The world spun briefly as I found myself in a dimly lit cave. For a single, terrifying moment of clarity, I processed the world as it was, and instantly went for Joern’s Poke Ball. My body froze as Solrock and Lunatone formed in front of me.

I didn’t want to let Joern out in here, did I? He’d probably hate it here. Dark, cramped, dry, and almost no sign of plant life. No, he would hate it here. The ball shook in my hand, and I frowned. Maybe... no. Best to keep him in his ball for now.

Solrock took point as we went further into the cave. I followed closely behind him, and Lunatone brought up the rear, watching our backs. The tension in my shoulders started to ease up as we went further. I’m not even sure why I was worried, really.

I felt a force pull at my side and looked down to see my Poke Balls start to levitate back towards Lunatone. That was probably for the best, really. They would be a lot safer with him than with me, especially in a place like this.

Solrock stopped, and I instantly stopped walking. We had hit a dead end, but something was off. The rocks and stones in front of me were a different color to everything else in the cave, shifting from brown to pitch black. Darker than anything I had ever seen before, in fact. The longer I stared, the more I was pulled in, like the stones themselves were a black hole, pulling my gaze deeper into a yawning void.

‘Focus,’ I turned to see Lunatone by my side, his gaze affixed to the wall. ‘These stones are beyond our understanding. We cannot move them.’

‘But you can,’ Solrock said. ‘Dig.’

A primal instinct filled my soul upon hearing the word, and my body moved. My hands clawed at the wall with fervor. The wall was soft and weak, and I was able to start carving out a tiny hole further into the abyss. Deeper. I needed to go deeper. I needed to-

Fuck. That hurt. I pulled my hand back and winced. Flecks of red dotted the black as I pulled out a large, black stone that was blocking our way. The hole I had dug had grown in size rather quickly. It felt like I had only just begun not that long ago. A faint blue light glowed from behind me. Shit, I was falling behind. Ignore the cut. I needed to keep going. Keep going. Just keep going.

‘I thought we would have more trouble controlling someone this far into the void,’ I heard from behind me.

‘This one bares no resistance,’ Lunatone said. Right, then the first voice was Solrock, then. ‘She seems oddly perceptive, though. Even under our thrall, her mind picks out our conversation.’

‘Does that matter?’ Solrock asked.

‘I do not know,’ Lunatone replied.

My eyes widened as an unbearable amount of pain radiated from the tips of my fingers. My hands were a bloody mess of knicks and cuts. Nothing too terribly deep, but that wasn’t the issue.

My nails were cracked, split, or in some cases, just straight up gone.

I needed to stop. Just for a moment. I needed to... to get help...

‘Pain heightens her focus,’ Solrock noted.

‘Then suppress it. If nothing else, those monsters' experiments made us capable enough to do at least that,’ Lunatone said.

The pain disappeared. I relaxed for a second before resuming my work. We were almost through; I could feel it. I just had to push through this last bit of wall. I couldn’t dig any deeper though. The black wall in front of me was solid stone. I needed force to push through this. Legends above I felt lightheaded. Resting my hand against the wall, I tried to shove. No dice. It was solid. The bricks were laid in such a way that small gaps gave a glimpse to what lay beyond. The room we wanted to get to was right there! We were so close!

My eyes started to droop, fucking hell I’m tired. Maybe just-

A jolt of pain radiated from my hands and my eyes snapped open as a quiet scream forced its way out of my mouth.

‘You can rest soon,’ Solrock said. ‘Just a bit further, and you can rest for a long, long time.’ I turned back to him and smiled.

“Thanks!” I said before walking backwards. Damn, I dug deep! Force was all I needed here. Lunatone floated back with me as I walked, always staying close. I turned back towards the wall, got down low, and sprinted, full steam. I brought my shoulder down to ram into the void.

I bounced off. Fuck, my shoulder did not like that, but the wall caved inward a bit more. Pain shot up from my shoulder and down my arm. I could still move it, but... I probably shouldn’t try again on that side. A single drop of water trailed down my cheek, and I raised my hand up to wipe it off of my face. Was I crying? Why was I crying? Whatever. We were almost done here. I walked back again and prepared to suicide charge the wall again. I just had to push through it. I sprinted forward, jumped, and felt a force I didn’t recognize push me harder still. I slammed into the wall, and it finally gave in. I pushed into the chamber, and-

PAIN!

My mouth opened but no sound came out as unimaginable pain lanced through my brain. My hands screamed at me. My shoulder burned. My arm cracked and wailed as I convulsed on the ground in abject agony before abruptly stopping as the world stilled. Everything came back into focus as Solrock entered the chamber.

‘Was that truly necessary?’ I heard Lunatone ask. ‘We were close enough that we could’ve just thrown a normal rock through the wall, you didn’t have to do that.’

‘This human humiliated us, just as THEY did,’ Solrock said. ‘She deserves to suffer.’

‘I suppose you are right.’ Lunatone said, before focusing forward at the room’s lone fixture.

Now that I could think, I slowly started to force myself to my feet. The room we were in was decently sized, and the walls were the same pitch black shade as the rest of the cave. Ornate doors stood tall and were sealed shut on the opposite side of the chamber, and as I rose to full height, I could see it.

‘The king’s blade,’ Solrock muttered in awe.

A broad sword had been slammed into a stone in the center of a raised dais. Symbols were carved into the ground, and several paper talismans were tied to chains that wrapped around a blood red blade. A red tassel hung limp from the hilt, and at the center of its cross guard, an ornate, black gem with a single red dot in the middle shined in the light Solrock was giving off.

It almost looked like it was staring at me.

The chains glowed blue, before shattering under Solrock’s might, and I could feel a faint wind blow out from the blade. The tassel seemed to come to life for a split second before falling limply back down.

‘I cannot lift the sword,’ Solrock said, shock coloring his voice.

‘Are you-’

‘Yes, I’m sure!’ Solrock shouted. ‘The podium itself is steeped in the energy of the void.’ Solrock hissed the final word before turning back to me. ‘I am sorry, but it would seem that there is one final task for you before you rest. My lady.’ Solrock chuckled and I tilted my head. ‘Yes, I do believe your sword awaits you, my queen.’ I nodded once, before walking up to the blade. The single dot in the center of the stone trailed up to follow my eyes as I approached. I wrapped my hand around the hilt and pulled.

Fuck, he was really stuck in there. I’d... I needed both hands. Pain briefly lanced through my left arm as I lifted it up and wrapped my hand around the hilt. White hot agony radiated from the top of my arm as I pulled.

In a single instance, my entire life flashed before my eyes. Eve’s breakdowns in my early childhood, meeting the Maple family for the first time, life in the bakery, the start of my journey, all my friends, everything I had ever done or experienced passed by in the blink of an eye. Screaming filled my ears. Screaming that sounded both close and far off at the same time. How was that possible?

The world once again came into focus, and I looked down.

My left arm hung limply at my side. I couldn’t move it no matter how hard I tried. That was fine though, because the ultimate prize was in my right hand.

The sword had been pulled from the stone. We had done it.

The doors on the far side of the room started to open, and I blacked out.

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

May’s POV

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

May sprinted forward, her hand passing through open air as she reached out a second too late, her heart hammering in her chest. She was gone. How?

Her whole damn team was with her! Joern and Apollo took these things down on their own. How the fuck did this happen?

May looked down and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. A few scant feet away, Emilie’s prone form rested on the ground. May knelt, her hands cautiously reaching out towards the downed Pokémon. She scooped her up, hoping...

Her chest was moving, and May heard a faint breath be pulled in from below her. She was still alive. Good. That was good. Oh god.

“Lea...” Emilie breathed out, still completely out of it.

Apollo landed on May’s shoulder before nudging her with his beak. May slowly turned to meet his determined stare and saw Sergei out of the corner of her gaze. He floated just at eye level, a single message already loaded in his chat room.

“The cap’s in trouble.” That message was old. It probably got sent the second Solrock and Luntone made their move. Apollo nodded at the phone before saying what was on his mind. “The cap’s strong. I believe in her, but we have to push through. Don’t give up. I know she won’t.” May read. She looked away from the screen.

How the hell were they supposed to push through? They didn’t even know where Lea went! May glared at the screen before forcing herself to her feet.

Lea was strong. She had to be strong too. May turned toward Wayne, getting a good look at Jasmine for the first time. She was out cold, with a large gash cut into her head. Her arm was bent at an odd angle, and May winced. Broken, at a minimum.

Wayne gingerly set his phone down before grabbing Jasmine’s hand. He had apparently called for help during that little freak out. May rushed forward, suddenly painfully aware that Lea wasn’t the only person in danger right now.

“Is she-”

“She’ll be fine.” Wayne cut me off. “EMTs are on their way, I’ll stay with her.” He glared down at the ground for a second before reaching down to his belt. He grabbed a pair of Poke Balls, and a bright light filled the clearing.

Skarmory looked about as terrible as the last time May saw him. His wings were warped from heat and most of his body looked chipped, banged up, or charred. The fact that he was standing at all awed May slightly.

“Skarm.” he called out wearily. “Skarmory.” May turned to look at Sergei and froze.

A single, sharpened leaf was being held against May’s throat by an enraged Nuzleaf.

“Stand the fuck down, I do not have the time, or the patience to deal with your Tauros shit right now. You know May’s not a threat. I know you know May’s not a threat. So, chill” Wayne got up from his spot next to Jasmine. “the fuck” He grabbed Nuzleaf. “Out!” and pulled.

Nuzleaf winced as Wayne dragged him away from May with minimal effort before tossing him back a few feet. Nuzleaf glared at May for a second before staring at Wayne.

“Nuz. Nuzleaf Nuz. Leaf.” he argued. May looked down at Sergei.

“I can’t do much, but I’ll do what I can.” Skarmory said that one. May froze as she read Nuzleaf’s message, and an unholy feeling bubbled up from her stomach. The world shifted to a violent shade of red as May charged towards Nuzleaf, picked him up, and slammed him into the ground, her arm pressing down against his chest.

“If you EVER, accuse me of working with those monsters in secret again, I will have Suzy cook you, cut you up, and serve you to the local homeless shelter as a pot of roasted veggies. Do I make myself clear?” May snarled.

Nuzleaf looked up at her, fearless, before nodding once. May leaned back from the Nuzleaf and winced.

That was an overreaction. Fuck her head was screwed up right now. She looked down towards Emilie and sighed in relief. She was still good. Apollo flew up a few feet and landed on a branch. May looked away from his stare and sighed. She turned to apologize, but stopped as Nuzleaf picked himself up, dusted himself off, and shot her a smile.

“Nuzleaf,” he said, giving May a single, reassuring nod.

“Remind me to never piss you off,” Wayne said as he ruffled through his bag and pulled out a Hyper Potion. “Didn’t think I’d be using one of these so soon, but it’s an emergency.” He reached out, grabbed Skarmory’s wings, and started spraying her down.

May gazed in awe as wings seemed to restructure themselves under the spray, warping back into place as the spray made contact.

“How the hell-”

“There’s a reason these things are prohibitively expensive. They do a damn good job,” Wayne explained. “Congrats, by the way, that might be the fastest anyone’s ever gotten Nuzleaf’s respect.”

“Weird way to gain respect,” May muttered.

Wayne stared down at Skarmory grimly as he continued to spray.

“Yeah,” Wayne agreed. “Skarmory, Nuzleaf, I want the two of you to go with May.”

May whipped her head up to stare at Wayne in shock.

“I’m staying with Jasmine.” He met May’s gaze and nodded. “Go get your girl back.”

“She’s not” The protest died on May’s lips halfway through the statement, and she realized she couldn’t bring herself to finish it. “How?”

“You find those ass holes and win.” Wayne smiled at his team. “Between my team, your team, and Lea’s team, I think-”

“I don’t even know where Lea is!” May interrupted, before looking down at Emilie. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Sol.” May whipped around instantly as she stared down at the white furred intruder. Absol glared up at her in contempt before staring malevolently at Sergei. “Absol.”

“A warning was given, yet tragedy still grips you. Fate would see the end of your partner’s life, and the defilement of my master’s grave.” May read the message, her grip tightening on Emilie.

May leaned back in shock as Emilie’s eyes shot open. The psychic type turned and glared at Absol. May sat her down on the ground as she shifted around.

“Like you couldn’t. Have been more cryptic,” Emilie complained. “Quit being. A role player. And talk like. A normal Pokémon,” Emilie spat.

“You’re one to talk.” May read from Sergei’s screen. Emilie glared, and May walked closer to the dark type.

“Absol can’t pinpoint the disaster beyond who it will affect, Emilie.” May shifted her glare. “That being said, fuck fate,” May snarled. “No way in hell is Lea going to get taken out by a pair of celestial cosplayers.”

Absol barked once, her glare softening slightly.

“A child thinks she can spit in the eye of fate,” Sergei translated. Emilie groaned. “The tragedy is set, yet you seek to stop it. I do not believe it to be possible, at this point. The call of the void is too strong.” May glared down at the Absol.

“I don’t care,” May said. “Take us to your master’s grave.”

Absol glared up at May, before sighing and looking away.

“He would be disappointed in me if I were to deny your hopeless venture. If you will not be dissuaded, then follow me. Keep up, for I will not slow down.” Absol leapt forward, and May sprinted after her.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Stay safe and bring her back!” Wayne shouted as I left, Skarmory and Apollo took flight beside me as Emilie teleported to my shoulder and Nuzleaf ran to keep pace. Sergei floated just ahead of her, and a new message appeared.

“Are you strong?” Was the single question that had appeared on Sergei’s screen.

“Strong enough,” May said. The tree line they were running through slowly started to break up as a sheer rock wall came into view. “Where the hell are we going?”

Absol didn’t respond, and slowed down as she approached the wall. She put his paw out and a single nail touched a small, outcropped stone.

It sunk in, and as it did, a slab of stone began to fall into the earth. The yawning abyss that opened up went down, and May struggled to see anything beyond what the sun illuminated.

“Suzy.” May cried out as she grabbed her ball and released her starter. “Thank you can keep a small fire going. We need to see where we’re going.” Suzy nodded before focusing, a small fire formed in her hand as she took the lead going into the abyss. Absol walked beside her.

“Leshy and Samie. As well.” Emilie said. May nodded and let out her full squad. Leshy glared down into the abyss.

Samie looked focused. For the first time since capturing him, he looked completely cognizant of the world around him. He also looked incredibly pissed off.

Sergei’s screen lit up, and a flashlight blasted out of his back, lighting up the entire cave in front of them. Suzy looked back at her and glared.

“I’m an idiot, okay? What do you want?” May blushed as Suzy fell back a bit to walk with her trainer. “Is everyone up to speed?” Suzy and Leshy both nodded as Samie stared further into the cave.

The hall opened up into a small chamber with several branching paths.

“Sol.” Absol commanded as she led them toward the exit on the left. A group of Zubat rushed out as May followed, agitated by the light. May jumped back as they flew towards the other paths.

“That... was a surprise. With all the fanfare of getting here, I'd figure the place would be empty,” May commented. Absol laughed at me. Sergei floated to about eye level as he pressed forward.

“Pokémon will find a way. If it’s livable, they’ll be there,” Absol argued. “When they were first made, this path was a straight shot to my lord’s tomb.” Absol guided us to the left at a fork. “Now the path’s branch to a million different caves.”

“Thought you said. We were going. Fast,” Emilie said with a glare.

“I have traversed these caves thousands of times, yet even I have to be careful not to get lost.” Absol said. We came to another set of branching paths. Absol guided us down the central chamber. “Would you prefer to be lost in the branching paths for the rest of your days, mindlessly wandering through the dark as you slowly lose your sanity and reason.”

“So you’re. A shit guide,” Emilie said. “Got it.”

“Emilie, she’s helping us. Stop antagonizing her before she decides to leave us down here,” May said, cautiously walking around a Dunsparce that was lazily moving through the hall.

Emilie opened her mouth before closing it and glaring at their guide. A new message popped up on Sergei.

“Do not be too harsh on her. The Fae distrust those of the void. It’s in their nature,” Absol said.

Nuzleaf nodded once, and Emilie looked angrily at the ground, muttering things too quietly to hear.

We stopped at a pair of black doors. A pair of swords were crossed in front of them, one blue and one red. Absol stopped and turned.

“To reach their goal, they will have to pass through this door. This is the only entrance to my master’s grave,” Absol said. Emilie hopped down.

“Can’t sense anything,” Emilie said. “Dark.” May’s eyes widened.

“That was why they tried to bring Atticus and Jessica here, and why they took Lea. They needed someone to open the doors for them!” May said before grabbing the red blade.

“SOL!” May stopped and looked back at Sergei. "We can ambush them here. We cannot break the seal," Absol said. May snarled, and Skarmory flew down to get right in Absol’s face.

“Skarm!” he shouted. Absol didn’t back down.

“Solrock and Lunatone teleported here. They’re ahead of us. There’s a very real chance they’re in there right now, putting my best friend through lord knows what, and you want us to wait!” May shouted.

“GULL!” Apollo agreed.

“We. Are. Going!” Emilie said each word with vitriol as she glared at the dark type. She still didn’t move from her spot in front of the door. May opened her mouth to argue further, getting ready to order Suzy to make her move, before a single, ear piercing scream sounded out from beyond the doors. Without thought, May shoved Absol out of the way and slammed into the door. It didn’t budge.

“You need-”

“Move!” Emilie shouted over Absol as she pulled a massive boulder up from behind them. Absol and May barely managed to get out of the way as the she hurled the rock forward. It slammed against the doors, breaking on contact. The doors remained sealed. “How?”

Her question was cut off as a bright light flickered through the hall. Suzy’s entire body was ablaze as she ran, full steam, towards the door. She jumped right as she got close and her entire body glowed as the doors cracked, before shattering against the force of Suzy’s assault. Everyone rushed into the chamber, and May caught a brief glimpse of her best friend.

“Lea!” She shouted before being shoved back by a massive gust of wind. May brought her arms up and braced herself as Absol launched ahead, her horn glowing black as she whipped her head around. A massive black sickle shot outwards towards everyone on the dais.

The attack met a purple sickle in midair, and the world in front of May exploded. She was shoved backwards into the wall and winced as Absol was thrown into her. Suzy and Leshy all but sprinted to stand between her and their enemies, and Emilie cleared the archway before teleporting to my shoulder.

The dust settled, and May winced as she pushed herself off the wall. The sight in front of her caused her to lean back into it.

Lea stared down at the sword in her hand with reverential glee as she slowly raised it in front of her. How she was gripping it remained a mystery, as her hands were bloody mangled messes of flesh and bone. The arm that wasn’t being used hung limply at her side, and she was coated with blood. It dripped down her arm, from her hands, and was smeared against both her face and clothes. Clothes that were barely holding on.

The most jarring sight though, was the smile marring Lea’s face. It was stretched wide and unnatural as she gazed upon the blade in her hand.

“Magnificent.” That wasn’t Lea. The voice grated against May’s ears as it echoed and reverberated through the chamber they were standing in. “The power of a king, enough that it can stand up to its guardian with minimal effort.” Not Lea looked down at May and froze. Solrock and Lunatone levitated forward, floating between the two groups. “How on earth did you find us so fast?” Not Lea asked.

“Get out. Of my trainer’s head,” Emilie snarled. Her eyes glowed blue, but nothing happened. Emilie winced as she looked down, and realized the entire chamber was made of similar material to the door.

“But she’s so happy to have us here!” Not Lea said. “Even after all the enhancements, direct control had been a pipe dream till about ten seconds ago. This girl truly is exceptional.”

Leshy launched a wave of Razor Leaves forward. They were stopped in midair, and Solrock and Lunatone hadn’t even moved.

Skarmory rocketed across the battlefield toward our enemies, his wings silvery and glowing as he slammed, wing first, into Lunatone.

“How did you push through that?” Not Lea asked as boulders were lifted up from the ground and launched outwards with the speed of a rail gun in every direction, carefully angled so they would miss Lea. One slammed into Skarmory, sending him backwards and away from Lunatone. A few slammed into the walls.

And two were launched towards the entrance, where everyone was still standing.

Leshy and Nuzleaf both fired off a Razor leaf, and the green blades turned blue as Emilie lifted her hands up. They barely dug into the boulders, as the launched rocks slowed, and the attack crumbled before falling short. The continued assault sailed across the chamber, guided so that the blades wouldn’t shred her best friend.

Not Lea brought the sword in her hand down, and a purple wave flew out from the blade and slammed into the leaves, vaporizing them on contact as it continued towards us.

Absol stood up and whipped her head around. Launching the same attack she did when we entered the chamber. The attacks exploded on contact again, and everyone braced themselves against the ground. The power from the explosion seemed to disperse outwards off to the sides as Emilie and the space rocks fought to direct the force.

“Focus!” Emilie ordered. May looked down towards Emilie. “I know this looks bad. But we need direction. Order us. Or we’re going to get. In each other’s way.”

May stood up instantly and glared at Not Lea with gritted teeth. Skarmory was keeping his distance high up in the chamber with Apollo, and everyone else was right in front of her.

More of them needed to be in Solrock’s and Lunatone’s face.

“Skarmory, make another run with Steel Wing, have Apollo cover you with Water Gun. Nuzleaf, go in close and use whatever dark type attack you have. Samie, go underground and look for an opportunity to trip up Lea’s body. Try and be gentle, if you can. Leshy, rapid fire Razor Leaf, Emilie direct the blades, and Suzy, make sure nothing gets close enough to hurt me.” May took a deep breath at the end of that as the world around her came to life. “Improvise when you have to, I won’t be able to direct all of you in this!” May shouted.

Skarmory and Nuzleaf blitzed the group in front of them, completely unbothered by the psychic aura radiating from the space rocks in front of them. Water rained down from above, and leaves were launched forwards, dancing to their own tune as Emilie directed them around our allies and towards Solrock and Lunatone.

The ranged attacks bounced harmlessly off barriers that had formed around the group, and Not Lea swung her sword down once more, aiming the blade Nuzleaf’s way as boulders rose up from the ground. Nuzleaf disappeared in a flash of speed as the wave passed harmlessly through an afterimage before slamming into the wall, Skarmory cleaved through the stones before slamming his wing into Lunatone again, aiming for the exact same spot. Nuzleaf’s hand glowed black as he slammed his fist into Solrock, knocking him backwards.

The rock types were thrown back by the force, and Absol saw that as her chance. She darted across the clearing, teeth pulled back into a snarl that glowed black as the walls around us before jumping towards the floating sun. Not Lea brought up her sword, before buckling as the ground beneath her gave way, revealing Samie as she banged his mouth against the back of Lea’s legs. She fell forward, shoving the blade into the ground to keep herself up as Absol bit into Solrock with black fangs, a dark aura radiating from the contact point as the stone collapsed into the ground.

Lunatone exploded in pure psychic energy and Skarmory glowed blue. May leaned back in horror as the bird was thrown across the room, slamming into Absol. Orange rocks littered the sky as her jaw was ripped from the Sun Pokémon. Solrock very slowly levitated upwards as Not Lea let go of the sword and clutched her head with her good arm.

“Blast the Lunatone with everything you’ve got! Water Gun, Razor Leaf, Flamethrower, Confusion, I don’t fucking care, just take him down, now!” Attacks from all directions converged on a single point, and the collision of various elements and energies did not react well, as a massive explosion rocketed outwards. May noticed the barrier shatter as Lunatone was battered back, and Lea fell to the ground, the blast knocking her from her feet as both Sun and Moon moved backwards.

“Lea!” May rushed forward through the crypt towards her downed friend as Absol, Skarmory, Nuzleaf, and Apollo closed in on the retreating stones.

“Bulba!” Leshy launched himself forward as Suzy ran to keep pace. Emilie held on to May’s shoulder for dear life as her ride ducked down as she got closer.

Solrock glared across the field as eight stones once again rose up and surrounded him. The attack pushed both Absol and Nuzleaf back as the stones were launched outwards. The boulders hurtled outwards as Solrock teleported next to Lunatone and raised a Barrier between them and Skarmory.

May’s heart fell into her stomach when she saw where one of the boulders was going and sprinted forward even faster. She was going too slow. Emilie brought up her hands and focused all of her power on the massive stone that was hurtling towards Lea. She cried out in pain as the rock glowed blue and slowed down, and May grabbed Lea up and lifted. The weight slowed her down as the boulder hit the ground and started rolling forward.

A massive hail of Razor Leaves blasted out from where May started and slammed into the boulder, carving the massive stone into smaller chunks and forcing it back, kicking up a massive dust cloud in the process. May coughed as the dust cleared before looking back.

“Thank you, L-” May’s words died on her throat as she took in her grass type’s new form. The bulb on his back had bloomed into a beautiful pink flower, and he had grown significantly.

“Ivysaur.” Leshy sagged down against the ground a bit as the breath he had been holding was slowly freed from his lungs, and a small bit of blue powder rushed out of his mouth as a result. Leshy’s eyes widened as he raised his vines up to disperse the cloud. His cheeks flushed red as he extended his vines and grabbed a few raised stones, before throwing himself forward towards May and Lea.

“Congrats. On the evolution,” Emilie said.

“Ivy!” Leshy said.

“I know. I know. Not the time,” Emilie replied.

May sagged as she felt the rhythmic shifting of breathing coming from Lea, before looking back out towards the fight. Suzy and Samie stood next to Leshy, ready to meet whatever attacks pushed through.

Neither Solrock nor Lunatone looked to be doing well. A single large gash was carved into Lunatone’s side as he hung back behind Solrock, who had a decently large chunk blasted off of the top of his head. The sun had gone bald, apparently. The two of them were hiding behind as many barriers as they could make as Skarmory and Absol both kept making passing attacks in an attempt to push through. May watched on, unsure how to help, when Not Lea’s eyes snapped open.

May was shoved to the ground in surprise as Not Lea grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the ground. Suzy charged forward, as Lea brought the blade down across her chest. May looked on, horrified, as the attack met zero resistance as it went through Suzy. At first, nothing happened, and Suzy brought her claw up to feel where the sword should have cut her. She suddenly paused as a single, black line appeared across her chest. Suzy opened her beak, but no sound came out as the attack took effect, and she fell forward, her eyes white, as the light started to fade.

Lea charged Leshy and rammed the blade through his bulb, and a similar energy immediately formed from the point of impact. Leshy passed out almost instantly.

“Clearly, we should have just started with this. The sword is a far better option in a room consumed by the void.” Not Lea said as she turned her attention towards May. She scrambled backwards as Samie stood steadfast between May and Lea.

“Pinch!” He charged, only to get swatted away by the sword as Not Lea stalked forward, her grin becoming manic as she grew closer.

“Lea. I know it’s hard, but you have to fight it!” May begged. “I know you’re stronger than this. Please!” May noticed both Apollo and Skarmory bank away from the stones as they flew across the clearing.

“Your pleas fall on deaf ears, child.” Not Lea raised the sword above her head, only to freeze. Her entire body stilled as the glassy eyes slowly started to become clear again. “What... how?”

“You... will not... hurt...” Lea cried out, her arm shaking. “MAY!” On that declaration, a pulse exploded out from the blade. It washed over the cave, harmlessly phasing through everyone in the room.

Except for Solrock and Lunatone.

The wave shattered their barriers, and the space rocks were flung backwards with the wave of spectral energy. They slammed into the far wall with enough force to crack the brick and mortar, and their bodies indented the stone as the wave dissipated.

Lea fell forward, completely out of it as May rushed forward to support her weight. The sword clanged to the ground as Emilie hopped down and looked Lea over. Her mouth opened as she placed her hands on Lea’s skull, and she recoiled almost instantly. Emilie turned towards May.

“Shove your bandana into her mouth. What I’m about to do is going to suck, and I need to make sure she doesn’t bite off her tongue.” May froze, unsure if the shock stemmed more from what happened, the question, or the fact that Emilie hadn’t paused to correct herself once in that entire explanation. “Now!”

“Right.” May snapped to it and gagged her best friend as Emilie placed both of her hands against Lea’s head.

“Lea, if you can hear me, know that I’m sorry.” Emilie pressed her head to Lea’s. “Brace yourself.”

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Lea’s POV

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Pain.

White. Hot. Searing pain lanced through my body as the world slowly came back into focus. I opened my mouth to scream but found something muffling me. I bit down. Hard. I convulsed as my brain suddenly fully took in the world around me, and that once again caused pain to shoot up and down my arm.

I spat the gag out of my mouth and threw up, choking a bit on the bile. A strong pair of hands grabbed me and turned me slightly, and I managed to breathe in. I looked up to see May staring at me, and all at once, I felt what she felt. Fear, sorrow, anger, pain, joy, love...

A whirlwind of emotions thrummed in my mind. Emotions that were all but impossible to control as the pain in my arms and hands scattered my ability to think. My head felt like it was going to explode. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I-

‘Focus!’ Emilie shouted in my mind. ‘I know the world is really overwhelming. Asking you to do anything right now seems like too much, but your mind is fraying at the seams and your body’s not doing much better.’ Emilie presence in my mind felt like nails on a chalkboard. ‘Find your focus and pull yourself back. Please. I’m holding the pieces together, but you have to glue them in place.’ Focus? What focus? ‘Something, anything! Just please, I can’t lose you like this,’ Emilie begged.

Sounds overwhelmed my brain as lights and colors started to surge and dance in front of my eyes. My head felt like it would explode from the sensations it was trying to process.

May pulled me up and looked into my eyes. I think she was saying something, but I couldn’t understand what it was. Emilie said something back, but it just sounded like white noise. The world felt like white noise.

Someone pulled me into a hug, and my brain started to slow down as I focused on the feeling. This was here. I could grasp it. I could control it. I could breathe. Just breath. In. Out. In. Out.

Someone was rubbing my back, and I focused on the rhythm and matched it. In. Out. In. Out.

Just breath.

The background noise that kept going off like Voltorbs in my head slowly started to quiet down to a dull hum.

In. Out.

The world started to become clear again, and I sagged into the hug. I opened my mouth, and briefly struggled to find my voice as my heart rate slowed.

In. Out.

‘Good.’ Emilie said. Her voice no longer felt like barbed wire in my mind.

“May...” I said weekly. May pulled me back and stared into my eyes.

“Is that really you?” she asked. “Are you back?”

“I think so?” My brain felt foggy. “It’s hard to concentrate right now. Everything hurts,” I said. May nodded.

“Understandable, I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, Lea, but-”

“I’m kind of a mess.” I cut her off. May chuckled a bit as a few tears fell from her eyes.

“Yeah.” May smiled. “You’re alive, though,” May said. I think she was saying it to both of us with how shaky the words came out of her mouth.

“Yup,” I said. I sagged a bit, and May moved under me to support my weight.

The chamber started to shake, and an odd grinding sound echoed out through the chamber, drawing our eyes towards the wall my torturers were stuck in.

“What the... hell?” May asked. I looked across the cave and gasped. Apollo’s wings glowed a color I had never seen them glow before and he struck out across the Lunatone’s chest. The attack carved into the wall and split the Lunatone in half. My eyes widened a bit as I felt life bleed out from one of my torturers.

Did the feeling of relief I felt in my bones make me a bad person?

The cave continued to shake as the rocks around Solrock gave way and he looked to his brother in rage. The cave started shaking even harder and the ceiling started to crack and fray. Rocks and boulders began to pelt the ground as Absol, Apollo, Skarmory, and Nuzleaf launched their best ranged attacks toward the floating monster.

They exploded on contact, and the ceiling directly above them caved in from the shock wave as Solrock was launched upwards. May pulled out her Poke Balls and quickly recalled her team, Skarmory, and Nuzleaf as Apollo disappeared out in a familiar buzz of Aerial Ace. I trailed my eyes up to try and find him and froze.

A slew of rocks and debris had broken directly above us, and before I could even think, I shoved May as hard as I could away from me. My arm screamed at the sudden jerky motion as I collapsed and before I could even process that pain, my legs were buried in dirt, rubble, and jagged stones. I bit back a curse as the rocks bit into my flesh. I felt lightheaded, cold, and if I had anything left in my stomach, I'm fairly confident that I’d throw up again. I forced my head up though, I needed to see.

“Lea!” May had already rushed to my side again. Dammit, get out of here you stupid idiot. She was trying to free my legs. I looked towards the epicenter of the clusterfuck as May and Emilie worked together to get the biggest rock off me.

My gaze shifted further back as Apollo stood over the downed body of Solrock, and lifted his wing up. It glowed silver.

He brought his wing down and I forced myself to watch as a massive crack formed down the middle of the downed Solrock. Feelings of relief and guilt warred in my head as my skin grew colder. Paler. I felt weak.

“May...” I rasped out. The words felt like gravel in my mouth. She pushed the last of the rubble off me and threw my good arm around her neck as she lifted.

“Don’t talk, save your strength,” she commanded, her voice shaking as she moved towards the exit of the cave. “We’re taking you to a hospital. Now!”

“Hospital... sounds good... right about now...” I rasped out. "I’m so happy... I could save you... at least...”

“Stop talking about your life like It's ending any time soon. We’re getting you out of here.” May’s voice broke a bit towards the end. “Emilie!”

I looked up and frowned. Where was Emilie? We passed under the arch that led outside the crypt, and I couldn’t see her at all. I looked down and winced at the sight. My blood coated the arm and hand May had wrapped around my middle.

I was going to die.

“So much blood...” I whispered.

“We just need to get you to a hospital. Emilie!” May shouted. No response. So cold...

“I really was blessed... when you picked me for a friend. You made every part of my life... so much better...” I said, my vision swimming as everything started to blur.

“I said stop talking like you’re going to die! Emilie, get your ass over here right now and teleport us to a hospital! Please!” May screamed. I saw tears streaking down her face, and I did my best to smile. I opened my mouth again, but no words came out. “LEA!” I heard May scream my name as oblivion took me, the last thing I felt was a weight appearing on my shoulder, and the all too familiar feeling of being pulled through a tube.