[attr="class","juliaw"]

Shalin's change from distress to absolute bliss, accompanied by her cheering, had Julia giggling in spite of herself. Maybe it was the relief that her friend wasn't hurting anymore. Or maybe it was realizing just how out there Shalin was. Not that that was a bad thing! It made her a lot more fun, Julia thought.

[break][break]Julia held tight to Chester as the explosion rocked the room. When the fog cleared, the battleground had vanished, leaving an empty hall. Had that been an illusion, too? Either way, their foes were gone now. They'd won.

[break][break]"We did it!" Julia cheered. Her Pokémon cheered with her, though they were clearly worn out from this adventure. Lazuli closed her eyes, and her Mega form dissipated in a flash of light. Julia recalled her back to her Poké Ball. "You did great."

[break][break]The eastern wall had a new opening that leaked violet light. Julia followed Shalin inside, sticking close in case the girl needed some extra support after all that. Julia didn't recognize the Pokémon that decorated the walls or the medallion, either, but Shalin was still ecstatic to see the latter.

[break][break]"Whoa," Julia said as Shalin was bathed in light. She'd been saying that a lot today, hadn't she? This place was dangerous, no doubt, but it was also really cool.

[break][break]Shalin collapsed on the dais, and Julia urged Chester forward. "You got it," she said. "Chester, can you carry her?"

[break][break]The Dodrio's left head seemed hesitant, but the middle nodded and squawked with an eagerness to help. Julia slid off, and Chester knelt down so she could hoist Shalin onto his back. Julia was going to be so sore tomorrow, but that was a problem for Future Her to worry about. Once Shalin was as secured as she could be, Chester slowly stood up. And then Julia realized that none of her Pokémon could actually fly. Shalin still had Sandy, but Julia wasn't sure if putting her on a vibrating Pokémon would be a good idea right now.

[break][break]"We'll figure this out on the way out," she said. "Come on."

[break][break]As they carefully made their way back to the palace's entrance, Julia remembered what the ghosts in the dining hall had said: "Slay the four foxes with their own might. Only then can we proceed to the afterlife." Just as she thought of taking a detour to the dining hall to check if they were gone, the air around her grew cooler. It wasn't a biting cold like parts of the palace had been but more like a pleasant breeze on a warm day. Carried on that unseen wind were two simple words:

[break][break]"Thank you."

[break][break]Julia smiled. "Thanks for the hint, guys." Chester's left head looked at her like she was crazy, but Julia paid him no mind.

[break][break]Luckily, nothing stood in their way as they traversed the palace. Julia pushed open the double doors to the invisible bridge outside and stepped out. She took a deep breath of fresh air, even if it was thinner this high up, and pulled out her prototype holo-glasses to send out a message. She'd need a bit of extra Ranger help for this one, soft no-rescue zone or no.