Chapter 89 Ame's Death
Ash rushes into the room and finds himself blocked by another set of bars, and this time he sees Ame and Lin fighting with Alolan Ninetales and Hydreigon.
Ame: (Grits her teeth) Ugh, it actually lived through that?!
Lin: So the so-called "Champion" is this weak. Flash Cannon.
Ash widens his eyes as the Flash Cannon, with the boost of the Field Effect, knocks out Ninetales with just a hit. Ame gasps as she lost to Lin and was forced to recall her Pokemon.
Lin: Checkmate. Now end it.
Much to Ash's horror, the Hyderigon just rushes towards Ame, biting her head off, with blue oozing from the neck while the body falls limp. Ash can't believe what he sees, Ame, the Champion of the Reborn Region, was killed by Lin of all people.
Ash: AME!
Ash tries to bang on the bars, but nobody can hear him screaming.
Lin: (Walks towards Ame's dead body and picks up the Pokeballs) Today, the heart of Reborn falls. How marvelous. And how droll.
She sees Ash looking at the whole scene, she didn't say anything to him before leaving. The bars open and Ash rushes towards Ame's body. Tears are coming out of his eyes because Ame has been one of the people who are nice to him in this region, and she has been working with his mother for months.
Ash: Lin...you're going to pay for what you've done...you killed Ame...I won't forgive you!
Ash's anger is rising as he walks out of the room, only to find another set of puzzles. He has been in a bad mood since Ame's death, but he still tries to save the rest as he moves to the final room, only to see ZEL there.
ZEL: (Lumi, begging) Please calm down! Please! (Zero, angry) Just what the hell did you mess up so badly? (Eve) This wasn't a user error. Some kind of corrupted program must have been injected into the system. (Zero) So then your security was just shit. (Lumi, angry) Stop blaming her! I don't see you helping! (Zero) Shut up, Lumi. Can the data be repaired or not? (Eve) All PULSE2 and Arc-PULSE data have been left unaltered. However, the PULSE-Magnezone damage is irreparable. I will need to rewrite it. (Lumi) What? But... if Magnezone is damaged- (Zero) There's no time to rewrite it! Lin wanted all the PULSEs out of here hours ago. (Eve) I'm aware. Hence why the other projects have been safely relocated. However, Magnezone cannot be moved under the current circumstances. The timing could not be worse. (Zero) Tch, Lin must have known this was coming. I bet it has something to do with the hero brigade she had hauled in here. They're probably plotting to destroy Magnezone like all the other ones.
Ash: Are you talking about us?
ZEL: (Notice Ash, Zero) Speak of the devil, huh? (Eve) So it's too late already. (Lumi, concerned) Ash... Did you really come to destroy everything here?
Ash: Of course not, all I want is to save my friends that are being punished by your leader.
ZEL: (Zero) Yeah, right. Don't bother lying! We know all about your little hacking scheme too! There's no way in hell we're gonna let you get away with this!
Ash: I don't know any hacking!
ZEL: (Eve) Control your temper, Zero. Remember, Lin requested that Ash not be harmed. (Zero) Yeah, but I'm not about to sit back and let them do whatever they want with my projects. (Lumi) Your projects? Eve is the one that does all the hard work! You just bully her all the time! (Zero) Just stop talking and fight already!
Ash: Are you serious right now?
Ash is not expecting to fight ZEL at this time, but they have already sent out Aurorus to battle. Ash grits his teeth as he goes for Infernape, having it go for Mach Punch, dealing four times super effective damage. Aurora goes for Stealth Rocks, wanting to do some field damage for Ash, but Infernape goes for Flamethrower after they use Thunderbolt to deal much damage on it. And in the end, Infernape manages to defeat Aurorus with another Mach Punch.
Alakazam is the next Pokemon, and Infernape has been recalled by Ash as he goes with Greninja this time. Greninja goes for Water Shuriken, but Alakazam goes for Charge Beam to block the attack, also boosting the power to deal with Shadow Ball on Greninja. But Grneinja slams the Pokemon with Night Slash, and Alakazam goes for Recover to heal itself. In the end, Greninja manages to defeat Alakazam with the Night Slash.
The third Pokemon is Umbreon, and it goes for Double Team and Toxic, causing Greninja to get poisoned. Ash decides to recall Greninja and sends out Primarina, using Sparkling Aria, it deals some damage, but Umbreon goes for Wish and after taking a Water Type Hyper Voice, it recovers the HP and goes for Toxic as well, but in the end, Primarina goes for Moonblast and knocks the Pokemon out.
The fourth Pokemon is Espeon, and it sets up Reflect and Light Screen, much to Ash's frustration. Primarina is also defeated by the Dazzling Gleam with the Short Circuit Field, which is blinding. Ash goes back to Greninja again and this time he goes with Shadow Sneak, eventually knocking out the Psychic Type Pokemon before taking a hit from Dazzling Gleam.
The fifth Pokemon is Glaceon, and Ash decides to switch back to Infernape for this battle. Glaceon tries to get Infernape to fall asleep by using Yawn, but Infernape goes for Flamethrower, dealing super effective damage. Glaceon also hits back with the Shadow Ball, and Infernape also falls asleep. After taking a few hits of Shadow Ball, Infernape is back up and goes for Flare Blitz, knocking out the Glaceon in the end.
ZEL: (Lumi) I'm sorry, Magnezone...If we're gonna get through this, we need your help!
Ash notices the PULSE Magnezone and he decides to ask them.
Ash: Are you sure you're fine? Being fused together as a being like this?
ZEL: (Lumi) What are you talking about?
Ash: I found your diary in Ametrine City.
ZEL widens his eyes as Infernape also deals a Flamethrower on the Magnezone. But Magnezone fights back with a Discharge.
ZEL: (Eve) What do you really know about us?
Ash: The reason why you're doing this is because of Lumi, right? She has a deadly disease and you have been creating PULSES to try to heal her, right? There must be other ways instead of working with Team Meteor to cure the disease!
ZEL: (Zero) Enough! I'm not going to let you sweet talk to us! Magnezone! Continue to attack him!
Ash grits his teeth, Zero is the Team Meteor member and he's the reason why Lumi and Eve are inside him. When he turns back to the battle, he starts to feel Infernape's Blaze and it has been continuously attacking Magnezone with Flame Wheel. And in the end, the Magnezone is feeling overheated and is about to explode, much to everyone's horror.
ZEL: (Eve) Lumi, regardless of what happens now- please remember that I will always, always love you.
Just then, the Magnezone explodes and causes Ash and ZEL to be sent to the ground. The whole building is destroyed with red lights shining on them instead.
Ash: (Groans) Infernape...return for now... (Recalls the knocked out Infernape)
Ash slowly stands up with cuts and bruises on the bodies, and he walks towards ZEL with Pikachu, who has been hiding under Ash's hat for safety.
Zero: Uggh... It's so quiet... The PULSE- We didn't lose hearing in the explosion, did we? (Looks at the destroyed PULSE, and no one seems to answer him in his mind) H-hey, Lumi, Eve! Say something!
Ash realizes that the Magnezone is gone, which means either Lumi and Eve's souls are also gone, or they have returned to their bodies. Ash hopes that the latter was the case.
Zero: (Lowers his head) I'm alone. I'm alone... I'm alone, I'm alone, I'm alone, I'm alone, I'm alone... And I'm... Empty. (Rushes) I need to get to Agate.
Ash sees how Zero just rushes out of the building, but he does nothing to stop him. Maybe after all this time, Zero actually cares about Eve and Lumi as well...but what he has to do right now is to find Victoria, Adrienn, and Arclight. After rushing to another room, Ash finds three doors that are locked, and he presses the button, causing Victoria and Adrienn to jump right out of it, and Arclight just slumps onto the ground.
Adrienn: (Huge breathes) Oh, goodness. I was not ready to ride that ride...
Victoria: (Sees Ash and hugs him) Ash! Is it... over?
Ash: I'm glad all of you are safe...
Adrienn: (Notices Arclight) Arclight?
Ash: Victoria, are you okay?
Victoria: Everything hurts... I thought that was going to be the end for me.
Adrienn: (Shakes Arclight) Arclight, man, wake up~ This is no time for a nap! (Turns around his body and widens with shock) Oh, god.
Ash: He's not... dead, is he?
Adrienn: No, he's not. That's the good news.
Ash and Victoria turn Arclight's body and they realize why Adrienn was shocked. Arclight's one eye is missing and all they can see is a hole in the face.
Victoria: They- tore out his eye!?
Adrienn: That would be the bad news.
Victoria: Why?!
Adrienn: Well, based on what Lin said to us, I would reason that that was his "penalty". Goodness, I must have gotten lucky. After Arclight went ahead, the floor of the cage I was in became super-heated. And while it hurt, I was fine thanks to the help of my Pokémon.
Victoria: (Frowns) Still, what's the point of this?
Adrienn: Before that, we're missing someone. Has anyone seen Ame?
Ash: (Grits his teeth) Ame is dead...Lin killed her.
Adrienn and Victoria gasp as they can't believe Ame was killed, and tears are starting to dwell in their eyes, but Adrienn is the first one to recover as xe wipes out xyr tears.
Adrienn: It's up to us, then.
Victoria: I don't get this... If they wanted to stop us, why haven't they done it yet? Why not just kill us all and be done with it!?
Adrienn: The only thing I can think of would be in order to send a message.
Victoria: They didn't give Kiki a message! She didn't get the chance to live! (Ash tries to hug her to calm her down) Why should I- Why did I have to be the one to live?!
Ash: Victoria...
Victoria: Don't get me wrong. I'm livid with Team Meteor for everything they've done. I will never forgive Cal for siding with them for even a second. But most of all- I'm furious with myself for not being able to stop it.
Adrienn: Victoria, darling, listen to me. I cannot pretend to know what your story is, or even what really happened, but I know this: We cannot blame ourselves in the present for the mistakes we made in the past. (Looks at the door in front of them) Down there, outside... There's a truly wonderful city. It is, even now, lumbering, insurmountable, putrid, horrifying, unknowable ...but still altogether wonderful. And not a day goes by that I don't think, For the past however many years that did not exist for me, If I had been here, Maybe I could have kept things stitched together long enough that none of this would have ever happened. Maybe this city would still be the shining paradise that it is now only in our memories. If I hadn't made a trivial mistake like falling into a fairy ring- But no. Those thoughts will not fix the city. They will not bring those we've lost back. And they will not help us to move forward.
Ash: Adrienn is right, we must choose to move forward. And we'll drag the world along with us, even if it's kicking and screaming the whole way. We have that power too.
Victoria: (Nods) I'm tired of trying to follow in the footsteps of the dead. But someone's got to lead this city now, right?
Ash: There is still my Mom, who has been Ame's teacher. And we can do this all together. All of us.
Victoria: ...All right. First, let's find a way out of here.
Ash decides to carry Arclight as they turn to the door.
Victoria: It looks like that door only just opened?
Adrienn: Sounds like as good of a plan as any. Onward!
Ash and the others nod as they walk out of the door.
And here is a new chapter, as you can see, Ame is killed by Lin and her Hydreigon. And not only that, Ash destroyed PULSE Magnezone, causing Eve and Lumi to leave Zero's body. What will happen to them? I hope you like this chapter.
