Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.


As lightning split the sky, Nemona began to float slightly off the ground, more and more markings appearing on her body and a third eye opening on her forehead, while her Poké Balls lifted off her belt and floated around her, giving her the appearance of a goddess of battle incarnate. "Challenger. Choose your first sacrifices," she intoned, her voice echoing ominously as the sclera of her eyes turned black.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Kieran, who was very much afraid of her, snarled, selecting his first Pokémon. "Dragonite, Politoed, let's go!"

As the Dragon and frog Pokémon manifested, a port opened up on the side of Nemona's right arm, two of her floating Poké Balls slotting into it. As the port closed, she raised her limb into the air, transforming her hand into a cannon, and fired twice, the two orbs launching into the air before smashing down on the ground with a spectacular impact, releasing Lycanroc and Goodra. "Lycanroc. Goodra. My first two disciples. Let us show this heathen the folly of challenging a God."

So, it's just as I overheard, she's using the same team as before! Kieran thought, narrowing his eyes. And I've seen them fight, so I'm not going to go down as easily as Drayton, especially since I'm stronger than him! He grinned. Plus, it's raining heavily, which won't help her Lycanroc.

"Dragonite, target Goodra with Breaking Swipe! Politoed, blast Lycanroc with Weather Ball!" He commanded.

Dragonite shot towards Goodra, his tail glowing purple as he swung it at the other dragon's head, while Politoed formed a swirling ball of blue energy in his hands and threw it at Lycanroc.

Nemona didn't react at all. Neither did her Pokémon. Instead, to the astonishment of Kieran and the rest of the crowd, they just stood there and allowed themselves to get hit…

And the split-second of triumph Kieran felt vanished instantly. "What?"

Dragonite's tail had slammed into the side of Goodra's head, and the Water Pulse had splashed all over Lycanroc. Neither of them had budged an inch.

"It… Had no effect?!" Kieran exclaimed in disbelief. "But… Dragonite has an Expert Belt, that should make supereffective moves even stronger!"

"But not strong enough," Nemona said. "Goodra, Ice Beam. Lycanroc, Accelerock."

Goodra fired a point-blank Ice Beam in the startled Dragonite's face, freezing him instantly. Less than a millisecond later, Lycanroc slammed into Dragonite, shattering the ice and sending him flying right past Kieran, only inches away from hitting him, and slammed into the wall behind him hard enough to crater it.

Drayton blinked, stunned. "That's… She didn't hit my Dragonite nearly that hard, and she went down in one hit too!"

"I have released all limiters. My Pokémon and myself are both at full power," Nemona said with eerie calm. "The difference in strength is quite considerable. If you do not wish your Politoed to become another sacrifice, Kieran, I suggest you switch him out for another Pokémon. Not that that will do anything but delay the inevitable."

As Politoed glanced anxiously at his trainer, Kieran gritted his teeth, his refusal to show any weakness or acknowledge Nemona might be right in the slightest wrestling with his desire to maybe actually win this fight. Politoed is still one of my best bets against Lycanroc, and she knows that, he thought to himself. She could be trying to psych me out.

"Politoed, you're still in this!" Kieran called out, to the frog's dismay. "Porygon-Z, it's your turn-"

The second the digital Pokémon materialized, tremendous rock spikes erupted from the ground and slammed into their body, severely damaging them. "What?!"

"Have you never seen Stealth Rock used before?" Nemona asked him.

"But… You didn't say for your Lycanroc to use Stealth Rock!" Kieran protested lamely.

"Of course I didn't, what would be even remotely stealthy about that?" Nemona pointed out reasonably. "Also, Drill Run and Dragon Pulse."

Lycanroc lunged forwards in a spinning tackle as Goodra spat a dragon-shaped energy blast at Porygon-Z, taking out the digital life form in a single blow. Politoed, who'd been left completely untouched, stared at his defeated teammate in horror, eyes wide.

"You… You didn't even let them get off an attack," Kieran stammered.

"Of course I didn't. My Pokémon have already demonstrated how they can take a hit. Why should I give you an opening now when I didn't before? You should choose your next sacrifice, by the way," Nemona said.

"Wait… Why didn't you attack Politoed?" Lacey asked.

"We're battling doubles. By leaving Politoed alone, that limits the number of new Pokémon he can send out," Nemona explained calmly. "While he could easily recall Politoed to open a space, considering that Stealth Rock is still active, saving him for later would be a less-than-ideal strategy, since he would take more damage when he would eventually need to be sent out again. Now, Kieran, choose your next sacrifice."

"Aren't… Aren't you going to switch your team out?" Kieran asked, hand trembling as he reached for his next Pokémon.

"Why would I do that? Both Lycanroc and Goodra are perfectly healthy and ready to keep fighting. Isn't that right, girls?" Nemona asked her Pokémon.

Lycanroc smirked. "I can still go."

"Same here," Goodra agreed.

"That's settled, then."

"But… You switched against Drayton!" Kieran protested.

"So? Just because I did that against one trainer, I have to do it against another?" Nemona asked with a shrug. "Just because I'm using the same team doesn't mean I can't change my strategy. Also, you seem to gravely misinterpret what's happening right now. What I had against Drayton was… Well, 'battle' might not be the right term, but it's close enough. Even if he's lazy and a slacker and an otherwise unimpressive individual-"

"Hey!" Drayton protested weakly as Lacey and Crispin burst into laughter.

"I still have a modicum of respect for him as a trainer. But you?" Nemona narrowed her eyes. "You threw out your entire team because you decided they weren't strong enough. You're a bully and a brat more obsessed with obtaining a meaningless victory over me and the twins than helping your own sister. Why should I give the slightest bit of respect to someone who doesn't respect anyone but himself?

"This isn't a battle, Kieran. Battles are fun. Battles are enjoyable. However, I don't have time for a battle. The women I love are in danger and I can't go help them because of you. So no, this isn't a battle… It's an execution. Choose. Your. Next. Sacrifice," she spat.

Kieran whimpered, feeling he was on the verge of needing new pants.

"BOYFRIEND KIERAN! YOU CAN STILL WIN THIS! BEEP BOOP!" Amarys shouted, raising his spirits a little.

"Do you actually mean that, or are you just saying it because you've been programmed to?" Lacey asked.

Amarys hesitated for several seconds before repeating herself. "BOYFRIEND KIERAN! YOU CAN STILL WIN THIS! BEEP BOOP!"

Kieran's eye twitched.

The storm raged on.


"Excuse me… Sorry… Coming through," Arven grunted as he pushed his way through the large groups of students, faculty, and Pokémon streaming towards the Academy entrance, the exact opposite direction of where he needed to go.

It was probably the direction he should be going in, but his friends weren't in that direction, and so here he was.

He bumped into someone, causing her to cry out and drop what he was carrying. "Sorry, miss, let me-"

Arven froze, seeing a copy of the Scarlet and Violet Books on the ground.

The blonde woman he bumped into snatched them up and then gave him a surprised look. "Wait… Arven?"

Arven blinked. "You… Know who I am? Wait… You're… You're Briar, aren't you? The teacher who was with my little buddies in Kitakami?"

"And you're Arven, one of their closest friends!" Briar exclaimed in delight. "They told me about you! I certainly didn't expect to see you here, though. I'd heard the twins had come to the Academy to have a look at our mysterious legendary Pokémon, but I only just got in when suddenly all the alarms started going off." Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh dear… What's happening in the Terarium… They're in the center of it, aren't they?"

Arven nodded. "They usually are. Ms. Briar, I have to get down there to help them."

Briar shook her head. "No, it's far too dangerous, and besides, we both know just how capable the twins are."

"Yeah, what about everyone else trapped in the dome with them?" Arven retorted.

"We have procedures for something like this," Briar assured him. "There's plenty of shelters and escape pods that can be used to get to safety in case of an emergency like this, equipped with enough food and oxygen to last for months if need be-"

"Are any of those Demon King-proof?" Arven interrupted.

Briar stiffened. "The… The Demon King? He's back?!"

Arven nodded. "I'm afraid so, and he's got a bunch of powerful new Demonspawn with him. Not only that, but he seems to be involved with this mysterious 'Ouroboros' spook that's been causing problems all over the world, and he's been trying to get his hands on a pair of kids from Julie and ANNA's times, one of whom is a relative of Julie's-"

"And if she's a member of the Lineage of Lights like she is, the Demon King could use her to create the key he needs to free himself!" Briar immediately realized. "You're right, the twins will need all the help they can get! Only…" She bit her lip. "There's nothing I can do. By now the Terarium has been completely locked down, and all the elevators will be out of order."

Arven grimaced. "… Could I take the stairs?"

"No."

Arven groaned. "Of course not. What about a submarine or something? You guys must have a few of those, right?"

"Yes, but I'm not allowed to use those," Briar said. "Not after the… Incident."

Arven wisely decided not to pry further. "Penny? I know you're being stretched a bit thin right now, but-"

"On it. Head to the nearest elevator."

"Roger. Ms. Briar, I'm heading down one way or another. Do you want to come?" Arven asked the teacher.

Briar hesitated. "I… Was little to no help on the last adventure I shared with them. I don't want to get in the way. But… Please, promise me, that you will all make it back alive?"

"I'll certainly try," Arven promised, which she didn't look pleased with, but reluctantly accepted.

They parted ways, and a few minutes later Arven reached one of the elevators. "I'm here."

"Hold on."

A few moments later, the elevator doors cranked open. Arven almost rushed through-

"WAIT!"

And nearly plummeted into the open shaft. He stumbled backwards, startled. "What the… Penny, where's the car?!"

"Not coming. Remember, Kyogre is on the way, do you want to be in a small metal coffin heading deeper into the sea than the human body was ever meant to dive when she gets here?"

Arven very carefully stepped away from the shaft. "Penny, how am I supposed to get down there then?"

Penny hesitated. "So… You know how out of the three of us, you're the least modded?"

Arven stared blankly down the shaft. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like where this is going?"

"Arven, all of us have respected that you aren't as trans-humanist as the rest of us are," Penny said gently. "You wanted to stay mostly human-ish, and that's fine. Or at least, it was at the time. But now…"

Arven squeezed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. "Explain to me, please, how modding my body more would be an asset right now."

"Arven, you're about to go very, very deep underwater, into a habitat that's not only at risk of flooding but being crushed by the immense pressure of the depths, and that's not even counting the Demon King or the pissed off ancient God en route to this location. Honestly, you're going to need every advantage you can get."

Arven squeezed the space between his eyebrows. "And I can't take one of those submarines because…?"

"I repeat, do you want to be in a small metal coffin heading deeper into the sea than the human body was ever meant to dive when Kyogre gets here?"

"Right. Of course," Arven groaned. "And of course I don't have any Pokémon who can safely carry me down the shaft."

"I'm sorry, Arven. Look, the twins are really strong. They'll probably be okay. Nemona should be finished up soon and then she can go down-" Penny started.

"Do it."

"What?"

"My mods. Upgrade them," Arven said. "Whatever you think I need."

"Are you sure?" Penny asked. "We both know this is a one-way road. No going back from this."

Memories flashed through his mind.

The first time he met the twins and their Dragons outside that lonely lighthouse where his parents had left him.

How quickly they had agreed to help him search for the Herba Mysticae, even before they knew his real reasons for it, and how they cured Mabosstiff and did everything they could to ensure he would never leave Arven again.

How he'd battled alongside them against wild Pokémon, Team Star, Titans, and the Paradox Pokémon in the depths of Area Zero.

The classes they'd shared. The picnics they'd had. The stories they'd told him of their worlds, and their promise to take him there.

The truth they told him about his parents, and how they'd been there for him as he grieved.

The first time they called him "brother."

"I'm sure," Arven said softly. "It's not like I'm giving up anything important, anyway."

For his friends, for his sisters, anything.

"I understand completely," Penny said softly, the two of them on the same wavelength. "Beginning update-"

"Wait," Arven interrupted. "Am I going to get gills? And is this going to hurt at all?"

Penny chuckled. "No to both. You will be able to breathe underwater, though."

"Right. Do it then," Arven said, steeling himself.

"Beginning update. And Arven… Thank you."

"Nothing you wouldn't do for us," Arven muttered as his eyes lit up, the nanotech and hardware in his body powering up and reconfiguring itself, reconfiguring him. "For them..."

"Anything," they said in unison.


Julie, ANNA, Nemona, Scar, Viola, the Paradox Legendaries, Mary, KATE-117, Ogerpon, and Gardevoir materialized at the edge of the Polar Biome, seconds after the Terarium was rocked by a catastrophic explosion, the exploding Electrode obliterating approximately a quarter each of the Canyon and Polar Biomes and causing a massive crack to zigzag up the side of the dome, the false sky flickering and shorting out to reveal the deep, dark ocean just outside. As water started trickling through the crack, rivets blasting out and more cracks and waterspouts forming by the second as the sea pressure crushed against the breach in the habitat dome, alarms blared, automated messages warned everyone to evacuate immediately, and dozens of people and hundreds of Pokémon either rushed for the nearest exit or dove into structures which rose out of the ground all over the Terarium leading to emergency shelters and/or escape pods.

Carmine's jaw dropped as she stared at the smoking crater that had once been Chargestone Cave and a significant portion of two biomes. "How… How many Pokémon do you think… That explosion…"

"I do not believe you wish to know the answer," ANNA said. "Although… Carmine, there is a good chance that more than Pokémon might've been caught in the blast-"

"Don't," the trembling Carmine interrupted, clenching her hands so hard they drew blood. "You're right, I don't want to hear it."

"What happening?!" Julie shouted, covering her ears as the very loud alarms hurt her sensitive hearing.

"The explosion has breached the dome," ANNA said. "Water is starting to come in."

"Flood?!" An alarmed Mary cried.

"Actually, it is far more likely that the increased water pressure will cause the entire dome to cave in first, which will be far worse," KATE-117 said matter-of-factly. "Well, for most of you. The God Machines, the Miraidon, ANNA-1008, and I will be just fine."

"You mean until you die from the Malice infecting you?" Ogerpon pointed out.

"True," KATE-117 admitted.

"Don't worry, we, we've drilled for this," Carmine stammered as she stared at the spreading cracks. "We've got tons of shelters all over the dome in case people can't get out in time… Escape pods… We, we should be fine if we get to one of those."

"Nyot even nyeed those if build dome on surface!" Julie snapped, getting cranky from the unending alarms.

"That may not be necessary. Gardevoir, can you teleport everyone to safety?" ANNA asked the Embrace Pokémon.

"Wait, by everyone do you mean every-" Carmine began as Gardevoir concentrated for a moment, then grimaced and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Mistress, but I cannot. Something is keeping me from teleporting beyond the boundaries of the Terarium."

"Oh, right, that's one of the security measures they installed to keep Pokémon who can teleport from escaping the habitat," Carmine recalled.

"… And it didn't occur to them that maybe they should shut that off if something like this happened?!" Ogerpon demanded.

"I'm not the one who designed the thing!" Carmine said defensively. "And was Gardevoir seriously going to try and teleporting every living thing in here to safety?"

Gardevoir nodded. "Yes, and I would have succeeded if not for the security feature."

Carmine's jaw dropped. "You're that strong?!"

"Of course. I teleported everyone in Mossui to safety, remember?" Gardevoir reminded her.

"Yeah, but, there's a lot more people and Pokémon in here then Mossui!" Carmine protested.

Gardevoir shrugged. "I've teleported more."

"Your kind grow stronger with age," an impressed Walking Wake noted. "How old are you?"

"Oh, well, who keeps track of that sort of thing after a while?" Gardevoir said dismissively. "Age is just a number, after all."

"We like numbers," ANNA and KATE-117 said, Viola and the God Machines nodding in agreement.

"Big surprise there," Carmine muttered.

"Of course age important!" Julie insisted.

Mary nodded. "Nyes, nyeed to knyow how many candles to blow out on birthday cake!"

Carmine frowned. "Considering how long your kind lives for, wouldn't you eventually run out of space for candles?"

From the surprised looks on the two Grimalkin's faces, it was clear this had never occurred to them.

"Gardevoir, you may not be able to get everyone out of here, but can you reinforce the dome?" ANNA asked.

"Certainly, Mistress."

The psychic closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, glowing as she focused her power. A dome of psychic energy formed around her and swept out, passing over everyone as it expanded out to encompass the entire habitat, pressing up against the barrier dome and cutting off the flow of water leaking through the cracks.

"She must be very old," an astonished Raging Bolt remarked.

"You know, I thought I was older than her, but now I'm not quite so sure," Ogerpon admitted.

"I am fully aware of her true age," ANNA commented.

"Spill," Julie ordered.

"No, that would be impolite," ANNA replied. "Gardevoir, how long can you maintain this dome?"

"As long as you need me to, Mistress."

"Good. As soon as I reach a terminal, I can override the lockdown and disable the anti-teleport procedure so we can all get out of here," ANNA decided. "If we had time, I would also attempt to repair the breach, but I rather doubt time is on our side now, especially since I suspect we need to return to Paldea as quickly as possible to stop whatever it is that Ouroboros is truly planning.

"But first things first, cousin, allow me to repair your systems," ANNA said, reaching down towards KATE-117. "This should only take a minute."

Julie stiffened and turned to face Mary. "Cousin, nyou going to have to be very brave."

"Nyah?" Mary murmured in confusion.

Julie then turned to KATE-117. "Cousin, be strong. We save nyou."

"But… I have already been saved?" The confused Philosophont said as ANNA froze.

"Sister… What did you see?" She demanded. "What is about to happen-"

There was a tremendous explosion as the ground nearby erupted, showering them all with debris. Bud emerged from the blast as if he had just risen from the depths of hell itself, wreathed in flames as he slammed into the startled ANNA, flinging her away as he grabbed KATE-117 in his jaws and continued running.

"Archon!" ANNA and the God Machines gasped.

"Sister!" A horrified Mary cried, starting after her-

"Nyou should be meowre concerned for nyourself, little one."

Mary's eyes widened in horror as a huge shadow formed over her, a Hisuian Braviary with a black sheen swooping down to snatch her in its claws, rising back into the air as the Demon King cackled malevolently from his back.

"Princess!" The God Beasts howled.

"What – he's alive?!" Carmine shouted.

Julie gave her a puzzled look. "Of course. Demon King immortal. For nyow."

"Yeah, but… I mean… He was right in the middle of that giant explosion! I thought that would've… You know, destroyed his body or something?" Carmine stammered. "Same as the others!"

"Demonspawn do not die so easily, nor does their King," Walking Wake growled.

"We must go after them!" Gouging Fire bellowed.

"We concur," Iron Crown said. "Julie, ANNA-1008, comrades, let's go!"

"FINALLY! Some action!" Iron Boulder bellowed, stomping the earth.

As Julie, ANNA, and Carmine quickly mounted Scar and Viola, Ogerpon glanced back and forth between her trainer and Gardevoir, an uncertain look on her face. "Should… Maybe I should stay-"

"Go," Gardevoir told her with a kind smile. "I'll be fine, Mistress."

Ogerpon hesitated but nodded and hopped onto Viola just as everyone took off in pursuit.

"Where does he think he's going?" Iron Leaves wondered, the group rapidly eating up the distance between them and the retreating Demon King and Bud. "The Terarium is sealed off. There's nowhere to go."

"He's the Demon King, he'll probably make his own exit," Gouging Fire snarled. "Maybe with that Electrode of his, assuming it's survived."

"Wait, could it have survived that blast?!" Carmine shouted.

"Electrode usually survive their own explosions," ANNA pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're knocked out and can't just blow up again right away!" Carmine protested.

"What if Demon King have Max Revive?" Julie suggested.

"… Okay, yeah, he could do it then," a horrified Carmine realized.

"I won't give him the chance," Raging Bolt said, electricity crackling around him as his cloud unfurled. "One good blast and I can knock him right out of the fake sky!"

"What? But what about Mary?!" Carmine protested.

"Nyo hold back! Kill Mary if nyeed to! Death preferable to letting Demon King win!" Mary shouted from the Braviary's talons.

Carmine gawked. "Are you serious?!"

Mary was perplexed at this. "Nyes? Why Mary say something Mary nyot mean?"

"Every member of the Lineage of Light is ready to sacrifice their life rather than allow the Demon King to get free," Walking Wake said solemnly.

Julie nodded in agreement. "It sworn duty. Don't worry, Carmine, we catch Mary! Probably. Worse she get is broken bone or two. Only kill her if last resort."

"Nyeah! Bring it on! Mary welcome any pain, maiming, even losing limb so long as Demon King get even smallest paper cut!" Mary shouted, continuing to thrash against her captor.

For some reason this did not reassure Carmine.

The Demon King laughed. "How pragmatic of nyou! It's good to see the beings of this age aren't all spineless and soft! Unfortunately, I won't be giving nyou the opportunity, Raging Bolt."

Without warning, a Wyrdeer and Ursaluna, also enveloped in the telltale Malice and black sheen of a semi-Terastalized Demonspawn, burst out of the ground on either side of them, the Wyrdeer slamming into Raging Bolt with Psyshield Bash and causing his Thunderclap to go wild, while the Ursaluna smashed into Iron Leaves, tackling her to the ground and roaring in her face.

"More of them?!" Carmine shrieked.

"Of course. Nyou didn't think I only unearthed three Noble Pokémon from the crypt, did you?" The Demon King sneered. "And speaking of…"

The Demonspawn Kleavor dropped down from the sky, drawing an axe back as he prepared to decapitate Raging Bolt with Stone Axe. Ogerpon immediately intercepted the attack, deflecting the blow with her Ivy Cudgel as she swapped to her Wellspring Mask. "Not so fast!" She snarled.

"Y-you ch-chipped… axe," Kleavor rasped, twitching as he examined his blade. "I… I'll c-cut you… Cut you cut you cut you cut you!" He shrieked as he rushed at the ogre, axes flying.

"Bring it!" Ogerpon sneered, readying her cudgel.

"Iron Leaves!" Iron Boulder shouted, rushing towards his colleague.

"Iron Boulder, wait, it might be a-" Iron Crown tried to warn him, only for the Hisuian Liligant to strike him with a spinning kick, knocking his head back.

"A trap? Of course it is, but not the one you're expecting!" The Liligant giggled as Iron Boulder tried to lop the Demonspawn Ursaluna's head off with Mighty Cleave, only for him to block it with a Slash.

"Go, Ursaluna!" Julie called, dispatching her Blood Moon Ursaluna. "Help God Machines! Bear fight!"

"Right-" the Blood Moon Ursaluna started to say, only to freeze when he saw the other Ursaluna. "No… That's…"

The Ursaluna snapped his teeth in Iron Boulder's snout, then sneered at the other bear. "Hello… Father."

Julie gasped. "Plot twist!"

"It is actually more likely than you would think, your Ursaluna is a Noble Pokémon, so it stands to reason that any Ursaluna the Demon King unearthed might be a relative," ANNA pointed out.

"Oh, right. Moony, nyou want to-" Julie started to ask.

"No," the Blood Moon Ursaluna snarled, narrowing his eyes. "This… Is not my son, not anymore. This is nothing more than the vilest of blasphemies. I shall put him down myself, and return him to the peace of death, the eternal rest which I have been denied." He roared. "Prepare yourself, cub! You have never defeated your father and today shall be no different!"

"There's a first time… for everything!" The other Ursaluna bellowed, charging forward with Bulldoze.

Wyrdeer started charging towards Raging Bolt again, only for Gouging Fire to ram into it with Burning Bulwark, the two Pokémon locking charged horns, psychic energy and flames blasting off the two of them. "Am I supposed to be impressed?" Gouging Fire laughed. "I've been fighting your kind for centuries! You got a lucky shot in on Raging Bolt, but that won't happen again!"

Wyrdeer grinned. "You sure… About that?"

A Demonspawn Sneasler appeared, thrusting her claws at the vulnerable spot where Gouging Fire's neck wasn't covered by his crest-

Only to find herself in a blade lock with Alita and Joan. "Knave! You think to take Lord Gouging Fire's life with such a cowardly attack?!" The Ceruledge snarled.

"For such treachery, you shall face the wrath of Mistress ANNA'S Twin Blades!" Alita proclaimed.

"Tch!" The Sneasler snarled, irritated by their interference.

"Thanks for the help!" Gouging Fire called to the Twin Blades. "And as for you-"

With a roar, he pushed forward harder with Burning Bulwark, shattering the Psyshield… And Wyrdeer's antlers as well, the Demonspawn stumbling backwards in astonishment.

"My… Antlers!" He cried in anguish. "You… broke them!"

"And that is not all that will be broken when we are through with you!" Walking Wake shouted, blasting the corrupted Noble with Hydro Steam, which the shaken no-longer-Big Horn Pokémon barely evaded.

"Sister, this clearly distraction, we nyeed to chase after Demon King!" Julie urged ANNA.

"… Then why has he not gotten much further?" ANNA murmured with a frown, seeing that the Demon King and his Braviary were circling the Central Plaza, Bud and Mary waiting below.

Julie frowned. "Trap?"

"Almost certainly," ANNA agreed.

"But one we still go to."

"Correct." ANNA glanced at her sister. "Any premonitions?"

Julie frowned beneath her mask. "Julie feels… Cold."

"I see…" ANNA murmured. She glanced at her shoulder. "Everyone, keep the Demonspawn occupied, we shall continue on!"

"Vanquish the fiend, Mistress!" Joan cried as she and Alita dueled the Sneasler.

"Go! We'll catch up when we're done here!" Iron Crown promised, flinging a Tachyon Cutter at Kleavor as Raging Bolt blasted the wounded Wyrdeer with Rising Voltage.

"Save the princess, and the Archon!" Iron Leaves urged as she and Walking Wake tried to strike the dancing Liligant, who laughed mockingly at them only to shriek as Gouging Fire nearly hit her with Fire Blast.

"We will!" Carmine promised, before anxiously glancing at Julie. "We will, right?"

Julie shrugged.

"Oh, NOW you can't see the future!" Carmine whined.

The twins (and Carmine) continued their pursuit. "Something concerns me," ANNA commented after a moment.

"What?" Carmine asked.

"According to Hisuian folklore, there were a total of 10 Noble Pokémon descended from the companions of the ancient hero of legend," ANNA said. "So far, we have seen the Demon King use eight of them. Which leads me to wonder what he's planning with the last two…"

"Nyothing good," Julie said firmly.

"Duh," Carmine muttered, face white with terror.

"I was wondering when nyou two would catch up," the Demon King taunted as the five of them reached the Central Plaza.

"You have miscounted, there are five of us," ANNA said as she proudly patted Viola's head, causing her to preen.

"Cousins… Nyou shouldn't have come… This trap!" Mary cried.

"It is highly probable they were already well aware of that, sister," KATE-117 said weakly from Bud's jaws.

"What nyou planning, Demon King?" Julie shouted. "We nyot afraid of nyou!"

"She doesn't speak for me!" Carmine quickly added.

The Demon King grinned. "Surely nyou've nyoticed by nyow that I have only nyused eight Nyoble Pokémon, when Hisuian folklore says there are a total of 10. Haven't nyou been wondering where the other two are?"

Julie gasped. "Of course! Nyou ambush us with Basculegion!"

Everyone stared at her.

"Julie," Carmine said slowly. "We're nowhere near water. I mean, yes, we're underwater, but it's all outside… For now…"

"Nyes, which makes it perfect ambush, we nyever see it coming!" Julie insisted.

Scar faceclawed.

"Nyo, it's not Basculegion," the Demon King said in annoyance. "Though even nyow, he is playing his part."


Outside the dome, Basculegion rammed his head repeatedly into the large crack caused by the explosion, trying to break it wide open.

"It's a good thing I don't feel pain from something like this, or this would really hurt," the fish grumbled.


"Then… Unless Electrode has recovered enough for another Explosion, which would make little sense since this is the exact epicenter of the Terarium and a bomb going off here wouldn't break open the dome… That can only leave…" ANNA gasped, eyes going wide. "Oh no."

"Oh yes," the Demon King said gleefully, throwing out a Pokéball and releasing…

An Avalugg.

A big Avalugg.

Specifically, one so huge it dwarfed every Titan Pokémon the twins had ever encountered by considerable magnitude, a walking mountain of blackened ice which loomed over them, an intense chill filling the air.

"What the hell?!" Carmine shrieked.

"Oh snap, Julie forget Nyoble Avalugg huge," Julie said dumbly. "We screwed."

"I not like ice!" Scar shouted.

"Neither do I!" Viola squawked.

"Run-" ANNA started to say, just before Avalugg reared back on its hind legs and stomped the ground, causing everything to turn a blinding white and devastatingly cold.


"It's your turn, Grimmsnarl!" Kieran called, sending out the Bulk Up Pokémon – who, ironically, did not presently know the move Bulk Up. The Grimmsnarl cried out in agony as this triggered the Stealth Rock trap, but he staggered to his feet, ready to fight anyway.

Phew, that was close. Good thing I have that Focus Sash, just in case. She wants to team up on just one of my Pokémon? Fine, then I'll do the same thing! "Politoed, Grimmsnarl, use Ice Beam and Spirit Break on Goodra!"

Neither Nemona nor her Pokémon moved a muscle. The Ice Beam struck Goodra, freezing her solid. Rays of pink light emanating from Grimmsnarl's torso, the troll struck her with a devastating Fairy-type punch which shattered the ice and sent Goodra skidding backwards to the very edge of the court…

Where she stopped, grunted, and wiped off a smudge on her chin.

Kieran stuttered incredulously as everyone else gasped in disbelief. "She's still standing after a quad-effective combo like that?!" Lacey cried. "That's impossible! None of your dragons have been able to just shake off something like that, Drayton!"

"Forget shake off, she doesn't even look the least bit cold!" Drayton exclaimed.

"Could have used that kind of cold a while ago," Crispin muttered.

"Crispin, you were in the Polar Biome and still steaming, I don't think an Ice Beam would've done much to cool you down," Lacey pointed out.

"You actually pushed Goodra back a few feet. Not bad," Nemona remarked, though she didn't sound particularly impressed. "Goodra, use Muddy Water on Grimmsnarl. Lycanroc, wait a second, then use Stone Edge."

Much to Kieran's confusion, Goodra spat a very mild stream of brown water at Grimmsnarl, who grunted slightly as it hit him in the chest. A moment after that, a single sharpened stone struck him between the eyes…

And the Grimmsnarl immediately fainted.

"What? What?! WHAT?!" Kieran shouted. "How did… Those attacks were weak! And he has a Focus Sash!"

Nemona sighed in disappointment. "And once again, you prove yourself inadequate."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded.

"A Focus Sash protects the Pokémon who wears it from a single hit that would knock it out but leaves it with barely a sliver of health left," Carmine reminded him. "The Stealth Rock was strong enough to knock off most of his health, and that weak Muddy Water was enough to bring the rest of it down enough to trigger the Focus Sash's effect. That's why I had Lycanroc fire off Stone Edge at a slight delay, to keep it from also triggering the Sash and preventing you from using the opportunity to counterattack. And if you had cared enough to monitor your Pokémon's health, you would have noticed how far it was in the red." She narrowed her eyes. "Or that your Politoed is terrified."

Startled, Kieran glanced over at Politoed, who indeed seemed to be hyperventilating, sweat rolling down his face after watching another teammate go down while he was completely ignored. Kieran blinked in surprise…

And then a deep feeling of contempt surged through him. "If he's weak enough to be scared of a fight, then he doesn't have a place on this team," the trainer said coldly.

Nemona's expression didn't change, but Kieran sensed a similar feeling of utter contempt radiating from her.

And… Wait, had she grown more arms? Were they holding her extra Poké Balls? He blinked, and they vanished… Or did they?

"I think you're right," she said coldly. "He doesn't."

"So, are you going to attack him or…?" Kieran growled.

"I've already said it's tactically sound for me to leave him on the field," Nemona said with a shrug. "You can choose to recall him anytime you want, though he'll be vulnerable to a Stealth Rock trap if you send him back out. The decision is yours."

Kieran clenched his teeth, then sent out his next-to-last Pokémon. "Come on, Incineroar!"

The fiery Heel Pokémon roared and punched the air a few times before posing for the crowd, who appreciatively applauded his showmanship and muscles.

Then the Stealth Rock triggered, causing him to yell in pain as the rocks smashed against him, before wiping his mouth and gamely striking another pose, causing the crowd to cheer.

Nemona just looked bored, causing Kieran's blood to boil. "What's wrong? You wanted a fight! You've been going on all day about how you want to battle me! And now that you are, you're not even going to pretend to enjoy it?!"

"This fight is pointless," Nemona said.

He bristled. "What?!"

"The outcome has already been decided, but you have yet to accept it," Nemona said, bored. "In the infinitesimal event that you won, what would you gain from your victory? I am not Julie and ANNA, the targets of your ire. Defeating me won't hurt them and it certainly won't hurt me, since I'll just shrug it off and keep working on being a better trainer and strengthening my Pokémon.

"What do you think winning will grant you, Kieran? That it will give you respect? Nobody at the school likes you. You've made it clear you don't care if your sister lives or dies. Everyone only supported you out of fear or misplaced admiration. Your own team is losing faith in you since it's clear you don't have any faith in them. Look around you. There is nobody on your side. Even your girlfriend is only here because she's programmed to love you."

And Kieran suddenly became aware that there was no longer anyone seated in the stands behind him except for Amarys, what seemed like the entire population of the school gathered behind Nemona, cheering for her. Cheering against him.

"That… That's not…" Kieran stammered weakly.

"You're right that I wanted to fight you before," Nemona said. "But that was before things got serious. Two of the women I'm going to marry are beneath us, fighting for their lives and the lives of many of your peers. The only reason I'm not already down there fighting alongside them is because you refuse to forfeit this battle to break the magic which binds us – magic which I am dearly regretting convincing Julie to cast on me, which I will immediately beg her to remove once we're done here. How can you expect anybody to respect you, when you're willing to risk the lives of others, your own family, to satisfy a ridiculously petty grudge?"

"If it's that big a deal, why don't you just forfeit?!" Kieran demanded.

"Because, as I said before, I can't," Nemona insisted, clenching her fist and causing the chain binding her to Kieran to briefly manifest. "There are only two ways this can end, Kieran. Either you quit, or I beat you."

"I still have half my team left! This isn't as done as you think!" Kieran insisted. "Incineroar, Brick Break on Lycanroc! Politoed, use Ice Beam on Goodra again!"

Politoed hesitated, glancing at the placid Goodra, before freezing her solid again, while Incineroar charged towards Lycanroc, toothy maw grinning as he raised a glowing hand, bringing it down in a karate chop on the wolf's head.

There was a cracking sound. Surprisingly, it wasn't from the ice shattering around Goodra, which came a second later as she flexed her muscles; rather, it was all the bones in Incineroar's hand breaking against Lycanroc's skull. As he hopped backwards, shrieking and clutching his broken hand, Kieran's jaw dropped in disbelief, and Nemona said, "Lycanroc, Accelerock. Goodra, Muddy Water."

"Incineroar, quick, eat your Citrus Berry!" Kieran commanded desperately.

Incineroar popped a berry into his mouth and crushed it between his jaws the instant before he got hit by the attacks, restoring some of his health just in time for it to get severely knocked down again. The fiery cat staggered back, several feet, gasping for breath, but he stumbled back up again and roared triumphantly, earning him more cheers.

"What was that about nobody being on my side?" Kieran sneered.

"They aren't cheering for you, Kieran. They're cheering for your Pokémon," Nemona pointed out.

"Which means they're cheering for me, because I'm his trainer!" Kieran retorted.

"A Pokémon is not an extension of their trainer. They're their own living, thinking creatures that agree to work and fight alongside us," Nemona replied. "Just because he's your Pokémon doesn't mean he's also you. Far too many people attribute victory in battle solely to the trainer, without acknowledging the efforts of the Pokémon who won them that victory. Do you acknowledge the efforts of your Pokémon when they fight for you?"

"Oh, shut up already!" Kieran snapped as Incineroar frowned in thought. "Incineroar, Brick Break on Lycanroc again! Politoed, Ice Beam Goodra as usual! No matter how strong she is, she can't possibly fight off her type disadvantage forever!"

Politoed and Incineroar exchanged brief looks, before springing into action, Politoed once again freezing Goodra while Incineroar charged towards Lycanroc. Yet again, Lycanroc stood stoically…

And then Kieran grinned. At the last second, he called, "Incineroar, Fake Out, then use Darkest Lariat on Goodra!"

Incineroar clapped his hands in Lycanroc's face, creating a shockwave which pushed her back slightly, then immediately pivoted and spun like a fiery tornado at Goodra-

"Goodra, Muddy Water."

At the last second, Goodra exploded out of the ice in a burst of muddy water which splashed all over Incineroar, putting out his flames and causing him to slip, trip over his own feet, and tumble head over heels out of the court, slamming face first into the wall and passing out.

"No!" Kieran hissed as Incineroar's fans in the audience groaned.

"I'll give you this, he lasted a bit longer than the others," Nemona acknowledged. "But how much of that was because of him, or because of you? Because so far, you haven't done anything to show me that you're a trainer who deserves the rank of Champion."

"I am Champion!" Kieran insisted. "I defeated everyone else, fair and square, without using whatever cheats you and your stupid friends have!"

"Having strong Pokémon doesn't necessarily mean you're a strong trainer," Nemona replied. "And from what I've seen so far… I think you may be the weakest trainer I've ever met."

There were quite a few gasps from the crowd at this.

"Oh snap, she went there," Lacey gasped.

"I think he's going to need even more ice than Crispin needed after eating that super-hot sandwich to cool off from that burn," Drayton jeered.

"Leave me out of this," Crispin complained.

Kieran's eye twitched, vein throbbing on his forehead. "I'm not weak. I'm not weak! I'm! Not! WEAK!"

He threw his final Poké Ball. "Go, Hydrapple!"

A familiar candied apple manifested before him, but no less than five hissing serpentine heads emerged from the top, with two tails growing from its rear. The dramatic entrance was somewhat ruined when it immediately got hit by Stealth Rock, causing a few of the heads to retract back into the apple.

"Huh, I've never seen that one before," Nemona remarked.

"That's Hydrapple, the Apple Hydra Pokémon," Penny informed her. "Seven syrpents live inside an Apple made of syrup. The syrpent in the center is the commander. These capricious syrpents have banded together. On the rare occasion that their moods align, their true power is unleashed. It's another potential evolution of Dipplin, obtained by leveling it up while knowing Dragon Cheer. And just like the others, it's also Grass/Dragon."

"But that's not all! Hydrapple, Terastalize!" Kieran shouted, throwing his Tera Orb at the Hydrapple, causing them to be enveloped in crystal which shattered to reveal they now had an orange crystalline sheen with a crown resembling a championship belt with a huge red crystal fist shaped in an uppercut motion surrounded by a spiraling teal shockwave atop the main syrpent.

"I probably don't need to tell you that it's pure Fighting now," Penny said.

"No, you don't," Nemona agreed.

"Hydrapple is my Ace, my strongest Pokémon!" Kieran bragged. "You claim I'm not a strong trainer? You think I'm weak? Then come on! Bring out your Quaquaval and Terastalize it, so we can put everything on the line, strongest against strongest, to see who really deserves to be called a champion!"

Nemona regarded him for a moment. "No."

Kieran recoiled. "No?! What, what do you mean no?!"

"Unlike you, Kieran, I have nothing to prove," Nemona said calmly. "All that matters to me is ending this. Lycanroc, Goodra, finish the fight."

"Not so fast!" Kieran cried, grinning as he revealed his trump card. "You think I'm a weak trainer, right? Well, could a weak trainer teach their Hydrapple to use multiple moves at once?! Hydrapple, Fickle Beam and Tera Blast!"

As the central syrpent opened his mouth and started charging up orange energy, all the smaller heads did the same, only with yellow energy. They fired at the same time, sending multiple beams of Dragon-type light at Goodra while a tremendous orange beam blasted out at Lycanroc…

And missed.

At the last second, Lycanroc burrowed into the ground using Drill Run so the Tera Blast shot over her. Goodra, on the other hand, splashed Muddy Water everywhere and fired Ice Beam at the already soaking wet ground, diving forwards and sliding on her belly across the frozen terrain as the multiple Fickle Beams missed her.

"They dodged?!" Kieran shrieked incredulously.

"Hang on, wasn't that more of a Dig than a Drill Run?" Crispin protested.

"Of course it was Drill Run, she just aimed it at the ground instead of her opponent," Nemona explained.

"No… No, no, no, NO! Politoed, freeze Goodra with Ice Beam again, then use Psychic to fling her into the air and use Helping Hand on Hydrapple!" Kieran commanded. "Hydrapple, blast Goodra with Fickle Beam as soon as she's in the air, then hit the ground with Earth Power to force Lycanroc out!"

Politoed fired Ice Beam… Only for him to miss due to a combination of Goodra being surprisingly maneuverable on the ice, exhaustion from overusing Ice Beam, and a ton of stress inflicted by his trainer and his terrifying opponents. As Kieran started screaming abuse at him, he frantically succeeded in using Psychic to fling Goodra into the air, then transferred golden aura to Hydrapple, powering them up as the smaller syrpents fired Fickle Beams at Goodra while the main head slammed himself onto the ground, causing gold cracks to start zigzagging across the field, fiery orange energy erupting all over the place and breaking the ice.

"The answer is no."

"What?" Kieran asked, confused.

"A weak trainer couldn't train their Pokémon to use multiple moves at once," Nemona said. "But a strong trainer knows it's not necessarily a good idea, since splitting their focus like that can result in weaker attacks. It's easier if the Pokémon has multiple brains, but even with Pokémon who have more than one head it's not always a safe bet, especially in the case of Hydrapple, since it's not one creature with many heads but several creatures sharing an Apple. That's why if more syrpents all use the same move, that increases its power… But they aren't all using the same move, now, are they?"

At that moment Lycanroc exploded out of the ground, using Drill Run to protect herself from the Earth Power blast. She slammed into Goodra, shoving her out of the way of the Fickle Beams as well as breaking Politoed's Psychic grip, causing him to flinch. Goodra spat a Sludge Bomb at Hydrapple, causing them to cry out as the brown sludge struck all their active heads, blinding them. A few more heads, looking pretty badly wounded from the Stealth Rock earlier, wriggled out of the Apple to try to clean the poison off their compatriots' faces.

"Shit! Politoed, hit Hydrapple with Weather Ball to get that gunk off!" Kieran cried frantically.

"Goodra, intercept with Dragon Pulse. Lycanroc, Drill Run!" Nemona commanded.

Goodra fired her Dragon Pulse at the Weather Ball, causing it to explode before it could reach Hydrapple.

"Hydrapple, fire Tera Blast from all heads!" Kieran shouted desperately.

"Wait, what?" A started Lacey gasped. "Kieran, I'm not sure all the syrpents have enough vitality to use that move!"

"And the other ones are blind! You could hit us instead!" Drayton added.

Kieran ignored them. "DO IT!"

Hydrapple struggled to comply. The syrpents that could still see managed to get off Tera Blasts, but the beams looked almost feeble and sickly. The blasts from the other heads were at full strength… And firing wildly in every direction but at Nemona's Pokémon, one of them shearing off part of the Academy's front, one cutting through one of the canopies over the seats, and a third blowing up a (thankfully empty) group of seats.

A fourth beam took off Amarys's arm. "BOYFRIEND… KIERAN? BEEP BOOP," She asked in shock.

He didn't notice.

"Goodra, Ice Beam," Nemona commanded, and the Dragon fired her Ice Beam at the edges of the battle court, creating a frozen barrier which most of the wild Tera Blasts blew chunks out of but at least made sure they didn't hit anything else.

And as for Lycanroc? Following Nemona's previous command, she shot down straight towards Hydrapple, none of the Tera Blasts striking her through a combination of the syrpents' blindness and exhaustion. She, however, struck true, slamming into the Hydrapple at full power, her drill chipping away the crystalline armor covering them before finally shattering it completely, along with their crown, flinging the Apple Hydra back.

The caramel Apple rolled some ways across the ground before stopping at a shocked Kieran's feet, all but one of the syrpents passed out. The final syrpent struggled to lift his head…

Only to collapse before his stunned trainer's eyes.

Silence enveloped the court as the ice barrier shattered, no longer needed. "I think we're through here," Nemona said as she floated back to the ground, her aura dissipating.

"N-no! I… I still have Politoed!" Kieran shouted frantically, unwilling to admit defeat.

Nemona had already turned away. "Do you?" She asked, not bothering to look back.

"Politoed! Use Ice Beam on Goodra! After all the times she's been frozen, this time it should take her out for sure!" Kieran ordered.

"Kieran. Man. It's over, even if you take out Goodra, there's no way Politoed can deal with the rest of her team-" an exasperated Drayton said.

"Politoed! I said use Ice Beam!" Kieran shouted when Politoed did not, in fact, use Ice Beam.

Politoed, trembling in fear and exhaustion, looked up at Goodra, who loomed over him, an utterly impassive look in her eyes, patiently waiting for him to do something. Anything.

"POLITOED! FREEZE HER!"

Politoed whimpered and fell to his knees, bowing his head in defeat. Goodra smiled, patted him gently on the head, and turned away as Nemona recalled her and Lycanroc, the magical bond manifesting once again only to shatter, signifying the match was truly over.

Kieran collapsed to his knees, ripping out handfuls of hair as he screamed in incoherent rage. "NO! NO! NONONONONO! I'M THE CHAMPION! I'M THE STRONGEST! I'M SUPPOSED TO BEAT YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIENDS, NOT, NOT LOSE! YOU CHEATED! YOU CHEATED! YOU-"

"Kieran, that's enough."

"What?!" Startled, Kieran glanced up to see a very angry and disappointed looking Cyrano standing over him.

"Kieran. Your terrible unsportsmanlike conduct aside, you acted utterly recklessly and without any consideration for others," Cyrano said, gesturing at the damage his Hydrapple's wild Tera Blast had caused. "People could've gotten hurt. If Amarys were flesh and blood and that Tera Blast had been a few inches to the right, she might have died!"

"I'M ALL RIGHT, BEEP BOOP," Amarys said, waving her severed arm as sparks flew from the exposed socket.

"This is the last straw. Effective immediately, you're expelled from Blueberry Academy," Cyrano declared.

Kieran just… Stared at the director, stunned speechless.

"Oh, now he decides to actually do his job?" Lacey grumbled.

"Well, it's about time," Crispin muttered.

Lacey frowned, noticing Drayton smugly walking onto the court. "W-wait, Drayton!"

"Good match, you two," he declared. "Too bad about the outcome though, huh… Ex-champion?" He sneered, leaning down to say it to Kieran's face.

"Drayton."

Drayton stiffened, feeling Nemona's gaze on him, even though she wasn't looking anywhere in his direction. "I thought you were a better person than Kieran. Was I wrong?"

Drayton flinched. "I-" A look of shame briefly flickered over his face. "I… Hey, Kieran, this may not mean much coming from a guy who couldn't beat you, but… I wish you'd go back to having fun with all this. I get that burning desire to win. I mean, who doesn't like winning? Just… Don't let the desire burn you to a crisp. It's hard to watch. Though…" His shoulders sagged. "I guess… It might already be too late for you, huh?"

"Win… Next time…" Kieran mumbled.

Drayton frowned. "Come again?"

Kieran staggered to his feet. "I won't lose… Next time for sure, I'll… I'll win. Next time… I'll win…"

"No," Nemona said, her back still to Kieran. "You won't."

She took a step towards the Academy entrance-

When suddenly the Academy shook.

The alarms started blaring even louder.

The temperature dropped sharply, and snow began to swirl through the air as massive pillars of ice erupted from the sea, causing the students to shriek in terror.

"The heck?" Nemona whispered, her breath visible as it grew colder and colder, suddenly sensing that something terrible had just happened.

And that's when Kyogre appeared.


"Scar, Flamethrower!"

A tremendous burst of fire blasted away the thick mass of ice and snow covering the force field ANNA had barely managed to form around her sister, Carmine, and their partners. Scar shuddered and hugged herself, feathers folding around her as she felt the intense cold. "S-s-s-so c-c-c-c-cold!"

"Drink!" Julie said, sticking a potion in the dragon's mouth, which she immediately chugged, her shivering stopping in seconds as a thermal glow began to course through her scales. "Potion help keep warm!"

"Thanks, chief!" A relieved Scar exclaimed, spitting out the empty bottle.

"Viola, are you well?" ANNA asked, examining her Dragon.

"Yes, Mistress. I was designed to withstand the vacuum of space and other extreme environments, I can handle this easily enough," Violet assured her, her body humming as thermal coils heated up.

"And yet you're still weak to Ice attacks," ANNA mused.

"Yes, I don't really get it either," Viola admitted.

"S-s-s-sure could use…s-s-s-s-something like that…r-r-r-right now," Carmine rasped, hugging herself, her lips blue, skin pale, and frost forming in her hair.

"… The temperature is far below human capacity," ANNA observed. "If it were not for your augments, you would be dead already. Allow me to remedy this."

"Julie help too!" Julie insisted, pulling out another heating potion and holding it out to Carmine, who tried to take it, but her fingers were trembling so much she couldn't even grasp it. Suddenly a warm glow started to form under her skin, and she gasped, grabbed the potion, and drank it all.

"What nyou do?" Julie asked ANNA.

"Made adjustments to the hardware I installed in her. She should now be capable of handling extreme temperatures such as this on her own," ANNA explained.

"And you're perfectly okay because your kind can survive in the vacuum of space, right, but what's your excuse?" A much healthier looking Carmine asked Julie. "You use magic on yourself too?"

"Nyo, grimalkin just hardier than humans. Also, Julie bring mittens!" Julie said proudly, holding up her mitten-clad paws. "Arar make!"

"… That's fucking adorable," Carmine said, then started, looking around in confusion at the white landscape stretching out around them, a roaring blizzard making it difficult to see beyond a few feet. "Wait… Where are we?"

"Still in the Terarium," ANNA said.

"What? How did we get to the Polar Biome?" Carmine asked in confusion.

"We didn't," Julie said grimly, staring up angrily as the blizzard lessened, allowing Carmine to see…

They were still in the Central Plaza, but it was almost unrecognizable due to being buried in several feet of snow.

Everywhere was buried in snow, and huge ice spikes were radiating out from the center of the habitat in waves, the largest and furthest piercing the dome, turning the surface into a frosty, groaning, incredibly fragile looking mass riddled with so many cracks it looked as if even the slightest touch might shatter it. Were it not for the faint glow of Gardevoir's force field, it probably would have broken already.

The Noble Demonspawn Avalugg loomed before them, a living mountain of ice and snow, standing proudly in the heart of its frozen kingdom as the light of the Terarium Core shone down on it.

Carmine fell to her knees in the snow, stunned. "This… This is-"

"Everything has been flash-frozen," ANNA confirmed.

Julie nodded. "Winter come early this nyear!"

Carmine gasped. "Wait… There… There were… There were still lots of Pokémon and people out, Pokémon and people that might not have gotten to the shelters, are… Are they…"

"I am detecting multiple life signs," ANNA told her.

"How many?" Carmine demanded.

ANNA'S expression was hard. "Not enough."

Viola bowed her head, Scar whimpered, Julie growled, and Carmine started sobbing.

"Don't worry."

They all glanced up, seeing the Demon King and his Braviary perched on top of Avalugg's head, a squirming Mary under one arm, while Bud stood beside him, still carrying a barely moving KATE-117.

"They will all rise up soon enough," the Demon King said with sadistic glee as he reached his hand up towards the Terarium Core, Malice swirling around it. "Once my Malice has turned this false sun black and made the Princess mine, the dead shall awaken, bathed and empowered by its malefic rays. They will dig out those who've trapped themselves in their artificial caves and drag them up into the dark sun to join their numbers. Malicious sun in hand, we will rise to the surface and unleash an unspeakable evil upon this world…"

He chuckled as his Demonspawn appeared from the snow and began marching towards the small group. "But you, I think, will not get the chance to see it. Not in this life, anyway."


The hallway circling the exterior of the terrarium was dark, cold, and silent.

That quiet was broken when there was a loud thud from behind a set of elevator doors, followed by Arven prying them with his newfound strength and set foot into the icy hall.

It was incredible. The much more complex AR display in his vision informed him that it was so cold he should be freezing, if not already dead, but he felt fine, warmth and power flowing through his veins. He felt strong, capable, ready to handle everything fate threw at him, even more like the kind of friend and big brother figure his friends could count on that he'd tried to mold himself into.

Why hadn't he done this sooner?

"Pretty sure it's not supposed to be this cold," Arven commented with a frown, taking a look at all the frost covering every surface. "And that probably shouldn't be there," he added, staring with concern at a giant ice spike piercing the wall.

"It shouldn't," Penny confirmed. "It's bad in there, Arven. The Demon King dug up and reanimated a Noble Avalugg from old Hisuri."

"A Noble – wait, weren't those Avalugg ridiculously oversized?" Arven called.

"Yes."

"Well, that certainly explains the cold," Arven murmured. "How bad we talking?"

"The only reason the dome hasn't caved in is due to Gardevoir's psychic power. Dozens if not hundreds of students and Pokémon were flash frozen to death," Penny said somberly. "Our girls and their Pokémon are okay, of course, but-"

"They might not be for much longer, understood," Arven said, face hardening. He looked at the nearest entrance to the Terarium, which was sealed shut by a thick metal shutter which had also frozen over. "I'm guessing you can't remote in and open that."

"No, I can't. The wiring is fried, and it's frozen shut besides."

"Am I strong enough to force it open?"

"Unfortunately, no, and it wouldn't be a good idea for me to stimulate your augments further so soon after all the other upgrades."

"Then it's a good thing I won't need you to," Arven said with a smirk as he put down his backpack and started rummaging for supplies, sending out Scovillain, who immediately started spitting fire to try and warm up. "All I need right now…" He said as he took out a bottle of his special chili sauce. "Is to make some sandwiches."