Ardos rushed, panting, down the seemingly endless steps. The only indicator of his progress was the fading daylight. He distantly heard Brynlee's amplified voice.
'...Prepare... battle at any...'
So they expected an attack. If only he hadn't needed to rely on Alfie or even Rosen... well, it didn't matter now. With his leadership, no-one was any match for Cipher. He squinted. It wasn't just dark below. Light seeped around a silhouette.
'Out of my way!'
'Good afternoon, Father.'
'Lumir! Out of my way!'
Lumir didn't budge. Ardos was forced to skid to a breathless halt.
'Move, you stupid boy! And do not call me Father! Call me Master Ardos!'
'I'm afraid I can't let you go any further.'
'My orders override Lyndon's! I am the Grand Master! Move! Your own time will be wasted if I fail!'
'Oh, no. My mission will be complete. You are truly clueless, aren't you, Father?'
'Enough of this nonsense!'
'We'll destroy your beloved Cipher... but, better yet, I'll destroy you. For me. For mom. For Skord.'
'You... grrr! I won't... I will never forgive you!'
Lumir reached for his Typhlosion's Poké Ball. It only just burst out to protect its Trainer from his father's charging Shadow Trevenant in time. There was no room for two Pokémon. They had to fight a single battle. Flamethrower reduced Trevenant's leaves to ash. It summoned Shadow Sky. Blasts of vicious purple rained down to batter Typhlosion and Lumir. Flames blazed around Typhlosion's neck as it breathed another sweltering Flamethrower. Trevenant fainted. Ardos sent out Mudsdale. Typhlosion fired Hyper Beam. The blast shook the tunnel. Dust crumbled. Mudsdale trampled Typhlosion to the ground, barely stopping short of unflinching Lumir, with Shadow End. He sent out Breloom. Its scattered Spore sent Mudsdale to sleep. Lumir was used to it. Ardos, who hadn't battled in 17 years, was not. He was dazed. Breloom's Seed Bomb battered Mudsdale. Shaking off the powdery Spore, Ardos roared its name to wake it up. Its great hooves slammed Breloom. A bone cracked. More dust rained down. Breloom still fired another Seed Bomb. Mudsdale fainted. Ardos waited to return it until its tumbling body knocked Breloom out. Lumir sent out Glaceon. Ardos sent out Gothitelle. Glaceon hurled Shadow Ball. Gothitelle whipped up Shadow Storm, whisking Glaceon off its feet. Lumir caught it before it flew over his head. He almost toppled. Glaceon was furious. Its angry Shadow Ball was a critical hit, but Gothitelle didn't faint. It confused Glaceon with Shadow Panic instead. Glaceon hurt itself. Gothitelle knocked it out.
'You are but a puny disappointment, Lumir... as I expected.'
He sent out his beloved Omastar. He'd established strong bonds with all of his Pokémon, even the Salamence he recently caught as a Shelgon... but he and Omastar had been together since Leden bought him a Helix Fossil for his fifth birthday. It survived Shadow Storm to use Shell Smash, sacrificing defence to boost its speed and attacking power. Hydro Pump blasted Gothitelle into Ardos. They flew back. The Shadow Pokémon only moved when Ardos returned it. He furiously scrambled to his feet.
'Destroy it, Infernape!'
'Infernape? So none of your remaining Pokémon resist my Omastar? We just might be too fast, I'm afraid.'
Hydro Pump drenched Infernape. It teetered and fainted. A boulder crashed above. Its descent echoed through the tunnel. Ardos glanced back. Druddigon leapt from his next Ultra Ball.
'Omastar! Ice Beam!'
The freezing beam of razor-sharp ice slashed through Druddigon's Rough Skin. It pierced its wing. Lumir's precious Pokémon was too powerful after Shell Smash. Druddigon fainted. Ardos sent out his final Pokémon, Staraptor. It dodged Ice Beam to slam into the ceiling. The steps rocked. Echoing crashes grew louder. Staraptor's haunting shrieks joined them as it battered the walls.
'You coward!'
'If I must die to preserve Cipher... to punish you, my excuse for a son... so be it. Bury us, Staraptor!'
Rock cracked. Ice Beam shot Staraptor down. Ardos hastily revived Mudsdale. Before Hydro Pump knocked it instantly unconscious, it pounded the floor. The trembling didn't stop. A bouncing boulder crashed into view. Ardos ducked. Lumir grabbed Omastar, pressing himself against the wall. The boulder swept up Mudsdale's body. Its bones cracked, leaving a trail of blood, as it rolled. Dust covered Lumir's shoulders. The roof cracked. He turned to run. Rocks clattered into his path. Omastar fired a weak jet of water to brush them aside. Lumir released Salamence. They climbed onto its back.
Staraptor cawed as Ardos revived it. The cracks above grew wider. Salamence frantically dodged tumbling rocks. Footsteps reverberated. Screeching Infernape chased them. Shadow Panic, a luminous white ball cloaked in unsettling black, bounced from the wall to the floor to the ceiling. It was trying to confuse Salamence. Lumir fumbled to pluck a Full Heal from his bag. Shadow Panic engulfed them. He felt dizzy. The Full Heal worked on his Pokémon, but had no effect on humans. Salamence glanced up at him. Its eyes were loyal and determined.
A boulder slammed down. It blocked their path. Salamence shattered it with Iron Tail. The colourful light of The Under below illuminated Mudsdale's body. Frantic voices were silenced in the tunnel's deafening destruction. Lumir's vision trembled violently. A sheet of rock above threatened to detatch. If it did, the landslide would crush them to death. Salamence folded its wings. It hurtled down. Lumir squeezed his eyes shut. A rock whacked his shoulder. There was an ear-splitting crrrack.
Lumir's thoughts were surprisingly mundane. Though he only began the Gym Challenge to grow strong enough for revenge on Ardos, which he'd now achieved, he actually wanted to complete it. He wanted to challenge Michael at Citadark Isle. If he could win enough battles at that level, maybe he could save enough money to study at the University of Orre and become a professor. He thought of his fellow challengers. His first real friends outside of his family, especially Cassia, who chose to spend time with him rather than feeling obliged to because they were related. He hoped they'd remember him... or maybe even look back proudly. Because for the first time in his life, he was proud of himself. He was proud to be him, Lumir, the son and defeater of Ardos. He thought of his mother. Her prickly pear cookies. The comforting smell of flour when he hugged her. Then there was white. The tumultous collapse was muffled. Claustrophobic walls faded, as if he was in freefall. He thought sound and feeling were fading with his life... but he felt, clearly, Omastar nudging him.
He opened one eye. Then another. Salamence soared triumphantly over the roofs of The Under and the blackness of the Pyrite Chasm. It turned before they hit the colosseum. Salamence dipped to land before it.
'Master Lumir!'
Commander Gromlet waved to him. 'What happened?!'
'My father is a lunatic. He has no place in any respectable organisation.'
The screen's light illuminated his dusty sweater. He glanced up. On the battlefield it displayed, Rosen stood with wrists and legs bound. She still managed to send out her Mightyena. Her opponent was Trip.
***
International Police prepared to surround The Under. Michael and Wes took off on Lugia. Eldes and Rezar followed on his Salamence. They only intended to land close by until Anabel gave the signal to enter. Karsyn's latest flight from Hau'oli City delivered Gladion, Hau, Blue, the remnants of Team Skull and Elite Four: Acerola, Molayne and Kahili. Marnie and Piers arrived with Kabu and his great-niece Flannery. They were still outnumbered. Even with every officer, ex-Team Skull and Team Yell member available, there were 916 of them to take on Cipher's confirmed 10,784.
The Gym Challengers and Fayiz changed into Cipher Peon uniforms. Cassia's van was too recognisable. They climbed into Orre Armada's van instead. Abbey, Leon, Olivia and Raihan nervously waved as it screeched away. They stepped back inside to hear Scarlet and Looker's final orders, but they were interrupted by Cail as soon as he returned to the doorway.
'A bunch of people in weird uniforms just showed up... and they just keep coming! I can't test them all!'
Grumbling, Hebon stood. 'You don't need to test anyone on our side, Cail! Who is it?'
'I dunno!'
'What kind of gatekeeper are you?!'
Hebon opened a blind. 'Oh, shit!'
'See! I told you! I sure hope they're on our side!'
Scarlet shoved past Cail. He wasn't exaggerating. People in thick red hoodies and others in blue and white stripes gathered. Trucks lined up. More poured from them. They appeared to have distinct leaders: a bespectacled man in a long, red trench coat and another in a tight blue jumpsuit and matching bandana. He waved a white flag. Scarlet shut the blind. The man in red stepped forward as she approached.
'Greetings. I am the great Maxie, leader of Team Magma.'
His friend in blue chortled. 'So formal! I'm Archie! Team Aqua!'
'I know who you are. What do you want? You here to help us or not?'
Maxie flinched when Archie grabbed him, releasing him only to clap him painfully on the back.
'Together, we're Team Delta! We're all about the environment and preventing disaster!'
'Quite,' Maxie grumbled, 'Which is why, yes, we are here to assist you.'
'Jeez... now I've gotta start briefin' all over again. But what d'you mean, that's why you're here to help? Do you know somethin' we don't?'
'Indeed... it seems we do. We're acquainted with Lyndon Massey... or, more precisely, we were.'