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Mystin was close behind, eager to get out. Keeping in the dark, Xaiver was also faithfully following.

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The Lugia struggled to orient the plate in her arms, gripping it tightly for fear that she would drop it. As she came up on the end of the tunnel, she noticed the exit was covered by a metal grate of crossed iron bars. She glanced at the others, hoping that they would be able to break through.

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Mystin noticed the bars as well. "I got this." He took a deep breath, and used Ice Beam. There was a loud crack as the ice shattered the bars. "there," he said proudly. "I did it."

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"Spelunking," she said with a nod, then winced at herself and shook her head. She took a step forwards, pushing through the frozen and shattered metal.

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"Uh..you okay, Tidal?" Mystin asked he stepped over the peices of the bars while exiting.

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"Give me a curfew, I'll be a shoe," she said distractedly, glancing both directions before stepping out over the creek running past the grate.

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As the group stepped through the exit, Xaiver spoke. "Thunderbolt." A huge thundebolt crashed inches in front of them, halting them,

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Letting out a low growl, the Lugia spun around, clutching the plate to her chest. Despite her dizziness and foggy mind, she was able to think clearly enough to begin to plot an escape.

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Xaiver smirked. "You really thought you could get away?" He spoke again. "Inprision." The black threads shot out before Mystin could use Psycho Cut, and bound them.

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She nearly screamed as her still-broken wrist was pinned to her side. Biting back tears, she quickly used Fly, aware that she wouldn't be able to escape but using the wings of energy created to shield herself from view momentarily.

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She spoke telepathically and sternly to the Pidgey atop her head, instructing it to leave for fear Xavier would harm it. It took off behind her, casting a glance back. Tidal used Psychic to slip the Toxic Plate behind her back and into her good hand, which was pinned there non-suspiciously already thanks to the Imprison. Once she was sure Norbert was out of sight, she allowed the wings to fade away. The sunlight had made visible a purple flush to her face, hinting at the toxins that she had inhaled in the swamp. She could feel them beginning to affect her in a more negative sense than before; her stomach felt horribly nauseous, and the dull headache and fogginess had worsened, but not to the point where she was unable to function.

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Holding up her blade, Riko tried to slice through the tendrils of the imprision. The smell of the sewers was getting to her, and she wanted to get everyone else out of here. Especially Tidal, who seemed to be dealing with the worst of the poison. "Sacred sword." She hissed, sick and tired of Xavier at this point.

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Noticing Riko begin to try and escape, the Lugia, though weakened and sick to her stomach, used Psychic to manipulate the leaves from nearby trees, whipping them into a whirlwind and causing them to create a visual shield between Riko and Xavier so that the Zekrom couldn't see whether or not the Zacian succeeded.

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Xaiver snarled. "NO!" He cast Imprision again to snake through the leaves and attack Riko. He was completley focused on manipulating the dark tendrils to attack and detain them, and he kept casting frustratedly as the Sacred Sword slashed through them. He would not fail Kyrem. He would do his part. He wouldn't be shown up by that haughty Reshiram ever again. His eyes glowed brown as he prepared to use Rock Slide.


Mystin rushed through the leaves. The Imprison had pinned his arms to his sides, but by summoning a Psycho Cut, he was able to break free. He took a deep breath, and the air around his mouth seemed to crackle like ice. His eyes glowed blue and he whispered "Ice Beam," sounding as if he was a roaring blizzard. The Ice Beam shot straight for Xaiver, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him flat on his back.

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Seeing the others begin to break free and feeling the chains slacken, Tidal quickly used Fly again, this time creating the wings of Flying energy beneath the Imprison. She snapped them open, breaking free and launching into the air. She could feel herself wobble as stars popped in her vision. She knew she wouldn't be able to do much in a fight thanks to the poisoned status she had received from inhaling the toxins, but she hoped that she could at least add to the sensory overload and confusion for Xavier.

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Many miles away, Spectral slowly blinked open his eyes. His head screamed in agony and his whole body ached, the latter, he knew, partially from the fall, partially from having lain there unconscious for however many days. He vaguely remembered having half woken up once, trying to stand, and falling back down. The world spun around him as he tried to sit up. After giving himself a moment to let his body adjust, he glanced around tentatively, trying to recall what exactly had happened.
He was at the bottommost floor of the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City, Johto, and laying on a dirt floor. Lifting up a hand, the Ho-Oh remembered that he was no longer a Pokemon but a human. That was it, that was what had happened; he had sensed a worsening in the evil in the world and, as much as it tortured him to be near to that, he had been determined to return just once and see Lugia. It has been 21 years since he had had to leave, and he felt guilty to think that she might remain in the dark as to his prolonged absence. However, the moment he had flown in through the large windows of the tower in the middle of the night, in hopes of avoiding human notice, he had turned into a human suddenly and plummeted down through the bell shaft in the center. He had attempted to use Fly but had little to no control due to the sudden shock, though he reckoned the effort had likely prevented him from hitting the ground full-force and shattering every bone in his body. As of the moment, he didn't think he had sustained any injuries, other than a throbbing headache, which was beginning to fade.
It seemed a miracle that no humans had discovered him, but then again, this basement-like room clearly hadn't been used in many years. Spectral stood up slowly, steadying himself against a wooden support beam. At least in this human form he didn't seem to be affected anymore by the black cloud rising from people and Pokemon alike that he had been able to previously sense and caused him actual, physical pain. He wondered if this had just happened to him, or if other Pokemon were also human. His primary mission returned to mind, and he began to plan a course for the Whirl Islands, home to the three Legendary Birds and, below the seas, Tidal.

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There was a loud crackle as Xaiver sat up, the ice spreading over his chest. He grunted, and struggled to his feet. Somehow, through all of the chaos, he managed to look up enough to see Tidal. He grimaced and locked eyes with her, grunting, "Thunder-" he was cut short as Mystin slammed into him with Psycho Cut. The two grappeled for a minute before Xaiver somehow came up on top and shouted "Thunderbolt!" A flash of lightning struck down, headed for the Lugia. "TIDAL, LOOK OUT!" Mystin yelled above the crash.

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Panic flashed in the Lugia's eyes. Her mind too foggy to think of anything else, she moved one of the wings created by her usage of the move Fly over her head. She still received the general shock from the attack, but it was weakened, the energy deflecting quite a bit of the electricity like a shield. Gritting her teeth, she felt herself fall back to the ground, but was able to land upright.

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Riko, Kate, and Meka were the last out of the sewers. Zacian raised her blade as she watched Xavier and Mystin battle each other. She knew Tidal had the plate just now, and made her way to protect the Lugia, who she knew was dealing with the poison. "Either give me the plate, or get ready to run. No offence, but I'm not sure how good you'd be in battle in this state." The wolf legend whispered.

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She half shook her head, half nodded, trying to communicate that she agreed. The plate was held behind her back with Psychic, and she was suddenly grateful that her eyes were blue, as that masked the blue glow and allowed her to use the move in the broad daylight relatively inconspicuously. She quickly slipped it to Riko, concealing the action by manipulating the leaves to block the Zekrom's view of them momentarily.

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