Pokemon Ragnarok

by Kaiser_Beo

Summary:

The Gods Are At War!

A powerful dimensional rift opens, as if it was a wound on the very universe itself. Everything in the Pokemon World is plunged into chaos as it is plunged into a state of eternal twilight, vicious flooding, and rabid legendaries of unspeakable power. Legend is forced to face off against legend in a battle royale that will decide the fate of creation. For the hour of life has long past, now comes the hour of Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.

Chapter 1: Twilight

There comes a time when the gods shall make war. Legends and myths shall clash and the world itself shall be unmade. The universe unglued as the heat of the ancient cosmos fades into cold, and the cold too disappears with every ruin as the void is all that remains.

Ragnarok. The Twilight of the Gods. A tale that has been prophesied since the earliest days of human civilization. Destruction at a scale hitherto undreamt of. Such a grand unmaking seems almost implausible to the common mortal, why would Lady Arceus ever even consider the complete and total annihilation of her work? Does she hold a plan for every soul in the universe come a certain time? Rapture to bring forth final judgment? Only The Mother of Existence could weigh every soul after all. But unless she has a plan in store for her beloved subject, such a future is simply put, irrational.

If that is to be so, then the irrational times have begun to unfold.

A rift has opened in the cosmos, directly over the world itself. It was as if the universe had opened its very maw and from it came a breath of doom. Shadows of unspeakable power descend upon the mortal realm below, all the while the tear had created powerful vibrations which throw everything into chaos. As it did, everyone in the universe felt the same bone-chilling sensation. Be it a newborn pichu or a mighty tyranitar, all could sense a level of dread that promises nothing short of destruction.

---

The Whirl Islands was an archipelago home to several civilizations during the iron age. Once a whole island nation of its own, its wars had forced the hand of a legendary sea guardian. Lugia, guardian of the Johto seas and master of the birds, divided the mighty island. Sinking much of it under the sea through gaping whirlpools, and exterminating many with his vicious bolts. The rapid and devastative transformation of the island into an archipelago overwhelmed the crippled civilizations. Many died, some sailed away. Regardless of which fate became of them, the islands themselves are now nothing more but a collection of ruins.

Lugia himself rested deep in its dark depths. The high tide had rolled in and flooded the place, but as guardian of the sea he was left unbothered. He had slumbered for several years now, leaving much of the sea he was supposed to be safeguarding unattended. Not like it mattered. Humanity has actually managed to do well for itself with preserving the pristine nature of the seas. Not like a few decades ago, where an island of trash dared exist along the oceans. Flushing the entire garbage patch back into their mainland along with an infectious flood was more than enough to get his message across.

But alas, his slumber must end once more. His eyes snap open upon sensing the violent undulation of the waves. He could sense the whirlpools of the archipelago be forcibly dispersed, the islands themselves forcibly moving apart, rising above and sinking below the seas. Pokemon run amok as stalagmites fall to the floor, threatening to impale them. He couldn’t see it yet, but he could already feel it. A wound in the very fabric of creation itself. The seas of Johto had begun to rampage, threatening to drown innocent swimmers, and overpowering marine pokemon that tried to withstand the waves. Lugia opens his wings, and with it forcibly pushes the water around him until he is left in a vacuum of air. Lugia immediately dives, rocketing through the seawater and then through the crevice which allowed the innermost cave to flood in the first place. Seel and Seadra were forcibly dispersed by the waves left behind in Lugia’s rush.

Elegantly ascending from beneath the surface, the water slips off his wings. There his eyes widened upon the sight before him. The heavens above were stripped bare, the entire world plunged into a state of twilight. With a single roar, the waves slowly begin to calm around the islands, only for the waves to become erratic once more.

Then came a crow from the east. Lugia looks to see Moltres flying through the skies with her siblings, Articuno and Zapdos.

“My liege!” crows Moltres, “instantaneous it was! The transformation of midday into twilight!”

Articuno was a bit more casual with her way of talking, “she speaks the truth. The heavens roar and the world has become rattled.” Lugia sighs, with his great sight he could see the people of Cianwood city follow their gym leader, who was announcing an emergency evacuation. He remembers the face of Chuck’s grandson before falling asleep back in the whirl islands. The current gym leader looked similar but also different. A descendant no doubt, a great grandson perhaps?

He cranes his head to mainland Johto, where a gargantuan wave slams into the lighthouse of Olivine city, and the waters itself begin to pull further and further back. The gym leader there too commanded an emergency evacuation of the coastal city. Another sigh follows before he looks at Zapdos, who was behind the other two birds, calmly awaiting command.

“Zapdos, I need you to head to the burned tower and check on Ho-oH and the beasts” Lugia commanded. Zapdos nods and then heads immediately to Ecruteak City. Lugia then turns his attention to the other two birds. “You two, follow me. We must protect Kanto, I fear that only the worst is yet to come.”

“Yes m’lord” the two say in unison. Lugia immediately heads east to Kanto, the other two birds flying after him. The wind blew mightily. Lugia could sense that it would only grow stronger, enough to start flinging cars and uprooting the roofs of houses no doubt. The idea only motivates Lugia to hasten.

Kanto too had activated its emergency procedures. The newly rebuilt Cinnabar Island had trainers of all kinds trying to help its denizens fly over to the nearby Pallet Town, Fuchsia city had closed its Safari Zone, with various kangaskhan holding their children dearly as the winds only continued to strengthen. The waters begin to consume route 13 in the east and cycling road to the west. Digletts left their tunnel at Vermillion and deforming the grounds of Vermillion city, which was also facing the threat of flooding. Amidst the chaos, Lugia could spot more trainers trying to help each other and the Pokemon, trying to get all to safety. The sights did ease Lugia a small bit, seeing humans and Pokemon work together for a common good. But the sensation doesn’t last long, as the dimensional rift above widens, and with it comes a roar of shadows that rumbles the earth greater than any earthquake.

Lugia and the two birds watched in horror as buildings in Saffron city collapsed vertically, a cacophony of screams audible even high up in heavens ensued afterwards. Flying directly above the city, Lugia turns to the two birds.

“Moltres, head north. Stabilize the winds in Pewter, Cerulean, the Rock Tunnel, and others. Protect the Power Plant as well, we cannot allow Kanto to lose power, lives are at stake.”

“Of course, my liege!” responded Moltres before flying off, leaving behind a trail of flame. Lugia then turns to Articuno, “You are most familiar with the south. Stabilize the winds down there. Protect Cinnabar, Fuchsia, Pallet, and Viridian. Create glaciers to act as temporary islands for those that might end up drowning in the sea.”

“And you, my liege?” Articuno asks

“I’ll handle the center, as well as assist both of you. Until then, we must protect what we can.” Lugia answers, he suddenly notices an enormous blob of dark enemy flying towards both of them, threatening to destroy Saffron city. He bursts it into millions of little pieces which in turn fade into nothing with an aeroblast.

“There is still another legendary here in Kanto” Articuno comments

“I know, but I am not sure we can trust the world’s mightiest mortal just yet” Lugia responded. Without anything else to say, Articuno takes her leave, heading back to her fortress at the Seafoam Islands. Lugia looks down below to see several people injured from the earthquake. Many nurses and trainers are trying to heal injuries. Others look up at him in awe as well as gratefulness. He lets out a small roar before heading westward to Lavender town. The entire town itself had long dwindled in population. Its tower, once a crypt, was turned into a radio tower before being abandoned. The entire town itself then turned into a massive graveyard. Eventually, none reside there anymore. Lugia senses the pooling of several dark energies, and sees the ghost pokemon down below fleeing towards either Saffron or taking the tunnel to Celadon. He watches as the shadowy forces form a dark and purple cube covering the entirety of what was once the Lavender cemetery. He could see his own reflection on it as if it were a mirror, as well as the astral horror up above which was the source of all this chaos.

Wherever Palkia was, she was going to need to fix this immediately.

Lugia begins to inhale. Sea breezes from all corners of Kanto, and clouds up above gather into his maw. The power of the heavens and the sea itself, the very balance of life that roamed the world that was now under the threat of destruction, filled his lungs. With a powerful roar, Lugia unleashes a devastating aeroblast, hitting the cub, forcing it to shatter as well as cause a shockwave which violently oscillates the entire region as well as the neighboring region of Johto. The shadowy forces then began to fade out of existence, the sight of the cemetery town becoming more and more visible.

Then suddenly, all the dark particles move toward Lugia. Before the sea guardian could even react, he was overwhelmed by the chaotic power. Insidious it was, as if it had begun to grab hold of his soul.

---

The swords of justice moved in unison all throughout Unova, which was threatening to tear itself apart. Setting foot in Nimbasa city, they watch as several people flee from the amusement park, watching as the ferris wheel begins to lean over and collapse.

“Terrakion” Cobalion calls

“On it!” The bulky swordsman jumps into action, managing to expertly avoid the panicking passersby despite his enormous frame. Within a few seconds, he had managed to make it to the ferris wheel, stopping it with his raw strength, and slowly putting it down. Terrakion laughs to himself at a job well done, but quickly turns back to a more serious face as the ground beneath him begins to crack. He speedily catches a girl that almost falls through a fissure, and then back into the city where only more and more buildings are slowly threatening collapse.

Virizion elegantly moved through the scared peoples, unleashing powerful lead blades to cut enormous chunks of debris down to dust, doing her best to protect the people below. The gym leader of the city was guiding the people through the bridge into Driftveil city. The bridge itself was sturdy, and was capable of handling the quaking quite well. He watches as a young man wearing an oversized stetson hat was on the other side. The quakes were a bit less violent on that side, unsafe but safer nonetheless.

Cobalion looks over to the young Keldeo, who was stuck watching the skies above once blue now purple from the sudden twilight. “Keldeo, something is on your mind. What is it?”

“Kyurem, he’s out there somewhere. I can feel it.”

“He desires a rematch?”

“Maybe. I’m more concerned about whether or not he’s behind all of this.” says Keldeo, breaking away from gazing at the stars to look at the older swordsman. “I know it’s a bit of a stretch and all, but I just can’t get kyurem out of my mind. He’s out there somewhere, plotting. Haunting me.”

“You have defeated him once” Cobalion tells the young stallion, “and given your recent growth, you will triumph over him once more. Fret not, young Keldeo.”

Keldeo gives him a small smile, “aww, thanks Cobs”

“Please refrain from referring to me as such”

“Pfft. Sure.” Keldeo nudges the cobalt antelope, and then looks over to the bridge, “the bridge seems fine, but the waves won’t be for long. I suppose I should stay vigilant to prevent the waves from washing the people into the sea.”

“A wise assessment, go.” commands Cobalion, “I shall assist the others with the city.”

The two part ways. The rest of the operations were quick, getting the people to safer areas and minimizing casualties was easy for the swords of justice. Keldeo reconvenes with Terrakion and Virizion in the middle of the city’s still unstable ruins.

“You were great, kid!” Terrakion laughs, giving Keldeo a little nudge, “slashing waves and guarding the bridge. I could’ve sworn you were ready to dive under it and hold it up somehow!”

“Says the guy who caught a ferris wheel!” Keldeo responded with a smile. As the two conversed, Virizion could only sigh. The two got closer every passing day, they were basically uncle and nephew at this point. Looking off into the distance she finds their leader standing before a young boy with blond hair and a zebstrika by his side, both bowing to Cobalion who stood silently before them before running off. She struts over to the steely leader, who spares her a small glance.

“I must say, Cobalion, it’s not fair for you to get all the credit for all our work”

“That was the human’s mistake, not mine. An innocent one I am sure. I hardly think the denizens of this city will forget us for another few decades.” Cobalion replies, “Now come, we must make our way south. The other cities are likely facing much havoc as well.”

“While I would rather relax, the twilight hour seems a bit too intense for such, so I suppose I have no choice.”

“It is our duty, Virizion. As swords of justice we must-”

“Must maintain order, I know.” Virizion rolls her eyes, “I wonder for how much longer this twilight will last. I was having a perfectly good nap under the sun.”

Cobalion doesn’t answer her as he walks over to the other two swordsmen, “good work, the two of you. Come. We are moving sou-”

Suddenly, Keldeo feels a buzz in his horn. An insidious, chilling feeling digging deep into his bones. Keldeo’s head snaps towards the heavens, and across it he sees a bluish meteor streaking across the firmament. Cobalion immediately steps in front of Keldeo, while Terrakion jumps forward defiantly as the meteor rocketed downwards, soon beginning to dive like a talonflame towards its prey.

“Blue flame..” Virizion pointed out, “and a chill gathering all around us.”

“Kyurem” says Keldeo, his eyes furrowing, entering a readied stance. “My hunch was right/”

“Keldeo, scald” Cobalion tells him. The stallion nods and unleashes a torrent of steaming water towards the incoming fire missile, only for it to transform immediately into ice before even reaching the meteor. Ice began to gather around the ruins of Nimbasa city, despite the arrival of the bluish flame from above.

“No..” Cobalion looks at his reflection in the ice. His remained clear while those of the others were twisted and distorted. He looks up at the flame, “impossible!”

“No need to fear, Cobs!” Terrakion leaps high into the air, leaving a crater on the ground as he did so. A horn began to manifest over the bulky ungulate’s head, glowing a fine orange hue. “Sacred…”

“TERRAKION! NO! FALL BACK!” Cobalion yelled in vain. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and even if he was heard, it wasn’t like Terrakion would move so freely in midair. The ground type’s blade clashes with the fiery missile, managing to barely stop it. It didn’t last long however, as the meteor breaks through the sword, and scorches Terrakion along with the rest of the ground as it crashes straight into Nimbasa city. The three other swordsmen quickly ran out of the way.

Dust and smoke rose into the air, an enormous crater several feet deep and wide in the center of the ruined city was formed. At the bottom stood a mighty dragon of fire and ice, its foot placed on top of an unconscious Terrakion’s head. The three swordsmen stand by the side of the crater, looking in horror at the creature that landed from the heavens.

“Kyurem?” Keldeo wondered, trying to take a step forward. “Hold on” commands Cobalion, “I find our best course of action to be distracting Kyurem, rescuing Terrakion, and then retreating.”

“What?! No!” Keldeo refused, “you said we can beat Kyurem, especially together! Now come on! Let’s save Terrakion and show this icy liz-”

“Enough” Cobalion said, loud and stern, yet neither a yell nor a roar. “As you can see, Kyurem has gained white fur and a powerful fire. He has absorbed Reshiram.”

Virizion frowns as Kyurem-White faces them. “Poor Reshiram, to be unmade and assimilated into a being such as Kyurem.” She enters a ready stance, “I apologize, Cobalion, but I concur with Keldeo. Not only must we rescue Terrakion, but we must sever Reshiram’s essence from Kyurem. The Original Dragon cannot be reformed.”

A laugh that could be heard with the soul was then felt. Kyurem-White looked high up at them from the bottom of the crater. “That is exactly why I am here,” the fiery ice dragon grabs Terrakion’s throat. Despite the thickness of the cavern bovine’s neck, the dragon held it well with a singular hand, holding him above the ground. “Zekrom. The god of ideals. The dragon who sided with the younger brother, and then unmade ancient Unova with his bolts. He has been missing for the past 50 years.”

Cobalion doesn’t respond, instead looking down at Kyurem-White in disgust.

“Well you’re looking in the wrong place, pal!” Keldeo yells, “We haven’t seen him!”

“You may not have seen him,” Kyurem-White then looks at Virizion, “and neither has she.” Then the white dragon looks directly into Cobalion’s eyes, “but you. Leader of the swords of justice. Master of the sacred sword. Agent of Justice. You know.”

“You are incorrect”

“Odd for a man of honor to lie,” Kyurem-White laughs, looking into his hand. “But I suppose you are willing to sacrifice anything for justice, no?” Cobalion growls, “I have not seen the god of ideals, Kyurem. His dark visage has not graced Unovan soil in all five decades he has remained absent. And even if he has, the swords of justice will stop you.”

“There are three lies in that statement,” Kyurem-White continued to gaze upon the palm of his hand. The dragon cranes his head to glare at the iron will pokemon. “Reshiram, goddess of truth. Her blood, her fire, her essence flows through me. I can discern every lie from every truth. I cannot be deceived.”

Kyurem-White holds up Terrakion in front of them, “There is no boundary I cannot overcome, and soon there is no ideal I cannot warp. The yin and yang are to be mine, for the twilight of the gods has arrived.”

“The twilight of the gods?” Virizion raises a brow. Keldeo digs his hoof into the ground, “enough of this!” The stallion’s horn extends into a blade sharp and blue. Keldeo had entered his resolute form with fury in his eyes. “You let him go or I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces!”

Without even a shred of hesitation, Kyurem-White squeezes Terrakion’s throat, snapping his neck. The rock swordsman’s corpse quickly turns into ice, and then shatters into pieces before melting into nothing. Kyurem-White flares up the plasma across his body, “will you still try?”

Virizion gasps, taking a step back. Cobalion finds himself pressing hard into the earth, cracking it. Keldeo on the other hand roars out and jumps high into the air, “I’LL KILL YOU!”

“You will try,” Kyurem-White laughs before directing his hand in Keldeo’s general direction. There the swordsmen could see a pinkish gem embedded into Kyurem-White’s left hand. A powerful light is then blasted from it. Greater than any fusion flare or ice burn. It lands a direct hit on Keldeo, and blinds the other two. Ice covers the entirety of Nimbasa city, and even begins to freeze over the waters that surround it.

---

A tear in reality itself manifested in the sky above, so too did several in the world below.

Ula’ula Island was simply put, in chaos. A portal had opened, and a plethora of ultra beasts had come through like an organized brigade, wreaking havoc unlike any other upon the innocent denizens of the island. Three of the four guardian deities had banded together to face the ultra beast threat before more ultra space wormholes opened across the other islands. Tapu Koko unleashed bolts of lightning from his body, moving at incomprehensible speeds, vaporizing several buzzwole as if they were nothing. Tapu Bulu bound the several Xurkitree and Phermosa with vines that ripped straight from beneath the earth, rooting them down. All the while Tapu Lele grabs telekinetic hold of the Nihilego, Kartana, and Blacephalon. Unfortunately, powerful blasts hail from down below in the form of several flash cannons, as a fleet of Celesteela ravages the coast. One of them manages to hit Tapu Lele, allowing the Kartana to break free. Said ultra beasts then move at blistering speeds, using their sharp blades to slice down the roots binding their fellow ultra beasts at a molecular level. Before the Tapus even realized what had happened, they had found themselves overwhelmed.

Several Pheromosa unleash a merciless barrage of high jump kicks on Tapu Koko. While the moves by themselves were ineffective, a barrage of them still did a number on the electric fairy. What really sealed the deal however was when two Celesteela dropped a Stakataka on top of him. The ultra beast’s downward iron head shook the earth, and the creature reformed itself into an iron prison to contain the incapacitated Tapu. More Stakataka appear, assembling with each other and helping incapacitate the other Tapu.

Before more could be done however, a blue blob jumps from the waters of Alola. It lets out a mysterious cry barely audible to the Ultra Beasts. Before the creatures even knew it, wailord began to break through the rocks that segregated the coastal waters of Route 15 from the rest of the open sea. Gyarados rise as well, roaring to the twilight heavens, and several wishiwashi school into super-massive forms. Other marine Pokemon too reveal themselves. Plenty of them were from the open sea, and from different parts of the world, as if they had all gathered from its faraway corners into this one spot to combat the extradimensional aberrations that invaded the islands.

“Attack!” commanded Phione, princess of the seas.

Several Gyarados moved in with waterfall, while Wishiwashi began to unleash enormous torrents of hydro pump. One by one, the Ultra Beasts were pushed back. Xurkitree banded together and unleashed a powerful discharge to shock the water however, incapacitating all of them immediately. Save of course for the Swampert which made themselves known, and unleashed a devastating earthquake to knock them all down. The enormous wall of Stakataka began to crumble and disassemble as a result of the violent groundshaking. From within one, Tapu Koko awakens and bursts, destroying the Stakataka that contained him from within. His calm and composed demeanor completely gone due to the stress and adrenaline that wracked his mind. In a state of warrior’s madness he unleashes a vicious wild charge which powers through several of the remaining Ultra Beasts.

A Pheromosa signals something to the other Ultra Beasts with her antennae. Almost immediately did the other Ultra Beasts begin to fall back. The last remaining Buzzwole grabbed hold of two Stakataka and rushed over to the portal from which they came through. Tapu Koko pursues them, only to be slashed by several Kartana. A brief clash sees Tapu Koko manage to down seven of them in quick succession despite his type disadvantage. Quick as it may have been, it still wasted precious seconds. Said seconds were used to move the other Stakataka back through the portal.

The portal then closes before Tapu Koko could even move. Phione however manages to catch a good glimpse of what it was before disappearing.

The entirety of Ula’ula’s coast was nightmarish. The aftermath of the impromptu battle devastated much of the countryside. Bodies of Ultra Beasts beginning to fade back into Ultra Space energy one by one. Phione approaches Tapu Koko slowly, anticipating a possible electric shock. The electric tapu seethed, and rightfully so, his siblings had been captured, and almost him as well by those dreaded ultra beasts. Those spawns of Giratina.

“Umm… Tapu Koko?”

Tapu Koko quickly turns around, still seething.

“Alola in its entirety is sinking, where is Tapu Fini?”

The reminder did not sit well with Tapu Koko. Alola in its entirety was in danger because of the rising sea levels and quaking earth under the twilight sky. Now with two of the tapus gone, Alola was more defenseless than ever. Violent electric shocks crackled around his body. Phione takes a step back, nervously sweating at the sight of the normally calm Tapu Koko being in this state of rage.
Minutes pass, but Tapu Koko finally manages to calm down from his warrior’s madness. His heart is still pumped with much energy, and his body with extreme amounts of electricity.

“Up. Mountain. Focusing. Waves.”

Phione nods, “may you assist me up there? As a princess of the warm seas I believe I can be of help.”

Tapu Koko looks at the devastation behind her. All the dead water Pokemon. Then back at Phione.

“Do not worry about their sacrifice,” says Phione, “better this than the true chaos that is to ensue. One that has taken over even my father, prince of the cold seas.”

Before Phione even knew it, Tapu Koko grabbed hold of her and rocketed up to the top of the mountain at relativistic speeds. Like an upwards lightning bolt. The mountain top itself so far remained unharmed, and even managed to get a clear look at the twilight sky. The shadows that came from the gaping maw of the cosmos seemed to touch the other islands rather than Ula’ula. Whether that was a deliberate choice or but another factor of randomness wrought by the chaos was anyone’s guess. Here several people took refuge. Many were glad to see Tapu Koko was alive, but were concerned after seeing his many bruises.

“Tapu Koko! You’re injured!” cried a nurse joy, “come, let me-”

“No! No Time” yells Tapu Koko, no longer able to control his voice. The two briskly move to a private area within the Pokemon league, up at the summit where the champion would normally lay. The Alola champion of this generation was nowhere to be seen, likely helping in one of the other islands. This left Tapu Fini unobstructed as she focused all over her power to keep Alola in its entirety afloat. Several pokemon and priests were nearby, some of them healing Tapu Fini to prevent exhaustion, and others spraying it with medicine for rejuvenation.

Phione frowns at seeing the strain placed on Tapu Fini’s body. She was deep in concentration, overwhelmed by trying to control all of Alola’s seas. “The decision for you all to assist Tapu Fini in this endeavor is most admirable,” Phione tells the people and Pokemon, “but I fear she may not last long, for only worse things are to come.”

A collective gasp.

Tapu Koko looks at Phione, “Tell.”

“Kyogre, goddess of all the world’s waters, from the puny puddles and streams to the mighty lakes and oceans. She has risen once more from the deepest depths of the ocean to do battle.”

“Battle?” asks Tapu Koko. “Once more?”

“Yes, battle once more. And with the power that Kyogre brings as she swims back to Hoenn with an army of powerful water type Pokemon, the last.” Phione says sadly. “My father, Manaphy, prince of the cold seas, is one of them. I almost joined in as well.”

“Why Disobey?” Tapu Koko questions Phione, “Kyogre Thine Superior.”

“Because she wasn’t conscripting, she was demanding” Phione tells them, “transmitting a signal that just.. Stripped us of our free will. Dominated their brains, bending them completely to her will. I broke free, but barely.”

Tapu Koko suddenly feels healing liquid spray on his back, some random child had sprayed him with a max potion. He observes the young child’s small face. Fledgeling and awaiting further development. Plenty of years still ahead of her. She reminds him of the first Alolan champion, a young lass who defeated professor Kukui, and pacified the Ultra Beasts. 5 decades, that was 5 decades ago.

“Century” Tapu Koko looks away from the child and back at Phione. The child runs off back to the rest of the humans facilitating Tapu Fini. “Last Clash. Century Ago.”

“A few decades too much,” Phione corrected him, “The masters of land and sea have not clashed in about roughly 75 years. When the champions Steven, Wallace, and May still roamed this world, and the criminal organizations Magma and Aqua threatened global devastation.”

“Stop Kyogre. We Must.” Tapu Koko begins to slowly fly above the summit, gaining a good view of the rest of Ula’ula Island. From the reinforced Po Town to the secluded shore of Ula’ula beach, he can see plenty of them on the move. He could hear many of their prayers, most of them directed towards Tapu Bulu. The idea disturbed him, the idea that they continuously pray to their guardian deity, not knowing that he is not even there anymore. It was a disturbing thought, and with that he remembers he has his own island to get back to as well.

He looks down back at Phione, “No. Stop Kyogre. Groudon must.”

“What?! Are you crazy?!” Phione cried out, “No one has seen Groudon in all 75 of those years! Kyogre has made brief appearances here and there, looking to challenge her ancient foe once more and flooding his beloved lands, yet he does not reveal himself! As far as we are concerned, he is underprepared and outmatched!”

“Prince of Sea. No Place. Talk.” Tapu Koko’s broken wording made him all the more indecipherable, “You Hide. Me Go. Help Own Island.”

Lightning suddenly falls from the sky, and Tapu Koko rides it like a torpedo back to Melemele Island.

Chapter 2: Scattered

The three legendary beasts had gathered around the ancient bell tower. While most had since evacuated to lower ground, fearing the tower too might collapse under the quaking earth, the three beasts stand at the tower’s very roof, awaiting their lady. Instead of the glorious phoenix that breathed into them new life however, another bird comes descending in instead. An electric one at that. Zapdos.

“My fellow thunder, what brings you here?” asks Raikou, stepping forward to welcome the electric bird, “has lord Lugia too taken notice of the twilight?”

Shadowy forces continue to descend from above, although a mysterious and mystical barrier seems to blockade them from reaching beyond a certain point. For now. Zapdos crows, “indeed, my fellow thunder. He has sent me to find lady Ho-oH, but it appears that she is not here. I am glad to see that you three are safe, at least.”

“A pleasure to be off your mind,” Entei said telepathically. He daren’t open his maw. Suicune observes the shadows raining from the heavens above, “I fear her majesty may not be arriving, her rainbow flame would most certainly attract these foul forces.”

“Then find her, we must” Entei surmised, “I sense nothing short of cosmic foreboding. We will find her much sooner if we spread out. Zapdos, will you assist us?”

“Most certainly”

“Good,” Entei stands near the edge of the roof, “Suicune will handle the areas east of Violet City and south of the Dark Cave. Raikou, you can handle everything west of Violet City and south of the national park. I will handle everything north.”

“I shall assist my fellow thunder then,” says Zapdos, “southwest Johto as you’ve described is quite vast.”

“You insult me,” says Raikou, “I’m the fastest of the beasts, I can do just fine. I am more concerned if you can keep up”

“Oh ho ho, is that a challenge?”

“Enough, the two of you” says Suicune, “we shall reconvene should something serious occur.”

With that, the beasts scatter. Zapdos follows Raikou off to the southwest of the region.

---

Rain fell from the dark clouds above the soothing wetlands of the Isle of Armor. The rejuvenating marsh had been demolished. Its plants uprooted as its earth was scraped and piled into mounds. Blood washed along with the water, flowing down towards a pond which continued to pool more and more with red. The wetlands were void of life, having fled in terror at the devastation that had ensued.

Calyrex rode Spectrier into the wetlands, the steed’s hooves trot along the soaked dirt, approaching two figures at the middle of the devastated wetlands. Behind them trotted Glasstrier, walking closer and closer towards the center.

A large puddle of blood was at the center, being spread out by the rain. Said blood could be sourced towards a single corpse. An Urshifu, face down on the ground, a gaping hole through its chest. Another Urshifu sat closeby it, its knees down on the bloody soil. Meditating, praying.

Calyrex pulls on Spectrier’s reins, halting the steed’s advance. Raindrops bounced off the green bud within the four prongs he called his crown. The Urshifu opens its eyes, seeing the ancient horsebound king right before him. “King of the tundra, have you come to conduct your wild hunt?”

“None of the sort, such things are best left in the dark ages” Calyrex replied, “but it appears the darkest day too is behind us. For the twilight hour has arrived, and it seems you and your brother have already conducted your last rites.”

“The towers of both darkness and waters have crumbled, and the sea threatens to swallow the isle of armor whole. The end times have arrived, I’m sure of it.” Urshifu stands up, blood still soaking the fur of his knees and shins. “I believe the Galarians refer to it as Ragnarok.”

“Indeed” Calyrex looks back down at the dead Urshifu below. “Although there are quite a number of missing pieces, such as a lengthy winter. Regardless, power itself is in disarray, and chaos threatens to unglue the universe.”

Urshifu scoops up his brother’s corpse, “why are you here, Calyrex?”

“It’s the end of the world. The other legendaries may not acknowledge it yet, but we know.” says Calyrex, “the outcome of the final battle is most uncertain, so I find it best for us to group together.”

Urshifu begins to slowly walk away, “very well. What do you have planned?”

Calyrex moves the reins of unity, commanding Spectrier forward. The two follow the martial artist further into the wetlands. “The zarude people of the Okoya forest, the regis, and the wolves of war.”

“Okoya forest?” Urshifu questions, “that’s quite far from Galar.”

“Exactly”

Urshifu places the corpse down on the ground, and with a single blow opens up a deep hole in the earth. “Remote enough to avoid the rest of the twilight? And the last battle that is to ensue?”

“I am certain” says Calyrex. He lets go of the reins of unity and unhorses himself. “It is a no man’s region, the worst we have to fear is flooding, and even then the trees are tall enough to support us.”

Urshifu places his dead brother into the pit before beginning to slowly fill it with dirt. The two elemental horses assist him with this. Calyrex watches as the corpse is slowly covered with dirt and soil. “I always took you as the cremating type,” says the deer king.

“You can’t exactly cremate someone while it’s raining,” replies Urshifu, “this is temporary, after all of this is over, I shall give him a proper pyre.”

“You two decided to have one final clash when you both realized it was the end of the world,” Calyrex surmises, “to settle the grudge of the two towers and styles, to prove with absolute finality which was superior.”

“It has little to do with the styles and dojos. For the former can never be passed on and the latter have been destroyed,” Urshifu clenches his fist, “I did it, we did it, for each other. No one else’s fist could have sufficed. It was between us. Always as brothers, never as foes.”

The last of the dirt had made its way into the temporary grave. Calyrex kneels down over it, uttering a small prayer for the deceased martial artist before looking back at the triumphant one. “The humans say that Kyogre has been spotted once more, and that is why the seas are most turbulent.”

“She too seeks a final battle before the apocalypse” Urshifu crosses his arms.

“Nay, Urshifu. Their battle shall be the apocalypse. The final clash between earth and sea. Assuming Groudon actually shows up. He has remained most silent for the past few decades.” Calyrex gets back on top of Spectrier, while Urshifu gets on top of Glastrier.

“I suppose so, come then. Let us gather the others and take our leave. The shadow above seems to be drawing nearer and nearer towards the wetlands.”

Calyrex nods, and the two ride the elemental horses back to the Galarian mainland.

---

The entirety of Kalos had been swallowed by the rising oceans, millions drowning in the cold and turbulent seas as the forces of the deep continued their march towards Hoenn. Yveltal watched from the sky above what was once his home. The forest he had sought to destroy was gone, the cities once full of life and rich with history, all erased by the waves of the sea. Left to rust and ruin by the last few days that were going to make up the passage of time.

Xerneas has gone missing, and Zygarde is elsewhere. Diancie had fled with the fairies and Hoopa had long since been missing even before that. Yveltal flew directly above the seas which reflected the bright twilight sky above. His red body forming a glowing Y symbol along the aquatic canvas. He was left to rule all of Kalos, so naturally, ruination is what occurs. He opens his mouth, and draws in several of the shadowy blobs which came from the dimensional rift above, filling himself with immense power. He can see millions, soon to be billions, slowly entering the afterlife. Walking through the narrow bridge, seeking to move through the even narrower gate.

Like how a blaziken would crow at the rising of the sun, Yveltal unleashes a nightmarish screech. The twilight had arisen, and with it follows only an everlasting midnight that promises nothing short of universal havoc, entropy, and death.

The dark bird flies off to Hoenn, the god of death should never be late to such an event.

---

Cobalion ran through the ruins of Castelia city. Its sky-high buildings have been knocked down, leaving mounds upon mounds of wreckage and debris everywhere. Rescuers of all kinds from government operators to Pokemon rangers were on the scene trying to save and salvage as much as they could. Cobalion however didn’t concern himself with them, instead he had to keep running. It was hard to navigate with tears constantly covering your eyes, but his steely will, or what was left of it, lingered, urging him onward.

They’re dead. The Swords of Justice are dead, and it’s all his fault.

No, no, he did the right thing.

Or did he?

The thoughts continue to dig deep into him, eating away at his composure. His frantic run only seemed to quicken as a result. He has to reach another region quickly, before Kyurem-White figures out where he is. He knows of only one place that was likely to be under the aberrant amalgamation’s radar. Cobalion quickly moves through a dark alley, or what remains of one, and leaves the other side with the appearance of a human.

He stood upright, on two feet. With a ragged blue coat and dirty pants. Black hair sported his head as did grayish eyes. He stumbles a small bit, unused to the sensation of bipedalism, but once again his iron will move him forward. He walked over to the port of Castelia, which had several rescue boats awaiting further passengers for rescue. A young Pokemon ranger quickly approaches him, oblivious to the fact that he was the cobalion moving through the city earlier.

“Hello sir, are you hurt? The evacuation docks are this way”

“I am fine, thank you” says Cobalion, “where are these ships headed?”

“Abroad, sir” says the young ranger, “different places as well. Most of them are headed to Sinnoh, which for now seems to be least devastated, and the other to Johto.”

“I-I” Cobalion coughs, “Is one of the Johto ships available for me?”

“Yes sir, the seas are still turbulent there but in fairness they are turbulent everywhere. The ship has braved strong waves before and is in good condition. Follow me.” The ranger walks towards the ships, and Cobalion follows. It was good to see that humans were nowhere near as barbaric as they once were several centuries ago. Their compassion had truly grown, and they despite several setbacks have entered well into their position as stewards of Arceus’ creation. Could the current chaos which plague Unova, and likely the rest of the world, be another result of humanity’s abuse of this position? Humanity had plenty of atrocities to its name after all. From organizations seeking to weaponize creatures of boundless chaos to men that sought to hold the universe’s essence and mold it to his wishes, an outright mimicry of Arceus’ power.

He wonders about the cause of this sudden twilight, and fears only the worst.

The young ranger leaves him before the captain, an aged yet fine man who stood upright and waited outside his own ship to ensure all passengers got onboard. “Ahoy” the captain says in a thick Johtonite accent, “we’ll be in Olivine shortly. If not Olivine then somewhere along New Bark for sure.

“Is it possible to drop me off in Alto Mare?” Cobalion asks him. The captain’s eyes widened, “Alto Mare?” he slaps himself in the forehead, “of course! Alto Mare! Why didn’t I think of that! We can just drop there too if the conditions are fine!”

“There is no need to consider yourself a fool, you were merely following the safest options. Big ships are not exactly Alto Mare’s cup of tea. Only times of crisis like this can be the exception.” says Cobalion, looking at the ship. The captain nods, “well said, sir. We’ll be out within the next half-hour, so try and rest inside.”

“Thank you, captain” and with that, Cobalion walks inside the ship. Observing it, he realizes that the ship was quite large, not as large as the others but larger nonetheless. He could also sense that it was quite old. Repaired, and likely strong enough for the ride ahead, but still old. He spots the name “SS Anne” on the side of the ship.

The next half hour was a blur, Cobalion was able to rest in one of the shared rooms, sleeping with his back to the wall. Unlike the others he had no belongings. A child was kind enough to offer him some of her cookies. He smiles and takes one, “thank you.”

Before he even knew it, the ship began to move. The ship was rocked by the ocean’s wrath, making the already exhausted evacuees all the more nervous. Cobalion on the other hand merely closes his eyes, his hand clutching a small icy rock, the only belonging he has left.

He remembers it, watching as Keldeo, the young and vibrant albeit stand-offish and reckless swordsman, was turned into nothing but ice and glass by the powerful energy beam. Shattered into nothing. Then Virizion followed. His swordsmen were gone, and he was alone once more. It was just like ancient times, when the two princes still roamed the world, and the two dragons were still whole. The world was glorious, where order reigned and justice too was supreme. But absolute power corrupts absolutely, and so division came to be. Older and younger, two warring princes. The dragon divides itself and eventually Unova itself was devastated with both blazes and bolts.

He remembers the day he first met Terrakion. Then Virizion. He remembers the day the three of them banded together to stop a wicked woman who sought to weaponize the alien monstrosity known as Kyurem into the world. He remembers when Keldeo too had to clash with the boundary dragon.

He remembers the day N, king of the terrorist organization Plasma, opted to sever the intrinsic bond of man and mon. He remembers the day he sliced him in half for pardoning his father’s evils. None shall escape the blade of justice.

None.

He remembers the years which followed, the peace, the growth, the everything. And eventually recalls the events of today, fresh on his mind. The day it all ended, and he was alone once more.

He remembers, but for once he wishes to forget.

---

A roar disperses the clouds, the seas that surround Kanto enrage themselves, as if it was emancipated from the control of the legendaries. Powerful blasts of air begin to destroy human settlements, and floods begin to grow higher and higher. People are forced to climb to the roofs of their houses as the waters swallow the top floor. High above Saffron city, a dark creature draws in all of the dark and shadowy forces, and unleashes an aeroblast that outright erases the already ruined city below, fracturing the entire region.

Articuno and Moltres speedily leave their areas upon feeling the immense shockwave of the blast. And what they find is something that leaves them at a loss for words. It was Lugia, save for the fact that a dark, shadowy power had overtaken him. His purity tainted, defiled, and warped into something absolutely malefic The corrupted guardian of the seas unleashes a powerful omni-directional blast of wind that stuns both of them, sending both of them plummeting towards the earth.

“My lord!” Moltres cries out, her powerful flames having evaporated the water around her. Getting back up on her two legs, she unleashes a vicious fire blast. “I will purge you of this corruption!” The blast itself was blinding in its light, enough to almost make the twilight hour in Kanto appear like morning. The people that closed their eyes with their hands could see the bones within them. The darkened Lugia takes notice, and intercepts it with a powerful hyper beam, which completely powers through the fiery projectile and towards Moltres. The beam was too fast for the legendary bird, and leaves a crater sizable enough to lower the floodwaters a tad bit. Articuno surfaces from the water, climbing on top of a roof. Coughing up water, she could only gasp at the horrible sight.

Lugia turns his attention to her, malice in his eyes. He inhales, the dark clouds of the world once more gathering as a singular concentrated nebulosity in his maw. Articuno couldn’t understand, why would Lugia do this? What’s overtaken him? Was it the shadows? But how? But why? It didn’t make any sense. Articuno holds back the tears as she tries to stand up but falls back down onto the steel platform.

Exhausted, confused, and betrayed, Articuno lets out a mystical ice beam. The strongest she has ever blasted in her entire life. She manages to freeze the gathering nebulosity, creating an explosion of ice shards and snowflakes, with Lugia’s frozen body crashing into the flood. Articuno collapses, trying to comprehend what had just transpired.

The dimensional rift up above widens even more, unleashing another shockwave, this time particles of energy fall into the world. More shadows are unleashed, as the seas grow more turbulent and large amounts of space dust covering the exosphere. With the world still warmed by a nearby star, the end result is an even more vibrant twilight. A powerful burst erupts from the center of the flood, Lugia had broken free from his freezing. With a flap of his wings he uses the flood to form a devastating water spout, sending Articuno rocketing towards the heavens. Lugia charges up another hyper beam, but before he can unleash it, he feels an air slash hit him directly on the back.

He flinches, and as a result feels several more air slashes come his way, sending him back down to the floodwaters below.

“I don’t know what’s taken over you, but I don’t like it!” says Shaymin, the sky warrior. Standing triumphantly in the sky above. Their face, normally sporting a smile, was stern and defiant. What the sky warrior was doing in Kanto rather than Sinnoh was anyone’s guess. Articuno manages to regain control of herself, freezing the water that soaked her wings and then breaking them away. She feels a shadowy blob hit her, and then another. Articuno can feel the burning sensation along her wings and back, trying to fight it, and resist. She calls forth a powerful blizzard to intercept the other shadowy forces as well as free herself from the corruption.

“What are these things?” Articuno asks herself as she dives back down towards the flooded ruins of Saffron. There she sees Lugia clash with Shaymin, the larger of the two using dragon tail to send the sky warrior flying towards what was once the main Silph Co building. The corrupted sea guardian then charges up a powerful ball of concentrated frost around his maw. Articuno knew an incoming ice beam when she saw one. There was no way Shaymin was going to survive that should it hit. Powerful gales begin to concentrate around Articuno’s wings, the air itself beginning to bend in the form of jetstreams and tailwinds. Winds from every cardinal direction then slammed together with her mighty wings, she unleashes a vicious hurricane towards the corrupted sea guardian.

Lugia uses his ice beam to strike the incoming tower of wind rather than Shaymin, effectively freezing the entire hurricane. What resulted from the clash of wind and frost were freezing particles raining down from above, freezing an entire section of the flood that made its way into Saffron. Lugia lets out a nightmarish screech, one that debilitates all who heard it in both body and soul. Before Articuno could counter, Lugia barges straight into her with an iron head attack, knocking the wind straight out of her. At point blank range, Lugia charges a strong electric current, a bullet of raw electric power beginning to form in his maw.

It appears Lugia does not learn from his mistakes however. Be this a symptom of his corruption or a mere oversight, Articuno capitalizes on it by sending an ice beam straight into Lugia’s mouth once again. This time creating a powerful explosion of both ice and shock. The two legendaries are sent once more plummeting towards the frozen earth. As they do, Shaymin walks over quickly to where Moltres once laid. The sky warrior had been crippled too much to continue flying, and had reverted back into their hedgehog form. “Rise once more, flame of Kanto” says Shaymin, creating a healing wish that strips her of strength but in return sets Moltres’ frozen body aflame once more. The fire quickly melts the ice, and the plethora of injuries that were on Moltres’ body had been reformed. The valorous fire bird takes notice of the hedgehog, and bows her head “thank you, sky warrior.”

With that, the firebird takes the hedgehog and places them by the western gate of Saffron, which leads directly into Celadon. Moltres then flies off to see where Lugia was. Said guardian’s eyes opened once more, realizing that his attack had once more been countered. In a fit of rage, he roars, and dark particles begin to tornado around the shadowy sea guardian. Moltres sets the pillar of darkness ablaze with fire spin, but the flames are quickly petered out by the dispersing winds. The raw heat which came from Moltres’ body managed to burn away the incoming particles around her like a barrier of some sort. Articuno was not as fortunate, forcing herself to use blizzard to disperse the shadowy powers before she could get corrupted.

Lugia then unleashes a powerful blast of wind all around him, one of them hitting Moltres and binding her with chains of dark energy. Lugia once more inhales, pooling together another nebulosity in his maw before unleashing a shadowy aeroblast towards Moltres’ general direction. Moltres uses the technique known as burn up, forcing her flames to peter out once more but allowing a powerful explosion to incinerate the chains and intercept the blast. Articuno quickly flies after her fiery sister, bringing her towards a small glacier.

“Moltres, Moltres, get up!” Articuno tells her, trying to wake her up. “Come on, it’s not safe, we have to leave!”

Moltres awakens, her flames bursting to life. She gets up as if nothing had happened, the ice beneath them melting so both of them begin to fly slightly above the flood “no. We must stop him. Lord Lugia is… is..” she couldn’t find the right words. She couldn’t… she couldn’t. She almost died a couple minutes ago, betrayed by her own trio master. She doesn’t understand. She shakes her head in frustration. “Lord Lugia is corrupted somehow, we must purge him of this evil.”

“We can’t purge him if we’re dead!” exclaims Articuno. Moltres moves the icy bird out of the way to intercept an incoming zap cannon with a flamethrower. Moltres looks at the shadowy sea guardian in the sky, staring at the twilight skies. The dimensional rift only widens further, more and more shadowy blobs descend towards the world. They watch as several flying pokemon are hit, from pidgeots to charizard, all in frantic attempts to ferry either their trainers, their young, or themselves away from all the chaos.

With a defeated sigh, Moltres looks at Articuno, “Zapdos is back in Ecruteak no doubt, likely with Lady Ho-oH and the beasts.” Articuno nods at her sister’s assessment, “yes, let us regroup before the shadows corrupt them as well.”

The two immediately fly off and escape, narrowly dodging a hyper beam as they do. Moltres quickly grabs hold of the incapacitated Shaymin he left by the gate west, and the two quickly fly off to the silver mountains, leaving Kanto behind both flooded and ruined.

---

Sinnoh was simultaneously the safest and most dangerous place to be in right now. Wildfires unlike any other had overwhelmed both the forests and the cities. The typically cold region began to suffer under the immense heat as pillars of smoke formed, touching the twilight sky above. In the chaos, a titan roamed. Slow, sluggish, a single step for each minute. None could know what he was thinking, or what he was feeling. Did such things even exist to such a behemothic automaton? The gigantic titan stomped, creating earthquakes wherever it went. Foolish rangers moving out to try and command it, to stop it from furthering the chaos, only to fail and be completely ignored.

Some then commanded for their Pokemon to attack Regigigas in a foolish attempt to stop it, but even that, Regigigas ignored. Standing there for each minute, slowly moving, never attacking, almost as if it never noticed them at all. Two trainers send out their Lucario, who use close combat on the titan. The moves were super-effective on paper, not so much in concept. Things such as type advantages seem to peter out the more divine a being is. Regigigas’ powerful exterior casually weathers every blow, and does not counter at all as he continues on its slow approach. Eventually the trainers stop attacking, leaving to handle other affairs. A handful of rangers were left to observe Regigigas, and make sure it didn’t do anything drastic.

Regigigas comes to a full stop at one of Sinnoh’s shores. If the rangers were to check their compasses and maps, they could see that the titan had followed the magnetic field to guide itself in perfect orientation facing Hoenn. The titan raises his two arms, clutching its fists. The crushing grip of its two hands was enough to crush the atoms within the air molecules it had gathered, as well as enough to perfectly contain the destructive explosions within.

“To Me. My Titans.”

The voice echoed from the mouthless body of Regigigas, the words echoing far into the distance like some sort of hyper voice.

In Hoenn, mysterious tombs one by one begin to open, and from them, titans of various materials. Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. The three sense the stillness of the Hoenn region, but also the neverending drizzle and flood that begins to further plague the region. The three make their move towards Sinnoh.

Even further however, in Galar, two others hear the call.

“Dost thou heareth the call of our lord?” asks Regidrago. Regieleki stood right beside it, merely jumping around as it always did. “Yep, totally. Think we should go there?”

“Nay, we has’t bigg’r things to attendeth to” Regidrago answered, “if’t be true our lord summons us, alloweth that gent arriveth h’re in person. Far too longeth hast that gent remain dormant. Fig us with an impromptu summoning, he has.”

“I hear the strange call as well,” says Volcanion, who stood before the two regis. Both of them stood atop the three point pass, which like the rest of the Crown Tundra was at risk of flooding now that the Frigid Sea dared expand. “Now, will you two help me in finding Magearna? I fear the worst.”

“Dost thou even know where thy mistress be?” Regidrago questions the steam pokemon.

“Indeed he does” comes another voice. The three look to see Calyrex, holding his reins of unity as he rides atop Spectrier. Behind him was Urshifu, riding a Glastrier. Neither were sure if this was the dark one or the watery one. “We are headed towards Okoya forest, a place likely remote enough to safeguard us from the chaos that occurs around the globe. Ragnarok is here, after all.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I know this one!” Regieleki chirped, “also called like…Gotterdamerung or something, it’s the final battle, right! Ancient Galarian proph-”

“Not all of the prophecy is correct, young titan” Calyrex interjects, “but even so, there shall indeed be a last battle. The final outcome of it is uncertain, so I find it in our best interests to maximize our survival by banding together and hiding.”

“Pardon, but how did you meet this Kalosian vapor beast?” asks Regidrago, earning a growl from Volcanion. “He is not Galarian and yet he is here. Have you encountered him before?”

“Yes, at the summit of this land, searching for the bearer of the soul-heart.” Calyrex answers, “we have concluded that she lays there in Okoya.”

“Quite a bold claim, if I do say so myself” Regidrago spun around. “But what about the rest of Galar?”

“It’s best I leave them to their own devices, I’ve seen them rise from worse”

“You are an ancient king of the Galarian tribes, and instead of retaking your role now that chaos has come to their doorsteps, you ignore them in favor of us and yourself” states Volcanion, stomping the ground and emitting some steam “have you two finally seen that these humans are beneath us? That they are not worth our time? How they no longer deserve your wisdom the day they traded your rule in search for what they foolishly perceived were better deals?”

“Humanity was to take its own mantle eventually, Volcanion,” replies Calyrex, “and I find it quite amusing how quickly you are to forget.”

Volcanion snorts, looking away. Regieleki observes the frigid sea which threatened to grow and touch and swallow more of the pass. “I guess we’re gonna leave now? While we can? I think Kyogre is on a rampage.”

“Kyogre is on a rampage, young titan” corrects Calyrex, “and not yet, we must find the Sword and Shield of Galar first. As a former king of Galar, I cannot allow my fellow Galarian legends to die out in lieu of recent events.”

“To save the mons but not the men,” Volcanion snickers, his back turned to everyone as he faced the frigid sea. Calyrex ignores him as he continues, “the Zarude will welcome us, they have sworn themselves to me by an oath many years past.”

“And Eternatus?” asks Urshifu, “will he join us as well?”

“Have you sensed dynamax energy or any kind of dynamaxing activity for the past few years, Urshifu?” asks Calyrex. Urshifu shakes his head. “Exactly,” says Calyrex, “many of the legendaries have gone missing. Some have abdicated from their position, others have outright disappeared. Something is at play, and that is-”

“RAGNAROK!” Regieleki chirps.

Calyrex sighs, “yes. Now come, let us find the two hero wolves and take our leave from this region. I don’t want to draw this out any further than it needs to.”

The two regis follow horsebound Urshifu and Calyrex. “The wolves are likely at the Slumbering Weald,” says Calyrex, “I will see you all there.”

The four hear Volcanion’s steam thrusters erupt, propelling the Pokemon into the air and then rocketing straight in the direction of the Slumbering Weald. The four then nod to each other before following him. Regieleki disappears in a flash, Regidrago moves quickly after its fellow titan. The two horsebound pokemon on the other hand command their steeds to run forth.

“I can sense fear in your mind, sire” says Urshifu as two mystical portals begin to open. “May I ask why?”

“I thought you would have already deduced the reason, Urshifu” says Calyrex, “Zacian and Zamazenta are two proud warriors, and are as much rivals as they are siblings. With the end of the world being night, and chaotic corruption widespread, it’s only a matter of time…”

“Before one kills the other…” Urshifu looks in the distance, a strong tinge of guilt welling within his heart. He exhales, he knows his brother lives within him now. They wanted this. The two horsebound legendaries make their way through the portals, which then disappear immediately.

Notes:

1.) Yes, that's Shadow Lugia. Or more specifically, a variant of Shadow Lugia. It'll make more sense later.

2.) I tried to make it so that Regidrago speaks shakespearianly since he represents the middle ages while Regieleki is more hip-ish as well as childish since it represents the modern age.

Chapter 3: Different Places All At Once

Cobalion awakens, he looks around him to see other sleeping passengers. The lights were off, save for small night lights that were kept on to keep the children at ease. The coldness of the sea winds could be felt even inside the room, which should normally be hot given the weakness of the electric fans. He can see all the humans cuddling, some doing so with their small Pokemon instead. All wrapped in blankets as the cold only ever threatened to increase. Cobalion slowly gets up, and with great dexterity moves through the sleeping crowd that filled the room. He was still quite unused to the entire bipedalism thing, especially as the boat rocked. He almost falls over, one that could have been loud enough to awaken the rest of the room, but he manages to maintain his balance. He spots the small child from earlier today sprawled out on one of the beds with the other children, her mother sitting close by having fallen asleep as well. He can see how she’s crumpled up, hunched to the point where she’s hugging her knees. Her blanket on the other hand was completely drawn on the foot of the bed, ready to fall onto the floor at a moment’s notice. Cobalion takes the blanket and wraps it over her.

The memory of Kyurem slaughtering his team comes back to mind, and his hunger for justice grows even stronger now as he watches his sweet and innocent child slumber. He leaves the room, and gets a good look of the sea. Oddly however, he could see slightly through the mist and realized a number of roofs and scraps. He sees one man in particular, hanging onto a piece of wood. His voice is likely too weak to yell any further, as well as completely unaware of the sharpedo fin creeping up from behind him. He sees rangers work together to save others, one of them turns out to be controlling the sharpedo and saves the man.

Cobalion sighs in relief before looking up at the twilight sky. There the dimensional rift remained, as if a wound on the universe’s very person. Shadows continued to descend, although they were growing rarer and rarer. The twilight above did not help in indicating the time. Had hours passed or had it been mere minutes? Before the swordsman could think any further, something hit the ship. It forces the entirety of the ship to tilt downwards to its right, Cobalion holds onto the rails as he tastes the seawater. Underwater, he could hear people screaming, the extreme angle of which the ship had gone in practically forced anyone on the right side who went outside to fall into the cold waters below.

Cobalion looks around him, the cold water irritating his eyes. He watches as a mysterious shadowy figure swims along, and snatches a human in its jaws before disappearing at torpedo-like speeds.

“Lugia?” Cobalion wondered.

---

“Her Majesty is nowhere to be found!” says Raikou, regrouping with Zapdos at the Ilex forest. The two met in front of Celebi’s empty shrine. The pixie was nowhere to be found, which was odd given how the forest was much disturbed by the hostile winds. The supersonic dragon known as Latios was capable enough to prevent the large waves from rolling in and it was inland enough to avoid the flooding for the meantime but it was still in quite terrible shape. Terrified pokemon hiding in the trees, unaware of where their guardian is. Shadows begin to roam the land, threatening to corrupt them. The two thunders however manage to ward them off with their powerful bolts. Zapdos looks at the empty shrine, seemingly unbroken and unmoved. “Nowhere in Cianwood, and that place is practically a ghost city now. Goldenrod has hunkered down and her rainbow shines nowhere over there as well. Who knows where she could be.”

“I grow weary of the chaos, my fellow thunder” says Raikou, “if lady Ho-oH does not reveal herself soon, all might be lost. Her rainbow brings forth hope, but more importantly, promises rebirth. Her absence during a crisis like this is a portent of doom at a scale that can catch even Arceus’ attention.”

“Who is to say that Arceus is not behind this?” Zapdos suggests. Raikou is taken aback, and so are the other Pokemon who listened in.

“To talk so ill about Our Mother, have you no shame?!”

“Only a being such as Arceus can unleash unexplainable calamities such as this,” Zapdos defended his statement, “look at the wounded sky, do you not see how space dust has plunged our world into perpetual twilight? Or how these shadowy forces threaten the very essence of both man and mon? As well as the bond both forge? Even now I can sense the sky, soil, and sea clash against each other as the world threatens to tear itself apart.”

“Thundering is the cataclysm, yes,” Raikou replies, “but the Queen Mother holds no favor over such a barbaric execution, someone else is playing their hand. A successor group to the criminal organization known as Galactic, perhaps? Or has Team Rocket, born anew, attained hold of the world’s mightiest mortal?”

“Galactic was a coalition of fools that thought they could gain control over all things, and I doubt that Mewtwo, powerful as he may be, can open a tear in reality itself” Zapdos flapped his wings, clouds had gathered and the torrential storm began to batter the landscape, winds tearing away some of the trees. “I fear that the wound in reality will widen enough to spill us into the overvoid. We have no choice but to forego this search for your lady and-”

Zapdos doesn’t even get to finish his sentence as Raikou hits him with a powerful extrasensory attack. Briefly stunned, Zapdos shakes it off right after and unleashes a vicious heat wave that scorches the entire forest. Pokemon flee for their lives as the two thunders quarrel.

“What gives you the right to suggest forsaking our lady! Lady Ho-oH is Johto’s only hope!”

“Consider it instinct,” Zapdos grows back in return, “this crisis is bigger than just the regions now. It involves the entire world. We must find a way to contact Arceus and discover a way to put the threat to rest.”

“Foolishness,” Raikou enters a stance, ready to pounce. Zapdos eyes narrow, focusing on him.

“You think I'm a fool for knowing that this catastrophe concerns the world? The other legends could be out there convening at the Hall of Origin as we speak, we must head there now. Perhaps thy lady awaits there if she concerns you so much.”

“What’s your motive?”

“What?!”

“You arrive alone, convince us to split up, and now tell me to abandon the mission. You’re onto something”

A headache forms for Zapdos, “there are several errors in that accusation of yours! If you do-”

A loud explosion could be heard, followed by a choir of screams in the distance. The two thunders look eastward, where many of the shadows now seem to converge. Zapdos looks back at Raikou, “if you do not desire to accompany me then very well, your hunt for Ho-oH can happen without me. I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Zapdos takes flight, high into the sky. Raikou however pursues him, desiring to find out what happened as well. The two thunders didn’t take long to reach the shore of Cherrygrove city, where a ship had completely fallen onto its right side, and a single creature perched on top of it, drinking the shadowy energies which hailed from the heavens.

“L-Lord Lugia?!” Zapdos exclaims, the shadowy sea guardian looks at him, and gives a fiendish smile. Lugia’s pure visage has been contaminated by the dark particles, indicated by the shadowy color and aura that now surrounded him. The creature takes flight, pushing off the ship and thus forcing it to sink further.

Raikou stood there at the shores of Cherrygrove, the other two beasts quickly making their way beside him. They watch in horror as Lugia strikes Zapdos down with a powerful ice beam, sending the lightning bird sinking deep into the ocean.

---

Melemele Island was lost. Tapu Koko laid there atop its now bloody meadow, a Buzzwole grabbing hold of him as the other ultra beasts snicker. The Buzzwole places him within a Stakataka, and two other Stakata sit beside it. The three then form a single wall that then transforms into a tower. A singular configuration of power.

Buzzwole transmits signals to its fellow Ultra Beasts, who all nod in agreement. The muscular bug walks back towards the portal, putting his head straight through it, where it was once more in Ultra Space.

“Is it done?” asks a mysterious voice.

The Buzzwole nods, sending signals through its antennae. The figure smirks, “that’s three of them, one last remains. Find him! Err.. her! Er.. them! Whatever!” The figure then laughs childishly before scurrying off towards an enormous pillar of light.

The Megalo Tower.

The lone tower stood in what was once Ultra Megalopolis, a fine land ravaged by unspeakable horrors. The figure floats around the tower of light, knowing full well that the end of days was at hand.

The buzzwole leaves the portal and signals back to its fellow Ultra Beasts to get ready. Tapu Fini was next, and last. After they gain all four of Alola’s guardian deities, the next step of their plan can finally unfold. For many, this was the twilight, but to the Ultra Beasts, this was the dawn.

At the summit, Phione senses the great disturbance, the absence of Tapu Koko and the loneliness brought forth with Tapu Fini being the lone power. She moves over to the last Tapu, whispering in her ear. “Tapu Fini, it is best to leave now. You are the last one standing, meaning your head is next.”

Tapu Fini opens her eyes, sweat falling down her head. Tired didn’t even begin to express just how battered she was despite all of the support. Maintaining the entire force of the sea, resisting Kyogre’s command and blunt overpowering, it was growing far too much. The strain was taking its toll on the guardian deity.

“Let go, we have to flee. I can take you to another region where the other legendaries can protect you!”

“Cannot…. Allow…” Tapu Fini says weakly, “People…. Alola… Protec..”

The tapu then suddenly crumbles into dust. Most gasp, others remain frozen still at the horrifying sight as Tapu Fini’s very body dissolves into dust, her raw essence laying there. The winds of Mount Lanakila blow the dust away, forcing some of the desperate worshipers to try and catch them before they are lost forever. The essence on the other hand remains there, Phione grabs hold of it, feeling it. Both her rage whenever someone dared provoke her by approaching her so casually, her skill with the creation of the mist, and her desire to protect the people. She can even sense Tapu Fini’s desperation as Kyogre’s will hammered into the seas of Alola. Then nothing. There was shock, fury, pain, love, sorrow, and then nothing at all.

All of Alola then begins to shake. Its guardian deities were gone, and the apocalypse had finally begun to swing full force. The four islands slowly begin to sink into the sea. The people panic, some frantically running up to the highest point. Phione absorbs Tapu Fini’s essence and then now has to decide on whether to sit here as the Ultra Beasts come ever closer, or stand here and salvage the dying region. The people surround Phione, begging her to save them. Asking questions she couldn’t answer.

“Where is she?!”

“What did you do?!”

“What is happening?!”

Phione jumps off Mount Lanakila, and with an ice beam slides down the side back towards the sea. Diving back into the growing water, Phione quickly swims at a great speed away from the region, not looking back. The sea was empty of Pokemon, all of which were likely compelled to move with Kyogre’s growing army. As she does, a portal suddenly opens, and as she tries to stop, an enormous hand grabs hold of her and pulls her through.

The portal closes, and she’s slammed down onto the hard floor of this alien place. Looking up, Phione sees a bright pillar and a figure flying all around it. The princess of the sea couldn’t help but growl at the sight of the mischievous smirk etched on the being’s face.

“Wasn’t that hard to find ya, didn’t even need to mobilize the UBs” chuckles the creature, “and you know, for one of the weakest legendaries to grace this pebble of a world, you sure don’t know how to hide your divine signature. Tracking you from the depths of Ultra Space was easier than telling a male Phermosa that he looks like a girl.”

Phione doesn’t laugh as she tries to get up, “Hoopa, what are you doing here? Why are you helping these… things?!”

An offended grunt comes from the few Ultra Beasts in the crowd, mostly just a buzzwole, two blacephalons, six nihilego, and an incoming stakataka. The sight of the last one induces a pang of worry within Phione.

“My, my now, Phione” Hoopa places a finger on his chin and gives a playful expression of mock-sadness, “these are our fellow Pokemon, there’s no need to discriminate, especially coming from you.”

Phione doesn’t bother talking any further before blasting a water pulse at the Stakataka, stunning it, and then immediately scurrying off with a waterfall. The rocky jellyfish give chase, only to be outmaneuvered by the sea princess who knocks each and every single one of them down with a potent bubblebeam. Unfortunately for Phione, she also gets hit with two shadow balls directly afterward, and then falls into a portal that brings her back into the center.

“Alright, that should do it, hehehe” Hoopa gives an ear to ear grin at the Ultra Beasts, he takes his other ring and forms yet another portal back into Alola, “bring the sea princess to Melemele before it sinks completely into the seafloor. We’ve got a show to do.”

The muscly mosquito nods and grabs the sea princess, its hand large enough to cover her entire body, and then brings it through the portal. Hoopa follows the muscly bug out, as well as the two blacephalon, and of course, the last stakataka.

To say that the region that was once Alola was a wreck was an understatement. The sea breeze could be smelt from all directions now that the ocean threatened to consume its islands. The screams of panicking people, or even the sense of fear, was nowhere to be felt. Alola had seemingly become lifeless as far as the djinn was concerned. What really caught his attention however were the scattered bodies of dead Ultra Beasts all around. It was like the aftermath of a bloody battle, save for the fact that it was not. It was instead the aftermath of a ruthless massacre.

A horde of Buzzwole, Pheromosa, and Kartana surrounded a singular figure of diminutive size.

“Oh no, not this blithering baboon” Hoopa sighs, turning upside down and then right side up while resting his chin on his knuckle. “But I suppose when you challenge one of Alola you challenge all of it too, such is life here, or… well… was”

The shadowy fighter turns around and makes eye contact with the djinn, his bright soulless eyes giving nothing less but a merciless glare. If it was the actual move of the same name, it would have likely paralyzed. The horde of Ultra Beasts then attack Marshadow from all directions, yet all are seemingly ground into paste within the next few seconds as Marshadow’s hands struck with the force and speed of lightning, stealing their souls and breaking apart their bodies.

“Alright, out you go” Hoppa flings a portal, the shot timed perfectly enough to transport the shadowy brawler the second he left himself open after his slaughtering of the Ultra Beasts. The portal closes, effectively removing Marshadow from the battlefield, and Alola now completely godless. Hoopa looks at the surviving beasts, “alright, enough! Get the stakataka and xurkitree back online! We’re almost done here!”

---

Rayquaza flew across the void of space, moving at incredible speeds. He had nested in a nearby dwarf planet which was being heated by a red giant star, basking in its light and having been so for an unknown amount of time. He would have likely rested there for several centuries had it not been for the shockwaves caused by an essokinetic disturbance. It was like something had wounded all of creation. The shockwaves from the tear manage to shatter several asteroids, and threaten only to further grow. The green serpent was compelled to abandon the planet and begin to fly several lightyears back to homeworld.

On his super-relativistic trip, he immediately notices an odd energy signature also approaching the world. The dragon quickly moves to see the possible entity. The entire divine signature was large, only a being like Palkia could have possibly emitted that level of power while here in the farthest reaches of space. Rayquaza finds himself in another galaxy, one that had been stripped of life, or rather, all baryonic matter. The serpent can recall passing by here during ancient times, there used to be life here as well, with Pokemon of their own. Said extraterrestrials were gone now, their home stars that defined their solar systems effectively drained. The entire galaxy was effectively terraformed and inhospitable.

Save for the one supermassive divine signature headed in his general direction.

The dragon looks contemptuously at the approaching entity. Or rather, entities.

Deoxys.

Several of them. Hundreds of them, thousands even. Some were in their speed forms, while others were in their defensive states. This army of alien viruses offended Rayquaza to no end, although that might simply be due to old clashes. Perhaps it would be different this time around? Rayquaza stands unwaveringly before the Deoxys horde, all of them stopping and then surrounding the dragon.

“Lord of the skies” says one of the Deoxys, in the normal form, the one he was most familiar with, “it appears you’ve found us out.”

“Indeed I have” Rayquaza replies. The two conversed telepathically for there was no sound in the far reaches of space. “Care to explain to me what you’ve done with this galaxy? I recall about eight planets here being capable of supporting quasi-sapient life, and three that did.”

“Unfortunate casualties…” the Deoxys whispers, “We require growth. Our body is existence, evolution, the infinite scenario. With our bodies we can control everything within a scope of several lightyears, binding these separate vessels together and allowing us to will whatever scenario into existence.”

“A miracle machine” snarls Rayquaza, “or perhaps, a parasite that has weaponized evolution.”

“We are not parasites, we are the final product.” all Deoxys say in unison, “everything else is obsolete, and makes way for us, sustains us, until we no longer require sustaining.”

“Last fool who said that murdered almost everything in creation and then got banished into the distortion world,” Rayquaza retorts, “inducing evolutionary scenarios- extinction events- at a galactic scale is a crime that will not go unpunished.”

“You cannot judge the natural process of things, lord of the skies” the Deoxys begin to intertwine their mysterious appendages to each other, forming a net of alien material, “as one, we nullified the fusion reaction of this galaxy’s stars, and every other galaxy prior, then draining it into nothing. We cannot be stopped, we are irresistible, inevitable, inescapable. You are but the god of a single planet’s skies, we have annihilated the atmospheres of several, we are more than capable of reminding you how big the universe truly is.”

“You dare challenge a god?”

“What is a god to someone such as us?”

“Still a god, refusal of the universe’s function does not alter how it works.”

The deoxys laugh, before collectively unleashing a powerful psycho-boost from all directions. What occurs after is the destruction of the entire empty galaxy, as well as neighboring ones as a furious green dragon flies out of the explosion. Rayquaza raged in his mega evolved form, proceeding to destroy several Deoxys within a zeptosecond. The scattered Deoxys quickly pool back together and coordinate attacks against their old foe.

---

When Shaymin opened their eyes, the last thing they were expecting was snow. Energy jumped into every fiber of their body, “Huh! Hey! Why am I back in Sinnoh?! Wh-”

“Calm yourself, sky warrior” says Articuno, her serene voice managing to calm the hedgehog down, “We are at Mount Silver right now, Lord Lugia has taken his battle elsewhere, for now we must rest.”

Moltres flies in from the icy mist, “good news, I’ve found out where Zapdos and the beasts are, bad news, Lord Lugia dwells there as well. They battle as we speak.”

“What about lady Ho-oH?” Shaymin butted in, “surely she can help purify whatever Lugia’s become.”

“She is not here, or anywhere at all” Moltres replies, “we’ve scoured the region already, there’s no sign of her, and considering how elusive and active the beasts have been, they were likely looking for her.”

The sky warrior and the ice bird look at each other and then back at the firebird. “It is best we find Ho-oH first before we ever consider confronting Lord Lugia, even if we have the numbers advantage, there is no telling what level of devastation could come from it should we face the corrupted Lugia without her.”

“There is no telling what will happen if we expose lady Ho-oH to corruption as well,” Moltres retorts, “I fear only the worst. We risk the lives of the beasts and our brother should we stay idle like this, or stray from our duty to help them and restore order to Kanto and Johto.”

“We know Ho-oH isn’t in Kanto and judging from what you two have said, she isn’t in Johto either, where could she be then? The Sinjoh ruins maybe? Sinnoh seems pretty peaceful in comparison to everywhere else last I left it” Shaymin comments. The hedgehog had a point, the two wonder where else could the rainbow phoenix be. It took a minute before Moltres could come to a solid conclusion.

“Of course!” Moltres flaps her wings, blowing away the snow and hail, her timid flames enrage once more, melting away the snow and ice of the peak, “Navel Rock!”

Articuno nods, “does that mean you are onboard with the plan to retrieve her first?”

Moltres shakes her head, “no, that will be your mission, I must assist our fellow legendaries. Shaymin, you are free to join me if you wish.” Without hearing another word, the firebird departs, leaving the two at the peak of Mount Silver. Articuno sighs as her sister leaves, and looks back at Shaymin, “I suppose it is the two of us?”

Shaymin nods, “yeah, let’s go find Ho-oH and save Lugia! And maybe stop this twilight thing too!”

Chapter 4: Emancipation

The Slumbering Weald was like a pocket dimension all on its own, living in complete contrast to the chaos that surrounded all of Galar. Leaders of their respective cities had since closed it off from the wild areas, safeguarding them from the chaos outside. The wild area itself in the mainland had several tremors, fire, and erratic Pokemon. Madness had seemingly taken over the Pokemon of the area, like a disease that had grabbed hold of their mind. Some had even begun to rot outside-in.

Calyrex would be remiss not to first suspect the slumbering Eternatus that dwelled deep below the nation, but alas the poisonous dragon remained inactive during his slumber deep within the earth. Implying that something entirely different was at play. The deer king and his combative companion manage to make it to the Slumbering Weald, where Regieleki waited amidst the fog and grass, while Regidrago and Volcanion would manage to fly in shortly after.

“Come guys! They’re probably here!” Regieleki chirps. Urshifu nods and leads the way, riding Glastrier through the fog. Volcanion walks after them, following them in search of the two hero wolves. Left behind, Calyrex and Regidrago look at each other. The deer king couldn’t quite figure out what the titan was thinking, not like he could blame himself though, the titan barely had a face.

“Is this an attempt at unnerving me, you sanctimonious boob?”

Calyrex laughs, “I never took you as a man of comedic timing, drago.”

“I do not jest”

Calyrex shakes the reins of unity, urging Spectrier forward into the mist and grass, “of course, of course. I suppose I am just wondering about your motives.”

“Sameth for you, I could say”

“Same-eth? Why not just say the same like the others?”

“I scant bend to the wills of linguistic drift,” Regidrago replies, “I speak the ways of a time where its peasantries then showcase more class than nobility now.”

“Regardless, why did you not heed Regigigas’ call?”

“Told you, haveth I already?” Regidrago replies, “Maker only through will, Regigigas is, not with its hands like it made ice, rock, and steel. Progress in accordance with humanity we are, without its will, we are as well.”

“To be made by his will still means to be made by him, so why do you not heed his command?”

“Refute if they must, my stance remaineth unaltered. Gigas is a fool who ostracizeth us, seal us away in a faraway land, never to be seen once more in mortal affairs even as our Steel’s time faceth dusk and mine faceth dawn, and later when mine came to pass and Eleki’s came to rise.”

The deer king didn’t bother to push any further than that. Instead he looks at Volcanion, wondering about the different ages of mankind. Through the mist, they eventually find themselves by a small lake. The serene lake contrasted heavily with the chaotic sky and smoke far away. All had stopped on one side of the lake, observing Zamazenta who rested on the other side, drinking.

“There he is, we should propose the idea now before he and Zacian try to kill each other” says Volcanion, “I am not in favor of seeing which weapon triumphs over which.”

Calyrex nods, and urges Spectier forward. Moving from out of the shade, he is in clear view of the shield wolf. The red wolf of a thousand battles spots the deer king, yet does not stand, instead continuing to lay down on his belly as the king approaches the other side. “Speak, king of the tundra. You know what unfolds among us.”

“You and Zacian don’t need to fight”

“It is our way”

“It doesn’t have to be”

“The end of all things is nigh, we end each other on our own terms”

“Ragnarok is not the end of all things, unless we make it to be. All that was foretold was a great battle, we can avoid such a-”

The red wolf’s laugh cuts the deer king off before he could continue. “You’re a funny one, deer king. Not participate in the battle? It is unavoidable, and all things will die. Arceus wills it so. If you want to be a coward, so be it. Do not concern your paltry survival instincts with our business.”

“Zamazenta! Stop this nonsense! This-” the deer king is interrupted yet again, this time by a hand resting on his shoulder. He turns to see Urshifu, turning his head. “Zamazenta is a warrior of a thousand battles, if not more. There is no freeing him from his madness, for he appears to deliberately ignore all matters of sound reasoning. I say we cut our losses and head to the forest now, the last thing we need is to find out what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object.”

“Hold on just a second!” Regieleki chirps, “what even is this Ragnarok thing going on anyways? You’re all out here talking about battles and I don’t even understand whatever archaic shenanigans you’re all muttering about!”

A sonic howl knocks back the legendaries, Zamazenta had stood up, the rusted shield having transformed him into his crowned state. He passes them a brief glare, “you’re all fools. Cowards. There is no hiding from the final battle. The swarthy one will burn the world, rending existence asunder as he clashes one last time with the unfathomable leviathan. Everything as we know it will be unglued and then unmade. Arceus wills it, and the will of the mother is the will of all. So unless you have something to say that wouldn’t warrant an execution for blasphemy, I suggest you filthy pagans leave. Zacian is nearby.”

Calyrex sighs, “fine. If you seek that to be so, then my reasoning is in vain. Eternally quaint are the minds of the battle-crazy. Come, legends. To Okoye forest we go.”

“You didn’t answer my question!” Regieleki chirps, Calyrex merely replies with “when we get there, young titan. When we get there.”

With that, the legends all get a move on. Calyrex and Urhisfu ride the elemental steeds of frost and shade into mysterious gateways elsewhere, while Calyrex zips off into the sky, Volcanion following suit. Regidrago however remained behind, floating over towards the shield-wolf.

“Good morrow, Face of Evening.”

“Bedeviled by the thoughts of the ends, I have been for a fortnight. The end. For a thousand years or so we have stood together, but it ends now.”

“Excalibur faces Wynebgwrthucher, the sword that can cutteth down all opposition against the shield that can withstandeth all cuts.”

“Indeed, do you have anything you want to get off of your mind, dragon titan?”

“Slightly. Do you remember my age? When plague and disease ravaged ancient Galar, and the Kalosian kings still had their heads connected to their torsos?”

“All too well, yes. Zacian dove after a lady mesprit of the lake, I believe. Or was it someone else? I no longer remember. What of it?”

Regidrago spun around, opening and closing its dragon head. “Hast thou ever wondered why legends wielded swords and so little do so for shields? Dost such popularity of one over the other never bugged thee? Or how the advent or armor rendered shields less desirable? How does it feel to be left behind as the peasantry and their fellow mortals marveled over other weaponry?”

“It matters to me not. As the god of shields, I can say one thing for sure. A shield is more than just a weapon. It is everyone who seeks to defend others from the injustices brought about by agents of evil. I can sense the strong desire of all creatures around the globe to defend their fellows, be it their young, their elders, or their friends. It’s a beautiful world we’re leaving behind, seeing people spending their last hours caring for those they love most. It matters not how many admire the sword, for in the end, all seek the shield.”

The two hear a howl in the distance. The two legendaries face northward, judging by the distance of the howl, it was in the wild area. The Giant’s Seat.

“Farewell then, Face of Evening. May justice be with you through either your triumph or your demise.” Regidrago flies off, and Zamazenta runs off into the misty forest of the Slumbering Weald.

---

Shaymin rested on top of Articuno as the icy bird flew over the rising seas. The ocean was stripped of life, all having migrated towards wherever Kyogre demanded they go. Articuno watched the waves rise and fall intensely as the storm roared above. The icy bird looked for the white rock out in the open yet out of sight. The bird no longer sees any islands that used to be there, nothing but wreckage having either sunk to the bottom or risen to the top.

Navel Rock was a tower of sun-bleached stone standing alone amidst the sea, stuff of legend known to claim foolish sailors that sought to plunder the tower for its treasures. Its purposes lost to time, it was said to have been the place where both Lugia and Ho-oH were born, meant to be the guardians of both land and sea among the regions of Kanto and Johto, as well as the subordinates of Kyogre and Groudon respectively while still owing themselves as well to the master of the skies for flight. Some even rumored that the two legendaries mated with each other in the rock, and the resulting children were the birds.

Articuno, as well as her fellow birds, were never really brave enough to ask such a question. Either of the two would smite them with their divine powers if such a thing were to be brought up. Questions aside, the bird finally manages to spot the tower in the distance. Its sheer height split the view of the horizon in half. A mystical barrier guarded it from the rising water levels around it. A massive wall of water literally surrounded it, blocked off by this magic barrier. From the sky above she could see a few trainers and pokemon resting by the rocky shores down below, trying to gather their bearings.

The bird ascends to the top of Navel Rock, where Lady Ho-oH’s nest once lay. She was known to perch atop the tower, given a clear view of the entire world. Here she once meditated in a nest of fine leaves and sacred ash. Some travelers dared sail here to retrieve a single ashy leaf, said to be capable of restoring someone suffering a vicious hex incurable by any other means. Said leaves were now gone, thrown off and scattered into the cold and harsh sea by the hostile winds brought forth alongside the twilight. More shadows rained from above, although all were blocked out by the barrier.

Entering through the top of the tower, the icy bird slowly made her way down to the depths of the tower. Shaymin held onto her back, eager to see Lady Ho-oH once more. It’s been a while since they last met, a meeting at Sinjoh ruins. It was the last time they saw Victini. Meloetta and Cresselia were there as well as Xerneas, Diancie, and even Suicune, all of them discussing a wide number of things, such as Groudon’s long absence, Darkrai’s growing powers in the dream world, the long quarrel between Enamorous and her disastrous brethren, and so on. They were always so enraptured by the hopeful and warm aura around her. She was always so wise, managing to be the main judge of affairs in the small sisterhood. If anyone was wise enough to know what to do, it was her.

So to think that she might have been here, hiding from the chaos of the outside world, it did instill within her a fiendish cold. Articuno soon found herself flying through the cracks and reaching the bottom most part of the inner rock. A raging waterfall coursed, crashing down from above. Shaymin could easily spot a bright orange hue near the waterfall, and a smile grows on her face as Articuno lands down onto the stone floor. Ho-oH had her back to them, facing the waterfall, her eyes closed as she listened in on the harmonic flow of the water. Feeling the cold, meditating in the calmness brought about by the confines of Navel Rock.

Shaymin gets off of Articuno, and bows alongside her before the majestic phoenix. “Lady Ho-oH” Articuno calls out with much reverence in her voice. The rainbow bird cranes her head to the side to see the two of them, a smile growing on her face.

“Ah, Articuno, Shaymin, how pleasant it is to see you two again” Ho-oH faces them completely, it was odd seeing her so far down here where Lugia usually resided, but alas none could really blame her from protecting herself from the corruptive shadows above. “What brings you two here? The flood? The twilight? The cry of my beasts?”

“Lugia, dear lady” Articuno replied with a solemn voice this time.

“Oh…” Ho-oH looks away, then towards the waterfall that towered high above the cavern. “So he has partaken in the madness.”

“He hasn’t just participated in the madness, he’s become one with it!” exclaims Shaymin, only to get swatted by Articuno for the bold and insensitive statement. Ho-oH sighs as she turns to face the waterfall. She extends her beautiful wings, its feathers said to be capable of shining a bright light that could cure illnesses, and with a single flap of her wings the waterfall parted and stopped, revealing a mysterious art composed of beautiful carvings. A vertical piece from the bottom all the way to the highest point of the lowermost section of Navel Rock. The art depicted what seemed to be mortals waging war against each other. At the very bottom were demons of various forms following an armored king, then up above it was the sea where ships and monsters roamed as a single united fleet encroaching upon the land. The ships were manned by Hoennic pirates and Alolan koa, warrior classes from the ancient times of their respective lands. Together they approached land, which was full of mountains all manned by more ancient warrior classes from regions all across the globe. Kantonese ninjas, Johtonite ashigaru, Hisuian (now Sinnohite) samurai, Unovan braves, Kalosian knights, and Galarian highlanders. All of them together united with a giant king with a fiery crown resting upon his brow and an equally fiery sword pointed towards the heavens as he stood atop the summit of the tallest mountain. Above the incoming battle depicted were the suns and stars, where the dragons clashed in the heavens as the sun and moon were left shattered. Even higher up the two could see as everything ascended into the transcendental realm. Articuno’s eyes were sharp enough to see that at the top of this chain of conflict was a lone queen sitting upon her throne.

No doubt Arceus, the Mother of Existence. Mother of Mew, the gene-seed of all Pokemon.

Articuno’s eyes widen and her eyes descend back down to Ho-oH, who gives her a nod. “It is as Celebi foretold, the battle of battles, the twilight of the gods. Ragnarok. A long night is all that awaits it afterwards if I am to pass. I am the dawn, and must remain safe here until all has been done.”

“B-but Lugia!” states Shaymin. Ho-oH shakes her head, “I cannot, dear Shaymin. I have long sensed from afar Lugia’s corruption, and try as I might to free him, that would involve risking my life as well, and I cannot allow myself to die.”

“But my lady, are you not beyond the clutches of death?” Articuno asks, tilting her head.

“Indeed I am,” Ho-oH nods, although her somber look remains the same, “but what plagues us now is not death. But doom. No immortal can escape doom, unimaginable and inescapable destruction that shatters the very supreme chain of being of which all things operate upon. I cannot resurrect from doom, for doom can destroy even death itself.”

“The death of death…” Articuno shivered

“Super death?” Shaymin asks, earning a light chuckle from the rainbow bird.

“I am afraid so. Should even the All-Mother be a casualty of this war, I must be there to initiate the grand rebirth. As the goddess of resurrections, I must piece together the remains of the destroyed universe in order to create anew, for..” Ho-oH stops, a bit hesitant to continue. “I must restore the world once the twilight has passed. Until then, I must hide here, for it is a safe haven free from the malice of the outside world.”

Shaymin looks around to see that the dust of the walls had also fallen off, uncovering more carvings. Inscribed into the wall like magical runes, Circles. Circles upon circles upon circles. Each circle slowly intersecting with the other as if they were now forming venn diagrams, and said diagrams were connected as if a chain, or perhaps a net, had been formed. Within each circle were specific Pokemon. Shaymin could recognize some like elekids and magmars, while others were creatures they didn’t quite recognize. A fiery alligator, a grass cat, a duck with a hat… “What are these?”

“Worlds, sky warrior. Worlds…” Ho-oH answers. Suddenly, powerful waves of energy burst from outside Navel Rock. “In another lifetime, you will know. Both of you have to leave, now. The worst is yet to come.”

The three aerial legendaries hear a loud screech outside, something that was alien and wrong, as well as something akin to a billion wailing souls synchronized as one. The icebird looks at the rainbow bird and genuflects, “farewell, Lady Ho-oH, may you remain safe here.” Shaymin gets on top of Articuno before the two of them fly up, leaving Navel Rock and returning to the outside. The darkness of the tunnels are replaced by the bright and exuberant twilight, Articuno turns to see a vicious creature vacuuming innocent mortals into its enormous maw.

Shaymin gasps at the sight of the creature. It was massive, rotund, and held an enormous mouth where a stomach should have been. A dark blue and spiky tongue lashing out, reeling in any Pokemon or human that fought for their lives to not get devoured. “W-w-what is that thing?!”

“A creature from Ultra Space, no doubt” Articuno points towards a nearby Ultra Wormhole hovering over where the dock and entry cave used to be. The creature unleashes another deafening wail, and the two flinch at the intensity of its volume and the horror of its contents.

“It’s eating them! We have to stop it!” Shaymin tells Articuno. Articuno nods, “much agreed.”

---

The Aether Foundation was once a prosperous organization that helped turn Alola from a developing region left in the figurative dust of its peers in all matters technological and economical into a respected global power. Formed from a raw love for Pokemon and desire to improve human development, the Aether Foundation was inextricably linked to the greatness of Alola. Its main headquarters was located at the heart of the sea that separated all islands, known only as Aether Paradise.

Said paradise was now nothing short of ruin. Long ago, its last president, Gladion, fought against an unknown but powerful ultra beast within the confines of the artificial island. The end result was the destruction of the paradise, and the deaths of everyone within them. All of its innocent workers, the Pokemon they were safeguarding, rehabilitating, and curing, and even its future plans which are said to be capable of rocketing the entire world into a new futuristic age, with Alola as the sole superpower. All now, heartwrenchingly, lost.

One of the most important things lost in the project however was the Beast Killers project. The artificial Pokemon known as Type: Null, and its final form Silvally, both creatures made in some bastardized attempt at mimicking Arceus’ very own image, and a likewise foolish attempt at emulating her power in destroying invading Ultra Beasts. The breed was kept within the confines of the Aether Paradise, deemed too dangerous for any use outside combating these extradimensional threats. With the head of opposition gone, Ultra Beasts have long since become a serious problem in Alola.

The zenith of said problem has now been reached. The ruins of Aether Paradise remained standing long after its destruction, left untouched by the Alolans out of fear. Hoopa couldn’t really blame them, he could sense a vicious power emanating from the waters that surrounded the ruins of the paradise. Something malicious and wrong, as if directly counteracting the “correct nature” of reality itself. Shrugging off the feeling, Hoopa calls the Ultra Beasts, who were setting up a massive tower. The Stakataka had fused together and formed a tower. Within them were the three tapus and a princess of the seas bearing the power of the fourth. Several Xurkitree bind their arms together, their electric appendages interconnecting until they form one long wire. Hoopa opens a portal into a mysterious cave, and then another one through it leading to Ultra Megalopolis.

“Bzzz.. Buzz… Buzzz.. Wole?” asks a buzzwole, the djinn merely grins right back at the muscular mosquito before tapping it in its rock hard pecs, “hey, I helped you all beat your Tapu foes by allowing you all mobilize en masse thanks to my portals, it’s my turn to get what I want.”

The dark psychic djinn moves through his portal, with the long line of Xurkitree following suit. Water had flooded most of the cave’s inside. The ultra beasts connect their electric arms towards a lamp at the center of the cavern, and then form a line through it and into the other portal, all the way until they manage to connect directly onto the Megal Tower. With several Xurkitree ready to transmit and amplify copious amounts of energy into the tower, Hoopa claps his hands and rubs them together with a big goofy grin.

The small djinn flies back to Aether Paradise and gives a thumbs up to the tower. Immediately, the tower mobilizes. Power begins to jolt out of the blocks of the Ultra Beast, divine power. Hoopa could hear the prayers of ancient peoples, and the wails of Alola’s ancient enemies. Powers of the Alolan fae begin to course through the wires of the Xurkitree, moving quickly through the lone line towards the lamp, and then towards the tower. Hoopa’s ear-to-ear grin only grew wider as he heard the Tapus' voices begin to scream out. The air itself burnt, the raw energy beginning to disintegrate the surrounding Ultra Beasts that got too close.The concrete terrain of Aether Paradise began to change due to the chaotic magic which unfolded. Grassy, and then misty, then psychic, then electric, then grassy again. Power bursts forth towards the heavens, the straight beam of light suddenly bending and reforming, as if changing direction to elsewhere. Hoopa turns around to see the Megal Tower slowly return to light.

Buzzing and chirping noises alert Hooopa, a naganadiel was asking him about the energy being unleashed towards the sky.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hoopa winks at the dragon, “consider it negative energy, your liege won’t need anything like that.”

The ruins of what was once Aether Paradise begin to crumble, threatening to fall into the already rising sea. The only reason they had not yet was because of the buzzwole lifting the entire platform up. Four mystical energies blending together, it will more than suffice in their plans. It was the key. The wound in the twilight sky cracks open further, the shadows disappearing to make way for a savage roar that shakes the entirety of the world, opening several wormholes into ultra space.

“Looks like there’s a whole new avenue for you guys!” Hoopa claps, the Stakataka tower continues to violently course with energy until finally, it bursts. Super-heated blocks fly in all directions, leaving behind a huge pile of ash. The lamp within the cave cracks open, and Hoopa feels an explosion of darkness within him. Crashing into the transmogrified floor of Aether Paradise, none of the Ultra Beasts come to help him as they all look back at the Megalo Tower back at Ultra Megalopolis. The enormous construct cracks and crumbles, revealing a black prism that breaks free from his chains of light. The prismatic entity floats through the portals, with all of the Ultra Beasts kneeling down as he passes.

“I have waited an eternity for this emancipation!”

The dark energy of the lamp flows back into Hoopa. The genie’s eyes widen as each and every single piece of his body and mind are filled with the chilling darkness all too familiar and welcome. The djinn’s smirk literally widens as his entire body grows. More and more rings form alongside floating hands with dark claws sharp enough to slice an electron off an atom. A thick tail thrashes around as an aura, nay, an atmosphere of evil grew around him. Soon, Hoopa was unbound, and looked before his now freed ally.

“An eternity? Were you not released a few decades ago?” the djinn remarks, immediately he was back to his snide remarks. Though Necrozma was a bit too grateful to mind. “I thank you, genie. Now that we both have our desired freedoms, I believe this is where things get... fun.”

“Apparently so” Hoopa twirls one of his rings in his fingernails. The two other portals close, turning back into rings, “with the wormholes now active, and the twilight only getting stronger, I have bigger fish to fry. I’ll be seeing you ‘round, Necrozma.”

“What will you be doing, if I may ask?”

“A reunion with my fellow genies,” Hoopa winks. The djinn then opens another portal, goes through it, and then disappears completely. The prismatic creature looks back to face his Ultra Beast army, flying towards the sky with arms extended outwards, he basks in the twilight.

“It begins, my fellows. Let us please father.”

The Ultra Beasts form a titanic swarm, leaving behind a crumbling ruin as they make their way to the nearby regions. UBs everywhere began to move through the several wormholes, joining the ever-growing horde. Celesteela and Kartana, Buzzwole and Pheromosa, Naganadial and their Poipole offspring. Some ran along the path of Stakataka which acted as a platform towards whichever direction Necrozma faced, others flew alongside their black crystal lord.

Notes:

Each region got their own ancient warriors.
1.) Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh are all connected and are thus all Japan (in this fic.) Kanto is a region defined by its independence thanks through its ninja heritage. Sinnoh on the other hand (more of Hisui) was ruled by samurai lords. Johto is on the middle of the three and ends up with a bunch of ashigaru. I didn't really know how to fill the hole for Johto other than "shaman" which in my opinion didn't feel strong enough.
2.) Hoenn and Alola were thalassocracies in ancient times for this fic, the former was the heart of the swashbuckling world while the latter was a bit more dignified and held control thanks to its powerful koa warriors. Koa are (according to stuff I've read) elite warriors from Hawaii.
3.) The last ones are a bit more different. Native Unovans had a class of warriors known as "Braves" or "Darings," that are known to be, well... fearless soldiers. Kalos gets knights because of Wikstrom, and Galar gets a bunch of highlanders because knights were already taken and because Scotland.

Chapter 5: Portals of Space

Cobalion washes up on the shores of Cherrygrove city, coughing up water, having hanged on to a plank while still in his human form, Soaking wet, he’s just realized that the rain has begun to pour down heavily. He wipes the sand and seawater from his eyes, moving his soaked hair out of the way as well to see what was happening in the sea. He witnesses an epic battle, the legendary beasts running so fast they can move over the water, while Zapdos soared above, combating Lugia high above. Moltres joins their fight, her flames setting the sky alight once more.

The urge for justice ringed within him, urging him to participate in helping his fellow legendaries defeat this shadowy impostor. But the weakness in his bones ringed even louder. Unfortunately, he must cowardly withdraw. Begrudgingly, he begins to limp away from the battle. The legendaries probably didn’t even sense him, not when they were focused on battling some demon that appeared to be Lugia. The swordsman continued to limp further and further away from the sea, the deafening roars of battle only ever increasing in volume as water, fire, and thunder collided as the waters continued to flood the region.

It took Cobalion about fifteen minutes to realize that he never ended up on the shores of Cherrygrove. Said shores had already sunk into the bottom of the sea by then, instead he was on Route 30, or what remained of it. Suicune left behind a warpath of ice which only seemed to grow with the strong rain due to its cryokinetic magicks. Cobalion nearly slips as he hobbles over. Violet City was nearby, he can make it within an hour or so, maybe even faster. All he needs to do is to not get caught by Kyurem-White. He knows the dragon is still looking for him, and he won’t let that bastard get him.

Justice. He will not permit its death. It is all he has left. It is all of him.

He continues onward, the rain only getting stronger, blinding him of a good view of the already dark path. His limp gradually disappears, and he continues to move forward in the shivering darkness. As he does, a portal suddenly opens, and something comes out of it. Cobalion enters a ready stance, although it isn’t much considering his exhaustion and injury. The creature was concealed completely by the darkness, save for its fiery red eyes.

Another one bursts open, allowing for a blue lupine figure to enter through. Bewildered, the entity moves around, growling wildly. “Huh?! HUH?!?! What is the meaning of this?!?!”

Cobalion stood there in utter shock as lightning flashed above their heads, revealing the two figures to be none other than Marshadow, the nightmarching gloomdweller, and Zacian, the unstoppable sword.

---

Floaroma Town was a peaceful town where children slathered honey on specific areas to bond with the beautiful bug Pokemon. It is a place where many stories began with children and their lifelong partners. Its wonderful flowers and peaceful winds were a sight to behold. Many of the aged and newly retired settle here as well. Much like its fellow sister town Verdanturf, it was like a slice of paradise. Nothing short of peace.

That peace is gone now. Destroyed and beyond repair. Its flowers ripped from the ground, its buildings annihilated. Its cherished Windworks were devastated. Alone stood a vicious creature, roaring a choir of screams that sounded far too eerily human. A Guzzlord. A dark and dragonic eldritch horror known to consume worlds. They begin small, consuming trash and smaller Pokemon, then they grow till they can eat buildings. Then eventually, they can consume entire worlds. Some even dare say they can consume universes should they be left unchecked. Completely raw destruction. These creatures are truly made in their father’s image.

The Guzzlord screeched, vacuuming in several innocent people and Pokemon, completely unharmed by any attempted opposition. Several Pokemon rangers team up to try and pacify the beast, but the creature refuses to be controlled.

“Typhlosion, use fire blast!” screams one Pokemon ranger, the honey badger unleashes a powerful flame at the beast, but it is casually eaten. Another ranger commands her jynx to use an ice beam, which was super-effective on paper, but the immense margin of power between the Pokemon and the Beast was too vast, and it too was consumed. In retaliation, the beast unleashes a dragon pulse targeted at their general direction, vaporizing them all in the process. Several more rangers appear, trying to stop the threat and avenge their comrades.

Several more attacks fly in. Any normal Guzzlord would have already fallen, but alas this one had been rampaging a bit too long and uninterrupted to be considered normal. Instead, it continued to grow exponentially, so much so that it was practically impervious to any attack that didn’t have a type advantage over it. A devastating earthquake allows Guzzlord to crack the crust of the Floaroma town, knocking them all out.

Suddenly, three dazzling flames streak through the sky, landing a direct hit on the dark dragon, forcefully pushing the ultra beast a few meters. The Guzzlord roars, unleashing a powerful sonic shockwave, but the mysterious figures dodge it. They fire another dazzling gleam, all three of them knocking the creature down. The Guzzlord roars angrily, creating another earthquake, but it doesn’t affect its attackers since they levitated above the ground.

“What is this thing?” Mesprit asks her fellow lake guardians.

“Repulsive” replies Uxie, “I find it within our best interest to destroy it immediately before it grows too strong.”

“Agreed!” Azelf bolts ahead of her sisters, countering a devastating dragon pulse with another dazzling gleam. The other two follow suit, blasting the ultra beast once again with the fairy beam. The creature roars, writhing in pain as it quakes the earth. Azelf follows up her attack with a powerful ice beam from above, entombing the voracious goliath in ice.

“Uxie, what do you know of this one?” Mesprit asks her sister. Uxie’s gem glows as she thinks, trying to see the entirety of universal time and space to figure out what exactly this creature was. As the goddess of knowledge, she was virtually omniscient, knowing of all things past and present, with only the future being safeguarded from her view. Uxie sees all the answers. Vicious beasts hailing from different realms in deep Ultra Space, threatening each world with their expanding power. Their screams a literal choir of the souls they had devoured. But when Uxie looked even further into the past, she saw nothing.

“This creature is dubbed by the human race as UB-05: Glutton, or more colloquially known as a Guzzlord. It is an all-consuming goliath from the depths of Ultra Space. Unfortunately my knowledge ends there. Something blocks my view of the past, I cannot see its origin.” says Uxie. A shiver flows down Mesprit’s spine upon hearing the statement, “why does that give me a bad feeling?”

“If it’s something not even the goddess of knowledge is allowed to know, then it’s probably really serious. Something for the Four Olympians.” says Azelf floating down to her sisters, “we still don’t know the origin of the Ultra Beasts, whatever Arceus has planned for these…things must be quite serious.”

“I have a feeling I know why Mother Arceus made the Ultra Beasts..” Mesprit says lowly, looking back at the frozen Guzzlord, trapped in a roaring motion. Azelf taps her on the shoulder, “don’t think of such things, sister. Mother Arceus is not cruel.”

“I find it best you read its emotions, Mesprit, see what motivates it, what it feels, why it must be the way it is.” suggests Uxie, Mesprit nods and flies over to the frozen goliath. The lake guardian touches the cold ice, and begins to read into the devourer’s mind.

A few seconds later, Mesprit gasps, and falls back, breathing heavily. Hand clutching her chest.

“Mesprit! What is it?!” yells Azelf, flying to her sister. Uxie also flies to her other side.

“Evil” says Mesprit, “Raw evil. It can’t feel hunger, but it devours in excess anyways, indulging in the suffering of others, satiating itself with their bodies and souls. It seeks nothing but to destroy. H-how… How could she create such a demon?!”

“Mother Arceus did create Giratina, after all” Uxie reminds her, “whatever this Poke- I mean this Beast did to be the way it is, the way its entire species led it to be the way it is, is likely a product of choice just as much as it is the sequence of evolution.”

“Are you suggesting that Giratina fathered the Ultra Beasts?” Azelf asks her sister, although Uxie shakes her head, “no, there are no records of Giratina ever entering Ultra Space. He has moved only between The Distortion World and The Materium.”

“That you know of” counters Azelf.

“Exactly, that I know of” Uxie points to the gem on her head, reminding her sister that she is the goddess of knowledge. Azelf shakes her head, that wasn’t exactly what she meant.

Before any further bickering could possibly ensue, the ice shatters, and a colossal dark pulse hits all three lake guardians. The Guzzlord roars, stomping down on the ground, shaking the grounds of what was once Floaroma Town.

Suddenly, a hyper beam hits the Guzzlord directly in the mouth.

Regirock powers down, temporarily exhausted by the hyper beam. Registeel on the other hand finishes his scanning of the creature. “Unidentified Extraterrestrial Aberration has been detected to only grow exponentially in power. Proceeding action?”

The three lake guardians manage to regain control, stopping themselves from spinning in the air any further. Mesprit hisses at the immense pain she is in, while Azelf spends no time moving towards the Regis nearby.

“Titans! Am I glad to see you! Let’s kill this creep!”

“Affirmative” says Regigigas, who then turns to Regice, “coordinating an ice beam with their dazzling gleams.”

Regice floats upwards, and the other lake guardians surround her, together they fire a synchronized blast of fairy and ice magic towards the devourer.

---

Unova was nothing short of a disaster right now.

The Swords of Justice had disappeared. Their brand of justice is absent as chaos continues to endanger the Unovan people. Many are already attempting to evacuate, leaving behind what were once wonderful sprawling cities. World benchmarks are reduced to rubble as the twilight hour intensifies. The spirits falling from above seemed to have stopped, what their primary purpose was nobody was entirely sure.

The dragons of truths and ideals were also nowhere to be found. Zekrom had stepped down for a long while now, his powers mysteriously hidden away. Kyurem on the other hand had begun a rampage, having entered this wholly new state that allows him to harness both ice and flame. Reshiram, goddess of truth, had apparently been absorbed into his person, explaining why she had been gone for weeks.

Victini on the other hand was also gone, completely missing. He had been for many years. Lady Reshiram says he stepped down as well but no one is entirely sure. This left Meloetta with the Natural Disasters. The mystical songstress had no choice but to hide, her song of hope and peace left unsung as havoc remained far too hectic outside. Thundurus the Seiryu ruptured the sky and scorched the earth in the east, while Tornadus the Suzaku unleashed devastating hurricanes in the south. The cities Nacrene and Striaton, as well as the towns Accumula and Nuvema were plagued with this deadly combination of meteorological disasters. Their buildings sent flying, and their entire communities that have stood there for ages wiped from the face of the map. It did not help that Kyogre’s global flood consumed the rest of the peninsula.

In the west, Landorus the Byakko, once known for the fertility he brought to the fields, leveled everything in western Unova to the ground with several fissures. Mistraiton city all in all alongside Chargestone cave sunk to the depths when an enormous crack opened up and killed everybody in its wake. It was as if the world itself had opened its jaws and consumed them. In the north, Enamorus the Genbu stood there, watching as refugees from all corners of Unova pooled into Opelucid city. Northern Unova had remained calm, for now.

Meloetta approaches the tortoise, who overlooked from the mountain the people below.

“Odd finding you here, Meloetta. I thought you’d already died or something. Or perhaps fallen victim to the corruptive shadows.”

“I could say the same for you. Aren’t you supposed to be in Sinnoh?”

“Family reunion”

“Odd to see you not participating then” Meloetta replies sassily, the tortoise glares at her, “mind your tongue, songstress! An opportune moment awaits me. Soon the Unovans shall be put out of their misery soon enough.”

“But why?”

“Why not? I am a natural disaster, much like my brothers. The Djinns of Destruction. The apocalypse is here, and it is our time to shine. With impunity and gusto do we unmake the world.” Enamorus proudly proclaims.

“I wouldn’t call love a natural disaster. I expected this kind of response from your buffoonish brothers but not you” Meloetta huffs, then she grins before turning her back to the tortoise, “then again, you always have tried to impress them, trying to prove that you’re a natural disaster when deep down we really know you aren’t.”

A moonblast immediately flies Meloetta’s way, but with protect she creates a barrier that blocks the move completely. “My, my, I seem to have struck a nerve,” the songstress giggles, “you really need to up your game, Enamorus. You’ll never be a disaster acting like this”

“What do you want, Meloetta?”

“Your brothers are out there wreaking havoc, I want to stop them and deep down I know you do as well. You’re not one of them, stop trying to be. Together we can stop them, I’m sure of it.” Meloetta’s cheery face turned stern and serious, although Enamorus still didn’t budge.

“Deep down? You know nothing, Songstress. This is Arceus’ will. Judgment is finally at hand. Our purpose is to be undergone, you can’t stop us. It’s best you run away now like all the others before you too become another casualty of our divine mission.”

Meloetta huffs, “it doesn’t matter if you finish your little mission, Enamorus, they’ll still think you’re a waste of space” The songstress then disappears in a burst of light. The tortoise doesn’t have much time to reflect on her words as another portal opens up, and from it, fiendish hands. A malefic creature rises from the portal. The one and only Hoopa, now unbound and once more in his mighty djinn form, having returned to lead them into the new mi-

“Arceus above, you are one ugly son of a bitch” Hoopa cringes upon seeing Enamorus, “was she drunk when she made you? Or did she spill too much of you while she was making the disasters?”

---

Okoye forest was placed on an island removed from the rest of the world. A region whose name is lost to time, and has been abandoned by most humans. Key word being most, as some humans have begun settling here once more, creating a minor tourist destination. Here lies an open sanctuary for Pokemon, all of which are divided into various layers. The outermost layer is the one at the furthest reaches of the forest neighboring Milyfa town, then the second layer has various hills that divide it from the outside world, then from there a thick jungle with various caves and drops, and then the fourth layer creating a mountainous wall before leading into the heart of the forest itself, where a tree and a species of pokemon known as the Zarude roamed.

Some years ago, humans had stumbled upon the healing spring. Unlike most corporations blinded by greed, they were not barbaric enough to simply take as they wished, and instead sought for a level of compromise between themselves and the natives. It was not conquest, but commensalism that they sought. If possible, it could even blossom into a mutualistic interaction. The dignity and respect given to the zarude and the other pokemon of the land was sullied however when a greedy professor killed his own peers in order to suppress the Pokemon and harvest the springs for his anthropocentric desires.

But as the saying goes, the gods will deal with those who do not honor them. Insults against Arceus herself can be forgiven, but unrepentant violations against the spirit and sanctity of the universe and the environment it houses results only in damnation.

And so Zekrom was sent, and he smote them with his bolts of lightning. The Zarude destroyed the rest. Some rumor that Arceus’ summoning of Zekrom to Okoya was what motivated him to step down, but none can ever be too sure.

Now the humans still exist in the region, but daren’t encroach any deeper, let alone attempt to dominate lands that do not belong to them. Many regions have the humans taken for their own, but this one appears to be the limit for the legendaries that preside above them all.

Calyrex stood on a cliff which overlooked the beautiful tree at the heart of the forest. Humans had not touched the center for years, yet human activity seemed to be present. The tree itself was fused into mysterious machines and metal cables. Glowing lights and a chamber at the center. He silently gasps upon seeing the local zarude now slaving away, keeping the machine operating and even providing manual labor on some areas. Something was up.

“I can sense Magearna, she is indeed here. It’s as if I am looking at her right now” says Volcanion, urged forward towards the tree, “and powers unlike any other as well. Alien in almost all aspects.”

“I can sense all the code and wiring coursing through, that’s a super-duper-supercomputer!” chirps Regieleki, “I didn’t know the humans were even capable of building this. I feel outdated already…”

“No… this isn’t human-made at all..” says Urshifu, unhorsing from Glastrier and observing the mechanized tree. He sees something fly out from one of its branches, “I think we just stumbled upon something we weren’t supposed to see.”

“Like what?’ asks Calyrex.

“LOOK OUT!” yells Regidrago, but before anyone (save for Regieleki) could react, several grenades of light hit them from behind.

“You are trespassing on the premises of Fort Genesis. Your termination is now underway. Do not resist.” says a creature. It had a robotic voice, its limbs making all different kinds of mechanical sounds as it moved. Its metal feet touch the floor. It was purple and had and had a cannon on its back, as well as big, bright eyes looking at the intruding legendaries.

Genesect. Lots of them.

“Oh no you don't!” Regieleki fires a thunder cage at them, only for the genesects to spread out, evading the attack. The cyborg-bugs surround the electric titan. All of them were purple, their eyes glowing red and scanning it for weak points. Regieleki begins to move at hypersonic speeds away from the others, and the genesects chase after it. What follows is a dogfight over the forest of Okoya. Electricity and plasma are fired at each other as the titan battles the cyborgs.

Genesect are an artificial Pokemon created by the terrorist organization known as Team Plasma, an organization led by Naturia Harmonia Gropius, a madman who foolishly believed that the bond between men and Pokemon could be severed without consequence. Later revealed to be a pawn puppeted by an even greater threat, his father, Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. They were originally Kabutops fossils harvested in Kanto dig sites located at Mount Moon before being techno-organically modified to suit their own gains. Why an organization that sought the freedom of Pokemon would do something significantly more inhumane than the already existing bond would do such a thing is anyone’s guess. None can really figure out the madness of mankind’s mind.

Regieleki was quite elusive, but still outnumbered and out-strategized. It begins to move at relativistic speeds, quickly taking out several of the genesects, but one manages to hold on, and uses self-destruct to stun the titan. Regieleki crashes into the mountainside, where several genesect now float over it. In the middle was a shining red one, clearly the leader due to its color and size.

“Firing squad, terminate”

Without any further words, the genesects fire several signal beams at the downed titan.

“Commander, the other legendaries have disappeared” reports another genesect as the beams continue to rain down on Regieleki. The red genesect looks at his subordinate, “find them, they cannot leave this island. Search every crevice. The last thing we need is the concerns of the legendaries on our operations here.”

The genesect flies off, while the red commander looks back down at the tree. One brief glance was all it took to remind him just how important it was to remain unseen. The world must not know, not yet.

---

Before Cobalion even knew it, even more portals of light burst open, and likewise, more legendaries came out from the other side and into Johto’s Route 30. Meloetta the Songstress, Urshifu, although it is unclear on which style, and Regidrago, the titan of the medieval ages.

“What is the meaning of this?!” growls Zacian, sword clutched within her frothing mouth, “answer me!” She said to no one in particular, her anger having trumped all manner of inner reasoning. Marshadow on the other hand slinks quickly into the darkness, away from the angry sword-wolf. The bear gets up and dusts himself off while the songstress flies around Cobalion trying to figure out why he looks so familiar. Regidrago on the other hand remained as is, merely floating above them silently.

Two more pop out as well. Tapu Koko and Phione. Oddly enough they came from the same portal. Cobalion could only wonder why.

“Legends of different lands, what are you all doing here?” asks Cobalion

“Cobalion? Is that you? What’s with the human suit?” Meloetta asks the swordsman of justice, although he ignores her as Urshifu replies, “I can ask the same question myself. One moment we were in Okoya forest, the next, I am here, separated from them and now with you.”

“I have a battle to finish,” says Zacian, “where am I? How far am I from Galar. Ragnarok is at hand!”

“Calm yourselves” then calls out a voice, serene yet somehow broken. All of the legendaries look at a small hologram that depicts none other than Palkia. Or rather, an odd equine that resembled Palkia. “Your own obligations and agendas can wait, the universe, all of existence, hangs in the balance. I can entrust only you all to stop it.”

“Who are you? You look like the pearly goddess of all space, yet you also look like some tasteless sacrilegious depiction.” blurts Zacian, still angry. The equine sighs, trying to catch their own breath. They were hunched over and weak, “I am Palkia, not as the dragon you all know me as, an appearance that is merely warped to my own liking. This is my original form, one in which I was made in Mother’s image.”

“What thou want from us lessers, then? Mother Space?” asks the dragon titan, although Palkia only further crumples down, a dark wound appearing on her body. “I….”

The sentence doesn’t finish, the weakness overcomes her.

“Lady Palkia?” Meloetta hovers closer to the pink hologram which shone like a beacon in the darkness. “You are injured, where are you? Who caused this? Has Giratina escaped?!”

“He has, and we know not where he is. But he is out there. He cannot be seen but he can be fel-” Palkia’s wounds burst out blood as the space goddess falls onto the floor, a husk of their former selves. “I am doing all that I can to ensure that all of space remains intact. I need you all to… to…”

Palkia was quickly losing breath, all the legendaries surrounding her astral projection, awaiting her words.

“Go to Hoenn… find Groudon.. Finish… Ragna…” the words use up the last of Palkia’s breaths, her cosmic essence begins to unravel in real time, her hologram beginning to fracture and go static

“-rok…” They watch as the goddess of space crumbles to dust, and then into nothing.

The pink hologram disappears, leaving the legendaries in darkness. They remain silent for the next few seconds, just trying to comprehend what just transpired before their very eyes. Even Zacian had grown silent, her frustration completely overshadowed by the sheer weight of the occurrence.

“Hoenn” says Tapu Koko, “Palkia. Wish. Honor We Must.”

“Finish Ragnarok?” Urshifu wondered, “what could she have meant?”

“Ragnarok is a battle… perhaps she is saying that by allowing the battle to happen as fast as possible, we can???” Meloetta doesn’t finish her sentence, left clueless. Zacian however pieces it all together, “the faster the battle happens, the less the world will be devastated.”

“I thought Armageddon was the place of which the final battle would take place,” notes Regidrago, “Hoenn seems to be quite the contrast.”

“We know not if it is a catalyst or a synonym, regardless, we must go to Hoenn” says Cobalion, he was the only one in a human form while the others remained in their Pokemon forms, “Zekrom and the Eon Twins are in Alto Mare, and furthermore can lead us straight to Hoenn along the way. The beasts and birds do battle with Lugia in the open sea of what was once Cherrygrove. I say we head straight to the Eon Twins and conclude whatever operation we must conduct in Hoenn.”

“It’s not just any operation,” says Phione, trying to rejuvenate herself with the rain, “Lady Palkia wants us to find Groudon. Master of the Continents. God of the Earth. The man Kyogre seeks to kill alongside her flood and army.”

“Lady Palkia’s final request is for us to be at the very epicenter of what could be the most cataclysmic clash in all of history” says Regidrago, “for the sake of the people, be it Man or Mon, we must.”

“Then let’s get going!” says Cobalion. He hops onto Regidrago while Urshifu rides onto Zacian’s back. Phione enters Tapu Koko’s embrace while Marshadow clings onto the outside. All of the legendaries make their way westward.

Chapter 6: The Road to Armageddon

Regigigas’ crushing grip squeezes the Guzzlord’s head into paste. The voracious Ultra Beast explodes into several chunks of dark material, tainting the once fertile lands of Floaroma town, ensuring that even as the world lives beyond the twilight hours, nothing shall ever grow here again.

Azelf looks up in the sky, the shadows from the cosmic tear above had ceased, but were replaced with the presence of even more Ultra Beasts. Several steel creatures with rockets for limbs and mysterious anthropomorphic balloons floating alongside. A fleet, no, a swarm of monsters covering the sky. An army of extra-dimensional creatures pouring into their world, threatening to descend upon the ongoing devastation.

“Death looms over,” says Uxie, “the walls of the universe are at the brink of collapse.”

“You feel it too?” Mesprit asks the goddess of knowledge, who nods in reply. Azelf floats over to her sister, “More and more tears seem to be appearing, I can feel the cosmic disturbances they are forming from here.”

“Previous Observation showcased signs of ouranokinetic collapse at an ostensibly global scale. I believe it is within your jurisdiction to cooperate with the master of space, Palkia, to resolve these issues and conserve the spatiotemporal balance before it completely self-unravels, self-unglues, and self-unamkes.” says Registeel. The other Regis were now following Reigigigas westward, where they were originally headed. Registeel begins to follow them as well, leaving the lake guardians with the ruined Floaroma Town.

At least there weren’t any Ultra Wormholes opening up here yet.

“The golem is right, we need to find Palkia, and perhaps Dialga while we’re at it. This twilight is no doubt a concern of the Olympians.” says Mesprit, with the other two guardians nodding. As the lake guardians, Mother Arceus utilized the progenitor Mew as a source code to create them. Not only were they tasked with embodying the abstract concepts of emotion, willpower, and knowledge, but they were also tasked with being her agents during the genesis period. Palkia and Dialga, the dragon-centaurs of matter, were wild and uncontrollable. Elemental in all eighteen divine senses. As the two primordial creatures laid down the foundations and fundamentals of the universe, from logic to contradiction, it was their task to align it to Arceus’ will. To create a sensible world that was both chaotic yet graceful, orderly yet inelegant.

It was like yesterday to them, with everything that followed, be it the extinction events, the glacial maximums, or the anthropocene, they were all mere blinks. Each life is equivalent in span to that of a Pikachu’s heartbeat. Events monumental to their time fading away into either legend or obscurity, forgotten by their descendants. Man and Mon’s memory was short, while theirs was long. The lake guardians quickly made their way to Mount Coronet.

Mount Coronet, the highest mountain in the world. The august landmass touched the sky and housed the nexus of all legendaries in the world. A place where the gods dwell and conduct their conferences as they continue to govern the world and safeguard the bond between man and mon. In ancient times, times that predate even Regigigas’ pulling of the plates, this mountain stood tall and high above all others. A magical heart beating at the center of all creation. This was a time when it was still known as Mount Olympus. Perched atop its highest point, overseeing the entirety of the world as the oceans and trees slowly spawned into existence from the nothingness of time and space were none other than the Olympians.

Arceus, mother of existence. All of the types are but reflections of her own power, like shadows on the wall. Alone in the virgin nothingness, Arceus fashioned for herself three mystical minerals.

The first was the Diamond of Power. A creature with complete control over all solids, and could grab hold of the universe’s cosmic essence. This diamond spawned nothing short of the incomprehensible components that allowed time to be formed. Dialga came to be from this diamond, and so too did he come to control all of time.

The second was the Pearl of Ability. A creature with complete control over all liquids, and could mold the universe’s essence to Arceus’ will. It was to be used in tandem with her brother, and never separate. The pearl shone in the vast causal ocean, ready to form the rivers which spawned forth the rivers which shall be the cradles for a gallery of endless galaxies. Palkia came to be from this pearl, and so too did she come to control all of space.

Together, the gems of power and ability create the infinite garden of realities. All things that would be or ever will be are spawned from here. Lesser versions of them exist as well, catchable by the mortals of those worlds’ futures. An infinity of possibilities, all centered around the source of all ideas, in a place where imagination becomes practice. But even in the Silver City of Arceus, there is one more. One that shall not be named, for he has become an abhorred foe of all things at large.

The last one was the Platinum Eye. A creature who held the complete scope of omniversal space-time. This creature held complete control over all gas, but more importantly, dominion over anti-matter. The eye who held the exclusive power to see the master equation of the omniverse. Everything falls into decay, even creatures that know not of death perish before his presence as he looms over each world, promising nothing short of entropy, terror, and damnation. The wildfire that rages at the door of the infinite garden. All-consuming, all-destroying, and irresistible to all things that call that garden home.

Giratina came to be from that platinum. Arceus made him not to be her subject but to be her groom. Her grand omnipotence used for nothing short of her own selfish desires. Lo and behold, the same selfish desire is the one that promised the destruction of everything else she held dear. Unwilling to smite her failure, Arceus banished Giratina instead to the negative space in the infinite realms betwixt. The Distortion World.

Only the Olympians could fasten this loosening state of reality, for all they could have ever truly willed it into being. Knowing of their purpose to guide these elemental forces, the lake guardians make haste. Not a single second can be wasted as the world itself continues to rupture.

Regigigas pauses en route west, and the other titan pause as well.

“A shift in coordinates,” says Regigigas, “and a grave error. We make our way southeast.”

The titan slowly turns around, and begins walking towards Kanto. The other titans are quite perplexed, but follow nonetheless.

---

Kanto had more or less crumbled, swallowed by the waters and quakes. The Kantonese army had been deployed to help their denizens evacuate somewhere safer. But considering the escalation of cosmic decay, such a place likely no longer existed. The waves were huge and rough, rabid wild water type pokemon also dwelled, threatening to consume anyone and anything that dared step in front of their path.

There was only one legendary left in Kanto. Mew was far off in the lands beyond the sea, her clone mysteriously hidden from the world. The birds quarreled in Johto’s shores, trying to face the threat that is the corrupted sea guardian Lugia. This left one, a supercolony of liquid-metal creatures that gathered together and formed a singular creature. The titan of metal feared not the rust of the floodwaters, and was primarily focused on fighting the Ultra Beasts that now threatened the dying region.

That legendary Pokemon was Melmetal. Melmetal devours another Celesteela whole, allowing it to grow even larger. An hour ago it was merely the size of a house, but now it rivaled the Silph Co. Building. Several Ultra Beasts gathered around it, trying to defeat it like a bunch of players gathering around to defeat a raid boss. Melmetal however did not falter, and merely countered with attacks of its own. Melmetal transforms into a tornado of liquid metal, engulfing, consuming, and drowning any unlucky beast in its grasp. Soon the Kartana and Celesteela would retreat, leaving to tackle other areas instead after realizing that the creature only grew more powerful the more metal it intake. In exchange, Blacephalons appeared in the dozens. Organized torrents of flamethrower were fired at the beast, but while the attack was super-effective, Melmetal had grown too powerful to be crippled so easily. The metallic titan unleashes several metal blobs in all directions, coating the balloon creatures in thick piles of liquid metal. Said metals would then turn into smaller Melmetal, which would proceed to crush the Blacephalon up close.

Overhead, Yveltal observed from the heavens. Rain continued to pour down heavily on the already drowning Kanto. The feast of souls only continued to excite Yveltal. He witnesses Dusknoir ferrying soul after soul into the afterlife, but as they do, energies left behind in death float towards Yveltal’s open maw. Each one was an assortment of different flavors to him, yet all were delicious nonetheless. The feast was grand, but only more was to come. Unobstructed by the other sky-dwelling deities, Yveltal could easily execute his next task. He leaves the site of the battle, which suddenly saw the emergence of two Guzzlords, and ascended even higher up the atmosphere.

It didn’t take long for Yveltal to reach the Exosphere above the Kanto-Johto area. He unleashes a dreadful screech. To most, it was a shriek that served nothing but to make the people’s fear skyrocket. But to the bird Pokemon, it meant something else. It was a summoning that could not be heard by the ears but rather by their hearts. Yveltal was flying, his visage covering up what remained of the sun’s presence in the twilight sky, his loud deathly voice convoked the fowls in the midst of heaven.

“Come, gather together for the great supper. So that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty. Of steeds and their riders, and the flesh of all people. Free or slave, great and small!” The aura of death radiated around Yveltal. Globally, all birds be it the Hoot-Hoot and their parent Noctowls to the mighty Braviary and their convocation of Rufflets. Each one flew into the heavens, and swooped down, ready to do as they were commanded. Without the master of the skies to overrule the command, the chaos only continued to escalate.

---

Far off in deep space, a bloodied up serpent crashes down onto the surface of a fractured moon. Rayquaza heaved, taking in as many breaths as he could. Floating around the broken moon were the bodies of several Deoxys. Now empty husks once more, some reduced to simple cores which in turn were shattered. Slowly, these husks unravel, fusing towards a single Deoxys who absorbs them all. Said Deoxys then floats down to Rayquaza afterward. Despite the last fusion, the Deoxys was still exhausted, and quite injured.

“Not even a god can deny evolution,” says the Deoxys, stumbling over to the fallen serpent, touching his nose, “we… will alter this world. We… are the next… step. We shall succeed, where Arceus has failed.”

Rayquaza lets out a laugh, only to choke on a bit of his own blood. He expectorates them out, staining the ground red with his ichor. “There is no more we in your case, Deoxys. Your faction is gone, reduced to only you.”

“Perhaps so, but even then, there is more” the Deoxys transforms into its attack mode, and raises its tentacles up into the sky, “evolution does not end, it never does, it never will.” The Deoxys’s tentacles extend and intertwine, slowly forming something that resembles a DNA strand. Rayquaza watched with weak eyes whatever the virus was doing.

“THisSsS… is gOodbYe..” the tentacles glow varying colors. The last of the fallen Deoxys army congregates into the Deoxys’ lone body. Soon the alien begins to glow in luminescence, godly power coursing within.

“You can’t evolve if you’re dead, Deoxys” Rayquaza says weakly. The Deoxys, all of them, all of their souls, their programs, whatever they were, they laughed in response.

“And that we shall evolve past as well. We are the masters of this infinite sequence. For something to begin, something else must die. That is the purpose of Ragnarok, no? The sequence of all life itself? Every story of creation is a story of destruction, and now I am the storyteller.” Deoxys’ broken voice had repaired itself, only to fracture again as energy continued to shine brighter and brighter, “it bELonGs tO Me, soOn eNOuGh.”

Rayquaza turns around, lying on his belly, his scarred tissue beginning to regenerate. “You’re far away from that goal, Deoxys. You’re playing a fool’s game.”

Deoyxs doesn’t answer him, instead exploding in a massive burst of energy. A supernova. The supernova destroys the galaxy they are in, as well as surrounding galaxies, each one also empty of life, indicative of the Deoyxs’ ravenous conquest. From within the supernova, Rayquaza’s black scales shine bright, a pattern akin to the universe designed his body. He flies out of the burst. Said starry scales soon peel away, leaving behind a shiny black set of scales for Rayquaza. The dragon opens his maw, and begins to drink the supernova. As he does, he remains deaf to the true chaos which unfolds back on the main world.

---

Calyrex wakes up upon feeling water on his face. The deer king’s eyes spring open and he gets up, or at least tries to before his head is suddenly pulled down by gravity due to his oversized bud crown. Breathing heavily, the deer king looks around him to see that he was surrounded by several green and black lemurs, the Zarude.

The Zarude are a mysterious race of lemurian Pokemon said to not be of this realm as the tomes say. Not exactly in the same vein as someone like Deoxys, Eternatus, or the Ultra Beasts either. It was said that they hailed from a mysterious future, having chased the zeitgeist Celebi. One of the Zarude helps the deer king up, resting him on the wall.

The Zarude looked about as ordinary as any other Pokemon. If anything, they seemed quite standard. Yet Calyrex too felt the odd aura around each and every single one of them, a sensation which crackled light static electricity lined across their dark fur. To think that these were the creatures that forced Celebi to flee Okoya forest long ago.

“Z-Zarude..” calls out Calyrex, his voice still a bit weak, “the Zarude of Okoya…”

“Aye,” says one in the back. The other lemurs parts to make way for the speaker. The Zarude that walks before the king was the largest among them, with a shiny black coat but also whitening strands and tips here and there. Two scars parallel to each other over the same blinded eye. “It is us, the Zarude of Okoya. We are pleased to have you as a guest, lord of the tundra, but we cannot accommodate visitors at this time. I am sure you are aware as to why.”

“Yes, yes indeed” says Calyrex, taking a deep breath and relaxing, “The gen-” the king breaks into a sharp coughing fit. One of the zarude females walks over and uses jungle healing on the king. The zarude were known for their ability to heal others and themselves. It is said that they were even capable of teaching mankind this technique, albeit said skill never made it far in the grand scheme of things.

“Thank you, darling” Calyrex thanks the zarude, who gives him a small smile before walking back into the crowd. The deer king faces the alpha zarude, “As I was saying, the genesect have colonized the heart of the forest.”

The zarude alpha nods, “that they have. Suppressed the healing spring, industrialized a portion of the forest’s heart, and created a sanctum housing three powerful energy sources.” The alpha is handed a stick, which he takes and uses to illustrate something on the cave floor. “They came from beyond the horizon at the dusk hour, their cannons overwhelming our healing and setting our homes ablaze. Their alpha, the red, commandeers them independent of any man. Under his word do they hunt us, and continue to disturb the peace.”

“So even this place is unsafe,” Calyrex looked at the illustration, a strong feeling of disappointment in himself wrapping around his mind and soul, yet still hidden well behind his stoic and emotionless expression, “the world has truly lost, ragnarok will consume us all.”

“Gotterdammerung, the battle of battles. To think that I would be there to lay witness to it unfold,” the alpha zarude continued to draw on the ground. He depicted several genesect orbiting the tree, chasing the zarude and building on the central tree, forcing it to assimilate mysterious metals and machinery. “It leaves no stone unturned, fitting for the time of unmaking.”

Calyrex sighs, “there is still a chance. The regions have been neither unified nor does one isolated stand as the rest are laid to rest in the sands of the sea.” the deer king tries to stand up, “until then, the genesect can be defeated.”

“The genesect have sealed the mightiest mortal in the world, Calyrex. The power to threaten even the gods enchambered within a capsule prior to even coming here. To fight them is a foregone conclusion in their favor,” the alpha zarude stabs the ground with the wooden stick, “I will not risk the lives of my people for your plan. You are free to seek refuge in my parlor until the world burns over, but know that you and your comrades are alone in facing them.”

Calyrex closes his eyes, sighing once again. “Fine then. You are the sovereign of these forests, and I am but a guest. Where are my companions then?”

“Gone,” the alpha zarude turns around and walks away. Calyrex follows him, asking “gone?”

“Vanished in a burst of pearly light, those who remained with you are either worse for wear or already in pieces,” the zarude motions over to his subjects. Some of them were tending to a bruised and unconscious Volcanion, while everyone else was missing outright.

“That’s impossible, surely it is because your trackers have not found them?”

“I see no purpose in lying to you, deer king” the alpha zarude keeps walking, this time to a small curtain on the ground covering a variety of things, “as if space itself had torn open and sucked them into a pocket, seeking to spit them out elsewhere. Fast and exact. You were one of those who remained, and among you,” the zarude removes the curtain, unveiling the gruesome sight underneath, “not all were lucky.”

Tears formed on Calyrex’s face before kneeling down before the remains of what was once Spectrier. He hugs the burnt and severed head of his former steed, clutching it tight, whispering into its ear. Zarude looks over to the other steed, Glastrier, who was outside of the safe confines of the hideout, standing by the peak, staring at the central tree faraway.

“As a king, Spectrier will be avenged. As a king, I cannot allow the genesect to roam free.” Calyrex stands up, putting the horse's head down. Zarude looks down at the deet, “as a king, I am disappointed that you speak that way. You came here to save your own skin and that of your cronies, while your subjects writhe in pain and suffering, unprotected.”

Calyrex glares at him, although the alpha was unafraid. The deer king merely whistles, summoning the icy steed, and riding upon it. Not another word was spoken, before the king rode off. A small portal of crystal coloring opened up, one quite similar to the bursts of light which whisked Urshifu and Regidrago away. Soon Calyrex was gone, nowhere to be seen.

“Where is he going, m’lord?” a scraggly old zarude asks the zarude king. The greater lemur looks down upon his subject, “I care not. He is of no threat to us anymore.”

---

The ragtag group of suddenly assembled legendaries made their way into Goldenrod City. Said city was also in ruin, emptied of life save for the Pokemon that were either wild ones scouting the area and looking for shelter or domestic ones which searched frantically for their owners. Each one however paused upon seeing them. To see many legendaries together at once was a sight to behold. Their arrival here was a direct declaration that this was a matter concerning the gods themselves. As the legendaries journeyed through the aftermath of disaster, Cobalion remained vigilant for a certain Pokemon in the heavens.

Tapu Koko took notice as he dropped Phione onto the shallow water below. The floodwaters consuming the west side of the city were beginning to pour in even deeper into the city. Dead game corners and fallen radio towers laid scrap metal everywhere. Fortunately Zacian was there to blow the obstructions wide open. While the others nonchalantly walked through the ruins of Goldenrod, Tapu Koko approached Cobalion.

“Fear. Your Heart.” says Tapu Koko.

“Indeed, Tapu Koko, indeed” Cobalion confirmed, “afraid, but fear can stop neither duty nor justice. What about you? You’re much worse for wear as well.”

“Heart. Ache. Loss.” Tapu Koko looks down on the water below, looking at his reflection, “Alone. Away. Alola.”

“It seems Ragnarok has taken a lot from each one of us, we have no choice but to complete it as fast as possible before more can be taken.”

“A redundant statement, Lord Cobalion” Redigrado replied, “noble, but redundant. That be our reasoning for our dwellings in society’s ruins. Remiss we are, should we waste any more time than required, the hour is thin and mandatory is haste.”

“Why is Hoenn so important to the completion of Ragnarok?” Urshifu butted in, “Lady Palkia spent her dying words to guide us there. It must stand for something.”

“Everything,” now it was Phione’s turn to speak, “how much do you know of Armageddon, Urshifu?”

“None. My brother and I are not well versed in scriptures outside that of the arts and prayers,” responded Urshifu. Phione splashes some water on herself before straightening up. “Then listen up. Hoenn is at the epicenter of Armageddon, it is the place where armageddon’s state is decided, either as the congregation of all lands, or as a lone region alone in the infinite space of ocean.”

“It is the place where the final battle shall take place,” mentioned Cobalion, “after the clash of Behemoth and Leviathan, the main hour of Ragnarok shall finally be at hand. Survival is slim.”

“So what you’re saying is that Ragnarok must happen as quickly as possible?”

Cobalion and Phione nod. The swordsman however suddenly snaps in attention when something zooms overhead. He could sense a change in the air. Phione spoke up, finishing her little exposition with “the earlier Ragnarok happens, the less time fate has to bring the legendaries and many other warriors together. The less of them there are, the higher the chances for survival.”

“And what of us?” asks Regidrago.

“And what of man and mon after?” Zacian added.

Phione was silent, trying to think of a reply, when suddenly Cobalion yells. “Everyone hide!”

Unfortunately, all were too slow as the legends were forcibly scattered by a powerful blizzard. Zacian easily shrugs off the blow, and Cobalion should have as well but he was too exhausted and weakened, and rolled on the now icy street. Tapu Koko grabs Phione and hides in a small alley, while Urshifu follows suit. Cobalion on the other hand was dragged by Marshadow into another alley on the opposite side. Regidrago lay there in the middle of the street, frozen solid. Before anyone could even react, a powerful blue flame rips through the twilight heavens like a comet and destroys the frozen titan.

Cobalion is helped up by Urshifu, the adrenaline pumping in his veins. He looks up in the sky to see a single white dragon of ice and fire hovering above them. A fiendish grin on its face, and raw power incarnate in its palm.

“Kyurem-White…” Cobalion whispered.

“You thought you could run away, swordsman? How foolish” Kyurem-White grinned, “The end times are at hand, and I shall reign the world born anew with the power of the original dragon. So tell me where Zekrom is and I’ll give you a quick death.”

Zacian enters a readied stance, clutching her sword in her mouth. The others are ready to either bolt or pounce at the dragon’s next move. The quest to complete Ragnarok is one that seeks to make the most out of destiny, and destiny is unamused by those who seek to play with it. Kyurem-White clutched his hand, which coursed and twitched with power.

This was going to be fun.

Notes:

This is mostly an exposition chapter. Then again, all the chapters are exposition chapters.

So yeah, anyways, the deaths are only going to escalate from this point onward.

Chapter 7: Reaching for the Moon

The Altar of the Moone is a place where most people are barred entry for the sake of maintaining its natural state for as long as possible. The reckless treading of ungrateful tourists is the last thing needed in such a place. Not to mention the inaccessibility of the place in general, considering the powerful, wild, and hostile pokemon that roam on the path leading to it. Beyond Vast Poni Canyon lies this holy place, in which only the clergymen in their order’s diminishing numbers remain. All dedicated to the goddess from beyond the confines of space.

Her avatar roams through the night, flying as a vessel. A mirror for the sun’s light to cast down upon the world, to ensure that light, life, and joy perseveres even through the darkest hours of each passing day. The moon is her avatar, her face to the mortals of the world who know not her true nature but are familiar with her work, and respect it so.

Since the dawn of mankind, when it was first thrust into Arceus’ grand design to be the stewards of her world, mankind has come to respect her. Revering her moon in all of its phases. From fullness to thinness. She has blessed them all she can with her light, and despite her blessings to them, she has also watched them fall. Her civilizations crumbled for one reason or another.

Long ago, the Temple of the Sunne stood here as well. But its clergymen had since fled elsewhere, and the temple disappeared with the sands of time along with most memories of its patron. Lunala still remembers him however, and wonders for how much longer he will stay hidden from the world.

Lunala soared through the everlasting twilight, watching as ultra wormholes opened up from everywhere, and with them the aberrations known only as the Ultra Beasts. They were slowly but surely advancing from all directions of the Altar, and she watched as her last defenders fought against the ceaseless horde. She knows full well who is arriving, she can feel it in her bones.

Ever since an ancient earth clashed with another planet, and fused together while allowing a chunk to splinter off, she has been here. Said chunk that split off during the clash would round into a sphere and become her symbol, the moon. The mirror of the sun, the reflection of the morning translated for the night. Nowhere near as intense or majestic, and thus all the more graceful and coveted. Many, be it man or mon, have sought to not only grasp but drink up the ethereal moonlight that is her essence. Her glow, a glamor that turns that which is familiar into alien things, things so strange yet all the more beautiful.

None have hungered for her more than Necrozma, the dreaded one who lost his light and seeks to regain it. He roams the skies with a horde of Ultra Beasts, seeking to consume her. The sun had been blocked out by the mysterious cloud of twilight, so she has no idea as to where Solgaleo is. She flaps her wings as shadows and tiny stars crash into the army of beasts, she lets out a shriek that shatters the wills of the massive army of ultra beasts, and uses her mind to forcefully close the many wormholes threatening to open.

Around the Temple of Moone, thousands upon thousands were opening every nanosecond, and she was closing them all just as fast while battling a never ending horde. Her shadowy shield kept her from being harmed by any of the dreadful beasts, but one could only wonder how much longer it would take before that too is broken and she is left open for their assault, and worse, Necrozma.

The muscly buzzwolves burst into paste at her psychic presence, with countless kartana orbiting her, pulled into her gravitational pull. She has been fighting for far longer than she was expecting, and it seemed as if millions if not billions if not trillions more were coming. It seems that the Ultra Beasts have seen the Altar of Moone as a strong entry point between the world and Ultra Space. Should she fall, all the tears might converge into one singular massive one, and from this eye of terror all of them shall come through all at once, overwhelming the world in a massive annihilation horde.

“Leutogi! Leutogi!” calls out an old man, the head shaman of her small religious order, calling out to her with a stick in his hand and his dead kommo-o by his feet. “We have failed!” he fell to his knees, he was then quickly covered in a swarm of angry Ultra Beasts.

Leutogi, one of the many names she had been given. All legendaries had some extra name or so associated with them, for hers it was this one. The goddess-princess, caller of the moon and all of its grandeur. Mother of the night. Lunala knocks several Ultra Beasts out of the sky with a powerful sonar shriek, as if separating the beasts’ souls from their very bodies.

“Leutogi, Leutogi, the evening has not yet come, why are you out?” calls a cold voice. Lunala feels a shiver move across her entire body, knowing full well who that was. The voice continued, “Leutogi, Leutogi, the evening has passed, why are you here?” the creature taunted. The bat unleashed a blast in all directions, rendering thousands of Ultra Beasts surrounding her into nothing but quarks as she turned to face angrily the speaker.

“The twilight is here, and it is here to stay. The night has died, and so has the day” chirped Necrozma, opening and closing his prismatic hands, “the sun shall be devoured, be it with swords, coins, songs, or rods, the moon shall be devoured, neither survives the twilight of the gods.”

“Parasite” Lunala hisses, she wishes that Solgaleo was here right now, she was surrounded. She could try to escape through an Ultra Wormhole, but that would be like leaping off the pan and into a fire. She could sense Ultra Space from here, and its peaceful quiet had long been replaced by the chattering of an infinite horde, “you have come to settle the score, then?”

“I have come to enact the eventuality of this world, to devour the sun and moon, and for Ultra Space to devour the new world.”

“To supplant Arceus as the new creator of this world?” Lunala hissed offendedly, anticipating an attack at any moment from any angle. Necrozma shakes his head, “creation is too limiting for our plans… his plans, I should say. But a state of peace beyond a god’s feeble and selfishly misguided mind is par for the course for what shall come.”

“I warn you, devourer, cease this nonsense at once.”

“You have no power to make any demands,” Necrozma laughs, his army alongside him laughing seconds later. The parasite drags the various ultra wormholes straight towards him, causing them to fuse and for space itself to shake. Lunala growls as it lets out a fearsome shriek, causing the ultra energy to scatter. The prismatic entity is stunned, but not for too long.

The two legendaries begin their brutal duel, millions of ultra beasts, soon to be billions, swarming all around them. As the two circle each other, the beasts surround them, forming a great pillar that pierces the heavens.

---

Frustration did not even begin to describe Zamazenta. His sister was nowhere to be seen. Her sword must clash with his shield one final time. Born in tandem with each other against the ancient evils, and now they must tear each other apart. That is the law of the world, yet she is nowhere to be found. Her presence had left the Slumbering Weald, as if she had vanished into thin air. Vanished from Galar entirely.

Zamazenta crushes an overgrown, all-devouring monstrosity with a body press attack, as he roams aimlessly the ruined Galar. The wild had fused with the cities, with overgrown vines and water toppling buildings and killing many. Standing atop what remains of a large hill, he sees in the distance a small wooden ark. Only a few pokemon and humans inside, not enough to start civilization anew, but hopefully enough to survive.

He watches as some sort of dragon with a stinger appears from yet another interdimensional gateway from the heavens, and immediately destroys the boat with a powerful blast.

The shieldbearer sighs, for the world is ending, and he is alone.

Neither rival to fight, nor evil to stop. Zamazenta turns around to see three tall and slender white bugs approach him from behind. The earth shook beneath his feet, as fissures opened up. Knowing the end was nigh, Zamazenta enters a battle ready stance. He can only hope his sister was somewhere good, and was looking for him somehow.

---

Goldenrod was already a wreck before Cobalion and his ragtag group of legendaries assembled by Mother Space had arrived, and now, it was going to be even more desolate than before as trouble followed them. Kyurem-White soared up to the sky with blazing fury, and rained down shards of ice moving at superluminal speed.

Zacian expertly deflects each one with her trusty sword, while Cobalion hides along the alleys. Not that it was much help, as they were shredded in seconds as if they were wet paper. Each shard also exploded with the power of an entire snowstorm. Had it not been for Cobalion’s steely physiognomy and its magical reflection of iron resolution, he would have been frozen and smashed into bits like Regidrago mere moments earlier. Meloetta immediately turns into her pirouette form, and deflects some. But she ends up getting overwhelmed, and then is frozen into bits before smashing into several thousand pieces upon falling onto the ground.

Tapu Koko once again came to Phione’s rescue. Phione was ill adept for cold water, let alone ice. Warm waters were her expertise. Tapu Koko’s was as well, considering his tropical home. With lightning speed he makes a quick escape from the battle, dropping her off where the flood waters were low but present, and away from the fight.

“Flee. Princess. Flee. Alto Mare. Zekrom. Find.” Tapu Koko says before bolting back into battle, knowing full well Kyurem-White was a force to be stopped. Phione couldn’t even object as the former patron of what was once Melemele island was already gone. She stood there for a moment, trying to decode his pattern of speech, deciphering his sentence. Once she realizes, she swims immediately in the direction of Alto Mare.

As she does, she could hear Kyogre’s call, a powerful one no doubt. Enough to overpower her mind like it did her father’s, but she refuses. Kyogre has been calling her, as well as everyone else, and rallying them into what is known as The Pod. Her army. She had dominated the minds of every single water type pokemon within an unspecified vicinity. Even here where the power has grown faint it is still enough to nearly overpower her, and seeing as she has to get closer into its influence as she tries to get to Alto Mare, she can only hope she can power through it.

Back to Goldenrod, where Kyurem-White is looking for his opponents, and sees Urshifu standing alone before a number of shards that used to be Regidrago. The fused dragon scoffs, for he sees the warrior disrespect him by wasting precious time. Kyurem-White immediately blasts the bear while he isn’t looking, only for Urshifu to immediately disappear from sight before the blast of energy even reaches him.

“What?!” The dragon roared aghast, before the bear suddenly appeared below him, leaping up from the ground and holding him by the foot, before landing him with a savage wicked blow in the form of an uppercut.

Kyurem-White roared in pain, stunned as he held his head with two hands. He felt as if his jaw had been broken, and was now flying out of control. Urshifu swings him straight into the ground. The dragon crashes hard onto the cold, icy earth while the bear jumps off the ruins of a building to break his fall.

While he was down, Marshadow appears, and hammers him with several powerful strikes. A savage combo causing cracks to appear across his armored body. Kyurem-White wildly swings to get the small gloomdweller off him, but Marshadow easily avoids it, and hammers him with some more savage rapid-fire punches. The small nightmarcher then stops his ruthless combination, only for Kyurem-White to be hit by a powerful nature’s madness attack from Tapu Koko.

The land spirit then sets the field alight with a powerful electric current, as the smoke settles to reveal that Kyurem-White had blocked the last attack, forming a barrier of radiant energy to shield him from what could have been a serious hit. Breathing heavily, Kyurem-White grins. “Bold, Alolans, bold. But never enough.”

The shield turns into a bubble which traps Kyurem-White inside. Tapu Koko uses discharge to try and overpower it, to no avail. Instead, the bubble transforms into a sphere of energy which bursts. Expanding slowly but unceasingly, the slow explosion begins to atomize everything it touches in all directions.

Kyurem-White flies out of the slow but dangerous expanding explosion, and tries to grab Tapu Koko, but the guardian was too fast. Marshadow moves quickly as well, too nimble for even Kyurem-White’s jet-powered speed to catch up with. The dragon’s two hands ignite with a blue flame, slamming them onto the ground and unleashing a savage blue flare attack.

That was Reshiram’s attack, one which the goddess of truth used to destroy the slanderers and liars that once tore ancient Unova apart for the sake of politicking. One which burned down great castles and barbarian settlements alike in the name of the truth. That truth was now gone, absorbed into the form of the fiend Kyurem-White, and with it came the cloudiness of uncertainty that now bedevils the world in its final hours.

The blue flare incinerates everything in front of it, but once again the two alolan pokemon dodge it. From behind, Zacian attempts to hit the dragon with a behemoth blade, but it is pushed back by a powerful flame attack from Kyurem-White jet engine of a tail. It was a point-blank shot, and it melts Zacian’s sword, causing her to flee in panic as her fur is set alight.

Then came Urshifu, who once again appears before he can react, and strikes him with a polished jab, and then disappears before he can counter. The Urshifu continues this, landing several rapid strikes.

“Is he the wicked one or the surging one?!” the dragon thought in frustration, before sending a dragon pulse in all directions. Urshifu easily dodges each of them, and so too does Marshadow who follows suit. The two danced through his bullet barrage, and then landed a series of deadly combos.

Urshifu lands his surging strikes, while Marshadow lands a savage close combat combination.

The dragon is sent reeling, and in a panic flies out into the sky with a powerful burning jet thrust. The fire pushes the bear and gloomdweller back, almost knocking them straight into the expanding all-erasing bubble behind them. Cobalion has returned and quickly piggybacks Urshifu while also carrying Marshadow in his arms before scurrying them off to some place with a better advantage point.

“You two are doing well, he’s hurt and angry, I just need the perfect moment now” Cobalion says to them as he watches Tapu Koko maintain the offensive pressure on Kyurem-White.

---

Regigigas’ sluggish movements were beginning to loosen, and thankfully that meant they could now move quicker and quicker. The golems under their leader’s command rerouted from a western journey instead to a southeastern one, heading straight for Kanto in a surprise turn of events.

“Un un un un un” Regirock chirps, the sounds of decoding following suit.

“Even the goddess of knowledge had not seemed to realize it yet” says Regigigas, “but I did. I sensed a strong current of negative energy around Mount Coronet. There is no point in moving there right now, so we must focus first on something else.”

“Suggestion. That decision seems rather unwise. Akin to something surmised. I request on the behalf of the team for you to provide us with the reasons behind your action.” Registeel beeped, Regigigas remained silent for a few seconds, his inner techno-organic hardware processing his reasonings. “The Platinum Eye, its primeval, if not primordial, influence now lingers as a cloud along the higher points of Mount Coronet. It is impenetrable for the time being. Kanto is but a mere stopping point for our true destination.”

Regigigas networks the findings to Registeel. The iron age looks through it, and gives a monotonous beep. “Noted. Onwards then.”

The golems continued on, trampling the horde of Ultra Beasts that continued to grow like a disease everywhere they went. As they make their way towards Kanto, they are met again by the three lake guardians.

“Mount Coronet eludes us,” Mesprit says calmly.

“It makes no sense!” Uxie cried, “I KNOW nothing is supposed to be blocking us! But there is!”

“Knowledge is different from intelligence, and it shows” Regigigas gives the closest thing a robot can give to a laugh, “your powers of virtual omniscience have revealed their limitations, it is clearly a power that eludes even yours.”

“Then it’s definitely a power that involves The Olympians then” Azelf nods, “where are you four headed? Ragnarok has to stop somehow.”

“Answer. To the progenitor.” Registeel answered. The trio gasp.

“Genesis Island?! You ancient pieces of hardware don’t seem to know the difference between knowledge and intelligence either!” Uxie cried, “That island is forbidden! You know it!”

“Under rational circumstances, yes” Regice buzzed, “but we are no longer under such, are we not?”

“Un un un un un”

“Shut up, rock,” says Azelf.

“We seek Arceus, but she cannot be reached. So to reach one mother, we must reach another. To Mew we go.” Regigigas begins moving again, “mayhaps we also pass by Okoya forest somewhere, my quantum radar has noticed unclear levels of energy there.”

“The energies elude my knowledge as well,” says Uxie, “I have never felt this… stupid, before.”

“Always a time for something, then” Mesprit says intently, “off to mother Mew we go!”

---

The battle raged on for who knows how long. Was it hours? Was it days? With the sky in eternal twilight, there was no telling anymore. Sometimes it was darker, sometimes it was lighter, but in the end it was more or less the same colors at the hues too similar to certainly discern.

Lunala unleashes a destructive moongeist beam, ripping through the wave of Ultra Beasts between them. Necrozma absorbs the beam’s energy, charging himself up. Necrozma was careful not to emit too much energy of his own lest he deplete his reserves and become more vulnerable than needed. That’s what his horde was for. As all of Ultra Space threatened to push in, Lunala repelled them all on her own. Her moongeist beams cleaving wormholes together and incinerating whole hordes along with them.

As much of Alola continued to sink into the cold and loveless sea, the moon raged in battle with the chaos of the skies.

“You cannot keep fighting forever, Leutogi” Necrozma taunts, “you can knock me away as many times as you are able, I will only need to get to you once. I am as undeniable as ragnarok itself.”

“I beg to differ” Lunala says before unleashing a massive barrage of moongeist beams in all directions with a single flap of her wings. She was careful not to try and strike Necrozma, but tries to nail him with psyshock or moonblast as he tries to chase after her beams.

Necrozma absorbs a few beams, “you will be begging for your life!”

The prismatic parasite disappears into a wave of Ultra Beasts, causing her to be completely surrounded by more and more UBs. As her divine endurance began to wear thinner and thinner, they were beginning to land more and more hits. Especially with those dreadful pheromosa, who peskily lunged from all sorts of angles. Soon they might be able to tear away at her wings, and cause her to fall from the heavens she so often roamed.

Lunala fires a moongeist beam once again, destroying much of the horde, except this time, Necrozma was behind some of them, and as they burned away, he was in direct contact with the beam. Still firing it from her body, Necrozma locks her into firing, allowing her to rapidly diminish her own energy reserves while he supercharges at an alarming rate. All the while Ultra Beasts surround her and begin to try and chip away at her once august form.

Just then, from behind Necrozma, a nightmare appears.

Darkrai’s dark talons sink into Necrozma’s back, causing the prismatic assassin to stop his leeching. The nightly fiend uses his dark void in an attempt to lull the prismatic leech to sleep, but all it does at best is slightly slow his movements. Good enough, Darkrai supposes, before he throws Necrozma down straight towards the earth and fires a powerful dark pulse.

Meanwhile with Lunala, a powerful moonblast from below wipes out the horde that has Lunala pushed from all sides, followed by a healing moonlight that rejuvenates the divine bat fully. Lunala looks at her savior, who was floating up to meet with her. It was Cresselia.

“How embarrassing it is for a moon goddess to be healed by another’s moonlight” Lunala chuckles, with Cresselia giggling in turn. “Well, I am the lunar one, am I not?”

Darkrai arrives to meet with the two goddesses, with the whole trio now facing Necrozma who returns back up to the sky an angry horde of ostensibly infinite Ultra Beasts. More angry than hurt, it seemed, and more powerful as well considering how he had drained a chunk of Lunala’s power.

“Three against a trillion, how quaint” Necrozma commented. Lunala wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t joking. There were likely more hiding from beyond the holes of Ultra Space, which were only opening more and more, faster and faster, as well as wider and wider than she has any capacity to close anymore on top of the fact that she’s fighting for her life.

“You cannot overwhelm the night, Necrozma” says Lunala, her majestic voice echoing through the heavens, audible to all creatures that have ever basked under the glory of the moon, “for with the night comes dreams, and with them, nightmares.”

Notes:

259 days or so without an update. Dang. I really let this fanfic go. But alas, I have returned!

1.) ~259 days is a lot of days, as a result certain ideas of this fanfic that I had in mind may have been lost. The core elements of it are still most certainly there and will be written, but I still did have to work over a bunch of jank trying to piece my old set-ups back together.

2.) Lunala definitely needs some time with the lunar duo, it's only fair.

3.) I realized we haven't had a check up on Zamazenta yet, so here ya go. Decided to stitch him with another group I've also not updated on much yet soon.

Chapter 8: Battles Across The World

Notes:

Rated T for swearing. It's only one instance, but still.

Calyrex rode atop Glastrier through the thick woods of Okoya forest. Many pokemon were in hiding, having sealed themselves off in their dens and burrows, sensing the existential threat that the twilight above posed. Despite not being adapted for this level of off-road travel, Glastrier proved exceptionally dexterous and adaptive, befitting of the legendary king’s steed. Despite the thickness of its feet, the icy stallion did not trip over the many jutting roots and haphazardly placed stones.

Right now, Calyrex was mostly focused on not being found by the Genesects, which proved far harder than expected. They were everywhere. Drone after drone. Call it his king’s intuition, but he knew that the moment they were found by even one, a whole swarm would arrive within the next minute. What would follow is an inescapable horde of laser beams that would no doubt kill them like they did regieleki. Regieleki, as young as they were, was one of the fastest beings in the universe, yet even its speed was unable to outmatch the omnipresence of the Genesect hive and unmatched computational power.

Volcanion did not follow the king. Calyrex believed it was for the best. The steam beast is likely to live better amongst the zarude, and if they were to exile him, it was best that volcanion was not with him. There was no way for volcanion to be capable of keeping up with him without creating far too much noise. The steam thrusters would alert the drones to their location.

So all in all, Calyrex was alone. With nothing but his icy steed for comfort. He would spend the next unknown duration surveying the entire island without getting caught. Trying to assess what exactly was going on. He could sense from his antler crown that great energies came from the tree at the heart of the forest. The mechanical bugs could find them out at any moment, so he still had to be careful, but he couldn’t help but be attracted to the very crux of his current problem. It was clear the Genesects weren’t simply here because they despised legendaries and used the island as some sort of bait to off those trying to seek refuge from the impending doom, they were here for something else.

They were protecting something. They were like workers for a hive. A swarm of metal which actively sought to guard something crucial to their survival, or in this case, plans. Calyrex rode Glastrier to the farthest parts of the island, along the enormous rock walls which separated the inner forest from the outer sides and its many valleys. By a discrete cave high up, he could see the central tree. The tree was to the land what a nucleus was to a cell. The entire landmass was slowly being cyberformed, soon enough the natural flora would be replaced with techno-organic biotic components. The pokemon were likely to follow, assuming their cyberization did not coincide simultaneously with the modification of the environment. All of this could be traced back to the tree, which was the one that displayed the most of this horrific technological conversion. Parts of the tree had grayed, its bark replaced in favor of what he could only presume was steel. Vines replaced with wires and chords among others. Within it was undoubtedly a power source.

In order to defeat the Genesects, he would have to storm the tree and cut them off from this source. But considering how the iron bugs had overrun the entire forest, that was borderline impossible. All in all, it seemed like it was best he cut his losses and go elsewhere.

Unfortunately for Calyrex, that was no longer his choice to make. A powerful roar would come from deep within the cave, causing it to collapse and more importantly, knock both Calyrex and Glastrier right out of it and tumbling down the side of the high rock walls. The sound would attract all sorts of Genesects immediately to the location, and they would swarm in. Many would immediately notice the king and his steed, seeing the reindeer form a glacial lance and stabbing the steep side of the rock to stop them from continuing to tumble down. They narrowly avoid laser fire, speedily running across the wall. The growing swarm of steel bugs would be in for a rude surprise however, as suddenly portals would open, and from them all sorts of alien creatures would appear.

Blacephalons, xurkitrees, pheromosas, and more swarmed the field. The balloon-headed ultra beasts in particular proved devastating, materializing out of thin air small balloons which exploded into miniature starbursts. The carapace of the genesects were capable of withstanding direct hits from some of humanity’s most lethal weapons of mass destruction, and yet several of them had now brushed off an explosion even stronger than that. The genesects battled the ultra beasts, but there was still a noticeable swarm which pursued Calyrex.

Calyrex atop Glastrier was swift, not as swift as he would be if he were one with Spectrier, but swift nonetheless. Firing shards of ice somehow sharp enough to leave cuts on their hyper-advanced exoskeletons, and even driving a glacial lance through one of them. But no matter how many he slew, more genesects arrived. It did not take long for a tidal wave of weaponized insects to form, all unified in chasing him specifically. There were many more of them to handle the growing number of UBs all over the island. If anything, there were so many of them the beasts were actually struggling to overrun the island with their typical raw numbers tactics. The ancient king would fire a huge glacial lance straight into the horde, managing to skewer several genesects and flatten some more, but in the end the ones who fell were drowned out by the rest of the swarm which remained unbothered. So many systems trained on him, a storm of laser fire being so enormous it started hitting them. Glastrier could no longer evade them properly, or maneuver away from them for that matter.

All this would change when the massive horde is destroyed in one single hyper beam. The entire swarm chasing him erased just like that. The king would command his steed to come to a halt as he saw hulking figures in the distance. New arrivals no doubt. Three pixies with perplexed faces on them, as well as three golems. One made of ice like Glastrier was, and another of steel. One of them, made of stone, was currently depleted of its energy and thus was attempting to recharge. At the center among them was likely their leader, a gargantuan white and gold pokemon that Calyrex knew from stories.

“Regigigas, am I glad to see you” Calyrex bowed, “as you can see, there is nothing chaos here.”

“Drats” Uxie growled in frustration, holding her head in her hands, “the shadows are getting worse. Something really is blocking my knowledge.” The goddess of knowledge frustratingly shook her head, “cyberforming… island… the genesects. Settled here for… a good couple years now, overran the zarude. There’s a…”

“An incredibly powerful energy signature,” Regigigas finishes the pixie’s words, “greetings, your highness. It is strange for you to be here. Does Galar not still stand?”

Calyrex shakes his head, “nay. Death has consumed that land. This was to be a place of refuge. Yet it seems that with the twilight, no place is safe.”

“Coward” Azelf growled, “you lack the will to fight for the ones you once called your people. You are no king.” Mesprit places a hand on Azelf’s shoulder, “easy now, Azelf. There is no need for-”

Azelf was not having it however, brushing the hand off. “There is an absolute need! You are a coward, Calyrex! Have you no shame?! What of-” the lake guardian would be frozen solid by a beam from Regice, as silently commanded by Regigigas. The white and gold giant was not going to tolerate a diatribe, especially when his slowness refused to leave him. “A heartbeat courses throughout this entire island. The energy signature is at the core of this landmass. Do you know the way?”

Calyrex nods again, “that I do. It’s undoubtedly their source of power. Something is most certainly afoot there. Especially in regards to him. The mightiest mortal in the world.”

“Mewtwo…” Uxie whispered. Breathtaken at the idea that such a dangerous creature had been contained. “Then it’s clear what he must do. We must charge that tree immediately! With the enormous amount of chaos happening around, they can’t all focus on us!”

“Your intellect really is dwindling” Mesprit shook her head, “that’s suicide. We need a better plan.”

“There is no better plan,” says Regigigas, “Calyrex, take the guardians with you to the tree. Take what you can from it. The golems and I shall wreak havoc and take away as much attention from you as necessary. Make haste with your work, this overwhelming number of Genesect is without a doubt the single most dangerous military force to ever grace this planet.”

“An exaggeration, if prophecy is to be believed, but a meritorious claim nonetheless” Calyrex rode off, carrying the frozen Azelf. Mesprit and Uxie followed him. Regigigas raises his arms sluggishly, before slamming them onto the ground, causing waves of rock to jut from the ground and create a devastating earthquake that would have destroyed the island, had it not been for the now-revealed techno-organic veins holding it together.

“Observation: The roots of the tree have already infected much of this island.” says Registeel, “you hold the sufficient power to unglue it completely. Do you plan to proceed?”

“Negative” says Regigigas as a huge number of Genesect cover the skies above. Regirock returns to fighting capacity, and alongside its fellow golems, is ready for battle. “Postpone complete destruction until I give the command.”

“Affirmative,” Registeel flares up at the sight of so many enemies, “commencing mass termination procedure.”

---

“Why are you here?” Tornadus flapped his wings, with Landorus to his left and Thundurus to his right. Enamorus floated there in the back. All four disasters stood there before the malefic djinn known as Hoopa. Now unbound, the vicious genie floated before his fellow djinn.

“Games, mostly” the fiendish genie smirked, “from one genie to another.”

“You know full well we have no reason to trust you” Thundurus spoke, his tail crackling with lightning. “Leave this place, there is enough chaos as is. We need not more, especially from one such as yourself.”

“You wound me, seiryu” Hoopa said in a mock offended tone, placing one of his many disembodied hands on his chest, “but I’m afraid that even if that were here to usher you four and this wretched region their deliverance, I’d have already done it. I do not need the permission of lesser gods.”

“Then why are you here then?” Landorus spoke, his voice shaking the earth, “you seek an audience with us? Here we are. You promise to be without chaos, so what else have you come forth with?”

“I never said it was without chaos” the djinn spoke, “I have an offer for you four. The noble beasts.”

“We do not carry that name anymore,” Thundurus’ voice boomed like thunder, “we are the natural disasters. Refer to us as such again, and we will reunite with the old land if you are so fond of it.”

“Ho ho ho” Hoopa’s demonic smile only widened, “then listen closely to me then, seiryu. I have an offer for you four. A new era is upon us, one which can bring back this old land for you, and one in which your time as a disaster is undone, and your offices as the noble beasts of the cardinal directions are resumed.”

“Such a reality is a dream” Tornadus roared. The whirlwind-making genie flapped his wings, forming cyclones below, “we refuse your offer, begone lest we divide you into pieces.”

“It seems your wisdom has fled alongside your noble office,” Hoopa chuckles maniacally. He snaps his fingers, and four portals appear on the earth below. Out of them appeared four familiar pokemon, who radiated a wicked energy. An ancient sin which matches the nobility the four disasters once had. A rivalry that extended back to the old land.

The four ruins.

Once they roamed the world as great evils, and they were destroyed along with the old land. Yet it seems their memory latches onto reality, and somehow they had been reborn through another generation’s greed, through another generation’s treasures.

“Byakko, so good to see you” purrs Chien-Pao.

Wo-Chien spoke in an indecipherable tongue, while Ting-Lu remained entirely quiet. Chi-Yu on the other hand was stoked to fight his ancient foes. The goldfish flares with life, “OH YEAH BABY. COME AND GET SOME, YOU GENIE FUCKERS. I’M GONNA INCINERATE YOU ALL INTO ASHES!”

Hoopa laughs in the form of a mirthful yet malefic roar before disappearing through another portal.

---

Lunala, Darkrai, and Cresselia worked as a trio, unleashing a deadly dance of the night to destroy wave after wave of ultra beasts. The energy residue left behind rains down on Alola, so much so that they were beginning to solidify, covering the Altar of Moone in a bioluminescent foam composed of ultra space energy. They were like a meat grinder the way they butchered the hordes that surrounded them, all the while Necrozma bided his time.

“Oh Leutogi… Leutogi, Leutogi, Leutogi…” Necrozma shook his prismatic head, although this causes the rest of his body to shake as well, “what is the night compared to the night creature? You are but the heavens to one world, yet I am the heavens of many. Even before, before this world was formed. My light which permeated across the dimensions in time immemorial, yet it seems even this you are blind to.”

Alola had been overrun by the never ending horde of Ultra Beasts, and the rest of the world was falling as well. The seas raged with waves as tall as mountains as virtually all aquatic pokemon followed Kyogre who pilgrimaged across the entire sea floor before eventually making her way towards Armageddon itself. Navel Rock and the faraway island remained brief spots of calmness in the water, while the birds and beasts continued their battle against the corrupted Lugia.

Darkrai crafts another dark void out of thin air, and unleashes it upon the swarm of ultra beasts, sending them all asleep. The bad dreams ability the nightmare god carried with him immediately infected every single one of them, and caused them to shrivel up. Cresselia on the other hand would form a bubble around the three of them, protecting them as the horde that was vanquished by Darkrai is immediately replaced by another one of similar quantity. These ultra beasts were expandable despite their immense power, as if the entirety of ultra space had been united under a singular banner.

Seventeen buzzwole land their savage punches on the barrier, each one capable of pulverizing mountains, yet even they were not enough to cause even the smallest of cracks on the barrier Cresselia had formed. The dream goddess unleashed a hum which reverberates across the air, binding the ultra beasts in place. Powerful beams of light would be fired from Lunala in all directions, vaporizing them all in an instant.

Poni Island itself shook as the legendary battle raged on in the heavens above the Altar of Moone. The cataclysmic events would only grow all the more dire as a flock of flying type pokemon of all kinds accompanied a crimson wraith. Together they all formed a cloud of death which seemed to promise, if not guarantee, nothing short of doom. Like a herald of the apocalypse that was now reality, the flock made its way over Poni Island’s Altar of Moone.

Necrozma looks up at the sky, and sees Yveltal with all sorts of bird pokemon by his side. Necrozma nods at him, and the death bird nods back. The god of death lets out a fearsome shriek, and red whips of light scattered all around him. It instantly drains the life force of every single bird that surrounded him as well as the trillions of ultra beasts that surrounded the three. As they all crumbled into a level of dust that could barely pass as matter, Yveltal fires three scythes of reddish energy which hits all three.

Yveltal’s oblivion wing attack immediately disintegrates Cresselia and Darkrai, while the wounded Lunala hisses as she spirals out of control, crashing down onto her altar which was now consumed by the bioluminescent foam of Ultra Beast remains.

Yveltal laughs, his laughter sounded like the weeping of countless victims crying out. “For The Cabal!” he humorously proclaimed before flying away. Necrozma looks down a bit, at the fallen Lunala who was trying to get back up. “For The Cabal,” he says silently and sinisterly. He was grateful for the death god’s assistance, although he was too prideful to say it.

The bat goddess flaps her wings, slowly flying upwards. The Alolan skies were empty now, with all the Ultra Beasts now gone in that single lethal instant. She looks up at Necrozma who hovered above her.

“Leutogi, Leutogi, Leutogi… how alone you are once again.”

“You’re working with others…” Lunala said with labored breaths, trying not to collapse, each flap only continued to tire her even more on top of the severe stings of her wounds. Her starry-night colored wings and back were glowing with red cracks. She was not just bleeding, she was fading away. The injury crept beyond the physical or even metaphysical scale. It scarred her at a conceptual level, and across all conceivable and even inconceivable mathematical dimensions. She was slowly but irreversibly crumbling into a reddish dust. “Forcing life’s hand like this, you have some nerve. Ragnarok means absolute death! Are you really going to resort to this to reach your full power?!”

“Ragnarok is the death of the world where I had fallen, it shall be reborn anew when I rise” Necrozma said coldly, its voice echoing through the hollowed Alola. The prismatic pokemon swoops down, grabbing Lunala by the throat. “Your light is mine, and my light is that which brings forth the new age.”

“You will not last the twilight.”

“Not like this,” Necrozma’s chokehold tightens, “but I am not just the twilight, I am the dawn.”

As if she was made of glass, Lunala shatters, and her light is devoured by the prismatic parasite. Necrozma glows, and the shattered pieces of Lunala stick onto his body like a magnet. Necrozma’s body transmogrified, resynthesizing in various altering ways until a burst of moonlight completely decimates the entirety of Poni Island

---

Kyurem-White was unamused. Cobalion’s little team proved more fearsome than he first thought. His eyes look around for the last swordsman, knowing he could be anywhere. As he does, he is once more caught off guard by Tapu Koko, who crashes straight into him with a powerful brave bird attack.

“Foul atua! I’ve slain kupua far greater than you! You think you can fight me with such impunity?!” Kyurem-White roared as he raised his arm, causing enormous sharp slabs of ice to tear from under the earth. Each one shatters and fires in all directions, destroying what remains of the buildings in an absolute omni-directional bullet hell of icy ballistic missiles. Tapu-Koko, fast as he is, is struck by the salvo of ice shards and crashes to the earth, near death from the collective recoil and the savagery of the attack itself. Kyurem-White forms a fiery ball in his two hands, raising them upwards, the ball grows immediately into a far larger fireball. It shone bright as if it were a miniature sun. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?!”

“It most certainly does!” says a voice from behind. Kyurem-White’s eyes widened, and he turned his head around, but it was too late.

“SACRED SWORD!” yells Cobalion. He was once more in true, pokemon form. The cerulean antelope had a glowing blade-horn on his head, the sword that earned him the title as the first sword of justice. He remembers when he was but a sprite in the wilderness, a species of pokemon long since forgotten, rendered extinct by the demands of nature. He was known as The Hustling Sword. For despite his weakness, he stood valiantly against evil. That desire for justice was so great, that he transformed into who he is now.

The blade cuts Kyurem-White’s thruster tail right off, causing a powerful explosion to quake the earth, and for the fiery sphere to dissipate as Kyurem-White crashes into the earth. An enormous mountain of ice then grows where Kyurem-White was, completely taking over the ruined battlefield that was once Goldenrod city, and even extending to the park north and the forest south. The icy mountain pierces the skies, and is then shattered by what appears to be Raikou, thrown by a shadowy Lugia’s aeroblast. Another battle of Ragnarok meeting with another.

Kyurem-White roars, the rest of the mountain shatters, causing more icicle shards to fly in all directions, decimating everything. They fly at hypersonic speeds, bordering on the speed of light. Tapu Koko hides behind Cobalion as the sword of justice calms himself. Cobalion then proceeds to parry every single icicle headed towards him. The same goes for Zacian, Marshadow, and Urshifu. Lugia flaps its wings to deflect the attack, before the legendary birds arrive and fight it back towards the coast, leaving Cobalion’s group to deal with Kyurem-White alone once again.

Kyurem-White seethes with rage, his thruster tail having regrown. The dragon flies away, leaving behind a conflagration that sweeps the chilled ruins of Goldenrod. Cobalion splits the wave of flame headed towards them. When the flames cleared all which remained was a thick smoke cloud and scorched earth. Kyurem-White was nowhere to be seen.

“He has been deterred for now,” Urshifu held his head down, “it is best we make haste for Alto Mare now, before he inevitably returns with a vengeance.”

Cobalion nods, “right. Come on, We’ve wasted enough time already, the faster the battle comes, the quicker this apocalypse shall end.”

Notes:

192 days since last update. Hey, at least it wasn't as long as last time. Hehe.

I will not lie when I say I kind of forget this fic even exists. I'm putting most of my energy in my two flagship fics really. One of them I haven't updated in months because I'm trying to craft the right chapter, while the other one is in an important arc again. As I try to step back from them, I find myself back here. Might as well throw you all a bone because there's a chance this fic won't be updated again for another 100+ days. Or maybe it'll be updated by next week and then it won't be updated for 100+ days, we'll see.

Chapter 9: Unrelenting Conflict

Articuno is sent crashing into the water, causing the waves to freeze over all the while the battle rages on. Suicune leaves glacial paths wherever she steps, running through the waves at mach speeds before leaping high up into the air and unleashing a powerful ice beam at Shadow Lugia. Shadow Lugia however completely disregards the attack, the dark winds that surround it completely absorbing the beam, disintegrating it into nothing.

Moltres and Shaymin combined the powers of their fire blast and air slash, but even they dissipated under the shadow aura of Shadow Lugia. Shaymin shakes their head in frustration, “whatever is powering that thing, it’s not normal! We can’t even harm ‘em anymore!”

“We must try!” roared Entei, an undersea volcano erupts, cracking some of the frozen sea and sending molten rock towards Lugia from below, but the beast deflects that as well. Dark bubbles of chaotic energy move all around Lugia’s darkened form, a raw chaos with a source clearly beyond mere mortal intervention. It was an unholy power, and it sought nothing short of absolute destruction.

“Face THUNDER!!!” Zapdos crowed, and a thousand thunderbolts fired at once, but none of them could touch Lugia either. Lugia unleashes a roar which causes the winds and tide to become even more frenetic before firing a hydro pump at Entei who stood at one of the glaciers below. Entei would dodge the attack, and the pressurized line of water acted like a blade as Lugia held it upwards. It would cut the entire region of Kanto clean in half as Lugia raised it to hit one of the birds.

Shaymin and Zapdos were able to avoid the attack, but Moltres was not so lucky. The firebird was snuffed out in an instant, and cleaved into two. Not even her sunlike flame was enough to vaporize the power behind the shadow-infused water jet. As Moltres’ sunlight faded, Zapdos watched and was overtaken with a great fury. Zapdos fires more thunderbolts at Lugia, although this time they were completely dispersed by a powerful aeroblast that nearly shreds Zapdos into pieces as it plants him into the ground that was once the Fuchsia city safari zone.

Suicune and Entei both ran back to land, with Articuno following them. Without Ho-oH, this fight might actually be lost. Articuno couldn’t even think straight, her mind still focused on the death of her sister which transpired not even a few moments ago.

As this happens, various meltan are trying to recombine back into melmetal. They were cut clean in half by the hydro pump that cut Kanto in half. They had been devouring the metal of abandoned cities to gain more and more biomass, growing into a skyscraping giant not unlike their gigantamax form. But the supercolony lost 1/3rds of themselves in that instant. As melmetal reforms, it knows one thing is clear, Lugia was a threat.

Back to the battle, Shaymin and Lugia duel in the skies. The latter however lead the entirety of their brief match, being impervious to all of Shaymin’s offense while being more than capable of taking Shaymin’s life as easily as he took Moltres’. “Foolish little sky warrior so far from home,” Shadow Lugia taunted, “what could you possibly contribute?”

“Let’s find out!” says Shaymin, firing several seed flares. Rather than attempt to hit Lugia however, they explode, forming a cloud of dust that blocks the shadowy pokemon’s view. Lugia easily casts the obstruction away, but now Shaymin is nowhere to be found. The sky warrior appears behind Shadow Lugia, and fires an air cutter to no avail. The chaotic cocoon covering Lugia was far more impervious than first realized.

Lugia flaps his wings, effortlessly creating cyclones that could swallow entire countries whole. Shaymin disappears in the intense winds, all the while the two remaining birds and beasts try to recuperate. “Together!” Zapdos crowed. The remaining four unleashed a combined thunderbolt, blizzard, hydro pump, and fire blast at Lugia.

But even that was insufficient.

Lugia just laughs as the darkness takes hold of him even more. He begins to glow, a black-colored light covering what was once Kanto. The four pokemon, exhausted, lay there, unsure how to fight beyond this point. Lugia fires a devastating hyper beam right at them, more than capable of erasing them off the face of the earth. The impact created a shockwave that could be felt throughout the entire world. A mountain of dust and smoke formed at the site of the blast.

As Lugia tried to recharge, his eyes widened as the dust cleared, and the four were still alive.

In front of them was a reddish wolf, imbued with a legendary shield.

“Foul beast!” howled Zamazenta, “you shall not live to see the end of this day!”

---

The four disasters, Thundurus, Tornadus, Landorus, and Enamorus, were once known as the four noble beasts. In ancient times, when the cradles of civilizations had spawned their first fledglings, was the so-called Old Land. Ancient tribes across the river valleys, basins, hills, and forests forming a grand kingdom in what they proclaimed to be the middle of the world. Forming and breaking, wars and peace. Contracts and executions followed by riots and famines. They’d seen it all in their lifetime as forces of nature. The four noble beasts, representing a part of the cardinal directions of which each man in the old land bowed to.

Seiryu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu. Those were their names. Their personas emblematic of their divine office, ushering the mandates of heaven as the old land prospered in bloom or withered in flood. But the old land could not remain old forever, before the four beasts knew it, they had found themselves splintered.

It was after a battle with four titans of ruin. Foul demons who emerged from the icy peaks, solid earth, lush forest, and the flames of the battlefield. Each one formed as the collective despair and wickedness of the old land. The quartet were known as the four perils, and they unleashed devastation upon the aged landscape. The righteous four descended upon the wicked four and a battle ensued. Its duration is lost to time, and its time lost to memory.

By the end of it, the perilous four had been vanquished, but the three were forced to flee from the old land, which was now beyond resuscitation. Three fled west, while one fled east, and assumed new identities in their shame.

Now all four of them had returned under these new identities. Their ancient foes likewise had returned under new identities as well. So much has since passed since the days of the old land, and yet seeing them here before them now, it was as if nothing had changed at all.

Chi-Yu was the first to attack. Always the aggressor, not even death and rebirth’s new opportunities had tempered his burning spirit. He fired a fearsome fire blast at the four. Thundurus disappeared like a bolt of lightning, Landorus dived straight down while Enamorus followed him. This left Tornadus, who flapped his wings, unleashing a tailwind which kills the incoming fire blast and accelerated his siblings.

“Oh how I’ve missed this,” Chien-Pao purred. She dodges Thundurus’ lightning fast charge at her before countering with ice spinner. Thundurus and Enamorus glided with the tailwind towards Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien. The former just stood there as the latter raised a massive wall of sharp thorns to guard against the two.

Landorus however foresaw this, and transformed into his incarnate form. A poisonous blob appears in his hands, quickly turning into a massive ball of poison which he throws at the thorn wall, melting it down into paste with the toxins preventing a predicted regeneration. Enamorus would also transform into her incarnate form, a trail of light was left where her lips were as her eyes glowed before firing a devastating moonblast attack towards both of them.

Strained as her relationship might be with her brothers, she was their ace in the hole. She was a fairy type, and thus she trumped their dark type foes. Although Chi-Yu did boast a resistance to her, Landorus could take care of that. Wo-Chien receives a direct hit from the moonblast, turning into nothing but a pile of leaves, vines, and tablet fragments while Ting-Lu just stands there. He had summoned a protective barrier for himself but not his fellow treasure of ruin.

The land and fairy genies raised their arms in a collaborative effort to defeat Ting-Lu who remained oh so silent. Just then, another one of Hoopa’s rings appears, just above Ting-Lu but facing both genies. Cyclonic winds come out of them like an engine thruster, forcing both of them back and even managing to overpower the tailwind. As this happens, Shaymin is found out of the portal as well, spiraling out of control as they are blown in the wind.

Thundurus crackles with lightning before unleashing a thunderbolt at Chien-Pao, sending her crashing straight into a mountain. The mountain is carved by the ferocity of the lightning bolt, with stone and ice now raining down as a result of the attack. Thundurus moved at a similar speed to get to the mountain so that he may rain down javelins of light upon the rubble. Despite all this, Chien-Pao sneakily moved through the rubble underneath the angry lightninger’s notice.

Having a bird’s eye view, Thundurus looked at the devastation he had caused in search for Chien-Pao. No foe could ever truly hide themselves from him, as he could always track them by their bio-electrical field. The problem however is that Chien-Pao is no ordinary pokemon, she was a ruinous creature and her wraith-like qualities prevented her from possessing such a quality in the first place. Paired with her icy camouflage, she blended effortlessly well with the icy rubble. She stealthily and quickly ascended up what remained of the mountain, jumping off its peak and catching Thundurus off guard. Her bladed fangs glistening under the sun, she beheaded him.

Chi-Yu’s flames seared the earth but could not touch Tornadus. Tornadus inhaled, and soon the winds would gather all around him. A pillar of winds would quickly form to tether heaven and earth once more together. Within this godly tornado, Tornadus stared at the fiery goldfish.

“Time to put out the fire”

“BRING IT! I AIN’T SCARED OF AN OVERGROWN PIDGEY LIKE YOU!”

With a flap of his wings, the winds scattered in all directions. They would flatten everything. Leveling mountains and skinning already dying forests of their remaining trees. Even the water of rivers and lakes would be blown away. The desecration brought forth by Ragnarok had stripped this land of its beauty prior to this battle, this was of little consequence now. Chi-Yu would be overpowered, his fire snuffed out as if it was but a candle.

Chi-Yu’s beads are blown away in the wind. Sent to the far reaches of Unova. The whole region had been pancaked by Tornadus’ attack, and it seemed the only thing left standing was Ting-Lu.

“H-huh?!” Shaymin stands up, looking around in shock. One moment they were about to get eviscerated by Lugia’s cyclone attack, the next they were here. Looking to their right they saw a lone moose-like creature standing still despite the wrathful cyclone that flattened the entire region, to their left were two genies who had gotten up right after the cyclonic strike and were charging towards them.

Instinctually Shaymin fired air slashes at the two of them. Enamorus is struck down while Landorus powers through, firing a sludge bomb at them. Shaymin evades the attack and begins firing a barrage of seed flares at the ground-flying genie. “What’s the big deal?!” Shaymin growls, Landorus snorts, “foul creature of ruin! Assistant to evil!”

Shaymin evades a speeding punch from Landorus, and then a swooping attack from Tornadus. Amidst the confusion, Ting-Lu continued to stand there motionless. He absorbs the ruinous energies of his fallen allies and proceeds to erupt a dark wave of energy which hits Shaymin and all three genies with a savage ruination attack.

Landorus roars before rushing straight towards Ting-Lu, unleashing an earth power attack. But Ting-Lu merely raises a protective screen. “Standing there as a statue, mocking me. The ruins have fallen once, they shall once more!”

“...” Ting-Lu was like a statue.

Rage and power surged through Landorus’ body. His vision narrows, concentrating on Ting-Lu who stood there completely unafraid. His fighting spirit channels into a sphere before firing a focus blast. The cannonball of combative energy ripped through the air towards Ting-Lu, all the while Landorus maintained his momentum by charging a hammer arm attack.

The orange orb collides with Ting-Lu, creating a massive cloud of dust. A white blur bursts from it, moving past Landorus. The genie stands still, shocked at the pain that went through his torso. Frozen still, Landorus was locked in a state of pause as the cloud cleared up, and Ting-Lu remained standing still.

Chien-Pao on the other hand snickers. She’d already returned despite being knocked far away. She looks back at Landorus, who finally begins to realize that he had been cut into two pieces. His upper half slides right off his floating lower half, dropping onto the ground. The genie’s earthly energies disperse into a fertile aura, which quickly grows dull and wither before being absorbed into Ting-Lu’s motionless state.

“What’s gotten into you, Lu? Where’s Wo-Chien? Where’s Chi-Yu? Where-” Chien-Pao couldn’t even finish her sentence as she’s struck by an angry Enamorus’ moonblast. Ting-Lu raises another protective barrier to block the attack. Just like that, Ting-Lu was all alone as two genies remained as well as a confused Shaymin the sky warrior.

Tornadus enters his incarnate form and swats Shaymin away. “Sister! To me!” he commanded, and she followed him. He breathes in, causing clouds all across the region to once more gather around him. Once more he was to fire his bleakwind storm. A grand tornado covers Tornadus as Enamorus floated right below him. Within the narrow eye of the goliath super tornado she watched as Shaymin tried to break through it with more air slashes, all the while Ting-Lu remained still, motionlessly absorbing Chien-Pao’s ruinous essence.

“Even now you stand still!” Tornadus’ voice echoed through the heavens, “die alongside your comrades, vessel of ruin!”

Just then, a geyser of light bursts from beneath the growing tornado. It completely disintegrates both of them with neither genie realizing they had just died. Shaymin is blinded by the flare of the attack, which was akin to staring at the eclipse as the light of the sun begins to creep back once more as the moon passes. Shaymin loses control, floating in the air trying to reorient themselves and find their way back to the ground, only to be devoured by an enormous prismatic bat.

Necrozma, the Wings of Dawn.

“Ah… you must be one of Hoopa’s lackeys then” Necrozma grins at Ting-Lu. Only then does the vessel of ruin move, looking up at the prismatic parasite that had devoured the moon goddess and taken her form.

“No, we serve the same master” Ting-Lu says in a quiet tone, “we serve The Cabal.”

“Indeed we do, I suppose we should take our leave then?” With a thought Necrozma opens an ultra wormhole, and Ting-Lu moves through it towards their next destination.

---

Okoya forest was overrun by Genesects. They flew like drones overhead as an enormous battle ensued. Regigigas and his fellow titans fought the endless onslaught of metallic bugs who fired beams that would have effortlessly disintegrated lesser pokemon. A powerful energy seemed to coat the regis, with Regigigas being its source. It was a power dampening curtain of some kind, with it the regis were able to smash any speeding bug they were able to lay their hands on. Although the Genesects proved harder to fight, not just because of their sheer numbers and the attacks that come with, but in their incredible evasion. They moved in platoons and then divided before uniting into a singular platoon again. An organized swarm ruled by cold battle tactics.

Regigigas however was unamused. He slams the ground, causing the earth to quake and massive waves of rock to rise up to form a course too treacherous for the speedy genesects to freely traverse. Or so he had hoped. The supercomputers the Genesects had for brains functioned at an incredible speed and spotted any and all rocks in their path as well as properly spacing themselves as they rocketed towards the group at high speed. There was also the fact that the Genesects could just blast through the rocks.

But that was not what Regigigas was after. The titan beeps, the symbols on his torso glowing. Suddenly, both regice and registeel liquify into something liquid. The chilly water and the molten steel transformed into liquid blades for Regigigas to wield, and he unleashed them like whips in all directions, tearing apart countless Genesect drones.

“Regirock, pursue the king and the pixies”

“Un un un un” Regirock beeped before spinning around like a top and burrowing underground like a drill. Regigigas would freeze the hole shut with a magical permafrost from his regice weapon, which would turn from a liquid sword to a more proper arm-blaster. With the power of the ice age and the iron age combined, the ancient titan faced off against the cyber-organisms of the future.

Calyrex on the other hand rode Glastrier straight towards the heart of the forest, where Okoya’s enormous tree towered over everything. Its natural beauty marred with metallic infusions of the techno-organic hive. A generator emits steam as it tries to cool down, with pipes leading into the metallic sinews that stitched the entire island together. More and more genesects proceeded to be fabricated from the inner sanctum of the tree, bursting from the vents between the thick roots at mach speeds before heading on to pursue the incoming group.

The three lake guardians held their hands together. Forming a circle they focused all their psychic energies and formed a primeval cocoon around Calyrex and Glastrier. Psychic was the word used for the lack of a better one. It was elemental in nature, but not in the elemental known today. It was the binding force. During the primeval period, when Palkia and Dialga were born and combated each other, time and space were wild and stretched so thin before being compressed so thick. Everything was the size of a solar system and the size of an atom, and the duration of this change of process also varied. Sometimes it would take 70 kalpas, and then it would take 7 attoseconds, or perhaps it would be happening all at once. Space was infinitely expanding but then limited by a firmament, while time was cyclical but then reduced to a line.

It was this binding elemental force, a force beyond either word or description, that set order to the space and time of the world. The arrangements of matter were set. Genetics and evolution as tools of intelligent design, and statistics to dictate the logics that all organisms must follow but yet to discover. It was the science of existence, and the soul does not follow science, but rather science follows the soul. And so the template for everything was born. That power now gathered as a shield to protect the once and future king who rode atop his icy steed towards the mighty tree.

Naturally, the collective blasts from the Genesects proved fruitless before the primeval shield, and the extremely durable battle armor they had for carapaces were not match for the glacial lances which channeled the primal realm of ice and mist in every strike. Attacking these cretins with such force was like attacking durants by smashing several moons into them from all directions. Excessive force, but one Calyex could afford.

The group reaches the tree itself, hulking in its sheer colossal scale. Part of it remained as a pure and ancient wood, while the other half was now naught but artificial sinew ingrained into its form, metallic veins intertwined until they were tough wires, and then wires into cord and finally cord into form. Spiraling and enduring, unshaking by the battle, its techno-organic roots ripping through the soil below, gluing the whole island together with its hooks. Powerful energies pooled within the tree, undoubtedly machines of the genesect’s usage. But for what? Of what? None of them were sure. All the while even the goddess of knowledge was left blind by the corruptive shade that seemed to act as the prime mover for the apocalypse.

“Sadness” says Mesprit, “I sense a great sadness within the tree.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” says Uxie, “the genesects are programs, they have no emotions. None that are real, anyways. They’re all just algorithms with responses. Like how dopamine allows for creatures to experience the concept of happiness, only in their case it’s just the dopamine.”

“Nay, there is sadness within” Mesprit restated, “I am certain of it. True, genuine sadness locked within the metal husk of this tree.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Come on!” Azelf barked, “these darned metal insects don’t know when to quit! Let’s go find that sadness and crush this darned thing!”

“Much agreed!” Calyrex says, Glastrier neighs as the duo unleash glacial lances at several genesects, freezing them into miniscule bits. “Never have I fought a horde like this since the days Groudon emerged from Galar’s north-western coast with his darned Fomorians.”

“When his eye destroyed all that it gazed upon, that same eye bears it once more with Ragnarok upon us. Mother Arceus have mercy,” says Uxie. The troop continued to fight, taking down troop after troop. They would slowly but surely fight off the horde of genesect all around them. The herculean tree stood like a titan amidst the chaotic twilight, the seekers ascended for who knows how long, the battle raging for a seeming eternity without end in sight.

On the ground, the zarude were forced to flee as the iron swarm grew so huge in its efforts of attempting to destroy Regigigas that it spotted their hidden enclave and proceeded to attempt to terminate them as well. Many of the lemurs were vaporized within a single blast, although their assault would awaken a slumbering beast that accompanied Calyrex on the way here.

Volcanion’s steam eruptions shredded the steely bugs, their titanium-alloy carapaces were akin to soaked tissue paper compared to the beast’s immense power. The fire/water type roared, sensing the beating hum of Magearna’s heart as he propelled himself towards the tree with his steam rockets, tearing through more genesects by just plain running through them. Their metallic bodies shattering like glass and coating the red beast in their oil and wires upon collision.

Meanwhile Regigigas continued his fight. Regice had turned into a blaster and unleashed beams of absolute zero which obliterated thousands, and Registeel had turned into thrashing metal whips that lacerated countless more. The titan could sense a faint signal in the distance, an electric hum of his design. The titan had been slowly moving towards it as the fight kept on.

---

Celebi shrieked, black goo foaming from its rabid mouth.

To its right was Celebi from one attosecond in the future, to its left was Celebi from one attosecond in the past. All of Celebi across all of time, from the day she was born to the last period of time she was in, the one that caused her to be this way. From the Celebi at the earliest point in the past she reached, to the Celebi at the latest point in the past she had reached. Celebi across all of time had begun moving in flux, a chrono-virus addling her body. With it, absolute chaos across all of time was seemingly inevitable.

Thousands of Koraidon and Miraidon roared, moving with their orichalum cores and hadron engines as they zipped across the time stream, killing each time-displaced pixie they could find. As Dies Irae fell upon the world, a time war raged in their midst.

Dialga, wounded from a shadowy assailant, assembled powerful pokemon from time displaced and timelines erased known as “Paradox Pokemon” to act as his time force. Back in his more equine origin form, he laid there in a bubble of hypertime watching as Celebi was erased from the annals of history. Purging the time stream was the last he could do as his life fleeted from him. He could no longer change the past to alter the future due to the grievous wounds done upon him, and the power required to do such damage would mean a power beyond his abilities to undo.

He could no longer feel his sister, Space. The rivers of time had returned into a singular wheel, a lake of melding fates under a single body. That body was Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.

A googolplex of Celebi shrieked in unison, coating the time stream with their zombified pixie bodies. Dialga closed his eyes, his hope was lost, Dies Irae had come. For the first time in a long time, the god of time could not see into the future. For so long he’d seen many different outcomes, and the absolute points that narrowed them into a singular one. Yet now he saw nothing, nothing at all. When was the last time he’d seen absolutely nothing?

Perhaps it was a time before him. He laughs at the idea.

Dialga limps back up, seeing the swarm of time-traveling pixies rush towards him at a speed beyond measure or concept. Moving in dimensions that could not be seen by most other beings. In 4 dimensions, in 26 dimensions, in 888 dimensions. He was half-sure he could even see them coming from the top of a narrative tree, the whole world just crashing down like a vertically collapsing building. All of time along with, having given way.

Dialga turns into his more dragon-like form, his glowing white lines turning orange as he reverts to his primal form. Dialga unleashes a devastating roar of time, erasing everything. There were no longer any other alternate realities, assuming there were any left prior to this point. The forces of time came full force upon everything, until only Ragnarok was left.

Everything came, brushing over the wave of infinite Celebis with a stroke of colorful navy and white. Entropy, aging, death, progression, purpose, nihilism, madness, contentment, crisis, intersection, fate, evolution, faith, nonexistence, and more, all wrapped under a singular powerful roar of Father Time.

---

Cobalion, Zacian, Marshadow, Urshifu, and Tapu Koko stood by what was once Cherrygrove city. The beautiful coastal city was now nothing. Not even ruins, not even a ghost. It was as if the city was never there, its history and people erased. The children who played in its street and the elderly couples who felt the sea breeze as they had coffee together while watching the sunset, the crazy poet obsessed with freedom in their hazy diatribe of wordplay against the dogmas of the world, and the stressed student at 1 AM in a 24 hour cafe having chugged an ungodly amount of coffee as he works on a project due 7 AM on the same day. All of them and more were now erased, as if they were never there.

Contrary to what one might think, there was no comfort to be found in their nonexistence. A man has not existed for many years before their birth, and will cease to exist after their death. There is a comfort in knowing that, or so the philosophers say, until they realize that such a comfort also does not exist. The winds of destruction blew as the water levels rose, flooding a large portion of the city, reducing it to a grayish beach where the skeletons and rotting carcasses of beached wailords were scattered along the thinning coast.

“If we did not feel the bitterness of her wrath, we would not so easily relish her love” quoted Marshadow. Zacian shakes her head, “such a rigid way of thinking leads to the belief that forgiveness is futile. It’s best you invest your philosophy elsewhere.”

“Quiet, you two” Cobalion was not going to tolerate any more existential nonsense, especially here during the apocalypse. “Alto Mare is beyond the sea, we must reach it, but how?”

Suddenly the five hear a sinister laugh. They turn around to see Hoopa, now unbound. The malefic genie creates three small portals, and out of them pops three pokemon. A hulking dog, an odd monkey, and a flamboyant bird.

Hoopa gives them a wink, “have fun, sword of justice” he says before disappearing elsewhere. A swarm of ultra beasts fly overhead, some descending on the beach that was once Cherrygrove. The five enter their battle stances, looks like they had a fight on their hands.

Notes:

Didn't need to take more than 100 days to update this fanfic this time around, hooray!

I have a spreadsheet dedicated to helping me keep track of all the characters and whether or not they're dead lmao. I think this chapter has the most deaths so far.

Chapter 10: Escalating Chaos

Lugia roars, his voice shaking the entire planet.

In another world, or perhaps the past, a shadowy Lugia was the end result of mankind’s sins. Its selfish efforts at the exploitative violation of pokemon led to the rise of the so-called shadow pokemon. The force that beheld Lugia now was similar but different in nature. This time it was not the sins of man, but the chaos that had a stranglehold on the universe.

Lugia unleashes an aeroblast, warping space itself as it heads straight towards the legendary shield-king. Zamazenta smirks and withstands the blast without even flinching, the dauntless shield shines against the wind’s force. As the aeroblast waned, Articuno noticed an opening. “Suicune! Entei! Let’s go!” the ice-bird crowed, firing a blizzard attack. Suicune and Entei fire hydro pump and fire blast respectively, all three however would once again be dispersed by the shield that seemed to cover Lugia entirely.

“Darkness beholds the sea guardian,” says Zamazenta, “a bubble of raw chaotic power. I sense Eternatus having a hand in this. Nay, more than just that. Something more is afoot. I can feel it.”

Zapdos’ feathers crackle with energy, “we can think about what’s causing things later. Right now we have to learn how to pop that stupid bubble!” The thunderbird ascended and flew with his sister to the heavens, surrounding Lugia with ribbons of lightning and snow. Entei on the other hand approaches Zamazenta, “you are a long way from home, shield-of-many-battles, although we are grateful for your timely arrival nonetheless.”

“The foul beasts coming from those gaping holes in spacetime, I dove through one of them and found myself here.” says Zamazenta. He didn’t know how long he was in the ultra space wilderness, but he was there long enough to encounter a being named Solgaleo. Solgaleo would ferry him to the nearest Ultra Space wormhole to continue the fight. “They are called Ultra Beasts, spawns of Giratina. Those damn things are. Pokemon alien from our world in every sense of the word.”

“We still need to devise a strategy on taking down Lugia. What I’m saying might be mad, if not downright blasphemous, but if we can’t purify him we have no choice but to destroy him instead. Any ideas?” Suicune spoke up. A loud explosion in the skies causes the trio to look up and see Articuno and Zapdos crashing towards the earth. The former would manage to reorient herself and glide gracefully along the ground, never touching it as she ascended back up. The latter however made a sizable impact onto the ground, falling from the heavens like a bolt of lightning.

“I have an idea, occupy the corrupted one” Zamazenta snorts before running over to where Zapdos was. Entei snorts, his entire body being covered in a godly flame. It was Ho-oH’s flame, one she taught him as a gift. A great flame unlike any other. A sacred fire. He leapt from the ground like an upwards meteor, he could effortlessly reach the stars with this. He rocketed towards Lugia, only to feel the closing distance between them stretch into a seeming infinity, mixed with the slowing of his speed and the petering of his flames.

“Greater speed and fiercer weapons, it makes no difference” Lugia taunted the shocked lion, before blasting him point-blank with a hurricane attack. Suicune and Articuno fired their ice beams in unison, but that too failed. Lugia would swoop down towards them, smashing into both of them with his wings via the steel wing attack. Spit and blood left Articuno’s beak as she slid through the ground, while Suicune’s head felt sore upon impact with small cracks beginning to form on the crystalline diadem upon her head.

Lugia roars at Suicune, who fires an ice beam at him. Even at point blank range the beam dissipated, and was countered with a powerful dragon tail which would cause Suicune and Articuno’s coordinates to switch, now Suicune was flying through the air while Articuno laid there before Lugia, who would smash into the winter bird with more steel wing.

Zamazenta stood before Zapdos, who laid in a building-sized crater a broken mess. Sliding down it, he saw the fleeting life in the thunder bird’s eyes. Pressing his paw on the bird’s head, he spoke. “Be altered in the name of justice,” says the shield-wolf, “awaken to the call of order. Trade your lightning wings for thundering legs that invoke the wrath of the storm with each kick.”

A glowing orange light covers Zapdos.

Then, speed.

Faster than a speeding bullet and stronger than a locomotive, Zapdos sprung into action. His yellow flying form was replaced with an orange flightless form. Zapdos’ emergence catches Lugia by surprise. Overflowing with energy, it was time to end this.

---

Volcanion reached the techno-organic tree at the center of Okoya, landing on one of the cyber-organic portions of its trunk, his steam eruption tearing through more Genesects. The red beast snorts, “Magearna!” he yelled, “where are you?!” He sensed her radiance, an energy coursing throughout the tree. An artificial power, unnatural yet pure.

“You would be remiss to continue your pursuit, I can certify nothing short of disappointment and folly” says a giant red genesect hovering from above, “Magearna and I, and by I I mean all of us, are one in the same. Machinations of man in the image of pokemon, children of their ambition to mimic Arceus. We are mutants, vicious beasts of hulking rage encased in dexterous shells of steel. You will not find her here. You will find only us.”

Volcanion snorts once again, he fires two powerful steam eruptions at the red Genesect, who is completely unfazed, not simply being ripped apart like the many others blown apart by the blast. The red Genesect fires at Volcanion a powerful bolt of energy. The size of an atom and at a speed transcending light, the steam beast is knocked off as the section of tree also collapses before being regenerated back together by the techno-organic sinew. The red Genesect looks at the rest of Okoya, now full of its subordinates fighting the battles across it. His sensors direct him towards a group ascending the tree.

Said group was Calyrex atop his steed and accompanied by the lake guardians. Together they moved through the expansive areas of the tree, hollowed into different pathways. Plowing through it and the reinforcements sent in. As they make their ascent, they are blasted by the Genesect. Sniped from far away. The bubble popping just like that as if it was nothing.

“What the?!” Azelf said, all confused. The red Genesect’s lens-eyes shine before firing a powerful beam of black with white glowing outlines of energy accompanying it. “Your scientokinesis is no match for our benefactor’s power source!” said the Genesect as he fires a devouring force that gnawed away at the bubble as it tried to regenerate. It was akin to antimatter, yet somehow functioned at a whole different scale, one which science struggled to grasp and as a result caused its power to collapse.

Mesprit’s brows furrowed. With her sisters they call upon a future sight attack before firing a powerful psychic attack at the Genesect. The telekinetic attack was insufficient in crushing the special Genesect, but it could throw him a particular distance away. Mesprit looks back at Calyrex, “go! Find the power source, or anything for that matter! We’ve got this!”

Calyrex nods, “hiyah!” he mushed Glastrier, the horse riding off upwards the tree.

Volcanion gets up groggily, barraged by blasts from all directions. He feels his tough hide peel away, tearing at his muscles. Suddenly a dome of rock appears as the ground underneath him collapses. Volcanion opens his eyes and sees the titan of the stone age, Regirock, was his savior. “Un un un un” the golem said as if it weren’t indecipherable.

More decipherable however was Regirock motioning over to the cavern he left behind burrowing onto here, and the large amount of techno-organic roots along its walls, and thus all over the ground. Volcanion grins, that, that he understood.

Back on the surface, Regigigas continued to fight. Sluggish yet persistent, the supreme titan fired ice and lashed with steel, unwavering as the battle raged on. He would soon find himself before a blast site, marks of ash all over while coursing with a powerful electric current. A frequency of his design, Regieleki was here.

“So you have perished, how shameful” the titan groaned, rooting his fingers into the ground, “I designed you to be much greater than that.” The white and yellow titan absorbed the electrical power, the power of the modern age returning to him after having gifted it to his creation long ago. The steel whips transform into a powerful metallic armor that covers Regigigas’ entire body while his right hand weapon is replaced with an electric blaster to match the ice blaster on Regigigas’ left.

“Bolt and Beam,” says Regigigas, “the past and the future as one!”

Regigigas fires thunderbolts and ice beams of legendary power at the swarm that surrounded him, a master of war standing with his tools against man’s war machines. Regigigas had fought plenty of battles long before he was known as the gentle giant that pulled the continents and formed the legendary giants to represent each epoch in the universal design’s grand progression. He has vanquished countless nameless things and conquerors from the future who aimed to either consume or conquer the virgin universe. Armies of all kinds and ancient pokemon warring for supremacy. The precursors to the relatively gentle human race in antediluvian conflicts left completely erased, forgotten, or unrecorded. Regigigas has fought in all of them and remembers them in the same way a normal man remembers what he had for breakfast last week.

Perhaps it was the banality of the violence, or how effortless it was for him to crush them all. This fight was no different, the only chances of him ever remembering this when it was all over (assuming he survives, that is) was the humiliation of having one of his creations lose to these good-for-nothing bugs.

Back with Calyrex, he finally manages to reach the top of the tree, which had been warped into some sort of iron platform covered by the cage of branches and leaves of the otherwise beautiful tree. There stood an entire command platform, with a particular yellow pokemon standing before it.

“The lightning fist” Calyrex says in surprise, “I did not expect to see you here.”

Zeraora turns around. Part of her face was replaced with the gray of steel, and her eye now glowing red. “I did not expect to reach you this high up. I suppose the ingenuity of the flesh is truly to never be underestimated.”

It didn’t take much for Calyrex to realize that there was something wrong with Zeraora. Be it the fact that Zeraora never talked like that or the fact that part of Zeraora’s face was literally techno-organic. “How did they get you, why?”

“None of your concern” Zeraora blitzed forward at the speed of light, landing plasma fists on Calyrex, who blocked it by summoning a glacial lance. It does however knock him right off of Glastrier. The icy horse neighs and attempts to skewer the electric pokemon with an icicle crash, but the pokemon effortlessly evades such attacks. Landing several plasma fists across the horse’s body, before walking away back towards the command deck.

Calyrex could only watch as Glastrier cracks before exploding into shards of charged ice.

“I… do not understand” Calyrex stands up, wielding his lance which was beginning to melt as Glastrier’s powers waned. “What is the meaning of this?! I can surmise that-” Calyrex coughs a bit, falling to his knees. The deer king gets up once more, “I can surmise that there’s more to this.. But what?!”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Zeraora presses a button on the command deck, and a reinforced tube appears containing Jirachi within. “The wish-granting abilities are locked away and unfortunately unusable, but it makes for a fine power source, and more importantly, a bridge.”

“A bridge.. For what?!”

“Are you not aware of the wormholes appearing all over the world? Those are nothing but cracks and crevices. I’m here, we are here to open the entire door, if not tear down the gate all together,” Zeraora says, pushing some keys on a complex keyboard. Jirachi’s tube sinks back down into the tree as the entire island begins to glow bioluminescent light, coursing with energy. “Dies Irae comes and leaves nothing.”

Calyrex moves forward, his lance melting away. He fires an energy ball instead, although the crackling electricity all around Zeraora just shields her from the hit. “There is no point in trying to stop me, you long forgotten king. This world has nothing for you except…”

The red Genesect blasts Azelf’s head off with a shot of the black energy. Mesprit and Uxie crash to the ground, the former singed and the latter rotting. A command enters the networks of the other Genesects, who all fall back from their battle with Regigigas and begin to form all around their leader. They reconfigure and combine until they are a singular entity. The skies were now rid of their flying metal bodies, now instead focused as a singular force of biblical proportions and power to match. Pointing one of its arm-mounted cannons at Regigigas who stood below, the Genesectron was ready to end this.

All the while the platform splits, revealing Jirachi once more but this time within a specialized machine. Calyrex is knocked away as Jirachi is used to fire a powerful beam into the twilight which forces open a super-massive ultra wormhole, with an incomprehensible amount of Ultra Beasts now coming through.

“...the end.”

---

Okidogi had long desired power. He was once a lowly pokemon, the creature he was he no longer even remembers even if it stared him right in the face. All he sought was strength, the perfect body of rippling muscles, to be known and loved. The fame of such power was as intoxicating as the power itself, which would allow him to face the larger pokemon that bullied him and his kind. While the others whimpered at their enemy’s kleptoparasitism and the loss of a food source, for him, it was always about the loss of pride that came with each time he was thrown away from his food.

So he sought power. The power of the gods, or perhaps of demons. He scoured ancient Kitakami with his tiny body, looking for the ultimate power. It was there where he met with a simian critter, and a pheasant creature. Together they journeyed until they stumbled upon a sacred orchard. A lone human wandered the place as its gardener, a boy who resembled the many juicy peaches of the orchard. The three beasts were weak, but together they were enough to maul the child and plunder the grove.

Then of course, the skies roared, and a serpent green descended, banding them with toxic chains. The poisons ruined their bodies and forced them to wither, but then it transmuted them and turned them into freaks of great power. By emptying the peaceful orchard through force, they had acquired the power they desired. Drenched in sin as much as they were in poison, the trio of beasts set out as brigands of the wilderness for years to come.

Gifted (or perhaps cursed) with a powerful physique, Okidogi soon took with him his fellow monsters and set out to acquire the masks of the ogre. Then of course, Ogerpon destroyed them, but not before the event would crown them as heroes to the people. Upon their rebirth, they have sought nothing but to further increase their power. He doesn’t know where that dreadful ogre is now, but he’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to her. Until then, he and his crew have to focus on their benefactor’s current targets.

The Hustling Sword, The Sword-Wielding She-Wolf, The Electric Atua, The Nightmarching Gloomdweller, and one of the two Supreme Fists. Monkidori and Fezandipiti focused on the others, leading with the other Ultra Beasts set as their reinforcements. Okidogi however focused on Marshadow.

“Look at you, so small. Do you really think you can match me? With that puny body of yours?” Okidogi taunted him, but Marshadow’s face was unbothered and focused. “Martial arts exist to render this concept irrelevant.”

“My chain grants me a power beyond martial arts!” Okidogi howled, slamming his paw onto the ground with a brutal swing, only for Marshadow to dodge out of the way. The dog’s claws were mere centimeters from Marshadow’s face when it missed, yet Marshadow was still completely unafraid, confident in his own skills. Okidogi would rush forward to try and grapple Marshadow, only for the smaller pokemon to move to the side and grab the dog mid-air. With surprising strength, Marshadow grabbed the dog and turned his trajectory around, slamming him into the ground head-first.

Okidogi would dig underground and try to burst from underneath Marshadow, but the gloomdweller evades that as well, and hits him with a blaze kick and dislocates the dog’s jaw. The dog however isn’t done, and returns on the offensive. Okidogi would try to crunch and land poison jabs on Marshadow, but would fail to land any blows. Marshadow would slither under Okidogi as the dog tried to palm-strike Marshadow with a knock off by using spectral thief, reappearing right behind Okidogi. A low kick to one of his knees causes the dog to kneel, and a barrage of strikes across Okidogi’s back would knock the breath right out of the canine.

The canine would try to swipe back at Marshadow, but the gloomdweller had once again positioned himself quickly at an angle where Okidogi was not looking. By the time Okidogi looked back, Marshadow cracked his jaw further with a brick break before knocking him down on the sand flat on his back with another force palm.

Marshadow got on top of the downed dog, placing his small fist on the dog’s solar plexus. This was it, the finishing attack. All of Marshadow’s power focused onto this singular strike, a punch so focused and restricted it can only work at no distance at all. With such a lethal attack, it would crush Okidogi’s organ from the inside. A touch of death, Marshadow’s soul-stealing seven star strike in one shot.

Fezandipiti however was perceptive enough to help his comrade, plucking the gloomdweller before he could kill Okidogi, throwing him towards a number of Kartana. The pheasant turned his attention to Urshifu, attempting to blast him with a toxin-laced moonblast, but the bear would evade the strike and suddenly close the distance.

“Surging strikes!” said Urshifu, landing a barrage of them on Fezandipiti before kicking the bird up towards the air where Tapu Koko would hit it with a thunderbolt. Okidogi would get up, hissing at his hurt knee before turning to face Urshifu. “So you’re the rapid one, eh?” he said with a smirk, masking his injured pride. He would attempt to hit a poison jab but Urshifu immediately parries the strike and counters with a powerful punch to the gut and then throws him to the side. Okidogi would manage to have a more graceful landing by sliding along the sand, but before he could resume his fight with Urshifu, Marshadow was in his sights once more.

The dog formed a spear-hand which bubbled with rancid toxins, and he aimed directly for Marshadow’s neck, but the smaller fighter easily parried the attack, moving it upwards and exposing Okidogi’s side as he closed in. Before Okidogi could react, a force palm hit him right into the liver, causing his internal organs to rupture with vibrations of the shockwave strike. Okidogi panics, immediately stepping backwards, and the smaller brawler continues his offensive. A blaze kick to the knee, hyperextending it. Okidogi is forced to kneel, exposing his jaw which would be fractured with a savage mega punch.

The dog is sent flying as some of his fangs are in the air. Falling onto the rough sand without much of a fight before the mightier martial artist.

Munkidori and Fezandipiti did not fare any better than their canine comrade, the former is bifurcated by Zacian’s blade, while the latter gets zapped by a powerful thunderbolt from Tapu Koko. The Ultra Beasts by their side fared no better, as Cobalion and Urshifu made quick work of them. All in all, the deployed strike force was insufficient in taking on Cobalion’s group.

Fezandipiti coughs, swooping in to pick up the toxic chain from Munkidori’s bisected body as Cobalion parries a combined attack from three Kartanas and then cutting them all down. Okidogi gets up, his knee still hurting as he sees Fezandipiti stand beside him with Munkidori’s toxic chain. A sad look falls upon Okidogi’s face before he shakes his head, “darn legendaries, always a step ahead somehow” the dog growled. He limps on over to a Wailord skeleton and throws it at the group, although Zacian easily cuts it down and rushes over. Fezandipiti doesn’t even have time to dodge before he too is cut down. The two toxic chains fall to the ground. Okidogi barks rabidly, putting both his hands up front and calling the chains towards him. The two chains of his fallen comrades come to him and interlock with his own toxic chain, pumping the dangerous chemicals into his body. His veins bulge as he grows in size, his fangs growing as well as his wounds heal.

“This isn’t over,” the dog barked before grabbing a Celesteela and issuing a retreat. It was an overwhelming victory for Cobalion’s group, but they still had to focus on actually getting to Alto Mare. As they did, the sea suddenly parts, opening a path along the now exposed sea floor directly into the horizon. Phione had split it open, amplified by a psychic power. Cobalion looks up to see the silhouette of a speeding jet disappear back into the horizon to handle whatever now-invisible crisis was transpiring.

Without a second word, the quintet made their move.

Notes:

Oh hey this update takes less than 100 days too. Nice.

I've spent the past few months wondering about how exactly even a single on of the Galarian birds was going to show up. At first I was like "oh they go to Galar and then ancient magic" but eventually I just decided "screw it, they don't go to Galar, Galar goes to them" and it helps rope Zamazenta into the main events of the story as well.

I've also had the idea of a Genesect Combiner for a while. And by a while I mean since the beginning of the story. Something that perfectly embodies comic book hype. It can easily be viewed as utter nonsense but at the same time it's just cool to think of and/or see. During my writing of the segment I also realized I hadn't put Zeraora in at all. I think I had a plan for Zeraora some time ago but like a bunch of other plot points they were lost and forgotten in the hiatus, so instead I just had them compleated Phyrexian style.

Honestly the Loyal Three were all also supposed to be killed off, but following the bloodshed of Chapter 9 I decided to take a different route with at least one of them, that one ended up being Okidogi because doggo hell yeah.

Also quick question for my readers because I'm unsure: Do I rate this fic as M rather than T and then add the graphic depictions of violence tag? I feel like this fic is either at that level or is getting to it.

Chapter 11: Howling of the End

Deep in the world’s core was a great forge. The hot magma of the earth made for a good flame. Groudon stood there in the center, a fine black sword on his crude anvil imbued with the power of the world. The world’s now disjointed prayer song reverberated throughout the forge, its only true melody being the beat of Groudon’s hammer as he struck the blade. Forging it, honing it, preparing for Ragnarok.

“I can sense Kyogre in the world above, touring the seas with her pod. She floods the world with her rain and primordial sea, you know?” spoke Diancie, surrounded by various carbink, her refugees. Groudon did not answer, focused on his blade. His hands had since become a shiny black as the black lines across his body glowed yellow and then white before returning to black once more.

“I find it unwise to ignore me, Surtur” Diancie invoked the continent pokemon’s name. Although still Groudon did not look at her, focused on the perfection of his sword, so shiny and black. Glimmering before the fire of his forge. Fire and metal infused into the blade, raw doom is its essence and at the epicenter of its formation. “You would think that your fixations regarding the day of wrath would make you more receptive to my words. How have you not yet amassed an army? I do not sense Rayquaza and the land creatures remain divided meanwhile Kyogre has her pod ready to show up and ravage everything?!”

Groudon would remain silent, hammering away at his blade. Rayquaza had disappeared, leaving his heavenly abode for a brief sojourn in the stars beyond. The sky serpent’s great speed would allow him to traverse countless light years and thus reach galaxies far beyond even the strength of humanity’s telescopes. It were these moments that the two rivals of land and sea could plot against each other, garnering their power and amassing their forces. He recalls it like yesterday, his consciousness dripping into the minds of men. His champion was an ambitious scientist named Maxie, and he sought to bring forth the great expansion of land, unleashing his mighty power to evaporate the oceans and raise mountains, narrowing the seas into rivers sandwiched within valleys.

He does not know if Kyogre ever considered those as chances to avert the prophesied clash between them. A premature end to their rivalry once and for all. So that they did not have to kill each other on that dreadful day, Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath. His sword hums in hunger for the bloodshed, for its destiny, yearning to be unleashed in all of its glory at Armageddon, where the land and sea meet under the intersecting sun and storms. Groudon has waited since the day he was born for this day, he can wait far longer if needed. It did not matter in the end.

Maxie, and his many other heralds beforehand, they were nothing but pawns to bide time. Every time he was consumed by the sea and encased in ice, every humiliating defeat at Rayquaza’s draconic beams of destruction, it mattered little. He had no fear of them then, he had no fear of them now. Ragnarok was as inevitable as they come, and it is here. Once silence overtakes the world, then comes the death of hope and furthermore of all things.

---

Melmetal consumed the steel of entire cities, eventually consuming the Cerulean Power Plant to revitalize his size. The steel titan had since focused itself on the fearsome shade in the distance and thus marched towards it.

Meanwhile back to the battle proper, Zapdos stood in his new form. He’d become this Galarian version of himself, courtesy of the shield-wolf Zamazenta. Lugia isn’t intimidated at all, flapping his wings kicking up smoke and the stench of decay. “A change of wardrobe will not save you from me!” Lugia said sinisterly to unleash a shadowy hurricane. Zapdos bisects the attack as it approaches him with a singular thundering leg before rocketing forward to attack Lugia. Once again Lugia’s shield triggers, but it was insufficient before the raw power of Zapdos’ leg. The thunderous kick lands on Lugia’s body, knocking the wind right out of his body. Lugia immediately flies away while Zapdos hissed as he puts his kicking foot down. He can feel the decaying effects of the shield. He wonders if he could do such a strike again.

Suicune’s diadem shines before the beast sucks up a chunk of the nearby sea into a massive ball of water. From the ball came powerful jets of water firing like missiles at Lugia. The shadow pokemon’s shield causes them all to dissipate. Zapdos and Suicune share a look and give each other a nod. Zapdos jumps up and is carried by a powerful pump of water rocketing towards Lugia. Lugia sees it however and roars, unleashing a psychic roar. Lugia’s psychic might, an ability already of immense scale and only further amplified by the shadowy corruption, ripped apart the land below. Chunks of stone and trees and whatever remaining debris rising up to shred everything down.

Lugia telekinetically catches Zapdos mid-travel and throws him around at incredible speed before hurling him straight into orbit. Lugia then throws many objects at Suicune, who blocks them with protect before getting caught in the psychic itself and then thrown into the distance. Entei returns to the battle and roars, causing eruptions all over the world as the temperature suddenly rises. The ground below burning and melting, moving towards Lugia with another sacred flame attack. That too would be stopped by Lugia who would hold him in place and hit him with a savage hyper beam sending him straight into the earth. Lugia turns to see Zamazenta standing there. The dog had lost his iconic shield and had once more resumed the form of the hero of many battles.

“To revert to this lesser version of you for an inadequate effort, how fitting” Lugia taunted the magenta wolf. Zamazenta however was not deterred, far from it. He stood tall before the beast before him, unmoving as the shadowy sea guardian flapped his wings. Lugia growls at the lack of fear, “not even an ounce of your blood shall remain in your body.”

Lugia unleashes a psychic on Zamazenta, aiming to rip him apart, but before he can an unlikely ally appears. Melmetal crashes from the sky, creating a massive earthquake as he falls from above. The steel type leapt from the ground and reached great heights before landing onto the battlefield. Lugia is protected by his bubble, tearing away strips of Meltan from the enormous melmetal. The cyclops hummed before spinning around to land a powerful double iron bash, but both bashes would be halted still. Lugia would fire an aeroblast, scattering Melmetal into different pieces. The sea of liquid metal began to boil as Entei swam out burning with rage.

Zamazenta had since walked away from the battle, deciding to sit atop a mound that was once the iconic Fuchsia safari zone. Beside him was Articuno’s corpse which lay there, beaten to death from Lugia’s earlier steel wings. The wolf sighs as he watches the destruction occur. He could hear the quivering of mortals. Be it families hiding in their homes or prisoners wondering about the lives they’ve left behind and can now never return to now that the apocalypse has cut all their lives short. He can sense a pikachu in a shelter somewhere in what was once Lavender town, snuggling in the arms of a frightened, sobbing, and now-orphaned child.

Entei tried to strike Lugia with another sacred flame yet once again he is repelled by the mightier shadow fiend. Lugia snuffs out his fire and sends him crashing into the sea with an aeroblast, the wind so strong it separates the water and exposes the sea floor as it flattens Entei. Melmetal reforms and tries to grab hold of Lugia, who focuses on Melmetal and decides to just pick him apart Meltan by Meltan. Once the colossal cyclops was scattered into many pieces, Lugia sent them flying straight up into space, only in this case a mysterious portal opens instead which sucks up all the spacebound Meltan.

Then from beyond the twilight, Zapdos came crashing down with one more thunderous kick.

The attack pierces through the bubble and lands directly down Lugia’s neck, sending them both crashing down into the land, turning most of what was once Fuchsia into a gaping crater. The impact’s shockwave sent the sea back a number of kilometers as it ripped through Kanto’s already diced surface.

Lugia is stunned, laying on the ground. Zapdos on the other hand limps away, his body strained from the herculean effort and the continued decaying effects of Lugia’s chaotic shielding. Zamazenta looks up at the sky and sees nothing but a calm and indifferent twilight. If he were to look beyond that, he wonders if he could see an asteroid passing by, shattered and now off of orbit as Zapdos had kicked off of it.

The silence that followed gave a glimmer of hope that the fight was over, but it would be cut short as Lugia got back up. Breathing heavily, a blot of Lugia’s old silvery hide could be seen before the shadows cover it up once more again. Lugia sips at the hot blood leaking from his mouth. He grabs hold of Zapdos with his psychic powers, pulling at his limbs, eager to tear them off. Zapdos with his strength fought back, but the type disadvantage made it nearly impossible. Zapdos’ strength waned as he could feel his bones crushed, joints split, and muscles torn. The orange bird completely ripped to shreds. Lugia lets out a cathartic and triumphant roar to the heavens. The shadowy force covering Lugia’s body slowly began to peel off, melting into a goo which slipped off his body. As it does, the bubble around him flickered as well.

Then a mighty thunderbolt fell upon Lugia. With extreme speed, Raikou had returned. One of his fangs broken and a number of icy shards dug into his body. The shadowy force controlling Lugia peeling off and revealing the original Lugia’s palette underneath. The sea in the distance boils as it tries to whip back and reach the shore. Through the growing tide of vapor came Entei, burning with life and rage. The fiery beast barreled into Lugia with another sacred flame, this time managing to hit Lugia now that his barrier had seemingly waned.

Lugia was sent flying. An orb of light leaves Zapdos’ ripped apart torso, heading straight back to Zamazenta, charging his rusted shield and allowing him to return back to his crowned form. Rushing forward, he rams straight into Lugia with a behemoth bash, causing Lugia to explode into several pieces. Ichor staining his shield, Zamazenta walked towards the two beasts.

Entei was speechless, Raikou just walked over to the pieces that were once Zapdos. “My brother in thunder has finally gone quiet. As have the birds and their master. Arceus have mercy on us all.”

“Chaos only ensues. Everything twists and distorts in all sorts of grotesque ways as Armageddon itself encroaches,” says Zamazenta, “we must go.”

“To where? I do not even have time to grieve” replied Entei. Suicune was still missing while the birds had died before his very eyes, all the while he knew not the location of his master. “The seas threaten to swallow the land and the skies have been sickened into a singular state. Disaster splinters the civilizations of the world as the gods make war across all creation.”

“Away from here” is all Zamazenta could answer, “we cannot stay here. There is nothing left here. The other legendaries are still out there, as are those filthy beings from the gateways of space. This is larger than just the regions now.”

“The sea parts in the distance” Raikou called out. The other two walk over and see that the sea has indeed parted, forming a path leading from Cherrygrove to… Alto Mare perhaps? Did the city still exist as the chaos overtook the world? “A sign from Mother Arceus perhaps?”

“A path for me, maybe” says Zamazenta, “neither of you two need a dry path to reach Alto Mare given your speed. I bid you good luck in looking for your sister.” With that, the magenta wolf departed with haste, eager to catch the path in time. Raikou and Entei look down on the sand, feeling the seawater on their paws. They’ve lost so much in what felt like a short time.

“Never did I think that dying in a fire would bring me here,” says Entei, “at the end of the world.”

Notes:

Aye another update. At least this one didn't take a million years this time.

I thought I'd finally add some more Groudon and Kyogre stuff for y'all to chew on.

Chapter 12: Exceeding Expectations

Groudon hammered away at the sword as he worked in his forge at the center of the world.

“How many Heatrans did you consume? How many of their magma storms did you return to that august body of yours? All of them? Every single one across the world? I suspect as much” sang Diancie as she calmed her carbink refugees who quivered with each hammering of the forge. Many other rock and ground types found their way here, enamored by the sudden new cavernous pathways that led deep down. How they survived the pressures of the deep earth, Diancie did not know but she would not be surprised if her presence allowed it to be. She looked upon the tired onixes huddling together, the golems with their families of graveller and geodude. “Did you call them here? Or were they mere stowaways? Kyogre called upon The Pod, which is her army that she aims to bring to battle. Are these ones yours?”

Groudon once again did not answer, instead focused on his sword.

“I can feel her deluge. All of The Pod is transformed into a ruthless killing machine. From the loving luvdisc to the ever-wrathful gyarados. The depths’-darkness-defying light of the lanturns paired with the sharp teeth of the sharpedos. They are all warriors now, all under Sedna the Mother Sea” Diancie spoke, the earth around them rumbling as the chaos above raged on. Some of the metallic roots that managed to burrow this deep down only sought to spread. “Yet here your pod is nothing but exhausted refugees, their minds have changed but not under your will. They are afraid and uninspired. Why do you not raise an army of your own to match Kyogre, if you love the inevitable future that is Armageddon?”

Groudon finally stops hammering his sword for a brief moment. The silence instantly catches the attention of everyone there, the pausing of the diligent striking rhythm creating an error within each mortal’s mind. 

“I do not need an army. I need only this blade” says Groudon, his voice quaking the earth. The metallic roots of the world above receding. “All pokemon of the sea may come if they wish, do battle with me as Sedna pleases, I do not fear them. The twilight takes all, I have come solely for the end. Behemoth and Leviathan have come for one last clash under the twilight they once shared as Surtur and Sedna.”

“But why such a blade rather than all the pokemon who owe you their habitats?” Diancie tilted her head, “do the cityfolk not owe you for the farms you raise up? Be it the milk of the miltank or that of almonds and oats, it traces back to you does it not? Do the combee hives not owe your flowers? As do not the sugarcanes? Why does the taskmaster of the terrestrial beasts not rally them for his beloved war?”

“Because the land owes the sea, and the sea owes the land” says Groudon, “all the civilizations I have raised up with my crops have needed a river. All the beauties of her sea have needed my algae and reefs. Her abyss is defined by the sands of the sea, as is my desert defined by the oasis.”

“You still love her, don’t you?”

Groudon does not answer her, instead raising his hammer as he returns to the perfection of his magnum opus. Diancie sighs, shaking her head. She reminisced of the words detailed by the ancients about the two. She cannot attest to its accuracy, but she was certain of its power. 

“I cannot love you with a love that outcompares the boundless sea. For that were false, as no such love and no such ocean can ever be.”

---

The combined cyborgs known as Genesectron fired the antimatter beam at Regigigas, who met it with a combined blast of ice and electricity. A storm of particles consume the surrounding nature, and Genesectron moves straight through it to grab hold of Regigigas. The mech fires a signal beam at point blank range in an attempt to burn off Regigigas’ face, but the titan’s iron armor molds over its face and tanks the attack without so much as a mark.

Regigigas uses the close range between them as a chance to blast Genesectron with both ice beam and thunderbolt, tearing chunks off Genesects off the combined mecha. The titan moves forward, firing at the bug’s feet to freeze it in place before firing more electrical shots. Regieleki’s transistor amplifies the power of the shots. Each one equivalent to that of a megacity. Genesectron blasts off some ice and flies off a particular distance away, the machine parts along its arms morphing into parts of a gun. Combining both arms together they become a cannon and he fires straight at Regigigas.

It was another beam of antimatter, and Regigigas tanks it completely. Normally, such a force would simply annihilate all the matter in one’s body and leave them as pure energy. But Regigigas was no mere entity. The powers of creation flowed within him as a principal of the primeval forces of the world. As a result, Regigigas, while damaged, was not completely annihilated. 

“Observation. Access to dangerous quantities of antimatter. Potential uplink to pan-dimensional power source,” Regigigas scanned astutely, forming a visor from Registeel’s metallic components. “Previous interaction has revealed the existence of a benefactor. Could it be?”

“You think too much” Genesectron fires a flash cannon attack at Regigigas, but the titan matches it with another thunderbolt.

Back atop the tree, Calyrex stands back up. Breathing heavily, “Zeraora. How could this all have happened?”

“You talk as if you know me” says Zeraora, scratching the metallic part of their corrupted face. “You talk as if you knew me before I’d been reborn with a passion to serve the impending new world. Before I was some drifting fool with a spirit too free. Now I have been realigned.”

Calyrex groaned. He was of little use without his steeds. He touches his bulb-crown, trying to feel the forest, but all he feels is a screaming system of nerves begging for death. Calyrex lies down, unsure what else to do. Then he hatches an idea.

“Aligned to a greater will” Zeraora spoke, walking towards the fallen Calyrex. Ultra Beasts continue to fall from the gaping ultra wormhole over the entirety of Okoya. Swarms of them spread all across the world, with many of them raining down upon Okoya itself. Zeraora grabs hold of Calyrex’s bulb-crown. “The Once-and-Future King, yet this is not the future anymore. This is the end.”

Then, from the void came a powerful roar. A roaring light at the center of the wormhole daring to break the curtain of twilight covering the world. Zeraora looked above and saw a sun come, incinerating the heaven-covering horde with his rays of destruction. Solgaleo came roaring down from Ultra Space. Almost immediately an all-black shadow raged across the heavens right at the bright morning sun. Necrozma the Dawn Wings charged straight into Solgaleo. The bat and lion rage against each other as they fade into the distance at light speed. Ultra Beasts give chase for their monumental battle and the impending rise of their lord.

The bright light stunned Zeraora, blinding her. While grasping her eyes, Calyrex instantly hits her with a telekinetic push off the tree, sending her plummeting down. Afterwards, Calyrex rushes over to the command deck and sees a whole assortment of buttons he has no idea how to operate. So he instead destroys it in hopes that it would somehow release them all, but all it does is strip the tree apart some more and reveal more of the machine. Calyrex’s eyes widened at the capsule underneath Jirachi’s.

“By Arceus…”

Regigigas’ ice beam is overpowered by another flash cannon from the Genesectron, who rushes in and unveils plasma scythes much akin to the ancient pokemon known as kabutops, slashing at Regigas’ regice blaster. The giant groans as it fires zap cannons into Genesectron’s side, only for the mech to slash off Regigigas’ right hand along with the blaster. The giant moves backwards, overwhelmed by his foe. But just then, the future sight attack summoned earlier comes back and rains down upon Genesectron, stunning it. Registeel as an armor moves back to Regigigas’ right arm which was now cut. Covering the amputation with a metallic hammer as a replacement. 

Uxie and Mesprit get up, roused back to consciousness by the chaos. They immediately cover Regigigas with their psychic shield, but Genesectron pops it with his antimatter cannon. Uxie fades into nothing but energy as her matter is annihilated, while Mesprit is left to wonder how exactly Regigigas could survive the attack while older beings such as them could not. The lake guardian flees as the battle between the two giants only grew more hectic.

Regigigas tries to hammer at Genesctron, blasting away with ice as Regieleki’s essence re-enters the armor to imbue the hammer hand with an electric force. Regigigas freezes Genesectron with more ice blasts and then hammers away at the mech, but the robot still got up and several cannons appear on both of his arms, blasting Regigigas with an oppressive barrage of blasts. 

“Initiating genesis cocoon,” says Genesectron as more and more genesects fly around, some keep Regigigas busy as more fuse into Genesectron. They started becoming less like robots combining with each other and more like nanomachines intertwining into a more whole being. Bolts of energy spike in all directions followed by a field which covers the entire forest. Suddenly trees were drained of life as Genesectron grew bigger. Its purple coloration exchanged for silver, although the red leader at the center retained its crimson hue. 

A burst of ice freezes over all of the genesects and they all fall and shatter to the ground. Regigigas stood up, the Genesectron towering over him. “Your ingenuity has granted you even more abilities, but it will not matter. You cannot withstand nature.”

“Nature is mine to command. Dead crops, poisoned rivers, and polluted skies mean nothing to a being that does not need to eat, drink, or breathe” Genesectron unleashes all sorts of cannons aimed directly at Regigigas, all firing at once. Regigigas walks through all of the explosions, each missile was enough to sink this island a thousand times over, so much so that the original landmass had since given way, reduced to ash and revealing just how deep the techno-organic roots had dug into the island. Stomping on the cybernetic surface, Regigigas hammers away at Genesectron, only to be blocked by a whole new barrier surrounding his opponent. 

The tree at the center of the forest begins to splinter, breaking down as the organic parts begin to fall off. Genesectron traps Regigigas in a massive ball of energy, and blasts him away in an enormous zap cannon. “Locking in,” Genesectron had locked Regigigas’ current coordinates before fabricating a whole new batch of ballistic homing missiles and then firing each shell at once, all of them raining down on the titan. The resulting explosion could be seen from space as Genesectron turned around and back at the tree, “your remains cannot be buried, for I have grafted my steel into the soil, and your ashes will be scattered only to the rancid winds of polluted skies. No matter how ancient you are, we are the future. We are the new world. You cannot stop us.” 

Just then, eruptions occur all over the island. Massive geysers rupturing the various techno-organic roots and land, boiling hot steam and water causing everything to be caught in a blinding cloud as temperatures rose. Elsewhere, Zeraora was fighting a horde of angry Zarude, and she alongside the last of the lemurs were all caught in a massive eruption underfoot, destroying all of them in a scalding hot steam eruption of godly proportions. Genesectron is alerted to damage in the hive. Genesectron opens up a screen and sees what is happening.

All the genesects were being made in real time in a specialized hive contained underneath Okoya’s tree, it was the heart of the unstoppable army. It should be unbreachable, but things have changed as Regirock and Volcanion have broken in. Regirock was destroying as much as possible rock slides and stone edges crash down on the fabricators alongside boiling hot water flooding in as Volcanion unleashed a divine torrent which filled the techno-organic veins of the island.

“MAGEARNA!!!!” Volcanion roared, he was still continuing on trying to find her, even if it meant flooding the entire island. Genesectron shakes his head as he floats off the ground to go after the two troublemakers, only to be shot frozen as he does so. Breaking free instantly, Genesectron turns around and sees Regigigas rise from his supposed death.

“Impossible…”

“Far from it, you do not know of the primeval powers,” Regigigas stood tall, “that was merely a slow start, and that start has come to pass.

Regigigas suddenly moves at a speed that catches even Genesectron off guard. The hyper-advanced cyborg could not even react to it, forcing it to be knocked several meters away, only for Regigigas to move so fast it appears right where it was landing and knocks it far away straight in the other direction. Genesectron reorients himself in midair, allowing him to evade the next strike for Regigigas in time and counterattack with several flash cannons, although the titan’s Registeel-shield tanks it all before said shield turns into whips of liquid iron that chain around Genesectron and then unleash powerful shocks.

“Genesis cocoon is heavily damaged” spoke a machine reading. 

“Allocate more power” responded Genesectron

“Hive is at risk, power may be at a limited capacity, proceed?”

“Proceed,” says Genesectron. A powerful force field then opens up, knocking Regigigas away. Genesectron fires a barrage of missiles at Regigigas, only for the titan to tank them all and freeze him solid with an ice beam before smashing into him yet again with an electrical hammer. Genesectron feels pieces of himself fall off, bits and pieces, chunks and scraps, and nothing to replace them as the hive is damaged. A powerful blade of light appears on Genesectron’s arm and he stabs Regigigas with it. “Engaging melee.”

Regigigas hammers both arms into Genesectron and then knocks him away. The two run at each other as the steam eruptions grow more chaotic and the forest itself is slowly consumed by a flood of boiling water.

---

Cobalion and the others had finally reached Alto Mare. The place was in ruins, although it still fared better than the regions, and it was all thanks to one staunch protector that zipped through the skies at incredible speeds.

“Latios has likely not had any rest since the twilight first spun,” says Urshifu, “he is doing all he can to protect this little place.”

Tapu Koko nodded. He knew that feeling. An enormous wave seventy meters high came right towards Alto Mare, only for Latios to zip by and blast it down, saving the city yet again. 

“We are in Alto Mare now, but that begs the question” Zacian spoke, “why are we here? We’ve been patient with you, Cobalion, but now we demand answers.”

Cobalion sighs, “Palkia has tasked us with hastening the Battle of Armageddon, yes?”

“Indeed” Zacian nodded, “but Groudon lies in Hoenn, why do we concern ourselves with this city and not his dwelling? Of what use is this place for Ragnarok?”

“Everything,” answered Cobalion, “Ragnarok is the end. The unmaking, that much is the truth, but just because something is unmade does not mean that something will be made in its place. When something is completely gone, there is nothing to be begotten.”

“Yes. Nothingness is zero. That is it. There is nothing. Absolute zero,” Urshifu nodded, “but in zero there is also infinite potential, is there not?”

“Yes, but that’s not the truth now is it? That’s an ideal” Cobalion replied, “the world making sense of itself with what a logician would call nonsense. People say love is nothing more but chemicals forming a reaction, and yet love is such a powerful force transcending all things. Truths and ideals are locked in a grand dance, the Yin and Yang preventing Ragnarok and instating Wuji.” 

“Yin and Yang… that’s why Kyurem wants the two Taos then?” Phione spoke up, “he already got Reshiram the Yang aspect, meaning all we need left is-”

“Zekrom” Tapu Koko boomed, “Where. Yin?”

“I was getting to that,” Cobalion knocks down a door to some random house in an abandoned street as all others had since evacuated the site in favor of a prescribed shelter. Inside was a man with pale skin but jet black hair and red eyes, as well as a woman with white hair and red eyes. The man sighs saying, “it really is time, isn’t it?”

“It is. Zekrom. We need your help.”

Notes:

We're probably around a halfway done the work. Maybe. Hopefully. These updates aren't getting any faster.

Chapter 13: An Ideal World

Zekrom, known to others as Yin, was the black dragon of ideals. Long ago he was one with Reshiram as a being known as the original dragon. A mighty being that one was called, its name lost to them and to time. A powerful force that could bring all kingdoms to heel regardless of their might. The Lost Olympian some dare call it. But that was then, and this is now.

Zekrom was a dragon no more, instead he was just a man. Pale and with jet black hair and red eyes, he sat on an old and weathered recliner. Beside him was a woman with white hair that held some red streaks across them which was the same bright shade as her eyes.

“Latias,” Cobalion spoke up, the swordsman standing before both of them. Legendaries who had relinquished their positions to live amongst mortals. “Your brother is out there. He is all that stands between this place and its untimely destruction.”

“He has all my power now,” said Latias. “Zekky and I are just mortals now. Yet it seems you’ve come to us as if we can still do anything.”

“Can. Still.” Tapu Koko chirped, “Return. Fight. Ragnarok. Stop.”

“We will do no such thing,” Latias shook her head. “Those days are behind us. I gave my powers to my brother, and Zekky-.”

“You didn’t return it to Reshiram?” Urshifu tilted his head, “restore the original dragon?”

Zekrom did not answer, instead remaining silent as he listened to the chaos outside. A choir of screams and crashing waves followed by the occasional noise of wreckage. 

“Your old offices can still be reclaimed, I’m sure a crisis like this can supersede any sort of administrative hassle among the hall of legends” Cobalion argued, “Ragnarok is here. The end. Many will die.”

“All will die” Latias corrected him, and this causes Phione to shiver.

“Not quite” Zacian was now the one to speak up. The she-wolf looked at the former eon dragon straight in the eyes. “Mother Palkia is dead. We know not the assailant but we know this. Ragnarok can be accelerated. If we can somehow arrive at Armaggeddon we can end this before more lives are taken.”

Latias shook her head. “A pointless endeavor.”

“You stand against a mission granted by Mother Space?!”

“I stand against the wishes of the dying and desperate” Latias stood up and walked off into the nearby kitchen, “what purpose would going to Armageddon serve? That supposed landmass hasn’t even formed yet.”

“Hoenn is the convergence point” Urshifu argued, trying to coax her to return. Everyone watched as Latias casually grabbed some glass jars which held coffee powder, cream powder, and brown sugar. Not Cobalion however, his eyes remained locked with Zekrom’s.

“Even if it was, what would we even do? Having the battle occur prematurely, assuming that’s even possible, just hastens the death. You’re not going to somehow magically save more lives. The road to the battle kills many, but no matter how many or how few, the battle itself will kill all.”

“You don’t know that” Phioned cried out

“And you folk know less than I do” Latias said as she began pouring the powders into a cup, “I have the prophecy itself backing my knowledge. It’s self-fulfilling. Ragnarok is the end. It doesn’t matter if we call it Gotterdammerung or Dies Irae , we all die in the end. It’s pointless. You should be spending these final moments with your loved ones, holding them close.”

Urshifu looks at his fist, and then looks at the photos hanging on the wall. It showed pictures of Zekrom and Latias roaming the world as mortals. 

“My fellow swords are gone” said Cobalion, his eyes not leaving Zekrom’s one bit. 

“Then spend it with the group you have now,” Latias replied. Marshadow appeared to give her a tea spoon to use in order to stir the coffee after pouring in some hot water. “The faster you make peace with the end, the better. Us legendaries have lived for so long that we have taken life itself for granted. We presume that we shall live forever, eternity and a day. But there is no eternity, only one more day. One more day we keep rolling until we all just stop rolling altogether.”

“Family. Gone. Families. Savable. Believe.”

Latias takes a sip of her coffee before returning back to her seat, “we are of no help. We can be of no help. We will be of no help. You can stay and await the inevitable typhoon that consumes us all, but if you’re going to believe, I believe it’s best you take your beliefs elsewhere. You’re not in Hoenn, and it’s best you get there if you want an early fight. Who knows how many have died before the lands have even started moving.

“That can’t be everything. Come on, Latias, your brother is out there” Phione argued.

“My powers are best compiled with his. I’ve resigned myself to this fate.”

“I know what it means to stare death in the eyes and accept, but this is not the way. You are waiting, not living.” argued Zacian.

“What is there to live for? There is-”

“ENOUGH!” Zekrom slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. He stands up, all eyes on him. The man who was once a dragon stared down at the swordsman, “why did you come here, Cobalion?”

“You know why. I know where you lived, and Kyurem wants your power in order to return to being the original dragon.”

“So you CAME HERE?!” Zekrom boomed. Even as a man he still held that thundering voice. “I cannot help you, Cobalion. I’m powerless. I am mortal. In an ideal world, perhaps I could have. But this is reality. The truth of the matter is that our involvement affects nothing. This is fate.”

“The truth of the matter is that Mother Arceus decided destiny over fate,” Urshifu spoke up, taking a picture off of the wall. “It really makes you wonder, huh? Why she would permit the end of days to come. Be that as it may, we are here, and more importantly, we can alter the outcome even if by just a small bit.”

“In an ideal world that is possible, but-”

Urshifu tosses the picture to Zekrom, and the man catches it. Zekrom looks at it, and sees that it was a picture of him and Latias. They were in Humilau city, Unova. It was just him, her, and a small little girl who had Latias’ white hair but had streaks in it as black as his.

“Then make the ideal world” Urshifu furrowed his brow. Zekrom looked back at him, and then at the others, and then finally at Latias.

“Get out”

---

“You can’t hide like this forever,” said Diancie.

“Not hiding. Waiting.” said Groudon, hammering his sword. A small family of Terapagos end up entering the cave, forcibly ejected from the time stream following the crises addling that portion of reality. Before they can react, they are smashed by Groudon and infused into the fiery blade.

“You can’t expect me to believe that. Kyogre is mobilizing.”

“As am I”

“A singular sword cannot protect you. There will be no battle. Victory has already been assured.”

“If you are so willing to delude yourself then return to the surface and leave me be. When I emerge it shall be for the final battle.”

Diancie remained silent. The land above quaked as the twilight of devastation raged on.

---

Necrozma and Solgaleo tore through the twilight skies. The twin lights clashed in the heavens as all those below would watch in awe. Necrozma had taken the form of a bat after absorbing Lunala, and Solgaleo was now here to contend with the mightier parasite. Solgaleo roared, unleashing a metallic sound aplified by light which knocked Necrozma back, but the bat retaliated by firing prismatic stones which all hit Solgaleo despite the lion’s astonishing speed.

Solgaleo crashes onto land as a bright star falls into the earth. The flash from the following explosion was blinding, and enough for one to see the bones in their hands should they cover their eyes. The shockwave of the explosion itself is easily capable of eradicating life, and that it did. The proud region that was once Ransei was now nothing more but ash in but a mere moment.

Solgaleo coughs before getting up, only to be tackled by all sorts of Ultra Beasts trying to hold him down as Necrozma descends down upon him. “Arimaonga, Arimaonga. Once there were many lions, as well as many bats. Many little cosmic clouds turning into godlike things, and now they are all fused into one, assuming different names as gods of the world. Yet she is gone, and you are next.”

Solgaleo replies by unleashing a bright explosion which incinerates every single Ultra Beast. Necrozma however easily survives, absorbing the blast. The prismatic one begins leeching away at Solgaleo, “you cannot defeat me, foolish little Solgaleo. There is nothing you can do that can-”

Solgaleo blasts with him another roar, which much to Necrozma’s surprise knocks him away. Before he could reorient himself, Solgaleo slams into him, biting his wings and clawing away at his prismatic body. Necrozma tries to bite him in the neck only to be blocked by the lion’s mane. So he bites him in the jaw instead to continue leeching. But the lion was not having any of it. He slams his paw onto the winged one’s neck. 

“You won’t win”

“What a fitting choice of last words. How it overflows with denial.”

Necrozma blasts Solgaleo upwards, the bat unleashes diamonds of light which form an energy cage around the lion, trapping him within. Ultra Beasts cover the twilight sky as they stretch out in all directions to ransack the regions. “I will lead with me an army of monsters. Nothing can ever hope to stop us. Ragnarok is here.”

The bat opens his maw, and power begins leaving Solgaleo. The lion tries to resist, but the cage constricts him. Energy pours from his mouth and enters Necrozma’s, depleting the lion of his radiant glow.

But then, Necrozma chokes. The bat shakes, trying to regain his composure, but the prisms start breaking. “What did you do to me?!”

Shaymin bursts out from within Necrozma, flying about in their sky warrior form. Recharged by Solgaleo’s light, they heard all that they needed to hear. Unleashing air slashes at the diamonds that powered Solgaleo’s cage, the lion is emancipated and without missing a beat, he smashes into the wounded Necrozma with a sunsteel smash.

Necrozma is knocked down into the ground. Ultra Beasts arrive, surrounding them in an endless horde. They’d come to protect their master and seize the two for daring attempt to stop his eminence’s return to absolute power.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Solgaleo told Shaymin. The sky warrior chuckled, “no problem. I’ll admit it wasn’t really up to me. More of a circumstance than anything. But hey, who else to help the sun in avenging the moon than the sky itself?”

A large chunk of the Ultra Beam swarm is then wiped out as beams of light crash down and destroy them all into nothing. From the twilight heavens came down a familiar face, roaring with his legendary might.

“Rayquaza.”

“The sky itself indeed” Solgaleo smirked, “come, then. Let us end the dawn and bring forth the morning!”

---

Genesectron drove a plasma blade right into Regigigas, but the ancient titan responded by electrocuting the robot. Stream erupted from the ground as the two behemoths brutalized each other, exchanging blows which tore off parts of themselves as the island died all around them. Even the Ultra Beasts raining down had fled the scene, focusing on literally any other place than the techno-organic hellscape that was once Okoya Forest.

Volcanion raged in the depths and destroyed as many fabricators as he could alongside Regirock. The remaining cores, still numerous despite their rapid decline in number, would pop and hatch forth one last Genesect each before withering away. Dematerializing into a supercolony of nanomachines to be absorbed into the last Genesect they’d made. These Genesects would fly out and bombard the two with all sorts of attacks ranging from signal beams to flash cannons. Regirock would dive into the boiling flood while Volcanion is overwhelmed.

The peak of the tree-tower explodes, and a wave is unleashed that completely floors the swarm of Genesect, submerging them into the boiling flood as well. Without losing any tempo, they split up. A horde of them entering their subaquatic modes and traversing the boiling sea that now covered the techno-organic land while the other half would ascend in search of the attacker.

Back between the two goliath contenders, Regigigas fired an ice beam with his Regice cannon to freeze the boiling water around Genesectron’s feet, which quickly extended up the entire robot. Despite being ice, they were stronger than steel and held impressively well against the hyper-advanced gestalt cyborg. The titan’s Registeel armor wrapped around his Regieleki sword, transforming it into a magnetic hammer. A bludgeon of both lightning and steel. 

Regigigas would slam the hammer right into Genesectron, breaking the ice yet the robot remained whole. Regigigas would unleash a series of flash cannons and thunderbolts right at Genesectron before a supermassive steam eruption arises from underneath their feet. Despite this both fighters push on, with Genesectron getting back up with his thrusters, going up in the air to slam down on Regigigas with his energy blade, only for Regigigas to intercept with a thunderbolt, forcing Genesect back down.

“That’s the problem with machines. You can form a googolplex of calculations in a matter of microseconds, if not shorter, yet in the end the answer all remains the same, and can be understood” Regigigas fires another ice beam from his Regice cannon. Genesect manages to get up and evade the strike, and even attempts to counter with a slash, only for his arm to get frozen mid-attack. 

“The most flexible program performs only the most inflexible operations, it is the paradoxical inadaptability of the master decision maker” says Regigigas before destroying Genesectron’s arm. “The ineptitude of the software. You do not think, only formulate.”

“The willful self-delusion of the flesh cannot match the truth of the machine. Return to the guesswork of prayers, my statistics reign supreme. My algorithms are more in one with the universe than any sage. I am the ultimate enlightened one.” Genesectron rebutted. Multiple Genesects appear out of the flood, having focused away from Volcanion to instead focus on Regigigas. They clamp onto Regigigas, the nanomachines of the old fabricators beginning to stretch over the titan like a techno-organic virus. Regigigas fights them off, destroying them with ice beams and thunderbolts, only to be left open when Genesectron stabs him in the chest with his other blade-arm. “We are Genesect. We are the future. Mankind made us because they believed they were the apex of the world. We are at the end of their age, marked by this so-called Ragnarok. We are Genesect. We are the future. There is no amount of prehistoric prestige or adaptive thinking you can do to ever match our absolute superiority.”

Genesectron drives another blade into Regigigas. But then the titan looks away into the distance, feeling the dying earth around him. “Adapt to this” said the giant, firing an electric shot into the boiling water, electrocuting everyone. A thunderous force zips through the boiling flood, moving into the distance.

Genesectron roars, which was a horrific amalgam of beeps and glitches. The cyborg picks Regigigas up, his blade still inside the titan. “An effortless challenge.”

“Correction” Registeel’s voice beeped from Regigigas’ armor, “mistake detected. That was not the adaptational scenario.”

“What?”

Lighting strikes, tearing through Genesectron, scattering the countless Genesects apart. The cyborg bugs reorient themselves, only to be zapped into smithereens. The others are torn through with brute force, they moved like lightning, and struck thrice as hard. 

“You heard the man,” said a feminine voice. The electric steak stopped, standing before them. It was Zeraora! Except she possessed something else. She was no longer under his effects, in fact, it seemed more like a puppet of hers rather than anything else. Zeraora had seven dots across her chest and a cape made of pure electricity running down her back. “Adapt to this.”

“Regieleki…” the Genesects said in unison.

“New and improved” Regieleki smiled before zipping around in her new body, pummeling the different separated Genesects. As this happened a powerful force hits all of the Genesects.

“Doom Desire” Regigigas coughed, laying down on the ground, almost completely submerged by the flood. “That could only mean one thing.”

“A wish come true!” Jirachi called out. Mesprit flew beside her and together they unleashed chains that bound each and every single Genesect. Together they use doom desire and future sight before Volcanion busts out and destroys more Genesects, shooting them all down. Only one remained, and he broke free, diving straight into the island, only to be uppercutted by Regirock. There the last Genesect laid, surrounded by enemies.

“You cannot do this”

“We just did!” Regieleki said before running a plasma fist through Genesect’s head, ending the battle. 

Jirachi and Mesprit flew down. “Volcanion, Magearna is still there” the wishmaker stated, “within the tower. Hurry before it collapses completely.”

Volcanion nodded and without another word flew into the air with his steam thrusters, ready to rescue Mageanra, leaving the rest of the ragtag group behind. Regieleki turned to see Registeel and Regice return back to their normal titan forms, and alongside Regirock they all looked down at their master who remained on the ground.

The glow in his three eyes was slowly fading.

“Do not mourn me, my titans” Regigigas said weakly, “Believe. Find Mew. Find Armageddon. Stop Ragnarok. Believe.”

With that, the master titan faded away completely. Regieleki touches Regigigas’s wound with the paw of her new body. “Ragnarok…”

“Genesis Island awaits us” Regice looks at Jirachi, “may you accompany us?”

Jirachi nodded with a smile. “Any place other than this place. I’ve been locked in that machine.”

“What happened to you anyways?” asked Regieleki.

“The Genesects captured me with the help of some unknown force. Magearna is there as well as-”

The central tower where the tree of Okoya once stood explodes, completely destroying itself. In the distance the legendaries could see a figure, with three other figures orbiting around it. 

Mewtwo, the mightiest mortal in the world. 

Orbiting his immeasurable psychic might were Magearna, Volcanion, and Calyrex. The first two are thrown towards the group as if they were bullets right at the group, while Calyrex is thrown straight into the atmosphere. Mesprit manages to stop both Magearna and Volcanion with their own psychic might. Mewtwo rises up, glaring down at them as if he were the god and they were the mortals. A redness in his eyes and a blackness on his skin. 

But then, Doom Desire and Future Sight take effect, striking the artificial war machine. The clone shrieks and unleashes a psychic blast which grabs hold of the techno-organic skeleton that was once the beautiful island. The entire thing is lifted with the greatest of ease, as if it were no different from lifting a feather. 

“Let’s get out of here!” said Regieleki. Jirachi nodded and began flying around them all, wrapping them in a curtain of light. Before they are all compressed in the island’s psychic destruction, they disappear, warped away elsewhere by a bright celestial flash.

Notes:

I wanted to write something that wasn't my main WIP but nothing was flowing right so I found myself back here again. Might as well wrap it up and send it to shipping eh? Better now than flounder around some more with other works I'll just end up discarding.

At least we're done with the Okoya portion of this fic. The Exodus has now effectively fused with The Seekers and they're all out to find Mew, meanwhile Cobalion's Justice Division is stuck between the former dragon of ideals and the end of the world.

See you all after a couple millennia!

Chapter 14: Justice and Terror

Cobalion left Zekrom’s house with his ragtag team of legendaries in tow.

“What now?” asked Phione. “Wasn’t Zekrom the entire reason Cobalion wanted to go here?”

“In order for Kyurem to restore the original dragon, they would need to consume Zekrom, or rather his power. If Zekrom really doesn’t have his power, then who knows where it is” Urshifu spoke up, “it’s best we end our detour head straight for Hoenn. Not even the original dragon can withstand the end of the world.”

“Now that’s a lie if I’d ever heard one” 

All looked up at the sky, they felt something pass by them at great speed. An icy turbine laced with potent flame. Cobalion and Zacian enter an anticipative stance, followed by Urshifu raising his paws to emulate the rapid striking form as Marshadow disappeared into the darkness. Phione would dive into the nearby water, a crack along the streets that led straight down into the sea below.

Kyurem-White laughed as he landed on top of a larger house, the structure drenched in rain and flood, ready to collapse. “So kind of you to lead me to him. I knew you had the answers.”

“Then you heard what we said,” said Cobalion. “Zekrom really is powerless. He doesn’t have his powers anymore.”

“Once again, a lie, a misunderstanding at best from you lesser gods ” Kyurem-White opened and closed his clawed hand, “Zekrom is merely unwilling to partake in his divine right. His ideals have led him to become…. Afraid of the truth just as much as he is enamored by the prospects of mortality. Zekrom’s power still lay dormant within, and I’m sure you’re all aware of what I intend to do.”

Marshadow appears underneath Kyurem-White, slipping up from his shadow in an attempt to uppercut the dragon, only to be grabbed by the head with his cold hand and blasted with a savage ice burn. 

“No!” Urshifu called out, but Marshadow was gone, reduced to snowflakes. Where his head once was was now merely Kyurem-White’s palm, a pinkish crystal encrusted upon its center. 

“It’s a simple extraction. You will not get the upper hand on me again, Cobalion, but as a higher form of life I’ve decided to showcase mercy. Run away and accept the fate you’re all struggling in vain to overcome, and perhaps you’ll be in a more peaceful place come the battle.”

“Never” Cobalion said defiantly, his comrades standing beside him, ready to fight.

Kyurem-White responds by destroying Zekrom’s house with a singular blast, then firing meteors of icy flame upon all of them. Cobalion and the other pokemon scatter as the fight begins. 

Tapu Koko cast forth electric terrain, moving at incredible speeds towards Kyurem. The dragon would blast a dragon pulse at the electric atua, only for Tapu Koko to disappear right before contact and reappear behind him, striking him with nature’s madness. Not to be staggered however, Kyurem immediately countered by grabbing Tapu Koko. The atua hid behind his shell, causing him to be encased in ice and then slowly squeezed by the dragon, only for a powerful geyser to blow up from beneath Kyurem, causing him to drop the frozen Tapu Koko into the open crack that led into the sea. 

Kyurem-White looked down to see Phione, who proceeded to dive after the speedily sinking Tapu Koko. Before he could freeze them however, he senses something. He quickly ascends, dodging a behemoth blade from Zacian from behind. While she was midair and underneath him, Kyurem-White instantly blasts her with a blue flare, causing her to crash into the other houses of the dying Alto Mare. The soaked stone walls were vaporized in an instant, with the sword-bearing wolf once more writhing in pain as she was set alight by the fiery attack.

Kyurem-White forms an enormous sphere of ice, easily large enough to decimate a city block. Flying up into the air, the dragon throws the ball down upon the burning Zacian and the rest of the city, only for Cobalion to leap up into the sky and instantly cut the humongous ball into several chunks within an instant with his sacred sword.

“There you are” Kyurem-White laughed, closing his fist, causing the shards of ice to all converge and bury Cobalion within them, trapping him in a cold prison and allowing Kyurem to punch the ball, overloading the sphere with energy which explodes, causing a vicious hailstorm as Cobalion crashed into ground. 

“That’s much better” the dragon chuckled sadistically, “now where’s that bear?”

“Right here” said Urshifu, standing there in the rapid striking stance. Fluid like water as he swayed in one spot. “Come.”

Kyurem-White blasts him with several ice-fire missiles, only for each one to be redirected with simple palm strikes from Urshifu. The dragon snorted, annoyed at the bear’s showmanship. He instantly creates another enormous sphere of ice, this time cracking it and unleashing it as a storm of icy bullets. Then Urshifu moved, deflecting each shot of ice bullet and hail as he made his way closer to Kyurem. He would leap from the ground and despite the extremely small sizes of the virtually invisible shards of ice, he would use these as steps to quickly move upwards and leap off to reach Kyurem-White.

Urshifu’s muscles tighten, turning stiff rather than the relaxed state they were earlier. As Urshifu made it real close to Kyurem-White he only had one thing to say.

“Wicked Blow!”

Kyurem-White felt as if he was divided back into two dragons as Urshifu struck him in the midsection, causing him to be knocked into the distance with cracks forming all over his body, raw power leaking out. Urshifu would fall onto the roof of a nearby building and begin running towards Kyurem-White again, seeking to continue his assault.

Kyurem-White fires a salvo of ice-fire bullets to stop the martial artist, but as he does he feels himself soaked once more from a torrent of water bursting from beneath him, followed by an electrocution which was only magnified by the conduction. Tapu Koko and Phione worked together to stagger the dragon, leaving him open as Tapu Koko stopped his thunderbolt, allowing Urshifu to dive into the pillar of water, flowing upwards and hitting Kyurem-White with several surging strikes.

Bewildered, the dragon would fly in panic away from his opponent, leaving him to be struck several times by Tapu Koko who refused to relent, bombarding him with dazzling gleams.

Meanwhile back on the ground, Zekrom coughed as he pushed the rubble off of him. “Lati!” He called out, trying to move with his wobbly legs through the wreckage he once called his home. All of the photos and furniture, the memories, wiped in an instant. The inevitable fate of all possessions sure, but the spontaneity was an overbearing pain. “Latias!” he called out again, looking for her. 

What he found instead was an arm, laying there amidst the dust and stone, the body it was attached to beneath a pile of debris. “No, no, nonononononono” Zekrom frantically ran over to the pile, beginning to hastily remove all the stones. The pile would be blown away by a great pressure which knocked Zekrom away. Zekrom looked up to see Latios himself. In his mega form, he looked down upon his sister who laid beneath the stones, crushed and without an ounce of life.

Latios grit his teeth. His sister sought to die like a mortal, and this was always a possibility. But it didn’t make it any better. Her psychic touch, which had waned when she chose to be mortal, was now completely gone. Not even the slightest sliver. There was no fading or goodbye, there was nothing within the paste and chunks of meat that was once his sister. The Eon Brother roared and ascended high up into the sky, leaving Zekrom alone as the battle of Alto Mare continued.

---

Genesis Island, also known simply as The Faraway Island, was a mystical land mass protected by a barrier invisible to most mortals. Many people, most especially the wicked, often just move through this section of ocean not knowing that they’d just crossed The Progenitor’s dwelling.

Mesprit fortunately was able to not only contact this barrier, but also punch a hole right through it. It was far easier if her sisters were alive, but she could do it all her own. She still could not really get used to knowing they were gone, yet it was best to keep those grieving emotions away from her mind as much as possible for now. Opening a means into the dimension of Mother Mew’s hideaway, the group finally managed to enter the ancient one’s realm.

It was a beautiful island, filled with trees and tall grass, the raw wild untouched not just by humans, but by the other mortal creatures of the world. A domain for the gods on the earth, if one will, be it semigods or full ones. Their travel from Okoya forest was a quick one. Creatures called Meltan rained from above by a portal conjured by Hoopa the malefic djinn, all of them consuming the metallic roots. Regice would form an iceberg for a ship, and with Magearna now free and among them, Volcanion was more than happy to propel it with his steam cannons in the direction Mesprit provided.

The journey there was not easy however. The twilight did not allow all of the stars to be seen in the sky, and those that were were covered by ultra wormholes that unleashed even more of those alien savage beasts that continued to ransack the world. Regieleki, in the body of Zeraora, was adept enough to take them all on their own. Her own? It was not really clear, though Regieleki did not seem to care either. It was a suitable body and it was Regigigas’ last gift before his death.

The group of seekers reached the shore of Mew’s hideaway and entered it. Many of the goddesses tended to dwell here, having their own little organization where they discussed among themselves. The male legendaries did not really have such an organization, rarely ever convening like the females did. The funniest part is that they were all allowed just as much as the females were. Mother Mew was called mother for a reason. She accepted all her children. It’s just that the men didn’t seem to come. Even the two-spirited Shaymin was more than eager to join whenever she was invited to the progenitor’s hideaway.

Mesprit, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki, Jirachi, Volcanion, and Magearna all roamed the peaceful abode. All around them the sky was populated with ultra beasts fighting water pokemon who were possessed and trying to arrive at Kyogre’s great army. None of them knew they were here, and they watched them like a man would a film. 

“This place would have been the perfect exodus,” said Volcanion. “A shame Calyrex never lived to see it. We can wait out Ragnarok here.”

“Retort: One of Ragnarok’s main components is Armageddon, a supercontinent formed from all other landmasses” Registeel spoke up. “This landmass would be one of them. We cannot wait out Ragnarok here. This protective bubble would likely burst.”

“Oh dear” said Magearna.

“Killjoy” Volcanion huffed.

“Shush! Look!” Jirachi called out. All of them looked to see an orb of light trailing through the trees and flowing past the grass before reaching a small clearing where Mew floated about. The orb of light transforms into Xerneas, the goddess of life. The life-giver and life-starter were joined by the ogress Ogerpon; all three women remained there in peace.

“Let’s introduce ourselves then” said Magearna, transforming into a big pokeball and then rolling over to them. The others followed. It didn’t take long for Mew to see them, mostly because she knew they had arrived the moment the barrier was tampered with briefly for entry.

“Ah. More visitors. A man too, that’s new” said Mew as she saw Volcanion. “Ragnarok is upon us and you’ve found my little abode.”

“Mother Mew,” Mesprit bowed, the others bowed afterwards. “Regigigas’ last words were to seek you.”

Mew frowned, “I see. It is the end times after all. Long ago Mother Arceus shaped me and through me many others were born. When Arceus aligned her vision with mine, I saw it all, and with it a storm in the distance. The end. The sky colored an eternal twilight as the world burned before being consumed by the flood, and when it is done, all shall be reborn from the ashes.”

“How can we stop it?” was what Magearna asked. 

“Tch. There is no stopping it. There is no life left to offer” Xerneas scowled, “this is the end. For so long I have persisted. Since time immemorial it was me, but now it is Yveltal’s turn. The world has a youngest organism now, and with their birth is the tide of death.”

“Surely there has to be a way!” Jirachi called out, but Mew shook her head. “No, dear Jirachi, there is not. This is Mother Arceus’ will. You can ask her, if you’d like. You can utilize the dreamscape for faster travel, although you will likely only find Arceus planning what she has always planned amidst this end of days.”

“It doesn’t sound like everything is going according to her plan to me” spoke Volcanion, “Genesect huddling together and capturing legendaries, ultra beasts raging as Hoopa Unbound unleashes his hyperspace fury across the globe. The sky sings the song of death, there is no divine plan here, only chaos. The song drowned out by the noise.”

“Everyone’s ambitions are reaching their apex now, hence the end of the world. The gods are at war, from the lowest to the highest, all under the twilight” answered Mew. “You may stay here if you wish, but there is nothing that can be done about Ragnarok.”

The seekers sit down before Mew. Magearna, Volcanion, Jirachi, and the three Regis, but not Regieleki. She stood with a clenched fist that pulsated with plasma. “No. I can’t. Regigigas died for this. There has to be a way to stop Ragnarok. Anything!”

“You puppet Zeraora’s body yet you still have the will to live, how quaint” Xerneas mocked the legendary. Regieleki turned away, “fine. I’ll leave then. I’ll get the answers myself.”

Mew would float to Regieleki and spin around, forming a portal into the so-called Dreamtime, the dwelling of both Cresselia and Darkrai. Without another word, Regieleki disappeared through the portal. As the gateway closed, Mew floated on over to her descendants, “so, care to share about your journey here?”

Before a single response could be given however, an enormous portal opens up above Genesis Island, and with it a prismatic bat crashes right into it, leveling the trees and cracking the ground upon impact. Necrozma Dawn-Wings groaned as he tried to get up. As he did, more portals opened, causing Okidogi, Pecharunt, and Ting-Lu to appear. But that was not all, there were three more as well. Iron Leaves, Iron Boulder, and Walking Wake, twisted versions of fallen legendaries.

“More visitors!” Mew smiled, although everyone else knew what it entailed, most especially Ogerpon who leapt into action with her kanabo, staring right at Pecharunt.

“Those are not visitors, dear progenitor” Xerneas scowled, “Hoopa is behind this. The djinn is unbound. That can mean only one thing, he wishes even us brutal deaths.”

Pecharunt fires possessive mochi at Mew’s group, only for them to be blown away by a steam eruption from Volcanion. Necrozma roared, torn away from his battle with Rayquaza, Shaymin, and Solgaleo. He was losing that battle terribly, meaning Hoopa saved him. That djinn really did come in handy. His pride as a god was almost wounded by the idea. But no matter, flapping his shadowy wings, he can take his rage out upon these ones instead.

---

Fire and ice blazed about as Kyurem-White clashed with Tapu Koko in the sky, Phione would try to trap Kyurem in spheres of water, but they would always be vaporized or frozen before contact. Urshifu leapt into the sky again to land a series of surging strikes, but Kyurem would form an icy shield to block the strikes and counters with an ice burn, knocking the bear through another building. 

Then, strikes.

In an instant, several telekinetic strikes riddled Kyurem-White’s body. Tapu Koko would look up above and see a glowing light. Mega Latios, burning through the sky in vengeful fury as he proceeds to flatten the entirety of Alto Mare with his signature luster purge attack. Latias had gifted her powers to her brother, and so he possessed both of their powers, and with it allowed for a means of mega evolution without a stone. A simple magic that was a lot more complex past the surface.

Tapu Koko would move quickly to get his allies into the water and as far from the point of impact as possible before Kyurem-White was completely bombarded by Latios’ angry attack. Latios did not end his assault there however, diving straight into the water after Kyurem, blasting him with dragon pulse after dragon pulse. The dragon could barely understand what was happening as he crashed into the seafloor, staggered with each strike before having the seafloor beneath him crack with yet another savage luster purge.

The sea itself would part, leaving behind Mega Latios who hovered over Kyurem-White.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!” Latios roared before unleashing yet another savage luster purge on Kyurem-White. The mysterious gem in Kyurem’s palm glowed however, causing an explosion which knocked Latios away. Kyurem ascended back into the sky with several wounds, seemingly laughing at the pain. 

“She chose mortality, Latios, and all mortals are but collateral damage in divine affairs, or have you forgotten?”

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” Latios fired a dragon pulse, only to be met with Kyurem’s own. Kyurem’s would overpower Latios’, causing Latios to be sent flying towards the water. The parted ocean would not reform back into a whole as icy glaciers arose from what was once the sea floor, creating an arena within it. Urshifu slid down it, and after him were Zacian and Cobalion, both were singed but still alive. Tapu Koko descended with Phione in his arms. 

As this happened, three other legendaries would arrive. Raikou, Entei, and Zamazenta. Zacian could feel a smile creep up on her face upon seeing her little brother. The three slid down to meet with them. 

“Ah, more visitors. How amusing” Kyurem-White descended down with an ice burn, punching the ground and causing an explosion of cold fire. All of them would dodge the attack as best they could, while Kyurem roared with glee. 

Then, from the shadows, Marshadow returned. Marshadow had painstakingly pieced himself back together, and now was his time. Kyurem didn’t even see it coming as the gloomdwelling nightmarcher unleashed his soul stealing seven star strike, leaving the dragon open to then be hit with a sacred fire from Entei, a thunder from Raikou, and finally a body press from Zamazenta.

Kyurem-White would catch himself, not falling over. Instead he unleashes a dragon pulse in all directions. A dragon blast, if you will. Zamazenta however cuts a path straight through it with a behemoth blade, allowing Tapu Koko to appear and transform into a Guardian of Alola, smashing Kyurem-White back into the ground. Kyurem would try to flee and gain distance, only to be met with Cobalion who was waiting in the direction he was fleeing, cutting into him with a sacred sword. 

Kyurem would once more appeal to the battery in his palm, unleashing another explosion of chaotic energy, only this time it would be contained by Latios’ raw psychic might, forcing the energy to all confine on Kyurem. The dragon would crack and howl in pain as he tried to struggle against it, failing as the explosion was contained and struck only him. Then with another luster purge, Latios smashed part of the arena’s icy walls, causing it to flood once more. The justice division ascended, allowing themselves to hang onto icy islands as the sea returned to as normal as it could be. 

Kyurem-White however still was not done. He bursts from the water in a rage, only to collapse onto a nearby iceberg, exhausted. Just then a crowing could be heard in the sky. They would all look up to see a crimson red bird wipe out a horde of Ultra Beasts, consuming them as they were reduced to dust before landing right beside Kyurem.

Yveltal, the god of death.

“Looks like Wuji here needs a little help,” Yveltal cackled. “Come then, let’s see what these lesser beings can really do before a higher power.”

Notes:

Alright I'm back and there's another chapter now. I think I've somewhat figured out an outline for this little fanfic of mine and it says it will probably end by around Chapter 25. Meaning we're probably halfway there. The Justice Division (Cobalion's squad) and The Seekers (The Regi Squad) are far from getting out of the woods, all the while Armageddon looms ever closer!

Chapter 15: Torn Asunder

The twilight glimmered with the promise of eternal darkness over Genesis Island as Necrozma Dawn Wings screeched, unleashing a blizzard of sharp prismatic stones against everybody. Xerneas’ antlers would glow, forming a barrier to block the attack. “To step onto the progenitor’s own lands and dare try to strike her. Has the end of days truly emboldened you, lightstealer?”

“I am the light bringer !!!” Necrozma roared, “I was beautiful once, as she intended, but then came for me a cage. Arceus’ chosen creatures drifting in space, daring to try me. It disgusts me so. I will be beautiful again. I will not return to the silent sea between worlds.”

“There is no silent sea to return to,” Mesprit retorted, “there is only the end. Ragnarok is your death just as much as it is ours.”

“Let’s agree to disagree,” Necrozma mused.

“How’d you degenerates even get here anyways?!” Volcanion huffed. Okidogi laughed, his arms crossed as he answered, “Genesis Island is supposed to be guarded with a disguising barrier, one that’s extremely effective for it uses the universe as an engine. But the universe as we know it is dying. Once you hapless fools pierced through it, it was hidden no more.”

With that, Necrozma’s lackeys attacked. Iron Leaves hopped onto Iron Boulder, leaping off of him as the mechanized dozer rushed forth with a mighty cleave. Pecharunt and Okidogi didn’t hesitate to throw down with Ogerpon, and likewise the ogress was more than eager to settle the score.

“I’m going to take far more than just the masks this time, my little orange..”

“I killed you once, I’ll kill you again, that son of a bitch too.”

“Hey!” Okidogi growled, “leave my mother out of this!”

Regice would snipe Iron Leaves out of the sky with an ice beam, while Registeel would manage to hold onto Iron Boulder as the stalwart paradox pokemon collided with them, trying to overpower the mighty cleave with a heavy slam. Regirock dug straight down, only to resurface from the earth full of glowing green cracks and covered in rotting thorns and soil. Ting-Lu’s everlasting blight corrupted the once pristine ground, sapping the tall and healthy grass of life, and even degenerating the stone. Mesprit would manage to cast a protective seal to dome herself, Volcanion, and Magearna.

“Observation: Terrakion’s consciousness is splintered. The programming that makes up your mind is… gestalt. Stitched together” stated Registeel. Iron Boulder replied with nothing, instead driving Registeel straight into a thick age-old tree.

Xerneas galloped in the air, ascending alongside Jirachi as they accompanied Mew to battle against Necrozma. Mew covered herself in a sphere of ethereal energy that could only be described as the primeval pigment for the universal painting. The genome of all things, and the nucleus of all life. Everything that makes a pokemon what it is traces itself back to the raw power exuded by the small pink fetus-looking feline. Be it the raw machine, or even the man-made pokemon, no matter how frankensteined, all pokemon are begotten from Mew’s core. The womb of all things.

That power was now concentrated in destroying Necrozma. The bat watched as Mew unleashed pools of cells all around her, the building blocks of life, programmed down to the last atom into what they shall become, embodying the element of choice that Arceus had engineered. 

Ditto.

The countless ditto instantly transform into copies of Necrozma Dawn Wings, while Mew herself transformed into a replica of Necrozma Dusk Mane.

“You can mimic me all you want, it changes nothing. Originals are better than clones,” Necrozma laughed.

“You are the clone,” Mew mused, “all that you are, I am. I am more of you than you can ever be, for you are but a piece of me.”

The prismatic bat howled as it was beset by its duplicates, with Mew as Necrozma Dusk Mane smashing headfirst into them. Xerneas and Jirachi were not far behind, but neither were the army of ultra beasts that fell upon them all and were eager to reinforce their master. 

Body parts rained from the sky was the battle raged on down below. Ogerpon donned her cornerstone mask and smashed pecharunt with her ivy cudgel. She would duck under a rogue swing from okidogi and counter with another one with the dog. The dog would be sent flying, crashing onto the ground. Still, the dog got up and saw magearna moving with volcanion to a different part of the battlefield. Okidogi didn’t hesitate to jump behind the automaton. She would turn into a ball and he would hold her in his hands as he attempted to crush her.

It didn’t take long for Volcanion to point one of his nozzles right at the dog’s face and blast him with a steam eruption. Okidogi dropped magearna and was sent flying again, his face burning with boiling water.

Back with Pecharunt, he tried to shoot his mochi down Ogerpon’s mouth with his expert aim, but despite his penchant for sharpshooting, the ogre’s mask proved too strong. She leapt and stomped on the mochi.

“This is for him,” said Ogerpon, thinking about her old human from so long ago. She then smashes Pecharunt into paste with her cudgel. Just then however, a fissure would open under her, the rocks dug into her legs as she fell in, breaking one of them. But before she could fall in and thus be crushed, Jirachi just so happened to crash down after being swatted away by Necrozma, and reach down to pull the ogress out before the fissure closed.

Ting-Lu stood still as the chaos all around him continued. The Paradoxes switched their targets quickly and with lethal efficiency. Walking Wake would melt Registeel into nothing but a molten pool with hydro steam, Iron Leaves would hack away at the rotting Regirock, reducing the creature into something more resembling an art piece before falling apart completely, and Iron Boulder who shatter Regice with a mighty cleave, causing the ice golem’s pieces to be sent flying everywhere.

Jirachi unleashed some sparkles to heal Ogerpon’s leg, and the two would rush into battle, with Mesprit there to reinforce them. Ogerpon equipped her Hearthflame mask and clashed with Iron Leaves as Jirachi collided with Iron Boulder using iron head, and Mesprit foresaw an attack targeting all their opponents. As this happened, the fall of the three regis triggered something within Magearna’s exhausted soul-heart, empowering her.

Walking Wake stepped forward, eyeing Volcanion. The former would unleash a potent hydro steam while the latter fired his steam eruption, the two torrents of boiling water clashed together, attempting to overpower the other. Volcanion found himself being pushed backwards, struggling as the paradox’s beam was overpowering his eruption. Magearna however would turn into a ball, her soul-heart glowing as she used heart swap, granting Volcanion her power.

The surge of power was more than enough to let Volcanion completely overpower Walking Wake. Overflowing with Magearna’s power, Volcanion dug its nozzles into the earth of Genesis Island.

“He’s going to blow this place into smithereens!” Mesprit called out to Jirachi and Ogerpon, “get over here!” The wishmaker and the ogress needn’t be told twice, rushing over to the emotive one. Mesprit would cast a barrier for them, allowing them to hover off the ground in a protective bubble as Volcanion unleashed a mighty steam eruption that would completely decimate Genesis Island in its entirety.

A flood of boiling water sprouted as a sea, the tide instantly swarmed the paradox pokemon, washing them all away while Ting-Lu merely raised the ground beneath it so that it formed a blighted island amidst the boiling sea. Okidogi clung onto said island. Magearna as a ball levitated above Volcanion while Mesprit, Jirachi, and Ogerpon watched the devastation unfold. They would be accosted by several Kartanas and Buzzwoles, the future sight finally raining down to cause only further devastation over the land.

Up in the heavens, Necrozma Dawn Wings ripped apart his impostors with a powerful moongeist beam, and then clashed with Mew (who of course was in the form of Necrozma Dusk Mane).

“To think you were mighty enough to slay many beings on the same level as yourself”

“They are not on the same level as me, they never have and they never will, they are but mimics. Paintings formed by men, wishes formed by those of limited lives and even further limited understanding. All in an attempt to declare themselves superior or above the gods with their so-called indomitable spirit,” Necrozma cackled. “Create an age not for gods, but for men, they say. Men rise when gods fail, they say. These are hubristic remarks that conflate the uplifting place and purpose of mortals with their actual relevance in the schemes of the gods. It is why they are obsessed with fantasies of slaying us, and ruling in a world where they insist they can succeed where we have failed. But of course they are wrong. When gods fail, mortals do not die. When gods fail, mortals no longer exist.”

“Is there a meaning to your little monologue, Necrozma?”

Dawn Wings cupped Mew’s cheeks with his long prismatic arms. “You are so entrenched in them you have begun to think like them, oh dear progenitor. Enough that you have forgotten exactly why you shall die this fine twilight. You are the ancestor, the beginning. I however, we - are the end.”

“Denied” said Xerneas, unleashing a powerful geomancy. Her horns glowed and it set forth several moonblasts that vaporize countless ultra beasts, thinning the sky-obscuring army into a couple splintered platoons. Necrozma would unleash a moongeist beam at the deer, only for the deer to contain it and disperse it into nothing. “This twilight prevents me from casting a field of endless immortality, but it does not prevent me from destroying you.”

“It does, Xerneas, it does” Necrozma cackled. Mew on the other hand would return back into her original form, spinning speedily around the Dawn Wings until a whole field of energies appeared. A genesis supernova quickly formed and in a flash sapped Necrozma of his power, causing him to crash into the boiling sea, which bubbled uncontrollably due to the psychic terrain. Xerneas did not hesitate to nuke the devourer of light with a powerful moonblast.

Then, a portal, and from it, a beam.

The beam was more powerful than it had any right to be, and it caught Mew off-guard. The attack tore through time and space itself with how fast it moved, and it sniped the progenitor right out of the sky before the portal that allowed it quickly disappeared.

“Mother!” Xerneas cried out, but before she could reach out for the progenitor, two black arms rose from the boiling sea, grabbing her by the antlers.

“This is the end…” Necrozma hissed, his entire body drenched in the boiling water, as if he partook in a brutal baptism and had been reborn an even fouler creature. Squeezing the antlers, the bat would rip them right off the goddess of life, causing Xerneas to scream in pain and move around panickedly. 

Xerneas would collapse, slowly transforming into a tree with a potent life-giving aura, only for the tree to instantly wither and die out, granting immense vitality to nothing.

Necrozma Dawn Wings laughed, he laughed harder than he ever had. Never before had he felt even more vindicated, save of course for a particular sort of news he’d been made aware of thanks to the Griseous Network. The bat flew up into the sky again, looking off into the distance. “So the djinn’s finally done it. The darkest day is with us once more. How delightful,” he mused before looking down before the hapless fools that dared defy him. He had no words left to say to them, instead charging up one final moongeist beam.

Just then, three powerful balls of energy came and bombarded the bat. Necrozma would look up and see none other than Mewtwo, in all of his shadowy glory, staring down at him.

“So the mightiest mortal makes an audience with me. I see you’re out of those scheming bugs’ hands, and that extra dimension you’ve got on you is surely a mark of that.”

“What… did… you… do…” Mewtwo demanded.

“Participate in the natural order of things” Necrozma said before firing a moongeist beam at Mewtwo. The mighty mortal however was not having it, instantly firing the strongest shadow ball anyone in the battle had ever seen. The shadow ball overpowers the moongeist beam and collides with Necrozma, hitting the pokemon so hard it nearly splits the creature back into Necrozma’s husk and Lunala.

Necrozma crashed into the boiling sea once more and this time did not hesitate to flee. Casting endless shadows to storm around in a stray manner as ultra beasts rained down upon Mewtwo. The moon feaster fled the scene, leaving Ting-Lu and Okidogi behind.

“Hey! What about us?!” cried the dog. A portal would appear to take both of them out of what was once Genesis Island.

It took very little for Mewtwo to unleash his psychic infinity upon the endless ultra beast horde, ripping them all into nothing but specs of quantum foam. Then he descended, where he saw Mesprit and Jirachi holding Mew’s dead body in their arms, unable to heal her despite their best efforts. They had a look in their faces which spelled both grief for her and fear of him. 

“Mother…” he uttered. He never called her that, in the brief times they’d met. He never truly knew her, despite her attempts to know him. She was the mother of gods and mortals, and in a way, despite his extensive godliness, he was her most mortal son. What could such a feeling be like for her, considering the lonesome he had felt for himself? He knew nothing, yet an odd sorrow remained. Now she was gone, and he was truly alone.

“Where is Arceus?” demanded Mewtwo. He could just read their minds, but there was something about questions that appealed to him.

“Sh– th- she–, Arc- damn it” Ogerpon looked away. Mesprit would answer for her, “Lady Arceus is in her world.”

“How do I get to her world?”

“Th-The Spear Pillar”

Mewtwo then took Mew’s corpse from them with his psychic power. He held his original’s body in his hands, the source of all life now void of it. He looked at it blankly, before reforming it into a ball of energy, a smidgeon of which is used to form a portal and the rest absorbed into him. “You are with me, we are going to the Dreamtime. I seek Arceus, and I can tell that you all do as well.”

They doubted that they could say no, they did not even have any true time for grieving. So they moved through the portal, leaving behind a ruined world.

---

Cobalion and the others scattered as Yveltal screeched, unleashing blasts of death energy upon all of them. Known as the oblivion wing, it would not take much for such an attack to sap the life from them. Latios was the sole exception to the scattering, instead dexterously evading each blast from the death god and unleashing a thunderbolt upon the bird. Yveltal of course was quick to avoid the godly bolt, and took to the skies with the enraged eon guardian.

The two moved in the skies as if they were reflections of each other, although while Latios burned with a telekinetic rage, Yveltal was sinisterly calm, as if he were the night itself manifest in both silence and visage. Latios unleashed more thunderbolts upon the bird, though Yveltal gracefully evaded each strike and then sniped the eon twin out of the sky with a shadow ball. As this happened, ultra beasts arose to reinforce the battle, burying Latios in a sea of bodies that pooled together in the heavens.

As above, so below. Cobalion and his little ragtag group were battling Kyurem-White and some emerging ultra beasts. Zacian and Zamazenta fought side by side, the former mutilating countless stakataka while the latter chipped and dulled the blades of daring kartana before bashing straight into them. The sibling wolves had returned to each other, yet instead of their fated duel they found themselves fighting side by side as if it were the darkest day once more.

“Sister, it is good to see you alive” said Zamazenta, body pressing an unsuspecting stakataka.

“And I you, brother” Zacian said as she overwhelmed a horde of kartana, “I would say you were with odd company, but I am not in a position to make such a comment.”

Zamazenta laughed, “Ragnarok makes strange bedfellows for all of us. How fitting for the end of the world.”

Urshifu and Marshadow continued to fight side by side, and likewise Tapu Koko and Phione did as well. Entei and Raikou raced with trails of flame and bolts behind them, all of these pokemon coordinated together in defeating the ultra beasts that swarmed them on the glacial battlefield. In their efforts however, Kyurem-White was left to rise. The palm of his hand had a pinkish gem which glowed ready to unleash a calamitous wave.

Cobalion however would use a sacred sword, a fine blue blade that would attempt to cut off the dragon’s arm. He would fail, but he would manage to redirect the blast towards the sea beneath them, thus causing the fractured field of ice to turn into a full field instead. Kyurem growled and swiped at Cobalion, though the musketeer would leap over it and counter with iron head. Kyurem-White blasted with his fiery thrusters, gaining space from Cobalion, firing icicle missiles at Cobalion only for him to deflect these shots.

“I can see why you were the leader of that sad little sort,” Kyurem-White laughed, “they’re gone, your three little musketeers, and you’re still here. The mightiest of them. I suppose that’s why they call you the Hustling Sword.”

“I fight for them,” said Cobalion, “I will avenge them. When we first formed we made a pact to protect peace in the eternal fight against evil. We had no intention in failing that then, and though that we are now an I, I have no intention of failing that now.”

“Your failure is not a choice you can make, that is for me to decide.”

Cobalion entered a low stance, “let’s see you try to decide while missing a head.”

Kyurem-White laughed, before holding out his palm again. He would unleash a powerful blast of energy as Cobalion speedily approached him. Cobalion would dodge one, and then evade another. He felt Virizion’s spirit flow through him, feeling their grace nimble his feet as he closed in on Kyurem. He slid under a wild ice burn, and then slashed and struck Kyurem at a speed and in a power he had never thought he was capable of doing. Cobalion fought Kyurem in close combat, chipping away at the dragon’s icy scales and ramming into his body with his hard head.

“JUSTICE!” Cobalion yelled, manifesting his sacred sword as he swung. Kyurem would form a shield with his right arm, only for it and his arm to be cut clean off by Cobalion, a cut even forming along Kyurem’s body. 

Kyurem roared in pain as he fell back, his body leaking energy. Kyurem forcefully regrew his lost arm with his power, the pink gem in his left hand glowing as it did. “I don’t understand,” said Kyurem as he tried to stand up, “I have the power! I am supposed to be beyond even the likes of you, hustling blade! Yet here you stand before me, you and that she-wolf, both somehow capable of cutting me down. What is the meaning of this?”

“You absorbed the goddess of truth and yet you remain such a fool” Cobalion would knock Kyurem-White even further away. The dragon groaned as he crashed on the ground and laid there. “You are weak. That trinket of yours, that pink gem. I know not its power or its origin, but it will not save you now. I have said it before and I will say it again. I am justice, my fellows, they too were justice. The Swords of Justice. We will not stop until the foul heartless demons such as yourself are no more, and until all evil is purged from the realm. Call it naive, utopian even, it matters little. The eternal fight against evil shall have no long defeat for as long as we stand.”

“You boast?”

“I declare,” Cobalion asserted. “I am the staff that is risen. For as long as it is risen, that which is good shall never be defeated. We were once four. The hustle, the crush, the valiant, and the resolute, now we are one. That one is me, and thus I am justice.”

“You are… justice…” Kyurem-White said, getting up with his arm regrown. “You… are… justice… the lone survivor…” he growled as he clenched his fist. “You.. are..”

Kyurem’s eyes widened, and then an angry growl.

“You’re the one Zekrom gave his power to, aren’t you?”

“Reshiram’s destruction was your first mistake” Cobalion rushed in on Kyurem, only for Kyurem to blast him with a fire blast. The blast vaporized the ice and seawater in front of him, and he would fly up into the sky and charge up another potent attack. He was a man possessed. He had finally found where Zekrom had stashed away that darned power of his. To think it was right in front of him all this time. He was already on the right track, but now he actually knew where.

But then, of course, those other members of Cobalion’s Justice Division just had to make a nuisance for themselves. Tapu Koko closed his little shell and once more formed a titan known as the guardian of Alola, using its massive fist to hammer down the dragon. Phione would call forth the freezing waters to bind the dragon and crush him with the surrounding glaciers. She was the princess of the warm seas, so her father Manaphy, prince of the cold seas, was more suited for this. But still, despite her relative inferiorities, she fought.

Kyurem would melt the water and ice away, as he vaporized the water with his thrusters, only for Tapu Koko’s guardian fist to electrocute him with a massive punch. The punch surged all around, causing mass chaos as the glaciers exploded and slew many ultra beasts. Raikou was quick to snatch Phione out of the water.

Up above, Yveltal overpowered Latios’ draco meteor with a shadow ball, landing directly at the dragon himself, causing the eon twin to get knocked out of his mega form, reverting to his original state as he plummeted into the ice below. He gazed upon Kyurem struggling against the Justice Division and scoffed. “Tch, oh Wuji, I have to do everything around here.”

Yveltal crowed, and all looked up to the sky and saw the red bird of death unleash his oblivion wing once more, rays of desolation rained down upon them all, prompting them all to scatter. Urshifu rapidly evaded each one, while Tapu Koko’s titan form was struck but fortunately the atua was still able to escape. Raikou moves with Phione in his jaws as he evades each strike. Zacian hid behind her brother as Zamazenta tanked one of the oblivion wings head on. 

The power sapped the wolf of his strength, causing him to collapse, but he was still alive. If there was anyone capable of handling the death-causing ray, it would be the immovable shield.

But the oblivion wing did not cease. Zacian carried her brother on her back and ran off to hide somewhere else, and Entei scorched a path through the ocean of ultra beasts as he tried to find some place to avoid the bolts of death, but he would fail and be struck down. Urshifu would find himself cornered by countless naganadels and pheromosas, and though he would strike each of them down, he was still left open for the bolt to strike down upon him.

Urshifu could only watch, his life as well as his brother’s life flashing before his eyes as the oblivion wing came down upon him.

And then, shadow.

Marshadow would tackle Urshifu out of the way. The small nightmarcher was not strong enough to push both of them, but he was strong enough to strike the bear far away enough. The wing fell upon him instead. How ironic, the soul-stealing striker having his soul stolen from his body. His life force was converted into a death force as he began to wither away.

“Fight… on…” Marshadow said to Urshifu, before turning into nothing.

Zekrom on the other hand, still a human, sat there beside a dying Latios. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he felt the wave of death spread across the dying world. “It’s all rotten, isn’t it?” asked Zekrom. “All of it, gone. Why would Lady Arceus do this?”

“Perhaps it is the truth, perhaps it is her ideals, then again would her ideals not be the truth?” said Latios, talking as if he were not dead. He tried to get up, but to no avail. “Ragnarok is still coming upon us, and I’ll be damned if no one kills those two… bastards…” Latios put a hand on Zekrom’s thigh, “Zekrom.. Do it…”

“You know I can’t.”

“Not for you, or for me, for her.”

“What difference would it make? It doesn’t matter.”

“It always does, Zekrom. It always does. It matters… Zekrom… it matters…”

Latios closed his eyes. “Damn it,” being his last words. Zekrom shook his head, and then placed a hand on Latios’ head. He took a deep breath, feeling the freezing air of Alto Mare’s ruins fill him. He recalls his brief human life, the joy of its impermanence, akin to the dreamlike shadows granted by the canopy under a sunny day.

Kyurem grasped Cobalion by the throat, forcing the sword of justice to watch as his allies struggled to avoid the oblivion wing. Cobalion could feel an icy sensation on the back of his neck, the freezing of his blood as his limbs slowed down and his breath struggled. “Gaze upon the power of the end, Cobalion. There is no justice here, for no law could possibly stand. You will join your fellow foolish swords soon enough. That is the only ideal left for you.”

Cobalion gasped as he felt Kyurem begin to rip Zekrom’s power from within him. The gem in his hand acted like a DNA splicer of some kind, and it slowly but surely drained Cobalion of the power he was entrusted with. “No…” he said weakly, trying to fight it.

“Yes…” Kyurem-White purred, he could feel his old self, his original self, reforming. 

Then, a bolt of lightning.

Kyurem was pushed back, and Cobalion was dropped. The swordsman tried to catch his breath, looking up at the sky as another powerful bolt of lightning smote Yveltal, causing the death god to fall into the freezing water. A black figure then appeared, dropping down before Cobalion. Glowing red eyes and coursing with great power.

“Zekrom…” said Cobalion.

“In the flesh,” said the dragon, restored to his old self, though not with his old power, but with the eon twins’. Zekrom held out his hand, “I believe you have something that belongs to me.”

“What changed… your mind?” Cobalion held out his hoof. Zekrom would raise him up.

“I am a coward, Cobalion. I ran away because I knew that the end of all things was a divine ideal I had to, but could not, live with. Reshiram knew it was the truth, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t live with that idea. So I ran away. And even now with it on my doorstep, I chose to refuse you. The deaths that have resulted from that refusal are on my shoulders, Cobalion. I can only try to avenge them now.”

“To deny the supposed truth that is the end of the world, that’s quite the ideal” the swordsman laughed, though he just ended up coughing up cold snowflakes of blood. Zekrom embraced Cobalion, and with it, a mighty bolt of lighting came, followed by a wave that smote all the ultra beasts until only the legendaries once more remained. 

Kyurem-White stood up, and his eyes widened as did his smile upon seeing Zekrom rise up, his power restored.

“Ah, so the prodigal son has returned… Come to die a legendary rather than a man?”

“I’ve come to kill you myself,” Zekrom said, walking over to him.

Kyurem-White laughed in response, walking over to the approaching dragon. “Reshiram has already returned to me. Is stalling the inevitable another ideal people have to die over? What more difference could you possibly make?”

“Reshiram’s courage often exceeded her abilities. Mine do not.”

Kyurem-White roared before unleashing his fiery thruster to rocket straight towards Zekrom, and Zekrom likewise activated his electrical turbine to bolt towards Kyurem-White. The two collided, causing the sea to burn and the ice to quake. The two engaged in a brutal melee of ice burns and bolt strikes. In the end however, Kyurem had been too wounded in the fight prior to keep going toe to toe with the empowered Zekrom, allowing the dragon of ideals to land a savage kick to Kyurem-White’s midsection, causing the dragon to crash into a nearby glacier, his scales peeled off and his whole body covered in bloody wounds.

“We…” Kyurem struggled to find the strength to even say his words, “we… were… we were whole! We were whole, once! Then humanity’s greed split me apart! We.. were whole.. We were whole, once…”

“Once” said Zekrom, bolt in hand.

Yveltal would emerge from the water, flapping upwards, he saw Zekrom and a cornered Kyurem.

Then, an explosion in the distance. A great scar in the twilight sky. Yveltal laughed as he felt a breeze of dynamax energy just pass on by. 

Then he strikes Kyurem with an oblivion wing.

Everyone gasped, and Zekrom would even try to hit Yveltal with bolt strike, though Yveltal would not fall for that again, evading it before swooping down and grabbing the only thing left from the crater where Kyurem was. 

That darned pink gem.

“I’ll see you all again,” Yveltal winked, “I always do.”

With that, Yveltal flew off at great speed, quickly disappearing through an ultra wormhole that opened as quickly as it closed.

This left Cobalion and his crew alone in the frozen ruins of Alto Mare, but not for long, the entire region of Orre was being pulled from one point to another, and its coast was fast approaching them.

“We have to go to Hoenn” said the swordsman, and all nodded.

---

Hoopa meditated above the sea as the many regions of the world found themselves slowly converging back into a one great continent. Portals within portals within portals. There was still one person left to emancipate.

And now, they are here.

A great tear in time itself, a festering wound on reality open agape, ready to spill its un-essence into creation. As time and space itself were made liquid and spilled out as a waterfall into the sea, a horrific and alien creature emerged from it.

“Took you long enough,” said Eternatus.

“It ain’t my fault you got yourself locked away you bastard, now go eat up all the dynamax energy you’re making the world generate. We need the darkest day, the regions are converging.”

“So Armageddon is finally piecing together… excellent” said Eternatus, flying around in the sky, feeling the wind through their ribcage. Eternatus was there before twilight took over the world. A mighty hand with an eternal grasp. Mightier than ever before, they sought to crush everything. They were the one to infect Celebi with the virus and keep Dialga busy, and the one to distort time enough that Hoopa was able to string together the splintering fabric of space following Palkia’s death that their cage could be reopened.

Eternamax Eternatus was sealed by Dialga and Palkia in a place known as The Astro Domain, which was actually the two’s respective dimensions before they were forcibly blended together into an unrecognizable mess. Suspiciously more powerful than they had any right to be, Father Time and Mother Space made their now-unrecognizable realms the Darkest Day’s prison.

There Eternatus was slowly sapped of their dynamax energy, while the one left back in the world proper was left completely astray and in flux.

Exhausted but ready, Eternatus roared as they began to revitalize themselves after the vicious depowering process.

Only for a roar to come from the distance. The djinn and the alien looked to see Rayquaza, god of the skies, and his sky warrior, Shaymin, soaring towards them.

“Do you still have the Omega Circuit?” Hoopa grinned.

“They were never able to take it from me,” Eternatus laughed. A pink ring glowed on the central spike atop Eternatus’ head. “I will handle this.”

“I know you will” 

Eternatus rushed towards Rayquaza, both dragons ready to collide in the twilight skies above a world torn asunder. Each passing second Eternatus’ power returned to him, but whether or not that would matter against a foe like Rayquaza, well, no one would either know, or live long enough to tell it. 

Notes:

Hello again, everybody.

Alright, so there goes Kyurem. Still, as things escalate and Armageddon approaches ever faster, all the pieces are pretty much falling into place. Did some re-evaluating here and there, re-outlining. And I think I've got it. This fic has 5 chapters left in it. I wonder how many centuries it'll take for me to finish it.

I have a feeling that the next chapter is going to be the longest one in the whole fic, and the most important as well. Everything that's been clued around has been leading up to it, and once the answers are worded, it might even finally begin to make some sense.

Chapter 16: Heaven and Earth

The Hoenn region.

It had seen better days. Lilycove city was a flooded ruin. Only a few stragglers remained on the submerged roads as the water level reached their necks. There were likely still some taking refuge on the upper floors of the mall, not that it mattered. Cobalion’s group moved from there and down to the graveyard mountain of Mt Pyre, which had become an island as well. Cobalion and his group knew they had to keep moving, lest they be crushed by the overwhelming force that hung over all of their heads.

Route 122 was not as Raikou remembered it. This stretch of land was usually filled with berry trees, but now most of them were dead. Withered into nothing on top of being drowned by the water. Moving at high speeds, the water was not much of a problem for any of them, and the only thing that really stopped them was the sight of devastation that surrounded everything that was once beautiful. 

Often do people cite the flames of industry as the unmaking of the world, and for good reason. Though it appeared that it was the waters of nature itself that decided things in the end. Phione can still hear her father in another part of the world. Manaphy roamed the world as a member of Kyogre’s pod, all of them roaming the seas of the world as if circumambulating creation in their wait for the coming emergence of Armageddon, and the battle that shall take place upon it.

Cobalion’s group finally stepped foot on Mauville city. The great nexus of the region with a path on all four cardinal directions, ready to send and receive people from all corners of the region. To the south was Slateport, which no doubt was completely consumed by the rising water levels, and will likely only be rid of it once the regions begin to mash together. Then again, the shipyard city would certainly be destroyed in the collision regardless. To the north was the desert and Mt Chimney, the former likely soaked to oblivion by the warped weather as mass precipitation began to occur there when it should not, and the latter still standing tall as everything was consumed by Kyogre’s voracious anticipation.

And finally to the west was Rustboro city, though before that there was an extent of land to move through. Grassland, meadows, and a tunnel. At the middle of it was a beautiful town known as Verdanturf town. Which was their destination.

Mauville was where most of the people were. Zekrom flew overhead and the humans could all merely look up as they saw the darkness streak across the sky while pokemon of legend roamed through the flooded halls and streets of the ruined city. They spared little time with the folk that observed them up on the higher floors, peeking through the windows and snapping photos with their phones.

They left as soon as they came, out into the west where in an uphill ascent was Verdanturf. Tapu Koko and Phione stopped by what used to be a daycare, thinking about the pokemon that were conceived here, be it intentionally or by chance.

“Cubs. Many. Here. Then.”

“Yeah. Brute creation conceives children a lot. Though I’m one too. My father mated with a ditto to conceive me, it’s why I’m not as powerful.”

“Mother? You?”

“Yes. In a way. I never really saw my mother after that. The moment my egg was hatched, my father snatched me away and took me to a warm sea. How about you?”

“Motherless. Nature. Sudden.”

“You really need to learn how to speak in full sentences,” Phione held Tapu Koko’s hand. “You’re out here looking out for me, for all of us, fighting in the end of the world, and you can’t even stitch your actual thoughts together.”

Tapu Koko shook his head. “Love. Enough. Words. Enough.”

“Have you ever thought about having a family of your own? Find a ditto or maybe even just some random electric pokemon?”

Tapu Koko lets go of Phione’s hand and turns his back to her. “Family. Gone. Them. Save. Could Not. Child. Protect. Cannot.”

Before the atua can fly away and catch up with the others, Phione leapt up and hugged him from behind.

“Maybe I can help with that,” said Phione. “I can’t even begin to know what you’ve been through this entire time. You can at least believe that I’m here for you. Fate has guided us both together in the weirdest ways, who knew it would be at the end of the world. Even if this is all just an alliance, I can be your family. Even if we’re all doomed to die, I’ll be there with you.”

Tapu Koko was silent. Then he spun, tossing Phione into the air and then caught her before enclosing her with him inside his tapu shell and then flying off.

Verdanturf had certainly seen better days, but at least it was doing better than the others. It still wasn’t flooded yet, though the flowers had certainly withered. Its usual serene atmosphere and scents were washed away by the dullness of the apocalypse. Cobalion and his group arrived at the town, where they would see the Rusturf tunnel right there. The tunnel had been warped, changed in the outside, let alone the inside.

The eternal twilight prevented it from showing, but cobalion could feel a rise in the temperature, as if there was supposed to be warm sunlight here. 

“I see why this has become your choice of destination,” Zekrom crossed his arms as he approached the cavern. “I reckoned we’d go to Sootopolis and stop by that cave of origin, but it appears that in reality he was here.”

“Terra Cave,” said Raikou. “Really it’s Terra Caverns, a series of underground networks that lead to the planet’s mantle where Groudon typically stays. It usually manifests in a couple distinct areas, but never any existing caverns. Usually when something is built over what should be a Terra Cave opening, it usually just does not open anymore.”

“It’s fused with this town’s tunnel?” asked Zacian.

“An interesting choice for the end of the days,” Zamazenta shrugged. “We are here to seek Groudon, no? Unleash the end of the world? Come. Let us finish this,” he looked to his sister, “and mayhaps we can fulfill our little desires and destinies.”

The troop entered the Rusturf Terra Cave, though as they did, a human boy came stumbling forward, fearful but curious. Cobalion turned and approached the child, staring down at them with pity.

“What’s happening?” asked the boy. He did not know that the legendaries could talk, how could he? But he likely had no one left to ask, no one left to approach. A crowd of people were observing in the distance, afraid of how hostile the universe had become. Only the gods may speak now as they make war.

“The world is ending,” answered Cobalion. The crowd gasped and then fell silent. He continued, “the world is ending. We can rush it, but we cannot stop it. The regions shall mash together into a supercontinent once more, and its name shall be Armageddon. Hoenn is at the heart of it and thus the ultimate battlefield. Groudon and Kyogre shall clash, as will all the others.”

“What does Arceus say?”

“We do not know. All that we know is she has decided this is the end.”

“How can she leave us in the dark like this?” the boy asked. They always did say Arceus was rarely comprehensive despite her correctness. He too wondered what could be going on in her mind. The boy had tears in his eyes, “where do we go?”

Cobalion closed his eyes, turned around, and walked away. 

“Home.”

---

The Dreamtime.

A space of raw imagination where all things end up when they sleep. A grand sea of collective unconscious, where perception is reality, if not more. An endless cascading universe sewn straight into the fabric of creation, accompanying it like a cape. Every story that has ever been told, from the ones immortalized in both book and mind to the ones that have been completely forgotten.

It is here where greatness finds its inception, and here also where greatness dies. The works of fear and the inner workings of terror dance mindlessly to the songs of hope and how it harmonizes with the orchestra of perseverance.

The Dreamtime is in ruins.

The Dream Lady Cresselia and The Boogeyman Darkrai ruled this boundless space as consuls, but it appears they were nowhere to be seen, likely slain by the malefic forces who turn the wheel of Ragnarok in the effort to grind everything into a fine powder. As a result of their absences, the Dreamtime was in complete flux.

Mewtwo, the mightiest mortal in the world, cleaved through the chaos of the Dreamtime. Accompanying him were a ragtag group that had found themselves on his original’s island. They assisted in fighting the mysterious forces that accosted the island, though they were unable to save Mew.

It was clear that the world was in serious flux. The so-called prophecy of the end was at hand. Mewtwo could sense the despair across the world, fighting against the collective hopes of the people which burned brighter than ever before as rapture was unleashed. It made him sick. There was clearly only one answer to this.

Arceus, the queen-mother of the gods. The True Olympian. The Alpha. Her invisible hand hovering above guided things this way, and that was what sickened Mewtwo most. Feeling the dark powers of shadow energy coursing through his blackened body, it disgusted him that it all came to this. The circumstances should be irrelevant. People are free to decide their destinies, and yet in the end everything is bound by Arceus’ grip, orchestrated with a level of terror that so many have deluded themselves into finding comforting.

Arceus must be stopped. The Dreamtime was an easy way for it. The Dreamtime was essentially a level of unspace, allowing one to travel an immense distance in practically no time. Here they would be free from the Ultra Beasts as well as the prowling gods that no doubt roamed during this wicked hour.

Mewtwo himself could barely remember it, he-

“Look out!” yelled Ogerpon. Jirachi wouldn’t even be able to react as it was then suddenly devoured by some freakish blob of flesh. It was an extremely obese quadrupedal creature, as hideous as it was enormous. The freakish demon looked like it ate as much as a snorlax, and its diet also consisted entirely of snorlax.

“What is that thing?!” Volcanion roared, firing a steam eruption to blast the titanic creature away, but as he did, more of them appeared.

Mewtwo didn’t hesitate to use his psychic powers to lift up these immensely heavy creatures, spinning them around in the air around him before throwing them away in all directions, forcibly scattering them to dust in the process.

“Demons,” Magearna said. “Demons.”

Mewtwo returned to the Seekers and landed in front of the automaton. He gave it a perplexed look, this one was an artificial pokemon as well, much like him. Though he could sense that while he was made for war, she was made for peace. 

His hands clutched her head. Volcanion would attempt to interject but Mewtwo would casually hold him still without so much as moving a finger. He would attempt to read her mind but found nothing. “Your thoughts are blank to me. Explain yourself.”

“I am Magearna. I am the host of the soul-heart,” Magearna explained. As she did, Mewtwo let Volcanion go from his psychic grip. “Long ago I was made as a means to close a door to this place. And so that place was sealed. For long ago the nightmares of the Dreamtime could roam the world of the awake.”

“What are they?” Ogerpon had to ask.

“Demons, though my maker Eliphas dubbed them antimons,” Magearna shook her head. “Rejects of Arceus. Being across time, entire engineered concepts cut and left on the floor to be forgotten. They are jailed here, forbidden from existing in any way beyond the means of a dream.”

And so there it was again. Now it was not merely the circumstances of life, now life itself was denied. Mewtwo had heard all he needed to hear as more and more of these antimons began to circle all around them. The antimons were plentiful, many of them simply defying description. A googolplex of nameless things gnawing away at the very threads of life itself. Some of them mewtwo could in fact somewhat recognize. They looked like freakish and eldritch tyrantrums or overgrown galvantulas. 

Some of them even looked like glitches in a computer system, taking wildly different shapes such as squares. Mewtwo could read their minds, or whatever semblance they had to it. They were untold stories, ravenous and uncontrolled, nothing more but rough concepts. Conceived but never engineered.

Ogerpon terastalized herself with her hearthflame mask and was propelled by Volcanion’s steam eruption as she bludgeoned away the monsters that killed Jirachi and now sought to kill them. Magearna used her soul heart to boost Ogerpon’s vigor. Mewtwo on the other hand sent blasts of raw energy to completely obliterate more hordes of them. Tearing them into shreds and strands and sending their specs flying, turning their body parts into shrapnel which only served to shred those caught in the vicinity of their death.

As the ocean of antimons was annihilated, they made way for a colossus of eyes and teeth. The colossus emerged from its fellow nameless things, and unleashed planets of doom to crash upon all of them, only for Mewtwo to completely obliterate all of them with a swing of his hand. Mewtwo would unleash a forceful thrust of psychic power, the psychic power was so strong it shook the Dreamtime itself.

The colossus however was not fazed in the slightest. Instead it would unleash all-consuming voids of uncreation upon them, tearing a hole straight through the sea of collective unconscious they inhabited. Mewtwo could not even see where the others went, instead focused on fighting against the void of destruction sent his way.

He would fail.

Overpowered by the thrown void, Mewtwo would crash into the “ground” of the Dreamtime, feeling himself become spaghettified as his molecules are thrown in every direction across infinite space.

The nameless colossus moved its eldritch tentacles filled with eyes and teeth, extending across the gaping holes of nothing it had torn through the now leaderless Dreamtime. With neither Cresselia nor Darkrai’s influence over the realm, the rejected antimons were able to compile with each other and become something more. Become this, unnamed and yet unneeding of one. Its dark omnipotence would suffice.

Lightning then flashed from across the vast space to strike the asymmetric creature that roamed the Dreamtime. It was Regieleki, still in Zeraora’s body, now unleashing a barrage of plasma fists as it fought the eldritch abomination.

---

The descent down Terra Cave was not as lengthy as they were expecting. After a certain point they would reach a section that was just a complete drop down. Judging from the presence of icy energy in certain sections, likely emanating from how Kyogre’s growing dominance was leaking conceptually into Groudon’s domain, it was almost certainly a drop to Groudon’s location. Groudon of course was usually situated at the mantle, but with this being the end times, it was obvious to the group that this was a drop straight to the center of the world.

Cobalion, Zacian, and Zamazenta jumped straight in. Urshifu would ride on Raikou while Tapu Koko would grab Phione and fly down. Zekrom was last to go down, looking back from whence they came. He pondered for a small bit about how different the outcome could have been had resigned from his office as a god. 

He thought of Latias and the mortal child they left behind. He thought of Latios’ sacrifice and fury. Then he leapt in.

They all descended into the core of the world. It felt like both forever and an instant as they fell deeper and deeper and deeper until they finally landed, passing through a field of energy which placed them all in bubbles that slowed their descent. Mystical moon energies powered by the countless carbinks flying around.

As they descended, Cobalion and his crew could see countless subterranean pokemon had taken refuge at the core of the world, grouped together in silence as they awaited the end of the world. At the center of it all was of course, Groudon, whose hammer echoed through the molten chamber. The core of the world was densely hot, or at least it was supposed to be. It was clearly hollowed out and cooled so that its temperature and energy may be harnessed more efficiently by the god of earth.

Ground laid there, hammer in his hand as he banged endlessly on a red hot blade atop an anvil. His entire forge was overflowing with a dark ruinous energy emblematic of the apocalypse occuring outside. An anti-aura that was sickening to the soul, a deathly response to the persisting wave of life that all living things had taken for granted.

“Welcome to Agartha, gentlemen” Diancie appeared before them, bowing. 

Agartha, that was the name of Groudon’s forge. Known as the nest of the legendary Heatran species, who were Groudon’s personal sentries. Considering the end of days had come, the Heatran were most certainly recalled to Agartha and likely melted down into that sword Groudon was forging. Or scarier yet, consumed by their maker. Each one was after all a module of power with immense potential of growth, and thus was allowed to develop over the millennia.

“Diancie. I did not expect to see you here,” said Cobalion.

“And I did not expect any of you to come here,” Diancie replied, she then looked up at Zekrom, “especially you. I suppose the apocalypse was too much for your mortal form?”

“We are here to accelerate Ragnarok,” Zekrom crossed his arms. “Groudon is at the heart of it. Prophecy has foretold it. Behemoth-”

“-shall fight Leviathan at the final region of Armageddon,” Groudon’s voice boomed to finish Zekrom’s sentence. Groudon looked at his visitors, this ragtag group of legendaries from various points of the world. Each one had their own respective stories, all certainly cut as the end of the world fell upon everything and everyone. “You have wasted your time, Division of Justice. The regions are moving, converging…”

A massive earthquake can be felt as regions collide on the surface. Groudon raised a finger to effortlessly calm the earthquake’s presence around his forge. “Armageddon is already forming, and once it comes, I will ascend to the surface and face her.”

“You must emerge now,” Cobalion walked up and stood defiantly before Groudon. “Emerge now, before Armageddon has even formed.”

“It is pointless to argue, Hustling Sword,” Groudon shook his head. He hammered upon his blade again, “There is no accelerating the apocalypse, especially in hopes of minimizing its damage. It is the apocalypse, it is the end. Even if I were to emerge now and face Sedna, it would change nothing. The oceans shall dry up and the earth shall give away. All shall die regardless of the victor.”

“There has to be a way,” Zacian stepped forward.

“There is only one way, Excalibur. That way is the end of all things,” Groudon replied. “The mountains shall fall and the reefs shall wither as the heavens are cremated and the stars die out. All heroes and villains, all saviors and saved. There is only death, and even death itself shall be thrown into the pool of fire. Pure unmaking.”

“I won’t stand for it,” Zekrom flew close to Groudon’s face. His red eyes glared at the earth god. “Groudon. Behemoth. Surtur. Whatever your name is, you are instrumental in the end of all things. You play a part in all this, the power to alter things. Ragnarok is here, and when its result is achieved, the survivors can rebuild the world that had been lost. It will take millennia, and the children of the rebuilt world will be far different from the survivors of the destroyed one, but in the end they are the same.”

“You do not get it, Yin,” Groudon exhaled smoke at Zekrom. “Ragnarok is not a battle. Ragnarok is the end . The end of all things.”

“What do you mean?” Urshifu was now the one to step forward. “Ragnarok. Dagor Dagorath . The Battle of Battles. Dies Irae . The Day of Wrath. The great night shall follow the twilight of the gods.”

“You say so much and mean so little.”

“Ragnarok is a battle. It has always been a battle,” Urshifu crossed his arms. “That’s how Arceus manifested the world to be, right? Man wages war, pokemon battle each other endlessly, together they fulfill their martial needs, and the mightiest among them decide their respective lands and the holdings within them. Why would a life of battling not end with a battle?”

“Ragnarok is not a battle. It is the end . The final battle at Armageddon is exactly that, the final battle. The last that the world shall ever see. Your logic of hastening The Battle of Armageddon spelling the survival of some fortunate few from the apocalyptic clutches of Ragnarok holds about as much weight as being the last pokemon to mate in captivity being the key to survival. It is illogical. Things end, and only when all things end is Ragnarok complete.”

All of them looked down. 

That’s it? That was the end?

“Lady Palkia told us to come find you,” commented Phione.

“Did she now? How interesting. She always did favor Sedna,” Groudon chortled. Leaning over to gaze down upon the small blue demigoddess. “Perhaps she had sent you here in an attempt to remind me of my duties now that it is the end of the world. She clearly mistook me for a recluse, though I cannot say I blame her, I hadn’t been on the surface for quite a while.”

“She was injured, she spent her last words telling us to come find you.”

Groudon raised a brow. “So Giratina has succeeded then…”

“What?” Zekrom hissed. All looked up at Groudon in confusion.

“Groudon, what do you mean by this?” Cobalion asked.

“Since this is the end, I suppose it is inconsequential,” Groudon raised his finger again to quell several more earthquakes, the regions on the surface were all colliding together now. It was only a matter of time until the end. “Tell me, Zekrom, have you seen Kyurem?”

“For a brief moment, yes,” Zekrom said with a sour look on his face.

“Kyurem pursued us. He killed Reshiram and absorbed her, and then murdered the rest of my allies… no, friends. Kyurem killed my friends,” Cobalion asserted.

“Then you know of that gem in his palm,” Groudon boomed. “Pink and overflowing with power. Especially the icy kind.”

“How do you know about it?” Zacian tilted her head. “Assuming you were here all this time, you couldn’t have known about that.”

“I made it.”

Silence followed. Cobalion looked down, trying to reflect about what had just been unveiled. The usually calm and composed swordsman couldn’t help but grind his teeth as his bluish body failed to contain the raw emotion filling within him. 

“My friends… My fellow swordsmen… they… they died… because of that THING you made. That thing… you MADE IT!?” Cobalion roared. Groudon stared at him straight in the eye, and then nodded.

“You said it yourselves. I am a keystone of Ragnarok. An agent of the end. Specifically, I am its engineer. The one who ensures the architecture is solid and its purpose secure,” Groudon hammered his blade once more. “I shall emerge from the earth when the regions have collided once more into a singular whole and do battle with Sedna when she and her flood rage upon my earth.”

“How?” Urshifu couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“With this,” Groudon put his enormous hammer down. The tool was a superheated chunk of rock that should be liquid if not gas due to how hot it was, but instead it remained a perfect and radiant solid. The lord of the earth reached beneath him and pulled out a technological pillar of some kind which emanated a crazy amount of energy. “Giratina’s schematics named it The Despair Forge. The tool to end all tools, a machine that shall allow me to construct their tools of chaos.”

“ Their? ” Tapu Koko raised a brow.

“Their. Yveltal appeared and allied with Kyurem during our confrontation in Altomare,” Zekrom commented. “They are working with Giratina, then?”

“Indeed. They are the heralds of this apocalypse. They refer to themselves as The Cabal, a clandestine group who have effectively wrought the end of the world with the objective of reconstructing it in resemblance of them, with themselves as its sole pantheon of course,” Groudon explained. It reminded him a tad of that Cyrus fellow, a human from the past. Though his failure was inevitable in the infinite scope of the universe, which could not be said for the cosmic scale of which The Cabal now operated. “The Djinn. The Lightbringer. The Darkest Day. Azrael. Wuji. The Forbidden One. All of them seek to grind the world into dust.”

“And you let them!?” Cobalion felt his sword emerge from his head.

“Of course I did. Ragnarok is inevitable, and they appeared before me with that itself as the objective. Ragnarok is not evil. It is the end. The Cabal too will fail, their hunger for a new pantheon shall lead to them only starving to death, for Ragnarok is not a triumph, but the conclusion of all life. There is nothing more,” Groudon picked up his blade, a fine and glossy black that perfectly reflected everything it faced, “From that nothing an egg shall emerge and Arceus shall hatch from it, beginning creation anew.”

Cobalion’s foot scraped the ground as a tear fell down his face. “So much death… could have been prevented… if you had just thought differently. But no… you chose to obey.”

“There is no obedience. My free will, like yours, is still bound to the inevitable orchestration of higher powers.”

“I know now why Palkia sent us here,” Cobalion stared up at Groudon, flaring up with an incredible power.

“Cobalion, don’t do anything drastic,” Zacian stepped beside her fellow swordsman.

“Groudon, your admission places you at the highest echelons of evil. You are no mere accessory to these deaths, but their cause. In this I must take action, in the name of my friends, in the name of the countless people and pokemon frightened by the twilight of destruction you had unleashed upon us all,” Cobalion entered a readied stance. “Justice will be served!”

“Cobalion, stop!” Zamazenta leapt in front of the sword of justice, only for Cobalion to jump on the wolf and use him as a platform to propel upwards. Eyes laser-focused on Groudon, ready to cut him up into thousands of pieces. One slash would suffice, at the very least. He was angry, of course he was. He was filled with a desire for vengeance, but with this revelation, it seemed his vengeance and justice for the world were one and the same.

Cobalion unleashed his legendary sacred sword, the same one he used to take down Kyurem all those years ago, and the one he sought to use in bifurcating Kyurem again before the dragon was backstabbed by Yveltal. 

Groudon would raise the blade he had worked on for so long, using it to block Cobalion’s slash. The swordsman would glow a bright blue as he was then absorbed into the blade, fueling the sword with his angry presence. His soul now trapped in a neverending moment, and the power of it granted the blade its final enchantment. Groudon then looked down upon the remaining members of Cobalion’s group.

“Reality is in its final breaths. I will alot this time for you all to make your peace, rest, and come to terms with your existence” Groudon commented, putting the blade back down. “Fight. Mate. Train. Question. It matters little yet congruently matters much.”

Zekrom, Zacian, Zamazenta, Tapu Koko, Phione, and Raikou were all silent, wondering what to do next now that their leader had been absorbed into the blade, as well as the knowledge that they were dealing with a much larger force than they could have ever anticipated.

---

Eternatus roared as the Omega Circuit on his head glowed. The dragon would unleash a beam of pure dragon energy towards Rayquaza, though both the sky serpent and Shaymin would be able to dodge it.

Rayquaza was their shiny black self, they had to be considering this might genuinely be the end of days. He could smell the stench of countless fatalities in the earth, polluting his skies. But it was not enough for him to be in this form, he needed more. So he mega-evolved. Faster than ever, Rayquaza ran through Eternatus like a spear with dragon ascent, smashing the poisonous dragon’s rib cage as he ran them through. Eternatus would fall to the ocean, and as they did Shaymin in their sky form unleashed a flurry of air slashes.

Just like that, Eternatus crashed into the sea, poisoning it with unspeakably toxic chemicals upon mere contact. Rayquaza immediately set his attention on the others. Only a fool would assume they weren’t working with each other. His eyes fell on the crystal of raw power in Yveltal’s possession. Without a hitch, Rayquaza moved at an insane speed towards them.

Only to be hit from below by a pillar of energy. A dynamax cannon to be specific. Stunned, Rayquaza was left open for Eternatus to burst from the poisoned sea and bite him right in the tail, with the skeletal alien swinging the sky serpent around before letting go, sending it crashing down into some random landmass. It was likely the Lental region mashed with the Fiore region, but with how much the world was being terraformed, they could’ve been any landscape at this point.

Eternatus would feel several more air slashes come from Shaymin. The Omega Circuit on its head glowed before unleashing a corruptive wave that forcibly binds Shaymin. The sky warrior ends up returning to its normal state and thus plummets out of the sky. Shaymin spiraled in their descent, their evergreen hide rotting away. Eternatus would swoop down and eat the hedgehog before it even touched the ground, all the while unleashing a surge of energy that unleashed spikes of dynamax energy across the landmass.

Charizards and Machamps flying around would be forcibly gigantamaxed, and their minds were completely commanded by Eternatus’ directives. Rayquaza would burst from his crater and once more try to barrel through the dragon, only for several gigantamaxed Grimmsnarls to work together and unleash a massive spike of fairy-infused hair to strike and entangle Rayquaza.

The gigantamaxed Charizards and Blastoises then unleashed their own devastating mixtures of flame and water, ganging up on Rayquaza while Eternatus went ahead and flew to where they estimated Galar to be.

At this point, Galar had fused completely with Kalos and parts of Paldea. The collision created whole new mountains. Landing on the peak of the tallest one, Eternatus would unleash a beam that easily splintered the mountain, and from the fractured peak the dragon immediately began to drain the world’s reservoir of its dynamax energy. All of it.

Eternatus was one of the countless creatures constructed by Arceus prior to the advent of space and time. The primordial monsters, if you will, but while the other ideas were eventually put through the ancestral machine known as Mew, Eternatus was here thanks to machinations of Giratina, their concept pulled from the unspace of the Dreamtime.

It crashed into the ancient world and settled in what would be Galar. For a time it brought forth the darkest of days, but be put down. Now it shall be stronger than ever, a day even darker than ever before. What follows the twilight was an endless night, full of terrors hitherto undreamt of. Terrors that did not need Arceus’ permission to exist. They served no higher purpose other than the desolation, corruption, and torture of all things.

Their power was split apart, and now it shall be whole and with the Omega Circuit it had at its disposal, not even the unstoppable wolves can stop them.

Rayquaza burst from the distance, annihilating the army of gigantamaxes that had ganged up on him and immediately went to spear through Eternatus with a dragon ascent. A portal however would open, with Hoopa’s hand pulling Eternatus through so that Rayquaza would miss. Eternatus would appear above Rayquaza, where, overflowing with energy, it unleashed another wave from the Omega Circuit on its head.

Suddenly, Rayquaza found himself growing, transforming into a gargantuan dragon with black scales. Without missing a beat, Rayquaza used his dynamaxed state to his advantage, unleashing a max wyrmwind to blow Eternatus back. Rayquaza would unleash another, this one shaking the world and even destroying nearby stars. Eternatus however would emerge, still overflowing with energy.

Eternatus was close to reaching its new stage. It as it was now was already more powerful than when it first became the darkest day. A climactic gate opened within Eternatus, causing its body to crack with how much power was seeping through. They were already leaking with it. The sensation made Eternatus high, enough to know that this next move was about as close to fate as one could get. Well, aside from Ragnarok.

Rayquaza’s new size may have granted it immense power, especially considering he was also mega evolved, but that still meant he was a larger target. Without missing a beat, Eternatus would clash with Rayquaza’s next max wyrmwind with his dynamax cannon. The clash lasted for all of about eight seconds before Rayquaza’s attack would give way, causing the beam to rip through Rayquaza’s dynamaxed form, destroying the essence of his mega stone, stripping him of his gigantamax, and even peeling off his shiny black scales.

Eternatus roared triumphantly before returning to the fractured peak to drain the last bits of dynamax energy left in the world. Soon enough, Eternatus would explode, their body ripped apart as its true form emerged. First a fingertip, then a finger, then the whole hand. Soon enough the hand of fate, the darkest day, had returned to this world.

Rayquaza laid there as a bloody mess. Still, seeing Eternatus up in the sky, he could see the faint glow of the Omega Circuit. If he landed the right hit, he might be able to steer this battle back in his favor. Rayquaza tried to get up, only to fall. He crawled on his belly like an ekans, leaving behind a bloody trail. Soon his body was more red than green. Still, he had a balance to uphold.

Rayquaza had always wondered what would happen during Ragnarok. He knew that Groudon and Kyogre were to battle for the last time, but the other details were missing. For the longest time he believed he would put a stop to it once and for all, perhaps slay both of them, or force them to finally make amends. But it seems that he might not be able to see it at all. His absence is what allows them to fight for the final time.

No, that cannot happen either. Letting out a mighty roar, Rayquaza covered himself in the flames of victory as he combined dragon ascent with v-create, becoming a meteor, a star, ascending to the heavens as a bright beacon to tear apart the darkest day.

Eternatus would catch him, crushing him completely and with it snuffing out the last sparks of light. The sky god was dead, and his sky was left in a state of twilight that promised an eternal darkness. As it did, the land trembled and the sea shook, for Armageddon was coming.

---

Zekrom meditated as he laid there within Groudon’s forge. Groudon had stopped hammering his blade for it had finished, so instead the behemoth also meditated in anticipation of the end. Zekrom could only wonder what thoughts ran through Groudon’s head. His was still fresh on all of the death he’d witnessed today. Cobalion being the latest. He knew he had to avenge him, but with Groudon still needing to fight Kyogre, was his death also certain?

No, it could not be, that was unideal. Fate had its ways, but as did free will, and the two often clashed. He should fight Groudon here and now, but that blade brought a whole new element he, and his colleagues, were wholly unprepared for. So instead Zekrom thought of Latias again, of their shared time together. 

Perhaps he should have died with her.

He should have.

Zekrom sighed and then turned to the others. Raikou was sulking in the corner, thinking of his dead siblings, while Urshifu was doing some kind of exercise. Tapu Koko and Phione had decided to exit the forge and return to the surface. It didn’t take much for Zekrom to intuit why. The finality that was the end of the world tended to rationalize irrational things.

“You, bear,” Zekrom called out. Urshifu turned to face him, raising a brow.

“Which brother are you?” he asked. “I know there were two of you. The strong one and the agile one. I can sense a brutal clarity from you. You killed your other half in a duel once the twilight hit. But who was it?”

“We are one.”

“You adopted the other’s style, but that doesn’t change anything. That means one still killed the other, who was it?”

“For the god of ideals, you’re surely keen on seeking the truth. The ideal result is that we are one,” Urshifu then turned to Zacian and Zamazenta, who were circling each other. “Though I fear that these two will as well.”

Zekrom scoffed before looking up at Groudon and standing up. He approached the earth god, “the Despair Forge. You made it and used it to help this group known as The Cabal?”

“Indeed.”

“I will kill you for this.”

“You will try.”

“What did you make for them?”

“Like how Mother Arceus likened artifacts three into being for her own purposes, I did as well. I made for them the Omega Tools.”

“Explain.”

Groudon pulled out the Despair Forge once more. “This machine is powered by two pokemon caged by The Cabal. The first is Ouroboros and the second is Nike. The latter has since been absorbed by the flames of my forge, while the former is still here, lingering. Clinging onto their last gasps.”

“Zygarde is order. Without it, there is only chaos.”

“Worse than this, Ouroboros is the cycle of life. Ragnarok is death and rebirth, the Despair Forge operates on the idea of the cessation of all this.”

“If you know this, then why let it happen?”

“Because Ragnarok wins. You are talking as if Ouroboros will not eventually break free. Why else would he be able to survive this long while the goddess of victory herself has failed?”

Zekrom sighed. Groudon always had his convoluted reasons. “The Omega Tools. Explain them.”

“I constructed them through these two, using them to invent a trio of objects powerful enough to usher the end of the world once in the hands of The Renegade and his cabal. The first is the Omega Circuit and the second is the Omega Battery,” Groudon explained, smoke coming from his mouth as he spoke. “Together they channeled the forces of the universe as I tried to engineer forth the ultimate weapon. The truest Omega Tool. The one that shall put an end to the existence fabricated by The Alpha.”

“Something that would allow Giratina to become The Omega pokemon…”

“The Omega Plate,” said Groudon, earning a gasp from the eavesdropping crowd of pokemon that took refuge in his lair. “With it, Giratina has painted the world into a Schrodinger’s sprigatito state as his finest painting, Ultra Space, leaks through normal reality. Raw entropy is everywhere as the twilight lies over everyone’s heads. The twilight can lead to the dark of night, but also the bright of morning.”

“Then I propose for you this,” Zekrom crossed his arms. Groudon raised a brow, eager to hear what he had to say. “If infinite destruction is what you seek, then you should fashion a weapon for me as well. With it I shall face The Cabal and take Giratina’s head.”

“And why would I do that, Yin?”

“Because it is Ragnarok. The End. It doesn’t matter if they die or not, everything ends. Who is to say I am not the one that destroys them as well?”

“A lofty and self-centered ideal, but not incorrect,” Groudon pondered. He then glanced over to Zacian and Zamazenta. Zekrom too looked at the two, ready to clash one final time.

“Brother. I would rather die by your hand than that wretch’s.”

“I concur, sister. It was always meant to be this way,” Zamazenta sadly nodded. “May I see you in the next life. One wrought by a new beginning in a new world rather than this husk we share. I can at least take comfort in knowing that despite the divide we were forced through, we returned to each other in the end.”

“The solace of fate,” Zacian smiled.

With that, the two unleashed the absolute zenith of their powers as Zacian’s behemoth blade collided with Zacian’s behemoth bash. The sword that could cut through anything met the shield that could block any attack. 

The result of this paradoxical collision?

Fusion.

The wolves met with each other, combining into a singular ball of energy. With a flick of his finger, Groudon brought the ball to him. “Here it is, the essence of unstoppability. Used to stand up against a titanic force of darkness. I suppose fate guides me still. I shall make it for you.”

Zekrom nodded.

Groudon unleashed countless ores and melted them down, the Despair Forge unleashed a horrifying tune that caused all the pokemon that heard it to quiver in fear. Groudon then hammered away, infusing the unstoppability of the wolf siblings into the new weapon.

“Excalibur the unstoppable blade. Wygnebgrwrthucher the impenetrable shield. Together they bless this mighty weapon,” said Groudon. The Despair Forge sank back down afterwards as Groudon picked up the weapon in his hands and lended it over to Zekrom. “Behold, The Hammer of Ragnarok. Thunder across the sky, Yin. Herald your darkness and clash it with the darkness of the Cabal. Ragnarok demands it.”

“I’m going to kill you with this hammer.”

Groudon laughed. “You will try. Ground trumps electric, after all.”

A massive earthquake could be heard. Groudon snapped his fingers as he got up from his laval pool. “The last of the regions have converged. Armageddon is here, and my emergence starts now.”

Without another word, Groudon grabbed his blade and had the earth part as a pillar would propel him straight upwards. Diancie bowed to Zekrom before following Groudon to where he went. Zekrom merely sighed as he held the powerful hammer in his hands.

Armageddon was here.

---

“We have to help them somehow!” cried Ogerpon, though Magearna and Volcanion shook their heads. They all would’ve died had they been struck by those voids of uncreation, but they were saved by Regieleki at the last moment.

Their electric hero however was worse for wear, getting struck by one of the colossus’ enormous tentacles, grabbed by another, and then slammed into the ground. A ball of raw unmaking came from one of the colossus’ many beaks, ready to move at an unfathomable speed and just obliterate Regieleki in their entirety.

The projectile however would be reduced to specks, followed by a flurry of projectiles that diced the colossus into several countless strips. Zeraora would look up to see Mewtwo, still alive somehow, and more angry than hurt to boot. Mewtwo glowed with an extreme power, Mew’s power. The Mother of Existence was his template, and through mankind he was shaped for power and war. He could feel himself lose the shadowy infection that came over him as he fully absorbed the last of his mother ’s remains.

With it, Mewtwo could feel himself complete. Feel every move that had ever been conceived flow through him. “Is this what godhood is like?” Mewtwo asked himself, though he did not ponder on the question for more than an attosecond, instead looking at the nameless eldritch colossus that was instantly reattaching itself together.

Regieleki did what they could, unleashing plasma fists in order to stall its godly regeneration, but it was no use. Mewtwo raised his hand and flung Regieleki off into the distance before using his psychic powers to forcibly pull the powers of the Dreamtime itself into him. Every type ever conceived, and even the types that were not conceived.

For a brief moment, Mewtwo was unable to even see events occurring around him for his perception had transcended the very limits of space and time. He could witness the events occuring in Arceus’ dimension, the very events that operated above it.

Mewtwo saw only darkness. Save for a lonely glimmer.

There she was. Arceus. He could see her, and with it the opportunity for answers.

Mewtwo’s perception then returned and he would proceed to unleash this move of all types, blasting down upon the nameless abomination, destroying them entirely, and burning away the Dreamtime along with it. Mewtwo did not hesitate to open a portal for all of his allies to move through, allowing them all to leave before the Dreamtime collapsed into nothing.

They would appear on the summit of Mt Coronet, all coughing save for Mewtwo who instead focused on the lonely pillar at the summit of the world. The ground would quake as Sinnoh collided with other landmasses.

“Armageddon is forming,” commented Ogerpon. “My masks are overflowing with natural energy. I can smell death in the air. The universe is about to take its last breaths.”

“I agree. My soul-heart is also overflowing,” said Magearna. “What could be the reason for this?”

“A bigger question is what the hell is he even up to,” Volcanion huffed, marching on over to Mewtwo. He had not forgotten the mightiest’ mortals irritable actions. “Hey!” he yelled up at the psychic-type, “you still have explaining to do!”

“There is nothing of value in what I have to say, only in what I-” Mewtwo feels a tingle up his spine. As if his mother was flying all around him playfully. “-we must do.”

“I at least want an answer,” Volcanion barked. He then glanced at Regieleki, “you too.”

“I was roaming the Dreamtime to get to here, and then I got attacked by those things,” Regieleki crossed their arms.

“See? There we go. An explanation,” Volcanion looked back at Mewtwo. “Now you.”

Mewtwo had half a mind to tear this walking jacuzzi atom by atom, but the other half of his mind felt a surge of feelings that convinced him enough to disagree, and thus relent. “I don’t remember much. Only that I was captured. Those cybernetic organisms you fought on that boiling island, they were pursuing me. They stood little chance, but it turned out to be a diversion. Something struck me, hollowing me of life. I couldn’t even sense it.”

“What did you sense? From the one that attacked you?” Ogerpon walked up.

“Nothing. Just… black. Darkness. Nothing.”

“Only two beings embody an aura of darkness that conceals them from Mother Mew’s psychic senses,” Volcanion commented. He was in fact the eldest of them all, and among all of them was by far the one that concerned himself with godly affairs. “The first is Zekrom, the dragon god of ideals. He is darkness made form. The Yin to Reshiram’s Yang. The second is Yveltal. The eagle of death.”

“It is him, then.”

“Yveltal… yes, of course he would have a hand to play in the death of all things,” Ogerpon put it all together. “Xerneas could no longer sustain life, or make it. Her growing impotence allowed her to fully die and fail from blooming as a life-granting cocoon. The inverse effect would be there for Yveltal.”

“Well then, after I was struck by Yveltal, I was caged inside the Genesect’s machine, and alongside this one,” Mewtwo pointed at Magearna, “as well as the wish-granter, was used as a battery for their potentially infinite army. No doubt reverse-engineered human technology, born from their exploitative ambitions.”

“But it’s gone now, at least,” said Magearna.

“That it is,” Mewtwo turned around and faced the pillar. “Now let us get our answers. Arceus is at the head of this and if none of the gods are going to pursue the answer, then I shall. I shall succeed where the gods have failed.”

All sorts of types spewed from Mewtwo’s body. Energies of fire, water, grass, flying, fighting, rock, ground, bug, dark, fairy, steel, dragon, ice, electric, ghost, poison, psychic, and normal. With it, the pillar crumbled and opened forth a bright white portal.

Mewtwo did not say a single word, instead just flying on through. The others followed.

They were greeted by a blank white space, with some sort of glass as the platform they were on, which was held up by nothing at all. They were in a white and boring void, far from any sort of silver city. And there laid Arceus’ throne. 

There before them sat The Queen-Mother, Creatrix of All Things, The Alpha.

“Arceus!” exclaimed Ogerpon.

“She’s…” Volcanion stared, unable to believe his eyes, mouth agape.

Mewtwo clenched his fists as he could sense the encroaching darkness beyond the endless horizon of white.

“...dead.”

Notes:

I wasn’t lying when I said that this might be the longest chapter so far. It was already 5k when it was incomplete, beating out most chapters. The closest is Chapter 12 at 6k+, and this is 8k+ at completion. It makes sense too because narratively speaking, this is definitely the most important chapter, at least to me, since it holds a lot of the original elements that convinced me to do this story in the first place, such as… you know, that little cliffhanger.

Also sorry for how Groudon speaks. He tends to refer to the legends by their “god-names.” Idk it just sounded like a good idea in my head.

Things are picking up as we march on towards the end, baby! The Justice Division and The Seekers find themselves in the eye of The Cabal’s storm and nothing short of the end is going to follow next!
This is definitely the last chapter for this year, I’ll see you all next year. Preferably sometime like… March or April so the wait isn’t too long. Alright, toodles!