Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty or any of the Pokémon games, toys, television episodes, etc., Coco Puffs, or Assassin's Creed. I can use that as a name if I want. I do own my various OCs.
Author's Note: I could have made this better, but as a rule I don't use swears or similar slang. There's not much I can do here, sorry. As I believe I mentioned before, the chapters do become progressively shorter, with this one just touching 6,000 words. Thanks to the few of you who have reviewed in this scant crossover section. Cookies and other goodies and confectionaries to you all.
Part II: The Mission
June 12th, 1205 hours
In five seconds, Ho-Oh destroyed the city. In four seconds, chaos had taken over the streets, people either trying to escape or loot the abandoned stores and houses. In three seconds, Zian was attacked. In two seconds, I had lost Zian to the chaos, unable to find her. In one second, I had nearly lost Zian for good. In no time, I had snapped.
The man that held the lizard up would regret that move. I charged at him, anger taking control of any thought I had left. My shoulder rammed into his side and he fell over, dropping Zian. I barely caught her before she fell, making sure she was okay before turning my attention to the perpetrator. He looked a few inches taller than me, heavily muscled and scarred. I lifted my AK and pointed it at him.
"Don't ever do that again," I warned. I looked over at Zian, who was startled by the attack but unharmed. "Come on, we've got to get going," I said.
I jogged away with Zian following. I didn't bother looking back; he wasn't worth the effort.
"Why did you do that?" Zian asked. Most people would have heard Pokémon talk, but after spending time with the Charmeleon, I could understand her pretty well. "It didn't make sense."
"What? What'd I do?"
"Stop that guy; I could've gotten him on my own," she argued.
"Zian, we work together; we're friends, we're partners. I don't need a reason to help you. Besides, he was going to hurt you," I said.
Zian jumped over a crater in the street, distracted from her answer. The smell of cooked meat came from inside the ditch. Zian tried to peer inside, but I pulled her away. With one last cry, Ho-Oh flew away, leaving the city in ruins. I glared up at it as it flew off, leaving a rainbow in its wake. I cursed softly to myself; that bird was leaving insult with injury.
"We should move on," I said softly. "There's not much we can do here."
June 13th, 0615 hours
Zian abruptly woke up. She had heard a noise, but wasn't sure if it was a dream. I woke up when she started breathing in my face. Her tail nearly blinded me, and I needed to shield my eyes until they adjusted to the light.
"What?" I mumbled. "What is it?"
"I heard something crying."
Her tail moved, casting shadows across the trees. We had camped out in a forest, trying to follow Ho-Oh. We lost the legendary after a few hours, and were almost completely lost.
"Do you know where it is?"
"I can look for it."
I motioned with my hand and Zian started moving through the forest, ever careful not to set the trees or plants on fire. She used her claws to scratch the trees, leaving a trail back to the camp. The night was near silent, the creatures fearful of the fiery lizard. Her claws rasped against the wood, surprisingly soft and calming. Zian paused, sniffing the air.
"It's just up ahead," she whispered. "It's a Pokémon; a small one at that."
"Just because its small won't mean its weak," I whispered back. "Let's be careful, all right?"
Zian nodded before forging ahead, low to the ground. I followed silently. The fire would give us away, but I couldn't ask Zian to put it out without killing her. There was a noise head, but it was too dark for me to see it. Zian made the fire at the end of her tail expand, increasing the circle of light. A blue and black creature seemed to melt out of the shadows.
"Oh no," I said in horror. The Pokémon was covered in blood, thick on its fur and on the ground. "Oh no," I repeated, picking the Pokémon up. The jackal softly whined when I touched it. The blood was sticky, staining my fingers red and shining wetly in Zian's light. "Can you lead us back to the camp?" I asked.
"Yeah… Who would do this?" Zian's eyes focused on me questioningly.
"I don't know."
The Pokémon whined again, prompting us to move faster.
June 13th, 0645 hours
"What is it?" Zian asked.
"A Riolu I think." I toweled off more blood. "Yeah, it looks like one."
"Can you tell me more about them?"
"There's only so much I know. Riolu is a Fighting type Pokémon and-"
"What's Fighting type?"
"Huh?"
"What does Fighting type mean?" I leaned back and looked at Zian. She looked back at me before taking the towel I was holding and cleaning up the Riolu. "Are there other types?"
"Um… Types are… classification of Pokémon and their attacks, based on their weakness, resistance and immunity to an attack. Certain Pokémon are one type and others are two, while all attacks are only one type."
"And what am I?"
"A Fire type."
"So what am I strong against?
"What do you think you are?"
Zian paused before saying "I can't explain it. I know, but I don't know."
"Instinct, I guess." After receiving a questioning look from the Charmeleon I continued. "It's like a memory from your ancestors, imprinted in your brain…" I trailed off, noticing that the Riolu stirred.
The jackal lifted its head and saw Zian. It shivered and pushed itself away from her. Zian and I backed away from the smaller Pokémon, giving it the room it needed. It leaned against a tree, knees drawn up to its chest, arms wrapped around its legs. I looked around for my pack; I had put some food in it. I glanced at the Riolu again, noticing that it wasn't injured, but the blood had to have come from somewhere.
June 13th, 0845 hours
We had moved on from the camp, trying to follow the destruction Ho-Oh left. This was proving much more difficult than it should, as Ho-Oh had only attacked cities, leaving towns virtually unharmed. The forests seemed to stretch on forever, without end. Walking for two hours had no result, except getting us more lost than before.
"Aargh! We're lost," I complained.
"Humans have no sense of direction," Zian dryly observed.
"Everything's the same," I reasoned. "Do you think you can find a way out of here?"
"No. I can't fly over the trees, nor is my smell developed enough to pick out a trail."
I thought about Charizard, the final evolution in store for Charmeleon. Charizard could fly, but Zian wouldn't evolve until she was ready. I was distracted by a snapping noise behind me, but a quick search turned up nothing but squirrels. They apparently decided that they didn't like me, because they started throwing nuts at me. Very hard ones at that, like acorns and walnuts.
Zian got angry and blasted a Dragon Rage at them, blasting off five or six branches along with the squirrels. I glared at her and she shrugged at me, not caring for the damage she caused. There was another snap, but off in the distance, followed by a yell.
"That's why you can't go off and destroy things Zian," I scolded while running towards the yell.
"I didn't know that would happen! Besides, they were throwing nuts at you!" she explained, running alongside me. I felt my lip twitch.
"If we were anywhere else, people would be laughing at that," I said after jumping over a tree root in the ground.
"I don't want to know why; it's probably disgusting."
"Exactly," I conceded before tripping on a root, falling face first onto the forest floor.
I came face to face with a Riolu. Not just any Riolu; the Riolu Zian and I found earlier. It blinked at me and I looked up, seeing a person. They were wearing dark clothes and a black ski mask. That set off alarm bells in my head; people usually don't where ski masks unless they're doing something illegal. Except for that one guy at an Olive Grove restaurant, but he was just weird.
The man freaked out and raised a gun, pointing it at my face. I could feel my heart beating faster against the ground as I analyzed the gun. SPAS-12, silencer attached. No other visible modifications or attachments. Zian seemed to realize what the weapon was, because she used Dragon Rage again, aiming it at the gun.
She was just fast enough, hitting the gun and knocking it off onto the trees, the shotgun blasting as it flew. She tackled the gunman to the ground, using Growl. At first, the attack confused me, but then I saw that it had cowed him enough to keep him from trying to attack her or shove her off of him.
"Good idea," I said to her.
"Naturally."
"Y-you're one of them?" the man stuttered. His face grew hard with anger. "You people did nothing to stop those monsters from attacking, and look at where we are now! My wife and kids are dead, because of that bird, and I'm going to die by lizard! Just get it over with," he spat. I blinked in shock and shared a glance with Zian; she wasn't expecting this either. "I decided to take the initiative," the man rambled. "Attack them before they attack me. Well the bird already did, but that's beside the point. I found the dogs in the forest, so I hurt them. They bleed, just like any other animal. The little one got away, so I hunted it down and made it bleed all over the ground."
"But what you forgot," Zian growled, "is that you bleed as well!" She emphasized her pint by holding her claws close to her throat. The man seemed to panic and she used Growl again to keep him from escaping.
"She said that you forgot that humans bleed too. That's something that shouldn't be forgotten," I warned. "Attacking Pokémon, which is what these creatures are, is a federal crime." I made that up on the spot. "A first time offense gets you a warning; second time you can and will be tried for life in jail, no parole. So, unless you want to spend the rest of your life in jail, you're going to show me where the bigger ones were. And I think you know what they do to killers in jail."
The man nodded and Zian let him up with one last Growl. He seemed meek now that he was threatened with death by Charmeleon or life in jail. I picked up the Riolu, which whimpered with pain, but didn't move. A quick inspection showed that it had been stabbed by a knife, which was still embedded in its flesh. It would be better to leave it in, as it would lessen the blood flow out of the body. I softly swore to myself before glaring at the man. He wouldn't meet my gaze. After checking that I was ready, Zian growled at the man, prompting him to move.
Seconds became minutes, minutes felt like hours. What could be seen of the sky above the treetops became lighter as the sun crept up in the sky. When the sun reached its noontime position, the man stopped and Zian almost walked into him, catching herself at the last moment. I walked into Zian and saw something I knew would haunt my dreams.
The two Lucarios were down on the ground, their blood soaking the dirt. They were pecked apart by scavengers, most in hiding. Two Mandibuzz were pecking at one of the Lucarios, ripping a hole in its stomach with their beaks. A Vullaby was gorging itself on the intestines of the second Lucario.
"Z-Zian use F-Flare Blitz," I stuttered before throwing up behind a tree. I heard the crackling of the attack and the cries of the birds as they flew away, leaving the corpses behind. I shook my head to try and clear the image, but to no avail. I shakily stood, barely noticing that the man was gone. Zian turned away from the carnage, concerned.
Are you okay?" I nodded, and she said "We should fix up the Riolu. It will bleed to death if we don't."
I nodded again, managing to choke out "We should go; I don't think I can stand to be here much longer."
Zian nodded, leading me away from the two Lucarios. I could hear the flap of wings as the vulture Pokémon returned, cawing over their food.
June 13th, 1400 hours
I sat back and admired my handiwork. Admittedly, I had never been the best with medical supplies, but I did an okay job here. A doctor would have done a better job, but we were still lost in the forest and had no idea where civilization was. We could have crossed into Canada for all I knew.
The bandages on the Riolu were wrapped around its torso. They were slowly turning pink from the blood. I sighed and looked over to Zian. For a Fire Pokémon, it sure took time for her to build a fire. She was still looking for suitable sticks to burn. How long does it take to find sticks in a forest?
I pulled out my pack and looked for food. I had a few cans of Spam left, about a box of Pokémon food, and a water bottle. Not enough for two Pokémon and a human. I sighed; time to go hunting. Zian came back and say me holding the pack.
"Are we running low on food?" she asked, placing the sticks down.
"Yeah," I sighed, tossing the pack to her. "I was going to see if there was anything edible around here."
Don't bother, I found something."
Zian ran into the trees, and I had to run after her. She stopped not very far from the camp, pointing at one of the trees. One of the trees seemed to be growing blue oranges. I shrugged, thinking 'What could get weirder?' I climbed up the trunk and slid onto a branch. I leaned forward, since the branch wouldn't hold my weight if I moved up on it, and picked some of the berries off the leaves.
"Do you know if these are safe to eat?" I asked, picking off some more berries.
"Yes. My… instincts, I believe, tell me that these fruits are safe. They also heal injuries when eaten."
"Really? Well, that gives me an idea," I said with a grin.
We gathered up the berries and headed back to the camp. Riolu was sleeping against a tree, snoring softly. Zian and I prepared the fire, using some sticks to skewer the blue fruits and set them over the fire to roast. Within minutes, a delicious aroma wafted over the camp, waking up Riolu. It sniffed the air and looked longingly at the berries. It tried to stand, but fell back down.
I took on of the skewers and gave it to the Riolu. It allowed a questioning glance to slip out before focusing on the fruit. It began eating, devouring the fruit in seconds. A bush rustled in the distance. Zian nodded and went to check it out before I could say a word.
"Nothing, just a stick," she told me, tossing the twig into the fire.
Something fell on top of the fire and screeched. I put my hands on my ears, unable to think with the horrible noise. I felt something dribble onto my ears and held my hands in front of my face. My hands were stained with blood, the last thing I saw before I blacked out into unconsciousness.
Unknown date, unknown time
I inhaled sharply, smelling pine trees. The smell hurt my head, giving me a throbbing ache just behind my eyes. I groaned and tried to lift my hand, but it felt far heavier than normal. My eyelids alone felt like they weighed more than a tank, each. There was a sharp noise and I felt my eyes screw up. It let off with a choked cry, and, thinking of Zian, I shot up, managing to stand without falling over.
A Lucario was using Aura Sphere on a Mandibuzz. The vulture balked, trying to escape it, but the sphere followed it into the air, making the bird fall into the trees with a cry. The Lucario walked over to me, placing a reassuring paw on my arm, helping me to sit back down. I did, feeling the headache intensify. I looked over to my right and saw Zian, standing shakily. The Lucario went over to her and led her to me, coaxing her into sitting. The jackal then went over to the fire, taking the fruits to us. I accepted the berry with a soft 'Thank you.' Zian inclined her head, giving the Pokémon her thanks. I ate the berry and felt the juice rush into my mouth. It was much more delicious than any fruit I had ever had.
Swallowing, I asked "Who are you?"
"I am Ascalon," a voice said. I felt myself stiffen, bracing for another attack, and the voice laughed. "I'm talking to you through telepathy."
"What happened?"
"The two Mandibuzz that your Charmeleon drove away earlier came back for revenge."
"Zian; her name is Zian."
"I see."
We were both silent, unsure of how to continue. Zian seemed to pick up on this and said nothing, instead finishing the fruit Ascalon gave her. I finished mine as well, and a question formed in my head.
"Are you the Riolu we saw earlier?" Ascalon seemed to chew this thought over before asking.
"Yes. First, I was trying to escape the man; he was insane, and there was noting I could do for my parents. They were already dead. You two found me, but at the time, I was too scared to do anything. After you left, I followed you for some time, and then left when I sensed the man's aura, as he was tracking me and would hurt anyone he came across. I thought I could defeat him, but he was too strong. Then you two came and rescued me again. You helped me heal, and then the Mandibuzz came, using Screech. It was loud enough to knock the two of you out, and my wanting to repay you helped me evolve. I wanted to return the favor in full, but now, I wish to travel with the two of you."
I held up a hand, saying "Hang on; you mentioned aura. What is that?"
"It's a name for the life force of everything. Inanimate objects have a form of aura that some Pokémon can see."
"Are there any humans with this ability?"
"It is possible," Ascalon conceded. He cocked his head slightly. "Why do you want to know?"
"Mostly curiosity. Can you sense aura?"
"Yes."
"Could you help us get out of this forest?"
"It would depend on where you want to go."
"To civilization."
"I can try my best."
Ascalon stood near the fire and brought its paws together as though praying. Its hair like appendages rose from the back of its neck, glowing at the edges with a faint light. The Pokémon's eyes were illuminated beneath their lids. After a few moments, the two lights faded and Ascalon opened its eyes.
"The nearest human civilization is that way," Ascalon said, pointing a paw through the forest. "It would be best to leave early tomorrow, as it is some ways away."
"All right, but I have one last question," I said, raising a finger.
"What is it?"
"I can't really tell; are you a guy or a girl?"
Ascalon laughed, saying "I am a guy."
Unknown date, unknown time
Zian and Ascalon began training again while I set up the tent. It had been, presumably, several days, since we found Ascalon. The canopy had become thick enough where day had become near indistinguishable with night. I had lost track of the days, and for all I knew, it could have been August. I shuddered. I hope that it wasn't August.
A noise distracted me from my thoughts. Ascalon had used Blaze Kick on a tree and had knocked something out of it. A small, pink fruit resembling a peach had fallen out. I looked up into the tree, and –sure enough– there were more pink fruits. Ascalon picked up a fruit and sniffed it. He bit into it, savoring the flavors.
"It is safe to eat," he declared. "There is a hollow center, but the meat is very sweet like candy."
I didn't question how the jackal knew what candy was, but I did care that we had found another fruit tree. I climbed up like before and started collecting fruit while the two Pokémon continued training. I heard soft cursing and looked around. I felt for my AK and forgot it was inside the tent. I heard and 'Aha!' and looked down.
There was a person at the edge of the clearing, a woman by the looks of it, with a Serperior next to her. I saw that she had dog tags on, over her white T-shirt. Zian looked at the Serperior oddly as the woman strode forward. I silently dropped down, out of sight.
"Sheila?" Zian asked.
The woman turned around as the Serperior answered. She strode over to Zian, giving her a close look.
"If you're who I think you are, then…"
"I came up from behind. "Then you must be Tiamat," I said with a smirk. She squealed and my smirk grew bigger. "You make it too easy." She smacked my arm, so, for her sake, I winced and said "Ouch."
Looking satisfied, the lieutenant told me "I came here looking for you. You went off the grid and a lot of the whistle-stoppers thought you went AWOL. So, I came out here, since they thought you might've gotten lost following Ho-Oh."
"I did. That bird moves pretty fast. We lost it in about an hour, and then got lost in the forest. But we found a Lucario," I said, gesturing at the aura seeker. "We helped him, and he decided to help us."
"What'd you do to help him?"
"I was saved from my parents' killer," Ascalon interceded. He held a paw out to Tiamat. "You can call me Ascalon." If she was surprised by the Lucario's telepathy, she didn't show it. Instead she took the paw and shook it.
"I am Tiamat Tamar, but you can call me Tiamat. This is Sheila, my Serperior."
Sheila inclined her head and said "Hello."
I found myself surprised. Until then, I had only understood Zian and Ascalon; Ascalon through his telepathy, Zian from… I don't know, spending time with her, I guess. But while training at the barracks, I hadn't understood anyone else's Pokémon. I filed this information away for later; what was important was getting back home.
"All right, let's get going then. If we're close to a city, then we better get moving," I said, packing away the tent and forgetting the fruits on the ground.
Zian picked one of the hot pink fruits up and asked "Are we going to eat these?"
Unknown date, unknown time
"Oh yes!" I cried. "Civilization!" I earned myself a few odd looks from passerby, but found them well earned. "Oh yeah, what day is it?" Tiamat put a finger on her chin, thinking.
"Today would be… June eighteenth, I think." She checked her watch. "Yeah, it's June eighteenth, about twelve o'clock."
"We'd been stuck in there for four days. Four days!" We started walking, no direction or destination in mind.
Zian patted my hand to reassure me, before asking "Why aren't all of the people getting scared? All the humans were afraid of Ho-Oh, and the crazy guy attacked Ascalon and his parents."
"That guy was crazy Zian; crazy people don't think rationally. And Ho-Oh was burning down the city, which freaked a lot of people out. Things like that didn't normally happen."
"Didn't normally happen?"
"No, Pokémon have come here only recently."
"So where did I come from?"
"I don't know. I was given your egg, and you hatched in my house."
"I know that," Zian said with a playful swat of her tail. "But you really don't know too much about it?"
"No, I'm sorry." I rubbed her head and she purred slightly, still upset. "We'll ask the general if we see him, all right?" Zian bobbed her head. "Do you know how long it's going to be until you evolve again?"
"A little while, but not too long."
June 17th, 1700 hours
"Where have you been?" General Malone yelled. I paused for a moment, trying to find out where to start, and the general continued on without me. "They've gotten back to the start and disappeared. And now we have panic all over the states."
"Zian and I tried to follow Ho-Oh, like we were ordered to, but it picked up speed while over a forest. We lost it soon after that, and got lost in the forest, which seemed to increase in size. It was much larger than before Ho-Oh had flown over it, sir."
"Then what do we do sir?"
"We adjust. Get thee civilians used to living with Pokémon, and search for Ho-Oh if we can reverse this."
"Reverse this, sir?" I stiffened at the thought. I looked at Zian, slightly panicking. "Perhaps there's some good in this situation, sir." Malone squinted at me questioningly.
"You've gotten attached to her, haven't you?" I didn't hesitate this time, immediately nodding. The general sighed. "Then you're dismissed. You've been discharged." I felt my mouth gape open like a fish's.
"Sir?" I asked incredulously. "You're… discharging me?"
"Honorable discharge," he said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll get somewhere good."
"All right," I answered, nodding my head. "I'm just going… to need a few minutes." I found a wall and slid down, sitting on the floor. Zian sat next to me, her body warm next to mine. Ascalon seemed unsure of himself, but he sat next to me on my other side. I wasn't sad, I was just… shocked, I suppose. And disappointed, but at who, I wasn't sure. I felt myself swallow a few times, but I began to space out.
June 18h, 1200 hours
I didn't remember it, but at some point yesterday, I had gotten up and gone home, Zian and Ascalon following behind me. I got into bed, both of the Pokémon getting in next to me. And when I woke up that morning, I yelled, waking the two of them up, and fell off my bed.
"What are we going to do?" Zian asked. "Until now, we've always had some sort of mission to go on. Well, we've only been on two missions, three at most. But we've always had something that we had to do. So what are we doing?"
"I don't know," I honestly said. "I don't know. I didn't think about getting discharged, I didn't know I would get discharged."
"Something is coming," Ascalon said. "I can't identify it, but it is rather large. It seems that it is going to land in the… front of your house."
Something touched down outside, making the earth quake slightly. The air shuddered as it cried, a draconic noise filled with pain and joy. I rushed outside with Zian and Ascalon on my heels. A beheld a giant black dragon, its back to me.
The dragon was tall, far taller than me. Its wings looked slightly webbed, if that was possible, as well as its hands, which had smaller claws on the inside. It looked like it had a cloud-shaped horn, tapering off at the end. Its tail was shaped like a top, spiked, and glowed a bright blue every few seconds, lighting the tip of its horn as well as several parts of its body. The dragon turned its head and saw me, then began turning its body as well, careful not to hit anything with its overly large tail.
"Come."
The command reverberated in my mind, drowning out any thoughts. It was grand, powerful, and sonorous. I felt something on my shoulder but largely ignored it, focusing instead on the dragon. I noticed its eyes shifted between red sclera and white irises, but did so slowly, reminding me of a lava lamp. The dragon picked me up in one of its claws, placing me on its back, doing the same with Ascalon. It looked at Zian and snorted, calling down a thunderbolt. I yelled, but couldn't hear it in the noise, unable to see from the light the bolt extruded.
When my eyes cleared from the light, and the ringing quieted to a dull roar, I opened my eyes and saw a Charizard. Somehow, the dragon had evolved Zian. It looked Zian over, nodded in approval, and took off into the air. Zian yelled before lifting off, unused to the new feeling. The black dragon didn't stop, leading Zian somewhere unknown.
June 18th, 1400 hours
I dismounted the dragon, legs shaky from the flight. Zian landed, exhausted from flying for so long. I checked her over –despite her reassurances that she was fine– before looking around to see where the dragon had landed. We were on a cliff, clouds touching the walls just a few feet below the edge. The cliff itself was bare, but up ahead was split into different sections. One section was covered with snow, another with sand. Another had mountaintops, one a deep sea. I saw a craggy volcano, while another had rolling hills, covered with grass. The last two looked like the inside of a dark cave, wet and shadowy despite the sun still high in the sky, and the last being a forest. A white-gold circle lay on top of all the sections, close to the center, which was nothing but air. Literally; there was a hole that went down, through the cliff, leaving nothing but air. I stared, amazed, while the dragon went on ahead. He took a spot on the circle, standing next to a white dragon I hadn't noticed before.
Where the black dragon was tough, the white dragon was soft. It had white protrusions from its head, like hair or feathery tufts. Its wings were bird like, and had a large tail like its counterpart, but glowed with a soft red light. The white dragon looked more like a girl, the black like a guy. I heard a voice, the same as before.
"Come."
I walked forward, onto the circle, between the two dragons. I could almost feel their names coming to the forefront of my mind. The one on my left –the feathery white one– was Reshiram, and the on my right –the tough, black one– was Zekrom. Both dragons roared, calling other beings forth. The air shuddered with their calls, and I almost felt myself become faint. It was like an earthquake in the air, if that was possible.
Few Pokémon answered the call. There were three dog like creatures, Raikou, Suicune and Entei,; I saw a Mew and Celebi floating around with Jirachi; Mewtwo came, floating next to his 'father'; Deoxys and Genesect came; the Musketeers, Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion and Keldeo; Cresselia and Darkrai; and Kyurem, the last of the Tao trio.
Several Pokémon looked reluctant, unsure if they should be there. Some looked at me questioningly but didn't speak. I could feel Zian's curiosity, but she stayed by the cliff, instead resting her wings and watching the proceedings. At some point, Ascalon had gone to her without me noticing.
"Where are Rayquaza, Groudon and Kyogre? And where are the Prince of the Sea and his son?" Reshiram asked.
Mewtwo answered, telling the white dragon "The Golem trio, the Weather trio, the Lake trio, and Creation trio were unable to come. Most were unsure if they should act against Ho-Oh's demands; others were simply too busy. The Prince of the Sea and Phione were kept away by Kyogre, as they are still too young to be in such matters. Arceus," here Mewtwo faltered, "he does not listen when called, and only comes at his own discretion."
Zekrom growled "Fine. We'll have to settle this without him. Again." He then addressed all of the gathered Legendary Pokémon. "Ho-Oh has grown sick of humanity, and decided to bring Pokémon back to the forefront of the world. Both humans and animals were unprepared for this, and the effect is quite clear. But the damage is done, and Pokémon are living amongst the humans. We must do our best to help both species adapt, and stop Ho-Oh from continuing his plan. He plans on circling the planet again, wiping out the human race. And he must be stopped." Zekrom paused and looked at the Pokémon, most of which were shuffling around. "Do any of you have any ideas on how to take him down?"
There as no answer. I looked at the Pokémon, seeing that most of them were nervous of themselves, as though afraid. They were probably afraid of Ho-Oh, fearing that he would learn of their presence here and decide to incinerate the 'traitors' into ashes.
I felt a rumble as Zekrom sighed, the earth quaking slightly with his impatience. Reshiram spoke up before his counterpart could show his allies how exasperated he was.
"Perhaps we should seek an alliance with the humans," he suggested. Ignoring the odd looks from his peers, Reshiram continued. "This one has proven that humans and Pokémon can work together." Mewtwo floated closer for a better look, Deoxys close behind. "I believe that they can be trusted, for the most part. They are the ones in danger, after all." Mewtwo raised a hand, glowing with psychic power.
"I'll be the judge of that."
The clone used his power to delve into my mind. I fell to my knees, exhaling silently. I could feel my lungs struggle for breath as he searched through my mind, looking for any signs of treachery, distrust or unworthiness. He lowered his hand, and I felt air rush back into my lungs, making me cough.
"This one can be trusted," Mewtwo grudgingly admitted. "But I cannot be sure of the other humans. It is difficult to judge a species with one representative."
Mewtwo floated back to his place while Deoxys came forward. I noticed he was in his Normal Forme, leaving his arms as the tentacles rather than turning them into arms. Deoxys helped me up to my feet before placing his tentacles on my shoulders, searching my mind like Mewtwo. Unlike the clone, Deoxys didn't hurt me, being gentler while searching. Apparently satisfied, Deoxys floated back next to Mewtwo, turning its tentacles into hands and crossing them over its chest.
Reshiram nodded in approval, stating "Then at least this one can be trusted. Will you aid us?" I looked up at the dragon, incredulous.
"Of course I will."