Locke hesitated. The guy in the tank right now looked kind of like those delinquent gangs in highschool tv dramas-the shades, the tattoos, and even the blonde hair! Would he get shaken down later if he knocked him in? Maybe he'd ought to miss on purpose…

With a nervous gulp, they closed their eyes and threw the ball in the general direction of the target. Worst comes to worst-they could at least claim it an accident!

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"B-Barely…" The Delibird had scaled her trainer's back in a way that really shouldn't have been possible with flippers, and was ready to start the shimmying up his arms when his sandwich backup arrived.

But, while the food was now safe from gluttonous little penguins, a new danger arrived-flying straight for him. Locke had a only split second to save either himself or their lunch, and he always was the selfless sort.

The basket bounced harmlessly off the grass as a red and white blur collided with the courier-spinning them both around a full three-sixty degrees before skidding to a stop. "Latias!" He was trying for a chiding tone, but it was quickly lost beneath a burst of giggles. The dragon's overzealousness at least distracted De-De from the food. She trilled with delight, sliding from Locke's shoulder and onto Latias' back to chattered excitedly with the dragon.

With both Pokemon's attention on each other, it gave Locke a chance to take in Angelo's other companion; a near-mirror of Latias, save for a difference in size and coloring. For a split-second his senses were overwhelmed by a vision of the dragon lying dead at Ho-Oh's feet-before snapping back to this universe and the very much alive Latios in front of him.

He swallowed down the wave of anxiety with a smile he'd hoped looked more nervous than panicked, giving the blue legendary a small wave before retrieving his-thankfully still intact-basket off the ground. "Well hopefully between the both of us we've got enough to share!"

Leading Angelo to the little private plot Locke had made for themselves hardly took any time at all. The bit of land they'd tidied up for this purpose was close enough to the regular path that they wouldn't get lost, but just out of the way enough to discourage any unwanted visitors.

Or-it should've been.

"Huh? I'm pretty sure I only planted one…" Closer inspection revealed more than a surplus of flowers, but a flat, featureless stone as well. Featureless, at least, up until the group approached and lines began to carve themselves into the gray slab, as though someone were taking an invisible chisel to the rock's surface.



"…Why's it always weird stuff like this?" Locke complained. "It's never just a flower-it's gotta be a magic rock trying to interview you or something."

But speaking of their Gracidea-even though it was their first time seeing it in full bloom, its shape and color was familiar in a way they couldn't quite place. It sat in their chest somewhere between grief and fondness, compelling them to play along with whatever strange event was occurring now.

Setting down the basket and patting around their coat eventually produced a thick marker, which they used answer the stone just below the carved question.



"She'd always take me out to the community gardens around Vermilion," they explained as the marker was passed off to Angelo. "I wouldn't have half the green thumb without her."

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

With the children safe under Probo-Probo's protection, Locke returned to his mysterious device, hurrying to unlock it and find answers in the Unown Report within. However, as he swiped the lock screen away he was greeted not by the drk triad's symbol-but by his own face.

Two hands burst from the screen and wrapped around their own throat in a death grip-knocking Locke back into the arms of angelo vestri behind him.

He couldn't breathe. His throat was free-the hands were only there for a few seconds at most before he was wrenched away-but he still couldn't breathe. He was dully aware of other people nearby-shouting around him and trying to move while all he could do was stare and stare and stare at himself and the dozen other dead Lockes crowding his mind they were all shouting at him-

luka chêne's Life Dew crashed like a wave over their head. They resurfaced back in the current reality-Angelo already pulling them along to follow skyler dross down one of the new routes-terminal one? They couldn't quite catch the rest of the sign, but trusted in their friends' judgements.

That would have to include…

Locke's eyes flicked briefly Eris Halla and Cillian Quinn. The underboss' presence was as intimidating as ever, but burdened now with the memory of a similar time of vulnerability. They answered Martín del Mar with only a mute shake of their head, hand absently rubbing over their throat as their thoughts drifted away again.

The time between the doppelganger's appearance and their running down hall was slowly catching up to them. That blonde guy had suggested something hadn't he? Some idea involving psychic Pokémon?

Their free hand ghosted over the Pokéballs at their hip-returning their Probopass once again to replace her with a gently-floating Munna. Immediately sensing her trainer's distress, Mu-Mu hovered close enough to bump her soft pink head against theirs and Calm their Mind. It would be a brief reprieve before she turned her focus to the near future-ready to Telepathically Forewarn the group of any threats that lie ahead.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Years of having nowhere to sleep but wherever he happened to be at night prepared Locke for restful night, regardless of how good of a roommate @artemis proved to be. In fact, the company of so many other people only soothed him into one of his deepest sleeps in months, which no two am rumblings could break.

It's because of that he was able to wake with more cheer than most, and all of the uniquely-colored Pokémon that greeted him as he stepped outside only made his morning even better.

"Look at these Pidgey! Pinkgey?" He called out to his bunkmate. "Oh-I know!" He stopped cooing to pull out one of the two Pokeballs they were allowed on this trip, summoning a bright magenta Delibird near the flock. "Kringle-Kringle, take a look at this! They're just like you!"

The penguin still stuck out quite a bit amongst the smaller birds, but seemed delighted nonetheless at having company a little closer on the color wheel. The rest of breakfast went on like that-a lot ooing and awing over the pink Pokémon, but ultimately uneventful. A welcome change of pace for the arrivals from Hoenn.

But of course they weren't here to sit around-there was work to be done! And plenty of it-enough that Locke felt a bit unsure where to start. The group would ultimately decide for them, as the majority seemed to pass over the ruined berry plots for more glamorous tasks.

It also didn't escape their notice that their lavender-haired bunk buddy had also yet to pick a chore.

"Me 'n Kringle-Kringle are gonna go help with that garden," they offered with a welcoming smile. "It doesn't look like there's a lot of folks over there, so we could probably use some extra hands if ya don't mind getting dirty!"

Whether Artemis decided to accompany them or not, Locke made their way to the upturned farmland, waving to Johanna Joy, nagi miwa, and Elisabeth Fiorelli (and Georgette Bluebottle?) as they joined them. They gave Kringle-Kringle an encouraging pat, gesturing towards the Happiny that was already hard at work. "Go ahead and help pick up all the good berries-but don't eat any okay?"

While the Delibird shyly waddled over to accompany the baby Pokémon, Locke rolled up their sleeves and set to work helping clear the land of weeds and debris. It wasn't all that different from helping their grandmother clear Vermilion's community gardens after a rough storm-only they wouldn’t be able to take any nice before and after photos.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke once again found himself overwhelmed and overshadowed by the infinitely more powerful people around him. mega-evolutions, z-moves, and…whatever was going on with the gigantic and uncomfortably-buff mosquito-they all fired off around him in a fantastic display, fueled by whatever mysterious power they'd summoned through the Lake Trio.

Even the crushing darkness around them was broken by moonlight-but when he looked up, all he could see was stars.



Meanwhile, Latias was undergoing her own transformation. Bright red down exploded with light, settling into a greyish-blue as her soft, rounded features grew larger, sharper, and more aerodynamic-until the legendary had fully Mega Evolved.

She hardly had time to admire her new form however, too awestruck by her brother's show of power to yet recognize her own, and her face painted with pure delight as an endless stream of Latios raced past her and towards the enemy. She flew to her sibling's side-the two almost indistinguishable now from this distance-with far more cheer than the dire situation called for, inspecting the offered orb with rapt attention before placing her own claws around it.

The pulse of the sphere grew rapid, slowly increasing until it had grown nearly twice in size and power. The stars doubled as well-swarming the siblings as the Latias of eons past playfully circled their descendant, then swooped down into the crowd.

They've come not to fight, but to defend.

The other half of a 1,000,000,000 Year Bond weaves amongst the gathered heroes, guarding as many as they can from their common enemy's next-and hopefully final-assault.



The rain cut out beneath the dome Eris Halla's now-massive Audino-a soft smile reaching Locke's lips as they were finally able to take the time to recognize their old Pokémon-constructed for the group around her. A perfect reprieve for them to reach into their own bag and toss out a twin set of Pokéballs, releasing a matching pair of Indeedee underneath the safety of the Max Protect.

"Alright! Let's do our best too and cheer everyone on! Helping Hand!"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"Only briefly. It was blue, and a bit bigger than this one," And dead, but Locke didn't say that part, instead giving Latias a thorough scritching (she was surprisingly soft!) while trying to better recall the similar Pokémon he'd seen in some of his final moments in the other world. Maybe that was just how Latias looked in…whatever version of their world it came from.

Speaking of…

Locke thought for a bit. What was the best way to tell your friend-who you've previously given no reason think of you as anything other than a rational human being-that you were sent to an alternate universe version of your hometown to fight a bunch of other you's to the death?

"So I was sent to an alternate universe version of Vermillion to fight a bunch of other me's, right?" The words felt just as silly coming out of their mouth as when they'd thought of them two seconds prior, but there was no going back now. "That's where I saw the blue Latias, a buncha other legendaries. In fact I'm pretty sure everyone was there was an Avatar but me at first-which was pretty unfair as far as fights to the death go," they chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Even as late as it was, seeing his lone Gracidea in full bloom now was going to be worth every day it took to get there. It had been a fun little side project through the spring and early summer-a distraction from the increasing series of disasters within the island region. Now he'd finally get to witness the final product.

And what better way to celebrate than with a friend and a picnic?

They fished their Rotom phone out of their pocket, careful to keep the basket far out of their Delibird's reach. A quick swipe of Roto-Roto's face revealed their text chain with Angelo, which they quickly added to.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke easily hopped onto the backseat of his friend's Gyarados, sparing a glance back at everyone else on the shore and Eris Halla in particular. The young girl sounded as though she was getting a bit distressed over something, but surely Raziel Beckett was perfectly equipped to handle-And how were she and Hideo Kino already ahead of them?

"Hideo! Eris!" Too late-both children were already Diving into one of the whirlpools while Locke fumbled to return Probo-Probo before angelo vestri followed the Sharpedo under. The sensation of interdimensional travel was now immediately familiar to Locke, and his stomach clenched with nerves as they dove behind the children.

It should've been less surprising, then, to find an entirely alien world beneath the waves.

"That symbol…drk triad…?" he mumbled as the memory of it from the soiree in Mossdeep and the strange lab within the Lilycove Museum both came to mind, pulling up the Unown Report he'd received from the latter. His analysis wouldn't be able to go deeper than that, as it was quickly replaced by the face of a light-haired stranger.

It was hard to follow the more technical details, but impossible to miss the man's prediction of their self-caused annihilation. Was that the reason for his experience at Granite Cave? Were all of those other Lockes also "future-responsible for the destruction of all universes?"

Theories could come later-they needed to focus on what was happening now, as the Porygon around them began to turn their attention and attacks toward the crowd. skyler dross was thankfully faster than her two companions, already summoning a barrier around their little party. "If we live that long! And why is everyone shouting about data?!"

But Locke's immediate concern was less for their own life, and more for those of the children who'd been the first to rush into this new world. They spotted both Eris Halla and Hideo Kino quickly, blessedly running away from danger this time, accompanied by another young boy they didn't recognize.

"Eris! Hideo! Over here!" They waved the group of children over, summoning their Probopass again with their free hand and directing her toward them. "Protect them!" Probo-Prono obliged, ordering her mini-noses to surround the fleeing kids and erecting a thin, see-through barrier above them, covering their escape.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"Alright!" Locke cheered. "It's perfect! And way easier than lugging the Squirtle pail out here."

Nim-Nim beamed back at his trainer, before suddenly recoiling back, face twisted in disgust. Locke tilted their head, but as they started to ask the Castform what was wrong, an unexpected odor assaulted their senses. The question was left gagging in their mouth as the courier turned to face the Garbodor approaching the pair and the precious Gracidea.

"Nim-Nim, use-" The order was cut off by another dry heave. "Augh, do something!"

With some hesitation, the Castform charged at the Garbodor, the upper half of his body sinking into the trash heap as he Headbutt it a few steps back from the flower. Getting out, however, was a bit trickier. The little cloud squirmed and tugged, trying desperately to escape the garbage Pokémon's foul midsection. It sounded like he was crying.

"Why are you complaining? You don't even have a nose!"

Nim-Nim stopped struggling as the realization sunk in. After a few seconds the Garbador began to expand, water leaking from its sides as it grew bigger and bigger. Suddenly water exploded from every part of the Pokémon, the Weather Ball bursting from inside it like a water balloon.

The soggy Pokémon finally released the Castform, who was now almost half as disgusting as it was. Though it was now thoroughly knocked-out, the Garbador's stench still overwhelmed the area, forcing Locke to capture the garbage pile. He'd decide what to do with it after Nim-Nim was clean.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke's face lit up, looking at the offered phone with a wide smile. "Sure!"

One selfie later, and the ship was-blessedly-docked and unloading her passengers onto the mysterious island. They returned La-La with a gentle pat on her snout, promising to bring her out again in the morning. The hike was as beautiful as they'd hoped-the path lined with unique flora untouched by man, and the evening air light and serene as they all shuffled further and further away from the beach. There was a notable lack of Pokémon present, but perhaps the crowd had simply scared them into hiding.

Most unusual-and disappointing-was that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't seem to get a decent picture of any of it. The plant life came out blurry and unfocused, the cabins glitched on their screen, and the people were nigh-unrecognizable. Worse yet-in the time they spent fiddling with their phone, most everyone had already partnered up-including the few present they felt comfortable asking.

"Uh-oh."

Locke turned here and there like the odd one out on a school field trip, trying to pick out any familiar face that wasn't already accompanied by someone else, and finding only strangers or people he'd only ever met once or twice.

One did stand out, however. A violet-haired man stood at the very edge of the crowd, looking as though the boat ride here had treated him even worse than it had the courier. Locke tilted his head back, gears turning as he tried to think of where they'd seen the man, before the image of an elderly Delibird struggling in the cold floated hazily to the front of his mind. Right, back in the winter…

And he still didn't know sign language.

The other man didn't seem much better off than him in terms of friends here, though, so maybe it was for the best that quietest of the bunch stuck together. With that in mind, he awkwardly approached @artemis with a small wave.

"Erm-Hi again! Do you, uh, need a bunkmate too?"

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke wasn't quite prepared for how quickly Latias could move. Whether it was the urgency of the situation or just her natural speed, the dragon felt closer to a jet than any Pokémon he'd ridden before (save maybe for his single experience with MATIAS SILPH and Virizion).

Within seconds the pair arrived at their destination, touching down next to Eris Halla-or at least as close as he could get with the small crowd of people who'd also come to the girl's aid. But instead of words of comfort he could only gasp as he made contact with the runes, paralyzed by a familiar white-hot pulsing behind his eyes. More words forced their way into his mind, completing the puzzle Martín del Mar had presented months ago with an apparent call to action.



And then the circles disappeared.

Was that it? Did they mess it up somehow? What were they supposed to do now?

The only answer was the return of that crushing darkness, and in the absence of light all Locke could do was try to provide their own. "Lumi-Lumi!" They called as they summoned the Illumise, but both order and the firefly's life were swiftly cut short as light suddenly exploded into crowd. The lack of a body will bring back sharp memories of another bug-type lost to these prophecies-but not right now.



Right now the ground beneath them was glowing once again.



There was still work to do.

"Latias!" They shouted out blindly, hoping the legendary would listen to them on angelo vestri's orders if nothing else. "Find Yveltal and help it!" The dragon seemed hesitant to leave her charge undefended, but flew out to aid the harbinger of death. A Heal Pulse glowed in her hands, ready to keep the other legendary up and fighting in its final confrontation.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz