Chapter 9: Falling Sky
"Attention, everyone in Sootopolis City! This is a state of emergency. It is imperative that you find an inside space to take cover during this storm. Please stay on the ground floor of the building you're in and don't panic. We have received reports that something is happening outside the city. We're not sure exactly what it is yet, but we encourage you to watch the news, and we will all find out together. Thank you all for your cooperation."
Ash and company were situated in the Sootopolis City Pokémon Center, having just encountered Team Sigma and figured out what was going on. The thunderstorm was still rampant outside, with no signs of letting up. The Pokémon Center was crowded with civilians, trainers, and tourists looking to escape the harsh weather. Some people were still running around outside, trying to find a place to hide during the storm.
Everyone, including Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, were sitting down around a large table. Professor Kukui had just finished telling Nurse Joy about what they had heard during their encounter with Team Sigma. One look at the faces of the young adults that comprised the group showed that they weren't in good spirits about the situation at hand. No one was sure what to do about this, or if they could even do anything at all.
Kiawe and Sophocles both sat looking pensive, as if trying to figure out something that they could do to help. The three Alolan girls and Dawn were huddled up together, finding warmth in the newfound bitter cold of the pounding rain just outside. Brock was helping Professor Kukui talk to Nurse Joy, both of whom were staying calm and composed. Even Professor Burnet was sitting extra close to her husband, clearly anxious. Serena's head was resting snugly on Ash's shoulder, while he rubbed her back to comfort her.
"You know." Ash began softly, addressing the girl snuggling with him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I could really get used to this."
Serena couldn't help but giggle slightly and smile up at her boy. "Well, when boys get older, their shoulders get wider. I always figured that the only reason that could be is so that us girls could use them as a pillow."
Ash chuckled. "I sure can't think of another reason."
Brock and Dawn managed to catch sight of Ash and Serena, and they both let out a small smile and looked at each other in satisfaction.
"Don't worry, guys. We'll figure something out. This can't go on." Brock encouraged everyone.
"Brock is right. As soon as we figure out what we can do to help, we'll all go out and help. Right, guys?" Dawn added.
Kiawe nodded, smiling. "Yes, we will. We'll stop those Team Sigma a-holes for sure."
"Yeah! How dare they try to mess with our field trip!" Sophocles added.
"We'll show them!" Lana exclaimed.
Mallow and Lillie just smiled at each other, then at everyone else.
"I like the attitude, guys." Ash spoke up, and everyone immediately turned to look at him. He did seem to be the de-facto leader of the group. "We'll make sure they get what's comin' to 'em."
"We have breaking news!"
Everyone's attention was caught by the televisions at each corner of the Pokémon Center. The news had begun capturing footage of the storm, and they were now showing footage of the real danger from the air.
"Groudon and Kyogre are rampaging just outside of Sootopolis City! It appears they have been awakened yet again! They haven't met each other just yet, but it's likely only a matter of minutes before they do. This battle could be catastrophic. Everyone on the east side of Hoenn is likely already experiencing this heavy downpour and savage thunderstorm. People, please stay indoors and don't come outside! This could get ugly." A female reporter's voice said through the Pokémon Center's sound system.
Everyone looked at the TV wearing serious expressions as they finally saw the newly awakened legends on either side of the screen, amidst the pounding rain that was slightly hindering the view of the camera and fogging up the lens.
"Ash…" Serena began, anxious. "You and Brock were talking earlier like you knew a way to stop this. What… what is that?"
Everyone turned to look at either Ash or Brock expectantly when they heard Serena's words.
"Yeah… we do." Brock confirmed. "We've seen this happen once before. But not quite like this."
Just then, the door to the Pokémon Center opened and they heard Nurse Joy call out.
"Zinnia!"
Everyone turned toward the door to see a girl, wearing peculiar clothing, which included a cape tied around her neck. The girl turned towards Nurse Joy and smiled. She walked over to the group and stood proudly, looking them all over.
"You all look capable. Who wants to help me put a stop to this craziness?"
Shadow stood atop the rock formation that surrounded Sootopolis City. He watched gleefully as Groudon and Kyogre slowly made their way towards each other, anxious to see the power they possessed.
"This is how the world was when it was created. Groudon and Kyogre roamed freely, creating continents and oceans. This is how Arceus would have wanted it."
"Leader, the Red and Blue orbs are in the base. They should be close enough to react with Groudon and Kyogre once they get a little closer. It's exactly as you predicted, sir." Shadow heard Chi through his earpiece.
"Excellent, thank you, Chi." Shadow said. "The Primal Reversion process will soon begin. Soon, not a single person in Hoenn will be safe from this legendary collision."
"Let these monsters restore this modern world to its simple origins!"
Ash stood up after hearing Zinnia's words. "Nurse Joy, you know this girl?"
"Well, sure! Zinnia visits here every so often. She's the last of her kind; the last of the Draconid people." Nurse Joy motioned to the dark-haired girl.
Serena, followed by the rest of the group, stood up as well. She moved herself just behind Ash and off the side slightly, so she could still see Zinnia. "Draconid people?"
"That's right, girly." Zinnia looked to Serena. "Back in ancient times, my ancestors had constant contact with a legendary Dragon-type Pokémon. They could communicate with it and even allow it to Mega Evolve."
"A legendary Pokémon that can Mega Evolve?" Brock asked, shocked at this revelation.
"Indeed. It had been a very long time since it had actually Mega Evolved though. That was, until a couple years ago." Zinnia almost laughed at the thought.
Everyone including the Professors introduced themselves in turn to the Draconid girl.
"It's nice to meet you all." Zinnia said, nodding.
"So, you said something about helping you stop all this?" Ash questioned. Everyone looked to Zinnia expectantly as he said this. Serena put her chin down on Ash's shoulder and grabbed his arm as she gave the new girl her attention. Ash's expression seemed to relax a bit as he felt her make contact with his shoulder, and he moved his head to rest on hers.
Zinnia noticed this and expressed a look of surprise for a quick moment before smiling once again and looking Ash in the eyes. "Yes. You see, I myself know of a way that we can stop this mess. It involves summoning that legendary dragon Pokémon."
"Normally, we wouldn't necessarily have to get it to Mega Evolve for this to work. But if those two," Zinnia pointed at the television, which still showed Groudon and Kyogre making their way towards each other. "Go through with their Primal Reversions, we're gonna need its Mega Evolution."
"You're not saying…" Brock began, in disbelief.
"Rayquaza." Ash concluded seriously.
Zinnia nodded. "Glad you all managed to figure it out. I happen to have something in my backpack that will likely allow it to Mega Evolve. I was planning to go up Sky Tower alone but I came here first to check on the citizens and make sure there was too much of a panic. Luckily, everything seems to be mostly controlled. I was hoping I might find some people like yourselves who might be willing to help me out."
"Hold on." Professor Kukui butted in, in a state of disbelief himself. "You said you have something with you that can summon Rayquaza, AND have it Mega Evolve? That's not something you should say so casually. What is it that you have?"
Zinnia looked over to him. "Oh, it's a meteorite. It was a gift from my grandmother before she passed away. I've never actually tried to use it though. I was taught a way to summon Rayquaza when I was very young, but it was only to be put into practice for an absolute emergency. Rayquaza is the legendary Pokémon we had contact with; so we can summon it at the top of the Sky Tower. The Meteorite should provide Rayquaza the necessary power to Mega Evolve."
"And see this? Right here," Zinnia revealed a necklace that she had hidden under her shirt. It looked to hold a pendant in the shape of a dragon. Inside the dragon's mouth was a rainbow-colored stone with a familiar symbol. "I have a Key Stone already."
"Wow. So Brock and I just had no idea what we were gonna do to stop this whole mess and now some girl shows up and has everything we need to summon Rayquaza and stop it? Huh." Ash said to his friends matter-of-factly.
"You won't hear me complain." Brock shrugged.
"Yeah, me either. We should just go with it, at least for now. She doesn't seem to be bad in any way." Dawn suggested.
Ash felt Serena lift her head off of his shoulder, and he turned to look at him. She nodded, giving him a cute smile. He smiled and nodded back. He turned back to Zinnia. "Alright, we're in. We'll help you."
Zinnia nodded, smiling confidently. "Good. I don't have much of a plan, other than going up to the Sky Tower Peak and summoning Rayquaza and asking it to stop this mess. But I can't really bring every one of you with me, as that would cause far too much disturbance. I'm not a very experienced battler, though my Pokémon and I have trained a lot on our own. I'm worried we may run into some angry wild Pokémon or even part of that Team Sigma or whoever. Maybe I could bring one of you up there with me?"
"I think we know who that has to be then." Brock said.
"The most experienced battler out of all of us!" Lillie piped up excitedly.
Ash stepped forward, grinning. "I'll go with you, Zinnia."
He held out his hand. "I hope we can work together on this."
Zinnia looked at his hand for a brief moment curiously, before shaking it. "Ash, was it? Thank you, I hope so as well."
"As for the rest of you… well… I'm not really sure what you can do. But surely there must be something." Zinnia looked over to the rest of the group.
"Well, we can't exactly attack head on. Anything we sent their way wouldn't even scratch them." Brock said.
"Those are definitely some scary Pokémon." Kiawe agreed. Sophocles shivered.
"Do you think Team Sigma might have a base somewhere?" Dawn piped up.
"Definitely. Any big organization like that must have a base of operations for all their research and machines." Brock nodded, pensive.
"Well then where do you think it is?" Mallow asked.
"It has to be close, that's for sure. It can't be that far away from this area." Brock said. "As far as I understand, the Red and Blue Orbs have to be within a certain distance from Kyogre and Groudon in order for their Primal Reversions to take place."
"So do you think, maybe, if we were able to find their base, and destroy the Red and Blue Orbs, that the Primal Reversions would be cancelled? That would limit their power, right?" Lillie asked.
Brock nodded. "For sure. It's just a matter of where exactly it is…"
"I can't imagine the place isn't heavily guarded, either." Serena pointed out.
"The girl's right. That place is probably thick with thugs." Zinnia agreed.
"So we'll have to be prepared." Mallow said, looking more determined now.
"Well I doubt the place is in plain sight. I don't think a guy as smart as that Shadow guy would just allow his primary base to be out in the open for anyone to find." Dawn suggested.
Ash suddenly grinned. He had gotten an idea. Something unorthodox, that only he would think of. He walked back over to the group and put a hand on Serena's shoulder, causing her to look over at him in surprise. "Think about it. What's the only place around here that would be close enough to Groudon and Kyogre for the orbs to work and still out of sight?"
Everyone looked at Ash, puzzled. Ash then looked directly at Lana. She noticed this, and had a light bulb go off.
"It's underwater!"
Everyone looked towards Lana, surprised at her outburst. She had been quiet up until now. Ash nodded, grinning. "Bingo."
"That's it!" Brock slapped his fist to his palm. "It has to be somewhere in the ocean!"
"And it can't be too far away, either. It still has to be close to this area for the orbs to work properly, right?" Sophocles suggested.
"But how are we going to get there?" Serena asked, a little worried.
Nurse Joy piped up. "Fear not, young ones! We here at the Sootopolis City Pokémon Center are always equipped with plenty of Oxygen Tanks that will last you at least an hour. The citizens here dive into the ocean all the time. I'll go get some for you."
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" Dawn said excitedly as Nurse Joy scrambled off to the back room.
"I suggest you all stick together down there. If you all get separated, it'll be hard for you to find each other again." Zinnia said.
Everyone nodded, agreeing with her suggestion.
"So then, what's the plan for when we get there?" Lillie asked.
"Not sure. It'll likely depend on what exactly we see when we get in. We should also try to find it as soon as possible, so we have time to find a way inside that isn't the main entrance. Surely the main entrance is guarded, either on the outside, or as soon as you go inside. Although given that it'd be underwater, I'd guess that it's guarded entirely on the inside. We'd need to find another way in." Brock said.
"Do you think they're holding the two orbs in the same place?" Sophocles asked.
"Doubtful. From the looks of what we saw in the cave, there were two separate teams of scientists that were researching each orb and legendary Pokémon. They'll likely be in separate places." Brock concluded.
"So we'll split up then, right? How about we split up by girls and boys?" Dawn suggested.
Brock looked around at everyone for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that'll work. We'll just go off in separate directions and hope we end up at opposite orbs."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Kiawe said.
"We got this, everyone!" Mallow said, determined. She hugged Lillie tightly in excitement, adrenaline now beginning to take her over as she understood what they were getting into. She was scared, but she was excited.
Ash suddenly noticed that Professor Kukui had just gotten off the phone with someone. He decided not to ask, because he had other plans. "Okay guys, we know what we're doing. Everyone get prepared, I have a couple things I wanna do first."
He looked at Serena, then Zinnia. "I'll be back in just a second."
Ash then took off in the direction of the video phones, and after a quick talk with someone, and what looked like a Pokéball transfer, he bolted back outside into the rain, on a mission for… something. Serena watched him run off, a worried look on her face. Of course, he'd be fine, it was only a storm, but she was more worried about his excursion up the tower with Zinnia.
As everyone chatted amongst themselves, discussion battle strategies and other things, Nurse Joy came back with a bunch of compact oxygen tanks and color-coded wetsuits. They all seemed to be conveniently fit for the person intended to wear it. They seemed reminiscent of the class' Ultra Guardian uniforms. The wetsuits were all black with small colored lines in a particular pattern on the sleeves, legs, and body. The lines were Orange for Brock, Purple for Dawn, Pink for Serena, White for Lillie, Green for Mallow, Blue for Lana, Yellow for Sophocles, and Red for Kiawe.
After everyone had gone and changed into their respective wetsuits (which had garnered some attention from the many people occupying the Pokémon Center), the automatic doors opened and Ash and Pikachu re-entered, absolutely drenched. He had something in a small black bag which was tied by a string at the top. He smiled when he saw Serena and approached her.
"Here." He said as he placed the bag into Serena's hands. It felt like some kind of stone, and a very smooth one. "This is for you. Don't open it yet. Open it when you need it. Well… I don't even know if you will or not, honestly."
Ash laughed a little in embarrassment. "But I figured it was better safe than sorry. Just in case, you know?"
Serena stared at Ash, her face showing gratitude, love, concern, and confusion all at once. Before she could say anything, Ash began to walk over to Lillie.
Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder on to Serena's. She looked over at him, still a little confused.
"Pika pika." Pikachu seemed to reassure Serena. The honey-blonde began to smile. She scratched under Pikachu's chin, remembering his favorite spot.
"Thanks, Pikachu." Serena said softly. Pikachu happily nuzzled his sure-to-be partner-in-law.
Lillie had been feeling a little nervous; scared, even. This was bigger than any Ultra Guardian mission; it wasn't just a town or single place that was in danger, this was the whole region, possibly more than that at risk. She knew that she couldn't back down, and she wanted to be able to help her friends, but that didn't stop her from feeling anxious about it all. She only hoped that she could overcome her fear with her friends by her side.
Ash caught her attention as he got closer to her. She looked up at him in confusion. Ash brought out a Pokéball and handed it to her, smiling confidently. "Lillie, take Zorua with you. His illusion ability might be useful."
Lillie looked surprised as she looked down at the Pokéball Ash had given her. She then steeled herself, looking more determined, and then looked back up at Ash. She nodded. "Thank you, Ash."
Before she could even think, Lillie was suddenly wrapped in Ash's arms. It wasn't really a tight, worried hug, but more like a caring, relaxed hug. Lillie closed her eyes and hugged Ash back, melting into his shoulder and taking handfuls his jacket.
"Ash… you've been nothing but incredibly kind to me since we met. Your enthusiasm is so infectious, and you may be goofy at times, but your passion and heart are amazing. I've been able to look up to you as a role model when Gladion is away. I appreciate you so much. Thank you… thank you for being my big brother." Lillie said, beginning to tear up as she pulled away and looked up at Ash.
Ash was surprised to hear Lillie open up to him like that. He looked down at her, surprised for a brief moment, before smiling at her softly. "Be careful down there. I don't think I could stand to see my little sister getting hurt."
Lillie was surprised at what she heard; how Ash had so easily embraced her feelings. Ash had this uncanny ability to connect with others so easily; something she envied very much. She smiled, wiping a tear from her eye, and nodded. Ash nodded back, smiling confidently.
Mallow quickly approached Ash and hugged him as well, with Ash just barely seeing her and catching her in time before she tackled him to the ground. She spoke into his shoulder. "Please be careful, Ash."
"I will, Mallow. You too. Protect Lillie for me while I'm gone." She pulled away and nodded.
"You can count on me." She said as she put her arm around Lillie, to which the blonde girl blushed slightly in embarrassment. Ash nodded.
Ash then proceeded to fist bump his other classmates, including Lana. "Good luck out there, you guys."
"Same to you, Ash. Kick some ass for us." Kiawe said confidently.
"You got this, Ash." Lana said, smiling up at him.
"Come back in one piece." Sophocles added.
"Definitely." Ash grinned.
He then turned to Dawn and Brock. The three wasted no time coming into a group hug. "I know this happened all of a sudden, you guys, but I know we'll get through this. We always do."
Brock nodded. "You're right, Ash. We always do. Be careful up there."
"Yeah, Ash, don't do anything too stupid." Dawn added, looking simultaneously mischievous and concerned for her friend.
"I don't know if I can promise that one, Dawn. You know me. But you guys be careful too. You're both gonna have to lead your groups in that base. Be strong for not just them, but for all of us and the people up here too." Ash said.
"We will." They said together, nodding. The group hug finally separated.
Finally, Ash turned to Serena. She looked at Ash with love and concern in her eyes, Pikachu still on her shoulder and holding Ash's gift in her hands. She quickly put the gift in her bag and ran towards him as Pikachu jumped off of her shoulder. She threw her arms around his shoulders and he caught her in his embrace, hugging her tightly and lifting her off the ground slightly before placing her back down.
"Please be careful, Ash." Serena simply said into his shoulder, also not caring that his clothes were drenched. She was in a wetsuit anyway.
"You too, Serena. I won't be there to protect you, but you're strong enough to do that yourself." Ash said softly.
"But I just like having you there with me anyway." Serena said. She might've giggled if the circumstances weren't so serious.
"And I like having you with me." Ash said. "But we'll get through this."
Serena nodded into his jacket before looking up at him. "Come back to me. Promise?"
Ash looked down at her and nodded, smiling. "Promise."
Serena gave him a cute smile before standing on her tip-toes and kissing Ash on the cheek, earning a collective "aww…" from their friends. Serena blushed in embarrassment. Ash looked a little surprised for a split second before going back to his confident smile. As Serena pulled away from Ash's face, the two just happily stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment before separating.
Kukui walked past the group and towards the entrance, his hand above his eyes like he was watching a golf ball fly. "That was faster than I thought."
Everyone approached the window to see what he was looking at. It only took a quick moment for them to recognize the six flying figures that were now descending towards the Pokémon Center. "Our Ultra Guardian rides!"
Ash looked over to Professor Kukui in understanding. "So that's why you were on the phone!"
Kukui turned to Ash and nodded, smiling. "Yep. I called Lusamine and she sent them our way. They even brought their Pokéballs so you all going underwater can bring them with you."
"That's wonderful!" Lillie said, feeling relieved that she'd have Altaria, considering her Snowy wasn't exactly the most seasoned battler.
"So, then, what will you be doing, Professor?" Mallow asked him.
Burnet approached Kukui and he put his arm around her. "Burnet and I will stay here and do some research into the legendary Pokémon and help out around here. We'll keep everything under control while you all do your thing."
"Before you all go, I just want you all, specifically you five," he looked at his class sans Ash. "How so very proud I am of you for being able to step up to this terrifying challenge, and even help come up with a plan, and be so vehemently determined to fight alongside your friends to stop this catastrophe. I know you all will come back unscathed as long as you fight as a team."
Everyone nodded, looking determined. After he finished speaking, the Ultra Guardian rides landed outside the Pokémon Center, prepared for battle. Professor Kukui went outside briefly and grabbed the Pokéballs and handed them off to their respective riders. Everyone except Ash returned their rides to their Pokéballs.
Ash finally looked to Zinnia, who was waiting expectantly. "Well? You ready?"
"You bet, Zinnia. Let's do this." Ash said confidently as Pikachu returned to his perch on Ash's shoulder and cried out in agreement.
Zinnia nodded. "I like your attitudes. Then let's go. Get on that Garchomp and I'll lead the way to the Sky Tower."
Ash nodded, and he followed Zinnia as they walked outside and into the storm. Zinnia brought out her Salamence and jumped on to it. Ash quickly hopped on to Garchomp's saddle.
"Let's go!" Ash called as both Salamence and Garchomp left the ground. They began flying to the southwest. Serena and the rest of the group watched as Ash and Zinnia flew off into the distance.
"Be careful, Ash." Serena said softly to herself.
Zinnia and Salamence were a little in front of Ash, Pikachu, and Garchomp. They had only been flying for less than a minute before Zinnia turned back to look at Ash. "Hey, Ash."
Ash looked to her. "What's up?"
"You and your girlfriend are pretty cute."
And so the action begins next time! Should be a lot of fun!
Sorry about the slow updates, y'all. I was really busy these past couple weeks with my summer job and it left me absolutely exhausted every time I would come home afterward, leaving me with little motivation to work on anything. But now my summer job is done and I have a couple weeks before I go back to school. In that time, I'm gonna try to get as many chapters done as I can! I don't know if I'll slow down once school starts up again, but I don't foresee it being as big of a problem as my job was.
This also feels like a good time to talk about my plans for this story; or rather, STORIES. Yes, I am planning for AT LEAST one sequel, if not, four. No, that's not a joke. This story won't be all that long; definitely less than 20 chapters. So this story will be done probably within the next 2-3 months. The reason why this isn't gonna be that long is because I originally planned to put all 4-5 of these stories into one book. Then I just decided to separate them to make it easier for me and more organized. So that's why my story isn't as fleshed out as I'd like it to be. So I spent some time recently fleshing it out some more, and hopefully it'll all turn out good. Thanks for sticking with me!
Also, I haven't actually decided who's story I want to cover first! The next two chapters will either focus on Ash and Zinnia at the Sky Tower or the rest of the crew at the Team Sigma base! Let me know which one you'd prefer to see first! The two chapters after that will focus on whichever one y'all didn't pick. So it doesn't REALLY matter, but I haven't actually decided so feel free to give me your input!
Song: "Falling Sky" by Red from their 2015 Album "of Beauty and Rage"
This album is incredible. Basically it's a dark, haunting musical theater show in the form of a hard rock / metal album. Listening to this all the way through is an EXPERIENCE. Highly recommend.
