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Wade went to work immediately with creating a portal, knowing he would need help from Palkia to do so if he wanted to reach all the way to Maelstrom Island from the other side of the world. He visibly strained as he imagined the main atrium of the Shogun's Palace, and even with Palkia's assistance he faltered a few times before he finally managed to create the outline of the portal and stabilized it, then he growled as he expanded it as wide as he could, his entire body trembling as he held the portal in place.

Within seconds, an elder Samurott slowly emerged from the other side, donning traditional Samurai armour and standing on his hind legs once he had finished walking through the portal. Then, behind him, several hundreds of Samurott warriors all dressed in armour began stepping through the portal in lockstep, fanning out and lining up behind their leader until they were all through. Only then did Wade finally let the portal close, falling on all fours in exhaustion from the strain.

"Wade, you alright?" Luke asked, coming to Wade's assistance and slowly helping him back to his hind legs again.

"I will manage..." he said in between heavy pants. "I just didn't expect... the strain to be that heavy - especially with Kay helping me..." he added.

Volcan brought Wade some water and a slab of salted meat, to help him get some of his energy back. While Wade fed and watered himself, the Blaziken turned his attention to the newcomers, taking them in and admiring the imposing figure each of them cut. Having known two Samurott in his life, he knew they could be intimidating opponents, but to see an organized force of them gathered was something else entirely.

"Which one is Hizashi?" the Blaziken asked in a low voice.

"The one at the front," Wade answered, gesturing to the Samurott donning more regal armour than the other soldiers. "Friendly piece of advice... Let him approach you first, and always bow when he addresses you..."

"So, like talking to Calyrex... Okay, I'll keep it in mind," Volcan replied with a nod.

Hizashi began pacing away from his forces to get a look at who he was working with, starting with Luke and Volcan's forces. He cast expecting glances at each of them, still wearing that glare of his as he passed by them. He was surprised to see what he considered children among them when he saw Caulin and Koa together, looking back at Volcan with a slight frown.

"...You let children partake in a war?" He demanded sternly.

Volcan stiffened at the question, having not expected it. "P-Pardon?" he asked, and then glanced at Caulin and Koa, and thought quickly about how to explain to Hizashi why the two boys - so obviously the youngest ones there, had come...

"Do not make me repeat myself..." Hizashi stated, taking a few steps closer to Volcan.

Caulin came between Volcan and Hizashi at that moment. "He didn't let me join. I chose to join," he answered firmly.

Hizashi let out a scoff. "The battlefield is no place for a child," he plainly said.

"I'm not_a _child!!" Caulin suddenly blurted out, daring to raise his voice to the Shogun, sparks surging around him that made Hizashi step back from his outburst as though he expected Caulin would attack him. "I chose to get involved because I'm sick of watching everyone I love die! I lost my home, my mom, and my grampa to these freaks! I'm not losing anyone else!"

Hizashi calmed down and stared back at Caulin intently yet again, then narrowed his eyes slightly before he gave a small nod. "I see..." he said in a softer tone. "You clearly have a warrior's spirit, though I do hope you understand the consequences of-"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Caulin interjected, relaxing and letting the sparks die down with his temper.

Koa came over to stand at Caulin's side then, putting a paw on Caulin's shoulder in a gesture of comfort, which helped the young Lucario calm himself, feeling his new boyfriend there beside him. Caulin turned and smiled softly back at Koa, leaning over to give him a small nuzzle along his cheek in return for his comfort.

Hizashi cleared his throat and began heading back to his forces when he caught sight of Hageshi, which made his fur bristle a bit and his eyes shrink into beads momentarily before he forced himself to calm down.

"And you..." he said as he approached Hageshi, who only stared back at Hizashi with an indifferent expression. "...You're one of them, aren't you? A Kaeru."

Hageshi was silent for a few moments before he replied. "...My father was. I am neither Guild nor Kaeru." He stated.

"Then what are you? Where do your allegiances lie, assassin?" Hizashi asked spitefully.

"I am here merely to restore the balance... Calhoun and his Dark Crusade have disrupted that balance," he answered without hesitation.

The others watched with silent anticipation, worrying that Hizashi wouldn't take Hageshi at his word. They stared at one another intently for a time before the Samurott turned away without a word, leaving everyone else to silently let out breaths they didn't realize they were holding.

"This Hizashi fellow is intense..." Luke whispered to Volcan. "I get that he's never been outside his own home, but jeez... He puts Kage to shame with his demeanour."

"No kidding," said Volcan, nodding in agreement.

Then, the Blaziken's attention was stolen away as a flash of light announced the arrival of another of their friends; all of the members of Team Kama, followed by Team Storm, warped into being in an empty location. Taking in their surroundings, it took only a few heartbeats for Sickle to locate Luke and Volcan and give them a wave with his arm.

"Not late, are we?" the Sceptile asked.

"Sickle!" Luke exclaimed as he quickly trotted over to the Sceptile. "No, you're actually right on time. We're still waiting for everyone else to arrive."

"Neilla should be right-" Sickle started to say, and was then interrupted as Team Plainsrunner appeared behind him, another flash of light from Mewtwo's teleportation announcing them. "Oh. Speak of the devil."

Neilla had a paw on her head and her eyes were crossed as she appeared. "Oof... What a rush," she said, giving a shake of her head to clear it. "Am I ever going to get used to getting remolecularized from miles away?" She tilted her head, turning her eyes skyward. "Wait, is that even a word?" she looked at Aerendyl.

"No, it is not," the Espeon replied flatly.

"Neilla, hey!" Luke called out to them, smiling broadly. "Sounds like the trip over here was less than pleasant." He joked.

"Let's hope it's the last time I need to do that," she said, "I may just hitch a ride back with you guys in the-"

Volcan raced over and made a throat-slashing motion over his neck with his hand, silencing her. "Ix-nay on the ship-air-ay," he said in almost a hiss.

"Why, what's wrong?" Neilla asked, this time whispering.

Too late. Lashanne had heard them; from where they stood, they could see her casting a dirty look their way. The look she cast at them made their blood run cold for a moment, at least until Minato noticed and came over to comfort Lashanne, whispering softly that Neilla didn't know what had happened.

"...So uhm... Yeah," Luke whispered to Neilla. "Long story short, our trip over here was the airship's last voyage, thanks to a certain Decidueye..."

Neilla's eyes widened with realization. "You mean it... Crashed?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, yes..." answered Volcan, "We don't think it's salvageable."

"Damn," said Neilla, looking in Lashanne's direction. "Poor gal. Must've broken her heart..."

"You have no idea..." Luke answered, ears flattened as he saw Lashanne leaning against Minato with his arms around her gently. "I've seen her angry before, but that was a whole other level... Out of this world for her."

"Can't say I blame her," said Neilla with a sigh.

Another flash of light, and this time it was Team Phobia who appeared from the flash. But to the surprise of Volcan and Luke, there was another in their number they hadn't expected to see; at the head of the team was none other than Romulus. The Houndoom, even with the dressings of his injury visible as he and his team approached Team Warmachine to exchange greetings.

"Wait, what's Romulus doing here?" Volcan asked, sharing a worried look with Luke.

Sickle glanced over. "Why wouldn't he be - oh..." Sickle trailed off, seeing the bandages, "What happened to him?"

"_Sash_happened," Volcan replied bitterly. "You guys didn't see him before you were sent here?"

"No; only Torolf went to see him," Sickle replied, shaking his head. "I had no idea he was hurt."

"What are you doing here?!" the voice of Luminara suddenly exploded above the rest, the elder Lucario storming over to the Houndoom and kneeling so she was at his level. "Romulus, are you mad? You haven't fully recovered from your injuries!"

"I know I haven't," he replied, shaking his head, "But I had to come, Luminara... I could not keep away. Not with everything that is at stake," his tone was absent any sort of defensiveness, despite knowing her displeasure.

"You're going to reopen your wound just from running, let alone fighting!" Luminara countered, frowning even harder at the Houndoom. "No. I'm not letting you recklessly endanger yourself like this. You're going back and you're letting your wound heal, and that's final."

"I'm sorry, Luminara, but I will not return to Gladiator City," Romulus stated, holding his ground, "If I must be punished for this later, I will accept it... But I will not hide in my city, knowing that those important to me are risking their lives."

"Romulus... you will not survive if you go to battle," Luminara countered, her tone degrading from stern to pleading now as she touched his face with her paws. "Don't cast aside what we've forged together..."

"It's for that, why I must be here, Luminara," he replied, lifting his paw to rest over hers. "Because that... Is something worth fighting for. I'm not ready to lose you, Luminara... Not after all you've given me."

Luminara stared into his eyes for a moment, eventually understanding that she was not going to convince him to leave. "...You're even more stubborn than my eldest," she said in defeat, slumping her shoulders and lowering her gaze in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you...?"

He moved his paw to her chin, raising her face to meet his gaze again, and she saw he was smiling. "Ask me again when we are back home, my dear," he replied, confidently.

Sickle, standing ramrod straight, slowly turned his head to look back at Luke. "...I might have missed a memo here," he began, "But Luminara's your mom, right?"

"Yeeeup," Luke answered in a flat tone.

"And she... And Romulus... They're...?" the Sceptile continued.

"Yeeeeeeeup," Luke answered again, still as flat as before.

"...I think my brain just blew a fuse... Or two," the Sceptile muttered, letting his gaze return to looking ahead again.

Finally, another flash of light caught their attention, and Luke was elated to see who had come this time, as his own team finally appeared. Katsumoto, Hank, Eagle Eye and Doug had finally arrived, along with Kage and the remaining members of his brotherhood, and Luna.

"Guys!" Luke stated happily.

Hank groaned and rubbed his head. "Oof... I_do not_ like how that felt..." Hank said, shuddering where he stood.

"I think we all share in that sentiment, man," Doug added as he gathered up the dirt in his tub, then moulded it into a construct that he used to step outside of it and then lowered himself back into the ground again.

Kage took a gander at all the gathered forces so far, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. "Seems like we're almost all here..."

"We just need our fliers and we oughta be good to go, right?" Hank asked before he saw Sickle and immediately went up to him. "Eyyy, there he is!"

"Told you we wouldn't be apart long," Sickle told him, putting an arm around the Zoroark.

"Okay, okay, you were right. 'Scuse me for being a worry wart," Hank said while rolling his eyes, still smirking.

Sickle chuckled and then looked around as more flashes of light announced the coming of the fliers - the Red Talons, the Blue Cyclones and Blast Squadron, all taking wing and perching themselves among the ledges and alcoves throughout the canyon. Shortly following the flight groups were the three Swords of Justice; Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion appeared from another flash of light and went to stand with Torolf and Romulus.

At the sight of the flight groups and the Swords, Volcan spared a glance toward the barricade, looking for the flock of Mandibuzz they had seen before. They were still there, but he did notice there were fewer of them now - he even managed to glimpse one turning and flying away.

That brought a smile to Volcan's face. "I think we're beginning to scare them," he said, "Some of them are leaving their posts."

"So, what're we waiting for?" Neilla asked, punching her open paw with her other fist. "Let's get in there and start roughing them up."

"We've got one more group we're waiting for," Volcan pointed out, "Just waiting for Wade to catch his breath enough to bring them. By now, Mewtwo's probably at his limit, so this one's up to him."

"...One more?" Katsumoto asked. "Who else could be joining us in this battle?"

"You're about to find out," Luke answered as he watched Wade transform again, then find an open spot and begin conjuring a portal once more, this time with less strain, albeit only a little bit.

With the gateway open, everyone watched and waited to see who would come out. Then, the first to appear were five winged figures - huge, armoured, black birds came flying through the portal in a triangle formation, turning their course upward to fly over the gathering coalition below. They perched upon a ledge opposite where the Red Talons had set themselves, each one touching down heavily, one after the other, before all five of them stood, passively waiting.

"Whoa! What are those?" Neilla asked, "They're huge!"

"I think they're called 'Corviknight'," Aerendyl answered, "Flying and Steel-types."

"Hard to believe birds like that can even get airborne!" Eagle Eye squawked in surprise. "And I thought Skarmory were freaks of nature..."

Then, they heard the sound of marching footsteps, and another group emerged from the portal. The white-feathered, Far'fetch'd-looking bird Pokémon that Luke, Volcan and Katsu had seen during their first visit to the North Continent. These ones, Aerendyl introduced as 'Sir'fetch'd'; Fighting-types, evolved from a variant species of Far'fetch'd found only in the north. While each of them still carried their leek-lances, and shields, they had been outfitted with metal armour that covered their bodies, and came out in rows of five wide, ten deep, for a total number of fifty.

Next, two quadrupedal figures followed the Sir'fetch'd brigade from the portal; two wolves, blue-furred and armoured with gold, whom needed no introduction to Team Valiant or Phalanx. The Royal Knights of Calygrad, sister and brother - Zacian and Zamazenta.

But one more figure came through the portal then. Or rather, two figures, as the second was riding on the back of the first; it took a moment for Luke and Volcan to recognize the ghostly Spectrier, one of the two royal steeds of King Calyrex. But on his back was none other than the king himself, wearing a long cape that trailed from his shoulders, under a ring of thick, black beads worn around his neck, with an enormous green crown that was difficult to tell whether it was jewelry or part of his head, as it seemed too large to be supported by his physique, yet he carried himself - even in the saddle, with strength and regality.

"...Uh... Who is that?" Sickle asked, staring at the king together with Hank.

"I... have no fuckin' clue, Lizzie," Hank answered, gawking at the figure with equal shock.

"Everyone," Luke said with a smile. "That is King Calyrex of the Kingdom of Calygrad. He helped us when myself, Katsu and Volcan ventured up North to discover the mystery behind the Nexuses."

"That guy is a King?" Sickle asked, alarmed. "Shoot, if I knew I was meeting royalty today, I'd have taken a longer bath and used something scented!"

"...Really? Right before a battle?" Hank teased, nudging the Sceptile with his arm.

Torolf's voice suddenly boomed. "Captains! Form up your teams!" he bellowed, "Convey at the front!"

"Guess it's time to be Captains again," said Volcan, and looked warily toward the barricade once again. "Well... This is it, then... The moment we've all been preparing for. It's finally upon us."

Luke nodded, taking a small breath and letting out a sigh. "We got this, Volcan." He assured the Blaziken as they and the rest of the Captains all regrouped around Torolf.

"I know," Volcan assured him.

The Captains came together for their strategy meeting. Luke, Volcan, Torolf, Romulus, Sickle, Neilla, Ernoul, Jake Talonclaw, Hallie Galewing, Jean Jaeger, along with Kage, King Calyrex, Lord Hizashi and Cobalion, representing the non-Guild associated groups who had joined. Fourteen leaders, with the fate of the world now resting in their collective hands, paws and talons...

The meeting was preceded by the exchange of greetings. Calyrex - now dismounted from the back of Spectrier, turned his attention to Hizashi. "It has been a long time, Shogun Hizashi," he bade, in a respectful, level tone indicative of one addressing someone as their equal. "You look well."

Hizashi nodded back to the smaller Royal, looking at him with a respectful glance. "King Calyrex," he responded, "Time has treated you well also."

"Captain Romulus," Ernoul spoke up next, looking at the Houndoom. "You are injured... What happened?"

"An attempt on my life by the Dark Crusade, not long ago," Romulus replied, looking disapprovingly at the dressings on his side. "Were it not for the efforts of Team Phalanx's healer, I may not have survived."

"Are you certain you should be here?" Torolf asked.

"I will not stand idly by when a battle of this importance rests before us," Romulus stated firmly, "It is my duty - not only as a guild captain but as the leader of my city, to protect them from threats such as the Dark Crusade. I will not leave my responsibilities to be shouldered by others. I did not become what I am by hiding."

"You're a colossal fool," Kage spoke up, "Your responsibilities are not worth risking your own personal health, regardless of the severity of the situation," He added with a sneer, "You're becoming as bad as my Captain was before the South Island incident..."

"Kage! You're out of line," Luke exclaimed.

"As I've said many times before. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow," Kage shot back sternly.

Before an argument could break out, Calyrex cleared his throat loudly and began to speak. "Perhaps I may be of some assistance," he offered, levitating closer to Romulus, but stopping halfway, "With your permission of course, Captain?"

"Of... Course, Your Majesty," Romulus replied, clearly unfamiliar with addressing others by royal title.

Romulus turned his wounded side to the King, who looked over the dressings briefly before he glanced at Volcan. "If I might get your help, Captain Volcan, could you remove these bandages, please? I fear my paws lack the dexterity to unbind them."

Stepping over, Volcan looked for the securing pins that held the dressings to Romulus' side. As Volcan removed the bandages, Calyrex asked for some water, and Neilla came over with a flask - though when it was brought, he gave it to Romulus. "Drink up - all of it, please. I will need you hydrated for me to replenish the blood you lost."

Romulus took the water without complaint, assisted by Neilla who held the flask for him and tilted it back until he drank all of it. By then, Volcan had removed the last of the bandages, and the grizzly wound was revealed. Though the wound had been sufficiently stitched by the doctors at the hospital, the entire line of the slash inflicted upon him by Sash was clear for them all to see. The fur along the laceration had been shaved away to uncover it, and the bone-like ridges around Romulus' neck had a deep scar in it where it had been hacked away by Sash.

Luke had to look away from the wound, disturbed by how gruesome it was even with the stitches sealing it. It was almost as if he were looking at Volcan's scar along his back, only Volcan's had fully healed. Jake, Hallie and Jean all gasped at the severity of the wound, unable to look away out of pure shock.

"...A ghastly wound, indeed," Lord Hizashi remarked. "You are lucky to still be breathing, let alone willing to fight."

"As I said, if not for the efforts of Miss Serena, I likely would have perished where I fell," Romulus admitted.

"It is severe indeed," agreed Calyrex, "The mending has barely begun... But, I think I can help you, Captain."

At that, Calyrex raised his paws, pressing them together in front of him as if in prayer, and a bright glow began to fill the beads worn around his neck. The glow intensified until each of the beads had turned to a white-pink colour, and Calyrex's eyes were filled with a similar glow as he began to spread his paws apart. A sphere of pure white, with only the faintest hint of pink in its incandescent glow, formed between his paws.

Luke recognized a Heal Pulse when he saw it - he had seen Mikhail use it many times in his life, but this was far more powerful than anything he had ever seen his brother do... He remembered when they had met Katsu at the palace, after he had been wounded, and they found that the Samurott had been completely healed - by the King, so he claimed. Now, Luke was seeing that healing prowess for himself...

They watched, transfixed, as Calyrex approached Romulus again. The Houndoom tensed, more out of the anticipation of pain than his persistent paranoia of letting anyone close him. But comforted by the presence of allies, he let Calyrex place the sphere against his side, and the glowing sphere began to spread itself across Romulus' side, conforming to match the shape of the wound.

Romulus took a deep breath, and seemed slightly unsteady on his feet, making Luke reach out as if to catch him if he fell. But he stayed up, and they saw his usual colours returning to normal - the redness of his muzzle, slightly paled by his loss of blood, regained its usual deep, crimson tone. The tired look in his eyes was gone, and he stood more easily than he had a moment ago.

To top it off, the wound on his side had completely closed; the stitches had even been extracted, and now lay in the sand beside him. "There we are," said Calyrex, sounding as though the miraculous act had only slightly fatigued him. "You will have to let the fur grow back on its own, but you should be able to fight now without any worry of opening that wound again."

Romulus, for his part, was at a loss for words, staring at his healed side as if seeing it for the first time. Luke was equally as shocked to see Romulus was, for the most part, fully healed, looking between Calyrex and Romulus.

"Was that... Heal Pulse?" Luke asked.

"It was," Calyrex confirmed, nodding to Luke, "Just as I treated Katsumoto before, and how I healed the Shifu Brothers after their monastery was destroyed."

"Yea but... Last I checked, Heal Pulse couldn't reverse near-fatal damage that quickly," Luke responded. "My elder brother is a top-of-the-line surgeon back home, and not even he could use Heal Pulse to that extent."

"All powers are dependent on the amount of energy you put into it," Calyrex replied, "Heal Pulse is no exception. One day, as your brother grows more powerful, he will find that his Heal Pulse grows with him, just as it did for me."

'Yea, but you've had centuries to hone it. We don't have such a luxury,' Luke thought to himself while rolling his eyes away.

Romulus turned to King Calryex, bowing his head deeply to him. "Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, "With your assistance, I may now stand with you all in the final battle."

"You are most welcome, Captain," said Calyrex, before returning to his previous position. "Now, onto the matter at hand. Do we know what awaits us beyond that barricade?"

"We know Calhoun has only a small group of followers remaining," Volcan began, "He gained some more assistance on the way here; we saw signs of that, but all we know for certain is he still has the support of the assassin, Tory - a Decidueye, possibly a Zoroark assassin named Sakkaku as well - we don't know for certain. But the biggest threat by far, is the Nexus' guardian - a being known as Necrozma."

"Necro... What?" Neilla asked, "Who's that?"

"From what we've learned, an ancient being from another world, powerful enough he was once able to challenge the Creation Trio themselves, long before Giratina's banishment," explained Volcan, "After he was defeated a second time, this time by Arceus himself, Necrozma was bounded to this place, guarding the final nexus. Calhoun has corrupted him, but from what we know, Necrozma has not returned to his true form yet."

"Which is why the area is so dark despite it being the middle of the day," Luke went on to explain. "Necrozma gains its power from absorbing light from any source. Even as we speak, Necrozma is feeding off of as much light as possible in order to regain its full power, but we have a chance at stopping before it ever gets to that point."

"What of Calhoun himself?" Ernoul asked.

"He'll be at the Nexus, likely trying to force it open," Volcan replied.

"He's had a healthy head start... I'm surprised he hasn't already," Kage remarked.

"Hey, don't jinx it, gloomy," Jake stated, looking scathingly at Kage. "So long as he hasn't then we have a chance."

"Then we must not waste any time," said Torolf, "I propose our heaviest fighters be the first to approach, covered by the fliers, and we'll break down the barricade. Once we're inside, we fight our way to the Nexus, defeat Calhoun once and for all, and ensure no one ever uses that horrid thing again."

"Simple and direct," said Neilla, nodding.

"Dealing with Calhoun has never been 'simple'," Volcan warned, "He _knows_we're coming. We have to expect the unexpected with someone like him."

"I agree with Captain Volcan," said Romulus, "As should you, Torolf; you have seen firsthand for yourself just how unpredictable Calhoun is, and the kind of allies he can bring to bear. He has nowhere left to run now; he will be fighting harder than ever to stop us."

Torolf grimaced, considering their words for only a moment before he nodded. "Yes, you're both right," he agreed. "What do you suggest?"

"We keep to your plan, but we adjust it to incorporate defense into our offense," said Romulus, "How many of us know Reflect or Light Screen?"

"Lashanne knows Light Screen," offered Volcan.

"I have Aurora Veil; it can serve the purpose of both," Ernoul offered, "But it can only be used during hailstorms; if I trigger one, we will be faced with that as well."

"Just one then... We have not done well to prepare ourselves for defensive roles, have we?" Romulus asked, disgruntled. "It will have to do then. Miss Lashanne will protect the advance group with Light Screen; with Torolf, Aegis, Tristan, Blaster and Katsumoto as our first wave, they should be tough enough to take any head-on attacks that come their way."

"That will allow the rest of our forces to spread out and encircle the rest of the enemy," Luke offered. "King Calyrex and Lord Hizashi can circle around the outskirts, closing in on the enemy from the sides, and the rest of the teams can band with Kage and the Kaeru Assassins to take the center, leaving the fliers to attack from above and keep away their air support," he concluded.

"Then that is what we will do," stated Calyrex, "We bring an end to this here and now."

Hizashi nodded in agreement. "My blades long for battle, as do my warriors. This shall be a glorious fight," he announced while beating his chest once.

"So long as you don't lose sight of what we're trying to accomplish..." Kage remarked stoically.

"Enough, Kage," Volcan shot the Greninja a glare, "We're in this to the finish now, all of us. So, let's drop the provoking for once. Alright?"

"Let's form up," stated Torolf, "We have our plan now; it's time for the final battle to begin."

"Agreed," Luke concurred. "It's time we end the Dark Crusade once and for all..."

With their plans made, the teams formed with their captains, with Team Warmachine taking point behind Torolf and Aegis, and the other teams did the same with their heaviest hitters and captains. Torolf stood on his hind legs, as tall and as straight as he could manage, and brought his hand to the belt housing his Mega Stone.

"No quarter; going all-out!" he growled as others began following his example, and the canyon became filled with intense light...

The barricade had been established in the hopes that it would stop, or at least slow down the Rescue Teams when they arrived. The Crusade had built it thick, using heavy stones and debris that they gathered hastily, and to most enemy forces it would have been a difficult obstacle to overcome, requiring machine assistance or larger Pokémon to bring down.

To the mighty Torolf, though, it may as well have been a wall of glass.

The Mandizbuzz flock had just enough time to scatter as the Mega Swampert attacked the wall, ramming into it with his full bodily mass behind his massive fists, and the area of the wall he hit collapsed inward. On the edges around the hole he had made, the weakened wall continued to fall as Aegis, Tristan, Katsumoto, Blaster, and even Terrakion and Zamazenta burst through, widening the gap piece by piece, and allowing for the remaining Rescue Team forces to come through.

Projectiles bombarded them as they came through, but Lashanne's Light Screen reduced the damage they suffered from the barrage. The first to intercept them was a massive Golurk, running to meet Torolf in a charge while winding back their arm for a shadow punch, while Torolf prepared an Ice Punch; the two drew back their fists at the same time, and the Golurk's arm was blown off by the superior strength of Torolf as their punches met, with the Swampert following it up with Hydro Cannon to take the Golurk out of the fight quickly.

Aegis curled into his shell and charged into the fray with a Rollout, tumbling through the enemy ranks like a boulder, before he emerged to meet an attacking Krookodile, catching them by their open jaws and then throwing them over his head. Leon, riding a wave created by Surf, rushed over the Krokorok moving to help their boss, washing them away. At the same time, Kari breathed fire into the Cacturne group that moved to assist them and Razorwing intercepted the Mandibuzz that were coming in from above.

With the wall down and the enemy forces scattered, Katsu quickly rejoined Team Valiant as they charged into the fray alongside Kage and his brotherhood. The Greninja ordered his subordinates to attack any stragglers before they could recover from the initial strike. Eagle Eye provided close air cover as Team Valiant continued their assault, with Katsu and Doug together to take out some of the bigger foes, leaving Hank, Kage and Luke to literally run circles around the lesser foes and take them out with coordinated attacks.

Volcan raced between several Cacturne, his movements a blur as the Mega Blaziken struck each of them - one after the other, with well-placed Fire Punches or Blaze Kicks. A Krookodile exploding from the ground in his path forced him to jump back, until Tristan appeared and tackled the massive crocodilian. Volcan felt his back connect with someone's and looking over his shoulder he saw Lashanne, wand blazing as she glanced back at him.

They noticed more Cacturne - and the strange Reptilian mounts they had, closing in on them from all directions, and Lashanne, having an idea, looking at Volcan.

"Toss me up!" she called, and turned to him.

"Better not hit me this time!" Volcan stated as faced her, dropping to one knee and cupping his hands.

Lashanne leapt into his hand before he catapulted her upward, and Lashanne sent ribbons of fire out from her wand as she used a Fire Spin, creating a vortex of fire around her and Volcan. One of the Krokorok backed away from the heat of the flames and bumped into someone; he tilted his head back to see he was looking up at a Typhlosion, who grinned back.

"Sup...?" Sol said before he socked the Krokorok with his clenched paw, sending him crashing into the sand where he remained motionless. A small group of Mandibuzz soared in to try and dive bomb Sol, but they were intercepted by a streak of lightning that collided with them one after the other in less than a second before stopping next to Sol, revealing themself to be Luna.

Both brothers nodded at each other before they parted ways, Luna going off to help the others while Sol stayed with his team, unbothered by Lashanne's flaming vortex.

Minato split off from the team not long after the initial charge, taking on a group of enemies on his own and dispatching them quickly. In the heat of the moment, he failed to notice that a Cacturne had snuck up on him, and quickly found himself entangled in a Grass Root, restricting his movements and leaving him open for a counterattack.

That counterattack never came though, as a large sword suddenly cut the roots binding Minato, followed by the familiar form of Zacian bludgeoning the Cacturne before she cut it down with the sword clenched between her jaws. She then turned and smirked back at Minato, who smirked and nodded back in return.

"You owe me yet again, Sir Minato," she commented.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll pay off that debt sooner than you think," he shot back.

Nearby, Team Phobia engaged with a throng of mounted Cacturne, riding the backs of Cyclizar. The first among them to reach them was immediately intercepted by Revane, coming up from below to clothesline the rider off the back of his mount. The Cyclizar, suddenly confused by the absence of his rider, came up short of his intended target - Romulus, who bounded off the creature's back and left it to be dealt with by Hook, who seized the Cyclizar in his claws before slamming it into the ground, stinging another Cacturne coming up behind him with his tail.

While airborne, Romulus sent a cone of fire into the ranks of the Cacturne riders, blasting rider and mount alike with his Overheat, before landing before a Krookodile.

Behind the Krookodile were four of his smaller pre-evolution, Krokorok, all of them glaring at Romulus "So you're the so-called 'Hound of Terror' I've heard about," he growled, "You're the one who took down Sandjaw and sent him off to prison."

He scoffed. "I should thank you, honestly; we were due for a regime change," he went on, "But everybody always went on about how scared of you they were. I just can't see it; you're just like any other Houndoom I've ever seen." He began to advance on Romulus, "In which case, here's a newsflash for you, 'Hound of Terror'; you don't scare me!"

As the Krookodile had been monologuing, Romulus had been preparing his next attack; he opened his maw, a green-white glow appearing, and the Krookodile, while lunging at him, realized his mistake far too late Romulus unleashed the Solarbeam, which though weakened by the dimmed sunlight above, was still highly effective against the Ground-type Krookodile. The Crocodilian Pokémon took the full attack and was launched backward into his throng of followers, a burn left on his chest as he fell, and the other Krokorok were swept by the Solarbeam, sharing his fate.

"That is because you are a fool," Romulus said coldly, a cloud of steam creeping from his mouth.

Team Plainsrunner, even short their heaviest hitter, held their own. Aerendyl bombarded the Cacturne and their Cyclizar mounts with Swift, peppering them with stars as his teammates engaged. Breenelle assisted by using Helping Hand on Neilla, and Confuse Ray to protect her husband, making the Cyclizar easy pickings for him with his Night Slashes, and their fallen riders for his Megahorn.

Neilla, for her part, was faced by a Camerupt, flanked by two Krokorok. The Mega Lopunny raced toward the massive Fire-type, dodging the Lava Plumes it showered her with; the two Krokorok moved to intercept her, and she exploded into motion, cold mist trailing from her feet as she attacked with Triple Axel, knocking one of them out instantly. The other moved to attack her with Crunch; she landed a hard Counter that sent him hurtling back into the Camerupt's face, and then followed it up with a High Jump Kick to knock out the Camerupt.

As her latest opponent collapsed, Neilla barked out a laugh. "Is that the best you can do?" she demanded, grinning wildly as she hopped from one foot to the other, grinning. "I'm hardly trying here; give me a real challenge!"

Team Kama came up from the enemy's left flank, leading the charge of Calyrex and Hizashi's armies as a vanguard, with Kaen riding on Howler's back taking the lead. The two raced into the enemy ranks, dodging another Golurk's oncoming fist by racing between its legs, only for Blaster to unleash a Hydro Pump on it, toppling it over to land on its allies. Sickle proved to be a walking battery of weapons; he ran at the falling Golurk, jumped onto it and ran along its falling body before he sprang at a Krookodile behind it, striking it down with Leaf Blade while Seed Bombs exploded from his back to shower the enemies around him, sending the Krookodile's minions scattering if not taking them out immediately.

For Team Storm, their initial opponents were more of the Cacturne Riders, but they were swiftly dealt-with by Ernoul's Blizzard, the shimmering ice-type Ninetales easily dispatching the Grass-type Cacturne and - apparently, Dragon-type Cyclizar. Val raced between those that escaped the Blizzard, nailing them with Ice Beams while Drogo blew through them with a Volt Tackle, the two eventually running side-by-side as a Braviary came down to pursue them.

But the Braviary was quickly intercepted by Lighris, who dropped on the bird from above, bearing it to the ground where they crashed into the sand. The last of the enemies, then, were being handled by Caulin, Koa, Luna, Wade, Hageshi and Luminara; none of them part of any team, but each of them fighting hard to keep up with the teams tearing a swath through the Dark Crusade's rapidly diminishing forces.

They were winning... The Crusade's over-reliance on Pokémon native to the West Continent worked against them. Hizashi and Calyrex's armies were closing in around the valley, yet they took little part overall besides capturing stragglers attempting to flee. The fliers overhead already had control of the skies, with all of the Mandibuzz flocks quickly overwhelmed.

"Quite a one-sided conflict, isn't it?" Zamazenta asked Hizashi, having followed him, "The Rescue Teams battle with such vigour, it seems we were not needed after all."

The elder Samurott scoffed in response. "Indeed... I'm beginning to think the young lad was overselling how dangerous this opponent might be." He commented. "I expected far more than a mere skirmish."

"I must wonder though," Zamazenta began, looking up at the tower, where the prismatic form of Necrozma still watched them, "Why has he stayed out of the fight thus far?"

~~~~~

From the top of the tower, Calhoun watched the ongoing battle below through the eyes of Necrozma, seeing how easily dispatched his haphazard forces were. He had never expected them to prevail - or at least, when he had thought they might, he had not expected the armies of Calygrad and Maelstrom to come for him together, backing the guild's forces. But it did not change his overall plan...

The heroes were tiring themselves, but all in all, they believed they were winning... That thought brought a grin to Calhoun's face. "It's time," he said, "to show them just how outmatched they really are."

'I could not agree more.' Giratina answered. 'Have Necrozma open the gateway to his world... Wipe these insufferable maggots off the face of this planet.'

"It will be my pleasure," said Calhoun, as he began to walk toward the door, while at the same time reaching out with his will to Necrozma...

Atop the tower, the prismatic form of Necrozma finally began to stir, lifting its huge arms from their place at his sides and levitating off the top of the tower. A brilliant sphere of light, as bright as the dimmed sun overhead, began to form around the alien creature, growing brighter by the second until the battlers below could no longer ignore it; both the Crusade's forces and the heroes looked up to see what was happening, bringing a temporary stop to the fight.

Then, the light seemed to explode, blinding them all, and the light continued to shine for several moments. When it finally dimmed, and everyone was able to see again, they saw something else in place of Necrozma... So different, it might as well have been something else entirely, but in the minds of Luminara and Wade, both Arceus and Palkia confirmed that what they saw was the alien monster's true form...

Necrozma had taken on a draconic appearance, with four large, disembodied, bat-like wings, two thick legs ending in crystalline feet - which, upon closer inspection, had been its hands in its previous forms, and the crystalline growths on its chest and face had been the rest of its body, now taking their proper places. Its entire body was so iridescent it seemed as if Necrozma itself was made of light - the light of a star taking on a physical form, and its eyes were heterochromatic - one eye red, like Giratina's, the other purple, like Calhoun's.

It threw its wings out wide and roared to the sky, which seemed to grow darker still...

The Crusade's forces scattered at the sight of the true form of Necrozma. The Cacturne who still had their mounts turned them and raced away, and the Krookodile and their cohorts hastily tunneled into the earth. They were understandably terrified of the alien being, and now - regardless of whatever rewards or promises Calhoun had made to earn their allegiance, they no longer cared.

Calyrex and his army stood, awestruck by the magnificent, terrifying entity - so much so they did not even attempt to stop the Crusade's fleeing forces. Zacian and Cobalion stood on either side of the king, each as stunned as himself and the soldiers behind him.

"What... in Lunala's name is that?" Zacian asked, too stunned to even move, even letting her sword fall to the ground with her mouth agape.

"I know not, Ser Zacian," said Calyrex. "I have never seen anything like it before..." He then looked at Cobalion to his left. "This is your homeland, Ser Cobalion; did you know anything of a being like this?" he asked.

"I did not," Cobalion answered grimly with a shake of his head. "This is something none of us have ever faced before."

Once again, Necrozma spread its wings and roared as the air behind it seemed to crack like glass; white cracks seemed to form in the very air, before the cracks caved into a white void, growing round and swirling as a rift between worlds was opened.

Wade sensed Palkia on the verge of panic.'Ah hell! It's bringing in more of its kind to our world!' Palkia exclaimed in Wade's head.

"What?" Wade answered audibly, his eyes widening in shock. "Then we must stop it before-"

'Too late kid... They're already here,' Palkia interjected.

As Palkia said, beings began to emerge from the open wormhole; strange creatures, resembling jellyfish-like beings with translucent bodies, emerged enmasse, filling the air around Necrozma as they bobbed and wove through the skies like the creatures they resembled. The tentacles of the creature, unlike its counterparts in the Frillish or Tentacool lines, seemed to give the creatures an almost headdress-like shape.

The next to emerge were insectoid beings; two different species, leaping out of the portal and dropping to the ground. One of the two species was sleek, tall and slender with an effeminate, roach-like appearance, with a torso like five thin disks with the widest being its shoulders, and the second widest being the hips. Its legs and arms were long and skinny - the opposite of its counterpart, and there were six of them.

The second bug-like Pokémon was equally tall, but built with a bulging, muscular body that would be the envy of even a Machamp. Unlike the first with long, thin antennas, the ones growing from this one's head were short, but it had a long proboscis - like a needle nose, but with a metallic colour. It had four pointed legs, each as muscled as its arms but shorter.

A fourth form tumbled out of the portal to land heavily behind the insectoids that had come; a towering block that seemed composed of multiple gray stones, until one of the stones slid apart from the rest to expose a singular eye, and more of the stones came away from its body. The disembodied stones formed four legs, and the block-like creature stood up as it was joined by two more of its kind.

Finally, the last to emerge, seemed at first to be three bodies instead of one as it flew out of the portal, passing above Necrozma, the way the pieces stayed close together confirmed the presence of just one entity, propelled by its two arms that at first resembled bamboo shoots, if not for the flames emitting from its 'hands' that carried it on, arcing across the skies like a rocket. The central body was topped by a long spike, and the head rested atop a comparatively pencil-thin neck, with a face that had no visible eyes, only a grimacing mouth. As with the others, it was joined by more like it, and the skies were full of nearly half a dozen of the rocketing creatures that whooshed across the battlefield...

Necrozma floated above them all, as its army came forth to join it, oblivious to the corrupted state of their master...

~~~~~

"What the hell are those things?!" Lashanne demanded, "I... I can't even make sense of what I'm looking at with some of them!"

"Are _these_the Ultra Beasts?" Volcan asked, directing his question to Luminara.

"They are..." Luminara answered, almost in a whisper as she stared up at the new creatures in shock.

Luke felt a huge wave of fear wash over him as he watched the Ultra Beasts emerge from the gateway Necrozma had created, even taking a few steps back. Luke then forced himself to calm down and even slapped his cheeks a few times to snap back into reality. "We need to stop Calhoun before he corrupts them too!" he announced.

"Where the heck is he anyway?" Volcan demanded, looking at the tower, "How could he just be sitting this one out? This is-"

He trailed off, seeing movement from one of the openings in the tower, and his eyes widened when he saw a familiar figure jump out of the tower and drop to the ground. He pointed and called out to the others, bringing their attention to the Dark Blaziken, who approached the Ultra Beasts - the muscular insectoids first of all.

"He's going to corrupt them!" Lighris called from overhead, angling himself to rush at the dark Blaziken to stop him.

Lighris did not get ten feet before a dark, black and red beam, fired by Necrozma, struck the ground in his path. Then, a column of bright, yellow light exploded from the ground below him, striking the Zapdos and bringing a scream of agony from him, before he was launched backward. Volcan screamed his brother's name and ran into the path of his fall, jumping up to catch him and sending both crashing into the sand heavily.

"Lighris!! Volcan!!" Luke hollered, quickly rushing to aid them.

"Holy crap, that Necrozma thing just one-shot spiky!" Eagle Eye squawked in disbelief.

Volcan, winded by his crash and having Lighris land on top of him, was slow to get up as Luke ran over to check on him, followed shortly by Neilla and Sickle, both of them still Mega Evolved, and Serena. They former two gently moved Lighris off Volcan while Serena ran to check the Zapdos, allowing Luke to check on his husband.

"I-I'm okay," Volcan replied, strained. "My brother..."

"He's still alive," Serena assured him, "But he's unconscious... I don't think he'll be able to fight again."

"Whatever that thing is," said Sickle, looking up at Necrozma, "It's _crazy_powerful... It'd have to be to take out Lighris that easily."

"We may be in over our heads here," said Neilla, "We need a new plan."

Luke looked over towards the other Ultra Beasts, seeing that Calhoun had already started corrupting one of them. "...We need to divide and conquer," he announced. "We can't stop Calhoun from corrupting them; not with Necrozma standing guard. Our best course of action will have to be to divide into groups and take out each of these creatures. While that's happening, someone will have to sneak by and tackle Calhoun directly. If we can distract him, we can hamper his control over the Ultra Beasts and take them down easier."

"Who's tough enough to sneak by and take him down though?" Volcan asked.

Neilla looked at Volcan. "I think you and Luke are our best bet," she said, "You're the fastest fighters here, and you're both the only ones who've ever been able to take Calhoun down before."

"Neilla's right," agreed Sickle, looking back at the Lucario and Blaziken. "You guys up for it?"

"No," Luminara suddenly chimed in, coming over to announce her intentions before Luke or Volcan could answer. "I will face Calhoun. Taking on the Ultra Beasts will require all of your teamwork and powers."

"But can you even reach him?" Neilla asked, looking ahead in time to see one of the large insects lashing out at Calhoun, only for the lightning-fast Dark Blaziken to dash out of the path of their fist, and place a shrouded hand on their head to pass the corruption to them.

"...I don't think we have a lot of time to think about it," Sickle stated, matter of factly.

"...Mother, are you sure you can do it?" Luke asked cautiously.

"I'm positive I can," Luminara answered with a nod. "You focus on freeing those Ultra Beasts from Calhoun's influence. I will keep him distracted enough to hamper his focus."

Volcan, Sickle and Neilla all turned their eyes on Luke, seeing what he thought of sending his mother into obvious danger. Indeed, he looked hesitant and greatly concerned about his mother taking on Calhoun, but even he had to admit she had a point. With a heavy sigh, he finally relented and gave Luminara a nod.

"Alright," began Volcan as he stood up. "Neilla, Sickle, take your teams to back up Lord Hizashi. Luke and I will form up with Calyrex and let him know the plan; I saw Zamazenta with Hizashi - send him over to us if you catch him. We may need him if we want this plan to work."

"Why have Calyrex do it and not Hizashi?" Neilla asked.

"One of them needs to do the bulk of the fighting - keep the Ultra Beasts back," explained Volcan, "As it is, Hizashi is better suited for that, while Calyrex has the best people for taking on Necrozma - the Royal Knights. They might be our best chance at taking him down. With that in mind, we better get Romulus to come with us too; get Torolf's team to back you guys up."

With a nod from both Sickle and Neilla, the two headed off to gather their teams and carry out the plan. Luke and Volcan, followed by Luminara, made their way over to Romulus...

"A sound plan," Romulus agreed, once Volcan had finished filling him in. "If Necrozma is a Psychic-type, then my Team is the best suited to beat him. Backed up by the Royal Knights... We might have a chance."

"That's the idea," said Volcan.

"Alright. Lead on; we'll follow you," Romulus stated, looking back at Hook and Revane. "You ready?"

"Always," Revane replied.

"Bring them on," Hook agreed, snapping his claws.

With that, Volcan led them over to King Calyrex and his forces, where Luke had just finished informing the King of their plan. To which, Calyrex seemed to approve.

"It is the best plan we have right now," stated the king. "My men and I will help you reach Calhoun then, and my knights shall assist you in battling that one called Necrozma."

"Just be careful. You saw firsthand how powerful Necrozma is..." Luke cautioned Calyrex. "Even with type advantage, it won't go down easily."

"Indeed," agreed Calyrex, before looking at Volcan. "I understand that Zapdos was your brother... Is he alright?"

"He'll live... But he's out of the fight for now," replied Volcan.

"I will personally see him once this is done," promised Calyrex. "Ser Cobalion," he looked to the Legendary Sword of Justice on his left. "I'd like you and your companions to join Lord Hizashi. My knights and I will assist the Rescue Teams."

Cobalion nodded once. "I will see to it immediately," he answered, then turned and galloped off to gather his fellow Swords.

Zamazenta gave the order. "Soldiers, forward!" he bellowed, and the fifty Sirfetch'd knights began to advance, marching in harmonious synchronicity toward the Ultra Beasts.

Teams Valiant, Phalanx and Phobia formed on the Calygrad force's right flank, matching their footsteps with theirs. They were also joined by Caulin, Koa, Luna and Hageshi, taking the rear of the group, with Tristan and Katsumoto taking point for them and Lashanne behind them, casting a new Light Screen over them in case of projectile attacks.

"Up above!" Calyrex warned, indicating five of the strange jellyfish-like beasts descending toward them.

"They don't look like they're corrupted, so why are they after us?" Lashanne asked.

Arceus chimed in Luminara's head, and she recited his words. "Arceus states that they are called Nihilego. Simple and not very intelligent but be wary not to let them attach themselves to you! They are parasitic by nature and will control your will!" she explained.

"Then we have to be extra careful!" Luna stated, "How can we properly damage them?"

Again, Arceus chimed in, and Luminara relayed what he said. "They are Rock and Poison types. Psychic and Water attacks are most effective, but you can also force them to the ground and hit them with Ground attacks."

"Anybody know Smack Down?" Volcan asked, looking at Tristan first.

"Sorry; never learned that one," the Aggron admitted.

"Well, if we can't let them touch us, we'll have to do it another way," said Volcan. "Water and Psychic-types, up front; let 'em have it!"

Katsumoto and Hageshi stepped forward, the former puffing his cheeks out and rearing back before unleashing a powerful Hydro Pump at one of the Nihilego, while Hageshi discharged a searing hot Scald attack and swept it in a wide arc, hitting other of the Ultra Beasts and dealing burn damage to them. The attacks hit home, though the Nihilego were not down for long, and began to move more evasively as Lashanne and Minato joined the attack.

Calyrex came forward and held up his paws as he unleashed a Psychic attack of his own at the Nihilego, successfully blasting three of them with telekinetic force. But when they didn't drop, he changed his attack to Psyshock instead, and one of the Nihilego took the hard-light projectiles directly, and immediately crumpled to the ground. Taking note of this, Calyrex called to the others.

"They appear to be quite frail against physical trauma!" he said, "Try any physical distance attacks if you know any!"

"Kage, your Water Shurikens - are they Special or Physical?" Lashanne asked, forcing away another of the Nihilego that was getting too close with Psychic.

"They are Special attacks; they won't damage them very much," Kage admitted.

"My Razor Shell should be adequate for the task," Katsu added, brandishing his swords.

"Minato, Luke; your Bone Rushes - can you use them without getting too close to these things?" asked Volcan.

They looked at one another for a moment before answering. "We could throw our weapons, I suppose," Minato replied. "Not really what they're used for, but knowing you, you've got a crazy plan stirring in that cranium of yours."

"We just need to clear the way so we can reach Calhoun," said Volcan, "I'm just making sure one of you doesn't get turned into a-" he stopped and breathed a cone of fire at a Nihilego that had snuck above them. "Into a puppet!" He finished.

Minato and Luke ducked when Volcan exhaled a Flamethrower above them, then they proceeded to create their respective Bone Rush weapons and began throwing them up at the Nihilego as it moved away from Volcan's attack. The first one missed, but the second one struck home, and the Nihilego immediately seemed to deflate and fall out of the air, dully, greater emphasizing the vulnerability to Ground-type attacks.

"It worked!" Luke exclaimed.

"Then keep pelting it!!" Minato answered, already creating another blade and hurling it like a javelin. Luke quickly followed suit, though he went for hurling his staff more like a boomerang than he did a javelin.

Through their efforts, and with Calyrex rendering further assistance with his Psyshock, they cleared away enough of the Nihilego to clear a path toward Calhoun. But he had already corrupted three of the Ultra Beasts; the large, box-like one, at his command, moved into their path. Unfortunately, Arceus could not tell them anything about this one - he had never encountered it.

They did not need him to tell them, though, that this creature - built like a wall, was bound to be sturdy. So, Zacian and Zamazenta took the lead, with the former following the latter, and Minato coming up behind them. In response to their approach, the creature lifted one of its segmented legs and tried to attack him with Stomp. Zamazenta skidded to a stop, bracing himself, and the leg struck his shield; the mighty Knight held his ground, and Zacian made her move, leaping up high into the air and channeling her power into creating her Behemoth Blade, swinging it as hard as she could and striking the creature with all of her might.

Minato then leapt off of her back into the air, to which Zacian threw the Crowned Sword up to him. He caught it and immediately transformed into his Blessed form, creating another Behemoth Blade and holding it high in the air.

"GET OUT OF OUR FUCKING WAY!!" he roared before he swung his blade down at the creature.

The creature blew apart after taking the second hit, and the pieces scattered everywhere, littering the ground. By the way they shifted, the creature was still alive and attempting to reform itself again, but they had bought themselves a precious minute.

The rest of the group came forward, and they arrived just in time to see Calhoun corrupting another of the big bug-types; it seemed to happen the moment his hand made contact with them... Either they were highly susceptible to the shadow curse, or something else was wrong... This caught Volcan's attention, along with the curiosity as to why Necrozma hadn't intercepted them; the powerful Ultra Beast was still hovering high overhead, watching, but doing nothing.

"Something's wrong here," the Blaziken stated, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.

"What is?" Luke asked curiously. "What's wrong, love?"

"Why is Necrozma just sitting up there?" the Blaziken asked, still watching the Ultra Beast. "Calhoun's outnumbered and outmatched, but he's just... Letting us approach... Why?"

Luke looked up at the corrupted Necrozma, only now realizing it had just been hovering there and hadn't made a single motion to attack, let alone move. It just remained there like a chained beast waiting to be unleashed.

Even as the question lingered, they had reached the dark Blaziken, having just made the third of the big Bug-types into his servants, and setting them on the skinnier ones, who upon being accosted by their allies were taken completely by surprise. The huge bugs dragged the six skinnier ones over to Calhoun, forcibly holding them as he regarded them, but his attention was clearly not on them...

"You finally made it," he said, his words clearly directed to the gathering behind him; Teams Valiant, Phalanx and Phobia, with King Calyrex and his Royal Knights. All of them could hear him now...

"This ends now Calhoun! You have nowhere left to run!" Romulus bellowed, "Give yourself up peaceably, and you will not be harmed!"

At that, the dark Blaziken laughed. Actually laughed at the proposition. "Why in the world would I ever surrender to the likes of you?" he asked and began to turn to face them. "None of you will be leaving this place of your own volition. You will either be dead," then, they saw his eyes. "Or you'll be serving us."

Though they still had their unusual purple colour... The whites of Calhoun's eyes had turned black, and even the shape of the Iris' had changed - in a way that Luminara could feel alarmed Arceus, seeing the face of the dark Blaziken through her eyes.

'We're too late...' Arceus whispered.

Luminara looked equally alarmed when Arceus said that, clenching her paws at her sides even as she stepped forward in front of the others. "...Calhoun... what have you done?" she asked sternly.

Calhoun's grin widened, and he held out his arms as he began to change. The first thing they saw were six, smoky tendrils emerging from his back, each one of them tipped by a red claw, and as they grew, the colours of his body began to change; his beak gained a golden yellow colour, encompassing the mask-like features of his face, and the gray skin of his hands paled while each of his talons also acquired a golden colour similar to his face. Finally, his feathers paled to a lighter gray colour, instead of the smoky-ash gray they had been before, with only the feathers around his chest retaining their previous ashy colour.

"Merely realized... My true potential," Calhoun said, grinning wicked as his Blessed form was revealed.

Calhoun's bond with Giratina was already complete...