Delphox hummed happily as he pushed Anne through Lumiose City. Anne could imagine his tail wagging happily as they made their towards the north gate, towards where Route Fourteen is.
Once they reached the play area and Delphox parked her by the benches, Anne gathered the five pokeballs in her bag and let out Aurorus, Hydreigon, Absol, Mienshao and Yveltal.
Yveltal and Hydreigon were quick to exchange unsavoury looks but Aurorus brushed up against the dragon and nudged him towards an open area where they could bask in the sunset. Yveltal snorted at Hydreigon and settled beside Anne, pushing his head over his lap to demand pets. His trainer rolled her eyes as she petted him.
Delphox joined Mienshao and Absol on the swings, taking the spare one whilst Absol nudged Mienshao on the other as she purred happily. Anne smiled as Yveltal continued to have his head on her lap, not making any indication of moving.
"You're heavy, you know."
Yveltal snorted and Anne leaned back, rolling her eyes.
"Not like I can really feel it…"
Yveltal didn't respond but did direct his attention to behind her. Anne glanced over her shoulder and froze in petting him. A tall man was approaching them and Yveltal raised his head to stare him down. The rest of the pokémon stopped in what they were doing and watched the man warily as he approached their trainer. Anne recognised him almost instantly.
"Aren't you…AZ?"
AZ smiled as he sat down on the bench next to her. He looked over her pokémon as they continued what they were doing, albeit a little perturbed. Anne looked up at him.
"What brings you here?" she asked.
AZ glanced up at the sunset, as if contemplating an answer.
"I know that you tried to give up your most powerful pokémon," he answered.
Anne bristled and glanced at Hydreigon and Aurorus.
"Yes, I believe the whole region's heard about it," she drawled.
"I am glad that you decided to keep them. They love you."
Anne watched as Aurorus bumped noses with Hydreigon.
"I was hoping to battle them," AZ finished as he pulled out one of his pokeballs.
All of Anne's pokémon straightened to attention as Anne looked at him with wide eyes.
"Beg pardon?" was all she could say.
"Battle with me," AZ locked eyes with her "I want to know what a 'trainer' is."
"But I am hardly a trainer!" Anne exclaimed in protest. "If you want to know what a 'trainer' is, then find Calem! He's the champion after all."
Anne could remember a few months back the parade Sycamore held specially for Calem. Being the gentleman that he was, Calem decided to wheel her along as the crowd cheered since it was her who took down Team Flare. The medal presented to her for her bravery is still hanging in her room.
"Are you going to let that wheelchair be an excuse for your lack of confidence?"
Anne glanced up at AZ timidly as he glanced down at her wheelchair.
"Life isn't simply over if you lose an ability," he said. "You can't just give up after one minor setback."
"Except, it isn't just a minor setback," Anne whimpered as her bottom lip wobbled.
"It is if you begin to think that it is."
AZ stood up and crossed the clearing. Hydreigon and Aurorus moved aside as he tossed his pokeball and let out a sigilyph. He locked eyes with Anne once more.
"Battle with me!"
Anne looked at her pokémon, her mouth opening and closing before nodding to Aurorus.
"Come on, girl!" she called as Aurorus reared up happily and trotted over to her.
The earth quaked with every trot that it took the large fossil pokémon to get to Anne's side. Aurorus nodded and stared the sigilyph down.
"Cosmic power!" AZ commanded and the sigilyph's body was consumed in light, boosting its defence and special defence.
Anne took a deep breath and nodded.
"Freeze-dry!"
Balls of light surrounded Aurorus as her sails flowed with colour. They were then shot at the sigilyph before it had time to move and froze it solid. It flopped to the ground and couldn't move when AZ shouted a command. Anne could see it was still fit to battle.
"Finish it off with ancient power!"
Aurorus's body let off a silver glow as it formed a white ball on the top of her nose. She then shot it at the sigilyph and finished off the poor defenceless pokémon. Anne let out a soft breath, type effectiveness for the win.
AZ returned the unconscious sigilyph and let out a torkoal. Anne nodded.
"Thunder!"
Aurorus's sails rippled in colours as the clouds grew dark and the torkoal stood tall, absorbing the shock. Both trainer and pokémon looked surprised at how it stood against the attack. The tips of AZ's lips turned slightly.
"Stone edge."
The torkoal lifted his foot and slammed it down, sending pillars of blue rock rushing towards Aurorus and flipping her over. The fossil pokémon landed heavily, struggling to keep her eyes open before passing out. Anne covered her mouth. That had been a critical hit.
Returning Aurorus into her pokeball, Anne glanced at Hydreigon who was up and glowering at the torkoal. She beckoned and the dragon shot over onto the battlefield, his roar echoing through the area. He leered at the torkoal, his two secondary heads snapping and hissing at it.
"Charge beam!"
Hydreigon opened his mouth, electricity pooling into a ball between his jaws before he shot an electrical beam at the torkoal. The torkoal shouldered the attack, its legs wobbling but it was still showing no sign of backing down.
"Return!" AZ barked.
"Tork!"
The torkoal charged towards Hydreigon with the intent of tackling it but Hydreigon shot up into the sky, avoiding the attack.
"Draco meteor!" Anne shouted.
It was when she saw the meteors that she regretted her decision to call the attack. Yveltal was quick to grab her chair with his talons and fly out of the way as the torkoal was barraged by the meteors, leaving craters in the ground.
Anne grasped onto Yveltal's leg, her heart racing as he carefully lowered her down to a safer spot. The dust cleared to reveal the torkoal had fainted.
AZ recalled his pokémon and let out a golurk next. Anne glanced at Hydreigon and smiled.
"I'm going to switch you out, OK?"
Hydreigon nodded as he flew away from the battlefield and settled down for a rest. Anne glanced at the swings. But before she could call for Absol to come forward, Yveltal had left her side and hovered where Hydreigon had been. He locked eyes with the golurk before glancing at her and nodding curtly. Anne's face showed her surprise before she shook her head.
"Oh, no, Yveltal! You don't have to fight."
"Tal!" Yveltal grunted as it ignored her.
Anne looked between the two pokémon before stuttering.
"B-But I don't even know your move set!"
Yveltal bucked his head before expelling a dark energy out towards the golurk, sending it reeling. Anne and AZ raised their eyebrows before AZ threw his hand out.
"Return!"
The golurk recovered and charged forward, giving Yveltal an uppercut which sent him back into the trees. Anne covered her mouth as the larger pokémon crumpled atop the crushed trees before it glared at the golurk and shot up.
Between his wings, Yveltal created a sphere that emitted a lilac and blue aura before shooting a red beam straight into the opposing golurk. The golurk let out a pained groan as it practically withered in the light. AZ stepped back as he watched the spectacle and the golurk collapsed whilst Yveltal flourished.
The legendary pokémon deposited himself next to his trainer and looked down at her with an expectant twinkle in his turquoise eyes. Anne stared at the golurk as it was returned back into its pokeball. Yveltal let out a croon and Anne looked up at him, shaking slightly.
As he gave her a curious look, akin to a recently hatched pokémon, Anne could still recall that shot of energy mere seconds ago. That kind of power was what Lysandre used for the weapon. The very weapon he wished to use to wipe out anything that wasn't Team Flare.
"The very thing that ensured I'd never walk again…" said the terrified voice within her.
Yveltal suddenly looked towards the sky and Anne followed his gaze. The clouds had parted above them and it was barely noticeable, but Anne spotted a small floette floating down towards AZ. AZ's eyes were wide as he shakily lifted his hands and the floette landed in them.
"Floette…" he uttered as she smiled at him. "It's…it's been three thousand years…"
Anne watched the heart-warming scene, tears threatening to spill. AZ then glanced at her and crossed the wrecked battlefield. He crouched down beside her and held Floette out. The fairy pokémon turned to look up at Anne curiously.
"Here she is," he said "the one who has freed me from the sorrow."
Floette smiled up at Anne and sauntered onto her lap. Anne stared at her in awe, she had such a unique colour scheme and it was beautiful. She then smiled back, moments later.
"Hi," she said a little sheepishly.
Floette twirled around with her flower, humming a merry tune. AZ chuckled slightly.
"She likes you."
He then looked up to meet Anne's gaze.
"See, young lady? You can still battle. A minor setback should never stop you from chasing your dreams."
He brushed aside a tear that streaked the young girl's face.
"You have your life ahead of you. Make use of the limited amount of time you have on this earth."