Red skies oversaw a silent, somber land covered in purple dust. Scattered like giant trees were great plateaus, all at equal heights despite their random assortments across the purple landscape. Red-purple lightning bolts shattered the sky, drawing the attention of two Pokémon stationed at the top of one of the plateaus.
"Found one," said the first creature—a dark, metallic bird with red eyes. "But I think it's too far away. Too far, too far..."
"We should try anyway," the other said—a Sandslash with a few too many spikes missing. "Come on. Up!"
Corviknight watched closely at where the thunderclap had originated, its rumble still echoing across the plateau field. "It's falling."
"Where? My vision's not like yours."
"I'll just fly. But it's too late, too late." Corviknight spread his wings once Sandslash hopped on. "He might be dead already."
"Always worth a shot. It's been a slow shift anyway. C'mon, fly!"
"I will, I will."
"Any Titans?"
"No, just one, just one."
"Okay, a Titan. Avoid it."
"I will, I will." Corviknight took off, watching the orange creature fall closer and closer to the ground. "Hmm, hmm, he's falling fast. That won't end well."
"Well, if he's lucky, he'll survive." Sandslash pointed ahead. "Yeah, I see it. Let's—"
Another lighting bolt crackled to their right, a bit closer than the first bolt.
"...Priorities. Let's try that one instead."
"But the other?"
"We'll save the closest ones first, we—" Sandslash couldn't finish. Another thunderclap behind them caught their attention, but they missed where the bolt had specifically come from. He growled. "Did you see where that one came from?"
"No, no."
"Alright. Closest one first."
Leaving the original faller behind, they instead chased after another falling creature. They recognized this one as a small, shapeless, pink blob.
<><><>
"Ooh... the thunder's really loud," Lavender said, shivering. It sounded as if the whole sky was splitting apart. But even more frightening was that he could hear its boom even from where he was—at the bottom of the lab, ten floors underground.
He glanced to the left, frowning with even more concern. Rim's body wasn't forming right; it didn't look like a developing Espurr at all. It was rounded and bulbous, and it looked like something was growing out of the top. He whined loudly, pressing his head against the cylinder. "It's gonna be okay. Are you okay?"
But Rim had barely developed enough to hear him. It would take moons for her to be back in any sort of living condition without Eon to accelerate the process. But he would be back soon, and everything would be okay.
And then the lights flickered. An alarm sounded on the opposite side of the hall, buzzing Lavender's head. Lucas, far down the hall, howled and paced around worriedly, little flames leaving his mouth.
"It's okay, Lucas!" Lavender cried over the beeping.
The lights stopped flickering, but instead gave off a red glow. Lavender worriedly looked at Rim's tank; nothing was failing, but he knew what the red lights meant. Last time this happened was when he had blacked out and destroyed one of the generators—at least, that's what Eon said happened. Did that mean one of the generators failed again?
The alarm meant something else went wrong, too. A lot of somethings, maybe. But he didn't know the first thing about how this lab worked or what he could do to fix it!
But he did know that he could help to power it. "Lucas! Go check on the others! Umm—find, um—find Nate! Yeah, find Nate! Maybe he can help? I'm gonna—I'm gonna fix the power!"
Lucas barked and sprinted away. Lavender, going deeper into the lab, thought to become a Scolipede again, but Eon's words echoed in his mind. Not in the lab. I'm gonna use you today, he said to one of his spirits.
Okay! Don't fall like last time!
Lavender nodded and his body shrank down, grew wings, and sped up even more. The Ninjask fumbled in the air.
No, not like that!
Sorry!
He regained his composure and flew ahead again, moving past the last of the grid-like arrangement of cylinders, before coming to the back room. He shifted back to his Silvally form and placed his talons on the door. After a pause, it slid open—Lavender sighed in relief. At least the door still worked.
The door opened to a small chamber that had a single, mechanical pillar in the middle of the room. A screen near the bottom of this pillar showed various statistics about the power level of the lab and any critical issues present. Lavender didn't understand most of it, but he did understand one part—the status message that had most recently come up.
'Critical power failure – Central Infinity Energy Core destabilized. Relying on Secondary Chamber.'
Lavender only knew one thing from that status message—that the main energy reserve had lost its power somehow. Eon was the one who kept that powered with the help of Rim and Elder, before Elder left. The secondary core was new, and he was, indirectly, the one who kept it powered.
Lavender decided to check on the primary core, first. He trotted over to the left side of the pillar and poked at one of the metal coverings. It slid open in response, revealing a small, faded rhombus. He frowned. "It's out of energy?" he mumbled to his spirits. "But it's called Infinity Energy. It's not supposed to run out."
Eon only put a blessing on it, though. And Rim. He didn't put his actual spirit inside.
"But that won't run out as long as Dad's..."
There's still some energy left, another spirit said. Why don't you power it with some of us for now?
"But what happened to... I... D-Dad—"
Focus, Lavender, it's okay!
It's okay! He'll be back.
Maybe he's just fighting.
Lavender whined. "Okay. Who wants to power this one?"
Several volunteered and collected at the base of Lavender's throat. He puffed out a golden cloud of light toward the rhombus; the spirits drifted toward the little crystal, brightening it. The gem glowed, and then lost its diamond shape, becoming instead a sphere. Lavender pressed his head against it.
Are you guys doing alright in there?
Everything's good!
I think you gave enough.
Does it look good out there?
Lavender opened his eyes. The alarm stopped. The lights weren't red anymore. And most importantly, the status screen on the central chamber was back to normal. All green, with no scary red lights or flashing exclamation points. He sighed, closing the chamber, and then moved to the right side.
It was about time he switched out the spirits anyway.
The chamber opened to a similar, golden sphere. Lavender pressed his head against it. Hey guys! Having fun?
What happened?
Suddenly it needs our power.
Did something happen to Dad?
Lavender winced. I don't know. But I'm gonna swap you guys out, okay?
Okay.
I was getting bored.
Lavender nodded and asked for volunteers again. They were more reluctant this time, murmuring that Lavender should tell them what happened to Dad as soon as he could. After agreeing, several more of his spirits funneled into the sphere, and at the same time, the spirits within leapt out and toward Lavender. It was a routine—one that most of them were very familiar with.
With both chambers fully powered—and Lavender feeling a lot more empty—the Silvally turned around and listened. Even within the bottommost, centermost part of the lab, he could still hear faint rumbles from outside. And there was something else accompanying it, too. A sliding feeling... No, more like... What was that?
What is that? Lavender asked, not wanting to speak so he could still hear the noise. A grinding, like something semisolid passing through a narrow hallway. He'd heard that before. Where was—
That's Nate!
How come Nate's moving?
Go check! He's only two floors up!
Lavender didn't want to bother with taking the elevators—too far away. Instead, his eyes shifted to a dark purple and he sank into the shadows, going up. He passed through rubble and stone before settling on the ninth sublevel. Nothing was happening here except for a mutant Tyrantrum giving little love bites to a mutant Noivern.
"Eek! Lavender! We weren't doing anything!" Tyrantrum said.
"Do you guys hear anything?" Lavender asked hastily. "Did the lights go out?"
"Oh, they did."
"Even on this floor, huh..." Lavender frowned. "Okay. I'm going to see Nate."
"N-Nate? Are you sure?" Noivern shrank down. "He's kinda creepy..."
"Yeah, but I can sense him moving. He's pretty big, after all... and I guess I can feel his energy a lot more than everyone else here."
"Oh, well, my aura sonar can sense it," Noivern said, tapping her massive ears. "Hey, yeah... he's definitely moving."
"Thanks." Lavender gave them both a quick bow and hopped into the wall, ascending further until he rose into a large, empty chamber.
Nate used to be there. He scanned for any signs of him, but all he saw were papers strewn about with completed and half-completed drawings of the various mutants, as well as countless fabrics of half-made costumes. A few of them were fully constructed. There was one of Lavender's true form, though only the head and neck were complete; based on how there were more materials and cloths scattered nearby, Nate must have found his chimeric body to be a real puzzle.
But there was no Nate.
In an effort to pick up the pace, Lavender searched for another speedy Pokémon. Ninjask—where was... Lavender froze. He'd left him back at the Core chamber. He wasn't supposed to be without so many spirits—he couldn't find his form.
G-guys! I need a fast one! A-anybody?
Lavender bounded down the hall anyway, waiting for his spirits to deliberate. Eventually, he felt the presence of one spirit get brighter. Closing his eyes, he braced for whatever came next; his limbs suddenly disappeared under him, replaced by wings. The new Crobat toppled over in a crumpled heap, groaning.
Warn me next time...
He slammed on the ground to gain altitude, air channeling around him. With newfound agility, Lavender banked around the sharp corners and followed any possible trace he could feel from Nate's massive aura.
After one turn, he spotted something dark in the corridors, draining into the next. "Nate!" Lavender shouted, flying until he was right on top of him. "Nate! Hang on!"
But he kept slithering away. The only thing that Lavender got in reply was a small pause from part of his body. Black limbs pushed Nate forward, crawling on the ground in tandem in undulating waves. A few eyes on the ink-black body opened and stared at Lavender.
Lavender landed on top of Nate and switched back to his true form. "Nate," he said again. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"
Several eyes closed, and a few of the arms grabbed at his forepaws. Lavender lifted one and shook it. "Um, hi, Nate, but where are you going?"
I feel like I need to go somewhere.
"Go somewhere? What do you mean?"
It's calling me.
"It? What's it?"
I don't know. It's struggling to live.
"Struggling to—but Nate, you're not supposed to leave! Remember? I mean, that's what Dad said."
I can't find him. I'll ask later.
Lavender realized that Nate was trying to push him away, but he shook his head. "Nate, we can't go right now. Not until Dad comes back. Something's wrong, and I have a bad feeling..."
So do I.
"Don't you think it's a bad idea to go, though? If it's a bad feeling, maybe you shouldn't be going."
Nate's massive body—of which Lavender could only see the tail-end—slowed down. Up ahead, a frightful shriek rang out. A few seconds later, Lavender saw a lump run beneath Nate, like he was lifting himself over something... And then, he lifted Lavender next. Left behind was a curled up, trembling form of a fusion with the body of an Abomasnow, the colors and hands of a Hitmonlee, and the lower half of a Carnevine. A while later, the fusion lifted her hands from her face, looking around confusedly.
"Um, Nate, I think you're starting to freak out some of the family..."
Sorry. I'm in a rush.
Lavender noticed that Nate was going away from the teleporter wall. "Um, Nate? Teleporter's that way."
I'm too big. Taking the emergency stairs.
"Oh. Wait—you shouldn't be doing that anyway! Please, can't you stay?"
Lavender realized that, given how big Nate was, he was probably already going up the stairs... He sighed again, trying to find another way to convince him. He couldn't think of anything, and instead watched as Nate went on an upward incline. The marble halls transitioned into an alternating stairway that zigzagged its way skyward. Every bit of metal that Nate nicked on the handlebars—indeed, he used them for safety, because it was polite—echoed all the way up and all the way down the concrete walls.
Several arms, tentacles, and wings wrapped around Lavender to brace him in place. At first, Lavender wondered why, as he was only trying to convince Nate to stay back... But the alternative was Lavender constantly nipping at his heels. Did Nate have heels? Well, yes. Several, in fact.
Lavender shook his head, trying to refocus. His spirits were doing no better, unable to find a way to convince the Dark Guardian to halt his enigmatic advance.
That was, until Nate did it himself. With a lurching halt, Lavender found himself swinging forward and past several of Nate's limbs, though a few of them caught Lavender in time. His talons accidentally jabbed at one of the many eyes, causing it to wince in pain.
"Oh—sorry," Lavender said, but the eye already sank into the darkness. "Nate? What's wrong?"
The limbs started to push Lavender forward, but then Lavender gently broke out of his binds. "Want me to go up? I'll do that."
Something's wrong.
They urged Lavender to go up. Channeling his ghostly powers again, he sank into the wall and quickly ascended from the eighth floor, to the seventh, then the sixth... how far did Nate's body stretch?!
Lavender finally found the surface floor and emerged to complete darkness. The sun had set long ago, but he could still see the vague shape of Nate's upper body leaking out of Quartz HQ. "Nate? What are you doing?"
I need to go.
And then, without warning, Nate's huge body lifted itself into the air, more and more of him rising like a serpent reaching for a low branch. But in this case, it seemed like the only branch Nate intended to grab was the clouds themselves. Wings outstretched from all sides and, despite not flapping, seemed to generate an updraft, the same way a Dragonite managed to take flight.
Dragonite. Lavender searched for the species, but couldn't find it. He settled for becoming Crobat again, ascending with Nate, but he was rising even faster than he could manage. The air current that flowed around the black amalgamation ripped through any sort of updraft that Lavender could make, sending him spiraling down. Lavender called for Nate one last time, even as he was sprawled out on the floor, but he kept climbing higher.
The last of the Dark Guardian's form plucked itself out of Quartz HQ. His entire body levitated just below the clouds as a great, fat serpent, coiled together like he had been in the Chasm. Its body spiraled around itself, leaving only what vaguely resembled a head to poke out from the black coils. Ethereal, black wings, looking unnaturally attached to the rest of the serpentine form, spread out. It glided over an updraft that didn't exist. It moved unnaturally, like it was hanging off of a ceiling that moved forward, the head training itself on some far-off entity in the horizon.
At the front of Nate's body, where the serpent's head extended forward, came a glow. At first, it seemed white, but it was too dim. He beat his wings once, ascending higher into the sky while battering the distant ground below with small twisters of wind. Lavender, caught up in one of them, barely stabilized himself in time to avoid the second wingbeat, and then the third.
A low rumble shook Lavender next, down to his core. The beat pressed against his heart, and then rippled to the surface of his body, and then back in again. Wave after wave dizzied Lavender until he had to land, heaving. The spirits inside of him shuffled worriedly, asking Lavender if he was okay, asking him to get up. But he couldn't handle being in anything but his base form. His body shifted back to his chimeric self, and then he rolled to look at the sky.
Pink. The light was pink, at the mouth—if Nate's body as a whole had one. The head was split open five-ways, like a giant, clawed hand. The fingers opened like they were mouths of their own. The light... brighter. What was it?
Another rumble shook Lavender, followed by its aftershock. Ba-thump. Lavender's heart ached, heaving again.
"Lavender! Are you okay?!"
"What? What?"
Someone was beside him. He saw crackling orbs of electricity—the Ampharos standing guard, along with the Sceptile, he was sure.
Another rumble, ba-thump, made Lavender curl up. Ampharos and Sceptile winced, too, and looked up. "That's Nate?!"
"What's he—"
The pink energy doubled, then tripled in intensity. A shockwave cracked the air, knocking fruits off their trees and snapping the weakest branches into splinters. A line of pink stung Lavender's vision, cutting across the sky.
<><><>
Hot Spot Cave lacked any light. The stars, the moon, the clouds themselves—gone and replaced by a swirling vortex of red, purple, and void-black.
"Why did Anam contain the Wraith King?" Rhys wheezed, barely able to stand.
"How can we possibly hope to..." Elder could only watch as the void expanded farther.
"We have to calm Anam," Rhys said. "We need to regroup and fight him. Find some way to bring that demon out of him, or—or find a way to seal it again."
Nevren appeared in a flash of light. With him, an icy Aggron, an agitated Porygon-Z, and a Joltik with fairy wings. Three Guardians, but Nevren then said, "I can't bring any more."
"What do you mean—"
"I can't bring any more. My luck's run out, I'm afraid." Nevren held his lucky charm forward, revealing its dim, gray glow. "These three are the best I can do. The Wraith King has either already claimed, or is too close to, the others."
"But—Owen! Team Alloy! All of the Guardians, the—"
"Gone. We must go."
It didn't look like Nevren was giving Rhys much of a choice.
"The void in the sky is expanding. What happens if it covers the world?" Elder said. "We can't stop it from advancing this time. The Chasm is—Star and Barky aren't... The Tree—"
The void rumbled, making ADAM and Willow shake. Step looked up at the void defiantly. "I doubt there is nothing to be done," she said, holding her palm toward the center of it. She fired a blast of icy energy toward it.
"How can you expect that attack to—"
The ice melted away, but the remnant energy that remained from Step's attack—the aura that tried to produce the ice as it sailed through the sky—continued to battle with the swirling void before ultimately fizzling out.
"You don't have enough power to counteract something like that, Step," Nevren said.
"I beg to differ," Step growled. "Something inside me is telling me I can. I will destroy that—that thing if I must!" She fired again, but the same result occurred. The ice melted away, and the aura battled weakly against the expanding vortex. By now, three quarters of their sky had been consumed by the void.
"How are you..." Nevren trailed off, looking at Rhys next. He was too weak to fight back.
Are you still trying to fight?
Nevren halted his words to stare at the sky. "It's... that's him." He squeezed his spoons a bit tighter. All of the others turned their attention to the expanding darkness, a soft rumble like never-ending thunder shaking small rocks in the dirt.
All life has proven its uselessness. Nothing but suffering permeates your world, propped up by a single soul's ambition to alter the natural state of reality. I gave him a chance, I watched from within as he slowly, yet in vain, tried to repair the world, only for it all to be wiped away by those who hungered for power. Had I let it continue, the war would have escalated to ruin what little structure you had. And then, what would become of me? You would destroy me, just as you try to destroy each other.
You do not know what to do with power. I am Dark Matter, named by your god, Anam. The old god, Mew, has been claimed by me. The old god, Arceus, is next. The Hunters are all but vanquished. All those who seek power will fall to the void.
The joy your old god tried to manufacture in this world is false and fleeting. His heart was the only one that shined, and now it is tarnished by hopelessness thanks to his very subjects and their greed. I will show you the world for what it really is. I will show you the world you ungrateful souls have been blinded to: A world without blessings, a world without your god to unite it so tenuously.
I am your new god. I will show you a life without suffering. I shall shape this world into its ideal form: A state without suffering or pain. A state... of terminus.
As Dark Matter spoke, the void in the sky expanded further and further, wrapping around more and more of the sky. Nevren couldn't see the stars no matter where he looked. His Revisor remained useless in his hands. Despite the fact that they had been rewound every single time, his fingers felt raw. How many times had he just heard that speech? He lost count. Rushing in, running out, nothing was enough to stop Dark Matter from expanding across the sky.
Step was inconsolable, launching Ice Beam after Ice Beam into the sky, only achieving the weakest pauses in the void's expansion. Soon, the whole world would be covered, and this time, there wasn't a reserve of power to prevent it from staying that way.
Someone kept repeating his name. Only when he felt the sting of electricity did the Alakazam look to his right, seeing an angry Joltik clinging to his mustache.
"You're the smart guy!" she shouted. "Think of something!"
ADAM spun his head several times. "Calculating probability of victory..."
Nevren didn't need to wait for the answer. He looked at his Revisor again; bright blue. He could use it, but for what purpose? Did it matter anymore?
It was tiring. So, so tiring, going back, over and over, to find a solution that simply didn't exist.
"What are you doing?!" Step shouted at Nevren, blasting him with a weak gust of frosty air. "The brainy one will help!"
Nevren flinched, blinking several times at Step. Her piercing gaze didn't stop her from firing at the sky, not even looking anymore. She didn't need to—the general direction of up was enough to hit her target. "The sky has an aura! Therefore, we can strike it!"
But how could such an immense aura be fought, even slightly?
Something flickered in the corner of Nevren's vision. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but then Rhys, barely on his feet, turned toward it, and then Step, and then ADAM and Willow.
"What is that?" Elder said, extending his neck to gain extra height. "Pink..."
It was getting brighter—and closer. It cut through the darkness like it was fog. A roaring rumble echoed from the vortex's core, shaking Nevren's very spirit. He shuddered and took a knee. "Step," Nevren wheezed.
The Aggron didn't kneel. Nevren could feel her stubbornness—even if her body was falling apart, she'd refuse to kneel to the dark god.
The pink light struck the center of the vortex, creating a shockwave that—despite Step's adamance—knocked everyone several feet away and into the air. Nevren slowed his and Rhys' fall with a Psychic barrier, while Elder skidded across the ground with a strained grunt. ADAM flailed, and Willow flew over tall grass before landing on a nearby clump. Step landed the hardest, cursing loudly, and then stared back up at the crackling vortex.
The void had been cut down by more than half, yet it still remained, struggling to expand further. Someone cried out inside the cave—the unmistakable voice of Anam.
"Is he still fighting it?" Nevren said.
"Anam is the center!" Step said—but Nevren doubted she was correct.
"Step, wait!"
But she was already rumbling toward the cave entrance. Nevren, knowing that she'd be claimed like all the others if someone didn't Teleport her out, followed her.
In the corner of his eye, Nevren also spotted another flickering, white light. Now that the void had been cut through with the assistance of that attack—that pink light that seemed so familiar—he saw a follow-up. Flying filaments of white energy curled through the sky and descended upon Hot Spot.
"Step!" Nevren shouted. "Brace yourself!"
Despite her fervor to run forward, she listened and tensed her body. "Why?"
The ground heaved from several ethereal impacts. Hot Spot's cavernous ceiling partially collapsed, large boulders tumbling and slamming onto faded mushrooms. Several wraiths screeched and dissolved, but a few times, the fallen boulders bounced off of something solid, too.
Streams of white light pushed through the cave's ceiling and struck homes built into the walls, cracking their structures. The sky was alight, punctures of divine energy dotting the once perfect void.
Dark Matter roared, and this time, Step was forced to all fours, grunting. Nevren couldn't move; his whole body felt compressed by the pressure Dark Matter gave off. He could only stare through the darkness to see Anam's form in the middle of it all, staring emptily upward. Swirls of lavender competed with black ooze within his body. Nevren couldn't see anything else with all the wraiths, aside from a few fallen boulders, streams of light from punctures left in the cave's top, and near the middle of Hot Spot—
How did he forget about Valle?
His aura had always been so weak, and his presence literally like a statue, that he had completely forgotten that he was still there. He didn't glow. The Shiftry statue remained where he always had, unmoving, and Nevren couldn't safely get to him. He looked at Step.
"And what is your plan?" he said, finally finding his breath. "Step, how do you expect to—"
"If your Anam is as strong as you say, then he can still fight this demon," Step replied. "We just need to help him."
"I feel that this is beyond help."
"I've already decided that for you. Now choose: Die here, or assist and I consider whether to kill you later."
Nevren blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You caused this by tampering with the vessel. Now help me fix it!" Step fired several Ice Beams at incoming wraiths before turning toward Nevren. She grabbed him from under his arm and forced him to his feet. "Now will you fight?"
Nevren suppressed a shudder from her icy touch. "I can't fight."
Step eyed him, looking at his limp arm, then at his tired eyes. She snarled and shoved him back; he fell to the ground with a painted grunt. "Useless."
Then, the Ice Guardian turned back to Anam. "Ghost Guardian! Stop letting that demon control you!"
She blasted more wraiths, using the tunnel as a choke point. Nevren rolled to his front and pushed up, getting to his knees. The wraiths seemed a lot weaker, but the sky was darkening again. Was Arceus' Judgement not enough? And that last attack—it wasn't coming again, was it?
"H... help..."
"Anam!" Step blasted the wraiths in front of her with a wall of ice. The Blizzard destroyed most of them, leaving only a few stragglers to ice over. "Keep fighting!"
"I... I..."
Not even Judgement is enough to stop me. What hope do you have to—
"Please... Mister Matter, enough..."
"Keep fighting!" Step roared.
From the ceiling, a wraith dropped down. Step looked up too late—two more had appeared.
Suddenly, a blast of ice, fire, and electricity knocked away all three, destroying them. ADAM swept forward. "Refreshing calculations."
Two Moonblasts arced past Step and dissolved another cluster of wraiths. Willow landed on Step's head, shrieking. "I'll help!"
Rhys, using Elder as support, staggered into the cave next. "Anam, just a bit longer. Arceus and—and someone else is already trying to help. Can you keep fighting?!"
It is too late to fight back! Give up!
"Bluster!" Step took aim at more of the wraiths. "Just what would happen if I struck Anam's body, I wonder? Would you have to retreat?"
You would only harm your precious god!
"He's not my god." Step pointed her hand forward.
A heavy rumble staggered Step, forcing her to misfire into the floor. She tried to get up, but a few wraiths fired shadowy blasts at her, deflected only because Willow and ADAM were quick to counter with their own blasts. Step got back to her feet, but another tremor knocked her to the left.
"Aah... aaaah!" Anam whimpered, then wailed. Swirls of lavender briefly overtook more than half of his body before the darkness came back. Dark Matter roared again; Anam's body became pitch-dark, but then more bright purple shined through. Step snarled; the bright spots were clearly Anam fighting back. All this time, he had been trying to fight against Dark Matter for control? Perhaps the squishy dragon was mentally stronger than she'd given him credit for.
It won't be enough! Just give up!
"A bit forceful for someone who claims it is hopeless!" Step said. "Anam! Put an end to this!"
"I... I..."
Anam, I already felt your despair. You know this world is rotten. Let me fix it. I can end all of this.
"This isn't... what I wanted..."
Endings are always painful. But the sooner you accept it, the sooner this can all be fixed.
"Yes, trust the cloud of evil." Step snarled and finally righted herself just in time to see Anam glow.
Anam. Anam, what are you doing? That's enough. That's enough!
"St-stop... I changed my mind! STOP!"
IT'S TOO LATE!
It was too bright for them to look at directly. ADAM buzzed and blared an alarm.
With an incomprehensible scream, a bright, indigo flame exploded from Anam's body, shooting through what little remained of Hot Spot Cave's upper ceiling. An intense shockwave, followed by a rush of hot wind, sent Step and all the others flying out of the cave, smashing against some of the walls along the way. Sparks of a bright, golden energy singed their bodies and knocked away chunks of Step's icy form.
On the outside, the few who weren't face-first in the dirt saw a large, indigo drake made purely out of flaming Dragon energy. It smashed into the void above, sending a golden ripple throughout its influence; at some point, the gold light sliced through portions of the void, disintegrating some segments completely. The heat melted Step's icy snout and several of her claws.
And then it was quiet. The wind blew, the void above rumbled lowly, stabilizing... but it didn't expand. The sky was still mostly blotted out, but the darkness didn't expand. The aftershocks of gold were far into the horizon, revealing the stars and clouds again.
Rhys slowly righted himself with Elder's help. Willow and ADAM figured out which way was up. Step panted, growing back the parts of her that had melted away. "It's still there."
But it wasn't expanding.
"What was that attack? What did... what did Anam do? I've never seen such a technique before."
Rhys looked back to see Nevren picking up his spoons.
"We've seen it before," the Alakazam said. "I don't know what it is, but he'd used it in Hot Spot Dungeon when under extreme stress, too. It was filled with more Dragon energy than I'd ever seen... It certainly wasn't a normal technique."
"But whatever it is," Rhys said, "it subdued Dark Matter, as he calls himself. Yet..."
They all stared at the now dormant void, neither shrinking nor expanding. Then, they turned their attention to the east.
"Arceus has descended," Nevren remarked. "That means Star is..."
"Gone." Rhys looked at the cave entrance, so small from how far away they'd been flung. A black fog seeped outside...
"I believe Dark Matter has been rendered dormant, but we can't do anything here," Nevren said.
"But the others—"
"Are gone. We need to salvage what we have left and refocus." Nevren stood up, spoons in one hand. "We have no choice. We're useless here."
"Useless..." Rhys tried to channel some of his aura power, but nothing but a small spark came. He tried harder, but Step cut off his concentration with an angry slam of her tail.
"Where can we go?"
"I'm going to return to Quartz HQ and round up what we can," Nevren said. "There may be some help from them. You should go to Kilo Village and ensure that society isn't in chaos." He made a reflexive draw for his Badge, but then realized how useless a gesture that now was. "...Hm. This could be a problem." He turned to face Kilo Mountain. "That's at least a day's travel." He then faced the southeast. "...Quartz HQ, even longer..."
"Waypoints are gone. Can't we fly there?" Rhys looked back.
"Well, I certainly can't fly. Rhys, you can only fly with your aura power, and you lack it."
"What good would the town be for us? If there's power in your lab, we should focus on there only." Step crossed her arms. "The mortals are useless here."
"I beg to differ. Even if we are strong, Jerry has demonstrated that even mortals can match Mystics under the right circumstances."
"Against a naïve Charizard," Step corrected.
"And he is not even of the Thousand Hearts. Some of you should go there."
"And we are listening to you, why?" Step pressed. "You are the cause of this."
"Irrelevant. We are on the same side, regardless of the cause of the problem. Or do you believe I also want the world to plunge into darkness?"
"I have no ties to Kilo Village, and I trust you with nothing." Step walked toward Nevren. "Therefore, I am coming with you to Quartz. If you cannot fly, I will take you there."
"Then I will be going to Kilo Village," Rhys said, grunting. "On foot until my energy—"
"I can help!" Willow said.
"What do you—"
A pink mist suddenly overtook Rhys, Elder, and ADAM. Before any had a chance to react, a yellow fuzziness followed, and then intense gravity.
Rhys grunted loudly, trying to stand, but the downward force was too strong.
"Calm down!" Willow said. "I'm gonna fly us there! If you're too weak, then I'm all that's left!"
Rhys rolled over and buried himself in Willow's fuzz. Next to him, ADAM spasmed and muttered various diagnostics.
"Willow! Warn us next time!" the tiny Lucario tried to stand, but one of Willow's fairy wingbeats toppled him over. "I... urgh..."
"Oho... well, this is very convenient, isn't it, Rhys?" The hard shell of Elder bumped against Rhys' side. "There isn't much else we can do. Why don't we rest?"
"Rest..." Rhys sighed tiredly, looking away. "But the void, it's..."
Elder looked past the forest of fuzz. "I see stars. That's good enough, isn't it?"
Rhys glanced to his side, where pink wings the size of Emily beat up and down. "Shrinking down and resting on a Joltik's back," Rhys mumbled. "Not how I intended to end the night."
With one final sigh, he stared at the starry sky. "Arceus returned, and with it his Judgement to stop the void from expanding. And then that energy Anam gave off..." Rhys closed his eyes. "So familiar, but... why can't..." The thought escaped him, drowned out by fatigue as the weight of the battle completely crashed on him. "Pink energy..." The sight of that beam tearing through the sky entered his mind again.
"That was Fairy energy," Willow said. "But I'm the Fairy Guardian! No fair! Why can't I use that technique? I've never seen anything like it!"
"It's not a normal attack," Rhys said slowly, drifting in and out of consciousness. "Light... of Ruin..."
If Willow had said anything after, Rhys didn't hear it. The Lucario faded into his dreams.
<><><>
All of Owen's senses gave way to nothing but an intense, unbearable, throbbing pain. The metallic taste in his mouth wouldn't go away no matter how much he tried to spit it out—and that, in itself, sent needles through his throat. He tried to groan, but nothing came out. Only one eye could open, and with it, all Owen saw was a blurry, purple landscape and tall, dark structures. The air smelled of dusty stagnation and blood.
It was dark. Owen's tail felt cold. His wings, when he tried to move them, gave the sharpest pain of all—that was, until he tried to move his legs, and then his arms. Was everything broken?
By some miracle, he realized that his left arm was still functional. With a grunt, he moved it over his throbbing head, feeling something... sticky. His head didn't feel as solid as it should have been. And where were his horns? He felt the cavity that they should have gone in, but...
It was getting darker. Why couldn't he see anything? Something primal stirred in Owen's chest—a tightening, gripping fear. Charizard weren't supposed to see darkness. They were never in darkness. To be in the dark meant death. Where was his flame? Where was his flame?
Owen twitched his tail, but a sting of agony shot through him when he tried. Part of it was bent at an odd angle. Like everything else on him, apparently. He opened his mouth to let out a cry for help, but a wad of blood escaped his throat instead.
His head hit the ground hard, breathing through his nose.
This felt too familiar. Lying on the ground in debilitating pain, unable to move, unable to breathe, with his vision rapidly fading. What was he supposed to do? Who usually helped him?
He felt a phantom of something holding his back. It felt like Amia. Mom... help...
But nobody was there. No Heal Pulse came. His wings twitched one last time. Finally, Owen closed his eyes—seeing no difference when he did—and tried to focus. It was all that he could do, and soon, even that became too difficult. His mind swam in a blurry soup of thoughts, images passing through his mind's eye. Zena fighting off the wraiths, only to be overwhelmed by them. Amia disappearing in a flurry of embers from a Legend's onslaught. A Charizard, several times his size, smiling down at him...
Mom...
<><><>
A chilly breeze threatened to snuff out his flame. Charmander shivered and curled up tighter, grasping at his flame to hide it under his chin. It wasn't as if it was truly in danger of going out... but it felt that way. He remembered how important that flame had felt to him. He wanted to protect it more than anything in the world.
Hot breath washed over his back. Charmander reflexively uncurled, letting out a long, drawn-out chirp. He looked up into the sharp, blue eyes of Charizard. He could only see her nostrils and her eyes. She leaned forward and nuzzled him, knocking him onto his back. He chirped again, kicking the air. Charizard pressed a paw on his chest; Charmander chirped and kicked harder, giggling. He lunged his head forward and snapped at her claws, leaving no mark when he latched on.
Charizard blew a puff of embers in his face; Charmander yipped and let go, falling onto Charizard's tail tip. The warmth covered him like a blanket. He rolled and curled around it, breathing in the flames the way grass would take in the sun. That's what she taught him. That Grass ate the sun, and he ate the flames.
Another flick and the tail pushed Charmander under Charizard's wings. There, two other Charmander and one Charmeleon lay nestled in a warm cluster, the heat making everyone look blurry. It welcomed him.
Charizard nuzzled his back again, finally pushing him inside. Reluctant, still full of energy, Charmander settled under her wings, pressed against Charmeleon's shoulder, and then nestled between two of his younger siblings.
Dark tendrils suddenly started to fill his vision from the sides. Charmander whined, curling up a bit tighter, but the heat made him want to fall asleep. The darkness covered half of his vision, but then he spared a glance to his mother's tail. The light overwhelmed him as well las the dark tendrils. They all disappeared.
All he saw was the flame and its comforting warmth.
"Good night, little ember."
<><><>
Owen awoke to the painful sting of water all around him. He thought to gasp, but a primal thought told him not to breathe. Not while he was underwater.
With every ounce of strength he had left, he kicked his legs and wiggled his tail, clawing his way to the surface. His vision was red, and the sky beyond the water looked purple and murky. Freezing liquid rushed past his face; his tail bubbled in it, puffing clouds of steam that rose faster than he did.
It was getting dark again. Even more frantic, Owen saw the rippling surface get closer. Closer, closer. Just a little closer, a little more! He tried to motivate himself, but his lungs felt like they were about to collapse. It was at his throat. The water crept into his snout when he had nearly let in a half-breath. It tasted foul.
Sound returned to him next, as did that first, sweet, painful breath of air into his burning lungs. He gasped loudly, sputtering and flailing for the water's edge, which was miraculously nearby. Keeping his tail above the water, he paddled toward the edge and rested only when he was finally on dry land.
The loose dirt stuck to his body in a thick layer, coloring his body like a bruise, but he didn't care. He didn't even want to move for a while, not after that.
His chest rose and fell quickly, but it slowed down when the sense of danger finally passed. The dirt caked on his body, which didn't help at all—the dirt was just as bad as the water, and dealing with both was anything but pleasant—but with some tired wipes on his scales, he got at least some of it off.
A few embers escaped his mouth, like he was testing to make sure he still could produce them. They didn't feel like they were enough for a proper technique, but at least he had his flame again. He still felt blind, but at least he could see with his eyes.
Reluctantly, he rolled onto his chest and pushed himself into a sitting position. He thought he could see, but it was all so blurry. The water shock must still be affecting him. It had been a while since he'd felt true water shock—when was the last time? Oh, when I drowned in...
It hit him all at once. "Zena!" he cried, springing to his feet too quickly. The wave of dizziness that followed made him fall forward, caught only by his arms and a bit of quick thinking. "Ugh—" He may have been dizzy, but he still had to find her. "Zena! Anyone?!" He could only see a red lake behind him—at least, he thought it was a lake, since it was still too blurry. And tall, imposing figures far ahead, like black tree trunks. Crimson skies, violet dirt. Where was he? Was this Ghrelle's place, the poison swamp? Even there, the sky wasn't red. Maybe it was some kind of freak storm, or...
That darkness. Did the darkness cause this?
He didn't want to spend more time thinking about it. He'd wait for his vision to come to him normally. It already felt a bit like it was coming back to him.
That was a good enough excuse to start flying. It didn't feel like there were any obstacles in the way; the only thing obstructing his flight would be those tall, black things, which were starting to look a bit like plateaus.
Feeling lighter on his feet than usual, Owen gave himself a wobbly, running start. Blood rushed to his legs. His tail—he felt the flame blaze, filling him with vigor. Yes! He could fly with this kind of energy. All he needed was a bit of pep.
He had enough speed. With a crouch, Owen hopped into the air, leaned forward, and planted his face firmly in the dirt.
His back flew ahead of the rest of him until his tail touched his snout. Then, when his inertia finally gave out, his belly hit the ground with a rough thud. Owen groaned and rubbed his bleeding nose, only realizing then how odd that felt. His snout was... short. And his fingers felt delicate.
"Wait... wait, what—"
His vision was clear enough to see the details of his orange scales. He looked down; cream scales. That was normal. He looked at his tail, the same fire as always. But he felt thinner. Of course, he was always thin for a Charizard, perhaps part of those mutant genes, and his horns were—
Owen frantically grabbed at his horns, but all he felt were smooth scales. A loud whimper escaped him. He didn't want to test it, but he had to: he flexed his wings.
He had no wings.
"No..."
Owen spun around, staring at his feet, at his tail, feeling physically for his wings as well as he could. He couldn't believe himself when he ran straight for the water to see his reflection, and that confirmed it.
The Charmander's shriek carried on into the plateaus.
End of Act II