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Entral Park - Unova Region

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By the time the ten thousand Scales under Alex and Jess had their necessary Plates and crystals, their leaders had them relocate to the peak of Draconis Mons, whereupon each of them spent time with their chosen General and Tao, in the dragon's alternate plane, as they learned how to utilize and battle with the armored forms the awakened Plates covered their Pokémon with. The going was slow, but many of these Trainers were exceptional, and picked up the trick quickly. Many of their partners would require more work, but they simply did not have the time.

They had gotten through the majority of the ten thousand gathered, or at least Alex's half, and Jess had gone into the extra dimensional space to finish training up her own forces, many of whom were Articuno riders. Several had held reservations about being a Trainer, or needing more than their birds, but the birds themselves were usually able to impress upon their partners why more help meant longer survival.

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Alex was fine with waiting most of the day since patience had been a required byproduct of what Tao taught him, but as he waited and mused over how the other Generals were faring, one of his scouts on the ridge of the mountaintop reported an incoming Trainer upon an older Charizard. The new arrival brought his partner in for a landing on the central stone platform suspended above the ancient caldera, while the gathered Scales mingled with the dragon types who called the mountain's crater home. In the time since the Original Dragon's revival, the mountain had again become lush with berries, food was plentiful, and those who lived on Draconis Mons seemed to be flourishing.

The latest humans to come here, it seemed, had a collectively far greater understanding of how not to anger those who roosted here, and indeed as they waited, many Scales found themselves one dragon heavier as several of the ancient Pokémon joined their teams. For a time. Tao had asked that they do so, if they felt they could handle it. He'd also assured them that his chosen humans were nothing like the lesser beings that had abandoned them in the past. On the word of the First Dragon, those who were ready once more attempted to bond with a Trainer.

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Most of the dragon types flew away for the day or descended into the forests below while the humans lingered, but a few were ready to see if their old scars had indeed healed enough for true combat. The dragons were not unaware of the conflict, they simply had no reason to intervene, until it became an issue. Thankfully, not all shared this outlook. Those who did partner up, did so to defend the land the Original Dragon was so very fond of.

As the newly arrived Charizard dispensed his rider, Alex saw it was none other than Professor Gary Oak. Last he'd heard, Gary was heading to Japan after finishing what training he was capable of within the Swamp. Evidently, he hadn't left yet, but he too was garbed in the black and white armor of the eastern forces. "Young Redwood," he said, as he approached, and gave a slight bow, "I've a... present for you. An old friend, who should have never been parted from you in the first place."

Alex's brow rose slowly, but as the Professor drew a rather old, and very specifically scuffed Pokéball from his bag, his eyes widened. A genuine smile broke the usually passive facade he kept up for public appearances, as his Venusaur appeared with a flash of light. He'd gotten bigger with age, and life experience, but the plant dinosaur's eyes went equally wide as the two old friends locked gazes yet again. He'd lost none of the fire that had propelled them through the Train Exam, back in the day.

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A green flash of light came from Alex's belt then, as his massive Torterra decided to make an appearance as well. The two grass types eyed each other for a long time, before Saur extended a vine in friendship. Terra awkwardly shifted, but one of his tree branches bent, slightly, to meet the vine, and a flash of green energy surged between the two.

Their Trainer watched, still smiling, and the expression shifted to a dark smirk. "Another Earthquake user...perfect…"

Gary Oak planted his palm against his forehead. "All the versatility of Poison Moves, and you're just going to use him to break the ground? Don't you have enough Pokémon with Earthquake?"

Alex shrugged, and then thought about it, listing them on his fingers as he mentally counted off. "I mean...this makes eight out of eleven, though I'm willing to bet my Drapion and my Luxray could do it, if we trained hard enough. Regardless...thank you, Professor. I had a feeling you were the one who'd given him to me, but my memory is spotty that far back."

Gary nodded sagely. "That'll be the Leaf. You smoke far too much, lad. Just like your granduncle."

Alex shrugged again. "I certainly would, if my lungs were still naturally aging. But back when they weren't, I was much more careful about moderation. Knowing one's limits is important, especially for Trainers."

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Gary sighed. "Well, at least you knew that much. I'm off now, I've got to get to Mt. Silver before Red loses control of it. Good luck today, Redwood! Smell ya!" With that, he called out his Alakazam, and had it return him to the border of Johto, and his home region. From there, he could fly.

As the Professor bamfed halfway across the planet, Alex recalled the two titanic grass types, just in time for Jess to descend from the cave alongside the Scales under her charge that had required training still. "Was that a Venusaur you just recalled?" She asked, once she'd landed.

Alex nodded; his mood permanently shifted. He hadn't been looking forward to more slaughter, but having an old friend on his belt again, and connecting their minds at long last, had vastly improved his morale. "He was the Bulbasaur I had back at the Trainer Exam. Remember?"

She smirked at him. "I remember a stoned teenager, stumbling out of the bushes with ash on his nose. But not much else, I'm afraid. I met a lot of boys back then."

Alex sighed. "And here I thought I made an impression with my masterful Battle skills."

Jess tilted her head then, actually trying to remember now as her own memory was just as hazy. "Oh, right. No, you made an impression. When you ordered a Water Gun to your face. That, was memorable."

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Alex rolled his eyes, donned his helmet, and the usual smirk returned as he turned to their Scales, chilling atop Draconis Mons alongside dragons with whom many seemed to be casually conversing. His Voice echoed out to all of them. "Scales of Balance! Prepare to Teleport." The humans scurried into motion then, and their battalion leaders ordered them into linking hands and ready positions.

"Our first stop is with a mentor many of you studied under. Take a good, deep breath of this mountain air ladies, gentlemen, because we'll be smelling like Swamp for a bit." Many groaned, but focused anyway, as the Teleport began. Auras of multiple colors mixed and combined, and the two leading them focused the relatively simple psychic move on the swampy island to their south.

The Scales appeared in mid-air over the main complex of the Sage's island, and kept themselves in the air, as they took in their surroundings. The auras faded, and many were still just staring as they floated in place, with a good view of where many of their number had trained. To say the place had become built up would be an understatement. As the Scales descended to mingle with the initiates below, Alex and Jess headed for the main building, where they sensed the Sage.

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The hall's interior hadn't changed much, though it now appeared to have several floors above the main one. The Sage himself had pulled out his removable swamp-bamboo bar and placed himself in the middle of the large circular structure, surrounded by patrons who were student and Passimian alike. He was perched in his bowl-shaped throne, whirling like a dervish in the center of the circle as he served berry drinks to Passimian, humans, and even to what looked like wild Pokémon from the Swamp itself with the speed and skill of a psychic master. His fan hung upon Swamp Tree, as it usually did, close at hand if necessary.

"Have a seat, I will be with you in a moment." The pair exchanged a look as the Sage's mental baritone echoed in their heads. He'd been louder last time. Perhaps he was simply distracted, as he had many customers. Alex picked up the time from one of the minds around him, and nodded, understanding. When the berry bar came out, and it rarely did these days, it only stayed around for a short time before the Sage went back to doing whatever it was he did when he didn't train them or eat.

The allotted time was almost up, and as usual, the crowd had surged. The dragonbone armor helped make moving through the crowd much easier, and he waited by the room's rightmost wall as the much slenderer redhead got them drinks. Alex had long since stopped bothering with trying to move and weave through throngs of people. He was far too large for it.

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The armor gained him a few looks, but as the redhead joined him once more, the gathered Trainers slowed in their fervor for berry juice. Only one Scale had a redheaded shadow that gorgeous. Armored as she was, the dragonbone sets for the ladies were as form fitting as one might expect, though her body was entirely encased, and there were no suggestive bits of skin showing. Alex gave several of what he sensed were the more promising trainees nods, as eyes widened, and murmurs spread. Then, the Sage distracted them all.

"Last call!"

The heads turned back to the distraction at hand, though many eyes returned once the rapidly spinning Oranguru served them. There was silence, for a moment, within the crowded chamber as everyone enjoyed a sip at once. They knew how their master liked to end his sessions with the berry bar, and indeed, he had a pleased, sleepy grin on his face. The eyes then moved from his bar to his wayward students, and Alex drained his drink, knowing without words that they had best report to the training area behind Swamp Tree.

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The arena in question, once a patch of dirt during his time here, had since been built up, and now mirrored the look of many stadiums across the Pokémon world. For their part of this war, Alex and Jess shared the rank of General, and their legion of Scales answered to both, though typically, they divided themselves by sex, there were always exceptions. The force of powerful Champions was able to adapt and adjust their ranks, and already the old blood had been paired with several of the newbies, decent Trainers in their own right, who would become truly fierce under the tutelage of the Scales who had retaken the frozen northwest. With them had come a single Gym Leader, from Kalos, specially requested by the Dragon Emperor himself.

Clemont joined them on the smaller stadium's field not long after the two Scales had. Oranguru kept silent though, as did the inventor, whose glasses hid his eyes while his mouth was occupied by a berry drink. Professor Aristole was joining them as well, though both Alex and Tao had agreed he would take an advisory role, not a battling one. He could handle himself of course, but the Sages were too valuable to future kings and queens to risk in open warfare, especially against those who twisted themselves with Shadow.

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The Sage of Light came to the field as well, and Oranguru looked between the four of them. "Thank you for coming." The eyes shifted to Alex. "A power is about to awaken, one that rivals, and in some cases surpasses, Mega Evolution. You have already discovered the hidden utility of your Plates, and they will keep many Pokémon alive in the Battles to come, but there is another path to power that even now, forces both good and evil are discovering. As you are now, you will not be strong enough."

Alex raised a brow, and Jess sighed. "The Plates make them pretty strong…"

Professor Aristole interrupted anything further he might've said. "The items we call Plates are shards of this universe's creation, made manifest. They also appear when clones of Arceus fall to whatever caused them to come forth in the first place. Usually meteors. Combined with these...Mega Forms, you will be strong enough for normal adversaries...but the Foggy Swamp Sage has seen what I have. Our Future Sight has revealed Pravus' ultimate goal, and unfortunately, we cannot stop him. Not now. He will attain a new level...and you must as well."

Arthur popped free of his ball then, for he shared his Trainer's thoughts on this matter. "We're pretty strong already, I know I can handle Mordred with this armor, will his master really be so much stronger?"

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Oranguru spoke again. "You forget he has subjugated not one but two Darkrai, one of which is a cut above even its own kin and has completely fused with its host by now. With what he is going to make, he will be stronger. Why do you hesitate, Redwood? You've never held back from gaining more strength before."

Alex and Jess shared a look before the Dragon Emperor looked back to the floating psychic Sage. "That's just it, though...the stronger I become, the further I get from ordinary people. I don't want my perspective of them to shift, and it's already started because of the lofty title I now find myself holding. If I'm supposed to unite the regions of this continent, I need to be at least a little relatable to them. Otherwise, they'll do as Humanity always does, and start deifying me. I don't want that, either. The last thing we need is another cult."

Oranguru chuckled. "My, don't we have a high opinion of ourselves. Do you really need a reminder of where exactly you stand in terms of power?"

Alex ignored the bait and thought it over. Jess glared at him. Going toe to toe with an actual Pokémon was asking for injury. The Foggy Swamp Sage did not hold back, and what power he did pull was only to avoid killing whoever was on the receiving end of his moves. "I think I do, actually. It would be good for my ego. War is not unlike Battle...and I. Keep. Winning." By the look on his no longer smirking face, he had grown tired of victory also meaning dead humans. When it came to combat, he would always prefer sport to slaughter. He hoped many surrendered in the battles that were likely unfolding as they spoke, for Tao was in charge of enlightening the misguided, but redeemable, children of Fornia to reality as only a Guardian appointed by Arceus could. The Scales would have plenty of time to help him, if Fornia fell.

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The look in his eyes was covered over by the intense blue aura. It flickered below his eyelids as he closed them and opened the pathway for the Light to enter through. The Sage arched a brow and glanced at Professor Aristole. The two shared a smirk, as the Original Dragon's Tamer tapped into the Light. "I relent. His choices are as accurate as ever." The eyes shifted back to Alex as the Sage gestured to the stadium's field. Naturally, after only a few minutes of conversing, the students of the island had gathered in the stands, usually by way of Teleport. The noise built in murmurs as their teacher gestured.

Alex let the speed granted by the Light take him to his starting position, and he blinked, as he realized the Sage had gotten to his first. Teleport, apparently. He would have an anchor here. Alex made a note of its location and knew there would be more. Their locations would be the key to defeating the Sage. He could not sense them, as they were anchors made from short bursts and repeated battling, and different from the psychic anchors used for long range travel.

The Oranguru struck first, as he always did, for he was faster than all of them, but for once, Alex got a good look at how his species attacked. The fan had appeared with him, meaning he'd had time to go grab it before bamfing to his spot, and judging by the smirk on his mentor's face, that was the first of many lessons. He was slower.

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Alex didn't draw Lux, though he knew the ghost was watching. He had proven himself invaluable in their battles for survival, as his eyes darted everywhere, covering his Trainer's blind spots with timely advice, and wisdom of age. He disliked killing as much as his wielder, and they were a good team because of that. Now though, Alex understood he was on his own. As the wave of psychic force emanating from the Sage's balance symbol marked brow came towards him, it seemed to move slower than he remembered. The Sage might be faster, but his attacks, or at least this one, were not.

He dropped into the usual stance he took for fighting hand-to-hand. There was a reason he didn't use his fists too often. Early on in his first foray into the dragon's alternate plane, they had realized his strikes were too powerful for most humans, and Pokémon, to survive if he put real force behind them. Typically, he saved them for moments like this, when his team was unable to aid him and he was on his own. The blazing aura of Light radiating off of him condensed around the dragonbone armor, and in the instant the Psychic attack reached him, he struck.

Fast, precise, the golden aura tore through the Psychic attack, launching at the Sage once it did. The emanation of golden light took on the vague shape of a draconic head but was dispelled by a wave of the fan. The Sage hovered for a long moment, eyeing his student as he again dropped into the dragon's stance. Physically, he'd made a simple punch forward, and that had been enough to turn his attack.

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Alex didn't wait this time, though. His bone-encased fist was smoking from the contact with the psychic energy, and he didn't want to ruin his armor in a sparring match. As he closed in on the Sage, he halted short, as the fan floated in front of him, and radiated an aura of energy associated with the move Protect. He sighed and waited. The barrier fell, and as usual, made its user pause directly after, giving him a moment to strike.

As Oranguru was especially weak to the dark typing and its moves, Alex summoned the dark energy imbued in the ever-useful armor to his fists as he struck towards the Sage, only to find he'd Teleported away. He smirked. That was what he'd wanted. He propelled himself through the air then and saw the Oranguru's eyes widen in surprise. When last Alex had been here, levitating his larger frame had been too costly in terms of energy. Now, he barely seemed to notice it.

Once more his fist struck empty air, and again, the Sage had Teleported. Over and over this repeated, and while he let the dark energy dissipate before each potential hit, his clever mentor eventually caught on to what he was doing. The Light in his aura was weakening his own attack. Alex could only really use such a dark move effectively when his aura shield was down, but in a fight like this, that would mean an instant loss. He needed the strike to be almost instant, for the full effect. Unfortunately for the Sage, it was at that same moment that Alex realized they'd hit the number of anchors one Pokémon could legitimately manage in one condensed area. His enhanced mind had kept track of their locations easily.

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He followed the Sage's Teleport as he winked out of the way of his burning black fist, only to have it sink satisfyingly into the Pokémon's white fur as he reappeared where the Sage did, and finally struck home. Oranguru went sailing across the field, but stopped himself in the air before he neared the ground, and then rotated to turn to face his student once more. "Well struck...but do not get cocky."

He Teleported again, and as Alex let his third eye track where the energy was moving, he swore. He knew what came next. The Sage appeared above the field and raised his hands. Between them, psychic and normal typed energy formed separate orbs in each massive palm, then melded together almost instantly, and it wasn't more than a second before the giant ball of psychic and normal energy in a familiar balanced pattern was heading for him. Another second, and it hit.

The crowd began murmuring again, as they'd stopped when he hadn't gone down against the Psychic attack, like pretty much anyone the Sage used it on. The murmurs grew as, with a wave of his fan, Oranguru cleared the smoke and dust from his attack. Alex rose, smirking from under the helmet as he met his master's gaze. "Protect is irritating, isn't it."

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The Sage's eyes narrowed, but then, the aura around his student shifted from gold back to blue. He seemed satisfied that his attack had done at least that, but Redwood was still smirking. Dark typed energy radiated from one fist and covered his left arm. The Light, condensed around his right, and he gave the Sage a moment to realize what was coming, before he Teleported as well, and began to counter.

What came next was a series of Teleports, followed immediately by a dark or light punch that, usually, the Sage blocked with his fan of fur and leaves. Anyone with eyes could tell he was pressing his attack, and yet when the fan came out, the Light fist struck. When Alex was lucky enough to get around it, he struck with the dark energy. He repeated this, until finally, the Sage spoke loud enough for all of them. "Enough."

Alex paused mid-strike, and then propelled himself back towards his starting point. He was panting after holding that much dark energy for so long. It always threatened to consume his aura shield, given his own typing, but that had yet to happen in battle. If it did, he would be down just to his armor for defense, and that was something he wanted to avoid. Mostly to keep the armor intact and presentable.

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"Well done." The Sage said, as he eyed the scorch marks on his weapon left by his student's punches. He floated towards Alex then, hovering cross-legged in the air. "Kneel."

Alex glanced around, as the Sage had, as far as he knew, not done this before. Jess confirmed that, according to the latent thoughts of the gathered crowd, this was a first for them, too. Oranguru raised the fan, and his hand twitched. The massive object folded up, and though the symbol of balance appeared on the spread leaves, it appeared on the sides when folded, as well. Alex did as he was bid and fell to a knee.

"By the right of the Sages. By the will of Arceus." The fan tapped each of his armored shoulders as the Sage spoke. Finally, it tapped, lightly, his helmeted head as well. "Rise, defender of Balance. There is little more I can teach you. He, on the other hand...has much to impart."

Before Alex could ask who, the fan had extended again, and waved at the seemingly empty air behind the Sage's spot on the field. It shimmered, and every single human and Pokémon gathered stared in unified awe at the pale white form of the deity responsible for saving the planet, and giving it, arguably, the best gift anyone ever had or likely ever would, in the form of Pokémon.

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Arceus himself manifested before the stadium, and the red eyes scanned over the crowd of gathered humans, and Pokémon. Alex stayed kneeling. Professor Aristole followed his lead, and soon, all were displaying respect to the Alpha Pokémon. The Light around him seemed to shine a bit brighter as he mentally accepted their praise and looked them over. Then, the intense red eyes focused on Alex, and he remembered the last time he'd faced this particular entity in this very Swamp.

It is time we spoke.

Before he could ask where, his perspective shifted, as did his surroundings. White-gold light illuminated the immediate area, a series of weathered columns that marked equally weathered white stone stairs that ultimately led to where the Alpha Pokémon hovered. He was standing just below the deity's perch, on one meant, apparently, for speaking with the Alpha.

From here, I watch this world. From here, I see all. Many with the right to my Light are about to awaken, and you who would lead them must be tested.

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Alex nodded, shifting from the scenery, which reminded him entirely too much of the realm he'd spent most of the morning within, training his Scales, and their teams. "I thought we did that already, but I accept whatever test you have for me."

The deity's thunderous chuckle echoed in his head. The test does not end. This will be a good first step on the path you now walk. You, like many, have had your destiny irrevocably twisted by those who preach in My name. The crimson eyes widened, and then shrank. I wish it Ended. I am asleep no longer, and my true self's return to this plane is nigh. This...cult, must be eradicated, lest it be regrown and twisted when the time finally arrives. If you allow it to persist, it will undo whatever progress you hope to make with your species.

"You really think it's that dangerous? That it has that much potential?" Alex had linked his arms behind him as he faced down a deity and was instinctively glad that he had his armor on. Not that he expected to need it. Pissing off Arceus himself was something he actively wished to avoid.

Because it uses My image, yes. The being emanated a mental sound that seemed not unlike a sigh, a weary one at that. Whoever next Tames me will have much to accomplish with my aid. All that good may again be undone, if we allow the masses their worship, as we did last time. There will be no organized devotion from Humans. Not this cycle. This time around...what we change will last.

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Alex arched a brow at that. "With respect, what you and your last Holder created did last. According to...a wise man I knew, those earliest teachings became the basis of the Pokémon League. Of what Battling is, and what it should always be. You will not have to start from scratch, Alpha Pokémon...but why tell me? Am I the one to tame you next?" He had no small hint of disbelief in his tone by the end of his questions. The idea seemed absurd, as it had when he'd first heard the legend. Arceus was, by all accounts, a being comparable to a deity. Why would such an entity allow themself to be chained by a Pokéball, special or not?

The deity's eyes widened, and narrowed again as they ran over his very being, seeing more of the human than any of his servants could. The potential is there...but there are many with such power within. Who exactly will Hold the Space-Time Sphere has yet to be decided, and until it is, the future is fractured into many potential timelines. I come to you now, because you have already awakened, accessed my power, proven worthy of it, and are in a position to end this irritation in a timely manner.

Alex bowed. "As you command, it shall be. The cult will not survive this conflict. The Original Dragon has already done much to see to that specifically."

Arceus nodded and made what seemed like a pleased sound. I am aware. He knows what is necessary for the events that will unfold next...and he is putting his hope in you, Alexander Redwood, to see his Dreams achieved.

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The human thought for a moment, before daring to ask something else. He knew he was pushing the limits of what the deity might impart, but he was standing before Arceus. Literal, real, tangible Arceus. Now was the time to ask, he probably wouldn't have another chance. "Do...you agree with his plans, then? You wish for them to unfold?"

There are many Guardians, each with their own plans and pupils. My role is to support the one that proves itself dominant in honorable combat. That is the system that was decided upon by your ancestors. Train hard, Human, and you may yet see your dragon's wish to fruition.

The white light around him flared and fractured as the deity pulled an object forth from a pocket space useful for containing things that were best kept hidden, until those who could wield them correctly appeared. A crystalline object, shining with an impossible number of colors, descended towards Alex, and he felt a strong compulsion to raise his hands. They moved on their own, as he did not fight it, and the warm crystal landed in his hands.

You are given permission to use this Burst Heart. When the time is right, you will use it with your dragon, and end the abomination perverting my image. With both of your powers combined, you should be able to handle the Shadow's Champion with ease.

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Alex barely had time for a 'thank you' or a 'what the Muk is a Burst Heart?' before the Light around them flared impossibly white, and he found himself back on the training field. Around him, the others were still kneeling, Arceus was where he had been before, and as time itself began to flow again, he vanished as quickly as he'd appeared, without another word.

Alex was the first to stand, pocketing the crystal as he gave the Alpha a nod, just before he left. In his opinion, world peace was a worthy goal, and one he would help his Legendary partner pursue. He'd just need to find a path to it not paved with senseless slaughter. His face grew grim then. There would still be senseless slaughter regardless, though. Like Tao, he'd try to minimize it. He looked between Jess, Clemont, and Professor Aristole, as they too stood up. "It's time we moved out. Ready the Scales."

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He walked towards Oranguru then, and smirked. "Master, do you mind if I give those who are worthy a chance to join us in the coming battles?"

The Sage watched him for a long moment, then sighed. "Very well." He mentally contacted those who might prove themselves ready, in the time it took the Scales to prepare to Teleport. A thousand stayed, and the rest of the trainees went back to honing their skills across the compound. "These are the closest to maturation that I have at the moment."

Alex nodded, and then addressed the crowd of Trainers. He recognized a few faces of Champions that had yet to ascend, as well as faces that seemed way, way too young for war. But he trusted the Sage's judgement. "We will test your worthiness for the title of Scale of Balance with a Battle. You should already know who among this group you'll be having yours with, and if you don't...look around. Fate will guide your eyes to the right gaze. He saw familiar smirks spread across the trainees, as they started meeting gazes, and readying their partners. The flames of battle were rising, and he stoked them with his next words.

"You have until I and my own Scales are ready to Teleport. We have extra armor for you, should you prove victorious. If you do, you will have the unique opportunity to serve with the best, and the most experienced Scales as fresh recruits. Do not cheat, do not take shortcuts. If you are meant to join us in Hel today, you will know it by how quickly you finish your opponent. Take your places and begin!"

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As Alex had expected, his Scales had spread out among the compound once they'd landed, and not all of them had Teleported in to see the events at the stadium. Those had primarily been trainees, hoping to learn something, and get a show out of it. He felt they'd gotten one.

It would take time to gather the rest of the Scales, as more than a few had gone Pokémon hunting in the Swamp as well. Like most places of psychic power and natural energy, the Swamp was home to pretty strong potential partners, and more than a few had been given suggestions, usually from him or Tao, on what they needed to make their team more likely to survive.

Alex himself had several partners with specifically useful abilities waiting in his cloak, but his main ten were who he usually called upon in war. Many of his newer catches had not yet matured enough to be alright with the horror his main ten had grown immune to, slowly. Still, it was incredibly convenient essentially walking around with his box. Everyone got decent training. He needed to thank Percy again, later.

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All around, battles began, and, in many cases, the first round began what swiftly became a series of OHKOs, for the Trainers with the most potential. Being the victor of a match-up, they were allowed to sense what species their opponent was drawing next and could shift to counter it. It took skill and cleverness to break out of that kind of advantage, and in the first few battles to reach the end of ten on ten, there were roughly twenty that had unbroken streaks. Those, he split in half, usually by sex. He knew his better half would enjoy more people to train.

Within five minutes, two hundred and fifty of the whole thousand gathered proved themselves with swift victory, while others, though skilled, ended up with opponents that favored defense, wearing down one's opponent, and then hammering them. He didn't need a clock, as the armored forms of those who had found their power and gone on to become legends in their own right were Teleporting into the stadium rather rapidly, filling the stands and preparing to Teleport, as the battles raged on.

Each of them began mentally checking in, as all Scales did while gathering, once the Generals returned. Clemont and Aristole had sent their Pokémon, rather than go themselves, but Jess had ways of reaching everyone, and had enough Pokémon to do it. By the time the ten thousand had returned, checked in, and begun once more forming the mental focus required for moving themselves, they had what evened out to roughly six hundred, in total, newly raised Scales.

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Gas Town - Kanadia Region

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The newly promoted initiates were bamfed to Unova, to be outfitted, and Tao sent each one back to them individually, after discussing what was expected of them as a soldier wearing his colors and mark. Only a few did not return from Unova, and the dragon would not say why. Alex trusted his judgement though, for if he'd felt them unfit, there was a good reason. As great a mentor as Oranguru was, they knew he was stretched with Instructing so many humans at once. Some flaws could not be so rapidly ironed out, with such large numbers. The Sage had simply taken the required numbers in stride though, and had adapted his home to fit them, while retaining the same sense of comfort and a vibe that remained chill.

It was several hours past noon when they were, finally, outfitted and ready. The new blood would be kept relatively safe from the fighting, and had been paired with the more experienced Scales, or those they had a previous bond to. They would be 'master' and 'apprentice' pairings, until the 'masters' deemed them ready to fight on their own and not die or cut themselves with their new plasma swords.

The entire army group focused their minds once more, and Teleported into an old, abandoned town called Gas Town, just north of the Kanadian wall, and the closest remaining outpost they had to the Arcean controlled coast. It was established little more than a few miles north of Pravia, and hidden, for the Kanadian Wall loomed over it, and the local flora hid the ruined old mining town rather well. Alex didn't know what exactly had been dug up here, but humans had ravaged the earth for what lay beneath at some point in the past. Now, nature reclaimed it, and they could safely use it as a hidden spot within which to gather, in the event the wall was breached. This late in the war, nobody saw that realistically happening, but it was always good to plan.

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The two Generals then dispensed the battle plan, to everyone else. Rumor was, they had been mentally cooking it up, as they often had before, for most of the day. Any attack now would need to be remarkably fast, or it would last into the night, and they would be behind schedule to a far worse degree. Tao had allowed for them to have most of the day though, as they had agreed that Alex should gather as many from the Swamp as he could once they'd all more or less figured out how to armor their partners. They only had Scales in their army group, but that would be enough.

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Before long, the girls left, with Jess at their head, to fly over the wall and begin tunneling towards Pravia. The boys, meanwhile, would pile into Shruikan. When armored by the Draco Plate, he had enough of a carrying capacity to act as a legitimate dropship. Alex would lead them in an attack from above, while the mostly female half of their forces came from below.

The riders from Valaskjalf had joined him, this time, as they were better battlers in the air, and their full potential was better used in the skies. Before things kicked off though, Alex had a plan that, while unlikely to work, could ultimately avoid bloodshed. The chance was worth taking.

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Pravia, being a far northern city buried in the mountains that stretched all the way to Kanadia, had mostly been ignored by the 'southerners' and their cultish lifestyles. The Prophet's will was not as heavily enforced, and while they gave soldiers and supplies to Sacreus, their governing was left mostly to the man Pravus had put in charge. Of all his many employees, the man who ran Pravia's various task forces, amongst other things, was one of the few in the Prophet's direct service that leaned away from the zealot-like mindsets necessary to make viable Crusaders. In short, it was rumored he was somewhat reasonable, rather than insane, or...quirky.

The city did not have many troops, as most were either in Sinnoh by now, on the way there, or had gone east, to Fargo, to reinforce General Nonagon. Of all the Arcean leaders they were likely to meet on their march down Fornia's coast, this one was, supposedly, the one most likely to surrender, when he realized how outmatched he was.

The snow was not yet done with Fornia's northern half, and the clouds gave Shruikan the cover he needed while the two halves of the legion prepared to strike. The cover lacked ash, for once, as these were relatively new weather patterns, and most of the ash in the air, after being Shouted into nonexistence by Tao, was gone. It would still cover the south, for that was where Fornia was still on fire, but this far north the air had become clean again. More or less. He'd been told that the sky was usually gray, in this part of the world.

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Alex bamfed into the home of the man his scouts said was in charge of Pravia's defense, once he approached it from above. Getting in was as simple as adjusting his position vertically by a few feet. As expected, the place was a cut above any other Arcean dwelling he'd seen, either with his own eyes or through memories. Pravus made sure his minions were comfortable. Given the relatively quiet nature of Teleport, he found himself hovering in a TV room, by the only door to the dwelling.

The screen was on, and the Prophet's seemingly endless Arc News channel was broadcasting. He did not judge though, for that was essentially all 'real Arceans' were allowed to watch, when it came to media entertainment. With the man in question were two smaller humans, and a woman, and at that point, Alex hit his belt, and retracted the armor. That, caused a bit more noise and he landed as it disappeared.

He stood as the family turned to find a bearded white and black robed stranger in their house. The parents had a look of recognition. The children just stared, wide eyed. "Hello there." He said as he looked between all of them before, meeting the man's gaze. "You and I need to have a chat."

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"Jess, take the kids to the back…" Alex blinked at the name, but otherwise made no move for the family as they quickly left at their patriarch's order. "Now then...Redwood, right? What brings the most hated man in Fornia to my home?"

Alex gave the man a grim smirk. "Unfortunately, the war."

The man's brown eyes narrowed. "There's no war this far out here. Not unless you've brought it with you."

"Your Prophet has delivered this war unto you, 'his people'. You should not be surprised to find us on your doorstep, at this point. Not if you have any idea of what he's done to us. To Pokémon. To the very planet." Alex crossed his arms and looked the man over. He was in plain clothes, of fine quality, and seemed to not have armor on hand.

"If we are at war, then why are you here, in my home, Dragon Emperor?" The man had stood by this point, only his fine white leather couch between them. Behind him, Pravus's media drones continued to babble and spread misinformation. He heard something about psychic types, but what Arceans didn't know about psychics could fill a library.

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"Contrary to what you have been told, I do not want this war. I don't like killing Fornians. I would have you prosper, alongside the rest of the continent, as you did in ages now long passed. But before that can happen, I need to take down the man who has twisted this region into a burning, mined-out hellscape. That means any cities loyal to him must fall. Arciana City and Fargo are under attack as we speak, in fact, by now, they've probably fallen."

"They have." The man interrupted. He gestured at the TV. "Your Generals work quickly."

Alex shrugged. He had known they would be behind, but it ultimately wouldn't matter much. They needed to link up with Thor and Nate to take Port: Land anyway. "Not surprising. I can only imagine what the media puppets are claiming we've done in this latest conflict. I'm here to tell you it's nonsense. I offer you a chance, High Bishop of Pravia, to surrender. Your soldiers and citizens need not feel the flames of war, if you bend the knee. The Original Dragon is-"

He was interrupted again, as the man laughed. "Oh, I know about your silver-tongued serpent. The answer is no, Redwood. We will never bend to you, or the dragon's will."

Alex sighed. "I have over ten thousand of my strongest Scales waiting to tear this city apart like a pistachio shell. If you do not do it for your rightful Emperor, or the dragon responsible for bringing this continent to peace, do it for your family, and the families of your men, who will surely fall to us. You can avoid a bloodbath. We all can. This is your chance to join the side that's fighting for the Light, not the Shadow. You know what's coming from the east. Not even your media goons can hide Thor's strength. Surrender. Before he gets here. Once he does, the battle will not end in your favor. You probably won't survive, either."

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"Only ten thousand? You have very few men with which to storm my city. You have my answer, demonblood. I will see you on the battlefield." The man moved to a large containment unit then, within which was his armor. He began dressing, and Alex sighed, as he activated his own. The man paused, watching as the dragonbone appeared again from seemingly nowhere.

"No... you won't." Alex sighed, glanced at where the children had been taken, and then looked down. "Don't make me kill them, too. I can't guarantee your civilian's safety against what's coming. None of you have to die for this ridiculous war...I'm offering you a chance to live, man! Take it!"

"You offer the path to Giratina, and his Hellish domain. My soul will not be bound in such a place! I fight for Arceus, and his Prophet on Earth!" The man grabbed his Power Stave then, and levelled it at Alex, despite still only being half-armored himself. "I could end the greatest threat to him right now…"

Alex's eyes narrowed. Intense blue psychic aura covered his form. "You won't survive taking the shot. Don't do it…" He felt Lux hop into his right hand, and he grit his teeth. He'd really thought they could bypass Pravia, that reason might yet exist in this cult-infested region. Apparently not.

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The man unleashed a torrent of ice typed energy at him as soon as he'd finished speaking. Lux bisected the light blue beam of energy, which tore through the entrance of the dwelling, and froze what did not break under its power. Alex remained untouched, as did the carpet and wall immediately behind him. He sighed again. "So be it."

The black and white plasma sword spun through the man's mostly armored chest as Alex threw the blade, and then pulled it back to him. He felt Lux, and his team, try to console him, but he was in no mood. Once more, Caleb Pravus' rhetoric would doom those who followed it, and no amount of rational conversation would dissuade them. For good measure, and to vent some of his rising anger, he lifted a hand, and then crushed the still blathering television, leaving it a sparking, crumpled mess of glass and plastic.

Then, he propelled himself upwards, tearing through the ceiling with his aura shield, as he was still irritated. He ascended over the city quickly, and before long had taken his perch atop Shruikan. The dragon looked back at him, the same grim look in his eyes. They both knew what he needed to open this battle with, but even now, he was reluctant. He sighed again and pointed down at the city with Lux's still humming blade from atop Shruikan's head. The wind was loud up here, but his troops would hear him. "Draco Meteor."

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Shruikan summoned the energy, and it coalesced around the Scales leaping from his undercarriage, where they'd been on standby. Each Scale, encased in dragon typed energy, fell to the city and landed atop a building of import. Barracks. Distribution centers. Armories. Mining operations. The purplish-blue comets reduced them to craters, and the Scales that emerged from them, summoned their partners, dispatched any Crusaders they saw upon rising.

The city's defenses wailed to life as the bombardment kept coming. Alex and Shruikan were providing the energy, and forming spheres around roughly five thousand people was not a simple task, but the energy of the Plates was infinite. By the time they had emptied from the massive dragon's holding area, the city was filled with craters.

Then, he contacted his Jess. "They're out in force and converging on my Scales...now is the time."

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He felt an affirmative response from where she and the other ladies were lying in wait below. From beneath the fighting Crusaders came another five thousand Scales, and with surprise on their side, the Crusader's numbers fell, hard, to their sneak attacks from underground. In short order, the once lovely city of Pravia had become a war-torn hellscape. Alex blinked out of his reverie as he watched the carnage. The Articuno riders were trying to gain his attention and were floating in the air beside the massive black dragon, waiting to begin bombarding the squads of soldiers below with heavy attacks. Many would simply die in the ice, long before they thawed.

Alex nodded at them and began to bring Shruikan down towards the carnage. He too was not overeager. There were far too many innocents for his kind of attacks. He preferred it when the zealots lined up for him in neat little rows. Still, he did his part. A column of electric death in the form of a massive Charge Beam tore through one such column of Crusaders below, leaving naught but their sparking Pokéballs behind in their wake. If the occupants managed to pop free, they would only find their Trainer's ashes.

More than a few Pokémon had been robbed of their Trainers over the course of the conflict. Most, when purified, ran off into the wild. Others, focused on vengeance. It was an issue to deal with at another time. Alex let Shruikan go about his business after a few passes over the city's more organized soldiers, at which point he joined his friends on the ground and focused on keeping his Scales alive. The Arceans were starting to recover from the girl's surprise, but Alex's team came in with timely moves that began shifting the tide.

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Not long after that, a mighty yell echoed across the city, and a fiery chariot appeared over the eastern half of it, which coincidentally was the most embattled at that point of the attack. Thor himself rode into the fray, dealing death with every hammer blow, and behind him came a tide of fiery blue maned Rapidash riders, and the sons of Asgard made short work of those who continued resisting.

Nate and his own Scales joined soon after, and it was not long at all before the remaining Arceans surrendered. A force of three hundred thousand had been subdued by a mere ten. Nate's forces merged with their Emperor's, and in short order, the fifteen thousand or so Scales of Balance had teleported their new prisoners back home, to have their eyes opened, by the dragon himself. Since again finding his Voice, breaking delusions had become habitual for the Legendary Dragon. It was a fine line between replacing one indoctrination with another, but Tao was probably the only being in existence that could balance upon it. He did not break their wills, and while many were persuaded to see reason, or at least verify his Words, others stubbornly refused, and they were the ones who ended up imprisoned. Those who took the offer to join the empire they were going to build were kept separate from their more deluded kin.

The regular troops from both Kalos and Norstad came several hours behind Nate and Thor, and many of Alex's Scales were impressed at how fast everyone mobilized. Hilbert had drilled them well, and under Nate, they'd become strong. There had been more of them, back in Unova, but that was war. He ordered the troops to gather the populace, as they prepared to march. None of them had ever been to Port: Land, and those who claimed they had, did not have anchors strong enough for all of them.

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Alex, Jess and Nate addressed the irate locals of the city who, upon realizing the invaders weren't going to kill them for acting out, had begun doing whatever they pleased. Some, had crossed that line between irate civilian, and armed combatant, only to then witness firsthand the disturbing ease with which a Scale could permanently end a threat from a single, ordinary human. Reports of maimed limbs, and even a few actual deaths had begun reaching the General's ears, and all three had agreed that they were better off moving on. But first, certain things had to be impressed upon those who survived here.

"People of Pravia!" The Voice reached all of them, and even those who'd fully intended to let the Enemy's words go in one ear and out the other, could not ignore the Dragon Emperor of Unova as he spoke to them. "A new era is coming to your region. The Original Dragon has returned. Once, you all understood what that meant. For those out of the loop, the Dragon Empire has been reborn, and whether you like it or not, I am the one who was picked to guide it, and the Humans within it. Before the month is out, you will find yourselves under a new government. Mine."

He gave them a moment to process that, and then continued. Thankfully, nobody seemed eager to shout out, at that moment. "One way or another, the Cult of Arceus is ending. I was told by the Alpha Pokémon himself; he has grown immensely displeased with what you, and your leaders, have done while claiming to follow his teachings."

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At the end of that sentence, the city rumbled, as eight Earthquakes leveled eight of the most prominent houses of Arceus worship, shattering them to unusable rubble. His team came back then, one at a time, glaring at the gathered civilians as they did. Terra came last looking as chill as a grass turtle could on a battlefield, and Alex perched atop his shell, as he gave the turtle's upper neck a scratch. "He does not intend to allow Humans to continue worshiping him in an organized capacity, either. Arceus charged me with the task of ending your Prophet, who has taken for himself the mantle of Shadow Champion. I don't have to explain the truth of this to you. I am sure, from what I've been told by your fellow Fornians who have already surrendered, that many of you have Pokémon you have not given to your Church for 'purification'."

There was a sea of downturned heads, and averted gazes about the secret only ignorant children voiced aloud. Alex smirked, staring down at his starter, as he continued speaking. "Whatever that process is, it changes them, doesn't it. Turns them violent, feral, cruel even. Twists them from something good to something eager to kill. It's called Shadow Infusion. It does little more than pervert the perfect balance Pokémon have on instinct and turns these wonderful creatures into little better than an energy weapon. That in itself is atrocious, but your Prophet took it a step further by using this process on Eggs before they'd even had a chance to hatch, just so his Shadow Pokémon could gain experience. An entire lifetime of suffering, so that they're more useful tools for your Shadow Prophet. For that atrocity, there can be only one sentence."

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Many eyes were looking pointedly away from the far too casual 'Emperor' chilling on the back of his grass turtle. His Words still reached them though, and as usual, the truth within could not be denied. When one spoke honestly using the power of the Voice, the words could not be ignored. He hadn't tried lying, as he'd been warned against it by his Rayquaza.

"Your Church has been taking the partners of our hearts and minds and infusing them with the foulest substance in existence. But the Shadow is not just mindless rage or corrosive energy. It has a will. All it requires, is a leader to direct it. That is what your Prophet has become, all while making you, the good people of Fornia, believe that he speaks for the Alpha Pokémon, the very entity responsible for caging the Shadow in the first place. Within the realm you know as the Reverse World, or colloquially, Hell."

He stood then, and recalled his strongest partner, landing easily on his feet as he did. "You can judge for yourselves the truth of my words in the weeks to come. If I'm successful in taking down your Prophet, there is much that will change here. You have until my next visit to ponder whether you will aid the Guardian that Arceus himself left in charge of this continent, or the fiend trying to usurp him, and turn us all into slaves of the Shadow. Most of you have your lives, and your freedom. Remember that, before you judge me and my people too harshly on the word of a lunatic."

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The legions moved out quickly then, leaving not a single soldier to keep the burning city. It had been crippled, and everything but residential buildings had been crushed by the initial meteors. Alex's words had them properly musing, for more than a few had heard the growing rumors around Caleb Pravus and the use of very illegal Shadow Infusion practices but hadn't given them credence until that moment. Until, by his own admission, the man Pravus had very obviously scapegoated into the Fornian's nemesis destroyed their city because of these alleged actions. Even for the Arceans, it was hard to deny the kind of truth that motivated very obviously Light infused armies into marching. Once one started to question, they all would, and after that, it would be up to them as a city to decide what they would be doing with their lives and their freedom.

The combined legions made good time to Port: Land, and this time, Alex did not pause them before the siege began. Being the unofficial 'place of origin' for Caleb Pravus' cult had, over the centuries, turned the port-side city into a bastion of unquestioning faith in whatever their Prophet told them to do. Aside from Sacreus and perhaps Texico City, there would not be a harder nut to crack open.

Alex fully intended to crack it though, as Shruikan could make short work of any gate, shorter work even than Thor. They were debating that very point, on who they should send in first, when above them, a sudden darkness filled the sky. The sun's slow and early descent, since it was still close to winter, was seemingly sped up as the orange gave way to black and purple, which in no way seemed normal.

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Then, every Scale of Balance preparing to storm the city felt it. The unmistakable presence of a truly dark entity, but given that it was indeed dark typed, they could divine little more than a vague direction from which the impenetrable mass was coming. It took time, but eventually, they realized that whatever this new darkness was, it was approaching fast. It soared over Port: Land, to their south, and then further out to sea. Alex watched it, knowing who was within the inky black sphere at the heart of the storm of Shadow, and he didn't need a map to guess its trajectory.

"Looks like we're going to Alola." Jess said, as she came up beside him. He didn't try to dissuade her; he knew she'd be coming whether he 'let her' or not. "We'd better hurry...Professor Kukui can't hold him alone."

Alex smirked. "He's not alone...and we likely won't be either." He shivered against her, slightly. "I've always wanted to see a Solgaleo...I suppose now is the time."

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Within three minutes, the word had gone out. Caleb Pravus was on a direct course for Alola, and then likely Sinnoh, if the victories Red had achieved in Japan were true. Thor and Nate would handle subjugating the city, leaving Alex and Jess to handle whatever the Prophet had become. He no longer seemed human, but he was effectively shielded from psychic eyes.

As Alex reached out to Tao, to begin the climactic battle of the day, the Original Dragon appeared, in all his mega evolved glory, just north of Port: Land. From the city, several beams of intense ice energy arced towards his easily spotted golden glowing form, but they were stopped short, by one massive Flamethrower. Shruikan began the attack then, as the legion would need him, and his strength to take the city. Thor's burning chariot wasn't far behind, and Nate ordered the charge as Alex's dragon flew for the city's defensive walls and razed them with a beam of electric death.

Alex and Jess ultimately left their Scales under Nate's command, as they agreed the city would require them to fall, which meant their duel in the sky would be between them, and Pravus's own partners. Their Charizard mega evolved as the pair flew away, out over the ocean, following the massive whirling cloud of purple and black as it moved west.

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They arrived just outside of Alola in time to find that they were not the first people to recognize Pravus for the threat he was. "Searing…. Sunraze...SMAAAAASH!" The call for a Z-Move echoed through the air around them, before the Solgaleo responsible for it lit up the sky as it meteored towards the blackened sphere that, presumably, held the Prophet within.

One massive, clawed hand composed of dark energy appeared beside the sphere, and grabbed the burning lion. Then, the light of the sun's emissary dimmed, as the Darkrai-like claw appeared to drain the light from his attack. Solgaleo and its rider began withering in the evil grip, until six beams of focused moonlight blasted through the arm connected to the hand, dissipating it entirely.

By that point, the two newcomers on their Charizard were close enough to see the riders atop the heads and necks of the two Legendary Pokémon. Solgaleo's Tamer was the man who'd held the rank of Alola's third Champion for quite a few years now. Lightly bearded and wearing a long white and red Trainer jacket with shorts, around their age, and reportedly chill, unless battling, Elio looked worse for wear after the power of their attack had been consumed. Lunala's Tamer was female, and after a closer look at her braided hair, flowery orange top, and Professor lab coat, they recognized the woman who'd studied under Professor Kukui. Professor Kaede was a powerful Trainer in her own right, but neither of the humans that looked to be around their own age seemed prepared to fight the Champion of Shadow that had come to their doorstep.

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"Arthur." Alex's Gallade was out and in his Mega Form before he and Jess reached the position at which the two Legendary Tamers were hovering, and he brought Excalibur to bear on the sphere, shooting past it before a shadowy arm could so much as form. His form flared then, and the Mind Armor covered him, as he knew what would come next. The sphere cracked, and then fell away, the Shadow within flaring and expanding rapidly now that it was free.

Caleb Pravus had become what one might expect a human and a Darkrai to look like when fused together, but the Darkrai had...changed. Its form was bigger, darker, almost as if it embodied the very element it used to power its attacks to a whole new level. Pravus seemed to have fully fused with his partner and one of their shadowy claws flung a Dark Ball towards the armored Gallade.

Both Alex and Arthur knew what was coming, and it wasn't long before the Gallade was locked in an intense duel of swordsmanship with Pravus's Shadow infused Gallade, meeting Mordred's Aerial Ace with the Light typed Sacred Sword over and over. As those two clashed and drifted away from the humans, Pravus began throwing other balls. A Golisopod and Cloyster dropped to the ocean below and headed for Alola, while a white Gengar, a shiny Vikavolt, and an Ultra Beast, classified as Naganadel, joined their owner in the air, as the Gengar ascended to its Mega Form first.

Jess and Lunala's Tamer didn't give the other two the time to do the same as Chari took the Vikavolt with a Flamethrower and chased it down as it led her away. Blaze went with her, and Alex stayed hovering on his own, focused on helping his Gallade survive with an extra pair of eyes. He too had read the legends and had no intention of losing his brave Gallade this day. Professor Kaede faced down the unsettling white Mega Gengar, and Elio took his poison proof lion up against the dragon from another dimension.

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Pravus sneered at Alex as the others began battling in and around their airspace, filling the air with the sounds of conflict and explosions of light. He was the only one as yet directly unoccupied by a battle, like Pravus. The Prophet crossed his arms, as he opened his mouth for what was probably another speech. Gone was the symbol of Arceus, that usually hovered behind his shoulders. He'd traded purple robes for ones that blended well with his Darkrai's black coloring, and kept his armor hidden from sight. The looming eyes of his Darkrai appeared just above his head as a part of his Shadow aura, watching. "Are you going to make me wait all day, or are you going to bring forth your divine lizard?"

Having intended to do exactly that until that moment, both Alex and Tao paused. Then, they both agreed on what their next course of action would be. Hearing his Trainer's thoughts, Arthur stopped locking blades with Mordred, and instead kicked with a rapidly spinning foot to the face, sending him flying in the opposite direction, as he bamfed back to his Trainer. "I like this plan. It keeps Tao safe and makes the most of what he taught us. If we fuse, we'd be unbeatable."

Alex shook his head. "Arceus himself said to use it on my dragon." He smirked at the Gallade, and then nodded at the suddenly very angry Mordred who was hurtling towards him once more, after having righted himself. "He never said which dragon." As he called for Shruikan, Arthur agreed to buy time, and so when Mordred came, the two Gallade began again smashing their arms together in a frenzy of energy, between Pravus and Alex.

Seeing what had become of Solgaleo, an entity whose light had powered Legendary dragons if the rumors were to be believed, after being in Pravus's new grip, had convinced Alex that if he summoned Tao now, something similar would happen. He was far more connected to the Light than most assumed, especially in his Mega Form, and so Alex called for the dragon that was of this world, and had grown with both light and dark within.

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Arthur's diversion worked, as Pravus had focused on commanding his Gallade. Mordred's moves shifted, but Arthur had a type resistant, or advantaged, counter for whatever strike the Shadow infused Gallade tried. Alex had begun surreptitiously hovering back from the fight, when several things happened at once. Below them, a shield of gold and pink energy flared around the entirety of Alola, covering each island with a bright pink barrier, and atop Mt. Lanakila, the Trainers battling in the sky, saw the massive form of a Guardian of Alola, Tapu Bulu if Alex remembered his Tapus correctly. Standing in front of the fairy typed giant was a man who was not dressed for the mountain's cold temperatures, but that had never stopped him in the past. The glaringly obvious Professor lab coat and the set of shredded muscles beneath it only belonged to one man, on these islands. One who, as history showed, had empowered the Tapu before, albeit in a Pokémon League match against Ash Ketchum, rather than a serious situation.

Alex used the distraction the island's shielding caused in Pravus to float even further back, as his dragon was rather large, and he just barely missed wandering into the Charge Beam that he hadn't ordered. The massive beam of electricity hit Pravus directly, as he'd raised a hand towards the figures protecting the nearest island. Blown back only a few feet in the air, but hit directly in the chest, Pravus glared back in Alex's direction, his Shadow-covered eyes widening as he took in the smirking Unovan Champion, holding a crystal burning with multiple rainbow colors.

The expression of shock quickly soured and grew furious as he saw what rose up behind the Dragon Emperor. Alex landed atop Shruikan's head, and then raised the crystal. On the march down to Port: Land, the easterners had glimpsed armor camera footage from Japan, and had seen Red's victory earlier that same day. The enlightening video had raised the Scale's morale just before they'd arrived at the second site of conquest, but Alex knew Tao had had a reason for sending it directly to him, first. He closed his eyes, let the energy flow in, and the area became much, much brighter as he resonated with the crystal and Shruikan and Shouted, "Light Burst!"

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The rainbow colors shot into Shruikan, and lit his form as well, and the two beings became one as the power of the Alpha Pokémon let them combine the strength of Shruikan's Mega Form with the absurd power that came from fusing humans and Pokémon. The final result looked more man than dragon, but a closer glance revealed there was just as much of Shruikan as his Trainer. Their neck was longer, Alex had a tail now, and the wings, unchanged in shape, arced up behind them from their back. His frame was large and covered in obsidian scales with white undertones, but then, it had always been large. He didn't realize how large, until he drew Lux, and found the hilt to be too tiny.

"You too, my ghostly friend." The humanoid Salamence rumbled. The hilt of the plasma sword flared with ghost energy, as the Rotom within pushed himself to the next stage of his evolution. His bottom opened, accepted the Draco crystal, and as soon as the Mega Rotom snapped closed around it and lit the other half of his enlarged and double-bladed form, Alex and Shruikan were moving.

Alex estimated himself at fifteen feet in height now, as he found himself before Caleb Pravus, and slashed. A pair of shadow hands tried blocking, but Lux's blade of plasma, hard to stop as it normally was, was burning with the power of the Light. The Shadow hissed and trailed dark smoke as the fusion of dragon and human struck again, and again. When there was finally a pause in their combination of eight strikes in a row, the Shadow flared, trying to force them back, but the fused being remained where he was as his aura burned brighter through the wave of Shadow. He smirked.

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A cry of rage tore the air as the claws reached for the lengthened neck of Alex and his dragon, wrapping around it with blinding speed as they held him still. "Now, Mordred…" Pravus hissed, and Alex narrowed his scaly eyes as the dark Gallade turned his gaze to where his master had ordered it. Alex mentally ordered Arthur to follow and wait for an opening to strike.

As the Shadow Gallade raised both sword-arms to cut directly into their back, he suddenly found himself upside down, his concentration ruined, by the lengthy and prehensile tail of the dragon-man that wrapped around his foot and spun him out of balance. Furious, Mordred moved to right himself and strike anyway, but not before he found the Sacred Sword arm of another Gallade, stabbing into his heart piece.

"Break his guard." Alex said to Arthur, as Mordred fainted, and began to fall towards the ocean. Pravus shouted again, dark energy burning down his arms only to be stopped by a blade of black and white, tinged with a golden aura, that separated the shadowy hands from the shadowy arms. The flailing limbs retreated back to defense as Arthur came in with a series of eight consecutive attacks, and only when he paused did the Shadow hands appear again.

Pravus moved to drain the glowing Gallade as he had the Solgaleo, but the reformed claw found empty air, as the Gallade Teleported behind him, and stabbed both of his sword arms into the Prophet's back. As soon as he'd broken from his shell, both Alex and Arthur had psychically searched their opponent for the 'fusion point' of his body. They would need to sever it in order to free the younger Darkrai from Pravus. What they had found, was a layered connection, one between human and Darkrai, and reinforced by yet another Darkrai, but one that was smaller, unchanged, and not inherently evil like the original. As Arthur dragged his swords through the man's back, dark energy spouted from the x-shaped wound, and a Darkrai, normally colored but unhealthily thin, sprang free from the Prophet. Shadow followed, as the energy bled into the air, and the newly raised Champion of the Shadow screeched in pain.

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More cuts began appearing across the fused form of Pravus and his reverted partner. Evidently, whatever power Pravus had forced his Darkrai to embrace had been too much for even their combined form, and their man-made Darkrai had been necessary to contain it. Neither had expected her to be cut free.

As Pravus screamed in pain, and raised his head towards the darkened clouds, he heard a hum, and then his vision began moving to his left. Then, it began spinning, falling away from the form that he knew was his body. It took him until he hit the water of the ocean below to realize that the dragon brat had severed his head with a single, perfect strike, and the last thing Caleb Pravus managed to make his mouth do before it simply stopped responding was open, in a silent scream as it sank into the depths of the ocean.

Alex and Shruikan were not done, however. The Darkrai remained, its own head taking over the corpse of the human it had struggled to dominate, and eventually partnered with. A humanoid obsidian scaled claw, burning with Light, reached through his reformed head, into the chest of the now decapitated Pravus, where it clenched around the Prophet's magnum opus, and tore it from the flesh. The Darkrai struck, but the strike was only dark typed, as without a Nexus or a power source, the Shadow's strength abandoned him. It bounced off the powerful aura filled with Light.

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The Darkrai began to fall towards the ocean, trapped in the body he'd fused with so very long ago, and he managed to project his words. "No... give it...back...I must...live...I was...promised..."

Alex and Shruikan were staring at the red crystal within their hand, a look of genuine disgust on their face. They closed their angular eyes then and focused them on the failing form of the Darkrai, descending with it as it slowly fell to its doom. "That's the thing about bargaining with dark powers...they promise so much, but if you die before they reign ascendant...you get Nothing."

Psychic power surrounded the husk of human and Pokémon, and Alex cut through it twice more for good measure. "I don't want you resting anywhere near that bastard's head. Take my advice, Pitch Black Pokémon. Stay dead." With that, he sent the sliced-up body of Caleb Pravus, and its now unwilling occupant, sailing over Alola, far past it, to the depths of the massive Oceana Pacifica, miles and miles away from where Caleb Pravus's head had sunk.

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Alex let the fusion fade, and looked up at Shruikan once they were again themselves. "That...was impressive, my friend. You've come so far from being that little Bagon I met under the mountain. Go back to Port: Land. Finish the fight…" He glanced around, seeing that the Alola Tamers, and Jess, were doing exactly that against Pravus' remaining Pokémon. "We're going to need to go to Alola...I have a feeling that all is not well with our island cousins."

Shruikan gave his Trainer a nod and winged back towards the burning city in the distance, casually torching fleeing Arcean ships with a Charge Beam as he flew over them. Elio and Solgaleo had seemingly recovered from their brief time in Pravus's grip, enough to catch the Naganadel in a Beast Ball, one of the few balls that legally overwrote a Trainer's ownership ID. If history was anything to go by, the Champion of Alola would either release the poisonous dragon or train it. Given that he already had a Naganadel, Alex guessed release was more likely.

Lunala handled the Gengar, whose Mega Form had evaporated when Pravus's head left his shoulders. Wounded and still berserk with Shadow, he was the first Alex bamfed besides, armored hands burning with the Light. "You've been in the dark too long, lost ghost. Come back to the Light." The sky flared again, and both Professor and Legendary Pokémon watched with awe as they confirmed the rumors were indeed true. The mainland's newest Dragon Emperor used Arceus' own power.

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He was not the only one, for moments later, a similar flash lit in the distance, as Jess managed to finally touch the Vikavolt, and cleansed it, as her Articuno had shown her. After watching Fo and Alex do it several times, she had eventually opened her mind and body enough for the Light to enter through, albeit not in a manner as...exciting as Alex had. The result had only been enough to Purge the Shadow, but she was still refining her skill with the Light. Neither her nor Alex had used it while training, as they had been told not to overuse it, lest they become like the Light branded the Hands of the Prophet had left in their wake.

Elio and his Solgaleo came next, up to Alex specifically, who was floating in the air beside his still armored Gallade. "That...was pretty impressive. It's Alex, right? Champion of Unova, er, the Dragon Empire?" He chuckled, awkwardly. "I'm sorry Alola wasn't of much aid in this conflict but...we've had our own problems. Ones you can solve, I think…"

Alex nodded as he panted from the exertion of fighting while fused and held up the red crystal, he'd ripped from within Pravus. "This...this is the heart of a Necrozma...we need to figure out how to cleanse it, and then restore it. The last time we needed to do this, I hadn't been born yet. Do you know how to manage that, Alola Champion?"

Elio nodded, thumb brushing across his nose. "Our first Champion gave me some insight, and when Necrozma went berserk, it helped me calm it...I don't know what's been done to it though...that crystal feels...wrong."

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Another voice joined them as a massive serpentine form appeared in the sky around them with the flash from a Teleport, flying in a graceful circle around them as the First Dragon's mega evolved body trailed through the air. "It is wrong, Champions of Alola…" Tao's voice thundered in their heads as he looked between the Solgaleo, and the Lunala the Professor and Champion were riding atop. "I will need both of you, if we are to restore it."

The two Legendary Pokémon gave their consent, and their Tamers translated unnecessarily for them. "They'll do it. Come, we can land on...hold on…" Elio pointed down at Ula'ula Island, and on the southernmost beach, the group spied four figures, surrounded by four more figures, which appeared to be floating.

"The Island Guardians...yes...their magic will help with this. Come." Alex landed atop his dragon's icy crest and descended to the beach alongside the two Legendary allies they'd made. Upon the beach, they spied familiar faces. Professor Kukui, Kahuna Hau, Kahuna Hapu, and a familiar face any Unovan would recognize, framed by green hair and a hat whose style was definitely not Unovan. N's attire had again changed, for war, and Alex even spied a familiar hilt beneath his black and white robes, but he had a feeling that it wasn't used too often. He was also probably the one person Alex didn't worry about giving a plasma sword to.

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"The Original Dragon...and the man who united them. It is good you are both here...we have a... situation." Alex hopped down from Tao's head as N spoke, and the older man eyed his attire for a full four seconds as he took in the detail and masterful craftsmanship of Alex's dragon bone armored form before continuing, "Necrozma has been serving as a sort of...rejuvenating force for the region's space-time weave. Tearing a bunch of holes in it, repeatedly, made reality around certain parts of this region...unstable. The most affected area is Aether Paradise."

"Of course it is…" Alex sighed. "Has anyone come through these tears in Necrozma's absence?"

N nodded. "Some of the locals made a deal with Pravus. He doesn't invade the islands, and in return, he gets Necrozma's head. Since it lost its light and went inert, there's been a surge in wormholes. Only one person has managed to come through these tears though...at Aether Paradise. Ghetsis. But not the one we know...this one...this one did something terrible in his reality that made Team Plasma the rulers of Unova, and then their world. Now he plans to take ours."

Tao and the gathered Legendary beings had, while the humans chattered, taken the crystal that was the core of Necrozma's being, and placed it between them, as they formed a circle around it. The Tapu summoned nature's power for the dragon to draw upon, and draw upon it he did, as did Solgaleo and Lunala. All three began burning with Light in their auras, and the final forms of the Cosmog line shifted to their brightened forms in the presence of Tao's Mega Form.

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Tao had retained his Mega Form through the initial stages of the siege of Port: Land, and with his boosted strength, guided the Light into the red crystal. The crimson coating wore away against the power the three were giving off, but instead of vanishing, or shifting back to yellow, the core of Necrozma turned a bright golden white, and then began shining with a familiar array of rainbow colors.

N threw a Pokéball, and the blackened shell of Necrozma appeared. The golden core zipped into the slot in the crystalline head, and in moments, the shell turned the same golden color, as Necrozma resumed its true form, on its own power, for the first time in an age.

A soft voice echoed between all of them. "I am... restored." The psychic and dragon type looked over them all with eyes that each burned with a variation of rainbow colors. "I will not forget this act." With that, the dragon soared higher into the air, opened a hole in the fabric of reality, and vanished. Moments later, Alola's sky brightened, as did the skies of many other worlds across many other dimensions.

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The humans, distracted from their chatter by the display, glanced up at the gathered Legendary Pokémon, with more than a bit of awe. Tao spoke directly to N and Alex as the light show ended. "I will return to the battle, and ensure we win. We will march down the coast, and while we do, I want you two to take care of this...new Ghetsis. Quickly. Before he has a chance to vanish into our world."

N smirked as he glanced at some sort of band on his right wrist. "He will be trapped here, for the moment. Our world's weakened reality has been strengthened, somehow. Rejuvenated. Only the Cosmog line should be able to open wormholes, now...as it was in ancient times." He met Alex's gaze and nodded. "Let's go...before he finds a ship."

A pale green aura surrounded the man then, and N zipped away towards Aether Paradise on his own power. Alex let him go, as he sensed his better half's intent to return to the war. The gathered Kahunas, Professors, and Champion lifted off on their Pokémon as well, following N with that same determined look.

"Don't die." Alex said to Jess, propelling himself into the air as well. He caught up to the others quickly, and then zipped ahead to match pace with N as they headed for the center of the islands.