TEEN: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Guiding Light (Vol. 2)

[namohysip]

Alright, now for the Viral Infection episode. Getting started off, we’re definitely getting into the actual plot now, with our first sight of Zero. I was a bit confused at first, because the initial introduction of Zero made me think she was some sort of enigmatic nebula with an eye, but here, it looks like she actually has some sort of tangible form. And based on some authors notes, it’s something bipedal and… armored? I guess that’s the right word, heh.


We have a clear start to this episode, too. Using Sylveon and Eevee as bait. Espeon and Umbreon—but particularly the former—seem quite unnerved by Zero, and her reference to owning them and getting them “fair and square” makes me think that the two had some sort of Monkey’s Paw deal with Zero. Curious. But I guess we’ll see where that goes.


---


In “A Paradox to Unravel” and then “Fearsome Frozen Hazards,” I think this is the first time where Espeon and Umbreon have demonstrated themselves as, well… I don’t want to say devious villains, not quite yet, but at least very good Saturday Morning Villain peons. Their less-than-stellar treatment by Zero solidifies this, of course. They have at least demonstrated themselves as a proper threat this time, doing a real number on Shane and Tessa, so I feel like I can finally take them seriously as a genuine problem for the group.


I’m noticing a bit more kinship between the pair, which is good. Null’s mask continues to be an issue, but I’m wondering what they made the stuff out of for it to still be solid after all that combat and swinging, considering it already has a crack in it.


Next up, “Heart of the Entercards” –terrible pun, by the way, I’m both impressed and disappointed. This was basically a giant boss battle—Dual Flunky Boss, in fact. I’m pretty sure Shane reference that at least twice. And, for what it’s worth… good job on showing the real struggle at the team of three being totally outclassed, yet still pulling out a win with a combination of wit and eleventh hour superpowers!


I notice in your author’s notes that you said you cut out 1.5k words from this chapter. Goodness, I’m worried how long it was, because this battle went on for a LONG time. I think it could’ve actually been streamlined a bit further, actually. If you want some concrete examples, with the broad strokes, I’d generally follow good game design when writing out a boss battle—don’t repeat phases, because it feels like padding. So, I believe there were… two instances of summoning Necrospheres? Perhaps combine the impact of them by only having one of those. And I believe the ‘Eons went through two healing phases as well? Maybe if there was a way to cut those down to one as well… hmm… I don’t know, it’s tricky. I see what you were going here in terms of a crazy and drawn-out struggle, but it’s a little more on the drawn-out side.


Speaking of which, I feel like Null was a bit… underpowered here? I don’t know. I have it in my head that the guy is a powerhouse compared to Shane and Tessa, but he feels underutilized. Is he slower? Yeah, he’s probably slower. That’s my guess on why he wasn’t quite as useful as I thought he’d’ve been—either that or you’re trying not to have him totally carry Team Radiance, heh.


In any case, looks like Shane may or may not have freed the two from the Prism Virus’ control? Either they were strong enough to withstand it, or Z-Moves are the cure. I’ll have to wait and see for what the truth is. Considering your boasting elsewhere about your treatment of Eeveelutions, though, I have my doubts Eevee and Sylveon are fine.


---


So, I actually don’t have much to say about the 2018 Halloween special. It was fun! It had basically nothing to do with the plot except to provide some background to one of the “extra” guild teams as of this point in the story, but I thought it was still a fun read. And the scene where they used their spooky scary ghost powers (going the ultra-ethereal route, I see) to beat a bandit into submission was fun, too.


---


Now, on to Zero Sum Gain. I’m going to put the spotlight on Zero for this chapter, because it was absolutely focused on her to begin with. So! I actually wasn’t quite expecting Prisma to actually BE Zero in this instance, but yep, that’s definitely the case. And that explains the weird getup, too, since of course a human would be aware of that sort of culture to begin with. Her nonstandard attacks are pretty interesting, though without really knowing what they do, I’m not actually able to gauge their power or if she’s holding back, or what. And if she’s holding back, why. It seems like Dragonair in particular genuinely fazed her.


And I was right, the two Eeveelutions indeed didn’t make it, though it seems like Umbreon and Espeon came along instead, somehow. I’m still pretty sure that the Z-power is the cure, in a way. I’m gonna combine this with the Valentine’s Day episode, too, because I feel like the reveals there tie in somewhat to this one—in that… goodness, you certainly threw down a lot of cards here, didn’t you? We now have explicit confirmation on who Necrozma is as well as who Zero is, though the how and why has yet to be seen. I suppose, thinking about it a bit more, it was a good way to put things, but I’m still startled at how quickly that particular card came about. You’d think there’d be a bit more buildup there! The Aura Sphere was a great hint. I would’ve personally kept it at that at first and then revealed it more explicitly later. But what’s done is done, and it’s really a nitpick at this point. All the big players are from the human world! And also Shane.


The penultimate chapter of this episode was the first cooldown, so I’m wondering exactly what’s coming up for the final chapter of the episode! This breather, I don’t have a whole lot to say. I’m kinda surprised that the Guild was quicker to accept the ‘eon duo compared to how they were with Shane in episode 7. But that being said, I found the whole talk interesting, but I’m wondering what’s going on with Zero merely talking to them.


A theory for me, based on what she’s done, is that she has a bit of an innate awareness of the darkness in the hearts of others, and she either amplifies that or uses that to exploit their inner weaknesses. Because in general, I don’t think that it’s very realistic for Umbreon and Espeon to do as they did “on their own volition” without either master psychological, ‘mind-reading’ awareness of their selves, or simply amplifying their darkness outright.


And now that final chapter was an interesting bit. Happening all over the place, isn’t it! There were five things that really stood out to me in this chapter, some good, some less so. I’m gonna get the bad ones out of the way first—


I know that this is a matter of taste, and I somewhat saw this coming after your meta talk in other areas and general implied spoilers, so I know this is going to happen again in chapters already published, but I don’t think it’s good practice to “show off” villains by unceremoniously killing or otherwise “jobbing” past powerful, canon characters. This applies to original works as well (such as the protagonist of a previous installment of a series being killed off / losing easily to a new foe, etc. to show off how strong / evil the new threat is, or for no real extra purpose beyond that.) but it seems to be particularly prominent in fanfiction.


So while I was overall very interested in the dynamic between Zero and Necky (more on that later), I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the unceremonious defeat of Team ACT of RT fame. Killing off / whatever it is that Zero does to canon characters that otherwise hadn’t been super relevant to the main plot is just bad taste. Do it too much, and I stop caring altogether, because either it’ll be fixed in the end because of how devastating it would be otherwise, or the fic will be so unnecessarily dark toward the source work that I can’t help but feel like it’s an insult. I know it’s a bit of a far opinion, but it’s just a weird narrative choice. I was wondering when it was going to first happen, but here it is.


Next up, the interaction between Lugia and Latias—while cute—was a bit hard for me to get fully invested in due to something you mentioned to me a while back about Special Episode 2. I don’t really know these guys all that well, but I’m seeing a massive emotional dissonance despite that. That being said, I think this is a very, very minor point compared to the one mentioned above, and I still got the feeling across, even if some of the dialogue was a bit on the nose for what I imagine was for the sake of expositing their relationship (and the relationship with the other Legends) a bit more.


Next up… I was hoping that by the end of this episode, I’d have more of an idea on Zero’s approach to “converting” subjects. Unfortunately, I don’t think that has been made clear to me, and while I have some theories on the matter, I’m concerned that they haven’t been made more clear. A large number of your key characters show signs of being psychologically fragile, and this becomes egregiously more noticeable when faced with pressure of some kind. I feel like Zero got to Dragonair way too easily, just as I mentioned before about Espeon and Umbreon.


At the end of episode 8, I think it’s because Zero is in tune with the darkness of their hearts and can amplify it to make them act, well, too vulnerable. But that wasn’t said explicitly, and without that, I’m left with the worry that your character just are like that, which… oof. So I’m giving the benefit of the doubt here that Zero has a bit of a cheat system in play to make them so weak before converting them, presumably with those shadowy Poké Balls that mind control them further. Otherwise, if it’s just natural psychological warfare… that’s pressing my suspension of disbelief really far. If it’s indeed a cheat system, I feel like it might be worth expositing that during the Zero/Necky scene a little, even if it’s just one or two lines, or something. I say this doubly so because you’re writing in third person omnipresent, switching easily from one psyche to another at the tip of a hat.


Okay. Despite my rambling about the negatives, I want to make it clear that, despite its faults, this chapter was very strong—and this episode as a whole is your strongest one yet, I’d argue. The flashback… dream…? that Shane had was very interesting—and we finally see how Prisma is somehow related to all this in the human world, too, though I’m not sure why Necky had to get rid of Shane before he even became a Vulpix. I’m gonna keep that on the backburner, since I know that’s an incoming answer.


I really appreciated the interaction between the two villains in general, though. It’s an interesting sort of dysfunction, and I’m curious on their exact circumstances, since there were little references to it. Overall, that’s definitely the highlight of this episode—getting to know the villains a little better. I think more happened in this episode than the past 7 episodes combined, actually, and I’m glad for it. Let’s see where it’s going from here, eh?


Despite the fact that it’s starting to “get good,” I might take a break from reading the next episode until they’re fully edited in a few weeks (I think? not sure how long it is) and use that time to catch up on some other one-shots and stories in my backlog. I can ask you in private about other preferences from there now that I’m reaching a tipping point in my caught-up-ness, at least as it’s posted on bulbapedia.


So, after I do all that, I’ll be looking forward to reading the next episode!

 

[Ambyssin]

Apologies for the, uh, lack of progress. Between busy work hours and my health and mood trending downward, I haven't had the time to revise any chapters. So, in the interim, here's a piece for Valentine's Day.

Also, apparently the forum switch has Markdown enabled by default, which officially messes up some of my stuff. If anyone can tell me how to turn that off, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Content advisory: this part has an early scene depicting physical abuse.
​

XxX

Bonus: Of a Feather

Sky Tower​

Blustering winds rushed toward Latias. She formed a protective pink bubble, but the wind prevailed. It blew her back. She watched emerald bricks give way to a misty sky. Latias managed to steady herself. She brushed askew feathers out of her eyes.

"Pathetic."

Latias flinched. She cautiously floated back toward the roof of the tower, where Rayquaza sat coiled up, a scowl on his face. "You call that a Dragon Pulse? I barely felt a thing!" he spat. "This is a Dragon Pulse!" He tilted his head up, opened his mouth wide, and unleashed a gigantic blue beam with a dragon-like shape to it. Clouds split apart. Latias looked away.

"I… I'm trying my best. Please stop yelling me. I can't concentrate when you do that," Latias squeaked tucking her arms into her chest.

Rayquaza thumped his tail against the ground. "Grow a backbone! You're a dragon, for pity's sake!" He snorted tufts of dragonfire. "Our spirits burn brightest under pressure, so that's exactly what I'm doing. Otherwise, you won't learn." He shook his head. "Of course, we've been at this for weeks with no progress, so maybe you're just a lost cause."

"I… I…" Latias wilted. "I'm sorry. But every time you put me under pressure, I keep thinking back to…" She shuddered.

Wind blades grazed her right wing. Latias squealed in fright and shrank back. Rayquaza hovered into the air. "Listen to yourself. How utterly disgraceful!" he growled, serpentine body weaving around. "You are a dragon god! A lesser god, sure, but you still share a type with the most important immortals on the planet! But you…" He clenched his tiny fists. "You're besmirching us with your blatant cowardice!"

He slithered through the air, his golden eyes flashing red. "Running from Dark Matter. Trying to get help from Celebi — that worthless insult to Dialga's splendor — of all Pokémon," he said. "You're a disgrace to dragons the world over! I'm trying to salvage what little I can from such a waste of power." He uncoiled, stretching up so he towered over Latias. "Now, attack! I don't want any more excuses, only results!"

Air currents swirled around Rayquaza. Latias' wings drooped. Her heart was beating so fast it made her head hurt. She tried concentrating on her spirit, begging for some sort of spark to manifest. Latias thought about Rayquaza. If she could pull this off, maybe she could shut him up. Latias opened her mouth. Blue energy crackled in the back of her throat. She exhaled as hard as she could, but all that came out was a small blue beam. Rayquaza blew the beam apart with a single gust of wind.

Rayquaza turned his back to Latias. "This training was a mistake. You're unteachable. A total lost cause." He sank down toward the tower's roof. "Get out of my sight."

"W-Wait, Rayquaza, please…" Latias sped toward him. "I'm sorry! I know I'm not doing what you want, but I'll try harder! Please, I have to learn how to defend myself better."

"I told you to leave," Rayquaza growled.

"But—"

Rayquaza whirled around, eyes blazing. A fiery V had formed on his forehead. "Disobedient cur!" he snarled. Rayquaza rammed the V into Latias. An inferno scorched feathers off her body. She slammed up against a nearby pillar. Latias' eyes bugged out. Intense pain gripped her right wing, the likes of which she'd never experienced before. She spat up a mouthful of saliva, then screamed at the top of her lungs.

Latias crumpled to the ground. Her right wing lay useless at her side. The bones were shattered. Her paws trembled. The closest she could manage to normal breaths were panicked hiccups. Her heart beat became fast and thread. Tears filled her eyes, blurring the ugly, blistered patches of flesh where her feathers had burned off.

Rayquaza snaked around so he was at eye level with Latias. "Turn off the waterworks. There's no one around to feel sorry for you," he hissed. "Besides, you know recover. Heal yourself." He raised his head up. "When you're done, leave this place." Rayquaza spun his tail in a circle. The clouds surrounding the tower vanished, revealing the Air Continent far below. "I don't ever want to see your face here again. If I really need you, I'll send for you. But, let's face it, that won't happen."

His words barely reached Latias. Her ears were ringing. Searing light filled her vision. She tried to move, but white-hot pain flared up in her wing.

"Unbelievable. Look at you. We're Pokémon. We hit each other with attacks. It's been that way since the beginning. Quit this nonsense and begone!" Rayquaza barked.

With a muffled squeal of desperation, Latias drew on her psychic powers. She squeaked in pain multiple times as she hurriedly channeled energy into her wing. The mending process wasn't perfect. Her wing had awkward bends to it, but it was enough to snap her out of shock. She shakily rose to the air, only to sputter downward. Rayquaza grew further away while the mountains and forests of the Air Continent grew closer, though they were a mess of colored splotches in Latias' tearful vision.

Latias could barely keep herself flying straight. She knew she didn't have the strength to get back to the Water Continent in her state. Latias drifted down, wobbling as she struggled to keep her levitation up. She managed to find a tiny beach at the base of a rocky cliff. It was here she collapsed by the edge of the ocean, curling up into a ball. Sobs wracked her body.

No matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking about Rayquaza. His harsh words. The fierce glare in his eyes. And the searing pain his V-Create left her in. Latias burst into a fresh round of tears, unwilling to move. She could feel Latios' presence in the back of his mind. There was an air of desperation trickling into her thoughts, but she couldn't muster the energy needed to activate her sight-sharing. She didn't think she even wanted to.

"Hey… hey! Good gracious, what happened to you?!"

Latias heard splashing, followed by the squelches of wet feet on the sand. She didn't have the strength to roll over. Even her ESP was too weak to pick up the life energy of her visitor. All she felt was the loss of warmth from something blocking the sun's rays against her back.

She squeaked when a wing draped over her. Her wing stung from salt water dripping onto her burns. Latias tried to scooch through the sand, but couldn't. In the process, she caught a glimpse of the newcomer.

"L-Lugia? What are…" Latias flinched. "P-Please pull your wing away."

Lugia did as instructed. He frowned. "You're Latias, right? What happened to you? This is not okay. You're an absolute mess! Can you move? How hurt are you?"

"Not so loud, please," Latias said, wincing. Lugia shrank back. "I… I'm okay. I already healed off the worst of it. I'm just… waiting until I've got enough strength back to use Recover again."

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I'm not sure I believe you," Lugia said, brow furrowing. He spread his wings out. "Were you attacked? Is there something dangerous lurking around the area?" Lugia glanced skyward. "If I remember right, we should be right under Sky Tower. I can fly up and get Rayquaza. He can—"

"No!" Latias shouted, loud enough to make Lugia hop back, fluttering his wings in surprise. "I… I mean… there's no danger. I've been… in the middle of this stupid training, that's all. It's supposed to strengthen my dragon-type attacks. But I didn't do it right, so it blew up in my face… literally."

"O-Oh. Um, okay," Lugia said, not buying Latias' claim but unsure if he should press any further.

"What are you even doing here, anyway? Don't you live in the Sea of Wonders?" Latias said, shifting about in the sand.

"Kyogre ordered me to come to the Air Continent and redistribute some of the ocean currents. It's, uh, a bit complicated to explain in depth," Lugia said. He realized his bad pun a moment later and laughed nervously, rubbing his neck with a wing. "A-Anyway, it's not so bad. I've got a second home of sorts in Silver Trench. Nobody can bug me there." He shook his head. "But that's not important. You need to get healed up. Why don't I fly you home?"

"P-Please don't," Latias said, a bit louder than she intended.

Lugia frowned. "Why not? You can't just stay here in your condition. There could be wild Pokémon lurking about and they won't have any qualms about going for wounded prey."

"I'm sorry. Really. I just… I can't go home right now," Latias said. Lugia prepared to reply, when Latias cut him off with, "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay." Sighing, Lugia turned toward the ocean. "If you're staying here, then so am I."

"Huh? B-But what about the currents?" Latias said, fiddling with some sand grains.

"I already finished redirecting them. I was on my way back to Silver Trench when I sensed your energy," Lugia said. "Look, I'm not forcing you to do or say anything, but what kind of god would I be if I left you out here in such a vulnerable state?"

Latias could tell his mind was set in stone. "Okay, but I might not be much for conversation."

"That's fine. Just rest up. Get your strength back. I'll make sure nothing bothers you," Lugia said. He waddled over toward Latias, then sat down in the sand beside her, draping his wings over his legs.

Latias shut her eyes and, before she knew it, she fell asleep. It was a dreamless slumber. One that ended when her eyes fluttered open to the sight of a half-moon's rippling reflection in the ocean. She felt sore, but it wasn't as bad as when she first arrived on the beach.

"Oh, good, you're up."

"You're still here?" Latias said, slowly lifting her head to find Lugia on her right. Three berries sat on his thigh. Latias couldn't make out what types they were.

"I said I'd stay with you." Lugia levitated the berries toward her. "Here. Figured you might be hungry."

She was famished. Latias wanted to devour the berries, but the burns on her neck made it hard. She took small, methodical bites instead. "Thanks," Latias whispered, rubbing juice from her feathers. She shakily hovered into the air.

"Hey, are you sure you should be doing that?" Lugia asked, getting to his feet. "Shouldn't you try using Recover, first?"

"It's easier when I'm floating," Latias replied. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her ESP. Latias pulled psychic energy from her spirit's core. She gently pushed it across her body. The blisters and burns faded. Her feathers grew back in. "Okay. Done." Latias wobbled in midair, but steadied herself. She lowered herself to the sand so she could catch her breath.

"You can go now. I'm all right," Latias said, waving a paw. "My brother's probably worried sick, so I really should be getting home."

"Are you kidding? That Recover looked like it took a lot out of you. I don't think you're in any fit state to be flying home." Lugia looked around. "Err, wherever that is."

Latias winced. He had a point. She also didn't want him to worry. "Well, like you said earlier, I can't stick around here forever." Latias scratched her right ear. "I suppose I could contact Latios and ask him to meet me here." She looked up. "He's not a huge fan of flying in the dark, though."

"I think you should do it, anyway. I'd offer to take you with me to Silver Trench, but…" Lugia gestured out toward the ocean. "I get the feeling you're not fancying a swim."

"A solid guess," Latias said, surprised there was a giggle in the back of her throat. Lugia smiled at her, happy he could offer a bit of levity. Latias sighed. "Okay, you're twisting my arm here, but I guess I can contact Latios."

In truth, she didn't want to open the mental link because she feared getting an earful from Latios. Nevertheless, she concentrated. Her head tingled. After a few seconds, she sensed a familiar presence in the back of her mind.

There you are, sis! Do you have any idea what time it is? I've been trying to get a hold of your for hours!

Latias winced. Latios somehow sounded even more panicked than she imagined. I'm sorry, big brother. I needed to take some time to myself, she said telepathically.

And you couldn't have told me that? I thought you were supposed to be training with Rayquaza. I was about to go to Sky Tower and get to the bottom of things before you called, Latios said.

Training left me too exhausted. I didn't have the strength to fly back home, let alone use our mental link, Latias said.

Did… did something happen during your training? Latios wondered.

Yes. Rayquaza and I had a… disagreement. We won't be working together anymore, Latias said, sidestepping the heart of the issue in the hopes her brother wouldn't pester her. I'm still resting up, so I was hoping you could come to me and help me fly home.

Is there something wrong, sis? You sound pretty out of it. What exactly was this "disagreement" about, anyway?

Latias tucked her head into her chest. I don't really want to talk about it right now. Are you willing to come find me in the Air Continent or not?

O-Of course, sis. I'm just worried about you, that's all. I mean, you were the one who was adamant about getting Rayquaza to help you in the first place, Latios said. His nervousness made Latias' mind tingle. Her feathers stood on end. Lugia noticed this, but remained silent. He pretended to preoccupy himself preening his feathers.

I appreciate the concern, but it's fine. Here, let me sight-share my location, Latias said, reaching deeper into her psychic reserves. Her eyes turned bright blue. I'm on the northwest coast of the Air Continent. Lugia's here, too. She turned to look at Lugia. He happened to be in the area and offered to keep me company.

Oh. That's, um, generous of him, Latios said, his energy receding somewhat from Latias' mind. She frowned, but didn't press the issue. Okay. I'll head over there, now.

Great. Latias released the mental link and exhaled. "Latios is on his way," she announced, stretching out and resting her head on a sand mound.

"That's good." Lugia brushed sand off his wings. He lay on his side, then clumsily rolled onto his back. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what's the training about, huh?"

"Hmm?" Latias blinked. "Oh, uh, it's… a bit embarrassing, honestly." She traced a claw through the sand.

"I'm not here to judge or anything," Lugia said, propping his head up with his wing.

Latias squirmed. "Err, sorry. Your question was a bit… out of the blue. It's, uh, been a while since anyone's actually, y'know, taken an interest in my life," she said. "Besides Latios, of course."

"Ah." Lugia looked down. "My bad. Wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable. I just thought some small talk might help you relax a bit more." He frowned. "But I picked a sore subject, didn't I?" He shook his head. "Bet you can tell I don't get out much."

"I can relate," Latias said, then wondered if she should've kept that thought to herself. They lapsed into silence. Lugia kept glancing at Latias. She sensed his desire to help, but there was clear trepidation. Latias could tell Lugia was worried about upsetting her. Sighing, she curled her head and neck right so she could face Lugia.

"I've been training because of the whole, y'know, Dark Matter fiasco. Latios and I were the first of the gods turned to stone," Latias explained. "And we, well…" She shuddered. "We didn't hold up well in the Voidlands."

Lugia promptly got up. "Oh man. I'm so sorry! I really wasn't thinking when I asked." He smacked his forehead with his wing. "Wow, I must look like the biggest idiot in the world."

Latias didn't say anything to refute him. At the same time, she didn't protest when Lugia got up and approached her. He lay down on his belly beside her, tilting his head to make eye contact. "Are you and your brother, um, okay? Like, have you been holding up all right?" Lugia asked. When Latias didn't immediately respond, he added, "You don't have to answer that, if you don't want to."

"Relax. I'm… thinking, that's all," Latias said, heart fluttering from sensing Lugia's intentions were pure. "It's been… rough, to be honest. I keep replaying the moments before Yveltal turned big brother and me to stone over and over in my head. All I can think about is how… powerless I felt." Her ears drooped. "I wanted to make sure nothing like that could happen again… hence the training."

"But it doesn't seem to be going very well for you," Lugia pointed out. "Don't you think it might be better to try working with someone else?"

"I—" Latias stopped herself. "I tried. We both tried. Latios and I had joined Team Go-Getters for a time, but…" She shook her head. "They were so much better than us, despite not being gods. The missions they took were too stressful. So, we parted ways. I keep in touch with them, sure. But it's been… oh, gosh, a couple of decades, at least."

"Team Go-Getters…" Lugia tapped a wing-digit on the ground. "Wait. They're the ones who helped stop the natural disasters, right?" Latias nodded. "Ah, yeah. That was…" His voice trailed off. "Mom had to deal with out-of-control currents. All while her life force was fading."

Latias' eyes widened. "I'm sorry." She bit her lower lip, wanting to add something but fearing it sounded selfish. However, she ignored those worries, since this gave her the chance to bring up a similarity. "I can understand how you must've felt back then. Latios and I… our parents had passed about a month before the disasters started," she whispered. "We weren't hatchlings, per se, but we were young. I mean… we're still young. And I feel even more useless now than I did back then."

"That's why I think you ought to train with someone," Lugia said, inching his left wing toward her. "We may be gods, but we're still Pokémon. We grow fastest by battling one another, don't you think?" He rolled over onto his back. "Heck, I'm going to start training with Rayquaza soon. Want me to ask him if you can join?"

"No!" Latias shouted. Lugia flinched, startled by the volume. "I, uh… he's too scary for me. I don't really think I'd learn well working with him," she said, her voice so soft Lugia had to lean in to hear her.

"Ah. Yeah, he does give off a real intense vibe. But that's why I think I can learn a lot from him," Lugia said. "Still, I don't want to hang you out to dry or anything." He tapped a wing-digit against his belly. "Say, why don't we work together?" Lugia sat up, smiling. "Yeah. I can take some of the things I learn from Rayquaza and do them with you. Only, y'know, without his whole super-harsh demeanor thing."

"Y… you would really do that, for me?" Latias gasped. "Outside of today, we've barely interacted. We hardly know each other."

"That can change. I mean, we've already got some stuff in common. We're both psychic-types who lost our folks when the natural disasters hit. And we're young lesser gods worried about being able to make a different in the world," Lugia said. He extended his left wing toward Latias. "Personally, I'd really like to see you again under better circumstances. So, what do you say?"

Latias looked at Lugia's wing. She stuck her paw out and touched one of his wing-digits.

"I think I'd like that."

XxX​

Lugia corkscrewed through the air, then shot a translucent, orange Aeroblast beam from his mouth. Latias squeaked in fright. She ascended. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she strafed clear of the attack.

"Nice! I think that was a bit faster than last time," Lugia called, slowing down and hovering in pace with steady beats of his wings.

"You think so?" Latias asked.

"Well, I wasn't counting seconds or anything, but it sure seemed like it," Lugia replied, throwing in a chuckle for good measure. He flew up until he was level with Latias. "Okay, now let's try Dragon Pulse."

Latias shrank back, fiddling with her claws. "I… I don't know. It's just not clicking for me, Lugia," she whispered.

"Hey now." Lugia offered her a reassuring smile. "Remember, there's only one rule in Lugia's School of Basic Training: no using the c-word."

Latias tilted her head to the side. "Clicking?"

Lugia nearly fell out of the sky in disbelief. He frantically flapped to regain altitude. "Aha ha… ha… no, I meant 'can't,' but you didn't actually say it, did you?"

"Maybe you ought to get all that saltwater out of your head. It's clogging up your brain," Latias said, giggling.

"Okay, ouch. If you're going to burn me like that, then you'd better back it up with a nice, powerful Dragon Pulse." Lugia spread his wings wide, switching to telekinesis to levitate in place.

"I… I don't know," Latias mumbled.

"Don't psych yourself out before you're even tried it," Lugia said. He flew toward Latias. She flinched when he gently draped a wing over his neck. "Okay, so, how about a pointer? The key to maximizing an attack that comes from your throat isn't just to, like, breath out really hard, it's to let the energy concentrate. You've gotta feel a strong tingle in the back of your throat before you do anything," he explained. "I know. I can't actually use Dragon Pulse, but it works for me with my Aeroblasts."

He backed away from her and spread his wings out again. "Come on, hit me."

Latias' wings drooped. "Do I really have to?"

"If you don't, I'm going to go on the offensive again," Lugia threatened. Latias frowned. Sighing, Lugia tapped his chin in thought. "Surely we can come up with something to make this work. Hmm. Maybe you're having trouble because you don't want to hurt my gorgeous face." He grinned cheekily. "Pretend I'm someone you don't like, then. How about Rayquaza?"

Latias tensed. She flashed back to her last moments on Sky Tower, paralyzed in fear as Rayquaza charged her down, a V-Create flaring on his forehead. Her breath came in ragged gasps.

Lugia frowned. "Hey, Latias, you doing okay?"

"Gah! Stay back!" Latias shouted. She flung a pink Mist Ball, that sailed wildly to her right and exploded over the ocean in a burst of fog of fog. Latias doubled over, shivering.

"Hey!" Lugia flew over to Latias. "What happened? Your energy's fluctuating like crazy." He frowned. "Aw, man, did I upset you by bringing up Rayquaza." He covered his face with a wing. "Damn it, that was so stupid of me."

"It's fine," Latias said, her voice shaky. "I… I'll try the Dragon Pulse."

"You sure? We can call it a day, if you'd prefer," Lugia offered.

"I want to do it," Latias insisted, her expression sharpening. Lugia backed away, a worried look on his face. With a deep breath, Latias again imagined Rayquaza floating in place of Lugia. This time, a spark of anger flared in her belly. Per Lugia's instructions, she pushed that spark toward her throat. A tingle spread up toward the room of her mouth. Latias thought she was about to sneeze.

Instead, she exhaled. Not hard, but gently. Her eyes bulged as a large, blue, dragon-shaped beam zigzagged toward Lugia.

"Whoa!" He flapped his wings once, thinking it enough to push him out of the way. However, the Dragon Pulse struck his right wing. Lugia pulled his wing in. He dropped from the sky, landing in the water with a big splash.

"Ah! Lugia!" Latias squeaked. She raced down toward the water, only to screech to a halt when a sudden thought hit her. Latias' brow furrowed. She drew on her psionic sense and found Lugia's energy right under the surface of the water. Latias opened her eyes. The water had settled, so she could just make out Lugia's white feathers.

Calling on her telepathy, Latias said, You know, I can sense you down there. Whatever it is you're planning, I'm not falling for it. She floated higher in the air, crossing her arms despite Lugia not being able to see her.

The water spiraled below her. A twister sprang up from the depths of the oceans. Gasping in surprise, Latias backed away. She could see Lugia's glowing blue eyes looking back at her from within his Whirlpool. On instinct, Latias hurled a Mist Ball forward. She was so worried she had upset Lugia, she didn't notice how much larger this Mist Ball was compared to the others.

Lugia's Whirlpool bent right. The Mist Ball sailed past him. Latias shrank back. "I-I'm sorry I hit you Lugia! I wasn't expecting it to be that strong. P-Please, cut it out. You're scaring me!" she cried.

Instead of sending the Whirlpool into Latias, Lugia dispelled it. Water splattered her from above, drenching her feathers. Latias grunted her annoyance. Before she could say anything, Lugia closed the distance.

"That was your best Dragon Pulse yet!" he chirped, raising a wing. Latias stared back at him blankly, blinking rapidly to keep salt water out of her eyes.

"Wait. You're not upset?" she asked.

"Of course not! The Whirlpool was just a harmless trick," Lugia replied. "See, Rayquaza said that, when you're in a battle, you can't expect your foe to always play fair. You've got be ready for anything!"

Latias puffed her cheeks up. "You jerk, you nearly scared my spirit out of me," she growled, craning her neck to bite the tip of Lugia's wing.

"Yow! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset," Lugia said, wringing out his wing. "You knocked me into the water, so I wanted to get even." He bit his lip. "Besides, that Mist Ball you threw out was something else. I don't think I've ever seen you make one that big before." Lugia extended his right wing toward her again. "How about we call it a day. Truce?"

"Okay. Truce." Latias hovered forward and nudged Lugia's wing with her snout.

In response, Lugia enveloped her in a hug, then dove down into the water, taking a yowling Latias with her. He broke the surface a few seconds later. Lugia lay on his back, with Latias on his belly, and let the tide carry him in. Latias was too dumfounded to react. She lay there, dead silent, until they reached the shoreline and she slid into the sand.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," Lugia said, chuckling.

Pouting, Latias floated into the air and shook water off her feathers. "Ugh. Great. Now my feathers will be all sticky from the salt. Hope you're happy," she whined.

"Aww, c'mon. It's not so bad once you get used to it," Lugia said, flicking water off his wing in Latias' direction. She caught the droplets with her telekinesis and threw them into the sand. Lugia maintained his goofy grin, until Latias' pouting expression fell apart and she descended into a giggle fit.

"Stop making that face," she said between laughs.

"This face?" Lugia pointed a wing-digit at himself. "Sorry, I can't just turn this thing off. I'm just handsome all the time."

Latias laughed so hard she snorted. Her eyes widened and she tucked her head into her belly in embarrassment.

"See, you're laughing!" Lugia sat up, smiling. "I told you I could make training fun. It took a few months, sure, but we finally made it."

"I'd hardly call this training," Latias scoffed, having calmed down from her case of the giggles.

"Why not? We buffed up two of your attacks today," Lugia said. Latias prepared to retort, but Lugia held up a wing. "Lemme guess, you're gonna dismiss them as one-time things, aren't you?" He shook his head. "That's why we come back and do this again, tomorrow."

Latias' expression wilted.

"Something wrong?" Lugia asked, his smile fading.

"Tomorrow's not going to work for me. Actually, I'm not really sure when I'm going to be free these next couple of weeks," Latias said, tapping her claws together.

Lugia lumbered to his feet. "What do you mean by that? Did something happen to your brother?" he wondered.

"No. It's… um…" Latias winced. "It's personal."

"Latias, you're making me nervous, here. How am I supposed to respond to that?" Lugia said, voice ripe with worry. "I'm your friend, remember? If there's anything I can do to help—"

"Latios and I are joining the Expedition Society tomorrow," Latias announced, squeezing her eyes shut. When Lugia didn't respond, she added, "Y'know, the exploration group in Lively Town?"

"I thought being on a rescue team stressed you out," Lugia said, waddling toward her.

"It did, yes. But, well, Latios really wants to do it. He thinks it can help us both get stronger… and feel more fulfilled with our lives," Latias explained, running her claws through her damp feathers.

"If it's strength he's worried about, why don't you let him join us? I'm happy to work with him, too," Lugia offered.

"My brother's tired of living in isolation. He wants to be with other Pokémon. And I, um, kind of do, too," Latias said. "Why do you sound so worried about this?"

"Well, like I said, I don't want you to stress yourself out again. I just want you to be happy," Lugia said.

"And I want to support my brother. Besides, the team that recruited us, Team Gaia, are the ones who stopped Dark Matter. They've even got Hoopa on their team, so we're in familiar company, so to speak," Latias elaborated.

Lugia frowned. "Hoopa? Okay, now I'm definitely worried. I've heard he's a bit of a jerk. Mother always said to stay clear of him if I knew what was good for me."

"You're trying awfully hard to talk me out of this. Could you at least let me try and see how things go?" Latias said, her patience slowly wearing thin. "Latios explained my… delicate attitude and situation to Team Gaia. They seemed very supportive. I don't think I'm going to have any problems."

"I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I'm concerned, that's all. I don't want you to, like, get taken advantage of or anything," Lugia said, sticking his head up. "What if the Expedition Society's just going to use you to, I dunno, get more money or whatever it is normal 'mons need?"

"Uh, hello? I'm an empath, remember? Don't you think I would've been able to sense something like that?" Latias said, ears twitching. "Look, I do enjoy hanging out with you. I don't want that to stop. But I'm ready for some changes." She floated closer to Lugia. "You're the one who's given me the confidence to agree to do this. So, could you please just wish me luck and drop it. I promise… I'll come visit you at Sea Shrine the first chance I get."

Lugia shuffled backward, tucking in his wings. "I'm not, like, upset or anything. I'm only looking out for your best interests… because you're my friend."

Latias tensed. Her pupils dilated. Memories of Rayquaza towering over her bubbled to the surface.

Don't you dare question me. I'm doing what's best for you! Now, shut up and listen to me!

"No! You don't know my best interests! I do!" Latias shouted tucking in her head and shaking it.

Lugia took a hesitant step back. "Why are you shouting, Latias? All I said was—"

"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do!" Latias thrashed her head about. "I tried it your way and it didn't work, so let me do what I want!"

"What are you talking about, Latias?" Lugia asked, spreading his wings out and walking toward her. "You need to calm down. I can't understand you."

"I… I…" Latias picked her head up. She blinked a few times, then look down at Lugia. Her eyes watered.

"Latias, what's going on? Is there something you're not telling me?" Lugia said, brow furrowed.

"I-I'm sorry, Lugia. I just… spaced out," Latias said, trying to put the conversation to an end.

"That wasn't a space out. It was a freak out." Lugia extended a wing toward her. "It's okay. You can tell me what's wrong."

"N-No, I can't," Latias blubbered, tears trickling onto the sand below her.

Lugia frowned. "But I want to help."

Rayquaza again flickered into existence behind Lugia. He leered at Latias. Squealing, Latias hovered back.

"You can't help me! Nobody can help me!" Latias shouted. "I tried to get help. But Rayquaza… he…" Her voice trailed off.

Lugia tensed up. "Wait, what did Rayquaza do?"

Latias eyes widened. She hadn't intended to say that out loud. Latias glanced at Lugia, then sped off, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Latias, wait!" Lugia cried, but she was already too far away for him to catch up. His wing fell to his side and he bowed his head.

XxX

Expedition Society Headquarters​

"And this is the room we've arranged for you two. I hope it's to your liking. If you ever need us, our room's at the other end of the hall."

Latios bobbed his head. "Thanks, Braixen. I'm sure will have no trouble settling in."

"Relax. Take your time. Mission requests have been on the slow side these past few days, so I don't think you'll need to be up at the crack of dawn to run anywhere," Braixen said. "Or, I guess, fly anywhere." He chuckled. Beside him, Bayleef rolled her eyes, then playfully slapped Braixen's shoulder with a vine. "Okay, okay, I admit it. That one was too corny," he said, rubbing his shoulder.

"I'll say. Hoopa could heat that joke over a nice campfire and have a big enough popcorn supply to last him all month," Hoopa said, spinning one of his rings around his thumb.

"Right. Anyway, we'll leave you two alone," Braixen said. "Although, doesn't really look like you've got any bags that need unpacking or anything."

"Actually, I was hoping to take another look at the Pokémon Nexus. Would you mind if I went upstairs?" Latios asked.

"Not at all. We can go with you. Right, Bayleef?" Braixen looked at Bayleef, who nodded.

"Meh. Not interested. And don't even think about asking Hoopa to help wake Jirachi up," Hoopa said, tossing his ring back onto his horn. He reclined in midair, resting his head against his hands.

"Dully noted, Hoopa," Braixen said, sighing and rubbed the bridge of his snout. He beckoned Latios to follow him down the hallway.

Latios paused and looked back at his sister. "Hey, sis, you coming?"

Latias, who was staring blankly at her new room's lone window, snapped to attention. "I, uh… I think I'm going to stay here," she said. Latias waved halfheartedly at her brother and floated inside the room. She floated toward a straw bed, ignoring the yellow and light-blue walls, small brown table, and a note with several sets of pawprints on it. Latias curled up on the straw bred, sighing.

"So, how long do you plan on keeping him in the dark?"

"Huh?" Latias picked her head up. Hoopa floated in front of her, laying on his side in midair with his head resting on his right hand.

"You've been staring at the ground and sighing this whole time. And your wings were drooping for most of the tour. Hoopa didn't think Latios was acting like there's anything wrong with you, so Hoopa figured he must not know." Hoopa turned over so he was lying on his belly. He tilted his head to the side. "Why are you bottling everything up, huh? You get in a fight with your boyfriend or something?"

"What? I don't— there's nobody like that in my life," Latias said. She turned away from Hoopa, but he hovered around.

"Oh? You and Latios aren't—"

Latias looked mortified. "We're twins. I thought you knew that already."

"Hoopa did. Doesn't stop some 'mons," Hoopa said, smirking. "You ever hear of Espeon and Umbreon? The Magnagate researchers? Hoopa's worked with them. Hoopa knows they're lovey-dovey." He tapped his hands together and made kissing noises.

"Well, it's not like that with me," Latias growled. She tried tucking her head under her ring, but one of Hoopa's ring portals appeared right in front of her face.

Hoopa grinned at Latias through his portal. "Oh, Hoopa gets it. You fought with your girlfriend, then."

Latias squealed and hovered into the air. "Quit it, Hoopa! I don't have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or friends. I'm just a nobody, okay? Leave me alone." She sank back onto the straw bed.

Hoopa pulled a paper plate out of a ring portal. It had a frowny face crudely drawn on it. Hoopa held it up in front of his face. "Not until Hoopa can turn that frown upside down." He rotated the plate around. Latias responded with an annoyed huff. She tucked her head under a wing again. Hoopa rubbed his brow and tossed the paper plate back into his ring. "Sheesh. Tough crowd," he whispered.

"Look. Hoopa doesn't want to see a fellow god down in the dumps in like this." Hoopa pulled a scroll out from a ring portal and unfurled it. He levitated it toward Latias. "You're an explorer now. And one of the rules we follow is that smiles go for miles!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to talk about," Latias said, digging her head into the straw.

With an unamused look, Hoopa rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back in his ring. "You're really yanking Hoopa's horns here. If you're not going to let me help you, then I suppose I'll have to tell the others that you're feeling blue and need to be cheered up. Then you're really gonna get peppered with questions. Hoopa supposes he could read your mind, too, while he's at it." He shrugged.

Latias' head shot up. "You wouldn't!"

"Hoopa's bosses can tell you Hoopa is always serious," Hoopa said, puffing out his tiny chest and trying to wear a serious expression.

"Okay, fine." Latias figured the sooner she fessed up, the sooner Hoopa would be out of her feathers. "I did have a fight with a someone yesterday: Lugia. He's my—" She cut herself off. "He's been helping me train. I told him that I was joining the Expedition Society and we… had a difference of opinion about it."

"I can't stop thinking about it. I totally blew things out of proportion. I want to go apologize, but now that I'm here, I don't know when I'm going to have the time," Latias continued. "That's why I'm bummed. So, are we done here?"

"Yup! And don't you worry. Hoopa has a solution!" Hoopa declared.

Latias cocked her head in confusion. "I didn't ask you to help."

"Consider it Hoopa's welcoming gift." Hoopa winked at Latias, then tossed a ring portal open and flew into it, leaving Latias lying on her bed, a confused look on her face.

XxX​

"Knock knock! Hoopagram!"

"Gah!" Latias shot up and bumped her head on the ceiling. "Ow, ow!" she squealed, drifting toward the ground and rubbing her head. "Nnnrgh… Hoopa, what was that for?" She spun around and found a ring portal in the doorway of her room. Hoopa's head was sticking out of it.

"Hoopa's got a special delivery," Hoopa said, chuckling.

"Of what?" Latias asked.

"Of you!"

Latias squeaked in surprise as a second ring portal opened up beside her and dragged her in. Her world went white for a split-second, then she found herself in the middle of a damp cave. Old, crumbling pillars surrounded her. A pool of water sat on a ledge across from her. Lugia stood on the ledge, shuffling nervously.

"Lugia?" Latias blinked. "I'm in the Sea Shrine, aren't I?" She glanced to her right and found Hoopa leaning against a pillar. "What did you do that for?"

"Because I asked him to," Lugia said. He hopped off his ledge and glided over to Latias. Lugia landed in front of her.

"Oh." Latias drifted back, tapping her claws together nervously. This was her first time seeing Lugia since their spat a few weeks ago, but the impromptu nature of the meeting left her at a loss for words. "I, uh—"

"Don't tell me you're sorry," Lugia cut in, holding up a wing. "You have nothing to apologize for." He looked down. "It was my fault things got out of hand the last time we were together."

Latias raised a skeptical eyebrow. This wasn't how she had expected things to go down. "Um… I'm not sure I follow," she said, opting to feign ignorance and see where Lugia was going.

"I know about what happened. What Rayquaza did to you," Lugia said, curling his tail around his right leg.

All Latias could manage to say in response was a raspy, "How?"

"Hoopa came to see me. He told me how badly our argument had made you feel. We talked for a bit… and he helped me realize that I totally missed the signs that Rayquaza had done something bad to you," Lugia explained, wincing. "I went to Sky Tower to train with him and, while I was there, I took a glimpse at his memories." His eyes narrowed. "I saw what he did to you and I—" He shook his head. "My blood boiled."

"I knew Rayquaza wasn't the nicest guy, but Mother always looked up to him and said I should, too. He's so powerful… I wanted to be strong, like him," Lugia continued, looking away in shame. "I never thought he could be such a total jackass. You have no idea how badly I wanted hurt him, but…" Lugia shut his eyes and bowed his head. "I mean, you've seen it first-hand. Rayquaza's too strong. I could never stand up to him."

Latias shuddered. Her mind filled with memories of that final training session and the pain it brought her. "I guess… now you know why I was so skittish when we trained together," Latias whispered, wings drooping.

"I'm so sorry I didn't realize it sooner," Lugia croaked.

"Don't be. I kept silent… because I knew you looked up to Rayquaza. I didn't want to ruin your perception of him," Latias admitted, shaking her head. "But I guess I only made things worse by doing that, huh?"

"Let's not focus on that. It's in the past," Lugia said, offering her a wing. Latias drifted backward. Lugia withdrew his wing, frowning.

"So, are you going to keep training with Rayquaza?" Latias asked.

Lugia shook his head. "I may not have stood up to him, per se, but I did tell him that I was done training with him. I, uh, lied and said I'd gotten what I'd wanted out of our sessions," he said.

"What happened when you told him that?" Latias wondered.

"He looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'Well, if you're happy spending the rest of your days in mediocrity, then I guess we're done here,'" Lugia replied, sighing. "Eventually, I'm going to have to work with him in some capacity. Y'know, to help keep the world safe. Doesn't mean I have to enjoy it, though."

"Right," Latias whispered, still fidgeting with her claws.

"Look, Latias, I'm really sorry I gave you so much flak over joining the Expedition Society." Lugia rubbed his neck. "The idea of living in a crowded town with a bunch of 'mons doesn't sit well with me… and I guess I projected that onto you." He exhaled loudly. "But, well, it sure would be a waste to lose you over something so silly. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of what you're doing, I want to support you."

"You really mean that?" Latias said, hovering toward Lugia.

"I do. I think you're kind, caring, and pretty funny, even when you don't intend to be," Lugia said, stepping forward. Latias lowered herself to Lugia's level. "I imagine this new job will keep you busy, but I'd love it if we could keep spending time together when you're free."

Latias heart rate picked up. She thought back to the day she encountered Lugia on the beach. How her heart fluttered when he took an interest in her, even though she dodged his questions. "I, um, would like to keep seeing you, too," she whispered.

Lugia smiled. "Nothing would make me happier." He turned to Hoopa and nodded. Hoopa opened up a ring portal beside Latias.

She looked skeptically at it. "O-Oh. Am I going back already?" she asked.

"Only if you want to," Lugia said. "Otherwise, I wanted to show you something."

Latias' heart beat even faster. She leaned in toward the portal, only to back away when it flashed white. A pair of goggles floated out, with red, tinted lenses and a silver-white band. They hovered in front of Latias.

"These are for me?" she said, reaching out and gently taking the goggles in her paws. As she turned them over, she found the Expedition Society's logo etched into the goggle frame.

"Yeah. Hoopa put me in touch with Jirachi." Nervous sweatdrops ran down Lugia's neck. "He, uh, did all the work, I guess. But I gave him Silver Wings to make the band." He lifted up his left wing and flapped it slowly. "Consider it a gift to help you make the most out of your time as an explorer."

Latias repeatedly turned the goggles over in her paws. She levitated them in front of her face. "Why goggles?" she asked.

"Well, you can fly pretty fast, but I imagine it must be hard to see where you're going. Plus, if you're looking to get stronger, then sooner or later you're going to give Mega Evolution a try. I figured the goggles could help you deal with the increased speeds Mega Evolution brings," Lugia said, shuffling about. "I know, it probably seems silly, but—"

Latias sped forward and embraced Lugia. It happened so quickly, he couldn't help but squawk.

Hoopa applauded them. "D'aww, how adorable. Hoopa gives his compliments to the happy couple."

"W-We're not a couple!" Latias stammered, backing away from Lugia. She dropped the goggles, but managed to catch them with her telekinesis. Latias slipped them around her neck. Her feathers prickled.

"We could be, though," Lugia said, drawing a wide-eyed look from Latias.

"Th… that's a bit impulsive, don't you think?" Latias said, trying to compose herself even though her mind was egging her on to agree with Lugia.

"Maybe it is," Lugia said, shrugging. "But what can I say? I love you. I love spending time with you. I want us to make memories together… when you're not off exploring, of course."

"I don't know. I'm… I don't think I'm ready for something like that. I've never given any thought to having a mate… and I have no idea how Latios would respond," Latias said, fidgeting with her new goggles.

"A mate? Oh, no, no, no." Lugia held up his wings and shook his head. "I'm not saying we have to take that leap. I'm certainly not ready for that." He took another step forward. His head was right in front of Latias'. "I'm talking about courtship, that's all. Y'know, hanging out together, except there's the option of, like, kissing or snuggling or something."

Lugia looked away. "I know you went through a lot with Rayquaza, so I can understand you'd be… hesitant. But I'm willing to take things at whatever speed works best for you," he said. "We're both still young by lesser god standards, right? We've got time. Time we can use to get to know each other even better. If it doesn't work out, I'm happy just being your friend. But if, in a few months or years, we're both comfortable enough to move things forward, then we can."

"So, uh, what do you say? Would you like to take a chance?" Lugia asked.

Latias considered his proposal. Though she was a bit nervous, she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed spending time with Lugia. And, if they took things slow, she could figure out how to fit him into her life while supporting the Expedition Society.

Satisfied, Latias leaned over and pecked the tip of Lugia's beak. "I would," she whispered, nuzzling his cheek with her own.

A warm smile spread across Lugia's face. He wrapped Latias up in an embrace and returned the nuzzle with one of his own.

"Regardless of how this turns out, I'll always try to have your back," he said.

XxX
​

I like to think this is lighter and softer than last year's Valentine's special. I hope it turned out all right.

 

[namohysip]

What a strong start! I was a little worried that you were going to slip back into a bit of nothingburgers for a little while after all the craziness that happened last chapter, even if you had some cooldown at the end anyway. But no! Straight to the next part—very good! This is a wonderful change of pace compared to the first few episodes, and I like that things are moving along. I’m certainly interested in what’s going on with Null, and while I have my theories as of reading the first chapter of this episode, I’m not going to make any calls (beyond my Hohenheim joke way back) until I get a bit more info.


One thing that I think was a bit of a stumbling block here, though, was the pacing of revelations. I’m not sure if you had trimmed down the chapter or not in your editing process, but it seems like two key reveals were met with little pause, and it felt a little weird to read.

"So, I'm going to ask again. Are you telling me the truth? What's really happening to you? Am I really talking to Solgaleo or an impostor?" Shane stared out at the water, but received no response.


Then, out of nowhere, he heard clapping. It was slow and quiet at first, but it gradually grew in speed and intensity. Shane tensed up. "W-What's going here?" he gulped.


"Heeheeheehee! Bravo, little human. No, really. Take a bow. You deserve it! That was quite the impressive deduction," Solgaleo's voice gleefully exclaimed. "I'm talking A-plus, gold star, grab the magnet and put it on your refrigerator levels of impressive."

"And we think the reason he was created was… to kill gods."


Null's legs gave out. He scrambled to keep himself from collapsing on his stomach. His fur prickled.

Both of these instances—particularly the second one—felt like they didn’t quite have as much emotional buildup toward the person who would be most impacted by the revelation—Shane for the first, and Null for the second. It’s kinda awkward to do as third person omniscient, particularly for Null who, as far as I can remember, didn’t have any direct perspective before. But I feel like a narrative pause during these parts of the scenes could have helped to let it sink in. This is especially true because these are two pretty big reveals/confirmations for the characters involved in a single chapter! Wonderful for keeping a high pace… but pretty rushed for depicting the impact, I think.


That aside, and despite how much I said on the matter, it’s more or less just a nitpick on how it was handled. I like what’s going on regardless.


The second chapter of the episode is an interesting one that I can divide into two spots—one is Gallean, and some subtle (and explicit) reveals that he is indeed under some kind of corruption, but is being… restrained / dare I say, suppressed in some way to keep him sane and “lucid”? Very interesting take there, and considering Prisma’s state, I wonder how that’s going to go down. Braviary and Metagross are obviously hiding something, and it’s almost painful that the other Guildmates are playing along with it, but I guess I’ll chalk that one up to appealing to their authority.


I think this is probably the first time you’ve ended a chapter off on such a powerful cliffhanger, though. Rocks fall, Espy gets… crushed? If I didn’t know from future spoilers that she somehow turns out okay, I’d’ve been going straight to the next chapter! Even though I’m out of time at the time of writing this…


This episode just keeps getting better. Bomb after bomb is getting dropped, this time on Silva—I mean, Null! It looks like I was at least partly right about him—he really is some sort of Hohenheim of the Pokémon world. I didn’t expect the Unown bit, though, but it makes sense to me. The theory that they’re remnants of Arceus’ thousand arms, though, now that was interesting.


I’m noticing something a bit odd about these past few scenes, and I’m not sure if it’s always been like this, or if I’ve just become more aware of it. Some of these battle scenes have fairly rigid narration. “Espeon did X,” “Shane then did X” and so on. I definitely understand the need for quick sentences for something so fast-paced, but for some reason it felt almost formulaic at some points.


I also found the scene after Null got chained to be a bit strange. Everything with Porygon and the exposition projection was all fine and dandy—perhaps the most interesting piece of the whole chapter—but the fact that Null was presumably screaming through it all was… odd to think about. I know he’s in a berserk state and all, but I feel like Tessa would’ve put up more of a fight to try to help calm him. I wonder if he’s gonna call them out on that or not.


I don’t have much to say about the Valentine’s special that was just posted (where it wound up seems to vary from platform to platform, but this is when I read it) but I really enjoyed it! Sure, it’s another non-plot chapter, but as a one-off, it was nice and feathery. And I actually learned about a few things not to do if I want to depict a certain character a certain way for my own work, so that’s an added bonus specifically for me.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Hi! I'm here with a review!

CHAPTER 10

Shane teared up. "No, I won't believe that. There's gotta be a way to free her. She can't… she can't be dead! B-Because… if… if she is… then that means…" He tucked his head into his chest and squeezed his eyes shut. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "… it's my fault." He resumed pushing against the rock with renewed vigor.

Shane displays a surprising amount of tenderness towards a Pokémon that was working against him for so long. And he seems the type to hold grudges. I guess he always thought Espeon and Umbreon were the good guys, but still. I can't help but wonder if this affection towards her is kinda instinctual? I can't really blame him for being impulsive here, though. These days, he's especially sensitive to things that he thinks are his fault.

He found himself staring not at Espeon, but a battered Lunala. She lay curled up in a ball much as Espeon did, letting out wheezing gasps.

"Hang on!" Shane felt himself shout. "Lunala, you've got to stay with me. I'm gonna force this Reviver Seed down and try something with Morning Sun. Don't you die on me! I can't lose you!"

Now this is... certainly interesting. With Espeon resembling the sun more, its connection to Lunala seems strange on the surface. But then again, Espeon's been working with Lunala, so... :V Maybe Shane's having another Solgaleo/Lunala flashback, just not while in a dream this time.

"Can either of you read this?" Tessa asked. She poked her digits together and looked down guiltily, muttering, "I know what Unown language is, but never learned how to decipher it."

"Oh, yeah. I can read it. It's super easy," Shane chirped, drawing bewildered looks from the girls. "Like this line on the top here. It says: 'God Killer Unit: Schematics.'" A beat followed, then Shane's eyes widened. He looked back down at the paper. "Wait. 'God Killer?' Th-this is—"

I always like the idea of Unown language/script being used in fanfics. More importantly, the Null laboratory reveal itself isn't the most original thing, but the tension you write here is perfect, and so is everyone's reactions to all the information - especially Null's own reaction. He wanted answers all this time, but probably nothing could've prepared him for this...

Ears need basic sonar functionality. See Noivern for working demonstration.

Steel-plated jaw to bite the toughest Pokémon hides imaginable. Examine Tyrantrum specimen for good reference!

The reference notes are also a really nice touch, especially when you remember how Null's just constructed out of what look like random body parts.

Golem shut his eyes and shook his head. "Ho-Oh was saved by two other gods, Solgaleo and Lunala. However, they saved Ho-Oh at the cost of their lives." He clenched his fists. "Somehow, their deaths led to the loss of light from the world. No sunlight. No moonlight. The sky is awash with a strange, twisted vortex reminiscent of what lay in the Voidlands. Perhaps this is the 'greater power of the void' at work."

I see how Ho-Oh's relevant a bit more now, at least in the context of this story. It fits together rather well.

Tessa's aura feelers shot up. "This can't be. Null's really… a bunch of Unown?"

"Yes, I agree, Sigilyph. We must ensure the Unown's hive mind tendencies don't create obedience issues," Golem said, nodding. He tapped his claws on the table. "I believe there's a solution to this. The Unown are a hive mind, so we simply need minds with stronger wills to counteract them. So, we should infuse the God Killer with memories from Pokémon that have already passed to the spirit realm."

Welp, and there you go again, adding another, bigger original twist on canon ideas. Seriously, Null's origins are creepy enough without all this added in, haha, but these extra layers of depth are really welcome; I like them a lot.

"Well, yeah. I mean, Golem's clearly off his rocker," Shane said. "But there's also something else to it. The part about the spirit realm really chaffed my tails."

Poor Shane. I wonder why that is? ;P It just occurred to me that I don't remember if Shane knows he's dead or not... I don't think so, and I can't imagine him reacting well if/when he finds out.

So, Musharna will extract those memories. We will use them to construct the God Killer. And then, we will incorporate her spirit into the God Killer, so that it can recognize these alien auras… and dispose of them properly."

Well, this explains why Null attacks Shane at times - because of his Solgaleo aura. I wonder if he'll make the connection when things feel a lot less overwhelming.

Null responded with a primal scream. He sank his bloody beak into Golem's hide. Golem cried in pain. Null hefted the rock-type into the air and hurtled him directly at Porygon2. The footage went askew as, presumably, Porygon2 fell to the ground.

"I said… turn it off!"

Null's probably not doing himself any favors by turning violent in front of everyone as the truth comes out; it'll only prove Team Captivate right. It'll be interesting to see if the guild turns divided on whether or not to continue accepting him as a member after learning all these secrets.

BONUS: OF A FEATHER

"Listen to yourself. How utterly disgraceful!" he growled, serpentine body weaving around. "You are a dragon god! A lesser god, sure, but you still share a type with the most important immortals on the planet! But you…" He clenched his tiny fists. "You're besmirching us with your blatant cowardice!"

Dang, Rayquaza's harsh. I get the idea of tough love, I guess, to push 'mon beyond their boundaries... but it never works, especially not with someone who has Latias's personality. Anyway, Rayquaza's meanness is portrayed well, and even though his presence is pretty brief in this bonus, you can tell just how much his aggressive demeanor affects Latias in the long run.

"I suppose I could contact Latios and ask him to meet me here." She looked up. "He's not a huge fan of flying in the dark, though."

I feel so attacked :'v

"Say, why don't we work together?" Lugia sat up, smiling. "Yeah. I can take some of the things I learn from Rayquaza and do them with you.

This isn't a shippy quote, but I thought around here that I didn't even consider shipping these two till now. How did this happen?!

"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do!" Latias thrashed her head about. "I tried it your way and it didn't work, so let me do what I want!"

It appears Latias is suffering a bit from PTSD or something of the like. I can see why Lugia would be thrown off by her outburst, but from the perspective of the reader, you characterize Latias so well that the outburst feels natural.

With an unamused look, Hoopa rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back in his ring. "You're really yanking Hoopa's horns here. If you're not going to let me help you, then I suppose I'll have to tell the others that you're feeling blue and need to be cheered up. Then you're really gonna get peppered with questions. Hoopa supposes he could read your mind, too, while he's at it." He shrugged.

How mischievous. Perfect for a Hoopa, haha.

"Hoopa came to see me. He told me how badly our argument had made you feel. We talked for a bit… and he helped me realize that I totally missed the signs that Rayquaza had done something bad to you," Lugia explained, wincing. "I went to Sky Tower to train with him and, while I was there, I took a glimpse at his memories." His eyes narrowed. "I saw what he did to you and I—" He shook his head. "My blood boiled."

Well, that's one way to learn the truth without confronting Rayquaza directly. I do this Lugia had to be a little dense to not realize sooner, though; I thought the signs of disliking Rayquaza were pretty darn strong. And I don't mean just from a reader's perspective here, but just observing how Latias's dislike was physically expressed through body language and her tone of voice when speaking to Lugia. Oh, and wanting to change the subject often.

"Yeah. Hoopa put me in touch with Jirachi." Nervous sweatdrops ran down Lugia's neck. "He, uh, did all the work, I guess. But I gave him Silver Wings to make the band." He lifted up his left wing and flapped it slowly. "Consider it a gift to help you make the most out of your time as an explorer."

Aww, this was a super cute idea. <3 And now I ship 'em even more. A nice and sweet V-day special, indeed!