Dungeon 58 – Heart

Team Liberators had arrived at Cydonia the day before. All of them were tired, emotionally and physically, but they decided to keep the good fight going.

A decision that was far easier on their heads. Actually doing it was proving to be hard, especially for Meggie.

She had started her day by going out of their hideout, looking for an escape orb. Expensive things, they were. The only reason why they had one in the first place was how rich Brian’s family was. Which, she was sure, was not why she fell in love with him.

The orbs were also somewhat rare. Meaning that even if she were to find one, it would take a long time to do so. Nevertheless, she persevered. Meggie asked merchant after merchant, taking care to stay out of sight of any guards nearby. By now they surely knew how she looked.

And take a while it did. Meggie lost count of how many merchants she visited, at the same time, she almost thought about checking some of them again. Because this island was huge, there was no way none of them had what she wanted.

I can’t be so unlucky! Can I…? I can’t. Nope! I’m finding this thing even if it takes the entire day! Brian and Dex are counting on me, and I can’t let them down—

Eek! Meggie turned to a corner, between two buildings, seeing two guards carrying a Dragalge with cuffs. Something about it stirred her curiosity, and she peeked, putting her head outside of the alleyway she was in.

“Another one? He wants another one.” One of the guards grumbled.

The other dragon shrugged. “What’d you think he’s doing to ’em?”

“Can’t be good! But it’s the king, we can’t do anything…”

Another one…? Meggie blinked. Just what was Necrozma doing to those… prisoners, judging by the cuff. I… should follow them, but I can’t. I’m all alone. But still, I can’t just stand around and do nothing!

At the very least, Meggie could warn her friends about it. And then they could plan what to do. Maybe finding the bloody orb would have to come later. This—whatever this was—seemed to be a lot more important.

…Is my floating permit valid in this kingdom? I haven’t seen many flying dragons here. Meggie rubbed her chin, pouting. If it was, I could fly and follow them. Can’t be sure now, and uh, we might be on the run. In hindsight, this was a stupid thought, huh?

After taking another look, she noticed the guards were far away, headed to the castle. This settled things. She needed to know what was going on. Doing it on her own, though? A terrible idea.

Focus, Meggie, focus! she slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath. Alright. Alright. Just gotta find the guys. They need to know. Brian’s gonna have a stroke at this point.

Meggie left the alley, sighing to herself, and slowly walked—levitated—towards the warehouse, but quickly did it faster, groaning about needing to get there as soon as possible.

---

As soon as she entered the warehouse, her eyes widened. Brian was messing with the entercard, opening it. On his side was a large map of the continent, being held by Dex.

“How long do ye need me to do this?” Dex flicked his ears, only then noticing Meggie staring. “…And Popsicle’s here too. Howdy.”

“Huh, hi, Megs! Can I call you that?!” Brian waved at her, but otherwise didn’t pay attention. His focus was entirely on the card. “So! We gotta figure out the ley lines, trace them to the coordinates, and blah blah blah blah…”

“Popsicle… help me out here.”

Meggie laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. “I leave you boys for a few minutes and you’re already losing it. Tsc, tsc.”

“Not me fault Goggles’… Goggles. I don’t got a clue what he’s doing.”

“Trying to figure out how we can make this thing work… need to be done well, or we’ll, uh, do things.”

“Uh…” Meggie blinked. “What things?”

“Being dismembered things,” he answered, smiling sheepishly.

“That. Goggles warned me. Just… don’t make the same mistake as me. Don’t ask how he does it.”

“I see.” Meggie sat down, sighing. “Sadly, couldn’t find the orb. Seems we need the card. What now?”

Brian continued to fiddle, putting a claw on the card. “Now… check this!”

There was a smaller version of the map Dex was holding, and Brian traced his claw around to follow the coordinates of Bright Dawn. Not just that, but there were glowing, yellow lines at multiple points. “See? Those are ley lines. We gotta account for them, otherwise we might risk warping to some random place, or warping to the right place and losing body parts.”

Dex was bobbing his head, trying to comprehend it all. He seemed to be having a hard time doing it. And Brian fiddled with the map again, but the more he tried tracing a route, the more the lines squiggled, as if trying to get away from his claws.

“I think you should give an abridged version, otherwise Dex’s gonna combust.” Meggie giggled, leaning against Brian’s arm. “So what’s so hard about it?”

“The lines are constantly shifting, we gotta force them to change, that kinda thing. And that’s… hard, honestly. Still trying, but they just won’t budge.”

Brian put down the card and groaned. “I’m not sure I can do it, to be honest. I’ve heard mom did it before, but…”

Dex grumbled, putting down the map. “Tell me I didn’t spend thirty minutes holdin’ this thing fer ye to give up, Goggles.”

“Does sound hard. And this is the only real option we have…” Meggie crossed her arms, nodding. “…But we have another problem. Necrozma’s doing something nasty, I’m sure.”

Hearing that, Brian shivered. “Y-Yeah? What’s he doing?”

“Damn rock candy…” Dex mumbled. This ‘onestly sounds like way above me skills. Can I help ’em?

“That’s the thing: I don’t know.”

Meggie didn’t make eye contact with her teammates, frowning and looking away.

“Saw some guards taking a prisoner—I think it was a prisoner. Anyway, they were headed to the castle. One of the guards said the king needed another one. Whatever that means.”

“…And you wanna see what this is all about?” Brian asked, knowing the answer already. “I want to. I gotta see it.”

Dex mumbled something to himself. “…Yeah. We’re gonna do it, right?”

“…” Brian sighed. “Megs, can you leave me and Dex alone? We’ll deal with Necrozma later, but I need to talk to him.”

“Got it. Will try to look for the orb again.” Meggie grimaced, and nodded, before floating away.

---

Brian watched her go, still sitting. He grumbled and sighed. For as much as he said he’d talk to Dex, actually doing it proved to be hard. Harder than he thought and wanted.

So Dex decided to break the ice between them. “I assume the talk isn’t ye askin’ me out, Goggles.”

“W-What?!”

“I mean… I know I’m buff an’ all, but I ain’t a ‘omewrecker.” Despite his words… Dex flexed his bicep. “That bein’ said, what’s wrong?”

“F-For starters, I’m not into guys!” Brian shook his head. His face was entirely red. “A-And! Nothing’s wrong with me! I just wanted to talk to you cuz I wanted to check in!”

“Check… in?”

“Look…” Brian breathed in and out. “Look. I wanted to say thanks… for being here, joining the team and all. Hope you don’t feel like you’re being tossed around.”

Dex crossed his arms, raising a brow. “…I ain’t.”

Now he had to step back and wonder about it. “I been wonderin’ if I’ve been ‘elpful at all, actually.”

Brian blinked, then fell back as he laughed. Laughed so much he was crying. And Dex was left shocked, and to be fair, a little offended, not that he’d ever tell his friend that.

“…Goggles?”

“S-Sorry! But dude, you literally took on that bug on your own! If that isn’t helpful, I doubt anything is. You’re my friend, and you’re Meggie’s friend. Don’t worry about being helpful! You always are!”

To that, Dex chuckled, standing up as well. He pulled Brian closer, into a hug. A very tight hug. So much there were bones popping.

“W-Wait! Wait! I’m not healed yet! S-Stop!”

“Hah. Yer a wimp, Goggles.” Having said that, Dex put him down. “Seriously, though. Thanks. I’ve seen a lotta things on this journey. Dungeons, places, cities. Hell, even a god!”

“A god, huh…” Brian looked away, appearing to be a bit somber.

“Shit. Sorry, Goggles…”

“Yeah. When I invited you into this, didn’t expect it to be so dramatic. Kinda feel like I should apologize for that.”

And now they were both apologizing. For different things, of course. The two locked eyes, and Dex almost prepared to hug his friend again. He was stopped… by Brian taking the initiative.

“O-Oh…” Dex’s eyes widened, but he returned the hug. “Hah… guess this is nice, huh? Huggin’ me friends…”

“When I’m not being popped like a balloon, it is.” Brian retorted, keeping the hug going. “Seriously, sorry for dragging you into this mess. I know you met my brother before, otherwise this would be a terrible first impression.”

Dex finally pulled away, just to shrug. “Bein’ fair, me first impression o’ ‘im was… weird.”

“You gotta let me know!” Brian grinned. Or rather, smirked. “How’d you two meet?”

“That’s a story for another time, Goggles.” Dex smirked back at him. “An’… gotta say I don’t mind bein’ dragged to this.”

But he still looked away. Clenching a fist, Dex muttered. “Uh…”

---

“Uh… what?” Brian asked, pouting. “Oh, you’re not gonna be one of those broody “I don’t wanna talk about my feelings” kinda guys. We’re friends, we’re teammates. What’s wrong?”

“Hey, c’mon, don’t pressure a guy into sayin’ all his life problems!” Dex pouted in return, still looking away. “…Fine. I don’t think I’m a ‘ero like ye an’ Popsicles. Hell, even Pup.”

“Hero…?”

Brian sat again, and while he stopped pouting, he was pensive. He saved the world, maybe, and had some recognition. “I’m not a hero like my dad and uncle. I mean, maybe I am some kinda hero, but they’re bigger. And you? You’re like us. But you don’t need to be a hero if you don’t want.”

For a moment, Dex wasn’t sure how he should respond. Mostly, because he never even considered being a hero. All he wanted was to see the world.

“Here’s the thing… I dunno. I wanted freedom, freedom to be me, y’know?”

Brian nodded. “That’s a very common dream. One thing I learned when growing up was that it’s okay to not have a dream for tomorrow. It’s alright.”

He paused to let it sink in, and to gather his thoughts. “And while you don’t need to be a hero, that’s not really a requirement.”

“It ain’t…?”

“Hell no.” Brian shook his head and shrugged. “The only requirement is being our friend. That’s just it.”

“Being… yer friend.”

Was Dex having an epiphany? A world of thoughts exploded in his mind, things he never thought were possible—he didn’t need to be special or strong, just be their friend!

“I… I got it. I think. Being yer friend. An’ I even helped y’all with this.” Dex took a deep breath, his voice turning calmer. “…Help, eh? Alright then, Goggles. I’ll be real with you fer a second.”

“Feel free.”

“I was considering leavin’ y’all. Goin’ back to me old life, y’know. Jugglin’ job after job.” Dex admitted, and Brian quirked another brow. “Hold on, Goggles. I said considering. Now I ain’t gonna do it. Because… even if I can’t be a ‘ero, I can still help me friends. Mates. Y’know?”

Brian took that in and couldn’t help himself; he smiled. “Thanks for telling me the truth, Dex. I appreciate it. And I appreciate you staying with us. Doubt we could’ve gotten this far without you.”

“Hah. Sounds good, then.” Dex offered a paw… and then a closed fist. “Friends?”

“Friends!”

The two bumped fists, and then laughed it away. Brian knew he could use the help, and Dex knew he needed friends.

And now they had each other.

---

Meggie went back to the hideout, holding a large bag with, as the smell revealed, a lot of meat. And she came just in time to see the other two hugging things out.

“Oh. That’s new,” she giggled, floating closer. “Couldn’t find the orb, but hey, got something for us to eat.”

“Popsicle, I love ye.” Dex pulled Brian aside and licked his lips, getting ready to eat.

After giving the food to Dex, she turned her focus to Brian, giving him one, stuffed in a stick. “Now… what was the occasion? I know Brian loves hugging, but what was that all about?”

“Goggles an’ I ‘ad a ‘eart to ‘eart!” Dex said in between chomps, rubbing his teeth on the wooden stick. “Nice, ain’t it?!”

“Ew.” Brian rolled his eyes, and ate normally, at least when compared to his more voracious friend. “He’s right, though. Was a fun chat. Still couldn’t get the answer of how he met Lance.”

“Told ye it was a story fer another day!”

“So I’ve heard!” Brian pouted.

“I see.” Meggie took her part of the meal, biting into the meat. “…So we’re stuck here, since Brian can’t finish the entercard, and we can’t find the orb.”

“Why not get a boat?” Dex finished his meal, using the pointed stick to get some food that remained between his teeth. “Cuz, y’know, used to be a sailor. Then we can get outta this hellhole.”

Brian raised a finger to protest, but instead, covered his face with a paw. “…Goddammit. I forgot about boats. We can do that.”

“True, and I forgot too!” Meggie shook her head.

“But before we do that,” the Zoroark stated, eyeing his girlfriend. “I wanna see what’s going on at the castle. Megs, found anything yet? Like, on your trips.”

“All I could find was…” Meggie paused, her hands shaky. “Necrozma is looking for prisoners, criminals, actually. What he wants them for? I have no idea. But if you consider the beating he gave us…”

“Doubt it’s anything good, or for the sake of the world…” Brian added.

“…Or whatever nonsense he’s spoutin’.” Dex concluded. “Meanin’ we gotta do somethin’ about it, right?”

“Right.” Brian stopped eating, just looking at the meat in front of him. “Either Necrozma knows we’re here and doesn’t care, or he doesn’t know… yet. We’ll need to bet on the second option if we wanna stop whatever he’s doing.”

Meggie grimaced. On the bright side, it was nice seeing Brian being more positive. “So, planning phase?”

“Planning phase.”

“Plannin’ phase!” Dex roared, beating his chest with a fist. “I’m leavin’ that to ye two. Just lemme know if ye need someone to punch people.”

“How charming.” Meggie giggled. “Alright, Brian. Let’s do this. Then, we can work on getting out.”

---

“Hiyah!”

Lilith landed on her feet with a powerful kick. Necrozma dodged it, but she still had energy left in her, instantly, rushing ahead with a flurry of punches. But… her attacks were random, like she didn’t know where she was aiming.

“Hmph. Impressive! I should’ve asked for a fight earlier!” Necrozma said as he blocked punch after punch. “You’re far faster than him. Quick, agile. I like that!”

“However…”

Necrozma, after blocking another punch, and then retribution with a kick of his own, right on Lilith’s stomach. She coughed, falling behind. The strikes weren’t over, as he jumped, this time slashing at the air with his claws, launching a psychic attack towards Lilith.

“Gah!” Lilith rolled to the side, avoiding one slice, and then jumped out of the way.

While she was mid-air, Necrozma fired a sphere right towards her, striking the Lopunny’s stomach, making her screech in pain and fall to the ground, flailing around.

“You’re sloppy. And scared. I doubt you even looked at me.” He said, shrugging. “I didn’t even need to block.”

Lilith remained on the ground, panting and groaning. “What…? B-But… why? You could’ve done nothing. Why block?”

“To prove a point.” He closed his eyes, feelers twitching. “And why did you not look at me? Am I that scary? Or are you… perhaps having second thoughts?”

“N-No! I’m not…” she shook her head. I’m not! I’m not… am I? No. I wanted this. I wanted him.

Necrozma nodded, and offered his hand. “There is no need to be afraid, Lilith. Is this about me taking your light? Well, forget that. Don’t be afraid. We will save this world, and we can’t allow fear to take over, my dear.”

The two last words were said with intonation as Necrozma rubbed Lilith’s chin with his claws.

“Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, my Lord.”

“Good, good.” Necrozma rubbed it again. “What a nice subject… your efforts to resurrect me will not go unnoticed.”

“T-Thank you. I appreciate—” Necrozma then grasped her neck, tossing her back.

“However, I want my opponents to fight me at their full strength. And you failed to do that. Tsc, tsc… what to do…”

“…With you?” Necrozma grinned, preparing another sphere. Cracks were spread all over the sphere.

“Fine.” Lilith stood up, panting. She touched her emera, being enveloped in a light of her own, and turning into her mega evolved form.

“Ah. Very well. I do wish I could use it on myself, but alas. The vessel is far too weak.” Necrozma cracked his neck, firing the attack.

Lilith disappeared in the blink of an eye, appearing right next to Necrozma, kicking him on the face. Once… and again! She kept kicking, watching the sphere fly out of control.

At first. It bounced off of the air, and hit Lilith’s back, sending her behind Necrozma. She screamed, turning her body around and jumping forward, towards Necrozma.

“I’m winning this one!”

“Hah! As if! There was never any chance of you winning!”

Lilith backflipped, and while she was at it, with her arms on the ground, lunged herself forward, trying another kick.

“Heh!” Necrozma blocked with an arm, shoving her back.

“I still have some fight left in me…” Lilith grinned. “And when are we trying to find your friends?”

“Not my friends.” Necrozma sliced the air, producing another blade. “And soon! After this spar, as a matter of fact.”

Lilith jumped to avoid the slice and landed on her feet, cracking her knuckles together. “Alright. Let’s keep going! I’ll do my best!”

“And yet… you’ll  still  lose!”

---

“An’ what’s the plan?”

Dex leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Hours had passed while Brian and Meggie were planning, scheming. They were whispering to each other, at the center of the warehouse.

“I can’t use my illusions that well, still tired.” Brian rubbed sweat off his head, adjusting the goggles. “Anyway, my plan is—”

“Me!” Meggie said, spinning around as snowflakes fell beneath her. “I’m distracting the guards. I’m quick, and the guards are dragons. Aaaand…”

Dex tilted his head. “An’?”

This made the lovebirds to both sigh at the same time, in sync. Brian sighed, pointing at Meggie.

“Megs is gonna distract the guards—not with her charms. Anyway, this will make a diversion. A distraction, and this’ll make us able to invade the castle.”

“Ooooh…” Dex opened his mouth, surprised. A switch had been pushed, and now he knew what they meant. “We’re kickin’ ass, Goggles! Fuck yeah!”

“That’s the plan!” Brian fist bumped with him again.

Boys… Meggie sighed. “That’s the plan. I’ll join you guys once you’re inside, and we’ll take it from there, right?”

“This is good, but… what’re we supposed to do once we’re there?” Dex raised an arm to ask. “Cuz like… they’ll know it’s us. And we can’t fight Necrozma, so what’s the point?”

Meggie dropped to the floor immediately, groaning to herself. “God… damn it. We didn’t account for that, did we?”

“No…” Brian was equally shocked, left curled up on the ground.

Dex scratched the back of his head, sighing. “Look, I may not be as smart as ye two, but I ‘ave… an idea. We just wanna find out what’s goin’ on, right?”

He saw a double nod from his teammates.

“We don’t gotta do all of this today. We can just… use today to see what the guards’ routines are. Then we go when the guards aren’t there, an’ we investigate.”

Meggie blinked. “…That’s actually really clever. Why didn’t we think of that?”

“Dunno. Distracted, I guess.” Brian shrugged. “Still… not a bad idea. We could even use the time to help me recover. And I can illusion my way inside…”

“Right.” Meggie held his hand again. “Guess we should take it easy for the rest of the day, and we can uh… cuddle. Yes, cuddle.”

An’ now I’m suddenly the third wheel. Dex blinked. Can’t even booze my way outta this, huh?

“Yeah, let’s rest.” Brian sat down, yawning. “After this is over, we’re going on a vacation, Maybe to a nice tropical island… with hot springs and bakeries…”

A long yawn was heard inside the warehouse, coming from Brian, as he rubbed his eyes. “Yup… definitely a beach. Even if Lance hates sand. He’s just gonna have to deal with it.”

---

Another day rose, the sun making its mark on the sky. Necrozma, in particular, was enjoying this, basking in its light by keeping his window opened.

This is not as good as the other source of light, but it works all the same. Necrozma thought, extending his arm, reaching out to grasp the sun… not that he could. And vessel… can you sense it? We’re connected, you and I.

…

No reply.

Hmph. Your will is just as weak as I thought. Don’t worry about it. I will deal with everything for you.

Then, he heard something. A knock on the door. Sensing that it was Scar, Necrozma shrugged.

“Just enter already, subject.”

And he did as instructed. Scar opened the door, bowing to his God. “…Sire. Two days ago, you told me you know where your vessel’s teammates are.”

“You want me to tell you.”

“Yes. They have interfered enough. Not to mention the Zoroark has acquired Darkinium-z.”

Necrozma grinned, spinning around in circles, while still sunbathing. “Oh. Whatever shall I do? I could humor you. I certainly could. But should I?”

“Sire…”

“Do not interrupt me while I’m thinking.” He glared, paralyzing Scar in place from fear alone. “Hm… should I, should I…”

I cannot sigh. I cannot show any emotion. I must… wait it out. Scar thought, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

He didn’t look at Necrozma, but the legendary Pokémon was considering it. More than he thought he would. The fate of Lance’s friends was in his hands. So how… or why didn’t he decide yet?

Am I hesitating? No, it cannot be. It must be… something else.

Necrozma looked back at Scar. “Very well. At a warehouse, an abandoned one. Two to three blocks behind the merchant avenue.”

“…Is that so?” Scar breathed a sigh of relief. “If I may ask… have heard nothing, even with the guards. Was this the work of mister Williams?”

“Indeed, it was. The vessel “let them off your hook”, as he put it. So the guards never let you know.”

“I see.” Scar stood up, taking a deep breath. Even possessed, Lance made things hard for him. “I will go there myself. We will get Darkinium-z back, my Lord.”

“Sure, sure. Get it or not, I don’t particularly care.” And so, Necrozma waved him off, letting the Marowak go on his way and do what he wanted.

“Mm. Thank you, my Lord.” Scar bowed once more, leaving the room.

Necrozma was left alone, and with a simple thought: why not reveal their location sooner?

Hm… I’m sure you’re not here anymore, vessel. This must be a side-effect of taking over. We ARE linked, after all.

---

Brian woke up with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. Meggie was laying on his lap, and he gently pushed her aside, to stand up and stretch his arms. To be honest, he wanted to do nothing and laze around all day.

Things—fate, perhaps, had other plans. Brian was on his way to kiss his girlfriend, when a bone was launched, only barely missing him, before turning back towards the door.

Its owner was obvious, and Brian got on all fours, putting his goggles on. “Meggie! Dex! Wake up!”

Scar grabbed the club, setting it ablaze with green flames. “Hello. I believe you have something that belongs to us.”

Dex snapped himself awake and ran next to Brian, roaring and clenching both fists. Meggie flew upward, preparing ice shards to strike when needed.

“Oh, you mean this?” Brian flashed the bracelet. “…Nah. Think I’m keeping it a while longer.”

“Buddy.” Max cracked his fingers, electrifying his fist. “You really don’t wanna do that.”

“Oh yeah?!” Dex wrapped his body in water, rushing in… and then expelled the water like a jet towards the Electivire.

“Bah!”

Max blasted the water with his electricity, vaporizing it in an instant. Dex just stuck out his tongue and fell back, looking at Brian.

“The plan, Goggles?”

“…Hit them really hard?”

“Sounds fine to me!” Meggie floated up, spinning and launching shard after shard of ice towards her enemies.

Scar blocked a few of the shards, but for the most of them, he simply dodged. “There is no need to fight. You are all tired. Just gives us the crystal and we will leave you alone.”

“…Fuck off.” Brian roared, launching flames of his own.

“Tch.”

Scar let the attack hit him, swinging the club to dissipate the fire around him. “Lilith, Maxwell. It seems we must fight after all.”

“Already on it!” Max roared, clashing fists with Dex. Neither of them wanted to budge, the clash launching sparks of electricity towards the Floatzel.

Being a water-type, it hurt him, but he kept pushing forward, ignoring all the pain in order to win this fight. Those were his friends being attacked, and he wasn’t about to let it happen.

Lilith dodged the shards and kicked others, slowly making her way towards Meggie. The ghost focused her energy, forming a sphere of pulsating water.

“I’m gonna be real with ya, Meg. You should’ve stayed human!” Lilith jumped, her body turning dark in pursuit of her opponent.

Meggie received the brunt of the impact, but used this opportunity to blast Lilith back with the water attack. Lilith fell to the ground, managing to dodge another shard.

And Brian kept launching blades towards Scar, who dodged them all, his gaze fixated on them.

“Hm. I feel as if we reached the point where I should stop asking nicely.”

“Really?! What makes you think that?!” Brian hopped to slash him with his claws, and Scar once again dodged.

“Really.”

Crrrrrrrk!

A portal burst open from the sky, tearing through the space, and Necrozma hopped out of it, landing on his feet, feelers twitching.

“Hey.”

---

Brian stared at the thing that took his brother away. His fur frizzled up, his teeth were bared, and his claws were pierce, crackling with energy.

“Give… him… back!”

Even the crystal was glowing. One would think this was impressive, and indeed, they all stopped the fight to look at him. All except Necrozma, who focused on closing the portal.

“Awww, but I’m having—” Necrozma cleared his throat. “So much fun, bro!”

“You… Y-You…” Brian jumped, roaring, tears falling from his face. He clawed at Necrozma, who laughed away at the attacks, even letting himself be hit by some of them. This was funny, hilarious!

“Brian…” Dex frowned, which made him an easy target for a punch coming from Max.

Next, Scar noted he didn’t really need to fight anymore, and it was probably for the best to let Necrozma handle the entire thing.

“Keep going! You’re doing great, bro!” he kept shifting between his voice and Lance’s, and every time he did, Brian struck with more power—with anger, with sheer rage.

The Zoroark said no words, letting his anguished screams do all the talking he needed. Everyone stopped fighting, just to see this. Whatever this was.

And the longer they fought, the brighter Brian’s crystal glowed. Eventually, it covered half of his body. Necrozma made a mental note to actually dodge the attacks, opening a portal behind him and entering, only to leave at Scar’s side. Brian was left panting, surrounded by his friends. He was still screaming.

“Seems like you guys needed some help, by the way. And what better way to do it than with my  gracious  presence?”

Max retreated, pulling Lilith with him so they could both stand next to Scar.

“Guess we could use some help…” Lilith said, shaking her head. “Alright. C’mon, just give us the crystal!”

Brian tapped it, trying to pull it off—to access Darkrai’s power once more. “No… I’m not giving it to any of you! We’re all going home! Lance included!”

“Home, eh?” Necrozma closed his eyes. “You mean Thornwell? Or Bright Dawn? Either sucks, but really, none seem fit for someone of my caliber. To be entirely honest…”

“You should’ve fled when you had the chance.”

Brian stepped back, by instinct. His heart skipped a beat. “…I’m saving you, Lance. I’m getting you out of there!”

“We’re outnumbered and outmatched.” Meggie added. “We have no way of escaping, too…”

Scar hummed. “Yes, indeed. Outmatched. Now, will you please give us what we asked for? I know I mentioned not asking nicely anymore, but I truly do not wish to prolong this fight.”

“Tch… Goggles, we didn’t find any orb, did we? Could’ve escaped by now…”

“No, Dex. Not really…” Brian trembled, refusing to look at Necrozma any longer.

“Oh. You guys want to go home? Hm… alright, then! Let’s make this a roadtrip!”

Necrozma snapped his fingers, opening a larger portal. This one was different, as it sucked air from the outside into it. Not content with just air, the gate began sucking objects from inside the warehouse, growing bigger.

“This is a one-way ticket! We’re all going… home.”

It crackled before sucking everyone inside.