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Arborstone Castle - Albion Region

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The throne of Albion was gone. In the explosion of Light that Arthur had given off, it had simply vanished, leaving the room where the King of Albion received local plights empty. Empty that is, until Arthur and Gwen began psychically rearranging things. Through his Trainer's father, Arthur had found a man who had skill at planning his days and managing the region's coin, of which there was very little. A fact he espoused on often, and loudly, whenever he was near Arthur. Morgana hadn't exactly kept the economy going, her guard's expensive tastes had. Arthur learned that for quite some years now, said guards had been enjoying themselves, free of all charges, on the Queen's authority. What little the people produced all went to the castle, as the rest of the region had been left to collapse, and rot.

Once his brothers informed him Alex was coming, Arthur had levitated in a round table and eleven chairs. Thankfully, the former reception hall, which was now a meeting room of sorts, had the space for the sizable bulk some of his teammates had. The old 'war room' as it had been labeled had become the new area to receive the commoners, in Morgana's version of comfort, rather than in front of an obnoxious symbol of authority. Arthur had also left dealing with most of their plights to his new steward. After donning some old and long-unworn uniforms from Uther's era, the green and white clad rebels-turned-guardsmen brought in people who needed to see the new King group by group.

Tao had reached out already as well, supplying some timely assistance for the beleaguered people of Albion, mostly in the form of food, and Berries for planting. Arthur had everyone who visited take some, and he knew it wouldn't be more than a few days before most dirt patches in Arborstone were sporting bushes with food on them. Pokéballs were also offered, though most citizens declined them, almost every child around eight to ten had been given some, for free, and for safety, as Albion was still a more dangerous region, despite now being purged of darkness, and temporarily confining the local fauna to a Pokéball would at least give them the chance to run away.

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When Alex finally arrived, he looked tired, and Arthur rightly guessed the last time he'd slept was several days ago, when they'd camped by the Stonjourner swarm. From Alex's perspective, it had been one very long day, and Albion had only made him more tired. Upon seeing the state of the cobble streets, he'd recalled Shruikan, and started earthbending the cobblestones back together. There was now a usable road that led from Arborstone's southern gate, through the market square, all the way to the castle. It was good practice for earthbending on a smaller scale, something he'd need when he started making houses back home, but it left him more drained than he expected. By comparison, raising and hurling a boulder was easy.

He found Arthur sitting at a round table, and then quite suddenly, his cape flared as every Pokéball he had on hand opened at once, filling the room with his Pokémon. He chuckled as they started swarming Arthur and took a seat opposite his Gallade. "Warn me, before you do that guys." After a few minutes, they eventually settled down, with the A Team at the table itself. Alex smirked as he noticed his grass types, like Noir and Arbor, had taken a spot by Terra, while Kral and Pruina were behind Hydrus. Saur and Canis were also at the table, mostly because the Lucario was one of the few who could actually make use of the chairs, and Saur had been given a spot by Terra, after he'd made room for him.

Alex glanced around at them, once they were settled. "So. Arthur. I take it you planned this. Is there a reason for this sudden gathering?"

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His Gallade nodded. "There is. But first…let me explain what has happened in Albion since we parted…" Alex stayed quiet as Arthur went over the details. Linked as they were, Alex was already aware of most of them, but it seemed those who had joined their mental web later, and weren't psychic types, had a harder time keeping up with current events. There was one event however, that made Alex pay closer attention. "...and then in this vision…a Giant of Light showed me how to use a Move called Spacium Beam. That's when the throne was obliterated, and the Shadow was Purged from the Region. Since then, I've uhh…handled running things as best I can." Arthur finished. Alex could tell there was something else he was leaving out but didn't pry.

"The Empire will, of course, send aid to Albion as needed." Alex stated, aware that Tao had, as usual, already started in that regard. "You still haven't mentioned the reason for this meeting, though."

His Gallade smirked at him. "Honestly, it's your own thoughts, Alex. That's why we're meeting. You may not be completely aware, but ever since Tao mentioned taming one of each Pokémon species, we've all been privy to your growing desire to reach that goal, and what's giving you pause in pursuing it. I spoke with the others, and they all agree with me; the only way to do this is together, to go over the…logistics of such a goal, and how owning hundreds, if not thousands, of Pokémon at once would even work."

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Alex just stared, wondering if he should be angry or proud, but at that moment, he was just too tired to be anything but blunt. "Look guys, that's more a byproduct of my culture than any kind of…realistic goal. Almost six hundred Pokémon lines is a lot, and I have enough on my plate already."

Arthur held up a hand, before he said more. "We know what you want, Alex, we're all capable of sensing how much you want this. Or I am, anyway, and through me, everyone else understands too. As for what we want…well, ideally, we want to end up like Eremus…and myself. Living our best lives somewhere we can also help you, or the Empire. Finding our own place in the world, whether it's by your side, or out in the wild somewhere, keeping an eye out for potential threats to life's Balance. We are all on board with this concept. Lux, I believe you can take it from here."

His Rotom, which was currently possessing his Holodex, floated out of Alex's bag then. "Excluding Legendary Pokémon, aside from the ones you've already Tamed, and want to tame, the actual number is more like four hundred and sixty-eight, including regional variants as their own species, with some exceptions and of course, accounting for as yet undiscovered species."

Alex raised a brow at him. "Exceptions?"

The Rotom displayed several Pokémon then. Scyther, it's evolutions, Slowpoke, Marowak, and several others. "For species that appear as a result of an item's interference, they're considered separate from the main line. Those that evolve with stones, with Eevee being the exception, are also typically counted as the main species. So Vileplume would represent the Oddish line, but Bellossom would also count as another Pokémon. For your purposes, you'd want one of each. But in a case like, for example, Marowak, you'd need to choose which variant to pursue, as both evolve from a Cubone. A Marowak in Alola is still a Marowak."

"But an Alolan Vulpix is considered different enough from the Fire Typed Vulpix to count as its own line. I understand. Still, training and raising hundreds of Pokémon is just…a lot." Alex said, with a sigh.

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Terra's rumbling baritone spoke up then, as Alex expected it might. "You would not catch them all at once. This is a goal that will take several Human lifetimes."

"And there's also the matter of what happens when you inevitably outlive some of us." Arthur added. "We've chosen a vote-based system, with the original ten who've been blessed by Xerneas dealing typically with Pokémon that share or are similar to their own types. We're in charge of gathering votes on who to add to the team, and if we agree to it. Majority rules, of course, but we also want to give everyone a voice if they have a genuine concern. We believe this system will stop any…species rivalries from making us biased."

Alex just shook his head again. "You all really want to do this? Why?"

Leo answered, this time, from the comfortable cushion he'd brought out from his ball as his own chair. He yawned, as he shared his mental voice with everyone. "We've seen what Eremus has done for the Mohave Desert in the short time he's been away, and he's not the only one who has improved the environment based on Tao's teachings. We believe that, over time, we'll be able to create a planet-wide network of team members and allies to better help you and Tao deal with any potential oncoming existential threats. Some will act as…sentries, of a sort, as they enjoy their lives in the wild, presumably leading others of their species and type, and when such a disaster is imminent, those you've trained to be Battlers will step up, and handle whatever threatens us."

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Still not wholly convinced, Alex frowned at his thunder cat. "So, what, I'm just supposed to compile twenty-four teams of ten Pokémon to Battle with? Because that…is a lot."

Leo shook his head, but it was Arthur that spoke next. "We feel there should really be two, at most three teams focused on Battling. You can make teams for other things too, you know. We don't want to make those on the Battling teams locked in, either. We want our opponents to think we could pull out pretty much any species to face them, which will make planning to face us that much harder. It will also give the older members a much-needed break, if we know the younger members are strong enough to keep you, and the world, safe. Obviously training everyone is a given and won't be solely left to you to do. The common theme among us is that we all wanted to be stronger. As you yourself have said to many of us, 'to be the Best'. We want to help you get there, Alex. Let us."

Alex just chuckled, not quite believing, or even expecting this kind of response to a simple thought he'd believed he'd kept well hidden. He was proud though, proud that his little Ralts had become a leader in his own right, and one compassionate and caring enough to put something like this together, to make sure all of his brothers achieved their dreams as he had done. Finally, Alex said, "I guess that just leaves what you think, Original Dragon." His eyes shifted to the space above the table, where he sensed Tao watching them. Sure enough, the disembodied golden orbs appeared in the air.

"You have been blessed, Alexander Redwood, with a mind for Battle, and a team of truly exemplary Pokémon to aid you in your Journey. You may not yet grasp this; but your Journey is still in its early stages. The heights you will reach with your team are sure to continue to exceed my expectations, and adding more Pokémon will help you get there. This is the Way."

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"This is the Way." His team intoned, simultaneously, all at once, in his head.

Finally, he sighed again, and relented. Romulus hopped in his lap, panting heavily, but excited for new brothers. He was in awe of Terra and Cenomons the most, and he also seemed to like the idea of not being one of the newest Pokémon on the team. Alex gave him all the scritches before he answered. "Alright. But no more secret organizing behind my notice. And if you know of any candidates from your time in the wild or otherwise, tell me. We can track them down and see if they will work with us. Not just to Battle and act as sentries though. To plant Berries. Clear natural disasters. Aid Humans and Pokémon in times of trouble. To make this world properly flourish. That is what our goal has to be. Can we agree on that?"

His Pokémon laughed then, all of them, and seeing his expression, Shruikan rumbled from where he'd rested his head on the table and had spent most of the meeting quietly chuckling at his Trainer's discomfort and feigned show of despair, "We already have. You were the last holdout. Stubborn Human."

Alex joined their laughter, and in short order once the gathering 'ended', he was giving everyone some brunch, as it was now almost noon. Feeding almost half a hundred Pokémon presented to him another problem for their new goal, one they would need to address. The Redwood Lab would never be able to sustain that many mouths, and start new Trainers, and feed their teams as well. It was too much to put on any one lab, no matter how many governmental Pokémon food grants they received. It was clear he'd need human assistance on this, as well as a place large enough to handle that many Pokémon.

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Then, it hit him, and with a brief Future Sight, he confirmed that his idea had merit, both for him and his Pokémon, and the people of Albion as well. Morgana had been missing since breaching the Successor's tomb, but both Alex and Arthur expected her to return at some point. The people would need protecting, and Albion did have quite a bit of open space, mostly due to a lot of the human population dying off during Morgana's tenure.

He left everyone to eat, and then wandered out behind the castle, where he found Arthur, Terra, and a Gardevoir he didn't recognize. Terra had buried his massive feet in the lifeless dirt of the courtyard and was frowning, likely as he sensed just how pervasive the Shadow's corruption had been, this close to where Morgana spent most of her time.

He felt Terra cease his efforts then, tired, but not showing it, as Alex joined them. Verbally, the earth tortoise said, "The land…is too much for one Pokémon to heal…the rot runs deep…"

Alex patted his armored head. "On your power alone, maybe. But with your Trainer beside you…" Terra's eyes, dimmed by his defeat, burned to life again, as they met Alex's. "Our limits are Infinite." He raised his Key Stone then, and Terra's Meadow Plate flashed in response, as he seamlessly attained his Mega Form with a rumbling roar. Once more, Alex felt him reaching deep into the earth of the ancient region, his mind and focus consumed by his desire to make it flourish, and the surging power of Infinity Energy.

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"That light…you must be Arthur's Human…" Came a feminine voice in Pokéspeech. Being what she was, she recognized the same power that Arthur had eventually let fade, along with his Mega Form.

Alex glanced at her, then at Arthur, then back to her, and smirked. "I am. And you must be Gwen. I don't know why he's hiding you from us. Perhaps my inherent shyness rubbed off on him more than I thought. You two should get some food before it's gone. I'll help Terra with this." He noticed Gwen was, even for a Gardevoir, very thin. She'd need some vitamins, and his Pokémon food had plenty, mixed in with the berries.

Sensing his thoughts, Arthur guided her to the meeting chamber to meet the rest of his brothers, while Alex and Terra looked out over the somewhat depressing view of Arborstone's gloomy streets. Life was coming back to the mostly gray, smoky city, slowly, but he and Terra could help it along.

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Alex climbed on his starter's shell and got comfy. "Do you remember what Beifong taught us, in the Earth Nation? And Swamp Tree's lesson? Let the vibrations of the earth paint a mental picture for you. Extend your awareness along the flora beyond Arborstone, too. As far as you can." He followed Terra's reach through both the earth and what plants remained in Albion to its limits, just impressed at how far the earth tortoise could stretch it. With infinite energy and a Mega Form, all he needed was time to reach across Albion's surface. Or most of it, anyway.

They both frowned, as the damage was more extensive than either had expected. Though it was more obvious in some places than others, the land was rotting away to a state much like the courtyard they were currently in. Alex opened his eyes. "We're going to need the others for this." With a mental nudge, Saur, Hydrus, Arbor, Noir, and Kral joined them, though the young bouncing Horsea was more of a spectator. Saur's vines linked them all to Terra, once Alex retook his spot.

Overhead, a hunting Shruikan passing by noticed their efforts, and roared. The sky responded with disturbing speed, as dark clouds filled it. Hydrus answered his brother with a roar of his own, and then began slamming the ground before him, chanting, as the clouds were infused with water energy, and began pouring it down on the land below. Unlike past rains, this one didn't reinforce the Shadow corruption.

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"Arbor. Noir." Alex said, eyes closed, and legs crossed from his spot on Terra's shell. "I need you both to launch your Seed Bombs as high as you can." The pair nodded, glancing at each other before they took their attack stances. It was a contest, now. The Sceptile felt confident he could beat the grassy cat, but Noir wasn't just going to let him win. The two grass types launched their attacks high, and from Arborstone Castle's already significant height, the green streaks through the cloudy sky drew quite a few drunken gazes from below.

Arbor clenched a claw in victory, as his Seed Bombs outpaced in speed and height compared to Noir's, only to then blink, as Terra's shot into the air with them from his tree, surpassing and surrounding them with far more than either Noir or Arbor had produced. Alex inhaled deeply, and then blew outwards, spurring the wind to coalesce the three attacks into a single ball. He used the air to kill the move's momentum above the city, and then the grassy sphere exploded, showering the land with gently falling seeds empowered by the energy of a Meadow Plate, and guided across the region by the gently coaxed natural air currents that already blew over much of it, as said air currents flowed towards the east. Even in Aurora, life would bloom.

Alex focused on Hydrus then and turned his Rain Dance into something more like a Rain Prayer, as he infused it with a small but significant amount of Light energy. The seeds landed across the region, and with Terra's reach connecting to and further feeding each one, they exploded with growth as he infused them with a Frenzy Plant, or at least, enough grass energy to match a Frenzy Plant. With that finished, Alex let Noir and Arbor return to their free time, and after a while, Hydrus went as well. Kral apparently wanted to learn Rain Dance too, and Hydrus was more than happy to instruct.

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For at least half the night, Alex and Terra worked in tandem to ensure that Arthur's home would live again. Hours later and dead on his feet, Alex retrieved his team and headed into Arborstone, towards where he sensed Jess. He found her, Arthur, and Gwen putting on a psychic show for the easily amused populace, many of whom had never seen psychic moves. Most of Alex's team had no interest in performing in contests, but Arthur played his part well with the grace inherent to his species.

Their climactic finish ended atop the tower in the square's center, and the people watching below applauded. Arthur briefly scanned how the repairs were going, at least until his eyes were snared by Gwen's. She whispered something to him, and the pair Teleported away, leaving the crowd, Jess included, with knowing smirks on their faces.

"So. Did she accept your offer?" Alex said, striding up next to Jess. Some of the locals murmured, upon seeing him. He kind of stood out, as white was not a typical color the people of Albion wore. He'd also unintentionally made a memorable entrance to their city, fixing what was shattered, as if by magic, wherever he walked. Most citizens weren't quite drunk enough to believe that, but the description of the man in said tale was spot on accurate to the foreigner before them.

"She did." Jess said, seeming pleased at having a new psychic powerhouse, in the event Delphi was busy or couldn't be bothered to battle. "Once I told her about you and I, and your ties to Arthur, she agreed it was a good idea, and I agreed to let her do as she wishes."

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She looked up at Alex then, who was still staring at the spot the pair had vanished from. "You seem…satisfied, with something. Did you boys have a productive meeting?"

"We did." Alex answered, finally fixing her with his gaze. "I'll tell you about it…but first…I am so hungry."

"But what about the Successor? Didn't we come here to stop him?" Jess asked.

Alex frowned. "We did…but then he vanished somewhere in the Mediterra Mountains. I let our friend in Italia know. Mew and Mewtwo are on it, apparently, and she's helping them. For now…I think it's long past time we enjoyed our break. And I really need to sleep at some point, too."

Jess nodded in agreement. "It's about dinner time back home. Shall we?"

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Alex smirked. "This time, I'll pick the place." He put a firm hand on her shoulder and Teleported them to the Castelian borough of New Tork City. Immediately the far more potent stench of millions of humans and Pokémon filled their noses. Looking around, Jess saw they were in a comparatively less reputable part of the city, though dressed in their black and white clothes, they actually fit in fairly well.

Jess looked up at the aged neon over the place, which was built slightly into the ground, and had more building, probably housing, atop it, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Old Mimey Joe's?" She glanced around, then. "You want food from Narrow Street?"

Alex nodded, confidently. "You will never find a better dive for Pizza, Subs, Burgers, there's even Casteliacones. My Gruncle took me here when I was little, and the food was...amazing."

Jess smirked at him, incredulity in her voice. "Right, because food places in NTC are renowned for staying decent for over two decades."

Alex winked at her. "Art gets better with age, and Old Mimey is an artiste."

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Ten minutes later, they had their cheesy-crust pizza, and had already devoured most of it, as it was, as promised, quite delicious. The gruff looking Mr. Mime that served them, who went by Old Mimey, had a hard exterior but a kind heart. And phenomenal cooking skills. Joe, his Trainer, wasn't around, which Alex preferred. According to Old Mimey, he wasn't the biggest fan of the Dragon Empire, its ruler, or governments in general, but Old Mimey had refused to charge them full price, claiming he'd heard of Alex's exploits not from humans, but from Pokémon. As a rule, he trusted them more.

"...and then they essentially convinced me to catch hundreds of Pokémon." Alex said between bites. "Even Tao was on board."

Jess just stared at him. "That's…a lot of mouths to feed, Alex."

He waved a hand. "Berries grow faster than we consume them. And if that changes, our Grass Types can handle it. But you're right. And even if I could…somehow psychically duplicate myself, there's simply no physical way to fairly train and keep hundreds of Pokémon at once. The way this will work, the only way this will work, is if it's a…family effort. One Trainer is eventually going to hit a limit with how many Pokémon they can competently care for at once. But several Trainers…ones we can trust? That's more feasible. Especially if we want to make this global. We can't realistically expect wild-but-Trained Pokémon to be able to always get our help and attention in time to save lives or stop disasters. There will need to be Humans nearby, and ready to help them."

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Jess just smirked at him as she ran her tongue around her Casteliacone. "Mm. So now you're dragging me into your desire to 'catch'em all'?"

Alex shrugged. "Aside from Eric, you're my immediate family. The only one I'd trust with something like this, since my parents are pretty bad with Pokémon. Eric can train them, but he's too busy with the lab for something like this. There are a few cousins with…potential, but for now, it's you and me." That made the couple smile and get lost in the other's gaze for a long moment.

About halfway through that moment, Old Mimey mimed turning up the volume on the truly ancient classic-style television mounted above the service counter, and the seating area. "You'll wanna see this." He rumbled, as he prepared a basket of breaded strips of meat for them. Alex and Jess shared a look, before listening in properly, as the newswoman reappeared on the screen.

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"Welcome back. If you're joining us now, the Pokémon Leagues just announced that the latest World Tournament is officially beginning. Now we will see something momentous, as Ash Ketchum defends his title for the tenth time since the four-year rotation was implemented. Will he achieve an unheard-of streak of ten title successful title defenses against the world's strongest Trainers? Or will his legacy end, as another rises?" Alex blinked, as he sensed most of his Pokémon perk up from their naps and training within their balls to listen in as well. There was excitement building too, from Blaze, Canis, and then so many others he couldn't differentiate. To say they had all been excited for the start of this round of the World Tournament was an understatement.

"That's right, Rachel." Her male coworker said, though in that moment Alex blanked on his name. He didn't have much time for PNN, or MSPBC in this case, these days, but he recalled this gentleman in particular had his own talk segment, and was generally a straight shooter, even if his attempts at reciting Rap lyrics in a monotone were a bit cringey. After Arc News lowered the journalistic bar so far into the dirt it was subterranean, pretty much anyone could rise above it. All one really had to do was report on real, actual events without drowning them with bias or shameless context-hiding edits. "More Pokémon Trainers than ever before have signed up this time, and our network-based poll shows many Trainers citing the lack of a four Move limit as the reason. However, this surge in registration has also led to a change in structure."

The screen shifted then, showing a pyramid of the usual classes expected from the World Tournament that had been in use since Leon dethroned Lance. Alex chuckled, as he saw the top of it. "As you can see," The man continued, "The Masters Eight have been expanded, to the Superior Sixteen. Just straight up doubling the amount of top tier Trainers we can hope to see in the final stages of this tournament."

"That's not all that's new, though." The short haired woman, Rachel, apparently, said chiming in. "Currently the Superior Sixteen slots are empty. With World Champion Ash Ketchum being the exception, everyone else, be they Champions or Chairmans, will start at the Normal Class. Some Champions have already ascended to the Ultra Class, though it seems like our own Champion here in the Capital hasn't actually registered his team yet."

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The man chuckled, "Well, I'm sure the Dragon Emperor is busy with other, arguably more important things, like his promise to make homes for the people who need them, or, in this case, homes for species of Pokémon we haven't seen for centuries in Unova." The screen shifted to a view of the Desert Resort then, as seen from above. Lines of green crossed the sandy expanse where Alex had carved a river through the desert. "Scientists are still marveling at how quickly the Desert Resort is bouncing back from being a desert, and how the local Pokémon are adapting to these new sources of water. I'm sure the Victory League's Champion will be registering soo-" As the mental voices in his head started chiming in on their current desire to register, immediately, Alex gave in.

Jess didn't hear the rest of what the news man said, as Alex had bamfed himself to the nearby Pokémon Center after sharing a look with her. She was also able to hear the clamor in his head, when they got loud enough. Amused, as she'd pre-registered months in advance, Jess started counting the seconds as the two newscasters continued to discuss the tournament. There were far less limits this time, not just on moves, but also on Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing, Terrastalizing, and even Z Moves. Each one could be used as often as a Trainer and Pokémon could safely manage to wield them, and they'd even allowed for as yet unpopular or undiscovered power-up gimmicks. The brackets had also increased in size. "Past World Tournaments like the Coronation Series have allowed only two thousand one hundred and six Trainers in their rankings. Reportedly, after much arguing with the other Leagues by Chairman Leon, they've agreed to rank every single participant this time. Sixteen at the top, five hundred in the Ultra Class, five thousand in the Great Class, and the Normal Class will be where everyone else is. Each bracket has seen a significant increase in size, likely due to the surge in the number of registered Trainers between World Tournaments."

"That's right, Rachel." The man continued, "There truly are less limits this time around, from Moves to the number of participating Trainers, but the most restrictive rule has to be the one on item usage. Apparently, in the interest of time, Trainers will only get one Potion per Battle, for teams of, potentially, up to ten Pokémon and the only held items allowed are those that pertain to further empowering the Pokémon holding them, like Plates or Mega Stones."

"It's going to be important to know when to use that Potion, and I'm sure having access to entire Move pools is going to more than make up for a lack of clever held items." She said, nodding in agreement. "I have a feeling Plates will be even harder to find, before long." Then, she held her ear, and smiled at the camera. "Folks, we've been keeping an eye out for famous participants, and it seems Champion Redwood must've heard you Ari, because he apparently just Teleported into Castelia's Pokémon Center, to register for this very tournament. Our reporters on the ground are going to try to get a statement."

Jess just nodded to herself. Two minutes wasn't bad. Alex appeared on the screen then, which was very obviously streaming from a moving camera. Twenty-eight Pokéballs levitated onto the nurse's tray, but late entries were always possible, so long as they also got checkups, and cleared for battle.

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"Champion Redwood!" The reporter, who was out of frame, said as she opted to use his League title. "Do you have time for some questions?"

Alex glanced at where the nurse had gone. Nurse Joy was already halfway through evaluating his team's health, and he smirked at the reporter. "Looks like you have time for two."

"What do you hope to achieve by registering for this tournament?"

Alex arched an eyebrow. "I intend to win. To be the World's strongest Trainer."

"Do you think you can take on Ash Ketchum, and end his streak in your first attempt at the World Tournament?"

Alex looked down and pondered for a moment before answering. "I've actually met him. In the flesh…he reminded me of Red, who I'm sure is also getting stronger as we speak." He smirked again, then. "But I've sparred with Red. We used to be somewhat even, with the exception being his Mewtwo. I can put on a good Battle, at least. Assuming I get that far. As far as beating him goes…if I've learned anything after watching him Battle in nine tournaments against the world's best Trainers, it's that Ash Ketchum cannot be predicted. I'll have to adapt as quickly as he does, if I intend to win."

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The Audino nurse came back out with his Pokéballs then, and Alex levitated them back onto his cloak. "Looks like our time is up. I do have to get back, I just learned registration was finally open, and my team urged me to Teleport here."

The reporter spoke again then. "One more question?"

Alex chuckled and nodded. "Last one. Shoot."

"Assuming you don't win or are knocked out before facing Ash, what place would you want to be in?"

"Second." Alex said, with no hesitation. "But I'll probably have to Battle with Chairman Leon for that spot, if the past is prologue. I look forward to it." He gave a two fingered wave then and Teleported away. Jess smirked, as he appeared in the booth, but standing on it. He maneuvered his stupidly long legs back under the table, then. "Someday, we're going to have a meal that doesn't involve me bamfing away in the middle of it."

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Jess reassured him that she didn't mind, as she found his antics amusing when they ended up on TV, and the rest of the meal went uninterrupted, as they took in the rest of the news, once they cut away from the reporter. "The World Tournament isn't the only thing happening soon folks, as with the sheer number of Trainers coming from all corners of the planet for the World Tournament, it seems the Pokémon Contest owners of Kalos, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova's own Pokéstar Studios have come together to create what they're calling the World Festival. It will run in tandem with the World Tournament, on the same four-year cycle. No word yet on how they plan to manage the schedules of those who want to participate in the World Tournament, and also in Pokémon Contests."

Alex glanced at Jess, as he sensed her own team having a psychic discussion. "Will you be going for that title instead?"

Jess stared him down, and he sensed he was on thin ice by the tone in her words. "Do you think I'm not going to win the World Tournament?"

He smirked. "I think you'll get pretty far…but I've seen you perform. Even if it was by video. You outclassed Serena. You should go for it. An Articuno would dazzle them, and there's no reason to restrict Legendary Pokémon from performing."

Jess shook her head, looking away, as she always did when he brought this up. "Serena wasn't at her best, and I got lucky."

Alex smirked wider. "All the more reason to have a proper contest with her on a world stage, no?"

Jess sighed, as more voices in her head made the argument for participating better than he was. "I'll think about it." She said with finality, though not entirely to Alex.

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They Teleported back to the Palace of Ideals then, which by this point, was now properly furnished once more, in its entirety, and not all that far off from how it had looked in ancient times. This was mainly thanks to the Sages, and the Scales who had pushed for more color in their stone fortress. The lower chambers were typically where Scales let their Pokémon out to mingle, as all there were expected to be behaved enough to coexist in a peaceful manner. Alex and Jess let their teams out with the others, before retiring to their room for their own nightly routine.

Jess switched things up on him though, and he was the one falling asleep first, for once, as the strain of being awake for so long, amongst other things, sent him into a deep slumber. For once, he woke up that morning though, despite the energy he'd spent, still feeling drained, but glad he was awake, and not losing more days to unconsciousness. They joined the other Scales rooming at the palace for breakfast and daily briefings. Once they were properly stuffed, Alex glanced at the TV in the room. "Looks like there's a crowd in Castelia Park that's Battling with World Tournament rules. Should we join them?"

Jess eyed him. "In that outfit, you'll be mobbed before you ever call out a Pokémon. If we dress like average Trainers, we should be able to go incognito."

Within ten minutes, they were strolling up Narrow Street in fresher clothes more in line with what modern Trainers were wearing. For his part, Alex had, for the first time in years now that he thought about it, gone back to the dark brown, black, and green jacket, with the deep brown and green colored Trainer hat that was apparently out of style now. It had been based off of N's, but he didn't see the point in buying a new one that was probably based on his usual hat. To his fashion ignorant eye, he didn't really see the difference, but Jess insisted they were different enough to warrant their own lines of merch. Being not far from the Join Boulevard, he got to compare his, Hilbert's, and N's hats from advertisements and found them all to basically be identical. The copies of his own being sold were essentially just a white and black version of N's, which was more black than white. He kept the wide brim down over his eyes and in short order, he and Jess both found opponents.

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His own opponent was clearly a new Trainer, a teenage girl by the look of her, in that awkward stage between being a child and being a woman. His eyes saw her as closer to a woman, but as a rule he kept his thoughts from turning lewd in regard to those he battled, with Jess being the exception. She called out a Pignite, as the Drone Rotom announced their one-on-one Normal Rank match, and by request, kept his name hidden, if not his Trainer ID number.

As he drew his own pick, Kalagon, the Trainer shouted at him from across the field. "Why so secretive? What am I supposed to call you?"

Alex smirked from under the hat brim, as he saw what the Rotom had classed him as. "I'm an Ace Trainer, I like to think. Let's go with Ace." The smirk grew slightly, as the Drone Rotom added that in as his name, on the displayed Trainer info. For Champions, and people who didn't want their information broadcasted on giant holo screens for all to see, Drone Rotom were allowed to make edits on the fly to suit the Trainer in question, provided they were registered, and had their Trainer Card. He sent out Kalagon then, who spied a bug on the ground, and started following it.

The teen laughed. "Oh yea. Real pro, right here. Pignite! Send this noob back to the Pokémon Center! Arm Thrust!"

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"Kalagon." The Gible snapped up the old Earth beetle and stood at attention. "The name of the game today, is dodging." The Gible grinned and took his ready position with his tiny baby dragon arms stretched wide as the slow fire pig charged, his fists limned with fighting energy. "I like dodge."

"Good." Alex said with a smirk. "Dodge with Dig!"

Kalagon munched his way under the Pignite as the Arm Thrusts reached out, but he was already safely out of danger. "Pignite! Double Team!" The field filled with copies of the fire pig, and Alex could tell Kalagon didn't sense the real one.

He linked their minds. "Focus. Feel the vibrations of the real clone through the earth." He waited, as Kalagon made his best guess, based on vibration alone, and leapt up, only to smash through a copy that vanished upon being hit.

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As the Dig sent the baby land shark up in a vertical sandy Shoryuken, the Pignites below it made their next move. "Rollout!"

With their minds as one, Alex guided Kalagon, showing him where to land. They'd only have a few seconds to counter, but that's all they'd need. "Hit the ground hard! Bulldoze!" Kalagon came in like a tiny scaly rocket, and smashed into the ground, before stomping his tiny feet on it. The resulting shockwaves through the earth broke through the Rollout, and the clones, knocking the Pignite on its rear. "Now, finish it with Sand Tomb." Alex said, and as Kalagon raised his tiny arms to summon the sand tornado, the move connected and was enough to faint the similarly leveled Pignite.

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The next two battles were against Bug Trainers, clearly emulating Burgh, but Kalagon's dodging practice and Rock Tomb made short work of the Venipede they were using. It was around that time that Alex found Jess battling with her Buneary against a Trainer with a Zweilous. The twin headed dark dragon simply outclassed Lapi, which was what Jess had named her. She'd already taken down one of his Pokémon, but now the fresh Zweilous evened the score. His Trainer seemed to be a member of Nate's gym, going by his Gi, which made him an aspiring Dragon Tamer. As he sensed his fiancé's next pick, Alex chuckled quietly to himself. The confident Gym Trainer was about to learn the same harsh lesson that all Dragon Tamers did, eventually.

On the night he'd proposed to Jess, a tiny red flowered Flabébé had appeared after overhearing them and showered them with flower petals. Jess had then, with some translation assistance, convinced her to join her team. Now a Floette, at least until she learned Petal Dance, Flora was more than a match for the twin headed dragon with a quadruple weakness to fairy moves. There weren't many fairy types in the capital region though, and the Trainer showed his youth by not recognizing, or respecting the power sleeping in the tiny grass fairy.

"You expect that thing to beat my Zweilous? Pfft. Dragon Rage!" Only one head of the Zweilous attacked, while the other, and presumably the smarter of the pair, did recognize the Floette for what she was, if not by sight or scent then by the essence of the power she wielded, the instinctual fear born from a quadruple weakness to such energy. She'd been training and wearing the Exp. Share harness for a while, and the results were about to show.

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Flora didn't even bother dodging the attack and made a show of twirling through the dragonfire without so much as a burn, though she did give the puzzled head of the dark dragon a sudden and menacing grin when his flames faded, at which point Jess gave the order. "Moonblast."

In the fading sunlight, a facsimile of the moon appeared above the Floette, and the resulting beam of energy reminded him of Astrum's, as it OHKO'd the Zweilous with an explosion of pink, sparkling energy discharged by the 'moon'. The Dragon Tamer's face was priceless as his prized starter dragon landed before him on his back, unconscious, and the Drone Rotom called the match.

Alex glanced at her ranking, and frowned, as he found she was higher up in the Normal class than he was. "I was sure I'd be ahead of you…we had more Battles."

Jess smirked at him as Flora floated over and began once more showering the pair with red petals. He gave her tiny head a careful pat, as Jess spoke. "The higher quality Trainer you Battle, the faster you rise. A few Bug Catchers aren't going to do it. In fact…I think they're rated the easiest."

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"Then how about someone who can offer you a more substantive test…Dragon Emperor."

As the voice came from behind them, and with the show Flora had made showering the pair, pretty much every Trainer around them in the crowded park both heard the man's loud proclamation, and what he called Alex. For his part, Alex sighed. "Seems we've been discovered." Jess nodded with a similar slightly disappointed look on her face, but the Meowth was out of the bag now. She adjusted her hat, so it sat properly on her head, the way it was designed to, but Alex just tossed his up into the air. The eyes around him followed it, but when they looked back at him as he caught and re-donned it, he was once more wearing the now somewhat iconic dragonbone pauldrons, with his cloak hanging down around him. It was at this point he finally saw his opponent properly.

"Professor Colress…interesting. I didn't think I'd find a man like you, out here."

"And why not!?" Colress shouted again, gaining even more eyes. "I've been studying how Trainers pull the potential from their partners for decades, but you, young Redwood…you have done so faster and I daresay more effectively than most other Trainers I've met, at your level." He raised a Luxury Ball recolored in the colors of its occupant. "After I win, we need to speak, Dragon Emperor."

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Alex nodded, correctly guessing Colress was here on Pegasus business, more than personal research or ambition to win the World Tournament. "Alright then. Battle first, business after. Let's hope you give me more points than my last few opponents."

Colress grinned. "I'll have you know Professors are classed highly, because we usually don't have time to Battle. And we're quite clever, as a rule." The rank of said opponent also factored in how much a victory would give, and it seemed Colress was telling the truth, his own rank was in the top thousand of the Normal class. He threw a ball then, and a Magnezone appeared hovering above the field. Alex responded not with Blaze, who would've given them both a type advantage, but with someone who was itching for a battle even more than his fire lizard, which was unusual for him. Hydrus appeared on the field and roared as he smashed it hard enough to make the ground in the park area shudder. Colress blanched. "That Swampert seems…"

"Pent up." Alex interrupted. "It's been far too long since he's thrashed a strong opponent." The fact that he was essentially a perfect counter to Magnezone was another reason Alex had picked him. Electricity would do nothing, and he resisted steel moves, making Colress' same type attack bonus essentially worth nothing. Without Magnet Rise, Magnezone was an easy target for Hydrus.

The Drone Rotom from his previous battle appeared then, this time displaying the Dragon Emperor's stats for all to see. Alex glanced at his win to loss ratio, now that it wasn't hidden, and did a double take. His total losses were above fifty but weren't even close to breaking out of the double digits, while his wins were up to four digits, almost pushing five. As Trainers went, it was an impressive ratio. He and Hydrus smirked simultaneously. They were about to increase that number just a bit more. "This is a Normal Class World Tournament Battle! Both Trainers will use two Pokémon! The first Pokémon on both sides has been selected. Begin!"

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Alex didn't wait, as he knew Hydrus was like a coiled spring. He held up his Key Stone, and the Splash Plate affixed to his Swampert reacted to it. It was, essentially, the ideal moment to try something Hydrus had been perfecting. "Hydrus! Swampquake Surge!" Hydrus raised his arms, and as he shifted to his Mega Form, they became thicc, burly, and devastatingly powerful. He brought his fists down hard, shattering the entire battlefield, within the lines of the field and no further. The earth surged rapidly as Colress did indeed go for a Magnet Rise, but the ground energy filled rocks still smashed into Magnezone, followed by a torrential surge of truly foul, swampy water that jetted up from the cracks in the earth. The quake almost fainted Magnezone, but the water in addition to the earth brought it to unconsciousness. Or it would have, were it not for the inherent and infuriating sturdiness of Magnezone's species line.

Panting hard from unleashing that much energy following Mega Evolution all at once, Hydrus needed a minute, which was Magnezone's time to counter. Unable to use anything resembling a grass move, Colress opted for a condition instead. "While he's immobile! Supersonic!"

Hydrus's head fins shuddered as the supersonic waves scrambled his mind and the confusion took effect. "Hydrus!" Alex shouted, loudly, making his fins stiffen at the sound of his name. "C.T.C. Clear the confusion." Hydrus blinked slowly, nodded, and then slammed his skull into the ground. He gave the Magnezone a dark grin as he raised his slightly damaged head. "Now Karate Chop!"

While not usually a move Swampert grasped, Hydrus had learned to focus his fighting energy with Hammer Arm into the edge of his hands, not at all unlike a Gallade and their sword arms. Having Infinity Energy powering him, and a pretty wide arm, also helped with the focus required for Brick Break to work. He leapt across the field before the heavily damaged Magnezone processed that he'd moved. The move struck home as the wide edge of the Mega Swampert's arm came down on the Magnezone's main eye, smashing it rather hard into the ground from the force of the blow.

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The Mega Swampert leapt back to his spot and roared. When Colress didn't immediately summon another Pokémon, he started rhythmically pounding the ground, and Alex called the move as the first raindrops fell. "That's the way. Rain Dance!"

Colress frowned, and then made his choice. He spoke as he drew his ball, and Alex let him. Every second only made Hydrus faster. "You know, I wouldn't have this one, were it not for you. It was in that secret base you found beneath the Palace of Truths, along with your Riolu and Mewtwo. I was deemed capable of caring for it, and since I'm responsible for the data that led to its existence in this era…it's only right that I Train it! Genesect!"

Hydrus tensed, as did his Trainer, as Colress brought out the mythical revived bug. It was an impressive crimson color that gleamed as it appeared, and Alex spied a Burn Drive loaded into it. Not only was it strong, but it had the capacity and the means to wield grass energy, something the rest of Colress's team pretty much lacked. Before it could do anything though, the Drone Rotom beeped. "A Mythical Pokémon has been detected. Please use non-Legendary or Mythical classed Pokémon." It said to Colress.

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Alex spoke up, then. "Genesect is a revived, and slightly modified, Fossil Pokémon. We may classify it as Mythical, but right now, Hydrus is actually stronger, were we to compare their stats. I say let it Battle. Just my two Pokécents."

The Drone Rotom beeped, as it processed his words. Then, about a minute later, its eyes opened again. "The Pokémon Genesect has been given special permission to compete, due to its unique circumstances. Other exceptions have been made for the following Mythical Class Pokémon: Shaymin, Meltan, Melmetal, Zarude, Zeraora, Magearna, Marshadow, as well as Keldeo and the Swords of Justice, should they wish to Battle." The Drone Rotom floated back to the referee spot, then. "The second round will be Mega Swampert versus Genesect! Begin!"

This time, Colress didn't hesitate. "Energy Ball!"

"Ice Punch."

Hydrus smashed through the sphere of grass energy with ease, but Colress didn't let up. "Electroweb!"

Alex smirked. "Electricity won't work on Hydrus."

Colress smirked back at him. "We weren't aiming for him."

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A massive web of electricity spewed from the red Genesect's mouth, surrounding Hydrus, and latching onto the field around him. Plasma was still tangible, and it forced the burly mudfish to crouch, without damaging him. Hydrus just curled into a sphere, watching his opponent, and waiting for the counter as he was unaffected by the move. Colress spoke first though. "Now Solar Beam!"

Alex frowned, as he calculated their next move, while the Genesect charged. After mastering Ice Punch, Hydrus had wanted to expand his arsenal, to fire and thunder as well. Electric energy was beyond his use though, thanks to his typing, but he'd been working on fire. Being resistant to it also helped. "Hydrus. Dig." The Mega Swampert did so immediately, diving through the ground as easily as he did water. The Electroweb deflated, and Alex chuckled, as it flopped in the breeze.

"Genesect." Colress said, typing into his arm gauntlet. "Hold your fire until you see the Swampert's eyes." The steel bug made a noise in response that Alex didn't comprehend. It sounded like an affirmative, though.

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Alex smirked, and gave the next order, once Hydrus was in position. "Now!"

From directly under the Genesect, and out of every one of its sight lines, came Hydrus, headfirst as he hammered the bug with one of the few types it didn't resist. Alex followed up then, as Colress had. "Fire Punch!"

Hydrus breathed deep, taking in the cooling air of the oncoming wintry night, heating it within himself, and then manifesting that heat around his fist, as Blaze had shown him. A small ball of orange appeared in front of his knuckle, before it burned up his burly arm. Hydrus landed the quadruple-effective hit, which caused the Genesect to crash to the ground before Hydrus did.

The Genesect was still conscious, as expected of a Pokémon classified as Mythical, but Alex didn't hesitate long enough to let it recover. "Finish it. Earthquake."

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Hydrus smashed down with his other fist as he landed, sending a focused line of broken ground at the downed steel bug. That, ended what fight it had left with an earthy explosion. The Drone Rotom called the match, and Alex watched their respective ranks. Colress had actually been doing pretty well, in the top thousand of the Normal Class but being beaten by someone as newly registered, and therefore low ranked, as Alex made his numbers drop dramatically. For his part, Alex's rank shifted from four digits, to three. Then it just kept going. When they stopped, he was in the top eight hundred. He was no math genius, but he figured wild changes in ranking were probably pretty common in the Normal Class, given how massive it was. It also meant losing wasn't impossible to come back from.

Colress approached him, as he recalled his partner. "Flattened, rolled up, and tossed aside. You Battle like Red."

Alex smirked. "I like to think it's a combo of Red and Leon, but I'll take the compliment." His voice lowered then, but only Colress heard it, despite all the eyes on them now. "You wished to speak about the Moon, yes?" Colress nodded, more than glad for subtle communication. "I heard. I'll be up there soon. I have another interrogation I need to see to, and it may prove useful for who you have up there."

Colress stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I'll meet you up there, then. Today."

"Today." Alex said, with a nod, and then suddenly Colress vanished in a bright flash of light. Given his deeds and reputation, Colress had earned a respectable sphere of space, wherever he appeared in public. Once he was gone, the lingering reporters that had crawled out of the woodwork as the battle had progressed now surged towards Alex, with a horde of microphones, some of which had Rotom inside them. Colress leaving was like a timer going off, as the swarm of news hounds all started chattering at once.

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Alex threw up an actual Barrier until the flashing lights ceased, and then lowered it suddenly, following that with words. "I can't understand you people if you all talk at once. For the love of Arceus, one. At. A. Time."

What sounded like a younger reporter with a lighter male tone spoke up from somewhere behind the throng in front of Alex. "What do we do if we want a statement from you, then?" Some people laughed, as did Alex.

"What do you think we should do?" Following his words, a small framed but fierce eyed reporter bearing PNN's logo in the front row of eagerly outstretched arms raised her free hand, like she was in a classroom, and Alex smirked as he pointed at her. "She gets it. Go ahead."

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The woman wasted no time, shooting off three questions rapidly, before he even had time to answer them. "Was that an Ultimate Move you just used? Did you personally make that new exception for Mythical Pokémon? And can you do something about this rain your Swampert caused?"

Alex's smirk widened. He'd largely refrained from feats of supernatural power, at least when surrounded by so many obvious cameras, and naturally some people, reporters included, were skeptical he could live up to the hype. Other reporters knew being the one to give information on the Dragon Emperor's power set would mean a boost for their careers. Regardless of her reasons, a desire for a demonstration, career advancement, or the dislike of wet clothing, Alex obliged her, tilted his head up at the sky, and shouted a pair of Words. They cracked like thunder as he used his Voice. "Shun Lok!"

The storm clouds vanished in a large, circular explosion of force leaving only the brilliant blue sky above them. Any lingering or pollution from New Tork City also vanished, giving its denizens a rare, perfectly clear look at the heavens. It was one of those clear days where one could see the Moon in the daytime. Alex looked back at the woman. "Yes, that was an Ultimate Move. Hydrus has been working on it. In fact…most of my team has been experimenting. You may see some Moves you don't recognize…but there's no limit on them, in this tournament as I understand the rules." He donned his armor then, as he answered her second query. "I didn't make the exception. I suspect the Drone Rotom forwarded my request to the League, since I'm a Regional Leader, and the League agreed to make allowances. Many of those Mythicals mentioned have already competed in tournaments, and our own Elite Four has a Marshadow in its ranks. Mega Forms are capable of matching Mythical Pokémon, and everyone in the later stages of this tournament will probably be using primarily Infinity Energy to Battle with, but Dynamaxing and other boosts can likely make a match more even too. There's no reason to exclude all of them. Obviously, Mew is too powerful, and I'm not sure about the Swords of Justice, they might be too strong as well, but I can understand why the Victory League allowed them in, should they find a worthy Human. Now if you'll excuse me…I have business."

He looked over at Jess, who nodded at him. She knew where he was off to and was more than content to raise her rank even higher ahead of his. Being that she was in the two hundreds, her current battle would probably get her into the Great Class. Alex nodded at her, and left her to it, before bamfing away.

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Lumiose City Police Department - Kalos Region

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The day was winding down at the LCPD at the late hour of four in the afternoon, when the remaining officers in the building were treated to a regional authority Teleporting into their midst like a Twister. Within a few moments, as they confirmed who he was, he was led to the cell of Gabriel Agreste, the apparent identity of Monarch, or Dark Moth, or whatever he was calling himself after being beaten thoroughly.

Alex frowned at the man, as they locked eyes. He didn't need psychic power to see the desperation in the man's eyes, but the more Alex looked at him, the more he disliked. The haughty air, the ridiculously expensive brand clothing, he reminded Alex far too much of many Arcean officers that had run their blitz from the safety of Fornia, behind their hordes of murderous (and typically poorer class) Crusaders, or the attendees at his neighbor's First Eve party. Dark Moth was a rich snob that had overreached and paid for it. He looked for mercy in the now helmet-covered eyes of what could only be the Dragon Emperor, the man who was apparently responsible for keeping him here, instead of being moved to a Prison.

"So. You're Dark Moth, eh? I believe it. I knew someone with that kind of aesthetic had to be some rich snob, and lo, here you are."

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"Having money doesn't hurt, Dragon Emperor." Came a teenaged, but familiar voice from the shadows before the broken villain uttered a word. Night Cat prowled out next to him, and Alex gave his claw a firm shake, and he nodded in respect.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Night Cat. Money is a great slave, but a terrible master. The most competent and dangerous masters are those that make you believe you are master over them." He could see his wisdom flowing in one ear and out the other. The blank stare of a teen came over his face, so Alex continued. "I didn't expect to see you here. Have you and Ledi Girl considered my offer?"

The lightly furred face of the hybrid of man and Pokémon smirked. "We have. We'll help you defend Kalos, and beyond, but uhh…we're keeping our 'uniforms'."

Alex waved a hand. "Consider them kept. You two will have the same freedom you always did, all that will change…is the quality of your extra gear, and the number of Humans and Pokémon ready to help you, should things get to be too much. Just tell the Scale Quartermaster at the army base that the Emperor has given leave to outfit you two with whatever you think you'll need."

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"That's…so generous." Night Cat said, sounding genuinely awed that Unova had basically just agreed to upgrade them. "We were actually hoping that uhh…we could join the Emperor's Scales. Under you, specifically. As your uhh…trainees? Padawans? Nobody could give me a clear answer on what you're calling the…newer Scales."

"Apprentice will suffice, until they decide on a moniker themselves." Alex answered with a sagely nod. He paused then, eyeing the young hero. "I hadn't even considered taking on apprentices…although I guess I technically have two already. Rick and Drake…they're more than capable as Scales, though. I saw your team, and your Lady's. They could use some work, but there's promise there." He pondered another moment, but it was for show. "Alright, Night Cat. You and Ledi Girl will…learn some new tricks, before I leave you to operate on your own again. In fact…" Alex looked around. "Is she here now? I have some uhh…global ties I need to meet with after this, people you two should probably meet."

Night Cat shook his blonde head. "I'm on my own, for this…" He finally looked at Dark Moth, who'd grown quiet since the dark themed superhero appeared. "There's something you should know, if we're going to be working together." He dropped his fusion then, and his shiny Liepard looked up at him with worry. He looked largely the same, still blonde, and classically handsome, for a teenager. "I am Adrien Agreste. Dark Moth is…he's my…"

He struggled to say the words, and Alex put a surprisingly large hand on the teen's shoulder. "I understand. I'm impressed you came here. Most people would run."

Adrien shook his head. "I can't run from this. My Father has to answer for his crimes…I was going to watch whoever interrogated him. Then you showed up. Honestly…I'm just here for answers."

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Alex gestured to the imprisoned aristocrat, and Adrien approached the bars with Plagg. "I don't want excuses, Father. I just want to know why…"

Gabriel looked up at his son, and the look in his eyes finally broke him. "Your mother. The Witch promised she could bring her back to me. Everything I did…was to get her back."

"But she's gone!" Adrien retorted angrily. "She's been gone…and ever since she left us, so have you. More reclusive, more isolated. Now I know what was taking up your time. You need to let her go, Father."

Gabriel shook his head, and some of the mania that had driven him to Shadow came through the mask he usually hid it with. "But I've seen one, Adrien! A real, living, breathing, revived Human being! Resurrected, in all capacities! It's possible…it has to be."

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At this point, Alex chimed in. He could guess what revived human the criminal had seen. "What you saw was a perversion of Nature. An abomination fueled by Shadow, and the will of the one who brought them back." He leaned in close to the bars then, and Gabriel's ears instinctively fell back, before the steel in those intense blue eyes, that seemed to be on fire as they bore through him. "Where did the Witch and the talking corpse go, exactly?"

Gabriel shook his head, speaking before he even realized what he was saying. "I was not told. They whispered something about one of the Successor's Pokémon being imprisoned in an Imperium complex, but they have complexes all over the world."

Alex sighed. "Did they mention which Pokémon he was after?"

Gabriel shook his head again. "Not by name, but he seemed to think acquiring this Pokémon would allow them to avoid the Imperium and whoever else was chasing after them. He claimed it was utterly traceless. You'll be hard pressed to find him if he acquired it already."

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Alex began mentally eliminating which Pokémon could possibly move a pair of humans around fast enough to avoid two continent spanning superpowers. His team took over sorting the list, as Gabriel Agreste made his case. "In return for my…cooperation, Dragon Emperor, I hope you will show me leniency."

"Perhaps." Alex answered in a tone that suggested leniency was unlikely. "If your information is legitimate, we will consider better accommodations, but not a shorter sentence."

Gabriel gave him a pained, awkward smile. "How long do you think the sentence will be?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm not your Judge, but given that your actions injured and killed people, multiple times, not to mention possession of multiple Shadow Pokémon, I would prepare for a lifelong incarceration." He looked at Night Cat then. "I'll wait outside for you. Give you a minute in here."

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Night Cat nodded, and faced his father, while outside the cell area, most of the police department was empty. Alex retracted the helmet and most of his armor as he looked around with a slight frown. A new shift was hopefully coming in, but they didn't arrive before Night Cat had said what he needed to. He emerged once more fused with his Liepard. "I called Ledi Girl. She'll meet us outside."

Outside ended up being the roof of the police building, and sure enough, within a few minutes, Ledi Girl came in fast, thwipping away both to speed up, and slow her momentum. "Dragon Emperor." She said with a casual curtsy. "I take it Night Cat has explained what we want?"

"To be my apprentices? Sort of. We had other business inside; I'd like to hear what you had in mind."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Apprentice? Wha- no, I, I mean I- we would be honored to learn from the Dragon Emperor himself, but surely you're too busy right? I was more hoping for some uhh, tricks or something, to help us keep the peace. Maybe some related to wielding the Light-"

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At that moment, another figure joined them on the conspicuous roof, one all three of them recognized. Connor smirked at Alex as they clasped arms. "Redwood. Trying to steal my student now, in addition to my sister?" His tone seemed jovial, but Alex sensed his true feelings about the situation beneath the facade.

"Not at all." Alex said nonchalantly. "Night Cat and Ledi Girl here want to learn from me, so we're going over the logistics of them joining the Scales and being…apprentices."

"Oh…" Connor said quietly. The silence dragged on, and then finally Alex spoke again once the two teens had time to look between both of them.

"You know there's always a place for you as a Master within the Scales, if you want it."

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Connor's eyes narrowed. "That's news to me. I thought you and my sister didn't want me in your 'elite Trainer' club."

Alex's brow furrowed, and his gaze became more intense. "I know for a fact that we've both invited you to join several times. You never got any invitation?"

Connor's anger faltered, as he could tell his longtime friend was not amused that someone had seemingly purposefully excluded the Kalos Champion from their ranks. "No, I got nothing. I trust my mail delivery, too."

Alex nodded. "This has to be on my end. Such is the Way of having an organization of individuals. Someone who doesn't like you has let their feelings cloud their judgement. You have my word, there will be an appropriate punishment. That said, the offer stands."

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Again, the teenagers looked between the pair, as Connor paused in his answer. Then, finally, he nodded. "Alright. I'll join your Scales. But you should know I've already been training Night Cat here. Ledi Girl has…different skills."

Alex nodded slowly. "In that case, Night Cat will continue as your apprentice, and I'll help Ledi Girl with the Light. As much as I can, anyway. I need some backup, where I'm going. Would you two like to join?"

Connor and his official apprentice shared a look. The Kalos Champion answered him, then. "Sure, whatever the Dragon Emperor needs of us. Where are we going?"

Alex smirked. "First, to get you all the symbols of your station. Plasma swords. After that? We're going somewhere…out of this world."

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Several Hours Later… - Lantea City, Luna

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Though it had taken some time and paperwork, which was tricky given that Alex had to keep the teen's secret identities intact, they had eventually gotten the components for their plasma swords and constructed them after wandering through Chargestone Cave and exiting with their chosen crystal. Assembling the weapons had also taken time, but this far above the Earth, the time of day was a lot less relevant.

As they manifested from the teleport beam that brought them to the Moon based command center of the organization known as Pegasus, they were met by the smiling face of Colress, whose smile faded as he saw Alex had brought guests. "Emperor Redwood. You didn't mention you'd be bringing people with you."

Alex smirked at him, and his eyes shifted as he saw Geralt was already here, posted up against a wall behind Colress, and in between two armed men with ancient style rapid-fire projectile firearms. Like the rest of the people working in this command center, they were in gray uniforms, sporting triangular patches that seemed to indicate their job, on their chests. They also had another patch on their shoulders, one sporting the mythical creature for which the organization had been named. "One of the former leaders of Team Plasma asks me to a secret base on the Moon? Yea, that's a situation where backup is wise."

Colress frowned. Most of the world had either forgotten or forgiven his stint with Ghetsis and his cult, but it was always Unova natives that brought it up. "The thing is, now we have to swear three more people to secrecy." He smiled awkwardly at the trio. "Not that I don't trust the word of the Kalos Champion and his Region's newest young defenders…perhaps Geralt failed to mention the need for secrecy."

Alex chuckled. "Our organizations will likely be working closely together. Especially with these three. They know how to keep a secret, and I'll vouch for their word. Now take us to this prisoner of yours."

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Unable to deny that, Colress gestured for the four of them to follow, and Geralt joined them as well. He started elaborating then, in his usual manner of speech, using as few words as possible, on how he and his own 'apprentice' had fought and successfully captured the Imperator's first son, Horus, after having his fleet decimated by a Lunala and her rider. Despite losing most of his forces, Horus had pressed on, only to fall to Geralt's ambush before he reached the Selenar.

Colress then elaborated on why the Imperium of Man was so determined to take the moon, or Luna, as its residents seemed to call it. "The Selenar, what's left of Luna's Old Earth inhabitants, are actually masters of genetic manipulation. The Imperator has been after their secrets for centuries at this point. The assault on Luna was supposed to shatter their defenses and conquer them with ease, but your cousin stopped them at the ideal moment, with an ambush, which frankly is the only way to take down a squad of Astartes, let alone one led by a Prime Archon, and not die."

As Colress led them through the maze of primarily gray hallways to the prison, Alex was noticing more and more that the structure of this place was not just sturdy, but to his enhanced view of the world, structurally perfect. Flawless. Like it had been printed from a pattern, or something. And it wasn't just a few hallways either, at one point the five of them passed a view of the entire complex, which in size, was as large as New Tork City, though not nearly as sprawling and chaotic. It was a little unnerving how perfect it was, leading Alex back to the same question; who exactly was responsible for building such a place?

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He resolved to ask Colress later, as they finally reached the prison. It was the newly arrived quartet's first proper look at an unarmored and largely unclothed Astartes, but compared to the average Thunder Warrior, Horus was a masterwork of art, and the rank and file were child drawings by comparison. Every limb sported an absurd amount of muscle except for the limb he was now missing, his facial features were perfect, and even the beard he'd started growing in captivity was growing in with full, perfect length and coverage, with no signs of patchiness.

His hair was long and raven black like his gene-source, and he was kneeling within a small square carved into the floor, that only had a normal human sized bed within it. There was an unnervingly patient rage in his eyes as he raised his head, and a small smile cracked the handsome visage as Colress spoke. "Prime Archon Horus, first son of the Imperator, I give you Alexander Redwood, the latest Dragon Emperor. He has come to…resolve this situation."

Horus quietly processed Colress's words, and then his gaze shifted to Alex. "The young Dragon Emperor…you have a bearing similar to that of the first." Horus stood then, and his absurdly large gene-perfected muscles flexed as he effortlessly rose to his absurd height of, by Alex's guess, what had to be at least thirteen feet. "Make a smart decision, Dragon Emperor. Let me out." The energy barrier containing him flashed to life as Horus got close to it.

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"So you can murder us and try to escape?" Alex said, noting the tension that had yet to leave the giant's frame. He shook his head. "No. You will be returned to your home in time, but first you need to understand what you've missed. My Empire and your Imperium are, officially, not enemies. By the word of your brother, Fulgrim, we have reached a mutual agreement of peace."

Horus laughed, a pleasant sound, but the source of the man's mirth was disturbing. "You lie. Of all of us, Fulgrim was most eager to take Kalos."

Alex nodded. "Once, perhaps, but no longer. I can get him on a Holocall if you wish to hear it from him directly."

Horus shook his head. "It matters not. My Father will never long ally with an Empire of savages. You've been fed honeyed words, young Dragon Emperor."

Alex shrugged. "Perhaps. But what I said is true; Fulgrim has agreed to cease hostilities on the Kalos border. As have I. We gave our word, on our honor, that the border would remain peaceful." He stepped closer to Horus, and levitated himself up to his eye level, as his larger frame was limned with blue aura. "Honestly, Horus, I don't want to keep fighting your Imperium. A war would only cause senseless, avoidable deaths."

Horus snorted derisively, as he saw the psyker powers. "Maybe for your side. Astartes do not fall so easily."

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Alex nodded in agreement. "They don't. Not to our level of weaponry. But imagine if you will, a line of your formidable Astartes, facing a line of my Scales, people that your society would call 'Psykers'. They fire hundreds of rounds across no man's land. Do you know what happens next?"

Horus grinned, and Alex could sense his enhanced mind picturing the scene, one that had likely played out before. "Your 'Scales of Balance' fall, like wheat before the scythe. As have all barbarians before them, Psyker or otherwise."

Alex shrugged again, but inwardly, he confirmed for Tao their next potential enemy's overconfidence. "You may well be right, Horus. The result would be the end of Human lives. I prefer a world where neither side has to die."

Horus snorted again. "Enough idealistic prattle. You wish for peace? Accept the Imperial Truth and bend the knee, Redwood. Submit to my Father, return me, and you may yet have a place in the Imperium that we are creating. I will waste no more breath on this." He fell back on his massive knees then and went silent. Alex tried asking him a few questions, some simple some not, but all he got in response was silence. At that point, he led their group out of the prison.

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As the door shut behind them, hiding their words from even Horus's enhanced ears, Colress looked at Alex. "That was…an interesting interrogation technique. I take it you think a confrontation between your forces would end differently?"

Alex shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. My Scales will require more than Bolter rounds to be felled, though. That much I know. He's overconfident. Much like Fulgrim, and I would assume, the rest of their brothers. Perhaps even their father. Overconfidence is good. While they underestimate our competence, we can cripple them, should things turn violent."

Colress snorted at him in disbelief, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes as he said. "They own half the supercontinent and have designs on the other half that go back millennia. How?"

Alex smirked. "We strike where their Imperium is weakest, and let their size crush them before they even realize they're under a coordinated attack. Ideally, it won't come to that. It would be far better to adapt their infrastructure to help the planet and society like other regions have, rather than blow it up and rebuild it. Now…there was mention of another side to this conflict, right? The er…Selenar? I think we should speak with them."

As he spoke those words, every human present blinked, as suddenly, a massive psychic presence joined them. Alex shifted under his cloak, and then brought out a black and white Pokéball that was humming with power now that it was occupied. Apparently, Italia's preeminent Pokéball Professor had upgraded this one as well, though she hadn't mentioned doing so. Tao's voice thundered in their skulls. "I will join you."

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In short order, Alex found himself before a large holoscreen. On it, was what appeared to be a woman, though she had been heavily modified by technology and presumably at a genetic level as well. The most obvious upgrade was the white metallic wings that spread from her back, and most of her head was covered, not unlike a nun from one of Old Earth's cults. She introduced herself as the Archetypal Head called Heliosa. "Long have we waited for a Terran to rise up against the Imperator, Dragon Emperor. Now, we can wait no longer. You seem to be the head of the remaining free regions on Terra. I invite you before the Selenar, in person, that we may discuss these matters beyond the Imperator's reach."

After thanking her for the honor, Colress ended the call. "Nobody from Pegasus has ever been called before the full Selenite council. I'll be going with you, for this. I am more familiar with them."

Alex nodded. "If I do something improper, just instruct me by thinking as loudly as you can. I'll hear you."

Colress raised an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you can hear everyone's thoughts if they happen to think loudly?"

Alex nodded. "You would be amazed at how loudly some people think their thoughts. But I can tune them out, and I usually do so as a matter of their privacy and my sanity." Colress seemed amused, as he guided him through the base.

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One short ride away via a scout craft that Pegasus called a 'puddle jumper' for some reason, the five humans were welcomed into the entrance that Horus had breached not so long ago. "It's already repaired…" Geralt remarked. Indeed, any sign of the breach and the ensuing firefight was already restored to perfection.

Before long, Cat Noir, Ledi Girl, Connor, and Geralt were guided to a high class but blandly uninteresting waiting room, while Alex and Colress continued on to the main council chamber. Where Heliosa was giving off matriarchal caretaker vibes, each of the other council members had a completely different look to them, and most were far more heavily modified by machinery and gene manipulation.

A man who had to be embodying the 'wise old man' archetype spoke first once he and Colress were in position in the center of the circular chamber. It reminded Alex of a stadium, though it was very clearly a circle. "Our thanks for coming so quickly." The 'bearded' man said. His bionic lenses shifted to Colress. "I trust you found the schematics we shared satisfactory?"

Colress nodded. "They are…though we noted the designs for a capital ship were missing."

The old man made a mechanical sound that Alex belatedly recognized as a chuckle. His 'beard' was actually white cabling that hung down his front like a long beard but seemed to connect elsewhere on his person beneath his flowing gray robes. "Your Dragon Emperor already possesses a capable flagship. What we have provided to you will help it more than match our own designs."

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Alex and Colress shared a look, but they both nodded. Colress pushed his glasses up. "I understand. Now then…the council wished to speak with my royal friend here…?"

Heliosa nodded, once more taking over the conversation. "You see, Dragon Emperor, we have among us a skilled psychic, like yourself, who we saved from Terra, along with her compatriots. In return for our aid, she has used her abilities of Future Sight to help guide our future. There seems to be two paths before us. In the Imperator's, we will survive yes, but in name only, a footnote in a millennium of strife, yet more pawns for the Imperator to spend with no consequence. The other path used to be clouded, as the future can sometimes be, but it is clear to our Psyker now that you, Alexander Redwood, will play a larger part in the events to come than we estimated previously. These paths, we have decided, are worth pursuing."

Alex arched an eyebrow. "And how do you intend to pursue them?"

"An alliance." Heliosa stated plainly. "As you and your Dragon have all but appointed competent defenders of Terra and its regions, we would have you be the Warden of the Earth Sphere." At that point, a Magnemite popped up beside her. "As a symbol of our alliance, we freely offer this little one, for your endeavors in Battle, and beyond." The Magnemite floated down to Alex then, and Colress examined its stats, eyes widening as he invoked Arceus and read the numbers. The Selenar had somehow created the ideal Magnemite, through artificial means, but its nature did at least seem to naturally be modest.

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"Thank you…" Alex said, locking eye with the magnetic Pokémon as it greeted him and gave him its name in a polite robotic fashion. "I'll take good care of…Magnus, here."

The 'bearded' man's eyes went wide. "So, you can speak with them…you can name him something else, if you like. Given how special he is though, I went with Magnus when he, urm…hatched."

Alex stared at the old man for a long moment, and then at his newest partner. There were many theories about Magnemite's line. Particularly Magnezone and Magneton, and who exactly they were communicating with in space. "As far as I can tell, he's a Pokémon…right?"

The old man nodded. "Very much so. Like every other Magnemite, though admittedly, with far superior abilities. May he serve you well as you…heh…bring the thunder."

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Alex recalled the floating sentient magnet into his Luxury Ball and set him on his cloak. Both speaking to Pokémon like Magnemite and introducing them into the mental web way his team had going on was tricky, but he sensed Arthur sorting it out, as he always did. Even though his Gallade felt quite far away, it seemed their bonds were not split by distance. Though whether that was because of their nature, or because Arthur was his first and closest bonded psychic type, he was not sure. "He will do well. As for an alliance…"

At that point, Tao popped free of his ball, and the chamber shifted to a higher alert level. Pristine white robotic constructs appeared from the white panels making up the walls, and as Alex took them in, they seemed uncannily similar to Sigilyph, while others had a build more like an undefined, uncolored, and undamaged white Golurk. As Heliosa calmed the defenses, Tao coiled his massive body artfully in the center, and his golden gaze swept over each archetypal head of the Selenar as he mentally projected his words. "The other members of our defensive pact will need to agree to your involvement, for it to become official. This will mean the people of Earth will learn of their long-lost lunar cousins."

The Selenar's leaders murmured to one another, not by psychic power or hidden speech devices, but through wavelengths of multicolored energy that Alex's eyes only barely picked up visually as they streamed to others. Finally, Heliosa spoke for them. "We feel the time is not yet right for such a revelation. The Imperium will surely counter, if not with outright war, then with other means, and they have many, make no mistake. In light of this, we will officially ally with Pegasus, and we shall devote our resources to aiding their efforts of global stabilization, and peacekeeping. These resources will be available for your Scales as well, should you inform them of our existence."

Alex glanced up at Tao, who glanced down at him. In perfect sync, the pair nodded. "That will suffice…at least for now." The dragon rumbled.

"Pegasus humbly accepts the offer to incorporate the Selenar into Lantea City and Pegasus as well. With this alliance, Luna will once again be a power unto itself, for those who inhabit it." Colress added smoothly, and the archetypal heads seemed to nod, pleased with his words.

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With the meeting concluded, the five of them returned to Lantea City. In the puddle jumper, Colress, Alex, Connor and Tao discussed the logistics of building their fleet of space capable craft. The goal of such a fleet would be the same as Pegasus, to maintain balance in and around the solar system, and once that was achieved, they all agreed that the Enterprise would explore beyond their solar system, seeking out new worlds and civilizations as they boldly went where, as far as they knew, no human had gone before.

As they returned to the command center they'd arrived in Alex found the staff, who until this point had largely ignored him and Geralt, gathered around the city's other puddle jumpers. A woman was at their head, and Colress sighed, pushing up his glasses as he said, "Ah. Indulge them, if you would, Dragon Emperor. I'll go start the Holocall with the Imperium."

Alex nodded, and exited the craft behind Colress, with Ledi Girl right behind him. A curly dark brown-haired woman in a similar gray and red outfit to her coworkers gave him a warm smile as they locked eyes. "Alex, right? I'm Victoria. We're big fans." Her eyes shifted to Ledi Girl then. "We've seen the work you and Night Cat have done too, Ledi Girl. It's impressive how much you two have cleaned up Kalos." She looked back at Alex then, as Connor and Night Cat disembarked as well. "I thought it would be nice to get to know you, and your Scales, since Director Colress said we'd be working together more often. What you see before you are a combination of retired Professional Rangers, several Pokémon Professors and their aides, and International Police Officers. We're the ones using a small portion of Lantea City to monitor the Earth for disturbances."

Alex nodded as she spoke, and from behind her, her coworkers surged towards Connor, and the two teen superheroes. The woman leaned in close to Alex then, though she had to get on her tiptoes to manage it. "They're mostly interested in autographs. After this, we have something important to show you, that you should all be aware of."

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Alex measured the seriousness in her lowered tone, nodded, and then indulged the fans he had, among Lantea City's base. Most of the crowd was focused on the superheroes, and namely, how the Muk their fusions even worked, but about half wanted him to sign things, for some reason. One particularly charismatic man managed to snare him into a conversation though. He was an egghead, a Professor or one of the aides Alex couldn't tell. His features were plain, save for a nose that was perhaps larger than most, with brown male-pattern-balding hair, and brown eyes as well; he didn't stand out physically, but he did have personality.

He'd snared the Unovan Champion with a question about battling styles, and Alex shared what he considered knowledge. "At my level, most Battles are a test of how fast my Pokémon can make the other faint. They're strong enough to not really need boosting Moves, at least against road Trainers, and they can power through pretty much any status condition at this point. So, while others try lowering their attack and other stats, by the time they manage to lower them enough to matter, we'll be landing the hit that faints them. With my main ten, that's typically two, at most three moves. Obviously, when their levels are even and there's no type advantages, I take a much different approach, and get…clever, but as you asked about my first team…they tend to roll through whatever they face, at this point."

The scientist spoke animatedly then. "But you don't use Status Moves, usually, right? Only really to catch Pokémon, I assume?"

Alex nodded. "Sometimes I'll Paralyze in Battle, but it's usually better to spend a turn attacking in most scenarios. But yes, Paralysis works quite well for catching Pokémon, though I don't typically weaken and stun them these days, now that I can speak their tongue. Why hurt them when I don't have to, y'know?"

The man nodded, as one of his coworkers paid him the end result of what seemed like some kind of bet. "Very humane. You're using your Granduncle's method well, the way I hear it."

"I do try." Alex said, chuckling, "But sometimes, Pokémon would rather fight than talk. In fact, I'd say that's true of most species, especially those that have evolved."

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"Fascinating. As Colress said you would be." The woman from earlier chimed in, joining them. Behind her, the throng of people seemed intent on following her and moving…somewhere. "Speaking of your Granduncle…there's something you should see, before your Holocall with the Imperator."

Alex glanced towards where Colress had walked. "I should probably be there when he's connected…"

The woman waved a hand. "They'll take a long time to connect him, until they recognize where the signal is from. You're going to want to see this, trust me." She winked at him then, not in a flirtatious manner, but in the manner of someone who knew something he didn't. His natural curiosity led him into following her back to the space they'd entered into, and from this direction, Alex realized there had been something behind them that they, or perhaps just he, had not noticed when they'd bamfed in. A massive curtain was hiding whatever it was, and as she approached said curtain, Alex guessed whatever it hid was part of whatever he'd want to see.

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As the woman drew back the curtain, Alex finally saw in person what his Gruncle had called a 'Stargate' in his notes. The megastructure was impressive up close, and as promised, displayed the forty or so symbols that were engraved into the ring. For some reason, his eyes couldn't give him more information about the ring, and he assumed it was because it connected to so many places, the possibilities on the other side were basically endless.

Sensing a hint of consciousness, and recalling his Gruncle's account of finding this thing, Alex strode up to it, smirking. "Are you in there, Den?"

The rings started shifting, and the scientists murmured as they spun to life. Alex had wisely only walked up to a mark on the floor helpfully placed at what he assumed was the edge of the safe area, for when the Stargate activated. Plasma surged outward, then back in, and within the portal a face familiar to Alex appeared, mirroring his smirk.

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"By Arceus…you sure sprouted, young Redwood." Came a voice not at all unlike his Granduncle's had sounded from speakers all around them in the command center.

"You're one to talk. They say you're in every Stargate across the Milky Way, Den."

Alex had never seen a gate nod before, but Dengeki managed it. "I have seen…so much…learned…so much. Your Granduncle yearned for recognition in finding a Legendary Pokémon, but his name will live forever, after discovering the Stargates for Humanity again. Uploading accumulated data…estimated time to completion…seventy-two Earth hours." The Gate Rotom's eyes fluttered then, and his voice became fainter. "My time with you all is almost passed. There is so much to see out here, Alex. I look forward to seeing what you create…"

Alex frowned as he sensed the Rotom being pulled away, likely due to the nature of inhabiting a galaxy-wide gate network. "Wait, Den! We need to know…has Humanity spread out among the Galaxy? Did our ancestors make it out there?"

Dengeki chuckled, and his face in the gate faded, as did the plasma comprising the gate itself. His voice did come through one last time though. "Yes. Whoever conquers space first…will decide their fates." Unable to share more, Den blinked out of existence, and the Stargate was once again inactive.

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With that revelation leaving the crowd of humans silent and softly murmuring, Colress's voice made them all jump in surprise as it came over the speakers. "The Imperium has recognized the origin of the signal I sent. Dr. Weir, please bring the Dragon Emperor."

The curly haired woman who had been leading their group nodded. "If you'll follow me."

Alex nodded as well, leaving Connor and the others to continue speaking with Lantea City's staff about what they just saw. Once they were in the halls again, Alex spoke. "Doctor Weir, eh? I remember there being another Doctor Weir in my Granduncle's records. As I recall, she basically led our ancestor's expedition to the Pegasus Galaxy, right?"

The woman side-eyed him and nodded as she walked. "Indeed. She is my ancestor, apparently. I'd love a look at your Granduncle's records some time. The ones still up here have been restricted, classified, or just removed."

"I'll make a copy of what he documented." Alex answered. "Who classified the documents? Isn't Colress the Director?"

She gave him a look. "Everyone has a boss they report to. You'll meet them eventually, I'm sure. Here we are." She said, stopping before a door that was identical in size and color to all the other doors they'd passed.

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Alex thanked her as he entered, and found a largely empty room, with Colress standing before a console in the exact center of it. In front of him, projected onto a wall, was the face of a grizzled man who looked young, but somehow had noticeable age lines on his face. Six metal studs of some kind of metal had been bolted into his brow, and his sharp gray eyes fell on Alex as he entered. "…connecting you now." The man said, as his face vanished, and was replaced with the double headed symbol of the Imperium aquila.

The next man they saw was a vision of aesthetic perfection. Classically handsome features, perfectly tanned pale skin, and raven black hair filled the 'screen' as His deep baritone rang through the simple room. "Director Colress…and Alexander Redwood. How kind of you to address us from your lofty perch."

Colress spoke first. "Great Imperator, as you're probably aware…the assault by your forces on Luna failed."

"I know." The man said flatly. "Did you only call to gloat? I expected better from you Director. Beyreuth said you had important information to share."

"I'm not gloating at all, Imperator. I simply wished to apprise you of recent events on Luna, both of which I think you will find worth knowing. First, your son, Horus, is alive and well. We wish to return him to you unharmed, and you'll be pleased to hear he's essentially told us nothing, in terms of military secrets. Second…the Selenar and Pegasus have both agreed to align our interests with the Dragon Empire."

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The mighty black brows crashed together. "Are you declaring war, then?"

Alex spoke up before Colress could answer, now that the Imperium was very aware of these multiple non-Imperium factions coalescing together. "No. In fact, quite the opposite, Imperator. Your son Fulgrim and I have both agreed that the Kalos and Germanian border will remain peaceful, at least for now. I wanted to take this opportunity to offer you the same terms, for the rest of our borders." The Imperator's brows lowered slightly, and Alex continued. "Killing each other and pretending the other side is illegitimate and unimportant is not working. The world is connected enough at this point in time that we all need to coexist, if we're going to move forward. I'd like to get the rulers of the Eousian kingdoms on board as well, if possible, to finally stop the bloodshed. There's no point to it."

The Imperator sighed. "The savages in Eous despise my Imperium. They'll never work with us."

Alex tilted his head slightly but nodded. "Yea, that happens when you capture their civilians and lobotomize them for your work force. But as I understand it, that happened a long time ago, and the senseless death from your current stalemate isn't doing anything but causing strife for our species. I think we can agree on that. I have connections in Eous that would probably jump at the chance to join us as well, but I don't want to keep seeming like I'm trying to provoke you. I genuinely don't want to fight your people. I want both our territories to prosper. I want the Earth to prosper." He said, using the term for the planet in the west. In the Imperium, the official title for the planet was Terra, often elevated to 'Holy' Terra, by the masses of Imperium civilians.

The Imperator let out a deep, leveled breath. "Well. Speaking of provocation…do you know anything about a raid on one of My prisons? I lost experienced Adeptus Custodes, and the video we recovered showed a powerful Gallade at the head of the intruders."

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Alex's brow furrowed. "Plenty of people have Gallades, you know…although…" He paused in speaking as he processed the information. Then, it all clicked. There was really only one person who could be responsible for successfully raiding an Imperium prison, and he knew they had a Gallade with them. He looked back up at the Imperator and met his ancient gaze evenly. "It was the Successor of Arceus, and the Gallade was likely Mordred, who was Trained by Caleb Pravus, of Fornia. If you would, Imperator…I need to know what Pokémon they were after. I don't need specifics on how you held it, or kept it alive for millennia, I just need the species name."

The response was only given after a pregnant pause. "Hoopa."

When nothing else followed, Alex swore as his eyes fell towards the floor. "Muk…he could be literally anywhere." He met the Imperator's gaze again. "The people responsible for murdering your Custodes are also my enemies. They wield the power of Shadow, in an effort to control the world. I intend to stop them. My Scales are hunting for them as we speak."

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The Imperator seemed occupied by something on his end. Then, his ancient eyes met Alex's. "Your words have been true…and you have not lied about your intentions. Rare, for a leader of mortals." Another pause filled the space, but Alex could tell the man was thinking, and didn't interrupt. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he said, "Would you consider allying with my Imperium as you have Rio, Japan, and the others?"

It was Alex's turn to pause. Most of the free world despised the Imperium, for good reason, but there was a viable method by which the majority of the world, or its Trainers at least, could know them as he'd come to 'know' Fulgrim. In truth, it would help demonstrate whether or not the Imperium was worth knowing, at their core.

"Obviously, it wouldn't be as…immediate as the others. Your Imperium has many policies that the rest of the world abhors. Are you willing to compromise on those issues?"

The Imperator's face was unreadable as he answered. "No. That is unlikely. Our laws exist for a reason. We don't make up frivolous rules."

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Alex's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't call enslaving people and lobotomizing the troublemakers frivolous. The concerns the other Regions have will be legitimate. Systematic slavery. Lobotomy. Eugenics. Pollution. Just to name a few. You're going to let such atrocities stop world peace?"

The Imperator sighed deeply again. "You are still young. You still think Humans want peace. Yet mine own sons thrive in the theater of War, and they are the pinnacle of Humankind. Humans have been fighting wars for as long as our species has existed. It is our nature to fight. We become restless without conflict, and restless masses lead to dead Emperors." He took another lengthy pause, and Alex realized the Imperator was listening to someone else speaking. Finally, he said, "But…I suppose if it means an end to the slaughter of my forces on the Eous border…I can discuss their concerns, at least. I did not create my Legions to routinely slaughter Humans. This stalemate has gone on for far too long."

Alex nodded, wondering what his original reason was for the Legions creation. "I'll convene a summit, when the time is right. In the meantime…I'd like to invite the Imperium's Trainers to join the World Tournament. I think perhaps people will be more open to an alliance once they can officially Battle members of your Imperium and take their measure."

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A dark smirk, small but confident, cracked the perfect facade at the mention of battling. "Are you sure, young Dragon Emperor? There is a reason the League banned us in the first place."

Alex nodded confidently. "This is the way we get our respective sides to interact without killing each other. I'm sure the Imperium will help shake up the usual contenders we see in the Finals too. I'll speak to the League about it. Provided your people abide by the rules, there shouldn't be an issue."

Another pause, then finally, the perfect baritone echoed through the room once again. "Very well. If you hold to returning Horus, from this point forward, we will try it your way. With peace. The Imperium will cease its efforts in Koria and other nations we do not control. We will also mount no offensives on Eous, during this period of nonaggression. Unless of course, we are attacked first. We will await the Pokémon League's verdict. Until next we speak, young defender of Men."

"Give the Eousians three days to disseminate the word not to attack, to their forces." Alex replied. "I don't have much pull with the kingdoms on your border yet, but I know people who might. A public declaration of this ceasefire, from your mouth, would go far in alleviating the skepticism that is sure to follow this announcement."

The Imperator nodded slowly. "Fine. Three rotations. Then, any further aggressions will be met in kind." With that, the call was ended. The Imperator sighed, as He knew well the futility of 'peace'. He'd lived it before, but the young Dragon Emperor reminded him of a much, much younger version of himself, and this time, perhaps, the wheels of fate might end up turning differently. Even after so many millennia spent existing, the being that called itself the Imperator of Man still had a tendency to hope that, despite His past failures, this time, humanity would rise in the ideal way.

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"You will not regret this, my Imperator." Came a voice from His right. The same voice that had seen an offer to stop the dystopian murder the Imperium had been embroiled in for centuries and jumped on it.

"I will, Malcador. I know where this road leads. I know what lies at its end. But perhaps…when we reach that inevitable end…you and the young Dragon Emperor will see the necessity of what we must do. " He rose from His golden throne, then. "See to retrieving Horus. Send a ship for him to the dark side of Luna."

As the Sigillite of the Imperium of Man watched his Imperator slowly stomp away, presumably to work on one of his many projects, he let out a sigh of relief, and marveled at how persuasive the Voice of the newest Dragon Emperor was. Not many things could influence a mind like the Imperator's, but its subtle power had given Malcador an opening to appeal to His logical reasoning, which was second to none. He set to fulfilling his orders then, more hopeful than he'd been for the last several eons of his existence.

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Entral Park, New Tork City - Unova Region

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As Alex returned to the capital with Ledi Girl in tow, the two were once more disguised. Marinette, which was her real name, blended in with the variety of aesthetics on display in the world's largest city. For his part, Alex had returned to his black and white attire, and had Astrum cover him in a glamour that by design would turn people's gazes away from him to anything else. As Astrum also wasn't that well known, he kept the gold feathered egg-shaped angel on his shoulder. As they passed by the crowds of people, heading towards Entral Park, only the little humans were able to even notice him, and his Trainer. Most were Trainers themselves, and Marinette got some decent experience by the time they reached the park.

Currently, Entral Park was an idyllic scene of a combination of humans and Pokémon, most of whom were battling, but there were others too, with humans, as entertained by watching the battles as their humans were. It was at this point that Marinette split off from him, and Alex recalled Astrum as he shattered the glamour on him by releasing the Original Dragon from his ball. His cape flared as Tao's massive wings pumped once, enough to float his bulk into the air, and onto his usual perch on the Entree.

The humans and Pokémon around them paused in their battling as they cheered, and those not occupied already started approaching the dragon, when he suddenly looked down. After rumbling in Pokéspeech, his draconic lips pulled back into a smile. His voice mentally reached Alex then. "You're going to want to see this."

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As Alex walked over and greeted those he passed in the crowd, they eventually parted for him. Beneath the tree, he found Jess feeding what looked like snacks, mostly pastries with berry filling, to a severely obese Kubfu.

As Alex approached, his eyes went wide and he swallowed down the pastry in his paw, and then stuffed another in his maw for good measure. "Oo ust ee uh agn astr!"

Alex smirked at the young Pokémon. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

The kung fu cub nodded and swallowed. Then, the goofiness faded, for a more serious tone. Alex found his voice, as he heard it, to be somewhere between charismatic and epic. He liked it, and the cub's whole vibe as he put a closed fist to his open palm and bowed saying, "O great Dragon Emperor, I...am Po. I have traveled from Eous to learn…the Dragon Style!"

Alex's smirk widened as the cub used a genuine amount of awe and respect when speaking. "You have come to learn Kung Fu?" The cub nodded, and his eyes went wide as an appropriately timed gust of wind made the tall human's cape flare in a manner most epic. "Then I shall be your teacher." He said as he met the cub's gaze and took his measure. Aside from the weight issue, he was naturally adamant. He would probably have to be, to make such a trek on foot, and seemingly alone. "Canis." He said, summoning the aura hound, who answered as promptly as he always did. "Show him the basic forms. Once he has those down…I'll move you, Po, and perhaps our Mewtwo friend on to the more…advanced techniques."

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The Kubfu did an excited little jig, displaying some impressively fast footwork. "Oooh! Techniques! Yes!" Alex chuckled at the pure, genuine excitement in Po's enticing tones.

Jess came up beside him as he fished out a ball. "How did the interrogations go?"

Alex shrugged. "As expected," Psychically, he elaborated, "I've got a new apprentice, in Ledi Girl, Horus is being given back to the Imperium, and for now, peace seems possible. As far as Dark Moth goes…he's on his way to being incarcerated somewhere that can hold him. Both factions on the Moon have allied with us. Verbally, anyway. We will see who upholds their word, and the Imperator himself agreed to back off his assaults on Eous. For now." He offered Po the ball then and continued in his mental manner. "Where did you find this little guy? And are there more snacks?"

Once Po was in the ball, Jess handed him a pastry. "Leppa filling. Leppa frosting." She knew his weakness for sweets, and he downed the cupcake from its papery cradle with a single bite. It almost filled his mouth, but that too was as obnoxiously large as the rest of him, and after a few bites, the delicious pastry was no more.

"I found him wandering around here, or rather, Delphi did." At the mention of her name, the psychic fox appeared with a bamf.

She fixed Alex with a stare, and he paid extra attention. She was to Jess what Arthur was to him, after all. "Train that one well. He is going to be…quite strong." Alex glanced at the cub, who was in the middle of slowly licking his claws clean as he admired his shiny new ball. He gave his new Trainer a goofy grin as he saw him looking over.

Alex looked back at Delphi. "Really? I know Urshifu are strong, but…"

The fox sighed at him, and then tapped his forehead, sharing a rare glimpse of her Future Sight. The first thing he noticed; was how much clearer her visions were compared to his own future reading attempts. Then, he saw it. A massive battle in what seemed like space, yet each combatant was moving like gravity was affecting them still. Suddenly, a flash of black and white zipped by, too indistinct to properly see, but Alex could tell it was Po, or rather, the Urshifu he would someday become. A golden outline of what looked like Tao, but composed of golden energy was cloaking Po, who was zipping through the battlefield, with devastating results. Then, he saw who, or rather what, they were fighting. As Delphi noticed that, the vision ended.

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"Those were…" Alex started, but Delphi put a single finger over his lips.

"Not even you can prevent what they will become, Alex. I really shouldn't have even shown you that…but as I said, train the cub well. We are going to need him." Her words echoed in his head before the prophetic fox turned and bamfed away again.

Alex glanced at the Delphox's Trainer. "Has her Future Sight always been so…clear?"

Jess just smirked at him. "I named her Delphi for a reason. It takes a lot out of her though. What did she say?"

Alex looked back at Po then and saw that Canis was now instructing the eager cub, much as Arthur had done for him when he'd been a Riolu. The image of what his Urshifu had been fighting still lingered in his head, but he forced it back into the recesses of his memory. If it was knowledge he shouldn't have, he decided not to dwell on it, until he saw a similar creature face to face. "She told me to train Po here well. That we're going to need him…in the wars to come."

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Hearing his name, Po turned, and gave the humans a big grin. "Aw yes! I've already got a prophecy about my awesomeness! Hey Canis-"

Alex winced, as his Lucario harshly punched through the cub's enthusiasm, sending him spinning to the ground. Canis waited until Po managed to look at him again, before exhaling deeply and letting his stance fade. "Never drop your guard during Battle, Po. Even with our team. Even in practice matches. Constant vigilance is required to master the Dragon Style."

Instead of being disheartened, Po found how easily he'd been punched down to be insanely cool. "Yes, Master Canis. Constant Vigilance. Awesome!" He eagerly took his stance again, and the two resumed sparring. Alex watched them, as he quietly had Lux look up how Kubfu actually evolved. He knew both Victor and Gloria had one, but neither had ever answered questions about the method they'd used to evolve their Kubfu into Urshifu.

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Selva Muerta - Forest of Death, Dark Continent

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Proditor wasn't sure where exactly Shahir had taken them, and he'd collapsed upon arriving, leaving him and the witch stranded. It had given them a much-needed reprieve to attend to their wounds that the Custodes had inflicted, but Proditor was beyond such inconveniences. The Shadow was all too eager to repair his body and had done so already. Being alive still, Morgana had more trouble with her wounds, as Bolter rounds were quite damaging.

Despite that, they'd been here hidden in this jungle long enough for Recover to do its work. Now, she was using a 'spell', namely ghost and Shadow energy, to figure out where in the world they were. "I know our location…" She hissed as she returned from her magic circle. "Selva Muerta. On the Dark Continent. Not far from-"

Proditor cut her off. "The Shadow Nexus! Of course. Shahir must have known it had been created by now, in this era. It might just have the power to help me match this Imperator you warned me of."

Morgana shook her head. "I can no longer sense it. Some months back, its power simply vanished. I never had a chance to investigate."

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Deciding to investigate now, Proditor used Toraigon, his reclaimed Hydreigon, to help himself and Morgana scale the mountainous western mountains of the Dark Continent. As they traveled, the witch spoke. "I sensed a great power as well, nearby, in what is likely Rio. We should be wary of their Guardians. It is said the dark one, Sombrador, protects the Nexus from intruders."

Proditor shook his head as the dilapidated mountain fortress the descendants of his own cult on the supercontinent had formed came into view. "I would sense a Guardian, if it was here. But there's nothing. No Nexus, no ghosts…just empty stone." Indeed, all they found upon entering were some signs of recently used Pokémon moves, and a vague disturbance in the natural space surrounding the innermost chamber of the pyramid. "There is one I must speak with…whatever destroyed the Nexus likely at best wounded them. I must breach the dimensional barriers here, and commune. Guard my vessel." Proditor said. He also brought out Shellraiser and Mordred to guard him, as after the Gallade's performance, he had earned a spot on Proditor's belt that had been vacated upon learning its previous occupant was long since dead.

With his body defended, Proditor began what was essentially an ancient Eousian ritual, or spell, that enhanced his psychic prowess. Enough to at least penetrate the barrier between this world, and its Reverse. Once upon a time, it had been the very ritual that had led to his discovery, and mastery, of the Shadow. As the spell took effect and Proditor astrally projected himself into Giratina's domain, his intrusion did not go unnoticed.

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Finally… A voice hissed in the darkness of the non-euclidean realm. Eons have passed, Cassius Proditor…it is time to Pay what you Owe…

"Actually… I believe you owe me, Great Old One." Proditor answered, noting the entity was currently not attached to Giratina. "You promised your powers would protect me from anything the Hero King could use against us." He separated the still-bisected pieces of his body for emphasis, in his astral form. "And yet here I am. In pieces after millennia of being Dead!"

The entity hissed in disgust, then went quiet. An unsettling grin crossed its body, and the being seemed smaller than Proditor remembered. You desire more power…I desire freedom, and a willing vessel… Giant black tentacles rose upward and outward from behind the entity. Let us stop taking half measures…much has happened since last we spoke…Eru's song has ended. A clash large enough to shake the very Multiverse has set things in motion, that cannot be undone.

Proditor's eyes went wide. "The First Song has ended? That's impossible."

And yet…here we are. The Dark Master comes…the three lights that could stop him were scattered across dimensions, and are now lost… There has never been a better time to Rise…

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Still not convinced, Proditor said, "But it was prophesied that the Light would win…"

The multiversal clash I mentioned allowed the Dark Master…to return early. He caught his prey unawares. That entire dimension was consumed by Dagor Dagorath…and now belongs only to Him, and His servants.

Proditor pondered the being's words. If the oldest evil in existence was back, that changed quite a lot. The entity seemed truthful, but also eager to break free of the prison the Alpha Pokémon had put him in, after reneging on their agreement. Finally, Proditor spoke. "Fine. Shadowmind…Dark Burst!"

The entity's eye widened in surprise as Proditor invoked an item in its possession that he should not have known about, by using a name it had long since left behind. Rather than a possession, which would have kept the entity in control, the Dark Heart guaranteed that they'd be perfectly equal in their fusion. It would take both of them to undo said fusion. All it had to do was wait until Proditor was out of energy. Then it could take control of their new shared body unimpeded.

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As the entity fused with Proditor, a shriek roared through the Reverse World as its power finally, completely, abandoned Giratina to its rage. A willing tenant of the Reverse World, Giratina also acted as the entity's jailer, and it was not thrilled about its millennia long record of zero escapes being broken.

As the fusion finished, the Shadowmind felt immediately that something was wrong. Then, Proditor returned his astral form to his body, and the entity understood what the sly human had done. A merge with his intangible essence, made possible by its own lack of a body that could survive in the prime material plane, made their fusion possible. Now, on this plane, it felt all but unbreakable. The entity was trapped, essentially, once more, inside a dead human vessel it couldn't even manipulate. Intense rage, manifesting as freezing cold and increased gravity, surrounded the Successor, and his Pokémon fell to their knees with a cry as it almost outright crushed them.

When I break free of you… It started, but Proditor cut it off, with his mental retort.

"You won't be breaking free of me. From now on, Shadowmind…your destiny and mine are linked. Much like our essences." He reached into the Shadow comprising his robe then, and retrieved the Dark Heart. The only Burst Heart that he had ever successfully corrupted with Shadow. H'd manipulated his cultists into offering it to the Shadowmind, and as expected, the entity had been all too eager to claim such an artifact. It was still pulsing with Shadow energy. Proditor grinned, as it still seemed usable, despite having fused himself and the Shadow being.

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Morgana approached then, eyeing the gem, as Proditor returned it to the void his robe was somehow composed of. "What…happened, exactly? You seem…much more powerful."

"I had a friend on the other side. He's fused with me now." Before the ancient traitor could elaborate further, a roar echoed around them, shaking the mountains. Proditor swore. "Muk. It seems Sombrador left a method of detecting intrusions." Proditor recalled his two guards. and the pair hurriedly strode outside, only to take in the imminent arrival of an entity that Proditor feared much more than Sombrador.

Zigma roared again, as the human atop her spotted head pointed at the pair and shouted a command. A sphere of darkness coalesced in her fanged maw, and Proditor spoke hurriedly to Morgana. "We need to leave. Now. Anywhere is better than here."

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Instead of a beam from Zigma's maw, the sphere of pure darkness she created expanded around them, creating a massive circular dome of dark energy over all of them. Morgana tried to Teleport, but it fizzled uselessly. The pair of villains looked up at the rider atop the reconstituted Guardian of the Dark Continent, as she spoke into a green Rotophone. "This is the Warden of the South. Inform the Scales that I have the fugitives the Dragon Emperor is looking for entrapped. Send reinforcements to my coordinates."

It was Zigma's turn to talk then, and she roared a single word at Proditor specifically, recognizing exactly who and what he was. "TRAITOR!" The world seemed to shake in response to her shout. Another sphere of energy formed in her toothy maw, though this one definitely seemed like a proper attack.

"Time to see what I can do…" Proditor muttered, as his aspect became more sinister. His grin expanded to unnatural length for his face, and his dead skin accommodated it. His omnivorous teeth had been replaced with sharp fangs too long for a human mouth. A third, unnerving red eye poked out of his forehead, and the entity that had been possessing Giratina got its first view of the world in eons. What it saw, was an enraged Zigma.

"You…" The entity hissed to all present.

Tentacles of pure Shadow sprouted from Proditor's back, and shot towards Zigma, wrapping up her limbs, and dragging her towards the pair. At first, she resisted on instinct, but then decided that she wanted to be closer to them. The beam she had charged up fired, and though Morgana tried blocking it, her psychic Barrier shattered under the ferocious Dark Pulse. Zigma swept it over both of them, and while it freed her forepaws, it didn't seem to do that much to the traitor.

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Irritated, Zigma changed attack styles. Her claws started burning with ghostly fire and she spun in place faster than a being her size should have been able to. The tentacles around her limbs faded into wisps of darkness, and she swiped at both of the fugitives again. Proditor held up a hand, psychically stopping Zigma's right paw from tearing into him, and his minion.

Furious, the massive Guardian struck with the other claw, but this time Morgana held it at bay, albeit with a much weaker, shakier grip than the Successor. After having her Barrier so easily smashed, she was dazed and vulnerable. Still furious, Zigma slowly forced her massive claw around Morgana, and then clenched, as she successfully caught, and began crushing the Shadow Sorceress.

Morgana desperately looked towards Proditor, only to recoil slightly, on instinct at the grotesque sight of his undead flesh accommodating his 'friend's' face. Despite that, she still managed to plead. "Lord Proditor…help…"

The man kept his focus on Zigma's other claw, and regarded Morgana coldly with his new hideous visage. "Your usefulness has come to an end."

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Zigma snarled. "Even in this age, you remain the lowest form of trash among your species." The paw of the Legendary Pokémon closed, and Morgana's power and body succumbed to her legendary strength with a loud, disgusting crunch. Proditor was treated to a grim sight as the gore-stained claw opened, revealing and dropping all that remained of the witch, which was pieces of her body, her Pokéballs, and his old staff, now snapped in two. The gore-stained claw now joined the other, in trying to tear him to pieces.

In that moment, the now solo Shadow wielder looked inward. "You're holding back, and you've cost me a pawn. We should be much stronger!"

The amorphous mental shadow blob that mentally manifested an unnerving vision of his tentacles seeping into the human's dead brain was the backdrop for their conversation, but Proditor knew it was a show the entity was creating. Probably. You weaken…and my freedom approaches…

Proditor shuddered mentally as his strength burned away against Zigma's. "Listen! We have to-"

Shadowmind interrupted him. "I have listened. Across epochs. Across dimensions. Across universes. Now…You shall listen to Me."

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Zigma's eyes narrowed, and Proditor realized his dark passenger had spoken aloud. From his own mouth.

"You shall All listen to Me!"

The entity projected loudly, just as the tips of Zigma's claws met around the entity's host. They surrounded Proditor with harsh, burning ghost energy that actually felt more chilling than warm. A circular wave of Shadow pulsed outwards from the man's body, trying to force Zigma back, but her titanic frame wasn't going anywhere. Her Tamer Nelinha did however get blown away, and Zigma's tails caught her, wrapping her in their scales as the weaponized Shadow energy caused her fur to fall to the ground. Her scales turned dull, and her fur lost its luster and color. Too late did she notice that Proditor, or the entity controlling him, had raised a hand after her brief lapse in concentration, and was draining her of power.

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With a snarl, she leapt away from the possessed traitor, and slashed through the Shadow tether connecting them, but the damage had been done. Nelinha slipped out of Zigma's protective grasp as the Guardian weakened. She put a hand on her massive side as she drew a Pokéball and walked with purpose towards Proditor. "Keep the barrier up, Tia. I'll handle the dark one."

Nelinha had gone over the report that had recounted what the Unovan Champion and his squad had encountered in the Reverse World after reaching this area of Selva Muerta, but it had been secondhand information, and any mention of the entity on the other side had been scrubbed from the record. She dealt with angry ghost types possessing humans often enough though, in her capacity as Champion, and viewed this one as perhaps the vilest spirit she'd yet encountered. That didn't stop her from sending out her Mimikyu.

On the Dark Continent, rather than mimicking a Pikachu, Mimikyu were often used to exorcize those that the ghosts of Selva Muerta took over. Their cloth disguises varied in design, usually by being colorful, or based on a colorful Pokémon, but hers still seemed like a bad copy of a Pikachu, with accurate and non-faded coloration. The Mimikyu hissed at Proditor as it appeared. The entity laughed.

"That little slave…will not be enough…"

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The Mimikyu hissed again, and leapt into a Play Rough attack, which Proditor blocked with various rapidly manifesting Shadow tentacles. She slashed through each one, but they kept her from reaching the traitor's body. Nelinha only ordered her to keep attacking, and the Mimikyu did so. Over the course of a solid two minutes, the Mimikyu picked up Proditor's pattern of blocking, thanks to her species' ability to copy others so well.

Once she had the pattern down, Nelinha snapped her fingers, and the assault changed in tone, becoming even faster. Proditor struggled to keep up and started blocking with his arms as well. Finally, the Mimikyu bashed apart his guard and made an opening, at which point, Nelinha struck, going for pure damage since, as far as she knew, typing didn't matter against the Shadow. "Wood Hammer!"

Her Mimikyu mercilessly smashed Proditor's face, sending his head spinning around several times as his spine made a sickening crunch. The man stumbled, and doubled over as the Mimikyu leapt away. Once more, the two beings in the same body conversed, as their neck and head spun back around, and into its proper place.

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Proditor's tone was mocking as he spoke. "I remember you being much stronger. Can't even handle a tiny Mimikyu? A ghost that bases its entire identity on another Pokémon, usually, is giving you this much trouble?"

I have been weakened…with the severing of the Nexus…the Renegade has been destroying the parts of me that were blown away, ever since…the Guardian gave some strength, but it will not be enough. This Human…her entire team is at the peak of their strength.

Proditor sighed tiredly. "All the more reason to work together…preferably before the Unovan Dragon's Scales show up."

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The entity seemed to sigh, before it finally answered. Very well…Together…

As the dark pair reached an accord, the item fusing them together pulsed, and power surged into them, manifesting in reality as a cyclone of Shadow that blew the Mimikyu off its feet. A tendril of Shadow caught it, by the neck of its disguise, breaking it, and holding it in place. Zigma mentally suggested a retreat to her Tamer, but that just prompted Nelinha to go all in. She brought out her entire team, currently composed of Xatu, Lapras, Zeraora, Victreebell, Bisharp, Yanmega, and a Zarude. At their head was her starter, a Blaziken, who barked a command that sent the nine Champion tier Pokémon swarming towards Proditor.

Though his numerous Shadow tentacles stopped them easily, repelling ten high level Pokémon at once, their efforts kept Proditor stuck in place as they coordinated attacks from all sides, and freed his hold on Mimikyu. In the violent cacophony of moves, Nelinha helped her Blaziken achieve her Mega Form, and the rest of the team made openings for her devastatingly powerful Blaze Kicks to land. After three such assaults led by the Mimikyu that had already read the natural pattern of his attacks and blocks, both Proditor and his dark passenger agreed it was time to leave.

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Proditor levitated into the air, goading them into another attack, at which point a stronger Shadow limb pinned the Mimikyu directly under him. The rest of the team desperately attacked in an attempt to free her, but Proditor blocked them easily, as he ascended higher into the air. As the darkness surrounding the human figure gathered presumably to then explode and propel him into the air, Proditor was hammered by another attack that came from above those battling with him.

He seemed to recoil from the powerful attack, as tiny holes from its aftermath closed up across his body. "What was that…" Nelinha said, as she applied potions to those who'd been damaged by the Shadow arms, and of course, Zigma. Rio's Guardian didn't immediately recover, but she did regain some color to her now hairless skin.

"Allies…" Zigma rumbled, eyeing the source of the attack. "Probably." She added, as she saw who they were.

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A trio of figures floated down through Zigma's barrier, each one of them a Mewtwo. A fourth figure appeared behind what seemed like the lead Mewtwo, which was wearing a black cloak of some description, revealing itself to be a Mew. Nelinha recognized the leader's cloak as an item that humans typically gave their Pokémon to hold. The Mewtwo to the leader's left she recognized as Red's, but the third, and slightly smaller Mewtwo, was new to her. It seemed naturally shy, and perhaps even feminine.

The Mew floated towards Zigma with concern in its eyes, and the Guardian rumbled in response to its concerned mewling. "I am fine…. just drained." Despite these words, Mew closed its eyes, and shone with a Heal Pulse that, to Nelinha's Trainer eyes, seemed mixed with a Life Dew as well. The sagging, furless skin of the Guardian tightened again, as she regained more of her stolen power from Mew, who then turned in the air, ready to defend Zigma from further harm.

"You are Not fine…" All eyes shifted to Proditor, as the Shadow swirled around him again. "You are Not safe…you are Not free…trapped in the same Eternal Cycle…doomed to repeat what has already happened…to Infinity.

"That's enough out of You…" The cloaked Mewtwo psychically projected, as Red's joined it this time for a double Psystrike. A wave of devastatingly powerful psychic bullets hammered Proditor, and yet amidst the sound of him being torn apart, a dark chuckle built to full on laughter.

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Both Proditor and his dark passenger wanted out, as they needed time to recover, and regain his tools of war, the ones that yet survived anyways. As the Mewtwo and the living source of their genetic material appeared, Shahir had finally woken up, amidst all the turbulent Shadow manipulation. The laughter suddenly stopped, and the fused being's unnatural mouth grimaced as the absurdly powerful psychic attacks started dealing significant damage. "I will deal with all of you…in time." In a flash, Shahir appeared, and the next few seconds moved slowly for all present.

A floating hand moved out of the Unbound golden Hoopa's center and opened a portal to somewhere else. With each Mewtwo understanding that Hoopa's power could reach across space and other dimensions, they moved to disrupt it as all three attacked this time, peppering the area around the portal with continuous waves of psychic strikes. It was at that point that the grinning menace, tentacles flaring behind him, marched into the field of fire, and activated his plasma sword. The tentacles quickly faded away under the ferocity of the strikes, but the focused plasma blade, that had now become a darker purple after being suffused with Shadow, was more than enough to deflect the strikes.

Proditor did notice that the act of deflecting even one caused the weapon to lose quite a lot of power, and thus he hurried through to the portal. As the fight ended and the entity faded away to rest, Proditor was left in his new location completely alone. All of Morgana's Pokéballs had been left behind, along with his old staff, which had been snapped. The stone she'd kept within it, a useful bargaining tool she had possessed that would've given them control of an Eousian kingdom, was now also gone. Normally he'd have Shahir grab a ball, or the stone, but he could tell his friend was still exhausted, too much to accurately make pinpoint tiny portals with which to steal items. For now.

As he left the new jungle they'd landed in and recalled Shahir, he exited the tree line to find a rather gorgeous oceanside view. His hand covered his pale, tired eyes from the region's obnoxiously bright sun, and he smirked as his eyes made out three other islands in the distance. He spoke, only to himself, and his partners. "It seems Rapax is who we acquire next, my friends…"