A/N: Hey, y'all! Promised you there'd be a chapter up sometime by the end of the month! Sorry for the wait. Now, before we begin, I must warn you, things are likely gonna go along at an uncomfortably, incredibly rushed pace now. At this point, I just wanna get this story over with, since I've got other stories to attend to, namely "Separation". Plus, I'm also working on two future stories for other fandoms (likely more), which will likely deviate more from the story's quality.
All in all, I apologize if the story feels rushed and subsequently crappy now. I really just wanna finish this story to give myself a leeway.
Okay, enough rambling. ENJOY!
The resting place of Ho-Oh
Ketchum City
The heat that encompassed the area was so dangerously high and at full force that numerous surrounding objects were melting, and yet, this did not seem to bother Nate and his Pokémon, or Ash and Pikachu, as they entered the building from which they sensed the fallen Ho-Oh. Panting, feeling the exhaustion from the long run finally catch up to him, Nate then approached a door, reaching forward to open it. However, it suddenly melted away, revealing a large room.
"Arceus..." moaned Nate the moment the sight unfolded before him.
Resting in the middle of the room was the body of Ho-Oh itself. Surrounding it were the bodies of the Genesect Army, all apparently unconscious from the large excess of heat. Large, white-hot drops of melted liquid were pouring down in all directions; the entire building was in danger of melting down and imploding at any minute. Nate and Ash prepared to run up to Ho-Oh when it suddenly let out a deafening screech that forcefully blew both of them backward.
"HO-OH!" Ash shouted. "HO-OH, IT'S US! ASH AND NATE KETCHUM! WE'RE HERE! JUST HANG ON-"
Suddenly, Ho-Oh's body fired off a large beam of flames that shot upward into the sky, blowing back the already-melted ceiling and spraying Nate and Ash with flecks of melted liquid. The surrounding heat intensified rapidly, and Nate felt himself sweat more profusely, although he knew that he should have been fried at this close proximity with such heat. The Trainer tried to stand up, only to slip on the wet floor. He noticed that his Pokémon were all having similar experiences.
"HO-OH!" he shouted. "Hang in there, alright?! We're coming!"
He stood up again and walked cautiously towards Ho-Oh's body, with Ash and the others following suit. The beam of flames was growing stronger.
"What do we do now, Dad?!" shouted Nate over the roar of the fire.
"Well, we don't have any Rainbow Wings on us..." Ash replied, his voice suddenly trailing off. His lips were pursed, and Nate instantly knew what he was going to say next. "It looks like we don't another chance. We..." He hesitated for a moment. "We have to use Aura to restore Ho-Oh."
Elsewhere in the city
Rosa immediately stopped in her tracks, as did Kelly, Hilda, and the others.
"What?" asked Gary. "What's happened?!"
"Is it Ash and Nate?" Dawn added.
Rosa looked at the others and replied apprehensively, "They've already reached Ho-Oh..."
Suddenly, everyone heard a loud, piercing screech of pain, followed by a second beam of flames being fired up into the sky. Everyone's eyes widened in fear as they collectively realized what was about to happen next. Rosa suddenly ran forward, continuing to instinctively follow the Aura signature she was sensing.
"We've gotta keep moving, everyone!" Gary shouted as he watched Rosa go. Everyone nodded in agreement and burst into a sprint after the Trainer.
The Hall of Origin
Arceus's Dimension
Arceus opened his eyes, the scarlet pupils glinting as he stared into the vast sea of stars, galaxies, and nebulae of his own making. He could sense everything that was transpiring in the real world. Ho-Oh's screech of pain was falling upon his ears from a long distance. The corner of his eye caught a streaking meteor.
"It's time," he thought as he lowered his head. "Everything shall be set right."
The resting place of Ho-Oh
Ketchum City
"U-U-Use Aura?" stuttered Nate. "But-"
"That'll kill either one of us, I know," completed Ash. "But you do not know how to do that, and even if I have the time to teach you, you still wouldn't do that. I understand you still have a long life ahead of you." His lips then curved into a small grin. "Which is why I'll do it myself."
Nate's eyes widened even more, and Pikachu even gasped (in its own language).
"PIKAPI!" squealed Pikachu, his amber eyes glimmering with tears. However, Ash merely looked at his longtime partner with a sad expression.
"Sorry, buddy," he replied, just seconds before he suddenly released a powerful shock-wave of Aura energy, which knocked Nate, Pikachu, and Nate's Pokémon backward. They all then watched as Ash began walking towards Ho-Oh, being struck by stray flames shooting off from the fiery beam, but not being injured.
"DAD!" Nate screamed. "DAD, NO! DON'T DO THIS!"
The Trainer immediately stood up, just as Ash quickly twirled around towards him and fired an Aura Sphere at him. Nate countered it with his own; the two Aura Spheres collided and exploded violently, creating a thick, billowing cloud of smoke. Nate flinched, allowing Ash to fire another Aura Sphere that hit him hard and incapacitated him. When the smoke cleared, Nate weakly looked up and saw Ash resuming his fatal quest. His visor was lying beside him.
"PIKA-CHUUUUU!" Pikachu screamed as he shot a Thunderbolt at his Trainer.
However, he merely stretched out his left arm and absorbed all of the electricity, still continuing to walk towards Ho-Oh's fallen frame. Clutching the spot where Ash's Aura Sphere hit him, feeling (and tasting) a trickle of blood dripping down his lip, Nate sat up, tears streaming down his face and mixing with the blood.
"Dad..." he moaned, "please... Don't do this to me... Please don't leave me..."
"I'm sorry, Nate," Ash replied, an emotionless mask on his face. "You've still got a lot of potential ahead of you in life. Me...I should've died a long time ago. And my actions for the past ten years need to be redeemed. I must close my end of the deal. ...Maybe this is what Arceus planned. For me to save the world again, instead of you taking over Sir Aaron's legacy. Maybe you're even exempt because of that." Then, he grinned again. "But...before I do this...I wanna tell you that I was glad to know I had a son." He glanced at Nate as he raised his right arm towards the beam of flames, an Aura Sphere forming at his palm. "You, Nate."
"BUT YOU JUST CAN'T LEAVE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE...LIKE-"
"Here, son. Consider this an early birthday present."
"Like your other dad?" completed Ash, still smiling.
"What is it, Daddy?"
"Every time I seem to look up to someone as my dad," Nate cried, "they suddenly just leave me, just when I need them the most!"
"The visor I wore when I first became a Pokémon Trainer. One day, you will become a Trainer yourself. I want you to have this when that day comes upon you."
He instinctively glanced at his trademark visor, his eyes blurring with tears. "They just leave me..." he repeated.
"It's cool, Daddy! I LOVE it! Thank you so much!"
"And you don't want me, your real dad, to leave," Ash replied, "at the cost of the world? The world you've been fighting for so hard just minutes earlier? Is that what you're saying, Nate? You will refuse to let me sacrifice myself for the safety of this world, so then the past doesn't repeat itself?"
"You're welcome, son. Remember this, you will become the best Pokémon Trainer there ever was, and I will be so proud of you."
Nate sniffled and looked down, ashamed, knowing that Ash was right. "It's just...I don't know who else to look to...as a father..."
"Hey, maybe when I become a Pokémon Trainer, I can find you, and we can have a battle!"
Ash smiled. "There is one person you can look to. I believe he fits that candidacy well. And I believe you know who that is."
"Is that a challenge I hear?"
Nate looked up at Ash, confused.
"Yes, Daddy! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle when I become a Trainer!"
"I really am proud to have you as my son, Nate," Ash continued. "A surprise, really, but one that got me back on my feet." He looked at Ho-Oh's body. "Now, it's time for me to confront my problems head-on." The Aura Sphere on his hand began to enlarge itself and encompass Ho-Oh. "Just know that I'll always be there for you, Nate, even during your darkest moments, so then I can help you up just as you helped me up." A tear slid down his eye as he grin widened. "I'm sorry, Nate, but I have to go now. Take care of Pikachu for me, and be the best Trainer you can to all of your Pokémon."
"Dad..." Nate moaned, crying.
"Challenge accepted."
Ash's Aura Sphere completely engulfed Ho-Oh, and the surrounding building was starting to cool down, the drops of liquid slowing down.
A bright light was emerging as a result...
Hugh and his Pokémon looked up, spotting the light.
"The Aura..."
Lucario and the Cryogonal halted their battle the moment their environment was bathed in the light.
"...Is..."
Rosa and the others stopped running and flinched, their eyes being blinded by the strong light.
"...WITH ME!"
Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem all watched as the light grew stronger and stronger. Kyurem bowed his head in defeat, while Reshiram and Zekrom nodded.
All Nate, Pikachu, and Nate's Pokémon could see was complete white. The outlines of Ash, Ho-Oh, and the Genesect Army were all engulfed...
Though it was all too much white, Nate didn't feel blinded by the excess of bright color at all. It was merely as if everything in the world had been painted white instead. He glanced at his visor and noticed that it was the only thing his sights could still comprehend. He picked it up and held it against his chest.
"Well, Dad..." he whispered softly, tears sliding down his cheeks. "You left me again..."
A/N: Told you this would have suddenly horrible pacing. I mean, this whole scenario was what I had planned a long time ago, but I know that it could've gone better than just this. I apologize if you feel this is all too rushed; at this point, I just want to get this story over with. Not that I am completely dissatisfied with this; I'm still liking the basic concept of this. The execution's just...gone to spit now, all because I'm now too busy...
Feel free to complain about this if you want. I promise you, the next chapter should be a bit more interesting.
I'd like to thank those who reviewed (can't answer reviews right now):
Fireminer
random girlz
Odemi
woodland59
Anthony627AA
Alpha B. A. 7
BlueLightningXD
Alex Frenchie
Well, hope you enjoyed this incredibly rushed chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!