Back down on the ground floor, it was quiet.
Buizel and Shaun sat on the couch, Shaun lying on his side next to Buizel. “Well,” Shaun said at length. “Tonight’s the night. No more second chances.”
“Yeah.” Buizel stared into the empty fireplace. “At least I’m home this time.”
“At least we’re both home this time,” Shaun said ruefully. “Not getting kidnapped has been a huge bonus.”
Buizel nodded. “Yeah.” His paw absently drifted to Shaun’s. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I don’t wanna get kidnapped again,” Shaun replied. He rested his head on Buizel’s arm. “That was the single most stressful experience I have ever had.”
“You still haven’t talked about it,” Buizel said softly.
Shaun scoffed. “Do you really need to know? I was kidnapped. It sucked. You guys rescued me from being kidnapped. I rewound time like a boss.”
Buizel, despite himself, laughed. “I feel like you’re omitting a few details, there.”
“Maybe a few,” Shaun admitted. “But I don’t really want to dwell on that right now.”
Before Buizel could complain about this, a knock sounded on the door. Buizel jumped up and ran to it, hoping it was his mother. He blinked as he opened it and saw Cinccino standing there. “Uh, hi.”
“Hello,” Cinccino said, looking over Buizel’s shoulder curiously. “Is Lucario still here? I need to talk to him about something.”
“Oh, uhhh…” Buizel glanced towards the elevator room. “They’re up in the lantern room right now. They’re still putting together the light cannon… thing.”
Cinccino nodded in approval. “Ah, good, that project is almost done. May I come in? I really do need to talk to him.”
Buizel nodded and stepped aside to let him in. He looked out the door again in case his mother was walking up the hill, but she wasn’t there. “I don’t even know where she is,” he muttered. He knew his mother could take care of herself, but he still worried about her regardless.
Cinccino stepped around the house delicately, like he was avoiding puddles of something. “I’ll be out of your fur as soon as I can talk to Lucario,” he said apologetically. He immediately made his way into the kitchen and thoroughly dusted off a clean chair before sitting in it, fiddling with his paws awkwardly.
Buizel returned to the couch. “I’m still worried about Mom,” he confided in Shaun. “She’s been gone all afternoon, and I haven’t been able to ask Dad where she went.”
There was silence for a few minutes. Cinccino got increasingly more antsy as he sat there, seemingly getting more and more impatient before sighing. “Okay, you know what, forget it.”
Buizel looked over the back of the couch and watched as Cinccino began to clean their entire kitchen. He used his long, fluffy tail and the bright white fur that wrapped around him to thoroughly scrub the countertops before moving to the counters themselves. Buizel watched in alternating horror and fascination as he then moved to the floors and the rest of the kitchen furniture.
Buizel tapped Shaun’s head. “Hey, look at this,” he whispered.
Shaun popped his head over the back of the couch and watched with professional interest. “How doesn’t he get dirty?” he whispered
“I don’t know,” Buizel replied, also in a whisper.
Cinccino didn’t stop when the kitchen was spotless. He noticed them watching and smiled awkwardly at them. “Ah, uh, sorry. This place feels like it hasn’t been cleaned in ages.”
“I just cleaned it last week!” Buizel said indignantly.
“Do you have a broom?” Cinccino asked, cutting him off.
“Uh.” Buizel pointed to beneath the stairs. “Closet, underneath stairs.”
“Thanks,” Cinccino replied gratefully. He delicately stepped over the allegedly dirty floor and grabbed the broom.
Floatzel opened the door to her house to see Buizel and Shaun vigorously scrubbing the wooden floor, Cinccino dusting the entire room. They looked up as she stared at them, her bag of groceries forgotten.
Buizel immediately jumped up and ran to hug her. “Mom! You’re home!”
“I am,” she said, her voice unsure. “What’s with-?”
Cinccino chuckled weakly. “Ah, um, your house was a bit too dirty for my tastes. My apologies.”
Floatzel glanced around the living room as she stepped into the house. The room seemed brighter, somehow, the air fresher than she had expected. “You didn’t have to,” she said faintly.
Cinccino shook his head. “I had to. Would’ve driven me up the wall otherwise.”
Floatzel set the bags on the kitchen table. “Well, everymon makes themselves at home in different ways, I suppose. What’s the occasion?”
“I was here to talk to Lucario about something,” he replied, glancing at the elevator, “but they still haven’t come down.”
Floatzel glanced at the elevator, which was still extended. “Buizel, do you think you could go fetch Ampharos? And take Cinccino with you.”
“And I guess I’ll continue scrubbing the floor,” Shaun replied dryly.
“No,” Floatzel replied with a smile, “you’re to help me put everything away.”
While Shaun was groaning over this, Buizel tapped the button and called the elevator down. Cinccino watched appreciatively as it sunk into the floor with a click, allowing them to step onto it. “Fascinating work of engineering,” he muttered as Buizel pressed the button again.
The elevator came to a stop in the antechamber, Cinccino stumbling off of the platform. “I don’t feel good,” he mumbled sickly.
Buizel eyed him nervously. “You good?”
Cinccino inhaled and straightened. “Yes,” he said, “I’m fine. Just… the platform moving like that… My sense of balance didn’t agree with it at all.”
The lantern room was still bustling with activity. Most of the lenses had been disengaged and fitted into the chassis, which looked even less stable than the last time Buizel had seen it. He stepped off the ladder and walked over to Ampharos, who was investigating a plate that had just been wired into the side of the cannon.
“Hey, dad,” Buizel said, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. “Mom wants you for something.”
Ampharos glanced at him in surprise. “Already? Time moves fast. I’ll be down in a moment.”
Buizel returned to the ladder and waited patiently for Cinccino to finish climbing. He stood up and looked around the half-dismantled lantern room before spotting Lucario standing next to Espeon, who were watching the proceedings with interest.
“Espeon?”
His voice caught the attention of all the other Pokemon in the room. Espeon turned and stared. “M- Cinccino?” he asked in the same incredulous tone.
Espeon was enveloped in a sudden, fluffy hug. “Where have you been!” Cinccino’s voice was muffled. “We had all thought you died!”
“Not that far away,” Espeon replied calmly, returning the hug with a foreleg. “I couldn’t bear to leave the island entirely.”
Cinccino broke away, smiling at him happily. “The town has changed so much! I need to show you around sometime.”
Espeon nodded. “I noticed while I was here. Island Village developed very quickly for the short time I was away.”
Buizel stared at them as Ampharos climbed down the ladder into the antechamber. “You two know each other?” he asked, dumbfounded.
Cinccino turned to him mareepishly. “Ah. Well, you already know about…” He gestured vaguely. “Before there were seven of us, there were five. Espeon was on the council, as he was one of the Pokemon who helped found it.”
Buizel rubbed his eyes and stared at Espeon, wide-eyed. “You what?”
Espeon nodded, a lopsided grin on his face. “It was meant to help run the town as a public endeavor, but we… had some differences.” The looks of the other Pokemon around him had indicated that he was underselling what happened. “I left, and they seem to have kept the town from collapsing while I was away, which was faintly surprising to me.”
Lucario tapped the back of his head affectionately. “Oh, hush. We’re not that inept.”
Buizel climbed down the ladder as the three Pokemon began talking together enthusiastically. Ampharos was standing on the elevator already, obviously waiting for him. “Dad,” he asked, stepping onto the elevator, “how are they able to talk together so easily? They keep dancing around some event that happened without elaborating.”
Ampharos pressed the button that sent the platform downwards. “I’m the newest member of the council,” he replied apologetically. “I haven’t yet had the heart to ask. But from what I can ascertain,” he said, stepping off of the platform as it shuddered to a stop, “Espeon wanted to make the council a more public-facing entity, while Lucario wanted to keep it secret.”
“But how are they able to just… overlook that?” Buizel asked, following Ampharos into the kitchen.
Ampharos kissed Floatzel on the forehead, to Buizel’s faint embarrassment, and poured himself a glass of water. “I think that in their hearts, they had all forgiven each other a long time ago. Time heals all wounds, after all.”
“What happened?” Shaun asked, completely out of the loop.
Buizel filled him in, after which he looked thoughtful. “Do you think everyone knows Espeon? He seems pretty popular.”
“I haven’t known the ‘mon for very long,” Ampharos admitted, sipping his drink. “But he seems very kind, if vague.”
Floatzel was looking through their pantry. “Do you think we’ll have enough food for everymon?” she asked nervously. “I don’t think I’ve cooked for this many since our wedding.”
Ampharos craned his long neck and glanced into the pantry. “We’ll have enough. Besides, I get the feeling that everymon won’t have an appetite by the time the meteor is above us.”
Buizel’s stomach dropped as Shaun shuddered. “Don’t remind me,” Shaun said nervously. “I’m worried enough as is.”
“We’re all worried,” Ampharos said lightly. “We’re just trying to hide it.”
Someone knocked on the door. Everyone poked their heads out of the kitchen as Ampharos walked to the door and pulled it open.
Audino stood there, rocking back and forth nervously. “Oh, hello, Ampharos!” she said, seeming simultaneously nervous and excited. “Is- is there, by any chance, an Espeon here?”
Ampharos glanced at the elevator room. “Yes, he’s in the lantern room. Why-?”
“Oh, may I see him?!” she squealed. “I haven’t- I haven’t seen him in years!”
Everyone else in the kitchen exchanged confused looks. “Is she normally like this?” Shaun asked as quietly as he could manage while still being heard by Buizel.
“Be my guest,” Ampharos replied over Shaun, stepping aside to let her in.
She breezed through the house, eagerly pressing the elevator button. Ampharos returned to the kitchen amidst the clacking of the elevator, looking as confused as everyone else felt. “I have never seen her that happy,” he confided in a low tone.
“Found family reunion,” Shaun remarked dryly, causing everyone else to laugh.
Floatzel began taking out large amounts of ingredients and stacking them on the counter. “I don’t even know what to make,” she admitted. “More and more ‘mons just keep showing up.”
“It should be something filling and energizing,” Ampharos said. “We’ll need it for tonight.”
Floatzel eyed him. “Specificity was never your strong suit, was it?”
Ampharos shrugged and took a sip of his water. “I haven’t cooked for myself in years.”
Buizel untied the scarf from around his neck and tied it around his arm, creating a little decorative bow. Shaun watched this, grinning a little. “What, too much going on around your neck?”
“A little,” Buizel admitted as his parents glanced at him. “What did Espeon call these? Paradox Scarves?”
“I like that name,” Shaun said. “Yeah, it looks better around your arm.”
“I liked it as a scarf,” Floatzel replied, still staring at her mountain of ingredients. “But I suppose a bow works as well.”
Buizel’s paw unconsciously drifted to the bow on his arm. “Oh. If you want, I can-“
“No, no, you’re fine,” she said, smiling at him kindly. “You just looked cuter with it as a scarf.”
Buizel sat in a chair and buried his red face in his arms. “Thanks, mom,” he replied, muffled through his arms.
Another knock sounded at the door. Buizel immediately jumped up and ran to the door, trying to flee his embarrassment. “I’ll get it!”
He opened the door to see Meowstic standing there, his arms folded. Buizel didn’t quite flinch away from him. “Oh, uh, hi Meowstic.”
Meowstic looked him over, his eyes seeming more calculating than angry. “Buizel,” he replied in greeting. “Is Lucario here?”
Ampharos gestured to the extended elevator. “Lantern room.”
“I need to see him about something.” His voice sounded oddly subdued.
“Um, sure,” Buizel said, nervously stepping aside to let him in. He still didn’t trust Meowstic very much.
As Meowstic glanced around the house, he noticed Shaun watching balefully from the kitchen table.
To everyone’s surprise, he flinched away somewhat before turning to face him. “Ah. Shaun.”
Shaun blinked in surprise as Meowstic bowed stiffly towards him. “I apologize for everything that happened two weeks ago. I acted… very rashly.”
“Oh, um,” Shaun didn’t know how to react to this. “Apology accepted?”
Meowstic straightened and looked at him again. “You’re not a bad human,” he said to the entire room’s chagrin. “I’ve had my doubts about humanity in the past. They just… seemed oddly cruel.” His mouth twitched as he remembered something else. “By the way, if there was a Grovyle on the island, it’s escaped. No one’s seen a Grovyle in at least a week.”
Shaun watched blankly as he walked over to the elevator and called it down before riding it up to the lantern room. “I can’t get a good read on that guy.”
“Me neither,” Buizel said, shutting the door.
He suddenly realized that Floatzel hadn’t known Shaun was human yet. He nervously watched as she mentally processed this, glancing from the elevator room to Shaun. “Did he just refer to you as a human?” she asked, confused.
Buizel’s revelation hit the other two Pokemon at once. Shaun jumped and turned to face her. “Uhhh. I can explain?” he managed weakly.
Ampharos rested his glass on the kitchen counter. “Look, I can explain. It’s-“
Floatzel walked over and hugged Shaun. “Oh, don’t say a word,” she replied softly. “Human or not, he’s still deserving of love.”
Another knock at the door sounded, causing Buizel to jump. He wrenched the door back open to see Sneasel standing there, her arms folded. “Hey,” she said, utterly unsurprised to see him there. She blinked as she peered into the kitchen. “Am I- inter-?”
“No no no,” Buizel replied hastily. “You’re fine. What’s up?”
Sneasel shifted her weight uneasily. “Um, well, actually, I’m not supposed to be here.” She glanced up at the sky, which was just barely beginning to change color with the oncoming night. “But, well, you know…”
“Don’t want to be alone?” Buizel correctly guessed.
Sneasel sighed in relief. “Yeah. Yeah, that would be really nice. I don’t want to…” she trailed off.
“Are you gonna just stand there, or are you gonna let her in?” Shaun asked from the kitchen. Floatzel had left off hugging him and was watching curiously.
Buizel stepped aside hastily. “Oh, uh, yeah, come in.”
Sneasel snorted in amusement as she walked into the living room. “Man, you really need Shaun to get you to do anything.”
“That’s not true!” Buizel insisted as he shut the door again. “He just- he just has good ideas, that’s all.”
“Like riding a half of a barrel into the middle of the ocean and nearly getting the both of you drowned?” she asked wryly.
“Hey, part of that was Buizel’s idea!” Shaun piped up. “We could’ve thought of something more concrete if we thought for longer than five minutes.”
Sneasel shook her head, a grin on her face. “Neither of you think anything through.”
“I take offense to that,” Shaun said. “It takes a lot of thinking to not think things through!”
Buizel snorted with laughter. “That doesn’t even make sense!”
“No, it vaguely does,” Ampharos replied.
Sneasel jumped nervously. “Oh, um, hello. Ampharos, right?”
Ampharos nodded. “And I presume you’re Sneasel. Odd, we’ve been together in the same room a multitude of times and never once have properly introduced ourselves.”
Sneasel tweaked the feather on her ear nervously. “Um, guess not. It was never really that important at the time,” she mumbled.
“Regardless,” Ampharos said, “This is my wife, Floatzel. You’re doubtlessly very familiar with Shaun and Buizel, so I don’t need to introduce them.”
Sneasel nodded, missing the humor. “I know them relatively well, yes.”
Shaun blinked at her. “Hey wait, you’re nervous.”
“I am not-!”
Ampharos laughed, causing her to jump. “Oh, I suppose I am somewhat intimidating. Don’t worry, you are welcome here. You’re the only other friend Buizel has, after all.”
Buizel looked away, his face turning red again. “Thanks a lot, dad.”
Ampharos glanced at the elevator room again. “They’re taking a lot longer up there than I’d expect,” he remarked. He called down the elevator and rode it up into the lantern room, Sneasel exhaling in relief as the elevator clicked to a stop.
“What’s with you?” Shaun asked. “You’ve been in the room with him before and didn’t act like- that.”
“That was different,” Sneasel said defensively.
Floatzel began shuffling ingredients around. “You don’t need to be afraid of Amphy, Sneasel. He’s a wonderful Pokemon once you get to know him.”
“I know,” she sighed, “but… he’s part of the council, and, well…”
“Speaking of the council,” Shaun said, “almost all of them are up in the lantern room.”
“O- oh?” Sneasel paled. “That’s- why?”
“Sobble’s up there finishing the cannon,” Buizel explained. “I’m- not actually sure why everyone’s up there, but…”
“Cannon?” Sneasel asked blankly.
“Reflector cannon thing,” Shaun answered. “Giant tube of lenses that get focused through a Shiny Stone— whatever that is— to make a laser that shoots the meteor out of the sky.”
Sneasel giggled despite herself. “That sounds really cool.”
“It probably will be,” Buizel said, leaning against the back of the couch. “Ugh, I really wish that this was over with. I want life to go back to normal.”
“You and me both,” Sneasel muttered.
Floatzel, despite her hesitations, quickly whipped up a meal that would’ve made Legendaries jealous.
Buizel was dispatched to fetch the other Pokemon from the lantern room, who obligingly followed him into the living room. The elevator managed to support all of their combined weight, somehow, which Sobble credited to his engineering.
Dinner was laid out buffet-style, with each ‘mon grabbing plenty of food for the long night ahead. The living room was filled with lively chatter, as the dining table was quickly occupied with any spare chairs the lighthouse had, causing multiple guests to need to sit on the floor, in the living room chairs, or even on the stairs.
Shaun gleaned from the chatter that Fearow had shown up, flying easily up to the lantern room. He had also seemed to know Espeon, which had surprised Buizel when he told him. “I knew Mr. Fearow was old, but not that old,” he had muttered.
Eventually, everyone had eaten their fill. Cinccino offered to help clean up, an offer Floatzel gratefully accepted. He went around collecting plates and cleaning the floor, much to the chagrin of the Pokemon sitting on it.
As the sun set, Buizel began to get more nervous. “I know everything is probably fine,” he confided to Shaun and Sneasel in his quiet room, “but I still can’t help worrying, y’know?”
Sneasel nodded sagely. “If it’s any consolation, I’m worried too. Not everymon remembers the meteor, and even those that do…”
Shaun laughed, though it had less joy than he would’ve liked. “I’m also scared spitless. It’s do or die, and that- it’s terrifying.”
Buizel let out a shuddery sigh. “Y- yeah. At least I’m home this time.”
“That is a bonus.” Shaun leapt up next to Buizel, who was sitting on his bed. “Look, if the cannon— for any reason— fails, we’ll think of something.”
“We’ll have to,” Sneasel added dryly. “I still have an entire life I’d like to live, thanks.”
Shaun blinked at her. “How old are you, again?”
She looked pointedly at the ground. “Thirteen summers,” she muttered.
“Haha, wow, that was a lot younger than I was expecting.” Shaun sat down, trying to ignore his tail lashing. The room was already getting dark as the sun quickly sank below the horizon, feeling far faster than it actually was.
Eventually, Sneasel sat on the bed next to Buizel. “I hate being scared,” she said ashamedly. “It’s- such a stupid emotion. I know everything will turn out fine. It has to.”
Shaun rocked back and forth on the bed nervously. His front paw still hurt a little, but he wouldn’t admit it to anyone. “I really wish I knew what to do.”
He glanced at Buizel. His paws were folded in his lap as he stared at the floor, his tail jerking back and forth erratically. “Hey, Buizel?”
“Yeah?” Buizel looked at him, the worry in his eyes threatening to spill.
“If things somehow go south, which they won’t…” Shaun laughed, a little mirthlessly, “then I want you to know that you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Buizel almost fell on him in a hug. “Don’t start talking like that, Shaun,” he begged. “Please don’t start talking like that.”
“I have to agree with him,” Sneasel said. “It’s- it’s almost like a curse.”
“He needs to know,” Shaun insisted from around Buizel’s hug. “Besides, everything should turn out fine.”
He hoped.
Buizel straightened as they heard footsteps on the stairs. Floatzel poked her head into the room, her eyes flicking to each of them in turn. “They’re thinking that the meteor will be close enough to fire the cannon in two hours. Are you three alright?”
“Yeah,” they chorused. “Worried, but we’re fine,” Shaun added.
Floatzel sighed in relief. “If you need any reassurance at all, I’ll be downstairs, alright?”
“Okay,” Buizel said as she returned downstairs.
“Gosh, Buizel,” Sneasel exclaimed, “your mom is so nice.”
“What do we do while we wait?” Shaun asked. “I don’t really want to sit here twiddling our thumbs.”
“I could read us something,” Buizel volunteered. “It’d be better than sitting here in silence.”
“In what light?” Sneasel asked pragmatically. The room was almost completely dark at this point, the Pokemon in the room looking barely more than silhouettes.
In response, Buizel summoned a Swift that hovered around his paw. “It doesn’t provide too much light, but it’s enough to read by.”
Sneasel squinted at him. “How do you know this?”
“I, um, used to read books at night when I couldn’t sleep,” Buizel admitted. “I stopped after my parents asked me why I looked like I hardly slept.”
“Well, go grab us a book,” Shaun said.
Buizel went downstairs and returned with a thick book. Shaun squinted at it, its dark shape looking familiar. “Hey, isn’t that-?”
“The collection of Fairy-type tales,” Buizel replied. “There’s more than enough in here to keep us entertained for a while.”
Time passed as Buizel read aloud, sitting between Shaun and Sneasel. Tales of heroic bravery and hope passed the time despite Buizel’s stuttering, the sky outside not growing dimmer. Every time Shaun glanced out the window, the deep indigo sky seemed just a bit brighter, which unnerved him. Eventually, he stopped looking, preferring to focus on the stories.
Sneasel listened very attentively, shushing Shaun whenever he interrupted with witty commentary. “I haven’t heard these before,” she admitted. “They’re- nice, to just listen to.”
After Buizel had finished one particularly long story and was breathing heavily from the exertion, footsteps echoed up the stairs again, followed by a light.
Ampharos walked up stairs, the orbs on his head and tail glowing like lightbulbs. “It’s about time.”
Shaun glanced out the window, the sky a worrying shade of purple. “Okay,” he replied nervously, jumping from the bed.
They all followed Ampharos into the living room, which felt oddly vacant after the bustle from a few hours ago. They took the elevator up into the lantern room, the familiar clacking taking on an ominous tone that Shaun didn’t like.
In the lantern room proper, the entire council was there, watching the sky. The red star had only grown larger, a red aura around it lighting up the night sky.
“If it wasn’t coming straight for us, I might consider it beautiful,” Tropius said. Shaun didn’t know when he had gotten there.
“I just wish I could redirect it,” Meowstic growled. “That thing doesn’t sit right with me.”
Sobble was making last-minute adjustments to the cannon. It looked far more like the blueprint it was based off of, including the brass plate wired to the side of the cannon. “Ah, there’s the ‘mons of the hour,” he said as he saw Ampharos and Shaun. “As I understand it, you have some sort of weird arrangement involving a Time Gear, right?” he asked, pointing to Shaun with a wrench.
Shaun nodded. “Yes, sir. I don’t fully understand it myself.”
“Well, if we survive this ordeal, then maybe we can figure out what makes you tick.” Sobble finished bolting a screw and then jumped down. A large lever had been built into the side of the machine, something Shaun didn’t recognize from the blueprint.
“I don’t understand how we didn’t notice this sooner,” Audino muttered unhappily. “A red star sounds like the most obvious warning sign in the world.”
“Why do you think I sent them to warn you?” Espeon replied in a somber tone. “Some forewarning is better than none.”
It was almost completely silent. Even the wind seemed to have gone dead, the utter stillness driving Shaun crazy.
Almost in slow motion, they watched the meteor grow. It was further out over the island than Shaun had expected, the side of the meteor showing to the entire group.
“Remember,” Meowstic said, finally breaking the silence. “The safety of the town and its inhabitants are paramount. Even if this won’t fail, we should still be prepared for the worst.”
The rest of the council nodded in agreement. “Let’s hope that it won’t come to that,” Lucario said softly.
Sobble carefully made micro-adjustments to the cannon before nodding, satisfied. “Alright, showtime.”
Ampharos stood behind the open part of the cannon and began to glow brightly. The cannon began to hum, something Shaun didn’t think would happen.
Sobble walked around the cannon with his goggles down in an attempt to not go blind. “Everything seems nominal.” He pointed to Shaun with his wrench again. “Alright, touch the brass plate and do whatever it is you do.”
Shaun had no idea what to do. He walked up to the brass plate, and, feeling useless, put a paw to it.
It was cold to the touch. Shaun stared at it blankly for a moment before looking to Buizel for help. Buizel didn’t notice, staring at the meteor as it slowly fell towards the ground.
Feeling stupid and unhelpful, he tried pushing at the plate. It budged a little, but showed no indication of doing anything.
Sobble tapped the top of his head with his wrench. “Focus, numbskull. You’re an Electric-type, ground yourself into the plate.”
This was such a simple idea that Shaun felt even stupider for not thinking of it. He breathed in, focusing, before grounding himself into the brass plate.
Something clicked.
It must’ve been audible, because everyone glanced at him curiously. Shaun began to feel something spinning in his chest, even though he knew there was nothing there.
In front of him, the brass plate began to glow blue as it warmed under Shaun’s paw. Sobble walked around the cannon, nodding and muttering to himself. “Everything is still nominal, which is surprising… focus is intact…”
Shaun began to pant, his energy draining away. Buizel walked over to him and kneeled down, resting a friendly paw on Shaun’s back.
Shaun smiled up at him gratefully, even though they both knew it wouldn’t do anything. He stood up and rested his other front paw against the brass plate.
A crackle of blue electricity sparked off of the brass plate, causing both Shaun and Buizel to flinch. Sobble hopped around the cannon and surveyed the cannon critically. “Dunno why I’m so surprised,” he muttered. “They’re both Electric-types.”
Shaun’s hind legs began to feel shaky as he continued panting. The brass plate was growing uncomfortably warm to the touch, and another blue spark crackled from it.
“Get him away from the plate,” Sobble said suddenly. Buizel pulled him away, Shaun collapsing into his arms as he did. The plate remained glowing blue, electricity still crackling around it dangerously.
The meteor was almost directly in front of the cannon, now. Sobble watched it, tapping his wrench against the ground to count the seconds. After exactly forty nine wrench-taps, he jumped up and slammed the lever down.
An extremely thin beam of light hit the meteor before it rapidly grew into a massive torrent. The light drilled into the side of the meteor as it fell, a large WRENCHing noise emanating from it before massive shards began to fall away from it.
“Can- can you believe it?” Buizel asked Shaun excitedly. “We’re- we’re defeating the Great Disaster!”
Both Espeon and Lucario whirled to face them. “What did you just say?” Espeon asked in an unreadable voice.
Buizel blinked cluelessly. “Um, well, a book we translated said that the Great Disaster-“
“This is not the Great Disaster,” Lucario began.
Before he could elaborate, a massive cracking noise echoed across the island. Everyone looked to see a crack spanning the entire meteor force the pieces apart. More cracks appeared across the chunks and they quickly broke apart as well.
The lens sat within the cannon’s chassis, lined up with its fellows.
As Ampharos began to glow, his light was focused through the lenses to a single point: the Shiny Stone.
The amount of power that was stored inside the cannon grew from a tiny pool to an ocean’s worth in minutes, stored in almost a kind of battery mechanism.
As Sobble tilted the cannon down, the slight crack in the lens began to refract the light.
At first, this would’ve made no noticeable difference. But as more and more light shone into the cannon, the surrounding chassis grew hotter, the glass lens beginning to irreparably warp.
The crack spread, weaving its way through the much lower quality glass. The larger crack refracted more light, causing damage in the other lenses as they, too, warped beyond repair.
And then the lens shattered.
Sobble’s calculations had called for exactly twelve lenses. With only eleven, the power imbalance rapidly grew, before spilling over in a stroke of misfortune.
A loud BANG was followed by pieces of metal and glass shrapnel flying everywhere. Ampharos stumbled away from it and fell to the ground amidst a lot of sudden smoke.
Buizel gasped as Floatzel immediately ran to his side. “Ampharos! Are you okay?!” she said, lifting up his head.
Ampharos’ glow faded, leaving the cuts across his body very visible. “…It’s mostly superficial,” he replied, sounding dazed.
“No, it’s not.” The sternness in Floatzel’s voice surprised Shaun. “We’re getting you downstairs, now.”
Audino looked around. “Everymon else okay?” she asked with concern.
There was a chorus of agreement. “Poor Ampharos seemed to get the brunt of it,” Cinccino said sadly.
“I’m going to help Floatzel,” Audino said. “I need something to do.” She walked over and helped Floatzel get Ampharos down the ladder into the antechamber.
Sobble stared at where the cannon’s blown out chassis remained. Shaun watched him warily, no clue how he would react.
“Well, would you look at that.” Sobble’s voice was very, very calm. “There was a flaw in one of the lenses after all.”
He followed the other three Pokemon down the ladder quietly. Shaun couldn’t tell if he wasn’t surprised in the slightest or was one minor inconvenience away from having a total breakdown.
The lighthouse shook like an earthquake had just hit it.
Everyone’s attention was directed towards the meteor again. While they had been distracted, something about the meteor had changed.
The chunks of rock had mostly disintegrated, only leaving a few large chunks to fall over the forest. But as they looked, something very, very large stood up in the middle of the forest.
“No no no,” Espeon began to mutter, his ears pinned flat to his head. “No no no no no.”
“What is that?” Meowstic asked incredulously.
All Shaun could make out at first was two glowing blue eyes. It looked like some kind of very large Pokemon, black with yellow accents. “What is that?” he asked.
The Pokemon opened its mouth. Shaun realized in horror that this Pokemon was almost only mouth, the inside glowing an eerie blue color. The back looked almost like a portal to another world.
Espeon backed away from the balcony. “Not again not again not again,” he muttered, panicking.
Lucario had a similar reaction, following Espeon while unable to tear his eyes away from the gaping maw. “What is it doing here?!”
Shaun and Buizel stared at them, aghast. “Are you two okay?” Buizel asked with worried concern.
Lucario pointed at the beast with a shaking paw. “That.”
“What?” Buizel cocked his head, confused.
“That is the Great Disaster.”