Dungeon 60 - Mortal

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It was another peaceful night in Bright Dawn. The entire population of the city was unaware of what was happening, or going to happen in the future. Due to this, they were able to continue with their peaceful lives, and with the stroke of midnight, most were inside their homes already.

For Lilith, the silence of the night was deafening. She looked out the window, watching the empty streets without much reaction at all. Even that room was boring—Lance had too many books, most of them fiction.

Her feelings were suppressed—as they should. This life they had was worthless, and would soon be replaced by a better one. Such was the way of the Blinding One.

I already know that, but… why do I feel different? I don't wanna have doubts!

She sighed. Everyone else was busy; Max was doing his research as usual, Scar was meditating, and Necrozma…

Necrozma was in the kitchen, like most of the day, despite saying a few days ago that they would do something about team Liberators. She bit her lip, surely, they wouldn't die, right? Necrozma mentioned the three having a place in His—his—His world.

I… do wonder how he's gonna do it. What does the crystal mean? How did he get it? Maybe I oughta ask, couldn't hurt. The shiver in her spine said otherwise. …There has to be a reason.

Lilith continued to watch the city through the window. A slow creak behind her was ignored, along with the shadow the light from outside the room cast towards her. It was like she was paralyzed, from top to bottom.

"Ahem."

It was Scar, clearing his throat, hands folded on his back. "Greetings, Lilith. I would like to request your presence. Lord Necrozma has prepared another "meal" for us."

"Saying he prepared might be overestimating his skills," she groaned. Last time, it was a miracle none of them threw up, save for Max. The Electivire enjoyed it, somehow.

Scar huffed. "Do not say those words to Him. You know what He will do if you displease Him."

"Yeah, yeah. Get my life sucked out. Got the memo before." Lilith nodded. …Can't say I like the thought. Or many of the thoughts I've been having for some days. Emotions, feelings… I shouldn't be having them, but I am.

"So, shall we go? I, err, hope this meal is at least a little bit better than the last one He did." Scar added, shivering as well. "...Judging from the smell, it might be something fried. Which I hope will not end up burning this place down."

Lovely. Lilith thought, turning and leaving the room. On the bright side, eating such ridiculous food could help her get distracted from all the doubts and worries clouding her once crystal clear judgment.

As soon as she was outside, she heard… sizzling. Likely from all the oil being used. "...Yeah, I hope it's an improvement."

Though I doubt that's gonna happen.

"Well, we shall see. Come, Max is already there, we cannot waste time."

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"Welcome."

Necrozma had a platter in his hand, putting it down on the table; his tail flicked.

"Heya, Lilly." Max waved, already taking his place in a chair. As much as he wanted to eat already, his Lord requested to wait for the others.

"Greetings, my Lord." Scar bowed, only then taking a seat.

Take it easy. In and out… Lilith waved. "Greetings."

She sat down and waited. Necrozma looked at the three, grinning, with two fangs sticking out of his snout as he clapped his hands together. "Today I bring you something that I didn't even know I was craving! Fried cookies! With ketchup!"

"...Really? Nice." Max rubbed his stomach, licking his lips. "I'm interested. What do we have to drink?"

"Tea with some syrup mixed in, song with chocolate sauce. Vessel seems to enjoy tea way too much." He winced. "I thought it was rubbish, nothing more than hot leaf juice. So take this as a way to teach him a lesson; it's his fault I'm craving this crap."

"I see." Scar said, mentally sighing, taking as much care as possible not to upset Him. "...Well, thank you for the meal, my Liege. I am sure me and my comrades will enjoy it as much as you."

"Speeeaaaaking of comrades," Necrozma sat down, preparing his plate of cookies, and already shoving three of them inside his mouth at once. After chewing them down, he continued. "What's the story behind you and that Lopunny, Scar? I'm curious. After all, I know that you spent years, decades searching for me."

Scar didn't even flinch, not even as he ate that wretched culinary mistake, and drank the sacrilege of a brew.

"I knew someone was releasing me sometime. However… where does she fit in that timeline?"

"I, u-uh…" Lilith shoved a cookie down her throat to prevent herself from talking.

"If you allow me, my Liege." Scar nodded. "I can explain, after we are done feasting. May I?"

"...You may." Necrozma raised a brow. "Regardless, I'm waiting with great interest. You weren't the first to try and free me, you know? There have been countless others. Sadly, they all failed."

"Speaking of that," Max had eaten half of the batch of cookies, and finally took the time to drink his tea in a single gulp. "I need more intel. Can't figure out the best way to get you your light back without more info. I thought about getting the Awakening Emeras from that one town. Could work."

"Awakening…" Necrozma seemed to stop, peeking into Lance's memories for a moment. "Ah. Those things; they belong to Xerneas, that old hag."

"Belong to her?" Max tilted his head. "If I may ask, what do you mean by that?"

"Each of the pantheon members was given something, an item to protect. Mine was this crystal." And he showed it to them, still colorless. "Xerneas… she was tasked with the "awakening", as you put it. As well as being the bridge to any dead humans that were given a second chance."

Scar held back the urge to wince after hearing "second chance". He knew Xerneas would never accept his request of bringing his family back to life, even though she could.

"Dead humans, eh?" Max scratched his chin, grinning. "Heard 'bout them. Some people consider them myths, some believe in them. Obviously, we met that one Froslass, so we know they're real… interesting."

"W-We met Xerneas, too." Lilith said, forcing a frown. "And she's strong. Do you think she's gonna try to stop you?"

"Xerneas…" Necrozma looked away, but then he grinned. "We never saw eye to eye. Yes, I doubt she's letting this happen without interference."

Not once did he seem scared, or fearful. If anything, Necrozma was excited about the prospect.

"However… I am more than capable of fighting her. And actually, I might just do that, she has a lot of light that belongs to me."

"Hm…" Max crossed his arms in thought, nodding along. "Gotcha. I'm gonna see if I can find the best way to get you your light, and one that doesn't take too long."

"I do wanna go back to Cydonia…" Lilith muttered.

"All in due time, my subjects…"

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Past midnight. Past midnight and Brian wasn't sleeping. He couldn't, no matter how much he tried to. He moved around on the sofa, kicking the blanket, then picking it up to wrap himself in, then kicking it again.

Nothing could keep his mind off the parasite that now lived in their home. Not Dex, and certainly not Meggie. So what could he do?

Brian gasped, sitting down and checking the bracelet. Maybe you should talk to me…

Maybe it was strange that he considered chatting with an inanimate object that contained the essence of a nightmare bringer, but what other choices did he have?

…I wanna fight to get him back. Can you… can you please lend me your power? I can't do this on my own.

Much to his shock, the crystal began to glow, as if replying to him. Brian rubbed his eyes and opened his mouth to gasp. Then… I'm gonna go to the apartment, I'm gonna fight him and take my brother. Is that alright by you?

Once more, it glowed. Brian took that as a sign of approval and put the bracelet, clicking it into place. Just as light is not always good… darkness is not always evil.

His friends were sleeping; Brian sighed. Once they were back, Dex and Meggie would surely complain, but once they saw Lance again, this would all be fine. Surely.

I'm… bringing you home, Lance. Wait for me!

The crystal glowed once more, and Brian's head started to sting. Surprisingly, not in a bad way. Instead, it was like information was being sent directly to his mind.

Oh… oh! That's a great plan! I'm gonna try it!

Brian slowly opened the door, letting the night's light enter the building, and then walked off into the city, running as fast as he could towards his destination.

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"I'm alone, eh?"

Necrozma sat at the sofa, sighing. His precious subjects were headed to sleep, although maybe Max wasn't, depending on how long it took to plan things. Even so, Necrozma hardly cared, he had no doubts of his eventual success. Even if it meant fighting every other legend that was still active, he'd succeed.

"Guess I could do some resting. Meditating? Bah! The vessel has some weird habits… but I do wonder how he's doing. Nah, not my problem."

As he said it, Necrozma smiled. After the chat with Lance, he didn't find any strange thoughts, other than the food, but even that was enjoyable, considering he didn't eat like a regular Pokémon would. Of course, not having such resistance was incredible, even if he had any, it wouldn't be much of a problem.

It was then his ears flicked, hearing creaking from outside the door. The floor creaked, and Necrozma, out of sheer curiosity, decided to sense the auras around him.

"Hm… nothing unus—wait."

A ball of phantom energy burst the door apart, nearly hitting him, Necrozma tilting his head to dodge the attack.

Out of the smoke and the remains of the door, Brian stood in all fours, fangs bared, claws ready for an attack.

"Little brother."

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Brian snarled again, showing the crystal with him. "...I'm here to end this! But not in my home! Let's fight somewhere else! Somewhere with no victims! Just you and me!"

Necrozma laughed, clapping his hands. "Fascinating! I never expected a request like that coming from you, bro! I thought you were waaaay more into mechanical things than fighting!"

"You don't get to call me that."

Brian, instead of acting out and attacking at the first chance he got, took a deep breath. If Lance was there, he'd say something along the lines of "don't be reckless, you need to strategize." Because of this, Brian didn't move.

"...Let's get out of here. Use one of those portals or whatever, just get us out of here!"

"Hm." Necrozma folded his arms behind his back, smirking. "And now, why would I do that? Why waste my precious time and energy with someone who can never compare to my glorious self?"

If asking directly doesn't work, then… Brian flashed a grin at him. "So what, you're scared of me? A lowly Zoroark?"

Necrozma flinched, now facing him. "I do not fear anything, brother. You'd be wise to watch your tongue. Frankly, you should be happy I spared you and your friends."

It made the fox shiver, but Brian kept his posture. Showing weakness? No. He had to be strong.

"Then fight me! I'll show you what I can do!"

"...No." Necrozma stated, raising his head to scoff at his vessel's brother. "A request such as yours would only happen if you were capable of hurting me. So, brother, no. I will not fight you."

"Tch." Brian really hoped it didn't have to come into this, but now he was out of options.

Raising his arm, the Zoroark tried removing the crystal of its prison. "Okay, then!"

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"The fuck's happening—"

Just as Max opened the door, he saw a sphere being tossed right next to him, landing on the wall. His eyes darted to the living room, to Necrozma… and Brian.

"I remember that. Darkrai's spirit is inside, isn't it?" Necrozma flexed his claws, taking a mental note that he'd have to put more effort into this.

Brian continued to blast sphere after sphere, most of which were either dodged or countered by an Aura Sphere. Just so he could have the time to remove the crystal.

C'mon! You said you'd lend me your power!

…Though "said" was probably a stretch, since the jewel didn't do anything other than glow.

"I'd suggest giving that thing back, brother." Necrozma sighed. "You're messing with forces you don't understand."

"Indeed." Scar left his room, and was about to take action, when—

"Stay out of this, Scar." He snarled, preparing to fire a sphere at his subordinates. "This is between the two of us."

Brian took another deep breath. Settling things with a parasite… how he hated this. How it was infuriating. Anger, sadness, despair. All emotions inside him, as Brian removed the crystal from its containment.

A flash of red and black aura overtook him, but this time, it wasn't as painful. If it was, Brian knew the pain of losing his brother far exceeded whatever the crystal was doing to him.

"Tch. Powered-up or not, it's just Darkrai, a minor legend compared to the likes of me. Hell, even Kyurem would be a better adversary."

"Shut up!" Brian snarled, dissipating all the aura. Once more, he was overtaken, his mane growing and turning as wispy as before. This time… this time he was fully aware of his surroundings. His breaths sounded deep, wild.

"Scar, Max. And Lilith, wherever she is—stay out."

Necrozma decided not to wait for an answer, jumping in to slash his brother.

"I said…" And Brian cleared his throat, slashing the air with as much of his type's energy as he could, launching Necrozma backwards. This was the first time he managed to land a clean hit. "Shut up! Now will you fight me?!"

Necrozma crashed on the sofa, breaking it in half. However, he stood up, laughing at the pain. Aside from a small scratch, he looked fine, and with the booming laugh that came out of his snout, Necrozma was livid. "Oh boy! This hurts like hell! But… honestly, I live for the pain! Bring it, brother!"

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"I'm not your brother… I'm stopping you, right here, right now!"

"You're welcome to try!" Necrozma extended an arm to the side, opening a portal, deciding to think of where they should land. Considering his opponent, there was no better place than the one he picked.

Necrozma jumped in the portal, and with another snarl, Brian jumped to follow him.

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As he hopped on the other side, Brian heard waves crashing in the distance, turning his eyes to see the place his brother always went to when he needed to be alone: Thornwell's beach.

"All the way back…?" Brian blinked, still looking at the ocean. It was still night, and the moon shone in the distance. He had no time to admire the scenery, however. "Why this place?"

"What better place, brother?" Necrozma flicked his hand, grinning. Letting a loud whiff of air inside, he smiled. "You wanted to fight somewhere empty, and I figured… this was the best spot."

"Ah…" Brian let his mane swish in the wind, wispy like the Pokémon his power came from. He snarled, eyes focused on Necrozma, and only Necrozma.

The prismatic Pokémon raised an arm. "Now, can we do this already? I'm not interested in—"

Brian jumped, a gust of sand tossed behind him as he advanced, ready to slash the parasite he was facing. Necrozma clenched his teeth, blocking the slash with a crystallized arm, but unlike before, this attack was much stronger.

Curious… where is he taking all this power from? Is it rage that's powering him? Such unbridled fury… how fascinating! Necrozma lifted the arm he was using to contain the attack and blasted an Aura Sphere at point-blank, tossing Brian back.

Though he was blown away, it was only for a moment, as Brian quickly got to his feet and hopped again, preparing two slashes, faster and stronger, strong enough that Necrozma had to use both of his arms to block them.

"Urgh… impossible! A mere mortal should not possess this!"

"This "mere mortal" wants you to shove it!" Brian took a large breath, unleashing a powerful stream of flames that staggered his opponent and forced him to open a portal to send the attack elsewhere.

Necrozma shivered. His arms trembled, burning, as did his fur. However, the shiver stopped, replaced by more laughter—or rather, cackling. "What a sinful creature! Your form is a mockery of a perfect being such as myself, and of my former comrade."

"I doubt he likes you that much, from the little of his feelings I can sense…" Brian huffed, rubbing sweat off his face as he put on his goggles. "Not that I'm complaining! This power is just what I needed!"

"You should thank me for it, then." Necrozma cackled again, flexing both arms. "The crystal you so desperately hold on to was created from me! Imbued with Darkrai's power, but it was mine! I was merely reaching out a hand!"

"That's why… you're a mockery."

Necrozma prepared another sphere. "No matter, I will deal with you properly!"

Now he takes me seriously… Brian sighed, but he was hardly tired. With his energy and wounds healed, the Zoroark was ready to fight until necessary. Which might take a while…

Brian cracked his neck and got on all fours again, preparing to pounce, but instead, another flamethrower was released, clashing with the sphere Necrozma launched.

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And Necrozma remained in place, watching the flames and the sphere dissipate. He groaned, then his eyes widened. For starters, Brian was gone.

Secondly, there was a change of scenery. Instead of a sandy beach, he saw and recognized the inside of Lance's house. Their house, with their father, Nick. Not just that, but in front of him, a Riolu and Zorua were sitting on a couch, watching TV.

"You…"

The two were happy, with the remote between them. Lance picked it, only for Brian to bite him and get the controller to himself.

Necrozma laughed. This was Lance remembering this instance, and the second he realized it, he shook the smile and laughter off, clenching a fist.

"This is an illusion, this isn't real. And more importantly, I don't care!"

The Zorua hopped off the couch, transforming back into Brian as he punched Necrozma straight in the face, hs fist crackling with energy, and soon a blade of dark power shoved Necrozma back.

"This is… one of my precious memories. One of the moments I shared with my brother. And you spit on it! I can never forgive you!"

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness, brother." Necrozma stood up. A bright flash of red light covered the area, and the scenery changed once again.

It was black and blue. Multiple Riolu were surrounding him, all looking exactly like Lance, headband and scar included.

"Stop this! This is an illusion, I—"

One of the Riolu grabbed Necrozma's arm, and it was real. Its paws were fluffy and warm to the touch. Necrozma's eyes widened as he stared, dumbstruck.

"This… you're using Darkrai's power. With it, your illusions are boosted, aren't they?"

"FoRgIvE." The Riolu said, staring at Necrozma. All at once, every Riolu said the same thing, their eyes black and cold.

A melody of cries deafened him, never once stopping, not for a moment. And Necrozma resorted to covering his ears, all in an attempt to stop the voices from talking to him.

"An illusion, it's all an illusion! That's why I can say…"

He shivered, if only for a moment.

"...Zip it." Necrozma created another sphere and blasted it on the ground, dissipating the illusion to reveal Brian lunging at him, just in time for Necrozma's body to glow purple, before bursting into light that shot his opponent back.

Brian rolled on the ground, but quickly got to his feet, spitting a single drop of blood on his side. "What's that attack even supposed to be? Psychic? How can it hit me?"

"Photon Geyser." He answered, aura spiking and turning purple. "I am a god, brother. Hitting a dark-type is nothing to me."

"Geyser, huh? Sounds to me like you have serious arrogance issues. I'd get that checked out if I were—"

"Enough." Necrozma blasted another sphere, and once it hit Brian, the Zoroark dissipated in a red flash.

"...What?!" If that was an illusion too, which part of the fight was real? He had to sense it! Necrozma started to focus on the aura around him, to figure out Brian's next move…

…And everywhere had his signature. The entire beach. Was the beach itself an illusion?

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No. It couldn't be. Necrozma was strong enough to detect any illusions that came his way!

"You were right about one thing…" Said Brian, his voice coming from somewhere… and nowhere in particular. "Darkrai did make me stronger."

And a powerful attack struck Necrozma's back: another Shadow Ball, Brian finally uncloaking himself as he roared, pressing the attack as much as he could.

As he did so, the area he tried attacking began to glow purple, and a prism formed to protect Necrozma, taking in the damage, slowly cracking until it was destroyed, and Necrozma fell on the sand.

Brian was left panting, but focused his energy in cloaking himself again.

"You wretched fool…!" Necrozma stood up, groaning. If Prism Armor hadn't been activated… no! I can't think like this! I. Am. Necrozma. I am a god.

Another flash of light enveloped the area, this time changing the stage to a cave, full of magma. Necrozma began to sweat, from… heat? How was there heat involved?

Tch. So not just my sense of touch… he's even making an illusion of temperature.

Bursts of flame came from everywhere at once, but Necrozma was ready. His body glowed, and beams of light shot towards all the fire, dissipating the illusion in all of them except one; the one directed to his face.

Necrozma shot a sphere that set the flames apart until they dissipated, and with it, the cave. Brian was on all fours, with that glow in his eyes… fury, again.

"I'll admit this. You're smart, brother." Necrozma said, chuckling. On the inside, his turmoil kept going, but he didn't dare show any of that. He kept the charade and display of confidence. "Perhaps there is a better use for you."

He offered a hand. "Join me. I can give you the world you truly desire."

"...Huh?" Hearing that, Brian stopped, seeming to consider it. It. The venomous words that came from a monster, a parasite. And maybe there was some degree of truth in them, or at least he hoped there was.

It's a trick. And I dunno enough about this guy to trust him. Meaning… I gotta stick with the plan. Brian looked at his hand, the crystal stuck to it. Meaning I gotta make him tired!

"So? Will you join me, brother?"

Brian's heart skipped a beat, and he replied with a roar that ended on a volley of Shadow Balls towards his opponent.

"Ah. How… disappointing." Necrozma extended his hand forward and opened a portal, sucking all the spheres to it.

Behind Brian, a second portal appeared, shooting every single one of his attacks back to him. The Zoroark groaned, hissing in pain after each strike.

"D-Do you remember… that day?"

Brian punched the ground, creating another flash and changing the area once more. They were at the edge of the city, bags packed and ready to leave.

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Necrozma flinched, looking around at all the grass and trees, and at the sign indicating the exit to the city. "The day… we went on our journey."

Did I get through to him…? Brian thought, looking at him… brother? Parasite? He didn't know yet.

"Ah, yes, I do remember," he said, looking at himself. "I… no! I'm… no!"

Brian muttered something to himself and prepared to strike again, when Necrozma staggered, stepping back as he looked at himself, trembling and checking his surroundings.

"You fool! Get away! Get out! I'm taking charge here! So stay put, you damn mutt!"

I need to do this again… Brian focused on his illusion, changing it in the blink of an eye to… the road outside the city, and materializing a carriage nearby.

"Do you remember? This was our first mission together, we saved that Zebstrika from a pack of feral Mightyena."

Necrozma—Lance—whoever that was, flinched again, looking at the transport they once used.

"I… remember."

The Lucario, if he could be called one, stopped every movement to look at the carriage, then at Brian, then back at the carriage.

"We've really come so far, haven't we, Lance?" Brian whined. "Met so many people, we fought, triumphed, and now… now I'm saving you."

"Save." He said, Necrozma's voice again. "I don't need saving."

Necrozma blasted Brian back with another sphere, snarling. "This was impressive, you managed to bring him to the surface, if only for a while… but it ends now."

"Hm… worth a shot." Brian prepared to fight again, whining as he looked at the thing that took his brother away. He blasted the illusion away, bringing them both back to the beach.

"I'll admit, you've done well so far, for a mortal." Necrozma closed his eyes and lunged, a psychic blade materialized, rushing towards Brian, cutting through the sand like it was butter.

Brian dodged by rolling to the side and ran ahead, baring his fangs, before creating a blade of his own, but it was pure black.

"Hmph!" Necrozma replied with his blade, the two attacks canceling each other out in a bright purple and black explosion.

He didn't want to leave any opportunities for Brian to recover, so Necrozma charged, grabbing the Zoroark by his neck and shoving him to the ground, pinned by his crystalline arm.

"U-Uwargh!" Brian squirmed, trying his best to escape Necrozma's grasp. "L-Lance! I know you're there! Listen to me, I-I have a plan!"

"Whatever plan you may have, it's pointless!" Necrozma pressed down tighter, starting to choke the Zoroark.

"L-Lance, Lance, please! You're my brother!" Brian let the tears fall, not that he could stop them even if he wanted to. All he did was lock eyes with Necrozma, hoping to pull through. "I-I… I love you!"

Necrozma's eyes widened again, and amidst the chunk of rock that formed the helmet on his face, a single tear formed. He removed his grasp on Brian, stumbling back.

"I-I… what? W-What is this?!"

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Brian groaned, seeing this was the opportunity he needed. There would be no other chance.

I need to take this one!

"What… w-what did you do?!" Necrozma hissed and went for a punch, but Brian disappeared in a flash of red.

"Sorry, but I'm the one ending this!"

Brian reappeared… not once, but three times, two copies of himself materialized as he ran in circles around Necrozma, both to confuse him further and to make an opening for the next strike.

He's tired, I'm tired, so this either works, or—I'm not even thinkin' it!

"Back off!" Necrozma fired a sphere at one of the copies, but it was nothing but an illusion, so the attack simply went through.

Meanwhile, Brian put his hands together, forming a crimson and black ball between them. He kept running with both copies, kicking the sand as much as he could.

This is… for you, Lance!

Brian jumped, launching the ball towards Necrozma as fast as he could.

It was a clean hit, exploding in contact with the legendary and enveloping him inside a bright aura of black and crimson. Necrozma extended his arm to try one final attack, one last-ditch effort… but his eyes grew weary and tired the longer the aura was active.

"Y-You… want to make me… f-fall asl—"

And he fell backwards, asleep. Brian panted, falling to his knees and dispelling the copies. "That was the plan… all along. I needed to tire you out."

Which kinda sucks, because I'm also tired! Brian shook his head. This wasn't the time for doubts! Now, for step two, and the one I have no idea how it works…

Brian stood up, walking and sitting next to Necrozma. With a paw, he touched Necrozma's helmet.

Okay… this—well, I hope it won't hurt, but I'm getting inside that nightmare. Brian took a deep breath and focused all the power he had, on the energy he sent, and how to connect to it.

Which was hard to do. Mostly because he had never done it before. Brian focused on the power, on how to bridge with it. To make things easier, he tried remembering Lance, and all the times they had, made real by his illusions from earlier.

His paw started to glow, and Brian exhaled. Was it working? He didn't know… and that made him shiver. Not wanting to give up just yet, Brian continued to think of his brother, his paw glowing brighter.

I'm… getting closer, I can feel it.

Brian kept going, calm and easy. Rushing would surely make things worse, or make them end in failure. Failure which he didn't need or want.

Finally, his paw grew brighter than ever before, consuming his entire vision. Brian was pulled down by something, pulled inside of Necrozma. He almost sensed a hand. Lance's, perhaps? Whatever it was, he did it!

And everything went black as he cheered himself for a job well done.

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"Where…"

Brian opened his eyes, seeing himself at the bottom of a large, grassy hill. There were swords spread all around the area, even going up the hill.

"...I can't say I know much about mindscapes, but this is a mindscape, right?" Brian then looked at himself; normal, no Darkrai attributes. His voice was also normal, and not as deep as when he had the power. "Okay, this is kinda interesting, but man is it weird."

Thunder echoed in the background, forcing Brian to look up at the bright, purple sky.

"Okay, that's a nice view, but I really gotta find my brother," he sighed, almost wanting to stop and catch his breath. Did he have breath in that mindscape place? Too many questions. "Maybe I gotta climb the hill… it does look like the one from back home. Man, I can't wait for the vacation…"

As he climbed, Brian took a few moments to check his surroundings, in case any creepy things happened, like Necrozma showing up out of nowhere to attack him. Now that would be bad.

Slowly, the swords were getting closer to each other, and Brian, closer to the top. He even heard a shaky breath, making him run instead of walk.

"Lance?! Lance! Is that yo—" Brian stopped right at the top. His brother was, indeed, there.

Chained, muzzled, and with swords on his back. Even his bones were visible, and his fur was messy.

"Lance!" Brian said, rushing to his side. "Lance! Thank Gods you're alright!"

"Mmmph. Mmm!"

"Right, the muzzle. Sorry!" Brian leaned closer, ripping it off and watching the material fade into nothing. "O…kay, that's weird. But at this point, what isn't?"

"B-Brian." Lance said, his voice weak and frail. "You're… y-you're here, how?"

"Darkrai. Seems he helped me out this time," he replied. "Now let's get you outta here! I dunno how long he's gonna be asleep!"

"N-Not… not for long. Listen, Brian." Lance tried to go for a hug, but the chains stopped him. "I've… I've been fighting all this time, trying to break free. It hasn't worked out that well."

"Yeah, I noticed. That's the whole point of me being here!" Brian managed a chuckle, already working on releasing him from the chains.

"...Tch. You came all this way just to help me? Why? You know I'm a monster—"

Brian shook his head, looking at his brother's eyes. "You're not a monster, Lance."

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A wall of silence stood between them. Lance didn't reply, looking down at the ground. The swords on his back stung, and he winced. Part of him wondered if this was the punishment he deserved. It certainly was, no doubt about it.

"...How can you say that? After all I've done."

"I know the real you." Brian said, stopping his work on the chains to sit next to his sibling. "The you that's hidden deep inside all the trauma and PTSD. My best friend. A kind soul that wants to help everyone he can."

Lance sighed, clenching both of his fists. The swords continued to sting, and seemed to be deeper inside him.

"I don't get it. I've killed, Brian. Back when I was kidnapped, it was for my survival. But after I left—"

"Stop." Brian sighed, shaking his head. "I know that. And… and I'm sure there's a way for you to repent. Nothing's impossible, Lance. We can find a way. As long as you're willing to change…"

Lance closed his eyes and chuckled slightly. "I am. When you give a speech like that, I can't just say no to you."

"Heh. I know. By the way, where is this place?" Brian took another look around. "...Can't say I know much about the inside of people's minds."

"I'm not so sure myself, it appears to be some sort of mindscape. I'm not sure about the swords and chains, though. Perhaps Necrozma—"

Right then, a bright flash of white covered the sky, turning it from purple to violet. Hearing it made Lance wince.

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"...He's coming back." Lance shivered again. "Brian, you need to go—"

"Hush. I'm gonna work on the swords, they must hurt you a lot!"

Another flash of light erupted in the sky, this one taking longer to fade.

"You need to go. If he finds you, he might take you over too."

Brian immediately shook his head. "What?! And leave you here?! No way!"

"I'm not risking it, Brian! Just you being here… it helps, okay?" Lance made no effort to escape the chains again. "...I know you'll find a way to bring me back, but I can't risk losing you!"

"And I can't—"

Lance, using all the strength he had, pulled Brian close for a hug. The Zoroark yipped, before returning the gesture with a low whine.

"You're not losing me. We're… pulling through, alright? Now go! Go back to the others! We'll find a way."

Brian reluctantly pulled back from Lance, rubbing some tears off his face. "There's just one problem, we're at the beach in our hometown. D'you think—"

"I can influence him." Lance said. "I… might try to influence him to open a portal to Bright Dawn. Will that work?"

"...I guess. Isn't there another way?"

"I'll try my best to influence his thoughts from here, while you figure out a way to free me from the outside, okay?" Lance said, closing his eyes. His feelers twitched. "Go. I'm working on the portal now."

Brian sighed. First he had to figure out how to go inside, now he needed to find out how to escape. According to what the crystal told him, he needed to reverse the process.

So, slowly, Brian began to engineer his way back; instead of focusing on his brother, he thought of the beach, of the sand in his feet, of the breeze—all things of the outside world, perfect for him to return. His body started glowing, fading.

"Lance… I'm happy to see you again. I'm coming back for you, okay?"

"Brian… go!"

Sighing, the Zoroark continued to think, dissipating from the realm just as another flash of light erupted.

Once outside, Brian saw the portal home—his other home, and Necrozma, still asleep. He looked at the creature one more time and hopped in, leaving him there.

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As soon as Necrozma opened his eyes, he saw a portal disappearing.

"That… damn it! He escaped from my clutches! And how dare he make a fool out of me?! Blasted Darkrai!"

Necrozma clenched a fist, standing up and panting. As much as he denied it, he took a substantial amount of damage during that fight.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable that someone like him was hurt so much. Necrozma snarled, his aura flaring up. "I… commend you, mortal. You surprised me. But that was nothing but a miracle—it will never happen again."

And YOU, vessel—I don't know what you talked about with him, but surely it can't be anything GOOD. I'm really going to shut you up this time, hmph.

He shook his head, ignoring any thoughts for the moment, and deciding to calm down first. Easy. This isn't bad, if anything, it just shows how powerful I am. I survived, after all.

Necrozma opened another portal, aiming at the apartment back in Bright Dawn.

It seems I will need to do things quicker, vessel. You and your brother forced me to, but it hardly matters. Once I'm done, nothing will matter anymore. All the world will be enveloped in light. If you can't see that, then I'll just have to MAKE you see it.

Nobody replied to him, though Necrozma didn't bother with waiting for any replies. All he wanted was to go back and rest—rest, him. That thought was disgusting, but there was nothing that could be done.

So he jumped in, ready to return home.