Sun continued looking out of the exit to the balcony, just barely able to see the light surrounding the Bruxishes swimming through it as they passed by.
Rotomdex then revolved around Sun’s head, getting his attention. “What are we zzuppozzzed to do now zz-zzzt? These Prizzm guyzzz zzzound pretty terrifying zzzt-zzzzzzz!”
“They weren’t this bad until now,” Gladion said.
“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “One knocked you unconscious for a few hours the first time we faced them!”
“They weren’t willing to kill us! That they would go this far…”
Lillie jumped between the two. “It doesn’t matter how strong they are now or how strong they were back then! Rotomdex is right, we need to come up with a plan to escape before we all drown here!”
“Well,” Spike disdainfully mentioned, “I’m up for anything at this point, really.”
Sun pulled the clip of Beast Balls up into his sights, looking at them contemplatively before turning to face his other friends.
“Spike, catch!” Hearing Sun’s voice, Spike turned around and saw the clip coming at him, catching it with both arms.
“Sun?” Spike spoke softly and reverently. “You’re giving me the Ultra Beasts?”
“I have my own Pokémon on me. If we want any hope on surviving this, we’ll need all the support we can get. Besides, it looks like Gladion already gave his Ultra Beasts to Rainbow Dash.”
Spike, accepting of the responsibility bestowed upon him, now looked to the five balls with confusion. “So, uh… how am I supposed to know which is which?”
“Let me help you, friendo!” Rotomdex twirled down excitedly and scanned each ball with its back camera in a matter of seconds. “Done!”
Rotomdex twirled around twice before facing Spike with its screen, an image of a clown-like creature with a skinny body striped yellow, blue, and magenta, wide cuffs and a collar on its wrists and neck, and a floating orb of round lights and two dotted star patterns on both sides of it like eyes for a head.
“Blazzzephalon!” Rotomdex informed him. “The Fireworkzzz Pokémon! A UB that appeared from the Ultra–”
“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” Sun spoke, “but perhaps save the descriptions for another time?”
“O– O– Oh!” Rotomdex’s face returned to showcase its canned horrified regret. “My apologiezzz, Zzzun zz zzt! I’ll get right to it zzt!” He then looked back to Spike with the image of Blacephalon on its screen again, Twilight and Rainbow Dash coming over to look over his shoulder. “Blazzzephalon’zz known movezz are Szzhadow Ball, Light Zzzcreen, Flame Burzzzt, and Mind Blown zzz zzzzt!”
Tapping its screen, the image showing on Rotomdex now was the white jellyfish creature with the translucent top.
“Hey!” Spike tapped on the image with the end of his claw. “I’ve seen that one! Lillie, you showed it to us when we first met you! What was it, Night Eggo or something?”
“Clozzze, little buddy zz zzt!” Rotomdex exclaimed. “Nihilego. Itzz movezz are Power Gem, Azzzid Spay, Mirror Coat, and Pzzzywave!”
Tapping the screen again, Rotomdex changed the image of a muscular red bug centaur with four insect-like legs and two hulking arms connected to a muscular body. “Buzzzzwole! Thizzz guy knowzz Lunge, Dynamic Punch zz zzt, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch zzzz zzzzzzt! Wow, that’zzz a lotzza punch zzz zzzt!”
Another tap, another image, this time revealing a green, conical Pokémon with a small head attached to a long and extremely skinny and bony neck, as well as two metallic arms with thrusters for fingers that matched the ones beneath its main body. “Zzzelezzteela!” Rotomdex’s saying of its name made Spike and Twilight blink in familiarity. “Thizzz beaut knowzz Heavy Zzzlam, Air Zzzlash, Zzzeed Bomb, and Flash Cannon.”
Finally, the final tap of its screen showcased the obese black dragon with a gaping blue mouth with yellow-fanged lips spanning its entire belly with two claws reaching out from the corners of its maw. “And Guzzzlord! Thizzz one’ll be great against Pzzzychiczz, with it being a Dark-type and all! Anywayzz, it knows Dragon Rush, Crunch, Hammer Arm, and Zzztomping Tantrum!”
“Alright!” Rainbow Dash bumped Spike in the back of the shoulder with her hoof. “Sounds like you got some good ones! What about me? What other Beasts do I have.”
Gladion breathed out. “I’ll give you a small crash course, but we really can’t be spending much more time playing ‘Learn Our Pokémon.’” He tapped to the first ball on her belt once before pointing to the second. “You already know Xurkitree, and this one is Naganadel.”
Rotomdex quickly floated over and scanned both Beast Balls, showing them both Xurkitree and a purple, bee-like dragon with a large abdomen tipped with a massive stinger. “Zzurkitree knows the movezz Power Whip, Zzzzzap Cannon, Zzzignal Beam, and Tail Glow, while Naganadel knowzz Dragon Pulzzze, Toxzzzic, Venoszzhock, and Air Zzzlaszzh!” He got odd looks from Gladion and Rainbow Dash. “What zzz zzzzt?! Szzhe szzhould know how to uzze herzz too!”
“No, that’s good,” Sun encouraged. “Keep going.”
“Okie dokezz zzzt!” It then moved down the belt to the next three balls, unveiling each new picture, the first being a small origami samurai made of a thin metal with two blades for arms. “Kartana. Thizzz guy knowzz Zzzacred Zzzword, Leaf Blade, Xzz-Zzzcizzzzor zzt, and Zzzmart Zzztrike zzzzzzzzt!”
Rotomdex shook the sparks out of its system before showing the next picture, a large cube box of bricks with bricked legs, some of the blocks unveiling a single blue eye. “Zzztakataka. Thizzz one knowzz Rock Zzzlide, Iron Head, Bide, and Iron Defenzzze. And lazzztly…”
Rotomdex showed the image of a long, skinny insect with feminine features, including two wings that draped down its head like hair. “Pheromozzza! Szzhe alzzzo knowzz Lunge, azz well azz High Jump Kick, Bounzzze, and Low Kick!”
“Nice!” Rainbow Dash ran her hoof along the Beast Balls. “We’re going to have a good time!”
“Alright?” Spike spoke up. “Did anyone think of a plan during all that?”
“Wait,” Twilight suddenly mentioned, “how big did you say Celesteela was again?”
The numbers appeared in large, bold font on Rotomdex’s screen. “Thirty feet and two inchezz!”
Twilight’s eyes shot open before they slowly closed halfway with a cocky smirk. “Then I think I may have an idea.”
“What is it?” Lillie tilted her head down, ready to hear her out.
“That Pokémon is covered in rockets. If it can fly fast enough in the opposite direction of the water wall’s flow, its size alone should disrupt it and break it apart!”
“Alright?” Rainbow Dash was getting into it, but more variables were keeping her unconvinced. “And what about those robot things up on top?”
“Rotomdex, tell me about that Mind Blown move Blacephalon has. Can that stop them?”
“Abzzzolutely!” Rotomdex opened up Blacephalon’s image once again, and with four colored bars labeling each move sliding in beside it, the red one at the bottom flashed before it expanded and unveiled more information. “Bazzze Power: 150. Accurazzzy: 100. The uzzer attackzzz everything around it by cauzzing itzzz own head to exzzplode.”
“WHAT?!?” The three Equestrians yelled.
“That sounds awesome!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “I am totally on board with this!”
“Did you not hear it?” Twilight shouted back. “It blows up its own head!”
“You don’t need to worry,” Sun assured them. “I’ve tested the move myself after I caught it. It grows back.”
“See?!” Rainbow Dash was more convinced than ever. “Like a Pokémon’s going to know a move that literally kills itself! Come on, Spike! Let’s make this happen!”
“Hold on!” Lillie shouted. “How are we going to go about doing this? You can’t let Celesteela out in here, and the Metangs above us will attack Spike the first chance they get!”
“Not if I ride Rainbow Dash out of there!” Spike excitedly interjected. “She’s so fast that they’ll never hit her! That’ll give me plenty of time and space to send it out! They’ll hardly know what hit them!”
“Yeah, Spike, my boy!” Rainbow Dash pounded her hoof into Spike’s balled fist, the two of them ready to go with this.
Gladion forced a firm nod. “Alright. Sounds like a good enough idea to me. Sun, Lillie, you still have your Ride Pagers?” The two pulled them from their pockets and showed them to him. “Then we’re ready. Rainbow Dash, Spike, good luck out there.”
“And be careful!” Twilight lowered herself to Spike’s level. “I don’t need anything happening to any more of my friends today!”
“Come on, Twilight, we’ll be fine!” Spike jingled the clip of Beast Balls in front of her. “Besides, what’s the worst Prism can do when we have these guys on our side?”
“Still, they’re going to stop at nothing to keep that wall up. And that means–”
Spike put his hands to her shoulders. “Twilight, seriously. Everything’ll be fine. Now please, we need to go now.”
With nothing more to say, Twilight slipped her arms around Spike’s back as he put her arms around her neck in an insuring hug.
Rainbow Dash allowed the two a few seconds before she nudged him in the back. “Okay, dude, whenever you’re ready.”
Getting low herself, Spike turned around and hopped up onto her back, hugging around the back of her neck as she trotted to the balcony exit. Both of them turned back and looked to their friends one last time, who showed them their Ride Pagers while Twilight unfurled her wings, ready to go themselves.
“Alright!” Rainbow Dash began to flap her wings, charging up speed. “Hold on tight!”
In a short burst, Rainbow Dash and Spike were replaced by a rainbow-colored tail that disappeared in the direction of their flight from the back up. Upon keeping close to the Aether Paradise building, Spike and Rainbow Dash glanced upward to already see the Metangs flying down to meet and attack them.
Rainbow Dash let out an insulted laugh as they got nearer. “Is that all?! Smell you guys, later!”
With a push forward, Rainbow Dash tripled her speed, leaving the Metangs far away from their circuit.
As Rainbow Dash descended a couple stories lower, she glanced behind them to see the Metangs were officially off their trail. “Okay, Spike, do it!”
Spike pulled the Beast Ball off his belt and turned to look at the wall before winding his arm back. “Let’s go, Celesteela!”
Once the ball opened up, a massive stream of white energy poured out and formed into Celesteela’s titanic shape, Spike and Rainbow Dash unprepared for the large cone of light that it became. Outside on the Aether yacht, Faba leaned in on the control panel in the bridge to look out the windows, just barely able to see Celesteela’s form and features before they were blocked off behind the tinted windows and the water wall before them, turning into a giant silhouette.
“Those damned children!” Running out from the bridge, Faba descended a flight of stairs back to the main deck where Chrysalis and their grunts were waiting, looking out at the wall in complete fear over what Pokémon had just been summoned.
“Faba!” Chrysalis gasped. “What was that thing?!”
“An Ultra Beast!” Faba passed her and stood at the front of the bow. “They managed to get them after all!” He then faced the length of the ship, his hands clutched to the railing. “I need twelve of you before me immediately!”
Several grunts already began running to the front of the ship, some of them leaving the Kadabras helping to hold the water wall up behind. Faba quickly glanced between each grunt that stopped and stood to his attention. Upon spotting the twelfth line up, he threw his arms forward.
“Stop!” Those that didn’t make the group to join the others were cowed by his commanding bark, stepping back to let the twelve that made it stand out as he came down to stand in the middle of this group. “Chrysalis, I leave the remaining grunts to you. If at any time you sense something wrong, come to our aid immediately.”
Chrysalis frowned, knowing it was not much to go on. “Of course, Faba. Whatever you say.”
“Perfect.” Faba took a Poké Ball from his belt and dropped it beside him, his Alakazam forming from its energy to stand by his side.
With the first group of grunts standing close, Alakazam held its arms out, its spoons glowing and covering them all with light. With a loud whine and a zap, the light vanished along with Faba, Alakazam, and the others. With the extra space on the boat, the remaining grunts gathered around Chryalis, who looked up into the water wall, hoping to see even a little bit of the battle that was soon to commence.
Sun, Lillie, Gladion, Twilight, and Rotomdex watched as Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Celesteela made another pass by the balcony, only having gone a bit faster than the last time.
“Come on!” Twilight groaned. “Even Rainbow Dash should know that they’re fast enough by now!”
“They can’t take any chances here.” Gladion pinched his chin, also anxious. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Prism is already planning a way around this.”
Immediately, a flash of light appeared on the balcony, revealing six grunts who already began briskly walking at them. Fearfully, Twilight and the three humans backed away as they poured inside, spreading out to surround them in a semicircle. They stood still and began to look around to face each of their enemies, only to find that the circle was closed off by the other six fencing them in on the other side. With their backs against each other, Sun, Lillie, Gladion, and Twilight each took their sights on three grunts at a time.
“G– G– Gladion,” Rotomdex whimpered as he spun around and dizzied itself, “you and your big mouth zz zzt!”
Rainbow Dash glanced over at Celesteela as she felt the wind and mist running over her face, gauging her speed. “Okay, Spike! I think it’s time now!”
“Alright!” Spike pointed to the aqueous barrier. “Celesteela, into the wall–”
A flash appeared in the upper right corner of Spike and Rainbow Dash’s vision, looking up to it to see Faba flying alongside the wall with his Alakazam. Faba grinned as his Alakazam channeled its Psychic power onto Celesteela, forcing it away from the wall to fly directly between it and the Aether Paradise. He then tossed another Poké Ball out, letting his Raichu out from it. Immediately, it began to speed around the wall, going in the same direction as it.
Rainbow Dash looked at his face, instantly recognizing him from Mount Hokulani, the memory of which made her scowl. “You…”
Faba heard her clearly, staring directly into her eyes. “Hello again, Rainbow Dash.”
Gladion clenched his fists hard enough to whiten his knuckles. “You guys would really board a sinking ship just to finish us off quicker?”
“I mean,” the young male grunt with the short sand-brown hair spoke, “we would have been just fine with you staying in there and drowning, but then you just had to bring out the Ultra Beasts, didn’t you?”
An older dark-skinned female grunt shrugged her hands up and looked around. “So where even is Wicke? She put so much effort into helping you get those Pokémon and she doesn’t even choose to fight with you?”
Lillie furrowed her brow, looking angrier than any of the grunts had ever seen her. “Wicke’s dead.” These two words softened the grunts expressions into ones of genuine disarming shock. “She never defected. It was Mother who helped us retrieve the Ultra Beasts, and if it makes you all feel that much better, because I know Faba certainly will, she sacrificed her life to do so.”
“Hoh…” A female grunt with a dark-blue Mohawk put a single fist to her hips. “And what a doting mother she is to do something like that! Still, with or without the Ultra Beasts, you and your friends are not going to leave this building alive!”
“We’ll see about that!” Twilight tore a Poké Ball from her belt and threw it out between her and the ring of grunts. “Let’s go, Mismagius!”
As the cloak-and-hat ghost floated down from its ball, Sun, Lillie, and Gladion chose their first Pokémon as well.
“Go, Decidueye!”
“You’re up first, Blissey!”
“Weavile, let’s go!”
Sun’s green owl, Lillie’s white and pink pouched creature, and Gladion’s icy, headdressed weasel all appeared before their trainers, awaiting which Pokémon the grunts would bring out. In a single motion, all twelve grunts pulled Poké Balls off their belts and threw them out with a hard shout. A cascade of white light poured from their balls to let their Pokémon out, allowing three Kadabras, two Espeons, two Orangurus, two Hypnos, a Metang, a Slowking, and a Pa’u-style Oricorio to surround the four trainers and their Pokémon.
“Gyah!” Rotomdex’s lapse of fear quickly morphed into one of pride. “Even when it’zzz twelve-on-four, you creepzzz are no match for these guyzz zz zzzt!”
Gladion spun around and pointed back at an Oranguru to his left. “Weavile, hit that Oranguru with Night Slash!”
Weavile ran a tight circle to the left as it began to run out at the large, mildly-indignant ape.
The Mohawked grunt pointed her finger at his Pokémon. “Don’t let him reach him! Metang, finish it with Brick Break!”
With Weavile halfway to its target, the grunt’s Metang shot at it with its arms pulled back and ready to punch. Weavile glanced its eyes in its direction, seeing it coming. With an agile jump, twist, and flip of its body, it leapt over Metang as it passed beaneath it, landing back straight to continue its advance toward the Oranguru. With its claws glowing black, Weavile hopped up again and dragged both of its claws against its chest, pushing it back toward its trainer.
“No!” An overweight grunt with a red hair bun threw his hand in Weavile’s direction. “Kadabra, Dazzling Gleam!”
Grabbing at its glowing spoon, the grunt’s Kadabra opened its hand back up to unleash a bright light whose force collided into both Weavile and the Oranguru it attacked, throwing them back.
“Hey!” the Oranguru’s pale, bald grunt shouted. “Watch it!”
“Maybe if the Metang hit it the first time, I wouldn’t have to!” the overweight grunt retorted.
“Spirit Shackle!” The Kadabra and its grunt turned forward again to see Sun’s Decidueye leap out to see its target, loosing its bow to shoot its arrow at the heart of Kadabra’s shadow on the floor.
With its free hand, Kadabra clutched its chest and sunk to a knee on the ground, its eyes shut tight as it tried to weather through the pain. At once, three female grunts, the dark-skinned woman, one with short-brown hair and hooped earings, and another with short reddish-brown hair, pointed their fingers at Decidueye.
“Hypno!” the first grunt shouted. “Hit Decidueye with Ice Punch!”
“And then follow it up with Fire Punch!” the next grunt shouted.
“Finish it with Air Slash, Oricorio!” the last grunt added.
Both Hypnos came at Decidueye from both sides of their ring as the Oricorio flew up high above to wait for the first two attacks. The first Hypno swung its pendulum around its fist and threw it forward, its fingers and knuckles frosting over. With a firm punch in the chest, Decidueye was slammed back into the flaming thrusting fist of the second Hypno, sending it to the ground. Oricorio threw its wings down, sending two blades of air down on Decidueye’s already singed back that covered the rest of its body in a cloud of dust.
“Decidueye!” Twilight cried.
“Buddy zzzzzzt!” Rotomdex verbally glitched
“Mismagius, hit that Hypno with Shadow Ball!”
The Pokémon’s dark ball formed before its face before it thrust its head forward, shooting the purple orb into the one of the Hypnos' chests, knocking it on its back. Six more grunts came forward to declare their attacks, the first of which was the bald trainer of the Oranguru, a skinny male grunt with ice-blue hair, and a black female grunt with medium-length hair.
“Oranguru!” the bald grunt shouted. “Attack the bitch’s Mismagius with Foul Play!”
“And then use a Shadow Ball yourself!” the Kadabra’s grunt yelled out.
“You too, Oranguru,” the blue-haired grunt commanded.
Getting into a runner’s lunge, Oranguru pushed off the floor with both its hands and feet before driving its black aura-trailing fist into Mismagius’s face. As it flipped back once to maintain an upright position, its back was assaulted by the Kadabra’s Shadow Ball attack, grounding it and sending it onto its face. As it picked itself up, the other Oranguru’s Shadow Ball struck its head and exploded all over its body. Twilight let out a shuddered gasp as three more grunts came forward, their sights now on Lillie and her Blissey.
“Espeon!” a male and female grunt with buzzed black hair and a black ponytail shouted. “Attack Blissey with Psyshock!”
With the Espeons standing on either side of it, both Espeons channeled several sparking orbs of magenta light that they threw onto Blissey’s body, an anguished cry escaping its mouth as it bent over and tried to protect its head with its arms.
“And then finish it off with Brick Break, Slowking!” a male grunt with a patch of his black hair draping over his eye exclaimed.
Using its psychic powers, Slowking propelled itself at Blissey, colliding the tip of its crown onto the top of its head, sending her into Lillie’s body, causing both to slide back and nearly collide into Sun’s back.
Lillie rested her Pokémon down in a comfortable position on its back, feeling its body tremble. “Blissey, are you okay?” Blissey’s eyes shot open as it rocked back onto its feet looking enraged at Slowking. “Nice work! Now…” she pointed up at the Oricorio hovering overhead, “attack Oricorio with Charge Beam!”
Spinning around, Oricorio squawked and tried to fly back to its owner, only for Blissey’s electricity-covered arms to swing down and point at the bird, shooting two thin beams of lightning that struck its back and covered its entire body.
With the Oricorio quickly recovering from the attack, its grunt laughed at Lillie’s supposed futile efforts. “Girl, that the best you got?”
“Not the best that we’ve got!” Twilight shouted. “Mismagius, Power Gem!”
Mismagius rose above the heads of the four trainers to face Oricorio, who barely saw the ghost coming before it shot a barrage of sparkling comet-like beams into the Oricorio’s head, wings, and body, slamming it down the ground and knocking it out cold.
“Yes!” Lillie pumped her fist. “Nice work, Twilight!”
“You’re a natural!” Rotomdex cheered with a twirl, Twilight flustered with their compliments and leaving her blushing.
“Weavile!” Gladion shouted, moralized by their first successful takedown. “Finish off the Oranguru with Night Slash!”
Weavile ran out at the bald grunt’s Oranguru, the overweight grunt and his Kadabra taking immediate notice. “Kadabra, finish it off with Dazz–”
The sound of another arrow piercing the floor stopped the grunt’s command in his throat, looking down to see a second arrow stuck in the ground, this one stuck at the base of the neck. Kadabra let out a painful grunt as it clasped its hand over its throat and fell forward onto its face, too tired to get up. Weavile’s attack continued, cutting out at the Oranguru’s chest hard enough to throw it onto its back for good.
Looking back up, the overweight grunt and bald grunt saw Sun and Decidueye standing together, the latter putting its wing back down at its side so both could threateningly cloak its body. The three grunts took out their Poké Balls and called their fainted Oricorio, Kadabra, Oranguru back inside before they stepped back, allowing the remaining grunts and their Pokémon to step forward and close the gaps.
“Come on, you bastards,” Gladion huffed. “Actually give us a challenge.”
Rainbow Dash pulled a Beast Ball off her belt as she continued chasing down Faba, his Raichu completing another lap just beneath them. “Let’s go, Kartana!”
Throwing the ball out, it opened up to reveal the origami samurai, who was small enough to fit inside the ball should it fold its already creased limbs in. Rainbow Dash blinked at the creature, completely unprepared for how small the creature really was, but she had to stay strong; her choice was made, and she’d have to life with it.
“Whatever, it’s still an Ultra Beast!” Rainbow Dash punched her hoof forward. “Kartana, attack Alakazam with X-Scissor!”
With a metallic warble like a cricket, Kartana flew forward at Faba and his Alakazam, who tightened their focus as it came close fast.
“Wait for it…” Faba warned, watching until Kartana hugged its arms in to slash. “Now, hit it with Focus Blast!”
With Kartana still approaching, the Alakazam crossed the bowls of its spoons together to form a bright reddish-brown light. Just as Kartana began to swing its arms out at the Alakazam, Faba’s Pokémon leaned back with its spoons still aimed at the Ultra Beast, launching its powerfull blast point blank into its entire body. Rainbow Dash and Spike gasped fearfully as Kartana limply tumbled away to be carried by the gusts brought on by the water wall’s current.
Faba sneered at the two Equestrians. “Did you think that just because you were now in possession of those wretched creatures you’d be able to defeat us? Ha! I was the one that began the program to combat them! If there was any other trainer in the world that realizes the power those Pokémon have, it would be me! Face it, you two, there’s nothing that you can possibly do that can surprise me!”
Spike looked down and saw as his Raichu came back around once more, the electricity beneath its tail charged much more violently now. Looking back up, Spike grimaced. “You’re not one for surprises yourself! Celesteela, hit Raichu with Seed Bomb!”
Faba winced, his sneak attack ploy thwarted. “Raichu! Attack now with Wild Charge!”
The Raichu increased its speed and flew up at Spike’s massive Pokémon, who swung its body and its arms out so that it was now upright and the thrusters at the ends of its arms were aimed at Faba’s Pokémon. Several large coconut sized objects were shot out of the thrusters like cannons, the first one whizzing past the Raichu’s head fast enough that even it knew that such a hit would have been lethal.
With a wince, Raichu dipped back down and flew close to the Aether Paradise to avoid the rest, glad to waste the attack to save its own life. Faba audibly grunted in frustration as his Pokémon flew away from him. Rainbow Dash then noticed a small wake appear on the side of the wall and out of Faba’s vision. Trying her best to see it in her peripherals, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes to see Kartana, alive and well, surfing the wall on its underside.
Rainbow Dash could tell from Faba’s expression that he realized what she ha seen. “Kartana, X-Scissor again!”
Blasting off the wall, Kartana hugged its arms in again and shot at Faba’s Alakazam.
Faba hardly had time to breath before he let his command out. “Alakazam, Focus–”
Kartana swung its arms out, striking Alakazam hard enough for it to falter its hold on itself and Faba. Rainbow Dash and Spike watched as both fell down toward the water screaming, Rainbow Dash cringing over the choice to let them fall or to go and catch them.
However, Faba’s Raichu came back around, keeping its eyes on its trainer and its other Pokémon. Reaching its arms out, it caught both of them, straining to hold them above the choppy waters. Alakazam and Faba recuperated from the shock, the former picking itself and Faba back up to fly back up, his Raichu now opting to stay closeby.
With Faba returning to Rainbow Dash and Spike’s level, Faba didn’t care how much pride Rainbow Dash took in his panting as he pulled out another Poké Ball. “I can’t let that happen again. Go Hypno!”
Lobbing his Poké Ball out, his yellow humanoid Pokémon appeared beside him and was caught by Alakazam, who shifted backwards as Raichu joined Hypno’s side to face Rainbow Dash and Spike’s two Ultra Beasts together.
“Espeon,” the ponytailed female grunt shouted, “Psyshock!”
The grunt with the blue Mohawk pointed at Gladion’s Weavile. “Metang, use Brick Break!”
The older dark skinned grunt and her Hypno faced Sun and his Decidueye. “Attack with Ice Punch!”
“Finish her with Shadow Ball, Kadabra,” the grunt with medium-length black hair declared.
At once, all four Pokémon attacked, the Espeon’s Psyshock knocking Blissy onto its side, the Metang’s claws jamming into Weavile’s gut, the Kadabra’s dark-purple orb slamming into Mismagius, and Hypno’s frosted fist reaching inside Decidueye’s hood and clocking it between its eyes.
Decidueye just barely managed to catch itself on the claws on its wings as its other three allies fell to their respective attacks, Rotomdex gasping over the situation. Gladion, Lillie, and Twilight returned their Pokémon to their balls as they quickly prepared to send out another.
“You guys won’t win!” Gladion declared before throwing his next Poké Ball out. “Go, Lucario!”
Gladion’s bipedal jackal stood guard of its trainer as Lillie threw her ball next. “Let’s go, Rapidash!”
Upon Lillie’s fire-maned and tailed unicorn taking the field to protect her, Twilight sent out one of Lusamine’s other Poké Balls. “Go, Clefable!”
The ball opened up and from the energy, her plush pink-winged creature formed to battle the nine remaining Grunts. At that moment, the water pooling into the Aether Paradise began to gurgle up through the lift shaft and spread across the floor, Lillie’s Rapidash fearfully leaping up at the puddle forming around its hooves. The others looked down nervously as the water continued to span, the grunts feeling much more confident now.
“We’re zzzinking.” Rotomdex’s voice became more excitable. “We’re zzzinking zzz zzzzt!”
“Well?” the grunt of the remaining Oranguru chided. “You don’t have much time left.”
“You’re right,” Sun breathed out before forcefully pointing to him, “which is why I’m going to start the next round with you and your Oranguru! Decidueye, hit it with U-Turn!”
With a hard puff of breath, Decideye took to the air and dove down at the ape, knocking its head into his with a small burst of green energy throwing it back even harder. Sun pulled its Poké Ball off his belt and aimed it upward as his Pokémon looped back around and flew towards the button in the ball’s center.
The red beam of the Poké Ball sucked Decidueye back in while Sun threw another Poké Ball out to replace it. “You’re on, Incineroar!”
Full of energy, Sun’s Incineroar came out from the Poké Ball roaring at the grunts and their Pokémon it faced.
As the remaining Oranguru got back up and faced the muscular red feline that replaced Decidueye, Gladion pointed out at it for his Pokémon to target. “Lucario, finish the Oranguru with Aura Sphere!”
Lucario held its arms out to its sides, a ball of bright blue energy forming between its paws. With a swing out, Lucario sent its orb out at the Oranguru, striking it right in the middle of its chest. Though the Pokémon was large, the Oranguru was launched off its seat and landed with a single backwards tumble, coming to a stop on its back where it settled down in the wet floors for good.
“Metang,” the grunt with the blue Mohawk shouted, “get Lucario with Psychic!”
With its body getting covered in a magenta glow, Lucario howled as it was lifted off the ground and its limbs were constricted in, squeezing tighter as the Metang approached slowly, its hold refusing to let up.
“Flare Blitz!” Metang’s pupils shot to the corners of its eyes just as Rapidash ran full gallop at it, its flaming, searing-hot horn piercing into its side and sending it splashing and clattering to the ground, freeing Lucario to fall into a kneel.
“Clefable!” Twilight exclaimed. “Use Metronome!”
Clefable rose its hand up and wagged its finger once, a faint twinkle appearing on the end of it. It then put its hands to its chest and closed its eyes to concentrate on the attack it was about to conjure. Opening its eyes, they met onto a Kadabra before it spread its lips with a cold and colorful beam leaving it and striking it in the face, the energy washing around its body in a brilliant display.
“What just happened?” Twilight wondered excitedly.
“Metronome allowzz Clefable to uzze any random move it wantzzz zz zzzt,” Rotomdex answered. “Lookzzz like it uzzed Aurora Beam!”
“That’s incredible!”
As the ice-blue haired grunt and the Mohawked grunt called their fainted Pokémon back, they stepped back to let the remaining seven grunts spread out in a more difficult attempt to close the gaps that were being left.
“You want to see incredible?” the sandy-brown haired grunt shouted. “Just wait until the leader wakes Necrozma back up! But first, Kadabra…!”
Both Espeons’ grunts also pointed at Sun’s Incineroar. “Espeon…!”
“Use Dazzling Gleam!”
All three Pokémon ran forward, the gems in their heads or the spoon in their hand glowing with bright white. Upon surrounding Incineroar close enough, they let the light and the colorful beams they invoked explode onto Incineroar, throwing the three Psychic Pokémon backward. As the light faded away, Sun and his friends were horrified to see his Pokémon already falling over and face-first into the shallow waters that continued to form.
“No, Incineroar!” Lillie cried.
“Juzzzt like that?!” Rotomdex yelped.
“Hypno!” the older dark-skinned shouted. “Hold Lucario up with Psychic again!”
“And then hit it with Fire Punch!” The tan-skinned grunt commanded to her own Hypno.
Holding its arms up, the first Hypno telekinetically picked Lucario up and held its arms and legs in, also bending it back slightly to further expose its stomach. The second Hypno swung its pendulum around its fist and thrust it forward as its knuckles glowed, its entire hand soon getting covered in flames. Lucario whined loudly as the sweltering blow stung and ached its stomach simultaneously, breathing heavier as nausea began to rise.
“Even for you guyzz, that’zzz cruel zzzzt!” Rotomdex scolded.
“We’ll live with it,” the grunt with the black bangs calmly said. “Slowking, hit Rapidash with Hydro Pump!”
“Attack Clefable with Psyshock, Espeon!”
As the Espeon launched its sparking magenta orbs at Clefable, pelting and exploding off of its body, the Slowking breathed in before shooting a massive torrent of water from its mouth that engulfed Lillie’s horse, sending its sliding off on its side onto the floor, the water levels already reaching the center of its back.
Lillie glanced over at her brother’s Lucario, who continued to be tortured by the older grunt’s Hypno before looking back to her weakened Pokémon. “Rapidash, please get up! Come on, Rapidash!”
The other grunts laughed as Rapidash continued to lay still in the pooling waters. Lillie began to whimper as Lucario’s barks of agony only served to make her own Pokémon’s seeming defeat even more despairing.
Twilight felt nervous as her own Pokémon had trouble standing back up. “Lillie…”
Sun couldn’t take any of it, spinning around to look down on Lillie’s Pokémon. “Rapidash, get up now! Your trainer needs you!”
As if his voice shook its soul, Rapidash’s eyes shot open and its thrashed about to its hooves, its mane and tail now small, short embers. With a shaking of its body, the strength of its fiery hair returned, now looking to face the Hypno holding Lucario, who looked back at it.
“That’s it!” Sun growled. “Now give it your all!”
Lillie huffed a breath out, thankful for her dear friend’s assistance. “Rapidash, attack Hypno with Megahorn!”
Galloping as fast as it could through the water, Rapidash ignored the splashes hitting its chest and face as its horn began to glow green. The Hypno Rapidash ran at shielded its face with its arms while Lillie’s Pokémon drilled it in the ribs sending it flying back hard and relinquishing its hold on Lucario, who faltered upon trying to land on the ground, clutching its stomach and continuing to pant.
Gladion nodded to Lillie before going to the Kadabra that Clefable had attacked. “Lucario, finish the Kadabra off with Flash Cannon!”
Two argent auras formed over Lucario’s paws. Holding its arms out as it swung around, it then clapped them together and shot a tremendous metallic beam upon coming before the Kadabra, blasting it off and far down the room, leaving it unconscious before it came to a stop.
Sun threw a Poké Ball out toward Slowbro and its trainer. “Decidueye, finish it off with Leaf Blade!”
With the energy of the ball forming in midair, Decidueye fell from it with its wing raised up, punching down past Slowbro’s head and slashing its leafy feathers down its face, also managing to slam the Pokémon’s head into the floor through the water. Decidueye flew back to its trainer as the grunt with bangs returned his fainted Pokémon to its ball in exasperation.
“Come on, Clefable!” Twilight encouraged. “Use Metronome again, make it count!”
Clefable reached its wagging, shining finger up before the move it was soon to use came to it. Facing the remaining Hypno, Clefable clenched its fists, which began to seep an ominous black light, unnerving the older grunt’s Pokémon. Throwing its arms forward, Clefable created a pulse of wispy dark-purple energy that thrust hard into Hypno’s stomach and sent it on its back into the water, where it floated motionlessly.
“Night Dazze?!” Rotomdex yelled, twirling about high up in the air. “You four are amazzing!”
With only a single Kadabra and two Espeons left between the remaining grunts, Sam and his friends began to take the victory they were soon to receive in stride.
Faba kept his eye on Kartana, who weakly flew by Rainbow Dash. “Hypno, use Hypnosis on Kartana!”
“What?!” Rainbow Dash and Spike looked over as Hypno calmly swung its pendulum before the Ultra Beast, rings of calming pink light closing in on Kartana’s face as it didn’t even try to avoid them.
They were then worried to see as Kartana began to drift aimlessly in its slumber, carried by the whirlpool’s gales and soon to crash into the wall. Rainbow Dash let out an exasperated shout as she pulled its ball of its belt, the red beam from it connecting with the creature before it could get carried away.
Faba grinned, his battle going along swimmingly. “Now to deal with that other pesky beast. Raichu, use Nuzzle on Celesteela!”
His Raichu flew out past Celesteela and began to ride its tail on its body and swirled its way up, leaving its body popping with sparks as it made its way up to the tip of its head. Upon rejoining Hypno’s side, the Raichu looked to admire its work, Celesteela’s mouth scowling as it tried to control its arms but failed.
“Come on, Celesteela, you can do it!” Spike shouted. “Hit his Raichu with Heavy Slam!”
With a sputter of its thrusters, Spike could see that there was nothing it could do.
“Rotten trick, but let’s see you try to beat this!” Rainbow Dash pulled out another Beast Ball and threw it out at the wall. “Go, Pheromosa!”
With the ball letting out the slender, feminine insect, Rainbow Dash and Spike were most pleased to see it running against the wall with blurry, hard to track legs, its eyes kept on Faba and his Pokémon.
“Yeah, alright!” Rainbow Dash threw her hoof out to point at Faba’s Hypno. “Pheromosa, hit Hypno with Lunge!”
Jumping off the wall, Pheromosa flew in a straight line at Hypno before driving its knee into its gut and throwing it far from Faba’s Alakazam’s grasp. Alakazam and his Raichu soared down to follow it, taking Faba with them. Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Celesteela flew down back to Pheromosa, who fell to the water and began to run along its surface to follow Faba, whose Alakazam managed to catch Hypno before it could hit the water.
“Okay, Faba, last chance before we go after your Alakazam next! I sure hope your Raichu is strong enough to catch you!”
Faba recovered its balanced pose and was turned about to face Rainbow Dash and Spike once again. “Oh, Rainbow Dash!” he said in a mockingly fake sad voice. “They still haven’t had their turn yet!”
“Who?” Spike loudly questioned. “Who still hasn’t had their turn?”
Faba chuckled, the baby dragon having walked right into his punchline. “The Metangs, of course!”
Rainbow Dash and Spike gasped as all four Metangs dove down at once with a Psychic aura forming around the fronts of their bodies for a combined Zen Headbutt attack.
Rainbow Dash could only think of one thing. “Spike, hold on!”
Rainbow Dash jerked to the side to let the four Pokémon crash into Pheromosa, leaving behind a massive splash that rose close to the second story window from where the descending building had sunk by that point. With the flight and battle continuing, Rainbow Dash let out a regretful grunt as she continued to follow Faba, ready to get the Pokémon back on the next lap.
“This one should do it!” Faba shouted. “Raichu, take Celesteela out with Thunderbolt!”
With its cheeks charged with energy, its body shone brightly as a stream of its own light shot off the top of its head and arced over onto Celesteela’s, covering it in the same harsh surge and glow. Spike glanced over as Celesteela began to descend, unable to keep itself up any longer. With a hiss, Spike was forced to return the beast back into its ball before it could crash.
Coming around once more, Rainbow Dash noticed Pheromosa floating lifelessly on the water. Aiming the center of its ball at it, the red beam brought it back in, allowing the blue pegasus to keep up her chase. Glancing up, Spike noticed the four Metangs hovering above them, awaiting the next Pokémon they would take out upon either of them bringing it out.
Spike pulled off another Beast Ball, which he now looked at more nervously than ever. “Spike!” Rainbow Dash called. “What are you bringing out now?”
With the Aether Paradise sinking lower and lower into the sea, Spike forced himself to get brave and make his next decision. “We gotta’ do it. It’s our only way!”
“Whoa, Spike! You’re not seriously thinking–”
“Go, Blacephalon!”
Spike tossed the ball up into the air without second thought. Once it opened, the alien clown spun about from the ball’s energy to make its grand, theatrical entrance. With several small equal bursts of colorful firework blasts booming from its hands, Blacephalon managed to bounce its way around the Aether Paradise to keep up with Rainbow Dash.
Faba began to laugh heartily. “Do you forget where you’re fighting, little dragon? Do you not remember what lurks within this watery barrier? Perhaps they can remind you!”
Two Bruxish burst out from the wall and flew at Blacephalon on their oceanic tendrils, opening their mouths wide and biting down hard on its arms. With an anguished leaning back, Blacephalon began to fall toward the water.
“No!” Rainbow Dash and Spike cried out, reaching for their only key of escape.
Pulling its arms back down, Blacephalon produced two larger blasts that propelled it above Rainbow Dash and Faba. It then aimed the bottoms of its hands at the Bruxish still clamped to its arms and with another dual explosion, it blew both fish off of it to land back into the water.
Spike let out a loud, whooping laugh to see it escape. “Good job! Now get higher! High as you can possibly go!”
Blacephalon aimed its hands down again, producing bursts from them like machine gun fire, sending it high up toward the rim of the water wall.
“No, you don’t!” Faba and his three Pokémon looked upward. “Raichu, send it back down with–”
The explosion of a Dragon Pulse attack slammed into Faba’s Raichu’s head, knocking it off its tail and throwing it backward. In its series of flips, the Raichu grabbed its board once again and flew back to rejoin its other allies. Like Hypno and Alakazam, Raichu was also shocked to now see Rainbow Dash’s Naganadel flying before her and Spike.
Faba grimaced, annoyed more than anything. “And now you send a Poison-type to counter me? Metangs, after Blacephalon! Raichu, Hypno, Alakazam, hit it with Psychic!”
Spike could only focus on the Metangs as they raced up to try and stop Blacephalon, who was already a few stories beneath the top of the wall, but a couple above the Aether Paradise. Reducing the strength of its bursts, the Ultra Beast hovered over while it awaited for the Metangs to get close. Rainbow Dash moaned as Naganadel wailed its harsh screech, the combined efforts of Faba’s Pokémon’s attack hurting it greatly.
Spike couldn’t care less, seeing as the Metangs were finally close enough in range to do what he set out to. “Blacephalon! Mind Blown, now!”
“What?!” Faba glanced up, watching as the clowny Pokémon juggled its round head between both hands before throwing it down at the four approaching Metangs.
Though they tried to slow themselves, they couldn’t do so in time as the head detonated in a massive technicolor explosion of individual lights that was as brilliant and beautiful as it was powerful. The blast completely annihilated the roof for the conservation level, showering glass and hot balls of red, blue, yellow, and green flame that touched the grass and trees inside, setting them alight.
On the yacht, Chrysalis and the grunts watched in sheer amazement as the force from the burst completely knocked the entire top half of the wall away and back into the ocean, suddenly feeling the shockwave beneath them. As the massive surface of water threatened to land atop them, Chrysalis cast a barrier over the entire boat, saving herself, the grunts aboard, and the Pokémon from facing several tons of water falling right on top of them.
“Damn…” The sheer rocking of the boat only served to heighten Chrysalis’s worry. “That couldn’t have been good.”
Decidueye’s arrow pierced through the water and into Espeon’s wavy shadow beneath it. With the last Pokémon falling, and with Gladion’s Crobat and Lillie’s Starmie already out, none of the grunts had any Pokémon left to fight for them, leaving them angered and nervous for their safety. Just then, the shockwave from the Mind Blown attack shook through the building and vibrated the water around everyone’s knees, making their situation all the more precarious.
“Oh zz zzzt!” Rotomdex exclaimed. “I think Zzzpike and Rainbow Daszzh did it!”
Sun finished spraying his Decidueye with a Max Poition as he turned his eyes to the balcony. “We need to move now then!”
“Milotic!” Twilight threw a Poké Ball out near their exit. “Carry us over, quickly!”
The ball opened up, unleashing Lusamine’s gorgeous serpentine fish, the water deep enough for it to slither over to Sun, Lillie and Gladion and allow them to hold on. Snaking its way past the defeated grunts, Milotic carried the three humans over to the balcony as Twilight, Rotomdex, Crobat, Starmie, and Decidueye flew overhead, the former shaking the water soaking the fur around her hooves. The balcony was already half submerged, the humans letting go of Twilight’s Pokémon and holding onto it for future support.
As Twilight returned Milotic to its ball, the three other trainers took their Ride Pagers out from their pockets and summoned a Charizard ball. They all aimed the metallic Poké Balls to the balcony, letting them open up and letting the saddled dragons stand atop the railing. All three Charizards became nervous as they realized they had to balance on the thin banister or else fall into the waters surrounding them. As Twilight and Crobat helped Gladion on his Charizard’s seat, Decidueye and Starmie sufficiently lifted their trainers onto their seats, the three dragons all looking ready to fly immediately.
Looking to the right, the group saw as Faba flew backwards with his Raichu, Hypno, and Alakazam while being chased by Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Naganadel, who appeared to survive Faba’s attack. “Charizard,” Sun roared, “after them!”
Pushing off the railing, the three trainers’ Charizard’s were airborne, Twilight and the other Pokémon flying to follow them.
Just before they went to make the turn, Gladion and Crobat began to go right, confusing Rotomdex. “G– Gladion! What are you doing zzz zzzzt?!”
“No, he’s right!” Twilight took a tight turn right and flew to follow him. “We’ll catch Faba from behind! We’d never catch up with them!”
Lillie and Sun’s Charizard’s dove down and twisted around to redirect themselves to follow the others, Decidueye and Starmie following in their same path, readying themselves to meet Faba on the next lap around.
With Rainbow Dash’s focus still on Faba, Spike kept his eyes on the headless Blacephalon, who fell toward the ocean along with the four fainted Metangs. As the two got close to each other, Spike aimed his Beast Ball at the fainted Pokémon and brought it back in with a long red beam, leaving the four Metangs to hit the water one at a time.
Faba, seeing his plan fall to partial ruin, began to breath audibly and furiously. “You little bastard! You tricked me!”
“It comes with living with one of the smartest ponies in Equestria,” Spike taunted.
“Grrr! Once I finish off Naganadel, I’m going to destroy you two! Alakazam! Attack the Ultra Beast with–”
“U-Turn!” Faba’s Raichu spun to face behind itself just as Decidueye’s talons pierced onto Raichu, knocking it back into Faba’s vision.
Faba barely managed to catch Raichu with the red beam of its Poké Ball before it struck the water. With Faba, Alakazam, and Hypno looking behind themselves, they saw as Decidueye looped back around and returned inside Sun’s Poké Ball, who approached with Rotomdex, his other three friends, and their Pokémon.
Faba’s mouth hung open in fright. “No…”
“Naganadel, Air Slash!” Neither Faba nor his two remaining Pokémon saw Rainbow Dash’s Ultra Beast swing its stinger upward and create a band of sharp air that flew directly at Hypno.
The yellow Pokémon turned around just as it crashed into the sides of its ribs and sent it flying toward Sun and the others. Faba reluctantly returned his knocked-out Hypno back into its ball, only able to face the others coming at him.
“That’s what you get for keeping your back to me!” Rainbow Dash loudly rebuked.
Gladion and Lillie came to the front of the group along with Crobat and Starmie, an attack Faba was certain his Alakazam would not surivive.
“Crobat, attack with X-Scissor!”
“Starmie, use Swift!”
Crobat flew at Faba faster as Starmie hurled a wave of bright, spinning stars at him and his Pokémon. With Rainbow Dash and Naganadel still after him and Crobat closing in, Faba and his Alakazam let out a simultaneous huff before Alakazam’s spoons began to illuminate, covering the both of them in their glow. The flash disappeared along with them, Crobat and the Swift attack flying into nothing.
Sun and his group stopped to meet up with Crobat as Rainbow Dash and Spike slowed themselves down to face them. “You guys okay?” the pegasus asked them.
“Yeah,” Gladion huffed. “Looks like you held your own pretty well yourselves.”
“Aw, come on…” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head as she blushed. “He wasn’t that hard.”
“Hey guyzz?” Rotomdex elevated itself and pointed up toward the now open top of the shortened water wall. “We szzhould probably think about leaving now zz zzt!”
“Right!” Rainbow Dash concentrated back on their salvation, already beginning to ascend with Spike and Naganadel. “Come on! Last one to Melemele Island is a moldy carrot!”
Despite the childishness of her remark, Sun and the others were more than willing to quickly follow her, now able to leave Aether Paradise behind with everything they needed. As they climbed higher and higher, the amount of sky they were able to see became greater, adding to their sense of hope that they would make it.
Just then, A bright light and a wide pulsing flash following it exploded higher above them, Chrysalis, the remaining grunts, and several of their Psychic Pokémon being held by her magic appearing from it. With their exit to freedom blocked once again, Sun and his friends and Pokémon all stopped and kept their distance from the former changeling queen and her troupe of trainers.
“Like fish in a barrel,” she purred, charging her horn.
As she began firing multiple blasts of magic from her horn, the grunts’ Pokémon, including two Kadabras, two Espeons, two Metangs, a Bruxish, another Starmie, a Hypno, a Slowbro, a Slowking, and an Oricorio, all shot out a barrage of random attacks that each trainer knew they couldn't face.
“Everyone back down!” Sun dove his Charizard toward the open conservation area atop the building, shocked to see half the vegetation inside having caught fire already.
With little other choice, he and his Charizard continued their way down, swerving and juking away from more of Prism’s attacks. Sun’s Charizard pulled up upon slipping in and slid down the walkway to the edge of the end of the lift chamber. As he hopped off his mount, Lillie, Gladion, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Rotomdex fell inside too and landed near Sun at other parts of the walkway, the hail of attacks beginning to come to a stop once Decidueye, Crobat, Starmie, and Naganadel came in.
With another flash of green, Chrysalis, the grunts, and their Pokémon appeared along the western half of the outer parts of the walkway. With a brighter, whiter flash, Faba and his Alakazam appeared along the eastern half with the rest of his half-soaked grunts standing there.
After returning his Ride Charizard to his Pager, Gladion and Crobat turned to face Faba with a scowl, unable to hide the nervous beads of sweat being produced from the heat inside the room. “You guys take care of them! I’ll deal with this bastard!”
Faba grinned wide as the others turned their back to him. “Seems the pegasus has trouble following her own advice. Perhaps the final mistake she’ll make.”
“You talk too much. Perhaps the final mistake will be yours!”
“Hmph. I have a lifetime of mistakes left to look forward to. You and your friends, on the other hand…”
Faba and Alakazam widened their positions as the trainers with healthy Pokémon did the same. Chrysalis giggled as she rose her own belt of Poké Balls out, overly eager to finally defeat Twilight and her friends with them. As Sun and Lillie called their Charizard’s back, Decidueye and Starmie readied themselves to defend their trainers until their dying breaths. Spike and Rainbow Dash were also ready, Spike grabbing another Beast Ball from his belt with Naganadel observing closely from above. Twilight also readied herself, her magic glow covering the balls latched to her belt.
The site of their final battle on the Aether Paradise was cleared. All that was left was for the first trainer to declare an attack.