Fin lost his opportunity when he was defeated in the Ever Grande Conference. Now, with his sister beginning her own journey, he has the second chance he never wanted. But the Apocalypse Project is a nightmare he's buried in his past, and it's come back to haunt him. How will he defeat an enemy that knows him better than he knows himself? Is it even possible to halt the end of the world?

Disclaimer: It should be very obvious what I do and do not own. Pokémon does not belong to Kyuuketsuki Fang, blah blah blah. :P

Chapter One: The Beginning of Dina Commons

-Route 106-

Granite Cave was not the most welcoming training area, so I could not understand why my younger sister was so interested in the dank, heavy cavern. Dina had recently turned ten, and she had made it clear that there was nothing she wanted more than to become a trainer. I, having returned home from my own journey only months ago, was quick to assure her that travelling was not as luxurious as her storybooks described it to be. I lectured her for hours on end that most nights ended on the cold, rocky ground in some unknown forest or swamp, how wild Pokémon were vicious and unpredictable, how rare it was for a champion or a prodigy to emerge from Dewford City's population...

And I'd also quickly learned that anything Dina didn't want to hear would go into one ear and out the other.

Our parents had enough common sense to know that their daughter would not survive a day out in the real world. She was adventurous and daring, unlike me, her careful and somewhat lazy brother. As a result, Dina was not allowed outside of Dewford's borders without an escort.

I was fine with everything except the escort part.

Though I love my sister, most of the time, I found myself without any free time to lounge about. Taking care of the Pokémon I had raised within the five years following my tenth birthday was a heavy burden itself, and Dina's excursions in Granite Cave devoured the rest of my time. Whether it was collecting rare stones within the depths of the cave or photographing the Pokémon herds that could be found here and there, my sister was always busy with one thing or another.

It might have been her way of making up for the lack of real adventure in her life, and I understood enough of her plight to humor her expeditions enough to guide her through the cave twenty odd times a month.

On this particular occasion, Dina was dead set on catching herself a Pokémon. I had never heard her announce such a tremendous goal; she'd never even tried to participate in a real battle. I tried to reason with her, convince her that I'd lend her one of mine or even capture a Pokémon for her, but Dina was adamant on catching one on her own.

She had one shot.

We both knew that.

For her tenth birthday, our parents had ordered a special package for Dina: one pearly, brand new Pokéball. And all her hopes and dreams lay in that one fragile sphere.

I glanced down at me younger sister again, noting the determined expression on her face. I'd never noticed before now, but the way she sloppily tied her blonde hair in a sideways ponytail emphasized her brave personality. Her jaw was clenched and her cloudy blue eyes darkened with worry.

Granite Cave was not the most welcoming training area, but on this day, it felt considerably less hospitable. Five Makuhitas stood rigidly in front of its entrance, staring at the ocean distantly and not even acknowledging us as we trying to move them.

"Well!" I was the first to give up. "Too bad. Looks like today isn't your day, squirt."

I tried to turn around and march back to the city, but Dina elbowed me in the gut and I just winced instead.

"If the Makuhita won't let me go inside," Dina said shrugging, "then I'll just have to catch the Makuhita instead."

I sighed. "I was hoping you would somehow overlook that possibility."

Dina shook her head. "No way. I wouldn't be discouraged by something as simple as this. I guess Makuhita are kind of cute, and you know, I'd be like Brawly if I could raise one."

She readied the Pokéball in her hand. The nearest Makuhita shifted, but the rest remained stationary. I saw Dina turn her gaze to the one that had moved. Her fingers tightened around the ball, and then her arm drew back and she moved to fling the Pokéball at her unmoving target.

But there was a flash of tan, orange, and blue.

Without making the decision to, I tackled Dina to the sand. We tumbled a couple of feet to the side, narrowly avoiding the powerful Arm Thrust that came exploding out of the cave entrance. A Hariyama, presumably the mother, took the position behind her five Makuhitas and stared down at us, the two humans who had almost stolen one of her children. I gaped openly while Dina began to mutter to herself, drawing circles on the Pokéball with her finger.

"I didn't know there was a Hariyama here," I murmured lightly, brushing the sand off of his face with an arm. "Maybe we should leave them alone."

Dina had other ideas, and she protested strongly, her face desperate as she began spouting arguments. "But I haven't gotten a Pokémon yet, and I really want one! Brother, I'll never ever ask for anything else, just don't take me back. I want this Makuhita, and I'm going to catch it even if I have to fight the Hariyama myself!"

She got up and took a step towards the Fighting Pokémon, making me leap to my feet to stop her.

"W-woah! No, I wouldn't take you back if you're this determined," I said hurriedly. "Just, think this through, okay, Dina? That Hariyama would kick you to next Thursday, no lie."

I tried to get her to back down, but the damage was done. The Hariyama saw the possible threat and was ushering her babies inside the cave. When all was secure, she turned slowly to face me and my ward.

"Uh, nice Hariyama," I soothed, to no avail. The Hariyama furrowed her brow and raised a fist in warning.

I did not need to tell Dina to back away slowly. There were no sudden movements as we edged towards the shoreline, our eyes never leaving the infuriated Pokémon's face.

Then, in the same second, Dina tripped over her other foot, and the Hariyama jumped at the opportunity to bring another Arm Thrust hurtling towards my head. Reflexes allowed me to whip out my own Pokéball, the only one I had on me, and lob the ball in the air.

"Mawile, Iron Defense!"

The summoned Pokémon curled up into a ball, the black leaf on its head flipping over and glowing silver. Arm Thrust collided with the makeshift shield, but the impact alone sent sand clouds flying out around us.

Dina coughed, her eyes widened in admiration. The Hariyama did not share her feelings. The Pokémon roared in fury and threw yet another Arm Thrust at her new foe, but this time, there was no hesitation in me. I said nothing, but Mawile knew to open the jaws on her black leaf and clamp them mercilessly over the Hariyama's fist.

"Mawile, finish with Faint Attack. Dina, get ready."

Mawile disappeared from in front of me, leaving us vulnerable, but she revealed herself not a second later behind the Hariyama's shoulder. The Fighting Pokémon froze, apprehensive, and then she was put out of her confusion as Mawile cloaked the both of them in darkness.

Dina rose, stepping firmly in front of me. The Pokéball in her hand was lifted once more, but as she began to throw the device, her arm fell limp, and Dina fell to her knees in the sand.

"Dina?" I cried. "Are you hurt?"

"I can't do it, Fin," mumbled the girl, lost in her self-pity. "I can't catch my own Pokémon, because if I take Hariyama away, those poor Makuhita will be without a mother, and I can't imagine doing something so cruel. Maybe I'm just not made out of trainer material."

I took a deep breath and smiled despite myself. Kneeling down to ruffle my sister's hair, I said, "That's a hard decision to make, Dina, and it's a good one."

Dina smiled bitterly and started to hug me, but a startled cry interrupted her. Mawile's damaged body flew high through the air and landed with an audible thump some twenty feet away. I drew away and assumed a battle stance, looking for the attacker.

The Hariyama stood coldly, arm extended.

Dina inhaled sharply as she tried to figure out how the Fighting Pokémon had recovered, but I muttered darkly, "It's not the same one. Most likely the father coming for vengeance."

True to my words, the mother Hariyama still remained broken on the ground. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to stay near my sister instead of running out to check on Mawile. The Pokémon struggled to her feet again, wincing in pain.

"Alright then, Mawile," I ordered evenly. "Use Bite."

Mawile nodded in affirmation, her leaf jaws opening to reveal two rows of glimmering teeth. Both Pokémon raced towards each other, the Hariyama preparing some sort of Force Palm technique.

I changed my mind and shouted, "Scratch that; use Sucker Punch!"

My Pokémon adjusted quickly, vanishing on the spot and slamming against Hariyama faster than the eye could see. But the Fighting Pokémon was brighter than we had given it credit, and he caught on immediately. The Force Palm's power disappeared as his two orange hands wrapped around Mawile's smaller body. The Hariyama knelt down and then jumped, flipped over, and slammed the poor Steel type against the sand.

"Mawile!" I called, surprised at such a quick reaction. I fumbled for the Pokéball, hurrying to return the Pokémon before the Hariyama could exact revenge. But the small sphere was knocked off of my belt by my own clumsy hand, and Mawile's opponent raised an arm to finish her off.

I dove for the Pokéball; Dina covered her eyes with her hands. But the blow never struck the small Mawile, and a great blast of water collided with Hariyama's back instead.

A blue ball of a Pokémon bobbed up and down in the ocean behind them, before beaching against the shore. Dina peeked through her fingers, and her jaw dropped at the sheer size of the Wailmer.

Spanning six feet in both height and width, the new Pokémon rumbled and began to spin around. The Hariyama prepared a Force Palm to counter the Wailmer's Rollout. The whale Pokémon's attack kicked up sand in its wake, slamming with tremendous force into the awaiting fist of the Hariyama. But neither attack canceled the other out, and the powers merely collided over and over again, the giant wheel that was Wailmer pushing against the jagged energy gathering in its opponent's palm.

I backed off, finally managing to return Mawile to her Pokéball. Dina, behind me, watched the two Pokémon's exchange with a distant glaze in her eyes.

"Dina," I said, not really expecting her to even hear me. "Run. Go back to town, and don't look back."

"No," came the curt reply. Wow, she was really making my job easier.

The Wailmer bounced back suddenly, squirting another Water Gun in the Hariyama's face. The offending Pokémon roared in indignation as his pride took another nosedive. Wailmer tossed a Water Pulse in his way, and in a quick counter, the Hariyama screamed again and split the attack through the middle with Arm Thrust. Both Pokémon glared at each other, doused in moisture.

They charged, repeating their first attacks. Wailmer rolled circles around Hariyama, who stopped to stand rigidly to prepare an attack to stop the whale's rampage. I was forced to jump back as Force Palm intercepted the Wailmer, sending rolls of dirt in our direction.

The Rollout stopped in its tracks, revealing a bruised and battered Pokémon who had obviously underestimated the Hariyama's brute strength. Beside me, Dina whimpered, already touched by the Wailmer's rescue. I held her hand as we crouched on the edge of the makeshift battlefield.

The Wailmer began his attack again, but Hariyama was ready. As Rollout grew bigger and stronger, the Fighting type merely stood and took the full brunt of the move. Though Wailmer was huge, Hariyama was a giant. Standing over seven feet tall, Hariyama rammed his arm into Wailmer's side, grabbing the whale in the process. A swift kick to the side followed by Vital Throw tossed Wailmer into the air and into the ocean, creating a deafening splash as water lapped over the shore and flooded into the sand.

It was followed by a deafening silence.

Dina stared mournfully at the water, mentally urging Wailmer to rise again and destroy Hariyama in some super move that it had just learned. I, on the other hand, focused on the more immediate danger and hoped desperately that the Wailmer had gotten Hariyama so worked up that he had forgotten about us.

The Fighting Pokémon slowly turned to glare down at us maniacally.

"Well, darn," I mumbled, scrambling for survival ideas. The Hariyama did not grant me that opportunity; he raised his fist again to finish the job.

"If I die, you can have my Pokémon plushie collection," whispered Dina. "Also, tell Mom and Dad that I love them and that I'm sorry for all the times I made them yell."

"Small problem, squirt," I said, still eyeing the chuckling Hariyama. "I ain't going nowhere. If you die, then I'm a goner too."

"Love you, Bro."

"Mhm."

Our touching last moments only lasted a couple of seconds before the Hariyama let his hand drop down.

Then, blackness.

...

Or not.

I opened my eyes quickly after a splash of salt water hit me in the forehead, making me gag. The weakened Wailmer came barreling out of the ocean, and Dina squealed, soaked as well. Hariyama abandoned us for the downfall of his previous opponent, but Wailmer collided into the side of the cave, rebounding to strike Hariyama in the back. The Fighting Pokémon stumbled forward, bringing his large blue hands upward to catch himself.

Wailmer spun around again, like a top, this time bringing a tower of water up from the ground and sending the Whirlpool crashing down on Hariyama. A second twister picked the limp body up and hurled it deep into Granite Cave. The Wailmer moaned its victory, watching the Makuhita huddle around their fallen parents. At the same time, a shining Pokéball was thrown, tapping once on the top of the Wailmer. It was so unexpected that the Wailmer offered no resistance at all, still trying to figure out what had happened. The Pokéball closed before the first shudder.

"I think that I am in love. I'm naming him Wae," announced Dina as she stepped up to claim her first Pokémon.

I blanched. "What? This worked out? Huh?"

"Go with the flow," said Dina carelessly, "and by the way, if anyone asks, the flow is telling you to say that I caught Wae all by myself."

XXX

-Route 106-

"Tabitha, did you get the footage?"

"Yes, ma'am. Every last second of it."

"Excellent. I believe we have overestimated our dear little Fin. Unable to defeat a Hariyama? Oh my. I believe that this is why he was unable to conquer the Ever Grande Conference. He still hasn't learned. This is why he never will get stronger."

"Is that a problem, ma'am?"

"No, I suppose that it is not. After all, it isn't dear Fin, that we are after."

"The girl?"

"Teehee, Dina Commons. I like the sound of that. Oh, wait. Even better; Dina Commons of the Apocalypse Project."

...I'm aware that the Apocalypse Project is pretty much the most cliché name possible. But it goes well with the theme, "The End," that I based this story on, so yeah. –winces anyways-

Accepting OCs, yes, but through PM. If you don't follow the guidelines on my profile, I will be forced to contact you and either harass you for more information or disregard your OC completely.

Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms. If you flame with the intention of making me feel bad, you will be laughed at/mocked/what have you. I'm not known to have a frequently high level of maturity. :3

Thanks for reading; hope to see you later~

Credits

So far, all OCs are mine.