Ever since the fall of the Nova Branch Headquarters, the Hoenn seas became more peaceful. This allowed for a greater range of activity for Kyogre, and by proxy, the young Groudon. Rayquaza chose to stay out of their affairs after weeks of ridicule, occasionally observing them from afar.
The one thing Kyogre could be trusted with was Groudon's safety. If the young Groudon was harmed on his watch, there would be hell to pay from Arceus. Kyogre surely knew that. Otherwise, he'd have long since drowned his eternal rival.
Instead, the sea deity was shaping the young land deity into being a blind puppet. Besides their constant taunting, one of the reasons Rayquaza did not forcefully intervene was that Groudon's abilities to shape lands were developing whether Kyogre liked it or not. It was only a matter of time before one of them became fed up with the other.
Groudon was currently riding atop Kyogre's head contemplating something that had been on his mind. Often, he felt like his body was beginning to burn from the inside. There were times when he was left onshore where he would feel the inescapable urge to roar, and upon letting it loose, pillars of stone rose up from the ocean like daggers piercing its surface. He feigned ignorance when Kyogre returned and saw the spires. Kyogre did the same.
Their sailing continued as usual, but while neither of them acknowledged Groudon's findings, even the young Legend knew there was an unspoken, uneasy air hanging over them. There were even times where Groudon worried that his feet might be burning Kyogre's back. Still, they tried to play it off. And now, far out at sea, their usual antics played out as usual.
Across the vast Hoenn sea, Kyogre and Groudon sailed. Kyogre made sure to keep the oceans mild and the rain mostly out of sight, though clouds still blotted out the sun. "Isn't this great, Groudon?" Asked Kyogre as he swam over a decently sized wave. "All this water and no land in sight! This is how it should be!"
The young Legend was momentarily lifted from Kyogre's back due to the whale's descent down the wave's tail end, earning a delighted scream of amusement as if he were going down a rollercoaster. When he landed, he was practically a ball of giddy, excited giggling.
Amidst his laughter, Groudon poked his head back up and replied, "Yeah! I can't believe that lame-o lizard wanted me to make land for him. What a dork!"
The juvenile comment earned a chuckle from Kyogre. "Right you are. Most of the world's troubles come from the land, after all. We're better off without it, right?" His chuckling soon came to a stop when a beam of sunlight glared into his eye. Recently, Hoenn seemed to be having sunnier days. While that initially made it easier to keep storms from surging near him, it quickly became much more annoying than he could take. Not to mention the heat. Ordinarily, he could easily escape it by descending, but with Groudon on his back, that wasn't an option.
"Right!" Chirped Groudon, keeling down onto Kyogre's back. The whale recoiled at his hot touch. It didn't hurt, for the whale had taken the hottest fires of the old incarnation of land, but it did shock Kyogre enough to snap him out of his train of thought.
Groudon stumbled onto his side. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "Kyogre? Are you okay?"
Kyogre briefly dipped the tip of his head under, then shook off his trance. "I'm fine," He assured Groudon. "I was merely distracted by the sun. Do not worry. It will not be a problem for much longer."
A deep, booming hum shook Groudon to his core as the markings on Kyogre's fins lit brightly. "K-Kyogre?!" Cried the fearful young Legend. "What's happening?!"
"Nothing you need to be concerned with," Kyogre told him. "I am merely taking care of that problematic sun."
His eyes widening with surprise, Groudon cried, "You can do that?!"
"In a sense," He replied, looking up at the oncoming black clouds that manifested from his Rain Dance.
Groudon stared up at the darkening sky in complete awe. Eventually, he ended up leaning so far back that the young Legend fell over. "Whoa! I didn't know you could change the weather! Do you think I could do that someday?"
If only he knew. "Yeah….probably," Kyogre responded unenthusiastically. "For now, take care to hold tightly. With rain comes larger waves."
In Groudon's experience, the waves Kyogre rode upon were akin to a children's rollercoaster. So, when he heard that the storm entailed larger waves, the small Legend let out a squeal of glee. However, he never could have expected how rapid and large they were. Once the storm rolled in, the full brunt of it hit them. Kyogre had always taken care not to let Groudon get too wet before, but now, that wasn't much of an option.
Amidst the rain and waves, Kyogre's hide became much more slippery, making it difficult to hang on without scratching him. And though the young Legend kept himself from doing that, the sheer volume of seawater that made contact with him had an adverse effect. Though Groudon himself did not notice it, Kyogre felt a rising heat on his back. Something about it, instinctually, made Kyogre feel utterly repulsed, and it was becoming more and more difficult for him to focus.
"K-Kyogre!" Whined Groudon as he shuffled up the whale's back against the falling water. "C-can we please go back? I d-don't like the rain anymore!"
But Kyogre hardly heard much of what Groudon was saying, other than that he was whining about something. "Oh come on," He said, looking around at nothing in particular in an attempt to disassociate from the sensation of Groudon's uncomfortable heat, "Don't you like the ocean? We don't want to return to that old, rotten land, do we?"
"O-of course not!" Lied Groudon. He gave an unconvincing chuckle, though it was smothered by the sound of rain, thunder, and crashing waves.
Kyogre did not hear his response. That heat on his back, that horrible, horrible heat, clouded every aspect of his mind. Each wave that crashed against his face made his mind foggier, but in his attempt to escape the feeling of Groudon's heat, it seemed to become the only thing that pervaded his mind. Involuntarily, he began to twitch in response. His body rejected that heat from its very makeup, being made for the explicit purpose of opposing it. And his nature was becoming harder to deny the more the young Groudon's nature began to manifest.
One of his twitches bumped Groudon down, making him slide close to his tailfin. "Ky-Kyogre?!" Squealed Groudon. As he grabbed hold of one of the whale's back fins, he saw Kyogre flexing parts of his fins repeatedly. Another twitch loosened his grip and he slipped all the way down to the tail. He didn't even have time to scream before being plunged into the water, but barely, he managed to hang on.
Raging water impacted every inch of his body like a truck. "Kyogre!" He yelled, to no avail. The moment he cried out to the sea god, his domain retaliated. Wave after wave crashed down upon the young Legend's head, threatening to smother them under their dark, cold wreathe. He tried and tried to call out to his friend, but each attempt was doused out before he could get the words out. And then, one last twitch of Kyogre's tail sent him under.
Kyogre only snapped back to his senses in the complete absence of Groudon's heat. "Groudon!" He cried, whipping back around. The mighty lord of the seas bent his domain to his will, swiftly silencing the roaring waves. In an instant, the ocean became mellow. Kyogre spread his fins and prepared to dive, but something he saw made him hesitate. The ocean was heating up. It was boiling; smoking, even.
Below, Groudon grasped at his throat as he discovered a brand new sensation the hard way: drowning. The water that Kyogre had told him was his salvation, now tried to consume him. He was unwelcome. An enemy to him, born to be opposed by the death that surrounded him on all sides. He sunk further and further down into the dark abyss. Yet it did not get colder.
In response to the ocean water, Groudon's body became hotter and hotter. His vision went black before long, and the only thing that he could think to himself was that he was dead. But this darkness that enveloped him was a massive cloud of smoke that came from none other than himself. The ocean that tried to end his young life became blacker than its deepest abyss around him. And at the center of that dark cloud, a raging fire that no water could douse.
A deafening shockwave raced through the waters, momentarily scouring the smoke and revealing the Legend within. Gleaming red markings revealed themselves on his back, arms and legs. Raw magma spewed from his body, and while the water tried to douse its heat, its effort was swiftly met with evaporation.
The magma sunk beneath its creator until it rested at the seabed, piling up. Groudon's cries turned into something more primal. From the very core of his being, he rejected the water that surrounded him, and he let out as fearsome of a roar as he could. A small portion of the seabed began to rise and merged with his magma. It touched his feet, carrying him higher and higher until he broke the ocean's surface.
Another shockwave rang out once the land broke water. It was the sound of a volcanic eruption, from the miniature island he had created. A hole had torn through the thick storm clouds, if only around that island, shedding sunlight upon the young Legend that freed him of the last of the water on his body. Panting, Groudon rose up and stood tall atop his land and was met with the sight of Kyogre staring back at him.
Kyogre felt that heat again and glowered. Merely looking at the young Groudon, sitting atop that island as if it were a throne, reminded him of the old one. "Groudon… Do not worry. I know that you did not mean to create land. You had to in order to survive."
He drew near the island and perched his fin to allow Groudon to step on. "I truly apologize for letting this happen. It is my fault that you had to create land at all. But, it is no longer necessary. Come, and let us sink it together."
The more Groudon faced Kyogre, the more that an instinctive dread began to weigh down on his mind. Still, he nodded along to Kyogre's commands and made his way to the island's edge. Kyogre was his friend, after all. And land was to be scorned.
Yet as he neared the edge and peered over, the sight of the ocean in its vast, vast depth made him gasp out in terror. With memories of his brush with death still clear in his mind, he backed away to the safety of his land.
"W-well, uh…" He glanced back up at Kyogre with a false smile that tried to mask his fear. "What's wrong with land? Do we have to sink it?"
At first, Kyogre did not respond. His head was below the island's edge from Groudon's point of view, so he couldn't see Kyogre's expression. Slowly, Kyogre retracted his fin and turned away before distancing himself from the island.
"And there it is."
"Wh-what?"
Without answering, Kyogre began to swim away. A shocked Groudon raced back to the island's edge, crying, "Wait, Kyogre! Where are you going?!"
Kyogre scoffed. "Don't you get it? I am not going to bear your putrid, land-ridden presence any longer."
Groudon felt his little heart break. "B-but we're friends!" He cried out. "You can't leave me!"
"We were never friends!" Roared Kyogre. A wave shot up in response to his voice, knocking Groudon onto his backside. "Don't you understand, Groudon?! We are the lords of land and sea. We were created to be enemies. I thought that I could ensure the ocean's prosperity by preventing you from creating land, but clearly, I was mistaken. There is no changing what you are. You are no different from the last Groudon. When Arceus and Rayquaza no longer feel like you need protection, I will do as I have always done."
Snickering, the sea deity lazily flicked his fin toward the East. "If you want to get back to shore, why don't you forge a bridge with your precious land?"
And then, Kyogre descended beneath the surface to the comforts of the heatless abyss. Groudon sat in place, silently staring at where Kyogre had been with a loose jaw. He couldn't even begin to make sense of what he said. All the child Legend knew was that he had just lost his only friend, and he was stuck in the middle of an ocean with no land in sight beyond the one beneath his feet.
And so, child that he was, most thoughts ceased for Groudon in the wake of the tears that soon came.
From the dark, starry skies, a certain dragon soared down over the Hoenn oceans. He was met with an unfamiliar sight. Rather than a sleeping Groudon atop Kyogre being carried back to shore for the night, he saw a small island with Groudon atop it, and Kyogre was nowhere in sight.
Rayquaza let out a long sigh. "So it's finally happened, has it?"
When Rayquaza descended to the island, the sound of sniffling was the only sound beyond air and waves. "Why are you here?" Asked Groudon without facing him. "You gonna laugh at me? Tell me you were right?"
"...No," Answered Rayquaza. He wrapped Groudon with his tail, briefly pulling him into the air before dropping him on his back. "Hang on tight. It's a long way back to shore."
Before long, Rayquaza sped off toward the West where the nearest land was. Groudon shut his eyes tightly. The salty sea air was unpleasant, not to mention what was below. His grip was so tight he thought his arms might give out at any moment, but was too afraid to stop.
"Don't worry," Rayquaza told him. "I won't let you fall."
Groudon had trouble believing that after this day. "Why did you help me?" He asked. "Are you going to try to get me to like the sky or something?"
Chuckling in amusement, Rayquaza replied, "Trust me, it's more boring than land or water. There's nothing up there for you when you've already seen the same stars for millions of years."
"Then why save me?" He asked in disbelief. "I was always making fun of you!"
By now, the horizon was in Rayquaza's sights. "Are you kidding?" He asked sarcastically as they raced toward land. "Do you know what Arceus do if anything happened to you or Palkia?"
Even when the sun set upon New Goldenrod City, its shimmering lights kept the darkness at bay. It was said that, within the city, there wasn't a single place you could go without seeing those lights. This became somewhat of a symbol to the rest of the world. New Goldenrod's lights keeping away the dark was akin to how Mr. Star and his followers did the same to Team Rocket. They were the last bastions against that darkness. Ash had faith that these lights would one day scour that dark cloud for good.
Never one to be cooped up for long, Ash spent many nights talking walks through the city. During the day, there was no end to people who wanted to be around him for some reason or another, which quickly became difficult for him to bear. So, he often occupied himself with nightly walks through the city's outer rim.
Ever since Ash broadcasted his message to the entire world, the city had been more lively than it'd ever been. Each hotel and Pokemon Center was constantly filled to where they had to point new trainers to other cities to find living arrangements.
This made it difficult to find anywhere within the city that didn't have at least someone nearby. Ash counted himself lucky for his sensory abilities, making it easy to distance himself from any people that came too near.
However, something unnerved the trainer as he made his way through the streets. He could have sworn he sensed something nearby, but couldn't place his finger on where. Whenever he tried to identify it, it was gone. He couldn't see it either, even with Aura-enhanced vision.
Maybe it was his imagination. He was often on edge as of late. The more abilities he discovered with his Aura, the more he began to fear them. Riley once told him that his powers would develop naturally without much need for training. Why was that? To what end?
Ash felt a sudden chill sweeping through the city streets. One after another, the lights nearby flickered off until he was left in darkness. His Aura arose on instinct, giving him the only light in the area. Now, he could definitely feel something slithering about. But he couldn't place his finger where. One moment, it was behind him, and when he would turn to it, it would be at his side.
Regretting not taking a Pokemon along with him for the walk, Ash readied an Aura Sphere at his side to intercept anything that might appear. At his back, there was a glass window for a shop that was opening. A massive, black shadow moved across it, sending a chill up Ash's spine. He whipped around, throwing an Aura Sphere at what he sensed, but a black rift opened to swallow it whole.
His eyes widening, Ash leaped back and summoned a barrier. A shrill beeping came from his Secretary Bot. "Reporting anomalous danger," Said Holo-Alice over and over as if Ash wasn't well aware of that. A massive tendril with a red tip emerged from the rift and lunged at Ash, followed by a wave of black that coated his vision.
When the darkness receded, Ash found himself in a warped, but familiar, place. There was stone, cement, and even trees, twisted into unrecognizable shapes and split into what Ash could only describe as misshapen islands hovering over a violet chasm with no bottom.
"This is...the Distortion World."
Ash spoke that realization out loud as he marveled at the warped world. A gargantuan, serpentine shadow rose up in front of him, earning a surprised gasp from Ash. "Giratina?!"
The shadows melted away, unveiling the Renegade in his full glory. He leered down at Ash with his gleaming, crimson eyes and replied, "Indeed, Ash. My apologies for the suddenness, as well as frightening you."
Chucking, Ash retorted with, "Well, I wouldn't say you frightened me."
Giratina gave his own chortle that echoed throughout the void. "Is that so? Well, I suppose I apologize for the insinuation instead."
A nervous Ash merely smiled and nodded along. Giratina was likely someone who he could not escape from, and though he prepared himself for a fight, he knew it would be one that he lost if it came to that. But what was the reason he was summoned?
"There is no need to be nervous," Casually said Giratina, evidently seeing right through him and earning a look of surprise. "I come as a friend," Giratina tried to assure him, though the look in his eyes told Ash there was some underlying meaning to their meeting. "The reason for my sudden appearance was due to Arceus."
Ash looked at him oddly. "Arceus?"
Closing his eyes, Giratina tilted his head down and let out an exasperated sigh. "I do not want him to know of this incident and I could spend a year telling you a list of the reasons why." His eyes reopened, focusing on the vastly smaller Ash. "But, you already know many of those, do you not?"
"...What do you want, Giratina?" Ash asked simply, not wanting to make a remark about Giratina's question.
Shifting around the platform Ash stood on, Giratina replied, "I am merely here to talk; to exchange ideas and, if you'll hear me out, a proposition." Ash had a feeling that last part was what Giratina had intended from the start, but didn't comment.
Noticing Ash's continued distrust, Giratina added, "Please, allow me to make myself clear. I came to you because I want to know you. You are clearly not the same boy who saved my life from that human who invaded the Distortion World. It is clear as day that something intrinsic about you has changed."
Ash chuckled dryly. "Maybe I've gotten too used to these powers," He said, flicking his fingers to spark an ivory flame above them, "Because I only just realized, after using them to know what people are thinking and feeling for so long, how bad it feels when someone else can see right through you too."
"...My apologies," Giratina spoke after a brief moment of recourse. "It's an unfortunate habit I've picked up over the years." His eyes drifted down toward the auric flame. "Though, on the subject of Aura…"
Indignantly, Ash told him, "I can't summon the being, if that's what you're asking."
Giratina hastily replied, "Oh, I would never dream of it."
At first, an unconvinced Ash inwardly laughed. During the first meeting of the Legends that he partook in, something about Giratina had rubbed him the wrong way from the beginning. Though he spoke with clear conviction, it stemmed from a twisted place. And he could feel that twist spreading outward even now.
"After all, we can't take a third tyrant."
Ash blinked in surprise when he heard that. "What?"
Giratina stared off into the endless expanse of coiling lands, though didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. "...Something that can destroy a creature as monstrous as Necrozma is truly something to be feared. Especially when it calls itself 'Aura.'"
He looked back to Ash intensely, but his eyes did not burn in the way they did before. "Ever since I attained my freedom from this place, truly and not by temporarily forcing my way out of it, I've began to...let my mind wander. Many questions have arisen in times like this, but I wouldn't dare take my questions to Arceus or Mew even if they did hold the answers."
There was this troubling thing about Giratina that Ash sensed within him. That conviction he knew Giratina often spoke with implied that everything he was saying came from a place that was, of all things, genuine. He wasn't lying. That much, Ash knew. But, he also knew there was some dark tangle of webbing in his heart that seemed to have more strands than he could count, forming a knot that may never untangle.
Giratina had genuinely brought Ash here for what he had said. Even with his auric prowess, knowing what Giratina was thinking was difficult, but what he felt was plain to see.
Ash decided to indulge, seeing the endless colloquialism of troubles that made up Giratina's character. "I know why you hate them, Giratina." He said. "Aura showed me that much."
Nodding, the Renegade replied, "I believe you told us that during that unfortunate meeting." His eyes narrowed a bit. "You saw firsthand what Mew's true nature was like. In that moment, her ire was pointed at you as well."
"You saw that?" Asked a surprised Ash. "I thought you left before that point."
One of Giratina's tendrils flew out to the side, tearing open a rift. "I have ways of keeping my eyes on many things." Retracting it, he said, "I was keeping an eye on things when I saw that you stuck around. Please believe me when I say that it was for your sake."
Curious, Ash said, "If you saw what happened next, then you also know that Mew forced me out of the Hall of Origin. Did you do something to stop Mew?"
Giratina laughed. "Stop Mew? Were that so easy, I certainly would have. No, when Mew struck, I almost intervened, but then I saw that she had merely forced you and Dialga out. I was certain she would have attacked."
He turned back toward Ash just as the rift beside him faded. "I admire your judgement, Ash."
Ash looked at him oddly, asking, "My judgement?"
Nodding, Giratina said, "Earlier in that meeting, you came to Mew's defense. On top of that, you calmed the Hall as much as you were able. I believe that saved the lives of both yourself and Dialga."
Before Ash could find the words to reply, a sudden realization dawned on him that made him pale a bit. He remembered just what Mew and Arceus were fighting about, and if Giratina had been listening in…
Clearing his now-dried throat and deciding not to outwardly make note of the young Palkia for fear of how Giratina would react, Ash asked, "Is...that so? I'm, uh, glad to hear you think that. But, you said you didn't intervene after we were forced to leave. Why was that?"
Giratina scoffed. "And save Arceus?" He asked with a mirthful laugh that boomed throughout the opposite world. Even when he stopped, and the two stood for a while in silence, they could hear his laughter reverberating off the twisted land, echoing back and forth from endless angles. When it finally stopped, Giratina looked off to where he last heard it and said, "...Truthfully, I wanted Mew to kill him. At least then, the world would have one less tyrant to worry about. That's why I didn't intervene."
Turning back, he added, "Of course, there was also the matter of the new Palkia."
Ash's ears rang for a brief moment. "What?"
"Dialga," Started Giratina, "Is someone who does not need explanation in regards to why the new Palkia's existence was revealed to him. But you, I believe, are another story." He chortled dryly at Ash's expression. "Please, don't believe this is some sort of accusation. At least, not to you."
Ash had trouble believing that at first when he sensed an inferno of rage welling up within the renegade.
In a voice that convincingly hid the fury that was behind it, Giratina said, "I was infuriated when I found out. Not that he created new Legends to keep balance with land and space, but...he made them in their image. I understand that balance must be kept. I understand that Arceus was far too weak to keep it himself after the war."
And then, he lost his composure. "Buy why," He roared with a volume that was nearly deafening, "Did he create them to look like Palkia and Groudon?! They are dead, so why did he not simply let the dead rest?! No, he had to puppeteer their corpses and place the burdens of Palkia and Groudon upon their new counterparts. He replaced his own children. Were he stronger, I have no doubt he'd do the same to the other dead Legends—my very brethren!"
"Giratina, I…"
Giratina's attention suddenly snapped back to Ash. "And you!"
Ash recoiled. "Wh-what?!"
"You," Started Giratina, "Should be the angriest of all. You, Ash, have saved nearly every one of us Legends at some point before Necrozma even appeared! Such deeds, which no other Legend shares, alone should have made you a Legend long before you and Aura felled Necrozma. Yet, it was only when your power was unmistakably greater than his own did he afford you that right."
As Ash was kept still in the gaze of Giratina's fiery red eyes, it felt like the world around him was becoming darker. It was no wonder why they called him the lord of shadows. "You're being used, Ash," He hissed. "And I suspect it has something to do with that white Aura you have. Arceus has been trying to puppet us all ever since we were created. But I can see the strings. And he hated that."
"...What exactly do you think Aura is?" Asked Ash.
To that, Giratina replied, "I don't know. If you're speaking about the entity, that is. You spoke of it showing you things that happened in the past, but...what exactly did it show you?" Lazily, he twirled one of his tendrils around, as if motioning to the world around you. "That is why I chose to speak to you here of all places. Were Arceus to know what we spoke of, there is no telling what he would do. But even when he can see all over the world, he would never think I would be here of all places after I was freed."
Excitedly, the renegade leaned forward. "I want to know what Aura showed you from the beginning. If it showed you how I was banished, then surely it showed you far more than that. I want to know what Aura is. What it is truly like."
Ash could only sigh, shaking his head. "Even when it was speaking to me, I could barely comprehend what it was talking about. It was like…" Unable to properly come up with a way to describe what Aura was, he opened his palm and curled his fingers upward, creating a small, white flame. With his other hand, he spun it around until it became formless, almost like fog. "I couldn't even begin to try to tell you what it looked like. When I was near it, Aura...it was like it was all around me. I could only see white and grey, moving around me in shapes I can't describe."
Giratina looked off in thought, bringing a tendril underneath his chin. "Interesting. When it appeared to us to fight Necrozma, it looked like it was a human shape. Yet, it was brighter than a star. I could only describe it as light itself, only shaped like a blank human." Looking back, he asked, "What was it like? How much did it share with you?"
Ash's first thought was that of the incident with Kyogre and Groudon that was erased from memory and history. "...Quite a lot. Some of which, I don't think anyone should know. There's enough conflict as it is."
The stare Giratina gave Ash after that was unnerving. "...Right you are," He said eventually, "But that only applies to 'some?' I understand if there are things that could be said that would disrupt our decaying balance, and so I will not pry. But if there is anything at all that could be said, then please."
Tilting his head up at him, Ash noted, "You seem really intent on learning about Aura. Why is that? It can't just be pure interest, can it?"
"And you seem intent on not telling me," Said Giratina with a small chuckle. "You've been skillfully evading my questions to ask your own until now, so I played along. Am I truly that untrustworthy?"
Ash quickly brought up his hands inoffensively. "No, no no," He insisted, "It's not like that. It's just-"
"I was merely joking," Giratina told him. "You have your reasons, I'm sure. After all, you are truly the only one who has an inkling about what Aura is truly like, and the extent of what it has told you. If you truly do not wish to speak of Aura, then I will not force you. However, there are other things that must be said between us."
"It's not that I don't want to speak about it," Admitted Ash. "It's just that I wouldn't know where to start. There's a lot it revealed to me about the world. But…" He glanced down at the foggy flame in his hand with a strained expression. "...I'm not even sure if what it told me could be trusted."
An interested Giratina perked up, hearing that. "Is that so? Frankly, I'm not too surprised. It seems that, with most things, they tend to be less trustworthy the more powerful they become."
Though Ash wasn't quite sure he agreed with that, he nodded along. "...Like I said before, Aura was...unfathomable when I saw it. But when it spoke, I could tell that it...felt. Sometimes, it sounded unsure of itself. And when it talked about Necrozma, I could tell that it felt remorse. But mostly, whenever it spoke, it just sounded sad."
He looked back up to Giratina for a response, but he merely nodded at Ash to continue. Sighing, Ash looked back down into the foggy flame in an attempt to better remember Aura. "It did show me what happened to you, Giratina. Even Aura said that those people that served you did it willingly." Again, he glanced at Giratina to see his reaction, but he couldn't identify anything from him.
"Aura showed me a lot of the world's history," Said Ash, "And I understand, to an extent, why you would hate Arceus and Mew. I've seen, through Aura's eyes...sight, some of the things they have done."
Suddenly, Giratina asked, "And did that not change your opinion of them?"
Ash shook his head. "It did. It certainly made me look at them under a different light, but I certainly don't hate them." He raised one arm out to his side. "On one hand, though Arceus certainly isn't perfect, I know he's trying to be better." Mirroring the action for the other arm, he said, "And Mew isn't all bad either. She saved my life and endangered her own before I saved hers, so it's not like she was selfish."
A sharp inhale from Giratina made Ash wince, but he was surprised when Giratina slightly turned away from Ash to direct the brunt of his piercing glare elsewhere. "Changing?!" He roared in utter disbelief. "Arceus's only change is the removal of his backbone. He's the same monster he's always been underneath! The existence of the new Palkia and Groudon confirms that! No one that is sane would put those young ones through that!"
As the renegade's rage continued to rise, Ash could hear the sound of grinding metal as the two gold mandibles on Giratina's were pressed together, not unlike the gnashing of teeth. "And Mew…! Mew! One act of selflessness towards you could not possibly erase all that she has done, and what she will continue to do! I am glad that she saved your life, truly I am, but for every life she may have saved, millions of them have ended by either her hand or her precious tree's!"
He growled fearsomely, but that exertion seemed to stay his anger slightly. "Surely," Said Giratina, turning towards Ash, "Aura has shown you some sort of extent of what Mew has done if it truly has shown you the history of the world."
Giratina certainly wasn't wrong. "Yeah," Admitted Ash, "I have. There really was a lot. I even saw her burn the entire landscape around the Tree of Life when humans tried to invade it."
"Exactly!" Shouted Giratina, pointing toward him with his tendril. "If you've seen what they have done, then...how can you possibly not hate them as I do?!"
Calmly, Ash replied, "I can't really say I hate anybody. I'm frustrated with some people sometimes. The only thing I've ever hated, Necrozma, is long dead. And when I felt that burning feeling of hatred...it was the most unpleasant thing I've ever felt." He shrugged haphazardly. "It's hard to explain, but after being able to sense what people are feeling for so long, I couldn't ever think of hating them. The same goes for Arceus and Mew. What they've done is horrible, sure, but I can tell there's some struggle and pain within them that they're trying to conquer. They really are trying to change. If you could look at them that way, maybe you could forgive them too."
Scowling, Giratina replied, "It is difficult to find pity for their pain when it is self-inflicted. I wish I could see them as you do, Ash. There is nothing in this world that I wish for more than to love my creators. Yet, when I see their continued foolishness and selfishness, I cannot help but renew my hatred for them. Truly, Ash...I truly wish I had your same vision."
"You could do it if you wanted," Ash told him optimistically. "Nobody is too far gone, you know. You care about the other Legends, right? That's already a great first step." His head perked up as something occurred to him. "Come to think of it, weren't you trying to kill Dialga at some point? What changed?"
Oddly, that question seemed to get a chuckle out of Giratina. "Shifting the focus to me now? I suppose it's only fair." His stance seemed to soften a bit but remained largely stiff. He seemed grateful to have his thoughts on anything else. "You are right," He admitted. "For a time, I held enmity toward everything. Did Aura ever show you what occurred in Arceus's absence?"
With a nod, Ash replied, "Yeah. Aura didn't show me the world's history in complete detail, but he did mention that when Arceus left after King Marcus betrayed him, the Legends went their separate ways."
"So you do know," Mused Giratina. "Truthfully, for many hundreds of millennia, the distancing between the Legends was something that had occurred over time, save for a few groups. Meetings of the Hall of Origin were few and far between, only ever truly serving to remind the Legends of who lorded over them. It was only recently that they became commonplace."
His scowl came back in full force as he was reminded of who that lord was. "Did Aura tell you, Ash, that the Legends were not permitted to enter the Hall of Origin of their own free will until recently?"
Ash's eyes went wide. "No, it didn't," He admitted. "Why would Arceus do something like that? It seems nowadays he wants nothing more than to be around you guys."
Masking his disgust of the topic with a short laugh, Giratina shook his head and replied, "There was no good reason. He merely wanted some arbitrary, meaningless form of control over the Legends without directly affecting their lives." When he looked back at Ash, there was that same red hot glow in his eyes. "People and Pokemon both suffered for it. Many crises arose that could have been prevented easily by Arceus or Mew, but even if they saw it, they did nothing, merely looking down upon the world from their pedestals on high."
He chuckled darkly, adding, "Perhaps they merely were afraid of acting in those instances for fear of repeating their mistake of allowing me to see the strings that they puppeteer."
"And the other Legends?" Asked Ash, trying to get Giratina's mind off of Arceus and Mew again.
Realizing he'd gone off-topic, Giratina nodded. "Right, right," He said hastily, "About that… Yes, we Legends were distant. Though perhaps none were more distant than I. Whereas the rest merely went their separate ways, I was bitter about my banishment and, admittedly, envious of their freedom. While banished, I wanted so desperately to interact with the normal world."
With one tendril, he reached out to another platform nearby. It seemed to bend around his touch as if repelled by him. "When my banishment was in its early stages, my unrefined powers over gravity reacted negatively toward the Reverse World. The twisted fragments of land that comprised it bent away when I came near. It took eons for me to hone them to the point I could make contact with them."
He further demonstrated this by dipping the tendril fully through the platform, raising it back out, and then tapping its solid surface as if nothing had happened. "But until then, this 'Reverse World' as Arceus had dubbed it repelled me at every turn. Yet, I was forced to exist within it. There was nowhere I could rest. Whenever I became too tired to continue to fly, I fell for hours until my strength returned. Every sleep was restless, and I awoke dizzy and fatigued as I spiraled down without end."
A rift manifested from the tip of Giratina's tendril, pulling from it something that shined brilliantly. Ash could only describe it as a looking glass, recognizing the signature glimmer of New Goldenrod's lights. Yet, its shape reminded him of a fragment of a broken mirror.
"Worse still were these," Said Giratina as he left it floating in front of Ash. "Every reflective surface in your world was like a portal in mine, allowing me to peer into them and see the world I was torn from. Yet I did not find the power to use them as such until well into Arceus's absence. Until then, I was trapped, forced to witness that world and be taunted by its warmth, but unable to do anything but look. It was a world I could not touch, and one that mocked me with visions of the old, welcoming one. That is what the Reverse World was created for. To be an unending hell with no rest and no sanction! Arceus ordained that for me!"
As his anger returned, Giratina dragged toward him another platform hanging in the void, then carved something into it. It looked like a flat, featureless version of Giratina's head with his mandibles. Around it were rings upon rings of triangles.
"And the reason for my eons of suffering is this!" He roared furiously, his voice echoing through the void. "This is the mark of my faithful, and that sole mark was the reason for my banishment, and for the myriad of wars between mankind and Pokemon! All because humans worshipped me of their own volition! I protected them of my own volition! All those humans wanted was a guardian, and all I longed for was companionship. Yet, this was too much for Arceus. Because he was insecure about his own status—because he was fearful that their reverence of me would undermine their reverence of him—I was thrust into this hell!"
A low grumble from the renegade pierced the air as he regained his composure, digging his claws into the surrounding ground to let off some steam. Unbeknownst to him, he ended up tearing apart the mark of his faithful.
Once he became calm enough to speak, he looked halfway between Ash and the gateway fragment. "In any case," He said in a smooth voice that hardly sounded as if he'd been screaming merely seconds ago, "While I was here, I was jealous of the freedom of my brethren. Being subjected to seeing their happiness whilst robbed of the same sensation felt maddening. Envy grew into hatred as I saw them bend the knee to Arceus and Mew time and time again. That, coupled with the distance naturally growing between the Legends during Arceus's absence, made them feel completely alien to me before long."
Briefly, a rift opened beneath Giratina to manifest a long piece of ground for him to rest on. "As I said, as time went on, I grew accompanied to this realm and my powers grew to match it. That is how this form you see me in now came to be."
Ash's eyes widened with intrigue. "For real?" He asked. "So then...that other form of yours…"
Nodding to confirm Ash's thought process, Giratina replied, "Was the original, contrary to what some history scriptures might tell you. This one was created to better survive in the Distortion World. But we are again getting off track."
Directing Ash toward the fragment, Giratina said, "With this form, I considered myself master of this world, not only believing that I had conquered it, but deluding myself into believing it was my domain. My territory, of all things." He chuckled at the absurdity of it. "So when Palkia and Dialga clashed and their fighting caused disruptions to this world, I considered it an offense to my 'territory' and retaliated."
Ash recalled Brock saying something similar the first time they found themselves in the Reverse World.
"It was around that point I met you," Continued Giratina. "Thanks to you and Shaymin, my foolishness did not cost me my life. Yet, it would later be endangered again by Arceus when he returned. When Arceus returned, and my brothers stepped forth to stop his rampage, I was initially proud. But when that business was said and done, they chose to bow rather than hold him accountable. So did every Legend. The moment their master revealed himself, and Mew decided she felt like leading, they all bowed without question! It infuriated me!"
Just when Ash feared that Giratina might explode again, he surprised him by suddenly relaxing in his stance. Ash could have sworn that his eyes shifted toward him for the briefest of moments. He couldn't tell, even when sensing Giratina's intent. That web of darkness that seemed to make up his very being entangled Ash's attempts. Ash acted none the wiser, and as far as he could tell, Giratina did not notice. Perhaps he was acting as well. Ash just couldn't know.
Without acknowledging that silent exchange, if there was one, Giratina continued. "From the moment Arceus's return was complete, and the other Legends merely fell into place like his pawns, I believed that I hated them all. 'Those were not my brethren,' I convinced myself. To me, they were nothing but the puppets of Arceus and Mew. So, I lied to myself. I told myself that I hated them. And then…"
From the depths of the dark, messy web that culminated to make up Giratina, Ash was able to clearly sense something. One thing that made sense amidst the entanglement of chaos. He sensed a deep, sorrowful remorse.
"...Necrozma killed Palkia right in front of my eyes. Even now, I can hear his last scream ringing out in the back of my mind. It's maddening! Arceus insisted that he sit back while we fought and died for him! And when he finally decided to show up, all that power he made a big fuss about getting wasn't enough! It was you, Ash, and Aura that did it in his stead! And he had the gall to cry over Palkia's body when it was his own damned fault!"
A tremble ran down Giratina's long spine as he fell silent, panting for air. "...But," He whispered, oh so gently and so quietly that Ash almost didn't hear it amidst the echoes of his previous yelling, "Palkia's last wish...was for me to try to not hate Arceus. When I heard his final scream, something in me snapped. I just...couldn't hate the Legends any longer. They did not deserve the fate they received. And yet… And yet…!"
Giratina's quivering tendrils dug deep into the floating stones around them. They looked as if they might shatter from it. "I could not fulfill Palkia's final wish!" Wailed Giratina. His red orbs were as dry as a desert, but his voice was filled with agony. "Palkia's last words were to Arceus, apologizing to him for failing! Arceus's response was to replace him, defiling his son's—my brother's—name and burdening the young Palkia with the fate of being born as such! I have made every attempt to try to understand him. I have spent entire days playing mental gymnastics to try to come up with a way to believe in Arceus. But I cannot trick myself. Arceus and Mew are monsters. I would go so far as to even call them worse than Team Rocket and that Nova Branch."
And then, that web began to close again, and Giratina's emotions returned to the messy, unrecognizable state Ash sensed. He looked up at Ash with an emotion he couldn't recognize. "I am...terrified of them, Ash. They created our world, the very ground we live on, to puppeteer every last fraction of our beings to justify their own existences. The only reason Arceus feigns kindness now is that he has seen a greater monster than him and realizes that his precious empire can crumble!"
He bowed his head and cackled suddenly, putting Ash on edge. "And Mew? She has never changed. That witch calling herself our mother only cares for that damn tree so much because it shares her life force. She doesn't care about the rest of us, and she proved that by not lifting a single finger to fight Necrozma!"
Ash was at a loss for words. He had seen their actions, but only now that Giratina's web of torment was right in front of him to feel with his Aura could he actually know the extent of what the world's creators had sewn.
"Giratina…"
The renegade asked him, "Do you hate them now? I do not know the extent of what Aura showed you, but now, do you see? It was the actions of Arceus that first set mankind and Pokemon against one another. That is exactly why we are in this situation now. It is why so much suffering even exists in this world! They cannot be allowed to lead it any longer!"
When he was done, he awaited Ash's response in silence. Under the pressure of Giratina's expectant gaze, Ash had difficulty even thinking. "I…" His story was compelling, and though it was difficult to grasp what he felt, something that was almost always clear was that the way he spoke came from a genuine place. And yet he recalled Mew's act of sacrifice for him and the sheer happiness from Arceus when he told Ash that he finally felt as if he was a part of his own world.
"No." He said firmly, meeting Giratina's gaze. "I told you that I didn't hate them already. I can't bring myself to hate anyone anymore. I'm…done with all of that."
Giratina stared at him for a moment, then bowed his head. "Forgive me," He said. "I should not have pressured you. This is my burden alone I shouldn't have made it yours. And...I think I've kept you long enough. I only brought you here so that we could speak our minds. I needed to vent."
"And to get me to side against Arceus and Mew, right?" Inquired Ash, making sure that his tone of voice didn't sound as accusing as his question. Giratina shrunk at that a bit. It was jarring given his size. Sighing, Ash said, "Look. I understand where you're coming from. If I went through what you did, I doubt I'd be much different. But when Team Rocket is done for, I'm not going to fight anymore. The last thing the world needs is another war. Aura isn't a weapon."
"...The more I learn about what Aura isn't, the less I seem to know what it is," Giratina commented thoughtfully. "Ash...what is it? Is Aura...truly a benevolent savior? Or is it merely another Arceus and Mew?"
Something in Ash's Aura flickered. Another wave of understanding from the web. "So that's it?" Ash asked. "That's what you were after this whole time?"
Apparently, that understanding went both ways, evidenced by a dry chuckle from Giratina. "To be fair, that is what I asked from the beginning. But yes. I needed to...alleviate some of my fears. When I laid eyes upon Aura, the only thing I could remember feeling was awe. But now that it's settled and I've had time to think...I'm beginning to fear it. I do not need a third monster to fear. So please, Ash, tell me. What is Aura?"
Ash looked down to the white flame. "...If only I knew."
Giratina seemed surprised. "What?"
"What you said earlier," Started Ash, "About knowing less about Aura the more you learn about it? Something along those lines? That's...pretty accurate. And I'm starting to fear it too. If it's benevolent or malevolent. If it's infinite or finite. Well, I came up with two conclusions."
Ash took hold of the fragment that peered into the normal world and tilted it. Its gaze was now turned upon the Rings of the Lost, lit by the Aura-coated statue at its front. "All those names on those stones are people and Pokemon that Aura chose not to save. It said that it needed to save energy for Necrozma."
Chuckling mirthfully, Giratina said, "Doesn't that sound familiar?"
"More than you know," Ash remarked, shutting down Giratina's smirk. "It was saving people. One of my own Pokemon too. But...it couldn't save it forever. At least, that's what it told me. It saved us, and I'm grateful for that, but...I've been wondering if it was telling the truth. If it was, then the thing that created all of us is, itself, limited. Just like the rest of us. If it was lying and it really could have saved everyone, but chose not to, then that's just as scary."
Giratina asked, "So you believe it could have had ulterior motives?"
With a halfhearted shrug, Ash shook his head. "I have no idea," He admitted. "It's just speculation. But, it's not unfounded. To get my cooperation and let it possess my body to fight Necrozma, it told me that time was frozen while we were speaking so it could gain my trust. But really, everyone was dying while I was being shown history lessons."
"That seems contradictory," Commented Giratina. "Why would it save some of us only to let them die later?"
In spite of the weighty conversation, Ash failed to stifle a fatigued yawn. "Again," He started mid-yawn, "I can only guess. I doubt I'll understand Aura anytime soon. It told me that it was indecisive and never wanted to mingle with the universe until Necrozma started destroying it. But it took a long time before it actually decided to intervene. If it was telling the truth, then it was probably debating saving us or conserving its power the whole way here."
Giratina stared off, contemplating this for a moment before asking, "And if it was lying?"
Sighing, Ash replied, "If that was a lie too, just like what it told me while we were talking, then who knows what else it was lying about? Maybe it was all powerful and pretending to be limited for its own amusement. Maybe it's just like Necrozma and it only intervened to keep its entertainment alive."
He shook his head. "I'm not sure if I even believe that last one, but thoughts like that have been spinning around my head ever since the war ended and…" He held up his arm, gleaming with ivory Aura. "...It gave me this. It's helped me more times than I can count and, honestly, I can't imagine life without it at this point. But I have to wonder why it did. Is there something it needs from me? Or is it just part of a game of a creator with infinite power?"
"I think I understand," Said Giratina. "At least, more than I did before. And where you're coming from. Is our highest creator infinite or finite? Frankly, I don't know what answer scares me more."
Ash looked up at him. "So you get it."
Giratina shrugged. "Somewhat. I at least know where you're coming from, but now I'm left with even more questions. But…" His eyes narrowed. "One answer portrays an indecisive creator who would trade lives for time. The other portrays one that treats our lives as a game. It sounds awfully like Arceus and Mew, doesn't it?"
Ash did not respond.
One of Giratina's tendrils shot through the reflective fragment, opening up a rift. "I would like to say this has been enlightening, but I'm afraid that would not be accurate. At the very least, I am glad to have been able to speak my mind to someone who is not a pawn. I'll not keep you any longer, Ash."
From the rift, the same wave of darkness that carried Ash here to begin with emerged once more. He brought up his arms on instinct, but the darkness swiftly enveloped him.
"Have a nice rest," Came Giratina's voice through the dark like a formless phantom. "The world will need your strength, but it will not expect yours alone. My aid is at your beckon call, should you need it."
And then the darkness receded, leaving Ash exactly where he was before. The buzz of the lights pervaded his ears again, and Ash suddenly felt much warmer hearing that familiar sound.
"Danger no longer detected. Ending transmission."
Ash nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the Secretary Bot on his wrist say those words before shutting itself off. But just as quickly as he breathed a sigh of relief, a new wave of dread washed over him upon hearing that the bot had been transmitting everything he and Giratina discussed.
"Oh, crap!" Cursed Ash as he mashed the activation button for the Secretary Bot.
"Welcome, Ash- Accessing contacts- Calling Mr. Star."
Frantically, Ash pressed at the device's icons to get to Mr. Star before he could get to the transmission. He anxiously awaited a response as the droning, repeating noise of a phone ringing played back on his end.
After what felt like years to Ash, Mr. Star finally responded. "Wh...whoziss?" Came the slurred, groggy voice of the old man.
Unable to hold back a relieved sigh, Ash said, "Mr. Star! It's me, Ash."
"Assshh?" He repeated. There came a long-winded, exertion-filled yawn from the other end. Ash winced when he heard audible bones popping from Mr. Star stretching. "Not that I don't enjoy your calls, my boy, but what in the world are you calling me at this hour for?"
Chuckling nervously, Ash replied, "I, uh, might have sent you a transmission by accident. Do you think you could delete it?"
A grumpy harrumph was the initial response for that. "That's all? Ash, I'm an old man. I really need this sleep, especially with the other CEO's slave driving me as of late." Briefly, Ash heard the noise of a Secretary Bot's panels being pressed. "...Ash, there's nothing here."
"What?" Ash asked. "But my Secretary Bot said it was sending a transmission. Are you sure it's not there?"
With a sigh, the obviously-tired old man replied, "Ash, that probably just means it got sent to someone else. I'm looking at my inbox from you and there's nothing new since yesterday. Good night."
And then, he hung up. A wave of relief washed over Ash. Though minutes ago he was almost cursing Aura's name, he now found himself thanking the creator entity if it really could control fate.
"I guess the transmission couldn't be delivered since I was in the Reverse World," Ash speculated aloud. Either way, the sense of relief was swiftly followed by one of fatigue, and he soon became too tired to care much more about the subject. A thin line of blue was peering out over the horizon, signaling the coming morning. Ash wasn't going to stick around to see it if he wanted some shut eye.
Authors note
Creator- Managed to get this out just before midnight where I'm at. Welcome back, all. Today, we got to see the results of Arceus and Mew's many, many mishaps. We've known what happened to Giratina, but never from his perspective until now. I hope you all can see his point of view.
Hydra- Happy Mother's Day everybody! Sorry for the delay for this chapter, but we wanted to make sure it's impactful because when the chapter is mostly focused on dialogue it's much harder to do.
British-Vulture- Hydra, mess with me like that again and I will find you.
Anyway, thanks for the fucking gut punch of a chapter this was. It seems that Harper clearly didn't like having to alter the deal on his superior's orders, so we may see him become more of a wildcard later on.
No comment on the rest of it, because this is an absolute gut punch, heartbreak, Hope crusher chapter considering this happened to some of my favourite characters (in general). It's good, won't lie. Just, fuck.
Also, fuck Pierce.
Prediction Time!: Okay, so. Likely predictions. Judging by the words of Harper's superior, it's possible that Pazuzu'd Mewtwo isn't the only Legend working for Team Rocket against their will. Yveltal is in their custody after all. Harper is likely to become more of a wildcard, as said, and I have a sneaking feeling that he may do one of several things. Among them is that I think he might get sick of Team Rocket's shit, and pull an enemy mine on them. Another is that he may just try and quit after he gets his fight with Moltres, and that's if he gets that fight, and if he wins.
Finally, Team Rocket may try and use Latias' desperate measures and escape as part of propaganda.
I have decided that I'm not going to use the last paragraph of this to make more English slang explanations, but instead I'm gonna use it for casual chat because fuck it, this has been inconsistent enough already.
Saw Godzilla vs Kong, absolutely loved it, not gonna spoil it. Hope you guys are doing okay.
There, that's the casual chat. I have no fucking idea how this will progress.
I've come to realise this review does not have any references or memes. Eh, doesn't matter. Keep up the good work, lads!
Creator- Hydra better watch himself on the streets. Yeah, sorry not sorry about Latias. I can never resist making my characters suffer. But it will pay off later. That, I can assure you. Interesting prediction. Harper's a bit of a wild card already, isn't he? How far do you think that Team Rocket is willing to let him pull on his leash before they pull the plug?
Hydra- Lmao, I could never kill the trio, they're just too memorable from my childhood that it would be a crime. Can you imagine if the Nova branch brainwashed Yveltal and made him a suit of armor similar to the one Mewtwo use to have? Now that would be awesome.
Lion Assaulter- This fanfic is a Masterpiece! Next chapter please!
Creator- Your name tells me who you think would win a certain internet debate. I agree, btw. And thank you so much for your kind comment.
Hydra- Hi there! Glad your enjoying the fic. Your the first person to call this story a masterpiece and it's really inspiring to hear that! Which character is your favorite in the story so far?
G- Good chapter, so the Burned man returned to the action again, well it is interesting to see that his superiors are now using Moltres as leverage and a leash to control the Burned man, as apparently they would gives him the chance for payback, if Harper can accomplishes succesfully some jobs to them. I guess that they are doing this in this way as result of the demise of Christopher Lee, because the Burned man was indirectly responsible for this to disobeyed his orders to helps him to escape from the island, for be distracted to tries to reaches Moltres, showing that Harper is a man so obsessed with this Fire bird that he could even ended betraying his own allies, making that now his superiors have to blackmails him with denies him this chance of revenge if Harper fails them again.
Also, was surprising to see that the powersuit of the Burned man carries more weapons and skills than Harper knew, perhaps this could implies that among of the arsenal could be some specialized weapon to deals with Moltres, like some experimental coolant liquid that to be injected to a Fire type pokemon, could eliminates their Fire type, making that if the Burned man uses this against Moltres, the Legendary bird could loses its flames and even became vulnerable to the Fire element, allowing to Harper gives Moltres a taste of its own medicine.
Returning to the story, was truly sad to see the situation of Latias, as the poor dragoness suffered a lot hardships in her life; the death and sacrifice of her father, the sacrifice of her brother, the war against Necrozma that caused so many casualties, and tragically among of them, the second death of Latios, and now she ended suffering several loses in this day; the death of Lorenzo and Bianca, and that the remmanent of Nova Branch stole the Soul Dew, leaving Latias very distraugh, sad and traumatized.
Well, to this point, i wouldn't be surprised that Latias joins to the same club of Lugia, Keldeo and Reshiram, as the Legendary pokemon that suffered some severe traumas after the recent events. And if Latias ended like them, i wonder if exists the possibility that she became ruthless and merciless like Reshiram and Lugia, especially if she faces Team rocket and Nova branch members again, as Latias could be thristed for revenge to takes away her family. I says this because when she fighted against them, Latias was reluctancy to kills them in cold blood, showing that she had some moral code, but after suffered this loses, i wonder if she could reconsiders her original mindset and adopted some new ruthless attitude, as perhaps Latias even thinks that if she would kills some of them when they were to her mercy, perhaps the outcome of the battle could ended in victory to her, and Lorenzo and Bianca would still alive and the Soul dew would still safe, making that possibly Latias ended considering the mercy as weakness after this battle. Well in this case, i hope that Ash can heals the broken heart of Latias, as she certainly would needs all the emotional support available.
To finishes, i wonder what exactly would happens to Latias after this chapter, as the chapter ended with Latias apparently getting out cold out of sadness, tiring, and the injuries that she sustained in this battle, she would be rescued for the heroes and could reaches Ash, she ended trapped by some other patrols of the Team rocket, or she would simply became MIA, leaving her fate unknown for the moment.
Keep the good job.
As other point, out of the story, after analyzed Arceus and his past, i cannot helps in noted that Arceus has some similar background than Davoth, aka the Dark Lord from Doom.
! SPOILER ALERT ¡
During the events of the Ancient Gods part II, would be revealed that Davoth, the Dark lord, is actually the true and original creator god of Doomverse, and that the Father was his creation, that rebelled against Davoth, defeated him, ursuped, took away most of his power, sealed him and stole his identity as the creator god, and the Father, as the Makyrs, rewrote the history as if the Makyrs and the Father were the original beings of the universe that created the existence, when the truth is that Davoth and his civilization were the first beings of the existence, and the Makyrs were their creations.
And as result of this betrayal, Davoth ended weakened and thristed for revenge, making that he eventually became the being known as the Dark lord, and Jekkad, his civilization, ended turned in the dimension that we knows as the Hell in Doom, making that the Dark lord planned to punishes all his creations as reckoning for the betrayal of the Father, setting in motion the events of the Hell invasions in the worlds and the involvement of the Makyrs in this matter.
Regarding Arceus, to considers the events of Pokemon 12 the movie, he was also betrayed for his creations; an unwilling Damos and Marcus, and during the attempt for destroy him, Arceus barely managed to survived this betrayal and eliminates everyone present in this zone. Nevertheless, Arceus ended losing the Jewel of Life, the artifact that contains fives of his plates, leaving him depowered and bittered for this betrayal, making that Arceus eventually planned to punishes his creations as result of this betrayal.
My point is that Arceus and Davoth started as benevolents creator gods that seeds the life in the existence, but tragically, Arceus as Davoth ended betrayed for one of their creations; Marcus and the Father, and as result of this betrayal, Arceus and Davoth ended losing a part of their power, and both became twisted and thristed for revenge, turning them in vengeful gods that now plans to wipes out all their creations as punishment for the betrayal against them.
Nevertheless, in the case of Arceus, Ash and his friends managed to undo the betrayal against him in the past, gives him back the Jewel of the Life, and restored his faith in the mankind, making that Arceus could became the benevolent creator god again. While that in the case of the Dark lord, sadly he never redeemed himself and Doom Slayer hadn't any choice than fights him.
Creator- Ah, the tragedy of a cycle. The worst part about them is that they're destined to repeat themselves and renew the tragedy without end unless something else comes to break it. I wonder who that could be? That is...if anyone can break it at all. Also cool analogy with Doom yet again. Imagine if Giratina was the real creator, sundered by Arceus. That would be a twist.
Hydra- You're starting to notice a pattern now huh? A legend goes through a tragedy and as a result they become merciless just like the enemy. Let's hope Ash can stop it from getting any worse before things really get out of hand. It reminds me of an old saying "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain". I used to read fics based off of Latias and once I read enough of them I knew we needed to make her more important to the story.
DarkPugLord23- Oh man, poor Latias. I bet she and a certain Genesect might get along, considering their similar circumstances. And I'm really surprised (and also pleased) that Harper didn't do the whole "Even though you gave us what we wanted, we'll backstab you anyway because I'm a bad guy and we're all bastards!" thing, he was genuinely going to leave them alone. Of course, then the Commander had to be THAT guy and make things worse anyways. Now Latias is on the run and Alto-Mare is completely demolished. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Creator- I try very hard to defy cliches, or at the very least, twist them a bit. That's why I showed Harper being so pissed about having to do that. It's not like he cares about other people, but he doesn't hate them either. In his perfect world, he would have gotten in, taken the Soul Dew peacefully because it's the path of least resistance, and gotten out without a fight. Moltres scarred his mind so badly that it's the only thing he can think about.
Hydra- Well hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. We finally got to see more of the weather trio and I bet when you first saw them all the way back in chapter 20 you didn't think it was actually meant to be anything relevant to the overarching story. Let's just say every scene has a meaning even if it takes a long time to pay off. Oops what am I saying I'm making this story up as I go, there's no plan or anything hehe…...
Creator- Next time, in accordance with Mother's Day, we'll be seeing a certain mother again and what she's been up to. We'll also be seeing the path of one wronged by the Nova Branch.
Hydra- This chapter was certainly an interesting one. Giratina is certainly shaping up to be an ally of Ash's but then again they were never technically enemies. Oh well thanks for reading guys and as I said I hope you all had a great happy Mother's Day!