What We Feared
The group stared with fearful expressions as they watched Pikachu slowly get back up, revealing its pink glare once more. Pikachu shouted its nam angrily and jumped in the air, as its tail glowed white. Pikachu swung it towards Zekrom's head, but Darkrai hovered in front and clashed a long purple claw on the tail. The attacks bounced back, and Pikachu landed safely. The rodent fired a thunderbolt towards Darkrai, but it countered with dark pulse, creating an explosion. Pikachu jumped out of the cloud of dust, but Darkrai saw this coming and fired a small black sphere it was forming in its palm. It engulfed Pikachu in a large sphere of darkness, then disappeared as Pikachu fell over with its eyes closed.
"PIKACHU!" Zekrom yelled at the rodent.
"Don't worry, he's only asleep." Darkrai told the electric leader.
"What happened to him? Why did he turn on Zekrom?" Max questioned.
"If what Darkrai made me think earlier is true…then we're in deep trouble." Ash said as he thought of earlier events.
"Yes, Ash. We'll be lucky if Pikachu is the only one who's being controlled." Darkrai replied in a sad tone.
"What do you mean? You think others are going crazy?" Brock asked the pitch-black pokemon.
"I don't think…I know." Darkrai replied as he hovered out of the building and into the trees. Everyone chased after him, with Ash leading. When they found him, he was looking towards Reshiram's volcano.
"Darkrai?" Melody looked around at its face, but it was only staring blankly at the volcano.
"We must go. Quickly." Darkrai hovered off in the direction of the volcano, but Reshiram stepped in front of him.
"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON." Reshiram said harshly.
"….Fine." Darkrai replied, then everyone crowded around the pokemon.
"Alright, Darkrai. Start with Pikachu." Zekrom said.
"Okay. You see…the reason I was in Ash's head was because I was warning him about various future events. Events concerning Cresselia….and your powers." Darkrai started, but the humans except Ash gasped.
"What!" Max exclaimed.
"What about their powers?" Brock asked as he put his hand over Max's mouth.
"She came here with a simple purpose…to raise an army and claim various locations as her own. She wasn't bent on world domination, but she could if she wanted to, especially with her plan. She planned ti gain your element's powers and control them." Darkrai paused for a moment.
"BUT HOW WOULD SHE GET A HOLD OF THEM?" Zekrom asked.
"She planned on using simple trickery." Darkrai replied with a hint of anger in its one.
"But…where did she even go near…." Max trailed off as he realized the answer. Everyone turned towards…Ash.
"Mind answering that, Ash?" Brock asked the boy.
"W-what! I didn't do anything!" Ash defended himself.
"OH? THEN HOW DID SHE GET NEAR OUR ELEMENT KEYS?" Reshiram asked him. Ash began to think, while everyone stared at him. Then Ash remembered something, as his head snapped upwards.
"Her tour! She must have gone them when we toured your hideouts!" Ash exclaimed, looking at the army leaders.
"What exactly did you do there again?" Aquimko asked.
"Well, we just toured the battling areas. Then I saw the electric types battling…and couldn't look away….then the fire-type battles…I guess I watched for a long time…" Ash gasped as he realized his mistake.
"So you took your eyes off of her?" Lugia asked with a hint of anger.
"I-It wasn't my fault! They were just so i-interesting! I turned my back for one s-second, and she somehow managed….." he stuttered as he tried to defend himself form the anger.
"Never mind that. We have to find her and get those keys back." Darkrai stated. Everyone nodded, then split up to look for Cresselia. Reshiram and Zekrom took the east, Lugia and Aquimko took the west, Max and Melody took the south, and Ash, Darkrai and Brock took the north. Everyone look for about an hour, but found nothing.
"HEY…I HAVE AN IDEA!" Reshiram suddenly exclaimed, making Zekrom look curiously.
"WHAT KIND OF IDEA?" Zekrom asked its nemesis.
"WELL…IT'S A LONG SHOT…BUT IF WE FIND PIKACHU, THEN HE'S BOUND TO GO BACK TO ITS LEADER!" Reshiram stated.
"I SEE! AND WHERE PIKACHU GOES…CRESSELIA!" Reshiram nodded to Zekrom, then they flew back to Zekrom's lair. When they flew in through the roof, they saw no one.
"WHERE'S YOUR ARMY?" Reshiram asked as he looked around.
"I DON'T KNOW! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINING!" Zekrom looked around franticly. Then Reshiram got another idea. It flew into the sky, and looked around. Zekrom followed it up. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?" Zekrom asked.
"YOUR ARMY. I DOUBT THEY SPLIT INTO SMALL GROUPS, SO THERE MUST BE A BIG GROUP OF YELLOW SOMEWHERE…THERE!" Reshiram exclaimed as it pointed to the shoreline. As he said, there were a group of yellow creatures on the beach, but seemed to be disappearing into something.
"THERE MUST BE A CAVE! LET'S TELL THE OTHERS!" Reshiram turned, but Zekrom stopped him.
"DON'T YOU WANT TO HURRY AND CONFRONT HER?" Zekrom grinned. Reshiram looked down at the cave, then felt its tail start to generate fire.
"LET'S GO!" Reshiram flew down towards the cave, followed by Zekrom close behind. They crashed down on the beach, but only saw two electivires guarding a cave. Reshiram took them out easily with flamethrower, then they hurried into the cave. To their surprise, it was a lot bigger than it looked. As they turned a corner, they saw the back of a group. They hid around the corner, and could hear a voice addressing the group.
"May I have your attention, dears!" the titans growled at the sound of Cresselia's voice.
"ULGAMOTH!" Reshiram exclaimed, looking at a large moth hovering beside Cresselia. Zekrom hushed him, then heard Cresselia continue.
"As you all know, I am your glorious master. And underneath me on the leader chain is Pikachu an Ulgamoth!" they saw the group cheer as Pikachu and Ulgamoth move forward, and growl angrily.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?" Reshiram asked himself.
"Now, as you may have already heard, there are a few beings on this island that will stop at nothing to defeat us. These beings are the nefarious Zekrom and Reshiram," the crowd growled angrily at the names. "Lugia and Aquimko," the pokemon began to murmur about who those two were. "And the biggest threats of all, Ash and his human friends." everybody roared in anger at Ash's name.
"WOW, THEY REALLY HATE ASH!" Zekrom exclaimed before Reshiram put his hand over Zekrom's mouth.
"We are going to split into separate groups, and search the islands. I will mount an overhead search with Pikachu and Ulgamoth, while you search the jungles and land. Pikachu will fly on my back with Ulgamoth beside us, overlooking the island and making sure there are no traps or ambushes. Now, dismissed!" the group turned around and walked for the door…which was inconveniently where Zekrom and Reshiram were hiding. They rushed out of the cave and hid overtop the cave entrance, watching the electric army as they poured out of the mouth of the cave.
"WOW…BIG ARMY." Reshiram stated.
"NO WONDER, IT WAS FOR A WAR." Zekrom replied, making Reshiram shake its head disappointedly. When they saw Cresselia and the two army leaders emerge from the cave, Zekrom and Reshiram pushed further into the bushes. They saw Pikachu's ears perk up, then the rodent turned around.
"What is it, sweetie?" Cresselia asked the mouse, who only growled angrily. Ulgamoth looked up at the bushes, then floated towards them.
"UH-OH…." Zekrom whispered in a very low tone.
"Darling, you need not search up there! We must take to the skies, and since only the two would dare try…" Cresselia flashed an evil grin as Ulgamoth came back down to the crescent pokemon and rodent. Reshiram and Zekrom sighed as they looked at each other. They smiled, then they saw a glow coming from Cresselia. They looked back, and saw Cresselia glowing orange and yellow. She glowed very bright, but they didn't look away. Then they saw two objects form out of her chest, and hovered in the air in front of her eyes. There were the keys, rotating and glowing. Zekrom felt his tail begin to rotate and spark.
"ZEKROM, CALM YOURSELF. WE MUST NOT ATTACK SO EASILY. FOR ALL WE KNOW, THIS COULD BE ANOTHER PLAN-" but Zekrom already burst out of the bush, and fired a thunderbolt at Cresselia. Cresselia smirked, and Pikachu countered with its own thunderbolt and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Pikachu and Zekrom faced each other on the beach.
"PIKACHU, I WISH NO TO HURT YOU." Zekrom growled.
"Oh, darling, but he wishes to fight you." Cresselia grinned as the key fire key went back inside her body. The electric key floated in front of her, and Pikachu charged at Zekrom. Pikachu jumped in the air, and swung a silver tail towards the electric titan. Zekrom countered with a thunderpunch, which sent Pikachu back to the ground.
"CRESSELIA, RELEASE PIKACHU!" Zekrom shouted angrily.
"Let me think out it….No." Cresselia looked at Ulgamoth, who charged towards Zekrom. Zekrom got in a defensive stance, but it stopped as Pikachu jumped on its back. They took to the air, and fired a thunderbolt and flamethrower downwards, combing into a flaming-bolt. Zekrom took to the air, but it followed! The attack surged through Zekrom's body as he felt heat and shock combine.
"TWO ON ONE ISN'T FAIR! WHAT KIND OF CRUEL POKEMON ARE YOU!" Zekrom yelled.
"I'm the dominant pokemon, sweetie!" Cresselia replied, then Ulgamoth fired flames at Zekrom. Zekrom dodged and fired a thunderbolt at Ulgamoth, which damaged and stunned the moth. Zekrom took this opportunity, and flew in close. He charged a glowing white fist, and slammed the focus punch into Ulgamoth. It roared in pain, and fell to the ground. Pikachu jumped off just before impact, and landed safely. It looked angrily at Zekrom, then fired a thunderbolt. Zekrom's tail began to spin violently, and the sparks emitted from Zekrom's entire body. Soon, the sparks burst out and covered Zekrom in electricity. Pikachu grinned, and began running at a high speed, enveloping itself in crackling electricity. Zekrom hovered above the round as it charged towards Pikachu, before colliding and causing a massive explosion. Smoke covered the entire area as Pikachu was sent flying backwards. The smoke cleared, and Pikachu was back on the ground ready to fight.
"BUT…HOW!" Zekrom stared at the rodent.
"It's not as weak as it was when it was with you! Pikachu, help me inish him off!" Cresselia shouted angrily, and Pikachu jumped on her back.
"WHAT!" Zekrom stared at Cresselia, who was now hovering towards Zekrom at high speed. Her body soon became surrounded by a pink and yellow energy, with Pikachu inside. Pikachu fired a massive thinner from inside, covering the pink energy with a strong layer of electricity.
"Time to finish this!" Cresselia shouted angrily as she neared Zekrom. Zekrom began to charge up a thunder, and fired it towards the crescent pokemon. Just before impact, a blue flame came from behind and combined with the lightning. The lightning bolt became a bright green bolt, and crashed into Cresselia's giga thunder (or thunder impact, whichever). During the impact, they heard a shriek of pain. When the smoke cleared, they saw Cresselia and Pikachu lying on the ground still, a good fifty feet away from the impact point.
"THAT REALLY SENT THEM FLYING." Zekrom stated.
"SURE DID." Zekrom turned around to see Reshiram smiling at him. When they turned, Cresselia was struggling to get up.
"You…think…you've won….?" Cresselia grinned as she panted from the massive attack.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Reshiram got in a defensive stance. Zekrom heard something from behind, then saw some elective and luxray charging out of the bushes. He smacked them away with thunderpunch, then faced back at Cresselia.
"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?" Zekrom grinned.
"Not even close, sweetie." Zekrom was confuse at those words, but Reshiram knew. He turned to see another group of manectric and raichu jump out of the bushes, who fell by a single flamethrower.
"GIVE UP. YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST US." Reshiram looked towards cresselia.
"Oh, but I do. I know your one weakness." Cresselia smiled, then began to glow pink. Reshiram and Zekrom back away defensively, but froze at what they saw. There were the stones. The stones she stole all those centuries ago, floating right in front of them now. The two remained speechless, staring at the stones. Cresselia smiled.
"See, darlings? I know your weakness. All those years ago, I knew these were important to you. I stole them for blackmail in the future." Cresselia stated as she watched the stones rotate in the air.
"BLACKMAIL US?" Zekrom snapped out of its trance.
"Precisely. I knew you weren't going to give up easily, so I needed something very special that you could not refuse. I found these, and decided to take them." Cresselia flashed an evil grin.
"YOU…VILE…LITTLE…!" Zekrom's tail rotated violently again as he charged towards the crescent pokemon. Cresselia only smirked as he got closer.
"WAIT, ZEKROM! IT'S WHAT SHE WANTS!" Reshiram shouted desperately trying to stop him form getting hurt. Zekrom was about to crash into her, when the fire stone floated in front of her. Zekrom touched the stone, and fell back with a painful groan. Reshiram saw burn marks appear on Zekrom's body.
"Hahaha! As long as I have both of these orbs, neither of you can touch me! And don't even think of a distant attack, or the stones will get it." Cresselia grinned at the stones, making Zekrom and Reshiram growl angrily.
"ZEKROM, WHAT DO YOU SAY OF A TAG-TEAM?" Reshiram looked at the black creature.
"I…WILL…" Zekrom growled in pain, as he slowly rose to his feet.
"How cute, the friends are making up. Now there's only one thing missing. And the only people who know that are-" Cresselia stopped as she heard Zekrom and Reshiram start to laugh.
"What is so funny! I demand an answer!" Cresselia shouted angrily.
"That person happens to be me."
"And me."
Cresselia turned to the ledge behind her, and growled. She saw two dark figures burst out of the bushes and land on the beach. On the left was Darkrai, and the right, Ash.
"You!" she looked at Ash.
"Yes, it's me!" Ash replied angrily.
"Give up, Cresselia! You're surrounded!" Darkrai shouted at its opposite. Cresselia looked around to see Ash's friends jump out of various bushes and surround her.
"Give up, Cresselia!" Lugia shouted.
"You can't win!" Aquimko followed.
"Give us the keys!" Brock demanded.
"And we'll let you go!" Max shouted after.
"You can't beat all of us, Cresselia!" Melody shouted.
"….Darlingss, you're all forgetting one thing." Cresselia lowered her head, but a grin was visible on her face.
"What is that?" Darkrai asked.
"…You're forgetting the most important thing. You can't defeat me…unless he's sacrificed!" Cresselia looked up and stared at Ash.
"…Yes, we know." Ash replied. Cresselia looked bewildered.
"…I…I don't understand…!" Cresselia stuttered.
"It's easy, you see. I'm the boldest spirit, and I was told that by your opposite. I know everything I have to do. Now, Darkrai, where should we do this?" Ash turned to the pitch black pokemon.
"I say we do it in the clearing up ahead. I'll have a clear shot at the moon, so it's perfect." Darkrai pointed up the hill. Everyone nodded, and started up the hill.
"Stop! You can't do this! He's loved by everyone, and you just let him DIE!" Cresselia screamed at the group, but they didn't stop. Pikachu and Ulgamoth looked at Cresselia, who was now breathing heavily and angrily.
"That's it…if he's not sacrificed…it won't work…but I do want him dead…" Cresselia grinned as a thought came into her mind. She teleported away with Ulgamoth and Pikachu, leaving the beach deserted.
"Just a little further." Darkrai said as he hovered up the hill, followed by the other floaters/walkers/flyers.
"I can't take this anymore!" Max groaned as he continued up the hill.
"Quiet, Max." Brock scolded him.
"Yeah, it's not easy for all of us." Ash added.
"That's because you got a ride on Lugia!" Max shouted up at them. It's true, Ash was on Lugia's back in the air. In his arms was May's body, motionless.
"It's almost time, May…Don't worry…." Ash whispered as he kissed her on the lips.
"I love you…." May whispered to herself in the big room, watching through the circle in the corner.
"You love her deeply, don't you?"Ash was surprised as a sudden voice came into his head. Lugia turned its head and smiled at him, then he realized it was Lugia transferring its thoughts.
"Of course I do."
"So you're willing to give up everything for her?"
"I'm willing to give up everything for everyone, Lugia."
"Brave words, Ash. You are definitely the strongest will of all."
"Thanks, Lugia."
So, does she love you?"
"Of course she does, we love each other."
"Being alone in the room of eternal consciousness helps, huh?"
Is that what it's called?"
Yes, young one. It is the room where separate souls enter without crossing to either the land of the dead, or the world of the living."
It's a confusing world, Lugia."
Well said, Ash. Well said."
After Ash and Lugia's little discussion, they arrived at the top of the hill. Darkrai floated towards a pedestal on the peak.
"Alright, Ash. Lie down here." Darkrai pointed to the pedestal, where Ash carefully lied down, and placed May's body beside him.
"I can't watch!" Max buried his face into Melody's arm.
"We're going to miss you a lot, Ash." Melody said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Goodbye, Ash. We'll take care of May, don't worry." Brock told the boy.
"Thanks, guys. You'll always be in my heart." Ash held back a tear.
"Goodbye, Ash. Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno send their regards." Lugia said as he lowered his head to their level. Just then, there was a rumbling sound. The ground began to shake. Then there was a roar from the skies, and everyone looked up to see an aurora had lit up the sky. They heard a bird-like screech, and then a terrestrial sound. They saw four figures descend from the lights, two big and two small. The two were small human-like bodies, with two tentacle arms on each side. The other was a large green dragon, with two small arms. The last was a majestic bird with rainbow colored feathers. They landed carefully on the ground, and looked at Ash.
"Hey, Rayquaza, Ho-oh, even both of you, Deoxys." Ash stared at the rare pokemon. The two Deoxys released a purple and green sphere from their chests and it exploded into an aurora in the sky.
"They must have sensed you, and since you're a friend…" Brock trailed off as another sound in the distance was heard. Soon, three blurry figures came rushing up the hill and stopped beside Ho-oh. The one dog was yellow, and had whiskers on its face. Another was blue and had a large crest coming from its head. The third was brown, and had chains around its feet.
"Raikou, Entei, Suicune!" Ash greeted the legendary dogs. Then a green circle appeared above Ash, and a small green alien-like creature flew out of it. Then a pink circle appeared, and blue one beside it. Two large dragons flew out and roared. The one was a dog-like figure with a long neck and metal on its body, with a diamond at its chest. The other was a white dragon, with pink lines on its body and two pink pearls on its shoulders.
"Celebi, Dialga, and even Palkia!" Max was amazed at this many legendary pokemon.
"But, if these two are here…then not far behind is…." Brock stopped as everyone looked to the lake down the hill. They saw the water begin to swirl in a small circle, then it formed into a purple portal. A purple shadow flew out of it, and it took form as a six-legged dragon with two small wings.
"Giratina!" Ash greeted the large dragon. When Giratina got closer, they saw a small green figure fly off of Giratina's head. It flew closer and landed on Ash. 'Hey, Shaymin! Good to see you!" Ash hugged the small flying grass-type. Then, they heard the wind rustling the trees. When Ash looked in the distance, he saw a human-like figure along with a smaller figure floating down to the ground. They both had long tails, and were white.
"Mew and Mewtwo, good to see you again!" Brock smiled at the two legendary pokemon. Then three small circles formed beside Ash. The circles spun and took form into three small creatures. They each had two long tails, and were very small.
"Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf!" Ash greeted the lake trio, who began floating in circles around him smiling. Then, the trees began to rustle. Ash remembered some were left out, and had a good feeling on the next arrival. A red blur sped sat the group, then flew back the opposite way. Then it stopped above them, and hovered beside Ash. "Hey, Latias! It's good to see you, but what about Altomare?" Ash asked the eon pokemon. Latias' eyes glowed bright blue, which Ash recognized as sight-sharing. Soon they were in Altomare's hidden garden, where lots of small small blue pokemon like Latias were chasing each other around. On the swing was a girl watching the small pokemon playing, but Ash looked in the fountain, and noticed it was empty. "Latias, where's the soul dew?" Ash asked the eon pokemon. Latias smiled and opened her hands, revealing the small blue sphere.
"I see, you wanted Latios' soul to come along, too." Brock said, making the eon pokemon smile and tackle Ash in a hug.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Latias! It's great to see you too!" Ash laughed as the pokemon rubbed her face against his. Ash looked around at all the legendary pokemon, his friends.
"Ash, it's almost time." Darkrai reminded the boy. Ash nodded, and Latias got off him. Ash laid back down as the cloud began to move and the moon was barely visible.
"I love you all, take care of yourselves." Ash said. Everybody except Ash and Darkrai lowered their heads in sadness, some even letting out a few tears. Ash sighed, and closed his eyes.
"Alright, Ash, it's time." Darkrai said, pointing to the full moon visible in the night sky. Everybody lowered their heads lower, and began making quiet sad noises. Darkrai began to chant ancient words that very few in the group could understand, which mad everyone nervous. Ash began to feel a little dizzy, but ignored it because he thought it was Darkrai….. too bad it wasn't.
"It is your time to end, Ash!" everyone looked over to see Cresselia burst out of the bush with Pikachu and Ulgamoth, charging to strike.
"Hurry, we'll hold her off!" Lugia exclaimed, before firing a hydro pump at the psychic-type. She easily dodged it, and fired a psycho cut back, which knocked Lugia down the hill a little. Aquimko fired a water pulse towards the ground in front of her, erupting a wave on her. But the water split in two as her eyes glowed blue and didn't slow down. Zekrom and Reshiram charged towards her, with a red and yellow glowing fist each. They both crashed their fists together, turning the two separate colours into two fists of bright orange for each. Reshiram took a swing at her, but Pikachu blocked with an iron tail crackling with electricity. Zekrom took her other side, but was blocked by a steel wing of Ulgamoth's. Cresselia fired two psycho cuts at the titans, sending them down the hill near Lugia.
"Guys, get her!" Melody told Max and Brock, who took out their pokeballs. Brock released his Sudowoodo, and max released a green gecko.
"Sudowoodo, hammer arm!" Brock commanded. Sudowoodo slammed a glowing fist into the ground, making the ground split into two. The earth split all the way to Cresselia, which made her lose balance (A/N: It doesn't have to make sense).
"Grovyle, quick attack into leaf blade!" Max ordered. Grovyle took off at incredible speed towards the crescent pokemon, then the leaves on its arms glowed and extended into blades. With the speed and blades combined, Grovyle got a devastating blow on Cresselia. Pikachu used iron tail on Sudowoodo to knock it away, and Ulgamoth used a powerful flamethrower to defeat Grovyle. Cresselia continued towards the boy, who Darkrai was just finishing up the ceremony on.
"You're not getting away that easily!" Cresselia shouted as she fired a psycho cut at the boy with his eyes closed.
"Ash!" Max shouted at the defenceless boy. Darkrai did not stop the chant for he would have to start over. The humans closed their eyes in terror, then heard an explosion. When they opened their eyes, they saw the spot where Ash was covered in smoke with small bits of debris showering overhead.
"Ash…" the three humans thought sadly. The few legendary pokemon lowered their heads again, where Cresselia laughed maniacally. Then through the smoke, a black ray of energy shot towards the full moon, and contacted with it. The moon glowed bright, then a white ray of energy shot back down into the smoke, but no one saw what was happening. A wave of energy pushed the humans to their bottoms, and the legendary pokemon looked at each other. Cresselia's eyes grew large as she stare at the smoke.
"NO! It can't be! Impossible! Darkrai!" she shouted angrily, and started towards the smoke, but was blasted by a shadow ball. She looked up to see Mewtwo holding his hand to her, with a black ball of energy forming in his palm. The dust cleared, and they saw Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Latias and defense-form Deoxys surrounded by a large green sphere. Behind them was Darkrai floating over Ash and May's body. Darkrai waved his arm over Ash's face….no motion. The pitch-black pokemon looked at the ground sadly, then looked at the others. He stared for bait, then shook his head. The humans gasped, and Max cried into Melody's arm, while her and Brock were fighting back tears. Cresselia started shouting angrily, but one more shadow ball knocked her unconscious. Everyone crowded around the boy's body, and lowered their heads in respect. Max looked over at his sister's body, then wiped away a tear.
"May!" Max pointed to the feminine body, then everyone looked. Just barely visible…they saw her eyelashes begin to flicker.
END