Dungeon 73 – Oath

A week ago

Lance lay in his bed, opening his eyes. Slowly, the world revealed itself to him, so familiar, so close. His home in Bright Dawn, specifically his room. With his comfortable bed, his bookshelf, curtains closed. Everything was just as he left it. Nothing about it was wrong.

The next step he should take was get up and go to the kitchen. With how dark it was, Lance almost thought he overslept. Really, him, oversleeping? It would happen eventually, but it never did before. Maybe this was the first time.

Now, to get up. Lance could swear he tried doing that already, but he was still laying down. Weird, maybe he forgot to do it?

One, two, three, and…

…

He was still in bed. Maybe one more time.

One, two, three…

…

Nothing changed. Lance noticed that he wasn’t moving; not even trying to. It was like his conscious decision to move didn’t even register in his brain. Like something stopped him from doing so. A powerful psychic could certainly do it, as well as a strong ghost. Neither of which he knew, so maybe he was just tired. Might as well try again.

One…

Nothing.

Two…

Still nothing.

Three…

It didn’t work. Lance still didn’t even think of moving. He knew he should, he wanted to, but the idea of doing it never once crossed his mind. The actual, conscious thought of moving his arms and legs to get out of bed didn’t appear.

Yet, Lance moved anyway. He was sitting in bed, finally managing to move, and staring forward, towards the door. Except… Lance knew it wasn’t him that did it. He only watched it happen, but never did it himself. Something else, someone else did it for him. But who? That body was his, nobody else should have control over it.

There, in the direction Lance was looking at… was nothing. Just complete darkness in not just that area, but all his surroundings. Lance was in his bed, yes, but everything else wasn’t. He existed in a void of complete darkness.

“Who? I’m…” Lance said. But he didn’t; his mouth moved on its own, without a single input from him. He couldn’t even move his eyes to see it, just barely seeing his snout moving to form the words.

Amidst the darkness, Lance saw… triangles. Colored triangles. They came in many colors, orange, cyan, red, purple, blue, green, yellow. The triangles glowed in the dark, with six of them forming what appeared to be eyes, while the rest sharpened, almost like fangs. After they stopped, it almost formed a face with a smile.

Not just that, but the surroundings changed, with the light from the triangles revealing a large mirror in front of Lance, though he couldn’t make out all the details. Just the jagged smile.

His smile. Lance could glance at his snout just enough to see it was smiling, just like the mirror.

“Oh, I see. I know who this is.”

Of course. How could he forget? It was himself in the mirror. The triangles glowed brighter, enlightening the place enough that Lance could finally bask in his glorious form.

But it was wrong. So, so very wrong. In the mirror was a large, crystalline Pokémon. With every movement of the Pokémon, Lance moved his body in complete sync. There was no doubt about it; the one in the mirror was him. However, the one on the outside? That feeble, weak Lucario? No.

“Hm…”

Lance’s arms were raised, but this time, he was in full control of them. Yes, that body was his. It may look wrong, but there was no doubt about it.

“This can be fixed.”

Yes, why remain a Lucario? Why not achieve a higher, more elegant form? Lance should tear away that weak flesh of his, and finish his ascension into something superior. Something… perfect.

So he did just that. Lance raised his arms, touching his face. The grin was still present, but it grew more, in tune with the one on the mirror; his true self. If he could just pull it out…

It was swift and painless. Lance started to pull his skin away, the weak, blue flesh being removed off his body, not without effort. It was almost glued to him, but he could simply remove the skin. Not like he needed it anyway. The more he pulled out, chunks of flesh started to fall to the void, tinting it with the red color of his blood.

And he kept doing it, removing chunk after chunk of skin. Underneath it all was the same crystalline surface revealed to him in the mirror, and he couldn’t be happier with the results. His grin told everything.

“IamLanceIamLanceIamLanceIamLance.”

More and more was revealed to him, with Lance pulling the skin from both sides of his head out, showing off his true, prismatic face, with the same triangles for eyes and with the same, glowing fangs.

“IamNecIamLancrozmaIam

N

E

C

R

O

Z

M

A.”

Who was Lance?

---

He gasped awake. Lance tried to scream, but he had no energy to do it, only slowly sitting in his bed, his sheets covering him. With a twitch of his fingers, Lance realized he was in control again. Was he?

“I am… I’m free from him. That was a nightmare. Just that, a nightmare.” Lance said to himself, taking deep breaths to calm down. He rubbed both paws in his head, groaning and laying down again.

Yes, he had control of his body. Yes, he had a nightmare. Yes, Necrozma was gone. With all of that in mind, he should be relaxing, enjoying his free time until he was supposed to go work for the king, all the way back in Cydonia.

Lance didn’t know how to. That nightmare wasn’t the first one, and it wasn’t going to be the last. Next, he checked his skin again, seeing it intact. Despite the lack of pain in the dream, he felt it ache. Why were his nightmares so vivid? And so frequent, too.

What if… Necrozma is still in me? Lance shook his head. N-No. He isn’t. Pull yourself together!

More importantly… Lance wondered if he deserved them. Peace was not within him, and he deserved that; all the trauma that came with being a puppet for Necrozma was well-deserved. That was why he didn’t complain about the nightmares, and simply let them happen.

Another part of him said no, that it wasn’t deserved, and that he should try moving on from all that happened. That part was small, but with all the nightmares, it was getting bigger. After all that he went through, Lance deserved kindness in his life.

To relax, to enjoy time with his family. Normal Pokémon would think that way, but Lance wasn’t normal. Not for a few years, anyway. Maybe now he could pick up the pace and start being normal again. Lance thought about it, and considered a good idea. With his friends helping him out, doing it wouldn’t be so hard.

“Maybe I should just… lay down here for a little longer. I’m not in the mood to eat just yet.”

He also couldn’t just let time run by him, after all, three months could pass by in a flash. Lance groaned, sitting again and sighing. His paws were trembling, still feeling the effects of his nightmare.

“…”

Again, Lance thought of Necrozma, knowing that part of being normal meant dealing with his thoughts about the Legend. If their link was so strong it made him able to use a move unknown to his species, could there be any remnants left? Remnants that were affecting his dreams. Or it could also be PTSD, like with Morgan.

“Even if it is, how can I find out? I don’t know anyone that could help me with this.”

Maybe his father. Nick was more experienced in fighting powerful threats like Necrozma, so he could try to go to his father for guidance. In fact, Nick asked them to visit, that he’d make them a party and everything.

“…Parties are boring. I’m not sure why everyone but me seems to like them so much. I’d rather stay and read a nice book. Hm…”

He almost wanted to grab a book, but with his stomach growling, Lance realized his first priority was to get some food.

Luckily, there was a faint sizzling of oil coming from the kitchen. Sniffing the air, Lance confirmed it was from bacon, so his brother was already up and making breakfast for them.

“…I almost forgot how reliable he is.” Lance chuckled to himself, getting out of bed and doing a few stretches to get ready for the day. He looked at a rack nearby, picked the black cape in it, putting the object on.

“I think this fits me better than the headband, and I like it more.” Lance muttered, checking himself out in a mirror. It had been so long since he saw his own reflection that it was almost unsettling to see a Lucario in the mirror.

Almost. Lance stretched some more, before organizing his bed; he’d need to get it cleaned sometime soon, when he had the time. After getting ready, he looked at the door, took a deep breath, and stepped out, sniffing the air to get more of that sweet smell of bacon.

---

Everything was just the way it was supposed to be, from the hallway, to the living room, to the kitchen. It was impressive, really, that Brian kept this organized all by himself.

I remember Father grounding him for weeks for not cleaning the dishes, or our room. Hm, you never know, eh? Not that it’s a bad thing, I quite like it.

Indeed, Brian took care of everything while Lance was out, playing with terrorists. The Lucario grimaced, looking at his paws and closing them. From now onward, he’d never get blood in his paws ever again. For his friends, and for himself. There were other ways of protecting the world.

Not to mention… I don’t think Necrozma had the right answer to solve the world’s conflicts, and while I believe bonds are the way there, I don’t have an answer myself. I promise… I’ll find it.

Lance sighed, following the smell of bacon. It led him to the kitchen, where Meggie was already sitting, holding a fork and a knife, and staring at the plate with a pancake in front of her. She didn’t even see him.

Meanwhile, Brian had an apron and whistled… some tune to himself, flipping the frying pan and checking to see if the bacon was done. His ears perked, hearing his brother coming over.

“Hey, Shorty!”

Meggie finally noticed the Lucario, and waved at him. However, she raised a brow. “He doesn’t seem so short now, does he? Kinda feels like he’s taller.”

“Am I…?” Lance didn’t notice it himself, but now that she told him, yes, things looked slightly smaller to his perspective, and Brian himself wasn’t as humorously taller than him. The two were almost at the same height. Strange.

“…Huh. Did you get a growth spurt? What was Scar feeding you?” Brian turned around slightly, just to look at his brother and confirm the height growth.

“It isn’t funny.” Lance rolled his eyes, before sitting down.

“Well, you’re taller and using a cloak. Things changed, but they’re still very similar, right?” Meggie asked, fiddling around with the fork. “Also, Brian, sweetie? Where’s the bacon?”

“Right here, actually.” Brian turned around, turning off the stove. He carefully made his way to the table, putting two pieces of bacon in each of the three plates. “Dex isn’t here. He was, but then he went off, saying he was gonna do some arrangements, something about visiting his parents…”

Lance picked his own fork and started cutting the pancake and bacon, separating his food into small chunks. “Hm, really? I wanted to thank him.”

“You mean thank him again?” Meggie giggled, smirking. “I remember you thanking him multiple times on the way here~”

Brian returned the smirk with one of his own. His body glowed red, and in a second, he shifted into an identical copy of his brother “Oh, yeah! I was soooo wanting to thank him! With that piece of meat, I—”

“No.” Lance threw the knife in Brian’s direction, and it landed on the wall behind the Zoroark. “Tch…”

“Sheesh…” Brian returned to normal and sat, getting ready to eat. “How does it taste? You haven’t eaten my most recent cooking, so I really wanna know whatcha think!”

Lance grabbed the pancake and the bacon with a fork, looking at the food. It was… pretty. He knew it was subjective, but Brian always made meals that were aesthetically pleasing. This one was no different.

As for the taste… Lance didn’t notice much of it. Yes, the bacon was crunchy and its savory flavor mixed well with the sweetness of the pancake, but there was something missing. Something that could be added to make the food taste better.

“Hm… I like it, but I think it can be improved.”

Brian was busy eating his batch, but still took the time to pay attention. “Yeah? Ya know how?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Lance crossed his arms, grinning. “I thought about changing the batter. Add mashed Wishiwashi, and a bit of mustard. When it’s done, it should have a much more pronounced taste.”

Needless to say, it didn’t get the reaction he was looking for. Brian’s nose was wrinkled, flaring up as he thought of the disgusting smell that Lance’s creation would have. It made his stomach knot and turn around inside.

Meggie had to swallow the urge to vomit and shake her head. “Lance, I say this as your friend, what the hell?”

“Yeah, Shorty, what’s that even supposed to be? Ew, I can’t believe you even thought of that!”

“What? But I…” Lance didn’t know why he thought that was a good idea either. It never occurred to him. And it wouldn’t either, as the three heard someone knocking on the door.

Meggie was the first to move, perhaps to not hear Lance talking nonsense about food any longer. “I’ll get it!”

“Hm, maybe I’m just being misunderstood.” Lance huffed, continuing to eat his breakfast.

“I’m just gonna say no. Sorry, Shorty.” Brian stuck out his tongue, shivering at the thought of eating whatever Lance came up with.

“Guys!” Meggie rushed back… but she wasn’t alone.

Accompanying her was a familiar Pokémon. Her mere presence called all the attention to her, the flowers around her neck beaming with vitality. Meganium.

“Greetings, Team Liberators. I am afraid I must ask you to come with me. Mistress Xerneas wishes to see you.”

Lance stared with wide eyes. Xerneas! Of course, why didn’t he think of her? She was the best one to help him figure out what was going on.

“I’m going.”

---

Present day

There were preparations for their travel, but it went faster than they all expected. Due to the fact Meganium just used an entercard to travel, skipping the need to rent a boat and go through all that trouble. Again. At least Brian didn’t go with them, leaving to see Dex’s parents with him.

Lance stepped into the sand, letting the wind seep into him, but groaning at the sight of the sand. It got stuck everywhere, and cleaning it up was always a nightmare. His companion was lucky enough to hover, not needing to touch the ground at all.

She was looking towards the forest, frowning and with both her hands together, in front of her chest, almost praying. “He’s here too, isn’t he?”

Of course, Morgan. Ironic that they were both the ones on this mission, going to his resting place.

“…Yes, he is. He isn’t hurting anyone anymore.” Lance muttered. He quickly checked his satchel, seeing the four z-crystals inside. Even so, the thought of Morgan was still causing him to shiver. I don’t know which one is worse; Necrozma or Morgan.

Meggie didn’t take her eyes off the forest. Was he inside the dungeon, or somewhere else? If they went inside, would they find him? Even if Morgan was there, it would be difficult to find him, she didn’t even know if he was alive! And with so many ferals, odds were they wouldn’t meet him.

If they were unlucky, they would. And Meggie knew they never had an easy time on missions. She sighed, shaking her head. I might not find him, but… I wanna see. I wanna see if he’s still feral or not.

Yes, going in there with the intent of finding Morgan was a different story. She spent too much time preparing for this trip to give up right as she got inside the island. Meggie knew she wasn’t a quitter.

Meganium stepped out last, holding the entercard with two vines, and watching the portal behind her disappear. “Here we are. Far better trip than last time, no?”

“Very much so.” Lance said, touching his hip with a paw. “One question, though: you always had those? Couldn’t you have used them last time? It would have saved us the trouble of being, you know, stranded.”

“Hmph.” Meganium raised her head, trying to look beneath her—but Lance was too tall for her to do it properly. Still, the intent was what mattered. “I will have you know I destroyed mine, after all, I just could not let Morgan have one in his possession. It was much too dangerous.”

“Really?” Lance rolled his eyes. The audacity. “Pardon me for assuming the worst. After all, you had us prepare for a week and didn’t even bother telling us what Xerneas wanted.”

Meganium stepped back, gasping. “Excuse me? I remember saying it was a matter better discussed here, and not through me!”

Meggie looked at Lance, then at Meganium, then back and forth between the two. She almost wanted to laugh, but maybe it would be better to defuse the situation instead.

“That’s all in the past, guys. We don’t need to think about it now,” she said, clasping her hands together. “Let’s just go meet Xerneas. I have something to ask her, too.”

Indeed, talking with Xerneas was the whole reason Lance accepted going in the first place. There was always the possibility she couldn’t help him, and that… was something he ignored. Lance thought it was better to think positive. He could be overreacting. Either way, he was getting some answers.

“Alright, Meggie has a point. Like usual.”

Meggie grinned. “Heh, thanks.”

“Hmph.” Meganium looked away, and started strolling through the beach, towards the forest. “Follow me.”

On the bright side, this time the visit wasn’t going to end in another climactic battle with the fate of the world at stake. Frankly, Lance could use that vacation his friends kept promising him. Brian was the best one to plan it, once he was back with Dex.

“By the way, Meggie, thanks for coming. I’m not sure I could do this on my own.”

She gave him a thumbs-up. “No problem! I wanted to deal with something too—y’know, with Morgan.”

“What is it with the ruckus?! Just follow me already!” Meganium screamed at them from afar.

“Oops. Better go.” Meggie sighed, floating forward with Lance by her side.

---

The dungeon was, surprisingly, easy to navigate. With Meggie taking care of the grass-types, Lance protecting Meganium from all the bugs that tried to attack her, it was easy enough to complete, without anyone getting hurt, not even a bruise.

Meggie blasted ice at a Jumpluff that hissed and tried to attack her, before the exit revealed itself to them, trees bending out of the way to show the light from the outside.

“I guess we’re really stronger now, huh?” Meggie said. Despite fighting so much, she didn’t even work a sweat, and could very much keep doing that for a long time.

“Hm, it seems like it.” Lance blasted an Aura Sphere at a neighboring Butterfree, sending it knocking against the trunk of a tree.

Meganium looked to the side, before stepping out of the forest. The other two were behind her.

“Of course you are. Fighting makes one tougher. And fighting a Legend… I cannot begin to fathom how it must have been,” she said, strolling forward.

That’s what I’m here to find out. Or at least, if there’s something wrong with me. Lance thought, clenching a fist. He sighed; what was Xerneas even wanting to talk about? Maybe she was trapped in Necrozma’s dream world too, and wanted to thank him for releasing her?

Well, it wouldn’t take too long for his questions to be answered. He saw the tree already, big and intimidating like the last time. Even the garden nearby was full of life. Meggie floated next to it, smelling the flowers.

“Oh! I could make a crown with them… I think that’d be nice.” Meggie told nobody, but everyone heard her.

Lance chuckled. “Well, it certainly sounds like you.”

“Hm… I think this might be a little unorthodox, but I will allow you to bring them home. As a token of our appreciation.” Meganium said to them, but without showing any smile, or anything resembling appreciation. She was as stern as usual.

“Oh, really? Thanks…” Meggie smiled, picking one of the flowers. It was a bright shade of orange, with many petals, and it smelled sweet, but not enough to be sickening. Perfect for her.

Meganium looked at the two, but specifically at Lance. “Her business seems to be with you in particular.”

“Fascinating.” Lance muttered. It was likely due to him being Necrozma’s vessel. “Alright, I’ll be on my way. Meggie?”

The Froslass had just finished taking the flowers and just waved him goodbye. “I’ll be here! I think my business is here, so…”

Lance left towards the tree. Right after he got away enough, Meggie turned her attention to Meganium again. She glared at her, but then smiled, holding the flowers.

“I want to talk to him.”

Meganium quirked a brow. “Morgan? Why? I thought you never wanted anything to do with him anymore.”

“It changed,” she answered, seeing the flowers. Meggie sighed, the air around her growing slightly colder. Meganium raised a good point; why see Morgan? Because he almost looked real in Necroworld? Because she wanted closure? Both of those reasons? She wasn’t quite sure herself.

“…I wanna see him. How he is. Is he still feral?”

Meganium nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

“I knew it.” Meggie sighed. “I still want to see him, though. To see his current state. When we were trapped in Necrozma’s… world, I saw him in my dream.”

“Hm, from what Mistress Xerneas told me, the dreams were full of things you desired. Does that not answer the question of why he was there?”

It was simple, but Meggie didn’t think it was the full answer, nor was it the answer she wanted to hear.

“I know, but the way he talked… I think it was real. I don’t know, I just want to confirm it.”

Meganium sighed, shaking her head from left to right. What a foolish girl, but still, I respect it…

“If that is what you wish for, very well. We did not pass by him in the dungeon, as you might have noticed.” Meganium stated, she pointed with her vine to the leftmost portion of the area, where two trees with red leaves were located.

“What’s that?”

“There is another dungeon, and that is where we kept him. This one is special; it has different properties, you shall see. It might be dangerous. Few of us know how to unlock it”

Meggie shook her head, and her gaze got colder. “I think I’m allowed to make that decision on my own, right? And I choose to see him.”

“I can respect your courage, Meggie.” Meganium added. “I will unlock the dungeon and accompany you, as a safeguard.”

Great! I’m going inside a deadly dungeon! Man, I missed this…

Even Meggie was surprised about her own sarcasm.

---

As Lance climbed the large tower, he saw it in a much better state than the last time. The tree simply healed itself over time, he figured. With Xerneas’ power, it was a faster recovery than normal. At the very least, he could be proud of helping with that.

With Xerneas’ army giving small talk, Lance continued his journey climbing up the stairs. His curiosity grew with each step, and when he reached the top… Lance saw Xerneas sitting on all fours, eyes closed, antlers glowing pink. She was seemingly meditating.

“I can’t say I expected it.” Lance said, not shouting, but not whispering either. He controlled his voice enough for Xerneas not to hear him. “Hm… I’m not a huge fan of meditating, but I can certainly see the positive aspects about it. I certainly didn’t think Xerneas would do it. Someone as high and as mighty as her…”

Part of Lance expected Xerneas to notice him, and even give a comment about his words, but she remained quiet. He could hear her breath, and her aura was flaring, not unlike Necrozma’s. Unlike his, however, was the fact that Xerneas’ aura was much more friendly. Almost peaceful, in a way.

“I… I didn’t even know I could tell that much with just aura sensing. Fascinating.”

“You could not.” Xerneas opened her eyes, standing and lowering her head to see Lance. Her aura spiked, turning slightly aggressive, before returning to that peaceful sensation Lance noticed before. “Ah, pardon me. Where are my manners? Lance Williams… I apologize. I could not stop Necrozma, nor could I remove him from your body. That… is something I apologize for.”

Did he hear it right? Xerneas was apologizing to him? A Legend, realizing they were in the wrong? Could it really be happening?

“I-I…” Lance stuttered. It was unbelievable. “After Necrozma and his… ego, I didn’t expect you to come out and say that.”

“Hm, it was due to him that I noticed a few things.” Xerneas looked to the side, frowning. She almost looked… ashamed? “One of them was that I considered myself above you all. You, who I was supposed to protect.”

Lance frowned in return. Protection? It was a little too late for that. At least she apologized, but he also needed to do that. “…As for me, I apologize as well. If it wasn’t for me, he would never have escaped in the first place.”

“Hm, I can accept this apology.” Xerneas tapped a hoof on the floor, not enough to cause a tremor, but almost there. “You must be wondering why I called you here.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Lance answered, rubbing an arm. “I feel… strange. I—”

“You are suffering the aftereffects of Necrozma’s possession.” Xerneas explained. “Acting strange, with some of his habits. Like part of him remained in you, correct?”

Lance’s ears perked up; she was telling the truth. It was how he felt. “Y-Yes. I had a strange dream—a nightmare. I’d call it that, but it didn’t seem… bad, at least not while I was having it.”

Xerneas pointed a hoof to somewhere close to her and sat down. “Sit. Tell me what you felt. I shall do my best to explain.”

“Like… I was him.”

Lance looked at himself, flexing a few fingers. “I couldn’t move, or even think about moving, but my body did it anyway. Like someone else was in control.”

His breath got raspy, and Lance constantly breathed in and out, his pace quickening each time.

“A-And then it was like I was him, like being him was the right thing to be, there was no Lance, only Necrozma, and… I-I…”

Lance stopped to catch his breath, closing his eyes before his panic settled in. There was still time to relax, to calm down. He did so by breathing slowly, by holding on to what he could feel. The wooden floor, the cloak he was wearing, even the smell of metal in his arm spikes helped ground him.

“I-I… I wasn’t there anymore, but when I woke up, it was fine.”

“I see.” Xerneas watched him, and lowered her head. “Like I said, you seem to be having aftereffects. With how long he had a hold of your body, it is expected.”

Lance clutched his chest, gulping. He continued the breathing exercises. “W-What does that even mean?”

Xerneas just stared. “…It means your mind has gotten used to him sharing your body, and now that he is gone, it will take some time for you to get used to it.”

That both made sense and didn’t at the same time. Lance didn’t even pretend to understand it, but from what he could tell, he would still suffer from this for a little while.

“However, I can treat it, Lance. It is the least I can do, after all you have done for us.” She said, her antlers glowing slightly. “It won’t be a fast process, but I can.”

“I… why?”

Xerneas didn’t flinch. “Mortals or not, Legends or not, we’re all the same. We’re all living creatures in this world. There is more in common than there are differences. When we bleed… we bleed the same.”

Now that was a little more unbelievable. Maybe Lance was just used to Necrozma’s incredible, gigantic ego to fathom Xerneas saying those words. Yet, they were comforting. Down to his very soul.

And she continued. Xerneas raised her head, and her antlers started glowing more intensely. It was a bright tone of pink, carrying with it a warm embrace, and peace. Lance didn’t have the slightest idea of what she was doing, but seeing it was nice enough.

“May I ask… what are you doing, exactly?”

“I have control over life. Normally, I use my power to bring back humans, though they take on a Pokémon form when they arrive.” She explained. “I am simply, hm, you could call it a blessing. I am blessing you.”

…An interesting choice of words, for sure. Lance rubbed his arm, considering his next few words carefully. “Did… Necrozma “bless” me, too?”

To that, Xerneas sighed. “He did, in his own way. It is why you seem to be so… stronger. But he might have blessed you a little too much. I am here to fix that.”

Just how much did Necrozma mess around with him? “I-I see. Can’t say I expected to come out of that situation unscathed.”

“Please, be still for a moment.” Xerneas closed her eyes. The aura in her antlers glowed some more, before being tossed out, enveloping Lance’s entire body at once.

“Deep breaths, Lance. Let it course through you. Can you feel it?”

“Y-Yes.” Lance muttered, taking deep breaths, counting up to eight, then exhaling. The aura enveloped him, and it was almost physical, like someone was hugging him tight. Normally, he would object to it, but this time, it was like relaxation itself was surrounding him.

There was nothing for him to worry about. No Necrozma, no nightmares, nothing. Lance just needed to move on, like he always had. With every breath, this idea was planted deeper. It was possible for him to move on. He should, he could, he would. Lance considered the idea, as the aura seeped inside him. Yes, moving on. The perfect idea.

Xerneas opened her eyes, and even managed to smile. “How do you feel?”

“I…” Lance took another deep breath, before slowly nodding. “Better, I suppose. What did you do, exactly?”

“For this first session, I just removed the excess. There should still be a bit of him in you… but I must say; it will take me a few more tries before I am able to purge his vice entirely.”

…I don’t get it. Lance huffed. What would even happen if she didn’t? Thinking about it made him shiver. “We have to do this repeatedly, then.”

“Indeed. It is not pleasant, but if left unchecked…” Xerneas winced. “Hm, perhaps I am overthinking this. Anyhow, I sense you had something to tell me. What is it?”

“You more or less solved that already.” Lance took a look at himself. “I’m still taller.”

“I do not think it is in my power to change your height.”

Not like it’s a problem. Though Brian still calls me “Shorty”. Go figure…

“It’s just… I want things to be different now, Xerneas.” Lance crossed his arms. “Necrozma, for all his flaws, really thought he was doing the right thing. And I can empathize with that. I don’t believe his methods are right, but…”

“You still think something must change.” Xerneas completed his line of thought.

“Yes, that’s it,” he snapped a finger. Of course, it was easier said than done. Especially because Lance didn’t even knew where to start. “Mortals, Legends, we’re the same, right? So there has to be a way we can work… together, so we can make the world better. We all live in it, after all.”

All of them, working together? This child—he was one, when compared to an ancient Pokémon like Xerneas—had interesting ideas, perhaps a bit utopic. But maybe they were worth hearing about.

“An interesting proposal, Lance Williams.” Xerneas said, sitting again. “Tell me more.”

“Violence just breeds more violence,” he grimaced. Throughout all his life, Lance saw it. Violence after violence. “But my experiences with Necrozma made me want to change. I was thinking… about making my own city. A place of peace.”

Xerneas’ eyes widened, and she had to do a double-take. This Lucario just said that, didn’t he?

“It is… an interesting idea, I must admit. What makes you think you can do it?”

Lance didn’t know what his answer would be. He wondered if Meggie was doing any better.

---

Meganium looked at the entrance, conspicuous due to the strange coloration of the leaves, and the odd glow they started having once Meganium drew close enough.

“Huh… I didn’t think that would be the lock. Cool.” Meggie’s eyes sparkled as she watched the trees move, almost in sync with Meganium’s movements. “Guess there’s many wonders to this world I haven’t seen yet…”

“That is true. The world is vast. You can never truly find out all there is to know about it.” Meganium… smiled? Her lips certainly looked like they were in the shape of a smile, but Meganium? That same stern Meganium she knew?

Weird. Meggie smiled back at her. “So, how does it work?”

“Essentially, it locks on to my aura signature. Mine and others, including Mistress Xerneas,” she explained. Her body pulsated with pink, as did the two trees, who started to move away, revealing an opening to the dungeon. “This… is where we kept him. Think of it as a prison. Although we don’t normally take prisoners, Mistress Xerneas made an exception.

I-I see… sure, keep the psychopath feral trapped inside a dungeon, that’s an awful fate if I ever saw one. Meggie gulped. How lucky she was, having loving friends and boyfriend, and not suffering from whatever was afflicting Morgan.

Was it something he deserved? Most definitely. There were no doubts about that. But to what extent? Was it really the best thing to do?

“Meggie… I must say that there is no way for him to return to normal. Not that I know of. He will stay a feral for the rest of his life.”

“I’m aware.”

If anything, she could consider this to be the last time she’d ever see him. After all, there were many other aspects of her life to be focusing on, like Brian.

I should tell him about my findings when I get back. He should know. Meggie nodded to herself. No secrets between us.

“So, should we go? I cannot say with certainty that you will like the result.”

Meggie was determined. She nodded, clenching both of her fists. “I need to see it for myself, how he is and… I want to end this chapter of my life.”

“Very well.”

They both stepped inside the dungeon, and the trees moved back, shutting them inside. Meggie gasped at the noice, exactly like a door closing. She glanced at the exit, gulping.

“…I regret this.”

“Hm, it is too soon for regrets.”

“Force of habit.” Meggie added.

Then, she looked around. With so many long trees with large trunks, the sky was entirely covered. Although this would normally mean the dungeon was dark, the place was lit almost as much as if someone used an Luminous Orb.

“Urgh… this place is as disgusting as always.” Meganium said, wincing and sniffing the air.

Meggie turned around to see her. “What’s wrong—oh.”

She stared at the ground. Not far from their position, the two saw a trail of blood that led to a corpse. A carcass of a Lechonk was laying there, with a huge chunk of it removed.

“U-Uh… I…” Meggie shivered. Her curiosity told her to check it out, but her rationality urged her to do otherwise, to go away, and maybe even vomit. Anything to not see… that.

The winner was curiosity. Meggie floated there, eyeing the corpse. There were distinct fang marks imprinted on it, and a few chunks of meat had managed to land near the corpse. She even saw the ribs of the Lechonk.

“Whoever ate it… gave one hell of a bite.”

“Sometimes, ferals appear here. Not like your ferals. They are… different, they were never sapient.” Meganium winced again, wrinkling her nostrils. “Mistress Xerneas says the dungeon creates them.”

“If that’s the case, then I…” Meggie swallowed the urge to vomit, putting a more serious look again. “There’s no time to lose. I need to find him.”

“…I doubt that will be an issue.” Meganium pointed forward with a vine, towards a trail of corpses.

Many Pokémon, from Dolliv to Taillow, to Rellor, and even a large Spidops was eaten. The smell of dead bodies filled the air, making both of them wince. However, Meggie was stronger than this.

She followed the trail with Meganium by her side, the two covering their nostrils to not let that pungent scent get anywhere deeper inside them. The more they walked, the less… eaten the corpses were. In fact, some were just dead, not eaten at all.

Meggie shivered a little more, but tried to ignore that feeling. It even seemed that the light inside the dungeon was fading away the deeper they went.

Even the geography was changing. There was a slight elevation, until the duo started running up a hill that led close to a gathering of more trees. The number of corpses was also lowering, and once they started climbing, they didn’t see any—instead, there was a single trail of blood that permeated the grass, as if someone dragged a bleeding Pokémon up.

“Hm… I can tell it, he is here.”

Meggie gulped, before floating faster, up the hill. She was close, closer, almost there, there—

Was Morgan. The trail of blood led to him, down to all fours. Meggie, despite the darkness inside, could make out all the necessary details. From his scruffy, bloodied fur, to the sound of bones crunching… even to his head moving, turning around to see her.

His face was full of blood, and a piece of meat was sticking out of it. He bore his fangs, snarling, before hugging the corpse of a Galvantula, as if trying to protect it.

“M-Morgan?” Meggie said, backing away slowly. The Gallade bore his fangs at her, before standing up. A feral that big, taking a bipedal stance, and being someone she once knew… it all added up to a sensation that proved overwhelming. She didn’t know what to do.

“Meggie, I suggest you do whatever it is that you came here for. He thinks we are trespassing.” Meganium urged her, two vines poking out of her neck.

I mean, we kinda are. Meggie thought, but shook her head. As a reaction, Morgan hissed, his bladed arms starting to take on a pink glow; Meggie knew this attack well.

“Morgan, it’s me! Meggie! L-Look, I know we had our differences, but I just wanted to ask—”

He snarled again, moving his arm and launching the psychic blade. Meggie didn’t make any effort to dodge, simply hovering out of the way.

“I wanted to know if there was anything left. If there was anything of you that regretted… everything you’ve done.”

But Morgan didn’t say anything. He just snarled, putting down the Galvantula corpse. Who were these strange Pokémon, invading his turf? They were eyeing his meal, his prey. They were his prey as well. Morgan’s fur stood on its end, and his claws poked out. “Rrrrgh…”

“I do not believe there is any way to reason with him!” Meganium added, moving her vines around and preparing for the eventual fight.

There really wasn’t any. Meggie looked at the Gallade in front of her, not recognizing him, not even as her enemy, as Lance’s captor. He had fallen from every bit of grace he had in his life. All she saw when staring at his ruby-colored eyes was pure instinct.

“Rrrr…” Morgan lunged at her, his bladed arm brimming with energy.

Meggie sighed, dodging the first strike with a twirl. She simply exhaled a freezing breath that stopped him in his tracks. She hovered down, looking at Meganium.

“You were right, I didn’t know what I wanted here.”

Before Meganium could reply, however, Morgan trashed about, trying to escape the chunks of ice restricting his movements. He snarled and roared, drool coming out of his mouth. He sniffed the ice, then looked at Meggie.

For a moment, there was a faint sign of his personality inside those ruby eyes, and Meggie stared back at them, seeing Morgan just… looking. Not fighting, not attacking, but looking. Did he recognize her?

“So you’re still there…” Meggie grimaced. She remembered all that he did, all his crimes, all the pain he caused others, especially to those she was close with. And now, he was in that state. Did he deserve it?

A part of her wanted to believe that he didn’t, but Meggie knew better. She knew he would never give up, he would tear that world apart if given the opportunity.

“…No. You know what? You’re a deceiving, arrogant bastard. A psychopath that thinks he’s better than everyone else, that would sacrifice millions just to get what he wants. I’m glad you got this fate. It’s exactly what you deserve.”

Morgan opened his mouth, then groaned, closing his eyes. Any semblance of himself was gone, and he went back to his attempts at freedom.

“…Try all you want, you’re not in control. You’ll never have control ever again.” Meggie said, turning around to face Meganium. “We’re leaving.”

“I understand.”

Meggie glanced at Morgan again, who continued to trash. She sighed, deciding to resign him to that fate.

I promise… I’ll make the most of my time here.

Even if she didn’t, there was nothing she could do. And frankly, she was happy with that. That visit ended up worth her time after all. And hopefully, so did Lance’s. She wondered how his chat with Xerneas was going, and decided to join him next.

---

“I believe… your idea is utopic. It might not work.” Xerneas told him. However, she still wanted to hear about it. “…But I want to believe you. It might be possible for us to usher in a new age.”

“Right, I almost forgot about this…” Lance opened his satchel. “I have all four z-crystals, which does include Necrozma’s. I’m giving them to you.”

Xerneas’ antlers glowed again, and the crystals levitated out of his satchel. However, she put one back: Necrozma’s.

“Hm? It’s better if you guard it.”

“No. I believe it is best if you guard it. If I am to trust mortals, I must start with the one that fought Necrozma and won.”

“But that’s… I don’t…” Lance picked the crystal up, looking at it. It was grayed out, powerless. “…Very well. I’ll guard it with my life.”

“Perhaps it is time I seek out my fellow Legends, the ones that survived the war.” Xerneas said, but she was more telling herself that than saying it to Lance. “Pardon me, I got distracted. Our way of doing things led to Necrozma, but his way was also wrong. Then, perhaps… a new way is necessary.”

Lance closed his satchel and sighed. “I told him this, but I don’t believe there’s an absolute solution to all our problems. We’ll figure something out, we have to, otherwise our fight will be worthless.”

“Indeed. I… appreciate it, Lance Williams. Truly, I do. You have my gratitude once more.”

I can’t believe it.

“Will the other Legends help, wherever they are?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Only time will tell. But we have that luxury now.”

Luxury… I like that word.

“My bad, my bad!”

Another voice. Meggie came from the stairs, hovering, until she landed on the ground, panting and catching her breath. “W-We had an encounter with Morgan. He’s still a dick.”

“Greetings, Meggie.”

“Uh… Xerneas, lady, hi, yes, hello!” Meggie bowed while on the ground. “H-Hopefully I’m not interrupting anything, haha…”

Lance chuckled. “No, you’re not. Don’t worry.”

“Indeed, we were just discussing… future arrangements. Now that you are here, I can add you to the conversation, Meggie.”

Now that was very important. Meggie already started asking herself how she could help. “R-Right. I’m listening! What can I help you with?”

“…Meggie, Lance, I would like to ask for your help. Not just you two, but your entire team as well. We will move forward to a new age,  together .”

Lance crossed his arms again. “How, exactly?”

“Yeah, how?”

“I want you two to make me a promise—an oath.” Xerneas gave them a warm smile. “Your team will be a bridge. A bride to guide mortals and Legends together. So that we may all prosper.”

Meggie and Lance locked eyes. It was a pretty big request, and very important as well. How could they say no to it? There was the very big possibility of it being dangerous, and they didn’t even have a plan.

Not to mention Lance still needed to work with Edgar a while in the future. He couldn’t be a bridge. Not now. But maybe later… it was something to consider.

“I’ll keep it in mind, Xerneas, but we might be rushing things. We need a plan, and I don’t even know where to start.”

Meggie nodded. “I’m with him. This is something the entire team should vote on. Not something we choose on a whim.”

“Hm…” Xerneas kept her smile. “Good answer. I was testing you, trying to see if you made the right choice. This is not something I will do now, not in a few days, or even months. It is a plan for our future, and as such, requires a lot of thinking.”

Somehow, Meggie didn’t believe it. “Well, we are telling the others about it. We can return here after talking it over with the rest of the team.”

“Yes, Dex did ask about Xerneas. He never came here, did he?”

“Nah. Would be his first time.”

“Very well. I am letting Lance keep both an entercard to warp here and Necrozma’s crystal. However, you may consider both a gift from me to your team, as appreciation for saving us all.”

“Uh…” Meggie blinked. She missed a lot of context for that conversation. “Okay, then. Guess we’ll be going our own way now.”

“It was lovely to talk to you. Please, ask Meganium for the entercard. Tell her I gave my permission.”

“Gotcha. And thanks for calling us here, I… needed closure.” Meggie nodded, putting a hand in front of her chest.

Lance had to agree with that, and he would return to the tree as well, to purge any remains of Necrozma left in him. “Very well.”