a Rajang.
"...Oh…!" Kieran grimaced at the sight of it as the Rajang seemed to be glaring at Yang, who looked back at it, both of them narrowing their eyes before giving a nod of respect as the Rajang turned around and walked the other way.
"Doesn't feel like fighting today." Yang said.
Rika glanced over at Mewtwo. "They handled them on their own?"
"Yes."
"...Sheesh, I might have underestimated them."
"Ponya! Pon Pon Pon!" Ogerpon cried as she made her way to the lab.
"Is that it?" Jade wondered.
"That's the one." Nyx nodded as they went after the eager ogre.
"Ponya Pon Pon Poni!" Ogerpon waved her arms toward Ren. "Poni!"
"We're comin'." Ren chuckled as Geeta walked up to the machine and pulled out the Indigo Disk, inserting it inside.
"ZERO LAB TELEPORTER REDIRECTED TO AREA ZERO UNDERDEPTHS."
"And here we go." Briar said as the doors opened up where everyone walked inside, Ogerpon eagerly running in.
Once they were inside…
"Oh, where was the button for that teleporter again?" Alessandra wondered.
"I think it was over here…?" Gloria thought aloud.
"No, it's gotta be over here… I think." Marnie said.
"Maybe it's here? …It's been a while." Blake admitted.
"Hmm?" Kieran shifted his eyes as he pressed a button out of curiosity, causing the teleporter to open up. "Oh!"
"Hey, way to go, little guy!" Jinx smiled, ruffling up his head with a grin.
"Ahehehe…" Kieran blushed a little as they wandered into the teleporter one by one.
BGM: Area Zero Depths (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk)
"Wow! It's so pretty down here!" Ruby said.
"A little musty for my liking… but it's okay." Cinder shrugged.
Geeta spotted a journal as she curiously approached it. "Oh… more journal entries."
"More of 'em?" Rika wondered.
"A massive cavern exists beneath Area Zero, and there slumbers Terapagos, the hidden treasure of Area Zero. Its body has become crystal, protecting it from hostile outsiders. It appears that rousing it will take some time. In this cavern, we have witnessed the Terastal phenomenon occurring in a way we've never seen aboveground—Terastallization that appears to hold the power of every known type. My husband has dubbed this Tera Type the Stellar type for now. Could Terapagos's influence be at play?"
"Stellar form? Terastalization can go beyond?" Arven wondered.
"Ooooh, that's so awesome~!" Nemona's eyes sparkled.
"We are calling the area found below Area Zero the Area Zero Underdepths. From the composition of the rock, we would date the cavern's formation to two million years ago. There are indications that many objects—or creatures perhaps—filled the space prior to the current cavern's formation.
The depths bottoms out approximately thirty three hundred feet beneath the surface. There are indications of numerous past cave-ins, likely resulting from tectonic activity and erosion caused by rainwater or groundwater, but it appears that the ground has remained stable since the last major cave-in."
"Okay, so… this place is highly unstable. Great." Weiss said.
"We should be fine for now." Mewtwo responded.
"I sure hope so." Hiyoko agreed. "The last thing I want is to be pancaked by the earth itself."
"Agreed." Carmine nodded.
"Ponya Pono!" Ogerpon said as she eagerly led the way.
"She's been down here before?" Kieran wondered.
"This is where she and her friend met Terapagos." Carmine explained.
"Ah, right…" Kieran nodded as they followed Ogerpon. Excitement slowly started to build within him, but he had to keep himself in check… for now.
Everyone walked after Ogerpon while Mahiru and Perrin took pictures of the beauty of the underground while also making sure not to fall into the chasm below.
"Poni…?" Ogerpon wondered, curiously looking at a crystal wall as she gently tapped it. "Poni Pono Pon?"
"I take it it wasn't there before?" Mewtwo asked as Ogerpon nodded. "Hmm… fascinating."
"Was there someone else who came after Ogerpon that tried to used Terapagos nefariously and it fought back?" Nyx guessed.
"Well, I wouldn't put it past it." Jataro said.
"HIYAH!" Flandre gave it a good kick, but it didn't shatter. She then aimed her hand at the crystal and clenched her fist, but no crystalized explosion occurred. "...Okay, what gives?"
"Tera Crystals that can withstand the power of a vampire…" Dipper brought out his journal and wrote it down. "Fascinating."
"Let me give it a try." Kotoko said as she closed her eyes and awakened the power of Athena.
"Whoa!" Kieran said in surprise, his eyes widening as he slowly backed up. Holy Arceus, I messed with the wrong girl… the power that's radiating off of her must be-
"HIYAAAAAAAAAH!" Kotoko gave a very solidly strong punch, but to her dismay, the Tera Crystals didn't budge an inch. "...Ooooh! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" Kotoko pulled away while shaking her hand and blowing on her throbbing knuckles.
-...Very anti-climactic. Kieran deadpanned.
Dipper scribbled in his notebook. "And withstand the power of a teenage goddess."
"Do you HAVE to write that down?!" Kotoko asked while Kokoro applied bandages on her knuckles. "Kokoron, I'm fine."
"Better to be safe than sorry. Besides, you don't have aura."
"Oh please, like a cut from a dusty Tera Crystal will do that much damage to me." Kotoko huffed, causing Kokoro to give her an annoyed look. "...What's with that look?"
Kokoro lightly smacked her upside the head.
"Ooof! I was just kidding! Sheesh…" Kotoko shifted her eyes to Masaru. "I dunno if you or Chels rubbed off on her…"
"Whatever do you mean~?" Masaru casually asked.
"Okay, so power won't do anything… good to know. I was about to do it my own way." Yang said.
"Glimmo…"
Pause BGM
They all turned to see a Glimmora approaching, and before they knew it, it Terastalized.
BGM: Battle! Wild Pokemon - Area Zero (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
"GLIMMOOOOORRRRAAAA!"
To their surprise, the Tera crystal looked completely different.
"Is this Stellar?!" Alessandra asked.
"It has to be!" Hop nodded.
"I'll handle this." Rika said, sending out her Clodsire where they proceeded to battle where it soon ended with Glimmora being knocked out.
"Siiiiire!" Clodsire cried as the Tera Crystal gate faded away… and they all heard growling as they turned to see a raptor-like Suicune approaching alongside a robotic Virizion.
"More Paradoxes?! And it's a Suicune and Virizion?!" Carmine said in shock.
Cian immediately scanned the Paradox Suicune while Alessandra scanned the other.
"Walking Wake, the Paradox Pokemon. This ferocious creature is shrouded in mystery. It's named after an aquatic monster mentioned in an old expedition journal. It is thought to be Suicune's original form before it perished in the flames of the Brass Tower in Johto."
"Iron Leaves, the Paradox Pokemon. According to the few eyewitness accounts that exist, it used its shining blades to julienne large trees and boulders. It is thought that a crisis turned a Virizion into a robotic knight."
At that moment, Victor's Pokeball opened up as Virizion came out.
"Incredible… a robotic version of me and my brothers…" She whispered as she approached her robotic counterpart. "I had sensed something amiss from this place… now I understand why."
"A Paradox version of Suicune and Virizion?" Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. "So these must be the classified Paradox Pokemon that the professors had mentioned… and if this is the case, then a Paradox version of the other Legendary Beasts and Sword trio must exist as well!"
Walking Wake let out a cry and unleashed Hydro Steam while Iron Leaves unleashed Psyblade, but Virizion immediately countered with Sacred Sword while Dedede got in the way and swallowed up the water before spitting it back out.
"Leave these fools to us!" Dedede said, readying his hammer as they quickly went around the duo and ran off.
"You ready, Virizion?" Victor asked.
"Yes." Virizion nodded.
End BGM
Resume Area Zero Depths BGM
The group made their way through the pathway as they came across a narrow passage, forcing them to stay in a single file while some curious Carbink watched them intently until they spotted another blocked path.
"I have a feeling we're going to be dealing with more Paradoxes. We must be on our guards." Mewtwo said.
"You think they'll be okay?" Jataro asked.
"They'll be fine." Umber responded as they saw a Stellar Noivern flying toward them.
Pause BGM
BGM: Battle! Wild Pokemon - Area Zero
"I got it!" Nora said, calling out her Pawmot who immediately used Discharge to knock down the Noivern, and then went ahead and used Close Combat to knock out the Stellar'd Pokemon.
The crystals opened up as two more Paradoxes came out, this time a ceratopsian-looking Entei with a large headpiece and a robotic Terrakion walked out, causing the twins to scan the duo.
"Gouging Fire, the Paradox Pokemon. There are scant few reports of this creature being sighted. One short video shows it rampaging and spouting pillars of flame. There are rumors speculating that Gouging Fire was startled and accidentally caused the Brass Tower in Johto to burn and caused the three Beasts to perish before Ho-Oh resurrected and transformed into what they are today."
"Iron Boulder, the Paradox Pokemon. It resembles a Pokémon described in a dubious magazine as a Terrakion that had been modified by an evil organization."
"Poor guy…" Alessandra frowned.
Gouging Fire roared, channeling its fiery power and daring anyone to attack it with Burning Bulwark while Iron Boulder charged in with Mighty Cleave, but Bowser jumped in and grabbed it with his hands before flipping the robotic Terrakion over.
"I'll handle these brutes!" Bowser said as everyone went further in. However, he was joined by Bowsette, Rei and the Koopalings.
"Like we're going to let you have all the fun, bro!" Bowsette said, getting in a stance with a smirk.
"First one to knock down the other cleans the other's feet for a week?"
"You're on, lizard butt!"
"At times like this, I'm glad I'm an only child…" Rei sighed.
"You're missing out!" Everyone said as they went to work on the two, causing Rei to sweatdrop.
End BGM
Resume Area Zero Depths BGM
"Hmm…" Mewtwo folded his arms. "I wonder…"
"You got something?" Geeta asked.
"These Paradox Pokemon seem to be guardians of the Depths."
"Ya know, come to think of it, we saw a plaque regarding how Terapagos was protected by six guardians while we were looking for the disc." Rika said.
"I see… so the professors must have thought Terapagos needed protection."
"Poni Pon Pon?" Ogerpon wondered.
"They might not be reasoned with until they are knocked down."
"Pona…"
"We'll be fine, Ogerpon. We're getting that much closer to Terapagos."
"Oh, I can't wait to see what it looks like!" Alessandra smiled as they came across two Stellar Paradox Pokemon, which were another Sandy Shocks and Iron Thorns, who were quickly taken down by Ruby and Weiss, both of them high fiving as Ruby recalled Scarlet while Manaphy climbed up on her shoulders.
Once the crystal wall disappeared, everyone expected the last two to attack, but no one lashed out at them. With a nod, they lowered their Pokeballs and went inside, going down a spiralling walkway.
"Man, how deep does this go? I know it said thirty three hundred but it feels like more than that." Myra said.
"I'm sure we'll reach the end soon." Futaba said as they reached another crystal wall, and there was a watery path leading somewhere. "I got it!"
Futaba activated her maiden powers and flew through the watery terrain, causing Kieran to look at her in surprise.
"Okay… I wasn't expecting… that to happen."
"She's full of surprises." Jade smiled.
"Tell me about it."
End BGM
BGM: Battle! Wild Pokemon - Area Zero
Futaba reached a crystalized Tera tree, and in front of it was a Stellar Garganacl. She sent out Spooks as they both attacked each other head on, but in the end, Spooks knocked down the Garganacl.
"Good boy!" Futaba smiled, petting him on the forehead as they heard roaring nearby. "Oh, that's our cue."
On the other side, along with some wild Carbink and Glimmora that decided to attack them, stood a Raikou with a sauropod-like neck and a robotic Cobalion.
"Raging Bolt, the Paradox Pokemon. It's said to incinerate everything around it with lightning launched from its fur. Very little is known about this creature. A few rumors indicate that Raging Bolt accidentally burned down the Brass Tower unlike Gouging Fire. Regardless, this Pokemon was reborn into Raikou."
"Iron Crown, the Paradox Pokemon. There was supposedly an incident in which it launched shining blades to cut everything around it to pieces. Little else is known about it."
The Iron Crown let out a sharp cry and unleashed Tachyon Cutter, but it was quickly intercepted by Kartana.
"Again! I cut worthless object! Again again!"
"Leave these two to me." Sonia said, sending out Guzzlord.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Guzzlord screamed, causing Raging Bolt to flinch while everyone else had the idea to cover their ears in time.
…Everyone but Kieran.
"Gah! What the hell…?!" Kieran grimaced as Carmine grabbed his arm as they quickly escaped.
"Amazing! It really does sound like an elderly person screaming!" Briar said while taking a note of it.
End BGM
"Okay, what is it with Pokemon and screaming?" Rika wondered. "First a Paradox Jigglypuff, then THAT thing… I'm just glad we don't have the Whismur line running around Paldea!"
"You mean this lil' guy?" Zinnia asked, casually sending out her Whismur.
"Whismur…?"
"Oh shit!" Rika flinched. "Uh… hey little guy…! Uh… please don't evolve into a Loudred and then an Exploud later on… I like my hearing!"
The Whismur tilted his head.
"Whis?"
"Oh, don't mind her, she's just a wimp." Zinnia said.
"I'm not a wimp!" Rika shot back.
"We should be close…" Mewtwo said, holding Ogerpon in place since she was getting ready to high tail it to Terapagos, not that she cared as she was hopelessly running as fast she could in mid-air. "Calm yourself, little one."
"Poni…" Ogerpon blushed once she realized she wasn't going anywhere.
Once they settled down, they started walking toward their final destination.
"Ya know, I'm surprised Guzzlord's screaming didn't cause this place to cave in." Futaba said.
"I was about to say that too. I didn't see one rock fall." Nyx said.
"Must be Guzzlord-proofed." Rantaro said.
"That was thought of two thousand years ago?" Penny asked. "I doubt it."
Rantaro shrugged. "Eh, then I got nothin'."
"Maybe it's not as unstable as it's claimed." Iris guessed.
"Here's hoping." Nagisa nodded as they walked into the final chamber where they spotted a large rock at the end of the room.
"Pona!" Ogerpon eagerly ran over, but suddenly, Kieran ran past her, nearly knocking her down as he got to the diamond-like rock. "Poni?"
"Wow, someone's eager to play with Terapagos." Carmine playfully teased.
"A little too eager…" Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. "What are you up to?" He asked, already knowing his intentions as Kieran grabbed onto the stone.
"What does it look like…" Kieran said as he tries to pull it. "I just want to beat Ren one time! That's all that matters now… I've got nothing else to lose."
"You're going to use Terapagos to beat Ren." Mewtwo said.
"Beat me…?" Ren wondered. "Kieran, is this-"
"What does it matter?!"
BGM: Luma (Super Mario Galaxy)
Kieran struggled to pull it out. "You're one of the most powerful trainers I know… and you have it all! Friends, family, Pokemon, willpower… no matter where you go, you make tons of friends! You even managed to get my sister on your side!"
Carmine frowned. "Kiki…"
"Even Ogerpon… the one I was so attached to and even she got to be with you! You have it all…"
Tears formed in his eyes.
"I wanted to be strong like you, and I came close… all I ever wanted was to beat you, be the strongest I ever was… I thought we could be equal, but…"
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I've lost EVERYTHING! Power, friends, status… I've got nothing."
"Kieran, this isn't about power or any of that stuff. I didn't wake up one day and wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer. I didn't even know they existed until I went on some adventures. I captured some, but power wasn't what I was aiming for. All I thought about was friendship."
"You're just saying that to cheer me up… you're lying! Just like all those times you've taunted me!"
"Taunted you? What are you on about?"
Carmine sighed. "My friends brought me up to speed. Apparently he's been seeing versions of you that taunt him, forcing him to get recklessly stronger as some kind of motivation."
Ren frowned. "Is this true, Kieran?"
"Does it matter if it's true?! I just wanted to be like you… but you pushed me away just so you could have Ogerpon all to yourself! I looked up to you…"
Before anyone could say anything, Kieran managed to get the stone free from the Tera Crystals, but he tripped and fell on his butt as the stone flew into the air and dropped to the ground.
End BGM
At that moment, the stone started glowing brightly, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.
Once the light faded…
"Terapaaa!"
They all looked to see Terapagos.
"It's… so cute!" Ruby gushed.
"Aww, who's a cute picturesque little guy~?" Mahiru smiled, as she and Perrin snapped some pictures of it while Alessandra scanned Terapagos.
"Terapagos, the Tera Pokemon. Terapagos protects itself using its power to transform energy into hard crystals. This Pokémon is the source of the Terastal phenomenon. It's thought that this Pokémon lived in ancient Paldea until it got caught in seismic shifts and went extinct."
"Just as I had feared…" Alessandra said quietly.
BGM: Terapagos Captured (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk)
"Ponya! Pono Pono!" Ogerpon waved Terapagos over.
"Terapa!" Terapagos' eyes sparkled as he went over to reunite with her while also being interested in Alessandra.
Kieran gasped, having a horrific feeling that Ren was going to capture Terapagos too, considering he was near Alessandra.
"No!" Kieran pulled out a Master Ball. "YOU'RE MINE!"
Alessandra's eyes widened, quickly bringing out her own Master Ball and threw it to try to intercept him.
Both Master Balls slammed into each other and knocked each other back. However, Kieran's Master Ball touched the back end of Terapagos, pulling it in.
Click!
End BGM
"P-Pono…?!" Ogerpon said in shock.
"You… you denied a heartfelt reunion just to inflate your fragile ego…" Hiyoko trembled with rage. "Kieran, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
"Whoa now!" Mahiru instinctively held her back.
"Let go of me! I want to clobber this idiot!"
"I know what he did was stupid but relax…!" Mahiru grunted while nearby, Mewtwo was holding back Erza just in case, as she was trying to contain herself.
"You absolutely fool." Mewtwo scolded. "What will you gain from this?"
"I…" Kieran chuckled, wiping his eyes as he picked up the Master Ball. "I just wanted to-"
"Prove that you're better than him? Then prove it. Show us that you have what it takes to command a Legendary Pokemon."
"Wait, are you-... what are you doing?!" Weiss wondered.
"Making him prove a point."
"I don't think that would be such a wise idea…" Geeta said.
"Hey, if the kid's eager…" Rika said.
"While I am all for witnessing history… I do feel this is a bit overblown." Briar said. "Kieran, are you sure-"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Kieran said. "Face me here and now, Ren. The ogre versus Terapagos!"
"Kieran-"
"NOW!"
Ren sighed, motioning Ogerpon to get into a fight.
"Ren… you don't have to do this." Nora said.
"I'm going to put an end to this." Ren said as Ogerpon got into position.
"Alright, Terapagos… let's knock her down!" Kieran called him out.
"Pago!" Terapagos smiled, then looked at his sad friend. "Pagogo?"
"Poni Pon Pon…"
"Terapa?!" Terapagos frowned sadly. "Pago Pa…"
"Terapagos! Attack Ogerpon!"
Terapagos refused to listen as both he and Ogerpon looked at each other sadly, not one of them wanting to hurt the other.
"...What? Why aren't you listening? Do whatever it takes and knock that ogre do-"
"Kieran, don't you see? Terapagos doesn't want to hurt his friend just as Ogerpon doesn't want to either. You're forcing two friends to fight."
"Okay, then have Ogerpon attack Terapagos so he can counter attack!"
No movement.
Kieran's eyes widened as he knelt down next to Terapagos. "Look, I know you're sad, but you gotta attack her for me. Look, I'll even give you this chocolate bar. You want it? It's good!"
Terapagos looked the other way.
"You don't like chocolate? But… come on, work with me here!"
"Just as I had predicted." Mewtwo said.
"This is just sad…" Silver frowned.
"Kieran…" Ren frowned. "I know you want to fight, but consider their feelings…"
"Are you crazy?!" Kieran exclaimed. "I've worked very hard up for this moment!"
The dark aura returned, and this time it was really intense.
"Terapagos… obliterate them!"
"Terapo…"
"Come on, come on… think…" Kieran groaned before an idea came to him. "Wait a second… Mrs. Briar! You said something about Terapagos' power being unleashed through Terastalization, right?"
"Yes. I did bring that up in class…" Briar nodded. "Why, in any other circumstance, the thought of seeing it in person would be excit-"
"Then that's what I'm going to do!" Kieran raised his Tera Orb high into the air.
Mewtwo's eyes widened. "Think about this rationally! You do not know what you're about to unleash!"
"Kiki, stop!" Carmine pleaded.
"Don't do it!" Sun called out to him.
"Let's think rationally!" Pit added.
Kieran ignored them as he threw the Tera Orb directly toward Terapagos, proceeding to forcibly Terastalize him into his Stellar form.
"T-Terapa… Pa… pagos…!" Terapagos cried, feeling pain all throughout his body. "Pago PagoPa!"
"Poor thing sounds like he's hurting!" Zinnia said.
"Kieran… you're putting him through agonizing pain!" Ren said.
"I. Don't. Care. This is my moment! I WILL defeat you here and now!" Kieran exclaimed.
BGM: Battle! Terapagos (Phase 1)
A chill ran through Umber's body, feeling as if something was off. He immediately summoned his Keyblade right as dark portals opened up where Heartless came gushing out alongside an Orcus and some Rock Troll Heartless.
"Yagami, on me!" Umber said.
"Right!" Yagami jumped in with him.
"He's attracting Heartless!" Ruby exclaimed.
Magic swirled around Myra's body. "I got 'em!" She jumped in to help out, as Pit, Marnie, Cinder, Futaba and Erza went to accompany them.
"Tera… Pa…"
Terapagos' eyes started glowing brightly.
"TERAPAAAAAGAAAAAAAA!"
Suddenly, bright flashes of light shot out and struck the crystal walls, causing the cave to start collapsing.
"Huh?!" Kieran exclaimed in shock.
"Xena!" Yagami yelled.
"I'm on it!"
Xena came out and quickly proceeded to telepathically try to hold the cave in place while more Heartless started to show up.
"No… no, this wasn't supposed to happen…! I… gah!" Kieran yelped, nearly dodging an attack.
"TERAPAAAAAAAA!"
"Pono Poniiii!"
"Terapagos! Calm down! This isn't-"
An idea came to Kieran. "Oh…!" He pulled out his Master Ball and threw it back at Terapagos, pulling him into it. "There we-"
Suddenly, the Master Ball exploded as Terapagos had burst out and continued his rampage. "Gah!" Kieran yelped as he saw the Master Ball in pieces in front of him. "...No way…!"
"Incredible… not even a Master Ball could contain the full might of Terapagos!" Mewtwo said in awe.
Suddenly, Kieran was forcibly grabbed by the collar by an angry Kotoko, all the while everyone else was either dealing with Heartless or trying not to get killed by Terapagos' rampage.
"You…" She brought him close to his face. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
Fear wrapped around Kieran as he tried to escape her tight grip. "Kotoko, I-I… I didn't mean for this to-"
"Don't "Kotoko" me, you reckless jerk!" Kotoko said as some beams of energy nearly hit them while forcing Nemona and Arven to get out of the way while she was violently shaking Kieran. "YOU'VE JUST PUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE IN SERIOUS DANGER AFTER YOU CAUSED TERAPAGOS TO BE ON A RAGE INDUCED TERASTALIZED RAMPAGE AND YOU ATTRACTED THE HEARTLESS, ALL BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL FUCKING SORE OVER REN BEATING YOU, AND IT'S ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!"
"WAAAAAAAAHHHH! I'M SORRRRRRYYYYYY!" Kieran exclaimed with swirly eyes.
Kokoro tried to pry the two apart. "Kotoko, calm down…!"
"Let him go, Kotoko! He's not worth it!" Masaru grunted, trying to help his girlfriend prying them apart.
Kieran's eyes were replaced with hopelessness. "I'm sorry… I-I didn't mean to…!"
"Hey! If you have time to strangle him, you've got time to stop Terapagos from destroying us all!" Mahiru called out as Basalt quickly got in her way to block a Tera Starstorm and then a pounding from a Rock Troll.
"Rgh… fine…" Kotoko dropped him and shot him a glare. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, we got a Legendary Pokemon to stop."
She turned her attention back to Terapagos and pulled out a Nest Ball, sending out Adonis.
"What have I done…" Kieran's eyes were total blank, filled with despair. "What have I done… what have I done…"
End BGM
Carmine fired a crossbow bolt over at a Time Bomb Heartless before turning her attention to Kieran.
"Kiki!" Carmine called to him as she ran toward him, nearly stumbling from the ground exploding near her but managed to get to Kieran. "Kiki…"
"All my fault… all my fault… all my fault…!"
BGM: Sad Girl (Super Mario Galaxy)
Carmine wrapped her arms around Kieran. "Kiki, we can fix this… we just gotta snap out of this!"
"All because I… I…"
"It's gonna be okay… we'll get through this." Carmine held him close.
"Do you hate me for shutting you out…?"
"No. Even if you slammed the door in my face, I still love you…"
A Tera Starstorm was launched right toward them. Carmine saw this and immediately turned Kieran around, covering his face while her back was turned.
"Carmine…!"
"It's going to be okay… it's going to be okay…" Carmine reassured, bracing for impact.
Nemona shifted her eyes, spotting the siblings while kicking away a Shadow. "Carmine! Kieran!"
Carmine embraced Kieran tightly. "I love you…!"
The Tera Starstorm nearly reached it's target…
…If it weren't for two certain Cyclizar from taking the full brunt of the attack with their hands.
"AGIAS!"
Carmine opened her eyes as she turned to see the Raidons in their battle form, having taken the full brunt of the attacks but not looking worse for wear.
End BGM
Kieran would then feel a gentle poke on his shoulder as he looked behind him to see Hiyoko, having noticed his despair and her demeanor having changed into a soft concern. "Come on, let's get you somewhere safe…"
With a nod from Carmine, she stood up and carried Kieran away from Terapagos, the Raidons making sure they didn't get hit.
"No… after everything that's happened, I… I deserve this…"
"As if you should avoid responsibility by letting yourself die or letting Carmine sacrifice herself! You deserve to make amends by living!"
Carmine gently placed Kieran down. "She's right… we can stop this. The Kiki I know would do anything to make things right. Remember that time when you gave me flowers when I was really sour that one day?"
"It… it cheered you up…"
"Of course it did." Carmine smiled. "I may have not been the best sister because… of all things to inherit from my birth mother, it had to be her anger issues… but… I've been trying to work on it."
She gently placed her forehead on his.
"I love you, you dummy… even if I tend to be bitchy at times."
Kieran teared up. "Carmine… p-please forgive me for everything that night… and… and…"
"Shhhh… I already have…"
Carmine looked him in his eyes. "Now come on… what say you we put a stop to this together?"
The color in Kieran's eyes returned, shimmering in determination. "Of course… let's do this."
BGM: Warriors (Imagine Dragons)
Kieran stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes as he pulled out a Pokeball together with Carmine as they both sent out Incineroar and Sinistcha, while Hiyoko sent out her Tauros.
Ren walked over and stood side by side with Kieran, Ogerpon having her cudgel out as they were joined by JPR with their respective Loyal Three out and about. They were also joined by RWBY, having Urshifu, Calyrex, Zeraora and Solgaleo out.
Alessandra and Cian joined them next with their Raidons as Gloria and Hop joined them with Zacian and Zamazenta, then Mewtwo joined as he Mega Evolved into his Y form while Kotoko joined in with Adonis.
"Let's do this." Kieran said.
Terastalizing Rampage - Terapagos
Terapagos launched up several crystals to attack them, but Munkidori quickly used his psychic powers to put a stop to them as Zeraora quickly jumped on the crystals and then attacked him with Plasma Fists, but Terapagos wrapped himself in Tera Crystals to block Zeraora, forcing him to jump back as Calyrex charged in with Glastrier, unleashing Glacial Lance.
Terapagos responded with Earth Power, striking Calyrex and Glastrier from underneath that knocked them back. Incineroar got into position as Okidogi picked him up by the arm and spun around before throwing him at Terapagos, where Incineroar used a corkscrewed version of Darkest Lariat and drilled into Terapagos.
"Terrraapaaaa…!" Terapagos unleashed Tera Starstorm on them but Mewtwo quickly blocked it and sent them away as lasers then shot out, followed by Tera Stalactites shooting up toward the group, but Zamazenta jumped in and blocked the attack as Solgaleo ran together with Tauros, where Terapagos quickly formed a Tera Shield to block it, but Zacian swooped in with Behemoth Blade and slashed through the shield to shatter it, giving Solgaleo room to use Sunsteel Strike and Tauros to unleash the watery Raging Bull.
Terapagos let out a loud cry, forming a Tera Dome around him and shooting off several Tera Crystals all around them. Adonis swiftly grabbed a few crystals and proceeded to block the others before throwing them back at the dome, while above, Fezandipiti carried Ogerpon who was holding Sinistcha, then Ogerpon let go as Sinistcha used Matcha Gotcha, but Terapagos's crystals changed color, significantly decreasing the damage as Ogerpon swung her cudgel down on him, but it was deflected as she was knocked back.
"Poni Pon Ponya!" Ogerpon called out to him.
Terapagos threw down several crystals that curled up into several orbs and acted like Gyro Balls, sending them flying toward the group as Urshifu stopped one with his hands and threw it back at Terapagos, all the while Zeraora rode on Tauros as Terapagos shielded himself as Tauros bucked him off as Zeraora went flying into the air.
"Lrrrooaaaard!" Zacian tossed her sword over to Zeraora as he caught it and then swung down, cracking open the shield like an egg as he tossed the sword back to her before pummeling him with his fists.
"TERAAAAA!" Terapagos cried as he shook off Zeraora and then dodged an attack from Calyrex as Tera Crystals came up and fired powerful lasers, but both Raidons blocked these with their hands as Adonis and Urshifu vaulted over them and swung their arms down with a combined Dynamic Punch that shattered the Tera shields, then both Raidons unleashed Collision Course and Electro Drift, and then a psychic lightning bolt, courtesy of Munkidori using Future Sight, slammed down on Terapagos.
"Te-Tera… Terarapagogo…"
"It's exhausted!" Mewtwo said.
"Sis, go for it!" Cian exclaimed.
Alessandra pulled out her Master Ball that had rolled back to her as Terapagos let out a loud cry and tried to launch out more Tera lasers at everyone. She took a step back and threw the Master Ball, bopping him on the head and pulling him in as the Master Ball dropped to the ground.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
Click!
End BGM
"Phew…" Alessandra sighed in relief.
Kieran let out a sigh. "That's over with…"
Alessandra looked at the Master Ball and then sent out Terapagos, who was thankfully back to normal.
"Terapa!" Terapagos smiled as Alessandra picked him up.
"You're the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on~" Alessandra giggled, rubbing his head.
"Poni Ponya!" Ogerpon cried happily.
Nearby, Umber swung his Keyblade at the Orcus, but it parried him and knocked the Keyblade off of him. The Orcus then raised his sword, only for a katana to fly directly into the Heartless' face, followed by cutting his head off to kill it.
Umber turned his head to see Yagami telekinetically holding the katana in place. "You're welcome~!" She giggled as Umber resummoned his Keyblade and cut through the fading Heartless to finish it off, then high fived Yagami.
"Alright, I think that's the last of 'em." Nyx said, putting her crossbows away, only for a Minute Bomb Heartless to sneak up behind her. She pulled out her crossbow and fired a bolt without even looking, destroying it.
"Nice shootin'. I was about to take care of it myself." Coco said with Diancie next to her while Shaymin cuddled up on Velvet's shoulder.
"I take it we missed something incredible." A voice said as they saw Sonia walking in alongside the Paradox Legendaries together with Dedede, Victor, Bowser and his family.
"So, what's the story behind them?" Ruby wondered.
"Apparently they were Terapagos' Guardians. They were worried we would come in and hurt Terapagos." Virizion explained. "However, they were so tunnel visioned that they didn't realize you all snuck away from them."
"Guardians?" Mewtwo asked curiously.
Gouging Fire let out a few growls.
"I see. So the professors tasked you to keeping him safe in case Terapagos may fall into the wrong hands…"
"Ahehehe…" Kieran chuckled nervously, looking away with a groan.
"Hmm, now that Terapagos is captured…" Geeta folded her arms before an idea came to her. "Ah, how about this? You six become the guardians of Paldea, protecting it from outsiders who may do us harm."
"You sure that's a good idea to ask some Paradox Legendaries to protect-"
The six nodded.
"...I'll be damned. They actually listened." Rika rubbed her head while sighing with a chuckle. "Good ol' La Primera."
"Hey guys? I hate to ruin the moment, but you think we could get out of here?" Xena mentioned. "I can only hold up a collapsing crater for so long, ya know!"
"My other half is right. Let's go." Yagami said as they started to run out the moment Xena merged back with Yagami as the cave started to collapse, all the while the Paradox Legendaries guided them into a pathway that was a shortcut, leading them to safety as they emerged just out of the Zero Lab.
"Well… I think I hit my quota for fun for one day…" Briar said. "At least we got to see the Hidden Treasure… despite it almost killing us."
"Hey, how about we all head to Kitakami? I'm sure we can have some relaxation over there." Carmine offered.
"Oh sweet! I was hoping we'd go there~!" Nemona smiled.
"Eh, why not. Could be a quiet time there." Arven shrugged.
"I wonder if they have cell service…" Penny said.
"Really? That's what you're focusing on?" Futaba teased.
"Says the Wintery hermit herself."
"Hey! I'm not… that bad like I used to be…" Futaba blushed, hearing a snicker from both Penny and Jade.
As everyone walked back up to the top with the Legendary Paradoxes escorting them, Kieran trailed behind as he was lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey, Kieran?"
"Huh?" Kieran turned his head to see Kotoko next to him. "Oh… you're not with everyone?"
"Someone has to keep an eye on ya." She teased, causing Kieran to grimace.
"Right…" He let out a groan. "I really messed up…"
BGM: Emotion (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
"Yeah, you really did… almost got all of us killed back there. I really wanted to clobber you back there, but… it wouldn't have been right. It wasn't worth it."
Kotoko smiled. "But that's all in the past. At least now you're back to the way you were before! Carmine told me a lot about you… and I'm now seeing who you really are."
"But…" Kieran looked at her. "Why?"
"Huh? What do you mean "why"?"
"Why are you, of all people, suddenly being nice? I messed up big time… all of it just so I could fight Ren and… agh… looking at it now, I realized people stayed away from me when I was back at Blueberry and, hell, I humiliated you during our first battle. I fought dirty, yet you're choosing to be all nice to me now? I've done a lot of unforgivable things in that Arceus-forsaken academy's League Club… does that mean nothing to you? You're still treating me like a friend even after what I've done? Like an equal…? You're not just gonna pummel me after-"
"Why should I?" Kotoko asked, causing Kieran to give her a look of confusion. "What exactly would I get out of it? What's the point of it even? You heard Masaru… you just weren't worth it."
"Huh…?"
"Tell me... You think I felt satisfied when Ren defeated you? No. Okay, maybe for a while... but still. You think I laughed when Drayton called you "ex-Champion" and Nora literally smacked some sense into you? I didn't. You think I hold a massive grudge over what you said to me during our first meeting? Never. You think I wanted all this to happen to you? Absolutely not."
She shook her head at every question before looking straight into the boy's eyes. "Kieran, listen to me. I'll admit that I'm still mad at you for every single bad shit you've done at Blueberry and Area Zero, along with what you said to me back then after our first battle... I know that you're going through it right now, but those things shouldn't give me a reason at all to make me feel like I'm entitled to act that petty. I'm not that kind of person."
"Like I'd believe that…" Kieran scoffed, looking away. "Spare me your words… I don't need your pity."
"Whoever said that I was? I'm not here out of pity, Kiki. I'm just here because I empathize with you. Besides..." She frowned sadly. "I know exactly what you went through." She glanced to the side. "And… being there for you because I don't want you to suffer through the same mistakes that I did."
"Huh? Was there something that you did regarding… what Monaca did to you?"
"I know what it's like to feel hurt so deeply that you think you have the right to hurt others. I once believed that too, but I learned that it only makes you as bad as those who wronged you. But… it's not too late for you. The way I see it, you can either run away and hide like a coward... or turn back and atone for what you've done, like a real champion. I know it won't be easy, but it's possible. Hell, you're doing it right now… at least, I would hope."
Kieran looked genuinely stunned. "I… I never thought of it that way."
Kotoko gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "We all make mistakes, Kiki. It's what we do after that matters. You have a chance to make things right, and I'm here to help you if you're willing to try. Besides... I just want you to take my advice from someone who speaks from experience."
"Yeah, you're right… I definitely need to make up for all of this crap I've done…" Kieran sighed.
"I'll be here for ya along with everyone else." Kotoko said as she gave him a tight hug.
"Mmmph!" Kieran grunted as he returned the hug, but felt her grip tighten. "Nnngh! …Crushing… me… is this payback for…?"
"Mhm~!"
Kieran sweatdropped. "Okay, message received… you can let go before my face pops off like a Cherubi…!"
Kotoko released him with a giggle. "Okay, now we're even~"
"Even…?" Kieran rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure… we'll call it even."
"Oh, do you want me to go harder? Maybe I can flatten your back~"
"Eeek! No no, I'm good! I don't need to be flattened!"
Kotoko laughed, playfully punching him in the shoulder. "I'm kidding!"
Carmine giggled, overhearing their conversation. "Oh Kiki…"
"So that's the real Kiki, eh? Man, I should've ruffled him up before Ren could lay a finger on him. Maybe I would've seen the real him come out~" Nemona giggled.
"You kiddin'? You'd scare the daylights out of him." Arven said.
"What? No, I wouldn't!"
Arven glanced at Carmine. "Out of all the ladies you could potentially date, you choose the rambunctious one. Good luck with this one."
Carmine giggled. "I'll take my chances…"
Nemona smiled, kissing Carmine on the cheek that had Kieran's eyes widen.
"Oh wow… I didn't know my sister swung that way." Kieran said. "Strange, I thought she liked Drayton… agh, that's what I get for listening to rumors at Blueberry…"
"Ah, school and it's fake rumors… you gotta love 'em~" Kotoko snickered.
Kieran chuckled. "Well, hey… I'm happy for her." He said.
Once they were out of Area Zero, everyone but Geeta and Rika climbed aboard the airships as they took off for Kitakami.
End BGM
"See you guys later!" Geeta waved.
"Alright, let's show these bad boys around." Rika said as they walked off with the Legendary Paradoxes accompanying them.
"Hmm?" Arceus turned his head as he was trying out the local coffee and spotted the Paradox Legendaries. He blinked as he looked at the coffee he was drinking.
He discreetly put the cup of coffee into the trash can and walked off with a hum.
"No more coffee for me, thank you."
Once in the air…
Kieran let out a sigh. "Guys… I'm really sorry for everything." He said to the Kitakami group. "I really messed up… I shouldn't have done all of that and pushed you all away just because of some one sided obsession with Ogerpon."
"Aww, Kiki… c'mere~!" Nora hugged him tightly. "It's okay… we all have our broody moments. I'm just glad our lil' Kiki's back to himself!"
"Lil'?!" Kieran said in surprise before groaning. "I deserved that…"
Nora parted the hug as Kieran started to hug everyone, even patting Basalt on the head as he turned to Ren.
"...Hey, I'm… truly sorry for-"
Ren hugged him. "You don't have to apologize…" He said softly as Kieran teared up and hugged him back.
"Poni Pon~"
Kieran turned his attention to Ogerpon after they broke the hug. "Oh, hey Ogerpon… listen, if you want nothing to do with me, I understand… I was just so enamored by your legend that I got so carried away that-"
Ogerpon hugged him.
"Ponna Poni Pon, Pono-ki-ra~"
"P-Pono-ki-ra?"
Ogerpon nodded. "Pono-ki-ra~! Pono-ki-ra!"
"Oh… you…" Kieran returned the hug. "You're a very forgiving one, aren't you?"
"Ah, I'm so glad that things are back to normal." Erza said as she approached Kieran.
"Yeah, they sure are." Kieran nodded as Erza grabbed his head…
CLANG!
…And shoved his head into her iron-plated chest.
"YAGH!" Kieran yelped.
"Ooooh!" Jinx and Perrin winced as the others silently grimaced.
"One big happy friend circle again~"
With Alessandra…
Alessandra held her Snom in her hands as the sun started to set. "So, which is better? Orville or this airship?"
"Snom Sno."
"Can't decide, eh? That's fine." She chuckled, giving Charlotte a small kiss on her forehead and placed her on her shoulder.
"Hey, Aless?" Hop walked over to her.
"Oh hey, Hoppy. What's up?"
"Listen, I wanna talk to you about something."
"Hmm?"
Hop blushed as he looked away. "Ah, well, this is… well, I'm not sure how to say this but…"
BGM: Rejoice in Love (Fire Emblem Fates)
"Ever since we were little, I… I might have had a small crush on you. You were so pretty back then and, well, to say I was heartbroken when you moved away kinda devastated me and I thought I'd never see ya again until, well, we came here… and, well… I… I just… oh, how do I put this? This was a lot less nerve wracking in my head…"
Alessandra looked at him, a soft blush appearing on her face. "Hoppy…"
"I… I… um…"
"Oh, for crying out loud. He likes you!"
Hop blushed a deep red, turning his head to glare at Bede. "Bede!"
"If you didn't keep stammering, we would've been here all night." Bede argued, earning a sharp elbow in his gut from Gloria. "Mmph!"
"Donnae ruin the moment, lad."
Hop sighed in defeat before smiling. "Disregarding that… I've… liked you a whole lot back then and even now, it just got even stronger."
Alessandra smiled. "To tell you the truth… I… I also had a crush on you. I was hoping that I would sneak away back to Postwick just to say hi and catch up with you and Glori, but now I didn't have to since you came to Paldea."
Both of them hugged each other and then looked each other in the eyes.
"You've gotten prettier, you know that?"
"You've gotten dorkier and cuter~" Alessandra giggled, both of them closing their eyes and leaned in, sharing a kiss.
"Well, it's about time." Cian said with Zinnia chuckling.
"Snom! Snom~! Snoooom!" Charlotte cheered before she suddenly started to glow, breaking the two's kiss as they looked on to see Charlotte evolving into Frosmoth.
"Fros?! Fros~!" Charlotte's eyes sparkled as she started flying around happily. "Frosmoooth~! Froosssss!" She cried happily as snowflakes started to scatter everywhere. Both Hop and Alessandra chuckled as they sat down together and looked at the sky with both of them leaning their heads against each other.
End BGM
"How romantic…" Carmine smiled as she let out a sigh. "Well… I'm sure visiting Kitakami again will be very uneventful." She let out a chuckle.
Meanwhile, at Kitakami…
"Hmhmhmhm~" The store owner dusted away a big Pecha Berry on her store front. "Curious how no one's bought this thing yet…"
She walked back to the store to close up shop, leaving the "Pecha Berry" all by itself.
…And then two eyes opened up.
"Pechaaaaa…"
Everything wrapped up in one neat little bow! ...Almost.
Ibuki: Oooh baby, it's time for some brainwashed dancing~!
Deadpool: I'll go get my dancing shoes!
Wait, are you seriously gonna dance along-... aaaand he's gone.