Chapter 11: You Ain't Ready

"I will not let you go through with this."

Ash stood facing the commander, Zeta, with Zinnia standing just behind him. Ash looked serious, yet the corner of his mouth was turned up in a half-grin. Finally, a serious battle.

Zinnia walked up to Ash and put a hand on his free shoulder and whispered to him. "I had a feeling they'd have someone waiting up here. They couldn't just leave this place open to us."

Ash turned his head slightly and nodded. "Don't worry, this is nothing I can't handle."

Ash walked forward slightly, with Zinnia withdrawing her hand from his shoulder. Ash spoke, his voice emanating strongly into the sky. "And what makes you think you can stop us? You guys recklessly put the entire Hoenn region in danger, you can't expect us to just sit there and let you do that, do you?"

Zeta growled. " Which is exactly why Shadow placed me here. He knew that someone might potentially try to summon Rayquaza. Most people wouldn't know how. But you managed to make it past the dragons we put on the floor below us. So now…"

"... I have no choice but to make sure you don't get past me."

Ash grinned confidently. "So, how about a battle then? If you don't have your Pokémon, you can't stop us, can you?"

"Perhaps not, but I was ordered to do anything in my power to keep people away from the altar behind me. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do. For the sake of Team Sigma and Shadow's ambitions."

"... So, is that a yes?"

"Altaria, come out!" Zeta called, throwing a Pokéball into the air and allowing her dragon-type to materialize in front of her.

Ash grinned again. "I guess it is."

Ash took a Pokéball out of his pocket but was stopped by Zinnia putting a hand on his free shoulder again. Ash turned to look at her. "Are you sure you can handle this? She looks strong. And I don't think she'll hesitate to aim for you, too."

Ash nodded. "Don't worry. She can aim for me all she wants, I can take it. There's no way I'm gonna let her stop us."

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder as he threw his Pokéball into the air. "Lycanroc, I choose you!"

In front of Ash, the orange wolf-like Pokémon materialized. It howled and took a battle stance.

Without hesitation, Ash called out a move. "Accelerock!"

The orange wolf took off from its standstill and before Zeta could blink, Lycanroc crashed into Altaria, sending it flying into the ground just behind Zeta. The Team Sigma Commander gasped in shock once she realized what had happened. "How did you-"

"Fast, right? I'm glad you noticed." Ash said, grinning confidently. Lycanroc howled in agreement.

Zeta growled. "Altaria, up! Use Dragon Pulse!"

The dragon-type was able to recover from its initial shock and fly up several meters above the ground, launching a Dragon Pulse, albeit slightly weaker than normal, towards Lycanroc.

"Dodge, then Rock Throw!" Ash called.

Lycanroc jumped to avoid the Dragon Pulse, then surrounded itself with shards of sharp rock, sending them flying towards Altaria.

"Cotton Guard! Block it!"

Altaria put up a thick wall of heavy cotton, blocking its entire body and keeping any of the rock shards from dealing any damage.

Zinnia seemed to get an idea while watching the battle unfold. Keeping her eyes glued to Zeta, she began to tiptoe her way around the edge of the circular floor. She was hoping she might be able to make it to the altar and start the ritual without being noticed. She tiptoed even slower than normal just to ensure she wouldn't immediately catch any unwanted attention.

"Use Sky Attack!"

"Counter with Accelerock!"

Altaria cloaked itself in a blinding white light, flying downwards towards Lycanroc, while the wolf Pokémon began running towards the dragon-type, leaping off the ground for a head-on collision. When the two Pokémon did collide, it caused an explosion of smoke to spread across the sky. This hid Zinnia's continued trek toward the altar, but she dared not try running for it. She was sure that she would be heard.

As the smoke eventually cleared, both Pokémon looked to be feeling pretty tired, though Altaria was clearly more damaged than Lycanroc. Ash's wolf Pokémon looked like it could still go for a while. Altaria looked like it was getting really tired.

Zeta growled, but her attention was caught by something else over to the side. She grunted. "Altaria, Dragon Pulse."

Altaria quickly shifted its attention over to the side, firing Dragon Pulse right in front of Zinnia, causing her to panic and scramble backwards to avoid being hit.

"Think you could sneak around me, did you? While I admire your courage, no such thing will work on me." Zeta said.

"Zinnia, don't worry." Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "I've got this. Just sit back and let me take care of it."

"Also, I'd prefer it if you weren't sent flying off the edge of the tower. Leave the jumping off of towers to the expert over here." Ash told her, grinning.

Zinnia looked at him for a moment, before sighing a shrugging. "Even in the middle of an intense battle, you have to crack a joke. Well, I guess I'll leave up to you, Ash."

Ash grinned in thanks and returned his attention back to the battle.

'So we already used the element of surprise, so she knows about Accelerock. So that won't work. That means we probably can't get in close to use Bite, especially not while it's flying like that. We also can't use Rock Throw without it being stopped by Cotton Guard. Stone Edge won't work either unless Altaria is closer to the ground. How do we catch them by surprise again…?'

Ash then suddenly flashed back to the last time Altaria used Cotton Guard and had a lightbulb go off in his head. 'Of course! Altaria can't see anything while it's using Cotton Guard! We've got one chance to pull this off.'

"Lycanroc, you ready?" Ash pumped his fist and grinned. Lycanroc snarled in response, taking a battle stance.

"Use Rock Throw!" Ash called.

Lycanroc once again surrounded itself with rock shards, sending them flying towards Altaria.

"Ha! You still think that's going to work? Hmph. Use Cotton Guard." Zeta said, feeling cocky.

Altaria once again put up the Cotton defense, blocking the Rock Throw from doing damage. Ash grinned.

The move dissipated after the Rock Throw had ceased, and Altaria was able to look around again. But Lycanroc was nowhere to be seen. Zeta had been busy watching the Rock Shards break on the Cotton Guard that she hadn't realized Lycanroc had quickly made its way over to her side of the floor. Altaria looked around for Lycanroc but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Huh?" Zeta only saw Lycanroc as it eventually skidded to a halt and leapt off the ground in a backflip, leaping all the way above Altaria. Now higher than the dragon-type, the only way from here was down.

"Altaria, above you!"

"Bite down, Lycanroc!" Ash called.

Just as Altaria shifted its attention to the wolf Pokémon above it, Lycanroc had fallen and bit down on one of its wings, causing the dragon-type immense pain. It cried out in agony, still levitating in the air with the wolf on its wing. They were beginning to descend now, with Altaria having an issue keeping itself in the air. "Oh no, Altaria!"

"Now, throw it!"

Lycanroc used its downward momentum and its grip on Altaria's wing to launch it down into the ground, now that it was having issues flying. Altaria crashed into the ground with a loud thud, but still not even coming close to damaging the old tower.

"Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc landed and then stomped its front two paws into the ground, causing a trail of huge stones covered in blue light to rise out of the ground. They continued to appear in sequence until one rose from the ground right below Altaria, sending the dragon-type flying into the air. It cried out in pain again. Eventually Altaria landed back on to the ground, unable to battle.

"Altaria!" Zeta called out, horrified.

Ash walked up to Lycanroc, who was still growling at Altaria, but calmed down as it felt Ash approaching. Ash knelt down and scratched its head. "Great work, Lycanroc. You battled really well."

Pikachu agreed from the opposite side of the orange wolf Pokémon, leaping up on top of it. Lycanroc nuzzled its face against Ash in appreciation. "Hey, cut it out!"

Zeta sighed, returning Altaria to its Pokéball. "Once again, I have failed you as your trainer. You don't deserve to have me command you. I'm sorry."

Ash heard this, and he immediately looked up at Zeta, his face falling into a frown. "In a battle, you and your Pokémon have to work as a team, as a unit. You have to be in sync. If you lose, it's not one side's fault. No matter what happens, it's always a team effort."

"Hmph, you wouldn't understand. I failed to see that Lycanroc was right in front of me, and Altaria lost because of that. If I had been a better trainer, Altaria would have avoided that." Zeta looked away, closing her eyes. "Pokémon are creatures far too wonderful and pure for us disgusting humans to be commanding them around like we do."

"Is that what you think? That Pokémon should be taken away from humans?" Ash asked her, raising his voice now.

"It may be what I think but I know it's the right thing. And you cannot convince me otherwise."

Ash smiled at Pikachu and Lycanroc. "We'll just have to see about that."

Ash stood up, retreating back to where he was standing before. He turned around to face Zeta. "Pokémon may be awesome, but that doesn't mean us humans can't be friends with them. The only reason I'm able to battle so well with all my partners is that I take the time to get to know each one and become friends with all of them. I love them and they love me. It's a mutual love and respect. That's why my Pokémon trust me enough to listen to what I tell them. Without that trust, we wouldn't be able to do anything together. I had to earn each and every one of their trusts. Sure, it's me telling them what to do, but we all work as equals, and friends. That's how it should be."

"What do you know about how it should be? You're practically just a kid!" Zeta yelled. "You speak as if Pokémon and humans can work together as equals? Ha! As if! Humans are a disgusting race, we only started capturing Pokémon for our own selfish desires, forcing them away from their homes and families just to put them into meaningless battles until they can't stand up anymore. That's why I will follow Shadow until he accomplishes his goal of restoring the world back to its origins!"

"Huh?" Ash said, surprised. "He never told us that one. Either way, you're wrong. And my Pokémon and I are going to show you that. Show us what you've got!"

"Aggron, appear!" Zeta called. The Iron Armor Pokémon appeared before her, towering over Ash and Zeta and letting out a fierce and intimidating roar.

"The Pokémon I have are Pokémon that I took in. I would never force any wild Pokémon away from their homes. These Pokémon were lonely and sad, and I gave them a home. But I never wanted to put them into battle. I'm only doing this to keep you from stopping us! I won't let you summon Rayquaza!" Zeta yelled angrily.

Ash returned Lycanroc to its Pokéball. "Thanks Lycanroc. You did just what you needed to."

"Well, first of all, I won't be summoning anyone. You can look at her for that. I'm just the hired protection." Ash grinned, motioning to Zinnia, who facepalmed at his remark. "But my friends and I love a good battle, and this is a lot of fun. But now it's time for a friend who hasn't had a good battle in a long time. He's been itching to get back into it. So I hope you're ready."

Ash grabbed the brim of his hat, pulling it down and securing it back onto his head. "Sceptile, I choose you!"

Ash's Hoenn Ace, the Forest Pokémon, materialized on the floor, kneeling down on one knee and looking down. It finally stood up and let out a fierce battle cry.

Ash grinned. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Sceptile? You ready for a real battle?"

Sceptile nodded, seeming to grin confidently, just like his trainer.

Zeta hated to admit it, but her opponent's talk about Pokémon being friends was bringing back memories of her childhood. A time in her life where nothing mattered except for having a fun time with her friends. Even though she hated it, she remembered someone precious to her. She shook her head, forcing the memories away. She was a new woman now.

"Aggron, Rock Slide!"

From seemingly nowhere, dozens of rocks began to fall towards Sceptile. Ash and Sceptile looked up simultaneously to see the rocks begin to descend. Ash growled.

"Dodge, Sceptile!" Ash swung his arm out in front of him to emphasize the command.

Sceptile was able to swiftly dodge the rocks as they continued to appear above him. His speed had noticeably improved. He ran towards Aggron as the falling rocks finally began to slow down.

"Use Leaf Blade!"

The leaves on Sceptiles arms began to glow and extend into sharp blades. He spun around once for momentum before swinging both of his arms right into Aggron's body, causing it to cry out in pain. However, it stayed upright, only losing its balance slightly. After a few seconds, it managed to shake off the attack and regain its balance.

"Now, Leaf Storm!" Ash called.

Off his rebound, Sceptile turned 180 degrees and a swarm of high velocity winds and glowing leaves began to fly towards Aggron from his long tail.

"Iron Head! Break through it!" Zeta called out, growling.

Aggron surrounded itself with an intense white light and began charging forward, breaking through the Leaf Storm fairly easily.

"Pikachu, on my shoulder." Ash said quietly, growling slightly. Pikachu obeyed, reclaiming his perch on Ash's shoulder. "Use Quick Attack to dodge, Sceptile!"

Sceptile, leaving a trail of white light in its wake, took off and was easily able to dodge the oncoming charge from Aggron. However Aggron didn't stop after Sceptile dodged. It continued on directly towards Ash and Pikachu. Ash took a few steps out of Aggron's path, knowing that it probably wouldn't be able to turn while charging. Aggron charged right past Ash, missing him completely. After this happened, seeing Zinnia wasn't in its path either, Aggron finally lost its glow and began to skid to a stop.

"Aiming for the trainer, huh? That's pretty low, lady." Ash grinned confidently. "Now, Leaf Storm again!"

Sceptile once again leapt into the air and launched Leaf Storm from its tail, this time making contact with Aggron while it was still skidding to a stop after charging with Iron Head. It dealt a good chunk of damage and caused Aggron to roar out in pain again.

"Steady, Aggron! Use Flash Cannon!" Zeta called, growing ever angrier as Sceptile began to take the upper hand in the battle.

"Use Dragon Pulse to counter!" Ash commanded quickly.

Sceptile once again leapt high into the air. Aggron turned around and opened its mouth to launch a beam of bright white light towards the Forest Pokémon, while Sceptile opened its own mouth to fire Dragon Pulse towards the oncoming Flash Cannon. The two powerful moves collided in the air and caused a huge explosion of smoke to cover the entire peak. Ash couldn't see anything.

"Now, Aggron, Double-Edge!" Zeta called quickly, hoping to catch her opponents off-guard.

Aggron began to charge directly through the smoke with Double-Edge, towards where Sceptile had landed back on the ground. Aggron was able to see Sceptile's silhouette through the smoke. Double-Edge was faster than Iron Head, so there was less time for Ash to react. Though Ash didn't really need that time; he knew just how fast Sceptile was. He also was sure that Sceptile could see and hear where Aggron was coming from.

"Jump, Sceptile! Back towards me!" Ash called quickly.

Sceptile once again leapt high into the air, easily avoiding Aggron's Double-Edge and landing back in front of Ash with ease.

"Now, Quick Attack into Leaf Blade! Let's finish this!" Ash called, grinning confidently.

As the smoke began to clear, Sceptile took off at an alarming speed directly towards Aggron as the leaves on its arms once again began to glow and shift into sharp blades. As Aggron began to try to stop and it ceased its Double-Edge, before it had a chance to turn around and refocus, Sceptile was already there. He spun around once and crashed directly into Aggron again, this time with much more speed, this time causing huge damage and causing to fully lose balance and fall over, facing Zeta. It collapsed to the ground, unable to battle. Sceptile landed back in front of Ash, grinning. It was clearly proud of its work. Ash grinned as well. Hopefully they could finally end this now.

"No… it can't be…" Zeta said quietly, in shock.

Ash walked up to his Hoenn Ace and fist bumped him, grinning happily. "Great work, Sceptile. It's great to have you back."

Sceptile nodded, happy to be back with his trainer.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu held out his fist to Sceptile as well, smiling happily. Sceptile fist pumped Pikachu, nodding in acknowledgement and grinning back at his comrade.

Zinnia smiled. She realized just how lucky she was to have stumbled across someone with such passion and strength as Ash. Not to mention how genuine, kind, and funny he was. She appreciated Ash for all of those things. She hadn't had too many real friends before, but she somehow already felt comfortable around Ash, especially having opened up to him briefly earlier. 'That Ash sure is something else.'

Ash then returned his attention to Zeta, his face again falling into a frown as she returned her Aggron to its Pokéball.

"You see how well we're able to battle together when Trainer and Pokémon treat each other as equals and put their trust in each other?" Ash called out.

Zeta closed her eyes tight and shook her head violently, as if trying to shake a horrible nightmare out of her own mind.

Ash and his Pokémon walked towards Zeta, and stopped when they were just in front of her, but looking past her and towards the altar where Zinnia would summon Rayquaza. Zinnia wasn't far behind.

"Look, lady. I don't really know anything about you. I don't know what you've been through or what kind of things you've seen. I don't even know your real name. But I do know one thing. You're right, Pokémon are amazing creatures. But when it comes down to it, they're not that much different from us. Just like us, they're all individuals and unique from one another. No two Pokémon are exactly alike. They all want to live full lives alongside friends and have a lot of fun. So when us humans and Pokémon treat each other as equals, we can all do just that. The world would be a much better place if everyone just realized how lucky we are to be here in this world with Pokémon." Ash said seriously, looking her straight in the eyes.

Zeta fell down to her knees, still in a state of shock. She had failed her mission. She had Pokémon left, but Aggron was her strongest one, and now the memories were flooding back into her mind, with no sign of leaving.

"I don't know what that dude Shadow is really up to with all this, but you've got to see that he's putting so many people and Pokémon in danger by doing all this. Our world as we know it is at risk of completely collapsing if we just stand by and let this happen. That's why we're here. We love this world that us people share with Pokémon. So we're going to protect it, no matter what." Ash was smiling now, as were his two Pokémon.

Zeta continued to shake her head. 'No! I know that Shadow's ambitions are pure. Humans are a plague to this world! They must be! We're all horrible! We put Pokémon in danger with our selfish and greedy acts! Pokémon would never be friends with us. We don't deserve them…'

'There must be some good in her. If she were truly dedicated to this cause, she wouldn't hesitate to retort. Something's going on.' Zinnia thought. She stepped forward, next to Ash.

"Remember this, Zeta. Pokémon and humans can work as equals. You just have to put in the effort. Make the effort to understand your Pokémon, care for them. Show compassion and kindness, and no one will force anything. Many Pokémon will choose to leave their homes to become people's Pokémon. We can all live in harmony if we simply make the effort to." Zinnia said before walking over to the altar to begin the ritual.

Zeta was still in shock. It looked like she was having a battle with her own mind. She was obviously conflicted on what to believe after seeing Ash and his Pokémon. She stayed perfectly still, knelt down on the ground, eyes wide. She eventually put her head in her hands, wondering what exactly her world had come to.

'Oh, Shinx. I'm so sorry…'

Ash frowned as Zinnia stepped on to the altar. "You know what you're doing, Zinnia?"

Without looking back, she answered. "Well, yes, but I am a bit nervous. I've never done this before, after all."

She didn't turn back because she didn't want Ash to see the pink tinge in her cheeks. The idea of finally getting to see Rayquaza firsthand excited her beyond belief.

Ash crossed his arms and looked over at Pikachu on his shoulder, still frowning slightly. "Okay…"

Zinnia knelt down on one knee. "Let us begin."


First of all, I just wanted to give all of you my sincerest apologies for not updating sooner. School recently caught up with me, and that's my priority first over this. I promise I'll try to do better from here on out. Updates won't be as frequent as they used to be, but I will try to update every other week. I can also now confirm that this story will have 18 chapters.

Who noticed that in Chapter 9, I specifically drew attention to Ash making a Pokéball transfer in the Pokémon Center? Anyone? That was where Sceptile came from. Rowlet may be a funny meme, but in a serious situation like this, he just doesn't quite fit, does he? He was great in his battle with Hau's Decidueye and all, but that just became a meme too, didn't it?

Anyway, the next two chapters will move to focus on the rest of the group and their invasion of the Team Sigma base and their attempts to be rid of the Red and Blue Orbs. I know I kinda left you on a cliffhanger here, but I want to emphasize that these last two chapters and the next two chapters are happening simultaneously.

Song: "You Ain't Ready" by Skillet from their 2019 Album "Victorious"
This Album divided opinion; I'm on the side of liking it (at least for the most part). This song is a great pump-up track; and the lyrics almost perfectly match how I imagine 20-ish-year-old Ash's values in life and his confidence. And it also kinda matches how "not ready" Zeta turned out to be for the battle. Thought it was a good fit here.