They had finally escaped the death trap that was Team Flare's stronghold. Their teams had been pushed to the brink but at least Serena was safe at last. Shauna looked down at her best friend, her eyes red from crying. While Seth had managed to stabilize her condition and undo some of the damage that had been dealt, she was still burned really badly. Most of her body was bandaged. It was a sight that none of them ever thought they would see. If that wasn't troubling enough, there was a countdown displayed on each of their holocasters.

Felicity looked over hers which she had set on the table to keep an eye on. Fifteen minutes was all that remained until Lysnadre committed, for lack of better terms, mass genocide. What worried her more was the fact that Seth, hers and Jamie's closest friend, had just taken someone's life in front of them. In all her years of knowing him, she'd never known him to become as violent as this. But given the circumstances, and Serena's current condition, she couldn't help but feel that he was justified in doing what he did.

Jamie looked over at Felicity and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He knew she was struggling with it as much as he was, and while it was difficult to stomach, he couldn't help but feel that it would have happened eventually. If it came down to it, Jamie and Felicity knew that they probably wouldn't have done it differently. This was no longer a fun-filled journey to the Lumiose Conference. This was life or death, and every single decision was crucial now. Seth knew this which was why he didn't hesitate.

Felicity sighed and crossed her arms as she looked over Serena as she lay steadily breathing. "I hope Seth gives them all exactly what they deserve..." she said bitterly, thoughts of when Melody was put in harms way coming to mind, giving her further reason to accept Seth's decision,

"First Shauna and Melody, then Allie and now Serena. What next?" Jamie replied with an exasperated sigh.

Unbeknownst to him, the answer would come to him in the form of Jacqueline slowly making her way into the room. She too was in rough shape by the looks of things and was walking with a limp. As the group turned to look at her, she gave a sheepish wave and remained quiet while standing off to the side.

"H-How's she doing?" Jacqueline asked, wincing a little due to the pain she was in still.

Trevor heaved a sigh as he looked over at Jacqueline before responding. "She's doing better... the nurse said she would take a while to completely recover. The damage that was done would be irreversable had it not been for Seth stepping in."

"I see... well, I'm glad she's recovering at least. I can't help but feel I'm partially to blame for what happened to her. I know I've earned most of your ire by now but believe me when I say that I'm sorry," Jacqueline replied shakily.

"Looks like my student's had quite the impact on you Jacqueline. I'm glad to see you've started to turn things around."

The familiar voice prompted everyone to whip their heads in its direction, their eyes lighting up the moment they saw Mathilde standing in the doorway.

"Mathilde!?" They all exclaimed together.

Mathilde smiled faintly and stepped farther into the room, the others moving aside so she could get a good look at Serena. Her eyes began to glow as she assessed the damage that had been done to her. She could see that the injuries, though horrific, had been treated fairly quickly by a basic healing technique. It was more of a patch job at best considering the circumstances, but it was adequate enough to prolong her life in order to get her to the center on time.

"Not bad for his first healing. If he had more time he probably could have fixed her up a little more than this," Mathilde said with a furrowed brow. "Then again, he is getting used to having full access to everything so I can't say that I blame him... she's in pretty rough shape and that's putting it mildly. I'd better get to work if we want her to walk out of here on her own," Mathilde finished, reaching for Lucario's ball to release him.

Lucario slowly took in the scene before him, his eyes immediately taking note of the injured young woman on the bed. He didn't even need to ask why he'd been woken up from his rest. After a brief discourse with everyone, Mathilde and Lucario began the process of mending Serena's wounds.

Before Seth was a massive set of double doors that connected with that Team Flare emblem in the center. Behind it he could feel the presence of the remaining members of Team Flare. Pressed for time, Seth didn't waste another second feeling things out. He moved with purpose toward the door and it gradually opened for him the moment he approached. They'd been expecting him, that much was certain. As he entered the room, he was greeted with exactly what he'd seen from Lysandre's first broadcast.

Right in the center of the room was a massive tree that had just started to glow while energy was being drained from it. To the right of it was the Eternal Flower which had been jolted into unconsciousness from the shackles that were sapping her of her energy. And then there was the even more disturbing sight of Allie. Her head was bowed and her body was completely still, most likely due to the pain she had to endure. His eyes went from her to Floette as he took note of the fact that there was something linking them together. All of this only served to make his blood boil with rage.

The sound of pistol being loaded grabbed Seth's and everyone else's attention, prompting them all to turn and see Mr. Dubois aiming the barrel of his gun straight at Seth.

"If you value your life, I suggest you put that down Mr. Dubois..." Lysandre said sternly. "If your son couldn't defeat him I doubt there's much you'd be able to do."

Mr. Dubois scowled at Lysandre and spat on the ground. "I don't need your advice Lysandre. This man ruined everything for me and he's going to pay dearly for it! We were so close... so close, to having everything we wanted. We stood to make a fortune with my son marrying Allie but you just had to stick your nose where it didn't belong didn't you!?" Mr. Dubois growled as he prepared to pull the trigger.

"Shut up..." Seth said heatedly, his eyes burning with anger as he stared daggers into Mr. Dubois. "You have no right to speak her name!" Seth roared as a light blue wind formed around him.

The wind grew more intense as Seth drew back his hands. In a swift motion, Seth fired a heavy blast of wind toward Mr. Dubois that tore apart the ground as it traveled his way. The blast created an explosion that launched Mr. Dubois off his feet and sent him crashing along the ground until he landed, heavily wounded, on his stomach, his gun blown apart from the blast.

Lysandre winced as Mr. Dubois body hit the ground. He was still alive, mostly due to Seth holding back most of the power behind what was, without a doubt, a Vacuum Wave. There was no mistaking what he'd just seen. As he was about to step forward, the doors to the laboratory opened once again to reveal Xerosic's team of scientists. The four of them had their Pokémon of choice at their side.

Aliana stood beside a menacing Druddigon alongside Bryony who partnered with a Bisharp. Celosia's Manectric stood at the ready with the backup of Mable and her Weavile. Seth turned his head to the side to look over his shoulder at the four women behind him. Having run into a few of them on his journey, he knew that they weren't exactly pushovers. Looking over at the clock, he saw that there were twelve minutes left which meant that he would need to deal with this problem quickly if he was going to get to Lysandre.

"I assume this was your doing, Xerosic?" Lysandre inquired, arching a brow at the presence of his team of admins.

"With all due respect, we don't have a lot of time. With all of us attacking him at once there isn't much he will be able to do to stand against it. Besides, I've a personal matter to settle in regards to all of the Expansion Suits he's destroyed. Each of them cost a small fortune and this demands retribution!" Xerosic growled, releasing a Malamar from its ball.

Seth reached down to his belt and grabbed a single sphere and primed it. He needed to end this quickly so he could take out Lysandre. Gripping the ball in his hand, he released it shouting, "Bisharp, en garde!"

The Sword Blade Pokémon materialized into view and silently stood beside Seth, his eyes shifting from one foe to the next as he sized them all up. Without missing a beat, the command to attack had been given with each member of Team Flare shouting at once. As a combination attack approached, Bisharp spread his arms and legs while in front of Seth, a white glow surrounding his body as the multitude of techniques slammed into him. Tiles on the floor were ripped up from the explosive impact and a dust cloud rose up from the spot where Seth and Bisharp were standing.

Everyone looked on to see if their efforts were successful only to be horrified upon seeing two shadows within the rising smoke. A bright aura surrounded Seth and Bisharp, Bisharp's growing brighter by the second as all the energy he had collected from the attacks began to shake the ground.

"Metal Burst!" Seth roared fiercely.

Bisharp crossed both of his arms and then forced them apart, unleashing a multidirectional shotgun blast of energy, returning their attacks right back at them at double the original output, effectively knocking them all unconscious in a single stroke. While the power that Bisharp had just displayed was incredible, what was even more alarming than the feat that Seth's Bisharp had accomplished was the form that Bisharp had taken on after executing his counter attack. It was unlike anything any of them had seen before.

Xerosic and his team all returned their teammates and took a hesitant step backward. Their strongest Pokémon were just annihilated by their own attacks and Bisharp didn't even look worse for wear after taking the assault.

"How... how is that possible!? We didn't even scratch him!" Aliana stammered.

"Just what the hell is that? I've never seen—Bisharp can't do that, it's not possible!" Bryony protested. "Mine can't do that!"

"So it would seem that the legend wasn't merely a legend after all," Lysandre mused, stroking his beard as he strode forward, hefting a ball of his own as he prepared for battle. "I had always wondered if there existed a natural method of Mega Evolution, one where stones weren't required and all that was needed was a strong bond between trainer and Pokémon. I had thought it to be nothing more than a myth. But with irrefutable proof in front of me, I can't dismiss its existance now can I?" Lysandre added, tossing his ball into the air and releasing the might of his crimson water serpant.

The great red beast towered above their heads and let loose a menacing roar that reverberated around the laboratory, shaking its walls. Gyarados cast his gaze upon his master's enemies and snarled viciously at Seth and Bisharp. His presence even terrified Lysandre's cohorts, prompting them all to make haste from the vicinity as they knew that this battle had only one outcome if Lysandre was bringing out that monstrosity.

"I must congratulate you for making it this far. However, I'm afraid that your time is just about up. But, seeing as I'm feeling generous, I will allow you the chance to defeat me with the time remaining..."

Seth looked over at what looked to be a meter which read that it was at one hundred percent power. Next to that was a timer which read that there were ten minutes remaining. Turning his attention away from the meter, he saw that Lysandre was now holding a necklace of sorts in his hand... a necklace that had a key attached to it.

"It's strange... I've been searching for this key for ages and never could seem to find it. I had thought it would be sealed away somewhere but after taking the princess here, I discovered it on her person. Now how do you suppose the key to activating the Ultimate Weapon got there?" Lysandre inquired while placing it around his neck.

Seth recognized that key. He'd seen it once before on a rather raggedy looking, giant of a man whom he'd come across some time ago with his friends. If what Lysandre said was true, then there was only one thing left to do. Seth needed to get that key and to do that, he needed to take down that Gyarados who was now transforming into his empowered state.

"As I said before, you've done well to make it here. Perhaps if we had met under different circumstances we wouldn't have to do this. Sadly, your ideals and mine do not match up which means I must destroy you!" Lysandre declared. "Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" roared Lysandre.

No fool, Bisharp immediately dove out of the way and rolled himself to a stand before launching a counter attack of his own in the form of several blades of wind that slammed into Gyarados' exposed right side. Roaring in annoyance, Gyarados launched a sphere of electricity toward Bisharp who promptly avoided the blast after a warning from Seth. The Zap Cannon blasted apart several computer stations and tore apart more of the lab equipment in the process.

"X-Scissor!" commanded Seth hastily, his eyes on the time as it ticked away.

Bisharp dashed toward the serpantine behemoth, his spear glowing with verdant energy as he avoided a volley of Flamethrower attacks that charred the ground as he drew closer. Leaping, Bisharp slashed hard across Gyarados' face, eliciting a roar of pain from the sea dragon. Enraged, Gyarados swung its tail hard and slammed Bisharp into the ground with brutal force, shaking the lab once more.

"Aqua Tail again!" Lysandre roared fiercely.

Bisharp swiftly rolled to his feet and threw up his shield to cushion the blow as he was swept away by the massive tail that came crashing into him. Bisharp was sent tumbling into a work station, smashing it to bits as his heavy metal frame collided with the machinery. Getting up, he was faced with a snarling beast who was now gathering flames into his mouth at an alarming rate.

"Burn him to ashes! Fire Blast!"

As Gyarados loosed a monstrous burst of flames, Bisharp shifted his stance and threw his shield arm upward and guarded himself against the fire that threatened to consume him. Bracing himself as the fire began to take its toll,  Bisharp drew back his spear arm, his body lighting up with a dangerous orange glow that only grew in intensity as the fire continued to bombard Bisharp's shield appendage. Sparks of energy arced around Bisharp's spear right before Seth shouted his command.

"Revenge!" Seth cried out ferociously.

Bisharp planted his feet and swung his spear arm forward in a thrusting motion, releasing the accumulated damage he'd taken in one powerful shockwave of energy that struck the mighty serpant with such intensity that it sent him smashing into the wall, a crater resulting from the impact. When the dust cleared, Gyarados was unconscious and stripped of his transformed state. This gave Lysandre pause as he hadn't expected the outcome. Without a word, he returned Gyarados and placed the ball back onto his belt before stepping forward himself.

Seth quietly returned Bisharp and faced Lysandre as he moved closer and started clapping.

"I must applaud you, Seth. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't admire your strength. I had a feeling you were different from the others at that gathering the princess held. Watching your progression was rather liberating since there was nothing fake about you, that much was obvious. Had you not interferred with my plans well... you get the idea. I'll spare you the details and just get straight to the point," Lysandre said sternly, tapping button on his glove to dawn the expansion suit he had prepared. "This is where you fall!"

Within seconds of Seth starting to draw his sword, Lysandre powered up his suit and was upon him with a flash, his fist connecting hard with Seth's face, the impact jarring him a little, causing him to stumble backward from the force. Bracing himself, Seth raised both of his arms above his head as Lysandre bore down on him with both fists, his superior mass causing Seth's knees to buckle under the pressure. Not allowing Seth to have any time to recover, Lysandre delivered a knee to Seth's abdomen which, given the enhancements of Lysandre's suit, made Seth gasp for air as he was struck.

Seth held his stomach as he staggered backward from the heavy blow. Given the difference in height as well as the overall muscle mass, it was safe for Seth to assume that Lysandre held the upperhand when it came to brute strength. That suit was something Seth had encountered before, however, this version of it was far more troublesome as it amplified all of Lysandre's movements to superhuman levels, much like his own aura. Regaining his composure, Seth straightened up and focused.

As Seth readied himself, Lysandre tapped another button on his suit and extended his arm. Forming around it was what appeared to be a massive cannon barrel. Seth's eyes grew wide as light began to develop inside the barrel. Within moments, a large ball of fire shot from the cannon and roared toward Seth. Not wasting time, Seth quickly lashed out at the fireball with a powerful blast of wind that blasted it apart before it could reach him. Sensing movement from behind, Seth whirrled around in time to defend against a kick that was swinging toward his head.

The power behind Lysandre's kicks was growing more troublesome to deal with as they were incredibly heavy. Lysandre was strong, that was certain. Seth was having more trouble with him than he ever imagined he would. Punch after punch was thrown Seth's way, putting him on the defensive almost indefinitely. Seth began to bob and weave around each strike, his eyes searching for a moment to return a blow of his own. Seth ducked under a forward jab and gathered aura around himself as swiftly as possible before launching a Vacuum Wave at point blank range, the explosive blast launching Lysandre off of his feet.

Lysandre landed hard on his back and cracked the floor tiles beneath him with the impact. Not missing a beat, Seth shot forward, blade drawn as he closed the distance. Lysandre pushed himself up and rose back to a stand as Seth approached and aimed his cannon at Seth once again. All Seth saw was the light of the barrel before it went off. The resulting explosion turned the wall in the blast's pathway into a mound of rubble. The pile of concrete and metal soon began to move and before long, it was blown apart by a burst of Seth's aura.

Seth breathed heavily as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. His body was aching and burned, his jacket in shreds from the blast he'd taken. The rest of his attire, while burned, didn't suffer nearly as much due to blast mainly focusing on his upper body. He'd only barely managed to cover his face in time, otherwise he'd most likely not be able to see.

"You're tenacious aren't you? I had thought for sure that would have killed you. Perhaps I was a little overzealous and jumped the gun a little with that assumption," Lysandre shrugged, his eyes shifting to the time limit which showed there were four minutes remaining.

"It'll take a lot more than that to kill me," Seth huffed, wincing and gritting his teeth as he forced himself into a ready position, his blade directed at Lysandre.

"You still think you have a chance then? I suppose I should tell you that I know why you're really fighting. My question to you is, why continue? She's already dead!" Lysandre declared, pointing imperiously at Allie who still remained motionless between the shackles.

"You're lying..." Seth spat venomously.

"Am I? Take a look around you Seth. Everything I said I would do, I've done. I promised to destroy this world and bring a new one into existance and I hold the key right here in my hand!" Lysandre shouted. "I may be many things..."

"Shut up!" Seth warned, his eyes burning with anger with every word Lysandre spoke.

"But a liar is not one of them..." Lysandre finished, only for Seth to burst forward and grab Lysandre by the throat before he could react.

In a display of rage enduced strength, Seth put his full weight into his attack—empowered with aura—and launched Lysandre across the lab, crashing through more machinery and tearing up the tile as he skidded across the floor. Lysandre, as expected, managed to pull himself up and face Seth who was already upon him once again. Lysandre raised both arms to block Seth's downward slash, the durability of the gauntlets holding up under the pressure as his knees buckled.

Seth was soon forced off Lysandre and sent sliding backward several feet. Without hesitation, Lysandre aimed his cannon again and fired. Seth exploded forward and deftly avoided each blast that was sent his way before making a decisive strike with his sword, putting his weight into the thrust as he drove it into Lysandre's armor only to find that it wasn't able to pierce completely through. Seth felt a heavy fist come down on his shoulder making him cry out in pain.

"You still don't get it do you? It's hopeless! Why continue fighting? This world is of little value and has done nothing but corrupt itself from the beginning. It is full of filth and is therefore incapable of being redeemed! and as I said before, Allie is dead, as will you be along with the rest of this Arceus forsaken world!" Lysandre roared, knocking Seth away with a knee to his chest, loosening the sword in the process.

Seth took a tumble and hit the ground once more, his blade falling beside him. Reaching for it, Seth snatched it up and rolled swiftly away as Lysandre leaped forward and brought his heavy foot down onto the floor where he was previously. Scrambling to his feet, Seth glanced at the clock in the corner. There were thirty seconds remaining before Lysandre went through with what he intended to do.

"It's the end of the line Seth. You've been beaten, just accept it! It'll be easier for you in the end," Lysandre stated as he aimed the cannon at Seth once more and began charging power for one final shot.

As Seth stared the barrel of the cannon down, thoughts of his journey began racing through his mind all at once. The mere thought of losing everyone was far too much weight for his shoulders to bear. If he'd already lost Allie, something he had been denying since it left Lysandre's mouth, even though he could feel it, he would make sure that he wouldn't lose everyone else. Gripping his blade, he began to concentrate, the words of his teacher echoing in his mind as he recalled what he was taught.

A light blue aura began wrapping itself around Seth's body, causing the ground beneath him to quake. Sparks of light arced across his sword and soon the entire sword was engulfed in the same aura that had ignited around Seth. Lysandre scowled at Seth as he saw that Seth was still willing to go to the bitter end even after all that had been said.

"Your time is up! Farewell, Seth Da Silva!" Lysandre growled, aiming his cannon and firing a massive sphere of flames in Seth's direction.

As the flames of death approached, Seth darted headlong into the fire and then completely vanished from sight as the fire blasted another hole in the lab walls. Lysandre, thinking he'd won, retracted the cannon and lowered his arm. His victory was shortlived, however, as Seth's body flickered into view directly in front of him. With a mighty thrust, Seth's blade powered into Lysandre's abdomen and forced its way out the back of Lysandre's suit. Blood dripped down Seth's sword and onto the floor.

Screaming in pain, Lysandre grabbed hold of Seth's blade in attempts to yank it from his body, but Seth held strong as he glared up at Lysandre with malice in his eyes. Try as he might, the sword would not budge and neither would Seth. The aura that coursed through Seth's body only amplified his strength. Lysandre's eyes went wide as his armor began to crack. His body felt as though it was being ripped open as light began spilling from the cracks in the armor.

"This can't be!" Lysandre roared angrily, his body writhing as light continued to pour from his body. "MY PERFECT WORLD!"

With that final shout, Lysandre's armor, along with his body, went up in an explosive fiery blast. The force of the explosion rocked the lab and caused several lights to shatter, leaving the lab dimly lit. Seth sheathed his sword and dropped to all fours from exhaustion. Turning his head he could still make out Allie's form, still shackled to the machine took her life. He couldn't feel anything from her at all, even as he got up and broke the shackles off of her wrists and ankles so he could carry her.

All he could do was scream to the heavens as he held her limp body in his arms. Aura erupted all around him and the lab continued to shake as he cried. As grief began to wrap him in its cold embrace, he suddenly stopped. He could feel a soothing aura coming from behind, prompting him to turn around. He could see the tree starting to light up with a faint blue glow. He could feel some of his aura intertwined with the power he felt coming from it, giving him pause long enough to realize what he was standing in the presence of.

This tree wasn't an ordinary tree, and if what he remembered from his reading was true, this would be the only chance he'd get at saving Allie. Gently setting Allie down, Seth approached the tree, the glow emitting from it drawing him in as though he were in a trance. He couldn't say for certain, but somehow... he had a feeling he knew what to do. The moment he placed his hand on the tree, everything suddenly became clear as his own power reacted with the eternal energy that was dormant inside the tree.

"I know what you are..." Seth breathed, fixing his eyes on his last hope as he fired up his aura once more. "And if it really is you, then I need you to wake up!" Seth hollered while pumping the tree with a burst of his own aura.

The light within the tree began to grow brighter with each desperate pulse of energy that was being sent to its roots. "Wake up!" Seth shouted again, transferring another burst of energy into the tree which absorbed it into its roots, bringing more life into its branches with every shout and every pulse of aura Seth gave. With one final push, Seth fed the tree one last time before his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, his hands on the trunk while bowing his head.

As he was about at his limit, Seth felt a soothing warmth radiating from the tree. The dormant Xerneas began to illuminate the entire lab, consuming it in a brilliant, blinding light. The tree began to undergo a startling transformation. The mighty stag soon materialized into view, its massive frame towering above Seth as it came into view. It had fur that was solid obsidian with a blue stripe down the center of its back. It had a short, bushy tail, and sword-like trim around each leg, forming a point beneath each hoof. From the neck up, its fur was blue, and atop its head were antlers that resembled branches which had markings on them.

Seth swallowed hard as he stared up at the legendary creature. Xerneas looked down at Seth and then at Allie who was lying at his feet. Stepping forward, Seth looked up into the eyes of his only hope and began to plead with it.

"Please..." he choked out, tears streaming from his eyes as he approached Xerneas. "Please help her!" Seth shouted, gesturing toward Allie. "She didn't deserve any of this. I just want her back. You... you can do that, right?"

Xerneas tilted its head as Seth spoke to it. It had just been awakened from its thousand year slumber in what it knew to be the most peculiar way possible. Xerneas could feel the energy that had been used to bring it out of its deep sleep, flowing through its body and mingling with its own. Moreover, it could feel that same aura coming from the human that was now kneeling over the woman on the ground. There was a earnestness in his voice, something that Xerneas couldn't simply ignore.

"I'm sorry, Allie... I should have come sooner. This is all my fault," Seth admitted, regret filling him as he held Allie against him while Xerneas looked on.

Unbeknownst to Seth, the antlers on Xerneas' head began to shine in a glorious array of colors. Power flowed from the great stag and soon poured into Allie, causing her body to glow with a myriad of different colors. Seth's eyes widened as he looked down at Allie and noticed that color was coming back to her cheeks again. Her body no longer cold, felt warm to the touch, and best of all... he could hear it, that sweet sound of her heart beating again. Slowly but surely, Allie began to open her eyes.

"....Pauper?"