Once again, I say hello towards everyone that has managed to actually take up the will to click on the link and make it towards this chapter. To a large extent, this is a project that slowly trundles along the rails like a slow train however at the same time, I truly wish to make those that read it happy. It's long however at the same time, trying to sum up events in this world within 10,000 words seems to either be done or not.
But hello! I'm back and with more! What with everything that happened last chapter in regards to the battles, I suppose to an extent that this chapter will be the sort of semi-climax that all the readers look forward to somewhat. If that is the case and you think that this Virizion arc is something that should end quickly, well then here we are with a sort of ending.
Personally, as I write these beginning notes, I have no idea how long the chapter is or if it is the last one in this arc. The only thing that I can hope for is that you guys enjoy this chapter with your heart and make it through without skipping anything.
Also, just like one of my other fics, some of you have asked some questions that I haven't really answered. So here we go.
Unseen Lurker: For your question regarding Gary's attitude, I see where you are coming from. However to an extent, we all know that sometimes kids don't know their limits and taking that here is sometimes a good and bad thing. Try and imagine Gary as Carrie from King's novel here except he's a kid who knows the power that he possessed as a kid and wanted to show who was boss. Yet as he grew older, it was him that sought forgiveness despite his arrogant attitude. If anything, I'd say that that was how he and Ash became friends. And as for Clair (should she show up) we'll see how things go….
Katz4: For the OCs, their popularity is up to you. If you think that "Hey, this one could perhaps add some flavour to the story", then I'll probably cement them as a character. Although Liberty is kind of the one that knows more about the world than Ash does at the moment and he is a cemented character, for others, their role is up to you. Furthermore, while Ash's PAST travelling companions know that he has BOTH the Scar and that he is Aura less, both Iris and Cilan DO NOT have that knowledge.
thor94: Thanks for your kind words. As for trying to give Ash an unbeatable power, I feel as though that would change who I've made him to be from the story. In the anime and here too, he is someone who tries to beat those with the small power that he has and if he suddenly got a power out of the blue, I feel that his OPness would change that too much. However at the same time, I think that him overcoming these challenges is what draws us to him as a character no? That and how long we've known him.
Thanks for the questions and continue to drop them in if you want some answers.
And I once again want to thank everyone that has read this far into the story and I hope that you enjoy this world and the AU that it is set in.
So enjoy.
Mr Question Mark.
Iris felt her breathing slow down even if it was a minute amount as she tried to calm her heart. Following what Agent Aura Jetstream had told her, she tried her best to focus on the sensation of the pain itself. Why was it hurting? What made it so? Those basic questions were made to dismantle the nature off the pain itself. It was nothing more than skin receptors sensing the foreign nature of something that should not be there and because of that, should be classified as 'phenomenon' rather than a sensation itself.
Her Axew, her partner, rubbed its face against hers with a cornered look of its face, repeating its name as it tried to calm down Iris's breathing.
While the wound that she had received was tiny, the psychological effect that it had had was because the greatest danger towards Iris's mind. Although it was only a wound that did not draw too much blood, the source of the wound on her leg was something that throbbed every now and then.
Still Iris truly felt herself calm down as she looked around herself where she lay on the ground. Poachers and Pokémon circled the area, different Jeeps surrounding them as well, the only thing that was of noting being the large machine that was in the centre of the clearing that they found themselves in, in front of the largest tree in the Pinwheel Forest.
Aura Jetstream was calm, despite the bruise on her face, as she looked around, Lucario doing the same as they both looked around themselves, perhaps for something that allowed them to escape the situation that they had been placed in. They could not use aura due to the nature of the handcuffs that had been supplied to them by the Aura Justice Department.
"Are you OK?" asked Jetstream towards Iris for what seemed the umpteenth time. She had constantly asked it in order to remind Iris that the pain was nothing more than a sensation and while it could be overwhelming, that was what it was.
Iris slowly nodded her head however probably guessed that her face was extremely pale. She tried to rise, the pain in her leg increasing from the movement however it was nothing more than a simple sensation. She pushed herself upwards and looked back down to the Pokémon that was perhaps the most worried in the situation.
"I'm OK." She said as she angled her hands to put her own hands in Axew's paws to reassure the Pokémon.
"Ew!" Came the happy reply and the poachers that were guarding the prisoners turned towards them with a look of pure contempt before turning back towards the machine that had everyone's eye at the current moment as the parabolic antenna that was on it continued to rotate around and around.
"Good." Said Jetstream with a smile. "I knew that you would be able to beat through it. You're pretty strong after all."
"I still have a long way to go." Replied Iris, perhaps in self-derision towards herself however Jetstream merely shook her head and comforted her despite what she had said about herself.
"Hardly. It was the first time that you had gotten shot right? I remember my first time. That's hardly a good memory though. But others have had it worse." Jetstream nodded slightly towards her and Iris looked towards the machine that was in the middle of the clearing.
"What about that?" she asked. While she was curious about the Agent's experiences, she felt that it was hardly the time for such a flashback to occur in the stressed situation that they were in. The antenna that was on top of the machine continued to rotate around and around however its role in the capturing of Virizion, should it even exist, eluded Iris.
"That machine?" asked Jetstream as she turned towards Lucario, Iris and Axew meeting her gaze as they looked towards the Pokémon that had spoken through telepathy. Now that she found that everyone was looking towards her, Lucario 'spoke'.
"The machine…it's doing something with the aura in the area. I can feel it. I'm not sure what it is that is happening but there is definitely a change that is occurring in the air because of the machine."
The poachers that were around them seemed to jump and turned to the group, pointing their weapons towards Lucario as she had spoken for the first time ever since being captured. It was clear they were unsure how to approach the telepath however it was the fact that they needed to rely on their weapons that perhaps suggested that they had grown accustomed to their position of power.
"You. Shut up." said one of the poachers while the one next to him gave a small grin.
"Well. Looks like the rumours are true about you then." he said.
Iris turned her head towards the poacher that had spoken and frowned. Rumours? What in the world was he talking about?
"Rumours?" The one that had asked that question was not Iris, she did not think that she was that comfortable in the situation in talking to those who were teamed with the person who had shot her, but rather the man next to him.
"You don't know about Aura Jetstream and her legendary Lucario? Don't you think that it's mysterious how a person that young can be an Agent of the AJD already? Where is her back up? She was alone when she surrendered. That only shows how much faith the AJD has in her ability. You think someone like that isn't a legend in our business? Damn. I can't believe I got teamed with a rookie." The man spat out those comments and Iris adjusted her gaze to see Jetstream looking towards the man with a deep frown at his comments.
She too had thought it was strange. How was it that she had managed to become a member of the AJD despite her young age? She herself had said that it was her 'work' however what was that? What was it that she had done? Iris was reminded that although she had merely met the girl, there were many stories out there that she did not know in regards to how the world functioned and meant that different people would be entwined in some destiny together merely because of the nature of those stories.
Wasn't that the case with her? And those poachers? Iris was sure that different paths that converged here did so without anyone realising and people had their pasts. But how they dealt with them and focused on the present was up to the individual and not anyone else.
"So? She can't be that good. She gave up. She was the one that came here with her hands up. That bruise on her cheek is the only wound that she received because of it."
Iris fully looked towards the girl however she didn't even meet her gaze, looking straight at the man that had spoken. She was a hero of justice and yet she gave up!? Why was that the case?
"She's probably got something up her sleeve." Said the second man. "I have no idea what it is but I want the pleasure of shooting The Aura Jetstream myself. Shiftry, you stay back. This one is mine." Replied the man.
"Shif." Came the reply and the Pokémon that was next to him turned its gaze towards Iris however the man shook his head in response.
"No. You can deal with the Lucario that was sent to hell itself and rose only to be with its master."
Shiftry's gaze fell towards Lucario and it was then that Jetstream spoke up since the first time that she had been addressed and talked about by those two men.
"Hey. You can say what you like about me, but you better damn well take back what you said about Lucario. You know nothing about us and what we've done. So don't arrogantly think that you can assume from just a few stories that you might have heard." Jetstream spat out those words and gained a tense atmosphere around her, her aura circling around her in response to her negative emotions.
The man narrowed his gaze before turning back around and focused on the machine that was in the centre of clearing with pure hatred in his opinion of the girl that had spoken back to him, the dense aura circling around him merely proving that fact. His Shiftry though did not move as it stood right next to Lucario looking down at the Pokémon with something of a mocking glance.
"Lucario. Ignore them." she said towards the Pokémon in reassurance perhaps because of the memory that was coming from the story that had been told. "They know nothing about us."
"….."
Lucario was silent as she looked down towards the ground and Iris looked between her and the Pokémon that were sitting handcuffed with her. Just what kind of things had they been through since they joined the AJD? Iris truly wondered how people could live like her while others managed to live their lives without even having been exposed to such conflict before.
Her mind wandered towards the machine that was in the middle of the clearing, wondering what it was that the machine in the middle of the room was doing with the aura in the area however she could not think about that at the very moment.
This was not her only conflict. There were people here that had been involved just as she had without even considering what it was that they were up against.
And she could only hope that they were perhaps in a better situation that she was in right now.
Ash Ketchum tensed as he felt that hard object pressed up against his head. The flat base that it possessed meant that there was only one thing that he could associate with it in the back of his mind given the weapons that surrounded him while looking down at the clearing below him and the poachers that were there.
Krokorok, Pikachu and Sewaddle surrounded him as well however their lack of camouflage foliage meant their various colours could be seen as well. Was that how he had been spotted in the first place?! Ash wondered just how serious the situation was in order for people to be patrolling the area for people that wanted to interfere.
"What do you want?" asked Ash towards the person that was behind him. At the very least, he wanted as much information as he could get before he joined Aura Jetstream and Iris as he wondered especially what it was that the machine in the middle of the clearing served as. There were so many different things that could go wrong in this situation however at the end of the day, the willingness and confidence of those that held all the cards was what determined whether Ash would know the cards that they held.
The pressure was lifted off Ash's head and he began to turn his head in order to try to gain a look towards who was behind him-
Only to be poked in the cheek with the flat base of a long stick as he turned towards it. His cheek seemed to cave in as he continued to turn his head, seeing the tired face of the last person that he had expected to be here.
"L-Liberty!?"
Liberty Knox lifted up the stick from his cheek and looked at Ash with that same tired expression. His suit seemed to be tattered in a number of places, with a hole above his left shoulder, both his left red eye and right blue eye seeming rather pleased to see the boy.
"Honestly Ash, if you're going to stay hidden at least do so with some more cover. I can see Pikachu's tail and your hat sticks out like a sore thumb." He gave comments perhaps from the perspective of someone who was involved in these things more than he should have however he approached the ledge where Ash was, looking down at the group below him.
"Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?" said Pikachu with an expression of shock as it looked towards the boy while Ash merely spluttered out confused words.
"W-What are you doing here?!" he asked him.
Liberty on the other hand did not avert his gaze as he took out a pair of glasses from his blazer pocket and donned them, looking down at the area below the ledge where they were with a perceptive gaze while he answered Ash's questions.
"I told you remember? I had someone tell me about a possible Legendary sighting or incident that was taking place here so I thought I'd check it out." He replied as he watched the movement of the poachers and their weapons while Ash looked rather worriedly at the hole that was in his left sleeve. Something like the smell of blood seemed to come from it however Ash did not want to inquire as the boy seemed fine. Rather it was something else that he had said that Ash struck as important.
"Wait. You said sighting? As in, Virizion is real!?" blurted Ash however Pikachu covered his mouth in response, the rest of the Pokémon looking towards Liberty as he looked down over the ledge.
"What are you saying? Of course it is. Well, these poachers definitely seem to think so. It's rare to see so much of them together. But thinking otherwise when others are so determined to think so isn't going to get anyone anywhere." Whether he was speaking from knowledge that he himself obtained or the fact that he was thinking from the mindset of the poachers, the question of whether or not Virizion was real did not seem to matter.
There were those that thought it did and were willing to hurt those who stood in their way. Was that perhaps the only reason that he needed to jump in? The fact that people had the possibility of getting hurt?
"Is that why you have a weapon?" Liberty turned away from the scene with a frown and Ash pointed to the back of his head and Liberty seemed to get what he meant.
"That? Hardly. I just used this stick and my tongue." Liberty made the same noise that he had before when Ash had thought he had a gun pointed at the back of his head. "I'm not going to use the stick. It's too fragile. And I already have a gun so I know what it sounds like. Emulating the sound can be surprisingly useful you know."
Ash gulped as the eyed the back of Liberty's pants where he knew the gun was located. He had seen the weapon in action and opened his mouth towards asking Liberty a crucial question. He did not know if it was going to change his opinion of him but he still felt that it had to be asked.
"No." As if Liberty had anticipated the very question that Ash was going to ask, Liberty replied with that short response. "Before, when I used it, the enemies weren't human. I have no qualms in destroying something that shouldn't belong. But these people have their own lives and opportunities to live. I'm not going to merely kill them and destroy that. So don't worry about the gun."
Ash was silent and he turned towards Pikachu who was looking right back at the boy before turning back towards where Liberty's gaze was.
"The poachers are everywhere." Said Ash as he looked towards the group below where he was. "There's a strange machine in the middle of the room however even then, I can't tell what it is or what it is supposed to do in regards to what is happening here. Can you tell?"
"I know about as much as you do. Maybe even less." Gave Liberty as he looked towards said machine. "You have an AJD member of your side so the briefing she gave you probably told you more than I know. I was just shot and not told much from the poacher that attacked me."
"Y-You were shot!?" hissed Ash however Pikachu again put its paws against Ash's mouth and Ash did the same to Pikachu. Sewaddle and Krokorok merely looked at the boy who had not complained one iota ever since he had made his way towards the group as they overlooked the scene beneath them.
"Never mind that. I dealt with the issue so I can only hope that it doesn't affect me long term." Stated Liberty in an annoyed tone. "But what did that AJD member tell you?" he asked him and Ash blinked a few times, replaying the events of what had happened towards the boy as Liberty occasionally nodded and looked back at the scene.
"So…..they want Virizion's aura?" asked Liberty to which Ash shook his head. They both wondered who it was that had saved him when he was about to fall into the river however they dealt with the important issues first.
"No. They're poachers. They want Virizion itself. Ah!" Ash looked down at his own shoe, towards the gel like substance that had stuck there ever since he had stepped into it. "And there's also this." He wiped it off his shoe and Liberty frowned as he looked towards it, taking it off Ash's finger and giving it a sniff, talking as he did so.
"But if they want Virizion why do they want its aura?" asked Liberty as he recoiled from the scent of the gel substance that he was sniffing, Ash considering Liberty's question before taking a sniff and recoiling with a disgusted look on his face, covering his mouth and nose with his arm.
"W-what is this?!" he spat out as he covered his mouth, the Pokémon looking at the gel like substance that was on his shoe and taking a whiff of the foul substance before they too covered their noses, Sewaddle finding it hard given its pudgy arms and elected to rubbing its face into the leaves that covered its body.
The smell itself was something that Ash knew of. After all, he had had plenty of opportunities to take a sniff of it whenever he went out with his mother when he was young and whenever he passed a certain location in any town that sold the object that made the smell. He hadn't a proper smell of it before but now that he had, there was only one thing that it could be described as.
"Gas?!" Ash said in surprise as he looked towards the gel-like substance. The gasoline smell that it gave off was almost overpowering however at the same time, Ash had a hard time believing that the substance in front of him was gasoline given the fact that it was not a liquid.
Liberty looked at the substance on Ash's shoe before taking more of it and having a prolonged sniff, his face contorting with different emotions before wiping the gel on the leaves beneath him, the gel sticking to it in an unnatural fashion.
And for the gel in front of him, Liberty's eyes widened in what was panic and fear. He looked towards the clearing once again, crouching and moving towards the edge of the ledge that they were on and seeing the path that went away from where the poachers were, although he placed less weight on his left arm to make it look like he was sort of limping.
He looked down the path with his glasses, Ash doing the same with the Pokémon around him, noting the gel like substance that covered the path and ran off into the distance. Liberty gulped as he looked at the gel, tuning back towards where the poachers were.
"This isn't good. This isn't good at all. Ash, do you think you can move and stay quiet at the same time?" Ash nodded reluctantly as he looked at the Pokémon that were with him before turning back to Liberty.
"Good. I'll need you to do a lot here, a job that we need to do in order to make sure that us Aura Zeroes stay alive." He said as he moved back along the way that he came, standing up and ducking low so that his arm did not touch the ground, a red substance leaking down from it. Ash looked at it rather nervously as he looked back towards Liberty.
"Hey! What is this…..gel? And why so you think that Virizion's aura is going to be taken? I told you remember? It's this area that Virizion is pouring its aura into and that's why the poachers are here! In order to try and get Virizion!" asked Ash as they made their way around the ledge, looking at all of the poachers that were around rather nervously.
"I only have one answer to those questions that you want to hear right now. But as for the second, I don't know why they want Virizion's aura, but you see that machine?" Ash looked over towards it and looked back towards Liberty.
"It's a type of machine that is made to deal with Overloads. Do you know what those are?"
Ash nodded slightly, his mind going back to the incident that had occurred in Accumula Town and the results that had almost been created there without the knowledge of its residents.
"The machine is designed to absorb aura. Like a sponge in water, inject it into the vein of someone and it absorbs the entire aura stream until a certain point and then the prod is taken out. It's very effective but here's they've done something different. They've put the 'prod' into the 'vein' that is the soil and absorbing the aura in the soil. I'd prefer it if they didn't target Virizion itself but they're absorbing the aura in the soil, not attacking Virizion." Liberty explained and Ash frowned in response.
They…..were absorbing the aura? He knew that aura could be contained. He had seen it before in plenty of occasions so were they planning on containing the aura of Virizion? Certainly, its aura was most likely of an Extremely High level but even then, why would they want it? Giving it to those who were of a Low level would not increase it. It didn't make sense that that was the case.
Liberty had basically stated that he knew what the gel was however there was one thing that stumped him about the incident that was happening and that was the machine in the centre. Thinking as the poachers, Virizion existed and telling them that it might not was not going to change what they were doing.
Given that, what was the machine for?
Ash followed Liberty while the rest of the Pokémon tried to do the same however Ash turned and looked towards Krokorok and Sewaddle who were following the two boys before they descended the ledge and were about the hide behind the nearest Jeep that was in the area.
"You guys? Do you think that you could use Dig and hide underground? Pikachu, I want to make sure that you are with me, otherwise, I need you guys to go underground. OK?"
Krokorok and Sewaddle seemed conflicted with the idea however they both nodded and Krokorok burrowed underground, Sewaddle looking towards Ash before descending the hole, Ash looking down it as they disappeared from sight. Soil collapsed on itself to cover the hole, the same soil that was acting as a 'vein' towards aura right now.
Yet, Ash turned around and looked towards the machine itself. If it was supposed to absorb aura, then what was the parabolic antenna for? Using something like that was surely to find something, that something being Virizion. But it was absorbing aura. Could it be used to find something?
Ash watched as Liberty looked around himself for something, also pocketing his glasses, before picking up a rock and tossing it in his hands once, nodding towards Ash and Pikachu (who had hopped onto Ash's shoulder) as he threw the rock into the air.
Ash watched it go as it struck a Jeep with a loud clang, everyone turning their heads towards the direction where the Jeep had been, the two boys taking the opportunity to descend the ledge and immediately hide behind the Jeep that they had chosen, breathing as softly as they could in order to make sure that no one would turn their gazes towards where they had just descended, given the unnatural path of disturbed dirt that they had created when going down.
Both of the boys placed their backs against the Jeep, Liberty looking at the machine with an expression of thought, the same thought that Ash was having at the moment.
The objective and what the poachers clearly wanted were in conflict. Why collect someone's aura when you wanted them specifically?
The parabolic antenna was looking for something. Given that it was connected to the machine, what could it possibly be looking for?
"Liberty." Asked Ash as he looked at the machine. "Is the machine using the aura in the area to look for Virizion and its location?" Ash felt that it was the only thing that met the situation in the context of the situation and Liberty frowned while looking at the machine.
"You mean like a metal detector?" Ash considered the analogy and nodded. If a metal detector analysed the nature of metal and beeped in regards to its presence, wasn't that the same with the machine? Was it not 'detecting' and collecting the aura around it before trying to determine the location where the aura was?
"But even then, it's not going to be enough." Stated Liberty as he saw that most of the poachers were moving towards where the rock had clanged against the Jeep, the two of the boys taking the opportunity to run towards the nearest Jeep as they got closer towards their destination.
Ash had wondered if it was the machine that they were going to however even then, it was clear that it was not where they were heading.
It was towards the prisoners that were Iris, Axew and Jetstream and Lucario.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you read the Virizion legend?" asked Liberty as he looked towards the number of poachers that had made their way towards the Jeep and stopped, realising that there was nothing there, looking around the area for anything that had created the sound in the first place. Ash took note of that, Pikachu hopping off his shoulder and staying close to the ground as he shook his head.
"The legend says that Virizion is empowered by the Forest. If that is the case, then the very fact that Virizion is trying to rejuvenate the Forest itself should make it pretty obvious that they have a symbiotic relationship, Virizion feeding the Forest and the Forest protecting it as well." Stated Liberty as he swallowed and looked around.
With his finger, he indicated towards the space beneath the Jeep and Ash looked towards it, nodding as the two of them made their way underneath the Jeep that they were hiding behind, looking around for those that were sure to take them hostage or worse if they stopped them.
Charging in and attacking was something that could not be done and anything that was overly suspicious would immediately put those 30+ poachers on full alert with their Pokémon as well. Given that Flying Pokémon probably patrolled the skies, they had to make sure that they weren't seen either.
Ash could tell with his Aura Perception that it was probably the case; the Forest itself seemed to be rich with aura but even then, he would have guessed. Since everything within the world possessed aura to some degree, it was natural to think that the forest was the same as well.
But if that was the case, that also meant something else. If Virizion was empowered by the Forest, it meant that the Forest itself had the ability to give a substantial amount of power towards the Pokémon itself. Furthermore, that also meant that the Forest had the ability to produce enough aura to protect itself from such threats.
Hadn't Cilan said that the Forest had a large amount of focused aura, larger than any other flora area in Unova? That only seemed to support the hypothesis.
Yet, at the same time it also suggested one main point.
"Can the Forest protect itself and Virizion as well?" sked Ash as he followed what Liberty was saying to the end.
Liberty clicked his fingers softly and pointed towards Ash.
"You hit the nail on the head. The Forest itself is going to protect Virizion. The unnatural amount of aura that has gathered here only supports that. But at the same time, these poachers….is that something that they have compensated for? If so, how are they going to make sure that the get rid of the Forest's protection?" His voice was a whisper as the two of them tried to figure out the last mystery that surrounded the incident.
The poachers thought that Virizion existed. So in order to deal the most damage towards them, Ash and Liberty had to assume the same as well. And figuring out the purpose of that machine that was in the middle of the clearing using logic and knowledge that they already had was the only way in order to protect Virizion.
"Shouldn't we try and figure out exactly where Virizion is then?" asked Ash. "If we have that then wouldn't it be obvious where they would target in order to try and get rid of the Forest's protection?"
"But how are they going to target it? If they use missiles, using our blood to try and stop it will have no effect. If they use aura attacks, using the environment by stealing one of the trucks will have no effect as well. We need to know in order to give the greatest effect." Said Liberty as he looked around from under the Jeep itself.
Their hiding place was not perfect and there was bound to be a person that would see them from afar or spot them merely by coincidence. That meant that they had to move from underneath the Jeep towards the nearest thing that there was that served as cover. However the only thing that served such a thing was the massive tree's root that was sticking out of the ground near them, on the side where they would need to roll out from underneath the Jeep in order to reach.
Yet at the same time, there was nothing that they had as a distraction right now in front of them. Liberty reached into his blazer pocket for something however Ash decided that there was probably something else that could serve the same purpose as whatever he was trying to bring out.
"Pikachu." Whispered Ash towards the Pokémon and the Mouse turned towards him. He used what little movement he could in order to try and point towards the leg of one of the men that was standing near a Jeep further away, near towards where Iris was.
"I need use to use Thunderbolt. But enough to grab his attention. Not enough to actual stun him."
Pikachu nodded as it looked towards it target, sparks coming from its cheeks in small amounts before it said one thing as it unleashed the attack.
"Chuuuuuuuuuuuu." The whispered response from Pikachu was short however something shot out of its cheeks, heading towards the man where it struck him on the leg. He let out a shout in response and turned around, whipping his head all around the area which attracted the attention of those that were near him as they wondered what it was that he was looking at.
Pikachu went first while both of the boys took their stance, rolling from underneath the Jeep and vaulting the root that was in front of them, the size of it meaning that they had to lean against it in order to truly camouflage them from the others.
"Good job buddy." Congratulated Ash towards the Pokémon, patting it on the head.
"Pika pika." Replied Pikachu is a whisper as Liberty leaned as far out as he dared in order to try and get a look at what was happening. With the rock that was thrown ad the sudden attack that had been sent their way, the poachers were definitely more tense in regards to the security that they were making as the parabolic antenna circled around and around.
He leaned against the root when he was satisfied however even then, Ash questioned something that the boy had said.
"Hey Liberty. You said that we need to try and figure out how the poachers are going to attack where Virizion is. I get that…..But where is it? We can't protect the area if we don't know where it is. If that antenna is going to search it out then won't they know before we do?" he asked.
"Pikachu pikapika?" Pikachu seemed to have the same questions as Liberty looked towards the both of them with a confused look.
"It should be pretty obvious. But then again, the obvious is why the location was chosen as the hiding spot for Virizion. It was pretty well played if I do say so myself." He said things that were probably towards himself however he rapped a knuckle against the tree behind him. "Virizion is right here."
"There?!" said Ash as he looked towards the tree. It made sense; it was large enough to embody the whole body of such a Legendary. Not only that but if this tree was the largest then wasn't it possible that the aura that was pushed through the tree was pushed into the soil? Wouldn't that cover a large area and make sure that it reached the entire Forest, a location that they had been looking for in the first place?
Still there was something about it that was off. Like Liberty had said….it was too obvious.
"Are you sure?"
"Again, the legend says all. That which powers over all rests where it should. While that can refer to the Legendary, it has the location hidden within it. Which is the tallest tree? Which is the place in the Forest which truly 'rules'? Wouldn't you say it's this?"
"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." Ash said slowly as he placed his hand against the tree, feeling the touch underneath his hands that was created as a result, energy passing through it and making the wound on his left knuckle pulse, as if something had passed through it. "So…you're really here aren't you Virizion?" the boy asked softly towards the tree, Pikachu doing the same thing and making sure that they were in the shade of the root.
"Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
"So, then that means that they'll target Virizion with something that will attack this tree right? What about the gel?" asked Ash to which Liberty paled at the thought of the use of the gel as a weapon. It was gas, or at least had gasoline as a part of it, but what about it made Liberty pale in that fashion? Ash felt his shoe where the gel was suddenly grow a whole lot heavier as a result.
"No. They wouldn't use that. At least, I hope not. I hope." He repeated himself as if trying to pray towards Arceus but even then, that would not stop anyone from using it if they had the choice.
"But then what? They have all the weapons that they need, all of the Pokémon that they have and-"
Ash blinked once before realising something, moving past Liberty but at the same time flipping his hat backwards, almost as if the action was natural when he was thinking hard.
Ash stopped as he looked around the corner of the root, looking at the poachers that were passing by in front of him. The Pokémon as well. They were all tense, yes, but they were looking towards the machine. Not only that but there was something off about some of the poachers as well.
Not all of them had their fingers on the triggers of their weapons.
While the Pokémon could summon power that allowed them to do incredible things, the poachers were not the same. While they were tense, not all of them were willing to be prepared to fight. Although Ash had seen the effect that distrust had created, it was not something that was visible here.
Why weren't they afraid of each other?
Why weren't they ready to use their weapons against the tree where Virizion was hidden?
Was it possible that they had a weapon that surpassed that?
Ash looked around once more, Pikachu doing the same. Was it looking for the same thing that Ash was? In times of tension, their hearts were perhaps the most connected than any other trainers so that connection could have led Pikachu to look for the same thing.
Which weapon was the one that all the poachers had their fingers on? There was none, almost a poacher of every weapon type having their fingers off the trigger as they watched the machine and others walked around. If that was the case, then was it possible that the weapon had yet to arrive?
What was it that could possibly tear a hole in the very defence that the Pinwheel Forest would put up in order to protect Virizion?
"A-Ah-!"
"P-pika-!"
Both Ash and Pikachu started to yell as they realised the very fact however Liberty slammed his hands over their mouths and pulled them back towards the root of the tree, his breathing escalating as he landed on his wounded shoulder however even then he did not care. Neither did Ash or Pikachu as they listened intently towards anything that was coming their way.
Liberty let go of them and they both turned towards him with eagerness in their eyes.
"I got it!"
"Pi-pikachu!"
"Then spit it out!" replied Liberty with an annoyed look on his face and Ash peered over the edge of the root once again, pointing frantically towards the machine.
"You see it? It's taking in Virizion's aura. You said that it was to use as a sort of metal detector but what if it is also used for something else besides that? What if it was also used to try and turn Virizion's aura into a weapon?" asked Ash as he let his words hang in the air. "If that is what is happening then they have the best way to destroy that defensive!"
Turning aura into a weapon. From the standpoint of someone who had not used aura ever since he was born, the idea might seem something that was complex and needed a large amount of calculations in order to complete. However through the use of the machine, it was perhaps easier than it would have been using human hands. Was not an Aura Sword an aura weapon? The same with Pokémon attacks that were strengthened with aura. Were they not also aura weapons?
The concept was easy to bring to life and perhaps even more so given that a machine as being used in the process.
Liberty put a hand to his chin as he considered Ash's words. "Using Virizion's power that is supplied by the Forest itself in order to destroy the Forest. Thus in turn meaning that one could open the path towards Virizion itself using its own aura. Not only would it be severely weakened from the attack but the fact that it would be lacking in aura itself would mean that it would be easy prey!"
He turned towards the machine with a drop of sweat running down his cheek. "We need to reach the others before that machine places Virizion's location." He said as he scanned the area with his eyes for something that he could use for cover, his eyes catching something that was over to the far left and he gave a groan.
"Wh-What is it?" asked Ash as he followed his gaze, hoping that it was not something else that would cause problems towards the already bad situation that he found himself in. However to an extent, it was something worse than that.
Ahead of them was a van, something that had been blocked by his line of sight by the other trees when he had been looking down from the ledge where he was. However as he looked towards it right now, rage filled his mind and Ash clenched his fist as he looked towards the van.
Pikachu tensed as well as soon as it saw the van.
The van itself was unlike the other Jeeps that surrounded the area. It had six wheels and looked like a refrigerator on its side and its dirty black colour was something that matched the heart of the person that it belonged to. Ash could tell from the sight of it that it opened from the front, something that he could see, however the fact of the matter was that the person who owned it, or at least their henchmen were here in Unova made him cringe.
Liberty Knox clicked his tongue and considered his options while Ash Ketchum merely let one name come from his mouth in a voice that was barely a whisper.
"Hunter J…"
Both of the boys breathed silently where they lay against the trunk of the tree, looking at the vehicle that clearly belonged to the Pokémon criminal that was Hunter J.
"You know her?"
"You know her?"
Both of the boys asked at the same time, Pikachu looking surprised at Liberty however he merely raised both of his hands as if he were surrounding a position of some sort.
"I've told you Ash. I run into a large amount of trouble, not to my choice. Well to be fair, mostly not to my choice. She and I have run into each other a few too many times."
"B-But I thought that her ship was attacked back in the Sinnoh region! She crashed into Lake Valor right!? I was involved in what was happening so I know all about it!" he said on response, almost frantically as if he wanted to ty and deny what it was that he was seeing before his very eyes.
"You were involved? Does that mean that Team Galactic and Spear P…..No this isn't the time to share stories. The ripples that followed those events are something that might make you feel guilty if you were involved in those early incidents." Liberty said terms that Ash had never heard of before however before he could Liberty continued regardless.
"J survived the attack. Although she needed surgery due to the damage she received, she's basically the same. And if her trucks are here, some of these poachers are definitely working for her. Which means….." Both of them looked up towards the sky, towards the ship that was surely flying above their heads, motionless and silent like a predator.
"B-But!" said Ash. "That doesn't change what we have to do." He said, while keeping the van in the corner of his eye as he looked for some way to try and reach those allies that had been captured.
But still, there was something in the fact that J was here that meant one thing. The other people here were surely small fry in her eyes, people that would surely lose towards her overwhelming skill and arsenal of weapons at her disposal. J would have left nothing to chance, although his constant interference in her plans perhaps suggested that there were some things that she did not predict happening.
Ash kept his eye on the van, before turning completely. The move towards it would leave them out in the open however the fact of the matter was that they could not reach that van under normal conditions. It was too risky and there was no point in doing so.
However at the same time, if they wanted there to be the greatest information in regards to fighting back…..
"Liberty. Do you think we could reach that van?" he asked the boy and he looked back at Ash. Pikachu was looking at its trainer with a look as though it was questioning his ability to make proper judgments however Liberty did not say anything. He looked at the van and then back towards Ash himself, Ash feeling as though he was looking at something that was past himself and looking deep into his eyes, searching for the reason to why Ash had made the suggestion.
"You want to reach the van? We'd need to attract a lot of attention towards ourselves and there would be no way to actually conceal ourselves if we were spotted. Are you prepared for that?" asked Liberty.
Ash looked at the machine that was in the middle of the clearing before turning his head towards the van that belonged to Hunter J. There was no way that she would leave anything up to chance when it came to a target that was in her sights. So if they wanted to know exactly the process that was happening here or could possibly happen, they would need to get towards that van no matter what.
Ash nodded towards Liberty and Liberty looked back at the boy before looking over the root towards their enemies.
Without a word, Liberty reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out what looked to be a small test tube, filled with a red liquid.
Ash needed no explanation towards what it was as he looked towards the vial filled with Liberty's blood. He was passed it and with a surprised expression looked towards Liberty who was bringing out a small cylinder that he used to screw into his gun that he had brought out.
"I need you to throw it then Ash." He said as he tightened the silencer, what else could it be, to the gun. "You can roll it, lob it, I don't care. We need a distraction that hits almost the middle of the area that we're in. If you can reach near the machine, that's fine as well."
"What is it going to do?" asked Ash as he held and tipped the test tube as Liberty's blood flowed within it. "There's no aura to negate within the area."
"You think so? You told me about your Aura Perception the last time we met right? Have you noticed that the area that we're in is filled with it? Your wound and mine have stopped bleeding by now but if they were still, there would be no mistake that the wound would definitely rip open as soon as our blood made contact with that aura." Liberty explained as he finished tightening the silencer.
"So, are you going to use this to create a distraction?" asked Ash nervously to which Liberty nodded. He held the gun up near his own face and looked towards Ash.
"Whenever you're ready."
Ash nodded and gripped the test tube lightly as he peered over the edge of the root. He slowed his breathing as far as he could in order to make sure that his hand wasn't shaking as he made his move. He threw the test tube underarm so that it rolled against the ground however it did not get very far before it struck the tyre of a Jeep and stopped rolling.
Liberty immediately shot out from the edge of the root, the movement that he made meaning that some of the poachers and their Pokémon were turning towards the root itself and Ash had taken the sudden movement as a silent signal.
He stood up, turning his hat back around, Pikachu joining him as they both broke into a run towards J's vehicle.
Liberty pulled the trigger and the silenced bullet flew through the air, striking the test tube as it shattered. Blood flew out and struck the aura that had collected in the area itself, aura that belonged to both the Forest and Virizion. The moment that it did, the Sound resounded out and an explosion of air immediately threw Jeeps, people and Pokémon to the side.
Unfortunately, the machine was untouched, moving slightly in response to the explosion but the parabolic antenna still rotated and worked fine. But even then, the chaos that was created as a result immediately erupted to envelop everyone that had a weapon.
Poachers shouted at each other as a result, Pokémon glaring at each other and the trainers in pure distrust as they looked towards those who were the ones that were sure to have attacked the Jeeps that now lay upside down and on their side with all of their windows smashed and tyres blown out from the mere attack.
Ash looked at the destruction that had occurred as he dived against the dirt towards the back of the van, Liberty following and pocketing the gun and silencer as they both breathed heavily as they leaned against the back of the van. The shouts were escalating and Liberty frowned as he looked around the back of it towards where he could see both Iris and Jetstream sitting there, looking rather surprised at the sudden turn of events that had occurred.
Ash joined him, looking worriedly towards his friends however felt that they would not be hurt. It was something that he hoped at the bottom of his heart but he also had the responsibility as a member of this world to protect its residents and that also included the Pokémon and the Forest itself.
If they collected Virizion, who knew what would happen? This was Ash's call and Liberty had merely gone along with his wishes. For that he was thankful and Ash hoped that whatever J had on what was going on was something that would perhaps allow some greater light to be shed on the events of today.
The chaos that had been created from the one action that Liberty and Ash had created meant that there was surely going to be some action on the end of J's thugs. And that was something that was obvious from the man that was approaching the van that they were leaning against.
The front of the van opened up, like something similar to an escape pod, there was a hiss of gas pouring out and the front of the van opened up to reveal a driver's seat. Both Ash and Liberty were at the back end of the van, looking towards the part of the van that ejected itself outwards to reveal the place where the driver was supposed to be.
"Damn it!? Where is it?!" shouted the man that had opened the 'door' to the van, both of the boys edging themselves closer towards the opening towards the van. Whether the man was getting a weapon, Pokéball or even a communications device to communicate with the demon that was probably hovering above their heads, the man quickly finished his business towards dealing with the situation that had erupted in front of him without anyone knowing the wiser from the action.
There was another hiss of gas and the door was beginning to slowly close, Ash reacting in order to make sure that the door did not close and block off the only chance that there was towards trying to prevent him from getting information.
"Pikachu!" said Ash in a whisper however the voices that were overhead meant that there was little chance that he would have been heard if he had shouted. "Use Iron Tail and block the door!"
Pikachu leapt into the air, its tail shining with a metallic glow as it inserted it between the door and the edge where it was closing. The door landed on Pikachu's tail however, like a crowbar, Pikachu used its tail as a fulcrum to lift open the door a fraction, something that both Liberty and Ash caught their fingers on as they both lifted the door open more, Ash climbing in however Liberty not following.
Instead he thrust Pikachu inside with the trainer and looked towards Ash.
"I'll make sure that no one gets inside. It's your time to shine Ash." He said as the door finally closed with the hiss of gas and left both Ash and Pikachu inside the foreign vehicle. Ash had never actually stopped the check on the inside when he had previous run ins with J however now that he was in the inside, he had no idea to do.
The control panel in front of him was filled with confusing buttons but even then, what Ash wanted was information. He looked around, for something that might be similar to a mission briefing that secret agents had but he found nothing, pressing a few buttons on the control panel in front of him, before something whirred and clicked the sight of a blue holographic screen appearing in front of him.
His eyes darted along it as her looked at it, Pikachu looking at the screen as well with interest and disgust at what J and her henchmen were planning on doing.
Virizion capture plan.
Request by Client: XXXXXXXXXX
Whether the client's name as confidential or not, Ash still felt small anger built up at how these people were planning on treating Pokémon's lives as if they were something to be bought and sold at a whim.
Still he read on with what J's information had gathered at that point, hoping to find something that would allow them to turn the tables around.
Reports from the Pinwheel Forest as well as an in depth analysis on the legend seems to suggest that the most likely hiding place for Virizion within the Pinwheel Forest would be the location of the large aura spikes that occur on a yearly scale.
The graph that Jetstream had shown Ash previously was below it and Ash merely skipped past it, knowing the contents and what it was that the graph was saying and what it meant in terms of how it related towards Virizion and its own aura rejuvenation of the Forest. But what did it mean from here?
Using the technology that is used to counteract the effects of Aura Overloads, we have determined a way to determine the location of Virizion within the Forest where the aura is being transplanted into the Forest itself. Through the use of isolating the place where most of the aura is coming from and tracing a path back to the source, isolating the exact location of Virizion should be fairly easy in regards to the eventual seizure.
Capture shall be planned the easy way. All other poachers are to be eliminated once the aura defence surrounding Virizion is eliminated and the usual method shall be employed in order to capture it in its weakened state.
Ash and Pikachu both paled as they read the words that were in front of them.
It was one particular phrase that caught their attention as the screen stopped scrolling and stopped. 'Eliminated'. All of the poachers, and perhaps fellow witnesses to J's spectacular return were to be eliminated in order to prevent there being a way to stop any interference. Then they would manage to attack Virizion because of the fact that its weakened state meant that it would be easy pickings.
The poachers felt that Virizion existed and were going to such extents in order to make sure that they could seize the Pokémon. However what if it was not here? Liberty seemed sure of the fact that it was but was that not because he was thinking the same as the poachers?
Those questions filled his mind however at the same time, some other kind of horror filled his gut. The poachers were to be eliminated. But what about those that were not a part of those groups?
People like Iris and Aura Jetstream. Pokémon that belonged to them as well. There was only one thing that he could assume that J's henchmen would do to them now that they were captured and sitting around; targets that could do nothing to whatever J's henchmen had in plan for them.
He gulped and looked round frantically for another button however something tapped against the right window, the same window that Liberty was against. It got quicker and quicker as Ash looked around himself for the button that opened the door.
"Pikachu!' said Ash as he looked around but found nothing, the only thing that came to mind being a drastic method that met the drastic situation that he found himself. It was in that situation that Ash felt that he understood the meaning of 'drastic times call for drastic measures'.
"Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!" Pikachu looked towards its trainer with a look that suggested that it was question his sanity. However the situation meant that there was only truly one option that would mean that the both of them would manage to get out of the vehicle before anyone came back and without attracting any attention towards them now that they were out in the open and available for attack should any one attack them.
Pikachu nodded once on response and did as it was asked although not without some form of pure hesitation within its attack.
"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu's unleashed the electricity, something that bounced within the small space, a small space which meant that Ash could only grit his teeth and endure the shock that was coursing through his body.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he yelled in pain as sparks sparked across the dashboard and there was a hiss of gas due to the surge in electricity that was in the vehicle itself. The front opened once more and Ash practically bailed out to the right, looking around for J's henchmen that would probably implement the plan to capture Virizion as soon as they had the chance to.
That meant as soon as the machine was ready to blow a hole in the defence surrounding the tree in the middle of the Forest, they would attack. Ash did not think that they would be so compassionate in dealing with others. Due to the fact that J herself was not here, she was not liable towards the actions of her henchmen. Furthermore, these men with the group were fellow criminals as well. There was no question what it was they were prepared to do in order to accomplish their foolish goals of giving into their own greed.
Ash slowly moved towards the edge of the van as Liberty followed, smoke rising from the open van and shouts coming towards them as they both circled back towards the end of the vehicle. Ash panted and looked towards his friends that were at the end of the passageway devoid of cover now that they had attracted too much attention to the fact that there was clearly someone with them.
"-sh! Ash!" Liberty's voice filled his ears as he looked towards the boy. "What did you find?" Liberty asked him.
He answered while still looking for a way to get across the gap that was formed in front of them.
"We need to get towards the others. J isn't going to let anyone else but her get Virizion." He was going to explain what he meant however the response of Liberty seemed to suggest that he knew what it was that he was implying within the statement.
"J is going to get Virizion is as soon as everyone else is gone." He said, looking up towards the tree line however noting that he could hardly see through it. "I think that she's going to have someone else tell her of when she can get closer whenever she has the chance."
Liberty clicked his tongue as he looked towards the people that were covering Iris, Axew, Jetstream and Lucario.
"Then we need to find a way to deal with those guys. As soon as they see us coming, they are only going to make sure that we don't get what we came for."
Ash grit his teeth as he looked at the fact that there was no way that either of them could cross the gap in front of them and manage to attack those that were in front of them. If that was the case, how were they going to save Iris, Jetstream and their Pokémon!?
Was there something that he could do? There were Pokéballs at his belt, but would any of his Pokémon be able deal with each of those men easily? Pidove? Snivy, Tepig or Oshawott? What about Pikachu?
Ash racked his brain for some kind of solution however even then, it was something else that filled his ears that made him turn towards past where the captured were, towards something that was heading towards them as well.
"Pansage! Aura Bullet Seed!"
Cilan of the Striaton Gym had observed the whole thing from the ledge that he had been hiding on. As soon as he had heard the rock clanging against the Jeep, he had angled his head in order to see where it had come from, only to go wide eyed as he saw Ash with Pikachu and another face that he recognised but had not expected to see here.
"I-It's Liberty! And Ash!? What are they doing?" He hissed those words however it was Burgh from next to him that looked thoughtful as he considered the actions of the two boys in regards to the situation that they found themselves in.
"They're trying to get towards the girls!" replied Burgh as he looked towards their actions and what it was that they were doing in regards to moving about the area that they were in, slow movements that were carefully executed in order to make sure that they were not seen by their enemies.
They watched the two of them run towards the next Jeep, still keeping into cover.
"I have to say, the pure heart that Ash has…..it's astounding that it can even reveal itself in situations like this one." They disappeared from sight for a few moments and Cilan felt his heart pound within his chest harder than he thought. His own anxiety in terms of the situation made a faint line of aura circle around him.
"B-But still! What kind of flavours do they have?! They could get captured! Or worse! I have to go and h-" Cilan began to stand up however he was gripped on both sides by both Burgh and Pansage.
"Now, now." said Burgh as he pulled Cilan back down towards himself. "We both wanted to act but it is the role of the Gym Leader to maintain a cool head in times like these. Look, every one of the poachers that are interested in that rock that was thrown in are practically looking this way. I won't have you come out of the cover that we have right now."
"Pan, pansage!" said Pansage in a voice that was almost a whisper. Cilan looked at them both before sinking back down towards where he had previously been yet being all the more worried at the same time.
Cilan watched as he could do nothing as both of the boys managed to get out from underneath the Jeep, how they had gotten there Cilan did not know, before running as fast as they could, now that one of the poachers had been struck by something as he had shouted in response, both of the boys vaulting a tree root and disappearing from sight.
Cilan looked around the area in order to try and search for the reason to why they had done such crazy actions. He did not know what the machine in the centre of the clearing was right now however the fact of the matter was that there was one thing that they could possibly be heading for.
"We have to make sure that we get to Iris and the others." Said Cilan with a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. "It's imperative that we get this recipe right Burgh. If we don't…."
"I understand." Said the Gym Leader. "But how do you propose that we get there? You might not want to note it but now that Ash and your friend have been pinned down by that root, there's hardly anywhere that they can go without attracting attention. Look of the movement of the poachers. They know that something is up."
Cilan turned his gaze towards the enemies and gulped once more. He was silent for a few moments, Burgh was too as they as well as their Pokémon, Pansage and Leavanny scanned the area for something that they could find to be useful in drawing the attention of the poachers away from where they were holding their prisoners and also away from where Ash and Liberty were.
They did not have to wait long.
Before either of them knew it, there was a massive bang, one of the Jeeps overturning and flying through the air as poachers, Pokémon and other Jeeps were thrown towards their sides. Yet even though there was that sudden and unexplained destruction, there was one thing that hung in the air, something that Cilan had definitely heard before.
The Sound.
While that did serve as a distraction, it only made him worry even more about the condition that Ash was in. If that Sound was made as a result of him, then what did it mean about what he had assumed to be the unharmed state of Ash!?
Cilan gulped however the shouting and movement of Ash that he could see in front of him only made him want to move.
So he did.
He leaped over the ledge, dragging Pansage with him as they both tumbled down the ledge, using their aura in order to increase their speed as they struck the back of a Jeep that had been pushed there from the explosion of air. Burgh was surprised as well, yet doing the same however quicker and the both of them panted as they looked around the corner of the Jeep.
Iris was looking towards the location of where the Sound had come from, her expression serious as she was probably thinking the same about the state of Ash in that moment while Jetstream merely twisted her hands so that her fingernails were pressed up against the handcuffs themselves.
Cilan did not know what it was that she was doing however the fact of the matter was that there was a ruckus that was occurring within what had once been calm space. He looked around at all of the tense poachers, thinking whether or not he could take the chance to try and intervene however chose the better of it. He had taken a risk getting this far so there was no point trying to push his luck.
Now that he was down towards a lower level , there was something that caught his eye, something that he had not been able to see otherwise given the location of the tree line. It was a strange van and given the location that Ash and Liberty had run towards, there was only one thing that they could perhaps be running towards.
A man was walking towards it, lifting open the door that looked as though it made the six-wheeled van was some kind of escape pod however the fact of the matter was that he took something out of it before closing the door.
However the door did not close all the way. Instead it opened once again and Cilan gagged as he saw Ash climb into the vehicle with Pikachu, Liberty hanging outside as the door closed and blocked his vision of both of the boys.
More shouting and even some attacks from Pokémon threw everything into an uproar and Cilan immediately turned towards his partner.
"Pansage. I need you to be ready. We need to do something and fast if we want to make sure that he help out Ash." Pansage nodded in response and Cilan turned towards Burgh in order to make sure that he had heard himself.
"Burgh. I know that I have no right to ask you this-" Cilan started to talk however Burgh put up his hand as he turned towards the boy with a smile on his lips.
"Worry not. I knew the risks that I needed to take as soon as I came across what it was that was happening here. I only hope that we do not get harmed as a result of this battle."
Cilan was silent as he nodded towards the man, looking over the Jeep in order to try find the best time to attack, seeing the van open again, smoking and Ash clamber out towards the ground.
He waited a few moments as something within his brain clicked together. He had no idea what it was that Ash was trying to do however he could see the back end of the van from here. There was only one thing that they would want to be doing right now that they had the chance and Cilan knew exactly what that was.
But….Cilan was closer towards the prisoners than they were. The distance would be too far to cover instantly and Cilan knew that a little time before that, the both of them would be able to get closer and assist in the rescue of the girls and their Pokémon.
And….what else could he do now that he had the perfect chance to contribute in this battle that he himself had placed himself in?
There was no question in regards to that.
"Pansage! Aura Bullet Seed!"
Iris's eyes went wide as she heard Cilan's voice through the air, turning towards the sight of the boy that was running towards them with his aura, followed by Burgh and his Leavanny as he headed towards them.
"Cilan!" said Iris in relief as she watched the boy heading towards her and even Axew cried out in joy as Pansage's attack landed to hit one of the poachers that were behind her. He yelled in pain and collapsed however there was no support from the others as they struck the other poachers that they had viewed as their enemies from the start.
That meant that there were only those poachers in front of her that were her immediate threats. And it was two of those threats that immediately turned towards Iris on the ground now that they determined that she was someone that would have to be hurt in order to create the most harm towards those that were advancing towards her.
She froze as one of them created an Aura Sword and the other held up the semiautomatic towards her, Iris's blood freezing particularly at the sight of the gun that was pointed her way.
However even then, there was a clicking sound from right beside her and something blue sliced into the gun itself, chopping the barrel to the ground as the man who was holding it looked it the destroyed weapon stupidly.
Iris turned her gaze towards her side, seeing that Aura Jetstream had managed to break free from her constrains, one of her fingernails snapped and bleeding with an Aura Sword created with her Very High level of aura that borderlined the Extremely High level; the level of Champions.
"You were right you know." She spat out. "I did have something up my sleeve. I needed to get captured in order to make you idiots gloat and tell me everything until I had the chance to escape!" Jetstream shouted as she seemed to disappear for a moment before slamming a foot into the chest of the man with the gun, the man flying backwards and striking another group of people and Pokémon that were in the distance.
However even then, it was the poacher with the Aura Sword that acted in the situation as well despite the chaos that was erupting all around him. He swung it down and Iris flinched-
"Pikachu! Electro Ball!" A voice that Iris had never thought she would have been happier to hear sounded through the air and the sight of a ball of pure electricity flew through the air, striking the man, negating the Aura Sword with an explosion of air but also causing electricity to surge through his body.
The man cried out and slammed against a side turned Jeep, Iris turning towards the boy that was heading straight towards her.
"Ash!" she cried. Ash immediately ran towards her side with a stupid grin on his face as he looked towards her.
"Iris! Are you OK?" he asked her worriedly, looking towards the wound that was on her leg and Iris turning towards the wound that was on his left knuckle. She wanted answers however the problem was that there was no time for them right now.
"I-I'm fine." She said while standing up and looking around. "It's just these handcuffs." She said as she moved her wrists to indicate what she was talking about however froze as she looked right behind Ash towards the man that was heading towards them, using aura to increase his speed with an Aura Pistol in his hand.
He probably wanted to get in close for a point blank shot however Iris had already acted, pushing Ash to the ground in his place in order to make sure that he was not hurt.
Ash's surprised expression on his face only seemed to show just how confused and surprised he was by her action, something that turned to horror as he looked towards the threat that was coming her way. The man raised the Aura Pistol towards Iris's bent head and Iris opened her mouth towards Ash.
Was this her last moment? She had certainly been faced with the reality of the fragility of human life in this Forest however even then, she wanted to at least say one thing towards the shocked person beneath her.
What words would describe the situation, no the emotions that she was feeling when she had seen him coming for her? She did not know however still felt that they had to be said in some form.
She opened her mouth-
A shout from in front of her made her turn her head towards that direction seeing the Aura Pistol in the hands of someone else, the someone twisting the arm of the man in an awkward direction as they used their feet to trip the poacher, grabbing his head and slamming it down onto the ground with as much force as they could.
The man went limp instantly and Liberty Knox threw the weapon towards Ash who caught it and looking rather flustered at the quick chain of events.
"Iris. Get towards Jetstream, Cilan or Burgh. They'll be able to get the cuffs off and-" He was interrupted as someone immediately passed through him and Iris, slicing off the cuffs that had behind her wrists as well as the ones that covered Axew's and Lucario's.
Aura Jetstream looked towards Liberty with an annoyed expression however turned her back towards him while looking towards those that had determined that it was the escaped prisoners and their allies that were perhaps of the most inconvenience right now.
"Stop stalling and get ready. I'll deal with you later." She spoke towards the others as well as Liberty who was looking around the area, perhaps for a getaway vehicle that they could use to escape whatever situation they found themselves in. "We're in some deep trouble."
"There's something else that you guys don't know!" said Ash as he looked towards where Pikachu was, then towards the tree. "The machine is planning on using Virizion's aura against it!" he shouted.
"What do you me-" asked Iris however the sight of one of the poachers taking the initiative and leaping through the air made her spread out her hands and get ready to form an Aura Shield however even then, it was something else that struck the person that was heading towards her.
The ground beneath the man's feet caved in and the sunglasses Krokorok and Sewaddle performed a combo attack that struck the man and sent him flying through the air where he landed, unconscious. Iris went silent as she looked towards the Pokémon that had come from the ground.
"Krokorok! Sewaddle!" said Ash as he cried out towards the Pokémon that were approaching him right now.
"Sewaddle?" asked Burgh as he looked towards the small Pokémon. "I thought that you had escaped!"
Cilan on the other hand looked at the small Pokémon that sat on Ash's head despite the dangerous situation that they were in.
"Well it seems that it has taken a liking to Ash." He said with a sweatdrop before turning to the trainer itself. "But Ash, what did you mean about the machine using Virizion's aura against it?"
Ash pointed towards the machine itself and began to speak however a beep filled the air. It wasn't particularly loud however even then, that one sound made all of the fighting stop and all heads turn towards the small parabolic antenna that was on top of the machine that was on the back of a Jeep.
The antenna was pointed towards the biggest tree in the Forest and Ash and Liberty paled as they looked towards it, now that it had identified the location of Virizion's hiding place However before any one of them could do anything in response, the beam of pure concentrated aura fired from the tip of the antenna itself.
It burned the retinas of Pokémon and people alike as they all turned away and covered their eyes from the beam of aura. The aura itself had been collected and collected, absorbed until it had enough energy that it could use to blast a hole in the defence on the Pinwheel Forest. The Extremely High level of aura that was possessed by the Legendary did not stop for an instant, the sound of glass breaking filling the air it collided with the tree itself.
It glowed blue for an instant before something seemed to peel away from the tree and fall to the ground as if it had been attached there by some kind of external force.
This occurred more than once and soon the entire tree was being hammered with the focused aura, swaying as it did so before one thing entered through the air as something seemed to split down the centre of the tree itself.
The scream was one thing that made those who were not searching for the Pokémon itself shudder as they listened to the pained cry of what was possibly both the Pokémon itself and the Forest for its guardian.
"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
The scream filled the air and soon the blue light seemed to die, revealing a light green one in its place from within the centre of the tree itself.
The figure that stood there had its head held up high however its eyes were slightly open as if they were not truly focused upon anything. Its green form stood majestically however the green horns that were on its head seemed to droop as the Pokémon fell towards its front legs, green themselves in colour and seemed to accent the fact that it was a Pokémon that not many saw in their life time.
"I…..It's real…" The person that spoke was almost everyone as they looked towards it however it was perhaps Iris, Burgh, Cilan, Jetstream and Ash that were in the most awe. The Pokémon were silent as they looked towards the Pokémon that had come from the tree, almost as if they were looking towards something that should be observed and not communicated to.
Virizion was real. However even then, the only thing that seemed real about it was the fact that it was extremely weak as it collapsed due to the fact that most of the aura that it had injected into the ground had been absorbed by the machine. Where was the remaining aura? What had happened to it?
Those questions were perhaps the only things that could possibly save the life of the weakened Virizion. But even then, the goal that people had been willing to kill over was right in front of those around the centre tree right now.
But even then, the threat was not over.
Out of everyone there, it was perhaps two boys and one small Pokémon that recognised the threat that had yet to show itself in that one moment.
Hunter J's commands were still in effect.
And with Virizion now out in the open, those that were not allied with her were surely to be eliminated.
The silence that filled the area was nothing more than the calm before the storm.
The real battle started now.
I hope you enjoyed this! I felt as though while Liberty is someone that has taken the stage by himself for now, I needed to turn that down so it was rather extended as I got Ash to figure out the function of the machine that was the main 'villain' in this chapter. So I felt that perhaps the 'hero' of this chapter was the person that discovered that and J's plans and that was of course Ash.
Still it felt good giving Ash the spotlight rather than Liberty in this one instant so expect the same next chapter or something like it. Perhaps those that have not been able to do the most will play a greater role. I'm thinking of perhaps Burgh and Jetstream's Lucario here.
Yet, Iris and Jetstream didn't do much this chapter. Trying to mix up the actual role of the Pokémon itself when the people can do so much is kind of hard so I felt that maybe when I'm using the Aura Zeroes it's more 'Pokémon' yet when I have people that can use aura, it's the focus of this AU. I hope that you guys will still support me regardless of this fact and give constant feedback.
I mean, I used Liberty less here which was good. So I only hope that those that have consistently read this will continue to do so.
But even so, I hope that this was something that you all enjoyed this chapter and the clandestine nature that I had here. While it could be thought of as another 'explanation chapter' using logic, the next chapter will of course be the one where there will be more and more of what you guys probably want. And of course, it will be longer as this one was actually shorter than last chapter. I was surprised. But next chapter!
Action! Romance! Suspense! Horror! Maybe a bit of song and dance!
These will not be present!
Just kidding (not really about the song and dance though), but we'll see how things go shall we? After all, the finale of this arc is definitely coming up. But I hope that everyone has enjoyed this story as much as I have in this respect.
And as always,
Review if you please
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.
Just what is that gel? I think that maybe you will surprised at its true nature….I hope though you will be. I hope.