Here is the conclusion to the Siegfried Arc which I've divided into two parts. I'm trying my best to write shorter chapters, and knowing the material I had here, I've split it into two chapters.
Well Siegfried was killed in the last chapter. This chapter pretty much covers the aftermath of the battle where the Scared Ash will be put into play.
Well enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.
In the wilderness
Victory.
That was what just occurred in the wilderness as Siegfried was no more. Now there was the aftermath of the whole situation. Now the group looked into the Rainbow Wing and decided that they will retrieve the Sacred Ash and revive Ash and Serena after hearing from Munchlax.
The truth was, Greninja and Delphox have enjoyed their travels with Ash and Serena, including the run ins with Team Rocket. The rest of the Pokémon walk over towards Greninja, Delphox, and Munchlax.
"Is what was said true?" Pikachu questioned with a bit of worry, "You guys have something that can bring Ash and Serena back?"
"We don't know yet if this will work, but we're going to try," Delphox answered.
"Munchlax told us to go ahead and use it," Greninja said looking at Munchlax, "He made a point, it was ours to begin with."
All of the Pokémon looked at each other with hopeful looks. Could they really bring Ash and Serena back?
Elsewhere, the adults were watching the Pokémon interact with each other. It feels like things are going to be peaceful now that Siegfried was gone.
"It looks like Greninja and Delphox can move on with their lives," Sycamore said.
Claude looked over at all of the Pokémon. While he came this way with his wife to confront Siegfried, it feels as if he didn't do much to make an impact. Sure, he tried to shoot out his tires, but could he have done more?
"What's wrong honey?" Sherri asked.
"I just wished we could've done more," Claude answered.
"We did everything we could Claude. I guess we should actually be thankful the Pokémon actually stepped up and took him on and came up victorious," Sherri said.
"She right Claude, there was no need for us to jump in if the Pokémon could handle things," Pedansky said putting a hand on his shoulder, "But it didn't hurt for us to be here."
Pedansky made a point. They could've helped if the Pokémon couldn't continue to fight, but in the end it wasn't necessary. The truth was that now they can all become stronger through this experience.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Claude asked.
"I can tend to some of their wounds," Sherri said as she got her bag out, "As a Pokémon doctor in training, this could be a great experience for me to help out those Pokémon who were hurt during this dark moment."
"And you can finally show off some of that medicine training from Nurse Joy," Claude praised.
"Exactly," Sherri answered.
Claude looked over to see Pidgeot flying towards him. Despite the beatings Pidgeot has taken, she was able to fly over. Claude was thankful that those Pidgey back in Fuchsia City will at least have a mother.
"Pidgeotto," Pidgeot responded.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Claude said looking at the Pokémon, "At least we know one group of Pokémon who will still have a parent."
It was true many Pokémon such as Munchlax, Elekid, Magby, Smoochum, and Rapidash have all lost their parents. The question for these Pokémon now was where would they go from here? They didn't have a home anymore and they had no parents. So now what was in store for their future?
Then all of the adults turned around to see a group of jeeps coming down the road. Pedansky got his binoculars out and could see Shepard driving one of the jeeps along with Lance being in one of them too.
"Looks like Shepard's coming," Pedansky said, "And it looks like Lance is with them too along with the rest of the rangers."
All of the jeeps were driving closer until they reached the five adults and parked a respectable distance from them. Shepard got out of the jeep and glared at Pedansky. He could see that Claude was with him too.
"Um, sir," Lance spoke.
"This is none of your business," Shepard growled as he marched on over towards Pedansky.
Pedansky kept his composure as he was confronted by his boss. Claude knew how Pedansky was feeling as he dealt with his fair share of this cold man.
"How dare you disobey my orders," Shepard sternly said, "More importantly, how dare you not respond to me when I contact you."
"Sir, I lost my walkie," Pedansky said as Shepard was looking around.
"Don't you dare make excuses," Shepard said as he looked around, "And where is your jeep?"
"It was destroyed," Pedansky answered.
"What?" Shepard questioned.
"It was destroyed when it collided with Siegfried's jeep sir," Claude answered as the former ranger stepped in, "A Pokémon took the wheel and rammed into it in hopes of taking Siegfried out."
Shepard was growling and grinding his teeth. He should've known Claude was involved in this.
"I should've known you're behind this. Now I have to serve consequences on another one of the rangers because you influenced your disobedient behavior on him!" Shepard yelled.
"This ranger you just fired and the one who disobeyed you were the reasons Siegfried was tracked down and killed," Sherri told Shepard.
"It's also the reason those Pokémon you see there are alive," Sycamore argued as he confronted the cold ranger, "Those Pokémon lost their homes and parents to Siegfried, and those two Pokémon over there overcame impulsive trauma that he gave them to kill him."
Sycamore was pointing to Greninja and Delphox. It was true that Greninja and Delphox were the ones that killed Siegfried, and if they didn't, Siegfried probably would've just killed more Pokémon.
"Their actions of going out there on their own free will have proven that they're indeed heroes," Sophie told Shepard.
"No, it didn't, heroes follow the rules and follow orders. You five are all rotten not just for going against me, but also letting two mad Pokémon live," Shepard told everyone.
All five eyes of the humans widened. Did Shepard just call the two Kalos starters mad Pokémon.
"Mad Pokémon?" Claude questioned.
"Yeah, those two Pokémon killed someone so that means they're considered mad Pokémon," Shepard stated.
All five humans looked disgusted, how dare he call Greninja and Delphox mad Pokémon. They fought to protect the Pokémon after failing to protect Ash and Serena. If he wasn't killed, Siegfried would've gone out to kill more Pokémon.
"Those two are not mad Pokémon. Because a mad Pokémon is someone who would just randomly kill someone for no reason, much like Siegfried was," Claude argued.
"No, when they decide to kill anyone in general, they're considered a mad Pokémon," Shepard argued, "Just like any Pokémon that was with Team Rocket. Knowing that I've never seen those Pokémon in my life, I can assure they're with Team Rocket."
"Just because you haven't seen it before doesn't mean it's with Team Rocket," Pedansky said.
"So, you considered Munchlax to be a mad Pokémon?" Claude questioned.
The arguing went on as the rangers approached the Pokémon. They all started to tend to any injuries they have sustained. Thankfully no one suffered anything severe. Munchlax noticed that Lance was with them. Lance and all of the rangers checked around the area.
There was plenty of blood along with human body parts and limbs all over. They can tell that these were Siegfried's remains.
"So, he must've exploded," one ranger said.
"I guess so," another ranger responded.
Munchlax and the rest of the kid Pokémon were looking around. They could see Lance, and when they did, they ran up to him. Lance turned around and saw the Pokémon that were approaching them. He knew them from back in the forest.
"I'm glad you're all okay," Lance said.
Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Pidgeotto, Kadabra, Charmeleon, Wartortle, Scyther, Pinsir, Primeape, Eevee, and Krabby all came forward. Kadabra used Teleport to transport himself to Slowpoke and then use it again to rejoin the group. Despite that bright moment, Slowpoke was back to his old self.
"And the rest of the Pokémon are too," Lance said.
Greninja and Delphox approached the Pokémon. Greninja asked Rotom Dex to translate for him and he agreed to do so. The floating Pokedex got its translator going and was prepared to speak.
"I want to ask you all something," Greninja stated.
Everyone looked at Greninja. Shepard even took a glare at what he believes is a mad Pokémon.
"Just those five humans," Greninja stated.
"Let Lance listen too," Pedansky told Greninja.
"Lance?" Greninja questioned.
"That's me," said Lance giving a bow, "I'm a member of the Kanto Elite Four and a Pokémon G-Men."
Greninja's eyes widened when he heard that. A member of the Kanto Elite Four. If he can recall, Ash was going to enter the Pokémon League and the winner would face the Elite Four and then the Kanto Champion. If this guy has a high honor for something Ash wanted to be part of, then maybe he can let this guy speak.
"Alright, you may listen in," Greninja confirmed.
"Thank you," Lance replied.
Everyone made space for Greninja. All of the rangers were investigating the area and Shepard wasn't going to bother intervening. He somehow got an Elite Four member's attention, so he didn't want a bad impression.
"Our trainers, no, our friends Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena were out in the forest and it appears they met Siegfried. Like anyone else who confronts Siegfried, they didn't survive," Greninja confirmed.
Sycamore and Sophie both gasped when they heard that. Ash and Serena are dead? Claude and Sherri grimaced when they heard that two young Pokémon trainers were killed. Pedansky just sighed as he can recall the image of those two dead bodies. It just goes to show how dangerous the life of a Pokémon trainer can be.
"But there may be hope in reserving their cruel fates," Greninja announced.
Greninja then looked at the Rainbow Wing in Munchlax's hand.
"The Rainbow Wing in Munchlax's hand is something we obtained on the first day of our adventures. We also got two yellow pouches that contained something called Sacred Ash," Greninja explained which caused Lance to gasp.
"You mean…these," Lance said as he pulled out two small pouches from his pocket.
Greninja was surprised to see that Lance obtained the Sacred Ash. We was also surprised that he didn't use it yet. Maybe he was waiting for the right moment. Greninja spoke and Rotom Dex translated.
"Greninja asks where did you get those?" Rotom Dex asked.
"I went through their bags to see if they had anything of value in there," Lance answered, "I found those two pouches and seemed curious about it."
All of the Pokémon's face darkened a little. If Lance went through their bags, did he come across the GS Ball that they weren't supposed to tell anyone about?
"You didn't find anything else in there, did you?" Rotom Dex questioned.
"No, probably because I was too intrigued with this," Lance answered holding the two pouches.
"Okay," Rotom Dex with some relief.
Everyone turned back towards Greninja as Rotom Dex continued to translate.
"As I was saying, we heard something in the sky saying that Sacred Ash can revive the dead. My theory is that if may have been Ho-oh who has given us this Sacred Ash, because he may have foresaw that Ash and Serena were going to die and wanted us to use it on them," Greninja explained.
Everybody looked around looking shocked. Did they really see Ho-oh and give them these items? More importantly, were the other Pokémon going to be alright with it? All of the Pokémon who were around nodded their heads in approval.
"The Pokémon who were affected by this tragedy suggested that we go ahead and use it on them, because it was ours to begin," Greninja told them.
"And besides, unless they had an important part in the world, would it be a great idea to use it on dead Pokémon that we haven't met or just met?" Delphox asked everyone.
"Despite all of these Pokémon losing ones they loved or built a close bond with, they're willing to try and move on," said Greninja.
All of the Pokémon looked onward on what was going to happen, but they all agree that would be the best thing to do. Lance approached Greninja and handed him the two yellow pouches.
"Go ahead," Lance kindly said, "If that boy you call your trainer does happen to be the son of the former champion Red, then you should use it on him and see if it works. Also, Red has done so much in helping me improve my skills and could be a way of returning the favor."
It was a great gesture that Lance was giving to Greninja. Munchlax listened to what Lance said which got him interested. This guy was trained by Red, the man his father was talking about.
"The last Red Ketchum would want to hear is that his son was dead," Lance said, "Red has told me and the other Elite Four members that his son was the greatest treasure of his life, and the apple to his eye. It brought him great pain that he had to leave his son and wife behind for reasons that we only know."
Greninja heard Lance out. Even though it wasn't directly said from his father, this did come from someone who saw his father as a superior. Greninja starts to believe that maybe this Red guy isn't the guy that Ash thinks he is, knowing that even he was hurt of leaving him almost five years ago.
Munchlax handed Greninja the Rainbow Wing. Greninja looked at it and remembered that anyone who obtains one shall be granted eternal happiness. Greninja looks down at Munchlax who was now wearing Seel's cap. If they weren't going to bring back his father, then maybe he could consider giving him a life where he can be happy.
"So where were they when you found them?" Sycamore asked, "Where were Ash and Serena?"
Lance looked down and remembered the sight of where those two kids were, lying in their own pool of blood.
"Me and Pedansky found them back in the forest, about a mile or two from where you say that big tree was," Lance answered.
"Can you take use there?" Sycamore asked Pedansky.
"No, he can't, he's going to stay here and hear from me," Shepard answered as he grabbed Pedansky's arm.
"But we need him to," Sophie said until Shepard interrupted her.
"Can it lady, he is not disobeying me anymore!" Shepard argued.
"Don't worry about me you guys, just have Lance give you a lift," Pedansky suggested.
"No one is touching our jeeps," Shepard sternly said.
"You're not the boss of us," Lance argued as he then looked at all the Pokémon, "Plus I would like to get back to Dragonite soon. I had him look out after a couple of Pokémon before coming here."
"That's alright, we'll think of a way," Sycamore said.
Claude smiled and whistled at Pidgeot. The Bird Pokémon came flying towards the group and stopped right in front of Claude. It wasn't his Pokémon, but it felt like his after how he helped her all those years ago.
"Me and Sherri will ride on Pidgeot while you two take a lift on your Garchomp," Claude suggested to Sycamore, "Since I've been working in that area for years, I might know the area around that tree where we can find them."
"Oh, thank you Claude," Sycamore said giving a bow.
"We'll come too since those are their Pokémon," Rotom Dex said, "I can just put them in their balls, so they don't take so much room."
Rotom Dex had all of their Pokeballs including Greninja's and Delphox's. All of the Pokémon agreed they would go in.
"Good idea Rotom Dex," Sophie kindly said.
All of the Pokémon were being put int their balls, including Greninja and Delphox, but not Pikachu since he would be with Sycamore and Sophie. They could use the rest. After they got in, Munchlax along with Rapidash, Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum took a look at the group. Claude approached them and smiled.
"Did you guys want to come with?" Claude asked.
Munchlax looked up at Claude saying he was going to invite them. Well it could help since they probably know exactly where their bodies were.
"I know we don't have room on the Pokémon, but you can all ride Rapidash if that's alright with you," Claude suggested.
All of the Pokémon looked at each other. Claude was offering them a chance to go with them. Not to mention they were the ones who found their bodies. All of the Pokémon nodded their head in agreement.
"Alright, let's go," Claude declared.
With that, Rapidash let all four Pokémon onto her back while Claude and Sherri got on Pidgeot, and Sycamore and Sophie along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex got on Garchomp.
All of the Pokémon took off with Pidgeot and Garchomp staying low ground so that Rapidash can keep them in sight.
Back in the forest
Thanks to Rapidash and the rest of the young Pokémon, they were able to exactly recall where they found Ash's and Serena's bodies. They were moving for over an hour with the sky clearing up. They would eventually find them.
All of the Pokémon and adults gathered around them. Their skin was turning gray and their bodies were starting to stiffen and mold. Greninja and Delphox were holding the pouches in their hands, and Greninja was holding the Rainbow Wing in the other hand.
The two Pokémon were looking at their deceased trainers. They wished they could be around to save them, they wished to be strong enough to protect them, but they weren't. Now their only hope of saving them were the Sacred Ash they held in their hands while Greninja held the Rainbow Wing for luck.
"Ash, thank you for helping me find the strength to go up against that vile Siegfried. I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you," Greninja uttered, "I hope this works."
Everyone stood there and watched as the two Kalos starters opened their respective pouches. Sycamore doesn't know anything about Ho-oh since it's not in his field of research, but he does have a chance to witness if the legends of Sacred Ash is true.
"Will it work?" Claude asked.
"We're just going to have to wait and see," Sycamore replied.
Greninja started reaching into his pouch and pulled out what appeared to be white sand. He started to sprinkle it all over Ash while Delphox did the exact same thing with Serena. Nothing was happening so far so Greninja and Delphox did it a second time with the remaining white sand substance inside.
After spreading all of it over the two dead bodies, they stood there and watched. Everyone was curious on what would happen. It appeared nothing happened as the two trainers continue to lay there motionlessly.
Greninja was holding the Rainbow Wing as he clenched his hands, but not enough to crush the wing, even though it was held at the stem. That voice said the Scared Ash would bring back the dead, why wasn't it working?
"Nothing's happening," Greninja whimpered.
"Wait!" Delphox exclaimed as she noticed something.
The substance was starting to glow as a white aura now surrounded the two trainers. Everyone was caught by surprise. Ash and Serena were starting to be engulfed in a glow and floated in mid-air.
"What's going on to those two?" Sherri questioned in shock.
"I don't know, maybe what we heard about that stuff is true," Claude answered in disbelief.
All of the Pokémon were in awe as they saw what was happening to Ash and Serena. Their flesh was starting to heal up and their gunshot wounds appeared to have vanished. It was like all of the post dead stuff was reversing. Then after a minute, both of the trainers floated back onto the ground looking good as new. It was almost like they were never shot.
"Ash," Greninja uttered.
"Serena," Delphox muttered.
Greninja stood over Ash and Delphox was standing over Serena. Both trainers were lying on the ground. They wondered if it worked. The next thing that happened caused the two Kalos Pokémon to gasp.
Their eyes were twitching.
The fact there was movement in their faces indicated that they were alive. Greninja and Delphox were now having tears in their eyes and smiling as they saw their faces move. The next thing that happened, they started opening their eyes.
Ash opened his eyes and saw Greninja looking down at him. He blinked in confusion wondering what that was. Serena opened her eyes and saw her Delphox smiling down at her while she had the same reaction as Ash.
"What the," Ash uttered.
The scene of Greninja and Delphox watching their trainers wake up into the world. This was exactly like the scene back in Professor Oak's Summer Camp, but now the roles were reversed as the Pokémon were the first thing the humans saw alive in this world.
All of the Pokémon stood there and watched as after a minute, they started to sit up. Everyone smiled and had tears of joy in their eyes. Ash and Serena have been revived from the dead.
"What's going on?" Serena asked in confusion.
Greninja and Delphox gave their trainers, no, their best friends, the biggest hugs of their lives. The two Pokémon were happily crying as they got their friends back. Pikachu, Rotom Dex, and the rest of their Pokémon joined in on the occasion. Both of them were pretty surprised.
"Greninja," Greninja cried.
"Delphox," Delphox cried.
The two Pokémon in their native language were saying thank you. Sycamore and Sophie were tearing up not only seeing their friends revived and reuniting with them but showing them their eternal gratitude.
"Ash, Serena, welcome back!" Rotom Dex cheered.
"What happened?" Ash asked in confusion.
"And who are these Pokémon that are hugging us?" Serena asked.
"I'll explain everything, but first we need to get you updated on Frogadier and Braixen," Rotom Dex said smiling.
Ash and Serena remembered that were shot before seeing all of these Pokémon. They were out here looking for their Pokémon with Siegfried on the loose, only to eventually come across Siegfried, and having all of their Pokémon flee before they met their fate. Judging by Rotom Dex's face, it had to be good news.
"Those two Pokémon you see in front of you are your Frogadier and Braixen," Rotom Dex answered.
"Wait, this is Frogadier in front of me?" Ash questioned.
"No Ash, they evolved while you were apart from them," Rotom Dex answered as he started to whip up data on Greninja, "Here let me share you the information on Frogadier's evolved form, Greninja."
#658-Greninja: Ninja Pokémon
It appears and vanishes with a ninja's grace. It toys with its enemies using swift movements, while slicing them with throwing stars of sharpest water.
"Greninja," Ash smiled.
"And I guess this Pokémon is Braixen's final evolution?" Serena happily asked.
"You bet!" Rotom Dex exclaimed getting data on Delphox, "Her name is Delphox."
#655-Delphox: Fox Pokémon
Using psychic power, it generates a fiery vortex of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit, incinerating foes swept into this whirl of flame.
"Delphox," Serena muttered as she gave her a hug, "Delphox, I'm so proud of you."
"Delphox," Delphox responded.
It truly was special for Ash and Serena to meet their first Pokémon in their final forms. It would take some time for them to get used to them. What's better, it appears Greninja and Delphox are feeling much better.
"I'm glad you're okay Greninja," Ash cried, "I'm sorry I wasn't around when Siegfried was here. I really wanted to be on your side."
"The truth was this ranger guy named Shepard forced us to a Pokémon Center and weren't even given the chance to call you guys out," Serena explained, "He just said that you guys were dead because Siegfried was here."
"It's true," Rotom Dex confirmed.
Greninja and Delphox had doubts when they weren't around, but their great times and the kindness they showed towards them ended up overweighing those doubts. Now they hear from them that they never wanted to leave them, they were forced out by a ranger without even a small chance to search for them. Ash and Serena really did care about them, and the battle with Siegfried proved it when they felt their presence during the fight.
Claude on the other hand clenched his fists. This was just beyond cruel. The truth was, he probably done the same thing with Ash and Serena and get them safely to a Pokémon Center, but he wouldn't declare their Pokémon dead just because a hunter was around. That was like when Shepard tried to shoot Munchlax because he thought it worked for Team Rocket. Claude would've gone out and searched for those Pokémon while searching for Siegfried, and make sure those Pokémon came back to them safe and sound.
Rotom Dex virtually coughed to clear the air.
"Now let me explain what has happened. Just moments after we left Ash and Serena, we found Frogadier and Braixen along with those Pokémon," Rotom Dex confirmed pointing towards Munchlax, Elekid, Magby, Smoochum, and Rapidash, "It turns out they were trying to help those Pokémon out."
Ash and Serena took a look at the Pokémon. Munchlax was looking towards Ash with interest. Rotom Dex stopped as Munchlax walked towards Ash. The Big Eater Pokémon did hear about him from Greninja before evolving. He was face to face with the boy that was Red's son.
"Munchlax," Munchlax muttered as he gave a bow.
"Um, what's going on with this Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, why did he like bow down to Ash like he's some sort of king?" Serena asked.
Greninja spoke to Rotom Dex telling him to talk about that later.
"Greninja says that he'll talk about it later. But if you're curious, I can let you know that this Pokémon you see right here is a Munchlax," Rotom Dex confirmed.
"A Munchlax?" Ash questioned.
"Yeah, let me pull up data on Munchlax," Rotom Dex said as it did an analysis.
#446-Munchlax: Big Eater Pokémon
It stores food beneath its fur. It might share just one bite, but only if it really trusts you.
It still bewildered Ash why this Munchlax came up towards him, but with the help of Rotom Dex's translation function, Greninja would talk about it later.
"And if you're wondering about those other Pokémon, those Pokémon are called Elekid, Magby, Smoochum, and Rapidash," Rotom Dex stated as another analysis was being done despite already seeing an Elekid and Magby from Paul, and a Rapidash from Leaf.
#238-Smoochum: Kiss Pokémon
Highly perceptive sensors, Smoochum's lips are kept moist by its daily application of tree sap.
After the analysis, Rotom Dex went back to the story and Ash, Serena, Claude, Sherri, Sycamore, Sophie, and all of the other Pokémon were listening while Greninja helped continue with the story.
"Anyway, they had to get them out because Siegfried invaded their home. Their parents asked their kids to run away with Frogadier and Braixen leading the way. When we found them, we all ran back looking for you two," Rotom Dex explained looking at Ash and Serena, "And when we found you, you two were dead from a gunshot."
Ash and Serena couldn't imagine what their Pokémon were going through when they found them dead. No Pokémon wants to see their best friend killed.
"It was determined that when we ran, Siegfried was coming close and he shot you both to death. Frogadier and Braixen looked at you two and they were upset and angry. Both of the Pokémon lost it and then before we know it, they evolved int Greninja and Delphox. Right in front of your carnage," Rotom Dex told with its voice cracking.
Ash and Serena looked down in despair. The two Pokémon were hurt enough that Siegfried killed their families, but now hearing that he killed them had to hurt them even more.
"Both of them were angry, they went right back to where their home was and take on the evil hunter himself. They would eventually find that all of their parents were killed when they got there or were being killed. The fight would drag on from in their home, to out in the wilderness, and eventually all of us joined in the fight alongside Greninja and Delphox when they couldn't keep it up much longer," Rotom Dex told.
Greninja then began to spoke of what happened. It was best they heard it from him or Delphox since they actually experienced it.
"Then, the next thing Greninja and Delphox say that happened…is that they felt you two. You two were telling them that you would always be there with them, in their hearts. The next thing that happened, they started to find a new sense of strength and began going at it with Siegfried again. Then came the big surprise none of us saw coming," Rotom Dex said looking at Slowpoke, "Slowpoke actually used a Confusion attack to completely engulf Siegfried into a bind."
"What!" Serena exclaimed in shock.
"It's true, it was Slowpoke who was doing it," Rotom Dex told Serena.
Serena couldn't believe it. She looked at Slowpoke and was shocked. This Pokémon probably didn't know where he was or who he was with. Now he just used Confusion to engulf Siegfried. Maybe there was hope for Slowpoke after all.
"Once Siegfried was completely immobile, Greninja and Delphox each sent out a final attack and blew him up! They avenged you and the Pokémon that were killed by him," Rotom Dex said as he looked at the two Pokémon.
Ash and Serena couldn't help but smile. They were so proud of their Pokémon standing up to Siegfried and taking him down. Now they still had one question on their mind. How did they come back to life? They remember being killed, but not being revived.
"Then they remembered something from the first day of your journey. A legendary Pokémon flew over you and gave you the Rainbow Wing," Rotom Dex said pointing to the object in Greninja's hand, "And it also gave you something called Sacred Ash."
"Sacred Ash, you mean what was in those pouches?" Serena questioned.
"That's right, and they heard from that Pokémon that it can revive the dead," Rotom Dex explained, "Greninja and Delphox were actually conflicted whether to use it on you two, or maybe someone else who was killed during this crisis. But in the end, all of the Pokémon around had to let them know that this was yours to begin with and they encouraged them to use it on you two."
Ash and Serena were amazed that they were thinking of considering reviving another Pokémon over them for a moment. They were pretty grateful that they their selflessness was rubbing off on them.
However, the two then started to have some dark looks on their faces. Even though they ended up using the Sacred Ash to revive them, it was actually for the best not only, so their parents didn't die of heartbreak, or be able to continue pursuing their dreams. There was another reason that no one knew about beside for them.
"There's something we need to tell you all," Ash said as he and Serena were looking at the adults, "And I would suggest you all come over here too."
With that, Sycamore, Sophie, Claude, and Sherri, gathered around the two kids along with the Pokémon. There would be some introductions taking place, but right now they needed to hear something important.
"You did the right thing using the Sacred Ash to revive us, because there is something only we know," Serena seriously said.
This now has everyone's attention. Something happened that only Ash and Serena knew. Was there something else behind their deaths?
"Siegfried wasn't the one who killed us," Serena confessed.
Everyone gasped when they heard that. This was a shocker for Pikachu and Rotom Dex. Siegfried didn't kill Ash or Serena. If not him, how did they die?
"We're going to tell you all what really happened and how we really died," Serena told everyone, "We snuck out of the Pokémon Center to look for our Pokémon."
Flashback
Ash and Serena were standing there frozen as Siegfried was driving over. He got his gun out as if he were going to shoot them. Pikachu and Rotom Dex ran off with their Pokeballs in hopes of protecting their Pokémon.
The two were terrified as they saw him come closer as he got his gun out. It looks like he was going to shoot them.
Then at the last second before Siegfried came completely up close, Ash and Serena made a run for it and jumped into the bushes in hopes of hiding. Siegfried then slammed his brakes and started to look around.
"I think he's coming for us," Serena muttered.
"If anything happens, lets endure it together," Ash told Serena.
"Right," Serena said, "I love you Ash."
"I love you too Serena," Ash responded as they hugged each other.
Then to their surprise, Siegfried put his gun away. Better yet, he didn't even get out of his jeep.
"Wait just a fucking minute," Siegfried said as he looked around.
Both Ash and Serena looked at Siegfried as he may have looked confused. Great, now maybe letting their Pokémon run off may have turned into a regret as this could've been a great opportunity for an ambush.
"There isn't a big tree here," Siegfried said to himself.
Now Ash and Serena were confused. What did he mean by a big tree? Siegfried was looking at his GPS on his jeep. Despite having a mindset on only killing Pokémon, he made sure to know directions in case he was looking for Pokémon habitats.
"Oh, this is the southwest area. That old ranger guy said the tree is in the southeast portion of this area," Siegfried exclaimed as he noticed he went the wrong way, "I have to turn the fuck around."
Siegfried then turned around and began to accelerate off. Ash and Serena were feeling completely mixed right now. While they were safe, he said something about a big tree where he can kill a lot of Pokémon. He also said that was the best five-hundred million Pokedollars he ever spent.
"Ash, did you just hear that?" Serena questioned.
"I did," Ash answered in anger, "He said something about a big tree where lots of Pokémon are."
"And that he paid someone to tell him," Serena commented.
The two were starting to think things through. He said an old ranger guy and the only possible old ranger guy they can think of was Shepard who yanked them into his jeep and imprison them at the Pokémon Center saying that they needed to be safe. He also said that their Pokémon were dead because they saw Siegfried.
"Ash, I have a feeling that guy who forced us into his jeep without even bothering to look for our Pokémon may have tipped him off on where more Pokémon could be," Serena explained.
The honey-blonde coordinator was right. That ranger who says is out protecting Pokémon could be endangering Pokémon. That wasn't right.
"Let's go and look for that tree," Ash suggested, "Who knows we might find our Pokémon there if we're lucky."
"Right," Serena confirmed.
Ash and Serena got out of the bushes and ran off. The two weren't sure if they should go after their Pokémon. Then again, there wasn't much time and knowing the direction Siegfried, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex went, they can assure that their Pokémon were safe, and they would look for them afterwards.
Hopefully when this was over, Pikachu and the rest would try to seek them out.
30 minutes later
Ash and Serena continued to run through the forest. They didn't have any protection of any kind, but they didn't care. Not to mention that no one was attacking them. Either the Pokémon were dead or just staying in hiding in case Siegfried came back.
As they continued to trek through the forest, they find a familiar looking jeep, but it didn't belong to Siegfried. This was the jeep that Shepard was driving. Ash and Serena saw Shepard standing there as he wasn't facing them.
"Hey you!" Ash called out.
Shepard turned around and gave Ash and Serena a glazed look in the eye. He was holding his shotgun in his hands as the two angrily looked at him. Now they wish they had their Pokémon and Rotom Dex because if they did, Serena could've have Kadabra hold him with his psychic powers or Ash could've used Rotom Dex to switch for Bulbasaur and subdue him with Vine Whip.
"What are you two doing here?" Shepard angrily questioned, "You were told to wait at the Pokémon Center until further notice."
"We didn't care, we wanted to look for our Pokémon," Serena told Shepard.
"I told you they were dead," Shepard uttered.
"We never wanted to believe that one bit. If we've seen our Pokémon's lifeless bodies, then we can accept the fact they were dead. As of now, they're still alive," Ash declared.
"You don't go against me. I'm the head ranger and I made sure all troublemakers are kept off my property," Shepard stated, "And you two are falling into that category now."
Ash glared at Shepard. Though he was holding a shotgun, he wasn't intimidated one bit, and neither was Serena.
"Assuming that you yourself are a troublemaker," Ash uttered.
"No, I'm not, I'm an outstanding citizen and promising ranger," Shepard ranted.
"Then tell me, would an outstanding citizen and promising ranger who was supposed to look out after Pokémon and trainers rat out where Pokémon were hiding?" Serena questioned.
"What are you talking about?" Shepard questioned.
"We ran into Siegfried and he said something about paying an old ranger money to give away where Pokémon were taking refuge," Serena questioned, "Did you happen to tip off something to Siegfried about Pokémon hidden in a big tree around here so you can get a payday?"
Shepard was alarmed when he heard Serena question him like that. How did they know? He was going to keep that a secret and then run off with his money. Then without a warning, Shepard turned off the safety on his gun and pointed it at Serena and then.
BANG!
The bullet struck Serena in the heart and in an instant she dropped to the ground and sprawled out. Ash was horrified when he saw that, but he didn't have time to grieve as…
BANG!
Ash was hit in the heart as well and sprawled on the ground. Shepard did not want word coming out that he tipped off Siegfried to expose the location of Munchlax's home along with the rest of the Pokémon.
Ash and Serena were now laying lifeless on the ground as Shepard instantly killed them, because they found out about his bribe from Siegfried.
"Nobody's going to ever know," Shepard stated.
End Flashback
"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Claude screamed.
Everyone was now looking down at the ground with pure anger. Shepard killed them because they learned about the bribe he received from Siegfried to expose the location of the grotto.
"He killed you because you found out about a bribe he accepted from Siegfried?" Sherri asked.
"We asked him, and judging by the fact that we were shot, it appears the answer is yes," Ash confirmed.
Claude's guilt proved to be costly. He not only lost his job, but now Shepard ratted out the location of the hidden grotto so Siegfried could possibly kill Munchlax for him along with whatever other Pokémon he was killing. This was not the work of a head ranger who looks out after people and Pokémon, this was the work of a cruel selfish man.
Munchlax lost his father, his friends, and his home because Shepard talked Siegfried into giving him a fat paycheck. This proves that Shepard wasn't just cold, but also evil.
Professor Sycamore approached the two trainers and made eye contact with him. If Ash and Serena can recall, he came to Kanto to help Greninja and Delphox with their emotional issues.
"Professor Sycamore," Serena said in bewilderment.
"I think we should all look for this ranger and have a word with him," Sycamore suggested.
"Are any of you able to call authorities?" Sophie asked.
"I can do it, I've known Shepard for long enough and I can figure out two places he could be," Claude answered with a smile, "The ranger station or they're still at the site of the battle."
"Have them come here and then we can confront Shepard," Sherri suggested as he looked at Ash and Serena, "The police should hear them out and then show themselves to Shepard."
Sherri made a great suggestion. If Ash and Serena present themselves to Shepard, then Shepard's reaction could be enough proof for prosecution. Claude took out his Pokegear and began to dial the police.
30 minutes later
While they were waiting, everyone in the group began to introduce themselves. It suddenly felt normal especially since the Pallet Town couple were both dead just almost a half-hour ago. Right now, they were going to just take the time to know each other and Ash and Serena would talk about their accomplishments later.
Claude and Sherri did mention to them about their jobs of how Claude used to be a ranger in the area while Sherri is a doctor in training. Hearing about Sherri's career reminded them of the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock who was also training to become a Pokémon doctor.
Claude did mention to everyone about Munchlax and how Shepard caused this Pokémon total grief and tried to kill him because he thought he was some sort of spy Pokémon for Team Rocket. He even mentioned about how he lost his job because he was hiding information about where Munchlax lived.
Ash and Serena couldn't really argue with him about that, since he was the one who blew that Munchlax's cover. Even though they wanted to put their fight about what happened in Lavender Town behind, Serena was on the verge of crying again. Maybe these Pokémon would still have a home if Team Rocket weren't around, then maybe Shepard wouldn't have those thoughts. But what's done is done and it can't be changed. Speaking of Lavender Town, Serena made word not to mention that incident since it could get her in trouble, not to mention her Delphox doesn't even know about it.
Munchlax on the other hand looked at Ash and was too nervous to speak to him. He was Red Ketchum's son, and he went face to face with that horrible organization. Munchlax did vow to himself that he would speak with Ash before he left.
After waiting for a while, the police arrived at the scene. Once there, the group gathered around and began speaking to the authorities about what happened. It was hard to get the police to believe that Ash and Serena were dead not long ago and two pouches revived them, not to mention it came from a Pokémon no human has seen in over two-hundred years.
The only thing the police would ask is to take them to the site where Siegfried was killed so that they can confront Shepard. After hearing from Ash and Serena, Munchlax would love to see that bad old man get what's coming to him.
Back in the wilderness
Everyone was wrapping up everything at the battle site and were now ready to depart. Pedansky was under Shepard's eye after running off from him without permission. Lance was still with them and hoped to return to Dragonite soon. Before anyone could get going, a group of police cars were coming their way. It appears the police needs to look at everything too.
What they didn't see though was that one police car was coming from the north and not from Fuchsia City. Everyone was curious what the police want. Little did they know, a Pidgeot with two people along with a Garchomp with two people were also coming their way.
"Their coming back," Pedansky uttered.
Shepard, Lance, and the rest of the rangers looked up to see Professor Sycamore and his wife along with Claude and his wife returning. Rapidash was coming with them along with Munchlax, Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum.
"What are they doing back?" Shepard questioned.
"Maybe they needed to bring more people in to help out," Pedansky answered.
Lance had a stern look on his face. Why would he bring more authorities to the area? There must be something going on. Once everyone arrived, Claude turned to Munchlax.
"Munchlax, come on over," Claude ordered Munchlax, "This is something you got to see."
Munchlax heard Claude and joined his side. Claude marched over to Shepard and gave a furious glare. Pedansky was sweating wondering what he was going to do.
"What are you doing back here?" Shepard questioned.
"You bastard," Claude growled, "I brought some friends over to say hi to you."
"I don't give a damn about your wife or those other two, and Pedansky was not your friend, but probably has the status to be your friend because of what you brought upon him," Shepard ranted.
"I wasn't talking about them," Claude responded.
A policeman came up to Shepard which got the head ranger's attention. Lance's and Pedansky's eyes widened when they saw who was with the officer. Ash and Serena were standing right behind him with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, like nothing ever happened to them. Greninja and Delphox were there too. The next thing that happened, Ash and Serena approached the cold ranger.
Shepard's face began to pale up as soon as he saw them. Just not long ago he shot them both point blank in the chest killing them, and now they were standing there perfectly fine like nothing happened.
"What happened the last time we met?" Ash angrily asked.
"You don't remember, I took you to the Pokémon Center to stay out of Siegfried's crossfire," Shepard lied as he tried to keep his composure.
The four adults smiled as what Shepard said was clearly false to them. Munchlax was feeling satisfaction with how the two kids confronted him.
"Really, I don't recall that. I recall the last time we saw each other, you shot us," Serena declared.
Shepard was now caught in a corner. He wouldn't admit to shooting them, but it never crossed his mind that they would suddenly spring back up to come face to face with him. Better yet, no one would ever expect that.
"Let me just say this, next time you kill someone, make sure you check their belongings before you walk away so that they don't have anything strange with them," Serena told Shepard, "Like pouches that can revive someone who was killed."
It was then Claude's turn to speak with Shepard.
"We know why you killed them Shepard, because they found out about the bribe you got from Siegfried to snitch out the location of the hidden grotto where Munchlax lived," Claude argued, "That place was supposed to be a sanctuary for the Pokémon that you took away from them. You are not anywhere close to ranger material."
"Well I'm better than you, because I make sure to get rid of the no-good bastards while following orders," Shepard argued.
The police officer approached Shepard. Lance angrily walked up and joined the officer on his side. The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs and grabbed Shepard's wrist. Shepard was shocked with this. This wasn't happening.
"What's going on!" Shepard yelled as he was being cuffed.
"Ranger Shepard Bentoncourt, you're under arrest for corruption, 1st degree murder, and 3rd degree murder of all of those Pokémon! You have the right to remain silent, anything that's used against you will be used in the court of law!" the officer announced.
"It's not murder if they come back to life, and Siegfried was the one who killed those Pokémon!" Shepard yelled.
"It doesn't matter, you still committed murder and lent a hand in more Pokémon getting killed!" Lance yelled.
Shepard turned to Claude who now had a furious look on his face.
"You ruined my life, hiring you was a big mistake!" Shepard yelled.
"No Shepard, giving away Munchlax's home to a Pokémon murderer was a big mistake," said Claude, "And as for that money you got, we'll put good use to it."
The officer began to walk Shepard towards the police car. Everyone looked onward as they felt some sort of betrayal. He orders everyone to follow orders and considers Claude and Pedansky acting as traitors, but in the end, Shepard was the true traitor. He was supposed to protect everyone from Siegfried, not make them vulnerable.
"This is insane, you're all insane! I was a hero! I was going to Siegfried out of here for you, and I get punished for it! I've always made sure everyone was in order including myself! This government is all corrupted, you let a Team Rocket Pokémon run free and live, you're letting three mad Pokémon live, and now you want everyone to think it's okay that we can break any rule we want!" Shepard screamed.
"Shut up. Those so-called rule breakings lead to lives being saved and could've lead for more lives being saved as well. You're no hero, because a hero would go out of the way to protect the innocent, not put them in line to be murdered," Lance argued.
Claude and Pedansky smiled at the scene of Shepard being put into the police car. Munchlax had tears of joy in his eyes as this bad man was now going away forever. He lent a hand in taking away his dad, now both humans who were responsible for his father's death were gone. But the humans responsible for his mother's death were still out there.
Ash, Serena, Greninja, Delphox, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Professor Sycamore, Sophie, Claude, Sherri, Pedansky, Munchlax, Elekid, Magby, Smoochum, Rapidash, and all the rangers heard the final words before Shepard was put into the police car.
"This world is going to hell! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BURN IN HELL!" Shepard yelled.
The officer slammed the door to the police car and proceeded back to the vehicle. He thanked them for the information as it would be enough to lock him up. The police car drove away, and Lance turned to the group.
"Thanks to all of you, we were able to serve justice today for all of those Pokémon," Lance said with gratitude, "It was nice of me to help, but you guys may have lent a bigger impact."
"We should thank you as well for retrieving those pouches and giving them to us," Sherri said as she looked at her husband, "My husband is a hero, and he may have become more of a hero."
"It appears we all we're heroes today, including you two," Rotom Dex said looking at Ash and Serena.
Ash and Serena can recall what Rotom Dex meant. While they weren't there to fight Siegfried with them, Greninja and Delphox did feel their presences which gave them more strength to fight.
"The credit has to go to our Pokémon," Ash said looking at Greninja.
"I can't say in words how proud I am," Serena said.
Greninja and Delphox both smiled and then to their trainer's surprise, the two Pokémon began to hold hands. Ash's and Serena's widened when they saw that. That looked like something couples would do. Wait a minute?
"Greninja, Delphox? Did you two just become…a couple?" Ash questioned in shock.
Greninja and Delphox both smirked at them and before they knew it, the two Pokémon turned around and kissed each other on the lips. Their eyes were lit with glee as they shared the kiss right in front of everyone. Greninja and Delphox were not afraid to hide it, they were now officially together.
Pikachu smiled warmly at the scene. Now there were two couples in the group. Pikachu wonders if he can figure these things out about love and show them to Eevee, then maybe there could be three couples in the group.
After the happy moments, Lance approached Ash. Munchlax looked onward towards the Elite Four member. What did he want with Ash? Lance showed a stern look towards Ash and then smiled.
"You're Red Ketchum's son, correct?" Lance questioned.
Ash didn't flinch at the question. This wasn't a gym leader it was an Elite Four member. Ash wasn't going to show any negative emotions towards an Elite Four member regarding his dad. Besides, do they even know what's going on?
"I am," Ash answered.
"I have to admit, you definitely have proven to be his son," Lance said looking at his Greninja, "One of your Pokémon going head to head with Siegfried."
If Ash was hearing this right, it seems as if Lance was praising him.
"Shepard called your Greninja a mad Pokémon because it killed Siegfried," Lance confessed, "And he did the same to that Delphox."
"He called our Pokémon, mad Pokémon," Ash startled.
"They're not mad Pokémon," Serena ranted.
"You're exactly right, because if they were, they would've gone out to hurt anyone in general. Your Pokémon killed him as it was only sense of justice that could be delivered to him. Knowing is strength, if we were to put him in jail, we would be strong enough to break out and kill more Pokémon," Lance explained.
What Lance said had truth. Not only did Greninja and Delphox have closure, but they gave closure to the surviving Pokémon and possibly saved other Pokémon all over the world from having to deal with what these Pokémon dealt with. At least an Elite Four member was giving praise to their Pokémon for their actions.
While they do believe felons should go to prison, sometimes death might have to be the best option. It's not pretty, but there is times that it does bring closure not only to the victims, but the felon as well.
"Those Pokémon did the right thing, and they should be happy for that," Lance stated.
Greninja and Delphox, who were still holding hands, turned over and looked at Lance. It was true, they did nothing wrong. They made the world a safer place.
"I am happy for them. They've come so far and now they can get back to normal," Ash said.
"It could take some time, but they can now be at peace," Lance told Ash.
Ash and Serena looked at their Pokémon and at each other. Despite the previous day when they were on bad terms regarding Serena and Team Rocket, they put everything aside to work together and save their Pokémon. They were thankful that they made up as well before they got killed by Shepard. Sure, they had the Sacred Ash that revived them, but what if they didn't? It was a reminder that at the end of the day, they were going to make mistakes and have fights, but they had to forgive each other. You never know how cruel life can be, and you never know when your life will end. Now that they don't have the Sacred Ash anymore, they were going to have to be more careful because that was their only extra life.
Munchlax looked onward and watched Ash. This was the boy who raised Greninja into the Pokémon he become. The Pokémon who would put an end to Siegfried. The Pokémon who gave his father peace. Maybe this Ash Ketchum is something special. He wants to confront him and talk about his father, but after all that has happened, now wouldn't be the best time. He did want to talk before he left.
When Ash and Serena were killed, you all were thinking Siegfried killed them. Nope, he didn't see them. Shepard was the one who killed them because they found out about the bribe. HA, and he finally got what was coming to him.
The next chapter will be the second half of the epilogue which will cover the other stuff including the future of the surviving Pokémon. See you next time.
Chapter 53: Munchlax's Next Chapter
