Chapter Text
“…Next time we meet.”
Liko finished the sentence for him.
“…It will be at Laqua.”
Corviknight shot up into the sky.
Within seconds, he disappeared into the clouds.
Some time later…
Deep within the mountain range surrounding Laqua, mist blanketed an ancient valley. Pink energy flickered between the treetops.
Members of the Explorers stood guard at every entrance.
One of them spoke nervously into a communicator:
“Reporting to headquarters… the outer perimeter has been secured.”
On the other end of the line was Spinel.
“Very good.”
Behind him, dozens of screens displayed signals from Strong Spheres across the world.
“But remember,” Spinel continued,
“No one enters Laqua without my permission.”
The guard replied firmly.
“Yes, sir.”
Spinel leaned back in his chair.
“Especially… Amethio.”
High above the valley, on a cliff—
Amethio observed the guards below.
“…So Spinel has already made his move.”
Ceruledge stood beside him.
The entrance to Laqua was surrounded by dozens of Explorers.
Charging in alone would be difficult.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind him.
Amethio immediately turned around.
Ceruledge’s blade ignited with flames.
But the voice that followed was very familiar.
“So it’s you, Amethio.”
Amethio blinked in surprise.
Standing behind him was Liko.
Beside her were Meowscarada and Terapagos.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Amethio let out a quiet sigh.
“…You’re late.”
Liko crossed her arms.
“You just came early.”
A moment of silence.
Then the two of them burst out laughing.
It seemed the promise had been kept.
Both of them had made it to Laqua.
On the way here, Liko told him what had happened earlier.
Flashback
The moment the entrance to Laqua was activated, everything instantly descended into chaos.
A blinding beam of light erupted throughout the ancient ruins, and the ground trembled as the final hidden path revealed itself. Liko could barely hear anything over the noise.
“Wait—everyone, stay together!” Liko shouted.
But things didn’t go according to plan.
Not at all.
Standing opposite them was a group of Explorers as their Pokémon stepped forward.
“You think you’ll enter Laqua that easily? Not happening!”
Dot signaled for Liko to go ahead—they would handle things here.
Liko nodded and left. She had to protect Terapagos, the key to purifying Rakurium.
Nearby, Roy also stopped.
“Of course you’re here too…” he sighed.
Leaning against a nearby pillar was Sango, smirking as if she had been waiting all day.
“You weren’t planning to sneak into Laqua without saying hello to me, were you?” Sango teased.
“I’ve been wanting a rematch.”
Back to the present
Liko looked down at the valley.
“There are more Explorers than I expected.”
Amethio said,
“Clearly this place is important, so Spinel won’t let outsiders enter easily.”
Liko frowned. The plan to purify Laquium was falling apart. She had been separated from everyone—how could she possibly gather all 18 Tera types now? And even if she did, advancing deeper inside seemed impossible.
“So how do we get in?”
Amethio pointed to a narrow trail along the cliff.
Finding a place without guards hadn’t been easy. Amethio had scouted the area dozens of times before discovering a path that remained unnoticed.
“…We’re not fighting them head-on like last time. We conserve as much energy as possible.”
Liko nodded.
Their eyes met—clearly agreeing without words.
Liko walked beside him.
And the two of them headed toward Laqua.
Unaware that Spinel had prepared something even more dangerous inside.
The entrance to Laqua went deeper than they expected.
Ancient stone pillars lined the cave walls, glowing faintly with crystal veins. Pink mist floated through the air—the energy of Rakurium.
Liko walked carefully beside Amethio.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
Meowscarada stood beside her, fully alert.
Ceruledge watched the path ahead, while Corviknight perched on a stone pillar above, keeping watch on the tunnel behind them.
“I didn’t expect you to make it this far.”
A voice echoed from the darkness.
A Beheeyem appeared. Behind it stood a large machine attached to the cave wall. Inside were several glowing Strong Sphere cores, emitting thick smoke.
Liko’s eyes widened. She knew whose Pokémon it was.
A voice continued through the speaker mounted on the Pokémon’s back.
“You’re trying to amplify the Rakurium!”
“Exactly. The machine was supposed to be installed outside, but it’s still in its final stage of completion, so I couldn’t bring it out yet. But since you’ve already discovered it… it can’t be helped.”
Spinel’s continued:
“Laqua is the origin point of this energy. With these devices, I can spread Rakurium across the entire world at once.”
Amethio narrowed his eyes.
Liko shouted angrily:
“You’ll hurt countless Pokémon!”
“A small price… for my grand plan.”
“And of course… the thing that can control this energy is also the thing that can suppress it.”
“Terapagos.”
“Pagogo—no!” Liko clutched Pagogo tightly in her arms.
Spinel activated the machine remotely. He smiled as he watched his experiment through the monitor.
The cave instantly erupted in pink light.
Machines along the walls roared to life, their cores glowing as dense Rakurium mist flooded the chamber. The energy swirled violently, being pulled toward the small Pokémon at the center.
“Pagogo—!” Liko cried.
The mist rushed toward it like a rising tide.
Without thinking, Liko ran forward and stood in front of her partner.
“Liko, wait—!” Amethio shouted.
The machines shrieked even louder. A sharp blast of energy fired from the emitters, striking the ground around her. Liko cried out as the explosion threw her aside, sending her sliding across the stone floor.
Meowscarada rushed forward.
“Meow!”
It slashed at the machine with Flower Trick. Sparks flew—but the device continued drawing energy from the cave.
The light around Terapagos became unstable.
It cried out in pain.
“Ceruledge! Corviknight!”
Amethio’s voice echoed through the cavern.
“Destroy that machine!”
Ceruledge charged forward in violet flames.
Corviknight dove from above, smashing an energy conduit with a powerful strike.
But the energy had already spiraled out of control.
Amethio ran over and helped Liko sit up.
“Are you okay?”
Liko slowly opened her eyes—then slipped unconscious again. The injury left her dazed.
Seeing Liko like that, Amethio’s expression immediately hardened.
Suddenly, the cave filled with a brilliant white light.
Terapagos floated above them, glowing brighter than ever.
The flow of Rakurium energy reversed.
Instead of continuing to spread, the amplified Rakurium crystals shattered into fragments.
“My experiment should have forced it to react,” Spinel said calmly, though irritation crept into his voice.
“Looks like I’ll have to revise my research.”
While muttering, he tapped the communicator on his wrist.
“All personnel,” he announced, his voice echoing through the cave.
“Subdue the intruders. Capture both of them.”
From the surrounding tunnels, numerous facility staff rushed in, Poké Balls already in hand.
“Don’t let them escape!”
Liko tried to stand, but the earlier explosion made her stagger again.
Amethio immediately stepped forward, standing between her and the approaching group.
One of the staff members sneered.
“You think you can stop all of us by yourself?”
Amethio’s gaze sharpened. He coldly threw a Poké Ball.
“Come out, Zygarde!”
The Poké Ball burst open.