Pokémon Sun & Moon: The Challenge of a Lifetime!

by NegaiFreak

The Ketchum twins are now 10 years old! That means they can travel the world as Pokémon trainers! And their adventure has just begun as they head off to the Alola region to make new discoveries with their family and friends! Pokémon X Fairy Tail Crossover! SHIPPINGS INCLUDED! PLEASE READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY! THANKS FOR OVER 45,000 VIEWS!

64. REFLECTIONS PART IV

Welcome to June, everyone! I'm hoping that by the end of this mini-arc, I'll be in a good position in terms of progress on my many stories. It's looking likely that once I finish the next section of my schedule by the time I'm writing this, I'll be on a bit of a writing break as "Omni Force: WORLD HEROES' MISSION" will be on hold as the movie has yet to come out where I live.

But that aside, I'm sure you're all excited to learn the rest of Leslie's story of her Unova journey! We last left off with her arriving in Opelucid City and fending off the sudden terror attack from Neo Team Plasma, who managed to get away with the fabled DNA Splicers. Now it's up to our heroes to find those fiends before they enact their grand plan!

Hope you enjoy this!

POKÉMON SUN & MOON

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

The very next day, Drayden was treated for his wound, and Leslie went off back to Undella Town at Cheren's behest. He mentioned that wherever Neo Team Plasma had gone, cooler temperatures were apparent. The next location where he found a significant change was Humilau City. Naturally, the Ketchum girl was eager to head there and find the people responsible for what happened to Opelucid.

It wasn't just petty squabbles anymore. Neo Team Plasma had devolved into a terrorist group. As she headed over to the entrance leading to the Marine Tube…

"Hey, Leslie!" a voice called out, getting her attention as she turned to see Hugh running up to her.

"Hugh!" she exclaimed in surprise, "You heard about what happened in Opelucid?" she assumed.

"Cheren filled me in," her rival answered, "Anyways, we better get over to Humilau and help stop Team Plasma!" he insisted, hurrying down the steps to the Marine Tube.

"Hey, wait!" Leslie yelled, groaning in frustration as she tailed after him. Needless to say, their trek through the underwater tunnel would've been a memorable one if not for the situation the two trainers were faced with.

"The DNA Splicers, huh?" Hugh noted after listening to his rival's explanation of the events, seeing her nod in confirmation, "We'll get them back for sure," he vowed, "In the meantime, we should probably find the gym leader and let him know what's going on," he advised seriously.

"Yeah, good idea," the Ketchum girl agreed. After ten minutes of their jog through the Marine Tube, they arrived in the tropical city of Humilau. Immediately, the warm sun beamed down onto the two trainers.

"It doesn't feel that cold to me…" the spiky-haired boy noted aloud.

"They could be around here though…" Leslie pointed out, "I'll check around and ask if anyone's seen 'em," she decided as she started to walk off.

"You want me to come with?" Hugh inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"We should probably make sure we tell the gym leader about all this, too," the Ketchum girl mentioned seriously, "Can you go make sure he knows?" she requested of her rival.

"Uh, sure," he replied, "Catch you back here in a while," he promised, waving goodbye before heading off. With that, Leslie went off to talk with the residents of the tropical city. To her surprise though, not really anyone knew about Team Plasma or their actions from the past. They more or less were unaware of just what the villainous organization was trying to accomplish.

"Hmm…" the Ketchum girl hummed dejectedly as she trudged along the boardwalk back toward the mainland of the city.

'I guess Team Plasma never really was a problem over here before…' she noted to herself, 'Still, with no leads as to where they are, we're never gonna be able to—' All of a sudden, a figure splashed up from the water to her surprise as she gasped. Landing on the boardwalk in front of her was a tall man who had wild deep blue hair, with a large strand arched over his head and two more stretching from both sides. He also had light blue eyes and deep blue eyebrows. He wore light blue swimming goggles and had them around his neck. His entire upper body was bare, revealing him to have a light brown tan on his upper body, whereas his feet were peachy. He wore a skin-tight, blue-and-light-blue-striped swimsuit that started at his waist forming a V, all the way down to his feet, only covering a portion of his them and separating his heels to his toes. Near his calves, light blue fins stuck out, with two on each leg. Finally, he wore blue sandals.

"Whoo!" he exhaled, wiping his forehead with his right arm, "Nothing like a good swim out in the vast ocean!" he remarked. He then glanced over to see Leslie there, who was blinking in astonishment. "Oh, sorry if I spooked ya!" he apologized, "Name's Marlon!" he introduced as he gestured to himself with his right thumb, "I'm Humilau City's gym leader!" he mentioned to the surprise of the Ketchum girl.

"Oh, me and my friend were looking for you!" she pointed out, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"That so?" the gym leader inquired, arching an eyebrow, "Sorry to make you look for me…" he apologized, "I was out swimmin' with the Pokémon in the ocean, and it felt so nice…" he pointed out as he glanced back at the water, "I just kept goin' and goin'…" he added with a chuckle. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of Leslie's head.

'I've never met a gym leader this eccentric since Burgh…' she muttered inwardly.

"Anyways, you're here for a gym battle, right?" Marlon assumed, causing her to perk up.

"Uh, well… I guess…" the Ketchum girl admitted in response, "But there's—"

"Perfect!" the gym leader exclaimed, interrupting her, "I'll meetcha' there!" he promised, diving back into the water and swimming off. Leslie watched him go with a blank expression on her face.

'…I have no idea what just happened…' she grumbled through her thoughts. She could only hope that Marlon would be able to somehow help her soon.

OPENING

Insert "Empathy" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Opens with a young Leslie sitting at home in Pallet Town, watching as a Pokémon Egg is slowly starting to hatch. When it finally does, it reveals a Snivy. He looks up at the curious face of Leslie, who's instantly excited about the Grass Snake Pokémon. Soon enough, she names him Serpence, taking a family picture with him in her arms.

The years go by with Leslie and Serpence playing with each other around Pallet Town, eating together, training, and every other activity they can do. Finally, it's to the point where they're about to embark on their journey together to the Unova Region. Leslie waves goodbye to her parents after boarding the plane to fly off.

We cut to Aspertia City, where we get to meet Hugh and his little sister. Later, we see him and Leslie at the lookout, with Bianca acting as a referee as a battle between them is about to begin. His Tepig goes up her Snivy as they both collide with each other.

The scene changes to Leslie traveling to Floccesy Town, only to suddenly wind up ambushed as Alder hops down from a cliff just beside her, much to her surprise. We go through several shots of him, Cheren, Roxie, Burgh, Elesa, Clay, Skyla, Drayden, Marlon, and Iris. The area darkens around Leslie as she turns around to see Neo Team Plasma there, with Zinzolin and Colress included.

Their Pokémon lunge out to attack her, but six bright lights shoot out from her belt, taking form and dissipating to reveal each of her own Pokémon: Serpence the Serperior, Lucarus the Lucario, Zoniac the Magnezone, Mortalius the Magmortar, Krookaro the Krookodile, and Reinardio the Walrein. We see Serpence use Leaf Blade to take down a pair of Krokorok, followed by Lucarus using Psychic to blow back some Trubbish. Zoniac takes out a Golbat with a Discharge, and Mortalius uses Flamethrower to take down a Drapion. Krookaro's Earthquake hits several Pokémon, followed by Reinardio finishing them off with Surf.

Afterwards, we cut to the Giant Chasm, where Leslie confronts Ghetsis as he has Kyurem under his control beside him. He attempts to have her completely frozen, but the ice is melted away as N arrives with Reshiram, prepared to confront his father. The two have a brief standoff before commanding their respective Legendary Pokémon to attack.

The opening concludes with Leslie arriving at the Unova Pokémon League. There, she meets up with her family, along with her twin siblings, who are excited to see her in action.

END OPENING

REFLECTIONS

PART IV

"Leaf Blade!" Leslie commanded. Slithering about the platforms along the field of water, Serpence had the tip of his tail glow a bright green as the leaves upon it sharpened. He was approaching a Carracosta on the other side of the arena, who was being instructed by Marlon.

"Crunch!" he ordered. The Prototurtle Pokémon had his upper and lower jaws shine a bright white and sharpen before he leapt out toward the incoming Serperior. They raced by each other, landing on different platforms as the water around them rippled. A few moments passed before Carracosta suddenly keeled over onto his stomach, having swirls in his eyes.

"Alright!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed delightedly, while Serpence sighed with relief. Even though he had a distinctive type advantage, the Prototurtle Pokémon proved to be quite the challenge for him. A few minutes after the battle had ended, Marlon was glad to reward Leslie with the Wave Badge. He took notice of the fact it was her eighth as she set it into her badge case.

"So, I'm lucky number eight, huh?" he noted, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh… well…" the Ketchum girl stammered, scratching at her right cheek sheepishly.

"Hey!" Hugh's voice called out, getting her attention as he was jogging over, "So you ended up getting that last badge after all, huh?" he realized while putting his hands onto his hips, "Normally, you'd go to the Pokémon League by now, but…" he started to say, "dealing with Team Plasma comes first!" he stated firmly.

"Right," Leslie agreed as she nodded.

"What's this Team Plasma you're talking about do?" Marlon inquired curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"They're a bunch of people who do terrible things like steal my sister's—!" Hugh stopped himself as he saw Leslie shoot him a worried look. "I mean… steal people's Pokémon and stuff…" he corrected, "They're trying to freeze Unova completely in ice!" he pointed out emphatically.

"Marlon, have you even heard of them?" the Ketchum girl questioned, "I asked around the city, and it sounds like no one knows what they've done…" she noted.

"Well, I don't know 'em myself…" the gym leader admitted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Fact is, when the ocean's your home," he continued, "you don't worry about things like that," he told her, causing her to blink in surprise, "'Cause the ocean accepts all rivers!" he pointed out with a laugh.

"Uh…" both Leslie and Hugh uttered out, somewhat befuddled.

"So you both think Team Plasma's bad then, right?" Marlon guessed.

"Absolutely!" the spiky-haired boy exclaimed in response with clenched fists, while his rival merely nodded.

"Well, I guess I can see why you're fightin'…" the gym leader concluded as he chuckled, "I get it, I really do," he affirmed, "But first, you gotta say that in your own words," he advised, "When you do, you'll understand better what you wanna do and what you're hopin' for," he explained on, "Now then…" he said, turning around and heading off.

"Uh… hey!" Leslie called out, but he didn't respond, "What just happened…?" she asked aloud.

"I don't know if that guy's just laid back or irresponsible…" Hugh muttered with a shake of his head.

"He's… definitely a character for sure…" his rival noted, scratching her right cheek.

"Anyways, we gotta get back to looking for Team Plasma," the spiky-haired boy decided firmly, "You go check around Route Twenty-Two, and I'll take Route Twenty-One!" he insisted, heading off in the same direction that Marlon did.

"Hugh, don't get in over your head, okay?" Leslie advised, earning a thumbs up in response from her rival. She then went out northwest, traveling along the rocky plains towards the caverns in the near distance. Trouble filled her mind as she had little to no clue as to where Team Plasma could've done.

'People haven't even talked about weird temperature changes happening around Humilau…' she noted to herself, 'Maybe they wound up fooling us and are trying to pick a different target…' she suggested inwardly, putting her hand onto her chin. She trekked up a small hill to reach a plateau… and immediately stopped. Standing before her was none other than Terrakion, who took notice and narrowed its eyes onto her.

"Wh-What?!" she stammered in shock. The Cavern Pokémon suddenly made several boulders appear around it in flashes of white light. With a swing of its head, it launched the rocks toward the Ketchum girl, who flinched. A bright blue light shot out from her shorts, forming and dissipating to reveal Serpence. He had the tip of his tail glow a bright green as the leaves upon it sharpened. He slashed through each of the incoming boulders, reducing them to rubble that fell harmlessly at his trainer's feet.

"Serrr…" he hissed angrily toward Terrakion, who stood its ground.

"Hey, easy…" Leslie advised as she got back onto her feet, "What do you want?" she asked of the Cavern Pokémon, who breathed out a puff of steam from its nostrils.

"How fascinating!" a familiar voice exclaimed, getting their attentions as they looked over to see a clapping Colress approaching, "It seems such a powerful Pokémon like Terrakion recognizes your strength as a trainer and wanted to challenge you!" he pointed out, putting his right hand onto his chin, "Have you had this effect on other legendary Pokémon before?" he wondered curiously.

"Uh… well…" the Ketchum girl tried to say, trying to understand what had just happened. At that moment, she watched as the Cavern Pokémon galloped off. "Hey, wait!" she called out.

"Hm," the scientist hummed, "It seems that I came at a bad time…" he realized, exhaling a sigh, "My apologies, Leslie," he said, causing her to perk up, "I should've observed from afar," he concluded.

"Oh, uh, no!" the white-haired girl stammered in response, waving her hands in a placating manner, "I honestly wasn't sure how to handle that situation myself…" she admitted, glancing back at where Terrakion had gone.

"Pray tell, what are you doing out here?" Colress inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm on the lookout for Team Plasma," Leslie answered to his surprise, "I know you told me the last time that I shouldn't get myself involved, but…" she continued, taking a deep breath and clenching her fists tightly, "After what happened in Opelucid, I can't stand by when I know I can do something," she affirmed. Seeing that determination in her eyes, the scientist took a deep breath and sighed.

"I don't know where Team Plasma could be… but I understand that you won't stop going after them," he told her, reaching into his coat for something, "I did notice something peculiar in the caverns off the coast of Humilau," he recalled as he pulled out what looked like a small remote from his pocket, handing it off to the Ketchum girl, "In fact, it reminded me of what happened before we first battled on Route Four," he mentioned. Leslie stared at the remote in confusion, wondering what exactly Colress was insinuating. But she knew that now, there was a chance she could find and stop Neo Team Plasma.

X

Heading out to the Seaside Cave south of Humilau, Leslie ventured through it in search of whatever Colress had told her about. Nothing stuck out to her as out of the ordinary immediately. But then she took notice of a peculiar rock placed before what looked like an opening to another part of the island where the caves were. Taking out the machine the scientist had lent her, the Ketchum girl pressed the yellow button upon it. A radio signal emitted from its antennae, causing the slab of rock to start shaking. Emerging from it angrily was a Crustle.

"CRRUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he exclaimed, glaring out at the white-haired girl.

'That's just like what happened back then!' she realized inwardly, quickly hopping back to avoid a swipe from the Stone Home Pokémon's right pincer, which was glowing a bright white. She took out a Net Ball from her bag, enlarging it with a press of its button.

"Reinardio, go!" she called out, opening the spherical container. Blue light emerged from it, forming upon the ground and dissipating to reveal her Walrein.

"Wahhhhh!" he bellowed out. Several small boulders appeared in flashes of light around Crustle, orbiting him before they shot toward the Ice Break Pokémon.

"Use Surf!" his trainer commanded. A wave of water built up underneath Reinardio, carrying him over the rocks before crashing down onto the Stone Home Pokémon in a mighty splash.

"Cruhhhh…" he groaned dizzily as his eyes were in swirls. With him no longer blocking the exit, Leslie and her Walrein headed outside. They momentarily flinched from the sunlight, but looked out and widened their eyes to see the Plasma Frigate docked by the beach.

"Yes, we found it!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed excitedly.

"Wahl ray!" Reinardio cheered. His trainer looked back at the device she had been given, extremely thankful that Colress had provided her with it. But she had to wonder… how could he have inferred that Neo Team Plasma would've had a Crustle placed to block off anyone trying to exit the cavern.

"Hey, you found them!" Hugh's voice called out, getting her attention as she looked over to see him exit the cave and jog up to her, "I knew you could do it!" he complimented with a big grin.

"Thanks," his rival responded in gratitude, "But now, we gotta figure out a way onboard…" she pointed out seriously.

"We could try surfing on…" the spiky-haired boy suggested, glancing over at Reinardio. However, before they could come to a decision, the two trainers heard a rumble. All of a sudden, the gangplank fell forward in front of them in a solid thud, causing them to stumble back in surprise. They looked out to see Marlon walk down from it.

"Yeah, that should do it!" he remarked, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"Marlon!" Leslie exclaimed out of shock.

"I thought you weren't gonna fight Team Plasma…" Hugh recalled as he blinked, arching an eyebrow.

"Hey, friends," the gym leader said, holding his hands up in a placating manner, "Team Plasma's not botherin' me," he noted, "They could be up to no good for reals, and…" he continued, "well, it's not my style to go around decidin' Team Plasma's bad without thinkin' about it just 'cause everyone says so," he told them. The Ketchum girl seemed surprised by his way of thinking. It reminded her a lot about when she visited the defected members of Team Plasma and learned about their experiences.

"Well… thanks, I guess…" Hugh remarked with gratitude, rubbing the back of his head.

"Listen, 'kay?" Marlon requested, "Keep believin' in somethin'!" he insisted with a thumbs up and a wink, "Searchin' for stolen Pokémon is fine!" he assured, "Keepin' Unova from bein' iced over's fine, too!" he mentioned, "It's all good, but think about why you're doin' it," he advised, "The strength of your beliefs is what gives you and your Pokémon power!" he added with a chuckle. Leslie found herself smiling. The Humilau City Gym Leader might've been laid back, but he was earnest and kind. "Anyways, I made a bit of noise back there, and some guys came out…" he recalled, rubbing the back of his neck, "You kids be careful, okay?" he remarked in farewell, heading off into the cavern as he passed the two trainers.

"What the heck was that?!" the spiky-haired boy exclaimed in question, "The guy sure doesn't follow through!" he muttered angrily.

"I don't think that's it…" his rival said, getting his attention, "He must think it's not his place to go and pick a fight with people that have never harmed him or his city," she explained.

"Well… I guess he was being kind in his own weird way…" Hugh admitted in response, exhaling a sigh, "Okay, I'm going in!" he declared, hurrying up the gangplank.

"I'm right behind ya!" Leslie called out while returning her Walrein to his Net Ball in a beam of red light. She raced up to the deck after the spiky-haired boy, arriving to find quite a few Neo Team Plasma grunts already present.

"These brats must be friends with Smiley Swimsuit, the guy that lowered the gangplank!" one of them called out, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand.

"Take them down!" a female grunt yelled. Leslie quickly drew a Great Ball from her shoulder bag, flinging it out. It popped open, with its light flying onto the deck and dissipating to reveal Mortalius, who was now a Magmortar. He opened his eyes and glared at the Neo Team Plasma members. They shuddered with fright, but steeled themselves as they commanded their Pokémon to attack.

"Mortalius, Flamethrower!" the Ketchum girl commanded. Withdrawing the claws from both of his cannon-like arms, the Blast Pokémon aimed them out and unleashed a massive spray of fire that hit each and every one of the grunts' Pokémon on the deck.

"Eelektross, Thunderbolt!" Hugh ordered as he pointed towards a pair of Golbat closing in on him and the EleFish Pokémon. Yellow electricity surged around his body before he unleashed a powerful bolt that struck the two Bat Pokémon, zapping them fiercely. They fell to the deck in a daze, having swirls in their eyes.

"Hugh, you got yours?!" Leslie called out in question to her rival, getting his attention.

"Yeah, think so!" he replied, returning his Eelektross to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Let's go for the bridge!" he insisted, hurrying toward the front of the ship. The Ketchum girl followed him through the doorway there, seeing a set of electric barriers ahead of them. Next to them was an ATM-like device where the screen indicated the need for a password.

"Guess that's how we're gonna get past here…" Leslie realized, narrowing her eyes.

"We'll beat it out of those guys!" Hugh declared as he punched his left hand.

"Hey!" a voice yelled, getting their attentions as they saw a pair of Neo Team Plasma grunts enter alongside a Drapion and a Seviper, "What do you think you're doing?!" the female of the two grunts inquired. Their Pokémon lunged forward, ready to attack.

"Mortalius, Clear Smog!" the Ketchum girl quickly ordered. Puffing his chest out, the Magmortar expelled a greyish smoke from his mouth, veiling the entire room. He, his trainer and Hugh hurried back out onto the deck afterwards.

"Come on!" the spiky-haired boy called out, hurrying toward the stairs near the stern. He and Leslie headed down after the latter returned the Blast Pokémon to his Great Ball in a beam of red light. Once they arrived, they were met by what seemed to be another Neo Team Plasma grunt. "Again?!" Hugh yelled angrily, pulling out a Poké Ball in his right hand.

"W-Wait!" the grunt stammered, waving his hands frantically. The Ketchum girl blinked in surprise, recognizing his voice. "There's no need to be suspicious!" he assured, pulling down his mask to reveal his face, showing that he was Harold.

"Harold!" Leslie gasped out, "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"I'm acting as a spy under Sage Rood's request, to guard against anything bad these guys are cooking up…" he answered thoroughly, "I'm guessing you're here to stop them, right?" he assumed.

"Yeah," the Ketchum girl confirmed in reply as she nodded.

"Must be a hard job, keeping an eye on your former friends…" Hugh grumbled with crossed arms, getting their attentions, "You know anything about a Purrloin stolen from Aspertia?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes onto the ex-Team Plasma member.

"S-Sorry, I don't know anything about that…" he stammered in reply.

"Tsk…" the spiky-haired boy scoffed, "That's what I figured," he admitted, balling his hands into fists, "I wouldn't expect someone from a group bent on world domination to be all that quick on the uptake…" he mentioned harshly, hurrying off without another word.

"Hey, Hugh!" Leslie called out. She looked back at Harold, who seemed completely stunned.

"But… I really do wanna help Pokémon… and stop Team Plasma…" he noted aloud.

"I know," the Ketchum girl affirmed, getting his attention, "Hugh's just really high-strung as usual when it comes to Team Plasma," she pointed out, "Anyways, we need to get to the bridge, but it's blocked off," she told him, "You know the password we'd need to get through?" she inquired.

"No…" the ex-Team Plasma member responded to her dismay, "And it's not just the password you need," he added, "In order to be able to enter one, I think you're gonna need an ID card," he said.

"Huh…" Leslie exhaled out of exasperation, "Well, I guess it wasn't gonna be that easy…" she admitted with a shrug, "Stay safe, Harold," she advised, "We're gonna make these guys pay for what they've done," she vowed. The ex-Team Plasma member grinned, putting his mask back on.

"Good luck," he remarked. The Ketchum girl grinned back, hurrying off. She had to fight against several Neo Team Plasma grunts, learning pieces of the password all the while. After managing to take down one more soldier's Scolipede, she watched as he scurried off in fright. She took notice of the card he dropped onto the floor, picking it up to see the coat of arms emblem upon it.

"Yes!" she exclaimed with a pump of her fist, realizing that it was the ID card she was after. She quickly ran up the stairs back onto the deck and hurried to the stern. After entering the room again, she went over to the device and had the card scanned. The screen prompted her to enter a password. "Okay…" she uttered, typing in '7707' on the keypad before selecting the enter key. Just like that, the electric barriers went down.

"You got it?!" Hugh's voice called out as he entered alongside his Flygon.

"Yeah!" Leslie confirmed with a nod. Heading to the end of the room, the two trainers stepped on the green teleporter pad, being whisked away instantaneously. They arrived in a section with a grated floor.

"Brrr…" the spiky-haired boy shivered out, seeing his own breath, "It's cold…" he noted.

"Yeah…" his rival agreed, narrowing her eyes.

"As always, you two are impressive trainers…" a familiar voice said, getting their attentions. Standing before them was none other than Zinzolin, who smirked.

"You again!" Hugh yelled angrily.

"Since the two of you went through such trouble to make it this far, I'll show you something," the Neo Team Plasma sage offered to their surprise. He then stepped aside. Both trainers gasped as their eyes widened. Trapped in a glass cage below them was a gray and blue, bipedal Pokémon of indefinable but seemingly draconic basis. It had a blue head and snout and had yellow eyes without pupils, had a pair of pointed light bluish horns on its head, and a yellow crest on its skull. Three pointed teeth jutted out the bottom of either side of its jaws, which were frozen shut by the ice covering its head. Its long, gray neck had lines running around its whole body, legs, arms, and tail. It had two arms, each with its own claw, and each arm was jointed together from its oddly shaped blue wings. Each wing had two spikes of ice.

The right side of its body seemed to be damaged in some way, as the wing and horn on its head on that side were shorter; the right side of its head also had a spiked edge near its jaw hinge that was absent from its left. Its legs were somewhat slender and have three sharp, ice-like claws on each enormous foot. Its tail had three blue conical spikes on its tip, and appeared to be some sort of propulsion device or a container of energy.

"The legendary Pokémon of ice, Kyurem!" Zinzolin exclaimed, gesturing toward the trapped Boundary Pokémon.

"That's Kyurem?!" Leslie questioned, quite shocked.

"The Pokémon Drayden told you about…" Hugh remembered, "What are you guys doing to it?!" he asked angrily.

"Those ice missiles we fired into Opelucid City were created with Kyurem's power combined with Team Plasma's technology," the Neo Team Plasma sage told the two trainers, "Now…" he continued, letting his expression into a serious one, "you could become threats to us, so we will eliminate you here!" he declared as he readied a Poké Ball in his right hand. He opened it up, having its light spill onto the ground and dissipate to reveal his Weavile.

"Weee…" the Sharp Claw Pokémon hissed. Both Leslie and Hugh growled, but then took notice of a few grunts that had just arrived via the teleporter pad.

"Furraaaiii!" Flygon bellowed mightily as he turned to face them.

"I'll handle these jerks!" his trainer decided, "You take care of the old man, Les!" he requested of his rival.

"Got it!" she responded, pulling out a Poké Ball from her bag and enlarging it with a press of its button, "Lucarus, go!" she called out, throwing the Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed upon the grated floor, dissipating to reveal her Lucario.

"Rah!" he barked, taking on a ready stance. Weavile sneered, seemingly excited for a chance to exact revenge on the Aura Pokémon. Meanwhile, a Krookodile, a Garbodor, and a Zangoose were brought out to face Hugh and his Flygon. They both grimaced, but were determined to win. The spiky-haired boy looked back at Leslie, exchanging a nod with her.

"Lucarus, Aura Sphere!" she commanded. Immediately, her Lucario prepared an orb of blue energy upon his forepaws, firing it out in an instant toward his opponent. He flipped back to evade it, landing beside Zinzolin.

"Ice Shard!" he ordered. The Sharp Claw Pokémon leapt up, making small pieces of ice form in front of himself before swinging his arms to send them flying in streaks of blue light.

"Dodge it!" Leslie instructed. Lucarus was quick to weave around and avoid the incoming shards, but he did wind up nicked by a few as he grimaced slightly. The Neo Team Plasma sage smirked.

"Metal Claw!" he commanded with a swing of his left arm.

"Vy!" Weavile responded, dashing forward along the grated floor. A greyish aura built up around his arms in the shape of his claws, which he slashed his foe with as he raced by him. "Weee…" he hissed with a wicked grin, while Lucarus growled.

"Lucarus, stay calm!" the Ketchum girl advised, "Use Bone Rush!" she ordered.

"Weavile, Night Slash!" Zinzolin yelled. The Lucario readied a light blue bone of energy in his forepaws, spinning it into a firm grip. Meanwhile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon brought forth a blade of purple light into his right paw. He and his opponent clashed, making sparks fly wildly.

"Flygon, Fire Blast!" Hugh shouted from afar. The Mystic Pokémon was avoiding globs of brown sludge being shot his way from Garbodor, rearing his head back. He fired off a burst of flames that shaped into a five-pointed star, engulfing the Trash Heap Pokémon in a massive blast.

In the meantime, Lucarus knocked Weavile back into the wall. The Sharp Claw Pokémon was quick to avoid getting struck again by his foe's energy bone as he flipped up and ran along the wall. Leslie grimaced in frustration, looking back down at the casing in which Kyurem was being held. From the looks of it, it seemed like the Boundary Pokémon was being used as a supplier of energy for the ship's cannon that she witnessed back in Opelucid. It made her so angry to think that Neo Team Plasma would resort to using a legendary Pokémon in such a way.

"Weavile, Ice Shard!" Zinzolin commanded.

"Counter with Aura Sphere!" the Ketchum girl called out. Just as the Sharp Claw Pokémon readied another set of icy shards around him, Lucarus had an orb of blue energy on his forepaws again. Both fired their attacks simultaneously, having them collide in a powerful blast of steam.

"Ergh…" the Neo Team Plasma sage growled in frustration, looking around for a sign of his foe for his Weavile.

"Lucarus, Close Combat!" Leslie ordered. Racing through the steam and approaching the Sharp Claw Pokémon as he gasped in surprise, the Lucario kneed him directly in the gut before landing several punches and kicks to send him flying upward.

"Weavile…!" Zinzolin exclaimed in disbelief.

"Now finish him with Dragon Pulse!" the Ketchum girl commanded with a pump of her right fist. The Aura Pokémon had a multicolored light build up around both of his arms, bringing them together in the shape of a dragon's head. He fired it up at the airborne Sharp Claw Pokémon, striking him in a fierce explosion. He fell out from the smoke, landing on his stomach in front of his trainer.

"Weee…" he groaned out, having swirls in his eyes.

"Ergh…!" the Neo Team Plasma sage growled again as sweat trickled down his head.

"Nice work, Lucarus," Leslie complimented as her partner hopped over to her side, giving off a small smile and nodding.

"Took care of things on my end, too!" Hugh affirmed as he came back over, returning his Flygon to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "So… you gonna give us some answers?" he inquired of Zinzolin, "Starting with if you're the one who stole a Purrloin from Aspertia five years ago…" he mentioned with a glare.

"A Purrloin?" the Neo Team Plasma sage repeated, chuckling a little, "If it's just a Purrloin, someone probably stole it and is using it," he pointed out as he shrugged, "Why can't you understand?" he inquired curiously, "There are other Purrloin," he noted, "Why be so fixated on this particular one you seek?" he questioned on.

"That's the only Purrloin in the world my late grandpa caught for my little sister!" the spiky-haired boy yelled in response.

"Hugh, take it easy…" Leslie insisted, not wanting him to get too riled up.

"An individual's feelings…" Zinzolin muttered, "To you, that's probably a matter of great importance," he mentioned, "But from the perspective of other people, like myself," he continued, "it is a trifling matter indeed," he stated, "Compare those feelings against the majesty of this ship!" he exclaimed with outstretched arms, "This vessel itself is a device that uses Kyurem's power!" he pointed out, "With this ship, this time we shall conquer Unova!" he vowed firmly, "Since Kyurem's finally recovered, we'll get to put those DNA Splicers to good use," he added, glancing back at the caged Boundary Pokémon.

"We won't let you!" the Ketchum girl yelled, "Lucarus, break that machine with Aura Sphere!" she instructed. Her Lucario took on a ready stance. But before he could do anything, the figures of the Shadow Triad appeared around him, his trainer, and Hugh.

"Hey!" the latter of the group yelled angrily.

"Be thankful that you'll get to watch your destruction unfold from so close…" Zinzolin remarked in farewell.

"No—!" Leslie's shout was cut off as she, Hugh and Lucarus were whisked away in an instant. "Agh!" she yelped in pain as she landed on the sandy beach just outside of the frigate with them. The Shadow Triad was nowhere in sight, and the gangplank to the vessel had been brought back up.

"We gotta find a way back on!" the spiky-haired boy insisted. All of a sudden though, there was a rumble in the earth. The Plasma Frigate instantaneously burst up into the sky, causing a huge wave of water to build up and head toward the island. Acting quickly, Lucarus formed a blue orb of energy in his forepaws, firing it out to blast the wave apart before it could hit him or the two trainers. They watched as the vessel soaring above them unfolded its panel-like wings and propulsion rockets. It turned itself slightly before engaging the rocket at the stern, launching itself forward through the sky.

"Oh man…" Leslie uttered out in shock.

"Team Plasma!" Hugh yelled angrily, banging his right fist against the sand, "Every time it seems like I'm closer to the truth, there's always something in the way!" he shouted in frustration.

"Hugh…" his rival uttered worriedly.

"Are you two alright?!" a familiar voice immediately questioned, getting their attentions as they spotted Cheren exiting the cave behind them.

"Cheren!" Leslie exclaimed, running over to him.

"Sorry I'm late again…" he apologized, "I suspect Team Plasma's flying toward the Giant Chasm," he inferred, putting his right hand onto his chin.

"Makes sense…" the Ketchum girl said, "If that's where Kyurem used to live, they might be heading there to gather more of its power for themselves," she pointed out.

"Wait… what?!" the Aspertia Gym Leader exclaimed in shock, "Team Plasma's using Kyurem's power?!" he inquired on. At that moment, the two of them noticed a bright flash of light beside them. They looked to see that Hugh had brought out his Flygon again, boarding his back.

"I'm gonna head over to the Giant Chasm!" he decided firmly, "Les, you coming?" he asked of his rival.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod.

"Wait," Cheren said, causing her to stop in her stride and turn to face him, "If Team Plasma's using Kyurem for themselves, this changes things…" he noted with narrowed eyes, tapping his left foot against the sand, "Being a legendary Dragon-type Pokémon, the only ones who could stand up to it are Reshiram or Zekrom…" he pointed out, "But neither of them is here right now…" he mentioned in frustration.

"Wait a sec…" Leslie chimed in, causing him to perk up, "Weren't you saying something about that in Driftveil?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes," the gym leader responded, "The two legendary Dragon-type Pokémon recognized heroes that they strived to fight with," he told the Ketchum girl, "One I happen to know from a long time ago," he mentioned, "but the other still alludes me…" he added, "In any case, don't get in over your heads," he advised of the two trainers, "I'll meet with you as soon as I can!" he promised.

"Got it," Leslie responded with a nod, "Thanks, Cheren!" she exclaimed with gratitude, returning Lucarus to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light before boarding Flygon behind Hugh. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and the Mystic Pokémon took off into the sky with them, flying after the Plasma Frigate. Meanwhile, the Aspertia Gym Leader took a moment to collect his thoughts. He had to wonder if there was some way he could find the person who was recognized by one of the legendary Dragon-type Pokémon. And then, the realization hit him.

"Okay… I hope I'm not wrong…" he said to himself, hurrying off. The final battle against Team Plasma was close to coming. And it wouldn't be a moment too soon…

X

"There it is!" Leslie yelled, pointing down toward the large impact crater below. The Plasma Frigate had docked itself over the iced forest, having frozen it beforehand. Hugh's eyes were shaking.

"That kind of power's insane…" he noted aloud.

"Yeah…" his rival agreed. She then took notice of something else. "Hey, over there!" she exclaimed, enticing the spiky-haired boy and his Flygon to glance over and see a group of familiar-looking people gathered together beside the icy hill, along with a couple Neo Team Plasma grunts. They soared down, landing behind the groups as they glanced over in surprise to see them disembark.

"It's you…" Rood said with widened eyes.

"Those damn kids again!" one Neo Team Plasma grunt yelled, readying a Poké Ball in her right hand as she enlarged it with a press of its center button, "We're gonna crush every single one of you!" she declared, followed by a round of cheers in agreement.

"Please, stop this!" the ex-Team Plasma sage pleaded with open arms, "I'll say it as many times as it takes until you understand!" he proclaimed, "Ghetsis' real plan was to take over the Unova Region!" he shouted, "Liberating Pokémon was nothing more than an excuse to it!" he pointed out, "If anything, it would've made Pokémon suffer, like they did back when committed such sinful acts!" he added emphatically.

"Humph," a Neo Team Plasma grunt scoffed, "Pretty speech, gramps," he remarked with his arms folded over his chest, "But we're not gonna listen to anything a traitor like you or your friends have to say!" he vowed fiercely.

"Well… that didn't work…" Hugh noted as he returned his Flygon to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light. He then stepped forward, taking a deep breath. "HEY!" he bellowed, causing everyone to blink in surprise and look over at him, "You jerks better let me through!" he yelled out, pointing toward them.

"Ha!" another Neo Team Plasma grunt laughed, putting his hands onto his hips, "You wanna get hurt, you stupid brat?" he wondered aloud.

"He won't," Leslie chimed in as she stepped up to her rival's side, "You're the ones who're gonna get hurt," she threatened, glaring at them.

"Hey, Mister Rood! Ex-Team Plasma!" Hugh called out, getting their attentions, "Why do you have Pokémon by your sides?" he asked of them.

"What…?" the ex-Team Plasma sage uttered in confusion, while his two colleagues gave off befuddled expressions.

"To protect what's important to you, right?" the spiky-haired boy guessed to their surprise, "Even if your Pokémon get hurt, even if your ideals are damaged…" he continued, clenching his fists tightly, "the time to fight is now!" he declared firmly.

"He's right," one of the ex-Team Plasma members agreed, taking on a determined look as he turned to face his old colleagues, "We'll fight to save Unova from Ghetsis and whoever else threatens it!" he decided.

"Yeah!" his teammate agreed, enlarging a Poké Ball in her gloved left hand.

"Thank you, young man…" Rood said with gratitude, causing Hugh to blink in surprise before he smiled and nodded back.

"Ergh…" one of the Neo Team Plasma grunts growled out in frustration, "Wipe them all out!" he shouted as a command.

"I don't think so!" Leslie yelled, readying a Net Ball in her right hand, "Reinardio, let's go!" she called out, having the spherical container pop open. Its light spilled onto the ground, shaping into form before dissipating to reveal her Walrein.

"Wahhllll!" he bellowed.

"Use Blizzard!" his trainer commanded. Rearing his head back, the Ice Break Pokémon unleashed a torrential blast of cold air and snow out towards the Neo Team Plasma grunts. They yelled as they found themselves engulfed by the freezing cold, tumbling over.

"Nicely done, Leslie," Rood complimented, making the Ketchum girl giggle a little, "You can leave the rest to us," he assured as he took out his own Poké Ball from beneath his robe.

"Yeah, go stop the guys up on the ship!" the male ex-Team Plasma member insisted.

"You got it!" Hugh responded with a nod, "Let's go!" he called out to his rival.

"Right!" she replied, returning Reinardio back to the Net Ball in a beam of red light.

"Hugh!" Rood shouted, getting the spiky-haired boy's attention as he and Leslie stopped before they could reach the icy hill, "That Purrloin you're looking for is likely in the possession of the Shadow Triad," he told him, much to his surprise as he blinked.

"Right, thanks!" he yelled back in gratitude, "If I rescue her, it helps take some of that guilt off your shoulders, right?" he assumed, causing the ex-Team Plasma sage to slightly widen his eyes, "In that case, I've got even more of a reason to see this through!" he declared as he hurried up the hill.

"Wait for me!" the Ketchum girl shouted, groaning as she chased after him. But she smiled, knowing that Hugh was understanding that the world wasn't so black and white. There were shades of grey.

By the time they arrived on the Plasma Frigate after trekking up the icy hill, it seemed as if their foes were ready to face them. Fortunately, the two trainers proved that they were more than capable of taking down the grunts stationed on the deck. Serpence had a green, scale-patterned aura shroud his tail before swinging it out to knock a Scrafty away, sending him crashing into one of masts.

"Is that everyone on the deck?" Leslie inquired of her rival who was still battling against a pair of Whirlipede with his Emboar.

"Go!" he insisted of her, "I'll catch up!" he promised. With that, the Ketchum girl hurried to the entrance at the stern and found a teleporter pad inside. She and her Serperior let themselves get transported below deck, quickly observing their surroundings.

"Hey, you made it back!" a familiar voice exclaimed in relief, getting her attention as she turned to see the disguised Harold approach her, "I was worried that the Shadow Triad decided to lock you up somewhere…" he pointed out.

"Glad to see you're okay, too," Leslie mentioned in relief.

"Haaaarrraaahhnnn…" a voice moaned out of pain from nearby, getting her attention. She and the others turned to see the caged Kyurem there, evidently in agony.

"So that's Kyurem…" the Ketchum girl noted, shaking a little at the thought of Neo Team Plasma having possession of its power. She already paid witness to it back in Opelucid.

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy…" Harold pointed out, "I don't even know how they got Kyurem here in the first place…" he admitted to her.

"Well, we gotta save it!" she insisted, heading toward the caged Boundary Pokémon.

"Hey, wait!" the ex-Team Plasma yelled in a panic. Fortunately, Serpence was quick to wrap his tail around his trainer to pull her back in the nick of time as she yelped. She then noticed the electricity coming out from the energy barriers in between them and where Kyurem was caged.

"It's just like the last time when we made our way to Zinzolin…" she realized as the Regal Pokémon set her down onto the floor gently.

"Only this time, there isn't a way to deactivate the barriers with a passcode," Harold noted, getting her attention, "I'm told there's switches around here," he mentioned, "Hitting them should turn off the barriers one by one," he told her.

"Well, I guess that's what I gotta do first," she concluded, taking out a Poké Ball from her shoulder bag, "Serpence, take a quick breather," she advised, returning her Serperior to the spherical container in a beam of red light.

"Huh…" Harold sighed, "Spying's such a rotten job…" he grumbled out, getting the Ketchum girl's attention, "Everyone here's saying all this bad stuff about Lord N," he recalled, "But he learned the error of his ways and changed course to a better path," he pointed out, "I wish they would do the same…" he mentioned as Leslie looked on at him worriedly, "They selfishly counted on him in the past," he noted, "and now they selfishly make a big fuss about being betrayed…" he added in frustration.

"Harold…" the white-haired girl uttered worriedly.

"Anyways, you should go and get those switches hit," the ex-Team Plasma member insisted, "You and your friend are here, right?" he assumed, "Then I think you've got this handled for sure!" he affirmed confidently.

"Yeah," the Ketchum girl replied with a nod. Afterwards, she started venturing about the maze of pipelines of the ship in search of each switch, all while battling Neo Team Plasma grunts. One by one, she found and pressed each switch, deactivating each of the barriers. She wiped the sweat off of her right cheek as she returned, heading over to the casing where Kyurem was being kept. A saddened look came across her face.

"The device is indestructible!" a familiar voice proclaimed, getting her attention as she whipped around to see Zinzolin approaching, "You will never be able to release Kyurem!" he declared proudly.

"I still won't give up!" Leslie retorted, preparing a Great Ball in her right hand as she enlarged it with a press of its button, "What you're doing can't ever be forgiven!" she yelled angrily.

"Hmph," the Neo Team Plasma sage scoffed, "You don't have the sense to know when quit…" he remarked disdainfully as he pulled out a pair of Poké Balls, "It's an act of mercy on my part to bring this to an end now!" he bellowed out, flinging both spherical containers forward. They popped open, with their lights shooting up into the air, forming and dissipating to reveal his two Cryogonal.

"Crryyyaaaaahhhh…" they hissed out simultaneously.

"Mercy…?" the Ketchum girl repeated, gritting his teeth as she clutched her Great Ball tightly.

"Cryogonal, Ice Beam!" Zinzolin commanded. Both of the Crystallizing Pokémon had light blue balls of energy form in front of their faces before they unleashed zigzagging beam down toward Leslie. They appeared to strike as a burst of white smoke erupted upon impact. The Neo Team Plasma Sage smirked, but his expression vanished into one of shock as the veil cleared to reveal Mortalius standing in front of his trainer, seemingly unaffected.

"You shouldn't be talking about mercy…" she began angrily, "AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" she bellowed, "Flamethrower!" she commanded. Aiming both of his cannon-like arms forward and withdrawing his claws, her Magmortar unleashed two massive sprays of fire, engulfing both Cryogonal as Zinzolin gasped in disbelief, seeing them fall to the floor in smoky heaps.

"Th-This isn't over…!" he stammered in claim, reaching for another Poké Ball at his belt.

"Thunderbolt!" Leslie ordered, sticking her right hand out. Yellow electricity built up around Mortalius' arms before he fired a bolt of lightning from them. It struck the Neo Team Plasma sage, who cried out in agony from being zapped. Afterwards, he fell over onto his back, groaning in agony as his hat fell off. "Hmph," the Ketchum girl scoffed, "At least now, you won't have to worry about being cold…" she muttered, swiping her right thumb across her nose.

"Mag morr…" her Magmortar said, getting her attention.

"No, I'm okay," she assured, "The guy just got under my skin a little…" she admitted, glancing off to the side ashamedly, "Anyways, let's get Kyurem outta here!" she insisted, going over to the control panels beside the container for the Boundary Pokémon. She could hear its moans, which sounded almost desperate, as she tried to find a way to free it from its captivity. "Agh, come on!" she yelled out, banging her fists against the control panel in frustration.

"Mag!" Mortalius shouted in a reprimanding tone.

"Sorry…" she apologized, "I just don't know what to do…" she said, sounding very upset as she clenched her teeth together.

"Mag, magmor," her Magmortar told her, gesturing toward a section of the area right of where Kyurem was.

"Think there might be something over there?" she guessed, earning a nod in response from the Blast Pokémon, "Okay, let's hope there's a switch…" she said, hurrying over. To her surprise, there wound up being a warp panel there instead. With nowhere else to go for the moment, she decided to step on it, transporting herself to wherever it led. She opened her eyes, looking around to see the steering wheel for the Plasma Frigate.

'We're at the helm…' she realized as she blinked in surprise, while Mortalius arrived as well, 'That means whoever's in charge of these guys could be here…' she noted, looking around. And then she spotted someone. Her eyes slowly widened.

"No way…" she uttered out. Standing at the other end of the helm by the captain's chair was none other than Colress. He turned his head to spot Leslie, slightly widening his own eyes. However, he sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"I knew this day would eventually come," he admitted as he fully turned around to face her, "Yet I still loathe what must happen next…" he confessed on.

"C-Colress…" Leslie stuttered out, "Why…?!" she asked as her eyes trembled.

"Some time after my release from prison, I was asked by an old acquaintance of mine to help with some research," the scientist explained in reply, "I've always desired to bring out the potential entirely from Pokémon," he noted as he walked down the steps.

"Mag!" Mortalius yelled, aiming his right at him as fire burned out from the opening upon it. Colress stopped.

"If I can accomplish my goal, I don't care what it takes," he said, stuffing his hands into his lab coat's pockets, "If it means this strength must be brought out by the interactions between Pokémon and their trainers, then so be it," he continued. Leslie trembled in frustration. The scientist she had known for a while and trusted actually turned out to be the enemy. She was starting to see the greys in her world. "If it means you have to use a merciless approach, like Team Plasma's," he kept going, "and force out all of a Pokémon's power, then so be it…" he stated.

"Colress… please…" the Ketchum girl pleaded.

"And yes…" the scientist said as walked down the last few steps, "if the entire world is destroyed as a result…" he continued, "then so be it…" he finished, exhaling a frustrated sigh, "I didn't want it to come to this, Leslie," he admitted, "The reason I've been traveling all over Unova and battling many different Pokémon Trainers is because I was testing the viability of this approach to bringing out the full strength of Pokémon," he explained to her, "In that respect, you've done an amazing job," he complimented.

"Colress… I don't wanna fight you like this…" Leslie confessed as tears pricked her eyes.

"Nor I you," the scientist concurred, lowering his head slightly, "But we must battle in order to see if you have the answer I seek!" he proclaimed, pulling out a Poké Ball from his lab coat and enlarging it with a press of its button. Never once had the Ketchum girl ever felt so conflicted about a battle. Yet here she was, facing someone she used to trust…

X

"Emboar, Flamethrower!" Hugh commanded from back on the deck.

"BOOAAAAAARRRR!" the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon bellowed, expelling a stream of fire from his nostrils that engulfed a Watchog and a Raticate. When it subsided, both of them fell to the ground in smoky heaps.

"Crap…!" one of the Neo Team Plasma grunts gasped in shock. Already, the spiky-haired boy and his Pokémon had taken down several of their colleagues. And he was only getting started.

'I hope Les found a way to get to Kyurem…' he said to himself. He was about to go toward the stern entrance where she had gone until he heard a loud bang nearby. Blinking in surprise, he glanced up toward the helm, seeing flashes of light coming from the glass.

"What's going on in there…?" he wondered aloud. Inside, a Beheeyem was floating about, evading the jaws of an angry Krookaro as his teeth shined a bright white. The Cerebral Pokémon then formed a light green orb of energy upon the tip of his right arm, firing it into his foe's stomach. The impact from the blow sent him flying back as he crashed onto the floor in a heap.

"Krookaro!" Leslie exclaimed, quickly running over to her Krookodile as he got onto his feet, shaking his head in order to regain himself. Meanwhile, Mortalius was expelling flames from his arms in an attempt to knock down a Metang, who floated about and evaded them. It then made several small boulders appear around itself in flashes of white light, sending them hurdling down at the Magmortar as they piled over him entirely. His trainer grimaced in fright.

She watched as her Magnezone was facing another one, both having yellow electricity build up upon their antennae. They both fired off bolts of lightning, though Colress' was more random as the electricity scattered about. Krookaro quickly got in front of the Ketchum girl to defend her from a bolt, taking it without any injury. The electricity between both of the Magnet Area Pokémon dissipated as they floated back to their respective trainers.

"You seem to be holding back compared to our previous battles…" the scientist noted, narrowing his eyes, "Do you really not want to fight me?" he guessed.

"Of course I don't!" Leslie yelled back, "Do you have any idea what Team Plasma's done?!" she questioned angrily.

"I do," Colress confirmed in reply, "But as reprehensible as it is," he continued, "if it furthers my goal, then I don't care," he affirmed, readying another Poké Ball in his left hand.

"Colress…" the Ketchum girl uttered, evidently hurt by what he was saying. He flung his spherical container out, having it pop open. Its light shaped into form and dissipated to reveal a Klinklang.

"Kling, kling, klannnngggg…" it chimed as its gears spun around.

"If you refuse to battle me, then I'll simply defeat you here," the scientist decided, sticking his right hand out, "Flash Cannon!" he commanded. His Magnezone floated up, having a white ball of light form in front of its red eye. It then unleashed a beam of white-and-light-blue energy, heading for Krookaro. Fortunately, Mortalius burst out from the boulders he had been piled under, jumping out and taking the beam in a powerful blast of smoke.

"Mortalius!" his trainer cried out. Fortunately, her Magmortar was fine. But he breathed heavily out of exhaustion as he winced from the mark on his stomach.

"Kroo, krookah!" Krookaro pleaded to the Ketchum girl, getting her attention.

"Yeah, I know…" she responded, pulling out another Poké Ball and enlarging it with a press of its button, "It doesn't matter if it's Colress we're fighting…" she realized as she clutched the spherical container tightly in her hand, "We just have to fight," she stated firmly, "Mortalius, Clear Smog!" she ordered. The Blast Pokémon perked up, puffing his chest out before expelling a greyish smog that shrouded the whole helm. Beheeyem floated above the cloud, while Magnezone, Metang and Klinklang remained inside it, completely unaffected.

"I'm not sure of what you're planning, Leslie," the scientist said as he narrowed his eyes, "but you should know that Poison-type attacks are completely ineffective here," he pointed out.

"Don't worry, I know," she responded through the smoke, causing him to blink in surprise, "But we're going to win this battle whether you think it's right or not!" she vowed fiercely, "Lucarus, Aura Sphere!" she commanded. Within the smog, her Lucario had just been brought out, preparing an orb of blue energy upon his forepaws. He fired it out almost aimlessly, but it wound up striking the underside of Magnezone, who buzzed in pain as it winced.

"Ah!" Colress gasped as the smog started to clear.

"Mortalius, use Flamethrower!" the Ketchum girl ordered, pointing toward the Magnet Area Pokémon. Her Magmortar aimed his left, cannon-like arm at his floating foe, unleashing a powerful stream of fire that completely engulfed it before it could react. It fell onto the floor in a smoky heap, having swirls in its eyes.

"…So now you've decided to get serious…" the Neo Team Plasma scientist concluded, adjusting his glasses, "Metang, Meteor Mash!" he commanded quickly, "Beheeyem, Psychic!" he ordered on. The Iron Claw Pokémon had a blue aura shroud its body, bringing its arms together and aiming them forward before shooting down toward Mortalius. He was prepared to dodge the attack, but suddenly found himself entrapped as a pink light outlined his body, preventing him from moving. That was thanks to the Cerebral Pokémon, whose eyes shined the same color as his arms were aimed at the Magmortar. It seemed as if Metang was about to crash into him.

"Zoniac, protect Mortalius!" Leslie instructed, "Krookaro, Outrage!" she commanded on. All of a sudden, her Magnezone floated out in front of his teammate, taking the Iron Claw Pokémon's attack head on before managing to blow it back. In the meantime, Beheeyem was caught off guard as the Intimidation Pokémon leapt out at him. His eyes shined a menacing red as his body became surrounded by a reddish aura. He clawed and kicked at the Cerebral Pokémon over and over before slamming him down onto the floor with his tail.

"Bee… heeee…" Beheeyem groaned out in agony, having swirls in his eyes. Meanwhile, Krookaro stumbled about afterward, evidently dizzied. Colress clenched his fists.

"Klinklang, Shift Gear!" he called out.

"Kling, kling, klangggg…" the Gear Pokémon buzzed, rearranging its gears around its body before a reddish light flowed up it.

"Now Gear Grind!" its trainer commanded. Klinklang rapidly soared out and rammed into Krookaro several times, slashing him with its gears as it winced in pain.

"Lucarus, get it away with Dragon Pulse!" Leslie advised immediately.

"Rah!" her Lucario responded, leaping up and making a multicolored light shroud both of his arms. Bringing them together, he formed the luminosity into the head of a dragon, which he fired out at the Gear Pokémon. But to their surprise, it evaded the attack with ease as it dashed away.

"Now Giga Impact!" Colress ordered. Klinklang made a purple aura shroud its body, as yellow stripes of light spiraled around it. The Ketchum girl grimaced, seeing it shoot itself down toward the Aura Pokémon.

"Aura Sphere!" she commanded. Lucarus readied another blue orb of energy upon his forepaws, making it larger. He quickly threw it out to shield himself from the incoming Gear Pokémon as they collided, with sparks flying wildly as wind raced through the helm. In the meantime, Metang and Zoniac broke apart from each other, glaring all the while.

The Iron Claw Pokémon again resorted to clanging its arms together and shrouded itself in a blue aura once more, shooting out at its foe. However, the Magnezone had yellow electricity build up around its antenna, firing a bolt of lightning that struck its foe squarely in the face. It fell helplessly to the floor, crashing down in a heap. When the dust settled, it revealed that Metang's eyes were in swirls. Seeing that three of his Pokémon had already been bested, Colress grimaced.

"Tell me, why do you fight Team Plasma?!" he asked of his opponent amidst the rushing wind around them, getting her attention, "Why continue when the danger only exponentially increases?!" he questioned on emphatically, "You could end up hurt or worse!" he pointed out.

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Leslie shouted back to his surprise, "If we just stood by and let Team Plasma get away with everything they've already done…" she continued as her fists trembled, "then we've got no right to keep getting stronger!" she proclaimed.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucarus bellowed, blowing Klinklang off of him as it flew back. It managed to regain its balance, floating as its gears spun. Its trainer lowered his head in thought for a moment.

"I see…" Colress uttered in realization, "So that's what drives you…" he noted, letting off a small grin, "Klinklang, Thunderbolt!" he commanded, sticking his right hand out. Yellow electricity shrouded the Gear Pokémon before it unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning down toward its foe.

"Dodge it!" the Ketchum girl called out. Her Lucario was quick to run away from the incoming bolt, dashing up the wall. The Neo Team Plasma scientist widened his eyes in complete shock. "Now Close Combat!" Leslie ordered, thrusting her right fist out. Leaping out, the Aura Pokémon clenched his forepaws, rearing his right one back before punching Klinklang fiercely. He struck it over and over several times before finally knocking it down onto the floor in front of Colress, who stumbled back in surprise.

"Kling… klaaaannnngggg…" the Gear Pokémon buzzed weakly, having been bested.

"So this is what it means to draw forth the power hidden in your Pokémon…" its trainer realized, returning each of his partners to their Poké Balls in beams of red light, "Leslie, tell me…" he began to the Ketchum girl while putting the spherical containers away into his lab coat, "why would you go so far for something that has nothing to do with you?" he asked as he approached her. Each of her Pokémon got in front of her defensively, prepared to attack.

"I told you," she said, causing her partners to stand down out of surprise, "It's the right thing to do," she noted with a small smile, "That's what my dad taught me," she recalled. Hearing that, Colress blinked in surprise. The image of a boy with a Pikachu entered his head, as the girl before him reminded him of that same boy.

"Hm…" he chuckled out, "You're a very strong trainer indeed," he complimented, "So let me ask you this…" he continued, "Are you thinking of reaching even higher heights by understanding each other as Pokémon and trainer?" he inquired curiously.

"Of course we are," Leslie answered, while her Pokémon all voiced sounds of agreement.

"I see…" Colress responded, "I wonder if that's something I should truly aspire to over what I had done back then," he said as he glanced off to the side, "The reason that you're so strong is because you treat your Pokémon with respect and love," he noted, turning away for a moment, "Excuse me for repeating myself, but if it will make Pokémon stronger, I don't care what it takes…" he told her.

"Colress…" the Ketchum girl uttered worriedly.

"If interacting with Pokémon can increase their powers only to a certain point," the Neo Team Plasma scientist continued, "then their full strength must be brought out using a scientific approach," he stated, "Even one without a conscience…" he mentioned grimly, lowering his head with shame. Leslie clenched her fists, thinking that he hadn't changed his approach to trying to understand the potential of Pokémon. "That said…" he kept going, causing her to perk up, "you have shown me the potential of your approach," he noted as he turned back around to face her, "To me, whether Team Plasma wins or whether you win will decide how the relationship between people and Pokémon should be," he told her, "Forgive me for sounding biased, but I do I hope you emerge victorious," he admitted.

"Don't worry, we will," the white-haired girl affirmed confidently with a determined expression.

"There's another warp panel on the other side of where Kyurem's kept," Colress pointed out, "You'll find my acquaintance there," he mentioned. Hearing that, the Ketchum girl blinked in surprise.

"Okay team," she said to her Pokémon, getting their attentions, "take a quick breather," she advised, returning them to their Poké Balls in beams of red light.

"Good luck in your battle, Leslie," the Neo Team Plasma scientist remarked, seeing her head over to the warp panel to lead her back to the generator room.

"Thanks!" she called out in gratitude before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Huh…" Colress sighed out afterwards, removing his glasses, "In the end… it all comes down to the bonds between people and Pokémon…" he noted to himself.

X

After returning to the generator room and watching Kyurem continue to suffer inside its cage, Leslie went over to the warp panel on the opposite side, transporting herself to wherever it led. She wasn't sure who this acquaintance of Colress' was, but he sounded dangerous. She arrived to find herself in a small room with wood floorboards and stairs that led outside. She turned around to see a desk over a blue rug with gold embroidery, along with a black leather chair. There were several screens upon the wall, each displaying what appeared to be security footage.

That wasn't what spooked Leslie. It was the fact that there was another person in the room, who was watching the footage. More specifically, he was watching the replay of her battle against the Neo Team Plasma scientist. And it made him growl with building anger.

"That blasted Colress…" he grumbled out, turning around. Leslie trembled. The man before her had red eyes and long, pale green hair, with two locks of it sticking out by his eyes. He wore a red eyepiece over his right eye. He also had a black cloak, with an eye pattern on it. He donned two yellow bracelets in his left hand, in which he wielded a cane, with the Team Plasma logo upon it. He also wore a pair of black boots.

His cane slamming against the floor made the Ketchum girl shiver in fright. This wasn't just any normal person she was meeting for the first time. This was Neo Team Plasma's true leader, Ghetsis.

"The fool is far too committed to pure science…" he muttered, "This is how he repays me for making him the leader of Team Plasma in my place?" he inquired rhetorically, narrowing his eyes onto the girl who defeated him, "How dare he put his personal intellectual curiosity before our ultimate mission of conquering Unova!" he bellowed out. Standing her ground as she still trembled, Leslie balled her hands into fists.

"This is over… Ghetsis…" she claimed, getting his attention, "There's nowhere left to go," she pointed out determinedly.

"…Is that so?" the Neo Team Plasma leader questioned back, letting off a small grin, "Hm," he chuckled to her surprise, "How fortunate for you!" he exclaimed, "Few get to be the sole audience member for one of my speeches," he pointed out in remembrance, turning to face the Ketchum girl.

"What do you want?" she asked, taking a step back.

"Team Plasma will use its knowledge and technology to take Kyurem's true power to its absolute limit, thus freezing the entire Unova Region," Ghetsis explained in response, "Those terrified people and Pokémon will bow at Team Plasma's…!" he started to proclaim, stopping himself to Leslie's surprise, "No…" he uttered with a wicked grin, "At my feet!" he corrected in declaration.

"That's not gonna happen…" the white-haired girl retorted, pulling a Poké Ball out from her shoulder bag and enlarging it with a press of its button, "I won't let it!" she claimed. The Neo Team Plasma leader approached her trembling form. He slammed his cane against the floor against, making her shudder.

"Hm," he huffed, "Kyurem is an empty being," he pointed out, "The remnants of a certain Pokémon when it split into Reshiram and Zekrom…" he told her, "My desire is the absolute rule of Unova!" he exclaimed proudly as he stepped forward.

"And… you're using Kyurem to do that…?" Leslie guessed, still trembling.

"That's right…" Ghetsis responded as he walked up next to her, "Kyurem will be the vessel for my desires!" he bellowed out, "There's nothing you can do to stop it!" he proclaimed, pointing the end of his cane toward the Ketchum girl, who gnashed her teeth together. Before she could retort, another figure instantaneously appeared beside them. It was one of the Shadow Triad.

"Lord Ghetsis, we've finally transferred Kyurem to the cave," he confirmed to his leader.

"Ah, perfect," he responded with a small grin, "The wonderful era in which I am the absolute ruler of Unova has finally arrived!" he declared, cackling maniacally. Leslie growled, rearing her arm back.

"I won't let you—! AH!" she shrieked as she felt her arms get grabbed from behind. The other two members of the Shadow Triad had appeared, as one was holding her back. She dropped her Poké Ball onto the floor as it rolled aside.

"Hmph," Ghetsis scoffed with a smirk, "I'll let the three of you take care of this," he decided, heading down the stairs that led outside. Leslie grimaced, trying to break free of her foe's grasp.

"If you struggle more, I'll break your arms," he threatened with narrowed eyes, "I don't care if you're a child…" he mentioned. All of a sudden, there was a burst of blue light as everyone in the room looked over to see that Serpence had emerged from his Poké Ball. He glared angrily at the Shadow Triad, swinging his tail out at the one holding his trainer. Reflexively, he let go of her as he jumped away, landing off to the side amongst his brethren.

"Ser, serr peer?!" the Serperior immediately asked in concern as he slithered over to his trainer, who rubbed her right arm gingerly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she assured, picking up his Poké Ball off from the floor. They glared down their trio of foes, who each readied their own spherical containers in their hands. All of a sudden, they saw Hugh appear from the warp panel, jogging over to his rival's side.

"Hey, sorry for being late," he apologized in advance, "Those guys are the Shadow Triad, right?" he inquired of her.

"Yeah…" she responded with a nod.

"Well… in that case…" the spiky-haired boy began as he stepped forward, "Tell me about the Purrloin you guys stole from Aspertia five years ago," he demanded with clenched fists. The trio of ninja-like soldiers blinked in surprise, but one wound up smirking underneath his mask.

"Very well…" he said as he stepped forward, withdrawing another Poké Ball and opening it up. Its light spilled onto the floor and dissipated, revealing a Liepard.

"Rrrroowwwrrr!" she roared out, causing Hugh to gasp in surprise.

"As you said, I stole this Pokémon five years ago in Aspertia," the Shadow Triad member noted, "Seems likely that she's the same Pokémon you're talking about…" he mentioned with a chuckle, "But now she only listens to my commands," he pointed out, "Such is the fate of Pokémon that are trapped in Poké Balls," he stated.

"Wh…What?" Hugh stammered out, "Hey, don't mess with me…" he insisted, "That's someone else's Pokémon!" he claimed, trembling with sadness and frustration.

"Hugh!" his rival yelled. Unfortunately, he was too caught up in his turmoil to respond, as the Cruel Pokémon snarled at him.

"Now then…" the Shadow Triad member began, turning to face Leslie along with his brethren, "we won't let you interfere with Lord Ghetsis' plans!" he declared, flinging another Poké Ball out as his colleagues did the same. The lights that shot out from them formed upon the floor, dissipating to reveal Absol, Banette, and Accelgor. "Night Slash!" the first of the Shadow Triad commanded with a swing of his right arm. The Disaster Pokémon had the horn on his head and his tail glow a bright purple. He lunged out and slashed mightily at Serpence, who cried out in pain.

"Serpence!" his trainer screamed.

"Shadow Claw!" the second of the Shadow Triad ordered. Banette had a dark aura with a purple outline shroud his arms. He flew forward and swiped at the Regal Pokémon over and over as he winced.

"Serpence, hang in there!" Leslie pleaded, "Hugh, come on!" she called out to her rival. But he was still too caught up in his emotions as he stared at the Liepard with shaking eyes.

"Accelgor, Bug Buzz!" the third of the Shadow Triad commanded as he stuck his left hand out. The Shell Out Pokémon opened his mouth, releasing red sound waves that crashed onto the Serperior, who grimaced in agony. The Ketchum girl realized that Hugh wasn't going to be able to help anytime soon. So she had to act now.

"Serpence, Coil!" she yelled out with a swing of her left arm.

"Serr!" her Serperior responded, making a purple light shine off of his body as he coiled himself, causing a reddish aura to flow up around him.

"It's no use!" the first of the Shadow Triad proclaimed, "Absol, Night Slash!" he commanded. The Disaster Pokémon lunged out at his opponent again as his horn and tail glowed purple.

"Leaf Blade!" Leslie ordered quickly. Serpence had the tip of his tail shine a bright green as the leaves upon it sharpened. He slashed by his foe just as he reached him, causing him to fall onto the floor in a heap.

"Impossible…!" the Shadow Triad member gasped in disbelief.

"Banette, Psychic!" the second Shadow Triad member ordered.

"Accelgor, use Swift!" the third commanded. The Marionette Pokémon had his eyes shine a bright pink as he stared down at Serpence, entrapping him within his psychic hold as a pink light outlined his body. That allowed for the Shell Out Pokémon to fire off yellow stars of energy from his scarf-like appendages, which were glowing a bright gold. They struck his target in a burst of white smoke.

Both Accelgor and Banette looked out, thinking that they had landed the deciding blow. To their surprise, the Regal Pokémon slithered right past them as they widened their eyes. The Shadow Triad members were just as shocked.

"Dragon Tail!" Leslie ordered fiercely. A green, scale-patterned aura formed over the tail of her Serperior, who swung it out and struck his two opponents before they could react. They were slammed against the wall, fainting onto the floor.

"We've… lost…" the first of the Shadow Triad uttered in realization as his eyes were shaking, "No matter," he said with a shake of his head as he and his brethren returned their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls, except for Liepard, "The only thing you can do now is watch Lord Ghetsis use Kyurem to freeze Unova solid," he pointed out, "That's all…" he affirmed with narrowed eyes, turning to Hugh, "I'll return this Pokémon to you," he decided, taking the spherical container he had brought the Cruel Pokémon out of and snapping it in half, "Considering what our lord is about to do, I have no further need of her," he noted. He and his brethren disappeared soon after.

"Huh…" Leslie exhaled in relief. She then looked over to her rival, who was evidently troubled. His whole world had just come crashing down. And his dream to get back his sister's Pokémon had been realized. But at what cost?

"Hey… Les…" he uttered out as tears pricked his eyes, "If we let Team Plasma do whatever they want…" he began in frustration, "there'll be even more sad Pokémon like Purrloin and Kyurem…" he pointed out. Hearing his words, the Ketchum girl balled her hands into fists. She hurried down the stairs without a moment to spare. She wasn't going to let there be any more turmoil from Team Plasma.

X

The air outside was a lot more frigid than before. Leslie could feel her skin crawl from the cold as her teeth chattered. But she remained determined, heading down the icy hill and making her way around to the cave that lied beyond the Plasma Frigate. With a deep breath to calm herself, she wandered inside.

A chill went down her spine multiple times as she ventured inside. This wasn't a place where normal Pokémon could live. She could see that none were around as she pressed onward. She went through the tunnel and saw dozens of icy stalagmites and stalactites spread throughout the cave. Any bodies of water around were completely frozen. She arrived at a wide-open section of the cave, spotting Ghetsis just ahead.

"Ah, so you made it after all…" he grumbled, managing to let out a little chuckle, "Welcome to the Giant Chasm!" he introduced, "This is the very place where Kyurem's power resonates!" he pointed out, "Here, it can use the full extent of its power and easily cover all of Unova in ice!" he proclaimed.

"You're insane…" Leslie muttered out, clenching her shaking fists. The Neo Team Plasma leader huffed, stepping off to the side. He slammed the end of his cane against the ground.

"Kyurem, come!" he beckoned. All of a sudden, a raging blizzard of freezing wind rushed in, causing the Ketchum girl to flinch as she braced herself, shivering all the while. When she opened her eyes, she widened them to see the Boundary Pokémon looming before her.

"Haaaahraaaaaaaannnnn!" it roared out.

"I have a memory that has continued to haunt me…" Ghetsis noted as he stood beside Kyurem, "Just one," he affirmed, glaring at Leslie, "That unpleasant look in your eyes reminds me of it…" he mentioned on, "That aside, this is my gift to you, as a show of my respect for making it this far," he declared with an ominous smirk, "I'll freeze you solid right here so that you can watch my glorious ascent!" he decided as he cackled.

"Like I'm gonna let you do that!" the Ketchum girl retorted, reaching into her shoulder bag for a Poké Ball. But she then felt Kyurem's glare bear down on her, causing her to freeze in fright. The Neo Team Plasma leader chuckled.

"Kyurem, Glaciate!" he commanded. A cold aura wafted off of the Boundary Pokémon, building up as frost and ice formed upon the ground, spreading outward. Leslie was completely frozen in shock. And soon, she'd be frozen in ice.

'Come on, move already!' she begged of herself. She could see crystals of ice forming around Kyurem, moving over to surround her as they spun around rapidly. Tears pricked her eyes. 'Please… someone…!' she pleaded inwardly as the crystals shot toward her.

"Reshiram, Fusion Flare!" a voice suddenly bellowed, causing Ghetsis to widen his eyes, while Leslie perked up. A large sphere of flames with two rings surrounding it shot down onto the ground, resulting in a fiery explosion that shattered the ice crystals. The Ketchum girl fell onto her bottom, feeling the warmth of the fire wash over her. She then saw a shadow come over her, looking up and widening her eyes.

"So you came…" the Neo Team Plasma leader said, giving off a wicked smirk, "The freak without a human heart, N!" he yelled. Coming down from above aboard Reshiram was a tall, thin young man. He was fair-skinned with green eyes and long, chartreuse green hair tied into a low fluffy ponytail and shorter pieces framing his face. He wore a white, mid-sleeved shirt with a black shirt underneath it, a pair of cider green slip on shoes and beige skinny fit pants, with a cube attached to his chain near his left hip. Her also donned a black and white bracelet on his right wrist and a yellow rectangular tri-bracelet and a blue-and-black pendant on a chain around his neck. His most notable feature was his hat, which was white and black with a black peak. He disembarked from the Vast White Pokémon, approaching Leslie.

"Are you alright?" he asked, offering his right hand to her.

"Y-Yeah…" she stuttered in response, allowing him to take her hand and pull her back up onto her feet. Admittedly, she was shocked to see that Reshiram was also here. At this point, she assumed nothing else could surprise her. N stepped forward, facing down Ghetsis.

"Reshiram told me that Kyurem is suffering!" he noted to him, "I can't allow selfish humans to make Pokémon suffer, especially you!" he mentioned fiercely, "And I admire Unova, as it's the place that taught me how to live as a human…" he recalled in addition, smiling a little, "It's the place that made me notice the harmony between Pokémon and humans living together…" he continued, "That's why I'll protect the Pokémon and humans who live here!" he declared in a firm tone.

"Preeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" the Vast White Pokémon bellowed as the fire building on its tail and protrusions burned brightly.

"Amazing…" Leslie uttered, feeling completely warmed. However, she heard Ghetsis start cackling again.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, "That was a moving expression of your determination!" he pointed out, "So the education I provided to make you a king wasn't a complete waste after all!" he added with another laugh, "Yet… I still haven't forgotten the fact that even though I was kind enough to find you when you were living in the forest with Pokémon," he recalled, "and take you in, and care for you…" he continued as his tone shifted to an angered one, "in the end, you were selfish and disrupted my plans…" he snarled out, "I was supposed to use your abilities to rule Unova!" he bellowed in proclamation.

"You'd use someone you helped raise for all that?!" Leslie questioned, quite stunned and offended. N didn't seem fazed.

"But I'll forgive you for that as well," Ghetsis decided as he grinned, "Reshiram, which you were kind enough to bring with you, can melt ice!" he pointed out to the confusion of both people before him, "Now you've saved me the work of searching for it!" he noted to their surprise, "Well, actually, I knew you'd appear if we fired ice missiles into Opelucid City and you noticed the change!" he boasted proudly. The ponytailed man growled, clenching his fists tightly.

"That's an ugly formula!" he shouted back, "It won't work!" he yelled on.

"Oh, but it will!" the Neo Team Plasma leader retorted, reaching into his robe for something, "If I use these…" he said, pulling out the DNA Splicers.

"Oh no…!" Leslie gasped out, while N widened his eyes. The object in Ghetsis' hand floated up, shaping into form before shattering apart into with looked like glowing blue strands of DNA. They floated over to Kyurem, who appeared to absorb them. Its body shined a bright blue.

"It's time, Kyurem!" the Neo Team Plasma leader proclaimed, "Go!" he yelled. The ice around the Boundary Pokémon's wings shattered, revealing grey, tendril-like appendages upon its back.

"Reshiram!" N quickly called out. The Vast White Pokémon flapped its arms and flew up. Purple rays of light were shot from the spikes at the end of Kyurem's tendrils, zipping after Reshiram. It dashed away from them, unleashing blasts of fire from its mouth to incinerate them before they could reach.

'I don't get it…' Leslie uttered inwardly, seeing the Boundary Pokémon fire off more rays of light toward its foe, 'What's Ghetsis trying to do?' she wondered through her thoughts. The Vast White Pokémon continued to fly about the cavern and avoid the rays. But just as it tried to attack Kyurem, it was suddenly struck by a few of the beams, followed by becoming entrapped in an orb of purple light.

"Reshiram, no!" N screamed. He and Leslie watched as the Vast White Pokémon suddenly found itself engulfed by a bright flash, shrinking down into the form of a white sphere.

"Wh…What just happened?!" the Ketchum girl stammered in disbelief.

"HAHA!" Ghetsis cackled, "Kyurem, absorb Reshiram!" he commanded, "Use Absofusion!" he instructed, pointing his cane toward the white stone floating in front of them. The spikes upon the Boundary Pokémon's tendrils unleashed rays of light that struck the sphere, pulling it in to it. Kyurem raised it up into the air as it shrunk down, becoming absorbed through its tendrils. Once it disappeared, a flaming aura burst up around the Boundary Pokémon, whose body started to change.

Leslie and N stared on in disbelief. Kyurem now had some extra icy details on its legs. Its tail resembled that of Reshiram, but was attached to the body with three grey pars of the skin. The tail itself contained four holes that were horizontally positioned. Its torso was slim, and its shoulders were covered in blocks of ice that each had a pair of pins protruding from them. It also had thin arms with two rings and three claws each, wings between the rings on its forearms, and its right arm and wing were frozen. Its neck was the same shape, but had become upright. Reshiram's fur was also upon its changed body. The ice upon its upper jaw had disappeared, allowing it to move its mouth.

It exhaled cold breaths of air before closing its eyes. They flashed a bright yellow once he opened them, with the tubes on his back shooting out and plugging themselves into the holes upon its tail. They shined a bright orange. The ends of Kyurem's hair and wings became fiery as its tail flared up.

Leslie had never seen anything like this. And she was about to face it, whether she wanted to or not…

ENDING

Insert "Flowers" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

We open on Leslie entering the Floccesy Ranch alongside Serpence. She spots a wild Riolu and gets excited to capture him, but he tries to run away. After managing to catch up, she has Serpence battle the Riolu before catching him in a Poké Ball.

A while passes before she starts training alongside her Pokémon, but they also play with each other, enjoying the nice sunny weather all the while. We then cut over to the Virbank Complex, where Leslie finds a wild Magnemite and a wild Magby, catching them both. They train together as well, but also roam about the complex in awe of the machinery, especially at night.

Out on Route 4, Leslie encounters a wild Sandile, which she also catches. He helps show her around the desert-like route, especially as they head into the Desert Resort in the midst of a sandstorm. In the Undella Bay, Leslie finds a wild Spheal and catches him as well. With his help, she's able to swim across the water quicker during their journey.

We cut to a shot of all of her Pokémon walking behind her in a row, evolving over time as they continue their journey with her. They venture through places such as the Chargestone Cave, Celestial Tower, Strange House, Marine Tube, and finally, the Giant Chasm. Leslie and her Pokémon come face-to-face with Neo Team Plasma and their massive battleship.

They battle ferociously, with Leslie venturing into the deepest part of the chasm with Serpence and Lucarus to find Ghetsis there with Kyurem. The Boundary Pokémon attempts to freeze her entirely in ice, but is thwarted by Lucarus' Aura Sphere and Serpence's Leaf Storm. Leslie smiles gratefully to her Pokémon before commanding them to attack, which they do.

Afterwards, there's a scene of her contently asleep together with all six of her Pokémon, having just saved the world from Neo Team Plasma. They're asleep by a bed of flowers, which wave with the light breeze that blows by.

END ENDING

And thus, we're about to enter the last part of this arc for Leslie as she faces her greatest challenge yet. This was such a great chapter to write. The Black & White 2 storyline is probably one of the greatest of the series, if not the greatest of all time. And next chapter, we'll see how the rest of the story goes for Leslie.

For now, enjoy this quick little summary!

SUMMARY

Faced against White Kyurem all by herself, it doesn't seem like there's much that Leslie can do. But with the power of her Pokémon behind her, she'll keep fighting. And she won't be alone…

END SUMMARY

Can't give away too much! I'll see you all next time for the finale!