"Strange roars coming from an unmoving fog. Seems to be our specialty lately." Ash said looking at the fog. They were just a bit north of Sinnoh's Solaceon Town. Reports had come in of frightening roars, and they were checking them out. "So how do we deal with getting through this fog." Chloe said squinting trying to see into it. "I can barely see you guys, what would happen if we walk somewhere dangerous." Chloe finished, concern showing. "I've got it!" Goh exclaimed, digging through his bag, pulling out some rope. "You just keep rope in your bag?" Ash interrogated. "Yeah, besides do you have something better in yours?" Goh retaliated. "Fair enough, rope it is." Ash said.
After tying them together by the waist, they carefully set off. "We need to listen carefully to try and tell where the roars are coming from." Goh whispered. "GROAHH!" A strange creature called out. "It's that way!" All three trainers exclaimed running in separate directions. "What are you doing? The roar came from that direction!" Ash said. "No, the roar clearly came from the trees we passed a bit back." Chloe said trying to pull them. "You're both wrong. It came from up there!" Goh said pointing upwards. "GROAHH!" The strange sound came again. "Okay, we're getting nowhere arguing about this. Let's just check all three." Ash mediated.
"Let's check up there first, it's closest." Goh said. "How would you like to do that, your rope isn't long enough for us all to fly. I say we head back to the woods and check there." Chloe retorted. "And what if you're wrong, then we have to find our way back here!" Goh shouted. "Okay both of you just stop!" Ash yelled having enough of this. "Both of you make good points. The rope isn't long enough for us to fly separately, and going back might make it harder to find out way back here." Ash said, trying to calm them down. "So what do we do? Do we separate?" Goh asked, grabbing at the rope. "No! We're facing an unknown force, and we don't know the area enough. We stick together." Ash said. "I have an idea to get us up there." Ash said, pulling out a Pokeball.
"I hate this idea!" Goh said squished. Dragonite was tightly holding onto him and Chloe as Ash and Pikachu rode on top. "Did you have a better idea!" Ash shouted down, mockingly. "I think I see some flat ground up ahead, we'll land there." Ash said, holding on tight. "Even up here, the fog is so thick." Chloe said in shock. Ash had been re-tied to them for safety. "No! It can't be!" Goh shouted. Ash and Chloe turned to see Eternatus in front of them. "It's impossible, if it had gotten out we'd know." Ash said shocked. "We need to stop it. Cinderace come on out!" "Let's go Boltund!" "Lucario you're up!"
"Cinderace use Pyro Ball!"
"Boltund use Bite!"
"Lucario use Bone Rush!"
The three attacks landed, but seemed to barely do a thing. "We can't stop, Eternatus is too dangerous to leave alone. Cinderace use Pyro Ball again!" Goh shouted.
"Boltund use Wild Charge!"
"Lucario use Aura Sphere!"
Ash hoped that maybe with Lucario's aura powers active, he could sync up with them to activate his own. They could really use them right now.
"Cinderace use Blaze Kick!
"Boltund use Bite!
"Lucario use Aura Sphere!"
No matter what they did, or how many times they attacked it, Eternatus barely seemed phased as it shot attack after attack back at them.
"It's my fault." Goh said breaking down. "I'm the one who caught Eternatus and now it's free. Even if I manage to capture it again, who's to say it won't break free again." Goh said falling to the floor in defeat. Ash finally sensed something. "Goh you have to snap out of it! It isn't real!" Ash yelled. "It's my fault. It's my fault." Goh just kept repeating. Suddenly Eternatus enveloped Goh, Cinderace, Boltund, and Lucario in a black blob and they were gone.
"Goh!" Chloe cried out. "Chloe we need to go now!" Ash said, grabbing her arm. "But Goh, he's he's…" Chloe said, starting to sob. "Goh will be fine, but we can't help him unless we find out what caused this. Now come on!" Ash said running to Dragonite. "So what now." Chloe said tears in her eyes. "To the woods, it's our next best bet." Ash said. Sensing something out there.
"We need to look for what caused this fog." Ash said looking around. "Ash, how could you?" Chloe stammered. "What I didn't do anything!" Ash defended. "Exactly! You just left Goh and our Pokémon up there!" Chloe exclaimed. "Left them? Chloe they were absorbed by a black blob that was previously a Pokémon that's sealed away in GALAR!" Ash yelled. "Like I said, the best way to help Goh now is to find what's causing this fog." Ash said resting his hands on Chloe's shoulders.
"You should just stop trying." A voice said. "Ash did you say something?" Chloe asked. "You'll never be good enough." Another voice said. "Goh is that you?" Chloe called out. Out from the fog walked Ash and Goh. "How can you expect to be a field researcher when you have to rely on us?" The Ash from the fog said. "You should just give up, and go back to school." The Goh from the fog said. "No! You're wrong, I can handle myself !" Chloe shouted angrily. "Chloe what's going on? Whoa… that's weird even for me." Ash said, seeing another of himself.
"We should never have agreed to letting someone with so little experience join us." The fog Ash taunted. "Let's just leave her behind, she'll only keep slowing us down." The fog Goh said in agreement. "No no no!" Chloe shouted, clutching her head. "Chloe snap out of it! They're not real!" Ash shouted, running to her.
It was too late though, as Ash watched the fake him and Goh surround Chloe and Dragonite in a black blob as they disappeared.
"Okay it's just you and me buddy." Ash said, taking a deep breath. Closing his eyes and concentrating on his aura powers. "Remember your training, except you've had none." Ash said to himself. And then he sensed it, a powerful aura a bit of a ways off, but it was there, almost waiting for him. "Come on Pikachu let's go!" Ash said taking off, Pikachu hot on his heels. "Okay whoever you are! Just me left so show yourself!" Ash shouted. He had gone to where the aura was, and he could feel it was still there.
The mist swirled around him, and as it stopped he was in a familiar arena. "What in the? Charizard! Why are you… oh no." Ash said, realizing. On the other side of the field was Richie and his Pikachu. "My first major loss. In the Indigo League." Ash said sadly. "But I kept training, and eventually Charizard started working with me again! I even won the Orange League!" Ash said proudly.
The world shifted to another familiar arena. Ash looked forward. His Charizard on the ground, defeated. Harrison and his Blaziken on the other side of the field, victorious. "The Silver League, but this is where I finally beat Gary! And me and my Pokémon did a great job here, despite everything!" Ash said happily. Prepping himself as the arena swirled around him again. This time Pikachu was down on the field, knocked out. "Pika?" Ash's Pikachu said, pulling at his pant leg. "You're right Pikachu, that was a fun battle against Tyson, and if it wasn't for us losing then, we wouldn't have found out about the battle frontier!" Ash said remembering his journeys roundly.
The arena shifted again. Pikachu still on the field defeated, but there was another Pokémon knocked out a Latios. "That was a fun battle, we were the only trainer in the league to make Tobias use a second Pokémon, I consider that a victory in itself." Ash said smiling. The arena shifted for a fourth time, and Ash had a feeling what was coming. Pikachu defeated again, this time at the hands of Cameron's Lucario. "The Unova League, that was a tough one. We even fell behind that time, but we bounced back stronger than ever!" Ash said pumped. "The arena shifted to a familiar defeat, Alain and his Charizard swiping the victory in the Kalos league. "It was sad that we lost even with a type advantage, but we had a great time there." Ash said hugging Pikachu.
"Now are you going to show yourself or keep letting me relive my worst nightmares!" Ash shouted standing up. "Darrrrk." A voice said coming from the fog. A Darkrai appearing in front of Ash. "I had a feeling you were behind this. Making us live our biggest fears, our worst nightmares, but you messed up with me. My worst fear is that I'd be remembered for those losses. That's why I kept going, kept trying. So I'd be remembered for something great. My name is Ash Ketchum, and my dream is to be a Pokémon master! And that starts with defeating you! Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.
Electricity flew through the air just barely missing Darkrai as it flew out of the way. "Foolish child! You think you can defeat me!" A voice called from Ash's head. "I don't think I can! I know I can!" Ash said pushing forward the memory of him defeating Tobias's Darkrai. "Now Pikachu! Use Discharge!" Ash called out. The electricity hitting Darkrai as it shuddered. "Now while it's stunned use Iron Tail." Ash called out. "You think some simple electricity will stop me taste my Dark Void!" Darkrai called out as Pikachu fell into a black blob.
"Pikachu! Now you've done it!" Ash said angrily. "Snorlax let's go!" Ash said sending out his largest Pokémon. "Use Hyper Beam!" The beam taking everything out in its path hit Darkrai hard. "You'll have to try better than that! Dark Void!" It took a moment but Snorlax was swallowed up as well. "Grr! Sceptile, come on out and use Leaf Blade!" Ash called out his next Pokemon. "Pitiful, I expected at least a challenge." Darkrai said sending Sceptile away as well. "Actually fight instead of just sending your opponents away!" Ash shouted. "Fool! I am Darkrai! Who are you a mere mortal to tell me what I can do!" Darkrai taunted.
"Please work." Ash said holding his last pokeball. "Come on out Noctowl!" Ash said calling out his Pokémon. "Use Sky Attack!" Ash commanded. "Not if I can help it. Dark Void!" Darkrai shouted surrounding Noctowl, when the blob disappeared Noctowl was still there. "Impossible!" Darkrai shouted. "Nope, just skills." Ash taunted. "Now Noctowl!" Noctowl rocketed towards Darkrai who couldn't make it disappear. Darkrai flew back from the attack. "Now use Moonblast!" Ash called out. Noctowl flew up, and a hole cleared in the fog showing the moonlight above beaming down. "You won this time, but you haven't seen the last of me!" Darkrai yelled disappearing, as did the fog.
When the fog cleared, Goh, Chloe, and all their Pokémon who had been captured re appeared. "Goh! Chloe!" Ash said running up, giving them a hug. "What happened?" Goh asked, confused. "It's a long story, I'll tell you on our way home." Ash said, returning his Pokémon. The trip back was quiet, what had happened in the fog hung heavy on Goh and Chloe. Ash had a bad feeling it would take more than positive feelings and a blanket fort to get them out of this slump.
