Chapter 34: The Crisis Begins

"Do you think they're doing okay?" May asked Ash, a worried expression in her eyes.

"Honestly," Ash replied, folding his arms, "I'm starting to worry more about you than them."

She blinked and frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because that's the tenth time you've asked me that same question," he replied.

"So what?" she asked, slightly angered. "My brother's in there, and a wrong move could get him in big trouble! Wouldn't you be concerned if Pikachu were in the same situation?"

Ash's expression softened at this. "You're right," he nodded. "Sorry. I was just a little annoyed by you asking, that's all."

"I'm sorry, too," she sighed. "I'm not trying to be a pest."

"No, it's fine," he assured her. "I'd feel the same way."

May smiled softly at him, and they sat down by the edge of the cliff. Then she checked her watch. "They've been gone for 58 minutes now," she said.

"That means they have two minutes left," Ash nodded. "We should be ready to go any minute."

"I wonder if maybe they got delayed," May shuddered.

"We should still be ready to go," Ash replied.

"That's not what I meant, Ash."

He blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if one of them is the –?"

Ash covered her mouth, his eyes sad but firm. "Not so loud," he said. "I see what you're saying. But we can't talk about that here. The others are close by; they might hear us."

He took his hand away from her mouth. "Sorry," she said. "But if they were delayed, then do you think that could be the reason?"

"It's possible," he nodded gravely. "Though I don't see why they would do that here. Delays or no delays, we'll beat Eggman eventually." He shivered slightly. "It's the Messenger that I'm more worried about. What kind of power are they serving?"

At that moment, their phone-like device lit up and started beeping. They looked up and saw the frightening security system surrounding Eggmanland slowly shut down. Then they looked at each other and nodded with determination.

"Let's go, everyone," Ash called as they stood up. "The worst of the security is down. It's time to rock and roll!"

"Whew!" Tails said, wiping his brow. "That was stressful."

"I've never seen you get so stressed," Max observed. "Is this really that dire of a situation?"

"Eggman's been up to something big," Tails explained. "I mean, he nearly destroyed the planet, and then he built this place which he's talked about building as long as I've known him. If that doesn't qualify as dire, I don't know what does."

"Well, you weren't kidding when you said his security was intense," Clemont muttered. "I spent a lot of my youth hacking into stuff, but I've never had such a hard time breaking in like I did today."

"So when are Ash and Sonic going to come busting in?" Bonnie asked.

Tails grinned to himself. "Soon, Bonnie," he said. "Very soon."

"Okay, so everyone knows their job, right?" Ash said into the link. "Misty, Dawn and Brock, once you've gotten into the park through the underground passage, call out your Water Pokemon and begin short-circuiting anything you can. Knuckles, Iris, and Cilan, destroy anything you can. The rest of you, stay as high above the ground as you can and bust whatever comes your way. Sonic, May and I will go for the Chaos Emeralds."

Everyone replied in the affirmative. "Okay," Ash nodded. "Good luck. And remember: if you get caught by Eggman or Team Rocket, send out a distress signal. We can't afford to lose anyone, Sonic least of all!" With that, he stashed the link in his pocket. "Okay," he said, flipping his cap around. "Let's do this."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Man, this park is huge!" Knuckles exclaimed as he pushed down another robot. "Talk about structural integrity."

"I have a hard time believing that this place is structurally sound," Cilan muttered.

"Why's that?" Iris asked.

"When Tails scanned the place, he found that it was built on top of a large underground complex," Cilan explained. "But that's physically impossible."

"With a foundation like that," Knuckles mused, "this structure should be collapsing right about now."

"On the contrary," Cilan replied. "It never should have been able to stand up in the first place! Even Eggman, with all his ingenuity, should never have been able to build such a massive structure on such a fragile foundation."

"Then he must have enlisted some form of external aid," Iris deduced. "But what could he have used?"

"Maybe it has something to do with how he nearly destroyed the planet," Knuckles suggested. "Sonic mentioned a dark energy emerging from the cracks of the planet, as well as encounters with a mysterious dark being. I can't help but wonder if the two are connected somehow."

"It seems increasingly likely," Cilan agreed. "But I suppose we'll have to wait to find out. Right now, keep on destroying this place."

"Right," Knuckles said, knocking down another pillar holding up a ceiling. The ceiling barely budged, despite no longer having support. "Strange," he mused quietly.

"Sonic!" Tails called through the link. "The center of the park is open. Hurry and get the Chaos Emeralds!"

"You heard him," Ash nodded to his friend. "Let's go!"

"I hope we're all fast enough," May murmured. "We only have ten minutes left before the security comes back on."

"No sweat," Sonic grinned, giving them a thumbs-up. "We'll make this quick!" With that, he made a break for it, with Ash and May following behind.

"Any word from the others?" Serena asked.

"Nothing yet," Amy replied. "Don't worry. I'm sure Sonic's going to be just fine."

"Probably," the blonde murmured.

Sonic and his companions managed to breach the center of Eggmanland. There, they found the last two Chaos Emeralds floating in energy-sapping containers. Without a second thought, Sonic broke the containers and snatched the emeralds.

"There," Ash nodded. "Now let's get out of here. Sonic, don't worry about us. Run as fast as you can, and don't look back."

"Roger," Sonic nodded. With that, he turned and made a break for it.

"Well, I guess we won," May smiled.

"Yes. Yes we –"

An alarm suddenly blared and red lights flashed over them. "What?!" May cried.

"What's happening?!" Ash exclaimed.

In response to their confusion, the roof over their heads slowly parted, revealing the orange sky. A shadow stood out against the sunset: a familiar shape.

Ash's eyes widened in shock. "No," he whispered. "It can't be…"

"Ash!" Tails' voice called from the link. "Eggman's security started running again faster than I thought! We need to get out of here!"

"Roger," Ash replied. "Come on, May. Let's go!"

With that, they started running out of the park. They managed to evade the intense security and get to the exit. But right after May got out, the door to the exit shut in Ash's face. He was trapped!

"Ash!" May cried.

Ash, meanwhile, tried to climb over the wall, but before he could make any progress, the shadow fell over him, revealing its form in all its horrifying glory:

"Lugia," Ash said. "Is that really you?"

"Not exactly," came the voice of Dr. Eggman from within. "I merely extracted Lugia's powers when I captured it and used them to power this new machine: the Egg-Lugia!"

As Ash got a closer look at the Lugia, he realized that the whole thing was mechanical. His eyes widened. "Then that's how you were able to control the three birds!"

"Correct you are, Ketchum!" Eggman sneered. "I must commend you and your friends for breaking through my security system and nearly destroying Eggmanland. But that ends here. With the power of the beast of the sea, I shall erase you from this planet like the foul plague that you are!"

"Hehehehehahahahaha!" came familiar laughter from within.

Ash's eyes widened. "Those voices," he said. "Can it be?" In response to his question, a hatch on top of the Lugia opened. Three all-too familiar characters ascended from here and began firing off their motto:

"Prepare for trouble, this is our victory!"

"And make it double, cuz you're history!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Woooobbuffet!"

Ash clenched his fists as they returned to their positions in the machine. "Team Rocket!" he shouted. "You've been working with Eggman this whole time?!"

"That's right," Jessie grinned. "And now, with his genius, we've built a machine that completely repels all of your attacks!"

"Not even your Pikachu's Thunder can beat us now!" Meowth boasted.

"Let's test that theory," Ash growled. "Pikachu! Use Thunder, now!"

"PIIIIIKAAAAAA...CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu roared, unleashing a massive electric attack against the Egg Lugia. It harmlessly bounced off of it and destroyed something nearby.

"You'd think he'd learn not to do that," James mumbled.

"They weren't bluffing," Ash said, eyes wide with shock. "This is bad. That's our most powerful attack...even Greninja can't pull off something stronger than that."

"Well, Ketchum," Eggman sneered, "any last words?"

"Not a chance!" Ash shouted. "I don't give up that easily!"

"Well, that's your loss," the doctor snarled. "A simple goodbye would have sufficed. Now, prepare to be destroyed!" With that, the Egg Lugia began charging a blast of power in its mouth. It was almost like a Shadow Ball, only much more massive.

Ash's eyes widened. "We can't escape that thing," he whispered. He turned to his best friend. "Pikachu. Get out of here, now."

"Pi?"

"There's no escape. You need to go."

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu shook his head vehemently, as though to say, "Not a chance! If we go down, we go down together!"

"I'm not asking," Ash replied. "I won't let my best buddy get killed."

"Too late!" Eggman roared, and he aimed his blast at Ash. At that moment, however, a blue streak shot through the air and slammed into the Egg Lugia's head. Its aim got skewed, and the massive energy ball shot off harmlessly into the sky. "No!" he cried.

"What?" Ash said.

The blue streak somersaulted to the ground, landing on his own two feet. "Close call there, Baseball Head," he said. "That head's impenetrable. I didn't even make a dent."

"Sonic!" Ash exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"Well, I left the Chaos Emeralds with Tails, so that's not an option," Sonic shrugged. "Got any ideas?"

Ash thought for a moment. Then a grin broke out on his face. "How about we do the Greninja?"

"The what?"

Ash just winked at him. "Oh," Sonic nodded in understanding. "Right. Let's do it!"

"You got lucky that time," Eggman growled, his machine recalibrated. "But this time, there's no escape!"

"Who said anything about escaping?" Sonic taunted.

"We're going to beat you!" Ash called out.

"Then so be it," Eggman sneered. "Let's make this battle one to remember!"

"Now, Sonic!" Ash cried. They lifted up their arms as energy began swirling around them. Then, their thoughts and feelings swiftly united, and Sonic's form changed once again. Then, with an impressive leap, Sonic soared twelve feet into the air and, curling into a ball, shot straight at the Egg Lugia's head. This time, he made a small, albeit unnoticable, dent.

"GUH!" Eggman cried. "No! That actually hurt!"

"There's more where that came from!" Sonic sneered, landing back on the ground.

"You filthy little rat!" Eggman shouted. "Take this!" With that, he flapped Lugia's wings and unleashed a powerful gust of wind that knocked Sonic and Ash back.

"Ungh!" Ash grunted as his back hit the wall. "Not cool, man."

"ARGH!" Sonic groaned. "That hurt."

"Come on, Sonic," Ash urged him. "I know this transformation's exhausting, but you have to hold it together! We can do this together!"

"Right!" Sonic nodded. "Guess I'll hop up in shorter increments to take down the Eggster." With that, he dashed forward and jumped from one part of Lugia to another until he hit the head again. This time, however, the head emitted a strange shock wave that knocked Sonic back onto the ground. He hit the ground hard, and the pain carried over to Ash.

"GUH!" Ash cried. "What was that?!"

"Be careful how hard you damage my robot, Sonic!" Eggman sneered. "I included a self-destructive sonic wave in the head. If you destroy it, all of us will be obliterated!"

Ash and Sonic gasped in shock at this. However, Ash quickly recomposed himself. "Then so be it," he said.

"What?!" everyone looked at him in shock.

"If our lives are the price to save the world, then we will pay it to the last penny!"

Sonic listened, then nodded. "I'd rather it not end that way," he said, "but if that's how it must be, then I'm with Baseball Head!"

"What?!" Eggman exclaimed. "But...that's not right!"

"Zip it, Egghead!" Sonic retorted. "It's time to end your scheme once and for all!"

Outside of Eggmanland, Ash and Sonic's friends watched in horror as the Egg Lugia loomed over the two heroes. They couldn't see them, but they knew they were under attack.

"If only there was something we could do to help them!" Misty cried fearfully.

"Maybe we could break down the door blocking the exit!" Knuckles suggested.

"Then let's go," Brock agreed. "Now!"

They ran forward. Little did they know that one of their number, despite a concerned appearance, secretly was chuckling with glee at Ash and Sonic's predicament.

Fools they thought. There is no point. Only moments remain before the light shall be blotted from the earth...FOREVER.

"GAHHHHH!" Eggman cried as Sonic struck Lugia's head once again. Another sonic wave erupted, knocking Sonic back to the ground. Regardless, he maintained his strength, staring up at the behemoth with determination.

"How much more do you think he has in him?" Ash asked.

"One more hit," Eggman snarled from within, "and all of us are doomed. I will not be destroyed today! Time to die, you fools!" The Lugia robot raised its head once again to charge another blast.

Suddenly, dark energy crackled all over it. It appeared to be malfunctioning.

"What?!" Ash and Sonic exclaimed at the same time.

One of the Lugia's wings suddenly and violently detached itself and fell to the ground. The other quickly followed, and the robot slowly but violently began to self-destruct.

"Gah!" Eggman screamed. "What's happening?!"

YOU HAVE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME, DOCTOR.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the voice. When they saw its owner, they were in utter shock. It was a large creature with a feline appearance. Its fur was dark as the moonless night, though its tail glowed with a golden energy. A similar spike protruded from its right shoulder. Its eyes were a bright violet, slit pupils glaring at everything with malice.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes. "Is that...Mewtwo?" he breathed.

"Unbelievable," Sonic whispered.

The strange Mewtwo finished destroying the Egg Lugia and hoisted Eggman and Team Rocket out of it. I need you fools no longer he snarled. I WILL GRIND YOU INTO DUST!

He dropped them to the ground from a great height. They were injured, but alive when they hit the ground. He then rose higher and higher into the sky.

"Mewtwo!" Ash cried. "What are you doing?!"

Mewtwo glared at Ash with a spiteful glare. You call me Mewtwo? he snarled. Fool! I am greater than Mewtwo. I am the perfect form of Mewtwo. Compared to me, Mewtwo is nothing. I am SHADOW MEWTWO!

"Shadow Mewtwo?" Ash breathed, his eyes filled with horror.

The Shadow Mewtwo shot into the sky, out of the atmosphere. Now he called to the people below, behold, as my power blots out the light from this world. Heed my words and tremble: THE REIGN OF DARKNESS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!

As he spoke, he slowly charged a massive ball of dark energy between his fists. When he finished, he threw the ball straight back down to earth. The ball hit the center of Eggmanland and, with a massive explosion, nearly destroyed it in seconds flat. Eggman and Team Rocket were caught in the middle of the blast, their cries of anguish lost in the ensuing madness. The dark energy sphere remained in place after the impact, sucking in anything and everything around it.

"Oh no!" Ash cried.

"Run!" Sonic screamed. The exit that was blocked opened up when the door got sucked into the energy sphere. They saw their friends there. "Everyone!" Sonic shouted. "Run for it! This whole place is about to become a wasteland!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them all began to give away. Ash gasped. "The foundation!" he cried. "EVERYONE! GO, NOW!"

Everyone quickly began climbing out of the pit the dark energy was making. One by one, they managed to safely scale to the top. Sonic and Ash were the last ones. Just as Sonic reached the top, Ash suddenly slipped and fell down a little, but he maintained his grip.

"Ash!" Sonic called, reaching down to him. "Give me your hand!"

Ash slowly climbed back up. When he was in range, he reached for Sonic's hand. But before he could grab it, Pikachu suddenly fell of his shoulder. The dark energy sphere started to suck him into its terrifying embrace.

"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed, leaping off the wall and diving after his best friend.

"ASH!" Sonic screamed. "NO!"

In midair, Ash managed to grab his best buddy, hugging him close to his chest. At that moment, he and Pikachu entered the sphere of energy.

And then the sphere vanished. All that remained was the ruins of Eggmanland.

"No," Sonic whispered in horror. He ran down into the pit and began throwing the rubble around. "Ash!" he cried. "Ash, where are you?!" There was no response. He continued digging through the rubble, desperate to find his friend. "Ash! Come on!" he shouted. By this point, the sun was long gone from the horizon, leaving nothing but the night. "ASH!" Sonic screamed. "PLEASE! NO! NOT LIKE THIS!"

"No," Misty whispered.

"It can't be," Brock breathed in horror.

All they could do was watch as the heartbroken werehog threw the rubble around haphazardly, screaming his name. Finally, in despair and exhaustion, he fell to his knees, pounding the ground with his massive fists. "No," he whispered. Then he roared at the sky:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"