They finally managed to complete their shield, and the crew had just started to relax.
"Okay, this should hold for now," Azure said after activating the barrier. But then his eyes widened as something clicked in his mind.
"Wait a minute. This is the Twilight Zone." His voice dropped. "Damn it. EVERYONE—BRACE YOURSELVES!"
The crew, who had just begun to ease their tension, snapped back to full alert in an instant.
Before anyone could react, the Dreadnought slammed into them, punching straight through the defense they'd so carefully constructed.
The ship shuddered violently. Metal groaned. Sparks flew. Sections of the hull cracked, and in some places, completely caved in.
Azure grabbed his head, trying to focus through the chaos. *The ship has an instant automatic repair system. This shouldn't be a problem. So why—why did I forget? Shields are useless here. They've always been useless in the Twilight Zone. How could I be so stupid?*
Dhelmise and Plundertow flooded through the breaches, swarming directly toward the command center. They moved with coordinated purpose—not mindless attacks, but tactical strikes aimed at the heart of the ship.
But the crew wasn't idle.
One of the crew members called out while fending off a Dhelmise with his Pokémon. "Hey Captain! We know you're a little scatterbrained sometimes, but maybe save the overthinking for AFTER we're not being boarded!"
Azure blinked. The fog in his mind cleared. "Damn it. I got lost in my head again!"
He straightened up just as three Dhelmise lunged at him simultaneously. Power Whips lashed out from their anchor-chains, massive plant tendrils that could snap steel. At the same time, Shadow Balls screamed toward him from multiple directions.
Azure didn't move.
The attacks never reached him.
One of the Dhelmise froze mid-strike, then convulsed as its own Power Whip somehow wrapped around its body instead. The Shadow Balls veered off course, slamming into the Plundertow that had launched them. A Dhelmise nearby took a hit meant for someone else entirely.
One of the Plundertow spotted a strange symbol—an arrow mark—floating above its allies. Its single eye narrowed in recognition.
The Dhelmise and Plundertow immediately activated Jungle Healing. Green energy pulsed across the deck, tendrils of life-seeking light weaving between allies—
But the healing energy didn't go where it was supposed to.
Instead, it washed over the crew, closing wounds and restoring stamina. Several injured members straightened up, suddenly refreshed.
The Plundertow stared at Azure with something that might have been fear.
The crew released their Pokémon in rapid succession.
"Grimmsnarl!" "Duskclops!" "Chatot!"
One of the crew members cracked his knuckles. "Alright—the Captain's using his ability. Time to get serious!"
---
Meanwhile, on the upper deck, Flint and the surface crew were fighting a desperate battle to protect the ritual circle. Dhelmise and Plundertow swarmed around them like locusts.
No matter how many they cut down, more rose to take their place.
Flint's jaw tightened. "This is getting ridiculous! Decidueye—SHADOW PARADE!"
Mega Decidueye drew back its bow, spectral energy gathering at the string. It fired straight up—
And the sky rained arrows.
Hundreds of shadow arrows descended like a storm, piercing through every Dhelmise and Plundertow on the deck. They dissolved on impact, erased from existence.
One of the crew let out a breath of relief. "Finally! They're all gone!"
Flint didn't lower his guard. "Not for long. They'll be back. They'll KEEP coming back until we get out of here." He turned to the crew member maintaining the ritual. "How much longer?!"
The ritual keeper didn't look up, hands steady as they worked the arcane formula. "Almost there! Just need to finish the incantation!"
Another crew member, fending off Dhelmise with Chandelure, shouted back. "It's going to take a while! How are things over there? Bariong! Gyarados! You still holding up?!"
"BARIONG!" The ice dragon's roar shook the deck as it froze three Plundertow solid with a single breath.
"GYRA!" Gyarados answered by slamming its massive tail through a cluster of Dhelmise.
Crest—the crew member who'd been watching the Dreadnought's position—ran a hand through his brown hair, thinking hard. His blue eyes tracked the massive ghost-ship as it drifted alongside them, roots spreading like veins through the water, creeping ever closer to their hull.
Then something clicked.
His eyes lit up.
"Wait a minute..." He stared at the Dreadnought's position, then at their ship. They were practically side by side. The roots had connected them almost completely.
A slow, wicked grin spread across his face.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Z-Crystal, its surface gleaming with dark energy.
"Ferarigatr!" he called out. His starter looked up, ready. "Let's show them what we've got!"
He began the Z-Move dance—sharp, precise movements that channeled energy through his body and into the crystal.
"BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!"
Ferarigatr opened its jaws wide. A vortex of dark energy formed between them, spinning faster and faster, compressing into a sphere of pure gravitational force. The pressure was so intense that nearby Dhelmise were pulled off their feet, dragged toward the attack's epicenter.
Ferarigatr fired.
The black hole streaked toward the Dreadnought.
The massive ghost-ship tried to evade, throwing Plundertow and Dhelmise in the attack's path as living shields. But the black hole pulled them in, crushed them, and kept going.
It struck the Dreadnought dead center.
The explosion was cataclysmic—a shockwave that sent water flying in all directions, that cracked the very fabric of the Twilight Zone around them.
The Dreadnought dissolved.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the Dreadnought reformed, its hull stitching itself back together, its crew of spectral Pokémon reassembling from nothing.
Crest let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Tough bastard. But at least that bought us some time."
Flint stared at the blast zone, then at Crest, and gave him a thumbs up, eyes wide. "Nice work, Crest!"
---
Inside the ship, Keith and his team were holding their own against the invading Pokémon, but the numbers were relentless.
"Freeze-Dry!" Keith commanded.
Inteleon's attack lanced through the corridor, freezing Plundertow and Dhelmise solid until they shattered into nothing.
The other crew members were fighting back-to-back, their Pokémon covering every angle.
Then Keith noticed something.
The flow of enemies was slowing. Fewer Dhelmise were pushing through the breaches. He moved to a viewport and looked out—
The Dreadnought was drifting. Badly damaged. Far from their position.
He exhaled. "That insane bastard actually did it."
He turned back to his team. "Alright—their numbers are dropping. Let's clean up what's left!"
"Sir!" the three crew members with him answered in unison.
"Greninja—BLIZZARD!"
"Ninja!" The frog Pokémon swept its arms forward, and a howling ice storm ripped through the corridor, freezing the Dhelmise solid.
"Milotic—FREEZE-DRY!"
"Milo-TIC!" A cloud of frigid powder erupted from Milotic's mouth, coating the frozen Dhelmise. The cold was so intense that they cracked and crumbled where they stood.
"Gyarados—CRUNCH!"
"GYRA!" The massive Pokémon lunged forward, its jaws closing around the last cluster of Plundertow and Dhelmise, crushing them to nothing.
But the enemy wasn't done.
The remaining Plundertow had adapted. They fired a coordinated volley of Energy Balls that slammed into Greninja before anyone could react. The frog Pokémon went down, badly wounded.
Dhelmise retaliated against Milotic with Power Whips, thick plant tendrils slamming into its serpentine body from multiple angles. Milotic cried out, scales cracking.
Gyarados took simultaneous hits from Spirit Shackle and Zap Arrow—the combined assault driving it back, leaving deep wounds across its armored hide.
Then the Plundertow and Dhelmise turned their attention to Keith.
Keith didn't flinch. He just smiled.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "But you're done."
He raised his hands. The ritual circle beneath his feet blazed to life.
"O Great Articuno," he intoned, "by my request and by this ritual—FREEZE THEM."
The temperature plummeted.
Ice spread from the circle like wildfire, racing through the corridors, crawling up walls, coating every surface. The Dhelmise and Plundertow in the ship froze mid-motion, their attacks halted, their forms crystallizing—
And then they shattered.
All of them. Every single invader on the ship, gone in an instant.
Keith looked out the viewport. Even the Dreadnought had frozen solid, a massive iceberg drifting in the void.
He tilted his head. "Oh. They were just summons." A small smile crossed his face. "That makes things easier."
Above the frozen Dreadnought, a symbol appeared—an arrow mark, glowing faintly. The massive ghost-ship stopped moving entirely, locked in place.
Keith recognized the mark immediately. "Point Logic. He's trapped it." He shook his head. "I knew he'd catch on eventually."
---
Azure stood on the deck, one hand raised, his fingers tracing invisible lines in the air. The arrow mark above the Dreadnought pulsed with his will, pinning the massive creature in place.
"What a hassle," he muttered. "Looks like our voyage is going to be delayed because of you."
He reached into his Inventory Box and pulled out a Dive Ball. The specialized capture device gleamed in the eerie light of the Twilight Zone.
He raised his arm.
"Get in."
The Dive Ball sailed through the air, arcing perfectly toward the immobilized Dreadnought. It struck the creature's frozen hull—
And the Dreadnought dissolved into red light, pulled into the ball.
The Dive Ball hit the water, bobbing gently.
*Click... Click... Click...*
Each movement sent ripples across the surface.
*Click... Click...*
The crew held their breath.
*Click.*
Silence.
The Dive Ball settled into stillness.
Azure let out a breath. "Got it."
The moment the Dreadnought was captured, the Twilight Zone began to dissolve around them. The Aspect shattered, the oppressive darkness receded, and they emerged back into familiar waters.
---
Xian had been waiting for this moment.
He touched down on the deck, Metagross gliding beside him. Gible Redux perched on his shoulder, looking around curiously.
He spotted Azure and walked toward him.
"Hey, Azure," he called out, raising a hand. "Finally found you." He gestured vaguely behind him. "You have no idea what I went through to get here. I literally had to DIE just to make it through. Got caught in some Dragapult's Aspect. Had to let myself get erased before I could escape."
Azure turned to face him, unimpressed. "Yeah. Same."
Xian opened his mouth to respond, then paused. "Wait—you died too?"
Before Azure could answer, a voice interrupted them.
"Yo, Xian! Finally meeting up again! Is that your new Pokémon?"
Crest was approaching, eyeing Gible Redux with obvious interest. The little dragon puffed up slightly under the attention.
Xian instinctively took a step back. "No. No, it's not. I borrowed him from a friend."
Crest grinned. "Might have to catch one like that myself someday."
Azure cut in before Crest could ask more questions. "Is the ritual ready?"
Crest gave a thumbs up, his grin widening. "Ritual's all set! We can head back whenever!"
Azure let out a long breath. "Finally."
He turned to Xian, one eyebrow raised. "So. What's this about? You came all the way out here chasing us down. What's so urgent that you needed to track us through the Twilight Zone?"
Xian took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"Short version? There's an artifact exhibition happening in Ariestal City. The artifact is called the Nexus Sapphire." He paused. "They sent me to bring you back. As a precaution. When it comes to things like this, your ability is the most logical one to have on standby."
Azure stared at him for a long moment.
"So after everything that just happened—after dying, fighting through a Dragapult's Aspect, surviving the Twilight Zone—you're telling me I have to go BACK to Ariestal City?"
Xian nodded. "Short version? Yeah."
Azure sighed—the kind of sigh that carried the weight of a hundred absurd situations, all of which had led to this exact moment.
"Fine." He turned to Keith. "Keith. You're Captain until we reach Mirror Sea. I'll catch up tomorrow."
Keith didn't even look surprised. "Of course. You can count on me."
"Alright then." Azure gestured toward the ritual circle. "Let's get this over with."
The ritual circle blazed to life, its intricate patterns glowing brighter and brighter until the light swallowed them whole.
---
They emerged on the open ocean.
Water stretched in all directions. A few Wingull circled overhead, unimpressed by their sudden appearance.
Azure looked around, then at the coordinates. "Route 31." He turned to Crest. "The ritual coordinates are random again."
Crest shrugged. "That's what happens when you rush the ritual. Didn't have time to set the destination properly." He paused. "At least we're still on the ocean. Imagine if we'd popped out in the middle of Ariestal City. That would have been awkward."
Azure shuddered at the thought. "Don't even joke about that."
Xian was already back on Metagross, hovering just above the deck. "Okay. We need to head to Ariestal City now." He looked down at Gible Redux. "You know the way, right, Gible?"
"Gible!" The little dragon nodded vigorously, then immediately pulled both Xian and Azure into the Shadow Realm.
Azure stumbled slightly as the world shifted around them. "I really hate being here."
Xian grinned. "Relax. We'll be out of here in no time. This time, anyway."
They shot through the Shadow Realm, Gible navigating the dark currents with practiced ease, carrying them toward Ariestal City.
---
Back on the ship, Keith stood at the helm, watching the portal close behind his captain.
He turned to face the crew.
"Alright, everyone. You heard the Captain. I'm in charge until we reach Mirror Sea." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's not make him regret it."
The crew responded with a mix of salutes and grins. The ship's engines hummed to life, cutting through the waves toward their destination.
On the deck, Crest leaned against the railing, watching the horizon.
"Mirror Sea, huh?" he muttered to himself. "That's going to be interesting."
Above him, the sky was clear. For now.