With this chapter, I elected to try uploading using the rich text editor instead of the BBCode editor, as I've done with the story to date. To that end, if you notice any formatting discrepancies, please let me know. It would be much appreciated!
XxX
Chapter 48: Sands of Time
~High Noon Gulch~
"Welp. It's been some time, but I'm back in my old stomping grounds."
Braviary swooped in for a landing as everyone else disembarked from their Sharpedos. He slipped his Safety Goggles on and green light flashed across his body. Once it disappeared, the sand blowing through the air funneled around him.
"Blech! Plebth! Fffft!" Shane coughed and waved a forepaw in front of his face. "Ugh, how could anyone stand to live in a place like this? This air is so thick and hot! Not to mention full of sand."
Braviary took in a deep breath. "Eeyup. That's why I like it."
'
Maybe that explains why I don't want to trust him anymore,' Shane thought.
"I'm willing to bet there are a lot of ground-types living here," Silvally said. Unlike the rest of the group, he lacked Safety Goggles. Instead, he channeled his ground memories, marked by his glowing brown appendages. The dry, sandy air steered clear of his face, brushing instead against his fur and scales. Silvally hummed pleasantly.
"Right you are, pardner," Braviary acknowledged.
Umbreon looked around the town, only spotting two parallel rows of small wooden buildings, with a dusty road laying in between them. Most of the buildings seemed to function as both homes and business, with signs bolted to their walls at ground level. Umbreon immediately picked out a post office and a general store sitting side by side. Directly across from them was a building with a wooden Maractus painted on the door. The sign on it read, "The Watering Hole Saloon."
"So, why exactly did we come here?" he asked. "This place is nothing but empty buildings and cacti."
"Careful. Some of them may be Maracti," Braviary quipped, drawing groans from the rest of the group. "In any case, we need to grab us some escorts for our trek through the wastelands."
Shane's jaw stiffened.
'I don't like the sound of that,' he thought. He shot Tessa a worried look, which his partner returned with a shrug.
'Easy there, Shane. Deep breaths. This isn't one of those mobster movies where you're getting taken somewhere off the grid to get killed. Braviary seemed just as confused as to why he was coming as you were.'
He gulped.
'Unless he's only acting confused
and this is totally a trap!'
"What exactly do you mean by escorts?" Espeon wondered. "Aren't there enough of us here already?"
"Oh, sure," Braviary replied. "But getting through them desert sands ain't exactly easy for 'mons like us. Heck, the sandstorms are so bad I can't even fly straight in the wastelands. That's why we're getting us some Mudsdales to ferry us across."
"Mudsdale?" Shane parroted. He looked over at Tessa. "Um, any chance you know what that is? Because I sure don't."
"Err…" Tessa poked her digits together. "How do I describe it, then?"
"It's like a Rapidash, but it's a ground-type," Silvally offered.
Shane blinked a few times, and then conjured up a mental image of a brown Rapidash with a mane of flowing sand. He looked back at his hips. "Ugh, no thanks! I don't want to sit on one of those. I hate sand. It's rough. It's coarse. And it gets in some… sensitive areas."
"Nonsense." Braviary waved him off. "Mudsdales are very comfortable Pokémon to ride on. Just you wait."
Shane paused mid-step, a somewhat nauseous look appearing on his face.
'I really hope there isn't a double meaning behind that…'
Hearing no response from Shane, Braviary turned back around and squinted. "Speak of the devil. Mudsdale!" He flapped his wings about. "Come here, you ol' so-and-so!"
The sounds of heavy hoofbeats spread through the town. Within a few seconds, Mudsdale's massive frame came into view. He galloped forward, jogging to a stop in front of Braviary. "Well, I'll be an Ambipom's uncle!" he gasped. "Braviary, as I live and breathe. Shoot… put her there, pardner." Mudsdale stuck out a foreleg. Braviary returned the gesture with his own leg.
"Oh, great. Just what we needed. A whole town of yokels," Shane groaned.
Tessa raised an eyebrow. "What's a yokel?"
"That's a story for another time," Shane dismissed, which only served to heighten Tessa's confusion.
"Gotta say, I figured we wouldn't be seeing you 'round these parts no more," Mudsdale said to Braviary. "Ever since ya done became one of them city-slickers, feels like yer dropping by less and less often."
"Well, work's been keeping me mighty busy," Braviary said with a nervous laugh. "Ever since Metagross took over, feels like I ain't even had a day off."
Tessa and Shane exchanged worried looks at this. They immediately looked away, feeling Espeon and Umbreon studying them.
"I hear ya," Mudsdale said with a sigh. "But, hey, what're we standing around here for? Why don't ya bring yer friends on over to the saloon? We'll have some drinks and catch up on things."
Braviary sighed. "Sorry, pardner. I'm afraid it's work that's brought me here. We need to head into the wastelands."
"Oh?" Mudsdale looked behind Braviary, glancing over the assembled group. "This is a mighty large search party you've got here. Is it serious?"
"I reckon so," Braviary replied. "Some guild members are done stuck in the wastelands. Tried to get into Tapu Bulu's temple and ran into some hiccups."
Mudsdale's eyes widened. "Yer messing with the Tapus? Oh, lordy." He shook his head. "Yer playing with fire, pardner. That's just begging to have a big ol' curse dropped on ya."
"But there's no such thing as curses… right?" Mimikyu squeaked.
Shane held up his forepaw. "Relax. As long as we've got these looplets, we should be fine."
"But I don't have one," Mimikyu sighed, his head slumping over.
Mudsdale walked around Braviary and took a better look at the rest of the group. "Hrrrm… well, I'm sure if I grab one or two of my buddies, we can get you through the desert alright. But…" His voice trailed off as he looked over Silvally. "Yer friend here is, uh, looking mighty heavy. I'm reckon we might not be able to help him out."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm a ground-type, I don't need an escort," Silvally said. He beamed and extended a foreleg forward. "I'm Silvally! Nice to meet you."
"Uh… luh-likewise…" Mudsdale said, hesitantly sticking out his own foreleg to shake Silvally's. "Yer, uh, quite the interesting sight. You from around these parts?"
"I'm from Glyphic Falls," Silvally chirped. "I know I look funny, but that's because I'm made of Unown." His tail wagged slowly.
Mudsdale's eyes momentarily widened. He looked up and down Silvally's body and then stepped back. "I see," he muttered. "Well now." He turned back to Braviary. "You continue to surprise me every time you come back here, pardner."
"Heh." Braviary rubbed the tip of his beak with a wing. "You don't even know the half of it."
Mudsdale chuckled. "Well, why don't we save the catching up fer after we've gotten your friends out of the wastelands? C'mon, I'll take ya back to the ranch and let ya pick out a couple of my buddies to join us."
XxX
~Solaris Wastelands~
Shane and Tessa didn't need to speak to each other to tell they were both a bit uneasy with the idea of riding Mudsdale through the desert. They wondered how they were supposed to hold on to the horse as he galloped through the sands. But their fears were quickly put to rest. As it turned out, Braviary's friend ran a service analogous to the Sharpedo Sailors. Typically, they ferried cargo and supplies across the harsher terrains in southern and eastern Horizon. But, they had specialized booster seats, including ones suited to four-legged Pokémon like Shane, Espeon, and Umbreon.
They split up into two groups. Shane, Mimikyu, and Tessa boarded the Mudsdale they had met in town. Espeon and Umbreon saddled up with a much larger Mudsdale, jokingly called "Tiny" by the other staff on the ranch. Braviary hopped atop Silvally, with the two of them leading the group and serving as lookouts.
With logistics settled, they began their trek into the desert. Tessa was quite surprised at how easily Mudsdale moved across the sand. At the same time, she was extremely thankful that his head served as a shield against the air, which had grown even hotter and drier the moment they'd entered the Mystery Dungeon. She glanced over her shoulder and looked out across the sandy expanse. Swirling sandstorms blotted out the sun. Rather than shining bright yellow, it appeared as an orange fireball sitting still in the center of a tan-colored sky that faded to a rusted red along the horizon. The dunes in the distance shimmered from the effects of heat haze.
"Hey, why is all this sand blood red?" Shane asked, staring down at the ground. Nearby, a small hole opened up in the sand and a Sandile scuttled out. Its face blanched upon seeing the Mudsdale towering over it and it retreated back into its hovel, covering the hole up with sand.
"Shoot. You mean you don't know?" Mudsdale gasped. "The air here is superheated, thanks to all the sandstorms. Heck, in some parts of the dungeon it gets so bad, the sand turns to glass. Them parts are just
crawling with traps and wild Pokémon. We're trying to stay clear of 'em."
Shane's brow furrowed. "Okay, but what's making the air so hot to begin with? I know it's dry here, but this place is
sweltering." He popped open a canteen and gulped down a mouthful of water.
"Oh, well that'd be on account of all the magma flowing underneath the desert," Mudsdale replied.
Shane promptly spat out the water in his mouth. "Muh… magma?" He squealed, his fur standing on end. The very mention of the word filled his mind with unpleasant thoughts.
"Well, yeah. The Volcanic Wastes are just to the east of us. Ain't you supposed to know that if yer an explorer?" Mudsdale asked.
"You'll have to forgive him, sir. He's not from Horizon," Tessa explained. She turned to Shane. "The Volcanic Wastes are the southernmost part of Horizon. Like the name suggests, the region's littered with volcanoes. But the biggest and most active one is Mount Supernova. That's the one whose magma is running under the desert."
Shane's ears folded against his face. "Just how big is that volcano for its magma to extend all the way over here?"
"Well, it's not quite as tall as Solstice Summit. That's the highest point in all of Horizon," Tessa mused. "Dad told me he went there once. He got such a bad nosebleed he had to get rushed back to the Observatory."
Shane reflexively curled up against his booster seat. "Tuh… tell me… no,
promise me we'll never have to go somewhere like that."
"Not good with heights?" Mimikyu wondered.
"Of course I'm not! Do I
look like a flying-type to you?" Shane growled.
"Gah! Sorry! I was just asking," Mimikyu whimpered, turning away.
"Now, now, settle down you lot," Mudsdale chided. "I won't be tolerating no bickering while y'all are on my back, understand?"
At that, the group fell into silence once again. The rescue party had reached a considerably large sand dune and were now proceeding up it. Silvally appeared to struggle against the harsh winds. But he channeled earth energy into his talons and dug them into the sand. This gave him the traction needed to continue up the steep slope. Tessa found herself watching Braviary as they all hiked up. He stood perched on Silvally's back, scanning the desert. His gaze fixed to his right. Tessa followed his line of sight and saw a sand geyser erupt in the distance.
"Hrmm. I reckon something's got the Gibles all hot and bothered," Braviary said. "I don't suppose yer packing any ice-type moves, are ya, pardner?"
"I am! Ice Fang and Ice Beam. Though that first one would be a bit hard to use while you're on my back," Silvally reported.
Braviary raised a curious eyebrow at this. "That's funny. Ain't never seen ya use them moves before. Ya finally get around to trying out some TMs and tutor sessions with Bruxish?"
Silvally shook his head. "Nope. I think it's my Memory Looplet. Once I got it working, I suddenly found that I could use a ton of different moves."
"Well now… ain't that mighty nice," Braviary muttered.
Tessa noticed Braviary's brow furrowing and started fidgeting with her paws. "Hey, something bugging you?" Shane whispered. "Is there something wrong with Silvally?"
"What? No… he's fine," Tessa dismissed. "I just… uh…" She gently tugged at Mudsdale's mane. "Um, Mr. Mudsdale, sir? Can I ask you a question… a-about Braviary?"
"Of course," Mudsdale replied. "Though, I haven't seen him all that much this past year, so I may not be the best 'mon fer the job."
"That's okay," Tessa mumbled. She now had paws wrapped around her scarf and pendant. "Um… do you…" She cut herself off. "No, that's not right," she whispered. "What I meant to say was…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Ugh! Why can't I phrase this right?"
"Hey." Shane leaned forward a put a paw on her shoulder. "Come on. Deep breath. Sounds like you're overthinking this."
"Right," Tessa said. She did as Shane instructed, and then asked, "Do you think Braviary's trustworthy?"
Tessa was jostled about in her seat as Mudsdale shook out his head and neck. "Well, 'course I do. I mean, he ain't exactly been living 'round these parts much since he joined the guild. But I've always taken him to be a straight shooter. Heck, without any hesitation, he was willing to tell me that my old lady-friend was done cheating on me behind my back before we tried to mate. And that was
after he got threatened by her."
"I see," Tessa whispered, gaze falling onto her lap. "That's… okay… yeah…" She gulped. "Um, when he's visited you guys in the past, has he ever mentioned anything about an Incineroar?"
Before Mudsdale could answer, the group felt him buckle. Shane gave a startled yip and grabbed onto his seat. He looked to his right and noticed a small sinkhole forming in the sand. Mudsdale huffed and kicked back with his hind legs. A pained yowl caught the groups attention. They turned to see a Krokorok staggering backwards, hands pressed firmly over his snout.
"Go on! Git! Or the next kick'll be even harder," Mudsdale warned. Krokorok looked up at Mudsdale, and took note of the three Pokémon sitting on his back that all held some form of advantage over him. He quickly dropped to all fours and ran away, diving back into the sand for cover. "I tell ya, feels like them buggers have been crawling up from the sand more and more often these days," Mudsdale said with a shake of his head. He turned around and trotted ahead to rejoin the rest of the group.
"Now, what was it you were asking again, li'l missy?" Mudsdale asked.
"Um, about Incineroar?"
Mudsdale slowed his trotting. He turned to look back at Tessa. "Well… shoot," he gasped. "I'd only met the feller a couple of times, but I should've realized it sooner. Yer his pup, ain't ya?"
Tessa's aura feelers twitched and she looked down at her pendant.
"I'm real sorry about what happened to him. Seemed like a nice feller," Mudsdale said. "Braviary always gushed about the guy. 'Bless him. He can cause me a headache or two, but he'll always find a way to make it up to me,' is more-or-less what he would always say." Mudsdale's brow furrowed. "That said, he did seem a bit concerned about yer mother."
Tessa stiffened. "He did?"
Mudsdale's jaw stiffened. He looked up at Braviary, and then glanced back at Tessa. "Err… I weren't supposed to say that out loud."
"Please, tell me what you meant by that," Tessa begged. "My mom's been gone for the last eight months. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to her."
"Sorry, li'l missy. Braviary made me swear not to tell," Mudsdale insisted.
Tessa shot a panicked look back at Shane.
'That certainly doesn't bode well,'he thought.
'Sounds to me like Gallian might've been telling the truth after all.' He poked at the bottom of his seat with a forepaw.
'Poor Tessa…'
"Hey now. It's not like Braviary has to know," Mimikyu offered. "Why can't you just whisper it to us all quiet-like? Braviary seems preoccupied anyway. C'mon, this is Riolu's mom we're talking about, here."
Mudsdale sighed. "Alright, fine. But y'all didn't hear this from me, understand?" Tessa nodded vigorously. "Truth is, Braviary thinks yer mom was keeping something from yer dad. Something
big. He wouldn't tell me what, but he said he always had a bad feeling about her, and that it had only gotten worse when he found something belonging to her. Told me that when he went to talk to Lucario about it, she done said something like, 'If you say even one word about this to Incineroar, I'll pluck every feather off your body.'" Mudsdale shivered.
Tessa's aura feelers stood up.
'Mom was keeping secrets from Dad? But why would she do that? They loved each other… like… a lot!' She fidgeted with her scarf.
'Unless… Braviary was trying to make Mom look suspicious on purpose.' She bit her lower lip.
'What if he was just trying to cover his tracks? Gallian said that he and Metagross tried to kill Mom, didn't he?'
Shane heard her whining and frowned.
'Oh, Tessa. I wish there was something I could do for you. I hate seeing you like this.' He looked up toward Silvally.
'Too bad we're stuck in the middle of this ridiculous mission.' He held up a forepaw and tried to fan himself off.
'Ugh, I can't take this heat for much longer.'
A loud whistle caused his ears to swivel and drew his attention. Tessa also looked up and spotted Braviary waving a wing at them. "I've got 'em!" he shouted. "They're right on over to the east. Let's get moving!"
He and Silvally made off to the left. Mudsdale slowly followed along. Together, the group found its way toward the basin of a particularly large sand dune. Unlike the rest of the desert expanse, this area had ruined pieces of a stone building lying around. Shane could make out fragments of stone flooring and pillars protruding from the sand.
"I think I see them," Tessa said, peering out from behind Mudsdale's head. Shane and Mimikyu followed her gaze and spotted Yungoos standing atop one of the pillars, waving his stubby little forelegs at them. They then saw him lose balance and fall down into a mound of sand. Growlithe and Trapinch both sat in the sand. The former turned and helped Yungoos up. Growlithe draped Yungoos over his back to keep him off the hot sand.
Mudsdale broke into a gallop, enabling Team Radiance to make it down to their guild mates' location. Sensing a considerable amount of heat rising off the stone and sand, they opted to remain on Mudsdale for their own safety.
"Thank da Tapus youse found us," Yungoos wheezed. Braviary hoisted him up onto Silvally's back and offered him some water. He gratefully gulped it down. "I was starting to think I was gonna melt out here."
"Well, we're here now. That's all that matters," Braviary exclaimed.
"What exactly happened with Tapu Bulu?" Mimikyu wondered.
"Oh, it was awful!" Trapinch said. "We tried to tell him about the Prism Virus and he got really mad. Next thing we knew, we were flying through the desert air and crashed down over here."
"Wait." Shane's brow furrowed. "So, then, where's the temple at, huh?" A flicker of light drew his attention and he looked down at his looplet. The gem had started flashing just like in Aurora Vale. "My looplet's reacting. We must not be too far," he said.
"Mine too," Tessa added. She lifted her paw up and a beam of light shot toward a sand dune opposite them. An intense gust of wind blew across the dune, exposing the temple as an inverted pyramid embedded in the dune as an extension of the stone rubble scattered around the area. Tessa cautiously brought her paw back and held it against her chest. "Um, do we all go in together?"
"I reckon so," Braviary declared. "Tapu Bulu ought to settle down and listen if'n all of us are together."
"Are you sure that's really such a good idea?" Mimikyu asked. "Maybe he got mad because three guys went into his temple instead of one."
"At this point, I'd rather have strength in numbers," Shane said.
'Even if I don't necessarily trust one of them. At least, if he tries to step out of line, there's enough of us that we can take him.'
"Alrighty then. Y'all better get off yer Mudsdales. No reason to ask them to head inside, right?" He looked over at Mudsdale. His friend nodded slowly, staring transfixed at the temple.
"Yeah. I'd, uh, rather not set a hoof down in that place. Superstitions and whatnot," Mudsdale mumbled.
Braviary fluttered into the air. "C'mon, y'all. We'd better get inside, quickly!"
XxX
~Voltaic Crater~
"Whoa!"
Serperior jumped back, holding her tail up defensively. A bolt of blue lightning surged inches in front of her. It struck a bright, flashing rock to her left. The lightning then raced back down the path, toward another flashing rock in the distance. Fluorescent blue light streamed up the dungeon's dark-blue wall. "I'm getting real sick and tired of all these charge-stones!" Serperior hissed, rapping her tail against the ground.
Beside her, Araquanid scuttled away from a cluster of floating charge-stones. "Careful, if you keep yelling like that, you'll wake up all the sleeping Charjabugs," he warned, glancing nervously at half a dozen Charjabugs clinging to the largest floating charge-stone. "And the last thing we need is for them to call for any help. Our report said Totem Vikavolt lives around here, remember?"
"Quit being such a scaredy-bug," Serperior scoffed. "You're supposed to be a veteran. Act like it."
"Excuse for me for wanting to make sure this mission goes okay," Araquanid.
"Both of you be quiet," Milotic huffed, holding her tail up. Her brow furrowed. "I hear something buzzing in the distance."
Araquanid shuffled backwards. "Crap! It's Totem Vikavolt! Quick, Volcarona, you have to be ready to–"
A distorted ripple ran across the path, bathing the area in a sinister red glow and freezing the foursome in place.
"I was wondering what had held you four up. Turns out it was just some petty squabbling."
Zero floated out from behind a large, flashing boulder. Dark energy crackled in her paws. She thrust them forward just as Teams Captivate and Buzz Buzz regained the ability to move. A pitch-black Dark Pulse raced forward, hammering Milotic and knocking her back into Serperior. They rolled to a stop in a coiled, knotted-up mess.
"Uwaaaaah! Wh… who are you?" Araquanid gasped. He wasted no time in launching a stream of water at Zero from his bubble. Zero raised a paw and a wall of black cubes formed in front of her. They caught the water, then spat it back at Volcarona. She gasped in surprise and let loose a Flamethrower, vaporizing the water before it could hit her.
Zero slammed the cube wall with an open palm and it sped forward. Confused by the attack, Araquanid and Volcarona bolted in opposite directions, watching the wall whizz by them. Zero clenched her paw into a fist and the wall exploded, flinging the cubes in all directions. They pelted Araquanid and Volcarona, knocking the latter to the ground.
"Hey, back off!" Serperior snarled. A Dragon Pulse raced toward Zero. She pivoted, keeping her paw outstretched, and retaliated with a Dragon Pulse of her own. The blue bolts collided in a burst of draconic energy. Smoke spread across the area, prompting Milotic to spit up a torrent of water.
Zero sensed the attack coming, however, and sped away in the blink of an eye. Her Extreme Speed left her outside the smoke cloud. A red Aura Sphere raced toward Milotic, giving her no time to react. It struck her square in the face and knocked her into a floating charge-stone. Lightning poured over her body. Milotic wailed in agony, body flailing wildly, and then dropped to the ground. Her marvelous scales were charred from head to tail.
"Millie!" Serperior gasped. She wheeled on Zero. "You're gonna pay for that, you heartless witch!" She slammed her tail into the ground, launching a volley of wind and leaves at Zero. Zero retaliated by bringing her paws together. A ripple of distortion formed in front of her and opened up, sending out a stream of glitchy black cubes that effortlessly snuffed out Serperior's Leaf Storm.
Serperior stared down the oncoming attack, a look of horror on her face. At the last second, Araquanid hammered her left side, knocking her out of the way and taking the attack in her place. He yelped in pain and collapsed onto his stomach, swirls in his eyes. Serperior shakily got up, looking at her defeated allies. Volcarona weekly flapped her wings but was unable to get airborne again.
"Pathetic," Zero dismissed. "I had a sneaking suspicion that Dragonair might be the glue that held your unimpressive team together, but I didn't realize things would be this bad without her."
Serperior's face contorted in rage. "You… you did something to Airy!" she accused. "You're the reason she left! Give her back to us, now!"
Zero nudged her mask, body flickering in and out of existence. "I can't do that," she said. "Dragonair… or should I say
Dragonite has finally found true happiness."
"No…" Serperior whispered, eyes slowly widening. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing. I made her see that she needed to ditch a couple of superficial, self-absorbed blowhards, and channel her abilities into something worth her time and energy," Zero said. "Like, say, killing the Legendaries that keep us mortals fighting amongst one another." She held her right paw out and her staff materialized. "Don't give me that look. Deep down, I'm sure you know I speak the truth. Your precious reputation was built on going into wild Pokémon's homes and beating them within an inch of their lives. I understand... I had made the same folly for many years until I had my eye opened to the truth."
Zero glanced at Volcarona. She lifted her paw up. A pink glow encapsulated Volcarona as Zero hoisted her into the air. Volcarona squirmed about fruitlessly. "P… please. You don't have to do this! I won't say anything about what happened here. I… I swear!"
"You see?" Zero continued. "When a Pokémon's back is pressed to the wall, they'll say and do just about anything. This is the kind of society we've created. This is what we've let gods and Mystery Dungeons do to us."
"You're lying through your teeth," Serperior growled. "I don't believe a word of your garbage!"
"Well you should!"
Serperior's blood ran cold. The leaves along her body wilted and she defensively coiled up, shivering. An Ultra Wormhole opened behind Araquanid and a cloud of shadows raced out of it, swallowing him up. The shadows formed into Necrozma, leaving Araquanid's lifeless, colorless body laying upside down on the ground.
"After all… heeheeheehee… you have your Guildmaster to thank for all of this!" Necrozma cackled.
"Your light… it's going to be such a delicious treat!" He looked down at Milotic, licking his lips in anticipation. However, before he got the chance to move in for the kill, a black orb struck Milotic's limp body. It cracked open and red light sucked Milotic into the ball, which then shut and fell to the ground.
"No, Millie!" Serperior hollered.
"Skrreeeeeeeeeevp! What do you think you're doing?!" Necrozma snarled.
"They're my prey! You don't get to capture them and waste my light powering them up! We never agreed to this!"
"I said I wanted to replenish my ranks. We lost Espeon and Umbreon… and you got carried away with Musharna. Dragonite's not good enough," Zero scoffed, levitating the black ball over to her. Serperior launched a retaliatory Leaf Storm. But Zero pointed her staff in Serperior's direction. Volcarona drifted in the attack's path and took the Leaf Storm head on. Serperior lashed out with her tail in frustration.
"At least let me take Serperior, then," Necrozma growled.
"Or Volcarona. You don't care about that worthless bug one bit, do you?"
Zero looked at Volcarona, watching her occasionally twitch in a half-hearted attempt at breaking free. "Fine. Take her." She released her psychic grip. Volcarona didn't even get the chance to hit the ground. A black beam struck her back, sucking the life and colors off her body. They funneled into Necrozma's open mouth.
"How very spicy," Necrozma declared, licking his lips. He pointed a claw at Volcarona's corpse. Black crystals surrounded it. A series of pops and crunches sounded as the crystals formed a spherical, makeshift cocoon. Necrozma levitated it up into the air and grasped it with both his crystalline hands.
"I think I can put this to good use in the future, mistress. You won't be disappointed."
Serperior was backed up against a neon-blue rock, breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. "You two… you're a couple of monsters!"
"Ultra Beasts, actually. If you're going to insult me, get it right!" Necrozma teased.
"And really, how is what we're doing that bad? This world… the way it is right now… it's beyond saving! Filled with spineless, miserable fools! You build your flimsy little friendships, talking about how important they are, and then tear them down with reckless abandon!" Rainbow energy flashed in his eyes.
"For example: your Guildmaster was happy to offer you up as sacrifices to save his own metal hide!"
Serperior's eyes widened. "You're lying! Metagross would never do something like that. He works to help Pokémon. We all do!"
"The only Pokémon your Guildmaster helps is himself," Zero replied harshly. "We were able to find you so easily because he happily revealed your location to us."
"That's… there's no way…" Serperior stuttered, her resolve faltering. "That's not like him."
"Is that so? It's not like him to stab his own subordinates in the back?" Zero growled. She shakily reached a paw up, slowly removing her mask. Necrozma leaned over, grinning with interest. "Just like it's not like him… to kill his own friend? And
try to kill said friend's mate?"
Serperior went slack-jawed. "Lucario?" She looked back and forth between Necrozma and Zero. "No… no! Lucario, you have to snap out of it! Think of what you're doing! Think about Tessa and Gallian! They need you! They–"
"–are nothing more than victims of circumstance. My children…" Zero hissed, putting her mask back on, "… do need me. Because I was taken from them. By gods you're willing to defend, even though they refuse to return the favor." She raised her free paw up. A black ball formed against her palm. Zero hurled it at Serperior, who was in too much shock to dodge it. The ball struck her and, like Milotic before her, sucked her up in a beam of red light.
Zero called the ball back to her. She plucked it and the one she caught Milotic in out of the air. "Three beautiful maidens to make my beautiful vision of the future into reality. Fitting enough, I'd say," she declared. "All that's missing is their new leader. Speaking of which…"
She looked over her shoulder, watching as a massive chunk of rock exploded in the distance. Tapu Koko careened through the air, looking extremely worse for wear. A white blur shot out of the smoke, striking him in midair and slamming him to the ground in front of Zero and Necrozma. The dust settled, revealing Dragonite standing triumphantly over Tapu Koko's colorless body.
"He barely put up a challenge," Dragonite sneered. "So I infected him. And he
still couldn't hold his own against me. His light belongs to you now, mistress."
"Well done, Dragonite," Zero congratulated. She tossed the two balls to Dragonite, who caught them. "I got your friends back. I think you'll find they're much more loyal."
"No, you fool! Tapu Koko had my light! I was supposed to take his life away!" Necrozma snarled, teleporting in front of Zero and leering down at her.
"What is the meaning of this? We had a deal! I help you, you give me my light!" His red eyes flashed.
"Are you trying to deceive me? Are you?!"
"Sorry, Necrozma. I just got caught up in the moment," Dragonite sneered, drawing Necrozma's attention. "It was an honest mistake."
"Right… of course… an 'honest mistake,'" Necrozma huffed.
"You really think I'm going to believe that? People have said that wretched lie to my face time and time again! You two are working against me, aren't you?" Rainbow energy surged around his crystalline torso.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow you both to smithereens!"
"Because if I go down, your Ultranecrozmera goes with me," Zero threatened, pointing her scepter forward. "As does your chances of ever getting your real body and spirit back!" Necrozma floated back, wings twitched and grip tightening on Volcarona's cocoon. Zero turned to Dragonite. "I see you don't have the Dusk Hourglass. Which means he didn't have it, did he?"
Dragonite nodded. "I searched high and low, but there's no sign of it."
Zero's eye narrowed. "Necky… where is the Dusk Hourglass?"
"Me? Why should I know?" Necrozma scoffed.
"Because I strongly doubt Team Captivate's location is all you got out of the Guildmaster," Zero said. "Tell me where the Dusk Hourglass is…
or else."
Necrozma tucked his head against his right wing.
"Bulu has it. It's somewhere in the Solaris Wastelands."
"Then it would seem we have one last stop to make today," Zero declared. "Dragonite, take your friends back to Celestial Island. Necky and I will return there when we're done."
Dragonite bowed. "As you wish, mistress." With a mighty flap of her wings, she rocketed into the sky.
Zero gestured behind her. "Come, Necky. It's time to crash the Temple of Body."
Frowning, Necrozma opened an Ultra Wormhole in front of Zero.
XxX
~The Temple of Body~
"Uh… wow. Just… just wow."
Shane's head lolled to his right.
"Something the matter?" Silvally asked.
"Just… um… admiring the décor," Shane muttered.
'Which really leaves something to be desired.'
"Yeah.
Someone's clearly got a high opinion of demselves," Yungoos scoffed. "Look at all dese flexing Tapu Bulu statues. What an eyesore!"
"Gwoooooooooooooooh!"
"Eeeek!"
Trapinch and Mimikyu both shrieked and jumped up in unison. They collided in midair and sank to the ground, stars swirling around their eyes. The door atop the staircase at the back of the room burst open.
"Who dares enter Bulu's temple without permission?" a deep voice thundered through the room.
Shane felt all eyes in the room fall toward him. "Well, go on, newbie," Yungoos said. "Youse da one wit' his looplet, aren't ya?"
Shane looked up at the open doorway and gulped. He stepped forward. "I… I do," he rasped. "Um… I think we've met before. You, uh, gave me this looplet." He shakily held up his forepaw. The gem in the center of his Naturia Looplet sparkled under the light of the torches lining the walls.
A green blur shot forward from the doorway and Shane soon found himself dangling in the air. His eyes widened as he looked directly into Tapu Bulu's fierce expression. He could see his companions stepping backward. Save for Silvally, who had changed into a poison-type and crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce if things got out of hand.
But, to Shane's relief, Tapu Bulu released him and lowered him gently to the ground. "It's you!" he gasped. "Bulu remember you. You drowning in ocean, so Bulu save you."
"I was… drowning?" Shane squeaked, shrinking down to the ground. "I don't remember that."
Tapu Bulu nodded sagely. "Found you while returning from visit to Fini's temple," he explained. "Big hole open in sky. Drop puny fuzzball into ocean." He thrust his arms apart. "Sploosh! Bulu see splashdown. It… not very impressive."
'
Yeah, well your grammar's not very impressive, but you don't see me complaining,' Shane thought.
'Oh, wait… I kind of am.'
"So, Bulu linger by water. But puny fuzzball no surface," Tapu Bulu continued. "That's when Bulu sense something off with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane asked.
"Bulu think you feel like Solgaleo," Tapu Bulu reported.
"Well, I think he's tied into how I ended up here… somehow," Shane mumbled.
'At least, I really hope so, at this point. Because Necrozma couldn't have brought me here. I refuse to believe him.'
"Wait, youse mean to say dat Vulpix was actually telling da truth about dat stuff?" Yungoos gasped.
Tapu Bulu turned and fixed an angry glare on Yungoos. "You no speak or Bulu throw you from temple again." Yungoos' face paled at that and he promptly hid behind Braviary. Tapu Bulu turned back to Shane and declared, "Bulu not believe puny fuzzball's claims."
"What?" Shane's brow furrowed and his muzzle stiffened. "How can you not believe me? Search my memories, you'll see that I was a human before I was a Vulpix."
Bulu shook his head. "Bulu no psychic. Can't do that."
"Then why are you making such a ridiculous accusation?" Shane growled. His eyes widened when he realized Tapu Bulu was now glaring at him.
"Err… f-forgive him, Tapu Bulu," Tessa said, hastily stepping up beside Shane a cupping a paw over his mouth. "He's not feeling that well. Y'know, we did have to trek through the desert to get here. Desert heat doesn't go well with Vulpixes." She took a digit and twirled it around her temple in a cuckoo gesture.
"Bulu know that. Why wimpy blue puppy think Tapu Bulu put temple in middle of desert? No want annoying visitors," Tapu Bulu scoffed.
"And we totally understand that," Tessa said. "It's just, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there are problems going on in Horizon, right now."
"Bulu know," Tapu Bulu said, crossing his arms. "But Bulu's turf no having problems, so Bulu remain here."
Tessa and Shane exchanged nervous looks. "Well… um…" Tessa muttered. "See, that's kind of why we need to talk to you, though. We… um…"
"Dark forces are after the Dusk Hourglass. We need to make sure it's safe," Silvally declared. Tapu Bulu sized him up, an unamused look on his face.
"Bulu not like your tone," he harrumphed. "Bulu look after Dusk Hourglass well. Too well. Bulu think he deserve medal… or at least really, really big cake. But Bulu no get such things. Not even thank you card. It sad... really."
"The proof is that the Dawn Hourglass got shattered into pieces and Tapu Lele's dead," Silvally declared.
"Wait, WHAT?" Trapinch's eyes widened. "When were you going to tell us that, huh?"
Tapu Bulu slammed into the ground, causing it to shake. Braviary fluttered into the air, squawking. Silvally angrily took a fighting stance in front of his teammates.
"
Enough!" Tapu Bulu thundered. "You barge into Bulu's home. You question Bulu's thinking. Now you tell Bulu he bad at job? You try to say Lele dead? Bulu not stand for this! Bulu will make you–" A tiny beam of light flickered by his eyes, causing him to abruptly stop shouting. He looked down at Tessa and his brow furrowed. "Wait. That looplet. Lele give you Naturia Looplet?" He hovered back into the air. "But Lele not mention anything about gifting a Naturia Looplet at last family dinner." He glared at Tessa. "Where wimpy blue puppy get that?"
"I got it from Tapu Lele," she squeaked. "And… and she gave it to me right before she was killed by Necrozma!"
Tapu Bulu snorted out white clouds. A vein seemed to bulge out of his forehead. "Oh, real smooth dere, Riolu. Youse done pissed him off for reals!"
Tessa winced. "That wasn't my intention."
"Wimpy blue puppy lies!" Tapu Bulu shouted. "Necrozma long gone from this world. Solgaleo and Lunala banish him after he go on rampage."
"Well, he's not banished anymore," Silvally said. "He attacked Tapu Lele in her temple, then sucked the life right out of her."
"Bulu no believe you."
"It's the truth!" Silvally growled. His mechanical cheek bolts whirred in their sockets, generating purple sparks. "He drained the color off her body, turned her into a gem, and smashed her into itty-bitty pieces." Tapu Bulu's facial expression hardened at this. "I know you said you're not psychic, but isn't there some way you can try to reach out the other Tapus? Don't you have some sort of connection? You've got to believe us. We're worried that you might be next!"
"… wait here."
Tapu Bulu turned and floated out of the room. He disappeared into the open doorway. Silvally turned to his teammates, a pleased expression on his face. "Well, I think that went rather well."
"What part of
that do you consider 'going well,' huh?" Shane scoffed.
"The part where we didn't get flattened into pancakes or thrown out of the temple by some sort of creepy magic voodoo," Silvally chirped in response, tail slowly fanning back and forth.
"GWOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Tapu Bulu streamed out of the doorway, arms flailing about in a panic. He wasn't watching where he was floating, however, and crashed into one of his statues. It careened to the ground and broke into several large chunks. Tapu Bulu floated about in a daze and shook his head out.
"Hey, can I burn the broken statue?" Growlithe wondered. His answer came in the form of several glares from his guild mates. "Okay, okay, I get the memo. Sheesh."
"This… this not possible…" Tapu Bulu muttered. "Lele gone. Dawn Hourglass… broken."
"So, you believe us now?" Silvally asked. "Because, we're trying to prevent the Dusk Hourglass from falling into Necrozma's clutches. We're hoping that we can find the broken pieces of the Dawn Hourglass, too. But we need you to be willing to work together with us."
Tapu Bulu's brow furrowed. "What does beak-face have in mind?"
"Well…"
"The Horizon Guild has protective barriers up around Aeon Town," Braviary jumped in. "If'n ya come back with us, and bring the Dawn Hourglass along, we can keep ya safe."
Shane raised a skeptical brow at this.
'Wait, he actually wants us to take the Tapu back with us to Aeon Town?' He bit his lower lip.
'I'm not sure I like the sound of that.' Thoughts of Metagross flashed through his mind and he shuddered.
Tapu Bulu floated forward until he hovered over Braviary, who immediately tensed up. "You want Bulu come with you? To town of mortals? How that safer than temple? Bulu can camouflage temple. Bulu can reshape desert to throw off Necrozma."
"And that clearly didn't help Tapu Lele," Shane retorted. "Necrozma found his way into her temple and was able to attack her. Do you
really think you're totally safe here?"
"We've got other guild members talking to the other Tapus as well," Braviary added. Tapu Bulu glared at him again. Braviary clamped his beak shut.
"If Bulu come to Aeon Town, how Bulu supposed to manage the ley lines here?" Tapu Bulu asked. "Bulu still have important job to do."
Braviary's beak stiffened. "Err… that's… well, I'm a bit unsure about that one. I'd have to run it past the Guildmaster and see what he comes up–"
"You don't have to come with us," Silvally said, cutting Braviary off, much to his chagrin. "If you think you can take Necrozma, then we can't stop you. But we can't risk letting the Prism Virus take the Dusk Hourglass. Would you at least be willing to give it to us for safekeeping?"
Tapu Bulu's eyes widened and his brow immediately furrowed. "Please, sir," Shane begged, stepping forward. "We really need your help here."
Tapu Bulu glanced at Shane's Naturia Looplet. "And puny fuzzball is sure magic barrier can keep Dusk Hourglass safe?"
Shane nodded slowly.
'I mean… I'm not entirely sure I trust Metagross. But Magearna designed the shields, right? She hasn't done anything to seem untrustworthy. This is the right thing to do,' he tried to convince himself.
Tapu Bulu sighed "Very well. Bulu get Hourglass. Give to puny fuzzball. Then you mortals leave Bulu's home." He once again turned and floated out of the room.
Shane turned to Silvally. "Thanks for the help, big guy. I think you were able to win him over… somehow."
"Not a problem. Glad I could make a difference," Silvally trilled.
"Don't y'all go patting yerselves on the back until we're back in Aeon Town, safe and sound," Braviary harrumphed.
Tapu Bulu reappeared from the doorway. Floating beside him was an hourglass about half his size. Its framework was black and the sand inside of it was purple. A gemstone styled to look like a crescent moon sat notched into the top of the hourglass.
"This be Dusk Hourglass. Handle it carefully. If it breaks, pieces will scatter," Tapu Bulu warned. Shane stepped forward, gulping. He watched the Dawn Hourglass slowly float down toward him. He began to reach a paw out toward it, only to freeze up. His heart rate spiked and a sharp, throbbing pain struck his right temple.
'Ow… my head!' he groaned.
'Why do I suddenly have such a splitting headache?' He tried to grab the Dawn Hourglass, but his arm locked up.
"Shane, what are you doing? Just take it so that we can go already," Tessa whispered.
"I… I'm trying," Shane hissed back.
'C'mon, stupid brain. What's the problem here?' He winced as his headache intensified. He again reached for the Dawn Hourglass. This time, warm energy brushed against his forepaw.
Claaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Shane's heart skipped a beat and he jumped, turning around to see that the front door had been blown wide open. To his horror, thick black smoke poured in from the desert outside.
"Looks like we showed up at just the right time! How wonderful to see you again… Shane!"
XxX
Next time: the Prism Virus brings the guild to its knees... and permanently splits up a brother and sister.