Note:
Oh Ghetsis. I'm trying so hard to make you a badass but it's so hard with what GameFreak has given me to work with.
Uuuh...grasping at straws here. A little bit of generation crossover, and if you don't like older gen Pokémon in Unova fics you can just leave now. Especially if you have a problem with generation five characters with generation three Pokémon.
A little more language, next couple chapters will have a little more violence. Things will start picking up from here.
Chapter Nine
They walked for nearly half an hour.
Touko and N's Pokémon began to calm down as the initial excitement of the other's team wore off, and soon they trailed loyally at their trainer's heels. Arcanine, Absol and Zoroark were still chasing after one another, though halfheartedly after such a long time.
Touko shook her head and laughed as Arcanine came up to her, panting. "I told you that you were going too wear yourself out," she told him with a scratch between his ears.
Archen had taken to the sky with Volcarona and Zekrom, and Carracosta had joined Samurott. Klinklang and Vanilluxe had been returned to their Pokéballs, for they did not have legs and found the journeying very difficult.
Touko looked over at N, who was watching Zoroark with worried eyes. She gave him a nudge. "Don't worry about them," she said. "Let him play. It's good for him."
"I guess so," he admitted with a laugh. "I just worry about him sometimes. He's my oldest friend." He paused, and then looked at Touko. "I know he's in good hands with Absol and Arcanine, though."
She shrugged and looked at her Pokémon fondly. "If there are any two better suited to play with antisocial Pokémon than Absol and Arcanine, I've not met them yet."
"Absol is always speaking so fondly of you," N told her. "I guess he had a bad experience before, and you saved him. He hasn't said what, though." He looked at her expectantly.
"Well, if he didn't tell you, what makes you think I'm going to?" Touko teased him. When he looked down at the ground, she smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm kidding," she told him, earning a smile back. "I found him tied up in Pinwheel Forest. I guess people in Castelia don't know much about the Absol, and thought he was causing the disasters and left him to die."
"That's terrible!" N cried.
Touko shrugged. "People don't know. I'm just happy I found him when I did."
They walked in silence for a while longer. Absol and Zoroark had run deeper into the forest, while Arcanine had stayed behind to do his best to get Reshiram to warm up to him. His efforts weren't gaining him much, however.
Touko looked around for Absol and Zoroark. They had been gone for some time. When she didn't see them, she looked at N in concern. "Have you seen Absol and Zoroark?" she asked him.
N scrunched his brow in worry. "No," he told her. He looked around. "We need to find them." His breathing was coming faster in fear.
"Calm down," Touko told him, taking his hand. "Zekrom!" she called, and her electric Pokémon touched down in front of her. She pulled out her Pokéballs, returning all of her other Pokémon, and motioned for N to do the same. Reluctantly he did, returning even Reshiram.
They mounted Zekrom and he shot into the air. N held tight onto Touko, who grasped Zekrom's neck even tighter.
They circled the spot they had been walking along, watching the ground for any movement.
"There!" N cried, pointing near the ocean.
Touko looked where he was pointing and saw them. The two Pokémon were running as fast as their legs could carry them, until Zoroark morphed into a Braviary and lifted Absol off of the ground.
"Absol! Zoroark!" Touko called to them, and upon seeing them Zoroark steered their way.
Touko quickly got out Absol's Pokéball, and N did the same. Returning the two terrified Pokémon, they looked down just in time to see a blast of fire come their way.
Zekrom let out a cry and swerved out of the way, and Touko bared her teeth. "Dive-bomb whomever the fuck was messing with Absol and Zoroark," Touko snarled, and Zekrom let out his own snarl of sadistic fury. Tucking in his wings, he rapidly picked up speed as they shot towards the ground. His tail began to whirr as it charged itself, and Touko felt N's grip tightening around her as they hurtled closer and closer.
"Bolt strike!" she cried, and there was a giant flash of light as Zekrom devastated the ground with all the electricity he could muster, and Touko and N could do little more than hang on for their lives as he swerved upwards to avoids crashing to the ground below.
They flew up into the air, waiting for any sort of movement below.
And suddenly, faster than they could blink, an enormous green, snake-like Pokémon was hurtling at them at full speed. Touko could barely yank at Zekrom to move him out of the way as it snapped at them, sinister eyes emotionless and cold. The rider on its back wore a similar expression, except his was twisted with hatred.
"Ghetsis," Touko spat. She felt N stiffen behind her as he too recognized the evil man controlling the massive Pokémon.
"So you two survived," Ghetsis laughed, his robe flapping in the wind. "I expected as much. Too bad your white dragon is injured, N; you're having to side with the girl who once completely destroyed every plan you ever had for the world. I expected better of you."
"You expected nothing!" N shouted at him, his voice angrier than Touko had ever heard. "You were planning to destroy it anyways!"
Ghetsis laughed, a horrible and cruel sound. "You were but a pawn, N." The Pokémon he was riding let out a bloodcurdling screech, eager to go after the two trainers again. "Patience, Rayquaza," Ghetsis told the Pokémon, soothing it slightly.
"One of the legendary Pokémon from Hoenn," Touko realized. "How the hell did you get your hands on it?" she cried.
"Team Aqua was very involved with Team Plasma for a while," Ghetsis told her coolly. "But they were weak. They did not see broad enough. Galactic was more useful than they were. Luckily, they gave us Rayquaza before they…expired, per se."
Touko let out a cry, and Zekrom roared in turn. "Dragon Claw!" she screamed to her Pokémon.
It was madness, engaging in battle when she was still on Zekrom's back, but she had no other choice. They flew in the air, hundreds of feet above the ground, and charged Ghetsis and Rayquaza. The other legendary did the same, coming at Zekrom with its mouth open and its screech filling the air.
Soon they were scrabbling at each other in the air, more interested in tearing apart their foe than using their attacks. Zekrom used his feet to his advantage, raking his claws along Rayquaza's thick skin, while it countered with its strong mouth. It bit Zekrom again and again, snapping at his wings and limbs.
"Push it away!" Touko screamed, trying desperately to hold on. She felt N's grip slipping on her, and she turned to face him. "Hold on!" she screamed, and with a jolt Rayquaza was sent hurdling off of Zekrom.
"Use Dragon Pulse!" she cried, and before Rayquaza could reach Zekrom it was blasted with the massive shock wave. Ghetsis was nearly thrown from his perch, but Rayquaza righted itself faster than Touko thought possible and came back at Zekrom once again. It wrapped its body around Zekrom, squeezing him tight and preventing him from using his limbs. Touko let out a scream of warning as Rayquaza opened its mouth to answer Zekrom with a Dragon Pulse of its own, but Zekrom already knew. As Rayquaza was charging, he bit down hard on its arm, the skinny limb letting out a sickening crunch as it met with Zekrom's teeth. Rayquaza screeched and loosened its grip slightly, but that was enough for Zekrom to struggle free. N and Touko still clung to him, and as he flew away Rayquaza sent a jet of flame after them.
"Dodge!" Touko cried, and Zekrom swooped out of the way of the fire.
Ghetsis ordered his Pokémon after them, and Zekrom turned around to face it. "Zen Headbutt," Touko growled, and with a roar Zekrom flew towards the oncoming foe. Rays of light formed around his head, and when he collided with the other Pokémon it was sent hurdling backwards from the impact. But Rayquaza was not felled so easily. Touko could barely register the words "extreme speed" that came from Ghetsis' lips before the dragon was upon them so fast that neither her nor Zekrom had time to react. Touko lost her grip on her Pokémon, and she and N were sent falling backwards, down towards the ground below them.
"Zekrom!" Touko screamed, spinning through the air.
"We can't beat him," N shouted to her, tears welling in his eyes. "He's been training since you defeated him. And now he has Rayquaza. We need to come back for him."
Touko struggled to stop twirling in the air so she could respond. "No!" she cried back. "We can't back down! Not now!"
N dove for her, catching her hands in his. They fell together, hand in hand and eyes locked. "Touko," he said, "we don't have a choice. We can't lose."
Touko bit her lip. He made sense. Finally Zekrom caught up to them, catching the two trainers on his back and swooping back up to face Ghetsis again.
"No," Touko told him, her voice shaking. "Turn back."
Zekrom looked back at her, shock and horror reflected in his face. Never before had his trainer backed away from a battle. He kept on his path, however, unsure of what to do.
"I said no!" Touko yelled, and Zekrom sighed and closed his eyes. He turned, heading in the other direction of Ghetsis and Rayquaza.
She heard Ghetsis' laugh, mocking her, before she saw it begin to charge them. "Faster, Zekrom!" she shouted, urging him to go faster. She looked back again, into Rayquaza's soulless yellow eyes.
"What the hell did he do to you?" she murmured, knowing fully well that no Pokémon should ever have that look on its face. Rayquaza had been in the hands of Team Plasma, and there was no telling what they had done to it. Had they taken its compassion and its heart, as Team Rocket had once done with the legendary Mewtwo?
Zekrom's tail began to whir once again, and Touko and N held on right as the speed boost kicked in.
They dodged and turned in the air to keep out of Rayquaza's grasp, but their efforts did them little. Rayquaza was more powerful, and faster than Zekrom.
Touko sighed. They were running out of time. "Zekrom," she shouted, "summon a thunderstorm! We can conceal ourselves in it."
Zekrom looked at her worriedly. Last time they had flown in an electrical storm, she had nearly been killed.
"Just do it!" she cried, and N tightened his grip on her in a squeeze of encouragement.
Zekrom let out a roar, and the droning of his tail grew even louder. The clouds around them began to turn dark, and slowly started to churn around them. Ghetsis seemed to know what they were trying to go, for he ordered Rayquaza faster and more aggressively.
Thunder touched down to the nearby island, sending a crack through the air. Touko felt her heart quicken in anticipation and fear, for by ordering Zekrom to create a thunderstorm she had either saved them or brought upon their deaths.
Soon they were covered within the heart of the electrical storm, Zekrom's tail droning louder than Touko had ever heard before. Again and again it was hit with powerful bolt of lightning, to with it would then release its own surges of electricity.
Zekrom snarled, the noise powerful and vicious. Touko couldn't even decipher the individual beats of her heart it was pounding so hard. She felt N shiver behind her; he was caught in the moment as well.
They were safe—for now.
Rayquaza and Gehtsis were nowhere to be seen, blocked from reaching the two trainers on the legendary electric dragon's back. The electric storm swirled around them, the black clouds not resembling anything Touko had ever seen before. Her hair stood on end with the static, and she felt the power penetrating her skin and rushing through her veins. She felt more alive than she ever had before.
She heard Rayquaza's screech, somewhere nearby. They were safe, though, the powerful churning storm protecting them. Touko looked up and saw blue sky; an opening in the storm. Zekrom could protect them from the sides, but no prison was impenetrable.
Zekrom was so focused on the storm that he didn't see when Rayquaza and Ghetsis entered through the same hole that Touko had just noticed. She screamed a warning to him, and he reacted at the same time he was rammed by Rayquaza, the huge Pokémon throwing all its weight into him. Touko was nearly knocked off; she held on just tight enough so that her arms still kept her attached to him. But N had been taken off guard, and Touko let out a screech as she saw him fall. Ghetsis saw too, and he laughed as N fell faster and faster towards the ground.
They wouldn't be able to reach him in time.