Absentia Natural Park, Unova.

In the dead of night, a small corner of a forest was filled to the brim with the sound of metal striking against metal. This forest was the home to none other than the five Genesects who were in the midst of a particularly heated training session. Three of them flew through the trees, making nary a sound as they moved except for the clashing of their claws. The youngest of the group was knocked to the ground with a pained whimper by none other than their leader, the Red Genesect.

"Get up," The red one ordered, hovering over the runt. He pointed one of his claws, which was coated in a dark green blade of energy via using X-Scissor, down at her. "We're not done yet."

The young Genesect was trembling in fright. She couldn't move if she wanted to. "I-I can't fight! I'm t-too weak… I'm not as strong as you all…"

She let out a yelp as the red Genesect lurched down, attempting to stab her with his claw. The young one shut her eyes tightly, flinching as she heard the clang of metal. Yet, she didn't feel any pain. When the young Genesect mustered the courage to open her eyes, she let out a gasp. Unbeknownst to even herself, she had summoned an X-Scissor of her own to intercept the attack. What's more, she successfully stopped it.

"You are not weak," Said the red Genesect, retracting his hand, "Only timid. Fear is a good thing in healthy doses. But never, never let it control you. If you are too afraid to fight an enemy or run from it if that enemy is too strong to fight, you are lost."

He pulled up on her claw and put her back onto her feet. "You are strong," He said. "Never forget that. Never let a weaker opponent trick you into believing they're the stronger one either."

She gave him an odd look for the last comment. "What do you…?" An unintentional yelp escaped from her mouth when another jab from her leader narrowly missed her head.

"I said we're not done," Hissed the red Genesect. "Now prepare yourself, and don't you dare fall over again. Because if you do…" His right foot suddenly lit aflame, making the young one's blood run cold. "...It won't end painlessly this time."

He crouched down and launched himself at her. Shrieking in fear, the youngest Genesect narrowly managed to duck underneath the Blaze Kick attack and let her elder sail past her. However, the red one immediately whipped back around upon landing and shot out his leg. The result was a ball of fire that honed right back in on the young one. Her eyes going wide, she just barely managed to sidestep it and allow it to sail into the black of night.

When the young Genesect turned back around, the red one was no longer there. "Wh-where did you go?!" She cried, frantically looking around for him. Eventually, she found him descending upon her from above and raised her arms to block, but he slammed her arms down and followed up by Blaze Kicking her in the abdomen. Her eyes went wide from the pain for the split-second she was allowed before being thrown into a nearby tree where she collapsed to the ground.

"GET UP!" He roared, sprinting toward her. Out of pure instinct, she managed to leap into the air just as the red Genesect's X-Scissor split the tree in two. From her position above him, he was open. Her instincts told her to attack, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Her claws trembled, unable to jab into her caretaker. That decision cost her. The red Genesect jumped up and flipped backwards, smashing his flaming foot into her skull and throwing her back to the ground in a heap.

Still, she was given no respite. The red Genesect leapt into the air and dove toward her, aiming for her abdomen. By a hair, she rolled out of the way. But the force of the kick upheaved a small part of the land around them and threw her into the air. "Hesitation…" He drove his X-Scissor into her abdomen, throwing her right back into the ground. "IS DEFEAT!" He kicked her right back into the air, jumping up after her. "Why aren't you fighting back?!"

The young Genesect was too stunned and terrified to answer. Though her leader had always been hard on her during training, he was never this forceful. Ever since that mysterious message appeared from seemingly their own minds, he'd been on edge. He refused to act upon its call, and even after so much time passed since then, he had become more violent and strict. It was almost as if he was...afraid. But what was he afraid of?

When the red Genesect slammed the edges of his claws upon her, she successfully raised her own in time to block them. Yet, at their angle, she was still sent careening back into the ground. "That's it!" Cried the red Genesect upon landing beside her. "That was a perfect guard!" The young one painstakingly managed to roll onto her front and push herself off the ground.

"Please," She whimpered, "Stop this…"

At that, the red Genesect's demeanor changed completely. "Stop…?!" He stomped his foot into the ground, setting it alight. "Your enemies won't stop if you ask. There is only fight or flight! There is only survival!"

If those were her only options, she would choose to flee. If she did, hopefully she could get far enough away that he would leave her alone for the rest of the day. So, she whipped around and darted off. It wasn't long before the sound of darting wind approached from behind. Leaping from tree to tree, the red Genesect pursued until he had caught up. He leapt into her way, forcing the young Genesect to stop in her tracks and run the other way. He never gave her the chance.

The second she dug her heels into the dirt, the red Genesect flew at her and slammed a Blaze Kick into the side of her head. She yelled out in pain, skidding across the dirt until her back crashed against a tree with enough force to knock it over. The young Genesect wasn't sure what to do anymore. 'I can't get through to him,' She mused inwardly, 'But I'm not strong enough to fight ...Should I just play dead?'

Her hopes of avoiding a further beating were dashed when her elder forcibly picked her up and stood her on her feet. He leapt back to allow her space, but adopted a battle stance once more. "Fleeing is only a viable strategy if you are faster than your enemy and can use the environment to your benefit to do so." As fast as a blur, he leapt up to the top of a nearby tree, leaning forward with the obvious intent to pounce with his stance. "If you can't manage that, you're better off FIGHTING!"

With that, he kicked off the tree and lunged at her with a claw. Her eyes shot wide open. He was somehow even faster than before. She had no time to run, or even dodge. Her only option was to counter...to fight back. Instinctively, she raised her hands and blocked the blow. The force of it sent her skidding, though she managed to keep her heels dug into the ground to avoid falling.

"FIGHT!" He roared, lunging at her again. She once again raised her arms to block, but the red Genesect rolled to the ground and kicked up at her exposed legs, making her fall forward and gasp. Rolling out of the way to avoid her falling on him, he twisted his arm around hers and drove his knee into her gut. The young Genesect's eyes went wide. He dropped her again suddenly, disappearing like a blur before coming around with an ankle kick to her head.

For the umpteenth time, she was thrown to the ground like a ragdoll, though she managed to dig her claws into the ground to stop herself. When the red Genesect sprinted toward her to continue his assault, the young one brought her arms up to block. In response, the red one scoffed, digging his claws between her arms and prying them apart. With the young one now completely exposed, the red Genesect leapt into the air, a Blaze Kick ready, and struck down at her head.

The force of the attack carried her down, but at the last second, the red one shot her behind him. He crouched down, preparing to launch himself full force after her. "GIGA IMPACT!" Encased in a swirling mass of energy, the red Genesect shot off like a cannon. However, when it made contact with the younger Genesect, she disappeared all of a sudden. "Wh-what?!" He cried. He raised his arms in a defensive position, using them to slam the ground and push himself up back into the air and cancelling his forward momentum.

When he snapped his head back up at where the younger Genesect once was, he found several of them flitting through the trees away from him. "I see," He said with a smirk. "If you refuse to fight and cannot run, you use your wit with Double Team to escape...however…" As he fell back to the ground, he raised his head to the sky and let out an ear-piercing Screech. Waves of sound so powerful that they visibly distorted the air that filled the forest. Immediately, the young Genesect's clones stopped in their tracks as she was forced to cover her ears.

With her focus disrupted, the young Genesect could no longer sustain the Double Team, and her clones dispersed into thin air. "There," Hissed the red Genesect. Halting the Screech, he dug his heels into the ground and bounded toward the young one. She scarcely had the time to look his way before a Metal Claw was grazing across her cheek. Her instincts allowed her to narrowly dodge the full force of the attack before disappearing as quick as a blur.

The red Genesect was genuinely taken aback. "When did she learn Extreme Speed?!" He scowled, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter…" His body became like that of a blur, appearing to tremble violently in place. "YOU WON'T ESCAPE!" He disappeared in a flash, mimicking the younger Genesect.

As the two raced through the dark forest, entire trees were left devoid of leaves by their passing. The sheer force of their speed kicked up intense winds that steadily raced behind wherever they went. The younger Genesect let out a shrill gasp as she dared a look behind her, seeing her elder closing the distance between them quickly. When she turned back around, her eyes went wide when she saw an oncoming tree branch.

Her head collided with the branch before she could react, making her neck snap back. It didn't damage or even hurt her, but it surprised her into stillness for the split second that was needed for the red Genesect to catch up. He flew past her, kicking off a tree to bounce back and deliver a brutal Flame Charge attack. She was struck dead on with no hope of evasion, and the two of them were both sent flying back into the gust of wind that still trailed behind.

The wind crashed into them both with resounding force that sent them careening away from one another. The young one fell to the ground with a thud, letting out a pained grunt. However, the red Genesect landed gracefully on his feet and wasted no time in racing toward her. "GET UP!" He roared. The young Genesect flinched, turning away from him in fear and whimpering. The red Genesect was losing patience. "I said…" He raised his foot, setting it ablaze and preparing to stomp. "GET U-"

Unbeknownst to even the young Genesect, a green light twinkled within the cannon strapped to her back. The red Genesect, however, saw it as clear as day and quickly leapt to the side just as an emerald beam erupted from it. Suddenly, the beam seemed to explode in size and sent the red Genesect careening into a tree where he collapsed. The young Genesect let out a gasp. "O-oh no...what have I done?!"

Disgusted with herself for lashing out, the young Genesect used Extreme Speed and disappeared into the forest once more. Letting out a pained groan, the red one leaned forward, slowly managing to put himself back on his feet. He didn't say anything for a while, merely staring down at the ground without moving. Suddenly, he laughed. "That's it!" He cheered. "That was what I wanted! When your life is on the line, young one, you must be able to call upon your strength and retaliate!"

He raised his head and pointed at where the young Genesect once was. "That was an incredible Techno Blast...huh?" He scanned the scoured forest for any traces of the young one, but found nothing. "...Where did you go?"

The young one raced through the dark greenery at maximum speed until she came across a cave. When she stopped, she was panting desperately for air. She dared a look behind her to see if the red one was following, letting out a relieved sigh when there were no signs of him. Still, he would be on her tail soon enough. "He's going to be angry," She muttered aloud. "Very, very angry…"

This was where the cave came into play. If she hid in the sides of its entrance and was lucky enough, perhaps she could hide long enough for him to pass. Then, she would high-tail it back to the others. They had always been kind to her, and would surely defend her from him. Still, the fact that he was behaving this way at all was unsettling him. "Oh, what's gotten into him…" She shook her head, deciding that it was best to save that for later and wasted no further time before she dove into the cave.

She pressed her back against the cold, rocky wall. She dared another look to see if her elder had heard her, but there was nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief, she slid down the wall slightly as her figure relaxed. Still, there was the matter of what to do until his arrival, so she tried to make out what was in this cave. Using Lock-On, the pitch blackness of the cave was suddenly illuminated. She found...several other beings. Pokemon, she assumed.

Upon closer inspection, she found that they were Teddiursa Ursaring, and her heart nearly stopped. Though most Pokemon of the park they resided in were friendly, or at the very least wary enough to leave them be, the Ursaring would often challenge the Genesects over territory, leading to plenty of battles for the fate of their home. They often won, leaving the Ursaring more vengeful with every defeat. She mostly stayed away from those fights, but that might not be an option.

'Oh no!' She cried internally. 'Ursaring?! This is...their home?!' She eyed the exit. 'But if I leave, then...he will…' The young Genesect shuddered. She knew if she went back out there, then the red Genesect would just resume their...training, but unlike the Ursaring, she at least felt like he wouldn't kill her. On shaking legs, she stood back up and slowly tiptoed her way back out. Only, mere steps outside of the cave entrance, something suddenly towered over her that made her blood run cold.

Another Ursaring, much larger than the others, sneered down at her with murder in its eyes. Before she could have hoped to flee from it, it let out an earth-shaking roar that forced her to cover her ears. The other Ursaring woke up with a start at their alpha's call and hastily piled out of the cave to surround her while the curious young Teddiursa watched from the cave's entrance. The young Genesect stepped back from the alpha, trembling.

"P-please...j-just let me g-go," She begged, "I p-promise I won't b-bother you ever again!" However, the Ursaring were not deterred in the slightest. In fact, her tiny, weak stature seemed inviting to them. They grinned down at her with their hungry, toothy grins. This would suit their vengeance nicely. The largest of them let out another roar, commanding the others to go in for the kill.

A smaller one, eager to prove itself to the pack, leapt forward first with a double-handed Hammer Arm, which the young Genesect dodged by a hair to its frustration. This gave the others and opening, and they wasted no time charging at her all at once. She jumped into the air to dodge them, but the largest of the bunch grabbed her leg and slammed her into the ground. Gasping in pain, she quickly attempted to get back to her feet, but the large Ursaring stomped on her back to stop her.

The other Ursaring circled around her closely, grinning down at her with sharp, toothy grins as they prepared Hammer Arm's, Metal Claws and a multitude of other attacks to tear her to pieces. Before they could pile onto her, the largest Ursaring snarled at them to stop them. This one, the alpha Ursaring who had been humiliated by the other Genesects time and time again, would draw first blood. It raised its arm to the moon, coating it in flames to use Fire Punch, only to have a flaming kick send it hurtling into a nearby tree.

The Ursaring and onlooking Teddiursa collectively yelped in surprise as their leader was thrown aside. They turned to growl ferociously at whatever dared to interrupt their vengeance, but their growls soon turned to surprised shrieks when they saw what it was. The red Genesect, dousing his foot, landed beside his collapsed underling and knelt by her side.

"Are you injured?!" He asked frantically, looking over her body. "Why did you run off like that?! You could have been seriously hurt if I didn't…" Her elder stopped himself, realizing the irony. "...We'll talk later." Taking her in his grasp, he darted up into a large, nearby tree and set her in its branches. "Stay there for now. I'll take care of them."

Below, the Ursaring were growling up at the tree viciously. They readied their claws, preparing to take it down when the red Genesect descended from its leaves to face them. "Come," He said, turning his claws into X-Scissors, "I will be your opponent!"

The Ursaring snarled at him viciously, but their countless beatdowns by his hands did not go unremembered. Though they bared their fangs and growled at him threateningly, when he took a step toward them, they couldn't help but take one back. They all heard the sound of rustling plants and snapping twigs from their left. The largest Ursaring burst out from the bushes, sprinting toward the red Genesect. Its eyes had completely reddened from rage.

It leapt into the air and attempted to bash the red Genesect into the ground, but he swiftly evaded. The force behind the attack, however, destroyed the ground beneath them and sent tremors across the forest floor. Taken aback by the sudden Earthquake attack, the red Genesect was staggered and left open for the other Ursaring. As one, they let out ear-shattering roars that deafened the young one in the tree and raced toward their prey.

As one got close, the red Genesect dug his foot into the unstable ground and kicked up a rock that smashed into the bear's face, knocking it onto its back. He elbowed another in its ring, making it double over so he could deliver a Blaze Kick to the side of its head and send it flying. A reckless one tried to hit him with Hammer Arm, but he ducked under its fist and swept its feet out from under it. When it fell, he held its back up with his foot and kicked it into the next oncomer, who unwittingly Hammer Armed it in the gut.

That Ursaring retracted his arms, looking upon what it had just done in shock. Taking the opportunity laid out before him, the red Genesect lurched forward with Extreme Speed, hitting it at every possible angle. When he touched down behind it, the Ursaring began violently spasming as the effect of each hit took effect, with the last one launching it away. Its body eventually flew into the hand of the largest in the pack, who dropped him back to the ground thereafter.

Eager for a shot at vengeance, it called upon the remaining Ursaring and charged upon the red Genesect. The alpha raced past them and swiped at its target with a Fire Punch, though it was easily dodged when he leapt past its fist, used its arm as a jumping board and jabbed his knee into the underside of its chin. It staggered backwards, but managed to stay on its feet. As it recovered, the others hastily raced in, believing their numbers would overwhelm the red Genesect.

They lunged at him with fang and claw at the ready, but their adversary was faster. Its computer-like compound eyes, accursed to him as they may be, were easily able to predict their movements as if they were moving at the pace of a Shuckle. Before even landing back to the ground after its previous attack on the alpha Ursaring, the red Genesect whirled around through the air, knocking three of them aside with a roundhouse Blaze Kick.

The ones that hadn't been hit were soon upon him, rapidly swinging their lumbering arms. Though they had power to spare, they couldn't so much as touch the red Genesect with his speed. Every piece of rubble their attacks kicked up was another piece of rubble that was kicked into their face by their adversary. Of course, this only served to anger them, which made them even sloppier and more reckless in their onslaught.

The moment one of them overstepped, the red Genesect kicked at his ankle, slithered around behind it, and Blaze Kicked it in the back. It was sent hurtling into one of its brethren, stunning them both. While they were both stunned, the red Genesect lurched forward and slashed at them with X-Scissor, making them fall to the ground. By now, there were only three left not counting the large one, which was something they appeared to be keenly aware of.

"Now," Said the red Genesect, "Let's end this." His response was an infuriated roar from the alpha Ursaring, though the others were more hesitant to back him up now. The alpha hastily closed in, but before it actually came near, it plunged a Fire Punch into the ground and sent trails of flame crashing through the cracks in the ground. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for," Remarked the red Genesect.

Still, he had no problem leaping over the fire and honing in on the alpha, deciding the others were best left alone until he was proven otherwise. It raised its claws in defense, but the red Genesect's Metal claw struck down against them with far greater force than it anticipated, resulting in its guard being completely broken. Before it could get up, the red Genesect stomped down on the ring on its chest, making it grunt out in pain to its chagrin.

It swung up at him with a Fire Punch that he deftly dodged by simply bringing his head back. He pushed down on its chest, making it hiss in pain once more. The three remaining Ursaring rushed to their leaders aid, but stopped right in their tracks when the red Genesect pointed an X-Scissor at their leader's neck. "This fight is over," Said the red Genesect. "I would suggest you all back away and never bother my family again."

Unconvinced, the leader began barking out what sounded like orders to the remaining Ursaring. They appeared to be conflicted, furthering the alpha's frustration. To end this once and for all, the red Genesect bent over and pointed the cannon mounted on his back right into the alpha's face. "I said this is over. Do not make me repeat myself." To prove his point, the barrel of the cannon alit with an emerald green glow. As seconds went by and the glow became brighter, the alpha's nerve appeared to melt more and more.

Still, its defiance did not waver, and again, it roared orders at its underlings. They appeared, for a moment, like they were going to follow them until Genesect glanced their way. "Even this cannon is not enough to convince you?" He asked the alpha, who responded with a defiant growl. Its hand lit aflame once more, readying to strike. "I see."

The alpha lurched up with a Fire Punch, and at the same time, the red Genesect looked up to the skies. Its flaming fist was nearing its foe when the red Genesect's cannon suddenly exploded with emerald light. A gleaming pillar stunned any who witnessed it into stillness as it soared into the night sky. It cleaved through the night like a blade through butter until it faded from the world. Turning his gaze back down, he asked, "Will this suffice to end this foolishness?"

There was a definite conflict in the alpha's eyes, but still the fires of defiance burned. Letting out a sigh, Genesect spoke once more. "If we keep battling, this feud of ours will never end and this forest will only keep catching the worst of it." He stomped down on the alpha with enough force to bury it into the ground. The other Ursaring, crying out in shock, attempted to go to their leader's aid but were stopped when the red Genesect raised his claw toward them.

"...I see now that there is no chance for our peace to become a reality…" A dangerous glint on his eyes gleamed in the bright moonlight. "So…" He turned around, facing the other three Ursaring. Their eyes went wide, and they unconsciously stepped away from him. But it was not them Genesect was concerned about. He was looking past them at the cave where the Teddiursa were still watching curiously.

"To put a halt to this meaningless war we've been waging for months…" He knelt over, charging the cannon on his back. The Ursaring could only watch on in horror. The alpha viciously squirmed to try to free itself from the ground, but it was firmly embedded. It could only watch on in horror. Genesect narrowed its eyes at the Teddiursa coldly, using Lock-On to target them. "I will destroy it at its core! I will have vengeance for what you tried to do to my young one!"

With that, the red Genesect unleashed its laser toward the cave. The Ursaring cried out in despair, but they were helpless to stop what was about to come. The young Teddiursa shrieked in terror and shut their eyes tightly, embracing one another. However, at the last moment, Genesect pulled up on the beam and carried it up into the night sky once more, narrowly missing the cave but obliterating much of the trees surrounding it.

Cutting off the Techno Beam, the red Genesect sent a chilling glance the three Ursaring's way, then turned back around to face the alpha. He marched over, digging his claws into the ground that it was embedded in before whipping around and throwing it back to the others, who hastily crowded around it to check for any injuries. They froze in place, completely paralyzed, when the red Genesect spoke once more.

"I trust," He said, "That this problem will not arise again?"

The trio of Ursaring underlings hastily nodded, though it was not to them he was asking for. He leered at the alpha, pressuring him to make a decision—and fast. Groggily, stood back to its feet and turned to look at the still-quivering Teddiursa. In that moment, something seemed to click in its head. It glanced over at the tree that still held the young Genesect, but there was no malice in its eyes. Eventually, its glance landed back upon the red Genesect, and it nodded. Their territorial feud was over.

Nodding to the alpha, Genesect replied, "Then we have no further quarrel. You will leave my family alone, and I yours." With that, he darted into the tree where the young one sat. She flinched upon his arrival, which he ignored. "You, with me. We will speak more when we're back with the others.

That, at least, sounded appealing to her. She nodded, hesitantly extending her arm out to him. Grabbing ahold of it, he activated Extreme Speed and sped the two of them away, leaving the Ursaring to themselves. Neither one dared to speak to the other on the way back. The young one often glanced at him, only to immediately avert her eyes thereafter. The red one simply looked straight ahead until they had gotten to their destination.

When they touched down, the other three of their kind were still fighting. They were blissfully unaware that their long-held territorial quarrel had finally come to an end, as well as all else that had happened. The red Genesect turned to face her, but still said nothing. Unsure of what to do or say or whatever he expected of her, she awkwardly twiddled her claws together while continuing to avert her gaze. Was he expecting her to move? Talk? ...Fight? She didn't know.

The young one jumped slightly when her elder broke the silence with a sigh. "I expected that you would have many questions, for I have much to answer to no doubt." Well, that answered that. Still, she was at a loss for words. There were a multitude of things she wanted to ask, but none that she was sure would not send him into a frenzy like before. The red Genesect sighed. "...I can take a guess to a key few questions. It is my fault, I assume, that you cannot find proper words...so it is up to me to right such wrongs."

He looked over to where their battle had started. In the distance, he still saw sliced plants and branches littering the ground. "I'll make it blunt," He said. "The reason why I've been so hard on you as of late is because I am terrified, as I'm sure you expected." At that, the young Genesect managed to actually keep her eyes upon him. "When that message appeared within our very minds, I realized that there were great evils this world held, and that there are likely many of them."

The young Genesect flinched as her elder faced her once more. Though, when she saw the pitiful look upon his face, she no longer felt quite as intimidated. "I was terrified," He explained. "Terrified beyond measure. For all of us, but mostly, for you." He glanced over at the others. "I don't want to say we don't belong here, but our presence in this world is certainly...fragile, to say the least." Looking back to the young one, he continued. "That is why I wanted you to be able to fight by any means necessary. I know you are strong enough, even if you don't realize it. Perhaps stronger than the rest of us."

To say the young Genesect was incredulous at that would be an understatement. "Strong?" She shook her head. "No. I'm weak. You had to save me from those Ursaring...but you beat them all on your own."

"You could have done the same," Her elder countered. "When you actually fought me, you were able to send me flying with ease." He chuckled slightly while saying it. "You could have disposed of them just as easy, or even easier, as I could." His face soon fell after that as he continued. "Though...it is my fault you ended up in that situation to begin with, and I apologize for that. I was too forceful. Ruthless, even. And because of that, you did the one thing I feared would happen the most. You feared me."

"I…" She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

He shook his head. "You needn't deny it. I have been unfair to you because I was afraid, and because I was afraid that you would face some danger one day that would cause you harm, I did not realize that I became that exact thing." To the young Genesect's shock and confusion, her elder took to the knee and bowed to her. "I do not wish that for you. For any of us. You should not have to fear me, so please." Standing back to his full height, the red Genesect towered over the young one. For some reason, she didn't quite feel the level of intimidation from him she felt before.

"Ask me what you will. I will answer."

The young Genesect was hesitant for a moment, but soon found the courage to ask, "...Why did you aim at the little ones?"

"You mean the Teddiursa?" Asked the red Genesect. "I wasn't actually going to harm them. It was merely a threat to make sure the Ursaring knew that the feud needed to end."

Though that posed even further questions, she decided it was best to drop them and move onto the next. She was hesitant to ask for fear of upsetting him, but she felt like she needed to know. "Why do I need to become strong?"

The red one looked at her, making her shiver. "To abate my fear," He replied with a scowl, though it wasn't aimed at her. "Fear, as you know, is something I am very susceptible, it seems...and in my fear, I have harmed you all many times. When we were first freed from those humans was when I was at my worst, and I threatened to destroy all of you for being reasonable where I was not."

He pointed at the young one, and she unconsciously trembled. "I do not wish for you to to succumb to that fear. I want you to break free of it and rise to what I know you can be, even if you don't believe you can." The eldest Genesect turned away from the youngest and toward the other three. "When that voice spoke in our minds five months ago, my fear nearly turned me back into that. I refused to go when the next voice called for aid, and forbade any of you from leaving either."

A sigh escaped from his mouth, and he looked over to the forest where they emerged from. "Those Ursaring," He said, "Went to fight whatever battle took place after the voices spoke. They fought for this world where we did not, which is likely why they started battling us for territory. I myself am not entirely sure if we deserve it, yet where can we go?"

He reached a hand toward the young one, but retracted it when she visibly flinched. "A-anyways...that question of yours was redundant."

"Huh?!" Her eyes went wide, believing she offended him somehow. "Wh-why?!"

"Because you are already strong." The red Genesect smiled at her. "Perhaps stronger than any of us. When we tried to invade this world by force, you were able to shake off my control to combat me. Not too long ago, you sent me flying with that Techno Beam!" He couldn't help but chuckle jovially. "Even if you don't see it in yourself, I see it in you. The only thing you lack is a strength of will. To be able to fight against your fears with that strength I know you have."

He turned around toward the other three, and his eyes glinted red. They stopped in their tracks all of a sudden, their own eyes doing the same. The three other Genesects leapt to their elder's side, who began making combat motions in the air. In complete sync, the others followed. The young Genesect watched on in awe for a moment, but snapped out of it when she realized something.

"Wait," She said, "Are you...taking control of them again?"

They shook their heads in unison. "No," Said the red Genesect. "I promised myself I would never do that again. Even when the voices spoke, I did not. This is the culmination of our bonds as not only Genesect, but also our skills as combatants." Their arms fell back to their side. "To put it in simpler terms, rather than a forced takeover of their mentality, it is a willful conjoining. When you are able to stand on a battlefield and face your fear, you will be able to join us."

She was taken aback at that. "R-really?" The youngest Genesect wasn't quite sure what to think about that. The prospect seemed...scary. When she was taken over before, she felt her entire consciousness melt away. She could see, hear and feel...but she couldn't think. Her body would not listen to her either. She didn't want to feel like that again, but...if he was telling the truth, then...would she have to fear that at all. On top of that, she did want to be able to understand her elder better, and this might be the easiest way.

Before she could speak up, the glint in the trio of Genesects' eyes faded. "Of course," One of them said, "We can stop it at any time, so we're not trapped either."

The red Genesect nodded, dismissing the three with his claw. "In any case," He said. The eldest Genesect crouched down into a battle stance once more. Two gleaming, green blades extended from his claws upon X-Scissor's use. The young one backed away, her eyes going wide. "Please, do not fear," Said her elder. "You stood up against me once before. Call upon that courage to face me now."

She backed away, shaking her head. "I-I can't…" She trailed off, knowing that wouldn't work. "It's late. C-can't we call it a night and rest until m-morning?"

"Until I am confident in your abilities, the last thing I'll be able to do is rest," He countered. "Please, I beg of you, fight back!"

The young Genesect's eyes widened slightly at that. Was her weakness really causing him to become so stressed he couldn't sleep? His fear, she realized, kept him up at night endlessly. But what was that fear? His fear of death? Losing their home? Then it hit her. It was his fear of losing her and the others. They were a doomed species, more machine than Pokemon. If they died, there was no hope of repopulation. If she died...that was the end.

'If I don't fight, he has to…'

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since she was forced to fight him. Now, she would do so again. For all of their sake. "Alright," She replied with a nod at last. The young Genesect matched her elder's position, readying an X-Scissor of her own. "I want to understand you. So, I'll...fight. I'll become strong!"

"That's the way!" Cried the red Genesect leaping into the air. "Now, strike me down!" He descended upon her, to which she raised her arms in defense. Her elder knocked her arms out of the way and whipped around to jab at her abdomen with a Blaze Kick. It was just like before, but this time, it wouldn't work. The young Genesect ducked, allowing the kick to to pierce through the air just above her, and countered with an X-Scissor to the red one's chest with enough force to shatter the blade and send him into the air.

He managed to recover, falling back to the ground on his feet. A proud smirk adorned his face as he brushed off the stricken area. "Thatta girl." He dug his foot into the ground for but a split second before launching himself at her. She raised her arms to guard, but he stopped just short of her and swept her feet out from under her. Before she could even hit the ground, he kicked her back into the forests' brush where she tumbled across the ground, but swiftly managed to stop herself by digging her claws into the dirt.

The young Genesect shot up with an Aerial Ace that caught her oncoming elder by his chin and making his head snap back. Upon her descent, she attempted to land a kick to his chest, but he recovered in time to sidestep the kick, grab her by the ankle, and throw her face-first into the dirt. She planned on surprising him when he came near, but he was apparently already many steps ahead of her. He stomped his foot into the ground with such force that she was vaulted into the air.

He attempted another kick, but she managed to grab his leg and wrapped her limbs around it before leaping up at his chin with a Metal Claw. A loud clang shook the entire forest as metal met with metal, and the young Genesect threw her elder to the ground. Before she could follow up, her elder lurched back up at her with a Metal Claw of his own, forcing her to parry the blow instead. They pushed against one another, with each attempting to overpower the other.

Upon neither side being able to do so, they pushed off, and went on the attack. When the red Genesect came near, the young one clashed her claw with his to block his attack. He retaliated by attempting to knee her abdomen, but she ended up hopping over it and using it to leap off of, kicking at the underside of his chin and, on the way back down, his forehead. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground, which he used to roll into a kick up at the young one's legs.

The kick knocked her sideways before she could even hit the ground after her kick, and the red Genesect followed up by raising his leg up and igniting his foot with Blaze Kick, slamming it into her shoulder and into the ground. The moment he lifted his leg off of her, he was amazed to see the young one burst out from the ground in a blur and came rushing at him with X-Scissor yet again. The two clashed claws, sending up rays of sparks.

He jutted forward, attempting to twist her ankle with the brunt of his own so that she would be open to a jab, but she dragged her foot back just enough to avoid being kicked and stepped on his toe. She then tried to hit him with another Metal Claw to his face while he couldn't move without repercussions, only to let out a pained yelp when her elder used Blaze Kick with the foot she was stepping on. Before she could jump off, she was kicked into the air.

The red Genesect jumped up after her, landing a blazing axe kick to her back to send her right back into the ground. She hit it so hard that she bounced off of it, allowing her elder to dive into her back again with Giga Impact. The result was akin to the detonation of a bomb. A deafening shockwave sent the bird Pokemon for miles flying away. The nearest greenery was bent backwards, and a gigantic cloud of dust was kicked into the air.

When that dust faded, the youngest Genesect was lying face-down in a crater, with her elder hovering over her collapsed body. He let the air from his lungs out all at once now that the battle was apparently over. "That will do for today," He said, reaching down to pull her from the crater. "You did excellent, but you have a long way to-"

"WRRRAGH!" Letting out a bestial shriek, the young Genesect ripped herself from the crater and slammed into her elder's abdomen with an Iron Head. His eyes went wide from the unexpected pain, but she wasn't done yet. A purple swirling mass of energy indicative of Giga Impact appeared around her, accelerating her, and her elder, to mach speeds.

They flew through the forests shredding anything in their path until they crashed through a large boulder, shattering it. The red Genesect's body was thrown across the forest floor while the younger one fell gracefully back onto her feet. She bent over, the cannon on her back glowing green. "TECHNO BLAST!" An emerald flash of light encumbered the entire forest for a brief moment, followed by a similarly-colored laser that careened toward the red Genesect.

His eyes went wide, and his first instincts were to counter with a Techno Blast of his own. The clash of the beams stopped just short of his face, and the impact of it nearly blew him away. He managed to crouch down and dig his heels into the ground to stop that from happening, but he was quickly starting to get pushed back anyways.

He grunted, narrowly stopping his collapse. "Y-you're certainly strong just like I said, eh?" As he nearly fell to his knees once more, he realized he couldn't stay there. Summoning a Blaze Kick to his right leg, the red Genesect launched himself into the air. He looked down upon the Techno Beam below him, flowing freely into the horizon until it ceased all of a sudden. His eyes went wide, and he used Lock-On in a desperate attempt to locate the young one.

The reticle in his eyesight eventually landed upon her, but she was already uncomfortably close and descending upon him from on high. They both readied Metal Claw and clashed in the light of the moon above the once-silent forest. A silver-sheened shockwave shook the leaves of the trees below, followed swiftly by the sound of grinding, clashing metal that rang through the night.

They threw themselves off one another, landing back upon the ground. Their eyes met, unwavering. This next attack would decide it all. The red Genesect stomped his right foot into the ground, setting it alight, and he shot off like a bullet toward the young one. She met him unflinchingly. Just before they collided, fiery sparks appeared around the young Genesect's leg, making the red one's eyes go wide.

She was attempting to use Blaze Kick as well; a feat that only the Red Genesect had been able to do amidst their group of five. Their Bug/Steel typing did not match well with Fire, so the ability to manipulate it was monumental among them. Now, she would try to replicate that feat. Her foot was set alight, encased completely in in crackling crimson fire. Her leg neared her elder's head, and at their angle, there was no possible way to dodge.

Then, she stopped short, letting out a cry of pain due to the fire she created. She cut the attack off, opting to simply kick the red Genesect normally. However, when she looked back up at her elder, she saw only his flame-coated foot. "Hesitation," He said, "Means defeat." His foot smashed into her face with a resounding crash and a shockwave of flame. The young Genesect, her eyes going wide from the shock, was shot back to the ground like a bullet.

When the red Genesect landed next to her fallen body, he extended his arm down to her. "That was incredible," He commended. "I knew you had this talent for battle."

However, she did not accept the hand. She sniffled, whimpering. At first the red one was afraid that he had harmed or scared her beyond what he had intended. His fears were put to rest when she spoke. "I wanted...t-to beat you," She said, "So that...you could rest easily tonight." Weakly, she hit the ground beside her in her frustration. "Y-you said that you couldn't sleep b-because you were afraid. If I knocked you out, then-"

A hearty laugh from the eldest Genesect cut her off. "You…" He said between laughs. "You really are something else, young one."


Author's Note

Creator: Bet you were all expecting Ash, hmm? Well, we'll get back to him soon enough. We have some big plans with the Genesects, let me tell you all. Now you know why they didn't appear at the battle against Necrozma too. I think you'll enjoy what happens in this little "side-story."

Hydra: What is up boys it's that time again and man I must say Red Genesect is freaking awesome he reminds me so much of a sensei trying to teach a trainee lol.

Creator: Now here's the reviews at 7.

British-Vulture: "Hang on a fucking minute!

'Yveltal: Secured'? Oh no...

Oh, that's bad. That's very bad. Oh no, oh god, oh fuck. This is not gonna end well, is it? Either Yveltal is gonna get killed or is gonna be made to betray the others. And since it drains th-

Wait a sec. Yveltal drains the life from any near it when it dies. And Yveltal is in the hands of a man who wants to get rid of Pokémon, probably by demonising them first in everyone's eyes.

Fuck.

In all seriousness, I did enjoy this, up until I got creeped the fuck out and am now terrified to hell and back.

Keep up the good work."

Creator: An incredible review, I must say. Yes, Yveltal is certainly in a precarious situation. In regards to The Man, you are certainly astute at making hypothesis.

Hydra: Yes yes YES FINALLY! These are the kinda reviews that I just absolutely adore, long and actually bringing up discussion lol. Now onto the actual review. Things definitely are not looking good for the legends I have to say, if they're not careful things can go to hell really fast. Where is Yveltal you have to wonder? what's happening to him? What's being done with him? I guess your gonna have to find out heeheehee.

Amourshipper35: I liked seeing Ash and Paul visit the Memorial and how slowly the world is getting back to normal and I wonder who that guy is and what he wants.

Creator: Paul has certainly mellowed out since the war. Though the world carries many scars, I like to believe that it will heal.

Hydra: Ah yes who is "that guy" you have to wonder like we've said in the past is it someone you know or someone you haven't seen yet, hmmmm.

DarkPugLord23: "It would seem my suspicions were correct. With all this unseen tension running about, I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm rather intrigued by The Man, especially since he seems like he could be the next Necrozma, what with all his plans and self-confidence. Also, young Palkia and Groudon are adorable, and I want one."

Creator: I hope we didn't make the continuation too obvious. The Man is an intriguing character indeed, but unfortunately not one we can go into much detail about just yet. But you are right in assuming he is dangerous. Also, for the young Legends, they're being sold as slaves for 4.99 on NecrozmaBay. Buy em while they're still hot.

Hydra: Keen eye my friend, yes chapter 19 wasn't the end hehe, you didn't think we could actually end it with so many questions left unanswered did you. Could the man be the next Necrozma or could he be something else entirely? I'm so happy you liked young Palkia and Groudon they were so cute and adorable it was quite fun writing about them :)

Creator: Tell me how you're all enjoying the shorter chapters and faster update times. We thought it was best to give each chapter their own story rather than a gargantuan information dump like in Arc 1.

Hydra: Well guys I hope you all enjoyed this short chapter. This one was very unique because it's the first time we released a chapter that didn't have one scene with Ash in it and I gotta say I'm very happy with how it turned out. Well guys it's that time again so I hope you all have a good weekend and we'll see you again very soon peace out.