Hiya everyone! Guess what? It's chapter 26 of the Chosen One's Wrath, and this is where the story truly begins. Well, takes a turn that mimics the title. I'm sure you all may have been thinking to yourselves about the title of this story, wondering if there was ever a moment where all this was brought together. I think this chapter may tie it all together nicely.

Oh, and there's another thing… MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I hope everyone is having an awesome holiday, and that this gives you a great boost to your holiday as well. I know this upload is coming as an unexpected twist to you all, and I hope this surprise is worth it. After all, it's not coming on a 15th or 16th of the month.

This upload will definitely be shorter, for obvious reasons. I imagine this post will only be about 5,000 words or so… but I think it's a cool free 5,000 words that will be well appreciated. This is a chapter I've been anticipating writing for some time now, and it couldn't have fallen at a better time.

Please follow and favorite both myself and this story so you never miss an upload, for exact reasons like this one.

With that, nothing else should be said. Please enjoy. Happy Holidays everyone!

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 26

Last Chapter…

Ash roared. "End this! Rock Tomb!"

As Falkner heard the command, he knew it was indeed over. There was nothing he could do. Twenty copies of the dusk-form Lyncanroc cried out in unison, each forming a handful of large boulders. In one motion, all hundred boulder were thrown at the helpless bat, caking the battlefield in a large explosion, one that had pebbles and tiny rocks getting thrown every which way.

Falkner looked on, knowing it was truly done for. Ash looked on to see the carnage. The audience watched as it awaited a winner. Ghost's elite box held their breath as well. The official peered out and saw Lyncanroc on the ground, licking it's paws lightly, as if patiently waiting for the battle to be over.

Next to Lyncanroc, under a semi-broken boulder, Crobat could be seen with swirls in its eyes and a small grin plastered on its face, like it knew it was going out in a blaze of glory.

The flag was raised. "Crobat is unable to battle, Lyncanroc wins! And therefore the winner of the battle is Ghost!"

The stadium exploded into cheers, and chants of his name began to reign once more. Ash rubbed Lyncanroc's head in approval. "Good job buddy, knew you had it in you."

Ash returned to his bed and called out Delveon. The Pokémon trilled happily, cuddling up to its trusted trainer. Ash smiled and stroked Delveon's fur approvingly. After a moment, he tapped a nearby comm system and it came to life.

"Bail? Arch? You copy?"

His two-head of security staff responded immediately. "Loud and clear. How can we be of assistance sir?"

"I'm going to be turning in very early for the night; I have to make a… special communication. It could take a few hours. My doors are not to be opened unless I, and only I, say so. You have permission to box out my elites if you need to do so. Say it's of utmost urgency, and if I don't emerge or unlock my doors by the morning, they are free to blow the doors clean off their hinges. I'm sure that's bound to make them feel better."

He could see hear Bail and Arch nodding to one another. "Will do sir. Rest well, leave everything to us."

"Have a good night gentlemen."

With that, Ash sliced off the communication and laid down on his bed slowly. He reached out to Delveon and the Pokémon hopped up on the bed. Ash smiled at the Sun-type and placed two fingers on the rainbow crystal on her forehead.

Within seconds, his world began to spiral out of control. Ash kept his eyes lightly closed, not waiting for anything in particular. After a moment, one of his senses began to go off, and he opened his eyes to see.

He was in a world of white, standing on a ridge of sorts. It seemed to be a peaceful worlds of some type. Ash looked down to his side and saw Delveon there, looking up at him curiously. Ash knew very well where he was now.

"Hello Chosen One."

Ash looked up and saw the exact being he was hoping to see.

"We have much to discuss." Arceus spoke.

Present…

Ash looked up at the massive being before and despite the absurdity of the situation, he sported a silly grin on his face. The creation's neutral face spoke volumes though, like a story was about to be told.

"I had a feeling that would work."

Arceus' neutral look seemingly morphed into a small smirk. "Don't get used to it. It's only an access point when I want it to be."

Ash laughed sheepishly. "I'll keep it in mind. There's some questions I—"

"I know why you have asked for my presence Ash Ketchum. As you can predict, I do not do these… meetings, often… if at all. However, since our previous meeting, I've done a bit of research myself. This will take some time… and it will be quite a shock to hear, I assure you. This will not be simple."

Ash was quiet for a moment. Arceus continued. "Are you sure you are ready?"

Delveon nuzzled his leg approvingly. Ash looked down at her and saw her eyes looking up at him approvingly. That was all he needed in terms of encouragement. "Yes, I'm sure."

Silence from Arceus. "Very well then. Allow me to regale you the full tale… the tale of the Chosen One."

Suddenly, the white background faded to black, and pictures began to flip through as though Ash was watching a slideshow, given by the most powerful Pokémon the universe had ever seen. For anyone else, this would be something that dreams were made of. For Ash, this felt like just another day in the office.

Arceus began its tale as pictures began to morph. "Since the beginning of time, people and Pokémon prospered with one another. As years passed, creatures beyond humans wildest imaginations appeared. Even to myself, the God of Creation, I do not know how they came to be. Suspicions of my own include that humans themselves were able to morph Pokémon with their own creations. This is nothing more than my theory."

The picture flipped once again. "These creations were called Ultra Beasts. They were… well, abominations. I had consulted my own legendaries and scoured any way of how they came to be on this planet." Arceus had a bewildered look on its face.

"I came up with nothing. There was not a single thing I could detect that could explain their existence. It was with this information that I decided; perhaps we are not the only beings in this fair universe."

Ash blinked. "But you're the God of Creation."

Arceus actually chuckled at this. "At that, I am. However, even I cannot control some things in this universe. There may be even universe's connected to this one… I do not know. And that makes the mystery of these Ultra Beasts even more surreal. When even the God of all Creation is unsure of some things, it goes to show us just how amazing this whole situation is."

Ash was gobsmacked; the most powerful Pokémon to ever live didn't know how Ultra Beasts were created?

The picture changed once more. "In any case, the Ultra Beasts began living with both Humans and Pokémon alike. Remember, by this point, pokeball's had yet to be created. For some many decades, this would go on, but tensions would start rising exponentially—"

Ash cut off the Pokémon. "Yeah, and then Humans and Pokémon bonded to fight off Ultra Beasts."

Arceus continued as though Ash hadn't existed. "And all three sides lost trust entirely with one another, all deciding to form their separate territories."

Ash's jaw dislodged. "W-What? Pokémon and Humans separated?" He shook his head, closing his eyes in disbelief. "Y-You're telling me Pokémon turned their backs on Humans? Pokémon betrayed Humans? H-How?"

Arceus looked at him in a condescending way. "As you can guess, these rules that the three races would live separately was not completely followed. Some Pokémon had bonded with humans, while some Pokémon also bonded with Ultra Beasts. As tensions remained high due to worry of conflict…" The Pokémon quieted and the screen swapped once more.

"It just needed a singular spark to ignite. It got one. Ironically… it was in a village where a Pokémon was in charge of a city of Ultra Beasts. These beasts were much smaller in size than usual, but it still repelled humans easily. Pokémon were also repelled from this group, despite some question from the subjects. The beasts were growing angry at the Pokémon in charge, and all in this city knew very well how it would end; rebellion."

Ash breathed out. "W-What happened next?"

"The Beasts had heard whispers of betrayal and rebellion and began to question their leader. The leader did nothing to quell the whispers and thus, tensions only rose from there. And then… the dam broke."

The picture behind Arceus once again morphed. Slowly, it morphed into one that could only be seen in a horror film; blazing fires, destroyed homes, crushed buildings and bodies… so many bodies. Ash stared at the scene in morbid terror, it eerily gave him a reminder of how he had ruthlessly slaughtered Flare and their people. It was just… death. He didn't even know how else he could possibly describe what it was he was seeing.

"The rebellion so many feared came true. A revolution broke loose. I was witness to this all. I was horrified by the destruction so many Ultra Beasts brought. This one revolution sparked revolutions across the whole world… between the Pokémon and the Ultra Beasts." Shock was once more laced across Ash's face.

"Wait, the revolution wasn't between Humans and Ultra Beasts? It was the Pokémon and Ultra Beasts who fought? Humans weren't even involved?"

"Oh no, Humans were very much involved."

Silence for a moment. "They were the victims of the fight."

Arceus continued with a solemn tone as the picture once more changed. "When word of the rebellion broke out, Pokémon and Ultra Beasts were pitted at each other's throats. Humans were being forced to pick a side. Believe it or not, despite mankind's natural selfish nature, this was a rare time where Humans chose the correct side; none. They did not know what to do; for they did not have the whole story. As some humans sided with Beasts and others sided with Pokémon, they did not wish to choose a side."

The God of Creation sighed. "What the humans did not realize was that they would be broken by the same battles the Pokémon and Beasts were fighting in. Many, many casualties were caused by this war. It devastated all parties, and no party was left truly victorious. The bond between Humans and Ultra Beasts was shattered, due to the lack of trust that had already been built between Humans and Ultra Beasts prior to the separation."

"What about Pokémon and Humans? What of their bond?"

Arceus gave him a small look at the picture faded to black. "Their bond was rekindled… stronger than ever. When push came to shove, Humans and Pokémon knew that at one point, they were the closest of friends, brothers… sisters… they trusted one another once again, and the bond they shared then is the bond trainers have with Pokémon now. This bond has lasted thousands of years, if memory serves."

The picture came back, with Ultra Beasts being vastly outnumbered by Humans and Pokémon. "The war that had lasted a good few years and taken some many lives came to an end once Humans eventually did pick a side; the Pokémon."

"How did they choose that? Was it strictly just old bonds?"

Arceus had the answer. "No. This is not the case. While this did have a good impact, what truly made the difference was the original revolution; somehow, a version of the original revolution had stemmed out."

"A version?"

"Correct. In the false version, the one Humans had been told, was that Pokémon had revolted against a dark Ultra Beast, one that craved power and was determined to conquer all. In a cruel twist, the original group to directly attack a group of humans… were the Ultra Beasts. This only reinforced the story, and Humans were given no reason to believe differently. To this day, I do not blame them for believing the lie that was fed to them."

The picture once more changed, and this time showed a group of legendary Pokémon, seemingly in great discussion. "After the great war, the legends… or the ones who existed at that moment, got together and prepared what we called the great discussion. Of course, by this time, the Ultra Beasts had been defeated. Humans and Pokémon were once more allies."

"The Beasts were banished to another realm. How the Humans got the Beasts there in the first place, well, even I am unsure of how they achieved this. But I do know how they could reopen a portal to go there. The Humans created a device, one that was capable of controlling or repelling Ultra Beasts. This object was called…"

"The Rainbow Yzerlock."

Arceus sighed. "Precisely. While at the time, it seemed like an idea that was fully thought through. The lone issue… I do not know where the Yzerlock resides. The device is hidden, and only the original humans who hid the device would know of its locations. How anyone will uncover this information is beyond me."

"Where should I start looking?" Ash questioned the Pokémon.

Arceus had the ghost of a smile appear on its face. "Well… I think that information may come to you in not too long."

Ash sighed. "Well, guess I can't argue with that."

Arceus continued. "Back to the story then."

The picture once more changed from its original stature to one of the planet. "After I saw the Beasts banished, all was at peace for many, many years. I began to believe these Beasts were truly the issue. And I still believe this today, I did not make these creatures, and therefore, I feared one day they would break free and revolt once again."

The picture once more morphed. "As Fate would have it, more motives began to arise for me to take action; Humans had begun to search for the Yzerlock, and I know not all had good intentions. It was then I took all precautions to uncover how the Yzerlock worked, and thus… I did. I learned almost all there was to know about the device… all except the location... and a few other things."

"Those who originally hid the device were pure of heart. They didn't want the device to fall into the wrong hands. Thus, they protected it with a failsafe or two. Firstly, as you well know, to hide the device without it falling into the wrong hands, the device was locked in a very secure bag and sent with a runner. There were ten runners total, and none had been told which bag had the device. Supposedly, all were locked with some sort of failsafe, and no runners could tell if they were holding the device. Each runner was told to hide away their bag in a spot nobody could find unless they were truly pure of heart."

"Secondly, the device could only be activated in a spot where Ultra Beasts were able to reign alone, supreme and peacefully. This way, even if one had possession of the device, it would not allow the user to gain immediate control of the Beasts. But, even then, the Humans believed one final security blanket was needed. And thus, they made one last lock; a key of sorts."

"They received word that one of the Pokémon that originated in the rebellion was a mix between Pokémon and Ultra Beast. There was a vast abundance of this Pokémon at the time, and they believed it's heart to be pure enough that it was worthy of unlocking the Yzerlock completely. This Pokémon was also what gave the Yzerlock it's name. It was rather fitting, if I do say so myself."

Ash was frowned, trying to register what the legendary Pokémon said.

"Because of these keys, I knew it was my job to prepare a warrior, a human who must do the impossible task of saving the world… should the need ever arise. This person had to be strong-willed, ambitious in the face of overwhelming adversity, and perhaps most importantly…"

"Able to easily bond with Pokémon."

Ash suddenly blinked as he understood the words Arceus was telling him. "… Me."

Arceus nodded.

"You."

The picture faded once more and a picture of Ash appeared, standing on the ledge of a cliff, overlooking a green meadow. "You see Ash, as I watch over as many Humans and Pokémon as I can… I once caught a glimpse of you at a young age. I didn't know immediately you were special, but I could see the goodness in your heart from the first time you knew what a Pokémon was. I had some suspicions you were a special character, but what I did not count on…"

The picture swapped once more, to see Ash and multiple legendary Pokémon around him.

"Was so many of my children falling in love with you… supporting you… believing in you."

Arceus turned its head back to the picture and continued. "Ho-Oh. Moltres. Zapdos. Mew. Mewtwo. Entei. Suicune. Manaphy. Meloetta." Arceus turned back to Ash, who looked fairly sheepish. "You encountered so many of my children… so many times you were given to catch these Pokémon… yet you never did."

Ash shrugged. "I guess that's because I was your chosen one, yeah?"

However, Arceus' silence caused doubt at his previous statement to rise swiftly. "I am the Chosen One… right?"

The words Arceus spoke next were not what he expected. "You are now…"

"…But you weren't then."

Ash's brain froze. "Wha… What!?"

Arceus nodded slowly. "As I searched for someone worthy of becoming the Chosen One… someone who can protect the bonds of people and Pokémon while keeping these Beasts away, there was a young boy who continually would run into my children, and would never once attempt to catch them. These Pokémon trusted this boy with their lives, and he led them down the right path."

Arceus once more nodded its head. "After the tenth story or so that my children had regaled, I knew it was time to meet the one known as Ashura Ketchum. After meeting you myself, I could then see why my children loved you so. You were pure of heart, you truly cared about the wellbeing of your Pokémon, despite having such ambitions to win tournaments. I could understand at that moment, that you were indeed to be, the Chosen One."

Ash shook his head. "Then why don't I remember that meeting? Why can I not recall anything that was said?"

The God of Creation gave a sad look. "Unfortunately, I think I have the answer to the statement." The picture once again morphed, and just before the picture was revealed, the Pokémon spoke again. "I believe this place will sit in your memory… quite vividly."

The background morphed into a mountain, one that was coated with a reddish-orange substance. No, it wasn't a mountain.

"The Volcano." Ash said bitterly.

"Yes, you see, this scenario did not occur to me at the time of this happening. On the day that you were betrayed Ashura, I was caught horribly… off-guard. Since I had marked you as the Chosen One, I was able to sense your emotions, where you were, and so forth. The day you were betrayed, I lost all contact with you. I could no longer sense your well-being, which horrified me, as I originally believed you to be gone."

Arceus quieted. "For one split second, I did not know what to do, and what I did end up doing is something that to this day, I've only ever done once."

Arceus turned to look at Ash, who looked perplexed by the tale thus far.

"I intervened."

Ash's eyes widened ever so slightly. 'It… it was you! You saved me from the Volcano that day?"

The white and gold Pokémon nodded. "In a way, yes. I sent my presence, not my physical form, to your location, and using Mew's teaching, I healed you to the point where you could be brought back from the brink of death. By some small miracle, as your hand was wrapped around your Pokémon belt, I did not have to mourn your six Pokémon you kept with you."

"However…" The Pokémon hesitated. "I could not heal all of you…" Ash looked down to what the Pokémon seemed to be staring at and realized swiftly it was his melted arm. He clenched his fingers, still remembering the agony of the magma melting his skin away.

"How bad… was I? When you healed me?"

Arceus' tone took a graver outlook. "You would have been deceased within a minute, give or take. Your skull was fractured to the point where it may not have been able to have been repaired. Your spine had nearly shattered in two different spots. Quite honestly… you should have died on impact, Ashura."

Ash frowned. "What happened next?"

The God of Creation spoke. "I sent a messenger to retrieve you; the closest thing I could do to ensure you were saved; a Dragonite."

Realization hit the champion like a sack of bricks. "I remember Lance telling me that something seemingly possessed Dragonite to dive into the Volcano despite death looming large… that was you?"

"Indeed."

Ash was still quiet, listening to the Pokémon's story. "After I realized you'd been betrayed, I knew how fit you were to be deemed the most powerful trainer… the most powerful Human the world had ever known. Only someone with the purest of hearts could still find the path to lead a region to glory despite having everyone they know turn their backs on him. And so…"

The picture behind Arceus morphed into a black screen yet again. "I decided to give you something."

The raven-haired boy blinked. He was pretty sure he would've remembered the God of Creation handing him a blue box with some money in it. "What did you give me?"

The Pokémon merely smiled. "A gift."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "A gift?"

"A gift. In fact, she's right next to you." Ash comprehended the Pokémon's statement before his eyes darted down to Delveon who was sleeping peacefully. His brain began to put two and two together, and it wasn't long before it all snapped together.

"You found Delveon in the other realm and sent her to me? Why?"

"For one, I knew you would be worthy of taking care of her. As you know, it's a large responsibility taking care of a Half-Legend, Half-Ultra Beast variant. Secondly, having her close to you will only make you both that much stronger as time goes on… for you have not heard the final tale that I am to tell you."

Arceus turned around. "This… is the location of the original revolution… the place where the war technically began."

The picture morphed yet again, this time though, it was an Egyptian-looking city, where strange non-Pokémon creatures were running about. Ash frowned as the pictures began to morph quicker this time, as if they were preparing to be shown in a rapid-fire sort of way. Arceus said nothing as the pictures flipped. Ash still couldn't figure out the pattern.

It wasn't until the final picture, anyway, that he saw the pattern. There was a Pokémon surrounded by what appeared to be guards of sorts. The Pokémon had yellow fur and red eyes. It highly resembled a fox.

Around it were a group of golden Pokémon, with Rainbow Gems on their foreheads.

'Delveon…' Ash's mind clamped down.

Ash stared up at the legendary Pokémon, who seemed to be wearing an uneasy look on its face. "Delveon was part of the original revolution? The one where her own kind; the Ultra Beasts… slaughtered her friends and family?"

Arceus merely looked at him, and it further continued to fall together for Ash. "That's why you sent her to me, why she trusts humans but has a tougher time with Pokémon; it was the war of Pokémon and Ultra Beasts that eliminated her kind!"

"Oh, and there's more than that. You see, as she is expected to be the last Delveon from this universe, it means she is very, very unique. There was another reason I wanted her to be by your side." The Alola champion awaited the words of the God expectantly.

"I mentioned earlier a key would be needed to unlock the Yzerlock. While part of me was content in strictly keeping the key away from harm, I began to worry that if it was needed and that Ultra Beasts were able to flow into the world non-stop, the Yzerlocks power would have to be reactivated."

Ash blinked. "That means…"

The picture behind Arceus faded away and a clear cut picture of the Yzerlock was seen. Ash analyzed the whole device, looking at every cut, mark and crevice. It truly looked like a golden arm-gauntlet of sorts, one that would snap onto your wrist and leave your hand barren. As Ash continued his inspection of the device, Arceus' monotone cut his thoughts off.

"Look at the top of the device, Chosen one." Ash frowned but did so. He saw a small groove encased in the top of the device, like something round and circular was supposed to be placed there.

Everything clicked in a singular moment for Ash, disbelief coloring his features. "No! It can't be!" Ash stared at Delveon, eyeing the crystal on its head. His eyes then darted back to the crevice on the device. It seemed to be perfect.

"Delveon's rainbow crystal is needed to activate the Rainbow—"

He stopped, realization slamming into him. Arceus nodded. "As I said Chosen One, the device was named after the key; somehow, a Delveon helped the Humans banish the Ultra Beasts and end the war. Fitting, since they were at the very beginning, and fought on until the bitter end. You were selected to be the Chosen One, someone who could defend all the regions until their dying breath and have the trust of my children. With the title of Chosen One, I knew I should bestow upon you the very things you would need to activate or deactivate the Yzerlock in case the worst should happen."

The picture faded to black and then the area turned entirely white yet again, no trace of a magnified slideshow ever to be seen.

"Your destiny is to lead your people, to get revenge on those who betrayed you, to find true peace in your life, and of course, to defend the world with the power you've gained throughout your perilous journey's. Delveon is your passageway to find me, should you need to do so."

Ash's vision began to get blurry. "Arceus, wait I—"

"You have the key. Now, you must locate the Yzerlock. Delveon will be your guide, whether it be voluntary or involuntary…"

"Arceus—" He got out, the light becoming far too much to fight against. It forced him to cover his eyes on instinct.

"One word of advice before you must return; sometimes those who reside in a home make it what it is. Should you look to start somewhere… that is where I would begin."

And then, Ash shot up out of bed, Delveon peacefully snoozing next to him. The words from the God of Creation were echoing to him still nonetheless. His eyes darted to the nearest clock, wondering how long he'd been asleep for.

'Seven hours? It's nearly morning. Hope Bail and Arch stuck to their words.'

He pushed the doors open to his room and frowned at the sight. Axel was sitting on a rickety old chair, head bobbing and snoring lightly. Ash fought the urge to chuckle at the sight. He carefully walked past the so-called guard and made his way to the rooftop, where he did his best thinking. Of course, Axel didn't wake up as he went past him, his sleep fully masking the presence of his now-awake leader.

On the rooftop, Ash had begun to understand Arceus' words further. While he was pissed at Xavier, he was one of the people that made this place feel like home. And for that matter, he was one of the only people who made the league feel like home.

Ash had made his decision. Kicking himself over May when she couldn't do anything about it herself only reinforced his decision; he would go after Xavier first.

Find Xavier.

Defeat Flare.

Rekindle his friendship with Lance.

Get May back.

Get Revenge on the Traitors.

He was Arceus' Chosen One. He was the most powerful trainer on the planet. Anyone who opposed him would fall.

It was time to feel the true might of Arceus' finest. He would open the Gates of Hell to get back those who meant something to him: Xavier, Lance, May… he would get them all back. He was the Ghost, the most feared trainer in the Region, in the World! It was time to show Team Flare why nobody messed with the one called Ghost.

All would fear the Chosen One's Wrath.

AN: Told ya it would be a fun one. Oh, sorry, don't usually end my chapters like that. How's this?

Annnndddd that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed this surprise upload shortie just before Christmas! Well, at least that's when I plan on posting it; guess things can always change, but I think it's a pretty firm date as of now! This chapter indeed rounded out to about 5,000 words, and if I was mapping out the remaining chapters and with a little luck, we've got about 20ish more chapters to go through. Maybe more than that, maybe less. Guess we'll see.

The story behind Arceus' Chosen One is now in the open. Ash was deemed worthy by his actions, and only furthered them as time went on. Now, Arceus is preparing him for an Ultra Beast revival.

You all now know why Delveon was inserted into this story! You also know why Ash was able to survive the fall, why Dragonite knew to search and the intentions of the all-powerful God Pokémon. Did you enjoy it? Hope so, I was looking to post this one for awhile now, and I figured that I'd make a smaller main chapter in return for two posts that equal out to about 14,000 words in one month! That's how it's done baby.

Remember to follow and favorite both myself and this story so you never miss an upload.

Thanks everyone. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and I'll see you all in 2022!

LegionZ