Plot-Scorbunny 6: Ashley and Sapphire vs. Ghetsis

The final battle was about to commence. Ashley Benson and Sapphire Silverlock stared down Ghetsis with their eyes full of hatred. Sapphire didn't think it was possible to hate someone so quickly, but Ghetsis had proven her wrong. His wicked scheme had left her seething and now she wanted nothing more than to see Ghetsis perish! James Pond and Elsa were already beside her and ready to fight. She handed Ashley her bag so she could choose a Pokémon too. Ashley slung the bag back over her shoulder and whipped out a Pokéball.

"Ya should remember this guy, I'm sure." she said grimly, "Emboar, time ta fight!" she yelled, throwing the ball.

Her Pokéball opened up and released its occupant. Emboar materialized onto the field and flexed his large muscles as he prepared to battle. This very Emboar was not only Ashley's original Emboar she'd gotten from Professor Juniper and the father of the Emboar she'd raised in Galar, but it was also the same Emboar that had defeated Ghetsis's Hydreigon and concluded the match in victory for Ashley during the climax of her journey. Sapphire saw straight away that this Emboar looked different to the one she'd battled on her journey. This Emboar was bigger than the second one and had nasty scars on its arms and face, no doubt souvenirs it had collected from its last battle with Hydreigon. Emboar grunted furiously while Hydreigon narrowed its six eyes at its foe. Both remembered each other well and they WEREN'T happy to see each other again. Ghetsis grinned wickedly.

"I've been dying for this rematch with you. And unlike the last time, I will stand triumphant!" the one-armed man declared, banging the ground with his cane, "My Hydreigon is more invincible than ever!"

"In yer dreams ya crackpot nutcase!" Ashley retorted, "No Pokémon is invincible and you know it! I kicked yer ass last time, I'll do it again!"

"We shall see, won't we?" Ghetsis purred, "Last I remember, I had you on the ropes once Hydreigon came out. It wiped out most of your team single-handedly and it was through sheer luck that your Emboar managed to pull through in the end."

Sapphire gulped upon hearing this disturbing information.

"H-he's bluffing, r-right?" she stammered, "It's n-not that powerful, surely?!"

"He's not bluffing hon." Ashley said grimly, "I took down his first five Pokémon without losing any myself. Then Hydreigon came in and wiped my team out one at a time! If it hadn't been for Emboar's determination ta win, I'd have been dead! His Hydreigon's like no Pokémon I've ever battled before or since!"

"Well that reassures me greatly!" Sapphire exclaimed with sarcasm oozing out of her voice, "I'm against a guy whose Hydreigon nearly beat you by itself! But I'm not letting that deter me, no way!" she said confidently, "I didn't do all this training on the Isle of Armour to just give up right off the bat!"

Ghetsis laughed mockingly at Sapphire's determination.

"Your new friend is a feisty one. It should be fun snapping her in two in this battle…" he crooned.

"I'm not just her friend, mate!" Sapphire barked, "I'm her girlfriend! And you're about to see that I don't break easily, not when I've gone up against a vengeful Zeraora and lived to tell the tale! Elsa, start off with Hail!" she commanded.

Elsa conjured up a white ball of energy in-between her hands and threw it up into the air. The orb exploded and formed a huge misty cloud that immediately caused it to start hailing inside the cave. Ghetsis recoiled in annoyance as the Hail sprinkled down on top of him and Hydreigon. Hydreigon shivered as it suddenly grew very cold in the cave. The hail also inflicted tiny amounts of damage to it as it fell down. Ashley nodded to Sapphire. The Unovan teen knew straight away what Sapphire's plan was. With Hail, it would soften Hydreigon up for their Pokémon and also it allowed Elsa's Snow Cloak ability to activate. Ghetsis was in for a hard time with a Froslass he'd struggle to hit!

"Great opening move Sapphire!" Ashley complimented, "Now it's my turn. Emboar, use Hammer Arm!"

Sapphire watched with interest as Emboar charged into action. Right off the bat, she could see this Emboar also had a different set of moves to its child for the second Emboar didn't know Hammer Arm. She was witnessing now how this Emboar was going to fight in comparison to its child. Emboar stampeded towards Hydreigon with its huge arm raised and blowing with white and red energy. Hydreigon was weak to Fighting-types so this attack was going to be very painful for it…or so Ashley hoped. Ghetsis intercepted the move by ordering Hydreigon to use Surf. Hydreigon's three heads roared in unison as out of nowhere, it conjured up a huge wave of water that whooshed towards Emboar and swept it off its feet. Not only that, it managed to hit James Pond as well but Elsa was able to dodge the attack via her Snow Cloak ability. James withstood the hit no problem but Emboar was left spluttering and wheezing after the hit. Ashley groaned in annoyance, cursing herself for not expecting that. Hydreigon had used Surf in its battle against her so why didn't she see it coming?! Once the water cleared, Sapphire made the next move by ordering both James Pond and Elsa to use Ice Beam. James pointed at the Hydreigon and blasted it with Ice Beam while Elsa remerged from the wall nearby and did the same thing. Unfortunately, Ghetsis intercepted it again by ordering Hydreigon to use two attacks simultaneously. One head fired Focus Blast at James Pond and another head blasted a blazing Fire Blast at Elsa. Focus Blast and Fire Blast both destroyed the Ice Beams and prevented them from hitting. James dodged the Focus Blast and Elsa phased out of existence to avoid Fire Blast. Sapphire clenched her fists in worry.

"Argh, that thing can fire attacks out of each of its heads!" she screeched, "How do we fight against something like that?!"

"Like I said, it's like no Pokémon I've ever faced before." Ashley muttered, "I've never seen a trainer successfully get a Hydreigon ta do that and it's what makes Ghetsis's Hydreigon so hard ta battle! All three heads can launch a different attack independently from one another so it's like fighting three Pokémon at once!"

"Good thing there's three Pokémon currently in battle…" Sapphire murmured. The strength in numbers would hopefully give the girls the edge they desperately needed for this battle.

"You could have an entire army for all I care. My Hydreigon will plough through them all single-handedly!" Ghetsis declared, "Now use Surf once more!"

Hydreigon conjured up another wave of water and sent it whooshing towards the three opponents. This time, the girls were ready for him. Ashley ordered Emboar to jump out of the way and James Pond simply dived through the water and swam through it towards his opponent. The moment Emboar was airborne; Ashley commanded him to use Hammer Arm again. Emboar closed in on Hydreigon with his arm raised and ready to strike. Hydreigon was too slow to react for it was still in the middle of using Surf so Emboar landed a clean hit on its centre head. Hydreigon bellowed in pain from the hit. It felt as if Emboar had brought a sledgehammer down on its head. The blow had distracted Hydreigon long enough for James and Elsa to land a hit on it. The Inteleon and Froslass launched a double onslaught of Ice Beam on Hydreigon. The chilling beams hit home and Hydreigon was left screeching in anguish as it was chilled from the hits. The three-headed dragon swayed for the moment, already fatigued from the triple onslaught it had received. Sapphire was impressed and also terrified to see that despite all that, it was still conscious. Any normal Pokémon would've gone down by now!

Hydreigon shook its heads and regained its focus. The hail continued to fall all around it, shaving off more of its health. But Ghetsis wasn't taking any of it. His Hydreigon was going to win this match or die trying! He even banged his cane on the ground to make sure his Hydreigon got the message loud and clear: get yourself back into this fight or I'll beat you! The Dragon/Dark Pokémon growled in response and made its next move. Ghetsis ordered it to use Dark Pulse on Elsa. One head took aim and fired a beam of dark energy towards the Ice/Ghost Pokémon. Elsa phased away and avoided the hit with her Snow Cloak ability once more but that did no good. The moment she reappeared again, Hydreigon's second head blasted her full on with Dark Pulse. Elsa screamed in agony as the tortuous beam hit her. It felt as if she was experiencing the worst pain imaginable. No Dark Pulse she'd been hit by ever felt this agonizing! Sapphire cried out in horror as Elsa collapsed onto the ground and didn't get up again. The Hail disappeared from the field as a result of this. Sapphire ran over to Elsa and patted her on the head. The poor Froslass was out cold. She was shocked that Hydreigon had managed to defeat her so quickly!

"You did your best Elsa. Take a good rest for now." Sapphire said softly as she returned Elsa to her Pokéball.

Ashley gritted her teeth angrily. Nobody EVER did that to her girlfriend's Pokémon and lived to tell the tale!

"Oh yer asking for that asshole!" she snarled, "Emboar, bring in the pain with a big, beefy Head Smash!"

She knew it was risky to use a move like this as Head Smash did recoil damage but Ashley was aiming for a hard-hitting move that would do as much damage as possible and Head Smash was Emboar's strongest move it knew so it would hopefully do the trick. Emboar lowered his hard and rocketed towards Hydreigon with blue energy surrounding his entire body. Even Sapphire blinked in amazement upon seeing Emboar move so fast. Who knew a Pokémon that weighty could be so swift? Emboar closed the gap between himself and Hydreigon in seconds but just as he was about to land a hit, Hydreigon retaliated by blasting Emboar with Focus Blast. The huge energy sphere slammed into Emboar but it didn't stop the fiery pig from carrying out his attack. Incredibly, he was still going! Emboar ploughed straight into Hydreigon, making all three of its heads cry out in a mixture of pain and shock as it was suddenly hit and it was launched backwards into a nearby wall. Ghetsis winced as he felt the tremor from the impact just nearby. The cave began to shudder. Ashley gulped worriedly. Was the cave going to cave in on them? At his rate, it might well do! But no rocks fell from the impact. The cave was still plenty stable enough for the time being but Ashley didn't fancy her chances. She would try and fight more carefully from now on.

Hydreigon wrenched itself free from the wall and growled viciously. It bared its fangs and its eyes blazed with anger and hatred. Sapphire shuddered. How was it possible for a Pokémon, even a Dark-type, to look so unrepentantly evil like so?! If hatred was a Pokémon, chances are it would look like Ghetsis's Hydreigon! The Dragon/Dark Pokémon flew towards Emboar, moving so quickly that Sapphire wasn't even sure she saw it take off. As soon as Hydreigon was in range, it used all three of its heads to bite down on Emboar and hold his arms in place. Emboar roared in pain and wrestled with Hydreigon to try and make it let go. Ashley grimaced, feeling her Pokémon's pain. Hydreigon had done this last time they'd battled and it hadn't been fun the first time for Emboar! James Pond tried to help by firing another Ice Beam at Hydreigon but the three-headed beast moved Emboar in front of James Pond so he ended up using Ice Beam on him instead. Emboar winced but he shook off the attack very quickly as ice attacks weren't very effect on him anyway. The real pain was coming from Hydreigon. The brutal Pokémon then suddenly took off, carrying Emboar off the floor and up to the ceiling. Sapphire balked at this display. How strong was this thing when even Emboar managed to look like a deadweight in its mouths?! Hydreigon flung Emboar straight up into the ceiling, leaving a massive indent in it and causing a few rocks to crumble down onto the floor. Emboar fell straight down and hit the floor heavily. He grunted from the impact and for the moment, he was too pained to get back up.

Seizing his moment, Ghetsis ordered Hydreigon to use Surf again to wash away Emboar. Hydreigon attempted to do so but then suddenly, a computer chair flew in from nowhere and crashed into Hydreigon. James Pond had kicked the chair into his opponent to distract Hydreigon so now Emboar had some time to recover. Hydreigon growled furiously and retaliated with an attack that Sapphire didn't see coming. To her horror, Hydreigon was able to use Charge Beam. The three heads fired a huge jolt of electricity from their mouths at James and scored a direct hit. James wailed loudly as he was electrocuted and he fell to his knees. Thankfully, Charge Beam wasn't the strongest Electric attack ever but that wasn't the worst part about it. Charge Beam boosted a Pokémon's Special Attack stats after every use so Hydreigon would only get stronger the more it used the attack. Sapphire watched its body glow red as its Special Attack rose. Her palms began to sweat and her throat ran dry. This battle wasn't going well for her or Ashley. They had to act fast or else Hydreigon would be too powerful to beat!

"If this is how strong his ace is, I daren't imagine how strong the rest of his team is…" Sapphire muttered.

She whipped out another Pokéball so she could give James and Emboar an extra hand.

"Too bad for Ghetsis, I have Hydreigon's biggest weakness to exploit!" the blue-haired teen crowed, "Celestia, shining time!"

Ashley grinned excitedly upon seeing Celestia materialize onto the field. Ghetsis was screwed now! Fairy-types were Hydreigon's biggest kryptonite for it took double damage from Fairy attacks! Ghetsis recoiled, surprised at what he was looking at for he'd never seen a Galarian Rapidash before. Weren't Rapidash usually Fire-types? He didn't care about that. He only cared about the fact he now had what seemed to be a Fairy-type to deal with. He knew all too well what bad news this was for him.

"Celestia, use Dazzling Gleam!" Sapphire commanded.

Celestia's mane glowed with glamorous light as she launched her attack. The fairy lights glowed bright enough to illuminate the whole cave and Ghetsis's one remaining eye winced as it became too bright to see. The lights then launched towards Hydreigon. Sapphire hoped that this would knock it out instantly but unfortunately for her, Hydreigon had a secret weapon against Fairy attacks. The three heads all blasted at the Dazzling Gleam simultaneously with a trio of Flash Cannons. Sapphire was horrified. Hydreigon even had coverage for Fairy-types?! The metal beams ploughed through the Dazzling Gleam and prevented them from getting anywhere near Hydreigon. The beams then carried on until they hit Celestia, throwing her off her hooves and sending her crashing down right at Sapphire's feet. Celestia wasn't down but she was badly hurt. Sapphire could see that one more Flash Cannon like that would take her down instantly. She had no other Pokémon that knew Fairy attacks so she had to keep Celestia in the battle long enough to launch the final blow. She returned Celestia for the time being and decided to try someone else instead.

"OK, let's see if you can handle this one!" Sapphire cried as she sent out another Pokémon.

This time she'd sent out Matilda the Machamp. Another Fighting-type in play would likely give the girls an extra edge in this battle. James stood beside Matilda and waited to make his next move. Meanwhile, Emboar had recovered from the earlier slam into the ceiling and was ready to fight on. Ashley decided she'd use another Pokémon as well.

"It's clear three Pokémon at once ain't enough so how's about we make it four?" she declared, "Elektross, time ta fight!"

Sapphire grinned as she saw Elektross emerge from its Pokéball. This Elektross had been in Ashley's team when she'd defeated Alder and become Champion of Unova so she knew Elektross was going to be a strong ally. Also because of its Levitate ability, Elektross had no weaknesses so Hydreigon would have a harder time doing damage to it. With their starter Pokémon and two tough partners to pair them with, the girls looked as if they were in prime position to turn this fight around. Ghetsis once more remained unfazed.

"Send in as many as you want, I'll only knock them down all at once and leave you both completely at my mercy!" he crowed, "Hydreigon, use Draco Meteor now!"

Hydreigon threw its heads back and launched a small energy sphere from its mouths up at the ceiling. The sphere then exploded into a powerful meteor shower that rained down on all the Pokémon on the opposing side. Emboar, Elektross, James Pond and Matilda all braced themselves for impact as the meteors crashed down all around them, an explosion of draconian energy punching into them from all sides. Sapphire and Ashley held onto each other as the ground began to shake under their feet. God, Ghetsis would destroy the whole cave at this rate if he wasn't careful! Some of Team Plasma's equipment had ended up getting destroy by the Draco Meteor but miraculously, the power generator had been spared from the onslaught. Ghetsis was relieved. That thing needed to remain functional or else he wouldn't get the chance to throw Sapphire and Ashley into the portal. He could hear it still crackling down in the chasm below, almost like it was hungrily crying out for some poor helpless victim to fall into its depth.

Patience my pet. The girls will end up plummeting down into your depths soon enough… Ghetsis swore.

He would make sure not to use Draco Meteor again if he could help it as he didn't want to accidentally destroy the generator. After the dust cleared, Ashley and Sapphire's Pokémon pulled themselves back to their feet. The damage had been dealt but they were still more than ready to carry on fighting regardless. Sapphire smiled dryly as she knew the perfect move to make.

"Time to dish back the punishment we took! Matilda, use Revenge!" Sapphire commanded, "James, use Ice Beam as well!"

"Emboar, Poison Jab! Elektross, Drain Punch!" Ashley ordered.

Matilda stampeded towards Hydreigon with red energy surrounding her body. James pointed at Hydreigon and fired Ice Beam at the three-headed beast. Emboar ran towards Hydreigon with its hands glowing purple and Elektross snaked through the air with its fist glowing red and white. Hydreigon tried to intercept them all by using Surf to sweep them all off their feet and wash them away. But the huge wave of water it conjured up failed to make any difference as James simply swam through it again, Emboar catapulted itself into the air, Matilda simply ploughed through it without even slowing down and Elektross flew over the wave. James's Ice Beam had been stopped but the other attacks hadn't. Matilda threw all four of her fists at Hydreigon, dealing back double the damage that she'd taken from Hydreigon's earlier Draco Meteor. Emboar then landed a Poison Jab on Hydreigon after Matilda was finished and then Elektross walloped it in the gut with Drain Punch which allowed it to regain some of its health it had lost from earlier. Then to finish off, James emerged from the Surf wave and fired a second Ice Beam, this time successfully landing a hit. The barrage of attacks left Hydreigon sprawled on the floor and groaning in a mixture of pain and exhaustion. Even a Pokémon as powerful as itself couldn't withstand this much punishment from four Pokémon all at once. It was barely even conscious at this point. Ghetsis banged his cane on the floor angrily.

"Get back up you useless, pathetic creature!" he snarled, "I won't have my plans falling apart because you can't handle two scrawny little kids again!"

"That's no way to talk to your Pokémon!" Sapphire scolded, "You really think you had a chance against us when this is how you treat your Pokémon? Nobody gets anywhere in life by treating Pokémon badly! Why do you think you lost the first time to Ashley?"

"Don't lecture me with your sanctimonious garbage you little brat!" Ghetsis retorted, "I don't need those pathetic ideals you idealistic cretins hold on to! Love and compassion is for the weak! Only those with a strong will and a desire to rule ever make it in this world!"

"You only think that because you're a jaded, cynical, insane, sad excuse of a man who sees the world as nothing more than yer own personal plaything!" Ashley shouted, "And it's that kind of mindset as to why yer gonna lose all over again!"

"I refuse to ever be humiliated again like last time!" Ghetsis growled, "Now get back up and fight Hydreigon or so help me I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Hydreigon strained heavily as it tried to pick itself up. It wanted to carry on fighting but at this point in time, it was really struggling to get up. It barely had any strength left in itself to fight. Sapphire wondered how it was even still conscious after everything it had been through. The way Ghetsis talked to it also made her feel sorry for the poor Pokémon. How badly did Ghetsis treat it to the point where he thought this was how he should raise his Pokémon? Did he treat it so badly that it was scared to even defy him? She was sure the answer would make her feel sick no matter what it was. After a minute of trying, Hydreigon miraculously managed to pick itself back up again. It clearly wasn't going to last much longer but Ashley and Sapphire could tell that it was going to make sure it could land at least one more attack before going down for good. Ghetsis grinned wickedly.

"Good boy." he sneered, "Now destroy them all with another Draco Meteor!"

Hydreigon raised its heads up to the ceiling again and fired another energy ball up towards it. Acting fast, Sapphire quickly returned both James and Matilda to their Pokéballs so they wouldn't get hit by Draco Meteor. She sent Celestia back out in their places for Draco Meteor wouldn't hurt her at all. The energy ball exploded and a huge meteor shower rained down towards everybody once again. Hydreigon had moved to another spot when using Draco Meteor so Ghetsis was in no risk of accidentally destroying the power generator. None of the meteors even landed near it due to where Hydreigon had been this time. Celestia stood completely still, unflinching as Draco Meteor crashed around her. Her half-Fairy typing rendered all Dragon attacks useless to her. Elektross and Emboar fought back to destroy the meteors before they could land with Hammer Arm and Drain Punch respectively. But that didn't stop some of the meteors landing all around Sapphire and Ashley. The meteors crashed down and the girls were forced to run for cover so they wouldn't get hit. Unfortunately, one meteor crashed down just beside Sapphire and blew her off her feet. The Galarian teen flew to one side and landed down near the ledge where the portal ring was. She fell straight off the ledge but her hands scrambled furiously to grab onto the rocks before she could plummet into the portal. She managed to grab on just in time. The portal crackled hungrily below her. To Sapphire, it felt as if she was metres away from falling into the jaws of some horrible monster and if she didn't hold on, that's exactly what would happen! Ashley had seen what had happened and was already running to the ledge in horror.

"SAPPHIRE!" she screeched.

She peered over the ledge and saw Sapphire trying her best to climb back up. She was struggling hard but she was managing to make her way slowly back up. The girls stared at each other as one climbed and the other prayed she would make it. Sapphire managed to get her hands up to the edge but her foot slipped as a piece of rock gave way and she found herself scrambling desperately to keep herself from falling.

"Help me!" she begged.

"Hold on Sapph! I'll pull you up!" Ashley cried, reaching out for her girlfriend's hand.

But just before she could grab Sapphire and pull her back up, something grabbed her and hauled her to one side. Ashley grunted as she landed painfully on her arm. Ghetsis had decided to take advantage of this moment now that Sapphire and Ashley couldn't continue the battle. He strode over to the ledge where Sapphire hung precariously over the edge just above the portal. Emboar, Elektross and Celestia tried to help but Hydreigon blocked the way and fired from each of its heads Flash Cannon, Dragon Pulse and Focus Blast to force them back. Sapphire stared up in terror as Ghetsis glanced down at her, his one good eye fixed on her as he smirked deviously. He was enjoying this moment and he was clearly relishing the fear on Sapphire's face. He placed a foot on her fingers and pressed down, causing great pain for Sapphire. She tried to hold on but the pain was too much as she let go with one hand. Then Ghetsis placed his foot on her other hand.

"N-no! Please! Don't do it!" Sapphire pleaded, "Don't make me fall in!"

"And why not? You'll be a most valuable ally for Team Plasma once you end up corrupted and subservient to me." Ghetsis purred, "And maybe seeing you under my control will take the fight out of Ashley. Making you two fight each other will be MOST entertaining indeed!"

He laughed sadistically as he began to grind his foot against Sapphire's fingers to make her let go with her other hand. Sapphire grimaced as pain flared through her hand and her grip began to loosen. She was going to fall in and become a twisted version of herself for sure! But then both Ghetsis and Sapphire heard a savage scream as somebody ran towards him.

"NOT MY GIRLFRIEND YOU BASTARD!"

It was Ashley! She'd managed to get back up again after being tossed aside and she now threw herself towards Ghetsis. Sapphire watched as the Unovan teen bodied him from behind and the robed man plummeted off the ledge. He let out a hideous scream of shock and anger as he fell straight past Sapphire and into the portal below. The last Sapphire ever saw of Ghetsis was his face twisted into a grotesque snarl of hatred before he disappeared into the swirling energy mass below her. As he'd said earlier, the dimension he found himself in would have no effect on him as he was already evil but unless he could get back out again, he'd be stuck in there for good. Hydreigon had seen the whole thing happen and it flew down after Ghetsis to fish him back out so the fight could continue. It may not like him but Hydreigon knew that without a trainer, it would struggle to fight so it had to save him! The moment Hydreigon disappeared into the portal, Ashley ordered Emboar to smash the generator to pieces. Emboar ran over to the power generator and used Hammer Arm on it repeatedly until it was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. Sapphire saw the portal close now there was no power left to keep it open. The energy mass vanished and the portal ring was completely empty. It would remain bolted to the wall as nothing more than just a giant metal hoop with nothing to open up anymore portals again. Ghetsis and Hydreigon were now trapped in this dark dimension forever! Unova was finally free from his tyranny!

But Sapphire wasn't safe yet. She was still dangling off the edge and losing her grip fast! Sapphire grabbed back on with her other hand and tried to pull herself back up. But the wall was proving too tricky for her to get a good foothold. All she could do was cling on to where she was and slip helplessly. Ashley ran back over to Sapphire and reached down for her.

"Help me! I'm going to fall, I'm going to fall!" Sapphire whimpered.

"No you won't! I won't let ya fall!" Ashley cried, "Take my hand, quick!"

She reached down for Sapphire to grab her hand. Sapphire reached up with one hand while holding on with the other. Their hands were just centimetres away from each other. Just as they were about to close around each other, Sapphire's other hand suddenly gave way. It had become too tired to hold on anymore and thus she ended up slipping. Sapphire fell away from the ledge and plunged straight down towards the dark abyss below, a blood-curdling scream echoing all around the cave.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ashley screamed in horror.

She could only watch with tears in her eyes as her girlfriend fell to what was soon to be her death. Sapphire tried to grab onto the portal ring as she fell through it but she wasn't close enough and so she carried on falling. Sapphire closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what was about to happen to her…

…and then suddenly, her eyes opened up again. Sapphire's head began to spin in amazement. She was still alive! But how? It suddenly occurred to her that she could feel something against her back. Something soft and feathery. Had some giant cushion been laid out for her at the bottom of this chasm or something? She looked around and was met with the familiar blue eyes of Reshiram as the Dragon/Fire Pokémon smiled at her.

"Reshiram!" Sapphire gasped, "Oh thank Arceus! You saved my life!"

She wrapped her arms around the Legendary Pokémon's neck in gratitude. Reshiram just let out a soft growl of pleasure. Sapphire quickly figured out what had just happened. Just seconds after she'd fallen, N, Bianca and Cheren must've dealt with all the Plasma grunts and come in just in time for N to send Reshiram down to save her. Talk about amazing timing! She was sure she was done for but nope, Reshiram had made it just in time! The Dragon/Fire Pokémon flew back up to the top of the chasm and put Sapphire gently down on the ground. A very relieved Ashley Benson promptly tackled her into a big hug and kissed her as if this might be the last time she'd ever see Sapphire again. As far as she was concerned, it nearly WAS the last time she'd ever seen her again!

"Oh thank Arceus a hundred times over! You're alive! I thought you were gonna die Sapph!" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes still streaming with tears, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you back then! I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault Ashley. Please don't feel responsible." Sapphire said kindly, "If it hadn't been for Ghetsis, this would never have happened. Just be glad I'm alive! That's all that matters now!"

"You bet it is!" Ashley agreed with a slight chuckle.

The girls turned to N. The green-haired boy just smiled casually as if saving someone's life was just part of the job for him and nothing he needed to be thanked for. As far as he was concerned, he'd done what any normal person would've done in this situation.

"Thank you so much N." Sapphire said graciously, "I cannot stress that point enough. I owe you my life!"

"Oh please, there's no need for that. Really there isn't." N said modestly, "I'm just doing what was right. You were in danger, I saved you. That's all there is to it. It's also the least I can do for Ashley after all she's done for me." he added appreciatively.

"I guess that makes us even now." Ashley joked, "I saved you from a life of lies, you saved my girlfriend."

"That works out I guess." N joked back, "What about Ghetsis? Where is he?" he asked, looking around curiously.

Ashley explained the whole situation to her friends from her kidnapping to Sapphire's rescue to the fight and she finished off with N saving Sapphire from her fall. By the time she was finished, her friends were left looking quite pale and with wide-eyed stares of disbelief on their faces.

"That's horrible!" Bianca exclaimed, "He set all this up so he could brainwash you?! Even for him, that was just cruel!"

"At least he's stuck in the very dimension he wanted to drop you into." Cheren said bitterly, "That monster's finally gone for good and without him, those bothersome Plasma Grunts will have nobody to lead them."

"Should make rounding them up much easier." N agreed, "The only Team Plasma that'll remain will be the grunts that are loyal to me. And I assure you, we will strive towards what Team Plasma should've been about: maintaining the welfare of Pokémon the world over and strengthening the bond between humans and Pokémon."

"That sounds great to me." Sapphire said brightly, "I'm sure up for that kind of Team Plasma, not the kind that kidnaps people and tries to brainwash them!"

"No, we're above crimes like that." N insisted, "I hope now this mess has been cleared, you can enjoy the rest of your visit to Unova."

"Oh I'm sure we'll do just that…" Sapphire said coyly, smiling up tenderly at her girlfriend.

Ashley just giggled impishly and kissed Sapphire on the lips. Sapphire returned the kiss, earning a chorus of awes from Bianca, Cheren and N. Ghetsis was gone and Team Plasma would be no more. Now they could enjoy the rest of their trip here with nobody else to ruin it for them…


Ghetsis wasn't sure how long he'd been out for. All he knew was that he found himself suddenly waking up against and he was in someplace else from before. This wasn't Chargestone Cave anymore. Ghetsis set up and looked around to see that he was in a strange place with swirling dark clouds covering the sky above and purple lightning crackling up above. The ground he stood on was completely crystalline in appearance and glowed a fluorescent purple colour. It made his one eye squint for how bright it was. He knew where this was. He'd fallen into the dark dimension he'd discovered when conjuring up his revenge scheme for Ashley! He ordered his Hydreigon to carry him out but Hydreigon shook its heads feebly. Ghetsis soon saw what it meant by this. It couldn't carry him out. The portal was no longer open. He couldn't see it through the clouds. Hydreigon had been searching for a way out while he was unconscious and had come up empty-handed. He was completely trapped here and he had a feeling Ashley and friends weren't in the mood to let him out again.

As the despair of his situation sank in, Ghetsis threw his head back and let out the most gut-wrenching scream of anguish his crippled lungs would allow him to. His screams echoed through the malevolent skies but there was nobody to hear them. Nobody to save him from this empty world he was permanently trapped in. It was truly the worst fate imaginable and he was condemned to it. What a terrible end to the reign of Lord Ghetsis…


Ghetsis is gone for good this time, Ashley is saved and non-corrupted and now she and Sapphire can enjoy the rest of their holiday in peace. Gotta love happy endings, eh? ^^

The next Plot-Scorbunny will be a three-parter focusing on the Silverlock sweetheart herself, Emerald, as she meets Liko and offers to keep her pendant out of The Explorer's hands. Don't miss it! :D

Trivia: Ghetsis's Hydreigon uses more than four moves here, a reference to Drake's Dragonite in the Orange Islands saga where it did the same thing. This is to make it look more powerful and let's face it, Ghetsis would easily be the kind of hack to do that so it's also very in-character for him if you ask me. ;)