Been awhile huh? Sorry, college put me in a bit of a setback with no free time. I barely passed my classes but I got it done thanks to my teachers liking me and saw I put up a good fight. Basically, be nice to your teachers, show them you care,and even if you don't care, just pretend you do, and if you show the effort, they'll give you a chance. Also, I will be temporarily closing my PMs for a little bit because I need some time to focus, it's nothing personal, but I've been getting distracted a lot lately and I just need some time to decompress. Reviews will still be open. Oh, and the new episodes were crazy, and I'm trying to incorporate them already. Ok. here we go. *POKEMON AND STEVEN UNIVERSE ARE NOT OWNED BY ME*
"Eat. Or I'll break your jaw and force it down your throat." The Iron Masked Marauder told his prisoners.
Reluctantly, Brock opened his mouth and allowed him to stuff a spoonful of the gruel he presented into his mouth. The tasteless mush caused him to gag slightly, but it was the only food he'd been given in days so he stomached it.
The Marauder then moved to his other prisoner chained to the wall of the Homeworld cruiser. "And because you're with junior," he told Misty, "you get two spoons."
Misty forced the paste down her throat with a hateful look on her face.
He gave her a nefarious smile. "Don't like the grub? Well consider yourself lucky, had it been up to me you'd be getting nothing at all. Blue Diamond is kidding herself by keeping you both alive."
Misty scoffed at him. "Actually, I think I'm still alive because you still don't have the pokeballs to kill me."
The Marauder's smile faded quickly to a furious scowl, grabbing her by the throat, he pulled her close to his face. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."
"Marauder!" Jasper's voice boomed from behind them. "You're under orders, and your orders are to not hurt them."
Upon hearing Jasper's command, he stepped away. "Yes ma'am." he begrudgingly told her.
Having made her point across, Jasper exited the docked Homeworld ship that she had called home for the past few months during her hunt for her prized Lapis. The town around her was still in the midst of its burning following the unexpected attack, all the citizens of Twinleaf Town who weren't killed were in hiding, as Jasper was under orders to keep no prisoners other than Brock and Misty. But for probably the first time in her existence, Jasper had betrayed her orders and was now approaching the only other prisoner.
"Have you thought about my offer long enough Kenny?"
The Pokemon coordinator stood chained to a pike in the center of what was once his hometown. Reluctantly, he looked up from the ground to stare his captor in the face.
"You give me your word nobody is going to get hurt?"
Jasper smiled. "Dear Kenny, I give you my word I will not hurt anyone. So long as you do exactly what I say."
Lapis lazily opened her eyes feeling quite relaxed for the first time in a long time. But how could she not feel relaxed when she got to wake up to the sight that greeted her every morning?
"Good morning." Ash softly told his wife with a tranquil smile. "You seem in good spirits."
"How could I not be? I get to wake up to see you." she answered delivering a quick peck on his nose.
The wood floor of the barn squeaked as Pikachu ran over towards his master and jumped into the bed to greet them. Then a second set of footsteps came from the corner of the barn and jumped onto the bed with them, landing with a thud.
"Woah!" Ash exclaimed with surprise, "easy there pumpkin. You're getting big, you'll hurt us one day." he told the little girl that was now in the bed with them.
"Sorry Daddy." the four year old, black haired little girl told him. "I'm just so excited for Auntie Peridot to show me the tractor today!"
Ash's smile turned to worry. "Oh right. You know, I don't think I trust a hyperactive four year old with a tractor. I'd better be supervising that. Come on Pikachu" he said getting out of bed.
"Hyperactive four year old?" James cheekily asked from the sofa with Misty and Brock both by his side. "You mean Peridot?"
"Yeah James, Peri will absolutely love that "little" comment." Ash answered him, putting emphasis on the "little" for added comedic effect.
Lapis watched her husband leave with Pikachu, a tranquil smile on her face. Then she felt an attention getting tug on her dress. "What is it sweetie?"
"Mommy?" the little girl asked with an innocent smile on her face "why did you do it?"
She looked at her daughter confused "what do you mean?"
"Why did you hurt Daddy by running away?" she asked, her smile still on her face.
As Lapis tried to process what her daughter just asked, she saw the couch and the rest of her family suddenly fade away. Soon after, she saw the rest of the barn was gone as well, leaving only herself and her daughter in the blackness.
"Mommy, I don't feel so good." she sickly told Lapis in her arms. To Lapis's horror, she immediately began to fade away into dust.
"Lash? LASH!?" she screamed as her little girl disappeared, leaving Lapis completely alone. "NO!" she screamed as the awful feeling of solitude overcame her. Then the dust cloud that was once her child began to take a different shape. Its shape was of an enormous, winged beast with skin of blood red and black. Looking down at Lapis through its intimidating, purple eyes, the monster gave off an evil aura and screamed an ear piercing scream at her.
"Lapis?" Cynthia asked concerned. "Lapis are you alright?"
Lapis awoke with a gasp and covered in sweat. "Cynthia, check the baby!" she screamed in fear.
Without a question, the champion immediately placed her ear onto Lapis's tummy and listened for any indication the child was healthy. "Seems like the baby's alright. What's wrong?"
Lapis gave a sigh of relief. "Ash told me of many different pokemon, but there was one that stuck with me. It's the one of destruction, and I think I just saw it in my dream."
"Yveltal." Cynthia whispered, Lapis could hear the worry in her voice. "What you're describing is Yveltal, the pokemon of destruction."
"But why did I dream of it?"
Cynthia pondered it. "You told me that the last time you and Ash fused that because both of your minds were tranquil, Lash was fully capable of controlling Ash's aurora. I suspect that, along with carrying Ash's child, has imprinted a part of his aurora to you. And Yveltal was attempting to send you a message of sort."
They both exited the tent to see Cilan and Cress both cooking dinner over the fire, while everyone else was trying to pack up the Meowth balloon for the morning.
"Put yah backs inta it!" Meowth ordered Barry from his seat on the log.
"Well maybe we'd be able to get this done sooner, if you'd get off your furry butt and give us a helping paw!" Jessie sassed the pokemon.
Ignoring the bickering, Cilan turned to the girls. "Dinner's ready." he said offering Lapis a bowl of stew.
Before she could take the bowl, a high pitched scream began to emit from the surrounding woods of Route 201.
"What was that?" Zoey asked.
While everyone else was listening in worry, Lapis's motherly instincts were kicking in. To her, the screaming sounded like a creature in pain, and she had to take matters into her own hands.
"Lapis, where are you going!?" Chili screamed as she suddenly got up and ran towards the screech without a single word.
"Stay here!" Cynthia ordered the others as she began to follow.
"Okay. I spy, with my superior eye," Peridot said looking around the unfinished barn "something that is, purple."
"IT'S AMETHYST!" James screamed in anger. "IT'S BEEN AMETHYST FOR THE PAST THREE HOURS!" he continued to scream getting up from his seat on the floor and kicking over a paint can in fury. "I can't take it in here any longer!"
"James chill." Amethyst told her friend. "The others are bound to go looking for us sooner or later.
"Have you seen Amethyst, James and Peri?" Ash asked Pearl on the warp pad. "Don't think I've seen them since Friday."
"I'm sure they're just having some sort of adventure on their own. One time Amethyst got lost in her own room for an entire month. I'm sure they're fine." she answered him.
"So," the former mayor of Beach City addressed the two as he gingerly got off the warp pad. "I guess I just gotta take anything I like?"
"No Mr. Dewey." Pearl answered him, annoyed with the fact that he had invited himself "We took the kids out here to continue their training to defend themselves for when Homeworld and Team Rocket. Today, we are salvaging weapons from this old battlefield."
As former Mayor Dewey joined the other teens in the strawberry lined gem battlefield, Ash and Pearl both watched them all from the warp pad.
"Look at them all Pearl, do you really think you can really train them to become capable warriors?"
Pearl sighed "I don't know. But I think we'll have our work cut out for us."
In the end, Buck had chosen a sword, Jenny took a pair of sais, Kiki found a quiver and bow, Jamie selected a crossbow, Sour Cream picked a battleaxe, Sadie got a mace, and Kevin picked a what appeared to be a drill of sorts.
"Dad, we're all waiting on you, just pick something already." Buck impatiently told his father.
"Don't rush me son." he said looking around, "ah, here we go!" he exclaimed picking something up and rejoining the others on the warp pad. "Alright, let's go! I'm sure this is some sort of alien, explosive device."
"Should we tell him that's just a rock?" Ash whispered to Pearl.
"Just let him have this moment." Pearl decided, activating the warpad and returning to the Temple. "Okay, just leave your weapons here for the night and training begins in the morning."
"Actually Ms. Pearl," Jenny spoke up, "tomorrow doesn't work, we got our big show in Empire City tomorrow night."
Ash groaned, "aw that's right. I've been so caught up in training I completely forgot I promised I'd go with you guys to help set up."
That very next evening, Sadie Killer and the Suspects, their new manager Greg, Ash and Steven were traveling towards Empire City, where Greg had hooked them up with their first gig.
"You sure you're gonna be alright Ash?" Greg asked from behind the wheel.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, it's your first time back in Empire City since the bachelor party-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there Greg." he interrupted him, "Not a day goes by I think about what happened that night, but tonight, I'm here to just have fun and help my friends. Especially after all they've done to help me."
Greg smiled warm heartedly, "you're a strong kid Ash. I respect- Oh geez." he said as they passed what was once the boulevard where Le Hotel was. The outside was completely blocked off and there was heavy construction continuing after The Iron Masked Marauder destroyed half a city block to try and find Lapis nearly a month ago. Trying to put the depressing thought of the coming war behind them, Ash turned back towards the band.
"Come on guys, smile for Steven's camera!" he said pointing towards the old camcorder Steven had filming with for the entire car ride.
"YEAH!" Jenny immediately squealed hugging Sadie. "I'm so excited! It's our first big show!" The band then celebrated taking each other by the hand and raising their fists in the air excitedly.
"I love enthusiasm!" Buck said in his usual monotone voice, despite his big smile.
After Greg pulled up to the venue, Steven took the band to their dressing room camera still in hand.
"Ok, Ash, I'm gonna need you to help get Sour Cream's soundsystem up first since it'll be heaviest. Then we'll both get the amplifiers and the coffin set up. I've gotta manage these camera setups."
"Copy that Greg." he told his father figure. With the stereo loaded up into the trolley, he began to push it onto the empty stage.
"Ash." he heard a deep, familiar voice whisper into his ear.
Spinning around quickly, Ash looked to see who called his name. But he saw no one. "Hello?" he called out to see nobody was near him. Brushing it off as his mind playing tricks on him, he continued to set up the equipment.
"Ash." he heard it again.
He looked around to see nobody again. Getting worried, he backed away over toward the others, hoping it was one of the others calling for him and he wasn't going insane.
"What do you mean you don't know how to tie a tie?" he heard Jenny ask Buck as he entered the conversation.
"Yeah, like, didn't your dad teach you? He used to wear them everyday." Sour Cream continued.
Ash looked over towards his friend and saw that wrapped around his neck was a red neck tie as if were a scarf. "They were clip ons."
"Hey, were any of you guys calling me?" he asked them.
"No, why do you ask?" Jenny asked.
"I'm sure it's nothing. You guys just go out there and kill it." he said brushing off his concern.
As he took his position with Steven and Greg backstage, Sadie Killer and the Suspects took the stage. The trio, bound in funeral attire, each began to play their instruments as the smoke machines activated and a prop coffin popped out from the floor, opening with a pale Sadie dressed in a white sheet.
"I used to be sick. Sick and tired. Delirious, dizzy, terrified. But I'm suddenly out of bed. You'd never believe I was almost-"
Her happy demeanor became enraged as her character waved her hand in front of Buck, who just ignored her.
"Why can't you see me!?"
She did the exact same thing as she went up to Sour Cream.
"Why can't you see me!?"
Then she went up to Jenny
"I think I might be-"
She returned to the coffin in defeat.
"A g-g-g-ghost."
She screamed in rage and kicked over the coffin, standing up and turned her attention to the cheering audience.
"Can't you see that I exist, and I don't need an exorcist, to let me out? Look at me and I'll appear. Why can't you see that I'm right here? That I'm right here. Why can't you see me? Why can't you see me? I think I might be, a g-g-g-ghost."
The performance drew a standing ovation from the crowd
"You guys were amazing!" Greg excitedly told the group, an older woman who Ash had'nt met before was standing alongside Greg.
"Yeah we were!" Jenny awarded herself.
"Sadie you nailed that last part!" Ash told them.
"Greg, where'd you find these kids?" the woman asked "Reminds me of your old space gimmick. Except people actually like it. I'm just kidding, you were very ahead of your time. But Sadie Killer and the Suspects, that crowd was going crazy. You're really something. You kids are welcome to play at the venue anytime."
"Ms. Justice." the club's bouncer said approaching the woman. "We have another drunk at the bar."
She sighed, "Alright, give me a minute. Good to see yah again Greg, and you kids really were amazing."
"Who was that?" Ash asked once the group was alone.
"Just an old friend. Sunshine Justice is the owner of this place and the one who set this little gig up."
"Ash." he heard the voice from earlier, a splitting headache forming in his head now.
"What was that?" Steven asked, Ash now realizing the others could hear the voice.
"Who was that?" Greg asked, a little concerned. "Ash are you alright? You're turning red."
Ash took Jenny's makeup mirror and looked at himself, sure enough he was turning red in the face, as his headache grew.
"I-I don't know. The last time I had a headache this bad, was the time Blue Diamond took me. Let's hop- AH!" he screamed in agony as the headache became more worse than before.
"Oh my gosh." Jenny decreed, as she and Sour Cream caught their friend as he collapsed from the pain. "Ash, what's wrong?"
Slowly getting back up, Ash tried his best to recollect himself.
"Ash." the voice echoed once more, this time it was much more focused. Interestingly enough, Ash's headache was now fading rapidly. Looking up, everyone saw who the source of the voice was.
"Hello again old friend." Mewtwo said floating above them all.
Seeing this unknown creature, and that it was the source of his friend's pain, Buck quickly armed himself with his guitar and charged the pokemon. Only to be thrown into the wall by a psychic attack.
"Mewtwo stop! Let him go he's my friend!" Ash screamed.
The pokemon acknowledged his friend's request and released Buck.
"Ash, what is that?" Greg asked.
But Ash was more focused on the pokemon in front of him. "Mewtwo, what are you doing here? How are you here?"
"I'm not here. I'm merely a projection that I created using the connection of aurora. My apologies for causing you any discomfort. I've been searching for you to warn you of what I've learned. Giovanni has captured Xerneas."
Ash's eyes widened with worry.
"What's a Xerneas?" Jenny asked.
"The pokemon of creation." Mewtwo answered her. "With nobody to ensure the balance of creation and destruction, Yveltal is lost and in danger of falling to the same fate. I have taken it upon myself to stop him. I am here to inform you on Arceus's behalf."
"No, Mewtwo, you can't take on him by yourself. He has both the power of a Diamond and now the power of Xerneas at his disposal." Ash desperately warned.
"Ash, you're needed here to face Homeworld. Giovanni will stop at nothing until both our world and this world are his. Besides, there is no one to put Giovanni in line. I must stop him while there is still time." he explained as he began to fade away.
"No! Mewtwo! Stop! You can't!" Ash protested, but he was too late, and Mewtwo's projection was gone.
Lapis ran through the forest, careful to avoid the low hanging branches after the screeching. She finally reached the clearing and saw the cries were coming from the shore of Lake Verity. Slowly approaching the rocky shore, she saw a blue creature with a spiked shell on its back laying on the shore.
The creature looked towards her and let out another cry of fear and pain.
"Hey." she softly told the creature, lifting her hand up to show she wasn't a threat. "Hey it's alright."
"It's a Lapras." she heard Cynthia say from behind her. "It's been beached."
The Lapras softly cried again, this time it seemed to be aware that Lapis posed no threat to her and was begging for help.
"What do I have to do?" Lapis asked.
"We have to get it back into the water."
"Ok." Lapis answered her. She gently raised a water hand and lifted the pokemon up off the ground. Although Lapras looked scared at first, the pokemon accepted the help and began to calm down. "There you go." she said after the pokemon was safe in the water.
"Congratulations Lapis." Cynthia said placing her hand on her pupil's shoulder. "You've passed the first test of motherhood."
Lapis's smile faded, she had passed a test she'd never get to see her final grade to. Then she remembered what they were talking about earlier. "Why would Yveltal visit me in my dream?"
Cynthia looked up at the night sky illuminated by the full moon. "Yveltal is the pokemon of destruction, essentially the pokemon of death. Legend goes that if Yveltal visits, it means death follows shortly after."
As Lapis tried to process what was just told her, the Lapras suddenly nudged her with its snout affectionately. When Lapis looked into the water type's eyes, she felt the imeditate connection between them.
"Ash told me about how he rescued and looked after a baby Lapras a few years ago. Are you the Lapras Ash Ketchum saved?"
Lapras nodded happily.
"Seems that there's a maternal connection here." Cynthia evaluated. "I think that Lapras wants to return the favor. Here." she said handing Lapis a dive ball.
"Lapras, would you like to join my party?" she asked presenting the dive ball.
Lapras immediately pressed the button on the dive ball using his nose, and allowed the ball to capture him. The bittersweet moment was finished off by Cynthia placing her arm on her shoulder, "Congratulations Lapis. Come on, the others are probably worried."
Lapis smiled, "Alright.'