Chapter 24 – Morph

"Sometimes, like a rabid dog, death is the easiest route to follow. Sometimes things need to die, in order for peace to reign. Sometimes, there is no cure. Death is easier than life." May

[11:34AM] – 27th May 2011 – Indigo Plateau – Temporal Tower

As the bird with three heads rushed towards them, Erika remembered feeling the horrible sense of déjà vu. Then she was on the hard, cold ground. Ash had pushed her to the side, a blue shining blade of aura forming in his right hand, his left spread out for balance, as with a flick of his wrist, he sent in flying towards the approaching bird.

It hit true, ripping through tendons and muscle, but the monster didn't seem to notice, the central mouth open, flames curling within…

And an aura sphere hit it dead on, Lucario standing in the way, bone staff in hand…

"Rai! Use iron tail!" Ash cried, "Zo, do something useful."

The orange mouse leapt into battle, all too used to obeying orders. Zo muttered something like 'do something useful – how clear and helpful' before spitting out a dark pulse at the bird, which had pulled up, trying to fend off the three attackers.

Ash turned to Erika. "Can you handle the bird? I'm going after Giovanni."

The black haired girl grabbed his arm as he made to either dart across the hall or teleport away. She wasn't sure which, but he paused and turned to look at her. She flinched at his gaze. His eyes were a burning, crimson red. "Look at the bird," she urged, "it's wearing a collar. That's how Giovanni is controlling it."

"It is?"

"Didn't you listen to Lance?" Erika cried desperately. "Look, just try and get that badge machine and break it. Then all we have to do it snap the collar of the Zapmolcuno and…"

"Zapmolcuno..?"

"What?" Ash stared at the Celadon gym leader in disbelief. "Seriously..? Can't think of something shorter?"

"If we break the collar, we free the bird." Erika interrupted his complaints, eyes lighting up. "We can still win this!"

Ash nodded. "Do it then." He instructed, "But Giovanni is mine – I'm not letting some stuck up psychic claim my kill." And then he wrenched his arm out of her grasp and was gone, reappearing the other side of the hall, staggering slightly, leaving Erika, Zo, Luca, Rai and her Chikorita with the monstrous and newly named – Zapmolcuno.

Mentally she nicknamed it the Fusion, and was done, grabbing her bow and raising it towards the bird.

The arrow thudded into the ice wing, and the bird screeched, the Articuno head twisted around towards her, ice beam streaking towards her. She rolled to the side, reloading her bow and drawing it up, letting the string twang reassuringly and sending another arrow towards the creature.

It missed, but in dodging the deadly shaft, the bird rolled right into the path of Raichu tackling it. The mouse collided with the shoulder joint, falling backwards and twisting out of the way of the flailing Fusion. The central fire head twisted around, snapping in the air at the orange Raichu, who would be a tasty meal for it.

Landing on the snapping jaws, Raichu leapt off as quickly as possible, skidding forwards until, much to his horror, he found himself on the back of the thing.

"RaiChuAi," He sighed. (Oh dear) Then he promptly used thunderbolt.

Lance and Misty

From the other side of the room, Lance and Misty could see the Fusion light up black with the mouse's electric attack, but they were too busy worrying about the Entity which stalked towards them. Latias looked slightly desperate, psychic attacks rolling off the beast, and Golduck was shooting out water and ice beams, but the Suicune part of the beast made them practically useless.

"Do something!" Lance snapped at Misty.

"Like what? You're the one with the gun!" she shot back at him, glancing between the stalking Cerberus and the champion.

With a swish of tails and claws, scrabbling on the marble floor, the beast's muscles clenched, as it leapt towards them. The jump carried it over two of the gear circles in one leap as Lance drew his sword, knocking it into a lantern that hung conveniently at the side of the room. Oil dripped down the blade, greasy and thick fingers reaching out. Tightening the grip on the now flammable blade, Lance pushed Misty to one side, out of the way as he stepped forwards.

The next flamethrower the Entei head shot towards him set the blade alight, blazing high and Lance rolled forwards, weapon ready.

Misty finally understood why Ash had been so pissed off at the champion, for training Ash in sword work by chasing him around the practise field with a flaming blade.

Lance glared at the three headed beast. "Come and get me!" he taunted. The head nearest to him – the Suicune – angled sideways, snapping at the champion. Lance stepped backwards as fangs raked near his ear, too close for comfort. He ducked forwards, blade flashing out to tear fur and flesh. The six legged monstrosity reared back in pain, the lurching gait taking the Raikou head nearer to Misty.

"Catch!" Lance tossed his gun towards Misty, who scrabbled. For a moment Lance thought that she'd drop it, but then her grip tightened and she corrected its position in her hands.

"A little more warning next time," she muttered, checking the safety off.

"I'm running out of ammo," Lance warned her, "But if you get a good shot in through its head it will kill the creature."

"Which head?" Misty danced backwards away from a thunder attack, her Golduck moving to psychically intercept it, leaving Latias to duel dragon pulses with the Suicune.

Lance swiped with his sword again, "Any one!"

The Entity was tiring of tarrying with its prey, and Lance could see the muscles gathered up, prepared to leap again. "Watch out!" he called, pulling Misty out of the way, as the monster lunged forwards. Latias tackled into it, form shimmering in a giga impact and sending both flying back across the room.

"Golduck! Use psychic on it! Pichu stay out of the way!" Misty caught Chu as the female mouse tried to rush forwards, putting her back in her backpack, "Stay there." She scolded, before leaping forwards to join the fray. "I've had it with these monsters!"

Lance's still flaming sword swiped at the Suicune and Raikou head, the former's jaws opened with a rapidly forming hydro pump forming within. "Oh crap." He ducked out of the way, but the water jet was not meant for him, and it instead, hit his sword, flames dying down.

The champion frowned at the damp blade, eyes widening as he stabbed it into the ground, even as the thunder arced over and was rechanneled through his arm. He gritted his teeth at the electricity, sinking to his knees.

"Get back!" Misty lashed out, a hammer appearing from nowhere as she swung at the electric and water head. The beast veered backwards, choosing instead to snap at Latias who was throwing dragon pulses from above.

"Where did that come from?" Lance blinked, dazed, pulling his still sparking sword from the ground.

"You don't need to know." Misty smirked grimly, lashing out again with the mallet. Wait – mallet? Was this the hammer Ash used to be so scared about?

Lance's nerves still weren't responding so he stared at the Entity being beset by Latias and Misty in shock for a few moments. Golduck was firing long range psychics, lacking the manoeuvrability of the other two. Across the hall Erika was ducking under the Fusion's talons, Raichu perched precariously on its back and Luca, Zo and Chikorita firing attacks from the floor.

A purple blur shot past him, jolting him awake as Espeon leapt for the Entity, small fangs bared and sinking into the thinner, blue and white Suicune neck. A howl was wrenched from the creature's throat, and it paused in its movements for a few, precious moments, allowing Latias to drop a swirling grey mist ball on it.

Lance heard the spine snap, and he winced, muscles screaming protest as he tossed his sword to his other hand, and then back, twirling it through the air, staggering to his feet. The Raikou lunged, held back by the bodies of the other two fused to it, and Lance spun the sword around, driving it downwards through the snarling maw. The gnashing jaws were stuck together, speared like a kebab, as the electric dog shuddered to a halt.

The dragon master sidestepped the burst of flames and water from the remaining heads, protesting at the loss of their third. The purple fox shimmered, morphing into a Jolteon as her fangs slid in deeper, deep crimson seeping from the blue neck and down the yellow needle fur. Sparks flickered like stars along Va's coat, as the bite, turned into a thunder fang, sinking into the pure water type.

With a roar the Entity shook itself from its stupor, angrier that before. The Suicune part reared up, and as easily as shaking a fly, Va was dislodged, fur tearing beneath her jaws. Her grip dislodged, the Entity twisted around, the large brown Entei paw batting away the morphing fox carelessly. Va was thrown across the room, her lithe form hitting a wall and crumpling to the ground.

"Va!" Misty cried, leaping forwards, hammer in front of her. The gun was still there, tucked in a pocket, safety on. The beast was spitting now, the middle electric head limp, fire and water steaming around them.

"Shoot it!" Lance cried, as a blast of steam seared into his right arm, "For Rayquaza's sake, shoot it!" he staggered backwards, sword still stabbed in the Raikou head, the other two snapping and sprawling, body lying ungainly behind them, spine broken and legs unmoving. Yet the immobile beast was still lethal, the two remaining heads still alive and shooting of elemental attacks, enraged at the loss of a third of its body.

Misty swung with the hammer, her left hand fumbling for the gun she had stuffed in her pocket, numb fingers failing to grasp it as it slid to the hard, cold marble.

And in the confusion, the Entei aimed a raging, blazing fire blast straight at her.

Ash

Ash ignored the chaos behind him, in favour for the manic scene ahead. His head was spinning at the forced jump, through the elements spinning in their circles, tearing apart space and time and rebuilding it. Gritting his teeth he stalked forwards towards his target. In the entrance way, Giovanni stood smirking, watching the scene with icy eyes.

The only think that separated them was a troop of rocket grunts.

Mewtwo had already moved, trying to psychic the life out of them, but the purple glow spluttered and died. With a snarl, the legendary flung out his hand, a large spoon materialising within. Ash himself had two blue aura blades, spinning them around as he walked steadily towards the grunts.

"Shoot them." Giovanni's lip curled into a smirk, as he backed towards the entrance, near to freedom but still able to watch the life choke out of his enemies.

The psychic abilities were no longer working - and dammit – Ash hated dark types. The rockets readied their weapons, rifles and guns raised to the shooting position, and their Pokémon battle ready, with a gleam in their eyes. The snarling Houndoom stood next to their trainers, Absol baring their scythes and Shiftry with claws outstretched. It was a dark type bonanza, and Mewtwo formed a focus blast in his free three fingered hand.

"If it helps…" Giovanni called, "We weren't actually looking for you. We were following our dark types to find the gear you seem awfully fond of. But if we kill a revolution and control the Pokémon through their precious times gears, then the better for us."

The grunts pulled the trigger.

Eyes widening in alarm at the failing psychic abilities, Mewtwo hastily erected a protect barrier. Ash simply let aura shimmer into being in front of him, a barrier of pure energy with a shield of his own.

Giovanni's eyes widened. For the first time, it probably occurred to him that this fight that he had picked, might be lost. He took a step backwards towards the entrance.

"Aura guardian..." Ash called, mockingly, taunting him into staying, "Or did you forget?" and then he lunged forwards. He might not be able to teleport, but the blue blades at his palms did more than enough damage. He shoved a gun upwards, the shot heading towards the ceiling and embedding itself within. His right hand stabbed the blade into the man's heart. Spinning around he flung the body in the way of another approaching grunt, a knife forming and flicking off to the side, catching another in the throat. Pacing forwards he grabbed another weapon aimed at him, wrenching it out of the way, the shot that fired avoiding him and taking out another grunt behind him.

His target, although the man in the suit being his primary concern was actually the entrance way, spiralled with cracks from the various elemental water, fire and lightning attacks from the morphs behind. Ash ducked a punch, cracking the grunt on the nose and probably snapping the bone, as he made it to the door, standing between Giovanni and freedom.

The boss whirled around, his Persian hissing at his feet. Ash smirked in response, as the grunt platoon stepped back to guard their leader with what would be their lives.

Mewtwo seemed to enjoy bashing the guys with his giant spoon, but was soon set upon by the raging Pokémon. With a snarl of rage the psychic lashed out, spoon sparkling with fire and electricity as he lashed out at the serving beasts, their forms sliding across the marble. The Houndoom's neck was at an odd angle – broken – and while the Absol was unscathed, the Shiftry was burnt.

"Kill them." Giovanni repeated, glancing around. "Now!" there was an edge of panic creeping into his voice. "I want them dead!"

Fishing the gun from a dead rocket, Ash whirled it around, firing at the three grunts who had obeyed their leaders command. They fell, hoarse cries of death. The aura guardian whirled around, looking for his next targets, ducking a snarling Absol moving to meet its rocket trainer, knife viciously snapping across his neck.

The man fell to the ground silently.

In the corner, and away from the fighting, two white suited rockets swallowed nervously. At their feet, a cat voiced their thoughts.

"Uh, Oi think now's a good time to be gettin' outta here!"

"You know what they say." The lilac haired man said weakly. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

And without another word the three turned and raced for a convenient door way at the side. "Team rocket's running away again!"

Ash paused to blink at the familiar cry, before shrugging and continuing to decapitate rockets. Not that many left and then he could get to Giovanni, who was still hiding behind his men.

The leader would get his due, sooner or later.

Erika

"Rai!" Erika cried, stumbling away from a deadly electricity bolt, fumbling as she tied to notch an arrow in place. "Get off that thing!"

Said mouse was hanging on tightly to the bumpy ride, the bird rocking in flight beneath him. He stumbled, whip like tail lashing out to steady him.

"Rai CHUU!" the mouse let loose a torrent of thunder and two of the heads let out screeches of pair, the third just shaking off the charge idly. "RaiAi! Chu RaiAiAiAiChu!" (Don't worry! I'm not planning on staying up here long!)

"ReeOh!" The black jackal tossed an aura sphere upwards, (Take this.) with a gruff bark, the sphere impacting with right head of the electric titan, the Zapdos head snapping back at an awkward angle. The bird let out a squawk, before clicking its head back into place with terrifying efficiency, beady eyes alighting on Zo and Luca.

"This is not good." Zo was winning the understatement of the year prize.

The pair scattered as electricity thundered down towards them, but it was redirected at the last second, Raichu's fur crackling with power. "Rai…Ai…Ai….Rai … Chu!" (You're not going to hurt my friends!)

"Chikorita use Magical Leaf!" Erika cried. Her arrow missed the bird, as it lurched in an attempt to remain hovering, yet dislodge the rat from its back.

The brave Johto starter let out a shrill cry, twirling the leaf upon her head, and releasing a flurry of pink petals towards the birds, doing nothing more than stinging it, but giving Rai the opportunity to launch himself from his precarious perch.

Erika frowned. "That… that wasn't magical leaf. That was petal dance." She burst into a grin. "Awesome – Chikorita use petal dance..!"

"Chickoor!"

"Here we go!" Zo cried, "Take a snarl attack!" as she bared her fangs, glowing purple. Besides her Luca was charging a shadow ball in one paw, and a dark pulse in the other. Bringing them clashing together, his eyes glowing red, the black jackal began to form a writhing dark ghost sphere and releasing it. The jackal had aimed it for the black collar around the bird's neck, and it hit, sparking the black restraint but doing no damage.

"Cover me!" Erika cried, seeing that destroying the collar wouldn't work, "I've got an idea!"

She darted across the marble floor, crossing the ground and part of the fire mural before reaching the poison. She could see the curling smog, the patterned Muk, Ariados and Crobat, few among many of the poison type, etched into the stone. Dropping her bow, her hand scrabbled for the gear in her pocket, fingers closing on the cool violet gear as she dropped to her knees, searching for the slot.

It fitted in place with a click, the mural instantly lighting up, lines carved in the stone glowing a faint purple. Around the steel, fire and ground section began to hum in response, the other colours already lit, and elements burning.

Something clacked within her pocket, and she pulled out the dark emerald gear, green gaze reflected in it, searching for the bug section of the hall.

Oh no.

It lay across the far side, beyond where the Zapmolcuno was terrorising a now land bound Rai, Zo and Luca. It sat near to where the once alive rockets had stood, and where Ash and Mewtwo now closed in on Giovanni, the leader only now beginning to realise it was all or nothing.

They were so damn close.

"Lucario!" she cried, "Fit the gear in place! Complete the circle and trap the beasts in the elemental circle! It will override the badge control!"

The black jackal made no acknowledgements that he had heard her. The fighting circle lay to the left of where they were fighting, slightly scorched from the fire titan's errant flamethrower.

"Lucario!"

Red eyes flashed. He had heard her – thank Mew.

And pushing the gear back in her pocket, grabbing her bow and standing, reaching for an arrow in her quiver, the ends tipped with poison, she drew it up to aim at the Fusion, breath slipping out. The bird would fall, sooner or later. The mass of red, blue and yellow feathers flittered across her sight, and she let her muscles relax, bowstring taunt.

And for a single, desperate moment, Erika believed they could win this.

She let the arrow fly.

Lance

The dragon master's one thought was how hard the floor was.

He winced as his already beaten muscles landed on the rocky marble, sliding slightly across one of the elemental gear circles. Misty was in his arms, shivering, still startled that he had just pushed her from the jaws of death.

Latias moved down to hold the beast off, Golduck had moved to the limp form of Va, a white glow suggesting he was trying to use recover… but the water duck's couldn't learn recover could they… and dear Mew let the jaded Eevee be okay.

Lance rolled off the Cerulean Gym leader, something digging into his side. Damn it – he still had the flying gear on him – but the thought did not remain long in his mind before he was aware of the snapping beast, shouldering past Latias to get to its prey.

Namely him…

He scrambled backwards, away from the creature. Misty was to the right of him, dazed and confused, and he was the main target, scrabbling around on the floor – easy prey.

His hands were spread eagled behind him, searching for something – anything dammit – to use as a weapon, and it was by pure chance his hand closed over something which felt like a cold rock.

He brought his left hand around (he's always favoured the left hand) and threw the object at the nearest head still alive – the Entei beast, brown shaggy fur and eyes a dull, glazed russet red. It bounced off the head, and Lance saw with increasing horror, that he had just tossed his gun at the Entity, and it had now bounced away across to the centre of the hall. How had the gun been behind him anyway? Oh – wait – he'd given it to Misty right? And his sword… was still lodged in a third of the beast… he was without a weapon…

The monster snarled in agitation, tails thrashing as it stalked towards him, muscles tensing…

Lance lost any sense of self-preservation in that one moment, as he threw himself after the gun he had just tossed away.

The Entity leapt after him.

A single shot rang out.

"Tia!" (Lance!) Latias sped towards the mix of limps in the centre of the hall. The blue Suicune head snapped at her, only to receive a mist ball to the head, crushing the skull. It fell limp, and the beast stopped moving.

Pushing, the red and white dragon heaved the large, hulking combined beast trio off of the still form of Lance. The dragoness nosed him sadly.

"LaLaTia?" (Are you dead?)

He cracked open one eyelid, blood dripping down from a cut on his forehead. "Is it dead?" he asked, swallowing nervously, the gun clattering from his hands. "Because if it isn't I'm going to close my eyes and pretend to be."

"LaTia!" And he was instantly barrelled by an ecstatic eon dragon. (You're alive!)

A few metres in front of him Misty was getting groggily to her feet. "Did it die?" she asked, shaking her head. Lance frowned in concern – she probably had a concussion from him, knocking her to the rock solid floor, but it was better than being dead in his books.

"Yes – all three parts are dead…" Lance stopped, eyes alighting on a still form "Va!" and he launched himself across to the limp brown furred Eevee.

To his relief, when he reached the clone and the duck, the fox stirred weakly. "VuiVee?" (Hey Lance?) She asked, "EveEevVui." (Promise me something.)

"She wants you to promise her something." Latias telepathically translated.

"Don't die." Lance said sternly. "Nobody is going to die today."

"VuiEevee. EveVui Vui Vaa Eve Eeva!" (Don't let them die. Please, promise me you won't let them die!)

Latias translated.

"I promise." Lance said, "I wasn't planning on it. He's a suicidal fool and I promise you, that I won't let either Ash, or Raichu be killed this day." He rested a hand on the clone's chest and her ear twitched tiredly, body lying still. She was still alive, Latias confirmed for him, just resting. Lance leaned back, catching his racing heartbeat, knowing that Erika needed help, and the gears needed to be set in stone. Yet still he felt the weight of the promise settle upon him, the vow he had made.

Ash would live if it was the last thing he did.

Promises were dangerous things.

Erika

The Fusion was tiring. It might be triply resistant to her poisoned arrows, but they would kill it eventually. At least the ice type had been dealt with, an arrow straight between the eyes. The bird was now lopsided, loosing half of its wings and the other two all the more enraged because of it.

The final three, unfilled gear murals lay across the other side of the hall where Ash and Mewtwo were. The latter was fighting with a giant spoon… Erika paused – a spoon? Really..? There would be forks next although know she thought about it, Lance had an overgrown vegetable knife…

"Erika! Duck!"

She obeyed, because when Lance, the champion of the elite four told you to duck – you listened without complaint.

As it was, the bird has chosen that moment to release a triple gust attack to remain in flight, and the strong wind would have pushed Erika over had she still been standing. Lance and Misty appeared to have killed the Entity, and they were racing over, Misty with a large and lethal looking hammer, and Lance with a large knife… no… wait… that was definitely a sword.

She shook her head, and moved towards where Ash and Mewtwo were.

"Chuck me your gear!" she cried to Lance, who had paused to survey the chaotic scene of the Zapmolcuno… wait… no Articuno – did that make it a Zapmol? – Before fishing the gear out of his pocket and tossing it to her without warning.

She caught it – just – by the tips of her fingers, and it had arced painstakingly through the air for a few, terrible seconds before she managed to catch it. "A little warning next time?" she laughed hysterically, before turning and bolting for the end of the hall.

Giovanni it appeared had tried to escape after he saw his precious Entity killed, but Ash was behind him, having thrown an aura sphere into the stone work above the door, sending rubble clattering down. The aura guardian punched an aura imbued first into a grunt's chest, ignoring the sickening crunch or the clenched fist which slammed into his jaw, cutting his lip. Shoving the dying man away Ash formed his blue black aura blades, spinning them on his palm. The aura itself was black, but every now and then it would shimmer blue slightly – as if anticipating the brief, singular moment it might be alive.

The realisation that slotting the gears in place would kill Ash hit her, and she fell to her knees over the bug mural in the corner, spun with webs and insects of all sorts.

Numbly she slotted the gear into place, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. Maybe it was the simple fact that she wasn't sure anymore whether they were winning or losing, or that fact that this was inevitable, and they might as well end it now, why they were still all up and fighting, and before somebody died…

And with that thought the fighting gear, slotted into place, the dark furred jackal looking up at her, with deep red irises. "LucaRio." (Let me.)

He took the final gear – Lance's clear flying stone – and in a few leaps, bounded across to where the soaring bird Pokémon were carved, earthbound yet forever flying.

It slid smoothly into place.

And the elements burnt.

Ash (a few seconds earlier)

"You're not going anywhere." The dark haired man snarled. "Not this time. No running away."

Giovanni snarled. "Try and kill me then. What does it matter? There will be others, with my ideal. Others, to carry on my work!"

"What? Like your son?" Ash laughed, "Silver would sooner die than continue Team Rocket in your name." he enjoyed the flinch from the man, as he mocked him. "Arianna, Archer and Petrol ran away, because they were scared of me. Silver is going to grow up free of your influence, free of Team Rocket's name and free of a world with you in it. Allow me to help that along…"

"NO!" Mewtwo dispatched the Persian set upon him with ruthless efficiency. "Giovanni is mine."

"Says who?" Ash spat.

"He brought about my suffering before yours." The psychic determined.

"He created you. He brought you to life – is that suffering? And me… he killed me. He killed my mother, my father, my world…"

"How terrible," Mewtwo droned, the pair oblivious to the leader standing between them. "The boy once so kind hearted has fallen to this – a man on the brink of madness – driven by revenge…"

"Shut up!"

"Why do you even bother – when you know what it's going to lead to?"

Ash glared balefully at Mewtwo. "Because it gives me some satisfaction..."

The psychic laughed. "You know in the end… I reckon we're more alike than I originally thought. More like twins… than brothers. And more like clones of the other than of our original…"

All the pain and suffering came down to this one man standing before him. The coward had remained standing, even if he knew his imminent demise. And Ash so longed to bring it…

But… a thought nagged at him … it wasn't right really – was it? Any of this… the killing, the murdering… the clones and morphs… None of it was right. Even he was wrong (freak) – a mix of nature – human and Pokémon – and he could feel the wildness at the edge of his aura…

Misty wouldn't want him to become a murderer.

He already was.

There was a humming in the air, as Erika managed to slot the last gear into place. His time was up.

Let his last act – the last act of the war – be one motivated by what was right, and not, by what was easy.

Ash stared for a long moment at the psychic. "Take him then." He said shortly. "Take him and end it," Leaving no other option for the clone, Ash tried briefly to teleport, but the whirling elements and the increasing pressure stopped him. Instead he stalked across the hall in long, quick strides. He could feel the air warming and lifting, with a new, fresh life. The elements on the floor were burning, bright coloured circles revolving and singing (screaming).

Erika's plan for breaking the collar might have failed, but she had managed to trap the bird in between its elements. Caught in the flare of fire, glow of ice and static of the electricity circles, the Fusion Zapmolcuno (Erika was terrible at naming things) lay suspended, crying out in soundless pain. The rest of the group were staring wide eyed at the bird, as its form shimmered into one, then three, as if undecided, stuck between morph and individual. Freak or normality, Ash could no longer tell.

The creature was frozen, caught in the currents the gears created; back arched eyes dull, beak open. It stood on the floor, talons uncurled and wings outspread, like an avenging angel, unsure whether to deal out punishment or retribution.

Ash ended the decision, blue aura blade crushing down on the back, cutting through the spin which connected the bird, breaking the collar in the same movement. It snapped, and for a moment the once magnificent creature stood there, burning away the last of its life.

"Be at peace." Ash whispered, as the form collapsed, dead, to the ground. The elemental circles hummed, as it fell across the point where the fire, ice and electricity circle met. Charge ran through the body, lightning it up, as the fire began to eat away at the flesh, the bird dissolving as they watched into the elements from which it was born.

He glanced up at the others, Erika and Lucario to his right, Lance and Misty in front of him, Va, Latias and Golduck to his far left. Zo was stranded in between, and the Chikorita was standing near the dark fox.

The hall had fallen into silence, which was broken almost immediately, by a hoarse cry from the entrance. Ash spun around, eyes their natural auburn, and focussed on the clone of Mew.

The psychic stood, his spoon outstretched, a giant lethal psychic sword, his back to Giovanni. The team rocket leader stared into space for a single moment, before crumpling to the ground as the head fell from the body, entirely cleaved across the neck.

Giovanni was dead.

And time was now moving.

Ash had been feeling it for the past few minutes, the slow pressure that increased and then decreased, as if someone was cranking at a handle. The air was suddenly so think, and he choked on it, glancing around once more at the group, who had stuck with him through thick and thin, before eventually settling on the dark brown eyes of his best friend, the electric type shivering slightly, as a breeze shifted through the hall, across the gaps in the wall and passed the shattered glass roof.

The gears were glowing, the elements dancing, fire, earth, shadows… it was one giant mural, one giant puzzle finally, after all this time, fitted together.

The bodies of the rockets and fusion beasts were caught in the fury of time. The fusion bird had already been dissolved by the elements, while the remaining rockets were burned up by the rest, the colours spreading in a kaleidoscope of patterns and colours. Then they faded, colours dying as the bodies of their enemies, the grunts, the boss and the Pokémon faded into ash and drifted away into nothing.

Blinded, Erika and shielded her eyes as the elements flared, but now they relaxed, glow sinking back into the mural and she looked up, with hopeful eyes, at the hall. Nothing looking different, but there was the feeling there, that hadn't been around a minute ago. She took a deep breath, and for the first time in four years tasted felt fresh air. Not the stale, stagnant breezes that she was used to, but fresh, clean air.

It tasted like a breath of life. It tasted like a bitter reminder.

Time was moving.

The time paralysis had ended.

The long whip-like tail stopped flicking from side to side.

With a muted gasp Ash crumbled to the ground, eyes flickering shut and breathing stilling.

May 2013 - I've decided to call the shipping with May and Lance DragonWingShipping. I have no idea why, but it sounds nice.

I'd apologise for the ending, but you all knew it was coming. There's another chapter before the prequel begins though, so sit tight.

Also if I don't update next Thursday, it would be because my exam period is starting. I probably won't be able to get another update out until the second week of June, but I will try my hardest. Especially leaving it on this cliff hanger (which was completely unintentional *whistles innocently*).

Thank you to The Agent of Fire, CharlieBoneFan and Ky111. I think you three must have reviewed practically every chapter for a while, and it makes my day to hear your feedback and comments, and to know that my writing isn't as disorganised or hopeless as I often view it to be. Although looking back and discovering stupid spelling errors and typos it might well be pretty hopeless.

~ Eclipse