Episode 29: All the World Against Us

“Okay. I think it’s safe to say we’re not being followed,” Azu breathed out. She peeked beside a large rock with her ears raised, but couldn’t detect anything living. With another sigh of relief, she returned to the group who were sprawled about this small enclosure of rocks and dead wood. Brine and Mimia were fretting over their allies, who were still knocked out.

“You look scared,” Crystal pointed out.

Azu hesitated. “Are we far enough into this journey that I’m allowed to be honest?”

“I think we got there a while ago.” Crystal hung her head.

“There’s been a lot of things this journey that I’m surprised we’ve lived through. But that…” she looked toward the castle. “I’m surprised I could talk at all.”

“He was really powerful, and hard to hit, too,” Crystal admitted.

Azu gulped and then started swaying. “Well that, but I’ve never met a Pokémon who so shamelessly spoke like he did. Lucca painted me as his partner, yet he had no problem at all saying I was his. That… really took me off-guard.”

“Wait, that’s what you’re afraid of? Not the fact that he wiped the floor with us without even using Bestia?” Brine commented.

“Look, I don’t get Pokémon hitting on me often. So I’ve never met someone who was so… you know, creepy about it,” Azu hung her head. “And me of all Pokémon, too. Nothing on me being younger by miles, or my weight being too big, or anything. If it’d been you he hit on, I’d understand.”

“Don’t pawn him off on me. I’ve never been hit on either, and I’m really not interested,” Brine folded her arms and turned away. “You’re not serious about this.”

“It’s because he’s an Aska,” Lucca grumbled. The group flinched as the Brionne rubbed his head and growled to sit up.

“Lord Lucca!” Mimia cried, and then helped him up. Lucca put a paw on him to gesture to give him space, but Mimia still worried.

“Good, my healing worked. I can only hope Shelly and Ruby are just asleep or something,” Brine sighed from relief.

“What was that, though? What does being an Aska have to do with choosing me?” Azu asked with a furrowed brow.

“The Aska are inbred, and their children are never the same species as the parents. So I think he doesn’t care where his mating partners come from,” Lucca said. He steadied his breath. “During my time here, the rest of the Aska population were sealed in ice in the castle basement. It was only me, Father, and Alver for as long as I can remember. So he hasn’t seen a female in probably decades.”

“That’s not what inbred means, but that doesn’t it make any less uncomfortable! I only played along with your little lie because I thought it’d get him off my case,” Azu complained. “I know you just got up, but you’ve got a lot of explaining to do, mister. And I’m sure we’re all tired of it!”

“Ugh,” Ruby grumbled. Shelly was little better. The duo complained and soothed themselves as they got up and determined where they were. “Great, still in hell.”

“I told you this isn’t hell!” Lucca said.

“What’s the difference?” she rolled her eyes. He grit his fangs.

“I… should take it from the top,” Lucca shook his head and sighed. “When I left this place, my aim was to find and help the Shining Warriors, right? So I could help free my family and save this ruined world. I never counted on my Father turning into this crooked dictator. It’s no wonder Mother left him and hid Shelly on Van Aken. She must’ve seen this side of him.”

“The way he spoke, it was as if he expected our journey to make us feel the same way as him,” Mimia reasoned. “But it did not. We grew to have compassion, friendship, and held true to our goal of saving all of Heroica.”

“So what, you don’t care about ‘im now at all?” Ruby said.

“For what he plans to do, for what he’s done to us, I can’t care about him. We’ve got to stop him at all costs,” Lucca stated. Ruby shuddered. “He’s just like Panzer and the other Pokémon who want to rule. He’s strong, but I won’t get caught off-guard again. Next time we’ll—”

He was silenced by Ruby jabbing his face hard with the Parashelter. “Ruby! What in the world—”

She thrust at him again, but he blocked it this time. She had her patented livid glare, but held herself back from a third strike. “So that’s it, huh? No more reading between the lines. It’s just black and white ‘cos it’s you this time, huh?”

“What in the world are you talking about?” Lucca snapped. “Is this about Alver?”

“So you’re not completely dumb. Partly! But after tellin’ me to read between the lines and everythin’, you’re just gonna go fight your dad like he’s another run-of-the-mill bad guy? Some of us don’t have dads, the least you could do is try to save him!” she ranted.

“Ruby are you serious? You of all Pokémon are having a go at me for this?” Lucca raised his voice.

“I’m not saying we have to pity him or some shit. But do you really not care about your family at all? That you’d fight them this easily?” she challenged.

“With what’s at stake, of course I will,” Lucca folded his flippers. “I meant what I said back there. You guys are more like my family than him and Alver ever were. I met up with Alver in Girage a while ago, and he didn’t feel like the guy I knew. And then back there, they didn’t care about me at all. They even ordered me to attack Mimia. That’s way too far over the line.”

“And your frozen family?” Ruby asked. There was a pause.

“That’s complicated. I think we can deal with that when where at Dein Nomos,” he stated, not looking at her. She jabbed his stomach with the Parashelter, and he doubled over. “Ack- not there, I’m still sore there…”

“That was for keeping Alver from me. You knew who that bastard was the whole time, yet you kept him from me. If we weren’t in this predicament right now, I’d be trying to burn your tail off!” she spat.

“We kept him from you because you were not strong enough to fight him and win,” Mimia stated. She was surprised. “Now that you are, we have no need to keep him from you. Revenge is your goal. When the time should come, we will not stand in your way.”

“Heck that! I don’t care if you guys wanna fight ‘im. As long as he gets what’s coming to him, I couldn’t care less!” Ruby cried.

“You would truly be satisfied if your journey for vengeance ended by someone else’s hand?” Mimia asked. Ruby hesitated this time. “It is difficult to understand. But Lucca’s decisions in these moments have been sound, as they are now.”

“Geez, when did you get so wise?” she turned away.

“Mimia’s always had a mouth on him.” Lucca winked at the Stufful. “Seriously, though. I know my Father and I know him well. What we just experienced back there was nothing like he’s ever been, but not in a way where I feel like he’s brainwashed. He played me. He raised me with confidence that I would follow him obediently. And now that I’ve done everything he needs me to do, I’m nothing more than in the way. We need to stop him at all costs.”

“What’re we going to do?” Shelly asked. Everyone exchanged glances.

“Getting out of here should be our first priority,” Angel broke their quiet. She was nestled between some rocks at the back of the area and came forward. “If we go the way you came Lucca, we should be able to get out, right? There was a Teleportal there.”

“That’s the only way I know. But it’s probably still guarded by Guzzlord. We couldn’t damage it last time, but with all of us here, maybe we stand more of a chance,” he nodded. He looked over everyone, who stood up and readied themselves. “We don’t have time to lose. As for actually fighting Varra, we’ll tackle that one when we get to it.”

Before long, the group were gathered on Angel’s back and high in the skies of Reverie. All was silent besides the wind her speed kicked up, which made her cape flow high behind her. Brine and Crystal scouted constantly, expecting Ultra Beasts to show up and swarm them. However, all was clear. Not just the skies around them, but the regions below, too. All was desolate valleys, gorges, and veins of lava, and all jagged and crusty.

Crystal narrowed her eyes at it. With her sight, she could see the detail of the ground as if she were walking across. There wasn’t a single hint of life. The world seemed alive, just barely, with embers flowing up and a current of lava. However, their group seemed to be the only living creatures here.

“Up there. We need to go up there,” Lucca pointed to End Mountain. As the only mountain to breach the cloud barrier, the sinister red hues and lightning looked to be at their worst there.

“Doesn’t it seem weird to you that there are no enemies around?” Crystal finally asked.

“We’re a pretty big target, too. I mean I’ll take it without complaint, but it does seem concerning,” Brine agreed.

“There weren’t many Ultra Beasts that could fly, and even those that could, they tend to stay close to the ground. They’re are actually quite docile, but territorial,” Lucca explained. He started rubbing his chin. “They’re also impossible to communicate with. The ones that attacked us back in Heroica might’ve just been a fluke. I want to think so, anyway.”

“As if anything in our journey’s been that easy,” Azu rolled her eyes.

Angel approached the mountain before flapping her wings hard to gain altitude. Everyone instinctively braced upon touching the clouds, but the worst they got was a cold chill upon getting through. Despite the colour and electricity all over, the group were able to fly through as if they were normal clouds. Angel glided around the mountain peak to get a good look at everything, where Lucca and Mimia both gasped. Mimia started barking, too.

“The Guzzlord is gone!” Lucca pointed out. “There was an Ultra Beast on this plateau. The Stonjourner are still there, but the giant is gone!”

“I think it’s safe to make a guess what Alver’s ‘experiment’ is, now. That guy knows how to command the Ultra Beasts,” Azu turned to him. “Easy for us to get out, at least. Let’s do what we have to do.”

“R-right. Er, it was Angel that did that, though,” Lucca shuddered a reply.

Crystal took note of how unsettled he was now. It was unlike Lucca to appear scared, but he sweated, shuddered, and his mouth quivered. What kind of monster was Guzzlord if he’s this afraid of it? Could it be even stronger than Varra?

“There is something else, too,” Mimia informed as Angel let them off. He was a little wary of the Stonjourner, but they didn’t move even as he got close to the Teleportal. The silver platform was clean and untouched as if it wasn’t part of the area, and now that the group were close enough, noticed how similar it was to the one in the Colour Citadel library.

Stabbed directly in the centre of the platform was a sword. With a gold hilt and a blade as jagged as a lightning strike, it stuck straight up out of the teleportal with mystical presence. Oddly, there weren’t any cracks around the point of impact, almost like it was embedded into the platform.

“What’s that?” Crystal raised an eyebrow as she reached over. The instant her flipper got near, a sharp volt lashed out at her and she flinched away. Electricity lightly crackled over the blade as if hissing at her.

“An electrical sword is in the way,” Lucca mumbled.

“Leave it to me I guess,” Brine grumbled and stepped up to pull it out. Just being near it caused electricity to sizzle all over, to which she hesitated. With a light breath in, she braced, slammed her paws over it, and pulled as hard as she could. A moment later and she was crying out in pain. The electric shocks came out in full force, enough that even with her full effort to resist it, Brine was crying out with noises the group had never heard before.

“Brine! Let go!” Lucca cried on top of everyone’s surprise. The Pikachu seemed to be rooted in place, so Ruby bashed her with the Parashelter, and that seemed to loosen her off. She was left sizzling and twitching in the floor beside the platform. “G-gods, are you okay? You should’ve let go straight away!”

“I-I-I’m fine…” Brine was all jittery. Lucca grit his fangs anxiously, but after a moment, she got up and shook herself off. Everyone sighed in relief.

“Uh, even if we could use the platform with this thing here, Angel would be stuck,” Azu pointed out.

“So we’ve got to get the thing out of the way no matter what,” Lucca stated, reaching out. He flinched in expectation of a shock, but nothing came. “Hmm?”

He put his flipper close again, but there was nothing. Wary, Mimia reached out, and the blade immediately whipped his paw with an electric jolt. Lucca went close again, and there was nothing. Jaws dropped as he was able to place both flippers on the hilt just fine. He pulled as hard as he could, and the blade came free with ease.

“Guess it doesn’t like us,” Ruby shrugged.

“I’m… so confused,” Lucca said blankly as he admired the sword. Aside from the jagged shape, it was an ordinary sword in his flippers. At least until he gave it a harmless swing, and a sizzling wave of electricity followed it. “What kind of weapon is this? And why was it here?”

“I’ve never seen a magic sword before. I could check how it works, but,” Azu replied. He held it out to her, but it still crackled in defence. “Ruby’s right. It really doesn’t like us. What are you going to do with it?”

“No reason not to keep it. If it’s electric, that gives me a type advantage against Father- I mean Varra,” Lucca answered. He took out bandages from his belongings and began to wrap the blade in them, similar to his current swords. Once done, the sword stopped crackling at the others, letting them get close again.

“Lucca, that’s not electricity,” Brine informed. “I don’t know what it is. But that was not an electric shock I was hit by.”

“If not, then what could it be? It looked just like electricity,” Azu pondered it and then shook herself. “Forget it. If it turns against us, Lucca just get rid of it. Let’s get to Dein Nomos.”

“Right!” everyone nodded and gathered on the Teleportal. Angel positioned herself above them, crossed her wings over her front, and then unfurled them. A pillar of light engulfed the team, and then they vanished.

…

Now was hardly the time to feel nostalgic, but here Lucca was. His first true experiences with Heroica were right here thanks to this teleportal. It dropped the team off in the same place as it did last time, these old ruins that nature had claimed in the middle of nowhere. They were untouched from the last time he and Mimia had been here, despite it being all that time ago.

Trees and woodland surrounded them on all sides, lightly swaying in a sunset breeze. Aged pillars and stone slabs with weathered text were dotted around. All was silent besides themselves and the wind. He couldn’t help but wander forward as blankly as he did the first time, taking in that cool light and natural air.

“Right here. Everything truly started right here,” he remarked. Mimia made a happy noise with him. “Now we have friends. We’re not royalty, and our goal has completely changed.”

“And now you know how shops work.” Ruby gave him a smirk.

“Ah, we’re really not gonna let that go, are we?” he slumped.

“Never!” Mimia laughed.

“You as well?” Lucca cried. “Ugh, alright. What’s the plan? Varra’s not going to be any easier this time than he was before, even with an electric or whatever sword magic this thing has.”

“That weapon of his hits twice!” Ruby perked up. “I saw it ‘cos I dodged it. He hits you with it first, and then there’s some kinda shooty thing inside that pumps out after. It’s super strong!”

“… You mean like a piston?” Crystal asked above everyone else’s confused look.

“Like a piston… so that’s what that sword sheath is. I don’t know how I didn’t notice,” Lucca thought aloud. Everyone turned to him. “He made it out of Celesteela arm. He must’ve kept the internals that let the Celesteela fly with exhaust, so now it’s some sort of piston weapon. That’s his sword sheath, which holds a sword made of Kartana arm. It being that long is problem enough as is, but trust me, that blade can cut through anything.”

“Why didn’t he give you a sword that awesome?” Ruby cried.

“Me? He did. Mine are modified from Kartana. It’s part Kartana, part Celesteela,” Lucca explained, holding up one of his gold blades. “We exchanged the ability to cut through anything to add extra weight and ultimately defence. If the weapon is too heavy or too light, I can’t dance with it.”

“So that’s it. Varra doesn’t have any defence?” Ruby guessed.

“King Varra taught Lucca the style he uses. Sword dancing and defensive stances that focus on evasion are their thing,” Mimia explained. “The only difference in their style is that Lucca is able to block with both blades, while Varra can only block with his sword sheath. One weapon for attack, the other for defence. The stances do not change.”

“Then it’s time to man up. Lay it on us, what your big weak point?” Brine asked. Lucca was hesitant. “What’s to be afraid of? It’s not like one of us is going to beat you up.”

“You guys have plenty of reason to try and kill me,” Lucca scratched the back of his head.

“But we’re not, are we? We just want some headway so we can plan a strategy against Varra,” Azu reasoned. Lucca sighed.

“My weakness, huh? Or at the very least, the weakness to that style… it’s the movement,” Lucca stated. “If I can’t move or the enemy can find a way to bind me to the spot, my attacks lose all their impact. If I don’t have space to slide around, I can’t build any momentum either, meaning I can’t be as nimble.”

“Considering his sword can cut anything, I don’t think Brine’s water ropes are a good idea,” Crystal pointed out.

“Agreed. I really don’t fancy sitting in place knowing I’m one wrong move away from losing my head, literally,” Brine folded her arms.

“We can gather a load of Stun Seeds and utilise those in our attacks, but that leads us to the next Copperajah in the room,” Azu put a hand to her chin. She slowly turned to Shelly, who turned away. “He immediately targeted you and locked you down. It’s like he knew you’re our main supporter. If you can’t heal us or get into your Treasure Orb, we won’t last long.”

“Most enemies stay away from you because you sit so far from the action and don’t look too powerful. We’ve never had someone prioritise you before,” Ruby added. She gave Shelly a saddened look. “Sorry I let them get to you.”

“H-huh? It’s not your fault, lass!” he cried. “I couldn’t get out of his tail and just… I was useless. I’m meant to be a shield, but I’m useless!”

“If that’s how you wanna look at it. Point is, we can’t give all our items to you if Varra’s gonna hassle you the whole fight. That or we find a better way to protect you,” Ruby said.

“Why does it have to be different ‘cos it’s me? No one ever says you need protecting!” Shelly shouted. They were surprised. “I’ve been with everyone this whole journey, and I’ve been trying super hard to be stronger and smarter, too. But I’m still so weak and useless. Now you guys can’t even count on me when we need it most.”

“Urf… I know how you feel—” Crystal began.

“No you don’t! None of ye know how I feel. Ye don’t have to pity me anymore,” Shelly snapped. “When we get to Varra, he won’t trap me again. And if you need Stun Seeds, I’ll make sure we have them. You won’t have to hold back because of me again.”

“Heh, I like that attitude. Better late than never,” Ruby grinned eagerly. He was surprised until she lost that smile. “But this is life or death, and probably our last fight. We’ve got to go based on everything that’s happened up until now. And you’ve been a coin flip on ideas, buddy.”

“Ruby!” Crystal cried.

“I’m just tellin’ it like it is. It’s not like I was any use in that fight, either. He can crush my Parashelter.” Ruby frowned.

“I just don’t wanna be a burden anymore. Let me fight, and don’t worry about me. Please trust me,” Shelly begged. The others exchanged glances lacking emotion.

“Well alright. We’ll treat this like our toughest battle yet. Let’s just get all stocked up at the nearest town, wherever we are,” Azu proposed. Now they all nodded with enthusiasm, and Lucca began to lead.

The nostalgia began to drain. Nothing changed in this area. It was still an unmapped forest that hid docile feral Pokémon, bathed forever in sunshine and silence. Even as the sun set, its rays flickered brightly through the treetops and made dewdrops glisten. Although there was no path, the forest floor was easily navigable, with roots and plants spaced far enough apart that one could sprint if there was a need. Best of all, the ground was soft and loamy without being soggy soil. Lucca wouldn’t have to wash after they were done here.

This unavoidable dread, he sighed deeply at his thoughts as he walked. Ruby’s right. Am I being too rash? Can Father be redeemed? Or am I just missing something, and the Aska are actually superior to the creatures of Heroica?

He shut his eyes. The idea was absurd. Why do things have to be like this? If only there was some way I could talk to Father again, one-to-one, and try to understand what’s going on…

“Wait, this is… Vergrace? We’re near that region,” Azu hopped ahead at a break in the trees. The group walked quicker, and there they were, out in the open greens of the fields around the quiet village. “If we hurry, we can make the markets before everyone closes up.”

“Of all the places, though. Had to be here, huh?” Lucca grumbled.

…

By the time the group arrived, the sun was below the horizon but the sky was still lit orange. It was easy to cover most of the distance on Angel’s back, but they dismounted once nearby. Mimia led as the others were out of breath, and ran straight for the markets who were beginning to pack up. A few feral barks got them to stop and pay attention.

“Geez, don’t scare them buddy,” Lucca patted him. “Alright, let’s see here.”

“Couldn’t you have made it earlier? I’m just about to pack up for the day,” the Ivysaur complained. Lucca stared at him in surprise. They didn’t seem to recognise him.

“I apologize for how much we’re inconveniencing you, but this is really important. We’re going to need as much as we can carry,” Azu bowed to him.

“Everything! Stun Seeds, Sleep Seeds, Revivers, your health berries!” Crystal joined in eagerly.

And a barrel of apples for the road, Mimia thought to himself, feeling his stomach rumble. Do not admit that one aloud.

“Ngh. You guys planning to take the last of my stock of exploration stuff or what?” Ivysaur grumpily stomped off behind his stall. He had drawers back here, trays of useful tools for travellers. Clearly there was meant to be enough here to fill the market stand, but instead it looked like it had been ransacked. There was barely an Oran Berry left, and the two that were, were shrivelled and had brown spots.

“Argh, we’re too late,” Ruby sighed.

“Figures a village wouldn’t keep up with demand like this,” Lucca turned away and scratched his head.

“You’re kidding, right?” Ivysaur snapped. The others glanced at him. “A village like this does better than a big city when it comes to farming stuff Pokémon actually need. But ever since those blasted Shining Warriors showed up and we lost our Bestia, the fields are a lucky dip whether we can grow a decent harvest. I’ve been living by the pay check ever since.”

Back when Evark appeared here. They’re still blaming us! Mimia flinched in shock.

“Now we’ve got that weird thing in the sky,” Ivysaur turned upwards. They could see Dein Nomos from here, but just barely. The sky around it was completely covered by an unnatural sheet of clouds that swirled toward the sword. “The end had to come during our generation, didn’t it? I’m not ready to die yet. Not like this, anyway.”

Silence fell besides a few nervous grunts, until Ruby bounced up. “You think that thing’s going to kill ya? It’s miles away!”

“Everything’s been getting worse. The warriors show up after ten years again and muck everything up for us, then that sword appears and all the ferals get replaced by aliens. Everyone’s stuck here, my stock’s out; might as well be some accursed thing that kills us all,” Ivysaur finished. He kept grumbling to himself as he resumed packing up, to which Mimia whined. “Don’t bother with the other guys, either. Their stock’s as bad as mine.”

“I had no idea things would get so bad,” Lucca looked away.

“You can’t keep blaming yourself. But our plans are going to have to change. I doubt Lillistep is going to have supplies, and it’ll be night by the time we reach Girage even if we fly with Angel,” Azu reasoned. “We’re stuck here.”

“Can’t we just wait until tomorrow?” Ruby asked.

“And let Varra do what he wants with the sword while we twiddle our paws? We’re already pushing it as it is,” Brine replied.

As they began to argue, an irritating noise caught Mimia’s attention. It was like a low howl of wind, as if something big was soaring through the air and leaving behind a giant wind stream. If it wasn’t constant, he would’ve ignored it, but it kept getting louder. Loud enough for him to bow his head and try to focus on it. He caught small wings flapping, and an electric buzzing noise. Altogether an awful combination of irritating noises that got louder and louder. Too loud.

Mimia gasped, and his eyes shot open. He barged his way through the group and barked in the direction of this giant. He prayed whatever it was wouldn’t be there for them, but he knew how this scenario went.

“Mimia, what’s… something’s coming,” Lucca said.

Mimia kept growling up at the sky, and surely enough, an army of Ultra Beasts soon turned up. Most of them were Nihilego, but in the centre of the formation was a familiar face beside a cage made of electricity. Shouts, cries, and chatter replaced the howling wind Mimia heard earlier as the beasts stopped above the village, while Alver scanned the population. It didn’t take the Ribombee long to crack a smirk and descend to their height.

“Of all the places to flee to. I guess I understand it to a degree. Minimise as many casualties as possible,” Alver began. He playfully swayed side to side, and then sat on his staff with a flimsy hand by his mouth. “Or perhaps you truly thought that you could escape us here.”

“What is this? Why are you here?” Lucca shouted.

“I’ve been ordered to finish the job, let alone run an errand for King Varra. I don’t need to spell it out, do I? You’re mature enough to understand exactly what’s going on here,” Alver replied calmly. He pointed his staff at Lucca and became cross. “I personally will give you one more chance, Lucca. Kill the Shining Warriors, or die with them.”

“Shining Warriors?”

“Wait, that is them!”

“The accursed are back!”

“This is all their fault. Damn them!”

Teeth were grit as aggression and panic filled the crowd, followed by all sorts of insults and profanity. The group couldn’t say a word as Pokémon surrounded them, some even raising makeshift weapons like poles and pitchforks. Mimia’s chest sunk into his stomach as he glanced around at them all, and then he growled.

“Stop! All of you!” his shout and stomp came out as a bark that beat the crowd’s volume. Though they went quiet, their glares held all the venom to keep the group on edge. Seeing that, Mimia stomped his feet and approached Alver. “You are supposed to be Lucca’s servant. What is this?”

“So you can speak normal language!” Alver’s eyes widened, but he promptly settled. “It matters not. You are not being addressed, you filthy mutt.”

“I have the same question, though. I’m supposed to be a higher rank than you. Why aren’t you taking orders from me?” Lucca challenged.

“The moment you chose to oppose the Aska, you lost that rank. Varra no longer considers you his son, you know,” Alver stated.

That looked like it hurt Lucca. He clenched his eyes shut and looked down, but whipped his head up to try and appear brave. “What the heck is that supposed to mean? If he can disown his own son that easily, then was I ever loved to begin with?”

“Lucca… why so sentimental?” Alver replied. He genuinely appeared surprised.

“Why else? Argh, you guys are acting like such…” Lucca hung his head to think again. “If you’re so royal and powerful, then why doesn’t Varra come down here and say that to me directly? Tell him to stop being a coward and tell me I’m not his son to my face!”

“That is a complete waste of time and you know it,” Alver replied, half-lidded. “Lucca. Last chance. Join us, or die along with the rest of these lower life forms.”

“You can take that invitation and shove it so far up your tail you won’t know what hit you. We are not above the Pokémon!” Lucca swiped a flipper aside. “I am a Shining Warrior, and it is our job to save the world. I won’t abuse that power to claim myself a ruler!”

“How disappointing. Perhaps you don’t realise just how outmatched you really are,” Alver replied plainly, still half-lidded. He looked at the electric cage beside him, and then back at the group. “You remember what this is, don’t you? A Xurkitree. Those dormant beasts that spent their entire lives absorbing electricity.”

“And? They can’t attack because they’re- oh gods no,” Lucca flinched. That brought back Alver’s grin. Instead of teasing Lucca further, he looked over the rest of the crowd, who stared up at him with a mixture of confusion, angst, and aggression.

“My Lord King Varra, it is time. Let the conquest of Heroica begin!” Alver announced, stretching his arms out.

Mimia and the team shifted and tensed up, ready for whatever came. Moments later however, nothing seemed to happen. Even still, Mimia’s heart raced. It wouldn’t stop, either. Even as Alver realised the delay and returned to sitting on his staff, Mimia’s chest twisted. There wasn’t anything happening, and he knew it. He could have done something during this time. Then, he could tell what was happening before anyone else; a detriment of his feral senses. It took an awkward time more, but when it clicked, it clicked.

The howling was back, and it was growing louder. It wasn’t a howl of wind, it was the groans and cries of voices. Pokémon, all kinds, many species he even recognised. Just as everyone around him began to detect it, the atmosphere began to quake hard enough that the ground, his fur, everything around him shook and shivered irritably.

“Hear the cry of ancient races past. The screams of the dead cry out as the cycle of the Shining Warriors continues once more. But for this time, the legend will end once and for all,” Varra’s voice spoke through the air. The crowd erupted into chatter, but no one could see Varra anywhere.

“Listen to me, lowborn of Heroica. I am FinVarra Aska. From atop the sword you see in the sky, Dein Nomos, I now claim dominion over all life. All who dare oppose me and the Aska will know death.”

“We’re too late? He’s already there!” Shelly cried.

“You wicked, vile blighters! I knew you were no good!” a familiar voice shouted, making Mimia jump. He spun around to find Roserade stomping through the crowd towards them. “I should have taken revenge when I had the chance. I should’ve killed you in your sleep! Taken back what’s mine!”

“You don’t understand, we’re not—” Lucca argued.

“Shut up!” Roserade roared at the top of his voice. “Every time you so called heroes come here, everything gets worse.”

“Yeah! Ruining our lives once wasn’t enough, was it?”

“I should’ve known the legend was a hoax!”

“Evil bastards! Get out of here!”

“Wait, wait don’t hurt them!” another voice squealed. Lilan, the young Roselia pushed his way through and didn’t stop until he was in front of Mimia and the group. “Don’t hurt them. Are you guys blind? It’s not them, they’re not doing anything this time!”

“Keywords, this time,” Roserade clarified. “They don’t even have to do anything, they cause chaos by just existing, spreading their curse everywhere they go. So get over here, Lilan! You’re not with them.”

“I won’t, whether you’re my Dad or not!” Lilan shook his head.

“Shh! Listen,” Azu hissed, getting everyone’s attention.

“Any attempt to defy me or my Aska will result in death. For this world will be reformed by me, its new creator,” FinVarra’s voice continued.

The shaking in the atmosphere intensified, and soon became enough that every single Pokémon, Mimia and company included, had to cringe and cry out to resist. Everything shook, their bodies, the air they breathed, the earth they stood on. It didn’t take them off balance, but it created the most uncomfortable feeling ever.

Mimia couldn’t breathe right. He tried to force himself to look around, but all he got was blurry eyesight. He sweated in effort, unable to hear much beyond the howling groans and screams that filled the air. His bones shook like they weren’t fitted together right, and his organs felt like they might dysfunction with the way they knocked around inside him. His thoughts wouldn’t even gather.

Not long later, blue lights erupted through the ground below their feet. Millions of large blue lights textured like flames, yet looking like the screaming faces of different Pokémon. They flooded out of the ground and into the sky, screaming and crying as if they were being tortured. They soared around the sky in such densely packed waves that it hurt to look at, let alone hear.

Without Mimia realising it, the shaking had stopped. The lights continued for a time, but as they began to deplete, so too did the colour and life all around them. Mimia choked on his breath as he spun around, witnessing trees age and die in seconds, blades of grass turn to clay, and the colour of the world around him fade to the dreariest greyscale he could imagine.

Before he knew it, everything was still. Everything. There was no wind. No noise. No clouds. No more screaming blue lights. The buildings of the village were as crusty as ruins. The floor was harder than metal, yet as bumpy as soil. It was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat. The only life in the entire world seemed to be himself and the Pokémon.

“I… oh gods… e-everyone alright?” Lucca called out.

“Alright is subjective here,” Crystal replied.

“Whatever the hell that was, I don’t wanna feel it again,” Ruby added.

“Everyone!” Angel’s voice echoed through the area. Rather than speak through the amulet however, the Togekiss herself showed up above the village. “We need to go, now! FinVarra is draining every last drop of Bestia from Heroica.”

“I could’ve guessed that! Not like we have a choice now, do we?” Brine snapped.

“Heroica is going to turn into a Reverie in mere hours. The population won’t survive. This is how he plans to commit genocide!” Angel warned.

“So you are smart enough to figure things out,” Alver got their attentions again. “Unlike we Revenants, you Pokémon aren’t smart enough to survive in a world devoid of Bestia. You are welcome to try, but you will not live for long. How long until you die of starvation? Thirst? Lack of nutrition? Will you war against each other for scraps, or devolve into ferals and hunt each other until extinction? I am eager to find out.”

“That’s your plan? Alver, this is so callous!” Lucca cried. “This can’t be real. This can’t actually be happening…”

“Lucca, get a hold of yourself!” Ruby snapped.

“But you, I have different plans for you,” Alver continued. “As if we would allow even the slightest inkling of a chance for you to survive. You will not be allowed to make it to Dein Nomos, let alone struggle amongst these lower life forms.”

As he spoke, cries and screams came from the surrounding crowd again, but this time far more panicky. Alver’s Nihilego army began to swarm the party and the village, slowly swaying side to side as they giggled like little girls. With so many of them around, their unusual cries echoed in a ghostly fashion, sounding not just closer than they were, but as if the noises weren’t coming from them altogether.

A loud crash returned their attention to Alver. His electric cage had released its captor: a giant, luminous white, spiked orb. Before anyone could question it, the orb crackled with so much electricity that lightning rotated its form, which signalled the Ultra Beast’s awakening. Long, flimsy arms resembling electric cables sprouted from below the orb, allowing it to stand. The tips of its feet had copper thorns resembling nails, while its hands had copper wires spread out like fingers. The beast spread its arms and feet far as it gave a triumphant roar, sounding like a grating buzz of storming thunder.

“And don’t think for even an instant that there is a shred of mercy. We’ve overlooked nothing – we are able to charge ourselves or any being we choose with as much Bestia as we please. This Xurkitree can use Pokémon attacks and abilities, while you are now incapable of triggering even your passive Pokémon powers,” Alver explained. “You can die feeling like the peasants you so desperately want to protect!”

“Are you serious? How does that work?” Ruby cried.  The whole group squeaked and shifted back as Xurkitree took a step toward them, and then brandished its arms as if about to attack. Electricity crackled around the bronze appendages. Alver was not joking.

“Bastard picked an electric beast on purpose. Most of us here are screwed!” Lucca growled.

“What do we do then?” Crystal gasped.

“You’ve really put us in it this time,” Azu said, just as wary. “If you’ve got any magical comebacks, now’s the time to do them, guys!”

“Grr, I’m not gonna go down without a fight! Not twice in a row!” Ruby snapped, flaring her back.

Xurkitree stopped advancing on them, only for the electricity between its hands to intensify. With an aggressive thrust of its palm, out came a beam of blue electricity, to which Ruby responded with her Flamethrower. Both attacks collided, and the energy between them built up into an orb that grew as the attacks competed.

“What the?” Alver shouted.

“Didn’t you just say our powers won’t work?” Azu gasped, covering her mouth.

“Well of course, Ruby’s fire ain’t Pokémon power,” Shelly said. “It’s Undine power!”

The orb finally exploded, sending Ruby flying back into the group. Mimia caught her, but even he was sent flipping through the air by the force. Xurkitree skidded across the ground, buzzling and crackling as if angered.

“By that logic, my moves must still work, too,” Brine stepped up and began to conjure her Kendama. Water surrounded the orb on the end, but she didn’t wait until it was a wrecking ball like usual. She flung it when the orb was about her size. She smacked Xurkitree several times with the water orb, hitting hard enough that it made noises with each impact. It was hard to tell whether they were grunts of pain, or simply complaints of annoyance. Every noise it made sounded like a fuzzy, static machine.

“Half-Undine… freaks like you still have powers, but it matters not. The two of you will never have the power to take down a Xurkitree, especially not once things get going,” Alver remarked, calming down. He pointed with his staff. “Attack them!”

“The seven of us might be able to,” Mimia growled and stretched his feet apart. I’m sure we can win. I have to believe it. But with all those other Ultra beasts…

“I know you’re not supposed to take part, but Angel, think you can deal with those jellyfish?” Lucca requested.

“But I—” the Togekiss shuddered

“Don’t say it, you’re involved in this now! If they kill us, they’ll kill you, too!” Lucca twisted at her. “We’ll focus the Xurkitree. You keep those other guys busy!”

“This goes for every last one of you, too!” Azu shouted above the panicking crowd. “Grab a weapon, use your claws, I don’t care which! All of you need to defend yourselves, right now!”

“You’re asking us to—” Roserade snapped.

“Now is not the time! Just do it, or these things will kill you!” Azu raised her voice.

“Dad!” Lilan said. Roserade locked eyes with the Roselia and hesitated.

“This does not put us on the same side,” Roserade replied, brandishing a thorny whip.

“Whoa, you have a weapon?” Lilan remarked.

“I do. Stay by me,” he ordered, ready to fight.

Xurkitree roared to put the group back into focus, and then the battle was underway. From the Ultra Beast’s bronze hands came powerful beams of lightning, enough to carve pits in the dead ground where they hit. The group dove and ducked below many attacks as they spread out to take on the beast from all sides, the very same way they had been fighting thus far. Crystal’s arrows lodged into the cables of its body, while Mimia knocked the creature back and forth with hard punches. Ruby’s flames kept its lightning at bay, while Lucca blitzed around it, slashing its body at every opportunity he got.

“I know it’s scary. We’re fighting against creatures none of you have ever seen before,” Azu spoke out to the crowd as loudly as she could. “But this is no longer a matter merely involving the Shining Warriors. A dictator threatens to rule Heroica with fear and hopelessness, but to that I say, we are Pokémon, and we have more power than you can ever imagine.”

As her speech began, Angel soared through the air, chased by a swarm of Nihilego. Her huge form made her fast enough to tackle them aside with ease, but some of them latched to her, forcing her to spin or yank herself in a different direction to throw them off. Unlike before, none of them were able to stick to her for long. She soon stopped in place, letting several Nihilego gather before her in threat. With a great flap of her wings, she kicked up a strong wind that knocked the group of them back, and they all clumped on the ground.

“They’re taking our Bestia, and now are trying to take our lives. Are you really going to sit there and let this evil group do what they want? We need your help!” Azu announced. Alver darted in front of her and stopped so close and so suddenly it was as if he teleported. It took her a second to gasp and flinch, but the reaction didn’t make him smile.

“You’re being weirdly polite about this,” he began, staring her in the eyes.

Azu didn’t reply. She gulped as she slowly grasped her staff in both hands, and then pointed the end with the star straight at the Ribombee’s face. He finally grinned again, so she thrust, and he darted aside the attack, winding up directly beside her.

“The meanest name you could come up with was ‘evil group’? You are something else,” he remarked.

“Get to the point,” Azu replied.

Alver darted to the opposite side of her, keeping her on edge. “I have orders to spare you, you know. Lord FinVarra has chosen you. You should be honoured.”

“I should be honoured that a guy heck knows how many times my age wants to genocide the entire world besides me, so we can be together? A guy I’ve never met and frankly don’t care about? Just because he thinks he’s better than everybody else?” Azu replied. “Do you even hear yourself?”

“Look around you,” Alver ordered. He slowly fluttered his way beside her to oversee the battle.

Lucca had just landed a hit on Xurkitree, but his blades couldn’t cut its cables, so he launched himself away before its crackling hand could grab him. Ruby’s flames blast against its head a moment later, making it roar at the team. It stomped after them, continuing to fire beam after beam of electricity at them, which they desperately rolled or dove away from. It was clear as day how short of breath each of them were however, and if the battle continued, things would surely go south.

The surrounding battle couldn’t even be called a battle. The villagers were no greater than villagers at the end of the day. Many of them were ordinary Pokémon that had probably never fought in their lives even once. Even with all of them bravely banding together, it took half the number of Nihilego than they had to have them all beaten down. The few villagers still standing, like Roserade, were on one knee while the rest were bodies sprawled out across Vergrace.

Meanwhile, Angel wouldn’t give up and had created a pile of knocked down Nihilego, yet still dozens were chasing her. It looked like every time she bashed a few with her wings, more would just take their place. Like the others, she had a nasty range of marks and bruises on her form, and looked like she was puffing and panting.

“Your face says it all. And I know you’re intelligent. The likes of you must know this scenario became impossible the moment your Bestia was taken. Your only way of survival is to follow our orders. Become FinVarra’s wife, and enjoy our new world,” Alver stated.

Azu gulped and shuddered. She felt like she was going to be sick or break down into tears. Ruby got knocked down, to which she held out a hand to help despite being so far away. Shelly threw himself into Xurkitree and managed to knock its arm free enough that Ruby could roll away. The sight of that made her withdraw, and she mentally nodded to herself.

“Have you even lived a day in Heroica?” Azu replied.

“… Why is that relevant?” Alver replied, half-lidded.

“Because you don’t seem to have a grasp on the way things work around here. Or maybe you do personally, but you’re following the orders of that Primarina no matter what. Props to your dedication, if that’s the case,” Azu said. She turned to him and faked a smile. “I’d rather die than have that guy even so much as compliment me again. That’s how much I hate him.”

Alver remained still, yet couldn’t hide gestures that he pondered his next words. His face twisted ever so slightly, but never grinned, and his hands curled with held-back aggression. “And this is what I hate the most about Heroica. It gives you females brevity.”

“Is that another implication I detect there? Do I not have rights in your ideal world?” Azu folded her arms.

“Not exactly… but for someone who is about to watch everyone they ever knew die, you behave like you have a choice in the matter,” Alver said.

“… Watch this,” Azu said. She hopped away from him and then slowly approached the battle with Xurkitree. At this point, the group surrounded it, but puffed and panted as they needed a good chance to hit it. “You guys listening? I figured out how to beat this thing.”

“Azu?” Lucca gasped.

“Brine, I know you have limited water, but trust me. I need you to drown it. Trap it in an entire orb of water!” she instructed.

“Can do, but we’ve got one shot at this,” Brine warned.

“We’ve beaten worse odds,” Lucca tensed up.

Brine played with her kendama to generate a swirl of water around her, and then jumped to all fours, tensed up, and shouted at the top of her voice. The water flew from her towards Xurkitree, trapping it in a giant bubble. Once the beast was completely submerged, Brine stood up, but stumbled onto one paw as if strained.

“Well then? Finish the job!” Azu shouted. She rushed in front of the thing and thrust her staff at it. “Your big boss wants me, he has to come and take me himself!”

“Azu, no!” Lucca shrieked.

Xurkitree thrust an arm at her, its movement slowed by the water. The instant electricity came from it however, sparks violently snapped across its form. The sparks quickly increased into a full electric shock, surrounding Xurkitree in a harsh glow of yellow sparks. The Ultra Beast shook and roared with its thundering cry, and was released only when all the electricity exploded. Brine’s water bubble burst with it, leaving Xurkitree in a sizzling, soaked heap that crackled and jittered.

“Did it just shock itself?” Alver gasped.

“Lucca, Crystal hurry up before it recovers!” Azu twisted at them with a fierce look.

They didn’t need any more encouragement. Lucca hopped into Mimia’s arms, who then spun to throw him high into the sky, while Crystal lunged forward with arrows nocked and ready. She let loose three in quick succession straight at the spiked orb of Xurkitree’s head, and each one pierced it, with the third arrow creating cracks around the entry point. Lucca slammed down a moment later, stabbing both of his swords directly into that point with tremendous force. He went straight through it, coming out the other side of the orb with a trail of smoke behind him.

Xurkitree began to thrash in pain, but its cry was stuttered, almost like a radio transmission that kept getting cut off. Small explosions went off inside of the spiked orb, letting out more and more smoke, until finally something inside exploded for good, creating another hole in the orb. The Ultra Beast fell to the ground in a heap, and with it, took the attention of every last Nihilego in the area. They all turned to Alver in particular, who remained calm with a tired sigh.

“And there you have it. No Pokémon moves or abilities. Just raw teamwork and talent. Your beast: executed,” Azu stated. Alver remained quiet. “Pokémon are tired of not having their powers back. Trying to take them away on the eve of their return, every Pokémon, even those with aggressions against each other, would team up to prevent that. You challenge us, you challenge the entire world, Alver.”

“Hmpf. Fine then. We’ll see how effective your ‘united world’ is. There remains no nature, nor any abilities. You just used up the last of your powers to take down that Xurkitree. Meanwhile, I still command entire legions of Ultra Beasts,” Alver bragged, returning to the air above Vergrace. His Nihilego gathered around him, enabling Angel to approach him. “You Shining Warriors will not be able to do a thing. You cannot reach Dein Nomos. You cannot defy a world without Bestia. And you cannot hope to even touch FinVarra with the power he has now. Petty concepts like hope and dreams will not carry you. Heroica belongs to the Aska, and the Aska only!”

With that he took off, shooting into the distant sky at high speed. The Nihilego followed in a similar fashion, each one shooting off like jets. Soon enough, silence fell, and Azu finally fell on her backside with an exasperated groan.

“Holy moly… I dunno how I’m managing this. Any more and I’m gonna take years off my life,” she whimpered.

“Azu!” Lucca gasped and flew over to her. “How did you figure that out? That was awesome, you—”

“I wouldn’t come closer. I think I had an accident,” Azu admitted, still sat hugging herself. Lucca shut right up and leaned away.

“Your actions solved our immediate threat, but what that guy said can’t be ignored,” Roserade stated, coming over to them. “Ever since you guys showed up, it’s been nothing but nightmare after nightmare!”

“What the heck – we just saved all your lives. We all won together!” Ruby snapped.

“Yeah, everybody worked together and drove away the bad guy! Why do you have to be mean, Dad?” Lilan cried.

“Have you looked around you? At yourself, at me?” Roserade raised his voice.

The group obeyed, and returned to his gaze with guilty frowns. Many Pokémon were in dangerous spots, covered from head to toe in bruises and damage. The village had been reduced to ruins in the chaos. The younger Pokémon could only whimper and stare, stuck cradling their parents. This battle was won, but any sane person would say it would be their last.

“Now we stand with our homes destroyed and nature dead. We still don’t have our powers or abilities. And we’re aware that army of alien monsters is around. I dunno what you low-lives have done, but we’re literally looking at the end of the world,” Roserade ranted. He sounded like he might cry. “And we have to suffer for it, too. We can’t help the wounded, our food is suddenly going to have to be rationed, and hell knows what’s going to happen. It’s over for us, and it’s all your fault! The least you can do is get out of here, and never show your faces ever again.”

“But we won!” Lucca stood on his tail. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“What does winning a single battle mean if it leads to our deaths?” someone shouted back.

“We’re not dead!” Lucca swiped a flipper aside. “Don’t you get it? We won. Against all impossible odds, we won. We’re all still alive and we can all still do things. You don’t all have to understand it, but we need you all to trust us and do everything you can for just a little while longer. Work with us, and we can bring back what makes us Pokémon. I swore I would do it; I swore on my life I would save Heroica, and I’m not going to stop until I do. You just have to trust me!”

“It’s just like Azu said,” Shelly stood beside him. “Evil Pokémon want to take away our future. They’ve taken our Bestia, our homes, everything but our lives. Now that we’re back against the wall, are we really going to just stand there and let them get away with it? When we can still act, are we really going to do nothing?”

Lucca and the team stood beside each other as if to echo the point. However, their only response was the silence of the dead world, and the awkward angst of the Pokémon before them. It brought tears to his eyes, but not one Pokémon in this village-sized crowd could even so much as glance at him with any desire whatsoever. Hope was drained from this crowd. Arms were rubbed, eyes stared at the floor, and faces grimaced at him and his idealistic speech.

Lucca flopped his flippers down in defeat. He couldn’t help himself. Tears really did well up in his eyes. Not even Lilan could look up at him. I don’t get it… why don’t these Pokémon understand? Why can’t they just do what they need to do? Are they really that content with just sitting here and letting themselves die?

He refused to let them see his tears, and clenched his face as he turned away. Father might as well be right. We’re doing everything we can and fighting to the bitter end, and yet they hate us for it. Why am I putting my all into saving Pokémon who are like this?

“We have to do something,” Shelly’s calm, quiet voice got his attention. The Oshawott was clearly saddened, too. “We can’t all just give up here.”

“We can’t expect these Pokémon to do more than they’ve already done. That much I understand,” Brine reasoned. “Angel, any idea if I can use black water to restore my water?”

“I dunno, I’m not an Undine,” Angel shrugged. “I don’t recommend trying to drink black water either, you know.”

“Figures water without any of the good properties of water wouldn’t help me,” Brine scratched her face. “If I can’t restore my powers, I’m about as useful as a grape in a desert.”

“Still not willing to try taking some of my water?” Ruby suggested.

“I already told you no! And that’s gross!” Brine cried.

“It was worth a shot.” Ruby scratched her fur.

Quiet fell between the group. Lucca struggled to look at them, but he wasn’t alone in that. Their usual optimism was gone. In fact, they appeared as struggled as the villagers were. Depressed, deep in thought, exhausted, and out of ideas. Even Azu hadn’t stood up, and hugged herself in silence.

“Well? Don’t just stand there. Get out of our sight!” Roserade demanded, making him flinch.

Lucca spared them a look. Though he couldn’t hide his annoyance, he sighed deeply. Brine’s right. These are Pokémon who’ve lived their lives doing nothing but comfort, like farming and trading with merchants. They probably don’t even know how to use half the Pokémon moves their species could learn. To that end, it was a tremendous ask for them to take part in this battle. The fact that we won is a miracle.

He turned his back and looked up at the dead sky. The clouds had all vanished, leaving behind static grey tones in a clear night sky. The stars were plain white dots that didn’t seem to glow at all. If anything, it’s my role as a leader to have hope for them. I’m not a prince anymore… but I have to hold on. One last miracle. Alright. You can do it, Lucca.

He faced the crowd once more, and this time he retrieved an item from his belongings. The rest of the group were surprised to see the Anima Flower, the plant Lilan gave them when they first departed Vergrace. The old plant was as healthy as ever, and even continued to give off light. “We won’t need this anymore, but you guys will. Use it to keep the world alight and scare away any ferals still around.”

“Mister Shining Warrior,” Lilan said. His eyes sparkled in disbelief as Lucca left the plant by him.

“Your job is to take care of yourselves until we bring back Bestia. And Lilan… we’re counting on you to look after your dad and everybody else.”

“Yes. Yes sir!” the little Roselia saluted.

That brought a smile to Lucca’s face, so he stood back and grinned at Roserade once more, who was even more impatient. “My promise hasn’t changed. We will bring back Bestia. I swear it.”

He didn’t wait for a reply this time, and promptly got on Angel. The others awkwardly joined him, and then the giant Togekiss took off. She didn’t go high up, opting to slowly soar just above the ground instead.

“That’s the smile of someone who has a plan,” Azu commented.

“I don’t have one,” Lucca admitted.

“What? We’re not just gonna throw ourselves at this, are we?” Shelly gasped.

“We have to try something. We’ll find some black water, and hopefully that’ll restore Brine’s powers. After that, we gun for Dein Nomos. At this point, it’s do or die,” Lucca stated. The quiet grunts of the party responded.

“Angel, you’re supposed to be our guide. Isn’t there anything better we can try?” Crystal begged.

“All I can do is get you up to the sword at this point, or fly you around anywhere else you want to go. I can’t even give you guys a Bestia boosted attack anymore,” Angel informed. “I shouldn’t have even been able to help you in the battle back there… but I wasn’t happy with letting those squishy guys knock me out again.”

“This is hopeless,” Crystal whimpered and hung her head. “I get it. We have to try. I’m not gonna give up here… but I just wish there was something that could go our way right now. Anything, even the smallest thing…”

“We don’t even have a proper way to fight that FinVarra guy. We have to somehow get through Alver’s army of Ultra beasts and beat a guy who wiped the floor with us,” Ruby joined in. “I’m all for bragging I’m not gonna let stuff happen to me again but… ugh, I’d take a miracle to help us right now.”

“I don’t have any hope that black water’s going to refuel me,” Brine added. Mimia whined beside her, curled up.

“Guys!” Shelly cried. “Listen to yourselves. Yer all givin’ up at the home stretch!”

Shelly…” Azu muttered.

“We’re the Shining Warriors. We survived a fall off a cliff. We walked through the ocean. We made it across the desert and got through Vilé. We defeated the archfiend Panzer! We didn’t do all of that just to give up and wilt like a bunch of dead flowers at the final battle,” Shelly preached. “Aye, things feel as dark as the world around us right now. But ain’t the legend that we’re supposed to shine in the darkness? Somethng’s gonna happen, but it ain’t gonna happen unless we make it happen.”

“Shelly…”  Ruby looked up at him as he stood tall.

“It’s dark, it’s grim, and those Pokémon were hopeless. We won’t achieve anythin’ if we stay hopeless, too. So let’s be positive. Let’s stay positive, and keep thinking. There has to be something, anything we can do to turn this around,” he stated, and pumped a fist at them.

“Though it seems tight for timing, perhaps a night of rest will do us all a favour,” Azu suggested. “Even though I didn’t fight, I’m pretty wiped out. You guys are, too.”

“I… can’t argue with that, Crystal turned away. “Where do we go though? I can’t imagine any towns and stuff are okay.”

“There’s a reason I’m flying close to the ground. Those Ultra Beasts are patrolling the sky everywhere. One bad move and we’ll be chased,” Angel informed. “So preferably somewhere where they won’t find us easily.

“Somewhere where we won’t get attacked or found easily, huh…?” Azu rubbed her chin. Just then, Shelly squeaked, stumbled, and then started juggling his Treasure Orb. “You… okay there?”

“It just vibrated really hard for some reason. It’s never done that before,” he said. He stuck a paw in and rummaged, and then froze for a moment. He withdrew an envelope, though it hadn’t been sealed. “It’s a letter from the Van Akens!”