Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon. Some Digimon used in this fic belong to me. Some reviewers have contributed the following characters.

Metal Devidramon - Ninetalesuk
Skyemon - Gijinka Renamon
Socramon - Cavecat

Sins of the State
By: RB3

Chapter 24: The Pokemon Master

The Warriors returned to the Rose Morning Star, victorious from their missions in the Real World. Of the seven Demon Lords, only one remained. He was Lucemon, the Lord of Pride, the leader and most powerful of them all. The mood of the meeting was one of triumph and jubilation. It was also one of concern. Ash was still missing and still hadn't been found despite the fact that each of the other six Demon Lords' hideouts had been raided. Nevertheless, the Warriors and trainers had to persevere in their battle against the Demon Lords.

"Warriors, it has finally come down to this," began Cherubimon. "Six of the Demon Lords are dead and only Lucemon remains. Our forces have begun the assault on his stronghold in Washington DC but were repelled by Lucemon's forces. When we discovered who was leading the enemy, we were shocked..."

The Warriors watched as Cherubimon played video within a sphere of light. In this video, there were hundreds of Digimon on a battlefield outside of the city of Washington, DC. They were having a great battle with the remaining Sinners. At first the Digimon were holding out very well. The Sinners were falling in battle one by one. It forced Lucemon to send more reinforcements to save his falling troops, but these new allies were not Sinners at all. They were creatures of all shapes and sizes with attacks that varied just as much. All were glossy black in colour, as though made of onyx.

The moment the Pokemon trainers saw them was the instant they knew what the enemy was. "They're using Pokemon!" exclaimed Max.

"Indeed, but keep watching. You won't believe who is leading them!" said Cherubimon.

The Warriors watched the video until a flapping regal cape of violet entered into view. The cape's owner was merely a child; a boy in boots and a jumpsuit of contrasting halves. His right side, the good side, was white while the other was black. On his chest was a Pokeball emblem but with the colours of his uniform reversed. The child's face was filled with arrogance and wickedness as he watched the Pokemon and Digimon battle. Ever occasionally, he would also fire blasts of positive and negative energy into the crowd. He reached for a set of like-coloured Pokeballs on his belt and threw them off screen. When everyone realized who he was, they were shocked and their jaws dropped literally.

"Ash!" cried Misty. "No, please tell me it isn't true!"

"Chuu... (No...)" said Pikachu in disbelief.

Cherubimon sighed. "I'm sorry Misty, but it is true. Somehow, Lucemon has cast a spell over him. He calls himself the Pokemon Master now and leads the enemy against us."

"How can we fight our friend? This isn't some Pokemon battle. If we fight Ash we'll hurt him! I don't think I can do it..." remarked May.

"We don't have a choice," said Koji. "If we let Lucemon do whatever he wants, a lot more people are going to suffer for it."

"Koji's right. It will mean more people will pay the price for your inaction," warned Cherubimon.

"...But Cherubimon, Ash is our friend! You can't ask us to fight him just like that!" objected Max.

"Unless you can think of another way of dealing with him, we really don't have much of a choice," replied Koichi.

"There's got to be something we can do. Can't we kick Lucemon out of his body somehow; you know, like how those priests get rid of the ghost possessing a girl in scary movies?" asked May.

"You mean an exorcism?" asked Max.

"Yeah, what Max said. Koji, you have the power of Light don't you? You're pretty good at fighting dark Digimon. Isn't there something you can do?" asked May.

"No," admitted Koji. "Lucemon is a Digimon of Light too. My powers wouldn't be every effective on him."

"I could try something with Demi Wisemon's magic, but Lucemon will fight back," suggest Max.

"...But is it enough?" asked JP. "It took a lot out of us just to put him down. When fought we fought Lucemon the first time, we barely won and that was only because of luck, when we became Susanoomon."

"We also have to worry about Lucemon's bodyguards," warned Koji. "If he's a Pokemon trainer, he'll send Pokemon to protect himself."

"Some of us will have to split off and take care of them when the time comes," muttered Max. "Since we're Ash's closest friends, we should be the ones to deal with the Pokemon Master."

"It looks like the rest of us are going for his Pokemon then," concluded Koichi.

"That sounds like a good plan," commented Tommy.

"Please, we have to try it!" demanded Misty. "Even if there's a small chance of winning, we have to take it. Do it for me, and do it for Ash!"

"Okay, we'll keep you covered while you deal with Ash," offered Takuya.

"Thank you," said Misty. "Cherubimon, what about you?"

"Very well," replied Cherubimon. "It's clear you've all made up your minds, but don't take any unnecessary risks. If Lucemon becomes too dangerous you must eliminate him as soon as possible."

As the Warriors moved to the Digimon's forward base in the US, a little spy watched the briefing hidden in the shadow. The little mouse, Pikachu darted behind the door as his friends passed by in obliviousness. He ran down the rose hallways of Cherubimon's spire until he came to a set of living quarters. Like the rest of the spire, the room had a dark, rose-coloured tint to it. It was a beautiful room full of curves and spirals in design. Treecko and Taillow were there, simply lounging around. When the electric mouse burst in, they wondered what was going on.

"Pika Pikapi! (Everybody, we've found Ash!)" announced Pikachu.

That announcement made Treecko take notice. "Treecko treecko? (Really? Where is he?)" he asked.

"Pika pika! (That's the problem. He's leading the bad guys against our friends!)"

Taillow was outraged by Pikachu's accusations. "Taillow taillow! (You're lying! Ash would never betray his friends like that!)"

"Pika pi pikachu pika! (I'm not lying! I saw it with my own eyes!)"

Treecko was stunned by this revelation. "Treecko treecko? (...But how did this happen?)"

"Pikachu pi pikachu! (It's Lucemon! He has him under some kind of spell. The others have already gone to save Ash. We have to go too.)"

Treecko stood up, ready to march into battle. "Tree treecko! (I'm with you, Pikachu. Let's go.)"

"Taillow taillow! (Don't leave me behind!)"

The Pokemon raced down rose hallways in search of the wizards Max had brought in from his Spirit Quest. They descended a spiral staircase, nearly crashing into an ascending Greymon. The Greymon cast a puzzled glance at the Pokemon before returning to his chores. The Pokemon exited the great front door and followed a prominent dirt pathway to a platinum tower jutting from the treetops. At the base of the tower were the wizards, who were chanting spells around a great pentagram. Bokomon and Neemon were also there, and had brought a wheelbarrow to deliver supplies.

"Pikachu? What brings you here?" asked Neemon.

"Pi Pikapi Pika. (We're here to save Ash. We need to go to where the others went.)"

"It's very dangerous to go there. That place is a war zone," remarked Bokomon.

"Pika pikachu. (I know, but our friend is in trouble. We have to help him.)"

"I don't think we could stop them even if we tried," remarked Neemon.

"I know that you nit!" said Bokomon. "So Taomon, can you send these Pokemon to the Washington base?"

"Alright, but don't get in over your heads," warned Taomon.

"Treecko! (Thank you Taomon. We owe you one.)"

Taomon smiled. "Yeah, be careful guys. Come back home in one piece, you hear?"

The fox priestess channelled great amounts of magical energy through her being. The brilliant silver energy streamed from her hands to the centre of the pentagram on the ground. The magical emblem glowed with silver light as a rift between dimensions opened. Within this doorway was the image of a war torn land, the United States of America after being ravaged by demonic monsters. The Pokemon boldly marched forward into this desolate land in search of their friend.

The Warriors found themselves on the grounds of an abandoned military base just outside of Washington, DC. Once home to several of America's finest servicemen, they have since retreated or fell at the hands of the Sinners. Upon seeing the graves at the gate of the base, it only confirmed the fate of the men and women. The central building appeared to be the command centre. Every once in a while, Digimon would enter and leave the building. On the east side was an air strip and a set of helipads. The jets that were once housed in the hangars had long been destroyed in far away lands. Several Digimon had moved in and used it as their home.

Over on the west side were several buildings that functioned as a living area for the soldiers. Inside the barracks were rows and rows of cots which were now occupied by Digimon troops. Since the number of troops was great, some of them had to sleep on the floor. The mess hall seated hundreds of Digimon as far as the eye could see. In the kitchen, the stoves sizzled as several Burgermon desperately toiled to keep the chowhounds fed. No sooner than a bin was filled that it was emptied by the Digimon soldiers.

At that moment, Youkomon and Betsumon both came out of the central office to greet the Warriors. "Hi Warriors, do you like our new base?" asked Betsumon. "If there's anything I could do worse, it's pick a nice site for a base."

"That's about the only thing you can do..." commented Youkomon.

"Well, I don't see you helping. I didn't see you helping out with the decorations for the place now, did I? Why, just yesterday, I put up several paintings just to spruce up the hallways. They were kinda drab and needed those masterpieces for decoration."

"I wouldn't exactly call finger paintings from little kids 'masterpieces,'" Youkomon muttered sarcastically.

"Don't do this to me, Youkomon... Anyways, it's nice to see you guys here," said Betsumon, returning his attention to the Warriors. "We took heavy losses in our last bout with the Pokemon Master. I'm hoping you guys can work your magic and turn this one back in our favour."

"Lucemon is controlling Ash's body," said Max sadly.

The mood instantly became sombre. "Yeah, I know," said Betsumon. "He knew you couldn't bring yourself to attack him. That's why Lucemon chose to inhabit Ash's body. I doubt he would want to continue to live on, doing the things he did to America. He would probably want you to stop him in any way possible."

"Yeah, you do have a point, but we're not giving up on him just yet," said Max.

"We have to at least try to save him, even if it doesn't look like it's possible," echoed May.

"Well, good luck. You'll need it," said Youkomon.

After making preparations, the Digimon were ready to renew their attack. Lucemon's interference as the Pokemon Master in the first attempt proved to be a great set back to the Digimon's capture of Washington, DC. Now, morale in the Digimon ranks went way up. Today, the great battle paralleled the one fought millennia ago, when the predecessors of the Warriors, the Ancients, first sealed Lucemon away. Beast and Human-type Digimon were united under a common banner in Cherubimon's. All ten Legendary Warriors were united now and marched beside the Digimon. This coming battle would decide the fate of not one, but two worlds.

As the masses of Digimon advanced towards Washington, DC, hundreds of Sinners and corrupt Pokemon greeted them just over the horizon. It was at that moment that chaos descended on the land. The two armies charged at each other with a speed and ferocity beyond human comprehension. Fire and lightning leapt from the mouths and hands of Digimon and enemy alike. Whirling tornadoes scooped hapless victims in the air and battered them like eggs in a blender. A pair of missiles swooshed out of an Andromon's chest compartment in a trail of grey smoke. They crashed into a Cannibal, blowing the fiend into countless pieces.

From behind, an Ice Leomon pounced onto an unsuspecting Dragonite. The chill of the Digimon's icy fist cut into the back of the dragon Pokemon and caused him to stumble forward in a dazed stupor. Ice Leomon unsheathed a dagger and plunged the metal blade into the black Dragonite's skull. Instead of blood bursting forth as expected, the Dragonite's head melted, followed by its body, until nothing remained of it but an inky black puddle. The Ice Leomon leapt away and went off to help his comrades with a nearby battle.

In the midst of the clash of bodies, the Warriors searched for the mastermind himself, the Pokemon Master. With all the Sinners and black Pokemon running around, they were attacked every step of the way. Everywhere they looked, they saw a Digimon, or an enemy fighting each other. The Pokemon Master was nowhere to be seen. A black Blaziken pounced on Beowolfmon, the scowl of hostility clearly imprinted on its face. In a single swift motion, the Warrior of Light activated his Lobo Kendo and sliced through the attacker. The Blaziken melted down into but a mere puddle of black ink like all the other black Pokemon.

Jet Silphymon came under fire from airborne Pidgeots, who blew gusts at her with little effect due to her sheer power and resistance to wind-based attacks. To return the favour, she let loose massive bullets of air from her pinwheel. They pummelled the black birds relentlessly, sending many crashing into the ground as puddles of black ooze. Rhino Kabuterimon lobbed Condenser Storms into the sky which burst into arcs of deadly lightning which filled the sky. The electricity electrocuted a squad of Dustox out of the sky. Diamon thumped the ground as hard as he could, raising several diamond fangs in a path towards a Machamp tag team. The diamond fangs skewered the tag team into a shish kebob of black ooze.

"Where's Lucemon?" asked Brock over the chaotic roar of battle.

"I don't know," replied Demi Wisemon. "He's got to be somewhere around here. Keep looking!"

As the Warriors and Pokemon trainers waded through the sea of bodies, they attacked anything that attempted to bar their path. Demi Wisemon's energy beam streamed out of his eye and into a black Charizard's underbelly. The ferocious monster fell head first into a deadly suicide dive. A black Blastoise retreated into its shell and hurled himself as a Rapid Spin attack on Machamp. The Superpower Pokemon caught the turtle and halted its spin before tossing it back into a crowd of its friends. The Blastoise flattened the enemy like they were bowling pins in an alley.

Maridmon fired a jet of water into another crowd before spotting her target hovering above the sea of demons and monsters. "I found him! I found Ash! Over here!"

Brendan's Ninetails' incinerated a horde of approaching black Kirlia with a jet of Flamethrower. "I'm coming!" he cried as he sped up to keep the others in view.

As the Pokemon Master surveyed the battle, he noticed the Warriors and their trainer friends wading through the crowd. It was clear they wanted him, as all were facing his direction. "Well, well, well, looks like they want to play. Lugia, Ho-oh, Mewtwo, why don't you keep them entertained?"

The Pokemon Master reached for a set of Pokeballs on his belt and threw three of them onto the ground. In a flicker of darkness, the three Legendary Pokemon appeared before their master. Unlike their true, living counterparts, these three Pokemon were clones of the originals created from Ash's memories. All of them were as black as obsidian, their appearances matching that of their foul hearts. The three rose into the air and made a beeline straight for the heroes, who were advancing upon the Pokemon Master's position.

"Look out! They're coming our way!" cried Reichmon, narrowly avoiding Dark Ho-oh as it barrelled straight for him and Jet Silphymon. "We'll keep this one busy. You guys go on ahead."

"Hey you overgrown chicken, come and get it!" taunted Jet Silphymon.

Dark Ho-oh seemed to have taken great offence to that remark since it promptly changed course to pursue the Warrior of Wind. The black phoenix exhaled a blazing stream of flame which she dodged. "Let's move it! We have to get to Ash!" cried Maridmon.

They advanced on the Pokemon Master's position as fast as their legs could carry them. It was no sooner than they cleared the mob that Dark Lugia and Dark Mewtwo descended on them. Dark Lugia, the corrupt halcyon, aimed an Aeroblast straight at Aldamon. The Warrior of Fire raised his arms before him to block the cone of wind. The sheer force of the swirling air pushed him backwards, causing him to grind grooves into the ground. The winds kept him pinned down and unable to mount a counter offensive in any way.

The Warrior of Earth ripped a massive boulder from the ground and hurled it at Dark Lugia with all his strength. At the last moment, the halcyon Lugia cut the wind and raised a barrier of energy. The boulder struck with such great force that it overwhelmed the barrier and sent Dark Lugia hurtling towards his right. "Great save, Diamon!" remarked Aldamon.

"Thanks, now let's carve that turkey!" replied Diamon. The brothers went charging in to pursue Dark Lugia and finish it off.

Rhino Kabuterimon launched Condenser Storms aimed at the airborne Dark Mewtwo. The corrupt Psychic Pokemon raised a barrier made of corrupted Psychic energy. The lightning darted along the edge of the globe, which absorbed the shock harmlessly. Dai Penmon sprayed a blast of snowy air which scattered around the barrier's amethyst surface. Beowolfmon joined the battle, aiming a Cleansing Light for Dark Mewtwo. The beam made all the difference, finally shattering the barrier and exposing Dark Mewtwo. The icy winds and lightning hurled it through the air, allowing Beowolfmon's missiles to put the monster into a head first downward spiral.

"We got him down. Let's finish him off!" commanded Rhino Kabuterimon. The three Warriors charged in the direction of Dark Mewtwo's landing.

While the others took care of the Dark Legendaries, those closest to Ash set their sights on the Pokemon Master. "Lucemon, let go of Ash now!" demanded Maridmon.

The Pokemon Master chuckled. "No, I don't think I'll be doing that. You see, I rather like it in here."

"That wasn't a request," said Demi Wisemon bluntly. "We're here to throw you out, and we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Frankly, I'd prefer the hard way," admitted the Pokemon Master. "It's a lot more fun. I'll get to see you guys squirm!"

At that moment, the Pokemon Master attacked! He raised his arm and fired a globe of pure darkness at the Warriors and trainers. The group scattered for cover and prepared their counter strike. Maridmon raised her arms overhead, calling upon dark clouds to form above the Pokemon Master's head. Gallons of water poured onto his head as magical power accelerated the droplets to the speed of a bullet. Though he took some lumps, the Pokemon Master recovered and raised a light barrier overhead as an umbrella.

Demi Wisemon began channelling pure magical energy to the Pokemon Master. As the aura of silver grinded against the Pokemon Master, it began to wear Lucemon's hold down. A translucent apparition, Lucemon's Chaos Mode, appeared superimposed on the Pokemon Master. Once he realized what was happening, Lucemon began to resist. "You're not getting rid of me that easily!"

Demi Wisemon strained to drag Lucemon out of Ash's body. "He's too strong, I can't pull him out!"

Maridmon fired a jet of heavily pressurized water at the apparition's chest. "Don't worry. I'm on it."

The apparition became more noticeable as more of Maridmon's power began to work over Lucemon. The fallen angel grimaced as he bore the full brunt of both Warriors' powers. He fired bursts of positive and negative energy which toppled the two Warriors and broke their exorcism. The Pokemon Master renewed his attack, firing both types of energy at the other Warriors. Dryamon raised her arms in defence, weathering the potent attack with minimal harm. Brock, Machamp, Brendan, and Swampert scattered to avoid the approaching energy blasts.

"Brendan, cover me!" requested Brock.

"Okay!" he replied. "Swampert, use Hydro Pump!"

Gallons of pressurized water gushed forth from the Mud Fish Pokemon's mouth. Seeing the attack coming, the Pokemon Master raised his arms in defence. The water grinded against him with tremendous force, yet he still held on and didn't budge even an inch from his spot. Brock and Machamp wheeled around to the enemy's blind side. "Machamp, use Earthquake!" called Brock.

The Superpower Pokemon raised his hands high into the sky to gather power. With all of his strength, he slammed the ground so hard as to produce a ground-shaking shockwave which burst forward. The shockwave raced towards the Pokemon Master and caused him to lose his footing and expose himself to the Hydro Pump. The steel-bending water jet grinded against his chest as he fought to withstand it. He got his hands free long enough to launch bolts of positive and negative energy. They struck the Pokemon in the chest, bowling them over.

"This isn't working. We need to hit him as the same time," recommended Dryamon.

Dryamon lashed out with vines which entangled the Pokemon Master in a mass of Verdant Tendrils. Seeing his opportunity, Demi Wisemon restarted the exorcism of the evil in Ash's body. The apparition of the fallen angel appeared once again as the silvery aura dug into his foul spirit. With Lucemon incapacitated by the exorcism and the Verdant Tendrils, the others joined the struggle. Each of them projected elemental energies at the spirit from jet of water to rumbling shockwaves through the earth.

Maridmon felt Lucemon began to weaken from the combined might of the heroes. "I think we got him!"

"Guess again!" objected the fallen angel.

Gathering his strength inward, Lucemon released a massive burst of positive energy from his body. The explosion of such great amounts of holy energy overwhelmed the heroes. It immediately broke the second attempted exorcism. Maridmon was thrown backwards and landed flat on the ground as a puddle. Demi Wisemon went soaring like a soccer ball kicked into the air. Even after hitting the ground, he continued to roll onwards until some rubble stopped him. The rest were sprawled on the ground in a daze.

The spirit vanished as it returned to its home in Ash's body. The Pokemon Master mocked his fallen opponent with a gloating laughter. "Fools! Even with all of you combined, you are still no match for me."

In the sky, Taillow came upon the battlefield where the heroes and the Pokemon Master fought. He scanned the area and returned to inform his friends. Within moments, the three Pokemon descended upon the location of their trainer. "Pikapi! (Ash!)" cried Pikachu.

"Treecko... (Are you okay? You don't look so good...)" muttered Treecko to the others.

"Machamp. Machamp? (I'll be fine. What are you guys doing here?)" asked Machamp.

"Treecko! (We came to help Ash!)" replied Treecko.

"Help him? What can three little Pokemon like you do where others have failed?" asked the Pokemon Master rhetorically, as well as mockingly.

"Pikapi pika! Pika pikachu! (We are Ash's friends! He cares for us and we care for him. We know he is fighting you from the inside. That is why we will beat you,)" decried Pikachu.

"Ha! Give me a break! Ash has given himself to me willingly. He knows that with my help, no one would ever stop him from being the world's greatest Pokemon Master. I can give him the most powerful Pokemon. I can help him win any tournament there is. I can give him everything that he's ever wanted. What use would he have for a trio of weak Pokemon like you?" mocked the Pokemon Master.

"Treecko! (Who are you calling weak?)" objected Treecko, burning with anger.

"Pika Pikapi Pikachu! (I know Ash! He would never make give himself to you. You are a liar!)"

"Oh, but he has and now I'm calling the shots," corrected the Pokemon Master. "It's about time for me to weed out all of the weaklings from his life, starting with you!"

The Pokemon Master fired a beam of negative energy straight at the electric mouse. Taillow intervened in the nick of time, plucking his comrade out of harm's way at the last moment. The Pokemon Master located his target and renewed his attack, firing bolts of positive and negative energy. As Taillow weaved through the air, the energy zinged past him. His enemy kept the pressure on until one of the shots burst into the air like a bomb. He was hurtled through the sky but kept his grip on Pikachu firm. A moment later, Taillow managed to straightened himself out.

Treecko threw himself at the Pokemon Master, whacking the Sinner with a series of tail Pounds. His enemy merely stood there, uninterested in the little lizard and unfazed by his attacks. With a single backhand, he swatted the little Wood Gecko Pokemon away. "Pi chu! (Treecko!)" cried Pikachu.

"Treecko! (I'm okay!)" replied Treecko. He picked himself off the ground and charged at the Pokemon Master.

Pikachu climbed onto the back of the Tiny Swallow. "Pikachu! (I'm right behind you Treecko! Let's get him, Taillow!)"

"Taillow! (You bet!)" replied Taillow.

Treecko leapt at the Pokemon Master's face and began to Pound it with everything he could muster. Despite using his maximum strength, the Wood Gecko Pokemon couldn't make even the tiniest scratch on the enemy's face. The Pokemon Master grew annoyed with him and attempted to swat Treecko away once again. This time, Treecko saw the hand coming in and bounded away to safety. Treecko scored a tail Pound to the legs prompting the Pokemon Master to throw a kick. Treecko sidestepped the boot, causing it to strike empty air.

Behind the Pokemon Master, Taillow emerged over the horizon. The Tiny Swallow Pokemon had used Treecko's diversionary attacks to sneak behind the Pokemon Master. Once Taillow moved into range, Pikachu let loose with devastating bolts of lightning. The Pokemon Master, caught off guard, staggered forward as the electricity surged through his body. "Damn you!" he cursed, before retaliating with a negative energy burst.

The ball of darkness burst mid-air near Taillow like an anti-aircraft shell. It sent Taillow into a headfirst spiral towards the ground. Pikachu fell off his mount and crashed into the ground with a thud and a cloud of smoke. "Treecko! (Pikachu!)" cried Treecko.

The Pokemon Master exploited Treecko's momentary lapse of concentration to blast him with a positive energy beam. Treecko barely leapt away in time, but the force of the explosion threw off his timing causing him to spill onto the ground. "Looks like I win," gloated the Pokemon Master over Pikachu. "So much for your friend Ash coming to your rescue."

Pikachu struggled to get onto his feet. Digging deep within himself, he gathered the energy to lash out at the Pokemon Master with an earth-rending Thunderbolt. The Pokemon Master raised his arm to shield himself. Streams and streams of lightning surged out of the electric mouse, who was running out of energy rapidly. "Pikapi... (Ash I know you're in there... Fight him, Ash! Fight him!)"

The electric mouse fell to the ground in exhaustion. The Pokemon Master advanced on Pikachu's body and charged a sphere of negative energy in his palm. "NO!" cried the Pokemon Master, in a voice younger and purer than his normal one.

The Pokemon Master's hand began to shake as two forces within him waged a tug of war for control. The negative energy began to fluctuate with the rise and fall of Lucemon's control over the Pokemon Master's body. "Damn! He's awake!" cursed the Pokemon Master, in Lucemon's voice.

"Pikapi? (Ash?)" asked Pikachu upon hearing his trainer's voice.

"It's me... Pikachu!" cried Ash, gaining control long enough to speak.

"Pikapi! (Ash! I knew you were in there!)" cheered Pikachu.

"It's great to see you old buddy! I can't stop Lucemon by myself. You need the others. Hurry!" commanded Ash.

With the realization that his trainer, Ash, was still present in his body, Pikachu felt a sense of vindication. A newfound energy surged within his body giving him the strength to return to the battle. He ran to the Warriors, the Pokemon, and the other trainers as fast as he could and roused them from unconsciousness. One by one each hero picked himself or herself off the ground and surrounded the Pokemon Master. The tug of war between Ash and Lucemon caused the Pokemon Master to jitter around and fumble about. This battle made it impossible for him to do anything worthwhile.

A great pain filled the Pokemon Master as Demi Wisemon restarted the exorcism. "Ahhh!" screamed the Pokemon Master in both Lucemon and Ash's voice.

"You're hurting Ash!" decried Maridmon.

"Don't worry about me. Just worry about getting Lucemon," demanded Ash.

"But..." objected Maridmon.

"Do it! You don't have any choice!" screamed Ash.

Maridmon sprayed gallons of water at the spirit of Lucemon, superimposed on the Pokemon Master's body. Dryamon joined the struggle and fired Photo Blasts like a rain of golden globes. Treecko and Taillow gathered every stone they could find and piled them beside Machamp for him to hurl at the Lucemon spirit. Swampert sprayed streams of water like Maridmon did. Pikachu lashed out at the enemy with a devastating Thunderbolt. The spirit of Lucemon began to rise above the Pokemon Master as the heroes' attacks pushed him out.

"Keep going! He's weakening!" cried Ash.

"Let's do it guys. Lucemon's history!" cheered Maridmon.

The heroes intensified their powers in a last effort to drive Lucemon from Ash's body. The Pokemon Master continued to scream in pain as the attacks wore down Lucemon's spirit. Little by little, more and more of the fallen angel's spirit became visible above the Pokemon Master. He seemed to be tethered to Ash's body, clinging on to his vessel as if his life depended on it. However, it was clear that he was losing ground as his spirit moved from the body inch by inch. Soon that critical moment came...

"AAAH... ah..." screamed the Pokemon Master a final time as Lucemon's spirit snapped out. The Pokemon Master fell silent and collapsed onto the ground.

The heroes continued to put the pressure on Lucemon until his spirit vanished into thin air like mist. "Damn you Warriors!" he cried as he faded into nothingness.

"Ash!" cried Maridmon. She ran up to Ash to check on his condition. "He's not breathing!"

Demi Wisemon tried to use some magic to resuscitate him but it was ineffective. "Oh no! The strain on his body might have been too much for him to bear..."

"NO! Ash! Wake up! Come on, speak to me!" cried Maridmon, yet Ash never responded.

"No... We were so close," lamented Dryamon.

Maridmon broke out in tears, as did Ash's Pokemon when they huddled around their trainer. Their tears trickled out of their eyes and rained down onto the lifeless face of Ash. The tears glimmered in the pale light of the moon until it began to glow with golden light. It seemed that something or someone was answering their cries of sorrow. The golden tears pooled on Ash's chest and astounded everyone as it rose into the air.

"What's going on?" asked Brendan, but no one answered in awe of the spectacle before them.

From this light, came a great ball of flame that grew ever larger in size. A pair of wings emerged from this sphere of billowing, rosy flame. They were white, green-tipped feathers crowned by a set of fiery red feathers. These wings belonged to a bird with a red head crowned by a regal, golden comb much like that of a rooster. His tail was a plume of glimmering golden feathers. This creature, a Pokemon phoenix, seemed to radiate the light of purity and life. He was the true version of the dark phoenix that had attacked them.

"Ho-oh?" asked Brock in bewilderment.

"Yes," replied the bird through a disembodied voice that seemed to resound within their minds. "I am Ho-oh, the Legendary Bird and guardian of Johto."

"Ho-oh? What's he doing here?" asked Max in curiosity.

"Do you want Ash back?" asked the Legendary Bird, getting straight to the point.

"Are you asking what I think you're asking? Can you really bring Ash back to life?" asked Misty.

"Yes," replied Ho-oh. "I can bring him back to life. I can restore his life if you so desire."

"Yes, please bring him back Ho-oh! Please!" begged Misty.

"Pikachu Pikapi! (We want Ash back. Please help us!)" begged Pikachu.

"Very well," said Ho-oh. "When you have finished your task in this world, bring his body to my tower in Ecruteak City, Johto. Call my name and I will grant your desire."

"Thank you Ho-oh," replied Misty, feeling hope return once again. Having finishing his duty, Ho-oh transformed into a ball of rosy flame and vanished into Ash's body as quickly as he came.