Ambyssin
Winter can't come soon enough
(Continued from previous post...)
XxX
~Northeast Coastal Pass~
"Damn it! Where are those slowpokes?!" Seraph shouted, glancing over her shoulder while blasting lightning in Metagross' direction. Opposite her, Totem Kommo-o signaled some of his dragons to launch a volley of fire, ice, electricity, and dragonfire.
Purple and red light flickered in Metagross arms. Barrage. Distance dodge time tw—
Blaziken's flaming leg and Swampert's glowing fist batted his rear arms out of the way. Metagross spun out. He tried to launch retaliatory psychic blasts, but only succeeded in snuffing out some of the dragons' attacks. A pink-eared Noivern caught Blaziken and carried him back into the air. Swampert hit the ground and rolled away. A Thunderbolt hit Metagross' side. He turned to strike, but got distracted fending off Flamethrowers from Luxeira and a second wave of dragons.
Magearna fired dual Aura Spheres while Pink-Ears prepared to drop Blaziken onto Metagross for another strike. Metagross conjured multiple pink Light Screens to deflect the projectiles. Intimidator times four, he said, just as Blaziken was diving toward him. The flames disappeared from his legs and he abruptly lost his momentum. Blaziken flailed about, staring down the barrel of a pink blast.
Two purple Dark Pulse beams snuffed out Metagross' Psychic. He shot toward the source: two Hydreigons, one with gray necks and the other with a green tail. They panicked and flew in different directions, but Metagross reach them first. Power boost X times two. Power boost Y times three. Excessive Force, he said. Metagross hammered both Hydreigons. He knocked one into Pink-Ears and the other into a group of dragons below.
Miracle Eye, Metagross said, eyes deep purple. All eight limbs launched pink balls forward. The dragons scrambled to dodge, but Pink-Ears and Green-Tail were too disoriented. A pink explosion disintegrated them.
Below Metagross, Totem Kommo-o stumbled to stop. His breath came in ragged gasps. He spotted Lycanroc crouching behind a rock for cover. "What do you think you're doing, you pathetic No-Scale?" he shouted.
"What does it look like? Waiting for the opportune time to get the hell out of here!" Lycanroc barked. Above him, dragonfire and pink rings zipped through the air.
"I think not! Your continent needs you!" Totem Kommo-o shouted. With a surprising burst of speed, he snatched Lycanroc up.
"Put me down, you bloody drongo! I ain't some deadweight you can just throw around!" Lycanroc snarled, thrashing in Totem Kommo-o's iron grip.
"Last I heard, you are my captive. I'll do exactly what I see fit with you!" Totem Kommo-o said. He hurled Lycanroc through the air. Metagross caught him in his psychic grip and swiveled him around. Lycanroc served as a meat-shield against Dragon Pulses and Dragonbreath. Metagross unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. Hakamo-o and Sneasel winced.
They were about to make a mad dash and snatch Lycanroc up when an Aura Sphere flew in from the distance. Metagross snuffed it out, but had no answer for a speeding Silvally charging in and slashing him across his already-damaged face with his blackened talons. "That's quite enough out of you, Guildmaster," Silvally barked, cheek bolts whirring in their sockets.
You! Metagross's eyes turned purple again, only for a barrage of fire, ice, and wind to strike him from behind. He sputtered toward the ground, but put up Light Screen barriers to deflect Espy's Shadow Ball, Tessa's Aura Sphere, and Shane's pink psychic rings. Metagross spun around. The barriers threw off fire, water, and lightning from Blaziken, Swampert, and Seraph.
"Now, fire again!" Totem Kommo-o shouted. An Exeggutor, Flygon, and Drampa launched blue Dragon Pulse beams while Totem Kommo-o lumbered toward Metagross.
Such nuisances. Out of my w—
"Not until you answer to us!" Tessa shouted, slinging another Aura Sphere ahead of her. Gallian and Zoroark backed her up with purple Dark Pulse beams. Espy added a Shadow Ball for good measure.
Mobility times three. Metagross lifted himself into the air. The attacks sailed underneath him. Metagross canceled his levitation. He looked to crash into Silvally from above. Silvally sprinted out of the way, snagging Lycanroc in his beak in the process. He tossed Lycanroc to the ground. Lycanroc rolled to a stop by Gallian and Zoroark.
"You! What the— when the hell did you two get back together? And what are you drongos doing helping out Snowy! He's a bloody prick!" Lycanroc growled, staggering to his feet.
"Wow, you're right. He really has become a surly asshole," Gallian said, watching Metagross punch Totem Kommo-o back with two glowing-pink arms. Sneasel tried to hit Metagross from the shadows, but got knocked toward Hakamo-o, who helped him back up to his feet.
"Forget Midnight! We've got bigger fish to fry," Shane said, sprinting past the two of them. "Hey, Guildmaster, why'd you kill Tessa's dad, huh? We deserve a straight answer!"
A vein bulged out of Lycanroc's head. "Bigger fish? This whole bloody mess is your fault, Snowy! You probably knocked your damn Guildmaster off his rocker with that big mouth of yours!"
Zoroark rolled his eyes. "Gallian, you help the others. I'll tend to our, ahem, old friend." He jerked his head in Lycanroc's direction. Gallian opened his mouth to retort, but ultimately nodded. He'd rather Zoroark stay back from the worst of the fighting, given his injuries. Gallian dashed off, scythe bristling with black energy.
"Well, isn't that a sweet sight. Cowering behind your mate like the timid pup you are. I thought he ditched you. You're really that much of a sucker that you'd just go crawling back to him?" Lycanroc scoffed. Sneasel came to a stop behind him, a confused look on his face.
"What my mate and I choose to do is none of your business," Zoroark said. "Unlike some Pokémon, we actually made an attempt to settle our differences and ended up back together because of it. Funny how it works out, huh?"
"I can hear the sass in your voice, mate," Lycanroc snarled.
Explosions interrupted the conversation. Ice and static electricity rushed across the sand. Zoroark flinched. "Yeah, well, if you've got nothing else to say, we're done here. Either help us take this creep out or don't," he said. Zoroark shook his head. "Y'know, Dusk still thinks there's someone salvageable in there. Why not use this opportunity to make up for your mistakes?"
"Mistakes? I ain't made no bloody mistakes! It's you all who screwed things up! You freaks ruined my life! You hear me? Ruined it!" Lycanroc barked, crimson eyes glowing. He ducked underneath a Flamethrower redirected by Metagross. "That bitch Dusk made me evolve into the wrong form. And then you have to come in all… all…" Lycanroc bared his fangs. "You had to go throw those hips of yours around and make things all bloody complicated!"
Zoroark stepped back, brows raised. "What are you saying? That you had some sort of crush on me? Because things would've ended a lot differently at that party, don't you think?"
"Uh, guys?" Sneasel said, tugging on Lycanroc's arm. Lycanroc swatted him away.
"Fine! Yes! You got me, mate! Happy? Because I'm not. I didn't want a crush on you! I wanted to love Dusk!" Lycanroc barked. Dusk skidded to a halt in front of them, her eyes widening. "But thanks to this arse-backwards evolution, I stopped feeling anything around her! No attraction! None! And it's all your damn faults!"
"Duck and cover!" Shane shouted from several feet over. Zoroark turned. His eyes widened. He threw himself to the ground. Lycanroc wasn't fast enough on the uptake, however. A Goodra struck him. Slime splattered across his fur. He fell to the sand, the unmoving Goodra lying atop him. It evaporated in a stream of light.
Zoroark staggered to his feet. "Well, I've got nothing to say to you. I'm sorry things went badly, but there's nothing anyone can do to change it. You could've tried to make the best of a bad situation, but from what I can tell… you never did."
"Stay back," Shane shouted, firing an Ice Beam in a desperate attempt at halting a charging Metagross. Luckily, Tessa, Seraph, Swampert, Silvally, and Totem Kommo-o all rammed Metagross from his right side. Metagross skidded through the sand. Silvally launched a Flamethrower, backed by two Salamences and a Garchomp. Metagross disappeared into the ground.
Tessa's aura feelers jumped. She flung an Aura Sphere to her right. It whizzed by Gallian. Metagross phased out of the ground, ready to hammer Gallian. Tessa's Aura Sphere exploded. Gallian barely dodged the swipes of Metagross' fists. Instead, they met Blaziken's fiery legs. The same Garchomp from earlier charged Metagross down, only to get halted and flung aside. Hakamo-o jumped out of the way. He spewed a mouthful of dragonfire at Metagross.
"Answer us, damn it! What did our dad ever do to you, huh? He was as kind and trusting as anyone could be," Gallian spat, shooting several pink Psycho Cut blades at Metagross' arms.
Futile. I will not fall for your petty distraction attempts, Metagross said. He conjured Light Screen shields to deflect the attacks, then fired psychic orbs with his other six arms. Silvally leaped into the air and sliced one of the blasts apart with shadowy-black talons. He deflected the attack back into Metagross, who froze up with a static warble.
Your actions are nothing short of recklessicity. Do you not understand how many lives you'd ruin by taking the Dawn Hourglass? Magearna said, shooting two Aura Spheres out. Tessa added a third to the mix. Seraph punched the ground, sending electric columns after the Aura Spheres.
I don't care. None of you matter. I must survive! I must persist! Metagross shouted. His eight arms shimmered with light. He spun around. Metagross destroyed the attacks. He abruptly stopped spinning. Now, slumber!
Metagross raised his front arms. Save for Totem Kommo-o, the remaining dragons fell asleep. Metagross sped toward them, arms glowing purple and red. Go for broke. Excessive force. Follow through, he said, pink energy swirling around his face.
Totem Kommo-o saw Metagross heading right for Hakamo-o. Without even thinking, he lunged for his son and tossed him as far from the other dragons as he could. Metagross slammed into Totem Kommo-o. Blinding pink energy encased him, then overtook the slumbering dragons. His pained roar echoed throughout the beach. The cry woke Hakamo-o up. He turned toward the explosion, eyes wide.
"How's he still moving so fast?!" Shane cried, shielding his eyes.
The light faded. Totem Kommo-o tumbled to a stop by Hakamo-o. Only a few plate-like scales remained on his body. Metagross' attack had shredded the others, leaving bloody stumps and burnt patches of flesh. Hakamo-o staggered backward, jaw dropping but no words escaping him. Totem Kommo-o uttered a single, rasping wheeze. Blood trickled out of his snout.
"H-Hey! I need that healing lady over here," Hakamo-o shouted, kneeling down by Totem Kommo-o's side. He put a hand on his father's back. However, it phased right through him seconds later.
"S-Son. Remember. A dragon… never backs down," Totem Kommo-o wheezed. His belly disappeared in a stream of light. "He fights on… no matter… the odds…"
Before Hakamo-o could say anything, the rest of Totem Kommo-o's body dissolved before his eyes. The Totem Crystal dropped to the ground, completely grayed out. Hakamo-o tried to grab it, but it crumbled into dust.
He looked up. None of the other dragons were left. Metagross had vaporized all of them. Even worse, Metagross had recovered from the damage everyone had inflicted to him. Hakamo-o clenched his fists. His gut squirmed. Flames licked at the back of his throat.
"No. This is supposed to be my chance… for a new lease on life," he mumbled. "And you… I'm not letting you ruin this for me!"
Hakamo-o charged forward, giving the best roar his squeaky voice could manage. Red energy gathered in his fist. He launched into an uppercut, only to freeze in midair. Metagross levitated him around. Seraph and Team Go-Getters backed off their attacks, fearing they'd hit Hakamo-o.
Futile. Illogical. Your emotions cloud your judgment. All of you are slaves to your emotions. You're all dangerous. You must be removed, so I can escape this cursed world, Metagross said. He moved Hakamo-o aside. White spheres gathered around his front arms.
"Those look like blast wand bursts! Run!" Espy shouted, turning a sphere aside with a pink Psychic wave. It exploded over the sea. Shane and Tessa deflected more blasts, while the rest of the group scattered. Bright white explosions filled the area with smoke. Luxeira, Blaziken, and Swampert used the smoke as a cover to launch dual Flamethrowers and a wad of packed earth toward Metagross.
Pitiful. You will only harm your compatriot, Metagross said, levitating a struggling Hakamo-o around to take the attacks. Two purple Dark Pulses raced in from Metagross' right. He formed up two pink Light Screens with two of his rear arms and deflected the Dark Pulses.
However, Metagross wasn't prepared for a shadowy black blur to lunge out of the smoke. Silvally crunched his blackened beak down on one of Metagross' rear arms. With a hearty tug, he yanked the arm out of Metagross' body. Rainbow light spewed out of the empty joint and evaporated. Metagross sputtered. He lost his grip on Hakamo-o. Silvally dropped to the ground. The severed arm landed beside him and exploded.
Silvally scooped Hakamo-o up and ran away before metal shards could pepper his hide. Metagross struggled to maintain his levitation. Sparks shot out from the frayed remnants of his rear arm. Nnghh. Y… you cr-rr-rr-rr-retin. What are you doing-ing-ing? I am… I must survi-vi-vi-vive. I must.
"You say emotions are clouding our judgment, but what about you, huh? You're so blinded by fear, you can't see any reason!" Silvally snarled. He dropped Hakamo-o off beside Comfey and the injured Sticky. Silvally slung a purple Shadow Ball at Metagross. Espy added her own. Luxeira bolstered it with a purple ray. Shane forced an Ice Beam into the growing ball.
T-Tough… n-n-n-nesss. Guard-d-d-d boost times f-f-four, Metagross said. His limbs sparked as he summoned multiple Light Screens and pushed back against the giant multicolored energy ball. Blaziken added his Flamethrower to the mix. Rocks materialized around Dusk and she hurled them into the ball. Metagross' shields cracked.
Exp-p-p-plosion guard… tim-m-mes three, Metagross shouted right as the Light Screens broke. He shielded his face with his arms. The energy blew him into the rock wall on the eastern end of the beach. He bounced off it, emitting static.
"Don't let up, guys!" Shane barked. He was ready to launch a Heat Wave, but needed to make sure Metagross was totally off guard. "Hey, Guildmaster! How does all this bull fit into your 'greater good' schtick, huh? Was killing Incineroar working for the greater good? Because, from what we experienced, you're a miserable excuse for a Guildmaster… and it showed!"
Sparks shot out of the giant crack in Metagross' face. W… why you… He shakily raised his arms. There's… that's… He launched multiple waves of white energy balls. The group split, Team Radiance running off to the right while the others ran left. Incineroar-oar-oar was a fool! He was t-t-too trusting! You can't help-p-p everyone. You can't trust any-y-y-one. This world… trust is useless… ess… ess! The only gr-r-r-reater good is survival… by any means nece-ce-cessary! Metagross shouted, unleashing so many white energy balls his front arms cracked.
Dark memories active, Silvally snarled. Eerie black energy raced across the beach, vaporizing several of the spheres. Tessa skidded across the sand, blasting an energy ball apart with an Aura Sphere.
"Is that why you sent us off to the Temple of Body? To get rid of us?" she barked, already charging another Aura Sphere.
Of course I di-did! You were go-go-going to kill me. Your dumb, id-id-idiotic, bleeding hearts were not doing-ing good. They were doing harm! Harm to me! You were destab-stab-stabilizing the world! I had to rid myself of you, Metagross shouted. Look at what's hap-p-p-p-pened. The world's end is upon us. I must persis-is-ist. I must find a new home. And I will not allow any of you to come alo-o-ong and ruin my chance at peace.
Shane saw his opening. Blaziken, Seraph, and Swampert combined a Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and water jet into a crackling vortex. Metagross turned to meet the attack. Shane unleashed the superheated air he'd gathered. His Heat Wave caught Metagross by complete surprise. It scorched his rear arms, leaving black streaks across them. Metagross cried out in pain. The other attack enveloped him. He slammed against the rock wall again. Two of his rear arms blew up. The glow in his eyes faded. Metagross hovered erratically, light and sparks jumping off his backside.
Im… poss… ible… A crack splintered through Metagross' right eye. He stared Shane down. You… you can't… fire… breathe…
"Give it up, Metagross. It's time to answer for the lives you've ruined!" Tessa barked, Aura Sphere at the ready. She hurled it at Metagross.
"You don't get to float there and judge us, you bastard!" Gallian snarled, bolstering Tessa's Aura Sphere with a black beam from his scythe. "Dad was kind-hearted and worked for the good of others! He viewed you as a friend and you turned on him for no reason!"
Metagross struggled to maintain his levitation. Erratic pink beams caught the siblings' combined attack and snuffed it out. Silvally dispelled a couple of the lasers with a well-placed Shadow Ball. Team Go-Getters and Seraph launched fire, water, and lightning toward Metagross. Dusk added rocks to the mix. Metagross cut off his levitation. The attacks sailed overhead.
Incineroar's kindn-n-n-ness… was worthless… less… less. When people were panick-ick-icking during Dark Matter's attack, he was only concerned about your mother. He was… ineffec... ineffective in a crisis. If he were alive… Necrozma would've… wiped this guild out, Metagross grunted.
"That's a lie. You're the one who led us right into his claws!" Tessa snarled. She and Gallian again combined an Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse. This time, Zoroark added his own Dark Pulse to the midst. Silvally snarled, releasing more eerie black energy. Metagross spun around. The energy leaking from his body vaporized the attacks. Metagross struggled to get himself back in the air.
All for… the greater good. Found him… struck deal. Your spirits… in return for my… my… my safety, Metagross sputtered. Gray liquid seeped out of cracks on his face.
"And I reckon that's why you done tried to off Lucario, too, ain't it?"
Team Radiance abruptly stopped charging their attacks, all of them recognizing the new voice in the conversation. Seconds later, black chains burst out of the sand. They wrapped themselves around Metagross' remaining limbs, suspending him in midair. His garbled static echoed across the beach.
Ah, good. Seems my distressitude signal actually reached you three, Magearna said, turning around and bowing toward Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini. Braviary stood perched atop the former, half his body still crystallized from Necrozma's attacks.
"How did they get here?" Tessa said, aura feelers tensing. She wondered if it was even safe for Braviary to be out like this, but kept that thought to herself.
Tapu Fini pointed an arm toward Metagross. More ley line chains burst out of the ground. They snuffed out the psychic energy he was gathering. "We were trying to survey what had happened to the landscape when we sensed the Dawn Hourglass' energy," she explained.
Forgive me, but I used my Geartronic Energy Amplifier in the hopes I'd be able to draw their attention, Magearna said. Team Radiance exchanged confused looks. No one was willing to challenge how or why such a device existed.
Across from the newcomers. "W-What the— Snowy's friends with the bloody Tapus? Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Lycanroc spat. "C'mon, Sneasel, we're blowing this dump."
"No." Sneasel walked over toward Hakamo-o. "You do whatever you want, but I ain't going nowhere. Besides, it's bad form to walk out on the Land Spirits." He jerked his head in the Tapus' direction.
Lycanroc growled at Sneasel, but said nothing. He turned around, ready to storm off, when Dusk jumped into his path, fangs bared and eyes turning red. "You're not going anywhere," she snarled. Lycanroc shuffled backwards. He crossed his arms and scowled.
"Bulu ready to rip angry dinner table into bits." Tapu Bulu glanced at his counterpart. "Can Bulu crush him with ley lines, now?"
"Not before he done answers my question," Braviary said, limping toward Metagross. "The night Lucario had her meltdown, I saw you walking out of the guild. You told me you were taking care of important business… and I believed you. Just like I done trusted you when you went after Incineroar and told me to let the rest of the guild know you'd been in yer office the whole night."
You… always were… a stub-b-b-born, gullible fool, Metagross said, between bouts of static.
"Wait." Tessa turned to Braviary. "Are you saying Metagross tried to kill my mom, too?"
Of course I did. She was… a threat. Obsessed… with Ho-Oh. Always mut-t-t-tering… about fixing mistakes. She needed… to be purged… so I could plan my escape in peace, Metagross said, eyes twitching and flickering erratically with light.
"You're the reason she had a meltdown in the first place!" Braviary cawed, pointing his good wing at Metagross. "I know we both had our misgivings about Lucario and what Incineroar thought of her, but you done took it to far!" He limped closer to Metagross. "That's why I'm here. To make sure you know that I think yer the scum of the earth!"
"Okay, is anyone else totally lost here?" Swampert said, earning nods of agreement from Blaziken, Swampert, Luxeira, and Seraph. "We've got him pinned, now let's finish the job already!"
"Bulu agree. Angry dinner table try to take Dawn Hourglass' power. His offense deserves punishment," Tapu Bulu said, smacking his stubby, bell-like limbs together.
No. I refuse… to let it… end here. I will… escape! Metagross glowed bright white. He trembled violently. Light seeped out of the cracks on his metallic body.
"Everybody get back!" Shane shouted, fearing a devastating attack from Metagross. Without any hesitation, he spat out a gold energy ball. It struck Metagross right between his eyes. A massive golden light geyser erupted. White light raced across the beach, swallowing everyone up and drowning out their surprised cries. The force of the blast blew everyone back toward the water.
"Ungh. Sh-Shane… what was that for?" Espy groaned, rubbing her face with her forelegs.
Just as the light began to fade, a surprised howl rang out across the beach. Everyone jumped to their feet, trying to blink the stars out of their vision.
"H-Hey! My bag! Where's my bag?!" Espy cried, circling around in a panic.
Ah! The Scalebound Shard was knocked loose! Where is it? Magearna's mechanical eyes darted about.
Another flash of light drew the group's attention. On the opposite side of the beach, Lycanroc stood atop the unconscious forms of Dusk, Sneasel, and the Tapus. He had Espy's bag slung across his shoulder and the Scalebound Shard in his right paw. His mane now ended in streaks of rainbow fur instead of white.
Tessa hurled an Aura Sphere at Lycanroc. Silvally sprinted toward him, cheek bolts whirring so fast they left behind trails of sparks.
"Ha! Thanks for the parting gift, mates! I hope Necrozma kills the whole lot of ya!" Lycanroc jeered. The Scalebound Shard glowed in his paw. An Ultra Wormhole opened beneath him, carrying him and his victims away. Tessa's Aura Sphere passed right over the portal and exploded right as it disappeared. Silvally skidded to a halt in the sand.
"No! No! After all that work… the Shards are gone? Just like that? And to Lycanroc of all Pokémon?!" Silvally said. His fighting memories shifted on, turning his glowing parts orange. He smacked the ground with a foreleg. "How could this happen? Damn it! We were so close… so close!" Silvally thrashed his head about, hissing.
Shane stood opposite Tessa, staring down at the ground blankly. A lightning bolt struck him in the rear. Shane jumped forward with a yowl. He whirled around to find Seraph staring him down, a sparking paw raised.
"Nice going, dumbass! This is all your fault! What the hell was up with that kooky magical energy ball, huh? You almost blew us to smithereens!" Seraph fumed, plasma crackling around her fur.
"I… I… Metagross was about to unleash something horrible! I had to stop him! This was the best thing I could think of!" Shane said, tails curling up against his waist. He knew what he did was reckless, but he never imagined things could've gone this way.
"Well, if you had that technique then why the hell didn't you use it from the get-go? We could've avoided all of this garbage!" Seraph spat.
"Because I've never really used the attack before. I didn't know what it was capable of. But we were in a bind and I panicked, okay! Can you honestly blame me? Metagross looked ready to, like, use some sort of modified Self-Destruct," Shane said. He glanced at his teammates, but even he wasn't sure if he wanted them to back him up or simply try to understand his reasoning. His heart sank when none of them met his gaze.
N… not… capable.
Shane's tails shot into the air. Everyone turned back toward the rock wall to find Metagross lying in a crater at its base. His Mega Evolution had worn off, but his body was charred black as opposed to its usual dark gray. All of his limbs had been blown off. Sparks and gray liquid seeped out of his exposed joints and the numerous cracks on his body.
"How the heck did that guy survive that blast?" Swampert said, shaking his head in disbelief.
It's… like… I said. You can't… save this world. The only hope… was to escape… Metagross' voice descended into static. Too… damaged. Can't… move. Y-You… you ruined me. Now… we're all… going to die…
"… tch. Even on death's doorstep, you're as blind and irrational as ever, Guildmaster."
A pained squawk made everyone look up. Zero stood at the top of the rock wall, her free paw clutching Braviary's throat. The colors dissolved off his body and into Zero's mask. Zero finished crystallizing Braviary's body, then dropped him to the ground. He landed next to Metagross and shattered.
Tessa's aura feelers shot up. Her heart leaped into her chest. Beside her, Gallian crouched low to the ground, his eyes flickering pink. "W-We have to flee. We can't fight her. It'll be—"
"A disaster? Oh, please." Zero turned her gaze on Gallian. "To think… in spite of my teachings, you've been reduced to a sniveling, cowardly wreck. I'd say I'm disappointed, but at this point, I don't really care."
Gallian shrank back, a mix of pain and anger in his eyes. Tessa sensed the shifts in his aura and took a step forward, putting her right arm up in front of Gallian protectively. "Stop this, Mom! You can't let Necrozma control you like this. You have to fight him!" She looked down. "Please…"
Zero's paws flickered with bursts of static. "The only thing I'm fighting is a world that's fundamentally flawed. But I'm on the cusp— no, the brink of fixing it. All you need to do is stand down and cease your asinine tirade."
Shane shot a pink energy ball at Zero. She swung her staff around to counter, but the energy ball exploded, shattering it. Zero wrung out her left paw as it distorted at bizarre angles.
"Yes! That's it! I broke her evil scepter thingy! Now she's gotta be free from Necrozma." Shane looked at Tessa, tails wagging.
"My scepter?" Zero said, staring at her staticky paw. "You mean… this scepter right here?" She brought her paws together, then spread them apart. A new staff formed, identical to the one Shane had destroyed.
His jaw slackened. "But that's… that's…"
"This…" Zero slammed the staff against her knee, breaking it in half. It dissolved into thin air. "… is nothing more than a fancy-looking Bone Rush club, designed to trick gullible would-be heroes into thinking it's the source of my power." Zero nudged up her mask. "Evidently, it worked."
Shane's ears and tails drooped. "Damn it, why can things never be easy?" he whimpered.
"Mom… please, listen to me! You're not thinking straight. You can't possibly expect to kill all the gods and have the world stay peaceful," Tessa said. Zero's eye fell on her. "Look, my friends and I have seen a lot of problems for ourselves, but killing the gods won't solve anything. We all have to compromise and find a path forward together."
Zero rolled her eye. "That will solve nothing. And I can tell you why. The gods are worthless and petulant. They're the most selfish, short-sighted people in the entire world… and they're the ones who are supposed to be running it!" Static rippled through her bodies. "You really think they'll stop and listen to you? You… a meek girl so utterly incapable of holding her own in battle that she cheated and co-opted Necrozma's power so she could know what's it like to feel big and strong."
Roaring, Silvally sought to bathe Zero in flames. Zero snuffed them out with a wall of black cubes. "I won't let you talk to Tessa that way! She's done more for us than you could possibly realize, but Necrozma's warped your mind so badly, you've lost sight of your family!" Silvally revved up his cheek bolts and clawed at the ground.
"That girl is not my daughter," Zero said. "I have a daughter… many worlds away. She was taken from me… by the gods you want to 'compromise' with." She hovered into the air. Ley line chains burst out of the ground. One by one, they punctured Metagross' body and wrapped around him. Then, Zero compressed the chains. The glow faded from Metagross' eyes seconds before he shattered like a glass figurine.
Zero raised her left paw. The chains wrapped around a ball of light flittering into the air from Metagross' remains. They swallowed the light up whole, then dissolved away. "Hmph. Good riddance," she growled, lowering her paw. Zero turned back to Team Radiance. "You think Necrozma's somehow blinded me? You're wrong. He was never in control of me. And now… he's no longer an issue."
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Tessa said, crouching lower to the ground.
"It's probably a trick to throw us off," Shane said, snorting tufts of ice. He was trying to draw forth energy to use the golden light ball again, but it wasn't working. Shane sought to keep Zero talking to stall for time.
"It's no trick. Necrozma's gone. I dealt with him," Zero said. "Everything I've done has been deliberate. Because this world's made me suffer— made countless humans suffer. Don't believe me?" Zero shakily reached a paw up and removed her mask. She turned to show the right side of her face.
"Oh, that's so gross," Seraph said, cupping a paw over her mouth.
Luxeira's jaw dropped. "Those glowing triangles, they kind of look like…" Her voice trailed off. She shuddered.
Tessa staggered back, clasping a paw over her chest. "M-Mom. Wh-what happened to you?"
"Metagross didn't like me asking so many questions about Incineroar's death. He tailed me out to Glyphic Falls and pushed me off a cliff. That should've been in the end, but a rainbow comet collided with me in midair," Zero said, putting her mask back on. Rings of distortion spread through her body. "Necrozma was in full control for a while, until I forced the central part of his core into Lunala and regained my free will. I snuffed his consciousness out, so now his power is mine to use as I see fit."
Three pillars of fire descended on Zero. She extinguished them by trapping them in a sphere of cubes. "Necrozma knocked the Hidden Land into the ocean… and took Giratina and Palkia down, too," she continued. "Look around you. Time and space are unraveling. Soon, gravity will, too. But I have the Time Gears. And I have Dialga's power. I can rewrite all of history… and make it so that none of the gods ever existed."
"But if you blame them for you ending up here, won't you just erase yourself in the process? C'mon, you're not thinking logically! Your plan makes no sense. You're tampering with powers you can't control," Shane shouted. He felt golden embers deep inside his spirit. All he needed was a few more seconds.
Zero's eye flashed purple. "I know damn well what I'm doing. I'm not about to sit here and listen to a dimwit who doesn't even realize that his mere existence here is one gigantic contradiction."
Shane shuffled backward, tails shooting between his legs. "A… contradiction?" He looked at the ground, blinking slowly. Did Zero know something about the visions the Dawn Shards had given him?
"I'm going to fix a system that was broken at its inception. And I need you mongrels out of my hair," Zero said.
She snapped her digits. Six of her black Beast Balls appeared in the air. They dropped to the ground and snapped open. Milotic and Serperior emerged from the first two, glaring at Team Radiance. However, Espy looked right and her jaw dropped.
"H-Haxorus? Raichu?! No! She can't have gotten you, too!" Espy squealed, tail shooting between her legs.
"Ah, Blaziken! She got Team Poképals, too!" Swampert cried, tugging on his partner's arm. Blaziken tensed up, digging his talons into his feathers.
"You monster! Let them go, now!" Silvally snarled.
"Or what? You're gonna go all rageaholic God Killer on our asses?" Serperior said, smirking. "Ha! I'd like to see you try!" She brandished her tail-blade. Flames danced across it.
Zero raised her paw up. A dome of black cubes formed up across the beach, blocking out Comfey, Magearna, and Sticky.
"Don't disappoint me this time," Zero hissed, before disappearing into a black, jagged portal.
"H-Hey, what's going on here?" Tessa squeaked, aura feelers trembling. Red cubes burst forth from the ground. Tessa dove to the sand to avoid them. They stretched up to the ceiling, cutting Team Radiance off from Gallian, Zoroark, and Hakamo-o.
"Damn it, she's boxed us in!" Shane huffed, looking at an identical wall on Team Radiance's left.
"Exactly. You've got nowhere to run, punks!" Serperior said, giggling. "This time, nothing's gonna stop me from torching your furry hides!"
She and Milotic raised their tails, then lunged.
Next time: a clash of explorers young and old!
XxX
~Northeast Coastal Pass~
"Damn it! Where are those slowpokes?!" Seraph shouted, glancing over her shoulder while blasting lightning in Metagross' direction. Opposite her, Totem Kommo-o signaled some of his dragons to launch a volley of fire, ice, electricity, and dragonfire.
Purple and red light flickered in Metagross arms. Barrage. Distance dodge time tw—
Blaziken's flaming leg and Swampert's glowing fist batted his rear arms out of the way. Metagross spun out. He tried to launch retaliatory psychic blasts, but only succeeded in snuffing out some of the dragons' attacks. A pink-eared Noivern caught Blaziken and carried him back into the air. Swampert hit the ground and rolled away. A Thunderbolt hit Metagross' side. He turned to strike, but got distracted fending off Flamethrowers from Luxeira and a second wave of dragons.
Magearna fired dual Aura Spheres while Pink-Ears prepared to drop Blaziken onto Metagross for another strike. Metagross conjured multiple pink Light Screens to deflect the projectiles. Intimidator times four, he said, just as Blaziken was diving toward him. The flames disappeared from his legs and he abruptly lost his momentum. Blaziken flailed about, staring down the barrel of a pink blast.
Two purple Dark Pulse beams snuffed out Metagross' Psychic. He shot toward the source: two Hydreigons, one with gray necks and the other with a green tail. They panicked and flew in different directions, but Metagross reach them first. Power boost X times two. Power boost Y times three. Excessive Force, he said. Metagross hammered both Hydreigons. He knocked one into Pink-Ears and the other into a group of dragons below.
Miracle Eye, Metagross said, eyes deep purple. All eight limbs launched pink balls forward. The dragons scrambled to dodge, but Pink-Ears and Green-Tail were too disoriented. A pink explosion disintegrated them.
Below Metagross, Totem Kommo-o stumbled to stop. His breath came in ragged gasps. He spotted Lycanroc crouching behind a rock for cover. "What do you think you're doing, you pathetic No-Scale?" he shouted.
"What does it look like? Waiting for the opportune time to get the hell out of here!" Lycanroc barked. Above him, dragonfire and pink rings zipped through the air.
"I think not! Your continent needs you!" Totem Kommo-o shouted. With a surprising burst of speed, he snatched Lycanroc up.
"Put me down, you bloody drongo! I ain't some deadweight you can just throw around!" Lycanroc snarled, thrashing in Totem Kommo-o's iron grip.
"Last I heard, you are my captive. I'll do exactly what I see fit with you!" Totem Kommo-o said. He hurled Lycanroc through the air. Metagross caught him in his psychic grip and swiveled him around. Lycanroc served as a meat-shield against Dragon Pulses and Dragonbreath. Metagross unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. Hakamo-o and Sneasel winced.
They were about to make a mad dash and snatch Lycanroc up when an Aura Sphere flew in from the distance. Metagross snuffed it out, but had no answer for a speeding Silvally charging in and slashing him across his already-damaged face with his blackened talons. "That's quite enough out of you, Guildmaster," Silvally barked, cheek bolts whirring in their sockets.
You! Metagross's eyes turned purple again, only for a barrage of fire, ice, and wind to strike him from behind. He sputtered toward the ground, but put up Light Screen barriers to deflect Espy's Shadow Ball, Tessa's Aura Sphere, and Shane's pink psychic rings. Metagross spun around. The barriers threw off fire, water, and lightning from Blaziken, Swampert, and Seraph.
"Now, fire again!" Totem Kommo-o shouted. An Exeggutor, Flygon, and Drampa launched blue Dragon Pulse beams while Totem Kommo-o lumbered toward Metagross.
Such nuisances. Out of my w—
"Not until you answer to us!" Tessa shouted, slinging another Aura Sphere ahead of her. Gallian and Zoroark backed her up with purple Dark Pulse beams. Espy added a Shadow Ball for good measure.
Mobility times three. Metagross lifted himself into the air. The attacks sailed underneath him. Metagross canceled his levitation. He looked to crash into Silvally from above. Silvally sprinted out of the way, snagging Lycanroc in his beak in the process. He tossed Lycanroc to the ground. Lycanroc rolled to a stop by Gallian and Zoroark.
"You! What the— when the hell did you two get back together? And what are you drongos doing helping out Snowy! He's a bloody prick!" Lycanroc growled, staggering to his feet.
"Wow, you're right. He really has become a surly asshole," Gallian said, watching Metagross punch Totem Kommo-o back with two glowing-pink arms. Sneasel tried to hit Metagross from the shadows, but got knocked toward Hakamo-o, who helped him back up to his feet.
"Forget Midnight! We've got bigger fish to fry," Shane said, sprinting past the two of them. "Hey, Guildmaster, why'd you kill Tessa's dad, huh? We deserve a straight answer!"
A vein bulged out of Lycanroc's head. "Bigger fish? This whole bloody mess is your fault, Snowy! You probably knocked your damn Guildmaster off his rocker with that big mouth of yours!"
Zoroark rolled his eyes. "Gallian, you help the others. I'll tend to our, ahem, old friend." He jerked his head in Lycanroc's direction. Gallian opened his mouth to retort, but ultimately nodded. He'd rather Zoroark stay back from the worst of the fighting, given his injuries. Gallian dashed off, scythe bristling with black energy.
"Well, isn't that a sweet sight. Cowering behind your mate like the timid pup you are. I thought he ditched you. You're really that much of a sucker that you'd just go crawling back to him?" Lycanroc scoffed. Sneasel came to a stop behind him, a confused look on his face.
"What my mate and I choose to do is none of your business," Zoroark said. "Unlike some Pokémon, we actually made an attempt to settle our differences and ended up back together because of it. Funny how it works out, huh?"
"I can hear the sass in your voice, mate," Lycanroc snarled.
Explosions interrupted the conversation. Ice and static electricity rushed across the sand. Zoroark flinched. "Yeah, well, if you've got nothing else to say, we're done here. Either help us take this creep out or don't," he said. Zoroark shook his head. "Y'know, Dusk still thinks there's someone salvageable in there. Why not use this opportunity to make up for your mistakes?"
"Mistakes? I ain't made no bloody mistakes! It's you all who screwed things up! You freaks ruined my life! You hear me? Ruined it!" Lycanroc barked, crimson eyes glowing. He ducked underneath a Flamethrower redirected by Metagross. "That bitch Dusk made me evolve into the wrong form. And then you have to come in all… all…" Lycanroc bared his fangs. "You had to go throw those hips of yours around and make things all bloody complicated!"
Zoroark stepped back, brows raised. "What are you saying? That you had some sort of crush on me? Because things would've ended a lot differently at that party, don't you think?"
"Uh, guys?" Sneasel said, tugging on Lycanroc's arm. Lycanroc swatted him away.
"Fine! Yes! You got me, mate! Happy? Because I'm not. I didn't want a crush on you! I wanted to love Dusk!" Lycanroc barked. Dusk skidded to a halt in front of them, her eyes widening. "But thanks to this arse-backwards evolution, I stopped feeling anything around her! No attraction! None! And it's all your damn faults!"
"Duck and cover!" Shane shouted from several feet over. Zoroark turned. His eyes widened. He threw himself to the ground. Lycanroc wasn't fast enough on the uptake, however. A Goodra struck him. Slime splattered across his fur. He fell to the sand, the unmoving Goodra lying atop him. It evaporated in a stream of light.
Zoroark staggered to his feet. "Well, I've got nothing to say to you. I'm sorry things went badly, but there's nothing anyone can do to change it. You could've tried to make the best of a bad situation, but from what I can tell… you never did."
"Stay back," Shane shouted, firing an Ice Beam in a desperate attempt at halting a charging Metagross. Luckily, Tessa, Seraph, Swampert, Silvally, and Totem Kommo-o all rammed Metagross from his right side. Metagross skidded through the sand. Silvally launched a Flamethrower, backed by two Salamences and a Garchomp. Metagross disappeared into the ground.
Tessa's aura feelers jumped. She flung an Aura Sphere to her right. It whizzed by Gallian. Metagross phased out of the ground, ready to hammer Gallian. Tessa's Aura Sphere exploded. Gallian barely dodged the swipes of Metagross' fists. Instead, they met Blaziken's fiery legs. The same Garchomp from earlier charged Metagross down, only to get halted and flung aside. Hakamo-o jumped out of the way. He spewed a mouthful of dragonfire at Metagross.
"Answer us, damn it! What did our dad ever do to you, huh? He was as kind and trusting as anyone could be," Gallian spat, shooting several pink Psycho Cut blades at Metagross' arms.
Futile. I will not fall for your petty distraction attempts, Metagross said. He conjured Light Screen shields to deflect the attacks, then fired psychic orbs with his other six arms. Silvally leaped into the air and sliced one of the blasts apart with shadowy-black talons. He deflected the attack back into Metagross, who froze up with a static warble.
Your actions are nothing short of recklessicity. Do you not understand how many lives you'd ruin by taking the Dawn Hourglass? Magearna said, shooting two Aura Spheres out. Tessa added a third to the mix. Seraph punched the ground, sending electric columns after the Aura Spheres.
I don't care. None of you matter. I must survive! I must persist! Metagross shouted. His eight arms shimmered with light. He spun around. Metagross destroyed the attacks. He abruptly stopped spinning. Now, slumber!
Metagross raised his front arms. Save for Totem Kommo-o, the remaining dragons fell asleep. Metagross sped toward them, arms glowing purple and red. Go for broke. Excessive force. Follow through, he said, pink energy swirling around his face.
Totem Kommo-o saw Metagross heading right for Hakamo-o. Without even thinking, he lunged for his son and tossed him as far from the other dragons as he could. Metagross slammed into Totem Kommo-o. Blinding pink energy encased him, then overtook the slumbering dragons. His pained roar echoed throughout the beach. The cry woke Hakamo-o up. He turned toward the explosion, eyes wide.
"How's he still moving so fast?!" Shane cried, shielding his eyes.
The light faded. Totem Kommo-o tumbled to a stop by Hakamo-o. Only a few plate-like scales remained on his body. Metagross' attack had shredded the others, leaving bloody stumps and burnt patches of flesh. Hakamo-o staggered backward, jaw dropping but no words escaping him. Totem Kommo-o uttered a single, rasping wheeze. Blood trickled out of his snout.
"H-Hey! I need that healing lady over here," Hakamo-o shouted, kneeling down by Totem Kommo-o's side. He put a hand on his father's back. However, it phased right through him seconds later.
"S-Son. Remember. A dragon… never backs down," Totem Kommo-o wheezed. His belly disappeared in a stream of light. "He fights on… no matter… the odds…"
Before Hakamo-o could say anything, the rest of Totem Kommo-o's body dissolved before his eyes. The Totem Crystal dropped to the ground, completely grayed out. Hakamo-o tried to grab it, but it crumbled into dust.
He looked up. None of the other dragons were left. Metagross had vaporized all of them. Even worse, Metagross had recovered from the damage everyone had inflicted to him. Hakamo-o clenched his fists. His gut squirmed. Flames licked at the back of his throat.
"No. This is supposed to be my chance… for a new lease on life," he mumbled. "And you… I'm not letting you ruin this for me!"
Hakamo-o charged forward, giving the best roar his squeaky voice could manage. Red energy gathered in his fist. He launched into an uppercut, only to freeze in midair. Metagross levitated him around. Seraph and Team Go-Getters backed off their attacks, fearing they'd hit Hakamo-o.
Futile. Illogical. Your emotions cloud your judgment. All of you are slaves to your emotions. You're all dangerous. You must be removed, so I can escape this cursed world, Metagross said. He moved Hakamo-o aside. White spheres gathered around his front arms.
"Those look like blast wand bursts! Run!" Espy shouted, turning a sphere aside with a pink Psychic wave. It exploded over the sea. Shane and Tessa deflected more blasts, while the rest of the group scattered. Bright white explosions filled the area with smoke. Luxeira, Blaziken, and Swampert used the smoke as a cover to launch dual Flamethrowers and a wad of packed earth toward Metagross.
Pitiful. You will only harm your compatriot, Metagross said, levitating a struggling Hakamo-o around to take the attacks. Two purple Dark Pulses raced in from Metagross' right. He formed up two pink Light Screens with two of his rear arms and deflected the Dark Pulses.
However, Metagross wasn't prepared for a shadowy black blur to lunge out of the smoke. Silvally crunched his blackened beak down on one of Metagross' rear arms. With a hearty tug, he yanked the arm out of Metagross' body. Rainbow light spewed out of the empty joint and evaporated. Metagross sputtered. He lost his grip on Hakamo-o. Silvally dropped to the ground. The severed arm landed beside him and exploded.
Silvally scooped Hakamo-o up and ran away before metal shards could pepper his hide. Metagross struggled to maintain his levitation. Sparks shot out from the frayed remnants of his rear arm. Nnghh. Y… you cr-rr-rr-rr-retin. What are you doing-ing-ing? I am… I must survi-vi-vi-vive. I must.
"You say emotions are clouding our judgment, but what about you, huh? You're so blinded by fear, you can't see any reason!" Silvally snarled. He dropped Hakamo-o off beside Comfey and the injured Sticky. Silvally slung a purple Shadow Ball at Metagross. Espy added her own. Luxeira bolstered it with a purple ray. Shane forced an Ice Beam into the growing ball.
T-Tough… n-n-n-nesss. Guard-d-d-d boost times f-f-four, Metagross said. His limbs sparked as he summoned multiple Light Screens and pushed back against the giant multicolored energy ball. Blaziken added his Flamethrower to the mix. Rocks materialized around Dusk and she hurled them into the ball. Metagross' shields cracked.
Exp-p-p-plosion guard… tim-m-mes three, Metagross shouted right as the Light Screens broke. He shielded his face with his arms. The energy blew him into the rock wall on the eastern end of the beach. He bounced off it, emitting static.
"Don't let up, guys!" Shane barked. He was ready to launch a Heat Wave, but needed to make sure Metagross was totally off guard. "Hey, Guildmaster! How does all this bull fit into your 'greater good' schtick, huh? Was killing Incineroar working for the greater good? Because, from what we experienced, you're a miserable excuse for a Guildmaster… and it showed!"
Sparks shot out of the giant crack in Metagross' face. W… why you… He shakily raised his arms. There's… that's… He launched multiple waves of white energy balls. The group split, Team Radiance running off to the right while the others ran left. Incineroar-oar-oar was a fool! He was t-t-too trusting! You can't help-p-p everyone. You can't trust any-y-y-one. This world… trust is useless… ess… ess! The only gr-r-r-reater good is survival… by any means nece-ce-cessary! Metagross shouted, unleashing so many white energy balls his front arms cracked.
Dark memories active, Silvally snarled. Eerie black energy raced across the beach, vaporizing several of the spheres. Tessa skidded across the sand, blasting an energy ball apart with an Aura Sphere.
"Is that why you sent us off to the Temple of Body? To get rid of us?" she barked, already charging another Aura Sphere.
Of course I di-did! You were go-go-going to kill me. Your dumb, id-id-idiotic, bleeding hearts were not doing-ing good. They were doing harm! Harm to me! You were destab-stab-stabilizing the world! I had to rid myself of you, Metagross shouted. Look at what's hap-p-p-p-pened. The world's end is upon us. I must persis-is-ist. I must find a new home. And I will not allow any of you to come alo-o-ong and ruin my chance at peace.
Shane saw his opening. Blaziken, Seraph, and Swampert combined a Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and water jet into a crackling vortex. Metagross turned to meet the attack. Shane unleashed the superheated air he'd gathered. His Heat Wave caught Metagross by complete surprise. It scorched his rear arms, leaving black streaks across them. Metagross cried out in pain. The other attack enveloped him. He slammed against the rock wall again. Two of his rear arms blew up. The glow in his eyes faded. Metagross hovered erratically, light and sparks jumping off his backside.
Im… poss… ible… A crack splintered through Metagross' right eye. He stared Shane down. You… you can't… fire… breathe…
"Give it up, Metagross. It's time to answer for the lives you've ruined!" Tessa barked, Aura Sphere at the ready. She hurled it at Metagross.
"You don't get to float there and judge us, you bastard!" Gallian snarled, bolstering Tessa's Aura Sphere with a black beam from his scythe. "Dad was kind-hearted and worked for the good of others! He viewed you as a friend and you turned on him for no reason!"
Metagross struggled to maintain his levitation. Erratic pink beams caught the siblings' combined attack and snuffed it out. Silvally dispelled a couple of the lasers with a well-placed Shadow Ball. Team Go-Getters and Seraph launched fire, water, and lightning toward Metagross. Dusk added rocks to the mix. Metagross cut off his levitation. The attacks sailed overhead.
Incineroar's kindn-n-n-ness… was worthless… less… less. When people were panick-ick-icking during Dark Matter's attack, he was only concerned about your mother. He was… ineffec... ineffective in a crisis. If he were alive… Necrozma would've… wiped this guild out, Metagross grunted.
"That's a lie. You're the one who led us right into his claws!" Tessa snarled. She and Gallian again combined an Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse. This time, Zoroark added his own Dark Pulse to the midst. Silvally snarled, releasing more eerie black energy. Metagross spun around. The energy leaking from his body vaporized the attacks. Metagross struggled to get himself back in the air.
All for… the greater good. Found him… struck deal. Your spirits… in return for my… my… my safety, Metagross sputtered. Gray liquid seeped out of cracks on his face.
"And I reckon that's why you done tried to off Lucario, too, ain't it?"
Team Radiance abruptly stopped charging their attacks, all of them recognizing the new voice in the conversation. Seconds later, black chains burst out of the sand. They wrapped themselves around Metagross' remaining limbs, suspending him in midair. His garbled static echoed across the beach.
Ah, good. Seems my distressitude signal actually reached you three, Magearna said, turning around and bowing toward Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini. Braviary stood perched atop the former, half his body still crystallized from Necrozma's attacks.
"How did they get here?" Tessa said, aura feelers tensing. She wondered if it was even safe for Braviary to be out like this, but kept that thought to herself.
Tapu Fini pointed an arm toward Metagross. More ley line chains burst out of the ground. They snuffed out the psychic energy he was gathering. "We were trying to survey what had happened to the landscape when we sensed the Dawn Hourglass' energy," she explained.
Forgive me, but I used my Geartronic Energy Amplifier in the hopes I'd be able to draw their attention, Magearna said. Team Radiance exchanged confused looks. No one was willing to challenge how or why such a device existed.
Across from the newcomers. "W-What the— Snowy's friends with the bloody Tapus? Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Lycanroc spat. "C'mon, Sneasel, we're blowing this dump."
"No." Sneasel walked over toward Hakamo-o. "You do whatever you want, but I ain't going nowhere. Besides, it's bad form to walk out on the Land Spirits." He jerked his head in the Tapus' direction.
Lycanroc growled at Sneasel, but said nothing. He turned around, ready to storm off, when Dusk jumped into his path, fangs bared and eyes turning red. "You're not going anywhere," she snarled. Lycanroc shuffled backwards. He crossed his arms and scowled.
"Bulu ready to rip angry dinner table into bits." Tapu Bulu glanced at his counterpart. "Can Bulu crush him with ley lines, now?"
"Not before he done answers my question," Braviary said, limping toward Metagross. "The night Lucario had her meltdown, I saw you walking out of the guild. You told me you were taking care of important business… and I believed you. Just like I done trusted you when you went after Incineroar and told me to let the rest of the guild know you'd been in yer office the whole night."
You… always were… a stub-b-b-born, gullible fool, Metagross said, between bouts of static.
"Wait." Tessa turned to Braviary. "Are you saying Metagross tried to kill my mom, too?"
Of course I did. She was… a threat. Obsessed… with Ho-Oh. Always mut-t-t-tering… about fixing mistakes. She needed… to be purged… so I could plan my escape in peace, Metagross said, eyes twitching and flickering erratically with light.
"You're the reason she had a meltdown in the first place!" Braviary cawed, pointing his good wing at Metagross. "I know we both had our misgivings about Lucario and what Incineroar thought of her, but you done took it to far!" He limped closer to Metagross. "That's why I'm here. To make sure you know that I think yer the scum of the earth!"
"Okay, is anyone else totally lost here?" Swampert said, earning nods of agreement from Blaziken, Swampert, Luxeira, and Seraph. "We've got him pinned, now let's finish the job already!"
"Bulu agree. Angry dinner table try to take Dawn Hourglass' power. His offense deserves punishment," Tapu Bulu said, smacking his stubby, bell-like limbs together.
No. I refuse… to let it… end here. I will… escape! Metagross glowed bright white. He trembled violently. Light seeped out of the cracks on his metallic body.
"Everybody get back!" Shane shouted, fearing a devastating attack from Metagross. Without any hesitation, he spat out a gold energy ball. It struck Metagross right between his eyes. A massive golden light geyser erupted. White light raced across the beach, swallowing everyone up and drowning out their surprised cries. The force of the blast blew everyone back toward the water.
"Ungh. Sh-Shane… what was that for?" Espy groaned, rubbing her face with her forelegs.
Just as the light began to fade, a surprised howl rang out across the beach. Everyone jumped to their feet, trying to blink the stars out of their vision.
"H-Hey! My bag! Where's my bag?!" Espy cried, circling around in a panic.
Ah! The Scalebound Shard was knocked loose! Where is it? Magearna's mechanical eyes darted about.
Another flash of light drew the group's attention. On the opposite side of the beach, Lycanroc stood atop the unconscious forms of Dusk, Sneasel, and the Tapus. He had Espy's bag slung across his shoulder and the Scalebound Shard in his right paw. His mane now ended in streaks of rainbow fur instead of white.
Tessa hurled an Aura Sphere at Lycanroc. Silvally sprinted toward him, cheek bolts whirring so fast they left behind trails of sparks.
"Ha! Thanks for the parting gift, mates! I hope Necrozma kills the whole lot of ya!" Lycanroc jeered. The Scalebound Shard glowed in his paw. An Ultra Wormhole opened beneath him, carrying him and his victims away. Tessa's Aura Sphere passed right over the portal and exploded right as it disappeared. Silvally skidded to a halt in the sand.
"No! No! After all that work… the Shards are gone? Just like that? And to Lycanroc of all Pokémon?!" Silvally said. His fighting memories shifted on, turning his glowing parts orange. He smacked the ground with a foreleg. "How could this happen? Damn it! We were so close… so close!" Silvally thrashed his head about, hissing.
Shane stood opposite Tessa, staring down at the ground blankly. A lightning bolt struck him in the rear. Shane jumped forward with a yowl. He whirled around to find Seraph staring him down, a sparking paw raised.
"Nice going, dumbass! This is all your fault! What the hell was up with that kooky magical energy ball, huh? You almost blew us to smithereens!" Seraph fumed, plasma crackling around her fur.
"I… I… Metagross was about to unleash something horrible! I had to stop him! This was the best thing I could think of!" Shane said, tails curling up against his waist. He knew what he did was reckless, but he never imagined things could've gone this way.
"Well, if you had that technique then why the hell didn't you use it from the get-go? We could've avoided all of this garbage!" Seraph spat.
"Because I've never really used the attack before. I didn't know what it was capable of. But we were in a bind and I panicked, okay! Can you honestly blame me? Metagross looked ready to, like, use some sort of modified Self-Destruct," Shane said. He glanced at his teammates, but even he wasn't sure if he wanted them to back him up or simply try to understand his reasoning. His heart sank when none of them met his gaze.
N… not… capable.
Shane's tails shot into the air. Everyone turned back toward the rock wall to find Metagross lying in a crater at its base. His Mega Evolution had worn off, but his body was charred black as opposed to its usual dark gray. All of his limbs had been blown off. Sparks and gray liquid seeped out of his exposed joints and the numerous cracks on his body.
"How the heck did that guy survive that blast?" Swampert said, shaking his head in disbelief.
It's… like… I said. You can't… save this world. The only hope… was to escape… Metagross' voice descended into static. Too… damaged. Can't… move. Y-You… you ruined me. Now… we're all… going to die…
"… tch. Even on death's doorstep, you're as blind and irrational as ever, Guildmaster."
A pained squawk made everyone look up. Zero stood at the top of the rock wall, her free paw clutching Braviary's throat. The colors dissolved off his body and into Zero's mask. Zero finished crystallizing Braviary's body, then dropped him to the ground. He landed next to Metagross and shattered.
Tessa's aura feelers shot up. Her heart leaped into her chest. Beside her, Gallian crouched low to the ground, his eyes flickering pink. "W-We have to flee. We can't fight her. It'll be—"
"A disaster? Oh, please." Zero turned her gaze on Gallian. "To think… in spite of my teachings, you've been reduced to a sniveling, cowardly wreck. I'd say I'm disappointed, but at this point, I don't really care."
Gallian shrank back, a mix of pain and anger in his eyes. Tessa sensed the shifts in his aura and took a step forward, putting her right arm up in front of Gallian protectively. "Stop this, Mom! You can't let Necrozma control you like this. You have to fight him!" She looked down. "Please…"
Zero's paws flickered with bursts of static. "The only thing I'm fighting is a world that's fundamentally flawed. But I'm on the cusp— no, the brink of fixing it. All you need to do is stand down and cease your asinine tirade."
Shane shot a pink energy ball at Zero. She swung her staff around to counter, but the energy ball exploded, shattering it. Zero wrung out her left paw as it distorted at bizarre angles.
"Yes! That's it! I broke her evil scepter thingy! Now she's gotta be free from Necrozma." Shane looked at Tessa, tails wagging.
"My scepter?" Zero said, staring at her staticky paw. "You mean… this scepter right here?" She brought her paws together, then spread them apart. A new staff formed, identical to the one Shane had destroyed.
His jaw slackened. "But that's… that's…"
"This…" Zero slammed the staff against her knee, breaking it in half. It dissolved into thin air. "… is nothing more than a fancy-looking Bone Rush club, designed to trick gullible would-be heroes into thinking it's the source of my power." Zero nudged up her mask. "Evidently, it worked."
Shane's ears and tails drooped. "Damn it, why can things never be easy?" he whimpered.
"Mom… please, listen to me! You're not thinking straight. You can't possibly expect to kill all the gods and have the world stay peaceful," Tessa said. Zero's eye fell on her. "Look, my friends and I have seen a lot of problems for ourselves, but killing the gods won't solve anything. We all have to compromise and find a path forward together."
Zero rolled her eye. "That will solve nothing. And I can tell you why. The gods are worthless and petulant. They're the most selfish, short-sighted people in the entire world… and they're the ones who are supposed to be running it!" Static rippled through her bodies. "You really think they'll stop and listen to you? You… a meek girl so utterly incapable of holding her own in battle that she cheated and co-opted Necrozma's power so she could know what's it like to feel big and strong."
Roaring, Silvally sought to bathe Zero in flames. Zero snuffed them out with a wall of black cubes. "I won't let you talk to Tessa that way! She's done more for us than you could possibly realize, but Necrozma's warped your mind so badly, you've lost sight of your family!" Silvally revved up his cheek bolts and clawed at the ground.
"That girl is not my daughter," Zero said. "I have a daughter… many worlds away. She was taken from me… by the gods you want to 'compromise' with." She hovered into the air. Ley line chains burst out of the ground. One by one, they punctured Metagross' body and wrapped around him. Then, Zero compressed the chains. The glow faded from Metagross' eyes seconds before he shattered like a glass figurine.
Zero raised her left paw. The chains wrapped around a ball of light flittering into the air from Metagross' remains. They swallowed the light up whole, then dissolved away. "Hmph. Good riddance," she growled, lowering her paw. Zero turned back to Team Radiance. "You think Necrozma's somehow blinded me? You're wrong. He was never in control of me. And now… he's no longer an issue."
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Tessa said, crouching lower to the ground.
"It's probably a trick to throw us off," Shane said, snorting tufts of ice. He was trying to draw forth energy to use the golden light ball again, but it wasn't working. Shane sought to keep Zero talking to stall for time.
"It's no trick. Necrozma's gone. I dealt with him," Zero said. "Everything I've done has been deliberate. Because this world's made me suffer— made countless humans suffer. Don't believe me?" Zero shakily reached a paw up and removed her mask. She turned to show the right side of her face.
"Oh, that's so gross," Seraph said, cupping a paw over her mouth.
Luxeira's jaw dropped. "Those glowing triangles, they kind of look like…" Her voice trailed off. She shuddered.
Tessa staggered back, clasping a paw over her chest. "M-Mom. Wh-what happened to you?"
"Metagross didn't like me asking so many questions about Incineroar's death. He tailed me out to Glyphic Falls and pushed me off a cliff. That should've been in the end, but a rainbow comet collided with me in midair," Zero said, putting her mask back on. Rings of distortion spread through her body. "Necrozma was in full control for a while, until I forced the central part of his core into Lunala and regained my free will. I snuffed his consciousness out, so now his power is mine to use as I see fit."
Three pillars of fire descended on Zero. She extinguished them by trapping them in a sphere of cubes. "Necrozma knocked the Hidden Land into the ocean… and took Giratina and Palkia down, too," she continued. "Look around you. Time and space are unraveling. Soon, gravity will, too. But I have the Time Gears. And I have Dialga's power. I can rewrite all of history… and make it so that none of the gods ever existed."
"But if you blame them for you ending up here, won't you just erase yourself in the process? C'mon, you're not thinking logically! Your plan makes no sense. You're tampering with powers you can't control," Shane shouted. He felt golden embers deep inside his spirit. All he needed was a few more seconds.
Zero's eye flashed purple. "I know damn well what I'm doing. I'm not about to sit here and listen to a dimwit who doesn't even realize that his mere existence here is one gigantic contradiction."
Shane shuffled backward, tails shooting between his legs. "A… contradiction?" He looked at the ground, blinking slowly. Did Zero know something about the visions the Dawn Shards had given him?
"I'm going to fix a system that was broken at its inception. And I need you mongrels out of my hair," Zero said.
She snapped her digits. Six of her black Beast Balls appeared in the air. They dropped to the ground and snapped open. Milotic and Serperior emerged from the first two, glaring at Team Radiance. However, Espy looked right and her jaw dropped.
"H-Haxorus? Raichu?! No! She can't have gotten you, too!" Espy squealed, tail shooting between her legs.
"Ah, Blaziken! She got Team Poképals, too!" Swampert cried, tugging on his partner's arm. Blaziken tensed up, digging his talons into his feathers.
"You monster! Let them go, now!" Silvally snarled.
"Or what? You're gonna go all rageaholic God Killer on our asses?" Serperior said, smirking. "Ha! I'd like to see you try!" She brandished her tail-blade. Flames danced across it.
Zero raised her paw up. A dome of black cubes formed up across the beach, blocking out Comfey, Magearna, and Sticky.
"Don't disappoint me this time," Zero hissed, before disappearing into a black, jagged portal.
"H-Hey, what's going on here?" Tessa squeaked, aura feelers trembling. Red cubes burst forth from the ground. Tessa dove to the sand to avoid them. They stretched up to the ceiling, cutting Team Radiance off from Gallian, Zoroark, and Hakamo-o.
"Damn it, she's boxed us in!" Shane huffed, looking at an identical wall on Team Radiance's left.
"Exactly. You've got nowhere to run, punks!" Serperior said, giggling. "This time, nothing's gonna stop me from torching your furry hides!"
She and Milotic raised their tails, then lunged.
XxX
Maligned Malefactor, Metagross Deluxe
Born, like the rest of his kind, without the capability to process emotions in spite of his typing, he sought to gain notoriety with tactical acumen and battle prowess. But when his teammates reached their final states before he did, impatience drove him to Voltaic Crater, where he attempted to fuse with another of his kind. He realized all too late his chosen target's mind and spirit had been irreversibly damaged by ever-present lightning. His fusion partner steadily eroded his mind and spirit until not a trace of the original explorer remained.
Born, like the rest of his kind, without the capability to process emotions in spite of his typing, he sought to gain notoriety with tactical acumen and battle prowess. But when his teammates reached their final states before he did, impatience drove him to Voltaic Crater, where he attempted to fuse with another of his kind. He realized all too late his chosen target's mind and spirit had been irreversibly damaged by ever-present lightning. His fusion partner steadily eroded his mind and spirit until not a trace of the original explorer remained.
XxX
I think it's safe to say this was easily the most chaotic chapter of the fic to date. Let me know your thoughts on it, if you have any.
Next time: a clash of explorers young and old!
Last edited: