CHAPTER 29 — A Ray Of Hope Appears


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ARTWORK BY   Damodoko


The four Pokémon were still in shock, seeing Raikou fainted on the ground. Lúcios Croconaw, like the others there, was breathing heavily due to the exhaustion from the battle. The Pokémon in the black jacket then turned his attention to his fist, dirty with the Legendary’s blood. Trevor Houndour approached the three allies while adjusting his red cap. Lúcios turned his head to see his partner and then returned his gaze to his fist. When he opened it, he saw one of Raikou’s fangs. Letting out a long sigh, the Croconaw tossed it to the Dark Type Pokémon. The Houndour caught it with his front paws and, smiling:

— “Well, let’s take advantage of the fact that he’s fainted and collect body materials without hurting him further.” — Said the Pokémon in the black jacket as he approached the Legendary. Lúcios began to carefully remove the Electric Type Pokémon’s fur, claws, and fluids, placing them in proper containers and then storing them in his black jacket.
— “Interesting, I thought you were going to say we should kill him and take his head as a trophy to brag about…” — Grumbled Beelzeby Luxio as he watched the Dominator, but his tone was not mocking; it was almost as if it were a compliment.
— “NAH, we only kill Berserkers when it’s absolutely necessary. They’re the barbarians, not us. Destroying their home to benefit ours is already cruelty enough for our taste.” — Said Trevor without looking at the wristband-wearing Luxio, still admiring the tooth he had received, just before storing it inside his red cap.
— “It’s very rare to see a team of Dominators with such an attitude. Sorry if I was prejudiced, I didn’t mean to offend.” — Apologized Beelzeby, scratching his wristband, embarrassed. The Croconaw kept collecting materials without caring, but the Houndour approached with a smile.
— “It’s fine, all teams have their nasty stereotypes. Explorers are the greedy Gimmighoul, Rescue teams are the scavenger Mandibuzz, and Enforcers are the hypocrites like Mawile. Being the Electrode, the ones who destroy everything with a smile on their face, doesn’t seem so bad to me.” — Said Trevor, accepting the Luxio’s apology with a comment even more prejudiced than Beelzeby’s, enough to make both the Luxio and the red-jacketed Eevee laugh.

Lúcios then stood up, having already taken everything he wanted. The Croconaw pulled his Gadget from his black jacket and photographed the Legendary Pokémon with the device, intending to prove the authenticity of the materials. As he stored the Gadget back in his black jacket, he took the opportunity to grab a Reviver Seed and a Sitrus Berry, tossing them near Raikou. Lúcios then turned to face the other three Pokémon:

— “Done. I don’t think he’ll interfere with our work anymore. I’ll inform everyone at the Lacustre Base about what happened, and the king will do as he sees fit. I presume they’ll interrupt the domination work in this area.” — Said the Croconaw, adjusting his jacket as he approached the Houndour. The Explorers from the Gigabolt team merely shook their heads, signaling they understood the Dominator’s words.

— “We’re heading out now, so you’d better collect what you want and run off quickly. This Legendary might wake up wanting revenge. LATER!” — Said Trevor, moments before using the Dominator badge he took from his red cap to transport himself and his Croconaw partner to the base in a flash of yellow light. The Eevee kept waving to them until the light dissipated, while the Luxio watched.
— “Beel, they were really strong. The Copycat I pulled off from the black-jacketed Croconaw’s move was amazing, ARRRRRRRR, I HOPE I GET TO FIGHT ONE OF THEM SOMEDAY, SO COOL!!” — Stated Nero, bouncing with excitement. Beelzeby, on the other hand, looked sad.
— “This is it, it’s over, isn’t it? Really over…” — Said the Luxio, lowering his head and scratching the wristband on his front paw. Still smiling, the Eevee leaned against his brother.
— “Yeah… It’s over. My goal with you and Amphy ends here.” — Said Nero cheerfully, then touched his paw to his brother’s.
— “But it’s not the end. You’re my brother, Beelzeby, and Amphy is my second mother. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just a see-you-later…” — Added the Eevee, without losing the smile on his face and with a gleam in his violet eyes. Beelzeby gave a short cough, replacing his sad face with a smile, and the Luxio then began walking forward.
— “You’re still a member of the Gigabolt team. I’m going to get stronger. When we meet again, I want us to fight, showing everything, we’ve learned on our separate journeys…” — Requested Beelzeby, making his way back to the city.
— “And I’m going to win, Beelzeby, you can bet on it!” — Shouted Nero, giving small jumps and wagging his tail. Without even turning around, the Luxio wagged his tail as a positive sign.

In all this time with Amphy, neither of them had found or fought a Legendary like Raikou. However, Ampharos had already achieved this feat without her protégés, and she had told them exactly what happens if you defeat one, as well as how to identify what your “reward” would be, so to speak.
Legendaries had peculiar ways of acting. If their personality doesn’t make that clear enough, their way of battling will reveal what they are like. Some will want to follow the team for fun, others will want to be temporary allies, some give rewards for defeating them, and of course, there are always those who will want revenge. Nero had made a risky bet, he wanted to earn a reward for defeating Raikou, but to do that, he would have to stay there until the Legendary woke up. If Raikou wanted revenge, the red-jacketed Eevee would be in serious danger:

— “Urrrrkk… Arrrrgg… Huh?” — Groaned the Legendary Pokémon as he gradually regained consciousness, while the red-jacketed Pokémon smiled, seeing that his time to shine had arrived.
— “Whoa, woke up, sleeping Snorlax?” — Mocked the Eevee recklessly. Raikou stood up, smiling at the small Pokémon, making his saber teeth very evident.
— “So, it seems. Where are your other three allies?” — Asked the Legendary Pokémon in a threatening voice, slowly approaching.
— “They’ve already left. They had no more reason to stay here. The Croconaw and the Houndour said that they and their allies wouldn’t disturb this region anymore, and my Luxio brother went back home. I’m the only one who stayed here with you.” — Answered Nero carelessly. Realizing he wasn’t intimidating the violet-eyed Eevee, Raikou stopped his provocations, letting out a short sigh.
— “Grrrr… They were attacking mystery dungeons and disturbing the Pokémon in this area, affecting the balance. But it seems they’ve learned their lesson… Grrrr… Whatever. I have no more reason to attack them. Either way, you defeated me, and there are rules I must follow, whether I like it or not. Humph.” — Stated the Legendary Pokémon with slight disdain. However, before he could summon any kind of trinket.
— “WAIT, NO, NO, I DON’T WANT ANY ITEM, NONE! Actually, I am the prince of Judicium, Nero Sakai… Not that my position matters to you, but what I want… I WANT TO BE TRAINED BY YOU!” — Shouted Nero, lowering his head toward the ground and stretching out his paws in a bow to Raikou.
— “Hm, listen, I have my duties. I don’t like to ally with Pokémon, especially from your lot… You’re free to follow me, if you can…” — Replied the Legendary Pokémon curtly, about to leave the place.
— “So, this is my first test, LET’S GO, MASTER!” — Cried the Eevee, also getting ready. The Electric Type Pokémon saw the small Normal Type’s excitement and showed a small gleam in his eyes.

Raikou then dashed into the forest using Quick Attack. Even having the exact same move as the Legendary, Nero used his Copycat on Raikou’s move to replicate it and see, through his own body, how the Pokémon executed his attack.
And so, years passed. The red-jacketed Eevee completely distanced himself from his friends and family, adopting Raikou’s life as a wandering guardian.
The training was carefree yet harsh; after all, the Normal Type Pokémon simply followed the Legendary Pokémon in his routine. The Legendary, who at first saw this training only as his obligation for being defeated, slowly grew fond of the energetic Eevee. When Raikou said he would be unable to teach new skills to a mere Normal Type, Nero used his trump card, deciding to give up his versatility to become a Jolteon:

— “Never thought you’d come this far with this… truly a remarkable Pokémon.” — Praised the Legendary Pokémon. Still as an Eevee, Nero only lowered his ears, embarrassed.
— “Hehe, thanks, master, but it’s nothing special. On my journey, I had already met very powerful Pokémon, and with you, I saw how grand and mysterious the world is. I want to get stronger. I want to be able to handle anything, channeling my energy to my allies and electrocuting my enemies, just like you.” — Said Nero, his eyes burning with excitement. Raikou only shook his head, thinking it all nonsense.
— “If that’s what you want, I grant you these two golden bracelets as proof of your achievement.” — Said the Legendary Pokémon seriously. The Eevee only showed a confused reaction.
— “Bracelets? Master, what the heck is thaaAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!” — Before Nero could continue questioning, he was struck by a very powerful Thunder. The small Eevee could only scream in great pain.

At first, Nero was angry at being caught off guard by such a strong move. However, upon seeing Raikou’s expression and remembering his master’s words, the Eevee realized that the attack wasn’t meant to harm him — it was his final test, and he needed to overcome it.
Letting out a roar to show his determination, Nero’s body began to react to the Electric Type move, absorbing all that energy into himself and changing because of it. A strong blue light then overpowered the yellow of the Thunder; the Eevee’s tail bristled to the point of splitting into several strands of fur, the small Pokémon’s body began to grow, and all the fur on his body stood on end, fusing together to form spines.
When all the light faded, it revealed that the small red-jacketed Eevee had become a large and powerful Jolteon with two golden bracelets on his front paws. Nero then sat down, beginning to admire his new body when:

— “AWWWW NO, LOOK AT THAT, MASTER, YOUR THUNDER WAS TOO STRONG, MY KROOKODILE JACKET TURNED TO CHARCOAL, WHAT A BUMMER!” — Lamented the Jolteon, picking up the pieces of the jacket that were falling apart in his paws, along with the items stored in its pockets. The Legendary Pokémon merely scratched his own head.
— “I give you a divine blessing and a Sacred Item, and you whine about trinkets… I don’t deserve this.” — Muttered Raikou. Nero then noticed that near him, in the crater where the Thunder had struck, several Thunderstones had formed due to his master’s energy.

The two Pokémon then began to talk. The Legendary Pokémon explained the limits of the bracelets he had given to the Jolteon, telling him everything he could about them. When Raikou spoke about the consequences of prolonged use, Nero chose not to wear them too often, after all, he would slowly lose his individuality in favor of the Legendary Pokémon’s personality.
With his new form, Jolteon’s training could advance considerably; he had learned how to use Electric-Type moves in unimaginable ways and began to adopt more of Raikou’s philosophy of balance. For Legendary Pokémon, it is a duty to watch over balance the world cannot lean to one side, and when that happens, terrible consequences can occur. If they cannot handle such things, the world itself turns against them.
It was a stormy night; strong winds blew, and the heavy rain punished the most defenseless Pokémon. As if that weren’t enough of a threat, lightning bolts capable of splitting rocks in half fell violently from the sky. A scene that was typically intimidating was, in fact, common and pleasant weather for the inhabitants of Light Island, the home and secret lair of Raikou and his Electric-Type guardian Pokémon. Nero had earned the right to set foot on that sacred territory, and now, under that downpour, he was having his final conversation with his master:

— “It has been many moons since I accepted to train you, but I have nothing else to teach you. You are free to do whatever you wish from now on.” — Stated Raikou, months after turning Nero into a Jolteon. The Legendary Pokémon spoke from atop a high rock, while Nero, far below it, bowed, revealing his golden bracelets before lifting his head again.
— “Thank you, master. I know you wanted me to stay on the island as one of the guardians, but this training was to prove myself worthy of being the future king of Judicium, and that is my duty and pride.” — Replied Nero, striking his chest with his clawed paw. The Pokémon then began removing the golden bracelets; however, a lightning bolt struck beside the Jolteon, stopping him and drawing his attention to the Legendary Pokémon.
— “You don’t need to return the bracelets. They are yours by right, whether you choose to follow me or not. They are proof that you defeated me in battle.” — Explained Raikou. Nero let out a short laugh in response to his master’s words.
— “I can’t believe it… after all this time, you still hold a grudge against me and my partners for winning that fight?” — Taunted the Jolteon with a cynical smile, as the storm grew more intense, lightning illuminating the faces of both Pokémon.
— “I have duties as a Legendary Pokémon — some I like, and some I don’t — and giving a reward to scum is by far one of the ones I hate most.” — Responded Raikou, his eyes glowing along with the lightning. Nero merely licked his lips, his fur standing on end more than usual.
— “Hoo, hoo, then I’ll make myself even more worthy of my prize. LET’S GO!” — Shouted the Jolteon before using the move Rising Volt on his master. The Legendary Pokémon leapt from the rock, dodging the move and landing in front of Nero, and the two Pokémon began to battle.

In Zabeli, Lory the Shiny Eevee, wearing a light-blue scarf on her head, was returning to the Lacustre base after buying some medicinal herbs. However, at that moment, two Fletchinder wearing aviator sunglasses with dark lenses descended from the sky, landing in front of the Shiny Eevee and startling her:

— “Hey, freak, we thought you didn’t have any cash, but look at that, you bought more leaves for your leaf soups…” — Said one of the Fletchinder, approaching Lory while the other opened her bag with his sharp claws.
— “Our boss is over there; he wants to have a word with you.” — Said the other Fletchinder. They then led the Shiny Eevee to the front of a house where a Morpeko, wearing a headdress of Talonflame feathers, was waiting. The Fletchinder folded their wings, and then the Morpeko approached.
— “Looks like the freak came back to the Featheless team’s turf. Didn’t I tell you that to come here you have to pay our fee?” — He asked, still in his friendlier-looking Full Belly Mode, smiling at Lory. However, when she turned her face away from him, the Morpeko shifted into Hungry Mode, grabbing the Shiny Eevee’s long ears and forcing her beneath him.
— “DON’T TURN AWAY WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU, FREAK! THINK YOU’RE A QUEEN JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE THE DAUGHTER OF THE BASE’S MASTER IN THIS CITY? I’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SILVER TURN PURPLE!” — Threatened the Morpeko, releasing electric sparks from his body and pulling hard on Lory’s ears. At that moment, however, the feathered-headdress Pokémon was crushed by a Jolteon, releasing the Shiny Eevee’s ears.
— “Who would’ve thought? I can make black and purple even more purple… I arrived just in time.” — Mocked Nero as he wiped his front paws on the Morpeko. The pair of Fletchinder then lunged at the Jolteon.

Nero stomped his front paws on the Morpeko, making the Pokémon bounce on the ground. Spinning quickly, the Jolteon kicked the feathered-headdress Pokémon with his hind legs, sending him flying into the face of one of the Fletchinder. The hit was strong and struck at an angle that caused the Electric-Type Pokémon to crash into the other Flying-Type:

— “Huh, all three are already on the ground. Come on, get up. Lory didn’t want to pay your fee, but I’ll gladly pay it for her…” — Said Nero, a sadistic smile on his face. Alarmed, one of the Fletchinder grabbed the unconscious Morpeko with his claw and flew away, while the other — whose wing had been broken by the blow — began to run, calling for his ally to wait.
— “IF YOU BOTHER ME AGAIN, I’LL MAKE A HEADDRESS OUT OF THE PIECES OF YOU THREE!” — Threatened the Jolteon, taking a few steps toward the team with his fur standing on end. Even with the frightening appearance, his words still carried a mocking tone.
— “Hehehe, hey Lory, are you okay?” — Nero asked, concerned for his friend. Lory had sat down on the sidewalk and was gently fiddling with one of her ears with her paws.
— “I’m fine… Thank you… You were a Togetic, Nero, but I’ll say the same thing I told Fearles — don’t worry about me, I need to learn to stand up for myself more, just like Sakuya and him.” — Thanked the Shiny Eevee with a smile. She then shook her head to reaffirm she was fine, and finally looked at the friend she hadn’t seen in a long time, whom she only recognized by his voice and mischievous way of being.
— “Wow, Nero, you’ve become a really cool grown-up Pokémon, you chose to be a Jolteon? Hehe, makes sense, I thought you’d become one before since you’re part of Team Gigabolt… A… ARRRRGGGG, YOU’RE NAKED, YOU CRAZY SHAMELESS POKÉMON!” — Lory screamed, extremely red-faced and covering her eyes with her little paws. Nero didn’t seem bothered by it, only smiling at the situation.
— “HAHA, YEAH, living with Master Raikou for so long made me forget I need to wear at least one piece of clothing. I was here in this area precisely to buy one when I saw you.” — Justified the Jolteon with his eyes closed, scratching the back of his head with his front paw. The Shiny Eevee, also with her eyes closed, took off her scarf and handed it to her friend.
— “Here, wear this. I’m still a low-level Pokémon, by law I’m not required to wear clothes, but you do, so put it on already.” — Lory said, embarrassed. Smiling, Nero held her paw with both of his, making the Shiny Eevee give a small jump.
— “Sure, that way we’re even — I helped you with that team of jerks, and you help me, so I don’t get arrested for public indecency, hehehe.” — Said the Jolteon, gently taking the scarf from Lory’s paw. He then put it on in such a way that the light-blue scarf made his ears droop behind his head, making him look like the way Pokémon pirates used to wear them.

The Pokémon then walked together toward the base. The Shiny Eevee asked the Jolteon to tell all his adventures alongside the Legendary Pokémon. Nero got excited, and by speaking while gesturing, the story he told sounded both funny and epic at the same time. Even so, Lory listened to every word with a smile on her face, genuinely happy for her friend’s achievement.
However, after a long time speaking, the Jolteon blushed and grew embarrassed about talking so much about himself, and asked about the Shiny Eevee, also wondering if she could tell him how their friends were doing. Lory stopped walking for a moment, feeling worried, after all, from the looks of it, Nero really didn’t know anything about the world. Lacking the courage to reveal everything, the Shiny Eevee told him that when he got to the base, he should talk to Fearles, who would tell him what he needed to know. Nero was concerned, but still asked her at least to tell him about herself.
Lory said, frustrated, that there wasn’t much to tell about her.
The Shiny Eevee felt stagnant, Sakuya had evolved from a Vulpix into a Snow Ninetales and no longer needed to work at the secretary’s office as long as she had missions; while Lory claimed she had graduated months ago but hadn’t even been able to get a team due to her bad reputation and shiny color. The Jolteon remembered his friend’s way of being, someone as indolent as her would be a danger in a risky mission, but what irritated Nero was the fact that she was being left aside for something as ridiculous as being born Shiny:

— “Here’s what we’ll do; when I find Beel and Amphy, we’re going on an adventure, and that way we’ll help you with this. I won’t take no for an answer!” — Said the Jolteon in a kind tone. The Shiny Eevee only gave a faint smile and nodded her head.

Nero did a backflip, happy with Lory’s answer, heading toward the base with little jumps. However, as soon as the Jolteon walked away, the Shiny Eevee’s smile vanished. She only asked Arceus in her thoughts that the news her friend was about to receive wouldn’t break his cheerful spirit.
Already inside Zabeli’s Nexus Tower, it was quite easy to reach Fearles’ office thanks to Lory’s company. The first thing Nero noticed was Sakuya’s absence from the reception desk at her brother’s office, but the Jolteon didn’t think much of it because of what the Shiny Eevee had said earlier. Nero was about to open the Zoroark’s office door, however, Lory stopped him and asked him to wait three minutes and stay a little away from the door. Even without understanding why the Shiny Eevee was asking this, the Jolteon obeyed without question.
Once the time Lory had mentioned had passed, some Pokémon opened the door and began leaving the master’s office. Nero raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and different scenarios crossed his mind, still, he chose to simply ignore it. The Shiny Eevee then moved forward, signaling her friend to follow her. In the room, Fearles was sitting in his chair, apparently angry from the conversation, but upon seeing Lory he smiled as if it had all passed:

— “My silver lady has returned, how good, I see you brought a friend of yours, this one I didn’t know, a pleasure.” — Greeted the Zoroark in a courteous manner, the Shiny Eevee covered her mouth with a muffled laugh.
— “Uhh… Master… It’s me, Nero Sakai… Am I really this effeminate?” — Asked the Jolteon, feeling less masculine, Fearles widened his eyes and stood up from the chair, looking the Pokémon up and down quickly.
— “WHAT, BUT… HOW… WHEN… WHY ARE YOU WEARING A FEMALE ACCESSORY? AREN’T YOU ASHAMED OF CROSS-DRESSING?!” — Shouted the Zoroark blushing with embarrassment over his mistake, Nero was surprised, justifying that he did not know there were accessories specific for genders.

A few seconds, after the Jolteon’s explanations, the three Pokémon began to laugh about what had happened, Fearles pulled from his white coat a white handkerchief of his own meant for male Pokémon, tossing it to Nero so he could change the Zoroark even mocked the fact that the Electric Type Pokémon could live perfectly fine as a female and even marry a wealthy male without raising suspicions, the Jolteon only gave a short laugh, replying afterward that it was not to his taste.
Far away, Amphy was trying to infiltrate a mysterious dungeon taken over by the extremist group Umbral Requiem as a kind of operations base, unfortunately, the place was heavily guarded. Of the fifteen Pokémon who accepted that risky mission, only she remained, along with Sakuya the Snow Ninetales who wore a hairpin with a bell on her head and carried a bag full of items, Marlena the Ekans who wore aviator glasses, and Talvo the Slurpuff who carried a bag with him:

— “It would be wise to retreat while you can, I won’t be angry nor will I reprimand you if that is your choice, so far we’ve managed to send our allies back safely to the base, I don’t know if from here on we’ll be as lucky.” — Warned Amphy, keeping watch on the entrance of the dungeon using her staff with a mirror, Sakuya picked up the bag she carried, checking the items that could still be consumed.
— “Don’t talk nonsense, we came together, and we’ll leave together, if the mission fails, we still have Escape Orbs to guarantee our escape, I’ll go to the end with you, I don’t know if we’ll get another chance.” — Declared the Snow Ninetales with determination, restraining herself from shouting, nodding positively, Ampharos agreed.
— “I don’t know how I’ve survived so far, maybe thanks to Sakuya’s protection, but I feel like I’ll only get in the way if I stay here, I’ll retreat… I’m a coward, I shouldn’t be on a team of Punishers.” — Said Talvo, gripping the strap of his bag, trembling in fear with his head low, Marlena placed her Ekans rattle on the Slurpuff’s head, catching his attention.
— “Better help than hinder, our allies were sent back unconscious, it’ll be good for us to go now and reveal the true location of this cursed clan’s base… Besides, the leader of my team was defeated, I’m no good acting alone, if Amphy hadn’t defended me, I’d have been fatally struck long ago…” — Thanked Marlena, leaving Talvo more at peace with himself for his decision.

The Slurpuff handed various items to Sakuya for the invasion, taking a bit of his meringue hair and offering it to the Snow Ninetales, the Ice Type Pokémon accepted the quick snack and the Ampharos extended her paw to Talvo without looking at him, yet making it evident that she too wanted to eat the sweet, the Slurpuff’s eyes welled up with tears, feeling that, in the end, at least he had done something useful for the mission.
Amphy, observing the movement, made a signal with the glow of the tip of her tail, with that, Sakuya stopped holding back and activated her Pokémon ability known as Snow Warning, creating snow. With the snow blocking visibility, Marlena coiled around Talvo, and he used his Escape Orb, escaping safely with the Ekans without being detected by the enemies. Two Pokémon inside the dungeon, a Simisage, and an Arctibax, noticed the unusual snow, coming out prepared for an offensive, the Snow Ninetales used her move Aurora Veil in conjunction with Safeguard, protecting herself and her ally, trusting in Sakuya’s protection, Ampharos left hiding, rushing toward the entrance.
Upon spotting the Electric Type Pokémon, the two attacked together, the Simisage used Leech Seed, which was immediately nullified by the protective aura of Safeguard, and the Arctibax used Ice Beam, however, moving her staff skillfully, Amphy not only intercepted the move but also redirected it at Simisage, who was immediately frozen upon being hit. Hesitating as he looked at his frozen partner, Arctibax was struck by Ampharos’s Dragon Pulse, incapacitating him, the Electric Type made another signal using her tail for the Snow Ninetales to cease her ability and follow her.
Sakuya used her Punisher team badge to send the defeated Pokémon to the base, so both advanced together through the dungeon, managing to deal well with the clan’s threats, Sakuya always leaving Amphy in the lead, staying behind giving her support with her moves and transporting the fanatics, but while she did so, a Heliolisk with a clan brooch spotted her:

— “The Punishers have finally arrived here?!”— Exclaimed the Electric Pokémon, his words immediately catching the attention of the Pokémon duo.

Wanting to incapacitate the enemy at once, Ampharos used her move Power Gem, however, Heliolisk used Quick Attack to dodge the move and before the females could react again, he knelt and placed his head against the ground:

— “WAIT, please, wait…” — Repeated the Electric Type Pokémon, lowering his voice more and more, the Snow Ninetales grew confused at the Pokémon’s reaction, but Amphy approached, noticing something.
— “You’re the little Helioptile inventor, you evolved, I only recognized you because when Beelzeby and I rescued you from the waterfall dungeon you struck this same pose.” — Said Ampharos, still bewildered to see such a kind and innocent Pokémon in a place like that, the Heliolisk stood up with his nose running.
— “Yes, it’s me, Raijin, the leader of this base dragged me here, because of our previous encounters he knew my talents, and forced me to make equipment for the clan.” — Justified the worried Heliolisk, Amphy and Sakuya remained constantly alert, it didn’t take long for the Electric Pokémon to notice this.
— “Follow me, we can talk more peacefully in my laboratory.” — Called Raijin, walking back the same path he came from, the females briefly exchanged glances and then followed the Pokémon.

In Zabeli, after Lory’s warning, Fearles told Nero everything that had happened during the period he had disappeared to train with Raikou, and incredibly, even shaken by all the tragic events, the Jolteon remained calm, however both the Shiny Eevee and the Zoroark could see in the violet eyes of the Electric Type Pokémon how much that news had shaken him:

— “It’s all so… Arrg, complicated, I was so happy to have achieved what I always wanted… This isn’t the time to pity myself, not now, you told me mama Amphy had clues about the Umbral Requiem clan in this region, where?” — Asked the Jolteon, firmly tying the dark-blue scarf Fearles had given him around his head.
— “According to information we extracted from prisoners’ minds through the Musharna, they were in a dungeon not too far from here, they communicate by letters and that way they went unnoticed by my surveillance.” — Explained the Zoroark visibly frustrated, the Pokémon pointed toward the door as he continued his explanations.
— “You know those Pokémon who just left here? They came to inform me of the details that took place, your mother, Sakuya and some other Pokémon managed to destroy this base, however, they discovered another one exists and went immediately toward it, unfortunately…” — Spoke Fearles, but was interrupted by Nero who, upon hearing about that dungeon, slammed his two front paws on the Zoroark’s table.
— “THAT’S WHERE HE MUST BE, FEARLES, I’M GOING TO THEM RIGHT NOW, I HAVE TO HELP, I’M RESPONSIBLE TOO!!” — Shouted the Jolteon with a fiery gaze, however Fearles stood up, ordering the Pokémon to calm down since the Pokémon sent from there — both enemies and allies — were too injured for the Musharna to treat them, so they didn’t know where the dungeon was and that was why he was frustrated when they arrived there.
— “DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!” — Screamed Nero, slamming the table hard and moving away from it, the Pokémon took a few steps away from the Zoroark and the Shiny Eevee, the Jolteon’s anger and frustration were evident.
— “It’s going to be fine, Amphy and my sister are a great explorer and a great enforcer respectively and there are still allies with them, I know they will manage to stop the Umbral Requiem clan and bring him back.” — Said Lory in a delicate, gentle voice wanting to comfort her friend, she approached, first hesitating to touch Nero.

However, everything changed when she, with courage, touched the Jolteon, the Pokémon turned to the Shiny Eevee and hugged her, beginning to cry heavily, Lory had never seen Nero in a situation like that where he was so fragile, the Shiny Eevee said nothing, she just returned the hug and let her friend cry, everyone remained silent in the room where the only sound was the Jolteon’s crying.
Cutting the silence abruptly, a device on Fearles’ table started playing an irritating song for the Zoroark to answer, upon activating it a holographic screen appeared revealing the receptionist Malamar, the Pokémon had always taken on Lory and Sakuya’s duties when both were busy. Nero, calmer, wiped his tears with his front paw and the Shiny Eevee timidly and gently let go of the hug, both then briefly exchanged glances when:
— “REALLY?! PERFECT, PASS THE INFORMATION NOW!” — Shouted Fearles excitedly, licking the sides of his mouth while waiting for the information, the Pokémon then began tapping with his claws on another screen, looking confused.
— “Wait, Nero, you’re not connected to me, and I can’t find you on the rosters either, you’re on Gigabolt’s, but just your photo, why?” — Questioned the confused Zoroark, the Jolteon explained that he didn’t have a Gadget and so only received mission messages through Amphy and Beelzeby, Fearles slapped his own face in disbelief.
— “SEND IT TO ME THEN, WE DON’T HAVE TIME, NERO HAS TO GET THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” — Said Lory with her fur standing on end, Nero looked at her surprised and happy at the same time, the Zoroark slammed the table and stood up.
— “NOT EVEN IF A MILTANK COUGHS, ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU MAY HAVE GOTTEN YOUR LICENSE, BUT YOU’RE NOT FIT FOR THIS TYPE OF MISSION, I’M NOT GOING TO SEND YOU TO YOUR DEATH WHEN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER POKÉMON HERE I CAN SUMMON!” — Yelled Fearles, outraged by his sister’s recklessness, Nero was about to intervene in favor of the Shiny Eevee, but she took the lead.
— “I KNOW THIS ISN’T A GAME, BUT I WANT TO HELP SAKUYA AND NERO TOO, BROTHER, I KNOW YOU CAN SUMMON OTHER POKÉMON, BUT WE DON’T HAVE TIME, SEND ME THE INFORMATION, I WILL ASSIST NERO AND I’LL KEEP MYSELF OUT OF DANGER, WE’LL HANDLE EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU SEND REINFORCEMENTS!” — Spoke Lory with conviction, the Zoroark stood up from his desk, still angry with his sister’s idea.
— “NO, I AM THE MASTER OF THIS BASE BEFORE BEING YOUR BROTHER, AND UNTIL YOU’RE READY, I WON’T SEND YOU ON A MISSION, ESPECIALLY ONE SO IMPORTANT AND DANGEROUS… Lory, I know you care about your sister and Nero, but your time will come, and it is not now, I’m sorry…” — Fearles responded harshly to his sister, however, at least at the end of his speech he tried to comfort the Shiny Eevee who just ran out of the room upset, the Zoroark watched her leave, but didn’t stop her, just like the Jolteon who wished he had said something.
— “Being a master is crap sometimes… Nero, just wait a little, I’ll summon a team to go with you, I’ll try to be as fast as possible, OK?” — Asked Fearles as he headed back behind his desk, the Pokémon then began tapping the holographic screen, possibly calling the other Network, Nero just nodded positively and left the room.

Jolteon begins looking around for Lory, however he doesn’t find the Shiny Eevee anywhere, while going down toward the entrance of the base several scenes came into his head, of how he could defend Lory and how he could convince Zoroark to send her into battle, however, Nero was aware that this was a useless exercise just to make himself feel better, after all, at the decisive moment he had remained silent, maybe for agreeing with Fearles, or out of fear of losing yet another companion:

— “NERO, HERE, COME QUICKLY, HERE!”— Shouted the Shiny Eevee calling Jolteon’s attention, it so happened that Nero was so immersed in his thoughts that he went all the way down the base to the entrance almost instinctively.
— “Lory I… I wanted to apologize to you, I couldn’t speak up when you and Fear… Hey, HEY, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FEMALE?!”— Jolteon tried to ask Lory’s forgiveness, however, as soon as he approached, the Shiny Eevee climbed onto Nero’s back.
— “No time, let’s go, get out of the city, and I’ll show you the direction of the dungeon…”— Whispered Lory into the big ear of Jolteon, Nero could ask many questions at that moment.
— “Hold on tight!” — But he only managed to say that to the Shiny Eevee before running, using the move Quick Attack.

In the blink of an eye, the pair had already crossed the wall of Zabeli, now being inside the jungle of the continent of Calypso, Lory managed to hold on, however, Nero’s speed was so frightening that the Shiny Eevee couldn’t even scream, besides trembling while clinging firmly to the yellow fur of the Pokémon.
Nero asked if she was alright and right after that asked for the direction, Lory took a breath and then took from her bag her Gadget, using the device she created a holographic screen under Jolteon’s head with an arrow so he could locate himself and see the path he should follow, the screen would not block his vision and he could follow the route without needing to stop and ask for directions. The white-scarfed Pokémon placed one of his front paws on his chin, being impressed with the Network’s technology, the Shiny Eevee, in turn, looked back at the city walls, Nero then asked if she was ready to continue and the Normal Type responded positively.
Lory questioned herself internally if Jolteon knew what she had done, in this case, the Shiny Eevee had taken advantage of the fact that Sakuya was not at her post to use her sister’s work Gadget and transfer the information relayed to master Zoroark into her own device. Nero knew Lory had done something suspicious, especially because of her request for them to go quickly, but the Jolteon did not underestimate the abilities of the Shiny Eevee and was convinced her medical skills would be useful.
On the way to the secret base of the Requiem Umbral, Nero saw several signs that there had been a large battle there, such as blood, craters, destroyed trees and vegetation, the white-scarfed Jolteon passed by the entrance of the first dungeon mentioned by Fearles, where some teams were already acting inside and outside the place:

— “Lory… I trust you, but this will be our last stop, I already know where I have to go, if you want to give up now, I will understand.” — Warned Nero, even trusting the Shiny Eevee he still wanted to take every possible care with the little one.
— “Uh-uh, I want to continue, Nero… you promised you would take me on a mission with Beelzeby and Amphy, don’t worry, I will prove to my brother and to myself that I am ready to face whatever comes…” — Replied Lory laying gently on Jolteon’s back, apparently, the Shiny Eevee had already gotten used to Nero’s speed, and he, in turn, only nodded positively, continuing on his way.

Some of the Network working outside the dungeon saw the pair’s movement, reporting it to Zabeli’s base as a precaution, it didn’t take long for Jolteon to arrive at the dungeon’s entrance where Amphy and Sakuya were, the first thing Nero noticed was the wet grass and small signs of water, upon touching the puddles he felt a chill making his fur bristle and causing Lory to jump off Jolteon’s back to avoid being pierced:

— “What happened Nero?! You shouldn’t touch strange liquids, what’s wrong?! Is that acid? Poison?!” — Questioned the Shiny Eevee worriedly, avoiding stepping where she saw it wet.
— “Much worse, this is very cold water, BRRR, without a doubt it’s Sakuya’s doing, she must have activated her natural ability or used an Ice Type move, or both.” — Supposed Nero walking ahead of Lory into the dungeon, the Shiny Eevee placed one of her front paws on her chest, breathing relieved that it wasn’t anything serious.

The Pokémon walked through the base of the Requiem Umbral clan following the trail left by the snow Ninetales, when both heard an explosion ahead, Jolteon then bit the back of Lory’s neck throwing her onto his back and began to run without using Quick Attack toward the noise as soon as the Shiny Eevee clung to him.
Far from them, the Snow Ninetales tried to hold firm using Aurora Veil along with her natural ability, however, now alone with Raijin, Sakuya faced many difficulties having to deal with a Klawf that fired several projectiles from Rock Blast in her direction. The Snow Ninetales managed to withstand the blows thanks to her Aurora Veil, however, she knew the protection would not last, especially against moves that had an advantage over her:

— “Raijin, please, tell me if you know how to fight—GHHAA, anything will do!” — begged Sakuya, almost out of strength, the Heliolisk trembling heavily.
— “N-no-o, I don’t know any-th-thing, I-I evolve using stones, no-not through prominence-e-e, a-a-and I’m a thinker, not a fighter.” — answered Raijin curled up behind the Snow Ninetales still trembling, Sakuya sighed in frustration finding herself without a way out.
— “Then quickly—urrk, grab the crystal I have in the bag—GHAA and squeeze it tight, DAMN POKÉMON!” — commanded the Snow Ninetales without looking at the Heliolisk, she needed to maintain the protection as long as possible, and even being distracted to reach for the crystal could put everything at risk.

Even while trembling, Raijin crawled toward Sakuya’s bag, rummaging through it following the Snow Ninetales’ directions, then the Heliolisk pulled out a hexagonal crystal from inside the bag, asking afterward if he had grabbed the right crystal:

— “I DON’T KNOW, GHAAA, IF I LOSE FOCUS UHHH, THISKYAAA, WE’RE DEAD, JUST DAMN IT, JUST STRETCH YOUR PAW AND HOLD IT TIGHT!” — instructed Sakuya, stepping in front of Raijin to protect him from Rock Blast, the Electric Pokémon, in turn, followed the Snow Ninetales’ instructions.

The crystal then began to tremble as if it wanted to escape the Heliolisk’s paw, however, Raijin held the object tightly, looking in awe as it seemed to be absorbing some kind of dust-like particles around them, a white symbol glowed inside the crystal, which was black as a dense night, resembling a lonely star in the night sky:

— “Wow, but what, what is this?” — asked the Heliolisk, staring in wonder at the crystal, full of curiosity. The Pokémon kept fiddling with the crystal in his paw, even putting it in his mouth to taste it.

Suddenly, the Aurora Veil of the Fairy Pokémon finally broke with a rock from Rock Blast, the stone hitting Sakuya’s face, though she managed to remain standing, only staggering slightly. The blow made her blood flow from her forehead down to the mouth of the Snow Ninetales, who panted heavily, wanting to scream in pain. Raijin, seeing the state of his ally, threw the strange crystal in her direction, yelling for her to grab it.
Sakuya had already noticed the crystallized dust particles earlier, so she was ready and allowed herself to be hit by the black crystal.
The crystal burst into a strong white light upon touching the Snow Ninetales, all the dust it had gathered now circulated around Sakuya’s body until she was entirely engulfed by several crystals. In milliseconds, the crystal shattered, and the Snow Ninetales became fully crystallized, gaining a sort of jewel atop her head shaped like a cyan band in the form of a circle of ice cubes, with a cyan hexagonal crystal with a pair of angry eyes in front:

— “What… What is this?” — questioned the terrified Heliolisk, to the point that Raijin fell seated on the ground with his jaw dropped.
— “It’s called terastalization, I’ll explain it later…”— affirmed Sakuya while using Aurora Veil again, however, this time the move managed to stop the enemy Klawf’s Rock Blast more effectively.

The Snow Ninetales then took a deep breath, creating a cyan-colored dust sphere in front of her, Sakuya quickly struck the sphere with her front paw, hurling it toward the Rock Type Pokémon, Klawf used the move High Horsepower to counter the attack.
However, the Snow Ninetales’ move did not hit the enemy, making him smirk mockingly, the Heliolisk was already about to put his paws on his head to lament the wasted attack, but suddenly huge cyan ice crystals engulfed the Rock Type Pokémon, making it explode with the energy of the Ice Type move in a cloud of cyan crystal dust.
As soon as Nero arrived at the battle site, he had to instinctively dodge Klawf, which was hurled toward him with the explosion. By doing so, the Jolteon turned his back to Sakuya, allowing her and Lory to exchange glances:

— “SAKUYAAA!!” — shouted the Shiny Eevee, jumping off Nero and running toward her sister, hugging her. The Snow Ninetales stood motionless, not understanding anything.
— “Sakuya, your partners spoke from the base, and we came as fast as possible, are you alright? Where’s Amphy?” — asked Nero worried, but Sakuya wasn’t recognizing him and still felt disoriented from the Rock Blast blow and from seeing her sister there.

The Shiny Eevee pulled out some first aid supplies from the bag she carried. As she began treating her sister’s wounds, Lory asked the Jolteon not to ask so many questions at once and to at least let the Snow Ninetales rest a little. However, upon hearing the Electric Type Pokémon’s name, the wounded Pokémon gave a faint smile:

— “So… You are Nero? Ha… haha, this is so convenient it seems like a joke, so many moments to come back, and you chose today of all days? How nice…” — remarked Sakuya, mocking the coincidence, while Nero only looked at the Snow Ninetales with a confident smile.
— “This one with me is called Raijin, he was kidnapped by the cult, I was covering Amphy’s rear while he accompanied me, but that Klawf appeared from the dungeon’s ceiling and used Rock Slide, separating our path with that wall of stone, so Raijin and I had to stay fighting against it.” — explained Sakuya while the Shiny Eevee treated her, Nero shook his head listening to the story, but when the Snow Ninetales mentioned the wall, the Pokémon immediately looked toward it.
— “Wait, Amphy wasn’t buried under the rocks, was she?” — asked the Jolteon, alarmed, already heading toward them, with the Heliolisk following Nero, guided by his curiosity.
— “I don’t know, th… BOOOOOOM!!” — before Sakuya could finish speaking, the Jolteon used Thunderbolt, destroying the rocks that blocked the path.
— “Phew, lucky Amphy wasn’t under those rocks, otherwise the abrupt way you removed them could have killed her.” — said Raijin, while Nero gave an awkward smile in response, admitting he had acted before thinking.

The Snow Ninetales was about to rise to scold the Jolteon, however, her body had already begun to pay for the blows that had hit her and the excessive use of her moves strengthened by the Terastral, the crystallized form of the Pokémon shattered into thousands of shards, and she collapsed to the ground gasping, the shards then reassembled forming once again the black hexagonal crystal:

— “SAKUYA… AW NO, your head… You’re still bleeding a lot; we need to get you out of here using the orbs.” — Stated Lory worriedly, hugging her sister, however, the Heliolisk approached the two, shaking his arms negatively.
— “There’s no way, I created a device that blocks the Wonder orb signals in here using the dungeon’s own magic, to get out of here only unconscious or dead, it was the only concession I could make without the general noticing.” — Explained Raijin gesturing with his paws, Sakuya murmured that she had already noticed that, for she was going to escape with the Heliolisk when she was cornered by the Klamf and her Escape Orb failed.
— “I’ll take Sakuya out with my Quick Attack, that way, she and Lory can flee safely, and I’ll be able to return to look for Amphy.” — Stated the Jolteon with conviction, the Snow Ninetales also agreed, already beginning to rise for the transport.
— “No Nero, look at her state, Sakuya can barely stand, shaking her around in Quick Attack could worsen her condition, we need to treat her as soon as possible and let her body do the rest.” — Contested the Shiny Eevee, Sakuya already too dizzy to speak, only pointing at Raijin.
— “She’s right, you built this base, do you know somewhere I can treat her safely without the acolytes discovering us?” — Asked Lory, the Heliolisk shook his head, wondering how she had drawn so many conclusions from just one gesture.
— “I didn’t build the base, I only improved it, but I know a place where maybe you’ll be safe, let’s go…” — Murmured Raijin looking down, seeming guilty and ashamed of what he had done, the Shiny Eevee asked the Heliolisk and Nero to carefully carry the Snow Ninetales to the location.

The pair of Pokémon then approached Sakuya, the Jolteon grabbed her left forepaw, placing it on his back near his neck, the other Electric Type Pokémon would do the same with the right forepaw of the Ice Type Pokémon. However, before he did so, he picked up the black crystal from the ground, storing it inside the closed black frill around his neck, and as soon as he held Sakuya, they began to walk.
As they approached the mentioned location, it was possible to hear several explosions that grew more intense, Nero’s ears wouldn’t stop twitching from all the electric energy he detected around, for the Jolteon there was no doubt that two Electric Type Pokémon were engaged in a fierce battle. It didn’t take long for them to reach the safe place mentioned by Raijin, a sort of laboratory that analyzed and studied water, the Heliolisk then gave some directions to Nero, and thus they laid Sakuya on a bed that was there.
Lory asked what the Electric Type Pokémon was doing in that strange laboratory, the Pokémon replied that he worked to try to replicate the Luminous Water to strengthen the sect, however, Raijin stayed silent a few seconds after speaking and looked curiously at the Shiny Eevee, after all, he had not mentioned that it was his laboratory:

— “Lory has the Anticipation ability… Arrrg, don’t let yourself be scared by this sharp perception she has.” — Said the Snow Ninetales, struggling to stay awake, Lory then approached her sister, worried.
— “Sakuya, wouldn’t it be better for you to sleep? If that happens, we can send you away with the Escape Orb or your Punisher Badge.” — Suggested the Shiny Eevee, Sakuya only shook her head negatively and noticed some movement from the Jolteon while he paced.
— “Do you really want to face what’s coming? Wouldn’t it be better to leave Amphy with him?” — Asked the Snow Ninetales, that question made the Jolteon stop walking, the Pokémon was already heading to the Pokémon battle.
— “It’s Beelzeby who’s behind all this, isn’t it? I wasn’t an Electric Type Pokémon when we split up, but now, now I am, and I recognize him just by the energy he releases.” — Stated Nero, while twitching his ears and releasing sparks from them, Lory lowered her ears worried and Sakuya only gave a short sigh.
— “I don’t know how much you know, but Beel had become a Punisher to help with my missions… That’s when we found Keith, the current leader of the Requiem Umbral, he did something to Beel, I don’t know what it was, but Beel isn’t like this, he doesn’t act like this…” — Stated the Snow Ninetales with much sorrow and guilt, the Pokémon seemed to struggle hard not to cry.
— “Forgive me Nero, it was all my fault, all the blood Beel spilled and will spill is my fault, if I weren’t so weak… I even studied Terastal to strengthen myself, but if I can’t handle a Klawf, I won’t be able to handle Beel.” — Lamented Sakuya with her head down, without her noticing, Nero had now returned, standing in front of the Pokémon and moving the bell on her forehead, catching her attention.
— “I have no reason to forgive you, you have to forgive yourself, you were only doing your job, this Keith is the real culprit of all this, not you. I only have to thank you Sakuya, you were Beel’s and Amphy’s friend even at a time like this, you never turned your back on them and risked everything for them, but now it’s my turn to do the same.” — Said the Jolteon, gently holding the cold paw of the Snow Ninetales, moved by the words of the two Pokémon, Raijin pulled the black crystal from his frill and showed it to Sakuya.
— “I used the Tera Crystal, it probably doesn’t have energy to activate now, we’d need some energy source and… Ow, could it work with the Luminous water?” — Asked the Snow Ninetales, the female’s words sparked the Helioptile’s curiosity, the Electric Type Pokémon scratched his neck staring at some devices and decided to test the theory.

Raijin placed the Tera Crystal in a device and began experimenting with it to identify the kind of energy needed to energize it, now, Nero let go of Sakuya’s paw asking the Heliolisk and the Shiny Eevee to protect her, then the Jolteon headed for the exit:

— “WAIT, you intend to fight now? If Amphy hasn’t shown up yet it’s because Beelzeby is really powerful, you need all the strength you can get, please, wait for Raijin’s tests to be ready.” — Pleaded Lory, standing in front of Nero, the Jolteon only smiled crouching to the Shiny Eevee’s height, both exchanged looks and then Nero stole a kiss from Lory.

That was the first kiss of the Pokémon pair, it lasted less than a minute being something simple, but for both the Shiny Eevee and the Jolteon it lasted a long time, the noises of that place were silenced and all they felt was each other’s breath, when Nero released Lory from the kiss he kept his happy smile only briefly closing his eyes:

— “There, now I have all the strength I need to come out victorious, after all I want to stay alive to feel more wonderful sensations like this.” — Said Nero confidently, leaving the room right after using his Quick Attack, while the Shiny Eevee remained frozen, only bringing her front paws up to her mouth, blushing red.

As Jolteon advanced through the base, Nero still found some cult members unconscious and others already regaining consciousness, and worried that something like the Klawf incident would repeat, the Jolteon took advantage of his active move to strike the Pokémon who were waking with his powerful legs, ensuring they remained incapacitated.


At last, Nero reached the door of the room where he felt all that Electric Type energy. The Jolteon paused for a second, trembling greatly. Nero already knew that the leader of that base was his brother Beelzeby Luxio, and he also knew from Sakuya about the corruption. Even so, Nero hesitated, it was one of those rare occasions where he actually felt afraid to push open that swinging door and face a battle. Not from fear of losing or dying, but from the confirmation that one of the Pokémon he loved the most had become his enemy.
Even apprehensive, the Jolteon pushed through the swinging door. The first thing Nero saw was Ampharos, already weakened, defending herself with her staff with a mirror, trying to redirect a green-colored attack. However, the staff could not withstand the energy and broke, yet Amphy stood her ground, only discarding the object. When the swinging door closed behind Nero, the noise made Ampharos hesitate for mere fractions of a second to see what caused the sound an opening that proved fatal, as it allowed her to be struck by a Throat Chop to her neck.
The blow sent Amphy spinning on her back across the floor until she crashed against a wall, cracking it. Furious at seeing his mother treated that way, the Jolteon’s fear turned into rage, and he unleashed Thunderbolt on the aggressor without even looking at who it was. The enemy Pokémon protected itself from the Electric Type move by charging its own body with extremely dense electricity. However, unlike standard electricity, this one bore crimson-red sparks that obscured the view of the Pokémon using it.
Nero did not back down, continuing to channel his attack. However, the enemy Pokémon leaped, landing on top of Jolteon and pinning him belly-first against the ground. Apparently, the move being used was Supercell Slam. Yet, due to Nero’s Volt Absorb ability, Electric Type attacks had no effect on him.
With that, the recoil of Supercell Slam triggered, making the Pokémon who used it convulse in pain on top of Jolteon. Taking advantage of the opening, Nero used Quick Attack to empower his legs, allowing him to leap swiftly with the Pokémon still on his back and slam him against the ceiling of the dungeon.
The Jolteon landed on his feet unharmed, revitalized by the misuse of Supercell Slam, while his opponent crashed to the ground, groaning in pain. Finally, able to see who his attacker was, Nero turned only to see a massive Luxray with crimson-red eyes:
— “Seeing you like this makes me sad, but unfortunately, what they told me is true… It’s been quite a while, Beelzeby.” — Declared the Jolteon with a serious, tense expression as he looked at his half-brother lying on the floor. Beelzeby, recognizing Nero’s voice, could only laugh compulsively as he rose from the ground.