Chapter 47: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
"So Hilbert and Hilda still remember me huh? I thought after leaving them behind in Nuvema Town they would forget about me. I hope I see them soon," Cheren talked about his old friends after Ash mentioned the greeting they pair had delivered.
"Here you go," Cheren handed them some glasses of juice and got thanked by the teens.
"I'm sure you'll see them soon, we run into them occasionally," May told the boy as she received the glass of juice.
"So what have you been doing while on your journey all the way from Virbank City?" Cheren questioned them.
"We've just been all over the place," Iris answered.
"We've been competing in tournaments, fighting off bad guys, helping others," May explained to the gym leader.
"Auro, Nate, and Rosa had us with them for almost a month doing a bunch of training. It wasn't easy, but we managed to overcome it," Ash grinned as he recalled the story.
"Yeah I got informed about that. I expected your arrival to take a fair amount of time so I wasn't too concerned about why it had taken so long to get here," Cheren took a sip of his drink.
"It went really well though; you could not imagine just how difficult it was and how strong it actually made us," May stated with an excited tone.
"I think I have an idea," Cheren chuckled.
"How do you know Auro and the others anyway?" Cilan asked a very interesting question.
"Same way all other gym leaders have met them, we share a common enemy," Cheren responded to the inquiry.
Cilan nodded and the others easily understood what Cheren met, Team Neo Plasma wasn't just an enemy of Roxas and his friends but of the authority in Unova. "Anyway, with you guys all prepared for what awaits in the future, I'm sure we might be able to end this conflict sooner. The faster Ghetsis and his allies get driven out of here the better."
"We've actually been curious about one mission regarding the bad guys Cheren," Ash said out of the blue.
Cheren raised an eyebrow, "Oh, what may that be?"
"The drives we gave you," Ash eyed the drives in Cheren's hand, "What are they for exactly."
Cheren looked at the drives and smiled, "I'm sure Auro must have given at least a little detail on these things, but I'll be happy to fill you in on the rest. You see, these drives are associated with a Legendary Pokémon known as Genesect."
"Genesect?" May inquired with confusion.
"Correct, you see Genesect is a Pokémon that dates back to the Prehistoric Era. It was originally a prehistoric Pokémon like any other of that time period, but according to research stolen by Auro and his friends, Genesect is a modified fossil Pokémon the original Team Plasma had attained about two years ago. After reviving it, they enhanced its powers a significant amount to the extent where it rivaled Legendary Pokémon. Team Plasma's leader N, decided to abandon the project for moral reasons and the entire thing got shut down. Genesect was never awakened and remained trapped in the lab where it had been created. One of N's scientists developed a major component that would give Genesect an extremely large amount of power, which are these drives."
"What do they do?" Iris stared at the device with interest as well as Axew, Victini, Pikachu, and the rest of the gang.
"Genesect has a move called Techno Blast and the type of attack it is depends on the drive Genesect holds. There are four drives, the Burn Drive, the Douse Drive, the Chill Drive, and the Shock Drive. Each drive makes Techno Blast a different type. If Genesect were to hold the Shock Drive, Techno Blast would be an Electric-type move, if it were to hold the Chill Drive, then Techno Blast would be an Ice-type move. Imagine the amount of power Genesect would receive with these drives. Genesect is a single Pokémon with the combined power of 7 different types of Pokémon," Cheren explained to them about the powerful Genesect.
"That's some Pokémon," Ash became astonished by the explanation.
"Not so long ago, our operatives came to believe that Team Neo Plasma and their allies are targeting the lab where Genesect is held. We already know that Ghetsis has removed N's forces from the lab and it is now under their control, but they still need these drives if they wish to unlock Genesect's true potential. Luckily Roxas and his friends were able to steal this from Team Plasma before Ghetsis could ever get his hands on it," Cheren looked at the drives he held.
"I understand now," May looked at her glass and frowned, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
"If Team Neo Plasma and their allies get their hands on these drives, not even a Pokémon as powerful as Victini will be able to stop Genesect," Cheren frowned as he continued staring at the drives.
All of a sudden the wall behind Cheren burst from an explosion and the boy flew towards the floor while Ash and the others quickly covered their faces from the dust. "What on earth?" Cheren instantly recovered and looked to see what was going on.
A bright white light shined in front of them for a few seconds until it faded and revealed a menacing figure. "At last we meet again," Genesis flew on his Dragonair and the gang easily identified them as the ones who blasted the second floor kitchen into smithereens.
"Genesis," Iris frowned, remembering the name of the second in command member of the Majestic 12.
"It's nice to see you again. Ghetsis, Team Rocket, and my organization were starting to miss seeing you meddle in our plans. This time we've come to meddle in your plans though, honestly, I'm not sure what Roxas was thinking when he thought of securing the drives with Cheren," Genesis said sternly.
"Why don't you get lost!" May spat at the elite trainer.
"First the drives," Genesis extended his hand out.
"Not a chance!" Cheren held on tight to the drives and glared at the enemy.
"Shame," Genesis retreated his arm.
"The only shame is that you came here to attack us, but you're clearly outnumbered and no longer skilled enough to take all of us down," Ash smirked at the threatening figure.
"Am I?" Genesis asked.
Suddenly, the walls around the gang broke down and about a dozen Team Rocket members appeared in the room with a bunch of Machamp and Machoke.
"You clearly weren't expecting us were you, honestly staying trapped in the forest for a month damaged your head a little," a familiar voice was heard and they all turned around to see another Majestic 12 member, this time it was Archer.
"Now will you hand over the drives? I'm warning you, resistance will result in great pain," Genesis threatened them.
"You guys are obviously underestimating us," May smiled slyly at the man who wore a red helmet.
"How so?" Genesis did not seem shocked by May's statement.
Ash flashed a smirk at Archer and threw a Pokéball into the air, "Leavanny help us out with your Leaf Storm!"
Archer and the Rocket Grunts gritted their teeth and quickly prepared to attack, but unfortunately for them as soon as the ball opened a storm of energy leaves spread across the destroyed room.
"What?!" Archer's eyes widened as the Leaf Storm began hitting the grunts and their Pokémon. The Majestic 12 leader also had a difficult time seeing through the dense leaves and covered his face so the razor-sharp leaves wouldn't damage his face.
"Run!" Ash exclaimed and the gang quickly mobilized. They exited the room instantly and left behind a dazed and confused group of injured humans in Pokémon while Genesis had been unable to spot them through the storm of leaves.
"Good work Leavanny," Ash thanked his friend and smiled at it as he returned it to its ball.
"Vanny," Leavanny grinned as it returned into the Pokéball.
"Ash, that was quick thinking, well done," Cheren complimented the boy as they ran through the halls of the building.
"I learned how to handle situations like that during Auro's training," Ash smiled as they ran.
"We need to get out of here fast before the Rocket Grunts or Archer and Genesis catch up with us," May said as they kept dashing through the building.
"The exit is to the left, let's hurry," Cheren informed and they made the turn to the exit.
Sadly, the moment they exited the building they got caught by surprise. Dragonair came down from above and wrapped around Cheren like a snake within seconds. "Gah!" Cheren cried out in pain and dropped the drives.
"Cheren!" Cilan screamed and the others' eyes widened.
"The drives!" May saw that the drives were just lying on the floor and attempted to grab them, but was quickly stopped by the enemy.
"I couldn't pick those up if I were you. If you move even the slightest inch I will make sure Dragonair squeezes the life out of Cheren," Genesis slowly descended in front of them like an angel.
"Great," Iris grinded her teeth as she felt the scenario become a dire one.
When May, Ash, Iris, Cilan, and the Pokémon froze in their spots Genesis nodded. The man in the red helmet stepped forward and eyed Victini, who hovered frozen and glared at the Majestic 12 member.
"You've clearly been training that Pokémon well and it has gotten attached to you. We are seriously considering taking that as well while we have the chance," Genesis stared at Victini with a cold expression.
"Don't you dare," May gave Genesis a fierce glare and clenched her fists.
"May and I will personally make sure you don't walk another day to harm more Pokémon if you take Victini," Ash gritted his teeth and began to sweat a bit from the tension.
"Auro has toughened you two up hasn't he? Your tongue has gotten sharper since the last time we met," Genesis crossed his arms, but got no reply from the angry group of teens and Pokémon.
Genesis shrugged his shoulders, "The Majestic 12 may be a criminal organization, but it carries its honor, we are not like Team Neo Plasma or Team Rocket. We were ordered to take the drives, not Victini, so we will stick to that plan."
Once again Genesis received no response except for glares and walked toward the drives. "You fools what are you doing? Forget about me, you can't let Ghetsis get his hands on the drives!" Cheren shouted as he felt Dragonair squeeze him a bit.
The second in command of the Majestic 12 lowered a bit and picked up the drives, "A wise decision." With the drives now under Genesis's possession, Dragonair dropped Cheren and Genesis walked a few feet away from them.
"Why didn't you stop him," Cheren gritted his teeth as he remained on his knees and glared at Genesis.
May smirked and threw out a Pokéball like if she had been playing Quick Draw. The brunette made a single rapid spin and shouted, "Petilil, use Stun Spore and Magical Leaf!"
Before Genesis or Dragonair could even react, Stun Spore sprayed all over them and stunned the two. "Stop!" Genesis growled as he felt his whole body succumb to the lethal gas.
"Petilil!" the Grass-type cried out and following the cloud of sparkly dust, Petilil released a barrage of multicolored energy leaves that hit the pair.
The leaves cut through Genesis's black coat and even scratched his helmet. The Dragonair and its trainer were both sent crashing towards the ground and luckily, the drives also flew into the air, having escaped Genesis's grip.
May quickly ran to the spot where the drives would land and the coordinator gracefully caught them all like Frisbees and spun around while flashing a peace sign. "Got them!" May grinned at Ash and her friends as she held the drives in her hand.
"Troublesome child," Genesis slammed his fist on the ground as he struggled to get up due to the Stun Spore and Dragonair also felt the same pain coursing through its body.
"Looks like we just keep turning the tables on you guys," Cheren got up and laughed weakly, commenting on how Ash and May have successfully outsmarted the enemy up until now.
"That's what you think," Genesis said with a weak voice and pointed up at the sky.
The gang's eyes motioned upward and they widened when saw about two dozen Rocket Grunts riding Fearow that were flying towards the Aspertia Gym. What made matters worse were they prepared to fire Hyper Beam right at them.
Genesis took a deep breath and spoke, "Let the fireworks begin."
"Run!" Cilan exclaimed as they moved out of the way.
"Fearow!" the large bird Pokémon cried out and fired thick red beams of energy in the surrounding area.
When the Hyper Beam made contact with any material, medium-sized explosions got produced and damaged a large deal of property. There were so many Fearow firing Hyper Beam that it resembled a shower of Hyper Beam.
"My gym!" Cheren shouted as he saw some Fearow blast off chunks of the Aspertia Gym and caused several explosions around the building.
"We have to take cover!" Ash yelled and they hid behind a parked vehicle as the Fearow repeatedly fired Hyper Beam in their direction.
As they tried to get as far away from the gym as possible they noticed pedestrians beginning to run in fear as the Fearow began to fire things aside from the Aspertia Gym. "Take a right!" May screamed as she looked back and saw a Fearow just some feet behind them.
They all made a sharp turn and hid in an alleyway as the Fearow's Hyper Beam destroyed everything that had been on the path Ash and the others were running on. The explosions became even more devastating when the Hyper Beam began to destroy cars and any other objects that would enhance the power of the blasts.
"They are going to destroy the entire street if we don't stop them," Iris clenched her fists in frustration.
"Our only hope is to hold them off for as long as possible till help arrives," Cheren sighed.
"Feeeeeaaaaaar!" the gang heard the cry of a Fearow and noticed the bird and a Rocket just flying over the alleyway.
"Fire!" the Rocket Grunt ordered and the Fearow released a Hyper Beam on the alleyway.
"Keep running!" Ash instructed as he pulled May by her hand and brought Victini close to him with his arm while Pikachu gripped onto Ash's shoulder.
The Hyper Beam followed the gang across the maze of alleyways like a laser beam destroying the entire cement path, but pretty soon their luck was running out.
From a corner two Rocket Grunts jumped out with their Pokéballs and prepared to attack the gang, "Stop right there!"
"Pikachu, use Agility and then stop them with Iron Tail and Double-Edge," Ash commanded.
"Pika!" Pikachu obeyed and jumped off his trainer's shoulder. Within seconds the little mouse began running at a rapid speed that even built up a wind trail.
"So you wanna play rough?" one of the grunts chuckled, but before he could even do anything Pikachu bashed right at him.
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu cried out as he leaped at the grunt while enveloped in yellow energy and bashed him right in the stomach.
The impact had been so strong it sent the grunt crashing against a wall and cracked it. The other grunt was so shocked he had little time to react and Pikachu merely glared at him before recovering from recoil and swinging an Iron Tail right at the man.
Pikachu's Iron Tail had been so devastating the man's skull left a dent in the wall and the mouse simply looked at his trainer once the job got done. "Keep going to have to get back on an actual street," Ash stated as he looked up and noticed the Fearow were still hot on their trail with Hyper Beam.
Cheren, May, Iris, and Cilan were all a bit surprised by the aggression Pikachu had displayed against the Rocket Grunts, but it would have been worse if they had gotten caught.
"Made it!" Ash dashed out onto a street with his friends and the first thing he did was make another command, "Now Pikachu, bring down all those Fearow with Thunder!"
"Piiiiikaaaaachuuuuuuu!" Pikachu jumped into the air and charged up a powerful Thunder while the Fearow were recovering from the chase in the alleyways.
The little mouse released the Thunder with great power and the Electric-type move struck all the Fearow and Rocket Grunts causing them to scream in pain. The electrified Fearow and Rockets then dropped down below as Pikachu landed coolly on the ground and panted a little.
May let out a sigh of relief and spoke, "Well that was close."
"Good thinking by getting onto a street and then using Thunder. If we had taken an approach like that in those tiny alleyways we might've been hit too," Cheren said.
"Do you think there are anymore coming?" Iris asked as she took deep breaths.
"I really hope not, May you still have the drives right?" Ash looked at the sapphire-eyed girl.
"You got it," May showed the drives and smiled.
"And I've got you," a menacing voice stated and in the blink of an eye Ash and the gang saw Genesis riding a Braviary. To make matters worse the Majestic 12 leader and his bird swooped up May as fast as they swooped down.
"Ash, Pikachu, Victini!" May screamed in fear as she began to ascend in Braviary's claws.
"May!" Ash yelled as Braviary took May away at a fast flying speed.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted as May became a very small figure in the distance.
"Tini vi v!" Victini squealed as tears formed in the corner of its eyes and could only see Braviary from the far distance they had already flown.
"Genesis has May!" Iris stated in horror.
"And now Genesis has the drives," Cheren clenched his fists.
"What are we going to do now?" Cilan frowned in frustration.
"I have to go get May no matter what!" Ash made a fist and frowned in anger over Genesis's kidnapping.
"I understand Ash, here," Cheren understood Ash's anxiety and handed him a Pokéball.
"What is it?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Open it," Cheren instructed.
"Ok," Ash turned to the empty and wrecked street and threw the Pokéball.
From it a large majestic and familiar bird came out. Ash's eyes brightened and a smile grew across his face, it reminded him of his old friend and he knew he would enjoy the experience that awaited him.
"A Pidgeot," Cilan said with admiration.
"Wow, I've never seen one before," Iris's eyes glistened with interest.
"Ride this Pidgeot; I'm sure it's fast enough to help you catch up with Genesis. Rescue May and retrieve the drives," Cheren placed his hand on Ash's shoulder.
Ash smiled confidently and shook his head, "I will."
"Ash, I have a feeling as to where Genesis is heading. Once you have gotten May and the drives meet us at the harbor. From there we will discuss the next step," Cheren informed the raven-haired boy.
"Right, c'mon Pikachu and Victini. May needs us," Ash ran to Pidgeot and quickly got on top with the two little Pokémon.
"Be careful Ash!" Iris shouted.
"Don't let Genesis win!" Cilan added.
"Ax ew ew!" Axew also told his Pokémon friends to be careful.
Ash smiled and nodded. With that the Pidgeot took off with Ash, Pikachu, and Victini. The trio gazed at the sky with stern expressions as they were ready to give Genesis a piece of their minds for taking the person they all loved so dearly.
"Ok guys, this is what we're going to do once we reach Genesis," Ash began to speak to Victini, Pikachu, Pidgeot as he prepared to bring out another Pokémon.
"Let me go or else I'll find a way to break free!" May yelled angrily as she kicked her legs in the air.
"For someone who has trained hard and has battled valiantly till this point, you have a habit of complaining like a child," Genesis said with a serious tone as he flew his Braviary.
"So what if I am, at least I don't go around hurting others," May answered back with a sassy hung as Braviary carried her by the strap of her fanny pack.
"We have our cause for doing what we do. We admit that the majority of it is purely malicious, but the earth gave us no choice," Genesis sighed.
"What do you want anyway? Why have you been after Pokémon like Victini and Genesect?" May asked with a curious tone.
"That is classified little one, but our intentions are for the greater good and not for foolish ambitions such as that of Ghetsis or Giovanni," Genesis argued.
"I'm not buying it. After what you did at Castelia, I won't forgive you guys for all the evil things you've done, so let me go!" May shouted impatiently.
Genesis shook his head sideways, "Only after you've given us the drives."
"You can forget about it!" May spat at the man.
"Then I refuse to release you," Genesis answered sternly.
"Fine, but I'm warning you. I will find a way to free myself and once I do you won't like it," May clenched her fists and glared at Genesis.
"There's one option I may give you," Genesis stated as Braviary began to ascend to a bigger height and May became a bit suspicious. "My Braviary could drop you from a large height and you die when you make impact. With you dead getting those drives will be rather simple."
Darn him, May grinded her teeth as she held tightly onto the drives in her hand. Abruptly she felt the wind pick up some speed and as she tried to look behind her she heard a "swoosh", blurry, green, and razor-sharp projectiles, and the sound of her straps breaking.
With her straps broken Braviary lost grip of May and the brunette's eyes widened as she felt herself plummet to her death. "Heeeelp!" May shouted desperately for a miracle to save her.
"What in the earth?" Genesis looked down and his eyes widened when he saw May falling to her death. As he prepared to go after the girl though a strike of lightning hit him and Braviary head on and the pair yelled in pain as the electricity coursed through their bodies.
May continued screaming in fear and tears began to form in her eyes as she kept them shut, but the sound of a familiar voice instantly calmed her down. "Gotcha!" the male voice said as May felt herself land on something soft.
"Huh?" May slowly opened her eyes and found herself sitting on a Pidgeot with Ash sitting just in front of her. "Ash?" May said weakly with tears of relief.
"I'm here May," Ash grabbed May's hand and looked back at her with a smile.
"Pika, sni, victini!" the sounds of a relieved Pikachu and Victini went through May's ears as they embraced her in a small hug while Snivy smiled happily.
May smiled sweetly at the Pokémon and squeezed Ash's hand. "Good job on freeing May, Snivy, you can rest now," Ash recalled the Grass-type after thanking it. After that their attention quickly turned to Genesis who remained hovering above them. "Looks like Thunderbolt didn't do as much damage as I thought," Ash frowned as he looked above at his opponent.
"Pika," Pikachu gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Tini v," Victini suggested to Ash.
"I would like to Victini, but I don't want to rely on you just yet. Remember what Auro said," Ash reminded the Fire-type and Victini sighed, but nodded in agreement, understanding the reason why Ash was so reluctant on using Victini for a battle.
"How are we going to stop him?" May asked as she glared at the enemy above, who was recovering from Pikachu's electric attack.
"Pidgeot, use Air Slash on Braviary!" Ash pointed at Genesis and his bird.
"Pidgeot!" the bird cried out and flapped its wings rapidly, releasing a powerful Air Slash.
Genesis groaned in pain, but quickly regained his composure along with Braviary when they saw the incoming Air Slash. "That persistent boy, he takes after his father," Genesis said and chuckled. "Braviary, counter with an Air Slash!"
"Braviary!" the Flying-type cried out and unleashed the lethal attack.
The two powerful bird Pokémon flapped their wings violently and the Air Slash collision resulted in multiple clouds of smoke. "Get ready Ash, he's going to try and surprise us," May warned.
"Right," Ash nodded and as May predicted, Braviary flew through the clouds of smoke in a zigzag pattern aiming right for Pidgeot.
Braviary charged at a high speed, but it was nothing overwhelming for Ash or May. "Pidgeot, dodge Braviary's attack," Ash instructed.
"Pidg!" Pidgeot spread its wings and seconds before Braviary could get a hit on them Pidgeot dodged at such an incredible speed that it almost seemed like it teleported.
"Whoa was that Agility?" Ash said with surprised eyes and Pidgeot nodded.
May looked back and saw Braviary was just behind them and had gotten caught off guard by Pidgeot's sudden disappearance. That's when an idea suddenly struck May, "Pidgeot, use an Aerial Ace by flying like in a backward flip position and mix it up with Agility!"
As May made the command Genesis and Pidgeot had spotted them, preparing to attack once again, but their plan failed when Pidgeot had suddenly disappeared. "This is his Pidgeot isn't it?" Genesis murmured when he realized the Pidgeot was far too strong to be a regular Pidgeot.
Abruptly, Pidgeot appeared right over Genesis and Braviary. Its beak was aimed right at them and it flew down like a dart while making a sharp curve. "Brace for the pain," Genesis instructed to his Braviary when he realized there was no way they could counter.
"Pidgeot!" the Flying-type cried out and delivered a heavy blow with Aerial Ace, sending Braviary some feet away from them at a lower height.
"Steel Wing!" Genesis commanded as he and his partner quickly regained their composure.
"Pidgeot can you do the same?" Ash questioned the bird, who nodded and knew just what to do.
The two big birds began to charge at each other with steel-colored wings and cried out their names as they got closer. The two steel wings sounded like swords when they clashed and Genesis took a quick glimpse of Ash and May and the couple returned the glimpse. Pidgeot flew downward and Braviary flew upward with both quickly turning around to joust again.
"Again!" Ash, May, and Genesis commanded and without wasting a second the two birds clashed each other's wings like swords. This time Ash took a closer look at Genesis and saw through the small lens of his helmet a pair of eyes he had seen somewhere before.
As the opponents passed each other a sense of confusion came over Ash as he kept gazing at Genesis until May spoke, "Ash is something wrong?"
"No, sorry, I just want to get this over with," Ash told her as he disregarded Genesis for now.
Pidgeot quickly turned around to face Braviary and they were both panting for air as they became increasingly tired. "Pidgeot, I need you to start spinning and release a Gust along with an Air Slash, can you do that?"
Pidgeot nodded and began to spin its body while remaining in its position. The Flying-type began spinning like a wheel while releasing Air Slash and a powerful spiral of wind began to form that charged at Braviary like a beam.
"Pidgeot pidg!" Pidgeot rapidly flapped its wings and unleashed Air Slash, which went right through the spiral of wind developed.
"It's amazing how this Pidgeot understood your command Ash, we only just learned this trick on the island with Auro," May said as they held on tight to Pidgeot.
"I wonder if Auro, Roxas, Nate, and Rosa teach others' Pokémon the same way they've taught us since Cheren was the one that lent me this Pokémon," Ash commented as he held on.
"It's a bit strange since Auro said we were only ones to learn the move though," May mentioned.
"I guess it's something to think about, but we'll have to worry about that later," Ash stated as Pidgeot's combination of Gust and Air Slash threatened to take down Braviary.
"Charge right through with Brave Bird," Genesis ordered.
"Bravia!" Braviary cried out and became enveloped in a blue aura. The Flying-type then charged through the storm of wind like a bullet, pushing right through the Gust and Air Slash like nothing.
"You've got to be kidding," Ash gritted his teeth.
"Ash, I think I have an idea on how to stop Braviary. Do you remember what Auro told us about aerial battles?" May said to the boy.
Pikachu and Victini quickly remembered what May meant and Ash's mind also caught on once the other three remembered.
"In an aerial battle, the air is the key to your victory," Auro said while riding a Tropius.
May and Ash listened intently as Auro spoke, "If you have dominance over the air you can produce attacks as powerful as Hurricane and bring down your enemy. No amount of power is useful if you cannot put the air and all its might to use."
With that said, as Ash and May watched on Unfezant, Auro built up a tornado that sucked in its surroundings. Then Staraptor spread its wings from the midsection of the tornado, causing it to break and sent everything it collected including trees and rocks, in every direction.
"Watch out," Ash instructed his Unfezant and the couple along with the birds barely dodged the technique.
"When you have the environment of the sky under your control, you are certain to win an aerial battle," Auro smirked.
Ash returned from his flashback and smirked as he saw the incoming Braviary. "Pidgeot, begin to spin in a vertical position to build wind and suck in Braviary."
"Geot!" Pidgeot quit its current attack and proceeded to spinning around a vertical position rather than horizontal like before.
"Do it as fast as you can Pidgeot!" May instructed and Pidgeot picked up the pace.
"Pika," Pikachu clung on hard to Ash as it threatened to slip from its grip.
"Tini vi," Victini also held on tight to May as a thick wind wall formed around them.
"Braviary fight back!" Genesis desperately clung onto Braviary as they got sucked into the twister. "This is impossible, but how?" Genesis had gotten shocked by the amount of ability Ash and May showed.
"Braaaaaaav!" Braviary could no longer fight back and got sucked into the powerful wind.
"Let her rip Pidgeot!" Ash and May demanded simultaneously the moment they had Genesis where they wanted.
"PIDGEOT!" Pidgeot let out a powerful cry and slammed its wings downwards with the wind. The powerful twister fired down to the earth and sent Braviary crashing along with getting pounded by multiple street lights and cars collected by the wind.
"Viary!" Braviary squealed in pain as it hit the cement floor and Genesis had landed nearby, having been thrown off the bird.
"Yeah, we did it!" May fist pumped in the air when she saw the defeated Genesis and Braviary.
"That should have done the trick, no way could a Pokémon handling being thrown like that and get hit by cars," Ash eyed his opponents carefully.
Ash quickly raised an eyebrow though when he saw Genesis moving. The man groaned in pain as he got on his feet. His Braviary did the same and began to lift its wings, astonishing Ash, May, and the Pokémon.
"No more games, Brave Bird Braviary," Genesis mumbled.
"BRAVIARY!" Braviary cried out and took off so violently that its speed caused a sound wave and floor beneath it had cracked badly.
Genesis said no other word and took off with his own two feet. The Majestic 12 member flew at the speed of Braviary and landed on the bird as the two charged at Pidgeot.
"Impossible!" May gasped.
"After such a heavy hit?" Ash had a fearful expression while Victini and Pikachu gasped.
With its quick speed and great power Braviary bashed against the other big bird. It had exerted so much force into the attack though that Pidgeot's ribs had gotten crushed in the process and the couple, Victini, and Pikachu flew off the Flying-type.
Pidgeot dropped to the ground with a painful scream and the last thing heard was its body pounding on the floor like stone. "Aaaaash!" May yelled as she tried to reach for a Pokéball to save her from her fall.
Ash frantically tried to come up with a solution as he saw Pikachu, Victini, and May falling like meteors to the ground below. None of them could get their composure to save themselves as they threatened to fall to their deaths.
"Stoutland, fetch!" Cheren's voice suddenly caught the gang's attention and the next thing they felt was landing on something big and furry.
When they felt the thing that had saved them stop they heard Cheren's voice again, "Good work Stoutland."
Ash, May, Pikachu, and Victini all regained their composure and realized that they were lying on a Stoutland. "Wow this is one big Stoutland," May was the first to notice that it was at least twice the size of a regular Stoutland.
"Cheren, you saved us," Ash smiled weakly and let out a deep sigh of relief.
"No problem, and as an answer to your remark May, this Stoutland takes some special vitamins," Cheren smiled as the Stoutland lowered to let Ash, May, Pikachu, and Victini to get off.
"Where are Iris and Cilan?" May questioned.
"Genesis's forces have retreated from town and Iris and Cilan decided stay in town to assist. The other good news is you guys managed to get yourselves all the way here to the harbor and with Genesis nearly beaten," Cheren looked up at the sky with the gang.
Ash and the others became surprised to see that they were right on the harbor and had not noticed due to their battle with Genesis. What was more surprising was after the heavy blow they had delivered; Genesis and Braviary got exhausted and were descending to the earth with exhaustion and weak appearances.
May and Ash's eyes then turned to the Pidgeot they had flown on and they looked at Cheren with dismayed expressions. "Cheren, your Pidgeot it's…" Ash prepared to tell Cheren the news of Pidgeot's broken bones.
Strangely enough Cheren seemed to be distracted by something else, "Genesis its over. We won the battle, Archer and your forces have already fled Aspertia City."
Genesis and Braviary descended weakly in front of the gang when Cheren said that and the first thing Braviary did was drop on the ground with a tired look. Genesis got off and stood feebly in front of the gang, "I underestimated Ash and May's abilities. We weren't expecting such heavy resistance."
"It's Ash and May, what did you expect?" Cheren crossed his arms and chuckled.
Ash and May looked at the two and prepared to fight alongside Cheren with Victini and Pikachu if they had to because as weak as Genesis appeared, he still seemed to have some fight left in him.
"So how are you going to complete this mission?" Genesis asked while panting.
Cheren smirked and looked at May, "May, can I have the drives now. I know just where to put them."
"Ummmm sure," May handed him the drives.
"Good job guys," Cheren smiled.
"What's important is that the drives are in safe hands now," Ash beamed at Cheren.
"You mean the wrongs hands," Cheren corrected Ash.
"What?" May raised an eyebrow.
"Viiiii, Piiiii!" Pikachu and Victini screamed in pain, causing Ash and May to look back in surprise. Their eyes widened when they saw Victini and Pikachu under the claws of Stoutland and the dog Pokémon threatened to fire a Hyper Beam at them since it was already charging the attack.
"What's going on?!" Ash grinded his teeth and glared at Cheren.
"What's the big idea Cheren?!" May prepared to bring down the gym leader for harming Victini and Pikachu.
All of a sudden they felt their feet get cold and become immobilized. The pair looked down at their feet and noticed they were frozen solid. "What the?!" Ash looked at his feet.
"I can't move," May tried to move at least an inch, but it was hopeless.
"Well done with that Ice Beam Rampardos, well done," Archer walked up from behind them with Rampardos.
"Archer!" Ash yelled when he saw the other Majestic 12 member.
"I thought Archer fled!" May glared at Cheren.
"Silly Pokémon trainers, they say you've been trained to your peak, yet you fail to see through the trick," Cheren chuckled.
"What trick?" May frowned and clenched her fist.
"The fact that you're a traitor?!" Ash tried to tackle Cheren, but the ice kept him put.
"I'm not really a traitor because I'm always loyal to my organization!" Cheren smirked and ripped his clothes off, revealing himself as Brodie.
"Brodie!" Ash and May shouted simultaneously.
"In the flesh," Brodie chuckled.
"We should have known," Ash clenched his fists.
"You should have, but you didn't. I expected better Ash, especially after nearly losing to you. Next time you won't be so lucky when we battle," Genesis slowly walked over to his enemy and looked him deep in the eye as he spoke menacingly.
Ash looked at Genesis's eyes carefully and once again remembered seeing them somewhere before, but he couldn't figure it out. Nonetheless, he quickly snapped himself out of it and just glared at Genesis.
"Sir, we were not able to find the other targets," a Rocket Grunt descended with a few dozen and informed Archer.
"That's alright, we got what we needed," Archer chuckled as he eyed the drives in Brodie's hand.
"With our mission done here, let's mobilize to the next location of our plan," Genesis commanded and they all nodded.
"Right away sir, troops move out," one of the Rockets ordered and they began to take off on Fearow.
Genesis turned his back from Ash and May and opened a dark portal in front of him. "Until we meet again, this was fun," Genesis stated as he walked into the portal and disappeared.
Brodie and Archer smirked at their enemies and walked inside the portal as well. The Stoutland that had trapped Pikachu and Victini was also revealed to be a Ditto and it threw itself into the portal, disappearing as well. The portal then closed itself and the only thing that was left were a frustrated Ash, May, Pikachu, and Victini.
"Ash, May!" the pair heard Cheren and motioned their heads in the direction of the voice.
"Cheren," Ash said with a sad tone.
Iris and Cilan were also with Cheren this time and they examined the ruined area. They also spotted the injured Pidgeot lying on the ground and Iris was the first to ask, "What happened?"
"They got away with the drives," May lowered her head in disappointment and tears dropped from her face.
"We had Genesis cornered until Brodie arrived disguised as you. We handed him the drives thinking it was you until he revealed himself and on top of that, Archer arrived and froze us in order to immobilize us. We couldn't stop them and on top of that they hurt Pidgeot really bad," Ash shut his eyes as he tried to fight back tears.
Pikachu and Victini also had their heads lowered in sadness over their failure. Iris, Cilan, and Cheren got shocked by the news and looked around the area with sadness as well. Cheren lifted a Pokéball and returned the unconscious Pidgeot.
He sighed over their defeat and the fact that they lost the drives, but he remembered what a loss had meant to him in the past. A loss means there's always room to grow and improve, never see it as a bad thing, Cheren recalled.
He placed his hands on Ash and May, "Ash, May, do not worry or cry over what happened here. If we carry this gloom with us we'll definitely lose to them, but the mission is still not over. They haven't activated Genesect yet, they haven't taken over the world yet, we still have our chance."
At that moment Ash and May's heads lifted up and realized they still had a chance. "Don't let this one loss mean you've failed, the people still need us, and we will defend them. Since the sky is as blue as it is right now and the water remains this peaceful, then it means there's still a world to care for. I learned that over the course of my journey some time ago," Cheren gave some advice to the pair.
Ash and May looked at Cheren with sincere faces and as they heard his words, smiles formed across their faces. "Don't give up already," Cheren grinned at them.
Victini melted away the ice on their feet and with Cheren's advice, Ash and May's spirits got reignited that minute. "As long as the world remains the way it is, we'll always be standing," Ash made a fist of confidence.
"We won't give in, not yet, not ever," May formed a confident grin.
"That's the attitude," Cheren smiled at them.
"Great guys, does that mean we're getting back on track?" Iris felt a renewed sense of excitement after hearing Cheren.
"There's a Pokémon to save and lives to look after out there and we'll do just that," Cilan became just as encouraged.
May smiled and nodded, but then a question occurred to her, "Where did they go though and how will get there?"
"I know exactly where they went and I know just how to get there," Cheren said and clapped his hands.
Abruptly, the entire gang felt the ground shake and with wide eyes, they looked at a familiar and enormous creature standing behind them. Dialga stood proudly in front of them and roared powerful enough to be heard from miles away.
"Where did you get a Dialga?" May laughed nervously and scratched her cheek.
"From the person who lent me the Pidgeot," Cheren replied and that's when the group realized who the owner of the Pidgeot and Dialga was.
They were Roxas's Pokémon, Ash, May, Iris, and Cilan thought at the same time.
"Yeah, he's not going to be happy when he finds out what they did to his Pidgeot," Cheren said when he saw that the gang realized who the owner of the Dialga and Pidgeot was.
"Dialga controls time, so it should get us to where the drives are heading in a jiffy," Cheren said as he got on and invited the others on top as well.
"Looks like the story is just beginning," Cilan commented as they all prepared to take off.
That was Chapter 47, longest in a while! I hope you enjoyed it! Not very suspenseful since it was more devoted to action and follows pretty much the same formula as Castelia except it is much shorter in comparison. You can expect where the setting of the next chapter will be and I'd like to read who you guys think will make an appearance in Chapter 48. REMEMBER TO REVIEW, PM, ETC, FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED HERE GUYS. We're so close to 500 IT'S AMAZING, THANKS SO MUCH GUYS, KEEP IT UP, and I'LL POST CH 48 SOON. For now take care and see ya!