“You probably thought I wouldn’t suspect you’d betray Team Skull if it came to that.” Faba’s shrug is so indifferent it’s hard not to look at him in disgust. “And now you’re standing here, unable to do anything.”
“Who said that?” Gladion snaps back, his hands clenched into fists, his voice like a bark.
“I say so,” replies our opponent, arms raised. “I’m the strongest trainer here and I’m the only one who has the pass to reach your goal. You can’t counter my intellect, nor my strength.” His smug grin grows. “Not even with a stolen experiment that wasn’t all that incompetent.”
Neither can I follow Faba’s last statement, nor does Amethio’s faceless impatience escape me. Only the fact Ceruledge steps in front of him, ready to put up another fight, conveys a sense of escalating circumstances.
As I take a step back for safety, Gladion reaches for a Poké Ball too. He sends none other than the strangely mixed Pokémon into battle. The sound of its aggressive appetite sends shivers down my spine.
“So you think you’d stand a chance with two of you? That’s ridiculous. Children really do always think they’ll get what they want.” Faba is also moved to use a Pokémon.
“Are you joking?” His brows furrowed, Amethio lets out a click of his tongue.
Gladion doesn’t see it any differently, but takes Faba’s mockery of competing with a Ledian much more lightly. “Are you deliberately trying to lose?”
“You’re too full of your non-existent skills. I don’t need to bother my own Pokémon to beat weaklings of your level.”
One moment, it seems as if the boys are teaming up solely for the sake of his statement, setting their sights on the same target with demonic hunger. The next, chaos breaks out. Before even one of my companions can utter a sound, the Ledian is gone. Its lightning-fast body is barely visible despite its size and only when Faba points his finger upwards with a giggle does it return to the picture – in the same breath as it flaps its wings with a loud whirring sound.
Raising its shoulders, Ceruledge’s eyes narrow to slits, while Gladion’s Pokémon shakes its head. Bug buzz hardly hurts them, but neither of them knows how to shake off the attack.
“Psycho cut!” Unimpressed by his opponent, Amethio gives the first command and although all my hopes are pinned on him and Gladion, I can only gulp.
Ceruledge, meanwhile, swings its swords. The pressure builds up and crushes the bug buzz, causing the Ledian to retreat warily, waiting for Amethio’s partner to sharpen its blades in a cross cut until they detach like dark shadows. An attack with speed and yet far too slow for Ledian’s rapid movements.
Before psycho cut hits, it has flown round the dark mass – in a rigid dive towards Ceruledge. Blades raised, ready for defence, Amethio’s partner solidifies its stance. The buzzing of the Bug-type Pokémon stings in my ears. However, it fails to attack.
It stops short of Ceruledge. Tilting its head, it backs away, discarding its thought of an attack and thus escapes the powerful front claws of its second opponent, the force of which cracks the ground beneath us.
“Null, back off!”
My gaze flashes to Gladion. His jaw tense and his hands clenched into fists, he looks like a boy whose whole life is at stake.
While Ceruledge lowers its blades and moves to the side, Null only gets a glimpse of Ledian before it is pulled off its feet. It hits the ground sideways, letting out a gasp from beneath its helmet and shakes under the force of the impact on its body. Traces of blood are visible on its dark torso.
“You should give up before I have to get serious,” Faba says. “That was a very gentle air slash that Type: Null took. Next time it could lose its head.”
With his chest thrust out, Faba’s hump almost disappears. In his eyes, none of this is a challenge and even if I’d like to do something – with Raya and the Z-Move, we’re certainly capable of it – another Pokémon in this turmoil serves more as an obstacle.
“As if...” A sharp hand gesture from Amethio shifts my vision again. “Ceruledge!”
Out of nowhere, Ceruledge emerges from newly created darkness behind Ledian. One of its blades ready to strike, it slices through the air in the next breath – narrowly missing its enemy. Still, the sinister waft detaches from its blade to impact just beside Null, enveloping us all in a cloud of dust and splintered tiles.
Raising my arms, I try to see something, but can only make out Amethio and Gladion. They are barely audible, but Amethio’s contorted face and the drooping corners of his mouth make it clear something is amiss. Gladion’s reaction is hardly any different. A snort seems to escape from both of them – one head more stubborn than the other – and when the view slowly clears, it is Amethio who takes the first move.
“Psycho cut!”
My lips press together. A frontal attack against Ledian, after all that dust, might work, but my hopes are low. Not even when I catch sight of Ceruledge, its shadow just detaching from its swords, do I see a victory within reach.
“Ledian, show these fools what endurance means. And then ... get rid of them.” Faba’s dismissive hand gesture comes into view, a bored sigh on his lips that almost reminds me of the Slowking from the Royal Dome.
Simultaneously, the Bug-type Pokémon raises its white, round hands. The glamour building up in front of it immediately afterwards comes at just the right moment. In the next, Ceruledge’s psycho cut crashes into reflect, pressing through four barely perceptible plates before only a pale remnant of the attack reaches the Pokémon. The damage remains only as a dark breeze. And yet it is precisely this moment that causes the most damage, as Gladion dares to take a step forwards and shouts “now” far too loudly.
Light shimmers behind our opponent. The last clouds are clearing. The psycho cut hasn’t yet completely faded. However, my gaze lingers on the electric arrow shooting upwards. Ledian narrowly dodges to the side, half-caught in a spin to push reflect in Null’s direction – unable to avoid the icy beam following.
Its wings flap wildly, trying to fight the freezing cold paralysing its body and penetrating reflect. Clenching its eyes shut, it seems to be searching for an alternative, and when it opens its eyelids, its gaze is fixed on Null. On the Pokémon, flames blazing in front of its form – compressed into a ball, shooting a hot beam at Ledian in the next breath and devouring it. It is no longer visible behind the erupting fire.
Only when it hits the ground, a scorched black mass, and no longer even twitches, is the outcome of this battle clear.
A fight that sends shivers down my spine. I had almost forgotten how cruel such things can end.
“T-This can’t be happening!” Faba stumbles backwards in hasty steps. His hands reach for more Poké Balls, but the shock of this defeat robs him of his strength. Every Pokémon able to help him rolls to the ground in its ball.
Faba follows barely later when his legs fail and he crashes onto his bum. As soon as his big mouth no longer has support, he loses all superiority. In those seconds, he is nothing more than a laughingstock, hastily handing over his pass to Amethio to escape Ceruledge’s fiery blades.
Watching my companions fight has taught me more than all my own attempts. Maybe I can use some of it so my next fight doesn’t end in a pillar of fire.
A few blinks later, we continue on our way, Ceruledge and Null still out of their balls. Amethio passes the card on.
The expectation of further resistance is shattered when we stop in front of a gate whose heavy metal opens on both sides immediately after Gladion slams the card onto the scanner.
What awaits us behind it takes my breath away.
The light-coloured, stone central path leads straight to a small castle. Placed in the centre of the Aether Paradise, it cannot be seen from outside. Waist-high lanterns dot the main route – with a good thirty members of Team Skulls between them.
They are all sitting or standing along the side fences, unsure of where to go. Some are scuffing their feet, others have their heads resting on their bent knees. None of them exudes the will to fight. Merely their eyes follow us.
Only at the end of the path does someone stand with their legs apart, hands buried in their trouser pockets. The closer we get, the more clearly Guzma comes into view.
“So we meet again!” The words are directed at me, and only then does he give the others a look. “As you can see, my little thugs are almost shitting themselves at the sight of you. All because I was actually destroyed by a child!”
His roaring laughter is so warped it scares some of Skull’s members further into the darkness.
“This time we’ll turn the tables! I’ll show you who rules true destruction here!” He demonstratively rummages a Z-Crystal out of his trouser pocket. The green colour is comparable to those of the Shady House. “Buginium Z. If you can do it, I can too! I’ll knock you down so hard, Lusamine will thank me!”
Instead of giving it to me, Amethio takes up the challenge. The boys are so fired up that I just seem like the little sidekick next door. Still – you can never learn enough from a fight and here’s my chance to memorise. More than before.
As expected, Guzma sends Golisopod into battle – good as new, even though Raya seriously injured it the last time we met. The thought of how much a good potion can fix is scary. I’ve seen it with my own eyes on Zorua and yet the surprise lingers. Maybe that’s why no one is bothered by their Pokémon’s injuries. You can easily heal them – just like that.
“So I have to crush you first before I can get my revenge?” Putting his hands on his hips, Guzma juts his chin. “Your Pokémon will probably be destroyed today!”
“Big words from someone who lost to a Growlithe.”
“I’d like to hear that line again when your Pokémon is on its last leg!”
Guzma’s laughter seems to shake the neighbourhood and the further the members of Team Skull crawl away, the closer I get to Amethio. Perhaps I should flee as well, or follow Gladion, who slips unseen to the other side of the fight to get to the castle entrance.
“Psycho cut!” Meanwhile, Amethio grabs the first move – a classic opening Guzma mimics as he suggests razor shell to his Golisopod.
In the same breath that dark wafting is released from Ceruledge’s blades, its opponent throws razor-sharp shells. Lime crashes into concentrated energy, breaking into a thousand pieces and failing to stop the attack. The Psychic-type attack is aimed straight at Golisopod, controlled, perfectly timed, and fails when the Bug-type Pokémon raises one of its heavy arms, causing psycho cut to shatter on its armour.
“Is that all?” Guzma’s grin stretches from ear to ear. “How about a little more physical action?”
“Ceruledge!” Unfazed, Amethio prompts his partner and the brief eye contact – the split second in which they share all understanding – tells it all it needs to know.
Then it turns away, moves, but only gets so far to create engulfing darkness before Golisopod stands before it. The snort escaping from under the short sensors over its mouth resembles a laugh. Lashing out with one arm, it slams its sharp claws down on Ceruledge in a sucker punch immediately afterwards.
Instead of using phantom force, Amethio’s partner raises its sword arms. Claws thunder onto blades, sending a screech across the area that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Only Ceruledge’s resistance keeps Golisopod at a minimal distance. But a follow-up blow crashes against the bug’s impenetrable armour. The temporary test of strength between them, the attempt to find out whose resources will break first, only lasts for a short time.
As Golisopod’s chest tightens and it holds its head down to the side, both Amethio and Ceruledge realise their only option is to retreat. His partner leaps in our direction a few steps before the Bug-type Pokémon spews a torrent of water onto the ground. However, the wetness at its proportionally small feet poses no danger, so Ceruledge takes up the attack again – willing to break its blades on the bug’s armour.
As soon as it is close enough to its opponent to attempt a sideways slash, Golisopod deflects with one arm. In the next blink, the water beneath them rises, and before Ceruledge realises its position, the liquid rushes upwards in a half-round blade. Crunching sounds reach my ears. The fire swords billow. Smoke rises, hissing as the water vaporises, but with enough force to pull Ceruledge off its feet.
Its body chases between Amethio and me, crashes somewhere on the ground and elicits an unintelligible huff from my companion as he turns to his Pokémon with widened eyes. Ceruledge is still intact, moving but barely getting to its feet.
In the same breath, Guzma demands my attention. “Hey!”
As soon as my eyes wander in his direction, I catch the crystal in his hand – flashing like a warning light. In the other, he holds a bracelet in the same design as my ring. He lets me watch as he puts it on and the crystal shatters in two, strengthening the bond between him and his Pokémon. One part fuses into his bracelet. The rest forms into an armoured belt, custom-made for Golisopod’s waist.
“Never thought I’d really have to use this power against some losers. But why not? No one can say that destruction doesn’t make for great entertainment.”
Silence falls from my mouth as Golisopod’s armour glistens. The belt at its waist gleams. For a moment, I can only stare.
Can Guzma recognise the voice I once heard? Is it also whispering something in his ear to get him in the right mood? Am I the only one in these seconds whose head is buzzing like an old radio has gone off tune?
His twisted giggle thunders in my ears. Golisopod is waiting for his command, for the perfect moment to release the pent-up energy.
But nothing happens.
They wait – almost an eternity – and just when it seems good enough, Ceruledge emerges from the shadows beside Golisopod. With the fire blazing in its eyes, it takes a swing. Dark energy sharpens its swords. In the next blink, it sinks a blade halfway into Golisopod’s side. A deep rumble escapes the bug’s throat before Ceruledge rips the edge right through its waist. In the next move, it slams the flat of its other arm into its opponent’s face, sending them stumbling back violently and colliding with Guzma. The almost transparent liquid oozing from its wound stains his black trousers a darker colour.
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I have to blink several times to realise that we have to seize the opportunity. Before Guzma and his Pokémon can get back on their feet, we have to find Lillie and get a grasp on the situation.
A glance at the entrance to the castle brings Gladion to the fore, whose Pokémon has already smashed the double doors to pieces with a few swipes of its claws. Amethio rushes ahead and finally my body moves as if in a trance. I mustn’t stop them.
Inside the building, we are greeted by a white marble floor, leading to two staircases at the sides, which presumably ascend to the second floor. Gladion’s goal, however, is the panel at the end of the entrance area, placed in front of a steel grid. Type: Null lands in its ball and as soon as he sets foot on the metal, his body disappears. What remains is my racing heart and Amethio’s order for Ceruledge to return to the ball.
“What’s that?” Before he can disappear, I grab him by the arm.
“A warp tile.” His gaze grazes me only briefly. “They’re always connected to a counterpart in a five hundred metre range.”
I swallow dryly. There are more questions overwhelming me, but we don’t have time. It’s enough I’ve almost wasted a precious minute with this question. So I let go of Amethio and he steps onto the tile and disappears. I only follow when the saliva no longer scratches my throat and I dare to take a gentle leap into the unknown with my eyes closed.
My body loses its grip. Everything seems to be floating – my thoughts, my weight, and when I open my eyelids, it is faded colour surrounding me before gaining shape and substance. However, I have to blink a few more times before I find myself in the dull glow of a room in which everything brighter catches my eye. Including Lillie’s snow-white dress and Lusamine’s blonde mop of hair. Amethio stands within reach. Gladion has crouched down next to his sister.
“More good-for-nothings.” Lusamine wrinkles her nose in disgust, holding a closed iron cage in one hand, no bigger than a lantern. “If I’d known you guys were connected, I wouldn’t have welcomed you with my love. So much waste...”
“Please,” Lillie’s plea is barely audible, “let Nebby go... You’ll hurt it...”
“So? If I can have my beautiful Ultra Beasts in return, I’ll gladly sacrifice a useless, ugly Pokémon like this one any time.”
Lost, Lillie opens her mouth, but can’t get another word out. Gladion doesn’t dare to interfere, and it’s only when Amethio steps forward that someone seems to take charge.
“What does the Aether Foundation intend to do with this Pokémon?”
Brows raised, Lusamine seems to look down at him from her position. “This little prison here, it’s going to soak up all the energy Cosmog gives off when it gets stressed. And that very energy will open Ultra Wormholes all over Alola so that my adorable Ultra Beasts can reach me! Then we’ll be united forever!”
“And the humans here? The danger that these Ultra Beasts exude?” I can’t help but stand next to Amethio. All these creatures have proven is how dangerous they are when you put them in a place they don’t belong. The confusion, the fear, the hatred – they lose their home in a single breath. Just like that. Because she wants it that way.
“What do I care about the people of Alola?” Wrinkling her nose, she purses her lips. “What do I care about a bunch of people who always turn their backs on me? Children,” her gaze falls on Lillie and Gladion, “who stab their own mother in the back and trample her love all over? Pokémon, who die too soon?”
She spreads her arms out wide, taking in the entire room, and it’s only in these seconds that I notice the glass boxes – full of Pokémon. They are all resting in blocks of ice, their faces questioning or surprised, as if they haven’t yet realised the end. Overhead lights shimmer on smooth surfaces and yet this exhibition, compared to Lusamine, is just one thing of many. As if my mind can’t process everything at once, so most of it just fades out. A bit like back then. In the fire.
“You don’t deserve my love!” Without further ado, Lusamine snaps me out of my staring. “Only my Nihilegos are worthy of my affection!”
“That’s not true!” Eventually, Lillie finds her voice again. On shaky legs, she pulls her nose back, her eyes red-rimmed. “Ever since Dad disappeared, you’ve been obsessed with the Ultra Wormholes, whether you harm anyone or not!”
“If you’d asked me to find another way back then, I might have listened to you,” Lusamine counters. “Instead, you stole Cosmog and ran away!”
“But-“
“Shut up, you ugly thing!” Lusamine shakes the cage in her hands menacingly. “All you ever want to do is take from me. My family, my love, my hard work ... and when you get what you want, you just throw me away. But the Nihilegos are different. They need me. They need someone who loves and protects them and to whom they can give back the same.”
“What about us?” Gladion rushes forward two steps. “Where were you when we needed you? When our family-“
“I have no family,” Lusamine interrupts him. “I no longer accept you as my children! You are not a part of me. You’re just remnants of something ... that I once thought was beautiful.”
The cage slips from her hands. A powerful rattling pains my ears. Lusamine kicks the metal with force; squeals erupt inside, but Cosmog’s voice doesn’t reach me. It seems as if this cage is intercepting everything between me and this Pokémon. Or it is silent; all alone with its suffering.
The moment Amethio reaches for his Poké Ball, chirping echoes through the room. It’s familiar, sends a shiver down my spine and floods my head with static.
“Where?”
Flickering distorts the surroundings, painting a crack in the room behind Lusamine. Every breath seems to widen the gap, to shape it – until a black, round hole appears, its blue shimmer, under a surreal, white net, reminiscent of the universe in the far distance.
“Looks like I’m just in time for the party.”
I turn round in a flash. Guzma is dragging himself in our direction, his clothes dirty and soaked in his Pokémon’s blood. His breathing is heavy as lead, and the sweat on his forehead makes him look older.
“It’s time to get rid of you.” Lusamine, meanwhile, isn’t distracted. A soft, bell-like laugh escapes her – beautiful and yet full of pinpricks. “This worthless thing has done its job if my beloved Nihilego is already here.”
She shamelessly kicks Nebby’s cage aside, so it crashes against a block of ice. Lillie’s twitching reveals how much she wants to run after Cosmog to free it, but the circumstances don’t allow for any missteps. The Ultra Beast shrieks. Its words distort into an unintelligible mantra and Lusamine doesn’t let herself be stopped as she lets out one of her own Pokémon – a Bewear, its size casting menacing shadows.
“I really hate to make this suggestion,” Gladion turns to us, “but we have no choice but to do something. I’ll take Guzma. We still have a score to settle.” His gaze falls on Amethio. “The Ultra Beast or Lusamine?”
Without further ado, Amethio glances at me. He probably wants to make it my decision. After all, I’m the one who communicates with Pokémon; just not with the thing Lusamine has affectionately christened Nihilego.
“They don’t understand me,” I retort. “You’re probably strong enough to push it back ... or catch it!”
Understanding. No nod. No response. A single action as Amethio sends Ceruledge into battle once more and turns his attention to the Ultra Beast.
“Take down! I don’t have time for worthless games.” Lusamine, meanwhile, doesn’t hesitate. She’s the only one left after the split, so she becomes my responsibility.
My options are broad. Ying is nimble enough to buy time for a plan. Raya knows how to fight. Coro is stubborn. But as my hand slides to my pocket in a flash to grab one of my partners, it’s Mimikyu’s ball that gets caught between my fingers. The Pokémon that saved me from the flames of the curse and seems to have enough bite to take on a two-metre-tall monster whose quick steps make the ground tremble beneath my feet.
“Stop it,” the ball slips from my hand, “please!”
White light forms, darkness gathers in front of it. The second Mirra materialises, she stops Bewear’s take down with a shadow ball. In the blink of an eye, the exploding darkness envelops the opposing Pokémon, causing it to stumble back a few steps – unharmed. As soon as it regains its balance, it shakes off the aftershocks as if nothing happened.
“This is going to be harder than I hoped.” Fixing my gaze on Lusamine, I cling to the thought of reading her actions before she can command her Pokémon.
To my disappointment, however, the Pokémon acts on its own. It runs towards us, causing my focus to slip. Mimikyu’s second shadow ball is already awaiting it.
“Not worry. Me ... can do.” Her distorted child’s voice gives me reassurance. Mimikyu is smart enough to win this fight.
Once again, bursting darkness keeps Bewear at bay and just as I am about to praise her, a bang drowns out my voice. Rock cracks somewhere above me and as I lean my head back, the bursting ceiling comes into view.
Nihilego dodges a few oversized stone slabs; now and then even Ceruledge’s blades, which are probably responsible for the mess. Simultaneously, rocks crash to the ground, kicking up dust and eliciting a panicked scream from Lillie somewhere. I can only raise my arm to avoid getting dirt in my eyes. My legs don’t move, damned to stay stuck in this one spot.
But I’m unharmed when the rubble settles. Quite unlike the frozen Pokémon. Shattered and crushed, their fragments sparkle beneath the stones. I would like to mourn them, but maybe it’s for the best.
My gaze doesn’t linger on my surroundings for long. Amethio is fine. Guzma and Gladion are clearly busy fighting. Lillie is cowering in a corner, quivering, and Lusamine stands still at her position, her frown visible.
“Pestilence!”
Her angry exclamation makes my breath catch. I can’t see Bewear anywhere. Only when its much too large body emerges from the last clouds of dust, a stone slab its size in its paws, do I realise my predicament. In the same blink that it throws the slab at Mimikyu, I jump aside. The unexpected distance between us puts each of us on our own – Bewear fixated on Mimikyu. I hastily scan the surroundings once more. Debris covers part of the floor. The walls are littered with cracks. And a few metres away, half-buried under a stone, lies Nebby’s cage.
“Watch!” Mimikyu’s sudden sound startles me.
In the next instant, I see lorry-sized rocks flying towards me – unable to dodge. Raising my arms, I hold my breath. My throat is parched. Sweat itches on my forehead. A purple streak runs through my vision. The stone shatters.
Blinking, I lower my arms and notice the Mismagius in front of me. Its body is dirty and trembling, having acted as a defence against the attack, yet it looks ready to fight as it turns to me. Its small face scrutinises me briefly before I turn to Amethio and then to Gladion. Whoever this Pokémon belongs to, I’ll have to thank them if we get through this.
“Tha-“ When I turn back to Mismagius, it has disappeared. All that remains is the image in front of me: Bewear against Mimikyu. Behind them, Lusamine in front of an Ultra Wormhole, through which, to our blessing, no other Pokémon has slipped.
“Mirra, moonblast!” Raising my hand, I point to the sky.
“The moon is barely visible!” Lusamine’s comment cuts through the space between us with a sneer.
“And yet the light is enough!”
It really is. Mimikyu wraps itself in the moon’s faint glow before throwing its pent-up energy at Bewear. It’s just a slight attack, a moment of distraction that I use to slap my thighs and start running.
I leap over the rubble, over to Cosmog’s cage. I don’t know whether it will do any good, whether Nebby is still alive at all or is taking its last breaths, badly injured. With difficulty, I free the metal, the top handle firmly in my hand. My next target is Lillie – in the unreachable distance when I hear Lusamine’s laughter. Her frown has disappeared. Instead, she crosses her arms in front of her chest and looks at me with a smile that I can’t return.
“You almost make it too easy!” Her shoulders lift. “I wonder how much you insignificant thing can take.”
A questioning sound chokes in my throat as dark shackles wrap around my body. Trapped in this grim embrace, my gaze falls on the Mismagius – on the contorted grimace it presents to me.
“Pain split.” Lusamine’s command follows barely a breath later. In the next, the shackles tighten.
Air escapes my throat as a cracking sound travels through my arms. Razor-sharp pain courses through my body, crushing my bones and pressing my ribs into my core. My vision blurs. Gritting my teeth, I lean my head back and try to breathe.
Simultaneously, the noise in my head fades. Voices come crashing down on me. A wild confusion and I can’t tell where it’s coming from. The Ultra Wormhole? Nebby? Part of me clings to the thought of finding Cosmog amongst all the noise. I want to forget the pain, the taste of blood on my tongue. Pain split won’t kill me, certainly not. It’s a level I can endure. All this is nothing compared to what Mismagius had to put up with.
The voices get entangled. I can filter out a few sentences. Someone praises life. Another curses the rigidity in which he lives. In between lamentations, laughter, something that sounds like Rayquaza and-
“Lillie...”
I open my eyes wide. The cage is still firmly between my fingers. Nebby is alive. But the weakness in its voice begs for help.
“Something...” A hiss escapes me. “Someone...” I swallow. Not just anyone. “Ying!”
It is an attempt, a hope that is combined with my inner prayer, which is answered when Zorua independently escapes from her ball. Her small body materialises in the blink of an eye. Her fur puffed out, she doesn’t hesitate to attack Mismagius with extended claws. But before her paws can get close to her opponent, she is catapulted straight back to the ground by a dark whip. The impact is so hard that the stone beneath her body cracks.
However, Ying gets up again in a flash, ready for the next attack. Another attempt, which is fended off in the same manner. Dirt gets caught in her fur. A slight limp follows her movements after the third defeat – but she refuses to give up. Eyes fixed on her opponent, she seems to forge a plan. One that gets her nowhere.
Every lash of the whip throws her back to the ground until blood sticks to her paws. Courageous leaps become hesitant, her panting audible, and just as I’m about to stop her from trying again, a scream escapes her. Long. Wild. Furious.
Every hair on her body quivers, grows longer, begins to shimmer and engulfs Zorua from head to toe. The shadowy figure of her posture straightens, grows in size, width, impression. Only when the light bursts and the shimmering beads brush against her red mane, do I dare to notice Ying’s change. She is still the same and yet someone else.
She glances at the three sharp claws on her front paws. The certainty of an improvement gives her new strength. Once again, she attacks the Mismagius and before the whip can get her at a distance, she grabs the dark substance. The twitch in her opponent’s body shows, spreading shock from which it cannot escape before it lands between Ying’s powerful teeth.
Her bite is so strong that she bites through the Pokémon. Almost black blood drips to the ground, my shackles loosen and it’s enough for Zoroark to spit out her opponent. The contorted body of Mismagius, meanwhile, falls lovelessly to the ground and although I would like to help it – it has only carried out orders – the fate of this Pokémon isn’t in my hands. There’s no time for that. It won’t stop.
And Ceruledge hits the ground next to me out of nowhere.
Holding my breath, I watch as its body twitches, unable to get up. The fight against Golisopod has already drained it – one potion can’t solve all problems, it seems – and the Nihilego is no easy opponent. Its triumphant chirping resembles a screech.
Another glance at Gladion brings another growing obstacle to the fore. Type: Null grinds its teeth on Golisopod. We are losing. All of us. And I don’t want to know what will happen if we admit defeat.
My heart races as my gaze darts to Lusamine. Her challenging smile is overpowering. Mimikyu is still holding Bewear at bay. Ying could attack her, but she’ll have more Pokémon at her side.
Swallowing hard, I dry my damp hands on my trousers. My shoulders shake. Everything in me wants to run away, find a solution, save Alola from the Ultra Beasts. But with what power?
“They will all die.” The grim voice in my skull seems to take pleasure in my circumstances. “And it’s all because you’re weak.”
I could try the Z-Move again, but I don’t know if it will work the way I think it will. On top, I’m too scared to be angry.
“Just think of all the screams... You’ll be able to listen to them forever!”
Images flit through my mind. Bodies being trampled under heavy feet. People fighting for their lives. Ultra Beasts frantically searching for a way home, yet can only find creatures they don’t understand. Someone will break this vicious cycle eventually, but until then, lives that we can save here and now will dwindle. Clenching my teeth, I lower my gaze. My racing heart chokes me. No clear thought makes it into my head. There are only twisted ideas, my sweaty forehead and the panic of what comes next.
“A fair price for your ridiculous science.”
Too high!, is all I can think about. Any life, human or Pokémon, is too much to take.
“Not fear.” It’s Mimikyu who suddenly appears beside me and grabs my hand with her claw. “Me can do.”
My eyes burn. I want to believe Mirra, want to trust her and wipe away any doubts – but I can’t. The lump in my throat threatens to suffocate me and no matter how tightly I clutch Mimikyu’s billowing, strangely cold touch, it doesn’t get any better.
“We can’t win...”
“Mirra can!” she confirms. “For love. You. Fair price.”
My eyes widen. The last two words are so crushing I want to put her in a Poké Ball right now. But she breaks our connection as her blackness slips from my hand, leaving only a crystal behind – a Z-Crystal.
The ring on my finger reacts, and before I can protest to Mirra, the two parts fuse. Mimikyu receives a purple bow, completely different from the dark grey crystal, studded with a heart-shaped gemstone on the knot.
The tightness in my chest increases as I realise how Mimikyu is ramming the Bewear with her whole body. All the while, there is the flashing of the stone; wafting darkness gathering around Mimikyu’s body before it forms a shadow ball.
For the blink of an eye, I want to believe nothing much is happening, but as Mirra shoots the ball upwards and the mass increases in size, all hope fades. Instead, a suction is created, strong enough to swallow up the rock in the immediate vicinity. It gains strength with every passing second until it pulls at my hair, at my clothes, almost at my very soul. My throat is now so dry I no longer dare to swallow. The black hole above us threatens to destroy everything. The darkness of the night is nothing in comparison.
“Mirra!” Hands clasped to control the trembling, I call out for my partner. “Come back! We have to get out of here!”
The sound of my words seems to fade into the maelstrom as well. Mirra keeps both her claws pointed towards the black hole. Everything else is irrelevant.
Even Lusamine realises the danger in these moments. Bewear and Mismagius are no longer out of their balls and even Guzma has Golisopod boxed. The darkness, though, is spreading. Every tremor reaches into my marrow. I can’t breathe. I want to get out of here.
“We have to run!” Amethio grabs my wrist, but I can’t look at him.
My body doesn’t move. All I cling to is Mirra. Her little body. Her stupid statement. We barely know each other, yet she’s willing to throw all that away – because I was kind to her.
“I’m not leaving without Mimikyu,” I whisper, probably barely audible, but Amethio’s grip tightens.
“We can’t stay!”
“Then go!” I try to break away, make him understand I’m waiting for my Pokémon, while Nihilego disappears through the Ultra Wormhole and the portal to another world slowly fades away. Simultaneously, Lusamine rushes towards the passageway, with Guzma close behind her.
If Mimikyu stops now-
“My power can’t be stopped once it starts.” The voice in my head giggles. “You lack control, little girl. Pay the price.”
I can’t say anything back, don’t even know who to look at. Only when Zorua – no, Zoroark – appears in front of me does a decision seem to be made. Without further ado, she grabs me by the waist and half-lifts me over her shoulder. A stretched howl in Mimikyu’s direction resembles a farewell.
Then she runs off.
Away from Mirra.
Away from a mistake made at my expense.
Again.