//------------------------------// // Chapter 68 – Chains That Bind // Story: Pokémon Eclipse // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// Much like most of the island of Poni at night, Ten Karat Hill was tranquil and quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft ocean breezes rustling through the grass, which only served as a lullaby to the wild Pokémon that lived inside its extinct crater. Just then, a stronger than normal breeze began to pick up, creating a low ominous whistling as it flew into the rim of the mountain. As the wind grew in speed, so did the pitch of the tone filling the space. The dust and clippings of grass began to swirl around in the center of the crater, creating a twister that began to fill with light like a dye in a whirlpool. It grew brighter until the light burst out, Burnet appearing from it with a ring of similarly white light pulsing out around her which evaporated in the air like smoke. After a few short moments, the gusts settled back down to their normal, peaceful demeanor. Burnet took a delicate and deliberate whiff of the air as she tilted her head up to the sky, savoring the last bit of sweet, natural silence this world would ever experience. With her exhale, she faced the entrance to the cavern, the destination of her and Necrozma’s long, tiresome journey just a short walk inside. She took a couple of steps forward before she stopped herself over the sound of footsteps in front of her. Walking out from both sides of the cavern were Ilima and Kukui, standing only a couple steps away from the entrance to block her path. Inside and out of view, Hapu and Mina stood to one side of the cavern while Hau and Fluttershy kept as careful watch as they could on the other. Kukui, finally getting good hard look at his wife in her black robe, gloves, and armor, let out an exhausted and resigned huff, hanging his head down. “Ilima.” Burnet then turned to Kukui, her grin curling cheekily. “Honey…” Kukui hissed, her taunts only hurting his heart further. “Professor!” Ilima shouted. “That’s not your wife! That’s not your Burnet!” “Oh, really?” Throwing her head back and leaning back far more than a human could balance normally, Burnet rolled back up and faced the two with her possessed, black eyes and contorted smile. “?am I your wife noW !?is this your precious, darling Burnet, KukuI” “That’s enough, Necrozma!” Ilima held his fist out at her, not frightened in the least. “You let Professor Burnet go this instant! She has nothing to do with this!” “….gladlY” The white began to return to Burnet’s eyes as her face returned to normal. “.as soon as you two step aside, I shall part ways with heR. So what’s it going to be, guys? Do you want me back that badly?” “More than anything.” Kukui pulled his head up, his eyes filled with rage and his mouth expressing insurmountable sadness. “I still can’t believe it after Hau told me himself, even with you standing right here in front of me in that black robe, that black armor, speaking in that cold, evil voice. Just how… how could you possibly consider doing this? Any of it? HOW, BURNET?!” The calls and cries of several awoken animals rang out through the night, Kukui and Burnet ignoring them as they stared each other down. Just then, she held her hands level with her palms facing the sky. To Ilima and Kukui’s surprise, two orbs formed in the space above her hands, one a bright flaming star, the other a glowing orb as dark, smoky clouds billowed off her palm. “Incredible, isn’t it?” It was clear to see from Ilima and Kukui’s stunned faces that it truly was a magnificent sight. “Thanks to the unwitting help of your friends, I now wield the entirety of Necrozma’s powers in the palms of my hands, Solgaleo and Lunala included. And Equestria? That is only the beginning. Once Necrozma regains its body and takes control of both this world and Equestria, we will have an entire universe of worlds for the taking! And nothing, NOTHING, will stop us!” Ilima grunted, her madness making him lose his faith in her. “All that power, all that control…” Kukui’s voice made Ilima gasp and listen carefully. “…and yet… it’s somehow turned you into a complete and utter idiot!” Kukui’s sudden rise in volume shocked Burnet as she took a step back, the very fact she did such a thing suddenly frightening her more. “The fact you’d throw away something so precious to the both of us for such a thinly-veiled con, it’s disgusting!” Burnet then let out a chuckle, back to her mad, power-drunk demeanor. “A con, you say?” She then clapped her hands and the two orbs together, the energy encased in both washing over her body from her hands in until she was aflame with a powerful, bright-orange aura whose heat and energy the two trainers could feel as though they stood before the geyser of an erupting volcano. “Does this look like a con to you? It certainly doesn’t feel like one to me, and once I’m through with the both of you, it won’t feel that way to you either!” She detached a Poké Ball from her belt and tossed it out. “End them, Malamar!” Burnet’s Pokémon formed from her ball’s energy, standing before the two as they kept shielding their eyes and face’s from Burnet’s radiant power. Squeezing both hands, the energy blazing off her became less intense, only for a similar aura to flare up around Malamar. Filled with new power, it let out a loud shriek up to the sky. Ilima and Kukui finally felt safe to see their enemy, putting their hands on a Poké Ball from their belts. “As Trial Captain of Melemele,” he declared, winding his arm back, “I will not allow you to pass this point! Go, Gumshoos!” Throwing his ball, it opened up to let his large weasel Pokémon out, where it stood haughtily with its arms behind its back. Kukui clasped his ball with purpose before throwing it into the battlefield. “Let’s go, Lycanroc!” With his own Poké Ball opening up, Kukui’s feral light-brown wolf Pokémon hopped down and joined the Gumshoos’s side. Fluttershy and Hau peeked their heads out a bit farther, wanting to see as much of the battle as possible. Ilima squinted, studying Malamar and the energy shooting off its body. “No doubt that’s like when a Totem Pokémon’s aura flares up. Still, regardless of how boosted its stats are, it won’t hold a candle to this! Gumshoos, attack Malamar with Super Fang!” Falling onto all fours, Gumshoos ran at Malamar with small, labored leaps. Burnet didn’t even have the energy to laugh. “Pathetic. Malamar, take it out with Superpower!” Bending over it then shot forward off the ground like a rocket, tucking its head in and ready to collide. “Lycanroc, block it with Accelerock!” On Kukui’s command, his Lycanroc appeared in front of Malamar seemlingly out of nowhere. The top of Malamar’s head struck the Lycanroc’s left side, sending it flying up over Kukui and Ilima and into the wall above the cavern entrance. The loud bang was almost enough for Fluttershy to squeak out of shock, but Hau covered her mouth, helping her stay silent. With the slight recoil in the attack, Malamar angled back up as Ilima’s Gumshoos jumped at it’s neck, biting its neck and clamping on hard. Gumshoos’s teeth glowed white as it sunk them in further, delivering a shock of energy that visibly ran over Malamar’s entire body, making it cry out in immense pain. “Ha, yes!” Ilima pumped both arms at his side. “Thank you, Professor.” Kukui apathetically returned his fainted Pokémon from the floor before the cavern entrance before replacing it with another ball from his belt. “Okay, let’s go, Snorlax!” Throwing it out over the space between him and Malamar, the ball opened up with the white energy from it forming into an obese, half-awake creature with a dark-blue body and cream-colored belly, feet and flat face. “Okay.” Kukui held up his Z-Ring, which held a crystal similar in color to his Snorlax with an icon shaped like its foot. “Time for you to make another hard choice!” Kukui crossed his arms before his face, his Z-Ring sparking to life and his Snorlax standing to sudden attention despite its perpetual squint. As Kukui and Snorlax continued their motions, Burnet looked between them and the Gumshoos that finally let go of her Malamar and stared both her and her Pokémon down, ready to go again. With a decided hiss, she kept her eyes on Ilima’s Pokémon. “Malamar! Take the Gumshoos out with Superpower!” Whipping its tentacles in its direction, Malamar cast Gumshoos in its psychic aura and threw it up into the air. Soaring up into the air to follow Gumshoos, Malamar regained its far-away hold on it and swung itself to face the ground, using Gumshoos as the axis. Pushing off on nothing, Malamar then rocketed back down and headbutted Gumshoos hard, the impact causing a visible pulse of energy that spanned several feet across the air. “Gumshoos!” Even Ilima could tell that his Pokémon was already fainted before he would hit the ground. With his Poké Ball’s button trained on his plummeting Pokémon, the red beam shot out and made contact midair, converting it into red energy that raced back inside the ball before it could collide with the earth. With a sigh of relief, Ilima watched as Kukui and Snorlax held their arms out in a diagonal slant before they folded them into a Z-Shape. With the ritual complete, Z-Power shot off of Kukui and washed onto Snorlax, imbuing it with an energy that began to bulge the muscles and veins in its arms, feet, and stomach. Malamar kept its distance above, unsure if Kukui’s Pokémon would even be able to reach it. Kukui shot his glance up at Malamar, staring at it with an iciness that promised that it would not avoid the upcoming attack. “So you chose to take the Z-Move over a second Super Fang! We’ll see how that works for you! Snorlax, attack Malamar with Pulverizing Pancake!” Bending its legs, it then hopped up, the strength of it hard enough to shatter the ground it pushed off of like clay. Malamar’s eyes shot open to see Snorlax come at it as if it too possessed the ability of flight. It tried to shoot back up and avoid its grasp, but Snorlax was far too fast, grabbing it firmly by the bottom of its body and yanking it down so that it could wrap its arms around it and pin it to its stomach. Burnet nervously watched as Snorlax finally began to fall, tilting itself so that it fell belly-first with Malamar directly beneath it. As it fell faster and faster, hot energy began to spill around and past Snorlax’s stomach. Finally, at the crucial moment, Snorlax threw its arms open, leaving nothing between Malamar except Snorlax’s gut and the ground below. Snorlax flattened Malamar as its body struck the ground, creating a large blast of rock and dirt that spread out, engulfing Ilima, Kukui, and Burnet in its dusty wave. Fluttershy, amazed by the sight, was compelled to look further out as the explosion sped its way at the cavern. Hau grabbed Fluttershy around the waist and pulled her back as the dust blew inside, covering them along with Mina and Hapu. The four of them coughed as they tried to cover their mouths with something to keep from breathing in the loose dirt. Fluttershy quickly fanned as much of it away as she could with her wings, allowing her to see her other three friends. “Is everyone alright?” she asked. Hau let out another couple coughs as he tried to clear his throat with the little he still breathed in. “Tickles a little, but yeah, fine.” “Same here,” Mina assured her. Outside, Burnet threw her hand to the side, and with a large whoosh, she blew away all the dust, completely clearing her view of Ilima, Kukui, and the face down Slorlax lying in the crater it made. Ilima threw another Poké Ball out. “Come out, Komala!” The ball opened and let the creature inside out, a small, sleepy koala bear with a bluish-grey and clutching its equally tall log. It turned its head in the direction of Snorlax, who continued laying on top of Malamar beneath it, still unsure if it survived the attack or not. Burnet frowned, certain that it couldn’t be over. “Malamar, Superpower, now!” There was a shifting of Snorlax’s body that Kukui and Ilima took instant notice of, unsure if Snorlax was getting up or if Malamar was struggling beneath it. At that moment, a spark of bright light erupted underneath Snorlax before it was shot up into the air, accompanied by a deafening bang. After glancing up at the airbound Snorlax, they looked back down to see Malamar standing strong and tall with its two tentacles held up from the attack it delivered. With a jump and a twirl, Malamar landed back by Burnet and faced Ilima, Kukui, and Komala, its feet settling on the ground the moment Snorlax crashed back down, rolling limply onto its stomach with its mouth lazily hanging open. Ilima gasped in shock, but was quick to recover and focused his sights on Malamar. “Komala, attack Malamar with Wood Hammer!” Komala’s eyes came open and it hopped onto its side, rolling with its log at Malamar before it bounced off the ground, twisting about so that it was upright and holding its log above its head. Coming back down, it slammed one of the bottom ends of its weapon onto the top of Malamar’s head. Malamar kept its stance as its head came forward, Komala’s log bouncing itself off and taking Komala with it. Komala landed flat on its back and arched it back as the sharp soreness spread. Slower and weaker, Komala hopped back onto its log and rolled back over to Ilima just as Kukui was calling back his Snorlax and taking out another Poké Ball. “You’re up now, Ninetails!” he shouted. Appearing from his ball was a graceful-looking light-blue fox with a large tuft of fur draping down its chest, long flowing hair blowing back on the top of its head, and a long, bushy tail with nine distinctive branches coming off of it. It stared down Malamar with its beady blue eyes. “We have to have her on the ropes now!” Ilima threw a pointed finger forward. “Komala, attack with Sucker Punch!” “And then keep it up with Dazzling Gleam!” Kukui added. Komala stood beside his log while continuing to hold onto it. As the small shards of ice frosting Ninetails’ fur began to sparkle, Komala vanished for an instant before appearing in front of Malamar, now with its hand behind an end of the log. Pushing with all its might, Komala jammed the other end of the log into Malamar’s face, pushing it back a foot. Ninetails began to glimmer even brighter, prompting Komala to fall to the ground with its log and shield as much of its body behind it as possible. With a flash, colored beams raced around and struck Komala and Malamar from every angle. When the light subsided, Komala raced back to its trainer. Ilima and Kukui gasped as Malamar doubled over, finally showing its first signs of hurt. “It’s working!” Ilima exclaimed. “We’re doing it!” Burnet coughed out a chuckle before throwing her outstretched hand forward. “Malamar, take them both out with Rock Slide!” Malamar hugged its glowing tentacles onto its body before throwing them out, flinging several large boulders up from the ground that shot out at unavoidable speeds. Kukui and Ilima had no choice but to shield their faces as their Pokémon were each stricken by several of the rocks and thrown back to the crater walls, the rest flying past their heads or hitting the ground near their feet, throwing mud and dirt up over them. Fluttershy squeaked and put her arms over her head as the rocks continued pelting the wall, one of them striking her side of the cavern entrance and chipping a large piece off. When they finally stopped, Mina got low and rushed over to her, Hau, and Comfey who were gently petting her trembling coat. “Is she okay?” She asked. “She’s not hurt, is she?” Hau checked his hands, relieved to find them still dry save for her sweat. “She wasn’t hit, she’s just naturally this excitable.” Hapu looked at the four before looking back out at the battle. With Burnet’s Malamar still standing tall, Ilima and Burnet turned around to find their Pokémon sliding down the canyon wall and draping themselves over the boulders and rocks that landed there. From the flaccidness of their bodies, both trainers could tell that their Pokémon had fainted. Burnet laughed as they were left with little other choice than to return their Pokémon back. “I’ve already taken out five of your Pokémon with just one of mine!” She crossed her arms, proud of the accomplishment she stated. “I can only wonder how the two Kahunas and the Poni Trial Captain will fare against me once I’m through with you, yet alone that timid little pegasus friend of theirs.” Kukui and Ilima twisted back around, worried about them getting called out. “Yes!” Burnet shouted to ensure those in the cavern heard her. “I know you’re in there! If you wanted to stay out of sight, you should have never come in the first place!” “Those kids are doing a damned fine job of what they were chosen to do,” Kukui bellowed, “which is protecting Alola from the likes of you!” “Hmph. How brave you must think you sound saying that. You have three Pokémon left between you. Let’s see if you can even finish off my Malamar with them! Do you think you could even do that?” “Don’t really have much of a choice, do we?” Kukui tossed out another Poké Ball. “Let’s go, Magnezone!” The white energy from Kukui’s ball formed over the ground, condensing into a metallic flying-sauceresque Pokémon with a main body that had a large red eye in its front, along with two armless shoulders with a smaller black eye on the front of each one. A yellow antenna stood atop its head while three horseshoe magnets hung down beneath it from the shoulders and from the back center. “You got this, Smeargle!” On Ilima’s declaration, his Poké Ball opened up and released a cream-colored bipedal doglike creature with brown ears and similarly colored rings around its eyes, ankles, and wrists. Along with the natural beret that was atop its head, the furry end of the long tail that it held onto was soaked with a green substance. “Let’s finish this,” Burnet breathed out. “Malamar, take out the Smeargle with Superpower!” Pushing off the ground, Malamar shot out at Ilima’s Pokémon, it’s aura positively surging. Ilima huffed as its approach quickly came. “Smeargle, dodge it!” With as hard of a leap to the right as it could muster, Smeargle leaned back and loudly groaned with worry as one of the tentacles atop Malamar’s head grazed past its stomach. Malamar was forced to shoot back around to Burnet as Smeargle safely rolled backwards and hopped back to in front of Ilima. “Yes, that’s it!” Ilima shouted. “Let’s try and end this ourselves!” Ilima crossed his arms in front of his face and activated his Z-Ring. As his Smeargle followed through with its trainer’s motions, Burnet smirked confidently that the attack would be just as futile as the others. “Magnezone!” Kukui commanded. “Use Thunder Wave.” Bunet gasped with sudden fright as she and Malamar turned to see Magnezone tilting its bottom at the Pokémon and charging the points of its three magnets. They quickly shot out in large ball of electric webbing that struck Malamar and covered its body with crackling sparks that kept it frozen in place. Ilima grinned as he and Smeargle completed the activation of his Normalium Z, the Z Power bursting off Ilima’s back and shoulders and streaming into his Smeargle. Ilima took even greater comfort at seeing Malamar’s furious eyes glare at him as it could not move. “Okay, let’s see you try and avoid this! Smeargle, attack Malamar with Breakneck Blitz!” Making a runner’s lunge, Smeargle pushed off the ground hard enough to fly straight at Malamar with its feet only inches off the ground. Continuing to hold its tail, the substance on the tip began to turn a hot, blazing white before Smeargle punched it into Malamar’s face. Malamar was slammed down hard enough into the ground to create a small blast in the ground as Smeargle continued flying past Burnet. Upon its feet touching the ground, the energy coursing through Smeargle faded and gravity returned to its body, forcing it to slide to a stop. Magnezone shifted itself to stay between Ilima and Kukui as Smeargle monitored Burnet from from behind. Burnet looked down at her Pokémon, now too stiff to even lift itself back up. With a seething scowl, she clutched her hands as they went alight with Necrozma’s aura. “You two make a hell of a team,” she whispered loudly. “Now I can understand why Hau was so comfortable leaving Melemele Island in your hands. Except… I still can’t allow you to win… even these small victories.” Throwing both hands up and aiming her palms at her downed Malamar, the energy billowed downwards and washed over her Pokémon, the sparks that remained on its skin beginning to disappear and weaken. To Ilima and Kukui’s horror, Malamar began to push itself back off the ground and face the two and Magnezone, a newfound fury in its gaze. “That’s my girl…” Burnet threw her arm forward. “Malamar, finish off Magnezone with Superpower!” Ilima could only focus on his Smeargle, who continued standing behind Burnet and Malamar as it collided its head into Magnezone, sending it crashing hard into the crater wall. “Smeargle, attack with Flamethrower!” Smeargle ran back at Ilima and jumped high over Burnet and the returning Malamar, flipping around to ensure it faced them upon its landing. Aiming the tip of its tail at her Pokémon, Smeargle shot a heavy burst of fire straight down on it and continued keeping its aim steady as it fell back down. Smeargle’s feet hit the ground, forcing it to stop its attack and keep its balance. Malamar fanned the smoke away as it screeched out, rubbing its right tentacle on its stomach, where a large red rash was left. “You burned her!” Kukui exclaimed as he called his Magnezone back. “That’ll be useful for the next round. You guys did really well, all things considered.” “Same to you, Professor.” Ilima and Smeargle relaxed themselves, accepting of their imminent loss. Putting the Poké Ball back, Kukui detached his last one and threw it out. “You’re up Braviary!” The ball opened up, releasing a large raptor bird with dark-blue and red feathers and a white head with feathers around its face like a headdress. Much like Smeargle, Braviary appeared resigned to its fate, happy to continue defending Alola against Burnet. “Defiant until the end, are we?” Burnet chortled. “Some things are worth losing for,” Kukui peacefully said. “We’ll see how well you fare against the next couple of trainers.” “We look forward to it! Malamar, finish both of them off with Rock Slide!” Kukui punched his fist forward. “Braviary! Use Brave Bird!” “Smeargle!” Ilima cried out. “Use Extreme Speed!” Braviary soared down at Malamar, it’s body forming a cone of hot energy as its speed refused to let up. Smeargle ran at Malamar just as quickly, managing to get one last punch into its face as it hugged its arms in. Whipping its arms back out, Smeargle and Braviary were slammed point blank by a wave of rocks that Malamar shot out from the ground. As they tumbled and rolled back, more boulders landed atop of them as many more threatened to hit Kukui and Ilima. Two particularly larger rocks hit the ground in front of them, the shockwave and explosion of the earth throwing them off their feet. As they screamed out, their backs slammed into the crater wall, cutting them off as they woozily slid back down, their legs suddenly too weak to keep them standing. Burnet took three tentative steps forward, stopping to find no one else ready to challenge her. “No one? That’s it? That was easier than I imagined.” Ilima and Kukui gathered all their strength to lift up their Poké Balls and return their fainted Pokémon inside of them. As Burnet and Malamar began to approach the cavern once again, Mina and Hapu looked to Hau, Fluttershy, and Comfey between both sides of the exit. With Hau and Fluttershy nodding to them, Mina and Hapu spilled outside with an Ultra Ball in each of their hands. Burnet and Malamar instantly stopped as both trainers sent out their next Pokémon. “Go, Krookodile!” Hapu shouted. “You’re up first, Klefki!” Mina declared. Both Hapu’s large red crocodile and Mina’s living key ring appeared before them, each ready to face Burnet’s remaining Pokémon. Burnet and Malamar both leapt back and glided back to their original positions in preparation for the next phase of the battle. Burnet grinned slyly. “Now that’s more like it.” With Burnet focusing on her new prey, Hau and Fluttershy slunk out, Hau grabbing Kukui under the arms and dragging him into the cavern. Comfey wrapped its tail around Ilima’s legs while Fluttershy slid her arms under his back, the two of them carrying him inside with Hau and Kukui. “You guys okay?” Hau helped Kukui sit up, the professor able to do so upon getting halfway. Fluttershy and Comfey set Ilima down to the very edge of the cavern’s exit. The first thing he did upon his butt touching the ground was to peek out the corner of his eyes as Mina, Hapu, and their Pokémon squared off against Burnet’s. “Godspeed, you two…” “Should be enough for one more of these,” Burnet said to herself. “Malamar, take out Krookodile with Superpower! Mina hissed as Malamar shot out at Hapu’s Pokémon at a speed too fast to evade. “Klefki, use Reflect now!” Klefki’s body began to illuminate and shine, the glow peeling off its body to form a barrier of translucent, reflective light. Malamar collided into the barrier just as it spread out between it and Krookodile, crashing through it to keep its attack going. Krookodile was thrown back, but kept its balance and stood strong, shocking both Malamar and Burnet. “Impossible!” she gasped. “Even with four Superpowers before it…” “Maybe it’s time to give her a rest, wouldn’t you say?” Hapu pointed at Burnet’s Pokémon. “Krookodile, hit Malamar with Dragon Claw!” Krookodile ran out at Malamar with its right claw flaming with blue and orange. Malamar, even with Necrozma’s aura, began to tire as it moved back to retreat. Krookodile outran it and managed to slash at its stomach over its burn, causing Malamar to screech out into the night. “Malamar!” Burnet ordered. “Finish it with Night Slash!” With Krookodile close, Malamar swung its black-lit tentacle arm at Krookodile’s chest, throwing it back to Hapu where it landed on its side and slid to a stop, motionless and fainted. As Hapu brought her Pokémon back into its ball, Mina stepped forward and threw her hand forward. “Klefki, you’ve got this now! Take Malamar out with Dazzling Gleam!” Another bright sheen covered Klefki’s body, only for the light forming on it bursting off its body and piercing Malamar with its light that covered the entire area. Once the light faded, Malamar’s eyes had already closed as it lowered its tentacles to its sides, too exhausted to keep them up. As it fell forward, the aura that had covered it began to fizzle out, completely extinguishing upon its face hitting the ground. Mina forced a smile as she pumped her fist triumphantly. “Yes, nice one!” Klefki flipped about and cheered, happy as a clam to make the finishing move. Hapu then threw out her next ball to join in on the battle. “Your turn, Gastrodon!” With her Poké Ball opening and spilling the energy inside of it onto the ground, it formed into a large blue slug with a green-and-yellow back and large black-and-white eyes. Burnet returned her Malamar into her Poké Ball and placed it back onto her belt. “So it took four trainers and ten Pokémon to take down a single Pokémon of mine, and you really think that the rest of you can stop me?” “Maybe not.” Hapu shook her head, coming to terms with the situation. “But once the others arrive, maybe so.” “Others–” Burnet’s eyes widened before they relaxed once more. “Of course. That’s where Twilight’s other friends are.” “We may not be able to stop you ourselves,” Mina exclaimed, “but we should buy them more than enough time.” Burnet grinned as she pulled another ball off her belt. “We’ll just see about that. Go, Gardevoir!” With a toss of her ball, Burnet’s next Pokémon emerged to face Klefki and Gastrodon. With a snap of Burnet’s fingers and a whip of her arm, Gardevoir was suddenly covered in Necrozma’s aura, the tendrils of its dress blowing lightly up by an invisible gust. Inside the cavern, Hau and Fluttershy winced to see another of her Pokémon surging with power. “Be careful, please…” Fluttershy quietly begged. “I’ll get to the slug later!” Burnet shouted. “Gardevoir, hit Klefki with Thunderbolt!” Gardevoir held its hands apart as bands of plasma began to form and multiply between its palms. With a flick forward of both hands, the lightning shot out from Gardevoir’s fingers, striking Klefki and covering it in enough electricity to make it appear like a small, bright star. By the time the light faded, Mina was frightened to not see it leave Klefki’s body as it floated stationary in the air, its ring and keys covered in paralyzing sparks. As Klefki struggled to pick its keys up to attack, Hapu looked nervously to it and Mina before focusing her rage on Gardevoir. “You’ll pay for that one!” Hapu shouted. “Gastrodon, attack Gardevoir with Sludge Wave!” Gastrodon slunk its top half up off the ground, the mucus beneath it pouring down onto the ground until it formed a large, light-purple puddle. It then rolled itself down quickly, the front of it splashing the glop in all forward and sideways directions. Some of it landed on Klefki, which didn't appear to bother it in the slightest, but most of it reached out at Gardevoir, splattering into its face before it came down the rest of its body, the wave strong enough to slide it back a few feet and bring it to its knees. Gardevoir pulled its arms in as the aura covering it intensified, burning the slime still stuck to its body to ash and drying itself off. “That’s it!” Burnet barked. “Now, finish Gastrodon off with Magical Leaf!” Winding its arm in, the tendrils wrapped around its legs to follow. With a strong swing out, the dress unwound, flinging a barrage of color-changing leaves in Gastrodon’s general direction. Then, as they got closer, they all converged onto the slug, the points and edges of the leaves piercing and slicing it without end. Mina bared her teeth, certain that Hapu’s Pokémon would not survive such an onslaught. “Klefki, attack Gardevoir with Flash Cannon!” With a strained whine, Klefki divided its keys along the circumference of its ring and pointed their tips in, a ball of metallic shine forming in the space between them. It began to get bigger, pushing the key points backward. As it began to reach the rim, Klefki let out a shout as it pushed the keys forward, flinging its attack out at Gardevoir and striking it hard enough in the horn on its chest to falter its balance. Mina let out a huff, surprised that her weakened Pokémon could still do that much. With the break in its concentration, the remaining leaves shattered and dissolved into the air. However, the hits Gastrodon did take were too much for it, and it bent its head forward as its bottom began to spread out, unable to hold itself up. Hapu breathed out forlornly as she aimed her Poké Ball at her fallen Pokémon and returned it inside. Putting the top part of her ball to her forehead in thanks, she then put the ball back and took out another before throwing it out. “Let’s go, Dugtrio!” On her shout, the ball opened up, the white energy shooting straight down and piercing a large hole into where it struck. Once all of the energy entered into the hole, three brown heads with large red noses, black eyes, and wavy blonde hair that looked to be made from ultra-thin wires poked out, their noses expanding as they sniffed their new surroundings. Burnet looked between Klefki and Hapu’s Dugtrio, uncertain at first which one to attack first. She then settled on Mina and Klefki, her gaze freezing Klefki still more than its paralysis was already doing. “Gardevoir, attack Klefki with Shadow Ball!” On her orders, Gardevoir formed a dark purple ball between its hands and flung it out at Mina’s Pokémon. “Dugtrio,” Hapu yelled, “attack Gardevoir with Iron Head!” Gardevoir’s attack reached first, the aura striking Klefki’s face hard enough to separate its ring, all the keys once hanging from it scattering to the ground. Dugtrio charged through the earth, leaving a large rut in its wake. Tucking its heads in, all three of them bashed into Gardevoir’s gut, the hit leaving Gardevoir winded and falling onto its back. Burnet even seemed surprised by this, and as Gardevoir hopped back to its feet, Burnet took out its Poké Ball and aimed the center button at it. “Gardevoir, return!” Her Pokémon perked up in mild shock as the red beam from the ball converted it into a similar energy before it receded inside the ball through the button. “It’s not quite time yet…” Putting its ball back, she took out another and tossed it out into the battlefield. “You’re up, Reuniclus!” With her ball opening up and releasing her gel-coated imp Pokémon, she kept her hand outstretched. With her aura igniting on her fingers and moving over her hand, Reuniclus went alight with the same aura as well. Fluttershy and Hau were both distraught as Reuniclus screeched menacingly as the aura filled it with tremendous power while Kukui glanced outside through the corners of his eyes, sighing out in distress. Mina, her Klefki already returned inside its ball, took out another Ultra Ball and threw it out. “Come out, Ribombee!” The ball opened up and let her yellow-and brown fairy bug out, where it hovered above the ground and level with Mina’s face as it looked to Reuniclus with vengeful intent. “Alright, you got this!” Mina shouted. “Hit Reuniclus with Pollen Puff!” Fluttering its wings fast, golden dust was fanned off in front of Ribombee, who circled its arms as the pollen it produced formed into a tight sphere before it. With a harder flap, it blasted its attack out as it flew in a beeline straight into Reuniclus’s face, throwing and flipping it back a few feet. “Dugtrio, Rock Slide, now!” Hapu’s Dugtrio thrust itself forward, shoveling up dozens of rocks from the ground and hurling them at Reuniclus, who was too disoriented to avoid the few headed its way. It was smashed down by the first and than pummeled and pushed back by two others, rolling it away from Burnet, who looked at it incredulously that it could be so quickly defeated. “Reuniclus, get up!” Reuniclus pushed off the ground with its hands and floated back out to the battle, facing Ribombee. “Hit the Dugtrio with Energy Ball!” Reuniclus glanced back at Burnet and cooed inquisitively. Regardless, it turned to face Dugtrio and formed a bright green aura in between its it hands, pitching it like a baseball into Dugtrio’s tallest head, sending them sliding back toward Hapu’s feet. “Guys!” she shouted to them as their heads began to lean over weakly. “You alright?” Rolling back up, the Dugtrio’s heads stood straight and moved themselves back out, much to Burnet’s extreme chagrin. “That’s right,” Mina grunted, crossing her wrists in front of her face, “get angry!” With her Z-Ring sparking up with life, her Ribombee also crossed its small, spindly arms in front of its face. After putting their arms down and crossing them back out, Mina formed a heart with her hands as her Pokémon did so to the best of its ability with both its arms. Swinging their arms down and holding them back up, they completed the Fairium Z ritual by holding their left legs up and folding their hands and elbows in. Light shot out from Mina’s body and surrounded Ribombee entirely before it was absorbed into its body, filling it with a bright yellow aura as intense as the one surrounding Reuniclus. “Your Malamar was really able to take a beating against Kukui and Ilima’s Pokémon,” Mina spoke, “but it’s clear your Reuniclus isn’t nearly as durable.” Burnet clenched her fists, the sudden intensity in Mina’s voice tangible. “It doesn’t matter. It helped me convince you that I was still the fun, lovable Professor Burnet, so it’s served its purpose.” Reuniclus whimpered, Mina clearly seeing that it was hurt by the remark. “There’s hardly any love left in you. Perhaps, I can beat the hate out instead. Reuniclus, please forgive me…” She then swung both arms out. “Ribombee, attack Reuniclus with Twinkle Tackle!” Fluttering its wings fast, a pink sparkle surrounded them until they expanded out into massive butterfly wings that dwarfed Ribombee’s body. It then flew straight at Reuniclus, propelled by the energy on its back. Reuniclus attempted to catch up with Ribombee’s speed, but it flew to every corner of its vision, making it impossible to track. Finally, Ribombee set its course for Reuniclus’s forehead, the sparkling wings collapsing and wrapping around its fists in two bright orbs. Reuniclus could not avoid Ribombee in time as it punched both fists into the side of its head, the orbs exploding off like fireworks that blasted Reuniclus toward the back of the crater. Even as it tried to slow itself down with its psychic energy, it could not do so fast nor strong enough to keep from colliding with the rock wall far behind Burnet. “Nice one!” Hapu shouted. “Now hurry, Dugtrio! Finish it with Earthquake before it can get up!” Dugtrio thrust its body down into its spot in the ground, a loud rumbling coming from beneath them. A small fissure then began to race along the ground past Burnet and toward the north side of the crater. As Reuniclus began to peel itself off the rock wall, the crack began to rise up from the base and directly at it from beneath it. Without further hesitation, Reuniclus charged another Energy Ball in its free hands and shot it out with sadness and frustration. Once the cracks reached Reuniclus, the portion of the wall around it blasted out and threw it along with several chunks and shards of the wall out. With Dugtrio’s focus on the explosion, it didn’t register Reuniclus’s posthumous Energy Ball striking on both sides of its smaller heads, sending them toppling back and rendering them unconscious. The three humans and pegasus inside the cavern were aghast by the last minute takedown, particularly that it had been done at all. Burnet watched in disbelief as Reuniclus fell unconsciously to the ground and rolled lifelessly about along with the pieces of the crater. She then looked back at Hapu, who stared at Burnet as she returned her Pokémon into its ball. With a tight shutting of her eyes, Burnet let out a frustrated shout as she threw her hand clenching Reuniclus’s Poké Ball forward, the red beam bringing it back inside. Jamming the ball back onto her belt, she took out an unused ball and whipped herself around to face the two trainers once again. “Even after you essentially called it useless,” Hapu spat, “it still wanted to do right by you. Your Reuniclus didn’t act out of obedience, it acted out of love for the trainer it knows is still in there!” “Shut up!” Burnet screamed. “That Burnet is dead and gone, and this world will be too in just a matter of moments! Now fight for me, Xatu!” Throwing her ball up into the air, her tribal bird floated down from the white energy inside talons-first with its wings spread out. As it came down to the ground, its body went alight with the sinister aura, Xatu reacting nonchalantly as the immense power ran through it. “Okay fine…” Hapu pulled out another ball from her belt. “If the bonds your Pokémon have with you won’t reach you, perhaps the bonds our Pokémon have with us will! Let’s go, Flygon!” As she threw her ball, it opened up and spat its energy out for Hapu’s green dragon to fly from. Upon doing a tight circle inside the crater, it landed on the ground to face Burnet and her Xatu. “Okay, Xatu!” Burnet pointed in Mina’s direction. “Exterminate her Ribombee with Air Slash!” Raising itself up on its psychic energy, it threw its wing forward, a windy bow-shaped aura forming from the arc of its swing and shooting out at Mina’s Pokémon. It created another one with its other wing, its levitation giving it more room to move. With the aerial blades coming in too quickly, Ribombee put its hands in front of its face and took the first bow, making it scream out in pain. The second struck and burst closely after, rendering Ribombee silent as it began to fly over Mina’s head. With as hard of a leap as she could, Mina blocked her Pokémon’s blowback with both hands and caught it on their way down. With a deflated stance of relief, Hapu and Flygon looked back to Xatu. “Flygon, hit Xatu with Stone Edge!” With a raising shout, Flygon took a few feet up into the air before it whipped its tail forward, small rocks jutting from the path Dugtrio had left behind. “Xatu!” At the same time as Burnet throwing her arm down and to the side, Xatu leapt back and kept airborne, watching safely as the larger stone tower meant for it shot up from the ground with nothing to hit it. Hapu hissed. “Dammit! Alright, Mina, what’chu got next?” Mina already had her next ball in hand, throwing it out to join Flygon in battle. “You got this, Shiinotic!” “What?!” Hau, Ilima, and Kukui raced to the cavern exit, watching as Mina’s ball unleashed her next Pokémon. Forming from the ball’s energy was Mina’s white-stemmed, purple-and-pink mushroom Pokémon whose fixed smile betrayed no hint of fear. Burnet was now howling with laughter, a sight and sound that didn’t appear to deter Shiinotic in the slightest. “Are you serious right now? After taking out your Ribombee, you decide to send out another Pokémon that’s weak to Flying-types?” Mina frowned, knowing that in any case, there was no turning back. Burnet huffed out in disappointment. “Fine then. Xatu, take out her Shiinotic with another Air Slash!” Hapu smiled as Xatu began to rise, the bait having been bitten. “Flygon, use Stone Edge again!” Burnet gasped as Xatu was already throwing out its first slash. Flygon got up high and swung its tail out, another small trail of rocks leading to the spot beneath its target. Right as Xatu swung out its second and final bow of wind, the Stone Edge tower shot up directly beneath it, shooting it up into the air to arc over Burnet. Mina and her Pokémon saw the bows getting close. “Shiinotic, hold on!” Shiinotic picked its arms up with its forearms and fists held down, flexing intimidatingly as both bows struck it, the bursts of wind blasting dust into the air around it. Xatu landed hard upon its feet, but staying upright as it looked to see whether its attack was successful or not. Hapu and Flygon looked themselves, the dust cloud beginning to settle. The first thing Burnet saw was the top of its Shiinotic’s mushroom cap facing her, making her grin with the implication that it had fallen over and fainted. However, Mina and Hapu’s faces had much more jubilant smiles upon them, seeing as Shiinotic’s feet and lower body were still standing upon the ground. At first confused, Burnet and Xatu both understood as Shiinotic began picking itself up, its brow furrowed to give it a more sadistically eager expression. Ilima breathed a chuckle out, unable to believe it himself. “That’s it… you have this.” “Alright,” Mina said, “now its our turn.” Burnet frowned again. “So your Pokémon survived Xatu’s attack. So what? What move could it know that will do the least bit of harm to me?” At that moment, she noticed certain parts of the dust cloud that refused to settle on the ground, seeing that it had a much more earthy-greenish tint to it. At that moment, she knew what she had done. “Now you got it.” Mina pointed at the now anxious Burnet and Xatu. “Shiinotic, use Spore!” Taking in a deep breath, Shiinotic then blew its loose spores into Burnet and Xatu. Burnet was quick to hold the sleeve of her cloak over her mouth and nose as her Pokémon tried to shield its face with its wing, only for the spores to pass through its feathers. As they blew into its nostrils, they tickled its sinuses, making him sniff more of them in. With a fearful caw over what it had done, it’s body began to get more lax as its eyes forced themselves closed. With its muscles too tired to keep its standing, Xatu collapsed to the ground and fell to sleep. Burnet turned around to see that her Pokémon was completely incapacitated. “No! Xatu, get up! Get up, now!” With a deep breath in, it exhaled a cute, long whine from its mouth, Burnet mortified by what it had become. “Nice work, there,” Hapu breathed out, feeling she earned this reprieve. “Let’s get another hit on it before it wakes up,” Mina said. “I think that’ll do it.” “Right, good idea.” “No!” Burnet clenched her fists, the aura spilling from her palms and engulfing her body. “Xatu, wake up now!” “Not yet! Flygon, get Xatu once more with Stone Edge!” “Dream Eater, now!” Mina shouted. “No!” Burnet pointed her curled fingers at her snoozing Pokémon. “Stop!” Shiinotic reached out as its body began to glow, as well as Xatu’s. The glow around both then began to flash bright red, Xatu writhing over to its back and throwing its wings out, screeching in pain. Flygon’s whip of the tail brought another rock tower to throw Xatu up into the air. “NOOOO!!” Burnet’s aura exploded off Xatu, vaporizing the top of the tower beneath it as well. The intensity of the aura forced Hapu, Mina, and their Pokémon to shield their faces with their arms, only to find that they pricked with its immense heat as well. Xatu’s eyes shot open, allowing it to lucidly flip over until it became upright, landing down on the ground to fight once again. The aura died down as Xatu absorbed the extra aura, Hapu and Mina standing petrified to see Xatu so strong despite the onslaught it took thus far. “Your mushroom won’t outlast this,” Burnet loudly grumbled. “Xatu, finish Shiinotic off with Air Slash!” Xatu hopped up and shot two bows of wind from its wings, each one striking Shiinotic hard enough to loosen its grip on the ground and knock it backwards, its eyes closing in sheer exhaustion. Now left with only a pair of Pokémon between them, Hapu shot her enraged glance to Xatu. “Flygon, attack with Dragon Rush!” Xatu continued to float as Flygon took to the air, getting much higher before it dove down at tremendous speed. Xatu shot itself to the left while Burnet stepped aside to the right, Flygon passing between them as it pulled up. Flygon began to soar back around to its trainer as Mina threw out her next Poké Ball. “We’re almost there, Granbull! Hang in there!” With her ball coming open, her pink, hairless bipedal bulldog landed on its back legs and waited for Flygon to come and join it. With the tide of the battle having turned back again, Burnet placidly aimed her hand and outstretched fingers at Hapu’s Pokémon. “Xatu, use Future Sight!” Xatu stared at Flygon before a glint in its eye snapped it out of concentration. With nothing else happening, Mina and Hapu prepped themselves for their next attack declarations. “Let’s try this again!” Hapu shouted. “Flygon, attack Xatu with Dragon Rush!” As Flygon came up to get some air, Xatu and Burnet kept their eyes on it, ready to dodge it as easily as the last time. Mina also looked up to it, and once it began to dive down, she knew the timing was right. “Granbull, attack with Play Rough, and watch the Xatu!” Granbull charged out on all fours, its speeds reaching Flygon’s as it began to run directly underneath it. Flygon came at Xatu, only this time to dodge to its right. Following its trainer’s instruction, Granbull banked right, and with nothing above it any longer, it leapt up and grabbed Xatu out of the air. Upon tackling it to the ground, it held its shoulder in its maw and began to whip it about like a ragdoll, the whiplash and occasional slams of its head into the ground disorienting it. “Xatu, get out of there!” With its body glowing with its psychic energy, it forced Granbull’s mouth back open and threw it back toward Mina, where Hapu and Flygon were already waiting. “Now, prepare to attack Granbull with Solar Beam!” “Solar Beam?!” Both trainers shouted. Xatu rose up into the air, slowly raising its wings over its head. “But how?” Mina shouted. “There’s no sunlight for it to absorb!” “How about now?!” Burnet thrust her arm up as a solar orb exploded into existence above her palm, forcing Mina, Hapu, and Granbull to shield their eyes. Through its natural visors, Flygon saw as Xatu absorbed energy from Burnet’s miniature star as it formed into a bright, green ball in between the bars of its wings. Flygon then loudly mewed to Hapu, getting her attention. “Yeah, right!” Hapu blinked, also realizing what needed to be done. “Flygon, attack Xatu with Stone Edge!” “You too, Granbull!” Mina cried. Granbull raised its balled paws up before slamming them down the ground, Flygon hovering up and whipping its tail at the same time. As Xatu continued absorbing energy, two trails of stones raced out from before the attacking Pokémon and converged directly beneath Xatu. Another rock tower, which dwarfed the other two still jutting from the ground, rose and struck Xatu. It squawked in pain as it flapped its wings and attempted to regain its balance, the aura above it stretching and shrinking with Xatu’s lack of control. “Come on,” Hapu whispered. “Stay down!” To both her and Mina’s horror, Xatu became upright and still once again and the impending Solar Beam stabilized, having drawn enough energy from Burnet’s star. Hapu then contentrated on Xatu even closer, seeing its heavy breathing as it struggled to make its final move. “Atta’ girl, Xatu!” Burnet shouted, clasping her hand over the star and extinguishing it. “Now attack!” With the energy reaching maximum brightness, it came down in a wide, fearsome beam. Granbull could only duck and cover as the attack hammered down on it, shaking the earth hard enough to try and force Mina and Hapu off their feet. Inside the cavern, pieces of rock began to fall from the ceiling as the shaking refused to let up. Ilima shot to his feet, motioning his arm to the outside. “Everyone out! This place could collapse!” Fluttershy was quick to run out with Ilima and Comfey as Hau hoisted Kukui up and helped walk him outside and away from the debris. Hapu blocked the Solar Beam’s light with her flat hand on her brow, seeing Xatu continuing to carry the attack on. “Flygon, Dragon Rush! You got it this time!” Flygon quickly flew up the path of the Solar Beam, only to fall back and let the gusts drag it down. With the extra momentum, Flygon zipped back up and inverted into a wide loop that lined itself up directly above Xatu. With its descent only increasing its speed more, Flygon reached forward and clobbered its fist into Xatu’s head. Along with stopping the Solar Beam, Xatu was immediately knocked out, tumbling freely toward the ground. With Granbull freed, Mina was able to return her fainted Pokémon into its Poké Ball. As Flygon returned to Hapu’s side, Burnet aimed the center of her Poké Ball at Xatu, the red beam bringing it back in before it could hit the ground. Hapu then grimaced precariously as Burnet focused her attention on her Flygon. “Hey, lady!” Hapu shouted. “Aren’t you going to send your Gardevoir back out?” “Why should I?” Burnet then grinned to her opponent. “My Xatu still has its attack left.” “What in the hell are you talk–” Suddenly, several bright points lit up around the edge of the top of the canyon, each one suddenly shooting out a barrage of small magenta beams that rained down on Flygon from every angle. “Damn, her Future Sight attack! Flygon!” As it was knocked about while still keeping in its same position, Flygon’s battered wails and groans became quieter as it finally succumbed to the assault. The last beam struck from behind, getting Flygon in the head and sending it slamming face first into the ground. “Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped, her hoof over her mouth. Hapu hissed angrily as she returned her Flygon into its ball. “Good work, girl.” Mina detached her last Poké Ball from her belt before turning to Hapu. “You still have your Z-Move left, right?” “Uh-huh!” Hapu took out her last Poké Ball as well. “Was going to save it for Solgaleo and Lunala, but I don’t think we’ll last that much longer anyway.” She then turned her head to peek at Hau from the corners of her vision. “Hau, Fluttershy, you think you can handle the rest after us?!” “Um…” Fluttershy exclaimed, “have you seen how strong–” “You can count on us, Hapu!” Hau gave her a confident thumbs-up. “If that’s all we have left to deal with, we’ll be just fine.” “Oh dear…” Fluttershy glanced down with her ears drooping, Comfey quick to comfort her. Burnet snickered as she took out Gardevoir’s ball from her belt. “Let’s finish this, Gardevoir!” Tossing it, Gardevoir reemerged from its ball and faced Mina and Hapu, who still had yet to send out their final champions. “Your Gardevoir ain’t finishing shit!” Hapu tossed her ball out. “Let’s do this, Mudsdale!” “You can do it, Wigglytuff!” Mina shouted. Both of their balls opened up, letting Hapu’s muddy Clydesdale and Mina’s balloony pink-and-white Pokémon take the field. Burnet charged herself and Gardevoir with her aura, giving it an added sense of strength and confidence. “Okay, Gardevoir,” Burnet began, “take out Mudsdale with Magical Leaf.” With a wind and a swing of its arm, Gardevoir’s wave of technicolor leaves shot at Mudsdale, not a single one missing its target. Mudsdale panted and wheezed as it fought the uncanny push of each leaf that bared down on it. “Come on, Mudsdale!” Fluttershy yelled. “Keep holding on!” “Stay strong, Mudsdale!” Ilima howled. “We all believe in you!” With the added reinforcement, Mudsdale dug its hooves deeper into the ground as the last of the leaves slammed down and sliced across. Right as the final one struck, Mudsdale picked itself back up, running its front hoof along the ground and awaiting for its next move. As Ilima, Hau, and Fluttershy cheered on her Mudsdale’s survival, Kukui breathed comfortably out. “Nice job.” “Yes!” Hapu shouted. “We have this now!” Hapu crossed her arms in front of her and ignited her Z-Ring and the Z-Crystal inside of it to life. Though her Pokémon was too bulky to move in time with her, Hapu continued on, putting her arms down before crossing them out. She then put her arms out to the left and spun once around to the right, spreading her legs wide and falling forward, catching herself with her right hand and holding her left arm up. With the activation complete, Hapu’s Z-Energy exploded off of her and entered into her Mudsdale, giving it an aura just as hot and intense as the one Gardevoir exerted. Mina, seeing what was happening, pointed at the night sky. “Wigglytuff, go up!” With a push of is stomach, Wigglytuff inflated and began to float up off the ground. Burnet couldn’t help but see and speculate what she was planning. “Eyes on us, Burnet!” Hapu snapped. “This is where we finally get to finish your Gardevoir off! Now go, Mudsdale! Attack Gardevoir with Tectonic Rage!” Mudsdale jumped up, and upon its hooves hitting the ground, the force opened up a small chasm wide enough for Gardevoir to fall into. Mudsdale then galloped in after it, diving inside the hole that it made. As the seconds passed, the ground began to rumble harder and harder, a red glow emerging from inside that grew brighter as the tremors grew in intensity. “Wigglytuff!” Mina screamed. “The second you see her, use Ice Beam!” From its angle, Wigglytuff could see the molten rock shoot upward through the chasm, prompting it to fill its mouth with a bright, frigid energy. The chasm erupted out, Mudsdale leaping back toward Hapu as Gardevoir was tossed up toward Wigglytuff, who shot its attack down as instructed. “Everybody cover your ears!” Mina pressed her thumbs into the side of her head, promting the others to do the same. With the intense cold striking the intense heat of the magma geyser and Gardevoir inside of it, a loud explosion banged out, the sound sharp enough to create a single, stinging boom that struck everyone below and instantly spread cooled off rock all over the crater. The magma that wasn’t frozen simply fell back into the earth as the hardened chunk at the top fell onto the chasm, closing it back up. Taking their hands and hooves off their ears, they just noticed Gardevoir as she bounced onto the ground and laid still, its body covered in both black soot and patches of frost. Wigglytuff gently floated back down to Mudsdale’s side, its body retaining its regular shape. Hapu held up a single thumb to Mina. “Great idea there, Mina. Where’d you get it?” “Just from a battle I had not too long ago,” she answered bashfully. They both then turned to Burnet as she returned her fainted Gardevoir into its Poké Ball. “Alright, Burnet! All you have left now is Solgaleo and Lunala! Send them out already so we can soften them up for the others.” As Burnet put Gardevoir’s ball back onto her belt, she let out a low chuckle that quickly evolved into exalted cackling. “That’s right, you haven’t seen them yet! Oh my god, this is going to be great!” Crossing her arms with the bottoms of her wrists facing them, her two obsidian Poké Balls expanded from nothing in her hands as she bent down to jump. With a push, she sent herself back twenty feet as she dropped her Poké Balls down, both of them opening as they hit the floor. The energy inside both exploded out to the sides as both massive Pokémon formed from it. Once the energy faded off, Kukui, Hau, Fluttershy, and the others were left in abject horror to see the dark armor and insidious glow from the eyeholes of their helmets. Both of them roared their familiar cries at Hapu and Mina, their Pokémon also in shock by the sight. “No…” Kukui stumbled backward. “That’s not… they can’t be…” “Burnet…” Hau put his hand over his stomach, physically sickened by the sight. “What have you done to them?” “Solgaleo and Lunala are no longer who you’ve come to know and love them as. Now, they are both thirds of Necrozma just itching to rejoin the final piece.” “Those things…” Fluttershy whimpered, shaking her head. “Those things are Necrozma too?” “If it’s any consolation, what I’ve done to these two is nothing compared to what I’ve done to your friends Sam and Alice!” Fluttershy squeaked with fear, already dreading her implications immensely. The others also gasped behind them, also terrified by what she possibly did. “No!” Hau gasped. “She managed to take them?” Ilima stepped forward and shook his trembling fist at her. “What have you done to them, you monster?!” “It wasn’t that long ago that they defeated me. Even with the powers I’ve gained, I couldn’t feel the least bit safe with them around, so I sent them through a wormhole to the farthest reaches in space!” Hau and Fluttershy suddenly felt weightless in their helplessness and their sadness. “But hey, don’t worry! Those kids are capable; they’ll probably live long enough on whatever world they land on until Necrozma can absorb it, just like it will this one, as well as Equestria!” Hau’s eyes narrowed as thinly as possible as his rage drowned out the sounds of Burnet’s laughter, his teeth biting down hard as he controlled every impulse within him that wanted to punch a hole through Burnet’s head. “You may not get to join them, but after this, you’ll be just as capable to stop me as they are! Dusk-Mane, Dawn-Wings, attack Wigglytuff with Sunsteel Strike and Mudsdale with Moongeist Beam!” Dusk-Mane Necrozma flared up with a red aura as the membranes of Dawn-Wings Necrozma’s wings glowed bright. Hau was far too absorbed in his anger to care, his fists glowing purple before they went aflame with a similar energy. Dusk-Mane Necrozma leapt up, forming its burning tunnel directly at Wigglytuff’s path. Dawn-Wings Necrozma formed a bright energy at its center from six points on its wings’ bars. “Fluttershy, stay behind me!” Ilima ran in front of the petrified pegasus and her Comfey, putting his arms up for further protection before noticing Hau and the spectral energy covering him. “Hau?” Dusk-Mane Necrozma rocketed down as Dawn-Wings Necrozma blasted its beam at Mudsdale. Hau then clapped his hands before spreading them back out. Both attacks struck their intended Pokémon that exploded in a bright, furious light that engulfed the entire area of Ten Karat Hill’s crater. As Starlight’s group saw Ten Karat Hill not much further in the distance, they saw as a mushroom cloud of red and bright-blue fire rose up from the crater, the loud, deafening boom arriving not much later. Several of the Pokémon, ponies, and the humans riding them were nearly thrown off as the shockwave hit them as well. “What on earth was that?” Kaj screamed. Olivia frowned, scared over the only possibly thing that could have caused such an explosion. “We have to hurry. Come on! Fly faster!” The ponies and Pokémon picked up their pace, the still bright smoke serving as their beacon. Burnet stood on a circular patch of grass untouched by the massive explosion, her vision around her obscured by the dust and dirt that surrounded her. Unable to handle the suspense, she charged her hands with aura before throwing them down, sending all the dust in the air falling down as if they had the mass of boulders. To her complete and utter shock, the only two things lying on the ground were the fainted Wigglytuff and Mudsdale. Standing behind them, covered in a swirling purple dome, Hau and his friends stood safely and unharmed on a circular dirt ring that was not decimated by the dual attack. Seeing that the coast was clear, he took his shield down and faced Burnet with silent fury in his eyes. “What just happened?” Hapu and the others, having cowered and awaited their end, looked about and found that they were all safe. “Did Hau really do that?” Mina wondered aloud. As he approached, he crossed his arms in front of his face, frightening Fluttershy. “Hau, what are you doing?!” As his Z-Ring lit up, he continued walking as he threw his arms down and crossed them back out, both Necrozmas growling forebodingly. He then squatted down with the tops of his wrists over his mouth before slithering back up, finishing with a thrust of his head forward while pulling his hands aside. Burnet watched in astonishment as Hau’s Z-Power flared up in a vortex around him, turning purple as Marshadow’s influence readied him for his attack. “Hau!” Kukui exclaimed. “Stop! Fighting her yourself won’t bring them back!” “You should listen to him!” Burnet growled. “Both of them have survived Z-Moves, even while in their lesser forms! What one do you think you can take out?” “Who said I’m attacking one of them?” Hau’s voice was quiet, but incredibly determined. “No… I’m attacking you!” Burnet stepped back as her two remaining Pokémon closed the gap between her and Hau, screeching at him to get him to remain still. “Marshadow, help me! Let us use Seven Star Soul Stealing Strike!” Going into a lunge, Hau sprinted out at both Necrozmas, his body now covered in and trailing the purple aura. They both reached for him with their black claws, but Hau refused to yield. “Hau, no!” Everyone behind him cried. With a shout, Hau’s body turned all white before his form separated out into several purple beams that flew in between and through all the spaces that the Necrozma’s couldn’t protect. The beams then united behind them and reformed back into Hau, who continued his superhuman sprint with nothing separating him from Burnet any longer. Nobody, not even Burnet, could withhold their faces of immeasurable bewilderment. Burnet could only reach out, knowing that she didn’t have the reflexes to stop him. “NO!” Leaping at her, Hau’s fist flew for her upper chest, and as it was soon to make contact, he suddenly saw a hole open up where his fist was about to strike, expanding out and then collapsing in until Hau was suddenly swallowed by a foreign darkness that even blinded his eyes to the Z-Power radiating off of it, casting him in yet another period of absolute blackness.