Ruula Sea

The Klinklang barreled through the Shadow Ball as it charged forward, trying to run down the Vaporeon and slam into the side of it with an intense impact and equally intense electrical shock. Coupled with the Shadow Ball, if the attack hit, the Klinklang would seem to be quite damaged from the display, needing a moment to recover.

If the attack missed, the Klinklang would veer around and make a u-turn as it charged back towards the Vaporeon for a second attack, attempting for a similar outcome.

Oprecia simply smiled at the display in either case.

Nicole gasped. "It's not even stopping?!"

Aqua's bravery immediately faltered as the steel type powered right through. The water type braced for impact as the rolling mass of gears came closer and closer.

But then an idea flashed into the girl's mind 'Wait...it's shrouded in electricity! And water conducts it!' Nicole turned to Aqua in a heartbeat. "Aqua! Scald!" she yelled.

The Vaporeon followed its trainer's command, shooting out a jet of boiling hot water at the opponent. "Por!!"

Nicole held her breath, watching the jet fly towards the Klinklang with anticipation, right down to the point of impact...

"Da sea simple 'ting, boi."

It was a clam, peaceful day in the waters of Ruula. Even far, far out in the untamed oceans it was an easy, sunny moment. Wingull, and Pellipeppers squawked, and dove at various water-types who got a little too close to the surface, while a school of Goldeen blissfully skimmed by the only surface for leagues. A Regicide Deep Sea Platform. An ugly steel, and wood affair, very clearly man made, and horribly out of place.

It obviously didn't belong, but that didn't stop the thugs who financed, moved, and operated it. Neither did ethics, morals, or laws.

It was simply massive, adorned with nets, sensors, three docked submersibles, several motorboats just in case, and four tall towers forming a small square in the middle of the floating wooden deck. Those on board milled around, checking equipment, tapping away on tablets, or even sunbathing. It was another hour before the Sonar Charges were ready to drop'n'det, so the entire operation was rather relaxed.

"She go sof silk ta storm in secon."

With no warning however, clouds began to roll in from all directions, and as if on cue, the winds picked up. Just off the port side a large stretch of water began to roil, and newly forming waves lapped against the floating structure. The net crews glanced around among themselves, apprehensive as always. Poaching sea-faring Pokemon was not the safest of tasks, and precaution kept you alive. One of the team captains had the good sense to produce his walkie-talkie, and page into one of the control towers.

"Did we have a storm on the forecast this afternoon, Skipper?" He laughed a little, a cruel, salt-strained rumbling.

"Negative, T1L. Clear skies all week, but you know the drill."

"Yeah, I know. Occasionally somethin' feisty gets stirred up, and decides to make it rain. Sonar picking anything up?"

"Negative T1L, we can't see anything on the de-..That's odd..."

The old sailor raised an eyebrow, the grip on his walkie-talkie tightening as concern crept into his gruff voice. "What's odd?"

"I'm getting something surfacing, it looks like it's coming fro- Oh. Oh fuck."

The crew-leader was about to inquire further when the entire deck lurched violently, sending him to his knees.

"So I telling ya what my fadda tol me age go. Him tell me,"

An alarm began to sound, and as if in response the wind had picked up once more, much more quickly than it should've been able to. It was swirling now as well, a very bad omen. The station shook again, as the bloody howls of the wind passed through the structure, echoing with malice. Something was incredibly wrong, and everybody felt it. Crewmen began to scramble for the inner towers, but a final solid lurch of the deck stopped those plans in their tracks.

Too much was going wrong at once, this was no mere accident. Something was ramming the deck, and had managed to split a chunk off port side, while the damned wind speed was doubling nearly every second, on track to become an earnest gale. By now everyone was in full crisis mode, the station wide radio signal broadcasting a warning.

"Hostile Pokemon in the vicinity. Source of storm unknown, but sonar has picked up a Gyarados."

Panic was full blown now.

"Da sea kill boi like ya fasta den I breath. So remember dis, alway.."

It was too late for the men working the nets, two full scale Twisters had formed just off the starboard side of the Platform. As the men raced towards the structures again, towards any semblance of shelter, the Gyarados rammed the deck once again. The violent jolt sending them slipping, scrambling, or flying right into the Twisters, or sea. Someone on deck, probably one of the scientists, identified the threat, and relayed it with a terrified shout - "Kingdra!"

"Respeck it tru, but alway be ready ta kill it firs, 'fore it kill ya."

Siren's blared, sailors, and scientists alike screamed curses, clawed to get towards any of the Command Towers, pushing, and scrapping, and kicking at eachother for a straight shot to safety, but it was all in vain. Over, and over the Gyarados battered the station from below, while the malicious twisters closed in on the deck. It didn't take long for men, and women on the edges to be drawn into the ice cold, salty grasp of the ocean. And while lifelines, life jackets, and strong swimming skills kept them from drowning, or drifting out, nothing could've saved them.

A wave of screams washed over the structure, short, and filled with agony. Then swiftly silence. The waters all around turned a deep, dark red.

"Member dat, Vamutu. 'Member dat very good. Da sea show ya no mercy, boi..."

A school of hungry Sharpedo had made it's way into the fray. The beasts were more than happy to gorge themselves on the human flotsam, and jetsam. The once calm day had quickly turned into a horror show.

"So ya don't go showin' any mercy yaself."

And this was only the beginning.

"You're making the biggest fucking mista-" The Regicide thug found himself unable to finish his threat, the rough, furious hand around his throat tightened. He struggled against it, grabbed at it, flawed at the other man's fingers, kicked, and flailed, but none of it did him any good. The stranger held him up by the throat, a few mere inches from the crimson waves, the fins of the circling Sharpedos kept grazing his foot. The thug closed his eyes, not wating to see his end.

It didn't offer much solace, though. He could imagine the blood-stained teeth beneath him, row after row open, and waiting with ravenous hunger.

It was hard for him to think at that point, the lack of oxygen darkening his vision, making his head fuzzy, making it hard to hold onto any thought. Not that he had many at a time like this. His life didn't flash before his eyes, he didn't feel the desire to pray to Arceus, instead the attack seemed to be stuck in a loop, playing endless. Over, and over the screams, and flames played out. Again, and again he wondered, "How the hell did this happen..?" The attack had reached it's climax in a mere blink, and the reality of the situation had yet to key in.

He remembered scrambling for the East control tower, he remembered the sirens, the screams, and scientist who shouted Kingra, and then..And then...

Thud

A new wave of pain shot through him, forcing his eyes open. It seemed the man holding him had decided to let him live - for the moment, and threw him back on the devastated sea-platform. His limp, oxygen-starved body landed on some of the metal frame work from one of the crushed towers with a sickening, wet snap. He coughed, and groaned, writhing in pain, He was no doctor but he figured at least two of his ribs were broken.

In desperation he reached for the belt of Pokeballs on his waist, only to have a heavy boot come crashing down on his hand. Another sickening crunch, his wrist this time, snapped clean under the wait.

"No, no, no." His attacker spoke with such a neutral tone it was almost frightening, like this was all just another day at the office. "Ya do dat, and kill ya rit now, friend. Rit dis seckon, no lie." The sing-songy voice was so matter of fact, so casual, that the thug jammed his eyes shut. He didn't want to see whatever monster could be so calm in the face of taking someone's life.

It didn't go unnoticed, either.

"Dat's smart, what ya doing. Real smart. Good smart. 'A for Effort', dey say in da cities, rit? Rit. Buh 'ere's da ting 'bout dat.." He felt the boot lift off his hand, but it was in too much pain for him to do anything with it. He knew the logically, but for a brief second desperation set in. He thought about attempting to force it to work, to grab on of the Pokeballs despite the shattered bones, he even fought through the agony it took to wiggle his fingers, but there was no hope. The attacker was lifting him again, this time by the shoulders, and his grip..

His grip was tighter than a vice. His grip was Death's.

Without warning Vamutu shouted at the thug, "I WANT YA SEE ME, SEE WHAT YA DONE!" He shook his captive viciously for a moment, but once the man's eyes fluttered open he dropped him like a sack of rocks. "Dat's betta." Like a sea storm, his rage had blown over, replaced with the eerie calm of before. "All I want was the basic respeck'o eye contack. Very important, ya know.." The thug stared blankly, very sure that whatever this man might've been, psychotic was sure on the list.

"See, people, Pokemon, Da Sea. Alls da same. Eye contack. Respeck. Dis very important lesson.." He paced back, and forth while speaking, shaking his head like a disappoint Professor. "I would like ta teach ya meself, but ya see.." As if beckoned, the massive, gnarled head of a Gyarados emerged from the water behind him. "I have things ta do still. So, Hak'Hanety will have ta teach ya instead." He shrugged. The crazy bastard actually shrugged, after calmly stating that he was abandoning a human life to a staring contest with a seemingly wild Gyarados of all things.

The thug reached out as he strode past, causing Vamutu to stop. He looked down at the man, locking eyes for a moment. He almost seemed to pity him, but all offered was a pat on the shoulder, and the whispering of one final, helpful thing. "Maintain da eye contack. Learn respeck. If you look away, o' blink, he eat ya." With that he walked away, over to the last of the standing control towers.

Out of nowhere, a formless gas of millions of colors appeared, and condensed into a demonic figure, a full 15 feet tall, covered in a chitinous burnt-umber substance. A crown of horns adorned the top of its head. Below it sat 6 burning eyes. As it floated above the surface of the water, a massive spray of froth shot outward from the entity's location. As all of the droplets of water suddenly turned into orange juice shortly before hitting the surface of the ocean, the being spoke.

"Alright, what planet did I materialize on this time?"

Looking around, he saw he was in an ocean. As a being of little patience, he began to explore.

FAR OFF THE COAST OF AKALA ISLAND

The vessel loomed ahead of the small boat like an island all on its own. Dark metal that inexplicably reflected the sun's rays inched closer and closer as Radegast and the others approached. The vessel appeared to be a floating platform. However, the shape of the hull implied that this titanic thing was, in fact, a moving boat on its own.

The thing resembled two aircraft carriers, formed together like conjoined twins. All along the perimeters, turrets poked up like the tines of a crown.

Radegast had never seen the vessel before, but he knew the turrets. Regicide Crew... Oh shit... What rotten luck... Radegast's eyes widened in realization, though the timing would make some think they widened in awe.

What are we going to do? Reggie asked in Radegast's mind.

They don't recognize me... At least the disguise worked, the sixteen-year-old realised. Between a change in wardrobe and his dyed hair and green contacts, it was no wonder. Last time they engaged, Radegast was in a cave training Surf to Absolute's finest. The time before, he did not have nearly as many scars along his arms, and certainly not the scars across his knuckles. While that did not help as much as a disguising point, Elder was also now a Gengar.

"What is this place?" Radegast asked, admittedly in awe at this enormous vessel.

"This is our super spectacular ship, Olympus!" Sarah cheered like a fangirl as she praised the large vessel, "It's the biggest carrier in all of Ruula, and also the most powerful! Surprisingly efficient to manage, too! Also, look at all those cannons! We've got like fifty of 'em, which means nothing's flying in! Probably the safest place to be in Ruula!"

"Dat is, if ya one a us," Tiki rationalized, glancing at Radegast with a wagging finger.

"Don't say that! You'll stress him out!" Sally reached behind her to smack his hands down as she looked back to the dreadlocked teen with a cheerful grin, "Sorry about that. The cannons aren't used for anything other than defense. Boss is paranoid and all."

Elder stayed silent in Radegast's shadow. He was too afraid to ask- to say anything. Radegast knew one thing: He needed to weasel his way out of this like his life depended on it. The disguise worked out so far, but someone aboard will see through it. There was no risk because it was a practical certainty. The Lord-Regent knew he had to politely decline and get out of here as smoothly as possible. He barely succeeded to hide himself from the Alolan Champion- but Lukas was simply a twelve-year-old boy. Regicide Crew was comprised almost entirely of adults. As soon as Radegast climbed the ladder to the surface access hatch, he would be the youngest person to ever set foot on Olympus.

I have an idea... but Elder needs to be the one to do it. Reggie read Radegast's thoughs, and relayed them to the Gengar.

In the darkness of the boat's humongus shadow, when no one was looking, two of the Pokeballs vanished from Radegast's belt. Radegast felt the presence in his shadow vanish, but the Gengar remained hidden in other shadows.

A contingency plan?

A contingency plan. Reggie and Suros were both quite powerful, but there were simply too many that even they could reasonably fight their way through... Well... maybe Reggie, since he thrives in close quarters. However, they were to be brought to the top of the ships.

Radegast felt like he strode upon solid ground when he stepped onto the huge flat platforms that marked the top of Olympus. Turrets marked the entire outside areas of the platform, with enough space between them for launching aircraft. Speaking of aircraft, the deck was entirely devoid of them. Radegast figured they were all out on assignment. At least, Sally and Tiki seemed to pay no mind to the vastness of the ship's top.

Sally took the lead. "Right this way!" she proclaimed. Tiki remained behind Radegast, walking steadily.

On a platform between the two long landing strip hulls, a tower bigger than the rest stood. This was clearly the central control tower. At the base, Radegast noted a large plate covered in pictures and tags, protected from the elements with a storm window.

A memorial... Radegast realized. Some of the pictures looked recent.

Are you feeling sorrow for the enemy? They're psychotic.

Psychotic, but they're still people... He wondered what good they could accomplish with this great vessel, if they weren't hell-bent on bringing the oceans of Ruula under their iron grip. Just like the ones you've killed in previous generations.

Reggie hummed thoughtfully in Radegast's mind. Taking a life is never easy.

Radegast had never before imagined that despite Reggie's valor and willingness to lay a whelp low, the Aegislash greatly valued the long period of peace after Gregorovich Reginald never returned from the Shadow Dimension. Then again, Reggie longing for the experience of fusion again should have clued the sixteen-year-old to such an idea before. Reggie is truly nostalgic.

"So who are we meeting here?" Radegast asked.

"Me, I'd imagine." Those around Radegast snapped their right hands to their foreheards in sailors' salutes. A man had emerged from the central tower, passing by the memorial as he approached. The healthy muscles on the man's frame were no joke. His face was gaunt and wrinkled with age, though the wrinkles were hidden under a salt-and-pepper beard as thick as butter. Over his eyes, the man wore an unusual visor that concealed his upper face.

"Marine, sir!" One called.

"At-east," the visored man growled. His voice was harsh like fine gravel. A narrow line crossing horizontally across the visor glowed a golden orange, with a focused bright point darting between Radegast, Sally, and Tiki. "Good to have you both back aboard, Operative Crescent and Operative Totem. Who's the kid?"

"This is Dreads," Sally repeated the introduction but without the fanfare, keeping it professional, "I found him around Akala Island and figured he'd be the perfect candidate to replace Operative Sealass, sir."

"I like your go-getter attitude, but I wouldn't approve of taking a kid aboard. The life of a sailor is hard..." The Marine noted the scars on Radegast's knuckles, "Though... it seems to me you've had a hard life yourself. That's admirable. Hardship makes you strong."

"I could do with a little less hardship, at least." Radegast quipped with a chuckle.

The Marine laughed boisterously, "I like you, kid. You've got spirit, muscle too-" He pinched Radegast's thick arm, "If only you were older, you might even keep Crescent in line!" Though the visor hid it, the Marine winked at Sally.

Radegast played off the old man talk with a laugh of his own. "I mean no disrespect," I do, but I can't say that, "But I'm not sure if I could handle being a sailor, especially for a ship as huge as this. I was under the impression it was recruitment for something on Alola."

"Oh, is that so?" The Marine glanced once more at Sally, this time with a frown. Sally straightened a bit, but made no emotion, "Well, I agree, it would be unusual for our Alolan operation to not take place closer to the Alolan Islands. However," The Marine turned and beckoned the others to join him closer to the memorial.

"I admit that many consider our goals to be unusual, to put it plainly," the Marine stood, staring at the many pictures and memorabilia. "But everyone here- they all have one thing in common: Loss. Loss to the dangers of the Ocean, the unforgiving depths. The savagery of beasts that know no kindness to those unfortunate enough to be washed into their territory."

"Alola is a region of synergy, where Pokemon and humans live in harmony, where when they call for help, others provide. Nothing like the depths, the Abyss that had taken something from all of us."

The Marine turned back from the memorial to face the sixteen-year-old once more. "Our reasons are our own, but we will make the Oceans ours, for all people who lost something to the salt waters."

"At least consider that as you think about future with us." The Marine bowed his head slightly, "I shall head back to work. Crescent, Totem. Fall in line. I believe Operative Barnacle and Gibbous are waiting below deck. And as for you, Dreads..talk with my right hand if you need- Ah, speak of the devil!"

Radegast recognized the right-hand man. Tall, skinny, covering a perfectly bald head with a plain black bandana, he strode up to the deck with confidence and pure muscle, passing by Sally and Tiki on the way without acknowledgement. Radegast even recognized the scar across the right hand's nose where a young Radegast jump-kicked him in the face.

The Bow gave Radegast a once-over, with a short, almost negligable pause when he beheld Radegast's face. I think he recognizes me. Radegast's face betrayed no trace of nervousness.

Bow whispered something in the Marine's ear, and the Marine paused. The visored man asked, "You're certain...?" Bow nodded.

"Actually," the Marine hummed, "I'm curious about what other hardships you've seen." The Marine jabbed a thick finger towards Radegast. "Take off your shirt, kid."

Radegast met that with a dumbfounded expression, prompting the Marine to repeat the barked order. "Take it off."

The Bow summoned a Victreebel, its vines began to move closer to grab at the sixteen-year-old. There's only one reason why he'd want me to do that, Radegast felt a slight itch on his right shoulder- currently covered by his shirt- which held the acid burn that marked him an ally to the Seven Clans. I've been made.

Before the vines could entangle any limbs, A crew member shouted, "Incoming!" Radegast smirked and darted back, out of range of the Bow and the Marine. He dropped low in time for a blast of electrical energy to crackle and thunder overhead. The blast made every crewmember on the deck scatter, duck, and cover. Not wasting any time, Radegast scrambled back to his feet and began gunning it towards the tower that had fired the sudden shot.

With the tower team knocked out, Rage and the Operative manned and charged the weapon respectively, with Elder acting as the spotter. "Quickly now, prep another shot!"

Meanwhile, the Marine sat up. His visor dark from being shortened out, the man ripped it off his face, revealing dull white eyes. "The so-called Lord-Regent! What glorious luck!" He inexplicable grinned wildly, "You ally of monsters! You symbol of the selfish! Hater of your own kind!!" The Marine stood up. Unable to see, Bow rushed to his superior's side and helped him into the control tower.

"The other towers will be operational shortly. They won't make it off this boat."

"I won't take any chances with such a pest on my doorstep," the Marine bellowed, "I'd rather take chances with the treasures we've obtained. Send word to the lower decks, we need it. Unseal the hushed casket."

"Right away, sir!" Bow replied before heading to a terminal to pass down commands.

The calamity on deck was growing. More Team Regicide grunts were pointing and shouting at the Arc Cannon gone haywire. Some ducked behind cover. Others began running towards the massive structure, aiming to find a way inside. The first one to get to the hatch attempted to fling the door open only to find that the handle proceeded to electrocute the Regicide crew member, causing him to fall backwards unconscious. The other grunts stopped, uncertain of whether to try the door handle again or find another way inside.

All the while, the collaborative efforts of Elder, Rage, and Operative rained electrical fury down upon every Regicide Crew member in sight.

"HELL HATH FURY UNLIKE ME!!!" Rage bellowed with unkindred spirit, "I'M BETTER!!!"

Despite the electrical rain falling upon them, many more of the Regicide Crew proceeded to surround the dreadlocked teen in an effort to capture him. One made a move to grab Radegast, who dipped low and shoulder-barged into the man's chest, knocking him flat. The other grunts moved in closer at the quick movement, many of them summoning Electric-Type and Grass-Types to help. Radegast leaped forward and stepped off one of the grass-types. With the boosted jump, Radegast drop-kicked another crew member, and tucked and rolled past the circle as he landed- barely escaping their reach. A couple grunts of surprise could be heard, followed by a clamor of voices telling their Pokemon to give chase and the various pitter-patter of many footsteps, humans and Pokemon alike. A few were already launching projectiles like Energy Balls and Thunder Shocks in Radegast's direction.

With too many attacks, Radegast could not dodge. However, the Aegislash took that time to emerge, and parry every blow with a fluid motion. The shield clanged like a gong from the volley of projectiles, and with a free hand, Reggie returned a Shadow Ball of his own. Radegast tapped on another Pokeball, and the Talonflame emerged.

Suros' second eyelids blinked as she glanced between the Lord-Regent and those that Reggie was holding off. "Fools..." She glowered as her body temperature rose.

"It's the Regicide Crew," Radegast explained.

"Then we shall dance," Suros seemed to flicker away like an afterimage- because it was an afterimage. The bird took to the skies and unleashed a torrent of fire down upon the attackers. Most of them faltered at the emergence of the beast, but a couple pressed, flinging ranged attacks in the direction of the Talonflame.

However, with the moment of respite from protection against the barrage, the Aegislash took the opportunity to close in and begin swatting crew members and their Pokemon alike. Men, women, and Pokemon were sent flying with shield bashes and the flat and pommel of the blade. Suros' flames made sure to strike wherever the Aegislash wasn't, and their synergy turned out surprisingly well. Their goal, after all, was the same.

The Marine snarled as he watched the spectacle in front of him, darkness enveloping his fury-wrought gaze. All of this was the teen's fault, he thought. It was bad enough when he was putting an end to his plans. Now he was risking the lives of everyone on board due to him and his Pokemon's actions. But he knew what had to happen next. It wouldn't take very long for the word to spread about his direct order. In fact...

He turned and descended into the mission control tower, picking up a headset and glancing towards a grayscale monitor showing where his glorious creation would rise from. He smirked in triumph as he saw the container that once held the Demon Bones was already glowing with an energy that practically spilled out from the container and seeped onto the floor, filling the room with smoke. He was already resurrected.

Good, thought the Marine as he reached over, pushed a couple knobs, and flipped a few switched before smacking his hand on a big red button. Let's see if legends do hold up to expectations...

---

"Any and all Regicide Crew Personnel, get below deck now!"

The Marine's direct warning would play into the ears of every Regicide Crew Grunt with an earpiece. None of them hesitated to do what their commander ordered as they all took their respective exits down hatches and descending staircases. Some knew what was coming and took the precaution to leap off Olympus...just in case.

What happened next could only be described as terror inducing.

The cooling night air filled with an incredible blast of heat. The darkness pock-marked with the dull lamps across the main deck was suddenly blown far away with a blaze of sickly green. The ship lurched as the metal in one of the carrier decks buckled and burst upward to form a gaping hole.

Radegast felt paralyzed as he beheld the creature that emerged from the hole. For all intents and purposes, it was a Dragonite with one antennae. However, whether from greed or pure hatred or some unknown factor, it had malformed, and grew to a tremendous size. It was such a size that a Steelix could be used as a personal flail. Its face was long and angular, with sinister bone structure and tiny, beady-black eyes that flickered with life in the green flames it projected into the sky.

In victory from overcoming the metal of the deck, the creature reared its huge head back and ejected an even larger blast of dragonfire. The green blaze soared to the heavens, only to spread out as it reached the limits of space.

---

At the edge of Akala's shores, Jakob and the rest stood, watching the flames billow into the sky like an artificial sun. The shoreline was covered in a chartruse daylight.

"I have not seen this since I was but a Rowlett..." What else could be said about this indescribable event? Jakob could only state the single fact as he stared unblinking at the sight which he thought he knew was impossible.

North crashed into the ground nearby, having neglected to deccelerate in time. "Is that what I think it is?"

Chrome soon followed, as well as a boy on a Charizard. Jakob recognized him as the Alolan Champion, Lukas. He landed quickly, hopping off the back of the Ride Pager Pokemon and inclining his head in thanks before the Charizard took off in the other direction.

"No other creature can emit such a sight," Jakob replied, "Demonbreath has returned."

The Champion was glancing around at the Pokemon surrounding him, examining the realized expressions on their faces, "Am I the only one missing something here? What is that?"

"Didn't Suros kill him?" Chrome asked, "How is this possi-" The Metang shuddered in realization. He then projected to Lukas, "It's the Regicide Crew. They've used the machine they've stolen!"

"Shit..." Lukas mumbled in awe, unable to tear his eyes away.

"I pity the poor fools who brought that thing back."

"What about Radegast?"

"Where's Dreads?" Lukas asked at the same time, looking further into the forest, "He was supposed to meet us here, right?" He glanced back towards the green light, eyes widening as he remembered what he'd been told, "You don't think..."

"I think... I think he's already there," Jakob replied as he pointed a wing towards the blazing distant flames. Lukas didn't even think twice. The moment Jakob's wing pointed in that direction, the Champion was airborn upon Robin, beelining straight towards the green flames in the distance. Soon afterward, the Dartrix spotted figures bobbing out of the waters in front of them. "You are a sight for sore eyes," Jakob bowed low as a larger figure emerged from the depths.

---

"This is it, isn't it...?" Radegast asked. He hadn't experienced a curdling terror in his gut like this since the Ursaring carved a slice into his chest.

Suros' eyes narrowed, and her wings spread out, and her entire body began to ripple with heat. Reggie moved between Radegast and the Dragonite before them.

"BRETOMART!" Suros cawed. The Dragonite shot a glare towards them, "I KILLED YOU ONCE, I WILL DO IT AGAIN!"

No other words were wasted. Suros simply shot forward like a bullet, and slammed beak-first into the Dragonite. The two of them tumbled across the deck as the ship lurched further.

The engines had started, and Radegast nearly lost his balance. The Aegislash caught him. "Young Master, what is this? What is happening here?"

"Demonbreath..." Radegast had heard the stories like all wildlings, but even he couldn't believe the unreal sight of Bretomart the Dragonite. He never imagined that he would ever see it, and yet... "This confirms one thing."

"What's that?"

"Regicide Crew did steal that fossil machine," Radegast's fear-stricken eyes forcibly turned sharp and determined as his eyes once more spotted the memorial. "If they hold onto that machine, they can undo all of their losses- they'd be effectively invincible."

Redegast turned to the Aegislash, with a look unlike any Reggie had seen before. "Reggie, you need to move fast. Find the machine. Secure it if you can, destroy it if you can't."

"What about you?" Reggie was not keen on leaving Radegast on his own.

"I can handle myself, and I have my friends," He jerked a thumb towards the tower. "Suros is keeping Demonbreath busy, so get going!" With that, Radegast began bounding toward the hijacked cannon tower. Reggie, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment, before spinning around and darting down the hole Demonbreath had made.

---

AGES AGO

The palace was old and white, with clay shingled rooftops and stone walls packed in place with hardened clay and wood. Amidst the white, lines of regal purple trimmed wherever that looked nice. A guard stood on either side of the massive main gate, their breath visible on intervals. The trees within the gardens were a light greenish-yellow, signifying that Autumn was on the threshold.

"It is quite a formidable sight," the Scorpion mused aloud as he stood in the shadows on a cliff face. He was armoured in stone-coloured, box-like armour, an effective camouflage in his immediate environment. He eyed the complex with a lens- covered from the approaching sunlight with a small umbrella.

"Those walls look capable of withstanding a siege," the Aegislash agreed. It wore no camouflage, but instead was slung around the Scorpion's back. The single eye stared at the palace from over the Reginald's shoulder.

"A siege from anyone else, but not you," the Scorpion replied. The two guards suddenly dropped to the ground, and the gate creaked open just a crack. For a brief flash, two men appeared from the gate, and silently darted out and away. "There's your signal. Send Mordecai my regards."

"As you will, Master Reginald."

The Aegislash swooped down low, silently slowed to a halt outside the gates, and slipped inside. The palace soon filled with quiet, gut-wrenching sounds of steel slashing through flesh, blood-muffled yelps, and bodies thudding lightly on wooden planks. Corridor by corridor, room by room, floor by floor, the Aegislash assassinated more and more people before they could even reach a pokeball.

Soon enough, there was only one room left, at the very top of the tallest tower. The palace walls were drenched red, and the Aegislash moved like a cold wind. The door opened silently.

"You've come to kill me, haven't you?" The voice was sudden, but it did not startle the Aegislash.

"It will end the war, and end the needless bloodshed." The room was regal, yet subtle, with coloured cloth banners covering unsightly, yet sturdy wall structure. A massive four-poster bed sat to one side, while a tall-backed chair sat, turned away from the door, facing a small, yet well-decorated fireplace. The mantle was littered with assorted trinkets and trophies of the resident Lord's exploits.

"They say history is written by the victor," Mordecai commented, a boney, yet youthful hand gestured towards the items on the mantle. "I can only hope it's noted that I was not unkind to my people."

"You were unkind to those who weren't." The Aegislash inched closer.

"That makes me somehow different from you Reginalds? The Scorpion and I are mirrored- only he has you... His Demigod..."

The blade sunk deep, through the back of Mordecai's chair. "The Scorpion sends his regards." The Aegislash coldly replied as a free paper-thin hand closed Mordecai's eyes.

"You make it look easy..." Mordecai gasped lightly, "It must be the bloodthirsty souls... Are you even... a Pokemon anymore?"

---

PRESENT DAY

The only difference this time around was that the walls were not drenched. No one had to die. All that mattered was securing the machine. Many had tried, and were dropped with a shield bash, or a swat with the flat of the blade, or a punch with a paper-thin hand clenched into a hard fist. The Regicide Crew tried, but could not stop the powerful coat of arms' momentum.

A particularly large Venusaur attempted to block the way, but the Aegislash sent it hurtling down the hall with a fluid motion, followed by a shield bash against the trainer that hat unleashed the beast. Follow the tracks Reggie mused as it noted assorted damage to the larger corridors, where Demonbreath had squeezed through in order to reach the surface.

There were not that many Regicide Crew members along his path. No-doubt they were all in a frenzy from the multitude of developments that dropped right onto their laps. However, those Reggie did come across seemed perfectly calm and disciplined. For an evil organization, they had discipline befitting the most stalwart of sailors.

They must have seen the size of the bones... Reggie pondered as he crossed an open hatch into a large arboretum, flooded with light from artificial sunlight. Many of the plants were knocked aside, and soil covered the grated ground. Broken sprinklers sprayed recycled water everywhere. The crew members who were present were too focused on closing up all valves to notice a lone Aegislash hovering through. Reggie opted to simply let them be, remembering Radegast's words.

Soon enough, the Aegislash found the final location where damage had been dealt. The machine was quite obvious in that its material was very unlike everything else aboard the Olympus. The machine itself was large, but the Aegislash was strong. However, it knew it'd need both hands to carry the thing. The more pressing matter, however, was getting it through the doors.

Any loading doors? Reggie could not easily see any clear ways out besides the way he came in, and multiple identical hatches that seemed to lead into every direction across the Olympus. The Aegislash decided to scout around before securing the machine first.

However, as soon as he started down one hallway, he felt a sudden pang of pain. No... It can't be!

---

Blasts of lightning arced overhead as Radegast slipped and dropped to the side. With a curse, the sixteen-year-old picked himself back up and followed the shot from one of the cannons.

They must've known about Demonbreath, what he can do... Even Radegast was aware of how much the Dragonite uncharacteristically despised humans. They must have some way to control him if they considered this.

The cannon shot had struck Demonbreath in the chest. Electricity crackled all around the Dragonite's body as it roared in anger. Luckily, Suros was out of the way at the time. However, she's small enough a target that the cannons wouldn't be able to aim at her on purpose.

"Suros!" Radegast called. The Talonflame, however, did not return. Either she was too far, or too embroiled in her own fury.

But someone did come. The teen would only have a moment to recognize the predator-like form of a Decidueye flying through the various electrical shots before dropping off the twelve year old champion and retaking to the skies once more.

"I'm starting to think you make too many enemies!" Lukas shouted over the sounds of battle above them.

"You're a sight for sore eyes!" Radegast called back, "That Dragonite up there, he's bad news, man!"

"I see that!" Lukas shot back, glancing at the hulking form hovering above them, "What should we do?!"

Reggie is already below deck. He'll be able to take care of things in close quarters. Radegast's mind burned with activity as the suppressed instincts of a born trainer began to bubble to the surface again. "We can deal with Demonbreath with skill and tactics later. For now, we need to suppress the Regicide Crew."

Lukas's mind was also racing, glancing towards the few members that were finding their way aboard. He nodded as he brought forth the remainder of his team, launching PokeBalls one by one. Robin was already out, but he was quickly joined by the Legendary Lunala in the skies. In front of the Champion stood the imposing forms of an Alolan Marowak, an Alolan Ninetales, a Silvally, and the Kommo-o, who's scales rippled when she hit the deck. With two airborne and five running forward, the collective team charged into battle.

"Robin! Nebby! Clear out those towers!" he shouted to the Decidueye/Lunala combo as he pointed towards the ship's crowns. They immediately began striking the towers from a low angle, avoiding the Arc Cannon volleys while simultaneously dismantling them.

"Tucker! Priss! Cover each other as you fight! Take care of those grunts!" Their powers combined, the Marowak and Ninetales launched forward in a frenzy of fire and ice aimed at Regicide Crew's Pokemon. Tucker was more effective against the Regicide Crew's pokemon, but Priss held her own against them, particularly with Ice Beam.

"Belle! Dreads! On me!" The Silvally and Kommo-o remained by his side as they ran in the direction of Demonbreath, "Let's see if we can find an opening to exploit!"

But before he could, the Marine re-emerged, his visor restored to functionality after being shorted by the hijacked tower's shot. With vision returned, the Marine was startled by the sudden appearance of the Alolan Champion.

"You?!" his words were less out of hatred and more out of genuine shock, "What are you doing here?!"

"Putting an end to your plans," Lukas didn't have to question whether this was the leader of the Regicide Crew or not. He could tell just by the air of authority around him.

The Marine wasn't subdued by the statement. Instead, he brought forth a Shiftry and a Luxray from his belt, the two combatants landing in front of him. While the Luxray looked standard, the Shiftry looked older...much older than typical Pokemon. Regardless, his powerful stance indicated that his days of battling were far from over. Lukas regarded this and allowed for Belle and Dreads to step in front of him. He remembered which Memory he'd given the Silvally...Steel.

"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into," the Marine stated.

And the fists were flying. Belle and Dreads (The Kommo-o) prepped themselves with Iron Defense and Dragon Dance respectively. It was the Marine's Shiftry that would begin the onslaught, flinging a Leaf Storm at Dreads, who took the brunt of it with relative ease. The Luxray also brought forth a Discharge that smashed into all Pokemon, to include Shiftry. The initial strikes were met with grunts from the Champion's Pokemon, but they shook it off fairly well.

Now was the time for retaliation.

"Dreads! Use Clanging Scales! Belle, hit that Luxray with Iron Head!"

No sooner were the words out of the Champions mouth than Dreads and Belle complied, bringing forth a volley of strikes on their own. The clanging made both of the Marine's Pokemon shield their ears while the smashing of Belle's head into the Luxray proved startling. Both reared back at the sudden blows.

But it wasn't enough damage yet. They ran about even with one another.

"Foul Play!" the Marine pointed towards the Kommo-o and the Shiftry coordinated the effort aggressively. A perfect kick in the back of Dreads's hind legs cause the Kommo-o to buckle and fall to the floor, but not before an expertly timed sharp elbow upwards as the Kommo-o was falling to the ground. Her own gravity applied the downfall here and suddenly Dreads was on her last leg standing...a leg that was promptly taken from her when Luxray added a final Crunch to seal the deal. One collaborative effort and Lukas was already recalling his first Pokemon.

The Marine, half surprised by the fact he was winning, chuckled darkly, "C'mon kid, you're the Champion! You gotta be better than that!"

Lukas let out a smooth exhale before replying, "I'm not out of this yet! Belle, use Crunch on that Luxray!"

The Silvally charged forth again, crashing into the Luxray as it gnashed into him with it's beak. Now the Luxray was on his last leg as well.

The Marine smirked and threw up a brow so high it could be seen over his visor, "I admire your grit, kid. But you can't beat me with just one Pokemon."



The powerful voice encapsulated the air around them, causing the Marine to glance up in awe at the emergence of the figure shadowing the green-tinted moon. There was a gleam of light that flashed in the center of it's chest as it looked down upon Olympus below it. And suddenly, the only one smiling was Lukas.

"I don't have to," Lukas said.

BWOOOOOOOOSSH! The powerful ray fired, illuminating the entire ship around them as it charged towards the scene of the fight, aiming at neither Pokemon in particular. It landed in between the Shiftry and Luxray, causing the two Pokemon to dive in thos respective directions and for the Marine to take a step back. Unfortunately, the placement of the beam was enough to graze across the visor the Marine wore, causing the lens to melt slightly. However, it was enough damage to render the visor incapable of working. The Marine stumbled backwards, now blind, before tripping over the threshold, through the outside hatch leading into the control tower.

Lukas attempted to follow, aiming to restrain the Regicide Crew leader, but was stopped short by a forceful thwock! knocking him away. Lukas fell backwards, hitting the deck hard as he recoiled and struggled to get up again. He clutched his stinging chest as he turned to spot a Victreebel in the way and slithering towards him. An Electabuzz was also approaching from the right side, it's eyes locked on the Champion.

It wouldn't have time to stare long, however, as a bone appeared out of Lukas's left field of vision and hit the Electabuzz square in the eye. While the Electric-Type stumbled backwards in shock to the blow, the forms of the Alolan Ninetales and Alolan Marowak stepped in the way, protecting their trainer. At the same time, Belle had calmly moved forward to stare down the advancing Victreebel. The Champion couldn't help but give them an encouraging grin.

"Th...thanks guys," Lukas panted, completely winded, but full of relief.

---

As the light from Nebby's blast died down, more and more cannons came online and began firing skyward. Electrical bolts slammed against Demonbreath, who began evasive maneuvers. The green daymaker fires high above began flickering a white-blue as the arc cannons continued firing.

Radegast turned to the hijacked tower, and pointed towards the other towers. Elder saw this, as well as the actions of Lukas' own team, and called "Focus fire! Take down the other towers!"

"BUT DEMONBREATH!"

"Suros is up there too!" Operative called, "We can't chance a wayward hit!"

"THE BIRD WILL OWE ME FOR THIS!" Rage grinned as he spun the large turret around and fired a bolt. The twin rails of the nearest tower shorted and exploded, launching the manning crew across the tower, unconscious.

Radegast spun around once more to call for Suros, only to find himself face-to-face with the Bow. The large enforcer's pokemon was already engaged on Lukas' team. The man himself moved in to punch the sixteen-year-old, but the boat once more lurched.

Demonbreath had slammed into the hull in an emergency landing. The beast billowed licks of flame as it panted. Multiple blasts from the tower had begun to take its toll, but the Dragonite still looked as lively as ever.

It took Radegast a moment to realise why Demonbreath had landed, but before he could react, he had to get away from Bow. Speaking of whom, the enforcer had retained his footing despite the heavy slam, and moved in to kick Radegast away. The strike hit Radegast in the stomach, and sent the sixteen-year-old sprawling down the deck, towards Demonbreath.

The Dragonite roared with newfound fervor and unleashed another blast of green flame. This time, the flames engulfed two of the arc towers near the stern of the ship. When the flames dissipated, the towers stood- half-melted, and lifeless.

They can't shoot back, Radegast relised as he weakly stopped himself from rolling, It'd conduct through the deck, wouldn't it?

Radegast was mistaken, however. The hull was quite well-insulated. Otherwise the arc cannons would've been death traps. Demonbreath seemed to have been mistaken as well, as more blasts of electrical energy pounded into his thick scales. Evidently, the reason for the lack of shooting was to see if Demonbreath had been bested by the focused fire.

Where the hell is Suros? Radegast thought as he forced himself onto his feet. All of a sudden, he saw that The Bow was above deck, closing in, and clenching his fists. The sixteen-year-old glared defiantly as the larger, yet skinny man prepped a right swing.

Seeing it coming this time, Radegast weaved low and slammed a fist into the Bow's liver. With a pained cough, the Bow retaliated by grappling Radegast at close range and slamming him into the deck. Radegast returned with a savage knee, and received an elbow in the gut in response. The two of them were on a ground-and-pound hitting match. Surprisingly, Radegast managed to turn it around and force the Bow onto his back.

The Bow yelped as Radegast got his teeth around an arm, and swatted Radegast away with his free hand. The sixteen-year-old stumbled off, bleeding from a cut, and spitting blood from the hits he had already received.

"You're tougher than you look," The Bow admitted as he too staggered to his feet.

"And you're not as strong as an Ursaring," Radegast replied as he tapped his last pokeball. The last pokemon Radegast had with him emerged.

Crystal fired an ice beam right off the bat. With the Bow having taken the talking time to rest, he was not able to evade in time. A large chunk of ice formed around his legs, freezing him in place. Crystal continued forming ice until all that remained unfrozen was the Bow's head.

"And I've beaten one without help."

"You... selfish... prick..." The Bow growled through grit teeth.

"At least I'm not psychotic," Radegast replied, "My mistakes are my own." With a clenched fist, Radegast performed a gauntlet-clad uppercut that sent the Bow flying. The ice on the flat surface of the deck shattered, and the solidified Bow slammed on the ground, where the rest of the ice shattered into chunks.

"Lord-Regent!" Crystal called, "What the hell is happening?"

"Regicide, Demonbreath, it's all crazy, man." Radegast groaned as one leg buckled. The Dewgong rushed to catch the sixteen-year-old. "We need to regroup and get out of here."

"Where's Reggie?"

"He's looking for the machine they stole. I know he'll get it.

"And everyone else?"

"Elder and the others are in the tower, Suros..." Radegast glanced up at the sky in time for a glowing red-white streak darted past them and slammed into Demonbreath. The two of them squared off and once more took to the skies.

She's using the cannons to her advantage! Radegast felt relieved. Enraging Demonbreath so the cannons are more effective in mid-air.

As the two of them approached, a blast of green fire began to approach. Whether it was a wayward shot or a shot means to take down another arc cannon, Radegast couldn't say. However, this plume of green fire was rapidly approaching the hijacked tower.

Radegast couldn't even muster up the breath to shout in time. However, the sickly green fire was deflected into the sky by a sudden force.

Amid the night sky, it was more difficult to see compared to before. However, Radegast recognized the angular shape of the Prism Beast from the refracting green and white-blue light.

SUCH POWER. IMPRESSED. The Necrozma eyed the weakened Radegast, recognizing the boy and the black gauntlet he had been given. WHERE IS YOUR BLADE?

"He's below deck," Radegast winced, "Are you here to help us?"

I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR ONE REASON. The Necrozma's prism form rippled as it moved through the air. AND IT IS VERY POWERFUL.

Once more, the exchange of blows and the unending barrage of electricity forced Demonbreath to land and focus fire on the turrets. More towers were destroyed as the Dragonite's anger flared into pure hatred and malice. Radegast could only watch as he was being led towards an access hatch to make his way down to the bottom, when more and more towers were obliterated.

The Necrozma followed, hovering slowly as its pointed feet lightly touched the deck. FIGHT ME-

"BURN!" Demonbreath's own voice drowned out the Necrozma's challenge, and green flames engulfed the prism beast without a moment's hesitation.

IT IS STRONG. I AM IMPRESSED!

---

Within the central tower, the Marine groaned as he picked himself up again. Demonbreath's initial hard landing had knocked him off his feet. "Sonuvabitch..." The large man gripped on the side of the hatch as he gazed out with glazed eyes. "What is happening?" He called to anyone who could hear.

"Sir!" One of the crew responded, "It's a Pokemon I've never seen before!"

"Get me a visor!" The Marine barked. Within seconds, a new one was retrieved from a nearby storage locker, as befitting the central control tower. With his vision returned, the Marine beheld the Necrozma as it clashed with the monsterous Dragonite.

The beast, we can lay low... That thing, though... The Marine grinned, and pinched open the clamps on his pokeball belt. A single empty ball was removed. "Give the order for another volley. Don't stop shooting at the Dragonite."

---

Lukas fell to his knees, exhaused.

The Champion was kneeling in the shadows beneath one of the huge towers, catching his breath and thinking strategy. He was well out of the way of the battles being waged right now, having done his fair share of fighting. And not just his team this time. Himself, included. He couldn't surpress the shock on his face when he'd literally punched a Phantump square in the face and watched it cry out in shock. He would've been saddened by his actions had that Phantump not tried to Grass Knot him in place to receive a bombardment of attacks. And while he had his one and done punch, it was his friends who'd done the actual fighting and tactical takedowns of the opposition around him.

His friends who were all but wiped out.

Robin and Nebby were fine and still kicking for all intensive purposes, having focused mostly on tower control and keeping in the air away from the huge showdowns. The rest of his friends...well, that was a different story. Dreads (The Kommo-o) had been taken down by the Regicide Crew leader. Priss was laid to waste easily by the effectiveness of a surprise Flare Blitz from a Zebstrika. Even the typically resilient Belle had gone down in a trade of blows against that Victreebel. Tucker was the only Pokemon on his person who hadn't fainted due to his type effectiveness on his combatants, and even he was hurt pretty bad. What was worse, in all his diving and dodging, he'd lost his pack that held every item he could use in this situation, having witnessed the bag go overboard before he could do anything about it.

It was just him and his Pokemon team right now...or what was left of it.

He would occasionally glance upwards towards the sky, spotting the zooming form of his Decidueye and the overbearing size of Lunala passing into view. Robin did glance over towards his trainer once, swooping in lower to see if he could help. But Lukas waved him off, instructing him to continue fighting.

He played the role of spectator for once, allowing himself to see what was going on and where he could possibly insert himself into the action. He wasn't going to try and take on Demonbreath right now, not with how many numerous attacks he saw the massive Dragonite take. Nor did he see the Marine anywhere on the top deck. All he could see from his standpoint was Demonbreath, a Necrozma he spotted one time and barely got to record within the PokeDex, and the pandemonium still going on onboard the battered and bruised and burned and bent top deck of Olympus. He didn't even see Radegast.

Should he retreat? he wondered suddenly. Was he any good standing here without his Pokemon by his side?

The thought hit him suddenly and weighed his mind down like a ton of bricks. A wave of negativity crossed through his body, adding to the exhaustion he already felt. But in those negative words he found something...something to hold onto. Something that helped him get onto one foot. Hope.

He was not a coward. He was not a quitter. And he certainly was not useless. He wasn't without all his allies. He still had Robin and Nebby. He still had allies like "Dreads the human" helping him. Most importantly, he still had the entire region's safety resting on his shoulders. Just like with the Aether Foundation, he had to keep pressing, no matter how much the odds seemed stacked against them. And with this determination, he finally reached a standing point.

He would find a way to win. No matter what.

---

The Dragonite uttered a wordless howl of fury before rushing forward to slam against the Necrozma. The two beasts grappled, but it was clear that the Dragonite was simply bigger and stronger. While the Necrozma did not seem at a disadvantage with its own show of power, its hovering status made it easy for Demonbreath to move the two of them around.

Beams of light manifested from mid-air and slammed against the Dragonite, which were met with a groan, but not with the expected weakening grip. Despite the multitude of strikes from the Arc cannons, Suros' flurry of pecks, and even Floyd's terrible beam weapon, the Dragonite was still moving strong. It still retained explosive power.

With a clenched fist, the Dragonite pounded the Necrozma in the face. With the other hand, Demonbreath grabbed the Necrozma's arm, and used titanic strength to swing the prism beast over his head. The Necrozma was then slammed into the deck, heavily denting the thick platform. The Necrozma emitted a pained groan, a sound that not even Reggie had managed to accomplish.

VERY GOOD! The Necrozma once more projected beams of light, crashing into the Dragonite's thick scaled hide. With so many beams, Demonbreath was forced back.

For only a moment, Necrozma bought enough time to pull himself out of the dented floor.

"He's mine!" A shriek emitted from the sky, as an red-orange blur zipped past the Necrozma.

NO. ONLY I MUST FI- The Necrozma suddenly felt its entire being be pulled in a certain direction, as if through the hose of a vacuum cleaner. WHAT IS THIS!?

The pokeball clamped shut like a vice, and dropped to the ground. As it wobbled with resistance, the Marine picked it up, confident that it could never break.

After all, this particular ball had a characteristic M on the upper hemisphere, and two violet circles over a deep purple shell.

For a moment, Demonbreath and Suros stopped dead in their tracks. The unusual sight only dawned as horror for Radegast.

"Your light is mine," The Marine growled with a grin. The glowing dot snapped towards Radegast. "This is our Olympus, but it will be your Tartarus. You will not get away from us."

At once, the remaining towers focused fire on Demonbreath. With so many blasts at once, the great beast's legs finally buckled. With a pained, defiant roar, Demonbreath launched one more haphazard blast of green hellfire. It did not hit anything.

"Your bird... it knew this Dragonite..." The Marine noted, and the grin only grew wider, "I see... So this one is the Orange Fire I've read about."

Suros darted towards the Marine, who called out the Necrozma to block Suros' attack. "Looking at you... you must have been a Fletchling at the time."

"Suros!" Radegast called. Once more, the Talonflame did not hear.

"You are still remarkable yourself- able to go toe to toe with such a thing like this," The Marine gestured towards Demonbreath, who panted heavily as another concentrated volley sent him to his hands and knees. The single antennae drooped as if it held no strength whatsoever, "But you're loyal to such a wretch..."

Suros began to weave around to get a hit on the Marine, but the Necozma seemed to mirror Suros' speed exactly.

"This creature, it held back before... But I command it to be mercilless." The Marine rose a hand towards the Talonflame as he spoke to the Necrozma. "Floyd! Your name is Floyd! You will help us create a forgiving and kind ocean! Kill that bird, and that boy afterwards.

Floyd seemed to project pure sadness, but something... alien... seemed to take control of its actions. THIS IS NOT GLORY...

Suros didn't even see the light beams coming. A savage barrage of blasts from multiple directions sent her soaring, tumbling, in an explosion of feathers across the decks.

Radegast burst away from Crystal, and pulled out the white pokeball. As he tripped, he fired the red beam, and barely managed to catch the Talonflame before she hit the deck- or worse- fall over the edge. "Suros..." Radegast's eyes were wide in shock.

Another beam was fired, this time from the sky. The Necrozma once more took the brunt of the blast, redirecting the Moongeist Beam back towards the sky with it's reflective, prismatic arms. The blast smashed right back into the chest of the Legendary, exploding in a bright phantom-like energy. As for the Lunala that fired it...it didn't even get a chance to grunt in shock before starting it's own plummet to the deck below.

"Nebby!" Lukas cried in anguish, watching his beloved partner, his strongest and one of his most faithful companions, fall in front of him. A dark and hate-filled expression crossed his face before turning towards the Marine.

"You motherFUUUCKEEEERR!!!" he cried in pure rage as he ran forward, fist aimed to punch the man square in the jaw.

Only for his momentum to be halted as the Necrozma planted the boy into the deck using a single hand.

"Dreads!" The Marine called, ignoring the Champion, "Or should I say, Radegast Reginald?" The Marine guffawed, "You had a good disguise- it even fooled me for a bit! But I know you. There are things about your family that your Patriarchs never talk about- but I've done my research. I did my research because you are the thing I hate most."

Radegast pushed himself up onto his feet. "Everyone, get in your pokeballs," he spoke low, but everyone heard him. The sixteen-year-old once more spat on the deck to clear his mouth.

"Lord-Rege-"

"You too, Elder," Radegast called.

Radegast used the Voice. Elder felt compelled to obey... but it wasn't like the Lord-Regent to use the Voice.

"The safety of my friends comes first," Radegast added when Elder hesitated a moment.

The Gengar put a hand on the pokeball he always dreaded to be in, "That makes two of us, Radegast."

The Gengar was the last to vanish, and Radegast stood defiantly, in the wake of the man who had just brought to heel two of the strongest creatures in all of Alola in one swift motion. The pandemonium of a multi-front battle resulted in a single side getting all of the cards.

"Floyd," The Marine stood straight and waved a hand towards the sixteen-year-old, "Erase the boy."

An unusual sensation. First thing he knew, he stood, watching as the bearded man waved a hand towards him. The next moment, Radegast lost feeling in his left arm and right leg as he suddenly found himself tumbling off the edge of the Olympus. His eyes glazed over as he saw a shower of red falling with him. Far above, the multiple beams of light dissipated, and the last thing Radegast heard was a triumphant hurrah from the Marine.

---

The laboratory was completely decimated. Sword slashes cut through every surface- every plate- every stick of technology within the laboratory. The reviving machine in particular was nothing but dust.

The Aegislash felt a great deal of pain, and it knew that feeling well. "FAILURE!" It howled to itself and the unseen heavens. "SHAME! NEVERENDING GRIEF! ARCEUS BE DAMNED TO THE ABYSS!"

Reggie's souls were a whirlwind of sorrow and anger, and it projected out in a constant wave of destruction. YOUNG MASTER! CAN YOU HEAR ME?

No response. FIND HIM! The Aegislash told himself, FIND HIM NOW!

The side of the hull exploded outward as a rapid series of Shadow Balls blasted through the walls. YOUNG MASTER! It called with a psychic probe as it zoomed out.

IS THAT YOU? It felt a familiar response.

The Necrozma? Where is he!? Where is my human?!

I CANNOT DESCRIBE MY SORROW... I... CANNOT... DISOBEY... I CANNOT... BE FREE... I CANNOT... THINK...

Necrozma!

IT CALLS ME "FLOYD"... MY NAME... DID NOT FEEL LIKE IT BEFORE, NOW CAN NEVER BE UNDONE. SO CRAMPED IN THAT HUMAN BALL. PLEASE... I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK...

Where is my human? Where is Radegast? Please tell me!

HE HAS FALLEN... I AM LOST... I'M SO SORRY. GET AWAY, FRIEND; I AM NOT WHAT I AM.

Reggie swore and slashed another gash into the hull. I should never have left him... It's Gregorovich the Lion all over again...

The Aegislash moved to the waters, where some Regicide Crew members were swimming to the access ladders. In a flash of fury, the Aegislash turned the ocean waters red. MY PURPOSE IS THE FAMILY. THESE SICK HUMANS! THESE DAMNED WRETCHED BEINGS! WHAT WORTH DID HE SEE?! WHAT DID RADEGAS...

The Aegislash was silent for a moment, watching as the remains of those he had slain slowly sink into the ocean depths. They sank as Reggie's feeling for his presence slowly vanished. "Margriet..." It muttered, "I must... I must protect her now..." But first, he needed to find Radegast, retrieve the heirloom- the Pokeball with the wood finish.

All of a sudden, amidst the quiet of the space between the twin hulls of Olympus, a solitary Skrelp emerged from the waters.

"You are the Lord-Regent's Shield?" It squeaked.

The Aegislash froze a moment, and then shook his head. "Not anymore..."

"Come with me, and keep low." The Skrelp dove into the waters. With a moment's hesitation, the Aegislash followed, cutting into the water effortlessly.

---

Blurred vision faded in and out. Sense of touch shifted between unbearable stinging pain and eerie numbness. The only constant was the sound of waves and the fading greens of the dark skies.

"There is one way..." The words were barely recognizable. It was Pokespeak, but gargling, as if spoken through bubbles.

"You can't... What about the Clans?"

"Remember our customs. A new King will rise amidst the Trials. Besides that, I owe him my life twice over."

"Lord-Regent or not, he is still a single human."

"And I am a single Dragalge! What part about 'I owe him my life twice over' did you not hear?"

Despite continued objection, the blurred vision began to become overwhelmed in a glowing purple light, flaring to red, to pink, and finally to white.

A light at the end of the tunnel? No... it was something different... what was it...?

He could do nothing as the light seemed to cut through the blur, and flood his very being. No matter where his eyes shifted, the light remained, bright and unmoving.

And then it all stopped. And his vision went black once more.

Nicolette Porter has arrived, coming from Whirl Islands.

Nicolette Porter has left the area, heading down into Abyssal Zone Gaol.

Nicolette Porter has arrived, coming from Abyssal Zone Gaol.

Nicolette Porter has left the area, heading north into Whirl Islands.

Nicolette Porter has arrived, coming from Whirl Islands.

Nicolette Porter has left the area, heading down into Abyssal Zone Gaol.

Nicolette Porter has arrived, coming from Abyssal Zone Gaol.

"Did you make a turn somewhere?"

"What do you make me for? I know the ocean like it's the back of my fin."

"Well yeah, but...we're still lost, aren't we?"

"It was the stupid weather. The waves must've threw me off course."

"Hmm...maybe...but what do we do now?"

The Lapras sighed, "I don't know, I..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to think. Of all the times to get lost in the place she should know the most, it was when the world was at the worst stake she'd ever seen it while transporting potentially the only crew of Pokemon that maybe knew how to stop it. Worse yet, she had no clue on how to find out where she was and where she needed to go. It was the ocean. There were no landmarks in the ocean. Just land masses that weren't visible to their naked eye.

At least the other Pokemon weren't complaining. Most of them were lounging around on her back, waiting things out while their leader sorted this out.

"Okay..." the second in command of the Crimson Guild was thinking aloud. For a young, stout Turtwig, he didn't look like much of a leader from visual appearance. But some would consider that his greatest kept secret and greatest trump card as he had more than proven himself on several occasions. Better than that though, it was his unwavering spirit and optimism that was keeping them afloat in this current predicament. It was probably what was keeping the other Pokemon on board from panicking.

"So Lilly...what if we kept going in one direction until we found a beach? Would you know where we were then?"

"Depends," the Lapras replied, "If it's an island, probably not. Several of them exist, y'know. If it's bigger and has humans on it...then yeah."

"Sweet," Tag whooped, "Then let's do it! Pick a direction!"

"So if we got blown off course...then we'd need to correct that by going opposite. We were travelling South...and probably got pushed West...so we'd need to head Southeast!" The Lapras shifted her angle and started heading in the direction she suggested.

After a half hour, Lilly was already grinning as a massive land mass grew in front of them.

"See? Land. Looks like a large patch of it too. I can get my bearing from here."

But as they approached, the grin of relief turned into a confused stare as the were soon within sight of the beach.

"This is...not right...where are we?" the Lapras started scanning the coast for anything significant.

Tag chuckled, "I was just about to ask you that. I assume you don't know?"

"No, I don't. It's...I've never been here," Lilly shook her head, "This is definitely larger than an island. It looks like a continent. But I've been to every coast off of every continent and I've never seen one like this."

"And it looks like humans occupy it," Tag pointed out, gazing towards a young-looking brunette with a Vaporeon by her side, "So it's definitely got some inhabitants."

The Turtwig's eyes widened in epiphany, "Hey! You think this could be the Beya Region Team Razor was talking about?"

"Don't you dare suggest that," Lilly suddenly snapped, "I spent months riding those idiots all over the world trying to find their precious, make-believe continent. I swear if they're right at the end of all this, I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Well, nothing's impossible," Tag continued, warm as ever, "The idea has to stem from somewhere, right? They didn't just dream it up. Maybe you don't know the ocean like the back of your fin." He added that last bit jokingly, nudging her long neck playfully with his shoulder.

The Lapras was not amused, "I'm fixing to buck you off here in a second."

As Nicole continued her walk she noticed in the distance what seemed to be a Lapras and a...Turtwig on its back. But she didn't think much of it.

In all her years as a marine biologist, she'd seen wild Pokemon do some rather impressive things. A while back, she recalled seeing a pod of Wailmer working together to push a sinking ship back to the port, saving all of the passengers and crew.

Unaware just how sentient the creatures were she and her Vaporeon continued onwards, looking for any signs of humans that could possible help them. "Hello?? Anyone out there??" she called out.

"Poooor!! Poooor!!" Aqua cried, trying to help her trainer in getting anyone's attention.

"Oh great. Just fucking great. As if it's not bad enough that someone wants to take over the damn world, I'm out here looking for Dhelmise and who knows where the fuck I am?" A foul mouthed woman in coveralls and a life vest was the closest thing to help that Nicole would probably get. Her arms had the thickness and oil stains of one who worked on machines for a living and being a Trainer was more of a side gig, but there was no mistaking the unflinching hardness of her stare. The best Trainers had an uncanny sense of how strong a potential opponent was, almost as if they could sense aura...and this was an incredibly powerful source of it.

"Guess I'm stuck here until I can make some fucking repairs. Hmm. Gonna need some parts." Then she looked up and saw the younger woman in the blue tank top with a Vaporeon. "Hey, skinny bitch! Which way to the nearest town? I didn't exactly wreck, but she ain't sea worthy either!"

Nicole froze at the profanity and looked around before noticing the older woman. "...Uh...rude much? And I'm just as lost as you probably are...whoever you are. So you don't know where "here" is either?" she questioned, a bit suspicious but still slowly approached.

Aqua let out a hiss of aggression towards the woman.