Lake Valor was a war-zone.

Beams of electricity and pillars of flame and pressurized water flew in all directions, lighting up the darkness like fireworks. The air was heavy with the sound of battle. Explosions boomed all throughout, soon accompanied by the loud cracking of the ground as Pokemon threw themselves against one another with all the power they could muster. Very little could be heard over the panic and commotion.

Half a dozen battles were being carried out at the same time. A single trainer against four. Five Pokemon against a small army of them. And yet, it was anyone's fight.

"To your six, Priscilla!"

"Raise a barrier to your left, Nakuru!"

"To me, my companions! Shield me from these beasts' wrath!"

Reiko and Percy faced against two giants, Velstadt the Aggron and Aldrich the Snorlax laying waste to everything around them with their inhuman strength. Even with all their Pokemon, scratching the beasts alone was a difficult feat. Row after row of vines, water, flames, electricity and psychic energy slammed against their bodies without rest or mercy, and yet they barely seemed to feel it. It took their full combined efforts just to keep them at bay and avoid their devastating strikes.

Argenta fought alone against two of Shadi's Pokemon, though she counted with a little bit of help. Luxio, Staravia, Bibarel, Roselia. Dozens and dozens of wild Pokemon had come to her aid. Not one of them was strong enough to take on Ludwig the Alakazam and Oceiros the Kingdra individually, yet in such massive numbers they were succeeding in at least pushing them back toward the shore. Every time a burst of draconic flames or an explosion of psychic energy took a few of them out, twice as many would join from the surrounding woods, fighting tooth and nail to protect Argenta.

And, high above the lake, two winged behemoths tore into each other with the speed, power and ferocity only those of draconic spirits were capable of. Their trainers sat atop their backs, shouting orders. Around them the air boomed and exploded in ripples by the sheer force of each impact, the night itself glowing an almost white crimson with every torrent of flames spat out.

"Shadi! Please, stop this!"

Darkness flew through the air like ribbons as Midir stopped in mid air by her trainer's command, staring down her opponent with hungry, glowing ruby eyes. Palmer ordered Makura to stop as well. The Salamence stopped a few yards from his foe, snarling. For the first time since the battle had started, Shadi and Palmer saw face to face.

"What are you doing!?" he bellowed, desperate. "You… We thought you were…!"

An amused smile formed on her lips. "I'm afraid reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." At that, she let out a dry chuckle. "Heh… I've always wanted to say that."

"Have you gone mad!? You come back after all this time and…" Palmer shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you attacking us!? What happened to you!?"

"That is for me to know and for you not to find out," shrugged Shadi. "You needn't worry, though. It's not my intention to kill any of you, merely to put you all out of commission so that you can't aid our dear Champion." As she said that, her eyes seemed to glow with a cold, blue malice. "Today is a very important night, you see."

Palmer's mouth gaped. He tried to say something, but nothing came out of his lips. This was madness. This couldn't be happening. What the hell…?

"Please… Shadi, stop this. I don't want to fight you," he pleaded. "Your sister… Inyssa… she's been looking forward to see you again so badly. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt you."

Palmer immediately knew he'd pressed a nerve. The darkness around them seemed to solidify, to thicken, and the look that crept up Shadi's face was nothing short of glacial.

"Oh, don't you worry. She'll see me again very soon," she said. "So you just get out of my way. Midir!"

They disappeared in a flash. Makura batted his wings and threw himself back but there wasn't enough momentum, enough time; their opponent was too fast. A blur of red flew above them. The Salamence barely had time to react as his foe's flaming tail slammed against his stomach with the strength of a sledgehammer.

"AGH!"

The world spun around them. Palmer held on to dear life, and though he could barely tell what was happening, he was sure of one thing. They were falling.

"Up! Veer up!"

Sending energy through the muscles of his wings, Makura spun in place and batted them with such strength that he completely stopped his momentum, about forty yards from the ground. Unfortunately, that forceful maneuver didn't leave much space for dodging.

"This ends now," Shadi's voice was heard from above. "Flamethrower!"

In an instant, the sky became red. A wall of flames as wide as the lake itself rolled down toward them like a reverse tsunami. Time seemed to crawl. All four trainers looked up due to the sudden brightness, and as they did so the sheer shock and disbelief prevented them from reacting or issuing an order to their Pokemon.

Palmer opened his mouth, but it was too late. The flames were almost upon them and he couldn't–

"TAILWIND!"

Wind rose from behind them. An implosion of air from the forest surrounding them, coalescing in the middle of the lake in an instant, rising up toward the flames in the form of a gigantic hurricane. The crash sounded like steam rising from a kettle, amplified a thousand times. An explosion of pressurized air boomed in between the two flying beasts, sending them flying back.

"Agh!"

"W-what!?"

Ribbons of flame and currents of hot air flew in all directions, dissipating into nothing mere moments after. The attack had been completely neutralized. And from within the clouds of steam emerged the one responsible, standing atop an impressive specimen of a flying Pokemon; Staraptor.

Palmer's eyes shoot wide open. "N-no way…"

"You," growled Shadi.

The boy looked up at her, the icy blue of her eyes meeting a gold as bright as the moon itself. His lips curled up into a smile. Now that everyone's attention was focused on him, he opened his mouth and–

"Is that fucking Barry!?"

And just like that, Reiko's scream broke the atmosphere of awe and disbelief his sudden entrance had created. Barry closed his eyes and sighed.

"Never gonna get to make a cool entrance and deliver an awesome one-liner, am I?" he whispered to himself. "Oh well…"

He swung at the air with one hand, and the sound of an explosion was heard. Pink light burst in front of him in a cone.

"Grhk!"

The stream of pressurized air missed Shadi by a couple inches, the fabric of her shirt sliced as though by a knife, Midir's quick reflexes getting them out of the way just in time.

"H-hah… Came for a piece of me too, eh?" Shadi forced herself to smile, pain in her voice. "Fine by me. It'll save me the trouble of fighting you alongside my dear sister, so–"

"Shut up."

The wind itself seemed to still at the sound of Barry and Mesprit's voice, the two intertwined into one. The gold in his eyes shone more strongly than ever before.

"I don't care what you have to say," he growled. "You're not getting to Niss. I'm stopping you, right here and now."

----------------------------------------

The door closed behind Lucas, and all of a sudden he stood across the room from Sinnoh's most wanted man, sitting calmly behind his desk.

"Lucas…"

The Professor stood at his side, hands tied behind his back. Behind him, a grim-looking Alakazam kept one of his spoons close to the man's neck. A warning. Yet there was no worry on his face. Only fear, and not for himself.

"What do you think you're doing here you clueless boy!?" he bellowed, the tips of his mustache shaking. "Go! You still have a chance to escape if you're quick! Just…!"

"Wha– I'm not leaving you here!" Lucas countered, throwing his hand to the side. "D-do you have any idea how worried everyone is? When… when we heard you'd been captured…"

"And how do you think I'd feel if you were captured because of me!?"

Lucas froze, words dying in his mouth. "Wh-what?"

"Yes. That just happens to be the topic I'd been meaning to discuss with you, Lucas."

Cyrus stood up from behind his desk, holding his hands behind his back. He looked so tired. If Lucas weren't aware of what this man had done, he'd have thought him no threat at all. And yet…

"I'll be quick and concise. We do not have time to waste, and as auspicious as your visit is, it is also somewhat ill-timed," said Cyrus. "I'm waiting for a very important visitor, you see."

"What are you…?"

"You, Lucas, will become our hostage. And you will do so willingly."

Lucas simply stared, blinking, words failing him. What had he…?

"Cyrus!" Rowan's roar seemed to shake the walls, fury clinging to his voice. "Put a hand on him and I'll–!"

"Alakazam, please gag him."

He waved his spoon and there was a small flash of light. A pliable mass of psychic energy pressed against Rowan's mouth, preventing him from speaking.

"Professor!"

"There. Now we can discuss our terms more calmly."

Lucas turned toward Cyrus, hands balling into fists. "What… what do you think you're doing!? I'll never come with you! I'll rescue the Professor and–"

"Rescue him how?" asked Cyrus. "The Noctowl currently hiding in the darkness of the ceiling? The one you sneaked behind your back, thinking I wouldn't notice?"

Before Lucas could even open his mouth, Alakazam twirled his spoon. There was a flash of light. Something sharp cut through the air, and next thing he knew, Tiresias fell in a heap on the ground, a deep gash traveling from just under his neck to the base of his chest. Consciousness had left him.

"T-TIRESIAS!"

He returned him to his ball as though by reflex, knowing that the mechanism would help stabilize the injury. But now…

"Do not look so disappointed," said Cyrus. "It was a good plan. Saturn was right about you; you would have made for an excellent member of Team Galactic."

Lucas' hands began to shake. Tears of fear welled up in his eyes and his teeth clenched so strongly his jaw started to get numb. Tiresias had been his ticket out of here. He had more Pokemon, but Alakazam surely wouldn't let him even raise a finger toward his Pokeballs.

He doubted even Inyssa, in her endless knowledge of crass and flowery language, could find the words to describe just how fucked he was.

He did, however, know exactly what she and Barry would do if they were in his place.

"…My answer hasn't changed." He turned toward Cyrus, mustering all the valor he could and imbuing it into his voice. "If you want me as a hostage, then you'll have to come and take me."

The man did not look impressed. In fact, he looked only a few seconds short of rolling his eyes.

"You youths of Sinnoh love to unnecessarily throw yourselves at danger, don't you?" he whispered to himself. "I'm not fond of repeating myself, Lucas. I will not force you to come with me, though I easily could."

Lucas forced himself to laugh. "And how do you expect to–"

"If you don't come with us, I will have Rowan tortured."

"Wh–" His smiled died on his face, eyes slowly going wide, filling with panic. "W-what?"

"It is unfortunate. Rowan possesses knowledge that we desperately need in order to make our vision a reality. Knowledge that not even my talented team of scientists have been able to replicate," he explained. "And, unfortunately, he is not motivated enough to share it with us.

"I will be frank; if you hadn't shown yourself, Rowan would have come with us, and I would have been forced to torture the information out of him. We simply don't have time. But now that you're here… things are different. We can find a compromise, one that doesn't involve such suffering." He raised a hand toward Lucas, as though urging him to take it. "As cold and unfeeling as most view me, I find torture to be a rather unpleasant thing. I would like to avoid it if necessary."

Lucas swallowed, all of his previous gall and bravery evaporating with every word that Cyrus said.

"T-then…" He could barely get the words out. "You want m-me to come with you… to save the Professor?"

Cyrus nodded. At his side, Rowan struggled and tried to speak through the psychic gag, but was unable to do anything.

"Rowan holds you in high esteem. If you become our hostage, he will not dare disobey me, in fear that I will retaliate against you," explained Cyrus. "Thus, no harm will come to either of you. If, on the contrary, you decide to escape, then we will have no choice. And, as I'm sure you know, the Professor is a very sturdy and determined man. Just how much torture do you think we'll have to inflict on him before he surrenders his secrets?"

Lucas didn't need to think about it much. The Professor was the most resilient man he'd ever known; mere torture wouldn't do the trick, they would have to break him. An image flashed before his eyes. The Professor, hands tied behind his back, blood soaking his clothes in patches, bruises and cuts all over his body. A group of Pokemon around him, ready to do anything in their power to make him talk.

And, just like that, with that mental image, it was over. There was no doubt, no room for debate.

Lucas bowed his head, biting on his lower lip. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"I… I'll do it," he said. I'll come with y–"

There was a crack behind him, and then the door to the office flew inward with incredible force, hinges ripped apart and frame bent almost in half. There was a pink flash. With a loud bang the door crashed against an invisible barrier, preventing it from hitting Alakazam.

"What is…?" Cyrus' eyes went slightly wide. "Ah…"

Lucas, who'd yelped and jumped back at the sight of the flying door, turned toward the now empty opening, and gawked. It…it couldn't be.

"C-come on Airgetlam!" Saturn took a slow, wobbly step inside the room, holding a shaking hand against his stomach. Bronzong hovered at his side. "Heavy Slam!"

The bell-like creature moved with inhumane speed, white energy blasting from the inside of its hollow body. It raised one of its flat, metallic hands and brought it down. Alakazam was quick to react, though. Throwing the bound professor to the side, he raised both spoons in front of his face and fired a blast of psychic energy point-blank at Bronzong's body.

A loud gong was heard. The air shook with the impact of the blast, sending everyone in the room tumbling back.

And yet, Bronzong hovered before his opponent, only a superficial scratch to be shown on his body. Alakazam's eyes went wide in fear. Then that metallic arm came down upon him.

A deaf thump reverberated through the room. Alakazam fell face-first to the ground, his entire body shaking from the impact. The fight was over. And yet Lucas had barely noticed, all of his attention focused on the man before him. Unconsciously, he brought a hand to his chest. His lower lip quivered.

"S…Saturn?"

Lucas' voice was a pained amalgamation of all the terrible emotions, all of the panic and fear he'd felt ever since he'd decided to embark on this mission. It was a plea. Don't do this, don't give me hope, the quiver in his tone seemed to say.

That voice hurt Saturn more than the entirety of Jupiter's beating had, and yet, despite all odds, he turned toward the boy he loved and smiled anyway.

It was the most beautiful smile Lucas had ever seen. Just then, he couldn't believe for even a second that he'd been stupid enough to doubt Saturn. No more words were needed between them. And yet…

"I… swear I'll do everything in my power to properly apologize later," he said. "But for now, I'd be happy with simply helping you and the Professor escape. Airgetlam!"

Bronzong let out an ethereal beep that didn't sound like any kind of Pokemon Lucas had ever heard. Then, with incredible ease, it brought down one of his arms toward Rowan. The rope tying his wrists fell to the floor in cut ribbons. The Professor wasted no time in heading over toward them, a terribly concerned expression on his face.

"You… you idiot child!" he muttered, balling his hands into fists. "I…"

Lucas flinched, and before he could do anything he found himself being embraced into the tightest, most crushing hug of his life. All air left his lungs in a little yelp.

"I'm… so glad you're okay," he whispered. "And I'm so proud."

"P-Professor…"

He felt the Professor's hand move. Something small was shoved into his pocket.

"Wha–?"

"Just in case," Rowan whispered. "Keep it safe."

With that, he turned around and balled his fists at Cyrus, whom made Lucas incredibly nervous in the fact that he didn't look worried in the slightest.

"I see you've decided that ours was not the path for you, Saturn." Cyrus addressed his commander calmly, no pain or betrayal in his voice. "I had my suspicions it would happen sooner or later."

As angry and defiant as Saturn had looked a second ago, he seemed to deflate at the man's words.

"Y-you did?"

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Naturally. Your heart has always been too pure and fragile for the ruthless tasks I've entrusted you with. And while those tasks were of great importance, I do not blame you for finally cracking under their pressure."

Saturn opened and closed his mouth a few times before he could get the words out, eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"Y-you're not… mad at me?" he whispered. "I'm betraying you."

"Betrayal would imply that I hadn't seen this coming," said Cyrus. "Though I admit that this came at a rather inopportune time. Still…" He looked up at Saturn with cold, dispassionate eyes. "I don't blame you for deciding to oppose me, and I can only hope you will not blame me for having no option but to stop you from doing so."

"It… it doesn't have to be like this. We d-don't have to..." Saturn shook his head, pleading. "There has to be another way."

At that, Cyrus simply gave him a court smile.

"I've said all that needed to be said. Our conversation is over," he exclaimed. "Now, please do get out of the way. I still need Lucas and the Professor to come with me."

Rowan and Lucas moved in unison, standing at Saturn's side, the former with his fists balled and the latter with a Pokeball in each hand.

"Like hell!"said Lucas. "I didn't come this far just to fail!"

"I thank you for your wonderful hospitality, Cyrus, but I'm afraid I'm done with all this lounging around," Rowan followed. "I'll be beating you senseless now, if you don't mind."

However, Saturn stood back, hesitating. It was true he fully intended to help Lucas and the Professor escape, but… did he really want Cyrus to be captured? For Team Galactic's dream to be destroyed?

He shook his head. No, that was just his uncertainty whispering in his ear again. Even if Cyrus went down –and maybe he did deserve to go down– Saturn still carried Team Galactic's will. He…

"I'm sorry, boss, but I'll do what needs to be done." He looked up at him with a defiant gaze. "Thank you for all of the things you taught me… but I have to stop you. And after I do, I will lead Team Galactic. And even if no one stands at my side. I won't stop until I find a better way to make our dream a reality!"

Suffice to say, Cyrus did not look impressed with his speech.

"I wouldn't expect any less from you. However…" His hands moved from behind his back. "I have no intention of letting you take me."

From within his pocket, Cyrus retrieved a small, cube-shaped metallic device with a button on one of its faces. Saturn gasped.

"I'd have preferred not to use this unnecessarily, but…"

"Airgetlam, stop him!"

But it was too late. The button was pressed and the Bronzong's body vanished into red light as he was sucked back into his ball. Then, one by one, all of Saturn's Pokeballs locked themselves.

"That won't work on mine!" yelled Lucas, raising his silver Pokeballs toward the air. "Come ou–!"

"Night Slash."

A shadow dropped from the darkness of the ceiling, wings uncurling from its body and eyes gleaming a malicious red. Cyrus' Honchkrow slashed at the air. Saturn's body moved on its own.

"GET DOWN!"

Saturn threw himself and Lucas down to the floor, the slash passing inches over them. But there wasn't time to celebrate. In an instant the Honchkrow fell over them, talons pressing against their backs, pining both of them down with his weight. Saturn tried to struggle, to get up, and that's when he felt the sharpness of one of the Pokemon's feathers against his neck. He froze, cold sweat running down his face.

"Y-you–!"

Rowan threw himself at Cyrus with the speed and ferocity of a rampaging Ursaring.

"Alakazam, get up, would you?"

With incredible effort, the psychic Pokemon pushed himself to his knees and raised his spoon. Rowan froze, his fist inches from Cyrus. A powerful purple glow covered him from head to toe; Alakazam had immobilized him.

"Now… I believe that is all."

As calmly as though he were strolling through a park, Cyrus walked around his desk and faced his three hostages, hands once again behind his back.

"Your little resistance was admirable, though ultimately useless," he told Saturn. "Now, Lucas. When I give the command, Honchkrow will release you, and you will raise your hands behind your head and walk back here to where Alakazam is. Are we clear?"

Lucas grit his teeth. "I…"

"If you do not cooperate, I will be forced to hurt Rowan and Saturn," Cyrus said. "I really do not have the time to–"

He stopped in his tracks. For a second nothing happened, and Lucas wondered why Cyrus had stopped talking, instead choosing to look up at the ceiling, eyes narrowed. But then he felt it too. A sudden, furious warmth spread through his body, sending a chill down his spine.

"… Always in the nick of time," muttered Cyrus, letting out a sigh. "I suppose this is it. Alakazam, take Rowan with you."

They didn't have time to protest. In a flash, Rowan and the psychic Pokemon vanished into a puff of purple light.

"NO!" Lucas bellowed, desperation clinging to his voice. "PROFESSOR!"

"N-no… already?" Saturn whispered next to him, eyes going wide. "She's already…?"

Amidst the chaos, Cyrus pressed a finger against the communication device in his ear, and spoke.

"She's here," he said. "Do it, Charon."

But before Lucas could even begin to wonder what that meant, a sound like that of a jet engine was heard above them. A bright light shone outside.

Then an explosion tore through the ceiling, and everything went white.

----------------------------------------

Reiko would have loved to fly up there and ask Barry what in all seven fucks he was doing here, but he was too high up for that. Luckily, Palmer didn't have that problem.

"I… sorry dad, but I can't explain it right now!" he yelled. "We gotta stop Shadi! She's planning to attack Snowpoint after this!"

"What!? Snowpoint?"

"Oh yeah, look out for any weird shadow stuff she does. She's got Darkrai with her."

"What!?"

"You and Makura focus on her Charizard; Mesprit and I will deal with Shadi!"

"What are y–"

Charizard moved like a flash, slashing at the Salamence with his massive claws. It bounced on nothing. A powerful gong rang through the air, and Palmer looked toward Barry in pure disbelief. His hand was raised toward Charizard, and a purple glow covered his entire body. He had blocked the attack.

"Son… I have a million questions right now," said Palmer. "First one being, you are aware that your mother will skin me alive if I let any harm come to you, right?"

Barry shone him a nervous smile. "She doesn't have to know."

"Hah… you are really underestimating her. Though I can't say we're not starving for help right now." He took a deep breath, then slowly let it go. "... Alright. Let's do this, son.

"Right!"

Down in the smoking battlefield, Reiko couldn't help but roll her eyes at the exchange. Cut from the same fucking cloth, those two. So busy was she with that, she didn't notice the consecutive flashes of light until the Pokemon started to materialize before them.

"Help them with their fights!" Barry's voice came from above. "Give it your all!"

The light dissipated. Pedri and Wrathia materialized between them and their opponents, a deathly serious look on their faces. Over at the other side of the battlefield, closer to the lake, Razen, Auri and Kitsune appeared in front of Argenta and her army of Pokemon.

And with that, the battle above resumed. Reiko could only sigh.

"At least now we might actually stand a chance," said Percy.

"Wish I didn't need my ass taken out of the coals by a kid, but…"

Ahead of them, Aggron and Snorlax got into battle position, fierce determination burning in their eyes. Bruises and superficial cuts were sprinkled all over their bodies. They'd taken some heavy hits, but there was still some fight left in them.

"…Right now, I'll take what I can get," she muttered. "Nakuru, Aqua Jet!"

Nakuru became a blur as he flew like a bullet over the bodies of Stain, Denki and Gamatetsu, his fallen companions. Aggron was quick to defend, crossing both arms in front of his face. Snorlax threw his hand back, ready to intercept his foe with a punch.

"Eooon!"

Reiko's eyes went wide at the sight of Barry's Empoleon moving even faster than Nakuru. Coated in swirling water, he slammed against the Snorlax's side with the full brunt of his weight, throwing him off balance for long enough to slice at the beast's stomach. Aggron was quick to react, however, and stopped the fin with his own metallic hand, the sound of metal against metal echoing through the air.

Unfortunately, that left him open for Nakuru. He crashed against the beast's chest, and while it dealt almost no damage it was enough to shift his attention toward him. Now both of their opponents were distracted, too focused on the water-type Pokemon before them.

"Mystical Fire!"

The small exchange had given Priscilla and the Houndoom enough time to move toward their opponent's flanks, and standing at opposite sides of them, they each released a massive torrent of fire which converged in the middle.

A hurricane of flames swallowed all four Pokemon, rising high into the air before dissipating, colors shifting from red to blue and white and then to a cacophony of rainbow lights. Reiko would have found it beautiful, if she weren't busy fighting for her life.

Nakuru and Empoleon jumped back from within the flames. There were a few superficial burns on them, though having been coated in water before the attack connected had minimized most of the damage. As for their opponents…

"Oh fils de pute," said Percy.

"Son of a bitch," Reiko echoed.

Aggron's body was red hot and slightly droopy in places, but he didn't look much more than pained and extremely irritated. Snorlax wasn't much different. Burn marks covered him from head to toe, but the most terrifying thing was that the beast had finally opened his eyes. And he was pissed.

"We're gonna have to bang on this drum a few more times, I think," said Percy.

"Yeah. I got that."

They both threw their hands forward and gave the command.

The fight was a slog. Every hit, every dodge, every inch gained was paid with sweat and blood, the four remaining Pokemon on their side having to give it their all during every moment, knowing that a single, well-timed blow from their opponents would most likely put them out of the fight.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to be constantly vigilant during such a violent and chaotic fight. Nakuru's attention slipped for a moment, and he paid for it.

"NAKURU!"

Aggron's glowing fist dug itself into the Golduck's stomach. The impact echoed through the air as he was thrown back with inhuman strength, only for a sturdy oak tree to stop his flight. He fell on a heap in the ground, and did not move again. Reiko felt her heart drop. All of her Pokemon were down.

But she didn't have time to lament that.

"Reiko, snap out of it! Look!"

She snapped toward the fight, and her eyes went wide once more. Priscilla and both of Barry's Pokemon had been repelled back, and now their opponents stood next to each other forming the same pose, heads thrown back, a massive ball of light forming within their maws. A double Hyper Beam.

"This is our chance!" said Percy. "If we take advantage of the recharge time…"

"That's assuming a single Protect will be enough," she protested. "I…"

But just then, Pedri took a step forward. Standing between them and their opponents, he fell to one knee and placed both fins in front of him. Light began to dance around him. The metal covering his fins glowed with power, forming a mighty shield of pure light. Then he looked over his shoulder, and nodded.

The message was clear.

"What? There's no way…"

"There is," Percy countered. "If they all use Protect they won't be able to take advantage of Aggron and Snorlax' recharge time. This is the only way."

Reiko bit her lip, but didn't protest further. "I hope you have a plan, then."

"Always do, mon chou."

A nervous smile formed on her lips. "You know I actually looked up what that means the other day? I can't believe you've been calling me a fucking cabbage of all th–"

The Hyperbeams fired. Light blinded them, though they had no time to look away before the impact came. It sounded as though a dozen jet planes were taking off next to them; miniature beams of energy flew in all directions, causing explosions on the ground around them and cutting through trees as though they were made of paper.

Percy yelled an order, though she couldn't hear it. Ahead of them, Empoleon faltered for a moment. Time crawled, a few seconds stretching into what felt like minutes.

And then, just like that, it was done. The light disappeared. Empoleon –the entire front of his body red-hot, the metal covering him melting– immediately fell face-first to the ground, unconscious. Ahead of him, Snorlax and Aggron fell to their knees, bodies shaking, out of breath..

"Now!" yelled Percy.

There was a blur of movement and both Priscilla and Wrathia fell in from the air between their opponents. A powerful heat haze distorted the air around them. Their fur glowed a red so bright it was almost white.

"Priscilla, use Protect!"

Aggron and Snorlax could do nothing as a dome of solidified light materialized around them, trapping them alongside their two foes. Houndoor formed a grin of sharp teeth. Priscilla smiled as well, though her expression was more smug than bloodthirsty.

"Inferno! Overheat!"

Both Pokemon let out a powerful roar, and all of the flames within them exploded from their bodies, forming a light so bright it momentarily blinded Reiko and Percy. They couldn't feel or hear the attack, however. Priscilla's barrier ensured that the heat of their combined flames would be concentrated tenfold within that small space, incinerating everything within it.

And incinerate they did. As soon as the barrier vanished, the cold of the night was no more. Even from afar, it felt as though they'd walked into a furnace. The heat didn't affect Reiko, of course, but she noticed Percy squinting and raising a hand in front of his eyes.

"Fucking… finally."

Priscilla and Wrathia stood shaking and unsteady, but they nonetheless stood above their now defeated opponents, pride and relief clear in their eyes. Aggron and Snorlax were but blackened shapes. Clouds of heat and smoke rose from their unconscious –or dead? God she hoped they were dead– bodies, distorting the air above them.

"Oh thank the heavens," sighed Percy.

"Hey, we're not the ones who had to put all the work in," smiled Reiko. "But this fight isn't over."

"Yes, you're right," he nodded. "Priscilla, Houndoom! If you can still fight then help us defeat the other–!"

Percy froze as he looked over his shoulder, mouth gaping. Reiko did the same a second after.

Argenta's side of the battlefield was almost entirely covered with the unconscious bodies of her army of Pokemon, but right in the middle, like it was a fucking Kalosian painting, Barry's Alakazam was down on his knees, a glowing sword of psychic energy stabbed into the stomach of his opponent, of his kin.

"Holy shit…"

The blade vanished, and both Alakazam fell to the ground alongside each other, all energy gone from them.

But the surprises weren't done yet. Just when Reiko was about to suggest going over to help with the other half of the fight, a pillar of water exploded a few feet from the shore. From the tip, two Pokemon shoot out high into the air. Barry's Floatzel held Kingdra by the tail. Sporting a cocky smile, he batted his tails with as much strength as possible and spun the both of them at an incredible speed.

Then, he let go.

Kingdra flew down in a straight line toward the shore, where a very happy-looking Togetic was waiting for him.

"Pi-prii!"

Auri threw her tiny hands forward, and all of the moonlight around her coalesced into a gigantic, swirling ball of energy which was shot point-blank at her opponent's face. Reiko couldn't help but cringe. There was a bright explosion, followed by Kingdra's body being slammed against the ground by the impact. He did not move again.

A few feet from there, Argenta placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"A Metronome resulting in Moonblast… huh. What are the odds."

Even if Reiko agreed, she was too busy staring slack-jawed at what had just happened.

"So… you know how I was kinda angry that Barry surpassed me in that one trainer ranking?" asked Percy. "Yeah, I take it back."

Reiko let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for ages. Then, unprompted, she grabbed Percy by the collar and slammed her lips against his, enjoying a good old-fashioned victory kiss.

"D-damn… save some for later, babe."

"Sorry. I had to," she said, breathily. "Anyway, let's go find a way to help Palmer and Barry. If we–"

The ground under their feet shook. Not because of a Pokemon attack or anything like that. It wasn't a shaking caused by some sort of impact. It was deep and powerful, as though the entirety of Sinnoh had let out a pained groan.

Percy and Reiko looked at each other.

"What… the fuck was that?"

High above them, Shadi noticed the tremors and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sure took their sweet time, huh."

----------------------------------------

Lucas was not dead, as he'd supposed. That was good. He could go up from there, from the shock of still being alive from that explosion to discovering what on earth had just happened. And that began with opening his eyes.

Which he did. At which point he realized that he and Saturn were sitting atop the back of an enormous Togekiss, with nothing stopping them from slipping to the side and falling many hundreds of feet down to their deaths.

"Eep!"

"Agh!" Saturn flinched at the hug. "It's… it's okay, Lucas. I think you're…

"So. You're the professor's assistant, I presume?"

That voice… A powerful shiver ran down Lucas' spine, and suddenly his fear of heights felt insignificant in comparison to the sheer presence exuding from the woman. Slowly, fearfully, he looked up, and gasped.

Champion Cynthia hovered above them atop her Garchomp's back, her long hair flowing behind her like strands of pure gold, moonlight casting an ethereal light upon her. She looked like an angel riding her steed.

"I-I…"

"You," growled Saturn, anger heating up his voice.

"… Saturn, if I'm not mistaken. One of Team Galactic's four Commanders."

The dangerous edge in her voice would have terrified Lucas at any other moment, but knowing who it was being directed at…

"H-he's with me!" He hurried to embrace Saturn, earning another grunt of pain from him. "Y-you don't have to… He's not with them anymore so…!"

"… I understand. I will deal with him later."

And with that, she turned her attention below, and Lucas could feel the sudden change in atmosphere, as though the temperature had risen a few degrees.

"He's the one I'm really after."

Below, the top floor of the building had been torn apart, enormous chunks of wall and ceiling burying most of the office, dust rising in clouds at the edges. Cyrus knelt in the middle, dust and blood and grime covering him from head to toe. He'd just dug himself out from a pile of rubble, and seemed to have trouble even staying on his knees.

And yet, his calm demeanor did not falter.

"Ah… Just in time, dear Champion," he said, struggling through each word. "Always a fan of your dramatic entrances, are you not?"

Cynthia's expression darkened. "I have nothing to tell you, Cyrus. You've lost. Team Galactic falls tonight."

Finally, the man managed to push himself to his feet, though he looked as though a stiff breeze could knock him down.

"Team Galactic, is it? If it's the entirety of us you're looking for, then I'm afraid you're too late."

"Heh. If you seriously think you're going to–"

Cynthia's voice trailed off. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and then she looked down at the empty building, blinking in confusion.

"What?" she muttered. "Where's…"

"The rest of us? Long gone, I'm afraid," said Cyrus. "It's only the two of us here, save for some unwanted audience." He nodded toward Lucas and Saturn. "So how about you show your true colors, Cynthia? We all know how you'd rather resolve this."

Cynthia unconsciously shook her head, eyes widening. "You… You planned this. You knew I was coming."

"Evidently."

The storm in her eyes grew more powerful. Her hands balled into fists.

"It… doesn't matter," she said, forcing a smile. "I will not fall for your taunts again. I'll–"

Far in the distance, from within the old forest behind them, a cacophony of Pokemon cries rang through the air. Wild Pokemon. Their voices joined to form a song of fear and panic.

Then the ground began to shake. The three of them didn't feel it, sitting atop flying Pokemon, but they could see it clearly in the way the building's frame shook, almost throwing Cyrus to his knees again. They felt it in the air as well. A sudden still in the wind. The calm before the storm.

"What… was that?" asked Cynthia, panicked. "What was that!?"

The grin that formed on Cyru's face was a disheartening sight.

"I have two questions for you, dear Champion," he said. "First… have you heard of the mythical Pokemon Heatran?"

Cynthia reeled at the question. "W-what?"

"Legends state that it resides within the most hellish of volcanic pits, its blood burning hotter than magma, its metallic body constantly melting and re-shaping itself due to the immense heat. According to some studies, it's signature attack, Magma Storm, has been responsible for thousands of volcanic eruptions throughout our world's history. Now…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "I have one more question for you. Do you know, exactly, what caused the eruption of Cinnabar all those years ago?"

There was shock for only a moment, and then realization dropped on the Champion with the weight of a mountain. She snapped to look over her shoulder so fast her neck clicked.

"No…" Her voice was thin, coarse. "Y-you can't have…"

But it was too late. Behind them, miles and miles in the distance, a bright flash could be seen all through the circumference in the middle of Mt. Coronet. A red, flowing light, slowly descending. And from where the lava had begun to flow, smoke began to rise, black as night and thick as a wall, slowly rolling up into the sky, covering the rest of the mountain from view.

They saw the shockwave before they could feel it. Dust, leaves, branches and Pokemon flew back as they were repelled by its force, and though it had been severely weakened by the distance, it was still enough to almost throw Lucas off the Togekiss.

The boom of the explosion rang in their ears. And yet they couldn't look away. A deep, primal terror filled them to the brim at the sight of Mt. Coronet, their region's most famous, most beautiful symbol, oozing with lava and covered in burning smoke.

It was a horrible, visceral sight. As though Arceus himself had been brought down and gutted alive before their very eyes.

"N-no… this isn't what we…" Saturn's lips shook as he looked toward the horizon, eyes full of disbelief. "I was never told about this. I…"

Most disheartening, however, was that Cynthia looked as though she would break into tears at any moment.

"Now… what was that about not falling for my taunts again?"

Cyrus' voice brought them back to reality. Slowly, as though coming back from a nightmare, Cynthia tilted her neck to look at him once more, the look on her face nothing short of terrifying.

"Remind me again, dear Champion, what is the town closest to Mt. Coronet's base?" asked Cyrus, feigning ignorance. "Ah, of course. You needn't worry though, I'm sure all the citizens of Celestic will have more than enough time to escape the lava slide. As for the town itself, however…"

"CYRUS!"

In the blink of an eye, with a single shout, Cynthia did what Lucas would have thought impossible. All of the shock and fear and horror he was feeling was shifted from the unbelievable sight before him to the lone, furious woman atop her Garchomp.

The look upon her face was inhuman. The air shook with the fury exuding from her body. Suddenly, breathing felt impossible. Lucas' nerves flared as though they'd been set aflame, as though a primordial storm had been set loose before them. It was the most painful, most horrible thing he'd ever felt. And looking up at her, Cynthia didn't look like an angel anymore.

She was a demon.

Then, looking down, he noticed that Cyrus continued to smile. How on earth…?

Togekiss flew back in a burst of speed, and Lucas was unable to finish his thought. They were flying up, away from Cynthia and her Garchomp. Giving her the space she needed.

The Champion raised her hand into the sky. A powerful golden glow began to exude from her Pokemon.

"DRACO METEOR!" She bellowed, all of the world's wrath and power booming through her voice. "DIE!"

Throwing her head back, Garchomp spat out a golden ball of light high into the air. It was small, the size of a tennis ball. It hung in the sky for a long, silent moment, pulsing like a heartbeat. Bending the air around it like a black hole.

Then the explosion came, and the sky itself disappeared. Lucas' mouth gaped open, the sight before him even more unbelievable than the last. Hundreds… no, thousands of arrows of pure light rained down from above, as though the sky itself had broken into a million pieces. The air shook with a deafening boom. Every single arrow headed down with the speed of a bullet, targeting the only building in sight.

Far below, Cyrus let out a relieved sigh.

"I knew you had it in you, Cynthia."

Cyrus, the building, the very ground itself, they all vanished into a black nothing. Or so it seemed from Lucas' perspective.

Cynthia, hovering closer, saw what actually happened. In the blink of an eye, reality tore apart before her, a deep, impossible darkness forming a shielding arc above Cyrus and Galactic HQ.

"W-wha…"

Then the first arrow of light went through that darkness, and it did not emerge from the other side.

----------------------------------------

1 Minute Before

Shadi was by no means someone who enjoyed rubbing in, but she couldn't help but smile at the horrified, dumbfounded look upon her opponent's faces at the sight of a burning Mt. Coronet.

Still, she had a job to do. Schadenfreude would have to wait until later.

She passed a finger through the Pokeballs in her belt, and all four of her fainted Pokemon returned to their respective ones. The gesture brought her opponents back to reality. They all turned to look at her with an identical question in their eyes.

"No, I'm afraid I wasn't responsible for that," she said, her voice being carried through the darkness around her. "But it is a good time as any to retreat, I guess."

"Y-you…!" A few yards below, Barry's eyes went wide in anger. The wind stilled around him. "You're not going anywhere! I'll–"

Shadi gave the command and Midir flapped her wings, sending a powerful gust of wind down toward her opponents and interrupting whatever stupid speech Barry had prepared.

"It's been… a while since I got such a good fight, so thank you for that at least," she said. "Now to be fair, if my Pokemon hadn't been so rusty and if you all didn't count with the number advantage, I doubt the result would've been the same. But I'll congratulate you nonetheless. Let me give you a little reward for your troubles."

Throwing her hands toward the sky, Shadi summoned forth every ounce of Darkrai's power, a wide, deranged grin spreading through her face. Darkness coalesced around her. The air shook with power.

And, best of all, no insult or complaint came from within the depths of her mind. All she could feel from Darkrai was regret, and resignation. Not like she needed more confirmation that she'd already won, but it was nice anyway.

"All of the pieces are in place; now it's time they fall!" she bellowed. "Come forth, Gate of Distortion!"

A burst of darkness exploded off her fingertips, etching itself into the fabric of reality, traveling at impossible speeds toward the spots she'd designated. She closed her eyes, and saw in her mind the opening of the portals. First, above Galactic HQ. Then Oreburgh, Eterna, Veilstone, Pastoria, Canalave and Sunnyshore. And then…

There was a tearing sound as the last portal opened under her, facing the four trainers and their remaining Pokemon.

Before they could react or do anything, hundreds of arrows of light rained down upon them.