Chapter 24: Taming Galar's Heroes
Emerald woke up, though she couldn't help but wonder if she was still asleep. Her eyes were open but all she could see was darkness. The only source of light seemed to be seeping through a crack in the door. Where was she and how had she ended up in here? Emerald stretched and grunted for a minute to shake off the last few bits of sleep still lingering in her consciousness. She tried to think back to what had happened. Let's see, they had Sordward and Shielbert paralyzed at the paws of Sonia's Yamper, then Margot Sprout came in to use her Sleeping Powder on the brothers and…
Emerald gulped. Margot had put her to sleep! So that had to mean she was Sordward and Shielbert's agent that they'd had hidden this whole time! Of all the people to be the spy, she couldn't have possibly guessed it would be her. She heard Sapphire groaning beside her and she tried to see where she was. She could just about make out her sister sitting up and massaging her temples.
"Ugh…what happened?" she muttered.
"Margot happened. That's what." Emerald said grimly, "She was the spy the whole time. She knocked us out."
Sapphire shook her head in dismay.
"I can't believe we didn't guess it was her…" she grumbled, "It should've been fucking obvious and yet we somehow didn't suspect her. Where's Sonia? Is she here too?"
Yamper whined as if to answer their question. He'd woken up to and he could see that his master wasn't here and was worried for her. Emerald took Yamper's whine as a sign that Sonia was gone. The brothers must've taken her with them and left the three of them here. Emerald stroked Yamper on the head to try and make him feel better.
"Don't worry. We'll get Sonia back!" she said, trying to sound optimistic, "If the brothers think they can get away with her, they're sorely mistaken! Let's go!"
She ran over to the door…only to see that it wouldn't open. That was strange, the door was supposed to open automatically. Why wasn't it opening now? She pressed her hands against the door but it still wouldn't open. Emerald began to panic. They were locked in! She was suddenly back in Team Royal's lair in Spikemuth, locked up and waiting to be given to Sordward and Shielbert. The brothers must've locked them in here to stop them from trying to interfere with their plan! Emerald started banging on the door frantically. Her claustrophobia was playing up again and all common sense had gone out of her head. All she could think about was being trapped and wanting to get out.
"OY! SORDWARD! SHIELBERT! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW! YOU HEAR ME?! LET US OUT OF HERE!" she screamed.
"Em! Em! Calm down, that isn't going to help us!" Sapphire cried.
"DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM!" Emerald snapped, her voice on the edge of hysteria, "WE'RE LOCKED IN A TINY ROOM AND IF WE DON'T GET OUT RIGHT NOW, WE'LL END UP STARVING TO DEATH WHILE SORDWARD AND SHIELBERT GO AND CORRUPT ZACIAN AND ZAMAZENTA AND HAVE THEM DO GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT! THERE'S NO REASON TO BE CALM RIGHT NOW!"
Sapphire grabbed Emerald by the shoulders and pinned her against the wall, staring straight into her eyes.
"Emerald. Chill. Breathe. Remember what we practiced. Breathe slowly, breathe with me." she said softly.
She inhaled and exhaled slowly to give Emerald a rhythm to follow. Emerald followed, breathing in and out slowly like Sapphire did. Whenever Emerald suffered a panic attack due to her claustrophobia, her mother and father would make her practice breathing in time with them to calm down. It was working now. Emerald was feeling much better now that she was breathing in time with Sapphire. Somehow her sister could remain calm in situations like this and it made her feel more relaxed seeing she was relaxed too. Emerald soon recovered and Sapphire let her go.
"Sorry Sapph…you know how I feel about small spaces." Emerald said meekly.
"Of course Em. Nobody knows that more than we do." Sapphire said sympathetically, "Now we're all clam, we can think straight and find a way out of here. And as it happens, I think I have just the way out we need…"
She turned to Yamper, who looked up eagerly as if hoping he would be needed.
"Yamper, can you short-circuit this door and get it open?" Sapphire asked sweetly.
Yamper barked excitedly and ran up to the door. He pressed his front paws against it and unleashed a huge electric shock that surged through the door. It was too much power for the door to take, the circuitry frying in an instant. The lock slid back and the door opened. It was a safety feature Sonia had installed in the lab in case of a blackout. Once the power went out, the door's locking system wouldn't lock so if the power went out, there was no chance of her accidentally being locked in. Emerald and Sapphire ran outside, relieved to be out of the storage room. Yamper yipped excitedly, glad to have gotten the door open. Emerald stroked his head in thanks.
"Well done you clever boy! You got us out of here! Who's a clever Pokémon? You are, yes you are!" she said happily.
Yamper licked her face in thanks, making Emerald giggle. Sapphire picked up her backpack and slipped it back on. She handed Emerald her own and she slipped it on.
"I bet Sordward and Shielbert will be carrying out the last stage of their plan now." Sapphire said grimly, "If so, they'll be at Hammerlocke to summon Zacian and Zamazenta, and they'll no doubt have Sonia with them."
"Then we must get there and fast!" Emerald cried, "We should call Ruby and tell her to meet us there!"
Sapphire nodded in agreement. The twins ran out of the room, leaving Yamper behind to wait for Sonia's return. They called for a Flying Taxi and once it arrived, they were in the air again and on their way to Hammerlocke City. They could only hope they weren't too late to stop the brothers from corrupting Zacian and Zamazenta. Once they were on their way, Emerald got out her phone to call Ruby. Ruby answered, her face filling her screen.
"Oh hi! Glad you called, me and Hop have just finished in Motostoke City." Ruby explained, "Everything's back to normal here! How did you two do in Turffield?"
"We dealt with the situation there and Sonia told us the rest of the Gyms have been taken care of." Emerald answered, "But that doesn't matter. Sordward and Shielbert have kidnapped Sonia and we think they'll be in Hammerlocke to summon Zacian and Zamazenta right now!"
"Oh no…we'll be right there Em! Keep them busy for us until we get there!" Ruby cried.
"We'll get there as soon as possible!" Hop added, peering over Ruby's shoulder.
Emerald nodded and switched off her phone. There was no need to carry the conversation on any longer. All she and Sapphire could do now was will the Flying Taxi to go faster. Please let them get there in time!
Sordward and Shielbert felt more excited than they had done in a while. Ever since they'd gone on their little quest to keep their family secret from getting out and tarnish the names of Zacian and Zamazenta, things hadn't gone well for them at all. All the members of Team Royal kept getting arrested and failing miserably at what should've been simple jobs to carry out and that impudent brat Ruby kept getting the last laugh over them. But now here they were, at the very top of Hammerlocke Stadium, finally at the stage where their scheme could go ahead and the end of Zacian and Zamazenta's legacy was nigh. They held the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield together, preparing to summon the legendary heroes with them. The last time the weapons had been brought here, it had been Ruby and Hop bringing them to summon the heroes to fight off the fearsome Eternatus. Now they would be used to bring the wolves into an unpleasant trap. The boxes of Wishing Stars they'd stolen were right beside them. They grinned deviously at each other.
"This is it brother, the moment we've been waiting for." Sordward said, his voice giddy with excitement.
"The so-called heroes of Galar will be seen as monsters and our family name won't be tarnished." Shielbert agreed, "I can't believe we're just minutes away from victory!"
They then turned to their prisoner. Sonia was just behind them, on her knees with her hands tied behind her back and her mouth taped shut. The brothers didn't care what she had to say so they didn't bother letting her talk. They'd even taken her lab coat off as way of saying to her that she wasn't fit to wear it. Margot stood behind Sonia with her hands on her shoulders to keep her from trying to get up. Sonia hadn't even looked at Margot since waking up from her Sleep Powder trick. She was still so hurt and betrayed that she couldn't face her former assistant anymore. She glowered at the brothers, her eyes containing more hatred and venom in them that they'd ever seen from a single person. Even a Poison-type Pokémon didn't have such a venomous gaze as what Sonia had right now. The brothers approached the tied up professor. They felt they had all the time in the world right now so they saw no harm in just gloating for a few minutes to spite Sonia. Sonia still glared at them, refusing to show any fear to the arrogant siblings.
"Ever since that wretched book of yours hit the shelves, everything turned upside down for us." Sordward said angrily, "We were seen as the descendants of Galar's ancient past, part of the royal family, even if the current rulers of Galar never acknowledged us as such. We had a devoted following with our ancestors seen as the hero that stopped the Darkest Day in ancient times!"
"And then YOU had to come in and find those blasted statues of the legendary Pokémon and discover that they were the real heroes the whole time, thus uncovering what our ancestors have hidden this whole time!" Shielbert ranted, "Thanks to you, our followers saw us as fakes and the descendants of frauds! They turned on us and our popularity began to go down drastically once you uncovered the truth! You ruined everything!"
Sonia just rolled her eyes as if to sarcastically apologize for publishing the truth about Galar's history. If the brothers were expecting her to say sorry, they had rocks for brains! If anything, hearing these two rant like maniacs just made her detest the duo even more. They KNEW that their ancestors were usurpers covering up the truth about Galar's heroes while taking credit for their work and they didn't care! She was certainly going to enjoy publishing an updated version of her book with all this new information to further drag these two's names through the mud!
Sordward and Shielbert were annoyed but they turned away from Sonia.
"Well no matter. Watch on, professor pretender, for your precious findings are about to be disproven!" Sordward gloated.
"We want you to watch as Galar's heroes raze the region to the ground, showing the world their true nature that you will be forced to write about in your next book…if you live to write it that is." Shielbert crowed.
The two held out the rusted items and waited for Zacian and Zamazenta to come. Sonia could only watch worriedly as the weapons glowed and floated up out of their hands. If only she could stop them before they could bring them here to be corrupted! She felt helpless. She was right here watching the brothers go ahead with their plan and she couldn't do anything about it! Margot's face remained blank as her employers carried out the summoning. She didn't care what was about to happen, just as long as she was still getting paid for this. Once she had her pay check, she'd be out of here while Galar faced the wrath of the legendary wolves.
In a flash of light, Zacian and Zamazenta appeared before Sordward and Shielbert. The duo were in their normal forms for the moment. The brothers cheered. There they were! Everything was going according to plan! Zacian and Zamazenta took a moment to look around, wondering where they were. Sonia tried to warn them about what was about to happen but the tape across her mouth stopped her. Margot held her back more firmly, warning her to be quiet. The legendary Pokémon faced the brothers and growled viciously. Sordward and Shielbert just smiled smugly, having expected that reaction anyway.
"Usurpers!" Zacian snarled, "You two are the living descendants of the treacherous family that seized the throne from Galar's true royal family after we stopped the Darkest Day!"
"Why do you summon us, traitors to the region?" Zamazenta demanded, "We will not serve the likes of you if that is what you wish!"
"Oh no you two, we don't want you to serve us." Sordward purred.
"We only wish for you to unleash havoc on Galar." Shielbert put in.
They grabbed the boxes of Wishing Stars and emptied the contents on the two. Sonia cried out a muffled scream as all the contents were poured over Zacian and Zamazenta. The wolves winced and shook their heads furiously. Just like with the Dynamaxed Pokémon earlier, they were being filled up with energy of the Galar particles in the Wishing Stars, only far too much of it. They would lose control and go on a rampage like their test subjects did, and then they would destroy Galar. Sonia knew that Ruby still had the back-up plan to stop them, but would she get here in time before the legendary Pokémon could hurt anyone? Zacian and Zamazenta roared in pain as energy surged through their veins. They couldn't control it and it was hurting them badly. Their eyes began to glow an ominous yellow and they bared their fangs. At this moment, they looked like a pair of rabid dogs about to go berserk. The brothers cackled, glad to see that their plan had worked.
"Yes! That's it! Go insane and unleash chaos everywhere you go!" Sordward cackled.
"Show the world that you're nothing but mindless beasts, not heroes!" Shielbert crowed.
But then everything went wrong for the two. Zacian and Zamazenta didn't do as they were told. They stayed put and lashed out at the criminal pair instead. Sordward screamed as Zacian swiped at him with her huge paws. She sent him flying across the rooftop and into a nearby wall. He hit it heavily, grunting from the impact. Shielbert called out to him but he then found himself being knocked aside by Zamazenta. He head-butted him in the back, knocking him off his feet and throwing him towards his brother. He crashed into him and the two lay sprawled on top of each other. Margot gasped in horror and abandoned Sonia, hoping the wolves would go for her while she ran away. But Zamazenta saw Margot trying to run away and he pounced towards her. Sonia could only watch as Zamazenta pinned her down to the floor. He grabbed her by the shoulder with his teeth, making the treacherous assistant scream in agony as his fangs sank into her shoulder. Then he flicked his head and threw her straight towards the brothers. Sonia grimaced. As much as she hated the brothers and Margot for betraying her, she had to admit that it looked painful when she crashed into them. Margot lay on her side clutching her wounded shoulder while Zacian and Zamazenta approached her and her bosses. Sordward and Shielbert tried to get up but they were simply knocked down again. They pressed their backs against the floor and whimpered as the very heroes they'd been aiming to corrupt were now about to kill them. Their fangs glistened in the sunlight and their eyes were nothing more than pools of evil yellow, nothing pure left in them anymore.
"No you dumb animals! Not us! Destroy Galar!" Sordward whimpered.
"You're supposed to wreak havoc everywhere, not kill us!" Shielbert begged.
But the two were deaf to all reasoning. The brother's plan had worked too well and now they were going to suffer the wrath of their own stupidity. Zacian clawed Sordward across the chest, tearing through his tuxedo and shirt and drawing three red lines across him. Sordward screamed in pain and Shielbert soon joined him as Zamazenta clawed him across the face. Then the duo bit down on their arms, sinking their teeth deep into their flesh and making them howl in agony. Sonia watched, wishing there was something she could do. She didn't care for Sordward and Shielbert's safety, she only cared for Zacian and Zamazenta's sanity. She had to try and calm them down before they could do the same thing to anyone else! She tucked her legs up to her chest and slid her tied hands over her bottom. She then slipped her hands over her legs so she had them in front of her. She ripped the tape off her mouth and called out to them.
"Zacian! Zamazenta! Please stop what you're doing!"
The Pokémon heard her and turned around as if remembering she was still there. The three criminals were left whimpering together, bloodied, ragged and in excruciating pain. Zacian and Zamazenta approached Sonia, their heckles raised and their teeth bared. They didn't look like they were in a listening mood as they slinked towards the professor. They looked very much like the alpha male and alpha female of a wolf pack about to pounce on an unsuspecting deer. Sonia could feel her heart hammering in her chest but she was determined to try and reason with them. Hopefully the real heroes were still inside and she could reach out to them.
"Listen, you've been overloaded with energy from the Wishing Stars. You're not in control of yourselves." Sonia explained, holding up her still bound hands to show she meant no harm, "But you can fight it! I know you can! If you're still in there Zacian and Zamazenta, then please hear my cries! Don't give in to the corruption! Fight it!"
But her pleas failed to get through to them. The Legendary Pokémon gave off fearsome howls that signalled to Sonia they were about to attack. She didn't even try to run, knowing they'd catch her and bring her down before she took two steps. She closed her eyes and prepared to embrace her fate. But then a huge tongue of flames shot out from nowhere and Sonia gasped as both Zacian and Zamazenta were sent hurling off their feet by the attack. She turned to her right and saw that it was Ruby coming towards her on the back of Doomsday the Eternatus! After receiving her sister's message, Ruby knew that Doomsday was the strongest Pokémon to go up against Zacian and Zamazenta with so she'd brought it out and rode the Poison/Dragon Pokémon over to Hammerlocke. Sordward and Shielbert stared as Doomsday flew over the spire and Ruby jumped off of its back. Hop had been riding with her and he jumped off too. The brothers never thought they'd ever be pleased to see the Champion. At least the legendary wolves could try and kill her instead! Ruby saw Sordward and Shielbert and scowled at them, her red eyes full of contempt.
"I'll deal with you bastards later." she snarled, "Right now, I've got to clean up YOUR mess!"
She turned to Sonia as Hop ran over to untie her hands.
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Ruby asked with concern.
"Your timing was impeccable." Sonia said with relief, "You got here just before Zacian and Zamazenta could try to attack me! Do you have the Master Balls?"
"Oh yes." Ruby said confidently, whipping out the two purple Pokéballs, "Now we can quickly contain this horror and keep Zacian and Zamazenta sealed away until we can find a way to snap them out of their corruption."
Sordward and Shielbert were horrified. Ruby had a pair of Master Balls on her?! When did she get those?! She was going to ruin everything! They wanted to stop her but they were in too much pain to get up. Margot wasn't as keen. She was actually willing Ruby to stop this madness before she could end up dead. Ruby took aim with the Master Balls and threw them towards the legendary heroes. Once they were drawn inside, that would be it, threat finally over. Galar would be safe! But things didn't go as planned. Zacian and Zamazenta saw the balls coming and jumped out of the way before they could be caught. The balls clattered on the floor and rolled away. Ruby gasped. No, they dodged! This was supposed to be a done-in-one! She and Hop ran after the balls to try and retrieve them so they could try again. But Zacian blocked Ruby's way and growled. The silver-haired girl held up her hands defensively as the corrupted wolf slowly came closer.
"Easy Zacian! Easy, it's me! It's Ruby, the one who called you to save Galar last year! Remember? I'm trying to help you now! Please stand down!" Ruby begged.
Unlike Sonia, Ruby's words seemed to be having an effect on Zacian. The Fairy Pokémon suddenly hesitated as if considering what Ruby had just said. It was as if she suddenly remembered who Ruby was. She stared at her, trying to see through her corruption so she could see the heroic girl that had been with her to stop Eternatus.
"Ruby…?" Zacian grunted.
"Yes, it's me! It's Ruby!" Ruby cried, "You remember me, don't you?"
Zacian considered for a moment, but then the energy kicked in again and she found herself writhing in anguish. She roared helplessly and shook her head.
"H-help…me! S-stop…this…energy flow!" she begged.
It was all that Zacian could say before her true form was buried back down and she was reduced to a primal state again. Ruby could see that she was having an effect on her but it wasn't enough. She had to catch her with the Master Ball in order to truly stop her and her brother from losing their minds completely! She jumped to one side as Zacian attempted to claw her, just dodging her claws by centimetres. The wolf-like Pokémon growled and chased after Ruby as she made a run for one of the Master Balls nearby. She could tell that she wasn't going to make it for Zacian was closing in too fast. She was going to be brought down and ripped to pieces before she could grab the ball! Luckily, Doomsday was still out and waiting for a chance to help. It saw that Ruby was in danger and flew in to tackle Zacian from the side. Zacian let out a yelp as she was swatted away by the poisonous dragon creature. Ruby turned to see Doomsday looming above Zacian and roaring at her. She imagined that Doomsday was hoping to have a chance to get back at the legendary wolves for defeating it last year.
"Doomsday, keep Zacian distracted for me and please, for Arceus's sake, don't try and kill her!" Ruby ordered, stressing the last point to make sure Doomsday understood.
The Poison/Dragon Pokémon obeyed and fired a Sludge Bomb attack at Zacian. She wasn't in her Crowned Form, which gave her an additional Steel-typing to make her immune to Poison attacks, so she was vulnerable to them. Zacian howled as the Sludge Bomb hit. With her attention focused on Doomsday now, Ruby was free to retrieve one of the Master Balls. She grabbed it and looked over to see how Hop was doing.
Hop had managed to snatch up the second Master Ball but before he could have a chance to use it, Zamazenta had caught up to him and was swiping at him with his claws. Hop was able to dodge just in time, though it was a very close call. He ran for it just as Zamazenta tried to claw him again. The magenta-coloured Pokémon growled in annoyance and ran after him but Hop was lucky again. He heard a loud crash behind him and turned to see Zacian being flung through the air like a ragdoll and sent crashing into Zamazenta. The two wolves were momentarily stunned and lying on top of each other. Doomsday roared and was about to attack again but Ruby held up a hand to get it to stop. Doomsday stopped and held back for further instructions. Ruby and Hop had the perfect chance to catch Zacian and Zamazenta now they were down. They were just about to get up so the two took their chance to throw the Master Balls. They were about to throw them but suddenly, they were grabbed from behind and yanked away so sharply that they ended up dropping the Master Balls. Sordward and Shielbert had picked themselves up and grabbed the teens using their uninjured arms. They tried to keep them back but Ruby and Hop were able to wrestle themselves free. The brothers were too badly injured to keep them back for long. Ruby elbowed Sordward in the gut and Hop slammed his head into Shielbert's face, breaking his nose. Blood oozed down his mouth and stained his suit.
"What the hell are you doing you dumbasses?!" Ruby snarled viciously.
"We're trying to stop Zacian and Zamazenta from killing us all!" Hop yelled incredulously, "What are you getting in our way for?!"
"We've worked too long and too hard to corrupt the two and tarnish their names! We won't have you ruining that for us now!" Sordward grunted.
"We won't let you catch those Pokémon before they've had a chance to leave you all dead and bleeding on the floor!" Shielbert cried, clutching his broken nose.
"But then they'll just kill you two as well!" Ruby retorted, "Do you WANT to die or something you dumb fucks?!"
"YOU are the ones who'll die! We'll simply disappear and come back once Zacian and Zamazenta have destroyed Galar and while you're gone, we'll be alive to enjoy our lives as they were before Sonia's research ruined everything for us!" Shielbert declared.
"Yeah, see how far you get before Zacian and Zamazenta rip you to pieces too." Hop snorted.
They then heard the sound of the legendary wolves growling and screamed as Zacian and Zamazenta charged towards them. They jumped out the way but Sordward and Shielbert weren't so lucky. They were head-butted by the heroic duo and thrown off their feet into a wall. They crashed heavily head first into it and were knocked out instantly. At least now they wouldn't be able to run away. Ruby and Hop knew they weren't safe yet. They had to retrieve the Master Balls and fast! They ran off to get them but while Hop was able to retrieve his, Ruby wasn't so lucky. Zacian lased out with her paw and tripped the Champion up with a strike to the leg. Ruby screamed as Zacian came towards her, teeth bared and ready to bite down on her. She grabbed Zacian by the neck and tried her hardest to hold her back as she tried to bite her on the head. Zacian snapped furiously, her teeth just inches from Ruby's face.
While that was happening, Zamazenta was rushing towards Hop as he grabbed the other Master Ball and threw it. Zamazenta didn't have time to stop as the Master Ball hit him in-between the eyes and opened up to absorb him into it. Zamazenta was drawn into the ball and it closed up. It fell to the floor and shook a few times, then pinged to signify a capture. Hop sighed with relief. Yes! He'd managed to catch Zamazenta! That was one down! But Zacian was still a threat and he looked over to see his girlfriend was dangerously close to getting a nasty bite from the blue-coloured wolf. He was tempted to run and grab the second Master Ball to catch Zacian with but he worried that he wouldn't get there in time to save Ruby. Her safety came first. He called out to her.
"Hey! Zacian! Leave Ruby alone! Come for me instead!" he yelled.
Zacian heard Hop calling and again, it seemed like her true self was coming out for just a moment for she recognized Hop's voice. She turned away from Ruby, the Champion sighing with relief now she wasn't trying to bite her anymore. Ruby sneaked away as Zacian approached Hop. At first, Hop wondered if Zacian recognized him and wouldn't attack him. But then the energy in her took hold again and Zacian was back to being feral again. She charged towards Hop, ready to cut him to pieces with her claws. But as she drew close, Doomsday intervened again by using Sludge Bomb on her. The poisonous sludge hit Zacian and stopped her from coming for Hop. She turned to growl at Doomsday and pounced towards it. The two Pokémon were left fighting each other as Ruby grabbed the other Master Ball. She looked over at Hop, who held his Master Ball up to show that he'd managed to catch Zamazenta and he was safely inside. Ruby gave him the thumbs up. Now she just had to catch Zacian and the threat would be over! She took aim but unfortunately, Doomsday and Zacian's fighting made it hard for her to get a clear shot. They wouldn't stop moving as they flailed around slashing at each other. Ruby took a chance and threw the ball, hoping to hit Zacian. But during the scuffle, Doomsday accidentally ended up in the way and its wing hit the ball. To Ruby's horror, it ended up flying off the tower and plummeting to the ground below!
"NO!" she screamed as the Master Ball disappeared over the edge.
Now how were they going to stop Zacian?! They only thing left to do she supposed was to fight her and hopefully knock her out so she couldn't do any more damage. But unfortunately, it looked as if that was out of the question too. Ruby stared in shock as Doomsday was brought down to the floor, weakened by Zacian's attacks. Zacian had an ability called Intrepid Sword that boosted her Attack whenever she was in battle. It had activated the moment Sordward and Shielbert had summoned her so her attack was greater than before and thus able to handle Doomsday. It wasn't knocked out yet but it was down for the moment. Zacian turned away from the weakened Eternatus and advanced on Ruby. Ruby felt scared. Was she about to die at the hands of the corrupted Zacian? It made her feel like crying to think that the very Pokémon she'd fought alongside was now going to kill her. But that would do no good. The only thing she could try now was try to reach out to her again. Hop stood beside her, hoping that if they both tried, it would work.
"Zacian, listen to us. It's Ruby and Hop. We're the ones who summoned you to stop the Darkest Day last year, remember?" Ruby tried again.
But Zacian was deaf to all reasoning. She couldn't control herself any more. She lashed out and clawed Ruby across the stomach. Hop grimaced as his girlfriend was slashed and she cried out in pain. Her shirt was torn by the attack and three bloody lines were drawn across her belly. The Zacian lashed out and whacked Hop with a vicious strike of her paws. Both of them were down on the floor and at Zacian's mercy. They screamed in horror as death stared them directly in the face. Zacian was lost and she was going to kill them both! She raised her claws, aiming for a killing blow on the both of them.
"STOP!"
The voice had come from nowhere and Zacian turned to see who had spoken. Ruby looked up to see that to her delight, her sisters had arrived. Emerald and Sapphire had finally made it and were both standing ahead of her. Emerald stared Zacian down, a brave look in her eyes that masked the fact that secretly, she was terrified. But she wasn't going to let Zacian know that. She held up her hands, as did Sapphire, to show the corrupted Pokémon that they were unarmed.
"Please…don't kill anyone." Emerald begged, "You're not a killer Zacian, you're one of Galar's heroes."
"You saved Galar along with Ruby and Hop." Sapphire put in, "You stopped Eternatus, you can stop yourselves from losing yourself to Sordward and Shielbert's evil."
Zacian turned away from Ruby and Hop and approached the twins. She seemed curious as if fascinated by these two new arrivals. Ruby picked herself up, her hand pressed tightly against the bloody cuts on her stomach while Hop picked himself up, his head throbbing.
"Em! Sapph! Get out of here! She'll kill you both!" Ruby pleaded.
But the twins wouldn't move. They stayed still as Zacian came closer to them. Emerald kept talking, presumably to keep Zacian distracted.
"You don't know us, but Ruby has told us much about you." she continued, "We're Ruby's sisters, you see, and we're very keen to meet you. But not like this…"
"We want to see Zacian, the hero of Galar, not the mindless beast that Sordward and Shielbert have turned you into." Sapphire added.
Their words seemed to be having an effect on Zacian. The constant reminders of what she truly was were sinking in and making her hesitate. Ruby could see that her sisters were doing well so she joined in.
"Please Zacian, fight it. We want you back as you are." she contributed, ignoring the pain in her stomach.
"Galar needs you and Zamazenta." Hop added, massaging his head.
Zacian stood still for a moment, taking in everything that she was being told. She grimaced as the energy surge threatened to take hold once more. She gritted her teeth and clawed at the floor.
"Must…not…give in…I must…FIGHT IT!" she grunted.
She cried out as the pain of her struggle overwhelmed her. Nobody had ever seen the Legendary Pokémon in such a state before. Emerald approached her, feeling sorry for Zacian.
"No, stay back! She might hurt you!" Sapphire cried.
Emerald ignored her. She instead walked up to Zacian and placed both her hands on her face. She gave a soft, gentle smile and then hugged the legendary wolf. It seemed the kind gesture was enough for Zacian stopped struggling and she closed her eyes for the moment, enjoying the feel of Emerald's arms gently wrapped around her neck. That was enough for her to break free of the corruption, a warm feeling to remind her of what she and her brother fought for as the heroes of Galar: to bring peace and love to the region and rid the world of evil. When Zacian opened her eyes again, they had returned to normal. She lifted her head away from Emerald and gazed at her graciously. Everybody took a moment to relax and sigh with relief. It seemed that the threat was over and Zacian was back to normal.
"Thank you, Emerald Silverlock." Zacian said softly, "Your love for your family, your friends and all Pokémon was what I needed to break free of my corruption. You have saved me and all of Galar from a terrible fate."
She then bowed down in gratitude to Emerald. Emerald didn't know what to say. To be thanked by one of Galar's legendary heroes was amazing! She felt an overwhelming feeling of joy. She'd saved Galar just as Ruby had done! Everyone cheered, happy that the threat was finally over. Sordward and Shielbert's scheme had failed and Galar was safe again.
"Wow…I'm a hero! I…I can't believe it! I'm really a hero!" Emerald exclaimed.
"You sure are Em! I don't know how you did it, but you did it!" Sapphire cried.
"Thank you Em." Ruby said with a warm, loving smile, "You've truly saved us all. Well done!"
Emerald was so overjoyed that she broke down into tears of happiness. This was quite possibly the most thrilling moment of her life. She hugged her sisters and let out all her emotions as they hugged her back. Sonia and Hop smiled tenderly at the loving scene between the three sisters. After Emerald had finished crying, she wiped her eyes and looked from Ruby to Sapphire.
"I'm so glad that everything's back to normal now and we're all still alive!" she cried happily.
"Not yet." Hop noted, looking at the Master Ball he'd used to catch Zamazenta with, "What about Zamazenta? Won't he still be crazy from the Galar particles he was given too?"
"Bring him out and I'll help him." Zacian ordered.
Hop obeyed and he threw the ball. It opened up and out came Zamazenta. As Hop had worried, he was still corrupted and feral from the energy overload. He flailed around angrily as if enraged by the fact he'd been caught and he wanted to kill whoever had done it. Zacian stood before him and gave him a firm gaze that seemed to have an electrifying effect on her brother. Zamazenta froze, seeming to recognize that stare.
"My dear brother, it is your sister, Zacian." the blue wolf said, "I have been freed from corruption with help from a brave girl named Emerald. Allow me to free you from the same corruption…"
Hearing Zacian's voice had the desired effect on the magenta wolf. Zamazenta stood still and took in what was being said and grimaced. He was afraid of losing himself and was trying to fight it.
"Must…break free…I don't…want to hurt you…Zacian!" he cried, speaking through gritted teeth.
"You could never hurt me, Zamazenta." Zacian insisted, "You have always been my faithful companion in keeping Galar safe. You can still be at my side now."
She then nuzzled her brother, sharing the love she'd always had for her sibling to help him return to normal. Zamazenta stayed still for a moment…and then returned the gesture. Everyone watched in awe at the tender scene between the two heroes. It was clear to see just how much they loved one another. After nuzzling for a minute, Zamazenta turned to face the Silverlock sisters, Hop and Sonia. His eyes were back to normal and he'd lost his feral composure. He was back too! Everything was well and truly back to normal!
"I apologize if me and my sister have caused great harm to any of you while we were corrupted." Zamazenta said apologetically.
"It wasn't your fault." Ruby insisted, still rubbing her stomach as the cuts began to sting, "It was the actions of two very selfish and very stupid men that caused you to act the way you did. You're both safe now and don't have to worry about hurting anyone anymore."
Zacian and Zamazenta nodded together.
"Sordward and Shielbert were descended from a cruel family of power-hungry individuals who sought to take over the kingdom and erase us from history." Zacian explained, "It was only inevitable that when our story was revealed, they would try to silence us again."
"It is a pity that instead of seeking undo the wrong doings of their ancestors, they've decided to keep up their wicked ways." Zamazenta growled, "I suggest that your authorities punish them severely."
"Oh I doubt they'll walk free anytime soon…" Ruby muttered.
"And you too." Sonia said coldly, glaring at Margot, "It's thanks to your treachery that this whole mess happened in the first place! And for what, just so you could get a big pay check? Well I hope it was worth it." she added sarcastically.
Margot said nothing, her hand still clutching her wounded shoulder. Ruby strode over to Sordward and Shielbert just as they were coming to after being knocked out earlier. They woke up and saw Ruby coming towards them, a look of death in her eyes. They suddenly felt nervous. What was the Champion going to do to them? They smiled queasily.
"Um…heeeeeey, it's the Champion! She's alive! And so is everyone else for that matter! Praise Arceus!" Sordward simpered.
"It's a miracle! Zacian and Zamazenta have been stopped!" Shielbert added pathetically, "Oh joyous day! We're all going to…"
Ruby cut him off as she stomped down hard on their groins with one big slam of her booted foot to each of them. Sordward and Shielbert's eyes bulged so much that they nearly popped out of their sockets. The kick felt so hard and heavy that their bladders felt like they were about to burst. They even wondered if they'd ever walk again. They doubled over, clutching their groins in agony. They didn't know what was worse, this pain or the damage Zacian and Zamazenta had done to them.
"That was for everything you two have done over the past few days!" Ruby shouted angrily, "I'll tell you something for nothing, I haven't had this much grief to deal with since Bede came into my life last year! I hope you two never see the light of day again you pompous, big-headed, idiotic pair of dumbasses!"
She turned away from the duo and stalked off.
"Let's get them locked up. They've done enough damage for today…" Ruby sighed loudly.
"I have just the Pokémon for the job!" Emerald said jovially.
She threw one of her Pokéballs and brought out Tybo the Rhydon. Ruby nodded approvingly. Why not let the Pokémon that thought he was a cop do the job? Tybo stomped over to the brothers and picked them up by their collars. He held them both under his arms and carried them away.
"Sordward and Shielbert! On behalf of all Pokémon, I place you under arrest for crimes against the Galar region and the attempted murders of Champion Ruby and her friends!" Tybo declared, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law…"
Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire giggled as Tybo continued reading the brothers their rights. They followed him to the elevator to take them down to ground level so they could go the police station. But before they could leave, Zacian and Zamazenta stopped them.
"Wait. Before you go, we have something else to say." Zacian said.
The girls and Hop turned to hear what Zacian and Zamazenta were going to say. Sonia grabbed Margot so she could take her away but she waited a moment to see where this was going.
"Hop Dande, has you have caught me, I am now your Pokémon." Zamazenta announced, "I am at your service, whenever you may need me."
"What, really?!" Hop cried in astonishment, "You're my…blimey, I'm speechless! I only caught you to stop you from hurting anyone! I should've expected that this would technically make you my Pokémon!"
"Ha, ha! We should've!" Ruby agreed, patting her boyfriend on the back, "Well congrats Hop! You now have a Legendary of your own to use in battle!"
"Wow! Just wait till Lee hears about this!" Hop cried in excitement, "He'll really wanna see me and you battle again now we both have a Legendary Pokémon to use!"
"But what about you, Zacian?" Emerald asked curiously, "You can't go back to the Slumbering Weald alone."
"Indeed…which is why I request that I be your Pokémon, as my brother has become Hop's." Zacian offered, "You were the one to save me, and because of that, I am forever in your debt."
"ME?! Me be your trainer…you be my Pokémon…"
Emerald felt the world spinning under her feet. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Zacian wanted to be HER Pokémon?!
"Oh no Zacian, I-I-I-I c-couldn't, really I couldn't! I'm n-not g-good enough to have you as my Pokémon!" Emerald stammered feebly, "Why don't you ask Ruby? She's the Champion!"
Sapphire put a hand on Emerald's shoulder and gave her a firm but gentle stare.
"Em, Zacian has chosen you. I don't think she'll take no for an answer." she noted, "Besides, why wouldn't you want one of Galar's heroes as your Pokémon? I'd take that chance if I were you!"
"If anyone deserves Zacian, it's you Em." Ruby agreed, "You saved me and Hop from being killed by her and you got her to snap out of it. You've earned the right to be Zacian's trainer."
Emerald wanted to protest but she knew it was pointless. Nobody was going to change their minds. She also had to admit that they were right in a way. Zacian wouldn't choose her if she didn't think she was worthy. And Emerald definitely couldn't resist the awesome thought of having her own Legendary to battle with. At least if she got the chance to battle Ruby, both of them could use a Legendary each to make the battle truly titanic. She looked back at Zacian and held out a hand.
"In that case…welcome to the team, Zacian." Emerald said with a smile, "I hope you'll enjoy life with me."
"My brother and I have been fascinated by the relationship between people and Pokémon." Zacian mused, "We'll get to see for ourselves how such bonds are forged."
With that said, Emerald reached into her pocket and to Ruby's surprise, she pulled out a Master Ball for Zacian to go in to. Emerald saw the surprise on her face and quickly explained.
"Me and Sapph saw it falling off the tower so I caught it before it could land on the path." she said, "I was keeping it hidden in case I had to use it if things didn't go as I'd hoped."
"At least now you can use it just to give Zacian her own Pokéball to return to." Ruby said brightly.
Emerald held out the Master Ball and Zacian touched it with her nose. She was transformed into energy and absorbed into the ball, where she stayed without any resistance. Emerald stared at the Master Ball as if it was her own golden nugget of treasure she'd found. Zacian was her's! She wondered for a moment if anything that had happened today was real. It all seemed like some fantastic dream that she wasn't able to wake up from. Now Zacian and Zamazenta had trainers to call their own, Hop returned Zamazenta to his Master Ball and they all left the power station to deal with the criminals that had nearly brought doom to Galar.
A few days passed before Emerald, Sapphire, Paul and Ashley found themselves at Wyndon Stadium awaiting the results for the semi-finals.
In that time, Sordward and Shielbert had been found guilty of crimes against Galar and sentenced to life in prison with the two being separated from each other so they couldn't plot together. Margot had been given twenty years in prison for being an accomplice to their scheme, as had all the other members of Team Royal. Nobody would ever hear anything from them again. Sordward and Shielbert naturally were mad about their imprisonment and despite being separated, they were both determined to get their revenge once they got out. But that was never going to happen. Their assets had been frozen and nobody was willing to bail them out anytime soon. And as they started plotting, Allister had stayed true to his word by having his Ghost Pokémon sneak into their cells to haunt them. Every night they went to bed, a couple of Gastly or a couple of Gengar or any kind of Ghost Pokémon would sneak into their cells and give them a right nasty scare that had them shaking the next morning. Allister loved it, feeling it the most fun he'd had in ages. Ruby loved it too and hoped he'd keep it going for as long as possible.
Ruby and Hop had also taken that time to recover from their injuries. The cuts on Ruby's belly had gradually begun to heal and Hop was taking medication to deal with the headaches that he was getting from Zacian's attack. Sonia had returned to her lab, where a very happy Yamper was waiting for her, and had immediately set to writing the next edition of her book which would contain all sorts of updated information about Galarian history and the crimes of Sordward and Shielbert's family that had led to the true history being covered up for so long. Repair works were under way for all the Gyms that had been damaged by the rampaging Dynamax Pokémon that had resulted from Sordward and Shielbert's test and they'd soon be up and running again as if nothing had happened.
As for Emerald, she'd been showered with praise from Annie and Michael as they'd been overjoyed to hear how she'd helped in saving Galar. Emerald could only smile and take in the compliments. She could see why Ruby had felt so good about being a hero when she stopped the Darkest Day last year.
And now, as the week had been drawing to a close, the semi-finals had been announced to be going ahead. The four semi-finalists were Emerald, Sapphire, Paul and Ashley and they were all in Wyndon Stadium at this moment about to receive the results. It seemed inevitable to them that the line-up had Emerald up against Paul and Sapphire up against Ashley. The four rivals had come full circle. This was it, the moment that would prove who was worthy of progressing to challenge Ruby. Emerald, Sapphire, Paul or Ashley would be that winner and they were all going to give the audience a bunch of battles they would never forget…
Pokemon obtained: Broadsword the Zacian: Gender: Female. Nature: Adamant. Ability: Intrepid Sword (boosts her Attack when she's in battle).
Sordward and Shielbert's plot is over and Galar is safe again! And Emerald and Hop are now the proud owners of Zacian and Zamazenta! Now that's out the way and the cringe twins are FINALLY out of the story (believe me, I've been looking forward to getting rid of them since Chapter 1!), we can resume the semi-finals and we start off in a BIG way as the first round will have "Emerald vs. Paul"...
Trivia: Given I'd played Pokemon Sword for this run, it only makes sense that Emerald got Zacian in particular.
You guys probably think that Sapphire should've gotten Zamazenta instead of Hop but here's the thing: I didn't want to take that way from Hop. It was an awesome moment in the games where he gets whichever legendary is exclusive to the game you're playing and it makes Hop stand out as the first rival in history to ever catch a Legendary. Why would I deprive him of that? So while logically, Sapphire should've got Zamazenta too, it was just right to let Hop still have him. Don't worry, he'll get to use him at some point. :)
I also was originally going to have another battle with Sordward and Shielbert but ultimately decided that in the end, the climax we got here was enough and we didn't need another battle with them. I'm just glad I finally got rid of those two twerps so I can get back to writing about the characters I actually LIKE writing for! At least the next fanfic will give me a better villain to work with. ^^