Pride of Your Soul

by grey0716

Nate is a cynical thief who can understand Pokemon and believes that there is no such thing as 'good' in humanity. Rosa is an arrogant, aspiring trainer who believes that she will become the next champion. The world decides to give these two a reality check. Sequel to Color of Your Soul; a loose adaptation of Pokemon Black and White 2.

35. 33: Maelstrom

Pride of Your Soul

Chapter 33: Maelstrom

---

AN: Y'know a part of me keeps forgetting that people still read Color of Your Soul. Looking back at it, I'm surprised more people haven't called me out on Hilda until recently. Because honestly I let her get away with way too much shit. Eh, I think I did alright considering that was my second story I ever wrote. Also helped that I addressed her Karma Houdini status in this one.

Ah well, enough rambling.

Tony Anderson: Thanks as always!

TheDarkMaster4000: Like usual, thanks for your support and glad you like Colress in this one. To answer your question about the warp panel, no. The game forces you to confront Colress first before facing Ghetsis since a grunt would be blocking the panel to Ghetsis' room. Truth be told, Colress actually broke free from his mindwipe all the way back in chapter 20 or something (which ever one was when they tricked Kyurem in thinking Nate was killed). He just played dumb to draw suspicion away from himself.

Uninspired Heap: Once again, thanks for your feedback! We already talked in PMs so I won't repeat anything here.

Jeck: Really? I thought this was as long as normal. Ah well. Honestly PoYS!Colress can be considered a different character outright personality wise when compared to canon!Colress. Also to answer your question regarding Vire getting paralyzed; all battles in my stories follow the rules of their respective generations. So all battles here follow Gen 5 rules; hence Vire still being able to be paralyzed. Eve is the exception by virtue of being in a region that doesn't know what she is or how to deal with her. Eve will still follow Gen 5 rules as much as it can be applied to her (e.g. Shadow Ball will still be resisted against Steel-types). And I'm flattered that my story inspired you to consider buying White 2. I still recommend it since it's still a great game in my opinion.

FantasyLover88: We finally reach Ghetsis, and don't worry, he'll get what he's coming. Just wait and see.

AiKokoNoot: Well I'm glad I managed to redeem myself in the romance factor in PoYS compared to CoYS. Truth be told, I'm still working on the romance part, and CoYS was my second ever story I wrote on this site, so it was still rough around the edges. If you compare that to this, you can notice the difference in quality. Also thank you!

Alright now time to deal with Ghetsis' bullshittery.

---

"...shal...Ma...Marshal!"

Marshal opened his eyes at the sound of someone calling him and immediately shot up from his position. Turns out it was Grimsley and Shauntal, who were waking him up from his apparent coma.

"Good, you're still alive," Grimsley sighed.

"What happened...?" Marshal asked as he rubbed his head. The last thing he could remember was an army of strange creatures...

"We were attacked by whatever it was that Plasma stowed away here," Shauntal explained. "And then they proceeded to fly out of the cave. I believe they're all around Unova by now."

"What!?" Marshal gasped, standing up. "We have to stop them!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Grimsley asked. "There had to have been well within the hundreds of those things and they're all over Unova. No matter how strong we are, we'd be hard pressed to be able to go around and stop the damn things."

Marshal gritted his teeth. Grimsley had a point. No matter how strong they were, going all around Unova to track down those damn monsters and stop them was nothing short of impossible. It would take so much time just to reach one city; and by then, several others would succumb to the mechanical monsters.

"Look, there's several gym leaders and officials from the league in several cities," Grimsley said. "How about we go to the towns that don't have any league officials there to defend them?"

"...Very well," Marshal agreed, seeing that as the most logical thing they can do to answer the crisis going on in Unova.

"Caitlin will most likely go defend Undella, and Iris should be at Opelucid," Shauntal said. "That leaves Accumula Town, Lacunosa Town, Lentimas Town, Anville Town, the Village Bridge settlement, and the White Forest."

"Even if we take one, we can only cover three..." Marshal muttered.

"It's the best we can do," Grimsley said to Marshal. "We're just gonna have to trust in the trainers of Unova to defend themselves."

"...Fine..." Marshal muttered.

"Very well," Shauntal said. "I can take Lentimas Town. Marshal, please cover the Village Bridge. I can take you there. And Grimsley can defend Anville Town."

"Alright," Grimsley nodded. "C'mon, let's get to work!"

All around Unova, the towns and cities were under siege by sudden groups of strange purple machine-like Pokémon, who appeared before them and attacked them with no hesitation or mercy.

---

Opelucid City

---

"WHAT EVEN IS THIS!?" Iris cried out as Hydreigon shot a Fire Blast at an incoming genesect. It was bad enough that Drayden was still in a coma and the city was still frozen. Now all of a sudden these weird purple bug-robot things show up out of nowhere and proceed to terrorize the city!

This has Plasma's name written all over it. Oh how Iris loathed that damn Team Plasma right now. First they freeze her beloved city, then they hurt Grandpa Drayden, and NOW they send purple robots to destroy everything!

Currently any capable trainer in Opelucid was helping with defending the city; including the gym trainers, the ace trainers from nearby, even the biker gang that claimed Route 9 as their territory. Iris would be more touched about all these trainers joining together if the city was not being terrorized by flying purple robots.

Another genesect came flying over to assist the genesect Hydreigon just shot down, firing a Techno Blast at the dragon in question. Hydreigon gritted his teeth, before firing off a Fire Blast in retaliation, nailing the second genesect in the head. Iris gritted her teeth as well, as she glanced over to check on Lapras and Haxorus. The two were doing fine for now, but only time would tell how long all three of them would last.

Iris knew, however, that her friends were fighting Team Plasma at this very moment, risking their very lives against the dastardly group that refused to go down even after two years. They would surely put a stop to this. Until then, Iris would do her best to defend the city she has come to known as a home from these metal invaders.

"Hugh...everyone...I believe in you all..." Iris said to herself. "You better win...!"

Several more genesects gathered above Iris and her Pokémon, aiming their cannons at her. Glaring at them, Iris stood defiantly as her faithful Pokémon got ready to fight them off just like the rest.

"In the name of the Unova Champion!" Iris yelled. "You're all going down!"

---

Driftveil City

---

Clay growled as Excadrill slashed through yet another one of these strange purple machines. Unfortunately, they showed no signs of an end, as they seemingly replaced the ones that were destroyed out without any problems. The fact that it was so damn hard to take one down made the already-critical situation all the more vexing. Fortunately, the trainers from his gym and those who were in Driftveil, whether they lived there or were planning on entering a tournament, offered their support in taking down the purple machines.

He was not even sure what they were dealing with exactly. They seemed to be Pokémon, but they were unfamiliar to him. He recalled spotting one of the species in his Driftveil Tournament three months ago, but he had no information to work with regarding the menace. All he could tell was that they were Steel-types (with some kind of dual-typing that made them neutral to Ground-type attacks) had both terrifying offensive force and aerial capabilities, and that this was definitely the work of Team Plasma; a combination Clay did not like one bit.

But that did not mean that Clay would not go without a fight. He made Driftveil from his blood, sweat and tears. He created the Pokémon World Tournament so that trainers from all across the world could gather to battle one another. He made this city into the economical standard of Unova that it represented.

And there was no way he would let these metal hooligans harm the people of Driftveil. He was not the gym leader and mayor of Driftveil for nothing!

---

Virbank City

---

"Damn it!" Roxie swore as she slammed her guitar into a lurking robot. The guitar exploded into several pieces but seemed to do something to the purple robot. As the robot backed off, Roxie's Weezing flew over and spewed a Flamethrower at the robot, finishing it off.

"Seriously, what the hell are these things!?" Roxie yelled in frustration. "They look like that one robot thing that Colress dude had!"

Roxie knew damn well Plasma was behind whatever bullshit was going on here (and most likely all over Unova), and now it was Roxie's duty to protect Virbank from falling to their siege. Unfortunately, reality hit Roxie very hard when she realized the robots were Steel-type; the one type that Poison-types could not hope to touch. Sure, her trusty Pokémon had other moves (Weezing in particular had Flamethrower, which was perfect in this scenario), but they could only take her so far.

Roxie glanced up to the skies, currently infested by the purple robots and the Pokémon of Virbank who were fighting them off. If this was Plasma's work, then those guys would surely be in the thick of it al.

"Yancy..." Roxie could not help but mumble in worry for her best friend's safety. "...You better make sure those sleazebags don't lay a finger on her, Nate! Ya hear me!?"

Her attention was not distracted for long, as Scolipede rushed over and rammed into a robot that threatened to bash her in the head while she was distracted.

"Shit..." Roxie muttered as she saw Scolipede showing signs of exhaustion. It was only a matter of time before her Pokémon tired themselves out. It was a war of attrition all right, but just how long could Roxie even last? At this rate, she did not have much faith in her abilities to last any longer...

---

The man, Ghetsis, merely snorted as he walked around his desk to greet his new visitors. "It's been a while, boy. Honestly I should've made sure you were actually killed by that useless pig when the Shadow Triad retrieved him."

"Yeah, it's been a while, shitty priest," Nate spat, before flashing a mocking grin and specifically eyeing the spot where Ghetsis' right arm should be. "How's the arm?"

Ghetsis did not show any reaction as his right arm was not visible at the moment, being hidden underneath the robe he was wearing.

"As good as any severed limb would be, thanks to you," Ghetsis spat back, before eyeing Hilda, Cheren and Bianca. "And what a surprise to see you three wretched brats. Where's Hilbert? Might as well have him here to complete the set."

"He'll be here to give you what you deserve, don't worry," Hilda snarled.

"He would better, if he knows what's good for him," Ghetsis muttered darkly, before now glancing to Colress. "And you...I make you the leader of Team Plasma, and this is how you repay me?"

"You and I both know that I was a figurehead just like N," Colress shot back.

Ghetsis merely sneered at the man, before facing the remaining three trainers. "And you three...you're all new to me. However, I am aware of your constant meddling in our affairs. How fortunate of you three, though. Few get to be audience members for one of my own personal speeches."

"Yeah, there's a good reason for that," Nate retorted.

Ignoring Nate, Ghetsis went on with his speech. "As you may know, I am Ghetsis; the true leader of Team Plasma. Team Plasma will use its knowledge and technology and take Kyurem's true power to its absolute limits! With it, and along with the Genesect Battalion, Unova will be ravaged by its might. The terrified masses will bow at Team Plasma's...no...at MY feet!"

Ghetsis walked around, slamming his cane on the floor when he stopped. "Kyurem is an empty being. It is nothing more than the remnants of the original dragon when it split into Reshiram and Zekrom. It seeks vengeance against humanity, who had forced it to split apart and become a hollow shell for their own selfish desires. It will be the avatar of my desires! My desires of absolute rule over Unova! What better way to inflict vengeance than to restore Kyurem back to its original glory and have the original dragon desolate the land it has once protected, only to be betrayed by!?"

Ghetsis' manic laughter filled the room, unnerving everyone there, before calming down.

"And you think we're just gonna let you do that?" Nate asked incredulously.

"But of course!" Ghetsis replied back. "Even as we speak, Kyurem is being transported to the Giant Chasm so that it can restore its full power. Once all the preparations are complete, my plan will finally be fulfilled! Kyurem will be my weapon to rule Unova with an iron fist!"

"You say that," Rosa said. "But didn't you trick Kyurem into joining you guys by faking Nate's death? What's stopping it from seeing Nate still alive and going after you?"

"A valid question, child," Ghetsis responded backhandedly. "But fear not. We had captured Kyurem in our state-of-the-art Plasma Ball. The moment a Pokémon gets captured in one, their wills are bent to us. Just like the Swords of Justice! Just like all the Pokémon that we take! And just like how Kyurem is under our complete control!"

Nate gritted his teeth at the mad man. How dare he manipulate Kyurem like that!? And using Nate's own near-fatal accident to boot as well. That was as if Ghetsis had manipulated Kyurem by using him!

"But still," Ghetsis muttered, eyeing Nate and Hilda. "Even in his grave, that blasted fool continues to haunt me like an annoying fly in the form of his own children. Well, one child and foster child I suppose."

"Don't you DARE speak ill of him like that!" Hilda snarled. "Especially when you're the one who killed him!"

"I'd hate to correct you on that, but I'm not the one who killed your father," Ghetsis defended himself as he set his cane down to take out a pokéball, sending out his own hydreigon. "He's the one who killed your father."

The hydreigon sported a rather sick, malevolent grin on his face as he stared down all the opposition, almost daring them to try and make a move. Hugh, in particular, was the most unnerved by Ghetsis' Hydreigon. Perhaps it was because he was so used to Iris' own hydreigon, which was much more docile and friendly. Ghetsis' Hydreigon reminded Hugh that the species was in fact violent and malicious by nature; perhaps even more so than naturally due to his partnership with a man as wicked as Ghetsis.

"Boy," Ghetsis addressed Nate. "If I recall, you were not there when your father died. Would you like me to tell you how he breathed his final breath?"

Ghetsis had a manic grin on his face as he went on. "Would you like to know how he died? Being forced to watch his own son plummet to his supposed demise, while he watched as his own Pokémon were brutally murdered for their defiance, before joining their demise? How his last scream was from Hydreigon crushing the man's head in his jaws?"

Nate's response was to suddenly hurl his knife at the man, which Hydreigon swatted away, having it fly back to him.

"Only cutting your arm off was honestly merciful," Nate said as he caught the knife that was aimed at his head. "This time, I'll make sure to cut off that head of yours."

Before anyone could say anything, a Shadow Triad suddenly appeared in the room, kneeling next to Ghetsis.

"Lord Ghetsis," Ein addressed. "Transfer of Kyurem to the Giant Chasm is complete."

"EXCELLENT!" Ghetsis boomed happily. "The wonderful era of Unova under my control is about to become a reality!"

Ghetsis cackled as Ein placed a hand on the man's shoulders. Hilda recognized the gesture; the Shadow Triad could teleport anyone whom had any physical contact with them the moment of vanishing.

"STOP HIM!" Hilda yelled.

In response to that, Ghetsis proceeded to release the remainder of his Pokémon; a darmanitan, a ferrothorn, a seismitoad, an eelektross and a cofagrigus; all with equally sinister expressions as Hydreigon. The five malicious Pokémon stood in their way, as Ein was able to teleport Ghetsis and Hydreigon out of the room.

"Damn it!" Hilda growled as now they had to deal with Ghetsis' own entourage. "We don't have time for this!"

"You all go on ahead."

Everyone looked to see Colress stepping up in front of them, his expression ever so neutral as it always is as he glanced to Ghetsis' Pokémon.

"Time is of the essence," Colress said matter-of-factly. "There's more than enough of you to go after him. I still need to get to Ghetsis' console to disable the genesects as it is, anyways."

"You gonna give up your chance to give Ghetsis his comeuppance?" Nate asked.

"This is something only I can do, unfortunately," Colress replied, before glancing at Nate. "Besides...I feel that as Roy's son and the one who's been wronged by Ghetsis the most, you deserve the honor more than I do."

Nate stared back at Colress, before nodding. "If you say so. Don't screw this up."

"Like I would ever," Colress replied back. "...There should be an exit right behind you all. Take that to exit the ship and go after Ghetsis."

Nate glanced behind him, confirming a door at the end of the room. They were most likely in the stern of the ship if that was the case.

"Gotcha," Nate said. "Alright, let's go."

"You sure?" Rosa asked uncertainly. "I mean I know Colress is strong...but..."

She did not feel comfortable leaving one person behind to fend off whatever monsters Ghetsis had prepared.

"Your concern is very flattering, Miss Echoes," Colress said, startling the bun-haired girl. "However, I would like if you all trusted me on this. I will not fail here, when everything is at stakes."

Rosa glanced back to Colress' unmoving figure hesitantly, before sighing and nodding back to the man. If Nate wanted to believe in him, and if Colress was willing to sacrifice himself for the others to move on, then who was Rosa to deny that?

"...Alright..." Rosa said. "Don't push yourself."

"Duly noted," Colress nodded.

"Father..." Hilda said in a similarly worrying tone as everyone else headed out of the stern.

"Oh, come on, Hilda," Colress replied jokingly. "Have some faith in your old man. Well, second foster old man, I suppose. You go with your foster brother and avenge your first foster father."

Hilda gritted her teeth, not wishing to leave Colress by himself against Ghetsis' party (especially after knowing firsthand what they are capable of), but she accepted Colress' act. It would do no one any favors standing by indecisively.

"Let me know if you need any help immediately!" Hilda demanded before following after the others.

Colress could not help but chuckle to himself as he saw her off. "I do say I raised her well all things considered, eh Roy?"

Colress then proceeded to face Ghetsis' team, before sending out his own Pokémon in retaliation.

"Now then, seeing as you all know of what you're capable of," Colress addressed Ghetsis' Pokémon. "You would assume that you have the upper hand. Your group is more diverse in typing, more destructive and frankly more cunning. There's no possibility for someone as pathetic as me to win over such hardened veterans. If your thought process is anything like your master's, then that's what you're thinking. However..."

Colress pushed up his glasses with his index finger, revealing a rather murderous and cold glare to Ghetsis' Pokémon as his own Pokémon prepared to fight to the death.

"I disagree..."

---

The group rushed outside the stern of the ship, jumping off and landing on some nearby bushes. It was there, when Yancy's Xtransceiver decided to ring out loud.

"What the–!?" Yancy blurted as she rummaged through her bag for it. Who could be calling her now of all times? The pinkette quickly took it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Yancy!? Are you alright!?"

It was her father, much to Yancy's shock.

"Dad!?" Yancy gasped, catching everyone else by surprise. "Wha–Well, yeah I'm with my friends right now."

"Good," Mr. Lapis sighed in relief. "That's good. These strange purple creatures suddenly showed up out of nowhere and began to attack everything!"

"The genesects..." Rosa muttered.

"Where are you right now?" Yancy asked, concern rising in her tone.

"We're currently at Lacunosa Town," Mr. Lapis replied shakily, obviously still terrified by the events that just unfolded at the town. "Curtis is helping the townsfolks fight them off right now. I just needed to know if you were safe. These things are monsters! They're attacking humans and Pokémon without any sense of mercy! Yancy, whatever you do, find a place to hide! You have to stay saf–!"

The line suddenly cut off, leaving Yancy with nothing but static.

"Dad? Dad!?" Yancy cried out, absolutely terrified for her father and the sudden disconnection.

"Wait...hang on..." Rosa muttered. "The genesects are attacking the cities...I know the gym leaders and the league will do their best to protect them...but...what about the towns without gyms...?"

Rosa's question and its implications gave everyone a sudden strong feeling of dread.

"Oh shit..." Nate muttered, having not thought about that.

"Wait, so if the town doesn't have a gym, then who's going to help them!?" Hugh blurted.

"...Oh no...! The kids!" Cheren cried out. "I need to head back to Aspertia to protect the students!"

"WAAAH! Accumula's a sitting ducklett too!" Bianca frantically realized.

Yancy also could not help but feel worried. Her father and brother were at Lacunosa Town, fighting for their lives against the army of genesects. But she could not just leave the others at such a crucial moment.

Nate glanced around, noticing Yancy's conflicted expression. "You wanna go save your old man and Curtis, right?"

"Eh?" Yancy uttered, turning to Nate.

"Your face says it all," Nate retorted. "No matter what's been said and done, you still care for your old man, deep down."

"I..." Yancy mumbled.

"Go," Nate suddenly said. "I'm sure they could really use your help."

"B-But I can't just leave you guys now!" Yancy tried to argue.

"I mean you can stay if you want," Nate said to Yancy. "...But you're gonna regret it if something happens to them, y'know."

Yancy looked conflicted; she wanted to stay and help Nate and the others, but she could not just condemn her father and Curtis to their possible demise, and wanted to go save them, regardless of her recent memory of her father. Nate instantly recognized her inner conflict, before deciding to step in further.

"We'll be fine," Nate reassured her. "You go save your old man and Curtis and leave the bastard to us. Believe in us."

Yancy stared at Nate for a good moment, taking in his short, yet thoughtful words. It seemed that was enough for Yancy to make her decision.

"Alright," Yancy relented.

"Atta girl," Nate nodded. "Go show your old man how much you've grown as a trainer."

"Sorry, but we have to go too," Cheren said as he and Bianca sent out their Flying-types. "I need to head back to the school."

"And I'm really worried about Accumula..." Bianca replied apologetically.

"No, please do," Rosa told them. "I'm really worried about the others back at school..."

"And I'd rather not have a guilty conscience knowing we left Accumula for dead," Hugh agreed.

"Thanks," Cheren replied, although he did not sound any less guilty for leaving them at such a crucial timing. "We have no idea what Ghetsis will pull. Be on your guard."

"Yes, Professor!" Rosa and Hugh replied determinedly.

"Don't go dying off on us," Nate responded.

"Not planning to," Cheren smirked as he and Bianca rode off to the skies on their Flying-types.

Yancy sent out her togekiss, before glancing back to Nate and the others.

"You be careful out there," Nate said.

Yancy stared at Nate, before quickly running over to Nate and giving him a quick kiss, catching the boy off guard. It lasted for a few seconds before Yancy pulled away.

"You better win," Yancy told him. "...And... You better come back to me in one piece!"

Nate stared at Yancy in a surprised daze, before snapping out of it and smiling to her. "Promise."

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Yancy quickly hopped onto Toge and let the angelic Pokémon fly off.

"Please be careful! All of you!" Yancy cried out as she flew off out of their sight.

Nate saw Yancy off until he could not see her anymore, before letting out a sigh. "She really is a good girl, huh..."

"Are you all ready?" Hilda asked.

Nate nodded as they all turned to spot the entrance to Kyurem's dwelling. "Let's go."

---

As fast as they could, the remaining quartet rushed to Kyurem's cave, where Ghetsis was most likely at to fulfill the next step of his genocidal plot. But as they reached the entrance, the Shadow Triad suddenly appeared, blocking them off.

"Figured you would've survived," Ein said to Nate, who only returned the statement with a hateful glare. "Unfortunately for you, we can't let you interfere with Lord Ghetsis' plans."

"Too bad! You don't have a say in that," Nate growled as he sent out Deo, fully expecting the opponent he was going to face.

The other three prepared their own pokéballs as well, but the Shadow Triad immediately sent out their Pokémon; a ferrothorn, a heatmor and a jellicent to attack them. The three were forced to jump off the staircase that led to the cave as the Shadow Triad's Pokémon lunged for them.

"Damn it!" Hilda growled as she sent out Meloetta to take on the ferrothorn, while Rosa sent out Ottavia and Hugh sent out Serperior to deal with the heatmor and jellicent respectively.

"You guys!" Nate cried out, seeing his comrades suddenly ambushed right in front of him, before he was forced to refocus on the Shadow Triad.

"Our fates will be severed here and now," Ein said as they all sent out their greatest weapons; the mind-controlled Swords of Justice. "Let's settle this once and for all, Nate Warren."

Nate clicked his tongue as he and Deo were forced to back up. He knew this was going to happen, but that did not stop the uncertainty Nate felt having to face all three Swords of Justice by himself. Cobalion, Terrakion and Vizirion loomed forward, blue eyes murderously glaring down upon Deo, who stood his ground in spite feeling a similar kind of hesitation Nate was feeling.

Hugh saw Nate's predicament as Serperior blocked an Ice Beam from Jellicent and hastily sent out Tornadus; Hugh's own best answer to the Swords of Justice. "Go help Nate!"

Tornadus nodded as he dodged Heatmor's Fire Blast, before flying over to aid Nate. "-You need a hand?-"

"You wouldn't know the half of it," Nate replied. While having Tornadus as back up made him feel slightly better, the fact remained that they were still outnumbered three to two.

"Do you really think that'll be enough to stop us?" Drei asked as Virizion snarled.

"-Then how about you let us have some fun!?-"

With a loud roar that echoed throughout the chasm, a thunderbolt struck down at the Swords who jumped away to avoid it. They all looked up to see Landorus and Thundurus, descending down towards Nate's party.

"The Forces of Nature?" Zwei gasped. They were aware of Tornadus being in enemy hands, but they did not account for the other two.

"-Where the bloody hell did you two come from!?-" Tornadus gasped, not expecting to see his brethren arrive.

"-Heh! When we heard these bastards were trying something, we knew we couldn't miss this,-" Thundurus smirked.

"So the others are alright?" Nate asked, referring to the old Team Plasma and their fight against the new Team Plasma.

"-Taken care of,-" Landorus reported, glaring at the Shadow Triad. "-And look who decided to show up...-"

"How quaint," Ein commented. "To think you would return before us. For the sake of avenging your damaged pride, I suppose... No matter. If you wish to join the boy in his demise, then who are we to stop you all?"

While the Shadow Triad were putting up a strong front, Nate could not be happier with the reinforcements he received. The opponents that stand in his way were the Swords of Justice; the damn legendary trio that had been a thorn in his path throughout the journey. It was high time that he put an end to the charade and free them from the Triad.

"Oi, Deo," Nate said, getting Deo's attention. "We're saving your masters this time. Count on it."

"...Yeah!" Deo agreed.

---

Terrakion and Virizion lunged forward, Sacred Swords brandished and ready to slice down their opposition. Thundurus and Tornadus caught the blades with their claws and talons respectively, as Landorus and Deo charged for Cobalion, Cobalion's Sacred Sword deployed, before the goat slammed it down on Deo, who caught it with his Secret Sword.

"-Gggh...-" Deo grunted as he pushed back against the Sacred Sword that threatened to crush him against the ground. Landorus rammed into Cobalion, pushing him off of Deo, before firing off several Stone Edges in pursuit. Cobalion shrugged off the Stone Edges, before letting out a roar.

"-You idiot! You really think Rock-type moves is gonna do shit against Cobalion!?-" Deo yelled at Landorus.

"-Well I can Earthquake his ass and YOUR ass while I'm at it!-" Landorus growled back.

"-Do it then! At least that'll do something to him!-" Deo challenged.

"Not now, you dumbasses!" Nate growled, before jumping out of the way to avoid Terrakion's own Stone Edge.

Thundurus shot a Thunderbolt at Terrakion, who stomped the ground and creating several spiked stones which shielded him from the electricity. Gritting his teeth, Thundurus prepared to charge a Focus Blast, but Terrakion suddenly shot towards the dragon like a bullet, catching Thundurus off guard and forcing him to block the incoming bovine. Thundurus grabbed Terrakion's horns and hurled him back to the ground, before firing off a Focus Blast at the Rock-type Sword of Justice. In response, Terrakion brandished his sword and swiped the Focus Blast away, allowing it fly across and hit a nearby tree instead.

"-Oh boy...-" Thundurus muttered as he glanced over to Tornadus, who was currently fighting Virizion.

The bird wrapped his wings around him as he defended himself from Virizion's Leaf Blade. While the attack did not do much to Tornadus, Virizion was now in a great position to shoot Stone Edges at Tornadus from behind. Tornadus barely avoided the attack, the attack lightly grazing his tail, before Torandus retaliated with a Hurricane. Virizion galloped out of the way, effortlessly avoiding the otherwise highly effective Hurricane attacks aimed at her.

"-Tch,-" Tornadus clicked his tongue, before deciding to regroup with Thundurus. "-You having any better luck?-"

"-This damn cow won't budge!-" Thundurus growled. "-Everything I throw at him, he just deflects with his damn sword!-"

The duo then glanced over to Landorus, who was fighting off Cobalion with Deo. In spite of being outnumbered, Cobalion was fighting off both Landorus and Deo relatively fine.

"-Damn it!-" Deo growled as he slashed across with his Secret Sword, only to get parried by Cobalion's Sacred Sword.

Cobalion pushed Deo away to meet Landorus' Superpower with an Iron Head. The two legendary Pokémon clashed once again, before falling back in a stalemate.

"-Damn it, this is getting us nowhere!-" Landorus growled as he lifted his tail. "-Keldeo! Jump!-"

"Hydro Pump!" Nate yelled at the same time.

Deo nodded as he proceeded to leap into the air and shoot a Hydro Pump at Cobalion, blasting the goat with a strong blast of water. Landorus, meanwhile, slammed his tail on the ground, unleashing a violent earthquake. With all his allies in the air, the earthquake only had the Swords as its target. The earthquake proceeded to ravage the Swords of Justice, causing a massive cloud of dust to obscure the scene.

"-Did that do it?-" Tornadus asked hesitantly.

"Swords Dance!" the Shadow Triad commanded in unison.

The smoke cleared instantly as the three Swords let out a beastly roar, myriads of swords of blue energy surrounding them.

"Of course..." Nate groaned.

"Rock Slide!"

"Leaf Blade!"

"Iron Head!"

Terrakion led first, howling as he launched a rock into the skies above them, which dispersed into a violent rock shower that rained down upon them. Tornadus and Thundurus was pelted by the rocks and slammed into the ground painfully, while Landorus and Deo were forced to weather the storm of rocks with better luck than the other two. Being stuck in the defensive, they had no option to escape from Virizion's Leaf Blade to the face for Landorus, Cobalion's Iron Head to the face for Deo. Deo was sent flying into Nate, while Landorus fell to the ground alongside his other two brethren. Deo and Nate fell down the staircase from the force of Deo being sent flying from Cobalion's vicious strike.

"Targeting Keldeo with Leaf Blade would have been much more effective," Ein pointed out.

"Says the one who went after Keldeo with the Steel-type move," Zwei shot back.

"Hm, fair point," Ein relented. "Regardless, none of that matters. At this rate, their defeat is inevitable."

"Ugh..." Nate groaned in pain as he found Deo in his gut. "C'mon, Deo. Wake up."

Nate lightly slapped Deo on the head to bring him back to consciousness, as the Forces of Nature struggled to get back on their feet. Meanwhile, the Swords of Justice loomed over them, as imposing and menacing as ever. Deo eventually woke up, before scrambling back onto his feet and facing his masters. The colt, in spite of his resilient drive, felt deep exhaustion taking over from the onslaught of attacks Deo was forced to endure.

"-Now would be a good time for one of those strategies of yours, Nate,-" Deo grunted. "-At this rate, we aren't gonna win...-"

"What? You giving up already? When your masters are right in front of you?" Nate asked. "I thought you were gonna save them."

"-You're the one who said that,-" Deo retorted. "-And besides, at this rate, forget saving them; we're all gonna hit the bucket.-"

"Keh, so much for lighting up the mood," Nate said. "Fortunately, I have an idea."

"-Alright, so what's the win-con?-" Deo asked as the Swords approached them.

"While it doesn't look like it, the Forces of Nature did do damage to them," Nate said, observing the three Swords. "You need to finish them off in one shot."

"-And how do you suppose I do that?-" Deo asked incredulously.

"It's AAAALLL about timing," Nate said, glancing to the Forces of Nature as they recovered.

"Tch, annoying creatures," Drei muttered. "Should we try to capture them again?"

"No," Ein declined. "There's no point trying to recruit more weapons at this point of Lord Ghetsis' plans. Besides, treacherous swine is better off dead anyways."

"-Like hell!-" Tornadus growled in defiance.

"Finish them off," Ein ordered the Swords. "The boy and Keldeo we can worry about later."

The Swords turned around to face the Forces of Nature, poised to finish them off once and for all. The Forces of Nature took their stances despite the grueling pain they felt, ready to fight the Swords to the bloody end. Nate, seeing the sudden change in circumstances however, merely smirked.

Those idiots. They just gave him the opening he needed.

"It's all or nothing," Nate said as he took out a reddish brown jewel. Deo recognized the item in Nate's hand and immediately realized what he was planning.

"Oi, what's he doing?" Zwei asked, noticing Nate revealing an item in his hand, alerting the others.

Nate tossed the jewel at Deo, who caught it in his mouth and proceeded to crush it with his teeth, letting the energy stored in the jewel enhance Deo's strength for this one strike.

"Secret Sword!" Nate yelled out.

Deo let out his own roar as the Secret Sword deployed, before growing immensely in size, becoming a literal pillar of light that shined brilliantly. The other swords turned around to see the Secret Sword in awe. The light emanating from the sword made the swords feel something. Something strange, foreign even, yet...nostalgic...

Their thoughts were cut off as Deo charged at them and the Shadow Triad gave them their next orders.

"Sacred Sword!" they all yelled out.

All three Swords of Justice summoned their own Sacred Swords, before meeting Deo's Secret Sword three to one. The colt grunted as he was slowly pushed back by the combined might of all three Swords, even with all his might and the boost he received from Nate.

"Damn it...is this not enough...!?" Nate cursed.

The Forces of Nature saw the clash of swords in front of them, in awe of the spectacle. When they realized that Deo was slowly losing, they knew they had to do something to turn the tide. Landorus slammed his tail on the ground for an Earthquake, Tornadus quickly released an intense Heat Wave, and Thundurus discharged electricity through the ground aimed at the Swords. From behind, the three Swords found themselves being hit by an Earthquake and Heat Wave, before getting paralyzed courtesy of Thundurus' Thunder Wave.

"Damn it!" Ein swore, realizing they had no Pokémon left to stop the Forces of Natures' interference.

The combined efforts proved to have an effect, as the three Swords faltered from the attacks. Seeing them lose their stance ever so slightly, Deo howled and pushed forward with his Secret Sword, wishing to seize the opportunity. The three Swords now found themselves on the losing end, as they all pushed forward to not let Deo prevail. With the sustained damage, Deo was able to match all three of them at the same time; the battle of blades now being a stalemate.

Cobalion kept glaring at Deo, who met the glare with his own, as either side refused to give into the other. Cobalion could not help but feel slight remorse against fighting Deo. But why? This creature was the enemy. It was in their way. His duty is to destroy everything that stands in their way. But why did it look oddly familiar...? Why did that pillar of light remind Cobalion of something...?

...Why did he need to destroy everything anyways?

The goat glanced back to Deo; noting the pure determination in the colt's hardened, unrelenting gaze. Cobalion could have sworn he had seen it somewhere before...

A mental image of a small, blue colt, eagerly looking up to him flashed in his mind. The same image that would keep popping up every time Cobalion fought him. Why does it keep resurfacing every time he sees this thing?

"-Master!-"

Cobalion gasped, seemingly snapping out of something, before glancing back down to Keldeo, who was pushing against the three swords that was blocking his own sword.

'-Wha...?-' Cobalion thought, before glancing behind him, spotting the Forces of Nature and the Shadow Triad behind them. Upon seeing the Shadow Triad, memories of two years ago flooded back into Cobalion's mind. He remembered the three black-cladded men attacking them back at that restaurant at Striaton City. How they threatened to kill Keldeo if they did not let themselves get captured. He remembered the degrading experience being forced to work under their command. He remembered hacking off the arm of Zekrom's chosen; an individual who courageously fought against Team Plasma and should have been the target of Cobalion's praise. He remembered cutting down that man who defended that blue-haired, even though they did nothing wrong.

He remembered bringing his blade down upon Keldeo. The scar on his right eye that was glaring straight at him rebelliously was irrefutable proof of Cobalion's crimes.

The shame and humiliation boiled up inside Cobalion and turned into a roaring frustration towards himself, as Cobalion faced the fact that he used his blade to harm innocent humans and Pokémon alike; all for the sake of the very thing Cobalion was supposed to fight against.

"-DUCK!-"

"-Eh–!?-" Deo blurted.

"Wait, wha–?!" Nate blurted as well.

Cobalion suddenly disengaged from Deo's sword and violently swung his sword behind. The Forces of Nature saw the sword and immediately ducked, leaving the Shadow Triad open for the strike.

"WHAT?!" they gasped, not expecting Cobalion to attack them. It was too sudden for them to avoid the attack, Cobalion's blade slashing across their chests. Blood gushed out of their chests as they all collapsed to the ground wordlessly.

"-HOLY–!-" Tornadus gaped at the sight of Cobalion turning against his masters and slicing them down.

Terrakion and Virizion shifted their gazes at Cobalion, shocked that he would go against them and attack their trainers. However, that distraction was exactly what Nate and Deo needed to turn the tides.

"NOW!" Nate cried out, seeing the window of opportunity given to him.

"-RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!-" Deo screamed as he pushed forward.

Without Cobalion helping them, Terrakion and Virizion could not match the power of Deo's Secret Sword, their own swords shattering against Deo's sword. Pouring all of his strength into the one strike, Deo swung his sword against Terrakion and Virizion, while hitting Cobalion in the back. All three Swords were sent flying back from the power of Deo's Secret Sword, crashing onto the ground right in front of the Forces of Nature, who jumped back to avoid getting crushed by them as well.

---

Panting, Deo's Secret Sword dispersed into several shards of light, his gaze never leaving the sight of his mentors. He could not believe it. He actually won. He actually defeated his masters. Granted, it was most likely due to Cobalion's sudden betrayal, but he prevailed. Deo rushed over to his fallen masters, checking to see if they were still conscious.

"-Virizion! Terrakion!-" Deo exclaimed as he nudged at them, before he glanced over to Cobalion. "-Cobalion!-"

Nate walked up to them as Deo checked up on Cobalion, still processing what just happened. Cobalion suddenly went against the Shadow Triad and attacked them? The boy then quickly checked the black-cladded assailants. They were indeed collapsed on the floor, blood gushing out of their chest from the wound Cobalion inflicted onto them.

"...Did he...break free from their control?" Nate asked, before remembering that the Swords were still in their possession. "Right!"

Nate quickly went over to the three fallen Shadow Triads and rummaged through their pockets, before finding and taking out the three Plasma Balls that kept Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion under their control. Nate glowered at the damn devices that kept the Swords of Justice as the lethal annoyances that they proved to be throughout the journey, before smashing them onto the ground, breaking them into several pieces.

"Good riddance," Nate grumbled as he glanced over to Deo.

"-Master! Master!-" Deo exclaimed, trying to wake up Cobalion. "-Please wake up! Master!-"

Cobalion let out a groan, before slowly opening his eyes and looking towards Deo.

"-Keldeo...-" Cobalion muttered. "-It seems...that I've put you through a lot...-"

"-Master...!-" Deo gasped. Cobalion was back to his old self!

"You...you broke out of the Shadow Triad's control?" Nate asked Cobalion.

"-Every time I saw Keldeo...he kept popping in my head,-" Cobalion explained. "-At first...I was confused as to why...because I didn't remember him...until now...-"

"-So...they're back on our side?-" Tornadus could not help but ask as the Forces of Nature approached them.

"Yeah," Nate nodded. "I destroyed their pokéballs and everything."

Cobalion tried to get back up, but proceeded to fall onto his knees, while Terrakion and Virizion slowly started to wake up.

"-Please! Don't push yourself!-" Deo insisted to Cobalion.

"-Ugh...my head...-" Terrakion moaned.

"-What...what happened...?-" Virizion asked.

"-Keldeo...-" Cobalion addressed his pupil. "-I'm sorry for laying my blade on you. You must have went through so much...-"

"-No, no! It's not your fault!-" Deo assured him. "-It was all those bastards fault...-"

Cobalion stared at Deo's rather scornful glower and could not help but feel guilty. The last time Cobalion remembered Keldeo, he was such a young, cheerful and enthusiastic Pokémon. Now, his expression was cold, hardened and merciless. A far cry from the keldeo Cobalion remembered.

"-I have to thank you,-" Cobalion said to Nate. "-It seems that Keldeo has found a human he can relate to. He was able to overcome us thanks to your support.-"

"I'm just glad we don't have to deal with you three on the enemy's side," Nate said, before glancing to Virizion.

"-You...you're that boy...-" Virizion recognized Nate. "-The boy with the braviary...-"

"...It's been a while," Nate replied, remembering Virizion from his childhood.

"-So, you have chosen your path,-" Virizion nodded. "-You've grown to be quite the formidable boy.-"

"Thanks..." Nate muttered.

"-Gah...I can't believe we were under their control for two years...-" Terrakion grumbled. "-Damn...sorry about that...-"

"Nate!"

The boy turned around to see Rosa, Hugh and Hilda running up to him; having finally dealt with the Shadow Triad's other Pokémon.

"It took you all this long to finish those small fries?" Nate asked incredulously. "Damn I don't feel as confident in taking on Ghetsis anymore."

"Hey they were tough, y'know!" Rosa argued.

"So..." Hugh said, ignoring Rosa and glancing to the Swords of Justice. "They're on our side now?"

"Yep," Nate nodded as Tornadus went back to Hugh's side. "Thanks for the support by the way."

Hugh nodded as he recalled Tornadus, before glancing over to the bleeding Shadow Triad in front of the entrance. He could not help but feel some kind irony; not too long ago they used Cobalion to inflict a near-fatal chest wound on Drayden; now they find themselves with a similar fate from Cobalion, only this time there seemed to be little hope to survive. Hugh would feel bad if the Shadow Triad's crimes did not immediately come to mind.

Recalling all the crimes they committed, Hugh then ran over to the bodies of the Shadow Triad, before rummaging through them. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and pried it out of their clothes; a lone pokéball, containing a liepard.

"...Val's purrloin," Hugh declared. "I'll be taking her back."

Pocketing Liepard's pokéball, the others turned to the entrance of the cave, which was now unguarded.

"-There's still the leader of them all,-" Cobalion grunted as he tried to get back up, but stopped in pain. "-Damn it...I can't even stand properly at a time like this...how shameful...-"

"-Please, rest Master,-" Deo said. "-We'll take care of the rest.-"

Cobalion looked at Deo, noting his determined look, before nodding.

"-You've grown strong, Keldeo,-" Cobalion said. "-I only wish that I could've witnessed your growth as myself and not a mindless slave to Plasma...-"

Cobalion then faced the humans, giving them a resolute expression. "-We leave the monster to you all.-"

"-Show that bastard who's boss, you hear me!?-" Terrakoin cheered.

"-Do be careful,-" Virizion said out of concern.

"Yeah," Nate nodded, before glancing to the remaining two Forces of Nature. "Keep an eye on the Shadow Triad."

Landorus and Thundurus nodded in response. Acknowledging the response, Nate turned to the cave entrance; to where Ghetsis and Kyurem awaited.

---

Ghetsis merely smirked as footsteps echoed throughout the cave. So, they managed to reach the cave. Considering the tenacity and cunning the boy displayed throughout the time the Shadow Triad observed him, Ghetsis knew that he would find a way to overcome the Swords of Justice and defeat his Shadow Triad. That too, was all according to his calculations. Hydreigon let out a cold smirk, eagerly awaiting for his next prey as he registered the footsteps.

The leader of Team Plasma turned around as he eyed the four newcomers to the cave of Kyurem. If looks could kill, then all four of them would have murdered Ghetsis four times over. Ghetsis merely scoffed at the idea before addressing the one he actually cared about.

"Well, well," Ghetsis said to Nate. "I must say, I'm quite impressed. While I was planning on it, I didn't actually expect you to defeat the Shadow Triad."

"Yeah, and they're bleeding out outside," Nate growled as he took out his knife. "You're next."

"How vulgar," Ghetsis scoffed. "As expected from a freak of nature. But I digress.

"The Giant Chasm! This is the very spot where Kyurem's power resonates! Here, Kyurem can use the full extent of its power and easily reduce Unova into a frozen hell! Now, show yourself, Kyurem!"

The already-frigid cave suddenly felt even colder as an icy wind filled the room. The wind quickly escalated into a brief blizzard, before it cleared to reveal Kyurem in all his glory. Letting out a feral shriek, Kyurem exuded his power, freezing the ground around him.

"Kyurem!" Nate cried out, as Deo got in front of Nate.

"Don't even bother, boy," Ghetsis mocked. "Kyurem is under my complete control thanks to the Plasma Ball. No matter how much you cry and beg, Kyurem will only listen to me!"

"You bastard...!" Nate snarled.

"You know, boy, I have a memory that has continued to haunt me to this very day," Ghetsis said. "Just one. That unpleasant look in your eyes reminds me of it. Oh that look..."

The look in Nate's eyes. Even when shrouded with a burning hatred, it reminded Ghetsis all too much of Hilbert's. That accursed brat who ruined his plans two years ago.

"Yes, that look," Ghetsis sneered. "That look of a fool who's hellbent on going against me and my perfection...I may have fallen to that damn idealism once, but not again! You have no hopes of stopping the inevitable!"

"We'll see about that, you demon!" Hilda snarled as she, Rosa and Hugh readied their own pokéballs.

"Oh no you don't!" Ghetsis growled as he slammed his cane onto the ground.

On command, Kyurem let out another roar as a sudden burst of frigid wind blasted from his body towards Nate and the others. Hilda saw the attack, before immediately grabbing Rosa and Hugh by the collar and jumping back, narrowly avoiding being frozen solid. A large wall of ice now cut off the trio from Nate and Ghetsis.

"What the–!?" Hilda blurted as she pounded on the ice. "Damn it!"

"Hilbert was only able to defeat me because he had the help of you and his meddlesome friends," Ghetsis said as he watched them try to break the ice. "That ice is much stronger than the ice that encases Opelucid. You three just sit back and enjoy the show..."

With no hopes of the others joining in, Nate was by himself with Ghetsis.

"While it's tempting to just have the jammer strip you of your abilities to fight back, I'm feeling generous," Ghetsis said to Nate. "Come on. Send out your pathetic team. Try and kill me. I DARE you. You want to kill me, right? Just like how I killed your pathetic father?"

Nate narrowed his eyes at Ghetsis. This was obviously a trap of sorts, especially with his hydreigon looming over him, eyeing Nate specifically. But then again he really had no other options, and he would need his whole team to stand a chance against Ghetsis. Growling at the man who ruined his life, Nate proceeded to send out the rest of his team. Luca, Bo, Vire, Brav and Zoro all came out and landed in front of Nate, spotting Ghetsis and Kyurem in front of them.

"-What the hell?!-" Vire blurted. "-Is that...That's Kyurem?!-"

"-Ghetsis!-" Zoro snarled, recognizing the man. "-You're gonna pay for everything you've done!-"

"-Don't tell me...Kyurem's on his side!?-" Luca asked.

"-Nate,-" Brav addressed his trainer, his eyes never leaving Ghetsis. "-Is that...?-"

"That's the leader of Team Plasma," Nate said. "He's the one who's responsible for everything. And I mean everything."

All eyes were on the man now. The initial shock and confusion was now replaced with a burning hostility towards Ghetsis, the man who's behind Team Plasma and the man who is responsible for everything related to Team Plasma, including the tragedy that was Nate's ruined childhood.

"-So we just gotta beat him, right?-" Bo boomed. "-Then let's do this!-"

"It would seem that Kyurem used up more energy than anticipated, so it'll require a bit more time to recharge," Ghetsis said. "In the meantime, I'll humor you."

Ghetsis slammed his cane on the ground once more, as Hydreigon got ready to fight. "It took your brother, that traitor and two mongrels to defeat me! You stand no chance against me by yourself!"

"Y'know, I've already gotten sick and tired of hearing your grating voice," Nate hissed. "Just your arm really was being merciful. How about I take your bloody head this time!?"

Ghetsis merely painted an arrogant smirk on his face as Hydreigon lunged for Nate.

---

Nate jumped back as Brav met Hydreigon's jaws with his talon, holding the hydra off from assaulting his master.

"-This ends here and now!-" Brav growled.

"Old man!" Nate exclaimed, before glancing back to Ghetsis and ordering to the others. "GET HIM!"

Deo was the first one to react, immediately darting for Ghetsis with a Secret Sword ready to slice the man in two. Ghetsis simply scoffed as a beam of light suddenly shot out from his cloak as Deo brought his sword down.

"-What!?-" Deo gasped as he found his sword being blocked.

"He had more Pokémon?!" Nate yelled.

"Did you really think I was going to fight you without a proper team, you moronic brat?" Ghetsis retorted.

Blocking his Secret Sword was a tall and lean dark blue frog-like Pokémon with red stingers on the arms that was blocking the attack.

"I was expecting exactly that kind of move!" Ghetis boasted as the frog pushed Deo back. "Toxicroak, Poison Jab, now!"

Deo landed back on his feet as Toxicroak lunged for him, the red stingers now glowing a sickly purple.

"Tch, Hydro Pump!" Nate yelled back.

Deo shot a powerful Hydro Pump at Toxicroak, but to his shock, the frog merely powered through the water attack with impunity. Before he knew it, Toxicroak was in front of Deo, and slammed the stingers into Deo's gut.

"-AGH!?-" Deo gagged as he collapsed to his knees.

"Hydro Pump did nothing!?" Nate muttered. "...Wait, Dry Skin!?"

"Drain Punch!" Ghetsis commanded relentlessly.

Deo glanced up to see Toxicroak raising a fist, poised to continue his assault. The colt immediately rolled to the side to avoid the Drain Punch, before attacking Toxicroak once more with a Secret Sword, with Toxicroak parried with ease. Nate gritted his teeth and glanced to Brav, who was still locked in combat with Hydreigon.

"Bo! Vire!" Nate yelled.

Bo and Vire immediately converged towards Toxicroak, ready to help Deo out. Ghetsis, in response, let out a haughty laugh as two more beams of light shot out from his cloak. Bo let out a roar as he charged into Toxicroak with a Flare Blitz, but suddenly a violet starfish with a red jewel in embedded inside a golden ring in the middle blocked the attack for Toxicroak. Meanwhile, a giant pig-like mammoth landed in front of Vire, stopping the Electric-type in his tracks.

"A starmie and a mamoswine!?" Nate gasped.

Bo jumped back, before finding himself being lifted by Starmie's Psychic, before the starfish slammed Bo into the ground. The pig cried out in pain as Starmie continued its psychic assault.

"-Damn it!-" Vire swore as he spewed a Flamethrower at Mamoswine.

The Ice-type behemoth shrugged off the Flamethrower, before shooting several Ice Shards at Vire in retaliation.

"How the hell!?" Nate cried out, shocked that now Mamoswine seemed to shrug off the otherwise super-effective Flamethrower.

"Did you know Mamoswine's Hidden Ability is Thick Fat?" Ghetsis asked Nate, who immediately understood what Ghetsis was implying. "A very useful ability to shrug off Ice and Fire-type attacks."

"Son of a bitch...!" Nate hissed. With that bloody ability, Mamoswine completely walled Vire. And Bo was stuck dealing with Starmie to deal with Mamoswine for Vire. "Vire, Magnet Rise!"

Growling, Vire punched the ground with discharged electricity, allowing it to propel Vire up into the air and above Mamoswine.

"Gravity," Ghetsis merely ordered with a smirk.

Releasing Bo from its psychic hold, Starmie then proceeded to emit a psychic energy, intensifying the gravity in the room. With the gravity now more intense than usual, Vire found himself dropping back to the ground like a rock. The Gravity also slammed Brav back onto the ground, with the positioning leading him to be pinned to the ground by Hydreigon.

"-GUOGH!?-" Brav grunted as he found himself with a murderous dragon on top of him.

"-GAH!-" Vire cried out as he hit the ground in pain.

"Earthquake!"

Letting out a snort, Mamoswine lifted his front feet and slammed them onto the ground, unleashing a violent earthquake that hit everything on the field. Vire, Bo, Brav and Deo were struck by the Earthquake, while Zoro and Luca jumped back to avoid it. The earthquake ended up hitting Toxicroak and Starmie, but they seemed to shrug it off. Hydreigon ended up using Brav to cushion the majority of the Earthquake.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Nate cursed. Did Ghetsis really prepare this far ahead!?

"-Don't get so cocky!-" Luca growled as she and Zoro jumped into the fray. Zoro aimed at Starmie with a Night Daze charged, while Luca charged an Aura Sphere as she lunged for Mamoswine. In response, Ghetsis proceeded to release two more beams of light from his cloak, both aimed at Zoro and Luca respectively. As Zoro was about to slam the Night Daze at Starmie to save Bo, he suddenly found the attack being sliced into four, with a giant, purple, scorpion-like Pokémon now in Zoro's face.

"-Wha–?!-" Zoro blurted, before proceeding to get hit by the scorpion's arms, sending him back and away from Starmie.

Meanwhile, Luca was about to fire off an Aura Sphere at Mamoswine to cover for Vire, but she suddenly found herself being hit by a blazing kick to the gut.

"-AGH!?-" Luca choked as she was sent crashing across the ground, before landing back on her feet and immediately bringing out her staff, glaring at her assailant. The culprit was none other than a genesect, but unlike all the others she faced, this one was primarily red with silver eyes instead of the usual purple with red eyes.

"You have a genesect too!?" Nate gasped. And why did it look different...!?

"Did you really think I wouldn't keep a model for myself?" Ghetsis sneered. "And unlike the ones you faced, this one is a completely original model designed specifically for yours truly! You could consider this a shiny, if you want!"

Luca snarled as she lunged for the red genesect with Bone Rush.

"Shift Gear! And then Blaze Kick!" Ghetsis ordered.

Electricity began to emit from Shiny Genesect before it feet was ignited with intense flames. Luca swung her staff at Shiny Genesect, but the bug swiftly evaded all the incoming strikes, before retaliating with strikes from its Blaze Kick at Luca. The jackal evaded and blocked the incoming strikes, but Shiny Genesect was moving far faster than Luca could imagine. Shiny Genesect faked Luca out with a telegraphed kick to the face, before immediately reeling back and swiping its foot across Luca's feet, tripping the jackal.

"-CRAP!-" Luca blurted as she found herself being tripped.

Shiny Genesect loomed over Luca while aiming its cannon at her. Luca quickly shot an Aura Sphere at Shiny Genesect, which was immediately met with a Techno Blast.

Meanwhile, Zoro spewed a Flamethrower at the scorpion, who charged through the intense flames.

"Drapion, X-Scissor!" Ghetis called out.

Drapion brought his arms into a cross, before swinging them out at Zoro, who was forced to block it with his own arms. The X-Scissor pushed the fox back; Zoro feeling an excruciating pain regardless of having blocked the attack.

"Tch, Zoro, Dig!" Nate hastily commanded.

Nodding, Zoro burrowed into the ground, preparing to strike Drapion from underneath.

"Hmph, predictable," Ghetsis said. "Drapion, now you use Earthquake!"

"Shit!" Nate yelped.

Drapion brought his claws together, before slamming it onto the ground, setting off his own Earthquake. While not quite as strong as Mamoswine's Earthquake, it still did its job nonetheless, as it shot Zoro out of the ground with merciless force.

"-AAAAAAAGH!-" Zoro cried out as he was forcibly ejected from the ground.

"Zoro!" Nate cried out. Ghetsis had all the momentum in the world right now; he needed to steal it back now. "Brav, Superpower!"

The eagle growled as he slammed his talon into Hydreigon's gut. The dragon coughed from the sudden blow to the stomach, allowing Brav to free himself from the dragon's weight. Unfortunately with Starmie's Gravity still in effect, Brav could not rise to the air that much, being forced to hover on the ground at best. The same could be said about Hydreigon, but the dragon seemed indifferent about it.

"Brave Bird!"

"Dragon Rush."

Brav's body burst into an azure flame as he charged for Hydreigon. Hydreigon, meanwhile returned the favor by charging at Brav in his own azure flame while exhibiting overwhelming menace. The two collided with one another, before being forced to fly back. Brav grunted in pain, feeling both the force of the Dragon Rush and the recoil from Brave Bird on his body. Hydreigon, on the other hand, still kept a malevolent smirk as he floated above the ground, before proceeding to shoot a Focus Blast at Brav. The eagle tried to dodge, but the intense Gravity slowed him down, letting the otherwise unstable Focus Blast hit him directly.

Nate's eyes darted around, desperately looking for somewhere to at least start a comeback, but Ghetsis' defenses leaved no room for error. Starmie was close enough to Mamoswine so that the Ground-type could take Vire's Discharge for it. Likewise, Mamoswine was close enough to Starmie so that the Water and Psychic-type hybrid could pick off Bo before he could take out Mamoswine. Deo was dealing with Toxicroak, Zoro was stuck against Drapion, and Luca was stuck dealing with Shiny Genesect.

"Tch! Deo!" Nate growled.

Deo nodded as Toxicroak hit him with another Poison Jab. As the blow connected, however, Deo suddenly became a stuffed doll. Shocked, Toxicroak looked around, before spotting Deo galloping away from the frog and at Mamoswine.

"Hydro Pu–!"

"Sucker Punch!"

As Deo was about to shoot Mamoswine with a Hydro Pump, Toxicroak immediately caught up to him and slammed his foot into the colt's jaw, sending him rolling on the ground. Deo scrambled back onto his feet, before glaring murderously at Toxicroak, who proceeded to hold out his hand and make a beckoning gesture, infuriating Deo. Nate immediately recognized the silent gesture as Taunt and let out yet another curse; now Deo could not use Substitute and was most likely focused on Toxicroak instead of helping the others out. Before Deo could do anything in response, Luca was suddenly hurled at the colt, courtesy of Shiny Genesect. They were both sent flying, landing right in front of Nate. No matter what he tried, Ghetsis seemed to have an answer for it. His defenses looked impregnable and his offense was frustratingly effective against his own party.

"What's the matter?" Ghetsis taunted as Toxicroak and Shiny Genesect approached Nate, Deo and Luca. "Weren't you supposed to be good at battling?"

---

"Nate!" Rosa and Hugh cried out from behind the unbreakable ice wall that kept them from interfering. This was outright nightmarish. The last time they ever saw Nate being beaten so horrendously was when he fought Colress back at Driftveil, and even then, he at least looked like he was going to win, before MKI reversed the tides. Ghetsis, on the other hand, was running mental laps around Nate. The man seemed to have a perfect answer to address any kind of action Nate wanted to do.

"...Oh that conniving bastard..." Hilda muttered, catching the two kids' attention. "That's why he sent out his first team on us at the ship. So that he could arm himself with a more suitable team."

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked.

"Think about it," Hilda replied. "Hydreigon was immediately used to keep Braviary, Nate's only answer to Fighting-types, occupied. Hydreigon can easily match Braviary's raw strength while being able to keep up with him in the air.

"Toxicroak is a Poison-type with Dry Skin, meaning it resists Keldeo's Secret Sword, while absorbing Keldeo's Water-type attacks and healing off of them. It also has Taunt to stop Keldeo from using Substitute.

"Emboar is blocked off by Starmie, a Water and Psychic-type who is easily faster than him, meaning the sluggish Emboar can't so much as touch it even if he wanted to, whether Starmie decides to either pin him down with Psychic or simply overwhelm him with its naturally high speed.

"Electivire is answered by Mamoswine, an Ice and Ground-type with Thick Fat, which means Electivire can't touch it with Flamethrower, Ice Punch or Discharge. And his Magnet Rise is quickly shut off by Starmie's Gravity, which leaves him defenseless against Earthquake.

"Zoroark is dealt with by Drapion, a Poison and Dark-type. It shrugs off Night Daze, while only taking neutral from both Flamethrower and Focus Blast. Said Drapion also has X-Scissor to hit Zoroark's weakness, while also having Earthquake to counter Dig, Zoroark's only super-effective attack.

"And finally, Lucario is answered by Genesect, who either resists or is neutral to all of her attacks, has Shift Gear to match her speed while increasing its attack and carrying Blaze Kick, which is super effective against the Steel-type Lucario while getting boosted by Shift Gear."

"Wait...are you telling me Ghetsis prepared a team specifically to counter Nate?" Hugh asked.

"That's the most likely answer," Hilda nodded. "That's also why he had Kyurem block us off. While the team counters Nate's team, it was made specifically to counter Nate. If we could enter the fray, then this wouldn't be a problem."

"So what do we do!?" Rosa yelled. "We need to help him!"

"I know that!" Hilda growled. "But this DAMN ICE won't break! Our only hope is to pray that Nate can find a way out of this."

Rosa and Hugh glanced back to Nate worryingly. He was fighting for his life against an opponent who was countering him every step of the way, and they could not do anything to help him.

"There is one hope," Hilda said, bringing Rosa and Hugh's attention back to her. "While Ghetsis' party members counter one of each member on Nate's team, they don't counter everyone. Nate should know that. All Nate needs is an opening he can exploit, where he can rearrange the matchups."

---

Nate reassessed the situation. Brav just got hit by Hydreigon's Focus Blast, but the eagle was still capable of fighting. Deo and Luca were right in front of him, with Luca having beein nailed in the gut by Shiny Genesect's Blaze Kick. Bo was being pinned down by Starmie's Psychic, while Vire was completely helpless against Mamoswine. And finally Zoro was keeping his distance from Drapion, who practically dared the fox to approach him.

Nate knew that there was a way to turn the tables around. While each member of Ghetsis' team counter someone on his own team, they cannot cover everyone. The most obvious example was Bo and Vire; while they were completely hopeless against their current opponents, if they just traded opponents, Starmie and Mamoswine would be easily dealt with. Unfortunately Starmie and Mamoswine were close together, meaning that they could reliably help each other out.

"If you have nothing to say, then I'm just going to end this," Ghetsis sighed. "Honestly I was expecting more from you; seeing as you are Hilbert's little brother and seeing how you performed against us. Mamoswine, Earthquake!"

Mamoswine nodded as he began to lift his feet up. Nate then quickly realized the opportunity that was presented to him. Mamoswine and Starmie were close to each other so that they could answer to each other's weaknesses reliably.

And that was exactly what Nate decided to exploit.

"Bo, Grass Knot!" Nate immediately yelled out.

Bo instantly responded; his eyes already glowing green. As Mamoswine raised his feet up, blades of grass suddenly sprouted out and tied around the mammoth's feet. Nonplussed, Mamoswine immediately found himself falling over to the side, right on top of Starmie. The Water-type panicked, before finding itself getting crushed by Mamoswine's girth. Bo was released from Starmie's psychic hold, while the gravity slowly returned to normal. Brav found himself being able to fly once more, and immediately flew away from Hydreigon.

"Focus Blast!" Nate roared.

"-TAKE THIS!-" Bo roared as well as he charged a Focus Blast and hurled it at Mamoswine, who was recovering from the Grass Knot. The projectile nailed Mamoswine in the face, blasting him off of Starmie and careening to the ground.

"Vire, now!" Nate yelled out. Vire saw the defenseless Starmie and instantly released a Discharge at it, electrocuting the starfish. Starmie cried out in pain as it was being electrocuted.

"What's this?" Ghetsis grimaced, his arrogance dropping at the sudden turn of events.

Now being able to fly, Brav soared across the cave, before dive-bombing towards Toxicroak.

"Sucker Punch!"

"Brave Bird!"

Toxicroak jumped for Brav and punched him in the beak, hoping to stop the eagle. Brav did not budge even slightly, before ramming into Toxicroak with a full-force Brave Bird. Because of the Sucker Punch, Toxicroak was right in front of Brav, and had no way of dodging the Brave Bird to the gut, as Brav slammed Toxicroak into the ground.

Drapion saw Brav slamming Toxicroak into the ground, leaving himself wide open as Deo now chose Drapion as a new target, now that Toxicroak was dealt with. Deo brought Secret Sword up and down onto the scorpion, who caught it with his two claws. Deo smirked, as the action left Drapion wide open for a close-range Hydro Pump, which Deo immediately opted for. Drapion could do nothing but let Deo shoot him with a Hydro Pump, blasting the scorpion away with the strong Water-type move.

"This is nothing like I expected!" Ghetsis exclaimed, now starting to worry ever so slightly as his perfect defense was being picked off one by one. "Extreme Speed!"

Shiny Genesect turned to Deo, before transforming into its aerial form and flying straight for him as commanded. Right before Shiny Genesect could reach Deo, Zoro suddenly shot out from underneath the ground and struck Shiny Genesect, having used Dig at some point while Ghetsis was distracted.

"Flamethrower!" Nate yelled.

Zoro leapt into the air above Shiny Genesect and spewed an intense Flamethrower at the bug before it could react. Zoro refused to stop until he was sure that the machine could no longer fight. Shiny Genesect landed on the ground, unmoving, which was enough for Zoro to stop the attack. Now all that was left of Ghetsis' team was the Hydregion.

"LUCA!" Nate boomed, as Luca let out a feral snarl and darted for the Dark-type dragon.

"NO! I REFUSE TO LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU AGAIN!" Ghetsis howled as Hydreigon shot a Fire Blast and Focus Blast at Luca.

Luca brought out her staff and swiped it against the Fire Blast and Focus Blast, extinguishing the flames while sending Focus Blas to the side. Hydreigon was about to fire off another wave of fire and fighting, but Luca gripped her staff and hurled it at Hydreigon like a harpoon. The staff hit Hydreigon in the head, causing the dragon to flinch from the sharp pain. When Hydreigon recomposed himself, Luca was nowhere in sight. The dragon frantically looked around, trying to locate the jackal.

"BELOW YOU, YOU IDIOT!" Ghetsis snarled.

Hydreigon gasped, before shooting his head down, spotting Luca right underneath him, with a fully-charged Aura Sphere with his name on it.

"AURA SPHERE FULL CHARGE!" Nate cried out.

"-EAT THIS!-" Luca roared as she shot the Aura Sphere at Hydreigon, blasting the dragon from underneath with an Aura Sphere that Luca poured all of her energy into. The blast sent Hydreigon up into the air, before crashing into the ceiling of the cave. Hydreigon slowly peeled off the ceiling, before falling pathetically onto the ground.

---

"He-He did it!" Rosa cheered from behind the ice wall. "Nate won!"

"Alright!" Hugh exclaimed. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"As expected of you," Hilda nodded in approval. "I knew you could do it."

Nate panted heavily, as did his team. It was a gruesome battle, alright. The damn bastard prepared a team specifically to counter his own, but Nate and his team was able to overcome that and defeat Ghetsis, despite all odds.

Nate would celebrate like Rosa and Hugh, but he knew it was not over yet. He shot a glare at Ghetsis, who stared at his fallen Pokémon with an agape expression, almost in disbelief that he lost to Nate.

"How can this be?" Ghetsis demanded. "I'm the creator of Team Plasma! I'm perfect! I'm the absolute ruler who will change the world! And I've lost to some unknown Trainer not once, but TWICE?!"

Ghetsis then shot a heated glare at the fallen Toxicroak, before slamming his cane against his head.

"And you...WORTHLESS FAILURES!" Ghetsis snarled as he continued to beat Toxicroak with his cane. "You all only had ONE JOB. To stop the brat and his Pokémon. You were all prepared SPECIFICALLY to counter him. And what happens? YOU FAILED EVEN THAT! WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT OF YOU ALL IF YOU CAN'T EVEN FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE!? YOU'RE USELESS!"

"-Oi, stop that!-" Bo yelled, horrified and angered by the sight of Ghetsis berating and physically beating his own Pokémon. Ghetsis did eventually stop, but only because he needed to catch his breath.

"GHETSIS!" Nate snarled, having had enough, before pouncing at the man, tackling him off of Toxicroak and pinning him to the ground. Ghetsis refocused his manic glare at Nate, who had his knife in his hand.

"This ends here!" Nate declared as he raised his knife up high. "Why don't you do the world, its people and Pokémon a favor and DIE ALREADY!?"

Ghetsis' eyes widened as Nate proceeded to bring the knife down on the man's face, prepared to kill him once and for all.

...At least, Nate would have, had Kyurem not decided to act now and shoot the boy off of Ghetsis with a Dragon Pulse.

"GAHAH!" Nate gagged as he skidded on the floor.

"-NATE!-" "-BOSS!-"

His Pokémon cried as they all rushed over to their trainer.

"-Are you alright?" Luca asked frantically as she helped lift him up.

"I'm fine..." Nate grunted. "But more importantly..."

"NATE!" Rosa, Hugh and Hilda cried out as well, before realizing that Kyurem had finished his recharge.

Ghetsis got back up, before cackling to himself as Kyurem stepped forward.

"That's right..." Ghetsis said softly, his tone sounding more and more unhinged. "Who needs Pokémon who can't even accomplish their purposes right? I still have Kyurem...! My ULTIMATE WEAPON!"

Ghetsis whipped his head at Nate, before slamming his cane to the ground, threatening to shatter the cane outright.

"This humiliation aside, I must commend you, boy," Ghetsis said, his grin now on the range of insane. "You managed to surprise even myself and my calculations. So! I'll present you with my gift just for you! To show my respect for making it this far across so many years!

"I'LL FREEZE YOU AND YOUR DAMN POKÉMON SOLID RIGHT HERE SO YOU CAN WATCH MY GLORIOUS ASCENT!"

Ghetsis slammed his cane one more time, a visible crack forming across the pole.

"KYUREM! GLACIATE!"

---

Outside the cave, the Swords of Justice and Forces of Nature peered into it curiously.

"-I do hope they're alright,-" Virizion said.

"-I'm sure they'll be fine!-" Terrakion reassured Virizion, giving his vote of full confidence to them. "-They were able to beat us! There's no way they'll lose to some scumbag!-"

"-They better not,-" Thundurus huffed. "-Otherwise, we're screwed.-"

"-Regardless,-" Cobalion said before Terrakion could pick a fight with Thundurus. "-The fate of Unova lies in their hands. We must believe in them.-"

"-Right,-" Landorus nodded, before noticing something in the sky. "-What the...? The hell's that?-"

The five legendary Pokémon glanced up to the sky, before spotting two objects. They were too far for any of them to recognize.

"-What is that?-" Terrakion asked.

"-Please tell me it's not reinforcements,-" Thundurus groaned.

"-Well whatever it is...-" Virizion said. "-It's...It's coming closer!-"

True to Virizion's words, the two objects were growing larger in size, meaning they were approaching faster and closer to them.

"-DUCK!-" Cobalion yelled out, realizing that the two objects were headed straight for them.

They all ducked to the ground, narrowly avoiding two gargantuan flying objects from running them over, before the two objects entered the cave. The legendary Pokémon got back up, glancing back into the cave, nonplussed by the sudden flying objects.

"-The hell was that?!-" Terrakion yelled.

"-...was that...?-" Cobalion mumbled.

---

The ice dragon let out a cold breath as everything around him became progressively colder and colder. Nate tried to get up, but immediately cringed from the pain of the Dragon Pulse. It was thanks to his suit that he was still standing, but the technology could only absorb so much damage.

"Kyurem..." Nate groaned, staring at the dragon he once called a friend.

Kyurem did not respond as several large and sharp slabs of ice formed around Kyurem, before circling around Nate and his party. Brav immediately went to shield Nate and Luca from the attack, while the others got around them to act as shields.

"...Are you...really not there?" Nate asked desperately. "Did you really fall into Ghetsis' control? I know you're still in there somewhere!"

"NOW DIE!" Ghetsis yelled happily.

"NATE!" Rosa, Hugh and Hilda cried out as they desperately pounded against the ice.

"KYUREM!" Nate cried out.

"FUSION FLARE!"

"FUSION BOLT!"

Rosa, Hugh and Hilda shot up and looked behind them, before frantically ducking to avoid a gargantuan fire ball shooting out from the entrance of the cave and impacting into the ice wall, ripping through and melting and shattering it completely. The fireball was immediately followed by an equally gargantuan ball of blue electricity that raced for Nate and the ice. The ball of electricity landed on top of Nate without harming him, before exploding outwards, destroying the slabs of ice that threatened to kill Nate. Everyone shielded themselves from the sudden burst of electricity.

Nate removed his arms from his face before looking up. To his and everyone else's shock, the legendary black dragon of Unova, Zekrom, was hovering above them. Riding on top of Zekrom was his master, Hilbert, still dressed in his Schwartzer outfit, but having removed the mask. Entering the cave, to everyone's shock, as also the legendary white dragon of Unova, Reshiram, with a lime-haired trainer riding on top of his back.

"...So you came," Ghetsis spat. "The freak without a human heart, N...Hilbert."

---

To be continued

---

AN: And let's end it off here. Ghetsis finally makes his move, and the stage is set for Kyurem. Hopefully you all enjoyed it. For those who noticed, Ghetsis' team against Nate is vastly different from the one he would use in that fight in the game; most notably the shiny genesect. The members I kept from Ghetsis' in-game team were Hydreigon, Drapion and Toxicroak, although their movesets were changed to suit the battle. All members were meant to counter-team Nate, but that failed in the end.

Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Bo (Emboar) / Vire (Electivire) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark)

Rosa: Eve (?) / Ottavia (Samurott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss) / Geno (Genesect)

Hugh: Flygon / Serperior / Magmortar / Carracosta / Heracross / Tornadus-Therian

Guest:

Weiss/Hilda: Samurott / Bisharp / Meloetta / Whimsicott / Latias / Regigigas

With each passing chapter, we grow near to the end...Next chapter is Kyurem.

See ya!