Chapter 7 On the Run

Somewhere Mysterious

Zero sat in his chair and watched the screen in front of him. It gave a holographic map of two dimensions. The bottom was a red plane with a large red object swaying around a vortex. Above it was a blue plane that showed more numerous smaller dots. Each dot or object represented a living creature. The map made sense in that the blue plane would hold many different creatures, human or Pokemon. The red plane was devoid of sentient organisms except one; Giratina. The vortex that divided the two dimensions would expand when Giratina attempted to surface. Zero had learned that after the encounter with Dialga, Giratina had been unable to leave the reverse world. Yet the charts beside map screen showed several spikes in dimensional activity. Zero was not often perplexed. He was a man of high intellect; he was once a scientist in the world community. There has to be a reason for this, he thought to himself.

Dialga? He asked himself. That would be a likely explanation. It was Giratina's target after all. Giratina had tried to trap it in the reverse world. There was only one way to know.

"Infi, how many times has Giratina surfaced?" He asked.

"Just twice." the holographic figure answered.

"And was Dialga nearby?"

"Negative, if Dialga is around its outside the radars field."

"Thank you, Infi." Zero nodded.

"Of course."

Zero started his train of thought again. He thought of every possible explanation for Giratina's actions. Giratina was clearly not after Dialga. What else besides revenge would the Renegade Pokemon want?

"Wait." He said aloud. "Revenge…..Infi, replay the battle from this morning."

"As you wish." Infi replied before playing the footage.

It showed Giratina battling Dialga. He watched every moment from stop to finish. It was near the end that Zero ordered the video to be paused. In the still moment, Giratina was preparing to release a massive fireball at Dialga in what would have been an instant kill. When he played the footage like normal, it showed a massive burst of light and Giratina flying back. When he paused it, however, it showed a key image that would otherwise be overlooked. In the shot was a third Pokemon, a glowing green light amongst the grass. In slow footage it showed the Pokemon unleashing an attack that cancelled Giratina's fireball. This Pokemon interfered with Giratina's plan and did something devastating. In the shot, it showed the Griseous orb cracking.

"That explains why Giratina was trapped." Zero said aloud. "The griseous orb being damaged prevented the dragon from leaving the reverse world. The Pokemon in the picture would be sought out because of….revenge." It all made sense. But one thing was missing. Who's that Pokemon?

"Infi, scan all sources and determine the Pokemon's identity." Zero commanded. The man knew that his holographic assistant was perfect. Never questioned any orders; never disobeyed directives; always got the job done. Zero appreciated her because she was able to make his plans possible. Make his plans perfect. After a quick search the Pokemon was discovered. The creature was exceptionally rare, which wasn't surprising because it was a legendary. Which meant that it wouldn't be hard to find. "Infi, lets scan the surrounding area. Deploy the Magnamite and await my orders."

"As you wish." Infi nodded before executing his commands with perfection.

He waited for several minutes. Zero was a patient man. He knew that Infi would not fail him. Within minutes, he had a visual. The Magnamite had small cameras attached to them; they could cover great distances. Infi also took the time to hack into the security network while Zero watched from his chair. The move was most productive. He saw three humans, one boy, an older male, and a girl. They had several Pokemon among them. But it was not the Piplup that interested him nor was it the Pikachu. It was the third Pokemon. It hugged the ground and was covered in a green coat with two petals on its sides.

Zero grinned. "So you're what this is all about. With you, I get one step closer to kingship." He knew that he was close to success. With a simple capture, he would have something that Giratina would want. Bait. And with the bait, he would cast out for a monster who would seize it. It could work.

No. It would work, he corrected himself. He got out of his chair and strode towards the exit with powerful strides. "Infi, take over."

"Be careful. I await you're return."

Ten'i Village

Ash and the others strolled through the park, with vigilant eyes scanning the area. Dawn and Brock were talking about the previous events while Ash's thoughts dwelled on what he should do. If Giratina was indeed after Shaymin as Newton said then he was in danger along with all the others who were near the Gratitude Pokemon. Yet strangely, he felt some sort of need to help it. The reasoning could not be called logical or practical even. It was something that had been a part of him for all of his life.

A need to help others.

He always did in the past. Sure, there were a few times in which I put myself in danger, but I always ended up fine in the end both physically and mentally, Ash reminded himself. Even when he practically sacrificed himself to save his friends, he never hesitated to do anything necessary, including self sacrifice. Some would call his actions childish or even outright stupid, but this was one of Ash's defining characteristics. That and a willpower to fight until he claimed victory or tasted the effects of defeat.

Clearly there was no argument that he would do anything to protect his friends. He protected Pikachu from the Spearow when he was ten years old; he had jumped in front of Mewtwo's Psychic on New Island; he nearly died trying to save the world from Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres when he was in the Orange Archipelago; and he nearly died in Hoenn while retrieving the crystal in the Temple of the Sea. All of those times it was to save his friends or Pokemon.

But why am helping someone he had just met? He asked.

He pushed it aside and kept walking.

"Giratina? Reverse World guardian? Man, would have loved to see that?" Brock stated.

"Are you kidding? It nearly blew us up with fireballs!" Dawn said incredulously.

"Yeah, but still."

"Uh, Shaymin, where are we going now?" Ash asked. 'Shaymin?"

The realization that it was still in his backpack suddenly came full force. At first, Ash thought that the Pokemon had fallen out. A heavy weight in the bag reassured him that the Pokemon was still present with the travelers. Though he doubted it was pleased. It didn't take long for there to be confirmation.

Upon opening the bag, he was immediately blinded by what appeared to be an exploding seed. Ash was blasted backwards and fell hard onto the grassy terrain around the sidewalk. He coughed and gasped as he struggled to his feet, only to see a pissed off Shaymin glaring at him from his bag. The others just laughed at him: even Pikachu. Ash didn't feel like getting the indignant Pokemon even more upset

"Okay before you decide to pound me with another round of Seed Bombs, let me just say that I totally deserved that explosion."

"Yes, you did, you dumbass! Did you just forget about me?"

"Well...yeah. Sorry." Ash admitted. "You stopped moving and I just associated you with the weight of the backpack, I guess. How come you didn't squirm or nudge my back or something like that?"

"What do you think I have been doing for the last ten minutes!? Just sitting for the ride!? I decided that you were simply not gonna notice me so I decided to wait for you to remember. Then, when you open up the bag, KABOOM!" Upon saying this Shaymin unleashed a Seed Bomb straight at Ash, who barely dodged the attack.

"Wait wait wait. Shaymin, can I do something for you so that you forget about this?"

"Screw that! Keep up the good work, Shaymin." Dawn laughed. "I've wanted to do that for months."

"Dawn, thats not helping! Shaymin, please. I will be nice. I'll let you jump on my head again."

Shaymin sat there for a moment before taking the offer and leaping up onto Ash's head. The boy flinched at first but realized what that the deal was in his benefit. The mentality must have been, carry me on your head, or I will shoot you. Whatever the case, Ash clearly didn't mind. Better to get an additional weight than an additional wound, he thought.

"Anyway, which way now?" Ash asked again.

"Well, if we are heading in the same direction as before, I suppose the Flower Garden is-"

The Gratitude Pokemon was cut off by a loud screeching sound. Several Magnamite appeared from nowhere and suddenly descended on the humans and their respective Pokemon. They all used Metal Sound, which caused the affected targets to cover their ears and wince from the harsh noise. Ash managed to take a peak to see that there were many different Magnamite along with a couple Magnaton. High above, a larger Pokemon levitated. It was shaped like a flat dome and it had two large eyes on opposite ends. There was also a red orb in the center and a large antenna on the top of the steel frame. The most striking features however were the two large magnets hanging underneath the eyes. They gave the impression of built in cannons, and Ash didn't need proof that they could inflict severe damage.

Above the Pokemon, a tall man in a yellow suit descended towards the humans. He rode what seemed to be a levitating platform. A large control stick was allowing the man to control the strange device and it seemed very maneuverable despite its bulky appearance. Whatever the case, the sudden appearance of this man and his Pokemon startled the trainers. They immediately got tense and began to prepare for the imminent confrontation.

"Before any of this gets out of hand, I will make my request only once. Hand Shaymin over, immediately." The man spoke with confidence. The now popular legendary tensed. Why did this man want him all of the sudden. He didn't remember him from any of his experiences. Could he be connected to Giratina? He didn't know.

"Who are you? What do you want with Shaymin?" Dawn yelled to the mysterious man.

"That is irrelevant." the man replied. "That Shaymin belongs to me."

"He what?" Ash yelled. "Shaymin?"

"I don't know what the hell he is talking about? I have never seen this guy in my life!"

"Are you sure?"

"Huh, oh wait I do remember him. The guy who rides a hover-board and wears a yellow jumpsuit and commands an army of steel types!? I couldn't have possibly forgot about that!" Shaymin yelled with clear sarcasm.

"Well how should I know who you have encountered" Ash countered.

The man didn't waste anymore time. He gave a hand gesture and his massive steel type came forward. "Magnazone, mirror shot!" The Pokemon began to charge a silver sphere over the red orb and Ash immediately reacted.

"Pikachu, counter with thunderbolt!" Sure enough, Ash's electric mouse sent a swarm of sparks at the Mirror shot and negated the attack. An explosion occurred and the Magnamite around the heroes were blasted away and temporarily disoriented.

"Here is our chance, go!" Ash commanded. The group began to run towards the alley between the nearby buildings. Shaymin clung to Ash's head and watched as the Magnamite began to regain focus. Dawn noticed too and gave a quick command.

"Piplup, whirlpool!" The blue penguin formed a whirlpool above its mouth and the vortex flew towards the steel types. The attack only held them off for a short moment, but it gave the heroes a chance to get away. They ran to the darkness as the Magnamite began to follow. Zero flew next to Magnazone and gave a command that it wouldn't dare disobey.

"Follow them. I want Shaymin alive." The steel type gave a quick response before speeding away as Zero grinned in the distance.

Ash ran with all his might. The Pokemon above him struggled to stay on but he was flopping up and down with discomfort. Pikachu ran alongside Ash's sprinting legs. They were fleeing. From what, they didn't know. But the sounds of the Magnamite in the distance were enough reason.

"This isn't gonna work!" Dawn screamed as the distant hum began to morph into a drone. "We need an escape plan!"

"Working on it!" Ash replied as he increased his already fast sprint. He looked past all the doors and buildings. The doors were locked and even with his best efforts, he would not be able to sneak inside. He also didn't want to put anyone else in danger. No he was forced to run.

But how much farther could they run. More importantly, to where.

Within moments, they had left the darker alley and were in a public square. Townsfolk walked with innocent ease. Children laughed as they ran by their relaxed parents; shoppers prepared for the dull walk home; workers took the time to rest, or adversely, return to work. Ash hated how unprepared any of these people were for the coming storm. When the Magnamite appeared, it wouldn't be long before others were endangered. He hoped that he had lost his pursuers. He hoped that the danger would pass.

He was horribly mistaken.

The peaceful setting in front of him was suddenly blinded by an intense flash of light. They all stared in shock as a ball of fire emerged from above. Sharp gasps were followed by frightened screams. Some of those screams became painful wails. The explosion occurred right in front of their eyes. Nobody, not even the escaped heroes, could have known what was about to occur. The brick floor around the flash became blackened and sheared by the flare.

Ash looked up to see the source. The many buildings in the Ten'i village were covered with many windows. The large walls reflecting the sun or being faint enough to show what was occurring inside. However, all that could be seen now was red holes. Blazing red holes that came directly from the mirrors. Several large spheres began to roll out, one after another, until they struck the ground and anything on it.

"Fireballs," he realized with dread. "Giratina's fireballs." The implications became severe. Ash took Newtons advice, but never realized what it meant. Anything glass, mirrors, windows, or anything else that gave a serious reflection, was a gate to the real world. A way for Giratina to kill.

Most of the survivors stared with a stunned silence at the phenomenon. One, however, stared at the victims. His victims. About ten people, all youthful, crawled from where the blast struck home. They were burned, severely. Some of their backs were ablaze and these people screamed in utter agony. Many had their hair being seared, or worst, completely burnt off. One child was standing alone and watching the scene in front of him with fear. The next moment, the boy was knocked to his side after screaming a wail of pain. When the light cleared, the damage was visible. His forehead was a black and white stump, his eyes were almost draining down his cheeks, his ears were charred and swelled, and his lower mouth was scarred beyond repair. Shaymin realized with terror that his face had been melted off. Many others were like this as well, or suffered similar injuries. Shaymin wanted to scream at the victims before him. He couldn't take his eyes off the horrible sight. He shook uncontrollably and began to hyperventilate at the dead and dying bodies. When more fireballs fell from the sky, more people were caught in destructive blasts. More people began to die.

All around. People suddenly died.

The scene became one of sheer panic. People ran to any source of safety. The Magnamite began to appear again but they were surprised by the sudden fires that began to rage where people once were. Ash and the others knew that despite how horrible the situation was, it was also an opening. A chance to get away. Shaymin nearly flew off as Ash jerked his head towards a rail station. A silver train was preparing to leave from the sudden chaos and Ash knew he had to flee on it. The train was slowly advancing but once it started to travel, it wouldn't be long before it became impossible to follow at normal running pace. A rear storage door had remained open in the chaos. It would have to do, Ash thought. He ran hard and managed to leap inside, with Shaymin barely clinging onto his head. The green Pokemon was still hyperventilating from the assault. All around, screams echoed. Each wail struck his very soul and he was nearly petrified with terror. He watched as Pikachu, leaped inside, followed by Brock. He almost feeling a sense of hope when he saw it. Dawn had reached for the train. Her hand had grabbed the edge of the door.

But then she fell. She must have hit a stone, or a loose tile, or worse the train was too fast to keep up with. She disappeared behind the terrible wall of grey. Everyone inside the storage car screamed her name in desperation, but Shaymin was finally horrified beyond anything he imagined. He had caused Dawn to be in danger. He had caused all this to happen, he thought with terror. Now she was...left behind. He lost sensitivity to touch and he fell weakly off Ash's head and onto the train deck. He didn't even look up at the trainer he once rested on. He barely was aware of him when the trainer suddenly dashed outside of the train and into the town.

Ash Ketchum couldn't comprehend what happened. But one thing was certain. He was in a dangerous situation, and Dawn was being left behind in that dangerous situation. He had to rescue her before the train became too fast, which it may have already been. He could only focus on one thing. And that was rescuing Dawn; rescuing the one he loved. He saw her fallen form and accelerated to an even faster pace. When she saw him, she couldn't react before he picked her up and began to run back to the train. Ash's thoughts drifted to her.

"HANG ON!" Ash screamed as he ran faster. His will becoming his strength. He was enveloped in a blue aura as he ran at speeds that would normally be considered impossible. He became a blur and managed to race alongside the moving train. He saw the only opening he would possibly have. He leaped into the open door and crashed into onto the wooden floor. He turned around to see Brock slam the door shut as the train became fully underway.