The Order of Arceus Book One: The Spears of Power

by QueenPalkia

Amber is reborn in a future when an evil dictator rules. A legend tells only Arceus can stop his rule. So Amber is determined to collect the Plates to awaken Arceus. But can she with all the confusion, enemies, traitors, and pressure?

13. Come Forth, Chosen One!

The Order of Arceus

Chapter Twelve

Come Forth, Chosen One!

"Bring it on, Mewtwo." I said as I sprung from my hiding place and crouched, ready to face my nemesis. He scowled. There was a long, X-like scar on his chest; the one Hoja had left him with his Leaf Blade not too long ago.

Behind him laid another Absol numb and bruised, but still breathing. He seemed too old to even fight back. Sasuka quietly snuck her way to him and dragged him somewhere safe by biting down lightly on his horn and walking backwards.

Mewtwo kept his eyes on me, as if examining me. Then he turned to look at Nicole and Michael still hiding behind the tower. As soon as he did I barked to get his attention. "What are you doing here?" I growled. He crossed his arms. "I'm on an important job that is none of your business, little Vulpix." He said calmly. "Now leave, I have important matters with this Absol everyone calls 'great'." He said. "No, you don't. Not as long as I have something to do about it!" I yelled.

That did it. Mewtwo created a ball of shadows and tossed it at me. I successfully countered it with Wide Slash, making it dissolve before it hit me. But Mewtwo took the time to lunge at me with incredible speed. He stopped abruptly and thrust his tail forward. I managed to jump up quickly, but I found out he'd been aiming for a tree when the trunk snapped and it began to fall forward. I was still in mid-jump when it fell on me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out only the snowy canopy had fallen harmlessly on me. But I didn't think Mewtwo knew that. I heard him chuckle. "Hey, that was easy." He said. "AH! You bastard!" I heard Michael shout. I peaked and saw him pounce on Mewtwo with Bullet Punch. "Just who do you think you are?" He shouted angrily as he repeatedly struck Mewtwo in the face with Bullet Punch. The attack was too fast for the genetic pokémon to counter. Nicole shot Water Pulse at the psychic type.

I broke out of the leaves and attacked with Faint Attack. Mewtwo managed to get Michael away from him, but he couldn't evade Nicole's assault. I struck him in his belly with my sure-hit attack. Psychic energy wrapped around us and we were all flung against the tower. I was hit pretty hard. "You are no match for me! Your quantity advantage doesn't matter!" He yelled. He threw his arms in the air and created a blue sphere imbued with aura. He blasted it at us, and we tried to counter the best way we could. I created Energy Ball, Nicole shot Water Pulse, and Michael fired Hidden Power. The two orbs and the bubbles collided with Mewtwo's Aura Sphere. But the fighting type attack was stronger and surpassed our moves. I jumped in the way of the move and got hit, receiving more damage than my friends. The blow sent pain through my entire body and I crashed on the snow. Nicole's knees buckled; she'd received a bit of the attack as well. But Michael was okay. He gritted his teeth. "Who…who are you?" He seethed. "Incoherent child, don't you know history? Let me give you a quick review. I am General Mewtwo, Biomegas's right hand, destroyer and conqueror of cities, the immortal menace! And she, the one you call Amber, is my old enemy." Mewtwo said, pointing with his round finger at me. I tried to stand up and bark at him, but my insides hurt. "Or am I wrong, Sophia?"

It went so quiet you could hear a needle fall.

"How…How do you know my name?" I growled. We locked eyes. "I thought I deserved to know who my opponent had been after I killed you. So I found out. And thinking back on when I saw you at Veilstone, I realized I never forget a voice." He explained. He was right. I'd never noticed, but my voice hadn't changed from my human one. I still talked the same. In the mean time, Mewtwo's left fist had been collecting electricity. He lunged at me with Thunder Punch. He underestimated me. When he was just a second away from me, I sprung up, breathed deeply, and fired my intense Flamethrower. I impacted his chest. His eyes widened and he tried to withstand the attack, and since his arm was still free he struck me, but he was eventually blown back.

The fire melted a whole row of snow. He knocked his head on a tree and snow fell on him. He flinched as he traced his scar, which was starting to bleed. I got up again against my groaning muscles. I panted heavily. "He's not an ordinary opponent." Michael whispered. "No kidding." I muttered. He put his arm under me and helped me up. But I dropped as soon as I stood. Electricity coursed through my body. "You're paralyzed." Nicole realized. Paralysis felt terrible. I could even feel the world in slow-motion. My breathing was heavier, and moving a single muscle was too difficult. Nicole's tail began to glow and she started to swing it back and forth, like a bell. A chime emitted from her body, a gentle and soothing chime. Suddenly I could feel my legs. The electricity left. I became fully mobile again. What was that? "My heal bell can cure all status problems. I'm glad I know it." Nicole said smugly.

"Alright, no more fooling around." Mewtwo groaned as he propelled himself up with his elbows. "You want to play rough? I'll give you rough. Time to kick it up a notch." He said. He winked quickly and disappeared, leaving nothing but purple dust. "What the Hell?" I muttered. "He fled?" Nicole asked. "No…it's Teleport!" Michael shouted, making all of us gasp. Suddenly Mewtwo materialized from purple dust behind him and struck him with Ice Punch. Michael hadn't been ready for that blow, and his frail body was tossed across the area. Nicole wasted no time in tackling the genetic pokémon with her strongest move, Double-Edge. He flinched only momentarily and tried to grab her by the tail but I focused on my darkest thoughts and shot the rings of Dark Pulse at him. He sidestepped and the move only caught his shoulder.

Mewtwo raised his wrist to his mouth and I realized there was a communicator attached to it. "Minion, it is time for you to support me in battle." He said. I was helping Nicole recover from the recoil. 'Sure thing, General.' The voice on the other end said. Mewtwo nodded and pressed a red button on the machine. Before our eyes, metal started to extend from the artifact, running up his arm, shoulder, chest and the rest of his torso until he was in full armor. A robotic black helmet covered his face, though his eyes were exposed. I doubted it was the same armor he'd worn at Veilstone, because I clearly remembered it falling to pieces in battle.

Mewtwo chuckled. "You didn't think I'd come here unarmed, did you?" He asked mockingly. We said nothing. Mewtwo raised his arm and shot lightning from it. It was a weak wave of electricity I identified as Thunder Wave. Knowing of his intentions to paralyze us, I focused really hard to let energy course through my body until it expanded into the large pink shield known as Safeguard. Thunder Wave bounced harmlessly off the surface and disintegrated. Mewtwo groaned and lunged, but with no move prepared. I was ready to deflect whatever he had in store with my Wide Slash, until he was abruptly held back. He struggled against whatever had its grip on his tail.

I heard the metal armor screech, as if the part on his tail was falling apart. Or ripped apart, for what I saw. "What is this?" Mewtwo spat as he turned around sharply, swinging his tail back and forth, dragging Sasuka in the snow. Her glowing fangs were clamped down pretty deep on his tail, breaking through the armor and drawing blood. "Grrrr," She growled as she refused to let go in spite of his flailing. We took the opportunity to strike with a combined Faint Attack. But Mewtwo's armor was too strong for us to even scratch it. He retaliated by swinging his arm and sending Nicole to the floor, but he missed me. I climbed on to his head. Fire ignited in my belly and I made it circulate to my paws instead of my throat. I felt all four heat up intensely, transferring the heat to his helmet in an attempt to break it. I saw how the metal started to turn red.

Mewtwo shook me off when he felt it. He swung his tail upward and ended up flinging Sasuka. She screamed as she fell from the sky, face-flat on the snow. "I'm okay!" She chirped, although a little muffled by the snow. We had two of us down. I looked at Nicole struggling to get up, and noticed her neck was bare. I panicked.

Where had Ethan gone? He'd been with us when we'd arrived at the scene, but I hadn't seen him since the fight had started. I wondered where he'd gone. Now that I thought about it, I'd never seen Ethan fight. Maybe he'd been a coward all along.

A jab to the back snapped me out of my thoughts. Mewtwo picked me up with ease and we locked eyes. His cruel black orbs shimmered. It was then that I realized what he was actually looking at. I gasped as he gripped the black string that hung around my neck. He tugged on it, and that triggered an instant Energy Ball from me. He was hit right in the face but he didn't let me go, though he did remove his hand. "Give it to me." He demanded in a hoarse voice. I growled. "Take it, then." I said. He seemed surprised for a second but he gripped the black string and carefully slid his fingers near the bright green jewel. I wasn't stupid. I knew what would happen. As soon as he grasped the Insect Plate with his unprotected hand, he hissed and immediately flinched. He dropped me and groaned in pain, holding his burnt hand with the other. "Argh! What…what was that power?" He shouted angrily. "The Plate has picked me, Mewtwo. And only I can touch it." I said. His scowl deepened. "Then I'll bring you back to the castle with me and force you to work for us! I've gone through Hell to find the Plates, and I'm not stopping now because of you!" He roared. I tackled him with Faint Attack and he stroke back with hundreds of dazzling stars. His Swift attack could not be evaded, but I managed to deflect some of the sharp stars with Wide Slash.

Mewtwo and I kept clashing with the same moves for what felt like hours. My friends were all defeated. I took a second to check if Michael was okay. He slowly started to open his eyelids and I grinned. "Amber…!" He shouted in warning. I turned around to see Mewtwo had uprooted a tree with Psychic. He flung it at me, but I was too stunned to move.

Like a miracle, a large purple tail slashed through the whole tree, splitting it in perfect halves. There I stood, stunned, as the tail retracted into the ground. Something moved underground towards the equally shocked Mewtwo. Then a hole appeared in front of him, and quick as the blink of an eye, an Arbok shot up from it. It was very fast, and it proceeded to attack Mewtwo by using its whole body to trap him in a tight Bind. Arbok hissed, sticking out his forked tongue as he squeezed harder, trying to shatter Mewtwo's armor. "Ssssorry for being tardy, my lady! I had a few matterssss to take care of!" Arbok hissed, flashing me a smile, revealing the bracers in his fangs.

Now, who did I know that talked with multiple 's's and wore bracers? I understood now, that the Ekan's I'd known had evolved. Ethan was an Arbok! "Lissssten here, bud, one wrong move and you're hisssstory." Ethan hissed at Mewtwo, his brand new orange eyes focused on the armor. I knew his goal was to break it. "I already am a large part of history, numskull. Release me!" The psychic type demanded, wriggling and struggling against Ethan's powerful new body. "Nope." Ethan said.

I grinned. It was a perfect chance for me to strike without being interrupted. So I closed in and shot a narrow Flamethrower so that I could hit Mewtwo's face without harming Ethan. Successfully, Mewtwo's helmet/mask started to melt because of the flames, and Ethan was unharmed. He roared and glared daggers at me. "I will have your blood, Amber!" He bellowed. I glared up at him and stuck my tongue out. Then I ran to see Michael trying to stand up. I let him put an arm around me to help him up. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yes, I'm fine." He replied. He took of his bag and scarf and placed them neatly against the Bell Tower. He brushed some snow off of him and glared at Mewtwo. "Way to go, Ethan!" He chirped. "Enough! Minion!" Mewtwo called angrily, his eyes turning neon blue and psychic energy wrapping around us. We were flung against a tree, but Michael used some kind of technique with Bullet Punch to gain speed and haul me up the tree before we could slam against the trunk.

The snowy bushes rustled. I heard footsteps. A man clad in a black army uniform and a big riffle tied to his back walked out. It was the same man I'd fought at the cemetery, only now he looked more professional. He had bright red eyes that seemed to glow, and spiky hair so grey it looked like steel. He was muscular, handsome I guess, and had tons of other weapons like daggers and guns strapped to his legs for easy access. I didn't actually imagine this guy as friendly. "General Mewtwo, I am sorry for the delay." He said in a deep voice. "Cut the crap and free me!" Mewtwo shouted. Ethan snapped his jaw open and bared his sharp fangs at the man, hissing. Then fire rose from his throat, and Ethan fired a Flamethrower. It was impressive, to see a pokémon use the same move I knew. I assumed he'd learned it from me.

The man just chuckled and shot a tiny ball at the flames. Water exploded from the round object and doused Flamethrower, neutralizing the attack. Then he held up a shotgun. "Just stay perfectly still!" He shouted. My eyes widened and I couldn't stay silent anymore. I jumped down from the tree onto the man's head and began clawing his face. He got angry, and tried to get me off. Then I heard the gunfire.

I hesitantly looked, and my eyes widened. Ethan was down, red spots staining the snow. Mewtwo was free. He removed what was left of his helmet and closed his eyes, breathing deeply in an attempt to relax. He met eyes with the minion and smirked. "Good aim, Nexus. I knew a sharpshooter would be useful." Mewtwo commented. The man named Nexus grabbed me roughly in his big, cold hand and threw me onto the ground, aiming his riffle at me. "Give the order, General, and I will open fire." Nexus said. I was too stunned to move out of the way. My mind was still trying to process the fact that Ethan was dead. How would Canella take the news? She wouldn't like them, considering Ethan was a close friend.

I saw Mewtwo hang his head and cross his arms. "Hold fire. We need her." He said. Nexus grunted and put away the riffle behind his back. Psychic energy wrapped around me and I was lifted up to meet Mewtwo's gaze. "I swear we will be rid of these abominations." He said, staring at the Insect Plate. "I hate you." I spat. "The feeling is mutual." He replied with a nonchalant expression. "Alright, you're the boss." Nexus said, digging around his pockets. He brought out what he'd been looking for. He threw a silver net at me, and once I was entangled in it I felt thousands of electric shocks around my body. The net enlarged and turned into a small cage of steel and electric bars. I tried to break free, but I flinched as soon my paw came in contact with the bars. I was hopelessly trapped, like a beast. Nexus picked up the cage by a handle and poked my forehead mockingly, his finger unaffected by the electricity. "You are where you belong, mutt." He said, chuckling. "I have one last thing to do. Make sure the ship is ready for immediate take off. I still have to speak to the prophet." Mewtwo said, saying the last word with hatred, snapping his fingers dismissively.

Mewtwo turned his head in all directions, probably looking for the old Absol. Instead, he set his eyes on the defeated younger one. He gritted his teeth. "I guess I'll have the next best thing." He said. He grabbed her horn and yanked her up angrily. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Sasuka complained. "Tell me, Absol, where do you keep it?" Mewtwo questioned. Sasuka looked him straight in the eye, fear present on her face. "Um…where do we keep what?" She asked. Mewtwo shook her. "The Plate! Tell me where you have the Spooky Plate!" He bellowed. So he was after the Spooky Plate! I should've figured as much. But now I was trapped in a cage, unable to escape. I didn't think that I'd get far if I managed to escape anyway, considering Nexus's good aim. I'd probably end up like red pudding.

Sasuka's eyes told me she was denying everything. Mewtwo kept asking, but she said she didn't know. "Immo noliobliqua,Sasuka!" A gruff, ancient voice warned in another language. Our eyes widened as an old, beat up Absol stepped out from behind the tower. His eyes were a dark purple. His fur and skin were of normal colors, unlike Sasuka. A medalion with a gold and silver ying-yang design hung by his neck and he wore all sorts of beads around his legs. "It is I you want, Mewtwo. Leave my daughter alone." He said, coughing. "Fine then, old pokemon. Tell me where is the Spooky Plate." Mewtwo said. Absol coughed. "Unhand Sasuka first, and I, Anton Misfortune, shall tell you everything you wish to know." The Great Absol said. "Father, don't." Sasuka begged. "Mewtwo! When I get out of here I'm turning you into ashes!" I shouted, outraged. He glared at me.

Nexus shook the cage, making me crash against the bars and get electrocuted. "Minion, take the Vulpix to the ship, we'll be leaving soon. Oh, and prepare the bomb while I'm done here." Mewtwo instructed, looking at me. Nexus nodded and turned his back on the scene. And I was paralyzed, unable to shout back at Mewtwo, unable to tell Michael to come down and fight.

Michael

I really didn't know what to do. That big man took Amber away inside and electric cage, and I couldn't go after him. His weapons were too powerful. I'd never seen anything like them. I was horrified, and silently praying for a miracle. Nicole was out-cold, her skin turning a faint blue, freezing. Ethan laid lifeless in a small pool of blood. I just couldn't believe he was dead. I wanted to avenge him. So I had to make a decision: stay, fight Mewtwo, and protect Nicole, Sasuka and Anton, or go after Nexus, rescue Amber, and avenge Ethan. I was getting a mayor headache. My mind told me to stay, my heart told me to go. I was in a knot.

What would Amber do? She'd do the right thing. And right now, the right thing was stopping Mewtwo from getting the Spooky Plate. I had to stop him. I looked back in the direction Nexus had gone and sighed. I leapt from the tree, landing in the snow and glaring daggers at Mewtwo. He didn't seem to notice me, which was good. I managed to grab my scarf, and once I did I wrapped it carefully around Nicole's neck, trying to keep her warm.

"Very well, Mewtwo. I shall oblige. But as soon as I do, you will leave Ecruteak and never return. Do we have a deal?" Anton asked in his gruff voice. Mewtwo put Sasuka down gently. She crashed on the snow, face-flat. "We do. Now, where is it?" Mewtwo asked sternly. "The Spooky Plate lies at the top of the Bell Tower, forever concealed inside a shrine." The Great Absol said, his expression blank. "Top of the tower? Sounds easy!" Mewtwo said, placing his fist inside the other. "Wait, you are not seeking to find it, are you?" Anton asked, shocked. "Of course I am. My lord has commanded me to find and destroy all the Plates, so that his empire may last for eternity." Mewtwo stated. "Biomegas's so called 'great empire' shall fall! For only the Chosen One may bring out the Plate!" Anton yelled angrily. Mewtwo raised an arm and prepared a Shadow Ball. The Great Absol wasn't fazed in the least of the psychic type's reaction and turned his eyes to me. "Rescata a tu amiga, o fallecerá, como lo he previsto. Si no, habran sufrido por nada." He said to me in Spanish, gesturing with his head to Nicole and Ethan. I understood. He wanted me to save Amber above all things, or she would be killed. I nodded, before Mewtwo saw me by the corner of his eye. He turned around sharply to fire Shadow Ball at me, but I used Quick Attack and fled. I would've shouted: "Kiss my blue ass, Mewtwo!" But I really didn't want to get him angrier.

I dashed through the snow as fast as my legs could handle. I stumbled across a large vehicle. It was a cross between a jet and a flying saucer, I couldn't quite explain. It was black and big, enough to hold an army of five thousand Caterpie. I saw Nexus open a hatch and enter the ship with Amber screeching and rampaging inside the cage. I waited until he was fully inside to make my way over there. Carefully, I tried to be as quiet as possible as my feet touched the cold steel. The hatch began to close automatically, making me fall on my butt inside the ship. Thank goodness, I made no sound. I followed the big man until he violently tossed Amber's cage to some corner. She was thrown against the electric bars and yelped in pain. "You could at least try to be gentle." She complained. "I could, but that is not what I have been told to do." Nexus replied in an apoligizing tone, which was odd.

Amber shifted her eyes and they landed on me. She blinked twice; maybe she thought I was an illusion. But I waved to her and she gasped, but immediatly took her eyes off me to look at Nexus. I understood she meant to keep me secret. I sidestepped and hid behind a crate. Nexus grabbed a box and opened it, looking around. "You must be hungry," He began. He pulled out a couple of Spelon berries. "Eat these." He said, slipping the berries between the bars of the cage. Amber looked at them, confused. I was confused too. "Do not worry, they are ordinary berries, not toxic." Nexus reassured. "...Why are you giving me these?" Amber asked, wary. "Fire abilities are weak when the user has an empty stomach. Your Flamethrower was not strong enough to melt all of Mewtwo's armor. You are hungry." Nexus stated. Amber still wouldn't touch either Spelon.

I found odd that Nexus was doing this. Hadn't he just killed Ethan? There was something fishy going on. Amber reluctanly sniffed one of the red berries before licking it. She took a few seconds, probably judging if it tasted right, and then bit down. She ate quietly, refusing to meet Nexus's gaze, nor mine.

I wasn't quite sure on how I would execute this rescue. I couldn't possibly carry the cage out. It was too big for me, and the added weight of Amber totally scratched out the idea (by the way, I wasn't calling her fat). I'd need to find a key or something and get her out first. Then I'd need to take care of Nexus and his scary weapons. Coming from a village in the wilderness, I didn't know much of technology. The weapons I was used to were swords, spears, arrows, those kinds of things. But weapons that killed instantly? Never heard of them.

Amber exhaled fire, something she did often, which creeped me out every single time. "Where are you taking me?" She asked Nexus. "After General Mewtwo gets the Spooky Plate, we will set course for the Omega Castle, far away from here." Nexus replied. He was fixating some buttons that seemed important. "Great. I'm screwed." Amber huffed. "No," Nexus said calmly. "If lord Biomegas deams you useful, you shall be safe. Like what happened to me, for example. I was just a normal human, until General Mewtwo came along." Nexus said, tone serious. He pulled down a lever and I felt the engine of the massive ship roar to life. Amber tilted her head in curiosity, urging the red-eyed man to continue. "He made me see I could be strong, but I was weak. Years later, I died of illness. But then, I was made into this." Nexus said, facing her. He grabbed his wrist with his other hand and took it off. I flinched and Amber even jumped, thinking there would be a bloody mess. But no, the man threw the fake hand to the floor only to reveal that instead of a left hand, his arm ended with a plasma cannon. "You're a cyborg." Amber remarked. "Yes. Half human, half robot. They reconstructed me. Because of that, I believe that whoever joins us can survive." The cyborg claimed.

I was shocked. It was beyond belief. At first Nexus had seemed like a normal evil guy; I'd never imagined him to be such a thing as a cyborg. "You will be happy once you are one of us." Nexus said. Amber growled. "No! I'm not like you! I have my own goals! Remember this, tin brain, I won't surrender to Biomegas. I didn't before, I died to be free, and I will endure again." She barked. I would've clapped, but stealth was vital. Nexus sighed. "Believe what you must. But sooner or later everyone shall fall, exactly like the ruins of this city once we use our bomb." Nexus replied calmly. For the first time, Amber couldn't reply. It was a real shocker to me, to see the girl who always barked back stay quiet. He must've struck a nerve.

Silence filled the ship. Nexus brought out a cable and attached it to his plasma-cannon-hand. I assumed it was some kind of charger. He sat down on the pilot's leather chair and closed his eyes, still unaware of my presence. I took the chance to walk on my tiptoes in the search for a key. Amber's eyes shifted nervously between me and the resting cyborg, keeping watch. I tried not to make a single sound. The ship was wide and nearly empty, which made it hard for me to hide. Amber preoccupied herself by eating the second Spelon berry, pretending I wasn't there, like a professional. Everything she did had always made me think. The way she battled, how she talked, how she treated us, how she treated strangers, and how she always endured amazed me. I'd never met such a pokémon, and I wasn't talking about her species. She couldn't have possibly learned all that from her hatching. It was noticeable that she gained all of those traits from a prior life. She was the definition of reborn. I wondered if I'd be reborn if anything ever happened to me. But, as Nicole had told me, I'd be a human in a second life. I really, really, really, had no desire to be human. I liked being a small and strong Riolu.

My eyes planted themselves on a small steel disc hanging by Nexus's belt. The color of the disc matched the cage's coloring, so I figured I'd just found the key. Getting near the cyborg was the easy part. Taking the disc without him noticing would be the hard part, considering I could barely reach. I grabbed the disc carefully, beginning to tug on it. Nexus didn't notice. I kept tugging harder every time. I realized that if I wanted it, I had to cut it loose.

Although I didn't use them much, I'd need my claws. My species wasn't known for claws. Some people didn't even know we had them, but they were hidden in the fur of our paws. I pressed my left paw with my right one slightly and my tiny, yet sharp, black claws extended. I carefully reached for the belt, now standing on my tiptoes. With one slash of all three claws, the disc fell. I panicked, as it would make a noise, but managed to catch it just before it hit the floor. Once I had it I ran to the cage silently. I was pretty proud of myself as I inserted the disc into the keyhole. Amber stood up, eyeing me as the electricity dispersed. However, my bubble of success was burst when the cage made a beep as it opened.

I'd never been known for my luck. Nexus sprung up at the sound, eyes immediately landing on us. "Oh shit," Was all I could say before Nexus disconnected his cable and charged up his cannon. A greenish light charged up inside it, and I really didn't want to find out how it would look once it fired. Amber had quick reflexes and prepared Safeguard. The pink barrier formed around us and nullified the green sizzling sphere that was shot at us. Nexus grabbed his arm and fixated with some settings before the light of his charging cannon became blue. "Let's beat it." I said. I yanked Amber by her hair and we began to run. A blue blast of energy headed toward me but I sidestepped and it melted a piece of the ground like acid.

We reached the hatch, but it was sealed shut. Nexus kept firing his blue plasma blasts, and Amber's Safeguard was starting to crack like glass. "Step back," Amber instructed me. I took a few steps away from Amber but still within the range of the barrier. She faced the hatch and breathed out intense flames. I could feel the heat from where I stood. She kept her mouth open for minutes, spewing fire, but the hatch remained intact. She stopped and coughed abruptly, panting. "I c-can't; d-damn t-thing is f-fireproof." She panted out. "Out of breath, are you? You should have stayed in your cage." Nexus said, now standing behind us. He punched the pink barrier and it shattered easily. "S-sorry, Michael." Amber said. No, I wasn't going to be captured. I wasn't going to let her get taken away.

I was surprised at the speed of my own actions. I don't know what move it had been, but a horrible sound emitted from my mouth, so terrible it hurt the cyborg's ears. He held his head in his hand, smoke beginning to come from his ears. Amber was suffering from my sudden scream, too. Nexus short-circuited and fell back. "G-gah, m-malfunctioning, m-malfunctioning…" He repeated robotically. "I w-will get y-you f-for this!" He yelled angrily. I closed my mouth and the place went silent once more. I kicked the hatch over and over again until the metal, weakened by Amber's Flamethrower earlier, budged and broke. Amber was still recoiling from my attack, so I just dragged her out into the snow.

We escaped; running as fast as our legs could carry, getting away from the cyborg. But when we reached the previous battlefield, nobody remained.

Nicole

I could deal without those two. I was fine by my own, because I was independent, able to fight alone.

…Or at least, that's what I wanted to think. The truth was: everyone needs a little help once in a while. Here's the dilemma, as I climbed up the ancient tower, I met up with the foulest ghost type pokémon. I got attacked by Haunter, Duskull, and Gastly. The Gastly reminded me of that nerdy friend of Amber's. His name was Shadow, right? But those Gastly were nothing like him: they were mean, cold, strong, and sadistic. I wasn't good at battling ghost types, given normal attacks couldn't affect them, and vice-versa (which was an advantage for me). Thank goodness my ability wasn't Normalize, or else all of my attacks would've failed.

Mewtwo was much ahead of me, although he was having more trouble with the ghosts than me. "What's the hurry?" and "Get out of here!" were the usual things they screamed at him. A Haunter appeared in front of him and punched him roughly. Mewtwo fought back and with a single Psychic defeated the ghost type. We were climbing up some ancient stairs, and he was like twenty steps ahead of me. The old steps creaked underneath my feet, threatening to break. They looked charred, as if this place had caught fire. In fact, the whole tower seemed charred. It had been a big fire, then.

I'd regained consciousness right after Mewtwo had broken into the tower. Sasuka and her father were already at the top of the tower, having used a special teleportation device they had, which made me think about Mewtwo's special move: Teleport. The reason he didn't just teleport to the top of the tower, was because, apparently, Teleport can't get you anywhere you haven't been before. Mewtwo had been frustrated when he realized that. He'd decided to climb up the whole tower himself. So, that is what had placed me in this situation. With Amber and Michael gone, I had no option but to stop Mewtwo by myself, climbing up all of the nine exhausting floors in an attempt to catch up with him. He was much faster, which was pretty annoying, and he'd had a head start.

I reached the eight floor. There were glowing yellow panels spread across certain areas, wooden bridges instead of corridors, and small ramps creating different paths. I decided the Bell Tower's inside had been built to prevent intruders. Mewtwo was still ahead of me, heading toward a yellow panel. He eyed it curiously. Once he took a step in, he spun around and disappeared. My eyes widened as he reappeared on another yellow panel across the room, but far away from the stairs. They were teleportation panels, like the ones Canella had at her secret base. Mewtwo kept trying several of them, but not once did he get to the stairs. I took the opportunity to advance myself. Instead of stepping into a panel, I jumped a ramp. Then I jumped the one that followed, and the one followed, and the one that followed, before stepping onto another area connected to another with a wooden bridge.

There was no time to be cautious. I ran over the wooden bridge, even though it was charred and weak. It creaked for every step I took. One weak plank even broke beneath my paw, but I'd been too fast to fall. Finally, I got to the other side, sneezing because of the dust. I was standing in front of the old pillar, creaking pillar.

The place was really, really, really, old. And I wasn't just talking about decades. It had to be like nine or ten centuries to be in the condition it was. Even so, the tower was firm. It must've been fixed and cared for often, or else it would crumble if even the tiniest Pidgey landed on its roof. The ancient smell of soot was nauseating. The statues that stood on every corner were extremely damaged; so much that the pokémon they were supposed to represent was beyond recognition. Although, I could identify it had wings, even though they were scratched and cracked.

I walked behind the pillar and found a yellow panel. Taking a look, I saw Mewtwo had at least reached a corridor of ramps. I had to hurry. I stepped onto the yellow panel and felt the whole room spinning and my body dissolving. It wasn't painful; I couldn't explain the feeling of dissolving. It was like, not able to feel your body at all. I materialized again on a different area and stepped out of the panel. I'd been teleported across the entire room, the ladder that lead to the last floor now visible to me. "Yay," I cheered to myself as I ran toward them, only to discover another set of ramps. Piece of cake, I thought. Just a few jumps.

It turned out harder than I'd thought. I'd picked the wrong ramps and ended up in dead-end. I kept taking more and more ramps, until finally; I stepped onto the area with the ladder. The ladder was black like charcoal. As soon as I placed one paw on it, dust flew everywhere. I could feel how weak it was. I had to climb that thing all the way up? The last floor was like twenty feet away! But I had to do it; Mewtwo was already taking the ramps I'd just passed. Hastily, I hooked all of paws on the ladder and began ascending. It could barely support my weight. Hence, I didn't think it would hold Mewtwo. I had to get to the top before he did. But what would I do once I got there? Block the entrance? Destroy the ladder? I couldn't actually stop him from reaching the ninth floor.

I reached the end of the ladder, Mewtwo beginning to climb it. As soon as I stepped onto the wooden floor Sasuka ran to me. "Quick, quick!" She rushed me. I ran with her to reach an old shrine. There was a big stone statue of a big bird pokémon with its large wings spread and its beak wide open as if it were attacking. The statues on the corners of the room were much similar, except for the size and position of the pokémon they represented. Those were the same statues as the ones in the lower floors, only that these were in neat condition. Two candles were lit on either side of the big bird statue and the smell of incense filled the air. The Great Absol was sitting back on his hind legs facing the shrine, praying in some other language I thought was ancient Latin. "Father, what do we do, what do we do?" Sasuka asked frantically. "We cannot stop Mewtwo from reaching the sacred shrine." He replied. I gritted my teeth. "We can! You guys are dark types; you have the advantage over Mewtwo! We can fight him off." I said. Absol sighed.

"What you say is true. But alas, Mewtwo is too powerful and type advantage alone will not be enough. We need a force stronger or equal to the genetic pokémon." He said and coughed. "Erm…we could push him off a window." Sasuka suggested nervously. "No, that will not work. I have decided that I must summon…" He didn't get to finish. "Well, well, so this is the last floor. At last, I can complete my mission." Mewtwo's angry voice interrupted. Sasuka yelped and hid behind me. "What the Hell?" I whispered to her.

Mewtwo walked past me and Sasuka, panting. I blinked in confusion. Didn't he want to fight? "Hey! You're supposed to fight!" I barked at him. He didn't even turn to look at me. "I can't waste my time with you." He said. I was greatly offended. My eye was twitching. He hastily looked around, turning over every object in the shrine, even the statue itself. He growled when he found nothing, slamming down the statue and blowing out the candles. "Where is it! You said it was here, old man!" Mewtwo screamed, outraged, grabbing the Great Absol by his horn. The old pokémon bared his fangs and winced. "Leave my father alone, you big meanie!" Sasuka shouted suddenly. Faster than light, her fangs hooked around Mewtwo's arm, making him drop the other Absol. "Ah!" Mewtwo winced and flailed his arms, trying to shake her off.

His tail was unarmored. I didn't have any biting attacks, so I'd need perfect accuracy to hit such a wriggly target. I focused the water of my body and my thoughts into my mouth and created a blue sphere. Then I shot my Water Pulse at Mewtwo, hoping to get a good hit. Of course, I was accurate. I followed my attack with my Double-Edge, tackling Mewtwo's armored back. He fell forward. We thought we had him. He was defeated.

I was wrong.

"Enough!" Mewtwo shouted. A strange force blew us all against the walls, slamming hard. I was still suffering from Double-Edge's recoil. Visible purple aura radiated from Mewtwo's body as he groaned and struggled to get up. "Enough…I've had enough…" He said, his voice hoarse and metallic. "For the love of Mesprit…" Anton gasped. "W-what's wrong, father?" Sasuka asked. "That energy…his level exceeds over the limit? How…how can it be?" Anton trembled, speaking to himself. What exactly did that old coot mean by 'exceeds over the limit'?

Mewtwo stood up, his feet hovering above the floor. He abruptly jabbed the shrine and tore it to pieces as if were made of glass. He used Psychic to remove the debris, spreading it everywhere, as if looking for something. He found nothing and turned to look at Anton. "The Spooky Plate is not here. I'm leaving." He spat. His new deep voice freaked me out. Sasuka and I sighed in relief, although a big frown presented on the elder's face.

He looked at me. Mewtwo took a step forward in the air. "But I will have your blood first."

---

Amber

The Bell Tower was more damaged than I remembered. I recalled I had come up here when I was human; trying to bring back the rainbow pokémon that never appeared to me. The memory was fresh in mind; how the pillar shook from the weight of the upper floors, how the mazes were exhausting, how Rattata and Gastly ran everywhere, how you could hear the soft chimes of bells throughout the tower. But now as I climbed it for the second time, it felt empty. I didn't feel the spark of challenge inside me. I felt sorry for the old tower.

I think the hardest thing to do was climb the weak ladder to the top. Michael had no trouble with that, having arms. But I had to do some incredible stunts to climb it, having four legs and no arms. But once we arrived I knew it was time for action. We were silent, trying to avoid Mewtwo's clash with Nicole. She was bruised and beaten, but wouldn't stop fighting, wouldn't even dart her eyes away from her opponent. She even did more than one attack at once. She used Water Pulse while charging with Double-Edge, and it was pretty impressive, even though she was clearly showing off.

Visible purple aura radiated from Mewtwo's body. Michael's eyes seemed to be glued to the aura. He was still as a rock. "What's wrong?" I whispered. "It's so…painful! That aura is so strong it hurts!" He whispered back, a pained look on his face. I'd forgotten that Riolu could sense the aura in other beings, but not control it or use it. Michael could feel Mewtwo's aura's power. "Try to avoid it, Michael. You can do it." I whispered. His jaw clenched. He wouldn't remove his eyes. "I can't." He muttered. "Michael, look at me." I instructed. He slowly turned his head to me with great effort. His blue eyes bore into mine. I saw as the pain in his blue eyes went away until I saw only my own reflection in them. After a few seconds his pained face disappeared, and he shut his eyes. "I can avoid the aura." He told himself. "But, what is it, exactly?" I asked lowly. "It's some sort of power source. It's supplying Mewtwo with power, power beyond possible." Michael said, sounding unsure.

"It must be Biomegas's dark powers." I realized. I knew of the power Biomegas granted, and I had for a long time. I'd even owned pokémon possessed by that dark power, and even managed to purify some of them. I didn't know if the purification was still possible in the present. But could I try? Could I purify Mewtwo? I knew the process. But I really didn't feel like Mewtwo deserved any help. I snickered lowly and averted my eyes, which landed upon something laying on the ground among stone rubble. "Come on," I urged Michael. He followed behind me as we stealthily made our way across the room, avoiding the battlers. I saw Sasuka join in. Her speed was amazing; I couldn't keep track on her movements. First she was using Slash behind Mewtwo and then she was using Crunch on his arm. At least her hyper personality came in handy in combat.

I dug around the rubble trying to find what I'd seen. Suddenly my paw came in contact with something that didn't feel like debris. It was cold and stony. Dusting off all that remained, I saw what I'd touched. It was rectangular and of a dark purple color so faded it was almost grey, and had some strange markings at its borders. Finally, there was tiny Unown text written on it. My eyes widened as I realized what it was. It was the Spooky Plate.

The noise of the battle silenced. I slowly turned my head to see Mewtwo smirking wickedly in my direction, dropping Nicole to the floor. She growled and struggled to get up, but she wasn't in the condition to do so and collapsed. "Hand it over." Mewtwo said, pointing to the Plate. Anton shot up in alarm, mouth agape and eyes wide. "NO!" He yelled. The Insect Plate that hung around my neck began to glow, tugging me forward. It was chocking me so I had no option but to walk forward until the two Plates came in contact with each other. "Give it to me!" Mewtwo shouted angrily as he lunged forward, but I raised my Safeguard just in time to block him. It wouldn't hold him back for long. Anton sprung forward and I granted him access into my barrier. He stepped through it as if it were air, while Mewtwo still struggled against the hard surface.

"Oh, rejoice." Anton cheered. He put a paw on me and pushed me lightly away from the Plate. "The time has come to surrender my most valuable possession." He said, inhaling deeply and bowing. "Sit Arceus antiquus ordo reparari. Iam non erit protector tuus sum et offer defecit tu novam potentiam. Veni, venias plurima fortitudo nova ad possessorem quem elegit vivificantem!" He recited in another language I didn't understand (although I had heard the exact same words being spoken when I'd received the Insect Plate). I watched with awe as the cold Plate began to shine, rising from the floor on its own. A black glow engulfed it, radiating not only cold but power as well. "Take the Spooky Plate in your power, little one." Absol said almost inaudibly. My ears weren't working right anyway. There was a weird feeling inside of me as I stepped forward and pressed my paw to the levitating Plate, its cold texture actually stronger than my great body heat. The two Plates interacted, glowing a combination of green and black. Then, the Spooky Plate shrunk down to the same size as the Insect Plate and appeared hanging by my necklace, as a bead next to the other.

"Damn you! Damn all of you!" Mewtwo shouted, outraged, before slamming down his wounded tail. The impact caused my barrier to crack and begin to slowly shatter. "Damn." Anton said. "What do we do?" Michael asked, nervous. "The only thing you youngsters can do is hide while I summon our last resort." Anton said. "Last resort?" I gasped. It couldn't be a good thing. Anton looked grim, but there was a slight glint of hope on his eyes. "Yes. Go. You are young and must survive and I am so old you cannot count my age. It is better that I stay. Please…take my daughter with you." He begged as the ying-yang medallion around his neck began to glow and the pattern began to spin. "I promise." I assured. Michael tugged on my tails. "Let's go." He urged. "Yeah." I agreed. My barrier shattered, and we jumped away in time to avoid Mewtwo's Shadow Ball.

Anton avoided the attack. He pressed his paws firmly against the rubble and shut his eyes. It was a good thing Mewtwo came after us, because Anton needed time to do whatever it was he needed to. We became cornered very soon against a large window. "If I can't have the Plate, I'll have your head." Mewtwo threatened. Michael's jaw clenched and my heart started racing. Anton started reciting in another language, multicolored light shimmering from the floor in the form of a circle. Sasuka and Nicole helped each other up and stared at us in horror. We kept backing up until we hit the window. Mewtwo smirked wickedly and raised his arms above his head. A bright blue sphere began to form between his hands. "This is it," Michael began. "We're done for." He finished. I felt his arm slide across my back. Unlike the last time he had done it, I let him. Mewtwo's purple aura mixed with Aura Sphere's and became one. A dark Aura Sphere? We wouldn't stand a chance. At least, not after all of the fighting. We were tattered, bruised and exhausted. I heard the loud and melodic chimes of bells throughout the tower as Anton chanted. Finally, with one last chuckle, Mewtwo shot the big, dark Aura Sphere. We were both impacted harshly, so hard we slammed onto the wall with so much force that it broke and we fell.

Michael hung on to me as we fell. His eyes were wide with horror, just like mine. A hundred foot below there was pointy rocks above the snow. It was it. It was over. For the second time, I thought I would die. I flailed, trying to grab on to something for dear life. But I couldn't. I saw the sky redden as a big rainbow formed above the apex of the tower. But the rainbow seemed to move, and it had the form of a huge winged creature. I shut my eyes and awaited the crash. But something in me resurfaced at that moment. 'This is not the end of you. It is not!' The ancient voice in my head screamed.

My breath and my heartbeats synchronized. I didn't want to open my eyes. Then came the impact. Harsh, but the floor actually felt feathery and warm. I didn't feel my form shatter. I was…intact, except for the brutal pain in my spine and the blood that slid from the corner of my mouth. "GYYYYYYYOOO!"

"M-Mi…Michael…?" I slowly began to open my eyes. Michael's grip on my tails had loosened. "Michael?" I asked more clearly, coughing out tiny droplets of crimson blood onto an equally crimson material. Beneath my ears I heard large, loud heartbeats. Was the floor alive? It heaved up and down; breathing. "Amber…" Michael's voice called back. I sighed with relief. Though I could not see him, he sounded okay. "…We're…we're on a…pokémon." He said.

He was right. I took the chance to look at my surroundings, only to see the sky and the tower beside us. A pair of large, seven colored wings flapped gently. "GYYYYYYOOOO!" There was that loud cry again, for the second time. My eyes landed on the head of a pokémon with a large beak and golden crest. Then it hit me. The pokémon that had rescued us was none other than…the legendary rainbow, Ho-oh! "GYYO! How are you feeling, my child?" She asked in a serene, yet mighty, female voice. I gasped, but I couldn't reply. I was too shocked. "No need for an answer." Ho-oh said after a few seconds. "Feel free to grip tightly onto my feathers, this ride might get rough." She instructed. I struggled to do as she said, wrapping my injured paws around a bunch of her crimson feathers of her back. "Wait, what about Michael?" I asked, unsure if she'd know who I was talking about. "Are you referring to your Riolu friend? He must be behind you, my child." Ho-oh replied. "I'm…here, Amber." I heard Michael say. I didn't bother to look behind me; I knew he was there.

Ho-oh picked up speed. She flapped her wings faster, flying at incredible speed. The tower seemed to get smaller as we distanced. A rainbow emitted from Ho-oh's large tail like a trail all the way from the top of the Bell Tower. The beautiful chime of the bells could still be heard.

"Where are you taking us, mistress?" I asked, trying to sound respectful for the legendary pokémon. "GYO! When you were blown off the tower, you landed harshly against the jagged stones. But, the Plates protected you and your friend from harm. As you were unconscious, Mewtwo stole the necklace. I was summoned by the elder Absol. They boarded the ship, and now we must stop them before the Plates are lost forever." Ho-oh stated in her godly voice. My eyes widened and my paw flew to my neck, only to find it bare. My necklace had been taken. I needed to get it back from that bastard. "Do not worry, my lady, we shall get it back. For I too, wish for freedom. GYYYYO!" Ho-oh cried as she picked up greater speed, flying faster than the wind. Had she just called me "my lady"? Why would Ho-oh, legendary pokémon considered a deity, address me respectfully? Don't get me wrong, I was flattered. It was just…weird.

I raised my head to see above Ho-oh's crest. I saw Mewtwo's big black airship speed above the Johto region. Ho-oh opened her beak wide, fire collecting in her mouth. Then she shot a bluish fireball directly at the ship, almost missing, but blasting an engine. "A direct blow!" I cheered. "Watch out!" Michael shouted. A hatchet in the ship opened, and Nexus walked out, mechanical wings extending from his back. "Who is that winged human?" Ho-oh inquired. "He's no human. That's Nexus, a cyborg." Michael said from behind me, hatred in his tone. Nexus spread his mechanical wings and took off, heading straight toward us. He aimed his cannon/arm at Ho-oh's face and began to charge with a blue light. Ho-oh opened her mouth a shot dozens of sharp yellow stars that deflected Nexus's plasma shot. He flew out of the way in time to avoid Swift.

"No cyborg is going to defeat me; that is certain!" Ho-oh declared. She abruptly stopped in midair. Incredibly, she managed to stay airborne without flapping her wings. I had to hold on pretty tight to keep from falling as she became erect. Her whole body began to glow, getting cloaked in a blinding light. We were engulfed as well. Nexus shot multiple plasma bullets at Ho-oh, but she took them without even flinching. A few seconds later, Ho-oh delivered the powerful Sky Attack with so much speed and force Nexus's wings and cannon shattered, and the cyborg fell. Ho-oh ignored him and kept flying, chasing the black airship. I thought Nexus was dead, but psychic energy wrapped around him and lifted him back into the ship, which made Michael snap his fingers in disappointment. "Shit!" He complained.

Another swirl of fire escaped Ho-oh's mouth, this time aimed towards the opened hatchet. The Fire Spin engulfed the entrance, and not long after, the whole airship caught fire. Its speed gradually decreased as Ho-oh closed in. Finally, she hooked her feet around a pipe at the hatchet and leaned down. "Go, you must retrieve the Plates. I shall meet you down, my lady." Ho-oh said. "GYOO!" She cried before spreading her wings once again and flying away. Michael and I sped through the burning insides, avoiding hot metal. Or at least, Michael was. I had no problem with heat and fire. It was pleasant, actually.

We took a narrow hallway that seemed important. The area still hadn't caught fire, which made Michael sigh with relief. We kept running across the hallway until we saw a big black door. "It must lead to the control room." Michael pointed out. "Let's break it down, then." I invited. Michael nodded. He ran toward the door and hit it with multiple Brick Breaks and I followed with Faint Attack. We kept ramming into the door with the same moves, and it was beginning to dent. "Just a little more…" I muttered as I slammed it again. I was already getting a headache.

Then a voice interrupted us. "Looking for these?" The accent was so familiar, just like… "Sta…Static?" I turned around slowly, only to see my Elekid friend spinning the necklace around with his claws. He was leaning against a wall, brows furrowed and electricity running between his antennas. My heart skipped beats and I smiled. It'd been more than two weeks since I'd last seen him, and momentarily forgot about my current mission. "Static! I'm so glad to see you!" I said. His deep purple eyes were filled with enthusiasm. "It is nice to see you too, Amber." He said. I heard Michael growl behind me, but I ignored him. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Well, I'm just doing my job." He said, snickering. I was too happy to even realize he was acting out of character.

I saw the smoke at the other end of the hallway; the fire was catching up. Static either didn't notice or didn't care. I felt Michael place his paw on my back. "Amber, I don't trust him. His aura reeks with duplicity." He growled. I shook him off. "You're being paranoid. You don't know Static; he's one of my best friends." I argued. "That's right, blue canine, I'm a good friend." Static said. "Now, Amber, how about we leave this hot place and go catch up?" Static invited. I took two steps forward, but Michael grabbed my fur and yanked me back. "Amber, can't you see! He has the Plates, not Mewtwo!" He shouted. "You should've kept your damn mouth shut!" Static shouted. It was then that I realized he was holding my necklace in his claws, avoiding the green and purple beads.

Static swung down both his arms and sent a powerful Shock Wave across the floor, shocking me and Michael. Michael recovered faster than I did and jumped in front of me, lunging at Static with Bullet Punch ready. Static used Quick Attack and collided with Michael, leaving a white trail of light behind him.

I couldn't understand. I was baffled. Why did Static have the Plates? He…he must've intended on returning them! That's must've been it. He couldn't have another reason…

Realization finally dawned on me when Static harshly struck Michael in the face with his Thunder Punch and sent him flying against the door. Michael groaned in pain, blood sliding from the corner of his mouth. I looked at him. "Michael…" Then I looked at Static. "Static…" I muttered disbelievingly. I finally got it. If Static was able to injure my best friend and steal the Plates, there was no doubt he would be able to attack me. Anger built up inside me, fire sizzling at my throat. "Took you long enough to realize it." Static said smugly. I screamed as I lunged at him with my Faint Attack. He countered my attack with Thunder Punch but he couldn't keep me down. I bit down on his free arm as he impacted my frail body. My jaws clenched tighter and he yelped in pain. After I was firmly on the ground I used my Wide Slash to spin swiftly, and even though I couldn't actually hit him because of the position, the spin was strong enough for me to send him crashing against a wall. "Why, Static? Why would you become the enemy?" I shouted angrily. He shot up as if he was okay, but his face was filled with scratches and bruises. "I didn't become an enemy. I've always been an Omegan!" He said. He shot a weak beam of electricity at me that I easily evaded. It was hard for me to process what he was saying. "I thought you were my friend." I growled. I was trying to restrain my Flamethrower long enough for me to hear what he had to say. "I…I was. I told myself not to, but I found myself growing close to you and Nicole. That was why I needed to get away from you, because then I'd be ashamed to fight you." He stated. By now he was standing. "D-Don't listen to him, Amber. Turn him into ashes!" Michael shouted. He seemed to be paralyzed and unable to move.

Who would I listen to? Michael wouldn't lie to me. But Michael didn't know Static like I did. "Then you could have come with me. You didn't have an excuse!" I barked. He chuckled. "But I did. Taking care of that arrogant Azalea leader took me some time, but I got my job done. By then, you were already at Ameithus. That idiot Dream Weaver guy really was helpful to let me in on your whereabouts." Static said. Michael gasped. "What did you do to Xepher?" He barked. "Nothing; that Umbreon, Foolish, kept protecting him from me." Static said angrily. "Xepher…Foolish…" Michael muttered sadly. Something snapped in me. "Traitor!" I screamed. My Flamethrower shot out involuntarily as soon as the word was out. The flames doused the surprised Static and engulfed the whole corridor. Everything was on fire. The floor underneath me, the walls around me, everything.

Claws scraped against my sides desperately. I received dozens of electric volts throughout my entire body and groaned in pain. I retaliated by doing the exact same thing, only with fire. Static unhooked his claws from me and doubled over, grasping his arm with the other, which gave me the opportunity to pounce on him. A rough shake threw us away from each other. "What the Hell is happening?" I shouted. There was another violent shake. "The ship is going down!" Static shouted, horrified. Nexus appeared, his whole body scratched and burned. The left side of his face was totally melted, revealing a steel half with a glowing red eye. "Agent Elekid, come on! We must leave!" The cyborg shouted. Static's jaw clenched. "What about General Mewtwo?" He inquired. Another violent shake threw us all but Nexus off our feet. "Forget about the General! The escape pod is ready!" Nexus insisted angrily. Static began to run down the burning corridor, hopping in an attempt to avoid fire. I sprung up. I was about to give chase, but then I remembered Michael was immobile. I growled and let Static keep running. I ran over to Michael. "Come on, Michael." I said. He weakly lifted his paw up. I guessed there was no other option, so I did my best to slide underneath him and stand up. Now he was laying on my back, and he wasn't exactly light.

There was another rough shake, but our combined weight kept me from falling. I tried to carry Michael out of the corridor, but his weight slowed me down. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Static looking back at me. "We will meet again, Salvador." He said. "Until then, McCloud." I replied as he stepped out of my view.

"It's no use," Michael muttered. "We won't escape in time." He said. I bit my lip. 'I shall meet you down, my lady.' Ho-oh had promised. It wasn't until that moment that I realized what she meant. "We will." I replied. I inhaled deeply, drawing in all of the smoke and fire near me and unleashed a full-power Flamethrower at the floor. The metal melted faster than I'd imagined. I didn't stop until the hole was wide enough. "We're going to jump off." I instructed. Michael tensed. "What? You're kidding, right? We can't just jump!" He argued. "We can and we have to! Or do prefer burning alive?" I mocked. He hesitated and sighed. "I'd rather jump." He said as he slowly slid off of me. He looked down the hole and his eyes widened. "Amber, there's water down there. You…you won't survive the fall." He stammered. "I know that. But you will. Now, jump!" I shouted. We hooked paws and hopped off.

I stared at the ocean below in horror. I was really regretting my choice. If Ho-oh didn't hold to her promise, I'd drown. At least, Michael could swim to shore. But me? I was a fire type. The mere impact would kill me. Come to think of it, I'd been in deadly situations a few times, so why was I worried about dying? It should've been the least of my worries. I didn't actually care. Sure, dying sucked, but if it happened, it happened. I was sure the 'Chosen One' would manage to recover the Plates from Static somehow and save the world. But there was a weird feeling in my chest that kept telling me to have faith in Ho-oh. But why? I didn't really know.

We were about to crash into the open sea. I didn't dare close my eyes. I waited for the impact, but instead, a small tornado erupted from the water. That's right, a tornado came from underwater. It caught us in midair and spun us all the way to its apex before flinging us upwards. We could've crashed into the falling airship, but luck was on our side. Right then, Ho-oh swooped in and we landed on her back. "Wooh! We should totally do that again!" Michael said suddenly, then immediately covered his mouth. "Sorry, all the blood in my body went into my head." He said. I grinned.

"Thanks, Ho-oh!" I shouted happily. Ho-oh nodded. "Actually, you should be thanking by good old pal Lugia for his tornado back there." She stated. I was a little confused, but I walked over to her neck and looked down, only to see a gigantic figure with glowing blue eyes and immense wings and tail underwater. "GYAAA!" Its high-pitched roars made the whole ocean shake, causing whirlpools and harmless water spouts. "Thank you, Lugia." I whispered. "GYAA!" The silhouette let out another roar before diving deep down, away from my vision. Lugia, the diving pokémon, bringer of storms, ruler of the legendary bird trio, had just saved my life along with Ho-oh, the seven-colored pokémon, creator of rainbows, mother of the beast trio. I had met two of the most admired legendary pokémon, the legends of Johto, in one day. And my heart filled with joy as the fantasies I'd had as human slowly came true little by little.

"Amber, Michael!" Nicole's voice surprised me. I turned around to see her smiling like a maniac before she nearly tackled me off the red pokémon. Then she proceeded to tackle Michael. "I took you for dead!" She cried. "Hell, that'ssss not how you reacted when you ssssaw I wassss okay. That'ssss unfair!" I looked beyond Nicole and saw an Arbok curled up near Ho-oh's tail. But it wasn't just a random Arbok. He smiled at me, revealing his bracers and sticking out his forked tongue. "Ethan," I realized. "How? I…I saw you get shot!" I gaped. "It'ssss true." Ethan replied, lifting up his bandaged tail. The bullet hadn't killed him. He'd been alright. "He only passed out from the shock." Anton stated. H was sitting on his hind legs beside Ethan. Sasuka was curled up asleep in front of her father. I went over to Ethan and rubbed my cheek against his smooth purple skin. It was sign of affection, since I had no arms to hug. He giggled. "Everyone's here." I muttered. "But why?" I inquired. "Lady Ho-oh wants to bring us back to Azalea." Nicole chirped. "I decided to come along because I wish to speak to Lady Calypso, Lady Teph, and Mistress Jirachi, whom I've heard currently reside in Azalea Village." Anton explained.

I was glad to see everyone safe. Though Ethan's smile was always creepy, it made me happy. Nicole cured Michael's paralysis with her Heal Bell. I treated his minor wounds until he felt better. That was before he said my body was a wreck. Ethan offered me a mirror and as I looked at my reflection I realized Michael was right. My fur was dirty, tainted with soot and ash. My once-curly hair was standing up erratically. My fangs were slightly stained with my own blood. My tails were uncurled and lying around. Blood oozed from the open claw marks that Static had left me on my sides. My eyes had lost some of their amber color, looking a bit dim. "I guess I am a wreck." I chuckled. "You should try to rest, dear. Nothing beats a good night sleep. And I guarantee that when you wake up, you'll find a surprise." Ho-oh said. Sleep sounded awfully great. I was about to shut my eyes when Ho-oh gasped.

"Hold on!" She instructed. We reacted fast enough, gripping Ho-oh's feathers tightly as she dove down, barely evading a Shadow Ball that seemed to come from nowhere. A dozen more of the spheres were shot her way, but I put up my Safeguard and engulfed all of us. "GYOO! Just give it up already. You lost." Ho-oh seethed. "No, I won't give up. Not until I kill her!" Mewtwo bellowed. He was floating right in front of Ho-oh, pointing at me with hatred. His body was much damaged from the fire in the airship. Couldn't this guy just leave me alone? Why did he want to get rid of me, anyway? Ho-oh lunged at Mewtwo with such speed he couldn't dodge her. She hooked her sharp talons around him and raised him up to her face, looking eye to eye. "Listen to me, clone, if you ever come disturb my slumber again or come anywhere near the Chosen One, I swear I will burn you alive as slow and painful as possible and scatter your bones across the sun. GYOOO! Get out of my sight, you disgust me." Ho-oh threatened. Shivers ran up and down my spine. Mewtwo's jaw was clenched and he was glaring fiercely at Ho-oh, although I could tell he was intimidated by the seven-colored deity.

Ho-oh kicked the air and released him. Mewtwo managed to keep himself in midair with his psychic powers. He bowed to Ho-oh mockingly. "Very well, madam. I'll leave your precious little savior alone for now. I know I will have her head one day, but not before lord Biomegas has yours." He chuckled darkly. "LEAVE MY PRESCENCE!" Ho-oh screamed. Her whole body became engulfed in blue, purple, pink, and red flames that were harmless to all of us. Her eyes hollowed red and the temperatures seemed to rise at her demand. "GYYYYOOO!" As she opened her beak, an amazing explosion of fire surrounded Mewtwo before Ho-oh rammed him. Subconsciously, I absorbed the remaining flames into my body after Ho-oh's intense attack. Mewtwo slowly fell, unconscious and heavily burned out of the sky. His form seemed to get farther away until we saw him no more. "You killed him!" Nicole chirped. "Alas, I didn't. My Sacred Fire can inflict damage, but never kill. Besides, it is not up to me to decide if he lives or not. His life will be taken by his nemesis. I can see it happening." Ho-oh said. I realized her eyes had been momentarily glowing a combination of pink and blue; the move known as Future Sight. "I have foreseen it too, oh Mighty Ho-oh. And his nemesis is none other than the Chosen One herself." Anton stated after a rough cough. I was tired of how everyone kept talking about the Chosen One while I didn't know who it was yet! "Could one of you please tell me who the Chosen One is before I go mad?" I asked, irritated.

Michael placed his paw on me. I felt him strap something to my neck but I ignored it. "My lady, have you not figured it out yet? I thought it had become very clear with the fiasco of today." Anton said. "You were destined for greatness even before your rebirth. The Chosen One is none other than you, Amber Salvador."

---

Huff, sorry for the tardiness, guys. I think this chapter tops Chapter 8, don't ya think? I liked writing this. Did you really think I'd kill Ethan? Who doesn't like that guy? Anway, yay, Ho-oh! Can't wait to write Morty's face when he sees Ho-oh. She's actually one of my favorite legendaries (I MISS MY POKÉMON GOLD). And by the way, that won't be Lugia's only appearance in this book. He will have his own role like Ho-oh at some point, and I already know when.

I'm planning to make another Team Update for late February (you know, update all my stories at once) and I'm even going to publish my first Super Smash Brothers Brawl fic in the site. It will be titled either "Brawler Secrets" or "The Funny Truth" but I really haven't thought of a good title for the fic. It will be rated M (for cussing and sexual references) and the genre is humor/friendship. If anyone of you could suggest a good title for it, I'd really appreciate it.

Well, there's this thing I've been wanting to do since Chapter 9 but always forget. From this chapter and onward, I will be posting special character profiles at the end. Since I took long to update this fic, I'll apologize by giving you three profiles instead of one.

Name: Amber Salvador

Species: Vulpix

Type: Fire

Ability: Flash Fire

Nature: Brave

Current Level: 27

Current Moves: Flamethrower, Energy Ball, Dark Pulse, Faint Attack, Wide Slash, Safeguard.

Food preference: Spicy

Age: +2 months

Name: Michael Phoebus

Species: Riolu

Type: Fighting

Ability: Steadfast

Nature: Gentle

Current Level: 24

Current Moves: Bullet Punch, Hidden Power, Quick Attack, Screech, Crunch, Brick Break.

Food Preference: Bitter

Age: +8 months

Name: Nicole Katty

Species: Delcatty

Type: Normal

Ability: Cute Charm

Nature: Impish

Current Level: 27

Current Moves: Double-Edge, Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Faint Attack, Water Pulse, Heal Bell.

Food preference: Dry

Age: +3 months

Teehee, hoped the info was useful. Each chapter I will do on one of these for a character that has appeared or has been mentioned in the chapter. Oh, you can request via reviews. I will do the profile of the character that gets requested the most. And obviously, I won't repeat profiles.

Oh God, I've got science, math AND religion tests all on Wednesday x( Wish me luck guys, cuz I blew off studying for religion to write this chapter lol.

ALL HAIL DA QUEEN!