Author's notes: School is a real, time consuming thing that has kept me from writing this chapter and doing any fining to make it's quality better. At this point it does it's job at pushing the story forward and at the very least, that is a good thing.
Replies to reviews:
-Guest: Ash is still technically there, but he does have Superman at his side. Let's see how long that good luck lasts.
-Sailor Dragonball 87: For Batman and his Pokémon, Ash is dead until he manages to get out of the Dark Multiverse.
-Cylon One: Oh, they definitely want to get the to main DC Universe and pull it along with the 51 other earths in the multiverse to the darkness. When it comes to Ash, they wanted to turn him to their side to when they lost Batman from Earth-0 to Witcher/Dragon Age world in Another Anchor, so they could get him as a new Wagon. Now Batman Who Laughs has gone to pull all the contingency plans he has to get that done. And thanks for reviewing.
Chapter 14: Great Noise
Kanto Region, Saffron City Gym's ruins
~The Black Sun has failed in bringing the Boy~ Barbatos' voice echoed in the air surrounding the Gym.
''Hah hah hah hah haa!'' Batman Who Laughs' laughter echoed following Barbatos.
The other Dark Knights stood by the feet of their gigantic master as their leader laughed at the news they had been given. Devastator had cancelled the Doomsday Virus' effect on himself turning back to his human form and was now visibly like any other Batman in full black bodysuit that had a red and yellow bat-symbol on the chest, while Merciless was keeping Dialga, Palkia and Giratina in leashes. Arceus was kept in a cage created by Dawnbreaker's ring and Murder Machine's nanites were holding Mewtwo in similar technological restraints as when he had been held back in servitude by Team Rocket. Red Death, on the other hand, was still recovering from Arceus' Judgement attack and was helped to stay on his feet by the Drowned, even if it was done passively. And while the Batman Who Laughs was barely holding himself together from Barbatos' news, his newly acquired bride was holding the leshes on his Robins as the eldest stood by them.
''Oh, that boy, he is more like us than we realized,'' Batman Who Laughs said drawing breath as he turned to the other Dark Knights. ''Not even at the same age we were when we first put on our cowls and already he has beaten Clark- no, two Clarks, at the same time BY IMPROVISING! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH HAAA! How is that not funny!?''
''I'm still younger than him,'' Dawnbreaker pointed out, passively as he was still focused keeping Acreus in captivity. ''And I never met any Clarks.''
''And neither did I,'' the Drowned added.
''He is talking about Superman,'' Devastator grunted at the child and the woman before turning to Batman Who Laughs. ''You're saying the Batman Who Never Was managed to defeat two Supermen as fallen as my Superman?''
''With just the trauma we have instilled on him and no training, that is why the original plan was to turn him into one of us,'' Batman Who Laughs said taking out one of his metal cards. ''But now he is who knows where and we are out of wagons.''
~Is it that time, my favorite knight?~ Barbatos' voice asked from above them and looking up, the Dark Knights saw their master looking down at them.
''Soon, my lord,'' Batman Who Laughs spoke without looking up at Barbatos and more focused on the card. ''It is time to arm the warheads and start preparations for the BIG BANG that brings the beginning of the end.''
The Batman Who Laughs cackled at his own words as he looked at the card, before taking a glance behind it, at the woman looking after his children.
''Red Death, once you have your head back in the game, I need you to run and check all the cards you left at those places yesterday,'' he then said waving his hand as a gesture for everyone not doing anything to go do something and then walked to his bride. ''Grace, did you know that every beginning, large or small, begins with a GREAT NOISE?''
''Crow, crow-''
''Bar!'' Grace shouted at the barking Robins as Batman Who Laughs walked to her.
''Hah hah, yes, good,'' Batman Who Laughs said approving her actions and put his left arm around her as he spoke to her. ''Big Bangs, SCREAMS, in my case it was both. But the voice of my master, Barbatos, it's the Dark Chord that will shake the strings of the multiverse. The Anti-Music to bring the powers of darkness to be harnessed and controlled with my cards here.''
Grace, in the state that she was, looked at the Batman Who Laughs and nodded while smiling at him.
''But before that happens, Grace, I believe there is something we all should do right now as a family,'' he then told her as he threw the card out in the air and as it spinned, it turned into his Batmobile. ''A family roadtrip. You, me and the kids, we'll be going to see some sights and if fortune favors us, Serena and big brother Tommy will join at one those sights.''
Mount Silver
As the Greninja approached Batman, there were multiple observations about the Water/Dark Type Pokémon that a World's Greatest Detective could make. For one, unlike the other Pokémon that had been gathering at the mountain top, Ash's Pokémon to be precise, Greninja was more exhausted, like it has just spent the last few hours climbing its way to the mountain. If that was true, then Greninja had just arrived and wasn't brought here by Lugia or Ho-oh. And if it had just arrived, then Greninja was not filled on about what the two Legendary Pokémon had asked Batman to do and had only seen Ash's Pokémon choose to fight alongside Batman, without any proper context.
''No need for brutal sign language,'' Batman said stepping in front of the approaching Greninja and removed his ledt glove to show his hand to the Pokémon. ''Thanks to this I can understand you as well as every other Pokémon here.''
''Good, then you can understand me when I ask,'' Greninja spoke creating another Water Shuriken and pointed it at Batman's chest, ''what is this supposed to stand for?!''
''Fear,'' Batman answered after seeing that Greninja was pointin the Water Shuriken at the Bat-Symbol. ''Fear, that I have made my mission in life to share with my enemies.''
''It doesn't frighten me,'' Greninja growled.
''I haven't started trying to,'' Batman growled back as he pulled his glove back on and easily slapped the Water Shuriken from the exhausted Pokémon's hand. ''You look tired, how far have you come here? Hoenn? Unova?''
Greninja looked at the dissolving Water Shuriken, before falling down to its feet from exhaustion and answered.
''Kalos, where Ash left me to protect it from the aftermath of Team Flare's attack,'' the Water/Dark Type said from sitting position as Batman lowered himself in front of the Pokémon. ''Until earlier today, I felt my connection with him gone and I have been on my way the the last place it he was before our connection was severed.''
''What connection?'' Batman asked.
''Battle Bond,'' Pikachu said from the side, still holding onto Ash's hat. ''That is what Professor Sycamore called the phenomenum similar to Mega Evolution where Greninja could evolve further with shared connection to-''
''Professor Sycamore is dead,'' Greninja said glancing at Pikachu. ''Before I felt my connection with Ash severed, I came across an abandoned Mega Stone digging and research site along with the charred remains of him, his assistants and Mairin. The only one alive in there was Alain, or what he had been reduced to.''
''I have no idea who those people are,'' Batman said slowly, not to sound disrespectful.
''Augustus Sycamore was the Pokémon researcher who was raising me until Ash took me for training,'' Greninja explained looking at Batman, really hard he was trying to burn the mask off. ''Alain was another Pokémon Trainer who bested Ash at the Luminose Conference in Kalos Pokémon League. His Mega Charizard… it defeated me. Mairin was with him.''
''Kalos?'' Batman said, not as a question but thinking analytically as a detective.
Already he knew that somewhere in Kalos, Red Death had hidden one of six metal cards for Batman Who Laughs at Anistar City's Sundial. Sundial, which was connected to Mega Stones that helped Pokémon to Mega Evolve.
''What was Professor Sycamore's field of research?'' Batman asked directly from Greninja and Pikachu.
''Mega Evolution,'' was Greninja's answer, which caused to stood up and turn to all the other Pokémon at the mountain top.
''Krookodile, and every Ground Type still here, I need you all to dig deep into this mountain and look for metal,'' Batman said with his right hand pointing at the ground he was standing on. ''Earlier, Pikachu and I were told that there are six metal cards that can be used to destroy your world. One of those cards is somewhere in this mountain and-''
ZOOOOOOOOOOOM!
In the middle of his plead, Batman was hit by something that moved faster than he could react to, but not fast enough for the Pokémon to see, attack and restrain the attacker, who Batman was able to recognize quickly, as he recovered from the attack, to be Red Death.
''You?!'' was Batman's first reaction as he saw the speedster version of himself in a bind by Bulbasaur and other Grass Types' vinewhips. ''The card, that's why you're here, isn't it? He sent you to make sure all the cards are still in place before he starts to destroy this world.''
''You're all of us,'' Red Death answered, but as he spoke the distrosion in his voice begun to disappear. ''What do you think?''
''The card here, where is it!?'' Batman demanded from speedster.
''In the mountain, somewhere'' Red Death spoke with the distorsion in his voice coming and going. ''You know how the Speed Force works, I phased through the mountain as I ran through it and dropped the card. It could be anywhere here and only I can find it by phasing through it again.''
''FIND THAT CARD!'' Batman yelled at the Pokémon and pointed at the ground as he also scanned them out with his left hand for Ground Types. ''Krookodile, Gible, Gliscor, Torterra, Donphan, Palpitoad, anyone who knows Dig! DIG INTO THE MOUNTAIN AND FIND THAT CARD!''
''Pika piika!'' Pikachu yelled at the Pokémon too, which Batman understood as 'Do as he says'.
''This mountain is rock, not dirt,'' Red Death said as those Pokémon that could dug to the ground. ''Those Pokémon might be able to dig into it, but they won't be as fast as me with the Speed Force. You could stop all that by letting me go and coming back to us all as our Wagon.''
SMACK!
Batman punched Red Death in the face and then ripped away their masks, making them face each other as Bruce Waynes. The sight of their similar faces took some of the Pokémon aback when as they saw them, even with the noticeble differences in with Red Death's scarred face and the fack how Batman looking down at the other, scarred Bruce with angry grimace and the scarred Bruce had smug poker face looking back.
''You're right, I know how the Speed Force works,'' Bruce told his scarred doppelganger. ''You should be able phase yourself free from these vines, because that is easier than talking me into coming with you. What is keeping you from doing that? Why aren't you using the Speed Force-''
Reminder of Barry at the airship made Bruce realize something. If Red Death had gained his access to the Speed Force by forcing the Flash to be bonded in the same body with him and if Arceus, the God Pokémon of this world, had separated them so that the Flash was now free, how much Speed Force could Red Death have left in now?
''You took the Speed Force from Barry and then, when Arceus attacked you-'' Bruce said looking away from the scarred Bruce as he was thinking before he turned back him. ''Have you been feeling light lately, like half of you is gone?''
The scarred Bruce didn't respond in any other way except except flinched in his poker face.
''Let him loose,'' Bruce told Bulbasaur and the other Grass Types as he readied his fists. ''Let's see how he can fight with his powers fading and with just his old tactics.''
The Dreaming, Lucien's Library
''You can send us back along with him too?'' Hilbert asked right after Thomas Jr had asked to be sent back. ''Like, so Prez and I could-''
''Carry on where you left?'' May asked still slightly drunk.
''Put our clothes back on!'' Hilda hissed at May offended.
''Adults and young adults,'' Thomas Jr muttered rubbing his eyes before turning back the Dream of the Endless. ''Send them back with me, we don't have all day for this.''
The Dream raised his hand to gesture Thomas Jr to take his place with Hilda and Hilbert.
''Aargh,'' Thomas Jr grunted as he took a few steps to be close enough to the Unovian couple. ''Before we go, Superman, give those girls a better lecture about underaged drinking than 'There is a time and a place for everything and it's called college'.''
The Dream raised his hand again, this time with some more dust in it and threw it at Thomas Jr, Hilda and Hilbert, turning them into similar dust that then broke them in dust to float and fall to the floor of library.
''They will have woken up where I took them from,'' the Dream spoke turning to face the ones still present. ''And eventually so will you. Before that, I am letting you have some final words with the Batman Who Never Was before I send him to the World Forge along with Superman.''
Ash was not in the mood to say anything to correct the Dream, who sat back down on his fancy white chair. Already he had been called 'Bruce' by the Nightmare Supermen back in Dark Multiverse and by the Superman brought with him to this library. Thomas Jr had confessed to everyone back in Saffron that his actions had caused Ash to become a next best thing to the Bruce Wayne that had been Thomas Jr's brother and because of that, even when he had grown up with his own life, it was pointless to try to deny something-
No! Ash shook his head. He could have been born into his world without Thomas Jr's actions and be as much as who he was now. He was Ash Ketchum, not Bruce Wayne. He was going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master, not some mad man who ran around dressed in-
''Where at that forge should I start looking for that metal?'' Ash asked temporarily pushing those thoughts away.
''You are in a hurry, but my passage for you needs you to travel with wonder in your heart,'' the Dream spoke from his chair, passively but also dominantly. ''Your friends are gathered here in my home. They were the ones who found you among the books. They are your anchor for return, so I suggest you reattach yourself to them.''
Ash turned slowly around to face the others in the burning library. After the Dream had sent Thomas Jr and those two half-naked Unovians away, there were only Brock, May, Dawn, Serena and Team Rocket there, along with Superman from the zombie world and an unknown man in red costume with lightning bolts. His friends, and enemies, all had different expressions on their faces when looking at Ash, like they were looking at someone else.
''So-''
''Ash, after you- what happened, we were completely at their mercy and the Batman Who Laughs kept reminding us that you are one of them and they are you,'' Brock started filling Ash in on what had happened. ''Thomas Jr also told us in full detail after we escaped about how he had come to our world on your birthday and infused his brother's soul into you as a blank slate.''
''Convenient that he just left from being part this conversation,'' Ash said muttering it under his breath. ''But I have lived this far in my life as Ash Ketchum and not as Bruce Wayne. I'm more Ash Ketchum than Bruce Wayne.''
''I agree,'' Superman said in a deep voice with his hands crossed, like he was speaking from experience. ''This thing that has been done to you, that made me recognize you as Bruce, it was done you at your birth and you only learned about it today, along with them.''
''Yeah, that sounds about it,'' Dawn said cutting in, ''for us at least.''
''The Batman Who Laughs made Thomas Jr tell quick version of it to us all back in Saffron,'' Ash muttered out.
''I can relate to that,'' Superman said taking a step between Ash and his friends. ''Before the Dream pulled us here from my world, I introduced myself you as Clark Kent. That is the name I grew with same as you did with the name Ash Ketchum, but I also had another name I was born with. Kal-El.''
Mount Silver
The Ground Types, that could, dug into the mountain in search of the metal card while the others surrounded a square area on the mountain top. Bruce threw the cape, cowl and his utility belt aside as Red Death, the scarfaced Bruce, was also thrown into the ring by Bulbasaur, Bayleaf and Snivy.
''You think you can figth me?'' the scarfaced Bruce asked as Bruce limbered his body for a fight.
''There is a reason I never got myself any superpowers,'' Bruce told the scarfaced Bruce as they begun walk in a circle. ''Same reason why I have told Barry, Clark and everyone with superpowers to learn how to survive without them. Do you still remember what that was?''
''Why yes I do,'' the scarfaced Bruce answered tapping his head with his finger. ''But plans and preparations give you NOTHING WHEN YOU CAN'T ENACT THEM!''
The scarfaced Bruce lunged at Bruce as he yelled that, at normal speed. Bruce responded to that with a counterattack by grabbing the the scarfaced Bruce's incoming fist hand and threw him on the ground back first. The remaining Speed Force energy that the scarfaced Bruce had was fading and without it, his reaction time was delayed so Bruce could restrain him on the ground.
''Plans and preparations didn't get me to save Jason from the Joker,'' the scarfaced Bruce grunted without distortion in his voice as Bruce sat his knee on his chest. ''They didn't save Tim from Uncle Jake's Colony drones, Damian from Talia's Heretic OR DICK FROM BEING HEADSHOT BY THAT SNIPER!''
''But they are going to help me in saving them nightmares like you!'' Bruce gritted his teeth at the scarfaced Bruce. ''Like it or not, that is all you are. A nightmare where I lost them and didn't get them back-''
''YOU GOT THEM BACK!?''
The scarfaced Bruce retaliated with some willpower and freed himself by twisting Bruce's body to the right and got them back at odds against each other.
''You got them back?''
''Jason through a Lazarus Pit and Damian through a trip to Apokolips,'' Bruce answered to the desperation on the scarred Bruce's face. ''Dick and Tim on the other hand, thanks for the heads up.''
''You got them back,'' the scarfaced Bruce kept repeating, ''you got them back.''
''And I didn't need the Speed Force for that,'' Bruce said with his guard still up. ''With time you still could have-''
''TIME WAS NOT LUXURY IN WHERE I'M FROM!'' the scarfaced Bruce yelled at Bruce. ''As soon as I got the Speed Force my world begun to crumble away. If not for the Batman Who Laughs-''
''YOU COULD BE WITH THEM RIGHT NOW!'' Bruce yelled back at the scarfaced Bruce. ''You could have gone away with your world to be with everyone you have lost, including your- including our-''
''My parents,'' the scarfaced Bruce said finishing his sentence in a shaking voice, coming to a realization as he looked at his hands covered by blood red gloves with spiky sharp fingertips like claws. ''What have I become? I killed Barry for this. And I followed a monster worse than the Joker to-''
The scarfaced Bruce fell on his knees shaking with his hands on his face. Bruce, seeing there no reason to fight him anymore, extended his arm to his team of volunteering Pokémon holding the cape, cowl and his utility belt. By the time scarfaced Bruce could show his face again from the cover of his hands, Batman was there standing above him.
''You are The Batman,'' the scarfaced Bruce said in a hollow voice looking up what he used to be, ''and I'm nothing.''
''You're wrong, you're still Bruce Wayne and before there was Batman there was Bruce Wayne,'' Batman spoke to the scarfaced Bruce. ''Bruce Wayne created Batman because he wanted to fight the kind of evil and injustice that had created a desperate man like Joe Chill to kill his parents.''
''That's not me anymore,'' the scarfaced Bruce said with his face down.
''Then make it so!'' Batman snapped at the scarfaced Bruce and grabbed him by the shoulders. ''Tell us where that card is! Help us save this world so you won't have any more blood in your hands. You can be a hero again.''
''I told you already, I phased through the mountain when I left it here,'' the scarfaced Bruce said shaking his head. ''And I'm losing my connection to the Speed Force as we speak thanks to Arceus. Even if I looked for the card and found it, if I run out of Speed Force while in there, I'll be lost in the mountain with it.''
''Argh!'' Batman grunted letting go the scarfaced Bruce.
''There is a way,'' a voice said from behind them as Greninja and Pikachu arrived to them. ''Pikachu and the others have explained what your connection is to Ash. And if that connection can be extended to the Battle Bond Ability, his eyes can become my eyes so I can see where he is when he finds that card if he looses his powers.''
Batman pulled the scarfaced Bruce up on his feet and towards the approaching Greninja.
''Keep talking,'' Batman told the Water/Dark Type.
The Dreaming, Lucien's Library
Superman told Ash his life story as a short version that made a point about coming to terms with being born with something you couldn't control. About how he had lived most of his early years before learning that he was an alien from another planet while raised a son of two farmers. About how his powers had started to manifest at a young age and how his parents had told him the truth about finding him as a baby in a spaceship. And about how all of that had forged him into the Man of Steel he was now as being Superman had been how he had found a balance between his upbringing as Clark Kent and his heritage as Kal-El.
''All that is gone now, along with everything else in my world, but you can still save your world and learn to be the very best version of yourself with the weight you carry,'' Superman said closing his case. ''You handled yourself well against the undead back in my world, you should have the potential for that.''
''As Ash Ketchum and as Bruce Wayne?'' Ash asked not sure if he understood. ''All I have seen about Bruce Wayne so far is that he is weird, sick, crazy old man who hurts people.''
''Ash, he saved our lives back in Hoenn!'' Dawn and May yelled at Ash. ''And Hilda, you saw her leave with Thomas Jr and Hilbert, Bruce did everything he could when she got wounded in crossfire when we escaped from Hoenn to Johto.''
''And what I saw of him, the real him, not the nightmare versions,'' Brock also said trying to defend Bruce to Ash, ''he seemed reasonable enough to think straight to help us in telling what to do.''
''Then where is he now?'' Ash asked.
''Doing what he can do,'' Barry spoke up. ''I have been trapped within the Bruce from my world long enough, that I can tell you the real Bruce is the closer to you than the fallen nightmare versions.''
''I was the first one of us to meet him,'' Serena said finally speaking as well. ''Both the mask on and mask off, he always put himself between us and the danger we were in. Ash, even if you don't want to be him, you can be like him and still be yourself.''
To that, Ash could not respond in a rejecting way, somehow because that didn't sound like a a request to change himself. Also, the way how Serena had said that, something in her voice that sounded like back in Snowbelle City after Ash's first loss against Wulfric, but more passive and hollower compared to the commanding and angry tone she had yelled at him back when he was down. Not to mention now that Ash properly looked a Serena, she herself seemed more distant like something had happened to her.
''What happened while I was gone?'' Ash asked looking at Serena's distant and passive demenour. ''Why are you- why is she like that?''
''The Batman Who Laughs let us all know how and why he is the worst one of them all,'' Dawn said telling Ash as Serena kept passively glaring at him. ''He had taken her mom and turned her into one of those things he has with him, essentially turning himself into some twisted version of a stepfather to Serena.''
''Need I remind you that the Library is burning away,'' the Dream of the Endless reminded them in the middle of the talk while Ash was trying to understand what Dawn had let him know. ''And soon, the Forge will be dark.''
''The metal at the Forge, can it also turn Serena's mom back to normal?'' Ash asked, remembering the feral Robins that the Batman Who Laughs had had back in the illusion at Saffron and unwillingly imagined what Serena's mother would look like as one of them.
''If what turned her is from the Dark Multiverse, then yes,'' the Dream answered.
Ash looked at the Dream, then at Serena, then Superman and then at Serena again and nodded in what looked like acceptance.
''Be the Batman to beat the Batman, okay,'' Ash said in a voice that sounded like he was fighting against denial. ''Send me and Superman to the Forge while the Metal is still there.''
''Before you go anywhere, Twerp,'' James said stepping up from behind Jessie and Meowth. ''Know that what is happening out there is bigger than you. That out there is our real world is being threatened by those things. The world in which we all live in, not just you, and we all would like it still be there longer when we're sent back.''
''Eh?'' Ash muttered out not confused by that, but that James had come to say it.
''Point, Twerp, is that you are more fixated on not wanting to be someone else than being focused on what is going on,'' James told Ash in an unusually strict tone, while also directing his lecture to others as well. ''The same goes for everyone else trying to convince him to try find any kind of balance in between. The easiest way to get through with what we are going through, is by letting go and going forward to what is important.''
''That is surprisingly profound of you, James,'' Jessie said sharing Ash's and everyone else's confusion. ''Is this about your-''
''This is about the fate of everything we know!'' James snapped back her and Meowth who would have also said something while grasping at his uniform. ''Team Rocket may have been forced to change uniforms, but we are still about protecting the world from devastation and we have already united people within our nation.''
James turned around to dramatically make his point.
''And that is what we should all be focused on, making sure that we can go sleep in the future and come to this place for our dreams,'' James declared with his hands raised to bring attention to the burning library, before putting them down. ''We are counting on you, Twerp, that while we are the ones fighting those nightmares, you will be the one to bring us weapons to finish the job.''
''Damn,'' Barry was the first one to say astonished, ''talk about Rogues' peptalk.''
''Why thank you,'' James responded blushing, acting now more like himself. ''We have always been lovable rogues.''
''Not what I meant, but-'' Barry was about to say, but then shook his head. ''Nevermind.''
''ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE!''
The Dream of the Endless raised for his chair and waved his hands. Superman stepped closer to Ash for almost as if due to instinct but due to the Dream's action. Instead of throwing dust at them, the Dream created a portal from the wonder from the heart of one of them. The third forced among them.
Then without saying anything else, the Dream quickly threw his dust at Brock, Serena, May, Dawn, Barry and Team Rocket, making them leave the library faster than they could protest. Then he sat back down to his chair and opened a book as his librarian showed himself.
''My lord, the book burns in your hand! So many books burn…''
''I know, Lucien, but I will read on as long as I can,'' the Dream answered to his librarian. ''The heroes keep hope in their hearts, and through the whirling dark, they reach the Great Forge..''
Mount Silver
''Both of you, focus,'' Batman said with his ungloved left hand up in a fist. ''As soon as he turns in Ash-Greninja, you start running and get us that card.''
The scarfaced Bruce knelled to a running start position with Greninja next to him and Batman standing behind them with his left hand in the space between them. With the telepathic circuits in his hand originating from the blue box, the Battle Bond ability could be strengthened and forced between Greninja and Red Death as a version of Ash Ketchum, which would have then given them a way to find Red Death if he lost the Speed Force and get stuck inside the mountain while looking the card.
''Focus, find a common serenity and hold onto it,'' Batman spoke while also focusing his nerves in his hand as if attempting to control the piece in it. ''Focus, focus, focus…''
''So much darkness…'' Greninja muttered in the middle of their concentration.
''Barry, forgive me,'' the scarfaced Bruce spoke.
''Focus on connecting and finding that card,'' Batman said gritting his teeth. ''Focus on being a hero again.''
*-!
That loud voice came from Saffron, far below the mountains in the middle of Kanto and the sound wave knocked them all away from their concentration. Something about that loud voice, the sound wave coming from it was felt by everyone as it caused the mountain to begin to shake.
''They are starting it,'' the scarfaced Bruce said, a little more actively now. ''Call the ground types back here, I'll get that card for you.''
''How are you-'' Batman was about to ask when the scarfaced Bruce pulled his Red Death mask back on and-
ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
begun to run, leaving a fading trail of his corrupted Speed Force behind, leading to the mountain wall.
''Lugia?'' Batman asked looking up to the Legendary Psychic/Flying Type Pokémon.
''I have called them back, but I cannot sense him in anywhere,'' Lugia's calm, but urgent voice spoke inside Batman's head as the Legendary Pokémon was communicating with telepathy.
''You don't need to find him,'' Greninja grunted at the ground and gestured Batman to kneel down near him. ''He is right here.''
Down on the ground, there was a red hand sticking out from the hard rock with the vibrating metal card in it's grasp. Batman didn't need to be call World's Greatest Detective to realize what had happened during those brief seconds after the scarfaced Bruce had ran of as Red Death with his remaining little Speed Force energies. Batman closed his eyes for a brief second, inhaled and exhaled, then took the card from the dead man's hand, which for some reason caused it to start vibrating even stronger when it got closer to his left hand.
''What the-'' Batman was about to say when the card suddenly stopped vibrating and turned into a sphere shaped marble ball. ''What is this?''
''That is a Key Stone,'' Greninja answered looking at the round marble in Batman's hand. ''Alain had one, he used it to reinforce his connecting with his Charizard to make it Mega Evolve back when Ash was in Kalos.''
''I can use this to make Pokémon Mega Evolve?'' Batman asked for confirmation.
''As long as they have a Mega Stone,'' Greninja answered.
Batman put the Key Stone into his belt and took a few more seconds to look down on Red Death's hand pointing out of the ground. That had not been a version him, but a bad dream that had now come to it's end and hopefully with Key Stone, Batman could use Red Death's sacrifice to fight back better than initially planned.
''The next card closest to us is supposed to be in Hoenn at the Sky Pillar,'' Batman said looking at the Johto side of Mount Silver and towards Hoenn. ''After I get Pokéballs to carry those of you who can't fly over the ocean, we'll head there next.''
Team Rocket Airship, Bridge
''Calibrating…''
''You're back,'' Thomas Jr said turning around to greet those returned from the Dreaming. ''Change into tactical gear and get ready for a raid.''
Thomas Jr turned back around to work on his new goggles to replace the ones destroyed by the Merciless back in Saffron City Gym.
''Are we still in Kanto?'' Brock's voice asked from behind him, obviously noticing that the airship was moving.
''No,'' Thomas Jr answered trying the goggles on. ''As soon as the Flash let us know about the cards, Grid has expanded itself around to the other regions to find those other metal cards.''
''Which one are we headed to?'' Barry asked as Thomas Jr turned back to them as Owlman once again.
''The one in Unova,'' Owlman answered registering the others on his goggles' updated interface. ''May Maple, Dawn Berlitz, Serena Yvonne, Brock Harrison, Barry Allen, Jessie Murrow, James- Where the hell is James!?''
James was not there among them on the bridge of the airship.
''Did he stay in the Dreaming?'' Meowth asked.
''That Dream guy did force us to leave to send Ash and Superman to the Forge,'' Dawn said remembering back the moment the Dream had sent them away. ''Did he send James to the Forge with them?''
''Oh, that is just fantastic,'' Owlman muttered lifting his goggles off his eyes so he could rub them in his annoyance right when Hilda and Hilbert walked to the bridge. ''We haven't even been given a chance to go after the cards yet and already we are down by one man. Any greater news?''
''Umm...?'' both Unovian stood speacheless at Thomas Jr's passive ranting.
''Oh, good,'' Thomas Jr said turning his attention towards them, ''I see you are done fu-''
*-!
Owlman's offensive sentence was cut by a loud, difficult to describe sound coming form the otside, which caused the airship to shake in the way as if it had been pushed by another obstacle on the air. While everyone else took a hold onto something to to keep their balance, Grid opened visuals to outside on the screens and showed that there was another airship out there, right above the Extralink Forest where one of the metal cards they were supposed to be picking up from there. Another airship, that looked like an old timey frigade.
''And the headaches just keep coming,'' Owlman grunted at the sight of the other airship before turning to Barry. ''Flash, I'm going to have Grid open a Boom Tube close enough that ship for you to run aboard. Once you're there, grab someone worth interrogating and bring them here.''
''Owlman, we know who those people are,'' Hilbert said looking at the other airship and PZ logo on it's sails. ''That ship belongs to Team Plazma.''
Boom!
''Make sure you bring someone Admin ranked,'' Owlman told Barry right before
TSHOOOM!
he ran into the Boom Tube. ''Their presence here right now can't be a coincidence. We need to know what they do about the cards or the Dark Knights have approached them.''
''Opelucid City is frozen,'' Hilda said pointing out the window. ''And that ship has an cannon with fumes coming out of it.''
TSHOOOM!
Boom!
''This guy was overseeing the machinery at that other ship,'' Barry told pushing in a man blond, with a blue strand, in a labcoat with spectacles and a console in his left hand. ''And I caught a glance at a big, grey Pokémon in a really cold room.''
''I must say, this is interesting,'' the man in the labcoat said raising his gaze from the floor and looked around before stopping to look at Hilbert. ''Hero of Truth? I was told you were buried in the Light Orb along with Reshiram.''
''Who told you that?'' Hilbert asked as the man in the labcoat stood up.
''Lord Ghetsis of course,'' the man answered calmly. ''I am Colress of Team Plazma and it was my Beheeyem that he used to bond you with the Reshiram two years ago.''
''Nice to meet you, Colress,'' Owlman said passively in a sarcastic tone before grabbing the man and lifted him up with his right hand. ''My name is Owlman and this my Crime Syndicate. Would you like to tell us about the artifact placed in the forest below and what your organization about it?''
Dark Multiverse, the Forge of Worlds
''The heroes keep hope in their hearts, and through the whirling dark, they reach the Great Forge. But as they near, they see…''
''No,'' Ash said looking at their surroundings.
He was standing at an edge of a wide, large crater with burning lava just barely in the bottom of it while large kiln in the middle might as well have been smelted and reformed into a closed sphere without any purpose anymore. The sky was blacker than that void he had previously been held by the Nightmare Supermen and Ash could only barely see the dying worlds breaking into pieces in there.
''They are too late. The Forge has gone dark forever.''
''This can't… this can't be how it all ends,'' Superman said also looking at the dying worlds. ''My world and everything… it just crumbles down here.''
''Why am I here?!'' Ash and Superman turned to see James there at the edge of the crater. ''Why did the Sandman send me here along with you? What did I do to wrong?''
''You had more wonder in your heart than we did,'' Superman said placing his hand on James' shoulder to calm him down. ''I just witnessed the death of my world and Ash is still coping with the reality of Batman. You were more clearheaded that we were.''
''Everything the Sandman told us about this place sounded wonderful,'' James said calmer, but depressed. ''He told us this place was supposed to be a place of creation and beginnings that all dreams are made of.''
''Then came a booming voice from behind them.''
''YOU WERE TOLD WRONG, JAMES MORGAN.''
Ash, James and Superman were covered by a large shadow of a larger being that made them aware of it's presence with it's booming voice. It was a large being with wings made of metal, wearing a monstrous helmet on its head and carrying a large two-handed hammer. It was so tall that even Superman could reach to it's toes.
''The Forger?'' James said recognizing the the being's form from the Dream's story.
''Hawkman?'' Superman said recognizing the features of the being to another hero.
''I AM CARTER HALL, DRAGON OF BARBATOS, KEEPER OF THE DARK FORGE'' the gigantic being spoke rising his hammer at three people in front of it. ''AND THERE ARE ONLY ENDINGS HERE.''
''And with these words, this book, and all hope, burns to Ash.''
Author's notes: I got those last names for May, Jessie and James by googling 'Pokémon characters surnames'. And for the presence of Team Plazma now in Unova, how many of you have played Black 2 or White 2? The metal card Batman Who Laughs had left in Extralink Forest is linked to certain DNA Splicers connected to the Tao Trio of Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem.