With Essentia looming over Blue and X atop Zygarde, X is surprised to see that Essentia captured Zygarde after all, but questions why Team Flare didn't know of it. Lysandre reveals that until recently, Essentia had Zygarde stored in her Pokémon Storage System, which is why they had no knowledge of it. X questions why Essentia isn't acting under Team Flare's command, and Lysandre muses that Xerosic must still have a shred of compassion left in him: the Expansion Suit he provided Essentia with puts the test subject inside under a state of hypnosis, and can only be used for a limited time before the hypnosis wears off and he loses control of the test subject. The mechanism exists to protect the test subject's body from deteriorating from prolonged usage of the suit, but Lysandre adds that he has since removed that restriction, allowing him to use a remote control device to manipulate Essentia's every move, including her control of Zygarde.
At this, Blaine walks onto the scene, revealing himself to be the one who Mega Evolved Mewtwo, remarking that Xerosic ultimately still has some redeeming qualities. Declaring himself as a man of science who once walked the wrong path just as Xerosic did, Blaine resolves to help end the current crisis. Lysandre orders Essentia to have Zygarde use Land's Wrath, catching the men in a massive attack that catches the attention of Cassius driving from afar, prompting him to head over.
Just as Malva has her Talonflame attempt to strike Diantha, she manages to release her Gardevoir and intercept the blow. Malva notes that Diantha had Gardevoir's Poké Ball under her shoe and used her heel to activate it; a tactic which Diantha confirms she heard from Blue. She reaches for her Key Stone, only to find that Malva has taken her Mega Charm. Gloating that she can now use Mega Evolution like Lysandre, Malva escapes on her Talonflame, prompting Diantha to give chase with Gardevoir levitating her with its telekinetic powers.
With Y riding Solsol, she attempts to make it back to Shauna and Tierno, only to get caught up in muddy ground torn up by Aliana's Diggersby using Rototiller. Y's Sylveon uses Disarming Voice to knock Aliana's Pumpkaboo back, but Pumpkaboo retaliates with a Seed Bomb boosted by Rototiller. Noticing this, Trevor has his Flabébé use Razor Leaf, leveraging the same boost to knock Diggersby out, which causes Flabébé to evolve into Floette. Trevor is surprised by this, believing that he hasn't been fighting as hard as his friends, but Y reminds him of all the times he stood up to Team Flare, pointing out that he's just as much of a capable fighter as they are. Grateful, Trevor asks Y to head back to X's group while he fends off Bryony and Aliana alone.
At the center of Zygarde's attack, X's group lies staggered around the battlefield. Noticing that Mewtwo has stopped moving, Lysandre recognizes the connection between Blaine and Mewtwo and orders his Gyarados to attack Blaine; the backlash from Blaine's pain causes Mewtwo to flinch and revert back to its normal state. Amused, Lysandre has Essentia order a Camouflage from Zygarde, ready to attack the group unseen, but just as Zygarde follows up with a Crunch, Blaine manages to swap out Mewtwo's Mega Stone, allowing it to Mega Evolve into Mega Mewtwo X and block Zygarde's attack. Blaine reveals that due to his unique bond with Mewtwo, the both of them can bypass the normal rule of one Mega Evolution per battle, but Lysandre gloats that in spite of this, all Mewtwo can do is hold back Zygarde's move. X takes the chance to attempt breaking Lysandre's hold over Essentia by having Marisso attack the Expansion Suit with Pin Missile, only for Lysandre's Gyarados to attack him. With Solsol's help, Y manages to fend Gyarados off, and X's next attack proves successful. As he walks over to Essentia, he is stunned to see that the test subject wearing the Expansion Suit is none other than Emma.
Spotting Diantha and Malva in the sky, Y has Fletchy blast Malva with fire, forcing the latter to drop Diantha's Mega Charm onto the battlefield. Blue picks up the Charm, believing that multiple Mega Evolutions may be the key to turning the tide of battle. X tries to help Emma out of the suit, but Emma reveals that even under the suit's hypnosis, she's aware of everything she's done as Essentia. Despite this, Emma states that all her life, she's only known meanness and cruelty from others; the suit gave her confidence and strength like she's never had, and thus she refuses to take off the suit even if it destroys her. X pleads with Emma, citing that Team Flare must be stopped, but Emma asks him if Team Flare's defeat would lead to people finally being nice to her.
Meanwhile, Y offers to help Diantha fight Malva, but Diantha rejects the offer, declaring that she must fight the battle alone as the Champion of Kalos.
