The figure cursed under their hood. The mega salamence had been tired enough, fending off the trainer's pokemon - who were clearly nothing to scoff, given how his sceptile was giving their goodra and tyrantrum a run for their money - but the introduction of yet another pokemon was too much.

The figure gave another glance back, and their heart sunk. The boy had caught up to them now, mere paces away on the tauros, and the charizard had the salamence pinned down, no longer mega.

It was a total loss.

"Why are you following me?" demanded the figure. Now that he was this close, Ash could definitively tell it was a woman's voice. "And who are you?"

Tauros trotted up to the figure before lowering himself, allowing Ash to get off.

"I asked first," retorted the trainer.

"And?" The figure crossed her arms across her chest. "What makes you think I should answer? You and that green haired fool attack me, and expect me to answer you?"

Ash quickly lost his bravado at her response. "I..."

"So," drawled the woman. "Instead of working with your fellow leaders to rescue the pokemon and residents, you decided to waste your time chasing someone leaving the area?"

"How was I supposed to know?" blurted out Ash, getting worked up. "How could I be sure you weren't trying to run away after stealing pokemon?"

The two stared at one another before the figure sighed, returning her pokemon and leaving Ash to do the same. Realizing he didn't have a ball at hand for his charizard, Ash muttered something to the fire type, who nodded before flying off towards Sootopolis.

"Fine," grumbled the woman. "If you want to follow, I won't stop you. A warning though, I hope you can handle whiskey breath."

"Ho! A pleasure to meet you, Sir Stone!"

"Likewise, Leader Raihan. On behalf of Hoenn, I thank you for taking the journey to help us through this."

"Pleasure's mine. Apologies about Leon though, Rose won't let him out of his sight for any longer than it takes to use the loo. Says he can't afford to let his perfect role model leave Galar."

Steven shook his head. "I figured as much. Then again, I'm not sure even Leon himself could do much against what we're going against."

"Ah, that's fair," nodded Raihan, eyes wandering to screens showcasing the clash between primordial titans. "I suppose for monsters like these, you'd rather a weather analyst rather than a wrecking ball, yeah?"

"Correct. All our data, as well as those provided by the other researchers, will be at your discretion."

Raihan nodded, going towards an empty seat and cracking his neck. "Right then. I'll see what I can do"

Steven nodded back before heading out, where Juan was waiting. "How are things?"

"Lance hasn't responded back since Rayquaza flew off. His elites have similarly reported the champion isn't responding to their calls."

"Ignore it," sighed the Hoenn champion. "One of the deities his clan worships was just smacked around like a caterpie. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in shock."

Juan grunted. "The other triumvirate leader, Cynthia, is keeping Groudon's attention divided, at least. Her elites don't seem to work with us too well, I'm afraid."

"You say that as though the Sinnohvians have ever managed to work alongside with us in the past," retorted the champion. "Let them fight as they please, they'll tire before the night grows old. What about the international leaders?"

"Alder and that kid apprentice of his ran into some trouble along the south, but aside from that the Kalosians are working with our law enforcement to thin down the ranks of minions. I take it you've requested more help?"

Steven shrugged. "Rose is being as insufferable as always over his champion, but at least he pitied us enough to send Raihan over. The Aether Foundation should arrive soon to help evacuate the whole region if we can't resolve this soon."

Sighing once again, Steven released his baltoy. "Come, old friend. We have much to preserve."

"...and that buffoon in the sky can't handle a lizard and a fish! This is the god my people are supposed to rely on?!"

Ash wasn't sure how many floors he had climbed, but talking with the woman - Zinnia, she said her name was - did make things a bit easier. There were times, of course, her tipsiness got in their way and nearly fell through the cracked floors, but aside from that, it wasn't too awful of an experience.

Pikachu, from what he could see, was having more fun, playing tag with Aster. It didn't quite fit the mood of the environment, given how the world was ending and everything, but he had to admit watching the two pokemon enjoy themselves put a smile on his face.

"So boy," grunted the Lorekeeper. "Why did you come to Hoenn to begin with? This has nothing to do with you, does it?"

"I wanted to help."

Zinnia scoffed, taking another swig of alcohol. "I see you're another idiot that loves to gamble their lives."

"Eh?"

"Rising your life to help deal with whatever this is," she shrugged, waving her right hand in the air for emphasis. "Creatures with more power than your brain can comprehend, fighting a losing battle against forces of nature. What's the fucking point? You're just like her..."

Ash wanted to yell back but his anger faded once he took a closer look and saw the deep circles under her eyes. Taking a deep breath, he replied, "Like I said, I help because I want to."

"Want?" Zinnia rolled her eyes. "Your conscience is misplaced if you think whatever the hell you do is worth a damn against gods that don't give a shit about us common folk. At least you have a choice."

"You don't?" asked the trainer.

"I told you I was a Lorekeeper, right?" Seeing Ash nod, she continued. "We're supposed to worship Rayquaza until the end of days should Kyogre and Groudon go nuts. Except, you saw it, right? The green snake got its ass handed to it."

"So..."

"Point is, I'm obligated to help the fucker however I can, even at the cost of my life. Useless gods damned dragon..."

Ash winced. "You... have it rough, don't you?"

"You don't know the half of it," she sighed. "If Aster was here, she'd know what to do." Seeing her whismur perk up at the mention of her name, she shook her head. "Not you, sweetie."

"Someone close to you?"

"Former Lorekeeper and lover," grimaced Zinnia. "Proposed to me, in fact. But just before we could leave the village, the elders assigned her one last mission and..." Unable to finish her sentence, she finished her bottle before tossing it aside.

"I'm... sorry to hear that," replied Ash, unsure of what to say. Pikachu's ears drooped in response.

"But," he continued. "I think that makes you one of the strongest people I know."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know a lot about other people," Ash admitted. "I'm kinda dumb and work better with pokemon than people."

"Could have left it off at dumb," Zinnia chuckled.

"Yeah yeah," the trainer grumbled. "Still, I've never met anyone who lost someone so close to them and still came out so strong."

"..."

Hearing no response, Ash turned and looked at Zinnia, who had a bewildered look on her face.

"How the fuck does that have to do with you being stupid?"

"I don't know!" blurted out Ash. "I'm just trying to get my thoughts out!"

Zinnia continued to give him a confused face before it loosened up and she broke into a small smile.

"As blunt as Aster, huh..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she scoffed, punching him lightly in the arm. "I've told you more than enough about my life. Tell me about those people you've met."

"Well, there was this incident at Alto Mare..."

"Stone Edge! Break that overgrown lizard's skin!"

Cynthia's garchomp snarled in response repeatedly stomping on the ground as more and more jagged stones floated up and attacked Groudon. The primal pokemon growled and slammed its tail against the dragon, who slid back as it tried to hold the behemoth off.

"Leaf Storm! Aura Sphere! Hydro Pump! More! More! More!"

Cynthia ran between Groudon's legs with a frenzied smile on her face, her pupils contracted as her pokemon unleashed a barrage against the ground type. Sensing Groudon was once again distracted, Kyogre launched an Ice Beam at its arm, causing a small steam explosion and another growl of pain.

Her roserade instinctively rolled, avoiding the titan as it was forced to step back. The sarm of leaves it commanded cut into the grooves of Groudon, but the jagged Precipice Blades forced it backwards once more, allowing her lucario room to begin snapping them.

Growling, Groudon slammed its tail against the floor, shaking the entire field with an Earthquake. Cynthia's garchomp snarled in response, launching itself off a tree and cloaking itself in green dragonic energy. The force of the Dragon Rush colliding into the behemoth caused Groudon to stumble into Kyogre, resulting in a massive bang as the rapid heating between Groudon's magma and Kyogre's wet skin caused a steam explosion.

"Miss Cynthia!" yelled Phoebe, barely louder than the cacophany of explosions going on, causing the champion to stop watching the battle. "Raihan says we need to block the-" Before she could finish, Cynthia tackled her down, narrowly evading a stray Hyper Beam from one of Lance's dragonite.

"That Lance is that desperate to kick me off the triumvirate eh?" cackled the champion. Seeing Phoebe's confused look, she shook her head. "I'm joking. What was it?"

"Raihan determined that the crevices and pores of Groudon are what allows the sun to keep shining. If we can block them with sand, we should be able to lower the outside temperatures enough for the rest of us to come in."

"And Kyogre?" Cynthia asked. "It won't matter if you can get close if you drown with the rising water levels."

"He's still working on that. For now, we might have to focus one of them down or else we won't be able to take down either one."

Cynthia sighed, calming down slightly. "Alright then. Tell Bertha to choke the lizard with all the sand she can muster. I'll handle things on my end." Turning to her garchomp, she raised her voice.

"You hear that girl? Give me all the damn sand you've got, we've got a god to suffocate."

Roaring in assent, her garchomp reverted back to her non-mega form before stomping on the ground several times, kicking up cloud after cloud of dust and shaking the ground, causing the champion to catch a stumbling Phoebe. After a few seconds, the garchomp leaped into the air faster than before with several kilograms of sand trailing behind her.

"This is ridiculous," muttered the ghost elite. "Just how..."

A grin formed on Cynthia's face. "She's my pride and joy. If trading blows with a god could tire her out this easily, I'd never be able to conquer Sinnoh."

Phoebe shook her head, before running off to the ground type elite. "That makes less sense than you think it does."

When she got to the ground type elite, she froze up, narrowly avoiding a warning pebble shot.

"Oh dear," apologized Bertha, putting down an unconscious grunt. "My apologies. My pokemon have been on edge, I'm afraid, after fighting so many grunts."

Phoebe chose not to respond to that. "We need all the sand you can muster up."

"Oh? I don't think manmade desertification will make this situation better."

"We're trying to clog up Groudon's pores," she explained. "Elite Raihan said that sand should seal off the radiating heat and allow the physical battlers to get in close."

"With sand? But that shouldn't... ah!" exclaimed the elite. "That elite is playing a dangerous game! I like that! Hippowdon! Golem! Sandstorm!"

"Dangerous?" Phoebe cocked her head slightly, unable to follow that line of thinking.

"Sand and heat is a dangerous combination, my dear," cackled Bertha. "Why, I'm sure you remember that time someone in the Lily of the Valley conference used both a Hippowdon and a Magmortar."

Phoebe blinked before her face paled in realization.

The sand swarmed around Groudon, aggravating it and causing it to spew out a Flamethrower in response. Although the force of the attack succeeded in creating a hole in enormous cloud of sand, the majority of the particles swirled around the beast and grated against its crevices, slowly compacting.

Groudon roared in fury, crevices glowing as it instinctively raised its body temperature even more, forcing any nearby pokemon to flee. Incensed, it stomped, causing the ground to begin glowing in response.

Cynthia's garchomp, sensing the impending danger, snarled, tackling her teammates out of the immediate vicinity. Almost immediately afterwards, the earth exploded upwards, the massive Eruption threatening to drown those nearby in ʻAʻā. Volcanic ash and gasses billowed out, forcing those in the sky to seek cover as the plume of lava reached even Groudon's height.

Before the onlookers could scream in terror, though, the molten rocks suddenly stopped pouring out, leaving some slow lava flows and a very large crater. The titan of the land roared in pain, clawing against its skin as the sand turned into molten glass. The earth shook with each blow as Groudon tried and failed repeatedly to get the molten substance off it, searing its armor with every contact made.

Kyogre hit the distracted beast with a Hydro Pump, causing it to retaliate back with a Fire Blast. Before Kyogre could respond, it slammed the whale with its arm, causing Kyogre to bellow in pain. It attempted to follow up with another attack, but the cooled off glass clogging its joints slowed it down enough for Kyogre to hit it in the chest with a barrage of Origin Pulses, causing it to stumble back. The great whale wasn't unscathed either, the force of the attacks causing some shard of glass to break off Groudon and impale themselves into its soft skin.

Once more, everyone stopped fighting and turned their attentions to the two kaiju turned their undivided attentions against one another, ignoring the insignificant below them.

"So," whispered Raihan, watching from safety. "This is how we must fight the gods."

He was well aware of what his plan entailed. Even if sand could be considered an insulator, there was no way it could stop the heat of the incarnation of magma. No, he had to use its power against it.

Sand turned into glass at temperatures exceeding 1700 degrees. All he needed was for Groudon to get angry enough to raise its body temperature to melt the sand. The pain would then distract Groudon, leaving it at a war against itself. Of course, there was the risk of Groudon ignoring the pain and flaring up even hotter to swallow up the glass and turn the entire city into a wasteland in its tantrum.

"A pokemon made of magma can be hurt by molten glass huh? Guess that means another research paper to write..."

It was a gamble that paid off.

"At least," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "This means that we won't have to worry about Sootopolis exploding, if an Eruption doesn't trigger the volcano. Wish things could resolve sooner though..."

His head perked up upon noticing some movement in one of the cameras. Peering closely, Raihan couldn't suppress a wry smile upon seeing a large transport helicopter fly in.

He chuckled. "Looks like the cavalry's arrived."

From a distance, Lance watched with narrowed eyes as the foreign helicopter gradually approached the Hoenn champion. Between the distracted titans and the arrival of additional aid, he could tell his efforts would not be needed immediately.

He stared at his left forearm, where two tattoos laid: one of Sky Pillar and the other was a crest in between two horns. The former would be pointless now, but the latter...

"Now's not the time," he muttered, flying towards Sky Pillar on his eldest dragonite. "This is a battle for the sky god only."

Meanwhile, Steven took a deep breath as he stood steadfastly despite the heavy winds as the Aether Foundation helicopter gradually descended.

Whatever Raihan had ordered, it had far exceeded his expectations. It was time to work with the other batch of outsiders he called for help.

"Mr. Stone!" called out the pilot from within the helicopter. "Do we have permission to land?"

"Permission granted!" he yelled back.

Once the machine landed, he surprised those around him by personally going forward and greeting those within as soon as the door opened. An act of submission.

"Director Lusamine."

"Mr. Stone. I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances. As the ambassador of the Alolan region, I declare that my crew and I will do everything in our power to aid you in your time of need."

Steven bowed. "We are fo- ahem. We are in your debt." Steven quietly cursed inside his mind, biting his tongue.

"We are forever in your debt." Had he said that, the Alolan representative would surely hold it against him in the future.

The corner of Lusamine's mouth smiled, before turning to her subordinates. "Very well. All Aether Foundation employees, engage immediately!"

"""YES DIRECTOR!"""

As the Foundation poured out of the helicopter, Steven noticed someone stayed next to the Director.

Noticing his look, the woman smiled and extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I am Olivia, Kahuna of Akala Island."

"So," began Ash. "You said you were forced to help out."

"Mhm."

"Are you though?" asked the trainer. "What are the elders doing? Are they blackmailing you?"

"Calm down," interrupted Zinnia. "No, it's not the shitty elders. It's a promise I made with Aster."

"...Oh."

Zinnia chuckled. "Anticlimactic, isn't it? I got you worked up, and all it was a promise."

"Can..." hesitated Ash.

"Can you ask what the promise was about?" Zinnia shrugged, before kneeling down and allowing Aster and Pikachu to climb into her arms. "Aster wanted me to promise to protect this world. Can't exactly go back on that, can I?"

"..."

"I never knew what exactly Aster saw in this world," drawled the Lorekeeper. "To me, this world was rough, a place that forced you to be strong. But Aster was different. To her, the world was beautiful. And maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But if it is, then I want to preserve that vision of hers."

"So when you said you'd do it even you'd die-"

"I wasn't kidding," she confirmed. "I couldn't help Aster before. The least I can do is make sure I keep my promise to her."

Ash shuddered involuntarily, before trying to change the subject. "So how do you plan on helping Rayquaza?"

Zinnia handed him the two pokemon in response, Pikachu climbing up to perch himself on Ash's shoulder. With her arms freed up, she pulled out a stone about the size of her head from her bag.

"It's a long story, but this meteorite should be able to grant that shitty god the ability to become a monster like the other two."

"That's great!" blurted out Ash. "Then Rayquaza can fix things, right?"

Zinnia gave him a puzzled look. "Kid, after seeing all this, you really think things can be fixed? I'm doing this expecting to die, but you think we'll live!"

"Well, there are times where my life has been in danger," admitted Ash, thinking back to Samiya. "But there's no way I'd let myself die before I achieve my dream!"

"Calm down, you'll frighten Aster," scolded the Lorekeeper, taking the whismur back into her arms. "What dream is it, then?"

Ash grinned. "I want to be a Pokemon Master."

Zinnia tilted her head in confusion. "You want to catch every pokemon?"

"Maybe."

"Defeat all regions?"

"That sounds cool!"

"Breed pokemon?"

"I don't know a lot about breeding, my friend Brock does though!"

Seeing Zinnia's blank face, Ash continued. "Honestly, I don't know what it means to be a Pokemon Master either. But I want to travel and learn more!"

Ash's smile slowly faded as Zinnia didn't say a word, and nearly yelped when he saw her shaking. However, his concerns were allayed when he realized she was shaking with laughter.

"So this is what it means to have a dream to look forward to," chuckled the Lorekeeper. She bumped Ash's chest lightly with a fist. "This will sound weird, coming from me of all people, but hold onto that dream."

"Yeah!"

"Better to follow Aster's example than mine..." she murmured, too quiet for Ash to hear. Before he could ask her what she said, they had reached the top of Sky Pillar. Outside, the winds raged, forcing Aster and Pikachu to cling to their trainers.

At the center, lying down, was Rayquaza.

"Rayquaza!" yelled Zinnia, clutching Aster underneath her arm as she slogged forward. "I come with the meteorite!"

Ash was sure that Zinnia's words wouldn't be heard by the dragon, given the howling winds, but the wounded dragon lifted its head and looked towards the two of them.

"Lorekeeper," echoed a voice in Ash's head. "You have taken far too long to reach me."

Zinnia scowled but bit her tongue. Instead, she just kept moving forward, eventually reaching the dragon and presenting the meteorite to it.

Rayquaza looked down before it opened its mouth, allowing Zinnia to toss the stone down its throat. A deep growl rumbled, and it began glowing green, causing the high winds to tame. However...

"This is not enough. My wounds are too much. I require more power."

"And I only have one meteorite," she snapped. "So. Is this the end?"

Rayquaza closed its eyes briefly, before the glow faded. "I require something more... filling. I need willpower."

Zinnia blinked before her scowl deepened once she realized who the sky dragon was looking at. "Don't even think about it. The kid is off-limits."

"Wait, wha-"

"Not the time, Ash!"

"Would you rather I take from those around us? I assure you, if not a single one has the resolve to die for me, I will need far more tributes."

Zinnia gritted her teeth before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Upon opening them, she turned to Ash.

"Zinnia-"

"Promise me you'll stay alive," stated Zinnia, eyes boring into him.

"I..." Ash blinked, before nodding. "Of course!"

"Don't you dare die before you become a Pokemon Master, alright? No matter what, you better achieve your dream!"

"...Right!"

She nodded back before turning to Rayquaza. "Sky Lord! I will be your sacrifice!"

"Oh?" Rayquaza pushed itself up peering at her. "Yes. You will do." It then turned towards Sootopolis, where lights flashed every time the two titans clashed. "Preferably sooner than later."

Zinnia nodded before taking her clothes off, prompting Ash to look away in a hurry.

"What are you doing?" he yelped. Zinnia didn't respond, choosing to finish stripping and letting out her pokemon. None of them made a sound as they came out, though the somber looks on their faces made it clear they knew what was happening.

Once she was done, she knocked against Ash's head lightly. "Oi, brat." Seeing him keep his eyes off her, she sighed. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Ash reluctantly turned back to her, pointedly keeping his eyes focused on her face. There was no trace of shame or embarrassment on her face, only a tired look.

"Listen. I'll need you to hold onto the Mega Stone after Rayquaza eats me. At least one person must serve as the conduit for the god's power, and my conscience refuses to let a fucking dragon eat you."

"But you'll die!"

"Of course," she scoffed. "You think I'll let someone else keep Aster's promise for me? Hell no!"

Continuing, she knelt down, giving Aster the last headpats she would be able to. "Having someone vent to was nice. Consider this my way of showing thanks. You nearly lost your mother once, yeah? I can't let her lose you."

She gave a grin, handing her clothes and pokeballs to him.

"Alright, Pokemon Master?"

Ash opened his mouth, but the words got caught in his throat. Before he knew, it, he was clenching his fist and tears were welling up in his eyes.

"Come on, brat," joked Zinnia. "Don't leave me hanging here. It's kinda chilly, you know, with me being buck naked several dozen meters in the air and everything."

Ash gave a forced laugh and took the items with a shaking hand. "It just... hurts to say goodbye so soon."

"Don't be such a kid," Zinnia scolded, but the smirk on her face made it clear it wasn't serious. "Goodbye, everyone."

She went around giving each of her pokemon a final hug and a kiss - making sure to give the whimpering Aster an extra few seconds - before pulling Ash into a hug and whispering something into his ear.

Once she broke off, she stared at Rayquaza for a moment before the two nodded in unison. She took a running start and jumped over the edge of Sky Pillar, the sky dragon following behind to collect its sacrifice.

With Zinnia no longer there, Ash fell onto his knees and weeped openly, with her final words still lingering in his ears.

"Live for me."