Episode 35: Break the Nightmare

“So basically, what I’m trying to say is that Marshadow isn’t nearly as strong or as intimidating as he is making himself out to be. The powers he’s been showing us are nothing greater than nightmares projected into reality, an illusion so real that we can feel it physically,” Leos said, pacing back and forth. All the Pokémon involved in the upcoming battle were around him, from the Erinian army to Ariala’s group and Leos’ friends. “Even though I’m the only one who can use Z-Moves, giving aura to a Pokémon is enough to break a connection to reality and bypass those illusions.”

“In other words, if we give each other aura, we can fight Marshadow and actually damage him.” Rune folded his arms. Leos nodded.

“You’re so cool Leos! Only you could’ve figured out something like that. I would’ve been so scared!” Prem said, waving his arms about.

“I’d like to play about with your theories a bit more, but we are pressed for time. Breaking the illusions and being able to fight Marshadow is one thing, but how do we get past the Pokémon that he controls?” Rune said. “Tapu Lele and Mirror on their own are difficult combatants. Having Zygarde and Marshadow himself to deal with only adds to that. If we knew how to free them, we could stand a chance.”

“Aura, still. We free them from the nightmare by attacking them with aura infused attacks. Yes I haven’t proved whether that works or not, but that’s a gamble I’m willing to take. Heavenly Execution should deal with Zygarde,” Leos said.

“There’s something that’s bugging me a bit, still,” Ariala said, and raised her hand. Everyone went quiet to let her speak. “If our recent confrontations with Marshadow were nightmares he projected onto us, then why keep us alive still, and why give us the solution to our problem? Why did he literally tell you that aura was the answer?”

Leos took a deep breath and hung his head. “Shadowboxing. Mimicry.”

“Mimicry?” Prem cocked his head.

“Marshadow learns from copying Pokémon. The way he battled you and Ariala, think of how observant and defensive he played. He chose only to retaliate when he was sure that we weren’t holding back,” Leos said. Quiet fell for a moment.

“You’re saying that like he wasn’t fighting back at all. But he was, you know? It wasn’t like the fall of Tapu Koko or anything,” Nier said with a shrug.

“Emphasis on the holding back part. Think carefully. He parried, dodged, or blocked our attacks, despite already having the potential to kill someone like Master Lin in one strike. Throughout the whole battle, he played with our mentality, like he was trying to train or something. He wanted to see our strongest attacks. The way he tried to pin Mother and Father down, and tried to urge me to use my Z-Move in my nightmare,” Leos said, scratching his chin. “I’m sure of it – Marshadow is a Pokémon that can mimic power perfectly. If he learnt how to defend against an attack in his nightmare, he would learn it in reality. So if he learnt how block aura infused attacks…”

“He would bypass his sole weakness and become invincible. So your strategy is to break his nightmare realm and then defeat him in a raw test of power,” Rune said.

“Precisely,” Leos nodded. “That black aura that’s taking over the sky, and the spectres rising from the dead – those are all his nightmares projected into reality. If we gather enough aura, they’ll disappear.”

“Okay so you figured stuff out that far. But then what do we do?” Rosie asked.

“Father’s plan,” Leos said. There was quiet again.

“You mean that ludicrous idea of gathering all the aura in the world?” she said, leaning back in surprise.

“How else would you breach a nightmare that can cover the whole of Etheria?” Leos replied. She staggered a bit, and sweat showed through her rag. “An army of ours will take him down while the two planets provide us with aura. As long as a steady amount is coming in, we should be able to bypass his nightmare and defeat him, freeing everything. So not everyone has to be sending aura.”

“I hope you know what you’re suggesting, my boy.” Rune stepped forward. He ruffled Leos’ hair, to which the Oshawott growled and shifted away. Rune snickered at him, turning his attention to everyone else. “I for one am on board with it all. I truly believe that the lot of us can defeat our biggest crisis if we all put our blades together. What you can’t do alone, you can do with friends by your side. Something Diantha taught me.”

“Rune,” Ariala said quietly.

“But this is a colossal undertaking that will require all of our effort. Etheria is currently broken in terms of society – many Pokémon still believe me to be missing, while the Faernians do not have the Tapu to answer their prayers anymore. The Pokémon will require a lot of convincing to rally and get their support,” he said, addressing everyone. “And of course, we still need to deal with getting to the Pokémon safely, as well as reaching Marshadow.”

“The Entercards. We can reach Marshadow and Faernia just fine,” Leos said, a slight frustration in his volume. He folded his arms and shut his eyes.

“You’ve really thought this through all the way, haven’t you? If this works, I’ll truly be impressed,” he replied, glancing at Leos. “We do not have much time. We’ll need to act as soon as possible. The powers of the royalty will no doubt play large in our favour. That means you, Father.”

“Why are you talking as if that isn’t a given? Of course I will speak out and rally the Erinians,” King Jyararanga said. “You’re not king, yet. Therefore, these are still my Pokémon. It would be remiss of me not to do everything in my power to gain their trust.”

“Thank you, Father,” Rune said with a nod.

“This is a lot of work, Leos. Forgive me if this sounds patronising, but this is going to make for a long day for us all. It’d be best if we were all to rest until morning, would it not?” Ariala said.

“No. Wait. I’ve just realised something, a better way we can do this,” Leos replied, raising a hand. “I said an army would go to fight Marshadow, but only me, you and Rune will go.”

Both parents turned to him with widened eyes. “Just us three?”

“Marshadow is still a god. Only the legendary weapons can damage him anyway,” he said. A wave of sighs went over the Pokémon. “Given Marshadow’s time limit as well… it would be best if rather than multitasking, we each took on roles of our own.”

“Wait, are you for real? We’ve been through all this, but you’re gonna hog all the glory of the final fight to yourself?” Griselle cried. “How am I supposed to protect ya if I’m just taking on one of your chores?”

“And we’re talking… letting you go on your own… to a dangerous fight like that,” Prem said. He slumped a bit. “We’ve always been together. Now we’re in more danger than ever, and you want us to separate?”

“Don’t be selfish now, you two. I appreciate the concern, but you won’t be able to hurt Marshadow. You being there in the battle will be detrimental to your own safety,” Leos said.

“… So you’re sayin’ we’re actually gonna be in the way?” Griselle moaned.

“If you really want to help me, you’ll do this. Lead soldiers through Eris and Faernia to the individual towns and locales, and rally the Pokémon to send aura,” he said. “If you all go your separate ways with this, we’ll gather all the Pokémon in shorter time. Meanwhile, me, Mother, and Father can immediately get the aura during the battle itself. You’d be saving us.”

“I agree, but we need a way of signalling to each other when to start praying,” Jyararanga said.

“You’ll know that for sure. Of that, I’m certain,” he said, laying a hand on his chest.

“And then you go and bet something like that on a hunch,” Blossom said with a sigh. “My lord, I hope you realise what you’re asking, here.”

Leos turned to let her speak. “You’re asking your friends to rally all the Pokémon of the world to pray in your name. Meanwhile, you fight a megalomaniacal god who has an army of dead Pokémon and fallen gods on their side, alongside just two other Pokémon, your parents. Do you truly believe all of this is going to work?”

Leos shut his eyes. Now, he really felt the pressure. He hadn’t thought about the whole idea in hindsight, and it made him feel stupid. But speaking of megalomaniacs, he was just as certain of his counter play working as Marshadow was believing he was all-powerful.

On top of that, he knew his parents and friends wouldn’t let him down. If what Ariala said about them was true, then that meant that they would have to go through with this with just as much conviction as he would. Settling his thoughts, he became stern and nodded.

“Definitely. If it doesn’t work, then all is lost,” he replied.

“Then I suggest you take up her highness’s proposition. We’ll each depart in the morning,” Blossom said, and folded her arms.

“Blossom?” Griselle cried.

“I know what you two are like, Griselle. Even if we convinced Leos that this was a bad idea, he’d go through with it anyway,” she said. Griselle silenced. “Exactly. And you know I’m right because I can read thoughts. So our best bet is to put our backs into it and save his life.”

“We will make preparations immediately. By the first sunrise, we set off,” Jyararanga said, standing tall. The soldiers saluted him.

“Um, gonna have to be more specific. There’s sorta a giant black aura covering the sunrise,” Nier said, smiling sheepishly.

…

Leos wasn’t afraid of the upcoming fight, but of the revelations he was going to learn during that fight. Everything he had proudly announced to the others in that meeting was unproven conjecture, and he knew it. He could only guess that Marshadow was utilising illusions, or why the god wanted them all alive. Whatever the truth was, it was sure to be something beyond his imagination, and Marshadow would have a bigger effect on the world than he was ready for.

The remainder of that night went about as well as he expected it would go. He was allowed back into his room for peace and quiet, and even though he got those two things, he felt like he barely slept a wink.

Well, he got peace and quiet enough to sleep, actually. He had requested that Prem sleep in the same room, and that meant that Rosie came with him. With only one bed in Leos’ room, the Mimikyu couldn’t stand the sight of them in the same bed together, so there was quiet bickering and snide comments all throughout the night. When he awoke, he found Prem and Rosie muttering to each other in the corner of the room, and the latter was troubled by something.

“Oh, Leos, morning!” Prem said with a cheerful wave. Leos blinked dozily.

“Please don’t try and run away from the subject. Awake or not, this isn’t the time to butter things up,” Rosie said, revealing one of her claws. “Do you really trust Leos and this whole plan?”

Prem looked away. “Of course I do. I’m upset because I wanted to be there all the time. Of all the times to not be there to protect Leos, it had to be now.”

“So that’s what this is about,” Leos said, approaching with a stretch. “Be concerned about yourselves. I actually fear you’ll be fighting a harder battle, going out into the world on your own like this.”

“Tha-that’s no problem! I might be shy, but if it’s for you, I’ll do anything. The spectres won’t stop me,” Prem cried.

“Oh dear, even more sappy dialogue,” Rosie said, shaking the head of her decoy.

“I meant convincing the Pokémon, actually. They won’t listen to you right away, considering what’s happened,” Leos said, shaking his head.

“Listen, you. You’re a mad Pokémon, and you’re walking right to your suicide,” Rosie raised her voice. “I’ve been with Master Lin since the beginning. I know how powerful he is, and the way he spoke of Lord Marshadow. The god of the stars being capable of finishing him in one shot like that is nothing any of us can stand up to!”

“You know, that’s why you’re still able to walk free amongst us,” he replied.

“Come again?” she gasped.

“You’re Master Lin’s right hand. I also presume you’re the next in line for the Constellars to look up to. You can convince those Pokémon to lend their aura. Only you can do that,” he said. “If that wasn’t the case, I’m sure Rune would’ve had you arrested at the earliest chance.”

“Oh stuff it. You’ve only not done that because you don’t have any bars to put me behind!” she shouted. “And now you’re being nice because you need my status. But hear this: if my precious Prem’s not involved, then I don’t care!”

Leos paused for a moment, and loudly breathed in through his nose. “You’ve followed Master Lin almost all your life, right? That means that you too, believe in the god of the stars and the salvation they promise. So tell me: is Marshadow and his actions really what you were looking for?”

Rosie made a sound but staggered back a bit.

“I don’t go by speculation and hearsay. Well, most of the time. I study and discover the truth for myself through what is happening in reality to me. And the truth I’ve seen is that you Constellars work towards salvation all the same as those who follow the Tapu,” he said. “Be as honest, now. Is Marshadow really the salvation you wanted? The kind that you’ve been working towards?”

Rosie kept making sounds of nervousness, and eventually hung the head of her decoy. “No. It’s not. I don’t know what Marshadow is, where he came from, or why he’s doing what he’s doing. In fact, I’m scared of what he’s going to do.”

“Then you’ve got to help us. You’re not standing on our side, you’re just helping us as we share a common goal. That’s all I ask,” Leos said, laying a hand on his chest.

Rosie looked up in surprise, then at the floor for a moment, and growled. She eventually looked him in the eyes and putt away her claw. “You just need me to get the Stardust Treasury to pray for you, right? To call out in your name and stuff. I can do that, but that’s all I can do.”

“You can come with us afterwards!” Prem said cheerfully. Rosie flinched. “Me and Leos have actually been trying to help the Pokémon of Stardust. So after we’re all done with this, you can help us out to help your Pokémon. After all, you’re like, their leader now, right?”

“That’s… right. I am. The head of the Stardust Treasury. All the Pokémon have to look to, since Master Lin isn’t around anymore,” she said, hanging her head yet again. Leos let out his breath.

“Prem, can I ask you a really big favour?” Leos said.

“Sure? What is it?” he said.

“… I’ve never actually seen you without your hoodie. Do you mind if you take it off? Just this once?” Leos asked.

“Huh? I mean I don’t mind, but how come, Leos?” Prem replied. Even Rosie was confused.

“It’s something I’d like to see just once. It’s fine, right?” he said. His eyes were darting all over the place, but Prem seemed to accept his nervousness and nodded.

“Sure. To be completely honest, I only wear it now because it helps me keep my head fur in check. It used to be because of Constellar magic that helped me fly, but I can barely float off the ground, so I barely use it,” Prem said. He loosened the mega stone themed button that kept the hoodie wrapped around his head and then slowly pulled it off with both hands.

The aforementioned head fur exploded out the moment the hoodie left his head. There was so much excess fur that it was a wonder how it all fitted below the hood, and almost all of it went down to the Pikachu’s legs in length. Despite being tucked under a hood for months, it was all smooth and straight as well, not as messy and picky as fur should have been. Two thick, well tied strands curled around Prem’s head and went just below his shoulders, one of which he had to brush out of his face.

“I… I hope this isn’t too surprising,” he said, blushing a bit. “I really don’t like it being in the way, so I’ll keep it under the hoodie, if that’s okay?”

“Y-you, how much- how did- how could—” Rosie said, her eyes widening beyond their sockets. Leos was just as speechless, though he smiled at Prem’s remark. “I-is it just me, or is it like, super hot in here all of a sudden?”

“Hmm? I don’t notice anyth—” Prem said.

“It is! We need to like, open the windows or something. Come on you lot, it’s morning anyway!” she cried and rushed out of the room. Leos and Prem watched her and then exchanged shrugs.

“Sorry, I really should’ve shown you this sooner. I th-think her obsession with me is because of the head fur, actually. She’s the only other Pokémon who’s seen it, after all,” Prem said, rubbing his face. “I think she really likes me because of it.”

“I totally get her,” Leos mouthed, staring.

“Pardon?”

“I-I mean yeah, that’s probably it. It’s pretty shocking, after all. But she’s grown a bit, don’t you think? She’s right about us getting a move on. I’m pretty sure I overslept. Thanks for showing me, still,” he said, shaking himself. He couldn’t help but wipe his forehead of a bit of sweat, but thankfully, Prem looked oblivious to it all. The Pikachu nodded cheerfully and then led the way out, but not before stuffing that miracle of a hairdo behind his head, where it vanished into his hoodie again.

…

The morning was dark and unsettling after that. A large breakfast awaited the royals, and then right afterwards they addressed a large army of soldiers near to the castle’s front entrance. Groups of soldiers were assigned to units that would be directed by each of Leos, Rune, and Ariala’s friends, who were then to protect each other as they made their way to set locations. King Jyararanga had planned out routes for them each to take to get to the towns, rescue any Pokémon they came across, and then to stay in those towns until it was time to pray to Leos.

As for Leos, Rune, and Ariala, the trio were fiddling about with the Entercards almost the whole way through the meeting. Marshadow’s lair was located in the same place as Fairy Hill, but that was all they knew about it. And so, they set their course for a little bit just before Fairy Hill, that way they could get there, hide, and then remake a course for whatever Marshadow had actually set up.

All the time during the morning, the sun never shined. Complete silence seemed to drown the noise of nature. Feral Pokémon were in hiding. The air was a stagnant cold. Everything that the Pokémon needed to tell that the world was ending was right there, right before their eyes.

“We better get a move on,” Leos said after seeing it all. He looked to Rune and Ariala, who seemed to be watching him. “Aren’t you going to give the order?”

“What do you mean? This is your order, Leos,” Rune said with a smile.

“This is your first act at the agreement of the royal families. It is up to you to lead,” Ariala said, smiling as well. Leos nodded at them both.

“Very well then. It’s time to stu- I mean fight. It’s time to fight! Everyone, do your best!” he said, and held his scalchop high. The soldiers all cheered with his movement, raising their own weapons, claws, and all else. Amongst the activity, Leos locked eyes with a troubled Prem. He reassured the Pikachu with a light smile and a wink, which looked like it calmed him down a bit.

And then he slammed his scalchop down to input the last Entercard into the formation they had. The cards reacted and a portal exploded on the floor with a heavy wind that forced everyone to cover their faces. Leos and his parents slowly walked into the portal and were soon whisked away to its destination, leaving behind nothing but a spiral of dirt where the portal was.

“You guys, please stay safe,” Prem muttered as he prayed.

“Right, they’re off. Let’s get going, too,” Vincent said. His wife nodded, and they both shook hands quickly. “Stay safe, Nier.”

“Feelin’s mutual, hun,” she replied. She took off into the air with Psychic, letting her soldiers jog after her.

One by one, the units left the castle with heartfelt goodbyes and wishes of fortune to their friends and loved ones. Prem watched them all until he and King Jyararanga were all that was left. He barely moved, stood at the castle gates with a distant lust in his eyes. A formula of Entercards sat before him, ready to send him to the Tower of the Tapu.

“Your target is the big one, Queen Magearna. Don’t get cold feet now,” Jyararanga said, tapping him with a nail. The Pikachu didn’t react.

“I just… really hope this works,” he said, still staring.

…

The moment Leos came out of the Magnagate, he and his parents retrieved the Entercards and hid behind the nearest hill they could find. There was no need however, as they quickly discovered where they had emerged: near the peak of Fairy Hill, where the fateful battle to rescue Diantha had taken place.

But it was the most affected area when it came to Marshadow’s influence, and in the most fear-inducing way than anywhere else they had seen. The sky had no texture or sense of depth at all, completely made up of black colour and nothing else. The stars, the moons, and all other distant wonders that should have lit up the dark sky were no longer visible, like a static sea of black had consumed everything.

It was so quiet that Leos could hear his own heartbeat, or if he wasn’t mistaken, the blood pumping through his veins. His breath came out in puffs of white smoke that vanished into the stagnant air around him, and just that experience alone had him shivering. He wasn’t cold, but some uncertain feelings about this whole place had him shaking beyond his control.

Maybe it was the hundreds of weapons jutting from the ground. He knew they marked the graves of those who fought in Etheria’s last war, but he still felt the lost emotions they carried, or something like that. He gazed around at all this before focusing on the dark castle now sat in the middle of the battleground.

The castle itself was up in the sky, and a tall, wide, spiral staircase of magical steps with no barricades climbed right to the castle’s entrance. Those steps and the castle itself were all just as black as the sky, but stood out thanks to a weak, light glow of light surrounding them all. It was like the burning glow of light that surrounds the moon during a solar eclipse – only it was all the castle had to not camouflage with the rest of the dead sky. Leos and his parents didn’t say anything once they spotted the castle. They just nodded to one another and led the way, being careful up the steps.

“This castle is,” Rune muttered soon after they entered. The inside was empty but bore the same look as outside. Everything was dark and texture-less, but where there would be walls, stairs, or decorations, that burning glow resembling a solar eclipse was present. “Why does it have exactly the same layout as Castle Eris?”

“It does? You can tell that at just the entrance?” Leos asked.

“Of course I can. I only lived here for my whole childhood. It’s almost like he wants to mock me, modelling after something that obviously means a lot to me,” he said, leading the way.

“Don’t feel that way, Rune. Focus, and don’t let him get to you,” Ariala said.

“Of course. What Marshadow doesn’t realise is that this makes it easy for me to go straight to him,” Rune said.

And that was proven by the Dewott’s confident navigation of the place. The trio stayed wary in case a spectre popped up to ambush them or something, but nothing of the kind confronted them during their advance.

The layout of the castle was familiar, and after a few stairs and hallways, Leos could see that. But he still felt that shivering omen that he had outside. No matter where he looked, deep darkness and sheer silence surrounded him on all sides, illuminated only by that burning glow. Without the standard decorations a castle should have had, or even the basic materials necessary to make up the walls and floor, it was almost like he was stepping right into a torturous nightmare.

The darkness and silence swallowed him. His steps made no noise and the usual presence of Pokémon working throughout the place was absent. With only his body making any sound and his breath vanishing into the atmosphere, he was beginning to learn what true loneliness was. Sure, his parents were right there leading the way the whole time, but he was pretty certain that they were beginning to fade and disappear into this illusive void.

“Up here is the throne room,” Rune said. Leos gasped at the words, relieved that they came. “You know why he put his throne room at the top of a long staircase?”

“There’s a purpose for that besides elaboration?” Ariala said.

“Yeah. He did it so he could kick attackers down the stairs when he beat them. It sounds kind of stupid in hindsight, but I’ve seen him do it enough times to credit him for it,” Rune said, glancing at his two allies. “What I’m saying is if he’s up there, watch your back. Falling down the stairs always ends the fight.”

“That’s quite a way to pep talk, Rune,” Ariala sighed and shook her head. He snickered at her and the duo continued on their way up, leaving Leos behind a little bit.

He couldn’t help but stop and stare at them casually walking like this. Here they were, the end of the world occurring right before them, and his Father was still able to snicker at a distasteful bit of humour. Mother didn’t bluntly tell him off for it, either. They didn’t shiver and their hearts weren’t beating fast, if he was listening to them correctly.

He took in a deep breath and swallowed to calm himself as much as he could. Yes, their actions just now felt distasteful, but on the other hand, they were acting like parents for the first time in his life. He was frightened and had a big battle ahead of him, so they were being strong for him. When he reopened his eyes, he spotted them stopped to look back at him, Ariala with one hand on her sword while Rune cocked a confident smile.

He didn’t say anything as he took the lead. He thanked them in his mind, though. Knowing he had such strong, mature Pokémon backing him up, he soon found himself stood before a grand doorway at the top of the stairs and pushed his way in with his heart full of confidence.

“So you are here. Marshadow,” Leos said, locking eyes with the ghostly god. Marshadow was at the very end of the room, sat in a black throne illuminated by the same fiery light as all the other walls and splits. The Pokémon that Marshadow controlled lined the sides of the room like royal guards, only a familiar face that wasn’t expected was stood beside Marshadow.

Charle, the now dark-furred Meowth. His fur had gone a dark grey while his eyes seemed to be permanently cross and half lidded. He stood beside Marshadow with his royal sword held stiff in both paws, pointed at the floor as if to help him balance. Master Lin, Diantha, Tapu Lele, and Mirror all lined the other positions in the room, while Zygarde’s massive figure stood behind the throne.

“So nice of you to come. You accepted my invitation in the end,” Marshadow replied, laughing a bit. He sat forward and rested his chin on a fist. “Normally when I send out the invites, no one comes. They just wait ‘till I start destroying their world.”

“Normally?” Rune said.

“I of course speak of the many worlds and timelines I’ve grown bored of and erased. But for the first time in however long, you Pokémon have approached me. And there’s only one reason Pokémon would approach me when they’re in this position,” he said. He stood up and stretched his arms out, while a huge smile stretched across on his face. “You obviously believe that you can stop me somehow. I’m interested to see how you try. It should make for good entertainment.”

Leos and his parents didn’t reply, but their weapons were readied.

“But what’s this? You’ve got no snipers or rollcall orbs or Pokémon waiting in ambush… it’s literally just the three of you? Is this some kind of joke?” he said.

“No. It isn’t,” Ariala said. Marshadow’s smile slowly turned into a frown. “Whoever you really are, your delusions of power end today and now. We will put you in your place.”

“And then what? Kill me, then destroy the world with another war? You mortals always do it anyway when you think us gods have our backs turned,” he said, closing his hands into fists. “And then you cry to us through your rituals and prayers to fix your mistakes. Enough with that lunacy. I’m going to keep wiping and creating worlds as I see fit until a truly perfect mortal is born.”

“I’m not even going to argue with that callousness. Without evil, we won’t know good, and none of us will fight for the perfection you’re striving for,” Rune said.

“Says the Pokémon who threw away his morals and dedicated his life to revenge. You didn’t feel any remorse when you mercilessly beat an elderly Pokémon to death, did you? You callous, twisted little prince,” Marshadow said. Rune’s face became intense. “Your solution to this is just as pathetic. But challenging me is an easy excuse to give you the death sentence you deserve. You need only ask your sister, after all.”

Rune made a sound and began to sweat. He snuck a glance at Diantha, who smiled innocently at him.

“But neither of you matter in this instance. Didn’t the two of you spend your lives giving birth to the child who would be your little hero?” Marshadow said, signalling for Leos to step forward. Leos didn’t didn’t move. “You’re the only one who matters here. You’re the peace treaty between Faernia and Eris. The Pokémon whose actions will dictate the fate of your two planets. You’ve come all this way, obviously confident and certain that you can stop me, and that that upcoming reign of yours won’t upset any gods. So show me. Show me what you’re capable of achieving. Show me just how much you want to fix your world.”

“Wait, is this it? Is Marshadow directly challenging me?” Leos gasped in his mind, opening his mouth. He quickly focused and tightened his grip on his scalchop. “No. Not yet. We need to break his nightmare first. If I try and summon my aura now, he’ll just learn to counter it and stop me. I need to wait for the one moment his guard is down.”

Leering at his enemy with unyielding focus and conviction, Leos swiped his scalchop aside to form his double-sided Razor Shell. Rune and Ariala held their weapons at the ready as well, each weapon illuminating the darkness. “I have to make sure my fatigue doesn’t stop me. I just have to last until the one moment he’ll let up!”

Roaring with increasing enthusiasm, Leos charged toward Marshadow with his Razor Shell held far above his head as he ran. Marshadow snickered at him in his approach and made the gesture of snapping his fingers.

In a flash, Charle raised his sword and challenged Leos, charging forward as well. He was met halfway by Rune’s Aqua Jet attack, stopping him from targeting Leos. The duo broke right into close combat with their swords, smashing their blades against the other with death-potential strikes.

Tapu Lele was next, rising high into the air with a Moonblast at the ready. Leos eyed her anxiously as he considered how to deal with the attack, but was made not to worry as Ariala popped up in between them both. She deflected the Moonblast with a hasty Light Screen attack, and then engaged Tapu Lele with her own flurry of special attacks. The two fairies dodged Moonblasts and retaliated with Psychics, each blast taking them to the right side of the room.

No one else seemed to make a move, so Leos was soon within range to strike Marshadow with all his strength. With his heart heavy and fangs bared, he leapt into the air flipped forward, using the momentum from the flips to Strike Marshadow so hard the recoil winded him. It felt like the very air was torn asunder by the force of his attack, yet he landed stiffly, the blade of his Razor Shell blocked by a single arm. Leos and Marshadow got to exchange a glance in the moment, to which Marshadow snickered at him.

“No!” Leos hissed, kicking off of his foe. He distanced himself, but the moment his feet touched the ground, he sprung forward and began to attack with the variety and skill he had. He spun his Razor Shell with full body movements, making for a combo of slashes that would have any other Pokémon staggering backward in their defence.

But Marshadow didn’t budge from the spot, and lazily flicked his arms to parry every single hit. At one point he even faked a yawn, using his other palm to fire a Shadow Ball at Leos from point blank. The shadowy blob floored the Oshawott, but was weak enough to not deal any visible damage.

“Hey. Get to the point already,” Marshadow said, tucking one arm behind his back. Leos ignored him and attempted to tear into him with more Razor Shell attacks. Once again, Marshadow made little effort to defend himself. “I said get to the point already. You already know that normal attacks can’t touch me.”

Leos still didn’t respond with anything other than plain attacks. Losing his patience, Marshadow growled and knocked him back with a strong Shadow Ball, this one making him cry out in pain.

“Don’t waste my time. Get to the exciting part already. If you don’t, I’ll make this next attack kill you,” Marshadow said, pointing a palm at Leos. The Oshawott got to his feet and raised his voice again, to which Marshadow stomped his feet and surrounded himself in energy. Leos stopped, wary of what was coming. “I mean it, boy. If you have any real method of defeating me, do it right now, right this very moment. If you fail to impress me, I will kill you.”

The tone made Leos reconsider his options, but he didn’t hesitate for long. He glared at his enemy and kept his focus steady, deciding to sheath his Razor Shell and charge a Water Pulse instead. He held onto it for a length of time, charging the orb of water until it was bigger than his body before firing. Just that one attack took the wind out of him, firing off with so much force that it pushed him to his backside.

But Marshadow still blocked it, crossing both arms to take the attack. He growled at his combatants, making a signal with both hands. Just like that, Charle and Tapu Lele stopped fighting their opponents and returned to Marshadow’s side, revealing Rune and Ariala’s untouched states.

“Seriously? Do you understand what you’re up against here? That can’t have been your strongest effort,” he said, grinding his fists.

“That was,” Leos said between breaths, starting to sweat uncomfortably. He managed to stand but nearly fell right forward, unable to close his mouth. “Yeah, I put my all into that.”

“Leos!” Rune shouted.

“Seriously? You thought you could just take me down with- there’s no way, you’ve got to be pulling some kind of stunt here,” Marshadow said, stepping forward. Rune and Ariala stood guard over their son. “I have the power to destroy the whole world at the flick of a switch. I’ve proved it. I gave you a chance, and the best you could do is to go all cliché superhero on me? What, did you think that if your ‘heart’ was in it or some rubbish that you’d miraculously be able to hit me? ‘Cos if I was having fun with that then maybe I’d play along, but really I’m just severely disappointed.”

“All in due time you freak,” Rune said, tightening his pose.

“How? You don’t have any ways to contact other Pokémon. Your powers haven’t grown at all since our last battle. You haven’t even acquired any new weapons or tools. You have no way of harming me. Does the fate of Etheria really depend on such foolish Pokémon?” Marshadow said. “Forget it. For your insolence in wasting my time, I’m just going to wipe you and this miserable little world out of existence!”

Leos and his party edged away and grit their teeth. He started laughing maniacally at them, edging closer to push them back. “But perhaps I’ll have my own little bit of fun in the process. I’ve seen you get tortured once before. I think maybe I’ll take that to the next level and have you torn limb from limb… literally. Tapu Lele!”

Before they could object, the royals were struck by a heavy force which took them off their feet, rendering them helpless in the air. The pink, wavy patterns of Tapu Lele’s Psychic Terrain quickly took over the whole area, stunning the three Pokémon. They could barely utter a cry of pain as their bodies were constricted in place against their will, stretched and strained as far they could go.

“Now then. Zygarde. Perhaps the thing you most fear would do the honours of plucking you to bits. Start with the arms,” Marshadow said.

“N-no, how could—” Leos growled, barely managing a wiggle.

Zygarde just about fit into the room, but with the Psychic Terrain around, it looked like there was more than enough space for the scaly giant. As it approached, Leos lost his cool more and more, fearing that it would crush him and his parents rather than tearing parts of their body off. Either one sounded agonising.

He wiggled as much as he could, fighting through the intense burn that straining of his body caused. For a moment it felt like if he tried to move any harder than he was, his arms and legs might drop off; his imagination of that being so painful that he would lose all feeling and pass out.

That was what he felt until a sense of familiarity took over him. He was warm, his eyesight was brightening, and Zygarde was beginning to hesitate despite being within range to crush him. He had been crying out in desperation but slowed to pay attention to what was happening.

It was becoming easier to move, so much so that he could bend his head. How? Tapu Lele was still upholding her Psychic Terrain, but her eyes were clenched shut and her stature looked irritated by the sight of Leos. The warmth, his brightening view, the aversion of Marshadow’s subjects – Leos took one look at himself and his heart skipped a beat. He had aura, and it was gradually getting stronger and stronger, pushing away the darkness that made him afraid of this place.

“But why now and not before? Was it because of—” he said in his mind, gasping.

“The Psychic Terrain prevents any strange powers that would grant you priority movement. And then, her Psychic is unstoppable. In this weird space of hers, nobody can hear or reach you. It’s just us.” Master Lin said.

“It’s a new reality right in the middle of Marshadow’s realm, and all his subjects are here. As long as we’re in Psychic Terrain, we’re playing by Tapu Lele’s rules, not Marshadow’s. He finally let his guard down. This is the ONLY chance I’ve got for everyone to reach me!” he told himself. Leos shook himself with all his might, and his weak aura erupted around him, breaking him free of the Psychic hold.

“What? How did you—” Marshadow gasped and stumbled forward.

“I call upon the stars to grant me your blessing. Provide me with the power to end this conflict!” Leos said, pointing his scalchop toward the sky. His aura spiked again, and erupted in a thin stream of energy that fired toward the heavens.

…