The void between universes, the thin line between reality and dreams. A place of nothingness that few could access, let alone live in. If one were to make their way through the dark emptiness of it for an extended period of time, they would no doubt be driven insane out of solitude.

Good thing, then, that the concept of madness did not apply to MissingNo. He was something outside the realm of the living, the chaotic, personified remnant of a dead timeline, one who thrived out of the misery and suffering of others. For him, the void between universes was the place he called home, somewhere to come back to between his trips in the world and timelines around him, and occasionally drag people in for his amusement. And that was right where he was, observing several rifts showing various events from his most preferred reality, far removed from each other in both time and space.

Taking his second-favored, 'Bird-type' form of a purple-feathered bird of prey to keep himself comfortable, MissingNo. yawned visibly. He didn't need to do it, in truth, but in the face of the latest events, he really needed a way to show it. For a being not bound to linear time and able to experience all the past, present and future at his own pace, it was always a dice roll if he would encounter interesting events or just be bored out of his mind.

It had been a while since something truly interesting happened in the world below: for the most part, it felt like the world's growth had slowed down to a crawl, barely anything intriguing happening and with even his favored topic, Ash Ketchum, constantly being trapped in a tedious romantic resolution that would be easily solved if they actually bothered talking. The whole universe was in a rut, getting sickeningly idealistic with every small development, and he really disliked that. Where was the tragedy? Where was the chaos, the unpredictable and slow spiraling of things going out of control?

That situation could not stand. Something needed to be done to put the world on the right track.

What MissingNo. didn't know was that he wasn't the only one with that idea in mind.

"How pointless."

The sharp, cutting tone of the unfamiliar voice snapped MissingNo. out of his fugue, letting him hear a woosh flying towards him. He turned, and ducked away in shock as a creature resembling a pixelated, deformed Bulbasaur passed overhead, exploding as he failed to connect. The bird frowned, trying to make sense of the unusual occurrence.

"Who is...?" MissingNo.'s answer went unasked as he finally noticed the uninvited guest now in front of him, frowning. His face, build and young age was reminiscent of a form he has occasionally used, yet the greyscale colors it was dyed in and the pixelated flickering surrounding the presence betrayed its unnatural origins.

"Ash Ketchum...?" the glitch still asked, before shaking his head. He placed a wing on his beak, narrowing his gaze. "No... you look different. More chaotic. More..."

"Like you." The creature's voice was unwavering, not quite emotionless, but hardly welcoming. And coupled with the exploding Bulbasaur from earlier, that didn't send the best introduction to the glitched bird.

MissingNo. steadied his position, ready to unleash his powers. "What are you?"

"You can call me ZZAZZ." The 'boy' extended his arms, which flickered into static before reforming back in place. "A glitch in the system, something that should've never existed."

That was the confirmation MissingNo. needed. His frown grew wider, way too many possibilities running in his head. "I was aware that others like me could exist... but how...?"

"I have to thank you, actually." ZZAZZ allowed himself to smirk this time, chancing a look to the reality windows currently open behind the older glitch. "Every time you interacted with the world below, every time you forced your way into the fabric of reality, no matter how small, you created ripples, perverting its structure. And in that space... I was born."

"Oh, so I'm pretty much your dad." The glitch chuckled, his body relaxing just a bit as he turned around, wing raised in salute. "Well, son, I think you should leave me be, I have much-"

Another woosh. MissingNo. was just quick enough to spray a double serving of Water Gun on the incoming Bulbasaur, the glitched out Pokémon detonating at a safe distance.

"Hey!" the bird snapped, glaring at ZZAZZ. The glitched out boy said nothing, but the several explosive Grass-types starters surrounding him still made his intentions quite apparent.

Realizing the threat, MissingNo. raised both of his wings, ready to strike. "If you want to play this game, have this!"

His Water Guns manifested again, firing a stream of glitched out energy rather than liquid, aiming squarely against his kin. ZZAZZ remained impassible, simply waiting for the attacks to hit. Inches away from being struck, he snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, MissingNo.'s attack was no more, completely disappearing as if it had never been fired at all.

MissingNo.'s eyes went wide. "What the...?"

"Figures. You never had to deal with enemies matching your power," ZZAZZ commented, observing his own hands experimentally as he walked closer to MissingNo., his little troop of exploding Pokémon following along. MissingNo. quirked an eyebrow at how ZZAZZ continued to observe himself as he approached; perhaps he wasn't yet used to his own powers? Was that something he could turn on his advantage?

Nonetheless, he couldn't afford further carelessness. "What do you want?" the older glitch asked, ready to defend himself as he assessed the situation further.

"To correct things." ZZAZZ stopped inches away, looking over the doors to reality right next to MissingNo., showing trainers from Kanto, wild Pokémon from Johto, lost legends from Galar and everything in between. He scowled in disgust, turning away from it to stare through MissingNo.

"You are a failure. You could do anything you wish with reality, yet you're content with trying to cause misery indirectly. You could be a true deity, yet merely harass people of no value."

"I have tried to get humans to worship me once. Didn't pan out well." Even in that situation, MissingNo. rolled his eyes, quickly matching ZZAZZ's stare with one of his own. "Controlling things is boring. Chaos and misery just give spice to life, you know."

"We are both remnants of what should've been. And our reality is nothing but a hollow, flawed imitation of the previous one. It must be voided, to remake it in our own image."

The younger glitch pointed towards his kin. "And to do that, I'll need your power."

"You're not making very compelling arguments, pal." MissingNo. spread his wings again.

ZZAZZ's gaze turned sharper, a grin on his lips. "This is not an offer."

Suddenly and without warning, ZZAZZ threw himself on MissingNo., the younger glitch managing to pin down the Bird-type in spite of the lack of physical floor. The older glitch felt a jolt travel through his body as ZZAZZ dug his fingers in his feathery skin, his whole body glitching out and shifting between his guises as his opponent pushed his powers inside him.

MissingNo. screamed, his whole body flaring up as if it were on fire, convulsing in pain as he tried to get ZZAZZ off his body. He tried to focus, to plan a counterattack, but his thoughts were confused, his head empty, his whole body consumed by his enemy's energy. He felt his feathery arms numb, and as he turned there, panic settled in: his entire body was glitching out, dissipating into nothingness, and any attempt to regenerate them was not working.

He kept trying to think of what to do, yet, what he found were thoughts not of his own. ZZAZZ grin grew wider, and MissingNo. knew where they came from.

He saw lands of all kinds slowly disintegrating into nothingness, no Pokémon or human strong enough to counteract the void of emptiness, leaving behind a vacuum devoid of any life. Emptiness as far as the eye could see, any house, terrain, and object slowly disappearing as well, truly shedding all that made the world below livable. And at the center of it all was ZZAZZ, undisputed lord of all of creation.

That was his dream, his goal, and his ambition. And as he destroyed and absorbed MissingNo., that would be his reality.

"Can you feel it? This is the power you can wield! The true extent of our kind's abilities!" Gone was the unflinching, stoic tone of the younger glitch, replaced by righteous arrogance and the most devious smirk MissingNo. had ever seen. "And it will all be mine for the taking!"

MissingNo. had no witty retort, his form constantly switching in and out as his body faded away into non-existence. He needed to find something, and quick!

He tried and tried, but as his wings were reduced to mere stubs, still no plan came out. He was powerless, stuck down on the ground, pressed on nothingness…

And then, suddenly, an idea sliced through the pain, and his eyes went wide again. He had no idea if it could work, but there was no reason not to try. Feeling victorious, the older glitch laughed raucously.

ZZAZZ's smug grin fell off, replaced by a quirked eyebrow. "What? Did you lose it in your final moments?"

"Oh, nothing, I just remembered a thing." MissingNo. threw his feathery stumps up, almost reaching for ZZAZZ's own hands. "Do you know why I don't interact directly with things all that much?"

The older glitch grabbed ZZAZZ's arms, holding onto them tightly. The shocked, blank expression of the younger glitch was something MissingNo. cherished.

"Because it makes us tangible and vulnerable!" Powerfully, MissingNo. grabbed onto ZZAZZ and shoved the glitchy boy off him, using all of his strength to send him flying overhead, away from him, slamming onto the closest thing to a wall in their endless space. The exploding Bulbasaurs tried to get to him in response, but the glitch managed to roll to safety as they all detonated away from him, leaving the bird able to happily look above, where ZZAZZ currently was, the glitchy boy's body stuck between several portals.

Becoming physical and interacting with matter had always been his one greatest weakness, something he made sure to resort to only in situations when harm couldn't come to him. He was lucky that his gamble paid off and the rule still applied in the void between universes.

The older glitch smirked proudly as the younger glitch's body started to divide, each and every fragment of his existence scattered through space time, his whole existence ripped apart and absorbed into the timeline below, weakening him.

Yet, ZZAZZ still grinned through his predicament.

"You are really a fool." He grinned once more. "It doesn't matter how much time it takes, I will win. And you just made it possible!"

This time, it was ZZAZZ's turn to laugh without a stop as the last of his essence fell apart, his frame glitching out and disappearing into nothingness as all of his fragments left for the world, leaving MissingNo. alone as he always had been, observing the windows to the universe once more in silence. He should've been happy to have solved the problem, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

MissingNo. stood still, turning to his stumps as he finally slowly managed to regenerate his feathery wings, pain still enveloping his body. It had been brief, but that was the first time he ever recalled feeling pain.

If he had learned anything about himself and creatures like him, it was that they were hard to die. Even fractured in several pieces, ZZAZZ was bound to cause trouble. Especially if he also wasn't shackled by linear time. Someone like this would've definitely manage to destroy the whole universe if given the chance to, with those powers to reduce things into nothingness. And that would only make his boredom grow larger.

"Quite the pickle, this is." He tapped his wing on his chin again, eyes narrowed on the portals. "I can't let someone like that roam free. My prime entertainment source is on the line, after all."

He needed to find a way to get rid of him. But he knew that exposing himself would've meant trouble, if a brief scuffle almost left him for dead. Better not to underestimate the problem once again, before it snowballed into something worse.

And then, he remembered the words of a dumb guy from the world below, back in Cinnabar Island. About how he shouldn't judge the worth of 'nobodies' living their own adventures.

And suddenly, MissingNo. grinned, a clear plan forming in his mind.

"Well, guess it's time to test out your boasts, pal," he said, almost laughing at the thought that he had to thank that one dude of all people. And thus, with a smirk on his face, MissingNo. made his way into the portals himself, ready to get on the offensive against his glitchy brethren.

Somehow, he felt like things wouldn't get boring for a while now.

(-0-)

The clock had just turned 1:00 am. The warning message said that accursed burglar would attack at midnight to steal her 'prized possession', which she spent so much money in keeping away from those museum idiots. During the last hour she hadn't done anything but stare at her vault's door, surrounded by her bodyguards and servants.

"Lady Amano, it's been an hour already," her security chief said. "I doubt he'll come now."

"Hah, I should have imagined." The kimono-clad woman stood up. "That small-time thief wouldn't dare come here with all our security. Open the vault."

They immediately moved to input the password on the padlock. After the lock was released three men together had to pull the heavy metal door. There was no way that burglar would have gotten in there to steal her treasure.

Or so she thought, until her servants screamed in unison once they looked inside.

"What's the matter?" Lady Amano exclaimed, running off to check things out. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Where her most prized possession used to be, now there was only a small card with a black spider, and a written message "Salutations from the Black Arachnid". The vault's chamber was completely intact: there was no sign of having been broken, open, or otherwise violated in any way.

"Don't stand there like fools, find the thief!"

"I will save you the trouble, Lady Amano!"

A male voice, amplified by a speaker resounded outside, and everyone immediately ran to see. Looking everywhere they finally spotted the one responsible: outfitted in his already known garb with cape, hat and mask, he was holding a megaphone in one hand, while the other carried a golden crown with rainbow-colored gems.

Her prized treasure!

"Callisto Amano, head of the Amano Group and in the eyes of the world, one of Johto's biggest philanthropists, is in reality a major player of one of the biggest smuggling rings in the region and abroad!" the Black Arachnid announced. "At this point, my dear friend in the police force is on her way here to arrest you, with enough evidence to leave you behind bars for a long time! Resistance is futile!"

"Then I'll make sure you come down with me!" the woman shouted in rage. "Kill him, don't let him escape!"

Security got a hold of their firearms, but by the time they did so, a Meowth that seemingly came out of nowhere jumped in front of them, and after throwing the Pay Day flares in their faces, all they could hear was the Black Arachnid's laughter, and the teleporting sound of a Psychic-type.

Seconds after, police sirens and spinning blue and red lights approaching clued her in that there was no escape, and she couldn't do anything but rage at that accursed thief.

…

Another night, another successful heist, and another criminal for Ito's record as the best police officer of all time. Bottom line, a great ending to a great day.

"Good work, partners," he congratulated Abra and Meowth once they were at safe distance.

Normally, Neko would choose his targets for every heist, and also what he took from them. But today had been the exception, as someone sent him a package with an old-fashioned radio transceiver. When he turned it on, the person on the other side clearly was distorting their voice to hide their identity, telling him to go after that woman, and to steal that item specifically.

At first he thought it was some sort of trap, but in the end he agreed to it, and the information turned out to be right after all. He discovered the woman had ties with some underworld players and moved a lot of money to cover her tracks, so he couldn't just let her be.

Now, back to safety, he grabbed the transceiver to call his unknown contact.

"So?" the distorted voice replied on the other side.

"Mission accomplished," Neko replied. "Right now Amano is being taken in, and I have the crown in my power, as you requested."

"Good. Now, I want you to destroy it."

"What? Destroy it, why?"

"That crown belonged to an ancient queen, and carries an evil curse within it. It apparently gave its wearer magical powers, at the cost of their lives."

Neko was confused. "Isn't that a simple myth?"

"No, it is very real. Records show that none of the queen's descendants who wore that crown lived past their forties. It won't be too hard; smash the gems until they break, and whatever you do, don't stop and don't succumb to the urge to keep it."

Neko stared at the stolen crown. Weirdly enough, he was having a strange feeling, an urge to keep it for himself, a temptation to disobey the voice on the other side was taking him over. How could the voice on the other side know about that?

At the same time, his rational part, the one who reminded him that everything about Amano turned out to be true, that they probably weren't lying about this, screamed at him that he should just comply.

Leaving the transceiver aside, he dropped the crown on top of a nearby rock, and fighting that urge seemingly coming from it (as if whispering to his ear "Don't do it!"), Neko asked Meowth and Abra to step away. Searching in his travel bag for something to smash the crown, he found a heavy metal mallet, and figured it should do the trick. He took a deep breath, and raising the mallet, struck the crown with all his strength.

Sparks flew and the crown's largest gem cracked slightly, but it wasn't enough. So Neko raised the mallet and struck the crown again. He shattered one of the smaller gems, but the bigger one resisted.

So he smashed it again. And again. And again. And over, and over again.

Finally, after seven resisted attempts, and as if the "Don't do it!" whisper had turned into a desperate scream, Neko raised the mallet for the eighth time and dropped it over the crown with everything he got. A harsh light burst went off in the zone, briefly blinding his sight, but he managed to hear the sound of cracking material and breaking apart. Once he opened his eyes, he saw both the crown and the rock itself had been smashed to bits.

Though oddly enough, the crown's shards, specifically what used to be the gems, were letting off some strange smoke, and once again, Neko had that strange sensation of hearing a choked scream, this time as if it was agonizing. When he looked at Abra and Meowth, both Pokémon were trembling, as if they'd been scared by something.

And somehow, Neko knew what they thought. Something strange, something evil, lived inside that crown. Could it be that they were possessed by the vengeful spirit of that ancient queen? Was that what killed her descendants?

He didn't want to find out, so he decided they'd just leave those pieces buried in that place, where hopefully nobody would find them. He frantically searched his tool bag, this time for a shovel, and began digging as fast and deep as he could.

Just that once, the Black Arachnid did not need to take a trophy from his latest heist.

(-0-)

"Luster Purge!"

Latios concentrated all of his Psychic energy into a large sphere in front of him, aiming for the tree several feet away from him. The ray flew straight for its target, enveloping it completely. As the attack faded away, the tree came back in sight, looking barely perturbed by the energy barrage save for a few fallen branches.

The dragon grimaced, observing his tiny hands balled into fists. "No... not good enough."

"Big brother!"

The voice led Latios to turn around, his gaze going to the other side of the secret garden, where the familiar form of his younger sister was flying towards him.

"So that's where you were! Me and Bianca have been looking for you all day!" Latias smiled at her brother, before her attention went to the tree, still shaking from the attack. "Were you training?"

Latios let out a sigh. "I still can't get father's Luster Purge to work. I'm this close, yet..."

"Maybe you need to rest a bit? You've been doing this too long-"

"No!"

His snappy retort sent Latias flying back, yet Latios didn't care. He frowned sharply as he condensed some psychic energy in his arms, trying to give it the right shape.

"I almost got it. I can't stop now!" Latios balled his fists once more, the psychic energy dissipating as he stared back at his sibling. Her frame was trembling, and she tried to get closer to him. Latios dodged the attempt, and exhaled.

"... Just let me be. I'll be okay," he said, turning away.

He spied Latias from the corner of his eye, expecting her to respond. She instead shook her head and turned the direction she came from.

"Alright... good luck." That declared, Latias flew away, leaving Latios once again alone in his thoughts.

The blue dragon continued to look his sister's way long after she left, until he finally slumped and hovered inches away from the ground, trying to enjoy the beautiful sights of their secret garden, until his eyes fell back on the little altar holding the Soul Dew. The condensed remains of his and Latias' ancestor, after he saved Alto Mare so many years ago.

Latios shook his head, thinking back of the events involving the Dragon trainers from another region and the hunter that tried to cause havoc not long before. Their ancestor would've never allowed something like that to happen, and he didn't dare to think what would've happened to Alto Mare or worse, Latias if they hadn't been lucky enough to have help.

He needed to improve, to truly become the brave defender of the city. Yet, he was barely able to master his species' signature move as it was. He needed to be better, to be stronger. And yet, he was unable to be.

"You can be strong."

The voice was booming, unfamiliar, and cold. It put Latios on high alert, throwing his gaze left and right for anything unfamiliar. "Who's there?" Latios narrowed his gaze, his search proving fruitless.

The unknown voice was heard again. "Come closer."

In spite of the vague instruction, Latios felt like he knew where to go. He flew towards the central fountain of the garden, and as he peered into the water, he noticed something he never did before: a small, black sphere, similar in shape to the Soul Dew. Chaotic, dark energy swirled inside, mesmerizing to the sight. Latios inched closer, dipping a finger into the water and towards the ball, sending ripples through the water.

"What's this...?"

"Take me. I'll give you what you seek." The sphere answered.

Latios did not question it. It could've been a trap, a con, but that did not matter. He needed to be stronger, no matter what.

And thus, he grabbed the sphere, ready for anything.

…

Latias sighed, her gaze turned to the greenery surrounding the secret garden, trying to catch a glimpse of her brother's training on the other side of it, listening to the sounds of thrown attacks and charged moves.

He had always been stubborn, but ever since the events with the Pokémon Hunter, it was as if something had possessed him. A desire to train his skills more than he ever did, focusing hours and hours every single day towards improving himself. And that scared the girl, worrying of how her brother had become snappier, harsher, more prone to anger and frustration. She felt like she needed to do something to help him, yet nothing came to mind.

She grumbled, flying over some flowers to enjoy the sights, trying to keep her mind off her worries. Perhaps, Latios could've enjoyed a garland of flowers as a token of her appreciation...

Before she could enact her idea, however, someone tapped on her wing.

"Bad day, is it?"

Latias jumped out of shock, turning around to see a cloaked, mysterious figure looking over her, none of its features but a large, toothy grin visible. Someone- or something- she had never seen before. And they were way too close for comfort. The female dragon stood her ground, narrowing her gaze as she looked over the unfamiliar person.

"Who are you?" she asked, expecting an attack, a threat, or some other malicious thing to happen right after. She was very surprised when the mystery person just shrugged away her question.

"Someone who'd enjoy the spectacle if it weren't for circumstances." The person sighed, almost annoyed as he eyed the garden's scenery away from them. "You are worried for your brother, right? Perhaps you should check on him again."

Latias turned her head down, avoiding looking at the man (at least, she assumed it was a man), her guard lowered just a bit. "I don't want to bother him."

"But you don't have to."

The red dragon blinked, confused by the remark, until she quickly connected the dots. She closed her eyes, activating the special gift she and her brother shared.

She peered into Latios' point of view, and as the sight sharing focused properly, Latias' eyes went wide. Her brother was smashing things with impunity, statues and trees falling apart with ease, with a savagery and violence she had never seen her brother fall into. She thought, perhaps, that he was just caught up in his training, but the sheer impulsive assault on anything in his line of sight was enough proof that something was very, very wrong.

And through it all, almost as if he could see what was going on himself, the figure crossed his arms. "Looks like trouble is afoot, huh? Guess you really should help him out."

Latias knew that she should've been much more suspicious of whoever that guy was, but her worry for Latios took precedence over her common sense. Thus, she deactivated the sight sharing and jetted to the other side of the garden, leaving the man of mystery behind and swiftly covering the distance separating her from Latios.

As she stopped, Latias found her brother in the middle of a primal rage, still attacking anything in his line of sight with half-mastered Luster Purges, his eyes crimson with rage and his expression contorted into an ugly, angry scowl. He looked pained, almost as if he was forcing himself to push past his limits, at the cost of everything.

Latias flew closer, grabbing her brother's arm before he could find another hit, earning herself a glare.

"Big brother! Stop!" Latias' attempt fell on deaf ears as Latios slapped her hand away, snarling to her face.

"I can't! I'm making it! I'm making it!" A partway formed Luster Purge flew from his hand, slicing through the ground and marking it deeply. "Nothing will stand in my way!"

Seeing her brother like that, lost in his own power, terrified the younger dragon. She had no idea what her brother was going through, but one thing was for sure. She didn't want to lose the Latios she knew.

And thus, in spite of her brother's state, Latias threw herself onto him, hugging him tightly and keeping him in place.

The male dragon was confused, trying to shake his sibling off his body. "W-what are you-"

"It's okay. You don't have to push yourself this hard." Latias hugged him tightly, sharing her warmth with her brother as she stared straight into his eyes. "I care for you, too! I don't want you to lose yourself!"

Latios grinded his teeth, squinting his eyes, almost as if he was fighting back against whatever force had taken a hold of him. "L-Latias...!"

"I don't want to lose you!" she yelled, holding him even more strongly, with all her might.

Latios continued to fight back, at war with something Latias couldn't even fathom. Yet, she held him still, believing in his brother's ability to make it through. She remained firm as Latios continued to shake, fighting against himself.

And finally, the blue dragon launched a scream skyward, and Latias could see a weird sphere leaving his body, flying off of him. Still in pain, Latios charged his energy and threw it up, intercepting the falling sphere and consuming it completely in the completed, powerful Luster Purge, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.

Upon that display of power, Latios slumped back on Latias' arms, no energy left in his body as he breathed shallowly.

"Big brother!" Latias shook him several times, fearing the worst. Only as his brother looked back up did her thoughts start to clear.

"It's... it's okay, I'm alright... mostly." With some effort, Latios managed to put himself back afloat, rubbing her. "I don't know what that was, but it took complete control of me..."

Latias looked back at her brother, a large, unhappy frown forming on her face. And without prompting, she slapped him harshly on the face. "You dummy!"

"Ow!" Latios rubbed his cheek, staring back at his sister in disbelief. That did nothing to quell Latias' newfound rage.

"You think you're the only one who must grow stronger? I want to be more powerful, as well! I don't want you to lose your life like..."

Latias' words died in her mouth, her gaze turning towards the altar housing the Soul Dew. Latios joined his sister, both keenly aware of what she was trying to say.

Latios shook his head, eyes on the ground. "... I'm sorry, Latias. I just wanted to... protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me, I want to stand at your side!" Latias snapped back, frowning at him once more.

Latios smiled in response, with a happiness she had thought long gone. "Then, what about we train together?"

A grin split Latias' face at that proposal. "Really?"

"Of course. I do need a punching bag for my Luster Purge after all."

And immediately, Latias scowled at her smug brother. "Hey! You'll regret this!"

Latios laughed happily at that remark, and it didn't take long for Latias to join him, both siblings leaving what just happened past them, preparing to train together.

No matter what was ahead of them, they were ready to face it as one, and that was the most important thing of all.

…

As MissingNo. observed the two dragon siblings patching things up and training together, he let go of his robed disguise to take on his more typical, pixelated appearance.

In any other occasion, he would've been sickened by such an utter display of joy, but he had far more important things to think about at that moment, like the effect the dark sphere had on Latios. He already had a hunch that it was the case as he followed along the history of the ancient crown he led the Black Arachnid to steal, but what happened to the Dragon/Psychic-type sealed it: ZZAZZ was truly trying to let someone break his fragments free, probably too weak to do much more than persuading people to accept him, perhaps hoping to be able to slowly stockpile his power back to his former glory that way.

He couldn't let that happen. There were still way too many unknowns to think about, but if nothing else, he knew what to look out for as he peered into the timeline now. Any weird case of possession, any strange, unexplained incident; he needed to monitor it all and strike ahead of time.

MissingNo. was aware that it was a temporary measure at best, hardly a way to stop ZZAZZ for good. But he wanted to hope that by pursuing the fragments, he would've found a foolproof method to get rid of his opponent.

And thus, with a twirl, MissingNo. left the secret garden for the void between worlds, ready to travel to his next destination.

(-0-)

The G-Men Bloodliner Incident Taskforce had already solved plenty of incidents in the past two years. Some of them big, others small, but so far Krysta didn't have any major difficulties in the missions she'd been assigned.

Those being the key words, so far.

"Lance, Frey, I can't hold it much longer!" she screamed through her communicator, while she used her hands to fire a large Ice Beam at a barrier, which was turning red-hot from the other side, obviously due to a powerful Fire-type attack.

The mission summary stated that a young woman had apparently been spotted riding on the back of an Entei, which caused a forest fire very close to Ecruteak before vanishing in the wind. Sometime later, a similar incident happened near the Ilex Forest west of Azalea Town. And then, yet another at the Drowning Woods near Mt. Silver. Thankfully they were controlled, but the scorching marks wouldn't leave any time soon.

And as if it was a coincidence, the Cinnabar Gym Leader had filed a report to the Pokémon League that his granddaughter had gone missing for several weeks. The higher ups had the classified information that said granddaughter was a Bloodliner, thus they were called to investigate the matter.

As they expected, there were no coincidences.

Right then, the agent was using all the power she had to keep up the giant igloo where, with the help of her Pokémon, she'd managed to contain both the legendary beast and its rider, but an icy prison would hardly serve to keep a Legendary Fire-type Pokémon forever.

"We're almost there!" Frey shouted from the other side of the line. "Hold on just a little longer!"

Phase one was to find the roaming Entei that was causing those fires. Phase two, drag its attention to them and once they were far enough to prevent casualties and minimize damage, to prevent its escape.

Now they were in the middle of phase three: to separate it from the girl and break the control she was exerting on it.

Krysta was forced to stop the freezing beam to catch her breath, and she indicated her Pokémon partners to step away for a bit. Seconds later, the ice wall finally succumbed to the fire, and Entei came out once more. Krysta saw the Legendary Pokémon's eyes: they were open wide, never blinking, its pupils completely shrunk and lifeless. She knew that look: the control of a Heart-type Bloodliner exerted over a Pokémon.

But the most worrisome of all, was the girl herself, specifically her eyes. There was a red flash in them that gave her the chills (odd as that might sound) and looked almost unnatural. The girl was directing Entei, but she acted like she was in some sort of trance, possessed or something like that.

And that same red flash came out of that locket hanging from her neck.

She wasn't sure why, but her instincts screamed out loud that the locket was responsible for this, and the key to put an end to these incidents was to take it and destroy it once and for all.

"Krysta!" she heard Lance's scream approaching. She looked up to see him, coming along with Frey as they both rode on his Dragonite's back. Both of them jumped off to the ground, landing on the other side of the field. "Sorry for the wait!"

"We're ready, just tell us what to do!" Frey shouted, throwing two Pokéballs to bring out his Feraligatr and Tyranitar, who stood on guard awaiting their orders.

"Use Rock-type attacks to contain them, but don't hurt them!" the Ice Bloodliner shouted back. "Lance, have Dragonite take the girl off its back and away!"

"Roger that! Tyranitar, Feraligatr, use Stone Edge and Rock Tomb to lock Entei up!"

And without wasting a second, both of Frey's Pokémon summoned their attacks, creating a makeshift cage with stone pillars and walls, trying to limit Entei's movements without leaving it anywhere to run. Immediately she and her three Pokémon, Walrein, Beartic and Glalie reinforced it with their Ice Beams, but leaving the upper part clear enough, so Dragonite could do his thing from above.

"Dragonite!" Lance exclaimed, giving his main Pokémon the cue. Dragonite quickly descended, grabbing the girl by the armpits and pulling her out of Entei's back.

As Entei began shouting fiery explosions trying to break the improvised stone cage, up in the sky the girl began shouting streams of fire, which she clearly recognized as Overheat attacks, as she struggled to break free from Dragonite's grip. Soon enough she fired one at them, but fortunately Feraligatr countered with a Hydro Pump to douse the fire, and the repetitions had also notably weakened them.

"Lance, have Dragonite take that locket off her and throw it to me!" Krysta shouted.

"You heard her, Dragonite, take it off!" the dragon tamer commanded.

It was no easy feat in the middle of the struggle, but a few seconds later, Dragonite managed to pull the object off her neck and threw it down. Krysta jumped to catch it, and looked behind to realize that Entei was about to break free once more, before looking again at the locket.

At first glance it looked like a simple necklace with a red jewel framed by a golden flame pattern, but as soon as she held the chain, that feeling from before increased tenfold. There was something sinister in that little trinket, and she had to destroy it.

With that thought, she clenched her fist as hard as she could, even feeling her fingers and palm start to hurt, but she intended to freeze the thing as close as possible to absolute zero. But that wouldn't probably be enough.

The Entei continued to try and fight its way out, and with the girl now screaming as she continued to throw fire, she had the feeling that whatever inhabited the locket was trying to defend itself. She threw the frozen trinket to the ground, and created a huge, sharp icicle in her hand. She then proceeded to furiously and repeatedly stab the trinket, until it broke apart in a hundred pieces.

A strange smoke came out of the destroyed jewel, and what seemed like an agonizing cry resounded in everyone's ears. Right then, a fire explosion that almost looked like a volcanic eruption destroyed the stone cage freeing Entei, and knocking the surrounding Pokémon away.

However, the Legendary beast didn't continue attacking. When she saw its eyes once more, Krysta noticed how the look in them had changed. That evil flash was gone, and the eyes blinked in confusion as Entei looked around, as if wondering what it had done.

A few seconds later, it stepped back and leaped off to disappear from there.

"Let it go," Krysta ordered, seeing the Pokémon intended to chase it. "It won't cause any more trouble."

Dragonite then descended, carrying the young woman who finally stopped screaming and shooting fire. She had seemingly fainted. Once she woke up, the agents would have many questions for her.

But for now, they could be relieved in the fact that their mission had been successful.

…

Once they were safe in the headquarters, the three agents presented their mission report to Director Flagg, who read it nonstop without uttering a single word, or even turning to them until he finished. Usually, if he had objections or doubts, he'd state them as soon as he spotted them.

This time, however, he reread the report twice more, as if trying to ascertain something, and only after the third read did he finally speak up.

"There is one thing I'm still not clear about. Exactly, how did you connect the disappearance of Blaine's granddaughter with the forest fires caused by that Entei?"

Lance exchanged a look with Frey and then Krysta, as if they were deciding who was the better to answer that question. After a few seconds of silent deliberation, Lance stepped forward.

"We're not exactly sure you'll believe us, sir," the Regional Champion said. "Truth be told, we're not certain whether our source was who they said they were."

"And who did they say they were?" the director asked.

"They didn't give us a name, supposedly to protect themselves," Frey replied. "All they told us was that he or she had been a member of the Amano Group, during its final year before the owner's scandal."

"You must have heard about it, right?" Krysta continued. "One of the Black Arachnid's heists was to expose the corruption of Callisto Amano and her connections with that smuggling ring. Well, the person to give us our clue said they were the one who blew the whistle on the Black Arachnid to expose Amano back then."

"Could you verify that?" the director asked intrigued. "Did you trace the call?"

"We tried, but the trace led to multiple phone connections," Frey answered. "Over a hundred at once, in fact. I had no clue that was possible."

"It shouldn't be, even with our current technology," Flagg said. "And you still believed it?"

"We weren't sure at first, thought it was some kind of joke," Lance said. "But not many have access to the G-Men's communication channel, and since we had no other clues to connect both cases…"

"I've always told you to never act on hunches," the director reprimanded them. "We of the Pokémon G-Men act based on concrete facts or at least enough circumstantial evidence. I know I granted your taskforce a degree of autonomy to deal with these incidents, but I hope you don't overstep your limits."

"We understand, sir," Frey apologized.

"I'll let it slide this once based on results, as well as your personal records as agents," Flagg said. "You won't face disciplinary actions, but as soon as you have the chance, I want you to start investigating your source. The region's security could be compromised if there's someone out there with access to such information, and that's something we can't allow. That's all, you're all dismissed."

And without further words, the three agents abandoned the director's office. None of them said a single word about it, but the three shared the exact same thoughts.

Whoever that source was, not only did they have the info they needed, but also the means to contact them. Very few people would have access to either of those, and the names of most of them were in their database. And how did they connect through over a hundred different phone lines simultaneously?

The mission could have been a success, but there were still too many unanswered questions.

(-0-)

When his father called for his help on something, Falkner at first thought it'd be a nice chance to spend some quality time together as father and son. The Violet City Gym leader never expected he'd be fighting for his life against his first Pokémon partner, of all things.

Their visit to Rota led them to be summoned by Duchess Ilene in person, who explained to them that a rogue Aura Guardian had broken into the duchy's secret vaults, stealing an ancient and dangerous object (that had been sealed away by Sir Aaron himself, so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands). And now he had gone on a murderous rampage against people without apparent motive, and needed help to apprehend him.

The bird Pokémon expert was in for more than one surprise when they finally found him. For starters, the criminal in question was a teenager who was probably pushing seventeen at most. He was a fair bit taller than himself, with slightly long hair and red eyes, and he wore an attire that reminded him of the Rotan Knights uniform, albeit with grayish shades as opposed to blue, and he was accompanied by a Shiny Lucario who assisted him in his felonies.

And the other surprise, said Lucario was firing a stream of gray aura waves from his paws, to put Falkner's Pidgeot, his strongest Pokémon, against them, and now he was locked in a deadly fight against his father's Skarmory. If this kept up, the worst case scenario could be…

Falkner shook his head, trying to drive that thought away. His priority for now was to save his partner, and then punish the one responsible.

"Increase the control, Caliburn! That tin bird is the only thing between us and exterminating those two!" the young criminal screamed, addressing his Lucario. "We're a step closer to our mission."

"Yes, Master Lancelot," the Lucario replied, apparently named Caliburn.

Scattered around lay several bird Pokémon, belonging to him and his father: Noctowl, Staraptor, Fearow, Dodrio, Swellow, Pelipper, Honchkrow… all of them had fallen defeated after Caliburn used his powers to get them to attack one another. The only solace was that the effort during the battle had drained him, to the point he could only focus his control on one target instead of both at the same time. Otherwise, they'd probably be dead by now.

Pidgeot squawked and flapped his wings, sending out a burning wind current on Walker's Skarmory. The steel bird had undergone training to resist heat and fire, which helped him hold out for a while, but he was about to reach his limit. That Heat Wave attack certainly was much stronger than Falkner remembered he'd taught, and he'd feel proud if it weren't being used against them.

"Dammit." Falkner clenched his fists. "Isn't there a way to break the control?! At this rate Pidgeot is gonna…"

"Easy, Falkner. Look at that."

The younger man glanced at where his father pointed. Specifically, to Pidgeot's leg, where he'd placed an anklet holder with a Pidgeotite, as a reward for his performance at the gym during the past year, but they had yet to use. The current leader of the Violet Gym didn't get what his father meant, or how it could help us.

"What's up with that?" he asked. "If you're asking me to Mega Evolve Pidgeot, won't that make our situation worse, making him even stronger?"

"It could also be our salvation," Walker guessed. "It's not the first time I've encountered or heard of Pokémon able to exert mind control, but even that ability has countermeasures. Like a strong external stimulus that shocks the individual's whole system."

Walker searched in his jacket and tossed him a winged locket, Falkner opened it, and his eyes widened when he saw the content: a Key Stone.

"Dad?"

"It's just a hunch, but… maybe if you use Mega Evolution you can snap Pidgeot out of it, enough to break these guys' control."

"But we've never tried it before."

"It's not like we have anything better right now," Walker insisted. "Mega Evolution is supposed to be powered by the bond between Pokémon and trainer. It might be the only way to save your partner."

"Stop mumbling around and accept your defeat!" Lancelot shouted, making Pidgeot engage in a Steel Wing clash with Skarmory. Both birds were evenly matched, but it was clear which of the two had the advantage.

"Just do it, Falkner! We'll try to hold him off!"

Falkner gritted his teeth, but seeing his father's metallic bird trying to resist the attacks, he finally realized he had nothing to lose. If Mega Evolution was about the bond between him and Pidgeot, then he had to focus on everything they had gone through, in their most precious memories.

The day the egg he received from his father hatched, and his Pidgey was born. The two would grow inseparable best friends from then on.

Their first victory against their neighbor's Pichu, proving that type advantage meant nothing to them.

His evolution to Pidgeotto, winning that aerial obstacle race, and pushing them to reach new heights.

The Poké-Ringer contest. They didn't win, but they gave the defending champion a run for his money and he even congratulated them, inviting them to try again when they had more experience.

The first time they flew together to Johto's coast and back home, once he evolved to Pidgeot and grew large enough to carry him on his back.

His first battle as the Violet Gym Leader. An eighth-badge challenge, but he didn't let the challenger win on the first try. Or the second, or third. They proved their strength over and over until he finally desisted and decided to go try his luck elsewhere.

"PIDGEOT!" Falkner cried out loud, holding his Key Stone above his head.

Right when Pidgeot slammed Skarmory's head, sending him crashing to the ground and preparing to finish him off, the Key Stone sent out the energy tendrils. The Pidgeotite in his talon reacted the same way, stopping Pidgeot's attack as he began flailing around, before getting engulfed in a multicolor energy swirl.

"WHAT?!" the rogue guardian cried out.

The energy dispelled, sending out a huge burst of air that knocked everyone backwards. Falkner saw his father getting back on his feet next to him, and Lancelot and Caliburn doing the same on the field's other end. Skarmory for his part struggled to get back up despite his wounds, but the current Gym Leader's eyes were fixated on his partner, and his new appearance.

Physically, Pidgeot had grown much larger, his crest had taken on a wilder look, and his wings now had blue feathers on the tips. The eyes that looked furious and disoriented before, with a sinister red glow coming from the mind control, had regained their normal color, and the Mega Stone on his ankle was gone.

"Pidgeot, you know who I am? Do you recognize me?"

"Caliburn, use the mind control again!" Lancelot shouted.

"As you wish, Master."

Caliburn once more began firing the mind control waves. However, this time around Pidgeot didn't even budge. He blinked a few times before squawking with anger, wanting revenge against the ones who forced him to attack his own friends.

"What are you doing?! Caliburn!"

"I'm trying, but… it's not working! The Mega Evolution's energy repels my aura!"

"What?!"

"You were right, Dad." Falkner smiled. "Even better, seems like Mega Evolution not only snapped Pidgeot out of the mind control, but made him immune to it!"

"Looks like the tables have been turned, no?" Walker added.

"That's what you think. We can still control your other bird! Caliburn!"

But before the Shiny Lucario could receive the order, Pidgeot took flight again and started flapping, this time directing his Heat Wave attack at their foes. Caliburn instinctively had to interrupt his attempt to control Skarmory, in order to jump in front of his master to raise a Protect barrier.

While the protective dome prevented the hot air currents to strike them directly, it didn't stop the heat from coming on them, starting to suffocate them inside that confined space.

"Don't stop, Pidgeot, keep up the heat for as long as you can!" Falkner ordered.

Pidgeot was more than happy to continue flapping his wings. Despite Caliburn maintaining the Protect active all the time, he was unable to protect his master from the heat, and he eventually ended up fainting due to it. His brief distraction upon seeing him fall was enough for the protective dome to flicker, and he took the ongoing Heat Wave directly.

And with the boost from the Mega Evolution, it was intense enough to put him out of commission.

Father and son immediately ran at their unconscious adversaries, and upon verifying they didn't go overboard with that attack, Walker picked up the gem Lancelot dropped after he passed out. As soon as his fingers touched it, the former leader felt a chilly sensation, as if there was something evil within it.

"What do we do with this thing?" Falkner asked. "It seemed to be boosting their abilities, wasn't it?"

"We need to destroy it," Walker said with determination. "The Duchess said nothing about retrieving this trinket intact, and we better make sure it won't fall in the wrong hands again."

Falkner nodded in agreement, and then gave Pidgeot the order to do the honors. Walker tossed the aforementioned trinket to the Mega bird, whose beak began to glow with a Pluck attack, before he crushed it and spat the fragments far away from there.

Falkner thought he heard a sharp cry the same moment Pidgeot destroyed the gem, but that didn't matter. The danger was over and they were all safe now from this guy's insanity.

Now, he was due for some deserved punishment.

…

Back at the Cameran Palace, Duchess Ilene gave Falkner and Walker a medal as a reward for their service in stopping Lancelot before he could cause any more damage.

"The Duchess of Rota is deeply grateful to you both," she solemnly declared. "We shall make sure Lancelot pays for his crimes, and never allow what he did to repeat."

"What's gonna happen to him?" asked Falkner.

"Despite his age, he'll be tried as an adult, and will stay behind bars until his trial. His actions have given a very bad name to Rota's Aura Guardians, and their legacy."

"Speaking of that, why did he attack those people?" Walker asked. "Supposedly, the Aura Guardians' mission was to protect others, not kill them."

There was a moment of silence, before the Duchess decided to answer. It clearly was a delicate topic, one not often spoken of.

"Lancelot was once one of the most notable apprentices of the Aura Guardians. He was a prodigy of remarkable skill, but he was always perturbed by the suffering and discrimination that Bloodliners like him often suffered. Seeing that led him to abandon his training and it seems now he's strayed from his path. However, I never imagined he'd be capable of such atrocities. All I can imagine is that the gem he stole had something to do with it."

"That's insane," Falkner said. "I mean, not everyone hates or wants to hurt Bloodliners. But then again, when we saw him at his cell earlier, he said a bunch of strange things, so he might not be all right in his head."

"What things did he say?" Ilene asked.

"Said something about normal humans' time coming to an end, and that it's time for Bloodliners to correct their mistakes across history. Also, he said that his cell won't hold him back forever, let alone communicate with his partner."

"There is no need for concern," Ilene assured. "The power of Aura has been well-known in Rota since ancient times, so we also have our means to neutralize it. We have fitted him shackles and clothing with a special coating that blocks Aura abilities, so he won't be able to do anything. And we'll make sure to keep his Lucario far from him as well."

Falkner and Walker felt relieved upon hearing that. That boy was really very messed up in his head, and the way things were, he'd be better off locked up instead of loose, doing things like controlling Pokémon to kill humans or each other with his Lucario. At least with that little stone out of the way, they shouldn't be able to do that again, or at least, not as before.

So much for asking for a quiet father and son vacation.

"I believe this is all. Captain?"

"Yes, milady?" the guard accompanying her said.

"Just on a precaution, please order your men to watch both prisoners at all times, so they can't attempt anything."

"As you wish."

As the Violet Gym Leaders and the Duchess relaxed, none of them noticed how the Captain, or more specifically his cape, briefly flickered in pixels for a fraction of a second, before he turned around the door leading to the throne room. Little did they know, that wasn't the real captain, although no one would notice the difference.

After all, the impostor only had to implant some fake memories on the real deal while he still was asleep, so he'd believe he'd been there the whole time, and events would follow the right course.

(-0-)

Bloodliners had changed society in ways people could never imagine. The reaction of people to their existence was mostly negative, alienating and attacking them, kicking them out of their homes…

Yet, there were a few who saw Bloodliners as a good way to get rich.

That huge vessel sailing through the stormy night, at first glance looked like a simple cargo ship, but it was more than that. Under the table, that ship carried an even more lucrative business, namely, transporting Bloodliners from one region to another.

All those Bloodliners who needed to escape, either because they were pursued or even wanted by authorities, could use ships like this to get safely yet illegally to other regions, where nobody knew them. There they could change identities to begin a new life. Of course, it wasn't a luxury everyone could afford: the ship's captain didn't help them out of the generosity of his heart. They all had to pay a hefty sum of money if they wanted to travel with him.

Unfortunately, this time someone very dangerous stowed away in the ship…

"Die! DIE! ALL OF YOU!"

The ship was a huge mess; as far as he could tell the crew members had all been killed and the Bloodliners ran frantically all over the place displaying their destructive powers. One of them shot out huge infernal flames from his hands, forcing him to take cover until he could recharge his attack.

To the crew's fortune, or misfortune, there he was, the only person with the needed experience to deal with this situation: The Bloodliner Hunter.

"So it's Inferno." The Hunter weighed his odds as he shielded himself from the flames. "He wastes too much energy; all I have to do is wait until he gets tired."

And so he did; he waited until the flames stopped, and before the next round came, he ran at full speed and knocked him with a punch to the face. He was about to finish him off, but two other Bloodliners got in his way; the first growing an energy tail out of his backside, and the second waving energy whips growing out of his sleeves. After dodging their attacks, he sent out the Pokémon he brought along to clear his path: a Flareon, a Dragonite, a Starmie and a Golduck.

This could be the most dangerous mission he'd ever taken until now. All those monsters attacked like raging berserkers, losing any shred of reasoning and just charging headfirst like mad, no matter how many death and destruction they caused on their way out. One of his biggest fears had come true.

It was all the work of one single Bloodliner, one of the hardest to track due to being able to alter his appearance to mix among people; he was the one responsible for all this massacre. Apparently, he was just a small-time thief, until he stole an evil mask that he put on and drove him insane, turning him into a killer, and even worse, allowed him to pass his madness to every Bloodliner he had contact with.

As the Hunter and his Pokémon ran over the ship's deck, dodging the unstoppable rain of attacks, he recalled the warning he got, the reason why he snuck aboard this ship and tracked down the shapeshifter so easily. He was already used to hearing the ghosts of his past, but he never expected to see him again…

…

"You need to find that thief and destroy the mask he stole!" spoke to him what looked like a pixelated square figure. "It's the key piece for the future you're seeking to avoid! That mask is possessed by a Dark Pokémon exiled by Arceus himself! If you fail this mission, all you've fought for during these years will be in vain!"

…

And so it seemed, Arceus' messenger was right. He wasn't sure if it was because of Giratina's energy, or Lord Helix himself, but the mask's power was the real deal. The thief had stolen it from a museum a while ago, and apparently tried to smuggle it aboard this ship. But something apparently went off the rails, as he threw away any attempt for stealth, and infected the other Bloodliners to wreak havoc and destruction.

It was like his nightmares had come to life, this was exactly the future he was seeking to avoid. Monsters like these using their powers to murder innocent people, just like in his dreams…

But it was real now. And he had to find the thief to finish him off and nip this danger in the bud.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

He made his way through thanks to his companion Pokémon, as Dragonite blasted its Hyper Beam on a Close Combat Bloodliner getting in his way. Seeing more of them approached, he sent out Golduck and Starmie to fire some bubble barrages at them. He was about to move forward, but he saw a glow in Dragonite's eyes and recalled it before some Dragon Heart Bloodliner could control it. There was one who tried to sneak on the Hunter from behind, his hands set ablaze, but…

"You're not catching me off-guard, monster!"

With a quick move, the Hunter pulled out a knife and after dodging his enemy's flaming punch, pierced the other hand with his weapon, stabbing it against the wall. Then, an explosion clued him that the Flareon who accompanied him was blasted out of the ship for some attack. There were too many Bloodliners willing to attack him, either with energy claws protruding from their hands, energy wings, water blades, and even one covering his fist in steel.

He couldn't beat them all at once… but he was ready for it.

"Now!"

He dropped a gas bomb to blind all of his enemies as he moved towards his destination. One of them, apparently with the ability Keen Eye, tried to intercept him with an energy beak, but the Hunter quickly zapped him with his electric baton. He finally found the door leading to the captain's room and went through it as Starmie and Golduck fought the rest of his foes.

"Holy Arceus…"

The sight the Hunter found on the other side was a true crime scene; everything destroyed, corpses and blood splattered all over. Three lifeless bodies were scattered across the room, two of them seemingly Bloodliners and the remaining three the captain and his crewmates.

He'd come too late to stop the massacre, but he was hoping to find the shapeshifter in this room…

"I know you're here, monster!" the Hunter screamed. With that thief being a literal master of disguise, he was certain he'd be in the room, but he had to lure him out. "If I can't find the real one, then I'll just blow them all up."

The Hunter pulled out a small explosive and was almost ready to throw it, when the captain's 'corpse' suddenly rose up to attack him. He'd taken the bait.

"You mindless bastard!" The captain lunged at him, but the Hunter repelled him with his baton. Right then, physique and face changed, showing a black-bluish hair and a golden mask covering his face. His target for certain.

"It's time for you to purge your sins, you demon," the Hunter spoke up. "You will pay for every single life you've taken. I have more than enough experience hunting abominations like you."

"Don't compare me to those Bloodliners nowadays!" the man in the golden mask shouted. "I'm leagues above any of them! I was chosen to wield transformation powers in a time where very few had abilities! I'm superior and the power of this mask-"

The shapeshifter was unable to finish his speech. Enraging him had done the trick, as he lowered his guard and gave him time to pull out a revolver hidden under his trench coat. The goal was clear: to deliver one clean shot in the face, killing him and the accursed mask.

So he pulled the trigger and then, his foe fell backwards, lifeless.

A strange black smoke of what seemed like evil energy covered the room, and for a few instants the Hunter felt fear as he heard an agonizing cry, coming from Lord Helix himself. The danger was over, but the Hunter still had his eyes wide open due to the shock, as if he had seen the underworld with his own eyes.

Staring at his enemy's corpse, and the gun in his hand, a thought came into the Hunter's mind. Better make sure he was deader than dead. One shot wasn't enough; better destroy the accursed mask completely.

And without missing a beat, he emptied the whole load in his enemy's head, with brains and mask shards splattering all over. Just to make sure both the demon and his mask would never come to hurt anyone.

He took a few seconds to contemplate his results. His mission was a success.

"Good grief! Hey buddy, we need some help here!" The Hunter turned around to see a boy with Z marks in his face, gravely wounded as he tried to help an adult who seemed barely conscious. "Glad I found someone. Everyone's gotten hurt and weak, and I don't know why. They've all wasted the last of their energies."

At those words, the Hunter simply smiled. If there was a bright side was that this shapeshifter led him to several potential targets, and there was one of them, to top it off.

There would be no survivors on this ship. He had all the time in the world to reclaim his reward; the real massacre was about to begin…

(-0-)

As he paced through the stainless corridors of the Aether Paradise's underground level, Guzma grumbled to himself. He already disliked the possibility to be seen around the Foundation members even with the deal he had going with Lusamine, but what made things worse was knowing that he had been called there because one of his boys had started causing trouble, hitting people and even Pokémon indiscriminately while yelling of how no one would be able to stop him until a few employees of the Foundation managed to do just that, contacting Guzma to discover what was wrong with him, especially as he started asking to meet his boss without a pause. He knew that his boys could be dumb, but pretty much begging to be caught was a new low even for one of them.

It didn't take long for Guzma to be finally allowed to enter the room, barely paying attention to the various employees around the floor, just wanting things to be over soon and knowing that the feeling was mutual on their part. As he entered the cold, small white room, the boss of Team Skull was greeted by the sight of one of his grunts looking straight at him, his mask pulled down enough to show the grunt's beaming grin, waving at the older man.

Guzma groaned, hands in his pockets. "So, what did you just do? The Foundation already gave me an earful for your stunts..."

"It's this thing, boss! I found this little gem and it made me feel super powerful!" The grunt rummaged in his pocket, bringing out a small, jagged sphere of pure black, holding it proudly closer to Guzma's face. "You gotta feel it! It's incredible!"

Guzma didn't share his underling's enthusiasm, scowling as he tried to get what the fuss was about. "What's this pebble for?"

"It told me things! To go wild, that I could accomplish anything, and it worked! It gave me all I could wish for!" The grunt pressed it closer to his boss' face, his grin only growing wider. "You need to use it! You will be able to show Alola with it!"

Backing down just slightly, Guzma finally relented and grabbed the weird stone, squinting his eyes at it. "This tiny thing?"

As soon as he said that, a sharp pain enveloped Guzma's body completely, freezing him in place until he doubled down in pain. He felt something foreign invading his whole self, barely managing to hold it back, all while his grunt looked him over in excitement, as if it was all preordained. And then, a booming voice from the black stone spoke.

"The Dealer of Destruction, Guzma. Your grunt thinks highly of you."

Guzma frowned, trying to make sense of that voice, grasping the stone tightly. "What... what are you...?"

"I'm... a friend, you could say. A kindred spirit who wants to help you wipe out anything that stands in your way."

Even as he winced through the dark influence enveloping him, Guzma looked over the talking pebble, intrigue and curiosity worming their way up at the offer. "And how would you do that?"

"Accept me. Let me be whole. And we'll destroy everything together."

Guzma fell silent, considering the offer. It didn't take a genius to realize the stone's words were hardly something to trust, and he had seen enough movies to know where deals like these would end up. It sounded like a horrible idea, and yet, having a chance to truly prove his power, to make everyone in Alola fear his name, was way too enticing to just let go.

But the stone wasn't finished talking yet. "You could have all the power you yearn for at your disposal. What more could a frail being ask for?"

Guzma went wide-eyed, staring through the stone once more. It remained silent, its offer made, yet Guzma's considerations had grinded to a halt. His gaze turned sharper, harsher, tightening his grip on the sphere with increased strength.

"Frail?" Guzma pierced through the pebble, his hold on it so strong to make his hand shake. "You dare calling me frail?"

"You don't want to be-"

"Don't you dare mocking me, you pebble! I don't need anything you can offer me! I'm already destruction in human form!"

Guzma continued to hold the jagged stone, his anger overcoming any dark influence the piece of rock was having on him, standing back to his full height as he kept holding it strongly, cracks starting to form out of the sheer pressure he was putting on the pebble.

The voice from it went silent, perhaps shocked by the man's contempt, as a web of cracks continued to explode over its surface. "You'll regret-"

It didn't get to finish its threat, as Guzma launched the stone towards the wall in one quick, powerful throw. It impacted shortly after, shattering on impact, and making the fragments explode in dark energy, leaving nothing behind.

All the while, Guzma continued to stare at the wall the pebble hit, a raging scowl still drawn on his face. That thing had dared to consider him frail, as if he truly needed the power of something else to be anything. He was already able to be strong without Z-Moves; he had no need for whatever that pebble was planning to give him. He wasn't frail, he wasn't a fool, and he more than anything wasn't weak.

It was only as he breathed slowly and calmed down just a bit that he remembered to not be alone in the room. He turned around to the grunt, his underling staring back at him, looking much paler. His previous smile was completely gone.

"Boss...? Are... are you alright?" he asked, his voice much lower than it was before.

Guzma didn't reply, simply reflecting on what had just happened. And then, he abruptly grabbed his head, shaking it wildly in a sudden fit of rage.

"What are you doing, Guzma!?" he yelled to no one in particular, until he stopped shaking his head and took a deep breath. Then, he turned back to his grunt, jabbing at his chest. "Next time, make sure trinkets like that are worth it. Understood?"

"Alright..." The grunt looked apologetic, maybe a bit sad, but Guzma wasn't too bothered: he knew that the moment they returned to Po Town he would've cheered up by playing some videogames with the others.

And thus, without a further word, Guzma and his grunt headed out of the room and towards Aether Paradise's docks, really hoping that strange event would be the end of that weird ass day.

…

It wasn't the end just yet.

The bald Aether Foundation employee sighed as he looked over the Team Skull leader, sitting on a chair with his legs on the table, arms crossed and an ever annoyed scowl on his face. It was pretty evident he didn't like being held even longer in Aether Paradise than he already thought he needed to be, but that was too important a matter to let the man go just yet.

"So, how much is this gonna take?" Guzma asked, not even bothering to sound interested.

"It's just a few questions. Stones like the one your underling uncovered have been at the center of quite a bit of attention."

Guzma's frown intensified, almost taking the topic seriously now. "What, are they pieces of some legendary Pokémon or something?"

"Something like that."

"Would've been nice to know that ahead of time."

The employee's gaze turned sharper, looking over the Team Skull leader several times over. "But your case is peculiar. Most people who have been subject to these stones had to actively fight back its influence or fell for it, while you managed to shake it off alone."

"Maybe I'm just too stubborn for the evil pebble, who knows." Guzma chuckled, placing his hands behind his neck with a wicked and confident grin.

The bald man, for his part, tapped over his chin. "So a strong will can completely rein it in..."

"'Strong will' nothing. The guy was trying to get me to 'make him whole' or some stupidity like that."

The employee's body turned stiff, staring back at Guzma. "How coherent was it?"

"Enough to hold a conversation." The man shrugged, seeing no big deal in it.

Yet, that gave the employee pause. Until then, even if the stone seemed to speak, it seemed closer to an attempted possession than actual discussion. Up until then, he had thought that shattering every piece of ZZAZZ's influence would've reduced its power, but if its coherence had increased, he couldn't help but wonder if the opposite was true instead.

"What's the deal, anyway? Is this some sort of demonic possession thing?" Guzma asked, his gaze turning inquisitive.

The employee shrugged, seeing no harm in letting some information slip. "More or less. The creature inside the pebble is not to be allowed to roam free again."

"And what, do you plan to just pursue every pebble until there's none left?"

"I'm not sure. It's a new problem."

Guzma rolled his eyes, hardly impressed by the employee's words. "Sounds like a repetitive waste of time for me. The thing isn't a danger unless someone is stupid enough to fetch one of those pebbles, no?"

The employee said nothing, realizing that the man had a point. Until then, he had focused mostly on reacting to the trouble each fragment caused, fully knowing that it was only a stop gap measure to rein in ZZAZZ's influence. Maybe it really was time for a different approach...

As he received no reply, Guzma rolled his eyes, getting off the chair and heading for the door. "Well, if you got nothing more for me to do, I'm gonna leave. Say hi to the Prez for me."

The Team Skull leader slammed the door behind him, leaving the other man alone. With no need to keep his charade up, MissingNo. shifted back in his typical glitched form, still thinking over Guzma's suggestion.

So far, all the shards of ZZAZZ he let others dealt with lead to every variety of problems, yet nothing ever seemed to fully get rid of it. There was always a new shard, a new problem to solve somewhere else in the timeline, and every time things grew harder to control. He was lucky that Guzma happened to be such an anger-prone guy to refuse ZZAZZ's charms, but he couldn't count on the next victim of the glitch's powers to have as much luck.

He needed a more permanent, concrete solution, and, perhaps, he knew exactly who to talk with to find it.

(-0-)

"You brought a what here?"

Zinnia's stare was piercing, intense, and incredibly angry, just as he expected she would be. Steven raised both arms with nonchalance, still keeping the short old man alongside him in clear view.

"I met him during my latest excursion here in Meteor Falls. He's an historian interested in learning more of your culture," he explained. The man was glancing over at the houses of Meteor Village as they stood in front of Zinnia's, fascinated by the architecture and jotting down notes on his notebook. They had only encountered each other by chance, yet Steven was intrigued enough by his mission to try and bring him to the Draconid hideout.

The explanation did nothing to Zinnia, as she massaged her forehead with a frown. "You know that you and Ryuga's friend are exceptions. Sootopolitans are not welcome here."

Steven, having gotten used to her temper and inflexibility by now, simply nodded and smiled. "I'm sure your grandmother will close an eye on this."

"Sure will." Zinnia rolled her eyes, bringing her attention instead on the stubby man, scrutinizing him thoroughly. "You want to demonize us yet again? Treat us as some stupid curiosity for you Sootopolitans?"

"Quite the opposite, actually." The man winked, presenting the contents of his notebook for the Lorekeeper to see. "I'm a storyteller by trade, you see, and I firmly believe there's two sides to every tale. I'd be honored to hear the account of the Draconids by their very own Lorekeeper, so that more people might know how harsh your conditions are."

"Way too many Sootopolitans have done that. Every one of them had an ulterior motive," she bluntly stated, sharpening her gaze. That didn't stop the historian's jovial attitude any.

"Oh, I can confirm you my intentions are purely motivated by curiosity. I've been acquainted with Draconid culture for a long while, but I never had the pleasure to discuss with someone holding your position, miss Zinnia." He bowed respectfully, still offering the fruit of his writing. "It'd mean a lot if you accepted to relate your story."

The woman finally caved in and grabbed the notebook, reading its contents slowly. She looked conflicted, considering all she was absorbing. Yet, in the end, she sighed, turning back to Steven with a scowl.

"If anything bad comes from this, I will never forgive you." Her tone was just as sharp as a dagger, and Steven knew she was probably ready to throw Salamence at him at the slightest problem.

Steven pocketed his hands, still as unperturbed as before. "Nothing will, you can be sure of it."

Zinnia continued to stare at him, and finally she chuckled, bringing her attention to the old man once more. "Well, then. Let's get inside, 'historian'."

"Gladly!"

The Lorekeeper entered her house with the historian in tow, both of them closing the door to allow their exchange to happen in privacy and leaving the Hoenn region Champion alone with his thoughts. He smiled, standing in wait and tapping his foot down rhythmically. The idea of someone wanting to tell the tale of the Draconids from their own account and attempt to bridge the gap between them and Sootopolitans was a simple one on paper, but he knew that getting it published to begin with and it sending the correct message were their own sort of struggles. But they were battles worth fighting.

Steven let his gaze wander, seeing the various Draconids moving around busy with their own routines. Some of them noticed the Champion, waving and greeting him, while others continued to keep their distance, still hardly convinced that a Sootopolitan could have their best interests in mind. Steven wasn't surprised: the road to reconciliation would be a long one, but he was ready to take every step to get there, no matter how small.

His musings were harshly interrupted, however, as a cry of "Mr. Stone!" came from a nearby tunnel, leading to a rather familiar Draconid boy to reach for him in a hurry.

"You're... Ryuga, right?" Steven asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ryuga didn't answer, and was instead quick to point the way he came from, a grimace on his face. "It's an emergency! Team Zenith is here!"

Steven frowned at hearing the team's name, letting a brief grumble out.

"They really don't know how to quit..." He took a deep breath, kneeling down to look at Ryuga in the eyes. "How many are there?"

"Only one, but he took control of a strange rock from our ancient treasure room. He's planning to attack the village!"

Steven didn't need much more information, and quickly grabbed his most prized Poké Ball, letting out his shiny Metagross and hopping over it, allowing the Draconid boy to come next to him. "Lead the way, Ryuga."

The boy nodded, and without delay, Steven's trusty partner flew forward through the tunnel under the Draconid's guidance, trying to get to the member of Team Zenith in time. If it was truly only one person, then they needed to act without wait: a chance for peace between Draconids and Sootopolitans was in place, and he was ready to do anything to ensure it went through without a hitch.

It didn't take long for Steven and Ryuga to reach their destination, a vast cave room facing the largest underground lake of Meteor Falls, dotted by several stalagmites and stalactites all other the place. As soon as they entered it, they could see their target getting closer to the village, a Flygon next to him and ready to fight. Metagross deposited both behind a large natural wall, letting the man and the kid keep an eye on his movements.

"Here he is, Mr. Stone!" Ryuga pumped his fists with determination, before quickly taking a turn and prepare to rush the other way. "I'm going to call for help now!"

Steven was surprised to see the boy that was so eager to fight Team Zenith be so quick to call for help, but he still adjusted his jacket with nonchalance, trying to reassure him. "Alright, but it won't be necessary. I'm the only person we'll need for this."

Ryuga gave him a thumbs up before speeding back through the cave and towards Meteor Village, leaving the Champion and his Metagross alone to face the threat. The man decided to quickly get to business, leaving his hiding place and approaching the Team Zenith grunts.

"For a group of scientists, you sure never learn from your mistakes," the man quipped, Metagross at his side ready to fire any attack at its disposal. The Team Zenith grunt quickly stared back at him with crimson eyes, a large, wicked grin on both his and his Flygon's faces.

"Look who's there! The Champion himself!" He punched upward, beaming towards Steven. "The perfect victim for the rise of Team Zenith!"

"I regret to inform you that it's been done before, and it failed already." Steven set his foot down, cracking his fists as Metagross hovered ahead of him. "But you're more than welcome to try again."

The Team Zenith member raised to the challenge, sweeping his hand in the air. "Flygon, Dragon Breath!"

"Metagross, Flash Cannon!"

The blast of draconic energy met the ray of steely power halfway, the attacks colliding and pushing against each other. Flygon and Metagross continued to exert their powers, both attacks trying to overcome the other, but it didn't take long for the beam of metal to slice through, cutting the distance towards the Ground/Dragon-type.

Yet, even in the face of the odds, their opponent never stopped grinning. "You really think you can defeat us? Flygon, show them what we can do!"

The dark sphere in the grunt's hands pulsed with energy, and suddenly, a dark aura burst forth of both the man and his Flygon, enveloping them completely. The Dragon Breath burst forth from the green dragon with renewed intensity, quickly recovering the lost ground and traveling back towards Metagross. Steven froze, and so did Metagross as the Dragon move broke the Flash Cannon apart, blasting him straight onto the cave floor, cracking it on impact.

Steven stood there, staring back in confusion as Metagross rose back up, only slightly damaged but just as surprised as he was for the sudden spike in strength. He faced the Team Zenith member with a frown. "How...?"

"This stone, Champion! It's all thanks to this!" The grunt beamed, holding the pulsing, dark sphere high, his eyes flashing a deeper crimson. "It granted me the power to resurrect Team Zenith! A power stronger than any Megalith or Mega Evolution! A power that will destroy you! Flygon, another Dragon Breath!"

Steven and Metagross were both quick enough to duck into opposite directions, another Dragon Breath slicing through the ground between them and piercing through the cave wall, consuming everything on its wake. As dust rose up from the impact point and the attack petered out, Steven continued to stare at the damage, utterly baffled by such a power boost. He then observed yet again the grinning, boastful trainer and Pokémon duo. He had no idea how that stone was helping them, but that was all the more reason to find a way to stop them.

The man clearly enjoyed his current advantage over the Champion, cackling excitedly as he gripped the stone tighter, the dark aura around him and his Pokémon flaring up considerably.

"Kneel before us, Champion! There's no way you will... you will... ughhh!"

Suddenly, the grunt doubled down, clutching on himself, all his bravado melting away as his face contracted in a grimace. Flygon reacted similarly, falling groundward and squirming in pain, the darkness surrounding them growing ever thicker. Steven and Metagross paused, observing their enemies with no understanding of what was going on. At least, until the silver-haired Champion laid eyes on the dark sphere once more. The one that was supposedly making them more powerful than Mega Evolution and the Megalith would. The implications were obvious, and Steven knew what to do.

"We need to destroy it!" He pointed towards the gem, a decisive frown on his face as the man turned to his partner. "Metagross, go for another Flash Cannon!"

The Psychic/Steel-type gave an affirmative nod, immediately charging up his attack and aiming for the stone, as his opponents continued to writhe in pain, as if whatever force they were messing with was consuming them from within. For anyone else, trying to hit the stone in that situation would've been incredibly risky, most likely lethal.

But Steven and Metagross were not anyone else. And thus, the steely ray flew straight for the grunt's hand, dislocating the sphere and blasting it off, straight for the lake. As it fell inside the water, the lake shone brightly, and powerful explosion followed, strong enough to send shockwaves through the whole cave. Steven almost fell back down, even if thankfully nothing bad ensued as the lake's waves slowly quelled, Meteor Falls stopping shaking with no further damage.

With the danger seemingly over, Steven took a deep breath, his attention going back to the grunt and his Flygon. The dark aura surrounding them was dissipating, seemingly bringing both trainer and Pokémon back to their senses, enough for the Team Zenith member to hold a shocked expression as he stared over the lake.

"No... no! That's not..." he cried, but before he could finish his sentence, he fell back down unconscious, his Flygon following soon after.

Steven observed the two, taking a few seconds to make sure that they had really been defeated. That whole battle had been strange, and the resolution of it even more so, but as he looked over the notable dent on Metagross' otherwise pristine body, perhaps it was for the best that their skirmish ended as quickly as it did, as he recalled Metagross and thanked him wordlessly for his hard work.

"You sure can't stay alone one second without running into trouble, can you?"

Steven chuckled as he turned around, finding Zinnia coming in ontop of her Salamence, almost looking disappointed at finding the battle already over.

"Sorry. A Team Zenith grunt decided their latest attempt wasn't enough, it seems." He spied the fallen man, just in case he were to rise back up. "He stole some kind of stone that powered him up and his Flygon. I had to destroy it."

"Oh, the Gem of Darkness." Zinnia squinted her eyes. "It's an old relic that just popped up suddenly decades ago. It drives to madness anyone who holds it in exchange for power."

Steven quirked an eyebrow. "You had something this powerful throughout the Trainer-Ranger wars?"

"How do you think we discovered its effects?"

Steven connected the dots, and turned his head down apologetically. "Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's okay. It's in the past. Destroying it probably did us a favor." Zinnia let out a sigh, but quickly recovered a smirk as she tilted her head in Meteor Village's direction. "Speaking of, your historian friend is alright. He was very interested to learn of our history, and committed to delivering our tale to Sootopolitans."

Hearing that managed to make Steven smile again. At the very least, something good would come out of that day, regardless of what almost happened.

"I'm sure things will get better for you, eventually." He dusted off his suit, looking over the Team Zenith member and his Pokémon once more. "I'm going to deliver this guy to the authorities, for now. Tell Ryuga I'm thankful for the heads up."

"Ryuga? But he left Meteor Village a bit after our adventure."

That response gave Steven pause, as did Zinnia's confused expression. He tilted his head. "But he was the one who told me of the attack."

"Maybe a rock fell on your head, because he hasn't been here for a long while."

The Champion scratched his head, utterly bewildered. What exactly had happened that day, for him?

…

Not too far from where Steven and Zinnia were, 'Ryuga' and the 'historian' were meeting face to face, both shedding their respective disguises to appear instead as a purple bird and a rather forlorn Gastly.

"Thanks for the help, here's your payment." MissingNo. raised a wing, and as soon as he did, a bunch of paper money materialized from thin air, quickly presenting them to his unamused partner.

Gastly was quick to make the money float close to him and take a good look at the payment, materializing a cash dispenser next to him. "I hope this money has actual value. I'm not picky on my clients, but I'd rather not work with you."

"The displeasure is mutual. But I really needed your help."

"You're lucky that I wanted a chance to meet with the Draconids to learn of their history for a long time, and play my part in easing the tensions between them and Sootopolitans." The storyteller put his cash dispenser away, turning back to the Bird-type with a frown. "Wasn't getting the Hoenn region Champion involved a tad excessive to deal with the ZZAZZ fragment, though?"

"Even the Champion got roughed up a bit by the remnant. I didn't want to take any chances." MissingNo. put his wings on his hips, eyes sharpening as he stared at the walls of Meteor Falls. "Any fragment that gets destroyed only makes the remaining ones more powerful. And there's only one left."

MissingNo. grumbled, thinking back of all the incidents he had put his hand in, carefully tracking every single piece of his opponent. He had managed to avoid the worst, even with some collateral damage that he couldn't even get to enjoy. Yet, each incident built on the last, higher risks thwarted by happenstance and luck more than planning. It was a precarious situation, and even with Guzma's suggestion taken into account, he had no clue how to make sure to keep the fragments away from anyone without interacting with them directly. With no ideas of his own, he thought that perhaps someone who had been telling stories by trade for millennia could've had a clearer plan in mind, especially with a large head start.

Unfortunately, Gastly wasn't a bearer of good news.

"When you met me in the distant past to tell me of your predicament, I made sure to keep up with any tales involving the dark stones as I learned of new stories." The Ghost-type pulled off as close to a shrug as he could with his purple gas, shaking his head. "No matter the form they took, or the story associated with them, they all only truly ended with the destruction of the fragment. No other solution."

"I can't trust that the final fragment could be beatable at this point. Or worse, that destroying it wouldn't unseal ZZAZZ to begin with." MissingNo. grabbed his forehead with his wing, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm sure that guy expected this to happen the moment I threw him through the timeline..."

The glitch brought his attention back on Gastly, rolling his eyes. "You're a storyteller. How'd you write a happy ending to this? Possibly not too sappy. It's already sickening as it is."

Gastly floated around, his gaze up as he tried to think of a solution. He was quick to shake his head once more, yet carried a smile, as if an inkling of an idea had made its way in.

"Not a tale of strength, that's for sure." His grin grew wider, circling around the bird with interest. "But I'll say... time doesn't flow normally for you, right? From your perspective, you informed me something like a few minutes ago?"

"Something like that, yes. Where are you trying to get?" MissingNo. asked, tapping his chin with interest.

"Perhaps your mistake was trying to think of this from a human standpoint, but you aren't one. Maybe the real solution to this whole conflict lies on something a normal human can't do."

That comment gave MissingNo. pause, thinking about it. Ever since his little war on ZZAZZ's fragments started, he did mostly react to what was happening, without truly taking action himself. Maybe he really had been too cautious, trying to peer into the past and react into the present, without considering which future path to take. And just like that, as Guzma's remark and Gastly's suggestion played at once in his mind, the beginning of a plan formed in his mind. It sounded crazy, and he had no guarantee it would work, but it still brought a grin on his beak.

"You know, I think you may be right." His grin widened, growing bolder with each passing second. "And I know just the way to do so."

He looked over at the cavern's ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened, from the Black Arachnid's assignment to the fight in Meteor Falls. All the little scuffles they contributed with lead to that final moment, and now it was on him to seal the deal.

"You're finished, ZZAZZ!" MissingNo. declared, a wing raised in triumph, feeling far more involved than he ever expected to be.

And then, Gastly chimed in. "I'm charging you extra for the help, by the way."

MissingNo.'s enthusiasm abruptly ended, scowling in the interactive storyteller's direction. With a groan, he produced twice the amount of money he gave the ghost before, and the con artist was quick to place it inside his cash register.

He didn't let the moodkilling comment keep him down for long, however. He had a solution now, and he would make it come true.

(-0-)

For someone that perceived time in a nonlinear fashion like him, waiting was a strange occurrence. He was so used to the idea that he could travel anywhere in time that the idea of staying still for an extended period felt like a nightmarish torture. If every second could be an adventure, why would you waste even a fraction of one, after all?

And yet, here he was, patiently waiting for his plan to be enacted. It got colossally boring, being stuck there with the sphere of dark energy inches away from him, but thinking of ZZAZZ kept him going. The younger glitch was likely as bored as he was, and MissingNo. couldn't let himself be surpassed even on that.

After quite literally ages of waiting, the older glitch finally decided to let himself be known, getting closer the sphere encasing his enemy in his Bird-type disguise once more. He raised a wing happily. "It's been a while, ZZAZZ."

"MissingNo." The booming voice rang louder than it did from prior fragments, almost resembling the glitch's true one.

The older glitch didn't respond immediately, instead checking out his opponent in no hurry. "Even after thousands of years scattered all across the timeline, you're still just a rock. I thought shattering every other fragment of you would make you stronger."

"It's only a matter of time. I just need a host, and then all of my gathered power will be unleashed. Nothing will stop me."

"Yeah. And I can't destroy you directly, because it'd make me subject to the rules of reality. Kind of a bummer, really."

"I realize you were behind all the attacks that shattered my other remnants. Every single one of them, throughout all the history of this timeline. And you never exposed yourself, like a true coward."

MissingNo. shrugged. "I'm not interested in being a hero. But you're trying to ruin my fun, and I can't allow it."

"Your 'fun' is already finished. It's only a matter of time before someone is bound to find me. I have already won."

Even if he couldn't see it, MissingNo. could feel just how confident ZZAZZ was. It almost made the older glitch laugh for how cute he sounded.

"You really think so? Because I have got bad news for you, son..." He placed his wings to the hips, allowing himself a grin. "Do you realize when we are?"

Suddenly, the sphere went silent, if not for the soft pulsing darkness over its surface, perhaps finally noticing the ruined buildings, general disarray, and fairly devoid of living beings around them. Even without a word, MissingNo. could tell that a realization was dawning on the younger glitch.

Feeling theatrical, MissingNo. spread both of his wings, a grin on his beak. "Welcome to the future, where every species of Pokémon has been hunted to extinction by Dr. Yung's Mirage Pokémon, and where the last of humanity is fighting a losing war for their survival! One of my favorite scenarios, if I may say."

"No... no, that's impossible. This isn't in our timeline!"

"Oh, it is, actually. A branch of it." Holding his feathered wing up, MissingNo.'s smile only grew wider, pride swelling in his chest. "Traveling here required a bit of work, you see. I needed to isolate a small section of the world from time and placing it somewhere else along the timeline, finding the right path to reach a future that's been invalidated already. It's kinda like jumping off an unused train track on the side and reach its end. Thankfully, there was a way to do so."

He turned to the side, spying a figure in the distance. There was but one lone figure, a mere child with grey hair and golden eyes, scavenging through the ruins. MissingNo. looked over him with interest.

"That kid is going to travel back in time someday, and he'll leave his mark on our timeline of choice. I just needed to hop a bit through his personal lifetime to reach this point, and wait for the correct time to align. And this way, I transferred your final remnant where no one alive will ever find it."

He turned back to the sphere, expecting some retort, waiting patiently for the younger glitch's reaction. Even without any expression, he could tell how the reality of the situation was hitting him as harshly as he hoped.

"That makes no sense! This can't be happening!" he yelled, his denial as ineffectual as his prior boasts.

MissingNo. laughed it off. "And yet, it did. All thanks to a young boy that will have more of an impact on the timeline than you could ever hope to achieve."

"This is just a setback! I can't lose!"

"Oh, where's all your arrogance now?" Wings folded and a smug grin on his beak, MissingNo. inched closer to the last remnant of ZZAZZ, making sure he witnessed the older glitch's triumph. "You were defeated. By the hollow, flawed imitation of reality you despise, no less.

"But look at the bright side. You wished for a world of nothingness, and now you get to enjoy it for all eternity. You should thank me!"

MissingNo. laughed, assured in his victory, continuing to stare at the sphere. ZZAZZ was silent, the dark energies inside the remnant whirling uncontrollably.

"No! This won't be the end! I'll be free! You will pay for this!" He sounded incoherent, panicking, the ball inching ever so slighly in his lone possible salvation's direction. "Come here, kid! I can grant you anything you desire! Please!"

Alas, the boy was too far away to even overhear him, leaving the ruins for someplace else, leaving both glitches alone, any chance for another meeting next to impossible.

MissingNo. shook his head, almost pitying the poor, foolish glitch that was now doomed for the rest of eternity. "Too bad, you are not in luck. But just to be on the safe side..."

With a heave of his claws, MissingNo. tossed some upset ground over ZZAZZ, careful not to damage the stone, covering it bit by bit. The dark remnant pulsed wildly, trying and failing to nudge his way out of his incoming doom.

"What are you- No, no, no! Stop! Stop, you-"

As more and more ground piled up on the fragment, ZZAZZ's voice turned feebler, each cry less coherent, eventually devolving into screams, less and less audible. And then, as the ground fully enveloped him, nothing but vague sounds could be heard, the sphere completely gone from sight. MissingNo. stood and listened, looking almost respectful of his opponent's ultimate defeat for all but a second.

Finally, he turned around, taking one last look of the beautiful misery and destruction surrounding them. "Farewell, ZZAZZ. Thanks for the fun times."

And then, with a twirl, MissingNo. returned in his usual form, working his way back to their usual timeline. With that action, the "Glitch War" had truly concluded.

It was weird, relying on other people, getting them to fight a greater evil as his proxies. He was a creature of chaos, that thrived in misery and suffering, hardly someone that would ever take the side of 'good'. Yet, he couldn't deny the appeal of getting a clean win for once.

Perhaps he should have given helping others a thought. Or maybe he should've continued to mess with them, enjoying the pain of others. No reason to toss his amusement away, after all.

But one thing was for sure: there was nothing he, or his chosen timeline, couldn't do when working together.

FIN.