Hello! I'm baaack! And with a new chapter (well, an old chapter that's been updated, but you get the idea).
Things are going to look similar here, but there's going to be a LOT that's different, thanks to the new info I got from Scribe. *hefts large pile notebooks*
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, I'd have made it so that they're playable on mobile devices WITHOUT the use of emulators - with Trading still intact!
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1 - Arrival
"Oooh... What happened? It feels like I've been hit by a truck."
A figure, a teenage girl of sixteen years, rubbed her head as she got up unsteadily from the ground, rubbing her head and clenching her eyes and teeth to try and stop the pain she was feeling. After a moment, the girl pushed her dark brown hair out of her face, and opened her eyes, revealing deep blue pools. Said blue eyes quickly widened when the girl got a good look at her surroundings.
Turning frantically in every direction, she squeaked, "Where am I?!"
The girl was standing in what had probably once been a grassy plain. However, everything was now black and ominous. The dirt, the rocks, the three mountains that towered close by - even the sky, which rumbled occasionally with faint thunder. Not only that, but everything was stiff and brittle - the noise of the grass under the girl's feet confirmed that. There wasn't even a breath of wind to move anything around - even though the clouds were in constant motion, swirling like some witch's broth.
Cautiously, the girl stepped forward, looking around in shock at her strange, colorless surroundings.
"This isn't right," she muttered. "Last thing I remember was playing on my DS..."
She took a step forward, only to feel something hit her shoe. The girl looked down, frowned, then bent down and picked up the object, rubbing the dirt off with her red shirt as she did so.
"A PokeBall?" the girl asked in confusion, looking down at the red and white sphere. "Is this one of those toys that pops open?"
"What you hold is no toy."
The teen stiffened as he grip tightened on the ball, and she looked around with a somewhat fearful expression. "Who's there?" she asked in a squeak. "Sh-show yourself!"
"Look behind you," the voice replied, still eerily calm.
The girl turned around quickly, holding the ball up as though she was ready to throw it at who had been speaking in her head. However, when she saw who else was on the dark plain with her, the teen froze and the PokeBall dropped from her hand.
"No...impossible," the girl murmured. "You're not supposed to be real!"
The creature in front of her - a strange, purple monster with bright blue eyes and a twitching tail - held out its arms to its side as though it was waiting for her to run at it and hug it. "How can I not be real if I'm standing right in front of you?"
"But...Pokemon are only video game characters!" the girl argued. "There's no way that -"
"Khrista. Stop." The Pokemon's voice had taken on a serious tone. "What you thought wasn't real is. Where else do you think your world gained information on mine?"
"Your world?" Khrista's voice came out in a squeak, and she looked around in terror. "Are you saying that I'm on another planet? And how do you know my name?" She reached for her left arm with her right and started to pinch right below where the short sleeve of her red shirt ended.
"Pinch all you like; you're not going to wake up," the Pokemon stated bluntly. "As for your actions, what you did on your 'games' occurred here in real time in accordance with the event, in the form of an army of Trainers." He let out a sigh. "The others caught on much more quickly than this. I am surprised you have not yet."
"Caught on? Others?" Khrista was confused. "Mewtwo, what are you talking about? What's going on?"
Mewtwo let out an annoyed sigh. "There are events taking place here that you humans of Earth never took into account. Cyrus has done things you never knew - that you would never dream of realizing."
Khrista blinked. "The Galactic nerd?" She looked around again. "But...how did he do this? He was stopped and disappeared-"
"Well, he came back," Mewtwo replied shortly. "And now we have bigger problems. He's been pulling children through from your world looking for someone, and there has been..." He motioned to the landscape as proof.
Khrista blinked again. "Did you just say that he pulled me through?"
"Yes." Mewtwo looked grim.
The one-word answer shook Khrista to the bone. She started to look around nervously again. "Then...where's Cyrus?"
"Not here, if that is what you're worried about." Mewtwo turned his head to look off to his left; Khrista followed his gaze and caught sight of a tall tower of white and blue in the distance; a rather mutilated version of the Galactic symbol was at the top. "He will be sending a...'prelate,' I believe would be the correct term." The Pokemon looked back at Knrista. "This is what he did for the others that didn't appear within his citadel."
"Others?" Khrista repeated. "Why did he go after others?" Her looking around became a bit more frantic.
"You were teleported here, as were the others, because they and you had some sort of connection to this world in one way or another," Mewtwo explained. "The games, no matter how many you played other than his, resulted in your being pulled into this world."
"Why? What would this maniac want with me - or anybody else?"
"He is most likely searching for someone," came a second telepathic voice.
Khrista jumped and started to look around again, only for a small, pink being to appear in front of her nose.
The teen blinked. "Mew?"
"I prefer Aurora," the small Psychic-Type replied calmly, backing away a couple feet. "Cyrus' hunt seems to have been kept in a certain area, rather than across your world and in different regions."
"But...who would he be looking for?"
Before either Psychic-Type could respond, a third telepathic voice shouted in her mind: "KHRISTA!"
The shout caused not only Khrista to flinch, but Mewtwo and Aurora as well.
"Rayquaza, please!" Mewtwo called. "Not so loud. You could cause brain damage!"
Khrista's eyes widened in surprise. "That was a Rayquaza?"
Aurora gave a nod. "He has been waiting for his Trainer to arrive, and apparently thinks that the Trainer is you."
Khrista blinked, then frowned. "Well, I have had use of Rayquaza pretty often - he is my favorite Pokemon. But how would he know -"
There was a loud cry from above, and a long, green and red, snake-like creature flew down from the clouded sky and down to the trio, circling in order to stay close.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to meet you in person?" The Dragon/Flying-Type asked with less volume. His mouth was slightly open, showing his sharp teeth in what looked like they could have been a smile. "It's good to finally see you, Khrista."
The teen took a step back in alarm, leaning back so that she could take in all of the Pokemon that she could. "Whoa." A nervous grin made its way across her face. "I really hope I'm not dreaming, because this is really cool."
"Indeed," Mewtwo agreed. "However, we can't stay here for long. We're in danger of being spotted by -"
"Relax," the Rayquaza scoffed. "Entei and the others said that there was no one in sight." He turned to look at Khrista more closely. "Besides, the rest of the team has been waiting to meet up with you."
Khrista blinked blankly. "The rest of the team?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth when a blue mermaid-cat and a white and gray dog-like creature tackled Khrista from out of nowhere, sending the teen sprawling on her back while the two creatures sat on either side of her.
"Vaporrr!" the mermaid-cat exclaimed, appearing to grin.
"Linoone!" the dog added, nuzzling Khrista in her side.
Khrista, who had been staring in surprise, laughed when the nose slipped under her shirt and started to tickle the teenager.
"It's good to see you too, Vapor, Linoone," Khrista stated, nodding to the two Pokemon in turn. A frown came over her face as she recalled the Pokemon that had been on her team in the game a moment ago. "But where's Swamp and Raichu?"
She got her answer when a large, blue mud fish-like creature and an orange mouse with a lightning bolt at the end of its tail ran past Mewtwo and Rayquaza as Khrista was getting up. Both Pokemon murmured in their respective cries as they came close and circled around their Trainer.
Mewtwo let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head. "This will get us even more attention from Cyrus, Rayquaza. You should have left them on the mountain with Entei, Suicune, and Raikou."
"Like I was going to sit around when my Trainer is right here!" the Legendary retorted.
"The three Legendaries from Jhoto are up there?" Khrista asked, motioning to the nearby mountains.
Aurora gave a nod. "They have been protecting what remains of the free Pokemon, though now only a small number of...'Legendaries' are left."
Khrista frowned. "Left? What do you mean?"
"It involves Cyrus and his plans," Mewtwo replied shortly. "Darkrai and Cresselia have been working on keeping hope in the rest of the world - and terror in the tower - but there hasn't been much progress in that. And Articuno has been begging for something to do, but the others haven't let her out of their sight for fear of what could happen."
Khrista gained a worried look - one that was mimicked by her Pokemon team. "You mean Cyrus is trying to catch all the Legendaries?"
"That seems to be it, yes."
"Why hasn't anyone stepped up to stop him yet?" Khrista demanded. As she looked around at the Pokemon that surrounded her, another thought entered her mind. "Where's Ash Ketchum?"
The Pokemon looked at Khrista in surprise, then at each other with concerned expressions. Khrista didn't like the look of it, or that Mewtwo had gained a guarded expression that she normally saw on TV.
Obviously, something must have happened.
"What happened to Ash?" Khrista asked cautiously, her eyes flicking between each of the Pokemon.
"Do you wish to tell her?" Aurora asked, looking to Mewtwo. "Or shall I? After all, Chaos, you were there."
Khrista blinked upon hearing the unfamiliar name, then realized it was Mewtwo's name when he bowed his head and shut his eyes.
A moment later, the Psychic-Type began to speak.
"When Ash finished the Sinnoh League, having not run into Team Galactic at all during his journey, Cyrus somehow managed to escape from the Distortion World," Chaos explained in a dark tone.
Khrista's eyes widened. "Ash didn't fight Team Galactic? Then who did?"
"Another Trainer who we happen to be allies with," Aurora explained. "However, she wasn't in the region at the time, nor was she in our world."
"Not in your world?" Khrista frowned. "Wait...you said that Cyrus was looking for someone -"
"I will explain that part of our situation later," Chaos stated quickly. "For now, Ash is the center of our story, not White."
Before Khrista could open her mouth again to ask who White was, the Pokemon continued.
"Ash climbed to the top of Mt. Coronet with four allies - the Legendary Pokemon of the Lakes, as well as myself - to stop Cyrus before he went too far. However...it did not go so well."
Khrista's eyebrows came together as a concerned frown came over her face. "It's got something to do with what's around us, doesn't it?"
"Yes. Cyrus won, and he plunged the world into darkness." Chaos bowed his head.
"Such a sad story," came a sarcastic-sounding voice.
At once, all the Pokemon around Khrista bristled as they turned to face the voice, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Slowly, she turned around, then froze when she saw who had spoken.
"Of course, that's just how you tell it," remarked the black-haired, thirteen-year-old boy standing in front of the group. A dry, emotionless grin was stretched across his face, and his arms were crossed over his chest, which clearly bore the Galactic symbol. In fact, the boy's entire outfit was the Galactic uniform.
It wasn't this that caught Khrista's attention, however: it was the pair of dark red eyes that watched her coldly.
The girl took a step back, her blue eyes still locked on the boy's orbs. "...Ash?"
The empty grin seemed to widen, and the red-eyed boy laughed. "Well, look at that! The kid isn't clueless after all!" He looked over at the two Psychic-Types and Rayquaza, and a gleam came into his eye - a gleam that Khrista didn't necessarily like. "And you've got three Legendaries, too! Master is going to be really pleased with this!"
Swampert snorted and moved in front of the three Legendaries. Raichu joined him, looking just as defensive and angry as electricity sparked from her cheeks.
"Raii," the Electric-Type said in a warning manner.
Ash appeared to be bored from this show of aggression.
"Cute," he said dryly. The teenager reached behind him and brought a black PokeBall out of nowhere. "But you're nowhere as scary as this guy."
With an emotionless toss, the PokeBall was thrown into the air, and it popped open with an explosion of dark light, releasing a large, dark snake-like creature with six black tentacles and a golden mask on its face.
Raichu and Swampert looked up at the giant Pokemon in front of them, and the stiffened in to battle stances.
"We've taken on bigger," the mud fish grunted, gaining a look of surprise from Khrista.
The girl shook off her confusion, deciding that Swampert's statement was probably a trick by her mind or something.
"Giratina looks more creepy than usual," she muttered. "And not just because he's in Origin Forme." Glancing back, she asked Chaos, "And what in the name of Arceus happened to Ash up there? He's supposed to have brown eyes, not...that color." She glared back at the Kanto Trainer, who was still standing where he was with a smug look on his face that was contrasted by the blank look in his eyes.
"Oh, so you don't know!" Ash let out a short, cold laugh. "You haven't told her yet, Mewtwo? I'm so disappointed." He made a show of shaking his head, a smirk still on his face.
Chaos' eyes narrowed. "I have had enough of your childish antics."
He made a motion with a three-fingered hand, a strip of Psychic energy appeared out of nowhere over Ash's mouth. The teenager struggled for a moment, but then stood still, eyes staring blankly at he group. Giratina continued to float where he was, his eyes seeming to bore into Khrista's very soul.
Khrista looked over at Chaos. "What happened?" she repeated.
Chaos let out a sigh. "There was a great fight between Cyrus and us. However, something gave. Giratina unleashed...a powerful attack that knocked everyone back. In seconds, Cyrus had unleashed the one weapon he had been building during his exile - the one thing he used to ensnare Giratina, and had attempted to use before on others. Ash...he stood in its way and let it take him, rather than see us taken."
As Chaos spoke, the back of Khrista's mind echoed with voices yelling - a memory being transferred from the Psychic-Type, perhaps?
"Ash! No!"
"Go! I'm not going to let you guys - nnnrgh - fall under his control!"
"But -"
"GO!"
Khrista found herself at a loss for words. "No...he..." She quickly remembered what had happened in the Sinnoh games. "He took the Red Chain for you guys?"
Chaos nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, not all of us were able to escape unscathed. The Lake Spirits..." The Psychic-Type bowed his head.
Khrista's eyes widened. "No...they got taken, too?"
"Master wouldn't say 'taken' so much as 'enlightened'," came Ash's voice again.
Khrista turned, only to see that the Psychic energy Chaos had gagged the boy with was gone, revealing that empty grin again.
"A lot of Pokemon have been, but I'm the only human." The empty grin widened. "Lucky me."
Khrista took a step back, only for her legs to bump into something. Glancing down, she saw that Vapor and Linoone were standing right behind her, looking up at her with concerned eyes.
I can't let them down, Khrista realized. They're my Pokemon. They look up to me, whether I've really been here or not. Her resolve strengthened, she turned back to Ash with a newfound glare in her eyes.
"All right, Ash Ketchum," Khrista hissed. "How about we settle this the old fashioned way, huh?"
"Oh, really?" came the response.
"Yeah. You, me." Khrista pointed at Ash and herself. "Pokemon Battle. Right here, right now." The teenager pointed at the dark ground below them, looking just about ready to throw herself into the fight if not for what she knew of that world's rules.
The grin faded from Ash's face, replaced with a blank frown. "I wasn't told to battle you."
"If Trainers lock eyes, they have to battle," Khrista snapped in reply. "Even your puppet master should know that well enough."
The Pokemon around her looked at each other; Raichu and Swampert exchanged glances before smirking and nodding.
Ash blinked, then he let out a sigh. "All right, all right. Giratina could use some exercise, anyway. Which one of your little pests are you going to use first?"
Khrista turned to look back at her team and the three Legendaries, quickly going over Type match-ups in her head.
"Rayquaza," Khrista called out. "You've done the best against this guy before. You up for another round?"
The Dragon/Flying-Type looked down at the teenager, then over at Giratina for a moment before nodding, his mouth opening up on some sort of sharp-toothed grin. "Yeah. That'll work just fine." He snaked around the group and brought himself up into his gigantic height in between Khrista and Giratina. "Bring it on!"
As if in response, the Distortion World Pokemon let out a roar and brought its tentacles forward in a fast, stabbing motion that brought forth a purple-tainted blast of wind. Rayquaza ended up taking the blow, causing the wind to part and avoid hitting the other Pokemon and Khrista.
"Blast back with Dragon Pulse!" Khrista yelled, one arm up so that what wind that got to her avoided her eyes. "It'll help us get a good idea of what that thing's strengths are, at least."
Rayquaza, even though he was being battered, drew us head back as a purple and white sphere of energy materialized in his open mouth. A moment later, the sphere became a wide beam that slammed into the other Legendary, causing it to shriek loudly and get pushed back.
Giratina quickly recovered, however, and it's tentacles started to glow a bright red as it started to fly up close to Rayquaza.
In a panic, Khrista called out, "Fly!"
Rayquaza responded quickly to the command, shooting upward right before Giratina's tentacles slammed into the green dragon's previous position.
Rayquaza circled around above them for a moment, then slammed into Giratina's body, gaining another cry from the opponent Pokemon.
But then the Sinnoh Legendary turned into black shadow, then disappeared entirely as Rayquaza removed himself from lying on top of Giratina.
"Was that -"
"Shadow Force," Chaos confirmed grimly. "He could appear anywhere in this area and attack from any side."
Khrista, who had looked back at the Pokemon, gave a nod. "OK. But not if we can try to spot him first." Looking back at Rayquaza, she stated quickly, "Up in the air again - we need to see where Giratina might end up showing up."
The Legendary gave a nod, then took off into the sky and started to circle the group of Pokemon and his Trainer.
Ash gave another cold laugh and a crooked smile. "Like that's going to work! Even I don't know where Giratina's going to show up!"
Khrista turned sharply and glared at the Trainer with as venomous a glare as she could muster. "The Pokemon has a mind of its own, of course you wouldn't know!"
"I see him!" Rayquaza started to barrel downward towards a location a good distance away from both Ash and the others. However, the Pokemon was quickly forced to retreat when a ball of dark energy was blasted at him. "Well, that's his fourth attack."
Khrista frowned as she watched the two Pokemon collide with each other, then looked back at the other Pokemon. "Normally, Giratina would have been knocked out by now. Something's wrong."
"It most likely has something to do with the device that Cyrus was able to create and use to ensnare," Aurora stated grimly. "Perhaps, if a Pokemon became too far gone, he or she would be able to beat him."
"Too far gone?" Khrista repeated, frowning. She looked over at the scuffle, and, seeing that Rayquaza was starting to look more exhausted than Giratina, decided to play one of her trump cards - maybe this would turn the tide.
"Outrage!" the teenager screamed.
Rayquaza suddenly let out a loud, angered roar that seemed to shake the ground; Khrista took a step back when the wave of noise hit her full-on in the face. Blinking rapidly, she watched as Rayquaza started to go after Giratina with much more force that he had been before - no holding back, now.
Giratina let out a loud screech when Rayquaza lashed out and sunk his teeth into the Ghost/Dragon-Type. Rayquaza didn't let go, even when the other Legendary slashed at him with his tentacles; instead, he shook Giratina around for a moment, then let go by tossing him into the air. The new-found chew toy crash-landed, sending large pieces of the ground flying in all directions - including Khrista's.
"Be careful!" Chaos barked as he and Aurora moved in front of the Trainer. An energy shield went up seconds later, causing the dirt clogs to bounce off. As they did, Khrista caught sight of small, multicolored spheres bouncing in all directions.
"Are those more PokeBalls?" Khrista asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes," Aurora replied. "The PokeBalls of the Pokemon Cyrus has taken. No one has yet to reclaim any of the capture spheres."
Meanwhile, Rayquaza was starting to growl as Giratina got up from the rut it had created. The two Legendaries charged at each other and were soon in a wrestling match of sorts, both letting out angry snarls as they continued to claw and bite at each other.
Khrista knew that she was going to have to throw out her other trump card.
"Rayquaza!" Khrista yelled. "Use -"
"Don't!" Chaos put a three-fingered paw over Khrista's mouth. "Rayquaza is too deep in his anger to hear you now. If you call him out, it will leave him weakened and open to attack from Dark Giratina. He will take care of this - do not worry."
As the Mewtwo removed his paw, Khrista blinked at him in confusion, then nodded reluctantly, concern clear on her face.
"All right," she stated, reluctantly. "If you say so."
Meanwhile, Rayquaza was still thrashing about, attacking not only Giratina but the surrounding countryside. One of his claws, crackling with energy, slashed out a Giratina so quickly that the Dark Legendary let out a cry of pain as its form seemed to shift.
A second slash, and there was the loud sound of something made of glass breaking. A moment later, some kind of red dust went flying off the Ghost/Dragon-Type and took to the skies before dissipating.
"Incredible," Aurora murmured.
Beside Khrista, Raichu let out a delighted cry. A moment later, she exclaimed, "I knew you could do it, Rayquaza!"
Khrista looked down at the Electric-Type in surprise, then shook it off. Turning to look at Aurora, she asked, "Did Rayquaza just break a Red Chain?"
"Indeed," Aurora replied with a nod.
Giratina, now freed of the Chain, looked about quickly, let out a loud shriek when he saw Ash, and turned and flew off for the mountains, using Shadow Force to get fully out of sight.
In response, Rayquaza let out a roar at the retreating Pokemon, then turned to face the rest of the group. Khrista felt her blood run cold as she saw the crazed look in his eyes.
"Chaos, don't Pokemon snap out of confusion after a battle?" Khrista asked, looking over at the Mewtwo with a look of cautious confusion.
"That used to be so," the Psychic-Type admitted. "However, there have been changes made since Cyrus brought his own ideas forward. It will eventually wear off."
Rayquaza looked around the plain, growling at everything that moved. Ash was getting the most attention, and the controlled Trainer seemed to be enjoying it.
"Well, looks like I might be able to get a new toy for my Master," Ash remarked.
"You're not getting Rayquaza," Khrista responded instantly, pointing at Ash accusingly. "He's a part of my team, not some wild monster."
"Oh, yeah?" Ash grinned. "I'll change that, believe me." He looked back at the Legendary.
Khrista felt her blood run cold when she saw that Ash's arms were starting to glow a dangerous red.
Swampert let out a growl. "Oh, no he won't." He started forward, but Chaos held out an arm in front of the Water/Ground-Type.
"Careful," the Psychic-Type warned. "There's a chance that you will be caught, too."
"What's going on?" Khrista asked in a squeak.
"It's called the Ketchum Treatment," Aurora explained. "He is going to bind Rayquaza, like he was bound. It will drain him of any spirit he has."
Khrista's eyes widened, and she paled. "No..." She looked back at Ash, who was starting to build up more energy. "We've got to stop him!"
Chaos started to explain. "If any of us step forward, his concentration will -"
Khrista didn't want to hear any more of it. She dashed forward, yelling, "Ash Ketchum! STOP!"
The Kanto Trainer didn't take his eyes off Rayquaza. "Why?"
Khrista was so desperate to save her Pokemon, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"It's not Rayquaza you wanted - it's me!"
There was a collective gasp from the Pokemon behind Khrista.
Ash jolted upon hearing Khrista's statement, then turned his head to look in her direction. The red crystals that had been forming on his arms suddenly died.
"Just...just leave him alone!" Khrista added in a squeaky, panicked voice.
Ash gave what might have passed as a skeptical, curious expression for him.
"You would sacrifice yourself to keep me away from your Pokemon?" He turned fully and walked towards Khrista, who took a step back with a hesitant expression on her face.
A sinister grin came over Ash's face, but Khrista could have sworn that she saw concern - or was that fear? - in the Trainer's red eyes.
"Man, you really must be weak," Ash stated coldly. "Fine. I'll let your precious Pokemon go." He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
A moment later, it was as though space was warped around Khrista in three different places, and three small, rather familiar figures appeared. Khrista's now fearful gaze moved around, looking at each one in turn: one had a sickly green head where yellow should have been, the next was a magenta rather than pink, and the third was so dark purple that it was nearly black, despite having once been blue.
"All right, you three, " Ash stated. "We've gotta head back to the Master - stat." He looked back at the other Pokemon, who were staring at Khrista in shock. "And you six better take your friend and get out of here before I change my mind!"
Before Ash could say anything more, the three corrupted Lake Spirits raised their arms and let out a simultaneous call that resulted in the space around Ash and Khrista becoming warped. A moment later, they weren't on the plains anymore.
They were standing in front of the giant citadel. And there were two familiar figures standing directly in front of it. Khrista would have backed up in fear if it weren't for the fact that she was presently surrounded by three Legendaries who could knock her out at a moment's notice.
One of the two figures - a woman with long purple hair - stomped forward and glared down at Khrista before moving her attention to Ash.
"Where's the girl's Pokemon?" the woman demanded.
Ash shrugged. "Back at the Graveyard. I'm giving them a five-minute headstart before I hunt them down."
"Are you nuts?! They're going to be gone before you get back out here!"
The Kanto Trainer let out an annoyed sigh. "Look, she wanted me to take her instead of one of her Pokemon. Master told me to get her, anyway." He looked over at Khrista, who shrank back. The movement caught the attention of the purple-haired woman and the blue-haired man standing by the door.
Khrista swallowed nervously as the woman looked her over. Jessie and James are working for Team Galactic? Why?
Jessie frowned as she looked down at the teenager, then returned her attention to Ash - or, more specifically, the belt around his waist. "Where's Giratina?"
"Gone," came a simultaneous hum from the Lake Trio.
Khrista shuddered upon hearing their voices - they sounded too much like robots.
Jessie glanced over at Khrista. "You have got to be kidding me."
Ash shrugged. "I would have gotten the Rayquaza that did it if she hadn't broken my concentration."
"You're not getting any of my Pokemon!" Khrista burst out, angered at how he had said it so flippantly. "Especially not Rayquaza!"
"Shut your mouth!" Jessie barked.
Khrista scowled and stuck her tongue out, remembering what exactly she had seen multiple times on Saturday mornings with the pair from Team Rocket.
Even though she was without her Pokemon, that didn't mean that she couldn't respond boldly to the threats.
Jessie let out a low growl in response and raised a hand as though to hit the girl, but Ash grabbed her arm and prevented what might have been a hard slap.
"Remember, we don't know if this is her yet or not," he growled. "I have to take her to the Master to be sure."
Jessie's snarl faded from her face, and she looked over at Ash. A moment later, she relaxed her arm and gave an annoyed huff. "All right, fine. But if she isn't -"
"Yeah, yeah." Ash waved an arm carelessly. "I'll make sure you're at the top of the list." He looked over at Khrista, then started towards the door of the citadel.
A moment later, Khrista let out a yelp as she felt something lift her up and carry her forward. She looked to either side of her in alarm, and came to the conclusion that the Lake Spirits were using their Psychic abilities to lift her into the air. Maybe they thought they could move faster this way?
As the group went though the entrance, Khrista heard James mutter, "Let's hope the boss doesn't miss Giratina."
A moment later, the door was shut behind them, leaving Jessie and James outside.
Khrista swallowed nervously as she looked around at the stark white walls, floor, and ceiling that formed the room they had just walked into. There were three glowing panels on the floor at the opposite end of the room.
Ash started towards the one in the center, grabbing Khrista's arm and pulling her with him. "Come on. Master's going to want to see you." He dragged her onto the glowing panel that was in the center.
Khrista released a shudder as she felt a tickling sensation crawl over her body. There was a bright flash, and their surroundings instantly changed into a long, white hallway that had no defining features or pops of color.
Except for the two long lines of kids and Pokemon on either side of the hall.
They're standing like soldiers, Khrista realized. She looked over each of their faces, and shock smacked her in the face when she realized that these were people from her school - her home town.
Chaos said something about looking for someone... the girl recalled. Her eyes widened. Is she in my neighborhood?!
Ash's grip tightened on Khrista's writs. "Hurry it up, girl. We don't have all day for you to gawk."
Khrista glared at his back. "Oh, sure. Like Cyrus left time to run its course," she snapped.
Ash stopped sharply and turned around in order to give Khrista the full force of his emotionless glare. "Listen, you. You don't say the Master's name in this building without his permission."
"Then what am I supposed to call him? Galactic Goonhead?" Khrista had picked up the nickname some time ago from a friend, and it seemed right to spit it out now.
It was as if everything had suddenly stilled.
Ash stiffened and tried to look more intimidating. "You didn't."
"I believe I did." Khrista stuck her tongue out at the Kanto Trainer. "And I bet there's nothing you can do about it."
Ash's red eyes narrowed, and a moment later, Khrista felt something hit the back of her head - hard.
The world went dark.
As you can tell, I've started to move things around and change things up a bit. What do you think of the new Ash? Not too nice, I hope. And no more near-death damage to the Trainer - this works much better, in my opinion.
Giratina's attacks: Ominous Wind, Dragon Claw, Shadow Force, Outrage
Rayquaza: Fly, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, ?
And, by the way, I've started work on rewriting chapter 11 of this thing, so that kind of gives you an idea on how long I waited when I was rewriting until I posted.
See you next week!