"Fading into the Aether" is the eighty-fifth chapter of the Pokémon Eclipse story, and is the fifteenth chapter of the Poni Arc.
Plot[]
Sun and his friends are surrounded by Faba and Chrysalis's Prism forces as the aftermath from Spike's Blacephalon's Mind Blown attack begins to burn down the conservatory. As Sun and his friends battle, Spike's Buzzwole manages to defeat Chrysalis's Vespiquen, Twilight noting that they have better chances of escaping early if they defeat them first. Chrysalis sends out her Claydol next, who, with help from another grunt, manages to defeat Buzzwole. Sun and the others continue to lose Pokémon when Rotomdex informs Sun of a message he received from the Mossdeep Space Center saying that the jet they sent for them and the Equestrians managed to arrive early.
As Gladion fights Faba and his Alakazam, Faba begins to use the unused Z-Rings of the grunts he first sent into the Aether Paradise, hitting Gladion's Pokémon with a continuous string of Z-Moves. Pushed further and further toward defeat, Lillie tells Rotomdex to respond to Mossdeep and send itself as an attachment. Rotomdex, upon figuring out what Lillie intends to do, follows through and replies, leaving the Pokédex in the process. Outside the Aether House, one of the four Mossdeep employees waiting outside the jet opens the attachment upon receiving it, believing it to be a code to let them inside the building. Rotom then possesses the jet, flying it back over to the Aether Paradise.
Lillie then sends out her Nidoqueen, telling everyone to defend it at all costs. At once, Chrysalis and the grunts all try to attack Nidoqueen with their Pokémon, but Sun and his friends' Pokémon, as well as Wicke's Kadabra, who they salvaged, all take their attacks and retaliate back. Chrysalis's Claydol is defeated and she manages to save it from flying backward, Twilight observing her act with intrigue. With Sun and his friends no longer able to defend Nidoqueen, Faba activates another Z-Ring equipped with Icium Z to have Slowbro attack it with Subzero Slammer. Before the attack can connect, Gladion equips Nidoqueen with the Focus Sash that Kaj had given them the night they met, allowing Nidoqueen to survive the attack. Nidoqueen finally attacks with Earthquake.
The attack tears the Aether Paradise in half down the middle, creating many smaller fissures that begin to swallow up the Prism grunts and their Pokémon. Chrysalis also manages to save her Gourgeist, something Twilight also observes. With the Aether Paradise too dangerous to fight in, Faba and Chrysalis lead the Prism grunts to jump into the cracks, where they land in the rising waters below and are carried out by the Bruxish from inside the whirlpool wall. Sun and the others use the opportunity to fly away on their Ride Charizards. As they leave, Twilight notices a piece of the glass ceiling break off and fall down near Chrysalis, who, despite Twilight's warning, is hit in the head by it and knocked unconscious. Twilight returns to the Aether Paradise, unable to leave her behind.
Chrysalis, upon waking up and noticing Twilight helping her, asks her what she's doing, and Twilight explains that because of how she treated her Pokémon, she believes that she's not incapable of loving others. Before they can leave, Faba approaches Twilight and attacks her with his Slowbro. Chrysalis sends out her Hydreigon and attacks them both with Brutal Swing, defeating Slowbro and knocking Faba unconscious. After retrieving Faba's Pokémon, Hydreigon carries Twilight out before she flies off to follow. Rotom, now in full control of the jet, opens the back hatch for Sun and his friends, including Chrysalis, Hydreigon, and Twilight to enter inside. With the Kadabra's unable to hold the whirlpool wall which the Bruxishes have left, they let it fall. Faba wakes up and prepares to jump into the water through the fissure, hoping to also be retrieved by the Bruxishes, but with the wall of water falling in and crashing into the Aether Paradise from all sides, he is pushed forward into the rift before it closes on him, crushing him. Lillie and Gladion watch through the window as the Aether Paradise is finally submerged.
Sun, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike discuss Chrysalis's decision to defect, and she explains that she joined Team Prism out of spite, knowing that she'd destroy her own world by doing so. After Faba had given Chrysalis her very own Pokémon who wanted to be by her side rather than feeling they needed to, she finally understood what real love felt like, making her realize her errors. After apologizing to Twilight and promising to do the same to the other Equestrians, Twilight and the others forgive her of her actions. Rotomjet then directs everyone's attention toward Melemele Island, where they spot Dusk-Mane Necrozma and Dawn-Wings Necrozma attacking with Prismatic Laser. Rotomjet speeds off to Ten Karat Hill.
| Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
|---|---|
| Tempest Rising | Calming the Winds |