The trail of blood that had cascaded through the distorted space, acted as a strange pathway back to the real world it floated slowly, as you would expect a liquid to do in the depths of space.
Giratina let out a triumphant roar, that shook the very rocks that made up the land mass of this desolate place - finally he had taught that cocky Pokémon a lesson, one he would not learn anything from of course- as he would be dead.
The Pokémon of life, there were limits to even what that could achieve; the human body that it inhabited was equally arrogant, and as such the loss of Tantalus would have little effect on the world.

Giratina essentially sauntered back to the portal, if such a way of movement was possible with his graceless form - he was basking in his victory up until he peered back through the portal into the real world - there he spotted the top half of Xerneas’ body splattered upon the ground floor of Mauville like an ant after it met the boot of its better.
But, he could not confirm the end to his foes life without being above the body itself, he would not leave this to chance.
As his golden crown pierced through the portal, and closely followed by the rest of his colossal form, his eyes narrowed at a beam of light that came from below- time seemed to freeze still.
Thoughts raced across his mind, and they all lead to the inconceivable notion that Xerneas had managed to survive; but not only survive but have the necessary energy and power to yet cast another attack at him - but that wasn’t the reason he was in a state of shock and absolute horror of the situation that he was faced with - he was mid transit through his portal - it was unavoidable, this attack could have a cataclysmic effect on him and from what he had seen from Xerneas and even his former owner- Tantalus, that insolent wretch would have put everything in that last attack, even the energy needed to survive, just to spite him - just to have that last say.
The problem here, was that it would have that effect…
This was it. The end. Game over…

And then. It happened, as time resumed its natural course, another stream of energy hit Xerneas’ attack , and it had came from a small child that he now recognised as Kaze- the once dazzling intense energy dimmed considerably, it had lost a lot of power as a direct result of this and once it struck Giratina, square in his chitinous hide on his underbelly it exploded with a burst of fluorescence energy that was excruciating, the bastard had somehow managed to form an Ice based attack, if that had been at full strength, he feared as to just what would have happened.
Kaze, would never understand his mistake. 

The sheer naivety of his actions had two very real consequences: One, Giratina had likely survived because of it - he was now indebted to the little boy in time, he would pay it back.
And two - the death of Xerneas, there was a chance that Xerneas could have escaped all this despite being in half, and lived; but now, his fate was sealed.

After Giratina had shaken off the attack; the pain still throbbing through his body, he made his way down to the building and stopped above his pray.

[hr]
It took every ounce of energy left to remain conscious after that last attack. A singular spiraling strand of varicoloured light streaked up into the sky and the dark, gaping maw above. Swelling pride and anticipation began to build, as the beam drew closer to it’s target. 

You know what they say about pride before a fall. 

The all-too mortal heart within his frame lurched, as Xerneas watched multiple small blue-white spheres crash into the stream of light, creating a whirlwind explosion of colours which bathed the entire area with a mind-bendingly gorgeous show. Even that couldn’t quell the sheer horror, now fully present within the Avatar. Some energy escaped the clash, but not nearly enough to even slow Giratina. It was over. Checkmate.

His eyes drifted to the source of the counter-attack, and found the [i]child[/i]. Kaze. [i]Undone by a-.[/i] The thoughts faded, as what anger sparked into being slipped through his grasp as though water. Something faint stirred from deep within, and then came a voice, soft as butter.

“[color=00aeef]So. It ends like this.[/color]” It’s tone more delicate than ever, but the source unmistakable, nonetheless. 

Xerneas spoke the words, trying to gather answer by gathering thoughts proving too difficult, as the haze of pain and blood loss thickened. “[color=00aeef][b]Come to gloat, Tantalus? I thought such acts beneath you.[/b][/color]” 

Again, no mocking voice nor sudden quip. “[color=00aeef]They are, under the circumstances. Of all the times to be difficult, this is not one of them.[/color]” 

“[color=00aeef][b]Then why are you here? Answer me that.[/b][/color]”

Slow and steady, a warmth spread out within him. “[color=00aeef]To keep you company, in your-[/color]” Tantalus paused, realising his mistake. “[color=00aeef]In [i]our[/i] dying moments.[/color]” 

Each word hammered into Xerneas, nails into a coffin. Before him, the scene clearly played out, and the finality of it all sunk in. Bitter defiance welled, and slipped away just as the anger had. “[color=00aeef][b]I...I [i]can’t[/i]...[/b][/color]” 

“[color=00aeef]Don’t give me that. It’s easy[/color].” Despite the content of the sentence, it wasn’t meant with malice. The man even chuckled a little at the end. Xerneas managed to retain the anger this time. 

His voice was a ragged, horrible thing, now. “[color=00aeef][b]How can you be so calm, you mortal fool?[/b][/color]” Words almost howled out, but instead found themselves a dull whisper, filled with venom and despair. 

Another chuckle. “[color=00aeef]People in glass houses. You look pretty mortal to me, right now.[/color]” Tantalus sighed. “[color=00aeef]Look. I’m not calm, but if you can see any way out of this, feel free to act on it. That ice isn’t going to hold much longer, because our body heat is melting it. Once it goes, we’ll be dead in minutes, at [i]maximum[/i]. So perhaps, for however long we have left, we can just [i]talk[/i].[/color]” 

Xerneas felt all manner of emotions building inside. Wanting nothing more than to scream them all away, but unable to muster even the most basic whimper, he tried swallowing them. A futile attempt, because there was nowhere they could be stored. No later date to promise an in-depth appraisal. Anything not dealt with here and now was gone, forever more. Pain. Hatred. Bitterness. 

Fear.

He was scared, for the first time in his centuries long existence, he was scared. “[color=00aeef][b]I am Life. How can I die? That is a paradox if any singular thing is.[/b][/color]”

“[color=00aeef]Look at what you have done, of late. What [i]we[/i] have done.[/color]” A few wistful seconds rolled by, before Tantalus continued. “[color=00aeef]Death on every corner, and you reap what you sow.[/color]” The image of a somber, knowing smile flashed briefly into his mind’s eye. 

Genuine tears burned his eyes, as the revelation set in. Over the course of the last few days, he had broke almost every tenant Life itself was supposed to stand for, either by himself or using Tantalus as a proxy. That terror within wasn’t because of his death. He had experienced that before. It was down to the uncertainty, by going against his nature, would his power ebb too? Was it possibly that death this time would be permanent? 

A purple orb lay just out of reach, splinters running along its edges, and a single chunk cleanly cut out. It was the remains of a Life Orb, the one which Tantalus had been holding onto for many years. Xerneas scoffed at the divine joke, engineered by Arceus himself, no doubt. Energy trickled out, as a deep [i]hunger[/i] could be ascertained from within. A result of its ruined state.

Quietness rolled on for what seemed like an age. “[color=00aeef][b]Thank you. After everything, I’m surprised at your presence.[/b][/color]” 

He laughed again, but it was cheaper, broken with a little pause, Enough to mark it as forced. “[color=00aeef]You aren’t the only one who is scared by the prospect of death, Xerneas. Although, for the record, this isn’t how I’d imagine I would go. Too cold.[/color]”

 “[color=00aeef][b]That is my fault, is it not?[/b][/color]” He allowed himself a laugh, half deranged at this point, and Tantalus joined in. “[color=00aeef][b]Any regrets?[/b][/color]” 

Tantalus whistled. “[color=00aeef]We don’t have time to go over them all, i’m afraid. The biggest one is starting down a bad path, I suppose. After all, without that, none of this would have happened. You?[/color]”

Nodding, “[color=00aeef][b]A major one. I’m sorry we can’t fix what I did to your Mawile.[/b][/color]”

It took the voice some time to answer again. Tantalus hadn’t missed the wording. “What [i]I[/i] did.”  Memories of all the time the two had spent together stirred up a great deal of pain, even confined to the recesses of his own mind, but now wasn’t the time to hold grudges. No matter how bad. “[color=00aeef]Yea,[/color]” he croaked. “[color=00aeef]Me too.[/color]”


Giratina was now floating above Xerneas’ broken body - however, what he anticipated he would see on the man's face, was not there; he instantly expected his foe to spit out some snarky comments and quips as soon as Giratina was in range to hear them.
But no.
Deep thought was etched into the face of Tantalus, the sort of face that contemplated - not schemed endlessly to try and find a way out.
It did not seem possible but his adversary was actually admitting defeat - Giratina had anticipated resistance to the bitter end.

Turning his head towards the cowering boy that was Kaze; Giratina spoke in his rasping demonic voice. 
“Thank you, Kaze - you saved me and for that I owe you a debt - but; you also condemned Xerneas  to death in the process.”

Turning back to his foe he looked down with a confliction of emotions raging in his head.
He had secured victory, but it felt hollow.

Echoing, the voice snapped the duo back to their combined senses, seeing the end looming above. Xerneas was now almost limp, having given up entirely. Tantalus, on the other hand, had one final idea. “[color=00aeef]Hey, Xerneas. Can you give me control? Let’s give them one last hurrah for ol’ times sake.[/color]”

Hearing his request, and lacking the spirit to argue, Tantalus took his rightful place at the reins of his own body once more. 

“I’m surprised. I half expected you to try and save your own hide; rather than give up and throw one last ditch effort in - albeit, one that may very well have killed me in the process;
kudos for that - but inevitably it has done little other than secure your fate.”

Harsh, rasping chuckling - broken with the occasional cough - rose up from his shredded form. “[color=00aeef]Well, I don’t like to disappoint. A disagreement on one part, however. That little showboating stunt has secured my place in history.[/color]” Reaching over ever so slightly, if one could call it a reach, rather than a limp half-roll to the side, Tantalus’s hand landed firmly on the purple broken Life Orb. Dark hunger lapped at his very being, and it drew a smirk. “[color=00aeef]Wouldn’t you agree?[/color]”

Giratina gave a short snort of laughter at this - even the futile attempt at grabbing the life orb was in some way hysterical, the fall from grace this being has endured is something that history would indeed capture.
“On that note we reach a consensus - but history will remember only the fall of your legend - as that is the only noteworthy moment of your entire existence.”

“[color=00aeef]Oh come now, hardly the only one. Not even the only one today.[/color]” Putting slight pressure on the orb, as weak as his grasp was, the cracks splintered further. [i]How quaint a comparison.[/i] “[color=00aeef]They’ll talk about this day for centuries, in fables and legends that will stoke up the masses, one way or another. You don’t understand, do you? That Alliance from the attack. Soon they will see that we are not immortal gods to be feared or worshipped. We are people, the same as them, with some fancy clothes, ideals and powers.[/color]”

“[color=00aeef]But [i]people[/i] can be killed.[/color]” 

“True, your death will bring an inexplicable truth to the would be Gods that we are; we can die, same as anything else - although the amount of damage and energy exerted merely to kill you just goes to show the sheer level of strength it takes to do so - so, what are you, a matyr? A lesson? Or the beginning of something greater? What do you think your death will bring, Xerneas.”
Giratina was not usually this talkative to ilk of those whom would insult and attack him, yet there was truth to this dieing deities words- his death was a monumental occasion, that could bring about both good and bad things the plague that arceus himself can’t stop claimed the first ever lives of Legendaries.
And here… was Giratina, claiming the first ever Legendary Pokémons life through his own means, it was of great significance. 
He was right on that front.

Life was fleeting from him, and fast. [i]Not long now, but long enough[/i], Tantalus thought, with the same conviction with which he had pulled himself up from the gutters of Canalave City, and every encounter since. It would take him to the end. “[color=00aeef]Yes. A lesson. The beginning of a new age, and that’s not some pointless drivel. Mauville was already centre stage, with the eyes of the world on it. This is what they see.[/color]”

Giratina narrowed his eyes and shifted his forme, three of his tendrils aligned themselves along his side; it was time.
“And they will witness something of grave importance; prepare yourself Xerneas, it’s time to end this once and for all; know that the biggest mistake you made was crossing a being that you could not comprehend.”


A somber smile stretched across Tantalus’s lips. “[color=00aeef]No. Not my biggest, by far, but certainly my last.[/color]” Flopping over to face Giratina directly, and now lying on his back, he raised his right hand slightly for it would go no further. It was only now that Xerneas realised what his host was up to. From his left, the cracked Orb began to glow a fierce dark purple. A brilliant ball of light flared into being suddenly, but as the dark hunger took what little life remained, it flickered out just as quickly. As the light vanished, his left hand fell lifelessly, the Orb silent once more as it shattered on the cold ground of Mauville city. 

What was this fool planning now - he had nothing left, the power he drawn from the remnants of that life orb would grant him nowhere near enough power to do any harm.
“What are you…”

The fallen Avatar began to glow. At first, it was soft, barely visible. It grew with [i]startling[/i] rapidity, and within a few seconds, the entire top-half of the man was entirely constructed from an ethereal sky-blue light. All at once, the gathered light exploded into a whirlwind, forming a single solid column which slammed into Giratina’s chest, directly upon the patch of weakened and splintered chitin. From the floor below, strands of the crystalline light pierced through the roof, finding purchase in the water mains and stone, wrapping around tightly.

At the tip of the column, however, more of the blue light was storing. It reached a critical mass almost instantly, and lances of brilliant light tore through Giratina, lifting him ever so slightly. 

The entire escapade that Xerneas went through took Giratina by surprise, he used his own life force to power this last attack; and it hit like a truck; the initial beam landed in his weak spot forever scarring it and preventing him in the future from ever growing his chitin there; he would always be marred with chink in his armour thanks to Xerneas; a permanent reminder and trophy of his fight.
The damage was heavy but the multiple spears of light of energy that hit him afterwards was too much - he could no longer hold his form and would shortly begin turning back to the human prison, the victory Giratina scored had just be downgraded to a pyrrhic one.

As he reeled back and came free of the lances, several snapped off and fell to the floor. The construct fully came into view, then. A shimmering blue tree, about four feet in height on the trunk. Five branches reached skyward, and each of the remaining branches had two more angled in random directions bringing the total to around six feet overall. The tree was barren of any flowers or leaves, but was a miraculous sight to see. Light washed over the surface, as though coming from inside, at it starkly contrasted to the dark red blood of Giratina running softly down the bark.

Giratina only had a few moments to spare gazing at the odd tree before him; an edifice for the Pokémon of life; a tree - how apt.
But the sheer amount of damage Giratina has taken was too much - within a few seconds; preceding a shrill scream that was Giratina's roar, a burst of dark energy swept over the area and a naked and bloodied body of Germaine hit the solid ground with a thump.
It wasn’t until Germaine looked up and gazed at the tree through hazy eyes that he noticed the natural blue crystalline look of it being tainted by the dark light that pierced through the gaping roof; and at that moment just before he lost consciousness the portal snapped shut with a deafening boom; the natural light from the afternoon soon sent a rainbow light across the destroyed street; this tree would remain there for time immemorial, a permanent reminder to all about a very specific lesson.
Gods, [i]can[/i] die - but not only that , it is that these Gods hold power beyond comprehension, and their motives will not always be in the interest of man. 

[hr]

[center][h3]MEANWHILE[/h3][/center]

From the comfort of a cordoned-off hotel balcony within the exclusion zone surrounding the Alliance’s assault, two figures observed the remains of the latest bloodshed with quiet interest. From their lofty vantage point, , the Tree of Life could be plainly seen, as could the broken and exposed form of Germaine lying nearby. Several paramedics and somewhat terrified police officers could be seen scrambling around, struggling in vain to cope with the storm of chaos below. Tourists and [i]especially[/i] reporters were pushing up to the barriers, struggling to steal a glance of the two Avatars who had laid waste to their city. 

The leather-clad woman gazed down imperiously at the streets before them, nose turned up at the stench of blood. “[color=bc8dbf]The worm hasn’t changed in the slightest, I see,[/color]” she noted scornfully.

With a hint of amusement, the neatly-tailored man’s honeyed voice poured forth. “[color=00aeef]I don’t know - it seems to be rather more limp that I remember it last.[/color]” Without sparing her companion a glance, the woman absentmindedly jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, prompting a rueful chuckle from the man. “[color=00aeef]I won’t say that I didn’t deserve that.[/color]”

Right hand reaching into his jacket, it produced a fine cigar. Placing it into his mouth, he rummaged around in the pockets until the distinctive rattle of a box of matches could be heard. Fishing them out, and striking one cleanly against the side of the box, he lit the cigar. “[color=00aeef]So,[/color]”  he said, before taking a long, satisfying drag and blowing the smoke into the crisp air. “[color=00aeef]How much of the mess will we need to clean up ourselves?[/color]”

The woman gazed thoughtfully at the carnage before them, chewing her lip absentmindedly while she considered. “[color=bc8dbf]It seems almost certain that we’ll have challengers now. If a second-rate maggot is seen to have bested one of the Pantheon, and a proud one to boot, then dissidents will gather like flies to a corpse.[/color]”

Contented silence reigned for a moment, as the man simply took a deep breath in through his nose. The surrounding air was filled with a multitude of smells, acidic tones of scorched earth, full and slightly floral scents of tobacco, and that unmistakable metallic twang of blood. Staring at the tree, his stomach knotted -  whether its cause was sorrow, anticipation or indigestion wasn’t clear. “[color=00aeef]Might not be a bad thing,[/color]” he noted, “[color=00aeef]making a definitive example of them. If we do it right, well… Fear is a powerful tool.[/color]”

“[color=bc8dbf]For a conqueror, perhaps, but adoration needs nothing to sustain it.[/color]” The woman gestured at the shattered pavements beneath them - hardly recovered from the previous battle against the human militia before being desecrated further by bloodshed. “[color=bc8dbf]Unless you want to be responsible for clearing up dissidents for centuries, which I rather doubt, it seems prudent to choose a more low-maintenance approach.[/color]”

Mouth curving slightly into a smirk worthy of a viper, his tone was dripping with barely concealed whimsy. “[color=00aeef]That’s what I have you for, my dear,[/color]” he said, gesturing to her with the cigar. 

With an exaggerated pout, the woman clutched both hands over her chest in mock heartbreak. “[color=bc8dbf]Is that all that I am to be, then? Nought but a pretty figurehead?[/color]”

Taking another drag from the cigar, the smoke rolled out as he spoke. “[color=00aeef]Nothing so mundane, I assure you. An [i]extremely[/i] pretty figurehead.[/color]”

The woman rolled her eyes languidly, lips twitching under the strain of a barely-restrained grin . “[color=bc8dbf]Whereas your head will be used for gargoyles, my dear,[/color]” she remarked mockingly.

Grinning shamelessly, the man shook his head before replying in an amused tone. “[color=00aeef]Now that was simply uncalled for.[/color]” With his eyes fixating firmly upon the chaos below, he inhaled another breath of thick smoke, mulling over old memories. “[color=00aeef]Adoration and fear are both perfectly viable options, but the real success comes from mixing the two. Those insurgents from earlier have one part down.[/color]” He blew out the smoke, before turning to face the woman. “[color=00aeef]How long before they figure out the other?[/color]”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically in response. “[color=bc8dbf]Soon enough for their obituaries, perhaps, but I wouldn’t count on it. The poor darlings simply don’t have our experience yet.[/color]” At the thought, an arrogant smirk crossed her face as fond recollections drifted into the foreground. “[color=bc8dbf]In fact, the real question is whether or not they’ll even have time to-[/color]”

The moment was shattered as her phone began buzzing incessantly, earning a scowl and an irritated snort from the woman. “[color=bc8dbf]As much as I’d love to stand around and appreciate the horticulture, we’d best be leaving. Our reservation’s in five minutes.[/color]”

Eyes swinging back to the scenes below, it was impossible for the man to conceal his displeasure at the timing, and it reflected in the irritated tone his voice inherited. “[color=00aeef]I might hang around for a while, gauge the public reaction to the recent… disruptions.[/color]”

“[color=bc8dbf]Any particular reason?[/color]”

“[color=00aeef]Morbid curiosity.[/color]”

The woman tutted impatiently. “[color=bc8dbf]You can indulge yourself later - the dinner won’t wait.[/color]”

Giving a single vexed grunt, he contemplated his half-smoked cigar. “[color=00aeef]Shame. I hate to waste a perfect moment.[/color]”

Taking the cigar in his right hand, he rolled it fondly back and forth a few times, stealing a final glance at the streets below. With a regretful sigh, he clenched his hand into a fist, crushing the still-burning cigar without any noticeable discomfort. After a rapid series of violent crunches, he unfurled his fist to reveal a mound of neatly-powdered dust. A brilliant cobalt glow encompassed the mound of dust - with a gentle whoosh of displaced air, the fragments reassembled into a fresh cigar, identical to its previous condition.

Slotting it into the pocket just inside the jackets left side, he swiveled on a heel, offering a hand and ironic bow to the nearby figure. A smile danced across his lips as their eyes met. “[color=00aeef]My lady.[/color]”

Beaming with merry satisfaction, the woman spread the tails of her leather jacket in a mock curtsey, then took his offered hand.

She closed her eyes.

With a bellowing thunderclap, a rift tore open the air in front of them, blossoming swiftly into a cherry-pink portal that hung against the backdrop of the cityscape, shimmering and gleaming with all the pink and purple hues of a summer sunset. The pair of them stepped forwards as one and disappeared as the portal engulfed them. Moments later, the portal collapsed into a pinprick and vanished, leaving nothing but the acrid smell of ozone and thunderstorms in their wake.

[hider=Challengers Approaching]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/041T4J5.jpg?1[/img][/center][/hider]