Chapter 28

The Keys To The Truth

Gallade kept his stunned gaze on the projection as it ended, the holographic figures going still before collapsing into pink energy and being siphoned back into the Projection Crystal. A blink would snap him back into reality as he scrambled to get away from Weavile's dropped saddlebag.

While the others were still collecting their bearings at what they saw, he carefully snuck the Entercard in between his armband and Mega Bracelet.

Weavile turned her head to stare at him not a second later. "Who would've fucking thought? You two… heh." She shook her head. "You've got a lot of explaining to do." She shot an equally shocked Heliolisk a look. "Care to speak up?"

None of them did.

Bisharp took the Projection Crystal from Weavile's grasp. "I agree with Weav's here. I was expecting some crazy shit, but the Alignment being involved with this place? That's a bit more interesting, you think?"

"This place has got to be pretty damn old, huh? You thinking a couple hundred years old maximum, Bishy?"

"You should brush up on your history, Weav's, because that Mew and Infernape were talking about a king, and there hasn't been one in Celestic for thousands of years." Bisharp looked over at Gallade and Heliolisk. "Strange detail that is..."

The duo stayed silent, briefly exchanging glances at each other.

Weavile brandished a smug smirk. "Well, that's certainly an eye raiser. How much shit has your little cult been hiding? I know for sure the Alignment hasn't told Celestic or the Council they've been polluting the continent for this long." She sauntered over to a stiff Gallade, poking him with a claw. "Tell me, soldier boy, your Allfather ever taught you about this lil' encounter with the Legendaries?"

The Psychic-type swallowed, considering his words. "... No. This is entirely new to us. Our written history dates back a few hundred years, not thousands."

Weavile stepped back, throwing a look behind her. "You hear that, Bishy? It's the sound of lies."

"I am only telling the tru-"

"And we'll get to hear plenty of that in the future," Weavile finished with a wicked smile. "We've hit quite the jackpot here, so let's not waste any of our precious time left here."

Bisharp nodded. "There's still a few other paths we can take. I bet there's more of those crystals around here. Let's gather them before the Rose Clan figures out we're down here."

"Which means plenty of other explanations of why this place is so damn important to the snake," Weavile added, swiping the Projection Crystal back and lifting her saddlebag off the ground. "Let's get this done fast."

"Why don't we split up?" a sweating Heliolisk piped up, wincing once the cold gazes of the captains' were on him. "It only makes sense, right? If we have little time to explore. Me and Gallade can take one of the paths."

Bisharp glared at him. "You think we'll take our eyes off you for a single second? We allowed your partner to do what he did at the keep, but you're pushing it."

Weavile nudged his shoulder, "Relax, Bishy. What are they gonna do - dig to safety?" She cackled at the thought before looking over at the statue-like Absols' lurking in the room's doorway. "You two follow them as they take this path of theirs. You're never taking your eyes off of them."

The identical twins' blinked in recognition of their captain's command.

"Splendid. Now go off and bring us back some more clues, will ya?"

The Absols' sidestepped away from the doorway as Heliolisk and Gallade hesitantly took this as their cue to leave. They did so, looking both ways down the torch-lit hallway's string of the caved-in living quarters. With the pair of sharp eyes narrowing onto them from behind, they hastily went down one at random, going nowhere in particular.

Gallade hurried his pace a bit to further the distance from them and the looming Absol twins. He then leaned in to whisper into Heliolisk's ear. "Why did you do that? You're only making us look more suspicious."

"I saw what you did back there," the Electric-type shot back. "While we were all watching that projection, you did something. It's in your armband, isn't it?"

Gallade gave a curt nod to his speculation.

Heliolisk smirked. "I knew it! You did have a plan for us to get out of here."

"Keep your voice down. I only acted on an opportunity, and it's not certain to work." He gave a half hearted motion to what was behind them. "Those Absols' will never give us the chance to use the Entercard while they're here."

Heliolisk couldn't accept an answer like that. "So when will we get that chance? You heard that Weavile back there. She's not gonna let us leave, not after what we saw back there. And what the hell was that, anyway? That was the original Allfather in that vision. The same Infernape in all of our books, paintings, and plays back home."

Gallade was still struggling to accept the reality of what the Projection Crystal revealed, what it meant. He felt blessed to actually hear and see the primordial Pokemon from so long ago, one spoken so highly in their books and tomes of the past. Yet, what the vision truly spoke was something far more concerning.

"I… I don't believe we have sufficient knowledge to conclude what has taken place here."

"Well, what if the Entercards were actually made here? What if we didn't make them like we were told?"

"That's preposterous. Perhaps our brothers and sisters of old returned and the Legendaries accepted their proposal of a partnership, thus allowing their creation," Gallade hypothesized. There was no other reason in his mind that it could not be this outcome.

Heliolisk scowled. "... They lied to us, Gallade. They lied to everyone back home." His eyes twitched slightly in anger. "If we've all really been doing this for thousands of years, then when will this all end?"

Gallade did not know how to respond to that, unsure himself. He wetted his lips, holding his armband still. "We will bring this up to the Allfather later. There are more important things to focus on right now."

"Like getting out of here." Heliolisk angled his head to peek at the Absols' trudging just behind before returning to whisper. "And like you said, they'll never give us a chance while they're here…"

Gallade knew what Heliolisk was implying, yet continued to trek forward through the hallway without another word. The thoughts swirling in his mind were a mix of both plotting to get rid of their assailants, and a cry for answers of why his faith was being questioned so much, both by the ruins around them, and his closest friend.

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

"... GIGIGIGIGIGIGIGAS!"

Liam frantically whipped his gaze around the rumbling chamber as the ground beneath him began to fracture and crumble away. Before he knew it, he, Gloria, and Roark, were freefalling into the dark depths below them. An instinctual scream that escaped the Riolu as he descended was reduced to a sudden wheeze, the trio hitting the hard, sandy floor. Quickly pushing himself up to a kneel, Liam looked up in horror as large chunks of the ceiling began to rain down on them, his aura feelings going berserk as they got closer.

Roark helped Gloria up and held the stunned Vulpix close as he stumbled into a run. "Get to safety, kid!"

Liam did not need to hear him to know what to do. Honing into the electrifying feeling shooting through his nerves, he dodged each piece of hailing debris that crossed his path without even breaking a sweat. When the rocks ceased, and the plumes of red and orange dust sweeping this new room settled, he squinted his eyes through the darkness to spot Roark and Gloria, running towards them.

"What the heck was that?!" he yelled as he got near.

Roark caught his breath first before pointing a claw at something out of view. "That, kid."

Liam turned to follow the fox's raised arm, his jaw dropping at what he saw. A behemoth of a Pokemon stood at the end of the destroyed room, slowly inching forward, its moss covered feet taking multiple seconds to raise and pound the ground, shaking the entire room in the process. Seven 'eyes' across its white and yellow body flashed an array of red colors as it rose another leg.

Liam blinked, "W-what is that Pokemon?!"

Gloria felt a wave of fear hit her as another tremor shook the room and her body. "T-that's Regigigas. It's… It's the master of all the regis and-"

"And not important right now, sis!" Roark said as he wrapped both arms around the two, forcing them into a huddle. "Okay, first thing - shut up and calm down. Second thing, we had methods of dealing with super large targets in the Rescue Society. First strategy was attempting a negotiation without hostilities. And well…" He momentarily raised his head from the huddle to stare at the encroaching Pokemon. "I don't think that guy speaks the language of peace like we do, so second strategy…"

"Which is?!" Liam said hurriedly, attempting to ignore the 'thuds' behind them that got louder and louder each second.

"They're slow. We're fast. We use that to our advantage here."

"A-are you sure we can do this?" Gloria asked incredulously.

"Wouldn't be saying this if we were meeting our demise, sis."

Liam latched his paws onto the worried Vulpix's side. 'We can do this, Gloria! Remember Magmortar and Rhyperior? We totally got this!"

"And Golisopod?" she questioned.

"Uh, just… Forget that one!"

A quake that was louder than previous signaled that their foe was closing in.

Roark gave both of them a quick glance. "You two will have to deal the serious damage here. I can't do much with this bum leg, but I sure as hell will be a good distraction."

Another rumbling passed through their bodies.

"And now would be a good time to move!" Roark yelled.

When Regigigas finally closed in on his tiny targets, the hulking golem came to a complete stop as it began to raise its arms almost in slow-motion, giving ample opportunity for the Pokemon below to bolt away. Moments later, the drawn out attack would smash into the ground, its monstrous force and resulting shockwave knocking the trio to the ground. The earth itself was even left scarred, numerous fissures originating from the impact zone splintering the room.

Liam wasted no time in jumping to his paws, assisting a less dexterous Gloria get onto hers. A look back at their previous position told him that Regigigas was still recovering from the attack. If they had any opportunities to land any attack - regardless of their effectiveness - it would be now.

"Gloria, back me up here!" Yellow sparks of electricity consumed the Riolu's enclosed paws. "I'm going in."

The Vulpix was astonished at his recklessness. "You're gonna get close to that thing?!"

"Uhuh," he replied curtly, taking a single step.

"Um, wait!"

"No time to think! Just act!"

With that, he beelined straight towards the goliath as it returned to a neutral stance, its eyes blinking red once again. Liam could just reach about a quarter of its mossy leg as he began to slam it with multiple lightning quick Thunder Punches. Each strike felt more pitiful than the last, as if he was punching a brick wall. Regigigas did not react immediately to the damage, gurgling out a combination of both high and low frequencies.

"GIGIGIGI… REGIGIGAS."

Liam's flurry of attacks soon began to falter, his seemingly limitless amount of energy fading. He had hoped it would do anything to the colossal Pokemon, even a single scratch. Landing one last Thunder Punch, he looked up to see Regigigas finally reacting to his assault, in the form of three white claws expanding over him. Beams of frigid ice then hammered into the claws, freezing them solid and allowing Liam to scramble to safety as he looked back.

'He seemed a lot faster that time…'

"Hey! Over here, big guy!"

The eyes of Regigigas flickered as it slowly turned its body to face the smirking visage of a Zoroark. More distorted utterings of its name emanated from the colossal Pokemon as it moved in to attack. Roark saw his opportunity and kept backing up, luring the golem into a heavy stagger.

"Strategy three: Bait these big suckers into long and tiring attacks!" The fox stopped and raised his arms once again. "C'mon! Out in the open for attacks here!"

Regigigas' limp began to transition into a more mechanical shuffle throughout the 'chase', eyes gleaming as it came to a complete stop and lifted its arms high. Roark shot to the side when its limbs came crashing down, creating another deep crater in its wake.

"Strategy four!" Roark beckoned to the two Pokemon standing by the sides. "Hit 'em hard while they're vulnerable!"

Liam and Gloria shared a glance, both nodding in recognition before speeding off towards the motionless Pokemon. While the Riolu moved to land multiple Force Palms onto Regigigas' legs in hopes of damaging it, Gloria stood off to the side and summoned a Fairy Wind. Pink gusts sailed through the air and cut into the giant in an attempt to halt its movements, yet was ultimately futile as Regigigas stood back up and went back on the offensive.

"GIGIGIGIGI!"

A surprisingly swift swipe of its three claws was directed at Liam, who was forced to utilize his Quick Attack to make a narrow escape in the blink of an eye. The golem then whirled around and followed up with another raise of its arms, smashing the ground as the Riolu tumbled out of the way with a well timed roll. Liam got a safe distance away from the behemoth before looking back in shock.

"Is it me, or is it getting faster?!"

Gloria gulped. "My book did say it was purposefully meant to have a slow startup!"

More mutterings of its name came out of Regigigas as it rose a mossy leg high. It then brought it downward, producing a powerful earthquake that rocked the chamber, stalactites and remaining pieces of the ceiling breaking away and cascading on the unfortunate Pokemon below. During the chaos, Regigigas' eyes flickered red as it honed in on Liam, moving into a charging position with protracted claws.

Gloria was the first to notice, head snapping between Regigigas and the Riolu. "Liam! It's gonna charge you!"

Liam, who was too busy trying to dodge falling rocks from above, turned his head briefly to see Regigigas break off into a sprint, barreling across the room towards him. His aura feelers screeched at his body to move, and the wide-eyed Riolu was more than willing to listen. He bolted away just before the claws could latch onto him, continuing to run away as the golem corrected its path.

"GIGAS!"

"Woah!"

Regigigas effortlessly slashed an obstructing pillar into chunks of stone as it pursued a fleeing Liam like an enraged Tauros. The Fighting-type's body would bounce and jump from the force of the golem's thunderous steps as it gained on him. Liam glanced back to see Regigigas swinging its arms ferociously at him, reducing even more pillars into rubble.

"Aah!"

Liam yelped as an enclosed claw nearly managed to grab him. He jumped off the arm it was attached to and just barely managed to leap off the other that locked on to him. As he was mid-air and struggling to stave off the tenacious golem, a Stun Seed thrown by Gloria shattered onto Regigigas, bolts of electricity locking the Pokemon in place and giving Liam room to land with a roll.

"Thanks… Gloria," the Riolu said through exhausted breaths, before throwing his gaze across the room. "Could use another distraction! Don't you think, Roark?!"

"On it, kid!"

The Zoroark scurried as best he could from his cover, stopping a good distance away from the immobilized Pokemon. Roark then became a blur of transparent figures, numerous doppelgangers of himself leaping from his body and encircling Regigigas entirely.

"How do you like my Double Team, big guy?" the combined voices of all the Roark clones shouted.

The Stun Seed's effects on Regigigas dissipated faster than usual, the golem regaining its movement with a flex of its limbs. Regigigas held his stance like a statue, eyes flashing as it almost calculated its next action. It wasn't long until it rose both arms into the air, white claws crackling with a strange black and purple energy. The trio below watched in a mix of apprehension and horror as the energy built up into a sphere, growing larger and larger, until the golem spread its arms out, releasing an intense shockwave that swept throughout the chamber, eliminating Roark's doppelgangers in an instant.

Liam flinched and shielded from the attack with his arms, a closed eye then peeking beyond them following the aftermath of it. "... Roark, I think you only made it switch attack styles!"

"It's gonna attack again!" Gloria warned. "Get to cover!"

"REGIGIGAS!"

Regigigas proved the Vulpix's warnings right as it lifted just one arm, raw energy expanding inside of its clenched claw. Numerous bolts of electrifying black and purple energy shot from the claw and landed on various spots across the room. They expanded in sync with one another before exploding violently and sending arcs of hot plasma shooting through the air.

Liam and Gloria held their breaths behind a shattered pillar, cringing as their furs felt almost singed by the intensity around them. They didn't dare peek behind their meager cover as Regigigas took another deafening step towards them, roaring its broken voice at them.

"GIGAS… REGIGIGA-"

A storm of meteors ignited with purplish draconic fire collided into Regigigas from above, halting its gibberish and movements.

"... That looked like a Draco Meteor," Gloria mumbled, her eyes snapping to the source of the attack, a joyous smile then consuming her features. "Hey! Look who it is!"

Garchomp and Scizor stormed out of their cavity's entrance, the dragoness wordlessly opening her saddlebag to retrieve a necklace from it, looping it around neck as she threw the saddlebag for Scizor to catch. She came to a sudden stop, the rainbow colored stone encapsulated inside her necklace glowing with life. It swelled with energy until a bubble of white light encased the sand shark, the cracks that appeared in it eventually bursting the orb and freeing the newly Mega Evolved form of Garchomp. A strange symbol hovered in the air briefly as Garchomp narrowed her eyes at Regigigas. She stood a good head above her normal form, spikes lining her chest, talons like large scythes.

"Team Requiem, Roark, I require your assistance!" Scizor called out, gaze fixated on Regigigas. "Garchomp is building her strength to the maximum to counter this Pokemon! We need to protect her while she does!"

Liam threw a look at Garchomp, who was surrounded by spirals of purple flames that danced around her. He knew what needed to be done, charging out of his cover. "All right, I'm in!"

"I'll help as well!" Gloria added, following her partner

"You got it, boss!" Roark chimed in, emerging into the fray again.

"REGIGIGIGIGIGIGI…"

The entire room rattled from another slamming of Regigigas' foot, jagged spikes of rock erupting from the ground and threatening to impale Scizor in its warpath. The Bug-type flew from the attack with a buzz of his insect-like wings, nearing the goliath and performing steadfast Bullet Punches anywhere he could. Liam and Gloria assisted from below, freezing and subsequently smashing anywhere they could, hoping to steal the golem's attention.

"GIGIGIGI…"

An outstretched claw from Regigigas reached below to grab hold of the two Pokemon. The suddenness of it nearly claimed a distracted Liam, but a nimble Roark was quick to intervene with a Night Slash upon it. Another attempt by the golem was aimed towards Gloria, who needed to be pushed by Liam to avoid the destructive crash of its arm. Not willing to relent the pressure, Regigigas swatted the Riolu away with a claw and appeared to ready a second charge.

"Stand back, Team Requiem!" Scizor exclaimed as he landed onto the ground, fishing out a pink flushed Wonder Orb from Garchomp's saddlebag.

The colossal Pokemon ran at full speed towards the Bug-type, who ultimately crushed the Knockback Orb once his foe got near. A sweeping wave of pink energy rushed Regigigas and forcefully shoved it across the room, the golem slamming an arm into the ground midway through to regain its traction. Regigigas screeched its name as another shockwave of dark energy burst out from its body and kept the others from getting close.

"All right! I've got it!" Garchomp yelled from the opposite side of the room. "A hundred percent chance it goes down for good!"

After numerous Dragon Dances, the pure amount of raw energy radiating off the dragoness was enough to make Liam's feelers act up, everyone taking a step back to give her space. Purplish flames wrapped themselves around Garchomp's form as she took a single heavy step, fierce yellow eyes glaring at her opponent. Regigigas recognized this new contender, holding its ground and bringing its arms together. Its claws were intertwined as a devastating amount of energy began to manifest, the room aglow with a mix of blacks and whites while it grew enormous in size and power.

"Do it now, Garchomp!" Scizor screamed.

Garchomp roared loudly as she sprinted forward, barreling into the chest of Regigigas within the blink of an eye. Her scythe-like talons were impossible to see in motion as she slashed away with zero hesitation, utterly relentless. Sparks flew off the golem's body, sounds of grinding metal and rock filling the air. The Dragon-type continued her onslaught until she felt herself losing control of this impossible strength. Garchomp leapt off Regigigas, analyzing the damage she caused. Deep gashes littered the colossal Pokemon's chest, far greater than any infliction left behind by the others. The scratchy voice that then came out of the golem was even more warped and barely audible - a far cry from before.

"Gigigigi… regi…"

Regigigas promptly fell face first onto the ground, accompanied by a shockwave of rock and dust in its wake. The chamber fell silent, as if waiting for the hardy golem to awaken and sunder the area into chaos again, but it would not happen.

Roark was the first to speak, chuckling. "And then there's strategy five: If all else fails, just beat the fuck out of it…" He shot Gloria a look, who was still staring in awe at what she witnessed. "Sorry for swearing, sis, but it just felt right."

Liam caught his breath, observing the fallen Regigigas. "You think it's…?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Garchomp huffed as a white light consumed her body, normalcy returning to her. "I was ninety percent sure back there it'd work, but it looks like Arceus was on our side after all." She took off her necklace as Scizor handed back her saddlebag, smiling the whole time. "Let this be another lesson to any future 'mon that wants to mess with Team Drarosteel, eh?"

Nobody was in any position to exactly disagree with her.

Scizor opened his mouth to speak, but halted as a mixture of voices echoed across the room. Three Pokemon skulked into the chamber from an opening - Monferno, Braixen, and Rockruff. The latter was the first to show his face to the group, tail wagging behind him as he pointed a paw at the defeated Regigigas.

"Wooooow! You guys actually beat it? Hah! In your ugly face, uh, whatever you are!" the puppy Pokemon taunted.

"Rockruff? What are you guys doing over here?" Liam wondered.

"Oh, you know, just taking in the pretty sights," Monferno said sarcastically as he and Braixen walked into view. "The hell do you think, Mr. Personality? Whole damn guild probably heard the commotion."

Braixen spoke up before Liam could return a scathing reply. "Now, now, calm down, Mony. The reality is, um, well…" Her naturally professional demeanor crumbled away. "We hid after we activated and brought that Pokemon back to life. It seemed reasonable at the time, but we were unaware of your presence, Team Requiem." She bowed her head, ashamed. "I am very sorry for the trouble we caused you."

Gloria moved in to offer a hug to Braixen, who reluctantly accepted. "We're not mad at you guys." She tightened her embrace. "We're just happy everyone is safe, right?"

As if one cue, all the splintered groups of the guild began to enter the chamber from various interconnecting hallways. They quickly ran over to investigate the scene of a previous battle, gawking at the giant Pokemon that laid on the ground, unmoving.

Staravia flapped his wings, frantically swooping around Regigigas. "W-woah! What happened here?!"

Shaymin snorted. "Battle's already over the second we get here. What a waste of time…"

Leafeon giggled. "Don't tell me you thought you could take on a Pokemon like that, Shaymin."

"Ya sayin' I couldn't?"

Liam ignored the cacophony of new voices and cocked an eyebrow at Braixen's claims. "Wait. You're saying you guys activated this Pokemon?"

Monferno held his hands up. "To make things perfectly clear, it was Rockruff who started pushing random buttons on some weird hexagon panel thingamajig."

"Called it," Roark remarked.

All eyes were on the canine as he nearly sweated from the silent judging.

"H-hey! How can you blame me! Pushing random buttons is how I got into the guild in the first place!" Rockruff admitted. "Look on the bright side; you guys beat it! That had to be really fun, right?"

His change of topic seemed to sway the guild's attention.

"Did you take it down yourself, Garchomp?" Mightyena yipped, before gasping. "Or maybe… Or maybe Scizor has some secret superpower and did it himself!"

Garchomp shook her head. "Nah, I only got here just as Team Requiem defeated it. All the credit goes to them." She shot the befuddled Riolu and Vulpix a wink before nudging Scizor with a talon. "Right, Scizor?"

The Bug-type was caught off guard, but followed along. "Erm... Of course! We can't deny the efforts of our colleagues here."

Before Liam or Gloria could explain the actual truth, the rest of the guild chimed in to speak their praises of the team, stifling any words as they simply basked in their accolades. However, the arrival of a Shiny Lucario into the room would break this celebration as Jackson marched to regroup with the rest.

"Guildmaster!" Scizor proclaimed, going rigid. "I must apologize for this incident breaking our rule of segmented teams. I assure you that there is an easy explanation for this mishap."

"I've heard enough," the Lucario calmly stated, his steely gaze meeting a nervous looking Rockruff. "Rockruff, your actions have endangered your fellow guild crewmates, along with the guild's mission. But despite that, your foolishness has rewarded us, it seems…"

Curious looks followed Jackson as he pointed a paw at an opening in the rock that was once blocked by the mass of clay holding Regigigas.

Rockruff caught on and puffed out his chest proudly. "Oh yeah, look, everyone! I did do something good!"

"However…" Jackson continued. "I cannot overlook recklessness. You will be reprimanded upon our return to the guild."

The puppy's cockiness melted instantly, ears and tail drooping. "What?! Aw…"

Jackson motioned to the opening. "Excadrill has volunteered to guard over Regigigas. As for the rest of you, we will continue our exploration of the station through this new area. If you have collected information already, we will pool our knowledge once this place has been combed thoroughly. Am I understood?"

A chorus of agreeing voices and nodding heads appeased the Lucario as he turned his back and walked towards the opening.

"Let us be off."

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A Projection Crystal ignited with a fusion of pink Psychic-type energy.

"Entry number… I can't remember right now."

Mew sat hunched over a desk, totally focused on the mangled mess of an Entercard's insides before her, the orange light of lantern beside it flickering across her pale and sickly features. She growled obscenities under her breath as her sunken eyes followed every twisting line embedded into the metal. She only ceased her endless scrutinization to scribble some hasty notes into the papers haphazardly scattered around the table.

"Mew."

The Psychic-type jumped at the baritone voice, immediately relaxing when she realized who it was. "... Dialga. You scared me."

Dialga offered a faint chuckle as he moved into frame. "The others are sleeping, and yet you are still working at their stations."

"You're up, which means what exactly?"

"That I am here to offer my assistance, as helpful as that may be." He observed her rather disorganized surroundings. "Although, perhaps you do not wish for a second pair of eyes to slow you down."

Mew coughed into a paw, shaking her head. "No, no! By all means, Dialga, get one of your, uh, large chairs and help me with this. Because, well, this problem is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be."

Dialga went quiet, as if he held his tongue over something. "... This problem? Would it be the Entercard transportation to the core?"

Mew nodded, giving a hoarse sigh. "I've got the symbol all figured out, and even where we can place it atop Celestial Mountain - the peak - but that's it. It's that barrier that's preventing us; our Entercards can't get through it like those other ones we found. And it's entirely surrounding the region beneath the mountain, like it's guarding it. We've completely hit a roadblock here." She clenched her paws. "It's driving me crazy…"

"I assume rest is out of the picture here?"

Mew smiled weakly, "I'll sleep eventually. It's just… I can't accept that we're getting stuck at this stage. We know where all the artifacts are now. We know where the source is. But there's this one snag that's preventing us. And I don't know how much time we have left..."

"There is time, Mew, I am sure of it. You have agonized enough. Surely you can rest until-"

"Are you gonna help me, or are you just here to coddle me like a child?" she snapped back.

Dialga waited for her to simmer, adjusting his demeanor. "... My apologies, Mew. I will assist you, but there is another reason why I am present. One I am sure you understand." He took a step forward, the lantern's glow now illuminating the paleish blue tone that overtook his body. "Your sickness… You know now that this is no mere cold."

Mew stared back, heart beating rapidly in her chest as she struggled to answer. "I… I… Yeah. It's worse, Dialga. I thought it would go away in a week or two, but…" She failed to finish her words.

Dialga moved forward, now standing beside the table. "The others have no knowledge of this. They believe it is merely a common ailment."

Mew nodded in disgrace. "I never told anyone after I found out what it really was. I didn't tell you guys because I was scared of what you all would say, what would happen to the project."

"I would never abandon you or this project, Mew. It means too much to me."

She attempted to smile, failing even that. "I know you wouldn't, but without the others, there is no project."

"This illness of ours. What do you know of it?"

"It's spreading all over the Grit Region, and almost the entire region has been deserted. From what I've read and seen with my own eyes… this disease is fatal, and we only have about a month or two left to live if I were to guess."

Dialga did not respond, choosing to look up at the ceiling as he absorbed this information. "If that is true… then I will not live to see the birth of my children."

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Dialga," Mew spoke through fresh tears welling in her eyes. "I never wanted it to go down like this, especially when we have gotten so close."

"... I do not place the blame on you." He returned his gaze to her. "So this is why you have worked late into the night so many days. I have noticed, and the other Legendaries will soon as well. How much can you prolong their naivety?"

"I don't plan on deceiving them forever." Mew sighed again, feeling a weight being removed off her shoulders. "I'll tell them the next time we have them all gathered. But right now, I'm more focused on making sure our plans are doable. Even if…"

"Even if we were to meet our demise, the torch could be carried to another," Dialga finished for her.

"Exactly. Victini gave us the knowledge necessary to continue, and we could do the same." The tense feeling in her chest never went away. "I still want there to be a way we could do it ourselves, but I'm not sure… I'm not really sure of anything anymore to be honest," she admitted.

"I have hope, Mew. I have hope in both this project and yourself to lead us to the truth. Regardless if we are there to witness it ourselves, it must be done." He ambled off to slide a giant chair over to the desk, sitting down on it. "Let us get to work. You have mentioned a problem with the Entercards?"

Mew inhaled, letting out a painful cough before nodding and tidying up her mess of notes. "Yeah, and I think it has something to do with the energy we have put into the cards. It's not enough, especially to get through that barrier. If we…"

The Projection Crystal recording Mew's memory from the desk cut off her words as it dimmed.

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

"Guess that's it."

"Now are you interested?"

Weavile snorted as she tucked away the Projection Crystal into her saddlebag. "Maybe, Bishy. I'm more annoyed at trying to figure out what the hell this place's goal even was. Obviously not just tinkering with Entercards."

"It was clearly important enough for them to continue after their deaths. Something about 'artifacts', something about a 'source'. Whatever it is, I'm keen to learn a bit more before we make our exit."

"Meh."

Bisharp took one of the eternally burning torches off the walls. "You'll see, Weav's."

'Gigigigigi…'

Weavile perked her head up at the distant voice, which was accompanied by loud booms. "It's also hard to pay attention when you've got a warzone happening in the background, y'know."

"That's the Rose Clan's problem, not ours."

She smirked, "Damn right it is."

The pair plodded ahead, wary of their dimly lit corners, their eyes wandering each bit of their surroundings for either Rose Clan members that managed to find them, or another Projection Crystal they could claim for themselves. The orange glow from a room up ahead would draw them to it, Bisharp waving his torch around as they entered.

"Looks like some kind of disassembly station for Entercards," he commented as they took in their new environment.

Entercards were strung up in the air, metallic claws built from the walls holding them still. The innards of the cards were popped open, revealing the ethereal orange light from within. Stacks of papers and books near the strange instruments were dispersed in a chaotic manner, all of it too blackened and charred by a flame of the past to decipher the contents of which.

"Someone must've burnt all the research they did here," Bisharp mused as he sifted through the scorched leftovers. "Who knows if it was on accident or on purpose, though."

Weavile's attention was not on the Entercards, but was instead locked to the outline of something lying in the sand. "Hey, Bishy, quit playing detective and look at that."

Bisharp reluctantly heeded her words, only for his eyes to widen at what he saw. "Oh, now this is something…"

The skeletal remains of a small Pokemon were infused to the orange and red sands of which it laid upon. White and dusty, it was clear that whoever these remnants belonged to, that they died long, long ago.

Weavile scoffed. "Poor bastard. But hey, that's not a Legendary, right? Looks way too tiny and pitiful to be one."

Bisharp crouched down to get a better look, analyzing the shape of its ashy skull. "... Nope. It looks to be like a Linoone or a Furret - something like that."

"If those Legendaries didn't allow regular Pokemon like us inside, then how come this sucker's here?" she questioned. "Lone explorer got trapped or something?"

The gears in Bisharp's head began to turn as he thought back to previous information they uncovered.

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

"Wow! Look at all these old books and stuff!"

Rockruff sped ahead of the rest of the guild as they arose one by one from the pitch-black shadow of a Mystery Dungeon. The sight of bookshelves overwhelmed them; tall enough to reach the ceiling, and also wide enough to stretch the entire room. The ones that weren't collapsed onto the floor held numerous dusty books and pages in between each ancient tome.

"I wonder how long it'd take me to read all this stuff!" the peppy canine wondered aloud.

"You can read? Sure surprised me," Monferno snidely commented as he walked past.

"Hey, I read lots!"

Liam scratched his nose bandage that Braixen gave him, stopping to admire the vast room of seemingly endless knowledge they were in. "This place looks even bigger than the library in Empyrean City… And this was all meant for soldiers?"

"Our monarchs weren't known for their wise purchases, kid," Roark explained.

Gloria eagerly moved to grab a book from one of the shelves and opened it, yet was disappointed to discover that the text was too faded to read. "And so much of it has been buried here for so long, just wasted away. I wonder if some of these only existed here and nowhere else…"

Liam shrugged. "With how much bad stuff clogs the shelves of Empyrean's library, maybe it was for the best?"

"Sis just wants to know if there was a cheesy romance novel she hasn't read yet."

The dirty look the Vulpix in question sent Roark's way stirred a rich chuckle out of him as he scampered on ahead.

Scizor was the first to round the corner of the room's maze of bookshelves. His gaze was transfixed to the broken pieces of Projection Crystals sprinkled on both the ground and the bookshelves themselves. "These Projection Crystals. Every one of them we have seen thus far has been shattered. Why?"

"Could be on purpose," Garchomp said as she stomped over to his side. "Can't see these spontaneously exploding like Blast Seeds."

"Destroying their own research, though?" Scizor could not wrap his head around it. "There's something we're not understanding here."

"U-uh, g-guys…?" Staravia's shaky and muffled tone ringed from a distant hallway. "You might wanna s-see this!"

Curious, many of the guild members followed the flighty avian's voice around the corner. But after reaching Staravia and witnessing what garnered his attention, they were stunned at what they saw, some horrified.

"Damn," Roark muttered, shaking his head. "Couldn't have picked a more boring place to drop dead."

"Mreow! I think I am going to be sick!" Purrloin shrieked dramatically, raising a paw to her forehead.

The white skeleton of a very large Pokemon rested up against one of the bookshelves in the hallway, slumped over. Surrounding it were numerous cracked Projection Crystals, along with journals and other written entries with their pages torn out or burnt to ashes.

'I-is it a Legendary?" Mightyena asked almost fearfully. "I thought those guys just turned into dust when they died!"

Shaymin rolled her eyes. "We're all mortal like you, moro- mate," she corrected. "Nothin' magic about dyin', 'cause we all die and rot the same."

"If it really is a Legendary, then which one is this?" Minun wondered.

Scizor fell to a kneel, mind attempting to connect this Pokemon's bone structure to another. It took him a moment of thinking and examining every angle of it, but he was sure of its identity when he finally spoke. "It's a Dialga. The fins and spines of it tell me that much."

"Shit. You think it's the same one from all those memories of Mew?" Garchomp speculated, scratching her chin with a talon.

"It just may be," the Bug-type replied. "Although, it begs the question of why he would have perished here exactly. And where were the others?" His gaze fell on what surrounded the skeleton. "This destruction of their work. It can't be just a mistake anymore, right?"

No one present had an answer to this current conundrum.

Liam's acute ears picked up a strange noise flowing through the halls, like the swelling of a Darumaker while it was cooking intensely. "Hey… I think I hear something nearby."

Everyone went quiet as they attempted to listen to the peculiar sounds.

"I hear it, too!" Gloria proclaimed, stepping away from the group. Truth be told, she only wanted an excuse to take her eyes off the deceased Pokemon. "Maybe we should, um, go investigate it?"

"Better not be another golem…" Roark lamented.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Guildmaster, can a few of us go check it out?" Liam inquired to the silent Shiny Lucario standing among the group.

"One team will scavenge this area for further clues," Jackson said bluntly, "The other will continue forward to investigate other rooms. Let us do that now."

The rest of the guild were more than happy to stay behind, some not wanting to investigate what was beyond the antique library. Team Requiem, Team Blazingheart, Scizor, Garchomp, and Jackson would be the ones to progress forward through the labyrinth. Their search for the odd noises would increase the vibrations and echoing hums beyond the walls. As they got closer, a certain weightlessness took over their bodies. It wasn't noticeable until their trip ended at a roadblock, where a strip of metal was wedged into the hallway, refraining them from continuing. Particles of dark purple energy floated into the hallway through gaps in the blockade.

Liam lifted an arm, noticing the change in their atmosphere. "Does anybody else feel… floaty?"

"Yeah, we need to be careful." Garchomp responded. "Something about this area doesn't sit right with me."

"The source of this reaction may lie past this hallway," Jackson noted.

Scizor neared the sheet of metal blocking the hallway, the weightlessness in his limbs increasing as he got closer. Grasping the metal with his pincers, he attempted to push it out of the way, only to stand back in shock as it began to float away aimlessly, exposing the insides of a room shrouded in an ominous haze.

Monferno's jaw dropped. "Uh… Was that supposed to happen? 'Cause it doesn't look like it should've."

"Definitely not, Mony." Braixen said. "This is something new… and maybe dangerous."

Scizor held a pincer out. "Be careful. There is something powerful afflicting this location."

The group heeded the Bug-type's words of caution as they entered. Immediately, the full effects of their environment's gravity alteration became apparent. Their bodies felt as if they were in a constant free fall, their limbs weightless and rising without action. The smaller Pokemon in the room found it most difficult to keep their paws on the ground, kept afloat in a constant drift.

Gloria would find her already uneasy feelings growing tenfold as another fear of hers took over - heights - or in this case, her body's lack of control of gravity as she struggled to keep herself centered. Liam, on the other hand, transitioned to this change with relative ease, rising through the air with a joyous smile.

"Woah! It kinda feels like we're in space right now!" the Riolu exclaimed. "This has gotta be the best part of the labyrinth!"

"I, uh, really can't agree with you," Gloria countered, observing her spinning surroundings in a daze. "I'm stumped. How is this even happening?"

Scizor's gaze was locked to an anomaly straight ahead. "Without a doubt, the source of this region's lack of gravity must be attributed to that." He emphasized by pointing a pincer at it.

In the center of the room, a mass of twisted metal and dark purple and pink crystals jutted out from a pile of wreckage. Arcs of electricity discharged at random intervals from the pulsating crystals and loose cables connected to it, tall fulgurites and other scorched marks forming in the sands surrounding the aberration. The haze and low hum that overflowed into the room and hallways seemed to originate from this spot.

Yet, an even graver discovery was made as the group went further into the cavern. Skeletons of dozens of Legendaries and other types of Pokemon stood before the anomaly, their white and dust ridden bones lit by its haunting purplish glow. Many had their arms shielding their face, as if to block an incoming force, yet were too late. Purple and pink crystals grew from their feet and other limbs, locking what remained of their bodies into statues of their own demise. What skeletons that weren't glued to the floor drifted around in the room's zero gravity, intermixed with floating pieces of debris.

"By Arceus…" Garchomp muttered, completely floored. "I've never seen something like this… It's an entire graveyard of Pokemon."

"The graveyard of this entire station, most likely," Scizor corrected in a mournful manner, noting the large amount of Legendary skeletons littering the room. "Whatever happened here, it took everything out in one instance."

Braixen shook her head. "For these Legendaries that gave it their all and dedicated themselves to a goal to go out like this… What an awful way to die…"

"At least it was over quickly," Monferno murmured.

"Search this area," Jackson commanded. "There's perhaps some crucial clues left behind that are vital for our cause."

"Yeah, the rest of you just be careful," Garchomp warned. "This wacko place isn't to be toyed with."

As Garchomp and Jackson went to scout ahead, the rest of the group lingered around the remnants of the device in the room's middle. A creeped out Monferno and Braixen would stick very close to each other as they wandered their bizarre environment. Gloria, who already felt nauseated at the zero gravity, was very hesitant on exploring a room littered with the dead.

However, her partner's natural curiosity and loyalty to his Guildmaster spurred him to investigate further. Propelling himself into the air with a leap, Liam floated over to one of the hovering skeletons, analyzing its features. Strangely, he could faintly remember its bone structure from a book that Gloria almost forced him to read. When he thought about it more, his eyes widened in realization.

This was not the skeleton of any Legendary he knew.

"Hey, this one isn't a Legendary! It looks like a… Zangoose?"

Gloria peered up at him, attempting to avoid looking directly at the Pokemon's remains. "What? That shouldn't be right…"

"I'm pretty darn sure it is. You wanna come and check?" he asked with a smirk.

"Uh, I think I'll just trust your word."

Liam tilted his head, "Though, it makes you wonder how they got here if this place was for Legendaries."

"Maybe they were an explorer? It couldn't be the mercenaries."

Liam glided over to another bundle of bones. "There's another regular Pokemon here. If this guy or gal was some explorer, then they didn't come alone."

As the pair theorized on what the past of the skeleton entailed, Scizor found himself standing by his lonesome and silently thinking in his head. A quick look around could bring him to the conclusion that the Legendaries perished while attempting to power a strange machine, or some malfunction caused its disruption and release. While he was enthralled at the current situation they were still sifting through, there was a sinking feeling in his chest that something was wrong, that there was a piece still missing.

He did not want to accept that the project and the Legendaries behind it ended right here.

The tap of a talon on his shoulder would break through Scizor's frustrated state as he glanced over to see Garchomp. Her face lacked the usual confidence she exuded, instead more concerned and focused.

"Scizor. You need to see this. Follow me. Just you."

The Bug-type learned to never question these types of directions from Jackson, so he wordlessly obeyed her and followed the dragoness to a small cavity at the far end of the room. Jackson was waiting for them, a Projection Crystal grasped in his paws.

"You didn't need to bring him." Jackson growled. "There is always time after the expedition."

"Yeah, well, he deserves to know," Garchomp said, giving Scizor a reassuring look. "Go ahead."

Without another word, Jackson pressed the crystal's indentation and released its storage of ancient memories.

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

"Please… Please let this work," Mew mumbled under her breath. She rubbed the drowsiness out of her eyes before holding the Projection Crystal close and flying across the room. "Entei, is it all ready?"

"The Entercards are all prepared for charging, Mew," the Fire-type confirmed.

"I'll give you the signal to start."

It took a while for her creation to come into fruition, but it was now ready following a shortage of workers beside her. After she had disclosed the truth of the illness spreading through the station, half of the project's team would leave for good, enraged and upset at the lack of transparency, or fearing for their own lives. Only the most dedicated to the cause would stay behind in the aftermath of her confession. They were aware of their own certain demise, but wished to march forward.

A part of her wanted to be angry at those who deserted the project, but another part of her understood why, and even sympathized a bit. After all, if she had any family left, she would want to spend her last moments with them as well.

Mew gave one last look at the apparatus in the middle of the chamber. Dubbed as 'The Amalgamation' by the small number of Legendaries she had left, this was their answer to the lack of power infused into their Entercards; an energy source mixed with massive amounts of their powers designed to transfer it all into connected Entercards. Large pink and purple crystalline growths formed around the machine's metal core from the sheer amount of energy built up inside of it, just waiting to burst open.

It was an unstable and desperate attempt at a fix for their problem, but one Mew had put her diminishing hopes into.

"Okay… Turn it on now!"

Entei ducked under one of the jagged crystals, pressing his paw on a switch near the back of the device. "It has been activated, Mew!"

Mew's bloodshot eyes were glued to 'The Amalgamation' as it began to spark and whirr to life. Its vibrant and dark crystals began to fluctuate moody colors as it crackled with newfound energy from within the machine. The coils that linked from the device to the Entercards lying on the ground lit up, Legendary power flowing into the cards as they glowed orange. After running it for a solid minute, the machine eventually began to produce too much energy for it to handle, crystals producing large arcs of purple electricity that scorched its surroundings. A boisterous rumbling noise stirred from within it.

"Shut it off now!" Mew yelled.

Entei obeyed her command and flicked the switch again, the machine settling back into a low and ominous hum.

Mew hurried over to one of the many Entercards laid out, observing its insides with a frantic look. She got closer to them, noticing that each card initially brimming with energy was fizzling out or permanently damaged their metallic frames. "... No, no, no, no!"

A sick and frail looking Entei lumbered over, "What is it this time?" he asked despondently.

"The cards - they won't hold the energy we gave them! Why… Why after so many attempts does it not work?!" she screamed out, closing her eyes with a sigh. "But even if it worked, would it be enough?"

Right now, she had no answers to that question.

"What is there to do, Mew? If these Entercards are not able to breach the barrier to the core and locate the source, then what is this project's fate? How do we proceed?"

"The Entercards must work," she said, finality coating her words. "The only way we can take the artifacts to the core is if they work as intended, but they aren't strong enough. We need to run more tests. We need to keep everyone working on the machine and keep powering-" An uncontrollable cough broke Mew's rambling and forced her to drop to the ground as she heaved out traces of blood and other phlegm into the sand.

Entei quickly moved in to assist her back up. "You need to rest, Mew. You cannot work in this state."

"No! I just need to-"

"MEW!"

A distraught shout for the Legendary's name rang throughout the hallways connecting to the chamber. Moments later, a wounded and bloody Zeraora carrying the unconscious form of Zarude across his shoulders stood in the doorway, panic apparent on his face.

"Mew! Those damn heretics from before have returned! They've destroyed our barricades and are attacking us!"

"What?! No…" Mew scrambled into the air, taking the Projection Crystal with her as she soared past the pair. "This has to be a misunderstanding!"

"Wait, Mew! It's not safe for you!" the voice of Zeraora echoed behind her.

Mew ignored his warnings as she zipped through the halls, no matter how much her weak body protested it. Distant explosions and battle cries of warring Pokemon could be heard in the distance - the cries of her workers. She hastened her speed, flying past dozens of common Pokemon running through the halls and engaging in fights with her Legendaries. Rounding a corner, she emerged into what seemed like a major skirmish occurring on opposite sides.

Dialga turned to look at her from behind the cover of a broken barricade. "Mew! The Alignment has returned! We must fight back these heretics before we are overrun!"

"For the Allfather!"

"For the Allmother!"

The courageous shouts from nearly a hundred Pokemon filled the hallway as they threw themselves at any Legendary in their path, quickly surrounding their sickened and outnumbered foes. Mew hovered in the air - petrified - for her worst fears were being realized. Yet, she knew that this was no nightmare, and she had to fight for this project's life like many times before.

Dropping the Projection Crystal and summoning orbs of sparkling pink energy, Mew launched them at any encroaching Pokemon. She dodged beams of elemental attacks directed her way, sending a few dazzling moves of her own in response that decimated entire groups of enemies. But despite her efforts in staving them off, a nagging feeling of vertigo clouded her senses at every turn, eating at her will to keep fighting.

She felt weak, so weak.

Black spots invaded her vision as she hacked up more blood and dropped to the ground. The last thing she saw before going unconscious was Dialga running over towards her.

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

Scizor watched the holographic figures involved in the memory go stiff before collapsing into pink energy that was then sucked back into the Projection Crystal. He felt confused, overwhelmed by what he saw happen in only the span of a few minutes.

"They were attacked," he mouthed. "Attacked by a group of other Pokemon…"

Garchomp made sure none of the others from the group wandered over before facing him. "Yeah, and it's not just that detail we're worried about. That Dialga in the memory. He said something about the 'Alignment'." She scratched her chin with a talon. "Now, I've met many groups in Celestic, so I can't say for sure, but do you remember hearing about a group like that?"

Synapses were firing off in Scizor's brain as he began to piece things together, a chill running up his spine as realization set in. "The Alignment is a religious group in Celestic. They were the ones responsible for the creation of the Eden Theater in Empyrean City nearly a year ago. But… I'm stumped as to why or how they could be here thousands of years ago, especially to attack the Legendaries."

Garchomp frowned. "You sure you're not mixing them up with another group? I remember attending the premiere of that theater, and they didn't seem the type to do something like this. Weird, sure, but not to this level."

The Bug-type shook his head, clearly rattled by this revelation. "No. Those Pokemon in the memory were rallying for the 'Allfather' and 'Allmother', which are important figures in their religion. If this was a coincidence, then it would be a massive one."

"... Fuck." Garchomp scowled. "As if this expedition couldn't get more messy. And you're telling me this was thousands of years ago?"

"The Alignment has been known to be secretive about their history. No one knows their origin or where they even gather. But if this memory says anything, then we know just how far they go back."

"If we're the only ones to know about this, then what do we do? Go to the Council and show them what we found? Or is this even relevant to a group that old? They obviously had to change a lot over those amount of years," Garchomp suggested.

Scizor began to pace around, his thoughts uncontrollable. "Now that I think about it, back during our expedition of Celestial Mountain, the Followers of Life mentioned them once battling with strange Pokemon wearing armbands. The Alignment had to have come there to excavate the crystal mine where we found the first Legendary station."

"Are you implying that they knew what was inside that mine?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows if it was even recent or not. All we know is that they could be involved with both locations." He bit his tongue. "... There's just too many missing pieces to say what is for sure."

"I think the biggest question here is why would they do this? What would a religious organization want with the research of ley lines?"

That was a point Scizor was struggling to answer himself.

Jackson, who was silent through their entire exchange, finally spoke up, his orange paw ring flickering. "I am keen to learn more about these 'artifacts' spoken of by the Mew in the memory. Her plans to take them to the core, the supposed source of ley lines."

"... Did you even listen to us right now?" Garchomp said, a growl noticeable in her voice. "We've got a more important issue at hand than whatever else you're thinking about."

"I am well aware of our findings. However, it is not our duty to investigate the actions of another group, nor is it ours to bring up to the Council. At this moment - right now - we are here to gather research for the guild's cause."

"Oh, so you wanna let these guys get away with what they might've done?"

"That's not what I said." Jackson countered her glare with his own. "Bringing this up to the Council will only introduce an investigation that will impede our cause. We will not hide this information, but we will conceal it long enough until its risk is averted."

"Risk? This entire expedition has been a risk!" she yelled, baring her sharp teeth at him. "Don't forget that we've been fighting with those mercenaries behind the Council's back. If they figure out that we hid information like this, it won't just be the courts, we'll be imprisoned."

"There is no benefit to us exposing the Alignment's past, only downsides. The Council's issues with my guild will be resolved eventually, but not now."

"And I'm supposed to trust you? After all the shady shit you've done so far? The Pokemon of Celes- no, the world deserves to hear this. If this group is a threat in the modern age, then the Council needs to know."

Just like before, Scizor was caught between the Pokemon as they went at each other's throats with hostile words. Both had good points, but he still found himself drifting towards Jackson in terms of a logical solution to this problem.

"He's right, Garchomp," Scizor suddenly spoke, sighing. "The Alignment will need to be questioned in time. But right now we're so close to discovering something big. We can't be distracted at a time like this."

"Thank you, Scizor," Jackson said with a nod.

Garchomp appeared disheartened at the Bug-type's comments, shaking her head. "... This is a big mistake, you know that? We're putting too much on the line for this. I'd be lucky if the Council even allows me to keep my team if news of this was to come out that we hid this."

"Again, the Council will be dealt with," Jackson reiterated. "As Scizor stated, we are close to something massive, and we should continue our efforts here."

"And what will we tell the rest of the guild, huh? If the Council can't know, what about them?"

"They will know what happened here, but they will not know the identity of the attacker to avoid any type of panic."

Garchomp looked over at Scizor to gauge his reaction to this idea, who reluctantly nodded. "... All right. I'll keep my mouth shut. And I'll make sure Aggron and Tyranitar keep their mouths shut, too. Just know that I have a bad feeling about all of this…"

Scizor could only silently agree with her, deeply concerned about the ramifications of this discovery himself.

Jackson tucked away the Projection Crystal into his saddlebag, walking out of the small cavity. "We will share our findings with the guild, then focus on finding more crystals, or any further information on those 'artifacts'."

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

"Woah! What just happened?"

"I turned it on. It should be recording my memories right now for a few minutes."

"Wow… No wonder we were told to find these."

Grumpig positioned the Projection Crystal a few feet away from him and Marshtomp. It sat wedged between the tall pile of rocks blocking the hallways. Debris surrounded the pair, entrapping them into this confined space. Their saddlebags were laid out on the floor, its contents spread across the sands.

Grumpig smiled. "Yeah, I thought it was already filled, but I guess not. Guess things aren't all bad, huh?"

Marshtomp frowned in return. "Do you know how long we've been stuck here? It feels like hours…"

"I wouldn't know. But I can still hear our brothers and sisters out there fighting."

"Then there is hope we'll get out of here!"

"I have no doubt we will. Once we succeed in our crusade against the Legendaries, the others will surely come to our rescue."

Marshtomp shifted into a more comfortable position, laying against the sandstone walls. "Y'know, a few months ago, I never thought I would see a Legendary Pokemon, or even fight against one. This is scary stuff, but I know for sure we got this!"

"The Allfather made it clear that the Allmother had marked this place." Grumpig sat down next to him. "I didn't think I would involve myself with this, either. I had only recently moved to the village when the Allfather first began preaching. I don't know why exactly, but the way he spoke about paradise and how all Pokemon could reach it made me believe. Believe that someday all of us could live in such a place."

"What do you think it looks like?"

Grumpig raised his head in thought. "I don't know. The Allfather isn't really sure, either. I like to think it's perfectly suited for each Pokemon who lives there, y'know? No pain, no hate, no distrust, or ever saying goodbye to Pokemon. That sounds like a proper life."

Marshtomp's stomach growled as he smiled. "If that's true, then my paradise would be filled with lots of Perfect Apples and other tasty stuff."

Grumpig laughed jovially, "Don't think about food so much while we're down here; you'll make it worse."

"I know, I know…"

Grumpig looked over his shoulder. "Hey, I never heard your reason for joining this... Alignment. So, what is it?"

Marshtomp went deep into thought, gazing downward. "To be honest, I'm doing this all for my little brother, Mudkip. When the Allfather made us all leave the village for this 'pilgrimage' thing, I had to leave my brother behind. It was tough, and everyday I wonder how he's doing alone, but I think it's worth it in the end if we can really reach paradise. That way he can live his best life, with nothing there to stop him, y'know?"

Grumpig seemed satisfied with his answer as he rested his arms behind his back. "There were some days when we were all out resting in the plains that I questioned my faith in the Allfather and Allmother. I wondered if reaching paradise was even feasible for us Pokemon, or if it even exists at all. And if it does, would we even be the ones to reach it?"

Marshtomp shrugged, "Maybe it'd be the next generation to discover it."

"Maybe…"

The two silently listened to the occasional noises and booms that rattled the labyrinth, eventually falling asleep, hearty and hopeful.

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

Gallade stifled a tear from coming out as he held the Projection Crystal close. His watery eyes glazed over the two dusty skeletons huddled against one another beside piles of rocks of other rubble. He didn't know why, but to see the two Pokemon from the memory in the present now haunted his vision.

While his partner was distracted, Heliolisk found his opportunity. Utilizing the large amount of electricity he secretly stored up in his frills while they were watching the memory, he whirled around and delivered a powerful burst of electricity into the two Absols' stalking them from behind. The twins' were caught off guard by this attack as they felt the full force of Heliolisk's discharge. They would collapse to the floor not long after, twitching and smoking, yet still alive.

Gallade spun around, snapping out of his stupor. "Heliolisk! What did you do?!"

"I found our opportunity, so I'm freeing us - that's what." The Electric-type motioned towards his armband. "Place your Entercard."

Gallade was hard pressed to find a reason not, briefly looking around for a sign of the mercenary captains' before reaching into his armband and retrieving the metallic card. He placed it onto the sands, taking a step back. "There. It's all ready for us to go back home, brother."

Heliolisk let out a sigh of relief he desperately needed, yet stood still as he looked at his partner, shaken but resilient. "... It looks like I was right, sort of. If the Legendaries really made the Entercards here, and we attacked them, then maybe we just stole them and said we made it ourselves. I can't say for sure, but it feels like that."

"..."

The Electric-type grimaced, "We were lied to, Gallade. The Allfather lied to us. Our history was down here this entire time and they never said anything. We were told to stop those mercenaries from messing with this place, and I think I know why now…"

Gallade swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I never would've thought that our forefathers would stoop to attacking the Legendaries themselves. It's hard to picture it, but if this memory and the lives of these two Pokemon are correct, then it's very real."

"... That Marshtomp even had a little brother, just like me, and he died here for nothing." Heliolisk faintly smiled. "I've done all these things for Growlithe, hoping he would be given a better life." He looked at the bones of Marshstomp. "Thousands of years have passed between me and this Pokemon, yet everything is still the same as it's always been."

"I worry for your faith, brother. Even before we were given this mission, I noticed it in your heart."

Heliolisk's scowl deepened as he clenched a claw. "My faith never went away. If anything, it's been strengthened by what we saw here. We fought for something once in the past, but now it seems like all we do is hide and play suck-up with the outsiders." He knelt down to press the indentation in the Entercard, kickstarting its release of energy. "I believe in Commander Blaziken. I believe in the Allmother. And I believe in us reaching paradise, but I don't believe in our Allfather."

Gallade chose not to fight his partner's convictions again, knowing this was not the time nor the place. He stepped near the Entercard, gripping the Projection Crystal tight. "The Allfather needs to see this memory of our brothers from the past. I believe it can reignite his desires to lead us to prosperity again."

Throughout these long days of imprisonment and anguish, Gallade's faith had been put to the test. He had seen things no Pokemon from home was allowed to see, and yet he still refused to break. He believed in their sacred mission, their plight for all Pokemon. After all, if he gave up on his faith and dreams now, what were the sacrifices he and other Pokemon around them made worth?

A blinding beacon of orange light consumed the pair as they were whisked away by the Entercard, traveling back to the place they called home.

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

"Now is not the time for Projection Crystals, Mew."

"Who knows… We might need them…" her weak and hushed voice said with a hint of amusement.

"The only thing you need to do right now is stay here."

Dialga entered the small quarters and gently laid the deathly pale body of Mew upon her bed, moving away the crystal and covering her frail and shivering form with pink sheets. She seized under this newfound warmth, her mind finally relaxing as deep and heavy breaths escaped her.

"And here you go... Acting like you're my dad again," she remarked with a slight smile.

"At least you still have your sense of humor."

"... I got that from Victini, heh."

A feeble Dialga trudged over to one of her dressers, finding there to be some difficulty in doing so. He grabbed the sole lantern resting on its wooden surface, lighting the oil inside with a small puff of Dragon Breath. He placed it near her bedside, letting its yellow-orangish glow flame over her face. He positioned himself over her, making sure she was able to clearly see his sorrowful expression.

"It's over."

Mew stared up at him, confused. "What… What is? Where…" She struggled to force her words out, breaking into coughs. "Where is everyone else? Are… Are they still fighting?"

Dialga opened and closed his mouth multiple times, bowing his head. "Those Pokemon came in droves without warning. We gave it our best effort, but it was not enough. All of us Legendaries were pushed back into the chamber storing The Amalgamation and… There was a stray attack that landed on that unstable machine during the battle." He closed his eyes, his deep voice breaking. "No being in that room made it out alive, I am afraid…"

Mew absorbed this terrible information without a word as she stared off into space. "You… You're not lying, are you?"

"... I would never lie to you, Mew."

"..."

A choked sob could be heard from the Psychic-type, her bloodshot and puffy eyes streaming tears. She clutched her sheets, openly weeping at the fate of her workers. "They... They didn't deserve to go out like that. This isn't fair."

"I know. They knew the risks of what they were doing. Their ends were tragic, yet thankfully painless."

"Are you the only one left?" she asked somewhat desperately.

Dialga ducked his head again. "I have wandered the labyrinth, yet am I the only soul still here besides the bodies of our brothers and sisters, along with those of our invaders."

Mew's grief turned to rage, a fire burning in her blue orbs. "The Alignment… Why would they attack us? For what reason?!"

"I would not know their true intentions, yet I do know what they came looking for here - our research. I have seen some of them run off with our Entercards and Projection Crystals; specifically the crystals in our library centered around the artifacts. The crystal detailing the location of one in the mountains of the Frost Region is gone, and some of our other ones scouting that crisscrossing river have also vanished. What they plan to do with this information, I cannot tell."

"They can't get away with this…" Mew wiped her tears. "This research and those artifacts can't fall into their paws. Zygarde put his faith into us to stop the ley lines, and we can't let him down."

"What is there to do, Mew?" Dialga hacked a bloody cough into the sands, his breaths shaky and ragged. "Our deaths are inevitable. Our comrades are gone. The king has turned a blind eye and has given up on us. The project is all but over…"

Deep down, Mew knew his words to be true, yet was something she could not fathom. Everything she and her mate had created in the span of a year had been destroyed in the matter of moments. But despite this, she would not accept an end like this. She would not let her destroyers gain from their demise.

"The invaders fled after the explosion," Dialga said. "But I believe they will return soon to steal more of our research that they have missed."

Mew knew what needed to be done.

She locked eyes with him. "Destroy it. Destroy our Projection Crystals. Destroy our notes. Destroy all of it. They can't be allowed to have it."

Dialga returned her fierce gaze, shutting his eyes in acceptance as he stepped away from her bedside. "... I understand. I will proceed with your command."

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

A speechless Bisharp took a step back as the Projection Crystal's energy faded, his limbs quaking in response to what it revealed. Weavile noticed as she stepped away from the amassed bones of Pokemon cluttering the hallways, appearing indifferent to what was shown in the memory.

"You okay, Bishy? Looks like you're about to explode there."

He looked at her. "We know now, Weav's."

"... Oh, so you figured it out." She kicked some sand with her feet, sighing. "Yeah, I figured that out, too."

"The Alignment came here long ago, attacked the Legendaries here, then stole their research about these artifacts." Bisharp squeezed the crystal in his grasp. "But thousands of years later, that 'crisscrossing river' the Dialga spoke of was Criss-Cross Creek, the same place you and your team went to investigate, and the same place those Alignments bastards were at."

Weavile gnashed her teeth at the mention of the site. "Yeah… Sure was."

"Do you know what this means, Weav's?"

"You tell me, tinman."

"It means that we know why they were there, and what they were looking for exactly. Hell, it means we even know why our anonymous client was so damn interested in the place. There's some relic there that's possibly world changing. Especially if the Legendaries wanted it for themselves to combat the ley lines somehow."

"Yeah, and you know what? It's payback time for us."

"What?"

Weavile grabbed the Projection Crystal from him. "This is how the Alignment collapses - with this. We make a few copies of it and leak it out to the public across every major city. It'll create a panic that'll get the Council to cut ties and go against 'em. Then those cultist fucks will be weak and ripe for total destruction. By that point, I'll have found that bastard of a commander and give him what he deserves." She smirked viciously at the idea. "Yeah… That's what we're gonna do."

Bisharp shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no no, no. Weav's, you can't leak this. If this gets out, they'll shut down everything. If the Alignment is gone, then everything that they're hiding will be, too."

"And why should I give a shit? I'm perfectly fine with them burning to the ground, so why aren't you?"

Bisharp narrowed his gaze. "Because this discovery is more important than that. For the truth to be found, the Alignment has to stay afloat for now, until we can figure out what's really going on."

"'The truth'," Weavile mocked, moving to jab him in the chest with a claw. "The truth is that these fucks need to be erased. What they did to me, what they probably did to others proves they deserve no mercy."

"Your experiences are irrelevant here."

"They're not, Bishy. You know they need to go."

Bisharp snatched the Projection Crystal back from her, distancing himself. "You're not going to leak this. Or else…"

She took a step forward. "Or else what?"

"Or else I'll leave the clan... You should already know how much this means to me, and what you'll be doing is crossing a line."

Weavile broke into an intense laugh. "Bullshit. I'm calling your bluff. You're nothing without this, and that bounty on our head by the Council won't just go 'poof' as soon as you call it quits. Face it, this is all you've got."

"Am I bluffing?" Bisharp pounded his chest with a gauntlet. "Don't forget this is a co-owned operation, and you're not the boss of me. We started this clan together, and I can sure as hell leave it if I want to."

"You would throw away everything we've done just for this?"

"Don't downplay this discovery, Weav's. This is something even the guild would've wanted badly."

The Ice-type threw her claws into the air. "Then why don't you just fucking crawl back to the guild then, huh? If that's what you really want, then I'm sure they'll be glad to take a wanted outlaw back in!"

"Don't act like you don't know why I left," he shot back. "I started this clan with you because I believed we would have an actual chance at cracking the truth that the guild couldn't. Look around you. The guild could never find a place like this with all their restrictions. But we managed to do it all by ourselves, didn't we?"

"We're here because of the snake, not because I care for your damn cause."

"Yes, you do care. You can lie to yourself, me, whoever you want, but I know more than anyone else that deep down you do." His harsh words then took a more sympathetic tone. "I know that you're still hurting, Weav's. And I know that you still desire to find the reason why they were killed."

Weavile took a step back as she grit her teeth at him, claws outstretched as she felt the urge to lunge at for even suggesting such a thing. Yet, no matter how enraged she was, she could not bring herself to target a close friend. "You… Don't you ever say something like that!"

"But you know it's true. Even back then, you knew that there was always more to it." She attempted to block out his words as she turned her back on him, but he continued. "And I did, too. Why do I think I'm still here with you? It never was about being a mercenary to me. I didn't care about the Poke, or the fame of being the top clan in the continent. That shit never mattered, because I don't care about this clan."

She said nothing in return as she clamped her claws open and closed.

"But Weav's… I gave you that Razor Claw. I left a promising future at the guild to start this clan with you. Can't you see now that this is more than just a job?"

Weavile crouched low to the ground, slowly inhaling and exhaling away her anger. "... Ten years. It's been ten years almost to the date that they died, but it still feels fresh in my mind." She looked at him over her shoulder, eyes brimming with emotion. "Vaporeon, Croagunk, Minccino. There's not a day I don't think about them."

Bisharp approached her. "I'm not asking you to forget about them. I'm asking you to see past their deaths and realize what led to it. If they were alive today, they would want you to let go and seek what they wanted to find so bad."

"... I can't. I'm nothing like them," she admitted. "They were so damn passionate about the guild's mission, but I only followed them because we were a team; Pokemon that I could trust." She snarled at the hot tears that slid down her cheeks. "And I feel like such a fucking child every time I think of it."

"You're wrong, Weav's." He laid a free gauntlet on her shoulder. "I saw that passion in you back then, and I can still see it now."

"I'm just a criminal. I came from the streets, and I'll always be among them." Weavile wiped her face free of wetness, shaking her head. "I'm not a researcher or some hero. I'm a mercenary - that's it. This isn't a job to me like you said - it's my life. This clan is all that I have, and all that I'll be… I don't want to lose you, Bishy, but I have nothing to offer except what I am now."

"I still want to be by your side, Weav's. We've been in this game through thick and thin for far too long. You're cunning, determined, and fierce. I've always admired those qualities in you."

"I guess you really do have good taste in 'mons…" she joked, wearing a half-smile.

Bisharp withdrew his gauntlet. "But for me to stay here, I need to know that you agree that the truth comes before your revenge. I need to know what you value in your heart most."

"You're asking too much here. But... fine. You win. I'll let you decide what we do."

Bisharp nodded, dropping to a kneel. "Good. Once we get out of here, we grill those two Alignment goons on what else they know until we have to let them go." He popped open the saddlebag Weavile was still carrying and dropped the Projection Crystal inside. "Then we'll…" His voice drifted off as his eyes widened.

"What now?"

"There's two Entercards. There were three in here before."

They two looked at each other in a moment of epiphany before they both bolted down the path in which they came.

"You remember where we sent them off to?!" Weavile yelled as she sprinted.

"No, and it was your bright idea to let them!" he shouted back.

"Don't start with me now, tinman!"

The muffled noise of an Entercard ahead starting up alerted them as they ran. Quickening their movements, they rounded a corner just in time to see the glowing twirls of ley lines consume a Gallade and Heliolisk, both vanishing in an instant.

"Damn!" Weavile cursed to herself. "Too late."

Bisharp jogged over to check up on the incapacitated Absols', checking for signs of life in their twitching bodies. "Paralysis. Guess that one you called a runt wasn't so much of one, was he?"

Weavile rolled her eyes as she walked over. "Now that they're back home and obviously going to tell the Allfather of what happened here, what now? Is your master plan still going to work?" she said sarcastically.

"They don't know what we know now, Weav's." He walked over to grab an Entercard out of her saddlebag, placing it down onto the sands. "We got what we wanted here before the Rose Clan did. And now we're going to really scare the Alignment."

"Which is?"

"We're going back to Criss-Cross Creek. We're getting that artifact for ourselves."

Weavile grimaced, yet did not counter his plotting. "... Fine. We'll do it. But I'm picking who gets to go with us this time. No more dealing with the 'ice queen's' bitchiness."

Bisharp grinned. "That's the you I wanted to hear." He pressed the indentation in the Entercard, a crackling noise filling the air as a blinding pillar of orange light flowed from the card, consuming them and the two Absols' in a glow.

Unbeknownst to the two Pokemon making their swift getaway, another Pokemon would be a witness to them as they had their backs turned - a Shiny Lucario. Jackson stood in the intersection of the hallways, his vacant gaze boring into Bisharp and Weavile as they disappeared in a flash.

Scizor emerged from one the hallways, panting after running for so long. "You… heard it as well?" His head popped around the corner, scanning the area. "Did you happen to see anything?"

"... It was nothing."

Jackson's stare lingered on the spot of the mercenaries' absence for a brief moment before he returned to walking down the halls, Scizor following behind. It took them a while, but they finally managed to catch up with the rest of the guild that was congregating around a doorway. Shaymin would surprisingly be the first to introduce herself to the Lucario and his dutiful advisor.

"I'm guessin' ya heard what we found?" she asked.

Jackson appeared to be distracted, but nodded, "I assume this is the location of where we must search?"

"Yeah, mate, in those quarters we searched before." Shaymin pointed a paw at the doorway before angling her head to yell at the grouped up Pokemon. "Hey! One of you lugs with the crystal thingy needs to come show it off!"

Minun would be the one to reveal himself, rolling over a Projection Crystal that was almost twice his size. "This one right here, Guildmaster! We found it in the back of that library. It's like we were meant to find it, too!"

Jackson bent down and took the crystal. "Thank you, Minun. I will release the memories for myself to see before we begin the search."

The Shiny Lucario then pressed the indentation in the crystal.

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

"Another Projection Crystal, Mew?" Dialga spoke. "How much energy can you still spare?"

"This time… it's needed, really."

Mew sat prone in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she was too weak to move any part of her pale and shivering body even an inch. Small coughs and gasps escaped as she spoke, her voice a shadow of it once was.

Dialga moved the crystal away. "I have completed most of your command, but you have asked me to spare some of the crystals from destruction. Why?"

"Because… There's still a way… Still a way the project can live on," she muttered. "We'll be gone… But we can still win."

If the spirit of Victini managed to live on through herself, then she could pass along her will to another.

"And that is why you wished to record this?"

"Yeah… There's something you need to know."

Dialga moved closer to her bed, making sure he could hear every whisper from her. "You have my attention."

"The crystals… The ones detailing our plans to confront the source and the location of the shrines holding those artifacts… I hid them a while back. They're here, inside this very room, the same way I hid our last station."

Dialga was stunned, "Mew, if those fall into the heretic's paws, then…"

"It won't… Those Pokemon will never find it. But maybe… Maybe another group in the future could… They could discover this place, and figure it out, then complete what we started."

He understood her resolve now, backing away from the bed. "This is what you choose to leave behind in your last moments?"

"Yeah… It is." A pitiful cough escaped her as she formed a small smile, eyes wandering over to the dragon. "Guess you… finally got me to rest, huh?"

He smiled back, letting out a single tear. "I will keep this crystal protected. The project's dream will live on past our deaths."

"... Thank you, Dialga." Her smile grew as she returned to look up at the ceiling. "I think… I think I'd like to be left alone now. You… You can leave. You've already proven yourself so much."

Dialga nodded, coughing as he stumbled over to the doorway, taking the Projection Crystal with him. "I will stay until my last breath and protect this place from the heretics if they are to return."

"There you are, being my best number two…"

He gave the Psychic-type one last look. "... Goodbye, Mew."

With his parting words, he left her quarters for the last time.

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

Jackson's inattentive demeanor changed in an instant after the crystal stopped projecting. He rushed over to the doorway leading into Mew's quarters, orange paw ring flickering as he called out to the Pokemon behind him.

"Search this room immediately! Every part of it!"

Shocked by this change in their Guildmaster, yet eager to discover what was left behind by the ancient Legendaries, the guild piled into the small room. They meticulously searched through each nook and cranny of the already messy quarters. Bookshelves and other dressers were knocked over, portraits ripped off the sandstone walls. But all avoided the shadowy entrance of a Mystery Dungeon that engulfed the once location of Mew's bed.

Dozens of minutes passed to no avail, many of the guild becoming frustrated.

"I d-don't believe it!" Staravia said with a flap of his wings. "There's nothing h-here!"

"Maybe that strange group of Pokemon took it already?" Leafeon wondered.

Mightyena frowned. "Maybe that Mew was fibbing? I read that they're known to be tricksters!"

Roark chuckled. "As an actual trickster, I think this is a bit too elaborate to be a prank. But I'd admire it if it was."

"Keep searching!" Jackson urged to the dismay of the Pokemon around.

"Uh, you guys? You might wanna come see this…" Liam spoke from across the room, staring at a wall.

The eyes that were now on him grew wide as the Riolu's paw merged into the wall, the sandstone rippling from it like a pool of water. Liam then took his chances and walked straight into the oddity. The rest of the guild was not far behind as Liam found himself in an entirely new circular room separated from Mew's quarters. Small alcoves in the walls surrounding them held Projection Crystals in pristine condition that rested upon pink cushions.

Scizor looked around in amazement. "This room was safeguarded by Mew for thousands of years in the same way the previous location was. Fascinating…"

Jackson wasted no time in plucking one of the Projection Crystals and playing it. The projection it released only lasted thirty seconds before he shut it off and tossed the orb away. He repeated this action numerous times on all the crystals in the room with seemingly irrelevant information. The rest of the guild could only stand back as he searched through the contents of each one in a frenzy.

Ultimately, only Projection Crystal was allowed to play fully; one that was carefully stowed away at the far back of the antechamber.

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

"Entry number fifty! Our most important one!"

Mew zipped around the air before centering herself before her gathered Legendaries, floating just a few feet above the ground. She planted her paws on her hips, a smile staining her features. "All right, everyone! You know why you're all here right now, correct?"

"The plan, of course," Virizion's voice rose from the crowd.

"Correct! We've got it all figured out now." Mew's smile eroded slightly. "Well, except the whole thing with the lack of power in the Entercards, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"I have heard you speak of this plan before, but please tell all present of it," Dialga said.

Mew nodded, "Right. Reshiram and her team have already created the Entercard symbol atop Celestial Mountain's peak that will take us straight to the world's core, where the source of the ley lines are. Our Entercards aren't powerful enough to pass that barrier as of right now." She flew over to a paper map of Celestic stretched across the walls, circles drawn over various points around the continent. "But we have managed to find the locations of the four shrines that house the artifacts, which I'll name off now."

The gathered Legendaries honed their attention on the hovering Psychic-type as she spoke.

"Beneath the surface of a tall, cold, snowy mountain, guarded by a frightening beast. The deepest point of the ocean, surrounded by beds of bright coral. Encased by layers of rock and magma in an active volcano. And one hidden away in the forests between many criss-crossing rivers."

Mew shifted her attention back to her Legendaries, adopting a serious expression. "If we gathered all these artifacts and took them to the source of the ley lines, then maybe-"

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

The memory cut off as Jackson ended the projection and took a step back from the wave of shock that swept his senses. Stumped looks from the others were sent his way, the orange ring on his paw gleaming as he gripped the Projection Crystal tight, like he never wanted to let go.

"We… We have it," he said, his gruff voice holding a tone of awe and shakiness. "We have what we came here for."

Scizor walked over, "Guildmaster, what do you mean? You will have to explain what it is that-"

The Projection Crystal Jackson was holding was thrusted into the Bug-type's pincers. "You make it your priority that this crystal is not damaged or lost, you understand me?"

"Uh… yes, Guildmaster. But-"

Jackson moved to exit the hidden room. "We will be leaving this place immediately. Our mission and the expedition as a whole has been a success."

The confused looks of the guild members were apparent on all their faces as the Shiny Lucario left without another word.

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

Krokorok wringed his claws together nervously following an explosion of orange Entercard light that came into existence yards away from the castle's vine ridden and corodded metal gates. When the radiance of it faded, the breastplate wearing guards behind him crouched into a kneel as Serperior and her ever so silent Aegislash escort popped into view. The royal snake's infuriated gaze then locked eyes with Krokorok as she began to make her way over to him.

"My Princess! You have returned back safely!" Krokorok exclaimed, bowing into a kneel as well.

Serperior said nothing as she continued to slither across the grass.

"I assume the ambush was a success, your highness? It truly could have been if your genius was-"

The sharp blade of Aegislash ramming into Krokorok silenced his words. It pierced straight through his chest and emerged out his back, a choking gurgle and an aghast expression on his face being the last vestiges of life he let out. A bloody Aegislash then removed himself from the lifeless Pokemon's body as it slumped to the ground.

Serperior never gave Krokorok's corpse so much a glance as she motioned to the appalled guards standing beside the gate. "My darling knights, I request that you fetch a few shovels to bury this fiendish traitor. And if it does not inconvenience you, may you send Hydreigon to see me at my throne for her to accept my accolades as our newest Lord?"

A sharp and hasty nod was all they gave her.

"Thank you, my beloved knights."

As they entered through the gates and into the wrecked castle to fulfill her wishes, a resounding explosion from behind filled her ears. Aegislash instantly shifted himself in front of his princess to defend her from this possible threat, his appearance changing with a twirl of his sword into a large patterned shield. Serperior curiously turned her head to stare, her eyes expanding at what she saw - orange Entercard light.

When it dissolved, multiple Pokemon materialized from it, quickly spreading out across the area and stationing themselves at an even distance from another. A strange garb that was clearly suited for combat adorned their bodies, the stern look on their faces staring straight ahead. They gave way for another Pokemon to step forward, a Blaziken. The most noticeable feature of it were the many words carved into its flesh; 'devil', 'paradise', and 'shepherd' being the most prominently featured.

"Identify yourself, intruders!" Serperior beckoned. Aegislash rebuffed his efforts by creating a King's Shield that protected the Grass-type with a transparent barrier.

Blaziken raised his arms high into the air, the falling sun illuminating his form from behind as he looked up at the vibrant sky. "And here we meet again… " He slowly panned his face down. "At the opening of a seal…"

Serperior's prudent gaze fell upon the black armband around one of Blaziken's arms. "... You are of the Alignment? Tell me, what are you cretins-" She gasped as she realized what Pokemon was before her. "... You are the Alignment's commander, yes? I recognize you now. You were beside that sniveling wimp of an Allfather while we chatted about my service prices."

"Indeed I am, Princess Serperior." He made sure to emphasize her title, bowing slightly. "Pardon my rather sudden entrance, your highness. I have come to make an offer that concerns the illustrious Rose Clan."

Serperior smiled at his honeyed praises, yet soured at the proposition he made. "I have no interest in working with the Alignment any longer. And am I not to presume that you have already cut all ties with my clan?"

"Ah, but it is not the Alignment you shall work for, but myself."

She perched an eyebrow at his claim. "Surely you jest. Your duty falls under your Allfather's."

Blaziken held his head up proudly. "The Allfather is unfit to guide his flock. Under his rule, he has tainted and stifled our path to the gates of paradise." He tapped his temples with a claw. "The voice of the Allmother has spoken to me in dreams of mine, marking me as her shepherd. She speaks of a divine victory that is not achieved by the Allfather, but by myself and all other true believers."

"You are an opponent of your leader?" Serperior looked at the statue-like guards surrounding Blaziken. "And these Pokemon with you are aware of your treachery to the Alignment and agree with it?"

"You mistake me, Princess Serperior. I am not treasonous to our cause, and I only wish for its success. But to do so, the devils that oppose it must be eliminated."

Serperior squinted at him. "If these dubious claims you make are true, how do I put my trust in you?"

Blaziken smirked, "Were you bewildered when the identity and location of one of our exiled commander's fell into your clan's lap? That was purely my doing, your highness."

Serperior was dumbfounded at this revelation. "So there is truth in you..." She scowled. "Regardless, it does not matter. My blasted rivals have all but destroyed our efforts in uncovering that ruin. My clan is wounded, and my efforts will be focused on removing that thorn in my side."

Blaziken's smirk grew, "What if I could offer your clan a shot at redemption? A chance to wipe away the Razor Claw clan's influence from the continent."

"... I'm listening."

"Something big is soon to happen. Something that not even the Alignment or the Council will see coming. When this event occurs, we will need your clan's assistance."

"'We?'"

"I am one of the Allmother's shepherds, but there are two others; one that is not even aware of it yet. The other has requested that I recruit your services."

"Really now… Tell me of the benefits that my clan will gain from our collaboration."

Blaziken looked up at the mossy and disheveled castle hidden behind trees and other shrubbery. "You are a woman that desires the prestige of the old, correct? This wreck of a castle is unsuited for an esteemed Pokemon such as yourself. If you are to aid us, I can imagine large swathes of land that could be called yours; Pokemon that will look up to you and obey your royal decrees."

The idea of her dreams of a vast kingdom being a reality fogged up her mind, the prospect seeming too tantalizing for her to reject. As she mulled it over in her head, her guards returned with shovels, sparking Blaziken's entourage to step over and grab one of the tools they brought, the mercenaries reluctantly letting them. Serperior watched as her guards and Blaziken's own simultaneously worked together to dig a shallow grave, dumping the body of Krokorok in it once they were finished, piling the dirt back on top.

She made her decision right then and there.

Serperior slithered over to the Fire-type, extending a green vine forward. "You have earned my position. Alert me when you require me, and my clan shall provide its strength and services. As long as I am promised my share of these riches you speak of."

Blaziken's claws grasped her vines, the wild and cutthroat look in his eye meeting hers. "To defeat a devil, you must become a devil. Thank you for accepting my offer, Princess Serperior."

"When this is all over, you shall refer to me as Queen Serperior."

"Of course."

His claw and her vine shook in agreement, sealing their cooperation.

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The setting sun wavered in the sky, letting its bright orange rays shine upon the sands, dark shadows being casted off rock formations.

Jackson and Excadrill walked side-by-side as they exited the large sandstone gate leading into the Regi Castle. Drilburs and other workers under the eccentric mole were seen roving around the fortress, occasionally hauling tied up and unconscious Rose Clan members into empty carriages.

"I can't thank ya enough for comin' out here, Jack. Ya not only evicted these darn mercs from this place and other parts of the region, but ya managed to solve the mystery of this here fort in record time!" Excadrill crossed his arms, a giddy smile lighting his face. "I mean, Legendaries being the true creators of Entercards? I would've sooner believed Tepigs could fly before such a thing!"

"The feeling is mutual, Excadrill," Jackson said. "I must thank you as well for allowing us to assist you. As much as I would like to stay, my guild must leave for Sanctus Town immediately as we prepare to return back to the Meadow Region."

"Nah, I understand, Jack. The things ya must've dug out of that place must be very important. I won't hold your guild up."

"My guild may require your assistance in another matter very soon. Is this acceptable?"

"Of course, of course! Ya scratched our back, so it's only fair we scratch yours. Uh, but right now my workers are more focused on holding the fort and getting these merc suckers into the Council's paws so they can be put behind bars. I hate havin' to help those bloodsuckers, but…" His ramblings were cut off as an incident caught his attention. "Hey! They ain't sacks of seeds, so don't you go tossin' 'em like that! We gotta keep 'em nice and healthy lookin' when the Council guards come!"

Jackson took this as his cue to walk away, Excadrill running off to scold the misdeeds of one of his worker's. He met up with the rest of his guild and Team Drarosteel, who were waiting for him beside an array of Entercards and the saddle wearing Mudsdales'.

Garchomp narrowed her eyes at the Lucario. "Are you gonna tell us now what was so jaw dropping back there?"

Jackson ignored her inquiring, walking over to Scizor and holding out a paw expectantly. The Bug-type caught on quickly and handed over the Projection Crystal in his grasp. Jackson then signaled for everyone to gather around with him a free paw. When they all surrounded him, he finally spoke, making sure all could hear him.

"Twenty years… Twenty years spent looking for leads, for clues, for any signs that us mere Pokemon had a chance at defeating the ley lines. Pokemon have joined this guild, completed hundreds of missions, graduated, but have never managed to find what we have so desperately searched for." Jackson rose the Projection Crystal into the air for all to see. "But today… Today we say goodbye to those long years of ignorance." His voice rose an octave. "Today we have discovered a way to eliminate the ley lines from this world!"

His assertion ignited shock across the group.

"All of you have dedicated yourself to the guild's cause more than any other Pokemon before you! And to that end, we have been rewarded with the keys to victory! You have fought ferociously, and you have fought for the lives of all Pokemon of the future! For your children and their children! Celebrate! For you have lit the path to this guild's assured victory!"

His words turned the guild's disbelief into elation as all they burst into uproarious cheers. Liam felt compelled to join in the contagious spirits of the Pokemon around him, hugs and other forms of physical comradery being shared around as they relished in the praises and words of their achievement. Yet, Liam felt his attention drawn to Jackson, noticing the strange mix of expressions on his face as he observed their reactions.

Liam could not tell if it was happiness or sadness.

"Let us return back to the guild to celebrate this discovery! You have all deserved it!"

"YEAH!" the combined voices of all the guild members shouted back.

Jackson hopped onto one of the Mudsdale's back, waving a paw. "Come! Let us waste no time in returning home!"

The rest of the guild excitedly followed his command, some choosing to use the laid out Entercards to transport back, while others clambered up the Mudsdales'. Liam found himself in the latter, adjusting himself on the large saddle as he grabbed the reins of the Mudsdale. He was eager to feel the adrenaline of another ride through the boundless desert like before, now accompanied by this overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment they all felt.

Before he knew it, the Mudsdales' were off, an entire line of them galloping across the sands, straight towards Sanctus Town. But as Liam enjoyed the rush of warm wind coursing through his fur, he noticed something strange up ahead. Angling his head to get a better look, he saw Jackson's Mudsdale veer off from the group.

'What's the Guildmaster doing?' he thought, curious.

Jackson's steed was now completely off course, heading into the vast emptiness of the desert around them. Liam gulped, taking multiple glances between his Guildmaster and the column of Mudsdales' still steaming forward.

He made a split decision.

Liam tapped the muscular neck of his Mudsdale. "Hey! Follow that Pokemon!" He caused the Ground-type's eye to train on him, unwilling. "Just do it! Uh… Please?"

An annoyed huff was its response.

Liam's Mudsdale began to also break away from the stampeding equines, venturing off into the untamed wilds, hot behind the Shiny Lucario. It was at this exact moment that a spark of pain shot through his senses. Tendrils of blue and yellow began to surround his vision.

'It's happening… It's happening again!'

The world around him grew mute and blurry as images rapidly flashed in his mind, the sounds of hooves beating the ground and familiar voices consuming his hearing. He relaxed his body as he was brought back into the world of the past again.

His past.

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You see now that the curtain is being unveiled, but are you prepared to witness the true stars of this fantastical show?

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Want to discuss anything related to The Phantasmagoria with the author himself? If so, send a friend request to my Discord linked below!

Discord: z2h2z

Next Time: Lone Star