Sinners: Arc 2

A/N: So yeah, this is late. It's also fucking gigantic. Like, uh...remember those 30000 word chapters that made some of your heads spin? This one is twice as long. XD



This is the climax of the Fallarbor "mini-arc", where answers are revealed and the opposing forces finally come to blows. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll simply say this: shit goes down, and hilarity does not ensue.



Big cheese thanks to my three swell betas, Skyler, zero9g9, and Tai! I could never have tamed this beast without their help!



Warning: this chapter contains a particularly squicky occurrence. I don't want to spoil anything, but I also don't want to catch anyone unaware, so please look at ALL of the tags of Sinners and make sure that you're ready for any of them...and remember my warning in the first chapter, that Sinners would get rather dark at times.



Word count: ~62000 words



*****



Chapter 29: Cataclysm







Slash pinned the Aqua Badge to his shirt, grimacing at what his mother would think if she could see him now, and led his Pokemon into the valley of Fallarbor.



"Alright guys, listen up, because we might not be able to talk freely once we're in the city. We shouldn't have much trouble getting into the Aqua camp...Archie will probably remember me, and even if he doesn't, I got my badge on. Considering the losses it seems they've taken, I doubt they'll turn down our help. But that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We have enough trouble on our hands to have to deal with them doubting our loyalty. No matter what they say, no matter what they ask us to do, I want you all to stay calm and stay quiet. Behave like bodyguards, instead of my friends, alright?" Slash looked at Gardevoir and frowned apologetically. "That means you, too. No point in risking it."



I understand, master.



"You gonna be okay with being around all those Dark-types? Even the Mightyena?"



I'll be alright. It'll be a little scary, but I won't freeze up like I did before. Gardevoir extended her hand and let electricity crackle around it. Knowing that I'm no longer completely helpless against them...it helps.



[If something goes wrong, we'll have each others' backs.] Graveler said, noting the numerous Water-types in the camp. [Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though.] he quietly added.



Slash winced at that sentiment. If Aqua found out that he was a spy and eventual saboteur, he and his pack would almost certainly be wiped out before they could flee. Even if the Aqua grunts were as weak as the Magma grunts, they still had vastly superior numbers, and Archie would be more than capable of matching him in combat.



"Gardie, I'll be relying on your powers when I talk to Archie. We need to know what the situation is, but he may not fully trust me yet. If you sense any deceit from him, let me know over our bond without showing any visible sign of it. Wait until we're done talking to him, if you have to. And if you sense that he's about to attack us or something, strike him hard and fast, because retreat will be our only option. We can't fight all those people at once."



Yes, master.



"Alright, we're coming up on the guards. Remember, everyone, follow my lead, and if Gardie starts attacking them, back her up and we'll make a fighting retreat into the pass."



The pack was stopped at the edge of the camp by two Aqua grunts accompanied by a Sableye and a Marshtomp. Both the Aquas and the Pokemon looked dirty and miserable, and the Sableye had a nasty-looking burn on the top of its head, presumably from Rayquaza. Slash relaxed the slightest bit as he noticed that none of them showed any sign of corruption.



"Stop right there, kid. Who are you?" the older of the pair asked, glaring at Slash's badge with suspicion. "You're way too young to be an Aqua."



Slash put on what he thought of as his "Aqua Mask"---a veneer of cool confidence, bordering on arrogance, that he hoped would appeal to these men. Applying this mask was not difficult, as it was only a slight exaggeration of how he normally acted, and while that knowledge would normally disturb him, for now he merely hoped it would work. "My name is Slash Firestorm, and you're mistaken. I met up with Archie a couple weeks ago in Mauville. He recruited me himself."



The guard shot him a skeptical glare. "And why would he do that?"



"I believe it had something to do with holding my own against Maxie, and helping the trainers of Mauville wipe out Team Magma." Slash held back a grimace and managed to look proud of Archie's approval. "I need to speak with him immediately."



"Hold on there," the other guard said. "You've got some tough-looking Pokemon for your age, I'll give you that, but how do we know you're legit? Plenty of our guys fled the camp when they started getting sick. You could have taken that badge off of one of the corpses."



Slash regarded the man for a long moment, letting his psychic powers silently and invisibly unfurl. While his abilities were limited---certainly nothing compared to Gardevoir's---these men weren't exactly strong-minded, and reading their thoughts was as simple as reading a book. The younger of the two guards was particularly easy to read; whatever he'd seen during his time in Fallarbor had greatly affected him, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably by his side. A snippet of thought flew to Slash and he pounced on it.



"Or I could have killed one of those cowards and taken their badge that way," he said slowly, locking eyes on the younger man. The guard's eyes widened as he heard his personal thoughts spoken aloud, and he took a fearful step behind his Marshtomp. Slash didn't break eye contact as he continued, letting his voice fall into an icy tone that made Gardevoir shiver. "But if that's the case, and I'm capable of killing an Aqua that easily, then stopping me would be the worst mistake of your lives. And the last. Now step aside, I have business to attend to."



"I'd do it, if I were you," a rough voice said from behind the guards. "He dropped two Magma grunts without breaking a sweat, and that was well before his Pokemon became the...magnificent specimens that they are today. You two wouldn't stand a chance against him."



Archie walked out from behind the guard tent, his Mightyena following alongside. Despite the good humor on his face, he looked like hell. His right arm was bandaged and splinted to his side, burnt or broken, possibly both. A deep and poorly mended cut ran down the side of his face, and his eyes were dark pouches, as though he hadn't slept in a week. Maybe he hadn't. "Both of you, go join up with the next attack team. I'll relieve you here."



The guards acknowledged his command and headed back into the cluster of tents, the younger one all but scurrying away from the strange kid who had seemingly read his mind. Slash shifted his Aqua Mask the slightest bit, knowing that a touch of flattering subservience would be better with Archie himself. Gardevoir stood quietly by his side, staring at the Mightyena, refusing to allow herself to look away when it made eye contact with her. I am no longer a child, she whispered to herself, clinging to her mating bond like a lifeline, and I am no longer defenseless. I have been given the power of thunder by my mate, who could drop this predator with a wave of his hands if he wished. And I have an entire pack protecting me. I have no reason to be frightened.



"I must say that I'm surprised to see you here," Archie said with a broad grin, though the laughter that followed quickly turned into a hacking cough. "When things started going bad, I tried calling in the rogues, but by then the volcano had already fucked up the communication relays, so I thought none of the calls got through. You're the only one who's showed up, anyway. Did you get the signal after all?"



"No, we're here purely by coincidence. I heard rumors about a monster attacking Fallarbor and I got curious...I thought that maybe Kiako was involved. We had no other leads to go on, so we came up by way of the desert, and met up with the refugee camp to the north of it. That's when I found out that Team Aqua was here." Slash pointed at the ashy haze of the ruined city. "Just what is going on here, sir? The old man leading the refugees said you guys showed up right after the volcano started going nutty and right before the dragon showed up, and that you knew that the dragon was coming. I wasn't sure how much of their story to believe."



"Wise of you to doubt them; they're a bunch of superstitious fools, after all. However, on that, at least, they were telling the truth. Come on into the tent and I'll brief you on the situation." Archie considered Slash for a moment, and Slash thought he saw suspicion in the older man's eyes. "The tent's too small for your whole team, so you'll have to withdraw them for the time being."



(He wants to see if I'll hesitate in following his orders,) Slash realized, and reached for his Pokeballs without any sign of delay. "Of course," he said calmly, withdrawing everyone but Gardevoir and making sure that the sensors were active, so the Pokemon would see and hear everything that transpired. "Gardevoir stays out, though. A psychic mind is more useful than four sets of eyes and ears, especially with those monsters prowling around the area."



"Fair enough," Archie replied, patting his Mightyena on the head as if in reminder of the type advantage, and led them into the guard tent. It was a small structure, the roof bulging downward from the weight of the ash atop it, with a single plastic-covered window facing the direction of the pass. The only furniture inside was a desk covered in maps and duty rosters and a shelf holding a dozen Pokeballs. Slash and Gardevoir stood near the entrance flap, neither sensing any trap but refusing to let their guard down. Archie moved a few papers and sat on the desk, his Mightyena laying down by his feet.



Another loud hum sung through the air outside, followed immediately by the cracking of a sonic boom. Slash and Psymakio responded by jumping in surprise. Archie responded to this by fumbling for a cigarette with his undamaged hand. Once it was in his mouth and burning, he locked eyes with Slash. "Rayquaza. The Lord of the Sky spoken of in the legends. That's what he is."



"You're kidding," Slash said, feigning shock at this revelation. "I thought he was just a myth."



"Nope, he's very real, and the legends weren't exaggerating about his power, though they may have overstated his sanity. A little more than a week ago, we detected him over the west coast, heading straight for Fallarbor and blasting everything in his path. I thought that it would be in everyone's interests if Team Aqua showed up to help protect the town from the inevitable onslaught."



"What do you mean?"



"You see, a long time ago...forty years ago or more...Fallarbor used to have a Gym, which attracted a steady flow of powerful trainers here. Having so many tough trainers around meant that the town was quite well-protected from bandits and wild Pokemon. When the League reduced the number of Gyms, Fallarbor lost its main source of interest...no one cares about a Gym-less town, especially not one so out of the way and isolated. The flow of money and trainers began drying up, leaving the city defenseless. Team Magma, eager to seize this territory, moved in and offered their protection to Fallarbor. In exchange for lodging and supplies, they kept away the thieves and the more powerful wild Pokemon."



"By recruiting the thieves and catching the Pokemon for themselves," Slash guessed, wondering if Watson had been in Magma during that time period. "Sounds like it was a rather beneficial arrangement. They got a base in Fallarbor and a monopoly on the toughest Pokemon in the area."



Archie nodded, smiling in a way that made Slash feel a little sick to his stomach. "You're a sharp kid. Yes, it was a nice little scheme for them. Eventually Magma built a major base near Chimney, but they kept dealing with the Pokemon in exchange for materials and construction workers. With them gone, though, Fallarbor was defenseless, so I was hoping that Team Aqua could step in and make a similar arrangement. Protecting the town in exchange for certain benefits. Just because Magma is gone doesn't mean that we don't have any...competition."



"The Pokemon League," Slash said. A statement, not a question. "Magma being wiped out gives us a lot of advantages in terms of territory and power, but now the League only has one group to target instead of two."



"Exactly. We need to start digging in and building public support, or we'll have more trouble than Magma ever gave us."



Slash glanced at Psymakio, who was standing quietly by his side and trying to prog Archie as hard as she could without being noticed. Has he lied about anything, Gardie?



Most of what he's said is truthful...about his motivations for protecting Fallarbor, at least. But I don't think that he was telling the truth about just...detecting Rayquaza by chance, or about him attacking the town without provocation. I think that Aqua did something to lure Rayquaza here, but I can't prog hard enough to find out what. As far as humans goes, his mind is very strong, and if I push too hard, either he or his Mightyena might notice what I'm doing.



Alright, thanks. Keep me informed.



Slash broke off the communication and turned his attention back to Archie. "I take it things haven't gone as planned. It looks like you've taken heavy losses."



Archie sighed and inhaled deeply on his cigarette. "That's an understatement. Since Rayquaza has apparently gone insane, we thought that we would be able to weaken enough for capture without too much difficulty. To be safe, I brought a third of Team Aqua with me, fifteen hundred men. But Rayquaza's proven to be much stronger than I anticipated, even weakened as he is. More than half of our forces here have been wiped out."



Slash made a mental note of these numbers for later use. It was hard to believe that Team Aqua was truly as large as Archie claimed, but Psymakio sensed no deceit from the man, so he supposed it was the truth. Disconcerting, but still the truth.



"Worse still," Archie continued, "not all of them were killed by the dragon. Some strange disease is taking hold in this area, turning men and Pokemon into utterly insane but extremely powerful monsters. We've had to start killing anyone showing signs of the infection before they can transform into that superpowered state. Regrettable, but necessary. My original plan was to capture Rayquaza...doing so would have made Team Aqua unstoppable. But we've lost so many men, and we so greatly underestimated his strength...our goal now is simply to kill him. A shame that such a noble beast must die, but there is no other choice."



Psymakio sensed no deceit from Archie on this; it truly seemed that capturing Rayquaza was no longer on the Aqua agenda. The man also seemed legitimately saddened that the dragon had to die. But there was something else buried in his heart, deep down and just barely visible at her current power level.



"So, Slash, that is our current objective: we must kill Rayquaza and end his devastation here. If we succeed, an alliance with Fallarbor may still be possible...their support in exchange for helping them rebuild. Not as great a victory as I had hoped...perhaps barely a victory at all...but better than running away with our tails between our legs."



He's hiding something, master. He still believes that a great victory can occur here. He's discovered something...something that he believes will benefit Team Aqua almost as much as capturing Rayquaza. She tried to prog a little deeper, but stopped when Mightyena's ears suddenly perked up, and she quickly dropped back to her previous power level. Allying with Fallarbor isn't his main goal here. He's even willing to throw that away if he must. He has what he wants, and the only reason that he's not retreating now is because he knows Rayquaza will follow them if they leave him alive.



Slash nodded at Archie, though it was actually in response to Psymakio. "I'll help in any way I can," he vowed, "although I do have a couple more questions for you."



Archie waved his good hand absently. "Go ahead."



"We heard rumors that there were two dragons in Fallarbor...Rayquaza and another monster that was attacking him and causing his madness. Is there any truth to that?"



"No," Archie answered, and both Slash and Psymakio sensed that he was telling the truth, at least to the best of his knowledge. "We've been fighting Rayquaza all week, and no one has reported seeing any other Great Ones in the area. Maybe someone saw one of the transformed Pokemon and got the wrong idea. They can look pretty strange and intimidating once they transform."



"Maybe," Slash agreed. "My other question deals with a little girl who went missing the day this all started...the daughter of Fallarbor's mayor. The old man at the refugee camp said you promised to look for her."



There was a brief, barely perceptible moment when Archie stopped in mid-inhale of his cigarette, followed by a short coughing fit that Slash suspected was being faked. "I did promise that," he said, "but unfortunately we found her body not long after the people of Fallarbor left. Very sad."



Slash did not need Psymakio to know that Archie was lying, but he didn't push the man on the issue. Apparently Archie did not fully trust him yet, and considering that he had only been a member of Team Aqua for less than two weeks---and a rogue Aqua at that---Slash couldn't say that he blamed him.



"So, Slash, before I assign you to an attack team, I want you to go out and scout the city, get a reckoning of its layout. I have plenty of maps, but they haven't been much use since Rayquaza started blowing things to hell. We've got small camps on the north side, where the buildings haven't been blown up yet, and another near the orchards in the south. The fighting is mostly concentrated in the western half of town."



"Understood."



"Be careful, kid. Stick to cover whenever you can. The buildings won't block those Hyper Beams, but they'll shield you from most of the crossfire. And keep an eye out for those monsters with the black lines on their bodies. Rayquaza has killed most of them in the city, but there might still be a few more out there. If any of your Pokemon start showing those black lines on them---"



"I know what to do," Slash said, barely able to quench the wave of nausea that rose from even lying about such a thing.



"Alright. Come back before nightfall and I'll assign you to an attack team for tomorrow. And don't worry," Archie said with a disturbingly honest grin, "I won't put you in one of the cannon fodder groups. You're too skilled for that."



Slash forced an uneasy smile. "Yes, sir. All right, Gardevoir, let's get going."



The pair wasted no time in exiting the tent. As bad as the stale air of Fallarbor was, it was nothing compared to the vile aura that surrounded Archie when he "talked shop". Slash released the other Pokemon and motioned for them to follow as he led them into the broken city. He waited until the guard tent had faded into the ashy haze before speaking out loud.



"That man is a conniving bastard."



The Pokemon agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. Despite Archie's self-aggrandizing speech, Team Aqua's motives in Fallarbor were completely selfish---a desire for power and territory, and digging themselves in before the police of Hoenn could organize against them. And since Archie considered Slash one of the more skilled and worthy members of the syndicate, he had made little effort to hide his willingness to sacrifice the weaker agents to get what he wanted.



[So what are we going to do?] Crawdaunt asked. [We're not really going to help them out, are we?]



Slash shook his head. "No, we aren't. Gardevoir sensed that Archie wasn't being entirely honest with me...at the very least, we know that he's hiding something. Aqua is responsible for luring Rayquaza here, and while capturing him is beyond their grasp, they've still done something terrible here...something that will make them far more powerful unless we stop them. And I have a feeling that whatever they did is responsible for generating the veil and destabilizing the region."



It would have to be an act of terrible evil to cause this much devastation, Psymakio said somberly. If it can't be undone or made right, the veil will continue to strengthen and spread, and Chimney's eruption will be only one of the consequences. She looked at the churning ash clouds overhead, nearly jet black and flashing with dull thunder. It's almost at the point of no return, master. If we don't dispel the veil, then by the end of the day...tomorrow at the latest...nothing will be able to stop the volcano from erupting.



[Then we'd better hurry! What do we do first, Slash?]



"I...don't know."



It was the unfortunate truth. Despite having many pieces of the puzzle, they still had no idea how to put them together and bring down the veil. They didn't even know what generated it in the first place. And time was quickly running out.



[Alright, let's think about this,] Growlithe said. [Let's go over what we can't do and consider the other options.]



"Okay. We can't run away. It's succeed here or die. That's one."



[We can't fight Rayquaza,] Graveler added. [Not just because we'd be helping Archie in doing so, but also because we'd get wiped out within seconds.]



"We're not even sure that the Sky Pearl is here, so we can't waste time looking for it. We also can't wait for Kiako to show up, if he hasn't already. I was hoping we could lay an ambush for him, but saving Rayquaza and stopping the volcano has to be our top priority."



[If we know Team Aqua is responsible for all this, why don't we force them to tell us?] Crawdaunt asked. [We'd blow our cover in doing so, but...with our new strength and Slash's Dark-blanking power, we can take Archie's Pokemon, I know it. And then we just wring the truth out of him.]



"I'd rather not reveal myself to Aqua just yet," Slash said, resisting the urge to follow his darker desires and torture the information out of Archie. "Besides, what if we can't beat him? Other than his Mightyena, all we know about his team is that he's rated as a 'class seven' trainer, and that's stronger than Silver considered us."



[A lot has changed since then,] Manectric pointed out. [We're all stronger, and Crawdaunt evolved. We'd also have the element of surprise, something you didn't have when you fought Maxie. We might be able to pull it off.]



Psymakio, not enjoying hearing her mate and friends discussing the possibility of torturing someone, turned away from the group and stared into the hazy city ruins. The aura of this place was tainted, perhaps permanently, an eternal reminder of the foulness that covered the region. While she couldn't see the strands of corruption as Slash could, she had a vague knowledge of their presence---there were strange voids in the background energy of Fallarbor where no psychic energy could be detected, and her own aura tingled where the veil brushed against her and writhed over her skin, taking something out of her and putting in something dangerous and infectious.



Did her pack really believe that an act of cruelty could help stop this monstrous evil? The veil didn't just create ill-fortune and corruption, it also fed on it, growing stronger and thicker, digging its invisible tentacles deeper into the world. Even if they were able to stop the veil through barbaric means, it would only make the next veil appear sooner...and grow larger...and cause even more chaos.



Still, what could they do? For everything that they knew about the situation, there were a dozen things that they didn't, and none of their sources had been complete or reliable. They had heard every side of the story---the dire warnings of Quiero, the frantic superstitious gossip of the survivors of Fallarbor, and the grinning half-truths of Archie---but all of their information was incomplete, secondhand, or tainted with mistrust and falsehoods. So---



Wait a minute, Psymakio whispered, and her pack broke off their discussion and turned to her expectantly. She was still looking out into the city, eyes unfocused, latent psychic energy swirling invisibly around her body. We haven't heard every side of the story. There's still someone we haven't talked to yet, someone who's more involved in this mess than anyone. I know where we have to go.



"Where?"



There, Psymakio said, pointing towards the wrecked center of town, where the buildings were scorched and crumbling, and even the rocky earth was torn apart by explosions and massive claw marks. Towards Rayquaza. Ground zero. He's the source of this cataclysm, so we need to find him and try to make contact...and find out what's really going on here.



Gasps of incredulity from her friends, but that didn't surprise her. They were afraid of Rayquaza, all of them---he was a Great One, after all, and he was capable of great and terrible things, especially when he was injured and out of control. All Pokemon were instinctively subservient to Great Ones, and for a higher being like Rayquaza, those urges of submissiveness became urges to stay as far away from him as possible. Still, it was their only option.



We can't trust Archie's account of things, but we need to know what's really going on here, because we're running out of time. The only one who can really brief us is Rayquaza himself. He can tell us what Team Aqua did and why it's weakening him. Maybe he can even tell us how to undo it.



Crawdaunt clacked his claws together nervously as another Hyper Beam crackled through the sky a few hundred feet away. [What makes you think that he's going to be in a talking mood? Even if he's sane enough to talk at all, he might not care about anything we have to say.]



Maybe not,Psymakio admitted, but everything that Quiero told us portrayed Rayquaza as an ally of the King. The castle in my vision even had a tower that stretched into the heavens, so it's possible that he made his roost there. She turned to Slash and gently took his hand before quietly continuing. Slash, you told me that you had to struggle to notice the differences between my soul and Miyako's, correct?



Grimacing at the memory of his encounter with the ancient princess, Slash nodded. "After we mated, I subconsciously accepted her into my dreams because her presence was almost identical to yours. That's why it was almost impossible to keep her out on my own...my mating bond couldn't tell the difference between you two."



I know, and I believe that in this case, that similarity might help us. When we entered the desert, there was something there...a very old and very powerful entity...and it also mistook my mental signature for Miyako's. If I am the reincarnation of Miyako, or at least filling her role now...it's possible that Rayquaza will recognize it as well. He might even snap back to his senses if he thinks the princess is asking for his help. She squeezed Slash's hand tightly and looked at him with pleading eyes. Even if it doesn't work, we have to at least try it before considering any...other options. Cruelty will only strength the Shadow in the long run, and...I don't want you doing anything even remotely like torturing someone. That's precisely what you need to stay away from if you want to control yourself, and losing control might even make your corruption progress faster.



Guilt clutched Slash's heart as he realized that he very well might have been convinced to torture Archie if they hadn't come up with any better ideas. His dark heart was certainly in favor of making the smug bastard regret ever getting involved in his affairs. Psymakio was right, however; indulging in such violent excess would only make controlling his new powers more difficult, and he refused to risk putting his mate's life in danger again.



"Alright. We'll give it a try. Let's head toward the center of the fighting and wait for a break in the Aqua assault. We'll approach him slowly and cautiously...even if he doesn't recognize you as Miyako, I'd like to think that Rayquaza wouldn't attack an unarmed and non-hostile group no matter how much pain he's in. Let's just hope that his aggression has been exaggerated. What should we do if he attacks us, though?"



Psymakio bit her lip and contemplated it. There was something almost blasphemous about fighting a Great One, even in self defense, and Rayquaza being provoked into his current rage only made it worse. We'll stand our ground, she answered slowly. Trying to fight a Great One is pure stupidity, and fleeing would likely only make him chase us. If he tries to intimidate us or fire a warning shot, do not take any action; simply remain where you are and show submission. And if he attacks, take evasive maneuvers, but don't flee or fight back; I'll try to stop him, but no matter what happens, we cannot attack him without being destroyed. I know that this is dangerous, but considering the alternatives, this is the safest course of action.



"I understand, Gardie. I trust your judgment."



The other Pokemon, though still terrified over the idea of meeting Rayquaza face-to-face, hesitantly agreed. After making sure that no Aquas were following them, the pack continued to move deeper into the city.



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



The devastation only grew more thorough as they approached the center of town. Entire blocks had been wiped out, shattered into rubble by Hyper Beams and Aqua explosives, and the few that were still standing were windowless and scorched with soot. Huge drifts of deep and pebbly ash pushed up against their sides like sand dunes. And the bodies...the bodies were everywhere. Many Aquas and Aqua Pokemon were scattered across the heart of the city, burnt and crushed and broken. Some appeared to have been partially consumed. Some were missing limbs or large chunks of flesh. None appeared to be sleeping.



Slash examined the more savagely dismembered bodies and noticed that only the humans and Pokemon with corruptions lines had been mauled. A closer inspection revealed that they had not in fact been eaten, but rather viciously bitten and thrown to the ground, as though Rayquaza had snapped them up and tossed them aside like baited rats. While there were a good many of these half-corrupted and shredded corpses, very few of them had been in the process of transforming, and none had completed the process at the time of their deaths. Either Rayquaza had vaporized the more thoroughly corrupted creatures or they were near the 'eye of the storm'.



They wandered the streets for more than an hour, relying on Gardevoir's senses to keep them going in the right direction. They passed small groups of Aquas several times, most holed up in the few intact buildings and nursing serious injuries, but Slash chose to avoid making contact with any of them. At first he had felt sorry for them---many of them were young men and women, likely deluded into Aqua's cause by pretty words and charismatic promises, misguided into fighting for a terrible cause. But as they approached the western edge of town and began to hear Rayquaza's agonized screams of pain, that sympathy quickly turned into rage. He didn't care what lies these people had been told; anyone who would willingly inflict such suffering on a living being could not be forgiven. They were monsters, as vicious and heartless as the corrupted. That he had been considering torturing Archie only an hour earlier did not occur to him.



"We're getting close," Slash said quietly, urging the pack to keep low and move quickly. They had followed Archie's advice and stayed close to the buildings, going from house to house and crawling behind heaps of rubble for a small degree of cover, but now even the rubble piles were disappearing as they approached ground zero; the western half of the city had been nearly scraped clean by Hyper Beams. As the roars of battle became almost deafening, the group rounded a crumpled and completely dry fallen water tower and caught their first glimpse of the great dragon.



In the time of the Second Kingdom of Hoenn, Rayquaza had been a common sight around the capitol city, but had nevertheless inspired awe from all those who saw him. An enormous dragon nearly ninety feet in length, with great spear-like horns and fangs the size of human arms, he had patrolled the skies over the Kingdom and maintained order when chaos threatened to destroy all that was good and precious in the world, even fighting alongside the armies of humans and Pokemon when the Shadow appeared.



Now, more than a thousand years later, he had reached his full length of a hundred feet and was at the peak of his power...or he would have been, had his Heart not been cruelly ripped from him. Even weakened as he was, he was still breathtaking to behold, a great worm of green and gold that radiated majesty and might. Not even the bloody gashes and broken horn could mar that magnificence.



A group of Aquas charged out from behind another building, a dozen humans and fifty Pokemon in all, ranging from fragile Poochyena to powerful Sealeo. Rayquaza reared up and roared defiantly, clashing his colossal fangs and exhaling flame in an intimidating show of force. A few of the Pokemon peeled off from the group and fled in mindless terror, and most of the others hesitated before continuing their approach. Their blasts of water and ice struck the dragon's thick hide, numerous but nearly ineffectual. Rayquaza responded by blowing a gaping hole in their ranks with a massive Dragon Pulse that killed five Aquas and a third of the Pokemon. The survivors moved in, the physical attackers jumping on the huge dragon's body, and Rayquaza swatted them off with huge clawed hands. He noticed that one of the Pokemon, a Lombre, had corruption lines covering his broad head; he reached down, picked the flailing creature off the ground, and bit its head off before throwing the corpse aside and focusing on the others.



Slash and his Pokemon watched in shock as the battle unfolded, a brutal and bloody slaughter that lasted maybe ninety seconds. Rayquaza fought savagely, with no trace of restraint or mercy, wielding an enormous array of elemental attacks and using his tremendous bulk as a weapon, crushing human and Pokemon alike beneath his weight. Only a few of the attackers managed to draw blood, and in the end it was those powerful few who were killed the most horrifically, burned alive or clawed in half. The last survivor was a Wailmer that fled when it realized its Ice Beams weren't causing any damage, desperately trying to bounce to safety; Rayquaza dropped one huge clawed fist and popped the creature like a balloon.



"Just look at him," Slash whispered, a tint of awe in his voice. "He's incredible! There has never been a confirmed sighting of Rayquaza in League history! Do you have any idea how many trainers would give their lives to see what we're seeing?"



[I think those guys would rather have their lives back,] Manectric muttered, a bit queasy. [I've never seen such a...messy kill before. And this is coming from someone who used to scavenge off carrion.]



"Imagine how stupid someone has to be to think that such a creature could be captured. Even a Master Ball might not work against something like him."



Gardevoir looked away from the slaughter, shivering from the enormous mental presence of the enraged dragon. Despite him not being a Psychic-type, Rayquaza's mind was stronger than anything she'd ever tried to prog before. Has a human ever captured a Great One, master? she asked, trying to take her mind off of the carnage.



"There have been a few cases where a Great One willingly chose to ally itself with a human, but no one's ever caught a legendary Pokemon against its will. Not that I know of, anyway. Even if they did, there's no reason to think that they'd stick around and obey the human who caught them."



Rayquaza scanned the barren cityscape for more Aquas, still growling with anger. After satisfying himself that he was indeed alone, he licked the blood off of his face and scraped the ground with his claws to remove the gory mess impaled upon them. Gardevoir's heart sank as the dragon pried a jagged shard of ice out of its belly and bellowed in pain.



Shall I attempt to make contact, master?



"Okay. Just be careful, Psymakio. Do it slowly and try not to startle him."



Psymakio clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes, a brilliant blue glow flaring around her. The huge water tower they were hiding behind hid most of the light, but Rayquaza suddenly jerked his head in their direction, pupils constricting and nostrils flaring.



[Oh, hell,] Manectric whispered, ducking as close to the ground as he could, and the other Pokemon followed suit. Slash's hands shook as the sensation of being glared at by an enormous predator washed over him.



"Easy, Gardie..."



Moving as delicately as she could, she extended her powers through the tainted air and tentatively brushed against the ancient creature's mind. The sheer power of the contact almost overwhelmed her, making her knees shake and almost sending her collapsing onto the ground. Rayquaza's mind was protected by a barrier many orders of magnitude stronger than anything she could create, so Psymakio was forced to knock against it lightly, trying to get him to allow her access.



Grandfather, I mean you no harm, she whispered, audible in all of the pack's minds. I am one of your faithful children, humbly seeking to speak to you about a most urgent matter. Please allow me to connect with you.



[GET OUT!]



The enormous mental presence was so loud in Psymakio's head that her legs gave out, and Slash barely managed to catch her before she fell into the ash. She was grateful that none of the others were included in this mental link; if they had been, Rayquaza's mind-voice would have shattered their minds like glass. Slash helped her back to her feet and watched with concern as she once more closed her eyes and again attempted communication. I want to help you, grandfather. I know that those humans have done something to harm you, and I want to help you regain what you have lost.



Rayquaza screeched in rage and sliced a Hyper Beam over their hiding spot. [THERE IS A HUMAN WITH YOU, AND HIS MIND STINKS WITH THE LAUGHING MONSTER'S STENCH! LIARS!]



No, grandfather! The human you are sensing is my trainer...my friend! He and my fellow Pokemon will not try to harm you in any way! We only wish to aid you, but we do not know who or what has stolen your Heart, or even what your Heart really is. Please, tell us how we can help you.



There was a pause as Rayquaza clawed at Psymakio's mind, prying out her knowledge and reading it like he was pulling books from a shelf. She cried out and had to cling to Slash's arms to keep herself standing. Had Slash been able to feel her pain, he would have recognized the sensation as a much stronger version of Miyako's mind reading. [YOU CONSORT WITH HUMANS? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR BLOODLINE, CHILD, TO BETRAY YOUR OWN KIND BY LAYING WITH THEIRS?]



I did not forget or betray anything!



[THEN WHY?]



Because I love him! Psymakio shouted, and the forcefulness of her declaration had Slash and the other Pokemon ducking for cover, expecting a rain of Hyper Beams in response to her impudence. There was no attack, however; there was a long pause as Rayquaza glared at their hiding place, debating whether or not to blast them into bloody dust.



[SHOW YOURSELVES,] he finally commanded, rearing up like a cobra, a third of his body held above the ground. The pack slowly and carefully stepped out and into his view, keeping their bodies low and submissive. Slash kept his hands up and facing toward Rayquaza, trembling as the dragon's red gaze contemplated him. A few seconds of that was more than he could bear, and he dropped to his knees beside his Pokemon. Psymakio knelt by his side, bowing in submission, and placed a hand on top of her mate's. Her friends were barely able to move under Rayquaza's crushing aura, and even she felt like crying from the pressure, but she would have to deal with it...for all their sakes.



[A GARDEVOIR AND A HUMAN,] Rayquaza observed, much of the rage gone from his voice. [THOUGH THE TWO ARE SO CLOSELY CONNECTED, SUCH A MATING HAS ONLY SUCCESSFULLY OCCURRED A FEW TIMES IN ALL OF HISTORY. TELL ME, GARDEVOIR, WHY DOES YOUR BOND WITH THIS HUMAN FEEL LIKE THE FIRST BOND EVER FORGED BETWEEN YOUR TWO SPECIES...BETWEEN THE HEIRS OF THE ANCIENT ROYALTY, SO LONG AGO?]



I...I don't know why...but I know of whom you speak, grandfather. I have seen the Kingdom of old in my dreams. I have walked across the great bridge at midday, looking down on the city below. I have seen the great castle and the towering spire atop of it. I have seen the statue of the King at the castle's entrance. Psymakio rose her head and looked Rayquaza in the eye. And I have seen both the prince and princess of the Kingdom. I have even spoken to them.



[AND WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU, GARDEVOIR?]



That you would need our help. That is why we are here. Both to save your life and to dispel the veil of evil which cloaks this part of Hoenn.



Rayquaza slithered forward a bit and hissed at Slash. [AND THE HUMAN? WHY DOES HE STINK OF THE MONSTER?]



I...don't know. What is this monster which has harmed you so grievously, grandfather?



[THE LEADER OF THESE MARAUDING COWARDS AND THEIR TRAITOROUS POKEMON. THE HEARTLESS MAN WHO STOLE MY HEART!]



Psymakio's eyes widened. You mean...Archie!



"What is it?" Slash asked, looking up at her but otherwise remaining very still.



Archie is the monster Quiero was talking about! Team Aqua is behind Rayquaza's Heart being stolen! That's how they lured him here and weakened him!



"So there never was another dragon...we just misinterpreted it, and Aqua's behind this, too. What the hell did they do to fuck things up this badly?"



I don't know. She redirected her attention to Rayquaza. Grandfather, please include my friends in your communication. But I beg you, please be gentle with them...their minds are very fragile compared to mine.



[THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.] The dragon's mind-net was cast out over the entire pack, an unfamiliar but extremely powerful connection locking into each of their minds. He lowered his mental volume, aware of what would happen if someone unshielded were to fully feel his presence. [As the Gardevoir has told you, it is Team Aqua that has orchestrated my disability, along with the coming of the veil and the awakening of the volcano. They were once but petty thieves and saboteurs...ineffectual fools who, in their darkest nights, dreamed of wielding the power of my brother, the Lord of the Sea. Now, however, they are among the most dangerous beings on the planet. The entire world---perhaps all worlds---has been put in jeopardy by their greed and stupidity.]



"What have they done?" Slash asked, raising his head and hesitantly making eye contact with Rayquaza. "We need the truth, simple, plain, and quickly, because we're running out of time."



[Do not tell me something that I already know, human.]



He swallowed and nodded shakily. "Forgive me."



[You are forgiven. You truly are much like he was, long ago...quick-minded but impatient, sometimes courteous and sometimes curt...but enough of that. As you said, we are running out of time. Team Aqua is indeed behind all of this due to their theft of my Heart. The secret of my Heart is a closely guarded one, known only to the very few humans and Pokemon that I must tell in order to keep it safe. I thought that all records of my Heart from the days of the Kingdom had vanished, but it appears that I was wrong. The monster Archie, in one of his desperate and foolish attempts to locate and control my brother Kyogre, found an ancient document that spoke of my Heart. My Other.]



"Do you mean a mate?" Slash asked, eyes wide. Rayquaza glared at him and he stammered out an apology for interrupting.



[No, it is not a mate. My Heart is, in human parlance, an egg...but a very unique kind of egg. It does not give birth to my offspring, but rather to my next physical incarnation. You see, I am the only one of my kind, born in the earliest days of the world, and I am all but immortal. However, while my mind and spirit are ageless and eternal, my body must be periodically regenerated. Most of the ageless Great Ones must periodically refresh their bodies, though none of them do so as I do. When my current form nears maturity, I produce my Heart---this egg---which will hatch into my next body upon this body's death, taking in my spirit and giving me renewal.]



"Kind of like Ho-oh?" Slash asked. Seeing Gardevoir's confusion, he explained. "They say that Ho-oh is immortal, but that he dies every few centuries and catches ablaze, and he is reborn from his ashes as an infant to live another life."



[The principle is the same, yes. But my Heart is more than just a temporary receptacle for my next body...it contains part of my essence, a portion of my life energy. If the egg is destroyed before I die, I will die with it, and thus I will be gone from this world forever. Should that happen, the balance of the universe will tilt firmly in the direction of chaos, and the effects of the Shadow will increase exponentially. That must be prevented at all costs.]



"And Archie stole it. Does he know what it is? What it really is?"



[He believes that it is simply a normal egg that will hatch an infant of my kind someday. The fool also believes that it will hatch within his lifetime; in fact, my next natural age-death is still centuries away. He does know that stealing it weakens me, however. Archie's original plan was to use its theft to cripple me and lure me to Fallarbor, where they would capture me for their own designs. When they realized that I could slaughter them even in my debilitated state, they decided to kill me and keep the egg for themselves.]



Which he considers the next best thing, Psymakio said, disgusted. An infant Rayquaza that he can raise as an Aqua soldier. Even though he's mistaken about that, it's still barbaric. Why would the egg's theft weaken you, though?



[Because it is becoming corrupted.] Rayquaza hung his head and growled sadly. All traces of his former rage were gone now, replaced by a terrible sorrow. [Without the Sky Maiden watching over it and keeping it purified, my Heart has begun to wither and die.]



Sky Maiden?



[Long ago, before the days of the Kingdom...before the coming of modern humans or Pokemon...the renewal process was far more simple. All I had to do was generate my Heart and hide it for the millennia between its creation and my age-death. But a thousand years ago, when the Shadow manifested itself in the world and began tainting the world with its vile stench, I learned that my Heart was highly sensitive to the energies of corruption. It quickly began to corrupt and rot, even when the Shadow was sealed away, and I quickly began to weaken myself. The only way I was able to stop it was to make a pact with [......], the Greatest One; to keep my Heart from becoming corrupted, I would choose a human female with a pure heart and bond their life force with my own.]



Why a human girl?



[I do not know why the Greatest One required it to be so. I can only guess that he wished for me to have a closer connection to humans after the fall of man.]



Slash raised an eyebrow. "The fall of man? What do you mean?"



[Another story for another time. I bonded with this girl, the Sky Maiden, and she would watch after my Heart for her entire lifetime, keeping it close to her and maintaining its purity. So long as she did so, both herself and my Heart would remain absolutely immune to corruption. However, if the two are separated, or if the human becomes impure...or if she is killed...my Heart will begin to die, and I myself will die with it. I fear that something terrible has happened to the Sky Maiden. She must be located and saved from her predicament.]



"It's the little girl, isn't it?" Slash asked, suddenly understanding. "Katarina, the mayor's daughter. That's why you're tearing up the town, isn't it? You're trying to find her."



Rayquaza nodded. [Archie discovered my secret during his research of Kyogre, and he learned that I chose one of the more noble families that survived the Sealing to become my chosen guardians. He traced the lineage and learned that the family still exists today as the leadership of Fallarbor. He kidnapped Katarina and took my Heart for himself. I have been searching Fallarbor, tearing through the clusters of Aquas for more than a week now, but I have not found her, and time is growing short.]



"Could she have been killed?"



[No. I would sense it if she died, and the egg would be weakening far more rapidly if she had. Archie knows that Katarina is the last pure female in the bloodline and would not choose to kill her until the egg hatches, which he wrongly believes will happen soon. It is far more likely that he has taken her some distance from the egg to be held, hoping to use my weakness to kill me.]



"This might sound strange, but why don't you just...let them kill you? You'd be reborn, wouldn't you?"



[Normally yes, but the egg is too corrupted for that now. Unless Katarina is reunited with my Heart and purifies it once more, my death would simply take the egg with me. Archie is, of course, unaware of this, which is why I fear for Katarina's safety, if not her life. They may not kill her, but nothing is stopping them from hurting her. It was her fear and pain that drew my attention to Fallarbor.] Rayquaza drew to his full height, towering over the humbled pack, and the speechless Pokemon practically dug into the ground in their submission. [I have exterminated all of the Aqua camps on this side of town and found no trace of her. Tonight I will attack their primary base in the east and wipe out their verminous kind. I will find the Sky Maiden and save her from their clutches, no matter what the cost. All I ask is that you keep your heads down during the assault.]



Slash was about to agree when Psymakio stood and clasped her hands in a gesture of supplication. Please, grandfather, I beg you to wait one more night before attacking the camp.



[Why?]



You are very tired and very injured. Despite your great strength, a battle with hundreds of men and Pokemon could end disastrously for you. Katarina could also be killed in the crossfire, and if that happens...all is lost. I ask that you allow us one night to search for her before you attack. We have powerful allies waiting to meet up with us outside of town, and my mate can use his subterfuge to gain access to most of the Aqua camp. I know that we can find the girl or your Heart, perhaps even both.



[If you do not,] Rayquaza warned ominously, [then all of us will die. Chimney's time is rapidly drawing near. I could stop the eruption if I were at full strength, or at least lessen its effects...but as I am now, we will all by dead by this time tomorrow...myself, your pack, the Aquas, and every living creature within a hundred miles. And within six months, Hoenn will be covered in a dozen veils.]



I understand the consequences, grandfather. Will you allow us that one night, then?



The Lord of the Sky regarded Psymakio for a long moment, scanning her mind with a power far greater than mere progging. Was she truly the echo of the ancient princess, or was it merely coincidence that a Gardevoir had again intervened in his life? He turned his gaze upon her mate and felt a great power buried within him, something very old and very familiar. His crimson eyes widened as he realized that it was the Dark Core, the great relic of the King. They were the ones, all right. They were far younger than their predecessors had been, and the boy was even more unstable than Quiero, but their mating bond and possession of the Core was all the proof he needed. Many things had broken down since the Shadow's appearance, but fate, it seemed, was still intact. For the time being, at least.



[Very well. One night. But if I have no word from you by tomorrow afternoon, I will annihilate the camp and every living thing within it to find Katarina myself. I will not allow those monsters to get away with whatever cruelty they are inflicting upon her. And I will get my revenge upon Archie if it is the last thing I do.]



Psymakio nodded and bowed politely. Thank you, grandfather. We will not let you down.



[I believe you,] Rayquaza replied, and this was the truth. [I have exterminated the Nightmares in this half of the city, but there are still many of the beasts outside of town. They may swarm the city if they sense that I am continuing to weaken. Go with caution. ]



"We will," Slash said, rising to his feet. "Good luck, Rayquaza."



[And to you.]



As the pack rose to their feet and began heading back to the camp, the Lord of the Sky resumed his attack on the scattered groups of Aquas that were hunting him, hoping that he had made the right decision in trusting them. While they seemed so much like their predecessors, that was not necessarily a good thing.



After all, in the end, Quiero and Miyako had failed.



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



Light was fading when Slash's pack returned to Archie.



"Did you get a good look around town?"



"Yes," Slash replied. It was difficult to keep his Aqua Mask on with all of his new-found hate for Archie, but he managed. "We saw Rayquaza, too. He appears to be weakening very quickly. I don't think he'll last much longer."



"Is that so? Perhaps I should send a large contingent of soldiers after him tonight. We could ambush him in the dark and leave him for the beasts."



"That sounds like a good plan." Slash did, in fact, believe this to be a good plan. Rayquaza would have little trouble detecting and butchering any attackers with his sharp senses, and it would draw many Aquas away from the camp. "I don't think he'd fare very well against them. But won't the soldiers be disadvantaged at night too? Not many Pokemon can see in absolute darkness."



Archie reached into his desk and pulled out a small plastic box with the letters NV stamped on the top. Inside were a pair of red-tinted contacts and several bottles of what appeared to be eyedrops. "We travel prepared, I assure you. The contacts are for humans, the drops are for Pokemon. Both amplify light and allow you to see into the infrared. Your vision won't be as good as in daylight, and the ash makes the thermal imaging lousy, but you'll be able to find your way around, at least."



"Can humans use the eyedrops too?"



"Yes, but they sting like a son of a bitch, especially with the ash irritating your eyes, so I'd only use them if I lost my contacts. You'll find a couple boxes of the stuff in your tent, so keep them close at hand...the infected Pokemon sometimes come into town at night and raid our camp. We've lost a good number of men to them."



Slash nodded somberly, stifling a smile at the thought of Archie hacking up his lungs and rubbing his burning eyes. The night vision was an unexpected blessing; Slash had expected to stumble around in the dark, relying on Gardevoir's progging to find his way around. Now he and his entire pack, along with Flannery and her Pokemon, could work together to search for Katarina and the egg. "So, will I be included in your late-night attack wave, sir?"



"No, I'm just warning you about the monsters. Be at my tent at eight tomorrow morning. I'll assign you to a squad made up of some of my...better men...and you'll pick up where the nighttime wave left off. If Rayquaza isn't dead by morning, he'll certainly be injured and exhausted. Maybe you'll be the lucky one who finishes him off."



"That would be something to be proud of," Slash said, thinking to himself you heartless bastard, I hope I'm the one to finish YOU off. "I'll go find my tent and turn in early so I'll be ready tomorrow. And thanks for warning me about the monsters, we'll be careful."



The pack left Archie's tent and found their assigned quarters. They weren't the first to use their tent, but nobody else came to bunk with them; apparently the former occupants had already been killed in the line of duty. Slash found the night vision kits and briefly tested the contacts; in daylight they only made things take on a red hue, but when he threw a blanket over his head he found that he could make out the surface of the fabric fairly well. He chose not to test the eyedrops just yet, unsure of how they would affect him in light or how long their effects would last. After stocking the kits in his backpack, he set the alarm on his Pokenav and ordered everyone to get some sleep. They would need it.



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



The alarm went off half an hour before midnight, and Slash and his Pokemon rose quickly and quietly. The night was utterly dark, but it was not completely silent; the sounds of war carried even through the sound-flattening ash, chilling the pack with terrible mingled screams and thudding explosions. Archie had indeed ordered a late-night offensive against Rayquaza, and it didn't sound like it was going very well. While this was indeed part of their plan, and would surely aid them in their search for Rayquaza's Heart and Katarina, Slash couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at the knowledge that his suggestion to Archie was the source of those screams.



Trying to drown out his conscience with busywork, Slash put on the night vision contacts, replacing the void-like darkness with a bloody red haze. Confident that the pack would be able to travel reasonably well with this level of vision, he began applying the eyedrops to his Pokemon. It didn't hurt them as much as he had feared; Gardevoir's shields had protected their eyes from the abrasive sand and ash of their journey, and the chemical compound barely stung at all.



The pack stepped out into the frigid night air, scanning the camp for activity and adjusting to their new color-stripped vision. Very few Aquas were awake and out of their tents, just as they had hoped. They successfully escaped camp without detection and made their way the northern cliffside, following it and searching for Flannery's hiding spot. Psymakio led the group, using her psychic powers in addition to her night vision to keep a wary eye out for corrupted Pokemon. While they did not run across any, she sensed large groups of them hiding deeper in the mountains, quarreling amongst themselves as they waited for the Lord of the Sky to succumb.



They found the cave easily enough, a narrow crack in the cliffside that was barely large enough for the taller members of the pack to enter while standing up. Cacnea came waddling up to them as they pushed through the blanket covering the entrance, babbling wildly at Slash and Psymakio, clearly overjoyed to see them again. Psymakio knelt down and hoisted the child into her arms, soothing him with baby-talk as she and her friends huddled around the warm bodies of Magcargo and Torkoal. The powerful Fire Pokemon glowed brilliantly in their near-infrared vision.



He can be awfully feisty at night, she remarked to Flannery apologetically. He looks a bit pale...I guess it's because he's gone some time without moonlight. I hope he won't get sick before we get out of here.



Flannery smiled and shook her head. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. He sure hasn't been acting sick, judging from how much food he's eaten. He just misses his mommy."



Da, Cacnea added, reaching out for Slash. The young man smiled and knelt by Psymakio's side, sending a gentle wave of dark energy into the child's heart. Cacnea's eyes slipped half-closed as the energy filled him. While he would still need moonlight to be properly nourished, a little touch of darkness would suffice for the time being.



[How did you find your way here?] Blaziken asked. [I half expected you guys to get lost on the way here.]



Slash pulled the night vision kits from his pack and handed one of the boxes to Flannery. "You wear the contacts, your Pokemon use the eyedrops. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. We won't be restricted to moving in the daytime with these."



"Pokemon League technology," Flannery observed as she applied the drops to Torkoal and Magcargo. "It seems that the Aquas have been doing a little dealing on the black market. Possession of this equipment is illegal for non-League trainers and civilians."



"I doubt that bothers them much," Slash said dryly. "If we learned anything today, it's that Team Aqua is even more ruthless and cold-hearted than we originally thought. Stealing League technology is the least of their crimes."



After the packs settled down, Slash and Psymakio quickly recounted the day's discoveries, not leaving anything out. Flannery and Blaziken listened attentively as they described Archie's duplicity, their encounter with Rayquaza, and the ominous role that Team Aqua had played in the creation of this approaching catastrophe.



[So the sphere Rayquaza was looking for wasn't the Pearl after all,] Blaziken concluded. [That's a pretty big letdown. But since Kiako isn't aware of that...well even if he is, we'll still likely have him to contend with.]



Pushing down the rush of bile that accompanied hearing Kiako's name, Slash nodded. "That's true, but our primary objectives must be locating Katarina and recovering the egg. Kiako's a long-term threat to Hoenn, not an immediate one...and while the country can survive Chimney's eruption, there's no way it can survive the consequences of Rayquaza's death. Unless we save him, everything that we hope to prevent will happen far sooner than we can deal with." Clenching his fists, he added, "there's also the fact that an innocent child is being held prisoner by a bunch of criminals who aren't exactly high on the morality scale. I think our focus should be on finding her."



"The girl will probably be held somewhere away from the main camp," Flannery guessed. "Far enough to screw up the purification of the egg but close enough to keep an eye on her. We should start by checking out the isolated tents near the southern edge of the camp. That's probably where they're storing their supplies and anything else they don't want damaged if Rayquaza attacks the main camp."



Slash nodded. "Good idea. You should leave Magcargo and Torkoal here, since their heat signatures would give us away if they came with us. They can protect Cacnea and keep an eye out for Kiako, should he come by this way."



[No! Ma! Da!] Cacnea cried, squirming in Gardevoir's arms. She calmed him with a soft touch of hypnosis, not putting the child to sleep but merely filling him with drowsiness. It wouldn't last long, but hopefully it would be enough to quiet him before his cries attracted any of the lurking corrupted Pokemon in the area.



I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we need to go back into town. There are bad men with mean Pokemon there, so it's too dangerous to take you with us. Flannery's friends will stay with you, so you can play quietly with them, alright?



He whined sadly, hiding his face in Psymakio's chest. Slash, still connected to Cacnea's dark heart after "feeding" him, realized with a start that the child felt like he was being abandoned. He didn't know much about Cacturne behavior (other than what he'd experienced first-hand), but he suspected that young Cacnea were always brought along with the pack, regardless of the danger; however, in a number of species that lived in harsh environments, weaker children were often abandoned to give the stronger offspring a better chance of survival. Even if Cacturne weren't one of those species, Slash could see how Cacnea could felt neglected, being shoved aside whenever things got hot.



"I wish I could bring you with us," he said honestly, "but I can't risk you getting hurt. It's not just because there are lots of enemies there, either. We won't be able to fight to our fullest potential if we have to worry about your safety. Against these enemies, such a weakness might be fatal to the entire pack, not just you."



[Ma?] Cacnea asked sadly, clutching Psymakio with his stubby arms. He wanted her to stay with him instead of Flannery's still-unfamiliar Pokemon.



"I know you want her to stay, little guy, but I need her and the others to come with me. Your daddy isn't strong enough to deal with this by himself."



Cacnea gave a questioning whine; despite the vast difference in power between his parents, he was far more mesmerized by Slash's power than Psymakio's. The dark energy in his father's heart was far greater than that of anything he'd felt in his short life. It was even greater than the distorted dark power within the corrupted Skarmory, and unlike that monster's foul aura, the silky purity of the Dark Core never made him tremble in fear. It was, in fact, comforting to be connected to that power. It made him feel safe. Cacnea could not imagine his father being incapable of handling a threat on his own with such abilities.



Slash frowned and mulled over ways of explaining his weakness to the child. He couldn't outright tell him that he was ridiculously frail compared to the other Pokemon without losing Cacnea's confidence, but he couldn't lie and pretend to be on equal standing, either. "Cacnea, no matter how strong one is, you can't always fight alone. We all have different abilities...our own strengths and weaknesses...and sometimes your own abilities simply won't be enough against a certain obstacle. Sometimes the entire pack must work together to ensure each other's safety. I know that it must be frustrating, having to stay out of battle while the rest of us fight, but one day you'll be able to fight alongside us and protect us with your own gifts."



[Cac?]



"I'll tell you what...if you behave while we're gone, I'll start teaching you how to fight when this mess is over, okay? The sooner you start learning, the sooner you'll be able to come with us during the dangerous stuff."



Cacnea's trembling frown was replaced by a toothless smile, the sight of it warming Psymakio's heart. Slash didn't know it, but he'd just done something her own father had done many times, promising excursions and training in exchange for good behavior while he went on the hunt. After all that Cacnea had been through, he deserved to have some fun, and she certainly had no objections to him learning how to defend himself at a young age. It would only be a month or so until his spines starting growing in, and then he'd be able to protect himself from lesser predators, at least.



Alright then, Slash and I are trusting you to be good while we're gone and listen to Magcargo and Torkoal. Play with them quietly and listen to what they tell you. And if any fighting has to be done, stay back and let them take care of it. After securing Cacnea's promise, she gently kissed his head and placed him between the two fire Pokemon, reminding the child not to sneak up on them and cause them to flare up. When this was done, she climbed back to her feet and nodded at Slash. Okay, I guess we're ready to go.



"Alright."



After setting aside enough food and water to sustain the three who were staying behind, the group slipped out of the cave and into the night.



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



The supply area for the Aqua command center was a large but diffuse gathering of tents to the south, built along the cliffs and gorges for protection. Guards made rounds of the poorly maintained paths between the structures, but they were few in number and all of them looked tired and miserable. Slash's pack walked confidently along the paths, not trying to hide, and none of the guards bothered to harass him once they saw the badge on his shirt; none seemed to have the energy. Flannery and Blaziken followed some distance behind, traveling off the main paths and staying out of view of any of the guards, Psymakio telepathically advising Blaziken when a patrol started heading their way.



Slash casually glanced into each of the opened tents he passed, but he saw nothing inside any of them but crates and boxes. Some appeared to be stocks of food and water. Others appeared to contain medicine and sophisticated medical equipment, some of the same grade one would find in hospitals and Pokemon Centers. He was tempted to ask Flannery to snatch a few things, but the guard, while weary and light, was not light enough to warrant the risk of losing his cover or getting captured.



They wandered the supply base for the better part of an hour, clearing it one sector at a time, not finding any sign of Katarina. There was no sign of any prisoners being held at all. Slash thought about stopping a guard and inquiring about whether or not they had any prisoners, and where they were held if they did, but he quickly decided against it. Archie had not wanted him to know about the girl, and asking questions about information above his clearance level could cause unnecessary complications. Slash was about to suggest going back and searching the command center when Psymakio told him that Flannery and Blaziken had been ambushed.



Slash nodded slightly and continued walking as though nothing was wrong, aware of the guards around him and hoping that the communications blackout extended to radios and walkie-talkies. When several minutes passed and no alarm was sounded, he led the pack back towards the lesser-guarded food storage section of the compound, waiting for them to be alone before darting between the tents and back into the rough-sloped wilds. By the time they reached Flannery the situation was already under control; several dead Pokemon lay in the ash around the body of a single Aqua grunt. The man's neck appeared to be broken. Some sort of unfamiliar device was near his twisted hand.



[I wish we could have taken him alive,] Blaziken said quietly, [but they attacked us very hard and very fast. Nothing I couldn't handle, but I had to use my fighting skills instead of flame, so I took a few hits in the process. And then the Aqua tried to grab Flannery for a hostage, and I...got a little protective. Sorry.]



"Ain't got nothing to apologize for," Slash assured him. "I would have done the same thing if someone laid a hand on my mate. Why didn't me or Psymakio sense him sneaking up on you, though?"



Flannery bent over and picked up the device near the man's body. It was a small black earpiece, similar to the power scanner that Kiako wore, but it had an inch-long antenna jutting from the top instead of a computer screen over the eye. Psymakio frowned as she realized that not only could she not prog the device, she also could not prog Flannery and a small area around her. It's some sort of jamming device. I can't read it with my powers at all...it's like it's not even there.



[There's a bubble of dark energy around it,] Crawdaunt said, walking up and sticking a claw into the affected area. [It's pretty weak by Pokemon standards. It's not putting out anywhere near as much power as a Dark-type can, but it'd be more than enough to scramble low-level psychic energy. A Psybeam might get through the bubble, but not progging.]



Flannery carefully examined the device before tossing it to Slash. "This looks like a variant of the psychic dampeners that the Rockets use. This model is certainly inferior to theirs...the Rocket dampeners can block Psychic energy completely, not just progging...but it's still very sophisticated technology. I doubt the Aquas could develop it on their own. Do you think the two organizations could be working together?"



Slash shook his head without hesitation. "No way. Kiako definitely wasn't faking it when he killed Aqua agents in Slateport, and Archie seemed legitimately pissed at him. Unless Giovanni is conducting business behind Kiako's back, I highly doubt that the two teams are cooperating."



[If the Aquas possess this sort of technology, it might not be limited to personnel,] Blaziken pointed out. [They might be able to protect installations from psychic scanning, as well. Perhaps the girl is being shielded in such a manner. Slash, could you detect this technology if you were actively looking for it?]



"Crawdaunt and I would both be able to, but I don't think Katarina's being held in the supply base. We found nothing unusual...no other prisoners, no shouts for help, no disproportionate guard numbers. And while I have to 'switch on' my dark progging to use it, Crawdaunt doesn't, and he didn't detect anything weird."



[We haven't checked the isolated tents along the ravine. If they're trying to hide something from a lot of their own guys, they might not go for the 'hide in plain sight' idea. Perhaps the dampeners hinder the corrupted Pokemon's ability to detect them, as well.]



"Alright, we'll check those next. Let's head away from the base a bit so the guards can't see us, and then we'll all go check them out together. I don't think it's safe to split up when they've got psychically cloaked watchmen hanging around, even if it increases the chance of losing my cover. Graveler, Crawdaunt, go haul the bodies over to the cliff and dump them. The guards might notice their absence eventually, but let's try to prolong that as much as we can."



Once the corpses had been hidden from sight, the group headed towards the deep ravine that made up much of the southern border of the city. The constant tremors from Chimney had taken their toll, collapsing large lengths of the ravine in on itself. While crossing the unstable ground was risky, the lack of guards and distance from the main supply base was to their advantage; no guards, psychically cloaked or otherwise, harassed them as they approached the first tent.



[You were right, Blaziken, there's definitely dark energy surrounding it,] Crawdaunt said as they cautiously approached. Hearing no signs of life, he and Blaziken crept toward the entrance and peeked inside. [No one. Just a cache of Pokeballs.]



"Empty?"



[No, they're occupied. Mightyena, Golbat, Wailmer...typical Aqua Pokemon. Should we steal some? Maybe dump them into the canyon?]



"No!" Slash said, alarmed that Crawdaunt would suggest such a thing...and that part of his mind argued that it'd be practical to do so. "We don't kill defenseless Pokemon, even if they do belong to the enemy. Stealing them would be pointless, since they've already been trained by the Aquas and wouldn't follow our orders. Just...leave them be. Do you see the source of the dampener?"



Blaziken nodded. [Yeah, it's a little box stuck on a pole in the middle of the tent. I think it might be connected to an alarm, though. Removing or destroying it might trigger an alert.]



"Okay then, forget about it. Let's check the next tent."



They passed several more isolated structures, all stocked with the more valuable supplies of the Aquas---explosives, enhancement devices, more reserve Pokemon---but no sign of prisoners. All were protected by psychic dampeners, and a few (mainly the ones with explosives) had guards and toughened Pokemon inside. Aware of his lack of security clearance and not wanting to risk his pack getting injured unnecessarily, Slash did not try to confront the Aquas stationed there. He and Flannery carefully sneaked by, staying low and crawling through the heat-blocking ash to evade being detected by night vision.



After another hour of stealthy reconnaissance, Slash stopped in his tracks and motioned at a small structure about a quarter of a mile ahead of them, completely isolated and built on slightly more stable ground. "I sense something. Behind the dampener. It feels like...pain. And fear." He frowned as he added, "I'm also detecting traces of corruption. More than one source. Including at least one creature that's fully corrupted."



"I've got a bad feeling about this," Flannery said, taking a step closer to Blaziken. "If there's something corrupted inside, and it's not destroying the building, then what the heck could be going on?"



[I'll scout ahead,] Blaziken suggested. Seeing the worried look on his mate's face, he turned to Slash's Pokemon and added, [Manectric, come with me and back me up. We cover each other's weaknesses pretty well.]



[Alright. Let's go.]



The two Pokemon ran off, staying close to the ravine to avoid being seen. The others followed closely behind, keeping their senses alert in case something jumped out and tried to attack. Psymakio sensed other corrupted Pokemon deeper in the mountains, but none appeared to be heading their way. She strained her eyes and watched as Blaziken and Manectric reached the building, a hastily constructed thing of wood walls and canvas roof. They carefully approached the front side, staying low as they moved in. Suddenly Manectric cocked his head, apparently hearing something from inside. Instead of coming back to inform the group, Blaziken kicked the door in with a burst of bright fire, and the two Pokemon rushed in, roaring in outrage.



"Shit, something's wrong," Flannery yelled, breaking into a run as flashes of flame and electricity tore out of the sides of the building, followed by human shouting and cries of fear. The others quickly followed her, running through the deep ash without any concern over being spotted, only aware that two of their packmates were locked in combat and needed help. Flannery reached the door first, running in without checking to see what was inside. Slash and Psymakio arrived only a few seconds after, the other Pokemon right behind them. They stood motionless at the doorway, too shocked to move, shivering with horror and anger.



The building was long and narrow, presumably built to serve as barracks; now it seemed to serve as a prison. There were six cells in all, three on each side, with heavy iron bars and concrete walls between them and the building's wooden superstructure. None of them were empty. Two humans were in the cells nearest to the door. The one in the left cell was half-corrupted, clearly insane and mindlessly banging his bloodied head against the bars. The human in the right cell had completed the corruption process. He was writhing around on the floor like a snake, his legs fused together, arms black and gangrenous, his jaws propped open so widely that the cheeks had torn. A deformed hand appeared to be growing out of the roof of his cavernous mouth, flapping widely as though attempting to shoo food down his swollen throat.



Pokemon were in the other four cells, but three of them were dead. The only survivor was a half-corrupted Mightyena, barking at the intruders in outrage. All of its legs chained to the ground, another shackle around its neck. It pulled at the chains so hard that its fur was matted with blood.



But worst of all was the scene at the end of the building. Three Aqua soldiers and half a dozen non-corrupted Pokemon were dead on the floor, their bodies scorched with flame and ripped apart by thunder. Blaziken and Manectric had attacked them with a fury that Slash and Flannery would not have believed either capable of, had they not noticed the little girl chained to the tabletop in the middle of the ring of corpses. She was bruised, thin as a twig, and naked. Her thighs were smeared with blood. The situation was obvious.



"Blaze," Flannery called out softly, acutely aware of the rage flowing through her mate and not wanting to startle him. "Okay, Blaze, come back to me."



Manectric moved before Blaziken did, walking back to Slash with a wavering and almost drunken lack of balance. He absently licked the blood from his fangs, his eyes haunted. [Slash...they were...]



"I know," the boy replied icily, fists clenched by his side. Psymakio could sense that Slash's anger and disgust was even greater than that of the Pokemon's, and he was just barely able to keep his fury in control. She took his hand, gently unwrapping his fist and slipping her fingers through his. He did not squeeze back, only staring at the girl with hard eyes and a blank expression on his face.



Blaziken looked down at the bodies and the girl for a long moment, the building silent except for the grating barks of the distorted Mightyena. He suddenly extended a hand at the creature's cell, not bothering to look at it, and filled the cell with fire, killing the Mightyena instantly. After several more seconds of tense quiet, he turned back to Flannery, his fierce eyes shimmering with barely-restrained tears. [The girl...she needs assistance. I don't know how to help her.]



Flannery and Psymakio ran to the table, working to free the girl from the bindings. Slash stood motionless, feeling like he was floating helplessly in his own anger and hatred, as though the loss of physical contact with his mate had set him adrift. He didn't really notice as Manectric slowly sauntered past him and slipped out the door, sitting against the side of the building and staring into the hazy wasteland. Growlithe quickly followed to talk to him, leaving Slash alone with Graveler and Crawdaunt.



[Bastards,] Crawdaunt said suddenly, glaring at the Aqua corpses on the floor. [Filthy, disgusting bastards.]



Graveler only nodded, not sure of what else to say. He had thought that nature was rough and violent, and had grown up fighting to stay alive and hating every minute of it, but something like...like this...it was all but absent in the Pokemon world. Eating other sentient beings to survive, while brutal, was nature, but this? No species of Pokemon that he was aware of took others against their will, and an individual that did would be quickly killed by its own kind. The concept of rape was a very human concept, and it sickened him.



There was a loud clatter as loose chains fell against the side of the table. "You can get up now," Flannery said kindly, but there was no reply. She had expected the child to bolt once freed, but Katarina---for this was surely her---merely laid motionless, eyes tightly shut. Blaziken reached out to help her sit up, but Flannery stopped him and said something too low for Slash to hear. The fire Pokemon nodded and went to join Slash and his Pokemon at the door.



[Flannery thinks it'd be best if we stayed back for a while,] he told him quietly. [She's not sure if having us adult males around would frighten her further, but...it's best to be careful. It looks like the girl's been...taken...many times, and not always by humans.]



"They even put their Pokemon to her?" Slash asked bitterly, the hand Psymakio had held once again clenching up. "What kind of...how could they...dammit. When you two found her, were they..."



[Yes.]



They stood together silently, finding the sight of the two tainted human specimens in the cells less disturbing than watching their mates help the little girl off the table and check her injuries. Manectric and Growlithe eventually came back inside, both profoundly disturbed by what they'd seen. Blaziken repeated Flannery's request to them and the six males stood together in uncomfortable silence.



"Hey guys, it's my shift now," a voice said from outside, approaching quickly. "I've been waiting all day for a crack at her."



The girl froze, huddling behind Flannery and Psymakio. An Aqua walked in, an eager smile plastered on his face, stopping cold as he noticed the unfamiliar Pokemon and the corpses of the other guards. "Hey, what the fuck is going---"



Crawdaunt grabbed the man and slammed him against the bars of the nearest cell, startling the snake-man and making it hiss angrily. Powerful pincers squeezed down on his arms until they started to crack, and none of the males felt any sympathy when the Aqua began screaming in agony.



"Let me the fuck go!"



He tried to reach for a knife on his belt, but Slash slipped under Crawdaunt's arms and threw the blade aside. His rage overflowing, he kicked the man in the crotch as hard as he could, making him collapse limply in the Pokemon's grip. Katarina finally screamed, clutching Flannery and Psymakio's legs, and Slash turned to them, eyes blazing. "Get her out of here, all of you! Put her on Manectric and bring her to the cave as fast as you can! Crawdaunt, you're with me!"



Flannery shook her head. "Slash, you can't stay here! There might be more guards coming---"



"Crawdaunt and I will take care of this place and anyone else who comes here. We can handle a few grunts, easy. And we'll...interrogate this son of a bitch, since he's clearly aware of what's going on in the darker ranks of Team Aqua. We'll catch up."



Psymakio flinched at the anger she felt flowing from Slash's heart. Even though it wasn't directed at her, it was nonetheless frightening. I'm staying with you too, master. Just in case---



"No. The girl needs immediate medical attention, and having someone capable of reading minds will help her greatly. Go back with Flannery and take care of her. We'll be able to get to the cave just fine."



She knew the real reason, of course. Slash was planning to hurt this man, likely kill him, and didn't want her around to watch him do it. Perhaps he thought she would not approve of hurting a living being in cold blood, but he would be wrong; nothing in her life had outraged her as much as finding this little girl suffering at the hands of those monsters, and she was tempted to crush the grunt's mind herself. She couldn't care less about this bastard's fate; she was much more concerned with Slash's well-being. If he lost control...if his RAGE door were to break...what would that mean for him? For everyone? Would his corruption dramatically speed up, perhaps turning him as mad as the head-banger in the cell behind them? Or worse, into the snake-man in the cell in front of them?



She didn't want to leave him alone, but he was right; the girl's health and sanity had to come first. Also, she could feel Slash's heart, and knew that he would not be swayed by words or tears, even those of his mate. He would stay and punish this man no matter who asked him to do otherwise.



I'll go, master, but I want you to make a promise to me...promise me that whatever you do, you'll remain in control of yourself. You remember what I told you earlier, about needing to remain in control, right? Promise me that you'll restrain your rage. Even if he deserves far worse for his actions, you cannot allow yourself to lose control.



"Fine."



No, not fine. Not good enough. Swear it. Swear by your love for me.



He stared back at her, seeing nothing but seriousness in her eyes. Regardless of being her trainer and mate, she would not leave unless he did so, orders be damned; in that way she was just as stubborn as he was. Feeling the rage door in his mind straining against its hinges, he realized that she was right to worry. He closed his eyes, trying to clear the fury swirling around his heart, and finally nodded back at her. "I swear it by my love for you. I will...make every effort to remain in control."



For a moment Gardevoir lingered, unsure if she should leave despite Slash's vow, but the girl's whimpering at the sight of the Aqua decided her. She and Flannery carefully led her the little girl towards the door, shielding her from the man's sight with their bodies, and set her on top of Manectric. Thankfully, despite her ordeal, she did not seem to be afraid of the Pokemon, perhaps because he was nearly as shell-shocked as she was. Slash waited until they and the others were out of sight before telling Crawdaunt to drop the man onto the floor. He closed his eyes and focused on the bubble of dark energy around the building, pouring his own power into it. The field suddenly became solid and opaque, turning from a mere psychic-radar scrambler into a powerful barrier, through which no light or sound or living things could pass.



Confident that they would not be interrupted, Slash turned and faced the huddled monster who had come so eagerly for his "shift".



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



"Get up."



The Aqua looked up at him, mostly anger in his eyes instead of fear. That would have to change.



"I said get up, you piece of shit."



"Fuck you, kid."



"Crawdaunt."



The Pokemon grabbed the man's arms again, pulling him roughly to his feet. He struggled for a moment, but Crawdaunt's grip was unbreakable. Slash took deep, deliberate breaths, counting silently in his head to take his full attention off of the Aqua. Now he understood what Rayquaza had meant about the 'stench' of the Aquas---there was a sort of wave coming off of him, the psychic equivalent of smell, and Slash could detect all the evil actions that this Aqua had ever committed simply by breathing it in. There were other cases of rape, but the girl had been the first child he'd taken...but she would very likely not be the last, if he was allowed to live; he had enjoyed it far too much.



Slash's RAGE door began to tremble again, but he quickly clamped down on it before it could get out of hand. He had sworn to his mate that he would remain in control. He would do his best to fulfill that oath to her. But that did not mean that he would show any mercy.



"Crawdaunt, if I tell you to rip this bastard's arms off, will you do it?"



[Yes. In a heartbeat.] He squeezed his claws tighter to prove his point, making the Aqua cry out in pain and cease his futile attempts to break free. [He lost the right to his arms the first time he touched the girl. Now having arms is only a privilege.]



"Good. Now, what's your name?"



"Bruce Pratchett, Sergeant First Class, serial number 0141---"



Slash laughed, startling the man and shutting him up. "You think that you're a prisoner? That's...really quite funny. You are not being held by the military, nor by Team Aqua, nor by the Pokemon League. You're being held by me, and I assure you, you have a lot more to worry about with me than you would with any of them. This is an interrogation, and if I don't get my answers, I will tell my Pokemon to take your arms off. He can do it, you know. Easily. I've seen him almost pull a Skarmory's wings off. A corrupted Skarmory, like one of those." He gestured to the corpse of one of the tainted Pokemon---"Nightmares", Rayquaza had called them, and the term was appropriate. "Hm, if I were to do that, you might be able to fit in that snake-man's mouth. He does look hungry, after all."



Bruce started shaking in Crawdaunt's grip, finally realizing the seriousness of his situation. He had not thought that this kid could possibly be as brutal as he pretended to be; surely he would chicken out of actually killing him. But the kid's eyes...his laugh, with no sign of being forced or faked...they suggested otherwise. They suggested that he was in the presence of someone as ruthless and vicious as Archie.



"I have three questions for you. If you answer them all honestly and without hesitation, I will tell my Crawdaunt to release you. If I don't like the answers I'm hearing...well, if that's the case, may heaven help you...because I won't. Do I make myself clear?"



"Yes, yes! Just get your monster off of me!"



Slash's eyes flickered coldly. "You're in no position to make any demands, so shut your damn mouth. Here's my first question. What is the purpose of locking these monsters up? What are you trying to do with them?"



The Aqua looked across the room, staring at the half-mad man who was still clanging his skull against the bars. The corruption lines had almost reached his heart. Crawdaunt gave a warning squeeze to get him talking. "Archie wanted to...do a little research. We started killing anyone who showed signs of infection, but we were losing too many men and Pokemon to this disease...so he had us lock up a few people and Pokemon who were in the early stages. We were trying to figure out how it's transmitted, and how long it takes the process to complete."



Slash noticed a clipboard laying atop a desk on the other side of the room. Grimacing as he passed the table that Katarina had been strapped to, he picked it up and examined the first sheet of paper clamped in its jaws.



SUBJECT 001: TENTACOOL (0021-205)

Stage One manifestation: OCT 1, 00:12

Stage Two manifestation: 11 HOURS

Stage Three manifestation: 19 HOURS

Stage Four manifestation: 24 HOURS

Stage Five manifestation: 39 HOURS

Death: 43 HOURS, due to brain hemorrhage

Physical mutations included sensors transforming into additional eyes, clamping claws developing on tentacles, and venom progressing from merely corrosive to actively neurotoxic. Subject's death was due to poisoning of its own water supply; had it been in a larger body of water instead of a confinement tank, subject may have survived at post-Stage Three status for 72 hours or more before death.



SUBJECT 002: MIGHTYENA (0015-821)

Stage One manifestation: SEPT 27, 14:21

Stage Two manifestation: 28 HOURS

Stage Three manifestation: NOT YET ATTAINED

Subject has remained at Stage Two for an unprecedented length of time without exhibiting physical mutations, despite its lines reaching its heart, and has exhibited only minimal mental deterioration beyond effects associated with involuntary confinement. Unknown why mutation is progressing so slowly compared to other specimens.



SUBJECT 003: WAILMER (0023-301)

Stage One manifestation: SEPT 29, 05:32

Stage Two manifestation: 14 HOURS

Stage Three manifestation: 22 HOURS...



Slash skimmed down to the humans, then threw the clipboard aside in disgust as he read that the headbanger man's mental state was due to an attempted lobotomy, not the corruption process. Apparently humans often became aggressive as the corruption progressed and Archie had been seeking ways to limit this effect, even if it crippled the human in the process.



There was no apparent pattern discernible in the six subjects they'd been researching. The fastest case had taken less than one day to go from completely normal to fully transformed. The Mightyena had remained relatively unchanged after more than a week. They didn't even have the benefit of learning anything from this twisted study other than that corruption could happen very quickly or, as in his own case, rather slowly. He glanced at the fully corrupted snake-man, who was crawling around its cage in a lazy circle, humping and rolling like a dying worm. The chart listed it as being in "Stage Five", which Slash surmised was the stage when the mutations began to become more harmful than helpful. Slash did not plan on leaving any of these pitiable creatures alive when he was done here.



"You're monsters," he said to the Aqua matter-of-factly. "All of you. Locking them up like this instead of putting them out of their misery...it's disgusting, and you deserve to be thrown in a cage with them. But hey, maybe you'll still luck out if you keep answering nicely. Next question. These psychic-blockers that you've got...where did you get them? Aqua is nowhere near advanced enough to come up with such technology on their own."



"I don't know where they came from."



Slash nodded at Crawdaunt, who clamped down hard enough to fracture the bones. Bruce screamed, flailing wildly in the Pokemon's grip, but his struggles were useless. Crawdaunt once again thrust him against the snake-man's cell, causing the Nightmare inside to slither over and try to bite the Aqua through the bars.



"I swear, kid, I don't know! Please stop!"



"Turn him around."



Crawdaunt released Bruce and spun him around before he could escape, grabbing him by his broken arms and pushing him into the bars. He was face-to-face with the snake-man, so close that he could feel the mostly human tongue lapping hungrily at his cheek. The long fangs scratched at his cheeks as the monster tried to figure out how to bite him through the bars.



"I don't know!" Bruce screamed, trying to kick the Nightmare through the bars despite the pain in his arms. "For fuck's sake, let me go! Please!"



Slash waited until the snake-man's fangs had scratched bloody red tracks in the Aqua's face before telling Crawdaunt to pull him away from the cell. Bruce was still screaming as he was dragged to the middle of the room. He appeared to have wet himself. Slash waited for him to become coherent before informing him that he believed him.



"Now, Bruce, I have one last question for you. Remember, if I like your answer, I will release you. If I don't..." He trailed off, letting the Aqua's mind conjure up possibilities, many of which involved the monster that hissed at him from the cell. Bruce slumped in Crawdaunt's grip, defeated, cheeks burning with humiliation, and nodded. Slash walked over to him and whispered the question in his ear.



"Did you like raping her, you son of a bitch?"



The Aqua began thrashing now, low moans of fear pouring unbidden from his mouth as he realized that Slash had never planned to release him, not even if he had spilled out Team Aqua's entire agenda. Crawdaunt held him in his iron grip as Slash stepped back and pulled off his left glove, exposing the corruption lines that now reached halfway down the back of his hand. Bruce began screaming madly the moment he saw them, pleading for mercy and shrieking for help, but not so much as a whisper passed through the solid barrier around the building. Slash smiled humorlessly, his RAGE door tightly shut but his dark heart pulsing wildly, pulsing in sync with the Dark Core, and he gave one last order to Crawdaunt.



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



As Flannery's Pokenav discreetly chirped to signify the third hour of the new day, Slash and Crawdaunt returned to the cave. Psymakio, who had been regretting her decision to leave Slash behind more and more with each minute that passed, ran outside to meet them. Slash's shirt was heavy with half-dried blood, and Crawdaunt's claws appeared to have hair stuck in their jagged edges.



What did you learn from him? Psymakio asked, trembling as Slash looked at her with those faintly glowing eyes. The limited vision and the red-tinted contacts made him look eerily like Kiako. He stared back at her for a long moment, trying to decide what to say. She realized with a touch of horror that the Dark Core had almost doubled in power since they parted. That Slash's RAGE door had remained closed was of little comfort.



"Nothing useful," Slash finally said, his face blank, and Psymakio did not dare try to prog his mind to learn if this was the truth. "Right, Crawdaunt?"



[Right.]



Psymakio shivered, not liking the way the two were looking at each other, as though they were covering up some dark secret. She was about to ask Slash what he'd done with the Aqua when Flannery came out of the cave, her face somber.



"How's the girl doing?" Slash asked, all traces of that dark nonchalance quickly disappearing and replaced by sad sympathy. (At least he's burnt out all his anger,) Psymakio thought to herself, gripping one of his glove-covered hands. She thought she felt something cold underneath the fabric, but perhaps it was simply her imagination.



"About as well as you'd expect, considering what she's been through at her age. She's not talking to any of us. She's not even crying or yelling or anything. She's just...sitting there."



Slash nodded, apparently not surprised. "How's she handling having all those male Pokemon around her?"



"Fairly well, but I'm having the guys stay away from her, just in case. Me, Psymakio, and Magcargo are handling the treatment and trying to get her to say something." Flannery clenched her fists and exhaled angrily. "She's...injured, Slash. I can't treat those kind of wounds myself, and there's not much else I can do for her out here. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible."



"Yeah. I know."



We're pretty sure that she really is Katarina, Psymakio said. She responded to the name when Flannery called her by it. I know that she's been through a horrible experience, but we still need to find Rayquaza's Heart and get it back to her, and soon. The tremors have been picking up, and Blaziken thinks the volcano could erupt any time now.



"Then we have even more reason to hurry." Slash walked in, finding his Pokemon, Blaziken, and Torkoal sitting quietly on one side of the cave, with Katarina and Magcargo on the other. Cacnea was sleeping. Flannery told him that he'd been sleeping ever since they returned, and that was surely a blessing. Slash withdrew the child into his Pokeball, activating the limited stasis mode despite the drain it would put on the ball's limited power reserves. He did not want Cacnea to be witness to this.



He released Gardevoir's hand and slowly approached Katarina, who was sitting with her knees in her hands in the far corner of the cave. With no clothes her size, Flannery had given the girl one of her own shirts, and the clothing barely hung on to child's much smaller body. Under other circumstances, it might have looked cute or comedic. Slash, however, found absolutely nothing funny about this. Nothing at all. He knelt next to her, keeping his hands near his side.



Psymakio didn't know what she expected him to say. "I killed the ones who hurt you," perhaps, or "it's not your fault". Maybe a promise that it would never happen again. Instead he stared down at the ground and quietly told her that he needed her help. Katarina looked up at him, childish eyes wide with surprise and red with tears. Psymakio suddenly realized that Slash might have been in this same position before, kneeling before a young, frightened girl who had been through something horrible. His cousin, after all, had been through the same kind of ordeal as Katarina.



"You're the Sky Maiden, right?" Slash asked, still not meeting her gaze. "The one Rayquaza chose to guard his Heart and keep it purified." No response, which Slash took as an affirmative. "I need your help. Rayquaza is quickly losing his strength. If his Heart is not purified soon, he will die, and the entire region, from Fallarbor to Lavaridge, will be destroyed...and the ripples of that destruction will spread over Hoenn, causing a chain of disasters that will eventually destroy the world. You...you know this, don't you?"



He raised his eyes and found the girl nodding at him, and he again glanced away before the sight could drive him to tears. "Then please...I need to know where the Heart is. I know it's difficult...and I know it's unfair to ask you to remain strong after all of this...but please, if you know where they're keeping it, tell me and my friends. Time's running out."



"Archie has it," Katarina said, her voice small and hurt. The sound of it echoing in the narrow cave, sounding even smaller than it was from the girl's mouth, was enough to break everyone's hearts. Now the tears which had merely been swimming in her eyes began to pour down her cheeks, and she added with a sob, "it doesn't matter, though. Even if you get it back, it's useless. I'm...tainted. I can't keep it pure anymore. Rayquaza's going to die."



"No," Flannery said firmly, squeezing Blaziken's hand and drawing on his strength to keep her own tears at bay. "You're not tainted by what happened. Being...having that happen to you...it was not your fault. As awful as it was, none of their evil brushed off on you."



"You're wrong! It doesn't matter what humans think of it, that's how it works!" she cried. "I've been touched by evil. Whether by choice or not...it doesn't matter at all. I am no longer the Sky Maiden. I can't keep him...pure anymore. And my family is gone...I'm the last one left...there isn't even anyone who can take my place!"



Slash clenched his fists, his RAGE door finally slipping out of his control and straining against its hinges. He had a strong urge to find Rayquaza and tell the dragon to go fuck himself, having put such an unfair spell on this little girl. Or perhaps find the Greatest One that Rayquaza had mentioned and spit in his face for having made such horrible rules for this Maidenship.



"Must the Sky Maiden be from your family?" Flannery asked suddenly, startling Katarina out of her tears. "From your bloodline?"



"No, but...we're the only family Rayquaza has trusted with this knowledge. We are forbidden to tell anyone of our bloodline's sacred tradition."



"We already know about it, though. Must she..." She hesitated, but realized that there was no way to get around asking it. "Must she be a...virgin?"



"The only requirements are that the girl must be pure in spirit...and never been..." Despite her traumatic ordeal, Katarina blushed as she finished, "...never been touched except in love."



Blaziken's eyes widened as he understood what his mate was getting at. [Flannery...you're not considering...]



"It's alright, Blaze." Flannery turned to Slash and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Slash. I wanted to join you on your quest, but it looks like I might not be able to. Katarina...if we can't find someone else to take up your position...I will gladly take your place, should Rayquaza approve. Considering his lack of options, I assume that he'll have to."



Katarina looked up at Flannery, stunned.



[Are you sure about this?] Blaziken asked. [Dedicating your life to...egg-sitting?]



"We don't have a choice. And as long as I'll still be able to be with you...it's alright. I was going to leave Lavaridge anyway, right?"



"Thank you," Katarina said quietly, wiping the tears from her face. "It may not be too late. If you can get his Heart quickly, and bring it to him, there might still be time to bond your life force with his and...fix it. But you have to hurry. Even though I'm...tainted...I can still feel him. He's almost...almost..."



"We will hurry to him, I swear it." Flannery gently brushed the girl's cheek and turned to Slash. "We need to go now. We can't afford to wait until morning."



"What about her? We can't leave her here alone, but we need all the firepower we can get."



[I'll watch her,] Growlithe said. [I'm the weakest in combat. You know that, even if you're too nice to say it out loud. I'm the only one of the team that you can afford to leave behind. At least this way I'll know that I'm being useful.]



Slash began to protest, but he realized that his options were very few; surely he could not leave Cacnea behind to protect the girl."Are you okay with staying here with him? I promise that you can trust Growlithe. He's been my friend for half my life and he's never once let me down."



She nodded, but a lot of her former energy had faded away; she was starting to draw in on herself again. Slash hated to leave her here, but there was no other choice. She would not be safe in Fallarbor, and he did not want her exposed to the Aquas ever again; his heart ached and raged at the thought of her being re-captured and...punished.



"Alright. But be careful, Growlithe. If any corrupted Pokemon come this way, I want you to take Katarina and Cacnea and hide. Don't try to be a hero."



[I was about to say the same to you.]



Before they could finish their goodbyes, a muffled explosion shook the cave hard enough to knock Flannery's Pokenav over. It was followed by another, and then another, and then the sound of battle became clear, a cacophony of explosions and screams. Psymakio closed her eyes and focused her senses on the chaotic thunderhead of pain and death that swirled nearby. It's coming from the Aqua camp, she announced, but Rayquaza isn't the one attacking. I sense nine very powerful Pokemon, at least one of which is a Psychic-type. None feel corrupted. And I recognize two of them.



"An Aggron and a Magmortar?" Slash guessed, eyes narrowing.



Yes, master. The same ones from Slateport.



"It's Kiako," he told Flannery and Blaziken. "And it seems that he has backup. He must be after what he thinks is the Sky Pearl. I'm not sure if he'll be able to tell the difference or not, but we can't let him have Rayquaza's Heart, either."



"I know, but we have to be careful, Slash. If what Silver told you is accurate, the average Rocket is able to hold their own with a Champion-class trainer, and Kiako is even more powerful. We'll have to work together if we're going to have any hope of defeating them. We may need Rayquaza's help if we hope to stand a chance." Flannery looked at the frightened child and added, "and I need to become the Sky Maiden, or else getting the Heart back will be pointless."



Slash gripped his knife and motioned for his pack to get ready to leave. "What's the plan? Do we split up or go together?"



"We split up, at least at first. My team will locate Rayquaza and inform him what's happened, and maybe get the 'Maiden' thing out of the way if it can be done quickly. Your team will go to the Aqua camp and find out what's happening, and assist them in battle if Kiako and his friend are still there. If they're not, remain at the camp and we'll rendezvous with you there." Flannery grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "Listen to me. No matter what happens, do not engage Kiako or the other Rocket alone, do you understand? Even if they're worn down from traveling through the western mountains and fighting the Aquas, both will still be deadly opponents. Wait for me to return with Rayquaza. If Rayquaza's too weak to help us out in battle, then I'll be the one to handle Kiako myself."



"We're the ones who are supposed to be going after him! Even the Great Ones---"



[We don't have time for your grudge,] Blaziken interrupted. [The Great Ones had no clue what to do with Kiako. And, like it or not, Flannery is the better trainer. We might not stand a chance against him either, but we'll have a better chance than you. Hold the line with Aqua and wait for our arrival.]



Displeased, but unable to argue the point, Slash growled and nodded. "Fine. Let's go."



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



"Pathetic little man."



Kiako squeezed his arm around Archie's throat and lifted him off of the ground. Sai stood nearby, watching their combined Pokemon effortlessly tear through the weak army of the Aquas, not sparing a single life. Tents went down in fire and the few remaining nearby buildings rattled and crumbled in the crossfire.



"I will ask you one more time. If you do not answer, I will break every bone in your body and throw you to the monsters in the mountains. If you're lucky, they will wait until you're dead before they begin to eat you. If you're not lucky...well, eating you is the least they can do to you." He paused, letting it sink in, and smiled menacingly. "Where is the Pearl?"



Archie pulled vainly at his restraints, and Kiako's tentacle-like arm clenched down hard enough to shut his airway down to a pinhole. Crimson eyes locked onto Archie's, glowing with feral power. Little black lines pulsed around their orbits, growing then fading then growing again, beating like some sort of monstrous heart.



The moment Kiako's lips parted, Chimney gave off a tremendous earthquake, ripping apart the inner mountains and turning earth into liquid. The raging battle seemed to pause for an instant as man and Pokemon alike realized that there was a Demon in their midst, something ancient and vicious and unspeakably foul. Kiako's arm extended, lifting Archie twenty feet into the air, his grip dangerously close to crushing the man's trachea. When he spoke again his voice was a hectoring scream, seemingly empty of control and yet full of command.



"WHERE IS THE PEARL?"



Archie, humiliated and desperate, feebly clutched at the pocket of his trench coat and fumbled out the only mystical object in his possession. Kiako grinned devilishly and released the man, catching the object at the same moment that Archie hit the ground with a brutal thud. Sai called the Pokemon back from the slaughter and joined his commander's side, staring at the glowing green ball in his hand.



"Is it the Pearl?"



Kiako said nothing, rolling the sphere in his hands. Was it his imagination, or did it feel a little bigger than the others had been? A little less...solid? But his scanner detected enormous energy locked within it, and he could sense it throbbing with the power of the sky, so there was nothing to be concerned about. He slipped the stone in his pocket and turned to Sai.



"Our mission is complete," Kiako said quietly. "But we still have one more task to accomplish before we leave this cursed place."



"What's that, sir?"



Kiako told him. The two black-garbed men and their fearsome beasts disappeared into the haze, leaving flame and devastation in their wake.



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



"What the hell happened?"



Slash and Flannery's packs looked down into the valley of Fallarbor, and where once there was a large camp there was now nothing but ruin. If Psymakio hadn't sensed the Rockets' presence, they would have thought Rayquaza had changed his mind about attacking the Aqua camp after all. Deep gouges scarred the rocky ground, clearly from some sort of horrifically intense energy beams, and most of the camp was ablaze.



And the bodies...



"By Jirachi's grace," Flannery whispered, raising a shocked hand to her face. "Look at them. They're...they're melted."



Many of the corpses appeared to have doused with acid, their flesh black and almost liquidly dripping off of their bones. Puddles of foul purple fluid lay sizzling in the dirt and ash. The bodies that weren't melted were scorched, ripped apart, or broken into misshaped piles of crushed bone and smashed organs. A few appeared completely intact, except for blood pouring from their ears, and Psymakio recognized those Aquas as having been blasted by viciously powerful psychic assaults directed at their brains.



[Two men and nine Pokemon did this?] Blaziken asked incredulously. [I know that the average Aqua isn't much of a threat, but they would have been outnumbered a hundred to one!]



Psymakio teleported over to the body of a Crawdaunt with half of its face burnt off and its abdomen nearly bisected by deep claw marks. The shell was cracked in many places, pumping out blood in lazy rivers. This one is still alive, master. Barely.



The rest of the group joined her, no longer worried about being seen together. There were few eyes left to see them with, and Slash didn't care much about maintaining his cover anymore. He knelt by the Pokemon's side and laid a hand on its shell, wincing at seeing the familiar form broken so thoroughly. His own Crawdaunt stared down at the body, his expression unreadable.



"What happened?" Slash asked, his senses tingling as though some terrible and primal predator was wandering about nearby. Kiako was close. He could feel his presence in the air. "I need to know."



Though the claws still twitched, there was no response. Slash dipped into the creature's dark heart, hoping to communicate with it telepathically, but he found no resistance, no...anything. Its mind had already crossed over to whatever worlds lay beyond death; the body simply hadn't run out of fuel yet. Slash touched the dull threads of the Pokemon's mind and saw a brief flash of imagery; curious, he clutched at those threads and was shocked to find the mental imagery continuing. He was seeing the last memories it had experienced before death.



"Kiako came," Slash announced, his eyes closed. He couldn't actually see Kiako through the dying creature's vision---all he saw was what looked like black flame with two red eyes glaring out of it---but the aura felt familiar to him, even if he hadn't been psychically aware when they first crossed paths. "Another man was with him. Their Pokemon were out, too. Kiako's Aggron and Magmortar...and eight others, though I don't know which Pokemon belong to which trainer. A Vileplume...a Hariyama...a Muk and a Weezing...shit, a Metagross...an Arbok and an Ariados...and a Pokemon I don't recognize, a big purple thing with huge claws and spikes on the tail. Might be a Dark-type, if Psymakio didn't sense it."



Flannery, though still queasy over the state of the bodies and clutching Blaziken's arm, ran through her mental Pokedex and tried to guess what the last Pokemon could be. Nothing native from Hoenn, surely, or she would have seen it before. A Gliscor, maybe?



"They came to the camp and attacked without warning. They didn't spare anyone. The other Rocket did most of the commanding to the Pokemon, while Kiako searched for Archie. When he found him, he...shifted his left arm into a tentacle and strangled him. I know that sounds weird, but I remember seeing something very strange about that arm when we met in Slateport." Slash pushed his powers to their limit as the creature's mind-net began to collapse, the images becoming hazy. "Kiako took the Heart from Archie...it looks almost identical to the Sea Pearl, except it's green instead of blue...and I think he believes it's the real deal. He dropped Archie to the ground...I don't know if he survived...no, damn it, just a few more seconds!"



What's wrong, master?



"It's gone. Its mind disappeared just before I could hear what Kiako said to the other Rocket. Damn the luck!"



Slash took his hand off of the broken shell and glared into the ashy haze of Fallarbor. Kiako and his allies were even more dangerous than he had anticipated. All of the Pokemon had been battered and injured, most likely from their travel through corrupted territory, but they had still ripped through the camp like an unstoppable thunderbolt.



I can't sense them anymore. They've just...gone blank. They might have stolen some of the Aqua's psychic dampeners or brought their own. Psymakio frowned as her mind brushed over the mental presence of Rayquaza. And Rayquaza's fading fast. If something isn't done in the next few hours...it'll be too late.



"This changes our plans," Flannery said, her eyes fierce. "We can't risk Kiako escaping with Rayquaza's Heart. Slash, your team will be the ones to find Rayquaza. My team will track down Kiako's group and try to stall them. I think I'll be able to hold them off long enough for you to reach Rayquaza, and you should be able to sense a fight of that magnitude easily enough."



"Are you sure we shouldn't go together? I know that we can't let him escape, but...there's no way that your pack can defeat them." Slash looked up at Blaziken, finding no hesitation in the Pokemon's eyes. "There's only three of you and ten of them. And Kiako may be able to fight on the level of a Pokemon, too. Even if he's not in their league, he'd still be strong enough to take Flannery if he gets his hands on her."



[Do you think I don't know that?] Blaziken asked roughly. [There's no other choice. We can't beat them without Rayquaza's help, but we won't be able to find them quickly with their psychic shielding. I know that we can't defeat them, but I guarantee that Torkoal, Magcargo, and I can slow them down, and we'll take at least one or two of them down, even if it kills us. I have no doubt of that.]



"And don't worry about me. I might not have psychic powers, but I'm no wilting flower. Blaziken's taught me to defend myself." Flannery and her mate clasped each other's hands tightly, nothing but surety in their eyes. "I'd rather die than let them get away with ruining the world. There's still time to save Rayquaza and stop Chimney from erupting, but only if we go now."



She's right, master, Psymakio said gently, placing a hand on Slash's arm. I can get us more than halfway there in a couple dozen teleports. Let's hurry.



Slash slowly nodded, realizing that she was right. He walked up to Flannery and Blaziken, extending his hand to her first. She shook it, smiling confidently, and then Blaziken followed suit. Any trace of the clumsy girl they'd met two days ago was gone. She was in complete Gym Leader mode now, and he had no doubt that, at the very least, Kiako and his allies would not come out of their confrontation unscathed. "Good luck, you guys."



"And to you."



Slash's pack gathered around Psymakio, each making physical contact with her, and then they all vanished in a flash of blue light. Flannery and Blaziken stood together for a moment, silent but not speechless, before turning to the hazy chaos of Fallarbor.



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



It was beginning.



For more than a week Chimney had been in agony. New magma flowed through its ancient veins. The pressure within its heart was building to unimaginable levels. And as it vomited its poisonous bile into the heavens, its very body was beginning to yield to the sickness that infected it.



The southern slope of Chimney---the side facing civilization---bulged outward like a blister. Earthquakes rattled the countryside, each threatening to pop it and spew destruction across the land. Lavaridge had been evacuated, but its inhabitants had merely fled to Mauville, and thus were not out of harm's way. Should the mountain explode, everything within a hundred miles of the breech would be buried under hundreds of thousands of tons of superheated rock. There would be no warning; the communications net was still down, and the resulting flow would be hurtling their way at nearly the speed of sound.



To the south, huge boulders fell onto the abandoned city of Lavaridge like demonic hail. To the east, the corpses of the people of Fallarbor, half-eaten and mangled, were being crudely buried in ash. A few rose from the dead and joined the ranks of the damned, joining the corrupted Pokemon, the Nightmares, as they squawked in bizarre, insane triumph, vaguely aware that the eruption would kill them but celebrating the inevitable devastation nonetheless. They could feel it; the Lord of the Sky was dying, even now being struck down by the Demon Messiah, the bastard child of chaos and order. The Nightmares huddled together, their aggression forgotten, falling back into that unholy meditation to link their minds together in some buzzing hive intelligence, utterly mad yet coldly calculating, watching.



Magmortar expelled a blast of fire hot enough to melt stone, but Rayquaza deflected it with one arm, despite that arm being broken in three places. The mighty dragon sheathed its tail in raging water and swung it hard, hitting him like a tsunami and sending him crashing through the wobbly remains of an apartment building and out the other side. The building teetered for a moment, and then collapsed in a huge plume of dust and ash. Kiako withdrew Magmortar before the debris could finish him off.



Aggron matched the dragon's mighty clawed strikes blow for blow, relying on his enormous bulk to keep himself from being sent flying. Even with his Iron Defense technique maximizing his strength, the sheer power of Rayquaza's strikes was beginning to crack his bones. He pushed on, slashing deep gashes in the dragon's hide, ignoring the pain.



Hariyama bludgeoned the tail and spine, trying to cripple the beast. His skin was shredded from a savage Aeroblast, blood gushing down his muscled arms as he struck again and again, blocking the tail's brutal swings as best as he could.



Metagross had tried and failed to restrain Rayquaza with his psychic powers; the Lord of the Sky's mind was fearsomely powerful. He moved in, shielding himself from the gasps of flame with impenetrable psychic shields, jumped on his enemy's back, and dug into the armored hide with his powerful maw. Rayquaza roared in agony, writhing, trying to shake the spider off.



The battle was far from over, but the Nightmares knew that Rayquaza had no chance of victory. The Man with Demon Eyes was fearsomely powerful, despite his grievous injuries, and he commanded his warriors with great skill. He would slay the dragon, of that they were certain. And soon the boy and his whore would arrive, completely unaware of Kiako's presence, and they would join the Lord in the madness of the chaotic void. They were pleased.



All was not well, though; they sensed someone else in Fallarbor, someone who, despite not being one of the four great enemies of prophesy, was nonetheless trying to interfere with their holy work. A mere human girl, barely out of childhood. There were three beasts at her side, one of whom she had brought into her bed. Not strong enough to defeat Kiako, even if he suffered great losses in the battle, but if she were to join the boy and his whore against him, there was a slim possibility that the tide would change.



(SHE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE WITH THE REUNION OF THE TRINITY.)



(WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP HER?)



(THE MESSIAH'S DISCIPLE. HIS POWER SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO KILL THEM. EVEN IF IT IS NOT, HE WILL PREVENT THEM FROM INTERFERING UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE.)



The Nightmares tapped into the Veil, digging black fingers into the tightly-woven network of chaos. It wouldn't take much to bring them together. The wind shifted slightly, the ash and dirt fell slightly more in one direction, making the terrain just a bit more favorable to the left...a small tremor slowed the Messiah's Disciple as he patrolled the city...there. That would be enough.



So much blood had already been spilled, each drop giving strength to the Shadow. Now, under the veil, fresh torrents would be spilled in the crushing darkness. And then the horror would explode over Hoenn once again.



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



Flannery and Blaziken jogged through the empty, rubble-bordered streets of Fallarbor, with Torkoal and Magcargo following a hundred feet or so behind. Traveling without Psymakio to shield their eyes and mouths from the ashfall was harsh, but they had managed to deal with it before meeting her and they were dealing with it now. Of the Rockets there was no sign, but after a few minutes of searching they were struck cold by the agonized screams of Rayquaza echoing across the city.



[Something's wrong,] Blaziken said, his hackles rising at the sound of exchanged Hyper Beams. [Something is fighting Rayquaza. And I think they're winning.]



"Do you think it's corrupted Pokemon, or..."



[I doubt that. They've been staying on the outskirts of town ever since we got here. It must be the Rockets...] He hesitated, and then reluctantly added, [and Slash and Psymakio are heading that way.]



Flannery lowered her head and sighed. Even if they left now, and withdrew the slower members of their pack, they'd never beat Slash's pack to Rayquaza, and with Psymakio rapidly teleporting the pack there wasn't even a way to track them. She was about to tell this to Blaziken when something moving caught her eye. "Blaze, look over there! I think it's poison! The same kind that was doused all over the Aqua camp!"



Blaziken walked over to the sizzling purple trail on the ground and examined it closely, very careful not to get any of it on him. [You're right. Slash said a Muk was among the Rockets' Pokemon. This is probably its trail. If we hurry and follow it before it evaporates, it'll lead us right to them.] He hesitated, and then added, [although we'll be leaving Slash and Psymakio to...whatever is attacking Rayquaza.]



"I know, but what choice do we have? Recovering the Heart is more important than any of us, and this might help us do just that. And look, the trail is heading towards Rayquaza's direction, anyway. It couldn't have been made more than a few minutes ago, so if Kiako or the other Rocket is attacking Rayquaza, that could mean that they split up for some reason!"



[It would be to our advantage, only having to fight one of them. And regardless of which Rocket is fighting Rayquaza, they'll be badly wounded from the battle even if they win. Slash's pack might just have a chance.]



"Alright, let's move! We might be able to stop them after all!" Flannery whistled to Torkoal and Magcargo, pointing out the poisonous trail they'd be following. "Come on!"



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



Less than fifteen minutes after following the path, Flannery and Blaziken caught sight of their enemy.



[I don't think that's Kiako,] Blaziken said over the their bond, not wanting to alert their quarry to their presence. [The Aggron and Magmortar aren't with him.]



"Maybe Slash will have his crack at Kiako after all," Flannery whispered with a smile, though deep down her stomach was doing flip-flops at the thought of the kid coming up against such powerful opponents. "At least we're in luck. He's only got the Arbok and Weezing with him. No matter how strong they are, we should be able to take them down easily enough. Let's slow down and let Torkoal and Magcargo catch up, and then we'll try to fry them before they even know we're here."



They turned back the way they came and froze, their hearts skipping a beat. Neither of their packmates were anywhere to be seen. She pulled out her binoculars and shakily brought them to her eyes, but the heavy ash and the night vision's distortion made them all but useless.



"Damn it, where did they go? We have to go back and find them!"



Blaziken started to nod when he heard something whistling through the air. [Shit! Get down!]



He leaped in front of Flannery and threw a fireball towards the Rocket, just barely intercepting a glob of poison that had been hurtling towards his mate. The Sludge Bomb exploded violently, a few flaming droplets hitting his feathers and sizzling as they burned through them. When the smoke cleared, they saw the Rocket looking back at them with a grin, his Pokemon on either side of him.



[Are you okay?] Blaziken whispered, his heart racing. That had been far too close.



"I'm fine. But Torkoal and Magcargo..."



The Rocket interrupted with a laugh, slowly walking towards them, flanked by his Pokemon. "Well, well, look at what we have here! I knew we were being followed, but to think our pursuer was Flannery, the Master of Heat! Such an...appropriate moniker, too. What is a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"



Blaziken growled under his breath, fists clenching, his wrists erupting in fire. Flannery whispered something calming through their bond, but he didn't drop his guard. "There seems to be a vermin infestation in this town. I'm trying to stamp it out."



Sai chuckled. "Very cute. Unfortunately I don't have time for such pleasantries...and as much as I would enjoy it, I don't have time to enjoy you." His grin widened at the effect that comment had on her and her Kaishakunin. "Don't trouble yourself, little girl...I've finished exterminating the vermin in this town, and now it's time for me to go after the big cheese himself."



"You mean Rayquaza. You and Kiako are after him, too?"



"You know who my commander is, eh? Perhaps the League knows more than we gave them credit for." He motioned to his Pokemon, his smile fading the slightest bit. "But might you know who I am, young lady? No? I didn't think so. If you did, you'd be begging for my mercy right now. I am Sai, the sixth-ranked member of the Black Thirteen, also known as the Demon of Venom. And you would be wise to run away while you can, little girl. Maybe I'll even spare your two friends, if you do."



"Where are they?" Flannery spat, very close to letting Blaziken off his chain. Sai's Arbok and Weezing looked very powerful, but she wagered that he could get between them and kill the man commanding them, at least. But not before she found out what had happened to Torkoal and Magcargo.



"We detected that we were being followed a few minutes ago...we were hoping to lure some stray Aquas with Muk's trail, that's why I told him to...get a little gooey. You didn't think we left that trail behind out of carelessness, did you?" Flannery winced as she noticed that the trail of poison broke off from Sai and went into the cluster of broken buildings; his Muk could be anywhere in the city, slithering like a living puddle under the ash. "I sent him and three of my other Pokemon to take care of your slower friends. Right now they're probably fighting for their lives...or maybe they're dead already. Ah, well."



[If he's the 'Master of Venom', I think it's safe to assume that all of the Poison-types are his,] Blaziken growled softly. [So that means the Muk, Vileplume, Ariados, and the clawed Pokemon Slash mentioned are after them. At least two of them are weak against fire. They might make it.]



Flannery replied with a barely perceptible nod, but she was still worried; the images of melted corpses haunted her memory. "If you think I'll turn tail and run, then you're even more brainless than your rat stink suggests. It is you who are the criminal, wanted by the Pokemon Leagues of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. I will give you one chance to withdraw your Pokemon and surrender peacefully. If you do not, I will take you in, dead or alive."



Sai laughed darkly and cracked his knuckles. "It seems that I heard right---you really are a novice Gym Leader. Your father would have had more sense, girl. And he would have known to be more polite to his betters. Arbok, Weezing...when you're done with the bird, I want you to take care of her. Since she seems incapable of seeing the situation she's in, go ahead and blind her. Perhaps that will teach her the caution she so desperately needs to exercise."



Blaziken sprinted at Sai, determined to kill him immediately and throw his Pokemon in disarray, but Weezing fired a pair of Shadow Balls right into his path. He barely managed to dodge the blows, the attack coming so close that he felt the ghostly energy chill his body, and jumped back to Flannery's side with an irritated growl.



"Sorry, my dear, but I don't have time to watch...Commander Sensiari may require some help capturing Rayquaza. But, I assure you, my Pokemon are more than capable of handling you without my guidance." He bowed in mock politeness and turned to the direction of Rayquaza, where the invisible battle was still raging. "Try to make it fast," he told Weezing and Arbok, and then walked away into the haze.



The pair approached slowly, neither showing the slightest bit of fear. Blaziken gathered his strength, bursts of flame exploding around his wrists and ankles. [Flannery, I want you to take cover behind that rubble as soon as I start shooting fire at them. Once you're hidden, don't make a sound...I'll try to lure them away so you don't get hit in the crossfire.]



"Alright," she replied, getting ready to run. "But what about Torkoal and Magcargo?"



[They can handle themselves just fine, unless their opponents are far stronger than mine. Anyone who messes with Torkoal is in deep trouble.] The jets of flame turned from orange to blue as he powered up. [Ready? Go, now!]



Blaziken's flame exploded around him, creating a huge curtain of fire that obscured Flannery from the Pokemon's view. She dove behind the large drift of rubble nearby and curled up as small as she could make herself. As tempting as it was, she could not allow herself to peek out and watch the battle; Blaziken would only be able to fight at his fullest if he was sure that she was in no danger.



Once he was sure that his mate was safely hidden, Blaziken dropped the flames to their normal levels, fluttering around his arms and legs in orange shimmers. As soon as Arbok and Weezing began glancing around for Flannery, he lunged in as fast as he could, a blur of fire and feathers. He aimed a powerful Blaze Kick at Weezing, but the creature flew back faster than he had expected it to be capable of. He kicked off the ground and swung a punch at Arbok, and was surprised to find the strike blocked by its powerful tail.



(They're both faster than they look,) Blaziken realized, jumping back before Arbok could consider striking with those huge needled fangs. The snake glared back at him with a single red eye, hood flaring, standing its ground. Weezing slowly hovered around the pair, staying on the sidelines. He darted his eyes from one opponent to the other, trying to determine which he should aim to take out first.



Blaziken had fought a few Weezing over the years, and knew that they could be tough opponents. Their shells were very hard, their poison very corrosive, and they were capable of learning a huge array of attacks of many different types. It was not uncommon for them to mix toxic gas with flame to create powerful flamethrowers---at least that would only be minimally dangerous for him---and they could strike with everything from electricity to Dark-type attacks. Weezing would not be easy to defeat.



He had never faced an Arbok before, but if they were anything like Seviper, he would have to be very careful to not let it sink its fangs into him, or it would be very difficult to get it to let go. Its poison was probably less caustic than Weezing's, but a direct bite would inject its venom straight into his bloodstream. His hot metabolism would slow the effects of any poisoning he received, but that would only help so much, and such envenoming would linger even after victory. Arbok's body would be less hardy than Weezing's, however, and the first rule of fighting multiple opponents at once was to defeat the weaker adversaries first.



(Arbok first, then,) he decided, tensing for an attack. He'd keep the attacks varied, alternating between normal strikes and Fighting and Fire-enhanced blows, and he'd have to keep an eye on the Weezing. It was unlikely that either of them knew any techniques that would be direly effective against him, but it would not pay to let his guard down.



[I'll give you the same warning my master gave to yours,] Blaziken pronounced calmly, his own heat turning his night vision into a blood-tinted haze. [Yield now. I have no desire to take your lives, but I will if I must.]



Arbok laughed, a disturbing noise that sounded like a cross between a hiss and a cough. [I've hunted your kind before, you know. The young ones...the Torchic and Combusken...they taste quite delicious. Even the eggs make for a good snack. I wonder...will you taste even better?]



[You are truly a monster, then,] Blaziken replied, his hackles rising at the mental image of such claims. [And you, floating one? Will you show more sense than your comrade?]



Weezing did not reply. Both heads simply glared back at him, cold and emotionless, various energies swirling around its body. Blaziken took that as a no.



[So be it. Since you refuse to yield, I will show you no mercy. But neither will I prolong your suffering!]



Blaziken struck out at Arbok like a bolt of lightning, his powerful kicks whistling through the air, but again Arbok used its tail to stop the blows cold. Not wasting any time, he swung a fiery fist at the creature's head, only to find a fanged mouth lunging at it; he jumped back from the bite, barely avoiding it, and exhaled a blast of Flamethrower for cover. The serpent rolled to the side and spat a ball of mud from its mouth in response, striking Blaziken hard enough to knock him off balance.



As he dove to recover from the spill, a barrage of Shadow Balls struck the ground around him, several striking and digging cold tendrils into his body. He managed to avoid falling to the ground with great effort, kicking up a large cloud of ash and dirt to dull Weezing's aim long enough to returning to a stable fighting stance. When the dust cleared, all three fighters were right back where they started: Arbok grinning menacingly, Weezing hovering around the battlefield like a satellite, and a scratched-up Blaziken warily dividing his attention between the two.



[You think you can hold back against us?] Arbok hissed mockingly. [Such pitiful blows can't harm me. And if that is truly the extent of your speed, then you stand no chance against Weezing, either. You had better take this seriously, or you'll be dead long before sunrise.]



Spitting into the ash, Blaziken nodded, cracking his neck and intensifying his flames. [If that's what you want...]



Keeping a wary eye on Weezing, Blaziken jumped at Arbok and unleashing a torrent of fire-coated punches and kicks, putting enough strength into the flames to burn the snake even if it did manage to block the blows. For a few seconds he thought that he'd regained the advantage, his speed superior to Arbok's, but then the muscled tail suddenly switched went from defense to offense, striking surprisingly fast and amazingly hard. Blaziken blocked each swing, but even then he was taking damage; the tail felt like a baseball bat when the base hit his arms, and the end of it like a whip, drawing blood and driving him back. There was no opening in Arbok's assault; anytime he thought he saw a gap in the barrage, its sharp fangs were waiting to intercept any punch he attempted to send through it.



Knowing that it would hurt, but needing some way to break the deadlock, Blaziken purposely dropped his guard and swung a Blaze Kick at Arbok's neck just as the tail slammed into his chest. Both Pokemon were sent flying into the ash, gasping for air and surging with pain. Weezing quickly moved in, vomiting up copious gushes of deadly sludge at Blaziken as he tumbled through the ash. He used a blast of flame to propel himself away from the poison, but doing so also put him back in Arbok's reach. He swung another kick at the snake's skull, hoping to take it down while it was still stunned, only to be blocked by a water-sheathed tail. Blaziken leapt back with a cry of pain, his leg feeling like it had been stabbed with needles, blood dripping from under the feathers.



(Was that Aqua Tail?) he thought to himself, alarmed. (I didn't even know they could learn that technique! Damn, what else are they capable of?)



He was moving to re-engage Arbok when a powerful Thunderbolt struck him, tearing into his body and searing his bones with far more energy than the attack would normally possess. He fell to his knees, clutching wildly at his limbs as the electricity sparked through his body. Both of Weezing's heads chuckled as it hovered just a little bit closer.



[Wet ash conducts electricity,] it taunted, its voice a gritty echo of itself. [You've lived under Chimney's shadow for years and yet you didn't you know that?]



Blaziken spat blood into the dirt, powering up and baking the water off his body before he could be fried again. It was quickly becoming clear that these two had very few openings in their attacks; they worked together far better than he'd expect two criminal-raised Pokemon to be capable of, ensuring that an opponent pursuing one of them was made more vulnerable to the other.



(I can kill Arbok with my trump card, I'm sure of that,) he thought to himself, raising his arms into fighting stance, (but as long as Weezing's peppering me with attacks, I won't be able to get close enough to use it. And even if I managed to do it somehow, I can't defeat Weezing afterward if I'm drained from using it. Maybe I was wrong to target Arbok first. Alright, let's give this a shot!)



Blaziken spun around and sprinted at Weezing, barely dodging flurries of Shadow Balls and Thunderbolts and leaping over the still-standing puddles of poison. While the two-headed bastard was faster than any Weezing he'd ever fought before, it was still nowhere near his sprinting speed, and he got a few good blows in as it tried to retreat. As he was just starting to think that this battle might be his after all, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and realized that Arbok was nowhere to be seen. Less than a second after he registered this, the snake burst out from underground, knocking Blaziken off his feet and towards Weezing, who had stopped retreating and was suddenly accelerating right at him.



[Damn it,] he growled as he saw the energy field forming around Weezing, instantly recognizing the attack and knowing there was no way to evade it at such speed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, hoping to at least dampen the blow. The Giga Impact hit him brutally hard, utterly shattering both limbs, the sharp cracks of pain quickly replaced by complete numbness. Weezing recoiled from the strike, eyelids drooping as it floated up beyond his reach to recover its strength.



Blaziken landed in the ash, panting heavily, arms falling limply by his sides. He couldn't feel them at all...he couldn't even generate fire through them. Arbok circled him, forked tongue flickering out as though mocking him. This was very bad; without his arms, his move-pool was cut in half, and he knew that he couldn't defeat Arbok with just kicks and fire breath, especially with that damn Aqua Tail to contend with.



[You have no desire to take our lives,] the serpent taunted, its circling drawing closer and closer. [You won't prolong our suffering, either. How nice of you. You will make a fine meal...once I break the rest of your bones so you slide down nice and easy...]



He spat a blast of fire at Arbok, but the snake simply blocked it with its water-shielded tail. Sensing weakness, Arbok moved in, easily breaking through the off-balance kicks and wrapping its body around Blaziken, pinning his useless arms and starting to squeeze down hard, intent on shattering the rest of him. He did not resist, instead reaching for his mating bond.



[Flannery...I'm going to...go ahead and use my trump card now.]



[You can't!] her shocked mind-voice yelled. [You're nowhere near having mastered it yet! It takes way too much out of you, and there's still that Weezing to contend with! Please, the last time you tried it you were barely able to stand afterward!]



[I...can barely stand now. Please, just...take cover, alright? Even if the flame won't hurt you, it might...send some stuff flying.]



There was no verbal response, but even through their simple communication bond Blaziken could sense her angry compliance. He turned his head to face his tormentor, staring into Arbok's single red eye and grinning painfully. [You lose, snake. Maybe your friend will kill me, but you, at least, will die here. Though I have no intent of consuming your diseased corpse, I will roast you so that the scavengers may have a pleasant meal!]



[Is that so?] Arbok hissed, clamping down harder, feeling Blaziken's ribs beginning to crack. [And how will you manage that?]



Blaziken closed his eyes and focused on the guttering flame that was the core of his power. Much as Psymakio could control her own abilities, he quickly opened up all of the floodgates that normally restricted his strength, including those that existed for his safety, and that small flame erupted into an inferno. His body exploded with concussive bursts of fire, powerful enough to singe the ash and catch the dead grass beneath it ablaze, pouring nearly all of his energy into this single attack. Arbok tried to pull away, realizing its mistake, but the flame consumed it before it could unwrap its body from Blaziken's. The pitch-black night was briefly lit brightly enough to be seen from half a mile away, the brutal heat torching anything that was exposed.



When the flame died down, Flannery peeked out from her hiding place, seeing Blaziken standing alone in the middle of a sea of smoking ashes. The Arbok was nowhere to be seen. She stifled a gasp at the sight of her mate's arms---crooked, limp horrors---and at the amount of blood staining the lighter feathers of his chest and legs.



[Get back down!] Blaziken groaned over their bond, his voice dishearteningly exhausted. [Weezing hid behind that building to evade the flash, but he'll be back any second.]



She complied, but the pain in his voice still haunted her. [Blaze...you can't keep fighting. Let's fall back and try to find the others.]



[I told you...they can handle themselves. Now stay down. I'll take care of this.]



Weezing floated around the corner of a soot-covered building, all four eyes glaring at the bloodied Pokemon who had killed its comrade. To say that the Pokemon of Team Rocket did not care for each other just because they did criminal things would be foolish; its anger was so intense that toxic gas spewed uncontrollably from its vents. Blaziken looked up at it, breathing raggedly, and forced a grin.



[You...you're next.]



[I think not, little boy] Weezing grumbled, descending until it was only a few feet off the ground. [Look at you. You can barely stand. That attack of yours might have been powerful, but just how much energy did it take out of you? What price did your body have to pay to kill a Pokemon ten times stronger than you?]



Blaziken's grin lessened the slightest bit. [I'm not going to lie. My Overheat attack...in addition to all the damage I've sustained...they've lessened my energy to half of its maximum.] This was, in fact, a bluff; his power was down to less than a third of its starting range, since he had not yet learned how to limit the energy loss of the technique like Torkoal could. [But it'll be enough.]



[Will it? Even if you got your hands on me, and even if you used that same attack, it wouldn't be strong enough to kill me now. What happened to Arbok...murdering him...was sheer luck on your part. He didn't expect you to have such a catastrophic power, or that you would be stupid enough to use a technique with such dire consequences. Now, though, that power of yours is weak and useless, and your body is failing.] Weezing grinned, dark energy and electricity swirling amidst its poison cloak. [You should feel honored. Sai felt it necessary to send us, his two strongest Pokemon, after you...and despite your inherent inferiority, you actually managed to kill one of us. It truly is impressive. But now I have the honor of killing the Master of Heat's strongest Pokemon myself. And I intend to enjoy it.]



Blaziken surprised Weezing by bursting out laughing, despite his pain and the direness of the situation.



[What's so funny that it could make a dead Pokemon laugh?]



[You!] Blaziken said, managing to get his laughter under control. [I'm glad that your master sent his best two Pokemon after me. Even if I fail, my pack will live on.] He flashed a disturbingly confident smile at Weezing. [You really think that I'm Flannery's strongest Pokemon? Really?]



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



Torkoal defiantly stood his ground as Vileplume moved in, a rain of petals and poison flying his way. He intensified his fiery aura until it became almost blinding in the Pokemon's night vision, the petals burning away and the venom turning into harmless denatured spatter. He bent his front legs and aimed his shell at the creature, expelling a powerful Lava Plume that was far too large to be avoided. It killed Vileplume instantly, its corpse rolling several dozen yards before halting in a charred heap of ash. Torkoal glared at the other Rocket Pokemon and stamped the ground with his foot in challenge.



[Is that it, then? You're supposed to be on the same level as the League Champion's Pokemon? Ha.] Torkoal grinned humorlessly, flame and thick black smoke pouring from his shell. [It seems that the rumors of your strength have been greatly exaggerated.]



[He's stronger than he looks,] Muk grumbled to his companions. [Isn't he supposed to be class ten?]



[No class ten could do that to Vileplume, type advantage or not,] Ariados interjected angrily. [I've never seen such raw firepower before. We must be cautious.]



Drapion stared at their enemies thoughtfully, considering what to do next. Even with the type disadvantage and the ashfall preventing its use of Solarbeam, Vileplume should not have been so easily killed. Torkoal was clearly very powerful in spite of his advanced age, perhaps even an equal to Muk or Ariados, and not much weaker than himself. The Magcargo was likely far less of a threat, but no Gym Leader Pokemon would be a weakling. It would not be wise to blindly rush the pair. Some strategy would be required.



[What are you waiting for?] Torkoal taunted, creeping a bit closer, Magcargo following by his side. [Making amends with the Great Ones for the sins of your miserable lives? It would be wise to do so. I've fought stronger Pokemon than you a hundred years before your grandparents were conceived. Now back down.] He punctuated his threat with a spray of lava, splashing harmlessly around himself and Magcargo.



Muk and Ariados looked expectantly to Drapion, their de-facto leader when Sai, Arbok, and Weezing weren't around. Realizing that they would have far more of a challenge with these two than originally anticipated, Drapion turned back toward the direction of Flannery and Blaziken, flexed his powerful muscles, and slammed his spiked tail against the ground. Countless poison-tipped spikes rose from the ground in a swath only a couple dozen feet across but more than a hundred feet from end to end, blocking the road and much of the terrain around it. Worse still, since the ground was lumpy and uneven, a number of the spikes came up in ditches and troughs, their deadly tips hidden underneath the deep ashfall.



Drapion turned back to Torkoal and Magcargo, who had stopped their approach and were staring at him curiously. [Don't worry,] he said in a quiet but firm voice, seemingly devoid of emotion. [Those aren't meant for you. In the very unlikely event that your friend is able to best both Arbok and Weezing---very unlikely because those two are stronger than any of us---he will not be able to interfere in our battle without being noticed and fired upon as he attempts to navigate the spikes or go around them. Call it an insurance policy.]



Magcargo knew why the Rockets were worried about Blaziken showing up. All the Pokemon here, on both sides, were of the slow-but-powerful variety, relying on brute strength and powerful defenses for fighting. Blaziken, however, could easily use his speed and agility to sow confusion among the enemy, allowing Torkoal the time to use his more powerful attacks---Lava Plume was child's play compared to some of the more deadly techniques in his arsenal. She looked at Torkoal worriedly. [The ones they sent after Blaziken are even stronger than them. Considering how tough these guys look...I don't know if he can handle it.]



[Maybe not normally,] Torkoal admitted, [but when he's pushed to his limits, his strength can match mine...even surpass it, if only briefly. And since he's got a mate to protect...well, I wouldn't worry too much about him. If there's any way he can beat them, he'll find it.] The tortoise looked away as he quietly added, [and if not...well, with Overheat, at least he won't die without taking someone with him.]



The pair fell silent, their concern over their alphas briefly overshadowing the seriousness of the looming battle. If something happened to either Flannery or Blaziken, the surviving mate would be heartbroken to the point of self-destruction. And there was nothing they could do to protect them here.



[Now,] Drapion proclaimed, his claws clacking together loudly, [we shall begin.]



Muk's body began to change, going from amorphous solid to nearly liquid. His mocking smirk was the last feature to go as he melted down to a puddle and disappeared into the ash. Torkoal and Magcargo quickly assumed a defensive posture, scanning the deep, gritty powder that covered everything in sight, wary of where Muk might pop up and unsure if he would have to resume normal shape in order to attack. Ariados followed suit, fully aware that he could not risk getting within range of either Fire-type, cloaking himself in a thick veil of ghostly energy that distorted their night vision, seemingly disappearing into the shadows.



[Is he a Ghost-type?] Magcargo asked, keeping her flame aura high and hot, hoping to catch a glimpse of either opponent. [That was Shadow Sneak, I believe.]



Torkoal shook his head. [I don't think so, but he's clearly able to use Ghost-type techniques. Be cautious. He'll probably stick to the sidelines and attack from a distance, or try to distract us so the others can strike. I think I can take him out in one shot if he gets close enough, but I doubt he'll let me.]



Both of Flannery's Pokemon now turned to Drapion, who was standing alone a few yards away, his long, clawed arms spread wide with both pincers dripping smoke-colored poison. Suddenly the spiked tail whipped up and covered his back, cracking the air as it locked in place and a barrage of tiny spines fired from its tip. Torkoal and Magcargo stood calmly, the Pin Missiles burning against their fiery auras without so much as touching them.



[Good,] Drapion said pleasantly, no trace of mockery in his voice. [I thought you'd flinch. Less experienced Pokemon would have. Maybe this will be fun after all.]



He lowered his tail against his back and scuttered forward, quite a bit faster than his thick physiology would suggest, lunging straight for Torkoal. Magcargo slipped back to provide cover as the two collided, claw and tail clashing against shell, bursts of flame and poison exchanged in barely traceable blurs. After a few seconds of deadlock, Torkoal withdrew into his shell and spun like a whirlwind, propelled by flame, and slammed into Drapion, knocking him back several feet. He withdrew from his shell as soon as he was back on the ground, he and Magcargo breathing simultaneous blasts of fire at the creature while it was still unsteady. The blasts were intercepted by a Hyper Beam from Drapion's tail, the attacks exploding in mid-air and rattling the unsteady buildings near the battlefield.



Drapion cracked its neck and moved in again, opening both claws and unleashing a flurry of weak but rapid-fired Hyper Beams that sent both Pokemon reeling. They turned their shells to face their attacker, trying to soften the blows, but as they did another barrage came from the other direction, this time a torrent of psychic blasts. Torkoal and Magcargo braced themselves with Amnesia, diverting some of their fire energy into a thin shield to protect themselves from the worst of it.



A gooey hand suddenly reached out from the ash between them, spurting hot and foul-smelling poison onto Magcargo. She flinched in pain, trying to burn the venom away before it could enter her bloodstream. Knowing that the ash would greatly protect Muk from most fire attacks, she summoned up a large boulder and flung it at his hand, seemingly crushing it. There was no scream of pain, though, so she didn't drop her guard; he may have reverted to liquid in order to escape.



[We can't deal with all three of them at once!] Torkoal grunted, exchanging Flamethrowers and Sludge Bombs with Drapion while trying to bear the rain of psychic blasts. [Especially not with two of them creeping around out of sight! If we can just limit their attacks a bit, the two of us should be able to pick them off!]



Magcargo crawled next to the tortoise and added her firepower to his. Drapion stumbled backwards at the combined onslaught, but he was still managing to block or dodge most of the blows. [We can't stop Ariados from the long-range attacks, but if we can figure out where Muk is, you can use Fissure and isolate him! He won't be able to cross the gap without alerting us to his location!]



[Good idea. I'll find him, you cover me!]



Torkoal broke off his attack, turning towards the large rock that marked Muk's last known location. [Alright, you bastard, let's see where you're hiding!] He opened his mouth and expelled an enormous blast of flame and superheated air, sweeping the Heat Wave across the ground and sending ash flying in cindery clouds, exposing quickly-ignited desiccated grass and scorched earth beneath it. He walked forward cautiously, turning in slow circles to ensure that Muk wasn't sneaking up behind him, clearing as much ground as he could.



The peppering of psychic energy suddenly changed to include bursts of Night Shade and Signal Beams, and Torkoal had had enough. He dropped his Amnesia shield, ignoring the pain as the rapid-fire attacks struck his body, and focused all of his power into offense. A low grumble echoed from his shell as thick smoke poured out of it, and he aimed those vents at the building that seemed to be the source of the assault.



[Let's see if this shuts you up!]



An enormous blast of flame and magma erupted from Torkoal's shell like a cannon blast, blinding all the Pokemon's night vision and slamming into the building that Ariados was using as a sniper platform. The few remaining windows shattered as fluid lava poured into every possible opening, flooding the rooms and setting anything it touched ablaze. The rain of psychic and ghost attacks ceased, Ariados apparently incinerated by the Eruption.



(I cannot allow him to use that attack again,) Drapion thought to himself, desperately striking at Magcargo and trying to break through her defenses. She gradually fell back against the onslaught, able to meet every blow with flame or stone but unable to get any of her own strikes through. He swung an Aqua Tail at her, and though she was able to evade it, she sacrificed her footing to do so. Instead of landing a finishing blow on her, he pounced on Torkoal and struck his shell with both claws, the tips lodging in the vents and injecting poison straight into his body. Drapion leapt off before he could be counterattacked, landing between the tortoise and Magcargo, a faint smile on his face.



[Torkoal!] Magcargo yelled, slithering towards him. Drapion blocked her progress with a gush of venom, turning to face her, unafraid of being struck from behind by Torkoal. He wouldn't be a threat for much longer.



[The more injured you are,] Drapion said academically, [the weaker that Eruption attack of yours will be. Already it is all but useless...I have broken through your defenses and put enough poison in your bloodstream to kill you ten times over.] He paused, letting this sink in, then added: [if you cease fighting and retreat, you may survive. Your blood runs very hot and the poison may be slowed long enough for you to receive help. But if you continue to fight, your death will be unavoidable.]



He was surprised when a Flamethrower struck him from behind, scorching his armor and knocking him back. Torkoal stomped the ground and snorted smoke at him, a pained smile on his face. [Kids these days,] he grunted, rolling his eyes. [You think I'd give up just because I'm dying? Do you have the faintest idea how many times I've been 'dying' before? Do you really think I haven't been this badly poisoned before? Don't flatter yourself. Rocket Pokemon or not, "class fourteen" or not, you're still a puking, cowardly brat not worthy of challenging me.]



Drapion stared over his shoulder, keeping his claws facing Magcargo. [It is painfully obvious that you are bluffing. Perhaps I have not lived as long as you, old one, but even my younger eyes can see the pain that you are in, and that you're already beginning to weaken. I know your limitations. No amount of training, not even over hundreds of years, could change the fact that you are slow and plodding by biology...so you've constantly worked to increase your sheer strength and constitution, knowing that you wouldn't have to rely on agility if you could withstand any blow and crush any obstacle in a single blow. Without that offense, though, you're nothing more than a walking target. Unworthy of being felled by my claws.]



Magcargo's eyes widened as she saw a dark blob rising behind Torkoal. [Torkoal, behind you!]



Torkoal spun around and blocked Muk's venomous punch with an Iron Defense-shielded shell, groaning as Drapion's venom began flowing through his veins. The bastard was right; it wouldn't take long before he succumbed to it. Still, all hope wasn't lost. He gritted his teeth and slammed headfirst into Muk, forcing him back, and turned back to Drapion. The ground began trembling as Torkoal poured enormous amounts of energy into the earth, rock cracking as a huge fissure began to form. He did not aim the attack at Drapion---the much faster creature could surely dodge it---but instead aimed the breach horizontally, splitting the ground until there was a gap more than half a mile long and twenty feet across separating himself and Muk from Magcargo and Drapion.



[Torkoal, what are you doing?] Magcargo cried, alarmed. [We need to back each other up!]



The tortoise smiled and shook his head. [No, my dear. Drapion is right...I'm weakening quickly, and I won't be much help to you for long. But that doesn't mean I'm useless. I've trapped Muk on this side, so you'll only have to focus on one opponent. I know that Drapion is the stronger of the two, but...I have faith in you. You can beat him. As for me...] Torkoal's shell erupted in flame as he locked eyes with Muk. [I've got enough left in me to take down this living pile of snot.]



[But you'll die if you keep fighting!]



[...nothing can stop that now. Your concern will not save me from that fate. If you truly care for me, turn your sorrow and anger into your strength and use it to destroy that insect!]



Torkoal snorted and charged Muk, no longer bothering with his defensive shields. With nowhere to run or hide, Muk stood his ground, the two colliding with a sizzling crash. Magcargo watched tearfully as the brutal blows of mud and acid fell upon him, his flames beginning to weaken as the poison pumped through his body. She was barely able to dodge when Drapion swung a toxin-dripping claw at her. His calm smile was infuriating.



[You will suffer for what you've done!] she shouted, her fiery body boiling from her anger. She released a burst of Ancientpower, a ring of huge rocks orbiting her as the last checks on her abilities were thrown aside. With a savage cry, she tossed the boulders at Drapion as easily as paper balls, flinging them forcefully enough to cause damage even when he successfully blocked them with his claws. When the supply of boulders was exhausted, she followed up with a mighty spray of magma, hitting Drapion dead-on and sending him scurrying backwards, his shell partially burnt away.



She powered through the barrage of Dark Pulses and Hyper Beams, refusing to let up her assault as he retreated into the ashy darkness. Normally her battle style was almost the same as Torkoal's, a slow and steady technique that relied on defense and waiting for the enemy to drop their guard. Now, as her rage flowed through her and made her magmatic body almost liquid, she fought more like Blaziken---relentlessly pursuing her enemy, relying on speed instead of sheer strength to get in critical strikes. While her body could not move with any real agility or grace, the speed of her attacks was unparalleled, and Drapion simply could not find an opening in the flood of fire and rock. He was forced back against the fissure, digging his legs into the ground to resist the force of Magcargo's attacks.



[And now for the kill!] Magcargo shouted, plunging her aura into the mountainous soil and focusing all of her energy into a blast of Earth Power. The ground beneath Drapion began to crack and shiver, suddenly exploding upwards in a terrific blast of energy, sending the creature flying backwards into the abyss. Instead of falling in, however, he fired Hyper Beams from both claws, giving him just enough of a boost to land safely...



...on the other side of the gap, where Torkoal and Muk were engaged in brutal combat.



[No! Damn it!] Magcargo fired desperately, blasting huge jets of lava over the fissure, but Drapion was easily able to dodge the attacks at such a distance. The scorpion flashed her a soulless smile, as though thanking her, and she realizing with dawning horror that Drapion had intentionally feigned weakness; even with her strength boosted by Ancientpower, she was simply no match for the much stronger Rocket Pokemon. He merely needed her to give him a little push to cross the fissure, and she had fallen right into his plan---her anger had not saved her friend, but instead damned him.



She watched in horror as Torkoal, recoiling from one of Muk's blows, fell into Drapion's reach and was impaled in both hind legs by his razored claws. His skin began to turn black as acid was pumped directly into his flesh. Muk raised a powerful hand at Torkoal's face, deadly poison dripping onto the ground and eating away anything that it touched---the same kind of poison that had melted the corpses in the Aqua camp. The Gunk Shot would be lethal.



[You lose,] Muk laughed, his palm hissing with steam. [I'll give you credit...you were much stronger than we expected...far stronger than your little girlfriend over there. You'd have been a worthy addition to Team Rocket. Perhaps, against any one of us, you would have won. But we don't play fair, and after you killed two of our friends, you have no right to complain about us going two-on-one against you.]



[Be at peace,] Drapion said, with none of the mockery that Muk voiced. [Now you will die a noble death, instead of having to succumb to the poison like a crippled weakling. You have been a mighty opponent, but...it's over.]



Torkoal smiled, blood dripping from his lips as his internal organs broke down from the poison pumping inside of him. [You're right, the both of you. This battle is most definitely over.]



The three Pokemon were suddenly engulfed in an enormous explosion, shaking the ground hard enough to cave in half of the fissure and send a dozen nearby buildings crashing down. Magcargo jumped back, heart racing, barely able to process what had just occurred. Ash and soil flew in a hurricane of destruction, the echo of the blast rattling everything for miles.



As the dust began to clear, Magcargo steeled herself for what she would find. Explosion was the most powerful technique ever discovered by man or Pokemon, converting nearly all of a Pokemon's physical energy into fuel for the blast. Even a healthy and fresh Pokemon would be brought to the limits of their endurance from using it a single time; in her years with Torkoal, she had only seen him use it once, and that had only been as a test. With the poisoning and injuries he'd sustained before using it...



The air had cleared enough to see across the fissure. Muk had been blown into a half dozen pieces, each chunk gushing blood and poison; while their kind were capable of liquefying, they were not capable of splitting into multiple puddles or re-attaching removed pieces, and thus the damage was fatal. Drapion's body lay fifty feet away, mostly intact but motionless. She could not tell if the creature was still alive, but one of his arms had been ripped off, and his armor was shattered in numerous places. Torkoal was laying still in the ash, eyes open but apparently incapable of moving. It was clear that his physical trauma was not survivable.



Magcargo cried his name and used an Earthquake to close the half-collapsed fissure. She slithered to his side and tried to nudge him back on his feet, but she couldn't budge his heavy bulk. [Come on, Torkoal, you've got to get up! We need to get you back to Flannery so you can get an antidote!]



[There is...no antidote for this, my dear,] Torkoal groaned quietly. [You know that as well as I do. I'm done up. The poison is the least of my worries, now.]



[No! You were able to kill them ALL, Torkoal! If you could do that, surely you can stay alive long enough to---]



[Do you know...the reason I was able to kill them all, Magcargo?] She stared at him blankly, not comprehending, and he chuckled. [Surely you noticed that my attacks were far stronger than they typically are, even when I fought in Gym Battles. It wasn't because I've gotten stronger in the past week, and it wasn't because this was a life-and-death battle. I was putting far more energy into them than I normally would....more than I was supposed to. More than...what would be safe. I...used my life force to power the attacks. Even if I had won the battle without having to self-destruct, I would not have been able to accompany you on ahead.] He sighed, staring into the darkness. [I wish that weren't the case. I would have liked to see Flannery and the others one last time before I join my former masters in the next world. But...it's not meant to be.]



Magcargo whimpered and almost broke down crying. [I'm sorry, Torkoal. I let Drapion reach you because I was stupid...I didn't mind my surroundings and underestimated my enemy's intelligence and ability...screwed up your whole plan with the fissure...]



[You're wrong. The purpose of that plan wasn't to keep myself from having to fight two opponents...it was to keep Muk away from you. And it succeeded. The poison was going to kill me anyway...my hope was that, at the very least, I could keep you from being outnumbered...perhaps even take Muk with me. Being able to kill them both was more than I could have hoped for. Now my death won't be in vain.]



[Don't talk like that! You'll be fine! Surely you've been in worse situations than this!]



[No, I haven't.] He turned his head with great effort to look Magcargo in the eye. [They were more powerful than any enemy I have ever faced. All of them. Only by putting my life energy into my attacks was I able to best them. Our enemies...are far more dangerous than I had expected. I do not doubt that they are of Champion caliber. To think that I could defeat all four of them, even at the cost of my own life...I was lucky. Very lucky. But I'm done. It's up to you now...you need to hurry and get to Flannery. If what those Pokemon told us is true, and Arbok and Weezing really are Sai's strongest Pokemon...then she and Blaziken are in grave danger. Help them before it's too late...and then you must help Slash. His opponent is even more dangerous than ours, and the boy's pack is far less powerful than our own.]



[I...I can't just leave you! Not like this. Not...here. This is no fitting place for you to...to...]



[It will have to do, my dear. As much as I wish it were otherwise, we have no time to argue about my burial arrangements. You...must go.] He coughed violently, not from the ash but from the blood in his throat. [Do you remember what I told you...about dying, Magcargo? It was a long time ago, but I think you might.]



She stared down at the ground, trembling fiercely. ['You do not have to die happy, but you must die satisfied.']



[I have protected my masters for four generations. I stood by Flannery's side even when we were attacked by brutal, twisted monsters. I killed four Pokemon that would have killed you, her, Blaziken, and Slash's entire pack had they survived. I am satisfied, my dear.] He smiled in spite of his agony. [For the most part, anyway. You...if I had been a few decades younger...]



Magcargo stared at him, sure that he was teasing her, but there was no way he'd joke at a time like this. His smile widened, and he lay his head back down in the ash, eyes drooping, his breathing labored. [Go, now. Don't wait for me to die. It won't be long now, but...it'll be long enough to damn Flannery, if you wait. Besides, I don't want you to...to see it happen.]



She stood completely still for a long moment, unsure whether or not to listen to him. Even if his death was inevitable (which hurt terribly to acknowledge), leaving him in the middle of the ruined city, still alive but in terrible pain...it seemed horribly cruel. But she had a duty to fulfill...to Flannery, to Blaziken, and to the quest that they'd sworn their lives to...and as much as hurt...and as much as she'd likely regret doing this later...she had to leave.



[I love you, Torkoal,] she whispered, nudging him gently. [We all do. We...we won't forget you. And thank you for...everything.]



Magcargo turned away before she broke down in tears, crawling away as quickly as possible. She cleared a path through the minefield of poisoned spikes with a single rage-and-tear-fueled blast of magma, and rushed to aid the members of her pack who still had a chance of survival.



When she was out of sight, Torkoal slowly picked himself up and turned to Drapion, his shell coughing out thick smoke as his internal combustion fouled. The scorpion's eyes opened. He climbed to his feet, a difficult task, but he managed. He cracked his neck and flexed his remaining arm.



[You were not using your life energy to fuel your attacks, Torkoal. Why did you lie to her about your abilities?]



[Why did you stay down and let me?]



[It is rude to answer a question with a question.]



Torkoal smiled, going into another fit of coughing and coughing up a glob of bloody saliva before answering. [If she saw that I was still able to fight...even if only with a tenth of my strength...she might not have taken you and your fellow Rockets as seriously as I'd prefer. By exaggerating your power and hiding my own...even if only by a little bit...she will believe you to be more dangerous than you actually are. She will train all the much more to defeat your kind in the future...and she will encourage the others to do the same.]



Drapion nodded calmly, as though his severed arm wasn't causing him any pain. [I see. Even as you are dying, you make your plans for the future. You are fearfully strong, both in ability and in mind. You truly are a worthy adversary.]



The sky boomed as Chimney made some horrifically loud cracking sound that echoed all the way to Fallarbor. The two adversaries locked eyes, both fatally injured and refusing to simply close their eyes and slip away.



[Well then. Shall we finish it?]



[Yes.]



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



Not too far away---close enough to hear Torkoal's Explosion, though not close enough to recognize it for what it was---Blaziken was struggling just to remain standing.



Despite only facing one opponent now instead of two, he bitterly wished that he hadn't used Overheat earlier. With his body broken, his fire abilities were essentially all that he had left, and Overheat had sapped even those remaining abilities down to mere embers. Even the proportional boost in his flames that came with severe injury was not enough to compensate. He couldn't punch. Running and jumping were difficult and dangerous without the use of his arms to steady himself. And his flame could barely torch a Wurmple now.



The battle had become a beatdown since he took down Arbok. Pursuing Weezing was all but impossible, as the monster hovered fast enough and high enough to evade nearly all of his strikes, and the closer he managed to get, the harder the Thunderbolts and Sludge Bombs struck. His feathers were tainted, singed, melted. With his arsenal of attacks extremely limited, Blaziken had settled for using his beak as a weapon, slamming into Weezing with significant power...but injuring himself against the hard shell in the process. After ten minutes of such brutal brawling, he could barely breathe, and his mouth was dripping blood. Flannery had not tried to catch a glimpse of the battle since the Overheat, but she could vaguely feel her mate's agony through their bond, and now she sat huddled on the other side of the rubble, cursing her own weakness and desperately trying to think of a way to help him.



Blaziken grunted painfully as Weezing slammed into him from behind, sheathed in dark energy, apparently switching between elements just to keep him from being able to brace himself for each blow. He fell to his knees, his legs becoming as numb as his arms, trying to muster up enough energy for one last Overheat.



(Gotta...hold on...for a bit longer...) he thought to himself, clenching his beak as Weezing rocketed into him, striking twice, the blows weak but humiliating. (If I could last this along against the best of them...then Torkoal's probably on his way to help right now. Just...just a little longer.)



Weezing approached again, this time slowing to a stop only a few feet in front of him. [What a disgrace. The mighty Kaishakunin of the Master of Heat, on his knees and nearly in tears. You should cease your feeble hopes of rescue. By now your friends have been killed, their bodies so pumped full of poison that even the black-lined monsters won't try to prey off of their corpses. Even if the tortoise is twice your strength, he's no match for them.]



[Twice my strength? Ha. And you think I'm the foolish one here.]



A momentary frown crossed Weezing's faces, but it quickly vanished, dismissing Blaziken's claims as hyperbole. [I grow weary of this battle. It was fun at first...smashing your bones, watching you waste your energy by chasing me around, nearly breaking your face against my body in a pitiful act of desperation...and after you killed Arbok, I thought that maybe, just maybe, you'd present a challenge. Maybe avenging him would be...almost enjoyable.] The four eyes narrowed and glared down at Blaziken, full of hate. [But I was wrong. You merely got lucky, and the power you exhibited was not something you could repeat. Once again I am left without a challenge.]



[Would you rather...that I'd have gone after you first, instead of him? So it'd be your ashes blowing around the battlefield instead of his?]



Weezing zapped him with a jolt of electricity, grimacing with bitter satisfaction as Blaziken cried out in pain and nearly tumbled face-first onto the dirt. [You stupid little creature...just because Arbok was Sai's Kaishakunin does not mean that he was the strongest in our group...I am. Do you really think you could ever defeat someone of my caliber, even with that Overheat attack at full power? Besides, even if, by some miracle, it was possible...I would simply bind our life forces together with Destiny Bond and take you with me. Then Arbok would be the one to kill your precious master, instead of what I intend to do to her after disposing of you.]



Blaziken's eyes widened, two realizations hitting him at once---that Weezing was covered in a faint purple glow, and that the creature knew that Flannery was still nearby.



[Yes, that's right, I'm bonded to her right now. Little girl couldn't keep her head down. So even if you manage to climb to your feet...or if your almighty Torkoal shows up to save the day...Flannery will suffer every blow that I suffer...every wound that is made upon me...and if, by some miracle, I should be killed...she will accompany me into hell. Now do you realize just how utterly you've been defeated?]



Weezing crashed into him hard, sending him falling on his back in the ash, muscles screaming in pain. Blaziken tried to sit up, but it was nearly impossible without the use of his arms. Weezing hovered directly over him and spat acid onto his chest, grinning like a devil as the Pokemon writhed and trembled beneath him.



[Come on, Blaziken, hit me! I know you've got enough left in you for one more Blaze Kick, one more Flamethrower, one more Brave Bird. Hit me!]



The shell briefly transformed into metal as Weezing dropped down onto Blaziken like a rock, knocking the wind out of him and cracking several ribs. Flannery jumped out from behind the rubble upon hearing Blaziken's cry of pain, pulling out her knife and screaming at Weezing to stop. The poison Pokemon rose off of his chest, his shell reverting to its normal state.



[Stupid girl, you think that blade could even scratch me?]



"No," Flannery growled, putting the knife to her own throat. "But it can scratch me. Whether you drop the Destiny Bond or not, Blaziken will be able to fight back."



[Such a pitiful threat. Your Kaishakunin is incapable of fighting back even if the Bond wasn't in place. Besides,] Weezing said with a grin, [you won't have the opportunity.]



Flannery stared back at him, not comprehending. Suddenly something large and powerful grabbed her from behind, knocking the blade from her hands and pinning her arms behind her back. Four legs, long and segmented, pulled her against the body of a creature as large as she was. She struggled to pry herself from its grasp, but the legs were far more powerful than their thin appearance suggested.



[Gotcha,] Ariados whispered, holding her tightly against his body. He grazed his fangs over her neck, not hard enough to pierce her skin---his venom would surely be fatal if he did---but enough to make her freeze up. [Well, Weezing, it looks like you have things under control. Where's Arbok?]



[Believe it or not, this son of a bitch managed to kill him.] Weezing glanced down at Blaziken and briefly but painfully shocked him with a jolt of electricity, reveling in his ever-weaker cries. [He used a Fire-type attack that he called Overheat...extremely powerful, but a single use appeared to drain him almost completely dry. What of the others?]



[Vileplume was killed as well. The Torkoal was far more powerful than any of us anticipated. When I realized that a Bug-type like me wouldn't stand a chance against him, I decided to evacuate the area and go somewhere I could be useful.] He pulled Flannery against his exoskeleton so hard that she could barely breathe. [I don't think Muk and Drapion will have a problem taking care of it, though. He may have been strong...perhaps even an equal to any one of us...but not anywhere near strong enough to handle both of them.]



With great effort, Blaziken managed to roll on his side and catch a glimpse of his mate in the spider's clutches. [Let her go, you bastard!]



[Or what?] Ariados asked, grinning. [I don't think you're in any position to tell us what to do, so shut your impudent trap before I flay your trainer alive.]



[Careful now, Ariados,] Weezing warned in a playful voice. [I'm Destiny Bonded to her. If you're going to toy with her, stick to poison so I won't be affected.]



[Understood.] The spider licked his fangs and again ran the tips over her skin. [Even with that limitation, there's still so many ways I can kill you. I could inject you with my venom...melt your organs from the inside...and all it would do to Weezing is give him a little prick. Or I could pour my poison on your pretty skin and burn it off your bones, and my friend would merely feel a little tickle.]



Blaziken struggled to climb to his feet, almost managed it, but slipped and fell back into the ash. Knowing that he could free Flannery if he could just get off one last Flamethrower, he clenched his beak, tried to ignore the pain, and dug as deeply into his powers as he could. His heart sank as he realized that he didn't have enough flame for a single projection-attack; maybe a Blaze Kick, but there was no way he could get to Ariados without the bastard killing Flannery first, even assuming that he could get back to his feet at all. Weezing, noticing his attempts at a Flamethrower, gave him another Shock Wave, driving Blaziken onto his back once more.



[The thoughts swirling in your head are pointless. You've lost. Your body and spirit are broken...your trainer is at our...] Weezing chuckled, [mercy...and your friends are surely dead. If I know Drapion, he'll have made their deaths very, very painful. He's almost as good at torturing as I am.]



The smaller head of Weezing opened its maw and fired a Hyper Beam, purposely underpowered, right at Blaziken's chest, tearing through feather and flesh just enough to draw blood. Unable to move his arms, and barely able to move at all, he screamed in abject agony, desperately trying to roll over and cover himself, completely unable to do so. The main head fired a constant wave of Dark Pulse, chilling his bones and bursting blood vessels, attempting to snuff off Blaziken's fire forever.



[This is the price for those who dare to cross Team Rocket! Those who dare meddle in our affairs will suffer the most dire and savage of consequences!] The dual attacks suddenly skyrocketed in intensity, beginning to burn Blaziken right down to the muscles, his screams wild and broken. Flannery thrashed in Ariados grip, shrieking for Weezing to stop, desperately trying to kick and bite any part of Ariados that she could reach. He squeezed her so tightly that her ribs cracked, droplets of acidic venom dripping from his fangs and splashing onto her neck, but she did not cease her struggles.



[Weezing, the bitch won't stop moving. Should I go ahead and take care of her now?]



[Yes. Bite her, pump her full of death. And,] Weezing dropped and rammed into Blaziken hard enough to send him rolling several feet, [he's going to watch. And when his throat finally breaks from his screams, we will do the same to him.]



[The hell you will!]



All three Pokemon and Flannery turned towards the new voice, seeing a brightly-colored flare of yellow and red in their night vision as something enormously hot approached. Blaziken gasped weakly as he realized that it was Magcargo, and while the absence of Torkoal was deeply troubling, she appeared to be relatively unharmed and still capable of battle; he could only hope that she would be enough. [MAGCARGO, LISTEN TO ME! TORCH ARIADOS AND FLANNERY NOW!]



Had it been any other Pokemon, they might not have obeyed this seemingly murderous request. But Magcargo knew that Blaziken would never order anything that would hurt Flannery, even in a 'for the greater good' sort of situation, and thus she did not question his command. She turned to Ariados and Flannery, drew upon the lingering traces of her earlier Ancientpower, and fired off an incredibly mighty Flamethrower that immersed both trainer and enemy in a raging inferno.



[AHHHH!]



She turned to find Weezing fallen on the ground, ablaze and screaming in agony as he burned. Blaziken leapt to his feet with a sharp cry of effort, staring down at the beast and noticing that Weezing had dropped the Destiny Bond the instant the fire had been transferred through it.



[This isn't for me,] Blaziken said, raising a foot over the thin bridge-like structure that connected the two heads of Weezing, [or for the pain and injury that you inflicted upon me. It's not even for the suffering you put my friends through, or your plans for this town.] The last of his flame exploding around his ankle, a dazzling silver torch that scorched the ash right out of the air. He glared down at Weezing's pain-filled eyes and spat in the creature's face.



[This is for threatening my mate,] he hissed, and stomped down hard. There was a loud, sharp snap, followed by a gush of something horribly foul and steaming, and then it was over. Blaziken walked a few steps towards Magcargo and the blaze she had created, stumbled as the final embers of his power faded away, and fell forward. Magcargo caught him, letting the exhausted Pokemon lean against her shell.



[Flannery,] he muttered, and Magcargo was about to ask him why he'd told her to blast her when their master walked out of the flames, her clothing burned away but otherwise completely unharmed. Flannery shook her hair with disgust, the powdery remains of Ariados falling off in drifts. Then she caught sight of her mate and forgot all about it, running to his side and barely resisting an urge to throw a crushing hug around him. She could not resist leaning against his chest and feeling him against her, completely ignoring the blood and traces of poison that spilled onto her bare skin.



"Oh, Blaze," she whispered tearfully, never so happy to touch him. "I'll...I'll get some medicine. I took off my pack when I was hiding, so it should still be intact. Just...just stay here, alright?"



He smiled dully, his eyelids feeling like they were made of iron. [I won't be going anywhere, love.]



Flannery rushed behind the drift of rubble, and Magcargo glanced up at Blaziken. [It's the mating bond, right? That's why she wasn't burned.]



[When...when we mated...I made a wish. Back then my fire was sometimes difficult to control, and I was terrified that I might lose control, perhaps in a moment of passion, and hurt her someday.] He smiled faintly as Flannery pulled out a syringe of her most powerful medicine and gently took one of his numb and shattered arms in her hands. [So I wished that I would never accidentally harm her with my powers. I thought that maybe the mating would improve my self control, but instead...]



[Why didn't you tell us before?]



[Nobody asked,] he answered quietly. Flannery examined his arm, not liking the way he didn't so much as wince when she touched the twisted limb. She bit her lip, staring down at the syringe as she injected the potion into her mate's arm, unable to meet Magcargo's eyes as she asked the question she dreaded the answer to.



"What...happened to Torkoal?"



[...Flannery...I'm sorry.]



Despite having expected as much when Magcargo had showed up alone, Flannery could not hold back a sob at hearing her worst fears being confirmed. She tossed the empty needle aside and carefully wrapped her arms around Blaziken, trying to lose her pain in his warmth. He couldn't squeeze her tight and help her---the potion would only stabilize him, not mend the enormous damage to his bones---but he leaned against her a bit more heavily, increasing the contact. Knowing that she wasn't ready to ask yet, he sighed and met Magcargo's eyes. [How...did it happen?]



[He took down their Vileplume...we thought he got Ariados, too...and then he engaged Muk and Drapion two-on-one.] Magcargo sniffled, trying to hold back her own tears at the memory. [They got him...crippled him and were about to kill him...and he used Explosion to kill them both. But he was badly injured when he used it, so...]



[He died in combat. Protecting you. Protecting all of us. Like a hero.] Blaziken smiled sadly, staring into the darkness. [A fitting end for someone like him. I'd have expected nothing less from the Pokemon who taught me everything I knew.]



[Flannery, I'm sorry...if I'd been stronger...if I hadn't made so many stupid mistakes while I was fighting them...maybe he'd still...]



Flannery shook her head, parting from Blaziken, her eyes red with tears. "No, Magcargo, you can't blame yourself. Torkoal wouldn't have. You helped him the best that you could...as strong as he was, he could not have handled them all at once."



Blaziken nodded in agreement. [And you showed up just in time to save both of our lives. If you hadn't...well, Torkoal would be proud of you.]



The three huddled together in the cold night air, knowing that their mourning would have to wait but nonetheless giving their fallen friend a brief moment of remembrance. Magcargo, her heart still aching with guilt, remembered the comment Torkoal had made before sending her off.



If I had been a few decades younger...



[Maybe so,] she whispered quietly. Neither Flannery nor Blaziken questioned her about her words.



Remembering their duties to Hoenn and to their new friends, they somberly parted. Flannery quickly slipped into a spare pair of clothes, briefly considering scavenging some of the remaining houses for a pair of shoes but deciding that time was too short. When she was dressed, she pulled out a Pokeball that she hadn't used in more than a year and turned to Blaziken, frowning apologetically.



[I understand,] he assured her, fully aware that he wouldn't make it a hundred yards before collapsing, even with the powerful medicine coursing through his veins. [Just...promise me that you'll be careful. Whatever is happening with Rayquaza...Kiako is surely involved. If Slash was right about him being even stronger than Sai, then...well, just...be careful.]



"I will," Flannery said, patting Magcargo's shell. "I won't be alone. Besides, no matter how powerful Kiako's pack may be, even they can't come out of a battle with Rayquaza unscathed."



Blaziken nodded, though still displeased at leaving his mate's side when an even more dangerous battle was at hand. [Make sure that Sai doesn't leave this place alive. Torkoal's honor demands it.]



"I know." She gently embraced him, cradling his battered body and kissing the scarred chest before withdrawing him into the Pokeball. Despite having Magcargo at her side, she felt terribly lonely and vulnerable without Blaziken to protect her. "Keh, I don't have time to be afraid," she said quietly, picking up the knife that had been knocked from her hand and sliding it in her belt. "Alright, Magcargo, let's go. Slash is going to need our help."



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



Kiako watched stoically as his last two Pokemon fought the barely-conscious Rayquaza to a standstill. He was unsure why the dragon was so badly weakened prior to his arrival---surely the Aquas could not have caused so much damage to him---but he was not complaining. Had Rayquaza been at full power, he and his Pokemon would surely be little more than bloody smears on the rocky earth; now, with the dragon hacking up blood and firing Hyper Beams that were only slightly stronger than those Gyarados was capable of, victory was nearly in his grasp. His eyes glowed a predatory red as the smell of blood wafted through the air.



Metagross slammed a powerful arm into the dragon's back, hard enough to crack his spine. Desperate, Rayquaza lunged at Aggron, intending to disembowel him straight through his iron hide, but the steel Pokemon caught the blow, exploded with power, and countered the strike with a shower of metallic shards. Blinded in one eye and pouring literally gallons of blood, Rayquaza reared back in a daze and was struck in the back of the skull by one final Meteor Mash from Metagross. The dragon wavered dizzily for a moment, fired a barely visible Hyper Beam in Aggron's general direction, and then slammed into the ground with an enormous crash.



"To me," Kiako ordered in a calm voice, heading over to check Rayquaza's body. His scanner detected only minimal energy signatures from the huge creature, equivalent to perhaps level fifty instead of the utterly unmeasurable power the device had picked up in their last encounter. Aggron and Metagross joined him, and though their wounds were also grievous, Kiako knew that they still had some steam left in them. He stopped a few yards from the dragon's head, contemplating his next move.



[He will not be getting up for some time,] Metagross intoned. [And even if he did, felling him again would not be a difficult task. He's barely alive as it is.]



Aggron kicked the body warily, but there was no response. [The Master Ball shouldn't have any trouble catching him in this state, and Giovanni would be very pleased if we brought two trophies home. Will you capture him?]



Kiako shook his head, the glow of his eyes brightening to a malicious shine. "No. I will not."



[Why? I know that it'd be difficult to break his mind, but surely Giovanni would be willing to invest the time and energy to do so. Imagine how deadly Rocket would be with a Lord in its arsenal.]



"I care nothing for that. And it's not as though Rocket needs anymore firepower, especially with all the toys Giovanni's been digging up." Kiako's mouth drew into a trembling sneer of rage. "No...we'll kill this impudent worm right here. He who dared to fire upon the future god of this world will be spared no quarter. We have broken his body and humbled his mind, but it is not enough of a punishment for the depth of his crime. We will cut off his head and put it on a spike, and then we'll place it atop the highest mountain in Hoenn, so that the gods themselves may see the price of treason."



Aggron and Metagross resisted the urge to step away from their master at these words. While he was nowhere near their own level of strength---not even when they were as injured as they were now---there was a strange pulse of incomprehensible black power that Kiako exuded when he got like this, and it made them very...uncomfortable. They felt wary, like a predator was in their midst; a very strange instinct, as neither Pokemon had any natural predators in the wild. Kiako was raising his hand to give the order to start cutting when something brushed against his psychic awareness; a moment later, Metagross felt it, too.



[What is it?] the spider asked, glaring in the direction of the power flare he'd detected. [It's not Sai...it's another psychic. No...two of them...one quite powerful, and the other much weaker. But the weaker one feels...different.] Metagross wanted to say that the weaker psychic signature felt like Kiako himself, but he didn't want to push his already unstable master any further. [There's dark energy mixed in the second aura. As far as I am aware, there are no Psychic/Dark type Pokemon, and I am unsure if I could detect it if there was. Damn, I wish Rayquaza hadn't targeted our dampeners. So much for a surprise ambush.]



Kiako frowned as the signatures drew closer, briefly disappearing and then reappearing---the unmistakable pattern of repeated teleportation. The first signature felt...almost familiar. He couldn't place where he'd felt it before, but he was sure of it. His aggressive, self-protective instincts seemed to shy away at the thought of battling the source of that aura, and that was as alarming to him as it was unexpected. What could possibly override his desire for battle, his rage, his bloodlust? It almost felt...soothing, and while such weakness infuriated him, he could not turn that rage against the source of that pure silver aura, regardless of how hard he tried.



The other aura, though...it made his blood boil.



[They're coming,] Metagross announced, shifting into a defensive position. Aggron started to step in front of Kiako, noticed the extremely conflicted expression on his master's face, and wisely reconsidered. There was a brief, bright flash of blue light a dozen yards away, and a brief flicker of wind as five bodies displaced the air in their coming. Kiako's eyes widened in stunned surprise as he recognized the new arrivals.



"You," he said quietly, glaring at Slash, barely able to keep his left arm from phasing into a hooked claw at the sight of him. Why was that? Why did he feel so...uneasy, over a kid who was absolutely no threat to him? Even his unexpected arrival in Fallarbor was no reason to feel like this...as though he was facing a mortal enemy with whom he had crossed swords with long, long ago.



"Yes, me," Slash replied tensely, his own emotions mirroring Kiako's. Quiero had warned about the effects of the Trinity coming together, and yes, there was something different now. Dangerous. His own previous, seemingly sourceless hatred of Kiako was magnified now that they were face to face once again, and this time it seemed to be mutual. Some sort of powerful energy, neither psychic nor dark in nature, arced between himself and Kiako, whispering of grudges and battles and hatred that echoed throughout existence.



Kiako remained still, trying to sort through the strange emotions now rushing through him. If they didn't feel so...familiar...he would have thought that his mind was being invaded by an outside party. But the nature of his abilities made him utterly unproggable, and thus that could not be a possibility. So why, then? Why did just looking at Slash give him vague, unformed memories of this boy harming him greatly in the past? Why did he feel like Slash had stolen something precious from him, something that he wanted more than anything else in the universe, even more than the godhood that he had been promised?



The kid wasn't even a threat to him, and certainly he had no inkling of his plans beyond collecting the Pearls. Just to be sure, he re-scanned the kid's pack, his confusion increasing as he confirmed that while Slash's Pokemon had gotten much stronger since they last met, they were still of minimal danger to his own team. Crawdaunt, level 32. Graveler, level 33. Manectric, level 32. Gardevoir, level 39---



He froze as his eyes met the Gardevoir by Slash's side, all else forgotten. The power readings, the Pearl, Rayquaza, the volcano...meaningless. All the rage that had suddenly appeared upon noticing Slash had now vanished, and it was replaced by something alluring and...almost soft. His clenched fists opened without a thought, fingers falling lazily by his side, and for the first time in his life that low whisper of promised divinity was silenced.



"The Gardevoir that we seek will be one of exceptional power and ability," Giovanni had said. "She will possess a psychic aura of purest silver, untainted by even the most foul darkness. Her mere presence will inspire obedience in those around her, and it is only in her presence that the seal of the King's power will be dispelled."



The description fit perfectly, but Kiako cared nothing for that goal at this moment. All that mattered was the strange, entrancing aura that swirled about the young Gardevoir, and for a moment he almost believed that he could hear her voice in his mind, whispering of...castles and childish games and...and then he thought he felt a light slap on his cheek, and his awe turned to a mingling of anger and sorrow.



"Why?" Kiako asked weakly, his dirty and scarred face transforming into something innocent and vulnerable. "Why...why do you make me feel like this? What have you done to me? What are you?"



Stay back, Gardie, Slash warned, stepping between her and Kiako. I don't have a good feeling about this.



Psymakio nodded in understanding, but now, for the first time, there was something arcing between herself and Kiako...no hatred or ancient grudges that spanned a millennium, no unthinking anger...not even hatred for what Kiako had done in Slateport. It was sadness...pity, even...and while some anger was buried deep inside the mysterious flow of energy that now bound the three of them together, that anger was only an undercurrent. One thought kept repeating itself in her mind, over and over as if in denial, whispered in the heartbroken voice of Miyako---it didn't have to be this way.



[Are you alright, Kiako?] Aggron asked, and to his surprise Kiako didn't lash out at him for asking such a question. His master merely stared at the Gardevoir...occasionally glancing at the boy with unequaled and undisguised loathing...but mostly his attention was on the girl. Aggron wasn't quite sure what to make of this. He didn't think that his master was attracted to the Gardevoir; Kiako had rarely shown any physical attraction to anyone, human or Pokemon, and he personally doubted that Kiako was even capable of 'love' as most sentient beings knew it. Even if there was some attraction, it was completely contradictory to Kiako's normal behavior to let personal feelings interfere with his objectives. There had been some famous slaughters against those who had personally insulted or injured Kiako, all right, but he had always waited until his missions had been completed before...indulging himself.



"What are you?" Kiako repeated quietly, genuinely confused. His eyes slipped back to Slash and narrowed into glowing slits. "And you. You...why are you here?"



"We've been here before," Slash replied cautiously, his gloved hand drifting down to his hip and grasping the handle of his knife. "Long ago. Very long ago."



"I have no time for riddles, boy!" Kiako's power exploded around him, seemingly enhanced tenfold from the rage of seeing Slash by the Gardevoir's side. He slammed his psychic fingers into the boy's aura, trying to rip every last secret out of him, but he was amazed to find that he could not penetrate Slash's mind. There was a small amount of psychic power present, but Kiako ignored that; even the lowliest humans could possess a touch of psychic ability. What was interesting was the presence of an enormous power source locked away beyond the barrier of Slash's mental shields...something great and ancient, its power far beyond Kiako's own. It had certainly not been there during their first meeting in Slateport, of that Kiako was absolutely certain. "You will give that to me," he spat, trying to claw into Slash's mind and take the power source by force, but to no avail.



Master, what is he doing?



I don't know. Slash gritted his teeth as he fended off the attempted invasion, just as surprised as Kiako at being able to repel it. The Dark Core refused to be touched by any outside force, and its cold glow seemed to obscure Kiako's view of his mating bond with Psymakio; at least that was something to be grateful for. As Kiako reeled in his powers, Slash finally acknowledged the motionless form of Rayquaza that lay behind them. "You will not be allowed to harm him anymore, Kiako. And you will not escape with...the Pearl."



"Why do you care?" Kiako growled, asking the very question that he wanted to ask himself. "I spared your life before...and as my very powerful friends will attest to, that was an uncharacteristic display of mercy on my part. Why have you come all this way, across so many miles, just to throw your life away? Other than my...warning shot...have I caused you some harm that you would see avenged?"



"No," Slash admitted, acknowledging the absurdity. He kept his fingers clutched around the knife's handle. "I've been looking for you ever since Slateport. At first I told myself that I wanted to stop you so that you'd have to pay for the crimes you've done...but it didn't take long to realize that that was only an excuse, and a bad excuse at that."



"Then why?"



"You would destroy the world, Kiako, if you go unchallenged. You would end countless lives to obtain your goals, including the lives of those I care about. And you would take my best friend away from me. That is why I have chased you here. And that is why I will not let you leave this place alive."



Kiako growled at the realization of who Slash was referring to. Jealousy gripped his heart with cold, bony fingers, but he forcibly pushed the sourceless envy aside to deal with this conundrum. How dare this idiotic, weak-hearted child claim ownership over HIS woman?



He frowned, momentarily taking his eyes off of Slash.



Ownership?



His woman?



Shaking aside his discomfort over the strange emotions clashing in his head, Kiako glanced back up at Slash and tried his hardest to look calm and in control. "What could you possibly know of my plans, boy?" he asked gruffly.



"I know a lot more than you might expect," Slash answered. "I know that you're seeking the Pearls to unlock a great power from an ancient, forgotten kingdom of Hoenn. And I know that you'll need my Gardevoir to unlock that power once it's found."



Kiako laughed harshly. "Perhaps. But there is so much more that you do not know."



"I could say the same to you."



"Oh?"



Slash hesitated, unsure of whether or not it'd be wise to tell Kiako about the Shadow, especially since his previous incarnation had apparently created it, or at least summoned it. Since the Shadow already existed, there really couldn't be any harm in trying to persuade Kiako and the Rockets against their plan...if there was, Quiero surely would have warned them against it. But then again, even the Great Ones were clueless as to Kiako's origins and motives, and considered him to be a grave threat to the entire world. He would have to speak carefully...trying to dissuade Kiako from pursuing his objectives without showing his whole hand.



"There is a power behind the power that you seek...something ancient and malevolent, leaking power even while sealed away. All of this...the volcano, the monsters, everything...it's but the early symptoms of that leakage. The world is becoming corrupted, and if that monstrous power is released, everyone will die, regardless of who they are and what they fight for. Human, Pokemon...whatever the hell you are...it makes no difference. The world would break, and the gods themselves would eventually fall dead from the sky! You must stop before it's too late!"



Kiako considered him for a long moment, half of him wanting to accuse Slash of lying and the other wanting to ask him precisely what he meant and how he knew it. There was more behind the seal than the power of the King? Something great enough to affect the world like...like this...even though it was cut off from it? That deep, dark part of his heart pulsed hungrily at the idea of such a power.



Absolute power? Truly absolute?



Strength so great and mighty that sealing it away was only a hindrance to it?



Divinity beyond divinity, capable of casting the very gods out of heaven?



A final thought: did Giovanni know about this? Could Giovanni possibly know of his craving for absolute power and intentionally be hiding this knowledge from him? And even if he didn't, what would the dark man do with such knowledge, if he chose to share it with him?



"You lie," Kiako accused, careful not to let any of his hunger or intrigue show. "I do not know how you discovered my intentions, but your attempt to dissuade me from my course is laughably transparent. You are the same as the rest of the cowards on this planet...always seeking power, but when you see a chance at true glory, you are too afraid to take it. It's disgusting. Pitiful."



"I am not lying. Go ahead and check my mind...do you sense any deceit in me?"



Recognizing a possible opening into Slash's mind---and possibly another chance to snatch that incredible power source locked away within it---Kiako tried to prog him, but again he was stopped by some sort of barrier. It was not the same barrier that the power source created earlier...this one was purely generated by Slash himself, and it completely blocked any access into his mind, even cursory progs of his emotions. It was almost the same as Kiako's own 'perfect shielding', except that while Kiako's mind was unreadable to anyone's probing, even the progging of the gods, Slash's was set to the exact reverse frequency of Kiako's own powers---meaning that Slash's 'perfect shielding' was only perfect against Kiako himself.



Kiako could see through the barrier with difficulty, as though it were glass coated by thick grime. He could see that the Gardevoir was capable of communing with Slash's mind (a realization that again made Kiako seethe with that bizarre jealousy), and the other Pokemon appeared to have basic telepathic communication links with him. And he could tell from the precise nature of this barrier that other unfriendly parties could breach Slash's mind with enough power and effort. So why was it only set against him?



(Something connects us,) Kiako thought to himself, finally noticing that Slash and Gardevoir seemed to have strange and hauntingly familiar feelings towards him, too. (It's almost like...like we really have been here before. Or rather...we've done this before. Is it Rayquaza causing this? Is it the strange disturbance that Slash claims is due to some enormously powerful...thing, hidden behind the King's Seal? Why now, then? Why didn't I feel this way in Slateport?)



He stared at Gardevoir, his longing and lust rising at the sight of her graceful form. It was her. Her evolution had triggered something in him. Even in this place, with a volcano rumbling menacingly overhead, he wanted her. Even with her dirty, tattered clothing and the myriad scratches on her silver skin, he wanted her. Duty and desire clashed in his heart, threatening to tear it in two.



"Aggron," Kiako called, snapping out of his haze, "I want you to kill the boy...slowly, if you can...and take the Gardevoir alive. Metagross, kill the rest of them."



Slash growled and pulled out his blade as his Pokemon surrounded him and Psymakio in defensive positions. "Did you hear nothing of what I said? Your plans will only get everyone killed, including yourself! There's no reason to do this!"



"Shut up," Kiako said flatly. "You may know a bit about my mission, but you know nothing of my goals. You had a chance to run away in Slateport and you refused. Instead you had the gall to follow me here...and you now wish to take what is rightfully mine." He was unsure if he meant the Pearl or the Gardevoir, but either way, once Slash was dead, he would have both and no longer have to worry about it. "My subordinate will have eradicated any allies you might have brought with you, and your mediocre group of Pokemon stand no chance against us in combat."



Stop this! Psymakio shouted, standing protectively in front of Slash, arms spread. Kiako closed his eyes at the sound of her mental voice in his mind...perhaps in pain or perhaps in ecstasy, even he did not know for sure. When he opened them again, his expression was soft, but his eyes continued to glow with a relentless, obsessive shine.



"You will cease...making me feel these emotions," he demanded, realizing how idiotic that sounded but unable to help himself. "You have nothing to fear. I will not kill you. And, if you don't try to fight the inevitable, you won't even be injured. Despite his other idiocies, Slash is correct in that I...need you."



Psymakio stepped back until she was almost pressed against Slash's chest. Hearing Kiako say that he needed her disturbed her on some deep, primal level; only by immersing herself in her mate's aura was she able to resist the urge to flee.



Clenching his fists as though that admission caused him physical pain, Kiako continued. "I do not need to hurt you to accomplish my goals. There is no altar to spill your blood upon to unlock the power that awaits me. Come with us peacefully and you will live happily...with me...until our plans require you."



Slash opened his mouth to shout some vicious retort, but Psymakio silenced him as her psychic energy flared into existence around her, raging like a tornado. While the presence of Aggron and Metagross had pushed her predator-alert instincts into overdrive, it was Kiako's threats to Slash, and his disturbing offer to her, that set off her full protective state. There is nothing in this world or any other that would make me abandon my master. I will never be swayed by promises of power...nor by guarantees of my own safety...and certainly not by the perverse offers of a murderous freak like you.



Kiako flinched as though struck, his left arm briefly shifting into something razored and vicious before reverting to a shaking fist. "Your...master...will pay for that remark, little girl. As will all of your friends. You seem to have mistaken my generous offer of safety and luxury for...longing. You are most incorrect." A lie, of course, but a lie that he had to tell himself if he wished to stay sane throughout this encounter. "No matter what obstacles are put in my way...no matter who dares take up arms against me...I will have you. It is inevitable."



Slash's corruption lines pulsed a deathly black as Kiako extended his battered right arm towards Psymakio. "On your knees, Gardevoir. Kneel to me and your friends will die swiftly, and with minimal pain. Otherwise..."



"You will never have that satisfaction!" Slash roared, his rage-fueled powers exploding towards Kiako, stabbing into the man's heart and pumping some sort of twisted and chaotic energy into it. Kiako gripped his right arm and fell to one knee, grunting in pain as spidery lines appeared at his fingertips and began a slow march up toward his wrist. Psymakio turned to her mate, hoping to shut his RAGE door before it could break off its hinges, but she stopped cold as she noticed the corruption lines on Slash's hands slowing crawling out from under his gloves.



Oh no, she whispered, grabbing his arm and desperately trying to shake him from his rage. Master, stop! This is killing you!



"He will not have you," Slash growled, his voice barely recognizable. "I will turn this foul weapon against him and give him a body to match his corrupted heart."



It's happening to you, too! Look at your lines!



"Get off of me!" Slash shrugged Psymakio aside, keeping his eyes locked on Kiako's. Glowing red met icy blue, and this time there was nothing but hatred between them. Aggron was ready to lunge at the human boy to try and stop the strange assault when a blast of black-and-blue light flashed around Kiako, forcibly breaking the link and making Slash recoil as the backwash struck his mind. Kiako forced himself back to his feet, and with a strained cry of effort, the corruption lines began retreating towards his fingertips.



[He's repelling the corruption,] Crawdaunt said in amazement, watching as the lines on Kiako's arm vanished as though they had never been there. Slash's lines, however, remained at his wrist, throbbing obscenely in the darkness. Slash exhaled in a harsh gush of frustration while Psymakio delved into his void to close the RAGE door and repair any damage---and there was a good deal of mental damage to be repaired.



Kiako, exhausted from the effort of forcing back Slash's assault and reversing...whatever the boy had tried to do to him...watched on in aggravation as the Gardevoir placed her soft hands on Slash's temples and joined her mind to his. This was enough. No, it was so much more than enough. It was madness.



"You sickening brat. You dare try to...befoul my mind? My body? Do you have the faintest inkling of whom you're dealing with?"



"A...a monster who would destroy the world to fill his belly?" Slash panted, his anger dissipating at Psymakio's gentle touch. "Or maybe to fill that aching hole where a normal person's heart would be?"



"I have no time for your games, boy. I do not know how you obtained such a power...and I do not know why fate has chosen a childish piece of filth to throw in my path...but unlike my...unlike the Gardevoir, I have no need for you." He flashed a half-mad grin as he placed his hands on his hips and leaned back against Rayquaza's immobile form. "I would have liked to devour those abilities of yours, but...for some reason, I find the idea of having anything of yours in my mind to be...repulsive. Aggron, Metagross, follow through with my orders. Take the girl alive...and butcher everyone else."



[Gladly,] Aggron growled, extending a clawed hand at Slash. Manectric, feeling the rush of electricity in the beast's arm, re-activated his electric-absorption abilities and leapt to the ready. Aggron fired a powerful Shock Wave---the same attack that had nearly killed him in Slateport---only this time it was at full power instead of being a mere taunting joke. He was surprised when the bolt changed course in mid-flight and harmlessly struck Manectric, but only mildly so.



[It will take more than that to defeat us,] Manectric growled, sparks crackling through his fur and fangs. Crawdaunt was extremely grateful to have the thunder runner in their ranks now; though Shock Wave was relatively weak compared to other electric techniques, Aggron's blast had been more powerful than any of the attacks used by Watson's Pokemon. He didn't want to get electrocuted again.



Ignoring Manectric, Aggron glanced to Metagross and shrugged. [I wonder,] the iron Pokemon mused, [was it chance that this kid captured a Pokemon that would protect him from being hit by another Shock Wave, or did he plan it in case he fought us in the future? I doubt he'd be smart enough to think ahead that far...]



"You might be surprised," Slash said. Aggron turned to him, a curious frown on his jagged face.



[Have you ever met any of my kind other than myself, kid?]



"No."



[You pick up on the language pretty quick, then. How...unexpected.]



"That's not the last of my surprises."



[Perhaps,] Aggron agreed conversationally, smirking at the much smaller Slash. [But you're still going to die.]



Metagross fired a volley of psychic blasts around Slash, knowing that Psymakio would instinctively shield Slash; the other Pokemon broke off to dodge the attack, separating them from their trainer and his Kaishakunin. The spider then used a strategy that Torkoal had attempted earlier; he slammed an iron claw into the ground, summoning a powerful Earthquake that split the ground open. The resulting fissure was smaller than the one Torkoal had created, but it would be more than adequate to keep the Graveler and Crawdaunt from interfering with Aggron, at least.



"Psymakio, you can't fight Aggron," Slash said matter-of-factly. "Even if Kiako wants you alive...that thing would rip you apart in one blow."



Sorry, master, but I have my duty...as your Pokemon and as your mate. I won't back down from any threat to you.



"Please, Gardie! You know that you can't beat that thing, even if it is injured from fighting Rayquaza! Just teleport us onto the other side of the gap and we'll help the others with Metagross!"



Psymakio shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on Aggron in case he made a sudden strike. I can't. Metagross is suppressing my ability to teleport. He's not strong enough to block it completely, but...my range is down to a few feet. Not nearly enough to cross that fissure, and I can't even manage a few feet if I have a passenger. This one is mine. It has to be.



Slash pulled a Pokeball from his belt, one that he hadn't used in nearly two weeks. "Gardie, I'm ordering you to stand down! Run if you have to, but don't try to fight him!"



She shook her head defiantly, blue light cycloning around her body. Would you force me to watch you die, master? Or prevent me from protecting my mate and pack? I don't think you would. I know how powerful this creature is, but...you underestimate my abilities. When I'm protecting you, master...I can do anything.



[Enough talking,] Aggron roared, breaking into a deadly charge. Despite his enormous bulk and the countless injuries to his body, Aggron was very fast; he crossed half the distance between them in mere seconds, his long claws spread open like wings. Slash aimed the Pokeball at Gardevoir, willing to die to keep her out of this battle, but she destroyed the sphere with a single wave of her hand before rushing to meet Aggron. The young man grit his teeth in horror as the two Pokemon were about to clash, hearing the brutal rip of claw tearing through flesh in his mind, but to his shock, that wasn't what happened.



Aggron swung a huge clawed fist at Psymakio, and she blocked it with a hugely powerful psychic shield, making the much larger Pokemon recoil as though she'd countered with an enormous fist. He thrust his claws forward, intending to run her through despite Kiako's orders, but Psymakio teleported atop his arm and fired a burst of Psychic into his face at point-blank range. Though the attack did no damage, it stunned him long enough for her to teleport again, this time to his left flank, peppering him with weak but rapidly-fired blasts. She blocked another combo of razored strikes before leaping backwards and landing gracefully in the ankle-deep ash.



As I was telling my master before you so rudely interrupted, Psymakio said, I will not fail to protect him. Not even against someone like you.



[That's some impressive shielding,] Aggron complimented, [but it must take an awful lot of power to block my strikes. I wonder...after all the teleporting you did to get here...just how much power do you have left?]



Just how much stamina do you have left after fighting Rayquaza? Psymakio countered. I don't think it's me that has to worry about running out of energy. As vigorous as you still are, I can feel how small your energy is compared to when we first met. You can barely stand.



Aggron chuckled, cracked his neck, and expelled a powerful blast of fire at the girl. She dodged it with a quick teleport, but it was close enough to singe the left side of her dress. He used her brief moment of surprise to lunge forward with an iron-coated headbutt, colliding into Psymakio's shields with a tremendous thud. While the shields held, she was unable to brace herself for the sheer force of the blow and was sent flying back, nearly falling into the fissure before recovering and teleporting safely away from the edge.



(Another close call,) Psymakio thought to herself, wiping sweat from her forehead. (I need to get used to the diminished teleport range and get the most out of each jump, or I'm done for.)



Slash watched on, his heart racing in panic as his mate again ran at the Aggron, blocking seemingly unstoppable blows with invisible barriers, sure that each strike would be the one to end her life. She was stronger than he thought, yes, but her attacks were doing barely any damage through Aggron's thick armor, and sooner or later she'd teleport at the wrong moment, or to the wrong place, and her luck would run out. He desperately tried to think of something, anything he could do to help her out, but his dark powers would be useless against Aggron, and as for his blade...it was a laughable thought. It would break on his hide and then he'd be ripped into a dozen pieces before he could blink.



The other Pokemon had engaged Metagross, and while they didn't have the sheer power or grace of Psymakio, their greater numbers led to their battle seeming less harrowing. Metagross was much slower than his comrade, and while his attacks were still devastatingly powerful, Slash thought that they weren't as strong as Aggron's, and each of his other Pokemon could take a physical hit much better than Gardevoir could. Crawdaunt and Graveler carefully moved in, exchanging massive blows with Metagross while Manectric sped about and covered them with blinding flashes of electricity, working together in perfect tandem.



(If they hadn't been badly injured from Rayquaza, we'd be dead already,) Slash thought to himself, turning back to Kiako and growling at the smug smile on the bastard's lips. Considering that none of Slash's Pokemon had bled even a drop of blood yet, Kiako seemed oddly confident that this battle was inevitably his to win. Slash didn't sense any psychic abilities lurking under that grin...he couldn't sense anything from him, actually, not so much as a stray thought...but he had a feeling that Kiako was hiding something. Some emergency last resort. He could only hope that it wasn't a third Pokemon; his pack was having a hard enough time fighting these two as it was.



As his Pokemon waged their war, Slash watched silently, alone, feeling helpless and useless, both as a trainer and as a mate and pack leader. It shouldn't be this way, he told himself, gripping his utterly ineffectual knife and wishing that he had even a fraction of the strength his Pokemon possessed. He wished that he could at least engage Kiako in hand-to-hand combat, but even if their mental powers were equal (or nearly so), Slash knew that a fully trained Elite Rocket would thrash him effortlessly, even with the morphing arm not taken into account.



Having nothing better to pray to, Slash stared at Rayquaza's unconscious back and whispered a silent prayer to the Lord of the Sky: please, Rayquaza, if you have any influence on the world beyond what you can blast and destroy, I beg you...keep them safe. Don't let them die because of my weakness.



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



[What the hell type is it?] Graveler asked as his rocky fist clanged uselessly against Metagross's heavy armor. [I can't even scratch him!]



[Steel-Psychic,] Crawdaunt answered, blasting the spider with high-pressure sprays of water and explosive bubbles. [I can detect Psychic energy easily in this body...it feels like a potential meal. Don't tell Psymakio about that, though.]



[Psychic-type? Then why the hell aren't you going Dark on his ass?]



Crawdaunt blocked a powerful punch with Protect, skidding backwards in the ash from the sheer force of the blow. [I'm still not used to the new energy! Besides, I tried a Night Slash on him earlier, and it wasn't any more effective than my water attacks. The armor makes up for the psychic vulnerability.]



Both Pokemon jumped as a chilling, hollow laugh echoed flatly through the dead air. Metagross clashed his two front legs together with a shower of sparks, all but ignoring the electric attacks Manectric was pelting at him. [It's rather funny, hearing you half-witted children discuss strategy in the middle of battle. I'm amazed you've lasted this long. As for me, I formulated my plan for victory the moment Kiako told me that you'd be my opponents. Would you like to hear it?]



[Fuck off,] Crawdaunt growled, inching back slightly until he and Graveler were shoulder to shoulder. Metagross merely chuckled at the crude retort.



[First I'm going to kill Graveler,] he said in a mocking, almost playful voice, [because he's the only one of you three with attacks that could be truly effective against me, even if they're still too weak to actually pose a threat. Then I'll kill you, Crawdaunt, because you're immune to my psychic attacks and could possibly shield the others from them. I'll save Manectric for last, because I'm fully aware that I cannot chase him down while dealing with any other adversaries, and his attacks aren't nearly as potent as those you two possess.]



Manectric skidded to a stop, realizing that Metagross was telling the truth; the only long-range electric attack he had was Thundershock, and it was far too weak to get through the spider's defenses; while his Thunder Fang was stronger in terms of sheer output, he would break his teeth trying to sink his fangs into Metagross's hide. Briefly he considered trying to leap over the ravine and help Psymakio against Aggron---he was reasonably sure that he could make the jump if he had some room to accelerate, and she certainly seemed to need some help---but he quickly decided against it. Aggron was using Earth Power against her, and while Manectric knew he could dodge the slower-moving Earthquakes that both of Kiako's Pokemon were likely capable of, he was not sure if he'd be able to anticipate the more stealthy Earth Power. One blow from that and he'd be defeated. Better to fight the slower and more predictable opponent.



[Predictable, eh?] Metagross said slyly, suddenly vanishing in a blur. To Crawdaunt and Graveler, the huge Pokemon had seemed to disappear, but Manectric's quicker eyes could just barely track the spider's movements as he lunged at the thunder runner and stuck his flank with a clenched steel claw, sending him flying into Rayquaza's back with a sickening thump. Metagross stood over the motionless body and grinned. [I must admit that I'm impressed, but having the reflexes to follow my Bullet Punch and having the physical capabilities to evade it are two very different things. And you're very unwise, letting your guard down around a Pokemon fully capable of reading that tiny little mind of yours.]



Metagross raised a heavy leg over Manectric's skull, preparing to crush it underfoot when a rain of small boulders struck his armor. He turned back to the other Pokemon and saw Graveler glaring back at him, arm extended, small rocks circling his hand.



[I thought you were going after me first,] Graveler shouted, firing another barrage of Rock Blast, desperate to lure the spider away from Manectric before he could finish him off. Metagross folded his legs under his body and hovered off the ground, and then charged, a ball of psychic energy around his body. Knowing that there was no time to dodge, Graveler quickly spread his arms and focused his power, his muscles bulging under his rocky armor, and caught the huge Pokemon with both hands. The inertia sent him sliding backwards but did not steal his footing. The psychic energy seared him through his armor, but he refused to release his grip until Metagross broke off the attack and landed solidly on the stony earth.



[I see...you used Bulk Up to temporarily boost your strength. Had you not, I would have broken your arms from your body. Your kind cannot learn that attack naturally. Perhaps your trainer isn't worthless after all.]



[Oh, he's full of surprises,] Graveler agreed. [And that's not the only special ability he taught me!]



He slapped a huge hand onto the ground, and suddenly four bursts of rock erupted from the ground, closing around Metagross's legs. The spider thrashed against them, trying to break free from the Rock Tomb, but he was still too physically exhausted from his battle with Rayquaza to easily succeed.



[Hit him fast!] Crawdaunt yelled, charging at the spider and pummeling him with gushes of Bubblebeam. [Hit him hard before he frees himself!]



Graveler nodded and plunged his fingers through the ash and into the earth, feeling the natural aura of the rich soil tingle around his hands. The ground trembled as power flowed freely through it, raising two enormous walls of rock and dirt around Metagross like tsunamis. Graveler withdrew his hands from the ground and clapped them together, and the walls of earth obeyed the command, slamming hard into Metagross, the energy-charged soil seeping through every gap in the steel armor.



[Stop dousing him!] Graveler shouted to Crawdaunt. [The longer he's exposed to it, the more it's gonna hurt! Wait for him to get loose, then fire!]



Manectric climbed off the ground, standing on shaky legs as he assessed the damage Metagross's Bullet Punch had done to him. His ribcage felt like it had been crushed, but considering that he was still alive, that couldn't be the case. Still, something inside of him felt broken, because as hard as he tried, he couldn't catch his breath. As the spider began to free itself from the Rock Tombs and the debris of the Earthquake, Manectric sprinted towards him, crackling with electricity and trying to ignore the burning pain in his side, and rammed head-first into the exposed steel hide. The direct-contact Spark dug its grip into Metagross, damaging the vulnerable organs housed inside the durable shell, but Manectric was injured as well, landing near Crawdaunt with blood trickling down his forehead.



[Careful, idiot!] Crawdaunt hissed. [You're not going to do us any good if you break your head open trying to cripple him!]



[I've got to do something other than distract him!] Manectric replied, preparing for another strike. [It hurts him a lot more than a Thundershock!]



[Maybe, but---]



Metagross suddenly dove out of the pile of earth and slammed his metal claws into Graveler's chest, cracking the armor and making the rock Pokemon fall to his knees. Blood practically gushed from the places where claw met stone; the attack had clearly struck a vital area. Crawdaunt shouted in rage, aiming his claws at the spider but holding back the Bubblebeam that screamed to be fired for fear of hitting Graveler as well.



[I told you that I'd take him down first,] Metagross laughed, withdrawing his arm and pushing Graveler onto his back. With the claws removed, the blood flowed even more freely; if something wasn't done to stop the bleeding immediately, or at least slow it, he would be dead within minutes. Slash, trapped on the other side of the ravine, pulled out Graveler's Pokeball and fired the return-beam frantically, but the distance between the two was too great for him to succeed.



"Graveler, back off! Try to stop the bleeding!"



The rock Pokemon climbed back to his feet with great difficulty, shaking his head at Slash. [Nah...that's alright. I've got a better idea.] Graveler smiled at Crawdaunt and Manectric. [Good luck, you two. This won't kill him, but at least I'll bang him up a little.]



Metagross's eyes widened as he realized what Graveler was planning, but the Self Destruct engulfed him before he had a chance to flee. Crawdaunt and Manectric turned away from the blast as it buffeted them with wind and rubble, and Slash desperately fired the Pokeball beam into the fog of dust, knowing that the Self Destruct would only make things even worse for Graveler.



The cloud of dust gradually cleared. Graveler lay unconscious on the ground, the bleeding slowed but the rest of his body badly damaged. Metagross was still standing, but his armor was dented in several places, and one of his legs seemed oddly crooked, as though the blast had damaged the connecting joint to the main body. Slash finally got lucky and withdrew Graveler, quickly locking the ball into stasis mode. He had not recharged his balls since leaving Mauville, and they would only have enough energy to maintain stasis for another hour, maybe two at most.



[Brave of him...using the last of his strength to inflict just a bit more damage on me.] Metagross flexed his body, wincing in pain as the crooked leg moved. [Normally such an action would be foolish, as he's now all but assured his own death...but since that outcome was inevitable anyway, it was actually the wisest course of action for him. Other than surrendering, of course, but you're all fully aware that I will accept no such surrender.] He laughed coldly and glared at his remaining adversaries. [One down.]



[You bastard,] Crawdaunt yelled, firing a flurry of Bubblebeams that, despite their ferocity, barely made the spider flinch.



[I don't blame you for being afraid. You are my next target, after all. I promise that your death will be swift...or maybe not. We'll see.]



Metagross raised his body, exposing a huge, razored mouth, and fired a blinding Flash Cannon at the remaining two Pokemon. Manectric quickly leapt out of the way as Crawdaunt blocked the enormous attack with another Protect, struggling to maintain the shield under the sheer strength of the attack. Metagross broke off the attack unexpectedly and lunged, knowing that Crawdaunt wouldn't have time to recharge the shield. Realizing his mistake, the lobster raised an Iron Defense to try and block the blow, but the Meteor Mash still cracked his armor and nearly sent him tumbling into the fissure.



[Your friend slowed me down,] Metagross admitted. [I can't use my Bullet Punch anymore, and trying to use Agility to compensate would merely break the rest of my legs. But that's okay. I don't need any speed to crush a nice, slow Pokemon like you.]



[What about me?] Manectric yelled, showering Metagross with jolts of electricity. A golden sphere of light suddenly surrounded the spider, shrugging off the attacks effortlessly.



[Please. You have had time to get used to your newer body...more than Crawdaunt, certainly...and even injured, your speed is greater than mine at its peak. But your offense is pitifully weak. Normally I would have targeted you first, since, with the exception of the Gardevoir, your defense is also the weakest of your little group...but those little light shows are no threat to me at all.]



He turned his grinning maw at Crawdaunt, who was struggling to climb back to his feet. [Now, this light show, on the other hand...]



With no time to warn Crawdaunt, Manectric focused all of his energy into his speed and raced to outrun the attack. With a burst of Agility, Manectric sunk his fangs into the lobster's arm, silently apologizing for the injury, and pulled him out of the way just as the Hyper Beam obliterated the ground they'd been standing on a millisecond earlier. Manectric put fifty feet between themselves and the spider before stopping, carefully eying the recharging Metagross as Crawdaunt rubbed his bleeding arm.



[A little deep, don't you think?] he asked, tentatively touched the fang marks before examining the cracked armor on his chest. [Damn, that hurts.]



[You're welcome. Now what are we going to do?]



[I can't dodge his attacks and you can't inflict any damage on him. What the hell can we do?]



[I'd be able to do some damage if he dropped that Light Screen. You should be able to break it with that Night Slash of yours if you get close enough to him.]



[Maybe,] Crawdaunt admitted, [but even then your Thundershocks won't do much, and using Spark against that iron body will damn near kill you, too. Don't you have anything stronger?]



Manectric powered up with a flash of crackling electricity, tallying up his energy and considering the possibilities. [I might have something. If I discharge all of my electricity at once, even that armor won't protect him from getting fried. There's two problems, though. For one, I've never tried this before...for all I know, the electricity will just get screwed up by the ash or get re-absorbed into my fur.]



[And the other?]



[It won't work unless the Light Screen is down. You'll have to get close to break the shield, but at that range, you'd get zapped, too. If it works at all, anyway.]



[Don't you worry about that. I've got a plan.]



[Wanna tell me what it is?]



[Nope. He might mind-read it out of you if I do. You just stay close and wait for me to bring the shield down, and fire as soon as I give the signal.] Crawdaunt flashed him a confident grin. [Trust me, this will work.]



Manectric nodded at Metagross, who was fully recovered from the last attack and heading their way. [It had better.]



He sped away, moving to circle at a safe distance while Crawdaunt prepared to meet the huge Pokemon in combat once again. He glanced at the other side of the ravine, where Gardevoir was still holding up a valiant and almost unbelievable fight against Aggron, the flashes of her psychic shields and strikes lighting up the crushing darkness of the volcanic night. While she didn't appear to be slowing down or becoming exhausted, Crawdaunt knew that she would run out of energy sooner or later; blocking Aggron's devastating blows would suck the power right out of her. The urge to somehow help his alpha rose in him like a wave, but there was nothing he could do, not over here, and not while this spider still lived.



[I've always hated your kind,] Metagross said, still panting from the Hyper Beam. [Dark-types. Such a foul energy. An affront on all creation.]



Crawdaunt smirked, raising his claws in defensive posture. [I didn't think I'd hear Jirachian sentiments from a monster like you.]



[As idiotic as humans can be, at least they have the principles down. Psychic-types have been worshiped as gods for centuries, while your tainted breed has been seen for the devils that they are. Unproggable imps, stalking my kind and slaying them pack by pack...it's disgusting.]



[So I guess those fangs of yours are just for opening bags of Pokechow, huh? I can only guess how many lives you've ended, and I'd bet both claws that you've taken down a hell of a lot more for fun than you ever have for food. Spare me the hypocrisy.]



Metagross scoffed and waved an arm in the air as though gesturing at something invisible. [Even the air of this place is contaminated with the rotting putrescence of that energy. Digging into my mind and body, trying to infect me and make me one of those twisted monsters...make no mistake, while the energy isn't precisely Dark in composition, it was most assuredly born of it. What more proof do I need?]



[I don't need your self-righteous bullshit. I know the real reason why you hate my kind. It's because you're afraid of us. You've gotten so used to reading other creatures and knowing their intentions that you practically piss yourself when something unreadable comes along. Well guess what, pal, we non-psychics have to get along like that all the time, and we manage just fine. Maybe you just need to grow some guts.]



[And maybe you need yours spilled upon the ground.]



Metagross swung a Hammer Arm that would have popped him like a grape had it connected; instead the blow slammed into the rocky earth, sending up a plume of ash as Crawdaunt rolled to the side and sliced through the faint golden barrier with a Night Slash. Before the spider could extricate his arm, Crawdaunt aimed his claws at himself and sprayed a veritable deluge of mud onto his battered body. [Manectric, NOW!]



The thunder runner sprinted towards them, electricity sparking around his body as he powered up to his absolute maximum. Metagross suddenly realized his error and tried to re-establish the Light Screen, but Crawdaunt was simply too close, emitting enough Dark-type energy to make erecting a psychic shield impossible. He braced himself as Manectric's body exploded with lightning, spreading a pulse of electricity in every direction, engulfing his metal body and shocking him through the armor. The wave passed by Crawdaunt, roasting the outer layer of mud but causing the lobster no damage.



Metagross's legs trembled, and he almost looked like he was about to collapse, but he remained upright, his red eyes burning with hate. Greenish-brown blood trickled from several cracks in his armor.



[I must commend you. You've done what very few Pokemon have ever done. Not truly injure me...I have been in enough battles to know that there will always be an opponent capable of injuring you. No...your feat has been managing to make me very...very...angry.]



A powerful leg shot out like a piston, crackling with electricity, the claws grabbing Crawdaunt by the throat. Manectric lunged in to help, but Metagross swung a rear leg and slapped him aside like a doll. The electricity sparked into Crawdaunt's body and began smoking him from the inside out.



[So you like electricity, do you? You like trying to roast me through my armor? Let's see how much you like it.] The amperage continued to rise, and Crawdaunt could do nothing but twitch madly in the huge Pokemon's grip. Manectric roared in challenge and charged again, realizing that his friend was frying in the spider's grip. Metagross struck without taking his eyes off of Crawdaunt, sheathing his rear legs in ice energy and slamming freezing shards into Manectric's body like needles. The smaller Pokemon rolled into the ash, gritting his teeth and trying to pull himself upright; again he found it difficult to catch his breath, and he was becoming sure that something inside had ruptured. He doubled his efforts as his nose caught the smell of his friend cooking alive.



[I told you that you were next,] Metagross said in a low voice. [You should have accepted the inevitable.] Crawdaunt screamed as the voltage skyrocketed, blood spilling from his eyes and mouth, the hard shell around his claws cracking, steam hissing from the fractures. [This is the difference in power between us. Even beaten down by Rayquaza, even blasted by one of your friends and electrified by the other, I am stronger than you by an order of magnitude. No amount of willpower can bring you to my level. No amount of wanting it to be otherwise will save you. I can't feel your mind, but I can hear your blood start to sizzle...give in to the void and spare yourself any more pain.]



Crawdaunt tried to struggle. He wanted to tell the spider to fuck himself and launch a battering blast of water in his face. But there was no strength left. The searing power of the electricity was simply too much, and the last thought he had before falling unconscious was that Metagross was right---no matter how much stronger he'd become since evolving, the difference between his power and Metagross's was absolutely insurmountable.



[Pitiful creature. Now that I can smell your filthy blood, you don't seem to be that appetizing after all. Perhaps I can do something a little better, though.] Metagross put a ball of psychic energy around Crawdaunt's limp body and tossed the lobster to the edge of the fissure. Slash pulled out his Pokeball and tried to withdraw him, but the beam deflected off the psychic barrier. Metagross stared at the boy and laughed. [Now you can watch him die. Maybe he'll wake up once or twice before it happens...maybe not...but regardless, now you can see the results of your foolish confrontation with us...first-hand.]



"Drop the shield around him," Slash growled, his dark energy surging around him, the corruption lines on his hands pulsing with his heartbeat. "Now."



Metagross smirked and flung a rock at the unconscious Pokemon's body, his grin widening at Slash's enraged reaction. [You are even more foolish than Crawdaunt, boy. Those feeble powers will have no effect on me. Save them for protecting yourself...once Aggron and I take care of your last two little rats, you'll be next. It will be amusing, breaking that pitiful psychic power that you house within you. I will make your brain bleed.] He turned to Manectric, who was barely able to stand, and chuckled. [After I take care of you, of course. Let's see if you still have any speed left. I hope so, for your sake. Run, weakling. Run for your pathetic, worthless life.]



The spider descended on Manectric with a blur of deadly psychic blasts, and the chase was on.



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



Aggron stood motionless as Psymakio pounded him with psychic blasts, grunting under the strain of each blow but taking little damage. She had been battering at him like this for more than a minute, and now her lungs were burning terribly.



[Powerful technique,] Aggron said, wincing as a full-powered Psywave struck him squarely in the chin. [I was actually worried at first, when I realized that I couldn't move regardless of my physical strength. But now that you've used it three times in a row, I'm beginning to see its weaknesses. You don't have to be as smart as Metagross to figure it out.]



Rather than waste her breath by arguing, Psymakio charged up a Psybeam and fired it at Aggron's skull, but most of the energy was uselessly shrugged off by the thick armor. She knew that she could do a great deal more damage with Thunderbolt, but Manectric was too close to use it effectively, and he couldn't afford to suppress his powers against Metagross. Psychic it would have to be.



[One: you can only hold me in place while you hold your breath. Two: It only stops me from walking or using special attacks---I can still easily move my arms and strike at you physically if you get close enough. And three, it uses an enormous amount of energy. Each bolt you throw at me is weaker than the last.]



Unable to hold back any longer, Psymakio gasped for air, and Aggron quickly struck. Remembering Kiako's orders to take the girl alive, he retracted his claws and punched her in the stomach, sending her falling into the ash in an ungainly tumble. If he had managed the blow earlier in the fight, he'd have had to hold back a great deal of his strength...but as the battle wore on, Psymakio had attacked his muscles and mind bit by bit, using Disable to sap his remaining power and limit his movepool down to a few basic attacks. The punch had still managed to break two ribs, but Aggron was nevertheless concerned, as such a blow normally would have smashed her like an overripe fruit. He needed to finish this quickly.



[I'm really glad that I get to be the one to do this,] Aggron said with a smirk, plodding towards the downed Gardevoir. [You wanna know why?]



Psymakio responded by flinging a blast of energy that could crack a boulder in two, but it merely made Aggron flinch and slap at the spot where it hit. He continued his approach, moving carefully, unsure if she had any more tricks waiting for him. Getting in the Disables had been lucky, she knew that, and managing three consecutive uses of Imprison before collapsing was a new record for her, but the truth was that her tricks had run out. Aggron was far too strong to put to sleep or mind-wipe, and her psychic powers were down to maybe half of their normal levels. She was running out of time.



[See, I remember when we first crossed paths...when you were just a little Ralts, barely able to break glass with your powers, let alone fight. I only meant to hurt your trainer...a warning, like Kiako ordered me to give him...but I accidentally put too much power into it and nearly killed him. I thought I was going to get yelled at, but Kiako found it pretty funny. So did I. Especially when you started bawling.] Aggron threw his head back and laughed, ignoring the flurry of Psychics that buffeted his body. [Wah, wah, oh master, get up! Hilarious stuff. Even more so when you evolved, like you could have protected him any better. Compared to me, the difference between a Ralts and a Kirlia is negligible. I could have crushed your entire pack like twigs.]



Shut up, Psymakio growled, her psychic aura blazing. Aggron ignored her.



[That's what I want to do right now. Hurt him and make you cry. Except this time, I get to kill him, not just hurt him. This time I wouldn't have to worry about holding back. This time I could cut him open...slowly...split his belly and make his guts fall out. Maybe first I'd smash his arms and legs to pulp, or put out his eyes. Would you cry then?]



Psymakio clamped down on Aggron with another Imprison, but since she hadn't caught her breath, she knew that it wouldn't last long. She teleported back to her feet, held herself up with her own powers, and began charging all of her energy into a single Psychic attack. Ash and dirt blew around her in a dusty tornado as her power swirled wildly. Despite being immobile, Aggron showed no fear of the building attack.



[Anyway, the reason I'm glad that Kiako asked me to take care of you and the kid isn't because I hate you or anything. You seem to regard us as your archenemies or something, but it's completely one-sided...to us you're just insects, pestering us at an inopportune time. No threat, just...an annoyance. In any case, I'm happy to do this because I've heard something about your kind that I've always been eager to test out. What I've heard is that a Gardevoir's power explodes if their trainer is in mortal danger...far beyond any normal Pokemon of similar level...almost on the same scale as one of the lesser Great Ones. There are rumors that they become immune to the force of gravity and can even control it in battle...that they can see the future to the point where they can win any fight...there are even tales of Gardevoir that can rip holes in the fabric of the world, holes to...somewhere else. Is it true?]



If it was, Psymakio sent telepathically, so as not to waste the air in her lungs, why would you be so eager to find out? Do you wish to die?



[No, I wish to have a challenge! I am Kiako's strongest Pokemon...except maybe for Relicanth, but since he's a fish and all, he and I can't really have a sparring match to find out. Back when I first met him...back when I was a Lairon...there were still challenges for me. Pokemon stronger than me...the thrill of knowing that every fight could be my last...learning from each battle that I lost...I craved those things. It's one of the reasons why I stuck with Kiako through all these years...so I could keep having challenges.] Aggron stared at Psymakio, his expression almost sad. [In recent years, though, the challenges have ceased. I have grown to the point where the number of enemies in the world capable of giving me a challenge could be counted on both hands. There are no more Pokemon to worry me...no more loses to humble me...and there's nothing I can learn from crushing every opponent I face. So...if the rumors about your kind are true...I might finally have a challenge, especially since the 'Silver Princess' would logically be stronger than a normal Gardevoir. Even if you'd only be a threat due to my injuries from Rayquaza, it would still be a challenge right here and now.]



Psymakio glared back at him, the ball of light in her hands growing to the size of a basketball, crackling with brilliant sparks of blue. Slash watched in awe, stunned at the power radiating from the sphere; never before had he felt this much of his mate's power concentrated into a single attack. I hate to disappoint you then, but you won't live long enough to find out! For the crimes you and your allies have committed, and for those you intend to commit in the future, you must die right now!



She threw the ball at Aggron's immobile form, her hands suddenly achingly cold as the energy left her palms. Disintegrating ash and parting the dirt beneath it in its wake, the blast crashed into Aggron with a blinding explosion just as Gardevoir fell to her knees, gasping for air. Her psychic power was down to a mere trickle; she had expended nearly every last drop on the attack.



Slash started to run towards her, but she raised her hand at him, not taking her eyes off the swirling dust around the place Aggron had been trapped. No, master. He's still alive. I can feel him.



"You're kidding! How could that attack not hurt him?"



It hurt him, master. Just...not enough. Please, stay back...I don't have the strength to protect you for much longer.



"I'm not going to let them hurt you any more!"



They don't want to kill me. Even if they capture me...as long as I'm alive, I'll try to get back to you. I promise. Now stay back...if Aggron really intends to fulfill this crazy dream of his---



[I do.]



Aggron stepped out of the cloud of dust. His chest was scorched black, the center a network of cracks and warped metal. Blood slowly oozed from the spot, but despite that wound and many others, the Pokemon did not look anywhere close to dying. He walked in heavy, tired steps...not towards Gardevoir, though. Towards Slash.



[Time to see if there's any truth to the rumors,] he grumbled. [Kiako, do you mind?]



Kiako shook his head, reclining against Rayquaza's back. "Do whatever you want. I just want him dead, I don't care how you do it. If the girl does go crazy, though, I expect you to bring her back down without killing her."



[Of course.]



Psymakio, almost completely drained, still made a desperate lunge at Aggron, her weak fists slamming uselessly into his armor. He backhanded her hard enough to make her consciousness flicker and continued toward Slash, who was backed against the deep ravine and completely helpless. The trainer knew that he could probably outrun Aggron, at least with the Pokemon as injured as he was, but he refused to leave his mate; the knowledge that Kiako wanted her alive was almost worse than if he wanted her dead. He didn't like the strange way Kiako looked at Psymakio, not one bit. There was lust in those eyes.



Slash pulled out his knife, knowing it would be useless but refusing to die without at least trying to defend himself. The huge Pokemon stopped a few feet in front of him, staring down at him with hungry, predatory eyes.



[What's that supposed to be? One of these?] Aggron extended his huge claws, each as long as the knife's blade and three times as thick...and, judging from the serrated edges, even more sharp. [Humans are so cute sometimes. They rely on Pokemon to do damn near everything for them, and I can see why. Their attempts to make anything on their own end in...abject failure every time.]



"Not every time," Kiako called, patting his holster. "Better than a fist or a knife by far."



[Perhaps, but nothing compared to these claws or my Hyper Beams. No offense intended, of course. After all, you're not the same breed as this puny creature.] He leaned down so that his eyes and Slash's were almost at the same level. [Hm, I'm curious. What do you think is the greatest work of your species, boy? Why does your kind deserve to live off of the work of your Pokemon slaves?]



"You won't get a rousing defense of humanity from me," Slash answered, trying not to tremble under Aggron's gaze. "Personally I think most humans are bastards. But they're still better than you and that red-eyed freak over there."



Kiako perked up. "Ah, that reminds me. I told the girl that you'd pay for her insults against me, and now you've disrespected me, as well. Aggron, please skip the speciesism and start hurting him. We're wasting time...besides, I thought you wanted to see what the Gardevoir would do."



[You got it.] Aggron grinned down at Slash. [So, which part of you would you like me to slice up first? Maybe I could cure your corruption by cutting your arms off, wouldn't that be generous of me? Or maybe I could cut off those weary legs. I know, I'll cut off your little human cock! No, wait...I'm not sure that I could find it...]



"As amusing as this is..." Kiako warned, a smile on his face.



[All right. How about here?] Aggron retracted all but one of his claws on his right hand and stabbed Slash in the left shoulder, driving the blade all the way through and then retracting it back out in a flash. Slash screamed and fell to his knees, clutching the gory wound as blood began to flow freely from both sides. Psymakio, who had just pulled herself off the ground, saw the injury and cried out in horror, desperately trying to get to her feet.



[Hey, Kiako, it seems she doesn't like it.]



"It doesn't look like he's not too fond of it, either."



[Yeah. Hey, Gardevoir, are you feeling any more powerful?]



Don't you touch him again, you bastard!



Aggron chuckled and knelt down by Slash. [Look at him...overreacting a bit, don't you think? I've got stabbed plenty of times and handled it better than that. Kept fighting with stab wounds, even. Well, humans are so goddamn fragile.] Seeing Gardevoir staggering his way, he pushed Slash onto his back against the ground with one hand, relishing in the beautiful scream that came forth as dirt and ash rubbed in the wound. He extended his claws and raised them above Slash's throat. [Sorry, kid, it's nothing personal. I just have to be sure of something.]



He thrust his claws downward, expecting to sink into meaty human flesh, but instead he struck nothing but the stony earth. Aggron climbed back to his feet and turned to find Psymakio and Slash a hundred feet away, the boy laying in her lap as she closed his wounds with psychic shields. There was no psychic aura around her---not one that he could see, anyway---but the air around Psymakio seemed to shimmer as though heated by an intense flame.



Stay still, she whispered, pouring energy into his wound. She couldn't heal him, not completely, but at least she had stopped the bleeding by cauterizing the severed blood vessels, and she'd even managed to disintegrate the debris inside of the wound. I'll take in some of your pain, so just lay back.



Slash lay his head in her lap, feeling strangely warm despite the chilling air and the loss of blood. Whenever he looked at her through the lenses of progging he was nearly blinded by a cloud of energy around her body, shining a striking blue and glowing more brightly than the sun. Hadn't she nearly been tapped of energy before? "Gardie...we can't win this fight. We have to get the others and retreat...we can regroup with Flannery and---"



We don't need to retreat, Psymakio interrupted, not looking at Aggron but feeling his presence, ready to slam the beast into the ground if he dared to move. Don't worry. I can handle this.



The confidence in that statement made Slash open his eyes and stare up at her. The brilliant light around her body flowed upwards, looking almost like wings from where he lay. She looked like an angel. "Gardie? What's happened to you?"



He was right. I knew that Gardevoir reach the peak of their powers when their trainers are in severe danger, but I didn't realize just how much power I'd get from it. I thought it'd be like what happened when I was a Kirlia...a small boost, maybe twice the power I could normally use. But it's...a lot more than that. I'm not saying that I'm stronger than him...but with the injuries Rayquaza and myself have already dealt to him...in this state, I will not lose to him.



Aggron charged at them, using Rock Polish to increase his speed to nearly match Manectric's. While Psymakio could have stopped him with her powers, she instead waited until the iron Pokemon was right on top of them before teleporting back to the edge of the ravine, where Slash had first fallen. Aggron skidded to a stop and turned at them, staring at the pair curiously.



Stay here, Psymakio instructed, gently laying Slash onto the ground and propping up his head with his backpack. I can maintain the shield on your wound even while fighting. If you get a chance to withdraw Crawdaunt, take it...and keep an eye on Manectric. If he gets in the same trouble as Crawdaunt or Graveler, let me know and I'll...intervene.



"Alright. Be careful, Psymakio. Even with this power..."



I know. And I will.



She kissed him on the forehead, wincing as she took in as much of his pain as she could without being crippled by it. The sight of him laying helpless on the ground made her blood boil. It wasn't enough that Aggron was determined to kill her mate and master...no. He had done this to him, purposely inflicting an injury that would not be immediately fatal, for no other reason than to cause him pain and goad her into reaching the pinnacle of her abilities. For a challenge. For fun. She growled and turned to the huge Pokemon and began walking fearlessly towards him, determined to give him what he wanted.



[Well, well, it looks like the rumors were true! You could barely stand before, and now look at you! It won't be enough, of course, but at least now it'll be a little more interesting than smacking around a weak little girl.]



Weak? Psymakio asked, her voice cold and full of mockery. You think I am the weak one here? Foolish creature, it seems that my previous attacks caused you brain damage after all, even through that flimsy armor of yours. If you're so confident in yourself, then come at me. See what you've awakened with your idiocy.



(Is she...bluffing?) Slash wondered, unable to sense if she was or not. If she was bluffing about the extent of her power, it would very quickly be revealed.



[Very well. And when I'm done with you...I'll finish the kid. I bet you'll cry even more when he's dying and you have absolutely nothing left to stop me with.]



Aggron opened his mouth and began charging bright, crackling light inside of it. Psymakio realized that she knew what the attack would be like even before it was fired, despite never coming into contact with it before. He unleashed the Flash Cannon, the beam bright enough to cast shadows even where Manectric and Metagross were fighting, but Psymakio merely waved her hand and conjured up a golden shield that easily deflected the attack. The blast struck the ground a dozen yards away and churned up several hundred pounds of rock and soil.



Is that it? Psymakio said with a bitter smile, unable to feel any true amusement with her master laying in agony, but purposely faking it in order to rile up Aggron. I would have expected a much larger attack from a Pokemon like you. Maybe this is what you were trying to do?



She extended her hand towards Aggron, white light beginning to gather in her palm. Kiako's eyes widened as his scanner revealed that it was also a Flash Cannon, a technique which Gardevoir were not known to be capable of, and far more powerful than the one Aggron had used. He re-scanned her, and while she still showed up as level 39, her actual energy levels were far higher than they should have been at such a level. Gardevoir fired the Flash Cannon, striking his chest in the same place that her last-ditch Psychic had hit earlier, and the beam actually made the huge Pokemon fall to the ground.



Kiako scanned Aggron and frowned at the readings. (They're practically equals now. Even if it's only because she's powered up and he's powered down, for them to be so close in strength when they're so far apart in level and experience...she has to be the one, all right. There's no doubt about it now.)



Aggron climbed back to his feet, checking his chest and finding that the bleeding had gone from an ooze to a trickle. He grinned and pointed his claws at Gardevoir. [That's more like it. Looks like I won't be able to outdo you in special attacks anymore, even with the ones I'm good at. That's okay, though. My claws are all I need.]



He charged at her with another Rock Polish-enhanced lunge, quickly closing the distance between them and swinging at her with his enormous claws. He expected her to block the blows with another barrier, or evade them with a fast teleport, but instead she merely ducked under the first clawed hand and sidestepped the other, as though she had seen the attacks coming from a mile away. In a way she had; like afterimages that had outrun the objects themselves, Psymakio could see the attacks an instant before they actually came at her. Whether this was true precogging or merely advanced mind reading, she didn't know, but either way she no longer needed to spend nearly as much energy on teleportation and shields, only resorting to those techniques when Aggron pinned her down to the point where evasion was physically impossible.



Have I become much faster, or have you gotten a lot slower? Psymakio asked, easily jumping over an Iron Tail and tossing a blast of psychic energy in Aggron's face, making him flinch and stumble backwards. Hm, and it seems the potency of my attacks has greatly increased, as well. Perhaps you're regretting laying those filthy claws on my master?



Aggron summoned a huge boulder and tossed it at Psymakio, hoping to squash her before she could teleport away. Instead Psymakio stood calmly and raised a hand at the approaching boulder, making it glow a faint blue. She lowered her hand in one swift motion, and the boulder simultaneously crashed straight into the ground, as though she'd cut off all of its momentum in mid-air.



Well, it seems that the gravity rumors are true as well, Psymakio said quietly, staring at her hands and feeling the strange and unfamiliar powers swirling under her skin. Let's see how far they go. She pointed at Aggron and lowered her hand again; the huge Pokemon suddenly found himself barely able to stand, as though an enormous weight was on his shoulders. He growled with effort as he tried to remain standing, his feet slowly sinking into the dirt. He couldn't even raise his arms or tail to attack!



Despite wishing to crush Aggron the same way that he had threatened to crush Slash, Gardevoir was forced to release the gravity wave after only a few seconds. Even in this incredible powered-up state, the forceful manipulation of gravity required far more energy than she could spare. Aggron climbed out of the foot-deep holes his legs had made and stared at Gardevoir with cautious appraisal, beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake in tempting such power while he was this badly wounded.



Oh, now you're beginning to worry? Psymakio said, catching the stray thought and seizing upon it. You should have thought about that before you tried to hurt my master...or before you tried to kill Rayquaza...or before you ever crossed paths with me. You wanted a challenge? You got one. And now you will be taught the final lesson of battle...to never oppose your betters.



[My better? Stupid girl, you get a little more power and you let it all go to your head. You're not a god. I've fought gods, I would know. You will learn the limits of your current state soon enough!]



Aggron kicked off the ground and lunged with such speed that Gardevoir did not have time to avoid it, and she was unable to teleport so soon after manipulating gravity. His huge iron head slammed into her, breaking another four ribs even through the cushion of energy around her body. She quickly channeled the gravity around her feet to remain upright, placing a hand on either side of Aggron's skull and blasting him with Confusion. He reared back with a roar of pain, and she pelted him again with Psybeams, pursuing him as he fell back. He suddenly reached out with both hands, seemingly catching one of the psychic blasts, and crushed it between his palms; Psymakio barely saw the attack in time and teleported in front of Slash to protect him and herself from the ensuing rain of metallic splinters that burst from Aggron's hands.



[I didn't try to unleash your powers because I wanted to lose, bitch. I said that I wanted a challenge, and I got one.] Aggron spit red-tinted saliva to the side and cracked his neck. [You seemed a little too dangerous at first...but just like with your Imprison technique, I'm quickly starting to see the weaknesses in this little power-up. Your strongest techniques still require a lot of energy, more than you can afford to spare...you're still physically frail, even if you're tougher than you were before...and you still care more about that human than yourself.]



That's why I'll destroy you, Psymakio said, checking to make sure none of the Metal Burst's shards had hit Slash before walking back towards Aggron. I have something to protect, and that makes me stronger. You only fight for yourself.



[Don't presume to know my motives. I would die for Kiako and his dreams, as would any of his Pokemon. Life must seem so cartoony to someone as sheltered and inexperienced as you...everything's black and white, good and evil, conforming to stereotypes that are as old as they are stupid. The difference between you and I is not our concern for our masters...it's that my master is much stronger than yours. Because Kiako can take care of himself, he is an asset in battle, rather than a hindrance. If you were to launch an attack at him right now, I would not need to turn and see the result, because I know that he could handle it...instead I'd use the opening in your defenses to cut you to ribbons.] Aggron grinned and looked at the barely-conscious Slash. [What would you do if I continued to attack your precious trainer?]



I'd kill you, Psymakio responded painfully, aiming both palms at Aggron and charging an attack. She wasn't sure what she was charging; she merely wished for an attack that would cause the iron Pokemon far more damage than her still-ineffectual psychic attacks, tapping into some unseen power source to create it. The energy was unfamiliar but immensely powerful, and Aggron's smirk disappeared as the air around her hands shimmered and wobbled. Kiako scanned the attack, his jaw dropping as he discovered what it was and just how much power was being funneled into it.



"Aggron, watch out!"



Psymakio fired the Focus Blast, the air parting and screaming in its wake. Kiako, knowing that he couldn't reach Aggron in time, threw a psychic barrier between the two Pokemon, hoping to dull the blow; however, while Kiako was a psychic prodigy compared to normal humans, his skills were primitive compared to most Psychic-types, and his flimsy mental net only absorbed a hundredth of the blast's force. The rest slammed into Aggron, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap, his armor splintering like glass.



Wow, I really got him, Psymakio said in amazement. She wondered if she could retain any of these techniques after her instincts deemed that Slash was no longer in life-threatening jeopardy and this defensive mode ended. She hadn't precisely called upon either technique---for the Flash Cannon she had merely desired to mimic Aggron's attack, and the Focus Blast had merely been a wish to harm her enemy---but it was possible that she could wield either attack normally with enough training. A Steel-type energy attack could come in handy, and a Fighting-type attack of such magnitude would protect her against nearly any Dark-type, even if it required even more energy than forcibly manipulating gravity. That possibility was greatly appealing; not only would she be better able to protect herself, but it would also prevent Slash from ever needing to use his "blanking" powers again.



Aggron slowly climbed out of the ash. One arm dangled uselessly by his side, and blood flowed freely from several places where his armor had fallen off in jagged chunks, exposing patches of dark black skin. A menacing growl rose from his throat. There was nothing playful or eager in his eyes now...just a low, seething hate. He attacked without comment, moving surprisingly fast for his injuries. Even with the precogging, Psymakio was barely able to keep up with Aggron's movements.



(He was holding back before,) she realized, (because he was ordered to take me alive. Now he doesn't care. He'll kill me unless Kiako intervenes, and I doubt that he will until I'm on the brink of death.)



A claw slashed a jagged tear in her skirt as Psymakio teleported a bit too late. Another raked her back when she rematerialized, as though Aggron had predicted her movements. Perhaps he had; what he lacked in extrasensory awareness he made up for in experience, and Psymakio doubted that she was the first Gardevoir he'd faced. His tail whipped at her in a low, fast arc, breaking both ankles and sending her falling to the ground. She barely managed to teleport away from the follow-up slash, landing painfully a few feet away.



Aggron let out a primal roar, banging the functional arm against his chest with a thunderous metallic clang. He scented weakness in the air. Psymakio had been able to negate Metagross's hindering effect on her teleportation when she first reached this defensive mode, but no longer. Her injuries were adding up, and the power boost, while potent, was not limitless. She had to suspend gravity's effects on herself just to remain standing, her energy supply steadily seeping away with each second that passed.



The iron Pokemon jumped at her, banging incessantly on her rapidly-weakening barriers, constantly shifting his elements to catch her off guard. A Fire Punch, a Thunderpunch, an Ice Punch...the tail again, a slash of the claws, and a vicious bite...Psymakio fell back, trying to call up another Focus Blast, but Aggron was not allowing her enough time to do so. He struck with his claws shrouded in a ghostly aura, smashing through her shields and ripping a bloody gash across her collarbone. She chain-teleported away, knowing it would rapidly sap her remaining power but having no other choice, but Aggron continued his relentless pursuit, outrunning her teleports with Rock Polish and out-powering her defenses with only one arm.



(I can't lose this battle,) Psymakio screamed at herself, increasing the gravity around Aggron to slow the enormous Pokemon down. (They're all depending on me! They're all HURT and depending on me to save them!)



Her psychic aura, which had previously burned so brightly that it couldn't be seen with human eyes, now exploded into a furious and dazzling blue-white blaze. Aggron slowed for a moment and briefly fell to one knee, his muscles straining to fight the crushing net of gravity that Psymakio had thrown upon him. Rocks and ash began to fracture under the force, but Aggron was managing to resist it---barely. Psymakio quickly charged another Focus Blast and fired it into his face, and though this blast was weaker than the first, it still sheared off both horns and knocked out several fangs. Aggron forced his mouth open and fired a Hyper Beam at point-blank range, but the beam seemingly disintegrated on contact with her aura. Psymakio responded by smacking him in the face with a Thunderbolt that was too close-range for Manectric's powers to draw away.



Kiako watched on in mingled amazement and worry, his hand drifting to the butt of his gun. This was becoming out of control. His scanner showed little cause for alarm---Gardevoir wasn't actually gaining more power, but rather her existing power was being amplified like a blown-upon fire running low on fuel---but the fact that she was still able to fight at all was greatly surprising. The 'Silver Princess' was assumed to be more powerful than other Gardevoir, but this specimen was at least twice as strong as a normal Gardevoir at the same level, at least while in this protective frenzy. The thought of who she was protecting stirred his anger once again, and he glared at the downed human boy with hatred and contempt.



"I hope it hurts," he whispered. "I hope it hurts a LOT. As much as you hurt me."



He wasn't sure what he was talking about, but it felt comforting to say it. Gripping his gun, he turned back to watch the enchanting Gardevoir and his enraged Aggron continue their duel.



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



[Slash...hey, can you hear me?]



Slash's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Crawdaunt's voice. The words weren't being spoken out loud, however. They were being sent directly to his mind, but instead of being shunted through Gardevoir (which was apparently impossible for the lobster's mind-voice now that he'd evolved), it was being transmitted through their dark energy. He rolled over and faced Crawdaunt, who was staring back at him from the other side of the fissure.



Yeah, I can hear you.



[Good. I wasn't sure that this would work, but it looks like it'll do. Slash, Manectric is in trouble.]



We're all in trouble. What's happening? I...I can't see them too well.



[Metagross is pummeling him with Psychics and Hyper Beams. Manectric is evading them as best as he can, but he's still taking damage, and he can't break through that bastard's Light Screens without my help. He's not going to last much longer like this.]



Slash lifted himself up, catching a shadowy glimpse of the two Pokemon on the other side of the ravine...Metagross, remaining stationary and firing barrages of long-range attacks...Manectric racing around at terrific speeds, trying desperately to avoid them. I know that you're hurt bad, but...is there anything you can do?



[I'm doing it now. Metagross can't read my mind, and I don't think he'll be able to read this kind of communication. Psymakio couldn't hear my mind-voice, anyway...of course, she's a lot less powerful than he is, but...]



I think the principle applies no matter how strong they are. You got a plan?



Crawdaunt grinned painfully and nodded. [Yeah, but it's a risky one...lots of things could go wrong. Do you think you could throw your knife over here?]



Slash gripped his knife and mimed a throwing gesture, hissing in pain as he did so. I think so. Luckily that monster stabbed me in the left shoulder and not the right...though it still hurts like hell.



[Okay, listen. The next time Manectric comes near here, throw the knife at him as hard as you can.]



Are you crazy? What if I---



[I know it's a risk, but even if your aim is good enough to throw true...doubtful, but especially so when you're hurt...I think he'll have the reflexes to avoid being stabbed. His hearing is pretty damn sharp, after all, and in any case, we can't warn him in advance or else Metagross will find out through that damned progging and fuck it up. If Manectric catches the knife...he'll know what to do.]



I hope so.



They watched the frantic battle, remaining still and quiet to avoid attracting Metagross's attention. Manectric sprinted like lightning despite the countless injuries on his body, using Agility to amplify his speed to barely-traceable levels. After a minute or two, Manectric's path of evasion brought him near the edge of the fissure. Slash gripped his knife, propping himself up despite the pain (Gardevoir had only been able to take about half of it without hindering her own fighting abilities), and waited for the thunder runner to get as close as possible.



[Now!] Crawdaunt yelled, and Slash lobbed the blade as hard as he could. For a terrifying moment he thought that it wasn't going to make it, but it made it across with a few inches to spare, bouncing across the ash and stopping in Manectric's path. The Pokemon noticed it, running over and taking the knife in his teeth, instantly seeing the one possible use for the otherwise frail weapon. His electricity was ineffective, and his physical attacks even more so, but now he had one more option.



Manectric charged Metagross head on, much as he'd charged Watson's Lanturn in the fight that now seemed centuries behind them. He dodged the Psychics as best as he could, sometimes letting a weaker attack strike him rather than give up speed, closing in and relying on his speed to get past the physical blows. He leapt onto Metagross's face and aimed the knife at the only soft parts of the spider's body---the eyes. There was a pair of horrible wet splashes as Manectric swung his head...a brief moment of stunned silence...and then a booming psychic scream filled the air.



Kiako turned to their battle in shock, having almost completely forgotten about his other Pokemon. Metagross thrashed wildly, stumbling across the uneven ground and clawing madly at his face. Manectric leapt off and landed with a grunt a few feet away. Noticing that the Light Screen had fallen, he wasted no time in bombarding the spider with Thundershocks, knowing that they would do little damage but intent on causing as much damage as possible. Metagross was unable to fight back in his agony, merely writhing around and screaming until Kiako withdrew the spider, stunned at what he'd just witnessed.



[You're clear, buddy!] Crawdaunt groaned, falling back onto the dirt as his strength completely gave out. [Go help Psymakio. She's doing good, but...she could use some help.]



[Understood.]



[Slash, the shield around me is gone...so, if it wouldn't be too much trouble...]



Slash fumbled out Crawdaunt's Pokeball and withdrew him into the limited stasis mode. Manectric sprinted at the wide chasm, maximizing his speed with Agility, and leapt across in a flash of blue and gold. Ahead were Psymakio and Aggron, both badly beaten and fighting with the last dregs of their strength. He was charging at them, intent on sinking his fangs into one of the armor-less patches of flesh on the iron Pokemon, when Kiako decided that he had had enough.



He drew the gun from its holster and aimed it at Manectric, instinctively leading to compensate for the Pokemon's immense speed. There was a hollow click as the first round failed to fire. The second squeeze of the trigger did the trick, however; even Manectric's reflexes weren't enough to evade the bullet, and it caught him in the haunch. He stumbled over his feet as his left rear leg suddenly fell numb, and his speed sent him rolling into the ash in a whirlwind. Psymakio and Slash were turning towards the source of the thunderous sound when Kiako fired again, this time at Slash; he fired twice, getting two working shots in a row. The first was not so bad, glancing off his hip bone and leaving a deep gauge in his skin. The second, however, struck his right leg; while it didn't shatter---a blessing, considering the size of the bullet---it lodged inside, and blood began gurgling out of the wound in a steady stream. There was no pain at first; he was aware that he had been hit by something, but that was it. Only Psymakio's cry of terror alerted him to the seriousness of the injury...that and the way the bite of the cold seemed to be intensifying.



Grinning fiendishly at the results of his handiwork, he quickly turned the barrel of the revolver to the Gardevoir with the enormous silver aura, and got off one final shot. The bullet hit her in the thigh, plunging all the way through her body and ricocheting off Aggron's leg. As with Slash, there was no immediate pain, but the trauma made her powers snuff out instantly, and the sudden loss of the gravity cushion made her fall limply against Aggron's body. The large Pokemon locked his arm around her, pinning her to his chest.



"Ah, much better. I was actually starting to get worried for a moment." Kiako turned to Slash, aimed the barrel at his head, and squeezed the trigger. The gun gave another useless click. Frowning, Kiako flicked open the cylinder and dumped the casings onto the ground, reaching into his coat for another handful of cartridges, and he had half-loaded them before he decided on a better idea. He dropped the gun onto the ground, the loaded rounds falling out and tinkling around it, and flashed Slash a mocking smile. "I think I'll let you bleed out, boy. Nice and slow and painful. You deserve nothing less for trying to interfere with us."



"I see you've got things under control," a new voice said. Slash raised his head and saw the other Rocket walking over to Kiako, alone and without any sign of his Pokemon. "Damn, what happened to Aggron? And where are the others?"



"Rayquaza got Magmortar and Hariyama. Believe it or not, this kid's Pokemon defeated Metagross, and the Gardevoir did most of the damage to Aggron. Where are your Pokemon, Sai? Surely you didn't walk through this tainted city unarmed."



Sai shook his head. "It seems that the kid had an accomplice...Flannery, the Gym Leader from Lavaridge. I caught her following me and sent my Pokemon to take care of her. They should be catching up with me soon...I don't think she'll pose much of a danger to them."



"One wonders how an insignificant trainer like you rallied Flannery to your side," Kiako mused to Slash, rubbing his chin with his half-phased left hand. "One wonders what she was doing out here at all. Ah, well, it doesn't matter. Don't hold out any hope for a rescue, boy. Sai's Pokemon may not be as strong as mine, but he had all six of his available for combat, and none of them were battered from fighting Rayquaza. Flannery is almost certainly dead already."



Slash growled angrily, trying to climb to his feet but failing miserably. He knew that he needed to wrap something around his bleeding leg, but he couldn't even move enough to tear off a piece of his shirt and do so. Psymakio was too injured to maintain the shield around his shoulder, too. Trying to ignore the pain that was starting to hum like a maddening insect, he dug his fingers into the ground and attempted to pull himself toward her, knowing that there was nothing he could do to help her but refusing to lay motionless while she was in danger. Kiako rolled his eyes and whipped his left arm across Slash's back, tearing a long gash in his shirt and slicing a bloody stripe in his skin.



"Don't worry...as I said, I don't intend to kill her. If I had, I would have simply shot her in the head. You should be more concerned with dying honorably than wasting your strength. Use this time to make peace with whatever feeble gods you hold allegiance to."



"The only thing...I hold allegiance to...is her," Slash groaned. "Stay...away."



Kiako ignored him and began walking towards the restrained Psymakio. "This Gardevoir is the one we're looking for," he explained to Sai, who was following a few steps behind. "The Silver Princess."



"I thought Giovanni wanted us to wait until later to capture her."



"He did, but since we have her here and at our mercy...there's no reason not to take this opportunity. Besides," Kiako said in a low voice, "there's something I'm curious about."



The two Rockets stopped in front of Aggron. Sai took a defensive position behind Kiako, keeping an eye on the ashy haze for his Pokemon. Kiako moved close to Psymakio---far too close for Slash's liking---and stared into her eyes. That feeling of sorrowful recognition came on stronger than ever.



"Who are you?" Kiako whispered. "What are you to me? Why do I feel like...we've met before?"



We met in Slateport---



"I am not talking about Slateport!" he shouted. He saw Psymakio flinch and he lowered his voice. "You know that I'm not talking about Slateport. There's something else between us...between you and I...between me and him," he gestured to the downed form of Slash, "and between you and him. Something more than trainer bonds and antagonism and what's played out today. It's like a web...binding us, pulling us together whether we want to be drawn or not."



Psymakio did not respond. There was something deeply unsettling about Kiako being this close to her, especially when she was utterly incapable of fleeing or fighting back. His mind was completely opaque to her progging...but unlike Dark-type Pokemon, which she could vaguely detect by the void they made in the background energy, she could clearly feel his basic presence. Only a master telepath could be capable of such shielding, but judging from the feeble shield he'd thrown around Aggron earlier, his psychic skills were relatively weak...compared to a Pokemon, anyway. Kiako sighed at her silence and glanced down at his feet.



"I've dreamt of you. Well, not you specifically, but...someone with an aura like yours. Someone who made me feel...like you make me feel."



And how do I make you feel? Psymakio asked, curious.



"Like I'm paralyzed. Like...the rest of the world is irrelevant." Kiako looked back up at her, his mouth a thin line. "I do not like it. It...weakens me. I would have shot you at the start, had I not been paralyzed by this feeling. Instead I have wasted a great deal of time, and risked the well-being of my Pokemon, by battling you and your insignificant friends. This feeling is a grave danger to me. Why do you force it upon me? Are there no limits to which you're willing to sink for victory?"



I'm not forcing it upon you. It's as much out of my control as the way I feel around you.



His eyes widened at that remark, again flickering away from her. "And how...do I make you feel?"



Psymakio hesitated. Telling the truth would only antagonize him, but she refused to lie about her feelings after all he'd done to Slash and the others. You hurt my master...hurt my friends...almost killed Rayquaza...and your plans threaten the entire world. You know that, and yet you refuse to stop what you're doing. You anger me. And you frighten me.



Kiako was quiet for a long time, closing his eyes and breathing in deep, even breaths. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I wouldn't have hurt you if you came to me willingly. You know that, don't you?"



You demanded that I do the impossible...abandon my master and my friends, and willingly join your quest to foul the world. Perhaps you wouldn't have hurt me if I'd submitted, but you know damn well that you didn't give me a choice, since there's no chance that I would ever do such a thing.



"But why not? Those friends of yours, and that pathetic little boy, they're nothing! They're overzealous fools who are stupid enough to oppose those a thousand times stronger than they are, and are obstinate enough to stand in the way of the next age! They are unworthy of my presence. And of yours."



They may be nothing to you. But to me, they're everything.



"They have closed your eyes to the truth, then. They would have you follow a blind, idiotic path, rather than embrace the next era of humanity...the next era of Pokemon....when we obtain what we seek, everything will change. The weakness of the world will be washed away, and the strong will rebuild it as something better. No more lies...no more hypocrisy...a world where brainless barbarians are not allowed to exist, and everyone is governed by a strong force of order. Such a world appeals to you, does it not?"



Psymakio shook her head. No. You would replace a world ruled by ignorance with a world ruled by violence. What you propose is not order, but chaos in a flimsy disguise. And such a world will never exist beyond your dreams, because my master was not lying about what waits beyond the seal. The corrupted power that is leaking into the world...the Shadow of all existence...it cares nothing for order or truth or discipline. It is not something that can be controlled.



"It can," Kiako said, no hint of doubt in his voice. "I am sure of it. Perhaps the ancient kingdom lacked someone strong enough to wield that power, but this world does not. I will conquer it and create the world that I dream of...a world where those strong enough to deserve life will live under my rule."



You underestimate the Shadow's power!



"And you underestimate me!" Kiako yelled. "Don't presume to know what power is after spending a month or two with those weak friends of yours! You haven't the faintest inkling what greatness is. Even Rayquaza, the proclaimed Lord of the Sky, is but a small player in the grand scheme of things. If there is a source of true strength somewhere in the world, whether it be this "Shadow" or something else, I will find it and I will rule it. It is more than my destiny, it is my right."



Sai continued to stare into the darkness, but he was starting to grow a bit nervous at Kiako's fevered declarations. He had never heard such sentiments from him before, and the self-fulfilling nature of his words bordered on treason. (Giovanni has to be informed about this. If Kiako is truly this obsessed with obtaining power for himself, then he cannot be allowed to continue this mission.)



"I don't have to rule alone," Kiako said quietly, inching closer to Psymakio. "There will be a place at my side for those worthy of being close to divinity." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, moving his fingertips through her hair. She flinched at his touch, but Aggron's grip was unbreakable, and her energy was far too low for even a single Teleport. "A princess...or the reincarnation of one...would be welcome at my side."



I would rather cut off an arm than endure your presence. And get your hands off of me.



"You're being very cruel," he chastised, not moving his hand. "I have never desired anyone in my life, neither human nor Pokemon...all I have desired is power...up until now. Even if I don't know why...even if I'm filled with these half-remembered memories and these moments of weakness...I desire you."



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



Slash had crawled only a few feet towards Aggron before the pain in his shoulder and leg overwhelmed him. Manectric was on the ground, apparently unconscious, and he couldn't even reach for his Pokeball without his hip screaming in pain. His mate was being held prisoner a dozen yards away, Kiako interrogating her; while Slash couldn't make out most of what he was saying, he knew that he was whispering dark and monstrous vows into her ears. The wind shifted slightly, and the next sentence out of Kiako's mouth came to Slash as clear as a bell, unmistakable.



"I desire you."



The Dark Core exploded like a lit furnace, pumping energy into Slash's veins. The corruption lines on his hands began to pulse in sync with his heartbeat. His bleeding slowed to a trickle. The pain faded into the background, and Slash turned slightly, crawling not towards Aggron, but rather towards the discarded chunk of metal that lay only ten feet away. Sai had turned to Kiako after hearing the disturbing declaration, and with no eyes upon him, Slash took the strange device into his hands and held it up to the faint morning light. It was heavier than it looked. The weight and feel of the device seemed familiar to him, as though he had wielded it before. Perhaps Quiero had.



One round had remained in the cylinder when Kiako dropped the weapon onto the ground, and thus Slash was easily able to figure out how to put the rest of the scattered cartridges into their slots. He closed the cylinder with a small click and pulled his body to face the Rockets. The Dark Core throbbed viciously at the sight of Kiako touching his mate, stroking her face even while ordering Sai to shut up. As much as Slash wanted to blow a hole in Kiako's throat, he didn't think that he could do so without putting Psymakio in danger as well, as she was right behind him. Instead he drifted the weapon at Sai, aiming for his head. He squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened. Trying to remember how Kiako handled the weapon, he reached for the little tongue of metal that stuck out of the back of the weapon and pulled it back until it locked in place, making the same sound that it had made in Kiako's hands shortly before blowing a hole in his mate. He aimed again, and this time it went off.



A hole suddenly appeared in Sai's neck, and if Slash's leg had been pouring blood, Sai's throat was absolutely gushing. He clawed madly at the wound, making horribly wet gurgling sounds that might have been screams, and collapsed onto the ground in a twitching mess. Kiako spun away from Psymakio, red eyes blazing.



"You son of a bitch," Kiako growled. "You son of a bitch! A quiet death is too good for you, is that what you're trying to tell me?"



He moved away from Psymakio and walked toward Slash, morphing his arm into a long, cruel bullwhip as he approached. He froze for a moment as the gun was cocked once more, but something told him that the weapon would not fire against him, not right now. Kiako grinned as Slash squeezed the trigger only to hear a useless click, and he brought his arm down on the boy with a brutal stroke.



"Have you any idea who you're fucking with? Any idea at all?" A savage gash opened in Slash's back, driving him into the ash. The revolver tumbled out of his hand and Kiako quickly snatched it up and returned it to its holster. "You who would dare to cross the future gods of this world...you, who would dare keep this girl away from me when the universe SCREAMS that she is to be at my side...I will rip you to ribbons and take her from this place before your corpse gets cold!"



Stop! Psymakio screamed, struggling futilely in Aggron's grasp. If you lay a hand on him---



"Your threats are pointless," Kiako interrupted. "You're completely tapped, and without your powers, you can't even stand. Close your pretty little mouth and watch as I send your precious trainer to hell."



You didn't let me finish, thing. If you lay a hand on him, I will kill myself. Within a minute or two I'll have regained enough energy to do that, and what will happen to your crazy dreams of power then?



Kiako turned to her, the rage vanishing from his expression as he did so. "You would rather...kill yourself...than be with me?"



Absolutely. With no hesitation.



Deep within Kiako's chaotic mind, duty and desire again came to a clash. All of his injuries...the loss of Sai from his own weapon...the humiliation of coming so close to defeat at the hands of these weaklings...the scorn of this Gardevoir and the defiance of this boy...it all came to a head. His mind...his void...it was a tempest of conflict, and he reached into his own consciousness and began forcing his emotions back into place, cursing the weakness that had infected him, however briefly.



"So be it. I am done playing this game. I am done being...manipulated by these strange emotions! I will not be controlled by whatever you're doing to me! I am Kiako Sensiari, Commander of Team Rocket! I am one of the greatest trainers in the world! And I will not be manipulated by these emotions, threatened by your power, or tempted by your beauty!" He raised his whiplike arm over Slash yet again, grinning madly, his eyes blazing like fire. "Kill yourself, then, little bitch. I do not care. Someone as frail and stupid as you could never be the key we're looking for. And someone as impudent as your pissant group will never be permitted to survive. All of you...every single last one of you...JUST DIE!"



Psymakio's heart sank as the whip came down on Slash again and again. She thrashed violently as Slash's screams increased in volume...and then thrashed even more so when they began to quiet. Their mating bond was all but dark---her powers were so drained that she couldn't even take in his pain anymore. Manectric was trying to get to his feet, but his rear legs simply weren't responding. Aggron, realizing that Kiako no longer cared about taking her alive, Silver Princess or not, threw Gardevoir onto the ground and aimed his huge claws down at her, intending to stab her through the throat.



"Yes, kill her! Rip her apart!" Kiako laughed crazily, slamming down his arm with such force that the cuts in Slash's back went right down to the muscle. He stopped for a moment, shifting the end of the whip into a cruel scorpion-like spike. "For all the trouble they've put us through...for Sai, who lays dead by your side...let us kill them together! Now, Aggron, NOW!"



As both of the killing arms dropped, two things happened simultaneously. A hailstorm of stone and fire slammed into Aggron, knocking the huge Pokemon onto the ground in a blaze of flame...and a blur of red and white shot by Kiako, grabbing Rayquaza's Heart from his coat and tearing a strip of flesh from the madman's side. Psymakio and Slash turned to see Flannery and Magcargo standing a short distance away, the fire Pokemon pummeling Aggron with brilliant jets of flame. A girl was behind them, huddled against Flannery's leg, and it took a moment for the mates to realize that it was Katarina, with Cacnea at her heels. Kiako and Aggron drew back, pinned against Rayquaza's bulk. The iron Pokemon shielded his master as the two tried to inch around the dragon and make an escape.



"Did you get it?" Flannery shouted in the direction of the red-white blur.



[Yeah!] a familiar voice replied. [They're hurt bad, though! Hurry up and finish Kiako!]



"Finish me?", a rage-filled voice growled mockingly. "Finish me?" There was the sound of shifting metal behind Aggron's back, followed by a loud click of a revolver's hammer being drawn. "You're just more corpses to throw on the fire!"



Flannery, watch out! Psymakio yelled, putting all of the power she'd regained since being drained into a shield around the young woman. Three bullets flew at her, all meant for her head, but each ricocheted harmlessly off of the barrier. A shout of rage echoed from the darkness. Aggron opened his mouth and fired a Flash Cannon, but Magcargo---and the other Pokemon who had joined her---destroyed the beam in mid-air with a combined blast of flame.



[Here's the Heart,] Growlithe said, dropping the small sphere into Flannery's hand. [Now get to Rayquaza and try to wake him up! Magcargo and I will cover you!]



Slash heard the exchange of words and attacks through a thick fog. Never in his life had he felt so sleepy, and the urge to simply close his eyes and forget about this battle was overwhelming. He was about to do so when he felt a light touch on his arm.



[Da.]



Slash glanced up at Cacnea's face and smiled wearily. "Hey, buddy. It's...nice to see you."



[Ouch,] Cacnea mumbled, briefly touching one of the lashes on his back. Slash flinched and the cactus backed away.



"I'll be okay. Don't worry about it. It looks worse than it is." A lie, of course; the pain was being replaced by a cold and tingling dullness, so clearly it was far worse than it looked, even if it looked horrible. He stared at the cold ash beneath his body and sighed deeply. "Cacnea...there's something I have to tell you...before I...well, before I go to sleep. About...your mother."



[Ma ouch, too.]



"No...listen to me. What I mean is..."



"Stay still," a quiet human voice interrupted. Katarina had joined them, dragging Flannery's heavy backpack behind her, still wearing the much-too-large clothing. Despite her own injuries and the trauma she'd been through, the girl showed no sign of fear or hesitation around Slash, as though she knew there was no time for it. Slash couldn't help but marvel at the young girl's bravery as she reached into the backpack and pulled out handfuls of gauze and boxes of medicine.



"Wait...take care of Psymakio's wounds first."



"You're in much worse shape than she is, so Flannery wants me to take care of you right away. Cacnea, try to drag Slash's backpack over here, so I can see if there's any medicine in it."



"There's not much left," Slash told Cacnea as he toddled over to the fallen pack. "Why are you three here? You were supposed to stay back at the cave."



Katarina glanced over at Rayquaza's motionless body, watching Flannery and the two fire Pokemon force Aggron and Kiako back. "I couldn't stay. He needs me." She sniffed back a tear and looked away sadly. "Even if I can't help him the way that I used to...I couldn't just...sit there and do nothing. It's my duty, and I would be ashamed if I abandoned it."



"No one would think that of you," Slash said kindly. "You've already done so much...sacrificed so much...you don't have to do any more."



"Maybe not...but I will. Until he tells me that my job is finished." Katarina flinched as she saw Slash's mostly bare back, but quickly shook off her fear and pressed the gauze against the bullet wound in his leg, putting nearly her entire light weight against it. "Growlithe couldn't stop me from leaving the cave, and he refused to let me go alone, so...the three of us set out to find Rayquaza. We got lucky and Growlithe found Flannery's scent, so we followed it until we found her."



Cacnea returned with the backpack, pulling it by the straps with his mouth. He dropped it by Katarina's side and looked at Slash with sad eyes. [Koal.] he said quietly. Slash looked to the girl for an explanation.



"Flannery's Torkoal...didn't make it."



Slash glanced at Flannery, who was leading the Pokemon fearlessly against the Rockets, clearly injured herself but not letting it slow her down. Her eyes were red---not just from the night vision---and Slash wondered if he'd be strong enough to handle losing any of his friends. Considering his pack's injuries, he still might.



Psymakio suddenly tumbled onto the ground beside him in a clumsy, barely adequate Teleport, wheezing painfully as the jump reset her energy back down to zero. She immediately threw her arms around Slash, pulling him to her as strongly as she dared, considering how hurt he was.



Master!



"I'm here, Gardie," Slash assured her, finding her hand and clasping it tightly. "Are you okay?"



I'm okay enough, she answered, nuzzling his neck and hoping that her touch would ease some of the pain as Katarina tried to wrap up the worst of his injuries. I'm so sorry, master! I would have taken every one of your wounds for myself, but Aggron was so fast and strong---



"I know, sweetheart. You have nothing to feel ashamed of. You're the only reason any of us are still alive. Well, if any one of you hadn't fought as hard as you had, we'd all have gotten killed, but you...fighting that monster like you did...I love you, Psymakio."



They embraced wordlessly, their sweat and blood mingling, their hearts reunited. Kiako sensed the two holding each other before he actually saw them; it felt like a sore on his heart had been doused in salt. He turned to find the enchanting girl and the revolting boy in each other's arms, and all of Kiako's hard-won self control and reasoning snapped like an overstretched rubber band. Ignoring the darts of flame flying through the air, he stepped out from behind Aggron and walked relentlessly towards the battered group, shifting his left arm as he walked. Jagged bones, sharpened to an almost sword-like edge, emerged from the flesh.



"Get out of here, you two," Slash said quietly, knowing that he was too hurt to fight and that Psymakio was still completely drained. "Don't worry about us. Stick with Flannery and you'll get out of here alive."



Cacnea whimpered and clung onto Psymakio's arm, shivering as the man with demon eyes approached. Katarina started to lean down to pick up the child and make a run for it, but then she noticed Rayquaza's body, still immobile, occasionally being hit by the glancing strikes of Aggron and the two fire Pokemon. (I can't abandon him,) she repeated to herself, and quickly dove into Flannery's backpack. After a moment she pulled out the only sharp thing she could find---an empty medical syringe---and turned to face Kiako, gripping the syringe with both hands and pointing the needle at him.



"Just what do you think you're going to do with that?" Kiako asked, his voice cold, the mockery barely detectable beneath the hatred boiling within him. "Give me a flu shot? "



"You will not lay another hand on this group," Katarina said, shaking with fear but keeping the syringe steady. "You have sinned in the holy land of Rayquaza, and you will pay for your transgressions."



"You sound like one of those Jirachian priests. It doesn't suit you." He flexed his spike-studded arm at her. "I will give you one chance to step away. I have no quarrel with you, child."



"Well I have a quarrel with you. You have injured the Lord of the Sky and stolen his Heart. Such sins cannot be forgiven."



"His Heart? I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you saying that Rayquaza is the guardian of the Sky Pearl?"



Katarina smiled in spite of her fear, shaking her head. "You truly are clueless, aren't you? Have you any idea what's been happening here? It has nothing to do with those stupid gems. The object you stole earlier was not the Sky Pearl...it was Rayquaza's egg."



Kiako's eyes widened as he progged the girl and realized that she was very likely speaking the truth. He had been briefly curious about the object earlier, thinking it to be slightly larger than the other Pearls, but he had discontinued his concerns in order to get his long-awaited revenge on Rayquaza. Had he known that it was truly an egg, he would have crushed it in front of the dragon and laughed at his reaction...and if, like the Pearls, it was indestructible, he could have at least brought it back to Headquarters as a consolation prize. Now, though, that damned Gym Leader had it...



"Even if it's not the object I was seeking...it would still be very valuable to my organization." Despite the utter fury he felt at having come so many miles and suffered so much pain, only to find that the prize was a fraud, he was still able to feign a moment of kindness. "You seem rather attached to Flannery, so I'll make you a deal. If that woman returns the egg to me, I will spare her life as well as your own. And I'll even give these two a quicker death than I'd grant them otherwise."



"You won't be killing anyone."



"This isn't a negotiation. These two will die for what they've done to me; it is not up for discussion."



"You're right. It's not."



Kiako frowned as he felt a large power source on the edge of his mind. It was not much stronger than the Gardevoir's powers, not at first...but it was growing. He glanced around and saw nothing. He had turned his head to check on Aggron when his scanner identified the source of the power. Rayquaza was slowly raising his head off the ground, bracing himself with his broken arms. Aggron noticed the movement and quickly backed away. Flannery, Magcargo, and Growlithe did as well, not wanting to be crushed underfoot.



"What is the meaning of this? I had not yet finished him, but he was on the brink of death after fighting us! How can he still move?"



Rayquaza sniffed the air and detected three familiar scents---his Heart, the Sky Maiden, and the red-eyed nightmare he'd fought over the ocean. He turned his head to Kiako, seeing the monstrous man only a few feet away from Katarina, and he began to slither towards them, his remaining eye burning a hellish and angry red. Aggron tried to dig his claws into Rayquaza's hide, but the dragon simply slapped the wounded beast aside with a Dragon Claw without so much as looking down at him.



(It's the Heart,) Kiako realized, seeing the stone glow a faint green in Flannery's hand and detecting a powerful connection between the object and the dragon. (Its proximity is giving Rayquaza strength. It's more than just an egg, it's...bonded to him somehow. Damn, I should have crushed it when I had the chance!)



[STEP AWAY FROM THE GIRL,] Rayquaza boomed, his single remaining eye glaring down at Kiako with barely-restrained rage. [NOW, ABOMINATION, OR YOU WILL DIE.]



"You can barely move," Kiako accused, extending the spines on his arm another inch. "These are the last ounces of your strength. Perhaps the...Heart?...has indeed given you a bit of power...but it won't be enough. I can feel your life energy continuing to diminish."



[PERHAPS, BUT I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH ENERGY TO KILL YOU. YOU HAVE COMMITTED VILE ACTS ON MY LANDS, AND YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR CRIMES. KNEEL TO ME AND ACCEPT DEATH WITH WHAT LITTLE HONOR YOU HAVE.]



"Honor?" Kiako laughed. "Honor? If there's anything I've learned from my life, it's that honor is a joke...pathetic little rules made by those too weak to win at life any other way. You would have me kneel not because I'm guilty of anything...it's because you're afraid of me. You don't know what could happen if I choose to resist. Perhaps I should show you what I am capable of."



He stepped back in a fluid motion, grabbing Katarina and spinning her around so that she was pinned against his body, a shield against Rayquaza's fury. The girl froze in his grasp, not from the bladed arm at her throat, but rather from the physical contact. Slash growled and tried to stand, but despite his anger and rage, he was simply physically unable to do so.



Kiako grinned and squeezed Katarina more tightly. "You see, Rayquaza, I am capable of nearly anything if it means survival. I have a greater destiny that awaits me, one far greater than anything even you could imagine, let alone these weaklings. One day I will look down at you from the pinnacle of existence and crush you like an insect. No one will deny me that destiny."



[RELEASE HER,] Rayquaza demanded, opening his mouth and showing energy crackling inside of it. [NOW.]



"Fuck you," he laughed. "You can kill me if you really want. You are correct in that I cannot hope to match you as I am now. But you'll have to blow through her to do it. It should really be a rather simple solution...kill one little human girl and save countless other lives in the process. Go on and do it. I dare you, Rayquaza. I fucking dare you."



There was no response. Katarina trembled as Kiako's body pressed against hers, and though there was nothing sexual in the man's actions, there was a hanging suspicion that there could be, if the urge fell upon him. After all that he had done, Kiako could be capable of anything. Rayquaza simply glared down at him, motionless.



"I thought so," Kiako finally said. "This is why the gods are so weak...because they are bound to serve and protect such fragile creatures. You would sacrifice the world rather than make an acceptable sacrifice. Such sentimentality is why I will live forever."



There was a sudden flash of green as Rayquaza disappeared from his position and re-appeared fifty feet behind Kiako and the others, one arm extended and dripping blood from its claws. Kiako's left arm---the arm that had been poised at Katarina's throat---had been removed at the shoulder. It lay in the ash, twitching and shifting for a moment before melting into a puddle of murky goo. Both villain and hostage were frozen in shock; Flannery had to run over and physically move Katarina away from Kiako while Magcargo and Growlithe helped Slash and Psymakio get to a safe distance.



[THIS IS WHY YOU ARE SO WEAK, KIAKO SENSIARI,] Rayquaza announced. [IT IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO PROTECT. YOU ASSUMED THAT I WOULD NOT DARE TO STRIKE YOU WHEN MY CHOSEN MAIDEN WAS YOUR HOSTAGE. IN FACT I WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO DECIDE HOW BEST TO FREE HER. I CONSIDERED REMOVING YOUR HEAD, BUT IF KATARINA HAD FLINCHED, I MIGHT HAVE KNICKED HER WITH MY ATTACK. SO I SETTLED ON AN AERIAL ACE TO REMOVE THAT TAINTED ARM OF YOURS. NOW YOU WILL NEVER HARM ANYONE WITH IT AGAIN.]



"You...bastard..." Kiako cupped the stump of his shoulder with his remaining hand, trying to stem the flow of blood that spilled onto the dirt. "You took my arm...the most visible sign that I am superior to humanity! You BASTARD!"



[AND NOW THAT KATARINA IS SAFE, I WILL INDEED TAKE YOUR HEAD. YOU WILL NEVER RULE OVER THESE LANDS, KIAKO. I SWORE AN OATH TO THE KING OF OLD THAT I WOULD KEEP THE WORLD SAFE IN HIS ABSENCE, AND I INTEND TO KEEP IT. YOU WILL NOT FOUL THE KINGDOM AGAIN.]



"What do you mean, again? I am growing sick of these riddles and vagaries! You will tell me---"



Rayquaza lunged with an Aerial Ace so fast that Kiako could barely follow it. He tensed as the huge clawed hand swung at him, but the blow never came; instead there was a loud clang of bone on metal as Aggron blocked the attack, and a warm splash of blood drenching Kiako's face. Rayquaza's claws had sunk a foot deep into Aggron's body, tearing through his remaining armor like tissue paper, but the dragon had not pushed him back so much as an inch.



[Sorry, old man,] Aggron groaned, [but no one will stop my master from achieving his dreams. Not even the gods.]



"Aggron, get away! You can no longer match his strength!"



[Maybe not, but...I'd rather die than let him kill you.] The iron Pokemon dropped to his knees, the claws sliding out of his belly as he fell. [I'm sorry for not being strong enough, Kiako. Don't worry...I've been prepared for death ever since we joined Team Rocket. Escape from this place...find the power of the King, along with any other power locked behind the seal...and make the world of your dreams.]



Kiako shook his head and pulled a Pokeball from his belt. The little voice that whispered promises of divinity in his head had fallen silent. "I forbid you to speak in such a manner. You will not die until I order you to do so. Doing so again will be treason."



Aggron smiled, blood leaking down his broken armor. [You...idiot. You never could decide on...what you really want.]



A bright flash of red light marked the Pokemon being withdrawn and locked in maximum stasis. Kiako looked up at the towering dragon and growled angrily. "I will not permit you to kill my allies. As the future absolute god of this world, I forbid you."



Rayquaza stared down at him, his expression unreadable. [IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE NOT PURGED ALL OF YOUR WEAKNESSES YET, SENSIARI.]



"Make no mistake, I will not die here. But no one will die for me. A king who cannot fight on his own behalf does not deserve to rule."



[I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT YOU WILL NEVER RULE. NOW YOU WILL DIE, BUT PERHAPS YOU WILL DIE WITH MORE HONOR THAN I HAD INITIALLY EXPECTED OF YOU. KNEEL AND ACCEPT IT.]



Kiako smiled, his eyes brightening to a horrific red glow. Black-blue light began swirling around his dismembered body as he purposely used his psionics when he knew that he was too injured to safely do so. "No. It is you who will die, arrogant worm. Even mangled as I am, I still have one last trump card. Consider this my version of a Self Destruct...one powerful enough to kill even you, Rayquaza, along with the rest of these creatures." His smile suddenly turned sinister, and his voice become a cold bark of rage. "All of you, do you understand me? No matter what powers you possess, this blast will kill ALL OF YOU!"



He pointed up at Rayquaza. "You, the false god who would dare oppose me! The monster who stole my arm and nearly killed one of my most loyal comrades!"



He turned and pointed to Slash with his remaining arm. "You, the arrogant plunderer of riches far beyond anything you deserve! The murderer of Sai, a great man who served Team Rocket and myself with nothing but the utmost competence and respect, a loyal subject!"



He pointed at Psymakio. "You, the heartless woman who denied me, who dared to choose the primitive frailty of that vermin over my power and grace, and nearly killed Aggron instead of calling him your brother and fighting alongside him!"



He pointed at Growlithe and Cacnea. "You, the weakling, mindless servants of those traitorous masters! The price of treason is death!"



He pointed at Flannery and Magcargo. "You, the interfering fools who presumed to interfere with my business! You lost someone while fighting Sai, didn't you? A friend? I can tell. And I'm GLAD."



Lastly, he pointed at Katarina. "And you...insignificant little girl, you are the most foul of them all. Half-dressed child whore to the gods, I should have cut your throat while I had the chance!"



[SILENCE!] Rayquaza screeched, swinging his claws downward only to have them bounce off Kiako's aura as though it were an impenetrable shell. Kiako merely grinned back at him, happy to see that his words hit home. There was a screeching whine as psychic power began to tear around Kiako's body in an out-of-control maelstrom, churning up the ground around him. Rayquaza backed away and put himself between Kiako and the battered group.



"Nowhere to run, worm," Kiako hissed. "Too weak to fly. Too weak to kill me now that it's started. This may very well kill me, too, but I don't think it will...destiny is on MY side. And it'll be worth every bit of pain to see all of you shredded into pieces. My dream will live on."



Is there nothing we can do? Psymakio asked, clutching Slash's arm and staring at the swirling waves of ash. Nothing at all?



[THERE MIGHT BE A WAY,] Rayquaza boomed, [BUT IT WILL REQUIRE A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN. LITTLE GARDEVOIR, I WILL NEED TO TRANSFER MY REMAINING POWER TO YOU IN THE FORM OF PSYCHIC ENERGY. YOU CAN THEN TELEPORT ALL OF US FAR AWAY FROM HERE IN A SINGLE JUMP. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING THE SEVERITY OF YOUR INJURIES, I CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL SURVIVE THIS...]



There's no time to worry about that! Psymakio yelled, the whirlwind of Kiako's overloaded powers quickly expanding. I would trade my life for all of yours a hundred times if I could!



[WELL SAID, BRAVE CHILD!] Rayquaza quickly converted every bit of his remaining power into psychic energy and sent it to her in a flood of blue light. She screamed in pain as the wave hit her, the sheer strength and quantity of the surge overwhelming her mind and causing every one of her wounds to open again with a splash of blood. Psychic limiters that she didn't even know she had burst open to accommodate the flood of power, and even in his barely-conscious state, Slash could feel the incredible mental strain she was under. He withdrew Growlithe and Cacnea, hoping that less passengers would make the ensuing teleport less difficult for her.



[IT IS DONE. TELEPORT US TO THE SOUTH, YOUNG GARDEVOIR! QUICKLY, AND AS FAR AS YOU CAN!]



Psymakio gritted her teeth and nodded, wrapping everyone but Kiako in her psychic aura. Kiako, realizing what was about to happen, desperately poured more energy into the meltdown, but it would not be enough. For a brief instant before Psymakio teleported, her eyes met Kiako's, and her expression was one of such anger and hatred for the man who had nearly slaughtered her pack that Kiako could not help but cry out. Again that mysterious and maddening pulse of longing and heartbreak struck him, and now he was too weak to resist it any longer.



"Wait! Don't go!" Kiako extended his remaining hand towards her, as though he thought that she'd actually walk through the hellstorm and take it. "I didn't want to hurt you! Stay and help me undo this, so we can...stay with me, Gardevoir, I'm sorry!"



His voice was inaudible over the wind, and Psymakio had teleported before his desperate apology had left his lips. He was left alone in the middle of Fallarbor's ruins, one-armed, confused, and in the middle of a psychic meltdown that was far beyond the point of recovery.



"COME BACK!" Kiako screamed, falling to his knees as the power exploded from his body in enormous concussive shockwaves. Many of his old wounds---including some caused by Rayquaza during their first encounter, when the dragon had shot him out of the sky---reopened and bled into the raging wind. The ground shook more forcefully than any of the earthquakes had managed, and the few remaining buildings within his eyesight fell like towers of cards. This explosion was even more vicious than the previous, which had nearly killed him, and Kiako screamed in unbridled agony as his body tore itself apart from the force of his own power.



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



Psymakio had used every bit of the energy Rayquaza gave her to boost the teleport, and it made the difference between being cooked by the blast and merely being rocked by it. The group reappeared more than ten miles away, deep into the mountains south of Fallarbor. They fell onto rough, untamed earth, badly injured but still alive. Psymakio fell limply into Slash's arms, completely spent and on the brink of losing consciousness.



"Look at that," Flannery whispered, pointing north at where Fallarbor had once stood. An enormous mushroom cloud rose from the ruins, making a void in the rain of ash and pushing up into the ash column. "There's no way he could have survived that." (And neither could Torkoal, if he somehow survived his wounds), she added silently, the tears swelling back into her eyes.



[He may have,] Rayquaza said, his mental voice weary and far less forceful than it had been before. [I sense nothing of his foul aura, but since his mind is utterly unreadable, and I am direly weakened...there is no way to be sure.]



The dragon laid on the ground, unable to even hold himself upright any longer. He faced the group and smiled, the gesture barely recognizable on his craggy face. [I thank you for saving us, young princess...and I thank all of you for saving Katarina and finding my Heart. Each of you fought with great courage and strength...and if nothing else, at least Team Aqua has been dealt a severe blow. But unfortunately, their lingering stench remains.] He looked down at Katarina, who was trembling and crying in Flannery's lap. He had known exactly what had happened to her the instant she'd returned to him. [My dear...words mean nothing for a tragedy of such magnitude...but I am so sorry.]



"You're sorry?" the girl sniffed, unable to look Rayquaza in the eye. "I failed in the one duty you placed upon me! It's my fault that you've weakened...my fault that the Aquas and that bad man were able to hurt you..."



[Silence,] Rayquaza boomed, though not unkindly. [Such talk is foolish, and you are no fool. The fault is mine, Katarina. In all the years I have entrusted your bloodline with the task of protecting my Heart, never before have I given the task to someone as young as you. I should have stayed to protect you, or taken you to my roost so that you would be safe, at least until you grew older. You have suffered greatly for my mistakes, and I humbly beg for the forgiveness that I do not deserve.]



"No!" she cried, climbing out of Flannery's lap and racing to hug the dragon's face. "You have nothing to apologize for! Nothing at all!"



"Neither of you have anything to apologize for," Flannery said, standing up and walking to Rayquaza's huge head. "She did her duty until she was no longer capable of doing so, and then she kept doing it anyway...and you couldn't have expected the arrival of the Aquas, or that they would be so brutal to her. Blame the cruelty of humanity, not yourselves."



Rayquaza gently nudged Katarina away and nodded at Flannery. [Perhaps...but I still feel terribly guilty over her loss. If I had known what would have happened, I would never have left her alone in town. Instead I allowed myself to be drawn away from Fallarbor by the arrival of the Abomination.]



"Kiako?" Slash asked weakly. "You met Kiako before Fallarbor?"



[He was returning to Hoenn after bringing the Sea Pearl to his master; I intercepted him over the Great Sea and tried to kill him. I succeeded in shooting him down with a Hyper Beam, causing severe injury to him and his mount, but I did not hit them dead-on. I was distracted when the Aquas captured Katarina, and I chose to rush to her aid rather than finish off Kiako. It was cruelly unfortunate that the Aquas grabbed her at the very moment I was about to finish him off. As though fate were working against me, despite my position in the order of existence. And considering the nature of Kiako's powers, and the actions of his previous incarnation, it is even more troubling.] Rayquaza glanced at Katarina. [I do not regret taking that course of action, little one. As much as Kiako needs to be destroyed, your safety means much more to me. My only regret is that I could not get to you in time.]



Chimney suddenly let out a sky-cracking bang, and a moment later large stones began falling from the sky like mutated hail. As neither Rayquaza nor Psymakio had any energy to shield them, the dragon struggled to raise his body and use his bulk to shield the humans and Pokemon from the barrage. Katarina continued to sob as the rocks slammed onto Rayquaza's open wounds and drew yet more blood.



[The eruption of Chimney is imminent.]



"Isn't there any way to stop it?" Flannery asked worriedly. "I thought that saving you would dispel the veil and stop the eruption."



[The veil is disappearing,] Rayquaza assured her. [It began weakening the moment I took Kiako's arm, and now it has almost completely vanished. Unfortunately the land is still heavily saturated by the corruption, and it will take several months before things fully return to normal. There should not be any new Nightmares, although those in mid-corruption will continue with their transformations, and the remaining beasts may take some time to succumb to their continuing mutations. Until then, they will continue to prey on anything that enters the ashlands.]



"And Chimney?"



[Chimney is beyond the point of no return. It is no longer being driven by the veil, but the pressure cannot simply dissipate when it is so catastrophically high. Nothing can stop it from erupting now, and when it does...]



"We die," Slash finished. "Even if the blast itself doesn't get us, the collapse of the ash column will."



[I am afraid that it is worse than that. When the volcano erupts, the bulk of the blast will be directed to the south. While Lavaridge has long since been evacuated, the people have merely fled to Mauville, thinking that it is safe there because the city is on the edge of the ashfall. However, when the southern face of Chimney gives way, the blast will completely crush Lavaridge...and continue on to bury Mauville in its wake, as well. Even Slateport may be badly damaged. Tens of thousands of humans and hundreds of thousands of Pokemon would die, and a fifth of Hoenn would be uninhabitable for a decade or more.]



"There has to be something we can do!" Flannery said hotly. "We didn't go through all of this suffering just to screw up now! Rayquaza, isn't there something you can do to stop the eruption?"



[Even if I were at full strength, I could not stop Chimney from erupting at this point. However, if I used a Hyper Beam on a slope facing somewhere mostly uninhabited, it would be possible to re-direct the force of the blast. Lavaridge would still be destroyed, but Mauville might be spared. I could then use my power over the sky to dispel the ash column and prevent any secondary deaths from the collapse. But I am completely drained, and I am only getting weaker by the second. Having the Heart so close to me gave me a little power, but I used all of that power to injure Kiako and facilitate our escape from Fallarbor.]



Flannery took a deep breath before asking her question. "What if you got a new Sky Maiden, who started purifying your Heart right away? How long would it take to complete the process and regain enough strength to handle Chimney?"



Katarina looked up at Flannery as Rayquaza answered. [Not long; I would only need a fraction of my power for such a feat. However, even I cannot remove the tainted aura from Katarina.]



"That's not fair at all," Slash said, finally voicing his thoughts from earlier. He spoke angrily and coldly, ignoring both the deep pain in his chest and Psymakio's pleas for him to remain still and silent. "It wasn't the least bit her fault, so why the fuck is she disqualified from being the Sky Maiden? She risked her life to come look for us, and she stood her ground against Kiako to protect me, and with nothing more than a fucking syringe! Is that not 'pure' enough? Are all of her good qualities negated because something evil happened to her, something that wasn't her fault?"



[I wish that it were otherwise, but I did not make the rules. Just as with the requirement that the Maiden be human, the terms of purity were laid out by the Greatest One, and thus those terms are beyond my control. Being tainted does not mean that she is a bad person, merely that the evil of those men has infected her to the point where she can no longer purify my Heart.] Seeing the anger still present in Slash's eyes, Rayquaza added, [you may as well complain about gravity being too harsh, boy. Regardless of how unfair it is, such rules are not something that can be changed by beings such as us.]



Thinking of the way Psymakio had manipulated the force of gravity earlier, Slash frowned and stared down at his gloved hands, seeing the ends of the corruption lines peaking out from under the fabric. (Maybe those rules can't be changed now,) Slash thought to himself, (but maybe, if someone is brave enough to stand up to the monsters who make such cruel burdens...maybe they can be changed someday.) He was fortunate that Rayquaza was too weakened to read his thoughts, or else the dragon would have confronted him about the eerily Kiako-like thoughts.



Flannery moved her hand over the Pokeball containing her mate, considering letting him out for this discussion, but decided against it, not wanting to cause him any unnecessary pain. The sensors were on, meaning that Blaziken could hear every word, and the voluntary release options were active, as well. If he had a complaint, he could voice it. "I was actually thinking that...I could help you."



[It is not so simple.]



"Why not? I have only been touched in love, and there's nothing I can think of that could have possibly...tainted me. I know that I'm not perfect, but considering our situation, I don't think we've got any better options."



[I know that you meet the needed requirements, and I am fully aware of our predicament, but what you seek is an enormous responsibility. Are you sure that you are up to it?]



"Absolutely."



[You should hear my terms before agreeing so readily. After what happened with Katarina, I refuse to allow the Sky Maiden to be placed in harm's way again. The Maiden would have to remain in my roost, the Sky Pillar, for the rest of her life...or until I am reborn, which may take a very, very long time. My roost is a magical place in the southern seas, and only I can bring someone there or take them away from it. You would have to abandon your people, Flannery.]



"I was already planning on leaving my post to help these guys on their quest, so that's not an issue."



[You may bring your Pokemon along with you, but any who choose to accompany you will be subject to the same restrictions that you are. They will be bound in the Sky Pillar and unable to leave until I am reborn. I will provide you with food, water, and other basic necessities, but other than that your lives will be mostly solitary and simple.]



Flannery nervously rolled Blaziken's Pokeball around in her hand. "There aren't any...um...added restrictions after I actually become the Sky Maiden, are there? Like the purity thing suddenly becoming a lot more strict?"



[If you are referring to your mate, worry not, you will be able to be with him in my sanctuary.] Seeing Flannery's sudden blush, Rayquaza let out a brief exhalation of amusement. [As Slash and Psymakio could have told you, I care nothing about such matings. I sensed your mating bond almost as easily as theirs, and I assure you that if I had something to say about it, I would have said it.]



"You sounded a little hesitant about it with us," Slash reminded Rayquaza. "I thought you only approved of it once you learned that me and Psymakio are the 'echoes' of Quiero and Miyako."



[That was not why I was hesitant; it was because I sensed Archie's stink on your mind. Regardless of what Jirachism and the other religions of man believe, the Great Ones simply do not care about such matters. The only time Pokemon have made such proclamations was when our kind and humans were mortal enemies, and that time is long past...or so we hope.]



Flannery breathed a sigh of relief and put the Pokeball back on her belt. "In that case, I have no qualms about becoming the Sky Maiden, if you'd accept me. There's not really any other options."



[I am aware of the severity of our situation, but I do not blindly choose my Maidens. Katarina, do you think that she would be a good guardian for my Heart?]



The young girl nodded her head, her tears having lessened into a mere mistiness. "She was very kind to me...her mate helped save me from the Aquas, and after we got away, she was...helpful. I believe that she would die to protect you, Rayquaza, and she wouldn't betray your secret for anything."



Rayquaza focused on Slash and Psymakio. [And what of you two? What do you think of her?]



"She saved our pack from a corrupted Pokemon that would have killed us otherwise," Slash remarked quietly. "For no reason other than that we were in trouble. And she selflessly agreed to join our quest to stop the Shadow from being released, even knowing the dangers we'd be facing. Her courage is absolute."



Psymakio nodded in agreement. Her will is very strong, and she leads her pack with wisdom and compassion. It was nice to talk to another girl about the whole...mating thing, too. And if she hadn't risked her life to hold off that other Rocket, we'd all be dead right now. I can think of no one else as worthy of the job as she is.



[I see. That confirms what I observed on the occasions that I have watched you from above, Flannery. You are kindhearted and generous, worthy of being a guardian. You also have your father's wisdom and strength, and someday you will surpass him in both. I will indeed take you as my Sky Maiden.]



Flannery, blushing faintly at the praise, pulled the small egg from her pocket. "What do I do?"



[Remain where you are and hold my Heart to yours. I will do the rest.]



Rayquaza was drained of power, but his mind was still far stronger than any Psychic Pokemon's, and he breached Flannery's simple mental barriers without any difficulty. He felt her life force, young and strong, and sensed the connection she had with her mate own lifespan. She would live to be over a hundred years old if nothing else intervened, and she had given Blaziken an additional thirty years of life when they mated. There was nothing in her mind to be concerned over---no dark secrets, no ulterior motives, nothing that suggested she was anything other than what she seemed to be. He bonded his soul to hers, a subtle but incredibly powerful link that would only be lost if she was tainted by evil, and then wove another connection between her and his Heart. Almost as soon as the connection was completed, the spreading taint within the egg began to pull back as the web of corruption was burned away by Flannery's purity. He growled in contentment as his power slowly began regenerating.



[It is done.]



He reared up and threw a simple shield over the smaller creatures, easily protecting them from the falling debris. Already his power was surpassing the Pokemon below. His physical injuries would take much longer to fully mend, perhaps months for the eye and horn, but the bleeding wounds were quickly closing, and the broken bones wouldn't hinder him much unless he had to fight.



[When I go to deal with Chimney, you will have to remain here and take cover. I know that you are all severely wounded, and time is of the essence, but I cannot carry you on my back when I handle the volcano, as the air is poisonous only a few hundred feet up. I will fire a Hyper Beam into the side of the mountain, hopefully redirecting enough of the eruption's force to spare Mauville. Then I will dispel the ash column with my powers and return to you. I assume that you wish me to bring you to Mauville afterward?]



Slash and Flannery exchanged a glance and both nodded. "Watson is a close ally of ours," Slash said. "We'll be able to recover in Mauville without having to worry too much."



"I also need to talk to my people before we leave for the Sky Pillar," Flannery said, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "I have to renounce my Gym Leadership and confer with the Pokemon League to choose a successor. And I need to explain my reasons for leaving to my people as well as I can. It'll be hard, though." She looked at Katarina and frowned. "What will happen to her?"



Rayquaza glanced at the girl and shook his head sadly. [I am sorry to say that the people of Fallarbor did not survive. Her father was killed early in the clash between myself and the Aquas...and the rest of the townspeople fled to the east, where they were massacred by Nightmares. She is the last survivor of Fallarbor.]



The girl looked down at the ground, saddened but not surprised.



[Katarina, I want to take you to Mauville as well. You can stay there with Flannery while they recover and plan for their futures. I will return to Mauville after a month to bring Flannery to the Sky Pillar, and we will discuss your own future then. Is that acceptable?]



Katarina smiled shyly. "I'd really get to stay with Flannery until then?"



"Of course," Flannery replied, smiling back and patting the girl's shoulder. "I'll need someone to talk to about being the Sky Maiden, after all. Someone with more experience."



[Very well.] Rayquaza flexed his body and turned to the ash-shrouded mountain in the distance. [Flannery, you truly are pure of heart, for my power is recovering well. It will not be much longer until I regain enough strength to handle Chimney; a Hyper Beam of sufficient force to rupture the volcano will only require approximately two percent of my strength.]



"Damn," Slash said quietly, wondering just what Rayquaza would be capable of when he was fully recovered. He also wondered how the forces of the Second Kingdom could have been driven to near extinction when they had such a powerful ally on their side. Shivering in the cold morning air, Slash held onto Psymakio's body, desperate for her warmth. Each breath made his insides feel like they were being stabbed by needles, and he couldn't seem to catch his breath no matter how hard he tried. Psymakio sensed his escalating pain and looked down at her mate's pale face with concern and fear.



He's lost consciousness, she gasped in a panicky whisper, progging his battered body as Flannery walked over to help. The whiplashes on his back were bad, and the gunshots even worse, but they weren't the reason her mate could barely breathe. It was the horrific wound in his shoulder, caused by Aggron impaling Slash on a razored claw. When she had first treated it, she had only been concerned about the danger of blood loss; now she realized that the claw had nicked one of his lungs, and the subsequent movement had torn the scratch open wider. He was not only having a hard time breathing, but worse, his lung was filling with blood. His lung is punctured! We need to get him to a hospital immediately! He won't make it if we don't hurry!



"He may not make it to a hospital unless we do something to stabilize him right away," Flannery warned. "Do you know any healing techniques? All we need to do is seal the wound, not heal the whole thing. It needs to be an airtight seal, though."



I can use my barriers to close it. I did it earlier to stop the blood loss. I just hope I have enough energy to keep it closed until we reach Mauville. I'm still nearly drained from that teleport.



[I can loan you some more of mine,] Rayquaza offered. [I am not a healer, but I can do that much for you. After all you have done for me, it is the least that I can do.]



Psymakio shuddered as she felt Rayquaza's energy suddenly flow into her, far less violently than before. It was only the tiniest fraction of the dragon's strength---and he was only at a fraction of his normal strength at the moment---and that realization was more shocking than the transfer itself. Even if he wasn't regally looming over them as he was during their first meeting, it was still deeply humbling to be under the shadow of a Great One. She quickly tapped into this power and put small shields over all of Slash's penetrating wounds, and had enough left over to gently bind his ragged whiplashes with a sheet of soft psychic light. She also carefully manipulated the tear in the lung itself, essentially holding it together with her powers. It would be enough to stabilize him for the time being, but considering how much blood he'd already lost...



Grandfather, my mate still needs to get to a hospital very soon. I cannot heal him myself. And my friends need to get to a Pokemon Center before their balls run out of energy for stasis mode.



[You are badly hurt yourself, and yet you have not complained once. Can you truly sustain the shields for that long, Gardevoir?]



Psymakio glanced down at her shattered ankles and the clotted gunshot in her thigh. I'll be fine. My wounds are serious, but...not as life-threatening as Graveler or Crawdaunt's. Compared to their condition, these are just superficial. Besides, my mate is in danger. I can endure my pain for as long as it takes to get him to safety.



Rayquaza nodded and began hovering off the ground as his energy slowly returned to him. He directed a little more of it to Psymakio, giving her enough of his power to cast a shield over the group to protect them from the rockfall and keep her mate stable. Considering that he owed his life to these brave creatures, sparing a little energy was the least he could do.



[I will go and deal with the volcano now,] Rayquaza told them as he rose into the air. [Be very careful. This will be rough. I will return as quickly as I can.]



The dragon flew towards Chimney, waiting until he was a quarter mile away from the group before accelerating to supersonic speeds. The ashfall and poisonous gases parted as a thunderous sonic boom echoed in his wake. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rayquaza couldn't help but flash a toothy grin as he flew around the falling boulders, relishing in the power he'd thought was lost forever. Even with the tainted sky, it was good to be back in the air again.



Quickly accelerating to a comfortable speed, it took him less than a minute to cross the twenty miles between their teleport exit and the volcano. The mountain was cracked and hissing with steam and leaking only small amounts of magma, but the internal pressure pushed up to cataclysmic levels. The southern slope bulged outwards from the stress, threatening to rupture at any moment. Rayquaza looked out at the land below him...not with his eyes, which would have been useless beyond a few dozen feet in this ashfall, but with the powerful, not-quite-psychic awareness that all Great Ones possessed. He would have to make a calculated sacrifice in order to save the most lives that he could.



Lavaridge was only five miles south of Chimney, and was doomed regardless of what he did. The low-lying lands would be devastated by an eruption in that direction.



His saviors were twenty miles north of it, shielded by towering mountains that were mostly empty of non-corrupted life. He could try to direct the blast that way, but even with the mountains breaking up the flow, it was possible that Slash and Flannery's packs would be wiped out before he could reach them. A dangerous gamble.



To the east was the desert, and a pyroclastic flow in that direction would spill into the desert basin and kill millions of Pokemon---not an option. To the west was the untamed wilds of central Hoenn, home to countless Pokemon as well, but the rough hills and canyons might limit the scope of the eruption's force. But it would be a huge gamble.



North, and risk the lives of those who had saved his life. West, and risk killing hundreds of thousands of Pokemon if his calculations were off. Rayquaza closed his eyes and listened to the millions of voices below, of humans and Pokemon alike, before rendering his judgment.



It would have to be north.



Kiako's self-destruction had wiped out Fallarbor and every living thing in it, including a hundred straggling Aquas and several dozen Nightmares, but it was not enough; northwest Hoenn was still crawling with corrupted monsters. Though the emergence of new Nightmares would very quickly slow to a halt with the veil gone, and the existing beasts would be killed within weeks by hunger, infighting, and their own mutations, the damage they would cause in that period of time would be catastrophic. The devastation might even generate another veil and start the whole mess over again, if it was bad enough. Their numbers had to be cut before that could happen.



[I hope they are hanging on tight,] Rayquaza muttered, flying to the northern face of Chimney and charging a Hyper Beam of such intensity that the ash sizzled and crumbled around his mouth. It struck the volcano and plunged through the rocky shell, breaching the magma chamber and exposing the incredible pressure to the outside air. The force of the Hyper Beam's impact made the southern face collapse as well, and two cataclysmic blasts of superheated rock and gas exploded from both sides of the crumbling mountain. Rayquaza was barely able to dodge the pyroclastic flow and fly to a safe altitude; even if he were at full strength, the eruptive force of the volcano could have killed him. He watched from above as the twin tsunamis crashed into the world, and quickly began heading towards his new friends, accelerating to maximum speed in order to overtake the surge and reach his saviors in time.



The southern blast was greatly reduced in strength, but it was still terribly powerful; it overwhelmed Lavaridge almost instantly, shattering and burying the structures that had survived the week's worth of earthquakes and ashfall. It quickly surged through the small valley, uprooting trees and setting them ablaze as it slammed into the foothills. The blast was not strong enough to overwhelm the hilly terrain and plunge into Mauville, since half of the pressure had been released in the other direction; the pyroclastic flow died out a mere two miles from Mauville, the town only suffering shattered windows and a few broken bones caused by the shockwave.



The northern blast tore through the mountain range like a malicious fog, ripping through valleys and passes as the highlands directed the flow into any available outlet. While Rayquaza had been correct in estimating that the high mountains would resist the sheer magnitude of the pyroclastic flow, the narrow valleys were actually ushering the blast even farther, turning one large surge into a series of deadly tributaries that twisted and wound their ways through the rough wilds. Many of the corrupted Pokemon, who had lost what little sentience they had when Kiako was defeated, were overwhelmed by the waves of superheated rock, as though the earth itself had purged and cleansed with its sacred fire.



Rayquaza slowed as he approached Katarina and her friends, not wanting his shockwave to send the battered group tumbling. [Gardevoir, teleport everyone onto my back, and do it quickly! It may not be safe here!]



Psymakio quickly obeyed and transported the group onto the huge dragon's broad back. It was large enough that the curve of his worm-like body was not an issue, and they could hold onto the numerous fins and ridges along his length. Mindful of his passengers, Rayquaza slowly ascended, staying high enough to avoid the pyroclastic flow, should it rush their way, and low enough to stay out of the toxic gases. High above them, the enormous ash column, no longer sustained by Chimney's updrafts, was slowly crashing towards the earth, packed with countless tons of ash and stone.



[I will now purify the sky. Hang on to my back very tightly, as the shockwave will be quite intense.]



None of the group was sure what to expect as Rayquaza painfully spread his broken arms and turned his head to the heavens. Slash's eyes fluttered open as an emerald-colored light shone over his face and the faces of those around him, brilliantly illuminating the pitch darkness with a divine glow and making their lingering night vision useless. The entire length of the ash column, from its thick trunk all the way up to the collapsing peak in the stratosphere, was wrapped in a tremendous sleeve of that green light, as though Rayquaza had imprisoned it within a barrier. The dragon gave out a loud, strained cry, and the sleeve suddenly disappeared in a great flash that obliterated every last particle of ash still wafting in the sky, including the titanic column itself. There was a frightfully loud crack as air rushed in to fill the void that Rayquaza's Air Lock had left behind, and the passengers had to cling to the dragon's fins to avoid being sucked upwards.



[It...is done,] Rayquaza announced in an exhausted voice. [The lingering threats of the veil have been all but eliminated.]



"I don't believe it," Slash whispered, still on the brink of consciousness and unsure if he was dreaming or not. "A billion tons of ash...just...gone..."



Psymakio drew Slash's head back into her lap, cradling him gently and taking in a bit more of his pain. She helped him remove his night-vision contacts and slip them in his pocket before laying back against one of Rayquaza's larger fins and staring up into the now-clear early morning sky. Look, we can see the stars again. We haven't gotten a glimpse of them since we entered the desert.



[There is an even more impressive view over there,] Rayquaza said, nodding to the east. Everyone looked in that direction and saw the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting an unworldly glow on the eastern sky. [There is still some ash in the air that my Air Lock did not reach. There will be sunrises like this for a while yet.]



"It's so pretty," Katarina whispered, laying her sleepy head against Flannery. "Like magic."



[Despite all of our efforts to defeat the veil, Fallarbor and Lavaridge have been destroyed, a third of Hoenn is covered in crushing ash, and hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, both human and Pokemon alike. Team Aqua has escaped, Kiako may yet still live, and the Sky Pearl continues to remain at large. But there is a lesson that I have learned over my long life, and all of you should keep it in mind during the difficult days that lay ahead of you.] Rayquaza turned his head, his single remaining eye flashing red, as though reflecting the sunrise. [Even after great hardship, there can still be hope, and even after great destruction, there can still be beauty. We have lost much...kingdoms, loved ones, innocence...but we still live, and thus there is still a chance for a better world tomorrow. Remember this sunrise and remember this lesson, my young friends, and you will never lose hope.]



The Lord of the Sky, with the weary defenders of Hoenn laying on his broad back, then began guiding his children home.



*****



To be continued.