Chapter 55 - Aftermath

The humans and Pokemon were still getting their bearings down in the Fields when Cyrus' citadel of torture fell back - away from where the Underground hid and into the remains of the forest that had once surrounded Lake Verity.

Ray nodded in approval at the wreck down below. "There." He looked at Jewels. "They got out?"

The Being of Willpower nodded in confirmation. "They left mere seconds before it was knocked down." He motioned to the gaping hole that had taken the place of the building's foundation. "We should go down there and join them, just to be sure that they're all right." He flew down the hole, the rest of the Pokemon and Trainers following behind.

"Merlin! Lien!" Jewels called, zooming over to where the other Lake Spirits were conversing. "We did it!"

"Indeed we have," Merlin confirmed. "However, there is something else that still troubles me..."

Motioning for the others to follow, the Being of Knowledge flew off to a secluded area of the Fields, while the rest of the Pokemon and Trainers celebrated their victory, the Pokemon's absence going unnoticed. And then they caught sight of the unconscious Ash and Khrista. Standing nearby were Red and Joshua.

Lance approached Chaos and Aurora, looking at the two unconscious teens with concern. "What happened to these two?"

"Khrista over exerted herself not long after freeing Ash," the Mew explained. "Both need to recover from the amount of energy they were exposed to. In time, they will awaken and return to everyday life."

Ho-Oh landed next to the Kanto Legendaries. "Give them to me - Entei and his Shiny brother Pyrus can watch over them, allowing the rest of you to lick your own wounds."

Chaos and Aurora exchanged a quick glance, nodded, then transferred Ash and Khrista to the Rainbow Pokemon's back

"You need not worry," Ho-Oh reassured the watching Pokemon. "They shall be safe with me." With that, the Legendary took off and flew for the Coronet Tunnel.

Joshua, who had been lost in thought after seeing the Lake Spirits go off on their own, didn't flinch or jump when Alak appeared beside him.

"Dawn and Lucas have the mongrel restrained," the Alakazam stated calmly. "Darkrai is with them."

Joshua nodded absently. "Good. Is he still asleep?"

"Yes. Darkrai is making sure of that." The Alakazam scanned the crowd, seeming to take special interest in the nervous looks the Galactics were giving the Underground members - as well as each other. "It will take quite some time before Cyrus' mistakes will be completely reversed."

"Yeah," Red agreed, coming over to them. "But how long, do you think? That storm up there isn't going to let up anytime soon."

As if to prove his point, a hailstone rolled by their feet as lightning flashed overhead.

"The Jhoto Legendaries set up the storm so that the could scorch the earth of Cyrus' work," explained a trainer wearing a baseball cap backwards. The Typhlosion beside him nodded in agreement. "Name's Gold, and this is Exbo. You're Joshua, right? Khrista's cousin?"

Joshua nodded. "That's right. And this is one of my team, Alak."

"Greetings," Alak stated. "Is there a reason you approached us?"

Gold smirked. "I've been helping to keep an eye on the Pokemon you and your friends befriended. In fact, one of those Rayquaza is yours." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the four identical Hoenn Legendaries. "It's the blue one."

Joshua's eyes widened. "I never though that a Rayquaza could be that color."

Gold chuckled. "You'd be surprised at how many Shiny forms of Legendaries there actually are." A grin came over his face. "Come on - Avatar or not, I want to see how strong your team is."

Joshua smirked. "I'm up for a challenge."

Spacial Break

"Another problem is going to keep things from going back to normal?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Merlin confirmed to a surprised Mesprit. "We may have freed a large portion of people here, but there are still those who will try to free Cyrus at all costs. We're lucky that they have all been gathered in one place."

He created two holograms, one becoming a location, and the other became a pair of figures. The two figures were what caused Lien's and Jewel's eyes to widen.

"I was wondering why Cyrus didn't summon those two," Jewels remarked. "He probably left them with instructions in case something happened to him."

Merlin nodded. "I warned Ho-Oh of what I saw as a possibility, and he has prepared himself accordingly. The Enteis' healing fire shall allow the two to awaken sooner, so that we can rescue those that remain under the Red Chain's control. We have to warn the Professors of what's coming. Now."

Spacial Break

In a dark cave, high up in a distant mountain off the coast of the shore of Sinnoh, two figures stood unmoving. A voice suddenly echoed in the darkness.

-The tower has fallen, and Cyrus has been taken prisoner by those we once swore to protect. While they are still protected by what we have done, their world will not return unless they come to us-

-Those who have come before have failed to beat us, much less harm us. How will these be any different?-

-They have the children. The ones that have flickered in and out of time with great instability. We must exploit that weakness if we are to defeat them-

-The children with the spatial problems. They do not belong to this world. They shall be eliminated-

I told you we weren't done. And now it looks like there are other villains that Khrista and the others need to take care of...