Tree of Life, exterior.
"Hold the line, men! Don't let a single one through!"
Desperate shouts rang nearly as commonly as the sound of gunfire. Amidst a thick veil of smoke and dust, men fought for their lives against an enemy they could not see. Those who were left outside were forced to stay outside and prevent as many beasts from getting in as possible.
But with the tree so thoroughly in danger, the Pokemon defending it fought with all the strength their fading breaths would allow. The air had grown stagnant even besides the copious amount of blockage within it. Even the humans could feel it.
Countless thoughts raged through the minds of the Nova Corporation soldiers while their comrades fell around them. The perimeter around the Tree of Beginning was an utter bloodbath. Corpses piled to the point the living fought upon them.
One soldier fired into the horde blindly, shooting at any shadow that he could see into the smoke. An Absol coated in wounds dove at him with wild fury in its reddened eyes. Scarcely, he brought up his rifle in time to stop its claws from ending him.
It pinned him down, and he screamed as he tried to fend off its attacks. Adrenaline made him forget the countless cuts, bruises, and burns across his body. He kicked the Absol off of himself, eliciting an enraged yowl from it.
With a broken horn, it prepared to use Night Slash. The soldier brought up his rifle and took aim. A loud boom rang through the air among countless others of the same likeness, and then the beast was upon him.
He screamed and kicked and punched and batted it away with the butt end of his gun. It took him more than a minute to realize it had already stopped moving. It was then that he saw the hole he had made in its head.
He got lucky.
Though the soldier scrambled to his feet, the lack of proper oxygen in the air, even for the filter of his mask, caused him to drop on his backside halfway. Colors flashed across his sight. His ears rang. His throat burned. His lungs ached. Heck, his entire body ached.
It had grown too much for him. On his weak, trembling legs, he couldn't stand. Not anymore.
Beside him, a tank rumbled forward through the smog. Its treads creaked, and it trampled over the bodies of former friend and foe alike with sickening squelches. There, its cannon screeched as it aimed upward somewhere into the smoke, and with a deafening boom, it fired.
The sound shocked the soldier to his core. That loud sound, overwhelming him inside and out, made his entire body flinch. A cry escaped him beyond his will, and when he started, he couldn't stop. Helplessly, the grown man began to weep for reasons he couldn't understand.
Across the entire perimeter outside the tree, man and Pokemon alike fell with greater and greater rapidity. Bullets struck beasts from the air and the ground. Claws rent apart skin and bone. Fire and ice alike ended the lives of many, avenged swiftly by the strafing of bombs from above.
The pilot responsible, within his jet, gave an account to any who were listening. "This is A-77…" Words momentarily escaped him. "…This is A-77 reporting. Fuel and oxygen reserves are low. I repeat…" His vision blackened for the briefest of moments, but he jerked himself awake.
"This is…" What was he supposed to be reporting again? "A-77 reporting. I'm above the northern perimeter, and…"
The pilot's final word became slurred. "And…and…"
His head became slack in his seat, and his arms fell away from the controls. Steadily, the nose of the jet lowered. The shrill cry of an engine became louder above the heads of many soldiers and Pokemon, but none could react in time.
Only a handful of them opened their mouths to scream but as one, they were silenced before they could begin. In their place was an explosion and the fearsome crackling of fire. Yet the war raged on around it. None gave heed to those underfoot.
No one dared to lay down their arms as long as they could keep them lifted. Not when there was so much at stake. If they fell now, everything would be lost. It would all have been for nothing. So tooth and claw, bullet and bayonet, bomb and element, all continued to tear the other apart.
Explosions wracked every inch of the Azathoth, sending its pieces down upon the battlefield like rain. Flaming shrapnel pelted a dead, blackened valley, though most of the living had ventured north enough to be out of their range.
Most, but not all.
Amidst a cloud of dust and fire, a deathly dark beam tore through. Narrowly, it missed a man in ragged black armor as he flipped over it. Beneath his boot, the ground shifted. He dashed away just before a vine breached the blackened ground where he had been standing.
More vines jutted up in his path, attempting to ensnare him, but the man in armor deftly dashed between each one. Hails of burning steel fell around him also. Between the vines and shrapnel, the man in armor could see a crimson glow in the smog beside him.
Jagged black fingers reached out from the darkness, and with a harrowing screech, Yveltal descended upon his prey. Between those fingers, Ryder leapt up and grappled onto the wing of death as it crashed down to where he once stood.
Bringing up his blade, Ryder set electricity upon it and drove it down. The cut was narrow upon the Legend's sturdy body, but it was enough to let the lightning be carried through his nerves. With a screech of fury, Yveltal swung his wing through the air to dislodge his adversary.
Before Ryder could even land, he noticed the ground splintering apart beneath his feet. With a gruff hiss, he set flames upon his sword. A cascade of vines rose up to meet him, and Yveltal aimed his wings up to unleash a terrible Oblivion Wing.
The beam tore away at the smoke as it fired. Vines attempted to entrap Ryder in a sphere, only to be slashed apart. Just before the Oblivion Wing could make its mark, Ryder set his blade to Fairy and tossed a grenade behind him.
There was a flash of fire, and then Ryder flew from it. With dazzling light on the edge of his sword, he spun down the Oblivion Wing and swiped at Yveltal's eye. He sped away the moment he heard the agonized scream of death's avatar behind him.
Yveltal turned and swept his wing through the air, ushering a fearsome Dark Pulse in an arc to chase after him. Then, with his remaining eye, he gazed upon the battlefield and, spotting the vines made by Xerneas, decided to help himself.
He aimed out his wings and, between the fingers at their end, gathered crimson energy to coalesce before launching it with a loud buzz. As it passed between the vines, even those only in proximity to it withered and died.
Their essence traversed up the beam until it faded. As it covered Yveltal, he growled and uncovered his eye. Its gash gradually closed until it was as if the wound never existed at all. But it didn't get rid of his ire. No, the memory of the sting alone kept his rage burning.
As Xerneas felt life slip from her vines, she grimaced. It was nothing she wasn't used to, but the feeling of pure vehemence from what ripped that life away made her shudder. Yveltal had always been hard to handle, but this feeling was completely different from before. Sighing, she stood tall as glimmering lights swirled to life around her.
Yveltal whipped around, aiming next to set Oblivion Wing upon the armored man, only to find him flying toward his face with his blade sheathed. With lightning flowing from his scabbard, Ryder shot past the beam and sliced down.
A fierce bellow made the surrounding smog burst outward. Crackling lightning coursed across and throughout his body to the point the loose strikes splintered the ground around them. But Ryder saw the actual cut he had made was shallow. Not even a scar.
Pushing through the lightning, Yveltal brought back his wings. Ryder leapt up just as Yveltal's wings smashed together where he had been standing, sending out a shockwave that purged the lightning from his body.
Black boots fell upon his closed wings. Kneeling down and bringing his crackling blade back, Ryder prepared to launch himself at Yveltal's head. But as he leapt, he was intercepted from his mark by brilliantly colored antlers.
Narrowly, he kept his blade's side steady to deflect the blow, but as Xerneas flicked her head away from Yveltal, Ryder was sent outward. He fell upon his feet and flicked the lightning from his blade, taking up a stance once more.
Xerneas let out a puff of air from her snout as she planted her front hoof in the ground. Her eyes narrowed upon the hilt of Ryder's blade, and she spoke, "That accursed energy you and your like wield should have remained gone. Has the destruction it caused thus far meant nothing to you?"
From behind her, Yveltal pivoted to the side and launched another Oblivion Wing at the armored man, which he deftly dodged.
"Do not waste your breath, Xerneas!" His voice came raspy and ragged, like a rabid hiss. His eyes were firmly locked on the half-burnt engraving of an exploding star on Ryder's suit. The sight of it was more than enough to make his morose blood boil. "There exists no sense or reason in these humans! They must die!"
Again, he unleashed the beam of death from between his wings. It swept across the blackened field, taking for itself any life that remained upon it. Ryder flipped over it, causing death's avatar to stop and turn to send it chasing after him.
With the ground splintering beneath him, Ryder took off before a vine could pierce the air where he had just been standing. More of them arose in his path, their branches reaching out like hands ready to drag them into the path of the beam following behind.
Summoning flames upon his blade, he cleaved through each one in his path. But he could feel the beam gaining on him. His yellow eye scanned the battlefield, eventually settling back upon Xerneas.
"There."
Kneeling forward, he took off at speeds that shook the air around him. Xerneas knelt down defensively and sent up a wall of thick vines between herself and her approaching enemy.
Yveltal's voice alerted her as he shouted, "Xerneas! Get out of the way!"
She gasped as she felt his deathly energy approaching. His Oblivion Wing ate through her vines and impacted her. As her energy was carried into Yveltal, his eyes dilated, and he recoiled and screeched.
Xerneas cried out upon being hit. She brushed off the attack and leapt out of it, but the moment her hooves hit the ground she felt a sharp pain in her legs. With poison dripping from his blade, Ryder dashed out from underneath her and sped toward the stunned Yveltal.
"Y-you-!" Xerneas tried to stand back up, only to let out a gasp as her legs collapsed from under her. She looked down to see corrosive poison eating away at the back of her knees.
With an annoyed scoff, she channeled life to the area. The poison on her legs fell away, and what had seeped into her bloodstream was swiftly purged. Then, she stood again.
"It will take more than that…" A brilliant colored glow surged over her body as Geomancy worked its magic. With energy coursing through her, she took off after Ryder with similar speeds. "…To stop me!"
At the sound of her furious gallops, Ryder turned just in time to defend against her antlers with the flat side of his sword. With sparks coloring the air, he was sent sprawling backward.
The loud clang that ensued snapped Yveltal out of his trance. Having been completely rejuvenated by Xerneas's life energy, the moment the slits of his eyes honed in on Ryder, he let out a bellow and joined Xerneas's onslaught.
Ryder leapt back as Yveltal's claws smashed into the ground where he had been standing, but the Wing of Death continued to give chase. Again and again, Ryder found himself forced on defense to keep himself from being put into a grave once more.
One blow would spell the end. He could feel death's essence make his exposed skin curdle as he narrowly evaded Yveltal's wing again. This was without taking Xerneas into account, who healed herself and Yveltal at every turn. He needed a plan, or he was doomed.
Xerneas's cries as she was stricken by Yveltal's Oblivion Wing rang in his memory. His yellow eye gained a sinister glint when an idea followed.
Ryder turned tail and ran, to which Xerneas gave chase with the enhanced speed gifted to her by Geomancy. "You will not escape," She declared.
Each step she made let life course into the ground, letting a wall of vines grow in her place. When Ryder turned, Xerneas turned with him. The energy swirling between her antlers coalesced into an orb.
Again, Ryder took a sudden turn when he came upon the wall of vines Xerneas had made. Xerneas flicked her head up to round it out, creating a circle with the vines.
Ryder's path puzzled her. "Why did he run into the circle instead of away from it?"
She seemed to have gotten her answer when she spotted a screeching Yveltal flying toward him, and him speeding to meet the challenge.
Grinding her hooves into the ground, she raised her head and shouted, "Dazzling Gleam!"
The light amidst her antlers shot out in all directions. Burning lights filled the air and gradually began to fall back upon the earth. Ryder darted between them as they crashed to the ground in thunderous eruptions of light.
From the dust, a crimson beam of death tore through. It narrowly missed Ryder by a hair. But to him, this was the perfect opportunity. Suddenly, he turned on his heels and swung his sword upon one of the falling shards of Dazzling Gleam.
On the flat edge of his sword, Ryder carefully carried the burning orb of light as he swung. Then, he whipped around and used his sword to hurl it past Yveltal's beam. It traversed beside the laser until striking the bird in his face.
The Fairy-Type attack scorched the Dark-Type Legend. He recoiled, clawing at the stricken area. It scorched his eyes to the point he was again blinded, and assailed nearly his every sense.
Xerneas's eyes went wide. "Yveltal!"
Ryder darted around Yveltal, continuing to flick orb after orb of Xerneas's attack into him from every angle. The deafening screeches of pain filling the earth and sky turned to fury. At the flap of his wings, Yveltal knocked Ryder and many of the white orbs away from him.
With raving anger, he shook the air with his hiss as he charged another Oblivion Wing. As he fired, Ryder sidestepped to allow it to shoot past. When it impacted the wall of vines, their energy raced up the beam and seeped into Yveltal's wounds to close them.
Ryder summoned wind upon his sword, catching many of the falling stars of Xerneas's attack before hurling them into Yveltal. The Pokemon of Death recoiled and brought up his wings in defense to prevent a repeat situation, but his ire continued to rise.
Infuriated, he clasped the ground with the claws of one of his wings and ripped it upward, sending a cloud of debris toward Ryder. "Confound your attacks, Xerneas!" He bellowed. "Do you seek to inflict upon me more damage than our enemy?!"
With a slight tremble, Xerneas gave a swift bow. "A-apologies, Yveltal! They were not meant for-" Her eyes went wide. "Watch out!"
Yveltal whipped around and brought up his hand to stop a stab from Ryder. The moment the blade was driven into Yveltal's wing, Ryder flooded the wound with lightning.
Screaming, Yveltal hastily put this to a halt by smashing his wings together. Ryder tried to pull out his blade and flee, only to find it stuck. He scarcely had the time to inhale with shock as realization struck him before the wings struck him first.
The force of Yveltal's wings was enough to shatter the stone surrounding him. Xerneas halted her own attack, seeing Yveltal's succeed. When Yveltal slowly parted his wings, many shards of metal fell. Ryder, in his cracked and splintered armor, hung limply from his sword.
Yveltal eyed him with his beak trembling as he growled. His hungry, furious eyes fixated on the body. From his mouth, he began charging a Dark Pulse to eviscerate the remains of his enemy.
"Die, you worm!"
Beeps from Ryder's helmet, detailing each flicker of his life, grew gradually more dull. His vision faded. The red gleam of Yveltal's open beak was the last thing he saw before his vision went black. There was one final beep from his suit's vitals before going silent.
Ryder's grip upon the hilt of his blade gradually loosened.
A boy watched with a slack jaw as his town laid in flames. He could hear screams bleeding from the air. He wanted to scream too, and yet he could not find his voice. He wanted to run, but his legs would not move. On his knees, he could only watch as his life came crumbling down.
By his side, a Sneasel cried with worry and tried pulling him, but he would not budge. No matter its pleas, the boy he tried to save would not move. His eyes were fixed on the horror laid before him.
He watched as a Houndoom led its pack to lay waste to his home with their flames. Pin Missile, Hail, Rock Slide. All manner of attacks from an army of Pokemon ravaged all the boy had ever known. His family. His friends. All was taken from him in a wild blaze.
Then, they set their savage eyes upon him.
Shrinking from their gaze, the Sneasel trembled. It let go of the boy's shirt, gradually stepping back as the wild Pokemon encroached. The boy slowly turned his head to the Sneasel. He gave it a pleading look for help as his senses slowly returned to him.
But the Sneasel shook its head and ran.
There was a sudden fit of loud growling from the monstrous beasts, and the boy was knocked onto his side. He cried out. All of a sudden, there was shouting, roaring, and a series of loud bangs ringing in the air. Following that, there was a series of dull thudding against the dirt. And all became silent.
Amidst the silence, the boy at last lost himself. Unaware and overwhelmed, he hugged himself tightly and burst into light sobs.
Many shadows peered at the fallen boy from the veil of smoke. One of them walked to the boy. They were draped in a large white coat that flowed in the winds born of the surrounding fire. Coming to a stop over the boy, the figure knelt down.
"This is what they do."
His voice was gruff and deep. It oozed a sense of resolution. Finality. It was so striking that the boy ceased his sobs instinctively to look through teary eyes up at the figure. The boy could scarcely see more than a shadow.
And yet, that shadow offered him their hand. He took it and was helped back to his feet as The Man rose up. That man looked up at the town, and the boy followed suit. There was scarcely more than flames and bodies.
"This is what these monsters do. These Pokemon."
The boy's vision became stuck upon the grim sight. His shock wearing off, he felt something boiling within the center of his being. Something that burned more than the fire around him. His family and friends had done nothing, yet the Pokemon…
A flash of light raced across his vision, and his ears rang. These ceased just as quickly as they came. The next thing he knew, there was a sword in his hands. He looked up at The Man questioningly, but received only silence.
"Sir, we found one more!"
The two turned as more men, armed with metal things the boy had never seen before, waded through the smoke. One of them held something that squirmed and cried in protest. The boy let out a small gasp upon seeing what it was.
A Sneasel writhed and slashed at open air pathetically as it attempted to loosen itself from the grip one soldier had on the scruff of its neck. Yet no matter what it did, it could not loosen itself.
"It's a runt. Not one of the horde, apparently. What do we do?"
"Kill it."
The boy gasped again at The Man's command, looking up at him with shock and appall, yet finding himself unable to speak against it. The Sneasel's writhing only hastened upon hearing the command. But just as the soldier raised his weapon to comply, another voice from the smoke spoke up.
"Hold on a moment!"
From the black veil, a round man stepped into the boy's view with a chortle. He twiddled the edge of his black goatee, glancing between the child and the Pokemon.
That portly man raised his hands in a form of shrug. "I have an idea for this one if you will humor me, partner."
The gleam in his eyes sent a shiver up the boy's spine. With a gruff sigh, The Man seemed to relent. "Fine. Just keep it out of my sight."
A wry grin creeping up the portly man's face, he snapped his fingers. The soldiers nodded and began walking into the smoke with him following after. The shrill ravings of the Sneasel could be heard for a few seconds longer until they were drowned out by the crackling of fire.
The Man turned again to the boy, taking hold of the black sword he had given to him. "Do not let that thing make you lose sight of the truth. Today, you have seen what they are truly like. From this day forward, I will teach you what that means." He shook the blade slightly. "And what you will do."
Gently, The Man guided the boy's hand to the hilt of the sword and closed his fingers around it. "You," Spoke The Man, "Will be my weapon against them. A weapon that wields itself for my sake. For the sake of mankind."
Then, he clasped his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Today marks another step forward to mankind's freedom. Are you ready to help me?"
The young child seemed to study the blade in his hand for a while. He pondered his own reflection within it before, at last, taking hold of it for himself. Then, he looked up at The Man, draped in shadow, and nodded.
He spoke finally. "Yes."
Approvingly, The Man nodded back. "That is good. I trust you won't disappoint me. From now on, forget what your life used to be. Forget who you once were. All of that…"
Reaching into his coat, the man took out a cigar and held it out until the surrounding fire set its edge alight. "…Is gone with this town. Killed by Pokemon." He placed it to his lip and inhaled deeply, then let out a vapor.
The boy watched that vapor rise amidst the smoke and fire until it vanished, as if it had never been there at all.
"Your name," Spoke The Man, "Is now Ryder. Your first order…"
He reached again into his coat. This time, he took out a patch; a visual of an exploding star in the night sky. Then, he placed it upon the boy's shirt. "…Is to survive. Never again let a beast take your life until the day comes where our dream of a world without them is reality."
Ryder kept one hand upon the patch, and the other on the hilt of his blade. Again, he answered, "Yes, sir."
"Good. Then, your second order."
The Man kept the boy's grip on the blade from loosening further. "When you fight, never let that blade out of your grip. Beasts will show you no mercy. Show them even less."
A yellow eye flickered open, peering out at death's maw. With his sword stuck, there was only one option. Ryder clasped his fingers shut tightly, pulled his free arm back, and drove his fist down upon Yveltal's beak.
Yveltal screeched as, with his mouth forced shut, his own attack detonated within him. He buckled over with dark smoke leaking up from his jaw. The armored man pulled himself up by his hilt and planted his feet on Yveltal's wing.
Xerneas resumed her dash toward her counterpart in an attempt to stop what was to come, but she was too slow. Ryder kicked off of Yveltal's wing, dislodging his sword. Glimmering light shined upon his black sword as he set it to Fairy-Type.
With a cry of war, Ryder slashed Yveltal's eye again. As he skidded upon the ground on his heels, Ryder took solace in the Legend's screams of rage behind him. He turned, flicking his sword through the air to send an arc of glimmering energy into Yveltal's other eye.
Another screech rang through the air. Beneath his cracked helmet, the marred, twisted face of Ryder grinned. He darted in circles around Yveltal, rapidly showering the bird with more slashes across his body. The wounds were small, yet furthered his goal of infuriating the Legend.
Blindly, Yveltal began launching attacks at random. From his body, he sent a Dark Pulse out like a ring, which Ryder leapt over. Oblivion Wing was launched in all directions, sweeping the landscape. As it hit the walls of vines, they withered, bringing their tantalizing life force to heal Yveltal's wounds.
Ryder darted forth, blade drawn. Whipping around, Yveltal attempted to smite him with his wing, but Ryder slipped between his fingers and kicked off of the back of his hand, delivering a second slash to his eye.
Yveltal's ensuing howl of wrath was accompanied by furious flailing. He tore at the ground and all around him, which Ryder evaded. Crimson death grew between Yveltal's hands again, and so Ryder knelt down and changed the element of his sword.
Not to Fairy. Not to Electric. Not Ice, nor Rock, no. Instead, his yellow eye turned from death to life, and the silver sheen of Steel shot up his blade. Xerneas stampeded toward him at mach speeds in an attempt to stop his attack.
She couldn't have known it wasn't meant for Yveltal. In a flash, Ryder's blade cleaved through one of the horns of her antlers. She stopped and reared back. Glittering light flew from her wound into the air.
Each speck of light, upon falling to the ground, softened the soil. It eased the ashes and death, letting grass and flowers bloom in the abundance of life. Ryder could feel his own injuries beginning to fade. The same was for Yveltal.
However, that alone was not the end. Yveltal, upon contact with the light, though his wounds were healed, he choked up. His body twitched. He felt peace. The sting of his injuries and the memories of them, even of those inflicted by that doctor, seemed to slip away.
He needed more.
With a harrowing roar that stole Xerneas's attention from Ryder, Yveltal brought his Oblivion Wing upon her. On base instinct, he craved to be the reaper to her unwitting sow. Her eyes went wide.
"Yveltal, no-!"
And then the red beam overcame her. Ryder leapt back to avoid the Oblivion Wing's edge. The glints of light from Xerneas's wound no longer flowed freely, but was ripped from the air to soothe Yveltal.
Snarling, Xerneas used Geomancy and burst free from Yveltal's attack with a gleam of light. He recoiled, ceasing his attack. Gradually, her missing antler repaired itself. She gave Yveltal a stern stare.
"Control yourself, Yveltal. Save it for our enemy."
Yveltal scoffed to the side. "Your attacks did more damage to me than his. I have at least the right to-"
Lightning upon his blade, Ryder shot up behind Yveltal. Xerneas's eyes went wide. "Yveltal, look out!" She cried. But it was too late. Before Yveltal could even turn, the crackling sword was driven across the nape of his neck.
Yveltal screeched with rage. Instantly, he turned on Ryder, eager to heed Xerneas's advice. An Oblivion Wing cracked between his fingers, which Ryder quickly dashed away from. A harrowing roar snuffed the life from the plants grown beneath Xerneas's feet, and then, he launched the attack.
Ryder sped around the ring of vines, letting the beam tear their life from them after him. Yveltal could feel his nerves twitching in response to their accumulated energy. He needed more. More! A thousand times more to erase what had been done to him.
Xerneas sent up more after him to replace the ones lost. Above, the sky was practically in flames. The Azathoth, rent in two and set aflame, sailed across the sky in opposite directions with loud groans of metal. And much metal did rain down.
The armored man spotted many burning shards of the airship's hull falling like scattered hail. He leapt upon the vines beneath them, using them to shoot toward the falling metal. Yveltal's screech made the falling shards tremble and ring.
Ryder leapt from piece to piece with Yveltal tearing after him. The bird's clawed wings ripped and crushed all in their path. Taking hold of the edge of one of them and planting his foot upon another, he looked up to see his adversary rushing to meet him from below.
Bringing the slab over his shoulder, Ryder spun and tossed it like a disc. Yveltal brought up his wings to shield himself, and though it bounced off his feathers harmlessly, Ryder was suddenly upon it faster than Yveltal could react.
Yveltal's feral eyes went wide and shot up. They were met with a singular gleaming yellow eye, and a frost-coated sword pulled over the armored man's shoulder. The moment Ryder's sword made contact with Yveltal's cranium, he was encased in ice and began a freefall.
"Yveltal!" Cried Xerneas. She stamped her foot into the ground, aiming to send up vines to catch him, until a large shard of flaming metal fell into the sand by her side. Her attention was caught.
The ice cracked, followed swiftly by crimson light emerging from the new gaps. It grew brighter until the ice burst. With a furious screech, Yveltal aimed his wings up as if he were to use Oblivion Wing. He was forced to abandon it to evade a falling chunk of burning steel.
With a scoff, he set his attention back upon the sky. There were so many things littering it that he could no longer see that annoying wretch of a man. He snarled and shot higher, swatting away the pieces of debris he couldn't dodge.
Seeing this, Ryder sped up his pace as he continued leaping up from piece to piece. His gaze darted throughout the burning hail for something more worthwhile to use than random debris. Then, he settled upon a fuel canister that had somehow yet to be detonated.
At last, Yveltal spotted his enemy. He let out a growl and sped up to meet him. Ryder turned and slung the canister down. He sheathed his sword, keeping his hand upon his blade for the right moment. His chest rose and fell as he allowed himself a deep breath. And then, he drew.
A loud clang rang through the air, followed swiftly by a blast. Yveltal howled in fury over losing sight of his enemy. On the ground, Xerneas wrapped the fallen shard of the Azathoth in her vines and ripped it out of the charred dirt.
"Steady…"
Carefully, she studied the skies. With a calm mind and gentle breaths, it wasn't long before she locked onto an armored man leaping between falling pieces of debris toward a cloud of smoke. Suddenly, her vines twisted, and then tossed the piece of metal up into the air.
The second Yveltal swiped away the smoke with his wings, Ryder was upon him. A growing whirring sound in the air caused him to shift his attention. With widening eyes, he brought up his sword in defense at the last second before a chunk of metal impacted him.
He was sent flying upward, bouncing back and forth into the falling chunks. Nearly all of his will was spent in a desperate refusal to let go of his precious weapon. Damage warnings flared within his helmet. He heard sparks from below. As he flipped, he could barely make out a growing crimson light.
An Oblivion Wing shot up to meet him. His eyes went wide. At the last second, he attempted to twist his body in whatever way he could manage. The beam grazed his left arm. He stifled an agonized scream by biting and hissing into his lip as his arm was petrified in his suit.
His back smacked a large chunk of the ship's debris. Leveraging himself back onto his feet, he gripped his limp, heavy arm mournfully. The air around him reddened again. He could spot no injury on Yveltal's body. All his work had been undone. But he was on his last legs.
With his remaining arm, Ryder pointed his blade at Yveltal. "Vile beast," He spat, "Listen well. The will of man will never fall. Death and life are in the hands of man! Not beasts!" Then, he shot down with a blade gleaming with light.
Yveltal launched his attack, roaring, "Impudent human! Your arrogance will mark your end!"
Even with one arm, Ryder managed to spin down the Oblivion Wing. Yveltal quickly recognized how this would end and canceled the attack and reached out to grab a falling piece of debris with which to shield himself.
At the last moment, Ryder brought back his petrified arm and slammed it down upon the metal like a hammer. It shattered to pieces. Falling onto the chest of Yveltal thereafter, Ryder pulled up his working arm and attempted to drive it into the bird's gleaming red chest.
Though the sword didn't make it far into Yveltal's durable hide, it was enough to make him go ballistic. He attempted to grasp at Ryder, but the armored man slipped through his fingers and faced the approaching earth.
As the armored man reached the ground amidst a hail of flaming metal, he suddenly began speeding toward the Tree of Beginning. Howling with fury, Yveltal launched an Oblivion Wing after him. Xerneas's eyes went wide as she saw the Pokemon there.
Turning her head up to her counterpart, she desperately cried out to him. "Yveltal, stop!"
But he did not. Far too focused on his prey, he allowed the beam to sail forward. Xerneas stamped a hoof into the ground to send up a wall of vines in the path of the beam to stop it, only for it to tear straight through as if it were paper. The more the vines withered to ash, the more bolstered Yveltal's pursuit became.
Xerneas watched on in horror as, when Ryder dashed through a horde of Pokemon, the beam raced after and reduced them to stone. Ryder sped toward the base of the Tree of Life and began scaling it, and Oblivion Wing continued the chase at the expense of all it touched, darkening the light of life in the Tree of Beginning even further.
This was the last straw. "Yveltal…" Xerneas narrowed her eyes upon him. "…That is enough!"
More vines rose up to meet the Wing of Death. Yveltal snarled, feeling himself becoming ensnared. The vines of Xerneas held him tightly and brought his wings apart, ceasing his attack. Yveltal sent down a burning, hating glare.
"Xerneas, what do you think you are doing?"
"I could ask you the same," She retorted. "You have gone too far!"
Yveltal's response was to begin pulling at the vines. He grasped one with his hand, draining it of its life to reinvigorate his own. Xerneas merely sighed. And then, the vines began to glow.
As they gleamed, Yveltal's eyes went wide. He writhed against them, feeling the life he had drained being stolen away through them. Rage boiling over, he bellowed and opened his wings. From the myriad of wounds inflicted, Oblivion wing shot out in all directions.
"I'll take it, then!" He roared. Endless cascades of death washed over the land, flying in all directions. "I'll take everything! Destroy everything!"
Xerneas was left without words. Her counterpart had always been hard to handle, but never like this. And Zygarde was nowhere to be seen to keep the balance. It was solely up to her.
And so, she stood her ground and matched his roar. Energy coursed from her body into the ground, creating a veritable jungle of vines all around her to rise up to meet Yveltal. Gleaming with life, they grew faster than Yveltal could kill them.
Yveltal raged and raved, tearing at the vines surrounding him with his maw, claws, and all the darkness within him. Yet they grew and grew to the point he could scarcely see. His energy slowly withered, but still, his death flew.
Steadily, his fight began to leave him. His tearing of the vines grew slower until he could no longer pull them apart. With his bellowing turned to mere growls, and his eyes fluttering shut, his vision went black. At last, Yveltal and the vines became motionless, with him hanging limply in their grasp.
When silence washed over the noise, Xerneas's legs gave out from underneath her. She panted for air. Her glimmering color, and the light of Geomancy, both left her. Her vines, holding Yveltal, collapsed and withered, leaving him to fall upon the ground by her side.
The struggle of life and death ended in a draw.
With her demands for oxygen being the only noise left, Xerneas struggled to retain her own thoughts. Fatigue threatened to take her consciousness with Yveltal's. But she couldn't allow herself to rest. Not when so many needed her.
And so, she pushed herself back onto her hooves with trembling legs. But, as she did this, she heard something whistling in the wind. The moment her eyes reopened, something was plunged into her side and she gasped in pain.
The sheer force behind the blow knocked her on her side. Then, she saw him "Y-you!"
A man in black armor stood upon her and held his blade in her abdomen. Gleaming light from her wound washed over Ryder. His petrified arm slowly regained its life.
Poison flowed from his blade into her, and it quickly traversed her bloodstream. Snarling, Xerneas summoned the power she could muster, and vines quickly rose from the ground around her once more.
The poison on Ryder's sword turned to flickering blue flames. He ripped it from her side to dash the vines back to the dust from whence they came. The flames ignited the poison, and Xerneas cried out as that fire engulfed her from within.
Ryder hopped off of her and flicked his blade through the air to rid it of its fire. He glanced first to Yveltal, who lay unconscious. Then to Xerneas, writhing in fire. At last, he sheathed his blade with a clang of finality, and began walking.
Putting a finger to his splintered helmet, he gave a report to his master. "Mission complete." And then, he knelt over, speeding toward the Tree of Beginning with all haste. Overhead, split halves of the Azathoth at last fell from the sky, careening into the sides of the valley. Xerneas was left alone to scream.
Tree of Life Interior, Jungle Chamber.
Gleaming streaks decorated the air, illuminating the darkness as they ripped through the foliage and crashed all along the walls. Serena managed to roll out of the way as stone debris fell where she once was.
She snarled and dug her nails into the dirt, dragging herself back to her feet to keep moving. Her eyes could scarcely make out much. The flames around her were hardly any help when the smoke they produced stole most of their light.
"Ash, Paul!" She cried out, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Where are you?!"
No answer was given except for the continued crackling of flames. She growled between her teeth and readied a Pokeball. "Alright, Clefable," She started, bringing the ball back, "I'm gonna need your luck right now."
Upon emerging from the tossed Pokeball, Clefable shouted its name eagerly. Serena nodded to it with a smile, but her face hardened as she pointed up into the smoke. Vaguely, she could see more streaks of light being fired every which way.
"Metronome. You haven't failed me with that move yet."
Clefable gave a confident nod and brought up its fingers. Like the namesake of its attack, it began to move its fingers side to side rhythmically. Then, it stopped, and suddenly hopped into the smoke.
Ash and Paul sprinted for their lives alongside their Pokemon. A hail of gleaming shrapnel flew at them, narrowly avoiding spelling their instant end. All the while, they could hear the raving laughter of the man inside the Ares over its intercom.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt!" Ordered Paul.
"Charizard, Overheat!" Followed Ash.
The two Pokemon roared as sparking flame and lightning coated them. Their attacks melded together into a crackling stream before impacting the Ares in a ferocious explosion.
Overhead, a furious swarm of Beedrill launched a hail of Pin Missiles. Likewise, a myriad of wild Pokemon joined in, from Ariados to Gigalith and more. They roared furiously, attacking the Ares with all they had to rid their home of the intruder.
Ash and Paul, as well as their Pokemon, shielded themselves from the ensuing smoke. "Did we get him?" Asked the latter trainer. He scowled upon hearing the whirring of tank treads.
From the smoke, the Ares emerged not any more harmed than it had been. Its barrier glimmered brightly, sparking with energy, before fading. What did not fade was the mocking laughter of Commander Thorn that seemed to echo without cease.
"Give up, boy!" Rang his voice deafeningly. "At the very least, you and your human friends won't have to die that way."
Ash and his team scowled at the massive tank defiantly. Though, as he tried to summon his might, he found his vision blur for a moment and staggered back.
"You okay?" Asked Paul, to which Ash nodded.
"Yeah. Just…" He glanced down at Mew tucked in one of his arms. He could feel her breaths becoming more shallow. "It's taking a lot of energy to keep her going."
Paul glanced around for an exit, but the inescapable smoke blotting the room made it impossible to see even the walls of the room. Much less, an exit.
With a scoff, he set his eyes upon the massive tank. Glimmering lights showed themselves all along its hull as it prepared to fire in every direction. Paul winced, at last replying, "You had better get her to where you need to go then."
"Huh?"
Paul ushered his team around him to stand against Thorn and the Ares. "You heard me, Ash. Something tells me that if Mew goes, things won't end well."
His scowl ever deepening, Paul ran a hand along the scars of his arms, and glanced to those adorning his Pokemon of a similar nature. "That," He continued, "And I don't want to give these monsters any satisfaction of victory after all they've done."
Ash's mouth slowly gaped as he realized what Paul meant to do. "You can't just-"
Alighting from the Ares, streaks of burning light were launched in every direction. Ash swiftly charged into Paul to knock him down before one of them could spell his end. Their Pokemon loyally leapt into action to intercept the missiles by any means necessary.
Hydreigon, seeing three incoming streaks, opened its mouths to intercept them with Hyper Beam. Two of the missiles were stricken from afar and detonated, but one flew through the smoke. The dragon's eyes went wide, and it whimpered as he glanced at its stub for a limb.
A growl came out as a choked sputter when he saw where the missile would land. It was centered straight for Ash and Paul. Hydreigon's eyes shot wide. Flashes of the statue in New Goldenrod City appeared in his vision, and he cried out in despair as he realized he wasn't fast enough to make it in time.
Sceptile and Greninja leapt into action, but they were a long ways off. The eyes of Ash and Paul went wide, as did their Pokemon, when they realized none of them would be able to interfere in time.
A purple wing tackled the two trainers to the ground, covering them just before the missile erupted. Fire and smoke shot out in every direction to halt the trainers' Pokemon.
Many wild Pokemon shrieked and wailed as the missiles bombarded them. Their flaming bodies fell from the smoke before collapsing in heaps. This was the sight Ash was met with while his ears rang and vision churned.
He gasped upon realizing who it was that had saved him. "Noivern!"
Laying atop him and Paul, the wyvern sputtered and coughed. His back was burnt black and red. His first instinct as his eyes opened once more was to gaze upon his trainer. Seeing his friend without injury, Noivern could not hide his jubilation.
This time, he hadn't failed.
But if one missile was enough to bring him down, he'd hardly be a good Pokemon for his friend, wouldn't he? So, Noivern turned toward the Ares with his face twisting into a feral scowl. Puffing up his chest, Noivern inhaled deeply before spitting out a Boomburst to vocalize his rage.
The sound waves rushed over the fallen bodies of wild Pokemon to meet the giant tank. As the waves reached it, its barrier returned, and the Boomburst harmlessly passed by. The infuriating laughter of Thorn rang out once more.
"Try all you like, but this barrier will not be falling to the likes of you so easily!"
Within the Ares, Commander Thorn smacked its steel. "This glorious piece of mankind's artistry was built to fend off even the Legends! Your pitiful attacks won't even get past the barrier!"
Sparks fell from a broken light behind him. Damage lined nearly every inch of it inside and out. The handiwork of Rayquaza, Zekrom, and Reshiram. Nevertheless, it retained nearly full function for battle. A testament to the engineering of Auto.
The short commander turned in his seat to one of the two men also operating the vehicle. "Line up the next round of artillery." With a wide grin, he pumped his fist and shouted, "We'll land the finishing blow of this war!"
"A-about that, sir," Stammered the operator.
Thorn's face fell. "What?"
Spinning his seat to grant Thorn a view of what he saw, the operator motioned to a clear tube carrying different ammunition types. An electronic screen counted down from '62' to '38.
"We're running low on ammunition."
Thorn's raging voice rang loudly throughout the tank's cabin. "What?! How?!"
Flinching, the operator meekly replied, "W-well, you have been firing rapidly ever since the main cannon was destroyed."
With a furrowed brow and drooping face, the commander gave a gruff harrumph and whirled back around to face the control panel. "Fine! It's not as if they can get through the barrier anyways."
Just then, through the smoke, Serena's Clefable came bounding toward the Ares with its fist pulled back. A dull, gray veil appeared around that fist. And then, Metronome having laid its hand, it delivered a Feint into the barrier.
There was nary a reaction. Clefable gradually fell back to the ground and looked up at the Ares expectantly. For a moment, the pink Pokemon began to have doubts. And then, the entire colossal tank buckled and sparked as its barrier vanished in a fit of smoke and electricity.
Trotting out of the smoke after Clefable, Serena looked on in astonishment at the sparking tank. "What did you…?!" When her gaze fell to her Clefable proudly smiling up at her, she couldn't help but to laugh. "You never disappoint, Clefable."
Alarms began to blare within the massive vehicle as it rocked and swayed. "What hit us?!" Roared Thorn.
"Unknown, sir!"
The commander slammed his fists into his control panel. "Unknown, my foot! I want all our ammunition flying in such numbers that even the common cave Zubat would be outnumbered!" A loud bang ensued as he smashed his fists down again. "Bathe the whole jungle in fire until whatever hit us wishes it had met Necrozma instead! I want it-!"
His ravings were interrupted by a shrill gasp escaping from his throat. Just as the tank's cameras began to work again, the parting static revealed a horde of Pokemon speeding their way toward the exposed tank.
Paul's Drapion unleashed its own Pin Missile. Its flurry of white, jagged streaks of energy flying from its claws put the entire swarm of Beedrill before it to shame. His Ursaring followed with a devastating Hammer Arm to the tank's hull that rocked it, sending Thorn off of his seat.
Ash's Sceptile and Greninja darted around the massive tank, aiming to slash apart its treads while Hydreigon and Noivern unleashed Dragon Pulse upon it overhead. Charizard grinned, letting flames between its teeth before unleashing them as a Flamethrower aimed down the frayed barrel of the tank's cannon.
Snarling, an irate Commander Thorn pulled himself back up into his seat and took the Ares's controls back into his hands. "Eat this!" He roared as pulled the controls to the side.
The Ares suddenly spun on its treads with astonishing speeds. The Pokemon were forced back as a veritable torrent of wind and dust knocked them back. Serena cried out, managing to return Clefable to its ball while shielding herself and Shaun from the dust with her arm.
While Ash turned away from the dust to try to keep Mew from harm, Paul called upon his Frosslass. "Frosslass, use Hail! Everyone, cover your heads!"
"Laaaass!" Chimed the Ice-Type Pokemon. Its voice was a harrowing, chilling song as it summoned an icy mist into the area. Hail began to manifest above and fell upon the jungle floor. Consequently, the dust storm began to fade.
Serena shuddered and hugged herself. "Gah! It's freezing!"
She let out a gasp as the mechanical openings along the Ares began to glow. Within it, a callous grin arose upon the face of Thorn as he replied, "Then allow me to heat things up for you!"
One of the two operators flew out of his seat. "Wait, sir! That's the last of our-!"
And then the jungle was set alight. Elemental streaks of missiles flew in every direction. The Pokemon, wild and trained alike, were sent into a frenzy as they tried to escape. Ash and Paul were grabbed by Sceptile and Greninja just before a missile could strike them.
But Serena had nothing to defend herself with. Though she reached for a Pokeball, her eyes shot wide in terror. She found herself face to face with one of the missiles shooting toward her.
The sound at last stirred Shaun from his slumber. The young Ralts looked up, and his eyes shot wide as he saw what Serena did. Some instinct foreign to him became known. He suddenly let out a shriek, and then he and Serena both vanished.
With a whistle, the missile sailed past where they had been before erupting thunderously into a wall. Serena and Shaun reappeared mere meters away. Their eyes, shut tight in resignation, gradually reopened.
"H-huh?" Stammered Serena. She looked around in a daze before pulling the little Ralts off of her shoulder. "Was that you?"
Shaun seemed just as shocked about it as she was. He looked to his hands like they weren't his own. For the briefest of moments, he allowed himself jubilation. But as he turned with the intent to cry out to Mew about it, he was reminded of the dire situation they were in.
Flames burnt away at the bodies of wild Pokemon and their home. Smoke and dust littered the air. And as Ash and Paul were let down nearby by Greninja and Sceptile, Shaun was struck again by the dire reminder of what had become of Mew.
Serena placed him upon her shoulder once more as she ran to meet Ash. Amidst this, the storm of missiles drew to a sudden close. Within the Ares, the sound of rocket fire was replaced with the dull, repeated clanking of a launching system having nothing left to launch.
Thorn's mad laughter halted upon hearing this. "What?! We're out of ammunition already?!"
Exasperated, the operator replied, "That was what I was trying to warn you about."
Whipping around in his chair, Thorn shook his arm at the man and barked, "You should have said something! Why do we even pay you if you cannot perform your job correctly?!"
While the small man continued hurling insults, the operators looked to one another, silently reevaluating their life choices. However, a dull thud that nearly knocked them off of their feet caused them to fly back to their positions.
Serena's Pangoro hurled a potent Focus Punch into the side of the tank that nearly turned it on its side. Its steel hull groaned and mumbled under its own weight before tilting back onto its treads. Pangoro leapt back just as the tank crashed, but found himself nearly losing his balance.
Glancing back, he found himself pushed up against the edge of a raging river. Its waters had begun to rush with terrible force as the fight had drawn on, leading to a fall at its end. Pangoro felt a shiver run down his spine. Had he been unlucky, the waters would not have been kind to him.
"Fine!" Thorn's irate voice blared from the Ares's intercom, setting all eyes upon him. "Who needs ammunition anyways?! I'll just have to…"
There was a rumbling and a whir from within the tank that set its adversaries on edge. They crouched down, readying themselves for whatever Thorn still had in store for them. The noise came to a sudden halt with a loud clank.
The remains of the main cannon tried to shift, but it's broken, twisted shape would not move properly.
"The drill can't deploy!" One of the operators informed Thorn. "The damaged cannon won't retract for it!"
Cracking his fingers, the short commander began to work away on the controls before him. "I disagree," He answered deviously. "I believe the drill will operate just fine."
With the final tap of a button, a high-pitched beep rang out. A dull whirring from inside the Ares quickly became an ear-piercing metallic shriek that sent everyone in the jungle chamber to their knees as they rushed to shield their ears while they still had hearing left to save.
Sparks flew from behind the main cannon as a red gleam among the panel holding it arose. With a clang of finality, a massive drill erupted, shredding apart the cannon's remains and sending them scattering across the chamber. Sceptile and Greninja quickly went to defending the three trainers by batting the shards away.
Thorn's chuckling rang out, growing into a rising laugh. "That's better. Now, then. Back to crushing!" The top half of the tank slowly turned, aiming its lone weapon away from the trainers. "And the first one gone will be…"
Pangoro's eyes went wide when he saw the spinning drill poised straight at him. But as his gaze fell upon his trainer to the side, he steeled himself and took a stance against the tank. Better him than her. So, he raised his arm, puffed out his chest, and roared in challenge to the massive tank.
"…You!"
Treads along the underside of the Ares, though damaged, spun like razor blades as they carried the tank toward its target. Pangoro narrowed his eyes, gathering as much energy to his arm as he could for a Focus Punch.
"Pangoro, return!"
Thorn and Pangoro seemed equally surprised as the latter was dematerialized and pulled out of harm's way by a red light. The Ares was left facing empty air, and the raging river behind it. Though Thorn cried out and tried to brake, the muddy jungle floor refused his efforts.
With a loud crash, the Ares fell into the river. Its spinning drill ravaged the opposite side of the river and tossed up stones and dust. It was dragged roughly bashing into rocks until it met the end. Its large size caught on the surrounding stones, preventing it from falling into the chamber below.
Water rushed into the hull from the new opening the drill had made in its plating that carried the two operators down to the backside of the tank. They cried and scrambled to get back to their feet, only succeeding in slipping back to the ground.
Seeing this, Thorn quickly hopped out of his seat before the water could reach him and furiously began to open the escape hatch above him. He ignored the cries of the operators as he pulled himself out.
With a gasp and groaning, Thorn scrambled onto the hull of the tank. His gaze swerved all around himself, looking for some opportunity to escape. As he peered over one edge of the tank, he saw the raging river threatening to pull him under. And on the other edge, there was the fall.
Tall, jagged, rocky spires pointed up from the waters below like decrepit, blackened fingers ready to pull him to his demise should he fall. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Thorn put his hands to the back of his head, sputtering to himself in despair.
Ash, Serena, and Paul returned the remainder of their Pokemon. Giving one another a nod, they began to turn away from Thorn to move on. Ash spared the commander a passing glance over his shoulder before following the others.
"Wait, please!"
Ash stopped. He cursed himself for doing so. A thousand reasons for why he shouldn't bother even looking at Thorn again crossed his mind. The war. The lives of whatever Pokemon were still alive. His friends. The dire situation of Mew. A shadowy man on their tail.
Yet he stopped anyway and turned toward Thorn despite himself. He did not respond verbally. But even he could not stifle the displeased glare he adorned for simply having to indulge Thorn.
The short commander fell to his knees as the tank buckled in its place slightly. He cried, "Please, help me! I don't want to die!"
It was a simple request, born of only desperation. No remorse. No promises of a better life. No oath to make amends for all the wrong he had done. Yet Ash found his legs moving toward the man anxiously.
He released Greninja again and passed Mew off to him to keep her steady. The noise caught the attention of Paul and Serena, who could scarcely believe their eyes as they watched Ash make his way toward the river.
"Ash, what are you doing?!" Shouted Serena.
In utter disbelief and befuddlement, Paul roared, "Stop, Ash! He isn't worth it! We do not have time for this regardless! Especially after all he's done!"
When Ash continued moving without a word, Paul growled, infuriated. "He won't change, Ash!"
At last, Ash responded under his breath. "I know."
Then, he released Noivern above himself, latching onto the wyvern's talon to fly over the river. Serena and Paul yelled out his name, but he did little but wince as he continued. They were right. It was like Paul was narrating his own mind, yet he instinctively couldn't stop himself.
Thorn let out a sob of relief as he saw Ash flying toward him. "Thank you!" He shouted with glee. "Thank you so much! I'll be out of your way from now on. I promise! This war isn't worth my life."
As Noivern reached the edge of the tank, Ash scoffed and looked around at the bodies of wild Pokemon piled along the jungle floor. The few who remained alive were heavily burned. They lingered over the bodies of their kind in mourning.
"Was it worth theirs?"
Thorn opened his mouth to respond when there was a sudden loud clank. Sparks rushed up the sides of the Ares as the rocks holding it gave way. Thorn let out a guttural cry as his life flashed, and Ash quickly reached out a hand.
Their fingers extended out to one another, drawing closer and closer until one fell away. With wide eyes, Thorn fell back. He let out a final, pitiful cry on his way down before disappearing in a plume of fire as the Ares erupted on contact with the spires below.
Ash felt his heart sink. He was struck still, his jaw agape, as he beheld the flames. By all means, he knew the man deserved it. But the bitterness in his mouth, and the weight he felt upon him, only increased.
More shouting from his friends brought him out of his stupor. He shook his head, reached up to pet Noivern's chin, and the two turned away from the waterfall to face their friends.
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: The naming schemes of the commanders are meant to be opposed. Like how a 'Thorn' would pierce and penetrate, a 'Ward' would defend and protect. Just as Commander Thorn was constantly on the attack and Commander Ward died trying to defend his comrades from Regigigas.
Although the living Auto was a member of Ryder's squadron, as an AI, he can also be considered a commander. Thus his opposite is "Manuall" like how doing something automatically or manually are opposed.
Creator: Welcome back, everybody. Apologies for the wait. I took two weeks to visit family and also rewrote a few scenes. There were some additions to existing scenes and at least one entirely new, previously unplanned scene here also. Excuses, excuses, I know. I hope the content of this chapter was at least cool enough to placate you.
Hydra: Hey everyone! School has officially started again and I'm currently in my 4th week. I've been working on pursuing a bachelors in Broadcast Journalism because one of my biggest passions is writing. Shocking I know right. Thankfully my summer job is FINALLY done so I have more time to do homework and work on the story!
G: "Great chapter, good indeed, so we are still see continuing this gruesome and violent war, well, to this point, its hard to know who side could wins, because to see each faction in the battles, you can note how much casualties are suffering the Pokemon and Nova Branch troops alike, showing that both sides are even.
Also, i wonder which could be the fallouts caused for this war, in the sense of the relationships between pokemon and human beings, particulary by the events showed in the News about pokemon attacks in human settlements, as i have a hunch that regardless who wins this war, the consequences could be a notable anti-pokemon sentiment in the Pokemon world, as many people could end sharing the same negative views of the Nova Branch, even if this organization end being disbanded in the end, meaning that sadly, Nova could end winning this conflict in many ways; for a side, if he manages to destroy the Tree of Beginning and eliminates the heart of the pokemons, and for other side, he could end like a martyr for many people that could still follows his radical ideals against the pokemon, implying a bleak situation for our heroes.
As other point, regarding the battles of Reshiram and Zekrom, to be honest, i liked to see a kinder side of Reshiram in this conflict, in the sense that despite to her notable grudge toward Nova Branch for her injury, she still showed a compassionated side, like when she protected a defenseless Munna from the troops of Nova Branch, and also when Zekrom talked her about stay to protects the other pokemon, and Reshiram accepted to defends them, than coldly leaves them all by their own to be pursuing the Nova Branch, showing that despite to her new pragmatic mindset, Reshiram can still showcase her noble and selfless side, something nice, as this prove that not all the Legendary pokemon are broken beyond repair, like Lugia or Genesect.
Also, i hope that Ash can keep Mew alive, because after see the ordeal from him, Serena and Paul dealing with the Nova Branch troops, i fear that Ash can be overwhelmed eventually, especially as he must to focus his attention not only in his enemies, but also in be healing Mew back, putting him in a very difficult situation.
And regarding to your point Hydra, my personal heroes in the story, are Xerneas and Reshiram, because Xerneas showed be a few of the Legendary pokemon that managed to kept her moral code intact until the moment, and Reshiram showed signs of be capable to become back the same noble Dragon of the Truth that she was prior the island conflict, without count that she is one of my favorite pokemon. And regarding the villains, my favorite is Christopher Lee, as he showed be a cunning man that is capable to makes great contingency plans, adding his lack of fear to insult the Legendary pokemon face to face, showing that he is a powerful man. And also the Burned man, as i was waiting for his retribution toward Moltres since long time ago, adding that he always gave me vibes from several villains from other franchises, like Darth Vader (Star Wars) and Nemesis (Resident Evil).
To finishes, besides Ash, i wonder if we'll see his other friends in the next chapters, to see what kind of situations they could be dealing, as perhaps they could tries to stop the pokemon rampage from the cities to reduces the collateral damage and prevent a far worse negative propaganda toward the pokemon.
Keep the good job."
Creator: This war is dragging on, and the longer it goes, the worse off both sides seem to be. I wonder if there will even be anything left to save by the time the fighting is done?
Reshiram, at the very least, seems to still be holding onto a semblance of truth. All she received was one neck wound compared to everything the likes of Yveltal or Lugia went through over the course of the story.
Or Mew, for that matter.
Hydra: This chapter just reinforced your point more about Xerneas. She will quite literally do anything to protect innocent lives even if that means going against her own counterpart in the middle of a battle. I really liked Xerneas's character arc. She's one of the few characters that hasn't allowed all these traumatic events to change her. Its unfortunate what happened to her this chapter though, Ryder inflicted one hell of a wound.
With Reshiram, I like to think that while she has been traumatized, she's not too far gone to the point she'll sacrifice innocent lives compared to Yveltal.
SilverWolf1130: "I get the feeling Professor Oak will soon have to deal with newly formed anti-Pokémon hate groups. Yikes.
Delia (not Deliah), you'll likely see your son very soon. Cause no matter who wins this fight, Ash is gonna be so emotionally scarred he'll need a mother's comfort and support…
Dead plants and a dusty sky. That's… not a good sign…
Just thought of something. Since we're seeing how the world is being affected by this battle, it makes me wonder how the people of Rota (The town close to the Tree and what we saw in the movie) feel. Cause they can definitely see all the damage the Tree has taken.
I liked that scene with the lone soldier. Some of his humanity and realization is returning. Adds more layers to the organization rather than just making them one dimensional grunts. Nice work.
And the Tapus weren't gonna show mercy even when the enemy was completely defenseless. Kinda like the Nova Corps…
I liked seeing Reshiram and Zekrom work with the surviving Pokémon here. In these dark times, all Pokémon need to stick together cause the world has changed…
Good to see hope is not lost for Reshi.
"That one's for you, Emily." Big hint towards The Man's identity right there.
Looking back now, That scene back in chapter 40, I think it was, where Mr. Star talks about Emily seems like the only time he was ever honest with Ash.
Damn. it's not looking good for Mew. And Ash having to fight a supertank makes things even worse since he needs his power to keep her alive.
You know what's gonna absolutely crush Ash? When Nova reveals that the reason he knew to attack the Tree was because Ash told him, when he was acting as Mr. Star, his entire life story, which includes his first journey to the Tree and learning its connection to Mew…
Regarding your question (though it wasn't aimed at me) and I can't remember if you asked this before but I'd say my favorite villains are Lee and Nova. Lee is such a hateable character but I just love seeing him be so smug and in control towards the Legendaries. And Nova, I love that he played 5 games of 4D chess with Ash and the Legendaries. And the revelation of Mr. Star was so well done.
Anyways, I wish you two the best in this horrible summer.
Thanks for another great chapter!"
Creator: Whatever happens after the end of this war, if there is anything left, whoever may be left alive to witness it will be at a loss to say the least.
Whether it be Professor Oak trying to stem the tides of anti Pokemon propaganda, whichever trainers may still live trying to make a life for themselves, or the world itself trying to live on the small fumes of life left behind.
It won't be easy. This is all assuming there is anything left at all.
Thank you for correcting our spelling of Delia Ketchum's name. I don't know if you saw, but we did go back and fix that thanks to you.
I can't imagine Ash will ever be truly put together ever again after this war. Necrozma had already broken him. Aura's manipulation went a step further to make him question if he has a sense of self. And we know what happened with good old cheery Mr. Star.
This isn't even mentioning all the death he's seen. A little much for a kid to deal with.
Yes, indeed. Man and beast aren't as different as they like to assume they are. A Pokemon can be merciless, and a human soldier can still show restraint. It's a shame when the good go to die in war.
We are both very glad you're keeping Emily in mind. Nova is full of nearly as many truths as he is lies. And if you reread certain chapters, you may be able to discern those truths. There is one other chapter where Emily is mentioned.
As for my personal favorite villain, I still have to say Necrozma takes the cake. He was a bit worn out by the end of the war, but his way of doing things was very fun for me to write. It's like his life is him constantly trying to put on a show for himself. But I'm sure Hydra has his own favorite.
Special mentions to Ryder though.
Hydra: Nova is absolutely my favorite villain. He played the long game against Ash and his friends and it paid off for him. Chapter 65 "The Man" will always be my favorite chapter. Ever since this story's conception I envisioned that scene and once it finally happened I could hardly believe it. I have reread that chapter so many times because the reveal was just so shocking.
Villains are starting to kick the bucket though. First doctor Death and now commander Thorn. Makes you wonder who might be next? Believe it or not though Thorn was supposed to originally die a few chapters ago to Reshiram and Zekrom. They would've both gotten into one last intense fight with the Ares before they lifted up the tank and smashed it into the Azathoth's barrier causing it to explode. However, the reason it changed was because I visited Yosemite National Park and after seeing all the beautiful waterfalls I knew it had to be changed.
Creator: Next chapter, we will see a fiery vengeance settled at last. Flames of revenge will boil over until it erupts. The consequences of it will shift the war itself.
Hydra: That concludes this chapter. That fight between Ryder, Xerneas and Yveltal was a looong time coming. Ryder almost kicked the bucket multiple times, but he continues to exceed expectations time and time again. Mew is running out of time and every second wasted is another second she gets closer to death's door. I hope you all have a wonderful week and we will see you on the next one!