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Giratina's screams of anguish echoed across the Distortion World as he saw Calhoun fall, unable to do anything more than watch as his last hope for freedom perished before his very eyes. Only watch as Calhoun crawled across the floor, bleeding profusely from his pierced heart, until he finally succumbed to the fatal wound - more than even the healing granted to him by Giratina's blessing could save him from...

He watched, as the last signs of life fled from Calhoun, and with it the dragon god's chance. He watched, helplessly, as the Blessed form crumbled away from Calhoun like a shed skin, and his purple eyes faded to a lifeless gray. Giratina knew then that all of his hopes were gone, as the last agent of his will perished.

Giratina felt a seething hatred welling up in his soul and wanted nothing more than to reach for that Lucario that had taken Calhoun's life, shift to his alternate form and grind his tiny body to dust beneath his foot. But even as, in a fit of anger, he leaned forward to try to break out, the barrier still repelled him...

But that was when he noticed something had changed in the barrier. He had always noticed it was becoming weaker as Calhoun had spread his dark power to other Pokémon across the world, but even now he could still feel the barrier growing weaker at his touch... But how? He had thrown himself against that shield for years, trying to break it, and it was never enough before.

That was when he saw it... A shadowy essence flowed out of Calhoun's corpse - likely visible only to the ruler of the Distortion World, lest Luke or his Blaziken lover would be trying to stop it. In his last breath, Calhoun had sent one last command - gave the Shadow Essence in his body one final objective... To flow into the Nexus, in a last-ditch effort to thin the barrier further, and free his master...

This time, as the last of the essence flowed into the Nexus, when Giratina struck the barrier... It did not force him back; it still tried to hold him, still attempted to hold that transparent wall... But he could feel it beginning to give way against his bulk as he pressed harder into it.

Giratina could not help but laugh. He had despaired for nothing; Calhoun had succeeded. His time had finally come...

~~~~~

Luke was a mess...

The blood of Calhoun stained his paw and would not leave no matter how many times he tried to shake it off. The ramifications of what he had done replayed in his mind again and again, and the guilt it caused him seemed to grow every time he saw his claws piercing Calhoun's heart. Over the top of his paw, he could still see Calhoun's corpse lying on the floor, serving as another reminder of what he had done.

He had taken a life... After vowing for so long that he would never do so, it had happened... He had killed Calhoun; he'd told himself he'd do it, make one exception to his lifelong rule, but he'd never been able to do it - even when he'd had the chance. Now... That one moment of losing control had brought about an action he could never take back...

He had taken a life...

The Lucario began to hyperventilate the more the event played in his mind, clutching his chest tightly with his other paw, unable to look away from the paw stained with Calhoun's blood. He suddenly devolved, returning to his ordinary self as his Mega Evolution expired, and he began to repeatedly mumble under his breath between ragged breaths, tears welling up in his eyes that he kept trying to blink away until they began rolling down his cheeks...

"Luke?" Volcan spoke up, his voice raspy from being strangled by Calhoun before, trudging over to kneel beside his husband, speaking his name again as he tried to get his attention.

His words did not reach him, not at that moment anyway. He just kept staring at his bloodied paw, then at Calhoun's corpse, his hyperventilating turning into heavy sobs.

"I-I... I didn't... I didn't mean to..." he tried to stammer, but he couldn't choke out the rest of his sentence.

With a sigh, Volcan tapped his Mega Stone to revert to his original form and put his arms around Luke to hold him. "It's okay, Luke," he whispered to him as he held him, trying to comfort him.

"It's not okay!!" Luke suddenly shouted at Volcan, jerking his head away to look at him, though Volcan did not lift his arms away. "I just... I just _killed_someone!! How is that okay?!" he demanded.

"You were only doing it to protect me," Volcan stated. "We both knew it had to be done either way... Calhoun was too dangerous to be kept alive. Eberon proved that no matter how much you try to lock a problem away, it always resurfaces..." He looked at Calhoun's body. "And that one proved... That sometimes, there is no coming back once you've stepped over the line. Whoever was the one to do it... He had to die."

He sighed, looking down at his husband, a shadow falling across his features as he looked ashamed. "I just never wanted it to have to be you to do it, though... I was ready to be the one to finish it, but ultimately you had to save me. If anything, it's my fault for not being strong enough."

"But...B-But I..." Luke stammered, his bottom lip quivering as his expression saddened even more. Then, he pressed his face into Volcan's chest and let out a resounding cry of anguish that echoed in the chamber before sobbing uncontrollably, shaking in Volcan's grasp as he clung so tightly to him.

Volcan held onto him tightly, letting Luke release his sorrows into his chest feathers and caressing his back gently as he did. "It'll be okay, Luke," he said. "It's finally over... We can finally-"

CRACK!

The sound was so loud, that it broke Luke out of his sorrowful state as he and Volcan both jumped, alarmed by the sudden, deafening sound.

"What the hell was that?!" Volcan demanded, alert.

"I...I don't know!" Luke answered, but deep down he knew what it was as his gaze slowly turned toward the Nexus.

As he feared, when his eyes settled upon the Nexus, he saw the silhouette of Giratina still residing behind the invisible barrier. But this time... He was clearer, as if throughout the battle with Calhoun the veil had thinned further to reveal him. As Luke watched, the fallen god's serpentine form slammed against the transparent wall again, and that deafening crack filled the chamber.

Volcan's eyes settled upon the Nexus as well, and his eyes widened in utter horror when he saw Giratina throw himself against the wall once more. But this time, the wall shimmered, and visible cracks appeared at the edges...

"He's breaking out!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking from the sheer horror it carried. "But how?!"

"No time to wonder why!" Luke exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet and yanking Volcan after him as he began to run. "We need to get out of here! NOW!!"

Volcan did not question the decision, scrambling to his feet and following Luke out the door. Behind them, Giratina slammed into the barrier again, ramming his head through it at last, and they heard his voice roaring after them even as the two ran down the stairs, as fast as their legs could carry him; the sheer power of Giratina's roar alone shook the tower, and had the two running so fast they nearly tripped and fell down the stairs...

They heard the building start to crack as Giratina began to break through the barrier and pass into the mortal realm, finally free from its cursed prison. Another roar could be heard before the two of them heard the massive dragon god's voice echoing from the nexus chamber.

"You cannot run from me forever!" he bellowed in a wrathful manner. "Your whole world is doomed to fall into eternal darkness! All will become devoured by the power I wield, and I will start with you two!"

"Oh crap, this is all wrong!" Volcan said, on the verge of panic. "We stopped Calhoun; how is this happening?!"

"I don't know! I guess he made enough progress for him to break out on his own?" Luke blurted back.

Below them, the pair saw several of their friends coming up the stairs, led by Romulus. Behind him, in single file, were Luminara, Zacian, Zamazenta, Calyrex, Neilla, Sol, Luna and Tristan.

"Luke? Volcan?" Romulus called up the stairs to them. "What's going on up there; what-?"

"_RUN!"_The two shouted in unison.

"Giratina's broken free; he's coming!" Volcan added, "Go back down, hurry!"

"What?" Luminara blurted out, quickly side-stepping out of the way as they shot past her. "But... It can't be!"

The entire tower shook then, and as though to confirm Volcan and Luke's words, there was a deafening roar coming from the upper level. Luminara felt a thrill course through her that did not belong to her; she was sensing Arceus' feelings again... And he was horrified.

'It's true... The seal is broken!' the creator exclaimed, 'Giratina is free!'

"Whatever is happening up there, we need to get out, now!" Romulus declared as pieces of the ceiling began to crumble and fall as the structure weakened. "Everyone, back downstairs - get outside!"

Certainly, needing no more encouragement, as the tower continued to tremble, the group turned and started running back down the steps. Tristan, once at the rear of the group, was now at the front, and not moving quickly enough for the others as they ran down.

Sol growled at his slowness, quickly moving up to the front and giving Tristan a heavy punt on his back to make him move faster. "Move it or lose it, dumbass!! Unless you want to die!"

"_Whoa!"_Tristan bellowed as he lost his balance. "_Incoming!"_he yelled to Volcan and Luke.

The two looked back, and narrowly threw themselves against the wall to avoid the incoming, rolling Aggron, tumbling down the stairs like a boulder and eliciting such a ruckus it echoed through the tower interior. Volcan was the first to keep going, whether trying to catch Tristan or remembering there was a much bigger problem still coming from above was unclear.

Another roar sounded from the upper chamber and was accompanied by a sound like hundreds of windows were shattering as the last of the seal was broken by Giratina's wrath. At the top of the stairs, they heard something tearing its way through the stone - something far too big to use the stairs, but angrily attempting to make the chamber larger for himself.

Then, they felt the chamber above them become utterly destroyed as Giratina suddenly emerged, letting out a vengeful roar as the top of the tower was obliterated by his powers. Rocks started falling from the ceiling above as a result of the massive amount of shaking, and rained into the valley surrounding it, forcing those that were fleeing to stay close to the inner wall as they continued to make good their escape, and those outside to flee from the falling debris.

"FINALLY!"_they heard Giratina shout. _"_After centuries of imprisonment in that accursed realm, I am finally FREE!"_ He continued to shout, followed by a sinister, yet triumphant laugh.

The others made it outside as the tower continued to crumble and turned their gazes to look up where the top had once been - now completely and utterly destroyed by a humongous dragon standing where the top of the tower had once been.

The dragonic god that stood atop the ruined tower was a massive figure, with a body covered in deathly gray scales, black highlights like trimming around his six legs and a black streak running down the front of his body, with five stripes of red. Three golden half-rings adorned his neck, matching the colour of his sideways-pointing horns and the crescent moon adornment atop his head, resting above his eyes.

To most, this was their first time seeing the dragon god in this form, but Luminara and Wade both recognized him, because their respective patrons had known him since the day of his birth... The Lord of the Lost, in the flesh.

Despite their best efforts... Giratina was free. The Fallen God had returned to the world, and now he stared down at the collective mortals below; the last ones to oppose his return to the mortal world. Those that were already outside could only gawk at the sight of the fallen god emerging from the Nexus Tower as it crumbled, jaws dropped and shoulders slumped, gazes filled with dread and utter fear as they witnessed all of their efforts to contain Giratina were for naught.

"...We failed..." Kage whispered and would have dropped to his knees were Hageshi not still holding him up.

"No... No fuckin way..." Hank breathed, his voice shaken with fear. "All that work... Hell, all that fightin' and this is what we get in return?"

Out of the tower, the horrified fighters gathered outside saw their allies returning; Volcan and Luke were at the lead, followed by the others who had ventured in with Romulus. Tristan and Sol were arguing about the Typhlosion kicking the Aggron down the stairs, but nobody paid them any attention, knowing there was a greater threat now.

Sickle and Neilla were the first to approach the Blaziken and Lucario as they came over. "Guys, what happened?" Neilla demanded, visibly trying not to panic.

"Where's Calhoun; did he free Giratina before you got to him?" Sickle asked.

"No," replied Volcan, panting heavily. "Calhoun's dead... But it looks like he got the last laugh after all."

The others from Team Valiant and Phalanx also approached soon after, looking between the towering Giratina and their captains, fear overcoming their gazes despite their attempts to stay calm. The dread in their hearts only grew as Giratina spread his wings and took flight, and began to soar in a wide berth around the valley, taunting the mortals below as he descended, slowly.

"Volcan, please tell me you had a contingency plan in place in case of a worst-case scenario..." Minato pleaded.

"I wish I could say I did, Minato... But what are any of us supposed to do against him?" Volcan asked, peering up to the skies as Giratina circled above. His voice trembled even as he continued, and he could feel his hands shaking. "Taking down Calhoun was one thing, but this is a God! We're in over our heads..."

Everyone seemed on the verge of panic. The Calygrad army was clustered together, staring in horror up at Giratina, despite the presence of their king; even Calyrex could give them no comfort against these odds. Likewise, for the Shogunate's Samurai warriors; though none of them dared to show any fear, none were willing to step forward to challenge a divine entity. Not even Hizashi himself.

But one voice rose over the others, stealing their attention as he bellowed. "All of you, pull yourselves together!" Romulus roared, and instinctively several snapped to attention. "We've come so far and now you all seek to just give up? Giratina is a god, but he is not invincible; he has been defeated before, and he can be again!"

"You have to be kidding, Romulus!" Kaen shouted from his place with his team. "That was Arceus who beat him before - the very creator of all life in our world; we can't compete with that!"

"Yes, we can; we just did!" Romulus countered.

Now, he had everyone's attention, and he continued. "Did all of you forget who we just fought; the Ultra Beasts? Necrozma? A being powerful enough to challenge even Giratina, and his minions, as strong as any Mythical Pokémon or Guardian that lives in our world. Yet despite being outmatched in every way, we prevailed. We're all that is left now; Giratina must be stopped here, at all costs, and we're the ones who must do it. There is no one else now."

"Come on, man!" Drogo called. "Just face it; it's game over here!"

Romulus glared at the Raichu, and Drogo fell silent, retreating between his teammates in terror. "Do as you all decide, then," he stated. "I for one do not intend to give up."

"Romulus..."

The Houndoom turned to the sound of Luminara's voice, seeing the look of hopelessness in her gaze as she looked back at him.

"The Ultra Beasts were one thing... But we were all at full strength when we took them on. Now we have lost at least a third of our forces and we are tired and weary... We won't last a minute against a fully powered god..." she went on.

"Maybe not, Luminara," Romulus agreed, showing he held no illusion that he stood any chance against Giratina. "But right now, there are only two choices before us; we cannot escape him. So, our choices are to lie down and die... Or to fight."

He turned his gaze forward again, looking up at Giratina. "With only those choices available to me," he said, "I choose to fight."

Luminara felt a chill up her back that was not from Romulus' words. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ernoul stepping up, coming to stand beside the Houndoom. "And so will I," he stated.

"Boss, you're crazy!" Drogo called.

"What chance do we have here?" Val asked.

"Maybe we don't have any chance," he admitted. "But Romulus is right. There's nowhere to run - not from someone like this. If I'm destined to meet my end here, I will make sure Giratina never forgets my name before that end comes..." he shut his eyes, apparently having a private conversation with his patron; Atricuno was likely trying to talk him out of fighting, but Ernoul had made his decision...

Sol then stepped up and stood next to Romulus and Ernoul. "I ain't no bitch, unlike the rest of you," he spat at the others. "You all can go run and hide if you want, but if I'm goin' down then I'm taking that overgrown worm with me."

A small silence fell upon the group before Luna then stepped next to Sol. "Wherever you go, I go as well, Sol," Luna said with a determined tone to match Sol's, moved by his younger brother's resolve to keep fighting despite the odds against them.

"Knights never run from danger," Zamazenta added as he came up to stand with them, accompanied by his sister, "And we have faced someone of Giratina's level once before... We will do it again."

"As long as we still draw breath, that fiend will never have his way," Zacian added with as much confidence as her brother.

Volcan looked at them, floored by their willingness to stand up to Giratina. Even as he watched, the Fallen God landed on the ground at last, shaking the earth as he touched down, and looked with amusement at the people gathering to challenge him, standing tall with his wings spread upon his unusual six legs.

He looked so confident... So much like his fallen protege, so sure of his triumph now that he was free from his prison. He looked down at them all as if they were mere pests waiting to be exterminated. Something in that look spurred something in Volcan...

Luke was alarmed when he saw Volcan leaving his side to join the others. "Honey, you... Can't be serious!" he said, incredulously.

"It's got to be done, love," Volcan stated, "Romulus is right... If running's not an option, I'm not going to just lay down and die. If for no other reason... Ignus will never be safe if this guy is running wild. That alone is enough for me to keep fighting, even if it means I'm doomed..."

"But... we can't..." Luke stammered, looking between his husband and Giratina up on the destroyed tower. Deep down he knew that Romulus, and by extension, Volcan were right. They couldn't run from this battle, and even if they could there'd be nowhere to hide... With that said, fighting Giratina as they were now nothing short of a suicide mission. They would surely all die if they charged him in their condition.

Luke then flinched as he felt his teammates stand with him, all of them staring up at Giratina with gazes of defiance. He looked at each of them questioningly, but none of them looked in his direction. Then, after a moment of silence, Eagle Eye began to speak.

"We fight while watching each other's backs, even from far away."

Luke flinched again at Eagle Eye's words, remembering them being said when they first formed Team Valiant years ago. Hank then continued where Eagle Eye left off.

"We fight using deception to get the drop on their asses."

Doug piped up next. "We fight with traps and well-planned diversions."

Then Kage spoke. "We fight from the shadows... Striking when they least expect it..."

Katsumoto then pounded his chest firmly. "We fight with valour...and honour."

Luke looked at each of his teammates one after the other as they spoke, and only then did they shift their gazes to their captain, looking at him expectantly. The Lucario lowered his gaze slightly to the ground, looking absently at his blood-stained paw before clenching his eyes shut, then reopening them again in a firm, defiant gaze before turning to face Giratina once again.

"...We fight to protect those that can't fight back... We are the unbreakable shield and the infallible sword that stands against any threat!" he concluded, "We... Are Team Valiant."

The rest of his teammates nodded in approval, seeing their captain bounce back from his despair giving them even more of a morale boost.

To his sides, Volcan saw Minato, Tristan and Lashanne coming to stand with him, each of them nodding to him; they did not need to exchange words, for they all knew what the other was thinking at that moment.

"This is it then," said Volcan. "All or nothing..."

"Might as well go all in at this point," Minato added, punching his paws together and smirking confidently. "Can't say I've pummeled a God before... Guess I'll tick that off my bucket list later."

"Eh. It'd be the last thing on the bucket list, I'd say," Tristan agreed.

"What about you, Lashanne?" Volcan asked.

"I've come this far with you guys. I'm not leaving you now," the Delphox stated.

Volcan turned his attention toward Giratina again. Still exuding that confidence, like he knew they were going to oppose him, yet was so certain they could do nothing against him... In their present states of exhaustion, and him being at his peak, he was probably right; their hope was slim... But they were not going to run away.

Giratina's gaze narrowed once he saw them rallying together, then he couldn't help but chuckle at their vain attempt to stand against them. His gaze then traveled down to the deceased body of his Blessed, and his expression changed slightly the longer he continued to look at him. In his rampage to tear his way out of the tower, Calhoun's body had been thrown clear and lay lifeless in the sand, broken further by the fall but still easily recognized.

'Calhoun... You were the first to truly control my power, and in doing so, have secured my freedom.' He thought inwardly to himself, then closed his eyes for a moment. 'You were truly a fascinating creature, Calhoun... You would have made an excellent emissary for my conquest...'

With his respects paid to the one that freed him, he opened his eyes and glared at the allied forces ahead, then he used Shadow Force to vanish from where he stood; the sun had set in the far west, filling the valley with shadow in the twilight hour. He soon reappeared before them, towering over them all as he spread his wings wide and looked down at the throng of heroes ready to face him.

"You know you cannot defeat me, even with your numbers, and yet you still stand before me... Commendable, if foolish."

"Well, what can we say? We're all kinds of stubborn!" Hank called out with a cheeky grin.

"You won't have your way, Giratina!" Luke added defiantly, even summoning his Aura Surge - as little of it as he could muster, but looking for any advantage he could gain. "We'll stop you, or die trying! Either way, you won't be spreading your corruption to the rest of the world, so long as we still stand!"

"Then you will all die braver than most that dared stand before me..." Giratina responded in a cold, menacing tone.

"They are not dying at all, brother," a somewhat raspy voice, as powerful as Giratina's, echoed through the air, making everyone jump when they heard it - including Giratina, who visibly tensed and lifted his head high in alert. "It is not them who you shall face... They have done more than enough. But now that you have been freed, the time for watching has passed."

Within herself, Luminara felt a sense of pride filling her, and knew that Arceus recognized that voice... Leading her to suspect she knew exactly who it was.

"Is that...?" She asked out loud.

'It is...' Arceus' voice answered in her mind.

Giratina flinched at the voice, his eyes widening as he searched all around him for the source of that voice. "...Show yourself, Damocles!" he demanded angrily.

"You were never very perceptive, were you, little brother?"

The voice came from right behind him. Giratina turned as fast as his massive body could manage, his many legs stomping along the ground as he turned, and lo and behold, there was the owner of the voice staring right back at him, causing Giratina to flinch and growl furiously at the sight.

The figure standing there was a quadrupedal creature with a body of solid blue from head to tail, with faint cracks of a lighter blue spread all over their body. The creature was sauropod-like, with a long neck and an elongated cranium, decorated by metal fins on either side of its head, and three metal spines on the back of their neck. A similar metal fin on their back resting over their hindquarters. Lastly, on his chest, a shield-like adornment rested, with six points extending from it and housing a brilliant, pale blue diamond.

Dialga, the God of Time himself, had arrived...

"Wait... Is that who I think it is?" Volcan asked, gawking.

"I... I sure hope so," Luke answered, looking back at Hank.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm good but not that good," the Zoroark answered, proving he was not casting any illusions.

"I assure you, that is no mirage..." Zacian spoke up, equally as stunned as the rest of them.

"It would seem that the brothers of Giratina have chosen to step in," added Zamazenta.

As if on cue, a shimmering portal opened beside Dialga, and a Spacial Rend shot through the portal and hit Giratina on his flank, causing the ghostly dragon to roar out in pain and stumble away instinctively. Palkia stepped through the portal afterward and stood next to his brother, glaring daggers at the fallen god.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back, Gorgon. I suppose you need to be put in your place yet again for your transgressions."

Giratina snarled in response before uttering Palkia's name. "Pericles..."

"_Say that name again... I_ dare _you,"_Palkia growled back at Giratina.

"I'll never understand why you dislike your name so much, brother," Dialga remarked, looking sidelong at Palkia before turning his attention to Giratina again. "But that discussion can wait for now. We came here for a reason, after all."

"_For once, we agree on something,"_ Palkia replied, flaring his wings out as he readied himself for a fight.

The two faced Giratina then, and the furious, Fallen God glared back at his two siblings. He then let out a mighty roar as he reared himself back on his hind legs, slamming his other four legs into the ground and launching a devastating Earth Power attack as his opening move, creating geysers of molten earth around his brothers that closed in on them quickly.

Palkia instinctively took to the air to escape the attack, while Dialga hastily levitated off the ground to evade the attack, before retaliating with a Flash Cannon, conjuring a beam of metallic energy in his maw to strike at Giratina.

The Ghostly dragon jumped out of the way of the attack as it soared at him, then looked up to see Palkia following up with a Dragon Pulse of his own. Giratina sneered and became shrouded in shadowy energy before vanishing from view, with the Dragon Pulse hitting the desert instead.

Giratina then reappeared above Palkia, shooting out of the shadowy mass toward Palkia and biting into his neck as he fell. The large spacial god let out a growl as he was bit and forced into the ground, where they began struggling against one another for control of the battle, until Palkia finally managed to push Giratina off him with a point-blank Water Pulse. When Giratina was forced off his brother, Dialga jumped in again, coming up from beside the ghostly dragon and striking him with an Iron Tail.

Again, Giratina took the hit, but he only looked back in anger at Dialga and lashed back at him with another Earth Power, this time managing to score a hit on him and dealing considerable damage to Dialga. The time god was thrown onto his back, his legs flailing for purchase as he fell.

Seeing his brother in trouble, Palkia roared as he swooped in and slammed Giratina into the ground from behind, pinning him down and fired a Dragonbreath at him, then got off and moved next to Dialga as he slowly got back to his feet.

"...He's gotten stronger," stated Palkia. "He's holding up against us well in his Altered Form."

"His imprisonment certainly has not made him weaker," Dialga agreed. "But, of the three of us, you," he looked at Palkia, "have always been the fastest. Maybe you still are."

"Let's find out," Palkia answered, once more flaring his wings. "Ready your Roar of Time. I will keep him distracted."

With that, Palkia took off toward Giratina, skimming low to the ground as he made his approach. The space god fired another Dragon Pulse from his mouth as he closed in, forcing Giratina to fire one back, the two attacks cancelling out the other and kicking up a cloud of dust from the resulting explosion, sending sand particles into the air. Palkia then burst through the dust cloud and struck Giratina with an Aqua Tail.

Giratina took the hit, though it did not do much damage to him, and he retaliated by lunging at Palkia and ramming into him with his bulky form. Palkia braced himself, trying to catch Giratina, but the other dragon-type was too big and heavy for him to hold back when propelled by his six legs; Palkia was knocked back, and would have fallen to the ground but he managed to create a portal below him, falling into it and reappearing behind Giratina.

Palkia wound back his arm for another Spacial Rend attack, but Giratina wasn't falling for it this time. He vanished into another Shadow Force, and this time it was his turn to appear behind Palkia and strike back, breathing in before exhaling sharply, hitting Palkia in the back with a Dragon Breath; this time Palkia did hit the ground, losing his balance and falling to his knees.

Giratina scoffed as he stood over his brother. "Did you think that trick would work on me a second time?"

Palkia looked over his shoulder at Giratina. To the ghostly dragon's dismay... Palkia was grinning. "Like Damocles said... You were never very perceptive, were you Gorgon?" he asked.

At that moment, Dialga unleashed his most powerful attack; the Roar of Time. A sphere of powerful energy, of a similar colour to Dialga himself, formed in front of his open maw before firing as a beam at Giratina, who could not evade the attack in time. He lurched to the side, but the beam partially impacted his flank; the sensation that coursed across his body was as though he was being ripped apart by temporal energy, and his scream of agony split the sky with its volume.

Giratina fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, shuddering with pain as he tried to recover from the attack.

"Yeah! They nailed him!" Tristan bellowed, pumping his fists in the air. "Not so tough after all, is he?!"

"Hell yea!! Eat that, shit for brains!!" Hank added while raising his arms into the air triumphantly.

"They're pulling it off... They might actually beat him...!" Luke remarked hopefully, smiling from ear to ear.

However, not everyone shared Luke's optimism, especially Luminara. She only wore a grim expression on her face, knowing what was to come next now that Giratina was being backed into a corner...

Sure enough, Giratina's eyes suddenly gleamed a bright red, his anger reaching its peak as he regarded his brothers with utter hatred and spite. A black cloud of shadowy energy began forming around him, slowly obscuring him from view.

"I...Will not... Be beaten AGAIN!" he roared, throwing his head back as he became engulfed in shadow energy, with red sparks of electricity igniting here and there.

Then, the shadow energy dispersed with another resounding roar from Giratina that echoed throughout the canyon, revealing his true form. He was no longer a six-legged dragon with shadowy wings, but rather a larger, more serpentine creature with six long spiked shadowy tendrils flaring out from his back as if they were wings. His legs had shrunk back into his body, replaced instead by an elongated form with six spikes protruding from his sides, and his headdress had reshaped itself into a mask resembling bat-like wings, forming around his face but leaving his eyes uncovered.

The mask parted to reveal his mouth as he let out another roar, and it also served to reveal the anguished expression on his face...

Volcan's eyes widened in recognition as he saw Giratina's changed form. "Those tendrils... They're just like the ones Calhoun had!"

"So... This is Giratina's true form?" Lashanne asked.

"I'm afraid so," Luminara confirmed, her expression still grim. "He is now stronger and faster than in his Altered Form. They will be hard-pressed to keep Giratina down, let alone seal him back in the Distortion World..."

"Then I say it's time to stop gawking and lend those two a hand," Minato remarked firmly.

"Are you sure, Minato? We might just get in their way," Sickle remarked.

"You heard it from the lady herself. They're in for a bad time now that Giratina's unleashed his full power," the Lucario answered, gesturing to Luminara. "At least if we get involved, their chances of victory go up, even if marginally."

"Be that as it may, think about this for a second," Kage spoke up. "If we get involved, there is the possibility that they will only become distracted due to worrying about our safety, especially Palkia, given that he is bonded with Wade," the Greninja explained, once again being the voice of reason.

"So, what, you just want to stand by and do nothing?" Minato shot back.

"I'm saying_that we need to be smart about _how we get involved," Kage retorted irritably. "We rush in blindly, we'll only succeed in killing ourselves amidst the chaos."

"Kage's right," Luke piped up. "We need a multi-layered plan that covers all of our bases and allows Palkia and Dialga to defeat Giratina all at once." He stated, then looked around at their remaining forces for a second, gauging their combat readiness. "...And I think I might have the grounds of a plan forming already."

"Let's hear it then, love," said Volcan, "What do we do?"

Luke took another gander at the others again, taking a headcount of their numbers before continuing. "Does anyone here know Foresight or Odor Sleuth?" He asked out loud to his allies.

At that, Neilla stepped forward. "I do," she said. "It's how I managed to take down Tory when my Mega form expired."

"What's the range of your ability to cast it? How close do you have to be?" Luke further inquired.

Neilla looked in Giratina's direction, wincing when she saw the dragon god landing a blast on Dialga despite the time god's attempt to evade it. "...I've never tested its range; I was always pretty close when I used it," she admitted, "I'd say I'd have to be at least twenty meters, give or take, just to be safe."

"That is pretty close, Neilla," Volcan cautioned.

"A little late to be second-guessing the danger, big guy," the Lopunny countered, "I'm the only one who's as fast as you too, and I'm immune to Ghost-type attacks. If I can get in and get out fast."

"We'll make it work," Luke stated quickly before turning back to the others. "Here's the plan. We'll divide into separate groups, each with a different attack plan." He answered, at first looking to Jake Talonclaw and the other Fliers. "We'll start with your groups. You'll be flying interference. Keep Giratina distracted by attacking him from a distance and create openings whenever possible."

"Consider it done," Jake answered with a nod.

Luke then turned to King Calyrex and Shogun Hizashi. "Shogun Hizashi, your Samurott can support us from a distance; they will be our ground-based artillery. King Calyrex, I fear your army will be of no help to us, given that they are all Fighting-type, and even if they have attacks that will work on Giratina I'd rather not have them get too close. But yourself and your knights will be invaluable. You attack from a distance, and we'll move up with the knights."

"Understood," said Calyrex, nodding to Luke.

Luke then turned to his mother. "Mother, you take all the Blessed and assist Palkia and Dialga directly. Divide them however you see fit. Once an opening presents itself, add your powers to their attacks for added damage."

She nodded in understanding, putting her faith in her son's plan.

"What about me; how will I use Foresight?" she asked.

"With a little help from our friend back at Gladiator City." Luke answered, then closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. 'Mewtwo, can you hear me? I need your help for one last effort to seal Giratina away for good.'

'What do you need me to do?' Mewtwo asked.

'One of my colleagues knows Foresight. I need you to teleport her as close as you can to Giratina so that she can cast it, twenty meters or closer, then when she's done, teleport her out of harm's way immediately. Can you do that?' He asked.

'I will do it,' he said, 'I will have to come join you; I need to see what I am doing.'

At that, Luke noticed a flash of light atop a nearby cliff and could make out the pale form of Mewtwo standing on the plateau, waiting for his moment. Luke nodded when he saw Mewtwo waiting for his cue, then turned to the other Team Captains.

"While everyone's doing their part, we're going to charge up our most powerful attacks." He explained. "The second Neilla scores her Foresight and is out of harm's way, we hit that bastard with everything we have. That should at least weaken Giratina enough for Palkia and Dialga to seal him away once more."

"We'll have to be quick," said Romulus, coming to stand by Luke. "It won't take Giratina long to realize what we are trying to do."

"He's right. Timing will be crucial for this to work," Luke concurred. "If anyone has any questions, speak now. Otherwise..." He looked over his shoulder to the three gods fighting, seeing Giratina had an edge over them now that he was at his full power. "...Let's put the literal Devil back where he belongs..."

No one voiced any questions... They were ready to begin.

Giratina was now starting to push Palkia and Dialga into a corner. He held Dialga in a chokehold by winding his body around his neck, strangling him and preventing him from unleashing his Roar of Time once more. Palkia rushed in to try and get Giratina off his brother, but the Ghostly Dragon held him at bay by using Shadow Claw with his shadowy tendrils as well as lashing out with Dragon Breath to deal crippling damage as well as attempting to paralyze him.

Eventually, Giratina unwound himself from Dialga and sent him flying into Palkia with Dragon Tail, causing the two of them to crash into each other before they fell to their sides. The God of Antimatter began to laugh at their plight as they slowly pushed themselves back to their feet, ragged but still able to fight.

"...I don't suppose... You brought your Adamant Crystal with you," Palkia asked as he glanced at Dialga from the corner of his eye.

"No such luck... I despise that form anyway," replied Dialga, before glancing at Palkia. "What about you; did you bring your Lustrous Globe?"

Palkia scoffed. "I'd rather be caught dead than assume that grotesque form again..." He answered, giving off as much of a smirk as his face could muster. "I suppose we needed Father's help in the end after all, huh?"

"Maybe so... Even as the youngest of us three, Gorgon always was the strongest of us," Dialga admitted, reluctantly.

Palkia was about to make another comment when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "...What the-?" he muttered, prompting Dialga to look in his direction as well.

Giratina saw them look off to the side and followed their gazes, only to suddenly be bombarded in the face by a combination of Fire Blasts, Air Cutters and Beak Blasts, which caused him to recoil and growl in pain as he backed up instinctively.

"Bullseye!" one of Jake's men hollered as the Red Talons, Blue Cyclones and Blast Squadron all soared past Giratina after making their attack run. "Bastard didn't even see it coming!"

"For all the good it did. We barely scratched him!" one of the Blue Cyclones called back.

"That ain't our objective!" Jake interjected as they began to circle around for another attack run. "We just need to distract the big kahuna for our big guns to land the finishing blow on 'im! Now enough chirping! Get ready for another run!"

Giratina shook his head and cleared the smoke away from the fliers' attack run, turning and glaring at them as they circled around for another attempt. "Pathetic maggots...!" he growled as he prepared to fire a Dragonbreath at them. However, once again he was assailed from another barrage of attacks coming from his left flank, making him cry out and recoil from the attack.

When he was able to look over at his attackers, he saw Calyrex along with Tristan and Lashanne standing along with Zacian and Zamazenta. Giratina growled and turned to attack them next, but the fliers once more assailed him with another fly-by barrage to his exposed back to send him writhing away from the attack.

"What in-?" Dialga asked, "I had thought they would have fled. They stayed?"

"I suppose they couldn't stay out of the fight after all," Palkia commented.

"Uteeee!!"

From Giratina's other flank, Hizashi's army, along with Katsumoto, all unleashed torrents of Hydro Cannons that managed to send Giratina crashing into the ground - despite his resistance to Water-type attacks, the sheer volume all at once overpowered him and sent him crashing to the earth, creating large clouds of dust upon impact. From above, Kage and the rest of his brotherhood all appeared and unleashed Hydro Pumps down at Giratina to further keep him pinned, then vanished in plumes of water as the fliers made another pass, further peppering him with their bombing runs.

The Gods of Space and Time then saw Luminara appear in front of them, clad in her Blessed form; they tensed briefly, recognizing the power of their father and were shocked to see if being wielded by a mortal. Then, the other remaining Blessed appeared next to her, one after the other, in flashes of light - teleported by Mewtwo, surely. Sol, Luna, Minato, Ernoul, Hageshi and Wade lined up on either side of her, and with a wave of her arm, they all began charging up their most powerful attacks.

Both Sol and Luna combined their powers, summoning the effects of Bolt Strike and Blue Flare specifically to create their own versions of Fusion Bolt and Fusion Flare. Wade began form his Water Shuriken attack, then mixed in Palkia's Spacial Rend to create his Spacial Shuriken, while Hageshi used Glaciate to create the same Glacial Javelin attack he used during their battle against Kyogre. Ernoul channeled the power of Articuno to charge up a powerful Blizzard, the snow swirling around him as his eyes glowed a pale blue. Lastly Minato channeled all his power into the Crowned Sword, holding it high over his head as he readied the Behemoth Blade. Luminara shot overhead and held her paw toward the sky, creating many spears composed of divine light.

They all roared in unison as they unleashed their attacks, the Judgment attack hitting Giratina first before the rest of the Blessed attacks did, ensuring that he stayed down and guaranteeing direct hits from that point forward.

Giratina was really starting to feel the pain of the combined assault, especially after being hit by seven powerful attacks at once, but that only served to fuel his rage as he unleashed a primal roar, then fanned his spiky tendrils outward and unleashed large Dark Pulse that slammed into both armies, the Blessed, and even impacted Palkia and Dialga, albeit not doing as much damage, but still powerful enough to make them stumble.

"This... changes... NOTHING!!" he roared angrily, glaring spitefully at his brothers. "After I destroy you two, I will raze this entire continent to the ground!! I will slaughter any and all trace of this wretched Guild that governs this world, and then I will plunge this world into utter darkness for all eternity!"

'Captain Neilla. Now is the time!' Mewtwo telepathically contacted the Lopunny.

"Ready; do it!" Neilla replied.

In a flash, the Lopunny suddenly vanished, reappearing again behind Giratina. Shaking her head to reorient herself, she fixed her gaze on Giratina, and cast Foresight, the pupils of her eyes fading to white as it triggered. Giratina became outlined in a dim glow, barely noticeable even to him.

But noticeable enough; out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the shadow tendrils sprouting from his back had become more opaque. Sharply, he turned and saw the Lopunny standing behind him, only a stone's throw away from the dragonic god.

Realizing she had been discovered, Neilla muttered an "Uh oh," before she turned and sprinted away as fast as she could.

Giratina turned to give chase to Neilla as fled, but a shining light caught his attention and made him halt in his tracks. His eyes widened when he saw the Team Captains gathered, charging their most effective attacks. Romulus had been gathering as much dark energy as he could for a Dark Pulse, while Leon charged the most powerful Ice Beam he could muster. Volcan had a Focus Blast cupped in his palms while Luke, surrounded in his Aura Surge, had gathered an immense amount of Aura energy into his paws next to his husband. Last came Sickle, along with Kaen riding on his back as the Sceptile ran at the surprised Giratina.

As he got closer, Kaen swung around onto Sickle's front, the Sceptile holding him with one arm before Sickle leapt, bent forward, and the seeds on his back burst open, unleashing four powerful roots that snaked around Giratina's neck, gripping tightly as the pair swung around him. The two reptilian Pokémon bent their necks and opened their mouths wide, both firing a barrage of Dragon Pulses that bombarded Giratina as they swung around him.

After completing their circuit, Sickle shed the vines, and he and Kaen fell toward Giratina's back. Both wound back their arms, and delivered their respective Punch moves straight into Giratina's back; Focus Punch for Kaen and Drain Punch for Sickle; Giratina once more roared out as he felt both attacks hit him, surprised that either of them affected him. They were both Fighting Type moves. He was a Ghost-type. There was no way...

The wonders didn't cease, as the Swords of Justice rejoined the battle, charging at him with their Sacred Swords ignited. He had to retreat into Shadow Force to avoid them, all three skidding to a stop when their target vanished, and when Giratina reappeared, he was struck again. This time by an Aura Sphere, cast by Caulin to hit him in the side; as soon as he turned on the younger Lucario, a lightning-fast blur of yellow leapt at him from below, and upper cut him with his claws - a Slash attack, which also should not have worked on him, but he'd felt it, and the gouges in his mask proved it.

Then it hit him. The Lopunny from before. He had noticed her eyes were dimming when he caught sight of her. She had cast Foresight on him in order to render him vulnerable to Normal and Fighting-type attacks!

"You... filthy...!" He growled, shaking violently as he tried to throw Sickle and Kaen off of his back. But he didn't need to, as Sickle had already taken Kaen onto his back again and was running down the length of Giratina's body, jumping off him and still running away from him, with Koa doing likewise in the other direction, picking up Caulin and joining the Swords of Justice as they fled.

Giratina considered chasing them. Then he froze when he remembered that the other Captains were still a threat, and understood that this was likely the reason for their withdrawal. His realization though had come too late, as the Captains had all finished preparing their attacks. "No... Wait-!" he shouted.

"GO BACK TO HELL, GIRATINA!!" Luke roared at the top of his lungs, then he threw his arms forward and discharged his full power Aura Storm. The others all followed suit, unleashing their Focus Blast, Dark Pulse and Ice Beam immediately afterward. The three other attacks all melded into Luke's Aura Storm as it shot across the desert, combing the power of all four attacks as the beam barreled into Giratina.

The ghostly dragon let out a resounding, agonized roar as he was struck by the fused attack, easily getting blasted back toward the collapsed Nexus tower and further destroying it. The beam then exploded after a while of sustained fire, and Giratina was fell heavily to the ground at the foot of the damaged tower, letting out a long, pained groan.

"Lord Palkia!" Romulus barked, looking in the direction of the God of Space. "If you intend to send him back to his prison, now is the time!"

Palkia looked quickly at Romulus for a moment, then frowned and nodded in compliance before flying over to where Giratina lay. "With me, brother! They have given us an opening! Let's take advantage of it!" He said as he began to use Spacial Rend to open a gateway back to the Distortion World.

It didn't take long for the gateway to appear behind Giratina, who flinched when he saw his prison appearing behind him. "No!! NOOO!!" He roared, rising and attempting to rush at Palkia. "I will not let this happen!"

He almost made it to his brother, drawing back his shadowy tendrils intending to spear him with the clawed appendages. But Palkia and Dialga both struck him with a combined Dragon Pulse, stumbling him in his rush, and giving Palkia the seconds he needed to complete the gateway. A powerful force emanated from it, reaching out and grasping Giratina with unseen hands, pulling him toward it.

Giratina let out a resounding roar as he struggled against the pull of the gateway, turning and trying to fly away from it and even digging his tendrils into the ground to anchor himself. Eventually, his eyes found the Captains again, giving one of them in particular his most hateful glare.

"You!!" He snarled, getting Luke's attention. "Do not think this is the last you have seen of me, you cretin!! Mark my words, I will_come for you, and I will make certain that you suffer dearly for standing in the way of my rule!! The world as you know it _will be plunged into darkness, and nothing you do will-!"

"Hey, asshole!" Volcan's voice sounded as he ran at Giratina and sprang as high into the air as he could before he dropped toward him with his leg outstretched. "SHUT! UUUUUUP!"

The Blaziken landed a High Jump Kick directly on the metal headdress between Giratina's eyes, the force of the kick transferring through the gold into Giratina's head. The force of the blow was enough that Giratina, almost comically, crossed his eyes and lost his grip on the earth below; the six tendrils slid free, and he roared in horrified disbelief as he was sent hurtling toward the rift created by Palkia, tumbling through it and thrown back into the Distortion World that had been his prison for hundreds of years.

Volcan was nearly sent tumbling through the gateway himself, but Palkia reached out and caught him before the pull could drag him in too, cupping his hands around the Blaziken to protect him as he shouted to Dialga.

"Now, brother! Seal the gateway!"

"Back where you belong, Gorgon!" Dialga declared, his eyes glowing brightly as he cast the seal upon the portal and began to force it closed.

It took some effort on Dialga's part, but the gateway was eventually sealed away with a temporal lock before vanishing entirely, leaving no trace of its existence once the process was complete...

It was finally over... Giratina was once again sealed away.

"We... We did it...!" Luke gasped heavily, wearing a triumphant smile despite his exhaustion.

"We fuckin won!!!" Hank roared while laughing hysterically, throwing his claws up into the air.

The entire Calygrad army raised their weapons high, and together with their king shouted a collective "HUZZAH!", repeating it several times as the Royal Knights threw back their heads and loosed howls of triumph to the sky above. Hizashi and his forces all raised their weapons and let out unanimous cheers as they too celebrated the victory.

The Blessed all landed among their peers and joined in on the celebration in their own way. Luna latched onto both Sol and Wade, hugging each of them as tightly as he could. Sol tried to pull away from Luna as usual, while Wade embraced the Zangoose eagerly before eventually releasing him when Hageshi came over. The Greninja and the Samurott were silent as they stared at one another, then they both raised their arms and fist bumped one another, allowing smiles to appear on their faces.

"Not bad... You brain-dead idiot," Hageshi said with a small smirk.

Wade smiled more back at his rival in response. "Back at you, you stubborn toad..."

Both Palkia and Dialga approached the celebrating Pokémon, with the former gently setting Volcan back down onto the ground next to his comrades so he could join them, then turned his attention to his Blessed, the two sharing a thumbs up with each other. The captains were all greeted by their respective teams, sharing in the praises of their victory.

As the celebrations carried on, Volcan dropped onto his hindquarters to catch his breath, resting his hands on the sand as he stared up at the sky. He could hardly believe that after so many long months of fighting... It was finally over. Calhoun was gone, the Crusade was defeated, and Giratina was once again sealed away where he could no longer pose a threat to the world.

They had saved the world... And to top it all off...

Volcan suddenly began laughing. For a while no one noticed it, but eventually he caught the ears of his teammates - Lashanne first of all, who eyed him curiously until the others noticed where she was staring and saw the captain chortling happily.

"Uh... Captain?" Tristan asked, "Ya hit your head too hard or what?"

"No, nothin' like that, Tristan."

"Then... Mind sharing with the class what you find so funny?" Lashanne asked.

"Because I've got one hell of a story to bring home to Ignus," he said, and chuckled again even as he went on, "I just kicked a god in the freakin' face..."

They all stared at him for a moment longer, then Minato began to crack first, snickering a bit before he too started to laugh hysterically at Volcan's claim. "That's what you're so excited about?" he asked in between chuckles. "My god, you are so simple sometimes...!"

"Hey, sometimes being simple is the best thing," replied Volcan, before he let himself drop onto his back and shut his eyes as he lay on the sand. "One thing's for sure... I might never leave our bed again when we get home," he glanced at Luke as he said this.

"I share that sentiment..." Luke said as he limped over to Volcan and collapsed right next to him, groaning in exhaustion as he lay next to his husband, snuggling up against his side. "...I think we deserve a loooong vacation once we get home... and I think I know just how I'm going to spend mine." He added, smiling at Volcan while gripping his hand in his paw.

"Me too, love... And I think we damn well earned it."

Dialga was smiling as he watched the ongoing celebrations, discreetly reaching out with his mind to another - to the only other person who could hear him regardless of distance. 'You were right about that Blaziken,' he said, his eyes on Volcan as he spoke. 'Your former son-in-law married a rather interesting young man.'

From his blessed, Dialga had the sense that he was giving a hearty chuckle, followed by a sensation of pride. 'Yep. He certainly did.'