Chapter 66: Endgame
As strong as N's Frosslass, Rhyperior, and Shiftry were, they could not compete against the enhanced power of Shadow Pokémon. The leader of Team Plasma looked at his three tired Pokémon while Klinklang, Rampardos, and Ditto were in fairly decent shape. "This could be our final stand, my friends, let's make it count," N smiled, ready to face his fate for the greater good.
"What a fool," Charon chuckled with delight as their three Shadow Pokémon prepared to attack.
Just as they were about to strike N and his Pokémon, a powerful Fire Blast destroyed the entrance to the Strange House, causing the foundations to shake and its arches collapsed. Luckily N and his Pokémon had avoided it. The Fire Blast burned the three Shadow Pokémon, knocking them out in a single blow. "What on Earth?" Brodie turned to the ruined entrance and saw Reshiram enter the destroyed foyer. It had blasted a hole large enough for it to enter.
"Reshiram," N looked at the mighty white dragon with relief. The Vast White Pokémon roared loudly and saw three of the culprits for his home's suffering. Without a moment's hesitation, Reshiram fired a Fusion Flare at Brodie, Charon, and Archer.
Archer tried to use dark energy to create a barrier to protect themselves, but Fusion Flare was too powerful. Charon felt his essence fade away with the fire, the old man yelled, "Darn it all!"
Brodie let himself become consumed by the fire; in his last moments, he felt his spirit free itself from the corruption he had originally submitted to. He wondered if his former teammates felt the same way upon dying. Archer knew he could not withstand Reshiram's power and disappeared amongst the blue flames.
"Reshiram holds nothing back when evil threatens Unova," Genesis entered the foyer, having witnessed the fireworks. N was astonished by how the white dragon crushed his opponents and agreed with Genesis.
Not too far behind, Zekrom and Victini entered with Iris, Cilan, Hilda, Hilbert, Cloud, and Silver. N was relieved to see they had all made it in one piece. "I assume Vicious, Annie, and Kodai are no more?" N asked Genesis.
"Zekrom saw to that and Victini freed the remaining Genesect from Shadow Energy," Genesis confirmed that the mission was a success so far.
"Let's make sure we purify all the Pokémon in this room too," Iris noticed the Legendary birds and the other Pokémon lying there defeated.
"I'll help," Cilan pulled out purified gems with Iris.
"Victini and the dragons have displayed amazing power. I don't know how we would've fared without them considering all the firepower Omega gave his puppets," N thought about the difficult battles he endured.
"We're almost there," Hilda told the older trainer.
"Did Ash and May continue going up while you stayed to hold back Brodie, Charon, and Archer?" Hilbert asked N, who told them that was the case.
"They might be at the top right now," Silver thought about it.
"If they've been as adept as in their training, then probably," Cloud believed,
Genesis closed his eyes for a moment to sense their aura. Then he opened them, "Their showdown is about to begin. Let's move quickly to assist them," Genesis ordered as they moved up the ruined stairs. Victini got a head start and already made it to the stairs, but it looked back when it heard something.
Suddenly, Archer limped out in front of them. The blue-haired criminal was barely clinging to life as he slowly faded into nothing. "You're not going anywhere yet, traitors," Archer glared at Genesis, Cloud, and Silver.
"Stand aside," Genesis warned as Zekrom prepared to finish Archer for good with a Thunderbolt.
Archer gave a sinister smile and with his dying breath made one last command, "Activate Protocol Black." With that said, Archer dropped to the ground and his body dispersed into black dust. Unfortunately for everyone else, the walls revealed two turrets with lasers aimed right at Zekrom and Reshiram.
"No!" Cloud shouted, realizing what was happening.
"Damn it," Silver gritted his teeth.
Reshiram and Zekrom were shot by shadow energy beams that made them howl in pain. "It's too late," Genesis cursed Archer for preventing them from going to help Ash and May. Genesis saw Victini by the stairs and urged it to keep going without them. It was hesitant at first, but then obeyed.
"The dragons," Iris looked at them with concern.
"This isn't good," Cilan clenched his fists in anger.
Within a matter of seconds, Zekrom and Reshiram had been corrupted. Shadow Zekrom and Shadow Reshiram stood between the gang and the stairs leading up. "We're going to have to fight our way through," Hilbert grieved over their situation.
"I see no other choice," N lamented, wishing he didn't have to fight the noble dragons. However, he stood alongside Zoroark with a look that was ready to give up everything for victory.
"Round 2 begins," Hilda brought out Musharna to assist the team. The others followed Hilda's lead and released other less battle-tired Pokémon to counter the threat of the shadow dragons. They knew they were going to be here for a while the moment the corrupted dragon duo roared at them with violence.
Ash, May, Pikachu, and Blaziken reached the final room at the top of the Strange House. It looked just as old and depressing as the rest of the hideout, but it did have a large window that gave a view of the mountainous landscape. "Roxas!" May shouted, immediately running over to him with Ash when they saw their son. She gave him the tightest embrace she could give anyone. Like Auro, Nate, and Rosa, Roxas was constrained by dark energy, but he looked even worse. He had cuts and bruises on him, it looked like he had been tortured.
"Are you ok Roxas?" Ash observed him with concern, and so did Pikachu and Blaziken.
"You shouldn't have come," Roxas said, weakly lifting his head. Ash and May felt shivers travel down their spines when they sensed someone behind them.
"Family reunions are touching," Omega stood next to Metagross. A red lightning bolt nearly hit the window near them, and its light highlighted the sinister glow of Omega's orange eyes.
Ash, May, and their Pokémon glared at the silver-haired man behind it all. "You didn't make this easy, but we came to deliver the Griseous Orb," Ash told the villain.
"You're going to give us Roxas in exchange for the Griseous Orb," May wanted to end this quickly.
"No, don't!" Roxas yelled; he didn't think his life was worth this much.
"You're even more foolish than I thought if you believed you could outsmart me," Omega frowned at them. Ash and May became alarmed upon hearing his comment. Abruptly, Metagross used Psychic on Ash and May to retrieve the Griseous Orb and a purified gem they were hiding.
Ash tried to grab the purified gem, "No!" Metagross was too quick though.
"Darn you," May clenched her teeth, he anticipated their strategy all along.
"Courtesy of Colress correct?" Omega put the orb away and looked at the purified gem. "He will be taken care of soon enough," the evil man dropped the gem on the floor, then stomped on it. Their plan had been destroyed along with the gem.
Omega turned his back to them, staring at the dry mountain region in front of him. He admired the darkness over the land and enjoyed seeing the red lightning come down on the world. "I must say, it was incredibly stupid of you to believe that you could use the purified gem to free Giratina. If I didn't foresee that then you might've stood a chance. Nevertheless, every time you think you are one step ahead of me, I am actually five steps ahead of you," the orange-eyed man turned back to face Ash and May. Roxas hung his head low in defeat as he also listened.
"There's only one way to settle this then," Ash clenched his fist, revealing a Pokéball.
"The fight isn't over as long as we stand," May stood beside Ash, ready to join the fray,
Omega smirked. "Indeed, I've been looking forward to fighting the pair of you at your full strength," Omega ascended using his powers and his five other Shadow Pokémon came out of dark portals to fight for him. Dragonite, Tyranitar, Metagross, Salamence, Garchomp, and Hydreigon had violence in their eyes. "We'll do it your way. A 6-on-6 double battle. Choose your Pokémon wisely," the villain established the rules.
"Fine by us," Ash agreed to the terms. The 6 Pokémon Omega summoned brought back unpleasant memories for him and May, but the couple was a lot stronger now than before. They didn't feel fear in that moment.
"This won't be anything like what happened in Pallet Town," May warned Omega.
Omega admired their confidence, ultimately, he did view them as worthy foes. "Good. Dragonite, Metagross," Omega signaled at them to go first by pointing at the battlefield.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash brought out his fire starter.
"Snorlax, take the stage!" May summoned her Normal-type.
Roxas looked at the battlefield. He sensed Ash and May were a lot stronger than the last time he saw them. Genesis must have completed their training; their aura is exponentially higher. Mom, Dad…Roxas thought.
"Metagross constrain them with Psychic. Dragonite, use Stone Edge!" Omega squeezed his hand as a gesture of his power.
"Snorlax, use Protect!" May commanded, the Normal-type immediately shielded it and Charizard from Omega's attacks.
"Charizard, give Dragonite a taste of your Steel Wing!" Ash followed up May's move.
"Metagross, stop Charizard with Psychic and Dragonite, use Stone Edge again," Omega stuck his strategy.
May smirked, "Snorlax, stop Metagross with Earthquake." Omega raised an eyebrow upon hearing her command.
"Snor!" Snorlax jumped on the ground and caused the ground to shake, making Shadow Metagross wince in pain. This prevented the Psychic-type from striking. Dragonite wasn't harmed so it unleashed Stone Edge, but because Charizard wasn't immobilized by Psychic it either dodged it or cut through the stone with Steel Wing. Charizard came straight for Dragonite.
"Grab it," Omega calmly ordered. The teens froze when they saw Dragonite grab Charizard's Steel Wing. "Toss it," Omega commanded. Dragonite began to swing Charizard in circles and threw the Fire-type toward the ground. What Omega failed to notice was Snorlax lunged itself at Dragonite with an Ice Punch. As soon as Dragonite sent Charizard flying, the Dragon Pokémon was struck hard by Snorlax.
"Blaziken!" Blaziken rooted for Snorlax after seeing the clean punch.
"Charizard, break your fall with Flamethrower. Nice sneak attack by the way May," Ash complimented the brunette after making his move. Charizard prevented a crash landing by using Flamethrower to break its fall and landed smoothly.
"Thanks, Ash," May smiled proudly.
Omega glared at them after it saw Shadow Dragonite shake off the Ice Punch. Metagross and Dragonite had already taken significant damage, but this was far from over. "Metagross, use Rock Slide," Omega brought his arm down, indicating a shower of rocks.
"Meta," Metagross unleashed rocks to fall on Charizard and Snorlax.
"Charizard, use Steel Wing to slice through them while defending Snorlax," Ash used offense as defense.
Omega looked surprised, "What?"
Charizard flew into the air and with its incredible speed sliced through all the incoming rocks like paper. "Pika!" Pikachu cheered for Charizard as it watched the fight with cheer.
"Dragonite, stop Charizard with Dragon Rush," Omega pointed at Charizard.
Dragonite roared and became enveloped in blue energy that took the shape of a dragon. The Kanto dragon charged at full speed. "Charizard swing all those sliced-up rocks at Dragonite with Dragon Tail!" Ash punched into the air.
Charizard stopped using Steel Wing and its tail began to glow light blue. The Fire-type quickly swung all the rocks at the incoming Dragonite. Omega's Dragonite took significant damage from the combination as it whimpered in pain. "Finish it with Dragon Breath!" Ash considered Dragonite done.
"Metagross, stop the attack with Meteor Mash," Omega acted quickly.
"Snorlax, use Metronome to counter Meteor Mash," May intervened. Snorlax promptly began swinging its fingers as it became a race of who landed their attack first. As Metagross closed in on Dragon Breath, Snorlax roared and released a Flamethrower to counter the glowing blue attack.
Metagross was fired away by Flamethrower, and Dragon Breath hit Dragonite right in the chest as they were blasted to defeat. Charizard landed arrogantly next to Snorlax, the two smiled triumphantly at their first victory. Ash and May hid their surprise, but they hadn't expected to outperform Omega the way they did. They remained focused on the battle though; victory wasn't secured yet.
Roxas hadn't seen anyone defeat Omega like that since they fought against him in the future. He began to wonder if the present versions of Ash and May had become stronger than his parents due to their intervention.
"I certainly did not expect that. I must admit I underestimated you," Omega gave them a half-smile.
"Maybe we're better at double battles than you," May grinned smugly at him.
"Perhaps," Omega was amused. He commanded Hydreigon and Garchomp to step up next.
"You know. Despite everything, I am excited to keep this battle going. We're going to beat you Omega," Ash marked his words, they would not lose.
Omega warned the couple not to get too cocky and made his next move. "Garchomp, use Dig. Hydreigon, unleash Hyper Voice."
Garchomp dived into the ground, but before Charizard and Snorlax could do anything they were caught by Hydreigon's Hyper Voice. The loud sound made it hard for them to do anything, then Garchomp burst out of the ground sending Snorlax flying. "End Snorlax with Dragon Claw," Omega saw his chance.
"Snorlax!" May shouted with concern when she saw Snorlax get thrown in the air and then slammed down with Dragon Claw.
"Gar!" Garchomp stood victoriously over the fainted Pokémon.
May quickly returned Snorlax and thanked it for its incredible efforts. "Go Venusaur!" the brunette brought out her next Pokémon. As soon as it came out of its Pokéball, the Grass-type released a surprise Sludge Bomb barrage at the dragon pair.
Omega would not let himself be outwitted by a contest trick, "Hydreigon counter with Flash Cannon. Garchomp, use Iron Head to charge against that Venusaur." The two Steel-types moves allowed the dragons to defend themselves against the Sludge Bomb.
"Stop Garchomp with Dragon Rage, Charizard!" Ash reacted fast. Charizard released a powerful beam of dragon energy as Garchomp charged at Venusaur. The Sinnoh Pokémon was forced to abandon its offense and jumped out of the way. Unfortunately for Garchomp, Charizard could redirect Dragon Rage and land the attack.
Garchomp roared in pain as it fell back, but it regained its composure and landed on its feet. It caught its breath as it glared at Charizard. "A Dragon Rage that can track a moving target, impressive," Omega noted.
Ash and May were only getting started, but so was Omega. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Rush on Charizard!" Hydreigon charged with full force at Charizard. The Dark-type was intent on defeating the Fire-type.
"Charizard, use Mega Punch!" Ash's Charizard began to build energy around its fist. Hydreigon and Charizard's powers clashed, entering a standstill. Charizard gritted its teeth while Hydreigon roared, applying more force to Dragon Rush. Sparks were emitting from the power struggle, neither gave an inch.
Seeing that Hydreigon needed assistance, Omega had Garchomp release Draco Meteor. "Gar!" Garchomp growled and fired a Draco Meteor to rain on Charizard.
"Venusaur, stop the Draco Meteor with Petal Dance!' May commanded.
"Venusaur!" Venusaur released a barrage of pink petals to counter the meteor shower. Garchomp's Draco Meteor was too powerful to counter though. The Dragon-type attack destroyed the petals and hit Charizard with all its might. Hydreigon gained an edge and beat back the Kanto fire Pokémon.
Charizard cried in pain as it fell back in defeat. "Charizard, no!" Ash saw his defeated partner. The Pallet trainer returned Charizard and thanked it for all the hard work. He stared intensely at Garchomp and Hydreigon. "Infernape, let's go!" Ash called upon his other fire Pokémon.
"More of the same," Omega looked at the fire monkey, wondering what Ash would do now. "Garchomp, use Dig." Garchomp went underground, planning to use the element of surprise to attack its enemies. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse on Infernape and Venusaur." Hydreigon's three heads charged up a triple beam to fire at Ash and May's Pokémon. They made sure there was no escape.
"Infernape, use Dig too!" The unexpected move caught Omega by surprise. Hiding underground allowed Infernape to avoid the triple Dragon Pulse.
Since May had used Petal Dance, Venusaur was forced to continue using the attack for a bit. Luckily, May had a way to use the repetitive move to her advantage, "Counter Shield!" Venusaur controlled the direction of the Petal Dance and had it enveloped around the Grass-type like a twister. With all its power, Dragon Pulse could not break through the defense.
"Now Garchomp, Fire Blast!" Omega's Garchomp leaped in front of the Petal Dance and prepared to eradicate the shield with fire.
"Infernape, now use Mach Punch!" Ash came to Venusaur's defense.
"Nape!" Infernape jumped out of the ground. Garchomp was fast, but Mach Punch allowed Infernape to strike before Garchomp could release Fire Blast. The punch knocked Garchomp back to the other side of the field. The Dragon-type rubbed its face, feeling the sting from the Mach Punch.
When Venusaur stopped its Counter Shield, the Grass-type showed signs of dizziness. "It's confused," Omega foresaw the effects of Petal Dance.
"Not quite," May smirked. Venusaur pulled a Lum Berry from its giant flower and ate it. After years of using Petal Dance, May and Venusaur knew how to work around its side effect. This frustrated Omega.
"Time to wrap this up, Infernape go underground!" Ash had Infernape go back underground.
"Garchomp, bring it out with Earthquake," Omega made his stand. May had Venusaur use Vine Whip to grab Garchomp's feet before it could make the ground shake, but Omega's Hydreigon interfered. "Use Dark Pulse to stop Vine Whip," Hydreigon fired in time and prevented Garchomp from getting tangled. This allowed Garchomp to shake the earth, but Infernape jumped out right on time. When the monkey burst out it was covered in flames.
Venusaur used Vine Whip to launch itself into the air without needing to wait for May's order. Infernape dived back into the ground and could be heard yelling, "Infernaaape!"
"Give Flare Blitz everything you have Infernape!" Ash turned his hand into a fist. All of a sudden, fire erupted on the entire field and consumed Garchomp as well as Hydreigon. Omega saw his dragon duo roar in pain. May had seen Ash use the technique before in the Sinnoh League, it was a clever and powerful combination attack.
Omega was down to his last two Pokémon. Without saying anything he called upon Tyranitar and Salamence to the battlefield. The silver-haired fiend spread his arms wide as he continued to hover over the battle, "You two have been most exceptional. I am eager to see how you fare against my last two Pokémon."
Ash and May ignored his cheap flattery. "Infernape, use Mach Punch on Tyranitar!" the auburn-eyed boy made his play.
"Salamence, get in there with Aerial Ace," Omega used Salamence to defend Tyranitar.
Infernape and Salamence were fast, and both intended to hit their mark. "Tyranitar, use Fire Blast to stop the Vine Whip." Venusaur released its Vine Whip, but Tyranitar stopped the vines with its fire, but it saw Infernape coming straight for it. Sadly, Salamence got there first and cut off Infernape. Salamence slashed the monkey, sending it back.
"Draco Meteor, Salamence," Omega saw his opportunity to strike. The Hoenn dragon fired the blast into the air and dozens of meteors came down on them.
"Venusaur, use Vine Whip to throw Infernape into the air!" May's Venusaur launched Infernape higher toward the meteors. Salamence's master wasn't sure what they were trying to pull.
Ash's Infernape found itself in the meteor shower, its fists glowing white with power. "Use Mach Punch to punch them back," Infernape's trainer commanded. Infernape dodged and leaped off some of the meteors as it sent others back toward Salamence and Tyranitar, countering the shower.
"Two can play at this game. Salamence, use Dragon Claw to fight back. Tyranitar, use Iron Defense!" Tyranitar remained on the ground, hardening its armor to withstand the meteor shower. Salamence charged straight for Infernape using Dragon Claw to cut through its own attack. Mach Punch and Dragon Claw prepared to collide until Venusaur's vines stopped Salamence from striking. Infernape took its chance and began to pummel Salamence with multiple punches.
"Infernape sure knows how to deliver a mean volley of punches," May complimented the Sinnoh starter.
"Thanks May," Ash received her praise. "Infernape, finish Salamence with Fire Punch and Mach Punch!"
Infernape clasped its hands together, one glowing white and the other engulfed in flame. The monkey prepared to slam Salamence with one final blow until the dragon bit Infernape's arms. Ash's Infernape squealed in pain as thunder traveled from Salamence's fangs and coursed through the Fire-type's body. Salamence had used Thunder Fang. May and Venusaur may have constrained Salamence's body, but not its jaw. Salamence roared, using its determination to break free from Vine Whip. "End this with Zen Headbutt," Salamence's head began to glow blue, and bashed its head against Infernape's. The Flame Pokémon crashed to the ground, eliminated from the battle.
"Infernape return, you were awesome," Ash gave his friend a well-earned rest. He saw Salamence had descended, standing next to Tyranitar. He turned to Pikachu and without saying a word the mouse nodded and jumped onto the battlefield.
"Finally," Omega was eager to fight Ash's ace Pokémon. "Tyranitar, use Fire Blast to finish Venusaur. Salamence, use Double-Edge on Pikachu," Omega stretched his arm forward.
"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle," Ash countered.
"Venusaur, dodge using Vine Whip!" May ordered. Her grass starter used its vines to lift itself into the sky again, narrowly avoiding the fire. "Use Solarbeam!" Once in the air, Venusaur began to charge up power.
Salamence and Pikachu were heading into a collision with phenomenal speed. Salamence's trainer saw how fast Pikachu ran and used it to his advantage, "Salamence, move away and use Zen Headbutt on Venusaur."
Ash and May gasped as Salamence flew over Pikachu and changed course. Pikachu could not slow down and lost control of its speed. The mouse collided with the wall in pain but shook it off as quickly as it could. Salamence aimed its blue head at Venusaur, charging with all its might. May saw no way to avoid this other than take it head-on, "Fire Venusaur!"
Venusaur released Solarbeam, but Salamence endured the hit and continued to charge with Zen Headbutt through Solarbeam. The couple was not expecting Salamence to be so resistant, although it was still receiving damage. When the dragon hit Venusaur in midair, an explosion happened in midair. Salamence and Venusaur fell to the ground unconscious.
He sacrificed Salamence to eliminate Venusaur, May clenched her fists. She returned her Pokémon, "Venusaur you did great out there. Recover now." After praising it, May saw Blaziken already on the field. She grinned with sureness when she saw the Fire-type's fighting spirit.
Only Tyranitar remained, but for Omega that was enough. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash wasted no time attacking.
"Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!" May had Blaziken go in for the hit.
"Sandstorm," Omega smirked. Tyranitar roared with might and unleashed a thick sandstorm upon the field, giving it cover and inflicting small damage on its opponents. Pikachu and Blaziken got sand in their eyes and missed their target.
"Not good," Ash immediately recognized the advantage Sandstorm gave Tyranitar.
"Pikachu and Blaziken are going to have to rely on their hearing," May believed it was their only choice.
Omega chuckled, "I am afraid it won't be enough. Tyranitar, use Earthquake." As Pikachu and Blaziken struggled to move through the sandstorm, they felt the ground beneath them shake violently. The starters took considerable damage. "Stone Edge," Omega continued his volley of attacks.
"Dodge it," Ash and May commanded simultaneously. Fortunately, Pikachu and Blaziken used their hearing to dodge but barely avoided it.
"We've played around long enough Tyranitar, it's time for the coup de grace." Omega revealed a bracelet on his wrist with a stone. Ash, May, and Roxas had no idea what he was doing, but the moment he revealed the bracelet it began to shine. Tyranitar growled as it began to glow white amongst the sandstorms. Everyone saw Tyranitar transform before their eyes. Its silhouette showed the center spike on its head becoming a long, upright horn. Its chest plate expanded, curving over its shoulders and along its back to form three long, irregular spikes on each side of its body. The Rock/Dark-type towered over the battlefield menacingly.
Mega Evolution, Roxas was familiar with the stone Omega had used, but he cursed him for finding a way to wield it.
"What did he just do?" May covered her eyes from the sand since Tyranitar's transformation made it blow harder.
"I am not exactly sure, but Tyranitar's appearance has changed, and it feels stronger. It doesn't matter, we'll still win," Ash didn't care for Omega's tactics, his determination remained firm.
"I am with you," May agreed. Pikachu and Blaziken shielded themselves as best they could from the sand, wondering what their trainers would have them do.
A Dark Pulse fired through the Sandstorm straight for the two Pokémon. "Pikachu use Counter Shield!" Ash thought fast. Pikachu began to spin and released bolts of electricity to stave off the Dark Pulse whilst defending Blaziken and itself.
May continued to look through the Sandstorm for Tyranitar's location after its glowing silhouette vanished. Then she noticed Pikachu's bolts of electricity flying away, but a few sparks seemed to attach to a particular area. There Blaziken, May saw the battlefield through Blaziken's eyes with aura. The Fire-type dashed for the spot as soon as Dark Pulse was canceled out by Counter Shield. "Use Quick Attack!" May shouted.
"Impossible," Omega didn't believe they could pinpoint Mega Tyranitar's location amongst the chaos of the sandstorm. Sure enough, it did. Blaziken charged at Tyranitar with alarming speed, "Sky Uppercut!" May mimicked Sky Uppercut after she changed offensive.
Tyranitar may have been powerful, but it was slow and Blaziken landed a powerful strike that sent the Rock-type flying out of the Sandstorm. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash saw his chance after May gave him an opening.
"Pika!" Pikachu jolted, ignoring the sand. The mouse leaped into the air with its eyes set on Tyranitar. "Pikachu!" Pikachu's tail turned to iron and charged up an Electro Ball. The mouse somersaulted to add more force and slammed the combination attack at Tyranitar. The heavy beast squealed in pain as it fell to the ground. When Pikachu landed, the trainers noticed the sandstorm began to disperse.
Blaziken and Pikachu smirked, with the sandstorm gone they could see Tyranitar in front of them. Omega was not concerned even if Tyranitar took massive damage. "Iron Tail," the silver-haired menace calmly commanded. Ash and May expected Tyranitar to struggle to get up, but it suddenly used Iron Tail to throw itself off the ground and lunge toward Pikachu since it was closer.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and Electro Ball one more time!" Ash screamed with alarm, knowing they had to do something fast.
"Stone Edge," Omega followed up with the Rock-type move. However, Tyranitar used a variation of the attack where its arm began to glow blue and prepared to bash Pikachu with its rocky arm. Stone Edge and Pikachu's combo clashed, creating a powerful blast between them.
Pikachu flew out of the dust cloud, "Pika!" Pikachu squealed with pain as it landed back near Ash's feet. The mouse had fallen, not able to withstand the force of Tyranitar's power. Before anything else though, Tyranitar was revealed to be paralyzed. Ash picked up Pikachu when he noticed the Armor Pokémon's condition.
"May, now's your chance!" Ash told her, anxious to end this.
"Right, Blaziken. Use Close Combat!" May saw victory in sight.
"Blaz!" Blaziken sprinted to Tyranitar and began to punch and kick the Pokémon repeatedly. Blaziken showed no mercy as it delivered the paralyzed Pokémon some of its strongest kicks and punches. "Blaziken!" the Blaze Pokémon declared victory with a final kick and sent Tyranitar crashing against the wall, knocking it out for good.
"Way to go you two," Ash praised Blaziken and Pikachu. He continued to hold Pikachu in his arms.
"Chu," Pikachu grinned weakly at him, satisfied with their victory.
May thanked Blaziken and Pikachu for their phenomenal performances, without them victory would not have been assured. "We won, give us back the Griseous Orb," May glared at Omega with her Blaziken.
While Roxas was glad that they won, he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Omega recalled his six beaten Shadow Pokémon and turned to them. "I don't remember saying you would get the orb if you won. I have come too close to accept defeat. Freeing reality of humanity is within reach at last," Omega smirked at them malevolently.
"Free existence?" May became perplexed.
"From humanity?" Ash was also confused.
"For as long as I can remember, I've only had one goal. To rid all realities of humanity's presence," Omega declared. He felt victory at the palm of his hand.
"Multiple realities? Wait, I thought only one timeline existed," Ash shook his head in confusion.
Roxas's eyes widened. At that moment, he finally understood what Omega had wanted from Project G.O. "That's right Ash, only one timeline exists. However, there are different planes of existence. Think of it as a multiverse with various parallel universes. There are some similarities, but not always the same. For example, I come from a world where Pokémon never existed," Omega revealed his greatest secret.
"What?" Ash, May, Roxas, Blaziken, and Pikachu were stunned.
"In my world, we found other ways to harm and destroy each other in the absence of Pokémon. No matter what world you end up in, humanity seems destined to destroy itself and everything around it. I arrived in your reality the day my home fell victim to nuclear warfare. Barely clinging to life, I discovered what some call an 'ultra wormhole' that had broken through the fabric of space and time. I entered it and awoke in this world filled with creatures called Pokémon. For a time, I had hoped I'd escape the violence of my world, but I was disappointed to discover that humanity was just as hopeless here. I concluded that no matter what world it was, humanity was a plague to existence. Through your world, I learned more about Pokémon and the powers that made up reality. I dedicated myself to traveling the world of Pokémon, originally in Roxas's timeline. The power of Pokémon amazed me, but it amazed me even more that humans had found a way to weaponize them. This was an opportunity. Then I discovered that some Pokémon had the ability to bend reality to their will, but the most powerful of all was Arceus. My life mission became to come in possession of Arceus's power to reshape all worlds across all dimensions. Once I have Arceus's power under my control, I will rid your reality of humanity. Then with the technology confiscated from Team Rocket, I can locate my dimension and finally return there to destroy humanity as well," Omega pierced through his enemies' hearts with his cold orange eyes.
Ash, May, and Roxas could not believe what they were hearing. While they were surprised to learn of other worlds, including those without Pokémon, they were more alarmed by Omega's delusions of grandeur. "You're insane!" May spat at the madman.
"You can't just take control of Arceus and do as you please!" Ash added, determined to stop Omega.
"But I will," Omega raised his arms, and an enormous wormhole opened behind him.
"An ultra wormhole…" Roxas said with fear. During his time in the present timeline, he learned of studies regarding it. Ash and May looked at him, wondering if he knew more about ultra wormholes.
A powerful gust built up in the room as everyone tried to stand firmly. Giratina came out of the wormhole roaring in its origin form. Its cry made the whole building shake. The dragon Pokémon was corrupted by Shadow Energy. "Giratina!" Ash almost rushed to the Renegade Pokémon but May held him back by the arm.
"Giratina has been patiently waiting for me on the other side as we begin to enact the final stages of our plan." Omega turned to Roxas with a satisfied smile. "Roxas, you could not live with your failure, and it led you back to me. Now you have to witness your failure for a second time," the silver-haired leader mocked.
Roxas clenched his teeth. If it weren't for the dark energy still constraining him, he would try to strangle his longtime foe. Omega's orange eyes focused back to Ash and May. "I encourage you to try and stop me, but even if win there are consequences," Omega baited them since he still needed Ash for his plan but left them wondering about his last statement.
"What consequences?" May frowned at him.
"You might want to ask Roxas," Omega informed them. Then he disappeared with Giratina as he entered the wormhole.
Ash and May stood there with more confusion than ever. They quickly ran over to Roxas and freed him with aura. "Roxas, what does he mean by consequences?" Ash looked at Roxas sternly as he helped him stand up.
"We know he still needs Ash in his plan to summon Arceus, although we don't know why, that's why he wants us to follow him. Is that what he means?" May asked with concern.
"I…," Roxas wasn't sure where to begin or what to even say. The choices they had left him at a crossroads.
"Roxas, please say something!" May shook him, she looked at her son with deep worry.
Roxas looked at his parents with fear. "I wish it had never come to this," Roxas said, knowing what consequence Omega was referring to.
"Even if he's trying to use me to summon Arceus, we will still try and stop him," Ash assured Roxas that they weren't afraid of that consequence.
"That's not it," Roxas continued to feel goosebumps. Ash and May begged him for clarity. "If Omega loses, your timeline will reset. Any events that ever happened because of Omega will be undone. You'll forget everything that has happened because the timeline will settle as if Omega nor I had ever arrived. This means that the relationship between you two will become undone," Roxas had long suspected the possibility, and Omega confirmed it when he was captured.
"What…how?!" May had her hands over her mouth, not believing what she was hearing. Ash froze where he stood because of the revelation.
Roxas sighed. "When Omega attacked you two in Pallet Town, it was Omega's attack on Ash that sparked your relationship. Seeing Ash give his life for you made you realize that you loved him."
"You're saying Omega created the chain of events that led to our relationship…" May said with disbelief.
"But we got together in your timeline without Omega ever arriving," Ash tried to counter the argument.
"That's true, but in my timeline the way you two ended up was different. Omega's tampering with space and time corrupted your timeline. I was in Pallet Town to stop Omega from corrupting your timeline, but I was too late…" Roxas lamented.
"Why go through all that trouble?" May remained confused.
"Omega's involvement in your relationship had less to do with his grand plan and more with eliminating me from the timeline," the sapphire-eyed male mentioned.
Ash wrestled with the explanation, grabbing his head. "Why? I don't get it."
"Omega knew he still had enemies in the future, who he still had a vendetta against. In the event that he was defeated, by tampering with the present timeline, he essentially bounded his fate with mine. If you manage to defeat Omega, not only will your timeline reset, and you will never end up together, but it will also reset mine because of that tampering in space and time. I will have never been born," Roxas believed.
"How can you be sure of that?" May was beginning to understand the repercussions of stopping Omega.
"My dad, the future version of you," Roxas looked at Ash, "also saved Arceus in the past in Michina Town once. He told me about how you, Dawn, and Brock traveled back in time to change certain events. Those changes to the timeline changed the course of Michina Town's fate when you returned to the present and stopped Arceus's rampage. The effect will be similar if Omega is stopped," Roxas offered a parallel that Ash and May were familiar with. "I have a feeling the events of that day also have something to do with why Omega needs you to summon Arceus, Ash, but I don't know how," Roxas elaborated further.
Ash, May, Pikachu, and Blaziken became deeply saddened to hear this. They finally understood the full picture. Omega's intervention bound Omega to the timeline and if he were to be defeated, the timeline would self-correct. This would cause Ash and May's relationship to become undone and Roxas would be no more. He was knocking two birds with one stone even in his defeat. It's like we can't win, Ash cursed their fate. The price to defeat Omega had become incredibly steep.
This isn't how I imagined our victory, May clenched her teeth as a single tear streamed down her cheek. Pikachu and Blaziken tried to comfort their trainers but to no avail. Not only was their relationship in jeopardy, but so was their son.
Ash looked at Roxas with a defeated expression, "There has to be another way to beat Omega without undoing everything."
"There's not. I've come to terms with the fact that my timeline needs to be sacrificed to stop Omega," Roxas said regrettably.
Ash and May remembered how they talked about the potential end to their relationship in the cave outside Mistralton City. They never imagined it'd end this way, but they knew they'd at least remain friends. Knowing their history as a couple would be erased hurt them, yet they were willing to accept that. There was still the other issue though.
"Ash and I are willing to sacrifice our relationship to save billions of people, but we aren't willing to end your existence. You're our blood," May approached Roxas and held her boy's face. She silently cried as she looked into his eyes which were identical to hers.
"We can't do that…to our future son," Ash lowered his head in despair as he placed his hand on Roxas's shoulder. He hid his eyes under his hat.
"This is why I never wanted you to find out that I was your son from the future. Omega knew it would work in his favor because you have the biggest hearts out of anyone I know," Roxas clenched his fists as he tried to resist the tears forming in his eyes.
"We may not be your exact parents, but we would be prepared to fight for you all the same," May grabbed Roxas's head and placed it on her shoulder, and hugged him.
"We're with you Roxas, always," Ash entered the trio into a group hug. Pikachu hugged Roxas's leg and Blaziken placed its palm on his back.
Roxas began to cry, "I-I-I did everything I could to save you two and to make things right in our world, but I still failed. I couldn't even save Sapphire!"
"Ssh, you didn't fail because we're still standing and fighting. I know Sapphire is still with you too, and she'd be proud to see how far you've come," May tried to calm the boy, pulling herself together and halting her tears.
"Not only that, but you've saved many other people in the process. You've saved us many times already. You never stopped fighting and we're so proud of you for that," Ash noted his son's bravery.
Roxas squeezed his parents. For the first time in years, he felt their embrace. "Please, don't let it all be for nothing. I know you care about me, but we have to protect all existence. We can't let him ruin any more lives," Roxas begged as he wetted May's shirt with his tears. Ash and May sighed in sadness. It was a hard thing to listen to. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but either I stop existing, or everybody does," Roxas said the ultimatum.
Ash, May, and their Pokémon separated from Roxas. They took a look at their future son. His eyes were red from crying, a stark contrast to the normally broody and powerful trainer. Ash and May saw into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Then they turned back to their son, who wondered what they were thinking. "We'll do it," they said with reluctance, but Roxas was right. It would be selfish to doom reality for one person's sake, especially for a person willing to pay the price anyways.
"Thank you," Roxas said with relief as his tears dried. The trio and the Pokémon looked at the ultra wormhole that Omega had left open. "Once you go in there, you will be in Ultra Space," Roxas said to them.
"What's Ultra Space?" Ash inquired. May also had never heard the term before.
"Think of it as a world between worlds. In Ultra Space there are many other wormholes that lead to other realities. This is what Professor Icarus had been studying for Team Rocket all those years under Project G.O. With everything they learned, Team Rocket found a way to navigate Ultra Space and choose which worlds to conquer. Like Omega said, with that kind of technology he could finally find a wormhole that leads back to his world," Roxas clarified.
Ash and May understood, remembering the alarming discovery they made in Area 28. The pieces of Omega's final plan were becoming clearer every moment. "You need to be careful in Ultra Space. It's filled with danger, and you don't know where you'll end up if you go through a wormhole. Curse the one that brought Omega into our world," Roxas clenched his fists.
"We'll be fine," Ash reassured Roxas by placing his hand on his shoulder again.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, somewhat recovered from its fight with Tyranitar. It reassured Roxas too.
"Blaziken!" Blaziken fired up its wrists, reassuring him as well.
"You see, we're all ready and willing," May smiled warmly at him.
Roxas grinned, then he shot an aura sphere at the ceiling. The aura sphere broke through the roof and burst into a bright blue light in the black sky. "What was that for?" Ash raised an eyebrow at him.
Before Roxas could answer they heard a cry and Dialga burst through the building without injuring anyone. It roared proudly, ready for battle. It startled Ash and May, but they saw its presence as a positive sign. "Thank you Dialga," Roxas turned to the ruler of time. He recalled it into a Master Ball and handed it to May. "Dialga had been in hiding since I was captured. I have a feeling you'll need him once you're on the other side," Ash and May's son stated.
"Thank you, Roxas," May put the Master Ball away.
"One other thing. If you get into trouble in Ultra Space, Ash, make sure to say '*****'," Roxas instructed.
"What does that mean?" Ash asked. May also pondered on the strange word she never heard before.
"It's a long story and we're out of time, but trust me," Roxas reminded them.
The couple accepted his response. All of a sudden, Roxas fell to the ground with exhaustion. "You're still really weak from being held prisoner," May kneeled with worry.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just need to rest, I love you both," Roxas didn't think he'd see them again after this.
Ash and May hugged him one more time, expressing their love for him too. With that said, the pair and their Pokémon ran to the wormhole. They didn't dare look back for fear of changing their minds and wishing to stay with their son.
